Countdown to Chinese New Year's Eve

Okay, I know that December 31 is not the beginning of Chinese New Year, but somehow, it became a Dowd family tradition to have a homemade Chinese feast on New Year's Eve. Traditionally, New Year's Eve is a silly non-holiday- it alternates between maudlin and downright dangerous. Since my husband and I have only been to one New Year's Eve party in 32 years of marriage, Chinese New Year became a way to entice our teens, 'tweens and adult children to hang around on New Year's Eve (it sometimes works!)

So what do we have every New Year's Eve? There are staples like Hot and Sour Soup and homemade egg rolls (a lot of trouble but so worth it) both recipes we have gotten from Cook's Illustrated. A recipe called Twice Fried Beans which are really only fried once, but are delicious and spicy; steamed dumplings, and some delectable sesame chicken wings that are really incredible whenever you make them. We also usually make staples such as "Peanut Butter and Worms" from the Jeff Smith cookbook The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines (this is a great resource for good Chinese food recipes) and beef and scallions and/or chicken and cashews (depending on how many guests we are having). Making Chinese food at home is very labor intensive, but so totally worth it and you can make extra and freeze (egg rolls and dumplings) for a night when you crave Chinese food but don't have the time to make or the money to buy!

We make it into a real event- we spread a tablecloth over our coffee table, pull the cushions and pillows from all over the house, and eat at our low table with chopsticks and everything! I have always wanted to make my own fortune cookies with personalized fortunes inside, but somehow have never gotten around to it- but I think it would be a real hoot! We top the evening with fireworks in the backyard to ring in the new year, and of course watch the ball drop with Dick Clark.

Since everyone in our family loves Chinese food, I always have plenty of help. Bridget is the Hot and Sour Soup maven- her soup is better than any local take-out. She always makes a large batch because leftovers are great when the kids come home from school. Molly helps fill and fold the dumplings (kids love any job that lets them put their hands in food- just be careful with raw meat!) Chinese New Year means a messy kitchen and lots of chopping, but it is worth it. Don't feel like trying more than one dish at a time? Choose a dish to try and then fill out the rest of your Chinese meal with your favorite take-out. It is the experience that counts as much as the food. Show your kids where China is on the map. Have a Chinese trivia game to encourage children to learn about China's history and culture and even give prizes to make it more fun and festive. Play Mah-Jong. It all contributes to the experience and the fun!

I have made these recipes so many times that I don't measure everything, and besides, I want you to play with ingredients. There are lots of great cookbooks with recipes for Chinese foods, so don't be afraid to try (I personally never do Chinese on a weeknight because of all the steps involved). Most decent-sized cities will have an Asian market where you can find many of the ingredients and many dishes can be made with ingredients that you can find in the international aisle of your supermarket. Make a New Year's resolution to be more adventurous and try cuisines of the world- and start with your own family's version of Chinese New Year!

Twice Fried Beans
(Serves 6 as part of a Chinese meal)

1 1/2 lbs of fresh green beans with ends removed
1 lb reduced fat or lean bulk sausage
1/2 cup brown bean paste
1 tbsp sugar
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp chili and garlic paste (add this a quarter tsp at a time till you get to the spiciness you want)

3 cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Heat oil until a cube of bread browns easily, but doesn't burn. In several batches, fry beans until skins blister, but don't let them brown. Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile brown the sausage in a pan, breaking up the meat, until all pink is gone. Add brown bean paste, sugar , lime juice and chili paste to taste (my family likes hot, but you may not want yours quite so hot. Once sauce is the way you like it, stir in the beans and keep hot until serving.


Sesame Wings
(serves 6 as part of a Chinese meal (or two servings for my husband!))

3 pounds of chicken wing drumettes (wings with tips removed and cut apart at the joint)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sherry
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2-1 cup of cornstarch
1/3 cup sesame seeds


3 cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying


Defrost chicken drumettes and combine soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil. Marinate wings overnight. when ready to serve, pour wings and 1 cup marinade into large bowl. Add cornstarch 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until a light batter clings to the wings. Mix in sesame seeds. Fry wings 4-5 at a time in hot oil until golden brown and remove to paper towels to drain. A little work but well worth it (you can use the same oil that you used for the green beans)


Steamed Dumplings

Makes enough dumplings to serve an army (or the Dowds). You can freeze premade dumplings before cooking or freeze the filling to fill dumplings later.


1 package wonton wrappers
1 lb reduced fat sausage or ground pork
1 quarter sized piece of ginger chopped very fine
4-5 scallions chopped
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sherry
1 small egg beaten

Mix all ingredients except wonton wrappers together n a quart sized ziploc bag and smoosh (a technical culinary term) together to combine ingredients. Put a scant teaspoon of filling on middle of each wrapper, dampen edges with water, fold over and seal (you will be left with a triangle, then moisten the two long ends of triangle and seal together (result looks kind of like a hat). If you want to freeze for later, put on a cookie sheet and freeze then transfer to Ziploc bag. To cook, I use a bamboo steamer from an Asian grocery which holds two layers, but you can use any steamer, just keep dumplings in a single layer and steam 15-20 minutes (I am always cautious with pork). Another way to cook is to put a little oil in a large frying pan, brown dumplings lightly, then add 1/2 to 1 cup water and cover and lower heat until all water is gone. Serve with a dip of soy sauce, Thai chili sauce or a mixture of soy sauce and a little chili-garlic sauce to add heat. These are habit forming!

