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Monday 28 December 2015

Gulai Sotong

Salam bahagia,

Dah makan tengahari ke? Tak makan lagi? Ehh..tak percaya saya.. dah hampir pukul dua. Pasti perut dah berkeroncong kalau belum makan lagi.

Hari ni saya buat gulai sotong. Gulai ni lebih kurang cara yang sama dengan gulai udang jugak. Tapi tak pa lah, untuk memeriahkan blog saya, saya masukkan juga resipi ni.

Bahan yang diperlukan :

Semestinya sotong  (kuantitinya ikut keperluan kita)
3 sudu makan rempah daging + 1/2 cawan air + 1sudu teh serbuk kunyit
1 sudu kecil jintan manis
1 batang kecil kulit kayu manis
Daun kari
2 biji ubi kentang di potong kecil
2 biji tomato
sedikit kcg panjang
1/2 cawan santan
1 cawan air
1 keping asam keping
2 butir cili hijau dibelah dua.
1 batang serai dititik
Sedikit garam
Sedikit gula

Bawang merah
Bawang putih
Halia
(Semua bahan ini dimayang)


Penyediaannya :

1) Mula-mula sangai jintan manis didalam periuk atau kuali tanpa minyak.

2) Bila dah naik bau, masukkan sedikit minyak untuk menumis.


3) Bila minyak dah agak panas, campak masuk bwg merah, bwg putih, serai, halia dan daun kari.

4) Tumis sehingga agak kekuningan.


5) Setelah itu, tuang masuk pes rempah bersama ubi kentang dengan menggunakan api sederhana.
    Biarkan sampai pecah minyak.

6) Sekarang tambah secawan air dan biar lagi sehingga ubi empuk. Waktu ni masukkan tomato.
    Mungkin ambil masa 10 minit utk ubi tadi empuk.

7) Bila dah empuk, baru masukkan santan, garam, gula dan asam keping.
    Biar sampai mendidih dan kuatkan api.

8) Terakhir, dan paling penting, masukkan sotong juga kcg panjang sejurus sebelum menutup api.
    Sotong tidak perlu dimasuk terlalu lama. Ia akan menjadi liat kalau terlebih masa.
    Cukup selama lebih kurang 5 minit.


9) Tutup api dan keluarkan dengan segera sotong dan kuahnya sekali kedalam mangkuk supaya
    sotong tidak terus masak didalam periuk yang masih panas.

10) Gulai sotong siap untuk dimakan.

Anggaran costing :

Sotong 5 ekor    - RM 5.00
Santan              - RM 0.50
Semua rempah
ratus                 - RM 4.00

Jumlah             = RM 9.50 (untuk hidangan 4 ~ 5 orang)

---------------------------------------

Salam dari saya,
Rose
29th.Dec '15

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Blog beautifulwomenthink.blogspot


I had just realized that all my articles had been copied page by page by the above blogger. He or she had been vandalizing my blog since 2012. There was no credit given to me and all the articles were copied word by word and made it looked like beautifulwomenthink.blogspot owned this blog.

I am telling you, whoever you are to bring down all my articles immediately. Failing to do so, I will seek an authority to remove your blog permanently.

Rose Rahim
24th.Dec '15

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Makan Di Paratha Crispy Popiah

Assalamualaikum,

Kalau di lihat pada nama kedai ni macam bunyi kedai mamak, tak gitu? Bila saya Google cuba cari siapa pemiliknya, apa yang saya dapat adalah, kedai ini dimiliki bersama oleh Cimb dan Mapletree Management.

Kalau tak silap saya, ada 4 cawangan Paratha Popiah ni. Yang saya pergi hari tu terletak di Jaya Shopping Centre di P.J.


Sebab saya menulis tentang outlet ini ialah sebab makanannya agak memuaskan. Saya order Signature Rice dengan Ayam.


Sara pulak minta Nasi dengan Rendang Ayam.


Sebagai side order, kami minta popiah basah. Ok sekarang the review, Nasi signature yang saya order, saya boleh kata memenuhi citarasa saya. Sedap walaupun makan nasi kosong tanpa apa-apa.
Nasi rendang ayam yang Sara order, kurang menyengat. Rasa biasa biasa saja.
Popiah pun bagi saya tak boleh lawan popiah basah Tanjong Tokong, Penang. Banyak tempat yang saya dah cuba makan, tetapi yang di Penang tu jugak menjadi pujaan hati ku.

Yang bestnya, tengah kami mengadap makan, tetiba, pelayan membawa rojak buah ke meja kami. Saya katakan tak order sebab dah tentu-tentu tak boleh habis kesemua makanan yang ada. Rupa-rupanya, rojak tu complimentary. Free lah kira nya tu. Rojak memang sedap, bukan sedap free aja, tapi memang sedap!

Sebab tu hari ni saya masukkan tempat ni buat tatapan semua walaupun selalunya makanan di mall ni rasanya lebih kurang sama.

Saya lupa harga kesemuanya tapi rasanya tak melebihi RM 50.00 untuk 2 jenis nasi, popiah dan juga air.

Jadi kalau nak cuba rojak buah yang sedap tu bolehlah ke sana atau mana-mana cawangannya yang lain.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
22nd.Dec '15

Tuesday 15 December 2015

Makan Makan Di Pantai Cenang

Assalamualaikum semua,

Semalam (15/12/15) saya berpeluang balik sekejap ke Langkawi. Yayy..dah setahun saya tak kesana, al maklumlah sibuk sedia kala di Sg Buloh ni.

Sebenarnya saya ikut Soffian balik sebab dia nak attend wedding best friend dia jadi saya pun ikut jugalah. Sampai di Langkawi, kami berpecah, dia ikut kawan-kawan dia yang berkodi-kodi di Langkawi ni manakala saya ikut anak sulung saya, Ariff yang sudah pun menunggu setibanya saya di sana.

Tanya Ariff pada saya, ma nak makan apa malam ni. Jawab saya ma nak makan yang simple tapi tempat yang selesa. Biasalah, saya kurang makan sebelah malam. Mana tau tiba-tiba dia bawa saya ke satu tempat di Pantai Cenang, The Brasserie nama restaurant tu. Pemilik dia mat salleh. Kalau dah mat salleh punya dah tentu semua makanan dia western dan dah tentu-tentu mahal.
Tapi tak pa lah since Ariff yang belanja bukan saya.



Pada yang teringin nak kesini, anda harus ke Pantai Cenang dulu. Agak susah saya nak describe jalan nak masuk ke restaurant ni sebab ianya terletak dibelakang, iaitu menghadap ke laut. Apa-apapun cuba cari Cenang Mall dulu, bila dah jumpa, kena cross the road, meaning restaurant ni bertentangan dengan Cenang Mall. Dari situ jalan masuk sehingga ke pantai. Anda akan jumpa restaurant ni di situ.


Disebabkan kami berdua sampai pada waktu makan malam, berpeluang juga tengok kerlipan lampu-lampu di tengah laut yang meriah. Tahu kenapa banyak lampu sebegitu? Ini masa mencandat sotong. Musim menangkap sotong di Langkawi.


Ini yang saya order, seafood pasta. Harga RM 32.00 kalau tak silap.


Ini yang Ariff punya, Chicken Breast with Spinach. Saya tulis biar senang di paham, kalau ikut menu rasa nak makan pun tak tahu apa ke benda nya yang dia orang hidang ni. Yang ini kalau tak silap RM 36.00

Di samping itu, ada complimentary side dish iaitu multi grain bread, garlic bread dengan sosnya minyak zaitun dan bwg putih.

Hidangan ni dikira starter belum lagi main course. Kalau main course kopak jugak kot.
Apa pun, saya enjoy spaghetti udang tu dan ayam yang Ariff order pun sangat sangat sedap. Ayam tak kering dan di masak sempurna.

Harga semua sekali lebih kurang RM 96.00. Apa pendapat anda? Kalau anda inginkan suasana yang santai dan romantik, ini adalah tempat yang sempurna. Cuma satu yang menjadi masaalah buat saya, tempat ni terlalu gelap sampai nak baca menu kena buka cahaya dari handphone. Ingatkan saya sorang saja begitu, rupanya berderet-deret mat salleh yang datang selepas kami pun terpaksa berbuat demikian.

Jadi, itu saja entry saya untuk hari ini.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
16th.Dec '15

Thursday 10 December 2015

Boys Are Hard To Handle, But They Are Fun To Be With

Hey people!

Going through Soffian's closet the other day, I thought of calling for some help. It was in an immediate call out for help state. I told him before that I was never ever going to tidy up his room or his clothing, but every time I enter his room, I had a perpetual head ache. The smell of cigarette, the cigarette ash that stuck to my feet whenever I stepped inside his room and the bed that was never made up.

