Review: Satay Malaysia aka Nyuk Lan Kajang Satay

I was going thru the latest pull-out of Flavours magazine which featured makan places around Kajang, Balakong, Seri Kembangan, Putrajaya etc... Came across Restoran Malaysia (Nyuk Lan Satay Kajang), gosh I haven't put up my post yet even though the pictures were already saved in draft mode for the longest ever. Lots of backlogs I have in here *blush*

Restoran Malaysia is another place to go for satay Kajang other then the famous Haji Samuri at Bangunan Dato' Nazir (next to the stadium) or those at the medan satay. We used to go to Haji Samuri pretty often until they have gotten too big over at Bangunan Dato' Nazir. They're now occupying the whole of ground floor. With brisk business, their satay suffered... cos they tend to cook in a haste and left many sticks uncooked.

The satay at Restoran Malaysia is comparable to Haji Samuri. I simply loved the beef satay (60 sens per stick) here. They're not over cooked and tasted juciy and tender. Not forgetting, they're very flavourful too. Chicken satay here is worth all my 60 sens cos I get to eat the whole stick of meat rather being interpersed with chicken skin!



Best dipped in the slight sweetish peanut sauce with a dollop of firery sambal for the extra zing. We loved how they served the ketupat, still in the tradisional way within the coconut leaves casing. First round of cucumber and onions (but most times they don't serve onions! duh...) is complimentary. Extra serving will be charged 50 sens. I wished they could serve their peanut sauce in a big bowl like Haji Samuri, otherwise it's quite a task getting their staff to bring in extra bowls of sauce (no extra charge for this though haha).

BTW, they serve fried rice and noodles too but seriously we won't bothered. They're really not up to mark, plus it's halal... how Hokkien fried noodles can taste delish without the obligatory chu yau char (lard)?? :p heh



Restoran Malaysia (Nyuk Lan Kajang Satay)
31 Jalan Semenyih
Kajang
Tel: 603-8733 1160
Opens from 10am till 11pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + satay

Chicken With Caramelised Onions

I had a piece of deboned chicken thigh and ran out of idea what to do with it. Running thru what I have in the kitchen, I decided to use up my onions before they start sprouting.

Took a peek on my fridge door and out came oyster sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Marinaded the thigh which I've cut into two with a couple of dashes each of these sauces, and some pepper. Then I peeled off a couple of onions and sliced them into rings.

Next I sprinkled and rubbed some cornstarch all over the meat before pan fried the thigh on both sides with some oil till golden brown. When they're cooked, lift up and set aside on some paper towels.

In the same pan, pour in a bit more oil if it's not enough. Let it heat up before dropping in the onions. Fried onions till translucent and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar to caramelised the onions. I poured in some water but not too much, just enough to coat the meat. Added some oyster sauce and a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce to taste. Placed in the meat and let them simmer till the sauce thickened. Served hot with rice.

This is my first time cooking up this way and I have to give a pat on my back haha... cos the slight sweetish and tangy sauce is so lovely and the sauce glistened on the chicken thigh! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Technorati Tags: poultry

Red Dragonfruit Cheesecake

After the tip off by da beautiful Mei Yen about swirling red dragonfruit into her cheesecake, I decided to do the same after buying some locally planted species. According to the owner of the farm, they are sweeter compared to Vietnamese dragonfruit as the local ones are pluck after the fruit is ripen on the tree.

Whilst I was slicing the fruit, I stole some bites and my oh my, it was really sweet but I was still skeptical about the taste after mixing into the cheese. Anyway, I went ahead and made one based on the Peachy Cheesecake recipe. I tasted the cheese mixture after mixing in the dragonfruit puree which seems all right.

Sad to say after chilling it, I did not get to taste it. Instead I presented it to my brother for his birthday. Since he wasn't around, we did not managed to sing him a song and have him cut the cake. Hubby and I left thereafter. However, he told me it was good. The deep purple colour is so rich and lovely... very captivating. Looks like I'll have to make another one... SOON!

Here's a shot I managed to stole before sending it off...



