Pearl of the Orient

Sad story...

2006-02-17T20:26:00.000+08:00

As much as Glutton Rabbit loves to cook, blog and share her interest with all of you, it looks like she is currently too busy with work. It took her quite a while to come up with this sad decision... Glutton Rabbit will be retiring from the food blog scene for a while until work is less pressuring. This may take weeks or months, nobody knows... Hey, I think I still owe some of you with the MEMEs.

Hay Hay It's Donna Day #2... The Moment of Truth...

2006-02-11T13:58:00.000+08:00

Now for the moment that we've all been waiting for... Who takes it? Who wins? Who's macaroons reigns supreme? And the winner is Iron Chef Clare from Eatstuff! Her amazingly cute bunny shaped Ruby Red Grapefruit and Lime Macaroons have definitely won the hearts and votes of many. Congrats Clare! The made in Japan transportation themed cookie cutter set is yours plus we look forward to you being

Who is the Winner of the Hay Hay It's Donna Day Event #2? Coming Soon...

2006-02-07T20:26:00.000+08:00

Dear readers and bloggers... Thank you so much for voting for your most favourite macaroon entry. Voting is closed today, so if you hadn't voted yet, quickly do so by today. The winner will be announced by this week. Stay tuned everybody!

Round-up: Hay Hay It's Donna Day #2 - Macaroons

2006-01-31T12:23:00.000+08:00

Hay Hay It's Donna Day #2 - Lime Macaroons round-up is finally out. In honour of Donna Hay, I would like to feature her Lime Macaroons (the above photo) as an opening for the round-up. For your info, these lovelies are made by Barbara from winosandfoodies the founder of Hay Hay It's Donna Day event.How to VOTE for the winner...For those who hadn't been following, participants are challenged to

Announcement: CNY Gathering for Bloggers & Netizens

2006-01-31T12:14:00.000+08:00

Lucia Lai of Mental Jog is organizing a Chinese New Year gathering for Penang bloggers and netizens (and also for those who happen to be in Penang) this coming Sunday, 5 February 2006. Time is at 2:00pm and venue is at Ong's place, 8 Prangin Lane, Penang. Among those who will be attending the gathering includes Penang Podcast and Kew, the founder of Penang Bloggers Portal. Read about the details

About the Donna Day Round Up

2006-01-24T20:51:00.000+08:00

Thank you all for participating in the Hay Hay It's Donna Day #2 - Macaroons event. This week, I will be going from site to site (or rather blog to blog) to view everyone's wonderful entries. Looking at my busy schedule, furthermore with Chinese New Year just around the corner - which this weekend actually - I hope to get the round up posted up somewhere mid of next week. I'll try to get the

Jiffy Tom Yam Fried Rice

2006-01-21T18:36:00.000+08:00

Since the beginning of the year, I've been super busy planning and carrying out my projects. To make things worse, I've also been bogged down by system problems. Life hadn't been easy for me this month. Nevertheless, I will faithfully update this blog from time to time... As a busy person, I am really grateful of advent of instant foods. A couple of weeks ago, I made Tom Yam fried rice for my

Childhood Food Memories Meme

2006-01-13T22:17:00.000+08:00

Many weeks ago, I've been tagged by Greenapple from My Felicity Corner to do a cute little Meme about one's childhood favourite food. Though as cute and interesting as this Meme sounds, Glutton Rabbit delayed and delayed in doing so. To make things worse, she even let it drag it over the new year and now she feels terribly guilty. My sincere apology to Greenapple for this misbehaviour. Please

January 2006 - Food Blog Events

2006-01-10T18:12:00.000+08:00

Here are the food blog events for the month of January 2006. Also, the Chinese will be celebrating their Chinese New Year (year of the dog) at the end of this month...Blog Party #6: Retro Party(19 January) Hosted by Dispensing Happiness Hay! Hay! It's Donna Day #2 - Macaroons(22-24 January) Hosted by myself, Glutton Rabbit at Pearl of the Orient Sugar High (Low) Friday #15(27 January) Hosted by

Chinese New Year Food Promotions at Hotel Equatorial, Penang

2006-01-10T12:36:00.000+08:00

We were like having a marathon of celebrations since last year. Everything started of with Deepavali, followed by Hari Raya Aidilfitri, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Year, and today is Hari Raya Haji (by the way, I would like to wish "Selamat Hari Raya Haji" to all Muslim readers) and up next is Chinese New Year (29th January 2006). How time seem to fly when we're having a good time

Hay Hay It's Donna Day #2 - Macaroons

2006-01-07T22:00:00.000+08:00

Hay! Hay! It’s Donna Day again! If you recall, in the first event we made some yummy self-frosting cupcakes with Nuttella topping. And this time, it will all be about making macaroons. Special thanks to Barbara (the originator of this event) from winosandfoodies for giving me the opportunity to host this wonderful event which is dedicated to Donna Hay…Who is Donna Hay?I had also asked this

Hansl - One Price All (OPA) Retail at Gurney Plaza, Penang

2006-01-01T20:25:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year 2006 dear readers! Today marks the first day of the new year and I’m glad my little blog has survived so far despite my busy working schedule. But let’s see how everything turns out this year. I will also be hosting the Hay! Hay! It’s Donna Day event this month and will be posting up more info about it later on once Barbara (the originator of this event) from WinosandFoodies agree

Ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo! Kimchi Anyone?

