Spicy & Soury Teaser

Most girls like hot, soupy, spicy and soury food.
Right?
YESSS!
(In my humble opinion).

Men?
Big chunk of beef steak or grilled chicken would suffice!
No vegie, no soup.
No?
I guess... You think???

. . .

I just got back from breaking fast from one of the popular Tom Yum restaurants in Penang. Pictures are all ready and I'm here! Only think is, I am so so sleepy and I need to have my rest before I walk like a Zombie to work tomorrow.

So, Here's some Seafood Tom Yum for you first! I'll post about my dinner soon! :-)

Malay Delicacies for Breaking Fast Today

I must say, my parents went to buy so many type of kuih (delicacies) today. I got excited so see my favourites.
Frm 12 o'clock: Potato samosas, Cucur Badak (stuffed potato with savoury fried coconut), and Cucur Keria (Malay donuts made from potatoes n sugar coated).
The green "spring roll" is oh my goodness. I forgot the name! arghh!! The white & brown one is called "Kuih Talam Gula Merah" (Steamed Coconut Pudding with Palm Sugar) - Sounds delicious already? Mmmmhhh!. The white part tastes of sweet coconut cream and the brown is the colour of palm sugar. :-)This is my favourite delicacy - Kuih Lapis (layered cake) because I just love to slowly but carefully peek the white and pink layers, and eat them layer by layer. Unless when I'm hungry like a ghost :-P
Ahh, my favourite - roti jala (lace pancakes) with chicken curry. This is a MUST try Malaysian food.
Bean Curd in syrup. Very good to cool down with this. I think i'm going to have some now! They're sold almost everywhere now - back then, I think it is mainly sold by the Chinese long time ago and now, Malays have learned to make them and, taste as good too. :-)
Cempedak goreng (fried jack fruits in flour batter) - A Malaysian loved snack especially in the evenings, but I don't like jackfruit so I dont fancy this... But many people do love this!
Know what JLo and this green dessert have in common? Their name. This is Kuih Lopeh aka Lopez. So now you know why. I love this kuih as well, which is pandan flavoured and with sprinkles of shredded coconut, and served with melted palm sugar. Mmmmppph!

Hope some of you get some smiles looking at these yummy pictures which I took earlier from dinner! :-)

Some good Malaysian Food right here. Right now!

Beef samosas. They are bite sized finger food as snacks or starters. Everyone loves them because it's savouricious. I bought these from the Pasar Ramadhan in Bayan Baru, Penang recently. What is different about it is the stuffing. Different from the usual potato and curry flavour, this one has one chunk of meat which has been cooked in a tasty sauce, before being wrapped in cute triangles and deep fried. If you happen to see some of this type of samosas sold, be sure to have some! :-)
Blue Rice? Really?! Yes, really. This is Nasi Kerabu Kelantan, and those from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia would know this food. Actually, I got it mixed up - thinking it was Nasi Dagang. But then, someone (including my dad) corrected me. Thank you!!

It's a very tasty blue rice, served with some side dishes of salted egg, deliciously stuffed green chili (i think it's fish + coconut cream stuffing, very very tasty), salad (shredded cabbage, bean sprouts and herbs), fried fish (fried with some flour), thinly sliced beef and green coconut sambal.

I thought it was rather dry - I like curries or soups, so when this does not come with either one I felt weird...but that thought quickly went away the moment I tasted this dish. Lovely, different, but very tasty and, felt like I could eat more! I'm glad they have it here in Penang as I rarely see it here. Even IKEA has it man!
Now this is the ultimate everybody's favourite, come day or nite... AYAM PERCIK! Ayam Percik is basically barbequed chicken on charcoal fire, and constantly brushed with a lemongrass stick dipped in its marinade to keep it juicy... It is not spicy, but it is definitely very flavourful and delicious. It's aroma is intensifying to the nerves...in an extremely good way. It makes you hungry even if you just ate. It can be eaten dry, or with some savoury peanut sauce, whichever you prefer. My mum made this using turkey - usually for Hari Raya, and it is awsome!

I'm really looking forward to what mum's going to be cooking for raya in 2 weeks to come! :-P

Savoury Macaroni

As Italians loves Pasta, so do we Malaysians. We have created pasta dishes that would make you puzzled but if you like the different tastes of Asian food such as fried noodles, tom yum, laksa and more - chances are, you will love this Fried Macaroni - it's the Malaysian style of eating pasta. I have not come across anyone who does not like this!

I guess this dish originated from the fact that we love those oily fried, spicy food. Then we assume that pasta is just like our local yellow noodles. And rather than pouring the sauce on top of boiled macaroni, we have to pour the macaroni in the sauce, and fry, fry, fry away. See the style now?

Ingredients are very simple. I know of some who does not like vegetables so they cook the macaroni with minced meat only. But I am one of those who loves the little crunchy surprise that I can get from some mixed vegetables.

