Sambal Kerang

A long day at work, and reading that nasi lemak post by thenormadgourmand, I brave thru the traffic, did a quick shopping and attempt nasi lemak and sambal kerang.

Nasi Lemak

About 150ml of coconut cream/milk with a knot of screwpine leaves and a thumb size ginger with a pinch of salt. Cook as usual with your rice cooker.

Sambal Kerang

About a kilo of cockles boiled, and peeled off the shells. Pound some ginger, garlic, and add in chilly paste. Heat up wok and saute the ginger and garlic paste. Add in lemon grass and the chilly paste. Salt, sugar and onion rings with few slice of assam keping.  Add in the cockles and adjust the taste accordingly. Don’t cook too long as the cockles would get too rubbery. 

I decided to go old school and pack it with plastic and newspapers. It was pure fun !

At the same time, making the sambal is not difficult but tedious. Peeling the cockles, pounding the paste, making hard boiled eggs and etc.

 

The gatecrasher MayYee got lucky to be fed and the returning from Ghana, Annette got the royal supper. Bless the nasi lemak.

Chai Boey

Just got back from a week-long business trip from China and gosh, it was pretty difficult without facebook and blogspot. In case you don’t know, China blocks these sites. Sigh.

After a week long of bland tasting Chinese food, I’m craving for something strong and exciting tasting.

Chai Boey

I make stock using chicken + dried squids + dried oysters + onion + ginger + garlic. Chai Boey is great with leftovers of roast pork/chicken/duck/etc but since I don’t have any, I brown some pork ribs and shoulder cuts that simply marinated with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. After that it in the stock I prepared earlier and add in the mustard greens, mushrooms, tamarind and dried chillies. Salt and pepper to taste. And adjust the acidity and the spiciness to your preference.

 

Stir Fry Siew Pak Choy

A simple stir fry siew pak choy with oyster sauce and crispy dried prawns.

 

Ginger, spring onions prawns

Saute ginger then garlic, then add in the prawns. Add in soy sauce, salt and pepper and some water, then spring onions. When the prawns are fresh, the sauce would taste good by itself. It’s really a simple dish.

So, here’s my Sunday dinner.

BURP !

Pusat Penjaja Air Panas, Setapak

One of my very first food hunting adventure.  Been getting raving reviews about this ‘dai chow’ in Air Panas, Setapak.

Pretty hot day, hot crowd and smokin hot kitchen.

The trademark, you won’t miss the stall where they hang Hennesy boxes around.

Spicy, crunchy and goes great with anything. Must have more of this on my next visit.

 

The ginseng red dates tea. Definitely a great thirst quencher. And lunch is served;

Hmm…I will be going back again.

Soon.

 

p/s: Next stop, China for a week.

Salted Fish Curry

Something you don’t find it everywhere, is this salted fish curry. It’s pretty simple and it’s full of great flavours. So I had flabby Nick to join the dinner and I have; salted fish curry, stir fry spinach with lentils, acar and some leftover hamchoy soup.

 

 Salted fish curry

3 portion of salted fish bones (ikan kurau)

1 portion of  salted fish (meat chunks)

4 onions

2 tablespoonful of garlic and ginger pounded to paste

A dash of mustard seeds

Fish curry mix

Egg plant & ladies finger

 

Saute the garlic & ginger paste with the mustard seeds, then add onions. Once it brown a little, add in the curry paste. Let it simmer then add in the salted fish. Add two bowls of water and let it simmer on low heat for the next 45 mins. Add in the egg plants and the ladies fingers.

 

 

Simple acar

Half a pineapple

1 Carrots

2 Cucumber

4 Chillies

1 Onion

Vinegar, salt, pepper & sugar.

A handful of mint leaves

 

Julienne everything and toss it with the sauce. Keep it in the fridge.

 

Stir fry spinach with lentils

A bunch of spinach

A handful of lentlils (soak in water for about an hour)

2 Dry chillies

1 tablespoon of garlic & ginger paste

Fry the dry chillies then add in the garlic & ginger paste. Then add in the lentils and keep frying on low heat till everything is soft. Then add in the greens and salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover charchoy soup

A simple leftover soup using charchoy and old chicken.

I must be mad for cooking so much for a Wednesday dinner.

 

p/s: dear Sandy (my colleague), Yes I am saving some curry for you and will bring it to the office tomorrow. Don’t worry I didn’t put lizards in it.

There was a time.

Breaking away from the usual cooking and food post. I met some friends and got reminded one of the best times in my life.

It was about 8-9 years ago. I was between college and university and decided to work a lil to get some money.

So being in my early twenties, I took up this table waiting job, in a cafe right opposite Hock Choon Supermarket and a stone throw away from my aunt house.

So I take orders, send the food, clean the tables, make coffee and all that. And I get to spend time helping the cook to prepare the ingredients for the next meal. So one day, the grumpy-owner had a big fight with the cook and she immediately pack her stuffs and walk off.

So, no cook and guess who step up to fill in. Me.

I still remember the stares and the laughter from my other fellow table-waiting colleagues.

“I can cook mrs. Kwek” I repeat myself.

So the next morning and for the rest of the 8 months, I was the cook until I had to stop working and go back to uni.

That 8 months passes so quickly as I was counting moments of planning the menu for the cafe, making shopping list, and adding twist to the usual menu.

And I remember the compliments from the lunch crowds. It’s an embassy area, where dine-customers are mainly foreigners and they do ask for the chef whenever they tasted something they like.

There was a time, where life is good.

p/s: nice meeting with you guys,  thenomadgourmand & UnkaLeong.