2005-12-30T22:56:00.000+08:00

Ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo! This greeting may sound familiar to many. Korean culture has been gaining a lot of popularity since the introduction of Korean dramas and movies to the Malaysian audience a few years ago. Since then, I often wondered about Korean cuisine. Apart from kimchi (fermented spciy cabbage in the above photo), kimbap (Korean version of rolled sushi) and bulgogi (Korean barbecued meat),

Back to Work with Choc Chip & Nut Cookies

2005-12-26T20:41:00.000+08:00

Many of my colleagues are still a holidaying but not me. I'll be going back to work tomorrow. Dreading the thought of this, I decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies to coax and encourage myself to go to work tomorrow.Chocolate chip cookie recipes are a dime a dozen. I know there are plenty of good ones out there but I randomly picked one from one of my mom's old magazine called Her

Tagged by a Dreamer...

2005-12-25T21:32:00.000+08:00

I was tagged by Day Dreamer from Thoughts & Thinking In Reality. She asked me if I ever heard of the saying 'tooh for a tooth, eye for an eye'. I guess this must be the result of my tagging her with the Favourite Food Meme. This tagging business is becoming a vicious cycle don't you think? Hehe... By the way, I do not know the name of this Meme. But luckily it's pretty short and simple. This is

A Quick Little Holiday Dinner

2005-12-24T23:27:00.000+08:00

My family don't really celebrate Christmas but around this time every year, we would always 'makan-makan' (Malay word for eating) and have a good time together... This year, I promised my siblings a little 'Christmas' dinner. However, I was so caught up with work till I almost didn't have time to make the dinner, but lucky I did. I started cooking from at around 2:30pm and completed around 6:00pm

Food Tidings from Hotel Equatorial, Penang

2005-12-19T22:24:00.000+08:00

I recieved a little Christmas card-like promotion brochure from Hotel Equatorial, Penang today. Though just a brochure, I felt really happy looking at all the gorgeous food photos and reading about the promotions. I always have a soft spot for Hotel Equatorial, a place popularly known as EQ. I guess this fondess should be due to Kampachi, the Japanese restaurant at Equatorial which I believe (and

Blog Party #5: Vegas, Baby! - Unagi & Ebiko Sushi

2005-12-18T00:31:00.000+08:00

Hooray-hooray! The monthly Virtual Blog Party is here again and thanks to the ever wonderful hostess, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness, the theme for the month of December is, 'Vegas, Baby!' or in other words, give in and indulge! What a great way to celebrate the closing of the year 2005! At first, I couldn't decide what to indulge in. There are so many choices of rich and tempting food but

A Little Comfort in the Night

2005-12-16T22:08:00.000+08:00

Warning: This post is a bit on the melodrama side. If you easily get sick at such things, please do not continue reading…These few days, my little brain had been working overtime. After my presentation, I was greeted by some unexpected news. Good or bad? Well, I don’t know. It was good to hear that the boss was happy with my work but because of this, more trainings, projects and challenges await

You Are What You Eat Meme

2005-12-13T20:36:00.000+08:00

Cream colored ponies, and crisp apple strudels, doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, these are a few of my favorite things…I had been tagged by Rorie from Milk and Honey with this Meme called You Are What You Eat. In this Meme you have to list out your top 10 favourite foods. Sounds like an easy task at first glance but believe me

December 2005 - Food Blog Events

2005-12-11T13:27:00.000+08:00

We are at the last month of the year again. The whole world is getting ready for Christmas and then preparing to welcome the year 2006. How time really flies when you're cooking, blogging and working at the same time. Anyway, the food blog events for this month includes:Blog Party # 5 - Vegas, Baby!(15 to 17 December) Hosted by Stephanie from Dispensing HappinessFrom My Rasoi, Theme - Winter(30

Tamarind Brasserie - Parkroyal Hotel, Batu Ferringhi Beach, Penang

2005-12-09T22:24:00.000+08:00

After the major presentation to the big boss from Europe, all tensions were immediately released and I was really in the mood to celebrate with food. So, together with some friends and colleagues, we went to Hotel Parkroyal at Batu Ferringhi beach to have a hearty buffet dinner together.Thursday’s promotion at Tamarind Brasserie was Flavours of The Middle East, Mediterranean and South East Asia.

Chicken Salad with Apple, Celery and Rosemary

2005-12-06T21:37:00.000+08:00

I think I must have gone nuts. I have a major presentation due tomorrow and here I am blogging away about something I cooked during the weekend. Anyway, I went shopping at Giant in Penang Plaza the weekend before and I came across something interesting at the veggie corner. Fresh herbs! Grown locally by Genting Garden at Genting Highlands and I think that's why it was very affordable too, at only

November 2005 - Food Blog Events Round-up

2005-12-04T19:42:00.000+08:00

November is definitely the month for me. Despite my busy schedule, I have managed to sqeeze in some time to participate in a few of the nicest food blog events on the Internet. I started off by making cupcakes in the event called Hay! Hay! It's Donna Day: Self Frosting Cupcakes. It was overall really delightful because I also happen to be the winner of this event. Check out the round-up here:Hay!

