SPINACH PORIYAL

The stir fried spinach is my family's favorite vegetable. Using fresh spinach is preferred, it is quite easy to prepare, nutritious and delicious too. If you are not keen to include the grated coconut simply omit it but still taste great. Best served with rice or roti as a side dish.

SPINACH PORIYAL RECIPE

250g fresh spinach chopped fine
4 shallots sliced
4 dry chilli break into pieces
4 tablespoons grated coconut
3 tablespoons moong dal (soak for 30 minutes)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
salt to taste
oil for frying

METHOD

1. Heat the oil, fry the mustard seed, onion, garlic and dry chilli for 3 minutes.

2. Add spinach, mooong dal, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Do not add water.

3. Now add coconut and salt, stir for few more minutes.

4. Remove from  heat. 

GULAI TELUR

After long time we had this Gulai Telur made of hard boiled eggs cooked in coconut milk together with dry chili, coriander seeds and others. You will surely enjoy the gravy as it gives a change from the usual variety of food you eat.

VEGETABLE PULAO

Requested by my son to cook the vegetable pulao taken with spicy tomato chicken. Simple and yummy treat for the day. You can add beans, peas, potato but I'm using carrot because that what I have in stock. Addition of chilli powder and turmeric enhance the taste of this dish but also give a nice colour.

VEGETABLE PULAO

2 cups basmati rice (soak 30 minutes then drain)
1 cup vegetables (bean, carrot, potato) cut
4 tablespoons oil/ghee
2  big onions chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 stick cinnamon
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup coriander leaf chopped
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups water
salt

METHOD

1. Heat oil, add in cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and onion, fry until light brown.

2. Add ginger, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander leaves, stir well.

3. Pour in vegetables and little water, cook until slightly soft.

4. Now add the rice, salt, milk and water, when the water is boiling, reduce flame, cover the pot and cook till the rice is done.

5. Sprinkle with coriander leaf at the time of serving.

WHITE BAIT FRITTERS

This dish reminded me of my mum's cooking when I was a small child, made of fresh white bait (ikan bilis nasi), red chilli and flour. If you use the self raising flour, the baking powder should be omitted. Another my favourite side dish serve with hot steaming rice.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fresh white bait (wash and drain)
2 tablespoons wheat flour
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg beaten
1 fresh red chilli sliced
4 shallots sliced
2 spring onion or coriander leaves chopped
1/3 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients except oil in a bowl.

2. Heat oil, drop 2 tablespoons of batter and spread it into thin pancake.

3. Turn it over to cook the other side. Drain on absorbent kitchen towel.

4. Continue the process until all the batter is used up.

5. Serve hot with chilli or tomato sauce.

KUIH DADAR

Kuih dadar is similar to crepe, it is stuffed with coconut filling. Before making this you have to prepare the filling, for the batter blend the screwpine (pandan) leaves with water to obtain its colour or else just use green food colouring. Again palm sugar is used to mix with grated coconut, as this one is made of coconut, they do not keep very well, finish them as soon as possible.

KUIH DADAR RECIPE 

1 cup wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups water
5 blades of pandan leaves (cut)
1 teaspoon sago flour
1 egg
salt
green food colouring

FILLING
1 and 1/2 cups grated coconut
3/4 cups palm sugar
1/2 cup water
1 blade pandan leaves

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients for filling, cook over low heat till thick, stirring all the time.Cool and keep aside.

2. Blend the cut pandan leaves with water then strain.

3. Sift both flour and salt, add an egg, gradually add water to form a batter with the whisk.

4. Lightly coated the pan with oil, pour the batter to make a thin pancake. Cook until light brown then flip to cook the other side.

5. Remove a piece of pancake onto a plate, place a spoonful of the filling on one end, fold in both sides then roll up.

6. Repeat the same process for the rest of the pancake.

7. Serve immediately.

IKAN PANGGANG SANTAN

This dish is a grilled fish in coconut sauce.  Ikan Panggang Santan is cleaned then grill under a gas or electric one but I used a flat non stick pan to cook both side of the fish. Mullet, bream, snapper and other type of small fish can be used. After preparing the sauce just put in the fish for a few minutes in order to fully absorb the spices. Tightly wrapped the fish with banana leaves if available and grill until the leaves turn brown. Kindly reduce the amount of chili paste to suit your preference.

