Japanese Cuisine Exploration ::: Japanese Chicken & Prawn Curry Don

Being away from Malaysia with one & only the following restaurant Sakura that can be locate in Mauritius.

i brought over some Japanese ingredients where i made this meal twice in my long holiday trip to take care of dear there...

Ingredients:
2 scoops of Japanese Rice
Water
Japanese Bread Crumbs
Japanese Flour for Tempura
2 Eggs
2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
4 slices of Boneless Chicken
100g of Prawns
2 boxes of Japanese Pre-Cooked Curry (definitely the BEST of all brands)
Cooking Oil


Method:
Japanese Rice
1. Place rice in a bowl & rinse it twice.
2. Pour the rice in the rice cooker add water in until it's 1cm which can be test with your finger :)
3. Let it cook while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Fried Breaded Chicken and Tempura
1. Wash chicken and prawn dry them with kitchen tissue.
2. Beat eggs with lemon juice.
3. Pour bread crumbs and tempura flour each on separated plates.
4. Pour Oil in Frying Pan and heat. Oil is ready to be use for frying when bubbles form around your wooden chopstick when you're testing it.
5. Take a slice of boneless chicken and deep it into the egg mixture, hold a moment and let the excess mixture drip then place it on the breadcrumbs and press slightly turn sides and dust the sides if needed.
6. Place chicken in to deep fry! Take it out and place to cool when it turns golden brown~
7. Repeat this for the Prawns too.

Japanese Curry
1. Open and put the Japanese Curry in a small pot
2. Heat it up till it boils.
3. Let it simmer for 5mins.
4. Pour Directly on top of the nicely arrange Chicken with Prawns that is on top of the rice.
5. Serve when it's ~HOT~

**need to apologize that i dunno how to read Japanese nor i can write... >.<>

Click here for our blog page Cooking Classes for more recipes. Hope you will be inspired~

Niniq Bistro & Bakery @ Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru

The word of mouth played a strong attraction for me to head to Niniq's Bistro & Bakery. My family said that this cafe is open by one of my hometown Holylight church member, their foods, cakes and breads are fantastic.

Walking into this simple yet elegant decorated Bistro, along with the soothing sound of music, additionally the friendly waitress & waiter all greets you "welcome!" with their smiles is a twist to JB's restaurants standards.

This tea time trip with my family motive is to taste their cakes & drinks!

Marble Cheese Cake @ MYR6.80 - was nothing special but an average nicely well Chill Cheese Cake that can be purchase at any decent bakery.


Tiramisu @ MYR6.20 - surprisingly I declare in my search of the best bakery and cafe that can produce awesome Tiramisu, this is one of the best i tried comparison to Secret Recipe (I call it normal coffee cake), Starbuck (extreme fail), and Coffee Bean (way down the average standard). The presentation is a luring and it doesn't taste rich, and it doesn't stay in your mouth long enough to become cloying. However, it is lack of Coffee Rum & probably Cheesy feeling...

Azuki Bean & Matcha Mousse MYR4.80 - If you looking for a dreamy cake when you walk into this cafe. Do try this! The Sponge cake inside is similar to some cake shops green tea cake. But, this they use and have enough share of Azuki Bean (well known as Japanese Bean Paste) enough to blend well with the green tea sponge cake, match mousse and the dry coconut shavings that is coated all over. It's something different that I would definitely recommend.

Let's now focus on the drinks they serve there.. Pretty disappointing since this is suppose to be a Bistro where walk in customers to sit back enjoy their drink and actually snack on this bakery cakes and breads.


Iced Caramel Coffee MYR8.80 - cafes that actually have many different types of coffees would have at least a decent Iced Coffee. This is particularly lack of coffee & caramel taste, along with too much milk which over power it.

Iced Caramel Latte MYR8.80 - Latte in the Italian form means "coffee and milk". This glass of "Latte" is no difference from the Ice Caramel Coffee, only they added a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Jasmine Rose Tea MYR7.80 - this however, is special, the amount of tea leaves and flowers are just right! With slight disappointment from the coffee I shared some tea with my family and we had went for 4 refills and impressed that the flavor only gets slightly mild.


Overall, this is a nice place to sit back, relax, read newspaper (available there), and enjoy! Bill come up to MYR47.55 for 3 persons tea-time.

Will be heading back to test their food soon......

Special note they also do Catering which might be pricey! :)

<>

65, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi,
Johor Bahru
Johor
607-333 4800

Mon - Sat:11:00 am-10:00 pm
Click here for their website!

