~ * ~ I Love Sambal !!! ~ * ~

Sambal is good! For those who have never heard of it, or don't know what sambal is, kindly click on this --- SAMBAL. It is one of those dishes that can be used to mix and match with quite a lot of other food. Well, not dessert I supposed :P

For Malaysians like me, who have been staying in Ukraine for at least 10 months a year, to miss it is definitely very ordinary. So some students here had smartly used the cheap sales of chilli during summer season well, because during this season the chilli is sold much much cheaper, as compared to the winter season.

As mentioned in some of the earlier post, during the winter season, chilli price may spring to as high as 100-200uah per kg. Whereas in summer, the price can be as low as 15uah per kg (for the time being, it's about RM6.50). If you were lucky, sometimes even 8-9uah per kg of fresh chilli and still in very good condition. So, a lot of us bought like 1-2 kg and prepare the chilli paste which is then kept in the freezer for winter use. Yeah, just like squirrels storing food! Hehehe

Do not belittle this frozen chilli paste! Although it may take up some of your refridgerator space, it is of many good use. It not only saves your money during winter, it also saves your precious time in preparing dishes with chilli paste. Just scrape a little bit of it and cook your favourite curry chicken, or perhaps asam ikan, or even anchovy sambal for your nasi lemak. Isn't it wonderful?

To prepare the paste is as easy as ABC. Well, of course, you can't expect to have the serai, belacan and stuffs which you can easily get in Malaysia. But, the basic ingredients you can get anywhere in the world would be sufficient enough for this preparation.

Ingredients :
Onion
Garlic
Chilli
Ginger (optional, I don't really use them)

Hmm, exact amount? Well, my mum always thought me to "agak-agak" (estimate yourself). And I really keep this in mind. :P So, you agak-agak yourself lah! But, if I am not mistaken, I think 1kg chilli with about 500g onion and maybe 2-3 bulbs of garlics.

Chilli --- cut them into sections, don't forget to remove the seeds. Remember also to wear gloves, maybe double-layered, otherwise you might regret. :D

Remove the skin of garlic and onion and cut them into smaller cubes (ginger too if you are using them). Then blend them together with a blender until they form paste.

Heat the pan with oil. Pour in the paste and stirfry the paste until it changes in colour. If you have belacan, stirfry them before the paste is poured in. Do constantly stir them, otherwise they may stick to the pan and burnt. Add sugar or salt if desired (I don't do this, as I always flavour them only when I am cooking individual dishes later on)

Then cool them completely and package them into smaller amounts in plastic bags/air-tight packets. Store them in the freezer.

Below are just some pictures of the sotong sambal I have prepared by using the home-made frozen sambal paste. And as I have mentioned in previous post, I love to eat it with bread, like sandwich; a spread of butter and some cucumbers.

Onde-Onde

Again my very first attempt of kuih making. Well, onde-onde I remember that I once helped my mother when I was something like 7-8 years old. Ok, so not my first attempt but second. Whatever.

The end result of my attempt is not very satisfying, although it has passed the border. It's a little bit tough. And the Gula Melaka (palm sugar) didn't really melted well.

Gula Melaka (cut)

I don't have pandan paste here not even the essence (I doubt the Ukrainians ever heard of pandan). And I didn't use any green colouring, so basically it's a white version of onde-onde.

I used those packed shredded coconut. What to do? This isn't Malaysia and I don't have the shredder.For those interested in making onde-onde, the recipe is attached below. Original recipe can be found on the blog of Lily Wai Sek Hong.

From big to small

With this recipe, I managed to make about 50 biji of onde-onde. The size is a mixture of big and small. I think my skill is not that good yet. And I found my onde-onde is too thick too :(

*Ingredients:
270 g glutinous rice flour
55 g tapioca flour
Pinch of salt
200 ml water
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp pandan paste
A few drops green colouring (if desired)
1/2 grated coconut, mixed with a pinch of salt

The Formed Dough

Filling (combine): (I only used Gula Melaka)
100g gula Melaka or palm sugar
1 tbsp soft brown sugar

Method
1. Boil together the tapioca flour, oil and 200 ml water over low heat. Keep stirring till only 3/4 cooked. Allow mixture to turn transparent.

2. Pour the tapioca mixture immediately into the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Stir till well absorbed and gradually add in the pandan paste, salt and green food coloring.

3. Stir well and knead to form a firm smooth dough. If dough is too soft , add a little glutinous flour.

4. Divide dough into small pieces and form 1 inch size balls. Flatten each piece, put half a teaspoon of filling in the centre and roll into onde-onde balls.

5. Drop the onde-onde into boiling water. Reduce heat to medium. When the balls are cooked they will float. Continue to cook for another 2 mins to dissolve the sugar and make it syrupy.