SERI MUKA JAGUNG

Seri Muka Jagung is a traditional kuih consisting of two layers, below one made of glutinous rice while the top is the egg custard with addition of sweet kernel corn. When steaming the top layer do cover it with aluminium foil to avoid water dripping from the steamer. It is advisable to soak the glutinous to obtain properly cooked rice and not grainy.

CORNFLAKES COOKIES

Baked this Cornflakes Cookies using crushed cornflakes. It's very crunchy, great taste and sure to please anyone who loves mild sweet biscuit. Most importantly use fresh stock of cornflakes to obtain good result.

KUIH KASWI

Kuih kaswi or kasui is a traditional kuih made of wheat flour, tapioca flour and palm sugar (gula Melaka). It's very fragrant and sticky soft. The authentic taste can only be obtained if palm sugar is used. In case this is not available you can use brown sugar instead but add a drop of sarsaparilla brown food color  to get darker tone. You can also use round pan of 8 inches diameter to steam then cut into bite sizes.

SAMBAL SOTONG

My family loved spicy food so cooked the sambal sotong to be served with white rice or nasi lemak. Quite simple recipe with minimum ingredients yet tasty.

SAVOURY PANCAKE

Another favorite recipe of my family, the savory pancake is very versatile since you can add whatever you fancy such as chicken, sausage and vegetables. Do take care when adding the water, the batter should not be too thick nor runny in order to get perfect pancake. This recipe is eggless,very healthy and used minimum amount of oil just to coat the pan. Actually I applied oil for the first one, skip the oil for the rest.

KOLEH KOLEH

This is a traditional kuih made of green bean flour, coconut milk and sugar. In the olden days, the flour has to be prepared from scratch but now it's easily obtainable from the supermarket or bakery outlet. Before cooking this tasty  Koleh Koleh ,  you have to prepare the coconut crumbs (tahi minyak), sugar syrup then only you can proceed in making this kuih.

LONGAN TEA

This longan tea is subtly sweet, warm in nature and a favorite in boosting energy level.   It is made with dried longan, brown sugar, ginger and tea leaves.

 Longan contains niacin which aids metabolism, keep the digestive system healthy,  very soothing and calming effect on the nerves. The dried longan is  obtainable from chinese medicall hall.

In case the pandan leaves are not available, do omit them since these are for fragrance only.

FISH CURRY

Cooked this favourite dish to be taken with naan. This Fish Curry is free from coconut milk but tasted wonderful. The chili powder can be adjusted to suit your taste but mine very spicy and tangy, the way my family like it. If you want thicker gravy add less water, best eaten with plain rice, naan, prata or even dosa.

BUBUR KELEDEK

This dessert is made of sweet potato, coconut milk and sugar. Quite easy to prepare and the variations are endless, you can use yam, green beans, tapioca, red bean and many more instead of sweet potato.

KUIH ROSE

A traditional kuih of South East Asian, made of rice flour, wheat flour and coconut milk. It is so crunchy and delicious. You need a special mould to prepare this fried snack. First the brass mould  is heated in hot oil before dipping  into the batter then drop into hot oil. It has mild sweet taste, need patience to prepare since you have to fry it individually but very addictive.

INGREDIENTS

100g rice flour
100g wheat flour
50g sugar
175ml coconut milk
1 egg
salt
oil for frying
brass mould

METHOD

1. Whisk sugar and coconut milk until sugar has dissolved.

2. Add an egg, beat until well blended. Strain the batter.

3. Put in sifted flour, mix well. If too thick add more water.

4. Heat the oil, put in the mould to heat up. Remove the mould from oil and dip into the batter.

5. Drop the coated mould into hot oil. Shake to remove from the mould. If not you can use skewer to  remove.

6. Fry until golden brown, remove from pan and drain on absorbent kitchen towel.

7. Store in airtight containers.

MY TRICK

A) For easy removal, dip batter to coat only up to 3/4 sides of the mould not all.

B) Use medium heat to ensure uniform cooking and avoid it to turn dark color.

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ASAM PEDAS

Asam pedas is one of 'must have' dishes in every Malay household. The gravy is very spicy and a bit sour in taste. Using blended dry chili, tamarind juice and fish such as stingray, snapper, mackerel or threadfin as its ingredient. Best served with plain rice or even with bread.

EASY FRUIT CAKE

Baked this  EASY FRUIT CAKE long time ago. You do not need a special gadget to prepare just use a whisk would be fine because this cake will not rise much since. it's not  a  soft and fluffy type using dried fruit in the recipe. Simply superb if served with a cup of tea.

