Apple in Chicken Soup

This is an entry dedicated to pah.

Recipe for Chicken Fuji Apple Cream Soup

cooking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Preparation time without a maid : 15-20 minutes
preparation time with a maid : taktau

1 chicken (cut & cleaned)
olive oil
2 cups of water
2 big onions (quartered)
2 carrots (cubed)
5-6 Fresh mushroom/shitake (sliced)
1 welsh onion (sliced)
5 asparagus sticks
1 broccoli ( potong la ikut suka hati)
2 potatoes (cubed)
3 red apples (cubed)
1 chicken cube for flavouring
italian herbs
salt
black pepper

2 tea spoons of corn flour
1 small pack of cream

Part One
marinate the chicken, black pepper, a little salt and olive oil for an hour or two.
heat the pan and put the chicken in on high fire.stir occasionally till red and slightly cooked.
add all ingredients except corn flour, cream, carrot and broccoli, on slow fire. cook for about 15-20 minutes. please cook on slow fire.

Part two.

Taste the soup. season it.add black pepper and when its boiling,add the carrots and broccoli.let it simmer for a while, then mix in the corn flour.when the soup thickens, add the cream and stir softly. let the soup come to small boil. please check the salt because the cream can swallow the saltiness and you might need to add salt. salt is also essential to keep the creaminess of the soup.

Part three.

Dish while its hot n eat!

Sorry no pics, i did not have the chance to take it. but pls believe me, it`s GOOOOOOD!

Purple Vs. Maroon

Waseda Won the Rugby game this year. Meiji won against Waseda last year.

will you wait for me..

One day, swan A asked swan B, "will you wait for me?"
Swan B answered, " u will have to come after me".
Swan A jumped and peddled as fast as she could to catch up..

Friday

Fridays have always been colorful, because of the 2 classes i have on this day and the antics of the locals on friday nites. Yesterday i went to the uni as usual and also went to the library to borrow some books.

A list of yesterday's mishaps:

1. As i was walking towards the lobby, changing my lift from the floors for graduate students to the common lifts at 17th floor, a student ran pass me n knocked me. My mobile fell and went into pieces. Luckily i could it back together.

2. The lift came on 19th floor. one person came out and i entered alone. No one else was waiting with me, as it was late. Oh God! the lift stinks like hell. that guy must have farted before he left!!! shit! i left a few floors after that n took the stairs.

3. Met a friend for dinner at the usual place, Jonathan's. they have new menus for autumn n winter. nice. but, the two girls next to our table was so noisy and was talking about IKEmen ( good looking guys in Japanese ) all throughout their conversation and shrieking, shouting, giggling ..urrghhhh..dinner spoil betul!

4. Friday nites are when Japanese officemates, clients and friends go out after work for drinks after a week of hard work (konon). waterholes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, izakayas are full most of the time.Karaokes too. Price are sometimes higher too.. and because of this, trains are usually very packed later at nite. trains also become a place where many 'action' happens. hahahha... so, last nite, i took the rapid train at 10.45pm (last train is at 12.30). The coach was filled with the smell of liquor n spirit. Men and women looked flushed and pink (red). couples grope each other and it's sick. Girls try to make sweet baby talks with some people n its sucks. Some older people are so knocked out that they have their juniours or subordinates hold them cause they couldn't stand anymore. lucky tonite nobody puked in the train (yes, i have seen that before)

5. When i came back to get my basikal (parked at seiyu), byknya basikal was blocking mine! sakitnya hati sebab dah malam, beg berat, letih, mengantuk n sejuk!! so i had to put down my bag, susun basikal2 lain- anjakkan jauh2 so that i could get mine. lepas tu ada pulak yg pedal tersangkut kat tayar basikal lain..hish hish..

6. Then when i got my basikal.. guess what was in my basket? 2 beer cans.. i really hate this. i know my basikal looks old, but that does not mean you can put garbage in my basket!!!!! i threw the cans at the nearby bin. sapa kata Japan bersih?

