Yummy Malaysiana: 06/12/11

Strawberry Upside-down Cake with Cardamom

I thought upside down was one word. I was wrong.

You knew it wasnt one word. Youre smarter than me.

Lets learn a lesson because I just learned it ,and I want to share it with you.

Upside down is two words when you write something like Oh crap that pie just landed on the floor upside down!. Adverb nation. Wait right?

Upside-down is hyphenated when its used as an adjective like, Oh crap Joy is totally obsessed with strawberries right now, and that Strawberry Upside-down Cake looks major. Upside-down describes the cake working overtime in adjective land.

And this this is why Im not an English teacher.

Class dismissed.

I shoved this cake in my mouth on Sunday morning as I was rushing off to church.

I wasnt late.

Ok I wasntthat late.

My point is that this cake is super easy to throw together on a Sunday morning.

And! Its best eaten warm (when youre in a hurry).

The cake batter is a simple brown sugar and sour cream cake. Its sweet and moist, with a delicate but ! sturdy c rumb. Hows that for food words?

Easy, uncomplicated, summer weekend dessert.

If you wanted to experiment with other berries for this recipe, Id totally support you!

Strawberry Upside-down Cake with Cardamom

makes: one 8-inch cake

Print this Recipe!

For the Topping:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup sliced strawberries

For the Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

I used an 8-inch round with 3-inch tall sides. You can also use a 9-inch round with 2-inch sides.

Place butter in the cake pan and place in the oven. When butter is melted, remove pan from the oven. Using two pot holders, tilt the pan around and around, coating the sides of the pan with butter. Once sides are coated, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed. Cream until slightly pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer, scrape down the bowl with a spatula, and add egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.

Turn the mixer off, scrape the bowl, and add the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed while adding the sour cream. Beat until the bat! ter just comes together. Batter will be pretty thick. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar into the melted butter in the cake pan. Sprinkle strawberry slices over the butter and sugar in a single layer. Spoon batter over the strawberries and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake rest for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the cake and inverting the cake onto a cake plate. Serve warm with sweetened sour or whipped cream.

Favorites List (June 2011)

The staircase in our new apartment is, well, imposing. Forty-six stairs to the third floor. It goes straight up, switches back, and then up again. It's a beautiful staircase, but has the sort of incline that might compel one to drop an f-bomb or two when carrying more than a purse. Our movers, the two of them, put these stairs in their place. How they carried multiple eight-foot cabinets and a mattress up it, I'll never know. So, thank you Nick & Fernando, for getting us in the new apartment. Here's the bad news though, everything is still in cardboard. That said, I did cook a special first-night dinner - I just need a bit more time to write it up. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind a favorites list in place of a recipe.

- I'm hooked on this. Before our drive to Marfa, Wayne subscribed, loaded it on my iPhone, plugged it into my car stereo, and I felt like I had every album ever recorded at my fingertips.
- This photo project (via Tara)
- French sneaks.
- Watched this classic.
- Cute & clever - vintage food mill planter.
- Loving the MSL cookie app. Also, beautiful job bringing the magazine to the iPad.
- This plate.
- This workshop
- Toasted Salty Seeds from Nett letown - thanks Tea :)
- This salad. And the way Sara made my baked oatmeal in little jars.
- This photo series. And this one.. This Laura Taylor shot. And this one too.
- Beaches! Caftans!
- This exhibit at SFMoMA. Next up, the new exhibit at Pier 24.
- Reading this. This up next.

Promise to be back later in the week with a crowd-pleaser of a recipe. It's an old-school favorite around here, and it has been far, far too long since I've cooked it. A little something old to go with the new address. -h

Continue reading Favorites List (June 2011)...

Midsummer Nights Feast 2011 Master Chef of 5 Elements Master Chef Wai (Malaysia)

As you would have known from my previous post, The Midsummer Nights Feast 2011 kicks off on the 1st 8th July this year. And as promised, Im sharing the menu of the each of the featured chef each night during the festival.Heres starting the week with our very own Malaysian Chef Wai.

Chef Wai has been helming Shook! for the last year, ever since Chef Kevin Cape left for Shook! Shanghai.

Pic: Chef Kevin Capeduring Midsummer Nights Feast 2010.

I have personally dined at Shook! last year on a few occasions:
Shook! Champagne Brunch on Sundays - (post HERE), the brilliant menu during the A Journey Through Time Dinner - (post HERE) & during the La Motte South African Wine Pairing Dinner - HERE.