NASI LEMAK

Nasi lemak or coconut milk rice is normally served at breakfast together with sambal tumis, ikan bilis (fried anchovy), fried fish or fried chicken, egg and cucumber. But one thing to note, you can't eat them regularly since it is high in cholesterol. As time goes this dish is so famous in Singapore and Malaysia, enjoyed by all races, readily available throughout the day even in shopping malls, the accompaniment also multiply that include rendang, sambal sotong (squid cooked in chili), otak-otak and many more, you are spoilt for choice.

BREAD CRUMB COOKIES

Don't know what to do with leftover bread? This my idea, toast or bake the bread without oil until crispy, break into small pieces and grind it. Your bread crumb is ready to be used as a coating, topping or thickener,  money saver too. It is easily turned into a crunchy and irresistible cookies enjoyed by whole family like this Bread Crumb Cookies.

Kids love to bake cookies. Young kids can practice to measure out ingredients used and stirring them. So tag them along when baking, it is a great learning experience and let them understand the basic kitchen rules.

HOMEMADE ROTI PRATA

Homemade Roti Prata  is crispy or fluffy flat bread normally served either with dal, chicken,fish curry or just sugar. It is called roti canai in Malaysia. After mixing the dough, it must be kept preferably overnight. One must have the skill to flip the dough into layer before heating it on a flat pan or else you have to stretch the dough as thin as possible, roll into coil, flatten the dough then fry it. In Singapore it is so famous that you can have this anytime of the day with addition of egg, banana, chocolate, cheese and many more.

TECHNORATI

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CORN PULAO

It is so simple to prepare and very tasty too. Addition of whole kernel corn in this recipe makes it more flavorful and nutritious. You can either use fresh of frozen corn. Corn Pulao can be eaten with any hot curry or just yogurt for vegetarian version.

Using rice cooker is the best option but you can also cook them on stove top but once the water has evaporated, close the lid and continue cooking with lowest heat.

TOM YAM SOUP

Tom yam soup is the famous hot and sour soup originating from Thailand. You can use chicken or seafood, each region has its own variation of the recipe.Amount of the bird's eye chilli and chilli paste used can be adjusted to your preference.

HANDY KITCHEN TIPS

HANDY KITCHEN TIP

Listed below are tips compiled by Dr GTS which I find very useful, will publish the tips part by part so others will also benefit after reading the article.

31. After taking out the butter from milk cream (malai) add a little milk or curd to the remaining buttermilk and boil. You now have soft paneer, which is good for small children and those with weak stomach.

32. While making fresh salad cut the toms vertically and not horizontally to get firmer slices. If the toms are soft keep them in a bowl of iced water before cutting.

33. Potato peels can make tasty wafer. Immerse the peel in warm water to which a pinch of salt is added and then dry and deep-fry it.

34. If you want the lemon to last for a month apply coconut oil over them and place in an open tray in the fridge.

35. To prevent the ladyfingers from being sticky toss the chopped pieces in 1 tab of lemon juice before frying or cooking.

36. To get rid of the eggy smells in cakes add 1 tab of honey to the cake batter. The cake will taste better too.

37. To make tasty banana bread beat 250gm flour, 250gm sugar and 60 ml fat, 3 bananas and 1 ½ tsp baking powder and bake till done.

38. If you need to use toms in any curry just grate them in. they cook faster as the skin peels automatically.

39. Add some bay leaves to the raw rice when storing it. Besides keeping worms away it is very fragrant.

40. For any paneer curry add a little grated paneer to the gravy for a delicious taste.

BAMIAH

Bamiah is a stew made of lamb or beef and okra. It is an Egyptian favourite often served in Middle Eastern restaurant. Can be taken with bread, paratha or rice with addition of all the spices make this dish really yummy.

DATE COOKIES

This  cookies is quite sticky to handle but don't add more flour just roll it into small balls while baking it will puff up slightly. Nice aroma produced when boiling the date with sugar, butter and water. Great bake, my son can't stop eating them.  Date Cookies  produces a very soft and delicious cookies that you may want to bake again and again

KERALA BEEF CURRY

Kerala Beef Curry  is probably the most popular meat dish in India's southern state of Kerala, can be served with dosa, idli, paratha, naan or rice. It's spicy, can be substituted with lamb if you like.