How do you think I would react? Yep, goes without saying.. I nagged. But what good does it do? It only falls on deaf ears. When will he grow up, if he ever will!!
He needs constant reminder from me for almost everything that needed to be done. Take for instance, his cell phone. I need to remind him if the phone was with him before leaving the house. He doesn't seem to take things seriously.

For those who have been following my blog, you may have read My Boys Their Antics Gave Me Headaches . From there alone, you can sum up how tough my life is to watch over him. He'd do things you never thought he'd dare to do.
He'd give bad advise and bad influence to both his sisters. There was one day, Sara was driving and he was sitting in the front passenger's seat while I was at the back seat. Suddenly a car came close and tried to overtake us in a dangerous manner. Sara was still quite new in her driving and she was a little intimidated with what the guy did. Soffian on the other hand, sat bold upright in his seat and coached her, "Go to the next lane and drive at par with that driver." To which Sara replied, "Why should I do that?"
"Because instead of getting furious with that guy and him not knowing it, you should confront him. Now go, drive until you're at par with him, turn your face towards him and look him in the eyes. Show him that you're not afraid of him."

I know he sometimes did that just to arouse my anger or to see my reaction, but that is not the right thing to teach his sister who is still a freshie when it comes to driving. What if she was alone driving and she faced the same situation on her own? Would she dare to drive up next to one particular driver and eyeballed that guy? She'd be looking for a deep trouble.

He is and will always be a boy that will keep his mischievousness and bad boy attitude for a long time. I don't see any changes coming in the near future. At home, he'd always pick on Sophie. He'd punch her like she was his little brother and he'd call her names. Most of the time she'd ignore him. Other time she'd retaliate and fight back. At the end of it, my name will be called out, "Ma, look at Pian." And as always he'd go like, "No Ma, she started first."
If I didn't know better.. I'd surely believe him rather than Sophie.

Why am I blabbering about Soffian today? Because he is one of a kind. I've crossed path with mothers who complained about their son's mischief and having difficult time looking after them. I dare say what they went through were not even half of what I had been through.

Boys are hard to handle, yes, I can vouch for that! But they're also fun to be with. Put aside your anger and wariness (of your own child) and try to enjoy having them around.
I mean, you wouldn't see your daughter holding someone else's toddler upside down and swaying back and forth with that toddler giggling away happily. Only boys do that.

 That boy who is afraid of nothing suddenly went white as sheet when a frog leapt in front of him. Man! That was a sight to behold.

That boy who would occasionally lie down next to you and  talk to you about his day at his working place.

That boy who would laugh heartily at my cursing and swearing since he seldom hear me swear. That reminds me of Adam Sandler's Big Daddy movie. Remember, the little boy who would only laugh at
other people's expense?

At home, the three of us girls, Sophie, Sara and me prefer men company than the girls. Call it sexist if you want but we find it much easier to get connected with boys rather than girls. Boys are straight forward species. They say things that sometimes hurt our feelings but it's the fact. Take for instance, I don't look like a million dollar one particular day. An old male friend came by and saw me looking like a typical boring housewife. Instead of the sweet and pleasing greeting, his way of saying hello is this, " You looked terrible!"
Well what can I say. I wanted to be accepted in the men's company so I had to swallow the insult. But at least I know they are being honest.

A few years back, when I was still working, most of my staff were male. On the day when they were free from any assignment, they'd sit around the office and we chat about unimportant things. Sometimes we end up playing cards just to ease the stress of too much work load. (No money involved)

To care for Soffian and not to give up on him was never an easy task. He had done almost everything that could give a mother a permanent nightmare.  I shed too many tears for him all these years but I am proud to say that by enjoying the fun side of him makes me a better mom.

He had once said to me, ' I told my friend before, if it's were not for my mom, I don't know where I'd be today.' To me that was a brave confession.

I respect my children as much as they respect me. By doing so, I became the center of their lives. They love me for always being there for them, for loving them unconditionally and for simply being their mom.

For mothers with boys who'd sometimes get on your nerves, try to spend some time with them and be gentle. Most of these kids were looking for ways to get our attention. They felt they were not up to our expectations and are not good enough for us. They were bound to commit some nasty or silly mistakes on their way to adulthood.
Do not give up on them. Our love means the world to them.

I should stop now. My back is aching badly. Need to lie down a little. Have a nice evening everybody and be good to each other!

Rose
10th.Dec '15


Tuesday 1 December 2015

Makan- Makan Di Alam Budiman

Salam semua,

Hari Ahad lepas ( 29hb.Nov), saya bersama Sophie dan Sara tidak kemana-mana, kiranya free lah hari tu. Sophie ajak saya dan adiknya keluar makan. Saya tanya nak makan kat mana, dia kata kat mana yang kereta kita bawa kita pergi.

Jadi, kami  jalan-jalan ke arah Puncak Alam ambil tengok rumah-rumah kediaman yang banyak dibina disitu.
Kami ikut sehingga jalan menunjukkan kami menghala ke Shah Alam. Kami melepasi satu lampu isyarat apabila saya ternampak satu deretan shop lot disebelah kanan kami. Di salah satu papan tanda disitu tertulis Restoran Haji Sharin Low.



Restoran ini terletak di Alam Budiman, Shah Alam.  Kami sampai agak awal, iaitu baru pukul 12 tghari. Sebelum kesini, saya dah biasa nampak restoran ni di tempat lain, maknanya ada beberapa cawangan di sekitar Selangor ni tapi tak pernah berkesempatan nak menjamu selera disini.


Apa yang saya suka disini ialah, menu yang disediakan adalah mesra pelanggan. Semua orang boleh makan disini. Kita sedia maklum yang makanan Cina selalunya agak mahal (selalunya melebihi bajet kita), tetapi disini menunya  disediakan dengan cara set menu.

Walaupun jenis setnya ialah satu set merangkumi 1 nasi dan 1 jenis lauk, tetapi kita mempunyai pilihan untuk membuat pesanan mengikut kegemaran kita.


Ini set yang Sara minta, nasi and sour & sour sauce. Kalau tak silap harganya RM 9.00



Yang ini pula Sophie punya, Kung Pao Chicken.


Dan ini yang saya order, Kam Heong Fish. Saya order yang ini sebab waiter tu cakap rasanya pedas. Itu sebabnya saya order yang ini, tapi pedasnya lebih kepada pedas rempah kari bukan cili.


Side order kami ialah lemon chicken. Kenapa banyak sangat chicken sebab budak budak ni hanya akan rasa lebih hidup kalau dapat makan ayam..hai..tak tau nak kata apa lagi dah!

Apa pendapat saya tentang restoran ni? Jawapan nya ialah tidak mengecewakan. Servis agak cepat. Kami hanya tunggu lebih kurang 10 minit sebelum pesanan kami sampai.
Saya kira ada lebih kurang 5 orang waiter dan 5 orang tukang masak. Itu yang saya nampak pada waktu itu. Semua budak lelaki jadi mereka lebih pantas bergerak.

Tentang makanannya pulak, juga tidak mengecewakan. Kalau drp 5 bintang, saya bagi 3 bintang. Portion makanan agak besar dan rasa rempah ratusnya ada.

Harganya? Bagi saya sangat berpatutan. Kesemua hidangan diatas yang kami makan ditambah dengan 3 gelas air, semuanya pada harga RM 45.10.

Macam mana? Harganya agak munasabah kan? Cuma satu yang saya kurang pasti, adakah cawangan nya ditempat lain mempunyai servis yang cergas seperti disini dan bagaimana pulak kualiti makanan di cawangan lain itu?

Apa pun, I was very happy we picked this place for our girl's day out lunch!
Happy makan semua.

Rose
2nd.Dec '15

Thursday 26 November 2015

Sos Cili Thai


Assalamualaikum semua!

Makan ayam goreng, nak sos cili Thai, makan udang/sotong goreng tepung, nak sos cili Thai, makan koay teow goreng pun nak bubuh sos cili Thai. Itu senario di rumah saya.

Sebab saya berletiaq ni (orang Kedah punya ayat- maknanya berleter lah tu) ialah sebab selang 2 hari nak kena beli sos Thai tu, bukannya murah pulak tu. Harga sebotol rasanya dekat 6 ringgit.

Jadi, dari dok habis ayaq liuq (air liur) beletiaq kat depa, baik saya buat sendiri. Bukannya susah pun nak buat. Modalnya? Kena rajin sikit.

Ini dia bahan-bahannya. Sangat senang dicari di pasar atau didalam rumah kita.


Cili merah yang segar ( saya pakai 5 biji, ikut berapa pedas yg anda suka)
4 ulas bawang putih
1/2 cawan gula putih
sikit garam utk perisa
2 sudu besar cuka
2 gelas air
1 sudu makan tepung ubi yang dicampur dgn sedikit air menjadi pes cair

Cara penyediaan :

1) Mesin cili dan bawang putih (dengan sedikit air). Jangan terlalu hancur.
2) Keluarkan dari mesin. Masukkan kedalam periuk bersama dengan 2 gelas air tadi dan masak atas api perlahan.


