Drama Queen and Cass helping to dust the shelves and piano today:
My breakfast this morning of bitter gourd+ minced pork + egg + lard in pork soup sans the noodles. Am trying to go Keto as much as I can.
Health Freak Mommy ~ The Joys And Throes Of Motherhood
Where My Readers Are From
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Saturday - 14 October 2017
School is out for a week for Deepavali celebration and final exams are over for the girls. Now is the best time to rope them in to help around in the house. This is the best time of the year where exams are over and everyone is waiting for the 6 weeks school holidays to start. I can't wait to go back to Ipoh to visit my parents. We have not gone back to Ipoh since Chinese New Year and there are so many things about my hometown that I miss about.
Drama Queen and Cass helping to dust the shelves and piano today:
My breakfast this morning of bitter gourd+ minced pork + egg + lard in pork soup sans the noodles. Am trying to go Keto as much as I can.
Drama Queen and Cass helping to dust the shelves and piano today:
My breakfast this morning of bitter gourd+ minced pork + egg + lard in pork soup sans the noodles. Am trying to go Keto as much as I can.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Weekend - 7 & 8 October 2017
On the eve of the eve of Cass' final exam, we attended a Mid Autumn Carnival at our neighborhood.
Being a super anxious and 'kiasu' mum who places importance on doing well in exams, I have always had a complex about going out to have fun just days before an exam. Thus, I told Cass that we were not going to attend the carnival. I wanted Cass to study for this exam hammer and tongs as she did not fare well in the previous exam.
But Cass begged me to bring her to the carnival. She promised me everything under the sky. She promised me that she will do everything that I asked her to do. And she did.
And I kept my promise. I brought her to the carnival that evening. Alycia chose to stay home to study for her final exam. The hubs was in Ipoh on business.
An ambulance and fire engine were stationed at the carnival in case of emergencies as the carnival had an activity where free candles were given out to kids and adults to light up at a designated area.
Can you spot Drama Queen and Cass lighting up candles?
Cass on the fire engine. It was her first experience on a fire engine.
There were games for the kids:
Dinner at one of the cafes:
We didn't stay on for the lucky draw though. One of my conditions set was we could only attend the event for 2 hours and then it's back to revision at home.
Sunday, 8 Oct 2017
After the morning revising, we had lunch nearby at PappaRich.
Hubs ordered all our favorite hawkers' deligh:
And for dinner, I ordered Dominos pizza, the girls' favorite food for dinner on eve of exams.
Why home delivery pizza? Coz having dinner outside is a waste of time. Cooking at home is out of question as no one is free to wash the dishes on the eve of exams. So pizza it is - delivered right to our door step. Minimal washing and everyone is happy 😄
Being a super anxious and 'kiasu' mum who places importance on doing well in exams, I have always had a complex about going out to have fun just days before an exam. Thus, I told Cass that we were not going to attend the carnival. I wanted Cass to study for this exam hammer and tongs as she did not fare well in the previous exam.
But Cass begged me to bring her to the carnival. She promised me everything under the sky. She promised me that she will do everything that I asked her to do. And she did.
And I kept my promise. I brought her to the carnival that evening. Alycia chose to stay home to study for her final exam. The hubs was in Ipoh on business.
An ambulance and fire engine were stationed at the carnival in case of emergencies as the carnival had an activity where free candles were given out to kids and adults to light up at a designated area.
Can you spot Drama Queen and Cass lighting up candles?
Cass on the fire engine. It was her first experience on a fire engine.
There were games for the kids:
Dinner at one of the cafes:
We didn't stay on for the lucky draw though. One of my conditions set was we could only attend the event for 2 hours and then it's back to revision at home.
Sunday, 8 Oct 2017
After the morning revising, we had lunch nearby at PappaRich.
Hubs ordered all our favorite hawkers' deligh:
And for dinner, I ordered Dominos pizza, the girls' favorite food for dinner on eve of exams.
Why home delivery pizza? Coz having dinner outside is a waste of time. Cooking at home is out of question as no one is free to wash the dishes on the eve of exams. So pizza it is - delivered right to our door step. Minimal washing and everyone is happy 😄
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Kids Ask The Darndest Things
Just a moment ago, Cass was revising at the dining table for her Science test tomorrow.
Me - remember to take your fish oil ok? Fish oil is very good for your brain. You really need a lot of brain power now so that you can remember everything that you are studying for your exam. Fish oil is also good for your eyes, can prevent cancer, prevents dementia and good for your immune system.
Cass - mum, if fish oil is so good and can prevent so many diseases, why do fishes have such a short life span?
Me - because fishes are animals and animals can't live as long as humans.
