Feasting in Penang & Hat Yai

This is a long overdue post. Have been lazy & busy with other stuff. :P

My parents, Jerome & I drove up to Penang then to Hat Yai for a few days in December last year. And look at what we ate!

This is perhaps the most famous Penang Laksa stall in  Penang!

Finally the bowl of authentic Penang Laksa that I've been dreaming about for years!

Tasty thick white noodles in a sour & spicy soup base with lots of kamong fish meat. 

The laksa noodles tasted really great, totally different from the ones we usually eat in Singapore.

The softest muah chee we have ever eaten...

This is the muah chee hawker who has a facebook account. 

Seafood at Bukit Tambun...

The real reason why we're here- the giant grouper's head! 

Green Mango Calabu... that's what I call a real appetizer.

Stir-fry lahlah with ginger & spring onion.

The best chilli kangkong we've eaten...

Fried Crabs with Curry Paste

The highlight of the meal- steam grouper's head. This is actually a quarter of the entire fish head.

This is really the star of the dish- the thick fish skin. Well, I still prefer the flesh.

Here's the address if anyone wants to visit the restaurant.

What about some fruits after dinner?

A fruit stall at some dark corner...

 First, pick a stick of fruits...

Then dip it into either the spicy or non-spicy rojak sauce.

The price list...

When you're done, just pay according to the number of sticks you have accumulated.

The next morning, we had dim sum at Chao Quan. Think they have easily over 100 variety of dim sum & dishes. 

A wonderful version of fried carrot cake.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Hat Yai, Thailand.

Uncle Yao brought us out for many meals... 

More chinese than thai...

Fish head steamboat... somewhat like what we have locally.

Fried oyster with eggs on hotplate. This is the dish that still get us talking...

I don't usually eat the oysters as I find them rather fishy but these oysters here were really fresh. 

They're big, fat and juicy! Pardon the oil, this is really a great dish.

Jerome was saying that we can visit next time just to eat this dish!

After all that feasting, we decided to go for something light for breakfast. 

Pork porridge that was surprisingly good :)

Then we decided we should have some Thai food since we're in Thailand...

Fish Otah in a bowl that's really goooood!

Most important- the Tom Yum Goong! 

We went shopping at the local market and tried some of the food from the street vendors.

Sticky Mango Rice.

Thinking of when we can eat visit again...

Prawn Noodles Soup

Was having a hard time trying to decide what to cook for lunch. Finally decided to get a packet of prawn noodles soup premix to try it out.

If you find that the egg looks a little strange... that's because I tried to 'mould' it into a star shape :P

Verdict:
Simple enough, just add water and the soup is ready. Just add whatever ingredients you may like in your prawn noodles soup. I used bee hoon. Opps, you can't see the bee hoon as it's all covered up by all the other ingredients.

Tastewise, it was a more spicy version of the prawn soup. It tastes better than the average prawn soup noodles you can find at the hawker centre and definitely much more ingredients!

Next time, I should try to make my prawn soup from scratch...

Prima Taste Laksa

I had laksa again :P, this time Singapore's style- Katong style... Unlike the Penang sour version, this is sweeter with coconut milk. Yap, it's a sinful lunch. 

A packet of Prima Taste Laksa Premix, some laksa noodles, prawns, 'tao pok', fishcakes, beansprouts and water...

Katong Prima Taste Laksa

Yummy! But we had to go jogging in the evening to make ourselves feel better...

Penang Laksa!

If one were to ask me, what would my last meal be? I would definitely answer "Penang Laksa!"
The soup base is sour and spicy with bits of fish flesh, usually kamong fish. The noodles are fat rice noodles that are just so springy. Hmm... thinking of having another bowl now :P

I've just had this bowl of Penang Laksa from Old Town Cafe at Jurong Point after watching "Despicable Me" in 3D last Saturday evening. I was initially quite disappointed when the bowl of noodles arrived. The soup looked kind of pale and I expected it to be a very diluted tasting soup. Fortunately, I was wrong. It was good! So good that I almost accepted Jerome's offer to get me another bowl :P When we last visited Penang, I had Penang Laksa for almost every meal :P

Jerome ordered a bowl of curry noodles that aren't too bad as well.

But I still prefer my Penang Laksa :)

Who knows where else I can get a bowl of good Penang Laksa in Singapore?

Phad Thai Again

Just prepared Phad Thai for lunch today. Think it looked and tasted better than the first time I tried them. This time round, I added a little more tamarind water to make the sauce a little more tangy.

But honestly, I've forgotten how the original Phad Thai should taste like. The last time I tried an authentic one was last Dec when we visited Bangkok. I loved it so much that I had it for almost every meal :P

Well, we'll be going to Phuket this Saturday so it's a great time to catch up on my Phad Thai again :P

Stir-fried Hor Fan

Just prepared Stir-fried Hor Fan (my version of 'San Lau Hor Fan') for lunch on this rainy afternoon. Really simple and most importantly, it was tasty :) And I've used my Chinese wok for the 2nd time! The first time was for Pad Thai...

