Delicious Chinese Food at Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee

khorhmin Leave a comment

I have always felt that traditional food infused with old-world charm can be readily found in the small towns that pepper our country, and I have never been disappointed. In the capital of Kuala Lumpur, food trends are like fast fashion trends. Every so often you’ll see a new type of dish appearing at a famous restaurant, then it is suddenly duplicated in other unrelated eateries across the city. Not so in the quaint little towns, which hold true to their authentic traditional fare.

I joined a photography outing organised by the Malaysian Nature Society Selangor Branch’s Photogroup last Sunday, 25 March 2018. We set out super early to arrive at Jeram Toi Waterfalls in Negeri Sembilan before the crowds, so that we could set up our cameras on tripods to take nice photos of flowing water in the crystal clear stream, the cascading waterfalls, and the peaceful jungle scene.

After that, the organisers brought us to Mantin for lunch at Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee. The restaurant was full, but we were the only ‘outsiders’. It must be a well-kept secret then. 🙂

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Steamed salted kampung chicken

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Steamed egg with salted egg and century egg

We had no-frills steamed salted kampung chicken, which was infused with the original flavours from nourishing herbs, wolf berries and salt. The chicken was tender and not oily, and the clear soup was a great accompaniment to the hot rice served. However, I would have preferred that the taste of the herbs was stronger.

The steamed egg with salted egg and century egg was also nice. The taste was good and not too salty, although it could have been better if it was a bit softer.

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Curry fish fillet

The curry fish fillet, cooked in the typical Chinese style of curry, was not very spicy. Coconut milk gave the dish a rich and creamy consistency, with a hint of the curry spices coming through. It was full of sliced vegetables, such as ladies finger, brinjal and cabbage. The thick gravy was great enjoyed with rice.

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Claypot pork belly with salted fish

The claypot pork belly with salted fish was excellent. The meat was tender, and the flavours of salted fish and chillies were not overpowering. Usually, restaurants cook this dish with too much seasoning, making it too salty, but Restoran Shengee cooked this dish with just the right level of ‘saltiness’.

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Sweet potato leaves

The sweet potato leaves were cooked well, and not overly wilted. It was not too salty or oily too.

We could taste the freshness of the vegetables in the four heavenly kings dish, which featured four types of vegetables, but strangely, it had no chillies. This dish is usually cooked with pungent spicy sambal and dried shrimp. By Malaysian standards, this is supposed to be an

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Four heavenly kings

appetizing spicy vegetable dish.

These six dishes plus a complimentary soup, white rice and Chinese tea for 20 pax came up to RM263.80 (including GST). For a sumptuous feast, it was a very good price that could not be found anywhere in Kuala Lumpur!

So, if you are going to the Mantin area in Negeri Sembilan, do swing by this shop during lunch time for some satisfying traditional Chinese food. You will not be disappointed.

Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee
No. 1, 2 & 3, Mantin Square,
71700 Mantin, Negeri Sembilan.
Tel: 06-7584803, 012-6887377
Email: shengeemantin@gmail.com

Cherry Blossom & Lavender Ice Cream

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I’ve always loved ice cream, and the sight of an ice cream kiosk is enough to make me excited. A few months ago, I finally found a friend who is an ice cream enthusiast too. Yesterday, we tried the seasonal limited edition flavours at Haagen Dazs, in Bangsar Village II.

The two limited edition flavours were (1) cherry blossom, and (2) lavender and blueberry.

I ordered a mixed platter of cherry blossom, lavender and blueberry, raspberry sorbet, and mango sorbet, which was served with creamy cheesecake, fresh strawberries, and granola. They were topped with white chocolate sakura flowers and leaves.

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From left to right: Mango sorbet, cherry blossom, raspberry sorbet, lavender & blueberry ice cream. The cheesecake was cut into cubes and placed in front.

