Who likes fish and chips?? I can see a lot of hands raised!! Of course, I love this dish from time to time too. Fish and chips is the classic English takeaway food and is the national food of England. It became popular in the 1860’s when railways began to bring fresh fish straight from the east coast to the cities over night. Traditionally, fish and chips are eaten out of newspaper. Nowadays, small wooden forks are provided and the fish and chips are wrapped in greaseproof paper.

White fish such as cod, haddock, huss, plaice is deep fried in flour batter and is eaten with chips. In Northern England, fish and chips is often served with mushy peas. There are various recipes available for fish and chips. Most of the fish and chips from the takeaway is a basic water and flour batter, a little baking soda and a little vinegar to create lightness as they create bubbles in the batter. Other recipes may use beer or milk batter, where these liquids are often substitutes for water. I think beer batter is one of the most popular ones and the one that I really love.

Not too far from where I live, there is a famous pub called The Mayflower that serves up very yummy fish and chips. The portion is really big.They use different kind of batter, which is really light and crispy. I think, they add some breadcrumbs in the batter. It was a while ago when I last visited the pub.

So, I decided to create one of the Britain’s national dishes – fish and chips at home! It may not be as good as the one at the pub, but, it was good enough to satisfy my sinful cravings. I chose to use sustainable cod. Cod is always my favourite fish, its firm and fine flesh is great to be cooked just in any way you want.

If you fish and chips with a slight twist, you can try this that I posted a while ago!

Recipe: Fish & Chips

Ingredients:

For the fish:

Cod, 4 x 200g

Plain flour, 150g plus 2 tbsp

Baking powder, 1 tsp

Salt, 1/2 tsp

Beer, 250ml

Sunflower oil (for deep frying), about 2 litre

For the chips:

Potatoes (cut into chunky chips and soaked in water), 500g

Sunflower oil (for deep frying), about 1 litre

For the mushy peas: (optional)

Petit pois, 300g

Butter, 1 tbsp

or purchase a tin of mushy peas

Method:

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunky slices and place in a saucepan. Pour in water to cover and bring to the boil and cook until just starting to soften. Drain and leave to cool. Once cool enough, can put in the fridge to chill a littler before deep frying.

2. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Season on both sides. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.

3. Cook the peas following packet instructions. Drain, leaving behind some liquid, then stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. Mash with a masher or whizz with a hand blender for a smoother finish. Set aside.

4. Mix flour with the salt and baking powder into a big mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour half the beer into the well and whisk, gradually incorporating the flour from around the bowl to make a thick batter. Whisk in the remaining beer. Cover and leave to stand for 1 hour in the fridge.

5. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough (test it with a small chunk of potato, if oil starts steadily bubbling, then the temperature is good).  Add half the potatoes and fry for 10-12 minutes until golden. Repeat for the rest of the chunky chips. Drain the chips on kitchen paper, keep the chips hot in a moderate oven while frying the second batch, and the fish.

6. Pat both of fillets with flour (2 tbsp), shake off excess. Check the temperature of the oil to make sure it’s not too hot after frying the chips. Dip a piece of fish in the batter until completely coated. Fry for about 4 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper on a plate and keep warm in the oven under moderate heat (along with the chips) while coating and frying the remaining pieces. Serve hot with the chips, lemon wedges, mushy peas, ketchup (for the chips) and tartare sauce (optional – for the fish).

Vietnam has a lot to offer. After spending some time in sight-seeing, immersing in the local culture and savouring delicious Vietnamese food; the idea of spending time under the sun doing nothing on a beautiful island was very inviting! I think Vietnam is a great destination for beach holiday. Its coastline stretches the entire length of the country, almost 3000km. Stunning white sandy beaches fringed by coconut palms and lapped by the warm South China Sea offer peace and tranquillity.

In the past few years a small selection of international class hotels have been built along this otherwise undeveloped coastline. Da Nang is one good example of upcoming popular beach destination. Beach resorts are sprawling on the shores of Da Nang Bay, which is one the most beautiful and unspoiled locations in Central Vietnam.

Further down south from Da Nang, another beach holiday destination has to be Nha Trang. Nha Trang is situated 1,350-kilometres from Hanoi and 450-kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. Not too far away from the airport, there’s where a jewel can be found – Six Senses Hideway Ninh Van Bay. Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay sits on dramatic Ninh Van Bay, with its impressive rock formations overlooking the South China Sea, white sandy beach and towering mountains behind, all adding to the sense of being luxuriously at one with nature. The exclusive property also presents the reality of the destination, with an architectural style reflecting the traditions of Vietnam.

We landed at the airport and saw the sign of Six Sense Hideway with my name on it. We were welcomed with chilled bottled water, which was fantastic for a hot day! The lady suggested that it would take 60 minutes by car to reach Six Senses Hideaway lounge in Nha Trang City. Then, a 20-minute ride on a boat to get to the paradise. We were waiting at the lounge, sipping away a glass of chilled lemongrass drink while waiting for others to be transferred to the island.

Upon arrival, our butler greeted us and brought us to our beach pool villa on a buggy. Her friendliness impressed us. As soon as we stepped in our villa, we were blown away by the design and the space! An exclusive plunge pool is just right in front of the villa with direct access to the beach.

The overall design of the villa gives a sense of environmental friendly and use of natural materials, it’s just like Robinson Crusoe in a luxury way! Everything can be seen simple but creatively put together, the word of comfort shouts out from every corner! Of course, the outdoor shower is very inviting too.