HANDY KITCHEN TIP

Listed below are tips compiled by Dr GTS which I find very useful, will publish the tips part by part so others will also benefit after reading the article.

21. Wrap half slice of bread in a muslin cloth and place it in the cooking pan.
22. Add a few drops of lemon.
23. Season the oil with cinnamon and clove or add sugar.
24. Cook with piece of ginger.
25. Add 2 or 3 tbsp of buttermilk.
26. Add a few mint leaves while cooking

27. To avoid malai or film formations on custard sprinkle a little sugar and cover the dish.

28. Ladyfinger curry won’t turn out sticky if you add amchur to it.

29. If the curd is excessively sour add some fresh pieces of coconut to reduce the sourness.

30. Make raisins at home. Add 1 tbsp ghee and 1 tsp soda bicarb to 1 liter of boiling water. Break 1 kg of seedless grapes into small bunches and dip each bunch in the boiling water counting up to ten. Remove from water and spread on a muslin cloth to dry.

JEMPUT2 TEPUNG ATTA

Jemput2  Tepung Atta or fried fritters is a popular snack in Singapore and Malaysia . There are so many types to choose from, it can be sweet or savory. What I'm sharing here is made of wheat flour, onion, water and other ingredients then drop a spoonful of batter into hot oil. This is very versatile dish you can add prawn, sausage, vegetable, chicken or leave it plain if you want. Instead of wheat flour I used atta (whole wheat flour) and mashed tofu. Taste great if serve with chili or tomato sauce.

CRUNCHY OAT COOKIES

This is the most delicious oatmeal cookies I have ever baked. It's so simple and nutritious too, full of oat. Everyone who tried it loved them.

INGREDIENTS

100g all purpose flour
100g porridge or rolled oat
1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate
100g butter
80g sugar
1 tbsp honey

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 4 or 180 c.
2. Grease on large baking tray with butter or margarine.
3. Mix flour, oats, and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl put to one side.
4. Put margarine or butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat on a low heat until butter and sugar are melted, stir occasionally, take off heat and stir in the oat mix, beat well with a wooden spoon.
5. Scoop dessertspoons of mixture up and make into ball shapes and place on a greased baking tray when the tray is full slightly flatten the balls out with the back of the dessert spoon.
6. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, when ready remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5 mins before moving onto a wire rack.

MY TRICK

Use microwave to melt the butter, sugar and honey. It's much faster.

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HANDY KITCHEN TIP

HANDY KITCHEN TIP


Listed below are tips compiled by Dr GTS which I find very useful, will publish the tips part by part so others will also benefit after reading the article.

11. To boil cracked eggs add some vinegar to the water. In this case the egg won’t leak out.

12. For making soft chappatis add a mashed boiled potato while mixing the dough.

13. To make a quick sauce for boiled chicken or fish stir 2 tsp curry powder into 1 cup of curd and add a little salt. Heat to serving temperature and spoon over each serving.

14. When the sauce is almost over in the chilly sauce bottle. Add some limejuice and shake well and use as a salad dressing.

15. While cooking bitter gourd add a few pieces of raw mango to remove the bitterness and add a little tang to the curry.

16. Liquid glucose when added to ice cream mixture makes it smooth and velvety.

17. Rub your hands with some salt to remove the odor of garlic.

18. To avoid the nauseating smell while cooking cauliflower try one of the following:
19. Sprinkle a little milk powder.
20. Cook with vinegar and salt and turmeric.

LIGHT EGGLESS BANANA CAKE

Since my banana are over riped, I need to make use of them before they turn really bad. This cake is very light and easy to prepare, just mixing all the ingredients without using a mixer.

It turned out very well. The cake is so yummy and spongy. Since Light Eggless Banana Cake  is quite a large cake, I halved the recipe. Great for a small get-together or as a afternoon snack with your favorite drink.

HANDY KITCHEN TIP

HANDY KITCHEN TIP

Listed below are tips compiled by Dr GTS which I find very useful, will publish the tips part by part so others will also benefit after reading the article.

1. Do not throw away hard pieces of stale bread. Dry them in the sun or on the tawa and grind and use as breadcrumbs.

2. Add a little milk to the onions while frying. This will help to retain the rich color and prevent them from burning.

3. While frying mushrooms, add a tsp of lemon juice to the butter. This will prevent them from breaking

4. While cutting hardboiled eggs, the yolk often tends to break. To avoid this dip the knife in ice cold water for a few seconds and then cut smoothly.

