Pumpkin Prawn Pilaf - Pumpkin #3

I tried a pumpkin prawn pilaf recipe from a local women magazine, and unfortunately, I found it lacking in flavour (just my own opinion). Personally (you may think otherwise), I will prefer more spices to go with it. The recipe for 4 servings also called for 3 cups of raw basmathi of which is quite a lot! 3 cups raw basmathi will give you around 9 cups cooked (unfluffed) rice and imagine after fluffing.....woah...I can't imagine 4 persons eating that. When I tried out the recipe to serve 3 big eaters plus kids, I cut the rice to half and the rest remained. It looked fine, proportion of rice and prawns looked good, but tasted not as good as I hoped, since making seasoned rice is usually quite straightforward with not much techniques involved. I wonder how many of you have encountered such problems with recipes from women magazines.

Honey Mustard Roasted Pumpkin, Beets and Carrots - Pumpkin #2

I made this for more relatives who came back from Australia few weeks later after the pumpkin sabzi.

They have past their 50's and are conscious of the things they eat. 

Having living overseas for quite a long time, they love to eat roasted vegetables.
Something my hubby find it hard to take in.

I took the opportunity to try out this dish.
Very well recieved by them. I was only so so about this.

Easy Pumpkin Sabzi - Pumpkin #1

The original recipe called for butternut squash, but I used pumpkin. The pumpkins that I buy are always very orangey in colour. Which is why, I find the taste to be similar to butternut squash. I never knew that there was an obvious difference, not until Anne of Pigpigscorner told me during our meet up 2 years ago.

Blueberry Yogurt Mousse Cake - Mousse Cake #3

If you don’t like yogurt you will HATE this cake. That was the reaction given to me by my brother’s neighbour’s kid. “Yucks, this cake tasted horrible!”. Well, later my mom told me, this boy doesn’t even eat cheese on his pizza. Ok, so that explains it.

Another kid exclaimed to my niece when she saw the cake , “Eh, why your cake has nothing one”. I think they are pretty used to elaborately topped cakes from local bakeries. Some bakeries here will use plastic toppers like toys and such to visually enhance it. Adults instead found this deco to be elegant and beautiful.

Chocolate Chesnut Mousse Cake - Mousse Cake #2

I made this cake and sent it over to my SIL's in-laws (my hubby's sister's in-laws). We are in good relations with them and they always send us good free range chicken or river caught snakeheads. Well, I could only return them with bakes and Chinese New Year is always the time of gifting. They told me it tasted like cheesecake and they loved it.

Lime Watermelon Charlotte with Mint Basil Glaze - Mousse Cake #1

I came home from the competition and made another one.... to take proper pics for the blog...and also for my hubby's birthday.

My girls were crazy for this cake. We blew candles that night and had a slice each and then scoot them off to bed. The next day, when I picked them up from kindergarden, the first thing they said to me was, "Mom, let's go home and eat cake". My hubby called them monsters because they ate half the cake in less than 24 hours. Hahahaha, my husband rarely calls them this, but usually it's me calling them names, hahahah. We are a family of humour. I never thought Lyanne will love a fruit flavoured cake this much. But Lydia, yes, I know she will.

Think out of the Shell Pastry Competition- Part 2- The Competition!

The next day, I popped over to the competition site, of which the 2nd day of Semi finals. I went there to see see how things are, so that I'll give myself a mental prep. The main purpose of dropping by is to collect my pistachios, promised to me by the organizer. I thought I'll get skinless ones, but noooooooo, I got regular pistachios that comes with lots of skin. I left soon after that and went to collect my ingredients at a designated baking supplies shop.

I got back to my relative's place and started working on my pistachios. Blanching, peeling and finally toasting them. Because they were toasted right after blanching, there were lots of moisture in the nut. Took me more than 1 hour to get them nicely toasted. In out of oven, airing and toasting again. Then I had to grind them... when everything's done, it was 11pm. I was dead tired!

