Every now and then, I get a day like today when I can consider cooking truly as a hobby, rather than a necessity!

It becomes an even happier day, when the food turns out better than expected!

Since I had almost all the ingredients required, going to the wet market this morning was a quick trip.  On my way out, I spied ingredients available (yam, sweet potatoes that were orange-coloured, yellow-coloured and purple coloured) for "Bubor Cha-Cha", and since I had some nicely ripen Pisang Raja... "PENGAT" came into mind.

If the banana is not ripe enough, it would make your dessert sourish.  The more discoloured the skin is, the sweeter the Pisang Raja is.

Having bought Petai (again!) from the Orang Asli along the highway just a few days ago (well, I did say before that I just love Petai!), I had planned to prepare a SAMBAL IKAN BILIS WITH PETAI.

At the same time, I had promised someone that I would make her a meatloaf (with pork and chicken; doesn't take beef) this weekend, and so I did - a POTATO-COATED MEATLOAF.

There were enough leftover potatoes to make a POTATO SALAD.

Before my stash of red chillies become spoilt, I decided to make a SAMBAL BELACHAN.  It is good to have this handy.  It compliments Fried Noodles, you can have "Ulam" (local salad) with it and it also tastes delicious, fried with "kangkong" (water convolvus) etc etc.  Really a "must-have" in your refrigerator.

Petai (Parkia Speciosa)

Petai!

I just love petai, call it stink bean or whatever else, when I bite into it raw (freshly peeled from the pod)... oooooh... the taste is really, really out of this world.

The bunches of petai in the photo above was bought off an Orang Asli man who was displaying it along the Karak Highway.  I was driving and saw him from afar, the bunches of petai hanging at the end of a stick. Parked the car by the road shoulder, negotiated with him and happily drove off with it.

You can't get it any fresher, just plucked from the trees in the surrounding jungles off that highway.

I was fortunate that this time around, the beans were of a good size.  Look at the peeled ones. Of course, while peeling, I popped some into my mouth and was having a great time savouring the taste.

Luckily, I was alone or else, my breath could have caused some distress to whoever was around! They don't call it stink beans for nothing!




I usually cook a Sambal Udang Petai dish out of it. But on this day, I had only sotong (squids) available and so I made a Sambal Sotong Petai dish instead.

When the petai is fresh, I also have it with some freshly made Sambal Belachan. 

Delicious!