Movie Review: Julie and Julia

Malam semalam aku menonton filem ni. Walaupun entah berapa kali dah aku tonton, tapi aku sentiasa nak tengok lagi. Salah satu sebab ialah jalan cerita nya simple tapi agak sweet. Bukan la cerita romantic tapi cerita bagaimana seorang blogger ni bertekad untuk berblog menceritakan bagaimana dia mencuba semua resipi masakan chef idola nya. Mereka dari dua zaman berbeza tapi filem ini berjaya utk mengharmonikan jalan ceritanya seolah-olah seperti berlaku serentak. Memang best.

Tapi sebab lain yang aku suka ialah makanan yang ditampilkan. Antara lain ialah chocolate pudding, bruschetta dan beef bourguignon. Bruschetta dah pernah cuba buat.. sgt sedap... nanti nak try yang lain pulak.

Untuk yg suka makanan barat, filem ini akan menggembirakan you all semua.. I am sure about that...

Happy watching..

Taking a long break from work

I will be visiting my doctor at Columbia Asia Hospital this afternoon to extend my MC. During my last visit, I thought I could go back to work after Christmas but I was wrong. My body was not prepared for it. I still have pain and difficulty to walk. So, I think I would do no good of returning to work but cannot do much in the office. Prolonged sitting and walking make my condition worse. Might as well I just continue with my physiotherapy sessions plus my chiropratic visits.

Will update more after my doctor's appointment..

Happy New Year 2013

Lama sungguh dah tak berblog. Tetiba di tahun baru ni terasa macam nak update something. Entah lepas ni masih rajin untuk update blog atau tak. Tak ape.. janji, bila tiba tahun baru ada citer baru sikit kan :)

Tahun 2012 yang baru saja berlalu meninggalkan banyak kenangan sebenarnya. Sehingga pertengahan tahun, semua berjalan lancar rasanya sampailah akhir bulan September lalu yang membawa aku sampai ke hospital kerana penyakit yang aku alami menyerang sekali lagi. Dua tahun berturut-turut aku bercuti sakit agak lama. Dan tahun baru ni pun aku masih bercuti sakit kerana belum benar-benar pulih dari kesakitan. Mudah-mudahan aku dapat kembali bertugas selewat-lewatnya akhir Januari. Aku pun dah jemu sangat duduk di rumah. Maklumlah, dah biasa keluar bekerja sampai hujung minggu pun kerja, jadi bila bercuti ni rasa tak betah duduk diam aje.

Itu cerita sedih dan sakit. Tapi tahun 2012 juga lah yang telah memulakan sesuatu yang amat bermakna dalam hidup aku. Semuanya berlaku dengan pantas. Cerita yang satu ini akan dicoretkan lebih mendalam nanti... bukan lah untuk menunjuk kepada sesiapa tapi ini adalah momento peribadi yang ingin aku abadikan di blog ini. Cukup untuk aku katakan yang aku sedang melewati saat-saat indah dalam hidupku.

Enough for now rasanya... nanti sambung lagi ok..

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL :)

Customer service kat Poslaju Puchong

Aku pegi ke pajabat pos laju ni semalam sebab nak collect parcel. Aku bukan tak puas hati dengan layanan depa pada aku. Ok jer. Tapi yang aku rasa tak kena, ada dua org pekerja kaunter ni, dok membebel sesama sendiri pasal co-worker dia yg silap buat kerja. Yang sorang ni merungut sebab dia kata sure dia yang kena rectify benda tu... Yang sorang lagi ni plak bunyi nyer mcm mengacum.. lagi mau cucuk jarum. Yang tak sedapnya, customer ada 4-5 org termasuk aku berdiri kat kaunter tu dan dengar segala butir marah2 depa. Bukannya apa, aku paham sgt soal customer service ni coz dulu aku pun keje kait ngan customer service gak. Depan pelanggan, jangan la nak merungut2. Tak baik utk imej company. Apa2 pun kena professional ok.. haaa.. tak baik marah2.. (eleehh.. mcm la aku ni baik sgt!!)...

Aku nak solat Maghrib dulu.. chow!

