Istighasah, boleh ke tak?
2 days ago
The same clan as in the earlier post decided to have another trip. This time to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman or Jalan TAR for short. A famous street in Kuala Lumpur, which locates dozens of shops from diners, to clothes, to head covers, to carpets, to wedding things... you name it...
I have fond memories of Jalan TAR. During university days, my friends and I used to stay in the college located on Jalan Temerloh, very near to Titiwangsa Lake Garden of KL. We occasionally went to Jalan TAR, mostly on Saturday evenings coz there's a night market on Saturdays. We would take the pink-colored mini bus (oh yes.... I survived thru that era..), can't remember what number, 10? 15? which took us to Jalan TAR. And of course, I used to go out on dates at Jalan TAR with my then BF who has now claimed the title as my hubby 
.
.Ok, back to the present day... As we planned it, we will meet at a restaurant called Insaf which is famous for its briyani rice followed by tudung shopping. So, on that Tuesday, I was in my office, which is just minutes away from Jalan TAR. At 1.40 pm (we were supposed to meet at 2 pm) as I was getting ready to leave the office, my cell phone rang. It was my neighbor. Oh..oh... I said to myself... This can't be something good. Bad news it was. Apparently, my mother in law, who is staying with us, and my 3rd daughter, were accidentally locked out of the house and the keys were inside. So I had to rush home to open the door for them. And called Hemy to inform her that I may be late or maybe I won't be able to join them at all. Inilah yang dikatakan, manusia hanya boleh merancang... I reached home a little after 2. Then bawak kereta mcm ribut (I imagine it was like a ribut) and headed for Jalan TAR. Parked outside Semua House which cost me RM8 per entry and finally sat down in Insaf by 2.30 pm. Pheww....
Us... finishing lunch. I had briyani rice with fried chicken and iced tea. Pic from left: Me, Ana, Elin, Nor (bz dok jawab phone call) and Hemy.Then, we started our mission to buy some head covers. Well, actually it was not my mission. Coz I don't have the intention to buy any. I'm just tagging along exercising my legs. Tak reti la pulak nak beli tudung saje-saje, selalunya kena beli baju dulu then look for tudung..(Moral of the story: I need new dress
)
)
So, this is the first agenda on the mission. While we were at this shop, a customer mistaken me for the salesgirl and asked the price of one of the items... Chett... muka salesgirl ke apa...
Pic: Nor is trying on a tudung. I don't remember why Hemy or Ana were laughing.
More tudung agenda. Pic: Nor trying yet another tudung. Elin is showing off one of the tudungs which actually reminded us of kek lapis Eika.
Tudung, tak sah kalau tak de brooch. So, we stopped by this shop. They bought something, I just cuci mata.
And did I mention that one of us is a tailor? Not me, obviously
. I don't even have a sewing machine, remember? Elin yang pandai menjahit tu. She can sew baju kurungs and also can sew beads and sequins and all those lip lap things onto your dress. This pic was taken in a shop in Semua House. Elin bought some beads for her next masterpiece which is actually baju Ana.
Next on the agenda was almost like a trademark for us. Dah penat berjalan, we stopped by Station Kopitiam, outside Semua House, and ordered 5 drinks and 1 dish. From left: honey cinnamon tea, melon juice, strawberry shake, honey dew shake, something chocolatey (can't remember the name) and hokkien mee (no vege... kalau dah tak de sayur tu, tak lain tak bukan Hemy la yang order)
We went home eventually. Them with their packages that they have just bought. While I balik berlenggang. But berlenggang berisi coz while we were shopping, Elin shared, consulted and advised us on some personal image tips. Cool eh....
Image consultation by the road side. Back at home, feeling tired but exhilarated at the same time, my husband gave me his disbelief look
when I told him that my friends and I will be going for another outing next week 
.
This is one of the few dishes that I can cook. It's quite simple. A school mate did mention some time ago that we actually learn this dish in our Home Science subject in secondary school many years ago. But how come I did not have any recollection whatsoever of cooking this dish during school time? Takkan ponteng kot...
Even though I admit that I didn't have the passion for the subject then, but I wasn't a kaki ponteng...err... true most of the time...
