Karaage Chicken

Karaage chicken is just chicken nuggets, Japanese style. I suppose the only difference about Japanese chicken nuggets is in the seasoning, which is just light soy sauce, sake or mirin and some ginger juice. The coating flour can be corn or potato starch. Cornstarch is the flour of choice for Chinese cooking because it makes very crispy coating that stays crispy longer and doesn't brown as quickly as plain flour. The Japanese seems to prefer potato starch which makes very light, flaky and crisp coating but it doesn't stay crisp too long in humid weather so it's best to serve the nuggets as soon as they come out of the oil. The fried flakes that come off in the oil do taste like bits of potato chips.

Here's a very useful little gadget that I picked up in Tsukiji Market, Tokyo years ago. It's a ceramic plate that you can use to grate ginger, horseradish, tumeric and so on. It's a genius of an invention. The grated ginger is superfine and soft and I can get a whole teaspoon of juice from a little thumb-sized knob of ginger.




Only about 7 cm across, this little grater plate is very handy and efficient.

Karaage Chicken
400 gm (2 deboned chicken legs or breasts, skin on is tastier)
1 small knob (size of the first joint of your th! umb)
3 1/2T Kikkoman light soy sauce
1 T sake or mirin
3/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch
oil for frying
serve with: lemon wedges and mayo

1. Cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces and marinade with the soy sauce, ginger juice and and sake/mirin for about 20 minutes minimum.

2. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, pressing firmly to coat well.

3. Heat oil in a wok or fryer and fry the nuggets a few pieces at a time in high heat for about 1/2 minute, then turn down to medium heat to finish cooking. As with all food with flour-coating, a second frying will further crisp the coating or skin but remember to do that in very hot oil and for a brief half minute or the meat'll dry out.

4. Drain on paper towels and servehotas an appetizer with lemon wedges and Japanese mayo.

Simply Cooking: 12345 pork

Life has not been unkind to me at the moment. I'm so nervous that my fingers cannot stop tapping the mousepad of my Mac. It irritates my sister to no end but I can't help it. I kept highlighting the words over and over again, for no reason. Even now, as I'm writing about it, I'm doing it.

:(

Despite the anxiety, my sister reprimanded that I shouldn't let my blog to just die. It's irresponsible. She complained how she kept "seeing tamarind fish as the first post".

So, I'm going to change that.

This is an easy recipe that I saw from a Taiwanese programme. It's so easy, one can laugh. Basically, all you have to do is:

Ingredients:
-3 pork ribs (If you're not using organic pork, you'll have to blanch the pork in boiling water for 2 minutes)
-2 cloves of garlic crushed
-2 stalks of spring onion
-1 tablespoon of Chinese rice wine
-2 tablespoon of sugar ( I prefer dark sugar)
-3 tablespoon of vinegar ( I used red vinegar)
-4 tablespoon of soy sauce
-5 tablespoon of water


Instructions:

In a small pot, place 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of Chinese rice wine, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Add pork as well. Bring to boil or until liquid turns syrupy. Add in water. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve with rice and Asian greens.

There it is. The recipe. I bet every single student who is reading this is jumping in joy.

Cafe Vue @ Melbourne Airport, Melbourne

I remember the Melbourne airport not being the most exciting of airports; it was dull and old with a hint of mold when I touched down last July. When I had to fly out in March via Melbourne, I was in for quite a shock as it had undergone a big refurbishment with the most interesting addition being; Cafe Vue.


The "Vue" concept has now a healthy stable of restaurants with Vue De Monde being pretty much synonymous with the Melbourne fine dining scene (although not representative) and the more casual Bistro and Cafe Vue for the budget conscious.


In any case with an hour to spare, I couldn't refuse a coffee and a quick bite since the closest I have been to Vue De Monde is walking past the restaurant.

What a lovely sight especially if you had to get up at 4am without a coffee.

The menu is relatively if not very simple. Most items sounds like minimal cooking are done on site.

Back in March, this cup of coffee was the best I had in 6 months which says a lot when you compare the coffee scen! e in Bri sbane and Melbourne.

I must admit I had no idea what a Duck Egg Bacon Hollandaise Jaffle was but I certainly did not expect a toastie. The toast was a toast and despite the use of duck egg, I couldn't hide my disappointment because I expected something out of the blue (in a good way, not the shocking way). In any case, a search on the word "jaffle" tells me that I indeed ordered a toastie, so oh well, no one to blame except me.

I finished off with a macaron and I remember asking my Twitter followers what flavour do you think it was and guess what, I can't remember now! It was certainly a strawberry theme but the thing that sold me was the filling was a candy, something fizz or rather and I thought it was playful as there is a bit of fizz when you bite into it.

The next time I am popping by, I am making sure it is an afternoon flight because the menu seems far more exciting!

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. P! robably the most exciting restaurant in an airport (at least in this part of the world).

Hummingbirds Coffee Bar @ Beatrice Looi Boutique, Telawi Bangsar wasabi macarons, durian cake & best red velvet in town??

The hunt for the best Red Velvet remained on-going.
I must have tried every Red Velvet Ive seen/came across in KL. Some I have blogged about, some I havent (Sighyes yes my backlogs are piling up) but I promise I will ermmmeventually finish posting all of them.

But for now lets just focus on the ones worthy of mention shall we?
The best (IMHO) was the one at A Taste Boutique , but their boutique is kinda far (in Putra Heights) & their kiosk at Sunway Pyramid doesnt carry the Red Velvet cake most of the time. Also, its been a while since I eaten theirs, so Im not sure if it still taste the same. Anyhow, it was SO GOOD that it had left a lasting impression on me.

