Bubur Cha Cha

Cha cha cha... Cha cha cha... Cha cha... hehehe this dish has nothing to do with cha cha the dance. It's sweet potatoes, taro cooked in sweetened coconut milk. It's a tong shui or sweet dessert. Bubur in Malay means porridge, in this case, a sweet one that is. Not sure how the Cha Cha came about. I wonder how the name originated? Is it a dish originated from the Baba and Nyonya?

Errr I actually have no idea how to make this but I just agak-agak (guess) my way thru. Well it turned out well except that it was over-boiled till the santan (coconut milk in Malay) breaks. Forgot to tell hubby not to let it come to a boil whilst I was bathing my boiboi. Nevertheless, it tasted still nice hehe...

Since I have some steamed taro left from the Taro Rice, I went down to the market and got some purple and orange sweet potatoes; and grated coconut. Cubed the sweet potatoes and steamed them still soften. Added some cooled boiled water to grated coconut and squeezed out the thick milk. In actual fact both hubby and I have no idea how to do this, so we just go along with our guess-timate hahaha... Thanks to hubby, he managed to squeezed out the thinned milk after adding water to the squeezed grated coconut.

So we boiled the thinned milk first, then added in the steamed taro and sweet potatoes. Place in sugar and pandan (screw pine) leaves. Then added in some boiled sago pearls. Subsequently added in the thick milk and just let it heat thru. One not supposed to let the milk go to a roaring boil as this action will break the coconut milk. Well, I think hubby was not aware of this hence, we do not have a nice looking bubur cha cha.

Also, I've used the purple sweet potatoes which gave the bubur a tinge of lavendar haha... now I seems to remember not eating bubur cha cha with purple ones in them. They're usually the yellow and orange varieties :p I always love the chewy starchy bits in Bubur Cha Cha but I've no idea how to make them so I substituted with sago pearls.

Here was the end result...

Taro Rice Serves With BKT

With the long weekend, some of us decided to do a potluck at my place. We were supposed to buy all our food since most of us have a child to handle, hence, it was kinda hard for the mummies to cook heheh... As we were planning what to buy, I've got this SMS from Satine one evening. She was supposed to bring fried chicken but when she told Mr Clown (her hubby hehehe :p) about the potluck, a very brilliant Mr Clown suggested to her to bring Bak Kut Teh (BKT in short which is pork meat and innards cooked in herbal soup) instead. Since they lived near Klang, the capital of BKT, they will pack the BKT from this famous shop before coming over.

With that it spring into an entire different menu, thanks to Mr Clown *clap hands*

We were discussing what kinda rice suitable to go with this BKT and 3 types of rices came to mind - plain white rice, nasi minyak (oiled rice) or taro rice. Errr... I volunteered to try my hands on taro rice since I checked the recipe and it seems simple. So taro rice it is then!

Taro also known as yam with the Asian community. It's a tuber suitable to cook sweet or savoury dishes. It can be found in Taro Cake also popularily known as Yam Cake, a type of savoury cake made of rice flour. It's also a must have in bubur cha cha, a sweet soupy dessert made of sweet potatoes and taro in coconut milk. I've made some bubur cha cha 2 days later as I've got extra taro. Well, wait for the write-up.

I followed the steps in this recipe but definitely not on the ingredients and the amount of ingredients used. I've used dried shrimps, dried chinese mushroom, taro and rice. For the seasonings, it's basically oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and just a wee bit of salt. Oh yeah, I've added loads of deep fried shallots which did wonders to this dish. The aroma was just so nice whilst it was cooking in the rice cooker. Since it was my first attempt and according to the recipe, I need to add one extra cup of water in there. Urrrghhhh I think, no, not think, I added more water than necessary!!!! So the rice came out way too mushy and wet but the taste was OK. Errr... or was it that my guinea pigs were just too courteous to me hahahaha...

Here's a close up of the rice...



Anyway, those were the leftovers cos 2 couples can't make it on that day. We've got so much rice left in the cooker!! Pardon for the poor lighting and camera skill.

Oh yeah, can't show you guys the BKT and the side dish yau char kwai (deep fried crullers which is readily available at the market) cos those guinea pigs wallopped everything so fast!!!!

Thanks to Dafthamsta for sharing the BKT cost with Satine.

Thanks to Miss Sweet 16 for bringing the delicious Carrot Cake from Secret Recipe and helping non-stop in drinking up the Gingko, Bean Curd and Barley Sweet Soup else we'll be having that for the next 2 days!!

So, whose place is next huh??? hahaha...

