Hospis Malaysia Charity Bazaar 2012

A quick plug for Hospis Malaysia which will be holding their annual Charity Bazaar next Sunday.

Date: 8 July 2012 (Sunday)
Time: 10.00am - 3.00pm
Venue: Tesco Extra, Taman Midah, Cheras

I was told there will be fun activities such as sand art and balloon twisting for children and the young at heart alike :D





Lots of food to feast on ranging from popular nasi lemak, fried noodles, curry chicken, sushi, yam cake, curry puffs, rojak, acar, vegetarian food, cakes, cookies, tarts, drinks and more.



As for the jumble sale, books and home decorative items will be on sale. There will also be trinklets, keychains, old school cameras, porcelain and ceramic vases too.  Potted plants, jukebox, watches, handbags, women and children wear, Tzuchi merchandise are available too with more items coming in as the date approaching close.





So do head on to this Charity Bazaar with your friends and family ;-)

You can view more of last year's event photos in this album.

Ricotta Cheese Making Class @ Just Heavenly's The Baking Barn

It has always been fun to be in the company of Nigel Skelchy. His laughter is rather infectious teehee. If you don't already know, Nigel is the other partner apart from the talented Allan Yap of Just Heavenly, nehhh the cake shop that sells sinfully delicious cakes and desserts! A quick note here - they have recently started taking orders online and yes you can even make the payment online via their website. Start browsing the website and put in your order. (Disclaimer: I do not wish to be blamed if you wet your keyboard with your drool nor behaving indecently by licking your screen :p whilst you browse the website.)



At about the same time, Just Heavenly started their baking school - The Baking Barn, helmed by Nigel himself. Be sure of a good 3 - 4 hours of fun with him. Classes are held on Thursdays (9.30am - 11.30am) and Saturdays (2.00pm - 4.00pm) but do add in another hour to savour your creations together with coffee and tea. Classes are held in the HQ at Bangsar, just up the road from Bangsar Village.

The classes are semi-hands on with everyone getting a turn at things. No doubt one can search for recipes online but nothing beat having to attend a class as there are a lot of "unwritten" knowledge that will be imparted by the gurus.



I've attended Make Your Own Cheese - Ricotta which is actually Part 2 of the cheese making classes. How to make mascarpone was taught in Part 1. At The Baking Barn, one mother recipe will be taught and from there 2 - 3 cakes or desserts will be created. So at this class we were taught how to make ricotta cheese and from there it spins off to a Berry Ricotta Cheesecake, Ricotta Kisses, Ricotta Pancakes and a Cinnamon Honey Ricotta Spread.



We were first shown how to make the ricotta and we were spilled with the economics and sciences of making your own ricotta. Did you know you can make your own ricotta with just half the price of a tub of ricotta??? I like it when I'm supplied with lots of tips and substitutes if so happen you do not have the equipments in use ie. candy thermometer, food processor, cheesecloth etc.



Next Nigel showed us how to make the cheesecake. Looks easy peasy hehe cos we're not making it on our own but with the help of a few lovely ladies. This cheesecake is baked in a hot water bath. We were also taught how to dress up the cake by making strawberry coulis and balsamic drizzle. Due to time constraint, whilst the cake is baking in the oven, Nigel has a cooled down cake to continue the class. He plonked a bunch of hulled strawberries in the middle of the cake before pouring the coulis on top. He even showed us the trick to make the coulis flow down sexily on the side of the cake. Next up, the cake was sliced before drizzling some reduced balsamic over.



As we dig in, Nigel explained to us that this is not the creamy style cheesecake but more like Italian. I can say it's not smooth and creamy but I really like the slight crumbly texture and it doesn't taste heavy at all! Kind of a light cheesecake I would say, nice :D



Ricotta Pancakes were next. As Nigel was explaining to us how to fry up pancakes that are crispy on the outside using lots of oil and butter, we urged him to do just that since I guess most of us would never do that at home hahaha. The pancake batter is somehow like being shallowed fried and I got to finish up frying the pancakes.



