ROTI JALA

I posted about my first attempt at making roti jala some time ago. Glad to report back here that with practice, this dish which is a favorite with the entire family, has improved tremendously. I am still making it with the same plastic, cheap roti jala sieve. Just goes to show that when you are determined to cook something which is a popular request from people you love, and when the dish is cooked with love, it almost, always turns up well. This was a total of 4 dozens of roti jala which disappeared in about 10 minutes during lunch time when the kids are famished right after school.

Teochew Plain Porridge with Condiments

Plain Teochew porridge is something I really appreciate especially when I am ill. It makes me feel better almost instantaneously. In the olden days, this used to be a simple dish, presumably for people from the low income group who can't afford to serve anything too elaborate on the dinner table. So at that time it was plain, watery, white porridge with a few measely condiments to go with it. Hardly nutritious, I guess. But that was before. As time went by, Teochew porridge has evolved to become a meal that is rather elaborate and certainly not confined to those who can't afford a decent meal. Nowadays people also go out for a teochew porridge meal in the shops. A wide selection is offered and the bill you pay finally, can be a large one, mind you. My hubby's Dad loves Teochew porridge and I remembered how we would always opt for his favourite Teochew porridge when we invited him to join us for or lunch or dinner. I don't recall having much porridge when I was small, except during the times when I was unwell. But somehow, I have grown to like this dish and my kids have also followed suit. So every now and then, I would try to cook this at home for the family. Our favorite is a sourish dish comprising dried prawns, shallots, chillies, a generous amount of lime and soya sauce. It's about the simplest dish to make and has a nice tangy taste to it. Try it, you'd be surprised how well this dish goes with Teochew porridge.

Black Canyon Restaurant

Nice rice dish from Black Canyon. This is the chillie chicken with basil leaves. Love the fragrance and the pepper corns that they put lavishly into this dish.

Sushi or Donuts?

Sushi of all varieties....not. Its a range of Big Apple Mini Doughnuts. Just a novelty that the kids enjoy but at the end of the day, I think they still much prefer the regular varieties.

Review: Dynasty Dragon Chinese Restaurant, Summit

What attracted us to the restaurant was their crab promotion - at RM19 per kg it was a steal. We tried both the sweet and sour crabs with Mantau and the steamed egg with wine variety. Both did not disappoint. The other dish which the kids loved was the seafood taufu at RM5 per piece. We ordered five pieces and could have went for a second plate...yes it was that delicious. The pork in red wine and brazil nuts wasn't too bad too. As was the seafood and sea cucumber in claypot. All in all a most satisfying dinner and most importantly service was fast and courteous. In fact, if I am not mistaken we had a dedicated waitress serving us throughout the entire dinner.

Pickeld Cuttlefish

Love this appetiser from Sushi King. Tangy and nice chewy feel to it. If not for the fact that it is quite pricey, don't mind going for seconds or even third helpings.

Review: Full House at Sunway Pyramid

This place, Full House, reminds me of the Garden Cafe and I wonder if both have the same owners because the decor (use of English-style decor and whitewash interiors and white furniture) looks pretty similar. Food-wise too, both offer the same fare. The Black Pepper Chicken Chop is my favourite though. Comes with soup, a generous glass of ice lemon tea and desert consisting of cakes or pastry, for a mere RM18.90. Great deal and great ambience.

HOME MADE BREAD WITH CHEESE TOPPING

Shinlin Taiwan Street Snacks

Shinlin Taiwan Street Snacks - certainly not the cheap kind of streetfood you would imagine. But despite its steep pricing this chain seems to be doing well. The oyster mee sua is a family favourite plus the seafood tempura. The latter though, is just batter deep fried and doused in spiced up flavouring!!!

Review: Tanjung Bunga Nyonya Restaurant

This one's near the famous Chow Yang Restaurant in SS2. We ordered almost all of the signature dishes. I did not find the food exceptional as being a Nyonya myself these are dishes that we cook on a daily basis. In fact, my sons much prefer the otak-otak dish that I made over the one here. Still, I'd say the Inchi Kabin chicken and lobak was pretty good. The dish that was a little unusual was the fish skin kerabu which Kaelan thoroughly enjoyed.

Sinfully Delicious Suckling Pig

Much as hubby and I told ourselves this is a real killer as far as controlling the cholesterol is concerned, we still whack the plate clean whenever we are faced with this dish. Unfortunately, all three of my kids are crazy about this dish as well.

