Cucumber Salad

"As cool as a cucumber". True to that statement, cucumber is a favourite ingredient in salads accross the globe. I used to not really like it as a child, possibly due to a bitter first taste. They can be bitter at times. But if not, it tastes really good on its own, or with a bit of salt, or in salads.

This is a very simple, easy recipe I often prepare for lunch or dinner, as it requires no cooking at all and is healthy!

:: Cucumber Salad ::

1 medium sized cucumber
1/2 round red onion, chopped finely
1 green chili, finely sliced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon juice of fresh lemon

Wash the cucumber thoroughly and slice them, then cut away the middle seedy part, and cut into quarters.

In a bowl, add the cucumber with chopped red onion, green chilis, add in brown sugar and lemon juice. Combine and refrigerate to keep it cool. Can be stored for up to 2 days in the fridge. Serve with briyani, tandoori, or simply any main course meals.

Sweet Lassi

What would Indian food be without Sweet Lassi to sweeten and cool you down after all those spiciness? Not to mention it's health benefits of pure milk goodness in it..

According to Wikipedia, Lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink which originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It is made by blending yogurt with water, salt, pepper, ice and Indian spices. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin. Sweet lassi, blended with sugar instead of spices, is also very popular - which is how I made it.

It is very simple to prepare it and the only equipment you'd need is a blender. I had a big tub of delicious plain yogurt, and since the blender was right in front of me - a big glass of icy cold lassi would be perfect for the hot sunny evening.

:: Sweet Lassi ::
Serves 2

1 tub (500mg) of non-sugar added plain yogurt (low fat works fine too)
2 tablespoon fine white sugar
a handful of ice cubes

Pour yogurt into the blender, add sugar and throw in the ice cubes. Close blender lid carefully and blend for about 10 seconds, until yogurt blends well with sugar. The ice cubes will melt the thick consistency of the yogurt. Pour into a tall glass and serve with some more ice cubes.

This is not only cooling after a hot day or a hot, spicy Indian meal, but it is also very healthy - lots of calcium, good bacterias which aids digestion and more.

Stir Fried Kailan with Ikan Bilis (Anchovies)

Ikan bilis kering (dried anchovies) usually served with nasi lemak, rice porridge and with sambal tumis. As kailan (Chinese broccoli/kale) goes well with salty fish, I thought it would be the same with ikan bilis... when fried, ikan bilis is crispy and slightly salty, giving the kailan a fresh taste. You can always fry ikan bilis and keep it in an air tight container for a few weeks, for convenience sake.

Kailan is one of Malaysia's favourite green leafy vegetables - it is slightly bitter but have a crunchy texture. It is normally stir fried with garlics, oyster sauce and light soya sauce. Salty fish goes really well with kailan, so does prawns, chicken or beef.

:: Stir Fried Kailan Ikan Bilis Recipe ::

1 bunch of fresh kailan
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/3 cup fried ikan bilis
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

Cut and wash kailan, put aside. Mix the oyster sauce with water. Heat a wok or a frying pan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the garlic until aromatic and toss in kailan. Stir until leaves are somewhat darker green but don't overcook the kailan, as we want it to be crunchy. Pour in the oyster sauce mix and sprinkle a dash of salt (optional). Immediately transfer the cooked kailan on a serving plate, add the fried ikan bilis on top of kailan. Serve while it's still hot and enjoy with a cup of streamed jasmine rice.

Ayam Percik (Percik Chicken)

This is the 'true' Malaysian-styled barbequed chicken. Percik is directly translated as 'splash', let me tell you why in a few seconds. The marinade is made fresh, from local herbs that is then blended and cooked alongwith the chicken, before barbequing the chicken. And percik, or 'splash', is because as we barbeque the chicken, we splash or splatter more marinade onto the chicken to thicken the flavour. The result is perfectly barbequed chicken, moist and very tasty - capturing all the herbs that's blended and combined with the meat.

The origins of Ayam Percik is believed to come from Kelantan, a beautiful state in the northern East-Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Like many other local Kelantan delicacies, this recipe uses a lot of fresh local herbs and spices as the key ingredients. Chillies, Lemongrass, Galangal, Ginger, and Onions, amongst others, when blended and cooked, brings a rich and aromatic flavour that I simply drool over.
Some of the ingredients that I use to make Ayam Percik. These ingredients are also called in many other local traditional food such as Rendang, Curries, and more. I would say that these are the basic 'must-have' ingredients for cooking the Malaysian way! Easily available in the local market here in Malaysia, or in Asian grocery stores.

