My Fatty's Birthday at Chynna - KL Hilton

His special of 6th June 2010, where should I bring him to celebrate? KL Hilton is one of the place which he used to mumbling beside my ears, but I used to bane this place for dining. Due to, today he is the KING, I have no objection for this place. So, i decided to bring him along for this chinese restaurant.


For me, Chynna is a modern + traditional restaurant. Overall, the ambiance was comfortable and occupied with traditional antique equipment. It others way, they serving for modern and palate dim sum.

Table setting with silk menu. Why they provide two chinese tea cup?

Both of us were waiting for the dim sum. It took pretty long hours for waiting a dim sum

Tea master pouring a welcome tea. That the reason for two tea cups on the table. One for the welcome tea, another for your own preference tea. What a good idea for the tea master to impress a guest whose dine here.

Fresh Prawns Dumpling

A must for a dim sum

Steamed Chicken Feet

Our favourite

Dumpling in Hot Sauce

Double Boiled Seafood Dumpling with Birds Net

Sweetness of the soup with seafood combination and fresh scallops, fish maw, fresh prawns, dried scallop, and birds net. What a tempting soup.

Steamed Scallop "Cheong Fun"

Steamed Dumplings

Another must for dim sum

See how satisfied on his face. hehehe

Chinese Lantern with us

Happy Birthday to my honey~~

Overall was a good experience. Our next target is IKETERU

Chynna Restaurant

3, Jalan Stesen Sentral,

50470 Kuala Lumpur

03 - 22642264

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A Waddling Wayfarer

Every year around this time, a mated pair of mallard ducks comes to spend a few weeks in the front yard of some neighbors about two blocks away. Without fail, they come to that same house, hang out for 2-3 weeks, and then fly away…probably back to the nearby lake.

I have to admit that I’ve secretly envied the lucky people who these ducks chose to be their hosts. When  I pass by, I wish that they would come stay in our yard for a while. I'd even put a little kiddie pool out for them to use. It would be like hosting web-footed foreign exchange students!

 Well, the other day, the female of the pair wandered all the way down to our place.

She liked the large puddle in front of the house.

I was hoping she would stay, so I put together a makeshift duck shelter under a low-hanging bush:

But she wasn't inclined to use it. She spent several hours sitting in the grass and enjoying the puddle, then took off just after dusk. 

I was a little worried about her because there was no sign of her mate.  Moreover, our neighborhood, although a quiet area, is really not a terribly safe place for a duck. They don’t seem to have any savvy or fear of cars, often waddling casually out into the streets...I worry that they may get knocked down. And, there are also raccoons in the neighborhood; a duck would be an easy target for them.

Anyway, here's to wishing this little wayfarer well in her travels and hoping she will be reunited with her mate.  And, Michelle and Lilly: if you're out there, as the lovers of water fowl that you are (and in Lilly's case, the water fowl that you are)...this one's for you.

Jicama what?! Jicama who?!

What the hell is Jicama? That was my initial thought when I ordered a salad from the café at my office in Tribeca but I figured that I had nothing to lose since they always make incredible lunches (don’t even get me started on the Creamy Tomato Soup with mini grill cheese croutons and drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction).

I discovered that Jicama is pronounced with a silent “J”, as in Jesus from Mehico. Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance. Jicama is a great source of vitamin c and is fat free—making it a superb on-the-go snack.

When I was making my fresh direct order this week, I saw that Jicama was in the house (doesn’t that sound better now that you know how to pronounce it?).

I decided that I was going to replicate my lunch – sure enough I found the recipe on Epicurious.com and ended up adding my own gourmet touch.

1 ears fresh corn
1 small mangoes, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
1/2 jicama, peeled, chopped or shredded
1 cup chopped red onion (I used Shallots)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I skipped this)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Serves 1 (me!)

Cook corn in pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain and cool corn. Cut off enough kernels and place corn in medium bowl. Add mangoes, jicama, red onion, cilantro and lime juice. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Serve cold.

Then I took the salad a step further – I served it over a bed of Mache lettuce (a.k.a Lambs lettuce) and added pan fried scallops that were sautéed in a touch of butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Et voila – mon souper!

