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    May 7, 2012

    KY cooks – Mint and Egg Soup

    This is one of the fastest soup to prepare that is perfect to clear up sinus problem – the mint and egg soup. Everything can be done in about 10-15 minutes, and makes a perfect companion to another dish, or even to be consumed just by itself.

    I’ve always thought that making the mint and egg soup means chucking everything into the pot and just boil away. As it turns out, the process involves a few more steps in between, and here’s how you do it:

    the two main ingredients - mint leaves and egg
    the two main ingredients – mint leaves and egg

    Ingredients (for two as companion dish):

    • a bunch of mint leaves – pluck and use only the leaves
    • 1 egg – lightly beaten
    • ginger – in strips
    • 3-4 cloves garlic
    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • half a chicken cube (or soup stock if you have)
    • salt and pepper for seasoning

    with some oil, fry ginger, garlic, then the mint leaves
    with some oil, fry ginger, garlic, then the mint leaves

    Cooking instructions:

    • with a pot, heat up cooking oil then fry ginger as it takes longer to cook
    • a minute or two later, add in garlic
    • when garlic is fragrant, add mint leaves, stir till you can smell the mints, around 1-2 minutes
    • add egg, and cook it to the consistency of soft scrambled egg
    • add 1.5 bowl of water and chicken cube (or soup stock)
    • bring to boil, add salt and pepper  according to taste

    make a scramble egg, almost, then add water and chicken cube
    make a scramble egg, almost, then add water and chicken cube

    So there you go, 2 small bowls of mint and egg soup ready to serve. The frying process, together with the addition of ginger and garlic really brings out the flavor of the soup. The only little tricky part with the mint soup is that mint leaves generally doesn’t last very long in the fridge before turning black and bad. You should always cook it at the lastest 1-2 days after purchasing for best results.

    Get cooking! There are more recipes here.

    and it's ready to serve after boiling for a couple minutes
    and it’s ready to serve after boiling for a couple minutes

    P/S: the recipe for prawn dish on the photo above is here.

    filed under Cooks, soup
    March 30, 2012

    KY eats – Tanzini Upper Deck, G Tower

    It’s been a while that this blog features any fancy dining experience, so the invitation from Tanzini Upper Deck came just at the right moment.

    Situated at the 29th floor in G Tower, Tanzini Upper Deck features a double volume (ermm.. aka very high ceiling) dining room complete with custom made star-lights which. Coupled with the full view of the magnificent Petronas Twin Towers, the ambiance is about as good as one can wish for.

    Tanzini Upper Deck at G Tower
    Tanzini Upper Deck at G Tower

    Tanzini Upper Deck only offers 4-6 course degustation menu and private functions, if you’re looking for ala carte dining, that would be Tanzini just a level below.

    While waiting for everyone to arrive, we started off the night with a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne, a non-vintage champagne comprises 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Meunier. I’m not exactly a wine critic, but the fruity aroma and full texture of this drinks makes it one of the better champagne I remember having.

    Lollipop Scallops, Halibut-Salmon "Mokume Gane"
    Lollipop Scallops, Halibut-Salmon “Mokume Gane”

    We tried three types of appetizers, starting with a daring display of creativity in the lollipop scallops. It was in essence, grilled scallop on a stick encased with caramelized sugar. Sweet and savory, a departure from the normal preparation which tends to go towards the salty side. Interesting nonetheless.

    Halibut-Salmon “Mokume Gane” is inspired by Japanese mixed metal patterns. In this instance, using halibut and salmon that results in the orange/white pattern. Served with house pickled ginger, lemon grass-calamansi granita, candied hojiso (shiso leaf), and horse radish. The taste was quite distinctly Japanese for me, and in a very good way.

    Black Truffle Custard
    Black Truffle Custard

    Another choice of appetizer is the black truffle custard that comes in three parts – truffled egg-mushi, a squid ink cone with sweet corn, and finally, prawn noodle with trout roe.

    This was almost a 3-in-1 dish. I love the truffled egg (kinda reminds me of the foie gras egg in Gu Yue Tien, though they are different) and enjoyed the textures of prawn noodle with trout roe. The final third of the dish though, was overpowered by the sweetness of the corn that very little hint of squid ink was apparent.

    "BLT" soup - bacon marmalade, lettuce m-sponge, tempura soft shell crab
    “BLT” soup – bacon marmalade, lettuce m-sponge, tempura soft shell crab

    Next up was a choice between the two soups we tried.

    Chef Eugene’s interpretation of “BLT” was our first soup. Veloute de tomates, bacon marmalade, 30″ lettuce m-sponge, and tempura soft shell crab.

    I’ve never tasted bacon, lettuce, and tomato quite this way before, and I gotta say it was very impressive and daring. The soup was like a very supped up (pardon the pun) version of tomato soup. It was quite delicious.

    Smoked Oyster Tea
    Smoked Oyster Tea

    Should you choose the smoked oyster tea as the choice of soup instead, you won’t be disappointed. This dish was a demonstration of the perfect harmony in consomme of oyster, fenugreek (herb), smoked trout roe, ginkgo, and oyster kara-age (similar to tempura).

