Magukolhu Hotaa at Malé, Maldives

 

Nice local restaurant in Malé to try Maldivian food. Most of the customers are locals. Prices are on the budget and payment by cash only.

I came here for the Maldivian breakfast, Mas huni and Roshi. 

Mas huni is a typical Maldivian breakfast of shredded tuna, onion, coconut, lime juice and chilli. Sometimes they mixed it with pumpkin (yellow colour above) or mixed with vegetable (green colour below). Roshi is a Maldivian flatbread. 

I also tried Garudhiya, Maldivian's clear fish soup for lunch.

Good place to try Maldivian food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Ministry of Crab - Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ministry of Crab in Colombo is  dedicated to showcase the best of Sri Lankan crabs, in different sizes and cooking preparation. The size of the crabs start from 500 grams to two kilograms with the biggest called Crabzilla! 

The cooking styles includes traditional Sri Lankan Curry, Black Pepper, Chilli, Garlic Chilli to Butter. One of the best ways to enjoy the sauce and curry is to eat it with Kade Bread, a traditional Sri Lankan wood fire bread. 

King prawns are also available with the biggest size goes up to 500 gram. 

Ministry of Crab is located in the historic Old Dutch Hospital Complex in Colombo Fort. Reservation is a must.

W: ministryofcrab.com

Apple Strudel @ Fruity Bakery & Cafe

Delicious Apple Strudel from an old school bakery in Klang!

Filled with apple, whipped cream and custard and covered with a crispy pastry.

Each piece is priced at RM6.75 while the whole loaf (which can be divided to  about 3 pieces) is RM30.30.

The bakery also serves pastries, cake, coffee and also Western-styled dishes. I didn't try other food but I think it's worth to drop by for the apple strudel!


Fruity Bakery & Cafe
No. 107, Lebuh Turi, Off Persiaran Raja Musa, Taman Chi Liung, 41200, Klang
FB: Fruity.bakery.cafe

Tuna filleting at Isetan The Japan Store KL

Isetan The Japan Store Kuala Lumpur was reopened recently after refurbishment.

During the launch, there was a tuna-filleting event at its food and grocery department.

Project B @ Sentul

'Project B is a concept cafe headed by Dignity for Children Foundation in collaboration with The Big Group and Berjaya Group of Companies.

It is a platform that supports children by providing work experience opportunities to learn and develop their career in F&B. 

By providing on the job training, the children receive great work experience while also helping to break the cycle of poverty and to have a better future.'

Counter and condiment station

It's one of my favourite place to go now. I like that the cafe is located in my old neighbourhood, Sentul because I always like going back there. I also like the prices of the coffee; it's RM6 per cup, from long black, cappucino, latte or kopi B, a local coffee with condensed milk. 

Its signature dish is fried chicken that comes in three different variations - Signature Crunchy, Sweet and Sticky Korean Fried and Ayam Goreng Berempah. Side dishes include nasi lemak, buffalo wings, Kimchi Jigae (Korean stew), crinkle frieds, onions strings and dignity slaw (coleslaw).

Project B
25-G, Jalan 11/48A,
Sentul Raya Boulervard
51000 Kuala Lumpur
TeL: 03-4050 3387
facebook.com/projectbkl

Tong Sui HSBC Jalan Ipoh

Update: February 2016

The stall is now managed by a new owner who took over the business from the uncle. All the regular tong sui are still on the menu. The owner has maintained the uncle's rotation system for the tong sui, with a banner now displaying the daily special.

Something never change. Like the taste of tong sui (sweet broth) made by this elderly uncle.

                              

I remembered this uncle from my childhood days. A familiar face in this area, he probably has been selling at this spot in front of HSBC Jalan Ipoh for more than 30 years.

I had my favourite peanut flavour. Creamy, thick and flavourful, it was not cloyingly sweet or watered down, like those served in many places. No doubt, it's still the best for me.

As I savoured my peanut broth, I looked at the customers queuing up at his stall. Some stopped by on their motorcycles while other walked from nearby houses, offices or shops while some came from the bank. There was a lady who was ordering from a list of paper for her colleagues. A young man who looked like he’s working in a car workshop with his grease stained t-shirt, waiting patiently at one side for his turn. An Indian man just parked his motorbike and joined the queue. There was another elderly man enjoying his bowl next to me. 

It was a hot day, which was why most of his customers ordered his signature luk mei, a sweet broth with six ingredients such as gingko, barley and nuts. It's an refreshing drink when served cold. His other signature is the herbal tea broth that come with a hard-boiled egg. The herbal concoction may not everyone's favourite but for those who enjoy it, they will find his version packed with flavour, an assurance that he did not skim on his ingredients. The two signatures are available daily while other flavours such as peanut, red bean, green bean, black glutinous rice, gingko barley, wheat and black-eyed pea are rotated daily.

He also sells food like curry puff and bak chang (rice dumpling); I love the nyonya bak chang with its shrimp chilli paste.

                              

Something that is rarely seen these days - using charcoal fire for the stove to keep the tong sui warm!

He is practically an institution here. If there come a day he is no longer selling here, the spot would look empty. 

Swiss Roll and Kaya Puff at Lorong Yap Ah Loy

This push cart with arrays of pastries on display sells one of the best Kaya Puff in town.

Filled with Kaya (coconut jam), the buttery puff with thin cripsy flake still retains its crispiness the next day. I love this. 

Lighter than the Western version and filled with Kaya, this type of Swiss roll is usually found in Chinese style bakeries together with other Chinese style pastries such as egg tart. We called it 'egg roll/cake' in Chinese.

The newspaper clipping on her stall featured an interview with China Press, a local newspaper. Egg tart and Kaya are also available.