Think Out of the Shell Pastry Competition- Part 1: Cracked my head

Few weeks back, I participated in this contest, organized by Nutriplus.

I got to know about this competition via Quay Po and well, the prize wasn't interesting at all! LOL

I know I sound bad, but of course it's always the prize that entices us to join any competition right?

To me, it's more for the fun of competition, the ability to push myself to do better, to challenge myself.

I love the finals, it will be a black box challenge and we have to bake something on site without getting any hints earlier.. That will be ultimate challenge for me, Love it!

Steamed Cucumber with Dried Shrimp 蒸青瓜- Cucurbits #3

I know this sounds weird to many.

Both my sister in laws, although Cantonese, have never heard or eaten this.
So far, I have never bumped into anyone who has eaten this before, besides my relatives.

This dish is simple to prepare, with simple flavours, doesn't look appealing but we find it appetizing. We grew up with it. The gravy was light and sweet. It's just a frugal homey dish.
I remember once, when I was about 10, I had 3 bowls of rice (spread out in a span of 2 hours) just because the cucumber that day was absolutely delicious. I just ate my rice with this steamed cucumber plus some gravy.


Snake Gourd with Spicy Eggs Stir Fry - Cucurbits #2

I have never eaten this before I hit 24 years old.

One day, my ex colleague and I decided to buy lunch from a "lunch van" that stops by and sells lunch to our factory workers. The mobile food stall was operated by a Malay uncle and I happen to see this cute U shaped thing that looks mouth watering. I put some of that into my food box, paid money and went back to my desk and can't wait to taste this U shaped veggie. To my surprise I like it a lot!

I didn't know what it was until I looked carefully at the skin and realised it's snake gourd. Hmm, never knew snake gourd can be this delicious.

Luffa with Glass Noodles - Cucurbits #1

The plant family of Cucurbitaceae consists of squashes, gourds and melons.
Pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchinis, watermelons and bittergourds are all relatives under the family of cucurbits. This week, I'm going to feature 3 different cucurbits and my favourite ways of cooking them.

Mango Salad with Dried Cuttlefish - MFF Kedah Perlis #9

The last of my Kedah Perlis dishes! Phew! All done!

Because this month, I am host cum organizer, I am supposed to do 6 dishes, but since there weren't much on the internet, I decided to do more so that there will be more ideas and more recipes to choose from.

Kerabu or Salad made with dried cuttlefish is quite common in Chinese restaurants, but normally they come with cucumber. But in Kedah, especially Serdang area, the restaurants have come up with versions that uses green mango (see here), guava(see here) or even green apple(see here). Again, I saw this on the TV show,  Taste with Jason (Axian)

Grilled Fish with Coconut ~ Bantut Ikan - MFF Kedah Perlis #8

Another popular fish dish from the state of Kedah, but not so well known out of state. 
I think most of us are familiar with fish stuffed with chilli sambal. This could be something new to you.

Bantut ikan literally translates as Stunted Fish. I wonder why? Is it because of after filling the fish, the fish looks fat and short? hehehe. I don't know, just guessing.

Kuih Gedung Cak - MFF Kedah Perlis #7

The ingredients to this kuih and kuih lepat liat is actually quite similar. You can make both kuihs if you’ve bought too much of either ingredients. But which is nicer? Haha, Kuih Lepat Liat is steamed, Gedung Cak is baked. My hubby and I says, this one, the baked one.

It’s also very easy to do, just mix, wrap and bake. LOL, you can imagine baked dodol with a crust... delish!

Fish in Broth, Northern style~Pindang Ikan- MFF Kedah Perlis #6

A healthy oil free dish that is boiled to cook.

This dish, is almost similar to Singgang of the east coast states. In the northern states, this method of cooking is referred as Pindang method.Negeri Sembilan also has Pindang ikan, but the ingredients are different, being more spicy and uses kaffir lime leaves. Kedah's version however is more towards being sourish rather than spicy. Chillies can be added, but only to a mild level, like a seasoning, rather than for some kick!

