I have a New Part-Time Pet

Ah, so I let the cat out of the bag the other day when I commented on one of PH's recent posts that a certain kittie she wanted to kidnap home looked exactly like the stray cat I'm feeding now.  PH and I are cat lovers, we can't help it, every stray that crosses our paths, we want to rescue them...if only we could save them all!

Since the cat is out of the bag already.....well, here she is...yet another (lucky) stray cat has wandered its way into my porch some 6 months ago (based on the dates of the first photos of her in June).  

She came when she's was just a few months old kitten, disheveled, scruffy and hungry (these photos were from the first day), but was immediately friendly as she allowed me to pet and pick her up instantly.  This tells me the kitten used to have a home but was discarded recently (as she wasn't too skinny) coz cats born on the streets are very afraid of people and would run away when you get near.

And yes, this one is fortunate enough to be let into the house (for a few hours daily).  She's a bit hyper when I let her in (probably because she's still very young) and she would run beserk around the house, so I've to keep her occupied (and drain her hyper energy) with toys.  She's not as calm as Gone Girl or my late Cookie...and difficult to photograph when she's inside the house as she's never still (sometimes I have to kick her out coz she was causing such havoc). ;D

As you can see, even outside the house, she would climb the walls, window sills and even my clothes rail.  She once jumped onto the roof of my neighbour's house and couldn't come down.  We had to use a ladder to rescue her.

She would even derive fun from biting on her own leg and tail...and she does one thing I've never seen any of the other cats under my care do...she chases her own tail.  I thought only dogs do that...but, apparently, so do cats, especially kittens.  It's a playful behaviour and it helps them practise their hunting skills it seems.  Another weird thing she does that no other cats do is that she likes to walk on her butt at times!  I guess if humans have different personalities/behaviour, so do cats.

Oh yeah, this kitty is quite the hunter at such a young age....she brought me a gift recently (omg!)...and her catch was quite a large bird if I may add (the bird must have put up quite a fight as there were feathers strewn all over)! O_o

She's not as pretty as the previous fluffly long-haired Gone Girl but equally as affectionate...I think probably more so.  She constantly wants to be next to you...even when she sleeps, she wants to be in contact with some part of your body...lol!  So, her favourite sleeping place (when in the house) is on the sofa (next to me).

Just like Gone Girl (but not my late Cookie), she allows herself to be picked up and carried (as her paws are always soft with nails retracted) though she doesn't offer herself to be belly rubbed as often as Gone Girl.  She prefers to be petted on her head and rubbed under her chin.

Compared to Gone Girl, this girl is much naughtier.  She likes to chew on wires especially my computer wires and even my handphone wires while it's being charged (haiz)...and had even chewed my spectacles.  Just look at that little gangster! ^.^

 

One day, I found her rubbing herself constantly on the floor (and on us) and letting out weird meow sounds when she was inside the house and I knew instantly that she was on heat.  I've seen that before in Gone Girl but she exhibited the signs when she was outside the house (this one I got to see up close).

I was in a dilemma whether to let her out of the house...but I hear a cat can be on heat for days until she gets it...and I was not willing to confine her to the house for a few days.  The moment I let her out (I followed her), she had her way with a male cat (that has been waiting/hanging around her for days) there and then...haiz (I even had a front-row seat to the "show"...lol).  I already had plans to neuter her but before I got to do it, this happened.  I booked an appointment straight away and got her spayed within a week.  The cost was RM120 (with clipped ear and RM150 without) but I still ended up paying RM150 coz there were some complications (additional charge as she was already pregnant with 4 kitties according to the vet).

The last time I neutered Gone Girl (without clipping her ear), she disappeared was taken less than 3 months later.  I thought it was because she looked beautifully intact, so I decided to snip the ear this time in the hope it would deter this cat from being meeting the same fate...stolen/kidnapped! >_<

As usual, when she (or any cat) sleeps, they're at the cutest with all their funny sleeping positions.  Her favourite napping place is on the sofa...where else!  P/S: The hair on her shaved tummy is beginning to grow back.

Occasionally, she would sleep on the mat I provided for her in the house though her preference is still the sofa...who wouldn't want to sleep on something soft?

When outside, she sleeps in a cardboard box I've set up for her though she prefers to sleep on top of the cupboard (a high vantage point is always good when you're a stray).