On the second floor of the villa, there’s where the dining area and a big living area are. It’s ideal to spend a lazy afternoon under the fan reading your favourite book while enjoying the warm sea breeze and the stunning view of the island. Nothing could be much better than getting all the privacy that you want. For those who want to be pampered and spoiled, Six Senses Spa is there waiting for you, offering all types of treatments and massages. I think, that’s what I call life when you can just relax and think of nothing.

Our stay at Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay, even though short but it was a memorable one. The tranquillity and comfort were just what we needed before exploring our next destination….

Ho Chi Minh City

Our last destination in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Pham Ngu Lao is the heart of backpacker area. Accommodations are plenty. Many shops are within reasonable walking distance and there are just lots of eateries and tour agencies that you don’t have to find your way getting what you may need. Some of the sights in Ho Chi Minh City:

1. War Remnants Museum

Shocking photo journalism of the Vietnam / USA war, very upsetting, but important for us to see and remember how terrible war is. There are some interesting exibits and information regarding the war, agent orange and weapons. An array of heartbreaking photos of those who suffered and born with defects caused by the use of defoliants. 8 Vo Van Tan, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

2. Cho Ben Thanh Market

You can buy almost everything at Ben Thanh Market with crowded maze of stalls selling an enormous variety of goods including an large selection of fabrics, clothes, shoes, bags, chopsticks, ceramics, meat, seafood, produce, flowers, plastics, hats, embroidered linens, lacquer, baskets, cosmetics, kitchen appliances, souvenirs and much more. There are also food stalls. Well, I couldn’t help but got myself a glass of Che again!

3. Pho 24 & Pho Quynh

Get enough fix of Pho before leaving Vietnam is a must! We tried both Pho 24  and Pho Quynh, both situated in Pham Ngu Lao. I personally think both are as good. The portion at Pho Quynh came in a smaller but lots of herbs were given. As for Pho 24, I think the portion was bigger.

4. Mekong Delta

If you have some time to spare while in HCMC, make a trip of to Mekong Delta is definitely a great experience to have. Boats, houses and markets float upon the endless rivers, canals and streams. You can easily purchase a 1 day tour from the travel agencies. I would advise to shop around for the best price and try to negotiate. Even if the price is pretty standard but we managed to get a few dollars off as we bought bus tickets to our next destination from the same agency too. We truly enjoyed the journey on the boat along narrow waterways and visited some orchards and local houses. We visited a small factory that produces coconut candies too. Everything was manually done, unbelievable!

Char Kway Teow/炒粿條/Fried Flat Rice Noodles, is my old-time favourite and popular dish in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Many of us will relate this dish to Penang whenever it is mentioned. And yes, Penang Char Kway Teow is indeed something that shouldn’t be missed when one visits Penang. Every time I visit Penang, I always make sure I have Char Kway Teow a few times before I leave! Apart from this dish, Penang Asam Laksa is another one that I make sure I savour too!

Never did I know that there is a story behind this dish. In its early days, Char Kway Teow was mostly sold by fishermen and farmers who doubled up as food peddlers at night to supplement their income; they used to use leftovers from meals to whip up this dish, hence its multiple ingredient mix.

Fresh flat rice noodles of 1cm is stir fried with ingredients like prawns, eggs, deshelled cockles, bean sprouts, slices of Chinese dried sausages (lap cheong), fishcake, Chinese chives, fresh chilli paste and seasoned with light and dark soya sauce. Yes, it does sound like there are lots of ingredients, which make this dish so scrumptious! For those that can’t take spiciness, of course, chilli paste can be opted out. When I order my Char Kway Teow at a hawker’s stall, I normally say, “Extra bean sprouts and more chilli”.

To me, Char Kway Teow is equivalent to Pad Thai in Thailand. Though there are slight differences in ingredients and seasonings between these two dishes. Otherwise, both look pretty similar.

Long time ago, a perfect plate of Char Kway Teow was cooked on charcoal stove, which gave a great smoky flavour to the dish. Use of pork fat and crispy pork lard in stir-frying was common. Even until now, some Chinese hawkers’ places still use pork fat and crispy pork lard, I believe. This though, applies only to Char Kway Teow served by Chinese food vendors. For the Muslim population in Malaysia, Char Kway Teow is called Kwetiau Goreng. Ingredients like beef and chicken are quite commonly added too.

Making Char Kway Teow at home is easy. Being miles away from Malaysia, I have always been making this dish to satisfy my cravings. My version of Char Kway Teow is very simple, I use only eggs, prawns, fishcake, bean sprouts (lots of them that give freshness and crunchy texture), and spring onions (to substitute Chinese chives). Of course, homemade chilli paste is mandatory for me! Even if less ingredients are used, the taste is just as fantastic!

I don’t use pork fat nor pork lard for health reason and I guess, most of us at home may not have easy access to these compared to vegetable oil. So, vegetable oil is a better option for me to make this dish. I am not a big fan of cockles, but you can definitely add them to have more flavours and texture. Talking about texture, I tend to add bean sprouts at the very last stage to maintain its crunchiness and freshness. If you prefer to have softer texture of bean sprouts, just cook for a few more minutes.

