Two Days Before Raya

...it was a baking frenzy! I had to bake all this, or else I wouldn't make it before raya!So, I started at 11 after getting some groceries from Econsave and began making Lapis Prune, Prune Cake (MIL requested), Victoria Sandwich Cake (x2, one for Mak Arah), and Coffee Macarons for iftar!

It was prunes affair! Lucky I was fasting, if not I would have popped a few into my mouth!

Kek Lapis Prune....recipe from Rima

Ingredients

(A)

250g butter, I have been using SCS after the Golden Churn on off scandal, haha!

80g condensed milk

1 tsp cake spice

1/2tsp vanilla powder, I added vanilla essence as well

80g golden syrup

(B)

15 egg yolks

3 egg white

120g caster sugar

80g superfine flour, I used Hong Kong flour

1 tbsp ovalette

20ml cold water

(C)

a few drops yellow colouring, I omitted

150g pitted prunes, I used about 200 g

melted butter

Method

1.Prepare lose bottom 8x8x4 cake tin.preheat oven at 150C, arwah's oven ok!

2.Whisk A till thick and creamy, set aside.

3.Whisk B till thick and creamy and ribbony.

4.Add A into B, whisk till well blended.

5.Separate batter into 10 portions, about 90 g each layer.

6.Spread a portion evenly into pan, tilt left right to even out the layer, bake under grill fire for about 5 mins or until tan.

7.Remove from the oven, press to remove excess air, brush evenly with melted butter.

8.Spread another layer, and arrange prunes...I cut my prunes to smaller pieces.

9.Alternate layer and layer prune, till finish.

10.Once done, cover the cake with aluminium foil, bake using upper and lower heat at 150C for about 20 minutes. 

Prune Cake...recipe from Razlyn's mom

Ingredients

2 cups pitted prunes

2 cups water

2 tsp bicarb soda

4 eggs

8 oz butter (250g ), I used SCS

2 cups caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 cups flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1.Boil prunes with water for about 5 minutes. I used water just enough to cover. Once boiled, I lightly mash the prunes and use the water as well in the batter.

2.Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3.Add eggs one by one, whisk until well mixed only.

4.Sift flour with bicarbonate soda. Add into 2 and 3 mixture, fold until well incorporated.

5.Last, add in prunes with its boiled water.

6.Spoon into cake tin, bake for about 40 minutes in 160C oven.

I halved the recipe and bake in a 8x8x4 cake tin. The cake became more moist the next day!

Coffee Macarons...basic recipe from Jill Colonna's Mad About Macarons

Ingredients

50g egg whites, aged for 3 days in the fridge

30g caster sugar, I used 25g

60g ground almond, sifted

80g icing sugar

1 tsp instant coffee, I used Nescafe

Method

1.Measure all ingredients, set aside.

2.Sift ground almond, icing sugar, and Nescafe.

3.Beat egg whites till foamy, add caster sugar bit by bit, beat until soft peak. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed to have a meringue at soft peak, but not dry.

4. Fold in the almond icing sugar mix in 3 batches, I just dumped all at once. 

5.Mix the ingredients well, and start macaronnage to have a batter that is shiny and folds ribbony..

6.I filled the macarons with Salted Caramel.

Salted Caramel

Ingredients

200g sugar

200g whipping cream

150g butter

1/2 tsp salt

Method

Heat sugar in a pan until caramel colour, turn off heat. Add in whipping cream. Last add in cubed butter and salt, leave to set.

...I was one happy woman, after all this were done...I shared the Coffee Macarons with Busu, Mil's younger sister....when I arrived in Muar, she kept asking MIL if I was making that bulat bulat kueh with inti...ahah...macarons...

Tomorrow I was going to make some Congo Bars with Butterscotch and some more macarons for Raya! ...hmmm  awesome filling when I could just bake for pleasure....

Tra for now...am blogging from Muor!

Salam Aidil Fitri!

I'm sorry if the bakes and cakes that you ordered were not to your liking, I'm sorry if I had missed your email, I'm sorry if I couldn't take your order, I'm sorry if I had not replied to your comments......but most of all thank  you very much for reading my ramblings and being my friend! As usual there some delayed posts, hehe...after this!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Dzahir Dan Batin, from the Kitchen Guardian and family!

Ayer Baloi, A New Kitchen!

