Prawn Omelette (蝦仁煎)

One popular Chinese dish is oyster omelette (蚵仔煎), which is easily available at any Chinese eateries.

In my household, we often eat prawn omelette (蝦仁煎) instead of oyster omelette. In Teochew, we call it hay luak (蝦煎). My late maternal grandmother used to babysit me when I was a child, and I vaguely remember her making prawn omelette for me. Now, mom cooks it for us. Both my brother and I love it.

For the batter, Mom mixes tapioca flour with water. Then she cooks the batter in a non-stick pan with prawns, spring onions, and beaten eggs. The ingredients give off a fragrant aroma as they cook.

Prawns, eggs and spring onions in the pan

Once one side of the omelette is cooked, Mom flips it over to cook the other side. Mom dishes out the omelette when it turns golden brown in colour.

Prawn omelette

The omelette is fragrant, starchy and gooey, but the edges are crispy, and the prawns are sweet.

A close-up shot

Prawn omelette is dipped in fish sauce with a dash of pepper before eating.

Fish sauce and a dash of pepper

I don't think prawn omelette is sold anywhere here in Kuching, or even in Miri. At least I haven't come across before.

Lunch at Hoi Tin Lou (海天楼)

海天楼 or Hoi Tin Lou Restaurant is located at Pannovel Commercial Centre, Jalan Mendu. It cannot be seen from the main road as it faces the residential area.

Hoi Tin Lou used to be at Grand Continental Hotel, Kuching. It relocated only very recently as its lease at its previous location expired. Back when they were there, they did not serve pork. But at their new establishment, pork is included in the menu.

Hoi Tin Lou opens on weekdays for lunch from 10.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. On weekends, it opens at 8.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. It opens for dinner at 5.00 p.m. daily.

Dad, Mom and I decided to go there for lunch yesterday. We went before 12.00 p.m., and the place was quite empty. There were only 2 tables of diners.

While waiting for our orders, we munched on a platter of braised peanuts. I thought the peanuts were soft and were quite tasty. Mom thought the taste of aniseed and 5-spice powder was a tad too strong.

Braised peanuts

We ordered the Spinach Noodles (菠菜面) with Seafood. As its name indicated, spinach noodles are used in this dish in place of the normal noodles. A dark coloured sauce is poured over the noodles, and the platter is topped with fresh fish slices, cuttlefish and prawns. There were stems of bok choy on the side too. The noodles were springy, and the sauce was really delicious. All of us liked the noodles very much.

Spinach Noodles

My serving of Spinach Noodles

Dad wanted to try the Honeyed Prawns (蜜汁虾). The prawns were battered and deep-fried, and then tossed with chunks of honey dew melon in a honey and mayonnaise sauce. Mom and I found the sauce too sweet. The restaurant was quite generous with the prawns, though.

Honeyed Prawns

I wanted to try the Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy (酶菜猪肉), but I was disappointed. No doubt the meat was chunky, but it I found that this dish was too soupy. I also felt that they flavour of the mui choy 酶菜 did not really infuse the meat.

Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy

Mom wanted to try the Stewed Beancurd with Assorted Meat. This beancurd dish came in a claypot, and like the other dishes, the restaurant was generous with the ingredients. There were snow peas, baby corn, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, chicken, and deep-fried egg beancurd in the claypot. If you asked me, I think the name of the dish should be Claypot Beancurd with Assorted Vegetables ;p.

Stewed Beancurd with Assorted Meat

Just out of curiosity, I ordered the Phoenix Claws (凤爪). I did not like it, as I found the sauce too watery. I also preferred my Phoenix Claws a bit sweeter. Mom thought the taste of the spices were too overpowering. Just for your information, Hoi Tin Lou serves Dim Sum too, though the variety is quite limited. They do have the usual Siew Mai and Radish Cake.

Phoenix Claws

The bill came to RM59.00 only. What a bargain! I recommend this unassuming restaurant, if you are looking for good food with a bargain.