Recipe: Char Kway Teow/炒粿條/Fried Flat Rice Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Fresh flat rice noodles (or dried thick rice sticks), 500g

Vegetable oil, 2-3 tbsp

Prawns (shelled & deveined), 250g

Eggs, 2-3

Bean sprouts (trimmed off brown parts), 120g (or more if you like)

Spring onions or Chinese chives, 3-4 stalks (cut into 5cm)

Fishcake, 100g (sliced)

Garlic, 3-4 cloves (finely chopped)

Chili paste (sambal olek), 1-2 tbsp (depends on how spicy you like)

Note: If you prefer to make simple chili paste from scratch at home instead of using those from the shops, you can prepare in big batches and freeze in small quantity (about 1 tbsp or less each) wrapped in cling film and formed into small packages. You will then have homemade chili paste at your disposal when you need. I make big batches by using about 300g dry chilies, soaked and deseeded. Blend until become a paste. Then, scoop about a tablespoon of the chili paste and place on a small pre-cut square cling film and form little package. Repeat until finish.

Seasoning:

Dark soya sauce, 2 tbsp

Light soya sauce, 2 tbsp

Oyster sauce, 0.5 tbsp

White pepper, to taste

Water, about 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all seasoning ingredients. Then set aside.

2. If using fresh flat rice noodles, the noodles usually come stuck together, gently separate them. If they are too oily, place on a kitchen towel to soak up some oil. If dried thick rice sticks are used, prepare according to packet’s instruction.

3. Heat wok on high. When it’s hot enough put in oil, then toss in prawns. Cook the prawns just turn opaque, add in chopped garlic. Stir and cook until the prawns turn pink. Push these ingredients to the edge of the wok, put in chili paste (if used). Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then, add in flat rice noodles. Pour in the seasoning mixture. Mix everything, give it a good stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.

4. Make a circular space in the middle of the wok by pushing all the ingredients to the edges of the wok. Add a little bit of oil if needed, then, crack in eggs and slightly scramble them, cook for 1 minute or so. Slightly push to the edge of wok. Toss in sliced fishcake and cook for 1-2 minutes to heat up as fishcakes bought from the shops are usually cooked.

5. Eventually, put in spring onions or Chinese chives if using, and bring all ingredients in the wok together and mix well. Lastly, add in bean sprouts, give it a good stir to make sure that all ingredients get mixed evenly. Serve hot.

Living in a country where the sun likes to play hide and seek, it has gotten me to learn the real meaning of sun over these years. Sun means happiness to me. When I see the sun coming out to play, I feel motivated and happier than the usual grey, cloudy, and windy day. Well, it’s not only me that feels differently when the sun shines. I suppose, fruits and vegetables are happier too as the sun makes them tastier and sweeter.

Salad is great, not only it’s easy to prepare but delicious and healthy to eat. I especially love making salad during summer and eat it as a meal on its own (with lots of ingredients of course) or make small and light salad to eat as starter. Either way, I think it’s a great way to eat fresh vegetables and fruits!

Watermelon is one of my favourite fruits. Since young, watermelon has managed to make it to my top 10 list of favourite fruits! I love eating it slightly chilled. Even so, I have never used watermelon in salad. I have seen some recipes using watermelon as one of the main ingredients in salad accompanied with feta cheese. I blogged about Greek salad a while ago. This is one of the salads that I have been making from time to time. Reason being the tastiness and its simplicity!

Like Greek salad, Feta cheese is important in this salad too. Try to get the best Feta cheese that you could find. Normally when I buy Feta cheese, I look for those that are imported from Greece. Same goes for Greek yoghurt.

Well, a little more about watermelon. Like I mentioned just now, it’s one of my favourites. I am very particular as I prefer the seedless watermelon. I really find it troublesome to spit out the seeds! Too bad that the one I bought wasn’t seedless. Arggggh! Anyway, I like to slice into chunky cubes and discard the rind. I also love to make it into juice. The other way to eat watermelon is to slice it into small and thin triangle shape with the rind on. Recently, I came across a post about the best way to serve watermelon on My Simple Food. I got really excited and thought that was a great idea!

If you like salad, watermelon or any of the ingredients in this salad, you will enjoy this very summery dish!

Recipe: Watermelon, Cucumber, Olive and Feta Salad

Ingredients:

Small watermelon, ½

Feta cheese, 200g

Purple radish, 2-3 (thinly sliced)

Cucumber, ½ (cubed)

Pitted black olives, 60g

Fresh mint, a small bunch (leaves picked)

Dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil, 4 tbsp

Lemon juice, 2-3 tbsp

Honey, 1 tbsp

Toasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. For the watermelon, you can cut into square or use either a melon baller or a tablespoon to create scallops along the watermelon flesh of the watermelon.

2. In 4 individual bowls, arrange equal and enough portion of watermelon, cucumber, feta cheese, sliced radish and black olives.

3. To prepare the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a jam jar. Cover and give it a good shake.

4. Drizzle enough dressing onto each portion of salad in each bowl. Garnish with some mint before serving.

Huế

Travel from South to North Vietnam or the other way round? I guess, this is a very common question that you will probably ask if you plan to travel to Vietnam one day. Well, I guess, either way, it doesn’t make much difference. I think it all depends if Vietnam is your only travel destination of you have the next one after. What we did was travelling from North (Hanoi) and make our way towards South (Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon). Air Asia is your best bet to travel around SE Asian countries.

After the two magnificent places – Hanoi & Halong Bay, we continued our journey South to our next destination – Hue. Getting to Hue from Hanoi by overnight train was definitely an experience for me! We got 2 soft sleepers in a 4 berth cabin, the cost about £20 per person. It was a 12-hour overnight train, we shared the cabin with a Vietnamese family of 3.

