Ingredients:

250 gm Sirloin steak seasoned with salt & pepper and grilled to your desired doneness.

Dressing:

• 1 pc Red chili, de-seeded, julienne
• 1 pc Bird eye chili chopped, optional if you like spicier, can add more
• 1 pc Shallot, slice thinly
• 1 pc Tomato, remove seed, julienne
• 3 sprig Coriander leaf, coarsely chopped
• 2 tblsp Juice from lime
• 3 tblsp Thai Chili Sauce, can be found at any Asian shops
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Grill the beef to your desired doneness; leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
2. Then slice it, put in a bowl and mix with all the ingredients.
3. You may add sliced green peppers or any other vegetables that you like.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi our resident chef has made an incredibly simple salad here that looks so good you would not believe how easy it is to make. The salad should be mixed only when you are ready to serve the dish. Even leftover roast beef from Sunday’s roast dinner would be brilliant for this salad the following day.

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

Gulab Jamun

• Sugar Syrup
• 3 cups Sugar
• 2 cups Water
• ½ tsp Lime Juice
• ½ tablespoon of Rose water or Vanilla Extract

Gulab Jamun Balls

• 1 cup Pancake Mix
• 2 cups Dry Milk Powder
• ¼ Cup Butter slightly melted
• 2 tablespoons of Milk
• ½ tsp Cardamom powder
• 2 liter Cooking Oil (for frying)

Garnish

• Pistachio Nuts Chopped
• Gold Flakes or gold paper

Method

1. In a pot add the sugar, water, lime juice and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until all the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and then add the rose water.
2. To make the balls, mix all the items and knead as a dough. The dough should be soft to hard but not sticky.  Roll your balls about 1" diameter. Let them rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. You may cover them with plastic film or a damp towel to avoid drying. This is important for the gluten to relax.
3. The balls have to be fried in a low to medium heat. As you add the balls they will start to float in about 4-5 minutes. If they start to crack turn the heat down because if the oil is too hot, the balls will start cracking and spoil the presentation. If the balls do not float in seven minutes, increase the heat to ensure they rise to the top. The balls have to be fried on a LOW TO MEDIUM HEAT.
4. When the balls are floating, use a skimmer to turn the balls ensuring that they are evenly and fully browned on all sides. It may take another 10 to 15 minutes to finish the cooking process.
5. After they are brown place them in the warm sugar syrup. If the balls break or crack within three minutes, they are NOT done and should be cooked for another 5 minutes. If the balls for testing do not break apart or crack, remove the remaining balls and place them in the syrup too. Let them stay in the syrup for at least 2 hours.
6. Garnish with chopped Pistachio nuts and Gold Flakes.

Special thanks to Chef Bob from Kanpei Restaurant & Bar for this wonderful Malaysian dessert that is definitely something different for us to try.

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:

• 200 gm Bean sprouts
• 100 gm Four angle beans or you may substitute with haricot vert
• 3 nos Whole crabs, seasoned with salt, turmeric powder & pepper before grilling or frying

Dressing:

• 2 no Red chili, de-seeded and cut in to small pieces
• 1 no Birds eye chili, (more my be added if spicier is preferred
• 1 stem Ginger flower or torch ginger flower
• 3 tbsp Juice from limes
• 3 tbsp Roasted desiccated coconut
• ½ tsp Shrimp paste
• Salt to taste

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor except the roasted coconut, then coarsely grind. If you have an Asian pestle and mortar this can be used.

Presentation:

Slice the four angle beans; clean the bean sprouts and flush with running water, then strain. In a mixing bowl, place all the vegetables and dressing, mix well, adjust the seasoning.

Serve with the crab or any seafood you desire.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi has proven here that simplicity is definitely the key, anyone & I mean anyone can cook great food at home for their loved ones and we are proving this

Happy Cooking!

Due to the growing strong support, we managed to get a total of 19, 693 for the month of August and the hits seem to be growing stronger by the day.

I guess we will have to increase the new posts to keep it even more interesting for our viewers

Again, sincere thanks.

