Sally's Kitchen Homecooked Food Delivery (for May)

As mentioned in my previous blogpost, I'm indeed lucky to have found Sally's Kitchen Homecooked Food Delivery in my very neighbourhood that dishes out not only great tasting food but at such affordable prices too.  So, I obviously continued with my food orders from them.

Week 1 of May started with Lemak & Assam Patin Fish Slice Curry @ RM13 with Homemade Seafood Tofu & Loh Hon Chai.  When I ordered, I didn't know what to expect when the food description had the words of lemak, assam and curry all in the same sentence.  So, is this assam or curry, I wondered?

First of all, the lemak & assam patin fish had a reasonable amount (5 - 6 slices) of patin fish together with tofu puffs, tender okra and softened cabbage.  It turned out to be a cross between a curry and an assam.  It tasted more of a curry (there's the taste of santan) than an assam but you do get a tinge of sourness from the tamarind paste (assam jawa)...certainly not the flavours of a typical assam fish that we know.  I later found out that this is a Nyonya version which is a mix between curry and assam...and it's known as Nyonya-style assam curry fish (I think this description is less confusing).  This curry/assam was packed full of flavours and adequately spicy but nothing I couldn't handle.  I would order this again in a heartbeat.

The Nyonya-style assam curry fish was accompanied by homemade seafood tofu.  Even this was well done....fragrant and nicely seasoned.  It came with a separate packet of chilli sauce which wasn't needed at all since we were in the company of a good curry.  The vegetables of loh hon chai (braised mixed vegetables) had pak choy, (Chinese cabbage), bean curd sheets, shimeji mushrooms, carrot and glass noodles.

The other option for Week 1 was the Sweet & Sour Pork Rice Set @ RM12 with Long Beans Omelette & Stir-Fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimps.  The sweet and sour sauce was decent enough but I found the pork chunks (which resembled meatballs in shape but without the minced mouthfeel) to be denser with an almost non-existent crispy texture.  This one fell short compared to the many good ones I've eaten.  You could say this one had a chap fan standard instead of a restaurant quality dish.  Perhaps, this dish suffered the effects of delivery as I've often said sweet and sour pork is a dish that doesn't travel very well.

Although I appreciated that the sweet and sour pork was fried with pineapples (besides onions & green bell peppers), I wasn't too thrilled when I realised they were canned pineapples.  Canned pineapple just doesn't have the texture, sweetness and freshness of fresh cut pineapples. :(

The long beans omelette and stir-fried cabbage with dried shrimps and shredded carrot are common dishes you can easily get off the chap fan line and were simply there to complete the meal.

Week 3 (kitchen was closed for the Raya holidays) featured Nasi Lemak Kunyit with Ayam Goreng Berempah @ RM12 with the usual condiments of hard-boiled egg, cucumber, fried ikan bilis (dried anchovies) & kacang (nuts) and sambal (all packed separately).

The ayam goreng berempah (fried spiced chicken) drumstick was nicely fried and fragrant with a balanced taste of spices.  You can taste the fragrance of the lemongrass and curry leaves in the spice mix.  I was glad that the lemongrass wasn't overly used (as some can be where you can taste nothing but lemongrass).  Some might wish the chicken meat to be juicier but I was ok with it seeing that the chicken drumstick had good flavours and was cooked through (which I certainly appreciate as I had gotten my fair share of still bloody fried chicken leg or drumstick).  In fact, I dare say that this ayam goreng berempah is comparable to the good ones made by the Malays (even better than some).  Well, well, who knew a Chinese chef can make a just as good (if not better) ayam goreng berempah (I'm both surprised and proud).  Next, we should learn to make a just as good Mamak or Indian-style fried chicken...hehe! ;)

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the sambal which have room for improvement.  It was still a very 'Chinese' sambal (if you know what I mean that's full of onions) which is totally different from a Malay version but still better tasting than some Chinese-style sambal I've eaten in the past.  They did a much better job with the super spicy but addictive fresh sambal that came with the Nyonya Lobak set.  As for the good quality, crispy ikan bilis and freshly fried kacang, there's nothing to fault.