Banjir @ KL

Semalam hujan lebat di KL. Shah Alam tak lebat sangat tapi Puchong, boleh tahan agaknya sebab masa aku balk dari office, aku tgk basah semacam kat parking lot aku tu. Kalau mcm tu gayanya, mmg lebat hujan yang berhenti tak lama sebelum tu.

Cuma aku sedih bila baca sesetengah komen org. Ader plak yg salahkan SMART tunnel tu. Ingat la, tunnel tu manusia juga yang bina, bukan sempurna dan boleh tampung air hujan yang Allah turunkan tu. Hujan tu datang dari Allah. Macam mana hebat kita bina protectin pun, kalau Allah kata musnah, musnah lah ia. Dari kita buang masa untuk salahkan org lain dengan apa yg terjadi (mmg tak dinafikan banjir semalam agak teruk, tengok gambar dibawah yg dipetik dari Utusan Malaysia), baiklah kita sama2 berdoa pada Allah swt agar Dia tidak menurunkan bencana yang lebih hebat di masa hadapan.

New Skin Care

Semalam, aku baru start guna a new skin care yg datang dari Korea. Kata org, berkesan untuk hilangkan parut2 kat muka. Kulit muka aku sekarang ni, tak berminyak dan jerawat tu mmg dah banyak kurang banding ngan dulu. Cuma, sesekali kalau Red Flag tu, akan ada jerawat sebesor2 alam la kat muka ni. Macam baru2 ni.. mak aihh.. kalah gunung berapi kau... besor dan merah kat pipi kanan aku ni.. sampai segan giler nak keluar.. nasib masa tu cuti maal hijrah.. so tiga hari off ..

SO, nak dipendekkan cerita, aku dpt tahu pasal IOPE ni kat facebook. So, setelah berbulan memikir samada nak cuba atau tak.. aku pun ambil keputusan utk beli trial pack. So far, ok. Takde la gatal2 muka ke, merah ke, allergic ke haper.. takder.. aku paling suka sabun dia, picit sikit dah cukup.. rasa bersih muka.. maklum le, muka ni teruk sebab ada resdung. Cuma sekarang ni resdung jarang attack.

Semalam aku dah ambik gambar kulit aku yg tak cantik tu. Nanti lepas 3 hari aku nak ambik gambar lagi.. close-up punyer.. so nanti aku leh bezakan samada ada kesan atau tidak. Hopefully ader le...

Final Episode - Cinta Elysa

Malam tadi (13 Dec 2011), TV3 menayangkan final episode drama bersiri Cinta Elysa. Memang aku dok follow cerita ni dari awal and episod akhir mmg sudah boleh dijangka. Cumanya, dari pandangan mata rabun yg kasar dan kabur ni, aku rasa pengarahnya Along Kamaruddin, macam tergesa2 nak habiskan drama ni.

Kenapa aku kata macam tu? Banyak scene yg macam short cut jer. Antara lain, macam mana polis dapat tahu Rashid (Zafrul) tu ada kat rumah Yasmin (Zila)? At least, tunjuk la mcm mana Zafrul tu masuk ke dalam rumah tu and ada org nampak, then org tu report kat polis. Pas tu, Yasmin tu tak la nampak mcm meroyan sgt bila dpt tahu si Rashid tu pengedar dadah. Nasib baik gak la tunjuk dia solat berjemaah diimamkan oleh Aril. Dan tak nampak pun adegan Yasmin personally minta maaf pada Aril atas segala fitnah dan tohmahan dia tu. Fuhh!! Kalau aku jadi pengarah, sure meletopppsss citer ni!

In general, takla superb benor citer Cinta Elysa ni tapi plotnya ok. Geram jer aku nengok si Zila tu.. haiipp.. bukan geram suka tau... tapi geram meluat nengok perangai curangnya tu.

Dan of course, aku mmg tertanya-tanya bibir Zila tu ori ke? Mcm kena inject jer tapi aku tak berani la nak tuduh.. aku kata mcm.. So, in case Zila baca ni, jangan marah yer.. aku cuma ingin tahu jer...

Kat bawah ni ada snapshot Zila dalam Cinta Elysa. Oh yea.. masa nak search for the pic, jumpa macam2 blog la yg cakap pasal beza muka dia ni dulu dan sekarang...

