HARI RAYA OPEN HOUSE

We always look forward to the first day of Hari Raya. Why? Go to my cousin Azizah's open house in Shah Alam, Klang. I missed it last year as i was out of town. It is some sort of gathering among relatives as well. All her children and grand children are back from other states and overseas. My two nephew got the chance to get duit Raya too. The home cooked food was good and tasty, some of us went for second round. She told us about her mean bubur lumbuk(savory spiced rice porridge) which she cooked for the mosque for 27 days before Raya. I joked with her that i shall be joining the queue for it next year.

Warming up and getting to know each other-cousin Azizah is in green baju kurung

Gift tray packed with assorted biscuit and cakes.

Satay peanut chillies gravy, rendang beef and serunding(beef floss)

Lontong(stew vegetables)-cooked in coconut milk with Chinese round cabbage, long bean, carrot, fried tempe(bean curd).....the soup was yellowish and creamy-goes well with the lemang.

Lemang filled with coconut flavor-not too salty-i love it with the satay gravies.

Rendang chicken-full of spices and aromatic.

This is the real ketupat cooked in wrapped coconut leaves- not the Mcketupat-goes well with every dishes.

This is the hot and spicy sotong kembang- very well done and not rubbery-eat with the lemang.

Pulut susu kukus -steamed in periuk kera(a type of pitcher plant)-a very traditional Malay delicacy-the glutinous rice was soft and sticky and coconut flavored too.

Close up of the periuk kera-never seen it cooked like this before!

Wan and me savoring the ketupat and lontong.

One for rememberance. l-r-Azizah, Mum, niece Sandy, sister-in-law Hannah, cousin- in- law Aziz and Wan

REUNION DINNERS

Reunion dinners are always fun and happy, recalling about old, good and enjoyable times together.How i wished i was younger so that i can do the things that i always wanted to but somehow did not get the chance to do it. We have been together through thick and thin and there is no racial barrier just plain brotherhood. Zainal can even speaks a few words of Cantonese, his signature greeting is Cho San. The group of us have been friends for about 45 years, all married with children, loving, understanding wives and us all having gray hairs now! The only missing link is one of our good friend's Leong Tuck Kee whom we lost contact about 10 years ago, last heard he was in Australia. Any way we played host to Zainal and his family who were back from the U.S.A. for their month long summer holidays. As their schedule were very tight we manged to squeezed in 4 days of fun and food for them.
1. Rocking in Waikiki
2. Seafood at Restaurant Fatty Crabs.
3. Dinner at Nando's.
4.Mont Kiara Jazz Festival.
5.Meng Tien Food Court.

Digging into the Peri-Peri chicken at Nando's-anything that's flies eat with your fingers.

Jimie and his family with Roziah and her kids.

L-R: Joseph Foong, me, Zainal, Loo Pak Keong and Jimie Loh.

Seafood at fatty crabs-beef and chicken satay, fried chicken wings(yummy), fried rice-(fluffy)
sweet and sour crabs-dip with toasted bread (out of this world), steamed crabs, century eggs.

One for the album- taken with a 3 flash camera(smile)

Our friend, Jimie Loh of The Alleycats jamming with Six and Dimes at Wakkiki bar.

NYONYA COLORS

After all the window shopping and buying of groceries from the supermarket. Time out to rest my weary legs and and have some thing to eat. This restaurant was packed to the brims. I found a seat at a secluded corner with some lovely kids in front of me enjoying their Big Apple dough nuts while their mum were busy ordering at the counter.

look at the array of assorted mouth watering desserts and sweet delicacies.

happy children

a bowl of yellow laksa- the soup was very light and just right for me- a few pieces of chicken,

mint leaves, beansprout and rice vermicelli

a bowl of boiled black glutinous rice with coconut milk-to wash down the yellow laksa

THOSAI & VADAI (SRI GRAND CITY RESTAURANT)

Breakfast at this restaurant after our Sunday morning walk is always enjoyable. It is located in a quiet neighborhood in Section 11/4, PETALING JAYA.This place is air-conditioned, clean and service is good, it is graded as a "A" premise by the MBPJ. There are ample parking spaces in front and by the side of the restaurant.


Thosai with yellow split beans dhall , tomatoes puree and coconut puree:Thosai less oil and a bit sourish as it should be. I prefer the dhall curry and the tomatoes puree- rm2.80/


Vadai:have green chillies, onion and cumin seeds-Crispy on the outside soft on the inside best!

rm1.80/

COLOUR CHART FOR FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Follow this Colour Chart to get the most from your fruits and vegetables.

RED

Phytonutrient:Lycopene
Source: Tomatoes.
Benefits: Reduces the risk of prostrate cancer,may protect against lung and stomach cancer.