Technorati Tags: cheesecake + dragonfruit

Review: Yap Hup Kee Yong Tau Foo

If you're craving for Yong Tau Foo (stuffed beancurd and vegetables) in the evenings, look no further than Yap Hup Kee Yong Tau Foo. Even though located amongst the many printing machineries in Pudu, it's pretty easy to find this shop as you can see rows of yong tau foo screaming "Pick me, pick me" at the outter part of the shop as seen above.

Parking is a breeze in the evening but you'll missed out on the delicious claypot herbal loh shue fun and/or sui kow (dumplings) that are only offered in the late mornings or lunch hour.

The mechanism is very simple, first you pick up a tong and start placing your choice of yong tau foo pieces on the plate(s). Next, take a seat and wait for your order to arrive which is rather prompt. The server will then deep fry or cook your choices in clear broth depending on the type of yong tau foo.

What we liked about the yong tau foo here is, the choices available are errrr... slightly on the contemporary side where you can find stuffed four angle beans, long beans, broccoli and fishpaste interpersed with cloud ear fungus, apart from the traditional Hakka yong tau foo found elsewhere. At 80 sens a piece, the yong tau foo is slightly on the larger side.

The deep fried stuff will come piping hot. Best dipped in the sweetish beanpaste (mien si) sauce and the yummilicious chilli sauce.



The stuffed vegetables are served in a clear broth that come with chunks of char choy (Szechuan preserved vegetable) that I liked best.



Their sui kows (dumplings, minimum order RM7.00 for 5 pieces) are filled to the brim with fish paste and one whole medium sized prawn served in a similar broth as above. One bite gives off a bouncy and crunchy texture. I wished they could serve the herbal version in the evening!



These yong tau foo are best served with chee cheung fun (rice noodle rolls, RM2.00 a plate), be it with sweet beanpaste...



... or curry. The sprinkling of fried pounded dried shrimps (har mai) bring these chee cheung fun to another level. Other than chee cheung fun, you can ask for the the plain noodles ie loh shue fun, hor fun etc to be served in a minced pork sauce, in a claypot too if you like.



They do serve steamboat in the evenings but I hardly see any patrons ordering that. Who needs steamboat when one can glut over the yummilious yong tau foo??


Restoran Yap Hup Kee
45 Jalan Brunei Barat (off Pudu), Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (603) 2148 9220.
9.00am-5.00pm and 5.30pm-11.00pm.

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + yong tau foo

SHF#31: Neutral Territory - Longan Royale

I just realised I have not participate in any of the monthly cooking events since last June! It's time I get my lazy bones cracking again... I saw this month's Sugar High Friday event on Is My Blog Burning. This month's theme is pretty unique, in terms that participants need to create desserts in shades of white! This round is hosted by Tara of Seven Spoons who is a first timer in hosting such events. Do check out her blog for the round up on 25 May 2007.

Actually participating in this event is just an excuse to recreate the Mango Royale I made recently. I just couldn't get enough of this dessert! Enough said but then I can't get white coloured mangoes, can I? The next best option - strawberries, ain't white either! Sighhh... so I checked my larder inside out and found a couple of canned longan in syrup. Looking at the longan on the label gave me an idea to try out this dessert since the fruit came within the shade of white.

Tweaking the recipe posted by Sassy, I've replaced the mango with drained canned longan and used Tiger brand plain biscuit instead of digestive biscuits. I kinda like the milky flavour of this biscuit which worked well for this recipe.

Here's the result of my creation... Longan Royale, topped with more drained longan.



Tasted just as good as Mango Royale but I think mango version is still the best! Do let the dessert defrost a bit otherwise the frozen longan can be a bit chewy. Thanks Tara for hosting this round of Sugar High Friday!

Mango Royale

Ingredients :
1 k. of fresh ripe Philippine mangoes
1-100 ml. can of sweetened condensed milk
2-250 g. packs of all-purpose cream
10-15 graham crackers (depending on the size of your container)

Cooking procedure :

I used two medium-sized rectangular plastic freezer containers for my mango royale.

