This is my old time favourite, you can find it everywhere in market, in west Malaysia, they sell it at Pasar Malam or night market, in Sabah you'll find it in Tamu or weekly bazaar. Apam balik is my favourite because I love sweet things, it's a thick Malaysian version of pancake spread with crushed fried peanut, sugar and margerine. It might look a little like the western pan cake but unlike the western version, while the bottom side is cooked, the topside is covered with generous amount of crushed peanut, sugar and margerine (sometimes they added corn to give it sweet flavour). Just when the bottom turn golden brown, it is folded in half, and ready to be served. Normally at Tamu in Putatan or around Penampang, it normally cost from RM1-RM1.50, and it served up to 10 pcs too. Now, now..one for each person ya..by the way, best to eat it while it's hot and with your favourite hot drinks.
I hope I spelled that name right, and before I go any further, I want to stress here and again to please don't judge food by its names. I don't understand how people could give such a name for a such a sweet delicacy. I really love this kuih Bongkol, that I took a second helping (shy shy already), but come to think of it, I should take third helping (sigh..what an opportunity loss). It's sweet and soft soaked in coconut syrup (gula nila). I was informed that it's a local cake but not easy to get unless you really look around for it. The local cake main ingredient is rice flour and coconut milk, hence explain the soft texture. They are wrapped in banana leaves that added to its rich flavour. It cost about 60 cent a pieace and definitely worth to try, again I think this is best served during tea break.
My apologies to all for the being really inconsistent in updating this food blog. My camera been faulty for a month, therefore unable to upload photos. But no fear, I have it fixed as new now. Here's to start the new year articles about Kek Lapis Sarawak or in English Sarawak Layer Cakes. These cakes are made famous in the state of Sarawak. The colours and pattern on the cakes are really exquisite, it left you wondering how on earth they come up with that design. Well after gone to Kek Lapis Dayang Salhah in a village near water front kuching, I realise it took sweat and patience having to endure long hour of heat in the kitchen. The process took aproximately less than an hour(for experts) but maybe more for amature. There're over 50 flavours of the cakes at the store, all placed neatly on the rack for customer to choose from. I was told by the employees that all the cakes on the rack would be sold out by end of the day (must be good bonus for the employees). The best sellers are Kek India, Kek Asam Manis and Kek sisik ikan. I bought Kek India which is actually layered with chocolate and butter cake, kek blueberry and swissrolls. Swissrolls are layer cakes that need additional job to produce wonderful pattern on the cakes, its actually put together with Jam, and its required to be stored in fridge for longer selves life. Most kek lapis Sarawak can be stored in the fridge for a month. These cakes price range from RM10 to RM20 per piece, a good deal since we bought straight from the baker. My verdict about this cake is good but it goes well with hot coffee for teabreak.
kitchen far far away. It was fun and after the having the evening playing with tame fishes, we went up to Perkasa Hotel for dinner. It was ok, not too bad. I had a good meal, but I don't fancy the place because there's lots of flies here in Ranau.
I really don't know how to explain what this to my foreign friends, it's tiny round ball like and cover with icing sugar to taste. I called it golf-ball cookies, it is locally known as kuih makmor, and some country I believe called it Ghee-ball. When I was working in west Malaysia, I couldn't find any of these type of cookies anywhere. Not sure why, maybe they don't have commercial value, however it is widely found in Sabah, my home town. Even then, every family came out with different recipe. I use margerine for the ingredient and sometimes if I want to spurge on good ingredients, I'll use ghee, which is awfully pricey. The ingredients is vastly flexible, so it's no right and wrong to these, its all in the mixing and type of ingredients you use.
Last Saturday, I went to a wedding reception for my ex-high school mate. The event is held at Ocean Seafood village near Wawasan Plaza and Promenade Hotel. Its very popular place to organise a big event, it can accommodate up to 3 wedding at one time. Before I move on about the food. I really have to complain about the parking space, imagine a place where there're 3 weddings happening at same time, and to add to my frustration is when it rained that day. No parking, wet pavement and with cars honking at you when you cross the road to the restaurant. Despite meeting my old friends, it really dampen my mood and in fact I decided not have my wedding in Ocean. There, I said it, I won't want to put my guests through the same thing happen to me.
