Monday, March 29, 2010

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I'm back in school. Not much done today, cuma printing scripts sana sini. Got my first lab date today and kena start preparing lah. Did a bit of reading, sorted out the bunch of paper and now ada time sikit ni so I thought I use it to update my blog.

Yesterday, I made these chocolate chips cookies, niatnya nak bawak ke skolah la for my quick breakfast days. True I can just buy some ready made cookies, but I think homemade ones are the best. We still have some chocolate left from chrismas (hahah..yes we do!) that I 'chunked' in small pieces and I had a little time yesterday, so I guess why not?

I made half a batch which equals to 10 large cookies. Waah..masa cookies ni in the oven, the whole flat smelled so good. The moment these cookies are cold enough to handle, Mamak dah jenguk-jenguk dah kat dapur, wondering if he could have some...haha.

First both of us tried a piece... and then another. By the time I wanted to pack it up for school, I had only five pieces left. Muahaha..tak senonoh btui la...

Here's the recipe. Its a keeper. I'm totally addicted to it but I have to control myself!..

Sunday, March 28, 2010

First one this year folks..

It has been a long winter and we couldn't wait to bring out our griller from our cellar. Walaupun today redup memanjang, both of us sangat nekad nak meng'grill'. Mengestart fire ni semua hamba serah kat big boss la noh.

Alah, kami dok berdua saja, so setakat grill Bratwurst saja..hehe. Semangat lebih kan? But then we both love the smell of charcoal on our Bratwurst, charcoal smell makes everything taste better, unless it sticks to your baju and hair. Tapi org german kata 'Das gehört dazu' meaning all that belongs together, you know the fun of grilling and the smelly clothes just belong to each other.

Sambil dok grill tu, sempat jugak dok usha keluarga burung stork ni. They live in this nest right in front of our balcony. Ni time mak Stork ni dok sorang kat nest, dok jaga baby dia la tu.

Then after a while bapak Stork balik rumah bawak twigs to repair their nest (you may click on the foto for better resolution). So cute. Haha..time spring ni, kekadang kantoi Mak ngan Bapak stork making sweet love on their nest tu. Muahahahah. Sorry aa...terdiscovery channel pulak sekejap.

Aaanyway, ni Kartoffelsalat or potato salad, semalam dah siap buat and left to soak in its juices overnight. Nak ikutkan, original german style potato salad should be a little runny, but I made too little dressing. Oh well, the taste was still good.

Ni plak Feldsalat, shredded carrots ngan daun salad apa ntah satu lagi tu, tak ingat dah nama dia. Dressed with balsamico dressing.

This is how our plate looks like for lunch tadi. I tak sempat nak makan baguette tu pun, the salad dah cukup filling dah.

Finally the two essential accesories to our grilled lunch. Heinz Ketchup and of course German Mustard and I quote Mamak, the best mustard in the whole wide world. Ermm..talk about being patriotic..haha.

Okaylah, hope you guys enjoy the pics..besok gua kelas pukul 11:30 pagi....ish..ish..ish....

Friday, March 26, 2010

Ignorance is bliss..or is it?

"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."

Is it really blissfull to be ignorant? Is it stupid to be wise? 
Ceritanya begini, a malaysian student told me the story about her fellow student, a young german girl who wanted to go to Malaysia and spend four weeks there as holiday. So this malaysian student pun akur, since this german girl insist that she wants to go 'see' Malaysia.

So after four weeks jalan-jalan Malaysia, diorang pun balik Germany and I, being my curious self, asked her how it was. This malaysian student starts telling me stories, after one another about her experience with this german girl in Malaysia. Just for info, both of them are 24 years old and are really good students la. Kira geng-geng bijak la ni.

I wont go into details, but basically, she was shocked to see how Malaysians live. Pastu dia kata, dia tak sangka Malaysia is soooo different than Germany. Ermm..okay. They are situated far away from each other kan? Was she seriously expecting Sauerkraut und Bratwurst in Malaysia?? She actually said that she was shocked that she couldn't find anything simillar to Germany in Malaysia. She said the Malaysian culture is komisch which means weird. You see, banyak orang jerman still think that budaya diorang saja yang betul, budaya lain semuanya pelik.