6. Scoop up the onde-onde with a perforated ladle, dab ladle over dry cloth and then toss onde onde in grated coconut.

7. Repeat with the rest of the dough.*
*Quoted from the original recipe of Lily Wai Sek Hong's Onde-Onde.*

Some floated, some haven't

A plate of Onde-onde

P/S : For those in Ukraine, yes, you can't find Gula Melaka. I brought from Malaysia. But substituting it with brown sugar works just fine :)

Steam Pao

On 11th January 2010, Monday (Yes, it is Monday. Still quarantined due to the spread of H1N1 in Crimea), 4pm-10.30pm, a project of Chinese Steam Vegetable Pao is accomplished --- SUCCESSFULLY! My very first attempt again *YES!!!*

Yummy yummy, finally found the best mixture of pau-making recipe. It is a success. I am pretty sure it's going to be one of my favourite, only except that it is of a tidious work. I used all most all my energy. And my muscles of the upper extremities ache so much the next day. But nevertheless it is worth it.

The Result

The filling I used was cabbage with carrot, as it is shown in the picture below. After preparing the filling, I began to do the dough that consumes the most time and energy.

Dough-making is a long process. Took hours although most of it is the time for the dough to rest. Meaning you can do whatever you want while waiting. From preparing the dough till the end of game, took about 6 hours. But the end results is a very satisfying one.

Second Rising of the dough with the filling inside.

The heater is of full-use especially in this cold winter season --- multiple function with multiple purpose, making full use out of it. Make sure this blog is not read by any CSMU administators, hehehehe.

Steaming of the bun with steamer

The end result of the fully-risen pao. Hmm, the black dot is not dirt, it's pepper --- black pepper :DAll ingredients are available in Ukraine, and of course Malaysia. The paper used under the Pao is just ordinary A4 papers.

First Homemade White Bread

YIPPIE! Today is my first attempt of homemade white bread. Not as white, but still it's a loaf of white bread. I think it is a successful attempt.

So here I am sharing the recipe which I have learned from Edible Garden. Have a close look :P

Mine turned out to be darker in colour as compared to Edible Garden. But as long as it is a good loaf, I don't care :)

Ingedients :
2 cups all-purpose flour / maida
1/2 tbsp (1.5 tsp) yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp Salt
Olive oil or butter to grease

Methods :

1. Mix sugar, warm water and yeast together and leave aside for 10-12 minutes until the mixture froths.

2. Mix in the flour and salt and knead gently. Place in a greased bowl covered with cling wrap for an hour, until the dough doubles in size.

Flour and salt

After kneading with the frothy yeast mixture

3. Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes and transfer to a greased loaf tin. Cover with cling wrap and let it rise for another 1 hour. It will again double in size.

Before double in size

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C / 390 F for about 20 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.

After 20 minutes of baking

The bottom part

Soft and white

5. Slice and enjoy!
I love it, especially with the sambal! Yummy!!! Hope you enjoyed it as well. Have a pleasant day baking.

~ Unlightable Candle ~

Sharing? What comes into mind with this simple word "sharing"? Do we need to be very rich to be able to share? Do we need to have everything in the world to be able to share? Must sharing be in a form of material? Or simply anything can be shared?

To me, a simple act of kindness is sharing. It need not to be from someone you know well, it is not a lengthy heart-touching speech, it is not about every diamond and gold that you pour on earth. It may be just a simple smile, a hand that helps in time of despair, an ear that listens, a wisdom/knowledge that is shared together...

I have just returned from the trip to Taize Poznan. There was this one night when everyone entering the hall was given a candle. Somehow I missed it. I was "candleless". I was too lazy to go to the entrance to collect my candle. So, I sat down quietly, praying. Not for the candle, of course.

As the prayer ceremony started, people started to light the candle and pass it on. I was sitting there looking at what people were doing. Basically the whole hall of thousands of youths were trying to light their candles. The guy on my left was looking at me candleless and was looking for some people with lit candles to light up his.

And after a minute or two, I noticed that the girl sitting at my right was trying to melt her candle. She was holding her candle horizontally, and her friend beside her held the other lighted-candle trying to burn the first candle. As it melted the first candle into two, the girl lit the first half and passed the short-halved lit candle to me, smiling, "You can have this."

I took the candle, somehow tears filled my eyes. At that specific moment, I was just touched by her little action. I forgot to mentioned that the second halved candle that she has in hand wasn't able to be lighted, maybe because of the wax that melted from the process of halving the candle. Yet she passed me the lighted half, instead of the waxed half. I passed her back the lighted one, which obviously she refused to accept. But still I exchanged with her. But it was time to blow our candles off. It is a memorable halved candle.

A simple act of sharing is not about every money one has, it's not about sharing the whole world that you have. A simple smile, a simple halved candle is a touching sharing story for me. The candle is broken during my journey back. But for me, it is a memorable unlightable candle that reminds me the true meaning of sharing ... ...