LEMON GRASS MAMA

AS SALAM, I WENT TO HAVE AN EARLY DINNER THAT SATURDAY AS I HAD SKIPPED LUNCH AND IT WAS WORTH IT.I HAD MEAT THAT SOMEHOW LOOKED DIFFRENT FROM WHAT I HAD ALL THIS WHILE AND FORGIVE ME FOR NOT REMEMBERING THE NAME OF THE MENU AS IT SOUNDED STRANGE TO SAY! LATER WE WERE JOINED BY MY BOYS WHO HAD WORKED LATE THAT DAY AT THE OFFICE AND THEY ORDERED RICE THAT LOOKED LIKE BERYANI OR NASI BUKHARA! MUSHROOM SOUP WAS VERY LIPS SMACKING GOOD,THE YOGHURT AND MILK AND MUSHROOM BLEND SO WELL. AND I NOTICED, NO RICE MEAL WILL HAVE ROTI ARAB FOR DIPPING. ALL IN ALL, EVERYONE IS SATISFIED AND WE LEFT ARLY LEAVING THE BOYS TO FINISH WHATEVER THERE IS TO FINISH.

PUCUK BANDUNG BAHAN KISAR IKAN BILIS(TAMBAN) BELUM SIAP LAGI AS SALAM, I HAVE BEEN COOKING THIS RECIPE QUITE OFTEN, EVER SINCE SHE WAS ONLY 6 OR 7 YEARS OLD THEN, AND STILL LOOKED FORWARD TO THIS MENU EACH TIME THERE'S A CELEBRATION. FRANKLY, I LOVE THIS RECIPE TOO BUT IT IS ALWAYS TEDIOUS TO MAKE. I WAS GIVEN THIS RECIPE BY GOOD FRIENDS WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD AND I MANAGE TO COOK IT BETTER EACH TIME, BUT MY DAUGHTER STILL HADN'T PICKED UP THE MOMENTUM YET. PERHAPS YEARS WILL TELL! SERUNDING PUCUK BANDUNG SO LAST NIGHT, I WAS COOKING THIS 'SERUNDING PUCUK BANDUNG' TILL LATE HOURS AND STOP TO HAVE MY GOODNIGHT SLEEP. I CONTINUED AGAIN EARLY IN THE WEE HOURS THIS MORNING AND HAD IT PERFECTLY DRIED AND READY TO EAT BY THE TIME OUR MEN CAME BACK FROM SEMBAHYANG RAYA!

TERUNG ASAM & REBUNG AS SALAM, AN OLD FRIEND GAVE ME YOUNG BAMBOO SHOOT(REBUNG) JUST A WEEK BEFORE THE HARI RAYA HAJI. AT THE PLACE WHERE I AM RESIDING NOW, THERE IS NEVER A PLACE WHERE ONE CAN FIND KAMPUNG DELICACIES THAT EASY. AND REBUNG IS ALWAYS SOLD AFTER BEING KEPT AS JERUK( OR REBUNG MASAM). THERE ARE A FEW PLACES OR KAMPUNG THAT STILL SERVES FRESH REBUNG, ONLY A FEW. SO I TOOK THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BOIL MY REBUNG WHICH MY FRIEND SITI HAD SENT TO ME VIA ANOTHER FRIEND. I HAD IT REFRIGERATED UNTIL THIS MORNING WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE TO COOK MY OWN MENU, MY STYLE. REBUNG COOKED WITH SOTONG! REBUNG DI TUMIS DGN SOTONG DAH MASAK ..!

AS SALAM, REMEMBERING THE GOOD OLD DAYS....WHEN MY SIBLINGS AND I HAD SO MUCH FUN EATING ON THE 'BERANDA'. AND TO FEEL THE SAME NOSTALGIA ONCE MORE WE FIND TIME TO DO JUST THE SAME WHENEVER MY FAMILY AND I ARE BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS. sayo pucuk bandung tumbuk.

