Camera Crumbs - Round Up Of The Week

My Tennis Elbow right arm has little progress in healing, making it challenging to perform household chores, cook, and lift heavy items.  Consequently, my cooking routines have been simplified. I’ve primarily relied on the air fryer and toaster oven for meal preparations. Thankfully, we’ve had a steady supply of food from hubby’s central kitchen, which has been a lifesaver, reducing the need for extensive cooking.

I suspect that the pain could be a side effect of Atorvastatin. Last month, my cardiologist prescribed me this statin at 20mg per day to bring down my cholesterol levels. I have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). My two younger daughters have FH too, which was discovered during blood tests when they were hospitalized for other conditions.

FH is an inherited disorder that makes it harder for your body to remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from your blood.

No matter how hard I control my diet, exercise, and stay away from foods with high cholesterol, my blood cholesterol reading is still very high.

Familial hypercholesterolemia can affect anyone whose family carries the genetic mutation. The biggest problem with FH is that more than 90% of people who have it haven’t been diagnosed, which means you should pay careful attention to your family history.

About a month into taking Atorvastatin, I started to have pain in my right elbow bone. I later found out that I have a condition called Tennis Elbow.  Later, I started to have aches in my right hip and buttock. My doctor has advised me to take a 4-week layoff from Atorvastatin to see if the pains and aches in my right hand and hip will go away. 

My lunch usually consists of salad, with food from hubby's kitchen:

Chicken and beef satay with satay sauce, Mackerel fish cooked Indonesian style, Sayur Lodeh (Indonesian vegetable stew in coconut milk) in a bed of salad.
Dessert - yummy kuih.

Sambal Sotong, Sayur Lodeh with tempeh and cabbage, and Ayam Masak Merah in a bed of Mizuna salad.

Meehoon Siam, Sambal Sotong and Ayam Masak Merah.

One-tray-grill - green curry chicken thigh with green and yellow bell pepper, Shimeji mushrooms, sweet potato, chopped garlic, and onions, drizzled with olive oil, and seasoned with black pepper, cajun spice, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
To reduce washing and hurting my tennis elbow arm, I bought disposable aluminum trays for my grills.

Haru, Our Feline Foodie

Much like her human counterparts, Haru possesses a discerning palate and a love for certain foods. While some may expect a cat to be content with traditional cat food, Haru surprises us with her eclectic tastes. She shares our love for roast chicken breast, grilled salmon, and saba fish, eagerly devouring these savory delights whenever they are offered. And mind you, the roast chicken that she loves must be from a specific stall (which is our favorite stall) and not any other stalls or she will turn her nose up at the chicken meat. This is because some chicken rice stall owners marinate their chickens with five-spice powder and other seasonings, which Haru doesn't like. She likes plain chicken roasted, with an aromatic charred chicken taste.

Sniffing her favorite sourdough bread.

However, Haru's culinary preferences extend beyond typical cat fare. Unlike many cats, she turns her nose up at steamed fish, opting instead for breads, paus, and anything made from dough and yeast. Her fondness for sourdough bread and sourdough products, with its tangy flavor profile, is particularly surprising. Last week, I was astonished to discover that she even enjoys my healthy flour-free sprouted wheat bread, a healthier alternative to traditional bread.

Haru is obsessed with my flour-free sprouted wheat bread. The moment she hears the 'ting' sound from the air fryer and the aroma of toasted sprouted wheat bread wafting in the air, she will excitedly run to the kitchen in anticipation of a small treat. Even deep in her sleep, the smell of toasted bread can wake her up in an instant.

One common thread in Haru's food preferences seems to be her affinity for foods containing yeast. Whether it's the texture of bread or the tangy taste of sourdough, Haru's fondness for yeast-laden foods is undeniable. However, I must be mindful of her sensitive digestive system, as excessive consumption of gluten-rich foods can lead to digestive issues such as diarrhea and even vomiting.

While I delight in indulging Haru's culinary curiosities, I must also prioritize her health and well-being. Finding a balance between her favorite treats and foods that agree with her digestive system is essential. It took me more than two years to discover what her guts agreed to and how her meals should be tailored to every day.  By offering her a variety of options and monitoring her intake, I ensure that Haru can continue to enjoy her favorite foods without compromising her health.

