HOLIDAY SPECIAL - SWEET POTATO BITTERBALLEN / KUIH BLODOK INTI AYAM

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It's a second day of CNY, we are still in the holiday mood, many open house to attend, family gathering, reunion dinner, lunch and party but for those who plan to stay home watching CNY TV Special here is a snack or appetizer that you can consider - Sweet Potato Bitterballen. In my third entry I have elaborated so much on this little balls from Dutch, it's a scrumptious Dutch snacks that have a soft meaty filling surrounded by a crispy coating of fried breadcrumbs. 

I decided to make bitterballen as they are something my children love to eat. This time around I made adjustment to the process. I did it a short cut way. Instead of preparing the ragout/roux I did it the "cucur badak" way, I boiled the sweet potatoes, add some flour, insert the fillings and breaded with breadcrumbs. If you wish to try Sweet Potato Bitterballen, Paty's Kitchen way here is the recipe,

What you will need:

For the Skin

1 kg sweet potato - boiled and mashed/ 1 kg ubi keledek

250 g flour ( 2.5 cups) / 2 cawan tepung gandum

For the Fillings

1 small brown onion / 1 biji bawang besar

400 g of minced chicken (any old cut will do) / 400 gm daging kisar

2 crushed garlic cloves / 2 ulas bawang putih ditumbuk

1/2 tsp cumin powder / 1/2 sdt jintan manis

1 tbsp oyster sos / 1 sdb sos tiram

1 tbsp black pepper / 1 sdb lada hitam

salts to taste/ garam secukup rasa

2 sdb mentega / 2 tbsp butter 

2 beaten eggs / 2 biji telur yang dipukul

Bread crumbs / serbuk roti

Vegetable oil to use to fry the bitterballen / Minyak untuk menggoreng

• Your dipping of choice / Sos kegemaran anda

PREPARATION

Combine mashed sweet potato and flour. Knead well and set aside. / Campurkan keledek dan tepung. Gaul dan uli rata. Letak sebelah.

In a saucepan add a tablespoon of butter and saute the chopped up onion until it browns a little. Add in the cumin powder and the crushed garlic and stir together. Add in the meat and brown./ Dalam kuali lain panaskan mentega, tumis bawang besar sehingga kuning, masukkan bawang putih, serbuk jintan manis dan daging. 

Add in seasoning and cook until the meat is done. Turn off the heat and set aside./Masak di atas api perlahan, tambah air jika perlu, masukkan bahan-bahan perasa lain dan masak sehingga daging masak. Padamkan api angkat dan sejukkan.

Divide dough into a small balls, flatten each dough and fill in the filling. Continue until complete all. Dip  in the eggs, then cover them evenly in bread crumbs, dip them again in the eggs and again in the breadcrumbs. Make sure the bitterballen are properly coated and that the breadcrumb does not have cracks or they could fall apart when you fry them. Repeat for the remaning filling - you should get around 35 - 40./ Bahagi adunan kepada beberapa bahagian dan bentukkan seperti bebola sebesar bola ping-pong. Leperkan dan isikan inti tadi. Celup dalam telur dan golekkan ke atas serbuk roti.

To fry these tasty bites, use a little deep fryer or a heavy saucepan filled one third of the way up with the vegetableoil and heated to around 180 degrees Celsius. Fry the balls until they are golden brown and then transfer them to a paper towelcovered plate to take off excess oil./ Panaskan minyak - untuk goreng cara deep fry dan goreng sehingga kekuningan.

Serve with cili sauce and enjoy while they are still nice and warm./ Hidang dengan sos cili dan hidang ketika panas.

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Hari ini masuk hari kedua CNY, masih lagi dalam holiday mood, masih lagi banyak kunjungan yang perlu dibuat, open house, majlis-majlis, makan-makan dan aktiviti cuti-cuti. Tetapi kepada yang tidak mempunyai rancangan luar dan inginkan ketenangan di rumah sambil menonton CNY SPECIAL di TV, ini ada sajian menarik untuk menemani anda hari ini. BITTERBALLEN KELEDEK atau dalam bahasa kita Blodok Keledek. Sajian ini memang sesuai buat mengunyah di depan TV.