Stir Fried Chinese Sausage With Pear

2005-12-03T21:46:00.000+08:00

There was an interesting fruit recipe recommended by our resident chef, FoodCrazee, not long ago called 'Stir Fried Taiwanese Sausage with Pear'. I decided to give it a try as it sounded pretty simple and yet special. The recipe mainly calls for Taiwanese sausages, snow pear, celery, sesame oil and a little seasoning. Unfortunately, I ran out of Taiwanese sausages but had plenty of Chinese

A Little Update About Nothing

2005-11-30T20:13:00.000+08:00

This week is a real pressure week for me. I’ve been doing lots of real work this week. Working overtime and even on weekends. I almost had no time for blogging and cooking (except for the SHF/IMBB gingerbread teddies entry).What I look forward to is this coming weekend. I really miss cooking. My hands have been itching to grab a pan to cook up something – even it is just plain ol’ fried egg or

Joint SHF/IMBB - Virtual Cookie Swap: Gingerbread Teddies on the Loose

2005-11-27T03:23:00.000+08:00

It’s that time of the month again where food bloggers from all over the globe crack their little heads to whip up something special in the kitchen to post it up in blogsphere. In conjunction with the festive season, IMBB and SHF join hands this month to create special food blog event to remember with a theme called Virtual Cookie-Swap!But that’s not all folks, as I’ve said, this time is extra

Western Food at Chef's Delights, Pulau Tikus, Penang

2005-11-26T00:25:00.000+08:00

If you're desperately craving for Western food but do not want to burn a hole in your pocket, do not despair, Chef's Delights is the place to run to. Located in a 'kopitiam' (Hokkien term for coffee shop) called Sin Hup Aun, beside the Pulau Tikus market, Chef Delights serves a variety of popular hawker style Western food including chicken chop, pork chop, fish and chips, chicken Maryland chicken

Glutton Rabbit & the Amazing Juggling Act

2005-11-23T19:08:00.000+08:00

I’ve been a bit busy with work (real work, not cooking) lately. That’s why my post is coming in kind of slow this week. All the while I've been doing a juggling act of balancing work, cooking and blogging. Work is getting a bit hectic lately and I'm beginning to feel a bit weak. Next week alone, I am scheduled to conduct a string of training and the week after that, I get to do presentation in

Announcement: Gathering for Bloggers & Netizens in Penang

2005-11-23T18:47:00.000+08:00

Lucia Lai of Mental Jog is organizing a gathering for bloggers and netizens this coming Sunday, 27 November 2005. The venue is at Ice Ice Baby Restaurant, 411-A Burmah Road, Penang and the time, 3:00pm. For those who are interested, do find out more about the details from her site!

Hay! Hay! It's Donna Day! - Self Frosting Cupcakes

2005-11-19T19:36:00.000+08:00

Hay! Hay! It’s Donna Day! Today marks the first event of Donna Day and I have obediently baked some Self Frosting Cupcakes according to instructions – well, maybe not so obedient - but I’ll explain later on. First of all, I think you might curious about who is Donna? Donna Hay (her full name), is a famous cook and food stylist from land of down under. She has her own magazine and also wrote a

Blog Party #4 - The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition - Chicken Pie

2005-11-18T00:40:00.000+08:00

It’s party time again! Every third Friday of the month, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness, will host a fantastic virtual cocktail party (with virtual food, drinks and music!) where everyone and anyone is invited to come. Thanks for being such a great hostess Stephanie!The theme for this month’s blog party (Blog Party #4 - The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition) is holiday food. With

Sweet Potato 'Onde-onde'

2005-11-14T22:21:00.000+08:00

When I get into one of my cooking frenzies I often end up buying things I do not need. For example, a couple of days ago, I was shocked to find some sweet potatoes in my kitchen. I could not recall why I bought these sweet potatoes as I did not have any special recipe in mind. Anyway, the sweet potatoes look like they’ve been in my kitchen for sometime and I had better do something about it

'Chang' Shop at Cintra Street, Penang

2005-11-12T14:05:00.000+08:00

‘Bak chang’ or ‘chang’ is basically a triangular shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice, with filling of pork, shiitake mushrooms, chestnut and salted duck egg yolk all wrapped in bamboo leaves. Depending on style of cooking from one place to another, the filling may sometimes include additional goodies like dried shrimps, split mung beans and ‘rempah’ (spicy coconut filling).There is also an

November 2005 - Food Blog Events

2005-11-11T19:49:00.000+08:00

Come one! Come all! Join this month's food blog event and make a it a Christmas to remember. For this month, SHF and IMBB join hands to create an event to remember! Cookie-Swap is the theme! Plus, there are some interesting prizes to be won too...Blog Party #4 - The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition(17 November 2005) Hosted by Stephanie from Dispensing HappinessJoint SHF/IMBB - Virtual Cookie

