Hot Cross Buns

Ahhhh I finally made it this year LOL... each time when I flip thru my Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2, I tend to stop at the yummilicious hot cross buns picture. It's also not helping when the blogsphere is inundated with loads of yummy pictures of these buns for the past few days! I know I could actually make them other times but I guess in time for Easter would have made it more apt and perhaps tastier too?

This recipe yielded perfectly soft and fluffy buns which tasted great fresh and warm outta the oven. A slab of butter made it better but I'm already liking it without any!

I've followed the recipe to the T since it's my first time making the buns but did minor adjustments here and there. For the paste, looking at the recipe, seems like it will yield a whole lot more than needed. So I've just guesstimate the ratio of flour and water till a thickish but runny paste.

As for the glaze, I will omit the gelatine as it made the top of the buns extraordinary sticky but then again that was like just after glazing the buns not long. I just chuck some into the toaster oven now and it's not as sticky as yesterday.

Hot Cross Buns
Adapted from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2

Ingredients:
For the buns:
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups milk, lukewarm
4 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
50g butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup raisins (I soften them by soaking them with warm water then squeeze out the water)
1/3 cup candied orange peel (optional which I've omitted)

For the crosses: (I just mixed the ratio of flour and water into thickish but still runny)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup water

For the glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon powdered gelatine (dissolved in a 1 tablespoon of water)

Method:
1) Place the yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and milk in a large mixing bowl. Set
aside for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to foam. When it forms, it means
the yeast is active.

2) Add flour, allspice, cinnamon, butter, egg, raisins, orange peel and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture. Use a spoon to mix until a sticky dough forms.

3) Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes, or until it feels elastic. You can use the hook dough on your heavy duty mixer but I didn't. Stretching this dough is not all that difficult.

4) Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to stand in a warm place about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5) Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls.

6) Line a 9X9-inch cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Place the dough balls in the tin and cover with a clean tea towel. Allow to stand for 30 minutes in a warm place, or until they rise.

7) In the mean time, preheat the oven to 200°C. Combine the flour and water for the crosses. Place in a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off and pipe crosses on the buns when they are ready to be baked.

8) Bake for 35 minutes or until browned and springy to the touch.

9) To make the glaze, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour in gelatine mixture and cook till dissolved. Brush the hot cross buns with the warm glaze while the buns are hot. Serve warm, with butter.

Ref: Modern Classics Book 2, Donna Hay

Review: Pudu Wai Sek Kai

**Non-Halal**


I've meant to blog about this vibrant lane, Jalan Sayor in Pudu, but been holding back as I could never get a good picture of the food as lighting is very bad over there. I managed to accumulate over time some pics that I caught when we were there before sun down. Some stalls are opened from morning but majority of the hawkers are opened from late afternoon. The stalls opening and closing are not fixed hence there are many times we ended up disappointed with the lack of stalls.

Fancy this hawker lane is in existence since my parents' dating days hahaha so some of the stalls have been here for more than 50 years! I can't remember the prices but this is roadside hawker, won't burn a hole in your pocket even if you order a dish from each of the stall :p

The first stall which one could see from the main Jalan Pudu is my favourite place for Da Pu Mien (Hakka noodles). This stall belonged to my ex-colleague's grandfather and he told us they make the noodles themselves hence the springy texture of the noodles which I really liked in fresh noodles. Little did I know until I watched Taste of Jason show, they even handmade their loh shue fun (a type of rice noodles)! From that show, they showed how they sat on a long and thick bamboo pole to flatten and roll the dough which explained the wonderfully springy noodles.
The good news now is the stall is opened from wee hours in the morning until 10.00pm! I can now have my fix of da pu mien for dinner :p Other than the texture of the noodles, the taste to me is of the right balance even though Hakka is known to have heavy hands on salt and oil. Do not be fooled by the errmm lack of colour of the dry version as dark soy sauce is not used. Good quality fish sauce is used as how it lightly fragrant the noodle. A scoop of minced pork and few slices of char siu (bbq pork) completes the bowl of noodle alongside with a nice clear broth.