Some honey is drizzled over after a dust of icing sugar. Nigel shared with us some marmalade that Allan had made up. The marmalade is so yummy, not the thick bitter rind kind that we made him to turn that into a jam making class.



Next up was the Ricotta Kisses, like Mangolisa had commented on my pics she was explaining to me this dish being deepfried like cekodok and so we have a cheesy Ricotta Kisses/cekodok haha. All ingredients were mixed in together to form a thick batter which is dropped into hot oil by the teaspoonfuls. We noticed that the kisses actually turned itself over when done frying on one side. How brilliant!





Later that night, I caught up with an episode of Axian's Food Adventure on telly. A man was showing Jason Yeoh on how to make taufu pok (tofu puffs). After slicing tofu into cubes, he dropped them into a huge wok of hot oil. The tofu behaved the same was as the kisses. It actually turn itself over when done frying. The man explained that as the bottom part of the tofu is cooked through, it became lighter hence the heavier uncooked top will roll downwards. Ooooo so that is the reason! Very educational for me indeed.



Anyhow, the kisses were served with a dusting of icing sugar. Crispy on the outside, cheesy and fluffy inside... very yummy. Not sure about you but I noticed that deep fried stuff tend to be extraordinary delicious even though I'm not a big fan of deep fried goods :p



Lastly, we were shown how to assemble the Cinnamon Honey Ricotta Spread. It was a very easy 5 minutes job to impress the family or guests which can be served as a bread or French toast spread or as part of a cheese/dessert course. Loved the slight creamy ricotta texture with the sweet honey and a hint of cinnamon taste.



The class ended with all of us sitting down to enjoy all the yummy goodies that we have made up with a cup of tea or coffee. Nigel also took this hour as the opportunity to address any more questions from the bunch of eager beaver ladies.

You can find the class schedule plus book your baking class(es) here. Do note that you can buy a single (RM180) class or even 2 (RM320) or 4 (RM610) classes package. The schedule for July is not up yet but I can type them out.

Thursdays

5 July - A Passel of Triffles (Part 1)
Hot Milk Vanilla Cake, Traditional Triffle, Victoria Sandwich, Creme Chantilly, enriched custard & Lemon Thyme Drizzle Cake.

12 July - A Passel of Triffles (Part 2)
Devil's Food Cake, Chocolate Trifle, Chocolate Custard, Salted Toffee Chocolate Topping.

19 July - Clouds of White (Part 1)
French Meringue, Berry Pavlova, Iles Flottane, Creme Angliase, Elton Mess, Creme Chantilly and Creme Fraiche.

26 July - Clouds of White (Part 2)
Individual Bombe Alaskas, Real Lemon Curd, Lemon Meringue Cake.

Saturdays

7 July - Cookies
Rolled Cookies, Dropped Cookies, Sandwich Cookies.

14 July - Cheesecakes (Chilled) (Part 1)
White Choc Wasabi Cheese Tart, Chilled Strawberry Cheesecake and the perfect biscuit base.

21 July - Cheesecakes (Baked - No Cracks) (Part 2)
Baked NY Cheesecake, fruit variations, how to make it denser, lighter and various toppings and swirls.

28 July - Local Chiffon Flavours
Basic stable chiffon in a ring mold and in a 9" round mold, Buttercream, Cempedak Buttercream Chiffon and Durian Pandan Chiffon.


I would like to thank Nigel for the invitation to join in the class. I've learnt a lot that Saturday afternoon and enjoyed the banters with the rest of the ladies I've met in the class. There will be a repeat of this class on 9 August (Thu) is you're interested to learn the same items ;-)


The Baking Barn
By Just Heavenly
47 Jalan Terasek
Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2287 9866 or +603 2284 9866

Happy Duan Wu Jie

Today is Duan Wu Jie aka Rice Dumpling aka Dragon Boat Festival. This festival is celebrated by Chinese all over the world by cooking and enjoying glutinous rice dumplings which is also known as bak chang in Hokkien or zhung in Cantonese. Usually there dragon boat races are held too.

