Mom's Fish Curry

Well, this dish is still one of my favorites. Ms Lee (my mom) used to cook this dish when I was a little girl, when I used to visit her during one of those school holidays. I learned to cook this dish 4 years ago and have made it many times for my family.

This recipe is especially for my SIL, A, a Tambunan lass. She was in her 1^st trimester pregnant with the twin, D and D when she and my brother, D came to visit us at our new house when we first moved to Sabah and I served them this dish. It is a Chinese style fish curry.

She loved it and requested Ms Lee to teach her how to cook it but Ms Lee instead told her to get the recipe from me…. So, a couple of months later,  I invited her again to my place and walk her through the recipe.

Ms Lee likes to use 88 brand curry powder but as for me, I prefer to use Adabi brand Fish curry powder as I find it more flavourful. If you live in Asia, you'll easily find all the ingredients at your local market or grocery store. Otherwise, they are generally available at any Asian grocers. If you do not like fish head then you can always use fish fillet. This recipe is so rich in flavour that after eating it you will feel its delightful aromas lingering on the palate for hours.

So let’s get cooking!

Mom’s Fish Curry

Ingredients

1 whole Fish head (about 500gm) – cut into 2

2-inch ginger – thinly sliced

2 shallots – thinly sliced

1 clove garlic – thinly sliced

4 tbsp Adabi Fish curry powder

3 cups water

½ cup thick coconut milk

1 tbsp tamarind paste (diluted with 2 tbsp water)

1 red chili - slit into half lengthwise

1 tomato – quartered

Salt – to taste

Sugar – to taste

Instructions

Rinse the fish head thoroughly and pat dry. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, sauté the ginger, shallots and garlic over medium heat till lightly browned.  

Stir in tamarind mixture and curry powder then stir fry until fragrant and oil separates.

Add the fish head, water and coconut milk then bring to a boil.

Seasons with salt and sugar then add the tomato and red chili.

Continue to simmer gently for about 8 - 10 minutes or until the sauce is thickened to a desired consistency and the fish is cooked through.

Dish out. Serve with steaming hot rice.

Fish Congee

My mother is here to stay with us since 2 weeks ago. I have been religiously cooking fish congee for her since then. She is suffering from a chronic knee osteoarthritis hence she has to move around in a wheelchair. My children have been helping me to take care of her. Praise the Lord; my children treat my mother with loving care. I am proud of them.

Thanks to my FIL who once told me that we must show respect to our parents or in-law even if our relationship with them has been strained. If in future we’re not in good terms with our parents or in-laws, we must leave our kids out of it. He said that our children learn how to treat others by watching their parents' behavior. Hence, seeing how parents interact with their own elders helps the children realize that even if they don’t always agree with their elders, they should still respect them because of their position in the family. He told us not to speak badly about any particular relative so that our children will not grow up to be negative and critical human beings, only noticing the bad in someone before noticing the good. That in case we have a grouch with someone, we should only discuss it with our spouse.

Nowadays, not every extended family lives within driving distance but they should connect on a regular basis through email or phone calls to strengthen relationships with grandparents. I want my children to have a positive relationship with their grandparents from a young age. So when my children receive something from their grandparents, such as a card or a gift, I would encourage them to call and say thank you.

I would never turn a blind eye whenever I noticed my kids showing disrespect to their grandparents. That is totally unacceptable and there is a high possibility that their disrespectful attitude will turn on me as I get older. Thus, don’t wait until the situation gets out of hand.

I want to help my children value the family they have as it is difficult to harmonize relationships between family members. Modern kids are so busy playing games that they have no time for their grandparents. 6 years ago, when my late FIL was still around, I sent my children to stay with my in-laws for 2 weeks during their school holiday when I went on office trip to Bali because I want them to spend quality time with their grandparents. I told them that  their grandparents love them and are happy to have them at any time and that they should behave themselves when they are with their grandparents as neither the grandparents, nor I, would tolerate any nonsense.  But at the same time, I also allow my parents and in-laws to spoil my children.

Fish Congee

Ingredients

1 cup rice - rinsed and drained

½ cup fresh Spanish mackerel

1-inch knob ginger - peeled and finely julienned

Soy sauce

Ground Pepper

Sesame oil

Salt / chicken stock granules - to taste

Spring onion – chopped

Instructions

In a large pot, rinse rice till water runs clear, about 3 to 4 times. Drain and set aside.

Add 7 cups water to the rice and set it on the stove to boil. When water comes to boil, remove lid and allow it to simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. If porridge gets too thick at any point, stir in 1 cup water to dilute.

Rinse and pat dry fish with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice fish at an angle. Add the fish, ginger and salt / chicken stock granules to the porridge.

Stir to get everything well mixed. Allow it to cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve in individual bowls topped with spring onions. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce. Add a little more pepper if desired.

