Pork Satay @Sun May Hiong Satay House, Malacca

Whenever I happen to be in Malacca, I make it a point to have the pork satay at Sun May Hiong Satay House. It's something I grew up having only in Malacca, during our visits to the grandparents and so the city and this pork satay are inextricably linked in my mind. For non-Malaysians, satay is a traditionally Malay dish, most Malays are Muslim and abstain from pork, so pork satay is rarely found outside Malacca. Therefore, even though this satay house (calling it a restaurant feels like a bit of a stretch) moved to different locations around the city throughout the years, we faithfully tracked them down to sate our appetites for this delicious local treat. Without a doubt, it is my favourite type of satay and sauce. 

I was told throughout my childhood that the satay sauce at Sun May's is made with 'belimbing', giving it a bright, sourish, tanginess that sets it apart from the traditional sweet peanut satay sauces. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you whether this refers to starfruit (which is 'belimbing' in Malay) or its cousin the Averrhoa bilimbi. Whenever I referred to it as starfruit, as a child, I was corrected by my parents who insisted that the 'belimbing' in the sauce was not the plain ol' starfruit I was used to. My search on Google yielded the Averrhoa bilimbi as the closest possible alternative but I have never seen the sauce being made, so I have never been able to verify this.  

The combination of a coat of this delicious, tangy sauce on the properly charred, tasty, salty pieces of skewered pork is bliss, even in the blistering tropical heat that usually accompanies our trips to Malacca. The best part about this type of dining is that you don't have to order your food. As soon as you sit down, you are automatically given little pots of the satay sauce, ketupat (cubed, packed rice), cucumber and onion slices (that are all best enjoyed slathered in the sauce) and then various types of satay (pork, chicken, intestines, etc. - you can specify your preferences if you want), hot off the barbecue, are delivered to your table. We used to be able to devour 40 sticks each, but can now only manage 20 on a good day - ah, the appetites of teenagers. The only thing that isn't ideal (especially if you are hungry) is the occasional long wait between satay servings - but I suppose that is the price of getting them fresh off the coals, so you'd best allay your hunger and impatience with those cucumbers and ketupats.

Sun May Hiong Satay House

50/50A Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1

Taman Kota Laksamana

75200 Melaka 

Malaysia

+606 281 7281

Guava & Asamboi

Eating a good green guava with asamboi (salted plums) is, for me, one of life's greatest pleasures. Yes, I am talking about a simple fruit. The taste of a deliciously sweet, fragrant guava that is at just the right firmness/tenderness is already so good that I'm often torn between eating it as it is and embellishing the flavour with salted plums. I often succumb to the latter because I have always had a great weakness for the intense sourness, sweetness and saltiness of salted plums and, for me, having one without the other is like having burgers without fries. Why resist a marriage made in gastronomic heaven? I OD on these whenever I'm in KL.

Penang Trip: Nov 2011

Three of my closest friends' families are from Penang, so over the years, I have listened to many a rave about the food. Penang-ites always (I am sure that others will attest to this) insist that Penang has the best food in Malaysia. I was intrigued, but always remained skeptical, as is my nature. I had visited Penang once many years ago, but simply cannot recall anything about the trip. So I had to wait patiently until November 2011, when an opportunity (reason) to travel to Penang presented itself. 

I always prefer being shown around a new place by a local (or at least someone who has lived there like a local). Unfortunately, none of my Penang-rooted friends were travelling with me on this trip, but luckily, J, who was, had been to Penang often enough to know her way around to some decent eats.

After the long drive from KL to Penang and a short stop at the Snake Temple, we went to Joo Hooi Cafe and ended up having (in retrospect) the best meal that we had in Penang.

Cendol: Excellent. Exactly the right combination of flavours and textures - green, pandan flavoured jelly noodles and sweet, soft, red beans covered with shaved ice, doused in mild, creamy coconut milk, and palm sugar syrup. Slurping mouthfuls of this delicious icy "dessert" in the cool, dark, old-fashioned kopitiam was the perfect relief from the sweltering tropical, midday heat.

Nasi Lemak: A very traditional preparation of a local favourite. These packets were left on the tables for people to help themselves - just the they were in the old days (and still are in this place!). Pretty good - especially the all-important sambal.

Char Kuay Teow: Delicious. Well charred. Nice smokey flavour. Lots of tasty chinese sausages, prawns and chunks of fried egg. Brilliant and oh-so-satisfying.

Asam Laksa: Best asam laksa. Ever. Never seen/had asam laksa with broth this thick with fish. Packed a helluva flavour punch. 'Piquant' must have been invented just to describe asam laksa. Words would not do this dish justice - it's just one of those things you have to taste.

Joo Hooi Cafe
457 Jalan Penang
Penang
Malaysia

S gave me a long list of things that I had to try in Penang, but alas there was just more food than I had the time or capacity to eat. Thus, I did not get to sample the two things that I was really looking foward to: nasi kandar and kuay chap (Wikipedia: "a Teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs"). Next time.

Penang is also supposed to be known for its prawn noodles, which is my absolute favourite. Since I'd always been told that the prawn mee in Penang is outstanding, and that nothing in KL ever measured up, I was curious. How much better can it be? My family had been going to the same prawn noodle stall in Setapak since I was a child and I have never had better prawn noodles anywhere else. The broth was dark, rich, spicy and deliciously "prawny", the pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and the prawns were large and meaty (albeit overcooked). I loved this place and had to get my fix whenever I was back home. Sadly, the stall was closed for the duration of my last two trips home, and I fear that something has happened to the old lady who ran the stall - who incidentally also reminded me very much of my grandmother. 