BUAH DABEI PUCUK LABU REBONG KETEPUS AS SALAM, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE MY LAST ENTRY. MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN BUSY SINCE WE CAME BACK FOR THE HARI RAYA HOLIDAYS. AND THEN, THERE WAS A LONG LIST OF PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIDE BY SIDE EVENT OF MY CHILDREN'S ENGAGEMENT . BUT LET ME SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I HAVE FOUND AND COOK, A FEW VEGETABLES THAT IS RARELY SEEN HERE. BACK HOME , JUNGLE PRODUCE IS SO SOUGHT AFTER FOR ITS' DELICIOUS TASTE. ...and these?...ulat mulong. MENGKALAK LOKAN

BUMBU BUBUR PEDAS ASSALAM, DURING THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN, EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS MENU AND IS A MUST IN EVERY MUSLIM HOUSEHOLD IN MY STATE. THE PASTE IS MADE FROM POUNDED RICE (BERAS) MIX WITH REMPAH RATUS. TO COOK, THE PASTE WILL BE MIXED WITH ANY VEGE, MEAT OR SEAFOOD OR JUST ANYTHING EDIBLE, ADD SANTAN TO SUIT OUR OWN TASTE. EVERY VEGE OR ANYTHING ADDITIONAL IS CUT INTO SMALL PIECES. EVEN THE CILI OR SHALLOTS, GINGER, ETC. WE CALL THIS DISH 'BUBUR PEDAS'. MEAT SLICES VEGE SLICES DAUN KUNYIT/CILI SLICES MORE VEGE SLICES/SANTAN/BUMBU FINISHED WORK!

NASI LEMAK KARI IKAN PARI,IKAN PELALING MEE REBUS ASSALAM, AFTER LAST NIGHT DINNER, WE WENT BACK TO OUR LODGING AND HAD A GOOD REST BEFORE WAKING UP THE NEXT MORNING. WE SLEPT SOUNDLY THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT WE MISSED HAVOC CAUSED BY STRONG WINDS IN THE EARLY HOURS. AS WE DROVE ALL THE WAY TO THE FISHING VILLAGE TO HAVE OUR BREAKFAST, WE SAW FALLEN TREES AND A FEW WRECKAGE HERE AND THERE. JUST AS WE REACHED THE ENTRANCE TO THE VILLAGE, A GIANT TREE HAD ALSO BECOME THE VICTIM, HITTING THE GROUND JUST NEXT TO THE EATING PLACE WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE OUR BREAKFAST. LUCKILY IT DIDN'T HIT THE AREA, OTHERWISE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE OUR WONDERFUL BREAKFAST OF NASI LEMAK SERVED WITH FISH CURRY. A SPECIALITY FROM THIS SMALL FISHING VILLAGE IN TOWN. WE NEVER MISS HAVING BREAKFAST HERE AND HAS BECOME A FAMILY TRADITION EVER SINCE.  THIS IS ONE OF THE PLACE THAT ANYONE SHOULD GO TO HAVE BREAKFAST. THE SEAFOOD ARE FRESHLY BROUGHT FROM THE SEA AND SOLD ON THE SPOT. AND W

ASSALAM, LAST WEEKEND,PART OF MY FAMILY WENT TO LUMUT TO SEND ONE OF MY DAUGHTER TO HER NEW WORKPLACE. WE REACHED OUR DESTINATION LATE IN THE EVENING. AFTER SENDING HER TO HER HOUSING, THE OTHERS AND I WENT TO FIND OUR OWN PLACE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT AS PLANNED. FOR DINNER, THE WHOLE FAMILY  CHOSE AN OPEN SPACE RESTAURANT WITH SEAFOOD AS IT'S SPECIALITY. ACTUALLY THIS PLACE IS NO STRANGER TO US AND THE FOOD IS LOVELY. AND THIS TIME, THE FOOD IS STILL AS DELICIOUS BUT WITH A VERY LONG, LONG WAIT!......AND NOT TO SPOIL THE EVENING, WE COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER ABOUT THE FOOD AS WE MUNCH AWAY! WALAUPUN ADA KARAOKE! A BORING LONG WAIT SOTONG GORENG TEPUNG TOMYAM CAMPUR AYAM KUNYIT + SAYUR MASAK BELACAN IKAN MASAK 3 RASA FAVORITE ANAK2,TELOR DADAR