Other than this, Capt'n Hook loves the porridge here and it's always a delight to see how the bald headed man stirring the cauldron... it's rather in rhythm, just short of Richie Sambora blazing his electric guitar right here :p. The deep fried pork intestine is the bomb here!

Then there's the popular chu cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) stall. Many would go for the curry pork skin but I liked the turnip and dried shrimps filled ones more. They have yam cake, kuih-muih and yau char kwai (fried crullers) as well.



The fried chicken from the stall with a perpectual line queuing, in fact the only stall with a queue, for hot off-the-wok deep fried chicken of all parts, yes all parts which include chicken feet, innards and carcass if you fancy them. The chicken are well marinaded and of course the skin is crispy when the meat is tender.



Further inside there are more stalls ranging from char thau koay (fried rice cake), boiled blood cockles, sotong kangkung, sup kambing (mutton soup) and many more. Watch out for a lady who is busy at the charcoal grill toasting flatten sotong pieces and tofu stuffed with cucumber and turnip strips. You can order a set of all three offerings that consist of the tofu, grilled sotong and the deep fried sotong coated in a sticky sweetish sauce. The best part of the combo is the fabulous thick sauce ladled over them with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

I will also hit this place whenever I feel heatiness in my the body creeping up me, to have a bowl of wong lo kat (Chinese herbs concoction) mixed with a myriad of powdered herbs depending if you're heaty (yit hei in Cantonese) or coughing. It's not easy to drink this up as it's bitter and the not-so-easy-to-dilute powder made it harder. Capt'n Hook said it's like drinking up saw dust potion the first time I introduced him to the drink! LOL





There are 2 of such stalls on the left and right of the entrance. The left side opens on weekends (Fri - Sun) and the right side opens on weekdays (Mon-Thurs) but then again the opening days are not fixed as the aunties said it's very tiring as boiling herbal drinks are hardwork. BTW, I loved the buy back the bottled sugar cane boiled with water chestnut (mar tei chuk cheh sui). Only RM3 for 1 litre bottle. Saved a lot of hassle and the taste is ghau (full of flavour) not the diluted kind. Ask for the less sugar version, same price unlike manufacturers who charges more for less sugar version bleh! Pictured are taken of the stall on the right side and they are the second place with a crowd rather than queue :p

Saving the best for last... Capt'n Hook's perpectual craving of steamed egg custard will always bring us here provided we can mosey over before 8.00pm as usually by then they will be all sold out! This tong shui (sweet soup) stall will always be the first stall we'll hit and Captn'n Hook will order 4 bowls in advance, sometimes up to 6! 2 for me and 4 for him alone! The smooth egg custard is of the perfect consistency with just the right sweetness for me.

Other than egg custard, the variety of tong shui is popular as well. From darn char (egg tea) to luk mei (6 variety of ingredients)... all are well received. I took Kong Kay here after our dinner at Sek Yuen and I think I've lost count over the number of bowls of tong shui we've ordered!



For more details especially the history side of this lane, check out Jason's post which so happened to be in English. This lane is located diagonally opposite Sek Yuen Restaurant or from KL it's nor far after Maybank. There is a parking next to this lane but you'll need to keep left driving down till the traffic light. Turn left and another left shortly where you'll hit a small back lane. The parking is at the end on the right. The uncle collects RM2 or was it RM3?? :p


Pudu Wai Sek Kai
Jalan Sayor (Off Jalan Pudu)
Kuala Lumpur
Coordinate ：N 3∘ 8.101’ E 101∘ 42.776’ (gotten from Jason's site :p)

It's Mango Season!!!

Hallloooo... (I can hear echoes of it LOL). It has been a week and cobwebs seem to be forming at the corners of this blog. To those who discovered us via Sunday Time's article, welcome to Babe in the City - KL! Sorry to left you guys waiting for a new post. Babe_KL went thru an extremely stressful week and from the sound of it, I will be rather busy for the next few coming months.

It's no doubt mangoes are in season now as I could hear the fruit sellers at the wet market yelling out loud peddling their mangoes trying to outwit each other by giving the best price. The super/hypermarkets are also filled with them.