Cut the both sides of the mangoes down the middle. You won’t be using the little meat attached to the seeds (we ate them while we were making the dessert). Take each mango half and, using a big spoon, scoop out the meat from the skin.

Line the container with whole graham crackers. Cut a few pieces of crackers, if necessary to fit along the sides. Repeat with another layer. Top with mango halves.

With a wire whisk, blend together the cream and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over the strawberry-topped crackers. Cover tightly and freeze for at least two hours or until firm.

Ref: Connie Veneracion (Sassy), Mango Royale, Pinoycook.net

Technorati Tags: sugar high friday + dessert

Sticky Date and Honey Slice

I was browsing for recipes and came across this Sticky Date and Honey Slice from New Zealand Women's Weekly magazine. Gave it a try and this was the result...



Sorry for the lousy pic, it was heavily doctored due to bad lighting.

Anyway, I got interested with this recipe since it does not uses any sugar but honey, plus the method is super easy. The cake turned out very fluffy despite the heaviness of the dates. I find them better after storing in the fridge and also the type of honey will determine the flavour of the cake. My honey gave out a flowery scent which is kinda weird to go with this cake. So might have to experiment more with this recipe. If you're interested to have a go with this cake, you can find the recipe here.

Technorati Tags: cake

Braised Deep Fried Mee Sua

I've some left over deep fried mee sua (flour vermicelli) from my failed Kong Nam Meen adventure and decided to braise (munn in Cantonese) them.

Prepared by cutting the vegetables ie baby corn, capsicum, carrots and celery (whatever I found in my fridge actually). Minced some chicken breast and marinade with some soy sauce, a dash of sesame seeds oil and a bit of cornflour. Shelled some shrimps and devine them as well. I've some sliced up fish cakes as well. Oh yeah, chopped a few cloves of garlic, the more the merrier!

Heat up some oil and fry the minced meat till slightly browned before putting in the garlic. Keep stirring and once fragrant, add in the prawns. Stir till cooked. Next add in the vegetables and fish cakes. Stir till mixed well. Next, pour in some water and add in some oyster sauce and dark soy sauce to taste. Cover and let it come to a boil. Taste the gravy now and adjust with seasonings like salt, pepper and a wee bit of sugar.

Put in the deep fried mee sua (or you can use deep fried yee meen or sang meen) which I've quickly washed with some hot water to get rid of the grease. Ensure there is enough water to cover up the noodles. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer till gravy is slightly dry. Uncover and then stir fry the noodles till they got drier. Dish up and serve with lots of sliced red chillies.

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + noodle

Colourful Vegetables Fried Rice

Hmm it has been a long time I last posted on my fried rice creations. I must live up to my Queen of Fried Rice title bestowed by boo_licious LOL!

I made a very healthy version recently, using loads of vegetables and some eggs cooked with olive oil. By the time I finish chopping and dicing the vegetables, I noticed they were so colourful, hence the name of the fried rice was conjured. From the photo below, you can see I've used carrot, cauliflower, brocolli, green capsicum, yellow capsicumm, french beans, celery and chopped garlic.



To cook my version, first fry a couple of eggs with some olive oil till slightly set. Dish up and set aside. In the same wok, pour in more olive oil and add in garlic when its heated. Stir till fragrant before dishing in the vegetables. Add some salt and mix well.

Pour in cooked rice, I've used half portion of white and brown rice each, and quickly stir to mix. Season with some soy sauce and pepper before mixing in the eggs. Give it some stirs before dishing out.



I'm very happy to see my boiboi eating up the rice happily without any complaint. It has never been so easy to convince him to eat his cauliflowers or brocollis!!! He scooped one tiny brocolli floret and told me "Ohhh mummy, this is so cute... baby brocolli." Awww man... my boiboi digs anything that come in "baby" version which he thinks it's for (big) baby like him! So this is another version of rice where you can "hide" stuff to kid the children.

