FOOD AND SUCH.....

Oh, its the last day of February already? I havent got anything to write this month. Few days ago I was thinking about writing on our newly 'replenished' back garden, as in sprouting new seeds to refill the bare patches and pots which had been  left unattended since the rainy season of last December. The  project took off well, the weather being very nice and all. But, Allah indeed is The Best Planner  and He ordained that heavy rain are visiting again, and most of my seedlings couldnt stand the continuous downpour. Anyway, Alhamdulillah ala kullihaal...Allah knows best.  I managed to save some of the sturdy seedlings of kailan, cherry tomatoes , capsicums and some salads and hoping they will survive Insyaa Allah.

So,Abang and Adik, not to disappoint you, for this month's entry I decide to post pictures of our food!! Hehe...boleh la kannn...
The thing is, we have been cutting down on eating rice since last year. Down to only  once or twice in  a week . And when we do eat rice, it is either brown rice or basmathi most of the time. ( with exception when there are visitors in our home, especially Tok Su and KakChik , whom are surely will want to eat white rice with budu and all sorts of ulams and we will merrily join them!)
And we got asked by people, what do we eat if we dont do rice?
So, here's the answer; 
Everybody likes quinoa when its served with braised lamb...as the picture below

From left: brown rice porridge, venison steak, ramen, grilled fish taco, chicken enchiladas, salmon wrap

saffron flavoured quinoa with grilled tuna steak

Quinoa with braised venison

Venison has become the most preferred source of protein, it being the low fat meat. As for fish, we go for salmon and tuna. We always buy one whole salmon whenever they are on sale and we got tuna steaks from Kota Kinabalu where Abah frequents for his teachings. Quinoa has become so likeable after I discovered a better way of preparing them. Dry roast them until fragrant, add water and cook with some kind of flavouring. And I have been adding chia seeds everywhere....and imposing 2 to 4 litres of plain water on everyone in the house. Well, Abah and Adik sportingly eat whatever I serve but they just ignore any other rules I make. And they rolled up their eyes every now and then at my attempts of eating healthily.
And, oh, I must state here too...most of the veges served and featured in these pictures are proudly from my own organic garden. Please take note!!

RAMADHAN 1432H

So, 20 blessed days of Ramadhan has passed by...leaving us another 10 more greater days for us to strive even harder to gain as much blessings  as possible. In keeping with the sunnah of our beloved Prophet, Abah will start his customary last 10 days i'tikaf tonight, InsyaAllah. May Allah accepts the effort and give Abah strength to do as much devotion as possible . Goes for us at home too. Adik has promised to do khidmat on whatever needs Abah might ask for during this i'tikaf...and now Mama, Adik and Grey are eagerly waiting for Abang who  will come home on the 28th by Firefly, InsyaAllah.  I cant thank Firefly enough for re-introducing  PEN - KB route. One big headache gone, Alhamdulillah.

This year marks a meaningful Ramadhan for both of you as this is the first Ramadhan that you go through as fully responsible adults according to syari'at. Alhamdulillah, I can vouch for Adik as I'm seeing a vast difference from last years effort. More discipline in tilawatil Qur'an, taraweeh prayers and generally more agreeable in all aspects. I am sure Abang is doing as good or even better as he is constantly in a more a'maal conducive environtment. As UPSR is looming, right after eid that is, Adik seems to be more attentive on her study too. As for Grey, she's doing not too bad at all...having her meals as we are having our suhoor and iftaar, sits and listens to our Qur'an recitations. You should see how she sits most respectfully with her two front legs put together, head cocks up and ears straining. She really is an amazing cat!!

In the 2nd week of Ramadhan, Tok Ayah Pa was warded for a few days for acute coronary syndrome . He has just got home a few days before Ramadhan after spending 40 days on the path of Allah with Alang. He has taken ill during the khuruj too. Alhamdulillah, Alang was with him and did lots of khidmat to Tok Ayah. Since last year, whenever Tok Ayah went on a khuruj fisabilillah, one of his sons or grandsons or nephews will go along with him. I wish one day Abang will also be able to accompany Tok Ayah on one of his journeys, InsyaAllah. I'm sure Tok Ayah will like it very much...