Good morning everyone! I have started my Raya break, woohoo! But spent the night before I left for Ayer Baloi, Muar tidying up my kitchen, my house, books , clothes and packing my baking stuffs and gadgets to bring back to kampung! I was supposed to make kek lapis this week, but I busted my schedule with the 21 cakes adhoc order!

Anyway....we left at 8 yesterday morning...err we were supposed to leave at 5, but we were all so tired and all things were only sorted out just before we left, phew!

....and travelling in the new tanker (bigger) just allowed me to doze off throughout the journey! when we arrived.....my , my guess what I found? The works in progress of the new kitchen in the "Joy of Life"...the Ayer Baloi home! Fadil and his team were busy working, of course the house now is in a mess pending the completion of the works....but never mind......The corian tops were up, the sinks were usable, and most of all, the 36 inches oven is ready for use, woohoo!

 Loved this island...with ample space, makes preparation for baking a breather literally!

 ....work in progress...

 .....work in progress.....

 14 yolks for lapis cempedak....

 ....beat the butter and ovalette and vanilla...

 ....the batter, yolks, eggs, butter, vanilla, sugar, hongkong flour, baking powder....ready to be layered!

 ...layers of abt 102g batter...

....the second last layer...cempedak flesh blended with condensed milk...yums!

I unpacked my baking stuffs and started making Kek Lapis Cempedak and whipped a batch of one egg white macarons to test the oven......voila, loved the new oven to bits....wish I could have the same kitchen in KL!

I was in a haste as it was almost time for iftar, I didn't snap the picture of the Kek Lapis and macarons....I'll post the recipe and pics later ya!

Iftar was at Fadil's with his mom Mak Arah cooked Assam Pedas Ikan Gelama Bintik (apparently only prominent in the waters of Pontian), Sambal Udang Kertas, Lemak Pucuk Paku with Sweet Potato and Rojak.....sedaaappppp!

Well, we have just arrived in Muar, gotta clean the Muar home and bake some cakes for Raya woooot! See you!

Lebaran Treats For Mak and MIL - Part II

I have been quiet the past few days, and it felt like I was in an amazing race....to bake! It was madness in the office and also back in my kitchen! Anyway, I managed to do altogether 4 types of cookies for mak and mil, all in all! Those cookies that I gave mak and mil are still save with them....mine...are slowly depleting, the boys mucnh on them after iftar, but nevermind...I will make some more after raya....if I have the time....I have another amazing race on the 10th Sept weekend...but am all so excited for that events!

Tart Nenas that I made last Saturday...recipe is from http://inawhiz.blogspot.com/2011/08/kuih-raya-buat-mak-part-ii.html. Why I chose this recipe! Wiz dropped by the other day and gave me a jar of this cookies...they were gone in the next two days! It was super easy to make them and of course super fast to finish them as well! 

I used ready made pineapple jam from Bake With Yen....will make some more in Muar this weekend using the jam that mil gave.

...and mil requested for this...Biskut Samprit, the recipe is here :http://kitchenguardian.blogspot.com/2010/09/cerita-kueh-rayaand-resepi-biskut.html . 

...I'm so tired and sleepy. I told the kids and hubs that I didn't want to cook for iftar this week, the traffic since last week has been madness....but today, I have to cook, can't shove those bought meals anymore...and nothing beats steaming hot rice with a descent  meal...tonight I will make Sambal Sadin and Chicken Curry! 

I have yet to get the Baju Melayus for the boys...this year my dear Mak Mah who sews our Baju Kurong Johor could only sew my baju and hubs.....she's old and tired to do all ouf our Baju Kurongs..... 

This were some macarons that I made for Najmi, whom I met via Twitter.....Dark Chocolate with Raspberry Dark Choc Ganache (new), DArk Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Caramel Ganache (new) and Almond Macarons with Passio nFruit Pastry Cream filling...tqs Najmi!  The macarons were baked on Silpat. 

Thought I'd continue making cookies on Tuesday...but I got a call in the morning asking for some 21 cakes for Maybank's clients!....So I made 21 Sicilian Orange Cakes, and slept for mere 2.5 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday...the cakes were delivered this morning...and thank you Ely for this order! 

Wrapped like this and in bubble foam...the cakes were sent by courier! 

Since there were no food ttesting session prior to this order, I made this for Ely and Zuraida!

Tomorrow will be my last day at work before we pack up for Muar and Ayer Baloi...my baking will continue at mil's and Ayer Baloi!

