Weekend at ‘Lalah’ River...

In the year 2010, and in the month of June, it is commonly known in most Asian countries especially Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei that during this time (and it only happens once a year) the KING of all fruits will descend from the high trees. If you know what I’m talking about ... shout it out with me! D-U-R-I-A-N!!

If any of you do not know what DURIAN is, here are some reviews from famous travel writers / chef:

Andrew Zimmern compares the taste to "completely rotten, mushy onions." 

Anthony Bourdain, a lover of durian, relates his encounter with the fruit as thus: "Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother." 

Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says:

"... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia."

And you know what? I still remember watching Fear Factor and one of the challenges was eating durians. And none of them were able to do so! Man, I would’ve won that challenge easily!! Anyhow, almost every year my family invites relatives and friends to come over to our ‘dusun’ (orchard) for Durian Feast. We put up the barbeque, cook some dishes and have durians for desserts or appetizers, which ever you prefer. After deciding to do barbeque, I figured I should stay over at the orchard. I need to prepare the marinate, cut up the meats and set up the barbeque area. I use the recipe from Jamie Oliver’s cookbook which is truly the best marinated recipe!

BEST BARBECUE MEAT AND HOMEMADE BARBEQUE SAUCE

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

5 cloves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bunch fresh thyme or lemon thyme, leaves picked

Bunch fresh rosemary, leaves picked, a few whole sprigs reserved

1 orange, zested and juiced

1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves and peeled

4 heaped teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup organic tomato ketchup

8 tablespoons olive oil

10 bay leaves

1 (3-pound) free-range or organic chicken, spatchcocked or 1 (7-pound) leg of lamb, on the bone, slashed evenly 1/4-inch deep

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and light your barbecue about 40 minutes later.

To make your marinade, grind the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar with some salt and pepper. Chop the thyme and rosemary leaves, orange zest and garlic together finely. Put into a bowl with the ground spices, then add the rest of the marinade ingredients and mix together.

Rub your chosen meat all over with the marinade, really getting it into all the nooks and crannies and, in case of the lamb, the slashes. Place the meat in a snug-fitting roasting pan, top with any leftover marinade and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake the meat in the preheated oven until sweet and tender. This will take 1 1/2 hours for the lamb (but if you like your lamb pink, it will only need 1 hour), and 1 hour and 20 minutes for the chicken.

Now you're going to finish your meat on a medium hot barbecue. Place it carefully on the bars of the barbecue and sear it well on 1 side, then turn it over. While it's cooking, use your reserved rosemary sprigs to baste the meat with the sticky juices from the bottom of the roasting pan. Keep turning and brushing the meat until you've built up a lovely sticky, charred crust, then take it off the barbie and rest it on a serving dish for a few minutes. Meanwhile, pop your roasting pan on the barbie or over a gas burner and let the juices reduce a bit.

Carve the leg of lamb into slices or tear the chicken into pieces, and serve with a bowl of the lovely marinade juices from the roasting pan.

My mom usually cooks her famous fried fish in dark soy sauce with onions and birds eye chillies, ‘ayam masak lomak cili padi’ (chicken cooked in spicy rich yellow coconut gravy) and ‘sambal ikan bilis petai’ (fried anchovies cooked in sambal paste together with petai). I do have to apologize; totally forgot to take pictures of my mom’s fantastic food *oops*. People start to appear just before lunch, and they went straight to the durians. Typical Malaysians! Bbq meats ready, dishes were placed, everyone enjoyed themselves. After lunch few went for a walkabout around the 'dusun'. My dad planted dragonfruits, mangosteens; he raised goats, goose and chickens. The children had fun (including the parents)! Some went back for a 2^nd round of durians, others couldn’t handle it but took few to bring back home. 


That’s Durian Feast at Sungai Lalah'!  

   

   

       

“Sweets for my Sweet, Sugar for my Honey..”

I love to cook sweet stuff. If there’s a party, bbq, house warming or birthdays, I usually bring the cake, cupcakes or desserts. But I suck when it comes to decorations! I draw crooked ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ and lame cupcake designs. I kinda like have a specific type of sweet savories for every occasion and they are easy to do and taste awesome!

TIRAMISU

I learn to make tiramisu when I was in London.  A friend of mine who only knows how to make tiramisu taught me how to make one and my brother told me instead of using mascarpone cheese you can substitute it with Philadelphia cream cheese (cheaper). Ok here’s the thing, some people I know that is in the culinary world literally told me off bout using cream cheese in tiramisu! It’s like blasphemy for them to even think of using cream cheese! But hey for me it tastes delicious!!!!!