Bitterballen kali ini saya buat secara short cut, unntuk memudahkan kerja, jangan renyah-renyah. Asalnya bitterballen ini inti dimasak sekali dengan tepung dan disejukkan selama dua hari sebelum boleh digolekkan ke atas serbuk roti dan digoreng, tapi kali ini kita buat cara Malaysia, cara cucuk badak. Mudah, dan yang paling penting SODAP. Kepada yang ingin mengetahui pasal snak ini secara terperinci boleh rujuk kepada entry ketiga saya mengenai BITTERBALLEN.- SELAMAT MENCUBA DAN SELAMAT BERCUTI.

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Next Post - Thai Shrimp Salad

 

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FATT CAI SPECIAL - HOISIN SAUCE PRAWN / UDANG GORENG SOS HOISIN

Hoisin Sauce Fried Prawn was my reunion menu yesterday. Thought I am a Malay, I do have my reunion, I believe regardless whether you are a Malay, Chinese, India or what ever ethnic group you are, indirectly we celebrated what ever festival other Malaysian celebrated. - 1 Malaysia ma.... That's the beauty of being a Malaysian. Yesterday my kids returned for the CNY holidays, so it's reunion for the family and in conjunction with CNY they requested Chinese course. I cooked this simple prawn. Very simple, all you need is to marinade the prawn with Hoisin sauce and fry with garlic. That's all... it's yummy. I anticipated the reunion will be until this weekend, so include this in your menu list, you won't regret. Serves best with Thai Chili Sauce.

INGREDIENTS

15 medium prawns/shrimps / 15 ekor udang sederhana besar

3 cloves garlic chopped / 3 ulas bawang putih cincang

1 onion slice into ring / 1 biji bawang besar hiris membulat

3-5 cherry tomato. / 3-5 biji tomato ceri

5 tbsp oil / 5 sdb minyak masak

Seasoning

3 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce / 3 sdb sos hoisin

1 tbsp paprika / 1 sdb paprika

salts and pepper to taste / lada dan garam secukup rasa

PREPARATION

1. Clean the prawns, rinse and wipe dry with kitchen paper. Use a little bowl to mix the seasoning well. Set aside. / Bersihkan udang dan keringkan. Biarkan udang itu sekor cuma buangkan janggut sahaja.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Saute garlic over medium-high heat until fragrant. Toss in the prawns and stir fry till they are half way cooked, because you don’t want to over cook them. Continue to cook with stirring consistently, until the prawn is done. Add the diced tomato and onion. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. When the sauce dries up a bit, dish up. Serve hot. / Panaskan minyak tumis bawang putih sehingga naik baunya. Masukkan udang dan masak sehingga separuh masak. Teruskan masak sehingga udang betul-betul masak dan jangan terlalu garing. Masukkan tomato dan bawang besar. Perlahankan api dan balik-balikkan seminit lagi. Angkat dan hidang.

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Semalam masyarakat Cina berkumpul untuk Makan Besar, meriah gitu, itu adalah tradisi mereka dan malam tahun baru adalah malam penting, pastinya berbagai hidangan menarik disediakan untuk ahli-ahli keluarga yang berkumpul. Bukan sahaja masyarakat Cina sibuk dengan reunion dinner, masyarakat-masyarkat lain pun juga sibuk ialah inilah peluang untuk balik kampung dan bercuti, dan kebiasaanya kalau dah berkumpul tu, tentulah aktiviti pentingnya adalah MAKAN, untuk menu MAKAN BESAR saya anak beranak semalam ialah UDANG GORING HOISIN, SUP ISI KETAM JAGUNG MANIS dan LALA GORING CILI.


Anak-anak biasalah kalau dah balik bercuti macam-macam menu yang diminta. Tak salah mereka, duduk merantau jauh dari ibu-bapa, makan minum tentunya dibeli dikedai, bila dan pulang bercuti inilah masanya meminta keinginan disediakan. Udang Goreng Sos Hoisin ini adalah sajian yang paling mudah disediakan. Udang diperapkan dengan sos Hoisin dan digoreng. Rasanya enak dan bahanya tidak banyak. Resipi ini juga sesuai kalau hendak dibuat BBQ, dan sedap dicicah dengan Sos Cili Thai. - SELAMAT BERCUTI DAN SELAMAT MENCUBA.

