Tamarind Fish Soup Recipe (Sup Ikan Asam)

Sorry for my bad photo taking. I should have made it better looking.

Last week this dish just came to my craving. I miss home cook food from home. Bet everyone far away from home does have the moment of homesick and wish you can have your mama food. I wish I could have that.

This dish is one of my comfort food. I like it because it’s sour, a little bit of spice and a little bit of sweetness. I like the tamarind juice from it. Soo…. Good if you eat it over rice. I’m not sure if every house in Malaysia cooks this dish but I have to say… this is one of the authentic dish from my home. You can’t get it at the restaurant at all. Believe it.. I don’t remember anything about eating this in any restaurant in Malaysia. And what more, they don’t even has this in the States. I have no other choices but to learn to cook it. It’s part of my sweet memories of my momo. She made this all the time. I miss her already. Can’t wait to go home.

I’m sharing this to everyone that far away from home and wish to have some of it. This is the recipe for you. Good luck in trying!!

Ingredients:

4 whole small mackerel (ikan kembong), about 600g (1½ lb),

or 4 mackerel steaks (ikan tenggiri)

750ml (3 cups) water

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons tamarind juice (note below)

6 shallots, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cm (1/2 inch) fresh galangal root, peeled and sliced

2 red finger-length chilies, halved lengthwise, or

6 cili padi, deseeded

Method:

1)   If using whole fish, clean and rinse thoroughly.

2)   Place the water, salt, tamarind juice, shallots, garlic, galangal and chilies in a saucepan or wok and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3)   Add the fish and simmer gently until just cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately with fragrant fluffy rice.

 

Note: tamarind imparts a fruity sourness to dishes. To make tamarind juice, mash about 1 tablespoon of tamarind pulp in 2 tablespoons of warm water, squeeze and strain to remove the seeds and fibers.

Butter Cake Recipe

Baking is one of my favorite things to do in my early adult. And that’s the only thing I won’t get nag by messing the kitchen. And cooking never my favorite but things changed as we grow up. I found out that my talent is actually my hand. I love art but I can’t draw but I’m good in doing crafts. What more… cooking and baking is one of them?

Well, I did not bake for a very long time since last November which I made red velvet cake. Most favorite cake in America and me myself love it too. I decided to bake since my lovely hubby got me a Kitchen Aid for my valentine. Maybe not romantic at all but I really need it. And it’s useful too. Think and think…. I should go back to a basic one when I first bake. BUTTER CAKE!!

It might sound easy but it does not mean you can bake it perfectly. I love this recipe because it does not content a lot of sugar, which I perfectly like. I don’t like too much sweet on my stuffs. And the fluffiness of the cake is there and it’s moist. Everything just prefect!

Gave some of my friends to try it. Good review after all. One of the comments that I got from a friend – “It’s good! Taste better than Sara Lee. “ What can I say?

Ingredients:

280g (10oz) unsalted butter

225g (8oz / 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla essence

4 eggs

225g (8oz / 1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

185 ml (6 fl oz / ¾ cup) milk

Method:

1.     Preheat the over to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Lightly grease a deep 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin and line with baking paper.

2.     Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters until light and creamy. Add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3.     Sift the flours together into a mixing bowl. Using a large metal spoon, add the combined flours alternately with the milk into the butter mixture, folding until smooth. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 ¼ hours, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

4.     Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cook completely.

Storage : This butter cake can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cook dry place. It can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Variation : to make a 22cm (8½ inch) round cake, bake for 1 hour 5 minutes. To make a 20cm (8 inch) square cake, bake for 55 minutes. To make a 23 cm (9 inch) square cake, bake for 55 minutes.

 

Morimoto Restaurant, Napa

Hubby & our friends throw a surprised birthday trip for me. Don’t you agree that I’m the luckiest girl? A good hubby and good friends! They bought me to Napa to have some wine and a wonderful dinner. Of course, I kinda know something is fishy before the weekend came cause I’m cool like that. Just kidding…. Everyone spilled a little hint somewhere between the conversations through out the weeks. And I just have to put it together till the last day. In the end… who cares? It’s all about having good time with good companions. Agree??

I’m going to skip the winery experience and jump to our scrumptious dinner. Why? Because this restaurant deserve the write on my page. I don’t usually write about restaurant but I thought about it over and over again… why not? Since I’ve been to many restaurants and tried million of food. I should start writing about my experiences in every single one of them.

As I walked in to the restaurant; it does felt a bit weird on the restaurant setting  with the front and the back of the restaurant. The front seems to be serving a fast food kinda theme. And the back is where the real dining area. You get to see the kitchen and the bar as you continue walking in the restaurant. And you are surprised to see how many chefs working on your food in the kitchen. Maybe I should put it this way…. Sous chefs of Morimoto. Before that, the greater was excellent! Great smile! We got seated less than 3 minutes, which we got our reservation done.

