Jamie Oliver's Lemon Pickle

 

Very easy to do.

1 lemon - slice thin

1/2 teaspoon more/less mustard seeds

1/2 a red chilli - chop the heck out of it

half -1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon of oil or enough to glaze the frying pan

Method: (30 SECONDS COOKING TIME)

Heat frying pan. 

Fry mustard seeds till they begin to pop.

Put in lemon and chopped chili.

Sprinckle turmeric powder and stir evenly.

I would recommend 1/2 tsp of ground black peppercorns for an extra zing!

 

Dodo's Kitchen : Chinese Style Fettuccine

Seriously this is easy!

Fettucine

I didn't have time to make my own although it's quite easy to do. A project to come perhaps. Anyway, I bought some spinach fettuccine from Giant. Just boil some water, then add the fettuccine with some salt and a teaspoon little olive oil (I prefer butter)and let it boil. Remove after it's cooked and mix a little butter/oil so it doesnt stick together and it has a smoother texture. This is important as the stir fry is not liquid-y unlike a carbonara or bolognese. 

Stir-Fry

Well now, you can choose any vege you want for this but since I was going for a Chinese theme I figured mushrooms, caspsicum, broccoli, yellow onions and chicken strips would qualify ...cough cough... plus I added 2 tablespoons of oyester(mushroom) sauce and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. I think soy sauce makes anything almost chinese-y ;p  Oh and a little salt. You can add some chilli if you want a little zing or a side of chili-padi , vinegar and light soy sauce. Even a little fresh pounded garlic

Poached Egg

It took me a few times to get this right. This is how I do mine.

1. put some water in a frying-pan. The water level should be about an inch and a half or two inches from the base of the pan.

2. Turn the heat on to a medium heat. The heat should be consistent.

3. The moment you start seeing a few tiny bubble surfacing, break the egg into the pan. The closer you are to the pan, the better. You avoid messing up the egg white.

4. Start shapping your egg white the moment you see the water begin to boil. 

5. When it's cooked enough remove and eat lah. It's nice to get the yolk all runny to add a creamy texture in your fettucine.  

It took me a total of 25 mins to make this. Less if I wasn't so lazy to wash two pots. Yup, all in one pan.

:) Have fun

From Neela Chandran's Kitchen : Shepherds Pie

Ingredients	Method
Neela Chandran’s 1)      Minced Meat 2)      Onions 3)      Carrots 4)      Peas 5)      Salt 6)      Chili Powder 7)      Mozzarella 8)      Cheddar	Neela Chandran’s Minced meat – marinade with salt and pepper and chili powder Stir fry mince meat with onions , peas and carrots (make sure its dry) Boil and mash potatoes with a bit of salt Once cooked, layer your container Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar Bake in oven for 5-7 mins till your cheese turns golden brown and serve with a side dish Bake at 180 c. Higher if you want the cheese to melt fast.
Dodo’s Modifications 1)      1 cup Minced Chicken Meat 2)      ½  Big Yellow Onion 3)      3 medium sized potatoes 4)      1/3 Cup Frozen Mix Veg 5)      Paprika 6)      White Pepper 7)      Salt 8)      3-4 tbsp Black Pepper Sauce (Puteri Brand) 9)      Mozzarella	Boil the potatoes and mash with a little white pepper. Trying to cut down on salt so I didn't add. I forgot to marinade the minced meat so I just stir-fried it with these ingredients.      -          Yellow onion      -          Mix veg      -          Paprika      -          Black Pepper sauce      -          Minced Meat      -           2 tablespoons of mozzarella to make the ingredients a little sticky (Make sure you fry the ingredients until dry or you will have liquid oozing as you bake) You can modify and the ingredients to your liking. Layering:     1)      Using the back of a spoon press down the fried ingredients into a baking pan. Make sure you don’t have air-pockets. Not that I think it matters but it feels right.      2)      Using the back of a spoon, spread the mashed potatoes until it creates a smooth surface.      3)      Grate and sprinkle Mozzarella and cover the surface of the pie. Bake at 180 C for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your oven. Mine is small (25 litres I think) so 7 minutes is enough. With the top burner switched on during the last 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese top.

Benefits of Fenugreek

If you don't have time to read, just read the words in bold. Can't remember the website which I copied this from.

Today, fenugreek seeds are mostly used internally to ease digestive-tract disorders and externally to soothe and promote healing of minor skin wounds and infections. It is also used internally to relieve bronchial congestion, calm coughs, and to ease menstrual and menopausal complaints.

Some experts claim that a warm fenugreek gargle soothes a sore throat.

Thanks to modern day science the benefits of fenugreek grow even more impressive as studies reveal some other possible benefits of fenugreek.

The Benefits of Fenugreek and High Cholesterol - In one study, researchers at the S.N. Medical College in India measured the cholesterol levels of 60 people who were not taking any cholesterol-lowering medications. Then, the participants where instructed to eat a bowl of soup containing approximately 1 ounce of powered fenugreek seed before lunch and dinner daily. After 4 weeks of daily consumption of about 2 ounces of powdered fenugreek seed –the participants saw their cholesterol levels begin to decline. After a 24 week period - their average total cholesterol dropped 14%.

The Benefits of Fenugreek and Diabetes- Clinical studies in India found 25 grams, or nearly an ounce per day of fenugreek seed lower blood-glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

In this next section, we would like to briefly cover the benefits of fenugreek on related women topics which are: Fenugreek and Breast Feeding, Fenugreek and Nursing, and Fenugreek and Breast Milk.

Fenugreek seed has been used to support healthy milk production since biblical times. The benefits of fenugreek in breastfeeding are believed to stem from diosgenin, a compound that is similar to the female hormone estrogen. More specifically, diosgenin has been shown experimentally to increase milk flow. As such, the use of fenugreek to encourage lactation could offer help to women with insufficient supply. However, there needs to be more scientific evidence of the herb's effectiveness in increasing milk production.

