#ewew cooks Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Vegetables

Inspired by the success of my Black Pepper Pork Stir-Fry, I had been wanting to do a beef version like forever and I finally got my chance when I got hold of some beef from Aeon one day.

Well, we all know that black pepper with pork or chicken is good.....but black pepper with beef is even better.  After all, black pepper sauce is a mainstay of steaks and it's so popular that it's probably one of the most ordered sauces to pair with steaks.  So, here's my take on Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Vegetables which is one of my favourite things to cook and eat.

I didn't have to do anything as the True Aussie topside beef stir-fry I got was already pre-sliced.  This 250g pack costs RM18.33 and is good for two single servings for one (I used only half the packet for this cook) as a one-dish meal (with a little rice) or the entire packet as part of a 3-dish family meal with rice.

You cook black pepper beef pretty much the same way you would cook black pepper pork (above)...and you start by marinating it in a simple marinade of cornstarch, light soy sauce and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.  You can even add a bit of water to the cornstarch marinade if it's too dry.  The cornstarch is what helps make the beef tender and smooth.

You begin by searing the beef slices in a little oil in a medium hot non-stick pan.  Resist the urge to flip them immediately but let them sit for a while until you're happy with the browning....then flip.

Once done, remove them onto a plate.  It's alright if they aren't cooked all the way through as they'll be twice cooked later anyway.  You can, of course, choose to velvet your beef by other methods like blanching or deep-frying.

Add more oil and start sauteeing your onions (this was one large onion) until soft and translucent.  The more caramelised you get the onions, the sweeter they will be.

This dish is great just like that...with onions, spring onions (for a bit of colour) and black pepper....but can be even better if you add a variety of vegetables to go with it.  When your onions are nearing done, add in the vegetables.  I threw in some chopped garlic as well.

Here I used half a red capsicum (for taste and colour), sugar snap peas (not snow peas) and onions.  If you ask me, I feel stir-fried beef tastes the best with capsicum of any colour....and if you use all three colours of red, green and yellow, the dish will be vibrantly colourful and appealing.  You can cook them lightly if you prefer them crunchy or longer for a softer texture (that's the way I like it as the sweetness is more apparent).

Once the vegetables are cooked to the texture you prefer, you can add back the cooked beef to the pan.  At this time, you can drizzle over a bit of thick dark soy to give it that visually black colour of black pepper beef.

Taste and check your seasoning to see if it needs more tweaking.  You may need an extra pinch of salt or even more freshly cracked black pepper (I know I do) to further strengthen that black pepper flavour.

And my Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Capsicum, Sugar Snap Peas & Onions is done! ;)  The plate may look visually colourful but these vegetables bring so much more and are a delight to eat.

The lightly charred red capsicum and caramelised onions are sweet and juicy while the sugar snap peas give you that nice crunch for a textural contrast.  A good replacement for the sugar snap peas would be french beans or (if you don't mind the cost) asparagus that would offer your dish that same crunchy texture.

Beef is such good mates with black pepper that it's a no-brainer...and that's why you see it as the most requested sauce for steaks (even chicken chop) by many patrons. ^.^

Of course a home-cooked version will not be quite the calibre of a restaurant-quality one as we don't go through a proper velveting process, so expect the beef to be not as smooth.  Also this beef came already pre-sliced, so the slices were slightly thicker than I would cut them myself.  Still, the end result was really good. If there's one thing better than a black pepper pork stir-fry, it would be a black pepper beef stir-fry.  There's no denying that beef and black pepper is a perfect match....like a perfect couple...lol!

Black pepper beef is one of those dishes I'm always inclined to order at restaurants coz it's just so tasty but they come at a price.  There was a time I had it at a ridiculous price of RM80! O_o  So, if you like beef, I urge you to try making this easy-to-cook dish at home...and be amazed at the resulting good taste which comes at a fraction of the cost of what a restaurant would charge (about RM9 excluding the veggies...based on half a packet used).  Try it.....you'll like it! ^o^

Thong Kee Cafe @ Pandan Indah

Thong Kee Cafe @ Pandan Indah has been in my neighbourhood for close to 10 years, the very first outlet of the Thong Kee chain from Bentong (since 1988) in Klang Valley.  I remember patronising a couple of times (during its heydays) and then stopped going there completely coz nothing really attracted me.  They call themselves a cafe (which are how modernised kopitiams are like now) to distinguish themselves from the traditional coffee shops with the same concept of selling a variety of food through a variety of stalls.

