It's All About Experiments in The Kitchen and All The Fun Involved

Archive for the ‘Breakfast Time’ Category

Going By The Weather

On Saturday morning, I was greeted by rather bleak sky and the sun seemed lazy to shine. I’m not really sure about others but the weather does influence me in deciding what to prepare for members of the clan. We have been having fried rice vermicelli quite often so I was thinking of something comforting yet satisfying during the gloom weather. Since it was a rather cold and cloudy morning, I decided to try this recipe which had been in the folder for months. The verdict? I was so glad with the outcome of my experiment. Mr KHz enjoyed it to the last spoonful!

As the first step towards such blissful and comforting feeling, first, spoon the piping hot broth  onto a bowl of soft rice.

Next, sprinkle all the toppings on top and enjoy the wonderful burst of tastes and texture!

NASI AIR SIAM (Thai-Style Soft Rice in Beef Broth)

Source : sitiazma@MyResipi.com

Ingredients :

(A)

  • 3 cups of rice (add more water than usual so your rice would be soft and slightly mushy but not watery)
  • 1/2 kilogramme of beef
  • 5 inch piece of ginger (finely pounded)
  • bird’s eye chillies ( I used 15 pieces)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar
  • salt and sugar to taste 
  • cooking oil

(B) For the toppings

  • dried anchovies ( I used 1/2 a cup)
  • fried shallots (I omitted this and replaced with thinly sliced omellette made from 2 eggs)
  • rice vermicelli (rinsed and drained and deep fried till crispy) (I omitted this)
  • Chinese parsley (finely chopped) (I replaced it with spring onions)
  • limes of calamansi limes (I used 1 lime and cut into wedges)
  • chilli water

Method :

  1. As your rice is cooking, cut beef into large chunks and put into a large pot. Put enough water so your beef pieces are submerged and boil till cooked. Once cooked, take out beef pieces and keep aside. Heat up the broth and add sugar and salt to taste.
  2. Meanwhile, shred the beef pieces finely and mix with pounded ginger. Deep fry till crispy, drained and keep aside. *A tip from the recipe owner: if you decide to use all the toppings, you you fry the rice vermicelli first, followed by the anchovies and finally the shredded beef. This is to make sure that the oil is clean and will not ‘tarnish’ your rice vermicelli and anchovies.
  3. As for the chilli water, pound chillies finely with  salt and sugar (I used 1 teaspoonful of salt and 3 teaspoonfuls of sugar). Then, add in vinegar and mix well.
  4. Now that everything is done, scoop some rice into a bowl and pour the broth. Add the toppings and mix well.
  5. Enjoy!

Category:

Breakfast Time, Kitchen Stories

Nasi Lemak 2.5?

Besides roti canai, it’s very common to see nasi lemak being served for breakfast and I do agree that it is the breakfast of choice by many of us. Some time last week, when I went down to the kitchen, I saw Mr KHz eating the last packet of nasi lemak bought by my MIL so I had no choice but to prepare something else. Usually, I would just pop two slices of bread into the toaster and by adding a slice of cheese, I would have my breakfast ready. However, on that day, I decided to prepare something else – a recipe which has been in the folder for quite some time and I guess, that day was perfect for another trial and error session.

PANCAKE

Source : kak nor secubit garam & hajar

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoonfuls of butter (melted)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 and 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder
  • 2 tablespoonfuls of caster sugar
  • 2 cups of fresh milk ( I used Dutch lady low fat)
  • 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice (optional)
  • a pinch of salt

Method :

  1. Blend all ingredients till well-mixed. ( I used my balloon whisk to do this).
  2. Let to rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Using a 12 cm diameter non-stick pan put over medium heat, spoon batter into the pan.
  4. When you see bubbles forming up, flip over and cook till golden brown.
  5. Serve hot with honey, jam or cut fruits.

