Long Weekend

And so with the Hari Raya holidays making it a long weekend, my parents make their way to visit me, and went for their shopping spree as well. Coming over to the Klang Valley during Hari Raya holidays seems like a yearly affair since they always like the city without its usual bustling crowd and traffic. And when they are in town for visits, I get goodies. Kampung goodies.

So mum brought me two chickens and a basketful of dokong.

Knowing how I like things certain way, mum get the chicken cleaned, chopped up and froze in containers. All sealed in a polystyrene box all the way from Kelantan. And unlike the usual chicken you get from the supermarket, I know mum has definitely chose the best and the freshest of all.

Fresh ingredients make a huge difference even with the simplest way of cooking it. So I thaw the chicken, and prepared a simple sauce for steaming.

 

Steamed Chicken with dong quai

1 chicken (cut and cleaned)

3 slices of dong guai (adjust to your preference, more if you like it more ‘herby’)

Sauce mix (a tablespoon of soy sauce, a dash of black pepper, a dash of sesame oil, a tablespoon of Shaoxing wine and two to three tablespoon of water)

A few slices of ginger

A teeny bit of garlic (a clove, chopped up)

The garlic and ginger on the base of a heat proof place, then arrange the chicken on it. Pour the sauce mix over and slot in the dong guai slices evenly. Steamed for about 20 minutes or till the chicken is tender.

 

 

And like all meals, balanced it with vegetables.

I call this,

Cabbage crunchies

200gms of cabbage, sliced

100gms of carrots, sliced

A handful of wood ear fungus, sliced

A teaspoon of dried shrimps

A teaspoon of chopped garlic

A few slices of ginger

In a hot wok, fry the ginger, and the dried shrimps with a mix of sesame and cooking oil. Add in the garlic and fry ‘em till it's sweet smelling. Then add in carrots and the wood ear fungus. Add in teaspoon oyster sauce, then put in the cabbage. Stir fry till its soft, then add in a dash of soy sauce, nampla and pepper. Plate it.

A simple dinner with awesome kampung goodness. Yumz.

Buka Puasa charity dinner

Not something that I would usually post up but I joined monkey & “fairy God mother” at a recent buka puasa dinner, hosted by the Empire Shopping Gallery. With 25 orphans from the Rumah Amal Kasih Bestari, this is the first social responsibility effort by the Empire Shopping Gallery which opened just a few months ago in Subang. It has shone as a one-stop neighbourhood mall that provides for all the needs of the surrounding area, in fashion, food, fitness, beauty, leisure and education.

So without further adieu, I help myself with Kelantanese food by Belanga.

A simple and tasty East Cost delights, there’s Rendang Daging, Ikan Tongkol Masak Lemak, and Nasi Dagang. There is something about buka puasa ‘ramai – ramai’ , where everyone sits together and wait till the time to break fast. And especially for the children, a tinge of excitement and shyness didn’t deter them from having fun.

It was time for giving, in the big-hearted spirit of Raya. The Empire Shopping Gallery management had RM10,000 to present to Rumah Amal Bestari which is located in Kampung Melayu Subang. Ustaz Johari B. Maksom, who runs the home, accepted the cheque from Danny J.Y. Cheah, group executive director of Mammoth Empire Holdings, Yap Chiew Lee, director of Mammoth Empire Project Management Sdn Bhd and May Woo, general manager of Empire Shopping Gallery.

Selamat Hari Raya !!