The Morning After

Nope, I'm not talking about the morning after a big alcohol binge, or a hot romantic tryst. What I am talking about is even more traumatic...the morning after Christmas Day. Wrapping paper everywhere, the sound of all kinds of electronic and battery-powered toys and gadgets, and stacks of clothing that need to be returned. Sound like a nightmare? Not to me. December 26th is my favorite day of the holidays- all gifts are taken care of, the feast has been cooked and Ziplok bags of leftovers await anyone's hunger pangs, and all manner of sweets, desserts and snacks- some you've made and some gifted by friends and neighbors beckon from tins ready to quench the holiday sweet tooth. Can there be a better day for a working mom? I have actually been known to not change from new Christmas pajamas and robe for the entire day, basking in the luxury of having nothing that has to be done or nowhere that I have to go. I have been spotted using this very laptop to play rounds of Bejeweled,or reading one of the tons of People and other "trash" magazines that my sister in law brings to our family to take its turn. The smell of turkey stock, the legacy of our Christmas dinner, permeates the house.

As I look around, the house is at its best with boughs of evergreen, bright twinkling lights. Everything is clean, the silver is polished and linens are on the table. Stockings with each of my children's names are hung again, now empty at the fireplace, a reminder of so many Christmases before filled with bright eyes, faces full of wonder, giggles and belly laughs, piles of discarded wrapping paper, and noise, noise, noise! It is time for the greatest Christmas blessing of all- the quiet, the peace ,the satisfaction of another Christmas successfully executed, and another year of fond memories made.

Merry Day after Christmas to you all!

A new year, a new you?

Ahhh, yes, its the time of the year when we take time off, clear our remaining annual leave and be jolly :)

But as year end approaches and the new year looms ahead, some of us would sit down and reflect on our year, and what lies ahead. What would you be thinking of this year end?

• New year's resolution. It's the time to write a new list! Some people absolutely depends on it, saying that without it, they don't have a goal to work towards. Others don't give a damn bout it. You?
• Make love, not war. Am sure not everything is smooth sailing throughout the year for everyone.. there would be some misunderstanding, petty arguments, little annoyances etc.. But aint it better to have a friend rather a foe? Let's kiss and make up...
• Total make over. Yup, I've met some people who actually does a 360 transformation (appearance wise) with the new year..Wanna start fresh, they said..
• To the extreme. Again I met some people who takes a 360 change on their outlook on life.. suddenly, this timid quiet fella becomes the extreme sports fanatic, doing crazy stunts that usually most people wont have the balls to do...
• Drink till drunk, party hard and come what may. Some just take the year end as the time to drink and party as if theres no tomorrow.. Who cares wtf would happen next year? Next year come, next year see lar!
• Just another day. The new year? Its just another day wat.. a full circle of 365 days have just ended, so another day lor..

Well, guess the list is endless eh? What ever you may wanna do, or just simply, do nothing, I wish all of you a fantabulous 2007!

Coliseum Cafe & Hotel

This is an ancient cafe established since 1929 smacked right in the middle of KL city, which, I am pretty sure many have tried, or at least, heard of this cafe.. Coliseum Cafe brings back fond memories to many, as their parents brought them here when they were young and Coliseum was considered the restuarant to be seen in.. Alas, the waiters grew old, the table cloths and napkins yellowed and Coliseum retreated quietly...

Or is that true?? I went over with Wai and CW for lunch recently as CW has never been to Coliseum..We stood outside, tried to peep in, but the glass was so stained (with grime).. forget about that, we went in..

Though it was lunch time and on a weekday, Coliseum was packed with customers. Stepping in warps me back to the 1930's.. with the aging lamps, old china and they still kept their coat and hat hangers on the walls.

We were soon seated and placed our orders.. Next door where the bar and R&R area was (we were at the dining area), there was a large group of angmohs.. Not surprising as theres lots of travel books which recommends Coliseum as the place to visit when they are in KL. What amused me was this group of angmohs seemed to be wearing the same T-shirts and caps.. Wondering which society they were frm, I squinted to check the initials emblazoned on their t-shirts.. and guess what? They called themselves PRICKs! :D.. Bunch of jokers, guess one of them was a smart aleck and decided to name themselves Peninsular Research Institute of Culture and Knowledge..

Sorry I digressed.. back to the food..Wai was craving for the Chinese Chicken Chop, CW wanted to try the Sizzling NZ Rib Eye while me, being greedy, had the Chicken ala King so I can have a fusion of east and west..

All portions was huge and I got mine first :)..

The fried rice was superb! With sufficient wok hei, the simple combination of rice, eggs, raisins and corn tasted so good that I could not have enuff of it..kekekeke.. The chicken was smothered with prawns and some bechemal sauce thingy.. anyways, it really complements the rice really well.. Too much chicken breast (and a tad dry), CW had to finish for me :p

Wai's Chinese Chicken Chop came next and it was a humongous plate! This is actually the Hainanese style chicken chop and Coliseum's version is one of the better ones I've tasted.. The chicken was too salty (I think the marination had too much salt), but the sauce was well balance and tasty. The chicken was fried till crispy, but tender and juicy on the inside.

While we were nicely tucking in, CW was enjoying his bowl of salad.. when suddenly, the waitress came frm the back and tied a huge bib on him!

A surprised CW

He was so surprised and I had a good laugh, even took a picture of it..kekeke

This was in preparation before his sizzling plate of ribeye was served.. You can hear the sizzle when the ribeye was placed on the hot plate and the black pepper sauce drenched the whole steak..CW's ribeye was medium, nicely done, tender and juicy. Still, I'm not a fan of black pepper sauce, so this was not my kinda steak. The ribeye was served with sides of roast potatoes and boiled veg...