So, of course I asked my Penang-ite friends to direct me to what they thought were the best prawn noodles places. One told me that (in Penang), "they are all good". I defied her and managed to find putrid, bland, watery, pathetic excuses for this dish at two different locations; once at the hawker centre near Holiday Inn at Batu Ferringhi, where the heads of the completely peeled, grainy, stale prawns were stuck back on for presentation, and once at Gurney Drive. I was peeved, to say the least, especially since my go-to prawn noodle place in KL for 20 years is no more and I don't know if I will ever have prawn noodles like that again.

The following day, we took our food quest to the market (near Joo Hooi Cafe). J's theory is that 'market food' is always the best, and I think she may be right. Pictured above (clockwise from the top left corner) are the very tasty chai tau kuay, blah curry noodle thing and surprisingly delicate and well flavoured chee cheong fun that we had (you may remember more refined versions of these dishes from my post about having dim sum in Hong Kong).

Pictured below is another of my favourite Malaysian goodies. The anglicised name for it these days is "butterfly" because it is often shaped in two strips and looks like a most inelegant butterfly. I call it 'beh huay zhee' because that's what my parents called it in Hokkien. For the uninitiated, it hails from the same 'fried dough' family as the 'yew cha kway' and they are often sold together. This 'beh huay zhee' was without a doubt the best that I'd ever tasted. Beautifully stiff, crisp, sweet, nutty flavoured exterior, with a nice, light, chewy centre. Also smelt almost as blissful as it tasted!

PS: On the drive back from Penang to KL, we paused at the rest stop at Sungai Perak that is apparently famous for fruits. Indeed, I'd never seen a rest stop with as many fruit stalls. I found my elusive perfect mango (another weakness of mine) at a random stall here. Perfect firmness, sweet and slightly sourish, just the way I like it. It was delicious and possibly worth the 3 hour drive from KL, if I could be assured that I would always get them like that. I ate a whole mango right in front of the stall (the nice lady peeled and sliced them for me) and bought another (maybe two...) for the road. They disappeared in about 10 minutes. Ah, mango amour...

R and R Sg Perak

Ipoh

Perak

Malaysia

Auntie G's (and S's) Rendang

I am not sure how it happened, but this fussy foodie has serendipitously flatted with not one but two friends who not only cook compulsively, but take a perverse delight in feeding the people around them into a stupor. And then there's M who is now a 'cook-off' junkie. Over the years, I have discovered that these peculiar creatures cannot be blamed for this apparently hereditary affliction. E caught it from her grandmother and S's parents have passed it on to all their children! 

This is S's mum's recipe for the classic Malaysian/Indonesian dish - rendang. I have never tried cooking it myself - I leave all that hard work to S. Even with a recipe, it is not an easy dish to perfect, but when done right is absolutely 'roll-your-eyes-to-the-back-of-your-head' divine. Beautifully tender pieces of beef/lamb/chicken sitting in lovely, thick, rich, spicy, aromatic, sweetish, gravy/paste. There are several different versions with distinctly different flavour profiles (some are sweeter, some are more curry like), but the basic characteristics of a good rendang are as described. That rendang pictured above that S made with this recipe was stunning and close to perfection. Maybe one day when S isn't just a stone's throw away to cook for me, I'll have to attempt it, but for now I am quite content just depending on her charity. Perhaps you should try it and report your efforts - it actually requires a bit of practice to get right.

Ingredients
125g ginger
300g onions (large or shallots or a mixture)
150g garlic
100g "buah keras”(candlenuts), soaked for about 20 minutes
100g “serai“(lemon grass, root only)
50 g fresh “kunyit” (turmeric); or 2-3 tsp turmeric powder
6-8 tbsp chilli paste - instructions below
250g “kerisek” (fried desiccated coconut) - instructions below
3 tsp tamarind puree
55g palm sugar or white sugar
2 whole and 2 shredded kaffir lime leaves
1 piece “kunyit” (turmeric) leaf, shredded (substitute with fresh bay leaf)
Gravy beef/chicken/lamb chops (see estimate in the recipe below, you don't have to use all the paste)


Method

Chilli paste:
Top and deseed 1 bag (around 700gm) of big dried red chilli.
Boil in a pot of water for 5 minutes.
Drain and blend into a smooth paste (some water can be added if it gets too thick).
Fry in hot oil (on med to med-high heat) for 20-30 minutes.
When the oil separates and form a border around the side of the pan the paste is done.
Store in refrigerator, in an airtight jar, with a layer of oil on top.

Kerisek:
Dry fry 250g of desiccated coconut (use fresh if possible) on med-low heat.
This will take around 25 minutes.
Fry the coconut till it turns a lovely dark caramel colour.
Be sure to constantly stir the coconut so that it does not burn.
Let it cool, then using a spice blender or pestle and mortar, blend the coconut to a smooth paste.
You will notice that the natural oil will make the paste thick.
DO NOT add any liquid.

Rendang:
Grind to a smooth paste ingredients 1 to 6.
Fry this paste and chilli paste until oil comes up/separates (use a deep pan as it splashes) for about half hour or so, on med heat.
I ended using about ¾ to 1 cup of vegetable oil.
Add ½ a cup first, and add more (if needed) mid way through.
You basically want enough oil to fry this paste.
Add tamarind juice/puree, salt, and palm sugar (taste to ensure balance is perfect). Not too sweet please! Add leaves and kerisek, and cook for further 10 mins.
At this point you have a cooked paste that can be kept in the freezer for use in the future.
This recipe makes the amount of paste for about 5 - 6kg of meat (possibly more).
To make the rendang, add meat to a pan (with very little oil) and fry for 5 minutes.
Add enough of the rendang paste to coat the meat.
Add some water (a few tablespoons) just to loosen the paste.
Cover and slow cook until meat is tender. If using beef, this can take up to 2 hours. However, if you are using a pressure cooker, that should take less time.
When the meat is tender, add some coconut cream, sugar and salt (to taste).
If the sauce is too runny, slow cook on low heat, uncovered, for 20-30 more minutes.
Serve with rice, bread, naan or roti.