YELLOW

Phytonutrient:Lutein-
Source:Marigolds and green leafy vegetables such kale, spinach and romaine lettuce.
Benefits: Promotes eye health and prevents mascular degeneration(a specific form of blindness that is especially prevalent in individuals over the age of 75.

GREEN

Phytonutrient:Epigallocatechin galiate(EGCG).
Source-Green tea.
Benefits:Increases the plasma antioxidant capacity of the blood and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. especially beneficial to smokers and women.

BLACK/DARK

Phytonutrient:Polyphenols.
Source-Black tea and dark chocolate.
Benefits: Protects the body against free radicals that cause damage to cells and also have heart health benefits.

DARK PURPLE AND RED FRUITS

Phytonutrient:Anthocyanins.
Source-Pomegranates,red and purple grapes, blueberries, raspberries,blackberries and strawberries.
Benefits: Protects against free radicals that lead to heart disease and DNA damage.

ORANGE

Phytonutrient:Hesperidin.
Source-Orange.
Benefits: Reduces the severity of varicose veins. supports good cardiovascular performance.

OFF WHITE

Phytonutrient:Allylic sulfides.
Source- Onions and leeks.
Benefits: Beneficial in preventing cancer and reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Article from The Star. Photo by me.

FISH PASTE BIRD

My wife saw this dish when it was featured on a T.V. cook show, and decided to try it out, looked at her artistic effort. A beautiful piece of art, the body of the bird was made from fish paste while the other parts are prawns parts. The bottom is covered with white Chinese cabbage-representing a bird's nest. This is dedicated to my friend Zainal and family to whet up their appetite at buka puasa.

FIREMAN BBQ RESTAURANT

Monday is my daughter's Michelle off 's day. She was presented with a $20 Fireman BBQ voucher while shopping at the Curve on a weekend. The Fireman BBQ is located in Jaya One which was our target for tonight. We waited for Mike to join us there, as the center of attraction was a fireman's performance at 8 p.m. The restaurant is small and quite compact, there is 3 sunken tables on the left (Japanese style), table seating on the right, a small stage at the front, and upstairs dining area. We ordered the $49.90 set which was quite reasonably priced, it was served on two big plates choked with meat and seafood and chopped Chinese round cabbage at the bottom. This set is suitable for big meat eater! The neatly arranged sliced meat was a sight to behold.The bronze contraption for cooking was well made as we could scooped the soup from the side of it, unlike others. Three pieces of lard was provided to oil the surface to prevent the cooked meat from sticking on it. The sauce was spicy and tangy if the chopped garlic and bird's eye chillies are added to it. The side dishes are charged separately. We finished off our meal with a jug of refreshing herbal drink boiled with lotus root and water chestnut-soothing to the throat! The fireman's show was fantastic and i recorded it on my camera. It is on youtube.com/ken the fireman. Overall the meal was quite filling.

Clean and well made bronze contraption

The three pieces of lard.

Seafood platters-squid, shrimp, crab stick, fish noodle, mussel and sotong kembang

Pork platters-bacon, belly, pork shoulder, beef, beef ball, intestine and liver.

Side dish-pork belly rm6.90/

Side dish-golden mushroom-rm4.90/

Side dish-prawn cake-rm16.90/

Sauce with chopped garlic and bird eye's chillies.

Two bowls of fragrant jasmine rice-rm3/

After all the damage and cooking.

A jug of soothing drink to cool our throats- rm12.90/

RESTAURANT WAI KEE

The two of us was having the Sunday to ourselves. We went to Wai Kee to have lunch. It is actually a family run coffee shop where all the chefs in the kitchen are women! This is the place to eat a real family styled meal. It's signature dishes are yong tow foo, steamed chicken, kow yok, rice wine chicken and other Hakka delicacies. We ordered two types of dishes:

location:Old Klang Road: from KL after the
bridge on your left hand side next to YTM
chicken rice shop.

stuffed bean curd, chillies, bean curd skin, and egg plant.

steamed free range chicken 1/4.

DIM SUM

Dim sum literally means "touch the heart". It is also associated with early morning "yam cha" It is becoming more of a Chinese culinary culture in Malaysia with the mushrooming and opening of many dim sum shops. They usually open from early morning to noon. Many people enjoy their dim sum with a hot pot of their favorite tea, which helps in the digestion and washes away the fats and saltiness in some of the dishes. Here i am enjoying my yam cha with friends, at Restaurant Jin Xuan Hong Kong located at Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya.

per basket rm3.50/rm5/

bean curd skin rolled with chicken drumstick-was very tender

bean curd skin rolled with minced pork-meaty

raw fried glutinous rice with wax pork-delicious

har kow- prawn dumpling-fresh and succulent

siew mai-pork and prawn dumpling

seaweed wrapped fish paste and prawn-tasty

fish balls-springy

deep fried prawn rolls-crispy and flavorful