She told my friends mother she does not want to help out in the kitchen sebab dia geli tengok kawan I ni kopek udang. FYI orang jerman tak reti cakap berlapik, they are not trained to, they say what they think and sometimes forgets that human beings have feelings. Anyway, dia geli nak makan steamboat sebab dia kena handle raw shrimps and fish, hmm... I wonder if she has ever cooked before since she's studying Nutrition at the Uni. 

Mostly she had problems with the food, which I dont mind sbb ramai tourist macam tuh. So she ended up eating toast and marmalade saja. She told a friend she had to cover her body and leave her shoes outside as she visited an 'indian temple', which later we found out, she was actually talking about Masjid Kapitan Keling in Penang. And the list of unfortunate events followed...

Pheww!..Now, I am talking about a very inteligent girl who is good in school and uni, not someone who is not educated. In the end I just asked myself why she wanted to go to Malaysia in the first place.

Since duduk Germany ni, I have encountered many similar ingorance cases like this one. I really wonder, because some of these questions comes from people who has been in the uni and have important positions at work. 

  • Do you speak japanese in your country?..erk..

  • Do you speak german in your country?..wt...erk..ni buat I nak melompat macam Hagemaru nih..

  • Once I used english words to describe something (that time my German was so crappy), a girl asked me what language I was using. I told her English and she says she hates English (the language not the people) and she wont learn it because she doesnt need it anyway...erk!

  • Is Malaysia near Pakistan? I had to draw this girl the world map to show her where Malaysia is. She was impressed and said she can never draw the world map just by remembering...Budak skolah form 3 kat mesia pun bleh lukis punya lah..

  • I know Thailand and Indonesia, but I dont know where Malaysia is....hmm..bummer..

  • Mamak was at a Singaporean restaurant and he heard two women saying, "This Indian restaurant is really good". There was 'Penang curry' on the menu and the lady told her friend " Penang means Coconut". True story!
Aaaanyway, geram jugak rasa hati bila jumpa orang-orang macam ni. I guess they are like that because they feel that they dont need anybody else, since they are in their comfort zone dalam negara sendiri. They dont feel the need to understand other culture. Itu culture, tapi general knowledge kena la ada sikit kan. I wonder what they learn in schools, takkan tak belajar geography kot? Sampaikan kekadang tu India and China pun diorang tak tau kat mana. So most of them end up categorising most asian countries as 'Asian', thinking that every 'Asian' culture is the same. I always end up saying this to my german friends, "You know, Asia is so very big, how can all Asian countries have the same culture?"

We malaysian pulak, sangatlah merendah diri sebab ingat kaum-kaum diorang ni lebih pandai dan bijak dari kita. Patutnya kita bangga as Malaysians, kita ambil tahu , kita merendah diri and kita pandai jaga hati orang. We maybe not as smart, but we are never ignorant. 
  
I think I rather be stupidly wise than blissfully ignorant.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'm Back Home

 Yesterday, after a little schedule mix-up, I checked my current schedule online. There were so many changes that I had to organize my whole jadual waktu all over again. I ended up having only one subject on friday morning, which is pretty annoying. Ya la kan, kalau hari jumaat takdak subject, malam khamis dah bleh cabut balik rumah..hehe. 

Aaanyway, pagi tadi pergi kelas seperti biasa and then as usual I checked out the latest notice online, in case kelas cancel ke hapa. Not to my surprise, kelas petang hari ni and jumaat pagi tu cancel, cikgu takdak. I guess its normal first week kelas ada yang cancel, lepaih ni, jangan harap la. Apa lagi, selesai kelas, terus tot tet tot tet balik bilik, boh laptop dalam rucksack, hambik kunci rumah dan terus conggok kat bus stop.

Sesampainya di rumah, rilek kejap sambil diperli oleh Mamak. Mestila kena perli, tak sampai berapa hari dah ada kat rumah balik, tak sempat nak merasa jadi unofficial bachelor. Ces tui!..Tunggu la kita exam nanti, huhu...time tu baru dia tau bila dah rindu nak makan kari...muahaha. Sapa nak goreng papadom time tuh!..


Anyway, terus ku hambik packet kek instant Dr. Oetker yang dah nak expired tu and baked this cake. Kitchen therapy. This is called Russischer Zupfkuchen or Russian Cheesecake, but its really a traditional German cake. Ada la tu keturunan russian yang dok Jerman zaman dulu-dulu tu kot yang bawak kek ni ke Jerman. Hehe..pepandai ja buat cerita ek.


