Pearl of the Orient : Diet Buster

I had a great weekend in Penang, aka Pearl of the Orient. Short as it was, the visit was well spent with good friends and good food! And that, my friends, was the end of my very short-lived diet. Nobody goes to Penang and goes on a diet. 
Do you hear a complaint? Heck, no.
I'm blissfully contented, and I shall just have to start another diet soon.... did I say soon? I meant, now.


In the meantime, may I tickle your tastebuds with pics of some of the popular local dishes on the island? 
These are some of the stuff I crave for. I live in the big city now, where things are modern, fancy, expensive, the city where you can get cuisines from all over the world. Great chefs have graced our 5-star hotel kitchens. Well known celebrity chefs have bothered to visit our not-so-humble country and cooked for the country's rich and famous. And yet, nobody here can make a decent plate of fried koay teow (fried rice noodles), mee goreng (indian fried noodles), just to name a couple. Yes, of course, there are those who claim they come from Penang and that the dishes are authentic. You can't fool a real Penangite's tastebuds. Pffft.


I can't believe I've only 6 dishes to show you. I know we ate more than that in one sitting. (Told you my diet's busted). We must have eaten them so quickly there wasn't even time to take a pic. 


Anyway, ogle and drool time .... (I'm speaking for myself)

Top row, left to right:
charcoal baked crab with roe, salt baked prawns and baked crabs before they got massacred (peeking out from top right corner: stir fried littleneck clams)


These were from a ramshackled restaurant, very old but famous for the Chinese temple next to it. (You think it's good feng shui?). It's also by the beach. Sitting in the outdoors, praying hard that the grey clouds above don't decide to turn on their faucets. There was a lovely cool breeze blowing, was there a good sunset? Too busy eating, laughing and chatting to notice. 
There were also grilled fish, chicken and mutton satay, fried noodles ... pictures we forgot to take.  


Bottom row, left to right:
fried oysters omelet, fried koay teow and kerabu meehoon (nyonya rice vermicelli salad)


These were from another old but popular place where the locals like to hang out and load up on their favorite hawker fare. A place we Penangites fondly call "padang", which means "field". Aptly named, as there is a huge padang beyond these stalls, where kids and adults from around come to have their walkies and whatever form of exercise and play. And as usual, we were so engrossed in stuffing our faces, we forgot to take photographs of some of the things we had ..... pasembur (Chinese style salad, consisting of shredded jicama and cucumber, crispy fritters and tofu, all drenched in a sweet potato sauce), nyonya kuihs and fresh coconut to drink.


And this is where I hibernated after each meal.

sigh ...... definition of Contentment: Ping.

Easy 2 Potato Salad

On a less dramatic note ... (see previous post)


My diet have recently been kicked out the window BUT I'm totally ok with it. Was off for a weekend of food and relaxation .... mainly food. That episode might get turned into a "Just for Reads" post soon.
But for now ....


It looks like I have a "Quickie" series going here.


Quick doesn't have to be boring, even if it's just using the fewest ingredients.
In fact, some of my quickie meals turn out to be quite the favorite at home, with friends and even on Foodbuzz  (now known as DailyBuzz), to the point of getting Top 9!
I am so thrilled and encouraged by it, knowing that I don't have to slog over a hot stove for hours, have fancy gadgets or have a fancy camera with fancy lighting to turn out a dish that looks and tastes good. Fancy that!


We had a pretty heavy and late lunch today and just didn't feel up to another heavy meal for dinner. But we still needed to eat something otherwise it's gonna be a rather unhealthy midnight, raid-the-fridge type moment.


I wouldn't call this a proper meal. It makes a great side dish. We just love potatoes around here. And I had a bunch of sweet potatoes and chats lying around. Also, I'd had this salad at one of our regular hangouts and I thought it was such a lovely salad to have even on its own. So, I'm doing a copycat here. Shhh ... I'm trying to save my arm and my leg, if you know what I mean.