Veda - Indian Fine Dining at InterContinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort

Today we travel back to Mauritius! Had this meal a month ago, so I'd better blog about it before I forget how everything tastes like. Anyways we travel back to the InterContinental Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort, and to its' Indian restaurant named Veda.

Initial reservations are that it's a bit oddly located, being "away" from the rest of the resort, and that there is an irritating mosquito presence (maybe due to the thick surrounding foliage). Perhaps the restaurant could do with some discreetly placed mosquito repellent devices, although I don't know how effective those are in an outdoor environment.


Some of the tables are absolutely gorgeous, but unfortunately for us, these are for the honeymoon-ing couples in the resort. A quick word with the waiter and he tells me that he can set it up for anyone who asks in advance, too.


As a starter - papadums with onions, some sort of curry, and a third dip which I've forgotten, haha. These are THE BEST papadums I've ever eaten. Thin, crispy, fragrant and not a single hint of oiliness.


The amuse-bouche however is a bit ... disappointing. Wikipedia tells me that the amuse-bouche is supposed to be "a showcase for the artistry and showmanship of the chef as well as one-upmanship among restaurants," for which this particular dish has failed miserably. I can only describe this as a bite-sized plain roti prata with some mixed greens. And yes, it tasted as plain as it sounds.


No matter - the appetizers quickly restore our faith in the restaurant. We're on the set dinner - for which I choose the Chicken Tikka. Tender and moist and cooked to perfection with delicious Indian spices. I wouldn't mind eating multiple servings of this appetizer as a main course.


The darling goes for the Fish Mahi Tikka. It's similarly deliciously spiced - but a bit of an oddity we noticed was that one of the fish fillets was nice and tender, but the other was a bit tough and firm. Two fillets from two different fish?


The appetizers are followed by a cold soup. Don't remember what soup this was (the menu only says Chef's Specialty of the day). I do remember that it was spicy and tangy and had a hint of mango and banana, but overall I guess I greatly prefer my soups hot, and not cold.


On to the mains, then! This is the Khaibri Gosht (Lamb Shank Cooked in Milk). Delicious. The cooking style is aromatic and decidedly Indian, without overpowering the taste of the meat. Which, incidentally, was nice and tender.


These are eaten with a selection of chapatis and naans, which were a bit crispier and less thick than the naans that you normally get in KL.


Being quite stuffed, we still have to make room for dessert - Shahi Tukra (bread with condensed milk and nuts), served with Pistachio ice cream. I like the dessert, other than the fact that it's very sweet (as are practically all indian desserts and sweets).


Oh, there's also live entertainment in the form of a Sitar group. I can't comment about how authentic or good the group was, of course, but the music was nice and not intrusive.


Overall, it was a wonderful dinner, with delicious food, great ambience and good service. No prices available as the set dinner was part of our room package.

Side Dish Exploration ::: Mash Potatoes with Bacon bits

Being mash potatoes lovers wherever we go ''mash potatoes as side please~''

On 28 Nov 2010, after our relaxation afternoon at Belle Mare beach in Mauritius, being unable to decide where to head to for dinner, we went home to make made Baked BBQ Honey Chicken Wings, & Garlic Bread to go with instant mushroom soup. Not forgetting our carbohydrates, we made mash potatoes with bacon bits!

Ingredients:::
200g washed potatoes
1/4 tablespoon Salt
10g butter
35g hot milk
Salt to taste
A dash of pepper
Bacon bits

1. Put potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them. Add 1/4 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Test by poking it with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes and put aside to cool for a bit before peeling the potatoes.
3. Place all the peeled potatoes in a flat pan. Add butter, hot milk and mash the potatoes over low heat until a smooth texture is achieved. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Dish out and serve with bacon bits.

The Reason we actually used bacon bits to make our mash potato dish special is because we both are crazy about Bacon!!! :)

Click here for our blog page Cooking Classes for more recipes. Hope you will be inspired~

Deep-Fry Exploration ::: Home made 油炸鬼 You Zha Gui / Deep Fried Twisted Dough Sticks

After darling's delicious Beer Roast Chicken night that we had with Pauline & Ivan, who dropped by to share the joy, the leftover meat at the flavourful chicken bones, are put to good use to cook chicken porridge (recipe to be posted soon...). However, being far far away from home in Mauritius, we really didn't seems to see there are You Zha Gui or also known as You Tiao; in funny english name it could be call Deep-Fried Devils actual description would be Deep Fried Twisted Dough Sticks. Porridge without it would actually be lack of flavour.

