Kuching Laksa

Kuching Laksa seems to be high on the pecking order of my list of favourite food. Going to Kuching would not be complete without eating Kuching Laksa. So one has to really try this excellent dish. The most difficult thing about this dish is the laksa paste. Thanks to Kuching made Laksa Paste Cap Layang Layang readily available now in most supermarkets which helps cut down the hassle in preparing this dish. They say nothing beats having Kuching Laksa in Kuching but I say, "Nothing beats cooking Kuching Laksa at home & having more of the condiments or ingredients suited to your taste."

It was fun though doing it minus the bean sprouts which I don't really fancy. It is as close as I can get to a Kuching Laksa at home.

1 packet of Laksa Paste - 300g
2 packets of Rice Noodles
3 Eggs
2 Chicken Breasts
2 Chicken Carcass - Broth
Prawn - 500g
Fried Tofu/Taufu Pok

The tricky bit is the paste. First, boil chicken carcass with 2cm of pounded ginger to get a rich broth. 3 litres of chicken broth would do just nice for 300g of laksa paste. Add the paste & simmer for at least 45 minutes for it to blend well with the broth. Next, do a few rounds of sieving to get rid of paste sediments, then add fresh thick coconut milk (250 ml). Simmer for another 30 minutes & it's ready for business! The rest of the ingredients are straightforward.

Serve 8

Happy 55th Birthday Mom!

It was a memorable weekend & I'd the priviledge to cook dinner for my mom's 55th birthday. Nothing fancy - just good ol' family dinner together. Nothing beats cooking for the special person in your life. I knocked off early from work last Friday & not really knowing what to cook till I reached the market place.

Menu for mom's birthday:
Herbal Chicken
Buttered Prawn
Pak Choy with Dried Scallops
Fried Trevally (ikan putih) with Dark Soy Sauce

Mum asked me how much did it all that cost. I replied her, "RM1 for every year of your birthday." Not much of a cost but then again, it's priceless moments that I'll always cherish.

Chicken Rendang

Rendang is my favourite Malay dish & also it's fun to cook. I used chicken for domestic reason but beef would be more to my liking. It does look or feel like a complicated dish to cook but in actual fact it's rather simple with many little preparations, similar to performing an experiment in a science lab with its set of instructions. Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks. Either way it'll only make you a better cook.

Into the blender :
3 cm of Galangal (lengkuas)
2 cm of Ginger
5 Cloves of Garlic
8 Shallots
4 Lemon Grass
2 Big Chilis
1 Packet of Chili Boh (chili paste with salt & vinegar)

Other ingredients:
1.5 kg of Chicken Thighs
Coconut Milk - 1 liter
Rule of Thumb: 1 Coconut will give ½ liter of Thick Milk
1 Cup Grated Coconut - Dry fry to become Kerisik
Fennel, Cumin & Turmeric Powder - 1 Teaspoon each
Brown sugar
Salt
Lime Leaves - Daun Limau Purut

Heat up your pot & add 2 chinese spoon of oil. Fry the grated coconut till brown before adding the blended ingredients (fennel, cumin, turmeric powder & chili boh). Stir till the aroma surrounds your kitchen then add your chicken. Next, add coconut milk & simmer under low/medium heat till gravy turns thick. Add brown sugar & salt to taste. Finally, the lime leave to garnish which adds the extra punch to it!

Yum!

Strips of Pork Chop & Cha Sau (Roasted BBQ Pork)

Dish 1: Pork Chop

I made this dish specially for my two boys. I even nicknamed one of them pork chop for his love of pork. Make sure to tell the butcher you want lean meat for making pork chops or doing BBQ pork - "Cha Sau". I think I got a good deal for 1.7 kg of pork for only RM22 which I bought from Foh Sang.

500 g of pork meat
( sliced & marinated with light soy sauce, sesame oil, salt & pepper)
Constarch
Egg lightly beat

As for the sauce:
Brown sugar (2 teaspoons)
Tomato sauce
Constarch
Lemon
Ginger
Salt

Dip sliced pork meat in egg & batter it with constarch. Deep fry it in a non stick pan. Repeat for all the slices. When meat is cooked, keep it aside on a kitchen tissue to absorb the oil.

For the sauce, add some oil & ginger, plus the rest of the ingredients. Add a little water & heat up till gravy thickens. Pour the sauce onto the pork & serve.