 Its a cheesecake made from Quark or fresh white cheese curd with chocolate flavoured short pastry crust. As the name says Zupfkuchen, you are to zupfen or pluck some of the short pastry dough and scatter them at the top of the cake.

The cake taste pretty light because it is made with fresh cheese curd instead of cream cheese. I just love the colour constrast.


Mamak yang introduced this cake to me. He really loves this cake, masa baru-baru kenal dia dulu, he baked this cake and bawak pi tmpt kerja for us. Muahaha..time tu mati-mati ingat dia buat kek ni from scratch. Tipah tertipu. Since then, just like him, I have never made it from scratch. Maybe one day, but thank Dr. Oetker, I (or we) make the perfect Russicher Zupfkuchen everytime. So easy and really really good! When I do make one from scratch, I will surely share it here with you guys.

Oh well, time to enjoy being home! 

Until next time.

Tchüss!


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

hai obat la obat mari beli obat...

Hari ni baru dua hari masuk kelas, tapi dah dapat rasa bahangnya. Extreme workload and fear of exam is in the air. Eventhough baru dua hari kelas, I can already predict what the semester has planned out for me and it doesn't look as good as the weather right now. Oh did I mention that I am so glad and thankful that spring is finally here. I can finally say goodbye to my winter jacket!..Alhamdulillah..

gambar hiasan..nak bagi feel back to school skit..hehe

Today I learnt about ubat dan perkara-perkara sewaktu dengannya and I must say, I am pretty excited. Cuma 3 hours straight dengar Encik Cikgu dok mengajar ubat situ sana sini can be a real  challenge! But then I love that I have the oppurtunity to learn so many new things. 

Learning new things make you aware that there's so many more things that you don't know. So I guess going to school makes me feel smart, because I can understand new things and it also makes me feel stupid, because I am aware that there are so many more things that I dont even know and understand, and all these at the same time. Get it? I guess I overused the word 'things' in this paragraph, thank Allah I'm not learning journalism or anything like that..hehe.

So I guess thats it for now. I can't wait for the weekend cause I miss my kitchen so much already.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Tolak van and Tarte Tatin

Semalam kami berdua menjalankan aktiviti pindah randah. I've rented a room at flat near my school, from a girlfriend who's currently doing her practical semester right now. So I'll be there through the week to go to school and balik rumah at the weekends..huhu..so sad kan? I'm being strong just by thinking "It's all for our future". Hopefully by next semester, I'll get my german driving license and we'll get a car, so that I can travel back and forth to school from home. At the moment we don't really have a choice lah, since the bus connection is teribble eventhough rumah tak jauh mana pun. 

Hari selasa ni akan start kelas, I was moving some of my stuff with mamak yesterday, with the company van yang dah usang itu (hasil pinjaman dari tmpt kerja mamak, atas budi bicara bos mamak, encik misai). Van itu amatlah usang, tapi tak berani nak ambil gambar sbb van company..muahaha. Nak dijadikan cerita, both of us went to shop for groceries, alang-alang dah ada transport kan. Mamak tried to start the van and it didnt budge. Tercengang kami sebab van usang tu takleh nak start. So at the parking lot Kaufland semalam, terjadilah aksi mami tolak van buruk tapi besar itu..muahahahhaa. Alhamdulillah, the motor ran, we all sempat drive balik rumah and sent the car back safely. Of course we informed Encik Misai about the incident, dengan selamba Encik Misai kata "awat tak katok-katok skit kat enjin tu" dgn slang germannya itu. Adeh, manala kami tau nak katok tang mana. Ish ish ish..

Aaanyway, I'm still at home, enjoying my last Sunday with my husband as a free soul, before I start my life back again as a Student. I made the french version of apple pie today. Something like the upside down pineapple cake, but instead of cake, I use pastry crust. Here's the actual recipe, but as usual I sort adjusted it. Instead of one big pie, I made two small individual pies. Senang, sorang satu..haha..takyah gaduh-gaduh.

I didn't use eggs for the pie crust, just for funsies. Still the crust tasted good, maybe next time I will try with eggs, just to compare. :). Some recipes uses puff pastry, which is probably lighter and yummier, cause the pastry could soak the dripping caramel.