If you don't hear from me after this Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Dzahir dan Batin...and tq so much for reading, and sorry for not leaving my comments...I read them in the wee hours of the morning via my BB!Drive safe and enjoy raya!

Lebaran Treats For Mak and MIL!

Morning everyone! Am huffing and puffing! It's 10 days more in Ramadhan, and Syawal will make it's appearance....and....I'm way behind schedule...and all my cookies are now gone!Happy that they are gone to loved ones who dropped by with all sorts of cookies and goodies, so, the cookies were my gifts to them....

So, here's some cookies that I made last weekend...thought I'd share with you, in case you might want to try one or two or all recipes, haha!.....by the way, the theme for my Lebaran cookies and bakes this year is mat salleh...or so I perasan, haha!

Melting Moments with Lemon and Lavender

250g butter, I used SCS

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 1/2 cups APF

1/2 cup cornflour

1 tsp lemon zest, I added

1 tsp ground organic dried lavender , I added

1.Preheat oven at 150C, line baking trays with baking paper, I used Silpat.

2.Beat butter, extract, sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy, add lemon zest and lavender.

3.Add sifted APF and cornflour in 3 additions, do not stir just fold in to just mixed.

4.With floured hands, roll rounded teaspoons of dough. Place on baking tray, and flatten with fork

5.Bake for about 15 minutes.

Loved the aroma, loved the taste, melt in the mouth kind of cookies!

Source: Australian Women's Weekly Biscuits and Macarons 

Almost Famous KG...ooops....Amos Choc Chip

250g butter, I used SCS

200g light brown sugar

1/2 tsp coffee oil....tq Rima for bringing mine!

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cups oats, I used nestum...yums!

1/4 cups ground almond, I used 1/2 cups

1/2 cup nuts, I didn't use

2 cups choc chip, I used Bagus' dark choc chip

300g self raising flour

1.At least 2 hours before, or overnight infuse coffee oil, and vanilla into egg, and leave in the fridge.

2.Preheat oven at 150C, prepare baking trays. I used Silpat....so loving them made my baking so much easier.

3.Beat butter and sugar, until light...I used my wooden spatula. Beat in the egg, coffee oil and vanilla mixture.

4.Stir in the nestum, nuts, choc chip. Fold in flour. The batter is not too stiff, neither wet.....you can actually use your fingers to scoop and mold the batter. I used 2 teaspoons!

5. Bake for about 15 mins!

Source: Rima...member ketat di seberang!

Pierre Hermes Viennese Choc Sables, Biskut Hitam-Hitam Sitampuk Manis Macam Saya!

250g butter, I used SCS

100g icing sugar

1g Fleur DeSel

30g cocoa powder, I used Valrhona, tqs Rima, tlg bawakkan!

260g APF

3 tbsp egg white

1.Preheat oven at 160C, prepare baking trays.

2.Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, set aside.

3.Whsik butter till creamy, and pale....make sure butter is soft before doing this, else your cookie will be hard, kejung!

4.Add in icing sugar and Fleur deSel...the flower of salt, ngehngeh!...I got mine from the UK Bakery..the owners are French!

5.Add in flour, coacoa powder, pipe the dough of prepared baking tray.

6.Bake the cookies for abt 12 mins.

Source: Rima...member ketat di seberang yang tak reti dok diam!

....the house smelled nice with the mixture of the aromas from lemon, lavender and cocoa and coffee oil....

......more bakings this weekend, peeps!

Yup! I don't do orders in Ramadhan, but this one I had to oblige, a request from a teacher for her school children's Ramadhan treat....Pandan Pineapple Macarons, Chocolate Snicker Bars Macarons (new), Vanilla Passion Fruit Macarons, Raspberry Raspberry Ganache Macarons...about 50 of them, tq Teacher Alia!errr....some baked on Mastrad, some on Silpat, some used fresh egg whites, some used aged egg whites, some baked on a rainy night, some baked on a dry night...can you tell the difference, take a guess...muahhhaaa! Have a beautiful baking weekend peeps!

Red Alert!

Salam Ramadhan semua...hari ni I nak berceloteh dalam bahasa ibunda saya, bolehkan haha! Hmmm, dalam kecoh-kecoh saya berentap dengan masa untuk menghabiskan kueh-kueh raya untuk Mak dan Mentua saya, di pagi hari Isnin, saya telah mendapat satu panggilan talipon.....Yong yang selalu menempah kek dan tart meminta pertolongan saya....dia memerlukan 1,500 cupcakes...mak ai! Banynaknya! Saya langsung teringatkan beberapa rakan sekapal saya yang juga sambil-sambil membuat kek dan kukis di rumah unbtuk jualan.....