She may not have a forever home...but at least she has a part-time home.  She will be well fed (with no worries of adding to the cat population) and has a place to sleep at night.  Hopefully (bearing unforeseen circumstances), this one sticks around for a bit! ^_~

Dendeng & Sambal by Khairulaming

If you're a regular shopper at Shopee, you'd probably know Khairulaming's brand of Dendeng Nyet Berapi and Sambal Nyet Berapi.  If not, you would have probably read about this popular food entrepreneur and influencer in the papers recently about shutting down both his factories in Kelantan for 5 days to take all his 100 staff for an all expenses paid vacation to Penang (what a nice boss!).

Formerly an oil & gas engineer (popularly known as KA), his first product (launched in 2021) was the Sambal Nyet Berapi which retails for RM14 for a 180g bottle.

He followed that up with his second product, Dendeng Nyet Berapi, 3 years later.  Both his products have raked in millions of ringgit in sales where he was famously known to have sold RM1 million worth of dendeng in under 4 minutes.

And it was this very Dendeng Nyet Berapi that first attracted me to his products.  I'm actually not familiar as to what dendeng is initially but from the picture on the packaging it looked something like a darker version of rendang daging.  On googling, it's described as a classic dark and oily dish of tender beef marinated in herbs and spices.

Since I absolutely love beef rendang, it's a no-brainer that I should get some to try.  It retails for RM15 for a 180g packet of ready-to-eat dendeng daging.  Well, who doesn't like ready-made food which just requires you to pour out the contents into a bowl!  But they do recommend that you soak the package in hot water for a couple of minutes for better aroma and taste or just to warm it up a little.  Those who are weary of reheating it this way can pour out the contents and reheat it in a pan/wok (the conventional way) or microwave it (I wouldn't recommend steaming it though since food that's steamed tends to release water which would compromise its taste).  For those who have no qualms about eating it direct from the package, you can also do so.

It makes one of the most appetising meals I've had at home this year.  All I need is a fried egg (some may need two)...preferably with an oozy egg yolk on hot/warm rice.  The dendeng on its own is lightly sweet and spicy even thought its name has the word berapi in it (which indicates that it's fiery) but certainly a spice level that many can take.  The sweetness is probably contributed by the kicap manis (sweet soy) in the sauce.

The dendeng daging turned out to be absolutely delicious!  You get tender shreds of beef (like the mouthfeel of pulled pork) and some small chunks of beef that's immensely tender and savoury.  It's so good!! ^.^

For those who need to up the spice level, add on a dollop of Sambal Nyet Berapi (and this one is true to its name, it's really fiery all right).  So spicy that you can't really taste the flavours of the sambal (but sweet it isn't)...and I can only tolerate one teaspoon of it!  I've since made use of the sambal to cook prawns and squid too (by adding lots of sauteed sliced shallots and some dark soy or kicap manis).  I think it will be a good addition when frying up some fried rice or mee goreng as well.  I just wish it wasn't as spicy so that I can use more of it.

Even if the sambal leaves a burning sensation in my mouth, it's still an ideal accompaniment eaten with the dendeng.  As with all sambals, you'd find a good layer of oil on top, so just give it a good stir before scooping out the sambal.

Get a bit of sambal, a bit of dendeng and a bit of egg...and it's a sumptuous bite in one mouthful (or handful).  Eating it the traditional way with hands heightens the pleasure even further, if you ask me.  I don't know what is it with Malay rice and sambal that when eaten with hands, it's twice as enjoyable...lol!

If you're too lazy to even fry an egg, have it with a hard-boiled egg or salted egg instead and if you happen to have some crunchy cucumbers in the fridge, why not?

You know what, it's so delicious I can eat two portions of dendeng with two portions of rice...but no, I've to restrain myself. >_<

Or turn it into a nasi lemak with santan-infused rice (plain rice will do too) complemented by crispy ikan bilis, hard-boiled eggs and cucumber.

One 180g packet of Dendeng Nyet Berapi yields maybe 6 tablespoons of dendeng which is good enough for 3 meals (for me lah), for others the portion is more realistically shared by two or possibly just one meal for some.

