Bakes @ Xiao Ba Wang

Dad went to place an order for steamed buns or baos at Xiao Ba Wang at Jalan Padungan the other day. And I tagged along. So while Dad was busy ordering, I browsed the covered trays on the shelves around the bakery and decided to buy myself ...

Pork Ham Bun, RM1.60

There were lots of these buns in the tray, compared to the other types of buns. So I assumed that this must have been popular among customers. Hence, I did not hesitate getting myself a piece. Well, it was essentially twin rolls of bread with a dollop mayonnaise atop each roll. Each roll has got a thin slice of ham coiled in it. Hmn ... Mom liked it, but I thought it was mere ordinary. 

Shao Bao, RM1.60
The pastry was crispy and rather flaky, and compactly filled with chewy bits of char siew. I liked it as the filling had texture and was tasty. My parents, however, preferred Chong Chon's. I thought it would not be fair to compare as the filling for the Chong Chon's pastries were entirely different. So, of course, if you are looking for char siew-filled shao bao, I would recommend these pastries from Xiao Ba Wang.

Shao Mai @ Sin Kwang Foochow Pau

I went to buy some Big Bao from Sin Kwang Foochow Pau at Padungan the other day, and saw that they had shao mai. Since I had not eaten their shao mai before, I decided to buy some to try.

The shao mai cost RM0.80 per piece. I thought it was expensive as it was quite small in size. I suppose it's true when they say that good things come in small packages ... hmn. 

Back at home, Mom was the first person to try the shao mai. She liked it immediately as it was firm to the bite. It was quite tasty, overall. Just that it was expensive. Nevertheless, I would not mind indulging myself once in a while. 

Durians

I told Mom I wanted to eat durians. But they weren't in season. At the market, I saw a miserable 3 pieces sold at a vegetable stall. Then, outside the market, there was a group of old folks surrounding a few more pieces of durian. That was it.

When I came home from the market, however, Dad opened the car boot and carried out a basinful! Yippie! I was ecstatic. They came from my Uncle's orchard. Geez, I still could not believe that my wish was granted just like that!

Many, many durians ... 

So that afternoon, we had durians for lunch. The fruits were fresh, sweet, creamy, buttery - like a rich concoction of banana and caramel custard.

Lol. I guess it had been too long since my last durian-eating spree. I stuffed myself silly with 16 seeds!

Korean Ginseng & Chicken Soup

Dad's friend gave him a piece of fresh ginseng which he had bought during a holiday to South Korea. It cost a bit more than a hundred ringgit, according to Dad. I thought it was expensive, yet it was really generous of Dad's friend to gift him with the medicinal root. Mom kept it in the fridge and waited for me to come home so that I'd get to eat it too ... ;))

So that morning, Mom bought a fresh free-range chicken to boil some soup with ginseng. Traditionally, in South Korea, ginseng is used to cook samgyetang, where chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled with ginger, garlic and red dates. But Mom decided not to add any other ingredients that day, i.e. wolfberries and mushrooms.  So it was just chicken and ginseng boiled over low fire for many hours.

Fresh korean ginseng, washed

Hmn ... ginseng is said to have a lot of health benefits. I am not sure what health benefits, though. A search on Google revealed that it is supposed to aid blood circulation and promotes general well-being. 

Korean ginseng soup

Well, I doubt that drinking the soup on a single occasion will make me healthy in any way. So I suppose I was more focussed on the taste. So what did it taste like? Hmn .... the ginseng was quite delicate in flavour, surprisingly. I suppose I had expected it to taste bitter and having a strong medicinal taste. But, it was really yummy - sweet, earthy and umami. I thoroughly enjoyed the soup. 

So ... if I ever visit South Korea, I think I'd not hesitate to buy some fresh ginseng roots ... I'd have Chicken & Ginseng soup anytime!!

Beef Noodles

Mom likes beef noodles, cooked in HER way.

Mom's beef noodles ...

But actually, it was yum.  Just that it was a lot of work.

First Mom blanched the beef and tripe and then braised them in spices and seasonings till they softened.  A lot of stuff went into the braising liquid, i.e. cinammon, star anise, cloves, pepper, ginger, spring onions, garlic and shallots, soy sauce, oyster sauce and a bit of wine. It was a slow process too, as it cooked in a clay pot for many hours over low fire.

