Algerian Beef Couscous

Couscous is one of the staple foods of the Maghreb countries, just like rice for the Asian. I must confessed that couscous is still my top favourite Algerian dish! The soft, light and fluffy texture of couscous served with good sauce makes the whole dish so scrumptious. The first time I tried chicken couscous was in Taghit, one of the Sahara desert in Algeria. The taste was so authentic and I still remember it until today. However, I was lucky enough too to have the chance to try out delicious home cooked couscous over my three years stay in Algiers. I still remember the taste of the couscous prepared by my neighbour and also my friend's mother. Each of their recipes has different unique flavors of their own, yet they are equally so delicious.

White sauce beef couscous prepared by my Algerian friend's mother

I was told that the Algerian family would normally cook couscous every Friday. It has been their tradition. The traditional restaurants in Algiers do serve couscous too, but I still prefer the home cooked ones. I had the chance to taste couscous both served with white sauce and red sauce, and also couscous with raisins served with milk during Ramadhan.

Yummy!! Meals for two at a traditional Algerian restaurant! Chicken couscous along with bourek, chorba, hmiss and matlou, and plenty of free baguette

I first introduced couscous to my husband during our trip to Southern France. Last night, I decided to prepare beef couscous for dinner after I found zucchini available in one of the markets here. Normally, it is very hard to find zucchinis here, only local cucumbers and Japanese cucumbers are widely sold.

Ingredients:
500g beef, cut into big equal size around 2" or 3"
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chickpeas*
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 carrot, cut into 2" length
1 zucchini, cut into 2" length
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
1 liter beef broth
Some chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)
1 cup instant couscous

Preparation:
For the meat sauce:
* Soaked the chickpeas overnight, then wash and drain
1. Season beef on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a skillet, slightly brown the beef on each side, then remove them to a plate.
2. In a deep sauce pan, add olive oil and saute garlic and onions until translucent.
3. Then, add the beef, spices and tomato paste into the pan and mix.
4. Add the beef broth to cover, put in the chickpeas and bring the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Then, add the carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. Add the zucchini and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
7. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if preferred.

For couscous:
1. Cook the couscous as per package instruction.
2. Once cooked, fluff the couscous with a fork.
3. Serve hot, with the sauce preparared.

Cooked couscous, ready to be served

I used pre-cooked couscous since is available in the supermarkets here. I learnt that the Algerians cook their couscous by steaming it for two or three times using a couscoussiere, but the pre-cooked couscous I bought from the supermarkets instructed to cook the couscous in boiling water. Two very different methods, and I would say, the texture and taste of the couscous I ate in Algeria is very different the packaged ones. Anyhow, we both enjoyed the meal so much and serving this delicious couscous really added warmth to the dinner.

Meal of the evening ~ beef couscous

Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams)

Today I had so much supply of clams. My husband got them from his brother who brought the clams back from Nenasi. Nenasi is a fishing village in Pahang. I have never been to Nenasi, but I hope to make a trip there some day. Anyway, back to the extra supply of clams. He asked me what to do with them? I just smiled because I knew he expected me to make some Chinese style dish like what we normally had outside. To be honest, I have no idea making Chinese dish out of those clams, I must admit that I am still noob in cooking Chinese cuisine, especially seafood.

Without having to crack my head, I decided to make some Italian dishes with those clams. I used half of the clams to make clams oreganata and another half for spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clams. Today I am going to share the recipe for spaghetti with clams. The recipe I used is adapted from Jamie Oliver's, and I just adjusted it accordingly to my preferences. I guess it is an easy dish to make, spaghetti alle vongole in wine and garlic sauce. No hassle, cooking and cleaning at the same time, and it turned out very delicious.

Spaghetti with clams, more clams in the pan

Ingredients:

Spaghetti, enough for two portion

1 bowl of clams, soaked in salt water an hour prior and clean the shell

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion (optional), chopped

1 medium tomato (optional), seeds removed and chopped

A bunch of parsley, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1 dried chilli, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive oil

Preparation:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat a pan. Add olive oil into the pan, and then the onions and garlic.

3. Saute for a minute or two, then add the tomato, and dried chilli.

4. Stir constantly until the garlic starts to color. 

5. Then add the clams, and pour the wine in. Give a quick stir so everything mixed well.

6. Increase the heat to high. Cover the pan with a lid for about five minutes. The clams will open and removes their juices.

7. Once the clams have opened, remove the lid and give a quick stir. Turn off the heat.

8. By now, the spaghetti should be ready. Drain the spaghetti. 

9. Add the spaghetti and chopped parsley into the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and give them a good toss.