Even though I admit that I didn't have the passion for the subject then, but I wasn't a kaki ponteng...err... true most of the time...
Anyhow, I learn to master (master ke...??) this dish when I'm already married. Too late?? Better late than never. Lagipun bila dah pandai buat, mula la rasa yg beli punya kurang uummph... (waahhh.... berlagak giler...
). And the most important thing, my other half likes to eat it. Kids too.. Initially, my kids jual mahal. Tak nak makan. Then, they had their first dose, lepas tu, sekali ambik, 2, 3 ketul sekali... (waahh.... masuk bakul angkat sendiri lagi sekali..)
). And the most important thing, my other half likes to eat it. Kids too.. Initially, my kids jual mahal. Tak nak makan. Then, they had their first dose, lepas tu, sekali ambik, 2, 3 ketul sekali... (waahh.... masuk bakul angkat sendiri lagi sekali..)
Ok, back to the point...
The recipe can be obtained from various sources. I'm sure on the net itself dah bersepah-sepah. And I'm no exception. I browsed thru the net too to learn.
The ingredients (batter):
Wheat flour
Coconut milk
Eggs
Salt
Yellow colouring
Water
The how (batter):
Mix all the ingredient and put in the blender and trrr.... away.
Note: The same batter ingredients can be used to make roti jala. Another dish that my kids love.
The ingredients (filling):
Mix all the ingredient and put in the blender and trrr.... away.
Note: The same batter ingredients can be used to make roti jala. Another dish that my kids love.
The ingredients (filling):
Minced beef (sometimes I'm terlebih rajin, so I mince the meat myself. Easier way, buy the ready-minced one)
Garlic, shallot and dried chillies (blend)
Curry powder
Salt and sugar (secukup rasa)
The how (filling):
Saute the blended ingredients in a frying pan. Add in curry powder which has been dissolved in water. Add in meat, salt and sugar. Add in the chopped onions. Simmer for a while until the meat is well done. Then put it aside.
For decorations:
Chopped spring onions and red chillies
Fried shallots
Really sorry I can't give the exact measurements of each ingredient coz I selalu campak2 je... err... of course I'm exaggerating. But seriously, I simply add in the ingredient sesuka hati, and then observe the texture. Agak2 cair sangat, boh lagi tepung. Agak2 kurang lemak, boh lagi santan. And that's why I don't have the consistency in my cooking. Today's Kuih Cara Berlauk may taste differently from last week's Kuih Cara Berlauk. Sometimes it tasted heavenly.., sometimes it tasted hampehly..
! I advise you to refer to other sources for the complete recipe.
! I advise you to refer to other sources for the complete recipe.
Now you have the batter and the filling ready, this is how to make the kuih itself.
You need to have a mould like the one in the pic. Put the mould on the stove. Since the mould's bottom is not flat you need to have some sort of support (please refer to the pic). Tak reti pulak aku nak explain that thing yg boleh jadi alas tu. Let's call it alas periuk. Once the mould is safely perched on the stove, ignite the fire, glaze some oil on each one of the mould's spaces? cavities? holes?..
whatever la kann.. Usually, one mould has 6 of those. My mother-in-law usually use daun pandan and dip the leaf in oil and glaze the mould so there will be an extra nice aroma of daun pandan. But me, the malas version, will glaze the mould with anything that I can get hold on to. Kalau sudu, sudu la.
whatever la kann.. Usually, one mould has 6 of those. My mother-in-law usually use daun pandan and dip the leaf in oil and glaze the mould so there will be an extra nice aroma of daun pandan. But me, the malas version, will glaze the mould with anything that I can get hold on to. Kalau sudu, sudu la. 
Next, once the mould is heated enough, pour the batter mixture into the mould's spaces. I use a jug, easy to pour. But caution, not too full or overflow coz you'll be putting the meat filling next. If too full, the batter mixture will overflow and it won't be Kuih Cara Berlauk anymore but Kuih Tak Cara Berlauk... 3/4 full is just nice.
. 3/4 full is just nice.
