FOODlog #260: Creamy Thai Tomyam Spaghetti
Another day my Filipino colleague wasn't around so I cooked tomyam again. However this time I cooked a fusion dish of a creamy tomyam with spaghetti. It's a dish I used to serve when I was operating my own restaurant. One of my colleague was watching a tiktok video of someone making this dish and I told her I'd make it for lunch one day.
So the dish starts with pan frying some chicken tenders that I seasoned with salt, pepper, and some corn starch.
After browning the tenders on both sides, remove the tenders from the and and in the same pan I started sautéing tomyam paste with thinly sliced lemongrass and minced garlic together with some slice chilies.
I then add in kaffir lime leaves and the starch water from the spaghetti that I cooked. After that, coconut milk goes in and the pan fried chicken tenders is added back into the sauce to simmer for 7-8 minutes.
Serve it up with spaghetti and grated parmigiano regiano and it's ready to eat. It was tangy, slightly spicy, creamy, and had loads of umami flavor from the tomyam paste. Super delicious and a fusion dish worth the time to prepare. Yums! ~~
FOODlog #259: Dry Rub Curry Chicken & Stir Fried Mushrooms
My colleague cooked the staff meal the other day and made some dry rubbed curry chicken tenders. He doesn't have much culinary sense or skills and does a lot of food I particularly wouldn't do however because he makes cooking decisions like dry rub chicken tenders which are already a very lean cut of meat making everything extra dry, I get to learn that it really doesn't work. Haha ~~
Anyway, the food was still edible and didn't taste horrid. It was actually decent especially if you're not picky in your food consumption.
He started with chicken tenders rubbed with curry powder and seasoned with salt and pepper. Since it was chicken tenders, oil should've been added to make it more moist and would help in the cooking process of the meat not drying out.
The other dish he made was stir fried mushrooms. He used various fresh mushrooms like enoki, straw mushrooms, and shiitaki mushrooms. It had a lot of gravy so I guess it helped with the dry rubbed curry chicken.
We ate these 2 dishes with white rice. A simple and tummy filling meal. Grateful to have other people preparing meals for us even if it's not always perfect.
FOODlog #258: Thai Tomyam
It was a Saturday that my Filipino colleague was not around so it was my turn to cook the staff meal. He doesn't like tomyam so I decided what better time to cook tomyam as the other staff love tomyam.
I start off my sautéing some tomyam paste with fresh lemongrass, garlic, and roughly chopped onions. Next, about 1+ liter water goes in then on high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Once it starts boiling, I reduced the heat and begin to add in the other ingredients.
I used frozen items and canned items for this tomyam. I added in seafood tofu that had cheese in them and some canned straw mushrooms.
For the vegetables, I added in napa cabbage that I roughly chopped and some freshly sliced green chilies.
We ate all this with white rice and it was a super delicious meal. The tomyam was slightly spicy, tangy, and so flavorful. It also had lots of sweetness that came from the napa cabbage. Such a wonderful combination and especially delicious on a cold and rainy day.
FOODlog #257: Black Pepper Yaki Udon
It was my turn to cook and after eating rice for many days in a row, I decided to have a change and cooked some noodles instead.
I bought some udon noodles and cooked black pepper yaki udon. I seasoned up some chicken tenders that I sliced up with black pepper and salt.
For the vegetables, I used napa cabbage that I simple sliced up, carrots that I cut into julienne strips, and some onions roughly sliced up as well.
For the sauce, I used oyster sauce, soy sauce and black pepper sauce as well as freshly cracked black pepper for even more black pepper flavor and aroma.
I used the flat top and turned it up to high then teppanyaki-style, added some garlic oil and stir fried the onions, carrots, and cabbage.
Once the vegetable soften a little, I add the chicken slices and cook them for about 4-5 minutes. Once they are cooked I add in the udon noodles that I've lightly blanched earlier in boiling water to loosen them up. I stir fried them with the vegetables before adding in the sauce and cooking everything on high heat for another 5-7 minutes.