Overall, we had a good lunch, taking our time to enjoy the food and bask in the 'ambience'

Wai enjoying her old school lychee drink....

What Julianne thinks?

Nostalgic, pleasurable and scrumptious

Coliseum Cafe and Hotel is located at 98-100 Jalan Tunaku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-26926270. Next to Coliseum Theatre.

Bao Bao Restaurant, Aman Suria

I always passed by Bao Bao in the evening and although it has customers, I could not be bothered to give it a second look..
Sometime back, Dragon, who works near there, told me that Bao Bao is rather famous for pan mee.. And recently, gary told me that this place is so pack during lunch hours that people had to queue outside the shop.. sure or not?

Since curiosity killed the cat, the pan mee mystery sure got my 'investigation' mode on..Decided to go over to Bao Bao for dinner (not so pack) with WF. As we were not given any menu whatsoever, I asked what they have there.. Pan Mien lah! barked the waiter, looking at me as if I'm a ninkumpoop. Hey, how I know la, maybe you serve other stuff??

Anyways, WF ordered dry pan mee with thin noodles while mine was with thick. You can also opt for pieces (mien fun gou) and soup based.

We were served a while later and I had to blink a couple of times...Ok la, maybe I'm rather suaku here, but I memang tak pernah nampak pan mee served like this before...The noodles was the rite type, but they replaced the fried anchovies and mince meat with char siew, meat balls and fried fish cakes..Yup, those onion bits look-a-like in the picture are actually deep fried sliced fish cakes. We tossed the noodles and took a bite.. surprisingly, the noodles tasted pretty good.. The fish cake actually make quite a nice alternative to the ubiquitous ikan bilis and the sauce was just nice. The pan mee noodle was too thick for my liking though, mental note to order thin noodles next time..Char siew was so so, but dipped in their pan mee chilli.. man oh man, its yummy! After taking a few more mouthful, I would think that the main 'attraction' in Bao Bao would be the pan mee chilli and the fish cake.

As we were paying the bill, I asked the waiter if they served the usual ikan bilis mince meat pan mee.. Again, he looked at me as if I'm a dunguloid and said, Of coz we serve the traditional pan mee. You didnt ask for it ma. What you had is our jiu pai (famous) pan mee lor.. Oh I see...

What Julianne thinks?

Different and tasty

Bao Bao Restaurant is located at 15, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara. Yup, same row as MCPG that I just wrote about..

Mama Chops & Papa Grill

I believe theres quite a number of branches for this restaurant, but if you ask me where.. I wont know :p..

We decided to pop over to MCPG as WF, Elaine and Alicia were coming over to my place and this restaurant is really near for a quick dinner.Usually MCPG would be packed by 8pm.. Guess the thunderstorm shooed off their customers as we were the only there that nite ._."

Anyways, we had our orders... I dont know why, by everyone wanted to have lamb that day.. I mean, MCPG serves loads of other stuff like poultry, fish, steaks, pastas etc.. but all of us wanted lamb.. so sorry mates, the pictures gonna look kinda same..MCPG serves very cheap western food, some for extremely good value.. I know they serve humongous mixed grill platter ( with chicken, lamb, salmon, steak, sausages, veg and chips) that can fill a very hungry man's stomach!

Alicia & WF had Grilled Lamb Leg with Garlic Mushroom sauce, I had lamb chop with Garlic mushroom and Elaine had Grilled Lamb Leg with Mint sauce. We shared a Papa Cheese Roll too...

Food was promptly served...

The Lamb chop and lamb leg were tender and succulent, came in large pieces.. surprising for a RM12.90 meal.

The Lamb Chop

Lamb Leg with mash

It was smothered with tasty creamy garlic mushroom sauce and was served with sides of chips/mash and frozen veg. The sides was not very nice..:(. Chips was over fried, the mash dry and the frozen veg.. ummm, still had that freezer taste.. eewww
Elaine's Lamb Leg with mint sauce was served last..
She got 3 huge pieces of lamb, nicely grilled, with the juices and sweetness intact.. She seemed satisfied with her dish :).. I do find the mint sauce a lil diluted though.. else, this is ok..
The Papa Cheese Roll was served whilst we were tucking into our meal....It was basically sausage and cheese wrapped in a bun.. The bun was deep fried, tasted like those fried mantou in chinese restaurants... Once we cut the bun open.. the melted cheese started oozing out....ooooo... This, I must say, is pretty good..:)

As we polished our plates clean (ya, we were a hungry lot that nite), the dessert of banana fritter with ice cream was served.. I do like this dessert as MCPG serves fabulous banana fritters.. The ice cream was norm.. but the bananas.. yum yum!

What Julianne thinks?

Cheap, no frills and tummy filling

Mama Chops & Papa Grills is located at K-9, Block K, Aman Suria Damansara, Jalan PJU 1/43, PJ. (well it does have other branches, but sorry, I dont have the address..)

Jalan San Peng Prawn Mee

Rolly polly was nice enough to bring last-of-the-dragon and me to KL for prawn mee last saturday.. He said this stall, which has been in biz for a few decades, only opens for breakfast and lunch. As we did not want to be caught in any jam and no parking, we went there for breakfast instead. We were there 9+ in the morning, and there are already a batch of customers finishing their bowls of prawn mee..

We promptly ordered 3 bowls of prawn mee (they served loh mee too, but no one noticed that..:p) and a bowl of pork balls to share...

