#ewew bakes Pork & Potato Meatballs

I love to eat meatballs, especially pork meatballs, and I usually pan fry them but (lately) I've seen my blogger-friends raving about how easy it is to bake them, so I'm finally going to try baking them, for once.....

 

........and see how they stack up against pan fried meatballs! ;D

 

First, I need to prep a few things...cut up 1 medium potato, finely dice 1/2 a small onion and finely chop 1 sprig of spring onion (or parsley).

 

Then, parboil the potato pieces until it is well soften (it'll take about 15 minutes).  Once you find that it's soft enough, mash it up.

 

Get your pork mince (150g) and put into a large bowl.  Add the mashed potatoes, onions, spring onions.  I use a binder of 1 beaten egg and 5 tbsp of fresh breadcrumbs to bind everything together (eyeball it...if the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs).  Season with salt and black pepper to taste. 

 

[#Tip:  I would recommend the use of a binding agent (like eggs, the most common) as they help to add moisture to the meatballs.  Eggs also help to contribute to the tenderness of the meatballs, so if you don't want dry and dense meatballs, don't skip this step!  Balance that out with fresh breadcrumbs so that your mix will not be overly wet.  You may think that it's very cumbersome to use fresh breadcrumbs but it's not.  Just blitz your leftover bread (or, in my case, the top and bottom pieces of my loaf of bread which I usually discard anyway) and store the breadcrumbs in the fridge (they keep for quite a few months as long as the lid is tight and no moisture gets in.]

 

Mix it up well and form into balls (approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter or roughly the size of a golf ball).  Visually, it's about the size of a metal spoon.

 

The mixture should be slightly wet.  I managed to get 11 meatballs out of the mix.  Cover with cling film and pop it into the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up (I usually do this in advance, before actual meal time, so it'll probably be in there for more than an hour).

 

Get a baking tray and line with aluminium foil.  Smear the foil surface with some olive oil (this is to prevent the meatballs from sticking to the bottom, I hope).  Place your meatballs in the tray (I've also parboiled an extra potato so that I can have some roast potatoes with  my meatballs).  Bake at 200C for 30 minutes.  I turned the tray at the half way mark for more even browning.

 

This is how it looked straight out of the oven.  And the meatballs stuck to the tin foil...arrghh....just a bit! :(  It didn't achieve the desired browning that I had hoped for...and it also didn't develop that crusty exterior that I would have liked especially at the bottom (it was just a little crusty on top).  I now know why (in cook shows), the chefs would brown the meat first in the pan before putting them in the oven to finish cooking.  This way, they'll achieve a nice browning (for presentation purposes) and a more crusty exterior.  But then, this will defeat our sole purpose of baking our meatballs...coz we didn't want to pan fry in the first place, people! :D  One way to resolve this, I think, is to get a browning agent to help with the browning like flavouring it with soya sauce (instead of salt) or add something sweet like sugar or honey into the mix....even sweet potatoes or pumpkin (coz they're known to release sugars) to help with browning.

Here's my version of Baked Pork & Potato Meatballs with a side of simple roasted potatoes (what can I say, I need my carbs) and a store-bought fruit salad!

 

The meatballs turned out incredibly tender and moist....everything a meatball should be!  They're good just on their own.

 

The simple roasted potatoes, seasoned with just salt and black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, were slightly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  

 

And pair that with a fresh fruit salad of mango cubes, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and some greens, with a citrusy and sweet dressing that tasted a bit like a mango puree, and you're in for a refreshing treat.

 

But, if you want to take it up a notch (like if you're entertaining or something), you can serve your meatballs with mushroom gravy the for a little bit more pizzazz!  But without all the work.....instant mushroom sauce to the rescue.....courtesy of McCormick...kekeke! :D

 

Just don't follow the instructions...it says "Just add hot water"...no, it'll be difficult to stir out all the lumps (I suggest you bring it to boil in a pan and stir constantly).  It also says, add 250ml water....no, it'll be too watery (I suggest you add 175ml).

 

So, if you want Baked Pork & Potato Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce....that's doable too.....yum!

