Easy peasie lentil soup

- Muz's.

So this takes a few minutes of preparation, and about 20-25 mins of boiling time.

This makes about 4 medium-sized servings.

Ingredients

1. 1 Tbsp oil (he used ghee)
2. 1 red onion, diced
3. 1 big/yellow onion, diced
4. 1 shallot, sliced (I didn't have shallots so I skipped this)
5. a few cloves garlic, chopped
6. 2 tsp cumin
7. 1 tsp turmeric
8. 1 tsp cinnamon powder
9. 1 medium-sized carrot, diced
10. 1 cup red lentils, washed
11. 1.5 cups water/liquid stock
12. salt
13. pepper
14. a few tsp chilli flakes/powder
15. optional: lettuce leaves

Steps

1. In a heated pot, sautee onions, shallot and garlic with cumin, cinnamon and turmeric till slightly soft (a minute or two under medium fire).
2. Add lentils and carrots to the pot. stir around lightly.
3. Add water/stock, chilli flakes/powder and seasoning.
4. Cover pot with lid and leave to boil for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
5. Before serving, add in a few ripped-up lettuce leaves.

I had mine with a few slices of toast and a hard-boiled egg tossed in. :)

Bon appetit :D

Filosirapture (vegetarian filo wraps)

so today i decided to play with filo because i haven't done any baking in a while.

first things first - what do i have in the pantry/fridge?

scanned and spotted:

a few just-ripe avocado, coconut oil, soy milk, cheese, choc chips, cherry tomatoes, fried garlic, mushroom stock, spices+herbs.

(there were other things obviously, but i decided not to use them because they would require defrosting etc.)

so i decided to make (various kinds of) avocado filo wraps. using filo straight from the freezer*. i made different batches - about 3 wraps per combo, eg. avocado+cheese, avocado+choc chips.

preparation time for ingredients: + 5 mins?
cooking time: at Gas 6, in the oven for 12 mins per batch

overall, it took me about an hour to prepare the things for and make these:

defo not the prettiest dish in the world, lol.

also - sweet sour chilli sauce ftw!

i'm not even going to try to explain how i made this hahaha. it's not a horrible experiment (by my standards), but i know i can do better if i was more prepared and didn't feel too rushed (people were coming over so i didn't want them to witness my potential culinary disaster lol).

i'll defo try this again in the near future, but with a few things in mind:

1. * don't use filo straight from the freezer. leave it in the fridge for a few hours to soften it a bit or else it'll get brittle and too flaky. not fun to clean up later.
2. if you want to use milk to 'moisten' the filo up a bit, leave it to the stage just right before it's going to be chucked into the oven.
3. filo is terribly plain, and so is avocado. definitely need to spice/herb it up a bit, or else you'll have to eat it with some kind of sauce at the end (which isn't too bad tbh, i eat my savory ones with sweet sour chilli sauce :D).
4. use fresh garlic next time
5. possible different ingredients to try in the future: mushrooms, capsicum, onions, leek, tuna, mince, tomato paste, oregano, chilli, oatmeal
6. what i found were good combos in filo
1. avocado+cheese+cumin
2. avocado+cheese+tomato
3. avocado+choc chips+soy milk+cinnamon powder

... yeah.

Super Simple Stacked Sandwich

- zaty.

after much experimenting with sandwich-making recently, i have found my fav. way to stack my sandwich so that stuff doesn't spill out/fall off so much.

the result = cleaner hands, mouth, plate, everything :D

must-haves:

1. 2 buns/slices of bread - go for those seedy, wholegrain ones. and toast them just a bit
2. salad leaves - the more colorful, the better
3. meat slice/egg/protein-ish slab - cook it if it's not cooked yet
4. cheese slice

steps

in order of appearance on the plate:

1. bottom bun/bread slice
2. salad, esp. leafy ones
3. onion slices, if needed
4. ready-to-eat patty/egg/salami/slab of protein
5. sauces, if needed
6. cheese slice
7. herbs/spices, if needed
8. top bun/bread slice.

i wish i took a pic of my sandwich just now. it was quite beautiful if i do say so myself.

that is all.

/procrastinationtimeover/

Quiche - with filo pastry

- zaty.

Update: salt amount corrected :)

So I made quiche again today. The difference, however, is that I used filo pastry for the first time in my dear life. Considering the fact that I'm making this as a 'more' (shared 'dessert' for after terawih prayers), this is quite a risk.

But then I'm too much of an experimenter to not take the risk. :P

Anyhoo this time around I made both 'mini' (ie. cupcake-sized) quiche and a medium-sized square-pan quiche. I also prepared two batters - one is with meat, and the other is vegetarian. Just cuz I felt like it. The later is only for the mini ones though.

Anyway, onto the recipe!

