Cik Sabi

24/02/2025

Its been a long time hasn't it...since I posted!
Ah how time flies and how the things I wanted to share with you remained in my head or went into my stomach!
There are some really healthy sweets for this Ramadhan which I experimented with and its all about nuts and dried fruits. Pairing them is quite important as some nuts are subtle in flavour while others blossom with dry roasting. How much fruit and how much nuts? I am nutty so I prefer less of the sweet and more of raw and roasted nuts.
This Ramadhan I will be spending time in my garden growing my own vegetables. Its not a large garden by any means but I should be able to enjoy vegetables and herbs for two or four. What more could anyone ask?
Right! I shall show off some photos of the things I have been up to in my next post.

10/04/2024

07/04/2024

Of poppy seeds and onions!

Public servants in this country never cease to amaze me.
Farmers Organisation chairman suggested people use kas kas or poppy seeds in place of onions in our cooking. Does he know the difference between the two- taste wise for one and why they are used in recipes?
Poppy seeds are thickening agents in Indian cooking and we use it in many recipes.
It is also sleep inducing..especially Oriental Poppy seeds.
Onions on the other hand are base flavouring vegetables/bulbs.
How can an earthy almost tasteless thickener of sauces stand up to this fried,caramalised, sauteed, blended or pickled taste maker?
Can you imagine the flavour of rendang cooked with poppy seeds? No red onions but poppy seeds!!
Or biryani with lots of kas kas. My guests might just fall asleep half way through eating.
Or is it that we want to further encourage a society of lotus..in this case poppy ..eaters?

05/04/2024

Mayhem!
Came back from the supermarket where I also bought a bunch of bananas for him..came back....he'd attacked my watermelon on the kitchen table! And opened a tupperware of pumpkin seeds. Haish!

Serves me right for leaving the kitchen window open.

04/04/2024

He came back!

03/04/2024

Had a visitor as I was cleaning my fridge and putting my sourdough bread to autolyse.
He blithely walked up to my trolley and took an egg.
This morning he came through the kitchen window looking for food and I gave him a slice of papaya.
After he finished the egg I gave him another slice of papaya.
You know what I noticed for the second time? When I give him food he kisses it first and then eats it up!

26/12/2023

Paos. Those fluffy white steamed, delicious, filled buns...I am a sucker for them.
When my friend Lis told me about a pao stall by the roadside in Selayang, run by a young couple, I couldn't wait to go sample their offerings. They were closed yesterday so this morning I took a 10 minute drive from my home and found this delightful couple.
We got to talking..and found we are both Kelantanese, and he, an anak Melaka.
Of course I could not wait till I reached home to eat those paos n scoffed one immeduately at the stall.
The red bean filled one..my all-time favourite - is soft and not too sweet.
The asam pedas (the pink ones) is really pedas but sedaaaapp!
But best if all -they have 9 flavours, among them....asam.pedas, curry daging, red bean..these I bought n sampled.
If you are having a party you can buy their frozen ones and serve hot to your guests.They also deliver.

PapaPAU... at 1 Jalan Kuching, Segambut.that's who they are.

24/12/2023

Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas and a superlative new year!

05/12/2023

“A Life Of Water” Handpan Music Concert🎵🛸

This concert brings together a dual artistic spectacle, featuring the renowned local watercolor master, Teacher Yong Look Lam, creating live art on the canvas for a visual feast. Additionally, all the way from Johor's Pontian, we have Xiapism, led by the husband and wife duo of Beng Lim and Jo Wong, with the seasoned tailor, Mama Lim Chu Yok, designing costumes for the performers. This fusion of art and music promises to be a night of unique style and visual enchantment.

In addition, only 50 tickets will be sold for each session of the concert, if you haven’t bought the tickets and a fan of handpan music, then hurry up and buy your tickets🥰

Date：8，9，10 Dec 2023
Time：8.30pm
Venue：Studio Ramli Hassan https://maps.app.goo.gl/jZuu7GjVx6VKnons7
Ticket : RM100
Ticket Link：https://forms.gle/otqKJeAqGp6TyVbt5
联Contact：016-640 0764（Carmen）

01/12/2023

I am always curious about the taste of other bakers' fruit cakes.So last month as I was looking for some to sample I came across, on the net, a bakery that seems to have been making fruit cakes for eons.
They had a closing date for orders..very good idea..once they are sold out, that's it! I was lucky to have just two days before orders closed so I ordered 2, 500g fruit cakes.
I picked them up today n eagerly unwrapped one.
Memories of the old traditional cakes we used to enjoy as kids came flooding as I savoured every mouthful slowly, enjoying the fragrant wafts of brandy in which it is steeped in. It is moist, sweet enough and oh so delicious!
And I might add it is simply wrapped in a gauze-like cotton (as in photo) with strings and ribbon, in a Christmas gift box.