: : Little Lebanon Express : :

Granny : Oi! You want go out or not? Stop raining liaw.

Translation : Move your butt, Wena, because I want to go out too.

So, I got out of my bed, changed and left with Granny. Still trying to recover after Henry’s little housewarming party the night before. Woke up so early in the morning even though came back late last nite. Blogged the previous posting om stir-fried cabbage. Went to sleep for another 4 more hours. Woke up to heavy heavy heavy rain which finally cleared up at around 6 p.m.

Well, we went off to Little Lebanon Express as I wanted to try some kerbabs. It’s been ages since I had one and I was really looking forward to having a nice one. Haven’t had a decent kerbab since I left England in 93. Something is never quite right : either the bread or the meat itself.

Sure enough, they had the stall out. The chicken kebab is on the left while the lamb was on the right. The unleaven bread was heated up on the grill so that the kebab was still pretty warm when we left.

They added some onion mixed with parsley, tomato and some sauce with the kebab. Should have ask them to add more because there weren’t enough inside the kebab.

Some other garnishings on the side. Didn’t ask what it was as the waiters started giving me strange looks when they saw the camera. Oh well. Anyway, took Granny around the newly renovated carpark.

The pictures were taken yesterday morning around noon time.

Anyway, after a few more errands with Granny, we headed off home. The kebab looked pretty good actually and the bread was nice. I regretted not asking for more of the garnishings inside. As for the chicken, tasted pretty good but I think it could do with more spices so that more flavour comes out. As for the lamb, it was tough! Sad to say but it was true. Hmm… going to tell them the next time I see them. Also, should add more spices.

Unfortunately, my yardstick is always this little takeaway shop in Birmingham, U.K. There was a family of Turkish immigrants who opened the shop and they make great kebab. Overhearing their conversation one day, I found out that they marinated the meat by rolling the minced lamb meat over and over again for a long time until the flavour got into it. They were also very generous with their garnishings. Where is the shop? Can’t remember the name of the road but it’s in front of Hunter’s Court which is the University of Birmingham’s owned accomodation for students. The shop is opposite the main entrance to Hunter’s Court, slightly diagonal to the left. One serving of their lamb kebab can last me for two meals. Then again, it was 3.99 pounds for one or was it 4.99 pounds? Can’t remember.

Also bought some falafel. Err… all I can say is that you’ll need to eat it with something else. Again, not enough sauce! Oh well. The flavour was too strong for me so had it with some gravy from Granny’s curry fish and the kebab. Uncle Cyril doesn’t like it. Made all sorts of faces throughout dinner time. 🙂

Well, that’s it from Little Lebanon for now. Have yet to try out their restaurant but will for sure check with my Auntie Mimi first on what is good there!

: : Granny’s Cooking : :

Well, not that much of a morning since I’m still feeling really groggy after last night’s do at a friend’s housewarming party. Didn’t feel too good about taking pics of the food with so many people around that knows me.

So, decided to post up some more pics of Granny’s cooking. Shots were taken last Friday after she cook the chicken in oyseter sauce. The shots below show Granny preparing stir-fried cabbage.

As usual, a teaspoon of oil is heated up and the garlic is friend until it softens and fragrant. Granny threw in a small piece of fish as well. Don’t know why. Couldn’t really taste it but guess she’s trying something new.

Next comes the cabbage. Cabbage are sliced first into…erm…rectangular shaped pieces. Can’t think of a better way to describe the cutting style or the shape of the cabbage. Start stir-frying the cabbage and if the wok gets too hot, turn down the heat a bit but not too much. A medium-sized flame should be sufficient.

Then, she added in some water but not the half pot shown in the pic! About one small bowl should be sufficient. Then she added in the salt and pepper to taste. I supposed the water helps to distribute the heat more evenly so that the cabbage is thoroughly cooked.

The final product. Granny puts them into two separate plates : one for lunch and the other for dinner time. She usually cooks enough food for the whole day so that she doesn’t need to cook at night. However, we usually have leftovers for the next few days! Kind of hard to cook for 3 people so sometimes, she makes a lot more to last us a few days. Sunday is curry day and she usually makes a big pot of curry to last for a few days. Yum!