Hee Lai Ton (Sheraton)

I don't go to Hee Lai Ton (aka Sheraton) Restaurant very often when I am back in KL, even though it is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. It's mainly a proximity issue - it takes 10-15 minutes to drive to my other favourite Chinese restaurant Sin Kee, in Sri Gombak, and about 30-40 minutes to drive to Hee Lai Ton, in Seri Kembangan. Also, compared to Sin Kee, Hee Lai Ton is posher, and the food is better, but more expensive. Therefore, adding the fact that I am normally only in KL for a few weeks, I rarely get to dine at Hee Lai Ton more than once per trip home.

I don't think I've ever had anything at this restaurant that I didn't like - but I am pretty sure that I've only tried maybe 20% of their dishes. Like most normal Chinese restaurants in KL, there's no menu - if there is, it's either written on a board in Chinese characters and/or no one uses it anyway. My marginal grasp of spoken Mandarin and Cantonese and illiteracy in Chinese makes trying to order something new a little bit of challenge, but I have developed a simple solution. Now, when I am in the mood for something new, I just pick a course (i.e. pork, fish, tofu, vege, etc) and ask the waitstaff to recommend something. Then I wait until they name an unfamiliar dish that sounds good and then I quickly interject with "That! I want that!". You have to be quick though, otherwise you'll get into the whole, "No...the one you said before that....nope...before that...." Then, if you get lucky and get something you really like, the challenge is to try to remember what it was called. 

My visits are so rare and far in between that by the time I actually go, I would have been dreaming about a particular dish for days/weeks. So you'll have to forgive me if I tend to fall back on the familiar favourites - trying something new is too risky and just doesn't occur to you when there are specific desperate cravings to satisfy.

When I am not in the mood for novelty, there are always the tried and true. The restaurants in KL are so widespread (in suburbs with complicated routes/access) that unless it's in the neighbourhood or you're desperate for a feed in unfamiliar territory, I think it's rare for KL-ites to visit a restaurant that hasn't been recommended to them in some way. My point is, most people already know what dishes are good at a particular restaurant (whether by word of mouth, reputation, media reviews, etc), even if they are dining there for the first time. My father's business associate brought us to Hee Lai Ton and did all the ordering, and even though I don't remember what we had that first time, I am am pretty sure that when we went back ourselves, what we ordered was based on his recommendations. 

Below are the dishes that I had at Hee Lai Ton during my last trip home. They include two of my absolute favourite dishes, the 'Yan Lei Har' (Indonesian style prawns) and the 'Har Cheong Kuat' (Pork Ribs).

PS: They also do a good 'yee sang' during Chinese New Year, that my mom likes.

'Yan Lei Har' (Indonesian style prawns): For the record, I don't know if this is actually Indonesian, but that's what they call it. Once I tried to order it by asking for the 'curry prawn' dish and was corrected by the waitstaff. Succulent prawns in beautifully rich curry sauce, contrasted nicely with crispy/chewy slices of 'you char kway'.

Okay, I am pretty sure this was one of the "That one!" dishes I ordered. It looks like 'Choy Heong' tofu, but I know that wasn't what it was called. I dont remember it being particularly good or bad, so I guess it doesn't really matter. This style of tofu, with the meat sauce, is one of my favourites and Sin Kee does it quite well.

Har Cheong Kuat (Pork Ribs): 'Kuat' means bone or rib in Cantonese, but I don't know what 'Har Cheong' means. This is one of their signature dishes. These ribs are incredibly, incredibly tasty, juicy and tender. I cannot think/write about them without salivating. A lot of deep fried things have are tasty on the outside and kinda boring on the inside - not these ribs. The meat is deliciously flavoured right to the bone and the delightful, savoury, light crisp exterior is so tasty that it makes you want to lick it all over before actually eating it. Goes beautifully with the tangy chili dipping sauce.

Standard stir fried asparagus with garlic. Unlike in NZ, we don't seem to get the big fat asparaguses in Malaysia - they're all slim, young shoots like above.

Another 'specialty'. Mangoes are seasonal, relatively expensive and good ones are hard to come by. Most Chinese restaurants serve a fruit platter for 'dessert', which usually comprises of watermelon, honey dew and papaya slices. Hee Lai Ton also serves the usual fruit platter but has made mangoes their speciality. There are always boxes of mangoes stacked next to their 'bar'. Usually their mangoes are good, but on this particular occasion, the mangoes were somewhat bland and lacked the sweetness and sourness that, to me, together with the firmness of the flesh, is the definition of a good mango. 

Hee Lai Ton (Sheraton) Restaurant

No 12 Jalan Muhibbah 3

Taman Muhibbah

Seri Kembangan

43300 Selangor

Malaysia

'Claypot' Chicken Rice v2.0

Very sorry about not posting in the last few weeks. The internet at my place STILL hasn't been restored and it is getting quite inconvenient. I am in internet and 'flogging' (food blogging) withdrawal, so I am posting this even though it's not going to be a very long one. 

I've written about making 'Claypot' Chicken Rice once before, but the photo in that post was awful and the recipe was basic. I've taken it up a notch here and the little extras are definitely worth it. This is one of those really easy recipes that will produce a delicious, comforting, and incredibly satisfying, one-pot meal. Great for all you hungry, non-cooks like me.

Random notes: -

I use thigh fillets because: 

1. they contain more fat than breast fillets and are therefore far less fibrous and more moist. 

2. the fat flavours the rice well, and 

3. I am too lazy to deal with chicken pieces even though they would retain more flavour and moisture with the skin on and bone in, AND the fat from the skin would give the dish extra flavour (maybe one day, when I have my dream kitchen - I know, I know, what does a 'non-cook' want with a dream kitchen? Doesn't matter, I still do!). 