 

Of course, I must answer the unavoidable question....which is better...baked meatballs or pan fried meatballs?  Let's not kid ourselves, shall we?  The winner will always be the pan fried meatballs....with a nice sear, fragrant and slightly crisp exterior!  But we also know that it's a lot more work + it's not easy to pan fry large meatballs (and they'll look a bit out shape from all the flipping). 

On the other hand, cooking meatballs in the oven is a lot less messy but the baked meatballs won't develop the desired browning all round and (so) won't be as crusty on the outside.  [#Note: It wasn't possible to flip the meatballs at half time as well coz then you won't even get any browning as it took 30 minutes to achieve the browning on one side.]  So, taste wise, when you bite into the centre, it was more like eating a steamed meatball. 

There's a place for both meatballs in our lives...Hip Hip Hooray!.....depending on our 'mood' (aka laziness) on a particular day or our willingness to compromise on flavour! ;-)

Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Cenderasari

After watching an episode of a Nasi Lemak battle between Village Park Nasi Lemak and Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Cenderasari on Food Wars Asia recently, I decided to check out the latter as I've not eaten it before (as this original nasi lemak place is in an area that I don't usually come to).

Arriving at the place (there's ample parking) on a late Sunday morning, we immediately saw a queue of about 20 - 30 people lining up already in what looked like a food court although there was only one other stall opened that Sunday morning.

Actually, the stall is pretty small but there are many workers, so service is fast and furious and the queue moves quite quickly (we probably waited in line for about 10 - 15 minutes).  The wait turned out to be a breeze coz you have buskers keeping you 'entertained' with their fairly good rendition of English songs (there was another group of buskers singing Malay, Chinese and English songs in the alfresco dining area outside).

While waiting in line, we quickly made up our mind of what we wanted but all hopes were dashed when we reached the serving counter.  They had run out of almost everything....daging (beef rendang), ayam (chicken), ikan (fish) and even begedil (potato patty)...I asked! :'(

Looking at their "waktu perniagaan" (business hours) sign, we realised why....they close at 12 noon on weekends and public holidays...and we were there close to 11am (late comers can't be choosers)!

Their food and drink prices are displayed on a board behind the counter (so, you can mathematically count how much your plate will cost starting with the base "nasi lemak biasa" (the basic plain nasi lemak) @ RM2.  By the way, that's the daughter of the boss (in the blue apron).

This was my son's plate of Nasi Lemak with Sotong @ RM5.50 (with a request for less sambal).  My husband had the Nasi Lemak with Hati & Telur @ RM6 (no choice as there weren't any rendang or chicken left)! T_T  Although I must warn you that the serving portions are pretty small and one with a good appetite may need two plates to be fully satisfied.

As for me, I ordered a plate with 'everything that was left' minus the paru (I don't eat lungs).  This was my plate of Nasi Lemak with Sotong (squid), Telur (egg) & Hati (liver and heart) @ RM8.50 (I asked for just 2 pieces of hati, so the price was RM2 instead of the standard 3 pieces serving @ RM3).

Let's start with the basics....the nasi lemak (the "santan" aka coconut milk infused rice) and standard condiments of crispy ikan bilis (fried anchovies), crunchy peanuts and cucumber.  The steamed rice, which was fluffy with nicely separated grains, had a good aroma and a fragrant taste of santan...just lovely!  I liked the fact that the ikan bilis and nuts had more ikan bilis than nuts (unlike some places where it's all nuts and hardly any ikan bilis).

The sambal was slightly sweet but wasn't spicy at all (that's why they scoop a lot of it on the plate, but if you can't take that much sambal, remember to request for less).

The sambal sotong, in a sweet and spicy gravy, was (luckily) the only thing that was left but, at least, I was heartened by the fact that the sotong was in the biggest container, so it must be really good...and it was!  The sotong was super tender (I love it this way, almost falling apart) and the sambal that it was cooked in was also delicious (but those wanting the sambal to be on the spicier side would find this level of spice rather mild). 

I added a hard-boiled egg @ RM1 but this was not the usual hard-boiled egg (served at other nasi lemak stalls) but what looked like a crumbed egg that has been deep fried.  I'm not sure why they took the trouble to fry the egg as it didn't bring about a different taste to the egg except that the outer layer had a slightly more chewy texture (similar to the outer layer of a fish cake).

