Our light supper today..: Cucur Kentang Ayam

I can say that..this is my own version of the cucur kentang.
Which is mine.. with all the spices..and chicken..
My children love it so much..and my husband as well.

Ingredients : potatoes, boneless chicken(cut the chicken meat into small cubes or slices ), 1 tsp cumin powder, a pinch of masala salt and salt to taste.

..then bring to a boil in a pan of salted water until tender ..

notes: for the best flavour, I usually just marinate the chicken for at least overnight with cumin powder, masala salt, black pepper, white pepper and salt.
But 15 to 30 minutes is normally sufficient.

It is up to you which ones you chose when you prepare your food.
It is all a matter of taste ,preference.. and time.

Combine everthing from above with plain flour..
Heat the oil for deep-frying...and spoon the mixture..one by one..and fry, turning each, until golden brown on both side.

Drain thoroughly on paper towels...and it is ready..to eat.

well..i served them with the prepared chili sauce..

My Little One : ''Blood''

Since last Friday, my youngest daughter keep asking me about 'blood'.
She started with ..,'' is it any blood in my body?
I said, '' yes sweetie..there is blood in your body''
she asked again,'' is it any blood in your body mummy..''
I said,'' Yes there is blood in my body too..''
she asked again.. ,''how about my brother, my sister and my dad.. Is it any blood in their bodies too..?''


Looking at her cute face..I said ,.''.Yes..honey , all human being have blood in their bodies.''

It seems like she still not satisfied with my answers..I can tell that by looking at her curious face..and as usual, she wants to know more than that. Just like my other kids.

Thus, this morning..while helping her put on her shoes, she asked me again about blood.
''Mom, is it any blood in my body..''
I said..'' of course sweetie.''
''Why did the blood stay in my body's?'' ..I'm quite impressed with her question..at that time.

So, remember what I had learnt a long time ago..
I told her, ''blood plays an important role in our bodies. Not only..in you, me, your brother, sister and dad..but..all the human being and animals too.''

I can see that.. she listened to my explaination very carefully, may be she is trying to digest all the information.

''We need blood to live.. without blood .. we all died..'' when I saying that..she seems surprised ..Oh.. dear.. it is easy to teach my students at school..but not my own children.. they will keep asking..with different kind of question until they meet with the answer they want.. and, as a parents.. we will always try our best to provide them the answer to all the question they gave us. And it is not easy..

Then, she asked again..,'' why is the blood colour is red? why not blue? ''
... oh dear..how am going to answer this.. Thus, I told her..,''actually there are two type of blood..in our body..one is red and the one is white..but.. we can't see the white one..only..the red one.''

Actually, sometimes I didn't know.. how should I answer question like this..especially when it comes from my little one.

But, yeah, I just explained like she is older than her age...and..that what I did to the other two before..especially when facts involved such as in science, maths, history, and geography..

I know.. she still not satisfied with my answer.. and I will try to find books about it..which is suitable for her and read together. Hopefully, she meets with what she wants to know..about BLOOD.

Our Dinner Today : Kuew Tiew ..

Kuew tiew yang telah siap digoreng bersama telur dan diperisakan dengan white pepper dan garam.

Kuah yang telah siap.. warna gelap disebabkan sos tiram..dan antara isinya..ayam, carrot, cili, pepper, lime grass, dan dan dipekatkan dengan corn flour.

rupa setelah..kuah disendukkan kepada kuew tiew yang telah siap digoreng bersama telur di atas..Pandangan daripada dekat... Yum..yum..yummy...

..Makan malam hari ni..Kuew Tiew... sahaja. Sebenarnya, baru sahaja buat kuew tiew nie..pada hari sabtu 28 hb Mac,09. But, hari nie.. anak-anak nak makan lagi..tak puas.. katanya.Tempoh hari..masak untuk meraikan tetamu yang hadir ke rumah..ada 3 keluarga..dua dari Sheffield dan satu dari London.

Actually, tak tahu la..apa nama kuew tiew nie..sebab tak pernah refer kat mana-mana resepi...cuma, asalnya..sekitar tahun 2001 (jika tak silap), kami suami isteri suka sangat makan Kuew Tiew Kung Fu dekat sebuah kedai makan yang dah jadi sejarah pun.. ''Mat Metro'' yang terletak kat Ampang Jaya..(kalau tak silap).