And oh, I must record here too how we try to do a rice-free diet starting a couple of weeks before Ramadhan. We were well into our 20 odd days of no rice when Mak Tok came to stay with us during Tok Ayah's hospitalisation. Mak Tok was horrified that we didnt eat rice during iftar. So, rice meals made a comeback to our table....Now that only Adik and me at home, we have pledged to go sans rice again...only to be broken when Abang arrives I guess. I must say that not eating rice-based meals proved to be easier on us. Upon iftar, there's no heavy feeling, thus make for more enthusiastic taraweeh...and of course made my life easier in the kitchen. We go for single-dish meals most of the time...I made a large batch of something that all three of us like ,eg lamb stew, and eat it with nan one day, freeze the rest in single portions and eat them again with wheat bran boule, couscous, baguette etc. And we eat lots of salads...

organic sprouts

pecal with veges from mama's garden

wholemeal organic spaghetti aglio e olio

grilled salmon

chick-pea salad

couscous with lamb stew

mashed sweet potato with grilled lamb

These are not meant to entice anybody ya...just for the records...and to appreciate Adik's effort on photographing every single dish I prepared!

As for raya cookies, I have no intention to make any as I have placed orders with your aunty Cik Ni and cousin Kak Intan. These two enterprising ladies produce awesome melt-in-the mouth cookies ( and all sort of cakes) using the best ingredients and we can rest assured of the  hallalan toyyiban status of their offerings. I may bake some cakes...(please notice the word 'may'...). Gotta rush now...Till then.

PRETTY BISCOTTI....not!!

Failing to find anything healthy to munch on ( and munch must I, because I am a natural muncher...and you guys know how crazy I am over anything that goes c-r-u-n-c-h!), I decided to make myself some.

So, as the posting trend of late on this blog is just posting whatever is handy for the current month,( for the lack of ideas and to keep up with the promise to you two, if you cannot tell already) here is the account of what I have gotten myself into last week. 

On hindsight, this is really not a bad idea at all as this recipe is  definitely for keep if you wish to continue eating healthily throughout your life.(I surely hope you do!)

Maybe one day, when I'm long gone, you could take a peek here whenever you crave for something healthy Mama used to make.

So here goes....

PUMPKIN SEED, OAT AND CRANBERRY BISCOTTI

200g egg whites

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

150g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla extract( I still fail to find this, so I use the usual cheap vanilla flavour)(edited later: yeay! Abah brought back pure vanilla crystals from Turkey for me!!!)

grated zest of 1 lemon

zesting the lemon was easy-peasy lemon squeezy using this zester (hehe..sorry, cant resist it! I love my zester!!)

Flour Mixture

300g plain flour,sifted ( I used Red Rose flour, being low-gluten, it helps produce a tender and light biscotti compared to normal flour)

2 tsp baking powder,sifted

1 tbsp ground cardamom,sifted ( I have never seen one, but I have ground cinnamon of course, so, in it goes..)

100g rolled oats

150g dried cranberry

60g sweetened shredded Hawaiian coconut (I underestimated our local bakery supplier and asked for regular dessicated coconut and was pleasantly surprised to find the exact ingredients asked for ,sitting pretty on the shelf)

200g pumpkin seeds.(The original recipe uses pistachio instead of pumpkin seed. I have pistachios... as my gym buddy who is married to an Iranian keeps kindly supplying me with plump pistachios,walnuts,almonds and raisins from Iran, but I love eating pistachios on their own too much!! So I opted to use pumpkin seeds instead as they have the same green hues....Whattodo, I'm greedy when it comes to nuts!!)

I tried to use as much organic product as I could....

Step 1: Preparing the dough

Whisk egg whites with salt until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar till glossy and stiff peak forms. Look something like this;

Beat in yolk until combined. Add vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in flour mixture in three batches and mix well with a spatula to form a sticky dough.

Step 2: Shaping

You can shape the dough as desired but as I was pushed for time ( as I always am...), I opted for the easiest one lah...the logs!

urghh..they look so ugly!! (next time, must make it flatter)

Do take note that you need to oil the plastic sheet otherwise the dough will stick. (I am so lucky to still have this Tupperware rolling sheet that I got in the UK almost 14 years ago. It is still in excellent condition after serving me well in my experimenting years of baking pies after pies thus piling pounds after pounds on myself and Abah,huhu...
Adik, when the time comes and I pass this to you, take good care of it okay. Even if the Tupperware claims that they give it a lifetime guarantee, they just dont make this anymore...With all those measurement printed on it, it really made things a lot more easier and less wastage esp when rolling n cutting pastry to fit the tin .)

