Ramen Masterclass with Chef Shinichi Kanai @ Gokuraku Ramen, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur

Recently, I had the privilege of dining with Chef Shinichi Kanai san of Gokuraku Ramen (GRR), whereby he shared his experience on making the ultimate ramen. It was definitely one of the most interesting and informative reviews I have been to; we got to witness how the noodles and soup were made on top of the food tasting.

The young chef, Shinichi Kanai san and restaurant manager, Yau

Every bowl of noodles is made with the heart..

The noodles are made fresh daily with their ramen-making machine. You may be able to catch the process since the machine is placed in the shop window. Firstly, the flour is placed into a machine to mix to a paste. This process takes 15 minutes. Then, the paste undergoes the rolling process twice, firstly to create a roll of noodles then the second stage of rolling combines two of the noodle rolls into one smoother roll ready for cutting thick or thin. Then, it is aged for 30 minutes to relax the noodles.

Keep rolling, rolling, rolling..

Does it remind you of something else?

One of the most important components is the soup. High quality ingredients such as pork bone marrow, pork joint, chicken and fish is simmered for at least 48 hours to create the exquisite taste. The quality of water is also very important, GRR imported a water filter from Japan to supply pure RO water for the soup.

The noodle bowls are kept heated since they believe this contributes to the making of the ultimate ramen.

If you look closely at the chefs working in the open kitchen, you will notice that a lot of their cooking stations are automated. For example, the noodle cooking station. At first, the chef will loosen the noodles and massage it gently before placing it in the sieve. Then, he presses the button which will lower the sieve in the hot water for an allocated time depending on the thickness of the noodles. Pretty impressive, this means the noodles will always be consistently cooked during every visit.

Automated noodle cooking machine

There are two thickness of noodles used here in GRR. The thinner noodles are used in the less rich soups such as tonkotsu, whereas the thicker noodles are used in the richer soups such as Gokuraku miso.

The gyoza at GRR is steamed on one side and grilled on the other. The chef applies some tempura water to create a crisp layer on the grilled side.

We were treated to a selection of appetizers, ramen, rice dishes and desserts from their a la carte menu. We started off with the Pirikara Negi Char Siew, which was topped with crispy deep fried garlic, special homemade chilli sauce, lettuce, Japanese leek and onions. The pork was really tender and the sauce complimented it really well.

Next up, the gyoza a.k.a pork dumplings. The filling was wonderfully juicy and flavoursome. As mentioned earlier, the dumplings have been steamed on one side and grilled on the other side. The thin layer you see is the tempura water. I really enjoyed this since it is non-oily and delicious.

Served with either the classic sauce (soy/vinegar/hot sesame oil) or waku (oba/miso) sauce.

Other than ramen, GRR also serves rice dishes. The Ishiyaki Garlic Rice is similar to the Korean bibimbap in the sense that it is served in a stone pot. There is just something very alluring about a raw egg topped on top of anything. Give the garlic fried rice, spicy minced pork and raw egg a good mix and dig in. The crusty bits from the sides of the stone pot were my favorite.

Mix well

We sampled two types of grilled skewers, the tomato maki (cherry tomato wrapped with bacon) and buta bara kushi (pork belly). The tomato maki was excellent, the sweet juices of the cherry tomato enveloping the slightly salty bacon is great.

Tomato maki and buta bara kushi

We were then served a few different types of ramen dishes; Tonkotsu Ramen, Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, Goku Raku Ramen, Goku Raku Miso Ramen and Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen. Tonkotsu is the clearest and lightest soup since only pork joint/ bone marrow is used. Gokuraku soup base is made up of chicken, pork joint and fish and is much thicker. My personal favorite is the Tonkotsu soup since I prefer the lighter taste. In terms of noodle thickness, I don't have a preference both are equally satisfying. Ramen is best consumed immediately after serving, within 7-8 minutes.

During our ramen tasting, chef Kanai san shared a few interesting facts which were new to me, since I have never been to Japan:

1. When eating ramen, you're not supposed to drink anything else other than ice water. Green tea which Malaysians often order in Japanese outlets actually is a big no-no since it prevents you from fully enjoying the soup as both attempt to coat your tongue and hence affects the tastebuds.

