CRIZ BON APPETITE

With National Day just around the corner, Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang is promoting its Marvelous Malaysia Cuisine for the whole month of August 2012 (1-31 August 2012). There would be an array of Malaysian dishes ranging from appetizers, main dishes and desserts to fill your appetite. This promotion would be arranged under the skillful hands of Jr. Sous Chefs, Chef Mohamad Bakri and Chef Mohd Fauzi. For the month of August, there would also be a 15% off the bill for all MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB and UOB card members.

As for appetizer, there would be some juicy skews of Chicken Satay with Condiments. Of so many styles and flavors of satays I’ve tried from so many buffet lines, I would say that Swez Brasserie did a great job in maintaining the juiciness of the meat within each skew. The flavors were just right with the creamy and flavorful spicy peanut sauce. The satays were served with some onion, cucumber and ketupat cuts.

Another option was the Pasembur with Peanut Sauce. The dish came with some julienned cucumber and jicama, topped with deep fried items such as potatoes, hard boiled eggs, fish balls, bean curds, chicken rolls, pita bread, prawns and more. It was appetizing.

As for the main course, we were served with a variety of dishes accompanied by Nasi Briyani. Each grain of the used Basmati rice was evenly coated with briyani seasonings, topped with some raisins and chopped roasted almonds.

One of the main dishes that I like was the Daging Rendang Tok. The dish had chunks of beef slowly simmered in herbs and spices until the meat prices were tender and nice. It was creamy dry with a large amount of coconut milk and desiccated coconut being used. The dish just lacked a bit more of ginger in it to cover the beefy taste as many of the guests could not get use to the overpowering flavors.

Next was the Curry Chicken which was of a drier version compared to the normal style served elsewhere. The dish has a tad of Indian influence and would go well with chapatti or any types of bread.

I love the Ikan Panggang (Grilled Fish) a lot as the kitchen made a right choice of choosing stingray as the flesh was the best for any type of grilling. The flavorful turmeric coating on the fish as well as the beautifully prepared condiment of sauce made the dish the perfect dish for all.

The next dish which was the Assam Prawns was another well prepared Nyonya dish. The nicely fried tamarind with a light touch of sugar and soy sauce marinated prawns were quite a hit. However, due to the limitation of the prawn supply, tiger prawns were used instead of the ideal white/green shelled prawns.

The Malaysian sea has an abundant supply of flower crabs, thus Flower Crab Curry was served. For crab lovers, this would be an ideal dish for you as those crabs were indeed super fresh.

With such a humid weather in Malaysia recently, no one could resist the temptation of having a large bowl of Ice Kacang being served. You can choose all the ingredients you like such as corns, kidney beans, jelly, grass jelly, cendul, attap nuts, nutmeg strips and crushed peanuts for your shaved ice dessert, on top of having a large scoop of ice cream on it. How I wished there could be peanut ice cream as well. Haha!

Other than cakes, pastries, local kuih or even fresh fruits as desserts, they also would serve some local fruits and vegetables fritters. There would be choices of batter fried Goreng Pisang, Goreng Ubi Keledek, Goreng Ubi Keladi, Goreng Cempedak, Goreng Buah Sukun (bread fruit) or even Kuih Kodok. They sure know how to handle the batter well as each piece of the fritter had a nice crispiness that won’t go soggy even left for a long time.

Overall, Swez Brasserie do serves quite a variety of delicious Malaysian cuisine with a touch of kampong style. There dishes during our review were reasonably up to the required standards.

For MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB and UOB card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for the Marvelous Malaysia Semi Buffet Dinner (Monday – Thursday: 21 August 2012 onwards), Weekend Buffet Dinner (Friday – Sunday) and Ramadan Buffet Dinner from 6.30pm – 10.00pm daily (21 July – 18 August, 2012).

Here’s the summary of the promotion.