Note: It's best to use overnight cooked rice that have been kept in the fridge. I usually use the rice straight from the fridge. Otherwise, I find them a bit too sticky to my liking.

Technorati Tags: rice + malaysian food

Review: De Foodland Seafood Restaurant

**Non-Halal Posting**


It's funny even though my side of the family have been residing in Kepong for ages but yet no one at home ever mentioned to go to De Foodland Seafood Restaurant over at Bandar Menjalara. I've read many bloggers from afar singing praises of this place but yet to come across neighbours and friends in the area recommending this place. So finally, I suggested one day we should try this out at least for once, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Upon reaching De Foodland, haiyah, my parents recognised the signage and mentioned that they have eaten at this place during their "shack" days but strangely they never brought me along grrrr... daddy explained to me their location back then, when I recalled they did mentioned about this dai chow (big stir fry) hidden somewhere in the hilltop factory area that can cook up many many styles of crabs! Little did they know De Foodland have expanded so big... at least 2 shop lots, upstairs and downstairs!

Back on our food ordering for 7 adults, hubby asked for chuk tarn (bamboo clams) done kum heung (spicy dried shrimps with curry leaves) style (RM15). The clams were way too small to our liking even though when we asked about the size, they claimed its medium but really, they're so thin. The whole plate is covered mostly with shells! Tastewise oklah. Appologies over the photos cos everyone attacked them before the plate reached my side for decent photo taking LOL.



Next came Mutt Chup Pai Kuat (honeyed pork ribs RM12.00) which is tender and tasty where the sweetness is not over cloying.



The Foo Yue Yau Mak (stir-fried romaine lettuce in fermented beancurd RM10.00) were fried with enough "wok hei" (breath of a wok). Fermented beancurd used was just right without being too salty.



Loved this deep fried beancurd bricks (RM10.00) with the accompanied chilli dip. Minced seafood can be detected.



The star of the night were the crabs dishes. We have the Creamy Butter Crab which has a lovely butter flavoured gravy. The creaminess is just nice, not to heavy. Funny, my mom who is not a big fan of butter, cream nor milk... tried one piece and did not complained any milkiness in them and I think she ate more than one piece!



Daddy asked for Sweet and Sour Crabs, which in contrast looked so right as compared to our previous experience. It's full of chopped garlic and ginger that enhanced the taste wonderfully. We lapped up the gravy with deep fried bun (RM3.00) and added another roll that the server hijacked to serve us first. Sometimes sitting near the kitchen could be an added advantage hahaha...



Both crabs dishes costed us RM104.00 which is pretty fair but then again we detected some bitterness in the meat. The captain explained that at certain season the crabs from Indonesia would have slight bitterness in them which they claim could be due to their diet. Oh well... not that it's so bitter, luckily we did not order the steamed ones.

Overall I would say their dishes were so so only, even my dad said the same but reasonabily priced though. At least I knew, he enjoyed the crabs a lot. We ought to just stick to their crabs then huh??





Prices above excludes 5% Government tax imposed.

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + crab

Happy Mother's Day

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown

Wishing all mommies, a very joyful and blessed Mother's Day!

Safety Reminder

My fellow blogger Kat had her bag snatched right from her lap whilst she was at The Food Foundry yesterday's evening. It's so alarming to know that this actually happened in a restaurant proper and boo_licious had mentioned that it occured in KLCC as well.

Well this is not something new but it usually happens in hawker places... so far the hawkers opposite Neroteca and at Madras Lane have warned me of such occurrences. Do not leave your mobile phones and wallets on the table while you're eating and now you can't seems to put them on your lap too! I guess the best would be stuffing everything into your pockets!

Well usually I twirl the strap round my arm whenever I placed my bag on my lap, can't imagine what will happen to my arm should the nasty snatch thieves decided to pull some stunts on me.

So be mindful ok.

Mango Royale

Long ago before I could find another Malaysian food blogger in my links... I was busy reading food blogs from all over world. Sassy's blog Pinoy Cook is one of them. I had always admired a busy lady like her could ever have so much time to spend in the kitchen dishing out so many lovely Pinoy dishes. I've learnt so much about Filipino's food from her blog.

