Pineapple Jam Tarts - Chinese New Year

As mentioned in my previous post, Chinese New Year is not far away. My family loves the Pineapple Jam tarts that I make once a year. I made the pineapple jam on the weekend; next step is to make the pastry and tarts this coming weekend. 

Here's the link to my recipe. 

Salmon Yee Sang - Chinese New Year

17 more days till we celebrate Chinese New Year. This year we welcome the Year of the Goat (Sheep or Ram). 

Around Sydney, there will be many events to herald in the new year. See Thang Ngo's blog post festivals around Sydney. 

In our family, my Mum will make a special dish called "Yee Sang" - a fresh salad mix topped with fresh salmon sashimi tossed in a sweet dressing. This dish is a colourful mix of colours. Everyone is given a set of chopsticks to toss the salad as high as they can without creating a mess. It is believed that the higher the toss, more luck will come your way in the new year. 

Baked Cassava Cake (Kueh Bengka)

On my last trip to Malaysia, I made sure I had my fill of Nyonya kueh, something which is difficult to find here in Sydney. There are a few places that sell them e.g. Alice's Makan, but it can be pricey.

This is an easy to make recipe. I bought the frozen grated cassava from the local Asian store.

I modified the recipe:

40gm coconut oil (replace the butter)
100gm caster sugar
100gm soft brown sugar











Texture was a little soft, next time will have to reduce the amount of water. Using frozen cassava may also affect the texture. Must remember to use a smaller tray to get more height.

Wendy, thanks again for another great recipe.

PappaRich, Sydney

PappaRich is a Malaysian franchise which opened its first outlet in Sydney this week. The PappaRich grouped opened its first outlet in Malaysia in 2005. Since then, the business has grown and there are 6 outlets in Australia including 5 in Melbourne. Like any new restaurants, the crowds are queuing up to try this new eatery. Tonight, we went early for dinner and the place was still quite empty. The queue starts around 6pm so best to get in just before 6pm for dinner. By the time we left at 7pm, there about 20 people waiting outside.

First thing that impressed us was the menu with its glossy pictures and many varieties to entice your tastebuds. The menu is categorised into roti (roti kaya), satay, bread (Hainan style bread with curry chicken), noodles, rice, vegetarian (nasi lemak with vegetarian mutton curry), snacks, desserts and drinks. It took us a while to write on our orders on the form as there were too many choices. When we've decided, we wrote the item number on the form, pressed the bell at the table and one of the wait staff promptly appears to collect the form.

There is also a children's play area which a good place for kids to be distracted

For dinner tonight, we ordered Wat Tan Hor, Char Koay Teow, Seafood Laksa, Ipoh Hor Fun with Steamed Chicken, Roti Planta, Oriental Chicken Chop with Rice, Chicken Satay, Ice Kacang and Banana Fritters. Yes, we were that hungry or greedy!!!

What did we like: Wat Tan Hor, Ipoh Hor Fun with Steamed Chicken, Chicken Satay, Oriental Chicken Chop with Rice and Banana Fritters. The fitters was crunchy and served with vanilla ice cream. Chicken Satay was tender but not enough satay sauce to go with it, we had to ask for extra sauce. I did give them feedback about the sauce. The Wat Tan Hor was tasty with lots of gravy; quite a large portion too. Ash enjoyed her Chicken Chop served with Chicken Rice. The rice is cooked with chicken stock which enhances the taste. The Steamed Chicken served with the Hor Fun was silky smooth and best part, it was deboned.

Banana Fritters served with ice cream

The Char Koay Teow lacked the chilli oomph and wok hei (charred smoky) flavours. We didn't ask for chilli in the CKT as we assumed there would be some. A friend went the day before and she said her CKT was good. Our serving was quite small tonight too. Some inconsistencies in the serving sizes and cooking.

We think the shaved ice in the Ice Kacang was not freshly shaved but shaved earlier and refreeze, so it was compact and hard when served. I like the peanuts and creamed corn added.

Ice Kacang - check out the odd shape

Roti Planta was dry and crispy and the amount of curry served was small. PappaRich's version of Roti Planta has sugar in the middle. Cait was not keen on the roti, as she preferred the roti at Mamak.

