oomph!

I finished reading Ken Follett's Code to Zero last night. and found a very interesting word: Oomph. i thought it was a modern word and maybe not exist in 1958. Google it up and here: it was used since 1936!. the recent EURO madness change my sleeping clock and eating habit. sleep early and wake up at around 2 am. that's how i managed to finish the book in a night. and ya (grin*) eat like a pig at 2.30 am..

and the pigging out get worse because, i also have this new obsession of Ayam Goreng Berempah. getting myself acquainted with all those wicked spices. i was brought up in a community with little use of spices in food. our food are mostly bland, fresh and practical. spices are used on special occasion/ festival and most of the time, it'll be Curry, masak kurma or rendang only. As i discovered lately, spices really, really bring out the oomph in any simple dish. and i think i love my clear soup now with a hint of star anise/cinnamon taste. 

however, i'll never reach the level of oomphing my tea with those spices. no matter how enticing that sound.  just thinking of Jasmine tea turn my stomach over. apalagi kalau ada rempah ratus. so, there, i drew my line.

i'm perfecting my version of ayam berempah. so far, this is what i like the best: smaller chunk, marinated more then a day in the fridge, use non-stick pan, little oil just to grease and fry the wet marinade (garlic, shallot and ginger) over slow fire. just when the chicken browning and done, throw in the chilies and gently shake the pan. add 2 tbsp of brittle peanut butter. oomph!