It was such a delicious meal - the udon was nice and soft and the vegetables giving the dish some crunch and natural sweetness. The black pepper was so present and really hit you with a nice kick of aroma and flavor which I enjoyed a lot as I do love black pepper flavored stuff. Delish! ~~
FOODlog #256: Malaysian Ayam Percik from 'Ayamas'
Every 15th & 30th of the month this chain restaurant called 'Ayamas' here in Malaysia has a special discount for their roasted chicken. They are popularly known for their roasted chicken with 3 different flavors - honey, black pepper, and 'percik' which is a marinate that has various spices and curry powder.
I love their 'Percik' flavored one so that's what I ordered for dinner the other day on the way home from work. It used to be 50% off on those 2 dates but now it's just a couple of bucks cheaper. Oh well, it still tastes good and it's worth the price.
I ordered a whole chicken and it's cut up into 16 pieces. The chicken was so juicy and moist and the marinade made it so flavorful and aromatic. They also serve a sweet chili dipping sauce that comes with the chicken and pairs with it really beautifully.
I did however think that they might have changed the recipe a little as it didn't taste the same as I remembered it to be. If that's the case, I prefer their older recipe but this wasn't too bad either.
FOODlog #255: Filipino Bicol Express
The other day my Filipino colleague was gonna cooking the day's staff meal and didn't know what to cook. I suggested him to cook 'Bicol Express' again. It was the first dish that I ate of his cooking and really enjoyed it.
So he made 'Bicol Express' again with pork shoulder cuts and chicken breast chunks. The dish starts with ginger that is roughly chopped up and added into a pan with oil to saute. Once the ginger is fragrant, add in the pork shoulder as it takes longer to cook than the chicken.
Next, add fish sauce and coconut milk and let everything simmer for 30 minutes. Add in the chicken breast and sliced green chilies and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and the dish is done! A simple but delicious dish that's creamy and super flavorful.
He also made a vegetable dish of roasted broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and corn. It's simply seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with garlic oil. You could add in whatever seasoning you like and it'll turn out great.
We ate these 2 dishes with white rice and it was a really yummy and energizing lunch.
FOODlog #254: Peri-Peri Chicken with Tomato Rice & Leek Mushroom Cream Sauce
Last week for work, I cooked the staff some delicious roasted Peri-Peri Chicken. I accompanied the dish with some tomato rice, roasted leeks, and a leek and cream sauce.
I used chicken thighs for this dish but you would use any part you like. I started off by marinating the chicken with lemon zest, harbanero hot sauce, paprika, salt, black pepper, butter, garlic oil and thyme. I let it marinade for a good 30 minutes to let the flavors seep into the the meat thoroughly.
I then set them on a tray and roasted them for 45 minutes on 180 degree celcius opening the oven every 10 minutes or so to baiste with the marinade and chicken drippings. Not skipping this step ensures you get a moist chicken and a phenomenal crispy skin.
For the cream sauce I sautéed the leeks that I roughly sliced with butter, flour and milk making a bechamel sauce then seasoning it with salt and chicken powder.
The white bottoms of the leek, I roasted them together with the chicken at the final 10 minutes of baking the chicken.
For the tomato rice, simply add butter and tomato paste into rice and boil in a rice cooker. Super simple with maximum flavor.
Plate everything up and drizzle the creamy leek bechamel sauce and the Peri-peri oil drippings and you're done. A super delicious dish with a lot of care and love gone in to prepare it. Yummy! ~~
FOODlog #253: Burger 'Kaw Kaw'
Since we were at Stiq which is just opposite of their other food outlet Burger 'Kaw Kaw', my friend ordered a lamb burger to share.
The meal comes with a side of chicken hotdogs together with the burger itself. The burger had lettuce and onions. I think the onions were grilled but it could have done a little longer on the grill in my opinion.
The burger also had a slice of beef bacon in it which was nice. The buns were alright but a little on the dry side. For the meat itself, it isn't a pure meat patty and has fillers in it probably like breadcrumbs and eggs to bind. It has the texture more of the Ramly burger patty than an all-meat sort of patty.
