Kaya Toast

My first entry in 2009. click image for a larger view and drool.

Yumm...Kaya* Toast! It is very common to any breakfast or coffee shop in Malaysia or Singapore. A must for me to have if I go out for breakfast. Not that I cannot make them myself, like Grilled Cheese Sandwich, making it to me is an art by itself. I'm serious about how these two sandwiches are made:) It is not merely smearing Kaya on the a well toasted white bread with either butter or margarine, but how much you put on the bread is key, so it would not taste too sweet. Have it with coffee or tea and your tummy will be happy! oh yummm..

Kaya, a coconut spread or jam that is made of coconut milk, eggs, sugar and juice of pandan* leaf, cooked together till it thickens. Now you can find them commercially produced and packed in cans. The word Kaya in Malay means rich. Therefore, this is a rich tasting toast! double yumm!

Pandan or Screwpine leave is a tropical plant that is mainly use in many Southeast Asian cooking. Mainly for its aroma, it is used either whole in cooking or by extracting its juice for desserts, almost as vanilla is commonly use.

Fruits of Borneo Island: Asam Embang

Ahhh...I am puckering my lips right now while writing this. Asam Embang, is what we call this almost prehistoric looking fruit, one of the mango family, with its scientific name, Mangifera Panjang. It is found almost everywhere in Borneo and in Kuching, Sarawak, you can find this at the market. The brown almost scaly skin is almost half an inch thick and the only way to get those juicy fibrous flesh is by scoring the skin about quarter to half an inch with a knife in sections. Just be careful with the sap that comes out of its skin, as it will burn your skin a bit. (click on image for a bigger view) The skin of this fruit is edible. The yellow flesh is sweet and sometimes a bit on the tart side when not completely ripe, and can be eaten either raw as is, into mango relish or added in your dish to add the sweet sour flavor of the fruit. Either way you have it, is good.

My favorite is like how my mother and grandmother did it to keep us quiet. Chopped the flesh of the fruit and add water and a bit of sugar and pour it cold into a glass especially when its so hot outside! Yeah, that will keep us quiet and content when we were kids, chewing the fibrous sweet fruit and drinking at the same time.

Then, when we are able to stand the heat in food, the relish is served. Made by, again, chopping the fruit small, add it into the sambal that is of shrimp paste, chili, a bit of anchovies pound together. This is eaten with warm rice. Ahhhh..divine!

Adding this to a fish dish made of a mix of crushed lemon grass, dried chili, a bit of turmeric, half of an onion, cut in wedges, crushed garlic, fish of your choice, I prefer white flesh fish, or better yet, dried smoked fish and sliced Asam Embang. All these ingredients into a pot with water just enough or a bit more covering all the ingredients makes all the difference. Simmer away. yummmm...

The Sambal Asam or Mango Relish with the Sweet Sour Fish and Hot White Rice, a sunny day, a soft breeze and coconut trees rustling in the background is a beautiful imagination in my head when the truth is, its cold and white outside my window right now.

A Merry Christmas, everyone!

As of now, I am still in a quest of finding another mango which most called the Asam Binjei or Binjai. White Flesh Mango! An opposite texture to this Asam Embang, white and silky smooth, but oh so good!

Feastication V. The Ultimate Rice Salad: Nasi Kerabu

Nasi Kerabu or Nasi Ulam to some. One of the many rice dish offered by multi-cuisine Malaysia and is one of the food on a must have list when I got back home during my last vacation. The first time I had this was in college during Ramadhan and I have not stop any chance I can get on these interesting, colorful multi-textured and flavored, delicious dish. The blue rice, the fried fish, the Solok Lada, the never ending list of vegetables julienne, the gravy and sauces that goes with this dish just entice your taste buds with all the texture and flavor it has to offer. And the Keropok.