Inspired by this recipe (uses filo pastry) & the easy quiche #2 recipe --- modified. 

Makes:

• 3 dozens mini quiches OR 
• 2 dozens mini quiches + 1 medium-sized square-pan quiche.

Ingredients:

• filo pastry sheets
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups milk ~
• 5 tbsp melted butter (about 75g)
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 4 cups of anything you like *
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
  
  Optional: Oregano, thyme, black pepper, salt to taste (thanks canadian girl for the tip!)
  
  ~ for better taste, use 1½ cup cream+1½ cup milk
  * I used:
       Diced = 1 large sausage, 5 button mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 green capsicum
       Sliced finely = 4 spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Set oven to 175 deg C
2. Whisk together the first 5 ingredients (eggs, milk, butter, self-raising flour, salt)
3. Fold in cheese and filling (*)
4. Prepare filo pastry:
• For mini quiche:
• Take one sheet, fold it in half. You can 'glue' the folded parts together using melted butter/cooking spray.
• Cut filo sheet into 4 strips - each strip about 6cm in width.
• Fold the strips twice to make an approx 6cm square.
• Place filo 'squares' in muffin tray hole. 
• When every container is lined with filo, continue with step #5
• For square pan:
• Lay filo sheets one above the other, about 8 sheets
• Make the sheets look neater by folding them in/cutting them (I didn't do a good job tho :P), then continue with step #5.
5. Pour the mixture into pan.
6. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with herbs.
7. Bake for about 35 minutes. Wait to cool before serving (about 10 minutes).

PICS!

Before baking:

meaty mini quiches.
messy, i know. lol.

meaty square quiche.
i topped this with another sheet of filo, which explains that white-ish surface.
(next time i'll skip that - i prefer the quiche w/o it. haha.)

After baking:

vegetarian mini quiches
(no sausage, extra veggies+mushroom)

meaty mini quiches

meaty square quiche

Bon apetit! :)

Cheese scones

- zaty

Today Carlo and I made two batches of scones - one is plain cheese scone, the other is savoury (we added bits of half a sausage). We made 2 dozens for the first batch but it didn't turn out very well because we forgot the baking powder... which led to us making the second batch, the savoury one.

Most ppl who've tried this prefer the savoury one - I like the plain ol' cheese scone more. :P it tastes great with fruit jam!

FAIL Batch #1 - bakingpowderlessness = unrisen dough

Batch #2 - looks much better, don't it? :D

Also, in case you were wondering, we used Edam cheese, which is quite yummy. Cheddar might work too.

Update (22/05/11): use self-raising flour instead of flour+baking powder

This original recipe is from here. :)

Prep time: 20-40 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 scones

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C self-raising flour
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 25g butter, diced
• 1/2 cup milk for dough (MD)
• 1/4 cup milk for coating (MC)
• 1/2 cup grated cheese for dough (CD) - the more, the cheesier! :)
• 1/4 cup grated cheese for topping (CT)
• Optional: 
• Rubbed oregano (for the lovely smell)
• 1/2 finely diced onions
• 1/2 chopped sausage

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 220 deg C.
2. In a bowl (stir using wooden spatula - not hands!):
1. Sift in dry ingredients.
2. Add diced butter by 'massaging' it in - should look like breadcrumbs at the end.
3. Add cheese for dough (CD) (and onion/sausage bits if you want savoury scones). Mix evenly.
4. Make a pit in the middle of the mixture, then add milk (MD) while mixing quickly.
3. Cover your hands with flour and sprinkle some on the tabletop/board to prevent dough from sticking to it.
4. Turn out dough and place on the tabletop/board. Knead dough lightly; if it's too sticky, add flour, bit by bit.
5. Roll out dough on board until about 2cm thick, then cut into 6 equal portions. (I like shaping the portions to make them slightly rounder).
6. Dunk each scone in milk (MC), then place each on a greased/lined oven tray. Make sure to leave at least 2cm gaps between them.
7. Top each scone with grated cheese (CT). (I like to sprinkle a bit of oregano as well).
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, depending on how brown you want them.

Enjoy! :D

Baby scone tucked in ( - Carlo's idea!) :P

last updated 05122010

things i've cooked thus far, in WELLYLAND :)

- zaty.

stuff i cooked. ROFLOL. rawr. behold, my untalentedness XD

1. egg & mushroom fried rice:
didn't taste too bad. really. really!!!

2. 'maggi' goreng
more like indomee. wasn't too bad if i do say so myself. wahahahaha


3. cucur jagung
a sad attempt. too much corn, too little flour. LMAO.

4. 'maggi' basah with eggs
not 'sup' style. =P errr... ok la i guess.

updated at 9.30, 01/03/2008

5. veggie soup
potatoes, carrots and some torn-up seaweed sheets in (basically) garlic soup and plenty of black pepper powder. heheh

6. egg+brocolli+carrot+mushroom sandwich filling
eatable i guess. huhu

clearly i'm bored. and i'm hungry now. later. haha

Kerabu Mempelam [P]

- Zaty.

SO! This was made more then a couple of days ago by Ma, her very own recipe! ;P Sorry about the lateness, I couldn't/didn't find the time. Simply put, I was lazy =P

Alritey, onto the pictorial!

Needed:
Grater/slicer, knife (duh), onion, mangoes ('young' ones, which are more sour and not-so-soft), lime (squeezed), lime leaves, sugar, salt, chillies (preferably cili padi or the like).

*optional : anchovies, peanuts (both need to be fried)

The How-to's:

Set A : Mangoes - grate and slice finely

Set B : Peanuts - fry, if they haven't been fried yet.

Set C : Anchovies - fry well.

Set D : Lime - squeeze them and add sugar & salt to the juice. as for the leaves, slice finely.

Set E : Misc stuff - slices the chillies, serai (lemongrass) and onions.

Now combine all sets!
Note : only add more lime squeeze (not water!) if it's too dry - remember to add quite a lot of sugar to de-sour-ise the mangoes & lime.

End result:

Oishi~~~ ^______^ It's slightly hot, sour, sweet, tangy... YUM! It'll surely make food taste better =D

Mee Goreng

aka Fried Noodles =D

- Zaty.

So this here is taken from hookedonheat.com. Keeping it here for convenience purposes ;)

Ingredients
100 g rice noodles or vermicelli
2 cups finely sliced cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup thinly sliced onion
1 tbsp curry powder
1 chopped tomato
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili powder
Salt, to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil

Method
1. Soak noodles in cold water for 20 minutes and drain.
2. Heat oil in a wok and tumis (sauté) garlic & onion over medium heat till onions become soft.
3. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and sauté for about 2 minutes.
4. Add curry powder, chopped tomatoes, chili powder and soy sauce, & continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add noodles and stir-fry until cooked - it's done!

Note : optional topping - crispy anchovies and eggs for extra flavoring ;P

Ends with:

Simple, ne?

For Cookie Lovers, this is for free~

- Odie.

*got this email from a friend of mine, and i thought that it's kinda relevent to post it here. On the second thought, i find this email s very interesting. It's about the famous amos cookies. famous amos cookies as biskut raya, anyone? hehehe.. (note: i havent tried baking it. so please dont blame me if it doesn't taste anything like the famous amos one =p) *

This is a true story

My daughter and I had just finished a muffin at Famous Amos Caf in Bangsar & decided to have some cookies. Because both of us are such a cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Hawaiian Nut Cookie".

It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown "I'm afraid cannot". Well I said, "Would you let me buy the recipe?"

With a cute smile, she said "YES". I asked how much and she responded, "only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "Just add it to my bill"

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Famous Amos and it was RM285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent RM9.95 for two muffins and about RM20.00 for a pie. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "cookie recipe - RM250.00". That's outrages!!!

I called the Famous Amos's Accounting Dept. and told them that the waitress said it was "two-fifty", which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Famous Amos refused to budge.. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point."

I explain to her the criminal statues which govern fraud in Malaysia. I threatened to refer them to police for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we don't care, and we're not refunding your money." I waited for a moment, thinking of how I could get even, or even try to get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you people got my RM2-50.00, and now I'm going to have a RM250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in Malaysia with an email account has a RM250.00 cookie recipe from Famous Amos...for free... She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this" I said, "Well you should have thought of that before you stole from me", and slammed down the phone on her.

So, here it is!!! Please, please please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid RM250.00 dollars for this...I don't want Famous Amos to ever get another cent off of this recipe..... Recipe may be halved:

Ingredients
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal & blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
18 oz. Cadbury bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla

Steps
- Cream the butter and both sugars.
- Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, & soda.
- Add chocolate chips, Cadbury bar and nuts.
- Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Makes 122 cookies.

Have fun..!!

Spinach Soup [P]

- Zaty.

For the first entry, let's make something reaaaally simple that I love eating, spinach soup! ^_^ It's made by Ma with the help (more like disturbance) of yours truly as the photographer and the ingredients-preparing assistant (y'know, collecting, cleaning, cutting etc).

So, onto the pictorial!

Le ingredients :
Spinach (duh), ginger, chillies, garlic, fishballs, cooking oil, water, 'anchovy' cubes (optional), salt, sugar.

Le steps~

En voila! (I have no idea why I'm using French terms but oh well ;) )

It's easy, right? SO ZATY, MOTIVATE YOURSELF!

Cooking is not hard.
Cooking is not hard.
Cooking is not hard.
Cooking is not hard.
Cooking is not hard.

*mental drilling*

;P