Bah Kut Teh

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin


I made Bah Kut Teh (pork bone tea soup, for the uninitiated) last night but didn't even get a chance to take pictures of it before it was devoured. I was cooking this delicious soup meal for a fellow Penangite, S.H who was visiting the bf and I from New York after suddenly being struck with homesickness.

I was puttering around the kitchen from 7pm last night, trying to recall how to cook the dish. Mom and Dad conveniently neglected to answer the frantic phone calls that I made to them to ask for advise. Thankfully, S.H was a big help in the kitchen and we managed to get the pot going.

After I announced that dinner was ready, I went to grab a quick shower and walked out to discover that they were on helping #2 already!!!! I didn't get any pics for my blog, needless to say but here's the recipe for those of you who may be homesick for the dish. We had stopped at the chinese store and even bought some Yew Char Koay (fried cruellers). Man, it was delicious!

Bah Kut Teh recipe: a word of warning....all these measurements are agak-agak (a rough guess-timation). My philosophy, just add stuff until it tastes good. And have Pizza Hut or Dominos on speed dial.

Ingredients:

1. One packet of A1 Bak Kut Teh Spices (should have 2 sachets inside)
2. 2 plus pounds of cut and cleaned pork ribs with bone. I asked the butcher to cut it into short rib pieces for me.
   
3. Three or four pieces of Tong Kwai.
   
4. One whole head of garlic-peeled and smashed.
5. One package of pork/beef balls (I bought the ready made frozen kinds from Vietnam)
6. Five stalks of baby bok choy....cleaned and separated from the stalk.
7. 10-15 cups of water. I just fill up my pot to almost 3/4 full.
8. Freshly cracked peppercorns (I like using the white peppercorns)...use one heaping tbs.
   
9. One cube of Knorr's pork bouillon.
   
10. One can of Golden Mushroom (Kim Chiam Koo), well drained and separated.
11. One packet of ready made Yew Char Koay
12. Two tbs of thick soy sauce
13. Three tbs of oyster sauce
14. Three tbs of normal soy sauce

Yeah...the preparation is so hard. I am a fanatic and will spend a lot of time stripping fat and skin away from the meat. The soup is a lot healthier and leaner but of course, the oomph factor is a little compromised. What the heck, it was still good. So good that the boys just continued to eat and eat. They each ate 3 full servings!!!

Okay....now comes the easy part. You still have to stand in the kitchen though and watch the pot. But if your kitchen has a little bar area that opens up to the living room, you can also relax and watch TV at the same time. I was watching House.

To Cook:

1. Put the pot on the stove and boil the water on High.
   
2. When the water is really bubbling, put in everything else, starting with the meat EXCEPT for the beef balls, baby bok choy, mushrooms and Yew Char Koay.
3. Boil in High for 3o mins, then turn the heat to Medium and cover. Stir occasionally.
4. After 1 1/2 to 2 hrs (whenever the meat is soft enough to just fall off the bone), turn heat to high and put in beef balls, mushrooms and then blanch the baby bok choy in the boiling soup.
5. Remove baby bok choy and serve on a platter. Place cut up Yew Char Koay on a serving platter.
6. Dish up soup and dinner is ready.
7. Do I have to tell you to cook white rice as well??? This one is a no brainer.
8. Oh....word of warning...don't leave the food undefended to take a shower. No good can come out of this.
   

Down on My Knees......Begging Please..

You guys have really done it.

I check my blog daily with puppylike enthusiasm to look out for any comments and I am always disappointed. I am now reduced to begging people to comment, comment, comment please on my posts. I need some feedback to see how I'm doing and so far...I am only relying on word of mouth info and data from sitemeter.com. And sitemeter tells me that you guys are reading my posts.

So guys, if you are reading my blog and like it, let me know. If you hate it, keep it to yourself! I am kidding, I'll always welcome constructive criticism.

To the bf, the god-sister, sweetcontemplation and Misery, thanks for being such loyal supporters and leaving comments. I love you all for that. Ok, not just only that but other things as well.