Step 3: First Baking

Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with a non-stick parchment. Brush the top with egg whites for glossy effect. Bake @ 160C for 20 to 25 min.

I have used this magic carpet over and over again for  so many years.....

Step 4: Slicing

Cool the logs before you slice it and use serrated knife. It is a MUST!!

Step 5: Second Baking

Arrange the slices in single layer and bake @ 150C for 25 min, turning half way through baking.

(That is what the instruction in the magazine said...

But, a glance at the clock told me that I only have 15 minutes before I have to rush out to get Adik at school....)

So, I made up my own timing.

And ended up with.....

not so pretty biscotti......

This recipe is taken from Malaysia's premier food and lifestyle magazine,Flavours, which I subscribed to. It promised a colourful mosaic of green, red and white fine textured biscuit riddled with tiny bubbles , and offers a crisp , firm bite with with cardamom spiciness.

Well, I got green and white from pumpkin seeds and oats  alright, but the red of the cranberries was nowhere to be seen after I decided to turn on the the temperature to speed up the baking time....they turned dark brown!!

BUT, rest assured, they ARE good and filling and satisfying. Totally recommended. I baked it on Sunday and on Monday Adik fasted and ate a piece of it for sahoor with a mug of hot chocolate and came back from school at 4 PM saying, "Mama, please make more for Ramadhan. I'm going to eat them for sahoor everyday...".

p/s; I gave a few pieces to my good friend cum business partner, the famous Kak Chik, and she gave her thumbs-up with caution, "not for denture wearers", haha!!

LAMB PILAU

Abah was in a place where halaal lambs are plentiful and quite cheap. His host, one Uncle Prof KJ , kept making lamb soup as it is ( I suspect) about the only cooking method he knows!! After a few days, Abah decided its time to show-off his skill in the kitchen... (as well as wanting to escape eating another meal of lamb soup!!).

So, in one of Abah's frequent calls,skypes and emails,( cant remember which one as he did all these every so often) he asked for the recipe for lamb pilau. So, I wrote down the recipe and emailed it to him.

At the same time, I was pondering on what to write for October entry...and beginning to regret my promising Adik and Abang to post at least one entry per month. I cant go back on my words now.

Suddenly, it struck me! I could just copy/paste  this recipe for my October entry... Hemmh, what a relief! But then, as I have editted last month's entry to include a recipe, this blog will look like a cooking blog with two consecutives entries on recipes...takpe la ya, Abang, Adik...Mama memang takde idea ni!

So, here goes;

LAMB PILAU

Ingredients

Lamb (obviously!)

Onions (thinly sliced; quantity- gram to gram with lamb)

Basmathi rice (get the best u can)

Skinned and chopped ripen tomatoes (use the canned ones or failing to get it, scald the fresh ones in boiling water, the skin will come off quite easily)

Coriander seeds  (lightly crush in lesung batu, does Abg Din has it?)

Black peppercorn (ditto)

A piece of cinnamon bark

A couple of black cardamom (if using the white ones, tambah skit)

Green chillies (cut up)

Ginger (lightly pound)

Cilantro (its daun ketumbar ya laling,lots of them, roughly chop)

Salt and water ( water and rice quantity must be in equal ratio)

Cooking oil

How to go about it:

Heat up the oil, add onions. Let it fried until very brown. Just one degree away from burnt state. (This is important, as it will give the colour to the dish, we dont want a pale pilau,okay)

Add some water. Cover for a minute to sweat out the colour and sweetness from the onions. Add lamb. Put the lid back on until u see the meat has absorbed the brown colour of the onions.Add tomatoes and garlic, cover for 5 min.

Add all dry spices and salt, cover and let it simmer until the lamb is tender. Add ginger, chillies and cilantro, turn off heat and let it be at least for a couple of hours ( this is optional, just to let the meat absorbs the spices etc. U cud just go to nx process)

My style is; roughly one hour before serving, add more water to the pot ( remember to take away the amount u already added). Bring it to boil and add washed and drained basmathi. Cook till the rice is fluffy.

Serve with salad,pappadom and raita.

Good luck and dont burn down KJ's kitchen...hehe. Let me know how it turn out ya!

****************************************************************

That's about it....