Well, its pretty easy to make and I would recommend this to any hobby bakers who loves fruit pies or tarts. Ours was not bad, served warm with a cup of coffee, just heavenly. 

Besok kami balik ke uni semula, mamak took a few days off from work, so he'll be there with me sampai hari rabu. Merasa husband hantar pegi skolah..muahahah.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

10 Things I hate and like about me


Ni bebetul musim tag mengetag!..I'm tagged again, this time by 3E...Thanks for the award!

10 honest truth about me...... :

 (foto hiasan diselitkan atas permintaan ramai, muahahah..)
  1. Saya seorang perempuan melayu yang berbadan tegap. Presently 170cm tall and berat 70kg. Most of my girlfriends yang kalaupun yang sama tinggi dengan saya, they still have small frame and very thin. So masa remaja dulu, peer pressure jugakla sebab kengkawan yang kecil molek, putih melepak semua dah dpt boifren..hahaha. Ya la budak-budak laki melayu mana suka perempuan besar2, diorang takut kena buli..muahaha.

  2. I love to daydream. Kekadang mimpi nak jadi kaya, nak jadi president dunia..etc...

  3. Pernah bercita-cita nak jadi pilot, tapi malangnya masa form 3, mata jadi kabur..2-3 minggu sebelum PMR terpaksa pakai spek mata. Punah harapan nak jadi pilot..hikhikhik.

  4. Saya suka memasak sebab memasak mungkin satu-satunya perkara practical yang saya boleh buat. Kalau saya tak tahu memasak, maksudnya saya hanya tahu membaca menulis dan menaip di blog ini..hehehe.

  5. Saya anak kedua dari dua orang adik beradik. Saya ada seorang kakak yang sangat baik dan comel.

  6. Saya ni suka makan, kuat makan dan sentiasa berselera untuk makan. Mungkin genetik yang bersalah, sebab keluarga saya memang suka makan..hehe.

  7. Saya bukan 'girly-girl'. Walaupun kerap saya tulis 'hikhikhik' di blog ini, realitinya saya ketawa 'MUAHAHAHHAA'. Tapi saya belajar tone down sikit, sebab usia dah makin meningkat, lagipun saya dah kahwin. Saya blajar berfesyen dan bermekap pun baru-baru ni saja. Saya amat takut, kalau saya silap mekap, saya akan nampak macam minah drag. Kawan-kawan lama saya tentu masih ingat 'uniform' saya satu masa dulu, T-shirt hitam yang oversized, tudung hitam dan seluar jeans. Sekarang ni baru pandai pakai blouse.

  8. Saya cukup pantang bila dengar cerita-cerita berkenaan women's repression. Contohnya macam kes kahwin budak haritu. Saya cepat emosi bila saya dengar cerita-cerita camtu. Saya tak suka bila wanita ditindas, especially kalau orang guna agama utk justify diri mereka, so saya agak lantang bila saya nampak benda-benda begitu di depan mata saya.

  9. Malas bersukan, walaupun tahu yang bersukan itu baik untuk kesihatan. Walaupun malas, akan diusahakan untuk jadi rajin! Insya Allah!..

  10. Saya sangat suka dengar dialect orang british. Entah kenapa, rasa macam lawak but charming at the same time. Sebab tu saya suka tgk cerita yang berslang british. Pelik tapi benar.
Thats it! 

Have a great weekend!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Fishy Lunch at Lake Constance

This is Pakcik R and his wife. On her birthday in January, we promised to take her out for lunch. So finally we had the group together yesterday and treated her lunch at this restaurant, which she chose herself.

The restaurant called Seehaus, which means 'Lakehouse' is located, as you can see, directly near the Bodensee, in english the Lake Constance.

Pretty overwhelming view. When the weather is clear, you may see the Alps in this direction.

The salad was our appetizer. If all salad were like this, I could be a vegetarian.hehe. Delicious dressing. 

This is little P's dad. He ordered the salad platter and he was so surprised to see that it was so huge. It was served with assorted fish fillets.

This is Mamaks plate. Felchenfillet or white fish, sautéd with almond butter. Served with boiled potatoes. The fish is caught in this very lake! Fresh!

The trainee is a vegetarian. This dish is called Spätzle, a noodle type very typical here. Hers was Spinach Spätzle with cheese sauce, served with lots of bawang goreng.