I'm not sure if I'll buy the Sambal Nyet Berapi again coz the spice level is too much for me but yet the taste is a lot more exciting with it even if it sets my mouth on fire...even if the heat is quite intolerable for me (those who love spicy will do well with this one)! :D  But I'm 100% sure I'd buy the Dendeng Nyet Berapi and I've since restocked another 4 packets in my pantry for rainy days (when I can't go out to eat) and emergencies (when I've nothing to cook or don't feel like cooking) coz not only is it super convenient, it's super delicious too! ^_~

P/S: And no, this is not a paid post (but just sharing something that's delish) nor did I receive free dendeng and sambal from KA.....lol (I wish)!!

(New) Uncle Meng @ Taman Shamelin

We've been patronising Restoran Uncle Meng (you can check out my previous posts here, here and here) regularly for years, even before I started writing this food blog, for its melt-in-the-mouth char siew rice that I thought was among some of the best char siew I've eaten (the seller is reportedly one of the siblings of the famous Meng Kee Char Siew).  Yes, their char siew is on the sweet side as with most excellently caramelised char siew (you need sugar for that dark caramelisation).  Some months back, we found them closed for renovations and thought they had moved elsewhere.  But after the refurbishment, they reopened with the same name (I shall call it the (New) Uncle Meng @ Taman Shamelin) which we were happy to see thinking the same char siew rice seller will still be there.

But alas, we were disappointed to find out when we visited that the char siew rice stall was no longer there). We found out from an adjacent stall that the patriach of the char siew rice stall has retired.  Although the son was already running the stall (long before the renovations), I didn't know that it was still his father making the char siew...and that his son didn't pick up the skill or learn the recipe (or he simply didn't want to) as he knew he wasn't going to continue his legacy.  The operator of the coffee shop is still the same with a few (old) stalls remaining (like the wantan mee and char kway teow stalls) while the rest of the stalls (about 15) are new.

A new stall selling (traditional) roast chicken rice with char siew, siu yuk and roast duck had taken over from the previous seller.  The new one didn't look very promising to me because of just how scarce the meats were hanging at their stall but my son took a gamble and ordered the Char Siew Rice @ RM9.  He said it was just an average tasting char siew (but he won't mind eating again based on the price and portion) but of course no where near the standard of the previous Uncle Meng's char siew lah.

The (Nanyang) Sand Ginger Chicken Rice @ RM9 was the first thing I tried at this coffee shop.  I saw that they had a lot of poached chickens hanging at the stall...must be doing good business, I assumed (judging that the stall was also manned by the stall owner + 4 workers).  I'm not what sure what sand ginger chicken is but it looks like regular poached chicken with minced ginger and spring onions spooned over the top.

But looks can be deceiving coz everything was not right with this plate of chicken rice.  The soy + oil sauce wasn't fragrant (just tasted of soy), the chicken tender but not juicy nor smooth, the rice and soup bland and the ginger dip (more so since this was marketed as sand ginger chicken rice) was unpalatable (the chilli dip was the only ok component).  I found out later that the ginger is not the same as the (fresh) ginger dip we're more accustomed to at other chicken rice stalls.  A different kind of ginger is used (hence the name sand ginger) and not everyone will like this kind of ginger apparently (I guess I'm one of them).  The ginger dip tasted really different and weird...this sand ginger is my first and my last! >.<

One of the first noodles I wanted to try was the Curry Mee @ RM10.  You can have it with char siew or poached chicken...or have both if you can't decide.  I opted for both so that I'll know which one is better...and the tender poached chicken was definitely the winner though the char siew isn't half bad...not as tender but at least not as lean and uncaramalised as some can be.  I was happy with the very good-sized cockles as well as the softened eggplant and long beans with tofu puffs, rehydrated pig skin and beansprouts completing the ensemble.  Good with a dollop of sambal that packs some heat.

I usually don't expect much from a curry mee at coffee shops since I've been disappointed regularly but was totally surprised by the flavours and how decently thick and creamy the curry was.  Finally, a very decent bowl of curry mee near me that I would return for since I can't find any good ones in my neighbourhood coffee shops.  But when I did return for my second bowl, I wasn't as bowled over! >_<  The broth was a lot thinner this time and the flavours a bit subdued (and wonder if it's because I had it at lunch time instead of breakfast).  It would still make for a satisfactory bowl of curry mee if you can't find better ones around here.