I also added on two pieces of hati @ RM2 which turned out to be over-fried with a fairly hard and chewy texture...something you can definitely skip having here.  But then, even if you have hati elsewhere (be it nasi lemak or Malay rice stalls), they'll probably be fried until overdone as well coz that's how they usually do it (quite unlike how the Chinese hawkers like to keep it soft and tender).

My Personal Opinion

So, who won the nasi lemak battle in Food Wars Asia, you ask?  Well, I think the right one did!  To me, a good nasi lemak should be judged on only two things....one is the rice and the other is the sambal.  And, for me, I preferred Nasi Lemak Tanglin's sambal (with a more authentic kampong-style taste and not too sweet) and rice (fluffy with a good dose of santan flavour).

But, if it was specifically a fried chicken nasi lemak challenge, then probably Village Park would have taken it home coz their chicken is really good! ;)

So, if you're ever in the area, drop by this one and original stall...and get the 'must have' sambal sotong which I highly recommend.  I would want to return to try their chicken and rendang one day (although the dining comfort/cleanliness isn't entirely to my liking).

Nasi Lemak Tanglin
Tanglin Food Court
Jalan Cenderasari
Tasik Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Morningwood @ Subang Jaya

On a clear and sunny afternoon last Saturday, my friends and I met for our usual get-togethers that, more often than not, turned out to be a long drawn 'food hunt'.  We started with Morningwood Cafe @ Subang Jaya for a late brunch as our first destination.

 

I first chanced upon this café when I saw it on the list of vulcanpost's "6 Weird Names of Actual Cafes in the Klang Valley".  I'm not sure if the name was selected on purpose (with a cheeky double meaning *wink wink*) but I read (in the Star papers) that the owners explained that someone suggested "morning" and the café has a wooden interior...and that's how the name came to be.  In fact, the cheeky names extend to their menu too (as you'll see later).

 

As this was our first 'hit' of the day, we knew we had to pace ourselves and not order (and eat) too much food at the first stop.  We went with a starter from their Bites menu of Tentacles @ RM15.  This was made up of deep fried squid rings coated with Japanese breadcrumbs served with their homemade tartar and arrabbiata sauce.  [#Tip: Arrabbiata is a sauce made from tomatoes, garlic and red chili peppers cooked in olive oil.]

 

The squid had a nice crunchy coated exterior and went very well with both the sauces.  I particularly liked the arrabbiata sauce which wasn't spicy at all.  It resembles a tomato-based sauce that's served with pasta (usually penne).

 

Next up was an order of Hot Chicks @ RM15 of chicken drummettes (3 pcs) and wingettes (3 pcs) slathered in a spicy-sweet-sticky sauce....it was more sticky-sweet than spicy.  The deep fried chicken wings came with some crunch while the meat remained tender.  If you like buffalo wings, you'll probably enjoy this.

 

I suppose any guy who sees a "hot chick" will want one......kekeke! :D   

 

From the All Day Breakfast menu, we went with one of their more popular dishes of Skinny Dip @ RM20 which is their version of baked eggs comprising of two sunny side up eggs in a sauce of diced tomatoes, onions, red capsicums with chunks of chicken sausages and cheese (not a lot), served in a sizzling pan, accompanied with some buttered toast.

 

I think, because it was served in a sizzling pan, the sunny side up eggs (unfortunately) became overdone as food that is served in a hot pan will continue to cook even after it has been served (they need to tweak the cooking time a bit).  Other than that, the flavours of the minced meat gravy were respectable.  The toast was needed to mop up every last bit of the sauce and it would have been even better if the eggs were runny.  Their other signature dish here is Breakfast in Bed which is similar to the usual big breakfasts.

 

On their menu, you'll also find pasta (named after different colours), salads and sandwiches like Morningwood (marinated boneless chicken thigh sandwich), "Ham" Sap (layered chicken ham and chicken meat sandwich) and Orgasm (cheesy oozy sandwich).  Do you see a pattern developing here in the names of the dishes?  I'm sure you would! XD

 

You could end your meal with a Happy Ending which is their version of affogato (but we were saving our stomachs for ice cream at our next destination).