Ganache Accident Results Mouse Cake & Raspberry Jello (GA = MC + RJ)

2005-11-08T22:55:00.000+08:00

I had been a bit obsessed with dark chocolate after participating in last month’s Sugar High Friday event (SHF #13 – Welcome to the dark side: Dark Chocolate theme). My entry was called, Chocolate Praline Cookies with Gummy Bears, which is a recipe by Alexander Goh with a little cute twist of Gummy Bears from Glutton Rabbit.Right after the SHF, I bought another bar of cooking chocolate for ‘

My Curry Puff and Me

2005-11-06T19:28:00.000+08:00

I recently bought a recipe book on making ‘kuih’ (local snacks or desserts) called “Minuman Petang” (translated as “Afternoon Tea”) written by Sa’adiah Mohamad. The book is written in Malay and featured 48 types of sweet and savoury kuih recipes. After flipping through the book, I decided to make ‘karipap’ or curry puffs, which is a very popular anytime snack in Malaysia. Although today we find

The 18th Century - Boulanger's Restaurant

2005-11-04T22:37:00.000+08:00

I am now doing a self study on the cooking textbook, “On Cooking”, written by Sarah R. Labensky and Alan M. Hause. For those who hadn’t read my earlier posts… I have a silly dream to become a professional cook and this self study is to get myself acquainted with the real world of food and beverage. In my previous post, I also promised to share with you whatever interesting bits I find from this

Guten Tag! Ich bin Glutton Rabbit und das ist Spaghetti Bolognaise!

2005-11-02T18:25:00.000+08:00

Did I tell you that I was in Germany this summer? Too bad I hadn’t started my blog yet at that time or I would’ve been trigger happy with my camera shooting at all the German food that comes my way. I do have a few shots in my collection, perhaps will share them with you next time…OK, so the Rabbit’s been to Deutchland… Big deal So what? Do you know that she was just on a job assignment and not

Mango Pudding & A Rabbit's Resolution

2005-10-31T16:09:00.000+08:00

I was extra 'rajin' (Malay word for hardworking) yesterday and decided to make mango pudding for tea-time snack. There were ample mango puree left after making the pudding, I decided to cook a fruit sauce to go with the pudding. One thing lead to another, I suddenly found myself melting chocolate and piping out designs onto a plastic sheet then assembling the whole pudding, sauce and chocolate

October 2005 - Food Blog Events Round-up

2005-10-31T14:46:00.000+08:00

This month, I've been a very hyper-active Rabbit and participated in three great food blog events on the Internet. Truly enjoyed myself cooking up foodies and making a mess in the kitchen. I wonder if I can keep this up for the next month? I wish to keep it up. but we'll see how it goes...Anyway, a big thanks to all the organizers for coming up with such wonderful themes and for doing such

8-Row, BBQ and Steamboat Restaurant

2005-10-29T14:02:00.000+08:00

Lats Friday, I was at 8-Row, a BBQ and steamboat restaurant in Georgetown, for a farewell dinner of one of our colleagues. BBQ and steamboat restaurants have been a growing trend in Penang since a few years back. From my observation, this kind of dining is especially popular among youths due to 3 main reasons that is price, quantity and fun. The price is very reasonable, usually ranges from RM 15

Ramadhan Bazaar - Queen Street, Penang

2005-10-27T20:51:00.000+08:00

As mentioned in my previous post, while visiting Little India at King Street, Penang, I bumped into another pleasant surprise. While strolling around King Street, a big green banner with the words “Ramadhan Bazaar” written on it caught my attention. Without much thought (that I hadn’t even completed my culinary adventure in Little India…), I excitedly walked into the connecting lane called Queen

Deepavali Mood in Little India at King Street, Penang

2005-10-26T20:42:00.000+08:00

“Mysorpak! Mysorpak!!...” the little Indian boy manning the sweet stall repeatedly yelled out to me with his finger pointing to a kind of Indian sweet hoping that I could understand him. He had been very patient with me when I asked him what is this and that at his little stall. We communicated in English and Malay but I could not catch his words due to his deep Indian accent. I was really

IMBB #20: Has My Blog Fallen? Asian Style Soufflés

2005-10-23T00:13:00.000+08:00

When Kitchen Chick, the lovely hostess for IMBB #20 announced the theme to be soufflés – I felt a worried because not only have I never tasted a soufflé in my life (beacuse this dish is not common in the area where I live in), now I am asked to make one – if you don’t call that challenge!I did a quick reference on the Internet and a cooking textbook and found out what a soufflé really is.