This Mango Royale is one of the recipe I had always wanted to try out but somehow I never got round to it. I made a trip to Imbi Market recently for breakie and couldn't resist taking a walk around the fruits stalls. Hmmm seems like mangoes are in season now since every stall is busy promoting them. I bought 2 bagfuls of fruits and of course loads of mangoes too.

With so many mangoes on hand, I suddenly recalled this Mango Royale dessert and proceeded to dig out the recipe. Checked the fridge and I have all the ingredients needed.

I've reduced the portion by using only 50ml condensed milk with 200ml of cream ratio and used crushed digestive biscuits instead. Feel free to adjust the milk to control the sweetness that you would prefer. There was another recipe that Sassy have perfected using crushed graham crackers but I can't seems to find the link but nevermind, just use crushed digestive biscuit will do. You can replace the mango with strawberries or maybe some other fruits that tickled your fancy.

One tip... I did not follow Sassy's recipe asking to press down the crushed biscuits using hands but instead I used the back of a spoon and oh my I really compacted them which is totally a big booboo. The layer of biscuit became very hard after storing in the freezer LOL!!! Yup, even after defrosting for 30 minutes. *Ahem* so lesson learnt here. I've followed her advice though in scooping the halved mangoes with a spoon and used them like it is without cutting them further.

Once done, you might need to remove from the fridge for a while like maybe 10 - 15 minutes before cutting them into pieces for serving. As it turned out... it's one of the best dessert I've tasted in a long long time. The creamy bits complimented the sweet mangoes and seriously they're very very very addictive!!! My guinea pig can testify on that since he has not been saying good things about my cooking of late hehe... check out how mine looked like...



Technorati Tags: mango + dessert

Recipe can be found in Sassy's Pinoy Cook. Thanks Sassy for the wonderful recipe.

Kong Nam Meen

For once, I'm stumped with the name of this noodle dish. I have no idea what's the translated meaning in English. Anyone can help?

I first ate this noodle dish in a shop located in Jinjang, selling Ulu Yam style loh meen. Lady boss introduced Kong Nam Meen, wahhh very jakun (country pumpkin) then cos we have never heard of it (and that time I was still very young), most prolly it's a Hokkien dish?? My parents who are very adventurous and loved to try new stuff quickly said a yes. From that moment, I've fallen in love literally for Kong Nam Meen. I still remember the crispy yee meen beneath a starchy gravy with loads of vegetables, squid and huge prawns. It's like the familiar Cantonese fried noodles or Wart Tarn Hor but yet it's so different! I loved the different types of vegetables used ranging from capsicums, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, young corn and gosh different place will have different variety of vegetables thrown in.

I will usually order this should I chance the stall or restaurant serves this. However, hubby had a very late discovery of this dish. I had order this before with him but he was disinterested until he ate a superb version of Kong Nam Meen at Green View Restaurant. He was hooked since then, well, guess what, it's due to the same reason of having loads of vegetables in it.

I've attempted this dish recently and I have to say, it's a far cry from resembling one LOL!!!

I have loads of vegetables in there ranging from brocolli, cauliflower, baby corn, carrot, onions and capsicums, on top of chicken meat, squids and prawns. I've used deep fried mee sua instead of the thicker yee meen which worked out fine but seriously I need to find out more on how to cook the starchy gravy. I did not use the right amount of starch which rendered my gravy not being thick enough. My egg swirls failed horribily too... well because I did not bothered to research on how to cook it, just pandai-pandai (cleverly) guesstimate my way along!

Take a look of my attempt... and you'll know what I meant.



Let me try again some other time and if it turns out right, I'll post up on how to make this right.