Overall it was an average tasting burger but for the price point I guess it's reasonable. The speed of how fast the burgers came from the time we ordered was commendable. It was really fast and everything was hot when it arrived.
FOODlog #252: 16 Hour Beef Brisket
Haven't been to Stiq for years now. The last I went there was pre-covid years so I decided to head there with some friends. I've been having in mind to order their signature 'Beef Stiq' which is exactly what I ordered.
Nothing has changed in terms of their plating which is the beef brisket that's slow cooked for 16 hours. I ordered the 2-3 person portion size which is about 600-700g as I was sharing with a friend. The portion was not disappointing at all and was very satisfied with the serving.
The meal comes with a side of oven baked potatoes topped with beef bacon bits and topped with mayo. I really love their roasted potatoes which unfortunately they don't have it as an add-on on their menu. The dish also comes with a side of salad and some grilled onions which were delicious as well. You also get a free soft drink with the main that you order.
The beef brisket was super tender pairing really nicely with their barbecue sauce which is slightly sweet and tangy.
Since I haven't been here in so long, the quality and taste of the food is still as good as I remembered and definitely recommended considering the price and portion given. Will want to try their lamb options the next round I visit. If its anything like the beef brisket, I'm sure it'll be delicious!
FOODlog #251: Smoked Salmon Egg Fried Rice
At the cafe, we have a 2 dishes that we use smoked salmon for. We often have leftovers from it as sometimes the sizes aren't the preferred size for the dish. So with the leftovers my colleague had a plan for one of our lunches to cook it as our staff meal.
He made egg fried rice with smoked salmon. For the rice, we used leftover rice from the previous day that was kept in the chiller. Leftover cold rice is preferred for fried rice as it has lesser moisture and it'll make for a better end result.
He simply cooked some garlic in oil until fragrant then stir fried some chopped French beans into the mix. Some beaten eggs then go in to scramble and it's seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.
He removed everything from the pan then added in the smoked salmon to Sautéed for a minute then the cold rice is added. Some soy sauce is poured on the rice and then on high heat, fried until golden brown.
The cooked scrambled eggs is then added back into the pan to cook for a minute or so and the egg fried rice is done.
I served mine up in a bowl and drizzled some kewpie mayo on it for extra flavor and creaminess. It was a super delicious lunch - pimped up comfort food at its best! ~~
FOODlog #250: Beef Curry Stew with Tripe
So at the cafe I work at, we get to took whatever we feel like eating which means we get to experiment as well as savor various cuisines from western to eastern food. This time I wanted some curry and rice so I cooked some beef curry and Sautéed French Beans with fried tofu which I took inspiration from a dish my Mum makes.
For the curry I toasted some star anise and cloves in some oil then used a premix curry paste as well as some curry powder and turmeric powder. I then added onions, ginger, and garlic to Sautéed until soften and fragrant then coconut milk goes in to cook. Once the oil separates, the beef goes in. I also bought some beef tripe which I added in to the curry as well.
Add in water and season with salt and pepper then let the beef simmer and stew for at least 1 and a half hours.
While the curry cooked, I prepped and cook my vegetables. I simple cut the French beans into 1 inch batons and for the tofu I used a firm tofu and cut it into similar sizes like the French beans.
I then deep fried the tofu for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown then remove them to drain on some paper towels.
For the French beans, I simply Sautéed some garlic in oil then the French beans goes in to Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add in the fried tofu and season the dish with oyster sauce, soy sauce and some salt to taste. Add in water and simmer for 2-3 minutes and the dish is done.
We ate the curry and French beans with rice and it was super delicious. The curry had so much depth of flavor and the spices were so well balanced. The beef was tender and the tripe as well. I have to say it's the best curry I've ever cooked and will definitely cook this dish again in the future. Super delicious! ~~
FOODlog #249: Chicken Piccata with Roasted Potatoes & Spinach
Our cafe recently hired a new guy as a barrista. He's the youngest coworker we have now at only 20 years old. After a couple of weeks working together he complimented that our staff meal is by far the best staff meal he has had at any place he's ever worked at.
