Mother Porridge @ Pandan Perdana

While searching ShopeeFood for something to eat, I came upon Mother Porridge @ Pandan Perdana (that serves many types of porridge).  It's not easy to find estaurants specialising in porridge nowadays.  I was tempted by the delicious-looking photos of their porridge...and they looked like something I'd enjoy.  Why wouldn't I, since I'm a huge fan of porridge after all, though my family doesn't share the same enthusiastic sentiment.

The food photos of Mother Porridge reminded me of the best porridge I've ever had at Low Yau Kee (or Lao You Ji) when they were still operating as a roadside stall before the old man/boss moved to ply his trade from Restoran Soong Kee (the famous beef ball noodles) and subsequently retired and sold off his business to them.  The stall is still run by Soong Kee and you'll find them open in the evenings.

One of my all time favourites is always the (Claypot) Mixed Pork Porridge (or chee chap chuk) @ RM13 (note that their porridge is served in claypots if dining in).  If you're ordering this via delivery, rest assured that the packaging (extra charge of RM0.50) comes completely secured with cellophane tape over the plastic container to ensure no spillage.

A mixed pork offal porridge (like pork innards soup or chee chap tong) usually contains some, if not all sorts of innards like intestines, lungs, kidneys, tongue, heart, liver, stomach and blood cubes.  This one had some homemade pork meat balls as well (but no liver or stomach).

One of the main reasons why I like chee chap chuk is because of the crunchy deep fried pork intestines (and I was glad to see that they packed this separately to retain the chewy crunch so that they don't end up soft from being soaked in the porridge). The fried intestines were decent but compared to some of the better ones I've had, it needed a bit more saltiness.

While the fried pork intestines offered the crunch, the chopped spring onions (which were also packed separately) together with the thin slivers of shredded ginger offered a hint of freshness to the bowl of porridge.  I liked that the porridge was not overly thick (with a blended consistency like some Hong Kong congee) but still smooth (perhaps not as silky smooth as some).  It had a soft consistency but turns more watery as you continue eating it which I didn't mind one bit (just like my own homecooked porridge).

One of the best accompaniments with chuk are always Fried Dough Sticks (or yau char kwai) @ RM4.50 which I ordered as an add-on (so that I could use the RM10 discount for RM14 spending).  In most cases, the yau char kwai is usually an afterthought and tend to be soft and no longer crispy as they're normally store-bought in advance (like what bak kut teh places do).

But the ones here, besides being light and airy, were significantly crispy and felt like they were housemade as they tasted freshly fried.  Certainly one of the better ones I've had...with porridge.  As the porridge was a rather sizeable and generous portion, I could not finish the crispy crullers so I left the balance for later to be eaten dunked in coffee! ;)

For my second order, I wanted to try the (Claypot) Fish Porridge @ RM15 and was actually expecting the fish to be packed separately too based on my earlier experience with the chee chap chuk where they packed the fried intestines (even the spring onions) separately.....but it wasn't the case for the fish porridge. 

From my experience of eating fish porridge, the raw fish slices are usually served separately from the porridge as the raw fish would cook instantly once in contact with the hot congee.  Maybe that's the way they serve it if you're dining in but I can certainly understand why the fish was in the porridge (for delivery) in case the congee isn't hot enough by the time it arrives.

I've always loved fish porridge as it's something that's light and easy to eat (that's why it always comes to mind when we're feeling under the weather).  Fishing through the porridge, I thought the fish slices I got were generous enough for the price paid.

Slices of raw sang yue (snakehead) with shreds of ginger and chopped spring onions is a nourishing bowl of comfort! ;)  I actually prefer the spring onions to be shredded in long strands (like in Low Yao Kee) and woudn't mind some Chinese parsley (yin sai) along with it.  Dipped in hot congee to lightly cook it, it'll offer a mouthful of freshness.

I had my congee with an order of Sour Ginger Preserved Egg @ RM7.  I absolutely love century eggs.....but to those who hate them, they'll probably describe it as stinky with a urine-like odor...lol! >_<  This century egg was of a pretty good quality....with firm egg whites (or black in this case) while the yolk was so creamy and delicious.

