Cucumber Peanut Salad

In addition to the Sharpie pens, the half-full mug of tea, the snapshots, the magazines, the letters to be mailed, and the stamps to go on those letters, I have two new cookbooks on my desk. Two books to really dive into. I've mentioned this before, but a number of us have been choosing cookbooks to focus on, and we've just chosen these to be next. So, if you happen to have Nigel Slater's Tender V. 1 and/or Sanjeev Kapoor's How to Cook Indian, please feel free to join us. These are the picks for the next two months, which should give you enough time to buy them or check them out from the library if you like. We did Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery last, and Moro East and The Essential New York Times Cookbook before that. Today's Cucumber Peanut Salad was my first foray into Sanjeev's book and it doesn't disappoint - chopped cucumbers, spices, toasted peanuts, coconut, and green chiles come together in a refreshing but surprisingly substantial salad.

Tender V.1 is by Nigel Slater, and is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I've purchased. At its most simple and basic it is about one man cooking from his ! garden. But, as anyone who has spent much time with a Nigel Slater book knows, the simplest ideas, or ingredients, or cooking techniques often develop into something completely captivating. And his recipes deliver. So, this pick was a no-brainer. How to Cook Indian was a bit of a wild card choice. After my book signing in Berkeley, I was invited by the shop to choose any book I liked. I tucked the massive orange Indian volume under my arm, went home, and spent hours the next morning tagging recipes - so many! And today's salad was one of them.

I took some liberties with this based on personal preference, and readily available ingredients. That's just how I roll when it comes to cooking Indian these days. I don't always have all the ingredients on hand, but I try not to let that deter me. Instead of trying to get thing perfectly "authentic" or as written, I wing it a bit, based on what I think will taste good within the general framework of a recipe. So, for this salad - I didn't have fresh coconut, but I did have big, dried coconut flakes. I knew I could toast them, and they'd be great. So I went with it. I like to leave some of the peel on my cucumbers - so that is what you see here. That sort of thing. I forgot to grind the peanuts - the sky did not fall.

Continue reading Cucumber Peanut Salad...

Vietnam Kitchen @ 1Utama Shopping Centre

Mention that you want to go to 1Utama on weekends and the image of being caught in a massive jam came to mind. Well, unless you go there early in the morning. Imagine that you want to relax and shop in the comfort of a shopping mall only to be greeted with the sight of everyone jamming into the mall, and you had to spend a very long time just to secure a parking spot (unless you are really lucky!!). Once I took about 45 minutes just to find one and it was so freaking far away from the entrance... sigh!!! But now 1Utama turn out to be my favourite place to go :) why? All because parking is not an issue anymore!

My first time here was with a customer but since I was on official business, I could not simply whip out my camera. But that's different story when I'm with family... wherever I go these days, I would bring along my camera. The HM didn't complain when I was with Ixus but now started to make noise as I have changed to bigger and bulkier Canon EOS DSLR :P anyway, that's another story altogether...

Vietnam Kitchen is located on the 2nd Floor of the new wing of 1Utama Shopping Centre, which is on the same row as Chili's and Dragon-i. Its menu is placed at the entrance for passerbys to peruse.

Its inside was spacious and cosy.

Contemporary design mixed with some traditional elements was used as decor.

Grilled lemongrass pork chop set @ RM16.90 - comprises of Vietnamese spring roll, a bowl of soup, salad, egg, and rather thin piece of pork chop. Forget about the soup, the salad was mediocre at best, spring roll was good but slightly oily. The pork chop however has a distinct lemongrass flavour and slightly charred. It would have been perfect it it was a little bit thicker and tender. For someone who loves lemongrass and pork, this is a must-try item.

Vietnamese Sesame Chicken @ RM12.90 - essentially it's some kind of deep fried chicken coated with caramelised sauce and sesame seed. Crispy on the outside while moist on the inside, this dish won us over with its sweetish taste and the aroma of sesame.

Cucumber lemon soda @ RM6.90 - odd combination but rather refreshing :)

Leo's verdict - To be honest, Vietnamese food is not really on top of my eat-list but I was in for a surprise. It changed my perception and now whenever I crave for Vietnamese food, either this place or DuViet (Uptown 37) will be my choice.

Vietnam Kitchen
Lot S312, 2nd Floor,
1 Ut! ama Shop ping Centre,
Lebuh Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel:03-7724 1336

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Restoran Fatty Crab Sdn Bhd.

Restoran Fatty Crab Sdn Bhd was voted KL's best seafood restaurant by Time Out magazine in 2009.