2. In Japan, the ramen soup is usually very salty, hence they only eat the noodles and not drink the soup. However, because Malaysians are a soup drinking bunch, GRR has reduced their salt levels in soup by 40% to suit our tastebuds.

3. Ramen is a very casual food in Japan, diners usually go in and out of a ramen joint within 15 minutes.

Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen

Finally, we were served a trio of desserts; banana fritter with vanilla ice-cream, annin tofu (almond jelly) and rare cheesecake. I liked them all, but if I had to pick a favorite, then it would be the annin tofu. :)

On our previous visit to this newly opened outlet we both enjoyed our ramen but were very full after one bowl each and therefore didn't have space left in our tummies to dig deeper into the menu. This highly informative Facebook Fans invited review was truly an eye opener. It not only gave us an insight into Japanese ramen culture, the chance to witness firsthand the care taken in preparing ramen at this outlet but also we were able to sample a range of items with the chef which will undoubtedly make our next visit even more enjoyable.

Thanks again to Gokuraku Ramen for the invite.

For those interested in attending a ramen masterclass, please join Goku Raku Ramen's Facebook page and you might be selected as one of the lucky fans for their future reviews.

Click here to read about our previous visit. Full set of photos are available here.

Opening times: 10am - 10pm daily.

Location: Gokuraku Ramen, S025-S026, Midvalley Megamall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur (FOS Side)

Tel: 03-5622 5340

Website: http://www.gokuraku-ramen.com

Chocolate meringue stack with mascarpone.

Its new, its hot and its just baked last week! Its a little too fast compared to my usual speed, isnt it? Thats a good thing. Im on a roll, getting bits and pieces of my mojo back. Its just my laziness that gets to me sometimes, especially when I am glued infront of the television box, tee hee hee.

Every dessert probably has a story behind it, or how it was created/ adapted, or how the idea came about. Im building alot of dessert ideas in my head, I just havent execute it yet. For this dish, the main ingredient was mascarpone or maybe the chocolate meringue?. I wanted to try to make it at home for the longest time ever, trust me, it is surprisingly easy! Quinn has mentioned to me a long long long time ago but I only got to making it now. Or was it the pavlova turned to meringue stacks that came about first then I needed a cream of some sort to fill it in. Either way, it makes perfect sense to have them both.

Lets start with the mascarpone cheese.

Homemade Mascarpone Cheese

(adapted from Baking Obsession)

500ml cream1 tbs p freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

1. (BOs suggestion was to put it over a skillet / double boiler method, but I just didnt want to wait that long for the cream to boil, hence I simplified it) Bring cream to 88 C or 190 F over a low heat in a sauce pan. Once it reaches the temperature, turn off the heat and pour in lemon juice.

2. It will look a little curdled, but just continue stirring it till its smooth and thickened. Pour into a cheesecloth (or my case, several coffee filters) and let it set overnight in the fridge. It is important that after pouring the cream, you do not press or apply any other pressure to it.

3. Let it cool to room temperature (about 10-20 minutes), cover with cling wrap and let it chill overnight or 24 hours.

4. It will thickened into a ball, pour it out and whip it lightly before using. There you have it!

And it is much much much creamier than store bought mascarpone cheese! For you to get somewhat close to 500g of mascarpone cheese from the store, it could be a bomb, but it is now only less than RM10 (lesser than half of store bought cheese). So, no going back to store bought

So after the cheese, here is the pavlova. Oh wait, it is not exactly a pavlova. If it aint cripsy on the outside, soft and marshmallowy on the inside, it aint a pavlova. I decided to call it a meringue stack instead. Initi! al idea was to make a pavlova using Nigellas recipe and pile on the mascarpone and berries on top. But I wanted to try something else and with the same recipe, I divided into 3 portions and made 3 disks of meringue instead.I have made Nigellas Chocolate Pavlova many times and it is my favourite. After making the meringue, I probably thought I wont have enough mascarpone cheese because I only made 2/3 the recipe as I didnt have enough cream. Well, that could be a blessing to my weight in disguise.