We got the prawn mee soon after and man, it sure smells good :). The soup was slightly murky, but was very aromatic. Rolly polly liked this version better than PG's as he finds the PG version a tad sweet, whereas he prefers it salty..This bowl of goodness was filled with prawns, chicken and veg.. I actually find the kangkung very yummy.. I think they chose very tender shoots and maybe they did stir fry it a lil before pouring in the broth.. Dragon found the noodles a tad salty though, which I agreed.. Not sure if it's due to the fact that this is our first meal for the day, our tongue is still bland or maybe it's really salty....anyways, its salty la..

The porkballs was ok.. though springy and quite fragrant, I find it a tad salty again..

What Julianne thinks?

Satisfying and effortless

This Prawn mee stall, well, dont think it has a name.. Maybe its called San Peng... (as per the small yellow board hanging at the stall) Anyways, took a shot of the place, just in case you may wanna look for it.. It's facing the no 46, Jalan San Peng shop.Opposite TM building. Off Jalan Loke Yew

Omitsu Koshi, Damansara Jaya

Omitsu Koshi is a place I frequent as I used to stay very near to this restaurant. It serves fuss free, tummy filling Jap food with very reasonable price, hence, I return for meals many times.. :)

Went there recently with SF, Amy and P for dinner. As usual, its rather pack, mostly locals and some japanese patrons too.Omitsu serves ala carte, bento and noodles sets, handrolls, nigiri sushi, sashimi...etc. Lazy me just ordered the set, ie, yakiniku set, amy had tempura set, SF ordered soba, sushi & tempura set whilst P, whose not very hungry, ordered a handroll and fried beancurd..

P's beancurd came first.. The fried beancurd was topped with seaweed, bonito and a sprinkled of spring onions.. drenched in loads of sauce, P said that it was a nice dish as the beancurd was silky inside with crunchy on the outside... My yakiniku came soon after and as usual, the portion was huge :p. Usually their yakiniku is tasty, tender strips of beef stir fried in sauce till fragrant, its fantastic to go with rice. Maybe they knew I was writing about them, they got rather nervous and was a lil heavy on the salt on that day. :(. still, it tasted good...

Amy and SF got their orders soon.. tempura looks fine, they said was ok only. Sashimi was ok too.. The sets are served with some pickles, a side dish and fruits. Bentos would have chawan mushi too...

Other dishes I tried which are pretty good is their gyoza, sukiyaki (huge pot and yummy), grilled saba, edamame, nigiris..Guess I have not tried extensively yet eh? :p

What Julianne thinks?

Fuss free and affordable

Omitsu is a small, cozy jap restaurant.. but if you are looking for ambience, "fine-dining" jap food, then this is not the place for you. Omitsu is facing Atria Shopping Center, across from KFC. Damansara Jaya.

Departure Lounge, Aman Suria

Alicia was telling me about Departure Lounge sometime back as she said that it serves one of the best bagels in Klang Valley (as good as those she had in New York)..Since I'm staying near that area, I decided to pop over with May Lin for breakfast one fine morning....

I was in for a pleasant surprise when I reached Departure Lounge.. This place is "travel" themed.. It's filled with loads of travelling books of many countries and many of the books have been well read (with the dog ears, highlighter marks and all). Not sure if the owner is really that well travelled, but he/she sure put in an effort to have the theme running.. Most of the food in the menu has some link to countries etc.. and if we need the 'assistance' of the waiters and waitresses, they are refered as "cabin crew"..

Anyways, back to the food.. Departure Lounge serves breakfast, lunch and tea (no asian menu, purely breads, cakes and pastries).Breakfast menu consists of bagels, big breakfast, pancakes, breakfast pies etc. We ordered 2 sets of bagels, one with blueberry and the other, raisin and cinnamon.

Both bagels smells real good and had a nice dollop of cream cheese on the side..we attacked the bagels the moment I snapped the pics :p

Top: Blue berry bagel, Bottom: Raisin and cinnamon

Alicia was right, the bagels were yummy :). Served really hot, it has the crunchiness of a fresh loaf, inside remains soft but compact and chewy, the fragrant blueberry and cinnamon wafting in the air.. Spread the cream cheese on the hot bagel, take a bite and wahlah! heaven, i'm in heaven..kekekkeke. Have it with a cup of Illy coffee (yes! they serve Illy too!) and ahhhh.. what a great way to start the day...

After eating the bagels, we still think we could eat a lil more (yeah yeah, pigs, I know), so we ordered Tuna Melt with Ciabatta (you can also choose it to be served with foccacia/croissant/tortilla). The Ciabatta was nice and hot, tasted like it's fresh from the oven. The tuna however, was just ok.. you know, tuna with mayo and melted cheese..It came with a side of homemade salsa and nachos..

Departure Lounge is a lovely place to chill with frens, get travel info if you are planning for hols and with Wifi facility, I did noticed quite a number of patrons bringing their laptops to leisurely surf the net while sipping coffee and enjoying their cakes..

What Julianne thinks?

Creative, refreshing and relaxed

Depature Lounge is located at B-G-20, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara. You can either come from Tropicana (turn up at the tunnel) or from Dataran Prima (you'd need to U turn). Opens morning till 7 pm.

Oriental Chinese Restaurant, Sec 14

SF had some vouchers to dine at Oriental Chinese Restaurant and she was nice enough to bring me along for lunch (thanks SF!). It was late morning, SF, SL and me made our way over to Oriental. It was rather pack that morning, the place was bustling with activities...

Not long after, the waitress placed some piping hot dimsum on our table. We selected a few and tucked in..

