The Merriest Raya Ever!

Raya break this year (plus the couple of weeks prior) was a bit of an epiphany. True, I went on an excessive binge of all things good and groovy. But I was also re-acquainted to the great Abe Lincoln saying "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." For the longest time, I was passively positive at best, quite moodily content to recalibrate my expectations to quotidian apathy.

But for one reason or another, this interval offered me a dramatic shift in conscious and subconscious conversations and became quite simply, the merriest Raya for me ever!

The evening of Raya Open House at Nahri's was one such occasion. His grandmother had fixed us such a generous, heartwarming meal that I was sorry the grand dame didn't stick around for us to thank her properly.

Fried spiced chicken. We set about trying to figure out the flavours and I tasted turmeric, five spice and charred soy enveloping tender chicken thigh.

The composition of the Prawn Puffs - prawn doused in unsweetened custard cream nestled in choux pastry - was near perfection. Why we hadn't thought of that for the endless finger food parties will forever torment me.

Dry beef rendang provoked obligatory comparison to the wetter version. My no-beef policy remained so I had to rely on others' reactions. Some felt it was too dry but others thought it a welcome, flavour-packed change.

The Sayur Lodeh was easy on the spice, lavish on the root.

Glorious carbs - cubes of Ketupat...

... and Lemang that Nahri had purchased in the Pantai area before stopping off to meet us at Sid's, from an entrepreneurial fella impatient to get to the Black Eyed Peas concert.

Sashi brought forth his Kajang residency prowess - two different types of equally good satay. This one came from a place called Restoran Malaysia, which roughed it out with the other version from unnamed stall, for best satay ever!

Other unnamed place presented the win sauce for the day though. Creamy, mild yet passionately peanutty.

The gorgeous, festive meal set the stage for more misbehaviour for the rest of the evening as we proceeded to celebrate a couple of September birthdays.

Drinks followed drinks, followed by an unprecedented, zealous night of dancing until my feet gave way. I woke up the next morning, quite exhausted, a wee bit remorseful but ultimately smitten by this extraordinary profusion of good faith and indulgence. More, more and more!

Happy Q4 Everyone!!

The Secret Ingredients

There's no doubt that the best things in life (to eat or otherwise) are those offered to you with love, kindness or plain generosity, where the term of barter is merely an unspoken understanding, or at most, a sincere word of thanks. Along with these wonderful gifts come the revelation of their secret ingredients that make the offerings exclusively and unmistakably theirs.

Mama Chow's Curry Chicken, a very special treat, yet predictable in its ability to uplift the soggiest homesick spirits. Her secret ingredient: A dollop of belacan! This was prepared and consumed at the tail end of my extremely short but gratifying weekend home in Penang.

Riz's Vegetarian Chilli. I was presented with this, thoughtfully packed by Riz and Hui when we met up at Sid's after a long day at work gone horribly wrong. I was swooning in gratitude, even more so when after downing 3 pints of cider, I had this to heat up and devour when I got home! His secret ingredient: Peanut butter! This provided the tomato-based stew with a lot more heart and body, coating each morsel of fresh diced vegetables, beans and mushroom. Ambrosia at midnight.

Beatrice brought to work on her last day an Apple Pie she'd baked. Her secret ingredient: Custard! The buttery, crumbly short crust pastry she made from scratch was the perfect accompaniment to the cinnamon explosion of the apple filling. Her baking prowess, along with her presence as part of the team, will be sorely missed.

In observation of Dumpling Festival today, Lee came to work armed with a truckload of his Mom's dumplings for everyone. He'd painstakingly taken pre-orders to make sure everyone got exactly the dumpling they wanted, from a list Mrs. Lee's choice ingredients: Belly pork, Chinese mushroom, Mung beans, Chestnut, Onions, dried shrimps and Preserved egg yolk. I had two, and they packed a mighty homemade punch! My Inner Dumpling is appeased for the year.

A thoughtful (albeit non-edible) gift from Mei Shean - my very own Breadou, looks like a bun, smells like a bun, feels like a bun, but a bun it ain't! It's a computer wrist-rest and stress-reliever made from foam, designed to be ergonomic and to whet the carbo appetites of those committed to spending pretty much every waking hour in front of the laptop. Mei Shean got this from Action City in Singapore; also comes in the shape of other baked confectionaries.

The best gift of all is to be let in on the secrets that lie embalmed at the heart of these offerings. I can only say thanks in so many ways and someday, I hope to be able to return all these wonderful favours.