Since its his first few weeks with us, I decided to cook some of my signature meals that I haven't cooked for some time as well.
I made chicken Piccata for our meal but instead of mash potatoes and Sautéed French beans like my last round, I accompanied the chicken with Sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes.
For the chicken I drenched it in flour that I seasoned with onion powder and garlic powder. I then pan fried them until golden brown on both sides then tossed in butter, capers, lemon juice, and some chicken stock. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes, season to taste with some salt and pepper and more butter and the chicken is done!
For the spinach, wash and clean them thoroughly then cook them with some garlic oil and season with salt and chicken stock.
For the potatoes, I handled them with a little more love and care to make a superb side dish. Potatoes are affordable and if treated well, makes some of the best side dishes ever.
For mine, I boiled them in some water until they are fork tender. I then remove them from the pot and smash them with a fork or you could use anything to smash it. This is so that it'll have more edges and when it goes in the oven, more edges means more crispiness overall which makes for a much more delicious roasted potato.
I seasoned it with thyme, garlic oil, butter, salt and some black pepper. This goes into a 180 degree oven for 10 minutes then 220 degrees for another 7-8 minutes. The result is a tender and creamy potato with golden crusted crispy edges.
Plate them all up and a super delicious lunch is served. Yummmmyyy! ~~
FOODlog #248: Nyonya Chicken Curry Kapitan
It was my turn to cook the staff meal for everyone so I made steamed rice together with 2 dishes to eat with it. I made a Nyonya curry chicken kapitan and a vegetable dish of stir fried baby kailan.
For the chicken, I used boneless chicken thighs that I cut into cubes. I then prepared the ingredients for the sauce which were garlic and I used a curry premix for this dish. Super convenient and easy to make.
I start with oil in a pan and some garlic sautéing for about a minute. I then added in the curry and chicken and cook them together for 5 minutes. Next I added in coconut milk and seasoned everything with salt stewing with the lid closed for another 5 minutes. It doesn't take long as the chicken was chopped into smaller pieces.
The curry was creamy, tangy, slightly spicy, and extremely delicious. Perfect to enjoy the curry with rice.
For the vegetables I simply stir fried them with garlic and seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and some salt.
A balanced meal that's super flavorful and extremely satisfying. Yums! ~~
FOODlog #247: Drunken Chicken
The other day my colleague cooked a Chinese dish called 'Drunken Chicken' for lunch. It was a dish that he remembered his mum cooked for him when he was young and he helped out making it. 20 years later he now tried to make it as how he remembered it.
He marinated the chicken with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and shaoxing wine which is a type of Chinese cooking wine.
The dish starts with sauteing some sliced ginger in oil. Once it's fragrant, add in some minced garlic and dried shiitaki mushrooms. The shiitaki mushrooms have been sliced thinly so they cook well and evenly easier.
The chicken goes in next and cooked for about 5 minutes on high heat. After that, cover the pan and let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes in it's own juices.
Add in some water after that and if needed, more soy sauce or salt for seasoning and cover for another 10 minutes till the chicken is fully cooked.
This dish has such a wonderful balance of sweetness from the cooking wine, saltiness from the soy sauce, earthiness from the mushrooms and such delicious savory flavors from the chicken. A delicious dish and especially good with rice.
FOODlog #246: Vietnamese Chicken Wraps
A change up of a meal for lunch, we had wraps for lunch! After days of having our usual rice meals, my friend cooked for the staff meal at the cafe some Vietnamese style pan fried chicken.
He seasoned the boneless chicken thighs with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. He wanted to use lemongrass but we didn't have any so if you do have that in your pantry, do utilize it for more flavor and aroma.
After about 15 minutes, the chicken thighs are seared in a hot pan for about 10 minutes on each side. The chicken was so aromatic and fragrant that we were jokingly saying that it would be great with rice.