3) Masukkan juga gula, garam dan cuka.
4) Bila sos dah agak menyejat, tuang masuk pes tepung ubi.
5) Reneh selama yang boleh untuk mengeluarkan kesemua perisa drp bahan-bahan yang telah kita gunakan tadi.

Saya mereneh selama dua jam. Tambah air sekiranya agak kering. Bila dah dapat kelikatan atau consistency yang kita mau, baru di tutup api dan biarkan betul betul sejuk.
Sos ini boleh tahan sehingga sebulan sekiranya tidak dicemari dengan tangan yang basah atau sudu yang bercampur dengan bahan lain.


Nak tau apa rasanya? Sebiji macam rasa sos cili Thai Maepranom yang kita beli tu.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
27th.Nov '15

Monday 9 November 2015

The Humour In Us Keeps Us Going

Hello all!

Between the six of us in my family, I can say I am the most friendliest and most sociable when it comes to meeting people. Sophie came second. The worst is my husband, who not only became uncommunicative but he could also deadpanned when bored with his surrounding.

The house will come  alive when I am around. Yeap.. I am a mom, so my voice rules the house ( nagging is one of them). But also because I could make a straightforward sentence turned hilarious. Take for instance, Soffian. He went into kitchen looking for something to eat. Then he turned around and said, "Ma, I couldn't find eggs." I started laughing and said to him, "What do you mean you can't find, you've got two with you right?"

Sophie roared out a laughter and chidingly said to me, "Ma , you're talking to your son, please behave yourself." I came back with, " What? Since he's not looking properly for the eggs, then it's only right for me to remind him that he's got some too. To which Sophie replied, "You're impossible." And I retort back, "Whatever it is, I am still your mom." Finality came from me.

That is why Sara would sometime said to me, "One of these days, ma, I'll beat you at your own words." Well, she may come to that, but I still have a few more years to enjoy the banter. She may have to wait for a couple more years to hone her skill in speech and word play.

Between the three of us girls at home, Sara is the serious and solemn type. But she could also crack a joke that put us in stitches. One thing that always keep us extra cautious, especially for Sophie and I is when she's holding her cell phone. This is the time when she'd randomly snap a photo of us doing silly thing or making ugly faces just for the fun of it. We're especially worried when we're deep in our sleep. She'd snap a photo on any one of us sleeping with mouth wide open. Can you imagine how ugly a person can be when caught sleeping with their mouth wide open. There was one time she took Sophie's picture while she was reading lying on her stomach. It was an innocent gesture and there was nothing more to it. But when she should us the picture, it looked obscene. Sophie begged her to remove the picture permanently.

On another occasion, she took a picture of her older brother Ariff, who just got back from work. He changed into his most comfort attire, he in his loose pants with nothing else on except for his boxer inside. The poor brother didn't think of anything when he sat down in front of his computer. Sara was passing behind him when she saw him in his most comfy position. She took out her cell phone and snap a picture that could have gone viral in the YouTube. His pants rolled down just below his hip that showed a little of you-know-what. He ripped the phone away from her but could no nothing about it since it required a password to open it. To this day she still has that picture in her phone.

When Soffian was still in school, I had trouble looking after him. As some of you may know it, he was a difficult child and hard to handle. I tried many ways and approach to guide and watch over him, usually to no avail.
However there was one funny moment that I still remember to this day. He had just passed his driving test and his eagerness to drive the car frightened me immensely. That morning, he woke up early and hit the shower. I knew right away that he was going out shortly. I got up from where I was sitting and took the car key from the hook. Now where is the best place to hide. I looked around the house but I can't think of a suitable place to hide. Finally I found just the right place to keep away from his eyes, inside my bra! Sophie and Sara was rolling their eyes. "Ma, you can't do that." Shout one voice then the other echoed, "Ma, out of hundred other places to hide, why do you need to keep it there?"
I smiled mischievously, " This is one place that he can never find. Even if he finds it he won't dare to get it out easily, don't you think?" Both of them were not happy with me.

Half an hour later, he was all set looking neat in his white collarless T-Shirt and ragged blue jeans. He walked straight to the door where the key was usually hanged. It wasn't there, he didn't ask any of us but went to the counter top next to the wall. It wasn't there either. He went over to dining table in case someone placed it there but still couldn't find it. "Ma, where is the car key?" He had to ask.
 "I don't know, you were to last to come home last night right." I pretend to be nonchalant about it.
He persisted on it and said he had hung it where it supposed to be. He walked over to me and started wringing my arm to the back. It hurts and I had to yell out to him to stop it. Both Sophie and Sara were smiling from where they were sitting.
I keep my ground and repeated that I don't know. He pulled both my arms to my back and tugged a little to make me give up my secret. So much for a secret agent! I gave in and said it's inside my bra but I am not going to let you drive today.
He is the type that would never take no for an answer. He took a pen from the counter top and walked over to me. "You wouldn't dare". I looked at him in disbelief.
Obviously I didn't know him that well for he used the pen to fish out the car key out from my bra. He succeeded you know. I should be angry but I can't help laughing so hard at his persistence.


I can safely say that Sophie, Ariff and I had good singing voice, whereas Sara, my husband and Soffian, well what can I say about them. They fared better in other fields. No offence, luv!
Sophie is good with song lyrics. She'd memorize any lyrics in any language within minutes. Ariff sang well and dances well too even though his weigh has surpassed the ideal weight. The best thing about it is both he and Sophie can memorize the old evergreen songs. So whenever I am in my nostalgic mode and humming some good ol' song to myself, they knew instantly and hum along with me harmoniously. And we could altogether started to sway our bodies and tapping our feet on synchronization.

Happy, that's the word that is slowly disappearing from our vocabulary. I know it is hard to keep our sanity intact in today's crazy world but this is the only thing that can help us to stay focus and carry on with our lives. Yeah, I agree that we needed money to pay our otherwise mounting bills but we must not forget if we're unhappy with our current existence, we are definitely not going anywhere.
I for instance, has been going through too many hardships and out-of-luck all through my life but as you can see, I am still standing. Sure, I broke down once in a while when it's too much for me to swallow in but I rise back with a better determination.

Like I said before, if I can, why can't you?

I am off for today. Have a nice day people and stay safe!

Rose
10th.Nov '15






Monday 2 November 2015

Ayam Bakar Keju Cheddar

Salam semua,

Dah lama sangat-sangat saya tak muat naik blog makanan ni kan? Ada rasa malas bertakhta dihati nak ambik gambar dan nak kena download pulak ke dalam laptop. Tu pasal yang bertapa sekejap tu.

Ok lah, tak payah saya nak mengomel panjang-panjang. Malam tadi sebab dah tak tahu nak makan apa lagi dah, saya buat hidangan yang agak mudah untuk disediakan iaitu ayam yang dibakar (betul ke penggunaan 'bakar' tu sebab dalam bahasa Inggeris sebut bake. Apa-apa pun saya harap anda kat luar tu faham dengan maksud saya .

Saya ambil resipi ni dari link yang di share dari face book anak sedara saya, Ika. Saya buat sikit olahan untuk mengikut citarasa kami di rumah.

Sila tengok di bawah untuk mendapatkan resipi ini :

1 cawan susu segar
1 cawan keju cheddar yang diparut
1 cawan breadcrumb (serbuk roti)
sikit serbuk kasar lada hitam
1 sudu teh serbuk rosemary

(Untuk penggunaan garam, sila gunakan paling minimal sebab keju dah ada kemasinannya)

Separuh dada ayam tanpa tulang (potong secara hirisan anggaran 2 jari kita)

Cara penyediaan :

Asingkan susu segar, keju cheddar dan serbuk roti didalam bekas berasingan.
Ambil sekeping demi sekeping ayam tadi dan mula celupkan kedalam susu dahulu.
Diikuti dengan keju cheddar. Tekan sikit supaya melekat.
Langkah terakhir, ambil ayam tadi dan pedapkan pula kedalam serbuk roti yang telah digaul dengan lada hitam dan garam.


Panaskan oven pada suhu 210C.
Sediakan bekas pembakar dan gliskan dengan minyak disekelilingnya.


Masukkan ayam yang siap dipedap tadi ke dalam bekas pembakar, taburkan serbuk kasar daun rosemary dan tutup ia dengan tin foil.

Bakar selama lebih kurang 35 ~ 40 minit.
Setelah itu, keluarkan sekejap ayam tadi,


Buka dan keluarkan tin foil dari bekas pembakar. Sekarang bakar lagi selama 10 minit bagi mendapat warna keemasan ayam bakar kita.

