Egg Sambal

Ingredients
3 large onions
2 garlic
1 candlenut (buah keras)
1 tbsp grilled belachan 
0.5 to 1 cup cili boh (if you like spicy)
0.5 cup tamarind juice
3 tbsp sugar
0.5 knorr ikan bilis cube
4-6 hard boiled eggs
0.5 cup oil

Directions

• slice thickly one of the onions and put aside (optional step)
• blend onions, garlic, candlenut and belachan
• heat oil in a wok and add the blended ingredients together with cili boh
• fry for a while till fragrant... then add the sliced onion, tamarind juice, sugar and ikan bilis cube
• taste and add more sugar or salt if necessary
• if you don't like it too dry, add a bit of water 
• add the hard boiled eggs and simmer for 5 more minutes or so

Foodnote
Oh one of my comfort food. I can just omit the egg, add anchovies... or use the sambal recipes for other sambal dishes. I like my sambal sweet, very spicy and thick. Will definitely make the sambal again for nasi lemak soon.

Beef Rendang

Ingredients
1kg beef cut into cubes
5 onions
3 garlic
2cm galangal (lengkuas)
2cm ginger
3 tumeric leaves cut into strip
2 lemongrass (pound lightly)
2 tbsp cumin seed (ketumbar)
1 tbsp fennel (jintan)
2 tbsp cili boh
kerisik (toasted coconut) from 0.5 coconut
salt and sugar to taste

Directions

• boil meat till half cook
• lightly fry fennel and cumin seed without oil
• blend onions, garlic, galangal, ginger, cumin & fennel
• pour some oil in a wok and fry the blended ingredients together with cili boh
• once fragrant, add in the rest of the ingredients together with the meat and a bit of the water from boiling the meat
• simmer until meat is tender and rendang is fragrant (about 45min or so)

Tips

to make meat tender faster (especially tetel or bonesteak) add a teaspoon or so of baking soda while the water boil. A pinch of salt and small piece of garlic can also be added

Foodnote

This is my mum's recipe. This rendang have strong spice taste. I love it... I miss my mum.

Bubur Lambuk (Porridge)

Ingredients
1 cup rice
6-8 cups of water
1 cup minced beef
0.5 large onions diced
3 garlic chopped
1 pandan leaf
0.5 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp dried prawn (soak for a bit and drain water)
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp cooking oil

2 tsp white pepper powder
salt to taste

spices
1 cinnamon
1 star anise
2 cardamom
3 cloves
2 tsp chicken curry powder

garnish
spring onion or chinese parsley
crispy fried shallots

Directions

• wash and rince rice... put aside
• heat oil and ghee in pot and fry the spices till fragrant
• add in onion and garlic till soft then add in the minced meat and dried prawns
• once meat is cooked add water, rice and pandan leaf... cook till congee is formed (add water if consistency is too thick)
• lastly add salt, white pepper and coconut milk and let it boil for a bit more
• add garnishes before serving

Foodnote: It is almost the end of Ramadan and I didn't get to taste porridge from the mosque. So I decided to make it myself. Well it taste almost the same and at least it satisfy my cravings alhamdulillah...

Butterscotch, Chocolate Chips & Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (100-115g) butter soften to room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Directions

• combine flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and put aside
• in another bowl combine butterscotch & chocolate chips and pecans and put aside
• in a mixing bowl beat at slow speed brown sugar, vanilla and butter till light about 3-5 mins
• add egg to the batter and beat till light and fluffy
• fold in the flour mixture a scoop at a time
• finally add all the chips and nuts
• heat oven to approx 170°C
• scoop approx 1 tbsp on a non-stick baking tray, leaving some space in between each cookie
• flatten the cookie a bit as it will not spread out
• depending on the size of cookie bake 10-15 mins
• cool on a wire rack before storing in airtight container

Foodnote

Chocolate chip cookies is a must bake for hari raya because my nieces and nephews love them. This year I'm trying this recipe because I like soft cookies and also I just love butterscotch and pecans. I am using an ol skool aluminium baking tray and usually cookies don't stick to it because of the butter. I bake mine at 15min and rotate the tray in the oven around 10min into baking. This cookie is meant to be soft... but if you like crispy, please leave it a bit longer in the oven. My kitchen smells good wooaahhh. If not for Hari Raya, I will definitely make the size bigger!