 

As this was our first stop, we needed our coffees to get us started.

 

Iced Latte @ RM11

Hot Chocolate @ RM12

 

Iced Cappuccino @ RM11

Nutella Cappuccino @ RM14

 

As we were leaving, we passed by their cake counter and bumped into these lovelies (which we missed trying)...frozen cheesecakes (from Purple Monkey) in flavours of peach, blueberry, strawberry, mango, durian, troblerone dark chocolate, oreo and original @ RM11 each.  They sure look good! ;)

My Personal Opinion

 

This few-months old café, Morningwood, which took over the space from the previous Flat White, joins the list of ever growing cafes that have sprout up in the SS15 area.

The co-owners (it seems) are YouTube celebrities though I only 'know' one...and that's Reuben Kang (who co-hosts Football Overload) because I've seen some of those episodes on Astro (he's quite a funny guy).  So, if you're a football fan, you might want to visit this place....who knows, you might just bump into Reuben (and his celebrity buddies)! ;D

Other than that, the food and coffees are decent and it's an artsy place to chill.
 

Morningwood Café
No 73-1 Jalan SS15/8A
Subang Jaya
47500 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
 

Just One Food - Bak Chang

Nothing beats the aroma of soft glutinous rice with delicious savoury fillings, perfectly wrapped in bamboo leaves, waiting to be opened!  Yes, folks, it's dumpling season....again!  Have you been feasting away on these gorgeous glutinous rice meat dumplings yet...or maybe even over-feasting? :D

Oh yeah, this is my kind of festival....I've always enjoyed the "Chung" (Dumpling) Festival much more than the Mooncake and "Tong Yuen" (sweet glutinous rice balls) Festivals coz I love to eat chung but not mooncake and tong yuen.

 

My usual loot has always been from two places only...and that's the Pandan Indah and Pandan Perdana markets as I find these a cut above the rest.

 

Here's the one from the Pandan Indah market.....still good as always!

 

And this is the one from the Pandan Perdana market...just as delicious as ever!

 

But, I do sometimes get them from Esquire Kitchen too!  They have two types...the Shanghai Zong @ RM9++ and the Guang Dong Zong @ RM8++. 

 

Since I've eaten the Guang Dong Zong before, I went for the Shanghai one this time.  If you like your dumplings with a less savoury taste, then this will probably suit you more.  I love that the glutinous rice of this one is boiled till really soft...probably among one of the softest ones I've eaten.

 

This pillow dumpling comes filled with two pieces of salted egg yolk, a rather big chunk of pork belly and about three pieces of Chinese mushrooms.  You won't find any sort of beans in this dumpling, so those who like their dumplings without any beans will find this more to their liking.  I personally prefer one with beans but I don't mind if they're without either.  I guess I just love them done any way! ;)

You can see the large chunk of pork belly meat...the lean part was very tender and flavourful but the fatty part.....I discarded!  For some, that may be the best...but I don't eat wobbly stuff! XD  The salted egg yolk, this time round, was not as good...it's best when it has a vibrant orange colour with a shiny, slightly oily surface.

 

And with more people being health conscious these days, some sellers have also come up with brown or Japanese rice versions.  So, if you need a healthier option, you know you have one...just don't expect it to taste the same though!

Dumpling season is a happy season!  Now, go gorge yourselves silly with more of these bundles of joy!! ;D
 

Hoong Kee (Wantan Mee) @ Ampang

I chanced upon this shop, Restoran Hoong Kee @ Ampang when I first saw it on the list (of potential restaurants to review) of the client who engaged me to write reviews for a soon-to-be-launched mobile app.

 

Noticing that their address is quite near to where I live, I decided to drop by to give it a try.  I googled this place to see what is good here and found only one respectable review recommending the "char siew" (barbequed pork).  I also saw a photo of the restaurant (in openrice.com) with a banner (in Chinese) with a date 8/11/2012 on it, so I'm assuming that was the opening date.