Dish 2: Cha Sau

From the remaining of the 1.7 kg pork, I took about 1 kg of it to make my own version of cha sau or cha siew or sasau - depends who's talking :o)

Marinate overnight with:
2 Cubes of Salted Bean Sauce (Tauhu Masin)
Osyter Sauce
Salt/Pepper
Chinese 5 Spice
Cha Siew Sauce
(Lee Kum Kee Brand recommended)

Roasting:
Convection oven
conventional oven,
open fire-BBQ
or your choice really
at 180°C for 20 minutes &
150°C for another 25 minutes.

Not made to order.

Sweet & Sour Fish

Well, the picture don't do justice to this dish. I might need to buy a DSLR Camera - Nikon D40x or something equivalent or perhaps it's the photographer's fault. Glad I'm just the cook. The fish I used is "Bawal Hitam" or Dark Pomfret. Bought at surprise! surprise! Giant City Mall for RM12. A bit pricey but fresh & convenient.

Dark Pomfret 800g - Plate size
Tomatoes
Capsicum
Chili

Sauce:
Tomato Sauce
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon
Vinegar - 2 Chinese Spoon
Brown Sugar
Constarch

Make 3 cuts on each side of the fish & add salt all over. Deep fry in a hot wok till it looks crisp.

Don't worry about the hot oil in the wok. The oil won't kill you :o) I get a little burn here & there. We'll get used to it after a while. Hold the tail of the fish & slowly dip it into the hot wok. Turn the fish 2 to 3 times to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Put aside on a paper towel to absorb oil.

To make the sauce, add a little oil & saute the veggies, then add all the sauces. Pour a little water & allow sauce to thicken. Later, pour sauce on the fish & serve.

Well, enough of sweet & sour dishes for now :o)

Salad Chicken - Chicken Mayo

Some call it chicken chop or salad chicken. Easy dish & what we'd normally order when eating out. Use chicken breast for the soft & succulent meat :o)

500 g of Chicken Breast
Worcester Sauce
Salt/Pepper
Constarch

Marinate the chicken with Worcester sauce (Lea & Perrins), then mould them with constarch & shallow fry. When cooked, put aside on paper towel. Slice chicken evenly, add mayonnaise & serve. Easy. Kids should like 'em!

Chicken Kurma (Kormah) With Roti Canai

Chicken Kurma is a very authentic Indian cuisine & boy do I love it. In a nutshell, Indian food can be divided into 3 colours; Red (paprika), Yellow (saffron) & Green (coriander). Therefore Chicken Kurma is the green side of Indian food. Well that's how I look at it.

1 kg Chicken - Thighs Section
Chopped Onions
5 Garlic Cloves
6 Cardamom
Coriander Powder - 3 Tablespoon
Chopped Ginger
1 Star Anise
3cm Cinnamon Stick
Salt to Taste
Chili Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Coconut Milk/Yogurt

Heat up oil (or ghee) & add onions, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom, chili & coriander powder till a paste is formed. Add chicken & ½ cup water. Simmer till chicken is half cooked. Add ½ cup coconut milk & yogurt if you like (I didn't) & cooked for another 1 - ½ hours on low heat before serve. Don't forget salt to taste. It's really that easy. Preparation time is about half hour and cooking time 1-2 hours.

What better way to have your chicken kurma with roti canai. I don't think my roti canai can rival any of those roti canai in the mamak corner's but I'm satisfied. Not as thin & crispy but taste just as good. Interesting weekend of culinary adventure :o)

400 g Flour
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Salt
20 g Margarine
1 Egg - Lightly Beat
40 g - Sugar
Ghee/Oil 3 Tablespoon

Add all in a mixing bowl & you get a big dough. Kneading is required. Divide into 10 smaller portion. I used the back of a rounded bowl to shape the roti cos I don't know how to fly the roti canai. I cooked it on a hot plate with minimal oil. Repeat & serve.

The next time I'm given a corner, I'll open a stall instead of inswinger to top corner for Torres to score :o)

Prawn with Spring Onions & Cucumber Sticks

I've seen this served in restaurants
& I thought I'd give it a try.

Prawn ½ kg
Spring Onions Chopped in 2" Section
Cucumber Chopped in 2" Section
Ginger
Chopped Spring Onions into Pieces

Cut a section in the middle of prawn (shell off & cleaned), then insert the spring onion & cucumber in the mid-section & repeat for all the prawns. Yes, it takes a bit of time but should be quicker once you get the hang of it. Soak stuffed prawns inside hot boiling prawn stock*.