We had the sui jing gao as it looks pretty good. The filling was tasty, filled with chopped veg (carrots, black ear fungus, bamboo shoots etc) and mince meat. Yum.

As usual, we had the ubiquitous siew mai and har gau. I am never a fan of siew mai as I think this is a very delicate dim sum. Those who cant do well will make the siew mai taste very porky (i donno how to explain it, but it's not very pleasant taste). So, I was pleasantly surprise that Oriental's siew mai turn out well, it was sweet and juicy, texture was springy.The har gau was ok only, I thought the skin was rather thick and rough...

The beancurd roll was yummy though, like what SL pointed out, there is a difference in the sauce.. Each roll was plump and juicy, the sauce that clings around the beancurd gives a burst of flavours that complements each other well. I really cant pinpoint what's in the sauce..Kinda plumish with chilli..Yum :)

One of the waiter was walking by with piping hot stir fried carrot cake and we quickly stopped him for a plate..:p. They're generous with their serving, there were lots of beansprouts and eggs too. Taste wise was good, but I find the carrot cake texture too soft and mushy...

We had the char siew pau too, which was just average. The filling was not very fragrant, a tad too sweet. The lor mai kai was also too sweet for my liking, which was most unfortunate as the glutinous rice was cooked just the right stickiness, and the chicken was well marinated. I guess they got a lil heavy on the sugar when they cooked the rice :(

We ended the meal with some desserts, ie, gui ling gau, mango with sago and alovera with longan. All three desserts were yummy, nice was to end the meal :)

What Julianne thinks?

Filling, generous and above average(for some dishes)

Oriental Chinese Restaurant is located inside Jaya Shopping Centre, Jalan Semangat, Sec 14. Restaurant price, large serving though.

My favorite cookbooks- Part 1

I must admit that I am a cookbook junkie. I love to look through them for new ideas, to salivate over the pictures, and to find some inspiration when I get in a culinary rut. However, of all the cookbooks I have (there must be more than 50), there are relatively few that I go back to again and again. Whether you are just setting up a household and want to know what to look for or you are an experienced cook just looking for something new to cook for your family, I can give you a few tips I go by.

The Joy of Cooking is a great first cookbook that includes the basics of cooking techniques, simple and more complex recipes. It is a cookbook that is appropriate for home cooks at almost any level and can grow as you become more and more experienced and more and more adventurous. The copy I got when my children were young (and there were fewer of them) was from our neighbors (and great friends) Pat and Kathy Micken who had an extra copy. When I got it, it had a light blue cloth cover that has since fallen off, but you can easily tell that there are great recipes inside just by looking at the pages. It violates one of my cardinal rules about not liking any cookbooks without pictures, but as you can see from this picture of my well-used copy, that has not been an obstacle!

The first cookbook I got as a gift was when I was first married was A Treasury of Great Recipes by Vincent and Mary Price (for you Generation X-ers, you will remember Vincent Price as the narrator of Michael Jackson's Thriller video!) It is a great cookbook and I often use recipes from it since it includes recipes from great restaurants in Vincent and his wife's travels around the world. It also has a lot of sentimental value since it was a gift from my in-laws.

One of the cookbooks that really encouraged me to play with food was a cookbook by a chef at a restaurant in New England that we visited many years ago when my sister-in-law's husband was stationed there. The restaurant was called The Blue Strawberry and the chef, James Haller, did not believe in conventional recipes, and encouraged you to cook by combining and experimenting flavors. We ate in his restaurant once (we were young marrieds with a baby and had to save every penny to pay for our dinner) and it was incredible. I checked on James Haller to prep for this post and while I could not tell if the Blue Strawberry Restaurant was still operating, I see that James Haller is a prostate cancer survivor and has written several more cookbooks including two that are geared toward helping seriously ill patients eat well (What to Eat When You Don't Feel Like Eating and What To Eat ) Looks to me like Chef Haller is still breaking new ground! To tell the truth, my copy of this cookbook was loaned to someone (if only I could remember who?) and I never got it back, but I am including it here because it imparted a fun philosophy of food to me that I have made a part of my everyday culinary life.

As I said, I don't normally use cookbooks without pictures, but the America's Best Recipes cookbooks are an exception, mainly because the recipes have all been tested and are the "best of the best" of the cookbooks from Junior Leagues and church groups around the country. I have never made a recipe from here that wasn't great. It is a great resource fow when you have to make something for a pot-luck. If I took a picture of the inside of these books you could see the spots and stuck pages that tell you they are well-used.

This is by no means my full collection, but I did want to give a picture of some of the cookbooks that I use everyday and that help me whenever I want to play with food. Let me know some of your favorites and I will be sharing more in future posts.

Restoran Asia, Seremban

I went to Seremban a couple weeks ago to accompany SF to get her sari.. Desmond, a Serembanite (or is it Serembanian?) brought us to this shop that sells gorgeous saris. After SF did her purchase, Desmond decided to bring us to eat this famous curry noodles (supposely the locals would know this place) in Senawang.

Restoran Asia is more like a coffee shop, but only sell curry noodles and chap fan (another stall). You would know that the main attraction is the curry noodles as every table would have at least a bowl of the goodie :).

I must confess that I am never a fan of curry noodles. I find curry noodles too rich and heavy for lunch.. Anyways, since this is reputedly good, of coz die die I must try! We can have the basic curry noodles with our choice of noodles. Most of the patrons would add curry chicken to their noodles as it's more filling. Very quickly we got our steaming hot curry noodles and man, it does looks really good!