Cass - yeah I know, but if fish can help humans to prolong their life span, why can't it live as long as humans too?
😳
Me - remember to take your fish oil ok? Fish oil is very good for your brain. You really need a lot of brain power now so that you can remember everything that you are studying for your exam. Fish oil is also good for your eyes, can prevent cancer, prevents dementia and good for your immune system.
Cass - mum, if fish oil is so good and can prevent so many diseases, why do fishes have such a short life span?
Me - because fishes are animals and animals can't live as long as humans.
Cass - yeah I know, but if fish can help humans to prolong their life span, why can't it live as long as humans too?
😳
Friday, October 6, 2017
Another Near Miss!
Someone almost burnt the condo down early this week!
When her daddy came back at 9:30 p.m. for dinner, I was already almost going to bed after a long and tiring day. The mil heated up the dishes in a wok. I told the little girl to bring the food out for her dad. She's used to serving her dad dinner whenever he comes back late at night. She's the darling of the kitchen and our best kitchen helper.
The next morning when I woke up at 4:15 a.m., I was shocked when I saw that there was FIRE on the stove!! With the wok on the stove. Oh. my. gawwwwwd! Someone didn't turn off the fire when she removed the food from the wok the night before!!
I quickly lifted up the wok lid and thank God, nothing was burnt. I had expected to see a burnt wok but the wok was A-ok, except for some stains caused by the wooden steaming rack. And it was indeed a miracle that the wooden steaming rack did not catch fire. Had this happened, I wouldn't be here typing this post. We would have created yet another Grenfell Tower, London blaze in the news.
Imagine a wood heated by fire in an empty wok for 6 hours and yet didn't catch fire! That's a miracle. I thank God for watching us and saving us again.
Moral of the story: never trust a 12-year old to do any kitchen stuff related to cooking / heating food unattended to, no matter how capable he/she is. And make sure that you check the stoves every night before turning off the kitchen lights and going to bed. Also, never trust the man to do those checking and supervising. Do it yourself, mummies.
When her daddy came back at 9:30 p.m. for dinner, I was already almost going to bed after a long and tiring day. The mil heated up the dishes in a wok. I told the little girl to bring the food out for her dad. She's used to serving her dad dinner whenever he comes back late at night. She's the darling of the kitchen and our best kitchen helper.
The next morning when I woke up at 4:15 a.m., I was shocked when I saw that there was FIRE on the stove!! With the wok on the stove. Oh. my. gawwwwwd! Someone didn't turn off the fire when she removed the food from the wok the night before!!
I quickly lifted up the wok lid and thank God, nothing was burnt. I had expected to see a burnt wok but the wok was A-ok, except for some stains caused by the wooden steaming rack. And it was indeed a miracle that the wooden steaming rack did not catch fire. Had this happened, I wouldn't be here typing this post. We would have created yet another Grenfell Tower, London blaze in the news.
Imagine a wood heated by fire in an empty wok for 6 hours and yet didn't catch fire! That's a miracle. I thank God for watching us and saving us again.
Moral of the story: never trust a 12-year old to do any kitchen stuff related to cooking / heating food unattended to, no matter how capable he/she is. And make sure that you check the stoves every night before turning off the kitchen lights and going to bed. Also, never trust the man to do those checking and supervising. Do it yourself, mummies.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Wednesday, 4 October 201 - Mid Autumn Festival
Today is a school declared holiday for Drama Queen and Cass in conjunction with Mid Autumn Festival. Most Chinese schools give a day off for Mid Autumn Festival and Qing Ming. However, today is a normal school day for Alycia, though she's in a Chinese private high school.
Breakkie was at our regular coffee shop, tucking into hawkers' delight. After breakkie, the mil and Drama Queen took an Uber car to Mid Valley Megamall while Cass and I stayed home. Cass' final exam is just days away but this dawdler is still in a chillaxing mood. In fact, she never panics before an exam and if not for me breathing down her spine to do more exercises and revision, I don't think she even knows that it's her exam until the eleventh hour when she reaches her class. She is always in her own la la land.
After completing two test exercises, I gave Cass to do something that she loves most - cooking, as a form of de-stressing. I taught her how to cook scrambled eggs. She was elated.
Cass cracked the eggs, added salt, pepper and milk, whipped the eggs while I heated up the pan and put the oil. She did the rest with me standing next to her and supervising her.
The result: perfectly textured, smooth and eggy-licious scrambled eggs with home-grown basil.
We do not normally celebrate Mid Autumn Festival. Tonight is no exception. We will be having dinner at home without the hubs joining us as he will be at a corporate client's Mid Autumn Festival event.