*Add all prawn heads in a pot
plus old ginger, pepper & salt, then bring to boil.
It makes very rich prawn stock.
So next time don't throw the
very useful prawn heads!

A quick 10 minutes dip before taking all the prawns out & put aside. Heat up wok & add chopped spring onions, garlic plus some prawn stock. As the sauce thickens, add the prawns back into the wok & stir fry for another 5 minutes.

Serve 4

Ultimately, I served my Prawn Dinner with

1. Sweet & Sour Prawn
2. Prawn with Spring Onions & Cucumber Sticks
3. Prawn Head Soup
4. Cucumber Pickles

Sweet & Sour Prawn

Prawns from Kota Marudu continues...

After a week, I remembered that I still have another 1kg of prawns from Marudu. Well, I decided not to do a rush job for this one & made it into a classic chinese style cooking.

Prawns ½ kg
2 Chopped Tomatoes
1 Chopped Green capsicum
Salt & pepper

Sauce:
Tomato Sauce
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon
Vinegar - 2 Chinese Spoon
Cornstarch

First, add constarch & salt to prawns plus a little water for the prawn batter. Deep/shallow fry the prawns for 7 minutes & put aside on a paper towel to absorb all oil.

As for the sauce, add garlic on a hot cooking pan with minimal oil. Add tomatoes/capsicum & stir. Then, add tomato sauce/sugar/vinegar/constarch (diluted) & allow the sauce to thicken.
Add some water if needed. When the sauce is ready, put all the prawns in for just a quick toss and turn before serve.

Serve 4

Crabs & Prawns (Shellfish)

Sabah is blest with an abundance of seafood. It's a waste if you're from this region & you don't like eating seafood. With Kota Kinabalu booming with tourism, it's only natural that the cost of eating seafood or eating out for that matter increases.

But one don't have to pay a premium if you buy your own seafood & cook 'em yourself :o)

Recently, I went to Kota Marudu & bought 2 kg of mud crabs (ketam bakau) & 2 kg of fresh prawns (udang kapas). You can buy them from the stalls along Marudu, Pitas highway. It was a real bargain! RM6 per kg for the crabs & RM18 per kg for the big prawns. Fresh & much cheaper compared to the ones around Kota Kinabalu. What a seafood galore I'd in the kitchen!

Mud Crabs

Best way to do this is to steam 'em
but clean thoroughly first.
The easiest way to kill crabs
without a hassle
is to soak them in ice water.
5 minutes would do the trick.

Another tip:
Never buy any crab that was
caught on a full moon!

Steamed Prawns with Soy Sauce & Ginger

As soon as I reached home,
I did a 20 minute steaming session
with the crabs and prawns in
a single steamer at the same time.
Yummy! All for the cost of RM30.

Merdeka Month - August

Finally, I managed to get something uploaded & it has been awhile. Well, you can say that August is a blog free month since I haven't added anything which doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Perhaps too much cooking that I couldn't be bothered to add anyhing new & cooking the same recipe every other week due to popular domestic demand:

1. Curry Chicken with lady's finger
2. Curry Chicken with brinjal/eggplant/aubergine
3. Curry Chicken with long beans

Did plenty of pasta, kampua (Sibu), veggies, the usual stuff and it's getting very dry for my own liking.

But I've to say that "practice makes perfect". I learnt how to mix my own curry powder for my curry meals. Coriander (ketumbar), curry powder, chili powder, fennel (jintan manis), cumin (jintan putih) as part of my curry mixtures.

Another aspect of cooking that really caught my attention is the world of spices . I even bought a few packet of seeds (herbs/spices) to plant but that's as far as it gets. Guess I'll stick to cooking for now.

My reference for spices is by an Austrian guy, Gernot Katzer. He did an extensive researh on spices.

For the month of September, they should be lots of cooking.

Lemonade Chicken with Lemon Rice

Lemon is the flavour of the weekend. I like lemon a lot not only for its taste but also the way it looks which is much better than the rest of its citrus family. Lemon goes well with tea, dry gin, oyster, pasta, rice, chicken, etc. I must admit I made this dish by accident. I took a can of lemonade from my dad's fridge to quench my thirst & it tasted so good that I decided to pour the rest of the drink into my cooking. Well done!

