What more could I ask for?

Going back to my Food Adventures in Kuala Lumpur, I thought I should give 'House & Co. a bit of a highlight. Why? Because they have two of my pet passions under one roof - Homewares and Beautiful Food! House & Co. is situated in Bangsar Shopping Centre, better known as BSC, in an area favored by European Expatriates.
My Dear Aunt Julie , a woman with exquisite taste for the finer things in life was the one who brought us to this place. Unfortunately, the homewares section displayed a "no photography" request. I'm sure the management has good reasons for this . I was , however, able to take a couple of photos of the delightful local fare we had there.
House & Co. stock items from local and imported Objet d'art, one-off furniture pieces, glassware and ceramic tableware to trendy cotton Bedlinen. In a sentence, it's a one stop giftshop. Now, here's some eye candy for you!

Raspberry Almond Friands with White Chocolate Ganache

Did I ever mention that I have a small group of family and friends over every friday or saturday (sometimes both days!) for Gin Rummy? Yup! I'm an avid gambler too. Just Kidding! Gin Rummy is just an excuse for us to catch up and eat cake. The stake is only $10 each, the evening is filled with laughter and at the end of the game , the winner goes home with about $70 or $80 !
So Friday is Baking day because of Gin Rummy. When I don't have a lot of time on my hands I always make Friands because they are quick and easy to make. My 13 year old daughter Chloe made some recently for her teacher as a thank-you gift. Oh, before I forget, don't be alarmed to see "salted butter" in the recipe. I ALWAYS use salted butter in my cakes and cookies. It's just one of my idiosyncrasies in Baking!

For the Friand..

. 185g salted butter, melted
. 6 egg whites, lightly beaten
. 1 cup icing sugar
. 1 cup ground almonds
. 2 tsp vanilla extract
. 1/2 cup Sponge Flour
. 1 cup raspberries

For the White Chocolate Ganache..

. 160g white chocolate
. 3 tbsp thickened cream

1. Preheat oven to 190C and grease friand tin.
2. Place all ingredients except raspberries into a large bowl and stir till combined.
3. Spoon mixture into friand tin, 1/2 full and top each friand with 3 raspberries.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Stand the friands in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out to cool on a rack.
6. Melt the white chocolate and cream in a microvave, stirring every 10 seconds till it reaches a smooth consistency.
7. Leave the ganache to cool for 15 minutes before popping in into the fridge.
8. Stir the ganache every 15 minutes to prevent it from setting.
9. When the ganache is firm, ( about 45 minutes) remove from fridge.
10. When the friands are completely cool, spoon a dollop of ganache on the top and dust with icing sugar.

Makes 12

New kid on the blog

Hi! My name is Carol and I live in Western Australia with my husband Ming and my two gorgeous girls Chloe and Paige. I’m a 38 year old spring chicken (after all, you’re only as old as you feel and age is only a number!) who’s just called truce with the computer, the internet, and the web. You see, up until Tuesday, I was computer illiterate and could’nt care less, but because of my love for food and my passion for cooking and baking, I finally caved in and got my dear friend Deon to show me how to work this damned machine. I must say that at this point in time, I have finally made peace with the computer and it’s allies though I must stress that because I’m new at this, I will take longer than most bloggers to put up new posts and photos.

Who am I? I’m a homebody (if there’s such a word!) because my whole life revolves around my wonderful husband and two girls. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret that I never went to University or never completed my hospitality course and never had a career. If I could turn back time, I would do this all over again, because I was made for this. I just LOVE looking after my family, making a beautiful and comfortable home for them, cooking and baking for them.

When I have some alone time, I spend it watching movies, reading foodie magazines and more recently, food blogging. I also have another passion,- art and crafts. I have a studio where I do ceramic painting, mosaic mirrors and chandeliers made from recycled copper cables. But that’s a whole separate blog! I love dining out with family and friends, trying out new restaurants then coming home and experimenting on the tasty dishes I tried based on memory of the taste and flavors.

