Shiewie
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Posts posted by Shiewie
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Pictures galore, thanks kew
! Wow you're really lucky to have such a wide selection of fruits in your garden.Pan - curry leaves - think curry leaves plays a bigger part in Indian food than Malay food (but kew will know better
, sorry for jumping in) - but it has crept its way into other food here too - it's used in butter prawn/crabs and kam heong style prawns/crabs at Malaysian Chinese restaurants ... an example of the fusion of the influences of longstanding trade and migration you mentioned .kew - while we're on this topic of various influences on Malaysian food, why is spaghetti used in Laksa Johor? Is this traditionally so? A friend's mum's version also includes a garnish of minced preserved radish / chai poh (Hokkien) / choy poh (Cantonese) - she's Chinese muslim married to a Malay so perhaps it's a personal interpretation?
Here's a picture of the Laksa Johor we shamelessly pestered my friend to ask his mum to make for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al Fitr).
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Ooh very nice! Really like the first picture with the cut rounds of pastry. I have a fiddly pastry phobia (traumatised by a shortcrust pastry experience) and am extremely impressed by Picture 2 - a one hand maneuver on the pastry and other on the camera!
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kew, what do you call those sandwiches with a filling made from sausages wrapped with a thin fried omelette, seasoned with ground pepper, ketchup, with tomatoes and cucumber? Your picture of roti john reminds a lot of that. Is cucumber in burgers/sandwiches a Malaysian peculiarity?
Umm ... maybe Shiewie or Tepee can help out here. I have no idea. Yup, cucumber is a must ingredient. Laksa,
What you've described sounds like a hot dog from one of those Burger Ramly stalls. They do the same thing with a burger patty.
Is apam balik usually made with ground peanuts and sugar? Never had the creamed corn variety. Is the corn wet and does it affect the crispiness of the pancake?Usually, yes. Oh, they put just a few dollops of the corn. The big apam balik aren't crispy - they are more like a super thick pancake. The little ones which are made thinner are the crispy ones - these you have to eat them right away or they will become as chewy as rubberbands.
You may know this as ban chang kueh (hokkien) or dai kau meen (Cantonese).
kew - what do you call the little appams with banana and grated coconut in them (sort of the size of an apam berkuah) - slight confusion of terms as my family calls those apam balik and what you've described as apam balik by its Chinese name.
Could you tell me what apam is? Looks like ice cream...Apam Malaysia
Ingredients:
10 eggs
600gm sugar
600gm flour, sift
140ml ice-cream soda
1/2 coconut, grated
pandanus leaves
food colouring
Method:
Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add in flour and ice-cream soda.
Color the batter as you wish and spoon into molds. Add the pandanus leaves to the boiling water and steam theapam batter for 20-30mins until cooked.
Serve with grated coconut.
I actually bought a dozen of them but by the time the picture was taken, only 2 were left.
Laksa - they're also called huat kueh (hokkien) or fatt goh (Cantonese).
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Yes kew - pictures of the trees and fruits! We want pictures of everything - great time to test out the new camera
!How do you eat the kedondong? (The kedondong fruit is somewhat like a crunchy green mango with and odd-looking seed that has spiny fibres sticking out all over). I like it with a dip of dark soy sauce, sugar and cut red chillies.
(edited coz I type badly
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Buah nona! We used to have a buah nona tree at the old house when we were little. The texture is very similar a soursop but much sweeter (almost to the point of it being sickeningly sweet ... but then I don't like super sweet fruit
), without the refreshing tart undertones of a soursop. The ones we get here in Malaysia are around the size of a baseball. -
Since we're posting pictures of laksa...
Haha - I want to play too
.Here's one of curry laksa from one of the bistros in KL serving prettified hawker-style fare - I'm afraid this looks a lot better than it tastes (so am not naming the eatery since it doesn't deserve to be here). There's a lot of lieu/liao/goodies in it but the curry was bland and insipid - tossing the whole plate of sambal only helped marginally.
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I ordered the CKT without cockles and I had taken 3 bites of the dish before I remembered to take a picture of it. Sorry, rookie mistake.
That happens to me quite often too - once the food food comes, I've forgotten all about the pictures. And if I do remember, there are usually others at the table who can't wait! -
Woohoo! Kew and Teepee are bloggin at long last! Take banyak gambar ya (lotsa pictures).
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Oh yumm! Is this from the shop where the Penang road chendol shop is? Hmmm... no kerang / see ham (cockles)
? Looking at the size of the serving, think I'll need two plates of char kway teow though . -
Eh, Shiewie, do you think our friend Laksa needs a guide around KL/PJ?
A guide would've been a tremendous help when I was there last month.
Is it just me or is the food in Jalan Alor not as good as it used to be? The most memorable thing I had was the Thai fragrant coconut water (first time I tried that), and Fat Boy steamboat. The durian there is still good, but I imagine locals would know of better bargains away from downtown, right?I remember having some v good Penang Char Kway Teow years ago, but this time, it was just so-so.
