Home Made, Zero Heat, Cold Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil

Wanted to buy some Virgin Coconut Oil and went to the neighborhood Giant Supermarket and they don't carry it at this particular store.  On the spot, decided to make my own. So I went to the Mamak Grocer behind the Giant and purchased 5 freshly grated coconuts.  More than half the work was done here as they have a coconut grating machine.  Imagine doing it by hand!

Coconut Pile

The worker splitting the coconut in two.

Split Coconut 

Grating the Coconut

Immediately, returned home and started the process of extracting the oil.  Placed the 5 grated coconut in a large bowl.

Grated Coconut

Than added lukewarm water and extracted the coconut milk.  Repeated the process twice to get the maximum milk out of the coconut.  Once finished squeezing the milk out of the coconut meat with a wire strainer, I strained it again with a finer strainer. I kept the grated coconut, as will be making coconut flour than I will use to make other stuff with it.  Nothing goes to waste.

Squeezing the Milk form the Coconut

Than I placed the Coconut milk in plastic bags and kept it aside for about 2 hours.  This is to separate the cream (where the oil is) and the water.

Separating the Coconut Water and the Cream

After about 2 hours the cream can be seen floating at the top and the water at the bottom.  I removed the water by cutting a hole at the bottom corner of the plastic bag and collected the water in a container.  Will use it when making nasi lemak tomorrow.

Cream and water Separated

Next I placed the milk in a container and used a mixer and stir the cream for about 15 minutes.  Didn't want to do it by hand.

Using a Mixer to stir the cream.

Next I placed the container in a cool place and let it sit for slightly more than 24 hours.  After that, the oil can be seen between the layers created via a fermentation process. 

Oil at the top left hand side

Oil above the water and the white stuff

Next, I used a spoon to scoop up the oil, put it thru a funnel that I had put come cotton in the funnel to strain out and impurities.

And there you have it, Homemade Cold Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil! 

 Virgin Coconut Oil in a Bottle

There was still some oil in the container that I couldn't scoop out.  Being brought up in Penang, I need to get every bit of oil out of the container.  What I did was place the container in the fridge for slightly less than an hour and let the top layer solidify.  I removed the top layer and placed it in a pan.

Solidified Cream/Oil in a pan

Put on the fire and reduced the heat once started boiling.

Reduce heat once start simmering

In about 20 minutes, the oil was done.  Took shorter time as most of the moisture has already been discarded in the earlier process.

Oil is done.

 Used a regular strainer, and put the oil in a jar to cool it down.

Cooling the oil in a Jar

 Finally, placed cotton in the funnel to filter and strain out any sediment left behind.

Straining Sediments

 There we have it, Coconut oil!!

Coconut Oil

Harvest Home Grown Organic Ginger In A Pot

Sometime last year, I had placed a couple ginger rhizome in a large pot and decided to harvest today.  I believe it has been roughly about 10 months ago when I first placed some store bought ginger in the pot.  The pot was first kept under my porch and later moved it under a bougainvillea plant.

The Ginger in the pot

First I loosen the soil around the outer area of the rhizomes and than held all of the branches (if you call them that) and pulled out the ginger plant.

Pulling Ginger Plant

Close up of the ginger rhizome

There were a few rhizome that was small and decided to put them back in the pot....hopefully didn't stress the plant to much and these will give me another harvest.

Rhizome the be planted back

Planted back rhizome

 Proceeded to wash the rhizome in a pail and removed the small roots.

Cleaned Ginger

Next I dried the ginger under a shade for about 2 hours and placed them in the refrigerator to be used over the coming days.

Ginger to be stored

Roughly harvested about half a kilo of ginger.

Harvest Homegrown Natural Organic Turmeric and Making Turmeric Powder

Almost 2 years ago, had place a turmeric rhizome, about 2 inches long, into the ground to get turmeric leaves for making rendang.  Over time, the turmeric plant grew and the leaves have been used many times in making chicken rendang.  With the leaves, rendang tastes much better.