The Perfect Summer Salad: Avocado & Hearts of Palm

Every time I go back home, I go through my mother's new cookbooks and photocopy the good stuff. I got this recipe from Panache, a kosher cookbook put together by 100 young Montrealers for the Montreal Jewish General Hospital's emergency department. This was light, fast and perfect for a BBQ (see my new suburban tag for BBQ suggestions!). It appealed to Naomi, who is a healthy one, and to the boys who were chowing on dogs and burgers.

It's easy, healthy (without screaming "healthy") and impresses a crowd. I made some edits...

Avocado & Hearts of Palm Salad
Montreal's Panache Cookbook
20 minutes
Serves 6-8 people

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp dijon or spicy mustard
1/2- 1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Salad:
Pint of chery tomatoes, halfed
can of 14 oz hearts of palms (drain and slice or by them already sliced at Whole Foods)
2-3 scallions, sliced
1-2 avocados, peeled and cubed
2-3 Tbsp pine nuts (I am obsessed with Sahale nuts lately, so I used Valdosta Pecans instead and yum! You can get them at most places now)
1-1 1/2 lbs steamed asparagus, cut into chunks (I skipped)

Combine dressing ingredients. Place tomatoes, asparagus, hearts of palm and scallions in a serving dish. Add dressing. Toss gently. Add avocados and nuts just before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Carmelita and Huge Dandelion Things

Grilled white and green asparagus, pistacio-tarragon emulsion, miners lettuce and hearts of palm salad -vegan 

We had a (mostly) smashing dinner at our neighborhood veggie restaurant last night. I say mostly because this place, Carmelita, can be hit or miss. Their seasonal menu always sounds fabulous, and you can get a great meal there...but sometimes not so great. Last night was definitely a hit...with only one little miss. For starters we had grilled asparagus (above) in a pistacio-tarragon sauce...hit! (Sorry about the dark shots)

We also had this deliciously moist foccacia with a tangy and citrusy sun-dried tomato pesto...hit!

Homemade foccacia, truffled artichoke-sun dried tomato spread -vegan

PizzaFor mains, I ordered this foraged mushroom and nettle/spinach pesto pizza, topped with mizuna rabe. The crust was absolutely perfect and very tasty, and the mushrooms were tender, grilled to perfection and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The nettle-spinach pesto was earthy, rich, and full of flavor, and the raw rabe on the top added a fresh and peppery finish...definitely a hit and the star of the evening!

Nettle-spinach pesto, grilled spring onion, foraged mushrooms, seasonal greens, balsamic -vegan option 

Now for the miss part...this would have been a perfect dish as well if the linguine weren't overcooked. Such a basic mistake...not sure how a place that makes the rest of the food so delicious and beautiful can screw up on pasta..but it appeared that they cooked the fresh pasta like you would have done dry pasta, and as I said, the result was not good...would have been lovely otherwise as all the other flavors and ingredients were well-conceived and very good. I loved the little chive flower garnishes.

Housemade linguine, snap peas, morels, chive-pistacio pesto - vegan

We took a bit of a walk around the neighborhood afterwards and cut through the food co-op parking lot...they really have lovely gardens surrounding their lot. You'll find all sorts of wonderful aromatic shrubs, herbs, and vegetables growing there. Last night, I was struck (not literally...the dandelions were very peaceful) by these extra large dandelions. They are growing about 5 -6 feet high! I think these are wild variety...not sure whether they are technically called dandelion, but I'm sure they are in the same family at any rate.

Update From the Comments: Apparently, these plants are most likely salsify...and they are in the same family as dandelions: Asteraceae.

mammoth dandelion-type plants (salsify), worthy of prehistoric times

Gourmet Cooking Club: Cara, Carrots & Cream Cheese

Since my arrival in NYC, I’ve joined a Gourmet Cooking Club where a bunch of us get together every month and we do a potluck dinner with a theme and at the end of the year we put together a cookbook of all of our recipes. Does life get any better than this? I have found my people.

My first Gourmet Club was last season, which was a picnic in Central Park and I made my signature Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Technically this was my initiation into the group and the Food Blog definitely gave me some “street cred”. These ladies are hardcore., as in one of them even took lessons at Cordon Bleu. Oh la la!!! They don’t make simple recipes, they don’t use mixes and everything they cook looks like it came from Jean-Georges’ kitchen. We are talking about fresh pizza, homemade fruit tarts, French Toast Casseroles… you get it.