Service was efficient and there are many wait staff available to respond each time you ring the bell. The dishes were quick to be served from the kitchen too. One downside was no napkins were provided at the table, we had to asked for them. Why can't they just place the napkins on the table together with the cutlery?

Some hits and misses for us but we will visit the restaurant again to try the other dishes in the menu. I am keen to try the Briyani dishes and Nasi Lemak.



PappaRich Chatswood
1/63 Archer Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
Ph: (02) 9411 3207

Opening hours: 11am to 10pm 7 days

Disclaimer: Opinions written above are based on my family's and my tastes and views. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions based on their tastes and preferences.

Albee's Kitchen, Campsie

No surprises that my 500th post is about food, most importantly Malaysian food to acknowledge my heritage. I have read many good reviews and heard positive comments about Albee's Kitchen in Campsie and their other branch in Cabramatta. Before this visit, friends have bought their famous curry puffs with a quarter half-boiled egg for me try and I love it. The 45 minute drive from our place to Campsie is a deterrent for us to visit. Finally, we paid a visit on our way home from the day trip to the Southern Highlands.

The restaurant has a huge variety of Malaysian dishes, both hawker style noodles or rice as well as 'a la carte' dishes which you can order to share and serve with rice. To me, this is most extensive menu in all the Malaysian restaurants that I have tried in Sydney. It took us a while to decide on which dish to order as our eyes were 'greedy' and everything was tempting. However, there were only 4 of us so we opted for the hawker style dishes instead.

Prices are pretty reasonable ranging from $9.50 to $12.00. Servings are generous; I couldn't finish my bowl of Assam Laksa and hubby didn't finish his wat tan hor either. I enjoyed the Assam Laksa, not too fishy but could be spicier. Still, my Mum's Assam Laksa wins, but by far, this is the best I have tasted in Malaysian restaurants. The rice spaghetti was smooth, the assam soup was tasty with a lovely red colour and there were also pieces of mackerel. Most importantly, the laksa was served with prawn paste or hae koe. Chris enjoyed his Wat Tan Hor (combination rice noodles in egg gravy) with the rice noodles well fried with the 'charred' or wok hei flavour. 

 My two girls shared the Hainanese Chicken Rice and loved the smooth steamed chicken. We also ordered lobak (5 spice pork rolls wrapped in bean curd sheet and deep fried) served with a tasty chilli sauce which was the same sauce served with the chicken rice. Besides eating in, we also ordered 4 curry puffs, 1 pulut panggang and char koay teow to take-away for my parents.

It will be good to visit again with a group of friends to try their a la carte dishes like pandan chicken, marmite chicken, butter prawns, fish head curry, salted fish pork belly, bak kut teh, butter oat chicken, beef rendang, curry chicken and many more. 

Are you salivating? Are you tempted to visit Albee's? 

Seri Muka - 2nd Attempt

I decided I wanted to make this kueh again after my dissatisfaction with my first attempt here. Not that the taste was bad the first time, but the top layer was not smooth and the bottom layer was too firm.

Roti Jala (Lacy Crepes) and Chicken Curry

Roti Jala translated literally means 'net bread', but I think lacy crepes sounds a lot nicer. It has been many years since I've tasted roti jala. I remember this as a popular dish during Hari Raya in Malaysia. This roti is always served with chicken curry.

I found this recipe on Sonia's Nasi Lemak Lover blog. I halved the amounts in the recipe as a test. When I made the first crepe, I found the batter too thick, so I added another 1/8 cup of water to thin it. It worked out better with the additional liquid. As with most recipes, sometimes you have to guess or follow your instinct or in Malay we say 'agak-agak'.

Malaysian Monday #13 - Har Mee (Prawn Mee)

One of my favourite Malaysian hawker food is Har Mee or Penang Prawn Mee. As mentioned, this soup noodle dish is from Penang island, located in the north of Peninsular Malaysia.

To make this dish, it takes some time to save up the prawn heads. When I have saved a reasonable quantity, I will make the prawn stock. The critical element in this dish is the prawn stock, made by frying prawn heads in some oil, garlic, onions, ginger, dried chillies and chilli paste. Then add some water and let the stock simmer for an hour or two on low heat. Season with rock sugar, salt and pepper. The smell is mouthwatering. When stock is ready, strain to remove prawn heads etc into the pork stock.

