MOCHA SPICED LATTE

Why pay $11-15  a cup for coffee shop coffee when you can make your own at home? It's easy and tasty to make recipes like Mocha Latte, Cappucino. 

Mocha-Spiced Latte

Here's a clever way to give your ordinary coffee a kick: Combine ground coffee with ground cinnamon and nutmeg and brew as you would a normal pot of joe. Stir in heated milk, brown sugar, chocolate syrup, and vanilla, then top with whipped cream for an easy ffeinated treat. Recipe adapted from Myrecipe.com

INGREDIENTS

1/2  cup  ground coffee

1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon

1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg

5  cups  water

1  cup  fat-free milk

1/4  cup  packed brown sugar

1/3  cup  light chocolate syrup (such as Hershey's Lite Syrup)

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Whipped cream (optional)

PREPARATION

Place first 3 ingredients in a coffee filter or filter basket of a coffeemaker. Add 5 cups water to coffeemaker; brew according to manufacturer's instructions.

Combine milk, sugar, and syrup in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Stir in brewed coffee and vanilla. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Saya ini memang peminat kopi, tak kirala apa-apa jenis kopi, memang tak tahan godaan kalau bau kopi ni, tapi masyallah secawan kopi sekarang ni antara $11-15 secawan, sekali sekala tu ok lah tetapi kalau selalu parah juga dibuatnya. Sebenarkan bukanya susah nak buat pun, kalau nak ala-ala Cafe, boleh belajar cara menghiaskan kopi terutama dalam penyediaan whip cream .

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Next Post - Mexican Chicken Wraps

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CHINESE STYLE ROAST CHICKEN / AYAM PANGGANG ALA CINA

I did this roast chicken for my Chicken Rice. Thought I have a choice to deep fried the chicken, but I preferred to roast it. The texture of meat was juicy as compared to deep frying. A simple method just seasoned with light soya sauce, butter and honey. The flavour of the chicken really stand out. This roast chicken goes well with any sauce/gravy, but for this recipe I made oyster sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken / 1 ekor ayam

3 tbsp margarine/butter - softened / 3 sdb margerine/mentega

2 tbsp honey / 2 sdb madu

2 tbsp light soya sauce / 2 sdb kicap cair 

2 cloves garlic / 2 ulas bawang putih

salt and pepper / garam dan lada sulah

PREPARATION

1. Clean chicken under cold running water and pat dry with some kitchen towels./ Bersihkan ayam dan keringkan.
2. Add soy sauce, honey, butter and mix well until you get a dark, rich paste./ Satukan kicap, mentega, bawang putih dan madu . Campurkan semua.
3. Rub the paste all over the chicken and let it marinate for about 1 hour./ Lumurkan ke atas ayam dan perap selama 1 jam
4. Preheat oven to 400F/200C. After marinating your chicken for 1 hour, transfer it to a roasting dish and roast for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 and continue roasting for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cook through./ Panaskan oven 400F/200C. Panggang ayam selama 15 minit dan kecil api ketuhar ke 350 dan terus panggang selama 30 minit lagi sehingga ayam masak.

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Saya buat ayam panggang ini untuk dimakan bersama Nasi Ayam. Dalam menikmati keenakan Nasi Ayam, sebaik-baiknya ayam dipanggang daripada di goreng. Cara membuat adalah mudah dan bahan yang digunakan pun mudah, cuma lumur ayam dengan butter, kicap dan madu. Untuk resipi ini saya buah kuahnya menggunakan sos tiram dan kicap. Sambalnya tentulah sambal cili merah. Selain dari sos tiram ayam panggang "basic" ini boleh juga digukan dengan sos-sos lain seperti orange sos, mushroom sos, brown sos dan apa-apa sos kerana bahan yang digunakan untuk memanggang ayam ini adalah bahan seasoning biasa.

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Next Post - Mocha Latte

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MONDAY SPECIAL - PENNE IN CREAM SAUCE

A one-dish Italian-style meal with parmesan cheese is sure to hit the spot tonight. You add in sausage if you like. I like it simple. This creamy sauce is flavored with onion slices and minced garlic cooked in butter.  It's mild and flavorful.  Instead of using milk, sour cream was the dairy of choice.  

