Briyani Birthday Party

we haven’t seen this lovely indian family for so long that i was surprised to see how much the kids have grown. i then fell into the cliched makcik-makcik comments of saying, “wah, you got so tall already! taller than your father i bet!” no wonder we got that all the time from elderly strangers when we were growing up! that’s the first thing they notice when they see us!

we were there at radha and sreeja’s home to join in the celebration of their daughter’s birthday, rajsree who turned 3 yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetheart!

 

ben10 buddies : their eldest son rahul, whom khaleef fondly calls ‘abang’ (brother)

 

our lovely hosts; sreeja & radha holding the birthday girl rajsree

 

from right : radha in white shirt, mr. khairul & a very smiley guest. hihi. radha is mr. khairul’s former right hand man, who still keeps in close contact even after he joined another company.

 

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partying at an indian household means the main menu is unmistakably the delicious briyani rice! we really looked forward to eating briyani at radha’s as we know his wife sreeja makes really good homemade chicken briyani – original indian briyani!

 

…however, with a lot of guests coming and sreeja not feeling well – they simply ordered chicken briyani from a newly opened restaurant near their place. radha has a way of knowing good briyani when he sees one, and this one is another good bet because it’s really delicious!

 

they also ordered this spicy chicken dish that taste a little bit like our malay chicken rendang. it was really good and i took a lot! thanks sreeja for packing some for us to bring home!

 

also a must-have when you visit any indian restaurant – their fried chicken with special herb and spices. fried with onions and curry leaves. yummy.

 

roti canai pun ade! khaleef just ate the parotha (roti canai) with sugar.

 

indian’s food history is rich with milk-based desserts. seems like everything would be just a little bit sweeter with as much milk as they can add! this particular dessert is essentially sweet milk, with fideo pasta (really thin, short pasta) drowning in it. hihi. indian sweets have always been too sweet for me!

 

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the kids had a great time hanging out at abang rahul’s new double deck bed and playing with his cousins. the parents of course had a great time chit-chatting and stuffing their tummies with delicious briyani and all the chicken dishes. excellent!

before we left, radha also had some presents for our boys, wrapped up nicely. how thoughtful! the boys were so excited. thank you uncle radha! hihi. next time – home-cooked chicken briyani from sreeja’s kitchen ok!

The Muppets, The Vow & The Grey

cute silly puppets called ‘the muppets’, cute loving couple in ‘the vow’, and cute not-at-all cuddly bad-ass wolves in ‘the grey’. take your pick.

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watch this movie :

1. if you like those type of movie that incorporates animation with real humans, and puppets with real humans
2. if you like a musical with a lot of meaningful songs and silly fun dance-numbers
3. if you like kermit the frog
4. and if you like jason segel

it’s simply an enjoyable family movie so just sit back and relax. let the little puppet dude tell you the story of how he saved the muppets.

the songs are most infectious, and had already won an oscar for best song, ‘man or muppet’. if you don’t already know, it’s because the little puppet dude and jason segel are, well, brothers, but one is a man, and one is a—oh, just go watch it already!

 

 

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best on true events, ‘the vow’ is a story about a very loving newly-weds, who got involved in an accident – and the girl suffered severe brain injury that made her forget whatever happened in her life for the past 5 years – so she totally cannot remember he husband, or ever having met him.‎ so it’s sweet hunky husband’s job to patiently make her remember him and their lives together.

here’s where 'the vow' gets illogical. if i had just woken up from an induced coma from brain injury, and not remembering that i was married, only to discover that my husband was the super sweet oh-my-gawd hunky hot-bod channing tatum, i sure heck would try my best to remember!

but illogical aside, this is a really sweet, endearing movie about unconditional love. love that has no conditions, no rules, no only-if.

i don’t love you just because i want you to love me back. or love you only because you will never leave me. or love you only if you can remember all our anniversary dates. or love you only if you buy me stuff. this is love that runs deep, and will still be there, stronger than ever even if you NEVER get to be with that person. true love.

may all your love be unconditional and everlasting.

 

 

* * *

 

 

your take on this movie may depend on how well you respond to a story about plane crash, stuck in the middle of nowhere plus the disastrously heavy snow storm AND being hunted by a pack of bad-ass wolves.

me no-likey.

but i watched it just because of liam neeson. in this movie he is, as always, the hero who saved the day, comforts the dying, motivates the living, leads everyone else, and never dies. or not. or he does. or it’s anybody’s guess. i’m rambling. you just have to watch it to know what i mean.

the *fun* in watching these kind of movies is that you can’t help saying, “ha…berlagak sangat, kan dah kena!”, or “mesti dia next kena ni. confirm!”

the ending of ‘the grey’ will definitely stun you – and not necessarily in a good way. it either makes you go ‘woah. what. just. happened.” or, “is that it?” this is an interesting way to end a movie, and like i said, if you like disaster movie about survival of the fittest in very trying weather, watch this. if you have a better choice, i say you can pass this one. even better, go back and watch ‘the way back’. lagi bagus.