MARVELOUS MALAYSIA PROMOTION (1-31 AUGUST 2012)
Lunch (12.00 noon – 2.30pm): Monday – Friday
RM48++ (adult), RM24++ (child)
Hi-Tea (12.00 noon – 3.00pm): Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
Normal weekend: RM55++ (adult), RM28++ (child)
Festive Occasion (National Day- 31 August 2012): RM68++ (adult), RM34++ (child)
Semi Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm): Monday – Thursday (From 21 August 2012)
RM48++ per pax
Weekend Themed Buffet Dinner (6.30pm – 10.00pm):
Friday: Seafood Supreme
Saturday: Japanese
Sunday: East Meets West
RM80++ (adult), RM40++ (child)

The Swez Brasserie is located at the ring wing of Eastin Hotel, Penang (next to Queensbay Mall). If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’ clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the first floor lobby and you would see the restaurant there.

Name: SWEZ BRASSERIE @ EASTIN HOTEL
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 12.00pm-2.30pm (Lunch), 6.30pm-10.00pm (Dinner)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7.5/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

My friend recently presented me with a frozen Boston lobster and I thought why not I cook it the Oriental way instead of the normal Western cheesy bake. The dish turned out to be amazingly tasty with a mild tad of spiciness. It’s not hard at all to pep up a noodle dish with the lobster. Let me share with you my STIR FRY SPICY LOBSTER NOODLES recipe.

Since lobsters do not have much flesh for the consumption of more than a pax, I have added in some prawns, meat and fish cakes to make the bulk. Each individual added items gave the noodles superb flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Boston lobster (about 800gms – brush to clean it well)
1.5L water
300gms young morning glory/kangkung (pluck the leaves only)
200gms bean sprouts (remove roots if possible)
200gms lean meat (thinly slice, marinate with a bit soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil)
300gms medium sized prawns (peel and remove vein, marinate with a bit soy sauce, pepper and a pinch of sugar)
1 cup lobster stock
1 cup meat stock
2-3 pieces of fish cake (slice thinly)
3 shallots (slice)
1 clove garlic (finely chop)
7-8 tsp chili boh (refer below for recipe)
600gms yellow noodles (wash away the lye water in running water)
Soy sauce
Sesame Oil
Oil
Salt & pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR CHILI BOH:
In case you can’t get the ready blended chili paste, just blend all the ingredients below with a bit of water. Freeze the balance until needed.
20gms dried chilies (remove seed, soak in hot water for 10minutes, drain)
4 fresh red chilies (remove seed & cut into chunks)
1/2 tsp salt

GARNISHES:
4 sticks crabsticks (cut into strips, deep fried until crispy)
1 stalk spring onions (finely chop)
Iceberg lettuce (optional)
Lobster shell (brush some oil on the hot boiled lobster to maintain the shiny shell)

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up the 1.5L water in a wok on MEDIUM-HIGH heat and add in 1 tsp of salt.
• When the water boils, put in the lobster and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove the lobster and apply some oil on the shell to maintain the shining red color.
• Take out the lobster flesh and cut into bite chunks.
• Sift the boiled stock to be used later.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil, add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
• Add in 1 teaspoon of chili boh and fry until fragrant.
• Pour in the prawns and stir fry until curl. Do not overcook it. Scoop up and cut the prawns into halves. Stir fry again until they are in twisted curls. Add in the boiled lobster flesh and sliced fish cakes. Stir evenly. Scoop up and leave aside.
• Add in another 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon of chili boh, the sliced meat and stir fry until cook.
• In the same wok, add in some more oil and saute the sliced shallot until golden brown.
• Add in 4-5 teaspoons of chili boh (depends on your spicy level) and stir fry until fragrant.
• Pour in the cups of lobster and meat stock and let it boil.
• Add in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, a pinch of salt and a light sprinkle of pepper to taste.
• When the soup boils, add in the morning glory, noodles and stir thoroughly until the soup almost dry.
• Add in the bean sprouts and stir until translucent.
• Add in the cooked items such as the lobster flesh, prawns, meat and fish cake. Stir mix thoroughly.
• Scoop up the noodles onto a serving plate. Garnish with some deep fried crabsticks and chopped spring onions.
• Serve hot.

(Serves: 3-4)

Enjoy your appetizing noodles~ Good Luck!