In addition, there is anecdotal evidence that it may help enlarge woman's breasts in women who are not nursing.

Okay, so yesterday I got some fenugreek, put a teaspoon in some warm water and drank it down. I waited for a while to see the effects. Nothing happened lol. I thought it would be magic you see. Anyway, when I got up this morning my stomach shrunk, as in no bloating like i usually do! Could it be...

Change of plans

I know I told myself I wouldn’t write so much of crap in this blog and stick to recipes but there are something that I’d like to say aloud. Before I bore unsuspecting listeners to death, I’d have a better chance of maybe being heard willingly here.

Last weekend, I went home to Klang for the long weekend to attend a wedding. A dear family friend had suffered a heart-attack and needed surgery. This really got me thinking about the state of my body and health. I mean, I know it’s an age old saying, but truly, I’m not getting any younger. And the truth is, with the reckless means I’ve been eating without thinking, I personally am scared to investigate my medical state ‘cause the last test I did showed high levels of bad cholesterol and I haven’t bothered to cut down on any crap I eat.

So, anyway….recently I have read about the benefits of Fenugreek/ Biji Halba/ Venthayam and have been practicing it in my diet for almost a month now. Not diligently, but I will now. I have decided to include raw and healthy components that help fight various diseases. Now, I intend to add bitter gourd, lime, oats (yuck!), ginger, garlic and other stuff I might discover along the way.

I will attach articles on the raw foods I’m about to add in my diet, reasons and how to consume them. I will also write a report here in my blog after 6 months to see if there are any improvements in my health status. ARhhhhgggghhh… dread this but must do a blood test soon so I can compare results. Hopefully through home cooking and adding on these raw foods in my body (as well as a little exercise) , I can be a better human being towards my body. 

From Azlina Shah's Kitchen : Ayam Goreng 1 Malaysia

Left: Mine on a bed of rice, Right Bottom: Azlina Shah's

Steps	Kak Ina’s Ingredients	Kak Ina’s Method	Dodo’s Notes/ Translation / Modification
1	400 - 500 gm(2 potong isi ayam) ayam - dipotong kecil-kecil Translation: 400-500 grams of chicken pieces. Cut it into small chunks, bigger than bite sizes.	Ayam dibersihkan, ditoskan dan dilumur dengan garam dan serbuk kunyit. Perap 10 minit Goreng ayam hingga masak. Angkat dan ketepikan.	Marinade chicken pieces, pinch of salt and ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder for 10 minutes.
2	Panaskan 1/4 cawan minyak dalam kuali dan tumiskan bawang besar, bawang putih, cili padi, cili kering dan halia hingga naik bau. Masukkan black pepper powder, sos dan kicap, kacau sebentar. Masukkan ayam dan carrot n kacau rata sebentar. Masuk air ckit (3 sudu besar) Masukkan gula dan garam secukup rasa. Masukkan pula french beans dan capsicum kacau sebentar jangan terlalu layu. Seimbangkan rasa dan tutup api. Boleh makan (ikut sukatan ni tau) In English Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a kwali and fry the onions, garlic, chilies, and ginger until aromatic.   Add the black pepper powder and sauces. Put in the chicken and carrots and stir fry. Add 3 tablespoons of water. Add French beans and capsicum Salt and Sugar to taste Close the lid and let it simmer for about 5 minutes to lock in the taste.	1 labu bawang besar - dimayang kasar 4 ulas bawang putih - dicincang halus 1 inci halia - dihiris halus 6 tangkai cili padi - diketuk pecah sikit(kak ina letak cili besar kurang pedas) 8 tangkai cili kering - dikerat serong(xde pun xpe) 1/2 sudu teh lada hitam yang telah ditumbuk halus(black pepper powder pun boleh) 1/2 biji capsicum - dipotong memanjang/dadu 1/2 batang carrot - dipotong memanjang 7 batang french beans - potong serong 2 sudu besar kicap pekat (Kak ina guna jenama ABC) 2 sudu besar sos cili 1 sudu besar kicap cair 2 sudu teh gula/secukup rasa garam secukup rasa minyak masak secukupnya	Ingredients : 1 big red onion 4 garlic pips 1 inch garlic 2 tbsp cili giling (chop all the above till fine) 6 green chilies 8 dried chillies (cut as you like) 7 french beans ½ carrot (shred) ½ tsp black pepper Pinch of salt Pinch of sugar 3 tbsp water 1 ½ tbsp thick sweet soy sauce Note: The amount of soy sauce you put in depends on the brand you buy. If you thick sauce is a little watery, put 1 tbsp first and mix well. Add according to taste.

From Dodo's Kitchen : Bihun Soup

Dodo’s  Recipe  (For 1 – 1½ Cup Bihun)

Ingredients and Methods Just follow the sequence below. Pre-cooking: Soak bihun in water for a few minutes Soak 2 dried black mushrooms (2 hours better) Soak 1 heap tablespoon of dried prawns Condiments : To fry 1 tablespoon of oil (first…then…) 1 small onion (fry till brown….) 2 tablespoon of minced chicken. Soup ½ teaspoon oil. (If you’re not using the same pot you fried your condiments in, add a bit more of oil) 1 heap tablespoon dried prawns 2 cups of water. ½ ikan bilis / anchovies flavoured cube. ½ - 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (according to your tastebuds) 2 black mushrooms (diced) 3 dashes of White pepper. (according to your tastebuds) Then add: Once the ingredients above are cooked. Handful of green leafed vegetables. Example: Sawi. Garnish with condiments Add the Bihun and boil till it’s soft.  Taste and see. Add salt and pepper if necessary.