The Monk Fruit Tea

The monk fruit tea or what most of us know as 'luo han kuo' (罗汉果) herbal tea is popular for its' cooling properties, driving heatiness from our body and is equally beneficial for soothing coughs and bad throats. Though the drink is in a most unattractive black color and looks sinisterly bitter, don't be deceived by its' appearance. It is actually a naturally sweet drink.  No sugar needed.

As a child, I have always looked forward to the days when my Mom would cook 'luo han kuo' soup with chicken. It was my most favourite soup of all!   After I married WSS, I proudly served him my first pot of 'luo han kuo' soup.  His response was one of bewilderment!   He grew up drinking 'luo han kuo' as a herbal drink. Well, different strokes for different folks. Since then, I make 'luo han kuo' herbal drink for the family and they love it, always asking for seconds and thirds.

The ingredients are simple but the end result are cups of goodness. The fruit is naturally sweet but I throw in some honey dates and dried longan to enhance the flavour.

Serves 4 persons
Ingredients :

3 small sized 'luo han guo' (you can use less 'luo han guo' if they are bigger sized)
4-5 honey dates
a handful of dried longans
a handful of bitter almonds
3500 ml of water

Method :

1. Gently crack the 'luo han guo' into two.
2. Put into a pot of boiling water together with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cover lid and simmer the drink for 20 - 25 minutes.
4. Serve warm or cold.

If you find the drink too sweet for your liking, you can reduce the amount of honey dates or boil the fruit with water only and drink it as often as you wish. Alternatively, you can also put in slices of candied winter melon or sea coconut.  Tweak the recipe according to your own taste buds.

The drink doesn't cost much. 'Luo han kuo' costs only about RM1 a piece, depending on size. For all its' health benefits and delicious taste, it is easily one of the best herbal drinks around.

MIL's Asam Laksa

There's nothing like 'my mother's' cooking. It doesn't matter if you have dinner with mom everyday or you are studying thousands of miles away from home, thinking about mom's delicious hot soups on a cold winter evening. My mom has passed on but I still long for the tasty fried rice vermicelli that she cooked for the family on alternate weekends. Or maybe you are married and now cook for your own family everyday. But still,there's something special about your own mother's cooking.

My mom-in-law (MIL) is the kitchen goddess as far as WSS is concerned. Especially when she stirs up a mean pot of asam laksa!

There's just something about the melting pot of spices; the pungent smell of the bunga kantan/ginger flower  and lemon grass that tickles the nose and tittilates the taste buds. There's no huge chunk of fish. MIL with all her patience, debones the sole fish which she usually uses for this dish and the fish meat dissolves into the soup. The end result is a pot of thick, spicy and sour soup, so full of flavours that one serving is NOT enough.

Garnish the laksa noodles with some mint leaves, julienned cucumbers and onion slices. Add in some pickles and sweetened pineapple cubes too, if you like.

It is Asam Laksa heaven. WSS swears by it.

This plate of asam laksa has been made less spicy/child friendly for MIL's grandkids!

Seng Kee - New Kid On The Block

When we moved to this neighbourhood six years ago, there were only three coffeeshops. Today, there is one coffeeshop at the end of every block of shophouse in Perdana Business Centre, the commercial hub of Damansara Perdana.  Of course, we were delighted with each new addition. With the mushrooming housing development in Damansara Perdana, the more places to eat, the better. More shops, more choices!

A few days ago, a new coffeeshop took over the corner lot where a car service workshop/tyre shop used to be. Restoran Seng Kee is located along Jalan PJU 8/5H, just behind Pusat Aktiviti Calvary and can be seen from the main road of Damansara Perdana. Can't possibly miss the spanking new signage.

We went there for lunch today.  As in most coffeeshops, there's an economy rice stall.  Restoran Seng Kee also sells other 'staples'; you know, the usual such as chicken rice, 'wanton' noodles, fish ball noodles and meatball noodles. There is also an unoccupied stall near the back of the shop.   I hope it's going to be one selling curry or asam laksa!

I ordered a bowl of meatball noodles for myself.  Must be that longing for 3JC's meatballs.  It wasn't outstanding but tasty enough. The portion's pretty good too and the soup wasn't murky like some others which I have tasted. But what really worked for me was the fried pork intestines which were served together with the meatballs and sliced sausages. The bowl of noodles cost RM4-50.  I wonder how much more they will charge me if I ask for an extra helping of the fried intestines the next time??