The other choice for Week 2 was the Hakka Fried Pork with Chow Lup Lup @ RM12, the latter of which I was first introduced to at chap fan stalls and later ate it from a restaurant specialising in Hakka dishes, chap fan-style, not knowing what it was called then.

The Hakka fried pork (char yoke) arrived fully looking the part with its colour and smell.  This one was cut much thicker than the previous Hakka Fried Pork Belly Rice Set I had, so you can taste the marination in the coating a bit more.  Although the flavours were there, the texture was much too dense for my liking (where the lean meat was a bit tough and the fatty part was not soft enough)...and the fact that it was cut thickly didn't help its cause.

The Chow Lup Lup is made up of a combination of stir-fried diced long beans, carrot, preserved radish, tofu, roasted peanuts and minced pork (although some of the ingredients can vary depending on the cook).  This vegetable dish has a very crunchy mouthfeel because of the texture and the way the long beans, carrot, preserved radish and roasted peanuts are cooked.  This version had a slight hint of heat but the vegetables were much softer than usual (due to the effect of being enclosed in a box probably).

Week 4's selection began with the Pork Curry Rice Set @ RM12 accompanied by Stir-Fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles & Salted Egg.

The tender pork curry came with three chunks of potato but when I bit into the first piece, I found it undercooked.  Luckily, the other two pieces were nicely soft.  Again, the pork curry was aromatic and thick (they're quite the specialist with curry-related dishes as none has ever been unsuccessful).

The vegetable component was stir-fried cabbage with carrots and glass noodles...a bit similar to loh hon chai from week 1.  Instead of the usual fried egg, we got a salted egg this time for the third component of this dish.  I consider myself lucky that the salted egg I got was of acceptable quality (compared to the ones I saw on their FB page).

The other option for the final week in May was the Lemon Chicken Rice Set @ RM12 with Stir-Fried Vegetables & Minced Pork Tofu.

I was pleased to be confronted with boneless lemon chicken (breast) pieces even if they were slightly more dense as it had good flavours.  I could clearly taste the lemon in the coated chicken pieces and enjoyed the sweetish-sourish appetite-inducing flavours.

The minced pork and sauce was also pretty successful as it had decent flavours going on.  There was one whole square piece of fried tofu beneath all that minced pork topping.  The stir-fried vegetables turned out to be cabbage, shredded jicama and carrot again.  These three (+ Chinese cabbage) seem to feature very too often and at times I do wish for other options.  But knowing that white-coloured vegetables keep (and travel) better than green vegetables, I guess we don't have much of a choice (this is also the case with many other food deliveries).

The food I had in May was leaning more towards standard fare but certainly decent.  There weren't any that wasn't nice....just that there weren't as many standouts this month compared to the first 1 1/2 months.  I wish I had known about them sooner (or if they had 'advertised' in our resident's whatsapp group earlier like when they first started some time in the middle of last year, right after the first MCO) but I can still count my lucky stars that I know about them now. ^.^

Their forte seems to be Nyonya and Hakka related dishes with a penchant for spice.  Now that I've had their food for close to 3 months, I'd still rate their Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (Lu Rou Fan) as the best followed by their Thai Green Curry, Nyonya-style Assam Curry Patin, Nyonya Lobak with Egg Belanda and Mee Siam with Kapitan Curry Chicken (in that particular order...hah..hah) as their top 5 dishes.  For now, I'm taking a short break from them not because I want to but because I have to due to MCO 3.0 as Sally's Kitchen is temporarily closed until further notice.

#ewew cooks Salmon a Few Ways

My first mention of Vfresh was through this post when I got some pineapple products from them to try. Besides their pineapple products of fruit, juice and tarts, they also offer frozen seafood (like prawns, fish, squid, clams, even cockles!), meat (kampong chicken, lamb, mutton) and others (like unagi, prawn tempura, ice cream).

