Thanks Mike Naser Taib for this heads up. This being durian season and all, here's an education in durian.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Kari Ayam Sempalit...Try It
Kari Ayam Sempalit at Restoran Do Re Mi in Ara Damansara. Mild but spice infused curries for the fainthearted.
A post by Tiger Mike Naser (who did not mention the excellent 4 bottles of sauvignon blanc he brought that rainy afternoon) in the Edwardian Tigers eGroup:
A post by Tiger Mike Naser (who did not mention the excellent 4 bottles of sauvignon blanc he brought that rainy afternoon) in the Edwardian Tigers eGroup:
Our Lunch spread ordered by Tiger Cheah
The curries exposed for your geram.
Yesterday, 2nd Dec 2013, Tiger Cheah initiated a
curry lunch at Do Re Mi Building @ Jln PJU 1A/20b, Dataran Ara
Damansara, which has many excellent stalls. Tiger Cheah arrived early to book
hard-to-get table near The Kari Ayam Sempalit. The curries made by this
stall were really outstanding. The secrets are held by the mother of En. Dinesh
who manages the stall with efficiency. We could not get the recipes. Will try
again.
I sincerely recommend this place if you need excellent
curries. Car Parking is difficult. Please come early. Prices are very
reasonable. Cold beers are available !!
TQ a
mil to Tiger Cheah
Sunday, 27 October 2013
An English Tea
In keeping with the current top English TV series, Downton Abbey we are watching, just had cranberry scones with mixed berries jam and cream by Krystyn Cheah...typically English tea fare. The first time she had scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream was in Windsor 1997. Time has flown and Krystyn has grown.
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Dinner At Auntie Aini's Garden Cafe
Last night Mimi hosted dinner...again. This time it was at Auntie Aini's Garden Cafe in Nilai; a place introduced to her by a client and serves wonderfully authentic Negeri Sembilan malay cuisine.
I shall not go into detail of the location or how difficult it can be to locate the place at night nor its description; there are enough articles on the internet including GPS coordinates (here, here, here, here, here and many more). It was Mimi's second visit and she being also from Negeri Sembilan I trust her taste buds when she waxed lyrical about her first culinary experience there. As for me, I was more interested in the various masak lemak cili padi.
We arrived late as usual but Mimi had already pre-ordered the food and we were ushered to a table that could accommodate the 6 of us. Nothing to complain about the service.
The main courses that Mimi ordered (shown here in portions for 3):
(L-R) Pucuk paku masak kerang, sambal kupang, ayam kampung goreng, kangkung belacan, and signature dishes, daging salai masak lemak cili padi, telur itek masak lemak cili padi and the udang galah masak lemak tempoyak. There were of course many other dishes on the menu and the must try later would be the asam pedas and rendang offerings.
How do I rate the food that we had? The masak lemak cili api dishes were of course exquisite with the rich santan flavor cut with the sourness of belimbing and probably asam keping. I think they reduced the hotness for us with less cili api. The poached telur itek would have been better underdone with the yoke still able to ooze out. Tempoyak aficionados would call me an idiot (I am not a tempoyak fan) for having just tried a bit of the udang galah masak lemak tempoyak for taste. The gulai daging salai to me was just perfect and the ayam kampung goreng was well marinated (a tinge of asam or lime sourness) and fried the way most Malaysians like; crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.
I suspect vegetables may not be Auntie Aini's cup of tea. The kangkung belacan and pucuk paku goreng kerang although not over-fried, lacked more distinct flavor normally associated with the two dishes. Being a masak lemak place a kerabu pucuk paku with santan would have been a better choice. The kupang masak sambal was nice but rather ordinary.
However, this dessert was by no means ordinary. Homemade tapai with vanilla ice cream!
Auntie Aini? Well, she is both a personality and a character. Go meet her for yourself as Auntie Aini's Garden Cafe is a must visit destination on the Malaysian culinary map.
To Mimi, a big thank you.
Here's a preview:
I shall not go into detail of the location or how difficult it can be to locate the place at night nor its description; there are enough articles on the internet including GPS coordinates (here, here, here, here, here and many more). It was Mimi's second visit and she being also from Negeri Sembilan I trust her taste buds when she waxed lyrical about her first culinary experience there. As for me, I was more interested in the various masak lemak cili padi.
We arrived late as usual but Mimi had already pre-ordered the food and we were ushered to a table that could accommodate the 6 of us. Nothing to complain about the service.
The main courses that Mimi ordered (shown here in portions for 3):
How do I rate the food that we had? The masak lemak cili api dishes were of course exquisite with the rich santan flavor cut with the sourness of belimbing and probably asam keping. I think they reduced the hotness for us with less cili api. The poached telur itek would have been better underdone with the yoke still able to ooze out. Tempoyak aficionados would call me an idiot (I am not a tempoyak fan) for having just tried a bit of the udang galah masak lemak tempoyak for taste. The gulai daging salai to me was just perfect and the ayam kampung goreng was well marinated (a tinge of asam or lime sourness) and fried the way most Malaysians like; crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.