This is Jarmans Sejati's plate. It's house-smoked salmon served with mustard dill sauce and savoury crepès.

This was mine! Pakcik R and his wife ordered the same one. Kretzerfillets (Perch) fried in egg batter. Also served with boiled potatoes. These fishes were also caught at the lake.
This one is Jarman Sejati's mango yoghurt ice-cream. Mamak and I had espressos after lunch, since there were no room left in our tummy for deserts.

It was very nice to have a beautiful food for lunch, nice weather, great conversations and lovely view.

 We'll surely be coming back to this restaurant this summer, kalau ada rezeki :). 

Thursday, March 18, 2010

How I Met My Husband

I'm tagged by Amy!

First time jumpa with your hubby bila dan kat mana?
~ August 2007 kat Institut Fresenius

Love at first sight?
~ Enemies at first sight. I couldn't stand him, tak tahan sebab everytime I saw him, he'll question my religion. Ingatkan nak provoke, rupanya he really wanted to know, which I found out later.

Who is he when the first time u met him?
~ My supervisor

How long it takes for him to ask you out for a date?
~ 6-7 months, I'm not sure anymore.

1st place dating di..
~ Café Wien

How he proposed?
~ With a bunch of lillies. "Will you be my wife?"

Special date with your hubby?..
~ 29th May 2009, we got married that day


Changes that he asked you to do??..
~ Biasalah, soh exercise, takut sakit. Takut sakit ke takut gemuk?..huhuhu..

What about him that you love so much?.
~ The most honest man I have ever met in my whole life. Some may think he's a pain in the ass because he's very direct, sometimes too direct. He told me, " I love pork, but I love you more".

What is about him that you wish he would change?
~ Bleh tak kalau nak soh dia kentut wangi?..hehehe...

You will lose your mind n crack your head when he?..
~ haha...again, the kentut thing really sucks........when you're not expecting it....you know, you dont hear it but suddenly you smell it..muahahhaha

You will smile thru your eyes for the whole day when he?..
~ When he takes his day off just to spend his time with me.

Complete below sentences "my love towards my hubby is as big as.."...
~ his love towards me...

Update and Apple pie

Wah letihnya!!! Hehehe..ni la akibat lama sangat berhibernasi dan berholiday kat rumah, muscle semua dah lembik, jalan banyak sikit dah start semput. Bukan apa, yesterday I was out the whole day by myself, I went for personal registration at the uni untuk dpt kad matrix and etc. Lama dah tak independent gitu. For the last six months, pergi mana-mana, mesti ada Mamak at my side, tagging along. So it felt a little weird going around by myself, I was so independant for the last six years, skarang ni dah jadi MANJA! Eww..Sila muntah ya..hehe. I guess its normal for couples who just got married, to want to mengharap berteman 24/7. Ya kah?

Anyway, setelah naik bas berejam (uni is not so far, since I live in kampung, the bus connection is very bad), the whole registration process only took about 10 minutes, which is not good, because by the time I checked the bus connection home, I had to wait another 3 hours before the next bus. Arghh!!! Berejam berwindow shopping, seb baik ada kedai jual kitchen utensil, dpt la jamu mata sikit. Dua pisau kecil Victorinox ku rembat sebabkan murah..hehe..By the time I got home, I was hungry, kepala berdenyut and letih gila. Kalau zaman blom kahwin dulu, sanggup pergi München, pergi balik 6 enam jam naik train ye puan-puan, semata-mata nak shopping dalam kesejukkan December. Balik rumah relax ja. La ni my body dah out of tune, nak pergi shopping lelama pun dah malas. So semalam after dinner, telan panadol dua biji dek kepala dok berdenyut tak berhenti, 10:30 malam dah gone. Not gone forever ye, hehe..alhamdulillah, pagi ni my headache dah clear.

And since this blog was meant to be a foodblog not my ramblings blog, I'd like to share my apple pie pics. This one I made petang selasa.

Resepi taram saja. I had to modify a few recipes because I wanted to make a small pie.

We dont have a pie dish, so pakai cake form saja la.

The smell when you bake it is so divine. Wangi gila bau cinnamon and crispy buttery crust.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Aktiviti membeli di kampung saya

Syukur rasanya dapat peluang tinggal di kampung jerman. There's a cute little grocery store with a small pastry counter that sells homemade delicious pastries. This one is fresh cheese and peach tart.


