A prolonged sickness

This week had been hectic. Work is neverending and time is always running. I have never felt so tired physically and mentally (especially) that I didn't do my body justice. Poor baby inside, berjihad bersama Ummi. To top it off, I am still recuperating from my ill-being as mentioned in my previous post.

I am still trying to eat right, properly adjusting my appetite. I really want to eat but I can just wish as much. I'd be lucky if I don't throw up the minute food enters my stomach. It's like my tummy and food are carrying negative charges; they don't jive. It struck me as weird that I had to go through this during my last weeks of pregnancy considering that I have had a breezy first 2 trimesters. And now hubby is joining the bandwagon of the 'tummyache'. Poor him. He, too, can't eat, vomited, and sights of certain food nauseated him. So we are now two adults with appetite malfunction we look miserable with food around you've no idea :(

So I (we) have been drinking a lot of fluid coz that's the only thing that's edible and does not cause me to throw up. At least something la kan rather than leaving our stomachs empty. And I notice that we prefer flavoured drink apart from air masak to relish our brackish throats. But that doesn't make us not hungry, still *tsk!*

Whatever it is, alhamdulillah for this test. I believe Allah wants to give us something better in return and also for us to be more contemplative of what's been happening.

InsyaAllah things will be better, I hope. Nothing beats wanting your appetite back and for one to be healthy and energetic, amin!

A Korean Taste

I had my very first taste of Korean food when I was studying in Sydney. It was Kimchi. It was introduced by my friends who were, at that time, crazy over everything Korean (DBSK especially). I love it so much I had to restock it everytime I gobbled it down till the last piece.

Kimchi is like a vegetable jeruk with some chilli paste, vinegar, and sesame oil perhaps? I am not really sure, but I know Koreans make their own Kimchi and refrigerate them and it tastes so so good. The closest to what I've had in Sydney is the one in Seoul Garden BBQ and Steamboat. Perfect!

And then, during my final year there, my housemates and I welcomed a new member, a Korean girl. We called her Kay Onnie (Onnie is kakak in Korean coz she's elder than us). That's when the Korean food galore began. She would cook her Korean dishes almost everyday and to my surprise they are not that hard to prepare, just like our Malay dishes. She even went the extra mile to buy halal meat (she didn't even stock pork in the fridge) so that she could cook for us and eat together.

That's my brother and I, with Kay Onnie, during my visit to Sydney in 2009 @Pancakes On The Rock

My favourite has to be the Chicken/Meat Bulgogi. And it's not even hard to prepare. The ingredients are :

Chicken breast/fillets or meat cut into cubes

(depends on the portion you're cooking)

3-4 tbsp of sesame oil

(I like it very much so I add more coz it adds to the taste and the gravy)

1-2tbsp of sugar

2-3 tbsp of soy sauce

(again, depends on your liking. If you want to add more no problem. It sort of balanced the sweetness from the sugar and it gives darker colour to the dish)

Capsicum

(depends on how much you want it in your dish. This can always be substituted with other vegies eg carrots)

Holland onions, sliced

(to me, a very important ingredient to make it look like a Bulgogi hehe)

Steps :

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well. Then refrigerate. The longer you marinate the better because all the flavours will seep into the meat. When it's time for you to eat, just take it out and pour the marinated chicken/meat into a pan and stir fry. You can always add some more sesame oil or soy sauce while frying.

Serve it hot with rice. Nyum!

Apple and banana bread pudding

I finally made this sugar free dessert for my boy after so many times postponing and delaying. And I have never felt so happy!

Got the recipe here.

The ingredients needed are very easy to get, that is why it is a breeze preparing this dessert. You need :

2 slices of wholemeal/whole wheat bread

 1/2 apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 eggs

2 tbsp of whole milk (breast milk or formula milk can also be used. I used fresh milk)

I small ripe banana

1tbsp of raisins

A pinch of ground ginger (optional) - I used ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

*You can follow the steps from the link I have provided*

Ready to be baked

After 35 minutes, this was the result :

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I thought it looked perfect - pale gold.

It tasted really good. No kidding! Yes, be ready to marvel over how good a dessert can taste with no sugar!

This portion can be served for three servings. Luqman seemed to love it :)

The only alteration I'd make if I am baking it again would be to puree the apple rather than slicing it thinly because it still is a little hard for him to chew (he only has two teeth). And I bet the taste will be even better!