I suspect vegetables may not be Auntie Aini's cup of tea. The kangkung belacan and pucuk paku goreng kerang although not over-fried, lacked more distinct flavor normally associated with the two dishes. Being a masak lemak place a kerabu pucuk paku with santan would have been a better choice. The kupang masak sambal was nice but rather ordinary.
Auntie Aini? Well, she is both a personality and a character. Go meet her for yourself as Auntie Aini's Garden Cafe is a must visit destination on the Malaysian culinary map.
To Mimi, a big thank you.
Here's a preview:
Saturday, 28 January 2012
If Beer Be The Food Of Life; Drink On!
Beer Glorious Beer!!!
10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer
Beer drinkers rejoice: Your favorite brew may be healthier than you think.
For years, wine drinkers have indulged without guilt, reveling in the news that red wine can help protect against heart disease. Recent research shows that beer can also be good for what ails you, from reducing risk for broken bones to helping warding off diabetes and mental decline. It can even increase longevity, a large study suggests.
However, the key to tapping into beer’s benefits is moderation, meaning just one 12-ounce beer per day for women and two for men. Heavy drinking ups the threat of liver damage, some cancers, and heart problems. Bingeing on brewskis can also make you fat, since a 12-ounce regular beer has about 150 calories, while light beer has about 100.
Here are 10 surprising—and healthy—reasons to cheer about your next beer.
1. Stronger Bones
Beer contains high levels of silicon, which is linked to bone health. In a 2009 study at Tufts University and other centers, older men and women who swigged one or two drinks daily had higher bone density, with the greatest benefits found in those who favored beer or wine. However, downing more than two drinks was linked to increased risk for fractures.
For the best bone-building benefits, reach for pale ale, since a 2010 study of 100 types of beer from around the word identified these brews as richest in silicon, while light lagers and non-alcoholic beers
contained the least.
2. A Stronger Heart
A 2011 analysis of 16 earlier studies involving more than 200,000 people, conducted by researchers at Italy’s Fondazion di Ricerca e Cura, found a 31 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those who quaffed about a pint of beer daily, while risk surged in those who guzzled higher amounts of alcohol, whether beer, wine, or spirits.
More than 100 studies also show that moderate drinking trims risk of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 to 40 percent, Harvard reports. A beer or two a day can help raise levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol that helps keep arteries from getting clogged.
3. Healthier Kidneys
A study in Finland singled out beer among other alcoholic drinks, finding that each bottle of beer men drank daily lowered their risk of developing kidney stones by 40 percent. One theory is that beer’s high
water content helped keep kidneys working, since dehydration increases kidney stone risk.
It’s also possible that the hops in beer help curb leeching of calcium from bones; that “lost” calcium also could end up in the kidneys as stones.
4. Boosting Brain Health
A beer a day may help keep Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia at bay, researchers say.
A 2005 study tracking the health of 11,000 older women showed that moderate drinkers (those who consumed about one drink a day) lowered their risk of mental decline by as much as 20 percent, compared to non-drinkers. In addition, older women who downed a drink a day scored as about 18 months “younger,” on average, on tests of mental skills than the non-drinkers.
5. Reduced Cancer Risk
A Portuguese study found that marinating steak in beer eliminates almost 70 percent of the carcinogens, called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) produced when the meat is pan-fried. Researchers theorize that beer’s
sugars help block HCAs from forming.
Scientists also have found that beer and wine contain about the same levels of antioxidants, but the antioxidants are different because the flavonoids found in hops and grapes are different.
6. Boosting Vitamin Levels
A Dutch study, performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, found that beer-drinking participants had 30 percent higher levels of vitamin B6 levels in their blood than their non-drinking
counterparts, and twice as much as wine drinkers. Beer also contains vitamin B12 and folic acid.
7. Guarding Against Stroke
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that moderate amounts of alcohol, including beer, help prevent blood clots that block blood flow to the heart, neck and brain—the clots that cause ischemic stroke, the most common type.
8. Reduced Risk for Diabetes
For years, wine drinkers have indulged without guilt, reveling in the news that red wine can help protect against heart disease. Recent research shows that beer can also be good for what ails you, from reducing risk for broken bones to helping warding off diabetes and mental decline. It can even increase longevity, a large study suggests.
However, the key to tapping into beer’s benefits is moderation, meaning just one 12-ounce beer per day for women and two for men. Heavy drinking ups the threat of liver damage, some cancers, and heart problems. Bingeing on brewskis can also make you fat, since a 12-ounce regular beer has about 150 calories, while light beer has about 100.