Cassava Fritters

My brother, A, came to our house today and brought us a bunch of yellow cassava roots, freshly dug up from our farm. Thank you Allah! Honestly, at first I didn't have any idea of what to do with it. I remember my grandparents used to grow them in our farm. My grandmother would just fry or boil or make it into a cake. So today I would like to share with all of you one of my favourite childhood foods.

Underneath the easily bruised brown skin of this starchy root lies a pale yellow interior which can be cooked in various ways. Cassava can be boiled, fried, steamed, baked, grilled or mashed. I absolutely love eating cassava fritters and prefer it any day over a potato and it go great with any sauce.

Cassava Fritters

Ingredients

500gm cassava

Vegetable oil

Salt – to taste

Directions

Cut the tapered ends off of the root then cut the root into segments, 3 or 4-inch long. Peel off the skin to reveal the yellow flesh. Then cut into ½-inch strips. In the middle of the roots there will be a woody core, this need to be removed by carefully removing it with a knife. Wash, drain and set aside.

Heat a pan with oil and once the oil is hot, slowly add the cassava strips and fry them until they're golden brown on all sides.

Dish out and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Happy birthday, Sister!

Today is 27^th October and it is my sister’s birthday. T is one of the kindest persons I have ever known. I just realized that the two of us have never fought with each other.

I am lucky to have a person so kind and cheerfull like her as a sister. There is no better friend than a sister like her and there is no better sister than her. 

To my sister,

You are another year older and you haven’t changed a bit. That’s great because you are perfect just the way you are. You are the most beautiful soul I know. You are always there when I needed a sister’s love.

May God bless you with much happiness and a long life, good health and lots of wealth and all your wishes come true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SISTER! 

Palm Sugar Syrup

Photo courtesy of Google

Palm sugar is one of the healthy sugar substitutes that’s available in the market today. You could get palm sugar at any Asian market. It has a smoky flavour and a rich aroma. Palm sugar is a nutrient-rich and low-glycemic crystalline sweetener but it's completely natural and unrefined. 

It is made from the sweet flower blossom nectar of the green coconut tree. The nectar is collected, boiled and shaped by pouring the mixture in a bamboo molds. It is called gula Melaka in Malaysia.

I use palm sugar a lot in my everyday cooking because it adds a special richness to almost any recipe. You can use palm sugar as a replacement for regular white sugar in any recipe. 

It is sweet, so take it easy on this stuff. When you taste it, you’ll want to have it in and on everything. Drizzle a little on top of pancakes or cheesecakes. Yum!

Photo courtesy of Google

Palm Sugar Syrup

Ingredients

500gm Palm Sugar

2 cups water

Methods

Place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Do not cover or stir.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the palm sugar is dissolved, without stirring.

Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes until the syrup is slightly thick and sticky.

Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Steamed Soft Bean Curd

A few years back, in KL, I discovered this custard-like soft silken tofu at Tesco Mutiara Damansara where I normally go for my weekly grocery shopping.  Sometimes if you are lucky, you would get to meet celebrities here…well it’s not that I want to see those celebrities so much but my house is just a walking distance from Ikea so it’s convenient for me. This was where I met the former Selangor MB Dato’ Seri Khalid Ibrahim, shopping for groceries…well hey…how often do you get to see that in Sabah…no police escort…no bodyguards…just him and his wife…at that time he was still very much the MB…

This is a very simple recipe but sometimes the humblest recipes make the best meals.   Please use fresh cooking oil to fry the shallots. I know some of us who reused their cooking oil for fear of spending more money than is necessary but using fresh oil every time you cook is the healthiest option.

Steamed Soft Bean Curd   

Ingredients

1 piece soft tofu

2 tbsp oil

2 shallots - sliced

2 tbsp of chopped cilantro

½ cup water

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tsp dark soy sauce

½ tsp chicken stock granules

Instructions

Steam the tofu at high heat for 7 minutes. Remove the tofu from the steamer and discard the excess water.

Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil and sauté the sliced shallots until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the shallots. Pour the fried shallots together with the oil directly over the tofu.

In a bowl, mix the water, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and chicken stock granules then transfer the mixture into a wok. Bring to a boil.  Then carefully pour over the tofu.

Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro on top. Serve hot.      

Banana Cake

I started to bake banana cake since 2 years ago. That is after Hub’s colleague, Mr. J, requested him to buy banana cake at KLIA when he was in KL for his monthly meeting. Hub also bought a couple of loafs for us but we were not impressed with it. We seldom buy cakes from the bakery because Hub and the children only prefer homemade cakes.

I’ve made this a few times now and can say for sure that this is my favorite banana cake. In fact, ‘incredible’ was the word Hub used.  It’s quick and easy. I’m looking forward to making this again for Christmas!