10. Serve immediately. Best eaten when it is hot!

Simple pasta with clams prepared with just these ingredients - clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chilli and some splash of white wine, yet simply delicious. I added onions, yes I love onions in my pasta! Good meal for dinner with easily available ingredients from the kitchen (except the clams of course!).

Tomato Basil Spaghetti

One of my favourite 'fast food' to make at home is tomato basil pasta. Okay, why do I categorized this meal as fast food? To me, it is an easy and express dish to make in under 30 minutes. Imagine, time from cutting the ingredients until cleaning up the mess, it only took less than half an hour for a plate of tasty pasta. I would say it is better than to eat instant noodles. Oh, and also I can just pick the basil fresh from my garden. If basil is not available, well then just omit the basil and make tomato garlic pasta. Good for lazy day lunch, or perhaps dinner. I am using spaghetti for this, other pasta variation like pasta penne is also a good substitute for this recipe.

Viola! Here goes my delicious express lunch!

Ingredients:
(Make: 1 serving)
Spaghetti (enough for one portion)
1 big tomato, chopped
1/2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

Few drops of balsamic vinegar

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, while waiting for the spaghetti to cook, heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add onions and garlic, saute for few minutes until the onions look translucent.

3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat, stir occasionally for about 5 minutes so that nothing burns. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and few drops of balsamic vinegar

4. Reduce heat to low, and simmer the sauce until the spaghetti is ready.

5. Add the basil to the sauce pan, and give a quick stir.

6. Drain the pasta, and then mix into the sauce.

7. Serve hot. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if prefer.

I like to remove the skin and seeds of the tomato before chopping. To peel off the tomato skin easily, put the tomato in a pot of water and bring just to boil. After that, turn off the heat, pour out the hot water and cover the tomato with cold water. Then, you can just easily peel off the skin by hand. And, if the sauce is too thick when put on simmer while waiting for the spaghetti is ready, I just add the salted water which I use to cook the pasta into the sauce mixture.

Nasi Goreng Kampung Simple

Fried rice is best cooked using overnight leftover rice from the fridge. Normally we do not use freshly cooked rice to make fried rice because it will end up clumped into pieces and taste mushy.

Last night, I had some leftover rice which the amount is just nice for two people, and kangkung in the fridge. So, I decided to make simple kampung style fried rice for dinner. The recipe is so easy that I only make use of the available ingredients in my kitchen.

Simple kampung style fried rice

Ingredients:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 1/2 cup leftover rice
Small bunch of kangkung (chinese water spinach) about 50-60g
30g fried anchovies
2 tbsp chili paste (*I already made the chili paste earlier, see below for the chili paste I use)
Salt
Sugar

Vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, mix together light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and sugar (to taste).
2. Heat vegetable oil in a wok and slowly stir-fry the chili paste in low to medium heat, until the chili paste is fragrant.
3. Add the sauce mixture into the wok and quick stir for a few seconds.
4. Then add in the rice, and continue stirring for a few minutes in high heat until the rice is all well-coated.
5. Add kangkung and fried anchovies. Fry until the kangkung is cooked.
6. Serve immediately.

Chili paste preparation:
12 dried chillies, soaked
5 shallots – peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked
1-2 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender.
2. Add some water (not too much) and blend them until become fine paste.
* If there are extra chili paste, it can be kept in the fridge for other uses.

Easy meal for dinner, and my hubby did not complain, instead he gave five stars to the fried rice and asked for more **clap clap** :))

Algerian Chtitha Djedj

Out of a sudden, I craved for Algerian food. I used to work in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria for three years. Living there for years means I got the chance to taste many new dishes which I never eaten before in Malaysia. In fact, I could hardly find any Malaysian food or Asian food in Algiers. The only Asian cuisine available there are Chinese and Indian cuisine, and they are very expensive! Many times, my friends and I would only go to the Chinese or Indian restaurants during special occasions. So, most of the time I had to eat like the locals. There are a few Algerian dishes that I particularly like and I even learn to cook them. One of them is chtitha djedj. This dish is actually Algerian stewed chicken with red sauce. Why red sauce? Simply because it has a bright orange-reddish color. This dish is slowly cooked to achieve the tenderness of the chicken and the flavorful combination of spices that bring out the perfect deliciousness. The texture of meat is so soft and tender, where the meat can actually fall off the bone easily. The dish is normally served with bread or baguette, but this time I serve it with rice and guess what, it goes well with rice!