    The soup is poured just before eating, and rightly so, because 2 minutes later the crispy skin of oyster kara-age would’ve become soggy.

    Ox Tongue Yakitori - with asparagus kimchi, fried bernaise
    Ox Tongue Yakitori and  House Muscovy Duck

    After appetizer and soup, we moved onto starters.

    Ox tongue yakitori and house-cured muscovy duck were the two dishes to be chosen from the menu.

    On one hand, the fancier ox tongue dish comprises of miso-ginger infused ox tongue skewer, fennel in Yuzu dressing, asparagus kimchi, and fried béarnaise. The ox tongue was very good in its delicate taste and texture, fried bearnaise was interesting, but the asparagus kimchi though, was a surprise that wasn’t exactly in a good way. I felt that it was a little bit out of place.

    the duck dish, on the other hand, was excellent! Plum sauce, pop rocks & melon galia, truffled potato stuffed bok choi, and litchi glass are the ingredients. Chef Eugene got this one perfectly executed, it just tasted very very good.

    Redefined "Aussie Pie"
    Redefined “Aussie Pie”

    We had an intermezzo in the form of some sorbet which acted as a palette cleanser, after that was the main dishes.

    Out of the 3 choices, I selected the Redefined “Aussie Pie” - glazed hilside farm lamb loin in house stock, kataifi, truffled mashed peas, vegemite orb, and sautéed vegetables. This dish was another display of art, and the good news was, it actually tasted rather good. The lamb loin was almost a little too dry for my liking, but that was just me nitpicking a little.

    "Uncle Sam" Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Desconstructed English Man's Treat
    “Uncle Sam” Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Desconstructed English Man’s Treat

    Haze had the “Uncle Sam” Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks - slow braised wagyu in rye stock, grilled king trumpets, dark chocolate crouton, and seasonal vegetable. This turned out to be one of the weaker dish, and we felt that it was actually a little bit of a waste to braise a good piece of meat.  Truth be told, it was a disappointment.

    The third main dish was the Deconstructed English Man’s Treat, basically chef’s interpretation of the classic fish and chips, with fillet of marbled goby fish & carbonized batter, violet potato, glazed savoy cabbage, texturized garlic oil, and 62 Celcius organic egg yolk. Eiling, who ordered this dish, had this to say:

    “This is a very complicated dish but I like the contrasting textures and the egg yolk certainly is a unique addition.”

    Flamed Popcorn Gelato
    Sweet Ending: Flamed Popcorn Gelato

    The dinner ended with flamed popcorn gelato – hazel streusel, bruleed banana, black elderberry glazed fuji apples, and salted caramel toast.

    The presentation of the dessert really placed an exclamation mark to the chef’s creativity. It was served with the smoke from dry ice overflowing the table, and some Grand Marnier poured onto the glazed apple for the flame. The spirit did make the dessert a bit bitter, but I actually love it bitter so that suited me well (not so for the girls).

    KY, Eiling, Haze at Tanzini Upper Deck
    KY, Eiling, Haze at Tanzini Upper Deck

    All throughout the dinner, chef Eugene came out and explained the meaning and intricacy of each dishes, which made a world of difference. Service too was excellent throughout (but this is an invited food review, so your mileage may vary).

    Most importantly, you might ask, is the price:

    RM 155++ 4 course dinner

    • Chef’s Special
    • Choose one out of Appetizers, soups, or starters
    • Intermezzo
    • Choice of Mains
    • Dessert
    RM 185++ 5 course dinner
    • Chef’s Special
    • Choose 2 out of Appetizers, soups, or starters
    • Intermezzo
    • Choice of Mains
    • Dessert
    RM 215++ 6 course dinner
    • Chef’s Special
    • Choice of Appetizers
    • Choice of Soups
    • Choice of Starters
    • Intermezzo
    • Choice of Mains
    • Dessert

    map to G-Tower, KL

    Address:
    Tanzini Upper Deck
    Level 29, GTower
    199 Jalan Tun Razak,
    50400 Kuala Lumpur
    GPS: 3.1590, 101.7200
    Tel: 03-2168 1899

    March 9, 2012

    KY cooks – Thai Minced Pork Cucumber Soup

    This Thai minced pork cucumber soup is something that we came across while staying over at Khaolak for degassing purposes after a satisfying live-aboard diving trip at Similan Islands.

