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SurF tHis SitE RaNdoMly

Longing satisfied - baking diary resurrects!

>> Wednesday, August 29, 2012

I haven't baked for the longest time! Work has been one of the greatest factor that put my baking on "pause" & even with the free time that I have, I would be sitting in front of the computer for chats or just watching tv instead of baking. Oh, I ran out of ideas too. *teehee*

Each baking session is an experiment. The only recipe that I've repeated was the moist chocolate cake recipe, which I baked into full-size cakes & cupcakes as well. This time around, I decided to go for a non-chocolate cake.

The lazy baker in me loves everything "less less less" except for one thing - taste/quality of the cake should never be compromised! Less work, less ingredients, less clean-up time, but still an AWESOME cake or many LOVELY cupcakes! :D

This time around, I baked a sponge cake without butter nor oil. Amazing eh? It's probably less fattening (yet yummy) too! Baking sponge cakes is certainly more work since I've to use the cake mixer to beat up the eggs, but I reckon the "fluffiness" of the cake is also of greater pleasure :)


Looks awesome, right? It's not mine...haha...
Photo taken from reciperoll.com

I got this recipe from reciperoll.com & while waiting for the cake to pop-out of the oven, I've decided to share this journey with all of you on my blog first. You fortunate people! ^.^

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat egg yolks at medium speed until thickened.

4. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat 3 minutes longer.

5. Beat in water, orange or lemon zest, orange or lemon juice and vanilla extract.
6. At low speed gradually beat in the sifted ingredients.


7. Using clean beaters in a medium bowl, beat egg whites adding cream of tartar until soft but not dry.



8. Fold one quarter of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.


9. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.

10. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

*****
After 25 minutes...

Walla! My fragrant sponge cake :D Yippee!!

It doesn't look that pretty, but it sure smells good :)
I hope it'll taste good too!

Tomorrow's breakfast is served :) I can't wait to savour the labour of my hands!


Back to baking,

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Expensive Yam Abacus at a Medan Selera!

>> Tuesday, August 28, 2012

*pffftttt* I can't believe that I was charged RM15.00 for a small plate of yam abacus at the PJ Old Town Medan Selera (market food court) last Wednesday!! It's pretty much the price range of yam abacus at restaurants in shopping malls...*ergh*


I really didn't expect to pay such a high price for a plate of yam abacus. I know that there are NINE different ingredients in the dish to accompany the almost bland yam abacus, but hey, RM15?? Yes, yes, I also know that it's a lot of hard work to hand-roll the yam abacus one by one...but RM15 for 30 little yam abacus?? *sigh*


When I told one of the lady staff, she replied, "Huh? 30? More than that la...." =.="
"I counted one by one," I told her....and her reply was a classic defence mechanism that shut me up to just finish every single bit of the yam abacus "You know, there are nine different types of ingredients in there ar..."

Will I order the yam abacus again? Nooooo! Hahaha....once bitten twice shy...if you're willing to pay RM15.00 for a plate of yam abacus, good for you. But this PerutBesi isn't willing to pay that much for a plate of yam abacus. The worst part is that my colleagues tagged me the same weekend itself on Facebook for a plate of yam abacus that they ordered in Malacca for just RM3.00!!! *faints* I just paid FIVE times the price *boohoo*...is the taste that far a cry? I doubt it lah...the PJ Old Town's yam abacus was nothing "wow" in my personal opinion. I do know that many people are still in favour of their yam abacus, but I will set aside my RM15.00 for something better...perhaps a juicy burger? ;) Oh, I remember buying a packet of "uncooked" yam abacus from the SS2 market last time for RM5.00/packet. There are roughly 20 yam abacus in a packet...it's still more worth it to cook 'em myself!

Call me "stingy"/"kiam siap"/"cheapo", but I shall not pay RM15.00 for a plate of yam abacus that isn't really a proper meal...



Why are things getting so expensive :(,

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Dad's Home-Cooked Bah Kut Teh

>> Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Yums! 

