: : Expiry Date : :
I wonder if I’ll run out of things to talk about in another few more weeks. Hmm… well, let’s see what happens. At least there is more than 3 weeks of blog posting up so I’m still here! By the way, so is Granny!
: : Granny’s Cooking : :
Brrr… it was a really cold day today with the rain pouring down in the morning and afternoon. The temperature at night has dropped down to 24 degrees Celsius which is considered really cold for this part of the equator. It is surprising because it’s supposed to be the start of the dry season at this time of year where it’s usually very hot and dry.
Coming back late from the office, Granny had cooked sweet and sour fish. The picture is a bit unsightly because my uncle wallop half of it. Tried to rearrange such that it looks more attractive but could not do it. Then again, when one is in a typical Chinese Restaurant, the food always look like one big mess.
To prepare the dish, Granny deep fried the fish in oil first until it was very crispy. The fish used is ikan tenggiri / mackeral. Yep, we’re still trying to clear the freezer of Uncle Cyril’s fishing catch a few weeks ago. Here’s a cooking tip to prevent the oil from spitting and popping : add a little bit of salt into the oil before frying. About less than 1/4 of a teaspoon is sufficient.
Granny then prepared the sauce using Maggi’s tomato sauce with slices of cucumber and onions. No additional sugar was added as the sweetness would have come from the tomato sauce and onions. No cornstarch was added, hence there was a lot of gravy on the side. Can’t really call it soup because it wasn’t that much but it wasn’t a lot that it was very thick gravy either. Well, I’m not complaining as this tastes a lot better compared to sweet and sour fish in UK!
: : Comments : :
Have added in a comments section at the bottom of each blog. Hopefully, it’s more stable than SquawkTV.
: : Granny’s Cooking : :
Had dinner at home today and surprise surprise! Granny has come up with some favourites. Yummy.
Stir-Fried Veggies : Cauliflower and Celery
Pork Stew in Soy Sauce
Pork Stomach Soup with Black Peppercorn
Stir-Fried Veggies : Cauliflower and Celery
One of the many many versions of mixed vegetables, otherwise known in the western world as chop suey! This one was with cauliflower and celery. Of course, chopped garlic is added into the dish to remove any unwanted smell or taste in the vegetables.
Pork Stew in Soy Sauce
This is an extremely easy dish to do for beginners to Chinese cooking. You can boil it for as long as you like and nothing can go wrong. Even if the pork turns out soft, it’s okay as the taste would have gotten into it. This stew is more of a soup as it’s not thick at all. Put a slab of pork meat (500-600 g) into a pot of water with dark soy sauce and garlic. How much garlic? Well, try a few cloves first, maybe 5-6 pieces with the skin on. Can always add more in. Don’t worry about the garlic taste because it’ll all go into the soup and pork. Can’t even taste the garlic taste in the pork but somehow it brings out the taste in the pork. Boil the soup on a slow fire until the pork is cook. Remove the pork meat and wait for it to cool. Then slice it into slices and put it back into the pot. Boil again on a slow fire, adding in black mushrooms and fried tauhu cut into big cubes. Boil until the meat turns brown. Add sugar and salt to taste. MSG is up to you : usually less than 1/4 of a teaspoon is enough. Or, you can put everything into a crock pot and leave it cooking overnight. It’s real easy to do. However, remember to add more water if the pot runs dry.
Pork Stomach Soup with Black Peppercorn
This is seriously an adventorous dish for anyone but it is definitely tasty from the black peppercorns. Also, it’s an extremely easy dish to do just like the pork stew above. Can cook it for as long as you like and it still tastes as good. Granny added in a small slice of ginger to bring out a slight spicy, tangy taste to the meal. Yummy! Nowadays, one can find this soup in herbal hawker stalls all over Kuching. So, don’t worry about not finding it as you can do so.
: : Thompson Corner, Tabuan Jaya : :
Yes, I went back to Thompson Corner for lunch again. AH had to eat where there was halal food so okay lor. Suffice to say that I ordered pork and ate in front of him but he’s quite cool about it. BJ, SA and JJ were also having lunch together with us so I had more pictures to snap. Yes, I remembered this time!
Chinese Fried Rice
Malay Fried Mee
Bak Kut Teh
Chinese Fried Rice
This is a very “white” version of fried rice. One of the whitest I’ve ever seen. It’s only so-so so be prepared. The reason why it’s not so dark is because the hawker seller used light soy sauce and not the dark type. I suppose some people like it this way. Another thing missing is the taste of deep fried shallots. Now, the shallot is the ingredient that brings out the flavour of Chinese Fried Rice. Ahem, non-halal.
Malay Fried Mee
There is a difference between Malay Fried Mee and the Chinese Fried Mee. Malay Fried Mee is generally very spicy AND sweet as well. A lot of dark soy sauce is used for this one but it was still tasty. Checking the picture tonight, just realised that it was a bad shot because the chicken bone is exposed but oh well. Was being chased by people to hurry up to take the pictures. Be prepare for at least a 15 minute wait for this mee but it’s worth it! Another favourite from this stall is the Malay Fried Kway Teow. That is also tasted. As the name implies, it is a halal hawker stall although it’s not always open during lunch time.
Bak Kut Teh
I’m giving up eating bak kut teh at hawker stalls. The Sarawak version is so totally different from the West Malaysian version. Too much sugar and too little spices and garlic. Also, too much sugar. Yuck! Bak Kut Teh actually means Spare Rib Teh but that’s the literal translation to English. What’s inside the soup? Pork meat, pork skin, pork stomach, pork intestines, tauhu and lettuce. Definitely not for one who is not used to this. Granny makes better soup out of a packet! The best Bak Kut Teh quick fix packet is the A1 brand. I heard from a friend that the family that owns the shop selling the famous Bak Kut Teh in Klang, Selangor, is manufacturing this brand. Wouldn’t be surprising as the packet version is good! This is an extremely easy dish to do and you can boil it for a long time without having to worry about it getting spoilt. Great during winter times in UK! However, for the Westerners, it’s for the adventurous as there is some…er…shit in the intestines. Not much but enough to taste. Some places have it more than others. Sort of a delicacy.
Quick directions to Thompson Corner. It is the Tabuan Jaya branch, behind Bank Utama, facing the wet market and carpark. Can’t miss the big sign. Always a popular foodspot during lunch time especially since it serves those iced drinks! Yum!
: : Granny’s Famous Recipes : :
Had a request from Carla to put up recipes of Granny’s tasty dishes. Will try to accomodate that. Problem is that I’d have to wake up early during the weekend to catch her doing it. Anyway, let’s see what happens this Saturday. Must remember to sleep early on Friday night.
Problem is the measurement. I probably will not be able to get it write but hopefully, accompanied with pictures, I can work something out. Granny’s policy is if you like more of something, add more in! That was how I learnt how to cook as well. Important thing is to taste the food to see if it taste just right.
I’ll put up some of her basic tips on cooking food, especially the curries. Also, have to consult my nature-loving uncle on the English translation for some of the local vegetables. So, please bear with me.
By the way, I should be able to post a step-by-step shot of how she makes her tasty curries. Sunday is curry day so she usually makes an extremely big pot to last for the next 2-3 days. Also, I hope to persuade her to make Salted Fish Curry with Pineapple and Prawn. Now, that is a culinary wonder considering that the salted fish no longer tastes salty after the curry is done. But, not this Sunday. Gotta see if there are any pineables in the market.
Stay tuned to this blog!