When the beef and tripe were ready, noodles were blanched and tossed in some shallot oil, seasonings and also beef broth. Then, they were topped with thinly sliced beef, tripe and some crunchy blanched beansprouts. Mom served her noodles hot, with a chilli, ginger and garlic vinegar. They were sure tasty. Yum!!

Vegetarian Kolo Mee

Stall 43 at the Kenyalang Wet Market is a vegetarian stall which sells vegetarian kolo mee. Grandma likes the kolo mee. Dad likes it. I like it. And obviously lots of people like it. There were a lot of patrons tucking in the kolo mee every morning - if the stall is open, that is. And that morning, when I patronised the stall, I waited a long time for my order to come.

 Vegetarian kolo mee, RM2.50

The noodles were topped with blanched vegetables, and deep-fried beancurd, diced beancurd, gluten and mushrooms. Both the noodles and the topping were very nicely flavoured. The myriad of textures were pleasant. 

These vegetarian noodles were absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!

Durian Blossoms Curry

Durian flowers are in bloom now. It being leap year this year, somehow durian flowers are in abundance. I'm not sure whether that has been scientifically proven, but according to old folks, that's how it has always been.

There were plenty on sale at the neighbourhood market. Mom said that they were RM8.00 per kg at first, but the price quickly dropped to RM6.00 per kg as of now. But we did not have to buy those flowers as we got ours for free!

My neighbour aunty and Mom's walking partner gave us a bagful yesterday. Again, this goes to show that I've got really great neighbours here. Anyway, Walking Auntie obtained the durian blossoms from her daughter's farm at Muara Tuang. There was a lot, she said.

So, after thanking her, Mom and I cleaned the durian blossoms. It was a lot of work as we picked and clean the flowers, stalk by stalk. The durian flowers had a fragrant smell.

 A portion of cleaned durian blossoms

While we worked, Mom regaled me with stories from her childhood. She said it was customary for her to gather durian blossoms when she was a child. Armed with a torch light, Mom and her siblings would go out from the house early in the morning to collect the flowers. Mom said the durian flowers were a rare treat, and was most welcome in the household. My maternal grandma would cook the durian blossoms in a curry gravy. Till now, durian flowers made Mom reminisce the flavours of her childhood.

Anyway, Mom wanted to cook a curry that day. So I helped her pound the ingredients, which comprised garlic, shallots, chillies, dried prawns and belacan.

 The ingredients ...

Later Mom sauteed them till fragrant .. 

Sauteeing ...

After that, curry powder was added, followed by some pork, durian blossoms and water ... 

Cooking the durian flowers ....

And finally, fresh coconut milk and seasoning were added. Dish out ....

Yummilicious-looking durian blossoms in curry gravy ...

And served hot with steamed rice. Yum .... it was very delicious as the durian blossoms were crunchy, and infused the flavour of the curry. I'd eat a lot of rice with a just a plate of curry!

Pig's Head Meat

The pig's head reminds me of Lord of the Flies, where the imagery of an impaled pig's head is forever stuck there in my mind.

Ok. Let's not be gross. But people are actually fond of eating 猪头肉, literally translated to English as Pig's Head Meat.

Hmn ... I really do not know the butchery term for it ... but anyway, Second Aunt bought half a pig head. She said that it was really worth buying as it was really cheap.

She then braised the meat ... and gave me some to eat! 

A pig's head platter with the dips ...

Well, the different parts of the meat had different textures ... some were lean ... some were crunchy ... the skin was chewy ... but most of all, I loved the fatty cut of meat that melts in the mouth .... ahhhh ... those were just heavenly ...

Aunt's soy gravy was superb, not too salty and very fragrant. Likewise, the chilli and garlic vinegary dip enhanced the flavour of the meats. Loved this homemade goodness! Thanks, Auntie!!

Squares

My neighbour, R******* made us these ...

I thought they looked so pretty.

Sambal squares

Well, it's just steamed glutinous rice sandwiched with sambal floss, with a toasted nori sheet on top. Simple and they tasted good too.

Jelly squares

The white ones were plain coconut milk jelly, while the ones in front of a brownish hue had dried persimmons in them. Hmn .. I'd never eaten dried persimmons like this before so it was quite a novelty. The jelly tasted refreshing on a hot day like this! 

Well, it sure is great to have good neighbours. ;) 

Vadai @ Kenyalang Theatre & Commercial Centre

Just outside the Kenyalang Theatre and Commercial Complex is an Indian lady selling Indian treats which she makes herself. She's been there forever! And she speaks fluent Hokkien.

