Spring Onion Sambal Pork

Oh dear all… how to explain I miss every one here and couldn’t have a free time to let me sit down like tonight here!
I’m BACK and really back…


Ingredients:
1. Pork 250gm (sliced)
2. Spring Onion (sectioned)
3. 1 Red Chili (sliced)
4. 4 Cloves Garlic (grated)
5. 4 shallots (grated)

Marinate Pork:
* Some chopped garlic and shallots, corn flour, pepper.

Methods:
1. Heat up 2 tbsps cooking oil, fry grated garlic and shallots until fragrant.
2. Pour in Marinated Pork, stir fry with low heat (5 min)
3. Add in sliced Chili and fry until become fairly dry.

If you remember I made the Sambal Shrimp Paste few weeks ago…

I have kept the some of my Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste in the fridge and using it whenever I want to have my dish in a little spicy way.

Basically, we can easily find this kind of Sambal Shrimp Paste is selling in the Hypermarket, but mostly added a lot of preservative to prevent mould. Home made Sambal Shrimp Paste is always healthier without the preservative. If we keep it in the right way, the Sambal Shrimp Paste can even keep for at least a month.

Follow the steps below; you can always keep the Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste fresh and longer.

How to keep the Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste longer?
* Use clean and dry spoon to scoop out the needed portion.
* Make sure our fingers or hands do not touch on the Sambal Shrimp Paste.
* Keep inside the meat tray in the fridge.

Home For Year of RAT

Back Home to ~ Land Below The Wind – SABAH…

Let me share with you on my Chinese New Year ‘08 trip back home in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
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During this trip, I planned to have tons of mom’s recipes for my blog’s update. But I was struggling to keep up with the preparation of the dishes, and worse of all, I totally forgotten to take photos as I was overcome by the aromatic and mouth watering dishes. All I know
during that period of time was to eat when it was freshly served!

Well, at least I manage to take some priceless sceneries and fresh seafood which I really love. .
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Mt. Kinabalu
It is world famous mountain and the tallest in South East Asia.
It is about 2.5 hrs drive from Kota Kinabalu city. Throughout the journey, it’s all paddy field countryside.

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Tanjung Aru Beach
Panda and I went to the famous Tanjung Aru Beach in K.K (Kota Kinabalu). Weather was hot… Panda wanted to go for Cool Drink.

Don’t surprise if you hear beer in Sabah is cheap and unbelievable! No doubt… we order a big bottle of Heineken. The waitress told us RM24 a bottle and she persuaded us to get another bottle because they charge only RM25 for 2 bottles. Unbelievable right!

It is only 10 min away from my house. Sitting outside the Bar… holding a glass of beer in the evening and looking at people playing water ski. I bet we will never find this scene in the City of K.L.

~ RM24 (1 bottle), but RM25 (2 bottles)

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~ Enjoying the natural Beach … lovely sunset!
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TAMU (Morning Market)
In Sabah, we call the Morning Market as TAMU, and we normally practice going to TAMU for fresh food market shopping. Fresh Vegetables, Seafood, Meat and etc… Prices are cheaper and better quality compare to those normal markets.

The best part is … BARGAIN and BARGAIN and BARGAIN!!!

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Here are some Unbelievable Prices: ~

~Prawns~
11 big prawns cost only less than RM20.
* Mom complaint, normally she only pays less than Rm15… huh…

~Look at those Prawn Roes

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~Fishes~
1kg “Sek-Pan” (Sea bass) cost only less than RM15,
1kg “7 Xing-Ban” (Grouper) cost only less than RM40.
*Mom said, price increase is because of Chinese New Year, if not she normally pay less than RM10 for 1 fish.

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~Crabs~
A bunch of crabs (8 crabs) cost only RM15.
*Dad grumble because he normally only pay RM8 for 6 fresh crabs.

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~Cockles~
A bunch of medium size Cockles cost only RM2.
Take 3 bunches cost RM5 ONLY!!!!!

* My brother said if we are willing to spend sometime to go to the seaside near the mangrove area, we can more of it for Free!!!!

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Manukan Island
This island is famous in KK among the locals. It takes about 15 min by speed boat.
It has soft sand and the clarity of the water is wonderful.

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Stilt Houses
Most Sabahan stayed in this kind of houses before.
But these houses are coming to an extinct as there is so much development in the city

BACK from Sabah!

Dear every one,

I'm BACK!!! Miss you all a lot here...
Just got down from flight and done my nice shower!

Was a very nice and meaningful festive holidays back home in SABAH this time.
Lot of things to share... but I'm so tired now... will update you all after "I RECHARGED MY BATTERY"!