Hubs and I shopped for mooncakes, taro roots (mini yam), pomelos and water caltrop ('ling kok') yesterday for his client's Mid Autumn Festival function today. Big brand mooncakes were all selling at crazy markdown prices of between 25% and 50% off the regular prices. But I am not a mooncake lover, nor the girls, thus didn't get any for own consumption. Moreover we still have a few uneaten mooncakes from Ming Yue Confectionary, Ipoh.
Nonetheless, we bought 2 Teochew fried mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House.
The taro paste Teochew mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House are wonderfully delish. After tasting the sample (which was still very hot) and got hooked on it, we took two mooncakes - one with yolk (RM17.50) and one without yolk (RM16.50).
The taro paste is not overly sweet and cloy and the flaky pastry is crispy and fresh, with no rancid oil taste. These mooncakes are fried daily. When we tasted it right off the baking tray, we were sent right away to mooncake paradise, they were to die off 😋
Do you know why water caltrops or 'ling kok' are eaten during Mid Autumn Festival?
In Malaysia, water caltrops are only available during the season of Mid Autumn Festival.
Water caltrops are one of the elements that usher in good luck and prosperity during the Mid Autumn Festival. The name sounds strange and it looks creepy too but the symbolism behind this element is something intriguing. Water caltrop is also known as the buffalo nut or the bat nut. A first look at the water caltrop gives you an impression that it looks like a bat or buffalo or more so like a ninja warrior’s weapon. But these nuts are just like water chestnuts born out of an aquatic plant similar to that of a water lily that has been cultivated and eaten in different countries for centuries.
The fact that water caltrops look like bats is considered lucky for the Chinese because the Chinese word bat has a ‘fu’ sound in it which is the word for luck, hence water caltrops are known to bring in loads of good luck when eaten during the Mid Autumn festival. Water caltrops are boiled until they turn soft and once they are cooked, the shells are broken with a nut cracker or hammer. The white flesh is eaten which tastes sweet and nutty (like a combination of roasted chestnut and cooked potato). It has a mild taste with a crumbly texture. For me, I don't like the taste of it. I think it smells awful (like mud). Seriously. And no offense to those who adore water caltrops, yeah. 😉
Breakkie was at our regular coffee shop, tucking into hawkers' delight. After breakkie, the mil and Drama Queen took an Uber car to Mid Valley Megamall while Cass and I stayed home. Cass' final exam is just days away but this dawdler is still in a chillaxing mood. In fact, she never panics before an exam and if not for me breathing down her spine to do more exercises and revision, I don't think she even knows that it's her exam until the eleventh hour when she reaches her class. She is always in her own la la land.
After completing two test exercises, I gave Cass to do something that she loves most - cooking, as a form of de-stressing. I taught her how to cook scrambled eggs. She was elated.
Cass cracked the eggs, added salt, pepper and milk, whipped the eggs while I heated up the pan and put the oil. She did the rest with me standing next to her and supervising her.
The result: perfectly textured, smooth and eggy-licious scrambled eggs with home-grown basil.
We do not normally celebrate Mid Autumn Festival. Tonight is no exception. We will be having dinner at home without the hubs joining us as he will be at a corporate client's Mid Autumn Festival event.
Hubs and I shopped for mooncakes, taro roots (mini yam), pomelos and water caltrop ('ling kok') yesterday for his client's Mid Autumn Festival function today. Big brand mooncakes were all selling at crazy markdown prices of between 25% and 50% off the regular prices. But I am not a mooncake lover, nor the girls, thus didn't get any for own consumption. Moreover we still have a few uneaten mooncakes from Ming Yue Confectionary, Ipoh.
Nonetheless, we bought 2 Teochew fried mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House.
The taro paste Teochew mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House are wonderfully delish. After tasting the sample (which was still very hot) and got hooked on it, we took two mooncakes - one with yolk (RM17.50) and one without yolk (RM16.50).
The taro paste is not overly sweet and cloy and the flaky pastry is crispy and fresh, with no rancid oil taste. These mooncakes are fried daily. When we tasted it right off the baking tray, we were sent right away to mooncake paradise, they were to die off 😋
Do you know why water caltrops or 'ling kok' are eaten during Mid Autumn Festival?
In Malaysia, water caltrops are only available during the season of Mid Autumn Festival.
Water caltrops are one of the elements that usher in good luck and prosperity during the Mid Autumn Festival. The name sounds strange and it looks creepy too but the symbolism behind this element is something intriguing. Water caltrop is also known as the buffalo nut or the bat nut. A first look at the water caltrop gives you an impression that it looks like a bat or buffalo or more so like a ninja warrior’s weapon. But these nuts are just like water chestnuts born out of an aquatic plant similar to that of a water lily that has been cultivated and eaten in different countries for centuries.