Bila dah kuning keemasan angkat keluar dari oven dan biarkan sekejap.

Untuk sosnya pula:

1/4 cawan chicken soup cream
3 sudu makan sour cream
2 sudu makan mentega
1/2 sudu makan chili flakes
3 sudu makan jus lemon
sikit garam dan lada hitam

Tuang masuk chicken soup cream, sour cream dan juga butter ke dalam periuk kecil.


Masak diatas api perlahan.
Bila dah sebati dan sekiranya agak pekat, bolehlah ditambah sikit air untuk mengurangkan kepekatannya.


Terakhir masukkan chili flakes, lada hitam, garam dan jus lemon.
Angkat.


Sekarang keluarkan sekeping demi sekeping ayam dan susun didalam pinggan. Kemudian tuangkan sos keatas ayam tadi. Dah siap utk di makan.




** Kalau tak suka nak makan dengan sos sebegini, boleh aja dimakan dengan sos cili kita atau pun sos Siam.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
3rd.Nov '15


Thursday 29 October 2015

Kenapa Masakan Kita Tak Menjadi

Assalamualaikum semua,

Dah selalu sangat saya dengar golongan sejenis dengan saya (orang perempuan lah kiranya tu) merungut, masakan dia orang tak menjadi. Nak kata tak ikut resipi, dah ikut tapi masih tak dapat rasa seperti yang diharapkan.

Jom kita cuba fikir dan rungkaikan sebab musababnya.
Yang pertama : Bila kita tengok dalam TV dia orang masak, nampak gah, menarik dan sedap. Jangan tertipu, kadang-kadang dia orang pun sama macam kita tapi disebabkan dah dibuat editing, makanya nampak elok dan sedaplah makanan tu. Lagipun  di dalam TV, dia orang boleh ulang dan buat lagi sehingga perfect manakala kat rumah, kita tak akan melakukan perkara sebegitu sebab kita tak suka membazir. Jadi kita sekeluarga akan  makan juga makanan itu walupun terlebih masin ataupun masam.
Moral of the story? Jangan risau, masakan yang dihidangkan didalam Tv itu, belum tentu sedapnya seperti yang diharapkan.

Yang kedua : Apabila memasak, kita harus masak dengan hati yang  ikhlas dan ada perasaan suka didalam diri kita. Ini pesan orang-orang  tua dulu-dulu, dan saya percaya dengan pesanan ini. Cuba kita fikir secara logik. Kalau kita masak dalam keadaan tertekan dan menyampah sebab terpaksa siang ikan, bersihkan ayam, potong bawang dan sebagainya, perasaan ini terbawa-bawa sewaktu kita memasak. Jadi time nak masukkan bahan-bahan perasa yang penting seperti garam, asam dan gula, kita main campak ja. Lantaklah janji aku dah masak untuk dia orang makan. Hah! Ada dak yang berperasaan macam tu? Bila dah macam tu, macam mana masakan kita nak jadi sedap? Kita sendiri pun tak happy dengan product kita, macam mana kita nak harapkan orang yang memakannya menyukai masakan kita?
Jadi, cubalah untuk punyai sikit minat didalam seni memasak ni. Jangan tak tahu, memasak pun adalah salah satu cabang seni. Ingat senang ke nak kumpulkan semua jenis bahan mentah menjadi satu bentuk makanan yang sedap dan lazat.

Yang ketiga : Memasak memerlukan kesabaran dan latihan. Kita kena selalu rajin kedapur. Kalau 2 minggu sekali baru turun dapur, agak payah bagi kita untuk master-kan diri didalam sesuatu jenis masakan. Katakan lah kita nak masak ayam masak merah,  tak mungkin kita akan masak setiap hari atau setiap minggu. Paling tidak pun 2 minggu sekali. Jadi bila 2minggu sekali, kadang-kadang kita terlupa apa yang harus dimasukkan. Eh tadi aku dah blend sekali tak lengkuas? Ataupun apa rempah ratus yang harus digunakan untuk masakan ni?
Faham tak maksud saya? Maknanya kita akan terlupa apa yang harus dimasukkan didalam sesuatu masakan itu, dan itu lah antara perkara yang menjejaskan rasa masakan yang kita cuba masak.

Yang keempat : Kalau kita boleh berlebih apabila tiba masa dapat gaji untuk shopping, kenapa tidak kita berlebih sikit untuk membeli bahan mentah yang baru dan segar. Sampai hari ni, saya hanya akan membeli ikan yang segar sahaja. Kalau saya tengok ikan tu dah merah mata sikit, saya tak akan membelinya walaupun stok dirumah dah habis. Ikan sebegini, kalau kita beli dan masak juga akan menjejaskan rasa masakan kita. Umpamanya ikan sebegini digoreng, kita dapat bau dari minyak gorengan itu tadi yang ikan ini hampir busuk. Ikan sebegini juga mudah melekat dikuali. Jadi, cuba elakkan dari membeli ikan yang dah lembik dan *benyai*. Percaya atau tidak, saya akan memandu ke Kuala Selangor semata-mata  untuk mencari ikan dan makanan laut yang lain yang segar.

Yang kelima : Masak masakan yang simple dan menjadi pilihan keluarga. Mulakan masakan yang mudah seperti ayam masak kicap. Cuba semua jenis cara memasak ayam masak kicap. Ada separuh orang, masak kicap dengan memasukkan kerisik, sementara separuh lagi mungkin menggunakan sos tiram. Apapun, cuba semua cara dan jadikan ia hidangan yang kerap dihidang supaya kita menjadi master didalam hidangan ini. Selepas dah 'terer' dalam sajian ini, cuba tukar ke masak lemak pula, umpamanya. Dan begitulah seterusnya. dengan cara begini, sekuran-kurangnya apabila ada sedara mara atau rakan bertandang kerumah, kita boleh hidangkan 'masterpiece' kita ini kepada mereka. Dari situ, kita dapat menilai daripada feedback mereka yang telah merasa hasil air tangan kita.

Yang keenam : Jangan cuba mengubah identiti masakan kita. Katakanlah anda dah pro dalam memasak mee kari. Semua orang memuji mee kari anda sangat sedap. Pada satu hari, anda pergi makan kat rumah seseorang yang kuah mee karinya mengalahkan kuah yang anda selalu sediakan. Anda berjaya dapatkan resipi daripada orang itu. Apabila anda pulang kerumah, anda mencuba cara penyediaan seperti yang anda makan dirumah orang itu. It may turn out to be okay tapi ia bukanlah cara penyediaan yang selalu anda buat. Jadi apabila anda mencuba juga membuatnya, ia bukanlah seperti yang diharapkan. Hasilnya hanya ok sahaja dan anda pula akan kehilangan identiti kuah mee kari anda yang digemari oleh semua sebelum ini. Anda boleh mengambil sedikit sebanyak bahan-bahan yang digunakan oleh orang itu untuk menambah baik masakan anda tetapi bukan dengan mengambil bulat-bulat resipi orang itu. Jadi diri sendiri dan simpan identiti anda.


Yang ketujuh : Jangan dengar terlalu banyak nasihat daripada 'chef-chef' disekeliling anda. Ini kerana setiap orang punyai cara tersendiri. Mungkin didalam masakan kari dagingnya, dia akan masukkan tairu tapi anda tidak. Kemudian ada pendapat dari seorang lagi yang hanya menggunakan air tetapi tidak langsung menggunakan santan. Ini semua akan mengelirukan anda. Kalau anda dah biasa masak kari daging tanpa menggunakan tairu tetapi menggunakan santan, anda teruskan dengan cara anda sehingga anda dah benar-benar master didalam membuat kari daging ini. Setelah itu, anda boleh mula ber-experiment dengan bahan baru untuk memantapkan lagi sajian anda.

Yang kelapan : Apa jua yang kita masak, harus diingat, api dapur memainkan peranan yang amat penting untuk masakan kita. Tengok juga jenis kuali atau periuk yang dipakai. Contohnya, kalau menggunakan non stick pan, boleh dikuatkan api sedikit apabila menggoreng ikan. Tetapi sekiranya anda menggunakan kuali nipis biasa, apinya harus sederhana perlahan. Kalau tidak, makan nasi dengan ikan hanguslah jawabnya.
Begitu juga bila nak masak sayur campur. Api harus kuat dan garang, barulah sayur kita menjadi
lebih crunchy dan enak dimakan.
Kalau nak reneh sup, pasang api perlahan. Biarkan saja diatas dapur berjam-jam, tak jadi masalah, malah akan menghasilkan sup yang lebih enak dan lembut dagingnya.