BigFish

Happy Chinese New Year

Dear all,

I'm going back home (Land Below the Wind - Sabah),
To celebrate Chinese New Year.
See you all and Wish You all ...
Greatful Happy Chinese New Year.

Fried Egg with Long Bean

Simple and just fried…
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When your mind is some time too lazy to think of what to cook… this dish is definitely suitable when we are lazy… hahaha :)
* Just diced the long beans and stir an egg with some Soya sauce.

This is the Organic Long Beans I bought from Tesco, and it was actually placed at the Organic Rack. And I found the prices between Organic and Non Organic are just about few 10 cents difference.

Ingredients:
1. 4 cloves Garlic (grated)
2. 5 pcs Long Beans (diced)
3. 1 Egg (stir well)

Methods:
1. Rinse Long Bean and diced.
2. Heat up 2 tbsps of oil, add sufficient salt, and fry Minced Garlic and Long Bean until fragrant.

3. Pour in egg evenly on the Long Bean.

4. Fry over high heat for 2 min.

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When I was home last year, I remember my mom’s “mini-farm” planted some long beans too… and I remember that was an evening and mom asking to choose some matured long bean and asked me to pick down some for dinner.

Living in a big city like where I stay now… we don’t have a big house for gardening, don’t even have a backyard to plant anything like what my mom has. That is why I always appreciate when I have a chance to go home, and the next thing I will do is bring my camera and take down photos.

Here are some of my mom’s results from her backyard, and we even found some snails crawling at the vegetables, lady-birds hiding at the Bird Eye Chili Trees, and some time we even can see frogs hiding underneath the Pandan Leaves.

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*Took ~ when I was home last year…



~ supply never stop whole year... :)

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~ greatest and hottest Bird Eye Chilies (light green color)

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~ froggie and x-name insect

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~ insect and chili - same color



~ wondering is this a huge lady-bird baby?!

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~ different types of Lady Bird :)

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~ Lovely Home Sweet Home ~

Land Below The Wind- Sabah

Black Pepper Pork

Gravy~ Black Pepper Gravy~ I Love Black Pepper Gravy~

Believe or not… A plate of tasty black pepper pork will come along with a perfect marinate process.

I always love the black pepper gravy… but always so curious about why people only cook Black Pepper with Beef and too rare to cook with Pork.

BigFish Cook Book is trying to make a different here. If u read my previous post ~ I tried this dish before with Beef and shoot with a photo which didn’t actually shown the dish great.

This time, Panda help to shoot the photo properly with so many failure shoots. And I choose from those and I think this is the best among all.

Ingredients:
1. 250gm Pork (sliced)
2. 1 Red Big Onion (sectioned)
3. 5 cloves Garlic (grated)

Marinated:
Pork – some Black Pepper, Corn Flour, Sesame Oil and some brown sugar.

Black Pepper Seasoning:
Mix some Corn Flour, 1 tsp Black Pepper, ½ tsp White Pepper, ½ tsp Brown Sugar, Black Soya Paste and Grated Black Peppers with ½ rice bowl water.

Methods:
1. Heat up 2 tbsps cooking oil and fry grated garlic until fragrant.
2. Pour in Marinated Pork and stir fry for 5min.
3. Add sectioned Red Onion and fry together.
4. Pour in Black Pepper Sauce and stir well, fry for another 5min.
5. Garnish with some Chinese Celery and Serve!

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Trust me, no matter how good the gravy, the pork have to marinate nicely and at least for 20min. And you will find absorption of every pieces of sliced pork taste really good from Inside Out!

I prefer to use the Red Big Onion instead of the normal Onion. The color is nicer and the smell stronger.

Fried Long Bean with Pickle Radish

That was a night, we worked late and came home late…

Panda suggested me not to cook and we eat outside because both of us worked late. But finally I told him about my mood of cooking that night was like extremely high… and we both agree that we take some light good first. Then I will go home and cook the dinner.

So we had dinner after 9.30pm that night. This fried long bean is one of the dishes I had from my BigFish Cook Book. It is so simple… for a working lady like me, always hope to cook at home, but time is so tight. I bet this simple and easy recipe is definitely suit to me some times.

This idea was getting from the Fried Egg with Pickle Radish (Choy Bor). A lot of people like to have Fried Egg with Pickle Raddish to serve with Porridge. And I think this dish helps a lot to make our appetite better.

*Less Oil and Healthier! Can either serve with Rice or Porridge …

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Ingredients:
1. 4 cloves Garlic (grated)
2. 50g Pickle Radish - Choy Bor (grated)
3. Long Bean (sectioned)

Methods:
1. Rinse Long Bean and sectioned.
2. Heat up 2 tbsps of oil, fry minced Garlic and minced Choy Bor until fragrant.