Claypot Chicken Rice 

Ingredients 

Rice 

Chicken 

Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong) 

Ginger

Garlic 

Dark Soy Sauce 

Shallot 

Salted Fish 

Spring Onion 

Method 

1. Steam chinese sausages (as per instructions on packet), then slice (about half a cm thick) and saute in a dry pan until slightly browned and oil is released into pan. 

2. Set aside chinese sausage slices and using the same pan, heat cooking oil (estimate what you would need to coat all the rice you are going to use and add an extra tablespoon) and saute a large (about 2-3 inches) piece of ginger until slightly golden. 

3. Add uncooked rice, saute until translucent, then set aside (with ginger) in rice cooker pot. 

4. Heat some oil and saute garlic cloves (crushed with the side of a knife, but otherwise in one piece) until fragrant. 

5. Add chicken pieces and fry until golden brown. 

6. Add dark soy sauce and sugar to taste and stir fry well. 

7. Add water to the chicken (estimate the amount you would need to cook the rice in a rice cooker, if unsure, use less and add more later). 

8. Taste - sauce/broth should be just a bit too salty because the flavours will mellow considerably when cooked with the rice. 

9. Pour chicken and sauce/broth over the rice in the rice cooker pot and throw in the chinese sausage slices. 

10. Cook in rice cooker as you would cook plain rice. The switch will 'trip' and show that it is done before it actually is but leave it in to continue cooking. Just keep testing the rice to see if it needs more water or if it just needs to be left in longer. 

11. While it is cooking, finely slice shallots and chop spring onions. 

12. Fry sliced shallots until golden brown. 

13. Serve topped with the fried shallots, chopped spring onions and some salted fish.

Yee Sang (Homemade)

Every time I don't get to go back home for Chinese New Year, one of the first things I whine about is that I won't be able to have Yee Sang (a special salad that is normally only available during Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore). It just did not occur to me to make our own - maybe because nowadays you'd only get the kind with the dehydrated vegetables at restaurants and supermarkets. Stupidly, for longer than I care to admit, the thought "how are we going to dehydrate the ingredients?" was the one thing that was floating about at the back of my head that was preventing me from coming to the now blindingly apparent solution. The haze must have lifted at some point because randomly, I put two and two together: the memory of my parents telling me that when Yee Sang was first introduced in KL, all the ingredients were fresh + that means we don't have to have dehydrated ingredients for Yee Sang = we can make our own Yee Sang with fresh ingredients. Doh!

So we made it by roughly following this recipe and it turned out brilliantly. S and I were both amazed and how closely it resembled what we normally get back home. One would think that there would be a drastic difference in taste when replacing dehydrated ingredients with fresh ones - but there really wasn't. I think the key ingredients were the toasted sesame seeds, the plum sauce and lemon juice. The first time we made it, we left out the lemon juice and the sauce wasn't quite right. The second time, with lemon juice, it was perfect. This tasty dish delivers a delightful myriad of flavours and textures - juicy, sweet, sour, savoury, crunchy, soft, crispy, nutty, soft, tangy, fresh....MMMMM! Every bite is just irresistibly refreshing, like a burst of 'happy' in your mouth. I don't think we will be able to resist not making this again even though it's not Chinese New Year anymore. S?

We adapted the recipe slightly because we couldn't get things like pomelo here, and as usual, we added/omitted whatever felt right:

Second attempt - close to perfect

Yee Sang (adapted from here)

Ingredients
(adjust to your preference)

Fresh salmon, sliced into thin fillets (season with lemon juice, a pinch of five spice powder and pepper)
Carrots, finely julienned
White radish/daikon, finely julienned
Pomelo, separated down to individual sacs or small segments (if you can get pomelo)
Pickled ginger, finely sliced
Pickled onions, finely sliced
Mango, julienned
Roasted peanuts
Toasted sesame seeds
Fried wonton skins
Fresh coriander

For the dressing :
Plum sauce mixed with lemon juice (about 2: 1, should still be reasonably thick)
Oil (we used canola)

Method

1. Make sure you buy the freshest fish for the dish and slice the fillet into thin strips. Season as instructed.
2. Arrange all the ingredients into sections on a large serving platter.
3. To serve, pour plum sauce dressing and oil over the salad then immediately toss the salad with chopsticks (and friends preferably) as high as you can (the higher the luckier apparently) without too much of it ending up on the table/floor, while making loud proclamations of good luck and fortune for everyone for the New Year.

Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice

Claypot Chicken Rice with Chinese Sausage and Salted Fish

Claypot Chicken Rice has always been one of my favourite, often-craved dishes. The problem was, I could never reliably get it from any one place. Luckily, during the last trip home, my friend A told me about Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice. He has been a patron of the immensely popular original restaurant in Kampar (duh), Perak, his hometown, for many years and he assured me that their Claypot Chicken Rice is indeed, very good. He, however, could not attest to quality of the food at the new branch that they had established in Petaling Jaya - never having been there before. I wasn't about to drive to Kampar, so I had to trust that they brought their recipe for success to the PJ restaurant too (pun cringe intended).

I was very happy with this discovery. I don't know if it is as good as the outlet in Kampar but the Claypot Chicken Rice that I had at their PJ outlet was one of the, if not the, best that I've ever tasted. Most noticeably, the rice was absolutely perfectly cooked and came apart as loose whole grains, rather than the hard, burnt, clumpy rice that you usually get with this dish. The chicken pieces were moist, tender and beautifully flavoured, together with the rice. The interspersing mild sweetness of the tender slices of chinese sausage (lap cheong) and the sharp saltiness of the melted salted fish that topped the dish were the critical supporting components that added depth and variety to the flavours and textures of this scrumptious, hearty, intensely satisfying one-pot meal.