Yang terakhir dan terpenting : Kenapa sambal tumis kita kurang 'kick'? Kenapa kari kita cair tak seperti kari mamak. Jawabnya senang saja. Bila kita bercakap tentang sambal tumis, maknanya base bagi masakan ini ialah cili. Jadi wajib dilebihkan cili didalam hidangan ini. Kalau kurang cili bukan nama sambal lah. Begitu juga nak buat kari. Wajib rempah kari yang lebih, bukan santan yang lebih. Sebab tu orang melayu kalau masak kari, ianya menjadi kari lemak sebab lebih santan dari rempah. Sama juga bila kita nak buat masak lemak. Dah tentu-tentu perlukan santan yang banyak. Tak mungkin kita pakai air yang banyak sebab kalau macam tu masak lemak ikan patin kita bertukar menjadi masak singgang ikan patin. Apa lagi contoh yang ada? Oh ya, sambal belacan. Kita perlukan cili dan belacan yang banyak iaitu melebihi bahan lain. Begitulah seterusnya dengan masakan yang lain.

Itulah sedikit sebanyak pengetahuan yang saya ada yang ingin saya kongsikan disini untuk kita sama-sama mencuba dirumah.
Saya tahu ramai yang akan bagi alasan bekerja dan tak sempat nak masak. Jangan, jangan bagi alasan tu sebab kalau itulah alasan yang kita gunakan, sampai bila-bila pun kita tak akan dapat menjadi tukang masak yang cekap dan hebat.

Saya juga pernah bekerja sampai 2012 dulu. Saya yang harus hantar anak kesekolah, saya yang harus mengemas dan memasak, saya juga yang harus menjadi manager di pejabat dan juga bertugas sebagai driver dipejabat sendiri apabila kekurangan pekerja. Pukul lima petang, sewaktu balik dari kerja, kadang-kadang saya singgah di pasar dan beli semua keperluan untuk memasak.

Saya siang semua bahan mentah dan simpan didalam freezer. Saya blender semua bahan seperti bwg putih/ bwg merah/halia dan simpan juga dibahagian chiller. Hari yang saya nak masak, saya cuma perlu defrostkan bahan-bahan tadi dan ambil keluar bawang yang siap diblender. Dalam masa tak sampai 45 minit saya sempat menyediakan tiga jenis hidangan iaitu, kari ikan, sambal tumis udang dan sayur.
Kalau saya boleh, kenapa tidak anak-anak yang masih muda diluar sana melakukan perkara yang sama?
Dengan cara begini, kita dapat jimat perbelanjaan membeli makanan diluar. Dan kita mengajar secara tak langsung agar anak-anak dan keluarga membiasakan makan makanan dirumah yang lebih terjamin kebersihan dan kualiti masakan itu sendiri.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
29th.Oct '15

Monday 26 October 2015

Death Needs No Invitation

Hello all,

Last week, when I was about to reach home, an ambulance passed me by with speed and siren that screamed urgency. It came out from my housing area. I didn't give much attention to it as the area that I live currently has about 1500 families.

Once I got home, I started to make some breakfast for my husband. That was when I heard a knock on the front door. My husband answered the door and after a brief mumbled conversation that can be heard from my kitchen, I heard him calling my name. I went to where he was standing and poked my head outside the door to see who was talking to him.
It turned out my next door neighbour, Yati, was here conveying message that my other next door, Umi (on my right) passed away just a while ago. I was speechless. She was so young. She is 36 if I am not mistaken.

I found out later, she was having some kind of stomach pain only that morning while preparing her children for school. The children were still so young. The oldest is merely twelve while the youngest is probably 4 or five years old. She was already unconscious when the ambulance got here.

Her body was send back home where her parents were. Thus I have not seen or speak to her husband to express my condolence over his loss  to this day.
Being a Muslim, we will usually perform a Quran recitation as a send-off gift for the dead. So, later that evening, at about 8.45pm, Yati and I, walked to the other block building for this recitation. We waited until all the ladies were there before finally our religious teacher started with a little prayer.

Just a few minutes after that, Yati's daughter was waving her from outside signalling her to come out. Yati got up and went out to speak to her daughter. She came back and stooped down close to my ear and whispered she had to leave. Her father just passed away. We ended up recite the Holy Quran for two losses in one day.

I was dumbstruck. I don't know what to say. I was simply at a loss for words. I had two deaths in one day even though none of them were related to me, but both of them were my next door neighbours. Yati's house is on my left whereas Umi was on my right. Out of 1500 families that live here, two deaths happened to occur under my nose.
I was quiet the entire evening. My mind kept going back to Umi's children. How would they cope without their mother. Who will do the sending and fetching them to school? Who is going to cook for them? What if they fall sick? Who will do the ironing for them? Can their dad care for them? By the way, he's a policeman.
I mean, I don't underestimate men doing chores that wives usually do at home. But men normally work at irregular hours. They would leave home with the sun and got home with the moon. For me, my heart went out to the little one. She is maybe five. I am certain she would long to have her mother's arm wrapped around her little body at night to tuck her in. To listen to her mum's consoling voice the moment she got up from sleep. Those were little luxuries that she may never experienced again for the rest of her lives.

And Yati had her regrets too. Her dad was sick for quite some time. He lived up north that took about five to six hours to reach. She told me she kept putting off to return home and visit her frail father because the children were still in school and everybody was busy. She didn't say much more than that but I think I could fathom what's inside her mind. That she should've gone home when her dad  wanted her too. Putting it off could've make her regret her decision for not prioritizing her dad over their busy schedule.

Who are we to judge? We make the same decisions every now and then and live to regret for as long as we live. For many of us, we thought and regard death as something  vague and unreal. That seemed so far away and that it will never occur to us, not at this instant anyway.
This is where we're dead wrong. Death came uninvited. Instead of trying to run away from it, we should prepare ourselves to face death in our own way.

When I say, prepare ourselves to face death, it doesn't mean we should literally wait for death to come with an open arms. What I am saying is, we should talk to our family/families what step should be taken if death had present itself at our doorsteps. Have a plan ahead of death. Prepare a will that will benefit our family. I am stating this because we, the Malays seldom prepare a will for the family. Often this practice led to many unwanted scene among siblings and relatives alike.
Talk to our children that they were to fend for themselves once we are gone and keep united and close the bonding that exists between them.

In doing so, we had prepare our children for the unknown. And had we were to be dead in the next month or two, they had at the very least, have some inkling as to what was going on and what should be done next. Write down a list of names in case of emergency and their phone numbers. Make them get to know their grandparents or aunts and uncles. Bring them to visit the relatives every once in a while. This may seem trivial at this moment but will come in handy when in crisis.

Oh you know what? This is unbelievable. As I was writing this blog, the husband of my late neighbour, just knocked on my door. He's here to inform me of his wife passing. I was close to tears when I saw the little one hugging his father's leg. Oh, the little one is a boy, not a girl.
He's trying to get a transfer back to his hometown since he has nobody to look after the children here.

Whatever it is, I hope they find happiness elsewhere and may Allah have mercy on them.

It's 18:05 now and it's time for me to get the dinner ready. Stay safe people and take care.

Lots of love from me,
Rose
26th.Oct '15

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Marriage And Anniversary

Good morning people!

After a hearty breakfast and a mug of scalding hot coffee, I am all spruced up to face yet another day of my life.
My wedding anniversary is within this month. That anniversary will officially make me married to my man of 27 years. What do you think of that? Cool huh?

What was that?  How did I stay married for that long? I can hear that question playing inside your head about my marriage. You may become inquisitive and think to yourself, "Does she fight a lot? Does she get bored with that same person? How is her married life?"...etc..etc..

Actually come to think of it, I've known my husband for almost 32 years. We dated back in the early 80's for five years before we finally got married and settle down.

Do I get bored with my husband? Hard to believe, but no, I don't get bored with him. It might be because all our lives, we worked in the service industry (hotel line and later travel agency). We got to meet lots of people with diverse background. And everyday, we had to prepare itinerary for the next day for our guests/customers. We have many things to talk about beside our domestic lives.

I probably get annoyed with him at time because he is easily satisfied with how things are running at home. He used to be full of enthusiasm and bold.
But now, he's toned down and took a slower pace in everything he does. This saddened me and sometimes I find myself withdrawing away a little from him.
But worry not, we'll work out our differences eventually. That is what marriage is all about.

Early in our marriage, we used to fight  on frequent basis. He was young, I was young and we both worked hard to meet the increasing needs for our family. Like any other married couple, we faced many ups and downs and turbulences that strike us like a hurricane. There was one time that we thought of going into our own separate ways. But we fought back our differences and now as you can see, we are still together and strongly bonded.

To this day, the children have never seen us arguing over anything, well , maybe on one or two occasions, but that is all. In fact they don't even know if both me and my husband were not on talking term.
If I am not happy with him over anything, I keep my distance and speak to him only when necessary and he likewise. The best thing is, we both know what the other spouse is feeling. It's like twins. Only thing is, he would treat the problem like any other day. And me being me, would keep it inside my heart and let the feeling of discontent and dismay troubling my daily system.