Ingredients:
200g of Hor Fan/ Fresh Fat Rice Noodles ( I bought them for $1 at Cold Storage)
a handful of beansprouts
some chopped garlic
1 fishcake, sliced
1 few slices of fresh fish, seasoned with some light soy sauce and corn flour (optional)
2 eggs
some oil
1 stalk of spring onion, cut into short strips

Seasoning:
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method: (Takes about 10 minutes)
Add about 1 tbsp of oil to the wok. Fry and scramble the eggs and set aside.
Add another tbsp of oil and fry the fish. Set aside.
Add  some chopped garlic, then the beansprouts. Stir fry for a while before adding in the rice noodles.
Add the seasoning (add more according to taste) and stir fry well.
Add all the other ingredients and sir fry for about another 2 minutes.
Turn off the fire and stir in the spring onion.
Serve hot and enjoy :)

Phad Thai

After the trip to Bangkok last Dec, I ate my first plate of Phai Thai and fell in love with it :)

A plate of delightful Pad Thai at a street stall in Bangkok

Another plate of Phad Thai from the food court at the Bangkok Paragon

Another plate of Phad Thai at the airport :P

Upon returning home, I went in search for a recipe to cook this Thai most popular hawker dish. My search on the net led me to Chez Pim's Pad Thai for beginners.   Her very detailed step-by-step instructions were almost over-whelming... I kept it at the back of my mind... thinking of trying it out one of these days...  Then, back to work, no time to experiment in the kitchen and I forgot about it... until...

It's the school hols and a start to a long break, I'm once again looking at food blogs, looking for experiments to conduct in the kitchen... Stumbled into The Little Teochew's blog and read her entry on Chez Pim's Pad Thai and salivated over the photographs of her sinfully good Pad Thai... I knew I had to try the recipe somehow to satisfy my craving!

After reading through Chez Pim's write-up, I've decided to keep my $200+ wok and bought a new $18 stainless steel chinese wok. I tried to season the wok as instructed. I poured in a full cup of oil into the wok and started to 'smoke' out the entire wok. There was so much smoke that Jerome had to come into the kitchen to check if I had set the kitchen on fire :P From a shiny stainless steel wok, I eventually ended up with a dirty/burnt-looking wok. I wonder if this was meant to be... Jerome said I've damaged the wok :P

According to Chez Pim, the Pad Thai will taste good in a seasoned chinese wok. If the wok is well-seasoned, the rice noodles will not stick to the wok. So I guessed my wok was seasoned alright. And the thing about using a seasoned chinese wok is this... you can't wash it with soap! Just a gentle scrub and a rinse of water before putting in back to the fire to dry it up before storing it away. I know I'll be looking for signs of mould the next time I use the wok again...

Anyway, after all the trouble, here's my Pad Thai... looking kinda pale...but fortunately, it tasted good!
 Sorry, but my efforts are really far from Chez Pim's and The Little Teochew's. Look at their pictures of Pad Thai to know what I mean... Will definitely try the recipe again and make some improvements.

My 1st Pad Thai... out from my kitchen...

Bar Chor Mee II

Just prepared Bak Chor mee (minced pork noodles) for lunch again. This time I used Wantan noodles, those finer type. Still prefer the mee pok noodles. I've also used vegetables-fishballs this time, but the plain white ones are still better... Bak Chor Mee Recipe.

Bak Chor Mee (Minced Pork Noodles)

Bak Chor Mee (Mushroom & Minced Pork Noodles)

Hubby was having a craving for Bak Chor Mee ( a very common hawker dish in Singapore) & wanted me to try cooking it. I have never prepared any Bak Chor Mee before & this creation is based entirely on an experiment. I didn't refer to any recipe, just tried re-creating it based on how it's suppose to taste. And quite pleased with how it turned out & managed to satisfy my hubby's craving :)

Not too bad for a 1st attempt & think I'm going to keep it the way it is. A lot more ingredients in a bowl of noodles than when we can buy from the hawker :)

A bowl of Yummy Bak Chor Mee...

(Why am I feeling hungry again? )

Recipe for Bak Chor Mee ( Mushroom & Minced Pork Dry Noodles)

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

(feel free to change, subjected to individual's taste preference)

(A)

200g Minced Pork (marinade with some light soy sauce, pepper & sesame oil)

5 pcs of chinese dried mushroom, soaked & cut into slices

1 tbps oil

some chopped garlic

200ml water

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

pepper

sesame oil

(B)

200g Mee Pok Noodles

10 pcs fishball

some green leafy green vegetables

Noodle Sauce: (Mix all together in a big bowl)
1 tbsp black vinegar

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp tomatoe sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tbps sambal chilli

2 tbps water

dash of pepper

Method:

Mushroom & Minced Meat:

1) Heat up 1 tbsp oil in wok. Add mushroom & stir fry. Add water & seasoning. Bring to a boil & cover wok. Allow to simmer for 15mins or till mushrooms are soft. Add minced pork and stir fry till cooked. Add additional seasoning if necessary. Set aside.