This dish is originally from Kelantan, Northeast of Peninsula Malaysia. Before I get into details, if you are ever in Malaysia, especially Kelantan and Trengganu, go to where the lines are long, that's where you get the best Nasi Kerabu. Then again, you can always get them anywhere in Kuala Lumpur and I still go to smaller food stalls or restaurants for the best. I would stay away for the commercially flashy, contemporary restaurants, just because the food don't taste as good as it is suppose to. Sad.

I will be breaking this down. Drool at your own expense:) Here goes.

The Blue Rice - the version I like. This captured my attention ever since. It seems that they have different version, blue, black, red and or simply white. The tinted rice are done by using different herbs that produces the color. The blue rice is tinted with dried Bunga Telang, in English, the Blue Pea or Clitoria flower.

The Ulam or the Salad. Raw vegetables like cabbage, long beans, Kangkong (water spinach) and herbs such as Bunga Kantan ( Torch Ginger Bud,) Daun Kunyit (Turmeric leave,) Daun Kesom ( Vietnamese Mint,) Daun Selasih ( Basil) among many herbs were jullienne with added bean sprout for more added crunch!

The Sambal Kelapa. Coconut Sambal, a condiment. Pan fry with finely chopped black pepper, onion and fresh ginger which is then ground for another time after all have been toasted.

The Sambal Ikan. Fish Sambal. Another condiment that made this dish. It is made of grilled Ikan Kembung (Indian Mackerel,) finely ground onion and ginger. These ingredients are mixed together and pan fry till toasted.

Solok Lada. Stuffed chilli. This was made with again, Indian mackerel, ginger and onion, ground finely and added to grated coconut, stuffed into the chillie and boiled in rich creamy coconut milk till the coconut milk dries.

Writing this makes me drool. I don't have the patience to do this, but I love, love, love, this dish.

Then, the ingredients to this did not end there.

There's more fish. Deep fried and coated with turmeric powder, rice flour , a bit of salt and lime water.

Last but still not the end of condiment's list, Sambal Budu. Fish sauce sambal. This is another must, to me, in this dish. Made with dried chilli, red onion, garlic, ginger, all finely ground, with crush lemongrass, sugar, coconut milk and tamarind juice. the coconut milk is first boiled then added with rest of the ingredient and boiled again till thick.

What did I say about enticing of the taste bud. This alone has created one group of flavor that dances around those teenee taste buds. Its salty, sour, spicy and sweet. All in just this one condiment.

Oh how could I forget, the Keropok! The Fish Cracker. The magic cracker, as I call it! Crunchy, slightly salty goodness made of Fish, flour, salt and some added spices, mixed into a dough, boiled, thinly sliced, sun-dried and packed for us to use. Most keropok would be packed in plastics and all you have to do is fry them like you do chips but, this frying only takes seconds as the small dry compact slices blooms into a huge dessert plate size crackers. That's why I call it the magic cracker!:) You may want to try with one small chip first and see the magic transforms! I play with my food:)

The above picture was taken when I had my lunch in Section 18, Shah Alam, Selangor with my two lovely couple, Nizam & Ziela, my very long time friends from college whom I have not seen for more than 13 years together with their 2 lovely daughters and my sister & my nephew, Mumble:). It is so good. Added to it is sliced grilled beef. I cannot say more but one word. Yummmmy!

Good company and good food.

Feastication IV. The Art of Cake Layering

Kek Lapis Sarawak or its translation, Sarawak Layered Cake.
Roll over and/or click on images for more hd visual:)

If you said you have seen layered cake, you have not seen enough just yet. These cakes you see above are a well known art by cake bakers from Sarawak, Borneo. I would say, its the Art of Constructing & deConstructing Layered Cake. They are not only beautiful, but deliciously moist and flavorful. These are only a few of many you can see during festive seasons all across Sarawak, Malaysia.

I have experienced the painstaking detail (to me) and its tedious process of making this type of cake. Mixing the ingredients, eggs, lots of them, butter, sugar, flour, then comes the spices or color, depending on what you will flavor your cake. The lists are endless. Then come layering it, one at a time making sure the cake is not over baked or over steamed. yes, some of the recipes requires only steaming. yummm...