Here's a picture of the turmeric plant when it had a flower, this was a first time I had seen a turmeric flower in real life.

Turmeric Plant Flower

Turmeric Plant Flower

The other day, I was planting herbs into the ground, and decided to remove the turmeric plant and was pleasantly surprised to see the growth of the rhizome.  I mean, all I did was place them in the ground and didn't even look after them, just left them there for the leaves and could not believe how much it had grown under ground!

Harvested Turmeric

From 2 inches to this!!!

  

Was wondering how to store the turmeric and went online and read that the best way was to make it into turmeric powder.  Read a bit more on making turmeric powder and was told that needed to boil the rhizome first.

Checked with the the Family Whatsapp group and 2 of my aunts have made turmeric powder before and was told no need to boil the rhizome, just cut them into small pieces and sun dry them.  That is exactly what I did.  Here's the simple process:

1st, clean the rhizomes in a bowl of water.

Just by rubbing the rhizomes with my thumb and fingers they were clean with beautiful bright orange color.

Next, I removed the skin on half of the turmeric and the other half kept the skin on.  Again, look at the beautiful bright orange color. 

Turmeric without the skin

Next I cut them into small pieces and placed them on a old clean t-shirt to sun dry them.

Sun drying turmeric

We were very fortunately as we had 3 days of really strong sun with only evening showers, brought them inside the house before it rained.

A word of caution, everything turns into a beautiful orange, fingers, knife cutting board etc. If you mind the color on your hands, do wear a glove.  Not to worry, after a couple of days, the color goes away from the finger and a scrub of the board removes the color.

Today Jalan-Jalan Ended Up Masak-Masak (Cooking) Making Organic Kueh Ketayap

Today as I was walking (Jalan-Jalan) outside my house, noticed a a small patch of wild growing pandan bush.  Pandan leaf is known as screwpine leaf in English.  This immediately got me thinking of the Kueh Ketayap that I had the other day that was dark green and full of artificial coloring and immediately thought of making some homemade ones with natural ingredients. 

Wild Growing Pandan Bush - Raw Material for the Kueh Ketayap

A quick check of the pantry and fridge, the only ingredient needed was grated coconut.  Immediately, I went up to the nearest mamak kedai runcit (local grocery store) and got some fresh 'white only' grated coconut.

Getting Fresh White Grated Coconut for Kueh Ketayap

To make kueh ketayap, there is two parts, one is the crepe and the other is a sweet coconut filling.  Recommended to make the filling first, as it needs time to cool down.

Ingredients for the sweet coconut filling:

Ingredients for the coconut filling

• Grated coconut from 1 coconut
• 1.5 cube of palm sugar (gula melaka) - crushed
• 2 tablespoon of raw sugar
• 3 pandan leaves - knotted
• Salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon.
• 1/2 mug of water 

Crushed Gula Melaka

Method 
In a large wok, heat up the water than melt the palm sugar, salt and raw sugar; and put in knotted screwpine leaves.  Once the sugars have melted put in the grated coconut and stir till the water evaporates.  Remove once water has evaporated and the mixture is moist.  Keep it aside to cool and get started on the crepe.

Ingredients for the batter

Ingredients for the ketayap batter

• 12 pandan leaves - chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon oil - I used olive oil
• Salt to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon salt

First put 1 cup of water and the chopped screwpine leaves into a blended and blend aways.  Than sift and keep aside.  Rinse the blender, put in the coconut milk, break the egg in the blended and give it a pulse or two. Put in the remainder ingredients and blend.  The batter is ready.

The ketayap batter

 I find using the blender saves a lot of time and it mixes the ingredients nicely.

Making the Crepe
Heat up a pan, melt some butter, pour a bit of batter, swirl the pan to make a thin crepe.  Cook for about a minute to a minute and a half, flip the other side and cook for about another minute.  Continue till all the batter is finished.

