Balik Kampong Trip: Day One

Chinese New Year holidays,

I also took a chance to use it to go back to my hometown. I book ticket from AirAsia couple months before the price getting crazy, and let my Bangka-Belitung trip burn just because I need only choose one trip.

Time to go back home tho...

After birthday dinner, I take a trip to my hometown. A very early flight, I have to leave the house at 3:30am. Thanks to Mr for book the taxi for me.

The flight landed at 8:30 am, add in about 2 hPringlesxi back. It was raining and the road very bad. Well, all the road in Indonesia never good in my opinion. Add in flood and rain wash the tar away least the rocks and wet mud make the trip more like an offroad one.

Balik kampong is like love-hate relationship tome. Love the kampong food I ccouldn't find anywhere in Malaysia unless I visiting a friend who has a super thick Javanese culture in their family, hates the road, the heat, the humid, the dusts and mostly I hate the extra kilogram I earn from too much food.

Like what I've expected since the first day I've been non-stop eating food.

One of the worker's wife brought me this heaven food. We call it BUNTIL. A simple dishes made from young papaya leaves, softened in hot alkali water (mixed of boiled water and a bit of clean river mud) to remove the bitterness, 

Filled with mixed of seasoned grated young coconut and salted fish then shaped into tennis balls, tighten with bamboo strings, and boiled them in Indonesian style curry gravy (opor)

2nd dish just after I am able to breathing

LONTONG KUAH SAMBAL GODOG

In Kuala Lumpur lontong often enjoy it with sayur loder and spicy peanut sauces.

Sambal godog is similar with sayur loder except sambal godog is more simple, and spicier with extra pounded dried chilies for colour.

JAMU

A very common drink for Indonesian especially Javanese. Is a boiled of many leaves, grass and herbs to drink.

Our family's favourite jamu is sambiloto / hempedu bumi / Andrographys Paniculata,

Is a bushes plants with dare-you-to-drink-i-give-you-20-ringgit of shitty bitter taste of dark green liquid.

Since great grandmother (moyang) till me, we still randomly boil and make this concoction just to keep us healthy.

Science research been proven that this herbs is way too good for diabetic mellitus both to reduce the sugar and to heal their creepy wound just in three months

Malaria, dengue, aftersurgery, cancer,

Anythingw related to cleanse the toxic out of blood and cells regeneration.

But of course, for modern people with urban lifestyles what is this herbs compared to fancy chemical expensive medicine from hospital?

Drinking cheap liquid is not fancy at all..!!

But for me, I would rather spend my money for vacation than enrich chemical factory.

and....

Poor car,

I like you a lot tho

Smashed like pringles fuuuyyy :(

Food Panda Delivery: TGIF

Lazy weeknight is always become my daily fever. I always wish if I have an  Indonesian maid come every evening to cook a fresh, healthy Indonesian food or at least a catering service I can subscribe every month to deliver me a different meal each day.

Too bad we don't have, and I am such a bad meal planner. 

When I cook most of the time is always repeated menu.

Or if I try a new food to cook, most of the time it turns into disaster...

*sigh....

Order take away become our daily routine too, after we got no idea about what to get from the restaurant downstairs. But, how long you can stand eating Nandos, Dominos, and Indian..?

We were quite (suffer) until we found a good way to order a food from restaurants around.

Yeah, FOOD-PANDA-DOT-COM.

Just need to download the apps on the phone, sign-up, and order.

It will show the restaurant available for delivery around the area with charges as low as RM 4 for delivery.

Cheap right...!! Compared with ROOM-SERVICES-DOT-COM charges RM 15 for delivery.

Like tonight we order from TGIF... here to tapau food look alike:

our ta-pau container

All food came in wrapped in tin-foil,

My marvelous Beef Tacos

I LOVE TEX MEX

Fish and Chips

He said: I'm happy when I don't have to be your guinea pig of your cooking.. Ngeeeehhhh

Today, 31 years ago

Today, 31 years ago

I born into this world as a smelly grumpy baby...

Now I grow old and wrinkle

(And still don't dare to drive a car)

*it's a bit depressing when we can't complete our yearly checklist,

And times flying even faster but never turn back

Remember all the things I did in my thirties..

And thinking what I've could do better..

lesson..

lesson...

lesson..

we never grow young

Day Trip: Pulau Ketam via Port Klang

It was a boring weekend, we were totally got nothing to do and feel lazy to go to shopping malls.

