Argentina: The Mighty Camelids

The mighty camelids of South America llama, alpaca, vicugna and guanaco.

In the Jujuy province in the north-west part of Argentina, en route to the Salinas Grandes (the great Salt Plains), we spotted these agile, graceful beasts the diminutive vicugna.

The camelids are herbivorous animals. They do not have hooves, but possess two-pronged toes, and have long slender necks.

Llamas and alpacas are domesticated animals while the vicugnas and guanacos are wild. Llama meat is commonly eaten in Argentina.

So when in Rome

Llama loin, red pepper miraso! l sauce, small stone potatoes, and corn in basil essence

do as the Romans do.

Cooked

Llama carpaccio

or raw.

Not quite chicken. Less gamy than beef, and tender in texture. It was our virginal experience at Jose Balcarce in Salta, a restaurant which serves exceptional Andean cuisine, concentrating on fresh and local produce.

Yacare meat in roasted lemon sauce, mashed pumpkin and goat cheese

And if llama meat doesnt suit your fancy, there is always yacare meat. (Yacare is a species of caiman from the alligatoridae family.)

Jose Balcarce
Necochea 590,
Salta,
Argentina

LOAVES OF PASSION

One of the many core values that drive The Italian Baker team

Consumers in many parts of the Klang Valley and beyond have been clamouring for a taste of Massimo, a new sandwich loaf with wheatgerm that hit the market the minute full page colour advertisements and TV commercials promoting the bread made their appearances about two months ago.
!
So I simply couldn't pass up on the chance to tour the spanking new factory where Massimo loaves and buns were churned out when the invitation came.

True to the Italian proverb 'Who has good flour makes goodbread', Massimo by The Italian Baker is good bread made with quality flour and wheat germ; a subsidiary company of FFM (Federal Flour Mills) Berhad.

After a sumptuous lunch, Mr Jimmy Chang, General Manager and Director of The Italian Baker Sdn Bhd briefed us on how Massimo was realised after three yearsof intensive R&D. The factory was set-up with the expertise and machinery imported from the US and Italy but the most vital aspect according to Mr Chang is his team's passion in producing good, wholesome bread that everybody can afford.

What makes Massimo different is the addition of wheat germ which is known for its nutritious goodness and primarily valued as a natural healthsupplement. However, raw wheat germ needs to be handled, stored and processedproperly before it turns rancid so The Italian Baker's biggest advantage is its close proximity to FFM where a fresh and constant supply of the byproduct is easily available.

Currently, the factory produces 10,000 sandwich loaves (equivalent to 7 truckloads) and 23,000 cream rolls per hour. Almost the whole production is mechanically controlled; from the weighing of ingredients to the mixing, panning, baking, cooling, slicing and packing processes. Of course, workers are at hand to supervise the production line to ensure everything's glitch-free and conduct quality control checks at each section.

The finished products...Massimo white sandwich loaf (in blue bag) and sandwich loaf with wheat germ (green bag) as well as Duetto cream-filled buns

Mr Jimmy Chang (centre) with Mr Lai Fei Siong (Bakery Manager, left) and Eric Ong (Divisional Manager-Bakery) in front of the Massimo factory and delivery trucks

The proof of the pudding of course is in the eating. I was initially unconvinced how different a sandwich loaf with wheat germ can be but once I had a slice of Massimo, I changed my mind. The texture is noticeably firmer compared to existing brands in the market. It also doesn't have that sticky gumminess that causes the bread to stick to the roof of your mouth.

As you can see, Massimo can be made into bruschetta or eaten with various spreads such as butter, jam and mashed tuna. It tastes even better toasted which gives the bread a subtle nuttiness. The Duetto buns are not too bad though I would have prefer more filling in them.

Hmm...I wonder if the bread can be used to make tiramisu? Now that would really make Massimo truly Italian :)

I Love Samsung Galaxy SII : Get the talents to act your words on video!

So have you check out the new Samsung interactive and fun microsite I LOVE SAMSUNG GALAXY SII that I posted about last week? Yes ? No?

