Every culture we know express themselves fullest through food. Food is art.
09 October 2007
McDonald's Greenbean Sundae
I had the chance to taste a rocking fusion of culture and food of the east and west. Presenting to you, nyum nyum, the McDonald's Greenbean Sundae. Available in Malaysia during the entire Ramadhan month. Had a chance to taste this sundae twice.
It's sweet, it's tasty, it's cooling, it's starchy like beans should be. A dump on this will only cost you RM3.20 ++. The Greenbean promotion has a version in Greenbean McFlurry. I haven't tried that yet because it really lookes yucky and gross. It's like industrial waste sludge from Chernobyl that once eaten, will turn you into a creature with a curled tail, a snout and a thousand eyes. The McFlurry version will cost you RM4.30++. I call it McSludge.
You'll never look @ and taste greenbeans the same way ever again after this.
10 August 2007
Rice and its variety
There are 2 different kinds of rice to choose from, polished and unpolished rice. The popular choice is the polished rice. It is nearly white in colour and free of impurities, which is the reason why it is popular as compared to the dull colour of unpolished rice. Unpolished rice is full of impurities which are actually nutritious for us. Unpolished rice is gaining popularity with many health advocates due to the nutritional content. There are varieties of rice and some are as expensive up to the point of RM8.00 per kilogram. Apart from polished and unpolished rice, rice is differentiated by their grain size, nutritional properties and the place they originated from.
American rice is short grained, cheap and contains loads of starch which is economical for restaurants. The Basmati rice, the grade A rice and high in nutrition yield after can cost up to RM7.00 per kilogram. Thai fragrant rice is a long grain rice from Thailand which gives a very fragrant aroma after cooking and glutinous rice which is high in starch and perfect for making rice dumplings. You can find most of the popular rice at any local departmental store and is sold in different packing from 1kg to 20kg packs.
Rice is the staple food of most parts in Asia and is prepared and eaten differently depending on culture. In India, rice is cooked wtih sufficient water in electric cookers or pots under wood fire until fully cooked and is served either piping hot or warm on a banana leaf that magnifies the aroma. They also cook rice in a special procedure of sautéing with ghee, spices and vegetables and cooked in sufficient water and yoghurt. This recipe is called Bryanni rice with different variations of meat and seafood cooked together with the rice. This is an equivalent of Paella from Spain or Jambalaya from South Africa. In Japan, rice is steam cooked and served in bowls and chopsticks and glutinous rice is used to make sushi.
In Malaysia, rice is cooked in a lot of water which is called congee or porridge and there are different variations of it too from chicken porridge to oyster porridge. The best porridge is prepared by the Teochew Chinese which originated from China and is one of the many peasant food made into a gourmet food and fast food. McDonald's in Malaysia sells chicken porridge which is now widely accepted and enjoyed by other races. In the UK and Malaysia, rice is made into rice pudding as dessert.
While I was studying in UK for my degree, I saw my hostel mate cooked rice by boiling them in water and then strain all the water off before eating. I even had the opportunity to try frozen fried rice and frozen Thai green curry rice which is prepared by heating them up in the microwave. It tastes just like freshly cooked rice and even the texture is the same. There are even rice in pre-packed food grade safe plastics which are prepared by boiling them up in water and then drain the water off as the wrapping have small holes which made life much comfortable. I have to admit that the plastic pre-packed rice is my favourite as you can prepare them in under 5 minutes. Rice is being creatively prepared all over the world and being accepted in nearly every country as either a source of carbohydrate, snack or dessert. It is hard to imagine living in a world without rice.
03 August 2007
Uncle Vinny's Recipe – Steam Fish with Star Anise
Uncle Vinny's Recipe – Steam Fish with Star Anise
500gm to 1.8kg of either Siakap, Kerapu, Jenahak or Senangin
2 cloves of Star Anise
Carrots/ Baby carrots
Spring Onions
Coriander
Young ginger
Chilli/ Birds-eye Chilli
Soya Sauce
Garlic infused oil
Coarsely grounded peppercorns
Vegetable stock/ fish stock
Method:
De-scale and gut the fish thoroughly. Slice the carrot into thin slices, finely chop the coriander and spring onions and cut the ginger into thin strips. Halve the chilli and retain the seeds. Lay the vegetables on a ceramic or steel plate and lie the fish on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle some soya sauce and the coarse grounded black peppercorns on the fish and pour the fish stock/ vegetable stock on the plate. Glaze the fish skin with some oil (olive oil/ garlic infused oil). Add the star anise to the plate and put the plate with the fish into the steamer. Time your steaming as a 500gms fish would need around 5 to 6 minutes to cook at high flame. The texture of the fish meat will on how long it's being cooked. Remember, fish meat is very delicate.
You can check the meat by poking the flesh with a fork. If it is cooked, the fork will pierce through the meat with ease. Before serving the steam fish, decorate it with the finely chop coriander and spring onions. Sprinkle the fish with some garlic infused oil too to get a dash of fragrant aroma. You can get the freshest fish at wet markets or you could get them from fish farms :) .