    The soup was so good that when we came home, Haze and I tried to re-create the same dish at home, and I think she got it pretty close. Here’s the resulting soup that is somewhat healthy, simple to make, and may I say, quite delicious. :D

    Thai Cucumber Soup with Minced Pork
    Thai Minced Pork Cucumber Soup

    Ingredients:

    • big fresh cucumber
    • fish sauce (or salt)
    • white pepper
    • minced meat (300 gram or enough for stuffing)
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

    ingredients are simple, we use fresh cucumber
    ingredients are simple, we use fresh cucumber

    Instructions:

    • While heating up 3 bowls of water, remove cucumber skin, cut in halves, then into bite size, remove the seeds
    • mix minced meat with generous amount of pepper, a teaspoon of fish sauce (or a dash of salt), and a teaspoon of sesame oil
    • apply minced meat on cucumber where the seeds used to be (you can 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch to make the mixture more sticky)
    • carefully put the cucumber into boiling water with meat side on top
    • boil for 15-20 minutes or until cucumber is soft
    • serve while hot

    minced meat and cucumber is a great combination
    minced meat and cucumber is a great combination

    This soup usually comes with tong fun (glass noodle) so if you wanna add that, do go ahead. For even more flavorful soup base, feel free to add chicken/pork bones too.

    Happy cooking!

    filed under Cooks, Pork, soup, Vegetable
    January 12, 2012

    KY cooks – Chinese Corn & Spare Ribs Soup

    It’s been a while since I posted the last recipe, so here’s another simple to make soup dish that anyone can make at home – Chinese corn and spare ribs soup. If you want it without pork, feel free to substitute spare ribs with chicken wings or bones.

    I use a pressure cooker for this, but a normal pot would work too if you just increase the cooking time a factor of 2-3. Preparation time for this dish is less than 10 minutes.

    corn, red dates, dried cuttle fish
    corn, red dates, dried cuttle fish

    The ingredients are fairly simple to source, and they aren’t expensive either. This is good for 4 small bowls of soup

    • 2 x sweet corns (best if you get those from Cameron Highland, they are extra juicy)
    • 600 grams of spare ribs
    • half a dozen dried red dates
    • 1 x dried cuttle fish or some dried scallops

    boil the spare ribs for a while to remove impurities
    boil the spare ribs for a while to remove impurities

    Now the cooking instructions:

    • boil the spare ribs separately for 1-2 minutes to remove impurities
    • cut the corn in 2 and put all ingredients with 4 bowls of water in pressure cooker (6 bowls if you are using normal pot to account for evaporation)
    • bring to boil and cook in pressure for 45 mins to an hour
    • add salt to taste (about 1.5 teaspoon for me)
    • add pepper to taste
    • additionally, sprinkle some chopped spring onion before serving

    just boil everything in pressure cooker for at least 45 minutes
    just boil everything in pressure cooker for at least 45 minutes

    The result is a clear soup that has the taste of sweet corn and spare ribs infused in it. It goes well with steamed rice or even just on its own.

    Easy, healthy, and delicious, try it!

    add a sprinkle of spring onion and you're done - corn & spare ribs soup
    add a sprinkle of spring onion and you’re done – corn & spare ribs soup

    Olympus E-PL3

    filed under Cooks, Pork, soup
    February 9, 2011

    look ma, we’re on TV3!

    As of writing, this blog has been in existence for slightly more than 6 years, and now I can proudly say that I appeared on national TV on the first day of CNY for something that has absolutely nothing to do with kyspeaks.com.

    The title of this blog post too is appropriate, as I got to watch this segment of Malaysia Hari Ini on the first day of Chinese New Year 2011 with my mom, at ungodly 7 a.m. There was a total of one person who noticed the show and informed me via twitter. :D

    Malaysia Kini crew - led by Nazrul
    Malaysia Kini crew – with the host Nazrul

    It all started out with Nazrul informing me about this opportunity to do a segment on Chinese New Year reunion dinner a couple weeks before CNY. Being a modest attention seeker that I am, I took it up despite knowing the fact that it has to be done in *gasp* .. Malay language.

    Nazrul, Haze, Kim, Gareth were all in the video
    Nazrul, Haze, Kim, Gareth were all in the video

    The video was taken about a week prior to CNY, and since mom wasn’t around yet at the time, I invited Kim, Gareth, and his mom who’s from all the way across the globe (yes, this Shaolintiger is really a mat salleh). Haze, of course, was the co-host.

    vegetable, black chicken herbal soup, steamed fish, kung pao chicken
    vegetable, black chicken herbal soup, steamed fish, kung pao chicken

    For the dinner, I cooked black chicken herbal soup, steamed golden pomfret fish, kung pao chicken, and stir fried baby bok choy.

    Since I also labeled this post in “cooks” category, there might as well be recipe – follow the links for kung pao chicken and steamed pomfret.

    10 herbs black chicken soup preparation method
    10 herbs black chicken soup preparation method

    As for the black chicken herbal soup, the recipe is surprisingly simple.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 black chicken, you can get this from any wet market. (they slaughter mine fresh, was a bit disturbing)
    • Chinese 10-herb packets. I got them from the store next to Ming Tien, but you can get them even at Giants/Cold Storage these days.

    Steps:

    • boil the black chicken separately for 2-3 minutes to remove any foam in the soup
    • transfer the chicken to the soup pot and bring to boil with the herbs
    • keep boiling with very low fire for a couple hours
    • alternatively, you can also use a slow cooker, thermal cooker, or double boiling pot.

    So there you go! Do view the video and tell me what you think about my spoken Malay, hehehe.

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    filed under Cooks, KY TV
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