Mee hoon sup

It got to be one of the best dishes during lunch time. Today we decided to buy our favourite mee hoon sup from Restoren Fajar , Lutong Baru. Its only about 2 minutes drive from the office. And another 5 minutes drive I will be at home enjoying that plate.
The plate is actually a combo of two serving. Aha !!! me with my big stomach. Not really . It simply because I do enjoy eating that dish. It is simple , yet got to be one of the best dish for the day. Even Hanie enjoy eating it too , well without the soup though.
So if you happen to be in miri, try it ... its lovely...

Gulai Ketam

I can't remember the last time cooking Gulai Ketam. Since the day 'E' mentioned it , just could not resist buying it and cook it over the weekend. And there you are at Lutong market , bought a kg and cook it for a late lunch, almost dinner actually.

My other half is still munching and closing in to last piece of it and loving every second of it. Who says husband can't win wife heart over own cooked lunch or dinner.

That's the reason I am still enjoying cooking & eating .........

an evening with your ...

I was looking over the window and suddenly realised it was a facinating view. At the same time the other half busy at the back putting up the meals. We are having a simple meal tonite. Kerisi masak chili. With rice and some salad. Still remember the old days when I first met my other half. That was her speciality and still it is .

A day on top of the hills 

Kiambang
kau kembang di pinggir kali
Ungu warnamu berseri
Walaupun baumu tak seharum mawar
Namun kau masih tetap menawan
Kiambang
Bayangmu di air tenang
Mencerminkan wajah keriangan
Walaupun hidupmu dalam kesepian
Hanya berteman cahaya rembulan
Nasibmu kiambang di pinggir kali
Sedang kau mekar menghiasi desa
Kemarau panjang pun tiba
Keringlah dikau dalam dahaga

Kedondong anyone ?  

Peransang Templer - Serendah & Gulai Ketam

First of all , there is no resemblance of the three. But the three have some overwhelming meaning to friendship over the weekend. Have not seen a fren for a long time. I have some doubts whether I have still memories or even something to remember the last time we ever spoke to each other.

A fren pick me up at KL sentral for a game of golf with the rest of the hippy group somewhere in Rawang. Met another fren with his partner ( really ??? ) over late breakfast / lunch and sort of sped of to the golf course at 12.30 . We did catch up with some old times and recent developments in our own personal life. Another fren rang up checking at what time we will reach the destination. "Probably in ten minutes time, we should be there"...

As we close in Bandar Rawang , the road traffic seems to catch our attention. As if we never had to face such pack of cars heading to the golf course before. That does not stop us from chatting and continue with our so called biography read out.

Suddenly we realised that we are heading towards the wrong direction. Instead of going to Peransang Templer , we are now talking our drive strainght to serendah. Without hesitation the fren swerve the car around and head back to the golf course. The game itself is no interesting as the trip to the golf course. Unfortunately we did not managed to play in the same flight . But thinking about it if we did , we could be hitting the balls to the other direction.

I know for the fact that someone missed the "gulai Ketam". Upon asking about the recipe , I did not reealised that. For a fren , somewhere in damansara , whom we all know his character and background , here it is , a recipe for you to try and enjoy and dont forget , there will always be your true fren at the end of the tunnel...

The Ketam Gulai:

Ingredients
Some ketam
Spanish onions
Bawang merah kecik
garlic
ginger
rempah kari ikan
santan
daun kari

ehhh penat lah wa. besok malam wa sambung......

bouchee@

ok sambungan...

bawang , halia , bwg putih , blend them all
fry these dalam kuali with some minyak
masuk kan chili boh sesudu
lepas tu masuk kan rempah kari sesudu kecik mixed dgn air 2 sudu besor
letak daun pandan sehelai
tambah hirisan tomato fresh dua tiga biji
satu sudu gula and garam
masukkan daun kari sikit

mixed them well and let the pedas naik

mashuk itu ketam lah...
then masukkan mixture of water and santan ( santan cair )

try ler mana tahu sedap ke tidak............

bouchee...(beshok macam nak buat jugak lah )

High tea

What is it really fun about high tea?

If you look at the working population in the city , can you count the number of them working skip office for high tea? If you do have the numbers then your organisation may have some problems with keeping the staff working their paid salary.

It is actually a late afternoon tea or early evening tea. Why not high Coffee, or high syrup , or high "sirap bandung". It is not really the tea served , but the time spend with frens or office mates after work ? or is it really. Some even can killed off happy hours with beers and liquors.