Ok laa.. Cinta Elysa pun dah selamat melabuhkan tirainya. Tunggu citer lain plak... tarra!!!

Ombak Rindu - Antara Novel dan Filem

Semalam, aku berpeluang untuk menonton filem Ombak Rindu yang telah lama dinanti nantikan. Seperti yang diuar-uarkan di dada media, filem ini tidak menghampakan. Cuma aku rasa, filem ini tidak sesuai dikategorikan sebagai tayangan umum lantaran terdapa adegan yang kurang sesuai untuk ditonton oleh anak-anak. Tapi mungkin mak bapak sekarang dah open minded kot, berderet jer aku tengok parents yg bawak anak-anak kecik ke panggung semalam.

Pandangan peribadi aku, ternyata aku jatuh cinta pada filem ini yg agak menyentuh sanubari. Manakan tidak, aku telah lama jatuh cinta pada novel nukilan Fauziah Ashaari itu, sekitar tahun 2002-2003. Masih aku ingat, di hari aku membeli novel itu, aku menghabiskan sepanjang malam untuk membacanya. Olahan cerita yang mudah serta plot yang menarik membuatkan aku tidak lepas menyelak dari satu halaman ke halaman yg lain, sehinggalah khatam buku itu dalam satu malam. Begitulah penangan novel Ombak Rindu. Begitu juga semalam, dua jam tayangan di panggung tidak langsung membosankan aku. Tahniah kepada Osman Ali yang berjaya menggarap sebuah novel hingga menjadi salah satu Box Office di Malaysia. Tak mustahil jika Ombak Rindu bakal meraih RM5 juta lagi, based on my observation semalam, untuk tayangan pukul 3.15 di GSC Alamanda yang penuh sesak dengan orang (lantaran org Selangor bercuti!), mmg possible utk kutipan yang lebih tinggi. Sampai nak beli popcorn pun aku beratur dekat 15 min!

Kudos to all crews. Mmg tak mengecewakan la! Aaron Aziz... as usual, lakonan yg bersahaja tapi berkesan. Maya Karin, muka innocent dia tu sesuai la jugak utk watak Izzah tu. Lisa Surihani - berjaya dgn watak Mila sebab memek muka dia masa marah tu best! Yg aku menyampah ialah Azizah Mahzan. Adoiii... siap dgn gaya bercakap ngalahkan Minah Salleh celup. Tak larat aku! Menengokkan pakaian dia dlm OR, teringat plak gambar2 dia berparty dgn Zafrul tu... eiii.. tak menyelerakan langsung...

Dan yg paling aku suka, lokasi penggambaran.. villa tu mmg best... and rumah mak Hariz pun best... suasana dlm kampung... aaaahhh.. kalaula aku ada rumah kg mcm tu.. bestnya..

Itu ajer la komen aku yg panjang lebar nya pasal OR ni. Ini adalah antara filem yg aku sampai mengalirkan air mata (huh!! tak macho langsung!!) masa kat panggung... actually banyak lg pelem yg aku tengok dan basah tudung oiiii!!! tapi malula nak citer.. lain kali ok...

Signing off - mokcik nina

It has been awhile

Salam and hi. It's been awhile since the last time I wrote on this blog. I almost forgotten the username and password to access to the blog and had to try several times. There are many things that have occurred in my life ever since. But seriously, I don't have much time to write. Or simply, I was very lazy to write any updates. So I hope I will gain new spirit after this and start to blog again. Till then, take care!

Old pictures

My renovated office

Here are some pics on my renovated office. Not that great but at least.. a different arrangement.

Rendang Ayam

Bahan utama
1 ekor ayam
1 biji kelapa - diperah santan


Bahan di kisar
15 tangkai cili kering (buang biji)
2 ulas bawang besar
4 ulas bawang putih
2 inci halia

(Bahan ini dikisar dengan sedikit air sehingga menjadi seperti pes)

Bahan dihiris halus
4 helai daun kunyit
2 batang serai

Bahan lain
1 sudu teh serbuk kunyit
Garam secukup rasa
4 keping asam keping
4 sudu besar kerisik

Cara memasak:
Masukkan ayam yang dipotong kedalam kuali. Masukkan semua bahan kecuali garam dan asam keping ke dalam kuali yang sama dan masak menggunakan api yang sederhana. Api jangan besar kerana ayam akan menjadi keras bila masak. Bila ayam sudah 3/4 masak, masukkan garam dan asam keping. Selamat mencuba!!

