If My Head Was Not Attached To My Body.....

This was one of my father's favorite sayings when I was a child.....unfortunately, it still applies today. True, I am slightly better organized and do lose things a LOT less (it gets a little painful when you start paying for your own possessions), I still get a little scatterbrained sometimes and "misplace" things. It's not really lost, but just...misplaced...the irony of which is that said "lost" item appears a few months later when you least expect it and have bought another replacement. Yes, I do my part to keep the flagging US economy going....and no siree....I don't do it on credit! See, mom and dad, I did learn something from you, after all.

Okay, so...the currently misplaced item is my battery charger for my digital camera...gasp! I know, this is why I have been unable to blog my home cooked meals lately. And I have been cooking a lot more because I am currently on a health kick. Funny isn't it, that my "health kicks" always coincide with an upcoming trip home to Asia? You see....eating healthy does have the wonderful added side effect of weight loss for me. So, in anticipation of people back home that have no shame saying..."Wah...U.S food it so good ah? You so fat already!" or "Your face is so round, you look so...prosperous." And more, the completely shameless and clueless ones will start pinching your cheeks or even worse...tummy flab roll. Stop already! Being a size 2 in the US means NOTHING in Asia where skinny, anorexic looking girls are the norm! Well still, to give the haters their due, I am usually seen stuffing my face in Penang and eating twice the normal portions of food so I can why they cannot resist the applying the adage, it takes a village to raise a non-obese child.
*Scratching head, wondering how I got from misplacing camera's battery charger to this rant*

Anyway, I'm making Asparagus Stir Fried with Tiger Prawns In Chili Paste today. Sounds good and it's unbelievable simple. I'll post a recipe and pics when I find a solution to said problem above. However, don't hold your breath.

On a completely different but more important note, please support the Menu for Hope 4 that ends December 21st. It's a charity fundraiser organized by the fabulous Pim of Chez Pim that supports the UN Food Programme.

This year, they are raising money to feed the hungry schoolchildren of Lesotho. Since I am a big proponent of keeping kids in school, I entered the raffle too and did my part. Ya gotta walk the talk, honey! So I am a little late, since the raffle ends on Friday but it only takes a few minutes of your time and it's unbelievably easy. The hard part is picking out the amazing prizes. That took me a while. So don't wait any longer and get to Firstgiving and start donating! They have raised $45, 520 at posting time. Results will be posted at Chez Pim on January 9th.

3 AM Food Craving

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

Why do I do this to myself? I come home from work at 3 AM and what do I do? I sit in front of the computer, read food blogs and then look through my archives of Penang food pics and then suffer. I am craving this right now with a capital K!!!


For those of you who are unfamiliar with Penang cuisine ( well...probably not many.. because the 4 people who read my blog already are familiar with it), it's a dish called Chee Cheong Fun, Pig Intestine Noodles would be a direct translation. The moniker is derived from the rolled up appearance of the rice noodle which resembles intestine and not because it's made from pig parts. It's actually harmless white rice noodles, steamed in sheets and then rolled up after being oiled. The rolls of noodles are stacked up in a glass case, usually until a portion is ordered by a customer and then it is steamed and then cut into bite sized pieces.

Then the seller ladles on prawn paste, tee cheow (hoisin sauce), shallot oil, chili paste and then tops it with toasted sesame seeds (Bamming Emeril style optional) and serves it up with a flourish.

I always ask for the noodles to be unfurled prior to saucing because I like my noodles to have maximum surface exposure to the delicious sauce prior to stuffing my face. As children, my brother and I took utmost delight in unfurling each rolled up piece of noodles slowly and then stirring it into the sauce, to the dismay of our dining companions, the adults. Can you imagine how long it would take us to eat a plate?

A morsel in your mouth reveals a tangy, sweet and fiery taste, all at once from the amazing sauce. The soft chewy and silky noodles are an amazing canvas for the delicious finger and plate licking good sauce.


We like to eat this dish in the morning at MaCallister Lane in Penang. Can anyone help with the exact location of this stall? Update: Thanks to Tine who says this stall is very hard to miss because it's located near the junction as you turn into MaCallister Lane.


Now going to bed, very frustrated.