 Our server is a nice gentleman. I’m glad that he actually explained to us everything and what he recommended us as a first time diner. And we all agreed and decided to have the sample set which cost $120 per person. And I’m glad we choose it.

Our very first place that came out that evening is Toro Tartar! OMFG!! I have to say… it’s my best tartar ever. I never tried toro tartar before and I have to say the BEST! I thought Kobe beef was the best for me… but today… I can’t forget the taste of the toro tartar. They have 6 different mix for your tartar plus a soy sauce for you to rub on the mince toro meat.    

Second plate that came out that night is Hamachi fish. I won’t say this is the best I try. It’s okay for me. The best Hamachi fish I tried yet is at Honolulu. Hawaii. I felt like… they did not use a charcoal to aroma the fish and the lack of lemon juice. My personal opinion, okay! 

Third, Morimoto style of fondue! Very interesting. As you can see on the photo below; the middle bowl for you to dip on your vegies is actually anchovies paste with oil. Not my favorite dish so far.

 

Fourth, Foie Gras chawanmushi! I personally love chawanmushi. Anything with eggs is love. This is one of the best for me. The mix foie gras with egg perfectly well blend in this dish. You can taste a pinch of the foie gras when you take a big bite. And what interesting in this dish is that, they gave u a dot of wasabi for you. Take a bit out of it and eat it together with your egg custard. Totally YUM O!! And you get few slices of duck meat in it. Just dig it!!

And last appetizer for the night, Sorbet with 10 years old soy sauce with some sweet cracker. Love it! When you put everything in your mouth… all you can feel it’s COLD and then it started to melt in your mouth. The sour-ness and sweetest of the soy sauce… … and I’m speechless.

 

Then…. Our main course came. First plate from the entrée is special pick from the chef for our nigiri. BEST fishes ever!! Best I tried. I have no idea how they ship it to the restaurant and maintain the best flavor of it. Fish was fresh, sweet and the texture of it.. My God!!

Second and last plate of the entrée is the surf and turf plate. Beef is Good. Sweet and tender. Pork, not my favorite of the night and the lobster is inspired by the southern. Cajun Style! My lobster is a bit over cook.

 

Last but not least, desert time! Favorite of the night! How I wish I can have my cream brute but that’s not the case. I’m not sure which one has the ginger taste of it. Ice cream or the cake but I just hate it. I can’t even continue having another bite after having it the 3 bites. I’m not a ginger person. So…. Sorry! Not liking it.

Before I end this post. There some more treats for all of you. We ordered a bone narrow to stop our craving and curiosity on the taste in the restaurant. I don’t think you need me to say anything bout it. Pictures speak a million words out of it.

 

WAIT…. More!

One of my friends decided not to join our sampler but to have her own adventure. And here is her own meal of the night.

I’m not so sure what is this. But base on her, this is Chirashi. Took a bite and it’s GOOD!

Rack of lamb with risotto. She finishes it. You can tell it’s really good!

Ice Cream Sandwiches. Sesame, Chocolate, Green Tea.

610 Main St
Napa, CA 94559

Savory Egg Custard Recipe

Do you ever try chawanmushi before? If you did; this is a different version of it. I personally like steam egg over rice. So good!! I remind me of home all the time because my grandma loves to steam egg with a little bit of salt for us. I think when she has no ideas on what to cook just a lazy day for her. Either or… it doesn’t matter. It became part of my memories of group up eating something so simple yet savory.

Same as this dish that I decided to try and share it with all of you. I never thought it should be so easy like A.B.C. So soft, smooth and the taste of the chicken accent in it. Prefect!! The salty-ness without the salt it in. Hmm……  Yum O!! I just want to have more each time I took a bite of it and wish I could have more room in my tummy to have another extra bowls.

Ingredients:

¾ cup chopped chicken breast fillets

2 teaspoons sake

2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce

2 medium leeks, sliced

1 small carrot, sliced

5 cups chopped spinach

Custard:

4 cups boiling water

½ cup dashi granulas

2 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce

6 eggs

Method:

1)   Place the chicken pieces into six heatproof bowls. Combine the sake and soy sauce, and pour the mixture over the chicken.

2)   Divide the vegetables between the six bowls.

3)   To make the custard, combine the water and dashi granules in a heatproof bowl and stir to dissolve; cool completely. Combine the dashi, soy sauce and eggs, and strain equal amounts into the six bowls.

4)   Cover the bowls with foil, place them in a steamer, and cook on high for 20-30 minutes. Test the custard by inserting a fine skewer into the center; it is cooked when the skewer comes out with no moisture clinging to it. Serve immediately.