JuJu Necklace

Haha..this post is not about food. It's about a GORGEOUS necklace that I had my eye on for a while. Okay-lah...a months. I could not stop thinking about how pretty it was, especially on moi neck. Those of you who know me would probably pray that I go get the damn thing now because I will obsess about it forever....and end up buying it anyway (after whinging for a protracted amount of time) Lucky for you isn't it, bf? I am faithful to the things and ones I love.

I stumbled across this adorable little store during a 'girls day out' with my godsister and was very impressed with the line of jewellery that they carried. A second stake-out with the bf (hunting for a Christmas present for his mom) yielded this fabulous 5 stranded Liz Paiacious necklace that I absolutely loved. Alas, I told myself, no more spending money on frivolous non-necessities. Christmas time is for spending on other people. If I were a Christian, then I would have said that Christmas is about Jesus and God. But I am not, so to me it's all about love, family and presents.

I was told on my second visit that there would soon be a sale and if I signed up for the mailing list, I would be invited. Ha! there was the excuse I needed. I said goodbye to my necklace and waited patietly for my invite. Happily, I received a postcard yesterday from the store about their Holiday Preview Weekend and stupidly assumed that it was the sale that the proprietress was talking about. I cajoled the bf into dropping by the store today to purchase said necklace. I think that the dissapointment must have shown on my face when I was told that the sale was some time ago and didn't I get the email. Sadly....no. The store owner, Nichole Nikolic decided to give me the sale price today as I did not receive my email about the sale. What a wonderful woman! I got MY necklace and it's beautiful. Merci beaucoup to Nichole from JuJu.

Nichole Nikolic, Owner

Store interior

Creative paper snowflakes

And finally, my necklace:

JuJu Gifts, Accessories & Decor

Milwaukee WI, 53202

Phone: 414-221-9580

Fax: 414-221-9589

Fake Ark Thooi Mee Suah

This morning, as I drove home from a gruelling 10hr shift, I started thinking about food. It was too early (6:35am) to wake the bf up for breakfast and too late to eat anything before going to bed. Suddenly, a vision of a steaming hot bowl of ark thooi mee suah (duck drumstick rice noodles) came to mind and I was overcome by a ferocious need to eat that dish. It's times like this that I desperately miss home. There is no way that you can just walk or drive to the nearest hawker stall and just buy whatever you want to eat on demand. The nearest Chinatown is 2 hrs away, in another state...hello. Whatever you want to eat, you have to make.

Now, I have no clue how to make this dish so I did the next best thing; I called my mother to complain and whinge. My hope was that she would have an easy to prepare recipe. No such luck. My mom sympathized with me for 2 mins and then told me to use my imagination. This is what ensued:

I used one packet of Pepper Spice soup mix ( I swear it tastes like too-tor th'ng/ pig stomach soup) and prepared it as per instructions on the back. Ok-lah, I tore open the packet and added the sachet to 1500ml of water in a slow cooker, set to low. I then set aside 4 pieces of frozen chicken thighs with instructions for the bf to add to the slow cooker when completely defrosted and then I went to bed.

The bf popped the chicken thighs into the pot at 1pm and by 6pm, the whole apartment was filled with the delicious aroma of pepper soup.

10 mins before serving, I added 1 can of baby straw mushrooms (drained) and 1 can of drained quail's eggs (CHOLESTEROL!!!!!). The bf force fed me 5 fish oil pills tonight because of that. Then I boiled some mee suah and voila! dinner is ready. Not ark thooi me suah but not bad either. I did not add any extra salt but it still tasted delicious.

Luan Luan Lai Mee Suah

Close up shot

The bf's verdict: Not bad.

ONLY??? Cheh, next time I'll let the food critic make his own dinner.

Blogger in Beta

After days of deliberating, I switched to Blogger in Beta. I hope I did not make the wrong move. Anyone running into problems with the Beta version? Please let me know.