Anyway, we continued with our plan for having wraps. I made mine with some pesto, harbenero hot sauce, some freshly diced tomatoes and some spring onions to top it off.
My other colleague had his with cheese and lettuce. We all enjoyed our own custom made wraps and had a wonderful lunch together.
FOODlog #245: Beef Stew with Local Spices
I cooked some beef stew for lunch the other using the leftover Brazilian striploin that the cafe had. I didn't really know what to cook so I improvised and made a spiced stew with local spices and some vegetables.
I started off with some aromatics like ginger and garlic as well as some spices like cloves and star anise and toasted them in some oil in a pot. After they were fragrant I added in the beef and gave them a good sear to get some caramelization which will boost the flavors of the whole stew.
I then added in water to cover the meat and then added in cabbage and some greens to cook together. The vegetables give it a natural sweetness that'll balance well with the meaty flavor of the beef.
We also had some asparagus that was gonna go to waste if we didn't use them so I tossed them in as well into the stew. I guess it's whatever we had leftover, we used it for this dish and it turn out really nourishing and delicious.
We had our stew with rice and had a yummy lunch just before the rush hour.
FOODlog #244: Curry Barramundi
After lunch on Sunday, we headed to a nearby supermarket to buy some groceries. I went to the fresh food section and got 2 fishes for one of the staff meals of the week.
I got 2 barramundi at about RM10 each (<2.50 USD) which was quite a steal. I brought the fishes to work and made it for our lunch.
I cooked a Nyonya fish curry with ladies fingers. For the curry paste I used a premix that I found to be quite tasty and super convenient to make. All you need to do is cook it in a hot pan until its fragrant which takes like less than 5 minutes.
I seasoned the fish with salt and let it sit and marinade at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure to rub and massage the salt into the fish and not just sprinkled on.
I then added the fish into the pan to fry together with the curry paste. I also smeared some of the curry paste on the fish and covered the lid of the pan to let it cook for about 5-7 minutes.
Next I careful flip the fish and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes on the other side. After which, I add it cut up ladies fingers and onions and cover the lid again to let everything cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
FOODlog #243: Ramen with Smoked Bacon
On Saturdays, we normally are a little tired of having rice as our staff meal lunch so we often try to eat something different. Our go to are instant noodles like instant soup ramen.
My colleague bought a pork broth instant ramen from the clearance section that would otherwise cost double. It was still before the expiry and what better way to save money and have good tasting food.
They cooked this for lunch together with meatballs, a slab of thick cut smoked bacon, and some simply blanched baby kailan for our greens.
The broth was flavorful and the noodles were really nice. I liked the texture and mouthfeel of the ramen. Everything paired to beautifully with each other. The meatballs and bacon were the perfect pairing for the noodles and the soup as well as the baby kailan giving everything an extra crunch.
Super delicious meal with simple ingredients.
FOODlog 242: Dad's Dinner Treat
My dad messaged us the other day to say that he wants to treat us a dinner meal. We went to a Chinese restaurant around the neighborhood for dinner and had a good time eating some yummy Chinese food.
He ordered a steamed tilapia with garlic and soy sauce. It's topped with spring onions as well to give it some freshness and color. The fish was so delicious and tender. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce that came with it enhanced the natural sweetness of the fish.
Another dish he ordered was tofu cooked in claypot. It had tofu, broccoli, some chicken slices, and snowpeas. He also ordered another claypot dish that was pork stomach stewed with mushrooms and black fungus. Both dishes had a similar gravy and they were very delicious and well prepared.
Our forth dish was spinach soup cooked with wolf berries. It was a refreshing vege broth that went down well with the whole meal.
We ate everything with white rice as usual and it was such a delicious meal especially since it was treat by my dad. For some reason, I feel meals that people treat others taste better. I guess there's secret ingredients in it like - kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity; love.