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter / 1 sdb mentega

1 tablespoon olive oil / 1 sdb minyak zaiton

1 medium onion, thinly sliced / 1 biji bawang besar hiris nipis-nipis

• 3 garlic cloves, minced / 3 ulas bawang putih dicincang
• 1 cup whipping cream / 1 cawan cream
• parsley chopped / parsley cincang

• 3 cups pound penne pasta / 3 cawan pasta penne

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese / 1 cawan keju parmesan parut
• 2 cups chicken broth / 2 cawan stok ayam
• 1/2 cup yogurt / 1/2 cawan yogurt
• salts and pepper to taste / garam dan lada secukup rasa
• 4 tbsp flour / 4 sdb tepung

PREPARATION

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1. Cook penne as per instructions . / Masak  pasta mengikut arahan pada pembalut.
2. While the penne is cooking melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. / Sementara menunggu pasta masak, panaskan butter, tumis bawang besar dan bawang putih sehingga kekuningan dan naik baunya, lebih kurang 7 minit.
3. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley./ Curahkan sos keatas pasta dan masukkan 3/4 cawan cheese dan gaul rata. Taburkan daun parsley dan baki 1/4 cawan cheese diatas.

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Pada entry terdahulu saya ada menyediakan penne dengan sos tomato, tetapi kepada yang kurang berminat dengan sos tomato bolehla cuba resipi ini yang menggunakan krim. Rasanya tentulah lemak dicampurkan dengan keju dan yogurt boleh mengimbangi sos supaya tidak terasa terlalu lemak. Anda boleh juga masukkan sausage yang digoreng dan diracit halus. Rasanya sajian ini sesuai untuk anak-anak, kalau anak anda meminati creamy mushroom soup pasti mereka akan meminati sajian ini.

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Next Post - Simple Roast Chicken

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KUIH RENGAS/KUIH KASTURI/KUIH KACANG HIJAU/MUNG BEAN KUIH

Some called it Kuih Kasturi, some called Kuih Rengas, some called Kuih Kacang Hijau, they are all the same, a mung beans fritters deep fry with banana fritters batter. Crunchy outside and soft inside. Perfect tea time menu and eaten while hot.

INGREDIENTS

For the filling : 

3 cups green mung beans- soaked/ 3 cawan kacang hijau-rendam
1/2 dark brown sugar or granulated palm sugar/1/2 gula gabung

1 cup grated coconut/1 cawan kelapa parut
pinch of salt/ secubit garam
water / air

1. Boil the green beans till soft. / Rebus kacang hijau hingga empuk

2. Add the other ingredients and cook till slightly dry. / Masukkan bahan-bahan lain, masak hingga kering.

3. Take a bit of the mixture and make it into a ball, then flatten it. / Bentukkan inti bulat dan leperkan

4. Leave aside. / Letak sebelah.

For the bater : 

1 cup rice flour / 1 cawan tepung beras
1/2 cup cornflour / 1/2 cawan tepung jagung
a pinch salt / secubit garam
1 tsp alkaline water / 1 sdt air kapur
1 1/2 cup water / 1 1/2cup water
1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder / 1/2 sdt serbuk kunyit

1. Mix well the above ingredients. Make sure there's no crumbles. / Campurkan semua bahan.

2. Heat enough oil in a frying pan. / Panaskan minyak

3. Dip the filling, into the bater and fry till golden brown./ Goreng kuih hingga kekuningan 

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Kuih Rengas, Kuih Kasturi, Kuih Kacang Hijau adalah kuih yang sama diperbuat daripada kacang hijau yang direbus bersama kelapa dijadikan inti dan digoreng bersama tepung goreng pisang.  Saya amat mengemari kuih ini, biasanya akan buat sendiri kerana saya suka memakannya ketika panas. Rapuh diluar dan lembut didalam. Rasanya lemak dan manis. Kuih ini dalam versi masyarakat India biasanya akan diletakkan rempah kulit kayu manis sedikit, tetapi saya lebih sukakan rasanya yang plain.

