THAI SOBA NOODLE BOWL

I started writing a post about spicy chiles. I babbled about how I have made inedible food by underestimating the heat of tiny peppers a lesson it seems you learn once per chile. That was the short of it because really I just want you to read this article:How to Love What you Do.

I found it via a good friends twitter and while it seems to be written for photographers, I heard the whole thing speaking to the cautious me. The me who came back from her tax appointment last night thinking WHAT am I doing?!? A question I really need a good answer to given the amount of people asking me, Your book is written! Now what are you going to do?.
You know how you are never to ask a lady if shes pregnant unless youre absoluetly sure? I would also love to officially add the what-are-you-doing-next question to that forbidden list. I will tell you when I know. Just like the pregnant lady.

I love number 5 about making decisions because it reminded me of all the things Ive talked myself out of. The big and the little. Im motivated and inspired and thats what I wanted to share with you. That and this soup, which is one of the most flavorful things Ive made in a while. The broth started off like drinking fire, and then I fixed it and truly feel its a wonderful recipe base that you can adjust to your taste preferences.
Noodle bowl or not, I hope you decide to think big today, because doing is all that counts.

THAI SOBA NOODLE BOWL // Serves 4
Adapted from Food and Wine via Harold Dieterle of Kin Shop, New York

I know heat is subjective, so I am giving amounts for a fairly mild soup. I would s! tart the re and add accordingly. Its tougher to neutralize the spice in a soup like this, so start moderate. The original recipe calls for fish sauce, which I cant handle, so I opted for peanut butter and tamari. Im sure you can find the original on their website.

1 14 oz. pkg. Extra Firm Tofu
2 Tbsp. Tamari or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Sesame or Olive Oil

2 Thai Chiles or 1 Very Small Habanero, seeded and chopped
3 Stalks Fresh Lemongrass, inner bulbs, finely chopped
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Large Shallot
1/4 Cup Peeled and Chopped Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
2 1/2 Cups Coconut Milk (about a can and a half)
1 heaping Tbsp. Muscavado or Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Tamari or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp. Natural Smooth Peanut Butter
Zest of Two Limes
Juice of One Lime
Salt and Pepper
2 Cups Roughly Chopped Mushrooms (I used medium portabellos)
Soba Noodles
Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels and set it on a plate to drain with another plate on top. Leave it for an hour or up to six. Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the tofu into 2 cubes, spread them on a baking sheet, drizzle with the tamari and oil and bake for about 25 minutes until the edges are browned.
In a blender or food processor, combine the chiles, lemongrass*, garlic, ginger, shallot and 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil. Add the lemongrass puree and cook over medium high heat, stirring, until fragrant. About two minutes. Whisk in the coconut milk, muscavado, tamari, peanut butter, lime zest and a cup of water. Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
While the broth simmers, cook your soba noodles.To the broth, ddd the sliced mushrooms, stir in the lime juice, taste for salt and pepper and let it sit another 5 minutes. Divide the noodles and tofu between your bowls and laddle the broth on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

* Lemongrass is a beautiful ingredient but try to find a store that sells nice fresh stalks. You can tell because they will be pretty firm. I find it easiest to smash them with the side of a wide knife and peel back an outer layer or two, then chop up the insides to cook with.

Rosemary Lime Cocktail

Can we just call it cocktail time? Lets just take a minute and take in a cocktail.

Ive got too many Post-It notes with too many tasks on them.

Ive got too much hairspray in my hair, and not enough butter in my fridge.

Theres clothes that need putting away, and cats that need brushing. Theres just days and days full of full.

You know? Of course you know. Of course you do.

Lets just take a quick minute and call it cocktail time. Please and thank you.

Id like to introduce you to chilled, lime wedges, sprigs of rosemary, and homemade rosemary syrup.

I made this cocktail along with my Perfect Cheese Plate and I threw a party for one. No biggie.