 

 

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i haven’t watched ‘the artist’ yet!

Onde-Onde Gula Melaka & Kuih Ketayap : Dubai Edition

when you’re staying overseas, ANY traditional kuih is delicious!

i had the pleasure of making (and eating!) kuih ketayap and kuih onde-onde gula melaka these past weeks. it was such a liberating experience when you know you can actually home-make these kuih that you’ve been buying for RM1 per 3 pieces (is it still this price?) at the roadside stalls.

kuih is simply a traditional asian dessert usually eaten in the morning or for tea-time. most are sweet, but some kuih can be savoury like karipap (curry puff), pulut panggang and kuih bakar lauk.

 

why did i make kuih ketayap AND onde-onde gula melaka?

1. both kuih use gula melaka, and i had just gotten a few blocks from my dubai friend lin yang dah balik malaysia pun. thanks lin!
2. both use kelapa parut (grated coconut) – since i just bought a big plastic of freshly grated coconut, why not make more than one type of kuih.
3. both use green colouring, and that’s the one coloring that i have right now. use it!

 

my humble kuih ketayap

 

RESEPI MUDAH KUIH KETAYAP

• tepung gandum 2 cawan (2 cups of wheat flour)
• santan/fresh milk (1 cup of coconut milk/fresh milk)
• kelapa parut (grated coconut)
• gula melaka (can use brown sugar)
• garam (salt)
• green colouring
• (some recipes add 1 egg too)

1. make the inti – cut gula melaka into small pieces and put in a hot pan with a little bit of water. wait til it melts
2. then add kelapa parut and mix with melted gula melaka,
3. add a little bit of salt, then put aside
4. mix tepung gandum, santan, salt and green coloring to make the ‘pancake’
5. add a little drop of oil so that it will not stick to the pan
6. make sure it’s slightly cair so that inti lembut
7. heat up pan, can use butter or not (since dah ade oil in adunan)
8. use senduk to pour the batter into the hot pan, ratakan so that it’s flat
9. angkat and now you can gulung-gulung!

 

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my eldest khaleef with onde-onde

 

RESEPI MUDAH ONDE-ONDE GULA MELAKA

• tepung pulut 300g (glutinous flour)
• tepung gandum sikit (1/2 cup wheat flour)
• air (water)
• gula melaka
• grated coconut
• salt

1. break the gula melaka into small pieces, put aside
2. add tepung pulut, tepung gandum, green coloring and water until it can be formed into small balls
3. press the middle of the ball and add the small pieces of gula melaka
4. boil water, and then add the small balls one by one
5. when it floats, that means it’s done, and you can pick up the onde-onde
6. tunggu sejuk
7. meanwhile, mix the kelapa parut with a bit of salt and you can golek-golek the onde-onde until it’s covered with coconut
8. makan!

 

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senang kan?

i bought the freshly grated kelapa parut from lulu hypermarket. you can get grated coconut in geant too but it’s already grated and packed. at lulu, there’s a small counter with a window where we can ‘order’ grated coconut and the staff inside would grate it there and then – fresh!

we need tepung pulut (glutinous rice flour) to make kuih onde-onde gula melaka, and at first i thought we couldn’t get it in dubai. suddenly i found one in my rounds at lulu! yay!

 

 

ok what else can i make using tepung pulut?

Heritage Village @ Abu Dhabi

i can’t believe i’ve lived for more than 3 years in the UAE (united arab emirates) and haven’t been to ‘heritage village’ in abu dhabi! it’s something like the ‘bastakiya’ in dubai, but it looks more meriah (festive) with bigger crowds, and busier souks! (shops).

(click here for our trip to the beautiful dubai historical bastakiya.)

 

 

heritage village in abu dhabi is like a re-creation of how abu dhabi looked like in the olden days. it presents the way of life in an arab village in the past, with a mock traditional house with all the traditional items used in cooking or weaving, even pottery.

these ‘activity’ can be seen demonstrated in the few museums located inside the heritage village.

 

basically this place has a few ‘old-style’ arab houses, a few museums, one row of stalls selling over-priced souvenirs, and a clearing with sand where you can ride on a camel, a horse or a donkey.