Next on the to-try list was this La La Wine Noodles @ RM12.  I actually wanted a combo of la la and prawns (which would have cost RM15) but they ran out of prawns at lunch time.  Lucky that I didn't have to spend more to get the prawns since the la la noodles didn't turn out great though the la la was of a decent size (there was one la la which was full of sand...urgh), luckily I opened it in a spoon and could discard it easily otherwise it would have contaminated the soup).

You do get that whiff of rice wine as soon as the noodles arrive but that was about it.  There's only the taste of wine in the soup but nothing else really in the soup base.

You're also able to smell the rice wine in the Fish Head Noodles @ RM10.90 but the difference with this one is that the soup base was more successful.  You have an option of song fish head or patin slices (for those who don't want to deal with bones).

I chose song fish head, of course, coz the flesh tastes a lot sweeter than patin.  You can have it fresh or fried...I chose a mixture of both.  I thought the fried version fared better as I could still detect a slight hint of that muddy taste with the fresh pieces (made worse by me getting a piece of fatty blubber...urgh).  Take note that it won't be as fresh tasting as steamed song fish head as that one is usually served with a blanket of ginger paste over it to mask any fishiness.  So, the fried version works better in this case.

Seeing that I enjoyed the earlier bowl of fish head noodles, I returned to try the one with patin fish @ RM10.90 (I don't think I've had patin fish in fish head noodles before this).  This one comes only in the fried version and theirs is very lightly fried as can be seen from the colour.  I found myself liking this even more than the earlier song fish head version.  I guess not having to deal with bones had a lot going in its favour. These days you can buy already sliced up frozen patin but some can taste really fishy (which I've had the misfortune of tasting at chap fan stalls as well as buying for cooking at home).  The ones here weren't fishy but very palatable.

But what was also good were these prawn paste balls I added on.  Absolutely fresh with a beautiful soft texture to it.  It couldn't be just pure prawn paste since it costs only RM2 for 3 pcs (on checking, I was told it's a mixture of prawn paste and pork mince).

It was served with an unusual but excellent green chilli paste (it's usually a red chilli dip similar to those served with pan mee).  So good that I asked for seconds...and the uncle generously obliged.

The char kway teow (along with the wantan mee) are two stalls that have remained from the previous Uncle Meng shop which we continue to eat...me the Char Kway Teow @ RM9 and my son the wantan mee.

The Bak Kwa + Chicken Floss + Egg Bun @ RM6.50 from this stall (which also sells waffles) turned out as expected as a bak kwa bun should be with ready-bought bakwa and chicken floss, fried omelette, thinly sliced cucumber and squirts of mayo and chilli sauce.

Not quite as good as some of the ones I get from a roadside truck near a market which grills its bread and reheat its long yoke over a charcoal fire but convenient to tapau as a light lunch for later.

My Personal Opinion

A newly renovated coffee shop that's a great addition to the coffee shops in the area (coz of the many factories and offices around here) with about 15 stalls offering many kinds of noodles and rice.  Sadly though, the best thing in the old coffee shop (the incredibly sought-after, luscious, caramelised char siew) no longer features in the new coffee shop (as the owner/cook has called it a day due to old age/retirement).

We've tried about half the stalls here including the western food and chicken chop rice.  Others we've not tried include kai see hor fun, pan mee, pork noodles, yong tau foo/chee cheong fun & nasi lemak (Steve's nasi lemak is rumoured to have moved here from New Soon Soon Lai)...but the standout for me was the fish head noodles (patin to be exact which I've returned for) with the curry mee and char kway teow being the other possible choices here.

Restoran Uncle Meng

Lorong 1/91

Taman Shamelin Perkasa

Cheras

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-377 7323

#ewew cooks Fish Paste Related Dishes

For those who have read my previous post on how much I love to eat fish cake, I now also love to cook them at home.  This was after I found a good ready-made fish paste recently from my fishmonger at the wet market.