His creations has never failed to astonish me; clever pairing of local & imported ingredients & the flavours that he managed to coax out from each plate of his dishes makes dining here each a most pleasant experience.

For this years Midsummer Nights Feast, Chef Wais element is SPACE & below is hisspecialitymenu this year.

Element: Space
Inspired Interpretations of Space

Master Chef Wai (Malaysia)
YTL Corporate Executive Chef
Autodome Chain of Restaurants, Malaysia

A pioneer of Pangkor Laut Resorts signature restaurant, Fishermans Cove which has made a name for itself locally and internationally, Chef Wai today heads YTL restaurants at Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Among the celebrities he has delighted with his cuisines include Elle Macpherson, Anna Friel, Keira Knightly, Ralph Schumacher, George Benson, Bobby Charlton, Felipe Massa, Al Jarreau, Kimi Raikkonen, Dato Michelle Yeoh, Russell Watson and more.

For Chef Wai, what counts the most in his kitchen are the freshness and variety of the ingredients made available to him and his team every day. These are two factors of utmost importance to achieve, and Our main goal is to provide each and every guest with the perfect dining experience, he says with conviction.

The 40 year-old father of three, who is also a keen cyclist and names Lance Armstrong as his favourite, professes to be a fan of reality cooking programmes, if not to expand his knowledge on new styles of cooking, but also to learn about new and different ingredients.

I love to watch how other chefs use ingredients Ive never seen, smelled or touched before, he says. This is the way I can learn many new things, which probably goes a long way to explain ! the hall makrs of his cuisine which are a combination of some of the most unique ingredients fused together, resulting in not just delicious tasting dishes, but surprising ones too.

His spirit of continually learning, and openness to new ideas with space for improvement will surely be appreciated with his creative interpretations of culinary excitement at Starhill Gallery, Midsummer Nights Feast this year.

SPACE MENU

AMUSE BOUCHE

GELATO

Parmigiano Reggiano, Hass Avocado, Lime & Tabasco

FOIE GRAS MOLLET

French Duck Liver, Bamboo Char coal-Coco Soil & Peach Coulis

ABURA BOUZU

White Tuna Loin, Kumquat Aioli, Watercress & Garlic Puree

GYUNIKU

Wagyu Sirloin, Scallop Potato, Urchin-Salted Yolk Glaze

FINAL MISSION

Valrhona Chocolate Truffle, Hazelnut Pralinosa, Cotton Candy

This eight exciting nights of culinary authenticity are now available for booking.
Limited to 130 seats per night at RM385 nett per person;and RM50,000 nett for corporate bookings.

For further enquiries and reservations, please call +603-2782 3855.

Stay tuned to my next few blogposts as I will be sharing the menus of each of the chefs for the whole week. For an idea on Midsummer Nights Feast 2010, check out my experiences below:

Starhill Gallery presents Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 (2 July 9 July 2010): Here
Starhill Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 Shook!, Jakes, Jogoya, Gonbei, Village Bar, Pak Loh Chiu Chow & Luk Yu Tea House Special Menus: Here.
Best of Shook! menu commemorating the launch of Starhill Gallery Midsummer Nights Feast 2010: Here
Midsummer Nights Feast @ Starhill Gallery 2010 Celebrity Chef Stephen Mercer showcasing modern Australian cuisine:Here

Next, the Air Menu by Master Manabu Ogawa (Japan)& the Fire Menu by Chef Jason Koppinger (US)!

Bukit Kiara Hill Walk on a Beautiful Sunday Evening

It was a beautiful Sunday evening, I decided to take a walk up Bukit Kiara hill from Royal Selangor Club @ Bukit Kiara.

I had to trespassed two prohibited areas to complete my one and half hour walk.

The first part was to complete Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club private road leading from Kiara to Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.

A peep into the beautiful KLGCC golf course.

A bit of beautiful flora and fauna at Bukit Kiara Hill.

I bumped into Cheang Tiek and it was nice meeting him up the hill.

Feeling good after the sweat out and I plan to do it more often. Let's exercise in the name of good health.

Bukit Kiara Hill

Admission - Free

No reservation required

GPS : 3.141976,101.633576

Breakfast

I've been very stressed lately. I think I've said this a million times but as the exams looms ahead, like a dark shadow over my weak halo of hope, fear is consuming this being, inch by inch. I'm very afraid of what is going to come. Maybe I'm paranoid. I do not know. I always felt that being paranoid before exams, is a good thing. It will encourage me to study every single thing - I've swallowed most of my statistics notes, did tonnes of practices, read and re-read my neuropsychology notes and if I don't understand, I just stuff it down my mental throat anyway.

