keropok lekor

Traditional keropok lekor( is also called kpok gete in Terengannu) is made of fish meat, sago, and a bit of salt, and sago flour  too. The concoction is then made into unsightly phallic shape that is then boiled and optionally fried.
The keropok is usually served with chili sauce. In Terengganu, it’s home made goodness instead.


I have tried making it using Good ole Dori but in comparison the Macackerel would be a good less bones, choice. and color too,

Here a recipe I managed to get from another blogger

What you need:

~ 400g mackarel (saba) meat, bones and skin removed

~ 8 T heapful tapioca flour, you may not need to use all

some water

2-3 ice cubes (added during mincing to give the fish a bit of bounce)

salt to taste

a pot of boiling water

What you do:

1. Put the fish meat into the blender and start mincing it, add ice and continue blending it

2. Add flour 2 tablespoons at a time followed by 1 tablespoon of water to ensure the mixture is well blended

3. Continue adding the flour until the mixture becomes a soft dough and comes of the sides of the blender, make sure you stop adding the flour at this stage

4. Remove the fish paste into a clean bowl, with hands coated in flour, divide the dough into 8 pcs and roll them into a cylindrical shape

5. Boil a pot of water, when the water is boiling, drop the keropok lekor into the pot

6. Once it floats, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside to cool

7. Once cool, cut into whatever shape that you like and deep fry in hot oil, you can also freeze them at this stage too.

 

Morocco trip

Hidden in the midst of a rural Berber village with mud huts is an oasis of a little hotel, the Kasbah Omar, with every amenity, modern amenity you would wish for, spacious elegant rooms, comfortable modern bathrooms, wifi, etc., and yet, it still has the feel of an ancient Moroccan home (it has only about 8 rooms, each of which is beautifully and individually decorated and appointed), including the welcome mint tea, the hammam and spa, delicious Moroccan meals (actually the best we had on our ten-day tour of Morocco) and a fabulous manager who takes you on a tour of the village and introduces you to the way of life of these villagers that harkens back many centuries.

                                          The Courtyard in Riad Batoul Marrakech. 

 This is the gate to Sultan

 The walls of the Medina

 The Famous night Market in Marrakech

 With our tour,Kemal who is friendly and  well versed in English and ofcourse French. We toured the Tomb site of

A tajine or tagine (Berber: tajin) is a North African dish, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as Tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.

At the Fantasia

 Streets of new city of Marrakech

Originated from the Rif, the fantasia is a war ceremony which consist of opposing different groups of horsemen, each represents the best rides of its tribe. Each group quivers away in a glaring light, all its members point their rifles to the sky and shoot at the same time leaving behind them a tumult burst and shouts. Enjoy a typical Moroccan dinner which mainly includes Harira, Mechoui and couscous under caidal "tents". A traditional event including an opportunity to see the Berber folklore, the jugglers performance, the flying carpet, the belly dancing and finally the fantasia show.

A must when you visit Morocco _ freshly squeezed orange juice ..

beautiful door

the Couryard where we stayed at Riad Batoul

Lunch  at

Riad Dar Tim Tam

inside

Riad Dar Tim Tam

Losing myself in the Souk

The carpet seller explaining how carpets are weaved

At the Le fantasia Marrakech

On our way to Ourika

A berber Kitchen

many colors of the

our room in Riad batoul

Salam ..
 Alhamdullilah, my better half and I had the chance of a lifetime to visit Morocco and Paris last March . It was a very memorable journey, more memorable that the last few travels we had together .


I would recommend highly anyone who wish to go and visit Morocco ... Its one of the "places you must certainly visit before you die" kinda thing..

We had to travel from Brunei to Singapore to catch our connecting flight to Paris and on to Casablanca. I had this deadwish that when we reached wither countries, we must try to not sleep.. but alas, the first night in casablanca .. i was snoring like bably hippo ( to out it mildly, hehe) at the very back of the MPV, so dont ask me about Casabalanca by Night.. I only remember Rick's cafe and our room ...