I love light and fresh-tasting sorbets, and the golden-coloured mango sorbet was heavenly. The bright red raspberry was sour, but delectable too. It really perked up the taste buds. Besides that, the cheesecake at Haagen Dazs is always rich and creamy, a favourite of mine.

The cherry blossom ice cream was delicious, but tasted rather like vanilla ice cream with strawberry or raspberry sauce. It in fact had powdered cherry blossom petals in it, because now it’s cherry blossom season, and the sauce was a sour cherry sauce. It had a nice balance of tart and sweet flavours.

The purple-coloured lavender and blueberry ice cream was something different. We felt like we were eating perfume! We could smell the fragrance while eating it, and tasted the bits of blueberries inside. So it took the ice cream tasting experience to a whole new level of intrigue.

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The fresh strawberries and crunchy and chewy granola added different textures and flavours to the platter, which was nice.

My friend ordered ice cream that came in a cup made from chocolate. Similar to mine, it had the cherry blossom, and lavender and blueberry ice cream, as well as mango sorbet and fresh strawberries. However, it came with 2 green tea pretzels and blueberries.

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She had to eat all of the ice cream and fruits before she could get to the chocolate cup, which was placed inside a paper cup. In order to eat the chocolate cup, she had to take it out and put it on a plate. The chocolate was delicious. It would have been better to place the chocolate cup with all its ice cream and fruits on a plate instead.

All in all, it was a satisfying ice cream tasting outing, and we will be coming back to try new limited edition flavours in the future.

 

Meal in under 30 mins: Chicken with potatoes and peas

khorhmin Leave a comment

For my daily solo cooking and eating, I always like to cook meals in under 30 minutes, which is the practical way to do things. I only spend a longer time (approx. 1 hour) preparing and cooking when I have to cook three dishes for a family meal when my parents and brother are visiting.

Today, I cooked chicken cubes with potatoes and peas for lunch. It is a simple homely meal, but satisfying and filling.

The chicken can be cleaned, prepared and marinated after buying it and before storing it in the freezer. In this way, the flavour of the marinade has time to seep into the meat for a better outcome and a tastier meal. Also, the sauces and spices will also help to preserve your meats better, in case you are keeping the meats in the freezer for a few weeks.

Hope you try it and like it! 🙂

Chic, peas, potatoes

Chicken with potatoes and peas, served with organic ten-grain rice

Chicken with potatoes and peas
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (cubed and marinated)
1 small onion (cubed)
1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes (cubed)
1 small bowl of frozen green peas
1/2 tbsp. Light soya sauce
1/2 tsp. Dark soya sauce
1 tsp. Honey
1 tsp. Cornflour
White pepper
Coarse ground black pepper (optional)
Coriander powder (optional)
Salt
Cooking oil
2 tbsp. Water

Method:

  1. Marinade the chicken breast cubes with light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, honey and cornflour. You can adjust the amounts of the sauces and cornflour to your liking. You can marinade the meat and store in the freezer for weeks, waiting for the right time to cook it, or marinade the meat half an hour before cooking.
  2. Heat up cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the potato cubes on medium heat till just cooked. You know they are cooked when you can stick a fork into them easily, or slice them with your spatula easily.
  3. Transfer potato cubes to a plate lined with a paper kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
  4. In the same pan (there should be some oil left), on medium heat, fry the onion cubes till they are fragrant and starting to turn translucent. Add the chicken cubes and fry them till just cooked (opaque).
  5. Add the peas and also the cooked potatoes into the pan. Add 2 tbsp. water. Stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer till peas turn a brighter green, which indicates that they are cooked. This takes a very short time.
  6. Turn the heat to low. Add a dash of coriander powder, a dash of white pepper, a pinch of coarse black pepper. Add light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and salt to taste.  You can adjust the amount of sauces and spices to your taste. If you want more sauce, you can add 1-3 tbsp. more water.
  7. Let it simmer till the sauce thickens a bit and you are satisfied that you have achieved the right flavour with the sauces.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

Some people might wonder what is the function of cornflour in the chicken marinade. Adding a starch to the marinade before stir-frying is a common practice in Chinese cuisine. The starch binds together the sauces and spices in the marinade and seals them to the meat, poultry or seafood being marinated. Adding a starch to the marinade will also help you thicken the liquid while the dish simmers, so you do not need to cook a sauce separately later.

