Breakfast @ Bangi

Cafe: Murtabak Singapura Sri Bestari.

Location : Section 1 Bangi (corner lot next to a restaurant selling Kelantanese breakfast)

We were welcomed by a humongous wok filled with fresh Murtabak's beef fillings at the entrance. The smell was criminal level aitelyu. 

We ordered:

Nasi Lemak Paru  (Level best :10/10)

Soto (6.5/10)

 Murtabak Kambing & Daging (6.5/10)

The Murtabak comes in many layers. We chose one layer Murtabak only, also cannot finish. The size was large. The price is Rm 7 each. Got double and triple layer also. I didn't particularly like the curry gravy that came with this murtabak. Not 'tendang' enough. The dhal gravy was so-so.

However, the Nasi Lemak was to die for. They used Basmathi for the rice, so fragrant and soft. The sambal was so sedap that I ended-up eating the murtabak with the sambal instead of the curry. 

All in all, it was a good try. Glad to be starting our foodie phase with this restaurant. There are many other menu that can be tried out for our next visit. Ayam penyet, Lontong, 3-layed Murtabak, you wait ha.

**Updates 2015 : Have tried their signature Roti Canai Special (We call it Roti Canai Tsunami). A plain roti canai topped with 2 half boiled eggs. Crimal. Berdosa. Deliciouso. Enough said. Now has become my family's favorite.

Homecooked Penang Char Kuew Teow

Ahem.

Look at that marvelous Char Kuey Teow.  Yes I cooked it.

*smug face*

Been trying to make CKT before, using various recipes from the net. They all ended up tasting like the regular fried kuey teow.

Now I know the secret to making hawker-style Char Kuew Teow at home.   

This. 

Syah Flavor Char Kuew Teow Sauce. 

Was actually looking for a different brand of sauce. Kedah-based Otaku CKT sauce to be exact. So hard to find it in Selangor.

While looking for it in Pasar Borong Seri kembangan, I found Syah's instead. Thank you Pasaraya Sri Ternak. Always my go-to for all things rare and local. #muahciked

How i made my CKT :

1 garlic- crushed

1 tbpn Cili Boh

1 tbsn Vege Oil

4 tbsp Syah Char Kuew Teow sauce

1 tbpn soy sauce

1 tbsn sugar 

5 prawns

1/2 cup water

1 egg

Pre-cooked cockles

Bean sprout

Chive

 Kuew teow (a hand full)

Methods:

1. On a very hot pan, fried garlic & chili boh with prawns  

2. Add in all the sauce, sugar & water

3. Add in kuew teow, cockles, beansprout, chive.

4. Break the egg.  Stir fry for 1 minute. Serve.

Verdict : H said I can open CKT stall. Should see the size of my nostril. Flaring real wide. If only he knew i got help from that Syah dude.  A definitely helpful sauce. Can also be used to fry the 'normal' Kuew Teow'

Sweet treats

Weehooo! My first sins this year.

Both Dip n Dip and Magnum Cafe are now opened 

at IOI City Mall Putrajaya, a mall which is just a stone's throw away from my place. *hoolahoop dance*. No need to drive all the way to Damansara nemore for my Dip n Dip fix. 

Both of these cafes are located at level G, quite close to one another. 

This is my first time trying magnum ice cream with custom toppings. I think my choice of Goji Berry does not go very well with pistachio and chocolate balls. But i 'ngap' it all in three bites anyway. Soh..

Swimming at Putrajaya

As of his usual birthday, H refused to be celebrated. To bait him, I suggested that we do the usuals, like swimming and eating at our regular eat-out place. He consented and here we were at Precinct 6 Water Sports Complex again. The difference this time was I insisted that we had a walk by the lakeside first. Having a knack for photography, H easily got lost in the beauty of the scenery. I must say that we both had a very relaxing time strolling by the lakeside and piers.

Photocred : H (using Samsung Note)

*Pics are unfiltered & unedited. All au naturale lighting. 

We usually go here after Asar as the evening swim session starts from 5 untill 7pm. We are always rushing because we want to make the most of the swim session, that we do not have time to stop and really take the view in.