Cerita punya cerita, bincang punya bincang, keputusannya ialah...saya akan menyediakan 500 Red Velvet kapkek manakala Wiz akan menyediakan 500 Moist Chocolate kapkek...manakala 1,500 kapkek yang lain Yong akan usahakan sendiri!

Alhamdulillah, semalam Wiz telah menghantar 500 Moist Chcocolate kapkeknya dan saya berjaya menyiapkan 500 Red Velvet kapkek pada pukul 3 pagi tadi...amin! Saya amat-amat berbesar hati terhadap Yong yang telah banyak mempromosi hasil kerjatangan saya semenjak beberap bulan ini....

Tapi, malangnya, selepas Maghrib semalam, say mendapat berita bahawa Yong telah dimasukkan ke APSH....kata Yong sakit perut yang teramat sehingga tak boleh berjaln.....pagi tadi Yong memberi tahu saya bahawa terdapat batu karang di dalam hempedu? pundi kencing? ...gallbladder..... segala urusan Yong sekarang di pikul oleh suaminya....sesungguhnya Yong adalah seorang yang sangat gigih...saya kagum dengan usaha beliau...majlis yang akan memerluka kapkek-kapkek itu bermula pada pukul 3...inshaalllah semua berjalan lancar....saya akan pergi melawat Yong, malam nanti inshaallah! Tq Yong! Muahssss!

Ini pula kapkek-kapkek yang telah disediakan oleh Wiz..tak sabar saya nak rasa Tart Nenas dan Biskut Maamor yang Wiz beri semalam.....Tq Wiz, my pillar!

Amacam, okay tak saya berceloteh dalm bahasa Melayu nih :p

Kacang Pool!

Kacang Pool! Yes, hubs wrote on my fb wall asking for this yesterday. He was driving back to KL from Ayer Baloi with Muhammad, Umar and Ibraheem. I had just finished making macarons, 2 batches cracked with feet...the weather was not healping, and I was really trying despite the damp and humid air!

Don't know why this soup/stew, sort of is called Kacang Pool...I gather it's due to the fact that you jumble up a few types of means to make this dish. My first encounter with this delicious dish was at my MIL's late brother's house during Raya, a few years back...yup at Pak Cik Aman's house.... and here's his recipe....

Ingredients

1 medium onion

5 cloves garlic

2 inches ginger, pound all this ingredients.

2 tbsp rempah Khurma Adabi, I used rempah Sup, left mine with the bag in Pasar Kecil Melawati, huhuhu

2 tbsp rempah Beryani, I used Haji Senan's....lucky there was a packet in my fridge, brought by MIL!

about 4 cans of beans in salted water, I used kidney bean, chic peas, green peas and baked beans.

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp ghee...teeheee!

300g minced meat, I used fresh minced beef from Pasar Tani

Method

1. Heat oil, sautee onion, ginger, garlic paste till fragrant.

2.Add the beryani and khurma spices that you have mixed into a paste, fry intil fragrant.

3. Add the minced beef, fry until all the juices dried up.

4.Add all the beans together with water.

5.Add salt to taste, let simmer, and remove from fire.

Best served with bread, sunny side up, fresh lemon juice, sliced green chillies and melted ghee...teeheee!

On Saturday, Yusof booked Carlos for our iftar, I obliged as I had spent the whole morning till about 5 pm making cookies for Mak and MIL! I had Seafood Sphagetti!

...last night this kenits found last year bunga api....so Raya kinda started early for Umar, Ibraheem and Hajar!

......more baking from now till Raya, woohoo...and preparation for orders on 9th Sept as well, woot woot!

Pics of my cookies will follow....

Pineapple Cupcakes and Mixed Berries Macarons

Morning everyone! I notice everyone have geared into either making Raya cookies or trying new recipes for Iftar...me!!!??? I'm still trying to catch up with the list of recipes that I wanted to try....but am achieving so little! Ramadhan month which usually was quiet, somehow presented me with quite a bit of work to attend to in the office....and the traffic in the morning and driving home after work has so far been horrendous! By the time I got home, I had about an hour to prepare for Iftar......and my kitchen would cleaned and all tucked in and settled by 9.30! By then, I would have been too exhausted to bake anything, other than some simple cakes or cookies. I have made Butter Cookies and Pierre Herme's Choc Sable, but they are all gone already! Think I really have to start making my cookies this weekend!