On another note, I love spices and enjoy experimenting with them in my cooking. Different spices add different flavours to make food more appetising. Besides that, they also have their own unique nutritional and medicinal benefits as well.

 

10 ways to cook salmon: #3 Teriyaki salmon with steamed corn on the cob

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I know I said I would write a series of 10 salmon recipes, but I’ve been so busy for the past few months. The recipes were ready and tested, and the photos were taken, but they were never uploaded till now. 😦

So, without further ado, here is salmon recipe number three. It is a very easy teriyaki salmon recipe, without any frills. The meal will be ready in 30 mins, which is great for a weekday night, when you are busy, but still want to prepare and eat a healthy dinner.

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Teriyaki salmon with steamed corn on the cob

Teriyaki salmon with steamed corn on the cob

Serves 1

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon fillet (washed and marinated with teriyaki sauce, salt and coarse black pepper – this step can be done the night before)
1 corn on the cob
2 tbsp. of teriyaki sauce (or enough to coat the whole fillet)
Salt (a pinch) (optional)
Coarse black pepper
Vegetable oil

Method:

  1. Husk the corn and remove the silk. Wash it properly. You can keep the cob whole or cut it in half.
  2. Put water in the steamer. Make sure it is enough to steam for 15 mins. Put the corn in the steamer and turn it on. Check on the water level after 10 mins. You can set a timer just to remind you. The corn should be ready in 15 mins. When it is cooked, the colour will change to a brighter yellow.
  3. After putting the corn in the steamer, it is time to cook the salmon.
  4. Heat up oil in a non-stick pan on high. Place salmon skin-side down in the pan. Turn heat down to medium. Cook until golden brown and crisp, which will take around 4 minutes.
  5. Pan-fry the salmon on each of the other sides till lightly browned. Remove from heat. By this time, the corn should already be cooked.
  6. Arrange salmon and corn on a plate. Serve hot.

This meal is good for people who want to cut down on their intake of carbohydrates. It is also suitable for people who prefer their food not drowning in sauces, because there is no sauce. If you feel that the teriyaki sauce is salty enough, you do not even need to add salt. I did not add salt, but I used a generous pinch of coarse black pepper, because I like it.

If you are wondering about the best ways to pan-fry salmon, you can read a very comprehensive and interesting post by Serious Eats on the subject by clicking here: The Food Lab: How to Pan-Fry Salmon Fillets

Bon appetit!

10 ways to cook salmon #2: Salmon Steamed in Abalone Sauce with Mini Bok Choy

khorhmin 2 Comments

Sorry, I have been very busy in the past few weeks, so I have not uploaded my salmon recipes, although I have been cooking the fillets.

The second piece of salmon was cooked in a very different way – steaming. Steaming is a very easy and healthy way to cook food, and no cooking oil is required. All you have to do is put water in the steamer, if it is an electric one, turn it on and put the raw food in. Then, let the steamer do all the work for you. If the steamer is the non-electric traditional type, then some monitoring of the fire and water level is required.

Here is the recipe for Salmon Steamed in Abalone Sauce with Mini Bok Choy. It is a complete meal by itself. If you require something more filling, then some rice will go really well with it.