And the pickled ginger is so needed to cut through the creaminess of the yolk.  The difference with this pickled ginger was that I found a piece of red bird's eye chilli amongst it...that's why I tasted tangy and lightly sweet together with a welcome hint of spicy nuances in the ginger that made the pickle so good.  It went very well with the century egg that I wish I had more of it.  For this order, I took up ShopeeFood's offer at that time of RM10 off for RM20 spent.

The pic of a plate of salted chicken (with wolfberries on top) and some sauce underneath (RM17 on its own) was what tempted me to order this Wolfberry with Salted Chicken Porridge @ RM20 in the first place but I was disappointed when it arrived with the chicken submerged in the porridge.  I thought it would be served (as in packed) separately from the porridge (I mean this was a shop that was diligent enough to even pack its spring onions separately!).  Maybe if I had ordered it individually with an extra order of porridge (RM6), it might have been packed separately?  I don't know.

The chicken (it was thigh meat but with some bones still intact) was still tender but the smoothness was lost after being submerged in the hot porridge.  I did taste some subtle saltiness in the chicken itself but whatever taste it did have initially was drowned by the porridge and became hardly noticeable when it continued to steep in the hot porridge.

This time the price of this porridge was just ngam ngam (right) for me to take advantage of the RM4 discount for RM20 spent (ShopeeFood's discounts are on a downward trajectory..haiz!).  Safe to say, this was my least favourite porridge...but then it could have been a whole lot different if it was served separately.  They also have a version with poached chicken (which I do adore with porridge) but wouldn't dare to order that via delivery now in case it comes the same way (better leave that for dining in)! >.<

Besides the 3 types of porridge I've tried here, they also have it with different ingredients like dried oyster, preserved egg, salted egg, peanuts, dried scallops, homemade pork meat, sliced meat, pork ribs, seafood, prawns, la-la, shredded chicken, sliced abalone and frog (or any combinations thereof) ranging from the cheapest Preserved Egg & Salted Egg (RM10) to the most expensive Deluxe Seafood Porridge (RM40)...so they've got almost every combination of porridge you'll ever want.

My Personal Opinion

I absolutely love porridge (not a sentiment shared by my family unfortunately), so I've got to go it alone when I want to eat this.  It's comfort food for me on rainy days and for days when I'm feeling under the weather......not that I don't enjoy it on other days too...kekeke! ^.^  I think this porridge will taste even better eaten on-site as they'd be served in claypots (to retain heat and keep the congee hot for longer).  Not only is the porridge served in claypots, so are a lot of their other dishes.

Most of the complaints (or negative reviews) seemed to be about the expensive pricing and small portions but I didn't feel that way as I felt the portions were hearty enough as I always ended not being able to finish all the congee.  But I do feel the salted chicken porridge was a bit overpriced for just chicken and nothing else.

Although this porridge may not be the best I've had, I'm grateful that I've found one near me as porridge specialists are not easy to find.  I can't wait to dine-in as I'm eager to try their frog porridge.  Besides the branch in Pandan Perdana, you can also find them in Sri Petaling, Setapak and Cheras Balakong if you love porridge and want to give them a try to see if this Mother Porridge can be as good as the porridge your mother makes. ^_~

Mother Porridge

61-G Jalan Pandan Perdana 4/6

Pandan Perdana

55300 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 016-333 6022

The Best Bacon Sandwich I Ever Made

And just like that, Chinese New Year (CNY) was over.....it came and went without much fanfare as I had expected.  There were no invites for makan gatherings (at home or otherwise), so no sit-down multiple-course dinners nor yee sang tossing (it's no fun tossing alone or in small numbers).  It was a rather quiet affair all by ourselves really (other than a meet-up meal with my mom).  Even she didn't want to dine out due to the increasing number of cases, so I brought a yong tau foo meal to her home instead.  This has to be the quietest CNY I've had in recent years...with lots of time to do what else but cooking.  So.