I've got hold of some mangoes earlier in the season and some of them ripening so quickly that I decided to make this Mango Bread which I've faithfully printed from Celine (Life, Love and Me) since last year but never got a chance to make any when mangoes went out of season. She got the recipe from Wandering Chopsticks and seems like a lot of bloggers are raving over this mango bread.

I've to say this bread is really good when it's fresh as it is very moist and fragrant. The only downside I find the soda taste is a bit too strong, might have to do a bit of tweaking there for me.




For more recipes with mangoes, check:
Mango Royale
Mango Mania Pavlova
Mango and Strawberries Soy Smoothies
Mango Teacake
Salads

Review: Uncle Chilli's Bar @ PJ Hilton

2 weeks ago, Capt'n Hook attended a workshop in PJ Hilton. Late in the afternoon, he asked me to meet him there after work for dinner. Since he's meeting his former classmate for a drink at Uncle Chilli's, he told me to reserve dinner there as well via theQguides.

I joined them for a drink and after the friend had left, we adjourned to Uncle Chilli's dining area. Capt'n Hook ordered a Chicken Burger (RM22), whilst I opted for a Rye Bread Club Sandwich (RM22) upon recommendation from the friendly waiter. He cajoled us into ordering a 3rd main which we know we won't be able to finish but *chuckle* he was very persistent and insistent. Well, the reason was until 15 March, they were running buy 3 free 1 main course promotion. Sighhh since he's so nice, we ordered a Black Cod (RM57) dish.

We started off with a Nenas and Auntie's Special drinks at RM19 each (errmm beer drank earlier not counted :p). Both refreshing for the current hot spell.

Bread rolls were served to us but since we're having bread as mains we didn't touch them. Can't help but noticed they served unsalted butter with the rolls. Sighhh we still don't get it, isn't unsalted butter is normally used to make cakes? For spread, salted butter is preferred!

Chicken Burger came and it's a rather huge portion. In between sesame buns lies chicken patty, fried egg, cheese, tomato slices and lettuce with butter and mayo. The burger is served with a side salad, guacomole and salsa. Capt'n Hook said the chicken patty is juicy. Overall the burger is fab!



My Club Sandwich came and just look at how tall the sandwich is. There are layers of fried egg, roasted chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and pickles! You can actually choose 2 meat or seafood ranging from beef, lamb ragout, smoked salmon, tuna mousse, shrimp cocktails, beef pastrami etc. It's served with a green salad which I liked and the utmost delish crispy potato wedges!



You know what... I actually didn't eat my sandwich. Ended up eating the bulk of this black cod before it turned cold. This dish is absolutely lovely. The thick piece of cod is cooked just right, fork tender that is... full of natural sweetness. It has one big grilled scallops and served with cherry tomatoes, bok choi and beans in a clear broth. The cherry tomatoes lend a hearty tang to the broth which is so nice, well if not for the design of the plate, I would have tipped it up and drank it all up heh.



We have to doggie bag the Club Sandwich and I ate half for breakie the next morning. Surprisingly it tasted good. Can still taste the smoky goodness of the grilled chicken. With the buy 3 free 1 promo, our bill totalled RM134.55 after 5% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge. Good deal eh?


Hilton Petaling Jaya
No 2 Jalan Barat,
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
Tel : +60 3 7955 9122

Fiesta Sri Lanka @ Buddhist Maha Vihara

Click to view enlarged picture

The Buddhist Maha Vihara is organising a dinner on 27 March 2010 (Saturday) at 7.00pm soft launch the start of a new building extension for its Sunday Dhamma School.

Proper classrooms are needed as the 6 current converted shipping containers are either damaged or rusted. There are no proper roof over the corridors when it rains. The new classrooms will be build on the roof level of the current building, Wisma Dharma Cakra to accommodate 12 new classrooms. This is expected to cost about RM4 million.

The dinner is themed Fiesta Sri Lanka, is organised under the auspices of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia. Well, other than a 6-course Sri Lankan gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Publis Silva of Mt Lavinia Hotel, you'll be able to enjoy paintings of world renowned painter/artist, Jayasiri Semage. His paintings will be on sale at this event.

