Fruit Rojak

It is not so much fun eating this fruit rojak without the CRISPY.  I have been searching for this CRISPY recipe for a long long time but no one is sharing.  So have to put on my thinking cap and try to cook some CRISPIES that go so well with this fruit rojak, they are a perfect match.  

This is one of the favorite snack of all snacks, especially to Sandra and if it is so to you too  please 'like' it on my facebook page, if not, do tell me what is your favorite snack?

Assembling this snack is easy if every ingredient has been prepared ahead.  The Rojak Sauce can be prepared way way ahead and be left in the fridge until needed or if you are lucky enough, your asian store might carry - The Rojak Sauce.(pic of the can is in the pic above).  For the peanuts and sesame seeds topping are no fuss too, just pound or chop some ready to eat roasted peanuts and even sesame seeds come roasted.  None of the above in hand, then sweat it out - roast raw peanuts without skin, in the oven until fragrant, cool, then pound or chop.  Raw sesame seeds are better done over the stovetop as it has to be watched cos it burned fast - no answering the phone or doorbell.  You think these preparations are tedious, you still have not made the CRISPIES yet !!!!!

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Do not fret, the easy part is on the way - the fruits only need to be washed, peeled and cut.  I say CUT cos cutting the fruits in an angle allows more surface area for the sauce to coat and this is good eats.

Smacked Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers have not received as much press as other vegetables in terms of health benefits, but this widely-cultivated food provides us with a unique combination of nutrients and are a valuable source of conventional antioxidant nutrients 


While there are literally hundreds of different varieties, virtually all can be divided into two basic types: slicing and pickling. 


Two common questions about cucumbers involve consumption of their skin and their seeds. There are several facts you need to know before making your decision about consumption of cucumber skins and seeds. First, it is important to remember that the skins and seeds of cucumbers are both rich in nutrients. In fact, the nutrient richness of both plant parts is significantly higher than the flesh. But???????  Both conventionally grown and organically grown cucumbers may have been waxed!!!!! However, the only waxes that can be used on organically grown cucumbers are non-synthetic waxes, and these waxes must be free of all chemical contaminants that are prohibited under organic regulations. Conventionally grown cucumbers may be waxed with synthetic waxes that contain unwanted chemical contaminants. For these reasons, it is recommended to leave the skin of organically grown cucumbers intact regardless of whether the organically grown cucumber has been waxed. For conventionally grown cucumbers,  removal of the waxed skin is recommended. I really do miss the white skin cucumber in Malaysia and i don't think that they are waxed, unlike the green thick skinned cucumber sold here, so...... waxed.  As for the seeds, asian pickling recipes call for removal as the seeds will be soft and asians like the crunch.  The seeds are left on for sliced cucumber but when the cucumber is matured, the seeds are not good eats.


After all the complicated recipes that i have attempted and shared, i would like to share a simple and delicious salad which needs only a few ingredients and a nice big chinese cleaver.  The name of this salad might sound rather uninspiring and it is so called because of the unusual method used to chop the cucumber but the smacking does help with releasing some tension.

Yan Yat Yee Sang

Yan Yat Yee Sang - this must sound like a tongue twister, that's how chinese sounds when you do not speak or know how to, Alexander will ask - What did you say? and mumble whatever came out of his mouth.  The Chinese Lunar New year is celebrated for 15 days, read about how  these 15 days are celebrated. The chinese has their humour in a funny way - 12th day is The Diarrhea Day - ha ha. Today is the seventh day and It is known as "人日" Rénrì in mandarin or Yan Yat in cantonese or Everyone's Birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older. In West Malaysia and Singapore, Yu Sheng/Yee Sang,  raw slivers of fish are tossed together with various pickles and vegeatble into a Salad.   As they toss the salad, they raise the salad high with their chopsticks and say auspicious words. 

Korean Seasoned Spinach (Sigeumchi Namul)

 Remember Popeye?   I do cos i was called Olive, his girlfriend, for the longest ever.  I supposedly looked like her in my teens, skinny as a stick, tall with a small head.  Popeye, the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man ,  is portrayed as having a strong affinity for Spinach.  He squeezes cans of spinach into his mouth and instantly developed muscles and super strength  becoming physically stronger after consuming it. he may have been protecting himself against various illnesses as Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. 

Sigeumchi namul is a simple Korean side dish made with spinach. Namul is the general term that refers to a seasoned vegetable dish, and sigeumchi is spinach. There are many recipes to this dish.  Although the cooking method and seasonings vary, the vegetables are typically blanched first and then dressed with seasonings. This is my version of this side dish which i love to serve.

Gravlax

When Don from Simplybest From Food and Life posted Gravlax, i told her that i have not tasted Gravlax before and she gave me a lengthy tutorial on how to cure the salmon.  Don and I chat on skype ever so often and it does not necessary the both of us, when we see Peng online, she will be added to the conference and the three of us will chat until the cows come home, that is 'the cows in Germany'. I knew Don from way back when food forums were very popular, we were very active members and we met many other members who were just as passionate in cooking and baking. Although most food forums died naturally, our friendship continued to another level, we chat on skype.

Nothing new or exciting ever happen in Aurora(this is my opinion only) but  when  IKEA officially opened its store, almost all coloradans had to visit it and that included yours truly.  It caused massive congestion, not only the traffic was affected, the queue in the food court was more than a mile long.  My daughter, Sandra and i had ample time to choose what we would like to eat as the line was long.....and while we were nearing the dish  that we like, the lady in front of us, pointing to the dish and saying out loud - How digusting !!!!!.  Sandra looked at me and i returned eye contact with her and wondered???? What is wrong with the Gravlax  Salad that we wanted to eat so badly?  We looked at all the plates of Gravlax Salad on display, they looked perfectly fine. They turned out to be the best salad i have ever eaten.(i am not a salad fan).  After tasting that delicious cured salmon, i thought of Don's tutorial and i must get some salmon fillets for curing.  I have always mentioned to friends that if you wish hard enough, you will get your wish granted.  I wished i had salmon fillets and i had a box of freshly caught salmon from Alaska, frozen and perfectly packed.  Thank you Andy for fulfilling my wish, now i can make Gravlax .   i did cure 2 pieces of salmon and they were better than what i had for lunch at IKEA.   Thank you Don and Andy , i hope you will cure some following this recipe. This recipe is for one pound of salmon fillet and you would have to calculate the other ingredients according to the weight of the salmon fillets.

Hakka Pestle Cereal Rice/Ham Cha Farn/Looi Cha Farn

This is my shortcut version to this dish, no pounding involved. I was discussing this dish with amy friend, Matilda, who is in Sydney, Australia and she told me about this Hakka Pestle Cereal and she send me a huge packet to try. Thank you, dear Matilda and Nancy, who took this packet back to Malaysia when she viisting Sydney. Through their generous and kind gesture, i am able to try the cereal and i should say they make a good, delicious and easy meal.

Watermelon Salad

Do not fret, if you are unlucky like me in choosing a flavorful and sweet watermelon.  Turn the not so sweet watermelon into Watermelon Drink and Float or this salad.