Well add sparkling water so were not doing sweet rosemary vodka shots. That would be odd and strangely awesome.

Thats not what were doing here.

This cocktail is a combination of sweet and savory. The rosemary syrup is sweet and earthy. Fragrant to! o. Such a lovely compliment to fresh lime and cold vodka.

Remember when I made Homemade Ginger Ale with ginger syrup? That was seriously one of my favorite recipes of the year. Making syrups is so dreamy easy. With this cocktail, youll feel fancy as you sip. I like. I hope you do too!

Rosemary Syrup for Rosemary Lime Cocktails

makes 1 cup of syrup

Print this Recipe!

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 sprigs fresh

Combine all three ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of rosemary and allow to cool. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

To make the cocktail youll need:

vodka

lime wedges

ice cubes

rosemary syrup

sparkling water

Heres what you do:

Fill a glass with ice cubes. Squeeze some lime in! Pour in a few tablespoons of rosemary syrup. Pour in a few more tablespoons of vodka. Top with sparkling water. Stir. Drink. Repeat.

The Fellowship of the Pigs... at Chef Choi(the sequel to Hairy Crabs)

This is the 2nd part of the same dinner....Read the prequel HERE.

In the previous episode of Hairy & Available, (in that deep narrator tone you get on TV Series), Hairy Crabs and their questionable sexuality....







Now here's a tail of the little pig, who built his house with straw.


I'm exhausted, he proclaims, from all that hard work......


Friends, Chinamen, Countrymen, lend me your ears...it's apparently the best part, after the tail.


Glorious glorious iberico suckling pig, crispy crackling, roasted over a spit for hours. This little pig, weighing 4.5kg, cost RM1,100-00. It may sound shocking, but don't forget, the Iberian Pig is the Wagyu equivalent of pigs.... they feed on gold lined acorns, from the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. How will we ever go back to eating the common pig after feasting on such porcine paradise. Melt in the mouth goodness.


Barbeque baby back ribs, from another Iberian pig. Now, at first sight, it might look bony and not much flesh, but boy, can looks deceive. The meat is sublimely tender, and just the right amount of fat, and with Chef Choi's (actually its Chef Tai Sim) amazing barbecue skills and seasoning, this is one of the nicest barbeque ribs I've ever sampled.


A luxurious take on a wholesome home made favourite, steamed mince pork. Everyone asked, "with ham yue ah?" (with salted fish?). But that would have been sacrilegous. The pure flavour of the pork, with a little added crunch from the water chestnuts, is simply beyond description. I could just eat this, with a bowl of good rice, and be in 7th heaven.


To break the piggy routine, Chef Tai Sim threw in some pigeon for us. I'm not sure if these were flown in (as in, after they were killed), or local, or flown in and then slaughtered here, but whatever its origins, it was delicious. Pigeon actually tastes more like tender duck than chicken, to me.


Braised pork with asparagus and XO Sauce. Simple, effective and gorgeous. You can't seem to go wrong with this pork, but I think the Chef's vision really amplifies the unique texture and taste of the Iberico black pig.





A few things sprang to mind, when we saw this:
Hey chicks, don't lose your heads
Let them eat cake, Marie says to Anne


When I first saw sweet and sour Iberico pork, my first thought was, ARGH, what a travesty! But I tell you, this is one bomb of a sweet and sour pork. Excellent, and I wish I could have more.


The most amazing tou miew. Cooked to perfection, and so plump. One excellent reason to dine here is the passion into which the owners pour into sourcing the best of ingredients. They themselves love food, so even down to the minutest detail, such as vegetables, the choicest pick of the crop.


And finally (bear in mind we also had the Hairy Crabs in the same meal, so I was really slipping into a food coma by now), red bean paste with 18 Yr old mandarin peel. What? 18 yr old? Apparently, people keep mandarin peel as old as 60 years, but those are for medicinal purposes. 18 years is still a long time, ours doesnt even last 18 days before its all gone. So take note, start keeping your mandarin peel from the next Chinese Year, and it'll be good to go in....2029. I will be 63. I hope I can sell off my stock for retirement.