Everyone also knows that each You Zha Gui/You Tiao nowadays can cost from RM0.70 to RM1.20 depending on the place and stall you purchase from! It’s easy to make & also extremely low cost. Not forgetting there are rumours that the stall would deep fry again & again with the same oil all day and just add fresh new oil if the oil is running low which would be actually unhealthy, with this it would better to have your own HOMEMADE You Zha Gui/You Tiao.

Here is what you need to prepare, it only cost a few dollars but you can make tons of it!

Ingredients::::

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3.5 teaspoons Salt

1.25 cup water (Room Temperature)

Oil for deep frying

1. Mix all-purpose flour, baking soda & baking powder. Sieve them together into a mixing bowl to have fewer lumps when knead later.

2. Add Salt into the water & stir it until it dissolve.

3. Pour the salt water into the mixing bowl and knead the dough until it become elastic, should be firm enough to handle, and no lumps. If the dough is too wet & soft, add more flour. The kneading need not take longer then 2 or 3 mins.

4. Transfer the dough into a new bowl covered with a cold wet towel and let it sit for at least 4hours to up to 8hours at room temperature.

5. Prepare a wok of medium heated oil.

6. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface best is near the stove. Scoop out some dough and rollout into 4 inches rectangular shape.

7. Use a back of a knife/cleaver to cut the dough into 1 inch wide strip.

8. Place 2 strips together, press down at the middle of the dough with a chopstick.

9. Slightly stretch the dough before dropping it into hot oil.

10. Deep fry till the You Zha Gui/You Tiao turns puffy and golden in colour.

11. Repeat step 6 to 10 with remaining strips.

Suggestion to place You Zha Gui/You Tiao on a paper to absorb the oil while it sits there to rest & cool.

It can be eaten by itself, or with all these suggestions that i have been eating since young~ milo, coffee, soya bean, and porridge!

Click here for our blog page Breakfast, Desserts, & Snacks Ideas for more recipes. Hope you will be inspired~

ABC (Air Batu Campur) @ PJ SS2 Medan Selera

This is my very first post on food-blog post to introduce you guys to some places that i have actually went to since dear is at his work trip at Nairobi, Kenya. There are more to come soon from both of us so keep clicking, research here before you set your gathering with friends and check our reviews to have more confidence in where you're heading to. :)

In search for a different version of Air Batu Campur (ABC)?

It's time for you to actually head to SS2 Medan Selera Stall 28 and try this version! Amazingly, my whole family loves it and also my uncle & aunties will pop by frequently if we're in a mood for some after-dinner ABC. It's worth trying it as your dessert if you're there for your meals.

This amazing bowl of Air Batu Campur, without fail the consistency of ice and syrups is just right. It consists of a mountain of snow ice with coconut milk, evaporated milk, gula melaka, along with generous toppings of red bean, cendol, cincau, corn, jellies & peanuts. These treasures lying above the mountain of snow ice blends pretty well together to quench your thirst & solve your semi-sweet tooth.

You're also able to get different fresh fruit juices and soya bean drink from this stall.

Each bowl cost MYR2.50

Lobster Lobster Lobsterman! Cheap Lobster restaurant in SS2

Here are three quick facts about Lobsters that I bet you didn't know:

1. Not all lobsters have claws.
There are two kinds of lobsters, and these are commonly referred to as "clawed" lobsters and "spiny" lobsters. Spiny lobsters do not have claws, but instead have long, strong antennae.

2. Lobsters can live a long time.
Lobsters are long-lived animals, and are thought to be capable of living over 100 years.

3. Lobsters can grow to over 3 feet.
The largest American lobster was caught off of Nova Scotia, and weighed 44 pounds, 6 ounces and was 3 feet, 6 inches long.

No, I didn't research that myself - I just copied it from this website :P. So this blog is also educational! Ha ha.

Back to the food, though - mum strongly hinted that she wanted lobster to celebrate her 55th birthday, so here we are in Lobsterman in SS2.


Caesar Salad for the whole family to share. Nothing much to say, I mean ... it's a salad ... and is eaten for health, rather than taste, purposes.


Anyway, we have a 'family set,' which feeds four - it comes with 4 soups of the day, and your choice of a dozen mussels or escargots, which are pictured below:


The family set comes with a sizeable mixed grill platter. The chicken chop and the vegetables are standard fare. The lamb shank and the steak, however, are absolutely delicious. Perhaps a tad bit on the salty side, but forgiveable considering that people come here for the lobster, not the meat :)


If you're a lobster virgin, fear not! As the restaurant provides a nice laminated card with 7-step instructions as to how to eat your lobster.


And finally the stars of the evening - this is the Lobster Thermidor. It's pretty good!


