Spicy Jenahak (Silver Snapper, Pek Choe) Fish Head Curry Recipe

Silver Snapper or Jenahak flesh is not so sweet compared to Hong Choe (Red snapper) but it makes a good curry dish. I bought a large fish and cut out the meat to cook for the kids. I guess the best way to eat the head is to cook fish head curry with it! LOL!

Ingredients
Jenahak Fish head, 1pc
Curry powder, 3 tablespoons, add a little water to make a paste
Chilli paste, 2 tablespoons, add into the curry paste
Belachan, 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon, mix with the curry paste
Curry leaves, 3 sprigs
Shallots, 5 pcs, blended
Mustard Seeds, 1 teaspoon
Halba seeds, 1 teaspoon
Coconut milk, ½ cup
Salt to taste
Okra, 5 pcs
Long beans, 5 pcs, cut into 1 inch length
Assam Keping (Garcinia Atroviridis,
Sour type of fruit), 2 pcs

Heat up wok and put in around 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sauté shallots until fragrant and add in the curry leaves, mustard seeds and halba seeds. Pour in the curry, turmeric and chilli paste mixture. Fry for a short while and add a little water. Put in the assam keping and belachan. Bring to a boil and add in the coconut milk. Put in the jenahak fish head and put a lid over the wok. Let the fish head simmer for a while. Add okra and long beans. Put in salt to taste. Serve with steamed rice or rotis.

A Busy Father’s Day Weekend – A Father’s Job Never ends....

My Father's Day weekend started with a family outing to KL Metropolitan Park in Kepong. We brought some food there and had a small picnic. My eldest son skates and practised boomerang throwing at the field, whereas my little toddler had a whale of time playing at the playground and my daughter tested out her 2 wheels portable skates.

Then we went over to eat chicken rice at Fook Loong Chicken rice stall at Jalan Burung Pucung, Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong. My wife and I had chicken rice while my daughter ordered the yong tau foo and my son had the wantan mee. The chicken rice is nice and the roast pork is very crunchy. No wonder there is a long queue of crowd around the stall. The yong tau foo and wantan mee so so only. When we reached home, I realised that I still have the whole pumpkin that my ex-neighbour gave me. It was harvested from her mother’s vegetable plot. So, I made two Steamed Pumpkin Cake with it. I gave one to my neighbour. Then, my bathroom tap broke and I have to replace them. The renovation contractor installed the tap too close to the wall so there was no way for me to turn the tap to remove it. Therefore, I have to cut away the pvc pipe and replace one section with a flexible tubing. Time to get some stuff from the hardware shop, luckily they are open. It was a major job because I have to remove the whole sink from the bracket to install the tap. However, I managed to finish installing the new tap! My wife had a hard time keeping my curious toddler away from my working tools.

Tada, my new tap!

Since I already have all my tools out, I installed the long overdue key holder that my eldest son made in school on the wall in my house.

Then, the story that I just heard from my fellow insurance agent about his customer’s son who died after a sink fell on him struck my mind. I decided to check all my sinks and toilet flush tank brackets. Most of them had some rust and are falling apart. So, I had to visit the hardware shop again to get some new brackets. I had to replace the brackets at two of my bathrooms.

After finishing replacing the toilet brackets, my shower heater went ‘KO’, there is no hot water coming out from the shower. I called my electrician but he was too busy at his shop, so I have to dismantle the shower unit by myself and sent it to his shop. Then, my wife received a call from my electrician that the Euro Uno shower unit cannot be repaired. It is time for us to get a new one, so my wife and I rushed to the electrical appliance shop to buy a new unit. We bought a Joven shower unit with built in pump for RM399, a good offer price. It was a Sunday, so we could not get any electrician to install the unit for us. My wife was looking at me and grinning away; awwwww, I have to install it! I would rather have the electrician install the unit for us but then, the kids need to take their morning shower the next day before school. I have to get the unit up and running on Sunday itself! So, I got my tools out and started to install the new unit. First I have finished all the pipe work before starting with the electrical work. I have to replace the main inlet cables because the wires that my former electrician used were not of the right size. Luckily, I have some main power cable in my storeroom. It took me some time to finish installing the new Joven shower unit. I do not have the right size flexible tubing at that time so I have to make do with the hose from the old shower. The following day, I bought the right length flexible hose and power socket blanks to cover the hole on the wall.

Old shower unit

New Joven shower unit

See the pink long temporary tubing and the new short metal reinforced tubing I used?

We do not have time to fix dinner and my wife had to keep my little active toddler away from my tools. I have done a good job on home improvement and it was Father’s day; therefore my wife ‘belanja’ (treat) me to dinner at Mei Gai Yuan.

The dinner cost RM64 (medium serving). My charge to install the shower unit! Ha ha ha! Although the dishes are of medium serving we were struggling to finish them because my family are small eaters! A hectic but memorable day indeed! LOL!

