Tee Nya Kuih - Penang MFF #1

This month's MFF is Penang's turn. One of the most famous spots for good food in Malaysia.

If you ever ask me about Penang food that I can't find out of the state, this will be the first answer from me.

Famous Penang cuisine like Asam Laksa, Prawn Noodle, Char Kway Teow or Nasi Kandar is found all over Malaysia, and in almost every Malaysian restaurant overseas. But not Tee Nya Kuih.

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Salmon with Sour Plum Glaze - Salmon #3

I was supposed to cook salmon for dinner, but.... was out of ideas. I was on Facebook and asked my fellow  reader friends for ideas... lots came flowing in, but some can't be done due to absence of ingredient in my pantry.

I also searched the  web for pictures to inspire me and finally I saw one that looked interesting and that spurred me to try using sour plum sauce for the same visual effect. Actually I don't know what ingredients did that picture use, LOL. I was just taken by the physical appeal of it.

I'm happy with this glaze and I think it will work well with other  fishes too, or probably chicken or ribs. The ingredients are simple and it's easy to execute.

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Pratha Crust Salmon Pie - Salmon #2

For those of you who have dinned in Petite Millie, One Utama, you would have heard of White Truffle Oil Fish Pie. It comes with a loose crust made of puff pastry. In the pie, are pieces of white fish swimming in a pool of creamy gravy together with shitake mushrooms and fennel.

After having this once, I then decided to have my own version of this, borrowing the concept from Petit Millie.

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Pan 'Baked' Garlic Lemon Salmon - Salmon #1

Sometimes I can be rather stingy to use the oven. Are you like me too?

I made this using a pan on the stove, giving the fish the “feeling” of being baked. I won’t call it frying, as I used low heat with the lid on, ‘sauna-ing’ the salmon until it is tender and flakes when tested with a fork. The heat is not enough to make it golden, maybe just slightly browned, just like being baked. It tasted juicy and tender, as if it’s baked not fried, and the butter in here is more for flavouring purpose rather for browning. The garlic is soft and fragrant, still with some pungency rather than golden and crispy. Just how I intended it to be.

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Rhubarb Custard Tea Cake - Rhubarb #3

I baked this cake twice. the first time, my custard sank and batter rose to the  top, creating a very funny looking cake that sunk.

The second time, I chilled the custard filling as a whole piece so that I can apply equal pressure to the base batter. The result was way better.

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Rhubarb Lemon Cold Infusion - Rhubarb #2

I made this almost 3 years ago and never got to post it until now with the first rhubarb that I bought in 2010.
That time, I was screaming in my heart when I saw rhubarb in Jaya Grocer for the first time.

This is another recipe that I have been eyeing since I was a teen. My aunt gave me a recipe book and I didn't know what rhubarb was and this drink looked pink. Really no idea what it is or how it tasted like.
When I got my first rhubarbs, this age old recipe was definitely in my list to try.

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Rhubarb Cream Cake - Rhubarb #1

I have been waiting for years that one day I will have enough for a week's posting. LOL.

Rhubarb is sooo expensive here that just 3 pcs of foot long stalks costs me around RM10.
I'm blessed to have an aunt who will now bring back rhubarb for me from Australia, and she just planted some few months back, gleefully telling me she'll harvest them before flying back each time, if there are. So most probably, I'll have more rhubarb recipes in my blog.

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Burnt Bottom Rice Vermicelli with Pork Gravy 焦底米粉 - MFF Sabah #8

I got to know about this noodle from my friend, Soo who came from Tawau.

And I quickly searched for an image to help me understand the noodle. See the picture here. 

Then Soo, described to me how the taste and texture should be.

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Cheesy Fried Bananas - MFF Sabah #7

Fried bananas are well loved and found everywhere here!

But in Tawau, the eateries there love to serve this version with cheese and brown sugar.
You can use any batter recipe that you like, any type of bananas that you like, but you must serve it with brown sugar and grated cheddar.

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Coral Seaweed Kerabu - MFF Sabah #6

The Semporna Islands off Tawau are flourishing with seaweed farms.
The cultivated seaweed is sold either in fresh or dried form with only the dried form out of state.

Coral seaweed is also fondly called Sea Bird's Nest as they are also rich in collagen, the protein responsible for beautiful taut skin. The seaweed has no taste on its own, but readily takes on any flavour it is being infused with.

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Cow Dung Pile @ UFO Tarts 牛屎堆 - MFF Sabah #5

cow dung piles :-)

I'm not trying to be disgusting.... but don't you think they do look like it?

I grew up in an area where I do see cows walking around. They don't walk around freely, but are guided by their owners to feed at the field near my old house. Therefore..... the roads are also decorated with brown piles from the cows. It's no longer a common sight.. it makes me miss those days.

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Batang Buruk Sabah - Sabah MFF #4

Crunchy addictive snacks from Sabah.

Batang buruk is also found in Johor and is one of Johor's specialties, but.... Sabah's version is a much simpler one. Using store bought spring roll wrappers, and allowing the use of dustings like powdered cereal,, milk powders or even malted powders, it is a easy to do snack that can be made in a jiffy. The Johor way that involved forming the crust in tube like shapes around papaya petioles requires more work and later stuffed with fillings instead of just dusting.

I made this using leftover spring roll wrappers from Chinese New Year and also milk powder samples, LOL.
Getting the idea of a quick dusting from McD, I utilized a paper bag :-)

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Linatan~ Chicken Rice Parcels - Sabah MFF #3

When I first saw this recipe.... I asked myself, how nice can this be?

Then as I think about it, I remembered how my mom used to put steamed chicken juices onto our rice, and it was heavenly. No fancy seasoning, and the chicken was only rubbed with some salt and steamed.

Now... I roughly know what it tastes like.

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Sinagol, Shark with Turmeric - Sabah MFF #2

Sinagol is a Bajau dish. It's shark and shark liver cooked with turmeric. It can also be can also be cooked with another pelagic fish, that is the sting ray (called Sagol Pari instead) or even puffer fish, surprisingly.

The Bajaus are traditionally from the Sulu Archipelago and they are currently the 2nd largest ethnic group in Sabah. The east coast bajaus are also known as the sea gypsies. They are also noted for their exceptional abilities in free-diving, with physical adaptations that enable them to see better and dive longer underwater. The west coast Bajaus are also known as good horsemen. I do remember learning about their horse riding while I was a kid in school, probably in primary school.

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