I've made a lot of bacon sandwiches in my life.....and I mean a lot!  But they were usually made with fried streaky bacon stuffed between two slices of bread (usually Gardenia).  So, on a Sunday afternoon, I thought I'd make them again for our light lunch...but make it a little bit more special-lah since it was still Chinese New Year.....and it turned out to be the best bacon sandwich I've ever made! :P

For my special-a-bit-lah bacon sandwich, you first start with store-bought butter buns from a bakery (instead of the usual mundane Gardenia bread...lol).  These were from Ficelli (formerly known as Fougasse) and they were shaped like a croissant (RM3.30 for 3).  I'll tell you why this is a better choice in a little bit.

And what's better than a butter bun....even more butter on the bun, of course (as Paula Deen says "mo-butter-mo-betta" coz there's no such thing as too much butter)! :D  So, I sliced it open but not all the way through as I wanted it to maintain the croissant look and so that the fillings won't fall out during the eating process.

Talking about cutting, I don't have a proper bread knife + the bun was so soft it was difficult to slice through (I ended up tearing it apart with my fingers, so the first one looks a bit cacat with jagged edges).  That was before I realised that I could cut it open with my kitchen scissors.  Because they weren't cut all the way through, the inside of the bun could not open up to get charred marks.  So, if you like your bun more toasted, by all means, cut it all the way through so that it can lie flat in your toaster oven.

Second, you need good tasting bacon and this time I tried something new...I got this premium wood smoked streaky bacon from another pork specialist shop in my neighbourhood (RM22.50 for 500g, not too much more expensive than the usual ones I always get).  And, no, back bacon that's drier and chewier won't work for me either, it has to be streaky bacon. ;P

Can't say I detected any extra smoky taste in the bacon but I did notice that the slices were much thinner and, because of this, they crisped up even more when fried.  Can you see just how paper-thin they are until they're almost see-through? ^_~

They're so thin that they take on this wavy shape when fried.  Now this looks more like a piece of bacon I see actors biting into on TV....wakakakaka! :D  And when it's thin like this, you know it'll be super crispy but not hard (like some of the previous ones I've bought can be).

Now to assemble my best bacon sandwich.  After the bun has been buttered and toasted, it's a few layers of Japanese cucumber (I like to use a peeler to slice them into thin ribbons, that way it can cover the whole bun and the slices won't fall of when you bite into them like the thicker slices of cucumber tend to) followed by a piece of omelette and a layer of crispy bacon (stuff as many pieces as it can hold or as you like).

This became a light lunch for three.  My son commented that it was the best bacon sandwich I've ever made because of one, the type of bun used and two, the super thin bacon.  Because it's a butter bun, the butter (on the whole bun) will help char and crisp up the outside of the bun as well when toasted making it all glossy and buttery.  That's why I think a butter bun is ideal.

So, guess which two my son chose.....the two most charred ones, of course, but he said he was being thoughtful so that his parents won't have to eat the overly charred ones (so considerate of him...lol).  The bun is crisp on the outside but remains soft and fluffy inside.  It's just different from using two slices of toasted white (or wholemeal) bread. ;P

Since this bacon was extra thin and crispy (without being hard), it had a nice crunch with just the right amount of savouriness.  What can I say, it was super delicious in our books! ^o^

Actually, besides butter buns, it works just as well with raisin buns.  I would get the raisin buns (RM4.50 for 3) instead if they run out of butter buns.

The studded raisins add sweetness to a bacon bun.  Thought I'd show you these two rather pretty-looking angpows that I received (I understand that these were just two of 8 designs from Citi).

I used one-half of the 500g pack bacon to make the bacon sandwiches and the other half for our not-so-big breakfast....simple but good.