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Next Post - Bitterballen Ubi Keledek / Kuih Belodok Ubi Keledek

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TOMATO MUSSEL SOUP / SUP TOMATO KUPANG

I first encounter this in Cape Town, South Africa. A very fantastic restuarant by the harbour serving fresh lobster, oysters, clam and many-many other seafood menu. The second time I had it was last year during our board of directors dinner at an exclusive restuarant in Ipoh - The Indulgence. Again a very fantastic tomato soup mussels that I had ever tasted.This is my third, and this time around home made tomato soup by PATYSKITCHEN. For those who want to try something different from the ordinary stir fried and steam mussels try this. Serves best with dinner rolls or french toast.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg mussels / 5 kg kupang atau siput sudu

1 tablespoon butter / 1 sdb mentega

1 tablespoon oil / 1 sdt minyak

2 large onions, chopped / 2 biji bawang besar dicincang

2 garlic cloves, crushed / 2 ulas bawang putih dicincang

14 ounce canned tomatoes / 14 oz tomato tin

3 fresh tomatoes - chopped / 3 biji tomato buah dicincang

3 tablespoons chopped parsley / 3 sdt daun pasley yang dicincang

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar / 1 1/2 sdt gula

1/2 teaspoon dried basil / 1/2 sdt daun selasih kering - I used bay leave

salt / garam

freshly ground black pepper / lada hitam

1 2/3 cups) fish or chicken stock / 1 - 2/3 cawan stok ayam

3 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs / 3 sdb serbuk roti

PREPARATION

1. Scrub the mussels well and discard any which are not tightly shut or which do not close when tapped and any with broken shells. Scrape off the beards and scrub the shells. Then soak the mussels in clean cold water for 1 hour./ Bersihkan kupang dan rendam di dalam air selama 1 jam.
2. Melt the butter with the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and fry until softened. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, the parsley, sugar, basil, cilantro and seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick. / Panaskan mentega dan minyak. Masukkan bawang besar dan bawang putih. Tumis hingga layu. Masukkan tomato, daun parsley, gula, daun ketumbar dan perasa. Masak sambil dikacau selalu sehingga kuah pekat.
3. Meanwhile, put the stock in another saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the drained mussels in two batches. Cover the pan and cook until the shells open, shaking the pan. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon. Discard any which are still closed. Sementara itu didihkan stok ayam di dalam periuk yang berlainan./Masukkan kupang dan masak sehingga kupang terbuka, kupek sebahagian dan tinggalkan bahagian yang ada isi.
4. Stir the breadcrumbs into the tomato mixture, followed by the mussels.  Heat through gently, then serve./ Masukkan serbuk roti ke dalam periuk tomato diikuti dengan kupang yang direbus tadi reneh perlahan-lahan , padamkan api dan hidang.

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Kali pertama saya mencuba resipi ini ketika berada di Cape Town Afrika. Pada mulanya agak geli geleman juga, tetapi atas desakkan kawan-kawan saya mencuba tiram mentah bersama lemon, lobster dan kupang dalam tomato sos ini. Emm boleh tahan enaknya. Kali kedua saya merasanya ketika menghadiri mesyuarat Lembaga Pengarah Syarikat di Cafe Indulgence Ipoh. Mak Datok...memang sedap, sedikit pun tidak rasa hayir kupang, memang pandai Chefnya masak. Kali ketiga saya merasanya di PATYSKITCHEN, air tangan sendiri. Resipinya main agak-agak, alhamdulilah sempurna jadi. Sajian ini selalu dihidang di kafe-kafe besar dan kalau berhajat maka kenalah buat sendiri. Biasalah sajian seperti ini harganya agak tinggi. So jika mempunyai kupang dan jemu dengan masak lomak cili padi, kari, goreng atau kukus, cubalah resipi ini pasti tidak mengecewakan anda.

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Next Post - Gong Xi Fatt Choy Special - Hoisin Sauce Prawn

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VIETNAMESE VEGETABLES ROLLS/ SALAD ROLLS

This is a great vegetarian option. I categorized this recipe under salad. No cooking required, all fresh veggie rolls in rice paper wrappers. Famous dish in Vietnam.This healthy spring rolls are light and refreshing with an exotic flavor. They make a wonderful, easy appetizer or side dish to compliment main dish. It's a simple dish but the process of softening the rice paper wrappers was tedious. 


