Pizza and pastry

A quick update on halal restaurants that you can find in Brisbane. Last Saturday we went to this not so new pizza outlet at Underwood, about 15 km from Brisbane. I came to know about this pizza place from the Muslim Times, and was also recommended by a friend. It is not difficult to find this place, because it is located near that Grill House that we have visited. According to the owner or co-owner, a friendly and very nice lady, Pizza Lane has been operated for 9 months now.

They offer a selection of pizzas that they categorised as classic and gourmet. They too have subs, pastas, waffle and both cold and hot drinks. Yaya n atang quickly ordered milkshakes, but because we have been out in the rain the whole day, I ordered a simmering hot choc, that was so delicious. And we also ordered two types of pizza and a pasta for yaya.

For more info and direction, please visit their site here.

Next to this pizza place is a halal Nandos outlet. And just a couple of shops away, there is Brumby's, that famous bakery in Brisbane (they are every where in Australia actually), and the only Halal Brumby's in Brisbane. I have always love bread and pastry shop (ada la berangan untuk buka a small bakery that offered a limited selection of cakes, bread and pastry, with fresh brewing coffee, one day...hohoho), so after I placed the order at Pizza Lane, I rush down to Brumby's and bought these:

Banyaknye makan.... yes I know that :p

yours truly,

the Roti Jala story

Friday is here again. And there goes another busy week. Loads of work waiting for next week. But tomorrow, I will leave my machines to rest, and allow my brain to relax. It is time to spend time with the kids and atang. How busy I am, and how tight the schedule is, and how close the datelines are, I should not take things for granted. Forget all the kelam-kabut-ness during weekdays. Forget all the running against time. Leave all the stress behind, and have a good laugh with the family. After all it is just for a day and a half kan (I start working on Sunday night).

My break started with making roti jala and pizza for our dinner tonight. Can't exactly remember when was the last time I made roti jala, but I am sure it was more than a year ago, before we went back for raya in 2008. I remember I made many roti jala to give to some friends for breaking fast that year. I started experimenting roti jala after a good friend sent a container full of roti jala, and chicken curry to celebrate first day of Ramadhan the first year we arrived in Brisbane. Fuuhhh masa tu rasa happy sungguh bila dapat roti jala tu. Months and months after that, I told my mom how I wanted to make some roti jala, and asked her to buy a roti jala mold back home and mail it along with the recipe. And one day the mold arrived, together with other provision, and the mold was not like the common roti jala mold you see at home. This one is not made of plastic. And it doesn't have holes at the bottom. This one is made of steel, with spouts at the side, kinda like the watering can. It was Mak's roti jala mold. Mak's mold was custom-made, and she had it since....since I was a teenager, but she has never make us roti jala, ahahahha. Kiranya I was the first one who used it. Hey who knows, maybe Mak bought it years ago, for my use. hehehe...Ok jugak guna mold nie. Instead of holding like the common roti jala mold at the bream, this mold requires you to hold it by the handle, and slowly tipping the mold, to pour the batter.

Actually, I had hands on experience watching my MIL making roti jala before we came to Brisbane. At my MIL house, roti jala is consider the occasion food, and normally MIL will prepare by request, especially from my BIL, atang's little brother. Thus, eventhough I have never made one, I have observed the process kan. So kinda immitate la how my MIL prepares her roti jala. Susah jugak guna mold nie, because the batter will get stuck easily at the spout. When it got stuck, you have to wash it under the running hot water. So, when we went home to celebrate eid last year, I bought the plastic mold.



Today is the first time I used the plastic mold. Kira perasmian la nie. Senang sikit nak guna, ringan, but still the batter easily get stuck. But I guess it is normal. Apa-apa pun our dinner today is eh...was roti jala and a few pizza. Cooking is fun nowadays because now I have a helper, an entertainer and of coz the eater...wakakakakkaka...



Yaya preparing the pizza, adik is entertaining us at the side, while atang at his laptop waiting for the dinner to be ready.



I bought the mini pizza base. Always have pepperoni, mozarella cheese, pizza sauce and mushrooms in the can at home. For under 30 minutes, you can have pizza for dinner.

And today's highlight...hehhehe

Sume dah kenyang, mata pun dah berat. Guess I will do a light task tonite, that is to run simple stats before call it a day. So, enjoy your weekend ya. We are taking the kids to the Movie World again tomorrow. Our passes ended this June, so apa lagi nak buat, visits all the theme park la until the passes expire.

yours truly,

Pizza lagi...