Stir Fried Mee Hoon

Managed to get some time to do some stir fries cos I've gotten very tired eating outside food plus its more tiring to thinking of where to makan (eat in Malay) each day.

This one is stir fried mee hoon also known as rice vermicelli. Simple and quick to prepare.



Just need to cut carrot, green onions and cabbage into strips. Marinade chicken breast meat (cut into strips too) with some soya sauce, a dash of sesame oil and a wee bit of corn starch. Chop some garlic and soak the rice vermicelli for a short while to soften.

First brown the onions in oil before adding carrot strips. Stir and add some salt. As carrots soften, stir in cabbage until soften but not too mushy. Dish out.

Stir fry the chicken in oil till brownish then add in garlic followed by prawns. Add in some oyster sauce to taste. Stir all till cooked. Add in the vegetables and a wee bit of water then add the rice vermicelli. Fry till dry and dish up.

It's a very simple quick stir fry one dish meal. Can be done with loh shue fun (literally translated Rat Tail Noodles). The noodle is made from rice flour pressed thru some holed mold into cold water to create the shape that looked like rat's tail. For this one, I add in some scrambled eggs and used minced meat instead.

Have a Blessed DeepaRaya

This year, the Malaysian community had coined the phrase DeepaRaya where Deepa came from Deepavali and Raya from Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Both the Hindus and Muslims will be celebrating these two festival within days of each other.

Tomorrow, the Hindus all over the world celebrate Diwali, popularly known as Deepavali in Malaysia. Diwali means rows of lighted lamps, as it signifies the triumph of good over evil – light over darkness. Hence, Diwali is also known as Festival of Lights. During this period, the Hindus light up their house with oil lamps or of late with colourful fairy lights. Everyone in the family wakes up early on Diwali to have oil baths before dressing up in new attire, done in the prayer room. Then, they conduct pooja (prayers).

Two nights ago, I was thick in action at Brickfields, a place famous for Indian shops and food. Went thru rows of temporary stalls selling colourful clothings, sweets (delicious ladu, ghee balls, murrukus... yummy) and decorative lights. Whoa, I was really in the mood! Amazing!!! Its really too bad that I did not bring along my digicam cos it was really an impromptu visit there. We hate crowds usually but hubby had wanted to look for some items over there so no choice but to tag along. I'm glad I did!!! The sight and smell really make it so festival. I managed to find a lone picture from TV Smith's photoblog. Check it out here.

This is how Ghee Balls looked like. Yum yum...




As for Hari Raya (Day of Celebration in Malay), it is also known as Hari Raya Puasa (puasa means fasting in Malay) or Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Muslims celebrate the festival of Aidilfitri to mark the culmination of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting. It is a joyous occasion for Muslims, as it signifies a personal triumph, a victory of self-restraint and abstinence, symbolising purification and renewal.

Fasting during the month of Ramadhan is a must, whereby Muslims abstained from satisfying their most basic needs and urges, daily, between sunrise and sunset. It is one of the five tenets of Islam; as is the paying of zakat (alms tax for the poor), which must be tithed by the end of Ramadhan.

In Malaysia, the period of fasting ends when the new moon is sighted on the evening of the last day of Ramadhan. This year, its predicted to fall on the 14th November. Aidilfitri is celebrated for the whole month of Syawal, but in Malaysia, only the first two days are observed as public holidays.

Well since Diwali is on 11th and Hari Raya holiday is from 14th to 16th, I've taken leave for 4 days which takes me back to work only on the 22nd November. Wooohoooo.... so I might be quiet during this period.

Urbanites of all races make their pilgrimage to their hometowns (this is popularly referred to as balik kampung), to be with parents, relatives and old friends. Thus, cities like Kuala Lumpur will be relatively quiet during this period. Such a bliss!

The Muslim community ushers in the first day of Aidilfitri by performing morning prayers at mosques. Then it's usually breakfast at home with the family, followed by a visit to the cemetery where deceased loved ones are remembered; graves are cleaned and cleared of overgrowth, and prayers are offered to Allah.

Aidilfitri is a time to forgive and forget past quarrels. Asking for pardon is done in order of seniority. The younger members of a family approach their elders (parents, grandparents etc) to seek forgiveness, to salam (Muslim equivalent of a handshake), then kiss the hands of the older person as a sign of respect.

Unique to Malaysia, we have this open house thingy where friends, families and even strangers would visit the homes of those who are celebrating the festival, to wish them well and enjoy the feast prepared by their hosts. So this year I get to go to both Diwali and Raya open houses to feast on all the goodies. Can't wait to dig into putu mayam, mutton curry, murruku, rendang, ketupat, lemang...