It comes conveniently packed in a tub like this and one tub costs RM20.  A small price to pay for something that's very time consuming to make from scratch.  I first learned how to make fish paste from watching my mom do it but made it only once after that...and realised it was too much work...lol! >_<

There are a few types of fish that's suitable to make fish paste (into fish cake or fish balls) such as wolf herring (ikan parang or sai dou yue), narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (tenggiri batang or kau yue) distinguished by its narrow body size with vertical bands, Spanish spotted mackerel (tenggiri papan, some call this tenggiri bunga also ) recognisable by its broader body with spots and yellowtail fusilier (which is the best fish to use according to the experts) while some even use tilapia (the first two are the more common options).  I get a whole kau yue/Spanish spotted mackerel/tenggiri papan and if you can't differentiate (like many of us) which type of mackerel to use (and if you think you can spot the difference between spots & vertical bands, good luck...lol), it's best to just ask the fishmonger for the one that's meant to make fish paste (coz the right one has a stickier flesh when done).  You then get your fishmonger to cut it lengthwise into two fillets for you (leaving the bone in the centre).  When at home, scrape the flesh off the skin (and bones), then use a big cleaver to chop/mince the fish meat finely until it forms a sticky paste.  While doing this, make some salt water (by mixing salt with water, my mom adds a bit cornflour) and season the fish as you chop.  The chopping/mincing part is tedious (I've seen my mom using two cleavers to do this).  Don't waste the unused parts like head, bones, skin and tail as you can make a good fish stock out of them by frying them first before boiling with some aromatics.

For convenience, I just rely on ready-made fish paste coz I'm not willing to go through all the work of making my own.  Of course one of the most common thing you can do with fish paste is to stuff them and make yong tau foo.  That to me also involves too much work...you have to slice up all kinds of vegetables (like eggplant, bitter gourd, ladies finger & chillies) and some are tedious to stuff before deep-frying them, so I'm more into buying ready-made yong tau foo too.  The only yong tau foo I'd consider making (coz it's the easiest) is to stuff them into a tofu puff.  You just need to cut each tofu puff into half and fill it with a bit of fish paste before shallow-frying them.

You can serve them just like this...which I do (since my son loves them this way).  The tofu puff turns out really crispy if you eat them soon after they're fried.

I'd sometimes cook them in a simple sauce of oyster + soy especially if there are leftovers (not that it happens often!).  This is because since they're leftovers and had gotten soft, so it's more ideal to let the softened puffs absorb the flavours of a sauce.

Other than making the simplest form of yong tau foo, I usually just make them into mini fish cakes.  I just shape them into small round pieces by scooping some fish paste into the palm of my hands to shape them (just make sure you wet the spoon and your hands so that the fish paste doesn't stick to your hands).  See how they puff up during the frying process.  But first, as promised in my previous post, I would share with you a little secret/tip on how and why I was served a fish cake that looked deflated.

That's because I've come to know that the fish paste I buy from the market is made with pure fish meat with probably no flour in the mix (or if there is, just very little)...and when it's fried, it puffs up looking like a proper fish cake but once cooled, it deflates and looks all wrinkly.  Those you come across which keeps its shape well (even after frying) probably have a lot of flour to keep the texture firm and the fish cake in shape...and that explains its overly springy/bouncy texture.  I actually love to eat this type of fish cake that's made purely with just fish even though they aren't that pretty to look at.  I usually fry up the whole tub and keep them for use in a stir-fry later with my vegetables of choice.

Just a simple stir-fry with cabbage, I've both protein and vegetables in one dish...which is perfect for me for a one-dish meal which I cook frequently.

You can cook them with any vegetable of your choice...just like I did here with red and green capsicum. Really delicious.

If I weren't able to get the ready-made fish paste from my fishmonger, I'd settle for the ready-made fish cake from Ah Koong whenever I happen to dine there.  Just remove from the package and pan-fry lightly when you're ready to eat them...so simple and convenient! ;)

Again, I use it in the same way...stir-fried with some greens.  I especially like it with green dragon vegetable (ching loong choy).

I also stir-fry it regularly with romaine or cos lettuce (yau mak) or spinach (poh choy).  I like to cut the fish paste into thick slices for a good bite (you can cut them thinly too if that's what you prefer).

So, there you have it...the next time you have fish cake, if it's deflated and ugly looking, you know it's made with (almost) pure fish paste and that's all good (at least to me)...lol! ^_~  But between the two, ready-made fish paste or ready-cooked fish cake, I'd go for the former (even though there's a bit of extra work involved in frying them) since it tastes loads better.  And best of all, you don't have to worry about the seasoning, it comes already seasoned with just the right amount of salty aftertaste.  So yum, so good! ^.^