Haru also loves Beacon seaweed pure chicken essence. I share a little with her each time I drink it.  This is too expensive to give her the entire packet. It costs almost RM20 for an 80ml packet (less than half a  soup bowl).

Slice of Life ~ Throwback Food Photos

Photo dump of some food pics that I forgot to post:

This is what Cass and I usually have for our meals lately:

A protein (usually fish or chicken breast) on a bed of yummy refreshing salad and raw turnip with no rice or low carb.

Sherilyn's salad with air-fried salmon, mozzarella cheese, cherry toms, avocado, and homemade salad dressing. She still eats rice at times.

Air-fried salmon with sauteed cabbage.

Sherilyn cooked these during her semester break - Japanese curry with fresh udon and chicken Karaage. 

A big pot of Japanese curry, enough for everyone for several meals.

Curry noodles shared with hubby at a curry noodle stall at Kuchai Business Park, after he sent his car for repair.

Hubby ordered siew yoke and cha siu from another stall to add to this bowl of curry noodles. This is what a true foodie will do!  The chicken breast was for me.

Kali meen kar liu (curry noodles with added ingredients)

Harbour ED's Steamboat

Harbour ED's Steamboat in Sri Petaling is one of the best steamboat and pork noodle restaurants that we've been to. In fact, I prefer their handmade pork balls and fish balls over H*idil*o's.  Of course, at H*idil*o, the ambiance and service are impeccable and you'll feel really pampered by their staff. 

We tried Harbour's pork noodles and it was superb - one of the best that we've tried in the Klang Valley. The minced pork patties were very nicely marinated and had no porky odor.  The soup was very flavorful and the bowl of noodles had a generous amount of choy sum and pork lard. Though pricier than regular pork noodles from hawker stalls, we don't mind spending a little more to enjoy a bowl of really tasty pork noodles with fresh ingredients.

Pork noodles

Handmade squid balls, pork balls, wanton, sui kow, and stuffed puffed tofu with fish paste.  Every bite of the squid ball had real squid meat in it.

Blanched squids seasoned with aromatic fried garlic oil, soy sauce, and spring onions. The texture of the squids was perfect - it was cooked to a tee and not rubbery at all. Very delish.

Spam meat fried rice with lettuce. Very flavorful too.

This is one restaurant that we will definitely be going again on a Sunday, after Cass' figure skating class. 

Address: 19, Jalan 13/149l, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 016-620 2672

Uncle Botak Flying Noodles at Yong Hua Restaurant, Jalan Sepadu (Taman United), KL

Early this week hubby and I were at Jalan Sepadu in the morning as hubby had to send his car for a car seat wash. We intended to eat porridge at Zhu Ji Spicy Soup, one of our favorite restaurants for congee, pig's stomach and intestines soup, rice wine chicken and fried fish. But this restaurant was still not opened yet. So we walked around the vicinity and found this unassuming coffee shop and went in to check out what they had.

We noticed that almost every table had a plate or two of fried prawn noodles (Sang Har Mein) and that was exactly what I wanted to eat. We ordered a plate to try and when the plate of noodles was brought to our table, I gasped.  

I didn't expect the Cantonese-style fried prawn noodles coming from this unassuming coffee shop to look so 'atas', and Instagrammable!

And it tasted just as good as how it looked, considering that it only cost RM35 for a huge plate with one medium-sized prawn sliced into half.

I quickly fished out my phone camera and started work 😁

I wondered how the heck the cook made the chopsticks hang in the air with the noodles. 

An elderly man who sat next to us was commenting to his friend that the noodles were priced very reasonably compared with similar noodles from other restaurants. 

Both hubby and I polished off the entire plate of noodles. The crispy noodles and the egg sauce were such a great combination. Besides the prawn, there were pork slices, fish cake slices, spring onions, and ginger slices. 

You can watch how Uncle Botak the botak cook fries the noodles here:

https://www.instagram.com/bestfoodmalaysia/reel/C0q-hL0oHIz/?hl=en

Yong Hua Restaurant

Address: 97A, Jalan Sepadu

Taman United 

Old Klang Road

58200 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 016-910 1200

Bangkok Trip - Day 3 (Royal Galaxy Chao Phraya River Cruise)

Embarking on a Chao Phraya sunset river cruise with my eldest daughter, Alycia, was one of the highlights of our Bangkok escapade—a journey filled with exploration, culinary delights, entertainment, and breathtaking views that left an indelible mark on our hearts.