Hartz Chicken Buffet

Aunt and I went shopping yesterday. After a while, Aunt wanted to go to Hartz Chicken Buffet at Sarawak Plaza for a late lunch. She had not eaten there for at least 2 years, she said. Well, I told her I had not eaten at Hartz Chicken Buffet since secondary school! And that's like more than a decade ago.

Hartz Chicken Buffet has been at Sarawak Plaza for a long time already. When I was young, my parents would bring us for a treat once in a while.

The signboard outside the restaurant stated RM17.70 per adult. When we paid, the cashier charged us RM15.00 each. I was surprised at the discount, but the cashier did not even bother to explain. Aunt said when I was charged less, I should just shut up ;p. Anyway, we later found out that 2.00 – 4.00 p.m. was designated Happy Hour and therefore we were given a discount.

I found it quite amusing that the docket was attached to a piece of paper that stated the policies of the restaurant. Here is a summary of what was stated :
1) Cannot tapau
2) Cannot eat outside food in the restaurant
3) Cannot take home the utensils
4) 2 hours limit only

Dine with Rules

Well, what was there to eat?

There were free re-fills of soft drinks, as well as coffee and tea. There was fried chicken, roasted chicken, deep-fried chicken livers and gizzards, deep-fried sweet potato and potato crisps, and onion rings. Aunt asked for deep-fried fish slices, but they had run out of those.

Next to the fried foods, there were bread rolls, and some bread pudding. I wanted to take a bread roll, but found it hard and cold. So I did not bother.

One counter held a tray of mashed potato with 2 types of sauces to choose from. I chose the white sauce over the brown sauce, and I think I made the wrong choice. The white sauce tasted like milk, and it did not complement the mash at all.

2 pieces of fried chicken, some onion rings, and mashed potato in white sauce

At the same counter was steamed rice and some cooked dishes, such as oyster chicken, stir-fried brinjal, stir-fried angled gourd, a turnip casserole, and a sweet-and-sour tofu dish. I did not eat any of those, while aunt tried a little bit of each. She liked the brinjal but did not care for the others.

Two types of soup were served yesterday. One was the clear pumpkin and potato soup, which Aunt tried. She quite liked it. I ate the sweetcorn chicken soup, which is a creamy soup with diced roasted chicken and sweetcorn kernels. I liked the fact that the soup was hot.

Clear Pumpkin and Potato Soup

Creamy Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

At the salad bar, there were an assortment of vegetables like capsicum, carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks, tomato wedges, and lettuce leaves. Two types of dressing were offered – the Italian and the French dressing. There was a pasta salad and a coleslaw too, which I liked. The pasta salad looks pleasant to the eye, with sweetcorn kernels, diced green capsicum, diced tomatoes, and beans.

Pasta Salad

Coleslaw

There were also fruits such as watermelon, pineapple and honey dew. Sad to say, the vegetables and fruits did not look very fresh, and thus not so appetising. Aunt waited for a refill, and managed to get some freshly cut watermelon slices. She said they were quite sweet.

Watermelon slices

For desserts, soft serve ice-cream was available. The flavour of the day was strawberry. Beside the ice-cream machine were cakes and cookies. The cakes looked quite dry and the cookies did not look good enough to tempt me to try them.

Well, I think the restaurant is now quite run-down, and the lightings do not enhance the interior at all. I can't say that there's anything to shout about the food, which I think is pretty ordinary. However, if you're in for an economical all-you-can eat meal, Hartz Chicken Buffet is the place for you.

Sin Kwang Foochow Big Pau

Dad bought this Big Pau from Sin Kwang Foochow Big Pau at Jalan Padungan here in Kuching. Over the years, it has made quite a name for itself, where Big Paus are concerned.

The pau costs RM3.00 each. It measures 14 cm in diametres, and at its highest point, it has to be at least 5 cm tall. It's so big that I can't finish it on my own. I halved it and this is what it looks like.

