Some food photos

Chilled symphony of dragonffruit and mangoes frozen, partly thawed and then whizzed in the food processor. I added some softened dates for extra taste and nutrition. Cold Appetiser.

Defrosted some thick vegetarian dhall which I made the other day. I packed them into small plastic bags and thawed them in the morning.




Beef stew, kidney bean salad, just olive oil, lemon, onion, capsicum, salt and pepper. Anything you like and have in your fridge.



Mapo Tofu, one of our favourite dishes. We always ordered medium size Mapo whenever we ate at Muhibbah's. By far the best is found there. Other restaurants do not do it exactly the way we like it. I take the short cut these days by buying the mapo sauce paste from Lee Kum Kee or some other halal brand.

Just brown lots of garlic, add finely chopped or sliced beef or lamb. Stir well and add about 4 teaspoons or more of the hot sauce. Now add in a box of soft tofu, cut up. You can also add some chopped spring onions, some sliced ginger or a little cornflour or tapioca starch flour dissolved in some water for the gravy.The amount is up to us though it can be a little salty if we add too much.

Mealtime can be very quick and simple. We have toast when we have no time to cook rice. Really fast meal.

Shepard or Cottage pie, served separately but in same dish. I put long beans in the rice before cooking it. Trying to have a more nutritional meal. :)
Pine nuts blended roughly with fresh Italian basil leaves and olive oil, cheese. Very filling snack. Toast the pine nuts before using. If we do not have them, try walnuts or almonds with spinach.
A little feta cheese crumbled on top would be tasty.




Tasty Pumpkin Soup - we had to hide the large pot of soup. Sometimes it goes on the table to keep it really hot. The curry was from the shop as I had lunch there

Apple Crumble

Unfortunately we did not get to taste the apple crumble. Made it in a hurry for Doctor M whose son was preparing for his medical exam and was craving for apple crumble. See the greatness of a mother's love? She had to spend time tutoring him so she asked me to cook so that he could have both tution and pie. Masha Allah. No wonder her children are top scorers and pious kids.

Some random food photos from my kitchen

Just a small selection of food photos. What Malaysians like to have for their dinner :) or at least in my humble home, where cooking does not have to be a chore but an interesting and inviting prelude to a nice relaxing meal at the end of the day.

Eat early and stop eating before you are full

Been advised to have dinner before 7 pm so that the food can digest with our activities and not go to bed with a heavy load. Eat only 1/3 full, fill the other 1/3 with water and leave the other 1/3 of our stomach empty. Sounds like very great advice, after all it is the sunnah, the tradition of our beloved Prophet saw. (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)

Soup saves the day

I try to make soup at least once or twice a week. Normally sufficient for 2 days so that I can just add some vegetables or meat to stretch the meal. I prefer to spend less time in the kitchen. We can be productive without being a slave to the kitchen. Just plan our meals and be adaptable. Use up the favourite leftovers and be creative.

Enjoy Family time at mealtimes

Try not to eat alone. We seldom enjoy our food even if we ate at the finest restaurant. There is so much barakah or blessings when we share our meals. Good to ask someone to our home to share our food. The problem is of course we need to have enough time to cook enough and also give people time to plan their schedule. Not everyone can drop their work and say yes to us.

Be thankful for our nourishment

Let mealtimes be a pleasure, a time to be with family and to get nourishment with thanks to our Creator. Be thankful for our food as our friends and neighbours in other parts of the world are starving and suffering. May Allah SWT protect us and forgive our weaknesses.

Sharing Food with Friends

Cooking for Friends

One of life's pleasures, sharing at the dinner table.

Today my friend Farah visited me to return some cooking trays and my heavy European metal 4 tier cake stand. she had kindly kept them for me when I was moving house. Sis Farah always cooked healthy meals for me whenever I visited her. Today I though I should at least make the effort of cooking her a simple healthy lunch.

Winter Melon Soup, My Usual Soup

I already had some left over winter melon soup with dates and wolfberries which was made the day before. It was simmered for a long time and was light but flavourful.

This time I added extra water, some chicken and shredded wood ear fungus. I threw in some fish paste in beancurd skin for variety That was easy. Its also nice with some finely julienned carrot and onions. Just a pinch of salt and pepper to give it some extra flavour. Try to avoid stock cubes unless necessary.

What Soups Do I Like to Make?