FOODlog #241: Malaysian Hokkien Food
On the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, Mr and my family went to my parents place for lunch. My mum cooked some of her signature dishes that she inherited the recipe from her mum and her mum's mum.
She cooked pork trotters stew with mushrooms and soy sauce. As always it packed full of flavor, super rich in taste, and the fragrance from this dish will get your mouth watering. The mushrooms give it an earthy umami flavor and the fatty pork trotters together with the bones being stewed together got hours makes this dish have so much depth of flavor.
We had this with simply steamed white rice which is perfect for this dish.
I went there earlier to help out with the preps for another dish she made which was 'bangkuang char'. Its a hokkien/nyonya dish that uses jicama as the main ingredient. I helped out with shredding the jicama and the carrots into thin julienne strips. This is the major preps for this dish.
Other ingredients in this dish are dried cuttlefish, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and leeks are optional.
They are all stir fried together and seasoned to taste and served with as a filling for a lettuce wrap. Super fresh and delicious homemade appetizer that is sure to satisfy.
A super delicious meal that I could have any day 🙌
FOODlog #240: Pandan Fried Chicken with Nasi Lemak
Went to this place called 'Peranakan Place' that recently opened in Setapak Sentral mall. I've tried this 'Nyonya' restaurant chain before in Rawang and the quality and taste was at the same standard.
I ordered their Ayam Rempah Nasi Lemak which comes with a quarter chicken and half a hard-boiled egg together with the usual Nasi Lemak condiments of cucumber, groundnuts and ikan bilis (fried anchovies). The portion is generous and the sambal is slightly spicy and sweet which you can enjoy with the pandan infused coconut rice.
My kids love the Ayam rempah as its not spicy and the flavors are yummy.
For myself, I tried something different this time and ordered their pandan chicken. The flavors were really nice and has a nice fragrance from the charred pandan leaves and also lemongrass.
We also ordered again their pai tees which are delicious.
Service was also good and the waitress that took our orders and served our food was very friendly and ready to assist us in our orders. We had a good time with reasonably priced food and drinks.
FOODlog #239: Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner 2023
Chinese New Year last month was really wonderful. I had around 5 days off from work and had a good time resting and relaxing after over 3 months of heavy physical work. My body is getting stronger and I feel less tired so I guess that's a good thing that I'm getting stronger physically being back in a kitchen.
Anyway, we had our reunion dinner at my aunt's house which we always do every year.
My brother bought some delicious roasted pork belly and barbecued pork belly. They had different flavors of the pork belly as well as a variety of interesting dipping sauces like Blue Cheese ranch, Guiness BBQ, Mala Mayo, Mustard Wasabi, Chimichurri, and Chili Garam. The sauces were all interesting but sort of lack the flavor you are expecting in a negative sense. The pork belly were delicious though so I guess they were good on their own without the dipping sauces.
My wife cooked stuffed cabbage rolls. My aunt cooked chicken with mushrooms and soy sauce which she cooks every year. It's like a chicken casserole with lots of earthy and savory flavors from the mushrooms and soy sauce.
She also cooked another dish which is pork with arrowroot. Something she cooks every year as well which is super delicious. Arrowroots are like potatoes but has it's own unique taste.
A super delicious meal with family and relatives during a once a year celebration of reuniting with family.
FOODlog #238: Chicken & Portobello Stroganoff
Had a really delicious lunch the other day cooked by my Filipino colleague. He made - STROGANOFF!
But instead of beef which is the authentic recipe, he used chicken instead. He also replaced the sour cream needed in a stroganoff recipe with cream instead. The flavor profile was as good as a stroganoff would be and we really enjoyed the lunch.
Here's how he made it:
First slice some mushrooms. We had Portobello mushrooms so we used that but you could use button mushrooms as well as long as they are fresh mushrooms. You want to get the earthy flavor from the mushrooms.
The Portobello is super earthy and it's extremely flavorful, packed with umami, and perfect for this recipe.
For the chicken, we used a bone in chicken drumsticks which gives the whole dish lots of flavor.