Lemonade
(ANGLIA Shandy - alcohol content 1%)
Chicken Parts
Potatoes
Mixed Herbs
Butter 20g
Fresh Lemon Juice
Olive Oil

Sweat onions with garlic in olive oil. Add in chicken & stir till brown. Add ¾ can of lemonade, potatoes & simmer for ½ hour under medium heat.The sweet taste of lemonade will seep into the chicken meat & tenderise it in the process. Add salt & pepper to taste, then add fresh lemon & butter to thicken the sauce.

Lemon Rice
Steam rice with lemon juice plus water.
Add a few slices of lemon & a little salt.
There you have it!
Genuine taste of a new lemon dish!

Btw I'm not a fan of the Lemon Tree Song :p

Fettucini with Bolognese Sauce

It was a busy weekend with so many outings but I managed to conjure up a classic pasta dish from Bologna. This reminds me of one Italian Football player playing for Bologna in Series A years back - Nicola Ventola. No connection with pasta here - just something I can relate to when it comes to the name Bologna - Bolognese. I've to say the family is used to having my better half cooking pasta for them. She isn't inclined to cooking but I must say her pasta is always consistent & pretty good. So, there's a little competition at hand :)

½ kg Minced Beef RM11.00
Fresh Chopped Tomatoes RM3.00
Fresh Chopped Mushrooms
(not button mushrooms from the can) RM4.00
Tomato Puree/Sauces RM6.00
Garlic
Onions
Glass of Red Wine
1 Pack Fettucini RM5.00
Dried Basil/Oregano

For the base , sweat the onions/garlic with olive oil in a pan & add the minced beef. Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms/fresh tomatoes/puree & a glass of full bodied wine. Simmer for 15 minutes. Don't forget to add some herbs - basil & oregano. Also add a little bit of butter & parmesan cheese (cheddar as alternative). Cook it for another 30 minutes on low heat. At the same time, boil pasta for 20 minutes with lots of salt & a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking when you drain it out.

Finally toss pasta with sauce & grate fresh parmesan cheese before serving.

Verdict:
My missus ended up seating on the toilet bowl .
She ate too fast - too yummy I suppose :)

Serves 5

Total cost, RM30.00 tops.

Sibu Fest 2007 - Kampua & Tattoo

Guess which is homemade & which is from Sibu?

I was in Sibu for work in conjunction with the Sibu Fest 2007. Plenty of things to see & eat. 2 things I enjoy the most there - eating kampua (not sure of the spelling) & tattoos. It was also the 2nd Borneo International Tattoo Convention 2007. Tattoo enthusiasts came from all over the world to showcase their tatts & convert new legions of followers :) Nevertheless, eating kampua is a permanent fixure for me when doing work in Sibu.

I did one thing right this time round, I bought 1 kg of kampua mee (uncooked) to bring home & made my own version of Sibu kampua mee :) The dry noodles is very cheap - cost only RM2.20 per kg, which is just like the price of kampua in the Sibu coffee shops. I've to give it to them for having the cheapest food in Malaysia.

Kampua Mee
Chopped Spring Onions
Sliced Cha Siew
Minced Pork
Fried Onions
Pork Stock as Sauce (homemade lard)

Boil kampua in boiling water (add salt) for 3 minutes.
Rinse the noodles & put aside in a bowl.
Add pork lard & toss kampua.
Garnish with cha siew, minced pork, spring & fried onions.

There you have it - KK kampua!
Sibu style breakfast.

Pork Belly with Chilli & Garlic Sauce

This is suppose to be a starter before the main course - Bak Kut Teh. Not many people would eat pork belly if served as it is. The pork belly (200 g) is cooked together with the Bak Kut Teh but not chopped into pieces. Slice it & put aside on a plate.

The Sauce :

Add garlic & chili into a hot pan,
thereafter the cooked Bak Kut Teh soup.
Sizzle it & add corn starch to thicken the sauce.
Pour sauce on top of the sliced pork belly & serve.

On the contrary to popular belief,
eating pork is good for health.
This is due to the good cholesterol & fatty acids :o)

True or False?
Answer:
So what? Only if eaten excessively. Same goes with any other food.