For this particular recipe, I use the Pisang Emas (Lady Finger banana). If I can’t find them then I would use the Pisang Berangan (Lakatan banana) or the Pisang Keling (Bluggoe banana). Pisang Emas is sweeter and its texture is very soft making it the best choice for banana cake. Overall, this is quite a simple recipe for classic banana bread.   The cake is super yummy even my mother likes them. The cake stays so moist 2-3 days after, if it lasts that long..LOL This recipe is definitely a keeper.

The smell of banana cake baking is amazing!  Yes, nothing beats the smell of fresh banana cake in the oven!

Banana Cake

(Adapted from Azie Kitchen)

Ingredients

6 pcs Pisang Emas (Lady Finger banana) – mashed

1 cup castor sugar

1 cup corn oil

4 whole eggs (Gr. A / B)

1½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 170C (338F) and place oven rack to middle position. Grease two 9”x4.5” loaf pans with butter and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Set aside.

Cream the sugar, eggs and corn oil for 3 – 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Sift together the flour, soda bicarbonate and baking powder. Fold in the flour mixture with a spatula.

Stir in the vanilla extract then divide the batter among the prepared loaf pans and bake for 15 minutes or until the top starts to turn slightly brown.

When the top has turned slightly brown, lower the oven temp. to 150C and continue to bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool and enjoy.

Roti Canai (Indian Flatbread)

Roti canai or roti paratha is a buttery and crisp-edged flat bread that’s made famous by the mamak hawkers. In the southern Malaysia and in Singapore, they are known as roti paratha. They are cheap and affordable.

They are not easy to make. It sure takes some practice to twirl and stretch until the dough is as thin as possible. But once you get the hang of it, you will be a roti twirler pro in no time.

I normally serve them with chicken curry but my daughter loves eating them with condensed milk. Tastes best when taken for breakfast and accompanied by curry or dhal (a mixture of boiled chickpeas in spicy gravy) and washed down with hot teh tarik.

I have to admit that the world of Indian food is a little foreign to me and have never even eaten at any mamak coffee shop prior to meeting my husband. Hub started to make roti canai at home when my son was 4. However, this is not the recipe that Hub always uses to make his Roti Canai.

Having 3 mamaks in the house, I need to have a quick and simple recipe at hand. Cooking at home can give the clean conscience of not only knowing what’s in our food, but how clean the food is. This might not be the best roti canai recipe but for me, nothing is greater to preparing our food from scratch and served with love. 

Roti Canai (Indian Flatbread) 

(Adapted from Mykitch3n) 

Ingredients (makes 8 to10 pcs)

375gm all-purpose flour

100 ml water

75ml fresh milk

20ml cooking oil

30gm sugar

1 tsp salt

For coating
20gm butter or ghee 
30ml cooking oil in small bowl

Method

In a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients then knead till smooth and the texture of the dough is not too sticky and gooey. Divide and shape into 8 to 10 equal size balls.

Coat each ball with butter or ghee, place in a bowl then cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest overnight.

To make roti, oiled kneading space slightly and flatten all dough balls then set aside for 5-10 minutes. 

Oil the dough slightly and flatten it further with palm then pull gently to make thin film, as thin as possible. Sprinkle some oil on it, fold into square or desired shape.

Preheat a pan, pan-fry roti 3-4 minutes each side. Transfer roti onto chopping board, whack it side way with both hands to separate the layers to make it fluffier. Transfer to serving plate. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Serve warm with your favourite curry.

Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

I love black glutinous rice. But after that higher-than-normal blood sugar reading recently, Hub would start grumbling every time I mention I’m craving for it. Whenever he does that, I would tell him to think about it in a positive way that if I’m gone he could look for a slimmer, sexy and younger wife. Then he would give me that are you kidding me look and walk away. It works every time....

Three years ago, I decided to sell this dessert at the Bazaar Ramadan and it was a hit although I also had to compete with a few stall that’s also selling it. It’s gone in just a few seconds. My customers said my black rice porridge is excellent, better than any they have eaten. Of course I said, you’re buying quality stuff, people (hahaha…said it to myself). For health reasons, I reduce the sugar amount.

Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup black glutinous rice
¼ cup sugar or palm sugar (Adjust to your liking)
1 cup coconut milk

A pinch of salt

1 pandan leave - washed and knotted

Directions

Rinse the black rice thoroughly and soak for 1 hour.

Rinse it again and put into a medium-sized pot with about 7 cups of water and bring to a boil, covered, over medium heat until the rice is soft and breaks up, about 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally so that it will cook evenly. Keep checking the water level, if it’s become too dry then add more water.

When the rice is tender, stir in the coconut milk, sugar, pandan leave and salt.  

Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, stir to combine well. You may add some water if it is too thick. If you like it creamier, add more coconut milk. Turn off the heat.

Serve warm.