My Car Has A Problem

Today, I figured that my love shack has a problem with either its radiator or air-cond compressor. The air cond is not cooling and the temperature of my car rises out of the normal range while I was driving. I decide to let it rest for few days (since I have not got my May salary) and borrow my dad's car from my brother. I'll be sending over to Perodua Service Centre on Monday for a routine maintenance and also to fix the problem. I hope it is nothing serious though....

Broken Strings - James Morrison Feat. Nelly Furtado

Let me hold you
For the last time
It's the last chance to feel again
But you broke me
Now I can't feel anything

When I love you,
It's so untrue
I can't even convince myself
When I'm speaking,
It's the voice of someone else

Oh it tears me up
I try to hold on, but it hurts too much
I try to forgive, but it's not enough to make it all okay

You can't play on broken strings
You can't feel anything that your heart don't want to feel
I can't tell you something that ain't real

Oh the truth hurts and lies worse
How can I give anymore
When I love you a little less than before

Oh what are we doing
We are turning into dust
Playing house in the ruins of us

Running back through the fire
When there's nothing left to save
It's like chasing the very last train when it's too late

Oh it tears me up
I try to hold on, but it hurts too much
I try to forgive, but it's not enough to make it all okay

You can't play on broken strings
You can't feel anything that your heart don't want to feel
I can't tell something that ain't real

Well the truth hurts and lies worse
How can I give anymore
When I love you a little less than before

But we're running through the fire
When there's nothing left to save
It's like chasing the very last train
When we both know it's too late (too late)

You can't play on broken strings
You can't feel anything that your heart don't want to feel
I can’t tell you something that ain't real

Well truth hurts and lies worse
How can I give anymore
When I love you a little less than before

Let me hold you for the last time
It's the last chance to feel again

Packing Up Things in the Office

Today I started my Monday with packing up my things in the office. My office will be under renovation for about 2 months starting this Thursday.

All together, there are 7 big boxes of my treasure (mostly books and notes from my professional and masters courses). It's a bit tiring especially when my right foot is still in pain (that's a different story altogether!).

But I managed to keep everything by noon. So I guess, it's ok. Now, my room is almost empty. Tomorrow, the technician will be here to pack up my computer. So, after this, I'll be using my notebook again but with no office. I'll be "FLOATING" around the campus and especially will be sitting in the library to do my work.

Hopefully, the newly renovated room will be pleasant to stay.

FREE GIFT

When I was on my home from work this evening, I stopped by at Giant Bandar Puteri to shop for some groceries. Some of the stuff that I bought is for the pantry at the office and a few for my self at home. Done with shopping and paying at the counter, I was greeted by a young girl asking whether I have claimed a free shopping bag. As spontaneous as it could be, I said NO. So she led me to a corner opposite the paying counter and asked me to have a sit.

At the counter, I could see few ranges of products - induction cooker, microwave, cooking utensils and etc. On my mind.. DAMN.. this is another CABUT AND MENANG ... So, I was just being very polite when the girl handed me a piece of paper - a survey form. So, I filled in the form and she handed me the bag which she promised earlier. It's just a stupid green shopping bag but since it's free... ok laa...

Then, she started to show me all of the products that they carry... My goodness.. the prices were exorbitant! A microwave for RM2988??? Hey... we got a new microwave for our pantry only for RM150!! Another shocker is the cooking pots - one set is priced at RM3000 over... I told the girl (which at this point was being helped by her co-worker - a boy who is not having excellent marketing skills at all) that my kuali at home only costs me about RM20.00. It's not the pot which is important.. but it's the chef! If you are a lousy chef, even if use a RM3000 worth of pot.. your cooking will still taste lousy. When I finished my sentence, the boy commented in a rather rude way. Well, I'm all ready to bombard him with full of questions.... hehehehe

I started questioning abt the warranty, the materials, energy consumption bla.. bla.. bla.. while they were busy doing a demo to me. So it went on for like 10 minutes. Now the best part is, when the girl asked me to rip the gift voucher. She already explained that there could be four possible scenarios of the gift voucher. One - RM50 voucher, two - RM50 + RM200 bonus voucher, three - RM50 + RM300 voucher and four - RM50 + free gift worth RM700 (eye massager or sumthing). All of these voucher can only be used to purchase the goods that they carry and purchase should be made within same day.

