Easy Way Out

I love any dish cooked with potato. So for my Sept's dish, I've decided to do something easy ... Potato Salad!

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Kyuri
Mini tomatoes
Mayo

Method:
Cut the potato in cubes, boiled until soft. Sliced the kyuri into small pieces. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well with mayo.





Easy. Simple. Delicious. And I've 3 more dishes to go!

Donuts, Donuts, I Love You

Frankly speaking, I'm not a donut person although I look like one (in body shape!). Donut to me is just a round bread with a hole in the middle and coated with lotsa of sugar where you have to wipe your mouth after each bite.


But last week, a donut by the name of J.Co made me change my perception. I never tasted a donut which doesn't taste like your typical bakery-or-Dunkin' type of donuts! And this company is not some US-mali but origin from Indonesia (er the hometown to most of the domestic helpers in KL)!


My sister bought 1/2 dozen of donuts at the newly opened Pavilion Kuala Lumpur last week (erm I think from now she'll occasionally make a trip there just for the donuts).


You know how some donuts are so rough that you have to chew and chew and chew and chew? Well this one is so soft that it basically melt in your mouth without much chewing. Even after leaving it overnite, the texture is still soft ... YUMMY!

I've not tried the Big Apple donuts at the Curve so I can't compare. But I've fallen in love with J.Co donuts!

2-in-1

Thanks to the my family and friends who keep reminding me that my 12-new dishes in a year cooking resolution is still pending. So here's the 2 items for July and August which I managed to cook within 2 hours on a Sunday morning ...

Fruity Jelly
Ingredients:
Jelly powder mix
Kiwi
Korean grapes
Coloring

Method:
Pour the mix into boiling water, stir until dissolved. Add in 2 drops of apple green coloring and pour into the mould which contains pieces of grapes and kiwis. Chilled for 2 - 3 hours and the jelly is ready for dessert.








Note: I never make any jelly in my life until now ...

******

Tom Yam Goong
Ingredients:
Medium sized prawns
Oyster mushrooms
Lemon grass
Kaffir lime leaves (thanks Mrs S, for the leaves)
Cili Padi (bird eyes chili)
Lime (for the juice)

Method:
Bring water to boil and add lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and cili padi. Let them simmer for 5 - 6 minutes. Add in prawns, mushrooms, red chili, lime juice, seasoning and let it cook for a while. I've to add the Thai fish sauce and chili paste to perfect the taste but I can't find both seasoning so this is more like my-style of tom yam goong.

Overall taste is very spicy due to the cili padi and somehow it doesn't have the 'kick' like those served in the authentic Thai restaurant. But then again, if I can cook like a chef I wouldn't be struggling now ... wouldn't I?

Quote of the Day - 21 Sept 2007

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" - Thomas A Edison, US inventor (1847 - 1931)

Land Below the Wind

Last week, me, Precious Pea and a 5'8" tall friend went for a short trip in Kota Kinablu as we managed to book the AirAsia free seats promotion months ago.


Our accommodation at the new Radius International Waterfront.


The reception area and rooms are all located on 7th Floor with a shopping mall located on the ground floor.


The RM120 nett room/nite (no breakfast).


An extra mattress for RM30 ... you can also opt for the 'sleeping chair' on the left. I was given the privilege to sleep on the mattress after losing out in battle.


The waterfront view ... err where is the view with water?


Took us some time to figured out how to operate this shower equipment after getting wet all over with water coming out from 4 directions!


Nexus Karambunai Resort - I took the photos when the tour guide have to make a stop and picked up a family who booked for the same tour package. It was raining that morning with very cloudy sky but the hotel is very impressive.


We booked a full day tour to Poring Hot Springs and Kinabalu National Park for RM150 per person. It was a 2.5 hours ride from KK town and along the way, we past small towns and scattered villages to the Kundasang Valley, then further east to Poring.


The Poring Hot Springs is a tropical lowland rain forests. First developed by the Japanese during World War II, it is now amongst Sabah’s top tourism destinations. The sulphuric, hot waters of the spring are piped into open-air Japanese-style baths, where you can rest your tired limbs after the climb of Mt Kinabalu. Poring is named after a species of giant bamboo that grows abundantly in the area.


Because it has been raining since we arrived and also on the tour day, walking up the steep trail was very exhausting and slippery but good exercise to burn off the calories from eating all those seafood! It took us about 20 minutes before we reached the canopy walk using this trail. Even elderly people climbed up the trail and because of this, we are determined not to give up until we reach the top!


The Canopy walkway - 100 to 200 ft above the forest floor.


Below the canopy walk ... can you see the earth?


Water flow from a stream


One of the many hot springs tub.

Kinabalu National Park is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site, designated by UNESCO in 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and as one of the important biological sites in the world. It covers an area of 754 sq km surrounding Mount Kinabalu. This botanical area has a variety of flora and fauna that ranges over 4 climate zones.

Plants @ Kinabalu National Park ...


Cultivated Medinilla sp


Before it fully blooms


Closed-up shot


The plants


Flower plant


Fruits plant


Exotic leaves

Sabah is famous for its varieties of seafood but you will have to search for good non-cut-throat type of restaurants. We borrowed a KK Food Guide from a friend and from there started our search on food. Here are some of them ...


For only RM1 for 2 pc, this bread with kaya and butter will melt in your mouth in just 1 bite! I never tasted a bread so soft before (even better than Sun Moulin's Queen bread) ... absolutely yummy!


Another local delight ... rice noodles with yong tau foo. For RM1.30 per plate, this may not look appetizing but trust me, this is good stuff. No kidding!


Aquariums full of live seafoods!


The lighting deco in the Port View Seafood Restaurant (located just opposite Radius Waterfront).


Clams in superior soup


Another type of clams cooked in kung po style


Pak cheok prawns ... the soya sauce is nice and not too salty


Steam fish ... the soya sauce compliments very well with the fish


Soft shell crabs


Kam heong crab


My favorite: Sabah veg - very crunchy and nice ... this one stir-fried in XO sauce


Sabah veg with eggs


Stir-fried deer meat


Coconut pudding ... we only ordered 1 coconut to share but the portion is too big even for the 3 of us!


Frozen yogurt with fruits ... something different from ice-creams


Wafer ... nice to be eaten with the frozen yogurt


We are grateful to a colleague who drove us around town and fetched us to and from airport. The overall trip was fun ... maybe next time I'll conquer Mt Kinabalu. Joining me, girls?