When I feel the need to splurge, I visit homeware shops.This is because besides loving to cook, bake, dine out etc. I have a weakness for kitchen stuff and Egyptian cotton bedlinen. This ‘weakness’of mine more than rarely causes my husband Ming to be nervous. He ‘fondly’ refers to the objects of my weakness as “doodads” and himself as the “cash-cow” cum “camel”. Why “camel” you ask? He says it’s because he has to carry all the shopping too!

Well, before I finish off with this introduction, I’d just like to say that I have started this blog so that I can share my recipes and family life with anyone who bothers to read about them. On some occasions, this blog will be an outlet for my whining and whingeing . Most Importantly though, this blog is for keeping in touch with old friends and possibly making new ones. Thanks for visiting!

Hello Kuala Lumpur!

We were greeted with a hot steamy bowl of crabmeat sharksfin soup for supper on our arrival at Gasing Hill where we were staying. This was the real Mc Coy, - not the new agar-agar based imitation, and at RM 12.00 each, it was a real steal! Dad brought out the Martell VSOP and we all (except for Ming , my sweet other half, who wheezes at the whiff of alcohol ) added a dash of it into our bowl of comfort. This is the way to start a holiday!

Our Holidays are very much about eating, and I make no apologies for that. There’s this Restaurant in New Town Petaling Jaya that you should visit if you are in the area, Sri Karak but beware of Market Price Seafood dishes. Always ask to view the seafood item that’s been weighed and the price for the dish before placing your order. If you do this, I assure you , you and your tummy will be very happy. Sri Karak has a wide selection of local favourites at very reasonable prices, its clean and air-conditioned.

Food is not just a survival necessity in Malaysia, eating is a cultural aspect. We even eat as we are shopping, and that is why you will see quaint little food stalls lined up amidst boutiques and departmental stores.

Babi Chin (Fragrant Nyonya Pork)

It’s Thursday today and that means an early finish at school for my girls. I’m glad I got tonight’s dinner out of the way, mainly because I want to do some ‘potato couchin’ and watch the final episode of a Korean soap I’ve been following. What’s more, it’s a humid 31 degrees Celsius today and I don’t take the heat very well. It’s best to do a quick number while its still cool.

I got a slab of belly pork out of the freezer this morning, which means 'Babi Chin' (Fragrant Nyonya Pork) was going to be the main fare for tonight's dinner. I cook this dish when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to fuss about too much in the kitchen but that's not the best thing about it, the best thing is, it's absolutely delicious and the kids cannot resist digging into it way before dinner!

Being a first timer on the blogging scene, I would be thrilled to receive any feedback after you’ve tried this recipe.

Babi Chin
(Fragrant Nyonya pork)

You will need…

. 1kg skinniest belly pork you can find

. 1½ cups thinly sliced shallots

. 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

. 4 star anise

. 2 tbsps. Coriander powder

. 1½ tbsps. Knorr chicken powder

. 2tsps. Sugar

. ½ tsp. white pepper

. 1½tbsps. dark soy sauce

. 1½ tbsps. Soy caramel

. enough hot water to just cover the pork

. 3 tbsps. Vegetable oil

Let’s start!

Cut up the belly pork into bite size chunks, leaving the rind on. Heat a medium sized pot on the fire then drizzle in the oil. Add the sliced shallots and garlic and stir till fragrant. Now add the star anise and coriander powder and stir to combine. Continue to stir for about 20 seconds to release the flavours and aromas.

Add the belly pork chunks, stirring to avoid any sticking. Next, add in the chicken powder, sugar, white pepper, dark soy and caramel. Continue stirring to combine all the ingredients. Finally, pour in enough hot water to just cover the pork. Give the pot another quick stir, then bring to the boil.

Turn the flame down to low and simmer the pork, covered for about 2 1/4 hours till tender. After cooking, leave the pork to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours for the flavours to develop further. Reheat the pork before serving on a bed of steamed jasmine rice.