Walk towards the back of the restaurant and you'll be greeted with these gorgeous looking, luscious strips of charcoal-cooked char siew hanging in the stall.  For those who don't like their char siew too caramelised (aka burnt) and sweet, you may just find this one to your liking.

Since their char siew is reportedly good, I went with an order of char siew wantan mee @ RM5.  I liked that the house-made wantan mee had a good bite and was not overly springy.  It was really good eaten with the ever-so-flavourful black sauce.

 

As for the char siew, I asked for "pun fei sau" (half lean half fat ratio) for a sticky-sweet melt-in-your-mouth bite that is apparently loved by many.  It was slightly sticky but not too sweet as evidenced by the not too charred (black) sides.  It was tender but didn't quite melt-in-my-mouth like the ones from Chan Meng Kee and Uncle Meng.  But I did appreciate the fact that the ones here were not as sweet.

 

I liked the wantans with a soft minced pork filling in a nice, clear broth that came with the noodles.

We also ordered a plate of siew yoke rice @ RM5.50.  The siew yoke (1 pax portion) had a crispy crackling with oh-so-tender meat that was absolutely flavourful.  The meat, with a tinge of pink, revealed that it was cooked just right to tender perfection.

 

I don't think I've had siew yoke elsewhere that was as tender and flavoursome as the ones I've had from Wong Kee but these ones came pretty close....and at a fraction of the price too! ;)  The only difference I saw was that the ones here didn't look as nice, presentation-wise, as the meat was falling apart...but who cares as long as they taste great!

If you can't get enough of them, you can also get them by the strip (which we packed later).....at RM15 a strip!

Or, if you like a mixture of both, you can go with a plate of char siew and siew yoke rice @ RM6.00.  I think they're more well known for their char siew....which was decent...but their "siew yoke" (roast pork) was even better! 

Although, on another occasion, the siew yoke didn't turn out as good when I had it for dinner (the earlier pics were when I had it for lunch).  You can clearly see that the siew yoke is a better cut (nice and short) in the earlier pic.  It was also more tender, juicy and slightly pinkish but this (longish) meat seems to have dried out by dinner time.

As for the rice, it had the right colour (of chicken stock) but not quite the right texture as the rice grains were a bit broken.

Our next order were some "sui kow" (soup dumplings) for sharing.  This was the bowl of sui kow (4 pcs) @ RM4.80 with a not-too-thick skin and a very plump filling (probably a mixture of pork, shrimps, carrots and jicama).

Or you can call for an extra bowl of soup wantans @ RM4.50 (for 10 pcs).

Of course, you'll need the condiments of picked green chillies for the wantan mee and fresh chilli dip for the rice.  I liked that the chilli dip had a really refreshing taste to it from the vinegar, lime juice and zest.  Unfortunately, the lime zest was over grated and some of the white pith (under the lime skin) contributed a hint of bitterness to the chilli dip.

They also serve curry chicken @ RM5 a bowl.  Though the chicken and potatoes were tender, the curry had more of a curry powder taste and was sorely lacking the creamy santan flavour.

The sweet & sour vegetables @ RM4 were cooked till very soft but it didn't have enough of the sour and spicy kick + it was not served piping hot...the broth is only good (to me) when it's hot, even lukewarm won't do.  Somehow, the sourness and spiciness is only more apparent when it's steaming hot...just like a good bowl of assam laksa.  You can give both these dishes a miss...and you won't miss a thing!

 

My Personal Opinion

 

I am happy that I've found another good char siew and siew yoke place closer to home (but if coming to Ampang is not convenient for you, fret not, for Hoong Kee reportedly has another stall in Publika's Eat Food Village).

But, then again, I wasn't too thrilled when I realised that the siew yoke was not as good in the evenings (than earlier in the day).  They open from 10.30 am to 3 pm (for breakfast and lunch) and again from 5 pm (for dinner).

The best bet is still their wantan mee (with either siew yoke or char siew).  But, just remember to come for breakfast (or lunch).....and not dinner (if you want fresher and better tasting siew yoke)!  I came here looking for char siew but left with siew yoke on my mind! ;D

Restoran Hoong Kee
LG18 Jalan Mewah 4
Taman Ampang Mewah
68000 Ampang
Selangor