Farah asked me what soups do I normally make. Usually the really quick and simple ones that need only simmering, no need to check on them. Like Old Cucumber soup, Lotus root soup, ABC potato chicken soup, Watercress Chicken soup, Mushroom veggie soup, Winter melon soup and Spinach soup. I also like to make Pumpkin Cream soup but its a lot of work peeling the pumpkin. But its economical, makes quite a lot and we enjoy it for 2 days. Best thing is it is really tasty and nutritious! Really satisfying comfort foods.

What are your favourites family dishes? Every family has its own signature dishes. Our best childhood memories always include eating together at the dinner table. Alhamdulilah.

Quick Stir Fry

I then hurriedly cut some fresh mushrooms, capsicums and carrots, onions, cabbage and Japanese green peas and stir fried them with some olive oil , garlic and a dash of sesame oil, pepper and rock salt .

We had a nice simple lunch with parboiled rice. Alhamdulillah! All Praise to God for His blessings.

Icy Cold Blended Fruit Drink

She was in a hurry and I forgot to make some ice blended mango and red dragon fruit juice. Can be sweetened with sweet fruits or honey. Molasses sugar is also an alternative or gula melaka or palm sugar. Its really refreshing when ice cold though its actually not too healthy to swallow icy cold drinks. That may solidify all the oils and fats lurking in our bodies. Hot green , flower or herbal would be better but sometimes the afternoons are so very warm.

Our Favourite Mapo Tofu for Dinner Last Night

These days I always make double boxes of soft tofu. Its too much trouble cooking just one tofu and sometimes its not enough if we did not have an extra meat dish. I do add some chopped chicken or lamb when I brown the garlic. For convenience, I simply buy some mapo tofu chilli paste from the shops. Just add extra seasonings to suit our taste. We can also make our own.

We love the dish but the sodium content is quite high. We need to drink more water and reduce our salt intake the next few days. At least remember to use sea, rock or mountain salt. No processed table salt for us.

Pan Fried Chicken Fillet

I also made some pan fried chicken fillet, cut in cubes. That way it will cook more evenly. Its great for eating with rice and veggies or diced and mixed into fried rice or even served on skewers with cucumber, pineapple, tomato and soft fruits like mango and orange. Fusion fruity chicken sticks. MMmm can make that for my next dinner party.

Dinner Tonight

Tonight Sara wanted to visit me unexpectedly. I asked her to join us for dinner as it was near maghrib already. Just simple food as usual. Even more simple as I was out half the day doing some errands and came home in the jam around 5.30 p.m. Already drizzling and I was feeling so sleepy as I had another late night.

Store Roasted Chicken

It would have been just store bought roast chicken with fresh salad and bread from the supermarket.. Sometimes the chicken can be so juicy and tender. Other times they are hard and dry like leather. I bought lemon and herb chicken but actually there was no taste of lemon or herb at all.

I thought of serving it with mayonnaise, bread and kidney bean salad. I was still sleepy but now that I invited a guest, I had to make a bit more effort.

Egg Drop Soup

Made egg drop veggie soup. That was nice and hot. Also whipped up some lemon honey olive oil dressing for the salad and kidney beans. Its some kind of vinaigrette but I did not add any mustard. Ran out of it and I do not use it often. Trying to be frugal. Even veggies are getting so costly!

Mustard Chicken Wings

Actually deep fried marinated chicken wings with mustard, salt, pepper and some soy sauce can be quite delicious. Learnt it from my friend whose mother used to operate a Szechuan Restaurant. No chicken wings so did not cook any. I am also too lazy to deep fry food. Have to clean up the place after that. Too messy and not so healthy but tasty. Most of us however do enjoy some fried food.

Durian Cake Dessert

Served some store bought durian cake. It was quite tender but I am more used to home baking. Maybe that would be my next cake as a treat when I have time to bake it. Durian cake is rather fussy to make, having to remove the durian flesh from the seeds and also to whip the dairy cream to make the filling. Farah was just mentioning about learning how to make choux pastry and cream puffs with durian cream filling. Yummm but so sinfully rich and decadent. Quickly... gimme some already!!!

Belgian and German Cocoa Butter Chocolate Chips

I served some chocolates of the healthy kind. 53% cocoa butter chocolate chips and some dark chocolate discs. These are not confectionery and do not contain milk or additives. Only pure cocoa butter which is highly anti oxidant and good for skin and nutritious and delicious. Also less sugar so insha Allah healthier to eat and enjoy.l They come in 200gm packs for only RM18 to RM20.