If I have visitors from overseas, this is the first place on my food itinerary to treat them to a delicious hot, spicy and numbing crab dinner and with toasted white bread to soak up all the tasty gravy !

Be there early on weekends as there is no reservations-only first come first serve basis.

Just bring along your appetite and cash.

Parking is OK.

An appetizer of sliced Century eggs with pickled young ginger to tease your tastebuds -Rm4/Nicely charcoal grilled meaty chicken Satay on skewers served on the side with slice fresh cucumber and big onion-Rm20/ Deep fried fresh and tender chicken wings with crispy skin-can be very salty sometimes-Rn22/Steamed Red Snapper-TeoChew style-very fresh with tomato, salted vegetable in a sweet and sourish broth-beautifully garnished with coriander leaves, red chillies and spring onion-Rm40/Yellowish, eggy and fluffy fried rice with chopped long beans and shrimps-excellent and very consistent-Rm15/ Steamed mud crab-fresh, sweet and meaty-Rm48/Sweet and sour mud crab-TeoChew style with lots of finely chopped red/green Bird's eye chillies-hot and numbing to the tongue (the greatest "kick")-a dozen of toasted white bread to soak up all of those killer gravy-Rm48/


Total bill:Rm225/
Location: 2, Jalan SS24/13, Taman Megah,
Petaling Jaya,
Tel:03-7804-5758.

Easy Chinese Recipes Cookbook

May 3rd, 2011 | Announcements, Cookbook | 10 CommentsI am extremely thrilled to announce that my first cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes is about to hit the bookshelves of Asia Pacific starting June and will release in North America (US and Canada) on Sept 10, 2011! The cookbook will be available worldwide and on major online book stores.Its been a long journey from the moment I signed the book deal, two years ago precisely. It was a lot of hard work and dedication as I cooked, styled, photographed, and wrote the entire cookbook while I was pregnant. The good news is that the moment that we all have been waiting for is almost here!The book is a compilation of 80+ popular Chinese recipes, including family favorites from dim sum & dumplings to rice & noodles. Every recipe is graced with a color photo and many of them have step-by-step picture guide. Most importantly, all recipes are super easy, authentic, and deliver amazingly delicious results. Easy Chinese Recipes is a cookbook that you want to have in your kitchenits filled with everyday recipes that you can refer to on a daily basis.Here are some early praises for the cookbook:What a gorgeous, heartfelt, fun, and inspiring book! From pot stickers, roast pork, steamed fish, original chow mein, and much more, Bee Yinn Low demystifies one of the worlds greatest cuisines through this amazing trove of utterly authentic yet accessible recipes. If you love Chinese food, you mustand I mean mustown this book. Harris Salat, food writer and coauthor of The Japanese GrillEasy Chinese Recipes is a clear guide to help you cook Chinese for your family and friends. Bee Yinn Low is a multi-talented writer and cook, and her easy to follow recipes along with her own beautiful photography makes this a book you will re! ach for over and over again. Robert Danhi, author & photographer of Southeast Asian FlavorsThis book gushes with Bee Yinn Lows enthusiasm for pursuing and preparing tasty Chinese food. Andrea Nguyen, author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and Asian DumplingsIm extremely thrilled that youre holding this cookbook, because that means youll be discovering the secrets to authentic Chinese home cooking. Jaden Hair, TV chef, food blogger, and author of The Steamy Kitchen CookbookBelow is the release schedule of Easy Chinese Recipes so please mark it on your calendar or you can simply pre-order the book now. I will continue to update this page to keep you posted on the FINAL release date in each country and the book shops that carry the book. If your country is not on the list, please leave me a comment and I will get the answer for you.Cookbook Release ScheduleJune 2011
Malaysia and SingaporeJuly 2011
Philippines, Thailand, Indo-China, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and BruneiAugust 2011
India, Sri Lanka and New ZealandSeptember 2011
United States and CanadaOctober/November 2011
AustraliaIf you are a fan of Rasa Malaysia or a recipe tester, please spread the news to your friends and family as I strongly believe in good word-of-mouth. If you use social media, feel free to share it on your Facebook and Twitter. Last but not least, do remember to pick up a copy of the cookbook when its out.Thank you so very much for your continued support!

Fresh Seafood - Tanjung Sepat, Selangor

A haunt for seafood lovers. Rustic with lots of sun and sand on a clear day. A sleepy hollow, coming alive only during the school holidays. The local biscuits, big dumplings and vegetarian dumplings will have to be pre-booked in order to stand a chance to taste or take-away.