Warm regards,

Mike, chef Kasdi, chef Bob and Philip

Ingredients

• 2pcs Eggs
• 200gm Button Mushrooms
• 50gm Mixed Salad
• 1 Slice Wholemeal Bread
• 20ml Olive Oil
• 30gm Butter
• 2liter Water
• 20ml White Vinegar
• 5gm Salt
• 5gm Pepper

Method

1. In a pot, bring sufficient water to a steady boil and add the vinegar.
2. Crack the eggs one by one and slowly add one of them to the boiling water, let the egg simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then using a slotted spoon, take out the cooked egg and continue the process until all the eggs are poached.
3. In another pan, heat the oil and sauté the sliced mushrooms with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper.
4. Take the bread and drizzle with olive oil then grill or toast inside an oven for 4-5 minutes.
5. Place the bread on a plate followed by the mixed salad and sautéed mushrooms, take 2 eggs and place them on top.
6. In a small pan reheat the butter than pour on top of the poached eggs.

Notes

Chef Bob our Kanpei Restaurant Executive Chef has made a lovely dish here that will blow your guests or your family away on a Sunday morning. These simple as heck poached eggs will be just a breath of fresh air for breakfast or for afternoon tea with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee.

When poaching the eggs it is important that you add them one by one to ensure the water temperature does not go down too much by adding too many eggs all at once. Make sure the boiling water is a slow boil as when the water boils harshly there is a chance that the egg yolks will break or overcook.

Happy Poaching!

Omelet

• 3 pcs Fresh whole egg
• 1 tblsp Chives, slice thinly
• 3 tblsp Mozzarella cheese or any cheese you desire
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
2. Then add the chives, pre heat the non stick pan, add in the butter, pour in the egg mixture, stir, just before the eggs are firm, spread the cheese and fold it to a half moon shape.

Apple Pickles

• 6 pcs Whole apples, peeled and cored, but keep it whole
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 2 cup Vinegar
• 1 tsp Whole cloves
• 1 stick Cinnamon

Method

1. Wash, peel and core all the apples.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Add the apples a few at a time and simmer until tender.
4. Pack the apples in hot sterilized jars, adding syrup to cover apples and seal.

To assemble

Just before serving, bake the apples until slightly brown, then serve arrangement on the side of the omelet, garnish with fresh wild rocket or any vegetable or salad you desire.

Notes

Chef Kasdi has prepared a really easy all day possible dish here for everyone to enjoy making at home. The same syrup for the apples may be used for any other fruit pickles.

To get great tips on how to make an omelet click here http://bit.ly/dbHSjU

Happy Cooking!

One must always try not to buy a model with a built in ice machine for simple reasons that may not appear at first to be obvious.

Fridges with built in ice machine need a sensor inside the freezer box or container that tells you when the container is full.

If the chosen fridge does not have this feature and the fridge does not know that the ice container is full, it will continue to produce ice.

When the ice is not able to drop out of the production section of the freezer and in to the storage container the whole system gets backed up, the ice gets frozen in one large lump and blocks the whole system.

The much needed built in sensor tells the machine that the container is full and automatically turns off the production of cubes until the level of ice subsides and again automatically restarting the process on its own.

One must check the senor weekly to ensure servicing is not required.

Braised lamb with a sweet & spicy soya sauce

• 500gm Lamb cube
• 2 no’s Red onion
• 10no’s Garlic
• 3cm Ginger
• 4no’s Cloves
• 2no’s Star anise
• 2no’s Cinnamon stick
• 5no’s Cardamom
• 150gm Kurma powder
• 100gm Curry powder
• 50gm Chili powder
• 30gm Dry coconut
• 4 tablespoon Dark soya sauce
• 150ml Cooking oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a cooking pot and then add all the spices (cloves, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick) and fry until fragrant.
2. In a food processor blend in the onions, garlic and ginger with a little water, then pour into the hot pot and fry together with the already cooking spices for few minutes.
3. Add all the spice powder as well as the dried coconut and dark soya sauce, stir for 10-15minutes.
4. Lastly, add the lamb cubes, let it simmer slowly until the lamb is tender, not forgetting to continuously stir.