The 12-hours-sleeping-on-a-not-very-comfortable-soft-sleeper went by quickly. I just remembered I slept pretty ok until I awoke to nature’s call in the middle of the night. I hesitated to go to the toilet (because I know it wasn’t going to be very pleasant), but, I had to! I didn’t know someone was using it until I pushed the door hard enough and it bounced back. I was taken aback by it. Opssss! It was dark inside, there wasn’t any switch.  The first ray of sunlight shone through the curtain at 5 am . I was still pretty tired, but the kid next to us was all ready to welcome his morning. I sighed, closed my eyes and tried hard to go back to my dreamland.

We reached Hue. A short taxi ride got us to our hotel. The hot morning sun already made me sweat. After a long cold shower and breakfast, we were ready to explore Hue. Hue, is famous for its monuments and architecture. The highlight of Hue was back 1802-1945, during the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. A sleepy town it’s called, what are the to-dos in Hue? What about:

1. Imperial City, Hue

Imperial City of Hue  is a walled fortress and palace in Hue, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was surrounded by a wall and the walls were surrounded by a moat. Inside the Imperial City was the imperial enclosure called the Forbidden Purple City. The Forbidden Purple City was used solely by the emperor and his family. The idea to explore the extremely huge Imperial City under the scorching sun didn’t really appeal to me. Instead, we took a buggy, which was a great way to see the whole Imperial City.

2. A Boat Ride On The Perfume River

Well, the name does appeal to me a lot – Perfume river. According to Wikipedia, in the autumn, flowers from orchards upriver from Hue fall into the water, giving the river a perfume-like aroma. I didn’t experience that though, perhaps, it wasn’t autumn there. I thought there are only 2 seasons in SE Asia? Anyway, a boat ride on the river was definitely a great way to see the locals everyday’s lives. People living along the river depend a lot on the river, using the water to do their washing and bathing.

3. Don’t Miss Out Hue Food!

Hue is famous for its distinctive  food. If you mention about Hue, what instantly comes to mind is Bún bò Huế, Hue-style beef rice vermicelli in a spicy broth. I did try it out for breakfast at the hotel and I really love the soup that is full of lemongrass flavour, with hint of Polygonum/Vietnamese Mint/Daun Kesom. Instantly, it reminds the taste of Asam Laksa. Instantly, I fell in love with Bún bò Huế, not just because I can relate it to a dish that I know, but the broth that is full of so many different flavours – sweetness, sourness and spiciness! Of course, not to mention, the tender slices of beef!

Well, other than that, I wanted to know if there are many more to try? The receptionist at the Hotel was a very helpful and friendly young Vietnamese woman. I asked her for dining options. She suggested a shop nearby, called Hang Me (45 Vo Thi Sau, Hue City Vietnam). She said to me, “Make sure you try these 3 items before you leave, they are Hue specialties” : Bánh Bèo, BánhLoc, and Banh Nậm.

Above: Hang Me shop entrance, Banh Nậm

Above: Bánh Bèo. Below: BánhLoc

4. Dong Ba Market

Dong Ba Market in Old Hue is near the place where the Dong Ba Canal joins the Perfume River. Foodies or anyone with great interest in Vietnamese food and culture should visit Dong Ba Market. The maintenance of ancient characteristics makes an unforgettable impression to visitors. Dong Ba Market is near the eastern corner of the Citadel and nearby a commercial district stretches along Dong Ba Canal. Vendors stretched along both sides of the streets, with the crowds and motorbikes, made it pretty difficult to navigate around. You just have to squeeze through and watch out the traffic. The setting reminds me of Pasar Pagi/Pasar Malam in Malaysia.

Danang – Hội An

There was a slight hiccup in our schedule when we were trying to plan our next destination from Hue. Initially, we planned to take the overnight train from Hue to Danang in order to spend one full day in Danang. Unfortunately, the overnight train was fully booked and we didn’t want to travel by train in the morning as that would mean to waste the day on the train. The receptionist at the hotel was kind enough to find out other option, which was to take a coach. It was a slightly more than 6 hours drive to Danang from Hue.

Danang is located midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, on the coast of South China Sea. Danang is blessed with beautiful beaches and one of the famous nearby is China Beach, which is actually a series of beaches that stretch 30km between Hoi An and Danang. A lot of tourirsts neglect Danang and in favour of the nearby Hue and Hoi An, I think, Danang is an upcoming place for beach holiday.

One thing I have noticed, the Vietnamese people flock to the sea and the beach when the sun has set. A quick dip in the water, and then, savour delicious food on the beach couldn’t have been any better! I guess, just like me, I think it’s mad to stay under the sun when it’s very hot. I tend to stay under the shades and still pretty much not used to the idea of sunbathing!

Hoi An wasn’t in our plan because of our tight schedule and that was also why we were based in Danang. After finding out it would take only 45 minutes on a motorbike to get to Hoi An, we had to change our plan immediately. Motorbike rental is cheap in Vietnam, costs between USD5 – USD7. As our hotel is pretty close to the coast line, we were told we just had to follow the coast and head south. Along the the coastal line in Danang, a lot of developments were taking place: luxury residential, hotels, huge golf courses…. it’s definitely an upcoming tourist spot.