Their unique selling point at that time was probably their house special of croissant with kaya and butter (which they claim to be the first to introduce this breakfast item that is now copied common in other kopitiams).  I'm not a fan of this fusion (of a French pastry with local kaya) and to this day have not eaten one (lol).  I'm still a traditionalist at heart preferring to eat Hainanese toast with kaya + butter....or a croissant in its buttery and flaky original form.

Thong Kee (TK) has also been known to be creative in introducing systems to facilitate/speed up their ordering, takeaway and delivery operations.  The latest is you have to get a seat number, line up to order and pay for your drinks and food (only those belonging to TK itself (citing your table number) and they will deliver your ordered items to your table.  Unfortunately, not all customers are aware of this system (especially if you're a first-timer to the shop) and they'll just walk-in directly and find an empty table to sit down (as is the traditional way only to be chased away realise when another customer comes and claims the table as theirs)...I've seen it many times! >.<

I recently read about a chain of kai see hor fun stalls that opened an outlet in TK...and that was what made me think of revisiting after so many years.

If you see this pic at the stall, know that they're from the same chain of kai see hor fun which boasts of many outlets in coffee shops (with a presence in 20 stalls + 3 own shoplots/HQ).  Choiyen.com tried a similar (chain) stall in MJ Wang in Seapark, PJ which she enjoyed and she now knows of two outlets nearer to her.

So, I got myself a bowl of Prawn & Shredded Chicken Hor Fun (or Kai See Hor Fun) @ RM9 to try.  The bowl came with the standard ingredients of prawns (two only), shredded chicken, Chinese chives and fried shallots that you'd find in any bowl of kai see hor fun.

The prawns used were medium-sized ones (some days can be slightly larger) that were mildly sweet, acceptable but also not quite like some of the good quality, sweet tasting fresh prawns that I've come to know.

I also tried the Kai See Hor Fun (with poached chicken thigh) @ RM9.50 (and decided to add prawns for an additional RM3).  There were only two additional prawns which meant that they cost RM1.50 each (hmmm, not so worth it I think).  The poached chicken was alright but also not quite the standard of really tender, smooth poached chicken I've had at other places.

The soup had that sought-after orangey prawn oil for that extra prawny flavour but not enough of it compared to the one choiyen.com had in MJ Wang.  The soup base was also a bit on the salty side, so it's good for those with a heavier palate.  Overall, it didn't hit the standards of our favourite kai see hor fun (in 7-Chai) nor our gold standard (in Guang Ji Ho Fun) but for one that's nearest to me (in my own taman), it's considered decent.

From a stall right at the end of the shop I ordered the Prawn Mee @ RM10 and when it arrived I saw it had the tiniest prawns ever in a prawn mee together with pork balls, fish cake slices, kangkung (I asked for the taugeh to be omitted) and fried shallots.

If you can get everything wrong in a bowl, this was it....0/10!  Besides the smallish prawns, the pork balls had an overly soft texture (not firm like usual ones), the fish cake slices were not only cut thinly but were small pieces too (commercialised fish cake is one of the cheapest things!), the kangkung was thin and seemed wilted, not fresh) and the fried shallots (the store-bought kind) were totally soft when it arrived (which made me think that the shallots might have been added before the broth was poured over the noodles).  Even the bowl was the wrong shape...it's difficult to spoon soup from a square bowl lah!  I don't think I need to say anything more. >.<

From the chee cheong fun stall (also towards the back of the shop), I tapau'd Curry Chee Cheong Fun + Yong Tau Foo @ RM9.50...one piece each of plain chee cheong fun and stuffed bitter gourd, brinjal, fried beancurd roll and another (unusual) beancurd roll (made with soft beancurd skin filled with ingredients you'd ususally find in popiah like mushrooms, shredded yam bean and carrots).

