UNCLE LEE and his favourite pets

Mei wanted cupcakes that has her dads favourite animals (like my dad. Watsup with old dads and their animals?) Told her, “no problema!”

GOSHT KI BIRYANI (LAMB BIRYANI)

Last weekend I told my mom that I’m gonna try to make Lamb Biryani. I have seriously no idea how to cook lamb biryani. The only thing that came into my mind was how it has to look like (almost resembling) the ones at Restaurant Muhibbah in Bangsar (know what I mean?). It’s too late to back out now, my mom told my bros n SILs to come over for lunch. Crap!

So went and surf for a good recipe and found one. It looks like a good authentic lamb biryani recipe. Ok fine! It was coz of the name, it felt authentic! GOSHT KI BIRYANI! LOL... Here’s the recipe.

Lamb Biryani Rice

Gosht ki Biryani

Biryani is a rich dish, cooked with a sort of spicy curry, made with meat or chicken or prawns or vegetables or fish. Lamb or mutton biryani is perhaps the most popular of all the biryanies. It can be a meal in itself or can be served as part of an elaborate Indian meal. Do not be put off by the long list of ingredients, it is an easy dish to cook. Make sure that you have all the ingredients, cutting corners spoils the end result.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

750 gm.-1 kg. basmati rice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 litre water for rice
a small sprig of mint leaves
For cooking the the Meat:
1 kg. lamb or mutton leg/shoulder cut into bite size pieces, washed and drained (do not use poor quality meat for this dish)
4-5 tbs. oil or ghee
6 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 inch piece ginger, chopped or grated finely
4 large cardamoms*,
6 green cardamoms*
2 inch piece of cinnamon*
4 bay leaves*
8-10 black pepper corns*
6-8 cloves*
2-3 green chillies- slit length wise. (adjust amount to your taste)
2- 2 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp. chilli powder (adjust amount to your taste)
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
1 small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
1 lime or 1/2 lemon, cut into small pieces
A few strands of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of warm water
1 tbs. Ghee or clarified butter
Orange or jalebi food colour Instructions:
1.	Peel, wash slice onions thinly.
2.	Peel, wash and grate ginger and garlic finely.
3.	Measure all whole spices*. Crack brown and green cardamoms a little, by hitting them with a rolling pin. Keep all whole spices together, aside.
4.	Measure/prepare all other ingredients as listed.
5.	Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and fry onions, until quite dark brown. Take out & keep aside.
6.	In the same oil (if there is too little left, add another tablespoon. or two), add all whole spices (cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, black peppers, bay leaves), ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute or two.
7.	Add meat pieces, salt, chilli powder. Stir fry until meat is nicely browned on all sides.
8.	Add yoghurt, tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves (save a few leaves for boiling rice) , sliced green chillies, pieces of lime and 2/3rd of fried onions, keeping 1/3rd onions aside for garnishing later. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is nearly done and only a little gravy is left. This may take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the cut and quality of meat.
9.	While meat is cooking, boil the water for rice, with a mint & coriander leaves and salt.
10.	Add rice and boil briskly, with lid off, until 2/3rd done (2 grains felt, when rice is pressed and squashed between two fingers).
11.	Drain the water off by transferring the rice to a colander/large sieve. You can run a little cold water over it, to stop the rice from cooking further while resting. Leave in the colander for a few minute, for the water to drain out completely.
12.	Grease a large oven proof dish or a pan and spread 1/3rd of the rice in a layer at the base of the pan. Sprinkle 1/3 rd of the saffron on rice.
13.	Now layer with 1/2 of the meat.
14.	Next, cover with the second 1/3 rd of the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 rd of saffron on top of rice.
15.	Now spread the remaining 1/2 of the meat on top of rice.
16.	Finish with the remaining 1/3rd of the rice layer on top.
17.	Sprinkle the remaining saffron.
18.	Sprinkle fried onions on top. You can spread some of the fried onions on each layer of rice, from step 12 onwards, if you wish. This adds to the flavour.
19.	Dot with a little ghee and a few drops of liquid jalebi (orange) colour here and there (see picture). If dry colour powder is used, dissolve it in a teaspoon of water. These drops of ghee and colour will trickle down into the rice and when you serve, they will give you a nice flavour, as well as a few dark orange coloured rice grains interspersed in the rest of the white rice. This looks very nice when served.
20.	Cover the pan with a tight lid.
21.	Put it in a medium hot oven, 170º-180° C, on the centre shelf, for 20 minutes or so, until the rice is fully done. It can be cooked directly on the hob, on a low flame, with the lid tightly closed. This will take 20-30 minutes.
22.	Serve hot.

Notes

•	If you would like a richer biryani, add another 500 gm. of lamb. Remember to increase all other ingredients, except rice, accordingly.
•	Biryani can be pre-prepared up to step 19, cooled quickly and then kept in the fridge. Do not leave cooked rice lying around at room temperature. Cooking time in oven will be increased by 10 minutes when cooking chilled Biryani from the fridge.
•	Biryani freezes reasonably well. Defrost fully. Sprinkle a little water on top, cover and heat in a microwave, or an ordinary oven at low-medium heat or in a heavy bottomed pan, on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until steaming hot.

FYI, it’s not that hard. Should have a go! There were few ingredients I didn’t have, so I substitute it for example the yoghurt –> sour cream, large or green cardamoms –> I just use the normal cardamoms, black peppercorns –> black pepper powder and chilli powder –> paprika. It was unfortunate I didn’t have saffron coz I think it would've made a difference. But my family loved it, only few comments from them. The biryani was a bit dry and it should’ve been spicier (hot). That’s alright. At least I can put GOSHT KI BIRYANI in my cooking resume! :P

the ingredients

the biryani!!!!!!!!!!

