Kerisik

Home made Kerisik

2cups of shredded coconut

Heat pan and toss coconut till nice aromatic and brown in colour.  Keep stirring to avoid burnt.  Once the coconuts are nice brown and fragrant, pound them with pestle mortar or simply give it a wheeze with a food processor (this is what I did) to get a fine soft grind coconut. You may add alittle oil to ease the processing job.

Store in fridge the balance.

Chicken Rendang

tried a long time ago but never got chance to upload...

Rendang is one of the favourites of Malaysians.  Usually served at wedding receptions and during Eid celebrations.  You can use chicken, mutton/lamb or beef to make your rendang.  It is normally cook dry or semi dry.  I cooked mine the in between version - not so dry not so curryish..

Traditionally the meat is cooked with roasted coconut that is pounded - it is called kerisik. Like so many others food stuff, kerisiks are available ready made.  But nothing compared to making your very own kerisik

My turmeric leaf - daun kunyit came all the way from Malaysia courtesy of a good friend.  This is one of the main ingredient that makes the added punch in a rendang.  I wrapped them up with aluminium wrapper and store them in freezer.

Now lets look on how to make Chicken Rendang.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken - cut into bite size
1 cup of thick coconut milk
1 cup of thin coconut milk
4-6 tbs of red chilli paste -depending on our spicy you want it to be.
200gms of shallots-sliced
1 turmeric leaves- sliced finely
6tbs of kerisik (more if you like the taste of coconut.)

Chilli Paste
15-20pieces of dried chillies- cut
a handful of shallots
4-5 cloves of garlic
thumb size of ginger
thumb size of galangal
3-4 of lemon grass-chopped
half of thumb size of turmeric
Blend all of above

Method
- heat oil in a wok/pan
- once heat add in chilli paste and cook till fragrant and oil separates
- Keep stirring occasionally so as not to burn the paste
- Add in sliced shallots and saute further till soft.
- Add in chicken with coconut milk - both thick and thin milk and cook on medium fire.
- Stir occassionally and cook till the chickens are cooked and to a desired consistency ( I prefer mine semi gravy.
- Season with salt, add in turmeric leave and kerisik and stir so as to mix well and let it simmer for another 10mins.
- Ready to serve

Fish Curry with Green Mango

My mum's speciality (I cant wait to go home to have a go at my mum's fish curry) and Varsha's favourite.  She just love eating them next day with some instant pratas..

To get the best of this curry is to eat them a day after it has been cooked or atleast a few hours after it is cooked.  You need to let the flavour of the curry to get into the mango.

Ingredients
any type of fish will do  - for this I used kingfish.
1 tomato - sliced/chopped
1 green chilly
1 tbs of ginger garlic paste
1 tsp of mustard seed
5-6tbs of fish curry powder
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of fennel powder
a sprig of curry leaves
a small bunch of coriander leaves - chopped finely
1 green mango - do not peel the skin, all sides of the mango, do not discard the seeds
6-8 small okras - washed and cut into two
1 small brinjal - quartered - if you like
2tbs of tamarind paste - mix with warm water 450ml of water

Method

1. Heat oil.
2. Once it is hot, add in mustard seeds
3. When it starts to sizzle, add in onions - fry till soft
4. Stir fry ginger garlic as well.
5. Add in tomato and green chilly.fry for a few more minutes till tomato soft.
6. Add in the fish powder, turmeric and fennel powder, keep stirring making sure not to burn them till the oil starts to separate from the paste.
7. Pour in the tamarind juice, stirring well.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Add in mango including the seed.
10. Let it boil for few minutes longer.
11. At this stage if using brinjals add in.  You need to let the brinjals cook a little while just before adding in okras. Adding in okras too early will make them soft and mushy.
12. You can add in the okras and the fish (depending on the size of the fish, if it is big you may need to put the fish first before adding the okras.
13. Once the fish is cook, switch the flame of, leaving the pot on the stove.
14. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves.
15. Ready to serve.

Spinach Stir Fry

I was out at the supermarket for groceries (I got myself some kingfish which I made fish curry with young green mango) and found this bunch of spinach so green and so inviting.  There were young bunch of spinach - very tender.


Ingredients
a bunch of spinach
a few garlic
ginger
onions - sliced
a few pieces of anchovies or dried shrimps- if you like

Method

- wash throughly spinach
- drain completely
- slice onion
- pound ginger garlic (including the anchovies or dried shrimps if using)
- heat oil
- once hot add in ginger garlic past. fry for a few minutes
- add in slice onions too fry till soft
- add salt to taste.
- add in the spinach, stir ensuring the spices are mix well with spinach
- cook for a few more minutes till it is just cook - do not over cook though.
- Ready to serve.

Spinach - before

After

My Garden

As promised pictures of my garden...nothing great but am happy whenever I can indulge on green colour...So much so I let the spring onions to be overgrown

My over grown spring onion

Just love looking at the flower..I was told by my friend you can stir fry these overgrown spring onions...They taste good..I should try to cook them next time.

Pudina/Mint

Basil Leaves- very sweet fragrant....I have seen bees hovering over the flowers...and grows so easily...

Lemon grass

My precious lemon grass flown all the way from Malaysia my mr hubby when he went back in March 2011...after a year this is what you get.  I have tried growing pandan leaves...have not been successful so far..Not giving up as yet..

Tapiocas in the making...

not to forget Malaysia's national flower - hibiscus...

The only thing is I am not so sure what colours are they..I have got about 3 that is growing quite well and got 2more which is of the right colour - red.  Waiting for the gardener to come over to plant them....

Finally last but not least roses, this is at the front porch and have got orange and yellow, I have white as well which is at the garden.  There are of the big variety and I have a nice pink colour that is small in size.

Roses at the front porch....and its blooming non stop so far...

Home Grown Pudina Chutney

fancy going out to your small little plot (this time though my hubby had the honour of doing so) that you call a garden and picking up herbs and vegetables and making it to a nice dish...this is really awesome..I must make sure that by next winter I shall start preparing my garden for more wonders with the mother nature...

Home grown pudina.

Final product click here for how to make Pudina Chutney

More pictures of my current garden later on..

Aloo Chat

We love to eat chicken chaat.  for a change I made a this simple, easy and tasty dish.  Makes a perfect starter for dinners.

2 potatoes - sliced lengthwise and boiled with some salt.
1/2 capsicum - cleaned and chopped
1 small tomato - chopped
1 onion - sliced
11/2 tsp of chaat masala
salt
lemon juice

1. assemble all the ingredients, sprinkle some salt, lemon juice and chat masala and toss. serve with chopped coriander leaves.

Alternatively if using chicken, boil or steam the chicken breast, drain, cool it and cut into small bite size.

before adding the chaat powder

aloo chaat in action....

இன்னிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்

Tamil New Year Greetings to all






Have fun.