1. Tong sui (dessert)
2. Sweet & spicy mud crabs
3. Bah Kut Teh

The weather was just AWESOME for some steaming hot/warm home-cooked bah kut teh. The above are my dad's top 3 dishes & he was more than excited to share the results of his acquired skills/talents with the extended family :) I've had many times of his bah kut teh at home, but this is the 1st time (and many more times to come!) that he cooked for 15 persons!! Fuh! Everyone was VERY pleased :D

Are you hungry now...? :D
We spent around RM190 for EVERYTHING - pork, pig's stomach, pork balls, mushrooms (3 types), "taufu pok", beancurd sheets, packets of BKT soup base, "yau zha kwai", veggie, chilli... to feed 15 persons!  Around RM13.00/person for such a lavish meal...eat 'til you drop kinda meal...and there were some left-overs to feed another 5 persons! Hohohoho....SUPER "DAI" (worth it)!!

Dad didn't just use the packet BKT soup base, but he added LOADS of other ingredients - his own recipe. This was what he shared with us:
- BKT soup base (usually Claypot brand, but this time, he can't find that brand at Tesco, so he bought Tean Kitchen's brand)
- garlic
- "dong quai" (according to Wiki, it's female ginseng)
- "kam chou" (dried licorice root)
- "kei zhi" (wolfberries)
- "hong zhou" (red dates) - I can't fully remember if he did mention this ingredient
- oyster sauce
- dark soya sauce
- light soya sauce
- some ground white pepper

You can go ahead to try if your BKT according to the ingredients above tastes good :P My dad made his TWO pots of BKT taste excellent! Ah, much love, much love :D


Aunty Mary helping to cut the "yau zha kwai"
I can just have the yau zha kwai with the soup! SO GOOD........

More soup, more soup! :D

The chef with his dish :D

Fresh "yau mak" veggie 

The nicely cut "yau zha kwai" 

The beancurd sheets/"fu chok" 

The pot of goodness...yummilicious!
See the load of golden mushrooms? *drools* 

A type of yellowish chilli padi that I bought from KK to give the BKT an extra "kick"/"umph" 

The Wong family's FEAST! 

With such a "suitable" weather (cool, rainy, slightly windy) for some warm herbal soup meal, have I tempted you to crave for some BKT now? :P


Warm meal on a cool day + warmth of family = bliss,

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myBurgerLab, Sea Park, PJ

>> Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Overall comment: Delicious & juicy chicken/beef/vegetarian burgers! It's quite pricey (a rather subjective matter), but I reckon it's still worth your money for the quality & portion that you get. If you are willing to pay for burgers at bars/restaurants, you won't find this place over-priced. But I will say that I can't bear to spend RM20 on a burger meal every other day or every once a week. It's quite "ouch" to my pocket :S Haha...
Halal: Not too sure since it's still quite new. It's certainly pork-free!

PerutBesi's mum: Once you pick me up from work, we go makan burger in Sea Park ya... (she was referring to myBurgerLab) I told pa to have his own dinner d since he doesn't enjoy burgers...
PerutBesi: Huh? Orh...okay... *in surprise...mum telling me that we'll have burger for dinner??*

Thus was the plan & it was materialized. We headed straight to myBurgerLab at Sea Park. This little restaurant started its business just this year (not too many months ago). I pretty much grew up in Sea Park, so locating this place was no biggie at all. If you're not familiar with this area, just look out for the wet market & you'll see this busy restaurant down the road.



I was told by one of my church members who works there part time that this restaurant is packed pretty much EVERYDAY & at times, you'll need to wait up to ONE HOUR to get your order(s). Fuh! Make sure you're there early i.e. between 5 - 6pm to avoid the crowd! Once past 6pm, the crowd will start to trickle & by 7pm, the place is packed! *faints* I'm amazed!

Their menu
Looking at their Facebook page, they do have "daily specials" every other day. Plus, I think their menu changes quite often. It's a "burger lab" after all - once experiments are successful, I'm sure they will share the results with their patrons!