Notes:

Kanpei Executive Chef Bob has made a great Malaysian specialty here today that again is very easy for you to make at home. As it is a stew kind of dish there are very few things that can go wrong if you cook it slowly and always continue to stir well. This wonderful lamb dish can be served with any kind of steamed rice or crispy toasted bread.

Happy Cooking!

I would like to thank Trish, the author and founder of Mum’s Gone To…blog for this lovely article from a hotel guest perspective.

Hope you enjoy it!

I’m surprising myself with my ability to find a second post’s worth of chit chat from our lovely lazy holiday and have to dedicate it to that wonderful pastime of people-watching, my favourite holiday activity.

On the whole, this being a smart gaff, the people are very civilised, quiet and stylish and I just love admiring other women’s clothes, bags, children etc. However, around the poolside I’m reminded of a phrase of my husband’s Scottish Auntie Jenny, who used to say, “Aye, the sights you see when you’ve nae got a gun!” That thought passes through my mind when at a nearby sunbed a middle-aged Spanish woman proceeds to merrily pluck away at stray hairs on her thighs with a pair of tweezers. My husband is fearful the plucking might go higher so he turns his bed round a little to focus on some younger totty to his left.

My favourite couple are the two very stylish gay chaps who look fabulous at breakfast and then come down to the pool in their bathrobes, sashaying along as if they are on the Milan catwalk, before disrobing with a swish of their shoulders, to reveal fetching speedos and well-maintained bodies. Wish I could say the same for “strangely-dyed-ginger-haired man” who walks round the pool in a tiny pair of lime green lycra pants which sport a handy zip at the front!

Whilst I’m not averse to snaffling away an apple or two from the breakfast buffet to keep us going during the day, one French family just take it a step too far. The wife is dripping in jewellery, tottering on astonishingly high heels and nearly wearing a teeny top from which her silicone chest makes a determined effort to escape. I reckon she must have spent a fortune on Botox and lip-plumping too. Her husband, with no perception that this really isn’t the done thing, proceeds to butter five baguettes and fill them all with an assortment of meats. He wraps them all up in the hotel’s linen napkins and trophy wife stashes them, with great aplomb, in her white leather statement handbag. My poor husband, who has hoofed it already to Netto and back for a packet of ham and a couple of rolls, can only look on with amazement at the sheer audacity of the whole operation.

Even worse, a carbon copy of Roman Abramovich is strutting around the hotel with an entourage of thick-necked heavies and his young family who are there for his every need. He sits at breakfast with a large glass of lager and his daughter (?) has to fetch and carry for him and even puts his sweater over his shoulders when he’s a bit cold. I’m not awfully good at watching people surreptitiously, (Hubby says I could never be a spy) so I gawp as Roman slurps his lager and plunges his croissant into a mug of cappuccino before shovelling it into his mouth.

Pass me the rifle, Aunty Jenny

Trish can be found @  http://www.mumsgoneto.blogspot.com/

The dough:

• 1 packet Spring roll skin
• 3 tbsp Corn flour, dilute with cold water
• Oil for frying, any kind of neutral low cholesterol oil

Method:

1. Lay the spring roll skins on top of a working table or clean chopping board.
2. Ensure that it is thoroughly dry.
3. Brush it lightly with corn flour and water mixture; roll it into a cigarette shape, then cut slits about and 1 inch or about 2 cm in length.
4. Please continue the same method until all the spring roll skins are finished, then in the hot oil, deep fry them all until they are golden brown.
5. Remove the roll and place on a tissue paper to remove and soak up all the excess oil. While it is still hot, coat it with the honey and oat crumb mixture.

Honey and Oat Crumbs:

• 150 gm Oatmeal
• 100 gm Ground almond
• 5 tbsp Honey
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• Pinch of salt & pepper

Method:

In a food processer, mix all the ingredients, and grind it well.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi could not have come up with a lovelier and really simple dish that ANYONE and I mean ANYONE can make at home. Try this great idea for a tasty snack with a good morning coffee or afternoon tea break.

Happy Cooking!