26 July 2007
Steamed Fish
I grew up near the sea and my family were pioneer fish merchants in Northern Malaysia. Fish is one of my favourite white meat as it is healthy. There are many ways to cook a fish (not skin a cat) and the most popular method for Chinese are steam fish. There are unlimited ways to steam a fish depending on the creativity of the chef.
Popular salt-water fishes such as Kerapu, Senangin, Siakap, Jenahak, Tauteh and many more are getting more and more expensive every year and especially during festive seasons such as Chinese New Year. There are around 7 types of Kerapu in Malaysia and the most popular ones in Peninsular Malaysia are the orange dotted Kerapu, which is the second most expensive and the light browned Kerapu. The most expensive Kerapu comes from Borneo which is called the 7 coloured Kerapu (directly translated from the Hokkien dialect).
The Kerapu and Siakap fishes are being cultured in a large scale as Kerapu is a popular fish for Chinese wedding banquets and Siakap is enjoyed by all the ethnics in Malaysia especially the Malays as Siakap is popular for Ikan Bakar (grilled fish/ restaurant serving seafood in Malay cuisine). Cultured fishes is nowhere compared to wild fishes in taste, texture and price.
In Kuala Lumpur, fresh water fishes is a popular alternative for the Chinese community. This situation was influenced by inland Perak and Pahang as they rely on freshwater fishes for white meat. Popular freshwater fishes are Carp, Ikan Hantu(Lam Kor Yi), Patin, Tilapia and Sultan fish. Freshwater fishes are hard to cook as the stomach of the fish has a stench of soil if not washed properly. Ikan Hantu is the most expensive fish in Peninsular Malaysia. I've eaten Ikan Hantu before, the texture of the fish is unbelievably delicate and the flavour of the fish is strong and pleasant. The last time I ate it, it cost me RM10.00 for 100gms plus cooking charges.
I would like to share a few tips and tricks so you can get that perfect steamed fish:
1. Buy a fresh fish. It would be the best if the fish is still moving when you buy it.
2. Starve your guests before serving your steamed fish and describe how fresh the fish was,
eg. how it was moving to cook up a desire to dine the fish mentally.
3. Make sure you don't overcook the fish or the texture will be hard.
4. Discard all the organs and the blood in the stomach immaculately.
5. De-scale the fish properly. You don't want scales in your mouth.
6. Apply some oil on the skin of the fish before steaming (Virgin olive or palm oil preferred).
7. Make sure your guest eat the fish while its still piping hot.
If you follow all the steps above, you will experience a good time eating your steamed fish with your guests or loved ones. Remember, fish is a very sensitive meat to prepare. It needs extra attention and love to cook fish. If you have any inquiries, please mail me @ vsleep@gmail.com
13 July 2007
Tempe
Tempe packaging
The tempe sold at my place is wrapped with banana leaves. I bought some back and started to experiment marinating tempe with different spices. I tried marinating with salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder for a few hours before deep frying. It was delicious and healthy. I even tried to marinate it with just salt n pepper and coat lightly with corn flour. It just blew my brains as tempe worked magic with different marination and all of them were delicious. Tempe has a deep bean flavour after cooked and with salt alone, you can unlock its full flavour. Although tempe might not be pleasant when it is raw, I assure you that it taste good after being cooked.
Tempe is the cheese of the South East Asia. Tempe is made by fermenting whole soya beans into a soya bean cake. There are a few versions of tempe. Ever wondered why tempe is not famous globally? I guess that the Indonesians doesn't know how to market their product to the world unlike the Caucasians. Cheese is one of the products of the Caucasians which is sold and eaten nearly everywhere in the world. How did they manage to do this? They have the resources and the skills needed to make cheese a must have product in every house. Let's hope tempe can make it globally too.
Asian cheese
22 June 2007
Laksa in Petaling Jaya SS5D/1
Last Saturday, I went searching for Laksa (previous post). This time in the PJ area and a specific road side stall. It's located at the T junction of Jalan SS5D/1. I have actually eaten at this stall few times before this. Suffice to say, the proprietors sells their wares which include the laksa, nasi lemak, cendol (chendol) and ikan bakar (grilled fish) from a van and a small pickup truck. It is a typical Malay stall operated by 3 Malay ladies for food and two malay/sometimes three men for the drinks. The best thing is, everyone whether it's Malay, Chinese or Indian would dine here.
Imagine dining under the cool shades of the trees while watching the world go by with a wok of laksa and a bowl of cendol. Now, that is what I call blissful. It rained the day I was there though. :)
18 June 2007
Taiping Laksa Review
Laksa is the queen of street food in
Let’s get to the good part. When the laksa arrived, the aroma was very refreshing. Laksa is also served with fresh mint leaves and the pungent fish aroma plus the shrimp paste added in the laksa makes a good concoction of aroma before you eat it. The laksa have a runny soup with bits of fish meat in it. I love the colour contrast of that laksa, a light brown and maroon in for the soup, the green mint leaves and the whiteness of the rice noodle.