Now, the even more creative professional bakers made it even more complicated, like one you see above. As for me? I just layered them plain. Nothing special at all. Blah! They, the professional Kek Lapis bakers, will be constructing it like as if they would weave a mat. I bet Martha Stewart have not seen anything like this yet!:) Making these cakes was, I think a few baking experience that I have not done for a long while.

Those in the pictures above and below, no, I did not make those. These pictures are taken from one of my sister's house during the Eid. I have to ask my sister what they named these cakes, yes, they have names, as creative as the cake itself. All of them, are oh so yummy! Just watch your weight as these cakes do not skim out on ingredients. No, M'am! Eat at your own risk as you can never stop. These are serious cakes! Seriously!:)


Layered cakes were first introduced to Sarawak by the Indonesian who layered their cake with ground spices, which was introduced to the Indonesian by the Dutch during its colony. Spekkoek. A Thousand Layer Spice Cake.

BananaRama- I run for bananas!

Pictured above are Pisang Keling or Pisang Rastali.

Pisang. Banana in English. These are fruits that most love and some may not like. I love, love bananas. I started to learn the different names when I was a "banana runner" for my late Great grandmother. She would ask me to run to the small stall to get bananas just for her. Hmm...I love running errands for my mom, running back and forth just for for fun of it. As a 7-8 year old, what the heck. My mom said to obey the elders so I did. In my mind, I would get my "fruitful" reward:)

My great grandmother says bananas. I run! To the stall of course. She would say, "Get me Pisang Madu" - Honey Banana, a small pinky finger sized banana that is super sweet. As sweet as honey. Hence the name. Or Pisang Keling (Pisang Rastali in Bahasa Melayu ) a dark dotted banana which is almost with a slight tartness to it, my other favorite, or Pisang Embun (Embun is Dew in Malay) the closest to most banana species sold in most supermarkets around the world. Then there is Pisang Otel (Pisang Lemak Manis in B. Melayu with English direct translation as Creamy & Sweet Banana) my true favorite. It's small & sweet. Smooth yellow skin, when ripe with a green tip and almost has its own sweet fragrance.

Pisang Pisang. This banana mostly use for baking, is very good for Cekodok Pisang - fried banana dumpling. Made with just flour, mashed banana & a pinch of salt fried to perfection & Lepat Pisang - a banana kueh, made with mashed ripe banana with flour and a bit sugar and sometimes with grated coconut, wrapped in banana leaves, steamed till cooked. Yes, Add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness of this fruit.

Pisang Nangka - A banana species that taste like that of Nangka - Jackfruit. Interesting enough. Pisang Tandok (Plantain) - Tandok/Tanduk is Horn in Malay as most of these bananas are the size of a water buffalo horns. It is mainly use for cooking, frying will be best. Fried ripe plantain, where its sugar caramelized when fried, oozing through the crunchy fried flour batter. You can see small stalls selling these in the afternoon near roadsides and do ask for Pisang Goreng (Fried Banana.)
Pisang Mas - Sweet but not as good as Pisang Otel to my taste bud, also known as Baby Banana in most Western supermarkets.
Pisang Kapok (Pisang Kapas in B Melayu & kapas is cotton in Malay) Like that of Plantain and Pisang Pisang, this is best for cooking and be made into fried banana.

There are about 9 names of bananas that I knew and can differentiate when I run banana errands for my late great grandmother. I thank her for this knowledge she had given me, yet I know, even after all these errands, she do not like me much. I assumed of my mischievousness :)
Pictured above are Pisang Otel or Pisang Lemak Manis.

Feastication III: Fruits & more Food.