A special Easter shoutout to all my family, friends and readers. May you have a wonderful Easter this year, surrounded by the ones that you love. May your days be filled with joy and laughter always.

I was going to write an Easter post on a magnificent buffet brunch at Westmoor Country Club but I was operating on only 2 hrs of sleep after a 10 hrs stint last night in the ED so I boo-booed and forgot to take any pictures of food...or the Easter bunny. It took a huge amount of make-up this morning to look as though I was not wearing any (ironic isn't it) and I was concentrating on trying not to look dead at the brunch table. As tired as I was though, it was still nice to spend quality time with family and I had such a wonderful time.

Naples, Florida. Part Deux: Sunsets

Every evening, at sunset, a large crowd would gather along the beach-front and on the beach to watch the sunset. By 7pm, people would start milling around the swimming pool and beach bar of the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. It's a great time for people to mingle, chat and relax after a long day of.....A) laying on the beach, soaking up the sun (lazy-bugs) or B) long medical lectures and workshops (me...super hardworking). Alright, I managed to do a bit of both every day.
When the sun starts sinking down towards the horizon, the crowd will migrate towards the beach and stare at the great ball of fire for what seems like hours. When the sun finally sets, you eyes are temporarily blinded from staring for such a long period of time and you literally see stars (and not only the ones in the sky).


I had the pleasure of watching the sun set with friends for a total of 5 nights and each night's show was completely different. This was also a time when the dolphins would come close to shore and play, so we also spent a lot of time scanning the horizon, hoping to see dolphins. It was really a beautiful and enchanting time of day.


Being the doofus that I am (as a result of absorbing too much UV rays), I had forgotten to bring my camera to capture pictures of the first 4 sunsets. Luckily, on my last night there, I brought my camera along and was able to get these shots.


I shot hundreds of pictures and almost blinded myself in the process. Looking at an LCD screen with sub-optimal light is a bitch, I tell you. There were lots of oohs and aahs of appreciation as the great golden ball of fire finally touched down on the horizon. It was absolutely fascinating to watch it sink, and sink and sink. Then you suddenly realize that the air is getting cooler and cooler and every strand of hair on your arms is standing at attention because you are still wearing a tiny bikini, sitting on the beach, shivering without the sun's rays to warm you. Not to mention the fact that you have family and friends that live part time in Naples but no one has advised you to bring a sweater.....

And then you hear it. It starts out as a single clap....then more clapping... and then the whole crowd joins in the applause at the magnificent display of nature that they had just witnessed. I have never heard or seen such a thing...applause for a sunset. Then I shrug and join in. What the heck, if you can't beat them, join them.

Ok....now what's for dinner?

Naples, Florida aka Paradise. Part I

I landed at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee 2 nights ago and immediately wanted to turn back and board the next flight back to Florida. It was cold! And I was told that it would only get colder in the next few days. I wish that Wisconsin would quit doing it's 'spring menopause' thing soon because I realize that I am addicted to 85 degree weather.

I spent 6 glorious days at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club with 3 other former PA classmates and 350 other Emergency Room PAs, going to lectures, workshops, eating, drinking, dancing and lazing in the sun. I hadn't anticipated the immensely satisfying sense of belonging that washed over me as I interacted with so many like minded individuals who had so much in common. The ER stories that we told!! It was rather amazing to talk to other ER PAs and to learn about how they practice.

The other great thing about going to a conference was being on an expense account. In an expensive city like Naples, there is no way to eat cheaply (unless you had sandwiches and soda for every meal= $8-10 USD) so it was nice that my meals were taken care off by someone other than moi :)

We obviously had many meals at many restaurants but I am only going to highlight the best places that we ate at. The restaurant featured on this post is called "Yabba Island Grill" and serves Carribean style seafood. I quickly learned that there was no point taking home doggy bags as we were living in a hotel so I started ordering 2 appetizers which served as an appetizer and an entree. No more wasted food!!!