SHF #13 - The Dark Side: Chocolate Praline Cookies with Gummy Bears

2005-10-21T23:35:00.000+08:00

Kelli from Lovescool is hosting this time's Sugar High Friday (SHF #13). SHF first started in October 2004, by Jennifer from The Domestic Goddess. It is an international sweet tooth blogging event and this month marks the anniversary SHF. Happy Birthday Sugar High Friday! Thanks again to Kelli for being this month's hostess and for choosing such a meaningful theme - dark chocolate (to commemorate

Blog Party #3: The Big Game Night

2005-10-20T21:23:00.000+08:00

Stephanie from Dispensing Hapiness is the wonderful hostess for Blog Party #3: The Big Game Night. Thanks Stephanie for giving us the excuse to have fun cooking up something for the party! By the way, this is my first time joining a blog party and I'm really excited!For this month, Stephanie asked us to think about a favorite sport (or someone we know who is into sports) and what we would serve

Morning Market - Simpang Kuala, Alor Setar

2005-10-17T22:26:00.000+08:00

Another place that I've visited in Alor Setar during the recent weekend was the Simpang Kuala morning market. My brother had an appointment there and while waiting for him, I went strolling around the area with my little camera. Looking around, I thought to myself, Simpang Kuala sure has changed a lot since to five or six years ago. The place used to be an undeveloped area of squatter houses and

Ramadhan Bazaar - Stadium Darulaman, Alor Setar

2005-10-15T23:33:00.000+08:00

I was visiting a relative in Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah today. So, I decided to take the opportunity to visit the famous Ramadhan bazaar at Stadium Darulaman in the late afternoon. There were plenty of choices of food to choose from. There were the standard stuffs that every bazaar would have like satay, kebab, murtabak, nasi lemak and others but I was really delighted with the assortment

I've been tagged: 23/5 Meme

2005-10-12T21:41:00.000+08:00

Plum from My Favourite Plum has tagged me for this meme. Thanks for the fun Plum! This is my first meme and I'm a bit nervous to get everything done right...This is how you do it:1. Delve into your blog archive2. Find your 23rd post 3. Find the fifth sentence 4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions: Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...5. Tag five

A banner for me blog...

2005-10-11T22:17:00.000+08:00

I thought of giving my blog a little more Penang identity. So, I decided to create a banner! I simply close my eye and picked a photo and then use Adobe Photoshop 7 to edit it. I used neon filter to achieve this kind of effect... This was the photo I choose...And voila! This is the finished work of art...Somehow, I'm still not satisfied with the end product. Maybe I'll change my banner from time

Pasar Ramadhan at Bayan Baru, Lintang Mayang Pasir 4

2005-10-09T20:33:00.000+08:00

Last Wednesday marked the beginning of the Ramadhan month which is the 'puasa' or fasting month for Muslims in Malaysia. During this month, Muslims will fast from dusk untill dawn abstaining themselves from food, drinks and certain deeds which is according to Muslim law. For me, this month simply mark the time to enjoy great Malay food. This is because Malay food are easily available anywhere

Taukua Sumbat, stuffed beancurd

2005-10-08T12:06:00.000+08:00

‘Taukua sumbat’ is a Malay word literally translated as stuffed beancurd. This Malay snack is made of deep fried beancurd sliced diagonally into halfs and stuffed with shredded cucumber and Chinese turnip (jicama). Taukua sumbat is served with a thick sweet and spicy peanut sauce that is similar to the one served with Satay.It is hard to come across taukua sumbat these days. Malay ‘kuih’ (local

Gurney Hotel and a Rabbit's dream

2005-10-05T17:29:00.000+08:00

I had been busy these few days attending a seminar at Gurney Hotel. On and off during the seminar I keep day dreaming of becoming a super chef (like Iron Chef) and I wondered if I have taken a wrong step in life to study about systems instead. Still dreaming on, I thought, if only my parents have recognized the interest I had about cooking and have sent me to study about hotel and catering. But

Swatow Lane, a glutton's paradise...

2005-10-02T21:47:00.000+08:00

There are countless of hawker centers all over Penang. Each are famous for certain hawker dishes. Today, I visited Swatow Lane, a very well known place for hawker delights. Hawker stalls along the road at Swatow Lane... More hawker stalls... One can find almost any Penang hawker dish here. Everything is concentrated under one roof… char koay teow, laksa, malay popiah, Indian rojak,

IMBB 19 "I can't believe I ate Vegan": Thai style

2005-09-30T23:53:00.000+08:00

Thank you Sam of Becks&Posh for hosting this time's IMBB. "I can't believe I ate vegan" was such a challenging theme. I never had such a hard time thinking of what to cook and how to trick my carnivorous siblings into eating my vegan dishes! These few days, I attempted cooking up a few vegan dishes and got much demoralizing comments from my fussy eating siblings. They weren't really happy when

Ebay opens restaurant in Penang?!