Chinatown Foray and Joy Yee Noodles

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

Our gastronomic foray to Chicago’s Chinatown was a triumph and we came back laden with delicious food. As we approached my apartment, the bf suddenly said, “What’s that smell?” I sniffed the air cautiously and an image of tauge (beansprouts to all the non Malaysians) fried with soy sauce materialized in my mind. The bf was amazed by my fantastic olfactory abilities...I told him it’s because I am Chinese and can sniff out Chinese food anywhere. Then it hit me, hmmm..fried tauge today, the aroma or stink (whichever rocks your boat) of fried kiam-hoo (salted fish) last week, the faint scent of incense...our neighbor must be CHINESE. Hah! Must arrange a stakeout to confirm my suspicions.

Anyway, back to the Chinatown trip, I must say that we take a drive down south pretty often but I haven’t in the past been able to get decent pictures for a blog. Today we visited Joy Yee Noodles (www.joyyee.com) and Feida Bakery. Due to it's large size, I am going to split this blog into two parts.

Walking along the shops of New Chinatown

Joy Yee’s has always been a favorite of ours and we had eaten there many times in the past. They serve a wide variety of asian fare and although I cannot say that each dish is authentic, I can certainly confirm that it is GOOD! To detractors that complain about the lack of authenticity of the Chinese food, it is not a Chinese restaurant. Now, shut up and eat. It’s been a while since we’ve been there because we found a new dim sum restaurant that took over as THE favorite. I’ll save that for another blog.

Joy Yee’s has always been a very popular restaurant and it is always packed when we’ve tried to eat there. Patrons go through this ritual where they push past a sea of people standing in front of the front door and put their names down on a waiting list to be seated. Then you either stand waiting along the wall, in the restaurant, where mobs of people continually push at you to get to the list or you can wait along the wall outside, where is it pleasant in spring summer and hell in winter. No matter the time of the day, there was always a line.

It was a pleasant surprise to walk right into Joy Yee’s today and immediately ushered to a table. Actually, the ever vigilant bf spotted a crowd nipping at our heels and rushed into the restaurant to secure a table, whilst gesturing to me to hurry up and come in. I was taking pictures-lah, damn kiasu. Ok-lah, I admit that I was grateful for his speedy reaction because every table in the restaurant was filled after that. It seems that the congestion at the original Joy Yee’s in Chinatown has eased due to the opening of 3 other locations in the city (see list below)

The service was quick and efficient and within minutes, we had already placed our order. Our drinks came shortly thereafter. Joy Yee’s is famous for its bubble teas, fresh fruit freezes and smoothies. I ordered the Watermelon freeze with tapioca balls. The bf had green tea smoothie with tapioca, which was marvelous but contained a generous amount of half and half (not for weight watchers or people with high cholesterol). My watermelon freeze looked rather anemic but it did not compromise the taste. I love the crisp, fresh taste of watermelon as it reminds me of home.

We had Butter Fried Squid as an appetizer. Entrees were Malaysian Style Seafood with Baked Rice (the bf) and Korean BBQ short ribs (me). Here are the yummy pics:

Green Tea Smoothie and Watermelon Freeze

Butter Fried Squid. I did not like this dish because it was too buttery for my tastes but the bf loved it. The batter was crispy while the squid was tender inside.

Malaysian Style Seafood with Baked Rice

Korean BBQ short ribs

What a whole lot of food. The hungry bf is already digging in.

Korean BBQ short ribs AFTER I was done with my meal. The only complaints I have about this dish is that it is not something you can eat politely in public. I prefer to eat this in the privacy of my home where I can scrape my teeth againts the bone to got all of the meat. Which is what I will be doing for dinner tonight.

The bill, USD 35.94 without tax. Not bad for a huge meal like this. Plus we will be fed for then next two meals.

Feida Bakery and Old Chinatown

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


After the meal, we moseyed over to Feida Bakery to pick up weekly supplies. Previously, walking into Feida was a scary experience because the lady behind the counter would yell at you if you did not rattle off your order fast enough, if you hesitated between orders or added new items to your completed order. Strangely enough, the ladies behind the counter were so pleasant during our past 3 visits. The first time it happened, the bf asked if we should stop at a gas station to buy a Powerball ticket. Being Chinese, we did get the ticket but didn’t win.