Based on the price, I'm assuming each yong tau foo cost RM2 and they're edible like any you'd find in standard chee cheong fun stalls.  The only difference is that this one came with curry that is fairly creamy and thick (much thicker than the usual chee cheong fun stalls) but with a stronger flavour of lemongrass (you can smell it before you even eat it).

On some days, it can be really strong.  If you're a fan of lemongrass like I am (who happens to love a good lemongrass and pandan iced tea) but still wish for a little less in a curry.  Although the chee cheong fun and yong tau foo is nothing out of the ordinary, this fairly creamy curry is among one of the thickest I've found from a chee cheong fun stall.

The nasi lemak in this shop is, of course, a Chinese-style nasi lemak.  I tried their Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang @ RM11.50 but the flavours of the rendang isn't quite like the rendang I've come to know and love.  The sambal is a typical Chinese-style sambal with onions and the availability of extra vegetables (which I appreciated) of cabbage and long beans (other than cucumbers) is also typical of a Chinese-style nasi lemak.

Strangely though, the chicken seems to have some (a little) fried batter coatng on it before being cooked in a rendang sauce (I could be wrong, hopefully it's not left over fried chicken being cooked into a rendang!).  This and the chee cheong fun stall you've to self-serve yourself (meaning you have to carry your own food to the table).  A very average plate of nasi lemak ayam rendang like the one in Brotherhood's Kopitiam but one of the more popular stalls here.

But it wouldn't be fair to review TK without at least trying some food from the cafe itself.  In the TK Char Kuey Teow (CKT) @ RM8.50 I found 3 (frozen-tasting) prawns when digging in, lots of fish cake (something I don't fancy in my CKT) and probably about 5 pcs of sihum (cockles).  This was an example of a plate of food that looked better than it tasted.

For most CKT, even when you say yes to chilli when they ask you if you want it spicy, you can't really taste the chilli but this one you can.  I can see the reddish oil at the bottom of my plate of CKT, a little oilier (and wetter) than I would have liked.  No wok hei, no lap cheong, looks deceptively good but nothing outstanding at all, just a very ordinary plate of CKT.

A unique find was their Signature Fried Prawn Mee @ RM8.50 which intrigued me.  When I first ordered it through delivery, I didn't know what to expect but, as it turned out, I got a serving of lai fun + yellow mee (I'm assuming this is the default noodles since we don't get to make a choice) fried with prawns, fish cake, egg, beansprouts and Chinese chives topped with their housemade sambal belacan and kalamansi lime.

The ingredients used are almost similar to the CKT except this is a much wetter version with no dark sauce. It was an appetising dish to eat with the spicy sambal and a squeeze of lime...but, watch out, the sambal is quite spicy.  Other hot meals from TK include claypot noodles and pan mee.

I once ordered their 7-Star Breakfast @ RM10.90 via delivery (RM8.90 dine-in...what a price!) which is their version of Big Breakfast with sausages, ham, hashbrown, sunny side-up egg, baked beans and a slice of toasted buttered bread.

The 7-star probably refers to the 7 items (there were 2 types of sausages) on the plate (and not 7 stars for taste...lol).  This is obviously a localised version of Big Breakfast, so keep your expectations low.  I've got to say this is a value-for-money plate of food with good portion size (it would keep any kid happy).  Even managed to nail the soft, runny yolk even though punctured (but forgivable) enroute to me.

Of course at the heart of every TK, there's their signature croissant with butter & kaya (or other fillings), Hainan toasts and eggs.  I love croissants but not into croissant with butter & kaya, so I ordered their Hainan Toast @ RM3.20 with Soft-Boiled Eggs @ RM3.60.

The Hainan Toast was super airy (not in a good way).  It felt like I was eating pockets of air more than bread.  The texture is very crumbly with lots of crumbs falling onto the table when you bite into it which made the bread feel very dry.  But then again this is the norm when it comes to many Hainan toasts.   What happened to those good old toasted bread that the traditional coffee shops used to serve (that looks like this but not as airy)?  Luckily, it had a generous lashing of kaya and a thick cut of butter. 