THE SITE: http://bit.ly/pa8JrF. ( http://www.samsung.com/my/lovegalaxysll/ ).

Well you should! I surfed around a bit after viewing some videos from actual Samsung Galaxy SII owners. All were happy and have found their SII to be a worth investment. (Now how I wished I have one too. :( )

Other than the videos, the interactive part that I was talking about is this:

The talents in the video you see below will actually act the words you key-in at the bottom left the box as highlighted/circled in RED. Turn up the volume on your computer & hit the PLAY NOW and be entertained!

Try it! Its fun. Especially when you used certain words. Hahahyou didnt get the idea from me ok!

Oh, another thing, have you noticed the right column of the screenshot below which I have circled it in RED again?
Valerie (the person who posted the request) is just like you and me.
She checks out Samsungs I Love Samsung Galaxy SII site; and she decided to put in a request on the ACTION REQUEST BOARD. Basically, anyone can do so!
Valerie requested Samsung to get a ballet dancer and dance with the Galaxy SII. I thought it was good idea; imagine the fluid movements of a ballet dancer with the Samsung Galazy SII in her hands.
It would have been an interesting video to watch. Now, I do hope Samsung chooses her request!

I put in one of my own as well. A ONE cart-wheel with the Samsung Galaxy SII in the other hand. I wonder if Samsung is able to get anyone to do that! Im keeping my fingers crossed that my request is chosen!

So hop over to http://www.samsung.com/my/lovegalaxysll/ by clicking here http://bit.ly/pa8JrF.
Key-in your preferred words to get the talents to act the words. Then click PLAY NOW (at the bottom! left th e box), sit back and be amused!

Psstt.. LIKE Samsung Univez on Facebook too! http://www.facebook.com/SamsungUnivez.

Joe can cook! Season 2 Episode 2: Good Old Lotus Root Soup

One of the things I miss most about home is the soup that Mom cooks almost on a daily basis. The extra effort of cooking it over charcoal outside the house and letting it simmer from day to dawn is to die for after a long day's work. Not to mention (I suspect) a big bowl of soup helps me fill up since I was almost on a 3-4 weekday carb free dinner regime over the last few years.


It never cross my mind that I should venture into cooking soup on my own, I mean how hard is it to chop a few carrots, potatoes, onions and chicken and simmer in a pot of boiling water for a couple of hours (which by the way makes for a good ABC soup).


Hankering for some lotus root soup, the day came when we saw some at the market. After buying some, I realised I still had no idea how to make it so after resorting to the internet, we found an easy recipe from Rasa Malaysiawhich I hope she doesn't mind if i share with you all with a couple of tweaks.


Despite my mother's practice of not keeping leftovers especially soup, I love how I can make a big batch and individually freeze them for a simple dinner the day after so its up to you.

My best purchase for the kitchen so far, a 8.9 litre stock pot which sadly has gone into repair after a couple of months when one of the handles dropped off!

Dr! ink it a s a first course or eat it with some rice, its up to you!

Recipe:

1. The recipe roughly calls for 300 grams of pork (bone or meat) to 1 litre of water.

For the soup, I use a mix of pork bone, soft pork bone and pork ribs (the asian butcher at the Valley is a good source, especially their special pork ribs)

2. Boil your meat before hand to get rid of the impurities - 5-10 minutes in boiling water should get rid of some but not all, any longer and I believe you are eating into the flavour.

3. Boil the water and put in your pre-boiled meat and bones, bring to a boil and let it simmer.

4. Skim away the impurities as they float to the surface, preferably skim away majority of it before you proceed with putting the below ingredients. This should take a good 15-20 minutes.

5. With the lotus roots, peel off the skin, wash and cut in medium size slices before putting it into the pot.

6. Finally, the magic ingredient to put in is dates. The recipe calls for red dates and dried honey dates. Use 5 red dates and 1 dried honey date per 1 litre of water. Can be easily found in an asian grocer. The dried honey dates give the soup a very sweet tone to it so if you don't fancy the soup being too sweet, skip it or reduce the quantity.