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Most people would love to have sweet desserts for tea. For my case, savory items would suit me better as it’s another way to control my blood sugar level. Nobody would believe that I created these yummy snacks for tea mostly with leftovers~ Haha! Well, I have some puff dough left in my freezer as well as some mushroom gravy I have in stock from my previous grilled meat dishes. I just added some finely cut chicken slices to the mushroom gravy and that became my filling for my CHICKEN & MUSHROOM PUFF BOAT.

I learned the puff pastry from Gordan Ramsey’s Rough Puff Pastry recipe. Let me show you my mushroom gravy recipe instead which would serve as a great sauce for any grilled, batter coated or breadcrumb coated meat dishes. As for the balance of the cut dough, I simply wrap around some boiled cocktail sausages to come out with another snack I called COCKTAIL PUFF. Another bonus snack~ 😛

INGREDIENTS FOR MUSHROOM GRAVY: (Make about 4 cups)
250gms dried Shitake mushrooms (soak in hot water & slice thinly) or 400gms fresh mushrooms (slice thinly)
60gms butter (about 1/8 of a 454gms block of butter)
1/3 cup flour (sift)
900ml meat or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp brandy/whiskey
Salt & freshly grounded black pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN & MUSHROOM FILLING:
300gms chicken breast meat (slice & coarsely cut into bits)

GARNISHES:
Cherry tomatoes & micro greens

PREPARATIONS:
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan/wok on MEDIUM-HIGH heat.
• When the butter sizzle, add the mushrooms and sauté until dry with golden brown color for about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to MEDIUM and stir in the sifted flour. Cook for about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to LOW and slowly whisk in the meat/vegetables stock.
• Add in the mixed herbs and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes (or until your preferred thickness) while stirring occasionally to avoid the base being burnt.
• Add in the brandy/whiskey, salt and freshly grounded black pepper to taste. Now you have your sauce to serve with any meat dishes.
• As for the chicken & mushroom filling, just leave about 1/4 of the gravy (about a cup with mushrooms) and pour in the chicken meat. Slowly saute until cook. If the gravy is too thick or salty, just add a bit of hot water to dilute it. Roughly drain the gravy into any existing gravy stock you have left.
• As for the puff pastry (based on my displayed photo), cut the rolled dough into 2″ x 4″ rectangular. For every 2 pieces, cut a hole in one and lay it on another whole pastry. The remaining cut piece you can use it to wrap around a boiled cocktail sausage to avoid wastage.
• Glaze your baking tray with some butter.
• Place your puff pastries on it and brush evenly with some butter.
• Preheat your oven on 210°C-220°C for 10 minutes.
• Place your baking tray inside and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

• When the puff pastries are done, use a butter knife to flatten the inner layer.

• Fill them up with the chicken & mushroom filling. Garnish with cherry tomato and micro greens. Note: Try not to have any gravy in the puff pastries as it would wet the base.
• Serve hot

(Makes: 12-15pcs)

Do enjoy your simple snacks~ 🙂

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Nobody could resist the #1 dish in the world as rated by CNNGo if not for the rich and balanced flavors in sweetness, saltiness, sourness and spiciness. What’s the name of that dish? It’s the infamous Thailand’s Massaman Curry~ Slurps~ You can cook the curry with beef, lamb and poultry with this curry recipe but I prefer chicken as it’s easier to tenderize the meat and faster to heal my hungry tummy! Haha! Anyway, let me share with you my version of Chicken Massaman Curry or commonly known as Gaeng Matsaman Gai (แกงมัสมั่นไก่) in Thailand. Having Thai dishes in the comfort of your home would be a reality now~ Enjoy cooking! 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 chicken drumsticks/500gms chicken breast meat (remove bones & cut into chunks)
2 big potatoes (remove skin, cut into chunks & deep fry until cook)
1 big onion (cut into wedges)
1-2 red/green chili (remove seeds & cut into 6 pieces)
15 cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic (smash & remove skin)
3 leaves kaffir lime leaves
1 1/2 cups tamarind juice (3” tamarind ball in hot water/3 tbsp tamarind paste in water)
1 cup thick coconut milk/cream (use evaporated milk if none)
100gms cashew nuts/peanuts (deep fry until golden brown & keep some for garnishing)
5 tbsp oil
1-2 tbsp brown/palm sugar (Gula Melaka) to taste
Fish sauce & pepper to taste
50gms massaman curry paste (use the recipe below or just buy the Mae Pranom brand aka “lady head” brand from your nearest hypermarket)
Soy sauce