The wrappers was fragile and you should anticipate some default while doing so. Anyway it's nice and healthy and for those who like it hot you can slice some bird's eyes chilies into the dipping sauce. The Vietnamese used a lot of herbs (ulam) in this dish. Very nice you should try.
Tomorrow is a BIG day for our Chinese friends and I am taking this opportunity to wish those celebrating Chinese New Year GONG XI FATT CAI and may the year of rabbit brings PROSPERITY, GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

INGREDIENTS

1 package rice paper wrappers (bahn trang)/ 1 paket pembalut

1 head green leaf lettuce / 1 kuntum salad

1 bunch cilantro (leaves and tender stems) / 1 tangkai daun ketumbar

1 bunch thai basil (leaves only) / 1 tangkai daun selasih 

1 carrot, julienned into thin strips / 1 batang karot dihiris memanjang

1 Japanese cucumber, julienned thin strips / 1 timun Jepun dihiris memanjang

1 jicama julienned into thin strips / 1 biji sengkuang dihiris memanjang

1 red bell pepper  julienned into thin strips / dihiris memanjang

PREPARATION

Wash and slice the vegetables and lay everything out on a cutting board or counter. You'll need a plate for wrapping the rolls. The lettuce leaves should be sliced into manageable strips, and discard any of the cores that are too tough or crunchy. The basil and cilantro leaves can be left whole or coarsely chopped./Basuh semua sayuran bersih-bersih. Siapkan semua diatas meja. Daun selasih dan daun ketumbar dibiarkan secara helaian.

Fill a large bowl with warm water to soften the rice paper wrappers. This part is a little tricky. Don't be surprised if you ruin a few wrappers before getting it just right. Submerge a single dry wrapper in the warm water completely. (You have to soften and wrap the rolls one at a time.)  Once the wrapper is very supple, gently lift it out with both hands. It will get sticky quickly, so take care not to let it fold in on itself. Place the wrapper flat on the plate./ Isikan air suam ke dalam mangkok besar untuk merendam dan melembutkan kulit. Lakukan sekeping sekeping. Hati-hati kerana pembalut ini mudah rosak. Jangan bimbang kalau anda merosakkannya kerana memang kebiasaan proses melembutkan pembalut adalah agak renyah.

Put a little of each filler item into the wrapper. You should create a little oblong mound of filling items just to one side of the center of the wrapper on the side closest you. It may take one or two to get the quantities just right./ Setelah lembut angkat dan letak di atas meja. Susunkan sayuran tadi ke atas pembalut.

Wrap the roll up by taking the edge closest to you and flipping it up over the little mound of filling. Gently roll the filling up until you've just past the halfway point, then pull the sides in and roll it the rest of the way./ Perlahan-lahan gulung.

Serve with chili dipping sauce. / Hidang dengan sos.

For The Dipping Sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped garlic / 2 sdb bawang putih cincang
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chili peppers / 2 sdb cili cincang
1/4 cup soy sauce / 1/4 cawan kicap cair
1/4 cup white vinegar / 1/4 cawan cuka putih
3/4 cup water / 3/4 cawan air
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced coriander leaves / 2 sdb daun ketumbar cincang

Combine all ingredients except coriander leaves in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour in individual dipping bowls and garnish with coriander leaves./ Campurkan semua bahan kecuali daun ketumbar ke dalam blender dan blend hingga hancur. Tuang kedalam mangkok dan hias dengan dun ketumbar selebihnya.

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Saya selalu melihat sajian ini dalam majalah-majalah wanita, teringin sekali hendak mencuba, tetapi seperti biasa tidak tahu mencari bahannya. Selalunya bahan-bahan seperti ini dijual di supermarket-supermarket besar terutama supermarket yang menyediakan bahan-bahan luar untuk  expatriate luar, puas mengeledah tak jumpa. Sapa sangka saya jumpa pembalut ini di kedai runcit biasa. Bentuknya seperti kepingan kering, bulat, memang sekali pandang kita tidak menyangka yang ia adalah rice paper wrappers. Pucuk dicipta ulang mendatang saya terus beli untuk memulakan experiment saya membuat sajian kegemaran masyarakat Vietnam.