What makes us compatible? I dare say because I am the one with lots of patience whereas he has  a temper that I hate. Normally when he lost his head over something, I would get out of his way and keep quiet.

To keep a marriage this long, we had to swallow some of the things that we dislike about our spouse. Believe me, there is no easy way to keep a good marriage this long. Both of us had to work hand in hand together even though it hurts our feelings..at time.

To young married couples out there, here are some tips on how to keep your marriage works:
1) Respect your husband even if his earning is lesser than what you're getting.
2) Respect him even though he may not be as smart as you are.
3) Man has ego, big ego. Try not to criticize or demean them especially in front of other people.
4) I truly believe a way to a man's heart is through is his stomach. Try to cook once in a while. They would adore you for that.
5) Men were born hunters. Don't make yourself too available. They'll get bored. They love their women to be a little independent, not submissive, who loved and cared for them yet not clingy. Believe me, men are actually boys trapped in an adult body.
6) Don't spoil them too much like paying bills, sending and fetching your children from school. Marriage involved 2 people. They had to do their share too. Once you start doing things for them, that's the day, you'll regret forever because men are notoriously known for their laziness. Teach them responsibility at the early age of your marriage.
7) Throughout the marriage, you'll notice many flaws and shortcomings from his part. Try to absorb it if you can. These petty little things could lead to a big fight if left unattended or if you are being too vocal about it. Take the safest measure, compromise. Also keep in mind, we may have our flaws too that he find it repulsive.

There, hope some of the tips is good enough to bind the love that each one of you have towards one another.
I know, there were times that we wish we could be alone and nothing to care about, but then again, who doesn't? Marriage is an institution that requires constant ploughing and watering to keep it green and healthy. Many would opt for the easy way out, that is separation or divorce. Yes, it worked for most people but we tend to hurt the heart of our loved ones, namely our children. They become the obvious victims when divorce occurred.

Whatever differences we may have, do the best we can to work things out amicably. Remember, we were once head over heels in love with each other, why can't we be nice for just a little longer for the sake of our children?

So people, have some mercy for your children before you make any decisions that you may regret later.
Have a pleasant evening everyone. Good nite!

Rose
7th.october ' 15






Saturday 12 September 2015

Petanda Mimpi Yang Menjadi Kenyataan


                                                                

Hari ni saya nak cakap pasal mimpi. Saya tahu selalunya mimpi dikaitkan dengan mainan tidur.  Memang kita tak seharusnya terlalu taksub dengan mimpi yang kita alami sewaktu tidur tetapi apa yang ingin saya kongsikan ini adalah mimpi yang telah  menjadi kenyataan didalam sebahagian daripada hayat saya.
Ada mimpi yang menggembirakan hidup saya dan ada juga yang sebaliknya.  Saya terima mimpi ini semua yang hati yang terbuka.

Walaupun begitu saya selalunya tidak terlalu memberi perhatian kepada mimpi yang saya dapat melainkan gambaran didalam mimpi tersebut sangat jelas dan nyata.

Dibawah adalah sebahagian mimpi yang saya lalui yang menjadi kenyataan:
1) Saya mengalami sakit yang amat sangat di kedua-dua belah kaki saya (dibahagian benjol ibu jari) selama beberapa tahun. Tidak pernah saya ke hospital atau klinik untuk membuat pemeriksaan. Pada pandangan saya ia mungkin desebabkan sewaktu muda, pekerjaan saya memerlukan saya berdiri selama lapan jam sehari. Itu yang mengakibatkan kesakitan, itu yang saya fikirkan.

Satu malam saya bermimpi, saya kerumah ibu angkat saya di Pulau Pinang. Sewaktu dirumahnya ada seorang lelaki sedang mengurut lengan  ibu angkat saya. Kemudian dia mengalih pandangan kea rah saya dan bertanya samada saya ingin mengurut kaki yang sakit itu.
Saya mengangguk kepala dan dia mula mengurut kedua-kedua belah benjolan di ibu jari kaki saya. Saya dapat merasakan perasaan yang nyaman dan “soothing” sewaktu urutan itu.
Pagi esoknya setelah bangun dari tidur, saya terperasan yang kedua belah kaki saya terasa sangat ringan. Kesakitan yang saya alami dulunya dah berkurang.  Setelah beberapa bulan kesakitan itu hilang terus sehingga ke hari ini.

2) Sewaktu saya masih menetap di Langkawi, ada satu kejadian yang agak mencemaskan terjadi kepada kami. Waktu itu kami baru beberapa bulan berpindah ke rumah yang baru dibeli. Keadaan dikawasan perumahan itu sangat sunyi kerana hanya ada dua  atau tiga rumah yang dihuni.
Walaupun rumah itu mempunyai 4 bilik tidur, tetapi kami semua tidur diruang tamu dibahagian bawah kerana masih tidak biasa dengan suasana gelap dan sunyi di situ.

Kami tidur agak awal pada malam kejadian, iaitu malam dimana rumah saya hampir dipecah masuk oleh perompak. Sebelum kejadian, saya telah bermimpi  rumah kami di datangi seorang lelaki dan beliau hanya berdiri dilaluan masuk ke rumah . Dia hanya berdiri dan memandang terus kedalam rumah. Saya terkejut dari mimpi lalu terus bangun  dengan mengucap ‘Astaghfirullah’. Suami yang tersedar dengan keadaan saya, menanyakan keadaan saya. Saya beritahu mimpi yang saya alami.
Kami berdua bangun untuk meninjau didepan rumah samada ada orang yang memerhati kami. Tidak ada sesiapa dan kami sambung tidur semula. Hampir jam 3 pagi, saya dan suami tersentak apabila terdengar bunyi  dentuman yang agak kuat.  Anak-anak  tidur dengan nyenyaknya tanpa menyedari apa yang sedang berlaku.
Kedua-dua kami bergegas bangun dan meninjau sekeliling rumah. Tidak ada apa-apa yang pelik. Saya kemudian kedapur dan menarik ‘blind’ yang menutupi tingkap cermin untuk melihat keluar. Apa yang saya nampak sangat mencemaskan perasaan. Pagar dibelakang rumah telah dipotong dan dibiarkan terbuka supaya senang perompak itu melepaskan diri. Bunyi dentuman itu pula datang dari tingkap cermin yang cuba diumpil.

Sepatutnya saya memberi sedikit perhatian terhadap mimpi saya diawal tidur tadi tetapi saya macam saya lah, tak ambil berat hal-hal sebegini. Tapi saya bersyukur tiada kejadian buruk berlaku kepada kami sekeluarga. Perompak itu mungkin terkejut dengan bunyi yang dihasilkan oleh mereka sendiri dan bertindak melarikan diri sebelum kami sempat berbuat apa-apa.

3) Saya pernah bermimpi (dirumah yang sama di Langkawi), saya didatangi seorang wanita berambut merah dan dia duduk bersila didepan saya. Wanita itu dengan bersuara perlahan tetapi bernada keras berkata kepada saya, “Kalau aku tak dapat buat apa-apa kali ni, aku akan cuba lagi dimasa depan.”

Saya terbangun dari mimpi yang menakutkan itu berpeluh-peluh seluruh badan. Sebelum dari mimpi itu lagi saya telah diberitahu oleh jiran yang juga boleh berubat  cara traditional, yang saya mungkin telah diilmu hitamkan . Tetapi jujur saya beritahu, saya bukanlah jenis orang yang percaya sangat dengan hal sebegini dan saya tak pernah ambil ‘pot’ pun akan perkara sebegini.

Walau bagaimana pun saya harus akui dalam dua tahun tersebut, (mungkin dalam tahun 2003 ~ 2005) saya kerap sakit dan sangat lemah. Yang membuat saya sedikit yakin dengan hal sihir-menyihir ini ialah apabila saya terjumpa jarum yang berbenang kuning  dan putih untuk 2 pagi berturut-turut dihadapan pintu pagar rumah saya dan pada hari ketiga, kami terjumpa beras kunyit pula.  Saya juga mengalami rasa yang amat berat berada diatas bahu saya atau di atas kepala, seolah-olah ada sesuatu yang duduk dibahagian itu selama berbulan-bulan. Kedudukan tempat ini berubah-ubah. Yang terakhir adalah dibahagian perut sebelum ia hilang terus.
Alhamdulilah, apa jua perkara yang berlaku kepada saya beberapa tahun yang lalu, sudah hilang dan sembuh sepenuhnya. Namun saya masih tidak yakin yang saya telah di ‘buat orang’ dulu. Mungkin secara kebetulan saya sakit biasa diwaktu kejadian itu. Wallahualam…

4) Dalam banyak-banyak  petanda mimpi, petanda sebelum kematian yang kerap saya alami. Saya mula mendapat petanda kematian bermula dengan arwah tok saya.
Dalam mimpi itu, saya berada diatas permukaan bukit yang hijau dan ada banyak tiang-tiang roman yang besar seperti yang dapat kita lihat di Italy. Tiba-tiba ada dua ekor burung putih yang sedang  terbang melewati saya. Burung burung itu kemudian jatuh keatas kedua tapak tangan saya, mati.
Tok saya meninggal dunia selang beberapa bulan selepas itu.