OPTIONAL:
1 round aubergine (cut into bite size)
10 leaves Thai basil/3 bay leaves
5 cili padi/red chili flakes (for spicier version)

GARNISHES:
Cilantro leaves/micro cilantro
Cashew nuts
Tomatoes

PREPARATIONS:
• Marinate your cut chicken pieces with some soy sauce and a light sprinkle of pepper for 30 minutes.
• Heat up some oil and deep fry the potatoes chunks until golden brown. Scoop and leave aside.
• Pour in the cashew nuts and deep fry until golden brown. Place on a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.
• Leave about 5 tablespoons of oil and saute the smashed garlic until fragrant.
• Add in 1/4 cup of the coconut cream and cook until the oil surface.
• Add in the massaman curry paste and saute until fragrant.
• Add in the chicken pieces, chilies and onions and stir until the onions look translucent.
• Add in the tamarind juices and cook the chicken until tender.
• Add in the kaffir lime leaves, fried potatoes and balance of the coconut cream.
• When the gravy thickens to your preference, add in fish sauce, palm sugar and pepper to taste. You may add in some hot water if it is too thick due to the starch coming from the potatoes.
• Add in the cherry tomatoes and let it simmer for another 3 minutes.
• Add in the cashew nuts and stir evenly.
• Scoop up on a serving plate. Garnish with some cashew nuts, micro cilantro/cilantro leaves and tomatoes. Serve with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 5-6)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Massaman Curry Paste Recipe: (Make about 1 cup)

5 cloves garlic (bawang putih)
3 shallots (bawang merah)
1-2 red chilies (depending on your spicy level)
1 stalk lemongrass (serai – mince finely)
1 1/2” galangal (lengkuas – thinly slice)
1 tsp grated kaffir lime skin (kulit limau purut)
1/2 tsp fennel (pokok adas)
1 tsp ground coriander (ketumbar)
1/2 tbsp ground cumin (jintan putih)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (kulit kayu manis)
1/8 tsp ground cloves (bunga cengkih)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (pelaga)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (buah pala)
2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp toasted/raw shrimp paste (belacan)

Method: Put all in a blender and blend everything into a paste. Put in a jar and refrigerate for future usages.

Sometimes we yearn for dishes that were served to us during our childhood years and one of the dishes that would make me crave endlessly even as an adult would be the simple meatball dish. Let me share with you my all time favorite MEATBALLS IN GRAVY recipe with lots of potatoes and carrots. It was another way my Mum managed to convince me to eat more vegetables when I was a kid. Well~ She succeeded! Haha! 😛

INGREDIENTS:

GROUP A:
300gms minced meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb of your choice)
1 small onion (finely chop)
1 tbsp spring onion (finely chop)
1 tbsp corn flour (if chicken – half the amount)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Pepper

GROUP B:
1 small onion (cut in wedges)
1 cup meat stock/water
3-4 tbsp mushroom sauce/vegetarian oyster sauce/oyster sauce
1 tbsp corn flour (mix with some water)
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil

GROUP C:
2 big potatoes (remove skin, dice, deep fry until golden brown)
1 big carrot (remove skin, dice, blanch)
1 big tomato (remove seed, dice)

GARNISHES:
Spring onions

PREPARATIONS:
• Mix everything in Group A thoroughly and marinate in chiller for 30 minutes. Make into small even sized balls and place on a flat tray.
• Heat up enough oil in a wok and deep fry the diced potatoes until golden brown. Scoop and leave aside.
• With the same heated oil, deep fry the meatballs until brown. Scoop and leave aside.
• Filter the oil and leave about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the wok.
• Saute your onion wedges until translucent.
• Add in the meat stock, mushroom sauce, salt and pepper to taste. (DO NOT make it too salty as the flavors from the meatballs would give it the adequate flavors)
• Thicken it slightly with some corn flour in water.
• Pour in everything in GROUP C (deep fried potatoes, blanched carrot dices, tomato dices) and deep fried meatballs and let it simmer in LOW fire for 2-3 minutes.
• Scoop up on a serving plate, garnish with some spring onions and serve with hot steaming rice.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