Then i cycled home, really slowly albeit it was cold...enjoying my new bicycle white light yg terang benderang.Last nite, it was probably 8 or 9 Celsius i guess. the moon was full and i suddenly remembered that when i was a kid i made a big hue n cry telling everybody that the moon always followed me. yesterday, while cycling i felf like the moon followed me again. the sky was bright and at 11.30 at nite, i could see the clouds. can u imagine that? it was so pretty.

It was not a bad day after all. i watched One Fine Day before i slept and dreamt of George Yummy Clooney.

Ketam n Me

Resipi Ketam Special Me-en

ini resipe utk 4 ketam bunga besaq

untuk tumisan
halia sebesaq penumbuk (blend)
3 labu bawang putih (blend)
cili bo/cili paste - 3 sudu besaq (ikut kepedasan)
2 bijik tomato
minyak masak

untuk kuah
3 ikat daun ketumbar (atau sebanyak manapun mengikut suka)
4-5 sudu besar tomato sauce
garam secukup rasa
2-3 bijik teluq (ikut saiz)
bawang besaq potong bulat2
black pepper (kalau suka)

instructions:

mula2, tumis halia dan bawang putih yaang telah diblend sehingga wangi..then, masukkan cili bo/paste. masak sehingga pecah minyak. selepas itu masukkan tomato yang telah dicincang. masak sampai tomato lembik sikit..selepas itu, masukkan tomato sauce and secawan air. masukkan ketam dan batang daun ketumbar. masak sampai air ketam keluar n pekat, masukkan garam secukup rasa.

at this point, check the spiciness and adjust by adding sugar if it is too hot. adjust with also black pepper, if the ketam punya sauce dah mula pekat, masukkan daun ketumbar and bawang besar yg dipotong bulat2. lagi byk bawang lagi sedap. instantly also, kuatkan api dan pecahkan telur dalam mangkuk yang berasingan dan tuang dalam kuah. tunggu dalam 15 seconds dan lepas tu baru kacau the kuah dan masak sampai kuah pekat.

boleh garnish dengan daun bawang or daun ketumbar. boleh perah limau tapi make sure api dah tutup, otherwise akan jadik pahit.

selamat mencuba!!

Good Nite..

if anybody is wondering.. this is the green version of the ginko leaves..
i am retiring early tonite.. not feeling well and coughing slightly..bila cough perut pon sakit.. ohh i dont like being sick..

good nite! oyasuminasai!

AUTUMN 2009

Ginkgo biloba, a deciduous tree native to China reaching up to 30 meters in height, it was designated the official Tokyo Metropolitan tree on November 8, 1996. Ginkgo trees are either male or female, and their distinctive fan-shaped leaves change from light green to bright yellow in autumn. The ginkgo tree is commonly found along Tokyo's streets and avenues.It is also the symbol for Osaka University. it is said that this tree is very tolerent to dust, smoke and dry conditions. interesting enuf, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945,the blast destroyed a temple about 1.1 kilometers from the epicenter. It was probably similar to many temples destroyed by the A-bomb—except that a ginkgo tree growing near the temple survived, with no apparent ill effects. In fact, a new temple was built next to this still living fossil.

The picture were taken yesterday, near Gaien-mae Station (Meiji Jinggu Outer Park)

Autumn me for you..

School..

this song was sang at one of the teachers' day celebration in TKC when i was schooling..or was it at a farewell event of one of the teachers, i cant remember well..this song and the Flying Pickets brings back college days memories..

acapella was still close to my heart!

EXtreme

saya tidak extremely pengemas
saya tidak extremely rajin
saya tidak extremely baik
saya tidak extremely jahat
saya tidak extremely penyabar
saya tidak extremely baik hati
saya tidak extremely penyayang
saya tidak extremely cemburu
saya tidak extremely demanding
saya tidak extremely panas baran
saya tidak extremely gila
saya tidak extremely fokus

Adakah saya orang yang hanya mediocre sebab tidak mengharapkan yang extreme dan tidak menghasilkan sessuatu yang extreme? saya terfikir semalam bahawa saya tidak ada satu sikap atau sifat yang extreme.

perlukah saya mempunyai sifat yang extreme?

i just dont know what to do with myself.. :(

touching!