The mushroom goes in first to sauté with some garlic and onions. After they brown and are slightly soften, add in the chicken and cook till brown. Next add in water and salt to taste and let everything cook for about 10 minutes.
Lastly the cream goes in (or sour cream) and bring it to a simmer again for another 10 minutes.
At the end, add in some fresh Basil and you're done. This is also not a traditional step but some greens just brighten up the whole dish giving it an extra dimension and flavor.
We ate the stroganoff with rice but you could serve it with pasta or potatoes made any way you enjoy.
Yums! ~~
FOODlog #237: Stingray Curry with Roti Telur
For our staff meal at the cafe, we normally eat rice and occasionally we have noodles for a change. This time, we wanted something besides rice and noodles so we ordered some 'roti' for our lunch.
We got some 'roti telur' which is roti with egg. It came with dhall and some fish curry which I also got a portion of the fish. It was a stingray curry which was flavorful although the stingray itself was a little rubbery.
I also got some chicken 'rendang'. It was about RM6 (USD <2) per piece and for the price it was quite a good buy. The chicken was tender and the 'rendang' was aromatic and flavorful. We even had leftovers of the chicken which we kept for breakfast the next day.
The 'dhall' wasn't the best in the world but it was decent and we enjoyed the change of our routine of eating rice. Really grateful and thankful that we get to eat "free meals" at where we work. Saves us a good amount of money daily which if you add up, we're saving a good portion monthly on food.
This is especially good during the bear market as we can use every penny to pump our crypto bags waiting for the bull.
FOODlog #236: Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup @ An Viet
Went to this place with a friend that serves Vietnamese food at Gardens Midvalley called An Viet.
The place was jam packed when I went at around 7pm on a Monday but managed to get a place for the 2 of us. A very cozy shoplot that was very vibrant with people and the staff were really nice and friendly.
I ordered their pork rice noodle soup dish for myself and my friend ordered their lemongrass grill chicken buncha.
My ordered literally came in like 30 seconds! Super efficient and especially happy as I was really hungry and wanted something quick. The dish came with 2 pork ribs, 3 pork meatballs, and a few slices of really tender pork.
I really enjoyed the dish and the broth was extremely flavorful. All the meats were well cooked and tender. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone that loves Vietnamese food or noodles for that matter.
My friend's dish didn't come quite as fast as mine but not more than 15 minutes wait. I tried a little piece the grill chicken and it was caramelised and chargrilled on the outside which was sweet and savory. Very delicious as well and will consider ordering this the next time I visit.
Highly recommend for really nice noodles and Vietnamese food.
FOODlog #235: Amazing Chicken Chop
There this place that opened recently that I've been wanting to try. It's a place called Checkpoint located at B. Base.
They serve local cuisine food like Nasi Lemak, Assam Laksa, as well as pastries like croissant and also western hot foods like burgers and chicken chops.
I tried their honey walnut pastry and it was quite good. The amount of walnut was very generous and the taste was nice. They gave our table a free almond tart to try which they mention was something new they were working on. Really generous of them to do so and we enjoyed the tart as well.
For mains, I tried their fried chicken chop and man was it delicious. One of the best chicken chops around town for the price and portion of it. The crust was crispy and flavorful and the chicken chop itself was huge, thick, and juicy! The mash potatoes was decent as well but definitely the chicken was the highlight of this dish.
A friend of mine ordered their Nasi Lemak which came with a fried boneless chicken as well. He said everything was great especially the chicken but the 'sambal' was a little on the sour side which he didn't enjoy.
Another friend ordered their big breakfast and it was fairly decent too.
My brother ordered the fish fillet noodles and he said it was good.
The ambience is really nice and rustic. A nice place to hangout and fairly decent food. Highly recommend their chicken chop if you are there for the first time.
FOODlog #234: Kuey Teow T'ng
Went out for breakfast with my parents on one of the days of Chinese New Year which was also my off day from work. A very rare occasion as I normally don't take breakfast and with my parents for that matter. So it was a nice time spent at a local hawker stall.