Quite delectable and I am already addicted to them. Will try to upload some photos. Waiting for my son to transfer the photos from the camera. He is asleep already.

I still feel so fresh, must have been the new coffee I bought today. White coffee. Must try to sleep.

Garlic Bread Supper

Alhamdulillah for a lovely lunch

We were given a lovely treat by br. Sharin Low at his fine dining restaurant today. It was a sort of thank you lunch to show his appreciation for the effort by the working committee.

Heavy lunch is often enough to last us till next morning. Today I had a fairly heavy lunch, though I managed to discipline myself to only one medium bowl of white rice. Its difficult to have a full Chinese meal without rice. Some dishes may be a little salty and its not suitable for consuming it by itself.

Light and Easy Supper

Its better to prepare some garlic butter just in case anyone gets a little hungry at night. We normally skip dinner if we had a heavy lunch or tea. How much can our bodies take, forcing our liver and kidneys to work even harder when we overeat. Just imagine the amount of abuse our bodies have to endure when we decided to have an extra meal - unnecessarily.

Its better to enjoy some fresh fruit juice or a blend of vegetable juice or yogurt shake. Some buttered garlic toast may be just right for hungry people who do not want to over eat at night. Light supper is better that heavy rice or noodles for me.

We can have plain toast with some leftover clear vegetable soup or just boil an egg and add a few dashes of light soya sauce and pepper. I welcome hot garlic toast using white sandwich bread, French baguette or homemade bread. Just prepare some garlic butter, keep it in the fridge for a couple of days for a snack.

How to do it

Garlic Butter

Half block of Softened salted butter
Finely chopped garlic - 2 tsp or more
Freshly ground black pepper
white pepper

Just mix everything and season to taste with a little sea, rock or mountain salt. So easy when we are in the mood for a quick snack.

Butter one side of the bread, no need to trim the crusts. Turn the bread over and spread butter generously . Pop it in the mini oven toaster or place several pieces on the oven tray and toast it in the oven.

Its ready when the surface starts to turn golden brown, Remove quickly before it burns as it will continue to toast after its left on the cooling rack. Serve with some salad or soup. Yum..

Another quick snack for lazy or busy folks :

Tomato and Cheese Sandwich

It can served as an open sandwich or sandwiched together in the sandwich toaster. Its really hot and juicy so be careful of the hot tomato and cheese when you try to bite into it.

Butter the bottom side of the bread. Place a slice of cheddar cheese on top and ad 1 thin slices of ripe red tomatoes, seeds removed. If you like, top it with another slice of cheese. Cover with another piece of buttered bread and place it in the oven or sandwich toaster. Buttering the top and bottom will give a nice crispy golden surface. Watch out for the steam!!!

No Cooking Ikan Bilis Sambal Toast

Actually I also used to prepare sambal sandwich with the leftover ikan bilis sambal from nasi lemak . Just sandwich and pop it into the sandwich toaster. I had a customer who ate this very regularly and obviously its her favourite.

Sardines and Toast

Everyone knows how to do this. Just add some sliced or minced fresh onions and red and green chillies. Chopped bits of pineapple can be tasty too. Serve with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and leafy greens.

Finding time to cook in Ramadhan

These days I do not seem to have the mood to spend time in the kitchen. Some of the vegetables have to be thrown away periodically. Its such a shame!

Eat more vegetables!

I bought some beautiful fresh mushrooms the other day but I got ambitious so I also bought pumpkin, baby tomatoes. fruits, capsicum and cheese. Managed to make a quick pumpkin soup - low fat and vegetarian. Insha'Allah I will - I have to use up all my mushrooms before they turn yellow and dry.

Fresh Mushroom Soup and Buttered Mushroom with garlic - yummy and quick

Perhaps a clear mushroom soup if I am too tired or a creamy one if I have time. The balance will be stir fried in some butter or olive oil. Just a smashed pip of garlic or sliced onions. Some left over frozen french bread.

Tasty Salad

Easy to make a fresh capsicum, onion and tomato salad in apple vinegar and little olive oil and salt and pepper. use any crispy lettuce available - just tear it up. That's going to be really quick.

I discovered I did not have to add any honey if I used apple vinegar. It is sweet and just the right flavour. Maybe I will whizz up some hummus (blended garbanzo beans), tahina (sesame paste), fresh lemon juice and a spalsh of olive oil, pepper, garlic.