We just randomly jump into KTM after breakfast and went to Pulau Ketam

Pulau Ketam (Ketam = Crab) is an island next to Port Klang,

Where people came here for fishing trip or just to eat seafood.

We took KTM Komuter from Putra to Pelabuhan Klang, for about 45 minutes

add in Fast Ferry from Port Klang to the island.

KTM nowadays, 

much much better than KTM used to be

Ferry Fare (RM 7/way)

Journey about 30 min

Pulau Ketam Sign 

Welcoming us

Pulau Ketam is a very small and It doesn't looks like an Island at all.

People live above the sea. They build their houses and road on top of piling sticks.

ON THE MUD

People here seems not to care about the cleanliness.

I can imagine billion Mosquito around the rubbish.

Sewage smells around the kampong too..

The seafood...

Fishing village should've had the freshest seafood ever,

but not here...

we bought beehoon seafood, which came out with 4 tiger prawn and couple slices fish.

The fish was fine, the prawn is spoiled.

Giving us bad tummy all the way back to KL.

The same dish in Mei Keng Fatt - Ampang, they will charge me RM 20 (with nicer taste)

Here they charge me RM 34

Overall,

Pulau Ketam is crappy

Seafood disappointing

Location dirty

Little Jakarta: Ayam Penyet

Little Jakarta
Ground Floor, Pearl International Hotel, Jalan Kelang Lama

Little Jakarta is just a small restaurant but I saw it always full with people.

The restaurant been there for couple years actually but I never really take my time to give it a try when I crave for Indonesian food. Instead I will take a long journey to Chow Kit area to get meatballs soup (bakso).

Ayam Penyet came together with smashed chicken, tempe, tofu, steamed  vegetables and sambal.

RM 9.90

The chicken is quite moist inside with ccrispy skins outside. Everything was perfect with nice tempeh and (smelly) cabbage which I have to transfer it to the next door.

I hate raw cabbages yes...

The sambal was perfect, not too hot and flavorful.

Ikan Joget is

 fried tilapia, with sambal and pickled carrot

RM 14.00

I amaze with the size of the fish,

Its totally worth the value of the food

They seseparated the meat from the bone before deep frying to create a dry-crispy- edible fish bone.

Hungry face

Yes we do

The food is totally worth compared with the money we spent.

I forgot to snap of the menu,

But they have a lot of Jakartanese, Sundanese and other Javanese food such as:

Soto ayam, rawon, gado-gado, siomay, es teler, es cincau, etc

We were very satisfied with the food. Everything

Especially the size, the amount, the taste

Overall the restaurant is great to give a try and to be a daily lunch destination.

Breakfast at Plan b: Getting Worse

It's been a while since the last time we had breakfast here after Plan B always says "Not Available" to any food we wants.

Once we sat, we want big breakfast, but they said: hash brown is finished

the next morning they said : no mushroom today

Maybe next they will say; we have anything but coffee or sugar

but after no idea about what we going to eat

But today we will give a try, who knows they have something we want to eat

It was still early, and the place still quiet.

I got my coffee nice piccolo latte (RM 8++)

And Mr Got his Long black (RM 8++)

The food here is getting worse

The breads are barely toasted

The eggs turn cold

And the mushroom was very, very raw

I am not sure what's gone wrong with the restaurant..

Stir Fried Kailan and Baby Corn

A colourful food is always nice to spread on top of white steam rice,

They are match each other.

The easiest way to colour up my plate is by making simple Chinese stir Fried when salad is totally tiresome my palate

Super simple side dish for lunch and dinner

IIngredients:

1 pack kailan, separate the leaves and stems

1 pack baby corn, slices

1 carrot, slices

1/2 Onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 chilli

1 tsp cooking oil

1/4 cup water

Salt, pepper

Heat up the pan, pour the cooking oil.

Sauted the onion until soft

Add in garlic and keep stir

Add in carrot and kailan's stems, water, corn, cover and cook until they soft.

Add in kailan leaves, salt and pepper. Cook for another two-three minutes.

Served with steam rice or on its own

Carb Load Month

We call it pamper... :)

Beginning of 2014
Life is full of colour day to day

Black, Brown and White

from The Red bean Bag

Nachos for breakfast (ko hado...?)

Chili Wrap and Omelette from The Red bean Bag

Mac and Three kinds of cheese from Ben's

The heartiest moment ever

Roasted Lamb from Changkat Bukit Bintang

Jumbo Yorkshire pudding 

Homemade sexy roasted chicken

Super sweet muffin

He said : I'm slightly worried about you darling

I said: Its OK... Its.. OK...

makan... makan... makan...

