Comfort Food

Enjoying comfort food with a pretty girl named Nobuytea. I mean Norbaiti aka Zetty. The girl is from Muo. I mean Muar.

and the story about Special No. 1 Porridge by Halim Said

IT may be bold of Zaleha Ahmad to claim that her dish is the best in town, but the Special No 1 Porridge may be worth bragging about.

Zaleha, who is fondly known as Kak Leha, said she set up the business when she was in her 20s and had just started her own family.

It had been 27 years since she opened her first porridge stall in Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa.

"At the time I was the first and only one with a stall here. That was how I came to the name Special No 1 Porridge for my stall," she told Streets.

Kak Leha takes pride in her porridge which she cooks Teochew-style combined with Malay inspired condiments. Bringing two cultures together was a way for her to honour her Chinese and Malay roots.

Boiling high-quality grade rice for one-and-a-half hours on medium-low heat results in rice porridge that is white, smooth and silky in texture.

Best savoured warm, a bowl of porridge goes well with condiments such as sambal anchovies, salted duck egg, salted mackerel and pickled radish which adds flavour to the simple dish.

The set of porridge and condiments sold by Kak Leha goes for an affordable RM5.

"I prepared the porridge and condiments using my own style. That is why it is unique and can only be found here," she said.

Kak Leha had also opened stalls on the same stretch offering a variety of dishes such as ayam penyet, satay, grilled cockles, grilled seafood and char kuey teow. All the dishes are priced between RM5 to RM7.50 per serving.

People from all walks of life throng Kak Leha's stalls on a nightly basis from 6pm to 3am.

Business has been so good that there are some 100 tables for her customers. They are also entertained with the performance of street buskers.

"The buskers are better off performing here rather than wandering aimlessly around the city. Besides, my customers enjoy their music," she said.

Kak Leha's husband, Ismail Jaafar, said their speciality dishes can also be found near the Pandan City wholesale market and Permas Jaya.

Savour the Moment

I was here!  Had dinner with a family. Knowing that my vision is not so sharp at night and my sense of direction go haywire at times --- more like most of the time --- the family also came to get me from the house.

Well, to be honest I would probably be too lazy to drive there all by myself.

These are just some of the dishes that were on our table. I didn't take a picture of every dish. This Japanese restaurant in Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Johor Baru is still drawing in the crowd since the day it opened.

We couldn't finish the food so we "bungkus balik" (pack back). It is the trend now. Don't waste food. Even at wedding dinner or any gathering, don't be shy about asking the waiter to pack the leftovers.

And my wonderful host also gave me a gift to take home. I'm a lover of sensuous scents and alluring crystals/gemstones.  Any gift that comes from the heart is a sweet gesture to be savoured.

A get together, a fleeting moment, a rendezvous --- planned or unplanned --- all is to be cherished. 

Thank you for this night.

Group Selfie

With all the lovely people I work with.  This a selfie creatively taken by Nur Aisyah Mazalan. 

With Sarah Rahim who is leaving the Johor Baru bureau soon to go back to KL. Will definitely miss her. The whole team will.

This is one of Sarah's stories ...

Danga Avenue One food hub launched

By SARAH RAHIM 

JOHOR BARU:  DANGA Avenue One, at Country Garden Danga Bay (CGDB), was launched last Saturday.

There are more than 15 tenants at the commercial street, including Kenny Steam Disher Restaurant, 'M' Espresso Sporting Club, Food Channel, Tsim Sha Tsui, Restoran Madam Jean Pan Mee, Matterhon @ Danga, I Love Yoo!, Juice Baby, Tea Garden Restaurant, Kani Palace, Taang Shifu, Dining Room and Cheers Up.

Customers have a choice of snacks, Chinese food, Japanese food, steamboat and barbecue-style food, fried rice, nasi ayam penyet and other food.

The tropical concept landscape provides for a lovely setting for alfresco dining.

