Sunday, December 14, 2014

Cheese Tartlets

Star Q


There are some things I make only during special occasions.  Some I make only when there is a special request by someone, especially when you only get to see that certain someone once in a while,say every six months or so.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Mee Kari Rempah Wangi

Star Q

A few weekends ago I was literally left alone to my own resources at home.  My missus had gone to Tanjung Malim with her sisters, nieces and nephews to attend her brother's wedding reception.  And on the day that she was supposed to come home, I got a call from her asking me to  cook something.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Kerabu Kacang Kelisa Dengan Sotong

Star Q
As I have mentioned in my earlier entries, I have been inundated with courses for the past eight weeks or so, so much so that the food I ate at all the venues have caught up with me in more ways than one.  Firstly, there is my increase waistline and secondly, there is that slight distaste for any dish that resembles hotel food.  In short, I miss simple, home prepared food.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Murtabak Roti Berkeju

Star Q


My wife had made a batch of currypuffs the other day and she purposely made the filling more than the pastry because one of our family members really love to snack on the curry filling.  However, she made the filling a little bit too much because that family member of ours decided she had had too much of the filling to snack on.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Fried Zucchini with Chicken

Star Q



It has always been a bad habit of mine to buy things that I don't want to use immediately.  I always buy things, foodstuffs especially, at the spur of a moment, thinking that I may not be able to buy the things especially when the things I buy I not readily available.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Lelapan : My Version

Star Q


During the second half of this year I was fortunate enough to have been asked to attend three phases of courses which enabled me to get to know a couple of interesting people from the different states in Malaysia, including some very interesting individuals from Sarawak.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Peach and Cheddar Cheese Cake

Star Q


I always find excuses to try out new recipes, and the arrival of a guest to our home is one of those excuses.  Actually I had been helping my wife prepare all the dishes for lunch and the only thing left was dessert, so I guess it was my duty to prepare it.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Caramalised Bananas with Butterscotch Sauce

Star Q



As with every recipe which is created out of necessity, this banana recipe went through the same process.  We had a comb of ripe bananas hanging near the window sill for a few days and no one seemed to want to eat them.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Frosting

Star Q

I am a weekend baker!  And it has been quite some me since I baked because my weekends have been occupied with tonnes of activities.  There was a weekend when my family and I went all the way to Seremban because someone wanted to buy a new pair of clothes.  Another weekend we went to Seremban to visit my father-in-law who was admitted to hospital.  All these plus the fact that the weekends seem to be getting shorter and shorter to me.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Sesame Roasted Chicken Wings

Star Q



There are monthly editions of cookery magazines offering readers opportunities to try their recipes.  I must admit that I have tried a few of them but most times I am skeptical about the list of ingredients of most of the recipes given.  

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Mac and Cheese In A Hurry

Star Q


Last week Aidil Adha.  Initially we did not make any plans to go anywhere for the long weekend.  We did not even make arrangements to go back to our home towns.  We were contented to just stay home and celebrate Aidil Adha together as a family.  However the phone call made us change our minds.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Asam Pedas Ayam / Chicken in Assam Gravy

Star Q
Last Saturday, from the early hours of the morning, our whole house was abuzz with activity.  The reason for this was because we were expecting a very important group of people to come over to our house for lunch.  The hustle and bustle did not end until our guests had their lunch and left.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Kerabu Kedondong

Star Q
Recently, there was a small gathering in conjunction with Eid Mubarak held at one of our neighbor's house.  Prior to the gathering, nearby neighbours were encouraged to come over to help with the preparation of food and drinks.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Super Simple Roast Chicken

Star Q
This is the roast chicken which I served with the Parmesan beans (I shared the recipe in my previous entry in the 'simple' theme!)  I call this Super Simple Roast Chicken because it really is super simple.  In short preparing the roast chicken was literally stress-free!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Parmesan Beans

Star Q
Hot on the heels of my previous entry titled Sometimes Simple Is Best, I have decided to prepare something really simple that did not need any tending to.  I merely left the food in the oven to take care of themselves while I took care of some unfinished work.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Sometimes Simple Is Best

