Char Koay Teow

Mention Penang hawker food and Char Koay Teow (Fried Rice Noodles) will surely be mentioned. There was a lady who makes the best char koay teow in one of the coffee shops in Pulau Tikus. Sadly, she doesn't operate the koay teow stall there anymore. Below is my attempt to recreate this hawker favourite, mine at least!

Daging Masak Merah

Daging masak merah brings to mind the busy Malay food court in USJ opposite the apartment block where I used to live. The stalls in the foodcourt all sell the same food so it's a matter of trying each and every stall to find who has the best tasting dishes. The cooks are super-efficient as well, all you need to do is to place your order which is immediately followed by the 'clanking' sounds of the wok and before you know it your dinner is sitting a styrofoam box, all ready!

















How to make this scrumptious stir-fry beef dish:

Ingredients

400gm beef
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 thumb size nugget of ginger (chopped)
1 small onion (sliced into rings)
1 green capsicum (cut into chunks)
2 tbs oil for frying

Sauce
2 tbs tomato sauce
2 tbs chilli sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce


Steps:

1. Boil the beef till tender (reserve some of the stock) and slice into strips
2. Heat the oil and saute the chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant and browned
3. Add the beef and continue to stir fry for one minute
4. Add the ingredient for the sauce and 2 tbs of the reserved stock, mix well (add more stock if the sauce is too dry)
5. Add the onion and capsicum and fry for another minute. If you prefer the vegetables to be softer, fry for longer.
6. Remove and serve with boiled rice. ENJOY!
   

Sausage Buns

Last Saturday afternoon I had a sudden urge for Sausage buns, so away to the PC to search for a recipe. The sausage buns that I was after are the ones found back home in Malaysia. Ones which are a favourite of my ex-flatmate and long time friend. After much searching, there is no rhyme or reason to my search patterns so don't ask. My rule of thumb is if the picture looks right, you are likely on to a winner!

My efforts and results below:














Waiting for the dough to proof, for someone like me, this is the hardest part of baking bread. Because it's Winter time, I had to stick the dough under the radiator to ensure sufficient warmth.
















I decided to boil the sausages instead of frying them as I was just recovering from a sore throat!
















After much thumb twiddling, the dough is finally ready to be shaped around the sausages. A sprinkle of sesame seeds and all is ready for the oven.

















Out of the oven, after about 10 minutes. Can't wait to sink my teeth into one. Unfortunately my skills at taking photos did not do justice to the buns, they look much more appertising in real life!


A closer look! This one is for you Arlene!