Moreover, my skin is going through Breakout second round. Man, I knew it would not stop. The chemical peel seem to speed up the breakouts. It is as if my skin, when it has its chance, it will just attempt to de-congest itself. And the chemical peel is a good vehicle. Having said that, there are bits of my skin that are getting clearer, like the right side of my forehead. There are still tiny millia but I'm glad that it is largely smooth and not as bumpy as before.

Turkish Pockets with Turkey Breast Ham

Rice with assorted Banchan, Vegetables and Dumplings

Anyway, I'm going to ask you all a question: If you had two choices of meals for breakfast, which one would you prefer: Picture 1? Or Picture 2? And why?

Moroccan food @ Min Fes Hammam and Cafe, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya

I'm eternally grateful to my friend S....it's because of her that we discovered this little Moroccan gem of a place hidden in suburbia. NST's Sunday Times had clued her in on this cafe's existence but she had scouted it for us and gave her lip smacking approval before we stepped into this cosy cafe.
The cafe and the Moroccan Hammam bath next to it is owned by a couple (one half is Moroccan while the other is local). The space is given a Moroccan feel with intricate lamps, terracotta engravings and there is even a fountain in the front.As S had thoughtfully booked ahead, we had the private room to ourselves, where we lounged on long couches. Since it was quite a few of us in that space, we knocked elbows a! little as we dined. Nevertheless one does enjoy the whole ambience inside the room especially with the beautiful shadows casted from the carved lamps. Completing the whole ambience was the bold patterned plates our food came in.
I've always loved Moroccan food and one of my culinary heroes is Claudia Roden who is famous for her Middle Eastern cookbooks. Their food is fragrant with a lovely subtleness that has a magical appeal which draws me back. At Min Fes, we felt the food exudes a one of a kind home-like feel (from what I read they use the owner's mother's recipes) making it a class above any other restaurant in town.
As usual, we order a feast that the table is literally groaning from the weight of the food. Chief favourites voted by many tummies (7 to be exact) were the lamb aukdah (RM15) and the chicken couscous (RM20). The lamb aukdah is perfect for lazy eaters. No wrangling with bones as the lamb is all shredded up and mixed with diced tomatoes and onions. What makes it perfect are the subtle spices that go into it, as you eat each bite, you can feel each layer on your tongue - a hint of cinnamon, a hint of sweetness and so forth.
Only available for Friday is Morocco's national dish, the couscous. They serve two varieties: lamb (RM25) and chicken. The chicken version is far superior in taste compared to the lamb. The couscous is said to be steamed five times over the chicken broth, which produces these aromatic fluffy grains. It is topped with chunky fork tender portions of carrots, celery and pumpkin.
We had two types of lamb tagine (RM20 each), one with vegetables and the other with prunes. The meat is soft and the juices of the dish is sup! erb as e verything cooks down to a light tasty broth. Appetizers came a little late during the meal but thehummus (RM7), chickpea puree and tahini sauce with lemon juice is smooth and moreish with the soft pita breads. We also enjoy the warmfalafel (RM7), ground chickpea patties. The Moroccan salad (RM7) is a refreshing combination of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with a special house dressing that hinted of olive oil with a dash of lemon juice. Being a great fan of eggplant, I loved thezaalouk (RM7), grilled eggplant mashed with tomatoes, cilantro and garlic that was so moreish. We also had thechicken kabsa (RM15), boiled chicken with spices served with a fluffy briyani rice and a spicy tangy sauce on the side.
To end, it was creme caramel (RM3) and a refreshingfruit salad (RM7) that is served with a lovely thick yoghurt. We also enjoy thick Moroccan coffee and the traditional Moroccan mint tea. The tea is very sweet but I love the mint aroma that didn't stop me from sipping down one glass.I reckon more visits to this place is warranted since we have yet to try their mixed grill items, the fish chermoula that is by special order. They also so mandy lamb but only for special catering. Hop over here for a slice of Moroccan magic.

Min Fes Hammam and Cafe
19-1, Jalan PJU 7/7A
Mutiara Damansara
Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7722 5049

(Halal. Open from 11am to midnight daily. Turn into Mutiara Damansara fr! om the m ain road opposite the Curve. Go straight, the row of shophouses is on the left hand side before the roundabout. Min Fes is at the corner. More pictures in my Flickr set.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Persian Cuisine @ Zaffron Ristorante, North York

Zaffron Ristorante is a Mediterranean Restaurant whose menu emphasizes Persian and Italian Food. The restaurant has earned numerous local and foreign awards and is Zagat Rated. Since it was our first time dining our friendly waiter gave us some recommendations on what to dine.