Star Q
Ever get te feeling that you simply just don't know what to prepare for lunch or dinner for your family?  Ever had that feeling that you at a loss for ideas even though you have a long list of recipes in your repertoire? Well, there is bound to be one of those days!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Quails in Hot Coconut Gravy/Puyuh Salai Masak Cili Api

Star Q


Whenever I go to the morning market on Saturday, I always think about what my children would like to have for lunch or dinner.  And as I pass by the stalls selling different kinds of vegetables, fish and poultry, I imagine myself preparing special dishes for them.  Sometimes I buy some ingredients just to put in the freezer; to be at the ready whenever my children come home.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Oyster Mushroom Kerabu

Star Q


Last week I was supposed to visit a school with two of my colleagues.  We had visited one school earlier and the prospect of driving another 50 kilometres didn't really appeal to me.  But my two colleagues insisted on going there, so off they went.  It was just their luck I guess; when they got there they each got a helping of fresh oyster mushrooms as token of appreciation to take home.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Simple Beef Stew

Star Q


This is another dish that uses whatever ingredients that have been lying in the fridge because there were too many of them.  This usually happens when I buy in bulk due to the cheaper prices of the ingredients or sometimes I buy them because I just fancy how they look; usually due to their freshness or their sudden availability in the market after a long absence.  Well, like local fruits, vegetables have their own seasons too.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Grilled Dory with Bechamel Sauce

Star Q
Well, Ramadhan is here again and since all are at home once again, seeing that most local universities are having their long three-month holidays, I can expect to get many requests from my kids for me to prepare certain dishes or anything that captures their fancy.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Parmesan Fried Chicken

Star Q


I have been wanting to make this version of fried chicken for quite some time now; one because I had some grated parmesan cheese lying idle in the fridge and secondly because it's the weekend and it's the only time of the week when I can do some cooking.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Parmesan Carrot Cake

Star Q

I made this cake quite sometime back when I was one of the invigilators for the STPM examination.  It was the last day of the exam which was in SMK Seri Perpatih and even though I was not the chief invigilator, I decided to give my friends a treat.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Ayam Bakar Berempah / Curry Roasted Chicken

Star Q


It is always a happy occasion when my in-laws call up to say that they will be visiting.  Happy because it is not often that my in-laws have the opportunity to drive down to this neck of the woods.  Most have their own jobs and to get everybody to actually find time to travel together is something that does not come up very often.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Mixed-Herbs Roasted Tomatoes

Star Q
This is the Garlic Roasted Tomatoes which I made to accompany the Prawn Aglio Olio.  I saw this being prepared on the Barefoot Contessa and thought that it would go well with the pasta, and it did!  In fact it was so delicious, I forgot myself and ate almost half of the roasted tomatoes!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Pepes Ayam / Steamed Chicken in Banana Leaf

Star Q
There are a few types of food that I cannot eat and have forced myself not to consume them.  It is not so much that I cannot consume them but for health reasons, I have forced myself to avoid them.  But that doesn't mean that my family has to be denied the pleasure of enjoying the types of food that I can't have.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Prawn Aglio Olio with Roasted Tomatoes

Star Q
This week is the mid-semester break for most universities and for this whole week my daughter who studies in Perlis is back.  My son who is studying in Serdang has decided not to come back for the holidays since he has a few more lab work to do.  He'll be coming back next weekend though.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Penne with Chicken Meatballs in Roasted Pepper Sauce

Star Q


This is another dish which I prepared along with the Murtabak Biskut Lemak.  It has become a routine for me to cook on weekends not least because my kids (and the missus!) want me to, but mostly because I find the activity rather therapeutic.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Pesmol Ikan Bawal

Star Q


There seem to be a lot of things in our freezer but when the missus went through the things, she was dumbstruck and couldn't think of a single thing to cook.  True, there were fish of different types, beef, prawns, chicken and calamari.  All frozen, and staring back at her.  "Why don't you cook?", she said to me finally after a long unfruitful stare into the freezer!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Murtabak Biskut Lemak / Layered Cream Crackers