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Next Post - Penne in Cream Sauce

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JEMPUT-JEMPUT PISANG COKODOK / BANANA BALLS

Jemput-Jemput Pisang - Cokodok/ Banana Balls

In a normal situation whenever you have extra bananas at home, either you turned it it into Lepat Pisang (banana wrap) or this kuih cokodok/banana balls. I happened to have extra yesterday from my Apam Pisang, and decided to do this cokodok. It's usual me every Saturday, if I have nothing to do, I will start to crave for something sweets. Nice Hindustani movie on TV, so kuih kodok and black coffee was fantastic. Here goes this simple recipe:

INGREDIENTS 

2 cups ripe banana mashed / 2 cawan pisang lecek

1/2 cup sugar / 1/2 cawan gula

1 dash salt/ secubit garan

1/2 cawan kelapa parut / 1/2 cup grated coconut

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour (sifted)/ 1 1/2 cawan tepung naik sendiri
Clean oil for frying/ Minyak untuk menggoreng

PREPARATION

Mixed above ingredients well together.Prepare clean oil in frying pan in medium heat.Use a clean spoon dip with oil before scoop the dough into the medium heat frying oil.Fry the fritters until float or golden brown.Serve hot as snack./ Panaskan minyak - menggoreng cara deep fry, minyak kena banyak. Jemput-jemputkan adunan bulat-bulat dan goreng hingga kekuningan. Angkat dan tos sebelum dihidang panas-panas.

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Petang semalam saya buat cokodok ni, ialah biasalah petang sabtu kalau tak ada apa-apa biasalah tenguk cerita Hindustan kat TV tu, tekak mulala nak minta benda-benda manis.  Kebetulan ada lebihan pisang dari apam pisang yang dibuat sebelum tu, saya buatlah cokodok ni. Sedap makan bersama kopi O, panas-panas, tak sedar mengunyah tak berhenti. Untuk resipi ni saya tambahkan 1/2 cawan kelapa parut, nakkan lemak-lemak kelapa sedikit, saya guna tepung naik sendiri jadi tak perlula pakai soda.

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Next Post - Kuih Rengas/Kuih Kasturi

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STIR FRIED FRENCH BEANS WITH CHERRY TOMATO/BUNCIS GORENG BERSAMA TOMATO CERI

Crunchy French beans, tossed with garlic make this a very healthy dish. I added in some straw mushroom, shrimps and cherry tomatoes. The combination of green beans and red tomatoes, enlighten the dish.

INGREDIENTS

150g French Beans / 150 g kacang buncis

10 cherry tomatoes / 10 biji ceri tomato

10 straw mushroom -halved/ 10 cendawan straw - belah dua

1/2 cup fresh shrimp / 1/2 cawan udang hidup

3 cloves Garlic - chopped / 3 ulas bawang putih cincang

1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce / 1 sdb kicap cair

Pinch of Salt / secubit garam

100ml Chicken Stock or 1/2 Chicken Stock Cube dissolved in 100ml Water/100 ml stok ayam

1 tsp Cornflour mixed with 1 Tbsp Water / 1 sdt tepung jagung campur dengan 1 sdt air.

PREPARATION

1. Heat a little cooking oil in a wok./ Panaskan minyak dalam kuali
2. Stir-fry garlic until fragrant./ Tumiskan bawang potih sehingga naik baunya
3. Add shrimps and stir-fry for a minute before adding the french beans./ Masukkan udang dan goreng beberapa minit sebelum masukkan buncis, cendawan dan tomato ceri
4. When the french beans start looking a little translucent, add the remaining ingredients./ Bila kacang sudah berubah warna masukkan bahan-bahan lain
5. Simmer for 3 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through but remain crunchy. (You may have to add a little water if the sauce has reduced excessively.)/ Masak hingga kacang masak dan jangan terlalu lama.
6. Serve./ Sedia dihidang

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Saya suka kacang buncis yang digoreng rangup. Biasanya saya tumis bawang putih aje. Nak menambahkan ceria pada masakan ini saya masukkan ceri tomato dan cendawan, kebetulan adalah lebihan dari masakan sup saya. Sajian yang sihat dan menyelerakan. Enak dimakan bersama nasi panas.

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Next Post Cokodok /Banana Balls

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FISH CURRY / KARI IKAN

Another Nasi Kandar famous dish Fish Curry. There are few variations of curries, the Mamak, the Nyonya, the Indian and the Malay curries. When come to this dish definitely I preferred the Nasi Kandar version. The taste is delectable and the aroma is fantastic. I remembered during my school days, I used to cook curry but was never been appreciated by my siblings. They said my curry doesnt look like curry, more towards kuah lemak. From there on I learned to master the skill of cooking curry. I got the technique of cooking good mamak curry during my stay in Penang. You know Penangnites made cook curries. So here what I learnt.

