Stir-Fried Ostrich Fern

If you are looking for an easy way to get more greens in your diet then try this simple stir-fried wild fern shoots recipe. You can get the wild ostrich fern from any wet market or tamus here in Malaysia.  I never get tired of eating this vegetable. Don’t overcook them. If you don’t have access to dried shrimp, you can substitute with dried anchovies. 

It’s my not-so-secret mission to convert everyone in my family to loving their greens. My children are not that much of a vegetable eater. Baby steps people…baby steps.

This is quick and easy to prepare so I hope you give it a try.

Stir-fried Ostrich Fern

Ingredients

A bunch of ostrich fern    –      separate the leaves and the stems. The softer 

                                          part of the stems can be included in this dish.

1 tbsp dried shrimp - soak in hot water for 5 minutes and drain

3 garlic

1 shallot

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp of chili paste

1 tsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp of plain water

½ red chili – for garnish

Directions

Rinse the veg and soak in water for 5 minutes. Drain it and set aside.

Using a pestle and mortar, pound the shallot and garlic into a paste. Then add the dried shrimp and pound it lightly to break it.

Heat up a wok and add about 3 tbsp of oil then sauté the pounded ingredients until fragrant.

Add the chili paste and shrimp paste and continue to sauté until the oil separates.

Add the veg then stir to coat with the oil and the pounded ingredients. Keep turning until the veg begins to wilt. Lower the heat and add water and oyster sauce then stir in. 

Let it simmer for about 30 seconds then dish out. Serve.

Quick and Easy French Toast

I have to say that the Sunday breakfast is one of the highlights of my weekends. A little everyday luxury with my family, got to love it!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start your day in style with French toast. 

French toast is perfect for a quick and savory breakfast. Leave out the sugar and serve it topped with honey and maple syrup. When whisking the eggs, be sure the egg is completely whisked into the liquid and there are no bits of white or yolk. Also, let the excess egg mixture drip off of the bread before you place it in the pan to avoid a custard puddle forming beneath the bread as it cooks.

You can also add a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the egg mixture. Serve with freshly squeezed orange juice.

Quick and Easy French Toast 

Ingredients

1 egg

¼ cup milk

6 slices of bread

2 tbsp of honey or maple syrup
A pinch of salt

Unsalted butter – for greasing the pan

Directions

Beat egg in shallow dish. Stir in the salt and milk.

Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Dip 3 bread slices, 1 at a time, in egg mixture, turning to coat both sides evenly.

Cook each side until golden brown. Transfer to serving plates. Repeat with the remaining bread and egg mixture.

Top toast with bananas or strawberries, if you like. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup. 

Serve.

Egg-in-a-hole (Ala B)

I didn’t learn how to cook until I was 13. It’s because my late grandmother had been so ridiculously territorial in the kitchen that I never much felt welcome.

I made sure I didn't repeat the same mistake with my daughter. She started fixing snacks for herself when she was only 8.

Last week, when I picked her up from school, she asked me if I know how to cook a sammich. At first, I thought I misheard her. I had no idea what a sammich was.

At home later, she showed me exactly how to cook this sammich thing. She got this idea after watching her favourite cartoon ‘Adventure Time’ on tv. I did a little research much later and found out that the correct name for this is actually Egg-in-a-hole.

Egg-in-a-hole (Ala B)                                                                                            

Ingredients

1 slice of white bread
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
Salt

Pepper

Instructions

Take a scissor then cut a hole in the center of the bread. You can also use a biscuit cutter if you have one.

Heat up a pan on medium-low and melt in the butter. When the butter is all spread out, put the bread in the pan and crack the egg straight into the center of the hole. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the egg sets a bit on the bottom.  Carefully flip the bread over to cook the other side.

Serve it with a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Enjoy!

Bubur Cha Cha (Sweet Potatoes and Taro in Coconut Milk)

When I was in Form 2, my former guardian, G, made this yummy dessert to be served in the monthly (church) prayer meeting. I fell in love with it straight away. A yummy dessert of colorful sweet potatoes, sago pearls and taro cooked in fresh coconut milk.

I love anything with sweet potatoes and taro in it. I remember my late grandmother used to grow all types of sweet potatoes in our backyard as we both love sweet potatoes so much. 

For best result, please use fresh coconut milk. As for me, I have no choice but to use evaporated milk as I am allergic to coconut milk. 

It tastes best when you let it sit a while after cooking, so the best time to eat it is when the dessert is lukewarm but I normally can’t wait that long. 

Bubur Cha Cha (Sweet Potatoes and Taro in Coconut Milk)

Ingredients

1kg mix of sweet potatoes and taro
3 pandan leaves
½ cup sugar / to taste
6 tbsp tiny sago pearls
½ cup thick coconut milk / evaporated milk

Instructions

Peel, dice and wash the sweet potatoes and taro. Set aside.

Wash and tie the pandan leaves into a knot. Put the pandan leaves into a large pot and add 3 liters water and bring to a boil then remove the leaves.

Add the sweet potatoes and taro and stir to mix well. Then add the sago pearls. Stir once in a while. Cook until the potatoes and taro is tender and the sago pearls has turned translucent.