Anyway, this were the cuppies that I prepared for Iftar on Saturday! Pineapple Cupcakes....easy to make very moist and one that I have wanted to try for quite sometime....

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup corn oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups canned crushed pineapple (drained slightly) 

Method

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.

2.In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until pale. I used my wooden laddle.

3.Whisk in corn oil, and vanilla until well incorporated.

4.Add in pineapple and sour cream and mix until fully incorporated.

5.Fold in flour until nicely mixed.

6.Divide amongst lined cupcake pan, bake at 160C for about 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese

250g cream cheese

125g butter

2 cups sifted icing sugar...I made mine to taste

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dried Shaved coconuts

Cream butter until pale, add cream cheese and whisk until light. Add icing sugar Add icing sugar bit by bit and keep whisking. Add some whipping cream if you like, I do!!

Since I made a full recipe of the cuppies, I shared with my friends who live in the neighbourhood!

Got this recipe from http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/ . 

....and these! Probably another love of my life macarons....Mixed Berries Macarons with Cream Cheese laced with Mixed Berries paste! A new flavour!Love it love it love it!

Baked using Mastrad Silicon Templates.

I don't do orders during Ramadhan, but this a favour for Aisyah Red Velvet Cuppies!

Have a brilliant weekend....hope I got my baking mojo to make kueh raya, woohoo! Bye peeps!

Croissant Pudding and New Mac Flavors!

I must admit that I have been feeling very lazy to attempt any new recipes for cookies....even though I know that I have to make some for Eid! Yesterday, my kitchen was declared as close! The contractors had cleaned the walls (wet kitchen) and the tiles...the walls were all painted, and today the floor will be glazed...hubs had not called to say that iftar is tapau-ed food!

Anyway, last night I made this! I have been wanting to make this ever since I got a Bread Pudding recipe when I went to Saf for my cooking lesson....I was that bad, to even make a Bread Pudding, requires a recipe, kah kah kah!....and I remembered Saf said that Bread Pudding would be nicer if you use wholemeal bread or croissant!

So, last Friday on my way fetching Khadijah from school....and oh..there are times that I become the family driver...and no, we don't have an official driver, k....I got this lovely croissants from the UK Bakery...I tucked them away in an airtight container, away, away from my kids...and the father, hehe! Last night after the older boys went for Tarawikh, and Sizuka dropped by to send some brownies (for today's iftar!) I made this!

I lost the recipe that Saf gave me, so, I resorted to tweak Rima's recipe....but I remember vividly that Saf's recipe has cream in it.....and so is Rima's....and that makes this Croissant Pudding and me whirl round and round, hehe!

Ingredients

8 pieces croissants, sliced...I used a pair of scissors to cut

1 tbsp butter, ooolllallla, can't live without this!

400ml fresh milk

400ml whipping cream...can't live without this as well, hehe!

5 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla pod, scrape the beans

Some sultanas.....

Method

1.Prepare a cake tin, I used a casserole bowl, 7x7 inches greased with butter (lagi!!). Heat oven at 160C.

2.Cover the base of your casserole bowl with croissants. Sprinkle sultanas. Set aside.

3.Lightly whisk the eggs with sugar.Warm the milk, whipping cream and butter mixture and vanilla pod (can use vanilla essence) to melt the butter. Add sugar and eggs. Stir to mix  well. Let the mixture to cool.

4.Pour this mixture on the croissants, cover with the rest of the croissants.

5.Pour the remaining milk, cream mixture...leave the croissant to soak the liquid mixture a bit.

6.Bake for about 30 minutes on until the top of the pudding has turned brown!

Best served with Creme Anglaise...which I will make later today....

...of course hubs couldn't wait for today, he took a slice after the pudding cooled a bit last night...I had mine during Sahur...sedaapppp......reminds me of my days in uni...I ate whatever I had, so usually I made my then version of Bread Pudding when the bread starts to turn mouldy a bit , haha!...and they tasted good and became edible , haha!

...and my, my....what had I been doing when I became so lazy to make cookies!!??? I made macarons with new flavors! Yess!

This is what I call Ramadhan Macarons....Pandan (green) with Pineapple and Italian Meringue Buttercream...the shells were laced with Pandan Paste...the aroma, heavenly!and the existing Double Choc Using Valrhona Cocoa and Almond and Salted Caramel...everyone's and mine alltime favourite. thq Aida for this order, last week.