The filling is a compact ball of minced meat, topped with a slice of hardboiled egg. There's some sort of veges in the filling that gives it a crunchy texture. I haven't the slightest idea what veges are in there, but in my mind, I'm thinking some kind of preserved vegetable.

Dad always buys the Big Paus on Thursdays. He says that's the day the vendors prepare their a fresh batch of filling to last them the whole week.

The pau skin or pastry is slightly sweet, and goes very well with the savoury filling. A winning combination that certainly satisfies your craving for a good pau.

Dreaded Phonecalls

When I’m on holiday, I try not to think about work, or anything related to work for that matter. I really dread it whenever I receive a phone call from school. There is surely nothing good when the school contacts you.

This holiday I’d received 2 calls. One was an enquiry about some work that I left behind for the temps to complete during the holiday. The other call took place today, and it left me a strange feeling in the stomach.

My Senior Assistant called this afternoon and informed me that I’d been appointed Senior Assistant for Form 6 at my school. The appointment came from the State Education Department, and with immediate effect.

I can’t help but feel a little bit weird about the position. Senior Assistant for Form 6? What does it mean? What do I have to do? What does the job entail? Anyway, I looked up the Internet and read that I was to be more or less a manager for Form 6 affairs.

Actually, I was already a manager of sorts of Form 6 last year. I was the “Guru Pengurusan” or teacher-co-ordinator for Form 6, and I handled everything related to Form 6. This year, the role was given to someone else, and I was put in charge of Form 5. It so totally left me bereft, as I am so totally bent on helping Form 5 this year.

So what now? What am I to do? I am really expected to change my bearings pronto.

Aloha Delicatessen Bakery : Chicken Pie

These are chicken pies, bought from Aloha Delicatessen Bakery. It is located at Jalan Song, the same block as Upwell Supermarket, here in Kuching.

These are purportedly the best pies available commercially at this part of the world. I distinctly remember a cousin, bringing these pies all the way to KL for some friends last year.

It's my first encounter with these pies. Having heard of their reputation before this, I had really high expectations of them.

The pies were quite fragile, the shortcrust pastry soft and crumbly. I halved one of the pies and found them generously filled with diced chicken, sliced button mushrooms, carrots, and bits of onions. The filling was moistened with what tasted like mushroom soup and cream.

I think the chicken pie lives up to its expectations, if you love pastries like I do and are looking for something delightful to snack on for your afternoon tea.

Aloha Delicatessen Bakery was featured in an advertorial in Happenings in Sarawak, Volume 8 last year.

If you need to satisfy your craving for a pie, do head over to Aloha Delicatessen Bakery.

Japchae 잡채

Dangmyeon 당면 is Korean glass noodle, made from either yam or sweet potato starch. It is featured in a dish called Japchae 잡채, which is stir-fried dangmyeon in assorted vegetables and meats. Japchae is typically flavoured with sesame oil and soy sauce.

My cousin cooked Japchae last night. She bought the dangmyeon all the way from Kuala Lumpur. I certainly haven't seen dangmyeon on sale in supermarkets in Kuching. Uncooked, it is gray in colour, and very much thicker than the Chinese glass noodles.

She blanched the noodles in boiling water for a few minutes before draining them. She tossed the noodles in a little bit of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together.

In a wok, she sauteed some garlic in sesame oil, and then added sliced shiitake, minced pork, julienned carrots and 菠菜 spinach. Once cooked, she turned off the flame and added in the noodles. She stirred to mix them well. Only some light soy sauce is used as flavouring.

She then garnished the noodles with julienned egg omelette and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. When cooked, the noodles turn transparent and have a chewy texture. The dangmyeon soaks up the flavours from the sesame oil and the combination of meat, mushroom and vegetables making it a very tasty dish.

Japchae can be served by itself as a main dish, or it can be eaten as a banchan반찬 .