The month of fasting for the Muslims is just around the corner and Swez Brasserie @ Eastin Hotel, Penang, would be having its Ramadan Buffet Dinner from 21 July until 18 August 2012 (6.30pm – 10.00pm) for those who want to “buka puasa” in a comfortable environment. Adult would be at RM85++/pax while child would be at RM43++/pax. The Ramadan Buffet Dinner would consist of delicious authentic Malay cuisine the traditional kampong style under the experienced hands of the Jr. Sous Chefs, Chef Mohamad Bakri and Chef Mohd Fauzi.

Together they would storm out some of the greatest Malay kampong recipes to please the taste buds of diners.

Of course appetizers such as the Lemang & Serunding Ayam (Steamed Bamboo Glutinous Rice & Spicy Chicken Floss) would be a must have, may it be during the Ramadan month or during the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Though it quite hard for the chef to bake the Lemang in green bamboo in open space, the duo did quite a good job in preparing the Lemang through steaming. The Lemang was soft and filled with the nice fragrant from the coconut milk used. Even the Serunding Ayam was done in a superb way. Every strand of the chicken was evenly spiced up with a nice crunch.

Another of the appetizers would be the Kerabu Nangka Muda (Young Jackfruit Salad). The young jackfruits were specially cooked in such a way that the flesh remained tender such as the texture of young coconut flesh. These would be then tossed with some ginger flowers, kerisik (toasted desiccated coconut), toasted belacan (shrimp paste), cooked squids and more with a squeeze of lime juice. Overall, the dish was nice but the nice sweetness and flavor from ripe jackfruit was not present.

No matter which Malay cuisine outlet you would visit, Ulam-ulaman (assorted fresh greens) would be available. They would consist of raw vegetables, herbs and occasionally with tempeh (fermented soybean).

The only difference at Swez Brasserie is that you might get different condiment such as the Sambal Cincaluk (Salted Baby Shrimps Sambal) and Sambal Mempelam (Mango Sambal). The Sambal Cincaluk could be a bit salty for many while the Sambal Mempelam would be a great alternative for something spicy sweet.

One of the more notable dished for more energy and stamina would be their Gearbox Soup. The spices and herbs used in slowly simmering the bull’s thigh bones combined with some potatoes and carrots were indeed “powerful”. A bowl of this heavenly dish would sure keep anyone’s body energetic for any activities during the fasting month.

As for main course, there will be quite a variety of dishes to go with their fragrantly cooked Nasi Tomato (Tomato Rice). You can taste out the rich flavors from each rice grain with has fresh tomatoes, cloves, star anise, cardamom, curry leaves with chopped almonds and raisins as garnishing. Thumbs up! I love this rice a lot as the texture was just as fluffy as I would have expected.

Some of the main dishes would include Ayam Masak Ros (Rose Chicken). The supposing red colored curry was not spicy at all as it had more of tomato puree plus a combination of herbs and spices to give it the necessary oomph~ What I like most was the thick gravy which has some hints of coconut milk for the extra creaminess.

Next on the list was the Ikan Keli Goreng Cili Merah (Fried Cat Fish in Red Chili Paste). The fish was indeed fresh and the mild sourness from the tamarind used plus some hints of lemongrass and coconut milk really complemented each flavor well.

Another unique dish would be the Pucuk Paku Masak Lemak (Stir Fry Fern Shoots in Coconut Cream). The creamy gravy with some turmeric and lime juice was quite good, except that the fern shoot were rather old for a smoother bite.

As for dessert, we had an assortment of Malay Kuih which consisted of Kuih Cara, Ketayap and Goreng Pisang (Banana Fritter). The chefs did a great job in maintaining the crispiness of the banana fritters, most probably with a light touch of bicarbonate soda in the batter.