So..finally ..saya pun cuba la.. create sendiri berdasarkan pengalaman merasa Kuew Tiew Kung Fu tersebut ..macam buat Maths..''try and improve''. and judged by.. my husband... and bila dia kata...''hmm.. macam sama nie..''(and of course kalau masak sendiri... lebih luxury...macam -macam ada... sotong, udang, ayam...sayuran-sayuran..lebih meriah...tentunya..lebih menepati citarasa).. so rasanya..itulah resepi yang digunapakai hingga hari ini.

Dan Sejak daripada itu juga ..ini sahaja la..menu setiap kali...open house masa hari raya di Malaysia..hmm..lagipun..nak masak pun senang je.. sekejap.( itu yang penting)

''Apa resepi nye...'', selalunya orang akan tanya...hmm..part nie..nak jawab memang susah.. sebab..boleh ke cakap.. agak-agak..je..dan gunakan sahaja apa yang ada kat rumah..dalam peti ais.. tapi main ingredients..untuk kuah ialah oyster sauce, dan pekatkan kuah dengan corn flour..tapi tumis la ..dulu..macam biasa..gunakan bahan-bahan biasa... Boleh ke cakap macam nie..?

Manakala, untuk kuew tiew pula.. eggs.., garam dan white pepper. Telur tu pula...macam buat telur dadar..beaten lightly.. goreng dulu..macam, telur dadar..then..siap la..bila nak makan baru disendukkan kuah ke atas.. kuew tiew.. dan lebih sedap dimakan ketika masih hangat..

Notes : Semasa mula nak masak tadi.... anak yang sulung memberitahu.. ''Mama, I know ..what is your secret ingredients..in all your cooking..and made me..love it..''

Then, I asked him...''.what is it? .As far as I know..I have no secret ingredients.. and.. He smiles..back to me. and said..''Love... mom's cooking with love..that made mom's cooking so special and fantastic for their childrens...''

how..sweet..tak sangka..semua itu keluar daripada mulut anakku ini..at the same time.. I miss my mom's cooking too..

Cardiff Bay 290309 : 2

fantastic view from the Waterbus..

peaceful scenery..captured from the Waterbus too

beautiful..

with the clear blue sky...and lovely sunny day..the outcome is an interesting picture.

nice view too..

..what is in the water..?

Our Cardiff Waterbus boarding pass.. £3 for adults and £2 for children

During the Cardiff European Games 2009, we hosted our friend from Sheffield. The following day we took them to Cardiff Bay. We were very excited to try the Waterbus. Unfortunately, we took the wrong boat.We were eager to sail through Taff River bypassing our home and Millenium Stadium to Bute Park.However, when the boat reached the Barrage it turned back to Cardiff Bay. My husband was very dissapointed. He lost £12 and 45 minutes sightseeing in a small loop. For him, the boat went nowhere. So, make sure if you want to try a boat trip, read the brochure first and find the right route.

But, me and my childrens.. it is still something meaningful. We enjoyed the sightseeing.. another new experience for us..

One day we will return and take the right boat. To our guests ( Ina and family), we hope you had a great time in Cardiff. Hope to see you again ...

Cardiff Bay 290309

Winter 080208 : Amazing views..Brecon

The youngest... still want to climb up... and playing with the other two..
''brother...sister..wait for me...please...''

..Nice view.. or I rather say.. gorgeous.
the kids.. preparing themselves for the next adventure..
''this time.. , I want to be with you..brother...''

No words to describe this view... just seeing it.. makes you feel... serene.

..another peaceful landscape..at Brecon

one of the many incredible views you can see at Brecon, last winter (080208)

a stunning view....

another picture of the spectacular view of Brecon..from me..

Winter 080208 : Sledging..

Pemandangan dari kaki bukit, tempat kami 'sledging'. Kelihatan semua mencari lokasi terbaik untuk mula melungsur turun ke bawah bersama 'sledge' masing-masing..

Anak-anak perempuan yang masih kecil.. tapi bersemangat kuat untuk mendaki bukit bersama 'sledge' yang dikongsi bersama ( penat juga mendaki bukit tu).

ready...steady...go!
mula meluncur turun..dengan lajunya...
wheeeeee...

Pemandangan dari atas, seorang sedang melungsur turun..
manakala, yang dua lagi mahu mendaki semula.. tak kenal erti penat..