3. Pour in Long Bean and stir fry till cooked.

4. Add in sufficient salt, fry over high heat for 1 min.

Non Spicy Curry Prawns

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Ingredients:
1. 15 Fresh Chilies
2. 7 Medium Shallots
3. 4 Garlic (Big)
4. 1 stalk Torch Ginger
5. 3 Stalk Lemon Grasses
6. 1 big piece Giner
7. 2 stalks Curry leaves
8. 6 Bird Eye Chilies
9. Some Star Anise
10. 8 Lady Fingers
11. 2 Tomatoes (sectioned)
12. 1 Round Brinjal (sectioned)
13. 3 Stalks Spring Onion (sectioned)
14. 2 Stalks Chinese Celery (sectioned)
15. 20 medium size prawns

* Blended – Fresh Chilies, Shallots, Garlic, Ginger, Torch Ginger and Bird Eye Chilies.
* Cut -Tomatoes and Round Brinjal into cubes.
- Spring Onion and Chinese Celery (1 inch)
* Trim and cut the back of the prawns and deviant.

Methods:
1. Heat up Frying-pan with 5 tbsps full cooking oil.
2. Fry Blended Ingredients until fragrant. (at least 20min)
3. Add Curry Leaves and “pat kok” flower, fry for another 10min.
4. Add 2000ml water and mixed well “Serai” with all ingredients.

5. Pour in Brijal, Lady Fingers, Tomatoes, Spring Onion and Chinese Celery.
6. Add sufficient salt and Brown Sugar, then pour in Prawns.
7. Simmer for another 15min and SERVE!
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Some of my friends love curry but yet they can’t take too spicy!
That was a potluck gathering we had in a friend’s house. And I have made a Curry which is not spicy and I was trying to make the curry without adding those ready made Curry Powder.

With all the raw ingredients I bought… went through blending and cutting. I was also making my own seasoning taste for the curry. I was quite happy that the Curry turn how reddish, not too oily and yet not too spicy…

And this recipes ~ NOT USING COCONUT MILK...

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Reserve:

(1/2 rice bowl) Blended Ingredients.
With the reserve blended ingredients, I decided to have another recipe for the prawns.


Ingredients:
1. 30g Shrimp paste (Belacan)
2. 3 Stalk long bean (cut 1 inch)
3. 15 medium size prawns (remove heads and shell)

Methods:
1. Heat up Frying-pan with medium heat, fry shrimp paste until fragrant without oil.
Pound or grind Shrimp Paste with a little bit water.
2. Heat up Frying-pan with 3 tbsps full cooking oil.
3. Fry Blended Ingredients until fragrant. (at least 20min)
4. Add shrimp paste and stir fry until mixed well.
5. Add Prawns and fry evenly together with Long Bean.
6. Add sufficient salt. Stir fry for another 5min and SERVE!

My BigFish Cook Book

Since last Thursday, is been few days already, haven’t been posting my recipes on blog… huh… getting frustrated now! I was so busying to figure out ways just to improve my blog. The problem with my Photo Shooting and Making nice template are giving me a big challenge.

As a new blogger, I think I get addicted over here! :)

Comments from friends and Foodiest …
Very much appreciate to every one here and I have made up my mind to improve my blog page template soon.

1. Why I want to set up a Blog?
This is really important for me to drive ahead. In the very beginning, I bet every one here are like me ~ wanted to set up a blog for SHARING, and Learn new things. Make a habit to note down anything which is actually interesting and warming your soul. But after some times, I found most of the thing that make me smiling inside out to share here are my Home Cooking and Recipes. I feel extremely proud with my own creations and also the modified recipes whenever it served on the dinning table.
I have found my answer even obvious after some times of carving. Opinions given by lot of friends, and I’m sure that I’m the lucky new blogger because I got to know some bloggers and added them into my MSN as well.
* Especially from Big Boy Oven (Sid), my friend who works in MPH Publisher (Lawrence), and also a designer he is my ex-schoolmate (Hakkison). Their opinions are really helping me a lot.

2. Food Blog – How should I present a food blog.
Eat out food or Home Cook Food? My blogging are mainly about my Home Cook Food and Recipes. Friends’ opinion, that I have to actually make a brand and a unique name which is easier for others to remember me.
* So I stick back to my lovely nickname as BigFish.

4. Template and Theme Color.
Keep the design clean and nice to read.
* Don’t use Eyes Killing Fonts and Color.
** This is the very first thing that I can do up to the stage now ~ to change my blog looks clean and comfortable.