Once the mould is filled with the batter, put in the meat filling. Err... see, mine almost overflowed... Sometimes I do cakap tak serupa bikin . Anyhow, I loveee to put a lot of the filling. Lagi banyak, lagi best. Usually, those which are on sale, kedekut lauk (Kuih Cara Sikit Lauk). Oh yes... almost forgot, all this while, maintain a low fire eh.. if not, tak sempat nak bubuh semua inti, the bottom part of the kuih will be burnt and rentung and hangit...
. Anyhow, I loveee to put a lot of the filling. Lagi banyak, lagi best. Usually, those which are on sale, kedekut lauk (Kuih Cara Sikit Lauk). Oh yes... almost forgot, all this while, maintain a low fire eh.. if not, tak sempat nak bubuh semua inti, the bottom part of the kuih will be burnt and rentung and hangit...
Next, add in the decorations. Spring onions, red chillies and fried shallots. I usually skip the chillies and fried shallots coz my kids will excavate 'em and throw 'em away. Better not put it and save my energy from chopping those things
Then, cover the mould with a lid. Whatever lid can do. Janji tutup so that the kuih is well-cooked.
Next, take out the kuih from the mould. It shouldn't be sticking to the mould. If sticky, may be it is not well cooked or the batter too watery or the mould is not well-oiled. Agaknya la... Me no Chef Wan... 
Repeat the above process until you have finished the batter. And if you ran out of filling and still has the batter, not to worry. Do the same as above, but instead of beef filling, can put in sugar. Jadi la Kuih Cara. Just as yummy. Well, of course the color is wrong la. Kalau Kuih Cara kan green kaler.
Now, serve and Bismillah... makan...
My kids have this ritual that they do before going to bed. They would kiss me and hubby good night. However, one night, some time ago, my 2nd daughter, Syahirah, said, ‘Mak, nak salam, mak… Nanti mana tau esok Angah tak bangun ke..’ Of course, as a mother, I was shocked to hear her talking like that and would never want her to say such things again.
I did ask her, what made her say things like that. Apparently, her ustazah from her agama school reminded her and her friends to do that and ask forgiveness from the parents before going to bed. Hmm… no matter how difficult it is to accept the fact, it’s true isn’t it..? You never know what will happen. Would you survive the night? Would you wake up next morning? Would you ever see the sun shining next day? After all, it is said that sleep is a form of temporary death.
But I just can't imagine I outlive my daughters. I'm sure every mother would exchange their lives for their children... And I sure don't want to imagine if my hubby is suddenly not there for me. I have begin to depend on him so much that I would be like bird without wings, patah kaki or like the song by Anang, Separuh Nyawaku Pergi... if he's gone.
There's a song by Yusry KRU which appeared in Cicakman the movie that really touches my hearts. This song is dedicated to those who have lost their loved ones. OK... I'm a bit emo, but this song is worth listening to, especially the lyrics.
JIKA KU TAK BANGUN ESOK PAGI
Jika kutak bangun esok pagi
Sayangku kau jagalah diri
Sentiasa ingatkan hati
Dirimu amat kucintai
Andainya dihimpit kesusahan
Sujud dan mohon pada Tuhan
Agar diberikan bimbingan
Meniti hidup bersendirian
Bila terasa sejuk pejamkan mata
Bayangkan dalam dakapanku
Bila terasa rindu pejamkan mata
Kita bersua dalam lena
Kalau ada yang sudi mengganti
Sayang lepaskanlah ku pergi
Kerna sayang seistimewamu
Berhak tuk dicinta dalam hidup
Sayang… tiada apa yg kekal dlm dunia ini
Namun yang pasti walaupun ku tiada nanti
Cintaku .. akan kekal abadi
ulang
Kuberharap kau tak akan lupa
Mengirimkan bekalan doa
Kita jumpa lagi di sana nanti
Jika kutak bangun…..esok pagi
Jika kutak bangun esok pagi
It was a spur of the moment kind of plan via FB to have lunch with few of my ex-schoolmates 2 days ago. And with no itinerary and exact details, we agreed to meet the next day. Five of us: Nor Hemylia Mohd Nor, aka Hemy, Zanariah Mohd Nor aka Ana (not related to Hemy), Noraliza Alias aka Nor, Alina Merah aka Elin and I. So yesterday, finalizing the plan over phone, it was decided that the rendezvous will be at One Utama. Oh oh… I exclaimed… 
Now how do I get there considering the limited routes that I’m used to as the car driver. Tak kira la the countless times I’ve been to One Utama with the family coz hubby is driving and I’m just the passenger that manage to stay oblivious to the routes and the turns and the tolls and what nots…
Now how do I get there considering the limited routes that I’m used to as the car driver. Tak kira la the countless times I’ve been to One Utama with the family coz hubby is driving and I’m just the passenger that manage to stay oblivious to the routes and the turns and the tolls and what nots…So, I resorted to Google maps… but oh boy..