7. Let it simmer away for as long as you can, I say 2-3 hours will be good but more time means more flavour. However keep in mind if you do put in some meaty pork ribs, it is perfect after 2 hours of cooking and can be too soft to eat if you cook it any longer (so if you want to cook it for half a day, add the pork ribs in the last 2 hours of cooking time).

8. To serve, pour yourself a bowl of soup, add a couple of the lotus root and the pork ribs you put in ( you can throw away the pork bones).

Lets hope I can get through the lazy cooking bug and actually cook something worthy of a recipe post soon!

Raya Open House 925 @ Puncak Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur

The Committee Members of the Resident Association of Puncak Setiawangsa (PPPS). Visit us at http://puncaksetiawangsa.blogspot.com/ Member of Parliment of Setiawangsa, Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique & wife Datin Seri Noriah giving free school bags (courtesy of Swan Foundation) & Duit Raya to the underprivileged pupils of Taman Setiawangsa.

The Orchestral comprising of students of Taman Setiawangsa.They came in style & I like their performance.Selamat Hari Raya to all my friends.

Restaurant Herbs & Spices Sri Petaling

Sri Petaling, a place where mostly populated by Chinese community in KL has turn into a food paradise with lots of great restaurants serving good foods. I was introduced to Restaurant Herbs & Spices last week by Chris and Christine of www.broughtup2share.com.

This place looks simple inside out without much sophisticated decor. It is all about simplicity yet doesnt compromise the comfortable ambiance. To start off the food try outs, I ordered myself a glass of cold 3 layers tea which I find pretty good.

According to the owner here, most of the chefs and kitchen staffs were from hotel lines. You may see them properly dressed and having a proper kitchen setup that able to cook any foods. We start off with a bowl of house special soup.

Hainanese Mutton Soup RM10.90

The soup were something new to me. I am not a big fan of muttons as I cant stand the smell. This bowl of soup dont have that. The mutton meat were tender and soft with plenty of flavors.

Hainanese Chicken Chop RM15.90

The chicken chop were tenderized with hammer then battered and deep fried. Home made onion sauce and freshly prepared coleslaw accompany the chicken chop at side. Not to forget the french fries at side.

Prawn Fritters RM16.90

Rib Eye Steak RM28.80

Medium rare done rib eye steak paired with homemade hainanese sauce and french fries. The meat were all juicy and tender.

Spaghetti with Chicken Chop RM15.90

An alternative for those who dont want the standard french fries and coleslaw to go along with their chicken chop can opt for this spaghetti set. The spaghetti sauce were chefs special creation which blends in well with the chicken chop sauce. Normally the spaghetti sauce tends to have more tomatoes flavor compared to the chicken chops.

Lamb Shank RM26.50

Lamb shank fans wont be dissapointed here. A big portion just nice for you and the shank were cooked till perfection before laden with chefs special sauce.

Besides western foods, there are plenty of rice dish which prepared by a Malay chef who were specialist in creating the traditional rice dish from the east coast ie. Terengganu and Kelantan. It was hard to find a good plate of nasi dagang in Klang Valley. Now you can get it here at Restaurant Herbs and Spices.

Nasi Dagang with Ayam Berempah (Spice Chicken) RM12.00

Nasi Dagang with Ikan Tongkol RM9.50

Nasi Dagang with Beef Rendang RM12.00

Nasi Goreng Sri Petaling RM12.50

Black Pepper Udon RM11.00

This black pepper udon may look like a plate of ordinary hokkien char with some seafood on top. You are wrong! It is a plate of flavorful udon fried with black pepper sauce and accompany by all the premium quality seafoods yet maintaining the affordable price.

Aside from the great list of main course, they have a selections of desserts which prepared fresh upon order by the customer.

Sago Melaka RM4.00

Creme Caramel RM5.00

English Triple RM6.50

Awesome home made apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream RM8

The restaurant is located at :

51, Jalan Radin Bagus,
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03 90575592