So happy trying mummies :)

chef at home

Now that Luqman's older, his taste buds are also growing. Alhamdulillah, he doesn't seem to have any allergies towards any food consumed yet so far so preparing food for him is a breeze.

So, I have been cooking up varieties of recipes to suit his appetite and I am enjoying the fact that Luqman loves them all! And boy, he is such a big eater! 

This holidays I have prepared all his meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) myself, alhamdulillah. This gives me satisfaction as I can provide him with the best meal and hopefully will give him healthy benefits.

Below are just some of the meals prepared which I managed to snap. Just feel like sharing. I know they are probably simple and nothing out of ordinary, but it's my air tangan. Am proud of it :)



clockwise :

1. spaghetti in homemade chicken ball soup
2. Mickey-shaped pumpkin pancake/lempeng with unsalted butter spread
3. Batted chicken with bread crumbs, mashed potato and steamed broccoli
4. Banana pancake/lempeng 
5. Fried spaghetti with salmon and mixed vege
6. Lumpy rice, mixed-vege soup with celery, and fried ikan tenggiri 

Alhamdulillah, they all turned good. Some of the recipes are my own alterations from the recipes I found from the internet and online groups which I joined. They are really helpful.

I cooked most of the meals using either unsalted butter or Virgin Coconut Oil. They add on to the taste Yes, they taste good coz I have tried myself hehe


Enjoying his food with gusto!

Sweet Sunday

Woke up today at 10 am - later than I normally would - because we slept at 4 am. It has been 2 days now that Luqman decides not to sleep at night right after his feeding and made both his ummi and ayah zombies.

Anyway, when I was about to wake Luqman for his bath, I heard this distant machine-like sound. Knowing that it came from somewhere in the kitchen, I made my way there to find both my brother and sister, seated on the floor at the dry kitchen segment with a mixer and other related baking utensils.

That machine-like sound was the mixer, btw.

They were making red velvet cupcakes!

I didn't bother asking the ingredients and let them carry on. I was only interested with the red batter.

Then came the best part, filling in the cups with the red velvet batter!

It didn't take that long to bake them. The next thing I know they were all ready.

The cupcakes were a little bit deflated. However, they tasted out of this world! Especially with the cheese frosting.

The end product :

Hoomaaaiiggaawwwddd!!!

Thank You Farouk and Farah!

Lepas tu lupa nak kejut Luqman!

If only you sleep like an angel at night, too *sigh*

Asam power

I was first introduced to this restaurant by my in-laws. Didn't know what to expect, I thought Thai Asam Fish is just another eatery with Asam Fish as their ultimate dish attraction. Boy, was I wrong. This restaurant is the one where Asam Fish is concerned. This has become my favourite eat out that serves the best Asam Fish after Sri Thai.

Thai Asam Fish is a restaurant that offers Thai and Chinese dishes (with a contemporary twist) which are absolutely affordable and delicious. It is Halal. All the dishes come in three sizes : small, medium and large. One would never judge its outer simple look because you'd be surprised at how excellent the dishes taste.

So, my husband and I brought my family to this place after many canceled plans. It is located at Section 7 Commercial Centre, Shah Alam (near Jakel). This restaurant is just one out of many other eateries one could find at the Commercial Centre. We went there for dinner. So, let's see what we ordered.

Crab meat with tofu soup (de.li.cious!). It warms your whole body and the taste is superb!

Boneless chicken with dried chili

Sotong goreng tepung (serve with mayo and chili sauce)

Dried chicken curry

Butter prawn

And now, the ultimate dishes :

Thai (steamed) Asam Fish (we chose siakap)

I don't normally eat steamed fish, but this dish is an exception. The asam gravy is something I can never explain because it tastes so so good - masam, manis, semua cukup! - and I like the fact that it comes with long beans, tomatoes and ladyfingers, which blend perfectly with the gravy. The fish is cut into half and it is served boneless so it is easy to just scoop the sweet, fresh fish!

Deep fried siakap with mango and sweet chili (a must try!!!)