Crab Mushroom with Fish Cake Stew Recipe

I have some leftover fish cake and a whole packed of fresh crab mushroom in my fridge. Both these two ingredients might seem like a very funny combination but they sure make a nice stew. Since my kids love tomato based stew and fish cake, I was sure that they would like this dish as well.

Ingredients
Fish cake, 1 block, cut in to slices
Crab Mushroom, 1 bowl, clean and cut away the roots
Garlic, 3 pips, chopped finely
Tomato Sauce, 7 tablespoons
Black Vinegar, 1 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon
Oregano, a dash
Thyme, a few sprigs
Bay Leaves, 1 pc
Onion, 1 pc, cut into four
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Sugar to taste

Heat up pan and add in a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté garlic and onions until fragrant. Add a little water, tomato sauce, black vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. If the stew is watery, add some water and corn starch mixture to it. Put in the fish cake and crab mushroom. Bring to a boil and turn of the heat. Serve hot with steamed rice or toasted bread.

Remembering Michael Jackson on his 1st Death Anniversary – Strange things are happening!

It is exactly one year since the King of Pop, Michael Jackson passed away. Well, MJ is sure missed by many of his fans. My kids are very fond of MJ and love to watch his music videos. My little 2 ½ year old toddler would listen and dance to his song almost everyday! LOL! Strange things happened to my car radio at 2am this morning. The radio turned on by itself and I was wondering which neighbour was blaring away his hi fi so early! Upon checking, I found out it was my car radio. I went to my porch and into my car to turn it off. Then, I went to bed and continued sleeping. My little toddler woke up this morning while his elder brother was preparing to go to school. He then played MJ music DVD and lie down on the sofa to watch the video. My car radio started playing again all by itself when my eldest son was about to leave for school. Strangely it was playing one of Jackson 5 song and then after that Billie Jean.......spooky indeed! Well, I must send my car to the mechanic to have the wiring checked. One of the electrical circuits for the radio must have been shorted when I washed the engine. If it happens again tonight then I will ask MJ for Sports Toto Number....ha ha ha!

Deep Fried Tofu with Salted Fish Recipe

Deep fried crispy salted fish adds a nice flavour to any dishes and it is often use by Chinese restaurant chefs in their cooking. Tofu is rather plain, so by adding aromatic and crispy fried salted fish, the flavour is enhanced many folds. I love to add some greens like French beans or parsley to Deep Fried tofu with Salted fish. Actually this is a good way to get my kids to eat some greens!

Ingredients
Tofu, 1 block
Rice flour, ½ cup
Corn flour, ¼ cup
Egg, 1pc
Soda Bicarbonate, ½ teaspoon
Salted fish, 2 pcs, deep fried until crispy and break into small pieces
Salt to taste
Parsley, 3 stalks, chopped finely
French Beans, 5 pcs, cut into small pieces
Onions, 1 pc, chopped finely
Pepper, a dash
Prawns, 5 pcs, chopped finely

Smash tofu and mix with all the ingredients to make a paste. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry. Make the paste into balls or square shape. Deep fry the tofu balls in hot oil until golden brown. Serve while still hot and crispy.

Quickie Egg Wrap Baked Beans Recipe (Telur bungkus kacang panggang, omelette)

Every kids love baked beans and it is very to prepare this dish. Some just stir fried it plain with garlic added, while other might add in some luncheon meat or eggs in it. I tried to make something difference with the can of baked beans I have. This is similar to omelette recipe. I used fried eggs to wrap the baked beans but unfortunately the eggs that I fried was not big enough to hold a big can of baked beans. So, my supposedly full wrapped eggs with baked beans became half wrapped eggs with baked beans! LOL!

Ingredients
Eggs, 3 pcs, slightly beaten, add a dash of pepper and soya sauce
Baked beans, 1 small can
Garlic, 3 pips, chopped finely
 Bacon or luncheon meat, ½ cup, chopped finely

Use a non-stick pan to fry the egg; making it as wide as possible. Put the garlic, baked beans and bacon or luncheon meat on the eggs. Turn to low heat to avoid burning the eggs. Cover the pan and let the ingredients cook for a while. Serve while still hot with bread or steamed rice. How do you normally cook baked beans?

Big and Juicy Ananas Comosus (nenas, pineapple) - Bromelain

My brother in law gave me this huge Pineapple (Scientific name, Ananas Comosus) which measure more than 1 foot in length (look at the 1 foot ruler next to it). Some farmer gave it to him when he visited their farm. Pineapple contains Bromelain which has many medical uses. Bromelain is an effective compound capable of blocking pro inflammatory metabolites that causes inflammation to our body parts. Therefore, this natural compound is effective in treating arthritis, injuries, trauma, indigestion, sinusitis, accelerate surgery wound healing process, autoimmune disorders, gout, haemorrhoids, arteries blood clot, and menstrual pain. Those with heart problem should avoid Bromelain because it can increase heart rate count. Anyway, this huge pineapple is very juicy and sweet too after I added some salt after cutting. The juice was flowing all over the container I used to hold it. Mmmmmmm, nice and fresh pineapple!
How to cut pineapple link : http://peteformation.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-cut-and-clean-pineapple-buah.html

Fifa 2010 South Africa World Cup Fever - Shaolin Soccer Toddler

The Fifa 2010 South Africa World Cup Fever is on so Mummy bought me a full set of football jersey. Then daddy taught me how to kick a ball. Here goes, 1....2....3, kick hard!