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Salmon steamed in abalone sauce with mini bok choy

Salmon Steamed in Abalone Sauce with Mini Bok Choy

Serves 1

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon fillet (washed and marinated with pinch of salt and white pepper)
1 small bag of mini bok choy (washed, leaves separated)
1-2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and sliced thinly)
2 tbsp. abalone sauce
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
Salt or soya sauce to taste

Method:

  1. The night before, before going to sleep, take the salmon fillet out from the freezer. Season with a pinch of salt and white pepper . Give it a rub. Store in an airtight container. Put in the fridge to thaw slowly overnight. Pack bok choy and ginger slices in individual airtight containers and pack in the fridge too.
  2. In the morning, take all the ingredients out from the fridge. Arrange a row of sliced ginger on the plate. Then put the salmon fillet on top of this row. This will prevent the skin of the fish from sticking to the plate.
  3. Arrange the bok choy leaves on the left and right of the fillet, filling up the plate.
  4. Pour the tsp. of sesame seed oil on top of the fillet. Next, pour the abalone sauce on top of the fish. Arrange remaining slices of ginger on top of the fish.
  5. Turn on the steamer and put the plate in it. Once the water starts to boil and steam fogs up the transparent cover, the cooking time begins. Check your clock to make sure you know when it is time to turn off the steamer and serve the food. Do not overcook.
  6. After 15 mins, turn off the steamer and serve hot.
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Steaming food in the steamer is very easy & very healthy

 

Not everyone likes sesame seed oil. If you are not a fan, you can omit it altogether, or only put a few drops.

After the dish is cooked, taste the liquid @ sauce in the plate. If you feel it is bland, you can add a pinch of salt or a few drops of light soya sauce for added flavour.

10 ways to cook salmon #1: Pan-fried salmon & potatoes with garlic & chives

khorhmin Leave a comment

I went with Nancy a week ago to NSK. With interest, I observed that she selected a frozen boneless salmon fillet, and proceeded to ask the supermarket worker to cut it for her into slices. She said it was good. Not ‘fishy’ at all (as in the fish is fresh) . I followed suit. Never try, never know. 😉

I went home and counted that I had 10 slices of salmon fillet. Hence, I hatched a plan to cook my 10 slices of salmon in 10 different ways. 😀

So, I actually endeavoured to wake up half an hour earlier in the morning a few times a week to cook my salmon lunch, so that I could bring it to the office to eat. So far, so good.

Here is my first salmon recipe, which I enjoyed very much. 😉

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Pan-fried salmon & potatoes with garlic & chives

 

Pan-fried salmon & potatoes with garlic & chives

Serves 1

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon fillet (washed and marinated with pinch of salt and black pepper)
1 large potato (washed, peeled, cut into thin slices)
A handful of chives (chopped)
5 pips garlic (chopped)
Salt
Black pepper
Vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter

Method:

  1. The night before, before going to sleep, take the salmon fillet out from the freezer. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper . Give it a rub. Store in an airtight container. Put in the fridge to thaw slowly overnight. Pack potatoes, chives and garlic in individual airtight containers and pack in the fridge too.
  2. In the morning, take all the ingredients out from the fridge. Heat up vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and turn heat down to medium. Fry potatoes till golden on both sides and cooked. The potatoes are cooked when the spatula cuts them easily. Scoop up onto a plate lined with paper kitchen towel(s).
  3. Heat up oil in the same non-stick pan on high. Pat dry the salmon fillet with a paper kitchen towel. Place salmon skin-side down in the pan. Turn heat down to medium. Cook until golden brown and crisp, which will take around 4 minutes.
  4. Pan-fry the salmon on each of the other sides till lightly browned. Remove from heat. Arrange potatoes and salmon on a plate or in your choice of lunchbox.
  5. Heat up softened butter in non-stick pan. Turn down the heat to medium. Fry garlic till golden and fragrant. Add chives and fry till they change colour to a brighter green. Season with salt and black pepper. Scoop onto the salmon and potatoes.

 

If you are wondering about the best ways to pan-fry salmon, you can read a very comprehensive and interesting post by Serious Eats on the subject by clicking here: The Food Lab: How to Pan-Fry Salmon Fillets

Bon appetit!

Banana, Hazelnut & Coffee Shake

khorhmin Leave a comment

I finally got myself a new Panasonic blender to replace my expired one a few days ago. I found some time to test it out on Sunday morning by making a banana, hazelnut & coffee shake.

