Cooking Under Pressure

Above: East meets West dish.  Beef (gravy beef) cubes pressure cooked in Guiness Beer with carrots and bacon served on noddles. This dish is rich in flavour and texture with mouth watering tender beef only requires 30 minutes cooking time.

With three children under 4 years old, I’m all for quick and practical cooking.  Something I can cook while one toddler is clinging to my leg, another trying to climb onto the kitchen bench, and another trying to ‘help-out’ with cooking.

Something I can whip up superfast, but is tender so kids would have it.  So for the past year, I have been exploring pressure cooking, experiment with various Western and Asian dishes, including desserts like puddings and cheesecake.

What I absolutely love about pressure cooking is the speed of cooking, resulting in preserved nutrients and savings on my gas bill because of it.  I can whip up dishes normally cooked hours in just a fraction of that time.  Tender-melt-in-your-mouth dishes are done in minutes.   I can use cheaper-tougher-cuts of meat and still produce tender flavourful dish.   Asian style congee (from rice) only requires 6 minutes cooking time.   Curry dishes, bolognaise sauce, beef casseroles, pot roasts are cooked under an hour.   It is definitely energy smart cutting heaps off my gas bill, and much more economical overall.

Pressure cookers work by trapping steam created by boiling water, increasing the pressure in the pot.  As the pressure rise, so too does the boiling point of the water which reduces cooking time.
I do a lot of pressure cooked dishes that I own two 6.5l pressure cooker pots, at least one of them is always on my stove top daily.  

Some of our favourite family recipes are:

Beef Brinabon –  Beef and Kidney Beans soup
Chicken in Ginger Soup
Milk Fish stew (Pindang Bandeng) *
Chicken congee (with or without mushrooms)
Beef Casserole

I will follow up this post with the recipes of these in the near future.
Various slow cooker recipes can be adapted to cook in the pressure cooker.  Speedy.

* Milk Fish has fine bones which is a pain to eat, it is pressure cooked that the bones are soft and edible, while the flesh is still firm.

Excellent pressure cooking resource website:
http://www.pressurecookerrecipes.net/
http://missvickie.com/

Recipe: Crepes

Beautiful Fluffy Crepes

These warm fluffy thin crepes are just beautiful to have in cold weather... my boys and their dad have no problems finishing their breakfast plate of them.
I made it with:

125g   plain flour
30g     caster sugar
4         eggs
300ml  milk
75g      unsalted butter, melted

Start by whisking the eggs and sugar until fluffy, and add the milk and flour.  Pour in the melted butter and mix through.  I then ladle about 50 ml of batter and thin it out in a round 20cm wide skillet on a small fire.  Once the crepes start to set and turns golden, flip it over and cook the other side to golden colour.
Serve warm and absolutely delicious served with syrup, honey, sliced fruits, and or cream.

Bathe in Poo

Boys' Blunder

The easiest way for me to clean the boys is just to pop everyone into the bath at the same time.  Was-was, scrub-scrub, and pick them up one at the time and dress them while the others wait inside the bathtub playing with their bath toys.

So today is a day like any other day.  The boys are happily playing together inside the bath when suddenly Ethan pointed to Niel and said shyly: "pee pee!"  Wow, very good, Ethan! Not only he has learn to say the words, he can identify those doing it, I thought as I took a quick glance at Niel.  I notice yellowing water around him. Oh well, peeing during baths happens a lot, I'll just rinse them out later.

Then Malakai dropped the bombshell when he said calmly: "No, Ethan, that is POOOOOOOO...!"
Sure enough, Niel has done a massive poo in the bath water.
The boys start laughing ignorantly as I scrambled to get them out of the water before the poo disperse, and rinse them in the shower.

After all is asleep, it is my clean up time, I stare with unbelief at the bathtub, quarter filled with water mixed with a cup-full of poo.
Boys, oh, boys....

Holiday Weight Loss

I am quite troubled learning that my children have lost 1kg each during our three weeks visit to our family overseas (while my husband gains 3kgs!).  At this age and stage of their lives, gaining 1kg may take a year.  They are at their fussiest stage of eating and each of my children has different food preferences, and most days it feels like they are not eating anything.

Thinking about it, I am sure I knew this is coming.  Hot weather never does much good to my kid’s appetite level, let alone the many distractions and the many adults ready to jump hoops to entertain the kids during meal times.  

This year, I have learnt to relax about weight gain and the quality of the food consumed, as stressing over these things clearly doesn’t help their appetite levels anyway.  By having twins, I have to learnt to let go, take up any help offered by anyone I know- so by doing that, I also had to learn to let the kids (and the adults) have a break and do what they wish to do together so I can have a break. 

We don’t get to meet with the bigger family circle very often.  I don’t even know when the children will get to spend time with their aunts, uncles and grannies again.  The struggles ahead to re-gain that lost kilo and catch up to the desired weight level….I am sure it is totally worth it.

Carpet Painting

After a sleepless night on the airplane back home, my husband and I are so exhausted that we fell asleep as soon as our heads touch a surface.  Any surface.  In the other room, we can hear Malakai and Ethan happily playing together while Niel is asleep in his cot. 
Just five minutes, we thought.  Before we know it we were both deep asleep and woken by noises of screeching laughter.  Sounds like someone is having too much fun.

 Sure enough, I woke up to find Malakai and Ethan in the bathroom.  Malakai is getting some water in a plastic scoop for Ethan who is carrying a plastic beach bucket.  Both boys are covered with poster paint from head to toe.  In our family room, the tub of art materials is on the floor.  The bottles of poster paint are tipped open and the paints are all over the carpet with brushes and stencil sponges.   I can feel my blood pumping to the tip of head but I can hear Niel crying in his room…. Guilt immediately swept over me. Oh, poor Niel, how long has he been crying helplessly locked in his cot?!