"How much?" I asked her, pointing to the vadai in a round tray on the plastic foldable table.

"5 pieces for RM2.00. How many pieces do you want?" she asked me.

"How many do you have?" I asked her. At a glance, I saw that there were only 4 pieces left in the tray, the previous customer having bought a lot.

"I still have some in here," she said. She reached for a black plastic bag under the table on the floor. She opened the bag and poured out some more of the cakes.

"I'll take RM2.00," I said. "Do you make these yourself?"

"Yes," replied and thanked me. Our whole transaction was carried out in Hokkien.

Vadai

I loved the vadai. The spices and seasoning were very subtle, but they resulted in very fragrant and tasty fritters. The more you eat, the more you'd get addicted to these very savoury snack. Yum. 

Mom's Rice Dumpling

Mom said she'd kept her homemade rice dumplings for me. She had one thawed and steamed it for me for lunch.

 A giant dumpling

Filled with lots of meat and bits of mushrooms and a bit of yam paste

Another take ...

I had the dumpling with a cup of hot coffee. Bliss!

Macaron

Macarons are really popular of late. I'd see them get posted on Instragram all the time! Well, let's see. I had my first macaron in Singapore 2 years back. I remember liking the wafer-like texture, and of course, the rich filling sandwiched between two pieces of biscuits.

Since then, however, my encounter with them are quite limited. The other day, I went with Mom to The Lof @ Stutong. So while she was choosing bread to purchase, I wandered around the bakery. There I saw a box of macarons, so pretty in a multitude of colours and felt compelled to buy myself a box.

6 pieces @ RM15.00

Aren't they pretty?

Taste wise, hmn .... I think I prefer the ones I had in Singapore, which were lighter in texture. These macarons here crumbled way too easily and were much too sweet. Mom let out a loud yelp after having a bite. Lol.

Anyway, these maracons here would be my hatch day treat. ;p 

HAPPY HATCH DAY TO ME! 

Kolo Mee @ Young Kee

Mom and I walked to the market despite the rain. I needed the exercise, and Mom wanted to buy a veg to cook for dinner tonight. There weren't many people there due to the bad weather. So it just took a short while to buy what Mom needed.

After that, we went upstairs to the food court, where the breakfast crowd was enjoying their favourite dishes from their favourite stalls. I headed straight to Young Kee, my favourite noodle stall at the market.

There, I ordered the Kolo Mee Special.

 Kolo Mee Special, RM3.30

Well, the noodles were tossed and then topped with fresh ingredients, such as pork slices, fish balls and fish cake, intestines. The noodles is served with a chilli slices in vinegar, and also a small bowl of clear soup. The soup had some salted vegetables and a sprinkle of beansprouts. 

Noodles & soup

The noodles smelt great, very fragrant indeed. At the bottom of the bowl is broth, oils and sauces, which I had to mix well to coat the noodles before I tucked in. The noodles were very Q and so it was very pleasant to eat. The soup was piping hot, for which I was glad because I was freezing cold. 

So, for RM3.30, I was treated to a hot, yummy breakfast. I'd not say that it's healthy, but I suppose I could afford being unhealthy once in a while. ;p   

Dinner @ Zaika

"Long time no see," the waiter greeted us.

Well, yeah. We hadn't come here in a while. But for a special occasion of a farewell that night, we ordered for our appetiser ...

Chicken Koliwada, RM16.00

Tender chicken cubes wrapped in mint and spinach and served with a yoghurt sauce.

I enjoyed the chicken, which was tender and tasty, and I suppose it would not be wrong to say that it reminded me of kebab.

There was 30% off the tandoori menu because of Ramadhan, and so we had the ...

Panjabi Chicken Tikka, RM25,00

A spicy chicken skewer with Panjabi spices

Chicken breast was used, which I did not really fancy, even though the meat was not dry and was rather tender. It had a smoky flavour from the tandoor.

Of course, I had to have ....

Plain Naan, RM5.00 

The naan was absolutely yum. I loved the chewy texture.

And our mains ...

From the top, clockwise : A plain Basmati rice, RM5.00;  Red snapper fish curry, RM26.50; Bhindi Naintaraa, RM10.00; Mutton Rogan Josh, RM32.50.

Hmn ... the rice was very loose. I liked it. The Red Snapper curry had always been my favourite as I enjoyed the play of spices in the gravy. We polished off the fish curry in no time and asked for MORE gravy. The restaurant accommodated our request. It was nice of them.