They are popular there for their 'Char Kuey Teow' but this time I ordered their 'Kuey Teow T'ng' which is flat rice noodles in a pork stock soup with some pork slices, fish meatballs, and tofu.
I've tried it before once and its a dish that I really like. There aren't many that are nice where I live so this place that recently open really hits the spot whenever I have cravings for this dish.
The soup is light and refreshing and although it doesn't look heavy, it's a very flavorful broth. If you feel under the weather or want something light yet still delicious, this is a bowl of noodle soup that'll satisfy.
My dad ordered a dish of 'Yong Tau Foo' to share. It's an assortment of different tofu like stuffed tofu with fish paste or vegetables with fish paste as well. It's quite nice and a breakfast that I was stuffed.
FOODlog #233: Chicken Curry 'Kerutuk'
A few weeks ago it was my turn to cook the staff meal. When I do have the energy and am well rested, I do enjoy cooking for the rest of the staff. I get to also cook things I like to eat or dishes that I want to explore cooking.
I get to go shopping with the cafes budget for the meals and this round I got a whole chicken and a 'kerutuk' spice mix. It's a type of Malaysian curry that had coconut milk, tamarind, and 'gula Melaka' (caramelised palm sugar).
For the aromatics I started with sautéing some onions in oil. Once they turn translucent, I add ginger and lemongrass and stir fry them for another 2-3 minutes. Once they are fragrant, I add in the 'kerutuk' spice mix to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Next, I add in the chicken, together with the tamarind extract, gula Melaka and coconut milk to cook with the chicken for around 15-20 minutes.
For the final 10 minutes, I add in some carrots and potatoes that I've roughly chopped and season the curry to taste.
The end result is a savory and creamy curry that you can eat with bread or rice. A 1 pot dish that's easy and quick to make.
FOODlog #232: Filipino Tuna Mackerel Fish Stew
We don't often eat fish as our staff meal but the other day my Filipino colleague bought some 'Ikan Tongkol' (mackerel tuna) and cooked a delicious Filipino stew dish.
This fish stew dish is called 'Ginataang Tambakol'. First the fish is cut into steaks and then fried in oil until golden brown. Its then removed from the oil to drain on some paper towels.
Next, to make the sauce, slices of ginger, garlic, onions, and chili is added to some oil to stir fry. After the aromatics are fragrant, the fish is added back and water, fish sauce, and vinegar is added to the pot and left to stew for about 15-20 minutes.
Finally what makes this dish so creamy and delicious is some coconut milk that's added at the end and cooked for another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with some salt and the dish is done and ready to be enjoyed.
The stew was slightly spicy from the chili, creamy and milky from the coconut milk and savory from the fish and the aromatics.
He also cooked a vegetable dish of fermented shrimp paste (belacan) stir fried with some long beans.
We ate these 2 dishes with white rice and it paired perfectly especially the fish stew. Super delicious Filipino dish that I'll definitely add into things I'll cook in the future.
FOODlog #231: Chicken Rendang & Fried Gobi
Couple of Sundays ago I had lunch at a place that opened a couple of months back. It replaced a 'mamak' restaurant that has been in the neighborhood for 20 years. It was my first time trying their 'Nasi Kandar' which is rice that you get to choose some dishes to go with.
I picked their deep fried cauliflower and their 'rendang' chicken to go with the rice and they were super good!
The deep fried cauliflower was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was fried with curry leaves which gave it a nice fragrance and was aromatic. I think the batter it's fried in was seasoned with some chili powder which gave it a really lovely orangey red hue.
The chicken rendang was really good as well. The herbs and spices used made the chicken 'rendang' curry so flavorful and delicious. It was slightly spicy and paired really well with the white rice.
The price of the food was also affordable for the portion I took, I felt it very reasonable and fairly priced.
I will definitely come back to this place for their other dishes after such a good experience with these 2 dishes. Absolutely yums! ~~
@drumsticks