INGREDIENTS


Sweet potatoes / yams, peeled and cut into chunks
Chat potatoes or any waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
a little oil (I used grapeseed)
a good amount of finely chopped parsley (I used the curly leafed ones)
toasted pine nuts
salt to taste




METHOD


Preheat oven to 200C.
Toss the potato chunks evenly to coat with the oil. (Just a light coat will do, definitely not dripping).
Place potatoes on a parchment lined baking tray and roast for about 30 - 40 mins, depending  on the size of your chunks. (When it's nice and lightly browned, it's done, or just poke a fork through a piece to check).
Remove from tray and toss with salt, chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts.


So simple. So tasty. So satisfying!
And to think they charged me both my limbs for that at the eaterie. Huh. 

Freakin'-Easy-Tata

It's hopeless!!

I'm hopeless!!

I can't stand it anymore!!

It's not possible!!

I can't do this!!

Drama ..... in the 1st degree.

I'm sure some of you might agree with me when it comes to dieting. I've read several blogs about people going on diets and losing 2 - 3 kgs in a week. I hate you.

Dieting makes one (me) crabby, negative, depressed (not really), dramatic for sure.

I've been given several suggestions from eating for my blood type to having just fruits for breakfast. I've tried the Atkins diet .... that worked, really it did, but coming from a society and upbringing of having rice or noodles at least 5 times a week, it finally turned into a raging crave of carbs that had me bingeing on an equivalent to 4 cups of rice in one sitting ... not good.

I do the exercises, mainly tennis about 3 times a week, less now having been afflicted with rotator cuff tendonitis.

Cut the sugar. Yup, doing that as well. (I am so craving for a cheesecake right now.)

I can't last. My will power is weak .... especially when it comes to food. Being a food blogger doesn't help, unless I start blogging about healthy stuff. Yeah, right.

Forgive me if I don't visit as regularly as before. This is a compliment to you. You know your food posts make me drool and this really is not helping.

So, while I still have some semblance of will power left in me, I'm trying to cut the carbs, come up with some energy food, enough to get a good tennis game going and not get thrashed by my fellow players.

This one is freakin' easy and it has enough stuff in it to satisfy my cravings for a while ..... until the next meal? Sigh ....

*Note: Not recommended for dieters.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

pinch of salt

ground black pepper

coarsely chopped bacon (lean bacon if you must)

2 small waxy potatoes, sliced thinly (I know, I know, potatoes are hi-carb. Cheez, lighten up, will ya? I did say "small")

a handful of coarsely chopped rocket leaves

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

Line a 7" X 7" non-stick baking tin with parchment. You don't have to do this. I just thought it would be easier to lift out when it's done.

Line the bottom with the sliced poatoes, overlapping them.

Place the chopped bacon and rocket over that.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and salt.

Pour that into baking tin over the bacon and rocket.

Bake for about 25 mins.

Serve hot.

Oven Fried Chicken

There is a shop in Ipoh, one of the northern states in Malaysia, famous for their salt baked chicken. And then there's the lesser known one just 2 roads away. I'd found it by accident trying to find the more popular shop. After buying one from there, we went further up the main strip and found the other. So, I had to buy another chicken. Why not? I need to compare, right?

And the verdict .... I like the one from the underdog. I can't quite put my finger on why I prefer that. It could be that it's more herbally, the chicken tastes more free- rangey (yeah, that's a word). You know how free-range chicken meat is a little tougher and stringier than commercially bred chickens? Well, it's like that.

Anyway, point of the post is, I've been trying to replicate the flavors at home and haven't had much luck. Sometimes, one may get all the spices and seasonings correct but it's in the tweakings of the proportions that can make or break a recipe.

Or, you might get lucky and have a fairy-blogmother send you the perfect concoction in a packet!

In this case, it was Elin of Elinluv's Tidbits Corner. (Thank you so much, Elin!) Actually, she sent me this a while ago and I've been happily using the spice mix in different ways and each time trying hard to get a nice pic to do justice to her generosity and kindness. But each time it gets gobbled up so quick, or folks complaining about the chicken getting cold and not too appetizing ... you get the picture ... or not.