Opps, this 2006 World Cup football is too old already. Little boy kick also 'meletup' (burst)!

Then, daddy bought a volley ball for my sister. I wanted to play with it.............another ball burst again! Two balls burst, no more ball left! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa....................................

Now I am known as The SHAOLIN SOCCER TODDLER! muaha ha ha ha ha!

Quickie Fried Spicy Lemon Stingray (Tuka, Ikan Pari) Recipe

I have been posting quite a few stingray recipe. I love stingray because they have only cartilage bones and the flesh is nice to eat. No matter how you cook it, you can’t go wrong with stingray unless the fishmonger makes a mistake of piercing the stingrays’ liver when cutting it; the smelly liver juices contaminate the flesh and make it smells. Well, this is another new recipe that I tried with stingray cut.

Ingredients
Stingray cut, 2 pcs
Lemon rind
Lemon juice from ½ lemon
Salt to taste
Turmeric, ½ teaspoon
Chilly powder, 1 teaspoon
Paprika, ½ teaspoon
Mustard, 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon
Butter, 1 teaspoon

Marinade the stingray with all the ingredients, except the butter. Fry the stingray on a non-stick frying pan. You can also grill or bake the stingray. Serve hot with soya sauce, and bird eye chilli (cili padi) in tamarind juice mixture as dipping sauce.

Dinner at Soon Heong Seafood Restaurant, Taman Manjalara, Kepong, KL

I took my FIL to this restaurant when he visited me recently. Soon Heong is located in the heart of Taman Manjalara commercial centre which has many good eateries outlet. If I am not mistaken, Soon Heong has another branch somewhere in another nearby Taman but I could not give you the address because I have lost the restaurant information leaflet. The total bill for 11 adults and 2 toddlers came out to be RM134. Overall my FIL was very happy and satisfied with the dishes served. Anyway here is the food review for Soon Heong, The Curry Fish Head is very creamy and bursting with flavours. I love the soft egg plants that soaked up all the tasty curry gravy. I flooded my rice with the flavourful curry gravy.....mmmm, nice!

We ordered the fried sotong (squid) for the kids, especially my daughter. She loves fried squid. There is nothing much to say about this dish except that the flour batter is crunchy.

This is another dish for the kids, tofu with minced meat. The tofu is nice, smooth and soft. Tofu is one of my daughter’s favourite foods.

The yin yang pork ribs are surprisingly nice and my FIL love it very much. One has mayonnaise added and the other has sweet honey sauce. Thumbs up for this dish.

The buttered lai liew har (mantis prawns) is a little wet but is very tasty. This creamy mantis prawn is deep fried before butter gravy is added and it makes a good combination with the spicy curry gravy.

My FIL loves asparagus, so I ordered this dish for him. The asparagus is fried with sambal (prawn paste chilly). Fresh, crunchy and nice sambal!

Address Soon Heong Seafood Restaurant 71, Jalan 11/62A, Taman Manjalara 52200, Kuala Lumpur Google Map Coordinate 3.192836,101.630595 Map to Soon Heong Seafood Restaurant, Bandar Manjalara

Peteformation Thai Mango Chicken Recipe

My wife bought some nice mango and there were a few slices left in the fridge overnight after I forgotten to eat them. Then suddenly, I thought of cooking Thai Style Mango Chicken. Actually, I improvised the recipe a little bit and used whatever I have in my kitchen for this dish. The dish has a great combination of fruity taste and aromatic crispy fried chicken.

Ingredient
Marinade Chicken, ½ bird, cut into medium pieces
Turmeric, ½ teaspoon
Rice Flour, 2 tablespoons
Corn Flour, 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder, ½ teaspoon
Dark soya sauce, ½ teaspoon
Light Soya sauce, 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Sauce Mango (ripe), 2 slices
Kaffir Lime Leaves, 3 pcs, cut into slices of blend together
Lime juice, from 2 small limes
Bird Eye Chilli, 3 pcs
Turmeric, ½ teaspoon
Fish sauce (nampla), ½ teaspoon
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste

Marinade the chicken with turmeric, rice flour, corn flour, coriander powder, dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, pepper and salt to taste. Leave aside for around 20 minutes. Deep fried the chicken it hot oil until the crispy. Put aside to drain away the oil. Put all the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend well. Taste it to ensure that the sweetness, spiciness, saltiness and sourness are well balance. Serve with steamed rice and crispy tortilla chips.