This is also my ultimate favourite. It's like kerabu served with deep fried fish. The sliced mangoes are so so sweet and sour, together with the red onions and parsley - out of this world! The gravy at the bottom is actually sweet chili sauce, but the sweetness does not drown the taste of the mango. The fish itself is perfectly deep-fried. I can eat this alone, like seriously.

See how full our table was? We also ordered three dishes of vegetables : Kangkong belacan, Mixed vegetables, and Broccoli with mushroom in oyster sauce.

Scraping off the last bit of fish and asam gravy :)

These are just some of the many many dishes offered. I can't wait to try the others on the menu which I bet are just as tasty. Oh, and the fruit juices are so refreshing. We ordered one jug of watermelon juice. They also have Chinese tea. I can assure you , you will not regret coming here.

Overall :

Cleanliness - 4/5
Ambience - 3.5/5
Worth the money - 5/5

oh crab!

After weeks of seeing it being featured on Warung Kita and Jalan-jalan Cari Makan, we finally set foot on the infamous Mee Ketam Kuala Lumpur, Section 7 Shah Alam. It was for ayah's birthday dinner yesterday, since he has been wanting to go here real bad!

As the name suggests, the menu is basically crab-based, with a few other seafood included like fish (only Ikan Bawal) and udang galah, and a few pasta menu.

My dad and I ordered their signature dish - Mee Kari Ketam.

Only RM4 - the portion is just nice and the crab is fresh and very sweet! The curry is good, but not exceptional.

My sister ordered white rice+chilli crab, my husband had white rice+crab curry and my mum settled for Crab Fried Rice (no pictures taken, though).

We also ordered the Udang Galah Masak Cili.

We had 6 of them. The dish wasn't what we expected - it was overflowing with gravy - but it tasted good (not excellent) nonetheless.

And so, the eating session began. A lot of peeling and sucking involved!

As for dessert, the Lai Chi Kang is very satisfying.

So refreshing!

My only complaint would be the stools. They're too small and unstable especially for a pregnant lady like me. My bum and back were in pain after sitting on it for too long.


Overall :

Quality - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Cleanliness - 4/5
Worth the money - 3.5/5

The food is good but not exceptional, but I say give it a try.

of food and cravings

I get asked a lot about my cravings, especially now that it's Ramadhan. Well, to tell the truth, I don't have any particular food or meal that had me really salivated (yet). So far, the cravings have been mild, nothing out of the ordinary. But I remember being a big eater for the first three months of my pregnancy. I feed on nasi lemak anytime I had the chance and swallow almost any food that's within my reach.

Occasionally, I would feel like eating something special like a dish my mom has never cooked for a long time, the laksa Jusco at Mid Valley (oh, it is heaven!!) and roti canai - it being special because I don't eat that much of roti canai and it has been ages since I ate one so it is kinda special. Once, my throat longed for that yong tau fu at Subang Restaurant and I raised both hands once they touched my tongue and made its way down to my stomach. It was that good, really, to have your cravings satisfied.

And that Dumpling Set Noodle at Ketam Village Steamboat which I am lost for words. After sooo long, it tastes so so good and boy, how satisfying it made me. My mother-in-law has been really kind so as to cook fine and scrumptious food whenever we pay a visit. She's an excellent cook, so my ferocious appetite has always been fed, without fail :)

As I am nearing my 5th month, I realise that I can't stuff myself with too much food. The result? Instant vomiting, which is gross and painful. Sometimes, I can't even finish the small portions on my plate. I have now grown accustomed to eating small every 2 hours to avoid being hungry and to save myself from vomiting. As for cravings? They are still very mild, but for now I have grown a liking for soy milk and anything soupy. And since it's the Ramadhan, Roti John has its permanent space on our dinner table, so far :)

Alhamdulillah, my fasting has been good and I managed to perform my tarawikh. Sometimes my feet hurt and they cramped but nothing serious. I hope to be given the constant strength to face the remaining Ramadhan.

As for now, I am looking forward to tomorrow because I can't wait to have Nandos for berbuka! Just something I feel like having, suddenly :)

simply deliciosio

The 4 days holiday is ending soon. Tomorrow, it's back to school again. Can I just skip these last two weeks and fast forward it to the 27th please?

My principal is retiring this coming Friday. That's probably the main reason why I hate the fact that tomorrow is the start of school. Major work to be done by all teachers. I'm pretty sure the upcoming week will be hell for all of us. Let's just say she's expecting a grand celebration of some kind which we hope will be pulled off perfectly. Moga Allah permudahkan segala urusan, amin.