Apam Perlis - MFF Kedah Perlis #5

These custard filled pancakes are easy to do and lovely to eat. My hubby can eat 6 in one go! LOL. I can easily down 4. Lydia eats 2 with ease.

I saw a few recipes and settled for one that uses Eno fruit salt because I know Eno gives batters a beautiful and delicious type of fluffiness.

Indian Mackerel Curry ~ Gulai Ikan Temenung- MFF Perlis Kedah #4

Ikan kembung (kembong) is the name known to many. In Kedah, it is known as ikan temenung, and fondly loved by people of the state. It used to be cheap when I was young, but not anymore. It's quite pricey nowadays. Usually I eat slightly larger fishes because I'm lazy to go through the bones, hehehe.

Kuih Lepat Liat - MFF Kedah Perlis #3

This Kedahan kuih was actually told to me by my reader, Norehan. Thanks kak!

Liat means elastic. Is this kuih that elastic? Haha, it didn’t break my teeth.
It’s actually quite soft, while it’s warm. Firmer when colder. I like it firm and chewy. Almost like dodol. Delicious! If you have no idea about dodol, it’s almost like niangao 年糕. Get it? Except the coconut is already in the niangao. Sweet, sticky, chewy and coconutty.

Fried Porridge 炒粥 - MFF Kedah Perlis #2

This is a specialty found in Serdang, Kedah. The most popular shop that serves this is Sin Aik Kee.
Sounds weird? Not really.

I first got to know about this from a TV show, Taste with Jason (Axian) and I happened to see the last bit of the show... couldn't get much from it, but I knew this dish was really popular there. Then I found Axian's blog, but it no longer exists now. Before the blog was closed, I happened to see the picture of the raw ingredients used.

Kedah Beef Rice ~ Nasi Daging Kedah - MFF Kedah Perlis #1

My first northern dish for MFF Kedah Perlis.

Easy to do but needs a long time to cook. 4 hours of slowly simmering to bring out the best flavours in the broth. The broth itself is very delicious, flavourful enough to be taken on its own.

Tomatoes in Sour Gravy ~ Air Asam Tomato

The perfect side dish for Nasi Daging Kedah

Air Asam Tomato  (Tomatoes in Sour Gravy)
Recipe referred : Rinnchan

1 red onion, sliced
1 tsp finely sliced bird’s eye chilli
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
½ -3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1-2 Tbsp vinegar (or more lime juice)
1 tsp finely minced torch ginger bud
2.5 cups diced tomatoes
Chinese parsley (daun sup) for garnish

1. Mix sliced red onion with lime juice, sugar, salt, chilli and fish sauce. Let it sit for 1 hour.
2. Taste it and adjust with vinegar and more salt if needed. It should be sourish, spicy and a saltiness level that is just right (not oversalted).
3. Just before serving, mix in minced torch ginger and diced tomatoes.
4. Serve this with nasi daging/beef rice

Kedah Perlis Malaysian Food Fest Starts Today!

This month’s Malaysian Food Fest will feature two states, Kedah and Perlis together.
Last month was another great success! Hop over to Lena's blog to see the round up for Terengganu state.

Frankly, this is a huge task for me as there isn’t much information on the internet for me to gather. Although I have been to both states, but it was only Langkawi and a 18 hour stopover at Kangar to wait for the train. That is not enough for me to understand the food well enough.
Anyway, I’ll try my best. If anyone can help with adding in more information, it’s greatly welcomed.

Let’s talk about Perlis first.

The flag of Perlis

Perlis is the smallest state of Malaysia and is most northern state on the peninsula. The economy of the state is mostly based on agriculture produce like sugar, rice and fruits, especially the Harum Manis variety of Mango, of which is very very fragrant.

Due to it being once under Siamese rule, the cuisine displays a heavy Thai influence.