Stir Fried Lettuce (Yau Mak)

The Menu

Besides their speciality, they also offer special steamed soups which we did not try because I'm not really a soup fan, and a small variety of fresh stir-fried vegetables. We had the lettuce (yau mak) and the bean sprouts, which were both very tasty. They open at 12 noon and apparently the line forms very quickly. They close sometime in the afternoon and re-open again in the evening. They are also closed in the middle of the week, for one day (can't remember which), so please ring the number at the top of the menu in the photo (right) to check. You wouldn't want the agony of craving Claypot Chicken Rice and making your way there only to find that they're closed. It isn't exactly around the corner from where I live but the food is good enough that I would drive (or be driven ;)) across town and risk getting stuck in KL traffic to have it. It is definitely going to be one of my regular 'must have's during my annual visit home. Special thanks must go to A for the recommendation, which allowed me to finally succeed in my quest to properly satiate my claypot chicken rice craving - an endeavour with which, for many years, I have had no luck.

Bean Sprouts (Mung Beans)

Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice

No 80 Jalan SS22/25

Damansara Jaya

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Malaysia

Ayam Bing (sans the 'ayam')

Barbecue Pork (foreground) and Roast Pork (background)

'Chicken Rice' (Kai/Gai Fan in Cantonese; Kai/Gai = chicken; Fan = rice) is one of my absolute favourite and most craved 'dishes'. In many Chinese establishments, irrespective of the country, the chicken is only one of several main meats offered at 'Chicken Rice' stalls or restaurants. Sure, there are some that specialise in chicken only, but most also serve a medley of roast or barbecue meats. The Poached (Pak Caam Kai) or Roast Chicken (Siu Kai) is most commonly accompanied with Barbecue Pork (Char Siu) and Roast Pork (Siu Yok). Roast Duck (Siu Ngap) is a little harder to come by and Roast Goose (Siu Ngor) is a rare find, in Malaysia.

In my opinion, the success of this dish depends almost as much on the rice, as it does on the meats. If you've ever had really good, fragrant, beautifully flavoured, thinly oiled 'Chicken Rice' rice, you know that you'd be almost as happy eating just the rice with the cucumbers and the tasty sauce that is drizzled over the roast meats. It's just absolutely delicious and a critical component to the dish. 

Roast Pork (foreground) and Barbecue Pork (background)

As with most things in life, however, you can't get it all from one place. I love the rice and roast chicken from the Nasi Ayam Hainan stall in Medan Selera, Taman Melawati, but when I'm craving roast pork, I go to Ayam Bing (ayam = chicken, in Malay) at Sri Rampai. Bing's roast pork is so good that you shouldn't even bother going at lunch time because it's usually sold out by then. I like to get there by 11:00 am, but I am told that they open really early - maybe even before 10:00 am. 

The skin is always deliciously crispy and savoury and the ratio of lean meat to fat and crackling is always perfect. Occasionally, if you're unlucky, you might end up with some pieces that are mostly fat, but that has only happened to me once, and I've been patronising Ayam Bing for over a decade now. The lean portion of the meat is just firm enough - neither too soft, nor too hard/overdone. I only point this out because I had some disappointing roast pork at Crystal Jade Restaurant, Pavilion, a few weeks after that. I am not sure if it was because they picked meat that was too marbled, or they over tenderised it, but the supposed lean portion of the roast pork was far too soft, smooth and texturally similar to the fat portion and the skin was a little sturdier than it should have been. I was not impressed, particularly because if I'm going to pay about RM 30 for a few pieces of roast pork, then it should be nothing short of stellar.

The barbecue pork at Ayam Bing is also pretty tasty, but not outstanding. It is properly caramelised and has the correct smokey, sweet flavour, but is a little too lean and sliced a bit too thinly, and thus fails to deliver the big flavour hit that it could. Nevertheless, Ayam Bing ranks at the top two on my list for best roast pork (the other being Imbi Palace), but if you factor in price, then Ayam Bing wins hands down. I'd take excellent, simple, cheap stuff at a roadside stall over pretentious, polished versions of the same street food at posh restaurants any day.

Restoran Ayam Bing

2B Jalan 46/26

Taman Sri Rampai

Kuala Lumpur 53300

Malaysia

Hokkien Mee and Singapore Fried Bee Hoon

Sorry I was MIA last week. Had major issues with my internet connection, which were resolved only yesterday.

Hokkien Mee

My craving for Hokkien Mee began about a month or so before my trip back to KL. It got to the point where I was desperate enough to think that there was a possibility that I could get something that remotely resembled the real thing at HS South East Asian restaurant in Dunedin. It was awful, flat and watery (as was D's Beef Rendang). I barely touched it. I've been told that some of the other dishes there are decent, but I am not sure that I would brave another visit. 

Pictured above is what real Hokkien Mee (from Sin Kee Restaurant in Sri Gombak) looks like. I wanted to go straight to Sin Kee from the airport when I landed but Mom thought it was a little late. Still, it was one of the first things I ate since I've been home, I've had it twice already and I still want more! The luscious, fat, slippery noodles coated in tasty, thick dark sauce, littered with wilted choy sum, lean pork slices and lovely, crispy fried pork fat is just absolutely delicious and it is, without a doubt, my favourite stir-fried noodle dish!

Singapore Fried Bee Hoon

Sin Kee is usually the 'go to' restaurant for me whenever I want to enjoy some good Chinese food with family and friends. The Singapore Fried Bee Hoon (bee hoon is also know as rice vermicelli) is, I think, one of Mom's favourite noodle dishes. It is tasty and well-fried, i.e. the noodles are not too dry or too soggy. The startling saltiness of the dried shrimp, the sweetness of the chopped barbecue pork pieces, the fresh burst of juice from the mung beans, and the bite from the sliced chili give the dish a nice variety of textures and flavours.

You may expect a few more posts about food from Sin Kee in the coming weeks, among other things. The next time I visit, I will try to remember to get the address of the restaurant. 