5. Photo Shooting.
After College and quit my design job. Is been ages I never keep myself updating with the Photo Shooting matter. All my photos are just simply shooting without any side preparations most of times.
But since I started to add my first Food Blogger (CookingMonster) in my list, from there I started to know foodiest from all around the world. The very first blog which really gave me a strong impression is Taste Like Home (Cynthia’s blog). Her photos are all serving with well food styling. Another one is Big Boys Oven (Sid), and I been chatting online with him few times, and he was telling me about the dinning set like bowls and plates chosen are important for Food Photography too.

* I will have to get back to my skill from now, try to shoot more and practice more to make my dishes come out with nice lighting shoot.
* I started to buy nice dinning set to make my food present nicer.
* Might have to set up a small shooting area in my house with some simple lighting equipments.

I’m looking forward from every one here to give me more opinions and also comments. I will try to make my improvement step by step. I am looking forward to get my own domain~ when the “clicks” is there!

Please forgive me if you found my blog has some changes, because some times it will be “under construction”.

Looking forward to step ahead from decent to better…

~ Happy Blogging ~ Cheers!

Blogs below are those I always visit because of their nice photographs. :)
1. Oh for The Love of Food
2. Steamy Kitchen
3. Audrey Cooks
4. A Whiff of Lemongrass
5. Food for Thought
6. Imbi and Itchy

The Making of Rice Wine

Making dish with Glutinous Rice wine … try this and you will never regret!

Lot of friends asking~ is Glutinous Rice Wine same as the normal rice wine. For me, I think there’s bit different in such a point of view on ways and methods of transforming, but always fermented and rice-based.

Since questions asked, I was actually thinking to make my own Home Made Glutinous Rice Wine. I called up my mom and some friends to ask them about the process and things to ready. Then I found out … the whole process taking a few weeks to just get a little Rice Wine to be done.

Finally, I shed off my thoughts to make my own Wine at home, and also started to search online to look for more information… here are some photos and information I found.
Kadazan Method and China Method

I’m a Malaysian from the Borneo Island - Land Below the Wind, Sabah. So I believe my mom’s methods of making wine are the mixture of the two Traditions ~ China method and KadazanDusun Method.

Here they are Steps to make the Glutinous Rice Wine:


* Step1:
Ingredients: 1.5 kg long grain Sticky rice
In a big container soak the rice in water for at least 12 hours or over night, making sure you cover all of the rice.


* Step2: Steam
Sticky rice for 20 minutes or until just cookedRinse and wash the rice thoroughly then place evenly into steamer. Using chop sticks stab with holes for more even steaming.

* Step3: Allow the cooked sticky rice to cool down
Rinse and wash thoroughly under cold running water, make sure to separate all the individual grains. Drain.

* Step4: Ingredients: 1 pkt dried yeast (2 heaped Chinese soup spoons)
Add and mix yeast and sticky rice into ceramic vessel - save a little for step 5

* Step5: Pat down the sticky rice and level
In the middle make a small hole and sprinkle the rest of the yeast inside and around

*Step6: Place lid and store in dry warm place, undisturbed for the next 36 hours

If need wrap up in thick towels, sheets or blankets

* Step7: Wine is ready when vessel is tilted and rice separates from the sides

If you can not see the "freshly fermented wine" in the hole then replace lid and kept fermenting

Here you are, naturally sweet fermented home made Glutinous Rice Wine!!!

These are what my mom told me when she wanted to make the Wine at home:-
Many taboos have to be observed during the making of rice wine. Thus one is not allowed to swear or fight during the cooking process, or to talk bad and loudly. Other taboos are connected to practical hygiene, such as the rule that one cannot touch lemons or any other sour thing during the preparations. This could turn the wine sour. Hygiene is paramount, and in olden days often the whole family was banned from the house when mother prepared rice wine.

Often a piece of charcoal, or a small knife called is placed on top of the jar with the fermenting rice, to prevent bad spirits from entering the recipient and spoil the wine – lihing, being an entirely natural wine, will turn into vinegar when left exposed to air.
*I still remember… I was really young and still studying. Mom making her rice wine and during her first checking time, I was standing beside her and saw her taking out a small knife which placed on top of the container. Then the next thing she asked me to do is “Keep My Mouth Shut”.

The three main ingredients that contribute to the unique characters of various wines are the grains, the water, and the liquor starter. Other ingredients that alter the color or taste of the final product may also be added.

Glutinous Rice Wine well knows as Sticky rice wine, traditionally, can be eaten as a dessert, with sweet sticky rice balls as a snack, drunk with a meal, but mainly the Chinese consider it as a "health food/drink".

Then from the research, I am so surprised that the local people of Sabah produced their own Rice Wine and done with beautiful packaging design for sale too.

Well known and labeled as Lihing Rice Wine.