Bak Kut Teh

Don't you just love eating pork. It's God's gift to mankind. Being born in the year of the Tiger makes me a natural carnivore. Different places have their own unique style of Bak Kut Teh. In Malaysia, Klang Bak Kut Teh is most famous whereas back home in Kota Kinabalu, Yu Kee on Gaya Street is the talk of town. Seafood style Bak Kut Teh in Sandakan deserves a mention too. Here's the catch, famous doesn't mean best taste. Everyone has their own favourite. My favourite Bak Kut Teh is the one cooked at home. How bias is that? Well, it cost more than RM80 to eat Bak Kut Teh outside for 5 persons.

2 kg - Pork Ribs/Belly (80:20 ratio)
A1 Bak Kut Teh Herbs (forgot to take picture of the packet)
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Spoonful Light Soy Sauce
2 Spoonful Dark Soy Sauce
2 Spoonful Osyter Sauce
Dried Mushrooms (plenty)
200ml Pork Stock (homemade)
2 Litres of Water
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Dips:
Cut Chili/Garlic in Dark Soy Sauce

Rinse meat & add into 2 litres of boiling water. If you like, you can blanch meat in hot water to get rid of blood & sediments. Add garlic, the combination of sauces as well as mushrooms. Cook for ½ hour under medium heat & another 15 minutes on low heat. Best served with Cha Koay & Fried Soft Tofu, also with rice while hot.

Serves more than 5

Cost of Meat RM20
Cost of Spices RM5
Cost of Labour & Good Taste - Priceless
Anything else, there's MASTERCARD!

Mini Chocolate Cup Cake (Fondant)

Noah was looking through an old recipe book & said, "Daddy lets make dessert! This one!" I was about to let him down, so we rushed into kitchen & got all busy :o)

It looks like his interest in culinary is blossoming. I hope Eli would join us too in a few years time, though the two boys can cook up a storm NOW if they're both in the kitchen with me.

Fondant is a french word that means melted or melts in the mouth. Well, it's suppose to have a lava of chocolate in the middle - cooked on the outside & half cooked in the middle. Not a bad turnout on our first try with Noah under my wings.

80 g Dark Chocolate
3 Eggs
300 g Self Raising Flour
200 g Unsalted Butter
150 g Brown Sugar
100 ml of Skimmed Milk
Icing Sugar for Dusting (if you like)

Melt the dark chocolate/butter. Whisk egg with sugar, then add the molten butter & dark chocolate. Continue whisking till everything is nice & fluffy. Add flour in stages with skimmed milk to achieve a rich chestnut brown mixture. Put the mixture in a metal pudding tray & steam it on a steamer for 7-9 minutes. You can also bake it in the oven at 220°C for 7 minutes or so.

Chicken Fettucini with Tomatoes & Mushroom Sauce

I've been meaning to do a pasta dish for a while now & I finally got to do it. It's the simplest of dish which took me 15 minutes tops.

Boil fettucini with plenty of salt (enough for 2).
Cut chicken breast in small cubes.
Cut mushrooms/tomatoes in pieces.
Sauce - homemade tomato/mushroom sauce
or sauce from Alfredros/Ragu/Reego/etc.
Salt & Pepper
Butter
Cheese (preferably parmesan)
Cut Onions
Olive Oil
Dry (fresh) Parsley

Olive oil in frying pan then add onions/chicken.
Saute till meat turns white & tender.
Add mushroom/tomatoes & sauces/butter,
then add salt & pepper to taste.
Lower heat & simmer till sauce thickens.
Toss with pasta & sprinkle with cheese.

Will love to do this more!

Side Dish: Salted Duck Eggs

Last of the 3 side dishes we'd over the weekend.
Boil 2 eggs for 15 minutes,
let them cool
then cut eggs into 4 equal pieces.
Garnish with cilantro.
Serves as an appetizer.
Also goes very well with congee.

Side Dish: Leeks & Pork Liver

A very nice combination of tastes.
Pork liver has to be really fresh.

I love this dish very much simply cos it has pork liver. The liver has a distinctive taste & it's definitely not everybody's cup of tea. But combining it with leeks & ginger would take away the smell & transform it into an aromatic blends of food. A classic!

Pork Liver
Leeks
Ginger
Salt & Pepper
Corn Starch & Soy Sauce

Add oil to wok, then add ginger & liver. Fry till brown before adding leeks & the rest to taste. Add water with corn starch to thicken the sauce.

Another express dish!