On a little side note, I must have been living under a rock or something that I wasn't aware McD had started using soft buns for their breakfast meals until I chanced upon them recently via ShopeeFood (you see, I've stopped having McD's breakfast meals for quite a while already as I didn't like the dense and chewy texture of their McMuffins).  Well, it looks like I've not eaten their breakfast for at least 3 years since these buns were introduced way back in 2019! :O

My favourite is their Sausage & Scrambled Egg Sandwich Breakfast Meal (RM12 with hash brown & coffee) and I've had this quite a few mornings already.  I like the soft buns and the scrambled egg is quite fluffy (but can differ from branch to branch...I've ordered from 4 different McD's and obviously some do the scrambled egg better than others).  It comes with cheese and mayo (sometimes I even forget to request for no cheese but nothing a squeeze of chilli sauce can't fix + luckily, this cheese isn't too pungent anyway + chilli mixed with mayo tastes almost like Thousand Island...haha).

Oops, sorry for the little digression....back to the bacon sandwich I made over CNY...which incidentally happens to be the best bacon sandwich I've ever made (even my son concur).  And for that you need 1) a toasted soft butter bun (with more butter in between) and 2) paper-thin wood-smoked bacon to make it work wonders.

I guess that's how I will be having my bacon sandwich from now on! ^_~  But if you're like my blogger-friend, phonghongbakes, you'll probably make sandwiches with atas-punya sourdough bagels that I reckon is just as good.  She's done it before with bak kwa, ham and (I'm sure) bacon too at some point.....hehehe! ;P

The Brew House @ Pandan Indah

After a home-cooked Chinese New Year (CNY) reunion dinner on our own followed by more home-cooked dinners on Chor 1 and Chor 2 (the first and second day of CNY), I was tired of Chinese food already and was hankering for some western food.

There aren't many (good) choices when it comes to western food in my taman.  Most of them are what I term as localised western food and not very exciting.  Since I've eaten at their SS2 branch some years back, I decided to finally drop by the one in my neighbourhood, The Brew House @ Pandan Indah, for a meal in the first weekend of CNY.  Spanning 3 shoplots, I think they've been opened a good number of years here (I can't remember when exactly but certainly before the pandemic) though I've never visited until now.

To start, we shared the Mushroom & Bacon Soup @ RM13.80 which had only a few tiny bacon bits drizzled with a touch of truffle oil and served with a (not toasted) soft bun.  The soup had a well flavoured mushroom taste but just a wee bit on the watery side.  What was surprising was the inclusion of thin slices of almond to add crunch to the soup (I think some toasted croutons would had been a more successful choice).

My son had the Roast Pork Aglio Olio @ RM18.80.  The spaghetti was supposed to be tossed in garlic, dried chilli flakes, parsley and olive oil (as per the description in the menu) but we found some sliced fresh red chillies (additional to the chilli flakes) and Thai basil (substitute for parsley?) in the mix.

The chunks of roasted pork fared better in terms of taste with the meat adequately seasoned and the skin still lightly crispy.  On the whole, taste-wise, not something that'll leave an impression though.

I went with the Grilled Grain Fed Beef @ RM39.80 as I've not had steak for a while now.  It featured a 200g steak with crispy fries and sauteed vegetables of (probably frozen) corn and peas.

Seeing that this isn't a proper steakhouse per se, I was rather surprised to be asked how I'd like my steak done as I thought it'll be cooked to just one doneness (whichever that might be according to the chef).  So, I gladly said "medium rare" not realising what I'd be presented with later.

When the steak arrived, I was very happy with the size of it before realising just how thin the steak was.  At this thickness (or should I say, thinness), it doesn't make any sense (to me) to ask how I wanted the steak done.  I don't think it's achievable since it can easily overcook due to the thickness or (more precisely) lack of it.  Luckily, it wasn't as the meat was still pinkish in parts.  But the piece of steak was so thin it felt like it had been tenderised/pounded with a mallet....and, in this state, it would (of course) be none other than tender.  Just that it didn't have much of a bite to it being so thin.

The accompanying creamy peppercorn sauce served with the steak was what saved the dish.  That was the best tasting thing on the plate...better than the peppercorn sauce I had with the pork steak previously in SS2 (that one tasted more like a typical black pepper sauce).  This one had cream added to it as evidenced by the lighter-coloured brown sauce.  It was lightly creamy with just enough spicy heat from the peppercorns. Though RM40 might sound very reasonable for a piece of steak these days, I didn't think so because it was such a thin slice + I'd rather add on a bit more money for a proper/thicker piece of steak.