5. To 5 kg basmati rice of cheaper qlty add 1 kg of superior qlty and sprinkle a little oil and mix well with your hand. Store in airtight container for 6 months. All the rice will now taste like the superior qlty one.

6. Add wheat flour to the leftover rasagulla syrup and mix to a smooth batter. Keep overnight. Treat yourself to sweet chelas (pancakes) for breakfast the next day.

7. If home made gulab jamuns have not turned out soft and fluffy, steam them in a pressure cooker using the weight along with the syrup for 10 minutes

8. If a recipe requires self raising flour you can make your own by sieving each cup of maida with 1 ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.

9. To make softer idlis and dosas mix a little cooked rice while grinding the batter.

10. To increase the quantity of fresh cream by say 250 grams add half a cup thick curd and half cup of milk and beat well. This will double the qty and also the taste will be better.

SUJI COOKIES

Very easy and fail proof cookies I have baked several times. Since the ghee was not in hand, substituted  ghee with butter and it turns our perfect.  Suji Cookies are baked for about 20 minutes so do check your oven. Recipe by Chef Devagi.

CHICKEN KORMA

A traditional mild curry which has its root in Persian and Indian cuisine. Its uses coconut, yogurt, cashew,almond or cream in the cooking to give its distinctive flavor.My Chicken Korma recipe used coconut milk, cashew and black peppercorn (adjust to taste) and quite easy to prepare. Best eaten with rice, naan and parata.

APOM

Appam is a famous South Indian breakfast dish especially in Kerala.It uses raw rice, cooked rice and  coconut milk. After soaking the rice  for few hours, grind it using mixer and fermented for 8 hours then only it is cooked using appam pan. After pouring the batter, swirl the pan to have a crispy edge but thick in the middle.

Instead of doing it in a traditional way, I tried this simpler method using rice flour and yeast,the result is close to original appam but using normal flat pan since I don't own a special pan for making the appam. In Malaysia and Singapore it is called apom normally served with orange colored sugar.

FATT KOH

My first attempt of making  Fatt  Koh which is smiling steamed cake and fatt koh means prosperity. This is a must for Chinese during prayers. They are other version too but I tried this one using self raising flour.

I'm using my muffin cup but you can also utilize any shallow glass bowl or heatproof plastic mold to steam them but make sure you grease your container before filling with the batter.

CHOCOLATE OIL CAKE

Really impressed at the simplicity of this cake. It turns out moist and soft. I halved the recipe and baked in 7 inch round pan for 25 minutes.

If you want you shall apply frosting of your choice.  Chocolate Oil Cake It is not so sweet, fantastically easy to prepare. I also love the one bowl mixing, beaters not required. This is great for those intolerant of lactose and cholesterol as well as vegan.

ALOO PARATHA (POTATO STUFFED FLATBREAD)

Paratha is a popular Indian flat bread using whole wheat flour (atta) or plain flour. You can either prepare them plain or with stuffing. The most common stuffing is using potato.

Care should be taken when adding the water for the dough, do it a little at a time. When rolling Aloo Paratha  make sure you added sufficient flour to avoiding sticking. Since my sons love spicy food, I've added the chili powder for the filling if not you can omit them.

TOMATO RICE

There are so many ways to prepare this  Tomato Rice but this turns out great. I'm using long grain rice but you can also use basmati rice. If you're using basmati rice, do soak the grain for 20 minutes then drain. Basmati rice produces perfect rice all the time, it has special aroma.

It is highly recommended to use rice cooker for cooking this dish in order to avoid sticking to the bottom if not just use ordinary pot but once the water evaporates you must use the lowest flame to continue cooking the rice until it is done.

CHICKEN PIRALAN

This is quite an interesting recipe, the method of preparation is quite different from the normal one. The chicken is first marinated then slowly simmered with spices until almost dry. They are later added to the onion to complete the cooking process.

Chicken Piralan turns our excellent but I have added more water since extra gravy was needed. In fact this dish is quite thick and dry. Best served with hot steaming rice or roti. Kindly adjust the chili powder used according to your preference..

BREAD PUDDING

Bread pudding is a great way to use your leftover bread into delicious and easy dessert. You can use either white bread or sturdy french bread works well too.

Some recipe calls for soaking the bread for several hours but now I have soaked mine for only 30 minutes. It is a satisfying comfort food that most people crave. Nothing beats warm bread pudding on a cold night.