Side Dish: Spinach - My Favourite

Popularized by Popeye the Sailor. I wasn't much of a veggie boy growing up. My mom used to convince me that I need spinach to be strong like Popeye. I've been eating spinach ever since but I've not been beating Brutus in my life though I did meet my Olive Oyl :)

Spinach is high in iron which makes it a good veggie, not forgetting that it's yummy too. Simply fry it with lots of garlic & salt to taste. A great fuss & furious free side dish!

"Chu Kiok" - Pork Trotters in Sweet Dark Vinegar Sauce

If there's ONE dish I've to pass down to my boys it'd be this ONE. My dad cooks the best "chu kiok" ever! This is his specialty & I'm proud to cook this dish, thus passing down the generation & closing the generation gap. As I'll always say - home food cooking isn't just about cooking, it's a recipe for a happy family.

Chu Kiok (pork legs in hakka) - 2 kg
ask your butcher to chop them into pieces
Ginger - lots of 'em
Sweet Vinegar Sauce
A Bottle of Mixed Pickle (ginger/onions/red chili/etc)
Black Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Potatoes

Boil pork legs for 10 minutes
to get rid of blood & sediments.
Take out legs & transfer into a big cooking pot.
Add vinegar, then mixed pickle.
Use only ½ the juice from the bottle
or else it becomes too sour.
Add black soy sauce, salt & water.
Lastly add potatoes.

Serves 4-8 over two meals

Chicken Rice - Pyramid Style feat. Noah

The best chicken rice in town (Kota Kinabalu i.e.) has got to be Nasi Ayam Viya @ Segama. Noah loves it very much that we decided to give it a try. There was no whole chicken at home for I've not been to the market in recent weeks. So we just tried it out with chicken parts though a whole chicken would make the best broth.

Noah finished the chicken rice, not the chicken though but it's yet another success story seeing him eat the food that he helped to cook.

HE WHO COOKS, EATS! Good tip for parents with kids who are very picky eaters.

Chicken (whole/parts)
Ginger (smack 'em)
Rice
Salt
Chicken Stock

Broth:
Add chicken into (2 cups) boiling water.
Add ginger & salt to taste.
Boil it for ½ hour & continue to do so
for another 15 minutes under lower heat.
Let it settle in order to get a thin oily surface.

Rice:
Fry rice grains with (minimal) cooking oil & ginger.
Add some chicken broth (take top layer of the thin film).
When rice grains turn yellowish
& the whole kitchen smells of lovely ginger,
you know it's time to put the rice in the rice cooker.
Add the remaining chicken broth to rice & let it cook.

Chicken:

The boiled/steamed chicken is normally good enough to be taken with rice but I deep fried our chicken since it was in parts & not whole plus just to be different.

The next time you want to go for chicken rice outside, think again :)

Noah's important tasks:
peel ginger
put 2 cups of rice in rice cooker/wash the rice
set the table
EAT
wash the plates

Travelling Blues

Been buzy.
Travelling to Tawau & Sandakan the last few weeks.
Been eating lots of food outside.
Can't be avoided.

Seafood all over - Sabindo, Ocean King, etc. Frequent travellers & the locals would know what I mean. Nevertheless, nothing can stop me from being busy in the kitchen during the weekends.

I've always admire cooks who gets to travel & cook at the same time. It's the best job! I'd quit my day job for that anytime!

Wishful thinking.
Then again what's life without dreams?
It's like a dish without SALT.

I'd better start updating my cooking adventures!

Chicken Burger - Flat Patty

I always feel that the FAST FOOD burgers aren't really healthy despite them (the management) stating otherwise. Their patties contain too much processed food & miscellaneous ingredients of unknown origin. For me, the quality of the patty defines the burger, good or bad. The sauces such as mustard, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise are secondary & is entirely up to individual taste, so are pickles & lettuce. The patty, therefore, tells the story.

Minced Chicken
Onions
Lea Perin Sauce
Corn Starch
Salt & Pepper

Mix all together
& shape it into flat patties.
Fry it on a non-stick pan
or have it grilled.

4 pieces for my two boys :o)

Winky Lim's Mother Chicken Curry (copy)

The best chicken curry I've ever had in my life! I say this with a lot of appreciation & admiration for a dear friend's mom cooking. I tried to copy her version but somehow lack some of her ingenuity. No recipe for now cos it's her little tips & secrets for me to keep.

"Lu punya mama punya kari ayam yang paling sedap!"
"Your mother's chicken curry is the best!"