2005-09-29T15:12:00.000+08:00

“Golden what restaurant?!” were the words I heard echoing from one colleague to another when we received an invitation to a department lunch today. It’s been quite a while since we had our last department lunch. This time, it’ll be at a place called Golden Ebay restaurant at Sungai Nibong.Everybody knows that Ebay is the famous auction site on the Internet. Some of my colleagues refuse to believe

Meet Pohpiah's sister... Pie-tee

2005-09-26T22:08:00.000+08:00

Hi. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Her name is Pie-tee and she’s a sister of Pohpiah. She’s prettier than her sister don’t you think so?It’s amazing how both sisters being brought up in the same Nonya family and made out of the same ingredients can have two different personalities. Anyway, I think Pie-tee has a better fashion sense than her sister.I prefer Pie-tee’s delicate crispy skirt

Deep Fried Spring Rolls at Air Itam

2005-09-25T17:27:00.000+08:00

‘Pohpiah’ or spring rolls is originally a Nonya ‘kuih’ or snack. The filling is basically made of shredded Chinese turnip (jicama), carrots, mushrooms, meat and prawn all stir fried and then simmered until tender. Fried pohpiahs, peeping out the shelf window and calling out to passing customers..."Buy me!"There are actually 2 styles of pohpiah. One is the deep fried type and the other the ‘wet’

Recipe: Curried Potato Spring Rolls

2005-09-24T20:02:00.000+08:00

I seriously wanted to participate in IMBB #19 "I can't believe I ate vegan?" and I already had this recipe (minus the meat) in mind. Then I had to spoil everything by asking my siblings, "How bout if I make it vegan, would you still like to eat it?". After saying this, they gave me an are you kidding and I won't touch it look if you cook vegan. *Sighs* my big mouth... I truly regretted asking

So dissapointed....

2005-09-20T23:54:00.000+08:00

I went to a cooking show held at Sunshine Square, Bayan Baru this evening to see a famous Malaysian cook in action. I was hoping to snap some nice photographs of her but all I got was a few lousy shots that even Photoshop can't help... I think it's time to change my camera... Can you tell who she is?

Sushi King RM 2 Promo Report

2005-09-20T22:06:00.000+08:00

Last Monday, I went for sushi at Sushi King. I went because my colleague, Mr L (the guy who said moon cake festival is like Valentine’s day) informed me that there was a promo going on for Sushi King members, only RM 2 for every plate of sushi.So, after work that day, my siblings and I drove to the branch at E-Gate (nearby Tesco). We choose the E-Gate outlet because it had just opened. From a far

Recipe: Glutton Rabbit's Inari Tuna Mayo Sushi

2005-09-18T19:37:00.000+08:00

I had a good time playing Iron Chef with myself this afternoon. I call this sushi, Glutton Rabbit's Inari Tuna Mayo Sushi!!! The judges, my finicky eating siblings, gave the verdict as.... Tasty. This is pretty good rating cos they'll usually tell me straight in the face if it doesn't taste good and they don't give good ratings that often you know... So want to try to make this? Don't worry It

Oinari the Japanese 'tau-fu pok'

2005-09-18T18:09:00.001+08:00

I bought this packet (Misuzu Oinarisan) of readily seasoned oinari or inari from Meijiya at Kelawei road. It contains 16 peices of inari and I plan to make inari sushi out of this. Inari is beancurd skin similar to the 'tau-fu pok' you find in your curry noodles (curry mee). Japanese usually season it by boiling it in a sweet mixture made of soya sauce, sweet rice wine and bonito stock then use

Moon cake packaging trend

2005-09-17T20:59:00.001+08:00

For every four moon cakes you buy, you get an elegant casing or box for free! Now I sound like a moon cake promoter...I've been observing moon cake packaging for the past few years and I must say that the design is moving towards Japanese style and motives. This is good because, Japanese place a lot of emphasis on the packaging of their products and the presentation is usually very impressive.

Story of mid autumn festival

2005-09-17T16:53:00.000+08:00

I purposely tested a Chinese colleague of mine if he knew the history of mid autumn festival. To my surprise, he replied, "Yes, it's a 'couple' kind of day...". What he meant was, mid autumn festival was something like Valentine's day and he wasn't trying to be funny. I just burst out laughing at his reply...Mid autumn festival is a Chinese thing. Baed on the Chinese calendar, it is celebrated on

Cakes from the night market

2005-09-15T21:20:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, my mother bought some orange jelly cakes and roll cakes from a cake stall at the 'pasar malalm' or night market. The stall sells many types of cakes including pandan jelly, butter, marble, sugee, moist chocolate and Indonesian layered cake at very affordable prices. One box (containing 5 - 6 peices) just cost around RM 2.50 to RM 4.00. The cakes are cut and packaged on the spot and

Going nuts about wasabi nuts

2005-09-12T21:13:00.000+08:00

I'm really nuts about wasabi nuts. Kasugai's wasabi peas and broad beans are the best. I'm sure many people will agree with me on this.You can get wasabi nuts supermarkets carrying Japanese products like Giant in Penang Plaza or Prangin Mall, Gama, Cold Storage at Gurney Plaza or Meijiya (previously known as Fujiya) a specialty shop located at Jalan Kelawei (beside a petrol station) selling

Old time kopi-tiam at Cintra street

2005-09-11T22:14:00.000+08:00

I saw an old time 'kopi-tiam' (coffee shop) at Cintra Street while buying 'bak-chang' glutinous rice dumpling on the opposite side of the road. Took a photo of it and used Adobe Photoshop to turn the photo into grey scale. Love the effect... the kopi-tiam photo looks really antique...Kopi-tiam is actually the Coffee Bean or Starbucks of yesteryears. You may laugh at this remark but it is true.