INGREDIENTS

6 slices fresh fish - I used Chenahak / 6 potong isi ikan

3 packet fish curry powder - I use Baba's - mix with 1/2 cup water

d Baba's / 3 paket serbuk kari ikan campur dengan 1/2 cawan air

1 large onion slice thinly / 1 bawang besar mayang halus

5 cloves garlic - slice thinly / 5 ulas bawang putih mayang halus

2 tbsp mix fenugreek / 2 sdb halba campur

3 strand curry leaves / 3 tangkai daun kari

7 okra / 7 biji bendi

3 fresh tomatoes cut into 4 / 3 biji tomato segar belah 4

2 cups thick coconut milk / 2 cawan santan pekat

2 cups thin coconut milk / 2 cawan santan cair

1 cup water / 1 cawan air

1 cup tamarind juice / 1 cawan air asam jawa.

3/4 cup oil / 3/4 cup oil

PREPARATION

Heat up a pot and saute the onion and garlic until aromatic. Add in curry leaves and fenugreek./ Panaskan minyak tumiskan bawang dan bawang putih. Tumis sehingga kekuningan dan naik baunya. Masukkan halba dan daun kari.

Add the curry paste into the pot and do a few quick stirs. / Masukkan rempah kari yang dibancuh bersama air.

Add water and bring it to boil. Then add the fish. Add the thin coconut milk and salt to taste. Sim for a few minutes. / Masukkan air dan renehkan. Masukkan ikan dan santan cair, garam secukup rasa. Biarkan reneh beberapa minit lagi.

Add in okra, tick coconut milk and tamarind juice. Sim until fishes are done.Lastly add in fresh tomatoes. /Masukkan bendi, santan pekat dan air asam jawa. Masak sehingga naik minyak baru masukkan belahan tomato. Padamkan api dan hidang

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Kari Ikan, Kari Kepala Ikan adalah salah satu lagi memu favorite Nasi Kandar. Kari ini terdapat berbagai jenis, ada kari Mamak, kari Nyonya, kari India dan kari Melayu. Apa pun bila bab kari ini saya lebih suka cara masakan kari Mamak. Pedas, sedap, dan rasanya seimbang dengan masam-masam. Biasanya untuk menambahkan masam pada kari saya akan letak belahan buah mangga. Selalunya mangga telur tapi untuk kali ini saya tidak memasukkan mangga kerana tiada mangga. Kari yang sedap dan cantik kena pandai imbangkan antara rempah dan asam. Se elok-eloknya kalau memasak kari janganlah sampai terlalu cair atau terlalu banyak minyak. Jangan takut menggunakan rempah, kari  yang kurang rempah tidak menampakkan keceriaan pada kuahnya. Apa pun "practice....practice......" baru boleh mendapat kari sehebat kari Nasi Kandar.

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Next Post - Stir Fried French Beans With Cherry Tomato

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FRIED CHICKEN WITH CARAMELIZED ONION / AYAM GORENG BAWANG

My sister took me to one of the famous Nasi Kandar in Penang, she told me that the chicken there was delicious. They named the stall, Nasi Kandar Beratur, coz you will definitely have to LINE up just to get a plate of rice. True enough the place was packed with people, you have to line up and the chicken was fantastic. It's a simple fried chicken, but what made it different was the caramelized onions topped to the chicken. This chicken serves best with fresh green chilies. I just took the chicken and of cause the nasi kandar kuah campur, enough to make you crave for more. 

As usual what I have tasted, I will tested, guided by my taste bud and some research on caramelized onions, I came with this, thought not 100% but I'm almost there, so if you want something different from your normal fried chicken try this recipe from PATYSKITCHEN.

I learned to caramelize the onions from All Recipe Com, and made a few adjustment to fit the Nasi Kandar style. The step by step process was from Allrecipecom.

