which came first? the egg tart or the chicken pie?

as long as they both end up in the deep recesses of my stomach, i dont really mind =) . Hong Kee is like the ultimate place for egg tarts in Ipoh. Popular with locals and tourists alike, they usually sell out in the afternoon. Unable to resist the temptation of the beckoning of the evil yellow buggers as i strolled past the shop, i popped in to get me some. hmmm, while the filling was all melty, custardy and filled with eggy goodness, the crust was quite meh. not bad, but just not piping hot and flaky. Perhaps the car trip home took too long?

the perfect tea time snack

The chicken pie, on the other hand, was seriously good. The filling consist of chicken(obviously), peas i think and various other tasty mushed up items, but the top crust(or is it called topping) was the magical bit. Sweet and crispy and a tiny bit savoury, the texture resembles that of crushed digestives? not the most appetizing way to describe something, but the texture was the closest to what i experienced. Go try it yourself if you dont believe me.

chicken pie with the out-of-this-world crust

Hong Kee egg tarts are sold in the coffee shop named Weng Seng, which is on Jalan Dato’ Onn Jaafar, before you reach Super Kinta and Mac Donalds. Get there nice and early before they sell out!

Incidentally, a few shops down are shops selling paper products that people burn so that their deceased loved ones could be more comfortable in hell/heaven. Wow, what with LV bags and bikinis, I wonder if people have wishlists specifying what they want in their after life. I'll be happy with a pink Smeg fridge and a Gaggia espresso maker, thanks!

bikinis for a dip when hell gets too hot

LV bags for the upper class in hell


miloo

Of frying and being a chicken

Acar Chicken

if you've stood in front of a hot wok with oil spitting at you, then i'm sure you'll agree with me that its not good fun. My aunt had come over to teach me her signature dish, Acar Chicken. Whilst i happily did the prep work of chopping, peeling and pounding, i kept a good distance(10 metres?) during the frying process. I decided that this was not a dish i could make, given my overwhelming wuss-ness in facing hot oil. As fate would have it, dad was so excited that his daughter could co-produce something remotely delicious he had to promise his good friend(and his family!) that i would cook this dish for them. ARGH was my reaction, but promises must be kept, so i found the longest pair of chopsticks and brandished the wok cover in front of me like a shield as i fried the chicken. Anyways about the recipe, its really fragrant and slightly tangy, so if you're after something light and coconut milk-free but spicy, this is definitely worth trying.

sunbathing chicken

shallots, onions and curry leaves

wonderfully fragrant limes

fried goodness

Acar chicken

10 marylands(which is 10 drumsticks and 10 thighs)

1 ringgit worth of curry paste from your local guy

8 limes, juiced

approx 8cm knob of galangal, pounded

2 sprigs curry leaves

3 brown onions, quartered

8 shallots, blended

3 green chillies, deseeded

4 stalks lemongrass, chopped finely

2 tablespoons brown sugar(or to taste)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

instructions

using a pestle and mortar, pound galangal and lemongrass (separately) till fine

wash and pat dry chicken, then add 2 teaspoons of salt to chicken, mixing thoroughly, before adding the galangal. Leave chicken skin side up on a flat tray under the sun for half hour

Heat wok of oil, fry chicken till golden brown. Note, wok should be covered for the first 3 mins as crazy spluttering will ensue when chicken meets oil. Turn chicken during frying process to ensure even frying.

Pour oil (save for 2 tablespoons) into separate vessel for reuse( if you want)

Fry onions, lemongrass, shallots and curry paste till fragrant

Add green chili, curry leaves, lime juice, brown sugar and oyster sauce, then lastly the chicken so that the paste coats it. Enjoy!

Rare and Beautiful

I am rare. No, not that I'm a rare beauty dripping in gorgeousness like Angelina Jolie or Eva Mendes. Rather I am a morning person, unlike most people I know, I don’t frown at 9 am lectures or look zombiefied in the morning. But I do draw the line at daily 6am wake up calls, especially when the execution is by confiscating ones blanket in a 23 degree air-con room, leaving the shivering victim with no choice but to wake up.

hello darkness

But my grumpiness is always short-lived, as the round of golf is always the precursor to an awsome breakfast. this particular one was exceptionally beautiful.

package of sin

it glistens

worth its weight in gold

Before - the pork man

Our group of 6 pork lovers arrived at 8.40am, and there was already a queue, as the pork man started selling at 8.30am. by the time we finished breakfast at 9.15am, all but a few pieces of char siew(barbecued pork) were left. Not bad work considering that he started with two whole pigs and managed to sell nearly all of it in 45 minutes. I don't know how true this is, but according to an uncle, the ultimate super best bit of a roast pork is its third rib. That's what we had, and it was pretty damn good. The meat was moist and the skin crunchy. The char siew was expertly marinated and was all a melt-in-your-mouth package of sweetness and juiciness.

After- the porkless man with a my-pork's-good-eh smile(even the bones were gone)

the pork man sets up shop in from of a coffee shop named Fusan, which is situated in Menglembu. Its pretty hard to get to as the shop is in the middle of a housing estate, I'm pretty sure i wouldn't be able to get there by myself again. If you need directions to get to his stall, or need a roast pork or two for a function, this is Mr Wong's mobile number 012-5802577.

seek and you shall find the divine roast pig under the blue and green umbrella