Steamed Mussels with Garlic, Roma Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Basil, White Wine and Lemon

Verdict: The mussels were very succulent and plump (unlike the 3 other disappointing mussel dishes that I'd already had) and perfectly bathed in the golden colored broth. The broth itself was very flavorful (and garlicky) without being too salty and the acidity of the tomatoes balanced the sweet juices from the mussels. Loved it!!!!! I sopped up all the broth with the toasted, thick sliced sourdough bread and the server removed a completely empty, almost clean plate.

“Maryland Style” Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with an Old Bay, Citrus and Sherry Wine Remoulade

Verdict: I thought that the portion was rather small. Each crabcake was approximately 5cm in diameter and there were only 2 crabcakes per portion. Yet, each tiny bite packed a huge punch of soul satisfying crab meat (no fillers here, ladies and gentlemen) and I was completely full as I devoured the last bite. The crabcake tasted like it was deep fried, rather than baked and as a result, had a crunchier crust which contrasted very nicely with the creamy crab filled center. This was also a spectacular dish.


Looking very pleased with my mussel dish and choice of restaurant!!!!

Stay tuned for more pics and of course, food.................

Pretty Fruit Tart

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin


We picked up this absolutely scrumplicious strawberry and kiwi fruit tart at Whole Foods Market up the street from our apartment for dessert. I kept staring at it on the way home coz it's so pretty. I took tons of pics but due to the bad lighting (and poor cameraperson- my dad always said that a bad carpenter blames his tools) this is the best picture.

And then, we ATE IT!!! Yummo....the sweetness of the strawberry and custard balanced out the tartness of the kiwi slices. The pastry shell was perfectly made, able to hold up it's shape, despite of the moisture in the custard and when placed in my mouth...melted into a mass of buttery goodness.

Wouldn't you like a fruit tart for dessert tonight?

My First Meme

I got tagged by SweetContemplation and decided to try my hand at my first meme. Here goes:


[A is for age]: 26 plus. My mom has been yelling at me for being too honest about my age, "Where got people so proudly announce that they are 26 one???"
[B is for booze of choice]: Alamak, cannot drink at all. Lacking an enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase....makes me turn red, sick in the stomach and then puke...without the benefit of getting high first! Supremely unfair, kan?
[C is for career]: Physician Assistant in an inner city ER
[D is for your most dreaded]: Flying cockroaches. Euuww!! Can't think of anything worse than this, Tine.
[E is for essential item you use everyday]: Cellphone-also doubles up as camera, alarmclock and mp3 player. Love it so much!!!
[F is for favorite song at the moment]: How To Save a Life by The Fray.
[G is for favorite games]: Twister. I remember the good old days in high school playing that game.
[H is for Hometown]: The sunny, beautiful island of Penang.
[I is for indulgence]: Laying in a hammock on the beach of Redang Island, looking out to the beautiful, crystal clear water and reading a romance novel. The is a warm breeze stirring about and the sky is completely cloudless as I look up. And a hot guy bringing me a cool, tall glass of watermelon juice....paradise.
[J is for favorite flavor of juice]: Watermelon
[K is for kids]: None=Tadak
[L is for last hug from husband]: Tadak also
[M is for years of marriage]: Not married yet
[N is for name of your crush]: Hahaha...most of my CGL cronies know this one. Man, I was so obsessed with this guy until I met him socially for the first time, then....big letdown.
[O is for overnight hospital stays]: Tadak
[P is for phobias]: I am claustrophobic.
[Q is for quote]: "SHUT UP! Enough already, Ballstein! Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! I invented the piano key necktie, I invented it! What have you done, Derek? You've done nothing! NOTHIIIING! And I will be a monkey's uncle if I let you ruin this for me, because if you can't get the job done, then I will!" Mugatu from Zoolander
[R is for regret]: Not pursuing a career in mass media and broadcasting. I played it safe and choose medicine, a stable career instead. Sometimes, I daydream about being on TV. Would love to be on a food/travel/leisure tv show like Samantha Brown or Rachel Ray.
[S is for status, married or single]: Still single.
[T is for time you wake up]: When my alarm tells me it's time to get up. I have weird shifts and get up at weird times.
[U is for underwear]: Sloggies from Triumph.I love them...have to stock up everytime I go home to Msia.
[V is for vegetable you love]: Kangkung=water convulvus. Majorly need some belachan kangkung right now.
[W is for worst habit]: I grind my teeth at night. Very bad for jaw.
[X is for x-rays you’ve had]: Chest and back. Hahhah, it's sounds like T&A
[Y is for yummy food you make]: Blush...hopefully everything is yummy lah.
[Z is for zodiac sign]: Gemini. Hmmm...a Gemini who is born in the year of the Monkey...it's like a double whammy, isn't it?