So what exactly does the 18 Yr Old Mandarin Pe! el do? I am not quite sure really, but there is a very subtle, yet definitive taste of the peel, a bit bitterish, which complements the smooth sweet red bean paste. Definitely something for the connoiseurs to savour.

I cannot thank CS & TS enough for their kind invitation. The food at Chef Choi from the few times I've been has always been par excellence! What a privilege!

Chef Choi Restaurant
159 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2163 5866

Nelson's Fried Kuay Teow @ Salak South Garden Market.

Nelson is a tough looking guy with his name tattooed on his left arm.

He fries a plate at a time Kuay Teow with his noisy clanking ladle/turner and well controlled strong spewing flame from his portable gas stove.

Strategically located in a makeshift stall at the open air Salak South Garden market.

His wife doubled up-selling fresh sugar cane juice to go with his CKT !

Open from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Lunch time is very HOT !

Parking is bearable.

Char Kway Teow-flat rice noodle fried with beansprout, Chinese chives, egg and sliced fish cake with lard oil, light and dark soy sauce ( cockles are available)-served on a piece of banana leaf (for more aroma)-good wok hei-a bit charred-too oily to my liking-Rm4.20/

Batu 8 Kapar Sea-foods (yes, with an s), Kapar

Six of us squeezed into Bald Eagles Audi last weekend and headed off towards Kapar, armed with just a GPS and a lot of faith, on a quest for some pretty awesome seafood. Only Jun had been there before in his much younger days while riding in the backseat of his mummys car, so his only recollection of the place was:

1. The food is damn good

2. The restaurant is located just off the main Kapar road

3. Make the first right turn after the masjid/surau

4. Dont expect much, its just a shack.

For the most part of the journey it was a rather pleasant drive thanks to the various super highways leading from our homes in Shah Alam to that little town beyond Klang. Our GPS was keyed in with the address, 162 Kampung Perapat information we had lifted from the only blog that had a write-up on this restaurant. Prompted by the GPS, we turned off Jalan Kapar into Jalan Kampung Perapat, counting down the distance with the enthusiasm of a herd of ravenous pigs. As we drove deeper and deeper into the kampung with nary a restaurant in sight, the manifestation of yet another banana tree didnt seem reassuring. The surroundings were eerie, like a scene from a Malay pontianak movie. Finally Jun spoke up.

Hey guys, this doesnt look right, he said. It should be just off the main road. (refer point two above)

Well, were following the GPS. Lets just see where it leads us to, I said.

We learnt, within seconds, that 162 Kampung Perapat was a dilapidated factory, situated in the middle of an overgrown thicket, with wooden gates that were carelessly held together with a rusty lock.

Meena, did you see a masjid/surau when we were coming in? Jun asked me.

Jun must have thought that my four eyes functioned as such two eyes focused on the GPS and two on the surrounding landscape. Luckily, as we were retracing our route, we saw a surau on our left.

Okay, turn left at the! surau! Jun, the only authority in our group remarked. Bald Eagle dutifully turned. It should be just..abouthere! Jun exclaimed. We looked. Crickets. A frog croaked. Something wasnt right.

Sammy was the only person in the group who spoke Hokkien, to be specific, Penang Hokkien, so she was tasked to call the restaurant for directions after we agreed that we were getting nowhere with Juns able navigation. The first number she dialed led to a fax machine.

Bugger, I cursed. I pulled up the blog post again to look for more numbers. Three numbers were listed there. I tried the first number, a mobile phone number, and hastily chucked the phone to the Hokkien-speaking lass.

Hello, Sammy said hesitantly when someone answered. Ini Restaurant Batu 8 kah? she asked. We all wondered why she wasnt speaking in Hokkien. Kami nak cari Restaurant Batu 8! More talk on the other end.