Our reunion 1984 - 2010

Renjis

An excerpt from another food blogger. The literal translation of roti jala or Renjis ( as in Pic  with fillings)  is “net bread” in Malay. Since they do not look anything like bread (well, at least the ones that we’re all accustomed to), calling them “net crepes” is more appropriate. One might ask why go through all the trouble of making the crepes lacy? .

favourite pastime

Fisherman's Pizza

Tapak Gajah as opposed to Tapak Kuda

Creme Caramel

Some people asked me about my training, I can’t really get into details because it was a work related event. It was a grueling four days of Experiential Learning. If you are not familiar with the concept, check it out here.




It is a very effective method for learning; even though things may not hit you then and there, eventually you will get some insights. I’ve been getting some epiphanies over the weekend when I reflect on the course, some of these are direct concepts that they wanted you to get out of the class, but many are indirect.



One of the shocking self discoveries is the fact that I don’t believe in second chances. If I think I’ve been wronged by someone, I cut that person completely out of my life! I can count a number of people I stopped talking to, after they said or did something that annoyed me completely at the time, but on hindsight looks so silly!



After much soul searching, I figured the reason behind this behavior. It is rather simple actually! I am the center of my universe. I don’t give much importance to other people’s feelings. If someone says or does something that hurts me, I never stop to think why they did or said that.



Most of the times, if you take your own feelings out of the equation, it normally has very little to do with you, the other person is after all the center of his/her universe too. If you just think about the reason for the action from their perspective, it will put things in a new light. They might just be expressing how they feel at that moment, mostly driven by factors in their own life. Hurting you is the least on their agenda!



So, I have decided to look at things from other’s perspective from now on, and give people a second chance to redeem themselves. Obviously if someone continues to hurt me, even if I can find an excuse for the behavior, I will decide to either confront them, or stay away from them, depending on how important they are to me. I am human, after all!








I love Creme Caramel and found this easy recipe to share..



This creamy dessert is known by different names across the world – Flan in Spain and Mexico, Creme Caramel in France and Caramel Custard in England, Leche Flan in Philippines, Banh Dua Ra Men (Coconut flan) in Vietnam. In its basic form, it is just a mixture of egg, milk and sugar. You can always add other ingredients like fruits, nuts, spices etc to add different flavors to the basic flan. Here is how I made my pistachio flan.



Ingredients (For 6)

Caramel

1/2 cup sugar

4 tbsp water

Flan

3 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1 tsp vanilla extract/essence

1/2 cup sugar

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.



To make the caramel sauce, heat the sugar and water in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heat, and cook stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring till the sugar caramelizes and turns into a caramel brown color.



Remove from the heat and immediately pour into six ramekins or a large baking dish. Tilt the dishes to coat the bottom and a little bit of the sides with the caramel sauce.



Note: The caramel sauce solidifies in a matter of seconds, so if it crystallizes as soon as you pour it into the ramekins before you get a chance to tilt and spread it along the bottom of the cups, keep the cup in the microwave for 15 seconds. The caramel will melt and you can tilt the cups to coat the bottom. Be very careful with the caramel sauce, it is extremely hot and can cause severe burns.



To make the flan, process the pistachios in a spice grinder or heavy duty food processor to form a coarse powder. Break the eggs into the jar and blend again till the eggs are foamy and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.



In a saucepan, add the milk and sugar and cook on medium heat till the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is heated through, making sure not to boil the milk. Remove from the heat.



Stir in the hot milk into the egg-pistachio mixture, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.



Place the prepared ramekins in a large roasting pan, and add hot water to fill the pan half way. Divide the custard mixture equally between the ramekins.



Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes. Test by inserting a thin knife into the middle of the custard. If the knife comes out clean, the custard is set. If not bake for a few more minutes.



Remove the cups from the water and let those cool to room temperature. Cover the dishes and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours or overnight.



To serve, run a thin knife along the edges of the cup to separate the custard. Cover the cup with the serving plate and invert the cup, and give it a nice tap on the back to get the custard out.