The fruits juices here are a bit pricey and they only have two options, orange or apple.  This Fresh Orange Juice cost RM14.80.

My Personal Opinion

The place and the food didn't endear me the first time round.....and it was the same the second time round! >_<  Though their big portions and reasonable prices (in some of their dishes) might draw the crowd in, I didn't think the steak was all that cheap (for such a thin piece).  It's not that the steak was bad, just that I can think of many other better options I can have with that RM40.

I still think the place is more suited for a chilling or drinking session with some good bar snacks to go along with it.  I went all the way to SS2 to try them out for the first time, you can't say I didn't give them a second chance (now that they're located near me), so I can now safely strike them off from my checklist of places to eat in my neighbourhood.

Having said that, it's not that their food is unpalatable (it has pretty decent reviews), so obviously some people do enjoy their food....I'm just not one of them.  I can think of many more likeable options I'd rather spend RM100 (for two) on! ;P

The Brew House

No 22 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 3196

Our First Reunion Dinner on Our Own

For as long as I remember, my Chinese New Year (CNY) reunion dinners (after marriage) have always been with my husband's family in Ipoh.  Although we've not balik kampung in the last couple of years (for one reason or another), our reunion dinners here in KL were always together with my husband's sisters and their families.  This year is the very first year we're doing it on our own...and by that, I mean in our own home (that's because my husband's family members had all balik kampung since interstate travel is no longer prohibited).

So, for our small reunion dinner in KL, I took inspiration from the Spanish (who have their tapas) and thought I'd make something similar and call them Chinese small plates....lol! :D  That way, we can still have a variety of food for a small family like ours.  You might think I'm crazy to cook 7 dishes but once a year only....tak apa lah!

Anyway, the way to do it is to cook smart...and I found that food prep and cooking (small portions) not too strenous + some of the dishes can be prepared ahead of time.  Here was what we had on the eve of CNY. Since I cooked a variety of dishes, I tried to use as many auspicious ingredients synonymous to the new year as I could.

#1 - Double-Boiled Chicken Soup with Goji Berries

Since no-one in my family likes to drink soup...unless it involves some kind of salted vegetable...and we can't very well have ham choy during CNY as it doesn't sound very auspicious, does it?  Lol.  So, I made double-boiled soup since I only needed a small portion for myself.  I don't know if goji berries (kei chee) is an auspicious ingredient or not but at least it's red! :P

I bought this steaming soup pot (600 ml) or double-boiler to replace my ugly old one.  Best thing I ever bought recently as it has been put to frequent use since.  It's good for 1 - 2 pax (yields 1 - 2 Chinese rice bowls of soup depending on the amount of ingredients you put in).  I bought this size so that it's able to fit into my mini slow cooker (you can get a bigger one if you have a bigger slow cooker).  That way I don't have to watch over the double boiling process over the stove top.

Double-boiled soups taste the best in my opinion coz it's slow cooked in a boiling water bath for many hours for maximum extraction of flavours...and one of the best soups to make this way is this double-boiled chicken soup with goji berries.  Because there aren't many ingredients in this soup other than just chicken (it must be kampung chicken or choi yin kai) and goji berries, it was able to churn out two bowls of soup.  And this soup practically needs no work at all....into the slow cooker at least 4 hours before dinner time and just let it do its thing.

#2 - Pan-Fried Mini Pork Patties

For something porky which is representative of strength and abundant blessings, I made my always-greeted-with-enthusiasm pork meatballs or patties.  This time I used chopped jicama (instead of onions) which provided extra juiciness and crunch to the meat patties combined with spring onions, egg and cornflour.

Put the formed patties in a single layer on a tray/plate in the fridge to chill and firm up (which makes them easier to fry later on).  This is a dish you can make ahead to ease your cooking time during dinner.  Then, it's just a matter of pan-frying in some oil.  In fact, you can even fry them ahead of time (I did that) and make them hot again in the toaster oven later.