What is it really about high tea ? I wonder....

bouchee@ ( all I want is High salary...ha ha ha)

2. A recipe : Spaghetti Bolognese ( M'sian flavour ) : For Acrix

This original recipe was given or handed over to me by a turkish cook who has spent more than 10 years working somewhere near Rome. He later migrated to the UK and open a Pizza restaurant somewhere in Hertford town , North of London. On summer 1989 , with nothing to do I started doing ad hoc part time works until I was given to do dishes at this turkish Pizza Restaurant. After two weeks doing the dishes , they let me cut the onions , and then all the bits and pieces ingredients for the pizzas. After a month they let me or rather show me how to do the dough. And then preparing 300 pieces of pizza base in 2 hours. Two months later , they let me do the mixing of the pizzas ingredient upon order , and then the bolognese recipe was handed over to me. If my memories serves me right , here it goes :

1. A packet of spaghetti ( ha ha simple ain't it !)
2. onions
3. garlic
4. halia ( what was it in english ???)
5. either chilli powder or chilli paste.
6. daun pandan ( my own addition to the menu)
7. some mince meat.
8. cant remember some spice ( will let u know)
9. tomatoes ( fresh or canned )
10. salt
11. sugar
12. plain water
13. will add on once I start explaining what to do next

Cooking it : (msian flavour , not the way the europeans likes it)

Fry the mince meat with big chunks of halia and small cut onions with some herbs I cant remember the name..... Msian style add one slice of pandan . Once the mince meat a bit fried , drained it and take out the Halia and the pandan

The Sauce:

Onions cut into small cubes
Garlic in whatever size you love to eat
now a bit of halia , crush.
Add a bit of cooking oil to the pan and heat it.
Add the onions , halia and garlic when it went smokey...

chilli powder add with water or chilli paste add to the pan when the onions smells good...
put in the tomatoes.
let it simmer....add sugar and salt to your liking
now add the drained and fried mince meat.

the pandan , dont throw it away , now dump it to the pan
a bit of water, not to make it a bit sticky.

now magic , depend how you want it to be .
if you want it to be sticky , add crushed and whipped potatoes.
if you want it to be sticky and sweet , find the red sweet potatoes
or if you want it to be full of tomatoes flavour , add tomato purees...

Spaghetti , once boiled and drained , serve it hot with the sauce.

Enjoy....
Bouchee@

ps I do hope Jason dont ask me to make any reference to any chef for the recipe...

Fried Banana

Goreng Pisang a.k.a. Fried Banana ? Malaysians will never forget the taste . It is one of the best menu for high tea (why high tea anyway ?) or even at times for breakfast. I remember a picture I have saved a long time ago about a boy selling hot fried banana quite close to a primary school in Kluang.

As I approach the young boy , dressed in a worn out t shirt and shorts smilling at me giving me the gestures , wanna buy some sir ! His mum was busy frying some other extra bananas and grinned as she plough and hit the hot pan.

It was 10 am and I ask myself why isn't that boy at school ? While the boy busy sorting out the goods into a plastic container , I dared my self asking the multi billion ringgit question to the mother . With a smile she hesitated. And after much blinking and smilling back , she began her story with small drops of tears starts to stream down her face.

I was amazed and taken back. Dunno how to react and a bit confused. I guess I won't be able to tell it out loud here. But the fact is I am begining to feel much more alive and at times ask myself why I should be miserable about my life when a young man struggling to sell some goreng pisang to support her mother and his family.

Always strikes me when I gazed at goreng pisang. The young boy and the mother , no need for any digital camera. I bet you can put it up there as one of the tragic scene of Malaysian the so called developing country....

Food kids eats : Used to be vs so called cyber age

Does parents really cares about what the kids eat nowadys ?

If you happen to be a parent, ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you know what your kids eats for breakfast, lunch , teabreak or dinner ?
2. Do you knwo what are the corelation of what they eat and how they react to
their surroundings ?
3. Does your kids goes begging for salad or burgers or even roti canai ?
4. Do you know what is best to feed your kids?
5. Do you know what are the best combinations of food esp for growing kids?


elllooooo...Malaysians!!! We all take these for granted. We are never ever going to be taught at school what to feed our future generations. Who teaches us what to eat ? Yes ... Sir , ADVERTISEMENT !!!. and most of them are crappy advertisement. In this part of the world every capitalist is trying very hard to create the most entertaining ad to ask consumers to eat fast food ? to eat junk food ? to eat what ? hard frozen food already prepared months ago and will be ready in 15 minutes once you slammed it inside a microwave.

Does everyone knows fruits are not to be consumed the minute you take on heavy lunch or dinner ?
Does anyone knows that you are not supposed to drink water excessively when you are having lunch or dinner ?
Does anyone bother to check what are they eating ?


Now , million ringgit ( as a malaysian , I dont like to quote dollars, tq) questions:
Milk are not to be consumed with meat .
You are not supposed to eat fish and meat at the same lunch or dinner .
Dont eat fish and milk at the same time.
Jgn makan ayam and susu together !
Or dont even mixed fish with eggs
or dont mixed fish and salad
dont mixed milk and vineger
and last but not least ,
it is a bad choice to eat fruits and milk - fruit cocktail !!!