The Old Town of Hoi An is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The old houses and life in Hoi An old town definitely made me feel that I had been brought back to 150 years ago. Strolling along the narrow lanes was definitely the best way to explore this ancient town. Tailor-made clothing is one of the best trades in Hoi An. Good quality of silk can be found here. Just imagine that some shops can get your order ready within 3 hours – was probably the fastest tailor-made clothing service that I have ever found so far! Apart from that, handmade silk lanterns are hot items too!

Visited a silk workshop (41 Le Loi Street) where the whole process from silkworm to woven fabric can be seen and fabrics purchased, was probably one of the highlights in Hoi An. Photography wasn’t allowed, so I can’t share any photos. I didn’t know how silk (that a lot of people love) is produced until we went to check out the workshop! Definitely an eye-opener. If you are keen to know, this might be a good read.

Hoi An old town may look pretty in daylight, when night falls, it becomes even more attractive! The whole place turned into a town of lights. Colourful lanterns were lit up as the sun set, gave me a surreal feeling of the town’s existence. As the night fell, we thought we had better to fill our hungry tummies before making our way back to Danang. Food wise, there are lots of restaurants in Hoi An town. I read a lot of a dish that I had to try while in Hoi An, that is Cao Lau. Cao Lau is a dish of doughy flat noodles with herbs, bean sprouts, topped with pork slices and served in a savoury broth.

I didn’t do much research about food and restaurants in Hoi An as it was a last minute addition to our plan. So, we just used the same old tactic, walked around and observed – whichever restaurant looked busy and with lots of local patrons, that must be good! In the end, we went into the restaurant (which I forgot to note down the name!) that looked pretty much up to our requirements. I sticked to my plan and did give Cao Lau a try but I didn’t quite like it as how I like Phở or Bún bò Huế. At least, I tried!

Have you ever questioned yourself the difference between shrimp and prawn? Do you say shrimp or prawn? For me, I have always been using the term prawn. I have this idea that shrimp is slightly smaller than prawn. They both apparently are quite similar looking, but, in reality, they are not that similar. Anyway, this has been in my head for quite a while and until recently, I decided to look up the differences between shrimp and prawn.

Based on the research that I have done on the internet, I have learnt that not only shrimp and prawn are not alike,  the term of shrimp or prawn is used because of difference in culture too. In the UK, prawn is used to refer to both prawn and shrimp, while shrimp is a common term use to refer to both shrimp and prawn in the US.  According to Wikipedia, both are decapod crustaceans, meaning they have exoskeletons and 10 legs. They are found in fresh and salt water. Appearance wise, they could look pretty similar. However, a number of the differences are: prawn is slightly larger than shrimp. Apart from that, it was found that prawn’s legs are longer than those of shrimp’s. Prawn has transparent shell compared to more pigmented/coloured shell of shrimp.

After all, I don’t really think that they are so different from each other. I guess, for me, it’s probably just a matter of term used that makes us thing both are different. Anyway, I guess, prawns are probably what I normally buy and I don’t really check if they are prawns or shrimps. For a seafood lover like me, prawns or shrimps, they are fine for me, I love both!

You probably recall the post about my visit to a fishing port in Kuala Perlis, Malaysia. There are 2 photos of prawns that were freshly caught. When I looked at them again, I really wish I could get those fresh salt water prawns here! I craved for the one of the dishes that my mom made when I was back home. Well, I could have bought some big fat prawns from the fish market but I didn’t as they cost a bomb! So, without much choices, I resorted to frozen ones and I think they were farmed. Anyway, that aside, I got my prawns and I was happy that at least, I could recreate the taste of home. (Yes, I still feel homesick!)

This simple dish, I call prawns in chili sauce and ketchup. To be honest, it is such a humble dish that you only need to have a few ingredients. But, taste wise, it is so delicious that I think I ended up eating more than 10 prawns!! So, that’s the revenge of not having prawns for quite a while (actually just a few weeks!). I am pretty sure for seafood lovers (or prawn/shrimp lovers), you will love this!

One thing about this recipe, I leave the heads and shells on for one reason – better taste! As I deep fried prawns before cooking them again in the sauce, I think all the flavours of the prawns were captured in the shells. I did trim away the legs, pincers, antennal scale, antenna, and rostrum of each prawn. And of course, deveined them! For those who are not comfortable to leave the heads and shells on, you can still make this, but, I think the taste will be slightly different.

Recipe: Easy Stir-Fry: Prawns in Chili Sauce & Ketchup

Black tiger prawns, 1kg

Ginger, 7-8 thin slices of about 2cm diameter

Spring onions, 3

Onion, 1 (cut into wedges)

Garlic, 2 cloves

Chili, 1 (sliced) optional

Vegetable oil, enough for shallow frying + 1 tbsp

Sauce:

Ketchup, 2 tbsp

Maggi Chili Sauce, 3 tbsp

Sugar, 1 tsp

Dark soya sauce, 1 tsp

Soya sauce, 1 tbsp

Water, 2-3 tbsp

Method:

1. In a wok and deep frying pan, heat up enough vegetable oil to cover prawns when frying. When it is warm, shallow fry prawns in batches for about 5-6 minutes or until pink. Repeat until the whole batch finishes, set aside.

2. In a new pan, pour over 1 tbsp spoon of the vegetable oil. Under medium heat, put in garlic, onion and ginger. Cook until soft. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and add into the pan. Stir well.

3. Add in cooked prawns, spring onions and cut fresh chili (if using). Cook and stir for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Hanoi

We had less than 48 hours to explore Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital located in the far north lies in a bend of the Red River. Vietnam is one of the destinations that I have always wanted to visit – savouring real Vietnamese food, experiencing the real Asia and admiring French colonial architecture.