Anyway. I'm just going to feed you with some pictures of food which I consumed for the past 2 days. Don't you just love holidays? They're a perfect excuse to forget about diet and the gym for once!

Nasi Ayam Manchongkam

Rizal brought me to this place at Section 7 Shah Alam. It specializes only on chicken rice. I ordered Nasi Ayam Garing and Rizal ordered Nasi Goreng Ayam Garing. Like the name, yes, the chicken was really crispy it felt like I was munching on chips! It was okay. If only the chilli wasn't too sweet.

Cooking with no recipe

My sister put on her chef-at-home-mode on and prepared us this deliciously healthy dinner. She doesn't have a name for it exactly because it's like a mix of this and that recipe she learned from the food channel on Astro.

Low calories chicken nuggets with mayonnaise dip, salad with thousand island, grilled bread with cheese, and the no-name dish (the filling for the bread)

The main dish
(ingredients : chicken breast cut into cubes, onions, zuccini, red capsicum, broccoli)

Ready?

Have a taste! Ayah loved it!

Subang Restaurant

We had our Sunday morning breakfast at our all-time favourite eatery, Subang Restaurant in Kelana Jaya. We ordered our usual Yong Tau Foo, Popiah, and Fried Kuey Teow. Nyum! After almost a decade, the taste remains the same.

Ok. Enough of that. Mari berpuasa sunat esok :)

3-day trip out of school

Today is the second day I'm out of school. I'm in PPD, joining other JUs (Jurulatih Utama) to settle the SAP marks for the previous SPM trial for all schools in the Klang district. Tomorrow will be the day when we compile all the results and analyse our district's performance in general and identify schools which are still in the 'grey' (weak) group. Indirectly, I'm also working for the Academic Department in PPD.

I can say that I'm lucky to be given the opportunity to be in the team for I am still considered a new teacher, masih lagi setahun jagung. I've been doing this for awhile and I think I like it. I get to meet teachers from other schools, discuss with them on examination related stuffs and learn from the experienced ones how they seem to do it in their schools. With the SAP team, I'm one step ahead from the rest in terms of having all the schools' results in my hands. Not to mention, it will help me with my 'Laporan Prestasi' as I'm involved at the district level. Also it benefited me last year when I got to check my sister's school examination results from the data we received from her school so that I know she's been telling the truth haha

Besides, I can actually spread my wings by getting to know people from the PPD and it's nice when people 'up there' actually acknowledge me because of my frequent visit there. They're actually really nice. So yes, when I'm called for any SAP meeting I am more than happy to be there because a trip out of school is absolutely haven once in a while!

Yesterday, when we have finished collecting the data from schools, I went straight to Subang Empire to meet my mum and sister there. We planned to have lunch and shop for my wedding bed set. We got what we needed at Tangs. However, we couldn't decide on where to eat. Finally, after many trips back and forth on the Ground floor (where most of the eateries were), we agreed on Tarbush - a restaurant serving Lebanese cuisine.

We've been eyeing this place for quite some time when we first saw it at Sunway Pyramid. But since my dad is not a fan of anything other than Malay kampung food and our usual eateries, we didn't have the chance to try Tarbush. Going through the menu, I noticed there were a few authentic dishes and some which I'm familiar with due to my stay in Australia before (thanks MacMuslim Society!). However, the main dishes kinda dissapoint me a bit for most of them were like a fusion dish of some sort. Tak authentic/exotic sangat.

My mum ordered fried dory with briyani rice (see what I mean?). The mayonaise (or was it?) was so delicious! I couldn't make out the ingredient but there was definitely a lot of garlic involved.

I ordered Tawook sandwich (which was superb by the way). Pita bread filled with grilled chicken, special sauce, and lots of vege. I didn't expect it to be served with fries though hehe

And my darling sister ordered Chicken Briyani which was good but not exceptional.

We were absolutely full when we finished our food. Based on what we ordered, I'm giving it a 3/5. We plan to go there again and try some other dishes, especially the shish kebab. Tengok boleh beat the best shish kebab ever tak.

If only Birkenhead Point is just within reach! Oh nyum! *drools*