Vfresh's salmon fillets are said to be frozen immediately after filleting so that it retains its freshness, texture and taste.  I like that the fillets are vacuum packed individually which makes it so easy for portioning (just defrost the number of pieces you want to cook).  According to Vfresh, their salmon is sourced from a Chilean farm (with sustainable practices).  My first purchase of salmon fillets from them (I noticed) were more pinkish in colour.

But when I got my second batch, they yielded a slightly more orangey colour (not sure if they were from the same source/farm).  Even though the salmon is frozen, I have to say it's of acceptable freshness, even better than some of those I get from supermarkets.  Each slice of about 180g - 200g salmon fillet retails for around RM13 - RM15.

What do you do when presented with frozen but adequately fresh salmon?  Well, you cook simple, delicious meals with them.  When I say 'presented', I actually mean that I get my supply from Vfresh and I've made repeated orders since.

#1 - Teriyaki Salmon

Buoyed by the success of grilled saba teriyaki (ahem, I say success as I did receive a glowing review from my sister-in-law's family when I made it for them together with seasoned ramen eggs), so teriyaki salmon ended up as one of the first dishes I made with the salmon.  The best and easiest way to cook salmon is to simply pan-fry them...and you start with searing the salmon on all sides, skin side down first to help it crisp up. Make sure you pat dry the salmon.  You can also rub a little cornflour on it to ensure it doesn't stick during the frying process.

The more difficult part of this recipe is the making of the sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce.  It's usually done with a ratio of 2 : 2 : 2 :1 of mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar but you can also make a simplified version of it with just mirin, soy and sugar and it'll taste just as good.  Once the salmon is almost done, pour in the teriyaki sauce and cook it till it's reduced....hee...hee..so cheffy-like, don't you think, with all the smoke and sizzling! :D  Coat all sides with the thickened sauce to form a glaze over the salmon.

Pour any leftover sauce over the salmon.  Sprinkled with sesame seeds, the teriyaki salmon makes a great side dish.  Best eaten with a squeeze of lemon or (perhaps) some grated daikon.

But I like to make a salmon teriyaki bowl (or plate) with it for a complete meal.  You can serve it with any vegetables of your choice (this time it was sesame-seasoned spinach)...and a scattering of furikake over the top wouldn't hurt either for more umami flavours.

#2 - Pan-Fried Salmon with Avocado Salsa

This salmon dish makes for a fresh, easy and nutritious meal.  Pair it with a simple salsa like this avocado salsa which contains diced avocado, pineapple and red bell pepper tossed in lime juice and fresh coriander. It may need a little dicing and slicing but the effort is well worth it.

A mango or pineapple salsa works just as well too.  My inspiration for my salsa is not only based on the texture and taste of the ingredients but also how it'll look overall in terms of colour.  Spoon the salsa over the the crisp-skinned salmon fillets and serve it with a side of roasted broccoli and potatoes for a complete meal.

The creaminess of the avocado coupled with the sweetness of the pineapple cubes and crunchy diced red bell pepper makes for a very appetising accompaniment with the pan seared salmon.  You really can't go wrong with this method of preparation.....fresh, simple, delicious. ^o^

#3 - Honey Garlic Salmon

It's the perfect healthy dinner that you can whip up in a jiffy during your busy work days.  Dust the salmon fillet with cornflour and shake off any excess.  The cornflour coating gives the salmon (the skin especially) that nice crunch + it also helps hold the salmon together during the pan-frying process.

Then make a quick and easy sauce with honey, garlic, soy, water and fresh coriander.  You only need to infuse the garlic into the oil (not fry till golden brown) before adding the sauce.  I trimmed off the thinner part near the belly so that the fillet has a nicer presentation, you don't have to (though I still cooked the trimmed part and ate it, nothing goes to waste).  Once the sauce has reduced slightly, return the salmon to the pan to coat in the sauce or just spoon the sauce over your salmon.

Serve this Chinese-style salmon over rice with any two sides of your choice for a balanced meal.  I paired mine with a side of sauteed fresh shiitake mushrooms and some blanched broccoli this time.  You may want to make more sauce to drizzle over your rice and vegetables.