Better still ! do you agree that not taking meal at nite will help to reduce your weight ?
ELLLOOOO !!!! wrong. You must not skip dinner !!!
dont go to sleep with an empty stomach . Unless you are the "LOST" crewmembers,
or you are in prison (well they feed you dinner , right ?)

Last but not least ! Take your meals seriously. I mean think abt it seriously. It will shape your days ahead on this planet earth or at least some days ahead(whichever applies).

bouchee@

ooo fast food

XXX fast food outlet vs the Burger Man's stall on the street. Which is my preference ? Or shall I redirect, which one is your preference?

Many prefer the earlier. Not to mention their location , the seats are good. You can eat with frens , maybe good view and what ? What's wrong with the nomal burger on a small burger stall ?

Is it really we malaysians stress the word quality ? or is it simply we are influenced by that multi million ringgit spent on advertising .What is that ad ... their outlet having special price and a young man after paying out bills , can afford to eat a burger at there? hallloooooooo! everyone can afford burger mah ! but dont insult the young working people with that kind of ad. feel bad mah...not to wori.

The ad is funny but I dont like the impact on youngsters out there. Now is it really price cut to attract people eating at posh like restaurant ? Are we paying for the right price for food. If you asked me , none whatsoever ?

Most of the burgers have cheese (ehhh what cheese ?) , some salad ( which not all look the same like the one in the ad) , some squeegy thingi on the meat and a half baked burger bun. Do you guys and gals really look at it while you eat it ? Nahhhh , I dont think so.

So what burgers ? burgers with special wrappers ? or plain plastic wrapper ? or burger you can fry on your own at home ...?

If you asked me , I rather cook one at home . Really ???

Local delicacies

Different places , different taste and most probably the main reason why there are different type of food. Some food are best served at certain specific temperature. Some should only be served at certain part of the world. You won't have nasi lemak in London maybe 500 years ago , but now even nasi lemak is served on the air i.e. on the MAS flights.

The usual question I ask when on board such flight , "why do you offer me only nasi lemak?". We Malaysian , do not sit there on the plane , only to eat nasi lemak. Hey! I may be hundred days away from home , but tasting nasi lemak on the plane is not that enjoyable as "pure" nasi lemak on a foodstall .

Coming back to delicacies. Middle east food , most of them related to meat , bread and salads. In the South East Asia , rice is usually associated with certain other type of dishes which will be consumed at the same time. Europeans like cheese with different type of bread. Some flikes fish and chips and only fish and chips. errrr....really?

What does Russians eat ? Sorry, never been there , so I can't really tell. What I would like to share with most Malaysians out there is about cheese. Many associate cheese only with PIZZA lah ! what else could it be. Right ? Wrong ? Depend how are you been raised , where and when.

Cheese can be fresh cream cheese, or aged blue cheese. Cheedar is a type of cheese which took 48 hours to make, even with modern technology. We also have ricotta , Parmesan , Swiss hard cheese called Saaenen , Emmental , Gruyere and Grana.

Not to mention some pecorino , manchego , roquefort , chesire , wensleydale , appenzel , brie , camembert , limburger , edam , Samsoe and etc etc etc.

Wonder why I like to talk about cheese ? Because , I don't like to eat all of them anyway ....ha ha ha

Thinking about food

If any advertisements on the tube shows any signs of food being served, I can easily get this craving to eat something. This is not new to me. Watching an ads with food all over will make me jumping up and down. Do not argue about food with me.

I can smell a food and tells you what it is in the ingredient. Well , not all food though. Been in foreign countries made me a different kind of cook or chef as they called it at the hotels. Traditional recipes can be a hassle when you are 6000 miles away from your homeland. Unless you are in major cities in the world , when you may find all the ingredient in the world in a specific food chain restaurant or food stores.

5 years in the UK , I was on a low budget cooking spree. Dont have all the ingredient in the world , well actually can afford to have all the ingredient anyway, makes you a low budget cook. Some nasi goreng can turn out to be 7 different kind of nasi goreng in a week. It can be nasi goreng telur, or nasi goreng ayam , or nasi goreng sea food , or nasi goreng kampung , nasi goreng siam , nasi goreng amerika , and the list can go on and on and on and on.

Then 7 years on the east coast pf penisular Malaysia. Sugar based food ? nahhhh! Not for me. Tend to mix the local delicacy with some Jawa old hot and spicy ingredients. It does not make sense though , sugar with hot red chilli.

Ok enuf said. Welcome to the blog of the millenium. Its about the writer vision on food. His experience with food and the food he likes to cook . Enjoy......................!