Pada 25hb.Ogos 2001, adalah hari jadi anak lelaki saya yang kedua iaitu Soffian. Saya sedang menyiapkan sedikit jamuan kecil utk menyambutnya. Deringan telefon pada pagi hari itu adalah panggilan daripada kakak saya yang membawa berita bapa saya telah pulang ke Rahmatullah.
Seminggu sebelum pemergiannya, saya mendapat petanda didalam mimpi. Didalam mimpi itu, saya nampak ada seakan-akan buih-buih kecil yang jernih seperti kaca Kristal menjurus keatas. Saya terbangun dari tidur lalu terus duduk menegak dengan mengucap Allahu Akbar. Rupa-rupanya ia adalah petanda sebelum pemergian ayahanda saya seminggu selepas itu.

Saya juga mendapat petanda sebelum kembalinya abang ipar saya pergi mengadap PenciptaNya.
Dua kali saya bermimpi (berlainan malam ),mimpi malam yg pertama, saya memakai seluar yang poketnya koyak.  Mimpi malam berikutnya  (selang beberapa malam) suami saya memakai seluar koyak dihadapan rumah kami sambil memetik buah mangga.
Abang ipar saya meninggal lebih kurang dua bulan kemudian.

Petanda mimpi terakhir sebelum satu lagi kematian ialah sebelum adik bongsu saya meninggal pada bulan Januari tahun ini. Sebelum saya mendapat petanda melalui mimpi, saya terlebih dulu dapat petanda melalui perasaan dalaman. Saya banyak bersedih dengan tidak bersebab. Saya akan terbangun di tengah malam dengan hati berdebar-debar dan menangis sayu sendirian.

Hinggalah satu malam saya bermimpi, saya berada di rumah seseorang yang saya kenali dan tuan rumah itu menjamu saya makan nasi tomato. Apabila nasi itu dihidangkan dihadapan saya, warna merah tomato sudah tiada lagi tapi berganti dengan nasi yang berwarna hitam. Walaupun pelik, saya tetap makan nasi tersebut.
Itu adalah sebahagian daripada mimpi yang saya alami sebelum sesuatu kematian.
   
Separuh lagi daripada mimpi yang saya pernah alami adalah mimpi-mimpi yang sangat indah dan menyentuh rasa. Setiap kali saya mengandungkan seorang anak, saya akan dapat mimpi yang tak dapat saya tulis semuanya bimbang akan dikatakan riak, fitnah atau dusta semata-mata.

Walaupun begitu, saya ingin berkongsi satu daripada mimpi tersebut. Saya berjalan dipadang pasir yang kontang dengan tiada apa disekelilingnya apabila tiba-tiba saya ternampak batu hajarul Aswad tergantung diawangan tanpa ada apa-apa yang mengikatnya. Saya maju dengan pantas dengan harapan dapat mencium batu itu. Sesampainya disitu, saya lihat ada seakan akan air jernih mengalir turun dari batu tersebut namun saya tetap menciumnya.

Daripada semua mimpi-mimpi yang pernah saya alami, saya membuat kesimpulan yang sememangnya sebagai seorang manusia, kita telah dilengkapkan dengan segala kesempurnaan baik dari pandangan mata kasar seperti bentuk tubuh fisikal maupun dari dalaman. Iaitu perasaan kasih, sayang, cinta, benci, suka, duka dan bermacam lagi perasaan yang dianugerahkan kepada kita . Dan ini termasuklah satu lagi perasaan halus iaitu kita sebenarnya telah mendapat sedikit gambaran tentang apa yang akan berlaku di dalam hidup kita dimasa akan datang tetapi memandangkan kita tidak peka dengan perasaan itu, maka kita selalunya menepis sebagai tidak apa dan menolak ketepi apa yang dapat kita rasai jauh didalam lubuk sanubari kita.
Perasaan ini tidak selalu datang dalam bentuk mimpi, tetapi juga dari hati kita. Degupan jantung yang kencang atau perasaan yang tidak tenang adalah sebahagian daripada petanda sesuatu mungkin akan berlaku didalam hidup kita.

Walaupun begitu, kita janganlah terlalu taksub dengan perasaan sebegini bimbang  disalah-ertikan sebagai bidaah ataupun hampir kepada syirik. Mimpi-mimpi yang sering kita alami juga sebahagian besarnya hanyalah mainan tidur. Jadi janganlah kita terlalu mempercayai mimpi kerana kebanyakannya hanyalah gangguan iblis semata-mata.

Salam hormat dari saya,
Rose
12th.Sept '15


Lepat Ubi Kayu

Salam semua,

Sewaktu saya menulis resipi ni, saya tengah kukus lepat ubi kayu yang resipinya ada dibawah.
Saya ke pasar tani kat Kundang minggu lepas, kat sini baik ubi kayu ataupun sayur atau ulam seperti pucuk paku dan kangkung semuanya segar-segar belaka.
Mulanya ingat nak buat bengkang(bingka) ubi kayu tapi tiba-tiba teringin pula nak makan lepat sebab dah lama tak makan.

Jadi, jom kita tengok apa yang diperlukan untuk nak buat lepat ubi kayu ni:

5 ketul ubi kayu (saiz kecil)
3 sudu makan gula perang
3 sudu makan gula kastor
sedikit garam
1/2 cawan santan cair
2 sudu makan tepung gandum
Daun pisang

1/2 cawan kelapa parut
sedikit garam

Mula-mula parut semua ubi kayu.
Selesai parut, ambil tuala kecil ataupun kain kasa. Masukkan semua ubi kayu tadi kedalam tuala kecil dan perah keluar airnya.

Asingkan air perahan kedalam mangkuk asing. Biarkan sekitar 5 minit bagi air perahan ini mengasing. Buang lapisan atas air ini dan simpan lapisan bawah.

Ambil ubi kayu tadi dan masukkan kedalam mangkuk dan dicampur dengan lapisan bawah (air perahan tadi.
Gaul sebati bersama dengan sedikit garam dan santan cair.
Masukkan juga gula perang dan dan gula putih.

Pasang api perlahan dan letakkan kuali atau periuk non stick.

Masukkan adunan kedalam kuali dan mula mengacau.
Sekiranya adunan agak lembik, masukkan sedikit demi sedikit tepung gandum tadi sehingga adunan mula mengental. Jangan terlebih tepung takut keras pula lepat kita.


Kacau sehingga adunan mula bertukar menjadi kejernihan. Jangan terlalu masak. Cukup sekadar separuh masak sebab kita akan mengukus pula selepas ini.

Tutup api dan angkat keluar.

Biarkan sejuk sedikit.
Layurkan daun pisang  diatas api perlahan, kemudian koyakkan nya anggaran 6~7 inci lebar.


Ambil anggaran 2~3 makan adunan tadi, dan leperkan diatas daun pisang.

Setelah dileperkan, ambil sedikit kelapa parut yang telah digaul dengan sedikit garam dan aturkan memanjang diatas adunan yang dileperkan. (Kalau tak suka kepala, tak perlu dimasukkan)


Bila dah siap, angkat kedua-dua belah daun pisang dan lekapkan bersama supaya lepat menjadi kental, seperti gambar diatas.


Kemudian barulah dibungkus kemas.

Sementara itu, panaskan steamer sehingga air mendidih.
Masukkan lepat kedalam pengukus dan biarkan selama lebih kurang 15 minit.

Tutup api dan angkat keluar.


Memang sedap dan berkhasiat sebab ubi kayu ada banyak vitamin B17.
Mesti cuba kepada yang belum pernah mencuba masak lepat ubi kayu ni.


Anggaran kos :

Ubi kayu          : RM 3.50
Santan              : RM 1.00
Kelapa parut    : RM  1.00
Lain-lain          : RM 2.00

Jumlah kos      : RM 7.50 (Boleh dapat lebih kurang 16 biji)

Salam dari saya,
Rose
12th.Sept '15

Saturday 5 September 2015

Makan-Makan Di Tasik Biru

Salam buat semua,

Hari minggu lepas, saya se keluarga ke satu restoran yang baru dibuka di Tasik Biru Kundang.
Kundang terletak bersebelahan dengan daerah Kuang. Walaupun berhampiran Sungai Buloh, Kundang berada di dalam kawasan Rawang.