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Saya diperkenalkan oleh adik saya ke sebuah restuaran Nasi Kandar yang terkenal di Pulau Pinang. Katanya nama tempat tu Nasi Kandar Beratur. Nama datang kerana ditempat itu walau waktu mana sekali kita pergi pasti orang akan beratur menunggu giliran untuk mendapatkan hidangan. Ayam Goreng di sana memang special. Ayam Gorengnya sebenarnya simple aje, tapi yang menyebabkan ia berbeza dengan ayam goreng yang lain disebabkan ayam goreng ini ditaburkan dengan bawang goreng dan daun kari. Rasa bawang goreng ni pula ada manis-manis dan rempah sedikit. Memang sedap, saya cuma ambil ayam goreng dan kuah campur, oosshhh.. memang fantastic.

Seperti biasa, balik saya cuba buat, saya buat research dulu macam mana nak buat bawang goreng tu, sebab, selalunya kalau kita buat bawang goreng kita buat deep fry, pakai minyak banyak, tapi kalau nak rasa manis-manis dan rempah pada ayam saya tak boleh guna method deep fry, alhamdulilah saya perolehi method ini dari Allrecipecom, method yang banyak digunakan oleh mat salleh untuk buat caramelized onion dalam sandwish. Maka dengan kajian yang dibuat lahir la resipi ini, walaupun tak 100% sama dengan the original resipi tapi 80% adalah. Kalau berminat silalah, saya muat turunkan sekali proses caramelized onion dari allrecipecom. - SELAMAT MENCUBA.

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INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken cut into 12 / 1 ekor ayam potong 12

1 cup yogurt / 1 cawan yogurt atau tairu

3 tbsp meat curry powder / 3 sdb serbuk kari daging

2 tbsp paprika / 2 sdb serbuk paprika

3 tbsp garlic-ginger paste / 2 sdb pes halia-bawang putih

1 tbsp turmeric powder / 1 sdb serbuk kunyit

salts and sugar to taste / garam dan gula secukup rasa

sufficient oil to fry chicken / Minyak untuk menggoreng ayam.

Mix all ingredients. Marinade well and keep for 12 hours or overnight. Deep fried till brown, drain oil and keep aside./ Campurkan semua bahan dan perap slama 12 jam atau semalaman.

For the caramelized onions

3 large onions - slice thinly see the process below / 3 biji bawang besar potong nipis - lihat langkah menyediakan di bawah

1 tsp honey / 1 sdt madu

5 strand curry leave / 5 tangkai daun kari

Method and process as shown below / Cara penyediaan seperti di bawah

* If you don't want it hot, you can just marinate the chicken with turmeric powder and salts / Kepada yang tidak berminat dengan pedas, ayam tu boleh digoreng dengan garam kunyit aje.

1. To caramelize an onion, we used 3 medium onion, 6 tablespoons cooking oil or butter, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper (optional), and a pinch of sugar (optional).

2. Slice the top off of your onion. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom and peel it.

3. Place half of the onion, flat side down, on a clean, flat cutting surface. Slice the onion into half-rings. The thickness of the slices is not important, although thinner slices will cook faster. If you prefer a more rustic look and feel, make the slices very thick.

4. Place a large skillet or saucepan on the stove and add a small amount of fat. Heat the oil to a medium-high temperature.

We used 6 tablespoons of oil. Butter is also delicious, but it tends to burn more easily, so be sure the pan doesn't get too hot.

5. When the fat begins to ripple, the oil is hot enough.

6. Add the onions to the hot oil.

7. Stir the onions until they are coated with oil.

8. Adding a pinch of salt seasons the onions at the same time it speeds up the caramelizing process. The salt will suck moisture out of the onions and eventually evaporate. Be cautious not to add too much salt. If you would like, add a pinch of ground black pepper and a very small amount of sugar or honey

9. Continue to stir the onions. After a minute or so, you will notice that they might have begun to stick to the bottom of the pan and turn dark in color. This is okay--in fact, it's what should happen.

10. Continue stirring and watch as the onions' color turns darker and darker.

11. If you feel that the onions are sticking to the bottom of the pan too much, add a very small amount of water, broth, or wine to the pan and stir vigorously; this is called "deglazing." The water will evaporate almost immediately while loosening the onion slices.

12. Continue this process of cooking and deglazing until the onions have reached the color, flavor, and texture you desire. Caramelized onions are perfect to use as the flavor-base of an onion soup, or to garnish sandwiches and other dishes. For this recipe at in the curry leaves at this stage.

Next Post - Fish Curry

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