The old lady manning the stall has been here for a long time, one of the few old timers that are still operating their businesses in downtown KL.

There are now more foreigners than locals in the area. One can see a few restaurants and shops in foreign languages catering to the workers from countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh.

The old lady may not be here forever but I hope the recipe or the technique of the pastry-making is not lost. 


Small alleyway of Lorong Yap Ah Loy
Opening Hour: 8 am - 3 pm
Closed on Sunday and Public Holiday

Opika Organic One Utama [CLOSED]

OPIKA Organic at 1 Utama.

L-R: Wheatgrass shot, Dynamic Greens (Wheat Grass + Apple Juice) and Opika Warm Jamuu Beauty Shot with Turmeric /Lime/Honey

                                 

Quinoa Salad with Kaduk Leaves Tempura (Love this!)

"Mixed with locally-sourced herbs, wild shrimp and slow-cooked organic multi coloured quinoa drizzled with our special house dressing"

The salad is excellent and must-try! It's the first time I try quinoa (pronounced kwee-nah) and I love it. 

Opika Organic Market & Restaurant

opikaorganic.com

CNY Food - Yee Sang

Eating Yee Sang is a tradition during Chinese New Year in Malaysia  It is basically a raw fish salad (usually come in slices of salmon). Vegetarian version is also available to catered to those who follow a vegan diet.

The fun of eating Yee Sang is tossing all the ingredient together as seen in the photo. Chinese loves symbolism. Yee meant fish in Chinese and it sounds like 'abundance', hence the higher you tossed, the better as the act of tossing (lou sang) symbolises increased prosperity. 

As far as I know, this dish is invented in Malaysia, but then Wikipedia said it's from Singapore, so I can't confirm on that. Yee Sang and Lou Sang are popular among the Chinese from South East Asia. 

Yee Sang is my favourite dish during Chinese New Year. The photo above was taken at a dinner with my cousins. It's the fifth lou sang I have for this year - 3 Yee Sang few days before the Chinese New Year and 1 during the reunion dinner. I'm sure there will be more to come because Chinese New Year officially lasted for 15 days. 

Wishing everyone prosperity, happiness and good health always! Happy Rabbit Year!

CNY Food - Lap Ngap

You know it's Chinese New Year time when you see lap ngap (waxed duck)! It is a delicacy available and eaten during the Lunar New Year. Made by preserving a flattened, deboned duck in salt, spices and fat, it's extremely salty and leathery.

Lap ngap pei (wax duck's thigh) is the one on the right. On the left is lap cheong (chinese sausage) which is available all year round.

These meats are usually cook by steaming. But before that, soak the lap cheong in hot water to loosen the skin so that it's easy to peel it off.

In Lap mei fan, the meats are cook together with the rice in the cooker. The oil/fat from the meats give flavour to the rice. It's oily and definitely not healthy but taste so good!

Anna Olson in Malaysia

Event: An Evening with Anna Olson

Date: 28 November 2010 (Sunday)

Venue: Electrolux Concept Store in Kota Damansara, Selangor

Celebrity chef Anna Olson (host of Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson in AFC (Asian Food Channel) was in Malaysia for the first time recently as part of her Southeast Asian Tour.

While demonstrating the baking of her signature banana caramel cheesecake, she raves about gula melaka and how she has tried durian ("I have tried the D24!") but she couldn't come to the conclusion whether she loves or hates it. She also relates her funny experiences/disasters in the kitchen.

Xandria Ooi, the emcee of the day also helped Anna in the baking.

The cake was yummy! Here's the recipe for you to try

Banana Caramel Cheesecake Recipe by Anna Olson

(Serve 9-12)

Crust

12 Crunchy oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1/4 unsalted butter, melted

Banana Layer

2tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp rum or lemon juice

3 firm bananas, sliced

Cheesecake

Approx. 910g cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean

5 Large eggs

Caramel Topping

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp corn syrup or lemon juice

1 cup whipping cream

Method:

1. For crust, preheat oven to 180'C. Grease the bottom of a 23-cm springform pan and wrap the outside of the pan in foil.

2. In a food processor, pulse oatmeal cookies with pecans to an even crumble. Add melted butter and pulse to combine. Press into the bottom of prepared springform pan (not up the sides) and bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool while preparing bananas.

3. For banana layer, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and brown sugar, stirring until melted and bubbling. Stir in the rum or lemon juice and add bananas. Stir just to coat and warm. Pour into cooled crust.

4. For cheesecake, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition. Beat in butter and vanilla bean seeds. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour the cheesecake batter over caramelised banana layer in springform pan.

5. Place springform pan into a baking dish and pour hot tap water around it to come halfway up the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 160'C and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until filling puffs just slightly around edges but still moves a little in the centre when shaken. Remove the pan from water and allow to cool for 2 hours before refrigerating overnight.

6. For caramel topping, combine sugar, water and corn syrup or lemon juice in a pot. Bring to a boil without stirring and cook, uncovered, until it turns a rich amber colour. While cooking, occasionally brush down the sides of the pot with a brush dipped in cool water.

7. Once the sugar has reached desired colour, about 7 minutes, remove from heat and carefully stir in whipping cream (watch out for the steam and bubbling). Return to medium heat and simmer until reduced by a third, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Chill until thickened but still fluid, about 15 minutes. Pour caramel over cheesecak and chill completely. (This can be done up to 8 hours before serving).

8. To serve, run a knife carefully along the inside of the pan to loosen, remove pan and slice with a hot, dry knife.

* photo by Electrolux

Food: The BIG PAU

Have u ever used a knife to slice a pau (steamed bun)?

You need to when it is the famous Yip Chee May tai pau from Taman Connaught....

Taste? I didn't try because I don't like big meaty bun but those who did, said it's good.