Chocolate Meringue Stacks with mascarpone

For the meringue stacks
(adapted from Nigella Lawsons Fresh)

6 egg whites
150g castor sugar
3 tbsp sifted cocoa powder,
1 tsp white vinegar
50g finely chopped dark or bittersweet chocolate
pinch of salt

500g of mascarpone cheese (375g is acceptable)

1 punnet strawberries (the Cameron strawberries were so sweet and just slightly tart. Similar to the korean ones but less aromatic)

Macadamia brittle or toasted macadamia nuts

Method:

1. PReheat oven to 175 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Mark 3 8 circle on the paper, turn it over so the pencil marking is facing the pan and that it doesnt contaminate your meringue later.

2. Beat egg whites until soft peak, then add in vinegar and gradually add in the sugar while still whisking the egg whites. It should be glossy and stiff. Sprinkle over salt, cocoa powder and chopped chocolate. Gently fold in until mixed through.

3. (If youre making a pavlova, pile the meringue onto a 9 round on the baking sheet, then bake at a 150 C oven for bout 1 to 1 1/4 hrs,) To make the stack, scoop meringue into a empty piping bag. Cut t! he tip r elatively large; about 15-20mm and pipe the meringue in a coiling motion till it fills up the 8 circle. It should be about 2.5cm in height per disk. But then again, adjust to your liking if you wish.

4. Put into the oven and turn down the heat to 150C and let it bake for about 40-50 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the meringue in the oven to cool for 20-30 minutes.

5. To assemble, lightly whip up mascarpone cheese. Lay a disk of chocolate meringue, pile on some mascarpone cheese and some halved strawberries. Top up with another disk and repeat for the remaining 2 disks. On the top, well, its totally optional but you may as well make a macadamia brittle. Or just scatter some toasted macadamia nuts.

faq

Euro Atlantic's Launch Of Cremonini, Don Pomodoro and Idahoan

Olive oil, the magical elixir that cures all, from the era of the Old Testament to current day, when other oils are given the bad rap, olive oil remains untarnished, untouched, almost virginal, hence the term virgin olive oil. Okay, maybe not, but what is blogging if not for creative license.

Makan Fairygodmother, Marian, invited us for the launch of Cremonini, Promodoro and Idaho, (they had to choose an American brand or state ending with "O" to Italianize the whole thing), at Social, G Tower. I must be the last of the bloggers who has never been to G Tower. I'm not sure if the Tower is related to the String, but gee, if F was the pariah of the letters of the alphabet, then G must be the darling.

I digress, as I always do. Yeah, Euro Altantic, those wholesalers and distributors of imported stuff, based somewhere in Ampang/Ulu Kelang, were launching these super duper olive oils, pasta and pesto sauces, and instant mash potatoes. A strange combination, it's like launching durian with blue cheese. But if you think about it hard enough, it actually makes sense. You can afterall, use a combination of all three items and produce an almost instant shepherd's pie, for example.



Adrian Ung, group corporate affairs and marketing manager of Euro-Atlantic Sdn Bhd, distributors of these food products, enlightened us on the various types of olive oils. The pomace, which I always thought was the last press or unwanted bits, is actually a great oil for frying. Whereas the Virgins are best taken as they are. And the Pure olive oils are good for quick cooking.


Like massage oils, these eating oils are also infused with myriad flavours.


Smoked Salmon Starters...





A wonderful range of pasta and pesto sauces. We were all given a party pack to bring home, containing various samples, and my kid loved the pesto so much, I never even got to sample a teaspoon ful. He slathered it on his toast, his pasta, and ate it from the jar. Oh well, I guess I should be happy it wasnt a jar of nutella or something.








And the ultimate manifestation of the laziness of mankind...instant mashed potatoes.


The three brands being launched.


Minnestrone made from the Don Pomodoro sauces. Actually if you did not tell me it was out of a jar, I would not have known.



was Mesclun Mix Salad, served with Cremonini extra virgin olive oil and lemon dressing


, Pan seared salmon fillet with olive, basil, fennel and red pepper sauce, and Idahoan roasted garlic mashed potato




A lovely salad, made by me, of course...I simply LOVE olives....


Adrian demonstrating his culinary skills in making instant mash potatoes. It does afterall require a LOT of precision, and skill.

Actually, after this event, I am ALL the more determined to visit the Euro Atlantic outlet. Check out their website HERE....they do have loads of other goodies too.