This one is sponge cake with raspberry toppings. We had these for breakfast last Saturday.

We live in the middle of apple, plums, cherry and strawberry plantation, so we have the luxury of getting first hand fruits for kampung price. Tapi macam malaysia, kena tunggu musim lah ye. Above is 10L freshly pressed bio apple juice for the price of 8€, which is a really great price. No sugar added. We'll have to consume the apple juice in 7-10 days after opened since there's no preservatives. Tapi takyah simpan dalam peti ais aa bila dah bukak. Haha..kekadang tak sampai seminggu dah habis. It becomes sort of a must in our pantry. This one I bought only a few hours ago along with the apples and ubi kentang.


Ni pulak apples yang baru beli tadi, 70cents per kilo. Dapat la 6 biji lebih kurang.
Buah pear ni pulak makcik kedai buah yang sedekah. Murah rezeki makcik kedai buah...hehe.

Kalau dah nama Jerman tu, ubi kentang tak boleh dilupakan. Yang ni stok untuk 3-4 minggu lah, bergantung kepada diet masing-masing..hehe. Selalu kami beli macam ni senang, lagipun ubi kentang tahan lama. Jangan kasi beku sudah ataupun kena frost, nanti jadi manis lak ubi tuh. Seguni ubi kentang ni 5kg, harga 3,50€. Considering ubi kentang ni homegrown, boleh tahan harga tu. Lagipun kami kan nan ado kereta, daripada nak menghangkut ubi naik train, baik beli kat sini jo.

Bes gak dok kampung ni. :-)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Kahwin Budak

This morning, I read a teribble news about a middle aged man who married a little child. This 41 years old man is a member of tabligh movement and was already married to three women. He told his wife that he wish to have a child as a wife and his wife never thought that he would ever do it. The child, 11 years old was found traumatized and scared at a surau after reported lost for 20 days. She was married by her own father.

This man, 41 years of age. Supposedly a religious man who practices tabligh. He has three wifes and seven children. He never allowed any of his wives to work, saying that working is 'stupid'. He was going to marry of his 10 years old daughter to his friend.


The little girl of 11 years was married off by her own father. Her mother is filing a divorce.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I felt so sick as I read the articles today at Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian. Angry, sad, dissapointed and ashamed. I just thought of one thing, 

" What a sick way to fulfill his pedophile needs, hiding behind his religion".


Yang si bapak tu mesti bengap tahap dewa-dewi lah ye, sampai sanggup kahwinkan anak perempuan umur 11 tahun. Gamaknya dia fikir, selamat la si anak tu dunia akhirat, boleh masuk syurga kerana dikahwinkan dengan lelaki yang kononnya alim lagi tabligh. Senang-senang nak lepaskan tanggungjawab ye pakcik. Saya harap pakcik ni pikir la baik-baik, anak yang dibawa ke dunia tu tanggungjawab si ibu bapa, diorang la patut pimpim, didik si anak ni agar jadi 'orang'. 

Yang si isteri pula, adakah bila suami bersuara nak kahwin dengan budak kecil itu gurauan. Logiklah kalau timbul sedikit curiga atas suami, kalau suami bercakap tentang perkara-perkara pelik sebegitu. 

Kepada saudara-saudara yang nak masuk tabligh tu, silakan. Tiada siapa yang menghalang. Tapi tidak boleh dinafikan, terlalu banyak yang negatif yang didengar berhubung kelakuan ahli-ahli tabligh dengan anak isteri mereka. Bukan semua tapi ada lah serangkai dua. Kalau dah berkeluarga, beristeri dan beranak, janganlah sampai kebulur ditinggalkan. Kalau nak 'keluar' pun, biarlah kebajikan anak isteri terjaga. 

Zaman sekarang ni kalau nak beli makanan kena pakai duit tau. Kalau dapat makanan free tu, maksudnya ada la tuh hamba Allah yang lain yang dah berusaha dan bekerja untuk makanan itu.  Sudah fitrah manusia itu perlu makan, jangan la zalim kepada anak isteri, sampaikan nak makan pun tak upaya. Sememangnya Allah akan membantu hamba-hambanya, tapi hambanya perlu berusaha. Bukan tunggu hujan emas turun dari langit. Kalaupun nak jauhi kebendaan duniawi, jangan lah sampai anak isteri dizalimi. Bukankah bab pertama dalam textbook pelajaran agama Islam di sekolah 'menjadi Khalifah Allah', maksudnya tanggungjawab sebagai manusia, lebih-lebih lagi sebagai hamba Allah di dunia ni. 