Haiya Laksa - you could've PM'ed Tepee, MauKitten or me when you were in town and we would've been happy to be your guide
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That place looks awesome! I take it, they serve the new-style Nasi Kandar? Where is the place?
That place looks like Kayu Nasi Kandar in SS2, PJ.
Wow JC you must be a regular there! It is Kayu Nasi Kandar in SS2 in PJ. I think it's quite pricey actually so don't really go there often ... if you pile your plate with various stuff, it can end up around RM20 per person (around USD5) which is quite a lot by Malaysian standards. Malaysians love nasi kandar and Kayu now has six outlets here and is opening its first overseas outlet in Box Hill in Melbourne this April.
Also, is that tomato puree on the right of your banana leaf, and what's in the dark sauce?Pan - I have to confess that the picture I snapped wasn't mine
- the servers had just finished the order and I quickly snapped the picture when it was still on the counter. The dark sauce is the gravy from a beef stew (call it a stew and not curry as it wasn't spicy) ... not sure what the proper name is. -
Is Sun Ning part of Toisan? Mum's half Sun Ning but doesn't speak much of it.
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Here are some pics from a Nasi Kandar place I went to recently.
Nasi Kandar originates from Penang (at least the name Nasi Kandar did...but I guess it's South Indian in origin) where in days gone by, Indian Muslim vendors would ply the streets balancing two large containers bearing rice and different curries on the ends of a kandar, or pole... and hence its name.
Since then Nasi Kandar has gone upmarket. This place where I went to is air-conditioned with plasma TVs (usually tuned to English premier league matches)and an al-fresco section with mist fans for those who prefer to dine outside.
Make your selection! This is only half of what's available - there was another counter with trays whole fish heads, crabs and other seafood (not in the picture).
Roti tisu - a tower of crispy paper-thin roti spinkled with sugar and condensed milk.
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Not sure about the amber sauce but think the brownish colour of Taiwanese joong comes from dark soy sauce ... like the Hokkien (Fujian) style zhang we get in Malaysia / Singapore.
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Tepee
Isn't mani chai the vegetable they use in pan meen? Also used to masak lemak? If that's it, it's available in KL, just a lot less common.
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Excellent pics Laksa! Is the pasar (market) in Bintulu by the sea?
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Gastro - did you manage to get any photos of yourself in the kay poh if not the food? Only caught up with this thread today and it's been like a major catch up session of a TVB cantonese serial
!The food sounds really yummy ... sigh if we only had pics of it. BTW 'suet yee' is black cod.
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TP -
Magic Wok does take reservations. I think most people there for Chinese New Year's Eve would have made reservations (most restaurants will advise you to book when you call up to check whether they're open for the eve) however there were tables that still ended up waiting that night as the previous sitting finished dinner late. If you'd like their number for future references, it's 03-7729 2288.
Michael - I haven't written any published articles I'm afraid
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Thanks Ben
!Hi TP - the dinner was at Magic Wok in Damansara Jaya. It's open throughout Chinese New Year ... unfortunately it can be quite a wait, as is the case in all Chinese restaurants during this period. Our dinner 'session' was at 9pm ... and there were still others waiting for their tables!
The mar tai gou was sort of a mixture of mar tai (water chestnuts) and suk mai (corn) - the texture wasn't quite the usual, it was more like the nyonya hoen keuh texture.
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Hi Michael / Yetty
Come visit KL / Singapore (as Yue Sang is a Malaysian / Singaporean Chinese dish) during Chinese New Year the next time!
The ingredients for Yue Sang vary slightly from place to place but it's basically a mixture of julienned vegtables, pomelo, finely shredded candied and preserved fruit and fruit peels, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, fried dough pieces, jellyfish, slices of raw fish topped with a dressing of mainly plum sauce and oil with a dash of salt and pepper. Tepee posted a link to Renee's Shiokadelicious blog which features her family's version of Yue Sang.
Here's a picture of the various bits and pieces before it was topped with the fried dough pieces and dressing.
.The signifance of the communal mixing / tossing of Yue Sang (loh hei) is for good luck in the coming year. The loh hei is usually accompanied by sayings for good luck, wealth and prosperity - it's also believed that the higher you toss the Yue Sang, the better it is, as it symbolizes greater heights of good luck, wealth and prosperity in the coming year.
Yue Sang used to be eaten on the seventh day of Chinese Year (Yan Yaat - everybody's birthday) only but it now shows up on restuarant menus well before Chinese New Year (like a month before) and is available right till the last (15th) day of Chinese New Year.
