Arrival in Penang "The Pearl of Orient"

16.02.2011 @ Penang. Arrival in Penang at 7:15pm, taxi rm44.90 to cititel penang hotel. from airport to george town is only 20mins near. check in hotel. to cititel surroundings area jalan penang. walk to upper road penang back to penang road dinner at Sup Hameed (M) sdn. bhd just located at the next block of cititel penang hotel. the "soup kambing" cannot be missed.!! so good to have a bowl of hot and rich soup kambing and a plate of nasi kandar! the restaurant has a variety of stalls, and next to soup kambing stall, they are the Nasi Kandar, Pasembur, the fruit rojak stall, roti canai and fried noodle stalls. the soup kambing is the best! thumbs up!

After a good dinner, we proceed to the opposite side of Penang Road to Red Garden, Red Garden is a huge food court with Penang food and some other foreign food the Thai, filipinos & western food cater to all tourists need. the place where u can find no other than foreign tourists on every table, with live music enntertainment along the way, people were enjoying drinking and smoking! people like us with a baby is a little not suitable to be around..however, we had a quick fried osyters & chee cheong fun.

Thai Stir-fried Chicken with Cashewnuts

Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts @ kai phat met mmuang himmapaan, another simple Thai dish that anyone can cook. just need so little ingredients to prepare and there you have it a simple Thai dish to enjoy.


INGREDIENTS
300gm chicken breast, sliced thinly
1/2 cup fried cashew nuts
4 pcs dried chili, soaked into hot water
1 bird eye chili, sliced
1 onion, sliced
cut spring onion
3 garlic, chopped
fresh coriander for garnishing

SEASONING
salt & pepper
chicken stock granules
fish sauce
dark soya sauce


METHOD
* Heat up oil in wok, saute chopped garlic over medium heat until fragrant. add in sliced chicken and cook until done.
* Add in onion and dried chili to mix well. add in seasoning to taste. Lastly add in cashew nuts mix well, turn off fire and add in spring onion & bird eye chili. Dish up and garnish with fresh coriander.

Happy Cooking!!

Clear Fish Head Soup with Sweet Basil

This soup is one of our family favourite's dish. When i see fish head at home, sure this will my mom cooks. Never that i will get bore with it. The soup is so refreshing, with alot of ginger and sweet basil. It is the simplest soup to prepare.


INGREDIENTS
Half Red snapper fish head/ any big fish head
alot of fresh gingers
a handful sweet basil
5 garlic clove finely chopped
boiling water

SEASONING
salt & pepper
chicken stock granules


METHOD
* Clean fish head and cut into pieces, put aside.
* Clean ginger, skin off and flatten with a cleaver, chopped garlic finely and set aside. clean sweet basil.
* Heat up oil in wok, saute chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant. add in fish head to mix well. Add in hot water, close lid for 5 minutes and add in salt, pepper, & chicken granules to taste and add in sweet basil and close lid for another 5 minutes or until its done when sweet basil turns a little dark green and clear soup become white in color.

Note : if you prefer not to over cooked the sweet basil, add it in 3 minutes before serve.

Happy Cooking!!

Lunch @ Pondok Sari Wangi Rest, Brunei

11.04.2011 @ Pondok Sari Wangi Indonesia Restaurant, Gadong. Brunei. Another wonderful lunch indulgence. We love Indonesia food, the food that never disappoint us at Pondok sari wangi! being there, we just enjoy the food so much, the service, the environment, our baby love it too! :) and its a pleasant surprise to meet the humble & friendly Ridwan, owner of the restaurant from facebook to reality in person. Anyway, the food was superb, we had quite a lot for lunch this time. well, can't resist to try them all anyway. I wanting to try the Lumpia Prawns, but according to the waiter it wasn't avaiable, so we continue other orders.

We had the most desirable one the Gado-Gado, which is a dish to DIE FOR! Gado-Gado is an Indonesian dish comprising a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing, it can categorize as salad, appetizer or starter. Gado-Gado only available during lunch hours at Pondok Sari wangi. It could sold out so quickly that you just have to be lucky to get one during late lunch hour. My husband always say to me, Pondok Sari wangi has the BEST Gado-Gado in town, and i agree with him 100%.

I wouldn't miss the Daging Iga Penyet Pondok sari wangi, this is my favourite one of all. It is another sumptuous dish, its the Beef short rib marinated in special sauce and grill to perfection topped with kremes. The beef rib wasn't over done and it was tendered, tasty with the sweetness of the meat, overall taste just love it, you can only tell the beauty of its own when you taste it yourself. Move on we ordered the Butter Fish & cereal squid, its an Asean style of cooking. They are forever delicious! both dishes have that kind of distinctive aroma that you just couldn't get your hands off the plate until you finish them all :) yummy!

While we eating along the way....Ridwan appears, both we and him are so delightful to meet again. Thank you to Ridwan for always keep our baby deedat company. before we even finish all our dishes on the table, Ridwan has order me the Lumpia Prawns as i told him the incident. I was so amazed with his prompt action to get it done for me. so impressive with the care towards his customer. what a hospitality guy!! this is what the food & beverage industrial are lacking of in Brunei!! a person like him! he deserve the compliment. the Lumpia Prawn was good! unfortunately no picture taken from my hubby " low batt camera "....

Finally down with a bowl of lamb soup specially just for us from Ridwan....The soup was so so good! my husband had it all by himself. gosh.......we really had so much food for lunch on that day and we really enjoy every single bit. Thanks Ridwan@Pondok Sari Wangi. We will sure be back for more.