#4 - Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

When you've salmon that fresh, you don't have to do much to it.  Just keep it simple by pan searing the salmon in a hot pan which is one of the best ways to enjoy a fresh slab of salmon.  If you want your salmon fillets seared to golden brown perfection, use a combination of olive oil and butter (the latter gives you that extra lusciousness too).

Then make a sauce by sauteeing some (very finely minced) garlic in the leftover olive oil in the pan with butter, lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves (I just prefer the taste of coriander but you can certainly go with the more commonly used fresh parsley instead) and a little water to dilute the sauce.

Serve this with a side of mashed potatoes (mashed together with garlic and butter but I chose to leave out cream or milk), charred asparagus and blistered cherry tomatoes.  You may omit the mashed potatoes if you want to keep it low carb (or include it if you need a fuller meal).  Finish with a silky, flavourful buttery sauce drizzled over the fish and vegetables and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.  Minimal ingredients, maximum taste! ^.^

#5 - Baked Salmon in Foil Paper Packet

I got the inspiration for this dish referring to a recipe for baked salmon in foil but cooked it in a paper packet instead.  You can also use foil to fold over and seal to create a packet but it can also be cooked uncovered (like what I've done here).

Make a marinade with olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper and honey. Pour it over the salmon fillet that has been seasoned with a bit of salt and top it with bits of butter for better browning.  If you happen to have lemon in your pantry, it could do with a squeeze of lemon juice, some lemon zest and/or even slices of lemon over the fish.  I didn't (and I wasn't going to go out just to buy that in the midst of our second lockdown), so I made do with what I have...which were some slices of tomato for acidity (I didn't even have cherry tomatoes).

10 - 12 minutes in a 200°C oven is all it needs and out comes this tender, flaky and flavourful butter garlic baked salmon.  It's quick and easy to prepare with minimal washing to do....just discard the paper boat! ;D

Serve this with some blanched bok choy (or any greens of your choice) and you have yourselves a light, low carb meal that's not only delicious but pretty healthy too (omit the butter altogether and it can be a super healthy meal!).  The tomato slices turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it not only offered freshness and acidity to the dish, it ended up being an extra vegetable that I can eat.  We shouldn't say no to more vegetables on our plate, right?

If you love salmon in all shapes and forms (like I do), you'd want to get your hands on some fresh (or even frozen) salmon fillets and cook them simply (like I did) as it's a fish that shines even with the littlest of cooking.  Simply seasoned (with just salt & freshly cracked black pepper) and pan-fried is all it needs to turn out a pleasurable meal.  Elevate it with a marinade, sauce or more seasonings if you have the time and it'll be even more delicious.  I hope I've given you a tiny bit of inspiration to make your favourite salmon dish at home! ^_~

Just One Food - Family Mart's Cranberry Flaxseed Loaf

I was more than happy to see a Family Mart convenience store open in my housing area some two years back. I come here to buy Japanese snacks occasionally but usually for their ready-to-eat salads and sandwiches (mostly classic tuna or egg mayo) when I'm looking for a light lunch.

I've tried a couple of their breads and cakes (like this murasaki sweet potato pan & banana cake) though none have really resonated with me.  Some of their ready-to-eat bento boxes look quite tempting but have not tried any.  Wonder if they're any good.

But one thing I do buy very often from here is their Cranberry Flaxseed Loaf (RM4.90).  This is the one thing that I really like mainly for the reason that this loaf of bread come in only 4 slices (a number which works nicely for me).  I used to buy Gardenia or Massimo but a loaf of commercially produced bread comes in too many slices for me to finish.  I can't finish 13 slices (including loaf ends) on my own as that would mean eating bread every day for the next one week.  Even I can't do that...no matter how much I love to eat bread.  Yes, I could put the unfinished slices in the fridge but that would still mean I'd have to eat bread every alternate day in order to finish it over the next one week (I don't want to keep them longer than one week in the fridge).  Sometimes, I'd even blitz the unfinished bread to make breadcrumbs, so I hardly buy these commercial loaves now.

