ghopa

to those of you who dont know it, ghopa is a terengganu savoury dish, usually eaten for breakfast or tea. it is some sort of a mini murtabak, except that murtabak's skin is made of roti canai dough. ghopa's skin is made of kuih dadar batter, thus, a fren of mine calls it kuih dadar terengganu. the filling is the same like currypuff's filling, except that ghopa's filling is usually sweet. my personal fav. is by this 1 lady who made the beef filling using the chinese style of chicken pau, so i tried to recreate the taste this afternoon. that also means i experimented and just campaked everything in. it turned out alright. a warning for the weight conscious - this dish absorbs a lot of oil while frying.

ghopa skin / dadar

1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
a pinch of salt
enough water to make this a thin batter

add everything in, and prepare a heavy skillet. brush a little oil, and drop a few tablespoonfuls of the batter (i used 6) onto the hot skillet, moving the spoon in circular motion so that the batter is thin and bigger. the idea is not to make it a thick skin, as it will break when you try to fold it.
flip to the other side, make sure you dont overbrown it. place it on a plate.

filling

100g beef, cut into small pieces
100g potatoes, cubed into 1 cm
2 onions, minced
sweet soya sauce
sesame oil
black pepper
water
salt and sugar to taste
note: you can also use curry powder if you dont like soya sauce filling.


heat the oil into a frying pan. sautee the onion, add in the beef and the potatoes. add some water and the seasoning. make sure the potatoes are nearly cooked.

to assemble:

put a teaspoon or 2 of the filling onto the skin. roll the skin as if making kuih dadar. to seal it, dip the ghopa into a bowl of a beaten egg, then fry in a hot frying pan. serve.

Heavenly Smells and Senses to the Palette

most cant resist the smells of freshly baked breads or cakes, but none can beat the smell of freshly baked pastries especially danish and croissant. this is a heavenly smell, one that smells so sweet that seems to be calling out to us to sample (or savour) its rich texture and taste. i tried to make croissant years ago, and even earlier this year, but i didnt know how to make the pastry. until my niece intan the chef taught me how.

the ingredients are always there in the house, so it's not a problem. it started when i watched anthony bourdain visit a boulangerie in paris, and i could see croissants and baguettes and brioches and cinnamon rolls. and after watching the show, i went straight to the kitchen, and made the dough. and then the long arduous task began - of rolling the pastry and folding it into 3 and letting it rest for 20 mins. i had to repeat this task 4 times. and this morning... i smelled the sweet smell in the oven and it reminded me of the mornings i visited the victoria market and bought almond croissant at the pastry shop. and the danish and croissants were puffed up and were soft and delicate when i tasted it. ah! happiness is the feeling of a baker whose creation is soft and sweet.