Address : Pondok Sari Wangi Restaurant, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Blk.A No.12 Abdul Razak Complex Gadong Tel: 673 2445043
Open Daily : 9am - 10pm

Deedat 1 Year Old Birthday 10.02.2011

10.02.2011 @ Home Brunei. Baby Deedat has hit the 1-year mark: Happy birthday! Many view the first birthday as the toddler turning point. Others consider their baby a toddler as soon as he starts walking – or, as the case may be, taking his first tentative steps. However and whenever he crosses the line into toddlerhood, it's a bittersweet transition – I miss my little baby.

Deedat celebrating with a beautiful Empire Cheese Cake from daddy and a homemade Nasi tumpeng from mummy. A Milestone achievement for deedat to celebrate. Love you my boy.

Deedat Birthday Bath :)

10.02.2011 @ home brunei, deedat with his father, after bath not yet pakai baju, playing with his beloved tooth brush! :) ready for his 1 year old cake & dinner. Happy 1 Year Old my boy. Mummy Love U!

Eat All You Can Mexican Food - Brunei.

20.04.2011 @ Grazie Mauri Italian Restaurant, Gadong, Brunei. Mexican Food promotion Eat All You Can at just $14.00 per person. Very interesting as we have never really have a good Mexican food before. so we give it a go. It was our very first time here at Grazie Mauri Italian Restaurant, a cozy restaurant, located at the venue used to be a japanese restaurant SUSHI TEI.

We were at the restaurant dinner time, place was half full of diners, loud noise and laughters. I like the friendly waiter & waitresses. So we had Eat All You can for 2 persons, my hubby ordered the Tacos, Nachos, Platano Frito, chili Con Carne, Burritos, Guacamole & Quesadillas for a start. Thought all in a small portion, but its quite a large one. so its enough for us as we thought we could order more after this around. The food was good, I love especially the homemade Nachos chips. they are real good, i don't mind to eat that alone by myself... :) . However, we eat them all, no wastage too. but....oppss...couldn't go for 2nd round anymore and get some desserts but we are so fulled. overall good experience and good food. There are plenty of food to try other than the promotion items like the famous pasta and pizza. so who haven't heard about this place or the food, go and try yourself. I am sure the food and service will satisfy you and your family.

we have a wonderful dinner.

Address : Unit 3, Block A, Abdul Razak Complex, Gadong. (previously Sushi Tei’s)
Tel: 2447471
Open daily : 10am - 10pm

Tabebuia Rosea Blossom, Brunei

20.04.2011 @ Armada Executive Housing Rimba, Kg. Rimba, Brunei. Now.....who says only Japan & Korea have blossoms during spring?! In Brunei or Malaysia have too! I'm sure many of us very familiar with this beautiful cherry blossoms alike plants all over highway, housing areas or some commercial area. Yes this is the tropical version of Cherry tree, it is the " Tabebuia Rosea ".

This tree only blooms once a year. love this tree when it blooms, waiting all the leaf to fall and there we have it, a beautiful cherry blossom tree alike. I am very lucky to see this everyday just right in front of our apartment master bedroom window & another tree just near our guestroom . this tree planted around the housing area where we stayed. now it is the blossom season ( spring time now in other 4 seasons countries ), all trees are about to fully blooms. can't get my camera off the tree everytime i see them. so charming and beautiful.

The blossom comes in various color, but here we only have the pink one. there are yellow, purple and white color. White color can be found along jalan Istana high way, and pink ones just along the high way to the Airport...how beautiful when all blooms. can't wait to see them all in colors.

Chicken Belado with Petai

INGREDIENTS
Half a chicken ( without wing & thigh )
Handful of fresh Indonesia Petai
5 pcs candlenuts
salt
sugar
chicken stock granules
water

MARINADE CHICKEN
salt
coarse pepper

SPICES
5 garlic
4 shallot
4 fresh eye bird chili
2 chili padi

METHOD OF COOKING
* clean chicken and cut into thumb size pcs and marinade with salt & pepper.
* pound candle nuts and put aside.
* clean all spices & chop all spices finely with a blender, put aside.
* Heat wok with oil, deepfried chicken till golden brown / cooked, dish up & drain, keep aside.
* Heat wok with 5tbsp sunflower oil, put in blended spices stir till aromatic & add in pound candlenuts, mix wel, add some water about 3-4 tbsp of water, add in salt, sugar and chicken stock granules to taste.
* After all spices become aromatic and mix well, add in cooked chicken and petai stir and mix well. taste again and add some salt, sugar & chicken stock granules to taste for the last time. dish up and serve hot with rice.

Happy Cooking!!

Thai Pandan Chicken

INGREDIENTS
Half a chicken
few pcs of Pandan Leaf
tooth pick( bamboo stick )
oil for deep-frying

MARINADE:
4 garlic finely chopped
thumb size ginger, finely chopped
salt & pepper dash
chicken powder dash
1tbsp dark soya sauce
2tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp coriander seed/powder
dash of fish sauce
1tsp pandan paste
40g coconut milk

METHOD
* clean chicken, cut into pcs with bones.
* mixed chicken with marinade for 3 hours.
* Wrap chicken pieces with pandan leaf and secure with bamboo stick/tooth pick.
* Heat up oil for deep-frying. Make sure deep-frying chicken with high heat. Once oil is hot enough, reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to place the chicken in the oil. If the oil splatters or "pops", try reducing the heat or adding a little sea salt to the oil. deep-fried till golden brown, dish and drain. served hot with rice.

Happy Cooking!!