Sibu trip

The inaugural flight to Sibu, Sarawak took place in July 2011 by Firefly was an exciting experienced for me. It was my first time visiting the Swan Town of Sibu.
According the Sarawak Tourism Board, Sibu has the largest wet market which houses 1,600 traders at a time in Malaysia as they claimed to be. My blogger buddies and other members of the media were so excited to see the *'Mulong' worms sells there. We challenged each other to swallow the life worms! there and there. Alas the "kiasu" journalists whom want to try out and experienced things personally. Huh I had a hard time frankly but I managed.AND not again pleaseeeee

* Mulong worm can be found only in Sagoo plant in Borneo. Not sure if we can get it in peninsular Malaysia.

 

Buying chicken in this market is a little problem for us KL people. Only RM10.00 per bird anyone?

Sarawak chili also famous for its fury HOT!!!! wanna try?

Betel Nut

 Dried loofah for body scrub only RM5 for 3 pieces.

The local seafood and freshwater food are 50 per cent cheaper here. Check it out

Imported squid from Venezuela

The most important cooking tool to the native - 'Manok Pansoh' chicken marinated with lime juice, young ginger shoot and tapioca leaves. Stuffed the ingredients into the bamboo.cooked like Lemang.

 Besides food, the historical part the town is quite an interesting story. The museum located at the Sibu Heritage Centre showcasing the evolving of the Chinese settlement and the locals very well. Of course the native, the Dayak tribes and Melanau are the major ethics in Sibu.

 

The Iban's traditional costumes

 Handycraft

The real skulls 

 Replica of Long house made of wooden without any nails

Nims Cafe at Sungai Merab, Bangi.

The Santai Team had a good time having lunch at Nims Cafe located at Sungai Merab, Bangi. The owner, Puan Animah  who is an excellent cook. Not only that, she dive! and now she is into a horse riding.
Let's see what she has to offer at Nims Cafe.

                                        Gulai Tempoyak Iklan Patin

                                           Asam Pedas ikan Kembung

                                               Sambal Udang Petai

                                                       Fried Tempe

                         Fried Oyster Mushroom with Sauce

Singapore Bahmia Rice

The all time favourite rice among my family members.  Well I consider my best friend Dzulkarnain Taib (DT) is part of my family too. He knows very well that I will prepare Bahmia rice during Raya. All he needs is to come over to the house with an empty stomach!

Here’s the Singapore Bahmia Rice recipe for my viewers.

Ingredients:

1 Kg Basmathy Rice – cleaned and soaked for at least ½ hour

½ cup corn oil

½ cup Planta Margerine (never substitute with other brand)

8 green chilis

250grm dried shrimp

¼ cup evaporated milk

Salt to taste

Blended items:

2 bombay onion

3cm ginger

6 peeps garlic

Method:

Cut green chilis, dried blend the shrimp. Heat the wok with corn oil and margarine. Add the blended items followed by the chilis and shrimp till it is done. (approx 5- 8 minutes)

Put rice in the rice cooker, pour those ingredients on top of the rice, add milk, salt and water. Stir the rice and let it to cook.

Bahmia rice is best served with chicken / mutton kurma, cucumber pickles and dhalca curry.

Eid Mubarak Menu

My first daughter Farrah says her Raya menu would not be complete without 'Nasi Empet and Peanut' sauce, but my youngest daughter Adila says her Raya menu would not complete without 'Lontong with Kuah Lodeh'. It means I need to prepare both gravies to ensure everybody's happy. Adila's 'Kuah Lodeh' must be very thick which is different from the normal breakfast 'Lontong' serves during the normal day.

The afternoon menu is of course Nasi Bahmia, Chicken Kurma and Cucumber Pickle

Nasi Timbel

TEAM Santai organised a holiday trip for 40 orphans from Rumah Kesayanganku, Bukit Beruntung to Sungai Klah homestay in Sungkai, Perak recently. We were treated to the local kampung style lunch called 'Nasi Timbel' the dishes consists of white rice wrapped in a banana leaf, served with Dhall vegetable curry, spicy fried chicken, fried tempe with coconut (fermented soy) and anchovy sambal.

A fine combination of menu. The tempe tasted so good, it is different from the usual just fried with salt and turmeric but it has the creamy taste of coconut and garlic.

Mutton Kurma

 Kurma is one of my family's favourite. It's either chicken, beef or mutton they loved it. Normally I will served Kurma as well as cucumber and carrot pickle whenever I cooked Bahmia rice. A perfect menu during Raya or special occasions.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Mutton cut into a medium chunks
• 1 large Onion
• 1/4cup cooking oil
• ¼ cup ghee
• 1 stalk Curry Leaves
• 3cm Ginger
• 1 clove Garlic
• 2 stalks Coriander Leaves
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 6 tablespoon Kurma powder
• 6 Potato cut into four

• 3 Cloves
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 6 Cardamom
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Cumin seeds powder
• 3 green chili
• 1/2 Fennel seeds
• Dried shallots
• 2 Tomato cut into four
• Salt to taste

Method:

1.     Blend onion, garlic, ginger

2.     Mix kurma curry, fennel, cumin, coriander powder with mutton and leaves for half-an- hour.

3.     Heat a pan and fry the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, green chili, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and curry leaves.

4.     Add the blend items (onion, garlic, ginger)

5.     Pour the mutton mixture into the pan, add a little water. Cooked for 15 minutes, add potato and continue cooking until the potato and mutton are well cooked (about another 20 minutes).