I did give an offer to have a cooking session before Ramadan but so far the timing may not be right. Suddenly there is a committee meeting on 23rd July so that means only 24 afternoon is available. Ipoh visit on 30th though I am not sure if I can make it.

Fancy Pumpkin Seafood Soup

I saw a cooking show from Taiwan in someone's house (no, I do not subscribe to Astro as it really takes up too much of time) that suggested the addition of fresh fish fillet, mussels, mushrooms and silken tofu to the pumpkin soup. The chef also made a roux (white sauce and added some cream), Looked interesting but a bit too rich and fancy for my simple taste buds.

Maybe for a fancy dinner and possibly just a small dish of soup each, not the larger helpings in the case of a more rustic and basic pumpkin soup.

Tonight's dinner

We had pumpkin soup tonight. With the fresh salad and steamed brown rice. I also served store bought prawn sambal petai and some fried tahu cooked in coconut milk. Dinner was unexpectedly pleasant and I threw in the extra cheese and baby tomatoes over the steaming rice. Cooked rice in 2 small shallow dishes in layered electric steamer.

Easy steamboat or hotpot

Actually its rather nice to cook a pot of chicken stock with some bones and drumsticks etc. Add a few tomyam cubes or paste or leave it plain and naturally sweet. If you add stock cubes there will be a lot of msg in it, whether we like it or not.

Just add your favourite vegetables, prawns, chicken and fish fillet. Fresh squid and mushrooms are great too. Throw in some lemon grass, limau purut leaves, chili padi, onions and galanggal or lengkuas for tomyam soup. This can be made more extravagant when you have special guests or just have it simple with some quality prawns, fishballs and yong tow foo.

So much time and preparation for a meal

Marketing, cleaning, preparation, cooking, cleaning, serving, clearing up, cleaning, storing etc etc. That's a lot of work for just one meal. But the satisfaction is definitely greater when we share a nice meal at home. Especially when our family sees their favourite foods on the table. Mothers know all about that, waking up and cooking for sahur - I really salute them.

Microwave - thing of the past

I was only adept at reheating food in the microwave. Can't do that anymore as I stopped using microwave many years ago for health reasons.

Super simple sahur

Good thing my son really likes cereal and fresh milk. Alhamdulillah! Even when he was primary school aged, he would set the alarm clock and prepared his favourite sahur. When I was really tired and sleepy I would only wake up for dates and water. So long I had sahur. following the sunnah.

Train children from young

Do not let our children demand or tell us what to do or what to cook, especially for sahur. If they requested very nicely, any mother would not be able to turn down their appeals. If kids simply expect to be served or must have freshly cooked meals for sahur, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Why be slaves to unappreciative little people? You may end up doing that for the rest of your lives. Not a very exciting thought.

Less I eat, the less hungry I become

I find the more I eat for sahur, the faster I would become hungry. Maybe the gastri juices would be overworking and demanding for more food. A piece of toast or a egg or cereal is more practical for me.

Iftar is not for stuffing ourselves after fasting all day

Iftar should be moderate and best to avoid sweets too often. The temptation may be great especially if we attend a lot of iftar with friends. They really try to feed us too well. If people actually put on weight in Ramadhan, something is wrong somewhere!

Go easy on the extras

Better take some dates and drink and complete solat maghrib before commencing dinner. Sometimes I do eat my dinner right away. In a way it is good as I do not have time to eat too much and do not have time for any appetizers or dessert. Just a simple main meal and perhaps some light snack or morey after tarawih, eating with friends before we part.

Best of Ramadhan

The best part of Ramadhan is when we break our fast from not merely eating and drinking but abstaining from evil thoughts, bad deeds and poor etiquette. And a supercharge of energy and faith when we stand together in worship of Allah SWT. SubhanAllah!

Simple Salmon Dinner

No Time to Cook

Started dinner late as I had already lost the momentum of cooking meals at home for the past few weeks. Working late and travelling according to the traffic congestion and flow really throws us off our routine of proper meals at proper times.

How many of you really cook?

How many of you actually go home and cook dinner every night? Or do you take the easy way out and eat on the way back or go out for a late dinner after night prayers?

Quality may be compromised

Eating out isn't half as bad as Malaysia is a food haven. We can choose to eat any of our favourite foods at any given time - even midnight! But we know we are not getting quality food as quality and freshness may probably be compromised most times.

What do we expect for RM7.90 or even RM12.00? People have to make some profit too. And of course I love the no marketing and preparation and washing up parts. We cannot have everything but our health suffers. Badly.

What to cook within an hour?

Its was 6.00pm and I realised that I had left a large slice of salmon in the fridge since yesterday. And there was a lump of chicken - unrecognisable since it was frozen hard. Could not remember what it was actually. Great- all meaty parts with some bones. I have carrots, shallots, greens and tomatoes. Those are part of my staples in the kitchen. I also like onions, garlic, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower.

So the chicken was made into a light chicken vegetable soup and the salmon poached.

Dinner's Ready!

Alhamdulillah! Soup was really nourishing and fragrant. The salmon was poached lightly in about half inch of water, covered tightly and water absorbed. Made a light garlic, shallot and butter sauce and a large bowl of crisp salad with lemon juice, olive oil and honey. Dinner turned out to be really great and I am thankful for my food.

Sharing Food and Cooking Ideas

I like to write about food as we all have to cook and we all have to eat. Sharing how to do things quickly and easily may help someone out there have a more productive and happy day.

Cook Healthily for Healthier Hearts

We have to try to cook more - me especially. Heart patients and elderly folks cannot eat oily and commercial food all the time. We do not need any msg or extra oil in our cooking. Use non stick pans carefully so as not to scratch the surface. I love my green pan - its really superb and practical. Not expensive when you use it twice a day , 365 days a year for a couple of years.

Good Cooking Equipment makes it easy

I also use an atmosphera - a portable stove that is electronically controlled. It can be set at no. 1 for cooking soup or porridge overnight or at 8 or 9 for a real instant heating. It is energy efficient and hardwearing. Also self regulates the heat - never regretted in buying it. Am thinking of getting one more. Great for holiday cooking and travel.

Busy but Beautiful Day

Busy Busy with Work

Alhamdulillah! Managed to get a perfect parking spot! Right in front of the shop where I wanted to buy my baking ingredients. Have to bake 6 chocolate cakes for Sunday. I do not really feel like doing them but I am grateful for rezeki from Allah. Do what we can and leave the rest to Allah.

Its usually very difficult to get parking in the city. Good to memorise some duaas that sooth the nerves and make us patient while driving round and round, trying to park. Strangely enough, I seem go find an empty parking space rather quickly when I remember to say my duaas.

Managed to get everything under one roof, Alhamdulillah! Drove home, deposited the many bags of goods into the house and prepared my dad's lunch by 11 am. I kept the food in several vacuum jugs to keep everything hot.

"Don't forget to eat your lunch" I reminded him before I left.

Min Fes Moroccan Spa, Gym and Cafe

On the way back from my errands I decided to stop over at my friend's shop in Mutiara Damansara. Pleasantly surprised to find her there and she mentioned that she was just trying to call me on the phone. Saw my poster of Harun Yahya Foundation and IIS 'Signs of the Creator 2' conference in Face Book. She wanted to go too .

Couscous and Harira Soup

I felt hungry suddenly and ordered a large tagine of couscous with beef and pumpkin. Tasty though I prefer lamb even more. Harira Soup was refreshing, invigorating and really hot - I like that.

Its not cheap to eat Moroccan food but its worth it - at least I know I am eating real fresh food thats not only a visual pleasure but definitely delicious! And lots of olive oil instead of cheap reused oil that is toxic.

The Moroccan tea was hot and sweet, but the hint of mint was subtle and satisfying.

Why are people willing to pay so much for fast food?

People are conditioned to pay so much more for fast food and yet do not complain. However they sometimes feel the pinch to pay for some real food though the prices are quite similar. Is fast food better? What's the attraction of eating boring mass produced food? Its not even balanced diet, usually lacking in fruits and vegetables. I do not like to eat from cardboard and foam boxes and plates. Sometimes even the food taste like cardboard!

At 4.30pm my son sent a message telling me not to bother about my dad's dinner! Dad had slept through his lunch and woke up at 4.30pm. By the time he went to the wash room, he had lunch at 5.oo p.m. Poor Dad!

Sweet Surprise

I reached home to find a large tall beautiful hamper waiting for me. Alhamdulillah! I have not even finished eating and sharing all the goodies from my Eid hamper of super health foods. Anyway, who's complaining.

Ferrero Roche and other goodies .... yum. Masha Allah, so very thoughtful and I do really appreciate that. I can't name names or heads will roll.... hee hee. Allah knows best.