WSS had been dreaming about 'wanton' noodles so he had a plate of that. The portion was too small for WSS! The noodles were quite springy and didn't taste too bad, despite it looking a little bland. Maybe we have been accustomed to eating 'wanton' noodles at other places where more dark sauce is used. The 'wantons' were served separately in a bowl of soup.  No complains about the 'wantons' but they got to do something about the over peppery soup.

 a RM4-50 lunch

As we made our way out of the shop after our lunch, we checked out the 'chap fan' (economy rice) stall. Choices were too few and uninteresting looking.

For a new kid on the block, they were not short of customers especially during lunch time. Bet some of the older coffeeshops would have lost some of their customers but some competition is always healthy. Maybe now, the si-tau-poh (proprietress) from one of the other shops won't be so snobbish, eh?

Tomorrow, I think I will go back for the Kampar fish ball noodles.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

I woke up this Thursday morning and suddenly felt like baking again.

In the last few months in a baking frenzy, I had designated Friday as my baking day. But my 'fans' at home couldn't eat the cakes and muffins quick enough (WSS and Joji firmly believe in a single portion diet) which meant I ate those cakes or muffins three times a day, translating into extra pounds to my already more than generous size. I applied the brakes and took a break from baking.

Recently, both my mum-in-law (MIL) and sister-in-law shared another cake recipe with me (given by my 'Ji Kor' - 2nd Aunt). I had to put it to the test yesterday or risk having to explain to my MIL and Ji Kor why I haven't done so, at our next family gathering!

The recipe is REALLY quite simple.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients
7 oz butter
7 oz caster sugar
4 eggs
7 oz plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
1 lemon juice n rind
125 g plain yogurt
Icing sugar (enough to sprinkle on top of cake)

Method
1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add egg one at a time
3. Fold in flour in 2 -3 batches gently
4. Add in lemon and rind
5. Then add yogurt
6. Bake for 30 a 40 minutes at 180 degree Celcius
7. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top of the cake once it has cooled.

It didn't turn out as well as I had expected but it tasted really good; sweet and tangy at the same time. I need to refine the texture, though. Perhaps I didn't cream the butter and sugar long enough?

Anyone can share some tips on this?

Fiercely Fragrant Fried 'Kway Teow'

I am no Hokkien-lang. Neither am I, Penang born. I may not be able to tell what a plate of 'authentic' Char Kway Teow tastes like but this is as good as it gets.

So far, for me, none has been able to top the Char Kway Teow from Restoran Rocky in Bangsar Baru. This is another one of my comfort foods but thank God, I don't succumb to this kind of 'comforting' very often. I don't calorie count when I tuck into this delicious and aromatic meal simply because I love it too much! There are no pieces of pork lard but the prawns are pretty good sized and there are lots of cockles thrown in. You can have it fried with chilli or add in an egg if you want. The end result is still the same. Divinely fragrant!

This is not something to indulge often (for obvious reasons) but is definitely on my list of 'must eat' whenever I am in Bangsar and looking for cheap eats.

So, if you happen to be in Bangsar, hop over to Restoran Rocky at 15,i Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru and give it a try. Who knows, I may just be enjoying a plate of hot Char Kway teow there!

the.bread.shop

Sometimes the nicest places to eat may just be hidden in a quiet little suburb; a gem of a find when you least expect it. I found one such place when WSS took me there several months ago to buy some breads for tea.

Nestled along Jalan Setiakasih 5 in the affluent Bukit Damansara neighbourhood is The Bread Shop.

The heavenly smell of freshly baked breads hits me squarely in the face each time I set foot in this little bakery.

There's just something serene and comforting despite the hustle and bustle behind the counter where the kitchen is. Families gather for breakfast while friends catch up over a cup of coffee. You can almost hear the gossip bouncing off the stone/cement walls.

Today, I had my favourite Apple Danish with a cup of English Breakfast tea.

WSS had sausage with cheese bun with a glass of orange juice

For that one hour, I felt like a real tai-tai, not a stay-at-home mum stealing some time out of the house for a brief reprieve from the humdrum of household chores.