Country Garden Malaysia senior marketing executive Karen Thay said: "The first phase of construction for CGDB includes the commercial street which was completed in July last year.

"The whole CGDB commercial area will span an area of 6ha."

Thay said two other commercial streets would be launched after Danga Avenue One.

"More tenants will be moving into Danga Avenue One too. It will be a food sanctuary for locals and Singaporeans," she said.

Thay said the tenants, who included local and Singaporean industry players started operating last month.

The food and beverage outlets are opened daily between 10am and 10pm. Outlets that provided alcoholic drinks operate between 10am and midnight. CGDB is in Jalan Skudai.

For details, visit: www.countrygardendangabay.com.my.

Read more: Danga Avenue One food hub launched - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/danga-avenue-one-food-hub-launched-1.568859#ixzz2z3LLspIq

The Best Day Ever

I woke up with the desire to make this the best day ever. I want to spend as many moments of my life thinking positive thoughts and performing good deeds. Spreading love and shutting out all negativity. Embracing joy and shunning all hatred.

Today I ardently indulged in being mindfully happy.  For lunch, it was a Japanese gastronomic experience all the way with "shake belly sashimi", "edamame", "shisamo", green tea and lots of wasabi.

For dinner, It iwas a home-cooked inexpensive indulgence comprising soup made with black beans, lotus root, wolfberry aka goji and chicken bones.

I am going to wake up every day making each new day  the best day ever!

To MK With Love

Everything happens for a reason.   Last week, I called for a cab to come pick me up at home.  The telephone operator was rude and so was the driver.

This Saturday, I decided to try Easy Taxi, a smartphone app that I downloaded.  Booking a taxi was hassle-free and the charge was reasonable.  Wow!  I am now a fan of this service. 

The cab took me to New Lucky Restaurant in Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru where I enjoyed a night of

great songs. 

This is MK Ong and Shella singing "Top of the World".

gastronomic delights

This meal was an alluring appetizer.  It's a rojak  of duck meat, longan, mango and a variety of veggies.

priceless friendship

With MK, Fung Lee Jean and Tony Tan.

To MK with love.  May you remain forever young, forever beautiful and always enjoy good health.

A Happy Boring Day

Don't forget to head over to Setia Eco Cascadia, Johor Bahru, for the SP Setia's Carnival on Feb 15.  If you're lucky, you may just win yourself an iPad Air or an iPad Mini.

It'll be a wonderful way to bond with family and friends at this fun-filled outing.

The article appeared in today's JOHOR STREETS (a pullout of the New Straits Times)

By CHUAH BEE KIM

ATTRACTIONS: The event will feature 150 performers, a special lion dance and a Candy Street with giant lollipops

JOHOR BAHRU: EXPERIENCE the "Festive Colours of SP Setia" at the Setia Eco Cascadia Show Village on Saturday from 5pm to 10pm. The event is organised by property developer SP Setia Bhd Group and will feature 150 performers ranging from fire eaters, samba dancers, stilt walkers, cheerleaders, bhangra drummers and Spanish masqueraders.
  SP Setia property division (south) general manager Hoe Mee Ling said the fun-filled street carnival will also feature a dragon and light emitting diode (LED) lion dance performance.
  Hoe said the children will be captivated by Candy Street, which has been filled up with thousands of sweets. She said that visitors will also be enthralled by the numerous giant lollipops standing three metres in height at the entrance. There are also candy seats which is a waiting area for parents while their kids explore Candy Street.
  "Also, look out for the balloon candy trees that line the walkway and Candy House, where visitors can redeem free candy, popcorn and cotton candy. "To make the experience a memorable one, visitors can head to the 40-metre wide three-dimensional wall to snap a photograph. The wall can fit 50 faces.
  "After the snapshots are taken, visitors can collect them at the counter," she added. Visitors can also check out the Face and Body Painting booth as well as the Sand Art area. Children will also have a fun time playing the Inflatable Game. There will also be a limited number of free Chinese New Year goodie bags.
  If you have been dreaming of buying the iPad Air or iPad mini, these two gadgets are going to be among the lucky draw prizes.
  Meanwhile, the developer is also opening new double-storey terrace houses and bungalow show houses for viewing. Home owners are entitled to a one-day special bonus worth up to RM30,000 for bookings made during the event.

