田鸡 - My First Leap

Those who want frog or 田鸡 sit at Table 1. Those who do not shall sit at Table 2. Those are the instructions given by my friends, when they organised a retirement celebration dinner for my colleague's wife, a lady whom we all know quite well.

田鸡 or Tian Ji is a species of frog that is edible. Its Chinese name literally means "Rice Field Chicken" . Since I hadn't eaten frogs before, I thought I'd take my first leap - heh - I mean my first try. So I sat at Table 1 together with the other frog enthusiasts. Hmn .... it won't be that scary, I thought. Many people said that it tasted like chicken - or better than chicken, in fact, as the meat would be sweeter and more succulent.

We ordered our frogs cooked in Kung Pao (宫保) style - meaning I was expecting the flavours to be bold, spicy ....

Frogs in Kung Pao Sauce ... 

I picked up a tiny piece of meat with my chopsticks gingerly, checked it a bit and popped it in my mouth. The meats' juices exploded as I bit into it .... and my tongue and brain registered textures and flavours that were somewhat unfamiliar. The meat was bouncy, yet tender, and had a slightly fishy taste. Though I did not quite like it, I went for a second piece. This time I picked up part of a leg - part of a drumstick. This piece of meat had the same bouncy texture .... but no fishy taste. At the same time, I couldn't detect any of the sweetness from the meat. Perhaps it was overpowered by the strong flavours from the sauce.

After 2 pieces, I have had enough. Heh. My first taste of frogs hadn't been that impressive. According to my friend, the best way to appreciate the flavour is by cooking the frogs in shredded ginger with clear broth. Hmn ... he must be right. Heh. 

No one at my table praised this dish too. Perhaps it was really not cooked in the right way. Anyway, my favourite dish of the night was Venison and Kailan Stirfry ....

 I love red meat!!

Thin slices, tender and nicely flavoured with shredded ginger, paired really well with crunchy kailan ....

But everyone else's favourite was ...

Hakka Yong Tau Foo

The meat filling was very tasty - salty and full of flavour; I liked the zing from the chilli dip as well.

That night, our dinner was at You Fook Restaurant at Desa Moyan, located about 20 km from the city centre along Jalan Batu Kawa-Matang. Overall, the food was not bad. I'd bring the folks here for dinner next time. :))