Since the durian season is still around, we were also treated with some Bubur Kacang Hijau with Durian. It had some durian flesh added in the mung bean porridge. It was a totally great experience having dessert this way except that I would prefer a stronger touch of coconut milk added in for the extra creaminess.

Overall, the Ramadan Buffet Dinner spreads fairs better in term of choices and taste as the dishes were prepared by the two Malay chefs who know their cuisine real well. The dishes were rather family-oriented with a nice touch of kampong style cooking. I love the way the chefs pepped up dishes that would impress even the non-Muslims like me. Well done~ 🙂

For MAYBANKARD, VISA, CIMB, UOB and CitiBank card members, you can enjoy 15% discount for the Ramadan Buffet Dinner from 6.30pm – 10.00pm daily (21 July – 18 August, 2012).

The Swez Brasserie is located at the ring wing of Eastin Hotel, Penang (next to Queensbay Mall). If you are coming from Georgetown towards Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone via Bayan Lepas Expressway, do watch out for the Pulau Jerejak signboard (leading to Pulau Jerejak jetty). Ignore the turning and drive on to the next left junction. Turn left into Jalan Aziz Ibrahim and drive on until you a roundabout. Turn 3 o’ clock and drive on until you see a big Eastin Hotel signboard at the first right junction. Turn right and drive on. Park your car at the basement car park. Take a lift to the first floor lobby and you would see the restaurant there.

Name: SWEZ BRASSERIE @ EASTIN HOTEL
Address: 1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queens Bay, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 604-612 1128, 604-612 1138
Business Hours: 6.30pm-10.00pm (Ramadan Buffet Dinner only)
GPS: 5.33643, 100.306345

RATING:
Ambience: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 8/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 8/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 8/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 8/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

Not many people are aware of the benefits you would get by occasionally having Aspic in your diet. Aspic would normally consist of well cooked items such as meat, seafood, vegetables or even fruits in a jellied meat stock. It’s a healthy calcium-packed cold appetizer where the natural gelatin in the meat stock would boast stronger joints and bones. I have created a recipe here where I had infused this Russian style staple food with some twists by using some Japanese ingredients. Let’s enjoy this SEAFOOD ASPIC WITH FRUITS & VEGETABLES recipe for a healthier lifestyle. 🙂

Here’s the recipe for making the meat stock which eventually after chilled would become the aspic.

INGREDIENTS:

GELATIN MEAT STOCK:
1kg chicken feet (wash with salt and drain well)
1 big carrot (roughly chop up)
1 large onion (roughly chop up)
1 stalk celery (roughly chop up)
250gms jicama (roughly chop up)
3 small bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2L water

As each individual would have their own cooked items to add in the aspic, I would just show you what cooked items I’ve used as below:
Chuka Idako (Japanese seasoned baby octopus)
Baby shrimps
Crab Meat
Ebiko
Seedless grapes
Blanched carrot
Blanched broccoli

PREPARATIONS:
• Bring 2L of water to boil in a pressure cooker.
• Add in all the ingredients above and pressurized under MEDIUM-LOW fire for 20 minutes.
• After the pressure has been released from the cooker about 10-15 minutes later, use a cloth sieve to filter out the cooked items. You would get about 1L of meat stock.
(Alternatively, you can use a normal stove and boil the ingredients under MEDIUM-LOW fire until you get half the portion left, meaning from 2L of liquid until 1L left.)
• Get a deep bowl/plate/any container of your preference.
• Lay your cooked ingredients of your choice layer by layer in the container, leaving the heaviest last as it would prevent the lighter cooked ingredient from floating up.
• Pour the meat stock into the container slowly until it covers just at the last ingredient.
• Chill for 2-3 hours for the natural gelatin to harden.
• When the dish is ready, turn it upside down on a flat plate.
• Serve chilled.

Note: The balance of the meat stock can be stored in the freezer and reused by adding in other ingredients as another soup.