White Choy Sum with Pork

Well, well, well, it's yet another vegetable dish upon request which I find a little too hard to decline. This veggie goes very well with pork loins.

White Choy Sum
Diced Pork
Garlic - lots of 'em
Light Soy Sauce
Osyter Sauce

I cut the white choy sum into small pieces but would prefer not to do that - my mi'sous chef requirement. Customer is always right - a thing to always remember.

Anyway, put garlic on light oil & add pork, fry till brown. Add veggies, stir fry till green leaves soften. Add little water plus oyster sauce, then salt & light pepper to taste.

Claypot Chicken

This is a lazy way of cooking or mother-of-all-shortcuts for a quick dinner. A classic & will always be close to my heart for "we" had claypot chicken rice when I dated my old time girlfriend during college days. The rest as they say is history.

Chicken Wings/Parts (500g)
Dark/Light Soy Sauce
Sliced Ginger
Dried Mushrooms (diced)
Sesame oil
Chinese Cooking Wine
Chicken Stock (from supermarket shelf)
Rice
Egg

Fry the uncooked rice on light oil together with ginger inside the claypot & add dark/light soy sauce. Stir till rice has fully absorbed all the sauces, then add chicken, mushrooms, Chinese cooking wine (3 tbsp) & continue stirring till chicken is half cooked. Add 3 cups of chicken stock & cook under low heat. When the rice is almost cooked, add a single egg on top & garnish with spring onions if needed.

Serves 4

Weak Hands over the Weekend

It wasn't the best weekend. I'd cough, fever, a bad headache, not to mention the constant shouting & ranting from my boys & vice versa. Despite not being in the best of health, I managed to do a couple of quick dishes for us.

Sometimes when one is sick, a unique taste is created by default cos the cook's tastebud isn't at its usual best. The food was nevertheless savoured with much appreciation, i.e. wiped out clean. It was probably the best feeling I've had over the weekend.

Final Say:
Service Industry is like a pregnant lady
cos no matter what happens,
they've to DELIVER.
Good thing my kitchen is only opened for
small service industry of family & friends :)

Lunch - Tomatoes & Sweet Sour Pork

I took the day off as planned. It's a lousy feeling especially when you wake up at wee hours of the morning anticipating a 6th Champions League Title for my beloved club, Liverpool FC, gone with the break of dawn.

I fetched my Noah from school & headed straight home instead of the normal take away or lunch with him. I wanted him to eat my brand of home food cooking. Well, to my surprise, he did finish his meal after much persuading & given the opportunity to play his favourite Rally Race on my mobile phone.

2 Big Tomatoes - sliced
250g of Tender Pork - sliced
Ginger

Marinate with:
Dark/Light Soy Sauce
Sesame oil
Sweet Vinegar

Light fry the marinated pork
with ginger till light brown & tender.
Add the tomatoes & let it simmer.
Add some water, pepper & salt to taste.

I want my two boys to love eating at home
rather that the usual fast food
that kids love these days.
Good wholesome lunch for both of us at home.

Should be cooking more this weekend.

You'll Never Cook Alone

Imaginary Cooking

I'm now at KL International Airport waiting for my flight home. I've been here a couple of days for meetings & being away from the family does take a lot out of life, out of me. Somehow the thought of going home always puts a smile back on my face. The pots & pans may have missed me as well while I was gone :)

Whenever I'm on one of my biz trips, I'll tend to be analytical on most of the food that I've tried - from the 5 star hotel's kitchen, hawkers' corner, bistros, etc. But nothing beats home food cooking.

I could cook up a dish in my head while waiting for my sweet flight home & the good thing now is that KLIA offers FREE WIFI services.

My head is filled with assorted meats in black soy sauce (lean pork meat/duck slice/chicken). How & ways to do it? Well, I'd better save it for my journey which is 2 ½ hours & plenty of time to cook this dish up in the air.

Back in the real kitchen soon!

Sayur Manis

Sabah is its place of origin but most Sabahans love the leafy sayur manis. I'd say it's the signature veggie of Sabah.

There are many ways to cook this deliciously unique veggie, i.e. with belacan (fermented shrimp paste), fry it with garlic or make it into soup. My favourite way of cooking it is to simply fry it with garlic & egg! Nothing fancy - simple food with simple cooking resulting in excellent taste.