Today’s visit was also very pleasant and the lady actually gave us a discount on some buns and exchanged the cup soybean milk (few hours old) that we picked up from the counter for a steaming, fresh off the stove cup. I was so disorientated that I forgot to take pictures inside the store. Here are some pics of the storefront and goodies that we carted home. The soybean milk was completely consumed before we even got home.

Feida Storefront

Pak Thong Koh or Steamed Rice Cake

Paper Cupcakes and Curry Beef Bun

The paper cupcakes are called Zhi Pau Tan Koh (cantonese) and are so delicious that I often inhale more than one in a sitting. Then I found out that the 'special ingredient' is lard. Sigh...things that taste good are often very bad for you.

Feida is also known for their egg tarts but we didn't not get any today. Watching my cholesterol-mah.

Feida Bakery
2228 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago, IL

(312)808-1113

Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week

Also featured are random pics of Chicago’s Chinatown. Enjoy:

The famous Chinatown Arch

A beautiful example of Chinese architecture and craftsmanship. The intricate carvings are amazing

Another angle of the same building

A beautiful glazed peacock

The bf wanted to know why I was taking picture of everything except for the Penang restaurant. Sub standard food-lah. I am from Penang, how to endorse poor quality food? So I made do with taking pictures of the restaurant. To give them credit, there are some dishes that are very well prepared, like their nasi lemak and kangkung belachan. Don't even try dishes like laksa or hokkien mee. You are just asking for trouble.

• Lessons learnt:
  Never try to drive to Chinatown on an empty stomach. You may last till you reach the restaurant, but you’ll order way too much food.
• Always go to the bathroom after a meal and before taking a long drive home. Chicago traffic is ALWAYS congested and Murphy’s Law dictates that traffic will come to a standstill just as soon as you feel the need to relieve yourself.

Continuing with the Greek Theme

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

This is my second entry for today. I finished my yoghurt entry earlier and went to a meeting at 5pm. When I arrived home, hungry again (what else?) at 6:30pm, I found this on the kitchen counter. Apparently the bf went hunting and gathering and came back with sustenance.

Excitedly, I looked into the package and found of all things, Greek food from Apollo. This Greek restaurant is located a few blocks from my apartment and serves pretty authentic fare, tried and tested by my Greek friend. The bf picked up 2 items: Apollo combination plate and grilled chicken souvlaki.

Apollo Combination Plate

Contains:

• Baked potatoes-standard-lah, baked with oregano
• Feta cheese-acquired taste. I used to hate it at first, now I love it. Chau gu-leng bee
• Spanakopita-spinach fillo pastry pie
• Gyro meat-mystery meat shaped into a long fat skewer and slow roasted on a spit. You hope it's beef
• Pastitio-baked pasta casserole with bechamel sauce. Kinda like lasagna but softer with a hint of cinnamon
• Dolmades-stuffed grapevine leaves with rice and meat. My Greek friend makes it with cabbage leaves and lemon-egg sauce. Yummy
• Pita bread-self explanatory
• Tzatziki sauce-yoghurt sauce with cucumber and garlic
  

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

The bf stealing a piece of chicken

The answer to my earlier postcript; we are having Greek for dinner! Isn't it such a coincidence that we were on the same page...or rather country? The bf swears that he didn't read my earlier post before hunting down dinner.

MmmmMmmm Yoghurt

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

I woke up today feeling RAVENOUS at 2:30 pm. This is the problem with having so many shifts at work (5 different shifts) and then going to bed hungry when I come home at 7am after a long, long night. It's too late to eat before I go to bed, unless of course I don't care about how fat I get. So I kuai-kuai went to sleep and when I woke up...ROAR. My stomach demanded breakfast but the clock told me it was way past lunch and only a few hours to dinner. What to do?