This was also a technique I learnt from Shannon of Just as Delish ... Oven Fried Chicken. Yup, Oven + Fried. Nope, my brain ain't fried, just the chicken. I love this way of cooking chicken. Of course, it doesn't get as crispy as deep frying but there is a delicate crunch minus the usage of potfuls of oil. I hate deep frying. I don't hate eating fried foods, just hate doing it myself. You can get Shannon's version here.

I used what Elin sent me to marinade this. The original recipe calls for the chicken to be baked in a salt crust or as the packet of spices instructed, to use the foil included as a wrap. But, like I said, I'd used the oven-baked way instead for today. You can see how it's supposed to be done using the foil here, at Elin's.

Either way, it's easy, no hassle, no mess, no extra oils ... no kidding!

If you can get your hands on this packet of spices, I highly recommend it. For the folks who aren't of this world ... I mean, this side of the big blue .... try out this way of "frying". I'm very happy with it and I'm sure you will be too. Just use dry-ish seasoning and make sure the coating is sticky and not watery. That's all there is to it!

INGREDIENTS

2 whole chicken legs (with skin)

1/3 pack of salted chicken seasoning (scroll all the way down for pack) / or just use your favorite dry marinade

1 1/2 - 2 tbs cornflour

METHOD

Make slits (or not, I do that to make sure my chicken's thoroughly cooked through) on chicken. (See pic)

Rub marinade all over (chicken, of coz. Oh boy.) and into the slits.

Place in a baggy, seal and leave to marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours (not too necessary).

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

Rub cornflour evenly all over chicken. You'll want a sticky, paste-like coating. If it's too dry add a little water. (Too watery and it won't turn out crispy)

Place a rack (big enough to hold all pieces in a single layer) on a lined baking tray, place the chicken on top and bake, skin side up, for about 45 mins (depending on the size of the pieces) or until skin is crisp and nicely browned. (This is to prevent the chicken from soaking in the juices or fat).

Serve hot with a side of greens or whatever.

*Important note: This is best served hot out of the oven. If left too long, the skin gets chewy. Not advisable to make for the next day.

Mango Coconut Cream Agar

Mangoes galore!

And from all over the world!

We are seeing a great variety from Thailand, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia and a whole lot of local ones... cheap too!

I've made the juices, cheesecakes, toppings, jams, relish, salads, chutneys, froyos .... and still looking for new things to make with them.

Then I remembered this deliciously easy and refreshing dessert ... Sissi's recipe for Light Coconut Cream with Canned Peaches. Go check it out.

I suppose I could label this under the "Revamped" category. I'd wanted to make this in the original form (really, I did) and got distracted by this bunch of ripening mangoes in the basket and thought .... why not put them out of their misery... it's a very humane process called "fruitanasia". They won't last too long in this weather and stuffing them in my stuffed up fridge isn't doing the fridge any good. So, stuff it! We're having Mango Coconut Cream Agar for dessert!

Agar makes a different texture from gelatine so I wouldn't suggest that as a substitute. Of course it might turn out an interesting dessert all on its own. I might experiment a little and let you know in a later post .... maybe.

Meanwhile ....

INGREDIENTS

200 ml milk

200 ml coconut milk

4 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp agar powder

1 medium-sized ripe mango (about 250 g uncut weight)

METHOD

Remove peel and seed of mango. Puree 3/4 of the flesh in a food processor with a little milk until smooth. (I had about 1/2 cup pureed flesh). Cut remaining flesh into slivers or cubes ... your preference. Set that aside.

Place milk, coconut milk, sugar and agar powder into a pot.

Stir over medium heat until sugar and agar have dissolved.

Stir in pureed mango and turn the heat off. Mix well.

Pour into moulds or cups.

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 - 2 hours, depending on how big your moulds are.

Serve with mango slivers or cubes.