Well deserved praise for Post Office Staff

Renewing Road Tax is Easy

Finally found my car insurance policy! Had been looking for it the past few days. Had to renew my road tax and the dates do not tally! Carried all the documents to the post office to renew only to find that I did not have to bring any documents except for the pink car registration card as the clerk merely checked my status online.

Sincerity in Earning Halal Income

Some government servants are not very pleasant to deal with but so far I find all the staff at all the national post offices to be very efficient and well mannered. Could that be due to differences in training and support? Happy staff will result in happy customers. Insha Allah sincerity in earning halal income is blessed with barakah and rewarded by Allah SWT.

Raving About Fish and Chips

Last night Latifah was still raving about the fish and chips she had at this fish shop in 1 Utama. She was saying it was so crispy etc etc. Since I was near that shop. I decided to give it a try. Service was good but the fish was not really sufficient for one hungry person at lunchtime. The fried potato chips and mayo helped a little but...It was fairly reasonable, at around RM11 so no complaints.

I ordered a pesto fettucini take away. When I reached home, I ate almost half of it. That was good but very rich so I decided to have 2 Mandarin oranges for dinner instead of rice and meat.

Stretching a Meal when I'm too Tired

I added some cauliflower and carrots to the pasta, reheated it with a little water for my son who decided to come home for dinner. Fried 2 pieces of chicken burger from Dara Bif, frozen lean quality burgers that is insha Allah more wholesome than the stall burgers. Son ate everything up - he sure can eat! And still skinny!

He stayed the whole day until 9pm at the university as he wanted to attend extra class after maghrib. I was happy that he was interested to improve himself.

Fish Chowder is too Fishy?

Would go again to Fish & Co. though I was careful not to order their fish chowder. I think I can make my own and save money to eat elsewhere. :) Fish chowder is sometimes just too fishy - does that make sense?

Eating Out is Popular

Eating at the Stalls
After our Saturday night class at Darul Fitrah (DF) in Bandar Sri Damansara we had a late dinner at the stalls nearby.

Tasty Food at Reasonable Prices

Despite the casual and humble environment, this particular stall served hot and tasty food at reasonable prices. The fried chicken was fresh and tender and though not very large, it only costed RM2.50 per piece! The tomyam (Thai hot spicy veg and meat) soup was nice and hot, without being a torture. We also ordered udang tepung (prawn fritters), sambal petai udang (spicy prawns) and fried kai lan.

I felt the sambal prawns were just too small (really small!) but my son pointed out that that's exactly what the prawns look like in the picture! Okaaay!!! No comments! At least no false advertising.

We are so blessed in Malaysia, to be able to eat lots of popular international food at fairly reasonably prices.

Eating Out with the Girls

Encouraged by a successful meal, we decided to meet again for dinner the next night. Rasta is a popular open air eating place that operates from evening to around 1 or 2am. We went after maghrib prayers and were pleasantly pleased to discover a small prayer area there. There were also some shops selling books, clothing etc.

Food was alright but in fairly small quantities and not great. Good ambience and decent crowd, not the rowdy sort. Its a decent Muslim outlet so we do not have to put up with any drunks.
I am just sharing, not criticising but with the same amount of money, we can choose to dine elsewhere.

Keropok Lekor

We do recommend the keropok lekor though, tender and freshly fried, hot from the wok.
Keropok lekor is a combination of fish meat, some sago flour (generally), seasonings and rolled up like sausages. They may be shaped like thick sausages and slice, fried and served with a mild sweet chili sauce. Uncooked keropok may be frozen too.

Teh Tarik - good or bad?

They do serve tasty teh tarik (sweet Indian tea made with evaporated milk and condensed milk) and pulled (tarik) or stretched between 2 mugs to produce froth, like cappucino. It cools the tea a bit and makes it smooth and delicious. Anyway, all the Mamak (Indian Muslim shops) also serve good teh tarik, at a cheaper price too.

Teh tarik is generally believed to be made from poor quality tea leaves, infused with 'delicious' tea colour . It is sometimes said to be a mixture of leftover tea dust - just like some 'house coffee' of famous coffee outlets, made up of leftovers and served to us as though its something special. It certainly is exclusive enough!

Tahu Bakar

The tahu bakar (roasted tofu stuffed with cucumber and beansprouts) was nice and crispy, with a sweet brown Chinese sauce. Good for those with a sweet tooth.