Not really sure who to tag because not sure who reads my blog on a regular basis. Anyone offering to be tagged?

The Real Pulut Mango

I took a picture of a Thai dessert called 'Pulut Mango' at my favorite Thai restaurant, Chok Dee when I was back in Penang but somehow misplaced the file. I found this today and thought that this would be a good time to let you guys know what the real thing looked like, following my post about sticky rice dessert. Doesn't it look scrumplicious?





I had to jilat (lick) my spoon and scrape my plate clean after eating the absolutely fabulous dish at the restaurant. Yeah, sorta was an embarrassment to my parents because all sense of shame fled my body as I claimed the half-full plate of pulut mango for myself. My fellow diners were complaining of being full after the meal.

Man, I can't even begin to tell you how sweet and juicy the mango slices were, combined with the steamed, sweet, sticky and chewy glutinous rice. I was transported to a Thai paradise at that instant when the first bite made contact with my tongue. One minute, I was sitting in a crowded noisy restaurant in Penang and the next, I was lounging on a chaize on a pristine white beach on Phi Phi Island in my bikini and eating a delicious juicy mango. Just like in the movies.....

http://www.charteryachts.info/arabesque/newimages/monbeach.jpg

The Making of Sticky Rice Dessert

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin


I made this sticky rice dessert because I was craving Pulut Mango (a sweet coconut cream glutinous rice dessert with fresh mango slices) in winter. Obviously, there were no mangoes to be found in the dead of winter...way to go, taste buds!! I thought to myself, make the rice first and worry about the topping later.

I used sweet glutinous rice from Thailand and soaked them overnight. My mom had once tried to make Loh Mai Kai (Steamed Savory Glutinous Rice with Meat and Mushroom) without soaking the rice and spent hours (plus a whole tank of gas) steaming a dish that was never going to cook.


Then, the rice was drained well and placed in a stainless steel shallow pan for steaming.

Some people use fancy bamboo steamers or a rice cooker but I just used a big pot, added 2 inches water at the bottom and suspended the stainless steel pan over a wire rack. I have a very small apartment with a tiny kitchen so I have learned to be creative and not need so many specialized equipment. Just cover the pot and turn on the stove. I put the heat on High and steamed the rice for 30 minutes, regularly checking the level of the boiling water and topping it up when the level runs low.


After 30 mins, the rice is ready and turns transparent. I like mine chewy but you can obviously tailor the texture of the rice to your taste by either shortening or lengthening the cooking time.



Meanwhile, I opened a can of coconut cream...also imported from Thailand. Seriously, you can get anything here in the Midwest nowadays, unlike 20 years ago.


Just spoon 3 tbs of coconut cream onto the rice, add a dash of salt and some sugar and incorporate well into the cooked rice. I mixed the ingredients in a little mixing bowl before adding it to the rice.



I substituted fresh mango slices with Kemps vanilla ice cream. I could have used Haagen Dazs but it would have over powered the humble steamed rice.


Three scoops of Old Fashioned Vanilla on sticky rice and I am good to go!! Enjoy with a good book or a loved one. I did both :)


It doesn't photograph that well but I assure you it was scrumptious. Mmmmmmm.....