If you're celebrating, we would like to wish you a happy Duan Wu Jie!

Review: Devi's Corner Banana Leaf Rice @ Bangsar Baru

**Pork Free**


I've been told numerous counts that I must go Devi's Corner to check out their banana leaf rice. Seems like Devi's Corner over at Bangsar Baru is THE place for banana leaf rice (BLR). We have been to Devi's Corner for the regular Indian meals but never upstairs for BLR. BLR is sort of like a rice set with various vegetables, condiments and curries served on a piece of banana leaf.

Capt'n Hook used to frequent Nirwana Maju which is a stone throw away for his fix of BLR if he's in that area. However things do go down hill sometimes. Their service is not up to mark these days with our favourite server had gone home. Noodles and rotis - not up to mark, even their dishes in the bain marie doesn't excite him anymore.

We decided to give Devi's Corner a try once and the rest is really history. If you're there during lunch hours, don't be surprised the tables are jammed pack here. Service is fast and attentive.



On this visit, we went simple. BLR (RM7 per set) and just plain old deep fried chicken (RM5 per piece) and fried ikan tenggiri (mackerel, RM7 per piece).  Yup, sounds like an expensive affair but seriously if you are used to shop for fresh ingredients these days be it at the wet market or supermarket, you'll understand how much food prices have increased! It's really insane.

For the BLR set, it's a vegetarian affair. I'm not familiar with the condiments' names but there's a potato curry dish, a super delish brinjal dish and my fave spinach dish; then there's the deep fried gourd, cucumber in yoghurt and 2 types of chutneys. For an additional RM1 you can opt for Indian rice (which is par boiled rice). One can asked for refills of rice and any of the condiments. The server will come with his curry cylinders so just lash on any curry or curries for the matter onto your rice. I liked dhal and fish curry! The curries are not hot to my taste bud but loved the spices. Reason that I opted for fish curry is because it's a tangy sort of curry due to addition of tomatoes. Nice.



The chicken is crispy on the outside whilst inside is still moist, perfectly fried indeed. Same goes to the fish which is marinade with turmeric powder.



Washed down with a thick and creamy Mango Lassi (RM6 per glass).



I'm not a rice person and do not like to stuff myself with too much of rice, so for me to enjoy a banana leaf rice, it's kind of a rare affair. I would asked for little rice that the server will give me a hard stare lol. For this time at Devi's Corner, nope I did not ask to add more rice but instead I had more rice than my usual portion as you can see in the pic above. I did ask for more condiments though even though I'm so stuffed... hehe the greed in me can't help but to ask for second helpings of brinjal and spinach. Oh so yum!


Devi's Corner
14 Jalan Telawi 4,
Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2282 7591
Opens 24 hours (great huh???)
(Same row as Papparich & MooCow)

Tom, Dick & Harry's "Mou Man Tai" Life Night Run - 1st July 2012

(Click to view larger pic)

This year, Tom, Dick & Harry's "Mou Man Tai" Life Night Run will be held in aid of the Malaysian Aids Foundation (MAF). I've seen the letter from MAF signed by Roswati Ghani, Executive Secretary of MAF so it's genuine :D

The 5km run details: 

Date: 1st July 2012

Time: 5.30pm

Cost: RM40 - RM10 will go to MAF

So hurry and sign up at TDH!




Tom, Dick & Harry
TTDI:

18, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, 

Taman Tun Dr Ismail,

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 7731 2265

Old Klang Road : 

Unit S-G-03A, The Scott Garden, 

Kompleks Rimbun Scott, 

289, Old Klang Road

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6019 697 5080 ( Carrie )

Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels With Recipe

I've posted about Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels but I did not measure out the ingredients then and I've promised that I'll make up to that. So I've made these parcels again with all ingredients weighted and measured out. It's really very easy to cook up, the only trouble is the time taken to julienne the turnips (yam bean), carrots and French beans! So by all means, use a grater for carrots and turnips hehe...