APPLE ROLLS

A sweet breakfast treat your family will enjoy.  Apple Rolls are also a great way to use your apples. It's absolutely delicious and the nice aroma filled your entire kitchen when you're baking is really fantastic.I  halved the recipe. It had sweet and sour taste came from the apple.

BANANA PANCAKE

This is a really simple and yummy dish. It was mild sweet for me and do take note that you must use medium heat so that inside of the pancake get cooked. For best result, fry using non stick pan. Recipe by allrecipes.

KEEMA

Keema or minced meat  curry either beef or mutton which is simmered in spices together with green peas, carrot, potato or any other vegetables of your choice.

It can also be used as a pastry filling or stuffed into flat bread. In this case, you have to cook them until almost dry.

It is best served with naan, capati or bread. Kindly adjust the spice level according to your preference.

BUTTER VS MARGARINE

Confused which one to use, please go through the article below which will shed some light and help you to make a better choice of what to use in your cooking.

Subject: Margarine vs Butter

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it?

They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW..the difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years..

And now, for Margarine..

Very high in trans fatty acids.

Triple risk of coronary heart disease.

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol,(the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact....HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY NTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

SERUNDING

This spiced coconut floss  is made of fresh grated coconut simmered until almost dry with spices, There are other type of serunding  either beef (contains shredded beef), chicken or fish.  But this plain ones is the most common. It is best served  with white rice or lontong (compressed rice cake). If properly cooked the serunding can last for days without refrigeration. You can adjust the amount of chili power used.

BISKUT MAKMUR

Another popular cookies baked during Eid or Chinese New Year. Made of wheat flour, ghee (clarified butter), stuff with roasted ground peanut and sugar then mold into leaf shape biscuit using the pincer. You can also shape them into small ball and stuff  the filling.

 A drop of green coloring is added to the dough if not you can let as it is. If you find the dough is too soft you can add some flour. After baking you have to coat them with icing sugar. These Biskut  Makmur are very fragile to handle and really melt into you mouth.

BANANA ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN

Three in one muffin using banana, coffee and chocolate chip totally irresistible. These are absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare. I added only a quarter cup of chocolate chip since my stock was running low. Nevertheless it turns out great and used instant coffee powder.

Would definitely bake this Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffin again since my kids love them Here's how they are made:

MALABAR BEEF CURRY

One of the most delicious curry of Malabar. Malabar cuisine is distinctively spicy, aromatic and rich. The most famous dish of Malabar is Malabar Biryani. Its delicately flavors and scrumptious taste are greatly influenced by Arabs.. 

For  Malabar Beef Curry recipe, coconut milk and grated coconut are used, it blends well with the spices and these produce a rich, creamy and spicy curry that goes well with roti or hot steaming rice.

For those who can't take hot and spicy dish, feel free to reduce the chili powder and black pepper used. Here is how I prepare this wonderful curry:

SPICY SARDINE

This is really simple and easy recipe.  Spicy Sardine  uses canned sardines in tomato sauce. With addition of onion, tomato and spices, it turns out really delicious. Sometimes I do prepare this dish on lazy weekend. Kindly adjust the chili used according to your preference. It is best served with hot steaming rice, capati or bread.

CINNAMON ROLLS

If you're looking for soft and delicious cinnamon rolls you should try this one. These are great for breakfast or your afternoon snack. Baking bread is really challenging, it takes time to prepare but once they have baked to perfection with a fantastic aroma you're overjoyed and relieved.

You could easily purchase these rolls from your nearby bakery but nothing beat the homemade rolls, fresh from the oven. The best part about making this roll is that the dough can be shaped, sliced and frozen. When you need them just thaw and let rise again before baking. What you need are:

PARATHA ROLL

Prepared this  Paratha Roll  for our dinner and well received by my family members. This healthy flat bread consists of two parts, the filling and the bread.First you have to prepare the filling and let it cool before you proceed.

Next to mix up the dough and leave for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough  into round shape, fry on flat pan with little oil. Once it is fried, put the filling at one end then roll up. It is best  eaten hot. Add more green chili or chili powder according to your preference.

It is not necessarily be spicy, feel free to adapt to your taste, even by spreading nutella or jam will taste great.

SPICY NADAN TOMATO FISH

Instead of normal fish curry, I tried this  Spicy Nadan Tomato Fish recipe by Roselle which is a hit with my family. It has sweet, slightly hot and tangy taste the way I like it. Sweetness comes from the onion used and recommended that you lightly fry the fish before adding to the gravy.