 

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we were actually there with our other malaysian friends on our way to the abu dhabi night market at the embassy. they’ve been there a couple of times so they chose to sit back and relax at a restaurant inside the heritage village which is a nice place to hang out – nice view of the abu dhabi skyline and the blue water!

 

give my boys a large area where they can let loose and just run everywhere – they’ll be happy. they had a great time over there. it’s enclosed space, the area is not that big, and the crowd not too overwhelming – so it was quite safe to let them be crazy once in awhile hihi.

 

there’s even an archaeological site. but a questionable one. what’s really in there? hihi

 

a mock-up of a traditional arab house. nice. even the wind towers are so classic looking

 

the row of stalls selling souvenirs

 

the ‘desert environment’ area is really a good idea. people can ride on a camel, a horse or a donkey around the sandy area made to have a feel of the desert. nice. complete with a beduoin camp on one side.

 

 

it’s quite small considering that it’s supposed to showcase the life in UAE in the olden days – should have a bigger place and put many more exhibits and attractions. however, it’s still a good place to walk about and learn a few things, if not just to visit the few museums there.

go and check it out, at least once – especially since the entrance fee is free!

(more lovely pictures here)

Plant a Seed, Save a Tree : The Lorax!

i love dr. seuss. his creative imagination gave birth to a host of wonderful stories and unforgettable characters. but what i love most about dr. seuss’ works are his rhymes. i LOVE his rhymes. so musical, so silly, so fun to read!

my boys have been reading (and being read to) the wonderful wacky world of silly rhymes from the imagination of dr. seuss. khaleef’s first book was ‘the cat in the hat’. so it’s just perfect to take them to see the latest animation to hit the cinema : ‘the lorax’.

 

excited. 

 

‘the lorax’ is about a boy who lives in a world with plastic trees, where fresh air is sold in a bottle. to impress a girl who wants to see a real-living tree, he decides to venture out of his ‘perfect’ world, into the dark, polluted area to see the ‘once-ler’ who knew what happened to real trees. and so he told the boy the story of the truffula trees and the orange-furred creature who protects the truffula trees – the lorax.

the message of ‘the lorax’ is – what would happen to our world if industrialization takes over, the environment is ignored and nobody cares. “plant a new truffula, treat it with care, give it clean water, and feed it fresh air. grow a forest, protect it from axes that hack. then the lorax and his friends may come back.” i actually cried after the first truffula tree was cut down and all the animals put rocks around the dead stump. very sad.

i want a truffula tree in my living room!

taylor swift played the girl who wanted to see trees. her voice alone has more personality than kristen stewart’s acting in the whole twilight series! handsome zac efron did ok, but danny de vito was the one who steals the show. he was the real star. after all, he played the title character – the lorax!

i LOVE ‘the lorax’ character. he’s so cute and cuddly and looked so adorably grumpy everytime he’s upset. the creature ‘the lorax’ is described in the book as ‘shortish, and brownish, and oldish, and mossy, and he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy.” – so who better to play the lorax than the funny danny de vito with the perfect ‘lorax’ voice!

that’s how creative dr. seuss is – instead of the typical woman-wearing-leafy wreaths-on-their head ‘mother nature’ reference to represent nature and environment, he created a new character which is short and orange with fuzzy moustache!

oh, and the songs in ‘the lorax’ are so infectious! from the first listen i was hooked, especially ‘how bad can i be’ – very rockin, and at the same time so sad listening to the ignorance in the lyrics.

 

 

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kazim in 3D glasses

 

kazim got his own kiddy 3D glasses which are smaller than ours. it was certainly fitting and more comfortable that for the first time, he kept it on the whole way through the movie. kahfi should’ve gotten one too, since the one he wore were to big and kept sliding off everytime he leans against the seat (since his head is small and the frame is big).

we had to put our sweaters in a bundle and let him leaned on that to make him more comfortable.

 

 

on the way back waiting for their bapak to tapau food, the boys goofed around with their 3D glasses. *smile*

 

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it’s a fun movie with vibrant colors, adorable characters (watch out for the humming fish – cute sangat!), with a valuable lesson – let’s care for the environment. highly recommended for your entertainment, and certainly would be educational for your young-ones.

“unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothings going to get better, it's not.” ~ dr. seuss, ‘the lorax’.

Bday Dinner @ Butcher Shop & Grill, JBR

big fat juicy t-bone steak for dinner? that’s what birthday boy wants!

we walked all the way to JBR (jumeirah beach residences) – the weather was fantastic, cool and windy – for a steak dinner at ‘the butcher shop & grill’ at rimal building. since the weather was nice and cool, we took the seat outside, right by the hustle and bustle of arabs and expats out and about on a weekend night.

it was surprisingly empty when we reached ‘the butcher shop & grill’, but by the time we finished ordering, the place started to get all packed with hungry carnivores lining up to be seated. thank goodness we came early! even a few minutes late we’d be one of those in a queue!