A Simple Home Cooked Meal

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

Ever since I came back from Penang, I have been craving a simple home cooked meal. I have also told myself that I should cook and eat at home more instead of going out to eat so often.

A) It's much healthier and more nutritious.
B) It's easier to lose weight-yes, I put on weight in Malaysia. I'd to be insane not to eat my fill while I was home.
C) I can save more money.

The only obstacle: My laziness

I used to love cooking and it used to relax me after a long day but since starting work in the ER, I have been working wonky shifts and feeling jet lagged 24/7. How to cook like that? By the time I come home, I am completely whacked. Mentally and physically. The bf will attest to that.

Now, I only cook on my days off.....when the 'jet lag' wears off. Those days are few and far in between, I can tell you.

A few days ago, I was inspired to make this simple but wholesome meal by RasaMalaysia's post on making egg omelette's. I decided to kick my basic "tua liap chang nui"(onion omelette) up a notch by adding luxurious lump crab meat and scallions. The seasoning for the egg batter was shamelessly copied from RasaMalaysia's blog. The results, delish!!!



As you can see, the dish had very little egg and LOTS of liao (fillings)

Crab, Scallion and Onion Omelette

It really tastes better than it looks here. I just need to work on my macro photography skills.

To accompany the egg dish, I also made butter-garlic stir fried broccoli and black soy sauce minced pork.

Butter-Garlic Stir Fried Broccoli

This recipe, I got from my beloved god-sister and it really kicks ass! Ok, hers is much better but I think I didn't do too badly for my first attempt. I just need to not overcook the broccoli. Me likes it cruncy!!!

Black Soy Sauce Minced Pork

This is one of my favorite childhood dishes. I remember my grandmother cooking this dish and after she had plated the meat, she'd scoop out 2-3 cups of cooked white rice from the rice cooker and "fry" the rice in the recently vacated wok so that the sticky sauce clung to the white rice and flavored it. My brother and I would fight for the pleasure to eat the scrumptious "brown rice". Waste not, want not, after all. Unfortunately, the rice was not cooked by the time my meat dish was done so I had to "sacrifice" the sauce to the garburator.

The bf had never eaten the dish-ever! I couldn't believe it. Next time, I'd even fry the rice for you, baby.

A simple Chinese home cooked meal. Kinda took me home AND down memory lane. Can you think of a dish that takes you back to your childhood?

GONG XI FA CAI

GONG XI FA CAI!!!!

Wishing everybody a Happy Chinese New Year. May your cup overfloweth with prosperity, good health, happiness and may your bowl always be filled with delicious morsels of food.

I wish I was home in Penang like RasaMalaysia. I have made up my mind to go home for Chinese New Year next year. I can't believe that I have not been home for CNY for the past 6 years :(

Mom and dad, I miss you lots.

The Cheesecake Factory

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

The bf and I braved the bitter cold and ventured newly renovated Bayshore Mall (intended to rival MayfairMall) yesterday, having decided to have brunch an early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It was 4:30pm and thankfully, almost empty. The Cheesecake Factory (TCF) is a very popular place to eat and there is usually a 30-45 minute wait during lunch and dinnertime. We were lucky to just hit the period in between and was shown to a table by a very gracious hostess right away.

Hypoglycemic to the point of fainting, I was tempted to order everything on the menu but my last thread of sanity reeled me back. We intended to go shopping afterwards and then spend a cozy few hours at Barnes and Nobles, my favorite bookstore so we did not want any leftovers to cart around. Hence, no appetizers.

The wind chill was reported to be -31^oF and so we needed to warm up fast. Naturally, the bf has a mojito (a cocktail made with rum, mint and traditionally, sugar cane juice).

Because I am useless when it comes to drinking am allergic to alcohol, I settled on a pot of nice black English Breakfast tea, with a spot of milk (yes, yes, how very British, we colonized, remember?)