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Hi TP
Very yummy 'tuen neen fan' pictures. We've been taking the easy way out in my family for the past few years for the reunion dinner and 'hoi neen' - we eat out I'm afraid! Here's what we had:
Yue Sang - before the 'lo-hei' (mixing) and during
Sharksfin soup
Hoi Sum Mun Tung Gu (Sea Cucumber Braised with Mushrooms)
Steamed Pomfret with Suet Choy
Yuk Lan Fei Kai (Poached chicken with Kai Lan and Yunnan Ham)
Jeen Har Lok (Fried Prawns)
Lap Mei Fan
Hoong Tau Sar with Tong Yuen
Mar Tai Go and Wor Paeng
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Those are very nice looking rambutans, Laksa! Is it petai with prawns for dinner? Yumm!
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See here for the address and directions.
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Hi guys
Have been busy and not logged on for almost a week. Sorry for the late reply - hopefully NasiLemak gets to read this before leaving for KL.
NasiLemak - what kind of fine dining are you looking for, as in what kind of food?
Frangipani is set in a couple of converted art nouveau terrace houses in the heart of Kuala Lumpur where quite a few of the old houses along street have been turned into restaurants and pubs - the restaurant's a very pretty place with a pool in the middle of the dining room. It's been around for about 3 years I think and has built up quite a good reputation since it opened - some of my friends didn't like it at first, they thought that the portions were small but they've improved tremendously. The food there is French inspired, quite innovative and the last time we went (though that was about a year ago), our foodie friends who were visiting loved it.
BonTon used to be set in old bungalow round the corner from the Petronas Twin Towers and was one our old favourites 10 years ago when there were far fewer restaurants in KL. It was previously used as a school and a couple of my friends used to go to school there. When the lease on the premises ended, the restaurant moved to another house closeby while the owners of the building set up a restaurant of a similar concept, named Top Hats at the old premises. Top hats are kuih pei tee, a Nyonya appetizer of delicate crisp top hat shaped cases filled with a shredded jicama filling, served with chilli sauce on the side - it's like a fried spring roll, just presented differently. Both Bon Ton and Top Hats serve the same kind of food, a mixture of Asian and fusion. Again, I haven't been to either in quite a while but both were pretty good in the past. The dessert chefs from Bon Ton have opened up a couple of popular cafes in KL, Alexis and SuChan Deli.
Scallini's is Italian set on a little hill on Jalan Sultan Ismail, opposite the Equatorial Hotel - it used to be pretty good when it first opened but the standard has plummeted and is very poor value for money in KL.
Nero Vivo is opened by the former maitre d' from Scallini's - seems he opened a place in Phuket first where the cost of setting up is cheaper and when he had sufficient capital, he moved back to KL and opened up here. It's just up the street from Frangipani's and next door is a Malay fine dining restaurant named Bijian. The owner brings in his head chef from Italy and changes them every 6 months to keep them on their toes! He's on his 2nd chef at the moment - we thought his food was very salty initially (and not as good as the first one) but he's since adjusted the salt level to local tastes. I enjoy his pastas more than his meat main dishes.
Oggi's is at the Regent is excellent for Italian and it's one of our favourites. The service is excellent, food generally good, portions satisfying and the degustation menu for dinner is very good value for money.
Cilantro at the MiCasa Apartments on Jalan Ampang is also very good - the chef used to be the private chef at Japanese Embassy - try the foie gras and unagi starter. If you have time for a long lunch on Friday, check and see whether Cilantro still has free flowing champagne for Friday lunch.
The previous chef from Cilantro's trained under Tetsuya and has now moved over to Third Floor at the Marriot. Third Floor does Tetsuya style degustation menus but the quality of some ingredients used falls a tad short of what you can get in Sydney so it's not worth going to if you can get to Tetsuya's. Portions are a bit on the small side as well.
Another new place in KL that's recently opened up is La Chine in Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur (what used to be the old KL Hilton), and is owned by the same people who own the Indochine chain you get in Singapore. Some friends went last week and mentioned that it was pretty good. I've only been to the Indochine at the Singapore Asian Heritage Museum, which I thought was only ok.
There is also Senses at the KL Hilton at Sentral - it's styled by Cheong Liew of The Grange at the Adelaide Hilton who sent his protege to head the restauant here. Haven't managed to go there yet.
Another place you might like to try is Lafite at the Shangri-la. They have a new chef there who trained with Alain Ducasse and was here for a food promotion last year but it seems he was so popular that the hotel wrangled him to stay. According to a friend who loves to eat, he's better at seafood than meat. She also mentioned that the quality of foie gras he uses is excellent but not cooked quite as well as her favourite French restaurant in town (Ma Maison).
A couple of western fine-dining places that have survived in KL for quite a long while (more than a decade or two) are Chalet at the Equatorial and The Grill.
Hope this helps.
Ahh ...just noticed after pressing the preview post button that you've just posted on what you're looking for, NasiLemak - if you're looking for western/fusion fine dining in a sleek setting, I'd recommend Cilantro.
Chinese candy
in China: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I used to chomp these up too! I think haw flakes is supposed to make you "hor wai" (have a good appetite). Oh dear ... that explains a lot since I ate copious amounts of these as a child (not that I needed any help then either)
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