Even me, whose knowledge and interest on curry noodles are limited, can see that this is one yummy looking dish. The curry was thick, but not too santanish and very flavourful. The usual ingredients were there, the taupok (beancurd), cockles, lots of taugeh, curry chicken etc (their version is without char siew)..Everything just complements the other so well. And eat it with their shrimp chilli really completes the meal. I dont even feel jelak to the last mouthful of the noodles. I must say that this curry noodles is truly lipsmacking :). SF did point out that this is not the Penang version of curry noodles.. so if you only like the PG version, this may not be your cup-of-tea.. or shall I say, bowl of noodles? kekekeke

What Julianne thinks?

Delicious and satisfying

Restoran Asia is located at 341, Taman Senawang Jaya, Seremban. Sorry I cant provide more details, as I am rather lost at that area.. The proprietor said the shop is in the Senawang Industry, very near this huge factory called "Onn" (some Motorola factory). Tel: 06- 6770667.

Ho Weng Kee, SS2

Hah, yes, SS2, where it's famed for food galore to satisfy anyone's craving..

But is that true? No doubt, there's lots of eateries around, but to find some above average food in SS2 may be a tad difficult at times.. :(

Anyways, I came to know about Ho Weng Kee just early this year as my boss was telling me about this very famous wantan mee in SS2 that has been in biz for decades. Why dont you try it since you are staying near there? Betul juga, why dont I try it? Guess coz its opened for breakfast and lunch? And I usually go to SS2 during dinners? Nonetheless, I went with Amy (who absolutely loves wantan mee) and I have return to Ho Weng Kee a few times after that.

Ho Weng Kee serves the basic wantan noodles, ie, with wantan and char siew. You get to choose for it to be served as dry or noodle soup. I ordered the usual wantan mee while amy always have pure char siew with noodles. Although it's full house, our food came in ok time...

HWK's wantan mee has just the right texture, springy to the bite. I guess they did a good job in the "go lang hor" section, ie, boiling and soaking the noodles in cold water to get the right noodles texture. As for the dry noodle sauce base, its really fragrant.. at a closer inspection, I could see that the noodles was drizzled with lard/chicken fat stock.. You give the noodles a toss and wahlah, it tastes wonderful :). The charsiew was ok, maybe slightly above average, the wantan filling was tasty but too little :p. But I would say that the star attraction is the noodles itself.. Just yummy.

You get to choose different toppings for the wantan mee, such as braised mushrooms with chicken feet, beef brisket, shredded chicken, curry chicken etc..

What Julianne thinks?

Uncomplicated yet delectable

Ho Weng Kee is located at Jalan SS2/66. I've forgotten to jot down the shop number though.. sorry mates..Its at the SS2 square, faces outside road. Same row as Ampang Yong Tow Foo and the row where theres lots of dimsum shops.

The Dowds Give Thanks

After all the shopping (about ten trips to about 5 stores), the preparing ( about 6 hours even before I put the turkey in the oven), the cleaning, and the planning, Thanksgiving is finally here. This is the time I really wish there was such a thing as smell-o-vision because then you could smell the roast turkey and stuffing that is permeating my entire house. I spoke in my last post about Thanksgiving menu so here is ours:

Roast Turkey (brined and cooked a la Alton Brown's Romancing the Bird)
Virginia Dowd's Sausage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes (in all their carbohydrate laden glory) and Gravy
Traditional Green Bean Casserole
Sheila's Corn Pudding
No-Knead Light Rolls (from a very old copy of the Joy of Cooking)
Homemade (for me) and Canned(for my husband) cranberry sauce
Pumpkin Bourbon Pie (I use this recipe but add 1/2 tsp extra pumpkin pie spice, 3 tablespoons good bourbon, and my secret ingredient- a couple of shakes, to taste, of chipotle chili powder)
Pecan Pie
Libby's Pumpkin Roll

Virginia Dowd's Sausage Stuffing

This recipe was handed down from my mother-in-law, and is a treasured family recipe. So now I guess you are part of the family, too.

1 pound pork sausage
1 stick butter
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
2-4 tbsp chopped parsley
3-4 cups chicken stock (I take the turkey neck, gizzard,onion, celery and carrots and begin boiling stock for the stuffing and gravy, but you could use boxed or canned if you'd rather)
1 bag of herb seasoned stuffing
2 eggs, beaten
Poultry seasoning
Ground sage
Salt (start with 2 teaspoons and add till it tastes right)
Pepper to taste
Giblets from turkey (liver and heart) - If you don't like giblets don't use them but you miss an extra layer of flavor in your stuffing.
2 heels of white bread

Melt butter in pan and begin browning sausage, breaking up as you work. Add onions and celery and giblets and saute slowly until vegetables are translucent, giblets are browned and all pink is gone from sausage. Put stuffing mix in a large bowl. Pour sauteed veggies and meat in bowl with stuffing mix and stir together. Add two cups of stock and stir, then add beaten eggs. Add salt, pepper,and other seasonings. I start with a teaspoon each of poultry seasoning and sage (but I really love sage!). Add chopped parsley. Add more stock until stuffing is moist but not soggy. Adjust seasonings to taste (make sure to use a clean fork each time you (or anyone else) tastes). I stuff my stuffing into the bird and cover the large cavity with two white bread heels (Once the turkey is done, this "turkey bread" is a prized morsel in our house!) Follow Alton Brown's instructions for cooking the turkey - it works for me!