. I’m hopeless in reading maps too.. Then, I turned to a living and talking GPS-like device. A colleague of mine, Siti Fatimah Ibrahim, kindly drew me a map with detailed instructions of when to stay on the right lane or when to switch to the left lane… Google maps pun tak boleh bagi this kind of service. And I’m pretty confident when I set out yesterday afternoon. But orang hanya boleh tolong lukis peta and bagi instruction tapi kalau dah yang ikut arahan tu blur, blur jugak la. I’ve been advised to follow the Penchala Link but I guess in my ‘blur’ness state, I missed the exit. I did panicked but thank God the signboards are quite reliable and I managed to reach One Utama safely and in good time too.
. I’m hopeless in reading maps too.. Then, I turned to a living and talking GPS-like device. A colleague of mine, Siti Fatimah Ibrahim, kindly drew me a map with detailed instructions of when to stay on the right lane or when to switch to the left lane… Google maps pun tak boleh bagi this kind of service. And I’m pretty confident when I set out yesterday afternoon. But orang hanya boleh tolong lukis peta and bagi instruction tapi kalau dah yang ikut arahan tu blur, blur jugak la. I’ve been advised to follow the Penchala Link but I guess in my ‘blur’ness state, I missed the exit. I did panicked but thank God the signboards are quite reliable and I managed to reach One Utama safely and in good time too. Since I was early, I headed for Ana’s house which is in Taman Tun. And again, thank God, the directions are quite simple and easy to follow. Well, minus the U-turn I had to make because I accidentally took the wrong lane… the rest of the trip was uneventful.
Then all of us car pooled to One Utama. And had a wonderful time having lunch at one place and then adjourned only to have another drink at another place… Well, the toilet stop in between helps. And we had hilarious moments 
(err... not the rolling on floor part though) when the specifications for choosing an eating place does not solely depends on the menu but also on the chairs to sit on. Eg stools mcm kedai kopi tu tak nak, tak de tempat sandar. Menu tu tak heran, Kg B*** pun ada…
(err... not the rolling on floor part though) when the specifications for choosing an eating place does not solely depends on the menu but also on the chairs to sit on. Eg stools mcm kedai kopi tu tak nak, tak de tempat sandar. Menu tu tak heran, Kg B*** pun ada…
This is where we read the menu but decided it’s not for us (cheh… berlagakk) and went out to look for another place.
And we chose this place. BBQ Chicken.
I had this dish called Kochi but it is nothing like Kuih Koci at all. Very nice. Stay tuned to Hemy’s page. She had a lot more pictures to show and with more stories to tell, I am sure.
Eventually we went back to the first eating place, an outlet called Teh Tarik, and had drinks and a plate of maggi goreng. Sharing is caring...
I think we must have walked almost a mile (as usual I’m exaggerating 
) before we settled down to eat but it’s worth every mile… or inch.. And even before this particular trip started, we have already planned for the next trip.
) before we settled down to eat but it’s worth every mile… or inch.. And even before this particular trip started, we have already planned for the next trip.
Part I
That Friday afternoon, while at work, my 3rd daughter called. She must have this feeling of dissatisfaction because mummy won’t be home at the usual time. She said, ‘Kenapa mak balik lambat? Kan selalunya ayah je yg balik lambat?’ At 7 pm, my 2nd daughter called and asked, ‘Pukul berapa mak nak balik?’ I said, ‘Malam nanti mak balik’. She said, ‘Ni kan dah malam ni..’ She even refused to do her homework because I was not there
.