Our server, Nicole brought some freshly baked bread which TCF is famous for and we dug in with great gusto. To my disappointment, the normally chewy and flavorful breads were rather dry and hard. Nicole explained that they were probably baked for too long and offered to get us a new batch that the kitchen made. Not wanting to spoil our appetites, we declined

Shortly thereafter, the entrees arrived. I had ordered Renee’s Special, consisting of
one-half of a chicken salad sandwich, a cup of wild mushroom soup and a small green salad with balsamic vinaigrette. The hearty mushroom soup really hit the spot and helped the thawing process. I found the sandwich bread a little too greasy for my taste but I have no complaints about the chicken salad filling. They did not skimp on the chicken meat and the dressing was delightful. The salad was a welcome side dish after consuming all that buttery, creamy, high caloric foods.

The bf had Cajun Chicken Littles, a huge platter that came heaped with mashed potatoes, corn, and pieces of boneless chicken breasts, breaded, seasoned and then deep fried.

When the waitress, Nicole picked up this plate in the kitchen, SHE complained that the portion of chicken pieces were smaller than usual and made the kitchen fry up an extra portion of chicken! This is what I call customer service. Have you even heard of such a thing in Malaysia? As a customer, I wouldn’t even DARE complain for fear or retribution (eg spit in food or worse. Go watch “Waiting” if you don’t believe me) and here is a waitress, championing our cause. We were honestly floored. Believe me, she got a good tip.

This is the extra portion of fried chicken that our dedicated waitress scored for us.

After such a fantastic meal, we thought, what the heck, we have leftovers anyway so let's order dessert to go and we can have supper later. The bf had his predictable carrot cake while I went with the raspberry-lemon cheesecake. Due to the huge bag of food that we had walking out of The Cheesecake Factory, we had no choice but to leave the food in the car before hitting the shops. I don’t know about the bf but I was warmed by the good service and wonderful dining experience that we had.

Kudos to Nicole and the Cheesecake Factory!

The Cheesecake Factory
Bayshore Mall,
5799 N. Bayshore Dr. #L100,
Glendale, WI 53217
(414) 906-8550

Padang Brown Hawker Food

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

I was feeling rather guilty by the lack of new posts on my blog when everyone knows damn well that I ate like a pig in Malaysia and Indonesia. I have been working nights for the past week and a half (which is good because it eliminates the need to acclimatize back to US time=no jet lag) and am truly exhausted. However, out of guilt and my innate eagerness to please emerges this post that I hope will make all of you salivate...and for those of you who can, head out to Padang Brown for some yummy afternoon snacks.

This particular trip to Padang Brown was brought on by intense hunger, having skipped lunch for a family photo shoot (needed all the help I could get to look thin not look fat). So it was at 4:30pm when I could not take it anymore and begged my dad to accompany me for some light makan. This was done with the full knowledge that we had a dinner plans for a full 8 course Chinese dinner at CRC Restaurant. I know, I am such a pig.

The food "court" consists of about 8 hawker stalls selling a variety of street foods and several metal tables with metal stools. The system goes like this: You go to a stall, tell the hawker what you want (e.g ang tau seng, mai ang tau), where you're sitting and then go back to your table to wait while your food is prepared and brought to you. You then pay the hawker. The process can be repeated at other stalls while you wait for your order to arrive.

We first stopped at a Dim Sum stall. It's not your typical dim sum place where the little dumplings are steamed in wooden baskets and then the cart is wheeled to you for perusal.

We're eating street food here, so the dim sum are dumped willy-nilly in a large metal steamer and portioned out per customer order. Nevertheless, it does not detract from the taste, nor even the aesthetics. I mean, it still looks BEAUTIFUL to me.


Clockwise from top: Fishball, squid-ball, siew mai and har gow. Accompanying the tasty morsels is chilli sauce and sweet sauce (tee cheow).

We also ordered the famous Padang Brown mamak-style popiah. Popiah is a variation of the many types of springrolls found in Asia. This stall used to be run by an old man whom I was informed passed away last year. His daughter in law has taken over the business but she has made no changes to the recipe so the taste of the popiah remains as delicious as ever.

