Epok-epok Kentang (Potato Karipuff)

Ingredients
fillings
potato (peeled, cubed and boil till half cooked)
daging tetelan (beef muscle chopped into small pieces and boiled till half cooked)
onion
garlic
ginger
Baba's curry powder (extra chili)
chili boh
tamarind juice
sugar
salt
Daun sup (Chinese parsley)

dough
flour
hot vegetable oil
salt
cold water

Directions

• cook fillings as you would curry but make it dry and put aside to cool
• add vegetable oil and salt to flour and mix well till crumbly
• add cold water and combine till soft pliable dough is formed
• keep dough covered for an hour or so before forming into small balls (size depends on how big you want the curry puff to be)
• flatten each ball with rolling pin and fill it with the potato curry
• fold in half and pinch sides together
• deep fry in medium fire until golden and crispy 

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!