I have always liked to stand near where the beverages are made at Juice Works, Boost, Chatime, etc. and watch the people make their drinks. It was all seemed pretty straightforward and manageable. I thought I could do it myself. It was worth experimenting with. 😀

So, I decided to not only make a healthy shake, but a vegan one. Give it a try. You might like it. 🙂

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Banana, hazelnut & coffee shake

Banana, Hazelnut & Coffee Shake
Makes 400ml (equivalent to a large glass or tumbler, as in the photo above)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened brewed coffee (i.e. cold brewed)
1 cup hazelnut beverage (sample as in photo)
1 large ripe banana
Some ice cubes (I put 5 small ice cubes)

Method:

  1. Put all ingredients into the blender.
  2. Blend till ice cubes and banana are finely blended (no more chunks can be seen).
  3. Serve immediately.

As you know, banana is a great source of nutrients and energy, and it is filling too. So, it’s a great shake to start off the day. 🙂

Mei Wei Little Kitchen

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Authentic Chinese food is supposed to be hot and delicious, yet simple and inviting. Some fancier cooking will have a longer list of ingredients, especially in the sauces, but the most important aspects of Chinese cuisine lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients, and bringing out these aspects, rather than smothering or overshadowing them.

In this regard, I think Mei Wei Little Kitchen excels. The restaurant cooks up delicious dishes that just hits the spot. The ingredients are fresh and the sauces complement the  dishes well. There is a warm, homely feeling about this restaurant’s food, and so it is best enjoyed with your loved ones or best buddies. In fact, I think this place will be an excellent venue for a reunion meal, since it accentuates the ‘feeling’ of togetherness. 🙂

The clams in broth arrived first. It was my favourite dish of the meal. I just could not get enough of it. There is something about seafood soup – it has a rich flavour, and there was no exception for the clam soup. The clams were of a good size, and fresh and succulent, not overcooked and rubbery. The ginger was there, but it did not overpower the soup, nor make it ‘hot and spicy’, as ginger sometimes does. I had a few bowls, and it went very well with rice.

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Clams in broth

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The second dish I liked most was the deep-fried squid with salted egg. The squid was fresh, and the batter had the right degree of crispiness. It was not hard and it did not feel oily. The salted egg flavour came through, and it was not too salty or overpowering. The curry leaves were a nice addition, and I enjoyed eating them. The crunchy squid pieces are just so addictive!

The seafood curry with vermicelli was also prepared well. It had a lot of prawns, pieces of fish fillet and squid inside, and chunky vegetables. The vegetables, such as ladies’ fingers, tomatoes and brinjals, were just nice – not overcooked, mushy nor falling apart. This was a meal all by itself! The curry was not too spicy, and it had a bit of sourness which stimulated the appetite for more.

The homemade beancurd with assorted vegetables came in a wok. This dish might be called braised beancurd in claypot. The beancurd was nice. It had just the right firmness, not too soft to just fall apart when I tried to scoop it up.

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The vegetables were nice too. The baby French beans stir-fried with garlic were nice too. The beans were still crunchy, and the garlic flavour shone through. It was a simple Chinese staple, which many shops do not get right, but Mei Wei Kitchen aced it. The beans were more at a ‘teenager’ stage rather than the ‘baby’ stage though.

For the braised chicken and pumpkin, I absolutely loved the pumpkin, because it was soft and creamy, just the way I like it. The chicken was not everybody’s cup of tea though. Maybe it was the so-called ‘kampung chicken’. Next time, we might request for the dish to be cooked with chicken fillet or cubed chicken breast meat.

If you want to dine at Mei Wei Little Kitchen, you have to call a few days in advance to make reservations, because the restaurant is always full. When I was there, two groups of people almost fought to get our table when we were leaving!