Our river cruise adventure began on our third day in Bangkok, following a morning of mall hopping that took us on a whirlwind tour of the city's vibrant shopping scene. From the innovative design of Terminal 21 mall, resembling an airport complete with a shopping guide resembling a passport, to the modern allure of the new EmSphere mall, we immersed ourselves in the diverse tapestry of Bangkok's retail landscape.

As the afternoon sun began to wane, we made our way to Asiatique the Riverfront, a riverside oasis that beckoned with its promise of unique shopping and dining experiences.  At 4pm, we had to check in for our Chao Phraya river cruise at the cruise ship counter. The cruise would start at 5.15 pm.  We spent over two hours at Asiatique and were sweating buckets as this shopping center with an outdoor concept is not air-conditioned and the weather was very hot in Bangkok throughout our four days there. We had to seek refuge in an air-conditioned restaurant (ordered some food too) and window shop in shops that were air-conditioned. 

As we boarded the vessel and settled into our seats on the upper deck, we were greeted by a sumptuous continental buffet dinner that catered to every palate. From fresh seafood to Korean, Chinese, and Western cuisine, the spread was as diverse as it was delectable. Despite my initial concerns about motion sickness, the calm and tranquil waters of the Chao Phraya River provided a soothing backdrop for our evening of indulgence. I didn’t eat a lot as I was worried about having motion sickness. I had forgotten to put the motion sickness pill into my handbag when we left the hotel in the morning! Thank God, all was well and I did not feel queasy or dizzy at all as the river cruise was very calm and relaxing.

As the cruise set sail, we were treated to live entertainment and mesmerizing views of Bangkok's ancient and modern treasures illuminated against the night sky. From majestic temples to towering skyscrapers, each sight was a testament to the city's rich history and vibrant energy.

One of the highlights of the evening was a lively performance by trans-women entertainers, whose charisma, beauty, and talent added an extra layer of excitement to our cruise experience. Capturing memories against the backdrop of Bangkok's glittering skyline, we couldn't help but marvel at the beauty and diversity of this enchanting city.  Another highlight of the cruise was the breathtaking sunset views.

After bidding farewell to our floating sanctuary, we continued our adventure with a visit to Icon Siam, a river-side shopping mall, where we indulged in window shopping amidst a vibrant display of Thai street food and the festive atmosphere of the Songkran water fest. We wanted to try so many Thai dishes but were quite full from our earlier dinner at Asiatique and on board the ship. But we ended up trying grilled stuffed squid, a refreshing avocado smoothie, and coconut water.

As Alycia and I reflected on our day filled with exploration and discovery, we felt a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the memories created and experiences shared. From the bustling streets and shopping malls of Bangkok to the tranquil waters of the Chao Phraya River, every moment was a testament to the beauty and diversity of this enchanting city. 

Enjoy the photos!

Shops at Asiatique the Riverfront Destination. We had to check in at a counter here.

Asiatique the Riverfront Destination

We sought refuge from the scorching hot sun at an air-conditioned Thai restaurant. We ordered mango-sticky rice and pan-fried Aussie steak.  We indulged in mango-sticky rice every day throughout our stay in Bangkok.

Waiting to board the ship. It was SO hot!

Everyone was so excited

On the upper deck of the ship

Wefie with Alycia.

Inside the cruise ship

Me, a few shades darker after all the walking under the hot sun!

The Korean dishes were pretty good.

Generous servings of prawns and oysters but we dare not eat them for fear of getting food poisoning as we had a flight to catch the next day. Alycia has a very sensitive tummy.

Desserts counter.

So much food. I love the braised salmon.

Beautiful view of an ancient Thai shrine.

Icon Siam is on the right. We took Grab to this mall after our cruise ended.

Love the sunset colors.

Lovely colors of sunset. Love the atmosphere on the ship 💗

Read about our Day 1 in Bangkok and how we had a huge culture shock when we were caught right smack in the middle of the Songkran water fights!