Taking a spin around Penang's tallest building...

2005-09-11T17:23:00.000+08:00

KOMTAR is Penang's tallest building. The is 232 meters high structure is located in the heart of Georgetown, the Penang town center. The complex consist mosltly of shoplots, foodcourts and offices and it is adjoined to the Prangin shopping mall. The photos were taken through my car windscreen while driving...Rattan craft shop outside KOMTAR... Driving from Penang Road, approaching KOMTAR...

Cooling down with agar-agar jelly

2005-09-11T16:20:00.000+08:00

The weather had been rather warm lately. It was so hot that I think it was possible to fry an egg by the sidewalk. During this weather, it is always best to cool down by drinking lots of water and taking lots of fruits. Another fun way to cool down is to eat 'agar-agar' jelly! I took these photos at a little stall in Relau selling cut fruits and jellies... Various types of jellies covered and

Kingyo-yaki the little grilled goldfish

2005-09-10T18:05:00.000+08:00

These goldfish shaped cakes are called 'kuih bahulu'. It is a kind of grilled Malay cake made mostly out of eggs. The cake reminds me of the Japanese grilled sea bream cake with red bean filling called 'taiyaki'. I bought these goldfishes from my hometown Alor Setar at the Malay market called Pekan Rabu, which a place where Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir used to sell '

Visiting my hometown and eating...

2005-09-10T15:56:00.000+08:00

Whenever I go back to Alor Setar (in the Kedah state), I would definitely stop by Star Parade to have a little feast at Wah Tua Guan, a very good Chinese fast-food style outlet. The shop serves a variety of favourite local dishes to chinese herbal soups like bird's nest and ginseng soups. I guess this is my most favourite eating outlet in Alor Setar. The environment of the shop is very clean and

Buying a pig in a poke...

2005-09-10T00:49:00.000+08:00

The mid-autumn festival is around the corner. Moon cakes and festive cookies are being sold everywhere. I happen to saw something really cute while shopping at Gurney Plaza, it was dangling outside the Bee Cheng Hiang (pork jerky shop)... little pig shaped cookies in a basket! My mom used to buy these for me when I was a kid... they are so adorable! Pigs in their poke... The little oinkies have

Passembur the Indian Salad

2005-09-10T00:06:00.000+08:00

'Passembur' is one of my favourite hawker dishes! Passembur is also known as Indian 'rojak' (salad) consist of shredded vegetables like cucumber, chinese turnip and bean sprouts, fritters, prawn crackers, fried tofu, boiled potato, boiled egg and cuttlefish. And all these are tossed in sweet and spicy salad dressing is made of sweet potatos.You can get good passembur at the Gurney Drive hawker

Puff! Puff! Curry puff!

2005-09-09T23:43:00.000+08:00

We had some large curry puffs for tea-time a few days ago. Curry puff is a very popular anytime snack in Malaysia. It is deep fried crunchy pastry with curried potato filling. Curry puffs especially the larger ones are really nice and filling...

Restaurant Kampachi, Hotel Equatorial Penang

2005-09-06T21:45:00.000+08:00

On the week before 'merdeka' day, I was at the Japanese restaurant in Hotel Equatorial. I went during the weekend buffet lunch. The place was really crowded and there were quite a good variety of Japanese food to choose from. The main dishes are sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, tenpura, sukiyaki, okonomiyaki, oden, zaru soba, chawan mushi, tori katsu and a few more. There's also Japanese style salad,

Hotel Equatorial Penang

2005-09-04T21:19:00.000+08:00

I guess Equatorial is one of the most posh hotel around Penang. I was there for Japanese buffet a week before our independance day. I'll cover more about the Japanese buffet experience at restaurant Kampachi in my next post. But for now, I'll share with you some photos taken at EQ...Some photos at the swimming pool... Lobby...Bird's eye view of the lobby...

Famous Seremban siew-bao (barbecued pork pastry)

2005-09-04T20:35:00.000+08:00

I wen't to a nearby Chinese pastry stall today to buy some Seremban 'siew-bao'... I simply love it. This food is made popular in Seremban. It is made of sweet 'char-siew' or chinese barbecued pork wrapped in a crispy pastry into a dumpling shape. I looks like the bake rendition of 'char-siew bao'... I also bought some Portugese egg tarts. Unlike the Hong Kong egg tart, the egg custard in the

Ice-scream! Ice-scream!

2005-09-03T20:34:00.000+08:00

Local ice-cream man and his stall. This photo was taken outside the Botanical Gardens. You can choose to have ice-cream on a cone or even ice-cream sandwich!

Gooey maltose lollipop

2005-09-03T19:47:00.000+08:00

The lollipop is an old fashion sweet I found at Air Itam while having laksa at Jalan Rambutan. I haven't seen this since a long time. This stuff is made of maltose and I think it also comes in gooey liquid form to replace honey in cooking.