But, rummaging through the pictures file, I found these;

the spiced pappadom that both of you dont really like...always preferring the plain ones.

salad of diced tomatoes,cucumber and shredded iceberg lettuce. Dressed with homemade vinaigrette. (3 parts olive oil to 1 part of malt vinegar,salt and pepper)

When I cook large portion like this, I will finish them off in the oven  ( after most of liquid has evaporated) to avoid burning at the bottom

the raita which you guys loooove. (Just plain yoghurt with mint sauce or chopped cilantro. Salt and sugar to taste.)

Looks like I have a proper entry after all!!( Now, wont you say your Mama IS clever, kids?)

Come to think of it, I wish both of you will master cooking this dish as it has always been the dish that I'll cook for any Da'awah Jamaat that happen to come to our mosque, especially for those from the foreign countries. And they always appreciate it so much and end up  making special do'a for us, Alhamdulillah...and all masturat jamaats that  came to our house were subjected to eating this too... and the session of recipe-taking (after the program end) was always inevitable!

I would like it very much that you two shall continue feeding the jamaats even when Abah and me are not around anymore....

p/s

after all the effort I made to write the email most explicitly, Abah called and said, "payoh weh, tak jadi la buat..". hemmm, why am I not surprise! ( and this is despite the fact that he was always hands-on whenever I cooked a large portion)

THE QUIET LIFE ( just for the sake of having a title...)

The silence is deafening...

How much more dramatic could I get??

Yet, truth does prevail...

It is so quiet here...too quiet.

After almost two weeks of chaos, laughter, riots of taste and colours...

Ramadhan 28th

Abang arrived home barely one hour from iftaar. I have had two episodes of  tearing out by that time. His bus was supposed to reach Kota Bharu main station by 4pm but no sight of it until a good one and a half hour later. Abah was doing full i'tikaaf for the last 10 days of Ramadhan, so the task of picking Abang up was redelegated to Ayah Chik Razif. It was totally understandable if my brother-in-law got sick of hearing my voice as I made frantic calls every few minutes. Whattodo, I was under a full-blown anxiety-attack !

After Abang was safely deposited on our doorstep could I breathe normally again...

(Abang actually arrived home looking like a 'princess'...yes, not a typo there. He wore a white jubah which is far too long that he had to pinch up on the sides to lift it up to walk...hhaha..Apparently, his ustadz just presented him the robe for getting the highest mark in tajweed test in his class. To show his appreciation he decided to wear it home, on the long bus journey. When they stopped for prayer, he actually had to change for solat. Mama and Adik cruelly laughed at him!!)

The irony of it was, I couldnt manage to cook anything special to celebrate the home-coming of my prodigal much-missed son. We had a pizza delivery instead!! Talk about being a good mum!! I am SO NOT!!(when I am nervous-stricken that is....please note that I do not function under duress)

I made up for it the next day and the day after and the day after, right to the morning of Syawwal 9th when Abang hitched a ride with his friend's father  back to madrassah.

We couldnt pick him up as Abah was occupied with i'tikaaf and couldnt send him off because Abah was flying off to a distant place in the evening.

On that day, my heart was twice broken...

Now there are only me and Adik home...Abah wont be around until Oct 2nd.

Thanks Adik, for being here and soothe my sore hearts with your antics, your laughter and and your love.

And oh, yes, you too Grey...( she just nuzzled me to remind!!)

As we look at the various photos taken during those days, we can only but reminisce...

Alhamdulillah, it was a good Ramadhan for us. Adik didnt ponteng a single night of taraweeh. She prayed with me and continued doing it  alone in the last week after Mama was visited by the 'friend' who come-a-visit everymonth. On the first night Abang home, I asked Abang to do taraweeh at home so that Adik could pray with him and I could listen to his reciting. The next night, Adik asked Abang to do it at the mosque as she couldnt stand another night of loooong rakaats!! Abang recited one whole juz the first night and Adik has had enough!

It was good too because we managed to meet the targeted number of Qur'an khatams. Good because we managed to eat simple healthy meals during sahoor and iftaar.

our standard sahoor meal..a tumbler of protein drink,dates, honey and  occasional energy bars

We didnt make a single visit to any Ramadhan bazaar. That is a success in my book!!

I learnt that adding oat bran in rice porridge made it more tasty and filling. Sprinkling it on the kerabu pucuk paku to replace toasted coconut works as well. Abang's requested durian fritters was mixed with it too, and the lepat pisang got the same treatment too. ( which prompted someone to pronounce it as lepat 'piseng',haha)

We lost a few kgs but but it came back ever so swift ...especially on ME!!huhu...

