Monday, April 19, 2010

from the kitchen


mi rebus

Out of the blue, my mum-in-law (MIL) thought of cooking Mi Rebus - literally translated as 'boiled noodles'. The gravy is made from either the stock derived from shrimp (dried) or beef. Then added with flavour given by 'tauchu' (preserved soybeans), peanuts and curry powder before being thickened with sweet potato (which gives that slight hint of sweetness).

My MIL used 'tetelan' (parts of beef that's close the the bones) as the base for this Mi Rebus.

Please note that this is the actual Malay version of Mi Rebus that one gets in either Singapore or Malaysia. Ask for this in certain parts of Indonesia and you'll be served in the soupy version of instant noodles. No joke. After all, those noodles are boiled too, right?

When that's the case, you can try asking for Mie Jawa or Mie Celor instead.


spicy grilled prawns

This was an ingenious idea by my MIL who was wondering how to cook the prawns that she just bought.

It's tough being a housewife isn't it? Everyday asking (my MIL's case, singing), "What do I cook today..?"

Then she saw the leftover sambal used to stuff the grilled 'cencaru' (torpedo scad) fish, from the previous dinner. Then she took the banana leaf that she brought back after staying over at someone's kampung (village) house. She placed the fresh prawns inside and covered them in the leftover sambal.

She then folded the banana leaf and wrapped the package in aluminum foil before putting it back into the fridge. Before dinner that evening, she tossed the whole package onto a hot pan and covered it.

And there you are.
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There's just something about home cooked meal, doesn't it? They taste so good and made with so much passion; yet we took them for granted, choosing instead to relish over foods prepared outside.

Guess it's because we paid for those food, that's why. Thus our eagerness to feel the worth of the money we spent.

Sigh... It always comes back to money, doesn't it?

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