The Godsister Should Love This

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

Oh boy... I just microwaves 2 peeled bananas in a bowl, mashed them with a fork, added some brown sugar (no gula melaka, alas) and a pat of butter. Stirred it together and ate it all up. It's 4:53am.

Ah...how the mighty have fallen.

Just occurred to me that the addition of a drop of pure vanilla extract may not be amiss.

Witty Repartee...NOT!

I was walking down the hall leading to the emergency room last night when I passed two nurses in their winter coats, in the middle of their shift (obviously going out to smoke cigarettes). We exchanged hellos and as we were parting ways, I said playfully, "Hey, you know, smoking is bad for you."

To which one replied, "Yeah, so is being a bitch"

Huh...WTF??????????

I was so stunned because that comment came out of the blue that I could only call out, "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

In my fantasy world, without missing a beat, I would have immediately volleyed back, "Then you'd better quit, shouldn't you" or "It takes one to know one" or better yet, "Oh fancy that, a talking female dog!"

In the real world, I fumbled...hahaha...not that I would have been that rude anyway. My father has always said, "You do not have to sink to their level to fight them," an advice that I've taken to heart. Still, I sometimes wish that I did have a quicker, wittier tongue.


UPDATE: I went to work today and was told by said nurse above that she meant that being a bitch was not good for her.....not me. A fellow colleague had asked her about our little exchange and suddenly realized that her comment could have been perceived as insulting to me and apologized. Since I smiled at her as soon as I saw her today (even before hearing the explanation), she realized that I had no hard feelings. Alles gute!

Dear Anthony Bourdain..

Dear Mr Anthony Bourdain,

I have been a big fan of your wonderful show and acerbic wit ever since I stumbled upon No Reservations 2 years ago. I loved the fact that you've shown us that eating well does not necessarily equate to paying exorbitant prices. Unless of course, you're talking about El Bulli, for which I would gladly sell my left pinky toe to finance the meal. I am extremely fond of all my toes, I mean, how else would my Manolos fit properly...ok, who am I kidding, I don't own any Manolos...but I digress....

You have brought the art of gastronomy to the street level and have used street food as a conduit to exploring and understanding a foreign culture. I do salute you!

I could barely contain my excitement when the episode of No Reservations: Malaysia aired. As a Malaysian, I am inordinately proud of our cuisine. Where else in the world can you find food with Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, English, Thai and Indonesian influences, often along the same street or square, reflecting the multi ethnic population of it's citizens?

However, to my horror, I barely heard a mention of Penang Island during the one hour episode. This is an outrage! Penang is famous for it's uber-delicious food. It's one of the best states in Malaysia to eat in. Forget the wild pigs in Borneo. You will weep at the first taste of Char Koay Teow. I fear that you may never forgive yourself for missing out what may have been the best hawker food and seafood that you have ever tasted. I therefore must insist that you recount the votes...I mean, visit Penang Island and gorge yourself with the amazing array of gastronomic delights that awaits you. I will volunteer to be your guide. Consider yourself invited!

Yours sincerely,
TrueBluePenangite

p/s Offer valid only from Jan 20th to Feb 24th. Airfare and accommodations not included. Sponsor is not liable for any gastronomic related illnesses (ie overeating,unintended weight gain, elevated cholesterol, depression after leaving Penang).

Lonely....

He left for Penang, Malaysia yesterday.



My Widget tells me that I have 41 more days to go.
It just seems like a loooong time.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
And a fire would be delighful,
And I can't go anywhere, I know,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And in fact it's also sleeting,
Driving visibility is way down low,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I will actually have a good night,
Because I don't have to go out in the storm;
Not going to work tonight,
Thank God coz I'll actually be warm.

I know the ER will be busy,
Full of drunks and crazies,
But as long as I don't have to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.........
(sung to the tune of Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow)

Milwaukee is currently experiencing temperatures of -1°C with gusting winds up
to 45 km/hr, which makes it feel like -7°C. We are being hit by freezing rain and heavy
snow right now but looking at the Weather Channel's doppler map, I know ice is coming soon. Aren't YOU glad you don't live here? My fridge and freezers are stocked up in case I can't get out of the house..hehe

P/s Will update picture when possible.