Sushi Bonanza

Kids love Sushi and we used to frequent the Sushi King for some quick sushi snacks when they were smaller. That is until, their penchant for sushi and their huge appetite (all three of them) got too big and I decided it was time I made my own. This year, I decided to return to being a Sushi King Privilege Card holder..figured a 10% discount is better than none. I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon their members Bonanza day wherein everything on the kaiten belt was priced at a mere RM2. Frankly, I wasnt aware of such a member privilege as the last time I became a member was like years ago and this must be something of a new promotion. I must say, this was a good and worthwhile benefit for members. The kids obviously had their fill of the expensive varieties and we made our way out after an hour of indulging in RM150 worth of sushi which would have normally costed us RM300. Not bad at all. Wonder when the next bonanza will be. Was told they hold it twice a year only.

Review: Spicy Fish Restaurant (Melbourne's China Town)

A no fuss restaurant ideal for in between shopping or if you are looking for a quick lunch. Not too bad, taste-wise but a tad too oily for me. Reasonable prices and large portions too.

English Breakfast

We had a three-day cottage stay in Melbourne, first time experience for the kids. The stay came with continental breakfast. But I thought I would make the family a hearty full English breakfast instead. With the wonderful meats and sausages available not to mention the inexpensive variety of mushrooms, breakfast was the meal to look forward to for everyone. Of course, the cold weather did much to work up an appetite.

Review - Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant, Melbourne City Center

R




Out of the many Vietnamese joints in the city center, we opted for this one since they proudly proclaimed in their signage that Bill Clinton had two bowls while there. Well...if its fitting for the President...Haha..so walked in we did without hesitation. And we were not disappointed.
But the highlight of the visit to this joint, was not so much the food but rather a drink which my son ordered - Jack Fruit Smoothie! I was apprehensive at first if it could even taste nice but goodness me...I must say this is the best smoothie I have ever tasted, especially if you are into jack fruits. Told myself I must really get some jack fruits on my return and get this unique concoction done with my very own smoothie machine. But as usual I had a bout of procrastination and so have yet to get round to it. Look out for it though cos this is a must try for Kitchen Trails.

Review: Lygon Street, Melbourne City Center

When my brother told me that I should never miss a trip to Lygon Street since the kids are crazy about Italian food, I did not really pay too much heed. But boy, was he right. Best spagetti carbonara I have ever tasted....creamy and rich with just the right amount of milk and cheese.

West Lake Restaurant, Melbourne's China Town

The West lake Restaurant in Melbourne's China town - a must try if you are there. Be sure to book in advance as their dim sum hours can be really jam packed. Among the many varieties that we tried, (burnt a hole in Dad's pocket that day due to the high exchange but worth every dime), there were two dishes which I thought were out of this world and different than what we would normally get over here. One was squids (just the tentacles) fried in some form of salted batter - real chewy and goes really nicely with a jug of beer, my hubby says. And the other which was a hit with the kids, was scallops and crab meat baked in cheese. Just heavenly. It was pricey but we just could not give up the chance to order seconds with this one. Pity our local dim sum joints don't offer these. Hmmm...me thinks the Kitchen might just take up the challenge.....one fine day (kids' frantic persuasion in the background)......thrilllingg!

In Cold Storage

This blog has been in Cold Storage for a while and I really must apologise. It's not that the kitchen has been out of action - noooo - on the contrary, we've been having quite a bit of activity, thrills and spills alike, over the last couple of months. Only thing is, yours truly has been really forgetful with the photography plus the food seems to get gobbled up even before I can get hold of the camera. Well, this chef was away in Australia for the most part of the year-end hols anyway, and 2010 seems to be such a hive of activity on so many other fronts that blogging had to take a back seat. I'm really trying to keep the kitchen news flowing though, so bear with me.

Home made Kaya Pau/Sweet Paste Bun

I made pretty good home-made kaya, a recipe I inherited from my mum. Its rough in texture, not smooth and quite unlike the one you normally get from outside which is smoother in texture and loaded with starch. In fact, I would say it beats the ones you can get from all the kopi tiam joints hands down. And since the kaya spread on good old toasted bread, seems a hit with the kids, I figured why don't i try some pau with kaya filling for them. Well, as you can see, I wasnt too successful with the looks (the pau turned out rather pimply) but kids gave them the thumbs up for taste. Another kitchen thrill, definitely!