Bak Chang!

YES! And that ladies and gentleman, is the bak chang that I MADE! haha, i am so glad i accomplished this mission of mine to learn how to make bak chang this year. YAY!

Well, to be frank, I didnt fully make it myself la. We went to seek the wisdom of this wise auntie. Yep, LL's aunt is ever willing to impart her knowledge to youngins. We must not let this tradition die!

Anyway, this bak chang version is on the healthy side - less salt, less oil but chockful of liao!

So here we are the ingredients.

- Pork (must get those layered with fat, marinate with salt, pepper, 5 spice chinese powder, light and dark soy sauce),

- Dried oysters (soaked),

- Chestnuts (boil till soft and peel off the skin),

- Mushrooms (Soaked and then braised with salt and pepper),

- Salted egg yolk.

- Pulut rice (washed, soaked for a bit then drained),

First work on the rice. Heat up oil, sautee shallots and garlic till fragrant. Add rice and stir fry. Add salt, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Adjust the seasoning to desired amount. Some ppl like it darker so just add more dark soy sauce. Put aside.

Next comes the pork. Heat up some oil, fry up some garlic slices and some minced garlic. When its fragrant, add the pork and cook it till its half done. Put aside.

Here comes the more complicated part. Bamboo leaves. Blanch them first then wipe clean. Select 2 and arrange them at opposite directions. They don't have to be directly overlapping each other, you can adjust to have them arranged like above so you have more width and length to work with.

Next, fold like so.

To make a cone shape. Make sure you get this part right and there's no hold at the bottom fold or the contents will spill out during the cooking process.

Put a tablespoon of rice.

Fill it in with the yummy ingredients, - mushrooms, pork, chestnut, dried oyster, egg yolk and maybe one more slice of that yummy pork.

Top up with more rice, make sure it covers up the ingredients. Press it down well to make sure its all compacted.



Here comes the tough part. Hold the cone properly and shape it like so

Flip it over while still holding the sides firmly. Fold up the sides of the leaves then twist it like below.

Hmm i think my pics arent too clear. Sorry!



Then tie it up firmly with the strings. (I think those strings are bamboo fibres)

There's our bounty. Before boiling them, check thru to ensure they are all firmly tied and trim the hard stems off the leaves and also for a neater look la.

Boil them in a deep pot for about 1.5 hours. This depends on the size of your chang. The larger ones should take about 2 hours.

Voila! Delicious, mouthwatering Bak Chang... I love the creaminess of the chestnut, the salty egg yold and melt in your mouth pork. Of course not forgetting the sticky rice that has soaked in all the flavours of the ingredients.

Enjoy! I know I did :)

Spot the difference!

Random Thoughts

I must read more and eat less
I must read more and watch less TV
I must exercise more
I must drink more milk
I must learn to cook more dishes


On a positive note, i finally got those curtains down and gave them a good wash. That's 3 years of accumulated dust.

Weekend Makan

Kin Kin Restaurant at Cheras

Famous for its chilli pan mee.
The main restaurant is located at Chow Kit, KL area. We went to the son's restaurant at Cheras. Almost as good but somehow i think you need the shouting, yelling and fighting with the crowd for tables to make the whole eating experience more satisfying. However at Cheras, there are 2 shop lots so there's more space, plus there's air conditioning! The heat has been unbearable lately so Cheras seemed the logical place to go.

This is one of my makan buddies. The minute our food arrives, we both hover over it like vultures with cameras. And while we're clicking away, the food gets cold. sigh.




Look at that perfectly poached egg! Yummers. The moment you get it, break it quickly and let the yolk run and coat the noodles and minced meat.. oohhh absolutely heavenly!!

Add in the secret ingredient. Fried pounded dried chillies with chilli oil. Spoon all this good stuff into your bowl and mix somemore.

Each serving comes with a bowl of hot, clear soup with daun cekur manis.

oh, and lets not forget this bowl of delicious, springy pork balls. yep all 35 of them. haha no, i didn't gorge em all up. shared among 11 of us. mmm

HOoray! I've quite fulfilled my cravings after 2.5 weeks in Europe having cold sandwiches.

Intruders in my home!

the other day, hubs and i had a very nice lunch at our usual hainanese chicken rice shop.

we came back to expect to dump ourselves in front of our TV and just laze about. I opened the door and lo and behold. i just stood there speechless, looking at our kitchen counter and going uhhh uhhhh.....

then hubs being the hero starting yelling SHOO! SHOO! Boo! (wat a ruckus)

not 1 but TWO monkeys were in my kitcheeeeeennnn!!! BWAAAAAAAA

one was brown and the other white. good grief! the brown fellow was actually analysing my LOCK LOCK containers of dried fruits and nuts.. using his fingers and running thru the containers like he was actually studying which to take! arrggghh and I can remember his horrible tail all curled upwards arrggghhh on my kitchen counter!!!

they jumped off into the open window with a packet of my brown rice. Ed then started being the hero again and jumped there to continue his booing ruckus. At this point I was actually wondering who was the bigger monkey.