This dish is very easy to cook. All I need is to get the right ingredients, and most important, the secret spice for this dish 'ras el-hanout'. This spice is a special spice from North Africa, and it has a combination of many different spices blended into one. Some regions may even have over hundreds combination of spices in it! I searched over many places for packaged ras el-hanout in KL, but I cannot find it. So, I substitute it with Indian garam masala and some other spices available in my kitchen. Anyway, despite not having the secret spice in this recipe, the taste turned out to be what I want, I would say very Algerian taste! 

Food is like music, the key is the ingredients... ~ my quote for the day :)

Home cooked Algerian chtitha djedj

Ingredients:

2 pieces whole chicken thighs

1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight)

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion chopped

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala (Original chtitha djedj uses ras el-hanout but I cannot find the spice here, so I substitute with garam masala and added some other spices above)

Salt

Black Pepper

Olive oil

About 500ml water (or chicken stock)

Preparation:

1. Clean the chicken thighs thoroughly. Season them with salt and pepper.

2. Rinse the chickpeas and dry them using a colander.

3. Heat olive oil in a pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook them for few minutes or until the onions are translucent.

4. Put in the chicken thighs, and mix in all other ingredients (tomato puree, pinch of salt, cumin, tumeric, paprika, cinnamon and garam masala).

5. Cook for 5 minutes in medium heat, after that put in the water, enough to cover the chicken thighs.

6. Add in the chickpeas. Simmer in low heat for about 40 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to thicken.

7. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional), and serve hot.

So that is our dinner for two - me and my hubby. Good food for a great weekend! Bon appétit!

My Aquaponic Lobsters Kickstarted!

Last few days, my husband and I finally attended the half-day training for the aquaponic lobsters breeding and brought home the startup set, which includes a full set of the CLAW system, and 30 lobsters to start off with. We were given fifteen male lobsters and female lobsters respectively.

Our lobsters

Six of the lobsters did not survive the journey. When we reached home, they were already dead. Some of them had lost their claws, I knew the lobsters fought among themselves during the journey home because I can hear cracking sounds coming from the container. Anyway, it is their nature to fight among themselves, according to Mr. Effendy.

First batch of the non-survivors - All are female lobsters

Okay, the lobsters above become like the ones below after we separated them out from the rest of the living lobsters. We did not throw away the dead ones because it is not good to waste food! They are organic freshwater lobsters without any chemicals.

Fresh lobsters for supper!

During the training, we were taught how to set up the system. We transferred the lobsters to smaller containers because we had to use the big container for set up. So this is how my system looked like initially.

Initial set up for system

We had to let the system stabilized by keeping the water filter pump and air pump running to filter the water for the first time. This is important because the pipe water from the house is not ideal for the lobsters to survive due to that our household water is treated with chlorine. These lobsters are very sensitive to their surrounding environment. Ideally, the optimum water pH level should be around 7.4 to 8.2. They cannot survive if the water is contaminated. The water looks a little muddy when the system for the first time, this is normal because of the hydro korrels. After one day, the water will turn clear.

Temporary shelter for the surviving lobsters

After keeping the system stabilized for one day, we started to transfer our lobster to their new home. The night before, another five lobsters did not survive. And one 'curious lobster' escaped from their temporary shelter and hence died. I was so shocked to see them lying near the doorstep! After all the surviving lobsters moved to their new home, I then transferred a few of my spinach to the aquaponic system. I shall see if the spinach will survive and grow in their new home. Oh, not forgetting to feed the lobsters too because they also need to eat.

Arial view of my plants

My aquaponic system is now working and filled with life :)

I am so happy and excited that everything is fine despite so many lobsters did not survive throughout the night. I am looking forward to see the progress day by day.

My First Aquaponic Project

Today is the first day of my aquaponic project at home. It is not a real big project anyway, just a new hobby because the idea is really interesting. The idea is to breed aquatic animals in aquaculture system, and recycling the water waste to the plants in the hydroponic system. Before this, I have no idea about the existence of aquaponic. Previously, I got to learn only about hydroponic. So, what is aquaponic in general? Aquaponic is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponic system. This means that aquatic animals and plants are grown in an integrated system, creating a symbiotic relationship between them. The waste produced by the aquatics animals becomes nutrient to the plants, and the plants in turn become a 'filter' to purify the waste water and giving clean water for the aquatic animals to live in. The recirculation of this system is continuous, thus benefits the growth of the plants and aquatic animals with minimal consumption of water and fertilizers. Also, the plants are organic because the system removes the dependency of pesticides.

