It is that Fish-y Craving this Week~

It is just another craving that hit me this week; as I dream of the luscious thick fillets grazed by the crispy sides from frying and the dense yet tangy texture of the fish paste stuffed in uniform shapes floating in the heat of the flavorful soup.

A choice of the light creamy soup filled sparingly by liquid milk; maintaining that balance between both the milky taste and the natural goodness from the assortment of vegetables added to enhance the flavor of the soup,  or enjoy the clear soup boldly drenched in the appetizing tastes from the raw ingredients.

Pickled vegetables, sliced ginger and boiled tomatoes are some of the ingredients responsible in making up the flavorsome soup; creating that irresistible and relishing taste with every mouthful.

If you fancy more greens, sprinkle a handful (or maybe more) of the finely chopped and flittering hollow rings of spring onions atop the vermicelli noodles and the soup.

The wholesome fusion in the soup complements the juicy fillets or handmade fish pastes to perfection, along with the lightly filling portion of rice vermicelli noodles; intertwining the fishy tastes from both fillets and dense paste molds with the tantalizing blend of sweet, sour, salty and fresh crisp taste of fresh produce.

One can opt for the fish fillets; and be prepared for an adventurous yet satisfying fill with the spare time to gnaw through the succulent slab of fleshy fish meat and at the same time, extracting carefully the intersecting fish bones buried in the flesh. It will not be hard to miss as they are bound to emerge at almost every bite, and a little more patience is required but the hearty tastes promised by the juicy fillets will make it worth the painstaking moments spent on the bones.

For a less adventurous and fuss-free ride, or simply because you want to, one can also opt for the fish paste densely filled with the well-grounded mixture yet maintaining that fishy flavors in that lump of mold uniformly made to one size.



Oh, did I mention the generous servings of spinach; yes, Popeye's favorite vegetable apparently makes its signature appearance here too, are just simply to lust for.

More have been added to the menu; and one can even opt for steamed versions of the fish fillets, or have prawns and a variety of seafood for their dining pleasure.

I still prefer the fish; for it is what they were originally known for anyway.

Don’t forget the homemade sambal paste with that light squeeze of lime; even non-spicy food lovers like me was hooked on that exotic, and exciting blend as it touches the tip of my tongue.

They are definitely generous about this, and you can request for more without additional charge (though not overly so) to spice up your bowl of fish noodles a little more.

Mmmm….for some reason, I am just conjuring images of these as they haunt my mind and when it comes to fish noodles, with the description above, it is the famous Woo Pin Fish noodles that I am talking about.

For a bowl of the hearty soup and their fishy fillets or paste; I will take them all.

*Prices have increased since, and they now cost MYR8.50 per bowl at time of posting.

Kerabu Mee Hoon

One of the most delectable snacks to have in the afternoon is a plate of Kerabu Mee Hoon to spice up one's appetite.
This is a simple to make dish which one can easily whip up at home; provided that you have the recipe to make a great-tasting kerabu, which is a type of appetizing salad served from the Peranakan origins.
One of the best I have tried so far is still from this old man operating a small stall at the Padang Brown area; and he will usually only start his business from 2pm onwards.

Lok Lok or skewers of food dipped into the boiling water is one of the main attractions at this place, the little stall selling local and traditional cakes and this mee hoon is not one to be out shadowed as its customer base would gather on time to await the goodies when the time approaches.



Kerabu Meehoon; simply rice vermicelli fried with an assortment of spices and leaves to lend it that appetizing flavor and trust me, it will make you want more after that first bite.



I think I shall learn to make kerabu and see if I can make my very own version of this kerabu meehoon?

Stir-fried silver needle noodles from home

Who doesn't think their Mum's cooking is the best?
The amazing part is that it always seemed to have improved by a hundred fold once you have been away from home...or was it just me?

Mum whipped up a simple dish of stir-fried noodles; using the unique Silver Needle Noodles, or also known as short rice noodles.
In Chinese, it is fondly known as the Lo Shu Fun (Cantonese) or Lao Shu Fen(Mandarin) -銀針粉.

For those of you who know Chinese, you know what the name directly translates to, but for those who do not, let me translate it for you.
The name, in direct translation from Chinese, means 'Rat Tail Noodles'.

Quirky eh?
Before you puke your guts out, don't you worry because it has nothing to do with the rat tail being made as a food as it is only due to the appearance of the noodles which resemble a rat's tail.

Do you think so?

These noodles are made from ground rice flour, and sometimes, as according to Wikipedia, cornstarch may be added to strengthen the texture of the noodles so that it does not break easily when it is fried or cooked.

I am not huge on these noodles, which resemble somewhat of a tail or even a needle; a really fat one, in my opinion.
Mum only cooks them occasionally, just for fun, although Dad loves them and she stir-fries the noodles with eggs, onions, and usually accompanied with lots of fish cakes, for my benefit:)
The noodles were also seasoned with light soy sauce to give it its flavor.

Besides noodles, I get a special treat of fish and this time, it is the steamed black pomfret with homemade fermented bean sauce.

Top it with plenty of spring onions, ginger, and onions for garnishing with perfect timing for the steaming process, and this keeps me happy throughout the meal!:)


A meal is never complete without vegetables and every Mummy knows that; and one of my favorites:
Stir-fried cabbage with carrots

Crunchy, sweet and juicy, this is the best and I prefer the lightest possibly way of stir-frying to maintain the crunchiness in the vegetables, the way I like with most of my vegetables!:)

A wholesome family meal; with a unique introduction of the silver needle noodles (no idea where the notion of silver came from, maybe the color? It's white though)
Do you like the sight of the noodles? (That's a trick question :p )
Would you give it a try, if you do not know the name..or even if you do know?:)

Best Wanton mee from Pontian, or some say Singapore

The first meal I had when I landed in Singapore last weekend, was this plate of spicy wanton noodles.