Prawn heads simmering for stock

In a separate stockpot, I add in water; when it is boiling, I add in the pork ribs and pork loin. Leave the pork stock to simmer for 1-2 hours. After an hour, check that the pork loin is cooked, remove and set aside to cool for later. When you've added the prawn stock to the pork stock, taste and season according.

Other ingredients needed:
Yellow noodles
Mee hoon - soaked in water to soften
Kangkung or Water Convulvus
Bean sprouts
Hard boiled eggs
Prawns - shelled
Fishcake - sliced
Pork Loin - sliced
Sambal - I use Tean's Gourmet Prawn Mee Paste
Fried shallots to garnish

This is my way of cooking Har Mee as my Mum taught me. There are different methods out there. Singapore has its own version of Prawn Mee as well which is very different to the Malaysian style.

I am submitting this post as part of October 2012's Muhibbah Monday - organised by Test for Skewer,3 Hungry Tummies and Just As Delish.

Malaysian Monday #12 - Seri Muka

I have wanted to make this Nyonya kueh for some time, but have always been worried about failure.
I decided to bite the bullet on the weekend and give it a go. As usual, before I start, I will look through my recipe books and online recipes to read and choose which is the best.

The recipe and method I used is a combo from Agnes Chang and Lily's blog post. It was not that difficult to make after all. Taste wise, all in the family gave it a thumbs up. My only disappointments were the firmness of the top layer and the uneven surface which I was trying to avoid by keeping a low heat whilst steaming the top layer.

I will have to give this another go to try for a smooth surface.

I am submitting this post as part of July 2012's Muhibbah Monday - organised by Test for Skewer, 3 Hungry Tummies and Just As Delish.

Malaysian Monday #11 - Steamed Yam Cake (Wu Tao Ko)

When someone gives you yam from their garden, you make....

Chris' uncle grows yams in his garden. This practice hails back to when the family was living in PNG many many years ago. Yam or taro is a staple in his family's diet, especially during the war. Uncle Claude's yams are the best I have tasted in Sydney. Winter is usually harvest season so Uncle Claude will be sharing his yield with all of us. While Chris loves braised yam with pork (kao yoke), I prefer to turn the yam into steamed yam cake or wu tao ko. 

Batter
300gm rice flour
1 handful corn flour
6 cups water

Mix the above together.

Yam
500gm yam - cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
5 spice powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt and pepper to season

Garnish
300gm minced pork - marinate with light soy, pepper and sesame oil for 1 hour
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
dried prawns - rehydrated and minced finely (optional)
preserved vegetable, chopped finely
Thick/dark soy sauce
Ground white pepper for seasoning
spring onions/shallots, sliced finely to garnish
red chilli, sliced finely to garnish

1. Oil a 25cm steaming tray with oil.
2. Heat the wok. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil, then add the chopped garlic and fry till golden. Add in the cubed yams and five spice powder.  Fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the batter mix and stir to mix well with the yam. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Lower the heat and cook until batter starts to thicken. 
5. Transfer the yam mix to the oiled tray. 
6. Steam the mix for 40-45 minutes.
7. When ready, set aside to cool.
8. To make the garnish, heat the wok, add about 1 tablespoon of oil, followed by the chopped garlic. Fry till golden brown.
9. Add in the minced pork, dried prawns (if using) and chopped preserved vegetables.Add the dark/thick soy sauce and pepper. Fry the mix till fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
10. To garnish, spread the cooked minced pork mix, sliced spring onions and red chilli.
11. Ensure the yam cake is properly cooled before serving with chilli sauce or sweet sauce.
    
    To make the sweet sauce, add some hot water to hoi sin sauce to thin the sauce.

I am submitting this post as part of July 2012's Muhibbah Monday - organised by Test for Skewer, 3 Hungry Tummies and Just As Delish.

Assam Laksa

I love Assam Laksa, a soup based noodle dish served with a spicy sourish fish stock. Assam Laksa comes from Penang island in West Malaysia. It's difficult to find Assam Laksa in the Malaysian eateries in Sydney. I guess the fishy sourish taste is an acquired one. My hubby doesn't like it as he find the smell too fishy.

The wet summer has resulted in overgrowth of daun kesum or vietnamese mint in our herb garden. I managed to coax my Mum to cook Assam Laksa one weekend since it has been ages sinc she cooked it.

