Sunday, September 30, 2007

Double Check Bills .......before paying.....!

Yesterday i was having my dinner at a restaurant in Queensbay. There were five of us and each of us ordered different set of meals plus drinks. When it was time to pay, i asked the waiter to bring the bill. In my hand , i had a 100rm note expecting it to be within that range for my meals...but when he handed me the bill i saw the figure rm 130++...so instead of digging more notes from my purse i place my credit card on the bill...but on second thoughts i ask son to double check the bill before he could slash my card......my son noticed the word 'coke' on the bill which we did not order....so it must be the wrong bill....how careless of them! So better watch out next time....when he later he brought back our correct bill, the amount was just rm 97++ ...Nearly overpaid for our hard earn money....

Monday, September 24, 2007

Mango Jelly Mooncake.......just in time........


Mango jelly mooncake...................................

i had wanted to make this mango jelly mooncake this mid autumn festival and i bought a packet of mango from the supermarket sometime last week. Since then i was so sick from my flu virus i could not do or cook anything. But today i push myself to make it even though i am still not fully recovered because the packet of mango will not keep for long and also because tomorrow is the mooncake festival and i would not miss my chance of trying out this jelly mooncake!(or else i have to wait until next year)

For mango filling:(makes 9-10 rounds)

1 cup water
60 gm sugar
2 tsp agar-agar powder
1 tbsp condensed milk
60 gm mango puree
40 gm fresh mango cut into small cubes


white jelly skin:(makes 9-10 rounds)

3 1/2 cups water
140 gm sugar
4 pandan leaves knotted
5 tsp agar-agar powder
2 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 cup thick coconut milk

For the filling i boiled together water,sugar and jelly powder. Once mixture start to boil , turn off heat and add in condensed milk,mango puree, and mango cubes. Stir and pour into tart moulds to set.

Set mango filling in tart mould.....................................

Prepared mango fillings......................................................................

mango jelly mooncake set in plastic mould...........................................

For the white skin i boiled together the first four ingredients. Then lower heat and add condensed milk and coconut milk. Stir continuosly til mixture start to bubble and turn off heat. Pour a 1/2 cm layer of jelly skin mixture into round jelly mooncake mould. Let it cool til 3/4 set. Then place a prepared mango filling in the centre of the mould. Top up with the jelly skin mixture and let it set completely before chilling in the fridge. Unmould mango jelly mooncake and keep refrigerated til ready to serve.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Jelly Mooncake with cheesy fillings..................

Since mid-autumn festival is just around the corner, I have yet to make a mooncake or rather a jelly mooncake which i much prefer to the baked lotus paste ones. It has been raining cats and dogs these few days and anything jelly-like will make everybody shiver. But I would like to share my previous creations with my readers.


Black Forest Cherry Cheese mooncake.....................................


See the pitted cherries inside the cheese fillings..........................



Cherry Cheese fillings (make 5-6)

3 1/2 tbsp water
2/3 cup UHT milk
50gm sugar
1 tsp agar-agar powder
50gm cream cheese
10 pitted cherries(from a can), drain on absorbent paper
round tart moulds

Method:
Bring the first four ingredients to boil. Add in softened cheese and stir continuously with a hand whisk.Turn off heat once mixture starts to bubble and pour in round tart moulds. Place two pitted cherries in the mould and allow to set completely before chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes.


Cherry Syrup Skin (makes 50)

2 1/2 tsp agar-agar powder
1  3/4 cup water
70gm sugar
4 tbsp cherry syrup
1/2 tsp red colouring
round jelly mooncake moulds

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil. Add the cherry syrup and colouring and bring to a quick boil. Turn off the heat. pour 1/2 cm layer of of cherry syrup skin mixture into the moulds and allow to cool until it is almost set (3/4 set). Place prepared cheese fillings in the centre of the mould. Fill up with cherry syrup skin mixture and allow to set completely(about 20 minutes) before chilling in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Unmould the mooncakes and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. (adapted from Flavours magazine-recipes by Debbie Teoh)

Quicky Curry Puffs for snacks...............

Unbake puffs....................
Golden brown curry puffs.................................

When my children were young I like to make them curry puffs from scratch...that means making the pastry myself . I always bake the puff in the oven because fried ones are too oily and will also be too messy to clean up later. Recently I bought a packet of frozen puff pastry and all I have to do is just prepared the fillings and fold over it with the pastry( no need to cut it because it is square in shape).Pop it in the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes and the puffs will be ready in no time. This method is for busy mom and anyway making your own pastry will of course taste better...For the fillings I used:

200gm lean chicken meat, diced small
3 medium sized potato, diced small (parboiled )
1 big onion, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

To make the filling,I seasoned the diced meat with curry powder and salt. Heat the oil in pan and fry onion til fragrant and soft. Then add in the meat. fry til browned and then add in the pre-cooked potatoes. Add a little water if it is too dry. Cook for a minute and dish out fillings onto a plate to cool. Put the fillings on the centre of pastry and fold over. Press down the edges with the tines of fork to get a neat fluted pattern. Slit the top of puffs with a sharp knife so the puffs will not crack when cooked. Brush puff with beaten egg to get a golden colour.Arrange on a
lightly greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven (200 degree C) for 15 to 20 minutes til golden brown.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Ajisen Ramen.....at Gurney Plaza........

The cosy interior.............

This is a newly open Japanese restaurant at Gurney. It is a cosy place with neatly placed tables and chairs. The waiter even pull out the chair for me to be seated.....real gentlemen !! As the name implies its menu consists of many types of ramen or noodles. But I did not order the noodles because I was craving for rice. So son and I each ordered the set meal of Una Ju which is rice with grilled Unagi that comes with a bowl of miso soup.

The Unagi is nice and soft but the portion of rice and fish is not enough for a big eater. My son no. 2 is always hungry for a teenager like him. So I ordered a plate of soft-shell crab which is deep-fried in batter til crispy...very nice too. Two pieces cost RM 8.80.

Unaju .....................

A bowl of miso soup.................

A plate of soft-shell crab.............................


The Una Ju cost RM 16.50 each. They have lovely pan-fried gyoza besides ramen. Will try the ramen next time.

Song Kee Soup......for rejuvenation......

After a busy week, I was quite exhausted and Song Kee Soup is just right soup to cook up. It is a chinese herbal soup for good health. If you are feeling tired and lack of energy this soup will bring you back to your feet. It consists of a tong sum ( a type of root that looks like dried sticks) sometimes called the poor man's gingseng.,..pak kei,..yuk chook...wai san,..kei chi,.. and dried red or black dates.

Tong Sum.........
Pak Kei..............
Wai San.........good for the stomach....

Kei Chee or Boxthorn fruit .....good for eyesight.....

Dried red and black dates..........(remove seed before cooking)....

Yuk Chook..........................

I boiled the above herbs together with half a chicken cut into bite size pieces for 2 to 3 hours. I used 3 bowls of water. It can be taken with rice or drink on its own. We can buy all the herbs from a chinese medical shop or from the supermarket in packet form with all the combine herbs.