This time around however, we did not just spent time on the piers, we also walked up to the man-made sandy beach area. This little beach is right next to Pullman Hotel. The sand there is as white as that in Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu (as we've only been to this Island for comparison) and I was brimming with pride for the architect of this place who has thought of incorporating this unique little beach with the lakeside. It's clever!

However, swimming is not allowed here. Fair enough I guess, especially when there's an Olympic size pool nearby.

The lurking sandy beach area

The pool is closed every Monday. Female only session is every Tuesday and Thursday. Since I swim with my husband (he's my swim coach), we only go here either on Wednesday,Friday or the weekend.

Here's a little information about the swimming pool at Precint 6. Much for my own reminder.

1. Closed on Monday
2. Session starts at 9AM-11AM, 1-3PM & finish at 5-7PM
2. Female-only session is at 5-7PM every Tuesday and Thursday.
3. Entrance fee : RM 2/ adult  RM1/child
4. Requires full swimming attire.
5. It is an outdoor pool. Standby with ze sunblock.

**H & I have a thing for this waffle sold outside the pool area.  We tried it on the first day we went swimming there and there's no turning back. It's the only one anyway. The waffle is often hard and the filling's not evenly spread. But there's something about eating warm dry waffle after swimming that's addictive. I guess it has a lot to do with making our own little tradition  :)

Mongolian Beef

This is a recipe for orang malas as Umi would put it.
Whenever I have  had enough of lauk bersantan and lauk tumis, I will make this. It is healthy and appetising despite the simple ingredients and methods.

Let's check out the recipe which is inspired and improvised from P.F Chang.

Mongolian Beef 

Ingredients A:
400g beef (any tender part)- slice thinly
Corn Starch
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
Olive oil or Sunflower oil (for frying)

Ingredients B:
3 garlic- chopped
1 inch ginger- chopped
1 tbspn honey
3 tbspn soy sauce
1 tbspn oyster sauce
3 tbspn water + Knorr chicken cube
Green onions

Methods:

1. Combined ingredient A together. Let the beef sit for awhile with the corn starch. Heat the pan, add in the sunflower oil and start sautéing the beef until we see crunchy edges around the sliced beef.

2. Once the beef is cooked, remove from pan. In the same pan and oil, start sautéing the chopped garlic and ginger. Once the ingredient turned a bit yellow, pour in water+chicken cube, honey, soy sauce and oyster sauce.

3. Stir until the gravy is thick then add in the sautéed beef. Stir a little more until the sauce covered the beef evenly.  Lastly, add green onions. We can adjust the taste by adding a little more salt. I like it mild.

4. Ready to serve.


Superb if eaten with steaming hot white rice and plain soup!

Most other copycat recipes do not sauté the beef separately. I prefer this improvisation because I like the beef to be a little crunchy around the edge. It gives extra 'kick' to the whole taste.

Senang giler.

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie

This is the easy recipe that I have tried and adjusted according to my liking (and to the availability of what's in my fridge ). I have reduced much of the sugar because I want to taste more of the butter. All measurements are also in cup, so no need to worry about dirtying the weighing scale.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
1 cup  flour
1 large egg
1 tspn vanilla essence
1/2 tspn baking soda
1 cup roasted hazelnut (chopped)
1 cup chocolate chip

Steps:
1. Beat butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla essence. Beat a little bit more.
2. Shift in the flour and baking soda. Mix well.
3. Last but not least, add in chopped hazelnut and chocolate chip.
4. We will get a rather sticky dough. This is the special part. Put the dough in cling wrap plastic and roll it into a log. Keep this log refrigerated for a few hours (I keep some for 2 days because I like to have my supply at hand :p).
5. Take out from the fridge and start cutting our log of dough into the size we want (See pic below)
6. Baked at 160C for 15 to 20 minutes according to our oven's  heating adjustment.

Putting the dough in the fridge allowed it to rest and to fully 'combined'. The result is rather excellent. The texture of the cookie is somewhere between chewy and crunchy. Did this recipe a few times already.

Can't never go wrong with it, Insha Allah.