Sajian ini menggunakan bahan mentah aje, tidak perlu dimasak. Sayuran dibersihkan, dipotong dan diisikan ke dalam pembalut. Oleh kerana ia banyak menggunakan sayuran mentah saya groupkan sajian ini bawah kategori salad. Pemilihan sayuran bergantung kepada citarasa individual, biasanya untuk menceriakan hidangan pilihan dibuat berdasarkan warna. Masyarakat Vietnam banyak menggunakan ulam-ulaman dalam sajian ini. Untuk sosnya, biasanya dibuat menggunakan campuran kicap cair dan cuka. Kepada sesiapa yang menggemari pedas bolehlah dihiriskan cili padi kedalam sos. Memang mudah menyediakan bahan asas tetapi agak rumit untuk melembutkan pembalutnya, agak berpeluh jugalah dibuatnya. Saya difahamkan semasa proses melembutkan pembalutnya kita tidak perlu mengharap 100% hasilnya, reservekan 20% kerosakan akan berlaku. Ini kerana semasa proses melembutkan pembalut ini, ianya mudah koyak. Apa pun kesabaran yang tinggi diperlukan di sini.

Kepada yang belum pernah merasai Vietnamese Rolls, selamat mencuba.

Esok masyarakat keturunan Cina akan menyambut Tahun Baru Cina, di sini saya ingin mengambil kesempatan untuk mengucapkan GONG XI FATT CAI kepada mereka yang menyambutnya dan semoga tahun ini membawa KESEJAHTERAAN, KEKAYAAN DAN KEGEMBIRAAN. 

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Next Post - Tomato Soup With Mussels

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MEXICAN CHICKEN WRAPS

Just a bit explanation on this dish that I got from Urban Dictionary :"

In Mexico and in much of central America, A "tortilla" is a flat pancake-like bread that is often the corner piece for Mexican dishes. Tortillas can be made from corn 

(maize) or wheat flour. Tortillas can be eaten alone.

Tortillas can be stuffed with: meat, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, hot sauce, refried beans, fajitas, peppers, and any combination of the above, along with just anything else you can think of.In Spain, however, a tortilla is a type of omelette. 

I saw this ready made tortilla in TESCO, at a  first glance I thought it was capati, but the written note on the packaging mentioned "tortilla" It tickled my mind since I did came across in my recipe book on Mexican Tortilla. I took a packet to test in my kitchen. 1 packet contained 1/2 dozen. Did my search in the internet and found this recipe. It's nice and suitable for breakfast. Like any other breads, you can stuff anything in it and any sauce goes. I love it simple with no sause, the tortilla itself was so tasty so I made it plain, well if you want you can have it with chili sauce, tartar sauce, mayo,mustard and anything goes. Give a try and let's make the Mexican wave.........

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 flour tortillas, large size 

4 chicken breasts, cut to 1/2 inch strips

1 clove garlic, minced

1 med. onion, sliced thin

1 med red pepper, cut into small strips or julienned

1 med. green bell pepper,cut into small strips or julienned

2 tbls. hot Mexican pepper sauce

1 tbls. Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp lemon or lime juice

1/2 tsp paprika

Mexican salsa

cheddar or longhorn cheese

PREPARATION

To make tortillas chicken mixture, add oil to a heavy fry pan or cast iron skillet and over medium heat, saute the chicken, onion and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, turn mixture often, Add peppers, squash, Cajun seasoning, hot Mexican pepper sauce, chili powder, lime juice, paprika and ground pepper. Cook and stir often for an additional 10 minutes or till vegetables are crisp tender.

To fill, spoon and spread slightly, chicken and pepper mixture on each tortilla, roll and place on a serving dish. Garnish with cheese and Mexican salsa. Servings for this recipe will vary depending on desired amount of filling used for each tortilla.

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Saya pernah merasa hidangan ini dalam salah satu promosi KFC, teringin juga nak buat tapi tak tahu resipinya dan tak tahu nak dapat bahannya sehinggala saya terjumpa "tortilla" ni di TESCO baru-baru ni. Sekali pandang nampak macam roti capati, dua kali pandang baru tahu inilah dia roti yang saya cari-cari selama ini. Ada pun yang dah siap, tak payah pening-pening kepala membuat sendiri. Tortilla ni memang terkenal di bahagian-bahagian Mexico dan Spanish, memang makanan mereka. Bestnya tortilla ini intinya boleh diletak apa sahaja mengikut selera masing-masing. Sosnya juga ikut selera, cili sos, tomato, tartar, mayo, mustard apa ajela nak letak sambal kita pun boleh memang sedap, mudah dan ringkas.

Kalau agak-agak rajin tu, boleh buah tortilla tu sendiri, recipenya ada di net. Saya malas nak mengguli dan mencanai jadi beli tortilla yang dah siap aje. Intinya kenalah buat sendiri ya.

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Next Post - Salad Rolls aka Vietnamese Vegetables Spring Rolls

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