***

 LUNCHTIME INDULGENCE: Grilled Norwegian Salmon.  

Grilled Norwegian Salmon

Hot Sauce Experiment

Today is sambal making day.  I'm experimenting really.  I am making two variations of sambal.

Sambal 1 (Recipe)

15 fresh chillies
three limes
a piece of belacan (dried shrimp paste cake)
salt and sugar

Put the cut chillies into the blender.  Add a cupful of water with squeezed lime juice and a spoonful of sugar and salt and blend at low speed.

Meanwhile toast a piece of belacan in the frying pan.  Pour the blended mixture (not too fine) into the pan with the belacan and fry till the spicy condiment looks and smells nice.

No cooking oil was used for the sambal.

Here are the two sambal that I made today.  In case you're wondering where's the recipe for Sambal 2 where dried chillies, garlic, ginger and onions were some of the ingredients... errr, I think that one didn't turn out well.

At least one sambal was a success. Yes!

My CNY Reunion Dinner Dishes

Meatball soup

This dish was among the dishes for Chinese New Year reunion dinner.  It tasted nothing like the meatball soup that my late mother used to make.  Need to fine-tune the recipe.

The chicken cuts were blended and then mixed with corn flour, plain flour and an egg.

Here are the meatballs of an amateur cook.


The Chinese also love to eat fish during the Chinese New Year as it symbolises  年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu) which translates to "Abundance Throughout The Year."

Garnishing and food presentation is very important.  However, I think I may have over presented.

Ahh... my favourite "jiu hu char".  But today's dish was seriously lacking in salt.  Nevermind, can repair later.  The ingredients include shredded cuttlefish, turnip, mushrooms, carrots and chicken.

 

This dish is a mystery to me.  I have no idea what it is.  A fusion maybe.   "Sotong sumbat", perhaps?  Definitely not a Chinese New Year traditional dish, but it's 2014.  Anything goes...

Ponderosa Reunion

Anybody remember the TV series Bonanza?  There was Ben Cartwright, Hoss, Little Joe, Candy and Hop Sing, among the characters of the popular western series.

Well, the Ponderosa Golf and Country Club was inspired by this TV series.  There's a Chinese restaurant here named after the cook, Hop Sing.  And Ponderosa was the name of the ranch in Bonanza.

The trend before eating a meal nowadays..  The phone eats first.

with Adeline Chng (left) and Zahayu Shima Ayub (right)

Among the three of us in the picture, guess who speaks the most fluent Mandarin?  Yes, you're right.  It is Ayu, a former Johor Bahru Foon Yew High School student.  Foon Yew High is the largest independent Chinese school in Malaysia.

To get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, one can come to the Ponderosa in Taman Molek, Johor Bahru, which has an Olympic-size swimming pool and a 18-hole golf course.

The weekday room rate is RM180 per night and weekend rate is RM210 per night.   

The XO sauce fried rice.

This dish is my absolute favourite. 

Chef Koh Heyau Pang

Chef Koh hails from Pontian, Johor.  He is seen here showing a plate of chicken dumplings.  Hop Sing, does not serve pork nor lard.  It is open from 11am to 3pm for lunch and from 5.30pm to 9.30pm (dinner).  It closes on Monday.

On the far right (picture) is the resort's general manager Ivan Teo,.

Guess which one is Ivan's charming wife?

Oh, she is not in this picture.

The dishes churned out by Chef Koh

That's Josephine Lim on the far right.

The Ponderosa Golf and Country Club

 

With deadlines to meet and errands to attend to, it is hard to find time to catch up with friends.  But it is worth the effort and time.  Let's do this again.