Hometowning in Penang

It is reassuring to know that even in dubious times of the changeover in country leadership (same same but different) and the suspicious nouveau yet dodgy stance of the Opposition state government (ROAR, anyone?), some things remain the same in Penang.

The food still tastes amazing, at home or on the streets...

My very lovely Mom's cooking prowess' victorious attack on air-flown Alfonsino, which has the best name for a fish, hands down. She spiced up this already gorgeous deep-water fish by lightly frying it and serving it with a turmeric, chilli & bean paste sauce. Served at home. I think Alfonsino's a much underrated name, don't you?

Penang Hokkien mee classique with a twist - with tender slices of pork leg! Served at corner of Carnavon St & Jalan Cheong Fatt Tze (also known as Hong Kong St. by locals). RM3.50 for a slice of crustacean heaven. Tell me the country (and state) is in perfect government condition and I might even believe ya!

Apom, interior. 2 and a half kernels of corn and banana slices go a long, long way. Served at Ah Guan Apom stall, Burmah Road.

Fish meat beehoon, for the patient citizen, willing to endure a 50-minute (or 50 years?) for a good thing. I learned about this first from this very sexy post at Allie Food Talk.

The fish, glorious glorious deep fried pieces of siakap that melts in your mouth. Dunk in soup, then crunch, then swallow. RM7 per bowl, served at food court opposite Red Rock Hotel, on Macalister Road.

And the drink to numb the senses of you pesky, questioning, demanding, argumentative and critical folks...

Left: Seifried's Gewurztraminer, which traversed oceans from the wine-producing region of Nelson, NZ to the confused shores of Penang, impressing even sticky tastebuds of baby Ollie. Served at home.

Right: Local pints, easy on MS' tastebuds and her fiery defence of the local government. Served at Soho's, Penang Road.

I can only hope that the real charm of Penang holds out against the sordid changes that have been, or are about to be subjected to this little island I still like to call home.

A sizzling, sozzled soiree

Simple does it - that was the mantra agreed, when three of us gathered to spend some time together to while away a humid Saturday evening amidst brewing romance and drama.

Our first glass of sauvignon blanc overlooking the lovely green backyard. The table is set for some simple DIY sizzle, courtesy of Tefal's Excelio Comfort grill & griddle, which promises smokeless grilling!

Arf Arf, goes excited Zigsar, the resident canine.

I contributed some homemade salsa to provide some semblance of balance to the meal - this one had diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, red chillies, a handful of chopped toasted cashew and almond nuts, cilantro, lemon and lime juice and macadamia oil. Well-received, thank you thank you!

To stave off hunger pangs, we crunched on store-bought organic corn chips dipped in zesty aioli.

MS had ordered a modest selection of goodies from Painia, apparently Penang's favourite BBQ marinated meat stockist. I learned for the first time that Painia, which operates out of a residential home in Minden Heights, has been around for eons. And that one would be hard-pressed to encounter Penang folks who have not at least enjoyed some of Painia's sausages, ham, minces, burger patties, marinated BBQ meat or meatloaf growing up. Unless I'd been suffering from retrograde amnesia, it appears my childhood was not as blessed as I had been led to believe.

For those interested to find out more about Painia, feel free to contact me directly!

BBQ chicken wings with Painia's signature marinade and sausages galore... the absence of smoke made this a very pleasant outdoor grilling experience but took longer than usual. All the better for us to open our second and third bottles of white while waiting.

Fresh salmon steaks, grilled plain and served with plenty of lemon juice. The insides came out just seared, which rounded off this salmon encounter perfectly.

Finally, after we got into the thick of our wine buzz, the chicken wings called out to us, browned, crisp and juicy. These were simply splendid!

Sausage symphony! I missed out on a pix of the fat cheese-stuffed sausages which just made my evening. I only wish we hadn't started on the red wine that sent me tumbling into a semi-conscious state without having consumed more, incapacitated but gloriously happy.

At this point, other guests turned up and attacked the leftover food while those fed frolicked barefoot in the gardens, danced to Paris (please don't judge!) and finally at midnight, laid serenely supine, quite, quite still on the couch.

Simplicity, how we embrace thee!

Dynamite Ollie, the ultimate Valentine turns ONE!

Valentine's Day disillusionment reaches new heights every year, with increasing recognition that it's nothing more than a cash cow machine for folks in the floral and gift trade. I read with great joy the Valentine's un-love that's been spreading through the blogosphere. Nothing more satisfying for a cynic to have her personal convictions gain critical mass.

