Sabzi Polow ba Mahi (Vegetables Rice with Fish)

Let me share another favorite Persian food which is sabzi polow (vegetables rice). Very delicious yet nutritious. Normally it will be eaten with fried fish, any fish you prefer. You can also eat sabzi polow with any dish you like. My way of cooking sabzi polow is by using dried vegetables because it is easier rather than using fresh vegetables which is not easily available in our market such as dill. 

Recipe:

2 cups rice (soaked with salt for at least 2 hours)

1/2 cup dried vegetables for polow (available in Persian grocery shop) soaked with luke warm water for 15 mins

2 tspn liquid saffron

oil

salt

Methods:

* Bring to boil 500 ml water, pour the soaked rice, boil until al dante

* Drain and rinse 

* In a pot, heat up 2 tbsp oil, layer the rice with vegetables, sprinkle some salt and pour the saffron liquid on top

* When steam come out, low down heat, cover the lid with kitchen tissue (to trap water drop back to rice)

* Leave for another 20-30 mins, or until rice cook, leave longer to get tahdig

The result! That crust is called tahdig

Our Fusion Menu

Bff and me, when we have time to eat home cooked meal, it will turn to fusion meals. The foods will be combination of Persian and Malay. It is not that I cannot eat Persians food neither bff cannot eat Malay food but, somehow we will not satisfy unless there is "something" of our root in it. For example, i will satisfy with my foods if there is spiciness which bff cannot stand on. So, I need to separate my liking from his food. On the other hand, bff likes sourness. Then I have to separate some with less sour for me. Today, we decided to have sabzi polow with mahi (vegetable rice with fish). After all what we have on our table are:

 Grilled Fish - must be served with sambal kicap in red bowl (grind soy sauce+garlic+chillies) - for me only =)

 Sabzi Polow

Stir Fry  Enoki Mushroom+Tomato+Squid

END

Sicilian Orange Cake (Cake-e-Portogal)

I did mentioned on yesterday's post about baking. I baked sicilian orange cake which get  positive critic from my permanent jury, who else bff. I followed recipe from the skillful Mrs Rima. But a little improvised since I did not have enough self raising flour.

Ingredients:
*250g butter
*250 self raising flour (i only have 110g of SRF, what I did was I mix 150g plain flour with 2 tspn of baking powder and 1/2 tspn of salt, after mixing, weight 140g of the mixture, sift and mix with the "original" SRF)
*250g caster sugar
*4 medium size eggs
* 11/2 tspn of orange zest
*85ml fresh orange juice

Methods:
*Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.
*Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.
*Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.
*Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.


The Outcome, soft and fluffy, serve with chai (tea) for breakfast. 

The Lowest Point of Mylife, How I manage It

I feel tired, zero energy, stress. Lately, my mind always full of negative thinking. Its like going to explode. So many things inside it. All are life stories, sad I can say which I never know where it will end. The sorrow life, when you want to go far? I wish I want to be me 20 years ago. Where everybody loves me. Where I am happy go to school. With lots of friends near. I got first place, everybody compliment, send me kisses. But life is flowing, I am now at the lowest point in my life I can say. I can easily feel down sometimes without reason. I need help seriously. I have problem with people, and I sense people have problem with me. I hate doing my routine jobs from sleeping, eating, working, driving. 


But I haven't reach the level where I need Prozac or Valdoxan nor going for doctor for counselling. Thank God there is one special person next to me who always say "I'm here for you, forever, let we face it together, azizam".  Which heart won't melt by pamper + supportive lovely words. God, please keep safe of this person so that he will be there for me always to protecting me from Your tests. I have a great bf a.k.a life saver. I love you tons azizam.


Guys, whenever you have stress please manage it  wisely because depression can kill you. What did i do today to cope with my stress are:
~ shopping, window shopping actually. Don't lock up yourself in your room because that small space will shorten your mind. You will think of doing stupid things like, jumping from balcony or staring at the blades. When you go out to shopping complex, your sight broaden as well as your brain. Especially when you find out that there is sales  happening =)
~ baking. Yes, I found out that baking can release my tension. It is different than cooking. I don't know how to explain, but it really work on me.
~ write down your feelings, share with others, yeah I mean I am sharing it with you guys. Sharing is caring right...
~ hear to instrumental or slow music or motivation music. Today I choose "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole. So I end my post with this song, til then bye..

Mung Beans Rice (Maash Polow)

First attempt cooking this dish turned out good. Simple yet tasty even I am not a fan of mung beans dish. Thank you to bff for cooking book, ashpazi Irani. I followed recipe from there.  