Since my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread initiation, I have had some minor mishaps! Once my Coffee Cake broke and another time my Bubby Lucy cookies turned out limp – I killed a family recipe, brutal.



Tonight’s Gourmet Cooking Club is a “Farm to Table” theme – I wasn’t sure what I was going to make but I knew that I needed to redeem myself. Don’t get me wrong, these girls are great and we’re not competing against each other. This was more of a personal challenge (Oprah Style).



I realized that I’ve never made a real cake, like the one with two layers that you need to ice. I googled, I looked through cookbooks, checked out the archive of Braude Family Recipes and I decided I was going all the way. A standard rule in entertaining is to not make a recipe for the first time when you have guests. Your immediate family (circle of trust), your significant other, your doorman – these people are your trial and error crew – not your guests. Capiche?!



Tonight, I went against this golden rule and decided that I was going to make my first Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. This recipe came from FineCooking.com. Given that the cake is currently in my fridge – I can't tell you if it is actually good, but you know sometimes when you have that gut feeling. I will let the ladies of the Gourmet Club judge.



I am also recording the cake here, just in case the ride over to 57^th and Lexington isn’t smooth (24 streets and 2 avenues over in a New York cab is risky).



Classic Carrot Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Serve twelve to fourteen.

Yields one 9-inch layer cake.

For the cake

1 cup canola, corn, or vegetable oil; more for the pans

2 cups (9 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. table salt

4 large eggs

2-1/2 cups (8-3/4 oz.) lightly packed, finely grated carrots

2 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup raisins

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

12 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar

4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. table salt

Make the cake

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil and flour the sides of two 9x2-inch round cake pans, tapping out any excess flour. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil, eggs, carrots, brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, and vanilla on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just blended, about 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pans to loosen the cakes, invert them onto the rack, remove the pans, and carefully peel away the parchment. Set the cakes aside to cool completely before frosting.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with the mixer on medium speed until very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium high until blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Cover the frosting and set aside at room temperature until the layers are completely cool.



Carefully set one cake upside down on a large, flat serving plate. Using a metal spatula, evenly spread about 1-1/2 cups of the frosting over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining cake layer, upside down. Spread a thin layer (about 1/3 cup) of frosting over the entire cake to seal in any crumbs and fill in any gaps between layers. Refrigerate until the frosting is cold and firm, about 20 minutes. Spread the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. The cake is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. The flavors of this moist cake only improve with time, so feel free to bake and frost the cake up to a few days ahead.

Nutrition information (per serving): (perhaps too much information?)

Calories (kcal): 840; Fat (kcal): 54; Fat Calories (g): 480; Saturated Fat (g): 22; Protein (g): 8; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 20; Carbohydrates (g): 86; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 9; Sodium (mg): 550; Cholesterol (mg): 150; Fiber (g): 2;



Wish me luck! Off to the Gourmet Cooking Club!

Chef Cara

Bye Bye Big Apple

Live from the burbs in New Jersey – it’s the Sparaga/Braude family BBQ . With more than 100 sq ft of kitchen, Sherri and I tag teamed the “situation” under the supervision of Mom. Everyone pitched in, including Leebo who managed the BBQ and even Chip who did the groceries. Guests included the Boidmans in check with Lilly and the Kos from Atlanta.

The menu included: Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Geneve’s Moroccan Chicken, Second Helpings Coleslaw, Barefoot Contessa’s Corn Salad and Sherri’s Berry Crumble. The Corn Salad was the top contender with five star reviews from all. Basil, our favorite herb, makes this salad very summery! The berry crumble always gets rave reviews and is always fun with vanilla bean ice cream.



Barefoot Contessa Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients:

5 cobs of Corn (substitution: 2 cans of corn)

½ cup Basil, cut into Ribbons

½ cup diced Red Onion

3 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp Ground Pepper

We kicked off the salad by tossing the corn on the grill for 10-15 minutes; each cob was wrapped in tinfoil and seasoned with salt, pepper and oil. It’s best to soak the corn in water for a few hours prior to the BBQ so that they don’t burn. If you’re looking to skip a step – you can cook the corn in boiling water on the stove top or use corn from the can. Once the corn is cool, shuck it into a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Serve salad cold or at room temperature.



