Remember 15.01.2012

 

Save the date, 15th January 2012 as the first day we spoke to each other.

It has been two months with a bit of tears and loads of laughter.

Thank you for making a wonderful life journey!

May there will be more anniversaries for us to celebrate every year ahead.


PS: I Love You!

Happy Birthday!

Dear Mom,

I'm wishing you a happy 56th birthday! May Allah bless and be happy always!

Recipe: Turkish Delight

I have been craving for the Turkish Delight like forever. While walking throughout KLCC with my cousin and suddenly I found one at Marks and Spencer! I am so happy and cannot wait to taste it. Ouuuh, it was so sweet, coated with chocolate and with the rose flavoring, I feel like in heaven already! Suddenly after eating the whole packet of Chocolate Turkish Delight, it occurs me whether the gelatine used for making the candy was HALAL or not! Erk, now I'm worried.

 I decided to find the recipe and make it myself. guess what, the ingredient are super easy and it was so easy to make..Wohhoo! This can be considered as lucky!

I made this!!

 Home Made Candy Recipe - Turkish Delight

Ingredients

                   Sunflower oil, or other similar natural oil, for greasing
                   30 g powdered gelatine
                   200 ml water
                   3 tsp rose water 

                   400 g caster sugar
                   3-4 drops red food coloring
                   1 tsp cornflour

Equipments

20 x 25 cm baking tin
Large heavy based saucepan
Bowl

Instructions

1. Lightly oil the baking tin.
2. Mix the rose water, water sugar and gelatin in a large heavy-based pan.
3. Heat gently until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved, stirring all the time.
4. Bring to the boil without stirring.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, mix in the food coloring and leave the mix to cool for a couple of minutes.
7. Pour the mix into the oiled tin and leave to set for about 24 hours.
8. Mix the cornflour and confectioners' sugar in a bowl.
9. Cut the Turkish Delight into cubes and toss in the bowl containing the cornflour and confectioners' sugar

ENJOY AND HAPPY COOKING PEOPLE!

Golden Apple Snails

Golden apple snails or locally known as Siput Gondang Emas has been infested the rice fields in Malaysia and other countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. There are two species were found are Pomacea canaliculata (golden) and Pomacea incerlarum (grey-brown with dark spots).  The snails are originated from Latin America and have been brought into the country to be raised by the food traders. It is believed to be unsuccessful and discharged to the environment. The invasion started in 1992 at Wan Mat Saman’s irrigation canal in Pangkalan Kundur, Kedah and spreading throughout the north region rapidly threatening not only the agricultural areas, wetlands, natural freshwater systems but also threaten native aquatic vegetation and aquatic fauna, including native snails.

The Golden Apple Snails having a sweet moments.

Life Cycle

The eggs are bright pink and changes to light pink when nearly hatched. The eggs will be matured between 7-15 days and the hatching process takes for 5 days. The baby snail has soft shell and will harden within in 2 days. It will start moving after reaching the size of 5mm. The smaller snails will feed on algae and detritus but as it getting bigger at the size of 15mm upwards the diet will changed to higher plants such as paddy. The snails are sexually matured at the age of 75-90 days and the life span is between 3-5 years.

Source : Kupunakalo

Infestation to the rice fields

The snails will attacked the rice plant from its base before proceeding to other parts of the plant.

About 93% of rice yield will be lost due to the infestation and damages by the snail to the rice seedlings until 30 days after sowing. Presence of the snails detected when there were blotches of lost seedlings at the rice field and the eggs. The spreading of the snails can be controlled by: 

1. Culture and physical control - The snails and the eggs were destroyed after being gathered from the field. Wood pickets were placed at the field infected for the snail to lay the eggs. In the beginning of the paddy’s growth, weeds at the field need to be cleaned.
2. Mechanical control - Net were installed at inlet and outlet of field’s water system to prevent the snails spread.
3. Biology control - Rearing ducks (Khaki Campbell and Muscovy) to act as controlling agent which will eat the snails and the eggs.
4. Chemical control - Using chemicals pesticides such as niclosamide, saponin or metaldehyde.

PS: More to learn! This is just the beginning and this page will be updated frequently!

References:
http://www.animalspot.net/pomacea-canaliculata.html
http://www.trc.zootechnie.fr/node/200

http://www.mada.gov.my/web/guest/siputgondangemas 

http://pertanianselangor.wordpress.com/tag/siput-gondang-emas/

http://livestockinformation.blogspot.com/2011/01/cara-baru-hapus-siput-gondang-emas.html

http://animhosnan.blogspot.com/2011/12/siput-gondang-emas.html

http://www.sabahkini.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5720:masalah-gondang-emas-di-tenom-selesai&catid=35:berita-sabah&Itemid=27

http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/Itikjawacegahsiputgondangemas/Article/

http://pertanianselangor.wordpress.com/category/padi-selangor/page/2/