Quick and Easy Recipes

Critic Issue 12 - Num Nums

With the exams around the corner, I thought I would share a few really easy recipes that you can whip up when you need a 20 – 30 minute break from studying. These dishes keep relatively well so if you make enough to last a few meals, you will always have some proper food in the fridge when hunger strikes and will only have to mess around in the kitchen once or twice a week. NB: Always remember to taste as you cook and so you can adjust the flavours to your liking.

Thai Green Curry (re-posted): This is one of the easiest things to make, when you use the Mae Ploy Green Curry paste that you can buy at any supermarket. Just follow the instructions on the container. I used chicken thighs and added sliced water chestnuts (canned) and green beans (use whatever vegetables you like – I used frozen green beans because I was lazy). The thing I love about making this myself, at home, is that I can use as much of the paste to make it as spicy and/or potent as I like. Sautéing the green curry paste imparts a lovely pungent aroma which is then mellowed by the addition of the coconut milk. The result is a delicious, thick curry with a nice depth of flavour (considering that a store bought paste was used) and just the right level of spiciness to leave a little bite on your tongue. Mmm-mm!

Pasta Bake version

Pasta Bolognese: I know, I know, almost everyone knows how to make Bolognese so why am I wasting your time? Well, I think this version is probably better than most of the crap I have had at restaurants, so I am sharing. Just sauté minced garlic (lots!) in olive oil until fragrant, then add minced beef (you can substitute half the mince with grated carrots if you feel like upping your vege intake), an OXO beef cube and brown. Stir in store bought Bolognese sauce (I like Leggos) and simmer. This is what takes it to the next level – pour in red wine (something you would drink, around $15; twice or thrice around the pan) and simmer until sauce is thick. When done, sauce should be rich, velvety. Serve on cooked pasta of your choice. Alternatively, substitute the Bolognese sauce with one of the tomato based Pasta Bake versions, mix pasta and sauce in an oven proof dish, top with grated mozzarella and bake until golden brown.

Mom’s Black Pepper Chicken: Marinate chicken thigh pieces in dark soy sauce, some pepper and sugar. Coat potato slices (about 0.5 cm thick) in a little oil and salt and pan fry until golden brown (won’t be cooked through), then remove from pan. Marinate some Sauté sliced garlic in oil until fragrant then add marinated chicken and potatoes. Stir fry until chicken is cooked. If you like lots of sauce, add more water, dark soy sauce, pepper and sugar to taste. Otherwise, just taste and add whatever you think is necessary. This should yield delicious savoury, peppery and slightly sweet juicy chicken pieces with tasty gravy. Serve with steamed rice, or if you can’t be bothered, on bread.

Soy Sauce Chicken

This Soy Sauce Chicken was made according to a recipe from Rasa Malaysia. It didn't turn out as well as we hoped - I was expecting it to taste more like my favourite Soy Sauce Chicken from Mei Wah (which I already have pictures of and will write about soon hopefully) but it actually tasted more like 'Tau Yew Bak' (soy sauce pork), except with chicken. I know there is little difference in the name, but in my opinion, Soy Sauce Chicken and Soy Sauce Pork (should) taste very different. 'Tau Yew Bak'/Soy Sauce Pork is heavily spiced with cinnamon and star anise and is sweet whereas the Soy Sauce Chicken that I love from Mei Wah is savoury and has a subtler soy flavour. This Soy Sauce Chicken turned out smelling like 'Tau Yew Bak' and was far darker than the Soy Sauce Chicken that I am used to. It was quite salty, yet also carried the sweetness of the star anise and cinnamon spices. It was edible, but I wasn't crazy about it and I won't be using this recipe again. I also didn't think that the (again quite salty) ginger and scallion dip was necessary since the chicken was very strong tasting as it was. Usually these garlic/ginger/scallion toppings complement the plain/mild tasting chicken in steamed/boiled chicken rice dishes.

Oh well...my hunt for the perfect Soy Sauce Chicken recipe continues...

Golden Harvest - Revisited

Sweet and Sour Pork

Last month I had a great meal at Golden Harvest with a couple of friends. As they weren't familiar with Chinese food, I was allowed to take charge of the ordering, so we ended up having some of my favourite dishes.

Kung Pou Vegetables

I've always loved Kung Pou Chicken. The Kung Pou Chicken at Golden Harvest isn't exactly like the kind I am used to, but it's still pretty good. Instead of the usual cashew nuts, they serve their Kung Pou with peanuts and fried sweet buns (man tou). Their version is a little sweeter and not as riddled with dried chillies (and therefore not as spicy) but hits the spot for me nonetheless. The crispy, sauce soaked, sweet buns and peanuts keep the dish interesting because with every scoop, your palate gets a variety of textures and flavours - soft, chewy, nutty, crunchy, sweet, savoury, etc. This time around, I ordered the Kung Pou vegetables instead of chicken (both are equally good), because I had known for days that I wanted to order the Crispy Chicken.

Crispy Chicken

Ah, the Crispy Chicken. Salty, crispy skinned, juicy, tasty chicken pieces. What more could anyone ask for? Mmm, I think this is my favourite dish at Golden Harvest. There's something so incredibly satisfying about biting into a piece of beautifully cooked, crispy skinned chicken. I automatically recall the smell and taste of it (and drool a little) every time I look at the picture. I will need to get a fix very soon.

To offset the savouriness of the chicken, I ordered the Sweet and Sour Pork (the last time I dined here, I made the mistake of ordering a few dishes with the same flavours). It actually looked like and tasted like decent sweet and sour pork, which is more than I can say about the stuff that I've had at other establishments here. The first few years I was here, I was amazed at what some places were passing off as "sweet and sour pork" and incredibly annoyed that for something so common, edible, authentic sweet and sour pork was scarce. Having said that, even in Asia, it is difficult to find a place that serves really good sweet and sour pork. It's probably because it is such a common and simple dish that nobody thinks it's worth the time or effort to pay attention to the details and perfect it. If anyone knows of a place that serves outstanding sweet and sour pork, do tell.