My first trip was in 1993! Who can forget the 'Hor Chien (oyster omelette)' where the oysters take centre stage over the cornstarch and eggs! This trip was as exciting. Just thinking of the good food get me salivating! With good buddies the trip and food will be doubly good no doubt. Mostly good roads also make the trip a pleasure taking away the pain of negotiating tight trunk roads with slow traffic.

There are many restaurants. Take your pick. Just go for the one with the most customers. That's my advice when our favourite was closed for lunch. A tip here for those who can't resist food any food. Its the buy, buy and buy mantra one has when on holidays. There will be peddlers going around selling fish balls. Already cooked and still steaming as you can see the condensation inside the plastic bags. Tasted really good and fresh! Don't but too many as it can spoil your appetite!

The ordering part can be tricky especially the fish. Make sure that you are armed with some names of fishes to bandy around and also some knowledge on how it should be done. But anyhow fresh fish can be done just one way, "steamed"! From there the imagination takes over. "Teochew", Cheong Cheng (with soy paste), Dry Chili variant, Ginger Puree, Julienne Ginger with Soy Sauce and etc.

I was testing the waters and bantering (don't try it in the city as they can be impatient) with the "captain" and trying to dig out some information to make the crucial call. This can be a miss and hit thing. The keys are freshness, it matches with the rest of the orders (i.e. building your other orders around the fish), the size and for the pocket's sake, the price.

The proof is in the eating. Proofing whether my decision was good or off-target. Sweet to the point of being milky, just want to chew and chew to savour the goodness from the sea. The flesh was fantastically fresh. No wonder the Chinese love to feed pomfret fish meat to their young!

Unbroken chain of beauties!

When it is fresh and of premium quality the calibre of the chef can make another big difference to the dish. A tad overdone!

Fresh crabs. Would have preferred larg! er ones but then it is seasonal esp the ones with roes.

Mantis Prawn. Average but then this is one dish that not many can get it perfect. The batter for the prawn and the sauce is crucial.

Enough baby oysters to satisfy our cravings. Another winner.

The cook looked somewhat inexperience or tardy and it showed.

Lettuce on the side.

Our appetizers before the food arrive. Mind you do not be taken in and succumb to the desire to over-order.

English Peas, Buckwheat Greens And A Strawberry Tart

It has been quite hectic around here.

During these past couple of weeks, I have had to park my book writing routine aside to focus on a couple of other projects I am super excited about. I wish I could share more, but we will have to wait. All I can say is that it involves a major magazine and I had a blast.

However, all of this has taken a bit of a toll on me.



When I woke up Sunday, I felt as though I had run a marathon. Sore and exhausted.

C. encouraged me to take some time for myself in the morning. He took the kids and I headed to the farmers' market. I find it relaxing to walk around, people watch and get inspired by the produce and talking to the farmers I have come to know this year.



Unfortunately, it was the last day of the market. Yes, when the rest of the country is just now gearing up for their growing season, ours is coming to an end. Well, not exactly. Things will still grow in the summer, but much slower and not so abundant. Most of the farmers I know take the summer off to travel and learn from other farmers.

As it was the last day, I indulged in everything I saw. The usual suspects such as eight ball zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, mulberries, farm eggs, kale, beets, english peas... But I also found buckwheat greens.



This was the first time I had even seen buckwheat greens. Beautiful greens with tiny little flowers.

As I started to read about them, I found out that they can be somewhat toxic when consumed in large amounts and that is why they are not recommended in juicing. However, a small amount can be beneficial.

Sunday night, I made a quick soup with English peas and buckwheat greens. The soup was tasty and mild. Spinach or even lettuce would work just as well.



When Monday came around, I was ready to start testing more recipes for the book.

I really feel so lucky to be able to do what I love. Time flies when I am working and enjoy every second of it.

But when time flies, lunch must also be quick. Crushed pea, cherry tomato and goat cheese tartines to go with leftover soup from the night before. I blanched some English peas in salted boiling water, then crushed them with a fork. Mixed with goat cheese, scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper on toasted gluten-free bread.



I was testing a new tart dough and with the leftovers, I made a quick almond and strawberry tartlet that Miren and I had for dessert. Took a couple of chairs outside and had an impromptu picnic in the back lawn.

Then back to work.

English Pea and Buckwheat Greens Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbs olive oil
1 leek, white part only diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
2 c! ups shel led peas
2 cups buckwheat greens or spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 sprigs thyme leaves
3 cups chicken stock
Goat cheese, optional
Chopped scallions, optional
Olive oil

In a small pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes until soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.