Raya came and the usual funfare took place. Our customary 3rd Syawal open house was a hit as usual. Guests started coming as early as 9.30am and the lasts groups left at 6.30pm.It peaked at around 12 noon when most of mama's and abah's siblings came together. All spaces were occupied, leaving standing room only for some of us! We had laksa Sarawak, ketupat palas with rendang and the satay with nasi himpit. I was so busy entertaining that I didnt have the chance to take photos. But I'm sure you two could check them out at your various cousins' facebooks as I remember seeing lots of cameras went clicking that day. Some of your naughtier female cousins took shots of Abang saying that they will post it on their walls claiming that Abang is their current boyfriend...haha.

Thanks to my ever-so-helpful niece, Chah, for helping out. Aminah too...and Toksu and family of course.

The merrymakings continued with lots of kenduris and open houses do that we attended and some had to be apologetically missed. We hardly had leisure time for the only four of us ( which Adik still grumbling over up to today). Its either we were out or guests were here.

I cooked all most of Abang's favourite on the pretext of cooking for guests, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.....  

                                        fruit custards that Abang and adik are crazy about.

fried tomyum beehoon with sambal kicap

and other tidbits

                                                                                                                     

I think that's about it...

Let us pray that Allah accepted all our good deeds in Ramadhan, give us the taufeeq to be istiqaamah in all our amals and bless us with better Ramadhan in future. InsyaAllah.

p/s as promised to Prof Has,here's the recipe for the fruit custard;(I always make large batch as the kids are so fond of it, u may want to halve it)

3l water

1large can of fruit cocktail- strain and put fruits aside

10 heaped tbsp custard powder

sugar to taste

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 can condensed milk

pinch of salt

Mix everything except fruit together, stir well,put on low heat till it thickens. When its cold,put in the fruits and chill overnite. 

Just b4 serving,in my attempt to make it healthier (and prettier), I wud add seeded n halved  black grapes,watermelon scooped in its baller n segmented oranges. Just put any fruits u fancy.... Alas, my kids will make it unhealthy again by putting lots of cut-up ready-made jellies . Well,it looks much prettier though with those colourful jellies.

Happy trying! (am sure u'll make a healthier version of it...)

RETROSPECT.....

We have been making so many trips to The Pearl of the Orient that we almost  know the east-west highway like the back of our hands.   Abah could point out  the exact location of which mosque in which locality. Mama knows where best to stop for toilet break. We even have a pet name for our favourite stop ( silly little private joke of Mama & Abah) . We marked the best goreng pisang stall ( at the junction of Panglima Bayu, from Jalan Rantau Panjang Lama onto highway) and a  shop  that sell  keropok lekor that taste as similar as the 'originals' in Losong. And yes,we also pay close attention to  those treacherous slopes too.......

We do not feel that the distance is that far anymore....how could we, when the apple of our eyes is there waiting for us!!

And I must mention how I am  yet to tire of drinking the greens of the hills and the blues of the rivers along the way. (Tasik Banding is just soo breathtakingly beautiful!). And Oh, it is SOOO refreshing. We always end up winding down the car windows and let the fresh cool air of the Banjaran Titiwangsa in.( We usually make our journey in the early hours) Abah likes it too, but not so much for the air, but  more for economic reason!! He could saves on petrol as no air-conditioning is in need, plus, it gives  the machine more power to climb those hills. Dont forget, we are an environmentally-conscious bunch of people!!

Lately,we took to bringing a picnic basket whenever we visit Abang. How satisfying it was to see Abang, Hassan, Tareeq and Amer relished every single morsel...they do miss home-cooked food though they never complain about the meals served by the school.

seen here, Abang,Tareeq, Amer and Hassan eating in harmony and penuh adab...

As for us visitors, delightful as they are, Penang foods generally are not very agreeable to us. We always go to Penang armed  with a supply of Loratadine  or risk disturbed sleep due to blocked nose. But of course it doesnt stop us from sampling the northen delicacies....

Abang ( as well as Hassan, Tareeq and Amer) are painfully thin and it worries me to no end. I would go on and on about it.....complaining,whining, crying ( typical of me!) and asking Abah to request from the management to allow us to bring some supplement for Abang. I know Abang misses having fresh milk  as it has always been his preferred drink and used to drink copious amount of it everyday at home. And honey too. The inhaler and nasal spray was not so much in need  when he  constantly took honey as is practised in our home. And I lament over the fact that as we are trying to eat more of organic products at home, Abang just has to make do with whatever given to him.