Anyway, at the rate we were yakking, we were lucky that we had all that good food to keep us going. We were very happy with the meal (and the company) and left feeling content with just the right level of 'fullness' in our bellies. No matter the quality, a dining experience is always marred if you are left feeling uncomfortable and/or sick because the food was too rich/much.

Golden Harvest Restaurant

218 George Street

Dunedin

The Rainforest

This is a review that I wrote for Critic, Issue 7:

Beef Rendang

Malaysian cuisine is a very general term that may be applied to anything from ‘tau foo fah’ (soy bean curd pudding) to ‘mamak rojak’ (mixed vegetables and fritters tossed in a spicy sauce). The amalgamation of the various cultures in Malaysia resulted in culinary blending and borrowing, and it is the diverse array of cuisines that are all identified as ‘local Malaysian cuisine’, that makes Malaysia unique. The Rainforest offers the Indian, Malay and Mamak variety of Malaysian cuisine.

Teh Tarik

Away from the hustle and bustle of George Street, The Rainforest is a cosy little place to escape to and enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner. They have a good selection of popular Malaysian dishes and most of the favourites are offered on the lunch menu for a reasonable $10. As an added boon, groups of students dining at night get free ‘Roti’ for starters.

Mamak Mee Goreng

I dropped by The Rainforest one evening, hungry and tired after work. By the end of the meal I was so full that I felt as though I could have rolled myself home. We started with a tasty ‘Mamak Rojak’ which consisted of all the usual ingredients plus fried fish balls, which is a rather unusual, but harmless addition. My favourite ingredients in mamak rojak are the fried tofu and fritters, which are especially delicious when slathered in the spicy, nutty rojak sauce. To wash that down, we sipped on ‘Teh Tarik’ (directly translated as ‘pulled tea’), which is basically frothy tea and sweetened condensed milk but has a distinct taste that must come from a particular type of tea. The ‘Teh Tarik’ was smooth, subtle and had that lovely, faint bitter aftertaste that tea has. It was soothing and exactly what I needed to unwind. We then attacked our mains – the ‘Mamak Mee Goreng’ and the ‘Beef Rendang’. Both were spicy and very tasty. The ‘Mamak Mee Goreng’ was well stir-fried, which is important, and was laden with hunks of meat and vegetables. The beef was tender and the rendang sauce was slightly sweet, thick and rich with flavour, as it should be. All in all, it was hearty and satisfying meal and I plan to visit again to try some of their other dishes. It is a true relief to be within easy reach of some authentic Malaysian food this far south in the world.

The Rainforest

95 Filleul Street

Dunedin

Golden Harvest

I have lived in this city for close to 8 years now. Many of my opinions about this place have changed over the years, but one in particular has stayed constant: generally the Chinese food at restaurants in this city, for lack of a better word, sucks. Of course, there are a few exceptions and over the years I have learnt to lower my standards in order to satiate my cravings for Chinese food, but overall, the prospect of Chinese food here can be downright depressing.

I am happy to report that the food at Golden Harvest does not suck. In fact, over the years, it is the only Chinese restaurant that I have kept going back to, even though there have been a few short-lived affairs with other Chinese restaurants. I couldn't fly home for Chinese New Year (the equivalent of Christmas in NZ) this year, so D and I went to Golden Harvest on CNY's eve to have our own version of the 'reunion dinner'. There were a lot of students there, celebrating CNY's eve with friends in Dunedin, in lieu of family back home. It sure made me miss home.

Anyway, we ordered four dishes even though it was just the two of us. I didn't care - it was CNY eve after all. We ordered the Sweet & Sour Fish, the Mongolian Lamb, the Garlic Prawns & the Stir Fried Gai Lan. My favourite dish was the Garlic Prawns (ask anyone who knows me, I am a prawn fiend - not in the District 9 sense of course). Overall, the prawns, the lamb and the vegetables were a tad too salty.

Garlic Prawns: Garlic + Prawns = A win, win combination for me! There was a copious amount of minced garlic in the sauce. Luckily, the succulent prawns, each encased in tasty, light, crunchy batter, were not drenched in the rather strong sauce, but simply placed upon it so that people may coat the prawns in the sauce to their preference. Delicious and perfect with rice, which mellows the intensity of the sauce.

Sweet & Sour Fish: To me this was a bit disappointing - not because it was bad, but more because I am used to the more complex flavours of the sweet & sour sauces served back home. This sauce tasted like plum sauce (only) and was a little one dimensional for me. Also, because the fish was skinned, filleted, battered and fried, the flesh of the fish was bland. For this dish, I am used to the fish being served whole and with only an extremely thin batter. But I suppose they have to cater to the local clientele. Having said all that, the fish was perfectly cooked - the batter was light and crispy and the fish was tender. If it had a different name and I wasn't comparing it what I am used to, I would have probably been quite happy with it.

Mongolian Lamb: D liked this the best and ate most of it. We had to divide the labour so I ate almost all the fish and he ate almost all the lamb, which may be the reason why I don't remember much about it. I must order it again.

Stir Fried Gai Lan: For the uninitiated, Gai Lan is a type of Chinese leafy vegetable. It grows well in Asia but the good stuff is a little harder to come by in Dunedin. I find that when I buy Gai Lan at the farmer's market or supermarket, the stems and leaves are often thick and tough, indicative of an older plant. In Asia, they are almost always sweet, young and tender. That night, the Gai Lan was alright overall, albeit a little salty and the odd stem was a tough. The Choy Sum that we ordered during our previous visit was good, but since vegetables are seasonal, it wasn't available that night.