Happy Father's Day

Father: (Fat-her ... whoops, I mean, Fa-ther): n

~ The physically strong, silent or not-so silent male person in the family. I'm saying physically strong since I believe women are mentally and emotionally stronger. Ok, so I'm biased. I'm a woman (in case you don't know by now), I'm allowed to take the side of my own gender.

~ It doesn't matter whether you're the biological father, surprise father, posthumous father (not that you'll care much about this post anyway), non-biological father (inlaw, adoptive, foster, cuckolded, etc). As long as at some point in your life, you've been one and have taken the responsibility of being a good one at that ... umm, except for the surprised and posthumous ones of course ... hehe.

Have a happy day!

I understand that this may not be celebrated on the same day in other parts of the world. So to those that had it earlier, Happy Belated Fathers' Day, the ones celebrating later, Happy Fathers' Day in advance!

To those who have lost their fathers, cherish those lovely memories of the times you've had together.

Have a great weekend!

(And a not-so-private message to dear ol' dad)

I love you, Dad!

I know I'm a difficult daughter and terribly stubborn but these genes are from you and mum. Not my fault. :D

Guest Gripe by Other Half

People, here's a twist to my usual posts.

An opinionated one from the other half.

The half who once claimed he's a simple man with simple tastes. (He'd got himself a simple girl/woman/old lady.) I was relieved when I'd met him since I couldn't cook to save my life. Mother inlaw never bugged me about that flaw and she's a great cook herself ... feeding and spoiling me rotten.

To cut a long story short, now that I've learnt to cook and bake, he's the one getting spoilt. Of course, there were the initial periods when he was the guinea oink and was so sweet, pretending not to gag at whatever he ate. Today, he's a changed man. He will critique "mostly" outside foods knowing full well that if he complains too much about yours truly's stuff, he would end up with the apron around his thickening waistline.

Well, here he is folks, the man of usually very few words speaking his mind ......

Rather than one to go .. Mmmm! Yes, Mon ami, magnifique! .. "truffle infused butter suffused saffron scallop squares!" .. or something similar, I have always been a regular "eat to live" non-foodie. But ever since my cute other half became a food blogger I may have been unconsciously paying more attention to food flavors. Today my latent inner food critic kicked in with a vengeance.

Distracted by shopping with a usually calm cool niece on an unusually fast and furious visit, Ping bought the first food item she came across and brought it home for my late lunch. It was a rather small but hugely expensive .. 'designer' burger. My expectations were high. After all, even I can grill a half decent burger.

The very ordinary packaging foreshadowed a gloomy outcome .. the bun had more than a hint of being past its best. This consideration was backed by a faint and very peculiar sour note to the overgenerous sprinkling of sesame seeds. Their aged softness added next to no textural advantage. All this conspired with the pretentious, scratch-made, excessively vinegary tomato catsup to throw any chance of a chefy flavor balance totally out of whack. Oh .. the ultra lean patty not only had a breadcrumb extender, it had way too much of it. Despite real assurances on the menu, the patty wasn't really grilled. It did not taste smoky .. fake liquid or otherwise. The crisps .. were not. It wasn't really horrid, but it wasn't even average either.

The best part by a long way .. was the perfect little pickle. Crisp, tangy yet sweet, delicious. Until and unless Arlo Guthrie rewrites "The Significance of the Pickle", we aren't going back to that joint. Which pretty much means, never. All I'll say is that it was in Bangsar.

I have religiously avoided critiquing food as I totally understand that one man's foie gras can be another's puke inducer. This should be the last of my food critiques, unless some other commercial offering is again as totally undeserving of its premium price .. as this gilded gherkin.

(Ping's 2 cents: He's right, you know. Can't blame him for griping. I would too. The packaging was such a let down ... a plastic take away box ... burger, salad and soggy fries all crammed in. You'd think the cost of the burger would have covered at least a half-decent 2 package deal to prevent soggy buns. Yeekh. Even the cheap fast food joints with flattened, cardboardy tasting patties have better packaging.)

PS: Check out Arlo Guthrie's "Significance of the Pickle" also known as "The Motorcycle Song". It's a very entertaining song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmCwvvwpPAo