Children Cookies Class at The Cooking House

Sorry no time to write so much today. There were some requests of my boiboi's pics and here are some... :p





He attended this cookies class over at The Cooking House for children on Father's Day.

These were my boiboi's creation.



And lastly here he is writing the message for his daddy.

Review: Good Old Days Restaurant

Updated 6 June 2009: Good Old Days Restaurant has closed.


**Non-Halal**



Last week, a group of us went to Restaurant Good Old Days (Kao Zhen Zi) for a gathering. Yozora recommended this place since AhJoy's sister took her there once. She said Good Old Days is part of Pantai/Unique Seafood chain. When I reached there, I couldm't help but noticed the 3 gigantic wheels spinning away. They actually made up to form a water fountain.

On the ground, you'll notice some decor... ermmm a bit haphazardly but nevertheless it's rather interesting to find an animal pen with pigs and cow inside; ponies; olden days stove and wok; pots of wine; and a very old colour TV (don't really jive here hehe but who cares cos we were reminiscing).



Once you walked in the setting looked like the olden days Chinese eating house, you can't help but notice the wait staff costume... it's like we've seen on Chinese dramas albeit the people who wore them are mostly foreigners. Short of calling them "siew yee" hahaha... plus we have to drink our tea from a porcelain bowl. However, the cutleries, bowls and side plates were all plastics?!? Hmm the entire thing reminded me of Sui Woo Chuen (Water Margin) aeons ago at Life Centre. The chairs and benches were extraordinary heavy!!! If it isn't too noisy, you can hear birds chirping away on the "trees"!!!

We made Yozora to do all the ordering. All one need to do is browse thru the menu sheet and tick your order accordingly. Easy peasy eh but trust me, it's not as easy as it seems for bananas at least cos it's hard to comprehend the translation of Chinese dishes in English hahaha but there's always help on hand.

We started off with some appetizers of a deep fried sotong (one size at RM10). We loved this as the squid is really crispy and the caramelised sauce stick to them is sweetish peppered with hot chilli padi! A must order and this would be a great snack to go with beer.



Next came the deep fried brinjals (one size at RM10) with dried shrimps and red chillis. The brinjal is sliced thinly before dipping into a batter and deep fried. It's not oily and turned out to be like munching on chips! Topped with pounded dried shrimps fried with red chillis and spring onions, Casper the ghost, mentioned that this topping is very fragrant.



Next came our dishes, all in small portion, so that we get to try a whole lot more of dishes. As Yozora was ticking away, Bulldog kept reminding that our resident Alam Flora, Dutch Baby, is not coming to help us clear the dishes :p Yozora kept reassuring the Bulldog that their portion is kinda small.

Stir fried baby choy sum with garlic (RM8)... simple, something that can't go wrong.



We have a second green vege dish, stir-fried kangkung belacan (RM8). Nothing spectacular here cos I've eaten better ones else where, this one slightly lack of "wok hei".



Yozora and I liked this stir-fried roast pork (siu yuk) with leek (RM15). Funny that these days we can still get Chinese leeks during non-Chinese New Year period.



Since we have liked Pantai Seafood's claypot pork ribs with yam (RM15), we ordered the same thing here. They tasted the same and it's very good this time. The ribs were super tender and the gravy thickened with yam bits. I dug till the very last bit.



The kung bao kai ting (stir-fried chicken with dried chillis RM15) here is not too bad... I like the look of a very dark chicken bits and it's fun cos it's a bit like treasure hunt cos you'll need to find the chicken and cashew nuts from heaps of dried chillies.



This is claypot kampung chicken in rice wine (RM15) where the chicken is kinda too tough. No wonder the staff asked if this is ok with us. They should have braised it longer and add more rice wine :p for errrr more kick. Cook your own with the recipe here.



The braised threadfin (ma yau) with salted vegetables (harm choy) and pork strips (RM18) came last. The while fish is deep fried before braising. The harm choy gave the gravy the salty sourish taste, nice!



Oh yeah, by the way, we actually started with these cupcakes... hahaha instead of having them for dessert.



Yozora's friend made them. The cupcakes were of sponge cake and topped with lemon flavoured butter cream. The fluffy sponge cake went well with the sweet cream. Thank you to Yozora's friend and Yozora to share this lovely treat with us.

The 6 of us have all those dishes, Chinese tea (RM1.50 each), 5 bowls of rice (RM1.30 each), 2 rounds of peanuts and towels which the final tally came up to RM143.96 inclusive of 5% Government tax and 3% service charge. Not too bad eh???

Thank you Yozora, Bulldog, AhJoy, Casper and Gummy Bear (all nicknames are real one leh hahaha no kidding!!!) for the belated birthday treat.


Restaurant Good Old Days
Lot 13571 Jalan Cempaka PJU 6A
Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 603-7722 3606
Click for the map here.


Technorati Tags: chinese food

Sago Gula Melaka

A Malaysian dessert that need no introduction. I finally mastered this and never realised it could be so easy. First, the sago must be cooked in a pot with lots of water. Boil for about 10 mins then cover with a lid for another 10 mins. Drain in a sieve then wash under running tap for a few minutes until sago cooled. This way each sago will turned out separated like shiny pearls.

Here is the recipe proper...

Sago Gula Melaka (Sago Pudding With Palm Sugar Syrup)
(serves 4)

3 litres (12 cups) water
200gm (1 cup) sago pearls
1 cup palm sugar syrup
250ml (1 cup) thick coconut milk

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Sprinkle in sago pearls and stir to keep them moving to prevent them from sticking together and settling to the bottom of the pot.

2. Cook for 10 mins. Turn off heat and cover pan. Set aside for 10 mins. By then the sago should be completely translucent, indicating that it's cooked.

3. Pour sago into a strainer and rinse under running water to wash off the excess starch, until the grains are loose and separated. Leave sago in the strainer to strain off the water completely.

4. Spoon sago into 4 rinsed jelly moulds or small dessert glass and chill well.

5. To serve, turn the sago out onto a plate and spoon some coconut milk and palm sugar syrup onto it.


Palm Sugar Syrup

200gm (1 cup) palm sugar (gula melaka), chop roughly
250ml water (1 cup) water
1-2 pandanus leaves, tie into a knot

1. Combine palm sugar with water and pandan leaves in a small pan. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until sugar dissolved for 10 mins or until liquid thickens slightly and is syrupy. Cool.

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + dessert

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

At times, I just don't feel like cooking a storm for lunch. Times like these, I would usually come up with something light but yet hearty enough for the fart (my boiboi la :p) at home and that also depends what I could rummage in the fridge.

This one, a Cauliflower and Potato Soup was fashioned out of the numerous cooking shows on telly and also the recipes I've read. As usual, my style must be... easy!

All I did was chopped up a bunch of cauliflowers and cubed the potatoes (best if can find starchy ones). Sliced loads of onions and placed them in a pot with olive oil. Fry till the onions turned light brown (caramalised stage). Pour in water (or chicken stock if you have any. The amount depends on how thick you want your soup to be.) and add in potatoes. Once they turn tender, add in the cauliflower and simmer till they're softened.

Remove from heat and I've used my hand held blender to whizz the cauliflowers and potatoes to the consistent I liked which is slightly chunky. Place the pot back on the heat and adjust the taste with salt and pepper. You may add in some cream now for a creamy version but since I wanted a light soup, I just kept it as it is.

To serve, ladle into a bowl, swirl in some cream (can be omitted) and sprinkle in some freshly grounded black pepper. We ate this with crispy garlic toasts which I've made by slicing a French loaf thinly; spread butter mixed with chopped garlic; and toast them lightly in a toaster oven.



Simple, easy but hearty!

Here's another easy peasy soup for you to try... Pumpkin Soup.


Technorati Tags:vegetarian

Review: Dim Sum at Yook Woo Hin

**Non-Halal**

If you have been living in Kuala Lumpur for the longest time ever like me since birth, you can be sure to have heard of Yook Woo Hin from your parents or even your grandparents. Not only heard perhaps, they might have brought you along seven early eight early in the morning to yum cha in one of the oldest yum cha place in Chinatown.

