Prawn Tom Yam

My all time favorite food. Never fail to satisfy me. Sour-spicy soup with herbs fragrance. Yummeh!
This food is originating from Thailand.  Bff has fall in love with Ms Tomyam once that he could eat it everyday before, but pity he cannot eat it anymore because the spiciness will give problem to his stomach :o(
In my experience, this is the only Malay food that can be easily accepted by Persians compared to other foods. They prefer chicken tomyam because Persians do not eat seafood much.
Let me share my way of cooking prawn tomyam.

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp tomyam paste
- 2 cm ginger*
- 1 cm galangal*
- 2 large onions*
- 3 garlics*
- 15 bird eye chillies*
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 bunch coriander leaves
- salt & sugar
- 1 kg prawns
- 2 tomatoes cut into 4
*slice

Methods:
1. Boil 1 liter water
2. Put in all sliced ingredients with tomyam paste.
3. When boil, add prawns, tomatoes, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, salt and sugar to taste.
4. Once the prawns turn red, turn off fire and put coriander leaves on top. Serve.

Heaven. More heaven to eat during cold day (raining). This is the food I will request if I get fever because it will open my blocked nose and I will get back my appetite. Try it!

Khoresht Bademjoon - Eggplant Stew

One of my favourite Persian dish lately is khorest bademjan. I really like the one available at Hamid Restaurant UTM. But, what more satisfying rather than the experience cooking it by myself. Moreover, I can put lots of bademjoon in it. Let me share how I cook this recipe.

You need:
- 2 eggplants (bademjoon aka bademjan) - Peeled, halved and salted it. Leave for about 1/2 hour. You will find the eggplants sweating. This is to remove the bitterness.
- stew beef/lamb meat
- 1/3 cup of split peas - Soaked for about 2 hours prior cooking
- 1 large onion - Diced
- 2 tomatoes - Diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 limoo omani (dried limes) @ lime juice about 1 tbsp
- Water
- Salt & Pepper

Method:
1. Dried pat the eggplants. Fry until golden.
2. In a saucepan, saute onion until translucent, add turmeric, meat, pepper and a little bit of salt. Let the meat brown at all sides.
3. Add in split peas, follow by tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir until the mixture thicken.
4. Pour water, put in limoo omani and wait until boil. Then simmer it in a medium heat for about an hour.
5. Place the fried eggplant into the stew and keep on simmering for 1/2 an hour or until meat is tender.

Ready! Serve with rice.

I Want One More Spring in Iran

I was born, raised and living in Malaysia. One season country, hot and wet throughout year. Thank God for that. I don't need 4 types of clothing wardrobe for extra $$ which means I can save (really?) my money to travel to countries with different seasons (hope so). Among the 4 seasons, Spring has always in my heart. The beautiful scenery in spring time is world heaven for me. And spring also very special for Persian (pointing to bff, hi! miss you) because they start their new year on the first day of spring.

I've mentioned, I went to Iran once on 2008 during spring time and i fall in love on first sight with Mr. Spring. First thing impressed me was roses on the roadside. Here, in Malaysia it is really a challenging task to take care roses. So, never dream to smell roses while you are driving. 

Apart from that, the most happiness spring-roses moment was when bff bought some roses from a man selling in the traffic crowd. It was very cheap indeed!

Then, the next morning I heard birds chirping singing spring songs while eating white mulberry from trees near roads. One time I passed a street near Ministry of Education Iran and I saw these trees. My bff shake the trunk and the mulberries fall, I was wow! collect! eat! free!!

Parks..Tehran is full of parks. Parents with children having good times together, eating sandwiches, nuts and drink mineral water from taps provided by the legal authorities. Yes, here in Iran you can drink water directly from tap. I hope one day Malaysia will improve its water quality.  

While couples holding hands together even it is prohibited, walking passing the beautiful blossoms of flowers talking and planning their future together maybe..

It was a pretty sight for me while drinking pomegranate juice.

Riding on donkey and horse passing a historical sign  to a place where you can find a refrigerator made from hole and flowing icy water full of carbonated drinks to wet your dry throats after half an hour journey up the hill.

My first time donkey ride. Pity to that baba bozorg..But what can I say, I've been forced to ride it!

Thank you to Khanoom Tannaz and Aghaye Ebi to take me here. We had a great time together!!

This is the historical sign (i have no idea what was that, can anyone tell me??)

This is the "refrigerator"

What else more exciting rather than touching the coldness of melted snow water running through the stream from top of mountain. 

Oh..I really want One More Spring in Iran. To Iranian Immigration Head Officer or maybe President Ahmadinejad, please give us Malaysians more days to stay in your lovely country. 14 days is not enough!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, yesterday one of my friend which is bff's best friend just came back from Iran and he tagged me with this photo taken at Mellat Park. Owh!! Hurting!!