Best Penang Rojak in Town

Once in a while, we will have this famous rojak... this can only be available if my colleagues went to eat YongTau Fu somewhere in Jalan Ipoh... there is this uncle selling rojak penang....


Awesomely good.....

Boat Noodle

Have you tried boat noodle? We had it few months back.. in Publika... the concept of having small little portion in a bowl ... it seems fun, but I'm not keen on the idea neither the taste... small serving makes the dishes turn cold faster.

So, the small little bowl look like this... this bowl only cost you RM1.80

one bowl definitely not enough... perhaps you need tw...

Still not satisfying... the have more bowls.... the idea is to show off your stack of bowls ... haha

Overnight Egg and Cheese Strata

Thinking of something fancy for breakfast? Perhaps can try and make this ... Strata... strata can be prepared savory our sweet... and layer all ingredients a night before , leaving you conveniently just to bake it on the next day. What goes in my strata? let see

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the baking dish

Slices of hearty whole-wheat/wholemeal or mutigrain bread

6 large egg, beaten

2 1/2 cups of milk

Assorted cheese (Mixed of cheddar & mozarella)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Asparagus stalks

Beef strips

Finely chopped chives

Preparation

1. Start your cooking by reciting bismillahirrahmanirrahim
2. Preheat the oven 180 degree celcius
3. Butter the ovenproof baking dish
4.Cut the bread into slices. Lay the slices across the baking dish
5. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in half the cheese and season with salth & pepper. I add in my Secret blend. Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices.
6. Layer the beef strips and asparagus stalks . Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top and finish with remaining cheese.
7. At this point, you can bake the strata immediately, or cover with plastic wrap/cling film and refrigerate overnight and bake the next day
8. Bake the strata until golden brown, let it cool, sprinkle the top with top chives, and serve in the baking dish

You can half the potion for smaller crowd , great dish for brunch and potluck.

Sup Belut

You all suka tak hirup sup panas-panas, pedas dan masam? Contoh macam tomyum, szechuan hot and sour soup, sup ekor dsb... ai memang suka sangat.. even kalau buat sup ayam atau daging pun ai suka perahkan limau kasturi/limau nipis untuk tambahkan rasa masam tu... barulah kick.

Kalau kena time takde selera, cubalah hirup sup masam... insya allah terus berselera dan kalau yang rasa nak demam, terus rasa berpeluh-peluh...

dan kali ni, pilihan sup masam ai ... jeng jeng.. sup belut... yummy sangat... biasanya, sup belut ni femes kat negeri Kelantan... first time ai makan pun masa kat Kelantan... tapi sekarang ada kawan ai introduce kan satu kedai ni kat area Padang Jawa.... seingat ai dah lebih dari 10 kali pergi makan sup ni sejak diperkenalkan beberapa bulan lepas.....

Sup ni pekat. masam, pedas, lemak semua ada..... kalau berminat boleh lah cari kedai ni.. tapi sorry tak dapat nak share nama kedai sebab tak ingat....

bismillahirrahmanirrahim.....

Japanese lunch

I am now a bit adventurous in trying Japanese food..... had this last week... no word to describe, everything is yummy.

my favourite of all... Spicy Kaisen Miso Soup Pasta...

Sushi.. quite not like the rolls in wrap... still prefer the one with rice...

 

The rice

and the Macha Ice Cream for dessert served with Hokkaido cheesecake

 

Dapur Magika Kak Lin's secret blend

What is your favourite herbs sprinkled in your daily cooking? I have few but I found it too many if I were to put each type of spice in my cooking everytime... So, I came out with an idea to mix everything and have it combined in one spoonful for my cooking... it contained different substance but just right to give you basic flavour to your cooking.... to balance every ingredients is the key secret for perfect cooking...and you will need just one extra spice to suit your cooking....

So what goes in my magical blend?

Ingredients :

Dried garlic

Medley ground peppercorn (Black, Red, White)

Salt

Parsley

Chilli flakes

Mixed everything and this spicy blend will gives the fiery, bold and robust... just right for pepping up stir fries...suitable for vegetarian.....