Prices at Rasta are not cheap but still affordable.

Be Flexible

That also applies to cooking! In fact thats the best time to improvise and be creative. Have fun!!! Cooking should not be a chore though we sometimes feel it is, when we are busy and tired. Fresh food tastes best but sometimes we have to schedule our cooking to save time and energy.

I prefer to cook on marketing day, when everything is fresh and at its best. Takes less time than having to thaw and cook half frozen meat etc.

Braised Chicken Mushroom

Earlier on I cooked some chicken with celery, onions, shitake mushrooms and premium oyster sauce. While heating it up for my Dad's lunch, I decided to add some Chinese herbs to make it more nutritious.

Turn it into a Nutritious Soup

Just add more water or chicken/vegetable stock (not stock cubes). Throw in a small handful of wolfberries (kei chi - small oval shaped red berries). To make it sweeter, I added some Chinese red dates and simmered the soup. Its nice when the berries and dates are softened and the sweetness is delicate.

Wolfberries are good for the eyes whereas red dates are energy giving and tasty.

As I had to go out, I packed everything including the hot rice into separate vacumn jugs and placed them all in a large tray. That way Dad can have a delicious hot meal anytime he wants.

Moroccan Meals

Alhamdulillah! We always feel extra thankful and satisfied after enjoying some Moroccan food at Min Fes spa and Cafe. In most cafes we do not get to enjoy authentic Moroccan salads and Moroccan mint tea, hot and sweet. The teh tarik is pretty good too! Though not Moroccan, which true Malaysian would not enjoy a cup of foaming teh tarik!

Harira soup and Tagine (slow braised meat in clay tagine vessel)

I particularly enjoy the chicken as well as lamb tagine. You will get to taste authentic Moroccan Harira soup, nutritious, delicious and an absolute favorite with all our friends. Mmmmmm... Yummy!!!

Min Fes

If you are ever in Damansara Perdana area, near Curve or Ikea, just turn into the road leading to Surian Condo and you will find a short row of shophouses. Min Fes is at the other end, one a spa and the other a cafe and selling Muslim apparel. They also have a gym upstairs that caters to the needs of men and women users separately, by appointment.

Hot Moroccan Tea and Salads

Today we had whole meal pannini lamb kofta sandwich, salad, lamb tagine and hot Moroccan tea. During my last visit I enjoyed a light snack of foul medamas, mashed beans with olive oil and lemon and consumed a whole plate of eggplant salad. I love the carrot salad too - can't imagine how I can eat up the whole plateful of carrots at one go! Healthy, my friends.

Real Food, Good Price

The prices are really affordable, not pricey like the restaurants found in touristy areas. I feel good as its wholesome real food, with olive oil and fresh ingredients. Alhamdulillah!

Healthy Diet - fresh food vs processed nutrition blends

Healthy Diet - do we try to count the calories or concentrate on nutritious food?

Some people claim we have to reduce our eating and should take some healthy meal substitutes that provide the necessary nutrition.

Processed vs Natural Real Foods

Others say we should not depend on processed 'nutrition' but go for quality fresh foods. The only kind of supplement we should use are natural ones - like virgin coconut oil, flax seed, magnesium oil, apple cider vinegar, yoghurt, olive oil and so on...

Quality Food Supplements may be Costly

Being so very busy rushing around daily, many people resort to the easy way out - very expensive quality food supplements and food replacement plans. The sales personnel will try their best to convince you that's the best way to keep fit and healthy.

While this may be helpful for some people, are they not missing on enjoying some real food that's provided for us by our Creator..

Simple and Quick Cooking Methods can Save the Day

If we choose quality fresh food and prepare them in a simple way it is not only superior to processed supplements but its definitely more tasty and satisfying.

Ever Heard of Steaming and Stir Fry?

We can control the calories by avoiding too much fried foods, high sugar foods and using good oils that are healthy for us. Olive oil is high recommended especially for salads and light cooking. Virgin coconut oil is rich in enzymes and will not make us put on weight. Palm Oil has no cholesterol and good for frying as it is relatively stable and neutral in taste.

Steaming food such as seafood, vegetables and even chicken is quick and simple, easy to clean up and easy to digest.

It may be convenient to drink a large glass of blended processed nutrients but wouldn't a glass of fresh juice or smoothie be more of a treat? Who would like to have a tropical fruit smoothie instead of a reconstituted flavoured shake that comes out of a cardboard cylinder?