There are numerous other dishes at Golden Harvest that I know are good and would like to photograph and others that I would like to try but I will need to revisit it with S, who is a little more gastronomically adventurous than D. D did, however, pay for the meal, from which we walked away waddling with very full bellies. Yum.

Golden Harvest Restaurant

218 George Street

Dunedin

Prawn Mee Lunch

A colleague made prawn mee last night and brought in a lunch box for me today! I am happy to report that I am typing this with a belly-full of yummy prawn mee.

Interestingly, the broth had the thickness of an asam laksa broth but the bold, robust flavour of good prawn mee. I had to stop myself from drinking all the broth. I don't know how he made it but as far as I can tell, aside from the broth (which is the most important thing), there were chicken pieces, prawns, fish balls, surimi (crabstick), taugeh (mung beans), onions and noodles (of course) - the prawn mee stall that I frequent back home serves their prawn mee with tender pork ribs, big prawns and I think even a hardboiled egg. This is as good as it gets in New Zealand I think. Two thumbs up.

Now, I wonder what else this colleague makes? :)

Claypot Chicken Rice?

Except without the claypot.

This is adapted from E's chicken rice recipe. I wasn't expecting it to turn out quite so well but it did. It's actually almost exactly like the claypot chicken rice we get back home - which happens to be one of my favourite things - except without the burnt bits. Yum!

I used my phone to take a crappy photo. I was contemplating plating it nicely and taking a 'nice' photograph but what the heck - I didn't want to go to the monumental effort of trying to make something like this look pretty. Besides, I still don't have a good camera. So here's a shot of the pot. I promise it's delicious. It's one of those hearty, old fashioned, simple meals that you make when you just want a good ol' tuck in.

Ingredients:

Chicken thigh fillets (cubed)

Garlic (sliced)

Onion (chopped)

Ginger (halved)

Chicken stock powder

Coriander powder

Fenel powder

Five Spice powder

Star anise

Cinnamon stick

Rice

Dark soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Pepper

Sugar

Oil

Method:

1. Wash uncooked rice while heating a little oil (drizzle oil around the pan once approximately) in a frying pan or wok

2. When oil is hot, add half the ginger, star anise and cinnamon stick and fry till fragrant

3. Add washed uncooked rice and stir well so that the rice gets 'roasted' evenly and is coated in a little oil

4. Add about 1 tablespoon each of fenel and coriander powder for every 3 cups of rice, a little pepper to taste and some chicken stock powder

5. Continue 'roasting' the rice with the spices until the rice is well coated and fragrant

6. Put roasted rice into rice cooker pot (don't cook it yet)

7. Add oil twice around the (empty) pan and wait till hot

8. Add garlic, onions and ginger and fry till fragrant

9. Add chicken cubes and fry till golden brown

10. Add oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, pepper (optional), sugar, a pinch of five spice powder, some chicken stock powder (optional) and about two cups of water

11. Let it simmer for a while and then taste and add whatever is missing

12. Make it a tad more salty or make the flavour a tad stronger than you would normally like because you will be mixing it with the rice. If you don't do this, the rice will be bland.

13. Make sure you have added enough water to in with the chicken so that when you add the chicken and broth to the rice, it will be sufficient to cook the rice (in the rice cooker)

14. When satisfied with the taste, add to roasted rice and cook in rice cooker

15. It is likely that that lever on the rice cooker will trip to 'Keep Warm' before the rice is completely cooked. This is completely normal.

16. Check how cooked/uncooked the rice is. If the rice is still quite hard, then mix a bowl of water with dark soy sauce, chicken stock, and sugar and add to rice and cook for a little longer.

17. When the rice cooker lever trips to 'Keep Warm' again, check the 'how cooked' the rice is again. If almost completely cooked, then just close the pot and let it sit in the rice cooker for about 20 minutes.

18. Serve topped with chopped spring onions or sliced cucumbers or 'lap cheong' or salted fish or everything!

Food That I Miss

This one is for all of you who also miss food from back home. Here are some of my favourite foods.

Sweet and Sour Pork: I know, I know, the most common and cliched of Chinese dishes. I can hear all the complaints in my head. Being Chinese, a foodie and a self proclaimed critic, I should be more discerning right? I don't care, it's still one of my favourite things to have.

Yam Basket with Chicken and Prawns: One of my absolute favourite things to order when we go to my favourite Chinese restaurant. I've posted a picture of this before, but this is a much better picture of it.

Kangkung Belacan: OMG, drool with me. I miss this so much!!! I Googled it and the English name for this vegetable is Water Spinach. Belacan is shrimp paste and the vegetable is stir fried with it and chilli. It's the BEST. I don't know how to cook it. All I know is that it's so mouth-wateringly good. Just looking at the picture and thinking about it is making me salivate.

Prawns in Sweet Dark Soy Sauce: Ask B how good this is! It's served with a bed of mango salad that accompanies the prawns very well. I think it's the speciality of the restaurant that I frequent, my favourite restaurant for Chinese food back home, Sin Kee, where this, all the previous pictures in this post were taken.

Chili's Triple Play: Wings over Buffalo, Chicken Crispers and some random fried spring roll thing that I don't really like. I love the wings and the Chicken Crispers though. The wings are really sour and zesty and go very well with the subtly flavoured white dipping sauce that comes with it (I don't know what it is). The sauce sort of reduces the bite or the sourness of the chicken. Yum!

Chili's Chicken Crispers: The sauce that accompanies the Chicken Crispers is deliciously sweet and tangy. It's supposed to be honey mustard sauce but it sure ain't like any honey mustard sauce I've had anywhere else. The battered chicken is never dry and the batter is tasty and thick but not sickeningly so. It actually comes with fries but I always ask them to substitute the fries for mashed potatoes because they have the best mashed potatoes and sauce (sinfully rich and creamy!) that I've ever had anywhere.

Damn! The keyboard just shortcircuited from all the drool...