Serving suggestions :

Use as desired to add a chilli kick for:-

1. Curry mix
2. Italian cooking (Lasagne, Pizza topping, Ragu sauce, bechamel sauce, Aglio Olio, al dante pasta etc.) with the italian mixed herbs added on
3. Mexican dishes and sauces
4. Work great for BBQ prep (used for marinating chicken , beef, lamb, hot dog etc)
5. Salad dressings
6. Perfect for pan grilled stuff - Fish fillet (especially salmon), vegetables
7. Taste enhancer for stir fry vegetables or anything
8. Savoury effect for chicken pie, pastry filling etc...

I used this in most of my dishes..... and that is why I call this my magical blend made with love.... recite bismillahirrahmanirrahim and sprinkle on any food you wish....

Bottled it and store in dry cool place....

Yummy french toast

How to make real good french toast? I am still not able to figure out what is the best mixture and method to make best french toast. My benchmark of good french toast is from red bean bag.. Served with caramelised berries and banana, with a spill of maple syrup.... not oily... It is just perfect.. Can have two sets of these during lunch...

My real concern :

What is the best bread to use?

What do we put in the mixture? Is it just yolk, white eggs only, both? Add whipped cream? Add milk?

Do we bake or pan grilled or what?

Do we deep or spread the batter?

Some use flour?

Soon to be dapur magika kak lin's project.. Insya Allah... but give me a little bit more time to do expand my research on this... until such time happened... I will choose to have my favourite french toast from red bean bag....

Fat burning herbal drink

For my age, it is very easy to gain weight and requires triple effort to loose every pound that I gained. I don't need to eat to gain weight... even if I am just breathing , it can contribute to the number on the weighing scale... sigghhh ... so anything that could help me to control my weight will be initiated... as long as it is doable and practical.

This is what I have been boiling for daily consumption....

My herbal tea made of

Green tea

Young ginger

Cumin

Mint leaves

Boil everything to simmer, stir anti clockwise, than finally add mint leaves for fresh taste and fragrance... 

Recite bismillahirrahmanirrahim before drink.. Enjoy every sip...

Pulut Kuning Berhias - Throwback 16th Anniversary

For the first time in our marriage, I presented my version of Pulut Kuning Berhias for our small celebration on our 16th anniversary with my love ones...enche hubby, beloved kids and close friends.... when comes to handling of glutinous rice, I am truly inexperience and no confidence at all in getting the right texture.. overly worried that it will be overcooked or half cooked (jelantah).. most of the time, it will be by luck.. no specific measurement, it's just based on estimation only.... 

My MIL has a shortcut way of doing this. For daily breakfast, she will just cook the glutinous rice with same level of water with the rice using rice cooker. No coconut milk added. This type of pulut goes well with ikan pekasam, ikan masin or sambal tumis.

ok let see how i did it..... here we are....

Bahan-bahan :

Pulut

Santan

Garam

Kunyit hidup

Daun pandan

Daun pisang

Bahan-bahan hiasan (Optional)

Serunding daging

Udang (digoreng)

Tomato ceri

Bunga cengkih

Daun Parsley

Cili merah (direndam dengan air ais)

Telur puyuh (direbus)

Bunga Hiasan

Cara-cara membuatnya :

1. Dimulakan dengan lafaz bismillahirrahmanirrahim

2. Rendam pulut bersama air yang dicampur sedikit garam dan kunyit hidup semalaman

3. Kukus pulut sehingga kembang bersama daun pandan dan dilapikkan dengan daun pisang

4. Masukkan santan yang telah dicampur garam

5. Sedia untuk dihias

Cara menghias :

1. Gunakan loyang bersaiz (7"-8")untuk membentuk lapisan pertama pulut (Tinggi 1 1/2 ")

2. Taburkan serunding daging dan ratakan

3. Lapiskan lapisan kedua pulut setinggi lapisan pertama tadi

4. Dan akhir sekali hias pulut dengan sentuhan kasih mengikut citarasa (seperti contoh di atas)

Tips : Gunakan pencucuk sate / pencungkil gigi untuk tujuan hiasan

Buffet dinner at Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

 

Sometime last month, we had dinner at Majestic Hotel , KL. We were treated by our Big Boss for her promotion. Otherwise, I'm not sure whether I'll be here in the first place.... The buffet spread is great... They served full range Japanese menu, which is my favourite among all, Italian, Chinese, Indian, International, Malay of course and some other menu from other parts of the world.... 