For me, a good Red Velvet is a combination of luxuriant flavour from the sponge & perfect smooth light cream cheese frosting. The one at A Taste Boutique was a fair example of a Red Velvet that I like, followed closely by another thats baked by a friend FBB; and you can try it at The Bee, Jaya One since he supplies the cake there.

Today, Im pleased that I have finally found another Red Velvet cake worth blogging about. At the most unlikely places really; right here on Telawi 3, Bangsar, in a designers boutique!

Hummingbirds Coffee Bar shares the same space with Beatrice Looi Boutique; and excludes a most charming vibe with special made to order blue high-back comfy chairs (love those chairs, so pretty!) & an impressive list of coffee from Germany. There were even some funky drinks like Cucumber Oh La la that is alcoholic @ RM25+, (how does one mix cucumber with alcohol is beyond me) & a very good selection of tea. This cafe is just perfect for that afternoon tte--tte with a BFF.

The coffee bar where the coffee/teas & your desserts are prepared once you have placed your orders.

The best sight greeted us when we walked into the boutique. A chiller full of DESSERTS! Hurray!

We zoomed in on the durian cake immediately, and I eyed the macarons selection for the WASABI one, the only flavour I ! was inte rested in sampling.

And of course, the Red Velvet.

They have 2 versions of Red Velvet here; the cupcake -sized or by slices from the whole cake. Initially I wanted to try the cupcake version as it is smaller, but was advised by Beatrice herself that the whole cake one would be more moist compared to the cupcake ones. Im no baker, but I thought by recipe all cupcakes should be moist anyways, whether its cupcakes-sized or by whole cakes no? Thats why baking cupcakes uses different recipes from baking a cake, though its the same version of cake right?

Technicalities aside, the cakes here was simply divine. The Red Velvet was almost perfect, moist, full of the luxuriant flavour that I like & not too chocolatey. The only gripe I have is of the cream cheese frosting; which could be a personal preference since I fancy a lighter version of the frosting. Here the cream cheese frosting is sticky & thick/dense whereas I thought a frothier version would have suited the whole ensemble better.

Such a vibrant hue. Needless to say, the colour doesnt come from beetroot but its from colouring instead. (RM8.50+)

The Durian Cake (RM16.50+) was a bit steep for its portion & considering the quantity of durian pulp. Still it was luscious one. The sponge was fine & there were plenty of almonds & fresh cream.

Last was the highly anticipated WASABI macaron.

If I will ever eat a macaron happily, this would be it. Enough said.

The texture was perfect. And the wasabi flavour certainly helped in cutting through the sweetness. Best part is, its not even spicy, but with just a nice tinge of wasabi flavour. The smooth filling leaves you an overall pleasing creamy wasabi flavour.

Would I vote Hummingbirds Coffee Bar to serve the best macaron in town?
For the WASABI one yes. But for a fair review, I would have to test the sweet ones (according to Seans blog theres raspberry, rose, strawberry, black sesame, lemon, orange, passion fruit & mango) so a fairer comparison can be made.
(I would be comparing it to Nathalies Gourmet Studio or BabyCakes in GTower Hotel, since these 2 are the better ones in KL, IMHO)

Hummingbirds Coffee Bar,
Beatrice Looi Boutique,
Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar.
Tel: 03-2201-5889 (Do call ahead, like I did to book your cakes in case its sold out! Or call in advance to ask which cakes are available prior to your visit so you wont be disappointed!)

Note: Prices are subjected to 10% service charge.

My next aim? The tiramisu & the carrot cake! Whos with me????

Thanks Sean for all the amazing food discoveries! Can always count on ya!

All pictures are: (**except for the 1st pic)

Restaurant De Maw @ Pudu Ulu for a Good Dinner

It was raining and the traffic was heavy but our enthusiasms were too strong which cannot change our decision not to come to Restaurant De Maw.

The crowd in De Maw was good, we got a table for 9 and were happy to dine in this lovely restaurant at Pudu Ulu.

Braised superior Kamchen sharks fin soup with crab meat. This bowl itself is enough to fill up your tummy for the night.

Bitter gourd with brinjal cooked in claypot & Beancurd with mushroom also cooked in claypot.

Fresh water prawns with Chefs special wine sauce were another great food. The prawns were fresh and big.. yummy yummy.

Goose web braised with fish maw & mushroom is something extraordinary and it was delicious.

This is my share of this superb delicacy and I like it very much.

Crispy duck was a bit dry but went well with our Dalmore whiskie.

Steamed Star Pink Garoupa done the Hong Kong style was surprisingly good and tasty.

Restoran De Maw
No.18, Jalan Pudu Ulu,
off 3rd Mile Jalan Cheras,
56100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel:03 9285 7833

GPS : 3.121213,101.729412

J Tean Kitchen

Fusion bak kut teh? J Tean Kitchen's catchphrase might sound scary, but we soon found out that its cooking isn't all that strange.

Pork forms the foundation for the recipes here, with a mild herbal BKT flavor infused in much of the meat _ possibly including these ribs (the menu leaves things open to interpretation, and the service team seemed unsure). Succulent, but fairly similar to regular BBQ ribs, smothered in a sweet, sticky sauce that might have been char siew glaze.

Western-style pork pie, with a surprisingly spicy stew within. Lots of luscious chunks of pork belly buried beneath a buttery, fresh-tasting crust.

Pork belly, stomach & rib BKT. The traditional version, comparable to what Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh offers at numerous malls. Not bad, though most customers might insist that their favorite decades-old outlets do this better. Still, only a curmudgeon would really complain.

Prices are reasonable; two can have a stomach-stuffing meal for under RM60.

Flower tea & citrus tea.

Cold jujube tea.

Would we return? Sure; we still wanna try the pork fajitas and crispy knuckle!

J Tean Kitchen,

SSTwo Mall, Jalan SS2/72, Petaling Jaya.