We also add on another lobster - this one is the Lobster Yee Mien. Probably can't tell from this picture, but there's a HUGE amount of noodles - way too much for us to finish. I find myself enjoying this dish more. Possibly because the head chef in Lobsterman is from Hong Kong.


Just as a side note, I very much like the way you order your lobster here in Lobsterman. At most other places, you choose your lobster and then get a heart attack when you get the bill after realizing it was much heavier than it looks. But in lobsterman, you specify what weight (and price) of lobster you want, and then they'll choose one and cook it. Thumbs-up.

Anyway, just to round up the night, the family set meal also comes with four small mixed fruits cups.


Overall we're extremely satisfied with the meal. Bill for the night came up to slightly over MYR450, which in my opinion is very very reasonable for a lobster dinner for a family of seven.

The Lobsterman is at no. 53, Jalan SS 2/30, 47300 PJ.

Sandwiches Exploration ::: KFC Chicken Sandwich

Running out of ideas for a extreme simple meal? Are there times where you dun know what to have for breakfast or pack meals you can make to bring to office for a busy day? Wondering what to do with the leftover KFC Chicken?

Here is something that is extremely simple to make. Back in Mauritius, actually dear was like super into KFC!!! When we line up we both was extremely hungry so we actually ordered our takeaway way too much, we actually tried our best to finish but can't eat the other leftovers of the Crispy chicken Strips.

This is where a crazy idea comes to me... To have KFC Chicken Sandwich for breakfast!

Preparations:::
4 slices of Wholemeal Bread (chosen since it is healthier!)
Mayonnaise
2 Kraft Cheese
4 slices of Chicken Strips sliced 5mm thick
Tomato Sauce

Sandwich making steps:::
1. Spread Mayonnaise on the Wholemeal Bread.
2. Place a slice of cheese!
3. Arrange the sliced Chicken Strips on top.
4. Since i like my sandwich to be styled, Draw strips of tomato sauce on top.

Waalaaa~ It's done.

From this picture you can see that it's an open sandwich without another bread on top. Haha! It's up to your creativity and depending if you would like to have more bread for a more full meal. However, I would suggest to add some lettuce and probably some tomatoes on top of the following steps for a more healthy diet and sandwich it with another slice of wholemeal bread.

Look out for more sandwich explorations coming up soon!

Click here for our blog page Breakfast, Desserts, & Snacks Ideas for more recipes. Hope you will be inspired~

Tenji Japanese Buffet - Solaris Mont Kiara

This is probably historically inaccurate, but I think Japanese buffets really started to get popular when Jogoya burst onto the scene. Not too hard to understand why, of course - what's not to love about unlimited oysters, sushi, sashimi, steamed cod, tons of varieties of cooked food, and to finish off with desserts that included Häagen Dazs ice cream?

Sadly Jogoya's food quality just went downhill, and for quite a while I haven't bothered wasting my time and money even when they have their 50% off promotions (in collaboration with SCB's credit cards).

Anyway, a couple of years ago, Tenji opened its' doors to the public, sometime in December 2008. It's had some pretty good reviews, but for whatever reason I've never gotten round to trying it - until now!


First impressions are good - the place is very nicely decorated. Food choices are decent - mostly Japanese and Asian. Could use a little extra air-conditioning, though.


There's also a dim-sum corner, for which my only advice is avoid at all costs.


Tenji also uses a similar 'clip' concept as Jogoya, where certain dishes can be ordered by placing a clip with your table number into a small dish. In theory the chefs will then start to cook your dish. In practice, several dishes ordered this way arrived cold at our table.


Too bad the fish counter had no cod, I'd have sapu'ed lots of that. But having white pomfret not bad lah, hehe.


Designer teas that sit there brewing for so long that they're concentrated as heck. Guess we learned the hard way that we should've poured half from the pots and added hot water for the other half.


There's also quite a large variety of desserts, from cakes, cookies, and Häagen Dazs and Baskin Robbins ice creams.


So now that you've seen all the delicious pictures, I have to then tell you that Tenji kinda sucks. Don't get me wrong, the food isn't bad. But it isn't good, either. The sashimi was "meh," none of the dishes were particularly memorable or outstanding, and in fact a few of them (including most of the desserts) were just awful. For a non-discounted dinner price of MYR88++, I would much much much rather top up a few ringgit and go to a top Buffet place like Le Meridien's Latest Recipe or Shangri-La's Lemon Garden.

Having said that, Tenji is having an anniversary promotion for supper (9.30pm-midnight) at $$39.90++. At this price it's worth it, if only to go and whack as many oysters and scoops of ice cream as you can.