I normally have my hands full to shoot photos of the 'making of' my foods, but today, thanks to my kind husband, F, he managed to take a few shots while I was busy in the kitchen :-) Cooking this takes a few hours for me, thanks to my small kitchen, no griller or bbq pit, and the fact that it is my first time making it in a very, very long time... but it was all worth my time and effort - F loved it so much! :-)

:: Ayam Percik Recipe ::

Chicken pieces (I used 8 chicken thighs)
50 grams fresh santan (coconut milk) (or substitute with plain yogurt or some milk)
2 tablespoon of tamarind juice (or sunstitute with 1 tablespon lemon juice)

Ingredients to make the paste:
10 shallots
3 garlic cloves
2cm fresh ginger
2cm fresh galangal (it's ok not to have this)
2 lemongrass stalk (bottom part)
2 tablespoon chili paste (or substitute with fresh red or green chilis)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon belacan (dried shrimp paste) (optional)
1 cup water

1. Cut the ginger, galangal and lemongrass into small pieces (simply to ease the blending process) and blend all the ingredients ina food processor until smooth. This will be the key paste used as the chicken marinade, and the only thing you need now to cook the chicken.
2. Marinate the meat with the blended paste for 30 minutes or more. Meanwhile, cook some rice and cut some fresh cucumber to serve with the chicken :-)
3. Heat a large wok and cook the chicken with the paste, over a medium heat until gravy thickens, about 10-15 minutes and separate the meat from the percik gravy.
4. Barbeque/grill/bake the chicken pieces, splashing some gravy over the meat. Turn the chicken and splash more gravy until it thickens and the chicken start to cook (you can see darkened spots on the chicken).
5. Serve fresh from the heat and have a little extra gravy on the side for that extra dipping, trust me, you'll love it!

Nice to eat on its own, for lunch or when you have a party, and usually served with rice - I personally like it with plain rice or briyani :-)
What does it taste like? Close to satay, I'd say, but without the peanut sauce. I like my percik to be spicy and not too sweet. Many sold out there tend to be on the sweet side, but I prefer the gravy to be thick and always have a small bowl of extra gravy for my tastebuds :-)

Bombay Toast

This is a very simple recipe for breakfast. I make these about once a week on weekends no matter what time we get out of bed! It's very simple, both ingredients and preparation time. Ofcourse, I spent some extra minutes making the dish looks nice for a mini photography sesssion just for viewers of my food blog :-)

Bombay toast, also called French Toast for the French, Roti Telur for the Malaysians, and many more in various local languange around the world. We may call it differently, but it is all the same: plain favourite bread dipped in beaten eggs and fried or toasted until golden brown...

:: Bombay Toast Recipe ::
For 2

5 piece fresh bread
2 large eggs
1/4 fresh milk
salt & pepper to taste
butter for cooking

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl (ensure bowl size is large enough to dip the bread later) and add the fresh milk. You can also use low fat milk and still get the same delicious toast.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat up a large non-stick frying pan with some butter.
3. Dip the bread (whole piece), one at a time, both sides to fully cover the bread slice with the egg mixture. Do not soak the bread or dip for more than 3 seconds each side (we want the toast to be light & crispy).
4. Fry the dipped bread for about 1-2 minutes, tossing to the other side until the colour turns golden brown. It'll have a slightly crispy texture at the edges.

Very simple, healthy and delicious for breakfast, no matter what time you wake up!

Grilled Beef Strips Kebab

Grilling fresh meat and vegetables is interesting and fun. It's like barbeque but not really... cos I used a pan instead of a BBQ pit... but the smell is amazing. The texture is just nice - a little crisp on the outside, moist in the inside. Fresh and not oily at all.

Skewers makes it all more fun and easy to turn the whole thing - meat and veges around. Makes presentation a more... interesting. You can just marinate the beef with salt and pepper, or choose any sauce or flavour that you like, from BBQs, teriyaki, lemon & herbs, black pepper, tandoori, etc etc... Chicken, lamb or prawns works fantastic for grilling as well.

For my beef strips, I used what I had in my fridge, worchestershire sauce and a little bit of garlic oil I had left from browning some chopped garlic earlier. Frying garlic in oil not only smells good, but the oil itself is then richly flavoured with garlic, and can be used as a marinade for a lot of things!
:: Grilled Beef Strips Recipe ::
6 pieces of Skewers (bamboo or steel is fine)
about 200m Beef strips
1/2 Green capsicum, cut into 2cm squares
1 stick Celery, thinly cut
1/2 Green onion, cut to 2cm squares
1/2 Carrot, thinly cut

For beef stips marinade
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon garlic oil
2 tablespoons of Worchestershire sauce

1. Marinate the beef strips for about 10 minutes or more, and put aside. Cut and clean the greens and place aside.
2. Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 2 minutes and pat dry.
3. Start adding the beef strips and greens on the skewers, however you like it. Arrange the beef to be in between the onions and veges. Repeat with remaining beef strips and veges.
4. Heat up a grilling (or a normal non stick) pan, rub some oil on the surface.
5. Grill the kebabs about 5 minutes each side, on medium heat. As the beef and veges darken slightly, turn to the other sides to grill.

Serve hot, with some flavoured rice or pita bread. Add some of your favourite sauce to it and enjoy!