My family don't share my love of bread for breakfast if they have other choices.  The only time I can expect some 'help' from them is if I get white bread and cook it with bacon and eggs (but I don't do that all the time).  Plus, I like wholemeal and if I get that, I'm pretty much on my own. >_<  And that's where Family Mart's Cranberry Flaxseed Loaf comes into the picture as there are only 4 slices which is ideal for me to be eaten over 2 - 3 meals.

The reason why I have an affinity towards this cranberry flaxseed loaf is because, of late, I've learned to appreciate eating something salty and sweet together.  This all started when I noticed someone at the next table dunking in Hainanese toast bread (with butter & kaya) into soft-boiled eggs.  I thought it was weird at first since I've only had it with plain toasted bread.  I wondered if the flavours would marry.  So, I decided to try it the next time.  It was quite a revelation...the salty (from the soy-sauced eggs) and sweet flavours (from the butter & kaya toast) went well together.  Suffice to say, I never had my half-boiled eggs with plain toast again after that.  I think the flavours work coz there's a good reason why people gravitate towards fried chicken with waffles or bacon with pancakes that has both salty and sweet elements.

Well, with this cranberry flaxseed loaf, you can kind of replicate the salty-sweet flavours at home with soft-boiled eggs and this bread (make sure it's toasted for best results).  You get a bit of crunch from the flaxseeds and a light sweetness from the dried cranberries.

It really does work well together.  I like the sweetness of the cranberries in the bread (you won't even miss the butter & kaya in your toast...plus it's a lot healthier too) when eaten with the savoury soy-sauced (& peppered) runny eggs.  What a simple yet wonderful breakfast to have at home! ;)

But if you want to take it up a notch, then preparing of a simple western breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast will please more family members.  

Again, the salty flavours of bacon paired really well with the sweetness of this bread.  Sometimes, I'd even have this for dinner.

Making french toast is another usual option for me for breakfast.  If you're someone who likes your french toast sweet, with maple syrup or honey, then this cranberry flaxseed loaf makes the job even simpler.

With the light sweetness provided by the cranberries, you can omit the drizzle of maple syrup or honey which is also ideal for those of us who want to reduce the intake of sugar in our diet.

And what's even better than having french toast for breakfast.....having it with a few slices of bacon, of course.  Again, you have this lovely salty-sweet flavours going on.  A yummy breakfast indeed!

Because the slices of this cranberry flaxseed loaf is thick, it acts as the perfect vehicle to absorb more of that beaten egg.  Sometimes I'd even coat the eggy bread in fragrant sesame seeds for that extra crunch.

But I'm pretty happy even if it's just a simple buttered toast with jam (or kaya).  Just make sure you get your hands on some of the creamiest, good quality butter and jam you can find that's a favorite of yours.  Mine is SCS (sometimes Lurpak) butter and St Dalfour's (no sugar added) jam (of wild blueberry or four fruits).  Great paired with a cup of hot coffee.

At times, I don't even wait for the butter to soften (to spread on the bread) but add hardened bits of it directly onto the bread...like how you'd eat Hainanese toast bread with butter and kaya.  Of course, I'd love a classic butter and kaya combination too but I find most of the commercially produced kaya too sweet for my liking.

And if I'm really hungry, I would make a sandwich out of it....and because the bread is so thick, you will need quite a bit of goodies to be sandwiched in between.  When it's a sandwich, I only need my bread to be shaken, not stirred....oops, I mean buttered, not toasted (unless if it has been in the fridge).

I usually go with omelette and bacon (of course) for my sandwich....and load it with lots of fresh vegetables of lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes to lessen the guilt.  I would have this for lunch, sometimes dinner.

Last, but not least, of course you can eat it on its own for the healthiest option....especially since this cranberry flaxseed loaf is already flavoured with cranberries and flaxseeds.

I like that the cranberry flaxseed loaf comes in a packet of only 4 slices, so they're a perfect fit for me (for one person to finish).  But even more so for the taste of the cranberries (which I love biting into) + the great many breakfast options I can do with it. ^o^  If you love cranberries and a light sweetness in your bread, give this one a go.  I think you will love it as much as I do! ^_~