I already suspected that I'm going to get a SPECIAL voucher once I ripped it off. Guess what?? I got a RM50 voucher + free induction cooker + free microwave... HAHAHAHAH... i know that this is a scam. The girl was obviously pretending that this never happened - the boy was even worse.. trying to act as if he knows nothing.... and the worst - the supervisor... he wanted to call his superior/supplier whatsoever to confirm on these. Knowing the situation, I politely told them that I'm already late to get back home (as it was almost 7pm) and I don't bother to purchase any of the time. Plus, I told them, to give my voucher to anyone who needs it.... ;) They must be very upset with me... ahhahahahaha

I went through exactly the same situation abt 4 years ago. That time, I was wandering off after work at Times Square (I used to commute using Monorel/LRT when i was working at Jalan Raja Chulan. The same thing happened and at that time, I even spoke to the boss - as if he wanted to assure that I was not having a plan with his staff to scam him... haiyaaaa... stupid laaa....

Now, who wants to buy a microwave for RM3000 and the brand is not known at all??? They clain that the company is already in business for 9 years but all these while, no publicities were being made to promote the brand. What kind of business model is that?

They perfectly chosen the wrong victim this time - I'm an accountant by training and a lecturer by profession. But i feel bad that they are still using this type of scam. I called it a scam because it's clear that they want to rip off any customer with the unreasonable prices of their product.

So, please be careful when you go to these kind of kiosks.. but... as an advice.. just take the free gift ;)

Happy New Year 2009

My oh My!! Is it too late to make this entry? I guess not. Even though, January 2009 is already over, I think it's rather late than never. Resolutions??? Easy.. Just recylce on those which have not been achieved in 2008. Sometimes, I wonder, do I really need new resolutions? I just want to lead a happy and simple life. That's all. So, I'll go with the flow.

My New Dream Car

This is my new dream car - MAZDA CX 9.... it's luxury and stylish... 7-seaters SUV ... great huh? Check it out at the retail showroom...

Selamat Tahun Baru - 1430 Hijrah

It's 1 Muharram 1430 H and it's a public holiday. Me just staying at home, trying to sort things out and thinking of going to Tesco in a few minutes.

I have some new resolutions - but I would like to keep them as secrets. Only He knows about it...

Be Delicious - DKNY

Another favorite perfume - Be Delicious by DKNY.

Romance - Ralph Lauren

This is my mostly favorite perfume of all time. It suits my body very well and people think that it smells good everytime i splash some on my body. Love it very much.

Soto Ayam Bayu Puteri

Bahan-bahan Sup

1 ekor ayam
2 batang kulit kayu manis
4 biji buah pelaga
3 biji bunga lawang
5 biji bawang kecil
3 ulas bawang putih
2 inci halia
1 sudu besar jintan manis
1 sudu besar jintan putih
1 sudu besar lada hitam
1 sudu besar biji ketumbar
Minyak masak untuk menumis
Air
Garam

Bahan begedil

10 biji kentang kuning
Isi ayam yang digoreng
Bawang goreng
Garam
Daun ketumbar
Daun bawang
Lada sulah
Lada hitam
Telur

Bahan kicap cili

Cili padi (ikut suka, nak berasap kepala... letakla semangkuk)
Bawang putih
Kicap manis
Cuka
Gula

Bahan lain

Nasi impit
Isi ayam yang digoreng
Su-un
Taugeh
Kacang tanah
Bawang goreng
Daun ketumbar
Daun bawang

Cara memasak

Sup Ayam

Ayam di potong sederhana. Tumbuk hingga lumat bawang, halia dan bawang putih. Asingkan. Tumbuk pula jintan manis, jintan putih, ketumbar dan lada hitam. Dalam stock pot, panaskan minyak untuk menumis. Tumiskan kulit kayu manis, buah pelaga dan bunga lawang. Masukkan bawang yang ditumbuk lumat. Tumis sehingga kekuningan dan wangi. Kemudian masukkan bahan rempah yang ditumbuk. Tumis lagi hingga naik bau rempah.