Air Itam, Penang

2005-09-03T19:28:00.000+08:00

I've been talking abour Air Itam so much that I decided to snap some photos of the place. The photos above were taken at the market. Air Itam is very large. Mostly residential areas. There are some parts in Air Itam that looks very old. There is a mix of old fashion and modern shops there and I find it very unique. Air Itam is mostly visited by tourist for the Kek Lok Si temple, Penang laksa and

Momotaro the peach bun

2005-09-03T19:19:00.000+08:00

I find myself going to Air Itam almost every week to fulfill my laksa cravings. After having laksa, I would usually go to the market to buy some snacks. Today, I saw something really cute! It is a steamed bun in a shape of a peach. I guess they only sell these during some kind of chinese festival. There is a filling inside the bun. Not Momotaro the peach boy from the Japanese folklore but sweet

The famous Penang laksa...

2005-09-03T18:52:00.000+08:00

I seem to be addicted to the 'Penang laksa' at Air Itam. I keep returning to eat laksa at Air Itam these few weeks. There are so many laksa stalls at Air Itam claiming to be 'the one'. Don't be decieved by them! The one sold in a house at Jalan Rambutan opposite Fairy Heights flat is the infamous one!Note: Penang laksa is dish of rice noodles served with sweet, sour and spicy fish broth granished

Patriotic hotdog

2005-09-03T18:44:00.000+08:00

We recently celebrated independance day or 'merdeka' day on the 31st of August. This cutie at a bakery in Air Itam caught my eye. I just had to take a photo of it. It is a hotdog, with a little Malaysian flag sticking on it. A very cute way to display patriotism... don't you think so?

Dimsum vs Sushi. Ready? Fight!

2005-08-13T14:05:00.000+08:00

Have it ever cross your mind that both sushi and dimsum somehow similar yet totally different?Dimsum called ‘tenshiin’ in Japanese, kind of reminds me of sushi. Allow me to make a comparison ; ). Both are small and dainty foods served in little plates and both are pretty pricey $$. Very much like sushi, dimsums are charged according to plate types too for example RM 2 per plate for common ones

Yam-cha at Maxim in Sungai Dua…

2005-08-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

We went for ‘yam-cha’ at Maxim in Sungai Dua area this morning. Yam-cha the Cantonese word for drinking Chinese tea actually means more than that. It describes the whole event of having dimsum and drinking tea (including reading newspapers or bringing along your pet birdie in a cage) for breakfast at the dimsum restaurant. The newspaper and pet birdie scene is pretty common in Hong Kong

Golden brown and crispy Lor-bak

2005-08-08T21:44:00.000+08:00

Mom cooked some ‘lor-bak’ for dinner. It's a typical Nonya dish. It is made of strips of pork (or minced pork), seasoned with five spice powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, some mince garlic and onions, rolled up in beancurd skins. The best part is - it is deep fried till golden brown and crispy. It's served with dipping sauce too. That's where it got it's name 'lor' which means sauce and 'bak'

Little huts by the beach...

2005-08-08T21:33:00.000+08:00

I took a real nice photo at the beach today. It was outside a Malay food shop. These little huts are where you’re suppose to enjoy your meal of rice and curry. It’s what you would call ‘kampung’ style. Kampung means rural village in Malay. Maybe it's a trend or something, I notice many Malay eating places in Penang are having these kind of huts. Looks real cozy, don't you think so?

Full moon celebration?! Is this stuff for werewolves or what?...

2005-08-07T17:14:00.000+08:00

Werewolves? Well, actually not! This afternoon, our neighbour passed us a nice looking box with cake, pink colored eggs and 'angku' (a type dessert made of glutinous rice flour with white bean paste filling – by the way, angku means red tortoise) inside.Full moon or 'mua gueh' (in Hokkien) is an celebrated by Chinese families when a newborn has safely reaches one month of age. Traditionally, '

One ton me? Help! I'm obese!

2005-08-07T17:07:00.000+08:00

"One ton me" sounds like I'm being overweight, but it actually how you pronounce the Chinese noodle dish in Hokkien dailect. Wonton noodles or 'wantan mi' is also known to some as 'tok tok mi' or 'kon lo mi', is a very common hawker fare. You can find it at amost everywhere in Penang. It cost around RM 2.50 per plate.The dish consist of noodles served with wonton (pork dumplings), slices of ‘

I'm having satay for dinner today...

2005-08-06T21:40:00.000+08:00

Satay is a very popular Malay dish in Penang and throughout Malaysia. It is basically grilled chunks of meat (often chicken or beef) on bamboo skewers. You may think this is similar to shish kebab or the japanese dish called yakitori but the taste is totally different! This is because satay marinade consist mainly of tumeric and other local spices.Satay is grilled over charcoal fire and served

Welcome to Glutton Island!

2005-08-06T14:06:00.000+08:00

A description about Penang by Lonely Planet: The 285 sq km (177 sq mi) island of Penang, off Peninsula Malaysia's northwestern coast, is the oldest British settlement in Malaysia and one of the country's premier resort areas. The island's beaches are touted as the major drawcard but they're somewhat overrated.What makes Penang Island really tick is the vibrant city of Georgetown on the island's