Our host was just so kind to queue up and buy the famous wanton mee from the hawker food centre for our lunch.

The wanton noodles were rather unique, as there was a spicy, sweet and sour flavor to it. The sauce used to create this flavor was probably a combination of chili sauce and tomato ketchup to lend the exotic spicy and sweet yet sour taste to the noodles.

The roasted pork (also known as Char Siew in Chinese) and fried wanton (dumplings) were in generous portions of serving with the noodles.
The noodles were quite springy and tasted quite good, as they were of handmade quality, along with the dumplings.

I was told that this wanton mee is so famous that there is always a long queue daily, with eager patrons waiting to get their hands on the wanton mee for lunch.
This is the famous Pontian wanton mee, and they have branched out to various areas in Singapore.

I'd recommend this to wanton mee lovers, as even though I am not a fan, I was fascinated by the unique flavor of the noodles.
It was something different from your usual wanton mee available from hawker stalls and market.

It is one of the most unique and appetizing wanton mee I have ever tasted! :)

Homemade Lam Mee

Traditionally known as the birthday noodles as it is prepared to wish longevity to the birthday celebrant, it is also originally one of the Nyonya/Peranakan food.
The yellow noodles used for this may seem like the ordinary ones used in most noodle-based dishes, but due to the association with the longevity, the noodles used here are longer than usual.
(There is another type of noodles associated with birthday celebrations; which is the Sang Meen - a type of fried egg noodles)

This can usually be found in most hawker stalls or Chinese coffee shops (if you spot the stall with the word 'Lam Mee'), especially in Penang; the northern region of Malaysia. It is a clear favorite among the locals; and the Malay have a version similar to this which they call the Mee Lontong.
It is supposed to be relatively easy to make too, I guess, as I was invited to sample this homemade Lam Mee.

The most important ingredient to the success of this dish lies in the broth or the soup used with the noodles.
It is different from other clear soups as the soup is cooked to a rich and heavy broth before serving with the noodles.
The stock used in preparing the broth is usually prawns and chicken.
I am not a cook myself, but I hope I can learn someday? :)

I am sure you can find more recipes for the Lam Mee from the web too; maybe I will publish the recipe one day!

Another important ingredient for the Lam Mee is the sambal sauce; which is an option.

For those who like their Lam Mee to have a stronger taste with a spice, mixing the sambal sauce with the broth and noodles is an option.
Another way is to put the sambal paste on the noodles without mixing it with the broth to your liking or whenever you feel like it.

For me, I rarely go for the sambal paste as I prefer the original clear and sweet taste of the soup.

Honestly, anything homemade always beats those sold outside, bestselling or not, don't you agree?
At home, you can go heavy with the ingredients or to your taste/liking during the preparations or even the serving.
For instance, I get to enjoy the plentiful of fishballs and fish cakes in my broth as I serve myself.



Lam Mee, anyone?

Chicken Curry Noodles @ Madam Joyce's, Subang

After attending a fair in Glenmarie, we ended up near Subang scouting for place for lunch and we stumbled upon this Madam Joyce's Cafe



It was a really hot afternoon, and the cafe was filled with lunch-goers on a Saturday.

The interior was just simple, like what you would typically see in a Chinese coffee shop.


Their menu was simple and the pictorial style in a one-page card helped us to decide faster on our choices =)

Chicken Curry noodles (I think it was priced at RM5++, can't remember the exact price)


The curry was quite rich and the serving of the chicken was rather generous in the portion as well.
The noodle used was the egg noodles used for wantan mee; in fact, I think this is a innovation of the conventional wantan mee.

The noodles came with a bowl of dumpling soup as well.


Homemade Cuttlefishballs with mee hoon in soup

The cuttlefishballs were really good; it was just springy and chewy. You could even sense the hint of real cuttlefish used in the making. It was one of the best I've tried!
A plus point is; the cuttlefishballs were also really fresh! =)


We were also spoiled for choices in terms of the drinks and beverages menu; but as it was such a hot weather, we opted for all the cooling drinks.
Good ol' herbal grass jelly with ice


Barley


Gingko nuts with beancurd sheets in soup


Prices range from RM1-3 for drinks and RM4-7 for noodles, etc.
I wouldn't mind coming back here again; it's located along the row of shophouses behind Taylor's College, I think some of you may have even been here before me;)

Pan Mee and noodles and snacks @ Jojo's Little Kitchen

On one of my short trips back to KL for the weekend, I went for my dental visit (OUCH!).
After the cleaning and polishing, I was certified healthy! =)

It was then time for lunch, and I spotted this Jojo's Little Kitchen in the Uptown Damansara area.

It was nearby, and not wanting to waste the paid ticket for the parking space there, we just went into this quaint little cafe for our lunch.

The cafe was quite crowded during the lunch hour as it was on working day and in the uptown area of Damansara.
The cafe looked new and the wooden tables and stools were arranged neatly to maximize the space for sitting.



Menu

Set meals available





Our chosen drinks which came with our sets
Sugarcane with water chestnut


Cincau


Fried Pork Pan Mee (Dry)




Sambal, if you prefer a more spicy version


Mixed with the sambal


Fish Head and sotong ball mee



Fried fish cake (RM4)



Overall the food was not too bad and the waiters here are friendly.