She starts preparing my order by laying down a piece of popiah skin on the wooden board, then smearing it with fragrant date sauce as a base before laying down a trimmed piece of lettuce. Then,2 heaping spoonfuls of stewed filling made with jicama, tiny shrimp, long beans, shallots and garlic are added on top of the lettuce leaf. Next, blanched beansprouts (tauge) and cooked tofu is added to the top and the popiah is rolled up. Finally, she cuts it into bite sized portions and tops the whole dish with more date sauce and gravy from the filling.

I was so starved when this baby arrived that I accidentally ate one before remembering to take a picture. Doesn't that look absolutely scrumptious? I am salivating at the recollection of savoring it.

Then we topped off our gastronomic adventure by ordering some Malay-style prawn fritters, called cucur udang, with an extra order of deep-fried (read unhealthy) beancurd, fishcake, which came accompanied by slices of raw cucumber (in attempt to neutralize the deep frying?)


The uncle, spurred into action by the presence of my camera sportingly demonstrated how the prawn fritters are made.


Basically, blanched beansprouts and pre-cooked small shrimp are placed in a small, shallow, metal ladle and then white colored batter is spooned onto the ladle. The while ladle is slowly lowered into a pot of boiling oil and the cooking process detaches the fritter from the ladle. The fritter is then turned so it cooks evenly into a golden brown color and is fished out and set to drain on a wire rack.

When semi cooled, the fritter is cut up into pieces by the uncle's wife and served with a kickass garlic based, sweet chili sauce.

Here's a closer look below.

Mmmmm........brings back all kinds of fond memories. They say that a family that eats together stays together, don't they?

I am still wondering how my light afternoon snack, intended to tide me over until dinner evolved into an eating spree. Thanks dad, for sacrificing your stomach space to accompany me on this eating session :) We still did good during dinner, didn't we?

How Sinful Are You?

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

I found this cute sin-meter on sweetcontemplations' blog. Decided to give it a whirl. This is how sinful I am. It kinda figures, huh? What's yours?

Your Deadly Sins

Gluttony: 60%

Envy: 20%

Greed: 20%

Lust: 0%

Pride: 0%

Sloth: 0%

Wrath: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 14%

You'll die from a diabetic coma.

How Sinful Are You?

Back In Freezin Milwaukee

As expected, the one month vacation flew by so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to really catch my breath before I had to go back to work again. Not that I am complaining as I am truly broke and need to fill up my piggy bank again. Sigh...why is it so easy to spend money but so hard to make it?

Anyway, I had a fabulous time in Penang and Jakarta and will slowly tell you all about the fabulous foods encountered. I need to really get my pics in order and then I can really start to blog. I also replaced my trusty ole Olympus camera with a smaller, lightweight, snappier, point & shoot model that is waterproof and shockproof but does not take as fabulous pics as compared to the old clunky model. I guess you can't have everything, can you?

I just want to apologize for not updating my blog while I was in Malaysia, I felt that there were not enough hours in a day to cram in all the activities that I had planned. Plus, the earthquake ib Taiwan really slowed down the internet and after a few attempts at uploading pics, I gave up. Obviously, these are all excuses but hopefully now that I am back in the US, I'll be more industrious in putting up new posts. To the god-sis, the ban chang kueh (pancakes, or whatever you called it) post will be up soon. I did eat some for you!

Good Eats at Anson Road Market

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

Anson Road Market

Sometimes…ok to be honest, most times, the best food in Penang are found in the strangest place. In this case, mom and I went to the Anson Road wet market to hunt for breakfast. The sustenence? Wanton mee and koay teow th’ng. It was a typical Malaysian wet market that sold meat (pork and chicken but not beef as many Chinese do not eat beef for religious purposes. Obviously I do not have such reservations), seafood (fish and shellfish) and vegetables. Also sold at the wet market are religious paraphernalia such as joss sticks, paper money…etc and also clothes. Most markets have an adjoining area where hawkers will sell food and oftentimes, the food is good.