Sabzi Khordan: Persian Assortment of Fresh Herbs

Sabzi Khordan: Persian Assortment of Fresh Herbs

Our Herb Plate consist of Mint, Parsley and Radish to start of our meal

Kashkeh Bademjan

It may not look pretty but this is one of Zaffron's Signature Starter. It's a Persian Eggplant Dip that's topped with Fried Crisp Onion, Fried Garlic, Olive Oil and Kashk (A Whey Type liquid). Mixing all the condiments with the Eggplant gave it a robust flavor that beats Hummus any day as a Bread Dip.

Focaccia Bread

One of Zaffron's Signature Breads. The Bread was served fresh off the oven and was fluffy on the inside and crisp. It was very good with Kashkeh Bademjan.

Salad and Pilaf

We had the option of Salad or Rice to go with our Meat Platter. I chose the Salad which came with a Thousand Island Dressing. The Pilaf was a simple White Long Grain Rice mixed with some Saffron Flavored Rice.

Assorted Meat Kebab Platter (Ground Beef, Ground Chicken, Veal and Lamb)

Assorted Meat Kebab Platter (Ground Beef, Ground Chicken, Veal and Lamb):

We each ordered our preferred meat kebabs which was then placed in a single platter for us to share. The meats were all delicious. My favorite was Lamb Sashlik which was super tender and had the right amount of seasoning.

We were a mixed bunch after our meal. Some enjoyed it and others thought it was so-so. As for me I enjoyed their Eggplant Dip, which I thought was much better than Hummus as a bread dip. The kebabs were they way I liked it, grilled and seasoned just right allowing the natural flavors of the meat to speak out.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $$$ (Approximatley USD $35 per person)

Contact Information
Address: 6200 Yonge St. North York, ON M2M 3X1
Tel: +1 (416) 223-7070
Web:
E-mail: info@zaffron.ca
Map:

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Baked Baby Back Ribs With Soy Sauce

Yes, there is such a thing as too much bokeh. While photographing a single object with the 35 mm lens is fine, a plateful of food is more tricky because I'm not sure exactly where to focus. Anyway, we had baby ribs tonight. With a tangy cabbage slaw to balance the richness, the ribs were glorious especially when hot out of the oven and eaten with fingers. I didn't have enough time to bake them until they were falling off the bones but my mom could eat them without pulling a teeth out.

Do not trim the fat off baby back (a.k.a loin ribs) ribs. There's not much fat anyway so this isn't too sinful a meat to eat. Whatever fat on the ribs turn into tasty, flavorful burnt-on-the outside-soft-tender-inside bits of heaven after an hour of baking. I hear "Yay!"

Baby Back Ribs With Soy Sauce
1.2 kg baby pork ribs, cut into chunks
1/3 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 pieces of red fermented bean curd + 2 T of the sauce
1 piece of rock sugar, about 3 cm diameter
2 T Shaoxin hua tiao wine
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, smashed

1. Oven at 180 C. Put everything except the ribs into a small sauce pot and boil until thickened.

2. Dip each piece of ribs into the sauce and then place onto a baking tray, close together to minimize drying out. Drizzle about 2 T veg oil all over the ribs. Bake for 1 hour or 1/2 hour longer if you have the time but at 160 C and increase to 180 C for the last 15 minutes. About 45 minutes into the cooking, take tray with ribs ou! t and di p each rib in the sauce again and place onto the baking tray, turning ribs the other side up.There should be some sauce remaining in the pot.

3. While ribs are cooking, heat the remaining sauce under low heat until very thick.

4. Remove ribs from the oven, brush the thick sauce over the ribs and serve immediately.

Ko Hyang Korean Country Delights, Mid Valley

Ko Hyang is one of my favourite korean food places. Above is stir fried chicken with vegetables

Rice cake soup (Tuk Guk), very yummy and satisfying, the soup is filled with egg clouds ~ RM13

Korean style pan Mee, RM12.50, love it as the noodle is hand torn and nice

Bi bim bap, RM15.90, healthy yummy rice topped with various vegetables

Kimchi Fried Rice(Kim Chi Bokem Bab), RM13.90, not nice, i much prefer the simple kim chi fried rice from Jusco mid valley supermarket section, this one just taste weird with sesame seed and dont fancy that they put in quite a bit of onion in it