Pemandangan kawasan sekitar.( tepi jalan raya sahaja)
Walaupun, cuaca panas..tetapi suhu terlalu sejuk...( sejuk macam mana? , rasanya macam letak tangan di atas ais..)

Dua beradik..mencari lokasi ..terbaik untuk mula meluncur..Energetic betul.... rasanya melebihi 10 kali mereka mendaki ..lereng bukit tersebut..yang bukannya rendah untuk meluncur turun...

Inilah kali pertama dalam hidup.. kami dapat merasai pengalaman 'sledging'. Memang diluar sangkaan, dapat merasai.. keseronokan 'sledging' . 'Sledge' yang ada tu pun.. kedua-duanya milik rakan.Beliau yang menawarkannya kepada kami, memandangkan kami tidak sempat untuk membelinya. Bagi menambah keseronokan kepada anak-anak ..antara katanya.Terima kasih.

So, apa lagi, sampai kat Brecon, mula-mula tengok tempat dulu..memang 'gorgeous' semua putih... tebal pulak tu.Kemudian, baru mencari lokasi yang sesuai untuk berhenti.Anak-anak sudah tidak sabar.. mulanya mereka hanya mahu 'build snowman' dan main 'snowball fighting' tapi bila dah rasa keseronokan 'sledging', Ketiga-tiganya dah tidak hairan lagi 'build snowman' or 'snowball fighting'.


Ketiga-tiganya benar-benar 'energetic'.. mendaki bukit.. yang dilitupi salji itu dan kemudian.. menuruninya dengan meluncur di atas 'sledge'.. they really had fun. Kami yang melihat pada mulanya rasa risau juga.. terutama untuk anak yang paling kecil.. tapi, itulah.. pandai mereka mengendalikannya tidak perlu diajar..


Notes: Masa kecil-kecil dulu ada juga 'sledging'... cari lereng bukit 'botak'.. guna kotak atau papan.. melungsur turun.. itu pun dah rasa 'thrill'.. Anak-anak ini tidak pernah merasai pengalaman itu, tapi mereka dapat merasa melungsur di atas salji..lebih kurang sama.. cuma permukaan sahaja yang berbeza.. dan tidak dapat dinafikan, di atas permukaan salji.. lebih seronok.

Winter 080208 : Rezeki anak-anak

tebal juga salji di kawasan ini...Nampak pun putih je macam sedap..
'..Mom can I taste the snow..'
( she really taste the snow..and she said I wonder how's the taste ...it looks fluffy)

Hmm geramnya.. mari kita buat snowball.. mula-mula ambil snow dulu...

Pemandangan kawasan sekitar kami bermain, memang cantik... dulu, pemandangan sebegini hanya dilihat daripada lukisan.. kelihatan, sungai berbatu ..mengalir perlahan..sungai itu pun cetek sahaja.

the river.. ..gorgeous.

Follow me....Let's explore another place..

whoops.. the little ones still busy with her sledge or her leg stuck in the snow..

'Sister.. wait for me... I promise that I will share this sledge with you..'
'You always said that..but then you won't..'

... running in the snow...is awesome

Pada winter yang lepas.., memang akan sentiasa terpahat dalam memori kami sekeluarga. Apa tidaknya, setelah mengharungi cuaca yang terlalu sejuk...(berbanding tahun-tahun lepas), dan hari-hari yang 'dull', almost everyday cloudy day..or 'grey day' akhirnya.. salji pun turun...dengan lebat..dan tebal selama beberapa hari.

Bukan kata anak-anak..ibubapa sekali turut seronok tengok ..salji turun..memenuhi kawasan luar rumah..semuanya nampak putih..,memang seronok.Pada masa itu memang teringat pada semua yang berada di Malaysia. Alangkah seronoknya, kalau pemandangan itu dapat dilihat bersama mereka. Walau bagaimanapun, sempat juga rasanya kami MMS pada beberapa orang.

Jika pada musim sejuk tahun 2007 anak-anak sibuk membina orang salji (snowman) dan snowball fighting, tahun ini berbeza.., kali ini lebih seronok.. 'sledging'. Bukan takat anak-anak.. kami pun turut sama bermain. Benarlah kata orang, bila salji turun..hampir semua orang dewasa akan jadi kanak-kanak semula...And, all that can be said..We had lots of fun at this free winter wonderland.