What you need:

~ of course a handful of mung beans (soaked for 4-5 hrs, caution! dont soak it more than 12 hrs or you will get taugeh (bean sprouts, as I've experienced it, muahaha =)

~ a handful of rice

~ 1 large  onion chopped

~ 1/2 tspn turmeric

~ 1-3 tspn cumin

~ salt

~ oil

How to prepare:

~ Boil beans until soft on medium heat, approximately 30 mins, drain off

~ Boil rice until al dante with salt, drain off

~ Saute onion until translucent, add turmeric and cumin, add the beans

~ Put in rice, pour 1/2 glass of water, salt to tastestir

~ Put the lid on, leave for 20 minutes over low heat until the rice cook, if you want tahdig, leave it longer on fire

 You can eat it just like that (vegetarian), but I served with lamb and fried potatoes.

P/S: Mung beans is great for Malay desert. Maybe I need to share how to cook "Bubur Kacang Hijau" a.k.a mung beans porridge. Until then, bye!

Songs for me =)

Have a beautiful night people!!

The Answer

Dream of holding, always

Aware of time

It might be still, it might be gone

The wait never end

Only one and only

Unless it break

The news of roses and birds are around

The sounds are bliss

Which heart can stop 

That day will come

When you ready to vow

When you ready for commitment

The above has always hear the pray..

Aku tak bisa luluhkan hatimu

Dan aku tak bisa menyentuh cintamu
Seiring jejak kakiku bergetar
Aku tlah terpaku oleh cintamu
Menelusup hariku dengan harapan
Namun kau masih terdiam membisu

Sepenuhnya aku...ingin memelukmu
Mendekap penuh harapan...tuk mencintaimu
Setulusnya aku...akan terus menunggu
Menanti sebuah jawaban tuk memilikimu

Betapa pilunya rindu menusuk jiwaku
Semoga kau tau isi hatiku...
Dan seiring waktu yang terus berputar
Aku masih terhanyut dalam mimpiku

Kaleh Pacheh (Sheep Head and Feet Soup)

This is Persian specialty I think. Persians normally eat this as breakfast of non-working day, which is Friday in Iran, and maybe Saturday & Sunday in other countries. During my second visit to Iran, I ate kaleh pacheh for the first time. This dish once appeared on a TV program, Food Safari whereby the host couldn't eat kaleh pacheh. She said, "You need to be Persian to eat this". Madam, you are wrong. I like kaleh pacheh. It is not too bad. Hence, i cooked it once and the recipe is so easy. Blindfolded also you can cook this.

As this dish is to be consumed as breakfast, you need to start the process around 11-12 at night because it takes 7-8 hours to cook.

What you need are:

1. Sheep's head

2. Sheep's feet (i didn't manage to find)

3. Turmeric

4. Bay leaves

5. Cinnamon Stick

6. Onions

7. Garlics

8. Chickpeas

9. Salt

10. Water

Let start!

 1. Put all of the ingredients in a deep pot

 2. Cover all with water, let it boil, then simmer with low heat, lid cover for a night. Make sure you set your alarm once in 1 hour to check the pot. But if you trust your stove, just sleep without fear :)

3. This is the outcome the next morning. 

The way to eat this is by separating all parts. The long time taken makes the bones easily to break. Then scoop the soup in a bowl, tear bread and soak in the soup. Serve with lemon.

Caution! You might smell like sheep after eating this. So, make sure you do not have any date on that day. =)

Kaleh pacheh shop in MahmoudAbad, Mazandaran, Iran, Jan 2011.

Loobia Polow (Rice with Green Beans)

I first ate loobia polow back on 2008, early on my relationship with bff. He brought this for me to my office for lunch cooked by his mother. Then, i shared it with my officemates and we agree to call this dish as "nasi goreng Iran" which means Iranian fried rice =). There is version used "gusht charkh karde" a.k.a ground meat, but this time I used cube meat. I love with lots of green beans and less oil.

Ingredients:
- 300g meat
- green beans
- 11/2 cup rice
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 potato
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1tsp turmeric
- 1/2 ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper
- juice of lemon
- oil

Methods:

Saute onions until translucent, add turmeric

Add in meat, stir until all sides brown

Add diced tomato, tomato paste, pepper, salt, and cinnamon

Pour water enough to cover ingredients,add lime juice, let it boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes

Add green beans, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until meat tender

Meanwhile, prepare rice. Boil rice until al dante and drain it

When the meat is tender, now is the time to combine the rice and the mixture. Heat some oil. To get a crispy tahdig, place potato on the bottom of non stick pan, layer with rice on top of the potato.

And then layer with the meat mixture with rice until finish

Cover the pot lid with a clean towel, this is the way to get a nice beautiful long rice grains, the function of towel is to absorb steam. Cook for another 30-40 minutes on medium heat.

Serve with yogurt and onion

Don't forget to try okeyy :)

The Journey

In the journey

We face problem

Don't surrender

There is sunshine

In the end of every nights 

Thank you, to stay still