Cashew Chicken

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



I was reminded two days ago that real bloggers actually update their blogs...so I took the opportunity to test out Rasa Malaysia's Kung Pao Chicken recipe that had me almost drooling onto my keyboard. For years, I've heard of Kung Pao chicken in Chinese-American restaurants and thought that it was a made up dish....kinda like Chop Suey. However, after reading RM's blog about cooking authentic Kung Pao Chicken, I realized, "Hey, my grandma makes this dish!" It was similar to a dish that my grandma calls Cashew Chicken and does NOT in the slightest bit resemble the Americanized version of Kung Pao Chicken.

The pleasant memories flooding my tastebuds prompted me to make this dish tonight. I adapted RM's recipe, substituting cashew nuts for peanuts, added sesame oil and oyster sauce to the dish. I also cheated on the steps and cooked it all at once instead of cooking the chicken and sauce in two steps and then combining them.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
5 pieces of boneless & skinless chicken thighs
1 large handful of roasted and salted cashew nuts
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 stalk diagonally sliced scallion
8-12 small dried red chillies
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 thumb sized knob of thinly julienned fresh ginger
1/2 of a small yellow onion, sliced


Chicken Marinade:
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoon ShaoXing wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pinch of black pepper to taste

Sauce:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3-4 tablespoons water (depending on how thick or runny you'd like the sauce)
1 tablepoon corn starch
1 tablespoon ShaoXing wine

Method:

1. Prepare marinade and sauce in separate containers.
2. Clean chicken meat, pat dry and cut into 1cm cubes. Place in container with marinade and mix well. Set aside for 1/2 hr.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a large pan/wok on High setting until the oil is smoking. Add garlic and fry till golden brown.
4. Add scallions, ginger, chilies, onions and cashew nuts to pan. Fry together until the aromatics are soft and fragrant.
   
5. Add the chicken meat and cook until all of the pieces are cooked through
6. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until sauce thickens and coats the chicken pieces well.
7. Add a pinch of sliced scallions "Emeril" style after plating for style and drama.

We ate it with steamed jasmine/long grain rice. It was GRREATTT!!!! The bf gave it two thumbs up :)

I Dream of Blue Skies, Warm Seas and Good Food

Sitting in a cold lonely room,
Wishing for some sunshine and warmth,
Reminiscing about lovelier times,
Can you blame my longing heart?





I will return to you one day.......Greece, I love you....

Murtabak Fever

I just can't help it, I want to eat this dish so badly!!! According to the countdown clock on my dashboard, I have 94 more days to my Malaysian trip. This is going to be one super exciting trip because I am :

a)Going home to see my parents and grandma. Always a pleasure.
b)Going to be a bridesmaid to my bestie, Tine.
c)Finally going home for Chinese New Year (Feb 7th 2008) after missing out on the ang pow action for 7 years.
d)Going to take a short family vacation to Perth to see my brother. Tried to squeeze Melbourne into the Australian trip but it was too much for me to handle. Yes, I am wimpy. You try sitting on a plane (and in airports) for 32 donkey hours from the US to Penang and see how well you handle it.
e)Going to eat Murtabak...with curry and the red onions (See dish above). It's a large piece of pulled dough that is stretched paper thin and then filled with a mixture of minced meat, seasonings, onion and garlic folded into a mixture of beaten egg before being folded like an envelope to seal in the filling and griddle fried until golden brown.

And wash it down with....you guessed it..... Teh tarik!

Watch how they make it here. What's not to like?

What City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Ya know, I would have guessed Paris. I suppose I am a little colonialist at heart.

Beautiful Ending To A Beautiful Day

The bf and I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and went for a walk last week. we were awed by this beautiful scene. I can't believe I live here!! This picture was taken at Lake Drive, Milwaukee.

Finish this sentence...