Mom had koay teow th’ng, a soupy dish with rice noodles, a chicken and pork based broth and slivers of yummy chicken meat. Tradition dictates that hoo-wan (fish meatballs) be included in the dish although some hawkers substitute the fish meatballs with bak-wan (pork meatballs) and also add tauge (beansprouts). I find the traditional version more delicious, somewhat like comfort food as this is a popular “sick dish”, something that you would order if you were ill but had to eat out because your family was entertaining guests.

I had wanton mee, akin to the famous Sarawakian Kolo mee that is often featured on Kenny Sia’s blog. I apologize in advance because I have never tasted kolo mee but the two dishes look very similar that I imagine they must taste the same. Wantan mee/noodles are made with wheat flour, lye water and eggs. The result is a springy noodle that is chewy to the bite but not exactly al dente for it is much softer. I love the texture of the noodles and its wavy strands are perfect for sopping up the dark sauce.

The dish is assembled by blanching the noodles in hot water and quickly cooking it. Then, the dark sauce is made by mixing thick soy sauce, thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and a tiny amount of chicken broth. Some hawkers claim to add their own special sauce to the blend but I would not care to speculate on what that “special ingredient” might be. I just eat it. The sauce is poured onto the noodles and some gai choy, char siew (BBQ pork) and shredded chicken meat is placed on top of the noodles. Oh, I forgot the best part, the ingredient that gives the dish it’s name: WANTONS. Again, there are variations. Some hawkers serve the dish with poached wantons, others with deep fried specimens. I find that both are equally good.

After gulping down my own dish and sampling some of mom’s, I was still feeling gluttonous hungry and we ordered a dish of char koay teow (fried rice noodles), Penang’s signature dish (more of this in a future blog) to share. That was only so-so. I have had better and I intend to blog about it!

Ah….it was a great start to a great day.

Apong Manis Ah Guan

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

When the bf and I come home to Penang, we never fail to visit our favorite apong manis stall located next to Union School on Burmah Road. Mr Uan or Ah Guan has been selling his famous apong manis there for as long as I can remember.



We are attracted to the stall and the man behind it because of the consistently delicious coconut flavored, soft ‘pancakes’. The pancakes are cooked using a combination of grilling and steaming method where the fragrant coconut batter is poured into little round shallow pans which grills the outside of the pancake and then when it is partially cooked, Ah Guan closed the cover and allows steam to finish cooking the batter. He then adds slices of ripe banana and a large dollop of creamed corn and the deftly folds the pancake in half. This creates a sweet golden brown pancake with a soft center filled with flavorful gooey bananas and corn.


Ah Guan does the cooking with panache and his cheerful personality makes a visit to his apong manis stall a real delight. He flashes his warm smile at you as soon as you approach the stall and he never fails to charm his customers.

However, I must warn you that there is always a wait for his popular delicacy and so if you are in a hurry or are impatient, this is not the place to go. Ah Guan lets you know that there is a wait right as you approach and he marks the length of the wait by how many pieces of apong manis that is on back order. When I went there last week, I was 30 pieces of apong manis behind. The wait is quite pleasant as he chats away happily with you as he prepares your order. There is another apong manis stall along that stretch of hawker stall but it is always bereft of customers while Ah Guan’s stall is always popular with the crowd, despite the waiting time.

Each piece is priced at RM 0.30 and most people usually order 10-15 pieces. I had ordered 30 pieces and had to wait a little longer than usual. During our chat, Ah Guan told me that he was a former Free School Boy and was English educated. I found this to be rather interesting as most Chinese hawkers are Chinese educated and can barely speak English. This makes Ah Guan a great interview subject when non-Hokkien speaking TV crews, some coming from as far as Singapore and Hong Kong feature him on their food programs.

I left his stall with 30 aromatic pieces of pancakes. By the time I got to the car, there were only 28 pieces left. Nuff said.

Apong Manis Ah Guan
The stretch of hawker stalls just before Union School on Burmah Road.
Just look for the crowd.