In the days of the yore, dim sum is only available early in the morning (no later than 9am else all goodies would have gone by then) and not any other time of the days, just like bak kut teh. Excitement looms at bedtime when dad declare that we will have dim sum for breakie and you can be sure that all 3 of us would wake up super early on a Sunday so that we can enjoy a long awaited dim sum treat.

Yook Woo Hin was closed last year for almost a year to have the whole building tore down and in its place now... a spanking bright, clean and airy building (ohh I love the high ceiling!). However, it did not lost the old world charm for I can still find the signature old folks tarn cha (having dim sum and tea) as early as 7am. The stainless steel table tops were retained. The not so young staff are still there bringing trays of piping hot dim sum around, let alone the deep fried ones. The only exceptions were of course the presence of a few foreign workers.



That particular morning, hubby and I have this chee cheung fun (rice noodle) which is served with a ladle of mushroom gravy, totally different the common chee cheung fun served in town. The thick savoury gravy with generous slices of shitake mushrooms went well with the smooth and slippery chee cheung fun.



We shared an old favourite, loh mai kai (chicken glutinous rice). Tasted just like the good old days. The rice texture here is soft but yet retain the bite and you can still see the individual grains. Totally satisfying.



Other than these two items, we have 4 different types of steamed dim sum. From bouncy fish balls, foo chuk to 2 different types of siu mais. All tasted freshly made, plump with fillings especially the siu mais.



Other than dim sums, they have pastries as well and not forgetting mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival. We find that this is the only place that made authentic kum tuay (mixed nuts with ham) that my parents loved. During lunch, noodles, rice and dishes are served. Char siu lovers should give this place a try for delicious, caramalised and burnt bits of bbq pork belly. Other must orders are their deep fried wantans (dumplings), tit kung kai (boxing chicken) and nam yue pai kuat (deep fried red preserved beancurd pork ribs)... ohh yummmm!!!

By the way, if you're interested... all the above plus a pot of tea costed us RM19.00.


Restaurant Yook Woo Hin
100 Jalan Petaling
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2078 4681
Opening hours: 6am to 3pm
Closed on Thursday


Technorati Tags: malaysian food + dim sum + petaling street

Braised Pork Ribs with Beancurd Strips

**Non-Halal**



Another easy peasy favourite is this braised pork ribs and beancurd strips.

Rather similar to Braised Pork Ribs With Deep Fried Beancurd Sheet but substituted beancurd sheets with strips instead. Just need to chop garlic, preserved soy bean and preserved black bean together. Sear pork ribs till lightly browned and remove from pan.

Fry the chopped ingredients till very fragrant before adding the ribs. Stir till all the ribs are coated before putting in the beancurd strips. Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients.

Bring to a boil and season with a bit of salt if needed and some sugar to balance out the saltiness of the fermented beans. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes (time given by butcher for braising the ribs she gave me) until tender and gravy thickened.

I could have also done this in a slow cooker by dropping the fried ribs and beancurd strips into the pot and cook for 3 hours WITHOUT adding any water. Yes, no water needed as there would be liquid seeping out from the meat and beancurd.

Check my other braised pork ribs recipes:
Braised Pork Ribs With Deep Fried Beancurd Sheet
Slow Cooked Pork Ribs
Braised Pork Ribs With Spices
Braised Ribs
Braised Ribs With Bean Curd Strips In Teriyaki Sauce


Technorati Tags: malaysian food + pork rib

Vegetarian Olive Leaves Fried Rice

Another version of fried rice, a vegetarian version using olives leaves.

In this fried rice, I've added diced vegetarian char siu, diced yellow bell pepper, sliced oyster mushroom and. frozen mixed vegetables. In some hot oil, fry the char siu before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add in the rice and stir till mixed well. Sprinkle in some black pepper and put in olives leaves (I've added 2 tbsp for a 3 person portion which is a bit over cos it's too salty, so please adjust accordingly). Stir and mix thoroughly. No salt or soy sauce is needed as the olive leaves are salty. Dish up, top with some chopped spring onions and serve.


Technorati Tags: malaysian food + fried rice + rice + vegetarian