Add sugar then add the milk and stir to mix well. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down. Serve.

Chamek Kopitiam (Metro Town, KK)

Chamek Kopitiam

We’ve been scouting out the city’s restaurants and kopitiams, ever since we moved to Kota Kinabalu, to be our ‘other kitchen’.

Chamek Kopitiam just opened a new branch here in Metro Town which is quite a distance from the city centre but it’s worth the trip! It’s just less than 5 minutes’ walk from Avangio hotel and Jesselton Medical Centre. It’s cozy and a great place for lunch or dinner. There’s a substantial selection of a la carte dishes from the southern state of Johor. They are open from 9am (need to check on this) until 9pm daily.

They serve assorted fried rice, nasi lemak (rice dish cooked in coconut milk), fried noodles, fried kuey teow, just to name a few. Banana fritters with cheese and milo are definitely worth a try.

This is Pattaya fried rice which is my son all-time favourite.

This is their kopi susu (coffee with milk).

You simply must try their Mee Bandung (a delicious gravy made of a mixture of chili, onion, spices, shrimp, shrimp paste, dried shrimp, meat, fish cakes and vegetables) served with egg noodles. Slurpy goodness! So do try them as well!

Their lempeng kari ayam, a pancake served with chicken curry definitely recommended.

However, I am not a big fan of their sweet cassava which is served with sambal and salted fish, just not how we used to eat it in this side of the world. My late grandmother would just boil them until they are tender then dip in sugar or grate them to make into a steamed cake or just fry them into crispy fritters. Hub told me that the Johorean Malays eats almost everything with sambal…

My family enjoyed the food at Chamek Kopitiam and I’m sure you will too!

Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

It's my daughter’s birthday again. Years ago, when Hub handed me this little doll with the big beautiful eyes. It was one of the greatest moments in my life.

“ Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter!  I am blessed to have you as a daughter. No matter how many birthdays come and go, you'll always be my little girl.  It has been so much fun to watch you grow up into the incredible person that you have become. I am so proud of you and cannot wait to watch you continue to grow and be all the good that you can be. I pray that this day will be the beginning of all that you hope to be and hope to have. May God bless you on this day and every day and may you continue to be the wonderful person you are. Mommy, Papa and abang wish you all the success in life. Make all the best decisions by putting our Almighty and wonderful God first and you will never go wrong! I love you very much. ”

This photo was taken at Dumpil Bay, Putatan, a few days after we moved to Sabah, to escape the madness of KL and move to a life less hectic, with more space and a better lifestyle… 

On the Bamboo Trampoline, at Murut House, KDCA, Hongkod Koisaan, Penampang. 

Since it’s also Malaysia’s 59^th National Day which is also a public holiday, so we decided to go to one of KRR branches in town, to celebrate my daughter's birthday. The food was not how we expected it to be. It came within minutes of being ordered. The roasted chicken was very pale and a bit cold. The only saving grace was the vanilla muffins. They still taste as good as before, back in the days when we frequented their other branch. I wonder if KRR sends people down to check on the quality of their food. It is a shame that the food quality has gone down so much despite the not too cheap prices. I will not be going back any time soon even if they give away free food! It is a wonder they still have customers in this day of many choices. Perhaps the market they cater to are less demanding.

This fabulous recipe is from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe’s blog which is actually adapted from The Pioneer Woman's blog and like her, I also changed a few things to suit our palates. I am not a big fan of chicken but this roasted chicken is the best roasted chicken I’ve ever had.

Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

180gm butter – softened

1 whole lemon

1 yellow onions – peeled, halved and sliced

4 sprigs of rosemary

4 sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

4 carrots – peeled and chopped

5 medium potato – peeled and cut into wedges

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Trim off any excess fat then exfoliate the chicken to remove any trapped dirt or unpleasant stuff off the skin by grabbing a handful of coarse salt and rub all over the skin but at the same time being careful not to tear the skin. Rinse well then pat dry.

Zest the lemon. Strip the leaves off of one of the rosemary sprigs and chop it up finely. Strip off all thyme leaves from the stems.

In a bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Place onion on a baking tray.  Onto the onion, lay the patted-dry chicken, breast side up.

Put ¾ of the butter mixture on top of the chicken then smear it all over the chicken, under the skin (including hidden spots like under the wings) and inside the cavity. 

Cut the lemon in half then stuff together with the three remaining rosemary leaves plus the bay leaves into the cavity of the chicken.

Look who's helping me preparing dinner!

Smear the remaining butter all over the potato and carrots. Set aside.

Place the chicken into the oven and roast it for 1 hour.

After roasting for 1 hour, placed the potatoes and carrots around the chicken then continue roasting for another 30 minutes or until done. Skin should be deep golden brown and juices should be sizzling.

Carve/cut up to your heart’s content and dig in.

P.S.

I would like to dedicate this song to my daughter. This song was the first she heard. Her brother played this song in our car when we first brought her home from the hospital.

