Still Raya.............................

Another wonderful day. With my normal routine to start the day followed by Hari Raya Open Houses Invitation in the evening and golf session. Felt so happy that managed to achieve a lot of things by the end of the day. By the time we got home everyone was tired.

At Dato Razali, Datin Faridah's Hari Raya Open House




At Puan Yuslinawati's Hari Raya Open House

Since we were already in Seta Area and the kids havent got the chance to hit the balls for a long time plus to burn away the calories after all the yummy food..we hit the driving range. I personally like this place coz its clean, quite, calm, tranquil surroundings, free parking and cheaper fees as opposed to other driving range around Tokyo that I've been.



At Seta Modern Golf. This place offers Golf Lesson and we got Yamamoto Sensei who speaks English last year to teach us.

Green Tea Tiramisu

Green Tea Sponge Cake

Ingredients:-
4 eggs
120 gm sugar
120 gm flour
6 gm green tea powder
40 cc unsweetened soya milk/low fat milk

Method:
1. Sift the flour and green tea powder together.
2. Warm the milk a little bit.
3. Beat egg and sugar until tripled the volume and whip at a low speed for another minute to make a smooth batter.
4. Fold the flour into the egg mixture in a cutting motion.
5. Add warm milk and mix in a cutting motion until batter becomes glossy.
6. Line with paper a 9 x 13 inch tray and spread the mixture. Spread toward four corners and level the surface.
7. Remove air bubbles and bake for 15-17 minutes in a preheated oven 190C.
8. After baking, place the cake on the cake cooler and cover with plastic wrap.


Green Tea Syrup:-
100gm sugar
200 cc water
3gm green tea powder

Method:
Put sugar, green tea powder and water in a pan. Mix well and boil. Let cool.

Mascarpone Cream
30 gm custard powder
120 cc unsweetened soya milk/low fat milk
120 gm mascarpone cheese
90 gm fresh cream

Method:
1. Mix the custard powder in a medium bowl and mix with milk.
2. Add mascarpone cheese and mix well.
3. Add fresh cream and whip them until it soft peaks form.

Azuki Beans Cream (Red Bean Cream)
50 gm sweet bean paste
100 gm fresh cream

Method:
1. Mix sweet bean paste and fresh cream in a bowl and whip them until soft peaks form.

Assembling Cakes

1. Cut the cake into 2 pieces (round or square according to your dish) and brush the sponge cake with green tea syrup on top.
2. Put one cake into a square dish and spread the azuki beans cream on top.
3. Add another layer of cake and brush it with green tea syrup and spread the mascarpone cream and level the surface.
4. Sift the green tea powder on the cake.
5. Decorate with the balance of mascarpone cream, sweet black beans, gold leaf and chervil on top of the cake.

SALAM AIDIL FITRI 2009

Salam to all and here's wishing you and your family Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin dari kami sekeluarga. For the first time this year, I did not make it home but Alhamdulillah we had a wonderful raya with our fellow countrymen and friends. The anticipation for raya was exhilarating for me as so many things to prepare for the big day, trying my best to make it feel like we are at home. Managed to prepare mix menu of Malay & Indian specialities for Eid.

We had Putu Mayam and Lamb Curry for breakfast followed by Nasi Impit, Rendang, Kuah Kacang, Sayur Lodeh, Nasi Tomato, Ayam Masak Merah, Jelatah Nenas/Timun, Acar Buah, Lemang, Ketupat Palas and Serunding Daging for the guests later.

After Eid Prayers at the Embassy, we had our breakfast and had a family photo session. At 12.00 pm my first guest show up at the door and it was celebration then on. Indeed, we had a nice Raya although being away from our beloved family at home.

To all that came...thank you for coming to our house and you guys make our raya here so meriah. Domo arigato gozaimashita!!

Pineapple Tarts

I first make pineapple tarts when I was small...helping out Mak in the kitchen each year for Hari Raya until I could do it myself when I was 12. Since then, it has been my chore to prepare cookies for Raya. I still remember those days, kena parut nenas tu dan masak jem atas dapur minyak tanah and berjam-jam lamanya....mana nak jaga api lagi....aduh mak. Really, at that time it was really hard to make cookies unlike nowadays. Those days we dont have electric oven not even gas oven. We only used a small oven using kerosene stove. The tray that could go into the oven perhaps could only bake 10-12 pieces of cookies....can you imagine how long it will take to finish baking a kilo of dough....

When I was 16, my anties started asking me to make tarts for them, by this time my mom already bought a gas oven for our home...and at that time hmmm....got money coming in for duit raya and before I started my own family that's part of my ritual during fasting months...to prepare raya cookies for my family members.



ni tart yang kawan-kawan kat sini order for raya this year.

Here's the recipe:-

Pastry

1kg flour
550 gm butter
3 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 teaspoon caster sugar (optional)
cold water

Method:-

1. Sieve flour, salt and sugar together.
2. Using a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour, then rub the butter until it becomes bread crumb using your fingers.
3. Add egg yolk and mix well.
4. Add cold water bit by bit and make a dough.
5. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling and cutting.

Pineapple Jam

3 bowls grated pineapple
1 bowl sugar (as you like - adjust to your taste)
a pinch of salt
4-5 clover (optional)
1-2 drops of yellow colouring (optional)


Method:

1. In a wok, put everything together under medium flame.
2. Stir every few minutes until it becomes thicken and all the water evaporates.
Note: Of course you may add more sugar if you like your jam to be sweet and in case the pineapple is not so ripe and sour.

Ramadhan oh Ramadhan

Masyaallah......4 more days to go before Eid shows again, perhaps. How time flies...its just happening too fast. Alhamdulillah, we get to welcome Ramadhan again and now that its almost coming to an end.....I'm a bit saddened, it has been a smooth Ramadhan for the family including the kids and the terawih we did at the mosque almost every nite, the getting up in the morning for sahur and the simple breakfast we had everyday. Insyaallah god's willing till I see you next Ramadhan. I pray, when time permits with god's permission, one day the family will be able to perform our Ramadhan at the Holy Land Mecca. Insyaallah.

the scene on the 1st day of sahur

the happy faces during breakfast on the 1st day of Ramadhan


terawih at the mosque