...hmmmm, these...love the aroma, love the taste even better! Raspberry Macarons (with natural raspberry paste) and Raspberry White Choc Ganache using Valrhona White Choc and my cinta hati....Passion Fruit Macarons (with natural passion fruit paste) and Pssion Fruit Pastry Cream...perfect is the word...for me...lah, haha!

...theses!!! They are the colours of my wardrobe, tak percaya, come and see! Vanilla Macarons with Teh Tarik Italian Meringue Buttercream and Chocolate and Chocolate Caramel Filling, using Valrhona cocoa...love these too....hmmmph...donno if you are going to like this, I'm a sanguine I dream a  lot always syok sendiri with my creations (feel good about myself, hahahah!)....

Till the next post...tra!

Jom Masak Nasi Daging!

Morning everyone! After about a week fasting, I have gotten into the groove of eating early in the morning and forgetting my morning coffee, first thing when I got to my work-station! I have tried a few new recipes, but somehow I have still yet to find the sparks to make cookies for Eid!...am soooo lazy to tend to those minute creatures! I thought of making macarons, but, my MIL's would be too full to keep them...so nah....maybe I'd make them when in Ayer Baloi...the kitchen is being renovated, and I haven't a clue of how it would turn out to be....not been back for quite a while!

Saturday....it was hectic, hubs got contractors to paint the house! With loads of magazines and books and other nooks and crannies.,..the house was a total mess!...anyway....I did this and I did that, I bought this and I bought that....no, no a new handbag or something of that vice, hehe.....but....hehe....won't tell you yet...

and after daily looking and drooling at all the cooks and bakes in arah's blog, I couldn't hold myself anymore! I had to make this yesterday! It's my hubs' favourite!

Nasi Daging

Ingredients

For Rice

4 cups Basmathi rice(about 300g, I used Jasmine's Pusa long grain)

400g topside beef ie daging lembut, daging batang pinang, thinly sliced

2 tbsp Adabi's Kurma powder, 1 tbsp Baba's Beef Curry powder

80 ml evaporated milk

2 large chopped tomatoes

1 sprig corriander leaves

1 spring curry leaves

5 1/2 cups water, I used the cup to measure the rice

To Sautee

1 medium onion, 5 cloves garlic, 2 inches ginger, pound uisng mortar and pestle or blend, I pounded mine

1 large onion, sliced

2 screwpine leaves

1 stalk lemongrass, lightly pound the tip

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1.Wash rice, drain the water and set aside.

2.Heat butter and oil, sautee sliced onions and screwpine leaves until frangrant.

3.Add the pounded onion, garlic, ginger, throw in the curry leaves and lemongrass.

4.Add in the Kurma and Curry powder which you have added a bit of water to turn them into a paste. Over medium heat sautee until dry and oil comes out.

5.Add water and evaporated milk. Add the sliced beef.Add salt and a pinch of sugar to taste.

6.Let (5) simmer and beef is about 50% cooked. Add rice, corriander leaves and chopped tomatoes.

7.I let this simmer a bit before trasferring my pot into the rice cooker.

8.Rice will be cooked after about 15 minutes.

Air Assam MIL Sayang

...yup Mil loves it when I make Air Assam!

1 medium onion, sliced and lightly pound

3 red chillies, 2 cili padi, lightly pound with

1 tbsp belacan, prawn paste

2 large onion, chopped and light pound

1 torch ginger , thinly sliced

juice of 2 limes

200 ml cooled boiled water

salt and sugar to taste.

I just add all of the above in a large bowl and waited for iftar!

Thank you Arah for this recipe and all the recipes that you are posting! Think next year I'll take the entire Ramadhan off so that I can try all the recipes daily! pssst....you'll find that I have tweaked this recipe, as usual, hehe! And thank you also the original contributors Dapurku Sayang and Secubit GAram .

Guess who's most excited when Raya/Eid is coming??!! My hubs!...and this year (thank God) he started early! Curtains will be changed, pictures reframed, new cushion covers...amd he's talking about new plates and saucers! In the mean time, the house look like someone has gone amok! even the monkeys are playing elsewhere, haha! 

And, here's some macarons that I made for Fiza and Yusof on Saturday, Salted Caramel, Double Choc using Valrhona, and Raspberry Italian Meringue Buttercream! 

Till then, tra!