Here are 10 surprising—and healthy—reasons to cheer about your next beer.
1. Stronger Bones
Beer contains high levels of silicon, which is linked to bone health. In a 2009 study at Tufts University and other centers, older men and women who swigged one or two drinks daily had higher bone density, with the greatest benefits found in those who favored beer or wine. However, downing more than two drinks was linked to increased risk for fractures.
For the best bone-building benefits, reach for pale ale, since a 2010 study of 100 types of beer from around the word identified these brews as richest in silicon, while light lagers and non-alcoholic beers
contained the least.
2. A Stronger Heart
A 2011 analysis of 16 earlier studies involving more than 200,000 people, conducted by researchers at Italy’s Fondazion di Ricerca e Cura, found a 31 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those who quaffed about a pint of beer daily, while risk surged in those who guzzled higher amounts of alcohol, whether beer, wine, or spirits.
More than 100 studies also show that moderate drinking trims risk of heart attacks and dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 to 40 percent, Harvard reports. A beer or two a day can help raise levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol that helps keep arteries from getting clogged.
3. Healthier Kidneys
A study in Finland singled out beer among other alcoholic drinks, finding that each bottle of beer men drank daily lowered their risk of developing kidney stones by 40 percent. One theory is that beer’s high
water content helped keep kidneys working, since dehydration increases kidney stone risk.
It’s also possible that the hops in beer help curb leeching of calcium from bones; that “lost” calcium also could end up in the kidneys as stones.
4. Boosting Brain Health
A beer a day may help keep Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia at bay, researchers say.
A 2005 study tracking the health of 11,000 older women showed that moderate drinkers (those who consumed about one drink a day) lowered their risk of mental decline by as much as 20 percent, compared to non-drinkers. In addition, older women who downed a drink a day scored as about 18 months “younger,” on average, on tests of mental skills than the non-drinkers.
5. Reduced Cancer Risk
A Portuguese study found that marinating steak in beer eliminates almost 70 percent of the carcinogens, called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) produced when the meat is pan-fried. Researchers theorize that beer’s
sugars help block HCAs from forming.
Scientists also have found that beer and wine contain about the same levels of antioxidants, but the antioxidants are different because the flavonoids found in hops and grapes are different.
6. Boosting Vitamin Levels
A Dutch study, performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, found that beer-drinking participants had 30 percent higher levels of vitamin B6 levels in their blood than their non-drinking
counterparts, and twice as much as wine drinkers. Beer also contains vitamin B12 and folic acid.
7. Guarding Against Stroke
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that moderate amounts of alcohol, including beer, help prevent blood clots that block blood flow to the heart, neck and brain—the clots that cause ischemic stroke, the most common type.
8. Reduced Risk for Diabetes
Drink up: A 2011 Harvard study of about 38,000 middle-aged men found that when those who only drank occasionally raised their alcohol intake to one to two beers or other drinks daily, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes dropped by 25 percent. The researchers found no benefit to quaffing more than two drinks. The researchers found that alcohol increases insulin sensitivity, thus helping protect against diabetes.
9. Lower Blood Pressure
Wine is fine for your heart, but beer may be even better: A Harvard study of 70,000 women ages 25 to 40 found that moderate beer drinkers were less likely to develop high blood pressure—a major risk factor for
heart attack—than women who sipped wine or spirits.
10. Longer Life
In a 2005 review of 50 studies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that moderate drinkers live longer. The USDA also estimates that moderate drinking prevents about 26,000 deaths a year,
due to lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
These benefits appear to apply in other countries as well, with an earlier study reporting that, “if European beer drinkers stopped imbibing, there would be a decrease in life expectancy of two years—and much unhappiness.”
9. Lower Blood Pressure
Wine is fine for your heart, but beer may be even better: A Harvard study of 70,000 women ages 25 to 40 found that moderate beer drinkers were less likely to develop high blood pressure—a major risk factor for
heart attack—than women who sipped wine or spirits.
10. Longer Life
In a 2005 review of 50 studies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that moderate drinkers live longer. The USDA also estimates that moderate drinking prevents about 26,000 deaths a year,
due to lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
These benefits appear to apply in other countries as well, with an earlier study reporting that, “if European beer drinkers stopped imbibing, there would be a decrease in life expectancy of two years—and much unhappiness.”
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
The Joy Luck Club At Syam's Sanctuary
It was about that time again; time for another gathering at Syam's Sanctuary in Ulu Langat for Colonel Mike Naser's Joy Luck Club. This email was in the circulation on 5th May 2011.
"Dear friends,
Its time for fun, camaraderie, and camping free from the urban hustle and pollution. The food will embellish your taste buds for some time.