The night dinner starter is Three Hot & COld Combination which is surprisingly yummy and crispy. Then, we moved on to main courses which are sea cucumber soup with crab meat, Steam Red snapper, Deep fried prawns, crispy roasted chicken, braised sea-cucumber & mushroom with brocoli, steamed rice with lotus leaf (individually wrapped and this is also my favourite) and finally Shanghai 
Pancake(also I like coz it's warm and crispy) as the dessert.
I seriously been trying to avoid writing about food. Ever since I started this blog, I've gained weight gradually, until I step on the bathroom scale..Yikkkss, I need to make certain rules in eating. No doubt my blog makes me hungry and being in Sabah is no help either. Too many good food.
Prior to this, I went for 6 mth grueling training that involved endurance walk, climb and kayaking that put me in real great shape, best shape I even been in years. I feel really bad that after having work (or put to work) so hard in getting trim and shapely figure, I've let go of my sensibilty and gain kg(s) back, and even some extra kg too, don't know where that come from. SO now, my plan to get me a decent weight is by maintaining a balance meal, breakfast a must, lunch & dinner, I don't believe skipping meal can get me the ideal weight, I might lose weight but I don't think it will last. The second is hard for me, which I plan not to have anymore food in between meals. cut back on my favourite snacks, drink more water and start on my light exercise regime (thats the hardest part) I also decided that no more fried char kuey tiaw or fried rice for me, from now on, I will eat noodles soup. Sounded bland but if that's the price of getting me in shape for my wedding, then, one small soup noodles for me please.
Today, I feel like sharing recipe of my favorite cookies which I am too lazy to make this festive seasons. The cookies are well-known in Malaysia and normally served throughout the year. I hope you will enjoy them as light snacks or tit-bits for your guest. Children and adult alike love them. I tried these cookies last Christmas and its really easy to make and quite delicious.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or for me, I just use some left over butter and spread thin layer on the cookie tray.
When dough is firm, form into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 12 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. These also depends on type of oven you use, if smaller oven oven, then you need to make sure to reduce the baking time. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, line another baking pan or tray with parchment or wax paper. Sprinkle about half of the confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar onto the bottom of the pan and then place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Put the remaining sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and then sprinkle the tops of the cookies.
Malaysia has varieties of food, but rice is our staple food. Rice is normally served with fish, meat, vegetable etc. Our meal range from simple (like fish,rice with gravy) to more abundance dishes (Bryanni rice,rendang,satay,lontong,lemang). I prefer my fried catfish with some gravy on my rice. Sometimes I have roast pork, veggie and rice, balance meal I guess. Such meals you can get anywhere around Malaysian's restaurant or even small roadside stall. Price would range from RM3-RM8. But no matter how much it is, you get a full meal anywhere you go. You can also have your meal "to-go" or tapau. I think compare to KL or west Malaysia, a decent meal in Kota Kinabalu is more expensive that's RM5 a dish with 2 veggie and 2 pieaces of small chicken.
If you choose fish to chicken, then the price will slightly higher. I had a shock of my life when I have lunch downstair at the federal office cafeteria, the cashier charged me RM5 for 2 pieces of small chicken and tauge veggies, I even asked her how she get to that amount. She said 1 piece of chicken is RM1.50 (what the...!!!), I paid the amount because there a long queue behind me but I am satisfied that I make the clerk felt uncomfortable, the next day with same amount of food, she look at me and say, for you special price lah, RM3.50, there you go...hehe.
Dad always like to drop by these joint for light drinks and snacks. There're many type of local chinese cakes, varies from traditional to modern ones. But none that can struck me dumbfounded when I saw the big newspaperclip on the wall, its one of the cakes, it has frothy white cream on top of the 
golden brown flat base, it looks so interesting. But what struck me is the name, my sister said its called Niu Xi or translate as cow dung, maybe she's wrong but it doesn't look anything like cow dung, I think it looks more like UFO, so I bought 2 pieces. It cost me RM1.20 each, abit pricey. My verdict, well, I don't like the smell (and no, it doesn't smell like cow dung, more like eggs.)The white layer is actually egg white beaten til light, the yellow is the yolk which is bake. I think the taste will be much better if eaten when its freshly bake. I should have come and buy it when it just came out of the oven. 
and it doesn't look good if we are the only customer in the restaurant. We had 4 main dishes, 2 desserts and can drinks in fancy glasses. Apart from slow food delivery service, the food is mediocore and quite common, grilled meat and fish, chicken cooked on hot pan. The desserts however is actually good and is complimentary of the restaurant.You can see the pics the pudding on my previous posting in comfort food. All these amount up to RM74.