All right, all done with my disastrous experience, I wanna post a plug here since babe_kl had her fair share of being in the limelight recently. One of the Foodster came and bought me lunch today at Aryan. He brought along the legendary, John Krich, a well travelled food writer from The Asian Wall Street Journal. I'm so honoured to have met him finally! I still can't get over it ok. Check out this article and read where John had recommended for one of his top makan places in Malaysia particularly Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Before we parted ways, the Foodster passed me May-June 2007 edition of The Halal Journal magazine. He told me to give the mag to hubby as an appreciation in helping him out with an article. He quickly flipped thru the pages and showed me the quotes and accredition given to hubby. Thanks so much Foodster!!!

There you go darling... you're now famous already in the food scene (for once), well maybe to the Arabs lah hehehe, eh that's according to the Foodster ok not mine! *Ouchhh* (in anticipation of a whack on my butt!)

Technorati Tags: noodle

Review: Roast Duck at BBQ Kong Meng

I was on half day medical leave a few weeks back for having vertigo. My head spinned for a good 3 weeks before it finally cleared off this week. I was virtually floating my way round and it's very disturbing to be imbalanced. Some of you might have noticed that I did some floating during the flogger's meet but I can vouch it's not because of the Martells ok haha...

Anyway, on the day the doctor diagnosed me with vertigo, hubby picked me up around 11.00am and off we went to Menara PGRM to settle our income tax stuff. Before heading home we decided grab a bite. Since we're around that vicinity, I had to go for some roast duck. I think the foodblog spheres seem to be having lots of roast duck of late haha but then this one is my closely guarded secret. Will let you guys know why later. I'm very reluctant here but good things ought to be shared huh??



Today, I'm bringing you guys to Restoran BBQ Kong Meng located in Taman Maju Jaya in Cheras. It's the taman after Shamelin Perkasa as shown in the map below. Kong Meng sells mainly Roast Ducks but you can pre-order Pei Pa Duck (halved and spread out for roasting) by calling them in advance. Other complimentary roasts such as siew yuk (roast pork) or char siew (barbeque pork) are also available.

We have half portion of roast duck (RM23.00) which both of us whacked down with white rice. We managed to finish up everything! Scary eh but the duck meat was so good. Aromatics Chinese spices can be detected on the tender meat coupled with super crispy skin. They'll bring the duck to the kitchen to douse it with boiling hot oil before serving, hence the super crispy skin, just like the way Soon Fatt Beijing Roasted Duck did theirs. One large roast duck costs RM49 here. Can't remember how much is a smaller one.



The meat were best dipped in the sauce (I think made with soybean paste and some other ingredients) and a very delicious home made sourish garlicky chilli sauce. Between hubby and I, we finished almost half a container of chilli sauce *sshhhhhhh...*



A Yin Yang vegetable (RM9.00) was recommended and I have no idea there is a breed of vegetable that combined choy sum and kai lan! We asked for a simple preparation of stir frying in garlic but was told later that this vegetable is best to be stir fried with sambal belacan!! Darn... but nevermind, hopefully we can go again soon.



Ahem, on my reluctance... Kong Meng serves duck tongues! Arrghhh the secret is out! Not many places in Kuala Lumpur does this and this commodity is so priceless that Kong Meng will only sell them when they have collected enough tongues from the ducks they sell, plus they usually sell them to regulars! So not everyday they'll have the tongues. I had many privileges tasting the tongues due to my kaki makan colleagues. They were the first whom cajolled me to try them. After my first try, goshhh I had wanted more and more. Usually Kong Meng will have to cook the tongues with some squid since there aren't that many tongues to make up a dish. This dish is simply cooked in a slight sourish sauce with loads of chopped fresh red chillies. Absolutely delicious! The texture of the tongues is on the crunchy side and they're basically tasteless. No picture since we did not order any, don't think my hubby is up to such fetish kekeke... *sobs* now I have to content with you guys my share of duck tongues unless you invite me along eh???

Restoran BBQ Kong Meng
11 Lorong Bunga Melati 2A
Taman Maju Jaya, Cheras
56100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-9282 4818

Opens from late morning for lunch till while stocks last hehe... can be till 2.00 or 4.00 pm. While I was there, someone came by and order one duck to be picked up at 7.00 pm!


Click map to enlarge.

Technorati Tags: roast duck + roast duck