For instances like this, I stock up on yoghurt. Not the wimpy kind that is watery, full of artificial flavoring and lotsa sugar. No, you're talking to a yoghurt connoisseur, having grown up as the daughter of a dairy distributor. Ok-lah, I am not that atas. It's just that I have a Greek friend who loves the stuff and picked up a few cartons of Fage Authentic Greek Yoghurt for me whenever she visits the Greek grocery store. I instantly fell in love with the creamy texture of strained yoghurt. It is unsweetened and comes with a small compartment of honey. Yummm. I love the tangy flavor of the unadulterated yoghurt, with it's milky aroma combined with the sweet golden honey. Some Greeks eat it with nuts (walnuts, pistachios) or fruit. I personally love it with honeydew melon.




Many people have expressed their doubts about the freshness of the product after being imported from Greece to the US but I have personally encountered not problems. After all, yoghurt is fermented milk la. The most it can do is get more fermented right? To my delight, the health foods store near my house started to stock this item so I no longer have to trek across Milwaukee to buy it at the Greek store.

The downside of this utterly delicious dairy product is its 110 fat calories. Many people are frightened off by the high fat content but this is FULL FAT MILK. And I eat it as a between meal snack or more often as a meal replacement. It also keeps you full for many hours due to the release of cholecystokinine by the gallbladder, triggered by the high fat content.

The USDA recommends 3 servings of dairy a day as part of a healthy diet. See http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/milk_amount.aspx#
And the calcium in the dairy helps you burn fat and build strong bones, preventing osteoporosis.

The real bummer, its USD 1.99 per carton. Arrrggghhhh!!!

p/s I wonder what's for dinner.

A Taste of Nostalgia

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


My latest obsession is reading food blogs. It started with a blog that I accidentally stumbled upon while looking for a Malaysian recipe online. Soon, I was completely hooked. I was spending more and more time looking into the lives of other people, not through their eyes, but rather through their stomaches. Living in the Midwest is great but I really missed Malaysian food. Reading Malaysian food blogs made me feel closer to home, especially when the writers are from Penang. After weeks of staring at other people's food blogs, the boyfriend (who henceforth, shall be referred to as "the bf") suggested that I start my own, since I liked food so much. I deliberated for a while and the thought, "Why not?" I eat, I cook, might as well write about it. After all, the Malaysian goverment is trying to promote Malaysia through it's food.

My problem with starting my blogs stemmed from the fact that I could not ever remember to take pictures before digging in. Oftentimes, I would be three-quarters way into a meal when I suddenly remembered, "Alamak! Forgot to take pictures for my blog."

Thus today I am so proud that I actually have pictures of 2 dishes I made. I was overcome by a sense of nostalgia when I read this blog about tau yew bak that I actually called my mother in Malaysia and asked her for the recipe. Now, my mother is an awesome cook. The problem was, when asked how to cook a dish, she tells you, "Hah, tumi the garlic and then add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.." Ok, mom, how much of each ingredients? "Eh, you agak-agak lah"

Not helpful. Yet, today, I managed to make tau yew bak and bang-kuang char. Incidentally, bang-kuang is called jicama in the US. This is pronounced 'hee-kam-mah'. Spanish what.

Mom told me to use hae-bee (dried prawns) and jew-hoo (dried cuttlefish) for the bang-kuang char but I could find any so I used ......drumroll....dried scallops instead. Oohh, the decadence. Here are pics:

Soaking the dried scallops

Cutting veges for bang-kuang char

Julienned vegetable-whew, hard work

When I started to cook this, I didn't know it would take more than one hour!

Starting to cook tau yew bak

Final products

Lessons learned during this cooking session:

1. Never start a dish that that takes two hours to cook when your bf is hungry, much less two.
2. If you attempt No. 1, make sure you have something to feed the hungry bf (I had tamales)
3. The secret to good bang-kuang char is julienningthe veges thinly. My dad exclaimed when he saw a pic of the final product, "Aiyoh, why your veges so chor-loh wan?" My first time make this dish mah!
4. You can never make food that tastes as good as your mother or grandmother's.
5. It is also cheaper to go out and tar-pow food than to buy individual ingredients to cook at home. It's true, mom, I swear.
6. The taste of success is sweet. The bf gave the 2 dishes his seal of approval :) And that is the best reward of all.