Then the WORSE thing was, he started getting ice cubes from the fridge and hurling them at the monkeys.

-_-

I think he got a pretty good kick out of it coz he went HAHA! and all excited and took more ice cubes to throw. The monkey had the cheek to just sit on the fence, eating his nice packet of brown rice and just stare at the bigger monkey throwing ice cubes.

-_-

so there, that's my latest update. gotta clean up my kitchen from all those 'hand' prints

can't leave my windows open anymore :(

AH SOON

Great name for a restaurant eh? Ah Soon. I have a cousin called Ah Soon too.
This placed was recommended by none other than my food buddy, MY. Go to her if you wanna know some of the best places to fill your tum.

Not too far from where we stay, basically if I remember it right, just go along MRR2 all the way from Melawati, past Sri Damansara until you come to Desa Aman. Turn into it and somewhere, somehow you'll find it. Sorree!!! I'm terrible with directions. Call MY, or my hubs if you wanna know exactly how to get there. :P

yea yea I'm hopeless

So what's good here? Ta da! Steam fish again heh heh. We like to eat healthy food :) Its not Teo Chew style. Could be Hokkien style. Anyway, the fish is fresh, sweet and the soup is very flavourful. They serve yau char kwai to throw into the soup! What an excellent way to soak up the soup and enjoy. Its like fish kut teh. :P

Next is the wild boar curry. WOO.

The meat was tender and cooked just right. How do they do it? Not at all like any of the tough, dry and tasteless wild boar meat that I've tried. Is that 4-angle beans there? yea I think it is. This post was suppose to be up a month ago.

I was so busy balancing between eating and taking photoz, (trust me its not an easy task) that I forgot to take a photo of one of the dishes. I dunno wat you call this veg but its soft, has a slightly slimy layer on the surface of its leaves yet its crunchy. You can see part of it in the pix above and below. i think its a seasonal veg, recommended by the peeps at the restaurant. You must ask them for their seasonal greens. Apparently they have unique ones here and they're cooked well too.

At the bottom is tau fu with minced meat. Not bad too. Pardon the lack of details and descriptions. But be rest assured this is a good place to go eat. So its worth the drive there.

Biz hours: 11am-6pm so its just open for lunch

Close on Sundays!

Add: No.122, Desa aman, Batu 11, Jln Sg Buloh.

Tel: 6140 3510

What I do when I'm bored

1. Listen to soundtracks and guess which movies they're from.
Remember Jurassic Park? The music is incredible - I can just about picture those fantastic scenes when we first see the dinosaurs. Wow. I so wanna watch it again.

I can even guess American Beauty's soundtrack - beat that!

2. Look for clothes online.

3. Eat milk and cereal.

4. water plants? nah...

5. Select a book to read from the many piles lying around in my house. They are everywhere! Outside the toilet, on the bed, on the bedside table, on the kitchen table.. Arrgghhh and they are either about politicians or on self development or mind power or age-proofing your brains... Urgh, i need to buy more chic lits. My husband's books are growing more than my stack.

6. Describe my 6-word memoir
" Lost my wedding ring to penguins"
--> Bet no one else can say that.

7. Clean my fridge

8. Plan things to buy to restock my fridge

9. Clean my fridge

10. Budget my grocery shopping

yUMmiliCiOUS !

Gardenia just launched (or maybe it was some time already but i just discovered it) a new range called Delicia.


This loaf is absolutely HEAVENLY, really Really REALLY GOOD!


You smell it before you see it.


Well, that's how I found it. Pick up a pack and breathe in deeply. Its healthy.


The sweet and buttery smell of butterscotch will make you salivate!


The bread is wonderfully soft with bits of melted butterscotch in it. mmmMMM


Only RM4/loaf


I just discovered this very morning that there's also a choc raisin flavour too! Almost finish half a loaf for brekkie good grief..


So good you can even eat it on its own!

Grab one today!

Hitting the big 3-0

I've been in denial mode the whole year since I'm a Dec kid. But now Dec has come and gone and I am now unarguably 30.


People say things change when you hit 30.. especially for women. Your body goes into automatic mode to grow more white hair, in more obvious spots, have more allergies, put on more weight in more obvious spots, turn drier, more wrinkly, crinkly - oh no more smooth, supple skin despite all the cosmetics you sweep off the counter.