Aquaponic lobsters breeding caught my interest when my husband and I saw it in the television advertisement promoting government's National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) day which was held from 23 May to 24 May 2015 in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). My husband is more interested in how to breed the freshwater lobsters at home, while I am more interested and curious how the system can be utilized for my plants. So we went to the exhibition and we met the owner of this aquaponic lobsters breeder, Mr. Effendy Halily. Mr. Effendy started his project in year 2011 and he has won two innovation awards for this system of breeding freshwater lobsters using aquaponic concept. This system is also called 'Container Lobster at Work' (CLAW). As we can see, the set up does not require expensive equipments. He only uses normal storage boxes to breed the lobsters.Very cost effective!

This is the simple aquaponic setup for breeding lobsters

We got a lot of information from him and in the end, my husband and I decided to attend his training in Alor Gajah, and we purchased the starter kit from him.  In fact, what excites me the most is that now my hubby can breed lobsters at home, and at the same time I have alternative way to plant my vegetables! Oh, did I mention that I am already dreaming to cook the lobsters when they are mature? This shall be our first aquaponic project at home, or probably I should say the first hobby which both of us can do together at home :) We definitely have a lot more to learn about understanding the system and taking care of the lobster.

Orange and Carrot Juice

Today, I am feeling much better without sore throat. Well, at least I can sing my voice out without feeling pain in my throat, but still I am not fully recovered from the cold. With little appetite and lunch dilemma (cannot decide what to eat), I continue to fuel up with fruit juice. I have carrots and oranges left in my kitchen, so I made this wonderful bright color juice. Lunch dilemma - resolved!

Delicious, colorful orange and carrot juice

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... Oh~ I just feel so happy looking at the bright orange color!!

Look at the color of the juice itself, already so vibrant that it boosted my energy even before I take a sip. Here's what I used for orange and carrot juice:-

1 large carrot
2 oranges
150ml water

1. First, peel the skin of the oranges and carrot.
2. Cut the carrot into chunks and the oranges into pieces.
3. Put all into blender, add water and blend.
4. Strain the pulp with a strainer.
5. Pour the juice into a glass and enjoy!

No sugar is added because the juice is already sweet from carrot and oranges. This juice is definitely full of vitamin A and C, which should help me fight my cold! Yum yum and say bye-bye... to medicines!

Pineapple and Orange Juice

My power juice of the day - pineapple orange with ginger

One glass of juice a day keeps the cold away! - quote of the day from me :)

Down with cold and sore throat again today since I recovered from it last week. So, it is time to fuel up with juice which is made freshly on the spot with available ingredients in my kitchen. Today I have pineapple and oranges. I use a blender to make the juice because I do not have a juicer. Anyway, it is so easy to make using a blender.

My ingredients for pineapple orange juice with ginger:-

1/2 small pineapple

2 oranges

1/2" ginger

100ml water

1. Clean the fruits and remove the skin

2. Chop the fruits into chunks

3. Put everything in a blender, add water and blend.

4. Strain the juice using a strainer

5. Pour the juice into a glass and enjoy!

Yum yum! Sweet plus a little zingy taste from the ginger. What's better than pure fresh fruit juice? No sugar added because I prefer the natural sweetness from the fruits. This refreshing juice definitely give me a real shot of vitamin C to boost my immune system. Plus the additional goodness from pineapple and ginger. Ginger is renowned as an immunity booster, which helps to fight bugs with its high level of zinc. Meanwhile pineapple contains Bromelain, a kind of enzyme that aids digestion. I believe they contains plenty more vital vitamins and minerals which are good to our body. Also, I love the bright color of the juice which brightens my mood. Two thumbs-up :)

A yellow ladybug!

Yellow ladybug spotted on the spinach plant in my little balcony garden

Aha - It's my lucky Wednesday! I spotted this yellow ladybug on my spinach plant when I made my daily visit to my little garden in my balcony. My first reaction? Grab my phone and took a photo of this beautiful little insect! I do not know where or how it came into my garden, as I am staying in a high-rise building (24th floor!). The last time I saw a lady bug (red one) was one year back when I was in Avignon. I don't know why but it excites me whenever I see a ladybug, probably it looks so cute with its vibrant color that makes my mood happy. How this beautiful little insect makes me recall my childhood memories where I could spot ladybug easily back then.
I hope more ladybugs will come visit my little garden... hehe, I believe they are good natural pest controllers :)