Fishballs, Vegetables & noodles

2) Prepare all the sauces for noodles in a bowl. Set aside.

3) Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook vegetables & fishballs. Dish up & set aside.

Loosen up the noodles before dropping them into the water. Cook, dish up & mix noodles well in the prepared sauce.

4) Divide the noodles into 2 bowls & add all the other cooked ingredients. Garnish with some chopped spring onions & serve immediately.

Ban Mian

Prepared Mi Hoon Guei for lunch just so I could play with my cookie cutters :P


Roll dough as flat as possible & cut into desired shapes :)


A plate of cut dough to be cooked... Of course, there's more...


A hot bowl of Ban Mian/Mi Hoon Guei

Recipe for Mi Hoon Guei/ Ban Mian

Ingredients for Flour 'noodles':

(Serves 2)

150g all purpose flour

a pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

some water

Method:

1. Pour flour into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt.

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour & pour in the beaten egg. Mix well with hands.

3. Add a little water at a time and mix well until a dough is formed. If it's too sticky, u need to add more flour. If it's too dry, add more water.

4. Let rest for at least 15 mins in the fridge.

5. You can either pull the dough into small flat pieces & cook directly or roll it out and cut into desired shapes.

Fried Hor Fan with Gravy

Fried Hor Fan with Gravy
(acknowledgement: photo taken by hubby. He always say that he's the better photographer...)

Just prepared this for lunch :) An easy 1-dish meal to prepare at home.

Recipe for Fried Hor Fan with Gravy
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:

(A)
1 packet of fat hor fan ($1)
dark soya sauce
sesame oil

(B) For Gravy
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
500ml of water
6 fresh prawns
2 pieces of fish cakes, sliced
(Other ingredients u may want to add: sliced chicken/pork meat, fresh squid, crab stick,etc)
some green leafy vegetables (eg. cai xin)
1 egg, beaten
Seasoning: oystersauce, soy sauce, chicken stock grandules, sesame oil
corn starch water for thickening (cornfour mix with water)

Method:
1) Heat up wok. Fry the hor fan. Add dark soya sauce & sesame oil.
Mix well. Dish up & set aside.
(There's no need to add extra oil as there's oil on the hor fan already.)
2) Heat up 1 tbsp oil in the wok. Fry the chopped garlic till fragrant. Add water & put to boil. Add prawns, then vegetables & fishcake & cook. Add in beaten egg. Add seasoning to individual preference. Add corn starch water to thicken the gravy. Pour the hot gravy over the fried hor fan. Serve immediately. Serve with preserved green chilli.

Wantan Noodles

Just prepared this for lunch. One of my favourite hawker food since young.

Dry Wantan Noodles with Char Siew & Fried Wantan

Wantan Soup

Ingredients for Basic Wantan:
(Makes about 40 to 50 wantans)

200g of minced pork

wantan skin

3-5 pcs of water chestnuts, chopped (this gives the wantan the crunch)

1 stalk of corriander leaves, chopped

(Optional, prawns (cut into pieces) & chopped carrots)

Seasoning: 1 tbsp of light soya sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, dash of pepper

Method:

1) Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

2) Taste Test: Add additional seasoning if necessary.

(Boil a small pot of water. Wrap a wantan, cook it & eat it.)

3) Wrap up all the wantan the way you like.

Prepare a small dish of water to help "glue up".

For Deep Fried Wantan:

1) Heat up oil for deep frying.

2) Deep fry wantan till its golden brown.

3) Drain and remove excess oil of kitchen paper.

4) Keep in oven with low heat to keep it hot & crispy till ready to serve.

5) Serve hot with dipping sauce (eg, ketcup or chilli sauce)

For Wantan Soup:

1) Prepare stock for soup. Cook suitable leafy green vegetables (eg. caixin or xiao bai cai)

( I'm a lazy cook so I just used a Korr Ikan Bilis Cube with a litre of water for my soup base)

Do not overcook vegetables. Turn off the flame.

2) Boil another pot of water & cook the wantan till they float & the colour of wantan skin lightens to very pale yellow.

3) Scoop the cooked wantan into the prepared soup.

* The reason for using a separate pot to cook the wantan is to remove the extra flour/starch on the wantan skin. This will keep the final wantan soup clear & tastier.

For Dried Noodles:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

200g of wantan/ cantanese noodles

Sauce:

2 tbps Maggie tomatoe ketchup

2 tbsp Maggie chilli sauce

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp black vinegar

2 tbps water

1) Mix all the ingredients for sauce in a big bowl (enough to mix the noodles in later on).

2) Boil a big pot of water. Loosen up the noodles and cook the noodles for a few minutes. Test if it's cooked by trying a noodle. Do not overcook the noodles else they will become soggy.

3) Sieve up the noodles, shaking off excess water. Mix the noodles well in the big bowl of prepared sauce.

4) Dish up and divide noodles on 2 separate plates. Serve with boiled vegetables, sliced char siew & fried wantan.

5) Serve immediately & enjoy it hot.