One thing that hinders me from putting more post every week as much as I love to do, is due to lacking of digital camera.

I planned to present a DSLR for my self in the 1st month of 2009, but suddenly some things popped up! which is more important and requires immediate financial support.

Guess my DSLR will only be available the following year ^.^ (2010?!?!?!)

How am I gonna update my food blog without any photos -.-” (/thinking)
Ohh, all this while the photos in my blog was taken by using my friend’s digital cam, and uhmm I wouldn’t be able to frequently borrowing their cam rite.. being the case, I hope you can understand many inconsistency of my blog updates.

Ok, enuff mumbling, lets cooking!
******************

This is my new version of salted mackerel dish I called Shitake Rides With Salted Mackerel…. :p

This is more as a side dish, but could be a main as well. Perfect to accompany cold beer, Or just eat it like that with hot plain rice.

The ingredient:

1. A slice of Salted mackerel (bottled)
2. 4-5 Shitake mushrooms
3. 2-3 Lemon grass
4. 1 Large onion and red onion
5. sugar / aji-no-moto (MGS)
6. Lime juice (optional)
7. 2-3 Hot chili @ cili api (optional)

The process:

1. Sliced the mushroom and onion (anyway you like, strip slice is best for me, the one in the photo is for experimental).
2. Chop lemon grass to small particles.
3. Debone the salted fish, and chop it or slightly mash it with a fork.

This is how it looks after taken out from the bottle.

Now they are ready!

*Dried shitake mushroom has to be soaked for couple of hours or best left overnight.

4. Begin cooking with a very small amount of oil/butter + 1-2 table spoon of the salted mackerel’s oil (from the bottled mackerel). The dish is nicer with little extra oil.

5. Pour in the deboned salted mackerel (nahh.. strong aromas gonna fill all over your house and neighbors, flies might be attracted too :P).
Stir for 10-15 seconds.

6. Pour in the lemon grass and mushroom. Stir for about a minutes until most oil absorbed into the mushroom. Add sugar for taste.

7. Pour in the onions, stir for 10-15 seconds.

8. Additionally you may add chillies for that extra bite and to spice it up.

9. Serve with a sprinkles of lime juice.

It taste very good when consumed hot, and as well as in room temperature.

Well, salted fish is always good ^.^

I added a chopped young cucumber seed on the side as a dilutes (some might find it too salty or spicy for them).

Another good thing about the dish (besides delicious :P) is that the dish can be kept for several days in room temp. That’s dayyyss of nyum nyum nyum!

But in this case, it was neatly cleared to perfection in one shot… by my maid! … and I’m happy for her (usually she doesn’t each much :)).

I just swallowed my saliva the next day ^.^

Cheers!

(delayed post due to line down -.-”)

From 24th Dec, it begins after the Christmas’s eve prayer with a simple family dinner on my  in-law’s side, and then consistent celebration in the afternoon and followed on evening functions, non-stop everyday until yesterday 28th Dec.

It was all heavy meals with heavy meat, heavy oil, heavy fat, heavy salt and everything!

And with lots of cannot-be-refused alcoholic drinks ranging from 5% alc. of various beer which some I never heard of (tsing tsao?, jazz? wth? ), 20-25% alc. of tapai and lihing (Sabah’s famous local rice wine) and some 35%-45% alc. of various liquor.

Gosh! it is only 30th! Year end and New year celebrations is still ahead. I really need a break, at least on my menu zzzz

So I have nothing else in my mind now except greens and nature’s naturals. I found these two in the market and they are very welcoming.

yes, a fern leaves aka paku-pakis

and another cousins of fern aka lombiding. When I see somthing wrap in such, I know how good and  fresh the thing is. Hoho can’t wait to cook it and I love it in a simple traditional way.

Ingredients: Just a couples of onions and garlic sliced, belacan @ fermented shrimp cake/paste and that’s it.

Pluck the young leaves and shoot only. Just use your finger, you wil be able to feel the hard stem, leave em. Clean with lots of water before cooking it.

With a very little oil - half table spoon, caramelised the onions and garlic until the aromas smelled, mix belacan (melted with small amount of water), stir for about 10-15 seconds, mix the vegies, add salt for taste and a pinch of sugar, stir and cook boiled for about 1 minute and 2 minutes the most.

I finish these with half rice and a glass of water ~ nyaman!

The pakis was mixed with leftover of sardines in salted black beans.

Fully satisfied, and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow it will be kampong vegies again!

Cheers for 2009!