Tuangkan air, sebanyak mana yang perlu. Untuk soto, kita biasanya perlukan kuah yang banyak. Oleh itu, jumlah air perlulah diletak secukupnya. Masukkan ayam, kacau sup, tutup periuk dan renehkan sup selama 1 jam. Pastikan api gas ditukar kepada tahap rendah (low heat).

Selepas 1 jam, keluarkan ayam dan biarkan sejuk. Pada masa ini, boleh la ditambah garam untuk memberi rasa kepada sup.

Ayam yang dibiarkan sejuk perlu dicarikkan halus-halus. Setelah selesai, masukkan semula tulang-tulang ayam yang berlebihan ke dalam periuk sup. Isi ayam yang telah dicarik ini perlu digoreng sedikit dengan minyak untuk memberikan aroma dan rasa yang lebih enak. Isi ayam perlu dibahagi dua - satu untuk bergedil dan satu untuk bahan soto sendiri.

Begedil Ayam

Kentang di kupas dan di potong menjadi kepingan-kepingan setebal 1/2 inci. Gaulkan dengan garam dan goreng dengan minyak sehingga kentang bertukar kuning keemasan dan separuh garing. Kentang yang selesai digoreng hendaklah ditumbuk hingga hancur dan boleh dikepal. Di dalam mangkuk, campur kan kentang, isi ayam yang telah digoreng, bawang goreng, daun bawang dan daun ketumbar yang dihiris halus. Tambahkan juga garam, lada sulah dan lada hitan untuk perasa. Gaul hingga rata. Pecahkan sebiji telur ke dalam adunan. Kepalkan menjadi begedil yang comel. (Kalau suka besar2.. sukahati ler.. tapi nanti susah goreng).

Panaskan kuali dengan minyak. Pecahkan telur dalam mangkuk dan kacau telur. Salutkan begedil dengan telur sebelum menggoreng. Goreng hingga kekuningan/masak.

Kicap cili

Cili padi dan bawang putih ditumbuk hingga lumat. Campurkan bahan yang ditumbuk dengan kicap manis, tambahkan sedikit cuka serta gula.

Bahan-bahan lain

Nasi impit seeloknya direbus terlebih awal supaya ianya sejuk dan mudah dipotong. Biasanya kita potong bentuk cube macam nasi impit sate tu. Sukahati la nak potong mcm mana pun. Su-un ni perlu digoreng dengan minyak panas. Kejap je dia dah kembang macam keropok. Tapi harus diingat. Su-un ni tak leh dibasuh. Kalau basuh, sure tak jadi. Ataupun, kalau dibasuh, dikeringkan semula then baru goreng. Taugeh dicelur. Kacang tanah perlu digoreng tanpa minyak. Bawang kecil dihiris nipis dan digoreng - jadi la bawang goreng. Daun-daun ketumbar dan bawang dihiris nipis.

Penyediaan

Biasanya kita makan soto ni dalam mangkuk. So, dalam mangkuk tu, letakkan nasi impit, begedil, isi ayam goreng dan taugeh. Tuangkan kuah dan barulah tabur kacang, bawang goreng, daun ketumbar dan daun sup serta letakkan kicap cili. Hidang panas-panas. ;)

I won something!!

Today is one of my lucky days. I won something just by participating in a quiz on MixFM - Are You Smarter Than a 12-year-old?. That brightens up my day after being stood up last nite. ;)

L.O.V.E

Love is very subjective. It can be love to the parents, siblings, children, friends, spouse, and of course, the ultimate love is to the Mighty Creator (ALLAH) and the Prophet of Muhammad(Rasulullah s.a.w).

When you fall in love, everything seems to be beautiful. You go through each day feeling great and excited. Each time the phone rings, you'll rush to answer hoping that it's from the sweetheart. You'll feel your cheeks rose everytime you talk to him. You can even smile to yourself just by thinking of him. That's how powerful LOVE is. Makes people go insane..

But what about if you don't have love? Or your love has been betrayed? Everything seems to be dark and gloomy. Nothing feels good, even if you are given a first class treatment on any service. You will become annoyed easily and moody. That's how powerful LOVE is. Without it, people can also go insane...