Man.


But then, I've got a great life partner (who is now busy packing for his 8am paintball session tomorrow), wonderful family, a cosy home of my own, a crazee bunch of friends and a job i enjoy (70% of the time and that should be good right?).


Lots to be thankful for :)


And places to go eat and blog about. Heh.




Have you been to Neroteca? Its an Italian restaurant tucked in Lorong Ceylon, KL. This is my 2nd time here and they serve delicious pastas. Affordably priced too, except for their specialities like roast suckling pig. Go for that only if you're willing to splurge :)








Sorry my pics arent that good, its got a pretty dark ambience.


-_-

Ok TIME OUT. My ridiculous husband is testing out his paintball gear at 12am. Knee guards, chiplak army pants and his 2nd hand face mask that makes him look like Darth Vader. Good GRIEF.


Sigh.














This is the appetizer I ordered. Prosciutto e Melone (fresh parma ham and melon) RM 34. Absolutely delicious. Love the saltiness and hammie taste of prosciutto with the cold, sweet and refreshing melons.



For mains, I had Parmigianna eggplant with ham and smoked cheese RM22. This was ok. Perhaps because I wasnt very hungry and there was a wee bit too much of mozarella and too little eggplant. A little overpowering for me tastebuds.




Hubs ordered Tagliatelle Funghi e Prosciutto, ham and mushrooms RM22. Large portion and VERY GOOD. Love the cream base and mushrooms. Tops for me!




So far from my 1st and 2nd visits, their pastas with ham were very good. Try those if you love the taste of porky ham.


To wash it all down, we had a refreshing scoop of strawberry gelato. It was smooth with bits of berries, love the natural strawberry taste. RM6/scoop.








I'll definitely dine in this place again whenever I have the craving for a really good bowl of comforting, creamy pasta.

Important note: Make bookings in advance to avoid disappointments especially for dinner on weekends. Seats are limited.

Hello 2009!!

It has been AGES since i last posted!! Its been a crazy few months, busy with work, church activities, having fun hahah! All in all, 2008 was a great year. I dont think I had like life changing moments but it was rather made up of a lot of small, fun, great moments all mixed up together.


Let's see... i had my first go at Karaoke! phhooeeett! And then I went again! Never thought I'd enjoy karaoke but if you're with a crazee crowd, its really fun!


I didnt travel much this year as compared to previous years, gotta cut down on all these luxuries. Yessirree. Sigh, there goes my big plans for a holiday in New Zealand.. maybe in 2 years time.. hopefully.


I didnt cook as much as I wanted to. Hmm the cooking bug seems to have left me. Sigh. I better get my cooking buddy MY and plan wat we intend to try out for year 2009 or else I will just get plain lazy.


I made a lot of good frens this year. You learn a lot from different people. And they really make you grow as a person.


I learnt how to make mooncakes!!


Anyhoo, the whole reason for this post was actually to blog about my latest recipe. MY and I couldnt resist making this classy dessert/starter (don't know which) for a fren's christmas do.

Our very own Christmas Cheese Log!!

Bring it to any potluck and you'll receive plenty of praises, plus its super easy to make!





Lookit all those yummy nuts...mm Hmmm!

What you'll need is just - 1 block of Philadephia cream cheese, any nuts and dried fruits of your choice. We used dried pineapples (they are delish! you absolutely MUST try them), pistachios and dried apricots. Another version was with almond flakes sans the pistachios. The first definitely tasted better because of the pistachios but the latter was not bad too. You can try with walnuts, or more luxurious nuts like macadamia, brazil nuts .... i love NUTS!

So, just leave the cream cheese out to soften a bit. Chop up all the dried fruits. Toast the nuts for a wee bit in the oven then chop them up too. Mixed the dried fruits into the cream cheese and stir them up. Plonk the cream cheese onto a piece of aluminium foil and start sprinkling the chopped nuts all over. Use the foil to roll the cream cheese into the shape of a log. Press in all the nuts, sprinkle more and repeat till your log is bursting with those nuts.

The pistachios really make the logs look beautiful with their shades of beige, brown and green.

Serve with some crackers and enjoy the praises!

Hainanese Chicky Rice, Tmn Melawati

Above portion is slightly more than 1/2 a chicken, RM18

Lookit that chicken, so beautifully roasted, the flesh is tender, juicy and dripping with flavour. The skin is super 'hiong' and all the fat has melted off from it so you don't have the gross fatty bits. Served with a light sauce and cucumber slices, this dish is just perfect!



