Wednesday, March 24, 2010

!My 2010 Birthday!


This year ,my birthday was celebrated the way i wanted, the reason simply is because I really love to have a cake on my birthday. Sounds easy. But not every year I can celebrate with a cake in front of me.

I don't quite remember when is the last time I have a perfect round cake on my birthday .But I still remember my friends when I was in Sabah , they gave me a slice of cake on my birthday and the cake was hardly can put candles on it. > <

Since then I don't have a cake on my birthday anymore,but I finally got one . About the celebration , I still remember the time when my best friend from UK visited me in KL , we headed to Baskin Robbins in Pavillion KL , I had a nice ice cream fondue with my name on it .Hahaha…That year was in 2008.

This year on my birthday I woke up early in the morning then drove to McD in Damansara for my free breakfast . My classmate gave me the voucher on free Sausage Egg muffin then I redeemed it . Soon after I ate my filling breakfast , there goes my day in my training school.


During breakfast break, I was given a surprised birthday fruits cake from my best friend ,Baskaran . He prepared all the surprises with my classmates . I was so touched when I realized that there is a cake for me on my birthday !
Thank you , Baskaran! ;)

My Birthday Cake


Mimi with my Birthday Cake, Thanks!


Surprise's lOOk


After blowing candles,


Baskaran,Hafiz and I.


Icing on my face , so ugly .....



No matter what in this world , good friends are there for you ready to go through your ups and down. My 2010 birthday was a good and memorable one .


This photo was sent to me by an ex-room mate when i was in Sabah !
Thanks ,JM.Hope u can win in the FB voting event!
The photo is full of unforgettable memories...

Thanks everyone who contributed his/her effort !

Friday, March 12, 2010

Osaka の Okonomiyaki 大阪のお好み焼き




Last week , I was arranging my stuffs in a box and stumbled upon 2 items which I bought from Japan which are Okonomiyaki Sauce お好み焼きソース and also Katsuobushi 鰹節.
I nearly forgotten about the stuffs, the reason I bought is because I wanted to try making my own Okonomiyaki after tasting an Okonomiyaki in Osaka, Japan. The taste was just fabulous and the fragrance of the Katsuobushi makes me think of takoyaki たこ焼き.
The inside of the Okonomiyaki is soft and fluffy and the top part of it is covered with sauces and Katsuobushi.

YUM YUM!!


Here are the recipe :
Ingredient:
1 teaspoon of chicken stock
100g flour
3 large eggs
300 g of thinly chopped cabbage
3 teaspoon of diced onion
1 stack of diced celery
4 tablespoon of oil
1 instant noodles

Mixed Meat:
2 stick of chopped crab stick
4 cm chopped Chinese sausage
70g of soya sauce marinated chicken cubes



Topping:
Aonori 青のり
Katsubusi鰹節
Okonomiyaki sause お好み焼きソース
Mayonaise

PLS REFER TO THE JAPANESE TERMS EXPLANATION BELOW

Instruction:
1. Mix well the chicken stock,flour,eggs until becoming like a paste with some bubbles
2. Dribble batter into oil.
3. Cook until golden brown and drain of the oil,allow the Tenkatsu to cool.
4. Cook the instant noodles and set aside.
5. Add cabbage , celery,instant noodle and mixed meat into the batter.
6. Heat up the pan with a thin layer of oil.
7. Set it to medium high level.
8. Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
9. Close the lid and cook for 5-6 mins.
10.Flip it over.
11.Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
12.Top with the Tenkasu ,mayonaise,okonomiyaki sauce .
13.Sprinkle with Katsuobushi and aonori
14. And serve.

Batter.

Fried batter=Tenkasu.

Let Tenkasu cool down in a bowl.

Mixed meat.

Chopped cabbage.

Mixed cabbage , celery,instant noodle and mixed meat into the batter.

Covered the pan to cook.

Before turning the okonomiyaki.The uncooked side.

Flipped over to expose the cooked side.

Spread with Mayonaise, Tenkasu, Okonomiyaki sauce.





Terms :
Katsuobushi
Katsuobushi (鰹節 or かつおぶし) is the Japanese name for a preparation of dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito). Katsuobushi and kombu (a type of kelp) are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso soup) and sauces (e.g., soba no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine. It is today typically found in bags of small pink-brown shavings. Larger, thicker shavings, called kezurikatsuo (削り鰹; けずりかつお), are used to make the ubiquitous dashi stock. Smaller, thinner shavings, called hanakatsuo (花鰹; はなかつお), are used as a flavoring and topping for many Japanese dishes, such as okonomiyaki.


Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.
The batter is made of flour, grated yam, water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (generally pork or bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, kimchi, mochi or cheese. Okonomiyaki is sometimes compared to an omelette or a pancake and may be referred to as "a Japanese pancake" or even "Osaka soul food."


Aonori
Nori (海苔) is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver . Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking. Japan, Korea, and China are the current major producers of nori, with total production valued at up to US $2 billion per year.