Sunday Special - So Much Food, So Little Stomach
Last Sunday, I was so engrossed in re-writing the “Why I-S-A?” song that I missed out the Sunday Special - which I’ve set aside just for food that I prepared or “makan.” Cooking is my passion, eating is my pleasure. Food is such an important part of lives. especially we Penangites! “Remember so much food, and so little stomach,” quoted from LiteFM -hehe!!! Eat a little of everything, a little at a time regularly at an interval - so you can have more varieties! A good advice or should I say, “a food advice.”
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Nasi Lemak
Steamed basmati rice in coconut milk and pandan leaves, served with sambal ikan bilis, cottage sun-dried salted fish, sliced hard-boiled egg and cucumber.
Braised Brinjal & Onions and Basil Omelette
Brinjal braised over slow flame in basil and garlic sauce with prawns and garnished with fried shallots & Onions and basil omelette.
Penang Assam Laksa & Teochew To’h Kueh (Pear Cake)
Laksa noodles in spicy and sour assam (tamarind) fish soup garnished with sliced red onions and mint. (Sorry, I missed out many other garnishing, such as julienne cucumber & pineapple, thinly cut lettuce, bunga kantan and red chilli. Option: heh Ko or prawn paste) Anyway, it’s the soup that matters, it’s all in the soup!
And this very unique pastry. To’h Kueh or Pear Cake (direct translation). The tang mee hoon (wheat starch flour) skin is filled with cooked yam, har bee and celery with seasoning. It is then moulded in a moulder in a shape of a pear, (no idea why the pear shape) and then steamed. When it is done it has a pinkish color with a chewy texture, like chai kueh, except it’s bit thicker. It is eaten with sweet chilli sauce. By the way, not many people know how to make it, it’s a dying skill. In the next generation, this To’h Kueh will be extinct. (This To’h Kueh is a compliment from a friend)
Pakoda - A Perfect Snack for Tea-time
Pakoda or Indian Onion Fritters: Fried chopped onions, coriander, red chilli (should have used green chilli) fold into gram flour batter and deep fried. It is best to dip the pakoda in mint and coriander sauce, and a nice hot cup of ginger tea.
(*** Gram flour is a flour made from ground chana dal, a lentil similar to chickpeas)