Birth Of 'Spices Of Life'

I love to cook and bake since schooling time but, I never got the chance till one day my sister leaves us and went to stay with my aunt due to her work. That was when my mom started to teach me cooking. I still remember the very first thing I learned to cook was Sambhar (Dhall Curry) and it was a huge success. I got a compliment from my mom. She said that my Sambhar was too good to resist. I was very happy that my first attempt to cook was a success. Then, slowly I started to learn to cook few other items like Rasam, Chicken Curry and etc. I never got the chance to learn baking from my mom. But, that doesn't stop me from baking. I knew that my hubby is a foodie. He loves to eat anything that look and taste good. Yes, it must look and taste good. If the food doesn’t look good though it taste nice, he will not even touch it. Since I knew that my hubby loves food, I started to expand my interest in cooking and I even started to bake cakes and cookies for him. Now, cooking has become my passion.

Blogging…. My friend Anbha was the one who inspired me to start a blog. We use to chat over the phone for hours on weekend. One day she introduced a blog named ‘Organise Suri’ to me. The blog was more to home décor and how to organize a house. I visit the blog quite often as I find it very useful. That is when she suggests me to create a blog. I was so dumb that I don’t even know how to create a blog, when she advised me to watch you tube on how to create a blog. I have created the blog successfully with the help of you tube. Now, what do I want to post on my blog? Initially, I thought of posting anything that comes to my mind. Hubby’s birthday was around the corner and I thought of cooking something special for him on the day. I was searching for an easy recipe from my cooking books collection and I found the recipe for Chicken Varuval. I took the picture of the final result to post on Facebook, which I did. Some of my friends in the Facebook requested for the recipe from me. That is how I got the idea of blogging about food. I still consider myself as an amateur when it comes to cooking and baking. So, the recipes that I post will be mostly from cooking books, other food bloggers, my mom’s collection and very little from my own experiments. All the recipes that I post will be tested by me in my kitchen. The same goes for the pictures in this blog, where all the pictures come straight from my camera.   

Banana Milk Shake

Back to the bloggers world..... Huhu....... I didn't update my blog for more than a month now. Ever since I started to blog my 3GB quota does not suffice. So, I terminated my Digi Broadband Plan and was searching for a better plan. After a long search, finally I registered for Yes 4G network. It might not be the best plan, however it suit my needs and budget at the moment. I missed a lot of things in this one month and realized that Internet has become a need in our daily life.... just like the mobile phone.

 

Now, about today's recipe........... Banana Milk Shake. Banana is my favorite. I bought some Dole Banana when I went for shopping two weeks back at Jusco. It was a sunny day. I wanted something chilled to quench my thirst. Without thinking twice, I grab the banana and made this healthy drink. My first gulp of this Banana Milk Shake made me felt as I was in the heaven.  

Ingredients :-

1 Dole Banana

2 tbsp. sugar

1 cup milk - chilled

5 ice cubes

Method :-

• Mix all the ingredients in juicer and blend for a good 2 - 3 minutes.
• Serve it cool



 



Crispy Honeyed Bitter Gourd

Bitter gourd!!! No one likes Bitter gourd because of it's bitterness.  As always, no one likes those things that good for our health. I still remember those days where mom used to cook 'Paavakkai Perattal' and forced us to eat it. Then, slowly she changed the recipe and made 'Paavakkai Poriyal' which we still hate it. Time flies and mom stopped cooking 'Paavakkai' at home. Or should I say that my sister take over the cooking task........ Whatever it is.......... now when I started to cook for the two of us, I used to do this Crispy Honeyed Bitter gourd at least once in a month. Don't think that I've started to love eating it. Actually, I 'll do this whenever I feel lazy to cook :P 

 

 

This recipe is quite easy and by adding honey, you will be able to make those Bitter gourd hater to eat it.

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

 

2 Bitter gourd

2 tbsp rice flour

1/2 tbsp corn flour

1/2 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

10 tbsp water

5 - 7 tbsp honey 

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

 

 

Method :-

 

 

• Slice the Bitter gourd as thin as possible and set in a bowl.
• Mix rice flour, corn flour, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and water.
• Heat oil and fry on a medium flame. It should not stick to each other when you fry.
• Drain on a paper towel.
• Pour honey on the fried Bitter gourd and serve.

Purple Cabbage Salad

I got this purple cabbage staring at me each time I open the fridge. I've got no idea what to do with it. So, I started to Google for the recipes. Unfortunately, nothing attracts me to try. At last, ended up with this easy, simple yet delicious salad. This was the easiest recipe (I guess) that was taught by Latha Chitti and I just love it.

Do you know, that colors are important in our daily life as it can affect our mood. Thus, instead of having the same typical cabbage let's give a try with this purple cabbage. This cabbage is rich of Fiber, Potassium, Vitamin C & Vitamin A. Let us take a look at what does this minerals and Vitamins can do.......

 

• Fiber prevents excess cholesterol from entering your bloodstream

 

• Potassium keeps your body's fluid level from fluctuating to unhealthy volumes, preventing potassium-related blood pressure disorders.

 

• Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant 

 

• Vitamin A produces retina pigments for your eyes, maintains vision health and improves vision at night.  

 

So...........what are you waiting for??? Grab the purple cabbage at the market and get ready to prepare the salad which can be ready in minutes.

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

 

1/2 head of purple cabbage - shredded

4 tbsp. of real mayonnaise

 

 

Method :-

 

 

• Set the cabbage in a large bowl and add mayonnaise.
• Mix well. Then place in the refrigerator to cool.
• Serve chilled

 

 

Steamed Layer Cake @ Kuih Lapis

Today is the second day of Eid. Eid is celebrated by the muslims all over the world on the 1^st day of Syawal that ends the fasting month of Ramadan. When talk about Ramadan, the main thing that goes straight to my mind will be the Bazaar. I will be very excited, because this is when I can see a lot of stalls along the street selling varieties of Kuih-Muih and colorful drinks. I might  be absence to work but not to the Bazaar. That is how crazy I am about the Bazaar (actually the Kuihs). And, I will be greedy too at that time till I buy almost everything that looks nice and delicious to me. Oh! Come on, I am a human just like you and I got tempted.