Baby French Beans
Braised Chicken & Pumpkin
Homemade Tofu with Assorted Vegetables
Mei Wei Little Kitchen
Address:
No 619, Jalan 17/10
46400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 012-383 2521
Opening hours:

11:30am – 2:30pm,

5:30pm – 9:30pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Cinnamon Cocoa

khorhmin Leave a comment

I love herbs and spices, and I like to experiment with them in my cooking and baking. Recently, I have also started to experiment with spices in drinks.

One day, I decided to make a hot cinnamon cocoa drink for breakfast. It was a nice hot accompaniment to my steamed corn on the cob. 🙂  A nice hot drink is a great way to wake up the digestive system before we start our day. 😀

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Hot Cinnamon Cocoa

Ingredients:
2/3 mug of hot water
3 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. raw honey
Milk

Method:
1. Pour hot boiling water into a mug.
2. Add the cinnamon powder and cocoa. Stir well until combined.
3. Add raw honey, stir until honey is melted.
4. Add milk until the mug is full.
5. Enjoy hot.

If you are lactose intolerant, or do not like cow’s milk, it can be replaced with soya milk.
The honey can be replaced with brown sugar or a non-sugar sweetener such as stevia. If you like a more chocolatey flavour, you can increase the amount of cocoa powder to 1 tablespoon.

This drink is great enjoyed with some crackers at tea time as well.

Benefits of consuming cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice produced by harvesting the inner bark of trees called Cinnamomum. It has been a prized ingredient used in cooking and baking throughout history.

According to Authority Nutrition, it is high in antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, may reduce the risk of heart disease, improve sensitivity to insulin and lower blood sugar levels (good for diabetics), may have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases, may protect against cancer, may help fight bacterial and fungal infections, etc.

Medical News Today states that the possible health benefits of consuming cinnamon include helping to treat muscle spasms, vomiting, diarrhea, infections, the common cold, loss of appetite, and a few other health issues. You can read more about it at their website.

Easy kangkung belacan

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Kangkung is the Malay name for a tropical semi-aquatic plant (Ipomoea aquatica). Found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is grown for its tender shoots and leaves and consumed as a vegetable. In English, it is called water convolvulus, water morning glory, as well as some other names.

Belacan is the Malay word for shrimp paste. It is used extensively in Malaysian cuisine to add a pungent and spicy dimension to any dish. A staple at many Malaysian meals is the sambal belacan, which is usually made from a paste of toasted belacan, garlic, shallots and chilli peppers. It is a favourite spicy dip used to enliven any meal.

Here’s a simple recipe for kangkung belacan. The low-tech, fuss-free type. Hope you like it. 🙂

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Easy Kangkung Belacan

Ingredients:

A bunch of kangkung (washed and cut into 1-inch length pieces)
½ inch piece of belacan
5 pips garlic (chopped)
2 inch piece of red chilli (sliced)
Salt to taste
3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method:

  1. Toast the belacan over a fire (i.e. on the stove, probably using thongs to avoid burning your fingers) on both sides until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it. Break up the belacan into smaller pieces with your fingers or a fork.
  2. Heat up the oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, put in the belacan and break it up into even smaller pieces with a spatula. Continue stirring to avoid burning. Flatten the belacan with the spatula to make a paste.
  3. Add the garlic and chilli. Fry till garlic is golden and the chilli is fragrant.
  4. Add a pinch of salt. Stir well.
  5. Add the kangkung. Use the spatula to bring the vegetables at the bottom to the stop repeatedly, so that the vegetables cook evenly.
  6. Cook till vegetables have withered a bit, and the colour changes a bit.
  7. Add more salt if required.
  8. Serve hot with rice and other dishes, as desired.

If you prefer this dish to be more ‘red’ in colour and spicy, you can add a tsp. of chilli paste when you add the garlic and chilli slices to the wok. This will make the sauce red. If you still don’t feel the heat, you can add more chilli paste, as desired.

You can also use belacan powder from a bottle, thereby bypassing the need to toast the chunk of belacan. 1 tsp. of belacan powder should be enough, until you want it to have a stronger flavour.