Overall, my style of cooking this fried macaroni may differ each time I cook, depending on what ingredients I have. So long as the key ingredients are there (pasta, tomato sauce, minced meat, vege), I'm happy to say that my fried macaroni is on the way! :-)

:: Recipe ::
2 cups Macaroni, boiled & drained (alternatively, I use Penne or any other short pasta)
1 can of Heinz Tomato Soup or plain Pasta sauce
1/2 cup frozen mixed vege
1 cup chopped fresh coriander/celery
1 large green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped (optional, I just love fresh tomatoes)
some minced beef or chicken meat
1-2 tablespoon chili boh (chili paste)
a few dashes of McCormick's Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil for cooking
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat up the pan with some olive oil - don't worry how much because olive oil is okay.. fry the onions and garlic. Add the chili boh (paste) and stir.
2. Throw in minced meat, sprinkle salt & pepper, and add in a few dash of the Italian seasoning (dried herbs). Stir until meat turns brown.
3. Pour in tomato soup or pasta sauce, add in the chopped tomatoes and mixed vege. Stir fry for 2 minutes and add in the fresh herbs. Add in the parmesan cheese too.
4. Does it taste good yet? Add in more sauce/pepper/salt/chili as you like and finally right before you add in the macaroni, turn off the heat & pour in the macaroni and stir to combine the sauce and pasta.
5. Pour in large plate to be shared by all! :-)

Sounds quick, simple and delicious? Yeah! How do you cook your fried macaroni?

Ramadhan, the month of fasting for Muslims

Pic courtesy of Bluryee

This is Ramadhan, the monh of fasting for Muslims wordwide and just to share some common thoughts on it.

Fasting is not easy for the first few days, you feel tired, dizzy, dehydrated, hungry, and more tiredddd. But it is for a good cause. Fasting is not only against food and drinks, but also what you see, speak, and do. Basically, fasting is the month where you do lots of good things and Allah rewards you for it :-) So the more good that you do, e.g. prompt prayers, notations to the poor, Quran recital, helping the poor, and being a good girl n boy, the better it is for you. :-) Basically, fasting is not because you are forced, or because someone asks you to, fasting is simply, because of Allah.

So, we start fasting from before the sun rises to sun sets. That's basically half the day. No wonder it's tiring? Maybe for the first few days, but after the first week, I feel normal. I just run around doing work and shopping... Usually for younger kids, the elderly, pregnant women, and unfit people need not fast.

Breaking fast is usually with family and friends - the more, the merrier! And usually break fast with a glass of drink, or sweet dates. We Malaysians usually have rice or noodles, and some kuihs like curry puffs and spring rolls.

Now, what I look forward to with regards to food, during this month, is the mushrooming of a variety of local food in Pasar Ramadhan around. These people set up stalls of food that they are expert of, and it is a scene that you only get to see during this month of each year.. Talk about Penang, I have 3 favourite place to go for Pasar Ramadhan.

Queen Street (at Georgetown)
This is where you will witness the Indian Muslim community and the various food available, from Nasi briyani, nasi tomato, bihun Singapore, putu mayam, curry puffs and samosas of diffeent flavours - sardine, chicken, beef, vegetarian, to sweet desserts which frankly, I can't even name them... perhaps like laddu, some fried kind od desserts, coconut water, and many more... The food here is always delicious and I see many tourists being brought to this spot to enjoy the different kind of food available. See some pictures at the scene here.

Pasar Ramadhan at Bayan Baru (just beside Sunshine Square mall)
Parking may be horrible and the number of people there may make me dizzy, but, the wide choice of food is amazing. It is because, this part of Penang has the largest concentration of Malay Muslims? I think so...anyways, find food from nasi dagang, nasi kerabu (sooo soo tasty) , nasi briyani, nasi kandar, nasi campur, murtabak,kebabs, ayam golek, kuih muih, mee, bihun, and ayam percik.... not forgetting lemang and serunding. Always be careful not to over buy because, it's really exciting to see all the food! Best time to go is about 4pm - 5.30pm. after which, most would have finished being sold already. See some pictures at the scene here.

Pasar Ramadhan near USM (near the Ivory apartment)
Much cheaper and this is probably because it is very near to the USM student's accommodation... and good food, really. They have chicken rice, curry puffs, spring rolls, laksa, kebabs, various desserts especially jellies and cream caramel, and drinks. Now here, parking is easier and not too busy!

My favourite....
drink: Air Sirap Selasih (sweet basil drink in red syrup)
kuih: Chicken samosas from Queen Street
main course: Chicken briyani from Hussains' Queen Street & Nasi Kerabu from Pasar Ramadhan Bayan Baru
dessert: cream caramel from either place!

What is your favourite food during the month of Ramadhan? It would be a good experience, even if you're not fasting, to join us and visit the various Pasar Ramadhan around your local area. The fasting month not only is for the Muslims, but also for everyone to enjoy the food and culture it brings! :-)