250g Philadelphia cheese or mascarpone

¼ cup caster sugar

300ml whipped cream

2 - 3 packets ladyfingers

2tbsp Nescafe

4 tbsp cocoa or Cadbury cocoa

Mix the double cream, cheese and sugar together. Dip the ladyfingers into a mixture of coffee, cocoa and hot water. Lay it nicely on to a pyrex. Spread the cream on top and sprinkle with cocoa. Repeat. Place inside refrigerator to cool

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

While my bro was still in London, me, him and his roommate (Dion) use to hang out at this cafe in Bayswater - Art Cafe. They serve the best éclairs, pecan pie and strawberry pastries..... (I miss London!). Since I got back I couldn’t seem to find a good cafe that serves good éclairs. Rather than using whipped cream as the filling, they use custard. Come on!!!!!!!!!! That is just not right! I mean I understand that Malaysian hot weather is not suitable for whipping cream coz it will not stand. So rather than feeling sorry for not finding a good éclair I decided to make my own. Came out great but gotto eat it there and then!

Pastry:

1/2cup butter (3.5oz)

1 cup water

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 medium eggs

500ml whipped cream + sugar (filling)

Frosting:

125gm dark choc, melted

60g unsalted butter, melted

Heat butter, water and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils and butter melts. Reduce heat to low. Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball. Transfer pastry to a bowl. Stir in eggs; one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease a baking sheet. Drop dough into 12 mounds, about 5” apart. Spread each mound into 4x1/2” rectangle, piling dough on top & slightly rounding the sides.

Bake until golden for 35 min. and remove from oven. Make 1” slit at the side of each éclairs. Reduce oven to 180C and bake for 10 min. transfer to wire rack to cool.

Fill in the éclairs with whipped cream and dip the top into the melted chocolate. Serve

CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA WITH STRAWBERRIES

Nigella Lawson is truly the kitchen goddess. I became an instant fan after watching her whip up this pavlova. I purchase her recipe book, watch her programmes and looking out for new recipes on her website. So I tried my hand making one and it became an instant hit with my family and friends and I’m telling you it’s one of the best desserts!

Chocolate meringue base:

6 egg whites

300g caster sugar

3tbsp cocoa powder, sieved

1tsp balsamic vinegar

50g dark choc, finely chopped

Topping:

500ml double cream

500g raspberries / strawberries

2-3tbsp coarsely grated dark choc.

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approx. 23cm /9” in diameter, smoothing the sides and top.

Place in the oven then immediately turn the temp down to 150C and cook for about 1 – 1 ¼ hrs. When it’s ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidness beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.

When you’re ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat bottomed plate. Whisk the creak till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over raspberries / strawberries. Coarsely grate the choc so that you get curls and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall as it will, on the plate’s rim.

Tray-baked MERINGUE with Pears, Cream, Toasted Hazelnuts and Chocolate Sauce

This is my other favourite pavlova recipe from Jamie Oliver. It just taste so GOODDD!!

4 large free-range or organic egg whites

1 1/4 cups raw sugar

Pinch sea salt

4 ounces hazelnuts, skins removed (optional)

2 (14-ounce) cans halved pears, in syrup

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70 percent cocoa solids)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped out (or vanilla essence)

1 orange, zested

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a sheet of waxed paper.

Put your egg whites into a squeaky clean bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of egg shell or egg yolk in them. Whisk on medium until the whites form firm peaks. With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and the pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the meringue mixture is white and glossy. To test whether it's done you can pinch some between your fingers - if it feels completely smooth it's ready; if it's slightly granular it needs a little more whisking.

Dot each corner of the waxed paper with a blob of meringue, then turn it over and stick it to the baking sheet. Spoon the meringue out onto the paper. Using the back of a spoon, shape and swirl it into a rectangle. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky inside. At the same time, bake the hazelnuts on a separate sheet in the oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Drain the cans of pears, reserving the syrup from 1 can. Cut each pear half into 3 slices. Pour the pear syrup into a saucepan with the ginger, if using, and warm gently over a medium heat until it starts to simmer. Take off the heat and snap the chocolate into the saucepan, stirring with a spoon until it's all melted.

Take the meringue and hazelnuts out of the oven and leave to cool. Place the meringue on a nice rustic board or platter (normal plate will do). Whip the cream and the vanilla seeds until it forms smooth, soft peaks. Smash the toasted hazelnuts (in a kitchen towel) and sprinkle half of them over the top of the meringue. Spoon half the whipped cream over the top and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce (if the sauce has firmed up, melt it slightly by holding the saucepan over a large pan of boiling water). Divide most of the pear pieces evenly over the top. Pile over the rest of the whipped cream and pears. Drizzle with some more chocolate sauce, then sprinkle over the remaining toasted hazelnuts with some grated orange zest. Serve straightaway. If you're making this in advance, get everything ready and assemble at the last minute.