Heat up some oil, then add garlic & sayur manis. Stir fry for a bit before adding an egg & cook till veggie is soft. Lastly add salt & pepper to taste.

End.

Celery with Chicken Liver & Gizzard

A simple dish with chicken spare parts.
Not many would fancy eating the internal parts
of chicken/pig/cattle for that matter.
I personally find them really yummy
if prepared the right way.
Celery goes very well with the
internals namely liver.

Celery
Chicken Liver/Gizzard/Heart
Salt & Pepper
Sliced Ginger & Garlic
Osyter Sauce
Constrach
Soy Sauce

Heat up some oil, down goes the garlic/ginger.
Add the internals & stir fry till cooked.
Then add celery & some water.
For finishing, combine mixture of
oyster sauce/soy sauce/constarch/water.
Heat up till the sauce thickens & serve.

Time taken: 10 mins tops

Green Choy Sum with Mushroom & Cha Siew

Vegetable dishes can very interesting
& is actually a MUST for a typical dinner at home.

Choice of vegetable: Green Choy Sum
Mushroom
Cha Siew (chinese BBQ pork)
Oyster Sauce
Chinese Cooking Wine
Salt & Pepper
Garlic (plenty of them)
Cornstarch

I like this dish purely for its' simplicity & good taste.
The cha siew can be omitted to own likings.

The Way:
Heat up some oil, add garlic & fry till brown.
Add mushroom/cha siew & stir fry for another minute or two.
Add the veggies, oyster sauce/chinese cooking wine
then some water with constarch to thicken the sauce.
Let it simmer for a while.
When the veggies soften & the sauce thicken,
it's ready to be served.
(Never allow veggies to overcook for it'll lose its gloss & colour,
not to mention the taste!)

Serves the Health Well

Big Pheasant (Chicken) with Sweet Butter Sauce

I classify this dish European due to the ingredients
but still very much home cooking.

Chicken (5 parts) - Marinated with Lea Perin sauce
Olive Oil
Butter - 50g
Apple Cider
Lemon Zest
Lemon
Tomatoes
Garlic - Lots of them in pieces

Deep fry the chicken and put aside.
Heat up another pan (wok) with olive oil & add garlic,
then butter/lemon zest/apple cider/tomatoes (mashed).

Lastly add the chicken & let the sauce thickens
before dish is served.

Keep on rolling...

Serves The Hungry

Sliced Pork Belly with Cashew Nuts

Another all time favourite. Another chinese influenced dish.
(Like myself)

A twist of taste for every dishes. Chinese mix with yet another style/way but whatever you wanna call it, please by all means don't called it fusion - it's insulting the cooking fraternity. Haha - only joking! Normally for every half, there is always the other half. It doesn't really matter 'cos the other half is always CRAZY (not supposed to be understood).

The Stuff:
Pork Belly & Loin Pork - 300 g
Ginger
Cashew Nuts (roasted)
Dark Soy Sauce/Sesame Oil
Salt & Pepper

The Way:
Heat up the wok with some oil,
add ginger & the pork belly/loin
(marinated with dark soy sauce/sesame oil/salt & pepper).
Stir fry till it's really cooked.
Let it be a bit overcooked for better taste & to BURN the FATS!
Lastly, add cashew nuts & serve.

Serves A Plenty

Chicken Curry My Way

What would a Chicken Curry dish do on a cold rainy day for dinner?
The perfect dish!
Sometimes, the curry house (Mamak Corner) can't beat the
all time classic curry chicken from home.

The Stuff:
Chicken - 1 kg (drumstick & thighs)
Curry Powder - 3 to 4 tbsp
(you can mix a few brands together,
e.g. Babas, 888, Ayam Brands, etc.)
The best option of course would be to go to the spice shops.
Onions/Garlic
Coconut Milk
Tamarind
Salt & Pepper
Lemon Grass
Potatoes

The Way:
Heat up some oil in a Hot Pot (clay), add onions/garlic,
then the mixed curry powder.
Fry them till your whole kitchen smells of curry.
Add the chicken & ¼ cup of water (dilution of tamarind juice)
& allow it to simmer away.

Add the potatoes & coconut milk
(200ml for thick or 400ml for watery).
Next, add salt to taste.
Cook under medium heat up to 1 hour.
The slower you cook in a hot pot the tender the texture
of the chicken & the spices coagulate in harmony.

Serves 6