The crowd around 7pm
Full-house wei....look at the last photo to see what happens in just 40 minutes from this photo is taken (less than an hour, okay) 

Get a number & Wait for your order
Upon ordering, they will request for your name to be printed on the receipt. On the same receipt, you'll find a number (just like at banks!) that will blink when your order is ready to be collected. Yeap, self-service - that's why there ain't any service charge ;) Oh, I have to mention this! As they have an open-kitchen concept, be prepared to walk out of the restaurant smelling like burgers!

MY BURGER - Beef Beautiful Mess (RM18.00/ala carte)
AWESOMENESS!! Layer 1: "home-baked" charcoal bun + Layer 2: sunny side up egg + Layer 3: deep-fried, crispy portobellow mushrooms (that I thought were potato wedges!!) + Layer 4: melted Mozarella cheese + Layer 5: Thick & juicy beef patty + Layer 6: Fresh, crisp lettuce & tomatoes + Layer 7: "home-baked" charcoal bun. SEVEN-HEAVEN...*bliss*burp* 

It's a satisfactory meal
The burger comes with yellow mustard instead of mayonnaise/chilli sauce/tomato sauce - lovely! The restaurant claims to use 100% Australian Grass-Fed Beef too! Not any "chapalang" beef or "roadside cows that eat anything under the sun"...patutlah lebih mahal...

Add-on set (additional RM6.00 to the burger price)
The set comes with fries + a refillable drink of choice. Their fries are not those off-the-shelf kinda shoe-string fries. They are moderately-thick cut deep-fried potatoes that's sprinkled with salt & herbs! Yums! It also comes with a small plate of "chilli-mayo dip". 

Mum's Chicken A+ Burger (RM15.00/ala carte)
It's a piece of tender & juicy chicken breast meat (yay! no processed meat & no rough+dry meat) with caramalized onions, sharp cheddar cheese, Shiitake & enoki mushrooms packed in between soft "home-baked" charcoal buns. SO nice! Really have to thank Julia for the fantastic recommendations! 

Yum yum
Mum enjoyed her burger & we were stuffed after the burger dinner. Oh my, what a satisfying meal :) For almost RM40.00, it better be worth our every penny! Hahaha....be ready to spend an average of RM20.00/set for a meal here... it's 30% of a day's wages for people who earn RM2.8k nett/month!

The "damage"/bil
Quite an expensive meal, eh? Thank goodness it was satisfactory! ;)

The crowd & queue around 7:40p.m.
This is true EVERYDAY. No kidding. People are willing to pay RM11.00 & above for a basic cheese+beef burger & more! 

You have to try it at least once. I kid you not. I won't mind recommending people to this place for a good burger meal. It may be slightly costly (don't ever compare it with the Ramly burger or McDonalds 'cause it's just not on the same yardstick), but it would be a worth-while experience :) Try it once & you decide for yourself if you are willing to come back for more...


myBurgerLab
14, Jalan 21/22
S.E.A. Park
46300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia.
Business hours: 5:00p.m. - 11:00p.m., Tuesday - Sunday
Facebook/Map: myBurgerLab
Blog: myBurgerLab


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * 1/2
Price: * * *
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * * *
Service: * * *


Overall:






Expensive but satisfactory meal,

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Review: Naab Persian/Iranian Restaurant

>> Friday, August 10, 2012

Overall comment: Extensive variety of Persian food that brings you on a "journey to Iran". The restaurant is interestingly designed to reflect nature: earth + water + sky. If you haven't tried Iranian food, this could be a good place to start your journey of discovery :) PerutBesi's readers get a 10% discount off their total bill too! Read on to find out ;)
Halal: Yes

have you ever tried Persian/Iranian food? Oh, it's not just "any other Middle Eastern" food...

Thanks to Naab Restaurant, I was taken on a journey to discover an array of Persian/Iranian cuisine. Strategically located at Bukit Bintang (the HQ outlet), Naab has been around for around 6+ years now.