It makes my mouth water. The laksa tasted like what I had expected. It was a little spicy, pretty sourish and full of fish flavour and a hint of shrimp. The mint is an added freshness coupled with the pungent aroma. The laksa had a good harmony of flavours, sight, smell and price. Smell and taste is closely related and if one of them doesn't meet your expectations, the meal might not be delicious. Smell your food before you eat it and you'll experience a new revelation.
I accidentally spilled my laksa on my pants and shoes when I was having a deep conversation with my sister's best friend while I was enjoying my laksa. I would not recommend having a deep conversation with someone else when you are trying to enjoy your food. I had to excuse myself to the little boys room and wash up. 3 or 4 hot chicas offering me tissue to clean up. I feel like a 12 year old. The best part about this little accident is that, I was stinking with laksa when I took a ride to lunch at Kuala Sepetang. I hope the passengers of that vehicle didn't notice where that stank came from. 2 days later after I went home and wanted to wash my clothes, my slacks was still stinking with laksa. Now that's what I call a good laksa!
We ordered everything they could get from the coffee shop and I only managed to taste the laksa and popiah. Those food I had in the coffee shop was brilliant as the ambience was so lively. There were around 12 of us sitting in 3 medium round sized tables joined together. It was chaotic. I guess having a good meal sometimes need good company to spice up our boring life. Laksa is truly Malaysian! The laksa only cost RM 2.80 a bowl. Only in Taiping.
15 June 2007
I have heard so much about Taiping from my friends that were born and bred there. Comparing food is a norm especially comparing Taiping and Penang food! I guess its just a Malaysian metaphor, comparing the incomparable. Food is an art; observable, experienced, smelt and tasted. In Malaysia, food is a contemporary street art and its a reflection of our cultural diversity. I had the opportunity to savour a local favourite, Char Kuey Teow (also known as Fried Flat Noodles) in Taiping last week and this what I'd like to share. Char means fry or fried. Kuey Teow is the Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) name for flat noodles.
I paid a visit to a place the locals termed as Casual Market with my sister and her husband during tea time last weekend for a glass of the once again famous Taiping Kopi-O (local black coffee). Casual Market is not a market per say but more to a hawker centre. A food arena. My sister's husband was born and bred down Taiping. As usual, the locals will brag about their famous coffee, tea and street food especially their Char Kuey Teow. Although I went through a particularly heavy seafood lunch at Kuala Sepetang earlier, I ordered a plate of Char Kuey Teow from a silver haired chef. Sorry I forgot the stall number but it is located opposite a stall selling Chinese pancakes facing the road. There are at least a few stalls selling Char Kuey Teow. We sat in front of the store and I noticed that the Char Kuey Teow is served on a plastic plate covered by banana leaf, with pickled chillies. Wow, it was an amazing sight! Plus, the Char Kuey Teow was served with condiments of fish ball, fish cake, char siew and green leafy vegetables(chai sim).
When the Char Kuey Teow arrived on my table, it had an aroma of lard, burnt soya sauce and garlic. The aroma of a hot dish on banana leaf was heavenly. This is hard to explain in words! You must and have to experience it yourself. The banana leaf will unleash its sweet pungent aroma when the leaf is hot. In this case, the Char Kuey Teow was piping hot with palm oil and some age old secret sauce, on top of the banana leaf. The aroma filled me with excitement even before I put it in my mouth I started to salivate heavily! The first bite of the meal was not as what I had expected. It had a mild taste and was not spicy but aromatic. After that, I ate the fish balls, fish cake and char siew.
Alas I found out where all the flavours went to! It was absorbed by the fish balls, fish cake and char siew. I was suppose to take a bite of the Kuey Teow (flat noodle) accompanied by the condiments and the pickled chilli for the extra kick! The fish balls were halved, fish cake cut into medium strips and the char siew is cut into thin slices. This helps to quickly absorb the special sauce and the fragrant oil when they are fried together with the Char Kuey Teow. They are prepared in perfection, firm in texture and full in flavour. It is hard to unlock the full flavour of the fish ball and fish cake although they are pre-seasoned. Remember when we used to eat Kuey Teow soup with fish balls and fish cakes, we dip them in the soya sauce with chillies to unlock the full flavour.
Now I know why the Char Kuey Teow was prepared in such different way. Lets not forget about the chai sim, although the Char Kuey Teow was oily, the chai sim was just slightly fried and the structure of the chai sim was still maintained. The chai sim was bitter sweet and the juices from the stems naturally wash away the oil from the Char Kuey Teow . What a brilliant combination! The Char Kuey Teow is in a class of its own. That my friends, is a slice of Malaysia on a plate.
You won't find it anywhere else in Malaysia. Only in Taiping, Perak. Here's a video on how you enjoy Char Kuey Teow with a cuppa of Kopi-O.