Head Office:
Lot 341, Jalan Pinggiran Dua,
Pinggiran Ukay, Hulu Kelang,
68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603-4251 8482
Fax: 603-4251 8481

Aik Yuen Hokkien Noodles (behind Hospital Tawakal)

Aik Yuen needs no further introduction as most KL folks would have known or heard about this place that serves great Hokkien noodles. Located off Jalan Pahang and behind Tawakal Hospital, this little eating establishment is spotted with good crowd since opening till late.

Apart from the main shop lot, the tables overflowed to the pavement, stretching to the next few shophouses on both sides. Hokkien mee (RM 6.50) and fried fish cakes are the pice de rsistance here, as we spotted them in almost every table. The Hokkien mee does live up to its name, full of wok hei and came with a generous amounts of fried pork lard. It is also the dry and sweeter type of Hokkien noodles, which I really enjoyed.

The Chao Pek Ger (Stir Fried Rice Cake, RM 6.5) was chewy in texture and it never leaves a strong floury taste in my mouth. So Im rating this higher than Ming Hoe, Jalan Ipoh.

Our order of Wat Dan Hor (RM 6.5) was a total let down though! It was justbland and forgettable. How could someone who made good Hokkien noodles cant do wat dan hor well?

The fish cake being the crowds favourite, was well-seas! oned and have firm, bouncy texture.

Our Deep Fried Calamari was nothing to shout about; the batter was too thick with uneven seasoning. The first piece I took tasted really good with some curry powder seasoning but the next piece was as tasteless as plain water.

The Stir Fry Lala was decent; the spicy and sour sauce was quite appetizing.

I really enjoyed the Caramelise Siew Yoke (RM 10) because it reminds me of how my mum would treat those leftover siew yoke from our usual offering rituals. Stir fry the pork pieces of dashes of dark soy sauce, sugar and cili padi and voila! A major facelift to our usual siew yoke.

Overall, dishes are a hit or miss so it is advisable to stick to their core signature dishes such as hokkien noodles and fish cakes.

Restoran Aik Yuen
Behind Tawakal Hospital
Jalan Sarikei, Off Jalan Pahang Barat
53000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Peach Cobbler for One (or two if youre nice)

Things I Say Too Often:

- Duh. Totes.

- How you livin?

- Why is this orange juice making me more thirsty!?

- Shut it.

- Huh?

- Dddrrrriiiiiiiiivvveeeeee (faster please)!

- Small coffee. Room for cream, please.

This I Dont Say Often Enough:

- Hey Mom. Thanks for birthing and raising me. That couldnt have been easy. You did a great job.

- Hey Dad. Thanks for working so hard to 35 years to support your family. I appreciate you so much.

- Oh geez. Was I being passive aggressive just then? Im sorry. I understand that thats totally annoying. Ill try to be aggressive aggressive next time.

- Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate you so much.

- I love you. You should totally marry me. I mean really.

- More pie, please.

Im learning. Life is short. Say what you mean. Stop saying DUH all the time.

Ive also learned how to make myself a fake-out pie on the quick.

A ripe peach is cut in! half an d pitted. A bit of peach flesh is scooped out we need to make room for mega amounts of coconut almond streusel. Priorities.

When baked, the fruit softens and sweetens. When baked, the topping melts, browns, and crisps.

Two mini peach cobbler/crumbles in about 25 minutes flat.

This is a quick and hearty summer dessert. Its totally breakfast meets dessert meets I just made myself dessert at midnight when Im supposed to be falling asleep reading The Help.

Do you have ice cream at home? I dont. I pretend that cold milk is ice cream. Close enough in a pinch.

Consider making this dessert with nectarines, plums, or apricots this summer. Pick a stone fruit and get baking. Its so warm and satisfying.

Its a mini version of this Strawberry Pineapple Crumble.

Simple and delicious. I understand if you dont want to share.

Peach Cobbler For One (or two if youre nice)

Print this Recipe!

1 ripe peach

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugr

3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon shredded coconut

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cubed

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a peach in half and remove the pit. With a small spoon, scoop out the the dark red pit center, creating just a bit more room for the crumble topping.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, coconut, and almonds. Add butter an! d, with your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients. Quickly break up the butter until it is well combined. Some of the butter bits will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.

Place peach halves, cut side up, in a small, oven-safe dish. Top each peach half with a generous portion of crumble topping. Heap it on!

Bake for 20 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold milk. Peaches are best served warm from the oven.