From the moment I stepped my foot in the old quarter of Hanoi, I could already sense the difference – very hot and humid, motorbikes were honking their horns non-stop, and lots of food stalls at every corner. Crossing the road had never been so difficult, as the motorbikes came from every direction and rarely stopped for the pedestrians. Some didn’t even bother to stop when the traffic light turned red! So, the first few hours of being pedestrians were kind of difficult, not only to make sure we were on the ’safe’ and right path, but also to beat the heat!

We were based in the old quarter, within walking distance to Hoan Kiem Lake. The first impression about Vietnamese people is their friendliness. We were pretty early for our check-in but they tried their very best to make it possible. It was a relief to cool down by taking a cold shower before heading out to feed our hungry tummies.

For the first day in Vietnam, Quan An Ngon was a good idea to start off as it is a place where you can have all Vietnamese street food under one roof! There are different mini-kitchens that serve up all the street food you could name. The menu is really impressive with more than 80 dishes to offer! Screening through the menu took me probably about 8-10 minutes and another 5 minutes to decide what to order. For a foodie, ordering food had never been so difficult (just imagine to choose few out of over 80 dishes) as I wanted to try all if I could!

(Above): Fried Spring Rolls, Vietnamese Rice Cake with Mung Beans. (Below): Beef Salad, Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

After a fabulous lunch, a walk to Temple of Literature was a great idea to check out Hanoi also to help digestion. Temple of Literature, called Van Mieu in Vietnamese, is one of the oldest sights in Hanoi. It was founded by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in 1070 dedicated to the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It later became Hanoi’s first university.

It was quite a hot afternoon, I think the temperature must had been 38°C or more! I felt exhausted and sleepy. We later made our way to Hoan Kiem Lake, sat down under the shade. It was really the moment that I took my time to soak up the sights, sounds, and smells of Hanoi. A lot of people were chilling out at the park - chatting and spending their time with friends and family.

Some locals enjoyed their afternoon at the shaded roadside noodle stalls, slurping up their bowls of Phở. Some where enjoying Nuoc Mia (sugar cane juice) with lots of crushed ice to cool down. Sugar cane juice is always my favourite drink, so, without thinking much, I thought I needed a glass. The juice was freshly pressed, half of a calamansi/limau kasturi/citrus microcarpa was added! I have to admit that I never had sugar can juice with calamansi, the taste was surprisingly good – natural sweetness of sugar cane with a hit of citrus, was so refreshing, which was what I needed during a hot day!

Not far from the lake, situated Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Water puppetry started in the villages of Red River Delta as far back as 11th century. The tradition has been passed down since then. The puppet show is something that shouldn’t be missed while in Vietnam. After chilling out near the lake, we walked to the theatre and checked if we could get tickets there and then. We were pretty lucky as it was just another 15 minutes wait for the second last performance.

Photo credit: Bike Drool

The puppets are made of wood and then lacquered. The performance is carried out in a waist-deep pool, where large rod supports each puppet under the water, used by the puppeteer to control the puppet behind the screen. The show started with the Vietnamese orchestra, provided background music during the water puppet show. A few traditional songs were played before. Then, the puppets appeared and  moved over the water. The singers sang songs during the performance to tell the story of each scene acted out by the puppets.

In Hanoi, there is a restaurant frequented by Hanoian and tourists from all over the world. Before writing it further, some of you might have guessed which restaurant I wanted to talk about. Even though, this restaurant seems to have mixed reviews, I wonder those bad ones were based on the wrong restaurant that serves the same dish (there’s one restaurant has the same name just a few steps away!) I said to myself that if I didn’t try, be it good or bad, I would then leave Hanoi without knowing the truth and it would for sure bother me!

Cha Ca La Vong, located  at 14 Cha Ca street is famous for nothing else but just one dish – Cha ca (grilled fish). This much talked about restaurant has been around for many years and the business now is run by the 5th generation of the family. When we made our way to the restaurant on the 2nd floor, we were handed a piece of paper that stated: “We serve one dish only – fish and noodles – 120,000 Dong per person”. I think the price has increased from 80,000 Dong to 120,000 based on my research. 120,000 Dong is equivalent to £4.00, € 4.80, $6.30, which I think is pretty expensive for Vietnamese standard. Once we placed our orders, I started to look around and noticed there were quite a number of locals eating there too and I started to wonder if they pay the same price?

Anyway, that wasn’t really a concern. I was pretty happy to spend £4.00 to experience this dish. Cha ca consists of silky-soft noodles, a big bowl of dills, spring onions and some herbs, bubbling pan of moist and turmeric-scented fish pieces placed on top of a traditional charcoal stove, more fresh herbs, nouc cham (sweet, sour, and spicy dipping sauce), sliced chilies and some toasted peanuts.

We were pretty clueless to serve this when it was presented in front of us. But, without wasting one second, I checked the Vietnamese couple sitting beside me and quickly figured out. Dills, spring onions, and herbs (on the left photo below) are added into the bubbling pan that is filled with pieces of fish, mix well and let the herbs and leaves cooked until soft. In the individual serving bowl, put in some rice noodles, some fresh herbs, chilies (if desired) and some nouc cham. Then, spoon in a few pieces of fish, drizzle a bit of the oil, and topped with a small handful of toasted peanut. That’s how easy it is to enjoy this dish that is full of flavours! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Halong Bay

The following day, we said goodbye to Hanoi and headed to our next destination – Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a very popular destination which is about 170km northeast of Hanoi that takes about 3.5 hours by road to get to Halong city which is the gateway to Halong Bay. Halong Bay literally means descending dragons. Legend says that when Vietnamese were fighting against their invaders from the north, gods sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. The family of dragons descended and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels then turned into various islands and islets, then formed a formidable fortress against the invaders.

