Recipe : Vegetarian Pudina Rice (Mint Rice)

For 2016, i thought i'd start sharing my mom's awesome recipes.She has always wanted to open up her own restaurant. But never had a chance to do it. She wanted to start writing a book then, and that too , procrastination has always overpowered all.. Everyone i know loves her cooking from back home and even in KL. From Indian,Chinese to Western cuisine, she nails it all the time. I thought if i start blogging it, its one way to start her off to share her knowledge in her mind to the world out there.

We'll start off with Vegetarian Pudina Rice ( Pudina= Mint).

Pretty simple in mom's words. A one dish meal that bursts with flavors.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice

( One set of the below is for rice and another set is for frying)
2 sets of 5 Cardamons
2 sets of 1 Cinnamon Stick
2 sets of  3 Cloves
2 sets of 2 Bay Leaves

For Frying
1/2 Cup Frozen Corn soaked in hot water
1 Onion Sliced
4 Tablespoon Ghee
Cashewnuts.
Raisins ( optional)
1 teaspoon salt

For Mint Puree
1 Cup Pudina(Mint) leaves
1/2 Cup Coriander leaves
2 Tablespoon of Ginger & Garlic Paste
2 Green Chilies ( Optional )

Method :
1. Puree\Blend Ginger & Garlic Paste, Chilies, Coriander and Pudina
2. Cook Basmati Rice in rice cooker with cardamon, cinnamon, cloves , bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. In a pan, melt 4 tablespoon ghee. Add in cardamon, cinnamon, cloves , bay leaves , cashew nut and sliced onion, and fry till light golden. Add in corn and raisins( optional)
4. Add in Mint puree until it sizzles. Lower heat and add rice.
5. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Mix all together and garnish with mint leaves

End product :

Try it out and let me know your feedback..

Bon Appetit !

Restaurant Makanan Laut Zhong Ma Sungai Petani

I know I am a meatless/vegetarian blogger and this post is titled Seafood (Makanan Laut) restaurant, but the arduous task in life is how herbivores can survive in a carnivorous world. So here we are , in a town where I grew up and spent the first 20 years of my life. Our usual Chinese food restaurants consists of only two shops. When we went back last weekend, it was our bad luck, both were closed for wedding dinners and we were left in a lurch. I know there are lots and lots of Chinese restaurants in SP, but which is a good was the concern. In the car , I googled up and found a recommendation for a restaurant near Tesco and Village Mall ( behind Old Town White Coffee). We started the Hunt for Zhong Ma Seafood Restaurant. The blog that had recommended it was so precise with its location, We were there in 2 min ( actually you can reach anywhere in SP in 2 min :-) )

Two Chinese Restaurants side by side, one at the corner and, Zhong Ma beside it. The latter was so crowded, there was a line waiting outside. The corner shop beside it was rather empty. The waitress said , waiting time is 30 to 45 min. We took the risk and sat down. I asked her if she could make the kids fried rice first before the rest and she advised me to go another shop to buy buns for them while waiting. Nope - no short cuts here.

The wait was indeed long, Ragu went over Old Town which was behind this shop and packed Garlic bread for the kids. We went at about 8pm and people just kept coming in. By 9.30 finally the crowd was less, so I definitely suggest coming here for late dinner.

The dishes we ordered were standard : Fish cooked Assam style, Mix Vege (Vege only), Omelette with onions, Sweet Sour Chicken , Kailan cooked with Garlic(Vege only). Even though they looked like dishes from any other Chinese shop, each one of them tasted super nice. Then we decided to try one of their specialty dish - which I could eat.

The Salted Egg Lotus . One word described it. PERFECTO. For those who like salted egg taste, this was just divine, crunchy , salty, spicy all in one bite. The lotus were deep fried and coated with salted egg sauce, with dried chili and some curry leaves. Needless to say , i finished the entire dish and couldn't wait for my next trip back to SP. My new found love.

Thank you Wteng Journey Blog for recommending this shop!

Bon Appetit.

Jalan Lagenda 6, 
Lagenda Heights,
 08000 Sungai Petani,
Kedah, Malaysia