I can't described more than the picture above for their desserts.... it has so much variety and it is being served by... just like when you buy over the counter... that gives the freshness and untouched by others... really I'm spoiled by choices they have.

Fruits.....

This is what I took from Japanese counter... repeated 3 times to get more... 

and after eating so much of Japanese, I had this bit .. and that's it

Then I'm back to the dessert counter..... they have more than 12 flavours of premium ice-cream served including my favourite scoop, pistachio flavour.... 

It is recommended to have buffet here with your special one... heard the price is quite reasonable and food served are fresh ... no doubt on the variety of food they offered and cozy ambiance came with the package...

Sago Gula Melaka

Kuih melayu apa yang menjadi pilihan u all semua? Boleh dikatakan ai suka kebanyakan kuih jenis talam daripada jenis "savoury" ...dalam erti kata lain, apa jenis kuih yang ada elemen santan pekat lemak berkrim dan gula melaka...opppss tak boleh diamalkan selalu, tak bagus untuk kesihatan jantung..

Salah satu kuih atau dessert traditional kegemaran ai, kuih sago gula melaka... Tapi harus memenuhi kriteria sebenar, iaitu tak terlalu lembik dan tak pula terlalu keras... Mesti bergoyang gitu.... Barulah mencapai tahap piawaian citarasa ai....

Jadi, sekadar memenuhi craving ai untuk sago gula melaka ni, ai pilih untuk ke Old Time Malaya Kopitiam yang terletak di Seksyen 7... memang sedap dan berpadanan dengan harganya RM5 semangkuk .... Boleh dapat sepyrex kalau buat sendiri dirumah... jom kita cuba, bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Terubuk bakar asli

Dalam banyak-banyak jenis ikan yang dibakar, ikan terubuk memang menjadi pilihan hati ai.... walaupun ikan terubuk ni banyak tulang tapi itulah nikmat sebenarnya... enche hubby memang dah tahu kegemaran ai ni... kalau beli, anak-anak kami tak galakkan sebab tulangnya bercabang jadi... ai seorang pun boleh habis sebelah ekor...

sekarang ni kalau pergi ke pasar bukan senang nak dapat terubuk tempatan. Kebanyakannya diimport dan kualiti isi selalunya tak fresh.....

Kalau terasa nak makan ikan terubuk bakar asli, tempatan, original, tiada campuran bahan awet.... ada carannya.... selalunya, ai beli ikan terubuk di Pasar Awam Sungai Besar... harga terubuk tempatan sedikit mahal dari terubuk biasa... ai dah ada target kedai amoi ni kalau nak beli... yang lain tu import..

Tips yang paling penting:

• Pilih saiz yang agak besar, sebab kalau terlalu kecil tak kurang lemak.
• Jangan buang sisik, cuma perlu potong dua dan buang perut.... 
• Rentap badan ikan terubuk sampai terdengar bunyi untuk luruskan tulang agar mudah untuk dimakan.
• Cuci bersih, dan sapukan sedikit garam... 

so sekarang dah sedia untuk dibakar.... bagi ai kalau bakar atas dapur gas memang takde ummphh... jadi, kebiasaanya, minta tolong enche hubby hidupkan bara tempurung kelapa.... barulah wangi... dan cara bakar, jangan terlalu kering, nak tahu samada dah masak atau belum, cuma tekankan sedikit ikan dan kalau dah takde darah dari tulang sum-sum tengah tu keluar (dah  mula beku hitam) tandanya, ikan yang dibakar dah masak.

Sedia di hidang atas daun pisang dan cicahan.... bismillahirrahmanirrahim....