Restoran yang saya maksudkan ialah Anjung D Tasik Biru. Betul-betul mengadap Tasik Biru. Restoran ni sangat besar, dua tingkat. Bahagian bawah lebih kepada menu Ala Carte manakala bahagian atas menyajikan hidangan B.B.Q dan Steamboat.

Mereka juga ada menyediakan pakej 'set meal'. Memandangkan kami berlima beranak, kami ambil pakej untuk 4 ~ 5 orang dengan harga RM 95.00
Menu nya terdiri daripada Ikan Siakap (kami minta masak 3 rasa), kerabu mangga, sayur campur, Tomyam seafood, telur dadar , daging, buah-buahan dan air minuman.


Mulanya kami agak skeptikal dengan makanan disini. Maklum sajalah tempat baru dibuka, pelayan-nya pun nampak masih belum begitu cekap didalam tugas dia orang.
Makanan kami tiba selepas 25 minit menunggu. Okay lah jugak. Tak begitu lama menunggu.


Mesti semua nak tahu macam mana rasa makanan di restoran ni, kan?
Sedap! Betul sedap. Saya tak tipu, saya juga bukan nak promosi restoran ini tapi memang betul sedap.
Kami semua tidak menyangka yang makanan disini memenuhi citarasa kami berlima.
Ikan siakap tiga rasa dan tomyam nya is 'wunderbar', bak kata orang Jerman.
Lain-lain hidangan juga tidak kurang dari segi rasa.

Sudah tentu saya akan kesana lagi memandangkan harganya pun tidak keterlaluan. Saya cuma harap pemilik restoran ini tidak mudah kelam mata dan menaikkan harga apabila tempat ini mula mendapat sambutan di masa akan datang.

Macam mana nak ke sini? Kalau dari Sungai Buloh, ambil jalan yang menuju ke Bukit Rahman Putra (BRP). Terus pandu sehingga sampai ke persimpangan lampu merah Kuang. Dari traffic light ini ke Tasik Biru, saya rasa jaraknya lebih kurang 1.5km. Restoran ini terletak disebelah kiri. Anda harus memandu masuk sedikit kedalam.

Saya belum sempat ambil gambar restoran ni. Nanti dalam sehari dua ni, saya akan cuba ambil dan upload di sini ya.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
5th.Sept '15

Pancake

Assalamualaikum dan Salam Sabtu,

Semenjak saya berhijrah ke Selangor sejak tahun lalu, dah makin kurang masa saya untuk meng-uploadkan resipi-resipi masakan yang selalu saya masak dirumah.

Bukannya tak nak, tapi masa saya banyak dihabiskan dijalanan. Sekejap hantar anak ni ketempat kerja, sekejap lagi pulak dah nak ambik anak yang lagi satu.
Kalau di Langkawi dulu, saya ada banyak masa terluang.

Apapun, hari ni saya letak satu lagi resipi kegemaran ramai pada masa kini. Kita buat pancake. Walaupun makanan ini adalah makanan orang barat tapi dah ramai masyarakat kita yang suka makan pancake ni.

Jadi jom tengok apa bahan yang diperlukan:

2 cawan tepung gandum
1 potong butter - di cairkan (anggaran 150gm)
1 biji telur
250 ml susu segar
sedikit garam
1 sudu teh gula
1 sudu teh soda bikabonat

Susu dimasukkan kedalam satu bekas bersama telur. Pukul sekejap dan ketepikan.

Tepung diayak bersama dengan soda b, kemudian masukkan gula dan garam.
 Masukkan kedalam mangkuk dan buat lubang ditengah.
Tuang susu/telur yang dipukul tadi dan kacau sehingga sebati.
Seterusnya masukkan pula mentega cair tadi dan pukul lagi sehingga tiada berbintil.
(kalau masih juga berbintil, masukkan saja kedalam blender dan blend sehingga halus.


Adunannya harus lah seperti adunan goreng pisang tetapi lebih kental sedikit.
(Sekiranya adunan agak likat, bolehlah ditambah air untuk membuatkan batter lebih cair.)

Panaskan kuali non-stick dan dengan menyapu sedikit minyak dipermukaan, tuangkan satu senduk adunan kedalam kuali tersebut.

Bila adunan sudah nampak sedikit bersarang (akan timbul lubang udara), terbalikkan kepermukaan yang disebelah lagi.

Biarkan dalam 10 saat. Kemudian dah boleh diangkat.


Hidangkan bersama dengan madu dan butter. Boleh juga dimakan bersama dengan kaya atau peanut butter atau apa saja yang kita suka.

Pancake ni macam roti canai juga, lebih sedap dimakan sewaktu panas-panas.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
5th.Sept '15

Saturday 29 August 2015

Me? An Author?



I had recently finished writing a manuscript, in Malay language and was ready to find a publisher to publish my book. It was a light thriller. I was required to send in the first three chapters and the evaluation will be made upon that.
I sent to three different publishers. Within 2 weeks I got the reply. All three turned down my manuscript.

My manuscript was read and evaluated by a team of juries. One publisher had 10 juries (the figure differs in each publisher). In one publisher, three of the juries voted for yes, the balance of seven voted for no. The second publisher, I got four 'yes' and six 'no'.
Thus, I didn't get to publish my first ever book written by me since last year.

How do I feel? Down and dejected for sure. But Sophie, Sara and Soffian was quick to console me. They said even J.K. Rowling was turned down more than she can remember before she finally made it, and she made it big!
Well, I don't dream to becoming the next J.K. Rowling, I just want to be a writer, a great one at that.

After I got the discouraging ratings from the three publishers, I stopped sending the manuscript to any other publisher. I will keep it to myself for now. The juries gave their tips and feedback on how to write better and a few of them encourage me to slightly re-write especially the beginning of the story.
But there was one jury that I think was not too smart. No, I am not being a sour grape just because they turned me down. On the contrary, I am being matter-of-fact. You know what he or she wrote in his/her comment? It says, " The story line was good but predictable. I don't have to read the whole book to know what the end would be. And I am pretty sure there would'nt be any twist or suspense towards the end."
Seriously? Who does he think he is? A mind reader?  I myself didn't know what the end would be until I came close to finishing the story, and yet this person got the balls to say that he knew what my end would be?  
Now I am getting all worked up. I personally think that to be a critic, a person should at least had to have passion for reading. Lots and lots of reading. He/she had to have a good general knowledge in almost everything so that he can relate to the storyline that he's immersing himself in at that moment.
Somehow, this jury gave me the reverse impression. The impression that says that he is not into much reading.

I used to read many books years ago but nowadays I would give myself a pat on the shoulder if I could finish three books in a year. I must say that I only read books written in English. I admire the time, the research, the pain the author had to go through to produce one book.
I don't look down on the local Malay writer but somehow the storyline was too light and superficial
for me to get addictive or strong enough to give me a grip to keep on turning the page even after bedtime hours. I did read a few Malay books belongs to Sophie and Sara a couple of years ago but I can't say that I was thrilled with the way the story was presented. It was plain, empty and missing the 'umphh' in it.
Their storyline would usually revolve around love, marriage and family feud. I know these elements were among the important ingredients that make or break our lives but hey...what's wrong with making it more interesting and in depth so that they could draw more mature readers like me. The Malays have always prefer a laid back and simple living in their lives and it reflected in their thinking. Movies that filled with comedy and action packed will attract audience that resulted in box office. Books followed suit, if the title sounded something like these,  Will you marry me, Mr Squid? or Do you love me? or A Part Time Wife and many more, then you can bet your last dime that it's gonna be a hit among young readers.   

Most probably the juries that read my manuscript thought that I am in the same category as the above-said authors.

Sophie asked me to write in English, said that my writing in Malay sounded a little off. I think I know what she meant by a little off. Malay language has a limited vocabulary. That is why every time when I can't think of the word in Malay, I will search it in English first and try to translate it later on.
That is why my Malay grammar sounded a little off but I think I should be alright after a while.
I don't want to write in English because I don't think my English is that good to write a book. Writing a blog is different . I don't really care about my grammar or  my sentence structure. As long as I got something on my mind, I can just plop down anywhere and write it straight away. No hassle with proof readers or editors. I am the writer and I am the sole editor.

So, what do I do now? Shall I keep sending my manuscript to the publishers or shall I wait until I had enough money to fund it/ publish it on my own?
People? Give me ideas please..  I know I have you guys that follow my blog regularly, so help me out here. I am open to suggestions.

I am penning off now. Had a busy day today. My bed is calling and my eyes are half open. I need my beauty sleep and don't anybody dare to wake me up with any text messages or phone calls.

Good night people and be safe wherever you are!

Rose,
29th.Aug '15