The locals love eating glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk. The usual practice from Thailand is to have it with mango, but the locals will eat it with bananas or even ciku. Not very touristy, but it’s common for the farmers in the state. They also eat sticky rice in place of regular rice with salted fish or other dishes.

Cempedak with sticky rice from Pengembara Tanpa Kompas

Perlis people are also very fond of laksa, not the laksa found in other states. If you are making a trip there, make sure you don’t miss their very very special laksa. It’s made with a very very special ingredient. An ingredient that is long and slithery….. It’s eel. Eel Laksa! Now, if you gladly eat unagi at Japanese restaurants, what’s so scary about eating eel laksa? It’s nothing, right?

Source: Whole Eels (bicaradariaku) and eel laksa (haryaniss)

Besides making laksa gravy with eel, they have the regular fish laksa too. Laksa Perlis is the same as the laksa Kedah, but the toppings are slightly different. Raw shredded local herbs like daun selom are added in as well.
I’ve heard from my friend who has been staying in Perlis for many years that they have a local practice of eating fried rice vermicelli with laksa gravy, yeah bihun goreng laksa : ). Such is their love for laksa.

You can read more about Perlis food from
Pengemara Tanpa Kompas
Perlis State Portal

The flag of Kedah

Kedah is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia. Rice fields are as wide as the eye can see.

Due to this fact, Kedahans eat fish caught from the rice fields. In those days, Snakeheads(haruan) and catfish(semilang/sembilang) are a common part of their diet, but nowadays these fishes are not as easily found as before.

They not only eat freshwater fish, but marine fishes as well. Ikan Temenung (known as kembung in other parts of Malaysia, or in English, Indian mackerel) is the one of the popular fishes here. Made ever so popular when cooked in curry, called Gulai Ikan Temenung or made into Assam Pedas.

Left: Indian Mackeral Curry~ Gulai ikan temenung (Source: JassNani)

Right: Grilled Coconut Stuffed Snakehead ~ Haruan Bantut (Source: My small kitchen)

Generally the food of Kedah has influences from Thailand and Sumatra. That is the reason the dishes mostly comes with hot and sour tones and they love gulai. Kedahans also like to eat laksa and their version has similar gravy as Perlis, but authentic Kedah laksa is topped with cashew shoots, and many other astringent shoots too, besides the common cucumber and onions.

Like most northern states, they have immense love for glutinous rice. The ketupat in Kedah is different than other states. It is made with the leaf of the palas palm and is shaped like a triangle and filled with glutinous rice. Either boiled or steamed, it is served with rendang or curry.

Ketupat Daun Palas by Sonia

Langkawi, a beautiful mythical island in Kedah, have their own specialties and they are from the sea. One of the specialty is also slithery, soft and squidgy. It’s called Beronok, a type of sea slug. It can be made into kerabu, a salad. Another specialty from Langkawi is Laktut. Nothing fearsome, it’s just seaweed. Usually eaten raw, dipped in sambal.

Picture source : Bronok (Jay Jusin), kerabu bronok(mymekar), and laktut (zylasyalieyla)

If you need any recipe links, try these

Sweet Recipes
Apam Perlis - It's similar with thai pancakes, except that it seems to be more generous with the filling. I've made this with a combination from a few recipes.
Pulut Pelam/Pisang/Ciku – Mango sticky rice, also can be made with banana and ciku, or even cempedak.
Kuih Qasidah, I heard from my Facebook friend Norehan, that this is a really old fashioned kuih that is popular among the Arab descendants in Kedah, hence the use of ghee and the name. But it seems that modern versions do not use ghee but just fry the shallots in oil.
Kuih Lepat Liat - Also introduced to me by Norehan. Easy to make and delicious. I've made this, you will see the English recipe soon.
Kuih Gedung Chak , not easily found nowadays as it's made with Nipah leaves and grilled on open fire. I will be doing a modified version using banana leaves.
Bunga Pudak - A lesser known traditional cookie, made with glutinous rice flour and coconut. The recipe sounds good, except for the amount of salt, it's probably a typo. Try this out with some adaptations.
Telur Labah labah , translated as spider eggs, coconut sago cookies made really small and infused with flowers
Cucur manis, bananas fried with banana batter. Double dose of naners!!!
Lengat Pisang, steamed banana kuih with just 4 ingredients plus 1 pinch of salt.