The fact that water caltrops look like bats is considered lucky for the Chinese because the Chinese word bat has a ‘fu’ sound in it which is the word for luck, hence water caltrops are known to bring in loads of good luck when eaten during the Mid Autumn festival. Water caltrops are boiled until they turn soft and once they are cooked, the shells are broken with a nut cracker or hammer. The white flesh is eaten which tastes sweet and nutty (like a combination of roasted chestnut and cooked potato). It has a mild taste with a crumbly texture. For me, I don't like the taste of it. I think it smells awful (like mud). Seriously. And no offense to those who adore water caltrops, yeah. 😉
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Human Nature Natural Personal Care Products
I spend a chunk of my moolah each month on toiletries and skin care products that are free from harsh chemicals. I am a sucker for all things organic, natural, environmental-friendly and most of all affordable. That is why I have to refrain myself from stepping into an organic shop. Some ladies go wild in a Hermes or Coach boutique. I get carried away when I am in an organic shop 😁
When I found out about Human Nature, I went berserk, literally. I was totally impressed with their range of natural products and their affordability.
Human Nature is the largest natural personal and home care brand in the Philippines. They now also have the most number of NPA-certified products in the world. That’s right – more products certified by the USA-based Natural Products Association, than any other brand in the whole world! Human Nature products are available in the USA, UAE, Singapore and of course, Malaysia. And they are still growing.
Last week, I received my babies from Human Nature consisting of natural body wash, massage oil from essential oils, cooling leg and body cream, lipstick and blusher.
The Natural Body Wash which has a very pleasant and natural berry scent gives me a very refreshing shower, yet does not leave an overpowering scent that lingers on my body after my shower. Cass loves the scent and says it smells like her favorite organic strawberry lollipop.
I love the Rejuvenating Massage Oil, which has nature’s premium calming trio of lavender, orange and lemongrass essential oils. I use it to moisturize my body after my shower. It's great on Cass' hair and mine too. It tames the frizziness on our hair.
The Cooling Leg And Body Cream is da bomb! It invigorates my tired legs, arms and shoulders with a refreshing and cooling tinge of eucalyptus, peppermint and bergamot. This luscious cream gives me a restful mood and the cooling feeling I get after massaging the cream on my body gives me an instant lift. Love this body cream!
The ColorCreme lipstick in the shade of Coral Kiss, is 100% natural. It is made in a luxurious fusion of cocoa butter, sunflower seed oil, passion fruit seed oil, and natural vitamin E that melts onto your lips for an exquisite, creamy glide. Now I can apply lipstick on my lips without worry of ingesting toxic chemicals.
Human Nature's Perfect Glow Mineral blush in the shade of Pink Bloom looks amazingly natural on my fair skin. What I like most is that it stays on the whole day with just a few swipes. It is made with a blend of natural Vitamin E and pure mineral pigments that give cheeks the right glow to enhance your naturally blushing beauty. It also comes with a mirror and natural blush brush for an easy touch-up anytime, anywhere.
Internationally, Human Nature pride themselves on being a leading social enterprise with a palpable mission of promoting beauty with compassion. This means offering products that are not only good for our bodies and our planet, but also make a huge difference to impoverished farming communities. This is what I like about Human Nature. They use natural ingredients that grow, or can be grown, in Asia because that’s their way of helping alleviate poverty among farmers. They are among the poorest in the world and as long as they grow nothing but rice they will remain poor for generations to come. Teaching them how to grow high-value crops like lemongrass, mangoes and coconuts, offers them a truly sustainable way to get their families out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Human Nature operate under fair trade principles, meaning they pay market price or higher for their ingredients. Why Human Nature?
All of Human Nature’s products are natural and chemical-free (no SLS, no parabens, no artificial fragrance, no formaldehyde, no phthalates).
The products can be bought online and delivered to customers anywhere in Malaysia, to help busy mummies and other multi-tasking superwomen.
The products are priced reasonably so that even the average family can afford to go chemical-free.
Do hop over to Human Nature to check out their products and I am pretty sure that you’ll find something for everyone in the family. Christmas is not too far away. You can start shopping for gifts now 😉
When I found out about Human Nature, I went berserk, literally. I was totally impressed with their range of natural products and their affordability.
Human Nature is the largest natural personal and home care brand in the Philippines. They now also have the most number of NPA-certified products in the world. That’s right – more products certified by the USA-based Natural Products Association, than any other brand in the whole world! Human Nature products are available in the USA, UAE, Singapore and of course, Malaysia. And they are still growing.
Last week, I received my babies from Human Nature consisting of natural body wash, massage oil from essential oils, cooling leg and body cream, lipstick and blusher.