Crispy Fish In Garlic Oil

Growing up by the beach is a privilege that not everyone gets to enjoy. I’m so lucky to have been able to grow up by the beach. I grew up eating fresh lobster, squid, octopus, jelly fish, shrimp, flower crab, various kinds of seashells and fishes. So I can never give up seafood.

Fried fish eaten with plain rice and bird’s eyes chilies may be simple but you'd be amazed how good it is. However is you’re a health-conscious type of person then you should avoid drizzling the fish with garlic oil.

Crispy Fish In Garlic Oil

Ingredients

3 mackerels - each about 25cm long or smaller

1 bulb garlic – peeled and lightly crushed

10 pcs bird’s eyes chilies – chopped

2 cups Fresh vegetable oil

1 tbsp sweet soy sauce

Instructions

Clean the fish, removing scales and guts. Cut a couple of slits in the thickest part of the fish and dry the fish and with paper towel. Rub salt and turmeric powder over the fish including the cavity. Set aside.

Heat up a deep wok and add oil. Fry the garlic in low heat, stirring all the time until garlic is crisp and golden. Remove garlic and set aside. Leave the oil in the wok and reheat.

When oil is slightly smoking, add the fish and fry in medium heat. Do not over crowd the wok. Turn to fry the other side. The fish must be well-fried until crispy all over.

Remove the fish onto a serving plate and drizzle with ½ tbsp each of the hot garlic oil and sweet soy sauce.

Scatter some chopped bird’s eyes chilies over and serve immediately with plain rice.

Enjoy!

Mom's Style Chicken in Soy Sauce

Everyone believes that their mother is the best cook under the heavens. I, too, think this about Ms Lee’s (my mother) cooking talent. She can cook just about any type of food.  But I didn’t learn how to cook from her as unfortunately I didn’t grew up with her. I was only with her until I was 7 years old. 

This is one of Ms Lee’s signature dishes and all my family members like it very much. Ms Lee used to cook it quite often as it’s super-fast and easy to cook. This is also one of Hub’s favourite chicken dishes. In the original recipe Ms Lee uses rice wine instead of Worchester sauce.

Mom’s Style Chicken in Soy Sauce

Ingredients

300gm chicken thigh

1 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2-inch ginger

A couple drizzles of Worchester sauce

4 tbsp plain water

Instructions

Clean the chicken and cut into bite-sized chunk then pat dry.  Set aside.

Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium heat and sauté the ginger until fragrant.

Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken has turned white.

Add the sweet sauce, oyster sauce and Worchester sauce and stir to combine.

Add plain water and stir.  Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Dish out and garnish with spring onion.

Serve. 

Char Kway Teow (Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles)

Char Kway Teow is one of the most popular street foods in Malaysia. Hearty and filling, it started out as a poor laborer's meal. Over time its popularity has spread. People would line up just to get a taste of it.

I first tasted this dish when I first came to Kota Kinabalu for a month school break in the 90s. It’s not that they do not have it in Bintulu but it just that I’ve never thought of trying it before simply because kon lo noodles has always been #1 in my heart. When we’re in KL, I would go to Pavilion KL in Bukit Bintang every time a craving strikes.

This is a ‘Halal’ version char kway teow so I am not using lard or Chinese sausages. Once the first ingredient hits the wok, it takes approximately minutes for the dish to complete so make sure all the ingredients are ready and in arms reach. The dark soy sauce in this recipe is for color only therefore put as much or as little depending on how light or dark you like your noodles to be.  Traditionally, char kway teow has cockles. Make sure to add them if you can find them. Add them along with the chives. In this recipe, I am using the canned grilled cockles as I am allergic to fresh cockles.

The bean sprout should be crunchy when the dish is served therefore it is crucial to add them at the very last minute. It’s best eaten with a freshly-squeezed lime juice and chopped bird’s eyes chilies!

Char Kway Teow (Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles)

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 cloves garlic – minced

1 tbsp chili paste

1 tsp shrimp paste

15 pcs fresh medium-sized prawn – peeled and deveined

¼ cup canned grill cockles

1 whole egg

1kg fresh flat rice noodles – separated and loosened

1 cup Chinese chives - cut into 2" length

1 cup bean sprout

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Sugar – to taste

1 tbsp Oyster sauce

1½  tbsp Chicken stock granules

Instructions

Heat a wok over medium heat to smoking hot and add the oil then sauté the garlic until light brown.

Stir in the chili paste and shrimp paste and sauté until fragrant. Add the fishcake and prawns. Turn the heat to high and stir fry until the prawns curl and change colour.

Push everything aside, crack the eggs and let it cook without stirring just until the white is half set (about 10 seconds) then stir to break the yolk.  Add the cockles and stir to mix well.

Lower the heat and add noodles, chives and bean sprouts. Seasons with dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock granules. Stir to combine until the noodles are coated. The noodles will have softened a little.

Turn the heat to high and stir thoroughly to get the ‘charred taste’ ('wok hei'). Scrape the bottom of wok or pot frequently to minimize sticking. 

Take a quick taste. Add sugar, light soy and dark soy sauce if necessary. Dish out.

Serve immediately.