McJu Made An Appearance...

McJu's special appearance for the night....

Many of those in my circle know about McJu... my creation of burgers. The only funny part that I ain't laughing was, I experimented with so many kinds of patties for burgers and suddenly, everywhere burger shops were mushrooming. Those who have tasted McJu said I should and must open a burger cafe. Well, if I do so then who's gonna teach from morning until night? It's either I contribute my knowledge or I open a restaurant and be the slave to the stove. Both ways, I ended without much time left for self. I better labour in my own kitchen for the few hours and feed those I love.

Today, McJu did not walk in the limelight. I stopped posting my food photos in Facebook. McJu made a quiet appearance here, in this quiet diary of mine. Hey, McJu... love ya' all the same. If they know I made you, they would be asking me to give them. But I wonder how many people will accept you. You're without buns. That's McJu stacked up with tofu. Fancy having tofu burger for dinner?

Tofu burgers...

Yeah, that's McJu alright. The double stacked tofu burgers. Maybe before long, you will appear on some restaurant's menu and I would just sit here and stare. I wouldn't be angry because I know nobody will get the exact exquisite taste that will identify with McJu. Love ya' all the more. I guess many people miss ya' but it's not time to give out McJu now. 

My girl has a schoolmate who loves to cook. She just experimented on her first steak which turned out perfectly juicy. Then, I saw the comments posted by her friends who were asking or should I say unashamedly begging for free steaks. As the young girl, whom I believed will one day become a chef, is still studying and without her own income, how could she give out free food to her friends? So, she politely asked her friends to pay for the steak then she would prepare them. One of the comments was down right rude. Her friend said,"Pay u???? I would rather go to a restaurant!" Wow... then it dawned on me, maybe if I really operate a restaurant, none of my friends who appear in my kitchen will go to my restaurant, because they would only want free food. I do treat my friends to a hearty meal but I think once I put a price on the dishes, all would be gone faster than you can start the stove. Girl, go chase after your dreams and to that friend of yours, tell her you won't want to serve her at all. I know I wouldn't want to cook for such a person who doesn't even know how to appreciate good food. You want to pay me? Duh, did I say I want to cook for you? Such untactful respond....

A bowl of rice....

McJu did not get to be the main player on my dining table today. The rice plays the same important role as the staple food for Asians. You didn't see that wrong. It's long grain rice. That's basmati rice from North India. For many years, I cooked plain white rice. Then, mi mama changed our rice to brown rice which stayed with us for a few years. This year, hubby upgraded changed our rice to really expensive rice. I'm a thrifty and frugal person, when it comes to rice I bought the cheapest, let's say 5kg for RM12, ring a bell? That's the price for Jasmine rice, should be? Not sure, can't remember. Then, it was EcoBrown for 5kg at RM18 when Tesco made a major slash on the price. This year... *squirmed in seat*.... that basmati rice cost RM12 for 1kg. There are other cheaper brands but the long grain weren't that nice, so okay, I settled for the expensive one. My 'forever' neighbour mentioned that they only have basmati rice on Fridays or when there's  a special occasion and we're having basmati rice everyday. Time to count my blessings.

Pork belly with scallops...

Pork belly came to tango with the rice. I got the fermented bean curd imported from Taiwan. I couldn't understand why Taiwanese love to eat stinky stuff like smelly tofu, fermented this and that, and not to forget bamboo shoots cooked in a long list of different methods. When the fermented bean curd first hit the wok, dancing with the chopped garlic and ginger, the smell was really good. Then when it was brewing, the smell that came out was like some kind of food has turned bad and sour. Mi mama and hubby love the taste so, I'm the only who doesn't enjoy tonight's dinner. The scallops made me happy, though. I was suppose to use dried scallops but since I don't have any, I used the fresh scallops instead.

Deep-fried dumplings....

I'm still practicing how to cook for a small family. I'm used to cook for many mouths but we'll be downsizing soon. The kids are all grown up and flying away from the nest. Just left us. I do miss the noise at times but I'm okay with the silence. Finally, I have time for myself and do things for myself. My time used to be run for others and always for others. Now, it's for myself. Sounds selfish? That's not for you to judge since you're never in my position all these long and tiring years. The day my precious is done with her major exam, I will be the one shouting for joy louder than her. We made more dumplings today. The ingredients were far too many with minced pork as the main ingredient, followed by minced prawns, yam beans, carrots and even black fungus. I thought of sending a big plate over to my new neighbour but they were not around. Last week, I cooked too much, so I sent the girls to my new neighbour to drag them over for dinner and God multiplied the amount of food. I was trying to reduce the amount of food to zero but after the small family came over for dinner, the food never seem to lessen and both of them husband and wife were so full they could hardly move. I could invite a few more couples over for dinner and I bet the amount of food would still be the same. Thank you Lord for the provision.

Spinach buns with pumpkin seeds...

I have a pack of spinach leaves, plucked from the stems for the convenience of lazy people like me. The weight of 100g was just right for the buns. I was actually thinking of making a vegetable dish since our table always lack the appearance of green leaves. Then, somehow or other, we ended up making spinach buns with pumpkin seeds. Those were really healthy snacks.

The perfect texture of Incredible Hulk...

Perfect texture again. I'm very sure the kids won't like it. Looks like I will have to make a substitute that will go along with this too healthy spinach buns. My precious cried when she was asked to eat a spoonful of vegetables... and she's seventeen, not seven years of age. I shall look at her face when she's eating this bun. Her sense of taste has been trained up by me so I raised picky eaters. Let there be no famine or we would be the ones suffering the worst.