There are plenty of tour agencies in Hanoi offer different Halong Bay cruises depending on budget and the duration of stay. We opted for a 2 days 1 night package, which costs US$90 per person, that includes transfer from Hotel to Halong City, boat transfer, an en-suite double bedroom on the boat (called Calypso), and meals included except drinks. Views at Halong Bay were amazing, it does look a bit like the mystical landscape of limestones islets to Guilin in China.

Halong Bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean. There are around 1600 people live on Halong bay in 4 fishing villages. They live on floating houses and are sustained by capture fishing and marine aquaculture.

Taking in the magnificent views and enjoying the relaxing cruise with excellent backdrop all along the way was breathtaking and definitely a great way to chill out before heading to our destination.

I love summer as it means warm and sunny, colourful, BBQ, and lots of fruits to eat! I have a soft spot for berries; they look pretty, colourful and tasty. During summer, when I go food shopping, those berries at the fruits section always catch my attention. Admiring them from far, it seems that they are waving at me and say ‘buy and eat me’!

Amongst so many kinds of berries, one of my favourites has to be cherries! I went to farmers market last week to get some fresh produce and saw lots of cherries on display. They looked plum and juicy. Without thinking much, I bought 1kg for about £5.00. At first, I was planning to eat half of them raw. And the other half, to bake something. Then, I remembered I baked Cherry Clafoutis last year, so, this time I will make something different.

I decided to use all the cherries that I bought to make into compote. Compote can be made by cooking whole or slices of fruits with sugar. A little bit of water is added along with the sugar to the fruits in a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat. Vanilla can be used to infuse the syrup if desired. I opted for vanilla sugar, which I always keep a pot in my kitchen. Making compote is very easy, you can use whatever fruits that you want. Cook on low heat to warm and break it down slightly. Compote can be used as a base for a dessert or eat accompany with ice cream, breakfast porridge, pancakes or even on its own!

As a yogurt lover, I naturally think of thick and creamy greek yogurt! Apart of eating greek yogurt with greek honey, I think I will not say no to serve it with cherry compote. Instead of using the yogurt as how it is, I decided to make cheats frozen yogurt! No, I don’t have that little gadget called ice-cream maker, so, I did it the manual way. Well, I am guess the texture is probably not as smooth as what is churned using ice-cream maker. So, I just make do with it. I will be thinking of getting a small ice-cream maker one day, perhaps. But, for now, I still enjoy this simple yet delicious dessert.

Recipe: Cheats Frozen Yogurt with Cherry Compote

Cherry (leave whole or halves), 1 kg

Greek yogurt, 1 kg

Vanilla Sugar, 5-6 tbsp

Water, 1tbsp

Method:

1. Pour the yogurt into a small plastic container and put in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes. Once the ice crystal starts to form on the surface and edges, use a whisk or fork to mix and break the ice crystal. Put back to the freezer. Check every 30 minutes and give it a vigorous stir. Repeat this about 3-4 times. Then, Freeze for 6 hours or until almost set. Transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth. Return to container the fridge.

2. To prepare cherry compote, put all the cherries and sugar in a saucepan. Add in 1 tbsp of water and cook over a gentle heat for about 10-15 minutes. Once the cherries start to soften, turn off the heat and set aside to cool. Pour the mixture into a fine sieve to separate the solids from the juice. Place the solids into a bowl. Return the juice in the saucepan and cook over slow heat until it reduces and thickens. Allow it to cool and combine with the cherries.

3. Spoon a big dollop of frozen yogurt on individual bowl or dish. Then, serve enough portion of cherry compote by the side.

Note: Store compote in a airtight glass containers/jar and can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week.

In Penang, you don’t have to worry about food. There is no chance that you will go hungry! Plenty of food stalls/hawkers centres are scattered around the island. Some are even opened 24 hours. Everywhere you go, you will see people eating if not smelling food! I think, we Malaysians are really lucky when comes to food as we are always spoilt for choices.

In Asia, one has to really explore the food scenes. Good places to eat most of the time do not have online presences, unlike in the West. To get to know good places to eat are usually through word of mouth. For tourists that visit Malaysia, apart from getting some tips from the guide book, (which is usually not 100% correct and up to individual’s liking), the other option available in getting to know where to get good food is probably to chat with the locals.

Even though my hometown is near to Penang, I do not know a lot of places to eat. Luckily, my cousin, a Penangite, was my guide (for food especially) during my recent stay there. Through her, I got to know a gem on the island! Those from Penang would probably know.

Not far from her place, a restaurant/café, named Joo Leong Café has been serving its patrons for nearly 40 years, passing down from one generation to other. Handed down from Lau Joo Leong, to his son, who took over the business in 1995, now owns and runs the business, which is well-known for its delicious breakfast –  toasted bread with butter along with half-boiled eggs need no further introduction – this is their specialty until today! Early in the morning before 6am, workers at the nearby factories and companies queue up, awaiting for their important meal of the day before work.