In fact, whenever I sit on those high chairs, bathed in the aroma of fresh breads and sipping my tea, I forget I live in a busy metropolitan city. I am in a safe place.


The Bread Shop
11 Jalan Setiakasih 5
Bukit Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel 03 20938734

(Opens Monday to Friday 8.00am to 7.30pm. Sunday and Public Holidays ~ closed)

Cosy Quan

A good friend of ours, Ann had wanted to meet WSS and I for lunch and we were going to pick her up from her house in Kampong Pandan. To us, PJ folks, that part of the world is unfamiliar territory, so we had already 'decided' that we will eat at Pavilion in Bukit Bintang where the 'happening' places were, smack in the middle of the shopping belt.

But Ann knew where she was going to take us. Just five minutes' drive away from her house was Quan Ice Cream & Coffee House, hidden among rows of shophouses in the neighbourhood. From the outside, it didn't look much like an eating place. And when we saw the name of the shop, we thought Ann must be joking. Ice cream and coffee for lunch?

Once we pushed open the door and walked in, it was a different scene altogether. It was a warm looking little place and reminded me of another similar setting in Yuyi Kitchen (near Leboh Pasar Besar) back in the 80s.

The first thing that hit us was the smell. Can't run away from that, I suppose, once food is served in a confined air conditioned area. It was only 12.00 pm but the place was already crowded. There were about 12 to 15 tables, packed quite closely together but we managed to get a seat. If you are the indecisive kind, you may be bewildered by the number of items on the menu. It was a complete smorgasbord of items, both Asian and Western dishes. Even the drink and dessert menu filled a few pages!  If we order one dish a day, it will probably take us a few months to try everything on their menu.

As usual, we gravitated to our individual favourites; Asian for me and Western for Ann and WSS.

Quan Sizzling Chicken Chop for WSS

Hokkien Prawn Yee Mee for me

Chicken Maryland for Ann

Prawn Fritters to share!

Jasmine Tea, Ice Lemon Tea & Honeydew Juice

Overall, the food was nice. Judging from the lunch crowd, most of whom were office workers, I believe this place is popular due to its' food variety and its' cosy ambience.

One thing, though - they can certainly improve on the way they serve the sizzling dish. When it was brought to WSS, it was already sizzling away. When the dish was placed in front of him and sauce was poured over the meat, the oil sizzled all over WSS's side of the table. Some even got onto his shirt. The sizzle fizzled out after a while but the smell of the chicken chop lingered on our clothes.

The bill came up to about sixty odd ringgit.

If it wasn't for Ann, we would never have known of this place. And knowing her, who was completely bowled over by the varied choices, I don't think this will be the last time we will be eating at Quan either.

If you are in that part of town and would like to give this place a try, here's the address. I understand they open everyday from 12 noon to midnight.

No. 10, Jalan 4/76 C, Desa Pandan, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

吃是福

Let me say from the onset, this is not a food review blog.

I love to eat. Occasionally, I love to cook. Note the use of the word 'occasionally' with the word 'love'. Let's say, I will be more than happy to eat without having to use my limited cooking skills. But being mom and wife, cooking for the family should never be a chore but one, done out of the love of my heart. No one at home has complained on the food quality, so I guess I have passed that test. Or they just love me too much to tell me the truth.

However, I am excited when someone serves me a delectable meal. I also jump for joy when a recipe I try, produces a dish that looks like the photo that has been posted online or in the recipe book. Then, I do what most bloggers would do; snap a photo and share it online. I've been doing this on my Bkworm and CJWM blogs. After I jumped onto the Facebook wagon, I posted food photos there too. But the OCD in me is crying out for some order in that department. Hence, the beginning of Wang Tai Tai's 'food-ventures' blog.

The Chinese have a saying, "吃是福" - to eat is a blessing. No matter if it's just a plate of 'chee cheong fun' from a hawker's stall or exquisite cuisine from a fancy restaurant, I am thankful that I can enjoy this blessing for as long as the good Lord would allow.

Like I said at the beginning of this blog, this is NOT a food review blog but just snapshots of WTT's love affair with food. After all, she loves to eat.

And occasionally, loves to cook.

Enjoy....

A cake roll from Baker's Cottage, bursting with fresh fruits and lots of cream.