The 'yellow rice' as we call it, is cooked with the drippings from the roasted chicken. You can imagine how delicious and fragrant it is. Doesnt the rice look so nice and fluffy too? I love pics that are able to show the details well :)



This shop also serves various side dishes like taugeh, tauhu and green veg.

Good food that's affordably priced with friendly service every time! My parents love the food here too, mum says it serves one of the best roast chicken she's ever tasted!

Located at the food square in Taman Melawati town centre. Opens everyday except Thursday. The chicky runs out fast, problie till 2.30 to 3pm only so head there early for your lunch!

For more reviews and detailed directions:
Heart2 Heart
Past, Present, Future

Soba Buckwheat Noodles

I love the earthy colour of soba. Made from buckwheat flour, its a healthy alternative to normal noodles. Contrary to its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat! According to Wikipedia, the name buckwheat or beechwheat comes from its triangular seeds which resemble the seeds of the beech nut and the fact that it is used very much like wheat.


I roughly know buckwheat has plenty of healthy benefits. A quick research proved this. Several interesting links The World's Healthiest Foods, BBC News.


I couldnt resist buying a pack of organic soba made from buckwheat when I was at Cold Storage. It looked sooo healthy, and I felt immediately healthier after buying it. Ha.





I've eaten cold soba and soba in hot soups at japanese restaurants but havent tried it dry. So I'm breaking the rules (or so I think la). Anyhoo, I threw together a simple dish and was plenty pleased with the results. Must be some inner talent. Finally!


Shredded some carrots finely, chopped up some garlic and sliced up some leek, celery and some cabbage into thin strips. Everything cut and ready, I cooked the soba first according to instructions. Lo and behold that was when I realised hey! this is from China!! Good grief, anyway it isnt white in colour so it shouldnt need to have melamime. But my mind started to imagine stuff and the noodles started to look like strips of cardboard or wood shavings pressed together. HEEELLPP!


oh what the heck. My stomach is growling and I already cut up everything. If its cardboard or wood, it should be pretty neutral to my system so let's continue.


Saute the garlic then add in the leek and celery. Cook till fragrant and slightly soft. Add the carrots and cabbage. Cover and let it cook for a bit. Onwards to the soba, cook it just like pasta, in salted boiling water for about 5-8 mins or until soft. Drain, rinse in cold water then put it into the wok with the veggies and mix em up well.


Add salt to taste and some organic mushroom powder if you have some. Tadah! I love the texture and the taste of the buckwheat soba. Really, you don't need to load it with too many ingredients, just simple veggies to subtly enhance its already distinctive taste.


Go over to Simply Recipes or 101 Cookbooks for more simple recipes on buckwheat soba noodles. Enjoy!

Bellaroma Cafe, Damansara Perdana

Another Saturday, and the hunt for good food is on! I've been having cravings for good Italian food for too long.

Throughout weekdays, I mentally make plans to cook during the weekend. Must eat healthy. Must not spend on extravagant food outside. Must explore more recipes.

Sat morning - off to the market, buying all sorts of stuff that (I think) I need.

Sat afternoon - sleepy... need rest.

Sat evening - Hey! let's go out and call so and so!

I dont know how Hubs bears with me. I know I would strangle myself.

Anyhoo, so yea, I didnt cook and we ended up in Bellaroma. Check out their website. Menu and prices are listed.


As neither of us dined here before, we decided to order Chef recommendations. First up. Appetizers.
Italian Crostini with spinach and ricotta. Topped with Parmesan. Pretty good. But I can never get over how much we have to pay for just 4 mini slices of bread. Not at Bellaroma in particular but in almost all Italian restaurants.

Next, the Mediterranean pizza. Roasted capsicums, olives and feta cheese. Tasty and I love their pizza dough! (sorry for the dark pictures, lighting wasnt good and the only functions I know are whether to have the flash on or off :P)

We also had the Lamb Pizza which came with generous, succulent pieces of lamb, all nice and juicy with crumblings of feta cheese. I would have preferred more rosemary though to cut through the general saltiness of the toppings.

The mushroom and blue cheese pizza was also delicious.

Yes and yet another pizza we tried was the Mafia. This was also savoury and delicious. Beef sausage, olives, onions and quail eggs. How can that combination not make your mouth water?

I think what I like best in Bellaroma is the refreshing combination of ingredients used as pizza toppings. They are like a breath of fresh air and everything just reads off deliciously from the menu. You picture it in your mind while ordering and wait for it patiently. They don't disappoint.

The pizzas stole the limelight, the pastas dimmed in comparison. They were ok but I think pretty standard. We badly wanted to try the pot roasted let of lamb pasta unfortunately it sold out.

Hop over there for good pizzas at affordable prices.