Untuk bahan-bahan cicahan :

Air asam jawa

Cili padi ditumbuk kasar

Bawang Merah

Belacan

Garam

Gula

Limau kasturi dihiris

Kicap Tamin

Kerisik

 

terasa-rasa nikmatnya time tulis post ni... selamat mencuba... kena pulak dengan hidangan masakan kampung yang lain...pergghhh nikmat tak terkata

ROA by Jovian Mandagie

Tonight, after much exchange of suggestions on where we should eat, we finally decided to go ahead with ROA... feel like eating Mee Cikalang.. only served at ROA by Jovian Mandagie... it's their specialty... ROA is located in Seksyen 7 Shah Alam

This is it.... bismillahirrahmanirrahim

ROA served Manadonese origin food ... it a real authenticity... it's a soup based noodle served with vegetables and shredded fish.... Less is more, it is tasty.... don't forget to try their mango juice....

and this is their resipi turun menurun "Sambal ROA" itself. It tasted like cooked atas dapur kayu... yummy by a bit pricey... RM10 for this small little portion

They are many other dishes offered in the menu.... have a try

This is our second visit here, but tonight Ms Dots is so lucky to meet Mr Jovian in person, owner and founder of ROA.. bare with my blurry photos...

ROA is great place to have peaceful supper, ambience is great. Good choice for special ocassion.... it was launched on October,1 open daily from 8 onwards, 

Located at :

No 1A, Jalan KristalK/7K

Seksyen 7

40000 Shah Alam

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Cozy lepak spot...

Decorated with antiques brought all the way from Indonesia.... some are his childhood collectible items....

and hari ni tak sangka ....ms yellow dapat bergambar dengan mr yellow F, kereta owner..... 

Short excursion to Medan

We were here again in less than a year... for the same reasons, break from work, do nothing, just relax and no thought about work.

 

Work is pretty much demanding for year 2014.... long working hours has became norm for my schedule... but work has to be done and completed without excuse... but when your sacrifice is rewarded with short break, trust me, you'll gained an overloaded energy, in fact more than you needed... it's like booster....

Eat, swim, gym, spa , massage, good breakfast , good sleep are part of the unplanned package... Just walk with the flow.. the rule of thumb, do avoid any activities that makes you tired.... that's why Medan city is chosen... minimal traveling hours...

So my two days one night breakaway ended memorably with all these.... syukur Alhamdulillah....

It's a good beginning with warm welcome by the reception counter that greeted us and the first line that she said to me "Selamat kembali buk Nurlin"... I have not checked in but have decided to come again for another trip..

welcome drink

skyview room

comfortable bedding

Delicious breakfast after work out... Lap after lap on the cross trainer makes you feel good but came with hunger too... That could be my license to have a heavy breakfast

Sweet stuffs

DIY breakfast platter...

Great toast with melted butter and assorted spread

An evening walk...

with great companion.... enche hubby

hunting for street food... too good to resist..

dropped by to say hello to my ex maid....Yani, she's doing good

visit local market... for harum manis....

and look at the beetroots....

enjoying best slimy cendol in town served with gula aren

Dine at Wajir Seafood.... most famous spot for seafood in Medan town... this is the main reason why ai write this post. While we were there,  couldn't recalled what was the name of this shop that we went to eat during our last trip. Ai don't plan or research for trip lately... we just walk the flow, enjoy what comes through so going off empty handed.... that's more candid and excited...Then enche hubby quickly grab his phone or rather asked me to have a quick google from my blog.... so my blog served as my own reference point... ai have to admit that we are human and tend to forget things.... so ai got this info right away.. how thankful ai am.... so ai told myself that moment should be written to be remembered otherwise it will be forgotten, good things should be shared otherwise it will not be benefited....... upon his Will, Insya Allah

 

Look at the flaming fire from the wok....

this is just a dish from few others that we ordered.

That's about all on the snapshot of our quick sneak out from town...  am fully recharged, rejuvenated and am ready to jump higher taking up more challenges ahead.....


and the last thing to do is fly back.... Malaysia, home sweet home....