Sheila's Corn Pudding

This recipe is a slight revision of one of two fabulous recipes(I'll provide the other in a future post!) I got from Sheila who used to work with me at Jefferson Lab, a nuclear physics lab, with an international workforce. It was published in our Recipes of Jefferson Lab cookbook, and is now part of our Thanksgiving. It is so sweet, it could almost be a dessert and is great as a side with barbecued pork too.

1 can creamed corn
1 pint heavy cream
2 cups defrosted frozen corn or fresh corn kernels(I love lots of corn in mine)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 stick butter cut into pats
fresh or grated nutmeg

Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a bowl mix creamed corn, beaten eggs, sugar, corn kernels, and vanilla. Dissolve cornstarch in heavy cream and mix into other ingredients. Grate fresh nutmeg on the top and put pats of butter on the top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minute until center is set and stir at least twice during baking for a smoother result.

It's all over now except the clean up (at least two dishwashers full!). The turkey stock is simmering on the stove, with that fabulous turkey smell spreading throughout the house. One by one the kids have left for the evening, and I have a minute to stop and take a long, deep breath (and get off my feet for the first time today!) I miss the noise, the back and forth banter at the dinner table, the funny (and in some cases, embarrassing) stories the kids exchanged at the evening table, the laughter, the love. And I am truly thankful.

Lo Wong, Sunway Mas

Yes, yes, you would be thinking of the Lo Wong taugeh chicken in Ipoh.. I was told that this is their branch in PJ.. nonetheless, I did not check with the proprietor, so I shall not confirm on this info :p. I have been to Lo Wong for a couple of times already as its very near my home..

Elaine, Alicia, Jon and SL joined me for lunch after helping me clean up my condo (thanks all!). Lo Wong had make it easy to order with their "set meal" of taugeh, chicken and choice of side dish (of fish balls, porkballs, chicken parts, braised chicken feet with mushroom and sometimes, curry chicken/braised pork). So without fretting too much, we ordered meal for 5, with porkballs and curry chicken for side dish.

Elaine and me decided to have these with rice while the rest ordered kuay teow (dry/soup)....

The food was served promptly....The taugeh looks juicy and plump, so very tempting! I took a mouthful and yes, it is that juicy and plump :). I liked the way Lo Wong cook the taugeh, just rite, not too raw (with those 'green' taste) nor too cooked (till its soggy). Nice.

Their version of chicken aka bak cham is pretty good too, the skin smooth, the meat tender and the sweet salty soy sauce complements the chicken well. You mix in your own chilli, garlic (or like my Klang frens, with dark soy sauce) and in no time you'll be gobbling down the food :p. I thot this is as good, or maybe better, than Jalan Gasing's taugeh chicken.

Porkballs were springy and flavoursome, with chopped cuttlefish mixed in it which enhances the porkballs flavour. One of the girls commented that the size of the porkballs were smaller here compared to Jalan Gasing's.. but hey, I'm quality over quantity anytime, so still think this is good :)

Sadly, the side dish of curry chicken was nothing to shout about. Rather plain curry actually, you may want to opt for other side dishes instead...

What Julianne thinks?

Value for money, filling and good

I did not manage to get the address, sorry mates.. Just drive towards Aman Suria (near Tropicana), at the Sunway Mas area. Same area as Restoran Chan Kee, after passing Jin Shan Cheng, turn right, drive straight, Lo Wong is on your left side, corner shop.

Thanksgiving menu and other dilemmas

Each year there comes the time when each of us (those cooking, not those who are going to be guests of other cooks) has to buckle down and decide what to have for Thanksgiving dinner. What we decide has to do not only with what we remember as children but the memories we want to create for our family and friends. Shall we do the same things we remember form our childhood? Our grandmother's pumpkin pie? Our mother-in-law's stuffing? Green bean casserole? The sweet potatoes covered with toasted marshmallows? Or do we want to Martha Stewart-ize our holiday with honey-roasted chipotle-smoked turkey(not a real recipe), sweet potato souffle and fennel with sauteed cabbage. Not that I don't admire Martha Stewart. I give her props for building an empire after her divorce and giving new meaning to "Don't get mad, get even." She has great ideas and has encouraged a whole generation to gentility in entertaining. I often look to her books, magazine or shows for inspiration. My challenge (and yours) is to take our inspiration not only from culinary mavens like Martha, Julia Child, and the Barefoot Contessa, but to look to your own heritage and family history to build a menu that will arouse fond memories of the past and make new memories and establish traditions for the future.

There are some things that you family has to have for Thanksgiving - it might be the roast turkey, or the ham with pineapple rings and cloves, Aunt Edna's sweet potatoes or your Mom's apple pie. Our nation and families are changing. You could have a vegetarian at your Thanksgiving table. Your new son-in-law could be from Korea, or your daughter's friend from college could come from from Cuba, or Ethiopia, or Spain. You might have adopted children from Russia or Guatemala or China or have foster children from the black community. I think you get my point. Just as the first Thanksgiving was a melding of the Pilgrim's English culture and the Native Americans who were here, our own family Thanksgiving should model the heritage of our families, it members and the members of our extended families. Your menu is you family' s chance to celebrate all that is good about it, and to be thankful for the heritage and the food that you share at your Thanksgiving table. And isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Note: The family pictured is not my own. How should you know? There is no music playing, or a football game on television. No one is arguing or sulking, or yelling. There is no dancing, or loud belches, or spilled anything in this picture. And would I have it any other way? Absolutely not.

6 to 10 Grill and Nasi Lemak, Sek 17

It was another wet day... has been raining every evening

We were restless, could not make up our mind on where and what to eat.. :(.