There is no doubt for such loyalty to this simple yet delicious breakfast – the toasts, slightly crispy at the edges give crunch to the first bite; followed by the moist and buttery taste on the second bite. Happy taste buds send messages to the olfactory bulbs at the based of the brains and various other parts of the brain to interpret slightly salty of the butter, then, sweetness of the sprinkled sugar on top of the toasts. Every bite was happy and enjoyable, the taste receptor was eager for more!

Well, apart from its all day breakfast (which is also served during dinner time from 6pm to 11pm), another specialty of Joo Leong Café is the seafood porridge and noodles (egg and rice noodles). For those seafood lovers, look no further, you have to come and taste the best ever seafood noodles and porridge! Those prawns, crabs, cuttlefish, fish balls and pomfrets are so fresh! I was told that the owner himself, wakes up very early everyday to source the freshest seafood! Apart from seafood, there are other ingredients like frogs, quill eggs, and fish maw.

You choose what you want in your noodles and porridge, so, depending on what ingredients you choose for your noodles and porridge, the price for each serving varies. Minimum price  of a bowl of porridge or noodles costs RM 4.00, with just fish balls.  Slices of fish and 2 medium size prawns will cost around RM 12.

Apart from seafood noodles and porridge, if you fancy toasts and half boiled eggs, they do serving during dinner hours too. There are also cuttlefish salad (Ju Hu Eng Chai/Sotong Kangkung) and satay stalls at the restaurant to choose from.

So, when I was there, I tried both seafood noodles and porridge. As a porridge person, I really enjoyed what was served. The sweetness of the broth is just unbeatable! Just image seafood broth, bite upon bite on the bouncy prawns, fish balls and the delicate and smooth texture of Pomfret too! That sent me to heaven!

What I really like  also is the addition of Tong Choi/Tang Chai (preserved vegetables) and chopped coriander that add more even more flavours to the whole dish. The thought of having a bowl of seafood porridge made me drool big time; I am too far away!! Those of you, who are near enough and have never tried, you will understand what I mean after your visit. And those that have tried, I am sure you share the same opinion on the freshness and deliciousness of the seafood porridge and noodles! Of course, not forgetting about the famous toasts with half-boiled eggs

Address:

179-H, Sungei Tiram, Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang, Malaysia.

Business Hours:

Breakfast: 6.30 am till 11 am. Dinner: 6 pm till 11 pm.

First of all, I want to say thank you to those who sent me emails to ask if everything was fine. I am doing fine, I haven’t quit blogging! Just that I didn’t mention that I was away for more than 3 weeks to SE Asia. I went to Malaysia to see my family since my last trip was more than 2 years ago! I was glad to be back and of course, I had lots of yummy food back home!  This time back to Malaysia, I just felt that it has become warmer than the last time I was there. Those of you that live in SE Asia, what do you guys think? Has it become hotter recently?

Anyway, an exciting news that I want to share with all of you is about my recent recipes contribution to Flavours Magazine. If you remember, I slightly mentioned about it on this post. For those of you who live in Malaysia or Singapore, you should be able to purchase this magazine at most major bookstores. Otherwise, for those that can’t get hold of the magazine, I have soft copies of all my recipes featured in the magazine, please click on the images below to enlarge. Let me know what you think and I do hope that you will try out of the recipes!

Well, apart from being really excited to see my family in Malaysia, I was happy to savour the food back home too! Mom asked the same question everyday, ‘What do you want to eat?’ Oh boy! She made so much food that we thought it was too much! One of the best things living so close to Kuala Perlis is the convenience to get the freshest seafood ever! One of the things that I told myself that I shouldn’t miss was to eat seafood! My brother suggested to us that to get the freshest seafood, we had to wake up early to go to the small fishing port in Kuala Perlis town.

For me, it couldn’t have been better than buying seafood straight from the fishing port just as soon as the catches of day were unloaded! Although pretty small, a lot of activity goes on in this slightly fish-smelly port. The ferry from Langkawi sees a lot of daily passengers pass through, together with ships and fishing boats constantly docking and embarking near customs. My brother knew exactly what he was doing. But, first, he had to convince us to wake up at 7am so that we were in good time to get the best of the best!

Apart from fish, prawns and crabs are my next favourites. So, I made sure that my favourite blue swimmer crab was on the shopping list! When you look at how fresh you can get these crabs in Malaysia, I just wish that I could get the same in London. Well, I probably could get them at the wholesale fish market. But, that would mean to wake up at 5am! My mom made my all time favourite with these blue swimmers, which I really hope I could share with you all if I could get hold of these crabs in London!

I was told that all the catches are mostly to be sold in bulk to retailers in Kuala Lumpur. End consumers like us are able to buy them at wholesales price. Looking at those big buckets of fish makes me think how many tones of seafood we, human beings, consume on a yearly basis and how long more will our mother ocean be able to keep on supplying this amount of seafood for our consumption?

Not all catches are from the sea at least. Some groupers that I saw were farmed. I think grouper has almost come to extinction. Very few were caught from the sea, unless they are line-caught. Grouper is a fish with really firm white flesh. It is great to eat steamed and deep-fried whole. I also like to do a stir-fry with its firm fillets. My brother couldn’t resist but decided to buy one huge line-caught grouper!

One thing that I really have to talk about is the price for prawns. 1kg of the following is only RM 25-30!! And they are not farmed and super fresh! The price for frozen prawns here? £12 a kg, which is RM60! Argghh!! I am feeling homesick already!