me 28th october 2009

Autumn 2009

This entry would not have photos.i have no camera now. i am writing with the porpose that one day, when i am back in Malaysia..i could recollect the cold autumn days in Japan.At this juncture, the temperature is still bearable, 21 celcius in the day and 14-15 celcius at night. its like ur sleeping with full blast aircond on a rainy night.There is no way but to bath without the hot water. Even when washing dishes at the kitchen sink, it would be unbearable without warm water.socks is a must.

its a time when all sorts of delicious food also. (1) persimmon (pisang kaki) : at the beginning of autumn..sedap!! (2) oden : macam yong tau foo (3) nabe : macam steamboat (4) muffler craze: bulu rabbit la.. bulu kambing la..macam2 la..(5) boots!: all sorts (6)sleepless nights under my futon.. (7) oyster!!! cheap sedap gila oysters!!



my next favourite food..easy to prepare..NIKUJAGA



*sake/wine can be substituted with lemon juice or a little vinegar..yum yum..

sambung later..

lawak pagi ini...selamat pagi semua!!!

Prawn Mee

Recipe: Penang Hokkien Mee

Stock ingredients:

1 ziploc bag of shrimp heads and shells (I used Ziplock Easy Zipper Bag)
15 cups of water (reduced to about 12-13 cups of water after hours of boiling and simmering)
2-3 pieces of rock sugar (about the size of a small ping pong ball) or to taste
Salt to taste

Chili Paste:

30 dried chilies (deseeded and soaked to soften)
10 shallots (peeled)
5 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tablespoons of water
6 tablespoons of cooking oil
belacan/udang kering

1 pound of yellow noodles (scalded)
1 pack of rice vermicelli (scalded)
Some kangkong or water convolvulus (scalded)
Some bean sprouts (moyashi) (scalded)

Toppings:

1/2 pound of lean chicken/beef (boiled and sliced thinly)
1/2 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined)
6 hard-boiled eggs (shelled and quartered)
Some fried shallot crisps (store-bought)

Blend the chili paste ingredients with a mini food processor until finely ground and well blended. Heat up the wok and add cooking oil. Stir fry the chili paste for 5 minutes. Dish up and set aside. On the same wok (unwashed), add in a little oil and cook the shrimp topping. Add in a little chili paste, sugar, and salt. Pan-fried the shrimp until they are slightly burned. Dish up, let cool and sliced them into halves.

Method:

1. Add 15 cups of water into a pot and bring it to bowl. Add in all the shrimp heads and shell and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or longer until the stock becomes cloudy and tastes really prawny.
2. Strain the stock through sieve and transfer the stock into another pot. Discard the prawn heads and shells. Scoop up and discard the orange “foam” forming at the top of the stock.
3. Bring the stock to boil again and add in half of the chili paste. You can add more chili paste if you like it spicier.
4. Add rock sugar and salt/fish sauce to taste.
5. To serve, place a portion of yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, water convolvulus and bean sprouts in a bowl. Ladle hot stock over. If desired, add a few pieces meat. Top with meat slices, sliced shrimp, egg quarters, and sprinkle with shallot crisps.
7. Serve immediately with more chili paste to taste.

Cook’s notes:

1. Traditionally, the shrimp heads and shells are stir-fried with oil until aromatic before adding them into the boiling water. I tried this step before and found that my “cheated” method works equally well.
2. The hawkers in Penang also blended the shrimp heads and shells after they are briefly boiled to extract all the flavors from the shell. Again, I tried this step before and found that my method works as well if you have plenty of shrimp heads and shells.

will put up photos later!

typhoon melor - Japan 2009

some common scenes: gambar basikal terbalik ditiup angin and gambar org stranded at train stations..



Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Three people died in Japan after Typhoon Melor made landfall near the city of Nagoya, bringing winds of 139 kilometers (86 miles) per hour and stranding thousands of commuters and airline passengers.

Melor weakened to a tropical storm by evening and headed back out to sea.

One person was killed in Wakayama prefecture southwest of Nagoya and another person died near Tokyo, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a report. One person died in Kobe, west of Nagoya, Nippon Television Network reported. More than 7,300 people were evacuated and more than 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, the FDMA said.