I don't usually do memes but I was inspired to do this one from MayNi, ingenuously sent via email:

1. I've come to realize that my last kiss was.... going to have to last me 2 weeks until he returns again...sob

2. I am listening to... Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

3. I talk... like I have verbal diarrhea

4. I love.... eating and dressing up to go out.

5. My best friends are.... more precious than the rarest gems...John,MayNi, Christine, Lia, Doris, Anastasia, Georgia, Ming, Jamie and Wans

6. My Car is... a beautiful Honda Accord that was the biggest purchase of my life....and I love it!

7. My love life.... is blessed. And also very private :)

8. I hate it when people ask.... me why I speak English so well? or why don't I have an accent since I'm Malaysian or my personal favorite...How can you be Malaysian Chinese? I always reply, "Have you heard of African-Americans? Chinese-Americans? Polish-Americans? Do I need to continue?"

9. Love is.... what keeps me going. I am a hopeless romantic.

10. Marriage is... what you make of it.

11. Somewhere, someone is thinking... why is smoking not banned yet? Ok, I confess, I'm the one thinking that.

12. I'm always... running late. It's a disease

13. I have a secret cheesy crush on..... Colin Firth...it's the damn English accent

14. My cell phone... is my constant companion. It's my phone, alarm clock, calculator, calender and sometimes camera.

15. When I wake up in the morning... I snuggle deeper into the sheets and blankets.

16. When I go to bed at night... I call the bf.

17. Right now I am thinking about... what to eat for lunch. I hate going to work at 11am because I never know whether to eat breakfast or lunch.

18. Babies are.... especially adorable when you can give them back to their parents at the end of the day.

19. I get on myspace.... ?

20. Today I... go to work and think positive thoughts. Okay, maybe I'll pray at work. Constantly

21. Tonight I will... sleep well after I hit the gym

22. Tomorrow I will... clean up my house...I have said that everyday for the past week :p

23. I really want to... learn French, move to Europe, exercise more, ride horses, sing soprano, travel the world and love my job.

24. Someone that will most likely repost this is... Christine..because I am tagging her to do this on her blog.

Christine, you heard me...you're it!

Thank You Christine !!!

Oh for those of you who are admiring my new blog design, the credit should go to my bestie Christine, whom despite wedding preparations, visa applications and work stress had kindly offered to chng (pimp) my blog. I'll try to work hard and blog more so her efforts aren't wasted on a lazy blogger like me.

Kudos to Tine and thanks so much.

It's WARM out!!!!

It's in the eighties today and I am going OUTSIDE!!!!! I am so excited for the last hurrah of warm weather this week that I can't wait to go out and enjoy the day. My friend, G and I will be going out for some good eat in a few minutes. Since we are in a month with an "R" in it, we are going to the Milwaukee Public Market for some nice, plump oysters and mussels. That's right.....I have finally found the seafood motherload.

The seafood vendor, St Paul Fish company recently expanded their stall to include an oyster bar and grill. Needless to say, I was overjoyed at the prospect of not having to go to some atas restaurant to pay $15.95 for a plate of mussel appetizers. I am going to go this time, armed with my camera so I can take some pics of the lovely food we'll have. Oh dear....I hope G brings her appetite.

Banana Attack!!

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

I was rummaging through the kitchen when I spied 4 bananas that had somehow eluded my notice when they were optimally yellow and now, they were just 4 sad brown bananas. I thought briefly of chucking them in the trash but the notion quickly discarded by the heavy sensation of guilt that settled upon my shoulders. I was after all, brought up in Asia where it is a SIN to waste food. "Think about all the starving people in Somalia," my mother used to say.

Imagine my horror when I finally met some Somalians in college who turned out to be the biggest food wasters that I had ever met (until I lived in America, that is. Marquette dorm students take the cake). Luckily, these days, she never has to push us to eat. In fact, she's mostly telling me to stop stuffing my face!

So, I decided to make banana bread. I found a bunch of recipes online but alas, a quick survey of my kitchen revealed .....no baking powder, no lemon juice, no walnuts, no mixer and worse....no loaf pan. Somehow, my pan mysteriously vanished.

Anyway, I did the best I could and adapted a recipe that I will share, because the final product turned out awesome. It's simple,quick and does not require a mixer....just needs some elbow grease :) Instead of a loaf pan, I used an 8x8 pyrex pan. I call it the puddingcake because of the resulting dense, creamy and moist texture. Try it out, it's pretty much foolproof.