6.     Now add the chopped tomato, coconut milk and salt, let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.

7.     Garnish with coriander leaves and fried shallots

8.     Served with Biryani rice or Bahmia rice.

Cucumber & Carrot Pickles Singapore Style

The pickle is part of the biryani rice menu, For Singaporean, the pickle is a must when eating biryani. 

Here's the recipe:

1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 Bombay onion
1/2 Bombay onion
2 green fresh chili
100g. dried shrimp
5 fresh red chili
6 pip garlic
2cm fresh turmeric
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Salt to taste
3 tablespoon cooking oil

Method:

Blend 1/2 onion, garlic, turmeric and red chili. Dry blend dried shrimp separately.

Cut all vegetables suitable for pickles. Cut Bombay onion into four.
Heat oil in a pan, add blended dried shrimp followed by the other blend paste. Fry till cooked for 5 minutes. Add a little water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir for 3 minutes. Add all of the vegetable, stir and off the fire immediately.

Biryani Rice Singapore style

 My father in-law thought me how to cook Biryani rice Singapore style. You need to observed the ingredients' measurement carefully or it will turned out too salty or soggy. I am still feel nervous if I have to cook biryani, but it tastes superb especially the smell of the the rose water mixed with mint leaves aroma will make you crave for more. Please try you will never regret.

Ingredients:

- 1 kg Basmati rice
- 250g. Yogurt

- 1 lemon

- water

- ½ can of evaporated milk
- ½ bottle rose water
- 2-3 drops of Biryani colouring

- salt to taste

Blend items:

- 4 medium Bombay onions
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2cm Ginger
- ¼ cup Almond

-¼ cup cashew nut

Sautee:

- 1 cup ghee oil

-       - 2 Star anise

-      - 10 Cardamom

-      - 4cm Cinnamon stick

-      - 8 cloves 

Garnishing:

- 2 stalk fresh coriander leaves
- 3 stalk fresh mint leaves

- Cashew nuts

- Fried shallots

Methods:

 * Measure separately both the rice and water level using the bowl and add extra1/4 bowl more water for boiling the rice later.

Heat the ghee in a heavy based sauce pan and fry together with the sautéed items, then the blend items and fried for 8-10 minutes or until light brown.

Add in yogurt, evaporated milk and lemon. Pour the ingredients into the rise cooker, add Basmati rice, water, chopped mint leaves, cashew nuts  and salt. Let it cooked
Using spatula, make a few  whole in the rice and pour rose water together with the biryani colouring.

Sprinkle chopped coriander on the top of the rice.  

Fluff up the rice with a fork, sprinkle with fried shallots.

Kompia Bread

The next time you visit Sibu, Sarawak, don't forget to lookout for Kompia Bread. It comes with three flavours, sweet, salty and with Sambal bilis filing.The history of the bread was back from the early Chinese settlement in Sabah. According to my tourist guide Rody Micheal, the Chinese prepared the bread for their meal while working at the orchard.

Masala Prawn

Hi folks,
My Great Grandmother's Masala Prawn is one of my favorite dish. This recipe was passed to my mother and I learned it from her.Well, my mom says my cooking tasted just the same as how my great grandmother used to cook.

The ingredients:

1 Kg of white prawns about 20 to 25  numbers
1 Bombay onion
1 clove garlic
3 cm ginger 
3 cm fresh turmeric
6 dried chili
1 table spoon curry powder
3 tablespoon tamarind juice
1 stalk curry leaves
1 stalk lemon grass
1 cm shrimp paste (belacan)
1/2 cup cooking oil
 2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Garnishing:
Fried shallot
cilantro

Method:

Cleaned the prawn, Blend Bombay onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chili together. Heat the pan with cooking oil, fry curry leaves, lemon grass and add the blend items. Fry till the paste is well cooked add a little water and curry powder and add tamarind juice.
Add the prawns into the gravy and cook for 10 minutes or until the prawns juice is dried. served with fried shallot and cilantro leaves.

Labuan's Coconut Jelly

I was in Labuan last June. Stayed at The Grand Dorsett Labuan Hotel. The director of Sales, Wan Paris and his assistant Nurul were very accommodative. We had a good chat about everything under the sun that evening at the coffee house. They told me there are night safari there in the island... whoa... Anyway they introduced to me and Santai Travel Magazine's Managing Editor Azlie Halim this most popular coconut jelly dessert prepared by the hotels' chef. 

The ingredients are so simple. All you need is just one young coconut, used the water from the coconut, blend with its flesh, add dissolve jelly, you may add a little amount of sugar and stuff back the ingredients in the coconut shell and chilled for couple of hours. Thats it! The taste is fantastic. A God sent manna from heaven! I mean it really.

Nasi Lemak Alor Setar at Alor Setar Cafe

Nasi Lemak is one of the best breakfast menu for fellow Malaysian, We enjoy Nasi Lemak all day long and create our own menu to suit the individual taste bud. Even though originally I am from the North (Penang), It was my first time tasted Nasi Lemak Alor Setar. The Nasi Lemak is superb, it comes together with chicken, marinated beef and delicious sambal.
If you want to know the different taste between the usual nasi lemak and the one from Alor Setar so drop by at Alor Setar Cafe here in Taman Dato' Ahmad Razali, Ampang Jaya, Selangor you will sure to come back for more!