Oh, maaf ya! Salah nombor! Sammy hung up sheepishly and swore at us. I think we woke that person up, Sammy growled. But nobody sleeps at 8 oclock! Karen interjected defensively. The unexpected remark broke the building tension in the car.

Hope was getting slim. I tried calling the second number. There was no answer. Then I looked at the blog post and saw that it was written in 2009. Unlike England where a copy of the Lonely Planet travel guide from 1981 can still be used as reference, nothing is of permanence in this country.

Could we be third time lucky, I wondered. We were already lost and hungry and had nothing to lose.

I cannot even begin to describe the joy we felt when the person on the other end of the line replied in the affirmative in Hokkien that we had dialed the right number. And therein began a comedy of errors as the man described mosques and suraus to turn at when there were at least four of those in a one mile vicinity. When he eventually realised that we were not achieving any progress as far as verbal directions were concerned due to a serious linguistic fai! lure, he told us to go to the nearest surau and wait for him there. It was a testament to small-town hospitality and we applauded when he turned up on a motorcycle to lead us to the shack of food salvation.

We cheered as we saw a glimmer of light along the dark and narrow road; a silent welcome to the battle-scarred troop that had braved the journey from Shah Alam to Kapar bearing a bottle of Hibiki 17 year whisky on the promise of a meal of steamed mantis prawns, crabs in sweet and sour sauce, salt baked chicken with flesh so tender and flavourful that it needed no accompaniment, spicy squid, and fried beehoon with clams. It was a meal that satisfied every craving. It was a meal that was deserving of the one and a half hour journey of blunders and lapses in judgement.

Our journey home took 25 minutes.

The CORRECT address on the business card:

Batu 8 Kapar Sea-foods (yes, with an s)
162, Batu 8, Jalan Kapar,
42200 Kapar, Selangor.

.except that its not really on Jalan Kapar, is it? Head towards Jalan Keretapi Lama (runs parallel to Jalan Kapar) between the intersection of Jalan Masjid and Jalan Kampung Perapat. And if all else fails, you know you can call the friendly local tour guide at the numbers listed below:

Tel: 03-3250 8326, 012-318 6465, 012-218 6465

Sampling some of Malang's delicious local dishes!

A while back I had the opportunity to visit Malang on a short business trip to learn more about the Coffee Industry. It was an amazing experience where I had the opportunity to learn how Coffee was grown, sorted, processed and packaged.

During my short two day trip I also had a chance to sample some of my host's local favorites of Malangs popular dishes, Sate Kambing, Gule Kambing and Soto Ayam Lombok.


Rumah Makan Cairo



The first night my host took me to her favorite restaurant for Sate Kambing and Gule Kambing called Rumah Makan Cairo. The restaurant was small and without much decor but according to her this is the place for Sate Kambing and Gule Kambing.

Gule Kambing

Gule Kambing is a Goat's Innards stew that taste like a cross between Soto Ayam and Soto Lembu. It was my first time having Goat's Tripe and Liver and I really enjoyed it especially with rice. The flavorful broth covered any gamey flavor of the Tender Goat's Innards.


Sate Kambing



The sate had a nice combination of Fat and Meat. The Sate was seasoned with just salt and some spices that contained Cumin. This was definitely different than Malaysian Satay, which uses Lemongrass, Turmeric and a host of other ingredients. Nevertheless I enjoyed Malangs version as well.


Contact Information:
Address: Jl Kapt. Piere. Tendean 1, Malang, Indonesia
Tel: (0341) 366433


Soto Ayam jl Lombok



For lunch the next day I was taken to a little restaurant that is famous for their Soto Ayam on Jalan Lombok called Soto Ayam JL Lombok. Considered by many to serve the best Soto Ayam in Malang locals actually calls their version of Soto Ayam, Soto Lombok.