Chef Cara

Dark Times, Garden Update & Some Sunshine

I usually keep things cheery on this blog, but I've been feeling quite glum lately. With the horrifying situation in the Gulf of Mexico, and the horrendous violence and brutality at Conklin Farms exposed by MFA  last week...actually,  glum is an understatement. Try brokenhearted, angry, deeply saddened, and disgusted.

I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way. I mean it's extremely sad and disgusting that dairy/animal product industries exist at all, but it is especially so when things like that come to light. Likewise, although we are polluting the earth at an alarming rate in the best of times, the spill in the Gulf is a devastation. When I see the images of pelicans soaked in oil, all I can do is cry...and that's just one small part of it.

Of course, there are various ways to get involved and help with the rehabilitation efforts in the Gulf. And whereas sadly, that type of brutality is the rule rather than the exception in the dairy industry, at least MFA exposed the crimes at Conklin Farms, and hopefully those monstrous people will be brought to justice. No punishment could be too harsh for them in my opinion.

So, when I'm down, I spend time in the garden...it helps center me and reminds me to grateful. In this way and on a slightly brighter note, here are some lettuce, mesclun, cilantro, and rocket that are coming into harvest mode:

lettuce and mesclun

rocket and cilantro

 A resulting salad:

On the cabbage front, it's been an ongoing effort to repel the cabbage moth. I've been spraying the cabbages after every rain with a homemade garlic/chili-pepper barrier spray. The spray consists of garlic cloves, hot chilis, and a bit of sunflower oil liquified with water, and is meant to repel the moths. It's a long haul  trying to keep cabbages predator-proof and intact until harvest. I'm not sure I'm coming out on the winning end of that one this year.

Under the row cover behind the cabbages, you'll  find three rows of heirloom carrots, (hopefully) safe from the carrot rust fly.  In addition to the row cover, I also did a bit of companion planting with onions--the carrots are surrounded by them. Onions are supposed to repel the rust fly. June is an emergence time for this little fly, which like to lay their eggs around the carrots so their babies can feed on the roots...the problem is, I want to feed on those roots too.

Potatoes are coming along...I hope they are busy growing tubers.

Spinach is coming onto the scene as well:

But, these little mustard mizuna sprouts are trailing behind their spinach-y neighbors:

I separated a rather large clump of garden sorrel into two pots...never a shortage of sorrel around here:

Kale is going to seed, which I'll collect for an early autumn planting:

And this is kind of exciting...it looks like I will be getting a few chickpeas! As an experiment, I planted four little chickpea sprouts about 2 months ago...and here are the four little plants beginning to set their flowers...I've never eaten green chickpeas before, and I'm looking forward to it.

Soon, I'll be transplanting my tomato starts outdoors...but my peppers and eggplants are still very small, so I don't hold out a lot of hope for getting a harvest from those:

And now, some sunshine:

A few days ago, Blessed Mama from the Blessed Vegan Life blog, graciously bestowed the Sunshine Award upon this blog. I want to thank Blessed Mama very sincerely for this award: Thank you, Blessed Mama, most sincerely!  If you haven't done so, check out her blog...she feeds five hungry vegans everyday with delicious vegan creations from her kitchen!

Now, as is the custom, I am behooved to pass this award on to other worthy recipients...but not being one to follow rules especially well, I simply convey this award to all vegan bloggers everywhere...you are inspiring, talented, soulful, and compassionate! In this (largely) uncaring world it can sometimes make the difference between a grey day and a bright day just knowing that there are other like-minded people out there. You are all a little ray of sunshine for me.

It has been a brutal week at my work, so we're heading out of town  for some fun and play. Hope everyone has a good one.

Ciao for now.

Roasted Ratatouille, Foxy Love and More...

Above was a quick and delicious supper that really puts you in the mood for summer...a combination of roasted veggies based on ratatouille: yellow and green summer squash, aubergine (aka eggplant), peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and leek. Topped with fresh thyme and some orange zest (not in picture)...it's simple, but wonderfully tasty.

And now, a treat for the eyes. Recently, I ordered some original art prints from My Zoetrope. She is a wonderfully talented woman; be sure to check out her blog, and her artwork!

Entitled: Foxy Love

Entitled: Teeter Totter

And, she sends  a lovely little notecard along with the order...

I must say, I am ever so charmed by this asparagus man! Notice the letter 'A' on his y-fronts :)