Bakso Bodo

Bakso is originated from Indonesia. I called it bakso bodo because it is very easy to make. Bodo(h) direct translation from Malay is "stupid". While in farsi, bodo means "fast". In broken Malay language if something we called "bodo" doesnt simply means stupid but to refer to something that is easy and simple.

So to cope with the cold weather (winter in Malaysia is monsoon season, wet), it is very nice to sip a bowl of hot soup. Then, I decided to make bakso. After chekcing mr. refrigerator, I have all the basic ingredients. Sap sup sap after an hour tada!! My bakso is ready.

For soup:

Ingredients: 

~ 1 medium onion*

~ 3 garlic cloves*

~ 1 inch ginger*

~ 1 tbsp white pepper powder

~ 1 lemon grass bruised

~ 1 chicken stock cube

~ water

~ salt

~ meatballs

*blend

Methods:

1. Heat some oil in a pot and fry the blended ingredients and lemon grass. 

2. Add in water, white pepper, chicken cube and salt.

3. Let it boil, add in the meatballs.

4. Once the meatballs cooked, turn off fire.

For serving:

Some vermicelli, shredded white cabbage, bean sprouts, coriander leafs and dont forget sambal kicap.

Enjoy sipping =)

Instant Bubur Lambuk @ Bubur Asyura (Porridge) on 10 Muharram

Back at hometown, mum is cooking this special dish to take to mosque for asyura ceremony tonight. The porridge is specially cooked on 10 Muharram. I don't know the history of this dish but what I know is, I love bubur lambuk so much. I think we have different methods of cooking bubur lambuk. One time i ate Kedah style bubur lambuk which is brown color and texture like pudding. But the one I always eat is white..Whatever  it is, while my mouth drooling for this porridge, let me share the instant method to cook bubur lambuk, my way..This entry is special to my Indonesian friend, Nani who may try it at her lonely room at Aceh :-)

Ingredients:
~ Some meat, slice
~ A handful of rice
~ 1 cup coconut milk
~ 1 salted egg
~ 1 Cinnamon stick
~ 4 Shallots, slice
~ 4 garlic cloves, slice
~ 1/2 inch ginger, slice
~ Cilantro for garnish
~ Oil

Methods
~ Boil and simmer rice with meat until form a porridge texture and meat is tender
~ Add in some coconut milk
~ Crack in salted egg
~ In other pan, fry shallot, garlic, ginger and cinnamon stick and add to the porridge
~ Ready to be served with some fresh cilantro

Bubur Kacang Hijau - Soup-e-Maash - Mung Beans Porridge

In Malay cuisine, we have varieties of sweet porridge, usually consume as dessert. One of them is bubur kacang hijau. In my house, my mum will cook this for afternoon tea and whenever there is left over, she will turn it into "Malaysian ice cream". It is best if you add durian in this porride, but this time I didn't add since I will eat it with people that hate durian. So, here is the recipe:

2  handful of mung beans, soak for 3 hours
1 block of Malacca sugar, grated
250 ml of coconut milk
1 litre of water
5 tbspn of sugar
a pinch of salt

Methods:
~ boil mung beans until slightly soft
~ add Malacca sugar, sugar, coconut milk and salt
~ simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the mixture slightly concentrate
~ thats all!

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.

Home Remedy for Fever & Flu - Persian Chicken Soup

I have been drafting a post related to places i visited in Iran since last 2 weeks. Waiting bff to pass me some photos but you know..man..always like that..tomorrow..tonight..another 1 hour..but no-thing! Until i got fever + flu (is it really because of waiting o-O).

So, i treat myself with chicken soup persian-way. I fall in love with this soup when bff's friend Rezai (hi, i heard you become lecturer now) cooked this for iftar and it was so appetizing. Sour-hot-spicy, best combination for blocked-nose.

Here is the easy-peasy recipe (for 1@2 person):

Ingredients:
2 chicken wings @ whole chicken breast
1 medium onion**
1 medium potato*
1 ripe tomato**
1 small carrot*
1 cup of coriander leafs
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup of rice noodles - cut 1/2 inch length
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of blackpepper
salt to taste
juice of 2 limes
(*roughly grate)
(**diced)
4 cups of water

Methods:
1. Put all of the ingredients except lime juice in a pot, boil for 10 minutes.
2. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water reduced 1/3.
3. Add lime juice before serving.
4. Serve hot.

Talking about home remedies, i believe every culture has its own recipes, for example:

Fever:
Persian: chicken soup
Malay: chicken soup with lots of ginger & white peppers

Menstrual aching:
Persian: tea + nabat (rock sugar with saffron)
Malay:  tea + grind young guava leaf

Cough:
Persian: warm milk + honey
Malay: tamarind drink without sugar
Chinese: sugar cane drink + lots of lime juice

That's all i can think right now about home remedies. If you guys have others, please share ok. Sometimes we cannot rely only to doc's, following mum's secrets also helps! Till then, keep healthy always. :)

"Ash-e-Reshteh - Persian Noodle Soup

Some friends came for dinner last night not in my house but again bff's. Before this, there is request from bff to cook ash-e-reshteh for his friends as they couldnt find this dish sell at any place in Singapore. Therefore, i offer him to cook the soup.Coincidence, its raining monsoon here now. Everyday wet and cold. So its the right time to serve this soup on cold day (just imagine raining monsoon = winter) :)).

This dish takes about 2 and half hours to prepare. Yeah, so leceh! But yeay i did it and got complement again 1st from bff. He said "Boro befrush in ash" go sell this soup.

Ingredients:
1 cup kidney beans*
1 cup chickpeas(*soak at least for 2 hours)
2 large onions - minced
7 garlic cloves - minced
2 tspn turmeric
8 cups water
3 cups dried vegetables (special type for Persian soup) can buy from Persian grocery shop
100 g noodle (special type for this soup) can buy from Persian grocery shop
1 tbsp flour

For Garnish:
2 large onions - sliced
2 tbspn of dried mint

Methods:
1. Saute onion and garlic til translucent, put in beans and turmeric, stir for 1 minute.
2. Pour water, wait until boil, simmer for 1 hour.
3. In the mean time soak the dried vegetables in luke warm water for 15 minutes, drain off.
4. Put in the vegetables, cook for 1/2 hour with low temperature.
5. Put reshteh.
5. Mix flour with some water and pour to the soup, add salt to taste, simmer another1/2hour. Now the beans should be cooked. You can simmer more to deepen the flavors.
6. For the garnish, saute the onions until golden crisp and stir in dried mints.
7. When serving, spoon in some kashk to the soup.

Ready..the soup is thick. It wont taste like any Malay food. Not like our noodle soup (mee sup or bihun sup) Its totally different.First timer (Malay) will never want it again but when you taste it twice, for sure you want it more. :))

 Ok lah got to go to enjoy afternoon rain..Have a wonderful weekend with your beloved..