Soto Ayam Lombok

This was delicious! Their Soto is much more flavorful than the one's served in KL. The combination of their Spice Paste, Fried Shallots, Spring Onions and Cilantro made this such an aromatic and hearty Noodle Soup Dish. The Chicken Flavor was definitely very pronounced here.


Lontong

My host was going light that afternoon and ordered a plate of pressed rice ca! kes call ed Lontong. It is usually eaten with Soto Ayam but in her case she had it with some Chili Garnish


Prawn Crackers

These werent very good in my opinion. It was not very crispy and lacked Prawn Flavor.

Contact Information
Address: Jl Lombok 1 Klojen Kota Malang, Tlp 0341-366226, Indonesia
Tel: +62 341 366226

On the Mekong, Lime-Free Laab and Cool "Noodle" Soup

Two weeks ago we found ourselves working on a story at a posh resort in northern Thailand. It was the type of gig that strangers, when I tell them I write about food and travel, envision as they reply dreamily, "Wow, that must be amazing."

Don't get me wrong. It is amazing, to be able to do what we love to do -- eat well and travel and meet intersting people -- and call it a job. But a job is a job and traveling for work is nothing like traveling for pleasure. And jobs with the sort of perqs we enjoyed two weeks ago come along... well, near to never.

We worked our butts off for four days because that's how away-frome-home work is. Nothing like the fear that you won't get everything you need while you're on locationto inspire pre-dawn risings and pre-bedtime hours at the computer. But it was all good: the bed didn't give us backaches and the spray in the shower was as hot as we wanted it to be, and generous too. Our room came with a deck and views, of a grazing ground for elephants and egrets and beyond, Burma -- the Ruak River and a patchwork of farms trailing to pine green hills. The staff were wonderful people who worked hard to help us do our jobs. After every photogenic and much-photographed sunset there were lovely cocktails and good food and excellent wine.

And yet, and yet. By the evening of day two I was missing the flavors of the street, craving the tastes and textures of down and dirty northern Thai cuisine. I wanted the snap of roasted chiles and the tingle of prickly ash, the richness of fatty barbecued meat and the bite of sticky rice. I was chafing to imbibe something of Chiang Saen, the nearest town, and its surrounds. There were local specialties there, I knew, and I wanted to try some.

So, as I sat a! t the ba r sampling a tom kha cocktail (addictive) the night before an early morning photography foray to Chiang Saen market, I sought advice from the mixmaster. In Chiang Saen, try the fish grilled in a bamboo tube with herbs, he advised. A nighttime specialty, served by the river, but we'd be in the vicinity early morning. What else is there to eat? I asked. Oh, khao ram feun in Baan Sop Ruak! It's on your way into town! He described a dish of jelly-ish gram flour squares in a cool tomato-based broth that sounded like a memorable treat we enjoyed a couple years ago on the street in Luang Namtha, in northern Laos.

So the next morning, well before we alighted at the dock in Baan Sop Ruak, I told our our guide that we'd need to stop on the way to Chiang Saen in Baan Sop Ruak for a bite or two. I've dealt with guides associated with high-end resorts and hotels, and usually they are resistant to any requests off the beaten path. I hate being handled and I'd steeled myself for protests: Oh no, that food is too dirty. Oh no, that food will make you sick. Do you dare to eat something spicy? I think it's not a good idea, you're not used to the food.

Surprisingly, and delightfully, Khun R's response was nothing of the sort. "Alright," he said, with a smile. After alighting from our boat near a big golden Buddha statue across the Mekong from an atrocious Chinese-owned resort complex in Laos we made our way to a stall set back from the street where a middle-aged woman was setting up for business. She was happy to serve us khao ram fuen, she said, but we'd have to wait a half an hour.