CHOCOLATE PEAR PUDDING

Another effortless recipe from Nigella Lawson. I’m serious it is that easy and taste wicked! I made a slight modification to the recipe. I add an additional of half of the ingredients to the existing ones because I find that the pudding was not enough. 

For pudding:

1 x 415g / 14oz cans pear halves in juice, drained and cut into quarters

125g/4oz flour (180g)

25g/1oz cocoa powder (40g)

80g caster sugar (100g)

150g/5oz unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing (230g)

1tsp baking powder (1 ½)

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (½ )

2 free-range eggs (3)

2tsp vanilla extract (3)

Top it off with whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a 81/2” square ovenproof dish with butter. Arrange the pears over the base of the dish. Place all the remaining pudding ingredients into a food processor and blend to make a smooth batter with a soft dropping consistency.

Spread the batter over the pears in the dish, then transfer to the oven and bake for 30 min. Remove the pudding from the oven and let it stand for 5-10 min, then cut into slices and serve with either whipped cream or ice-cream.

CARROT CAKE (makes a 9” square cake)

Now this was my 1^st attempt baking a cake. And I promise you it’s the best carrot cake EVER! I’d like to thank my friend Juicy Lucy for giving me the recipe.  Love you gorgeous! (Picture: Mei's 2008 b'day celebration)

300g self raising flour

¼ tsp baking powder, bicarbonate soda, nutmeg (each)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

Pinch of salt

335ml sunflower oil

350g brown sugar

4 eggs (2 separated, 2 whole)

125g grated carrots (or 2 medium carrots)

140g chopped walnuts

2tbsp hot boiled water

Butter & flour for the tin

ICING:

130g unsalted butter, softened

300g full-fate soft cheese (Philadelphia)

120g icing sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease cake pan w/ melted butter and flour. Line the bottom pan w/ a disc of non-stick baking parchment. Butter the paper, then dust the paper and the side of the tins w/ a little flour.

Sift together all the dry ingredients. Separate 2 of the eggs. In the bowl (mixer), beat together the oil and the sugar. Slowly add the whole 2 eggs, beating well, then beat in the other 2 separate egg yolks. Beat in the carrots followed by the walnuts. Fold in the dry ingredients followed by the hot water.

In another bowl, whisk the 2 separated egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter. Pour in the batter into the cake pan bake for at least 45 min – 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Leave to cool.

ICING: beat all ingredients in the mixer to a thick cream. Once the cake is cool, spread it w/ a palette knife. Place it in the fridge to cool. 

So there you go. My chosen cakes and desserts for every occasion.... 

 

QUACK QUACK QUACK...

Since I discovered the joy of cooking, every birthday celebration may it be my family members or friends, I tend to try and cook something new or different. So for my bros birthday this year, I decided to cook the famous very crispy Sichuan duck with Chinese pancakes. I’ve never done it before. Did some research, look for a really good recipe on the internet and finally I found one. Ok here’s the deal. To cook a crispy Sichuan duck will indeed take you 10 hrs of cooking (more or less)! Urgh! Things I do for my loved ones! One thing I learn is that to make this dish again is better to do it a day in advance. For instance the marinating and the Chinese pancakes should’ve prepared it the night before, less hassle. And if you do it on the day you going to serve the dish, you have to start early in the morning.

Now, the process of making this dish was gruesome and at the end I am happy to say it turned out fantastic. Totally took me by surprise, even my family was surprised. The hard work truly truly paid off! The recipe that I got from http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/ is THE recipe to go for.

Fragrant and Very Crispy Duck
Xiang Su Quan Ya

Makes 1 duck, enough for 4 as a main course

1 duck, about 4 pounds, with head and feet on

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns (I use normal peppercorns)
1 star anise (8 robust points)
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry (or you could use white grape juice / apple juice)
5 quarter slices fresh, unpeeled ginger, lightly smashed with the broad side of a knife
2 whole scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths and lightly smashed with the broad side of a knife

Starch coating

Cornstarch
4 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons light (regular) soy sauce

Canola oil, for deep frying
12 to 16 chinese pancakes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce diluted with 1/4 cup water or duck steaming juices rendered during steaming

Season and Marinate
1. Use your hand to remove the excess fat near the tail and discard. Then cut off the feet, tail, and neck (and thus the head). Then cut off the wing so that all that remains attached to the body is the duck drummette. Save these parts for soup stock.
 
