Mapo tofu aka braised bean curd with chilli

I love to cook. I have been cooking since the day i knew how to cook! *hahaha* I have done western, italian and chinese cuisines. I have to try baking though. 

My all-time favorite, 1 dish to go with 1 bowl of rice is the "mapo tofu". It is an exceptionally a simple yet affordable dish. The cost of ingredients totals to less than rm3, cooks for 2 portions. 

The ingredients you need for mapo tofu is: tofu, chilli bean paste (better known as "dou ban jiang", 豆瓣醬), fermented bean paste, minced onion and chilli paste (depending on how spicy you want it be). Most people add minced meat into this recipe. You can always improvise your own recipe by putting in other stuff as well, just make sure it is something which blends well with tofu. 

Add some spring onion to garnish your dish and make it more colourful. I didn't put them though because i never like the smell of spring onion. ;)

i used to go to Japs/ Taiwan restaurants and order a plate of mapo tofu to eat with a bowl of rice but now i prefer cooking it on my own :)

Sri Batik Nyonya Cafe (revisit)

A revisit to this Nyonya cafe after more than a year still gives me the same old feeling, unfriendly worker dressed in kebaya costumes. This time, my visit was prompted with the purchase of online voucher of buffet for 2 at 50% (RM9.90). Yes, a buffet at RM9.90 for 2 pax applicable only on weekdays, 12pm-3pm. The original price is RM19.80. As promised in the voucher, there were 10 dishes including white rice. Desert was one of the best things i enjoyed in my entire meal. I was a little unlucky as they didn't serve my favorite kapitan chicken or "jiu hoo char" which was one of the most famous nyonya dishes people could crave for.

Here are what they offered during the buffet:

 white tomyam (too sweet)

 salty vegetable soup

 tofu in sour sauce

 fried vegetable

 fried cauliflower and broccoli

 fried egg dipped in sweet and sour sauce

 pineapple kerabu

 fried kembung fish

cuttlefish curry with ladies fingers and tomatoes

 a new tank of ice cream consisting of 6 flavours

 dessert and drink

 bubur cacar

large crowd busy eating

In less than 15 minutes when the buffet started, the place was almost full. Food was running out pretty quickly. Some people actually dashed to grab the food as if they were suffering from famine before this. And as we were about to leave after a rather-satisfying meal (probably for my eating companions but not me), they brought in another new dish. Guess what? Fried instant noodle with pathetic vegetables and minced pork. *sorry the dish was too pathetic that i decided not to take any picture of it*

Anyway, what more could i ask for RM4.45 per meal? Well, i guess the saying "what you get is what you paid for" could very well be applied in this scenario. But, i am glad i went anyway. Sri Batik revisit number 3? Maybe not any sooner.

Nippon Yataimura Japanese Restaurant (revisit)

If you could still remember sometime last year i blogged about this Japanese Restaurant for it being my favorite place to go. I love its mapo tofu (my all time favorite) as well as its gekikara ramen, my another all-time favorite.
I recently visited its another branch at the basement of Queensbay Mall, just right next to food court and was totally disappointed with what I got.
I am not sure if it was a different branch, different chef cooking problem but my gekikara ramen just didn't taste the same anymore. I used to have this tingling-happy feeling eating it but this visit certainly didn't bring me that. :(
Apart from that negativity, they have a whole new menu though; bigger hardcover book.

 chicken teriyaki set - RM17.90

 katsu nabe don - RM17

my disappointing gekikara ramen - RM17

A very useful suggestion here, if it is your first visit to Nippon Yataimura, you should visit the one at Pulau Tikus. That is the pioneer branch after all.

McD's Grilled Chicken Burger

I guess this is my first post on fast food. Honestly, i am very health conscious (minus the fact that i love spicy and sour food), i seldom take fast food (which is why i will never consider moving to the Western country and meals in my OZ trip caused me so much grief! ;p) and i don't take junk food. Well, not never, but rarely, in fact you won't find a single packet of chips in my home. I also don't take fried food and always avoid over-oily food plus my favorite drink is H20.
However, i do have friends who make it an effort to visit the fast food restaurants at least once a month. I will never understand such rituals. ;p
Not unless, GCB is made a permanent recipe in McD's menu though! :)

GCB also stands for grilled chicken burger and looks almost like McD's yearly prosperity burger except that there is no black pepper and onions! Lots of lettuce, chargrilled sauce and 1 whole grilled chicken thigh sandwiched in between the buns is what GCB is all about.

the burger!!!

quarter-gone GCB ;p

Its ala carte price is close to RM9 after tax while its set is priced close to RM12 after tax. I never drink carbonated drink (another point to my healthy life), so i opt for ala carte most of the time unless when i am craving for fries!

GCB is only available for a limited period (while stock lasts). So, make your way to the nearest McD now and grab your very own GCB!! ^^

p/s: sorry, pictures in this post were taken using mobile's built-in camera as i did not bring out my beloved DSLR for it was meant to be a shopping trip ;)

Chocolate Truffle

I have always love chocolate. Who doesn't? This is actually my first trial of dessert-making and so I chose to make something i love instead. Perhaps passion could reduce the blunders. And, I am making the rather easy-to-make chocolate truffles or some call it chocolate fudge.
So, here are the ingredients you need for this recipe:

almond...must be roasted

d

dried apricots...chopped dried apricots (inset)

 butter

c

condensed milk

cooking chocolate

After about 30 minutes of double-boiling the cooking chocolate, butter and condensed milk, this is what you get.

You can then throw in the chopped dried apricots and then scoop into the paper cups as follow. Then put them to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

as you can see, i am being very generous with my almonds :D

tada!!  my end product

If you do not want to use paper cups, you also also pour the mixture onto a tray and then cut them into pieces after the are chilled enough.
End product looks good...Taste not bad but i personally feel it's a little too sweet. So, i'll most probably reduce the condensed milk or use full cream milk instead.

More recipes coming your way...Till then, happy eating and happy cooking!! ^.^