Banana PuddingCake

Ingredients:
4 very ripe bananas
2 handfuls of California raisins, soaked in water or rum
2 heaping tbs of Greek yogurt
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
4 oz (1 stick) softened butter
4 eggs

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
2. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt. Mix well
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.
5. Add half the egg mixture and half the flour, mix well and repeat with remaining ingredients. I used a whisk.
   
6. Stir in the yogurt and raisins and then pour the batter into a well greased and floured 8x8 inch pan.
   
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the puddingcake.
8. Allow to cool and then dig in.

Personally, I think it would be kick-ass if served a la mode with a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Damn, no ice cream!

Arrrrggghhhh!!!!

For the past few days, my photo editor software has been psycho and decides to have an "error" whenever I try to save edited work. Yes, edited photos that I have been working on for 10-30 mins. Isn't that incredibly frustrating? I spend precious time working on my pictures with nothing to show for it. Well, I guess that I'm lucky it didn't wipe out my original photos.

I WAANNNT Photoshop......even if I have no idea how to use it. Camedia Master from Olympus just doesn't cut it anymore and iPhoto is almost identical....except that it has the "retouch" option so I can ch'ng my pimples imperfections away.

Okay...so you get to hear me whine today but have nothing to look at. Sorry :P

Sigh......

The Breakfast of Champions

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

Growing up, I have always been lectured about the importance of eating breakfast. It's touted to kick start your body into full gear and feed your brain, so to speak. I remember a teacher in high school rambling on and on about needing to eat breakfast, even going as far as having those who did not confess to eating breakfast that particular morning singled out and ridiculed. Yes, I am talking about Miss Ang.

And speaking of breakfast, nobody does it as well as Malaysian. We are champion breakfast eaters. Where else in the world would you find people who eat everything from nasi lemak (coconut steamed rice with anchovies and boiled egg) to curry noodles to chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodles with fermented shrimp paste, sesame oil and chili paste)?

One of my favorite things to eat for breakkie is Hainanese French Toast with Malaysian Kopi. The sugary sweetness is enough to induce diabetes but it is oh so good....and actually quite okay to eat once in a while.

I like the sweet aroma of Malaysian roasted coffee (with margarine, salt, sugar and sometimes chicory) paired with creamy condensed milk bright and early in the morning. It gives me a reason to get out of bed.

The French Toast was completely soaked through with the egg-milk-sugar mixture and tasted delicious. My only complaint was that the surface was not crispy enough.

Msian coffee+French Toast, by their powers combined=Simply delicioso!

Summer's Over

My mom complained that she is tired of seeing my feet whenever she logs onto my blog. Summer's over and so should the hiatus......but I feel so lazy after NOT blogging for several months. Besides that, I am swamped with work and life while makes it really difficult to find time to sit in front of the computer for hours at a time. Yes, people...it actually takes me hours to compose the post and then edit the pictures. Now try doing that after 10 brutal hours at the ER, being abused by screaming patients...you get the picture.

Yet, I love my blog too much to just let it rot. So, my solution is to make a little compromise. I will continue to write mostly about food and I will include interesting things that I come across during my daily life and travels. Of course, you get to hear my rants as well :)

This way, I can continue to keep updating my blog more frequently and you get to hear all about my life. You have been warned!

Hiatus

Hi dear readers,
Summer is officially here and it's BBQ season. Finally we have consistently warm weather, although it was in the 60s last weekend (go figure). Anyway, it's too beautiful outside and we can finally sit beside the pool to cookout, have a party, swim, bike, picnic and have long walks by the lake. Thus, my blog has been suffering from abandonment. Knowing it's Wisconsin, the nice warm weather only lasts a few months and I do not want to sit and blog when I can be doing a billion things outside. I apologize to those who do read my blog daily but I'll be back in full force when it's cooler outside....believe me, it won't be long.
Wisconsin summers are very short and we are only warm (in the 80s) for a few short weeks but we take full advantage of the warm days. We have Summerfest, Jazz in the Park, Farmer's Market, Bastille Days and many more events going on every summer. If you're in the vicinity, do check out some of the event. You won't regret it.
Oh....we are going to Six Flags on the 21st!!!!!!!! Wheeee!!!!!!

View of the McKinley Marina from my apartment. Ah.......summertime.......I love it!!!!