The Joy Luck Club will meet on the 13th to 15th May at OP Sham's Hideaway in Hulu Langat. Please have no fear coz Tiger Ah Swee is the Catering Adviser; Tiger Ah Kooi is the Chief Sommelier, and I am the Catering Toolpusher. Major-General Datuk Amin Salleh is the overall supervisor. May I reiterate the programme in summary:
13th May: ETA Sham's Hideaway at 1700 hrs. ETD 1830 hrs for Veg Fish Farm for Thai food at Km 4, Jln Ampang, Hulu Langat. Return to base at 2300 hrs, and continue happy hours.
14th May: BBQ lunch. Dinner of Soup Ayam a'la Penang and spicy Moroccan cous cous Salad.
15th May: Kampung Food. Kerabu of various types; ulam-ulam with sambal belacan, budu and cencaluk; fried salted fish; asam pedas; steamed Tilapia and Wen Yi, and cat fish masak tempoyak. Followed by Tiramisu.
ETD 1630 hrs for home.
You are most most welcome to join us for camping, or come just for lunch on any date. The closing date is 2200 hrs on 9th May 11. Please info us, in time, for ration planning and portion control. Don't worry if you don't partake in alcohlic drinks, there is plenty of soft beverages. We regret that you cannot bring children below 18 for obvious reason. This is a club for adults.
Come and have fun."
It was as usual great catching up with the usual culprits but this time around Colonel Mike was recovering from a bad flu and was out of action for much of Saturday evening. True to his army training, Syam had contingency plans for dinner on Saturday; Annie's Hainanese chicken rice.
"Dear friends,
Its time for fun, camaraderie, and camping free from the urban hustle and pollution. The food will embellish your taste buds for some time.
The Joy Luck Club will meet on the 13th to 15th May at OP Sham's Hideaway in Hulu Langat. Please have no fear coz Tiger Ah Swee is the Catering Adviser; Tiger Ah Kooi is the Chief Sommelier, and I am the Catering Toolpusher. Major-General Datuk Amin Salleh is the overall supervisor. May I reiterate the programme in summary:
13th May: ETA Sham's Hideaway at 1700 hrs. ETD 1830 hrs for Veg Fish Farm for Thai food at Km 4, Jln Ampang, Hulu Langat. Return to base at 2300 hrs, and continue happy hours.
14th May: BBQ lunch. Dinner of Soup Ayam a'la Penang and spicy Moroccan cous cous Salad.
15th May: Kampung Food. Kerabu of various types; ulam-ulam with sambal belacan, budu and cencaluk; fried salted fish; asam pedas; steamed Tilapia and Wen Yi, and cat fish masak tempoyak. Followed by Tiramisu.
ETD 1630 hrs for home.
You are most most welcome to join us for camping, or come just for lunch on any date. The closing date is 2200 hrs on 9th May 11. Please info us, in time, for ration planning and portion control. Don't worry if you don't partake in alcohlic drinks, there is plenty of soft beverages. We regret that you cannot bring children below 18 for obvious reason. This is a club for adults.
Come and have fun."
It was as usual great catching up with the usual culprits but this time around Colonel Mike was recovering from a bad flu and was out of action for much of Saturday evening. True to his army training, Syam had contingency plans for dinner on Saturday; Annie's Hainanese chicken rice.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Pre-CNY At Sham's Sanctuary Last Weekend
Tiger Putera Colonel Mike Naser and His Merry Men again organized a wonderful weekend of camaraderie, food and drink at Ulu Langat last week (Friday 28th to Sunday 30th January). OP Syam and wife Annie were as usual, wonderful hosts at Sham's Sanctuary.
This time around there was a difference; Saturday (29th January) lunch was at the Veg Fish Farm Thai Restaurant (a couple of reviews here, and here) nearby and we were supposed to be joined by more than 20 other people.
The 18 year old restaurant was a surprise; I had not heard of it before even after having lived in the Ampang area for more than 20 years! It is definitely well-worth a re-visit. We ended up with almost 30 people for lunch that day including 3 Female Tigers; Liz Tan, Liew Suet Fun and Chris Cheng.
Photos of dishes at Veg Fish Farm Thai Restaurant courtesy of the stated bloggers:
This time around there was a difference; Saturday (29th January) lunch was at the Veg Fish Farm Thai Restaurant (a couple of reviews here, and here) nearby and we were supposed to be joined by more than 20 other people.
The 18 year old restaurant was a surprise; I had not heard of it before even after having lived in the Ampang area for more than 20 years! It is definitely well-worth a re-visit. We ended up with almost 30 people for lunch that day including 3 Female Tigers; Liz Tan, Liew Suet Fun and Chris Cheng.
Photos of dishes at Veg Fish Farm Thai Restaurant courtesy of the stated bloggers:
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