Star Q
Today I decided to prepare two dishes, the first was Penne with Chicken Meatballs in Roasted Peppers and Tomato Sauce and the second one, Murtabak Biskut Lemak or Cream Crackers layered with Chicken.  First I shall be sharing the recipe for the Murtabak.  I have made this many, many years ago when I was young(-er) and still living with my parents.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Puding Roti Lapis Epal / Apple Layered Bread Pudding

Star Q


Okay.  It's the first week of March and two months have gone by so quickly.  January and February passed by so fast, that when I turn to see where the days have gone, it's already too late.  It brings the proverb 'time flies when you're having fun' into a new meaning.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Tagliatelle with Chicken and Aubergine Tomato Sauce

Star Q


Besides Spaghetti Carbonara, another one of my kids favourite pasta dish is the simple Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce.  The only thing about this is, my kids prefer to have it not so simple by having the meatballs in their tomato sauce rather that minced meat.  And they often suggest (with praises to their dad's cooking so that they get their way!) that I make the meatballs myself rather than getting them from the freezer compartment of the supermarket! 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Ayam Goreng Jawa / Javanese Fried Chicken

Star Q


This is my second weekend working in a new environment, and I felt exactly like how I felt last weekend.  I felt like I should make full use of this weekend; quality weekend with my family.  And since using my spare time with trying new recipes is how I find most enjoyable doing, so I did!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Kek Salji Strawberri / Snowy Strawberry Cake

Star Q


It's the weekend and all my kids are home.  The two that are in university are back for their mid-semester holidays.  So, the kitchen has been a hive of activities with people moving in and out, taking plates, dishing food, chatting, laughing and what-have-you.  The kitchen almost never closes, especially since my second child likes to have her dinner very late at night.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Ayam Panggang Mudah / Simple Roast Chicken

Star Q


Here's another situation where I have to come up with another roast chicken recipe simply because we have exhausted the ones we have in our repertoire.  It's chicken again since all the kids are home and chicken seem to go down well with everyone in this household; well, depending on the recipe of course!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Ikan Bilis Goreng Tepung / Fresh Anchovy Fritters

Star Q


It's the third week of the new school year and there has been quite a number of public holidays dotted along the week.  This week itself, there were three public holidays.  So, when you add the two-day weekend, you actually have five holidays and only two school day!  Yay!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Vanilla Melty Hershey

Star Q


My wife's niece called from Seremban this morning saying that she would be dropping by on her way to her mother-in-law's house in Labis.  It is natural for her to be a bit frantic when she is informed about someone's impending visit, especially with regards to what to serve to the guests.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Kari Senangin a la My Mom's / My Mom's Fish Curry

Star Q


This is the Fish curry I was talking about in my previous entry which I said would go well with the four-angled bean salad or Kerabu Kacang Botol.  What makes this curry so special that I wanted to immortalize it in my blog is because I finally got my late mum's recipe to a 'T' (at least I think so!)

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Kerabu Kacang Botol Dengan Kerang

Star Q


Once in a while I have to have something traditional and this salad or kerabu is as close to traditional I can muster today.  Too lazy to make anything else to go with the Fish Curry I am making today (next entry!), so I thought this kerabu would go well; and in fact, any local kerabu usually goes well with our local curry.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Twice Baked Potatoes

Star Q


I remember having my first ever jacket potatoes when I was with some friends at Leeds Market way back when.  The autumn weather was quite cold (to us at least!)  and even though we had already had our breakfast before visiting the market, we were already feeling very hungry.  The sight of heavy steam coming from the stalls selling food seemed as if they were beckoning for us to come near.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Aubergine-Layered Lasagna

Star Q


I definitely believe that there is always something for me to learn every day when I read.  It doesn't really matter what I read; it can be magazines, newspapers, novels or even blogs or journals.  And the things that I learn from these materials that I read don't necessarily have to be something that changes the world.  It can be something like food nutrition.