If possible try to use bigger fish with less bone and thick flesh. Adding chili powder and tamarind can be adjusted to your liking. This recipe produces rather thick curry but if you want more gravy, do add more water but not too much.

SPAGHETTI W/TOMATO SAUCE

Bored taking rice daily so prepared this  Spaghetti w/Tomato Sauce for our lunch with little twist by adding chili powder, tomato sauce and also chili sauce, received compliments from my family. You can use other vegetable and substitute
prawn with chicken or meat. The thickness of the sauce is up to you so adjust accordingly.

PEAS PULAO

If you're looking for easy and delicious rice, this is for you. Using basmati rice and green peas (fresh or frozen), it is very mild and fragrant.  Peas Pulao  is great for unexpected guests or for small gatherings.

Soak the rice for 30 minutes before you start cooking. It is best served with spicy gravy of meat, chicken or vegetable.

Now this dish has became our regular menu on weekend. Let's get cooking..

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

Ventured into making my own bread by hand  and tried this recipe by Southern Food with slight adjustment by me. Although I'm not the pro the result is not disappointing at all. The main ingredient for baking bread is the yeast, use either instant or active dry yeast and make sure the yeast is still active if not throw it away. To check whether it is active or not simply pour warm water ( not hot)  into a bowl and sprinkle the required yeast and sugar, wait for 10 minutes if the mixture resembles creamy foam then you can go ahead baking your bread.  Cinnamon Raisin Bread produces nice aroma due to the cinnamon used.

BEEF RENDANG

Traditional recipe in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore prepared during special occasion like Eid, served with lontong (rice cake) or plain white rice.

Beef Rendang use blended dry chili, kerisek (pounded roasted coconut) and other spices which can be adjusted to your liking  and produced an unique taste. For this  Beef Rendang preferably use lean meat ,fat removed and  thickly sliced. Too many version on this dish but mine does not use coriander or cumin powder.

CAPPUCCINO MUFFIN

This easy cappuccino muffin is a great as your breakfast or afternoon snack. These are also handy for kids since it is smaller or even you could bake the mini one for their lunch box. Now you could easily purchase this muffin from nearby bakery with multiple flavors and gorgeous decor but bake you own is much healthier and better choice. You decide what you need to use or add for the batter.

If you're running short of time, just mix all the dry ingredients at night, the next day just add the liquid and stir until well mixed and now it's ready to be baked in the oven. This way you could enjoy your freshly baked muffin on your breakfast table.

Since the chocolate chip was not in hand, I omitted them but surprisingly it still  tastes great.

KEERAI KOOTHU

This dish comprises of spinach and the mung dhal.  Keerai Koothu  combination worked so well for this vegetable dish. As you may know, spinach is a good source of iron, niacin, zinc, dietary fiber, vitamin A/C/E/K/B6 and other nutrients, equally moong dal is also rich source of protein, fiber, vitamin C/K, niacin, iron and other minerals.

Combination of vegetables and dhal are very popular in southern part of India. Best eaten with naan, paratha or rice. What you need are:

RAVA PAYASAM

Payasam is an Indian dessert similar to Western rice pudding. It is delicately flavored, usually serves in the end of spicy meal and also essential food during wedding.

The semolina is lightly roasted with ghee (clarified butter) then simmered in hot milk until thicken. Rava Payasam  is sweetened with sugar according to your taste then sprinkled with roasted cashew and raisin.

It is best serve either hot or cold but this is not recommended for dieter since butter and full cream milk are used for making this wonderful dessert.

MEE GORENG

Mee Goreng or fried noodle is a famous hawker food in South east Asian countries. It is so delicious and spicy. Normally seafood, chicken or meat is added together with vegetable such as cabbage or bean sprout. What I used here is the precooked noodle made of wheat flour. If unavailable you could use dry egg noodle which requires boiling before you proceed to cook.

Addition of blended dry chili, sauces and tomato really enhance the flavor of this noodle. Kindly adjust the chili used according to your taste. You could easily omit the chicken or seafood making this a complete vegetarian dish. Here's the recipe:

COKDAM COOKIES

Cokdam  Cookies is named after the ingredients used for making this cookies. they are cocoa and badam (almond), I have tried other cookies using almond but not this combo. It is extremely delicious and has a right amount of sweetness. Not only that the dough is is so easy to work with. So much easier if you roll out the dough in between plastic sheet. It is now becomes one of my favorite cookies collection.