Celine of Life, Love and Me commented previously "OMG!! THIS is my favorite too!!! :) My "Ah Mah" used to make this for me when I was Boi Boi's age. It has been ages since I have taken it. Don't think I am at the league to re-create this at home. I am still at the "only know how to fry one type of vege at the time" stage. :) xoxo"

What league??? hahaha Celine, if you read the recipes below, you'll know why I've asked you to make them this weekend cos it's really simple. Make your Ah Mah proud ok! ;-)


Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels/Rolls

1.2 kg (2 medium sized) turnips (yam bean), peeled (clean weight about 1 - 1.1 kg)
80 g (1 small) carrots, peeled
80 g French beans, both ends removed
30 g (4 cloves) garlic, chopped
30 g dried shrimps (omit for vegetarian version), washed, soaked and drain
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp grounded white pepper
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp oil

10 sheets of uncut rice noodle* (2 packets as 1 packet has 5 sheets)
Bean paste sauce* (mixed with hot water to dilute)
Chilli sauce** (optional, recipe below)

Garnishing:
Spring onion, sliced
Deep fried shallots (can be bought or best if self made)

* can be found at wet market at stalls selling fresh noodles

Prep:

Slice yam bean and carrot into thin strips as shown the pic. You can use a coarse grater, of course. Diagonally sliced French beans into thin strips (also shown in pic).



I've roughly chopped my dried shrimps cos they were big and longish. If you have the smaller ones, just keep them whole.

Cook:

Using a wok with lid, heat it up before pouring in the oil. Put in dried shrimps and fry till they "pop" or smell fragrant. Add in garlic and fry till light brown. Stir in carrot and turnip strips until they're well mixed. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of water, cover and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Stir in the French beans, salt, white pepper and sugar (please note my salt level is on the low side, so adjust it according to your tastebud). If you feel the vegetables are a bit dry, sprinkle in the other 1 Tbsp of water. Put on the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir and check if they're cooked (meaning the turnips have turned soft). If they're not, cover and cook for another 3 minutes or so (I guess you'll have to judge as it will depend on your heat and how juicy the turnips were). Set aside to cool down a little.



Do note that when you cook with the lid on, you'll noticed some liquid would form in the wok. This would hasten the cooking process as opposed to frying in a open wok (which I did once and took so long to cook up). Just cook till vegetables are soft and moist but yet still retained a slight crunch and the liquid is dried up. In any case where 2 Tbsp of water is not enough, by all means keep on adding by the tablespoons.

To assemble:

Carefully unroll the rice noodle sheet on a clean surface. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of fillings into a thick log diagonally towards one edge. Fold the shorter end over and roll once towards the opposite end. Tuck in left and right ends. Continue to roll till the end, just like how you roll a parcel.

I know I've promised earlier for step-by-step pics but I was alone at that time and hands all oily from handling the rice noodle sheets, so it's quite difficult unless I wash my hands 600 million times hehe.



Otherwise, you could roll them into a log. Just spread out 2 generous tablespoons fillings on the long edge of the sheet like a long log. Then roll up like a swiss roll till the end.



Place parcels or rolls onto heatproof plates and steam on low heat for 5 - 7 minutes. Not on high heat though as the parcels will break.

To serve (best when warm):

Slice the parcels or rolls. Spoon over bean paste sauce and chilli. Sprinkle with spring onions and deep fried shallots.

Easy peasy... not??? Let me know ;-)




Chilli Sauce**

60 g (4 medium sized) red chillies, sliced
50 g young ginger, skin removed
3 cloves garlic
Calamansi juice, to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients into a rather fine chilli sauce.