Abah would usually listen to me for a few minutes, than started his pep-talk. Abang is thin, so what. Most of the Holy Companions were thin. And they lived the life that we should modeled on. A simple lives free from ostentation and extravagance. A little hardship it is indeed....why making a mountain out of a molehill. Isnt it a common believe that hardship is more beneficial to the soul of man than are comfort and ease?

I was afraid that we are depriving him of certain live-style that he's used to or what I perceive he should be having...What live-style? On what do we based it on? The way accepted by common people? Do not confuse ourselves of what are the REAL needs of our children as opposed to those preached in the books of the kuffaar. Are we not telling ourselves every night in our ta'alem about it? Now is the time to put it into practise.

Astaghfirullaah hal 'Adzeem....

Sometimes I wonder at my own shallowness!!

Adik is far better than me. She accepts it whole-heartedly.She deals with her loneliness. Concerned aunties, uncles, cousins and neighbours keep asking if she's okay, knowing how close she is with Abang. She pacifies them all with a big bright smile and told them she has got another best-friend now named Mama and ,of course Grey too!.  No sooner than I uttered, "Oh, its so sad to see Abang...,she would take my hand and stared at my eyes fixedly and said," Mama!, Abang is okay, he's happy, stop worrying!". She even takes precaution. As we reached the gate of Abang's school, she would remind me, " Mama, no crying okay. If you do, Abang will too.... ". Abang himself tried to make me feel better by actually lifting me up by way of proving that he is STILL strong no matter how thin he gets. And I am a good 20 kg ( or more) heavier than him!!

Thanks Adik, you are a gem! And of course Abah too. Your pep-talks are always a soothing balm on my wretched heart...I love hearing them so much that sometimes I just "buat pe'el" to induce them!! Hehehe...jangan marah Bah!!

I know, I should be the one comforting them, not the other way around.........

So ,in this year of 2010, I intend to grow-up....I'll try to learn more, put into practise even more of  whatever little 'ilm that I have and be a better muslim as a whole, Insya Allah.... Kind souls who chance upon this page, pray for me please.....thank you.

ABANG.....again!

Three days after coming home from Seoul, we went to Penang to fetch Abang. The madrassah gave all students 5 days leave for Eidul Adha. He raced towards us and hugged Mama tightly...(in front of so many onlookers!)

Mama: "SO, you DO miss me!!"

Abang: "But of course!!"

Mama: "But you said you didnt miss us at all!!"

Three weeks before, exactly a week after being apart, we called him at the school......

Mama: "Abang, do you miss me?"

Abang: "No." ( firmly)

Mama: ( taken aback)"How’s everything? The food, the people,bla, bla..bla…" ( in motherly mode)

Abang: "Everything’s good. I like it here very much."

Adik took over…..

Adik: "Abang, I'm sure you think of me all the time, arent you??" ( confidently)

Abang: "I guess…but somehow I’ve forgotten how you look like."

Adik: ABANG!!!

I was highly perplexed… how could my only son who is soooo manja does not miss me at all!!!! And... I must admit that I was a tad sad. Abah was amused…. done with laughing at me, he pointed out that I should be relieved that he is adjusting well. Was I not so worried that he would be home-sick, not eating, not talking…. being morose in general? Yeeeesss, but, but….not missing me at all!! That’s too much…. Well, I am one fickle-minded, vain mother, I guess.

Anyway....

At Home.

Mama: "Do you crave for my cooking? ( still vain) Tell me what you wanna eat, I’ll cook it for you…."

Abang: "There are a lot I want to eat, but we are not suppose to follow our nafs, said our ustaz ."

Mama: "Oh… okay….,buuuut, I am offering you , you didnt ask, and you wont be home again until March next year. You are so thin anyway, you need to fatten up, bla, bla,bla…" ( bad mother..)

Abang: "Okay, I want to eat lasagne, any pasta with bolognese sauce, trifle, that fruit custard pudding, that white kueh......(the list goes on and on....)ogo on and on…)

Alas, he was home only for FIVE days…there wasnt enough time to cook and eat everything….