As for the eggs (the receipt mentioned onzen eggs) and indeed the onzen egg is recognisable by its rich deep orange/reddish-coloured yolk.  Even though the whites look perfectly cooked, the yolks were unfortunately too cooked for me.  Seeing that the eggs were served immediately after I was seated tells me that they're more likely to have been prepped ahead.  Serving the already prepped egg inside a mug of hot water (again) may have had a hand in overcooking it.  The moment the server brought it to my table, she told me it's ready to eat (as opposed to it being ready in 5 minutes as is usually the case at other coffee shops).  I did take the eggs out immediately but the yolks still ended up way too firm, so not having the egg yolks running all over the egg whites isn't how I'd want to enjoy soft-boiled eggs.  Not sure if the eggs are always like this or just this time.

TK also sells muffins, doughnuts, curry puffs and kaya puffs (or how we locals like to call it karipap and kaya kok).  I got one Karipap @ RM1.90 and one Kaya Kok @ RM3 for takeaway.

The curry puff (with chunks of hard-boiled eggs inside) was the other surprise find here.  The texture of the (smooth) filling (of potatoes, chunks of hard-boiled egg and a little chicken) reminded me immediately of Ikea's curry puffs with a lightly crisp but not overly flaky pastry.

I liked it so much that I got another three the very next day...and the next (I've been deprived of Ikea's curry puffs for far too long...haha)....and I've been eating it regularly ever since.  I'm not sure when TK started selling these curry puffs and wished I had discovered it sooner.

It looked and tasted eerily similar to Ikea's curry puffs which makes me wonder if they're sourced from the same supplier (!).  I did try to ask the worker manning the order counter once but he said very similar to but not the same as Ikea's (now why would he make the reference to Ikea too unless they've been asked that question before)! @_@  Not sure if he genuinely didn't know where they're from or trying to guard their trade secret.  Anyway, now I know where I can get an Ikea curry puff (I still believe in my hunch...lol) without having to travel all the way to Ikea...even if the one here is more expensive (I'll take it!).  This was a gem of a find in TK right in my neighbourhood.  Update (5.9.23): A little birdie (unsubstantiated, of course) told me that the curry puffs are indeed from the same supplier as Ikea's (haha, my hunch was correct!).  Latest update (17.10.23): The curry puff is now RM2.30/pc when I last bought while Ikea's price is still RM1.40/pc or RM7.80/6 pcs (so you know which ones to get if you need to eat lots of them!).

The kaya puff, unfortunately, wasn't as successful.  The kaya filling was more sweet than fragrant...and the filling was a bit scarce too but thankfully so, otherwise it'd be very sweet.

TK thrives on good coffees as they're known for especially their popular Signature 1+1 Ice (S) @ RM4 (a mixture of Hainan coffee and tea) but I can't say I'm a fan (I'd much rather have a cham).  I've also tried their Teh Ice (L) @ RM4.40, Cham Ice (L) @ RM4.60 and my go-to drink from here of Kopi-O Ping Ice (S) @ RM3.50 (remember to mention the size you want, otherwise they'll give you large by default...that has happened to me a few times before I realised there were two sizes).

My Personal Opinion

Even though TK has been around for 10 years, they're still going strong and recently expanded from two shoptlots to three (so they must be doing something right).  I don't really understand the pull but they continue to attract crowds until today...and, of course, a modern kopitiam is always bright and clean (which the younger generation prefer).

A lot of their popularity I think is down to their drinks (like their signature "1+1", a unique blend of Hainan coffee and tea) as well as their simple offerings of croissant, Hainanese toast bread and soft-boiled onzen eggs.  I've to agree that their coffee is probably the better one among the few modern kopitiams we have here.