The ladies finger was rather yum too. They were cooked in tomatoes, onions and spices, and I thought the flavours complemented each other well.

The mutton was tender and I preferred it with rice than the naan. Hmn ... somehow for me, the rice brought out the flavour of the curry more.

The damage? RM180.00 for four of us, inclusive of drinks. It was an occasional treat, but most importantly, I loved the food!

I'm Lovin' It : Chicken McNuggets

Sometimes, I have a craving for Chicken McNuggets. So I headed to McDonald's ...

Yum ... well-battered, well-fried, crispy, and tasty ... 

6 pieces of  Chicken McNuggets for RM5.95 ...

I enjoyed my snack tremendously!

Unhappy

I read the article here with much disdain.

Saturday August 11, 2012
Raya school break to start on Aug 16

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has agreed to set Aug 16 and 17 as replacement school holidays in conjunction with Hari Raya which is expected to fall on Aug 19.

“All parties will therefore have sufficient time to plan their trip home and avoid traffic congestion,” a statement from the Education Ministry said.

It also said the ministry would allow schools to apply for the replacement holidays through their respective registrar.

For coordination purposes, the ministry had proposed that schools choose Sept 8 and 22, both of which fall on Saturday, to replace their classes.

“But the classes must be the normal full session,” it said. - Bernama

* * *

For me, this announcement comes just TOO LATE. To get back to my hometown, I fly. If I were to fly, I would have purchased my flight ticket well in advance. Why? Given that it is a festive season, I would be NUTS to wait till the very last minute, to wait till the Cabinet announces a holiday, to buy my ticket. Because by then, the tickets would either be sold out or be cutthroat expensive.

According to the official school holiday schedule released at the beginning of the year, holiday starts on 18 August. So, logically, I would purchase tickets for a flight in the evening of 17 August. But now that there is a sudden change, I can actually leave by the evening of 15 August. That's a two-day difference, mind you.

A check on the flight details on 15 August showed that the air fares had hiked. Furthermore, if I were to purchase another ticket for home on 15 August, I would have wasted that RM200 I paid for my flight on 17 August. So, despite the announcement, I will still be going home on 17 August. The fact that schools can actually break on 16 August is of no use to me.

What makes me so MAD is that this situation can be entirely avoided if only it has been looked into at the beginning of the year. Why haven't the authorities done so? Why haven't the authorities consider those who need to FLY?

“All parties will therefore have sufficient time to plan their trip home and avoid traffic congestion,” a statement from the Education Ministry said.

PEOPLE WHO NEED TO TAKE FLIGHTS DON'T PLAN AT THE LAST MINUTE & TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS IRRELEVANT TO THEM!

Breakfast @ Auntie Hong's Cooking

It is now open on Sundays. The food, in fact, was quite nice. The waiting time, however, needs improvement. We waited a long time for our food. And they were dished out at different times. As a result, while one ate, the others looked. One would finish his or her food, before another's even arrived!

We had ...

Kolo Mee, RM3.20

The noodles were Q and fragrant, and the meat and mushroom mixture was tasty. Overall, it was yum. My friend rated it 8 out of 10. But, where is the char siu? Hmn ... for me, authentic kolo mee needs to have char siu and minced meat. Otherwise, it's not kolo mee at all ....

Kacangma Chicken,
Hmn ... there were 3 pieces of chicken in the bowl. The chicken was very soft and totally infused with the kacangma herbs. The broth was diluted, but sweet. It tasted alright, but I would not mind a thicker broth a bit more of ginger and herbs.

The rice that came together with the Kacangma, RM8.50 per set
Hmn ... I thought I was having nasi lemak. The sambal was piquant and fragrant. Not bad, except that it felt rather strange to be having it with Kacangma chicken.

Nyonya Fried Mee, RM6.00
I thought it looked like ordinary fried noodles. Taste wise, it was not bad, but not spicy and salty enough for me. Perhaps I was a bit biased, because when I saw the name, I was expecting the noodles to be like Madam Lim's Malacca Char Mee.

Mee Suah, RM6.00
I had the soup, and I liked it. I'd have this next time. ;))

Braised Pork With Egg

Tasted nice, had a home-cook feel to it and reminds me of home.