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Day 11th. Eid 9th day. Thursday. I was browsing real fast yesterday at the Market when I spotted these. Chempedak. So I thought. Opened them up and oh how I cannot wait to get my hands on these big succulent fruit! Sweet and juicy! hmm..its a bit different but who cares. Its good! Shove it to my sisters face to let her get a taste. she is not too keen on chempedak unless its made into a fritter. Fritter or fresh, I am diggin' it! She got a taste and said, " its Cenangka. A mixture of Cempedak and Nangka."
"Oof..whaaaa?!Wahaaaat?! hmm..oh yummm....whatever! its good anyway you name it " The aroma of both this super sweet fruit was as mix as the breed. Cempedak is known to be mushy but sweet and Nangka, very sweet and crunchy. a mix even made it better:) I cannot complain. How do I describe this fruit? It almost have an aroma of Mango when its ripe with an almost a mix of vanilla and mango. The fruit itself are amazing. How it holds all those fruit within a fruit and what I meant is that the fruit holds the fleshy (the part that you eat) covered seeds in a casing that should be an inspiration for most fragile product packaging design. Click on the image for a more detail picture and drool:)

Brunch at Sri Shan Curry & Such.
This place screams Yummy Good Food! Indian food to be exact. Ahhh...Putu Mayam. My, how I long for this dessert cum breakfast food:) Clean noodle created from rice flour steamed and sprikled with fresh grated coconut and sugar. Oh, how my sweet palette dance with glee. It is such a delectable dessert. Next come Vadai. A fritter made of Dhal - yellow lentilof the legume family, mixed with chilli, cumin, onion and other goodness and spices.

Then, Thosai or Dosai to some. A flat almost crispy yet soft bread served with coconut chutney and curry. My father & I went with the plain. My mother didn't come along as she is fasting today. Bummer:( My sister with something that sounds more interesting than mine. Dosai with Planta (margarine) and sugar. Then my other sister, Dosai Vege. What? did I miss all the goodness? Those two are so good! Anyone who orders Dosai, do the Vege and Planta & Sugar. Oh so good! Even dipped with Curry! Fish Curry to be exact. Man...I miss so much all these time.Wash this all down with Teh Tarik! hmmm...should I write more or let you discover this yourself. This place offers more than what I wrote above.

Sri Shan Curry & Such
No. 383, Persiaran Ban Hock,
93100 Kuching
Sarawak, Malaysia.
Tel: 6082-244118, 6082-421008

Feastication II: Food & more food!

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Day 10th. Eid 8th day. Wednesday. Its Mee Jawa time. One of my many favorite noodle. How it came to be a well known Sarawak or Kuching dish to be exact, I have to find out more, but I know the source to this noodle comes from Island of Java, hence the name " Mee Jawa - Java Noodle." Indonesian who had resided in Borneo, brought with them this wonderful sweet, savory and a bit on a spicy note to its gravy.

How should I describe more of this unbelievable mixture of Noodle meet Satay? Its yellow noodle with boiled eggs, Chinese celery, sliced fried tofu, fried onion, sliced chillies as garnishing & gravy to die for! The gravy made with base of sweet potatoes or yam, to some part of the globe, that makes this gravy different from most. It is a little bit spicy with a slight light curry taste but not crazy too spicy to kill your appetite for this delicious sweet & savory, exotic dish. Topped it with Satay, a sweet & savory, spiced, herbed, grilled marinated chicken or beef on a stick or both and you can have them on the side, if you like. When I said, topped with satay, meaning, the satay sauce (peanut sauce) goes with it, mixed with the Mee Jawa gravy. Oh yummm..should I describe more or should you get it yourself?

My favorite place and also to most who knows this is one is Syn Nam Hui on Main Bazaar, in Kuching. Across Kuching Waterfront close to the Big Chinese Temple. You won't miss it. You do have to be patient as it is the best in town, unless if anyone else knows of one that I may not.

Satay is serve here and this goes fast and you too have to be quick to order! Patience is key to happy tummy! This place is happening! I really think this is the place my friend Jean was saying:) Thanks Jean:)