Finally, we decided to makan at 6 to 10 since we wanted to try it for sometime already. Always passed by the place when we are going to Food Foundry but somehow never got around to it....

Though it was a wet evening, 6 to 10 was pretty pack when we reach. We quickly settled for a seat and browsed through the menu.. 6 to 10 serves mainly western food, but nasi lemak seems to be a rather popular dish too as many were happily tucking in to their nasi lemak.. SF, P and I decided to have nasi lemak with dishes of curry chicken, sambal sotong and beef rendang respectively. SL decided to have the gargantuan red wine grilled pork ribs..

I was hungry and I thought ordering nasi lemak would be the fastest, but I was wrong! Guess loads of people ordered nasi lemak too and we waited for a while before we got ours.. The nasi lemak looked ok...the usual nasi, ikan bilis and peanuts, a dollop of sambal and half a hard boiled egg.. I took a mouthful and....it was not as good as I thot :(. The beef rendang was slightly tough and sambal did not have enough 'kick'.P's sambal sotong was so so, she said she tasted better. SF was also ok with the curry chicken. What SF said was rite, this is a 'chinese' nasi lemak, not as much oommpphh compared to the malay's. Hope you get what I meant.. :p

Finally, SL's huge pork ribs came and I must say that it's better than the nasi lemak.The ribs were smothered with this red-wine-pineapple sauce, served with chips, corn and some salad.. I stole a bite (thanks SL!) of the pork ribs and it was pretty good. You could taste the subtle taste of wine in the sauce, the pork ribs had this springy texture and its sweet yet tender at the same time. Like those served in Meaty House in Uptown. I guess their forte should be western grill rather than nasi lemak. I saw quite a lot of newspaper articles around the restaurant, all framed up since the 90's. If I didnt recalled wrongly (from what I read in one of the articles), 6 to 10 has been in the business since 17 years ago....Yup, that many years :p

What Julianne thinks?
Reasonably priced but mediocre

6 to 10 Grill and Nasi Lemak is located at Happy Mansion, Jln 17/13 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 7955 4993

The White House Eggnog

I woke up this morning and realized that it is Thanksgiving week. I started this blog to encourage people to make memories with food and then I drop out of my blog for 3 of the most critical days. I have been fighting a flu and so even thinking about food has not been high on my list (toast, Coke, crackers... not exactly culinary highlights) However, as I have said previously, any occasion at the Dowd house is cause for a party and so you can imagine the countdown to Thanksgiving is a veritable festival.

For us, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and certain things must be done. First, the cornucopia must come out and be filled with gourds, little pumpkins and other fruits and vegetables. We started with a wicker one years ago but as it got a bit grody, we found a wire decorative one and so that is now the official cornucopia. It represents the plenty that comes with harvest time (even if now our harvest comes from the Kroger or Harris Teeter) and I highly recommend it to get into the Thanksgiving mood. If you don't have a cornucopia, you can just use a nice basket. Of course, the house needs to be cleaned... including the oven, in preparation for the orgy of cooking to come. Then there is the selection of the bird. We always have to go to at least two stores to find the best bird,and then determine where we can get the best buy on the best bird. My husband says its the closest he gets to being the hunter-gatherer therefore it is part of our tradition. The other thing we have to do each year is buy the cotton string to truss the bird. Each year we buy a new roll of cotton string, but the week before Thanksgiving we can never find it. It has found its way out to the garage, into a crabbing bucket, or God knows where, so off we go to the Ace Hardware to get a new ball of cotton string, and you know what? Next year we won't be able to find this one either!

The real kick-off to the holiday season that has to happen this week, and that I am now going to share with you is the making of the "White House" eggnog. I warned you that many of my recipes have their own story and to get the recipe you have to listen to the story, so here goes. For years and years, my only experience with eggnog came from a cardboard carton, and I was no fan. My sister in law had a party and served a homemade eggnog that she said was from the White House recipe (at the time she had connections that made this believable) and it was incredible. They should not even allow the stuff in the cartons to be called eggnog when compared to this concoction. She would not give away the recipe, but I worked with several recipes and techniques until I got the desired result. I guarantee you that this is absolutely the best eggnog ever, and if you make it for your Christmas party or open house, it will be a hit. Then you can send your friends to this blog to get the recipe themselves. I know it sounds complicated, but don't skip steps or take shortcuts or it won't turn out as well. Some things are worth the trouble. And the calories.

Dowd "White House" Eggnog

12 eggs, separated (I use pasteurized eggs so I don't have to worry about the dangers of raw eggs)

1 lb confectioner's sugar

2 cups bourbon (nothing from the cheap bottom shelf of the ABC store)

2 cups rum (See above tip)

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart half and half

Freshly grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until light in color and slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar. Very slowly, beat in one cup of bourbon and 1 cup of rum. Once liquors are incorporated, let this mixture to stand at least an hour before continuing. This will help get rid of the "eggy" taste.

Next beat in the remainder of the liquor and one quart of half and half, and then refrigerate for at least three hours.

Next beat the egg whites until stiff and beat the whipping cream to soft peaks (This will take longer with the pateurized eggs, but add 1/4 tsp cream of tarter and keep whipping-it will happen ). Fold egg whites into egg yolk-sugar and liquor mixture until incorporated fully, then fold in whipped cream thoroughly. Grate nutmeg over the top.

I store mine in large plastic pitchers with lids so that each time, you can shake up the eggnog to make sure everything is well incorporated. Makes about 1 gallon eggnog.