Kalau isteri nak bekerja, izinkan lah. Janji halal. Sedangkan sendiri pun tak berkerja, habis tu anak yang berdozen-dozen tu nak makan apa gamaknya. Bukan apa, saya sendiri berpengalaman melihat pemuda-pemuda tabligh tidak bekerja dan tinggal bersama keluarga mertua. Mertua pula dulunya perlu bekerja untuk anak, kini perlu menanggung menantu serta cucu-cucu. Si isteri pula diharamkan bekerja atas sebab akan menimbulkan fitnah. 

Saya ada seorang kawan dahulu, seorang yang alim dan datang dari keluarga yang alim. Bila berbincang pasal tabligh, saya ditegah untuk menegur keburukkan tabligh. Tak baik ditegur katanya, mereka itu pendakwah. Itu budaya kita, sangat sensitif. Bila ditegur, bagaikan kita menentang habis-habisan. Bukan begitu. Masyarakat tidaklah sebodoh itu hendak menegur tanpa dasar yang kukuh. Tegur untuk memperbaiki. Kalau didiamkan kan dah jadi parah macam kes ni.

To 'whom it may concern', rasanya eloklah kalau lebih ambil tahu perkara-perkara nasional begini, daripada risaukan wanita-wanita melayu yang berkahwin dengan matsalleh. Sedangkan matsalleh yang jahil budaya kita pun tak se'sadis', sampaikan bersuara kepada isteri kerana nak beristerikan budak kecil. Itu bukan ke orang melayu lagi Islam, yang tahu hujung pangkal budaya orang melayu? 

Alah...Kalau jahat tu, warna apa pun jahatkan? Kalau baik tu, warna apa pun baik. 

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Kisah Kuih Ketayap and Pakcik Insurance

Ni entry pendek saja, gambar pun tadak..just want to share something I thought so funny.

Semalam, our Pakcik Insurance ckp dia nak dtg rumah nak discuss pasal nak tukar tarif insurance since we're married now. Pakcik insurance ni a good friend of pakcik R (some of you may know him from my previous post), so pakcik R sort of told him to help us out, since kami dua orang ni mak bapak jauh..hehe..kunun2 sedih.

I was thinking nak jamu apa la kat Pakcik Insurance ni. The problem is I didn't have butter at home, so cake or cookies is out of the question. Nakpi kedai malas. So after a while, I decided nak buat kuih ketayap, since barang semua ada kat rumah. So I pun buat la kuih ketayap guna esen pandan ja, sbb takda daun pandan, so kuih ketayap tu pucat, kaler kekuningan instead of the normal green colour. I taruk inti kelapa parut yang dimasak dengan gula merah. Dalam hati dok kata, kalau tak menjadi takpa la tak payah hidang.

So dah siap semua, Pakcik Insurance pun datang, a friendly man in his 60's. I pun slice kuih ketayap tu comel-comel, put on a plate and serve it to him with tea, ala-ala fine dining gituh. Dia pun tanya la kuih apa, I pun cakap, Malaysian Coconut Milk Crepés with Coconut Filling. Ececeh...crepés tuh. Terus kuih ketayap naik taraf. Tapi pikir-pikir balik betul la kan, crepés tu kalau dalam bahasa melayu orang panggil lempeng kan. Haha.

Anyway, Encik Insurance kata dia memang suka makan coconut, kalau coconut cookies for chrismas tu memang dia layan habis la. Habis sepinggan kuih ketayap si Encik Insurance itu makan. Syok oo tgk dia makan, lepas satu..satu dia suap. Banyak la jugak yang mami serve kat dia tu. Last-last dia kata he said to me "Wow, diese dinge sind wirklich fein", maksudnya sedap la tuh. Tu dia penangan kuih ketayap, don't think our kuih tak best and tak standard taww.