BANANA MUFFIN

Banana Muffin is the fastest and easiest to prepare. To munch while watching his soccer match my son has requested to bake a muffin and I chose this one by Madbaker.

Banana Muffin  turns out well and not very sweet.  Let's check the  recipe below:

BUBUR FIESTA

This rice porridge is very popular during fasting month of Ramadan, almost every household would serve this for iftar. It's very nutritious and fulfilling too. Instead of  using ready made garbanzo and kidney bean you can also use dry beans like lima bean, mong bean, red bean or black eye bean. It is much tastier if you add few types of bean when making this porridge.

All dry bean used must be soaked overnight if used  to cut  down the cooking time and the meat to be marinated before you start cooking. Although it involved a bit of work but you will be pleased after tasting it. What you need are:

KADAI CHANA

I was introduced to  Kadai Chana, a  popular vegetable dish when we went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner and instantly fall in love with it. It uses chickpeas simmered with onion, tomato, garlic, coriander, dry mango powder and garam masala. . Lucky enough the recipe was aired  on local cookery show. This recipe turns out very well, I cook without the coconut and serve with naan., please adjust the chili powder used according to your taste. My family really loved this spicy chana. Here is how I made them:

MEE JAWA

Mee Jawa or Jawa Noodle is quite similar to mee rebus which is popular hawker food in Singapore and Malaysia but Mee Jawa does not use salted soya bean (taucheo) unlike  mee rebus.

Made with yellow noodles accompanied with thick, spicy and slightly sweet gravy. The gravy is thickened with mashed sweet potato, seasoned with curry powder and dried shrimps. This dish is garnished with a hard boiled egg, limes, red chili, fried tofu, fried onion and bean sprouts.

Tried  this version by Chef Hanieliza which produce perfect result. Here's the recipe:

SWEET AND SOUR FISH

There are so many recipes relating to this  Sweet and Sour Fish  but this one really suits my taste and you can adjust the hotness according to your liking. For the vegetables you can add whatever you have like capsicum, carrot  or pineapple. This recipe does not use any thickening agent. First step you have to fry the fish which is coated with turmeric and salt then transfer onto a plate and pour the prepared sauce on it or cook the  fried fish with sauce for few minutes, the choice is yours.

OATMEAL & NUTS COOKIES

One of the tastiest cookies I ever baked.  Oatmeal & Nut Cookies  uses oat and chocolate chip but use almond instead since that was in hand.

The dough is quite easy to handle, but must place the cookies apart since it will expand when baking. Apart from chocolate chips, nuts and dried fruits are the best alternative.

After baking, let them sit in the baking sheet for 5 minutes since it is still soft and fragile. Transfer into wire rack to cool. My family love them so much, will definitely bake them often.

NAAN

Naan is a popular Indian flat bread cooked using 'tandoor' or clay oven. It is easily obtainable from North Indian restaurant almost all countries around the world.

It is made using plain flour, dry yeast and yogurt then left to ferment for several hours before baking them.

However, you could prepare your own using the oven. But now I'm using flat pan to cook them. In fact you can make very good naan from white bread dough or pizza recipe. Besides spicy gravy, you can also serve them with soups or dips.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Love chocolate pudding and want to make one that is quick and easy at home? Then this is the right recipe for you. It is pretty simple to make, in just a few minutes you can have your delicious dessert.

I'm using agar powder, sugar and chocolate milk for making this jelly. It is much healthier choice since no fat or cream are being used. So sit back and enjoy this satisfying dessert that won't ruin your diet.

If your are serving for kids, do use fancy mould with various shapes, definitely your children would love to have a bite. Here is how it's made:

BRIOCHE EGGLESS

Brioche Eggless is a French sweet bread enriched with butter, sugar and egg. It uses special brioche pan and a classic shape has a fluted bottom and an upper protruding knob.

I decided to bake a simpler version of brioche and eggless too. Although slight modification was made from the original recipe I found on net, it turns out fantastic, buttery and sweet but with less fat. My children love this bread and request to bake it again. What you need for this bread are:

CHICKEN MASALA

This Chicken Masala is on top of my family's favorite recipe and I will prepare on every other week together with pulao,naan or ordinary bread. It's very easy to cook and taste great. For milder taste you can reduce the quantity of chili powder used.