#3 - Fried Chinese Pomfret with Soy & Crispy Garlic

Since fish (or yue in Cantonese...and it must be whole) signifies surplus and wealth, I got a small Chinese pomfret (tau tai chong or bawal tambak) on the morning of CNY eve itself from a small supermarket in our neighbourhood when I went looking for leeks.  It was a very small one only (so, it was very cheap).

Where people have steamed fish, we have fried fish (since my family isn't into steamed fish + it was a small fish that's better served fried).  Topped with some crispy fried garlic and drizzled with garlic oil + premium soy, it was sufficiently fresh and very tasty.

#4 - Premium Soy Sauce Prawns

Since prawns (pronounced as har in Cantonese) sounds like laughter which brings a new year filled with happiness and joy, I made my usual soy sauce prawns (or see chap har) with lots of sliced shallots and spring onions (using a good premium soy sauce makes a difference).  I bought just 12 prawns which would be enough for the three of us.

This dish is best made with shell-on prawns (with the back slit) and heads intact as it helps to trap all the soy sauce goodness in between its shells.  I'd do that if I was making it for a makan gathering for better presentation but since it was just us, I left only the tails intact...even then it still solicitied a comment from my family...why not just peel the tail off too (you see, my family doesn't want anything to do with shells)! ;D

#5 - Braised Mushrooms with Dried Scallops

Mushrooms are also traditionally eaten during CNY as a dish of braised mushrooms and dried scallops symbolises longetivity and fortune.  I was contemplating whether to add abalone but thought it'd be too wasteful to open a can of abalone for such a small portion of mushrooms.

Although I served only part of the braised mushrooms (8 pcs actually, what an auspicious number...hehe!), I did make extras as this is one dish that keeps well.  It can be steamed/reheated many times and the longer it sits, the flavours get even better when the mushrooms absorb more of the braising liquid.

#6 - Stir-Fried Chinese Leeks with Dried Sausage

What can be more auspicious than Chinese leeks (a homonym with counting...obviously money-lah) and dried pork sausage (lap cheong) which signifies long life.  Some recipes would add arrowroot (nga gu) slices, yet another auspicious ingredient.

Since it was CNY, I managed to get the leeks which have a higher proportion of white (the tasty part) to green parts.  This time, I stir-fried it with both lap cheong and yun cheong (liver sausages, yum...mine and my husband's favourite).  Ever since I first cooked this dish for last year's CNY, I've been hooked on the dish but CNY is the one time I can get my hands on a more delicious variety of leeks that I don't see selling at other times.

#7 - Stir-Fried Jicama with Dried Cuttlefish

For our final vegetable dish, I cooked jiu hu char, a dish commonly served during major Chinese festivals. Some recipes will have finely sliced pork belly strips and shiitake mushrooms added in.  It can be eaten as a wrap with iceberg lettuce (sang choy) for an even more auspicious meaning.

This was the other dish that I made extras (for freezing) as jicama (sengkuang) can be reheated many times over and as the vegetables soften, the flavours develop further and become even tastier.

#8 - Sweet Ending

What sweet ending?  Sorry, no dessert.....don't know how to make!  Just makan mandarin oranges saja-lah.....lol! :D

Actually, I'm not one for tradition but made the dishes for the fun of it since I didn't balik kampung and had time on my hands.  So, my small table for three had almost everything covered...lol....chicken, pork, fish, prawns, mushrooms, scallops, lap cheong and leeks.  Although we had 7 dishes on the table, we finished all of it (although I did have some portions of braised mushrooms and jiu hu char that I froze but that's because I purposely made extras).

I'm not one who would cook an insane 10 - 12 dishes in insane portions to be eaten over the next few days (like our Ipoh household would do) as I don't like (and prefer not) to eat leftovers (other than those I purposely made extras to freeze immediately) + it can get really jelak eating the same stuff over a few days. I prefer to cook just enough and finish them all in one sitting.  So, that was our variety of dishes for a simple, small reunion dinner.  Happy feasting! ^_~