I'm in LOVE. But, i get heartbreaks quite often. So, that's why I'm insane all the time.....

Nasi Minyak Panahan Asmara

This recipe was originated by my father. Thank you Abah for teaching me how to cook this recipe until it become the talk of the town (chewah.. perasan!). But the taste memang sedap. Sampaikan, ada yang minta recipe ni masa raya puasa baru ni. So, I'm sharing with all of you this recipe. Kalau first time buat tak jadi, it's normal. Tapi kalau dah buat selalu, mcm petik api lighter jer....

Recipe for Nasi Minyak (eer... by the way, nama kat atas tu nak glamer jer)

10 cups of Basmati Rice (the best type, otherwise, can use Sunwhite)

1 can of evaporated milk (I use Ideal)

10 cups of hot water

3 table spoon of Pure Ghee

3 table spoon of Cooking Oil

1 table spoon of Tomato Puree

Salt

Raisins

Other ingredients

A

1 stick of cinnamon stick - about 3 inches (kulit kayu manis)

3 seeds of cardamom (buah pelaga)

3 seeds of star anise (bunga lawang)

2 cloves (bunga cengkih)

B

5 red onions

3 cloves of garlic

1 inch of ginger

(Pound these ingredients with pestle and mortar)

C

1 table spoon of cumin seed (jintan manis)

1 table spoon of (jintan putih)

1 table spoon of coriander seeds (ketumbar)

1 teaspoon of black pepper (lada hitam)

(Pound these ingredients with pestle and mortar)

Method:

Preheat your cooking part with Pure Ghee and Cooking Oil. Saute ingredient A until it is fragrant. Add in Ingredient B and saute them until it turns golden in color. Add in ingredient C and further saute until it is fragrant (all together it should not take more than 10 minutes).

Add in the rice. Mix the rice with the sauteed ingredients. Do this for about 5 minutes. Make sure the heat is medium-low. Once the rice is all mixed up, pour in the hot water followed by one can of evaporated milk. Add in the salt (not too much as the ghee is already salty) and also the tomato puree.

This is the crucial part. Make sure heat is turned to be at medium-high. You need to stir the rice in the liquid until the amount of liquid is reduced, just like how you want to cook rice in the traditional way on stove. Once you see the liquid has been absorbed mostly by the rice, turned down the heat to low, put on the lid and let it cooked. I would put something heavy on top of the lid and cover the edge of the pot with towels to make sure the steam remains in the pot and that makes the cooking perferct. Most of the times, I would let it cook for about 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, check it out whether the rice has cooked and for tasting. Once it is ready, pour in the raisins (mixed the yellow and brown). Serve it while it's hot and garnish with fried shallots and sprinkle with some chopped coriander leaves and spring onions.

Baked Chicken

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sophiafoots/

Recipe

2 pieces of chicken thigh (leave skin on as this will preserve the tenderness of the chicken)
4 table spoon of dark soy sauce
2 table spoon of Mixed Herb (or you can mix on ur own - rosemary, thyme, dill, etc)
1 table spoon of Cajun Seasoning
2 table spoon of Pure Honey
1 table spoon of Sunflower Oil (any oil will do, if you have Olive Oil, much better)

Method:

Mix all ingredients including the chicken into a ziplock bag and marinate for at least 2 hours. Then, preheat your normal skillet (non-stick frying pan or better still the griddle) with very minimal amount of oil. Just to grease your skillet litely. Place the two thighs on the skillet, cover it with a lid. Slow cook the chicken for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. You'll have a perfect baked chicken ready for two.

Once the chicken is ready, remove the skin before serving unless you love to torture your heart with cardiovascular disease! Served best while it's hot. The recommended side dishes would be steamed brocoli and baby carrots and mashed potatoes.

Happy cooking :)

Body Massage

My whole body is aching. Maybe because I have not pampered my self for quite sometimes. I have not even gone to do facials for God knows how long. So, I was telling my self maybe it's about time to go for a body massage. The question is WHEN?

As usual, I'm thinking of hopping into Thai Oddysey. So far, it's the best spa I've ever experienced. So, Thai Oddysey... here I come.....