Puree the soup. Serve with chopped scallions, goat cheese, drizzle of olive oil, and toasted bread.


Strawberry and Almond Tart

Makes 6 3-inch tartlets

Pie crust of your choice (mine was gluten free)
cup (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
cup (110 g) natural cane sugar
1 egg
tsp almond extract
1 cup (110 g) almond flour
1 Tbs (10 g) tapioca starch
tsp salt
2 cups sliced strawberries

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until light. Add the egg and almond extract and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix.

Roll out the pie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut 6 4-inch disks and fill tart molds with them. Cut off excess dough.

Fill the tart molds with frangipane and arrange the sliced strawberries on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crust golden.

Simply Cooking: Kewpie Sesame-Mentaiko Dressing

Do you love mentaiko (pickled spicy fish roe)? Do you love Kewpie Sesame Dressing? Why not have both together then?

Combining mentaiko and sesame dressing may be weird for you but trust me, both of them are magical when combined together. The briny, slightly pungent taste of the mentaiko will be well balanced by the nutty aroma of the sesame dressing. The rough, beady texture of the mentaiko is a perfect chaperone for the buttery mouth feel that the sesame dressing can offer. So, combining both ingredients together will give you a set of interesting flavors and texture.






The dressing is best served with noodles, omelette and raw greens such as tomatoes, alfafa and cucumber. If you are daring enough, you can have them with raw eggs too!
I used a lot more dressing the one shown in the picture
Mix, mix, mix!

Recipe: Kewpie Sesame - Mentaiko Dressing (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
-3 tablespoon of kewpie sesame dressing
-1 mentaiko, sac removed
-1 tablespoon of sugar (To balance off the briny taste of the mentaiko) - you can reduce the amount of sugar
-1 teaspoon of mirin
-One teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds (Optional)
-A pinch of pepper

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients together. Microw! ave for 10 seconds high. Stir well. Serve on noodles or pasta with greens and eggs.




I loved this combination a lot but my sister preferred a lighter dressing with the noodles. Well, it really depends on what you want. :D

MUSHROOM + POBLANO TART IN CORNMEAL CRUST

Sometimes I make things that sound good to me, and though Im not sure they appeal to the masses, I go forth with the idea. I put hummus on my eggs, spread greek yogurt on my toast and am aware these habits arent normal. Like last weeks quesadilla, it raised a few eyebrows, but some of you made it and liked it! Thanks for not making me feel nuts. This recipe is a culmination of inspiration a crust from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and a twist on a frittata I saw in Bon Appetite this past month. Its sort of like frittata meets mexican quiche meets breakfast casserole or something. All to say, this versatile tart could easily pass for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Also, I wanted to direct you over to the Saveur site, where we were nominated for 2011 Best Cooking Blog! I am beyond flattered to be included amongst all that talented company, as each of them are bloggers I have long admired. You do have to register to vote, but they will not send you a bunch of spam. Thanks to those of you who believe I deserved to be there in the first place :)

MUSHROOM + POBLANO TART
Inspired by Bon Appetit May 2011 and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck

The crust does not rise, so adjust the thickness as you prefer. Next time I may make it in an 8 square and bulk up the filling amounts a bit. Maria did not suggest cooking it before adding filling, but mine seemed pretty moist and I made a completely different f! illing t han her recipe, so I found this step necessary. Just keep an eye on it in the oven, it doesnt need to fully firm up, but you dont want it smushy. The crust can be made a day in advance to save time.

1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Water
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 Cup Polenta or Corn Grits
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
Fresh Ground Pepper

Filling
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Cups Thinly Sliced Mushrooms (I used Crimini but button will work too)
1 Small Poblano Pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
5 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk (Whole or 2%)
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, plus more for garnish

Chopped Cilantro
Tapatio or Hot Sauce of choice

1. Bring the broth, water and salt to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta and continue to stir. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir every two minutes to prevent the bottom from burning. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, another 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, egg and lots of fresh ground pepper. It should be thick. Allow it to settle another 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9 pie plate. Transfer the polenta to the pie plate and using wet fingers, press to form a crust in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. If you would like a thinner crust, set some of the polenta aside. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the tart.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and poblanos and saute for 10 minutes until both are softened and the moisture has been absorbed. Turn off the heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cumin and black pepper together until well combined. Stir in the scallions and the vegetables. Add the egg mixture into the cornmeal crust, sprinkle the feta che! ese on t op and bake another 20 minutes until the center is just set.
Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with crumbled feta, chopped cilantro and hot sauce on the side.