Category:

Breakfast Time, Snacks

Cooking versus Reading

It has been very very long since I posted my previous entry. Claiming that time is not on my side wouldn’t do any justice at all. I am also wondering on what has caused me to be keeping away from this blog. Anyway, let’s just put it as I have been plain lazy. The truth is, I have been substituting my cooking time by reading novel after novel from the large pile that I bought during the recent Shah Alam Bookfair in SACC Mall.

Yesterday morning, I managed to break myself free from the reading curse (which I’m very sure would be within a very short period of time) and marched to the kitchen.  I’ve decided to give the recipe a try after looking at the wonderful photos at Secubit Garam. Enjoy the photos and this recipe is worth a try. They are soft and fluffy. Simply delicious!

YOGHURT STEAMED CUPCAKES

THEY LOOK SO SOFT AND FLUFFY, AREN’T THEY ?

t.h.e r.e.c.i.p.e

  • 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar (I used caster sugar)
  • 1 teaspoonful of ovallete
  •  2 cups of flour
  • 1 cup of yoghurt ( Iused Nestle low-fat)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
  • 1tsp cocoa powder (I did not use any)
  • 1 teaspoonful of chocolate paste (I used chocolate emulco)
  • 1 teaspoonful of vanilla essence

t.h.e s.t.e.p.s

  1. Put all ingredients into a mixer fitted with a balloon whisk and beat till the batter becomes pale and thick.
  2. Take out about 5 tablespoonfuls of batter and mix with the chocolate emulco.
  3. Line your moulds (I used my regular plastic apam moulds) with papercups and spoon the batter into the moulds till three-quater full.
  4. Then, drop a teaspoon of chocolate batter on top of the white batter.
  5. Steam over high heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Category:

Breakfast Time

Satisfyingly Recharged!

On mundane mornings, I resort to muffins to boost up my spirit. When I crave for some fruity goodness, my muffins come to the rescue. After one (or two) pieces, I’m ready to face the world. Just a friendly reminder to all muffin lovers out there.  Always have your muffins fresh from the oven for a total breakfast pleasure.

Although chocolate chip muffins remain the kids’ favourite and  I bake according to their request, I still cater for my preferred choice.  I usually bake my muffins using whatever fruits available in the fridge. Yesterday morning, I noticed two Granny Smiths apples (and God knows how long the apples have been there) in the fruit compartment. Initially, I wanted to have some apple puffs but knowing that I hadn’t thawed my puff pastry, I had to forgo the idea. Then I remembered a packet of dried roselle fruits given by one of my colleagues from school and hey presto! My experiment had produced the fruity goodness shown in the photos below.

GREEN APPLE AND DRIED ROSELLE MUFFINS

SIMPLY SATISFYING

CAN YOU SEE THOSE APPLE AND ROSELLE PIECES? AFTER A PIECE OR TWO, I AM FULLY RECHARGED!

To prepare these yummy pieces, all you need are :

  • 2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and chopped into medium-size chunks)
  • 60g of dried roselle fruit (chopped coarsely)
  • 265g plain flour
  • 1 tablespoonful of baking powder
  • 125g of caster sugar
  • 250ml of milk (I used low fat)
  • 115g of unsalted butter (melted)
  • 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoonful of vanilla

As you are pacing your way to a yummy breakfast meal, you have to :

  1. Preheat your oven at 170C for 15 minutes.
  2. Mix well sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl using a wooden spoon and keep aside.
  3. Whisk eggs till frothy. Then, pour in milk, vanilla essence and melted butter and continue whisking until mixture is well-mixed.
  4. Pour in the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the liquid mixture.
  5. Put in both types of fruits.
  6. Fold the batter gently till well-mixed. Do not overmix or your muffins won’t turn fluffy.
  7. Spoon into muffin cups or muffin tray lined with paper cups.
  8. Bake at 170C for 20 minutes.
  9. Once cooked, take out from the oven and let to rest for 5 minutes.
  10. It’s time for a wonderful morning!