Dah ku katakan, ku nak pencen dari memasak nie, tapi apakan daya, sudah pastinya takkan tercapai....ahahahhaha.... dah mula mengarut nie. Anyway, I don't have any choice, but to remain faithful with the pots and pans, and frequent the space as often as I need to, to satisfy the hunger of atang. :p ..... I think I left my "cooking" spirit in Malaysia....

Am afraid I will not try any new recipe for a short while. With Ramadhan approaching, I may not try anything new at all, maybe until the Eid. Sorry to disappoint you (ada ke yang disappoint nanti?? perasan sudah....). But I will keep on posting entries on food, because food is synonym with my living in Brisbane, lagi la bulan Ramadhan nanti kan.....hahahahahahah...

OK... last Saturday I tried again making pizza, this time with pepperoni, pineapple and mushroom...upgrade sikit laaa.... and more presentable from the first attempt :D.

Feast your eyes.......









yours truly,

I made pizza..hehe

Finally I have the gut to do it, so if I can do it...u too can do it ... There are numerous recipe available on the internet. And also with the help of the "Cooking Italian" cookbook, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner last weekend (ok I am exaggerating a bit). Ahaks...

Ok...the trick of making a pizza is on the dough. Here is a simple recipe dough that I used:


Ingredients for pizza base:
7gm (1/4 oz) sachet dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of honey
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 1/2 cups (250gm or 8 oz) of bread flour (for much better result, but you can use plain flour instead)
1 cup (250ml) of warm water

Method:
1. Dissolve salt, and honey in the warm water, then add in the dried yeast. Mix well.
2. Leave it yeast mixture aside for about 10 minutes (or until foamy) cover with a cling wrap.
3. Sift flour into a bowl. Gradually add in the olive oil, mix well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour, then pour in the yeast mixture.
5. Mix to a dough. Knead to form a clean ball.
6. Coat the dough with some olive oil. And let the dough rise for at least an hour.
7. After an hour, punch the dough to let the air out. And leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
8. Heat the oven at 200C.
9. Roll the dough, or use your fingertips to stretch the dough from the centre outwards to cover the pan.
10. Fold the edges to form a lip.


11. Sprinkle some olive oil on top to prevent it getting soggy from the topping. Punch some holes in the dough with a fork to let the air escape the pizza while cooking.
12. Spread the pizza sauce, cheese, onions, mushroom and your favourite topping.





13. Dont forget mozarella cheese to finish the process.
14. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

Sorry if my instructions are unclear, I recommend you to visit Homemade Pizza and Recipe Pizza,

I made seafood and frankfurter pizza (will buy pepperoni next time) :D



yours truly,

Out for a coffee

Another weekend short trip. Last Saturday, we went out for a coffee and 'tapau'ing a pizza. Our destination, Azra Pizza...the best pizza in town (for us). But before we order 8 slices of variety pizza, we hang out at Majic to have a cup of cappuccino for atang and one hot choc for me to be shared with yaya.


As usual la....


Atang's cappuccino


and the hot choc which was too sweet for me.... so yaya has to gulp most of it down...


and yes...we had a tub of wedges as well

Off to Inala to buy seafood

We bought.....

Crab as requested by Yaya aka Kak Long aka Cici

(notice the cleaver and the chopping board...to clean the crab laaa)

Brissie call this 'sand crab'. You know before I came to Brisbane, I never buy, clean and cook crab (mom always does that... I only know how to eat it...hahahha)...But when I was expecting Thirah, I craved for crab. So where else can I found cooked crab, except I have to do it myself right. So that was the story laa...how I started to buy, clean and cook the sand crab.

Clean and cut oledi...

Tomorrow I will cook curry crab with eggplant...

Babah requested this...

banana prawn....hmmmm...maybe I will cooked sambal udang...I also bought petai in the can laaa....

For me.... fish....huhu....

Yellow tail (kembung) and mullet. Mullet taste like ikan terubuk... have not decide to cook what yet... maybe masak kunin mullet and kembung tauchu...ok kaaa...hahahahha

Mama...what about me....

Alamak bubba.... tunggu besar skit aaaa...nanti bleh request nak makan ape...

Then...off we went to Ispa Kebab...for 'tapau'ing two pizza (for lunch and dinner maaa... I have something big to do tonite).

While waiting... we had some drinks....

We waited half an hour for these.....

Chicken deluxe pizza....and

Meat lovers.... and as usual laa.... makan time....