Bila sembang-sembang dengan dia, dia ckp kakak ipar dia pun orang Malaysia. So I asked him if kakak ipar dia tu melayu. Orang melayu macam awak, kata Pakcik Insurance, sekarang ni diorang duduk di Böblingen dekat dengan Stuttgart. Keciknya dunia ni kan?

So thats the story..haha..gempak saja lebih kan mami ni. Bukan apa, rasa geli hati tengok pakcik Insurance ni makan kuih ketayap. Hehe..patutla taste melayu, ada connection rupanya.
 

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Kuih Pau

Kuih pau! Kuih pau! Mari mari...

Kuih Pau ni dinner kami berdua semalam. Ni first time buat ni. Selama ni tak berani nak buat sebab kebanyakkan resipi pakai tepung pau atau tepung hongkong, mana la nak dpt kat sini. Baru ni jumpa banyak pula resepi yang pakai tepung gandum biasa, so boleh la nak cuba. Cuma orang kata kalau pakai tepung biasa, pau jadi kekuningan, tak gebueww gitu.

Pau ni inti kari ayam, kertas tu pulak baking paper yang dipotong kecil-kecil.

Dah lama periuk kukus ni sampai dari mesia, ni baru berpeluang nak guna. Hehe..

Ni pau yang dah siap kukus, kembang semangkuk you! Tak budget nak kembang, seb baik tak kukus ramai-ramai sekali, kalau tak memang melekat la jawabnya pau-pau ni. Alhamdulillah dough menjadi. Paling penting, dough ni dah sejuk pun masih lembut.

 This time mami mungkin terlalu tamak, roll dough sampai nipis lepas tu taruk inti bebanyak, so bila kembang, bertambah nipis la dough tu. Apa pun, pau ni tak macam beli di kedai, hehe..kalau beli kat kedai, kulit pau bukan main tebal, inti ciput saja. Pau ni inti membuak-buak, seb baik tak pecah..hehe.

Mamak baru first time makan kuih pau ni, katanya dia kena setting lidah sikit, sebab kat Jerman ni ada juga kuih kukus, nama dia Dampfnudel, rasa sebijik macam kuih pau, cuma takdak inti, makan pulak dengan sos vanila dan blueberry compote. So bila makan kuih pau inti kari, dia terasa confuse sekejap..haha.

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Pau dough:

250g All purpose flour, diayak
12g Fresh yeast,
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon shortening (I use veg oil)
125ml warm water *

Method:

Sieve flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Mix with sugar. Make a cavity in the middle of the flour mixture and crumble yeast into the cavity. *Pour in some of the water and start kneading. Add the shortening and knead further. *Only add more water if the dough is too dry, you dont have to use up all of the water. Knead until it becomes a soft pliable dough. Place in a bowl, cover with damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes at a warm place. 

After the dough has doubled in size, knead to release the gas in the dough and roll into a log shape. Cut the dough into 6 portions and roll each portions into a ball. At this time, you can prepare the steamer on your stove. I use the rolling pin to flatten the dough into a round shape, fill the dough with filling and use fingers to gather up the edge and pleat to seal the pau. Place the pau on a small piece of paper (I use baking paper). When the water in the steamer boils, steam them for 10-15minutes.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Omurice dan Chicken Karaage

Mulanya ingat nak pergi tengok Alice in Wonderland, tapi harini tiba-tiba ribut salji, so we decided to stay in saja. Mamak layan his xbox sambil berkain pelikat (haha..is it wrong to be proud of my husband yang suka pakai kain pelikat kat rumah?..I just  love it). I took the time to wash the dishes, cook and layan tenet. Makan pagi pukul 11.30, makan tengah hari pukul 4 petang and dinner pulak makan sandwich saja sorang seketul.

Ni lah yang kami makan lewat tengah hari tadi.

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Omurice dan Chicken Karaage dalam bahasa Jepun, dalam bahasa melayu nasi goreng pattaya dan cekodok ayam. Lebih kurang la tuh..

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Nasi goreng yang dibungkus dengan omelette. Baru ni jumpa sos cili Heinz kat supermarket, tu yang sakan taruk atas omelette tu.
(haha..bayang kain pelikat disitu)

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Daging peha ayam yang diperap dengan jus halia, garam dan minyak bijan, digaul dengan tepung jagung dan digoreng sampai ranggup.

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Renyah nak menggoreng, tapi tang makan, sat saja habis licin.