Ketayap Crepe

Putting it together
In the center top of the crepe, place a spoon full of the sweet coconut filling and wrap/fold the crepe.

Wrapping/folding the Kueh Katayap

Kueh Ketayap (Dadar) Final Product

After a Bite!!! Yummy!!!

Day Trip to Mitsui Outlet Mall in Sepang

Sunday, 2nd August, my wife suggested that we go to Mitsui Outlet Mall in Sepang.  I had passed it the last time I was headed to KLIA 2 at the beginning of June and wanted to go but forgotten about it. This is the time to get ready, put on some comfortable shoes and head out!

We left our home at about 11:30 in the morning and it was about a 50 minutes drive using MEX Highway than connected to Sprint Highway headed to KLIA.

After the toll, it will be a few kilometers on the left.  It can easily be spotted from the highway.

Sepang Mutsui Outlet Mall from Highway

To the entrance of the car park, in the distance, one could see the beautiful Sepang KLIA mosque on the right hand side.

Entrance to Sepang Mitsui Outlet Mall

The mall as seen from the car park.  

We reached about lunch time, we decided to eat first, to be fully charged before we started shopping.  At the entrance, we stop at the first makan shop called Gao! Gao! Italian Restaurant.  We filled ourselves with Pizza, Buffalo Wings and Risotto!

@ Gao! Gao! Italian Restaurant inside Mitsui Outlet Mall

Next was to see the outlets at the Mall and see if anything catches the eye and to plan the attack strategy.

Directory of Stores @ Mitsui Outlet Mall Sepang

The nice thing about the mall is that it is totally indoor (except for the car park) and the air-conditioned temperature was nice.  Unlike Johor Premium Outlet, where only the stores are air-conditioned and the walkway is hot and humid.

Fully Air-conditioned Outlet Mall.  Perfect for Malaysia's Hot & Humid Weather!

The boyz, me and my son, decided to separate from the Gals, my wife and daughter.  My son and I walked the entire Mall, all 2 floors and called my wife asking her where she was.  And she said only at the 3rd store!!!  We immediately, checked into CBTL and sat there for some time over a Cafe Latte, Ice Blended and a cookie.

Resting @ CBTL

There are many food and beverage outlets at Mitsui Sepang Outlet Mall.  Below is a host of pictures showing them.  It even have a Food Court with many local delicacies and an Old Town in it.

A few makan shop (eatery) @ Mitsui Outlet Mall Sepang

Foodcourt @ Mitsui Outlet Mall Sepang

We were fortunate, without knowing, today was their Grand Launch Celebration and we were treated to Japanese Performance.  Additionally, they had a lot of congratulatory flowers which lightened up the place and additional special promotions.

Mitsui Outlet Mall Sepang Grand Launch Flowers and Performance

Grand Launch Special Deals and Performance

Sale, sale, everywhere!!!  Man, if you have no intention to enter a shop, but looking at the sale signs, one is tempted to enter.  Imagine, up to 90% Off!!!

Sale! Sale! Everywhere @ Sepang Mitsui Outlet Mall

Sale! Sale! Everywhere @ Sepang Mitsui Outlet Mall

Everywhere you look. Sale! Sale! Sale

Some of the outlet, the sale must be extremely good.  Imagine have to line up to get into the store!

Have to line up to get into some of the stores!

At the Mall, being so close to the airport, they have display showing Arrival and Departure times at KLIA and KLIA 2.  So if you are early to catch a flight or going to pick someone up from the airport, you could monitor the flight and get here just on time.  Leave early, avoid jams do a bit of shopping than go to the airport.  A brilliant idea!

KLIA & KLIA 2 Flight Arrival and Departures Schedule

After the whole afternoon there, picked up a couple of pair of shoes and clothing; wallet felt much lighter, we headed home, packed back dinner and reached home at about 7 pm. Tine to get some rest for work tomorrow.