I am always at loss when people ask where to eat, I feel that if the food turn out not up to their expectation, they are going to give you that look or say sarcarstic things like, so expensive or not good lah. Doh, coz I give simillar comment whenever people make wrong choice for restaurant. Remember guys and gals, think before you eat, we have to plan where to go before we start choosing place to eat. So the other day, my cousin ask, where are we going to eat ah?? The only snack corner that comes up my head is May May's at Lintas, it's located at the same row as Maybank. They sell varieties of sandwhiches, mantou with fillings that blows your mind. Cheese, bacon, shredded chicken, tuna and etc. They cost in range of RM3-RM6. It took me few minutes to choose my meal, they are so many mouthwatering meal sets that really spoil you to bits. I think the environment is sort of Kopi tiam or Kedai Kopi style but you can always meet up with friends and families for a quick bite here.
Hustle & bustle of everyday pressure would lead to stress and if these issues are not properly taken care of, you might face serious health risk. That's why we can see fitness franchise is highly in demand nowadays, people are more aware that there're so many illness that could prevent them from enjoying quality life, what better way than to prevent it from happening, the saying "to prevent is better than to cure" come home to us. We heard that so many times and yet we priorities different aspect in life. After we bought a house (which is a neccessity now), we will need to look into homeloan (if we already have that, we will now considering refinance home loan to get a better offer in refinancing), also we will need cheap car insurance, credit cards reduction plan or credit card consolidation, term life insurance and many more, we invested so much on these things, yet the more you seems to earn, the more you seems to spend on acquiring asset that require you to spend even more, for instance, if you buy a car, you will need to consider a cheap car insurance. If you bought a house, you will consider to have home renovation which require home improvement loans and maybe home insurance. Can you see the pattern? The more you work, the more you probably earn, and the more you need to spend and the deeper you sink into debts. For me, I have learn my lesson the hard way, I used to worry over handphone bills, when Malaysian first been introduced to handphone, I also wanted to look hip and cool, so I register for a handphone line, I didn't even bat an eyelash when they said, the access fee is RM90 per month (that was 10 years back), so expensive and imagine if you times 12, warggg!! A lot hah? Needless to say I spend most on my credit cards debts consist of handphone bills. Now that's history but the issues still the same, to keep up with our lifestyle, we always focus on money issues, but what 
about our health? How do you handle your stress level? For me, I either go on my orbitrek and start paddling away, then I would sit in from of my telly and maybe have some chocolate (not too much) and it even better if you share, I feel less guilty if I share my food, hehehe. Do you think eating would relieve stress? Not really although some food like chocolate contents phenylethylamine could help to boost people's happy mood. I would say do things in moderation and always prioritise family & health over everything else, just remember if anything happens to you, how would your family cope? So why not pick a family day and go for a nice dinner with family or friends and then order a delicious mouth-watering desserts afterward like the oreo cheese cake we ordered from friend that cost only RM44 per kg (remember sharing is the best part!!). My comfort food are actually snacks (cheesy snacks) but I love cakes, pudding (the top left pics is pudding I ordered at Bella Italia, Kuching), and Venetta Ice Cream Cake from supermarket when I am craving for something sweet, mind you I have sweet tooth and proud of it!!
Here I am again, blogging about Asian Food. I hope people don't mistake me craving for food all the time and maybe a big fan of Chinese Restaurant. Hmmm, I suppose I am a big fan of Chinese cooking, growing up eating mainly Chinese food definitely give me a distinct preferences towards Chinese delicacies. Although I am keen to venture into another style of cooking, mainly because of the diversify culture in Malaysia. I have tried, Malay cooking, Indian food and of course Chinese food too. Even Sabah and Sarawak has specialities, Tuaran Mee and Laksa Sarawak have rave reviews from local and tourist alike, making Malaysia such beautiful and excited place for food-manics!
stuffs) and Thai Restaurant (e.g. Tham Nak Thai in Api-api Centre). I am glad the past weeks we went to lots of restuarant for dinner. I can always indulge in my not talented photograph skills(sigh).