(Serves: 1-10)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

Steamed eggs and steamed tofu dishes are quite common household dishes. What would happen when you merge two of them together? You’ll get a totally out of this world healthy dish I called STEAMED TOFU & EGGS WITH PUMPKIN PUREE. It’s simple to cook and yet nutritious to the body~ 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 box prepacked tofu
2 eggs
300gms ripe pumpkin (remove skin and blend with 1/2 cup hot water)
3 Tbsp dried shrimps (soak, drain and sauté)
3 cloves garlic (chop and sauté in oil)
1/2 cup meat/vegetables stock
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Salt
Pepper
Oil
Water

GARNISHES:
Sautéed garlic with oil
Deep fried dried shrimps
Chopped spring onions

OPTIONAL:
Sauteed bacon bits

PREPARATIONS:
• Heat up 3 tablespoon of oil and sauté the chopped garlic until brown. Scoop out and leave aside.
• Heat up 2 tablespoon of oil and sauté the 3 tablespoons soaked dried shrimps until fragrant. Take out 1 tablespoon and leave aside as garnishing.
• Pour in the blended pumpkin and 1/2 cup of meat/vegetables stock. Stir for 10 minutes. Add in some salt and a few sprinkles of pepper to taste. Leave aside.
• Beat up 2 eggs with 2 egg shells of water with 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and a few sprinkles of pepper.
• Place your tofu in the middle of the low height steaming porcelain plate and pour the beaten egg surround it.
• Heat up your steamer and when the water boils, place the plate inside and steam for 10 minutes under MEDIUM-LOW fire.
• When the steamed tofu and egg is ready, spread the cooked pumpkin on top of the tofu.
• Garnish with garlic in oil, sauteed dried shrimps and chopped spring onions. For those who like to have an added saltiness, you can also garnish with some sauteed bacon bits.
• Serve hot.

(Serves: 3-4)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

There are many choices of canapés to bring along to parties or even to serve during your own hosted parties. Are yours the ones to impress everyone? Let me share with you a simple yet delicious canapé I created which I called the CRAB MAYONNAISE & PRAWN CANAPE WITH WASABI BALL which would surely make those diners yearning for more. These colorful cuties have the taste of Western canapés with a touch of Eastern influence. Do enjoy! 🙂

Here’s the quick and delicious canape recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

GROUP A: (crab meat mayonnaise spread)
100gm fresh crab meat (steam & drain well)
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 small onion (finely brunoise)
2 tsp parley stalk (finely chop)
Black pepper

GROUP B:
3-4 pcs flat bread (Pita, Focaccia, Tortilla, etc, cut into 60mm round or square)
1 box of small tomatoes (cherry or honey tomatoes, 4 cuts into blossom, remove seeds)
50gms baby prawns (steam & drain well)
Olive oil

GARNISHES:
Parsley leaves (chop & whole)
Ebiko (prawn roes)
Wasabi (make into 5mm diameter balls)

PREPARATIONS:
• Mix everything in GROUP A and put back in chiller.
• Cut the baby tomatoes 4 cuts (8 petals), Remove seeds if possible.
• Put a steamed baby prawn in between the tomato petals. Chill them.
• Cut your bread into 60mm round or square to your preferences. I use pita bread here as I like the slightly firm crust and yet soft inner texture after baking.
• Brush the surface of the cut bread with some olive oil and bake in 170°C for 3 minutes.
• To present the canape, just take a teaspoon of the crab mixture and roughly spread evenly on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley. Lay the stuffed tomatoes on it. Garnish with some ebiko, wasabi ball and a whole parley leaf.
• Serve immediately

(Make: 15-20)

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

George Town, Penang is truly a food paradise when it comes to having multiple choices of cuisine to suit the palate of locals as well as tourists. The wide exposure to channels such as the Asian Food Channel has brought about a huge change in the cooking methods of street food vendors. More and more of them are investing hugely on proper kitchen equipments by the thousands to serve diners with the best ever cooking solutions for the best taste. One such person is Encik Mohd Hilmey Ibrahim, an entrepreneur with a long history of burger making. He’s the brainchild behind the barely few weeks old Hero Burger Bakar, located within the Astaka Stadium Bandaraya premises along Jalan Perak, Penang.