However, I rediscovered a new form of love for Feb 14th. No longer will I chortle and roll my eyes at the excessive significance placed on this date for since 2008, it has marked the arrival of Ollie, the Dynamite baby, all-bearer of joy and happiness, into the family.

A pretty adult cake just wouldn't do. We had Ritz's bakery custom-make a blueberry cake in the shape of Anpanman, Ollie's favourite hero (to date). Pretty swell job too, don't you think?

We had t-shirts printed for everyone bearing various hallmarks of Ollie's journey to 12 months. Thanks for a job well done, Fat Tulip!

And birthday yummies...
Osekihan (Japanese red rice), symbolic of happiness and celebration

Chinese red eggs, a symbol of happiness and prosperity

Taka's Japanese pork curry, which begins with about a ton of chopped onions, and left to stew overnight - a symbol of... ummm... surefire overeating?

Gorgeous char siew from the roast meat platter

Mag's renkon sandwich creation...

Two slices of renkon (lotus root) with minced chicken meat sandwiched in between, coated with panko breadcrumb and deep fried. Delicious!

Mama Chow made Jap Chae (Korean glass noodles) - a must-have symbol for longevity. Her version was light on seasoning, heavy on the ingredients - Chinese celery, bean sprouts, carrot, prawns, sliced Chinese mushrooms, pork mince and black fungus.

The happy birthday boy and his pressies, including one very desirable Tonka truck! I could've used one when I turned one!

The adults also got plenty of good buzz from bottomless supply of homemade sangria, which stretched the party until late in the evening. Dear Ollie, may you be blessed with all the love & happiness in the world for years and years to come! You can be my Valentine anytime!

4 meals in Penang

I had a hit-list for my most recent trip back to Penang - it came up to the proportion of about 10 meals in less than 2 days - not that impossible, no? But sadly, I squeezed in no more than 4 and a half.

Lunch on day one was at Mom's Kitchen, Tanjung Bungah. Thai food's a must on any break, in Thailand or Poland. This place came with strong recommendations from Fat Tulip but it fell way, way short of expectations.

Somtum - purely perfunctory.

Seafood tomyam - watery, bland, more canned mushrooms than seafood.

We had ordered this under the impression that it was Kai Yad Sai (pork stuffed omelette) and it turned out like an omelette one would blindly fry up in stupor for some homemade hangover nosh. Like, WTF? Needless to say, I am not going back to Mom's Kitchen.

Dinner was a visit to good old Yaw's (formerly Top Top) - Chicken Minced! I had been drooling over pictures recently from a handful of Penang blogs that I simply had to have it!

Supper, after copious amount of alcohol at MS', at Intan Nasi Lemak in Taman Free School. Carbs after midnight, gahhhh! I am such a gangster when I'm drunk!

This place opens only late at night and attracts a healthy crowd of those who simply cannot wait until the break of dawn for their nasi lemak fix. The makcik is very generous with her ikan bilis, piles it on your plate like it's going out of fashion.

And finally, what's a trip back without some home-cooked goodies? Mom's the best!

Mui choi kau yuk (stewed pork with preserved vegetables). Luscious!

Giant tiger prawns, with just a hint of salt and garlic

Sambal petai with an inordinate amount of tamarind juice. Stinkin' lovely!

And that's a wrap! Till next time, when the list gets revisited again...

Merdeka eats

Merdeka weekend was an awesome eat-and-drink fest in Penang, punctuated by good company of friends and family. Most of what was consumed was homemade, even if I managed to down two plates of the requisite char koay teow in between.

The setting for dinner

We celebrated the eve of Merdeka by the beach, an open-air pot luck of sorts. The weather was kind to us and rain held out until we had polished off the food and a good measure of alcohol.

How more Malaysian can you get than banana-leaf wrapped nasi lemak?

Tasty greens with roasted garlic and feta cheese

Ayam cili garam went down superbly with the nasi lemak

Mango kerabu, topped with crunchy ikan billis and ground peanuts


Crusty bread topped with salsa, curried egg and tuna mayo

Big Apple donuts travelled back to Penang for Merdeka too!

And to top it all off, Hui's birthday cake was the gorgeous Oreo concoction from Ritz bakery in Prima Tanjung. You'd think cake was the last thing we wanted after wine, beer, tuak and vodka but this was so good we licked the cake stand clean!

Burpppp!!!