This is a creamy garlic dressing which I sometimes use together with couscous or rice dishes that has no gravy just so it won't be too dry.

MY JOURNEY AS A CAKE DECORATOR (part 13: RAINBOW CAKE)

This cake is just super wonderful to make especially for kids or adult who think he’s still a kid. The colourful layers are amazing! It just cheers you up, don’t you think? I got the recipe from http://whisk-kid.blogspot.com/2009/08/say-it-with-cake.html. Check it out!

I made this beautiful cake for Raya Haji (Eid al-Adha). We had other traditional homemade food on that table, like my aunts ‘lemang’, my mom’s chicken rendang and beef popiah, ‘pulut kuning’ and ok this is not traditional but was trying my hands on making crab cakes. And came out alright! Woo hoo!

LASTMINUTE.COM

Some last minute orders over the weekend...

Dilla ordered cupcakes for SIL's bday..... very d LASTMINUTE.COM!

LENNY’S TOOTHFAIRY BIRTHDAY CAKE

My SIL is the only person I know who has two birthdays. Something to do with her dad accidently wrote the wrong date on her birth cert. Anyway, recently she had to go for a minor operation – taking out her cracked tooth. It was really bad. She was given leave for a week. And because her birthday was near I thought of creating a tooth fairy cake for her. Get it? Cracked tooth? Tooth fairy? ...... *sigh* nevermind.

I made four tooth fairies. Ok here’s the thing, while I was making this fairies, I was ambushed by my SIL who suddenly drops by the house unexpectedly. Somehow I have this feeling she knows that I’m making a cake for her. Damn that woman! And my mom wasn’t helping. I tried telling her to stall my SIL but she couldn’t stop laughing seeing me went into a panic mode and chucking the fairies in the cupboard. So at the end after all the drama I checked my fairies and their condition was bad. Somehow I left them as it is *sigh*.

Left: 'Hangover' fairy, Right: 'Grandma' fairy

Left: 'Botox' fairy, RIght: 'Virgin' fairy

The cake turned out nice. I made this huge tooth wearing this retro sunglasses seating in the middle of the cake. So to SITI SAZREENA, HAPPY TOOTHDAY!! xxx

Bday gal

MY JOURNEY AS A CAKE DECORATOR (part 12: Male figurine)

I was super excited just thinking about making Sue-Ann’s b’day cake. It’s my 1^st attempt doing full body male figurine. I wanted the man to have 6 packs, muscled biceps and the rest if you know what I mean. I know somehow I won’t be able to create a good looking man. So I went with a funny looking guy with a fit body instead. The idea was having him lying on the bed, a blanket covering his private parts *ehem* and probably rose petals here and there.

It’s hard trying to do especially a naughty cake when your mom is seating in front of you and bro + SIL seating left and right watching and impatiently guessing what is it I’m making. And later walks in dad and you quickly grab a cloth and cover the whole thing! I just couldn’t go through the endless interrogation.

I just realize the man has a third nipple!

So Sue-Ann, I hope you like the cake, coz I truly enjoyed making it for you. Happy Birthday luv!

Birthday gal decide to chop the head off... ummmmm it says alot doesn't it?

MY JOURNEY AS A CAKE DECORATOR (part 11: Royal Icing)

Recently I’ve discovered a technique using Royal Icing as a cake decor. Tried it on a cake I made for my staff. His wife just gave birth to a baby boy. So as I was cracking my brain thinking of ideas for this cake I suddenly found myself back in time when I was living in London. I still remember the Tatty Teddy phenomena. I assure you I was sucked into d craziness of Tatty Teddy. The bear is just truly, ultimately, maximum cuteness! You get the idea? Yeah, Tatty Teddy cake.

Now, this is seriously a trial and error process. I wasn't sure what the outcome will be. I’ve never tried using royal icing as a decor. It’s a bit complicated and tedious I should say. After I piped the royal icing on a plastic with a printed paper of the bear underneath as a guide, I had to leave it overnight so the icing will harden. I was so anxious to see the result. During this time, MUST NOT touch the icing, it’s very fragile.

The next morning, I checked the icing and it looked really nice! I was happy until I tried to transfer it on the cake. It cracked!!!!! *sigh*.... but I manage to piece it together and just gently placed it on the cake. It wasn’t that obvious.... seriously! What I’ve discovered is that to use this method, the icing has to be thick. And the safest way is to draw and fill the design with black and white icing; colour it on top like a colouring book. I dunno, I have to try making this again.

Round 2 coming soon!

My cute little helper

Before I started making the cake, I whipped up some Jamie Oliver pancakes and homemade caramel syrup for breakfast.. yummy!

Jamie Oliver Pancakes:

3 large eggs
115g/4oz plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
140ml/5fl oz milk
a pinch of salt and Cinnamon or vanilla (option)

First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter – it is now ready to use.

Heat a good non-stick pan on a medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. At this point sprinkle your chosen flavouring (see below) on to the uncooked side before loosening with a spatula and flipping the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

Caramel syrup:

1/2cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2cup buttermilk or 1cup milk + 1tbsp vinegar

1tbsp syrup

1tsp baking soda and vanilla

In a large pot, combine butter, sugar, buttermilk and syrup; bring to a boil for about 2 – 3 min. Add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will fizz to twice the size or more, so make sure use a good-sized pot! Set it aside to thicken while stirring occasionally. Pour over pancakes or French toast. Super YUMMY!)

In between baking the cake and decorating, I made my 1st cut out cookies. Super COOL! Taste awesome!