2. Toast the salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cloves until fragrant and beginning to smoke. Let cool, then transfer to a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Add the Chinese 5-spice and process to a powder. You should have 1/4 cup.

Rub about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasonings on the inside of the duck. Then rub the remaining amount of the seasonings on the outside. Massage it into the duck, even in the armpits! Put in a pan, cover loosely with parchment paper and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning midway.

Steam and Dry
3. Remove the duck from the refrigerator, if necessary, and return it to room temperature. Prepare a large pot of water for steaming. Find a bowl to fit into the steamer tray; make sure there’s about a 1-inch space between the edge of the bowl and the steamer tray wall.

Drain any liquid that’s accumulated in the pan. Then rub the duck inside and out with the rice wine. Put 3 slices of the ginger and about 2/3 of the scallion inside the duck. Put the duck, breast side up, in the bowl you selected for steaming. Then put the remaining ginger and scallion atop the duck. Put the bowl inside the steamer tray.

4. Steam the duck for about 2 hours, until tender. You should be able to wiggle the leg easily. At the 1 hour mark, lower the heat and detach the steamer tray, setting it aside to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile replenish the water in the pot, if you haven’t had to already. Carefully lift the bowl from the steamer tray and pour out the liquid into another bowl. This stuff is fabulously rich and there’s valuable duck fat. Do not discard it. Let it cool and refrigerate to separate the fat from the stock. Save it for other uses.

Put the bowl and duck back into the steamer tray and steam for another hour. There should be very little liquid that accumulates now. Once cooked and tender, let the duck cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Air Dry and Deep-Fry 
5. Careful slide the duck out of the bowl onto a roasting or cake rack placed on a baking sheet. Let the duck dry to the touch, 2 to 3 hours; put a fan on the duck to speed up the process. You can leave it out up to 8 hours.

6. Fifteen minutes before you’re ready to fry the duck, cut it in half. Put the duck, breast side up, and use heavy knife or cleaver to bisect the duck. Remove the backbone, saving it for stock or discarding it. 

7. Mix together the ingredients to form a smooth mixture. Pour or spoon over each half of the duck – making sure to coat both the outside and inside. Use your fingers to rub it in. Replace the duck on the rack to dry out, about 10 minutes.

8. To fry the duck, have a skimmer and ladle ready, and a baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towel. Pour 3 inches of oil into a wok or large deep skillet. Heat the oil to between 325 and 350F on an oil thermometer.

8. Meanwhile, simmer the diluted hoisin sauce in a small saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set at the table. Warm the Chinese pancakes and have them ready for the tables.

9. When the oil is sufficiently hot, dip the skimmer into the oil to prevent sticking, then put one of the duck halves on the skimmer, skin side up. Carefully lower the duck into the oil, which will gush up with bubbles to surround the duck. Immediately ladle oil on top to evenly cook. Keep ladling on the oil and fry for about 2 minutes, then carefully turn the duck over (have a friend steady the wok, if necessary). Fry for 3 to 5 more minutes, until crispy and brown. Remove the duck from the oil and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the other duck half.

10. When both halves have been fried, the skin should still be crisp. If you want to refry to reheat or make the skin even crisper, raise the oil temperature to 375F. Refry the duck in the same manner for 20 to 30 seconds total. Drain on paper towel (use new ones if the old ones got too greasy). Blot any excess oil away. 

11. To serve, cut up the duck with the bones intact, or cut the flesh and skin off the bones. Serve with the warm buns and hoisin sauce. Invite guests to make duck sandwiches by stuffing some duck and skin into the buns and slathering on a bit of hoisin sauce. 

Note
You can boil the leftover bones, carcass and skin bits for a light broth. Leftovers are terrific and you can reheat the duck in a toaster oven. Or make terrific fried rice or stir-fries with shredded duck meat and strips of skin.

Oh yeah, my sis in law ordered a birthday cake for my bro. Cool huh? Check out the bakers Facebook for other cakes http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Petaling-Jaya-Malaysia/Asmaradana-Cakes/72002837157?ref=ts&ajaxpipe=1&__a=22

After we celebrated my bros birthday, the men quickly dash off in front of the TV to watch the World Cup. So me being such a good daughter and sister, I made some popcorn. Very easy to make! I made the salty ones and the caramel ones.

     

POPCORN

1 cup kernel seeds

1/2cup of vegetable oil

½ cup / 4oz / 1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup corn syrup

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of popping corn. If corn slowly turns around in a circle then oil is hot enough. Add the remaining corns. Cover. When the corn starts popping, shake the saucepan gently. Once the corn stops popping, remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl.

Preheat oven 150C. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 min.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.

Place in 2 long shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 min for 1 hr. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.