The Natural Body Wash which has a very pleasant and natural berry scent gives me a very refreshing shower, yet does not leave an overpowering scent that lingers on my body after my shower. Cass loves the scent and says it smells like her favorite organic strawberry lollipop.
I love the Rejuvenating Massage Oil, which has nature’s premium calming trio of lavender, orange and lemongrass essential oils. I use it to moisturize my body after my shower. It's great on Cass' hair and mine too. It tames the frizziness on our hair.
The Cooling Leg And Body Cream is da bomb! It invigorates my tired legs, arms and shoulders with a refreshing and cooling tinge of eucalyptus, peppermint and bergamot. This luscious cream gives me a restful mood and the cooling feeling I get after massaging the cream on my body gives me an instant lift. Love this body cream!
The ColorCreme lipstick in the shade of Coral Kiss, is 100% natural. It is made in a luxurious fusion of cocoa butter, sunflower seed oil, passion fruit seed oil, and natural vitamin E that melts onto your lips for an exquisite, creamy glide. Now I can apply lipstick on my lips without worry of ingesting toxic chemicals.
Human Nature's Perfect Glow Mineral blush in the shade of Pink Bloom looks amazingly natural on my fair skin. What I like most is that it stays on the whole day with just a few swipes. It is made with a blend of natural Vitamin E and pure mineral pigments that give cheeks the right glow to enhance your naturally blushing beauty. It also comes with a mirror and natural blush brush for an easy touch-up anytime, anywhere.
Internationally, Human Nature pride themselves on being a leading social enterprise with a palpable mission of promoting beauty with compassion. This means offering products that are not only good for our bodies and our planet, but also make a huge difference to impoverished farming communities. This is what I like about Human Nature. They use natural ingredients that grow, or can be grown, in Asia because that’s their way of helping alleviate poverty among farmers. They are among the poorest in the world and as long as they grow nothing but rice they will remain poor for generations to come. Teaching them how to grow high-value crops like lemongrass, mangoes and coconuts, offers them a truly sustainable way to get their families out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Human Nature operate under fair trade principles, meaning they pay market price or higher for their ingredients. Why Human Nature?
All of Human Nature’s products are natural and chemical-free (no SLS, no parabens, no artificial fragrance, no formaldehyde, no phthalates).
The products can be bought online and delivered to customers anywhere in Malaysia, to help busy mummies and other multi-tasking superwomen.
The products are priced reasonably so that even the average family can afford to go chemical-free.
Do hop over to Human Nature to check out their products and I am pretty sure that you’ll find something for everyone in the family. Christmas is not too far away. You can start shopping for gifts now 😉
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Works Better Under Stress
The littlest one is another eleventh hour girl when it comes to completing her homework and revising for exam, just like her 2 sisters.
Here she is yesterday morning, at the coffee shop:
While waiting for her bowl of fish paste noodles to arrive, she hurriedly completed her homework as her Mandarin tutor was due to arrive in another hour. She even did her homework in the car on the way to the coffee shop and on our way back home after breakfast. I had threatened her that if she didn't finish her homework on time for the tutor to mark, the latest novel that she's reading (which is the culprit to the 11th hour homework completion) would be confiscated and kept at the highest compartment of the cupboard in my room. And she managed to finish her homework just in the nick of time. She was pleased as punch that she could safe her novel from the clutch of the tiger mum. Good going girl!
Most of the time, Cass works with aplomb when under stress. All the adrenaline rush seems to propel her brain to work more efficiently. When there is all the time in the world at home, this little fella would dawdle away, burying her face into her thick novels.
Here she is yesterday morning, at the coffee shop:
While waiting for her bowl of fish paste noodles to arrive, she hurriedly completed her homework as her Mandarin tutor was due to arrive in another hour. She even did her homework in the car on the way to the coffee shop and on our way back home after breakfast. I had threatened her that if she didn't finish her homework on time for the tutor to mark, the latest novel that she's reading (which is the culprit to the 11th hour homework completion) would be confiscated and kept at the highest compartment of the cupboard in my room. And she managed to finish her homework just in the nick of time. She was pleased as punch that she could safe her novel from the clutch of the tiger mum. Good going girl!
Most of the time, Cass works with aplomb when under stress. All the adrenaline rush seems to propel her brain to work more efficiently. When there is all the time in the world at home, this little fella would dawdle away, burying her face into her thick novels.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Prawn Noodle King, Taman OUG, KL
Prawn noodles fans, be prepared to swoon. One of the famous authentic Penang prawn noodles stalls located at Macalister Road, Penang has landed in OUG, KL.