 

 

‘the butcher shop & grill’ is a popular south african steakhouse, serving all the usual fare of a steakhouse – steaks of all cuts from prime ribs to t-bone and fillet. of course my favorite lamb chops and shanks. salad, soups and sweet desserts, as well as a separate menu for kids.

we’ve been here once for a very rare *romantic* date – just the two of us. at that time, my sis-in-law teh was in dubai during the egypt unrest (she currently studies dentistry in cairo), so we took the chance to ‘ran off’ into the sunset and have a nice, slow steak dinner with adult conversation not interrupted with “kahfi sit properly!” and “khaleef, finish your chicken” or “kazim, makan!” hihi.

and now we’re back, because we know that we’ll get our dirham’s worth. with the low price and huge portion? this is becoming one of our favorite place to get steaks. the price here is comparatively lower than other steakhouses in dubai (we’ve googled, we’ve checked, we’ve confirmed!) considering the huge portion, the friendly service and the classy ambiance – similar than few other steakhouse with much more expensive steaks.

 

 

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we started off with a huge dish of caeser salad – a popular salad-dish with lettuce, croutons, grilled chicken and topped with parmesan cheese. i LOVE salad especially with lettuce, and this is definitely a lovely piece of work. a great start to prepare our tummy for the big fat juicy steak! hihi

 

a good classic pumpkin soup is supposed to be creamy, sweet and buttery. this one is definitely SWEET! it’s thick and creamy, yes, but i just didn’t like it. sorry. it’s not anybody’s fault. i just discovered that i don’t like pumpkin soup!

 

birthday boy wanted to stuff his face with thick juicy steak – and upon the waiter’s recommendation, he chose the t-bone steak. the waiter was helpful and friendly, and took the time to run by mr. khairul the different cuts and the sizes of each.

he requested the medium-done t-bone steak to be smothered in black pepper, and you can taste the small particles of grounded black pepper as you eat. it was delicious – tender beef, with sweet juices oozing out, and that zing of black pepper with each bite. yummy. you can choose only ONE side dish – baked potato, mashed potato or fries, and he went with baked potato.

 

i’ve always prefer lamb chops over beef steak, so i ordered lamb chops, no questions asked! the portion was huge – four cuts of big fat juicy lamb chops served with mashed potato and mint sauce. i’m just out of words as i take the first bite. soft and juicy. easily torn from the bone. sweet and succulent--- i’m out of vocabulary to describe this delicious dish!

lemme just say that it was so good that i ended up leaving aside my knife and fork, and dig in with my bare hands – holding ‘em up and stuffing my face to the bone hihi. this is the right way to enjoy lamb chops!

 

we always order pasta from any kids’ menu – but no pasta here. there’s fish fillet, chicken nuggets (boring!) small steak and grilled chicken breast, among others – so we chose the chicken. it was grilled nicely, and the boys enjoyed it to the end. should put more chips though!

 

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birthday boy enjoying his steak – nyum nyum nyum

 

 

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like i mentioned earlier, ‘the butcher shop & grill’ offers good-tasting steaks and chops at comparatively cheaper price than other steakhouses around dubai. i guess we had to pay more at some steakhouses for the fine-dining experience and more classier ambiance.

however, i still think ‘the butcher shop & grill’ is still our best bet. it’s a family-friendly steakhouse without the hassle of having to ‘behave’ at a fine-dining restaurant. laugh. get loud. be merry! with delicious steaks and lamb chops!

Happy 33rd Birthday, Honey!

hey, handsome! it's your birthday, and as always, there would be some sickeningly sweet poem dedicated to the birthday boy penned by your gorgeous wife. *yawn!* well, same this year but since i'm sleepy AND hungry, the poem got a little twisted this time around. hope you still like it.

MR. KHAIRUL is 33

33 you're today
i always write sweet rhymes
this birthday goes some other way
a cuckoo poem this time

33 is one cool number
because it's double three
i really need to slumber
i'm so sleepy-ee.

33 has got essence
you've lived life wild and wise
this poem gonna make no sense
i'm hungry.

33 is thirtythree
when you spell it yes it's true
this poem may be weird you see
but know that I LOVE YOU!

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HAPPY 33rd BIRTHDAY HONEY! do i see a smile? keep that up, tonight we celebrate! steak dinner, japanese unagi or kangkong belacan - your pick! *HUGS*

(to reminisce your other birthday poems go to your 30th, 31st and 32nd dedication. enjoy!)