Noodle Soup : Can't Get Enough

any food that would never makes  you bored?

eat almost everyday...

yet still say yes when it served in front you..

Indonesia, 

Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur

Tennis Ball Bakso,

Chow Kit Kuala Lumpur

Thai Beef Noodle Soup,

The Social

Publika, Solaris Dutamas

Pho,

Imperial Hotel Vung Tau

Vietnam

Beef Ramen

KLCC

Pumpkin Cup Cake

Cake yang tak begitu menjadi

A not so successful cake

I had a pack of pumpkin has been sitting in the fridge for a couple days. We know that vegetable or fruits won't last long once the skins open and exposed to air.

With a very minimum sugars stocks (less than three spoons) and no real butter, 

I gamble trying to make pumpkin muffins.

Ingredient:

1 cup boiled / steamed pumpkin

1 cup self raising powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 stick butter

2 eggs (room temperature)

1/4 cup milk (room temperature)

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 cup sugar

peel, cut and steam pumpkin until soft

mix together with butter and sugar

I just mix it with spoon

in a dry-clean big bowl,

Shift all the dry ingredient 

(Flour, pinch of salts, baking powder, spices)

Mix flour and pumpkin,

Folded with wooden spoon

Add in eggs

If still too dry, add milk bit by bit

Until form a thick batter

pour in greased muffin tin

(I use disposable one)

bake 170C for about 30 min

(inserted dry toothpicks, and if it come dry and clean means the muffin done)

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or dry coconut

PS. DON'T FOLLOW MY RECIPE

IT STILL SOFT AND NICE BUT

THE CAKES DON'T WANT TO RISE

PLS FIND OTHER RELEVANT RECIPE :)

Chinese Egg Drop Soup

Super lazy Sunday afternoon,

I totally can't be bothered leaving the house to do grocery or exercise

I learn about egg drop soup when I was in the college many years ago. In a laboratory's group dinner in one 

of Chinese Restaurant. I was so amazed with the simple look and the ingredient of the soup, but it tastes so

satisfying.

I guess the simple-ness of the soup was the key to make it taste soo good, I can't imagine if they put too

much ingredient or herbs like oxtail soup, or Malaysian style sup tulang...  :)

Since then I am so addicted to the soup, I often made for myself or during study group because its so easy I can throw anything I found in the fridge (frozen veggie, sausages, meat, include any tasteless leftover such as brown rice and poached chicken), easy to feed the crowd too just need to add extra water and eggs.

Ingredient:

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup frozen  corn

1 carrot, julienne

1 egg

1 clove garlic, a bit ginger, salt and pepper

How to:

with 1 teaspoon sunflower oil, saute garlic and ginger to remove the "garlicy" smells,

pour in water (1 cup veggie ~ 2 cup water), leave it boil

throw in all the vegetable, and spring onion.

add in salts, pepper, and spring onion.

Lastly, cracked an egg in a bowl, mixed with fork.

Swirl the soup with a ladle, and pour the eggs bit by bit (keep stirring slowly)

here the soup looks like

transfer to a bowl and enjoy

easy, nice and filing 

:)

Cilok Kuah Kacang

It was a raining lonesome Saturday afternoon,

I couldn't make my ass move further to watch Malaysia Tourism day in Dataran Merdeka.

way too lazy

simple dumpling with peanut sauce

At home alone and got nothing to do, I suddenly remember about my childhood in Indonesia where I used to buy cilok, a simple dumpling made from flour, mince chicken or prawn, and pepper steamed and serve with spicy peanut sauce. 

In Indonesia cilok usually sell in a pushed cart on the road, something like this: 

and it was cost me Rp 50.00 per piece at that time (1995),

*MYR 1 ~ Rp 3,000.00

can you imagine how cheap it was..? :)

I borrow the pict from here , here and here

my Cilok can't shaped as round as the professional maker one

This fun finger food is very easy to make, the only skills need to have is a patient.

Ingredient:

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup minced chicken

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped spring onion

salt, pepper to taste

Mixed all the ingredient until form not so thick dough, if too thick add a bit of hot water.

Boil a lot of water in a pot

Shape the dough into balls with two spoons, drop in the boiling water.

Remove after the dumpling float around.

Served with either ketchup, chili sauces, dark soy sauce, or peanut sauce like mine.

Good, easy, snacks..

:-)