I heard that the owner of the decades old stall at the hawker center has retired and a KL guy in the Food and Beverage business bought over this 37-year old recipe and opened a small air-conditioned eatery at OUG, KL. Prawn Noodle King at Taman OUG, KL was officially opened on 23 September 2017.
The foodie hubs brought us to sample the prawn noodles last Friday (the day before the official opening) after he saw videos of how much prawns are used to prepare the prawn broth. The moment we stepped into the eatery, what greeted us first was the strong aroma of cooked prawns wafting in the air, followed by the the warm and friendly owner.
In this eatery, only prawn noodles are served. At the time when we were there, there wasn't any individual menu yet except for a gigantic poster like menu on the floor and only these items are served at the moment:
I ordered mantis prawns with vermicelli:
Picture taken from the Prawn Noodle King Facebook page.
The hubs ordered yellow mee + vermicelli with pork ribs:
The hubs also ordered two extra large prawns and a bowl of roast pork (not in pic) as add-ons:
Refreshing 'loh hon guo' drink to bring down the heatiness after lapping away the spicy prawn broth. It's served cold and hot. The hot ones are served in classic enamel mugs.
Verdict: This is the real McCoy. The broth is da bomb! It is packed with flavors from prawns and bones. It was so good that the foodie hubs chugged down all the broth in his bowl of noodles and continued to quaff down the broth from the bowl of add-on big prawns. This is a classic Penang prawn noodles recipe and may be a little spicy for those who can't stomach spicy stuff.
Down side is after enjoying our shrimp noodles, we left the eatery smelling all shrimpy and the after-taste of shrimps lingered in our mouths for hours. Will definitely be making another visit to Prawn Noodle King again!
Prawn Noodle King
4 Jalan Hujan Rahmat 3
Taman OUG
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Call 013-734 2323
I heard that the owner of the decades old stall at the hawker center has retired and a KL guy in the Food and Beverage business bought over this 37-year old recipe and opened a small air-conditioned eatery at OUG, KL. Prawn Noodle King at Taman OUG, KL was officially opened on 23 September 2017.
The foodie hubs brought us to sample the prawn noodles last Friday (the day before the official opening) after he saw videos of how much prawns are used to prepare the prawn broth. The moment we stepped into the eatery, what greeted us first was the strong aroma of cooked prawns wafting in the air, followed by the the warm and friendly owner.
In this eatery, only prawn noodles are served. At the time when we were there, there wasn't any individual menu yet except for a gigantic poster like menu on the floor and only these items are served at the moment:
I ordered mantis prawns with vermicelli:
Picture taken from the Prawn Noodle King Facebook page.
The hubs ordered yellow mee + vermicelli with pork ribs:
The hubs also ordered two extra large prawns and a bowl of roast pork (not in pic) as add-ons:
Refreshing 'loh hon guo' drink to bring down the heatiness after lapping away the spicy prawn broth. It's served cold and hot. The hot ones are served in classic enamel mugs.
Verdict: This is the real McCoy. The broth is da bomb! It is packed with flavors from prawns and bones. It was so good that the foodie hubs chugged down all the broth in his bowl of noodles and continued to quaff down the broth from the bowl of add-on big prawns. This is a classic Penang prawn noodles recipe and may be a little spicy for those who can't stomach spicy stuff.
Down side is after enjoying our shrimp noodles, we left the eatery smelling all shrimpy and the after-taste of shrimps lingered in our mouths for hours. Will definitely be making another visit to Prawn Noodle King again!
Prawn Noodle King
4 Jalan Hujan Rahmat 3
Taman OUG
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Call 013-734 2323
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Kris Jenner Chocolate Brownies And Mung Beans Dessert
Today is a school declared holiday for Drama Queen and Cass. We had brunch at 10-ish a.m with the hubs and mil. By 12 noon, our stomachs were growling already. While our pot of mung beans + stinky grass + sweet potato 'tong sui' (sweet soup) was brewing on the stove, Drama Queen quickly baked a Kris Jenner (Kim Kardashian's mother) chocolate brownies.
Our tea-time consists of mung beans + sweet potato + stinky grass + palm sugar 'tong sui':
And chocolate walnut banana brownies baked by Drama Queen:
Our 'stinky grass' herb. Its scientific name is Ruta / Rue. This herb pairs very well with mung beans. The Chinese old folks use it to eliminate toxins and heatiness from the body. Rue has a very pungent yet very pleasant smell. While some may get offended by the smell, others love its aroma.