As I've been too busy with work, I've decided to post up some information of Persian food provided by Naab in form of slides to us blogger. It's very "educational" :) Enjoy the educational info...




If you did read the above, I'm sure you would know better now what is Persian food & what are the differences between Persian & Middle Eastern food :) So, come join me on a "tour" to discover what Naab has to offer!

They've a lift in the restaurant - 3-storey building

Naab's Ramadhan Buffet
If you would want to try an extensive range of Iranian dishes, go for their buffet, RM85.00++/adult & RM40.00++/child. It's worth it :)

Loads of dishes offered by Naab

Their interior


Here comes the buffet spread that was offered to the bloggers! Spread fit for a king! :D

Salads & appetizers
We had 10 different types of Iranian salads/appetizers! *wow*



Soups
I'm fine with the barley soup, but for the other 2 soups, I reckon it's an acquired taste...haha. Most of the soups that I drink do not have much herbs & spices :P

Rice
The saffron rice was really nice! So fragrant! Best eaten with the stews or meat. There's also a long bean rice, which was also very tasty & a noodle rice which tasted a bit lamb-ish :P

Stews
They have so many different types of stews that I didn't even get to try them all...but I actually kinda enjoyed the Gheymeh Stew. The beef pieces in the stew were tender & the stew is slightly sourish & aromatic - very appetizing.

Chicken dishes
I think I only managed to try 2-3 dishes from this photo below only...I didn't even manage to try any from the next photo below! *sigh*


That's a lot of food, right? There's more......

Lamb + Fish
The lamb stew was really good...tender, chunky meat!

Fish + Sides
Ok, the only fish dish that I tried was the fish finger. Too many dishes to try! I did try a bit of the sides as well...but I didn't really fancy those.

Sides
The photo on top right is quite an interesting dish. It's called Dolma & is actually meat, rice, & herbs wrapped with vine leaves (boiled)! I tasted it & found it quite an interesting side dish to have :)

Desserts
I find Iranian desserts too sweet for my liking. But if you're a sweet tooth, I'm sure you'll enjoy the variety that Naab has to offer.

Iranian tea, drinks & our platter
The plate on the bottom right was my Round 1. After that, I couldn't have anymore "meaty" dishes. I was stuffed! Perhaps it's because I was eating way too slow :S And oh, I've yet to take time to enjoy Iranian tea - by the time I drank, it was cold d...hahaha...

My 2nd Round
I just took some salads & sides to try. The sides are really unique. All of it have their share of herbs & spices. The salad I loved most was the Olivia Salad - it's mashed potatoes with chicken & I think pickled onions....yums!

I was STUFFED! So it was time to "walk around" & take a tour around Naab Restaurant...


Naab's VIP Rooms
There are 6 VIP rooms for functions & meetings. Each room is up for reservation & price varies with room & package. Every room features a different theme; some have Persian carpet mounted on the walls like paintings, while some rooms have pottery.

If you're wondering how Persian/Iranian food tastes like, you can give it a try at Naab. I'm impressed by their variety & architecture of the Bukit Bintang outlet. They also have another outlet at Solaris Mont' Kiara. Maps can be found on Naab's website :)

Naab will be giving a 10% discount off total bill for all readers of bloggers who attended the event! All you need to do is to print out my blog post or show the soft copy to the restaurant & you'll get to enjoy a "luxurious" Persian meal to the max while paying 10% less! :D The offer is on from now 'til 31st December 2012!! 

Don't miss out this opportunity!


Naab Restaurant Bukit Bintang
130, Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 2143 3949
Fax: (+603) 2141 5694
Business hours: Daily 12:00p.m. - 12:30a.m.
URL: Naab Restaurant


Naab Restaurant Solaris Mont' Kiara
13 & 15, Jalan Solaris 2
Solaris Mont' Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 6203 7647
Business hours: Daily 12:00p.m. - 12:00a.m.


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:






Enjoyed the gastronomical trip to Iran,


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