So what’s the difference between Encik Hilmey’s burger compared to the rest? Obviously, it’s his homemade beef patties and specially marinated boneless chicken drumsticks, all with his secret recipes. Secondly, it’s his method of cooking. The beef patties are BBQ grilled on cooking grids over high heated lava stones while his meaty chicken fillets are skillet grilled. Thirdly, it’s a sloppy burger where you would have dressings such as black pepper sauce, cheesy sauce, chili sauce and mayonnaise splattered all over the juicy grilled meats for all orders. Lastly, it’s the egg… runny egg with the semi cooked yellow yolk oozing out to provide that extra creamy richness on your burger.

Most of the diners here would opt for a combination of beef and chicken. Do try out their Double Trouble (RM14.50nett). The set would come with the usual burger bun laced with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum and onions topped with one BBQ grilled beef patty, one grilled chicken, 2 pieces of cheese and 2 semi cooked eggs. Of course, the black pepper sauce, cheesy sauce, chili sauce and mayonnaise would be on each burger ordered. Alternatively, you can also custom make this set with less one egg and one cheese for RM12.50nett.

For non beef eater, there’s always the Duo Boneless Chicken Special (RM14.00nett). This set would have two pieces of grilled chicken, topped with a piece of cheese and a semi cooked egg. This order would also have the standard 4 dressings.

For a lighter meal, you can have the Solo Boneless Chicken Burger (RM7.00nett) with the standard 4 dressings.

Alternatively, you can have the Solo Boneless Chicken Burger Special with Cheese & Egg (RM9.00nett) with the standard 4 dressings.

For those who love to have only the lighter version of their delicious herb packed beef patty, you can opt for their Solo Beef Patty Burger with Cheese (RM7.50nett) with the standard 4 dressings.

You can also try out their Solo Beef Patty Burger Special with Cheese & Egg (RM8.50nett) with the standard 4 dressings.

Here’s a quick reference with what they have in their menu and the pricing you would be expecting. Please click to view a larger size.

The taste for the burgers here was quite good to my liking, although I usually do not quite like my dish to be overdressed and sloppy. The balance of the dressings was quite good, having the nice combination of black pepper sauce, cheesy sauce, chili sauce and mayonnaise. The only few things lacking are the choice of serving dish and food presentation. Styrofoam plates are not the in-trend for a “Going Green” Penang’s choice even though it would cut down on washing time. If other choices of firmer serving dishes were to be utilized, then a better food presentation would surely boost up the interest of diners. It could just some fresh green salad or even some fries as side dishes. The beef patty (~170gms each) was superb as it has all the beefy flavors and chunky bites with the necessary herbs and seasonings. The meaty and juicy boneless chicken (~200gms each) was also flavorful but only on the surface. If only they could pierce some holes onto the meat with a multi-spike ice picker, the meat would be able to seep in more flavors from their secret marinates. Overall, their “Burger Bakar” would be quite ideal for those who love to have their burgers in a sloppy wet way.

If you know where the City Stadium is, it won’t be hard to locate the food court as it’s just next to the Shell petrol kiosk along Jalan Perak. If you are not sure, let me lead you there. If you are coming from Jalan Dato Keramat via KOMTAR, when you see Padang Brown, keep to your left. At the traffic lights (Jalan Dato Keramat/Jalan Perak), turn left into Jalan Perak and keep to your right. Drive on about 100m and you would see a Shell petrol kiosk on your right. Turn right into the lane (Lilitan Stadium) after the kiosk. Find your parking space within the vicinity of the food court located just next to the petrol kiosk.

Name: HERO BURGER BAKAR
Address: Astaka Stadium Bandaraya, Jalan Perak, 10150 Penang, Malaysia.
Contact: 011-2642 0334 (En. Mohd Hilmey Ibrahim)
Business Hours: 6.00pm-12.00am (Closed Tuesday)
GPS: 5.411073, 100.315807

RATING:
Ambience: 6/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 7.5/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 7.5/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)