An upcoming and popular fashion house, Prasanna Batik will model some new and interesting clothing and couture. A 5 piece Sri Lankan band together with popular Sri Lankan singer Anil Bharathi will entertain guests with popular and traditional English and Sri Lankan music.

For invitations to the dinner, please call +603-22741141 or come personally to the Buddhist Maha Vihara office during office hours (9.00am-9.00pm) to collect your invitations for a minimum donation of RM100.

In conjunction of Fiesta Sri Lanka, a cooking demonstration by Chef Publis Silva of Mt Lavinia Hotel will be held on 28 March 2010 (Sunday) 3.00pm - 7.00pm at PH Hendry Memorial Hall, Wisma Sri Dhamma, Buddhist Maha Vihara for a fee of RN50.00. Chef Publis Silva will teach you how to whip up a 5 course Sri Lankan meal! Please register by 21 March as seats are limited. Please call +603-22741141 for reservation of seats and further enquiries.



Click to view enlarged picture


Buddhist Maha Vihara Malaysia
123 Jalan Berhala
Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: +603-2274 1141



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Happy 1st Birthday Frat!!!

Today is our famous 5" celebrity Frat Mustard's 1st Birthday. Here's wishing him many happy return of the day and may he be blessed with more alcohol, great food and sexy gurls!!!



Pssstt... I personally think Frat's boss has deliberately chosen him a great date to be born, it's St Patrick's Day today. Yum seng!

Review: Restoran Kong Sai

**Non-Halal**


Miss Sweet 16 had suggested dinner at Restoran Hua Xin last week but when Gummy Bear reached the restaurant, it was closed. Apparently quite a number of Chinese restaurants were closed last week in replacement of CNY. She told Gummy Bear to drive over to Paramount Garden to this place that serves very good steamed fish but ended up it was also closed. Thankfully there is another restaurant in the same row that serves very good Kong Sai food called Kong Sai Tzai and we headed there. Parking is relatively simple, it's either by the roadside or best park inside Giant Supermarket's compound for a small fee.

We let Miss Sweet 16 to dictate the ordering and sat back catching up with our lives. It took a while for food to arrive as droveful of customers came and went, non of the tables were empty!

Seems like Kong Sai Tzai is famous for it's poached chicken (pak charm kai) and steamed soup. Since it was very hot evening we opted not to have any soup, not when pepper stomach soup is the specialty here. This plate of chicken landed on our table together with a very delicious dip of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro/yin sai), spring onion, soy sauce and oil. Loved the smooth chicken, tender but with a bite.



Then we have a Woo Tau Khau Yuk (braised yam and pork belly). This version of khau yuk tasted slighty different from the Hakka style khau yuk. Nice and not overly salty with fork tender and almost melt in the mouth pork belly.



They recommended Stir-fried Bittergourd With Roasted Pork but Gummy Bear was sort of like hesitated there cos he said he don't like bitter bittergourd. Miss Sweet 16 pacified him it will be just a little bit bitter. When the dish came, Gummy Bear tried first and he said very "jeng" (nice). So imagine someone who doesn't fancy bittergourd gave thumb up! The bittergourd were lightly stir-fried retaining a slight crunch.



The last dish that came is this plain Steamed Fish. Half a soong yue head is served to us. I noticed that they've placed both grounded ginger paste and strips. Loved the paste that gave the fish a light ginger flavour.



Miss Sweet 16 paid around RM50ish for the above dishes with 2 bowls of rice, 3 glasses of herbal tea (it was loh hon guo) and 1 glass of Chinese tea. Thank you Miss Sweet 16... Hokkien food is awaiting us next!


Restoran Kong Sai
39, Jalan 20/22,
Taman Paramount,
Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 019-3842922 / 012-2984038
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 11.30am – 2.30pm; 5.00pm – 10.00pm
Sat 5.00pm – 10.00pm
Sun CLOSED

GPS: 3.106890, 101.623975 "stolen" from KY Speaks and check his site for the awesome map!