From front to back - Beef rendang (a type of dry beef curry), Lemang (glutinous rice with coconut milk cooked in bamboo) and Ketupat (compact rice cooked in nipah leaves casing).



The various kuih-muih (sweet cakes)...



Anyone throwing open house, please invite me yahhh :D


To all my Hindu and Muslim readers,

Happy Diwali & Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin!!!

Gingko, Bean Curd and Barley Sweet Soup

This one is amongst hubby's fave tong shui (sweet soup in Cantonese). Pretty easy to cook. The only tedious part is to crack open the gingko shell with hammer and remove the gingko's skin. Some skills are needed to crack the shells cos hammer too hard, the whole nut or seed will be crushed. Hammer too soft, the shell won't break open. The brown skin is usually very easily removed by peeling with a knife. Other wise, pour hot water over them and soak for a while. This will then peel easily. Next, the gingkos need to be slit open to remove the bitter inner stem. Alternatively, one can buy the ready peeled ones imported from China.

It's a 6 ingredients dish - pearl barley, bean curd sheets, shelled and peeled gingko hard, boiled quail eggs (optional), water and rock sugar. Place water in a pot and dunk in the washed pearl barley and gingkos. Boil till the barley is expanded and the gingkos turned opaque (I wonder if this is the correct term?? :p). Add in the rock sugar to taste. Wash and break up the beancurd sheets before placing them into the boiling water. I prefer mine with the sheets intact so I get more bite in my sweet soup. Lastly add in the hard boiled quail eggs. You can use normal hard boiled chicken eggs.

Some people like to add in beaten eggs and stir it quickly to create dan far (egg swirls in Cantonese) just before switching off the stove but I omitted this since I've added in quail eggs. Need to limit our eggs intake hehehe.

This can be served hot or chilled... both ways also yummy... great for the throat and body. Oh yeah... I had loads of these when I was pregnant courtesy of my mother haha. The Chinese believed that preggy ladies who eat this sweet soup will produce fair and lovely skinned babies. The end result - smooth and lovely skin but my boiboi is no where near fair hahaha I guess he would rather fall under the tall, dark and handsome category!!! ;-)

Something Fishy?

I was in Pulau Pangkor (Island in Malay) sometime last month. Mention this island errr, satay fish will usually popped into mind hahaha. Gosh it's ridiculous but it's true. No one leave this place without packages of this delicacy.

However, this time round I did not get the satay fish (crispy deep fried fish snack sometimes spice up with chili). I got these fishy snack instead. It's my first time encountering such roll. They have both fish and sotong (squid in Malay). I bought the fish one. One large pack contained 2 smaller packs and it costed errr I think less than RM10.



Came in one long strip rolled into circular rounds. It's really crispy and tasted good. Salty with a tinge of sweetness from the soya sauce I reckon. As one ate on, a hint of spiciness hits the tongue. It's very very addictive!!!

I've gotten this snack from this shop...





Some shots taken at Pulau Pangkor...

The jetty over in the mainland, Lumut (literally translated moss in Malay haha fancy a town call Moss??)



The beach is nothing spectacular over at the place I stayed.

Trip to the Beach

We made a trip to the beach recently. It's my boiboi's first trip to a beach actually. We picked Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (PD) since it's the nearest beach from Kuala Lumpur, roughly about one and a half hour drive from our home.

This time we stayed at Guoman Port Dickson Resort instead of Avillion Port Dickson cos the rate of a water chalet had escalated sky high. RM500 plus a night is certainly not worth it unless it's a romantic outing haha... just to let you in why is that so, each room in the water chalet has a Pangkin (day bed in Malay) about the size of Queen sized bed and a very very spacious bathroom with an open air shower section and a separate bath tub. Ooooo I missed Avillion!

Anyway, we have lots of fun. The moment we arrived and dumped out stuff in the room, we headed to the beach.



It's high tide at late afternoon. Since PD is not famous for nice and clean beach, well we made do. The sands are errrr very compact and coarse maybe due to some construction at this particular beach 2 years back. Boiboi had tremendous time scooping and scraping the sands to make sand castle, well more like destroying them haha. I think his daddy had lots of fun too.





Here are some pictures taken around the resort.







And I leave this photo as my last. It is a normal reaction for a boy to immediately climb a tree when he see one??? Well, my boiboi did. This was his first reaction I managed to capture the moment he saw this coconut tree. Goshhh we lived in the city and there isn't any tree for him to climb back home haha...