Category:

Breakfast Time, Muffins

The Proof of My Loyalty

Breakfast, undeniably, is the most important meal time  of the day. I guess, Malaysians are the luckiest people on earth because we are spoiled with varieties to choose from. We have roti canai, washed down with a thick, frothy glass of teh tarik, or nasi lemak, with extra sambal and a cup of dark, black coffee, steamed buns with numerous, yummy fillings, congee, tosei, chappati and not to forget, the humble bread and butter and a cup of tea. Malaysians, whose famous “How are you?” gesture which has simply been replaced with “Have you eaten?”, will definitely assure the growth of the already existing, very long list of wonderful, mouth-watering dishes. Even my lecturers during my varsity years agreed that Malaysians’ favourite pastime is makan.

Mentioning breakfast meals, they differ from one place to another. Nasi lemak and roti canai, being the most sought after breakfast dishes are common to all. However, the dish which I’ve decided to feature in this entry is commonly served for breakfast in the southern state of Johor. Just like satay, which many of us prefer to have during lunch or dinner. As for me, the dish called lontong is usually served during the the celebration of Eid-ul Fitr or Eid-ul Adha. Even my Mak, who is a Johorean herself, doesn’t serve this dish for breakfast. Perhaps, surrounded by Mallaccans, who are very loyal to their nasi lemak, has stopped her from doing so.

Lontong is actually slices of compressed, boiled rice in yellow vegetable gravy and topped with spicy sambal.  I was ‘introduced’ to lontong as a breakfast dish by my mother-in-law. She purchases the dish from a stall on the first floor above the wet market in Section 14, PJ and according to her, the lady selling the lontong has been in business for a very long time. Judging from the long queue every time I go to purchase my share of the yummy creation, I can guarantee that first timers would come back for more. The same thing happened (and will continue to happen) to yours truly. Enjoy the photos and who knows, you might want to have it for breakfast, for a change. As for me, this lontong is certainly a valid reason to continue to be a loyal customer of the wet market in Section 14, PJ.

MY LONTONG WITH SAMBAL SOTONG AND BOILED EGG

 

A CLOSE UP VIEW AND YES, THE NASI LEMAK SOLD MY THE YOUNG MECHANIC ACROSS THE MARKET IN THE REAR VIEW – THE KIDS’ ALL TIME FAVOURITE

Category:

Breakfast Time

A Simple Fare

Good morrow to all. In this entry, I would like to share a recipe on a very simple yet satisfying breakfast dish. When I went down to the kitchen yesterday morning, there was a bowl of fried and crispy anchovies. Instantaneously, I had a craving for a piping hot bowl of chicken porridge. I don’t know about others but this porridge is a family favourite. Have a try!

CHICKEN PORRIDGE

Ingredients:
1/2 a chicken(deboned and cut into small cubes; keep the bones aside)
5 shallots
3 pips of garlic
3 cm piece of ginger
1 cup of rice ( soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained)
1 chicken cube
500ml water
salt and ground white pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of sesame seeds oil

For garnishing:
Fried anchovies
2 red chillies (deseeded and chopped finely; mixed with 2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce)
2 eggs (fried into an omelette and sliced thinly)
fried shallots (optional)
sliced spring onion and Chinese parsley (optional) (mine are all carnivorous so I’ve opted these out)

Method:

  • Put in the bones and water into a pot and let to boil. Then strain to get the stock.
  • Next, chop the shallots, garlic and ginger finely.Then, heat some oil in another pot and stir fried the chopped ingredients till fragrant.
  • Put in the chicken and stir again. Put in the rice and stir so all grains are coated with oil.
  • After that, put in the chicken stock and chicken cube and let to simmer on a low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from getting burnt and stick to the pot.
  • When you are happy with the consistency, add salt and white pepper to taste. You may need to add more water if you want a thinner porridge.
  • Scoop into a bowl and sprinkle with the garnishing.
  • You can now enjoy your porridge.

Category:

Breakfast Time

Tag Cloud

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 457 other followers