Ok, back to the dinner. It was held in Marriott, Putrajaya.
Nice place. The theme for the night is batik. From left: Norhazlina, yours truly and Anisah
Great company. I was pre-determined to sit at a table elsewhere but luckily I managed to squeeze into this table and enjoyed the dinner. From left: Chua, Azman, Anisah and yours truly again.
I attended a dinner held by the faculty last Friday night. On Thursday and on that Friday morning, before I left the house, I reminded my kids again that mummy will be home late and not to be naughty and listen to daddy and granny. The kids were like.. ala….. mak balik pukul berapa?? Kenapa mak balik lambat?? Those kind of statements.
That Friday afternoon, while at work, my 3rd daughter called. She must have this feeling of dissatisfaction because mummy won’t be home at the usual time. She said, ‘Kenapa mak balik lambat? Kan selalunya ayah je yg balik lambat?’ At 7 pm, my 2nd daughter called and asked, ‘Pukul berapa mak nak balik?’ I said, ‘Malam nanti mak balik’. She said, ‘Ni kan dah malam ni..’ She even refused to do her homework because I was not there
. Conclusion Part I
- Daddy should be home earlier more often. OR
- Mummy should be having more nights out.
OR - Kids need mummy more than daddy. (My husband will totally disagree to this…)
Part II
The dinner was held by the faculty to express appreciation to its staffs that have performed excellently in categories namely Academic & Research, Quality, Community Service and Sports. Ha’ah… ye la tu… cemerlang la sangat (speaking for myself). Anyhow, I applaud the effort done by the faculty. Staffs are people who need to be appreciated once in a while. Words of encouragement are sometimes enough. Tokens can also be given and not necessarily expensive ones. I received a certificate in a frame and free dinner. Ok la kan… daripada tak ada… But frankly, I feel everyone in the faculty should be appreciated and not only the few hundreds who were invited to the dinner coz everyone did their fair share of contribution and sometimes the margin of who contribute more is sometimes ill-defined..
cemerlang la sangat (speaking for myself). Anyhow, I applaud the effort done by the faculty. Staffs are people who need to be appreciated once in a while. Words of encouragement are sometimes enough. Tokens can also be given and not necessarily expensive ones. I received a certificate in a frame and free dinner. Ok la kan… daripada tak ada… But frankly, I feel everyone in the faculty should be appreciated and not only the few hundreds who were invited to the dinner coz everyone did their fair share of contribution and sometimes the margin of who contribute more is sometimes ill-defined..My hubby’s office has one of the cool ways of showing appreciation to others. He is working in one of the banks in KL. They have what they call as 'Apple'ciation Day. So on that day, you sent out big juicy apples to colleagues that you would like to show your appreciation to. Likewise, people may give you apple to show their appreciation. But what if you don’t receive any apples? Demotivated la pulak. Jadi macam Mr Bean and sent apple to yourself, maybe?
Ok, back to the dinner. It was held in Marriott, Putrajaya.
Nice place. The theme for the night is batik. From left: Norhazlina, yours truly and Anisah Great company. I was pre-determined to sit at a table elsewhere but luckily I managed to squeeze into this table and enjoyed the dinner. From left: Chua, Azman, Anisah and yours truly again.Good performance by people from PPUKM itself. This is one of many.
So-so food. Somehow I don't fancy the food but dah depan mata, belasah je la. Thank God the company is great. Those were buttered prawns and chicken ntah masak apa ntah in the pic.
Conclusion Part II
- Appreciate yourself and others. Why not write an email of appreciation to your colleagues and cc the email to the head of department or maybe the Dean or even the VC or the CEO. Hantar sekali kat PM while you are at that. No la… gila apa… But at least the immediate boss or supervisor should be in the know.
- Even if the gift/token/words are way below your expectation (like in this case, the dinner…), the effort itself should be appreciated. Do you think I should write to the Dean appreciating him for appreciating me? Then he will appreciate me for appreciating him appreciating me. Boleh??