A World of Ingenuity and Discovery II

01 January 2014

Passion for creating culinary masterpieces 

 

Foong Wai Loong, 33, is the executive chef of Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel in Permas Jaya. He has 20 years of culinary experience in Chinese cuisine.

By Chuah Bee Kim

I hate books. Actually,  I think it is more appropriate to say I hate to read. Because I hate reading, it is only natural that I did not do well in my studies.
  I was forced to leave school at the age of 14 to look for a job, and that is how I got to be where I am today.
  I was born in Ipoh. My first job was as a kitchen helper in a Chinese restaurant in my hometown.
  I was fascinated by the activities going on in the kitchen. It looked so exciting. I was filled with enthusiasm as I watched the cooks prepare the dishes.
  After two weeks of working as a kitchen helper, I begged my seniors to impart their culinary skills to me.
  From sweeping the floor to washing the cutlery and wiping the dishes, I was soon allowed to cut the vegetables and meat.
  After working there for two years, I headed to Singapore and spent 10 years there honing my culinary skills. Then, I went to work in Batam.
  Later, I was hired by the five-star Hotel Indonesia Kempinski in Jakarta. I was their first executive Chinese chef. I crafted a fine dining menu for a Chinese banquet.
  I like to create. Sometimes an idea hits me, but I may not necessarily get to it straightaway.
  Like in a meeting, for instance, I would be doodling. It may not make any sense. It's just something I see on paper. And then, the very next day, I'd get this idea that I want to present the dish that I doodled.
  I love creative presentations. I don't want guests to just eat to satisfy their hunger. I want them to be wowed by it, to discover something they have never knew existed. I like to see the expression on diners' faces as they try my culinary creations.
  When I was on a holiday in Denmark, I visited some friends and there was this restaurant where they serve the food with an iPod. When the guests put on their earphones, they are transported to a different world. I love that experience.
  For example, when a guest is savouring a crab dish, I want them to hear the sound of the sea as they dine. Not everyone hears it, only the diner.
  Malaysians get to eat a variety of ethnic recipes and fusion dishes. I want to create a cuisine that is truly Asian. I have tried French cuisine, Italian cuisine, and now I envision bringing Asian cuisine to the world.
  For me, presentation of the food is very important. It stimulates the senses of sight and smell before it tantalises the taste buds.
  I am the only chef in my family. I have an older sister, but she doesn't share my passion, just as I do not share her passion for books.
  I don't really believe in recipes. Every chili, every water spinach is different. If I were to write down a recipe, and I say add chili, you may just throw in a chili.
  But, when you cannot get the taste that you want, you are going to blame me for giving you the wrong recipe.
  It's not like that. A chili from Cameron Highlands will have a different flavour from a chili grown in the soil of Kuantan or Johor. And there are so many varieties of chili. To you a carrot is a carrot. To me, it is not as simple as that.
 Some of my signature dishes include mango Peking duck, pomelo mango sago, coffee chicken and dancing durian puff.
  I think a chef is like an artist, and the canvas is the cooking pot, and the dish... the masterpiece.

A Journey of Ingenuity and Discovery

Rice with durian, and love with no regrets

Durian with Rice

Enjoy an instant meal of succulent durian with rice.

Put less than a teaspoon of sugar and salt each, depending on how salty or sweet you want the rice to be.  Then pour water into the rice, and you're ready to tuck into a yummilicious meal.  Easy, right?

Opening the durian, however, is another story.

I think I'm having delayed onset muscle soreness after my trip to Gunung Pulai yesterday. Going to see the doctor afterwards. My throat is also a little sore.  However, I'm still looking forward to my next adventure.  Life is to be indulged.

A friend of mine, who used to be a big fan of LOVE, said true love only exists in fairytales.  She said: "Sorry to burst your bubble but that is the way it is."

She may NOT be wrong,  but I also believe that all experiences serve to  leave an imprint, some more than others, and all such experiences are to be enjoyed and cherished without any regret.