Savoury Recipe Links
Daging Masak Asam(no spice), tamarind beef stew, here's another version with spices. Translated version done by Annie
Laksa Kedah, Kedah style laksa, served with a sprinkling of local herbs. English version, visit Hody's.
Laksam Kedah -rice rolls in a fish curry gravy
Nasi Ulam Kedah - "Salad" Rice, northern style that uses salted fish, English version from Lena, usually served with Sayur Keladi (see below)
Asam Pedas Sayur Keladi, a spicy and sour stew made with the stalks of the taro fronds. I have eaten taro stalks before and it tastes like soft aubergines :)
Ketupat Daun Palas - sticky rice wrapped in palm leaves, English version from Sonia
Nasi daging utara- Northern beef rice, rice cooked in a spiced beef broth, served with tomato relish. I'll be posting this. It's not the same as Penang style nasi daging of which is more "curry-fied", hehehe.
Gulai ayam utara – Northern curry chicken, with mint, smells refreshing!
Ayam masak Asam- Chicken cooked with Tamarind, it's spicy too!
Asam pedas utara –Hot and Sour fish, northern style. It's quick and easy to do.
Gulai Ketam dengan Nanas- Crab Curry with Pineapples, crab and pineapple fans do take a look!
Mango Kerabu, northern style Mango Salad.
Lempiang Ikan – Fish pancake, aromatic with with kaffir lime leaves


Remember, the aim of this event is that you try cooking food from the state. Just any. You need not cook something that no one else has done.

********************************************************

TO JOIN
1. Who can join? Anyone can join. Come let's replicate some Kedah or Perlis Food at home!
2. Prepare a dish ( sweet or savoury ) that is from Kedah or Perlis, be it old time favourite, modern goodies or dishes that has been localized. Take a picture of the food or many pictures. If possible, tell us the story about the dish, share with everybody so that others will learn. Please read FAQ on what make the dish a localized dish.
3. Provide a recipe that is credited ( from books, internet, friends or family or maybe it's your own, be specific). Submissions without stating recipe sources will not be accepted for all forms of submission.
4.Submit your entry latest by 31 November 2012 except for Facebook submissions.

TO SUBMIT

1.Bloggers
a. Prepare a dish ( sweet or savoury ) that is from Kedah/Perlis
b. Blog about it from 1st November - 30st November 2012
c. Include this caption below your blogpost
" I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest (link to MFF page), Kedah and Perlis Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for 2..... or More (Link to this post) "

Send the following information to this email address ( wendyinkk@yahoo.com ) with the email subject as
" MFF Kedah Perlis"

Name/Nickname :
Blog name :
Name of dish :
Url of post :
Picture : ( URL or attachment that is lesser than 500k)

2. Facebook user
a. Like this Facebook Page
b. Prepare a dish ( sweet or savoury ) from the state of Kedah and Perlis
c. Take a picture and upload it into Facebook ( this month's FB page link )
d. Provide recipe with picture

Bloggers can submit old recipes to Facebook. Anyone that has once cooked a Kedah/Perlis dish and have a picture and recipe can submit to Facebook. Not necessarily a recently done dish.
For a pictorial guide on how to submit via facebook, pls click here

3. Non Facebook users and Non Bloggers
Email a picture of the dish together with the recipe to (wendyinkk@yahoo.com) latest by 30th November, 2012 by 11.59pm ( Malaysian time )

A Round Up will be done for all blog entries and emailed in entries on December 01, 2012. Facebook entries are not included in the round up.