I rushed to his bedroom surprised to find him still in his cot but has a plastic scoop in his hands filled with a mixture of paint and water as well.  Of course, he has spilled some on the bed and on himself as well. 

I was amazed to find myself actually laughing at this.  Maybe my anger was dampened the guilt that I fell asleep on them.  Deep inside I was glad that the boys sure know how to share their fun and joys. 
I hope I still think that this is funny after having to wash the carpet, sheets, and paint covered clothes…

My Brother's Wedding

Three Little Suits

30 May 2010 is the big day for my brother and his fiancée. (There is our photo above, my brother and his wife are feeling a bit pixel-ated)  This is why we are in this country today, to participate in their much anticipated wedding celebration. 

Like any other Indonesian wedding, it is a massive celebration.  700* invitation cards sent out, everyone we ever knew, ever encountered are invited to share this joyous day.

Being the groom’s sister, makes it a big day for me too.  The committee have organized the day for the family.  We are to look fabulous.  Beauty salon booked at 7am to do our hair and make-up.  My nails manicured and painted shiny blood red the night before (thanks to my cousin-sisters).  The colour theme is maroon and gold, so I also got a sparkling new set of heels in gold.  Last but not least, two pre-ordered tailored evening dresses complete with stone gems and sparkles, one for the holy matrimony and one for the evening reception.  Very grand indeed. 

Unfortunately with pre-ordered dresses they don’t fall into place where it is supposed to.  They are made based on the measurements I emailed them a couple of months ago, so I didn’t get to say where I want the straps fixed or how low/high the neck line to be, etc.  The many fitting sessions I’ve been on during the past weeks, can’t seem to fix the dress to my liking.  *sigh* Oh well, no use in whining over a dress that has been picked out for me.   It’s just a dress.  No one will notice the unflattering cut, I hope.

Just as I am getting ready to head out to the beauty salon, my son threw up.  My little three year old, who hasn’t been eating well since he landed here, vomited two times in the morning of the wedding. 

Malakai has started to feel unwell since yesterday; he didn’t sleep well and has been crying on and off the whole night.  I feel the pressure weighted upon me.  I have objected my kids to be involved today as I know the day will tire them out immensely resulting in very cranky babies during the events.  Both events: the matrimony and the reception dinner starts during their nap and sleep time, and in between there are rehearsals and travelling.  Malakai has been given the important task of being the cute ring bearer; and I know that my family will be greatly disappointed if we don’t show up to the wedding today.  I am hoping that he can go through the morning.  I am torn.   My son is sick.

Half an hour before the matrimony starts, Ethan and Niel is still deep in their mid-day nap.  Malakai, weak but is excited watching his dad dress up in a black suit decided that he also wants to don a suit today.  We decided that we will leave the babies to sleep, and take Malakai to the church.   We will do the family procession, and Malakai will be the ring bearer, we will be in the photos, and we will leave the church immediately once the procession is done.  This should only take 30 minutes, no one will notice Ethan and Niel is not present, we can get away with it.

We did what was planned.  Malakai was truly adorable – in my eyes at least.  He walked nervous but proud down the aisle carrying the rings on a heart shaped laced-pillow.  He looks absolutely gorgeous in his little black suit, bow tie and suit pants.    We sped home and found that Ethan and Niel have pre-maturely wakened from their nap.  We decided that I will take the toddlers back to the church while Malakai takes a nap at home, he needs it badly.

It was halfway through the mass when I arrived with Ethan and Niel.  My Mum’s eyes lit up when she saw that all her grand children actually made it to the wedding in some way.  I was pleased with myself for making the effort.   It was a beautiful wedding.  They bride and groom has made efforts to make the celebration absolutely special, and they deserve it.

 On a blessed day like this, the last person I want to see get hurt is my mum, and of course my brother and his lovely wife.  Despite of how I was feeling about the dress I was wearing or going to wear, I was in high spirits.   Unfortunately, my twins weren’t too cooperative and was pretty shocked to find themselves in suits and see the amount of people present stopping by to ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’.  What could be cuter than sighting one year old twins in suits?!  Nevertheless, they started to cry and whinge, I ended up having to carry both boys in my arms (yes, in my beaded dress) for the rest of the afternoon.

The evening reception party was a hit.  The groom came out singing a song to his bride, the bride does the same and the couple meets in the middle of the ballroom.  It was truly special and absolutely beautiful.  It is a standing dinner party is common for weddings here, where all guests would walk around with their dinner plates and mingle.  Sure there are times when I wish I could present myself more elegantly than squatting on the floor feeding my kids while dressed in gown and heels... but, that's just life as a mum.    I certainly enjoyed it, and the bonus of meeting and catching up with long lost friends and people that we haven’t met in years is priceless.

We left the party before it ended because our boys just couldn’t handle the night anymore.  It has been a long day for them and they have been very well behaved most of the time.  I am happy.  We also get to take the bridal-car home tonight.  It is the luxurious Toyota Alfard, still adorned with flowers and ribbons.  The boys certainly enjoyed the ride.  When and where else can they travel without car-seats and seat belts?  Each time my husband hits the brake; someone will fell off the seat and roll down the spacious aisle.  In between, they curiously stand on the seats, looking out the window, playing with the curtains, and pressing all the buttons they can reach. 

Me, I try my best to keep them on their seats and behave safely.  
However, I realize in these circumstances… impossible…