Mum painstakingly steamed the fishes - she used mullet and slimy mackerel - and removed the flesh from the bones, taking care to remove any fine bones too. Then she made some chilli paste for the stock. To get the right sour taste, she added tamarind puree and dried tamarind pieces (pre-soaked). It's difficult to pin down what else she puts in as Mum cooks the way she was taught by her Mum - agak agak (based on taste and trial and error).

The bowl of noodles is garnished with pineapple, sliced spanish onion, julienne cucumber, butter lettuce and prawn paste (har ko) with freshly cut chillies as optional.

Marmite Chicken

On our last trip to Malaysia, we were introduced to a new dish - Marmite Chicken. Initially, I was hesitant to taste the dish. Marmite is a salty yeast extract (a by-product of beer brewing) similar to Bovril and Vegemite. When I was little, we used to add a small dollop of Marmite or Bovril to a bowl of plain rice congee to add flavour. We usually ate this when we were unwell.

Despite my hesitation, I did taste the Marmite Chicken dish and was surprised that I could not taste the Marmite at all. The taste is probably masked by the golden syrup (supposed to use maltose but I didn't have in the pantry), sesame oil and honey that is added. I love the caramelised taste of the chicken and it goes well served with steamed white rice.

Here's my version of Marmite Chicken (thanks to Suresh from 3 Hungry Tummies for sharing his recipe). According to Ashleigh (the fussiest eater in our family), this recipe is a keeper. She ate five pieces of chicken, which is a lot for her.

Petaling Street, Sydney

During the Christmas break, a friend mentioned a new Malaysian restaurant had recently opened in Sydney's Chinatown called "Petaling Street". The real Petaling Street is located in KL, Malaysia which is Chinatown in KL. In KL's Petaling St, you will find plenty of fake handbags, knick knacks, restaurants, clothes, massage parlours, food stalls serving local food like char koay teow, grilled fish (ikan panggang), satay, curry noodles, wan tan mee etc.

During my last trip to Melbourne back in July, I did walk past the Petaling St branch on Swanston St in the city but didn't have time to try. This time, I met my girlfriend, Cindy for lunch. We had the Hainan Chicken Rice (which came highly recommended), Combination Hor Fun (Wet Koay Teow), Lobak and Grass Jelly drinks.

**Apologies for the photo quality. I was at work and didn't bring my camera with me. Had to rely on my iPhone**

The restaurant is not large, but long and narrow. As the restaurant is still new, the waiters seem to be inexperienced. The guy that took our order seem to be have difficulty understanding us (must be our Malaysian accent), we concluded he may not be Malaysian since he did not appear to be familiar with the dishes. He also couldn't count because we ordered two Grass Jelly drinks, but he gave us one. There was some confusion when we asked for another glass, but he got it right eventually (Sorry C, I had to blog about this).

The food was served quickly probably because the restaurant was not busy since it was close to 2pm when we had lunch.

The Hainan Chicken Rice was served with rice and a bowl of soup. The chicken was already deboned and had a smooth texture, important for Hainan style chicken. At first I found the chicken a little sweet but couldn't put my finger to the source. In the end, we figured they must have added some sweet soy to the soy seasoning (not common in other Hainan Chicken dishes I have eaten). The ginger and garlic sauce was tasty and the chill sauce very garlicky but no heat which was disappointing. The soup was also lukewarm, but we left it at that. I overheard the guy at the next table asking the waiter to warm up his soup.

We also shared a Combination Hor Fun, a reasonable serve for the price. Whilst we enjoyed the dish, it lacked the 'wok hei' that adds flavour to the koay teow. The rice noodles could have been caramelised a little bit more. The dish was served without any green chillies, so we asked for it but was told they didn't have any, we then asked for red chillies. And what do you know, the waiter brings a small side of green chillies. See what I mean about inexperienced wait staff.

The Lobak was crispy but the pork filling lacked taste, probably not enough seasoning. The accompanying sauce was also not the usual sweetish sauce (served in Malaysia). I think it was served with the same garlic/ginger and chilli sauce as the chicken rice.

The icy cold Grass Jelly drink was refreshing on a hot summer's day in Sydney.

Overall, the food was average to me. I think the tastes of all the food will be enhanced with an additional pinch of salt. It seemed to lack that 'ooomph'.