 

 

Talking about the Kuih, Kuih Lapis will be one of my favorite. Do you know why? The taste…….  :P Hahaha…. I don’t want to lie, it’s actually because of the layers. I love to peel the layers. I used to think that, it must be very difficult and time consuming to make the Kuih Lapis. But, not anymore once I have tried on my own. I was very happy as this was my first time making the Kuih Lapis and it comes out so perfectly. I was even happier when Jaya akka asked for the recipe from me. J So, Jaya akka here is the recipe for you…….    

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :-

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 2tbsp

Corn flour - 2tbsp

Coconut milk - 3 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Red colour - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method :-

• Mix the flours, sugar and salt in a bowl.
• Add the coconut milk and mix well.
• Divide into 2 portions.
• Add the colour to one of the portion.
• Grease the pan and heat.
• When the pan is hot pour 1 cup of the plain batter and steam for 5 minutes.
• Then, pour 1 cup of the coloured batter and steam for another 5 minutes.
• Repeat till you are done with all the batter.
• Once you are done with all the batter, remove the pan and let it cool.
• Cut into slices and serve with your favorite tea time drink.

Mango Vanilla Milkshake

Think about teatime, what comes to your mind? Tea..... Coffee..... Cappuccino..... Mocha..... Come on guys............. don't you feel bored of having the same tea or coffee for your teatime? You know something....... The average temperature in Malaysia ranges between 24C to 34C. So, don't you think you need something cold to chill you after a whole tiring day............. Yes!!! Did you say YES just now??? Yes, I heard that. Ok...... let me introduce you a delicious yet filling Mango Vanilla Milkshake. This rich, thick and creamy shake ready in minutes. Here's the recipe for you............

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

1 ripe mango - peeled and cubed

250 ml milk - cold 

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

5 ice cubes  

 

 

Method :-

 

• Mix all the ingredients together
• Blend it in the juicer for two minutes
• Serve it cool

Spicy Prawn with Stink Beans

Do you love stink bean? If yes, this recipe is for you. Before we look at the recipe, do you know that stink bean is also known as Parkia speciosa? Yes, the science term for stink bean is Parkia speciosa.

 

 

It is proven that stink bean helps to lower blood pressure and to relieve stress. This will be a good news for those love stink bean. Okey.... let us look at the recipe now.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

 

1 small bowl of stink beans

300gm prawns

20 dry chillies

5 cloves garlic

1 large onion - sliced

1 stalk lemon grass

1/2 cup of water

3 tsp oil

salt to taste

 

*Blend dry chillies with garlic into a paste

 

 

Method :-

 

• Fry the stink beans till half cooked and keep a side.
• Heat oil in a wok. Add lemon grass and onion. Saute a minute or two.
• Add chilli paste and cook till the oil separates.
• Add the prawns and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the water and bring to a slow boil. 
• Add stink beans and salt. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Dish out and serve. 
 

Creamy Chicken Curry

Talk about fresh market I usually prefer to go to Kip Mart, Tampoi. We can get fish, chicken, vegetables and etc quite cheaper there. But.... it's too far from my place. Last Friday, for a change we went to Pandan Wholesale Market. Guess what??? Prices of fish and poultry are relatively much more cheaper here. Moreover, the fish were fresh. So.... now onwards we gonna get the groceries from Pandan Wholesale Market.

 

Now, back to today's recipe..... Creamy Chicken Curry. I got the recipe from a book. I got this book with me for the past few years.... but just recently I tried the recipe...and my hubby love it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

 

1kg chicken - cut into small pieces

4tsp ghee

1tsp chilli powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1 big onion

2cm ginger

2tsp coriander powder

250gm coconut cream

1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 potato - cut into 4 or 6

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1 strand curry leaves

2 star anise

salt to taste

 

*Grind onion and ginger  

 

 

Method :-

 

• Heat the ghee and fry chicken till half cooked. Keep a side.
• Saute the grinded onion and ginger in the ghee till the aroma is in the air. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise & curry leaves. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder & coriander powder.
• Add potato, chicken and pour a cup of water. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
• Finally, add the coconut cream, garam masala and salt. Cook for another 2 minutes.

 

 

 



 

Chicken Varuval

 

Hubby's birthday is around the corner. I can't afford to buy luxury gift for him since am not working at the moment. Moreover each time I wanted to present him something, I'll need to crack my head on what to buy for him. He loves Samsung Note 2 and I bought it for his birthday last year. So..... this year I planned to cook special dishes for him. One of it will be Chicken Varuval. This is the first time I tried this and it comes well. Let me share the recipe here....

 

 

Ingredients :-

 

1 whole chicken - cut into small pieces

10 small onion

6 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cm ginger

2 1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 2/2 tsp cumin seeds - dry roast till the aroma is in the air

7 dry chillies - cut into half

2 strand curry leaves

2 cinnamon stick

few cloves

3 tsp oil

salt to taste

 

 *Grind onion, garlic and ginger into a paste

 

 

Method :-



• Mix chicken pieces with the paste and salt, leave for an hour.
• Pour oil in a wok, once heated, add cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, dry chillies and fry.
• Add the chicken mixture with 1 1/2 cup water in the wok and cook in medium flame.
• Once it turns dry, add chilli powder and cumin seeds.
• Cook till the oil separates.

 

 

Do try this recipe and share with me. If you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!