Our tea-time consists of mung beans + sweet potato + stinky grass + palm sugar 'tong sui':
And chocolate walnut banana brownies baked by Drama Queen:
Our 'stinky grass' herb. Its scientific name is Ruta / Rue. This herb pairs very well with mung beans. The Chinese old folks use it to eliminate toxins and heatiness from the body. Rue has a very pungent yet very pleasant smell. While some may get offended by the smell, others love its aroma.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Ming Yue Confectionary Mooncakes
I am not a fan of traditional mooncakes as I find them too cloy and sweet for my palate. Except for the assorted nuts mooncake and jelly mooncake, I have no interest in others. I won't mind at all if I don't get to eat them during mooncake festival. Some mooncakes are so nauseously sweet that I have to spit them out. I really mind having these empty calories in my stomach. That would require me to run extra rounds to melt away the fat.
What really turns me off about mooncakes in general is the price. The prices of mooncakes are steadily skyrocketing by the year, no thanks to costlier imported ingredients and GST. The other day, the foodie hubs bought a piece of traditional mooncake from Hilton Hotel which cost a freaking RM38++ each! And it's smaller than regular size mooncakes. The mooncake was so small that it was chomped down in just 2 mouthfuls.
The only mooncakes that I like are the ones from Ming Yue Confectionary in Ipoh. They are by far the cheapest ever mooncake, almost half of those with big brand names. While Ming Yue's mooncakes are cheap, the quality and freshness are definitely not compromised. The mooncakes are baked at the shop and sold there. Packaging is minimal and no-frills, no fancy plastic wraps, stickers and tins. However, the mooncakes must be consumed within a week for they are not vacuum packed. This is not an issue for us as Ming Yue's super-hyped mooncakes are so good that they are usually all wolfed down the moment they are cut.
My favorite from Ming Yue is their assorted nuts mooncake, which has a thin layer of crust, is not overly sweet and is chock full of nuts and seeds. Considering that nuts and seeds are expensive imported ingredients, Ming Yue's assorted nuts mooncake only costs RM9 each.
Below is the 2017 mooncake price list from Ming Yue Confectionary vs. one from a well-known big brand:
Ming Yue price list.
Big Brand price list.
RM3.50 each for a red bean paste mooncake from Ming Yue, seriously? And this is why my dad had to queue up for 45 minutes to get 2 boxes of mooncakes to bring to Singapore for my brother and his family recently. Thankfully for us in KL, a friend of the mil works at Ming Yue and getting the mooncakes has always been a breeze for her every year. Her friend would help her buy the mooncakes and then wait for another friend to transport them to KL for us. Right now, we have 3 boxes of mooncakes to savor 😀
No fancy schmancy bakery but a humble brick-and-mortar shoplot in Ipoh:
Check out the queue:
Besides baking mooncakes a month before Mooncake Festival, Ming Yue specializes in sesame peanut brittles, their other signature item, which also happens to be the best in the world 'fah sang tong' aka peanut brittles or some call it peanut candy. Other bakes include rice brittles (also very addictive) and an assortment of traditional Chinese biscuits and cakes.
After one bite of the crunchy, finger-sized delight you will be in utopia, then you'll end up walloping the entire packet, if not half. It takes a lot of determination to stop munching on these babies.
A scene from last night:
The hubs who is a yellow banana, like yours truly and could not read the Chinese prints on the Ming Yue mooncakes had to summon his princesses to help him read 😄 He is a big fan of mooncakes with quadruple egg yolk *face palm*
What's your favorite mooncake?
What really turns me off about mooncakes in general is the price. The prices of mooncakes are steadily skyrocketing by the year, no thanks to costlier imported ingredients and GST. The other day, the foodie hubs bought a piece of traditional mooncake from Hilton Hotel which cost a freaking RM38++ each! And it's smaller than regular size mooncakes. The mooncake was so small that it was chomped down in just 2 mouthfuls.
The only mooncakes that I like are the ones from Ming Yue Confectionary in Ipoh. They are by far the cheapest ever mooncake, almost half of those with big brand names. While Ming Yue's mooncakes are cheap, the quality and freshness are definitely not compromised. The mooncakes are baked at the shop and sold there. Packaging is minimal and no-frills, no fancy plastic wraps, stickers and tins. However, the mooncakes must be consumed within a week for they are not vacuum packed. This is not an issue for us as Ming Yue's super-hyped mooncakes are so good that they are usually all wolfed down the moment they are cut.
My favorite from Ming Yue is their assorted nuts mooncake, which has a thin layer of crust, is not overly sweet and is chock full of nuts and seeds. Considering that nuts and seeds are expensive imported ingredients, Ming Yue's assorted nuts mooncake only costs RM9 each.
Below is the 2017 mooncake price list from Ming Yue Confectionary vs. one from a well-known big brand:
Ming Yue price list.
Big Brand price list.
