KEERAI SAMBAR

Spinach is a favourite vegetable of my family, need to prepare this it in many ways so that they don't feel bored eating it. Combination of the green and dal produce an excellent side dish and this recipe is one of them.

INGREDIENTS

250g spinach chopped and washed
1/2 cup toor dal
1 cup tamarind juice
2 tomatoes chopped
6 dry chilli
1 teaspoon mustard seed
5 shallots sliced
a pinch of asafoetida
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons chana dal
2 teaspoons urad dal
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
oil
salt

METHOD

1. Boil dal with turmeric until soft.

2. Heat the oil, fry dry chilli, coriander seeds and chana dal then blend them.

3. Add the spinach, onion, water and tomato to the dal, cook until soft.

4. Now add salt and tamarind juice let it boils. Add ground ingredient, cook for 5 minutes.

5. In a separate pan, fry mustard seed, urad dal and asafoetida until it splutters then pour this onto spinach pot, cook for a few minutes then remove from heat.

6. Serve hot.

APAM (STEAMED CAKE)

This apam is very challenging to make since it used yeast and must be kept for one hour or more, sometime it doesn't rise at all so it becomes just like unleavened bread which is hard and sticky. So do check the yeast whether it is still active if not just discard it. Another guide is that the water in the steamer should be boiling before steaming, recommended the lid to be covered with clean cloth to avoid water dripping onto the steamed cake.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons rice flour
2 and 3/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
food colouring
cake pan 10 inches diameter oiled

TOPPING
1 cup grated coconut (white part only)
a pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Boil 2 and 3/4 cups of water and sugar until dissolved. Cool.

2. In a bowl, combine yeast, warm water and a teaspoon sugar until frothy about 10 minutes.

3. Put flour and rice flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, pour the yeast mixture.

4. Gradually add the syrup and food colouring, mix until well incorporated. Rest for one hour or until double the size.

5. Fill water in the steamer, cook until boiling and wrap the lid with clean cloth.

5. Pour the batter onto oiled cake pan and steam for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.

6. Steam the coconut of which salt is added for few minutes.

7. Remove the cake pan and place it into a pan filled with water to hasten the cooling process.

9. When completely cool, slice with sharp knife and top with grated coconut.

SESAME COOKIES

One of my favorite cookies, if you are like me prefer not so sweet biscuit this  Sesame Cookies are for you to try out, very crunchy and eggless too. You can shape it into the ball then flatten or use desired cookies cutter of your choice. Do take note, the dough must be placed in between the plastic sheet to avoid sticking to the board. If the dough is a bit sticky to work with, add a tablespoon or two flour.

CUTTLEFISH SAMBAL

This dish made of dried cuttlefish which is soaked for 1-2 hours to soften then cooked with blended dry chillies and tamarind juice. Best eaten with white rice or coconut milk rice. It is optional to add the shrimp paste (belacan) but mine done without it.

INGREDIENTS

2 large pieces dried cuttlefish, cut and soak for 1-2 hours
1 tablespoon tamarind add 1/2 cup water to extract juice
5 tablespoons oil
salt and sugar to taste

GRIND

20 dried chillies cut and soak
2 big onions
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (optional)

METHOD

1. Heat the oil, add the ground ingredients together with salt and sugar, fry until fragrant.

2. Add cuttlefish, fry for few minutes then add the tamarind juice.

3. Cook until semi dry and stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4. Check salt and sugar then remove from heat.

Source : Zarinah Anwar

CHICKEN PORRIDGE

My children are craving for this Chicken Porridge since we had it quite sometime ago. It's simple comfort food and healthy too. Boil your own chicken stock to get best taste or you could use ready made chicken cube. Instead of chicken, thinly sliced meat or fish would be the best alternative. The following recipe serves 4-5 persons.