The strategic location of the restaurant on George St in Chinatown means it will be convenient for the Asian students studying at UTS.

Even though the dishes we ordered this time did not hit the mark,  C and I decided we would return to try the other dishes on offer since the menu is quite extensive compared to other Malaysian restaurants in Sydney.

Petaling Street
760 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9281 6508

Har Mee (Prawn Mee) @ Malay Chinese Takeaway

This Malaysian eatery has been around for many years in Sydney. It is often considered the benchmark for its curry laksa and har mee (prawn mee). I have tasted quite a few bowls of Har Mee at the different Malaysian restaurants in Sydney, by far this is my favourite place for a Har Mee fix.

On a cold wintery Saturday morning, slurping down a bowl of Har Mee really hit the spot for Chris and I. The mouth-watering soup had a good balance of prawn and pork stock. The noodles was served with topped with fried lard (che yau char), pork slices, fish cake, kangkung (water spinach), bean sprouts and half a boiled egg.  I love the boiled egg served with the noodles, and will usually eat that last. The sambal which is an optional accompaniment is also full of flavour with belacan (shrimp paste) and dried shrimp.

Our girls shared a plate of Combination Hor Fun (Wet Koay Teow), stir-fried rice noodles and rice vermicelli (yin yong) with a thick eggy brown gravy and seafood.

Note: we bought a Singapore noodle as take-away for my parents. They both loved it, there was good 'wok hei'.

Malay Chinese Takeaway
58 Hunter St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9231 6788

Lunchbox Idea #8 - Curry Puffs

It has been a while since I posted an idea for school lunchboxes. I make a mild filling for my girls. When I am in a rush or feeling lazy, I will use store-bought shortcrust pastry to save time. The puffs can be pre-made and freeze and bake later.

Pastry
240gm plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
90gm margarine
4 tablespoon cold water

Filling
200gm chicken meat, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 big onion, diced
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tablespoons mild curry powder, mixed into a paste
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
water

1. Pastry: Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Add water and mix to form a dough. Wrap in cling film (Gladwarp) and leave to rest for 30 mins.
2. Filling: Heat oil in pan, saute the onions, curry paste, curry leaves till fragrant. Add in the chicken meat and stir well. Add potatoes, seasoning, and cook until dry. Taste and dish up. Cool completely before use.
3. Roll pastry into 2mm thick, cut into 5cm rounds. Put 1 tsp filling onto the pastry and fold into semi-circle. Pinch to make decorative edge.
4. Bake in the oven (160C) for 15 mins. Serve hot.

Malacca Straits on Broadway

I have read about this Malaysian restaurant in Broadway in various blogs and also heard it was one of the Malaysian restaurants that took part in the recent Malaysia Kitchen event in Sydney. Naturally, I was keen to check it out. According to the website, Chef Tan is a former chef in two other famous Malaysian restaurants in Sydney - The Malaya (now located at King St Wharf) and Neptune Palace at Circular Quay. He is also a former Executive Chef for Malaysia Airlines.  I have eaten at The Malaya many years ago and was not impressed with the Malaysian food served there. I found the dishes 'watered' down to cater to non-Malaysians. This made me even more curious to taste the dishes. I went with my Mum and her friend, Aunty Rani. Since there were only three of us, we ordered three meals and shared amongst us.

Ayam Goreng with Chicken Rice (Apologies for the messiness)

It's similar to the Hainanese chicken rice but served with fried chicken instead. The rice was fragrant and flavoursome, cooked in chicken stock. We also liked the crispy chicken. Our only complaint was the chilli sauce did not have much flavour and did not any hint of chilli at all.

Mee Goreng

This noodle dish had the right level of sambal chilli and the bean sprouts had a crunchy bite. It was served with quite a number of large juicy and succulent prawns. Will definitely order this again.

Char Koay Teow (Fried Rice Noodles)

My Mum commented there was good 'wok hei' that gave the koay teow (rice noodle) a good 'char'. Like the Mee Goreng, it was served with large prawns as well. You can also have the char koay teow with chicken or beef. This version of char koay teow is on the sweet side. To be honest, I prefer the thinner koay teow.

My Mum is a very good Malaysian cook and is fussy about eating Malaysian dishes outside. I asked her if she will come again and she said we should return with the rest of the family. Enough said!

www.malaccastraitsbroadway.com.au