Satay Gravy

Ingredients
4 red onions
2 garlic
0.5 cup cili boh
3cm ginger
1 cup of tamarind juice
1 lemongrass (pound lightly)
gula melaka
1-2 cups of roasted ground peanut
salt to taste
oil for frying

Directions

• blend onions, garlic and ginger
• sautee blended ingredients and when fragrant add in the cili boh
• once cooked through, add in the rest of the ingredients
• make sure to taste while cooking\
• leave to cook longer (about 30mins) until red oil is visible on the surface

Foodnote

Planning to make lontong for hari raya and sambal satay comes to mind. I love my satay a little bit on the sweet side. Meat can be added but I just like satay meat on the side and the gravy on its own.

Roti John

Ingredients
4 pieces hot dog bun (usually french loaf)
butter
4 eggs
250g minced beef (Al-Baqa brand from NTUC is awesome)
1 onion diced
2 small garlic chopped
1 tbsp Baba's meat curry powder
1 tsp light soya sauce
0.5tbsp paprika powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
a bit of oil for frying
mayonaise
thai chilli sauce

Directions

• stir fry onion and garlic till fragrant
• add in the minced beef and cook till meat is cooked
• add in curry powder, light soya sauce, paprika, salt and pepper to taste
• once cooked put aside in a bowl
• beat the eggs, pour it into the cooked meat and put aside
• slice each hot dog bun on the side but don't detached it
• butter the inner part of the bread on both sides
• heat a non-stick pan and heat the bread, butter side down till it is slightly browned. This is so that the egg mixture don't soacked through the bread and make it soggy
• remove the bread and leave it on a tray
• grease the same pan lightly and scoop the meat/egg mixture in spreading it enough to cover the 2 open sides of the bun
• when the egg looks half cook (the top still a bit wet) put the spread bun over it to cover the egg/meat mixture
• leave for a while till egg/meat mixture is cooked through then flip the bread on the other side (egg/meat mixture side up)
• remove the roti john to a plate and fill it with chilli sauce or mayonaisse before folding

Foodnote 
Roti john usually use french loaf but I have leftover hot dog bun which I ate with curry chicken. Using hot dog bun makes the roti john softer and easier to eat as it is just like eating hot dog. I don't make hot dog with the bun because I don't really fancy sausage. One is not enough though... so I have to eat 2 at one go hehe. You can also include cucumber, lettuce or tomato in the roti john. 

Chicken Curry

Ingredients
5-6 pieces of chicken or wings
1 small potato cut into 4
3 shallots or 1 small onion chopped
2-3 garlic chopped small piece of ginger
5 tbsp curry powder (I use Babas with extra chilli)
dry spices (eg. cinnamom+cardamom+pegaga+bunga lawang)
0.5 or very small piece asam keping
low fat evaporated milk (or coconut milk) up to consistency
enough water
curry leaves
sugar and salt to taste
a bit of oil

Directions

• heat oil and fry onions, garlic, ginger and dry spices till fragrant
• add curry powder and stir for a while before adding in about 1 cup of water and cook till the curry powder dissolved
• cook in low heat till spices look golden and oil starts to be visible then add in the curry leaves and potato
• add in the chicken pieces and when the chicken look slightly cook, leave till the ingredients started to boil
• add in evaporated or coconut milk and continue cooking in slow fire
• when potato started to soften add in asam keping, sugar and salt to taste
• if curry is too thick, add in hot water as the curry will thicken more when it is cooled
• curry is cooked when red oil starts forming and chicken is cooked through

Foodnote

Simple curry.... good to eat with rice, bread or lempeng. I love mine thicker and leftovers will taste even better!

Lempeng (Flat Pancake)

Ingredients
2 cups of flour
2.5 cups of water or fresh milk
1 egg
a pinch of salt
a bit of oil

Directions

• combine everything together and whisk till no lumps
• heat pan and lightly grease it with vegetable oil
• scoop batter and spread it around with the scoop to form a thin layer of pancake
• when no more raw batter is visible quickly flip the pancake to the other side
• pancake is ready when the other side is cooked through

Foodnote
This is a very simple Malay pancake that is very very yummy to eat with curry, sardin, sambal, asam pedas etc. I personally think that this is a lazy substitute for roti kirai/jala hehe... Sometimes I eat my lempeng with just brown or red sugar. I know some people who ate it with condensed milk too. But for now... I am eating it with leftover thick chicken curry.... oh yumm.