We decided to wait it out with an "ap! petizer& quot; of laab khua, beef laab prepared in the nothern way, with odd bits and meat and lots of fresh herbs and chilies and dried spices. At the table next to us sat a group of Thais just off the night shift at the casino. As we waited for our order we watched, mouths watering, as dish after dish arrived at their table: gaeng om, a heady beef stew enhanced with a mixture of dried spices, thick slices of barbecued pig's neck with tamarind-soured dipping sauce, two kinds of laab, fried chicken, somtam local style, with bplaa raa instead of fish sauce. All accompanied by Saeng Som and soda and bottles of energy drink.

Finally our laab arrived,and it was perfect. There is something so unidentifiably deep and rich and almost mysteriously fabulous about northern-style laab -- the absence of a light note like lime juice, perhaps, or the combination of dry and fresh spices or the meatiness of the meat in Thailand. We dabbed it up with fingertipfuls of sticky rice and agreed that it was among the best we'd ever eaten, better perhaps even than our favorite laab in Chiang Mai.

By the time the last nib of water buffalo meat had disappeared into our mouths the khao ram fuen lady was ready for us. She offered two types of "jelly" -- one made with sticky rice flour and one made with a combination o! f sticky rice and yellow pea flour. We ordered one of each. For both orders she sliced the jelly-paste into rough cubes, added a few yellow noodles, and then sluiced on a ladleful of thin liquid by boiling tomatoes in water and then passing the mixture through a sieve.

Condiments came next: a dab of fresh red chili sauce, a splash of Mae Sai-style semi-liquid tua nao (fermented and sun-dried soy beans) mixed with chopped cilantro, spoonfuls of ginger-garlic water, Shan (and Sichuan)-style sandy chili oil, salt and ground peanuts.

On top of it all, fresh cabbage shredded and tossed with pea sprouts, and a mixture of blanched snake beans and bean sprouts.

After she'd served us Paa Laa (Aunty Laa), as the vendor is known, encouraged us to personalize our bowls with the addition of anything we wanted more of. That meant more chili sauce and cabbage for me, more tua nao and chili sauce for Dave.

What we ended up with was certainly one of the most delicious concoctions we've come across in our by now fairly extensive northern Thai travels, a dish that pushed all our buttons with its fresh vegetables and copious amou! nts of c hili. The snap of the cabbage contrasted nicely with the yielding jelly-paste cubes, the nuts and fermented soy beans added heft and umami. By the time we got to the bottom of our bowls the dish's range of flavors had melded in the remaining tomato-y soup.

Resisting the urge to order a repeat, we departed with a bag of lovely crisp-fried banana slices (by Paa Laa's daughter, who works next to her), toddling off to the Chiang Saen market where more deliciousness, in the form of pounded pomelo salad with black crab paste, awaited.

Khao ram feun and laab khua, Baan Sop Ruak. On the river near the golden Buddha statue, about 100 meters towards Chiang Saen. The khao ram feun is sold on the river side of the road and the laab khua shop, with its two tables, is directly across the street. Look for Aunty Laa, but if you don't find her ask around for khao ram feun -- there are plenty of other sellers after about 930/10am. This is a morning/early afternoon dish. Aunty Laa says she usually sells out by 1230/1pm.

Breakfast at Sri Hartamas Food Court

I like Mak Ciks freshly cooked nasi Melayu at the 2nd last stall of this food court. You will see old portraits of Malay film stars hanging on the wall at the last stall (selling kuah muah & goreng stuffs). This court is situated at Jalan Hartamas 1 and a popular place for all kind of people such as taxi drivers, office workers, technicians, etc etc. It was so popular that I had to park my car a distant away from the food court.

There first stall is popular among taxi drivers and it sells nasi lemak, nasi ayam & nasi campur.

This warm rice with a fresh curry fish, a hardboiled egg, poached lady fingers & cauliflower and a dose of sambal belacan was heaven in the morning. And it costs me only RM5.00 including a glass of plain warm water probably because a smile of a familiar face that got a deal good. Terima Kasih Mak Cik. Saya akan datang lagi.

Food Court

Jalan Sri Hartamas 1

GPS : 3.158953,101.650467