Most train lines in and around Tokyo resumed operations after being suspended during the morning rush hour as the capital was hit by heavy rains and strong winds. More than 2.5 million people a day commute into the city from surrounding urban areas, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The weather office lifted landslide warnings for Tokyo and surrounding areas and kept them in place for regions to the north of the capital. Warnings and alerts for strong winds, rain and flooding remain in effect for most of the main island of Honshu and Hokkaido to the north.

Direct Hit

Melor’s eye made landfall south of Nagoya, Japan’s third- biggest city, shortly after 5 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site. It was the first typhoon to make a direct hit on Japan since September 2007.

Waves as high as 9 meters (30 feet) smashed into coastal areas to the southwest of Tokyo. Some streets in the capital were flooded and covered in debris as strong winds and heavy rain lashed the city at dawn.

National broadcaster NHK Television showed images of trucks blown over on a coastal highway near Nagoya and cars floating in floodwaters.

Melor was over the Pacific Ocean about 419 kilometers northeast of Tokyo at 6 p.m. local time and moving northeast at 50 kilometers per hour. The storm’s maximum sustained winds declined to 111 kph, according to the meteorological agency.

About 521 domestic flights were canceled, more than a quarter of those scheduled today, NHK said. Japan Airlines Corp. scrapped 15 flights to Hong Kong, Seoul and destinations in China.

Power Supply

More than 450,000 customers were without power in and around Tokyo and Nagoya, by 8:30 a.m., utilities said.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest automaker, Honda Motor Co. and other carmakers stopped operations at plants around the country, they said.

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Japan’s second-biggest refiner, suspended shipments of refined oil products from its Chiba refinery near Tokyo, the company said. Nippon Oil Corp. halted shipments from a refinery in Yokohama, near Tokyo, and maritime shipments from a plant in Sendai, northern Japan.

Seiko Epson Corp. halted production at 10 semi-conductor plants in Nagano prefecture north of Tokyo, the company said.

Melor, the 20th storm of the northwest Pacific cyclone season, weakened from a supertyphoon with winds of 241 kph two days ago.

A typhoon that struck Japan in 2004 left 95 people dead, according to the country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Tropical Storm Etau, which passed to the south of Honshu in August, left 25 people dead, according to the FDMA.

Melor is the Malaysian word for Jasmine flowers, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which lists names in use for Pacific storms on its Web site.
- washington post

Typhoon Tokyo - Invasion Malaysia

this is a warning on the Japan Meteorological Agency website as of 11.55pm.
in the news..many areas have been badly hit and Tokyo will experience it soon.
brave the night.

I hope nothing will happen in Malaysia esok.

Samprit + Selamat HAri Raya

Hamper - Duit Raya - Kurma

Allo everyone.. (huhu macam ramai sgt). Semua orang macam dalam mood raya sekarang ni..but I have a certain uneasiness during festive seasons like this. At offices and almost everywhere..i think the same uneasiness exist.I was at the bank today and ramai sungguh org hantar hampers untuk pegawai-pegawai bank. i was on my way bank and i saw a lorry downloading a load full of hampers in front of an office which i dont want to mention.Some of my friends are telling me that they are receiving hampers and some hampers are being sent home.

kalau bulan ramadhan and raya, kuih, kurma dan keke. kalau chinese new year - buah limau. makan sampai batuk seluruh Malaya. Bolehkah kita menerima semua ini? bolehkah kita menerima dah untuk mengelakkan makan sorang kita distribute kepada staff? Bolehkah? bolehkah? apa niat orang bagi hadiah ni? kalau kita tak kerja di situ orang tak bagi hamper pon kan? kalau kita decline, pujuk rayu siap kata nanti kena marah ngan boss.

Fikirlah sebelum menerima. Kepada bosses, sebelum raya/festivals atau di kaunter sebelum ke dalam pejabat, tulis terang-terang yang hamper atau seberang hadiah tidak diterima. staff pon lega tak payah pikir pening kepala nak kena tepis hadiah-hadiah dari orang luar. tapi boss pon takleh la terima hadiah di rumah.

Selamat Hari Raya.Maaf Zahir Batin.