Meat roll

The meat filling tasted firm and Q. Not bad, and reminded me again of Mom. :))

Hmn ... I'd say that the food here isn't bad. What I don't like is that I have to ask for the condiments because they do not accompany the food. What's kolo mee without pickled red chillies? And where is my black soy sauce to eat with my kacangma and mee suah? How about some ground chilli for my braised pork? Hmn ... these are little bits of inconveniences, but they ARE inconvenient all the same. That looked into and if they will be more efficient in preparing the food, I think they'll do very well. For me, I'm happy there's another place to eat in town!

Raya Snacks

My school clerk takes orders for Raya goodies every year. Well, she doesn't make them herself. But she knows of people who do. So she is like the middle-person.

Every year, she sells these peanuts. Each peanut is covered with a spicy coating. For the past few Raya, I'd purchase a packet for my own consumption.

Half a kilogramme sells for RM12.00

Freshly-made, crunchy, spicy and very addictive. Once you start to eat them, it's difficult to stop! They are made in Kuching, and sent to Miri by bus.

This year, my clerk sells muruku too, and since I can never resist muruku, I bought a packet.

300g for RM8.00 

The muruku tastes a bit like Mom's curry flavoured snack. It has a hint of cumin and curry leaves, was crunchy and all. I did not like it much, though.

As soon as I bought them, I opened them up to share with my colleagues in the office, so we had the opportunity to munch these Raya snacks while chatting ... it's not every day that I get to sit around and talk to my colleagues so it was a rather enjoyable catch up time for me!

After that, however, I started to feel a slight discomfort in the throat ........... ;p

Kiwi Fruit

Recently, I have been fond of eating kiwi fruits. I like to eat them whole rather than sliced. That means, I will peel the furry skin off the entire piece of fruit before I bite into the pretty green flesh inside. That way, I get to enjoy a large chunk of the sweet yet tart, and refreshing fruit. Yum.

To me though, it is quite tedious to peel the fruit. It's the part that I dislike the most. I usually use a serrated knife to do this, and it takes me up to 5 minutes to finish peeling one fruit. I wish there is a kiwi fruit peeler. Is there?

Snacking In The Afternoon

My whole problem was that I had the tendency to snack. So I was walking around at Merdeka Mall in search of the book shop - I had never been there before and was looking to buy red pens, it being the exam season and I would be marking a lot - and came across Wilton Bakery.

The curry puffs looked great - fresh and firm. RM1.50 per piece, so I decided to get myself one. Then I went upstairs and there was a food and drinks outlet, and from there, I bought a skewer of tofu rolls. RM2.00 per skewer of 3 pieces. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure of the name of the shop.

 Curry Puff 

The filling

Hmn ... it was not great, I would say. The pastry was not tasty and the filling too seemed to be a bit too sweet. 

The tofu rolls

Well, it's tofu or beancurd skin wrapped around a mixture of filling. 

I really have no idea what was in there - probably processed meat and vegetables. It sure was not healthy but the rolls tasted alright. 

Hmn .... my craving was satisfied, but then guilt crept in ............

Dinner @ Maxim

This is not a place that we come often for dinner. But since we needed to buy some things at the nearby mall later in the night, we thought it'd be most convenient to eat there.

At 7.00 p.m., there was a sizeable crowd eating. We stood in front of a glass display case and pointed out what we wanted to eat. It was sure easy to order, because we were able to visualise the menu. 

We wanted ...

Tofu, Fish paste, sweet pea & carrot stir-fry

The gravy tasted alright. I liked the springy and chewy fish paste.

 

 Tom yum fish

Hmn. The tom yum paste was not too spicy for me, but I thought it had to be a bit more salty to bring out the  tom yum flavour. The fish by itself was fresh and sweet, though.

Sweet & sour pork ribs

The meat was tender, but the sauce which coated the ribs were a bit too sour. I like a sweeter variety.

Spinach in century egg & dried shrimps

My favourite dish of the night. Spinach tasted great with century eggs, and the dried shrimps added a burst of flavour to the bite. 

My friends and I also enjoyed a pre-dinner snack - yam chips.

Yam chips, RM4.00 per container. 3 containers sold for RM10.00

The yam was sliced very thinly and deep-fried, and then coated with flavouring. It was an enjoyable snack, and could get addictive. W** could not resist and bought 3 containers to take away. I was so tempted to get them myself, but of course ... I had to control my urges. 

Well, I'd say that this is a pleasant place to have dinner, and perhaps, we'd come back more often in the future.