RM3.50 each for a red bean paste mooncake from Ming Yue, seriously? And this is why my dad had to queue up for 45 minutes to get 2 boxes of mooncakes to bring to Singapore for my brother and his family recently. Thankfully for us in KL, a friend of the mil works at Ming Yue and getting the mooncakes has always been a breeze for her every year. Her friend would help her buy the mooncakes and then wait for another friend to transport them to KL for us. Right now, we have 3 boxes of mooncakes to savor 😀
No fancy schmancy bakery but a humble brick-and-mortar shoplot in Ipoh:
Check out the queue:
Besides baking mooncakes a month before Mooncake Festival, Ming Yue specializes in sesame peanut brittles, their other signature item, which also happens to be the best in the world 'fah sang tong' aka peanut brittles or some call it peanut candy. Other bakes include rice brittles (also very addictive) and an assortment of traditional Chinese biscuits and cakes.
After one bite of the crunchy, finger-sized delight you will be in utopia, then you'll end up walloping the entire packet, if not half. It takes a lot of determination to stop munching on these babies.
A scene from last night:
The hubs who is a yellow banana, like yours truly and could not read the Chinese prints on the Ming Yue mooncakes had to summon his princesses to help him read 😄 He is a big fan of mooncakes with quadruple egg yolk *face palm*
What's your favorite mooncake?
Monday, September 18, 2017
Saturday, 16 Sept 2017
Today is the eve of Drama Queen's UPSR Chinese paper, which is the last UPSR paper for Primary 6 pupils from Chinese primary schools. For National schools, the last day of UPSR was on Friday. This girl is already feeling the big heavy sack taken off her shoulders. She's acting really nonchalant, as if her exam is already over.
After church, we had lunch at Oiso, our regular Korean restaurant opened by a Korean guy - just the girls and I. The hubs was down with food poisoning, thus hibernated at home all day.
When I got back from lunch, I started to have pangs of queasiness which got worse over time. The sight and smell of the Korean food that we doggie bagged back just made me squeamish. Drama Queen in her usual dramatic fashion pulled me aside and asked this cheekily, "err... so mum, are you pregnant?" **roll eyes**
When I got up from my siesta, I darted to the bathroom to hug the toilet bowl. Every single morsel was upchucked out with all my energy. Oh how I hate puking! And how I hate to be down with food poisoning!
Just yesterday, Cass was down with diarrhea and was feeling nauseous the whole day. She had little appetite for food except for cucumbers. When everyone went out for dinner, for once Cass said she wanted to stay home and eat nothing. After downing 2 packets of Izumio hydrogen water, 2 capsules of Super Lutein, lots of cucumbers and a cucumber + tomato + meat floss sandwich, she felt better on Sunday.
My dinner on Sunday:
Half a bowl of millet + quinoa + rice porridge cooked with dried scallops and seasoned with half a wedge of 'fu yi' (fermented bean curd).
Funnily, each time I feel nauseous, the only food that I have appetite for is fermented bean curd! I was craving for this when I was down with really bad 24 hours morning sickness when I was pregnant with Alycia.
And the culprit for causing us the food poisoning was the overnight coconut water that I kept in the fridge, bought a day earlier. It's not the first time that we drank overnight coconut water. I guess it's contaminated.
After church, we had lunch at Oiso, our regular Korean restaurant opened by a Korean guy - just the girls and I. The hubs was down with food poisoning, thus hibernated at home all day.
When I got back from lunch, I started to have pangs of queasiness which got worse over time. The sight and smell of the Korean food that we doggie bagged back just made me squeamish. Drama Queen in her usual dramatic fashion pulled me aside and asked this cheekily, "err... so mum, are you pregnant?" **roll eyes**
When I got up from my siesta, I darted to the bathroom to hug the toilet bowl. Every single morsel was upchucked out with all my energy. Oh how I hate puking! And how I hate to be down with food poisoning!
Just yesterday, Cass was down with diarrhea and was feeling nauseous the whole day. She had little appetite for food except for cucumbers. When everyone went out for dinner, for once Cass said she wanted to stay home and eat nothing. After downing 2 packets of Izumio hydrogen water, 2 capsules of Super Lutein, lots of cucumbers and a cucumber + tomato + meat floss sandwich, she felt better on Sunday.
My dinner on Sunday:
Half a bowl of millet + quinoa + rice porridge cooked with dried scallops and seasoned with half a wedge of 'fu yi' (fermented bean curd).
Funnily, each time I feel nauseous, the only food that I have appetite for is fermented bean curd! I was craving for this when I was down with really bad 24 hours morning sickness when I was pregnant with Alycia.
And the culprit for causing us the food poisoning was the overnight coconut water that I kept in the fridge, bought a day earlier. It's not the first time that we drank overnight coconut water. I guess it's contaminated.
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