But I tried to cram in as much as time would permit and make it as healthier as possible by using organic ingredients as far as I could…

Abang is crazy over all things pasta....

His all time favourite..........lasagne.

.

The trifle that Adik tried to ‘beautify’ by sprinkling chocolate rice on top…....

Abang finished 2/3 of it by himself…......

On the second day of Eid, we had qurbaan at our place where Abah slaughtered two cows shared with Abah and Mama’s siblings, plus Tok Ayah and Tok Su. After dzuhur, Abang had to leave for school again……

Alhamdulillah…thank you Allah for choosing my son to be there in that madrassah. He didnt miss a single day of tahajjud for the whole time he was home. Insisted on dressing according to sunnah and doing khidmat all the time . Being young and innocent, he seems to absorb every word of his ustadz. He may not understand the depth of everything his doing now, everything is because ustadz says so. And Alhamdulillah, the ustadzs are giving good tarbiyyah while being understanding to the needs of the young lads. Abang now is convinced that he’ll look more handsome only in Sunnah attires. He said he didnt miss me because ustadz said, you need to forget everything in order to gain ilm. And everybody in school is good because we are not to talk about bad things of others lest all our good deeds will be wiped out.

I earnestly pray to Allah that He will grant you the taufeeq to grasp the true meanings of all good things you are doing now and be steadfast therein for the rest of your life. Abang, we all love you soooo much and we are glad that you are so happy over there……..

AN ORGANIC FIELD DAY

This is another no-brainer filler post…..

Well, I dont mean to brag, but I do keep to my new year resolution to feed my family more natural food and be kinder to environment as a whole.

On the days that I felt extra conscious on these issues, I went shopping for groceries with carefully drawn shopping lists. And it made for shorter shopping times!! Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

I went to Pasar Tani and bought produce from all those makciks who grow their own veges on small scale in their backyards. And I bought wild freshwater fish, not the farmed ones. Organically reared ducks too.

I brought a shopping-cart with me and put the groceries directly into it, refusing plastic bags wherever possible and get either grateful or guilty reactions from the makciks. They would thank me for saving their plastic bags and/or offer me something else to make up for it. So I end up with some free veges. See, it helps to be kind to the environment. We got rewarded instantly!!

I brought the ‘green bag’ when I go shopping in the supermarket for those stuff that I couldnt get at the farmer’s market. Crammed it full to the brim with wholewheat pasta,wholemeal pitta, tempeh wrapped in banana leaves, freshmilk and some other organic produce. I actually hate it that I have to go to tesco to get them as other supermarkets in KB do not stock these items. (I am now actually boycotting tesco for not responding to my emails complaining of something despite their promise to reply all emails within two weeks!!)

And here are what I cooked on one of the weekends that I felt particularly environmental friendly and health conscious and extra rajin……

Stir-fried organic soybean sprouts.....

Braised organic duck breast...yummy!!

.

the works......

We also got grilled wild catfish and acar pisang benggala that I bought ready-made from one of the makciks at the farmer’s market. And, as I am crazy about veges, I made another dish of pucuk paku goreng with extra chilly that I end up eating alone as nobody else could tolerate the hotness of it….

Well, we dont usually eat many dishes in one meal but as I said, it was one of those weekends…and it doesnt happen very often. I feel obliged to cook something extra on weekends that we are actually home ( quite rare too) after feeding all of you simple meals throughout the week. We eat mostly pasta and pitta dipped in either fish curry or beef/lamb stew that I usually made in huge quantities and freeze and ration it out throughout the weeks.

And I did go an extra mile and actually cooked/baked organic dessert….an achievement indeed for me!!

Abah’s all time favourite, lepat pisang.......(as he has been hinting many times before that I cooked too much western kuehs that he doesnt dig!!)

Yes, the flour is inorganic, I know….but everything else is…bananas from our backyard of course!

Bingka Ubi Kayu....(Ok, I didnt make this one on the same day...the fact must be accurate, ada auditor baca this blog maa...wink* to youknowwhoyouare)

It smelled Oh so good!! It’s my first time actually….

….( this one is almost hundred percent organic. I used grated tapioca wildly growing in our orchard, extract colour and fragrance from pandan leaves and a bit of coconut milk…well, got to use a bit of inorganic sugar for some sweetness.)
I think this is the most natural food I ever cooked!

That’s all….hope it satisfies you Adik…I posted my entry for April!! Stop bothering me now!!