As for the food, they're pretty standard, average fare....some stalls will be better than others...and some have come and gone.  The kai see hor fun is probably the standout here followed by the thick curry chee cheong fun (provided you're fine with a strong lemongrass flavour in the curry) and TK's curry puff & fried prawn mee.  Other offerings include roasted meat and rice, wantan mee, Hakka mee, Sarawak kolok mee and whatever the last two stalls sell that's run by the same owner (they seem to be a jack of all trades, master of none and offers fish head noodles, pork noodles, la la noodles, the dreaded prawn noodles and more).  Not a place you need to come out of the way for but if you find yourself in these parts, they'll satisfy your simple breakfast and lunch needs.

Thong Kee Cafe

17, 19 & 21 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23E

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

DayOne DayOne Noodles @ Sunway Velocity

DayOne is known as a Taiwanese and Japanese fusion restaurant (that also offers some Asian and local dishes to cater to the tastes of Malaysians) but they're best known for their own-made Chew-Chew Noodle with free-range eggs and high-gluten flour with no preservatives and processed ingredients from day one (no pun intended).

Founded during the pandemic, the restaurant seems to have grown from strength to strength judging by the perpetual crowd at many of outlets.  From their menu (and website), there are 12 branches thus far starting with their first outlet in Mont Kiara, Solaris with more branches thereafter in Sri Petaling, Petaling Street, SS2, Cheras Traders Square, Setapak, Puchong, KLIA2, Pavilion KL, Sunway Velocity Mall, Taipan USJ and Sunway Pyramid.  I'm sure even more outlets will open in future (I believe this business opportunity can be franchised).

I've known about the place since a fellow blogger blogged about it as far back as in 2020 but never thought of visiting until my son gestured me to.  So, we found ourselves visiting DayOne DayOne Noodles @ Sunway Velocity for the first time one weekend evening.

The first thing I noticed when the menu was brought to us was that everything (other than the name of the dish) is written in Chinese.  If you're one who neither reads nor speaks Chinese, it can be a little trying coz only the dish has an English translation but not the more detailed description of the dish (so we basically relied on what we see in the pictures).  Even the servers converse in Mandarin, so it's a bit more challenging for people (like us) who don't speak the language to order (luckily, you can order through their app).

This, being a Taiwanese place, braised pork rice (or lu rou fan) will certainly be at the forefront, so my son went with their Signature Braised Pork Chew-Chew Noodles @ RM18.90.  This one had a chef's hat (as in it's a chef recommended dish), a thumbs-up sign (I take that the dish is good) and a little piggy (to mean there's pork involved) followed by more words in Chinese (I gather that would be the detailed description of the food and what comes with it).

This signature braised minced pork handmade noodle was served with boiled eggs with a custardy yolk, pickled cucumber, soup and a chilli paste + chilli oil dip.  They offer you a second bowl of noodles if you're up for it (as in if you're still hungry).  The noodles top up is free and can be ordered upfront or later (my son's extra bowl of noodles was ordered upfront).

Actually, the portion of top up noodles isn't much, you can finish it in 2 - 3 bites, so it wouldn't be too much for the average-sized eater.  The noodles are cooked al dente with a good, chewy texture (hence the name chew-chew, I suppose...lol) that's a pleasure to eat.  I would say the portion of noodles is on the smaller side that even I could probably finish an additional free portion (which I didn't request upfront not knowing what the portion size would be).  Foreseeing that I'd probably have communication difficulties in ordering extra noodles, I decided not to.

There was plenty of tender braised minced pork although there were more fatty cubes of minced pork than lean meat.  Once mixed thoroughly into the noodles with a bit of that chilli dip (a must), the overall flavours were quite robust.  They also nailed the boiled eggs with a softer yolk (for this bowl) though the cook of the eggs can be a bit inconsistent.

I ordered the Taiwanese Pork Chop Chew-Chew Noodles @ RM28.90 which came served with the same condiments (boiled eggs, pickled cucumber, soup and chilli dip) as in the earlier braised pork chew-chew noodles.

The pork chop was fairly tender but there was none of that expected fragrant and crisp outside layer (from it being deep-fried) as it came almost braised-like in texture sitting in a pool of sauce at the bottom that tasted only of soy sauce and it was a tad salty (for me).

If I were to compare this to another popular Taiwanese place, I'd say Din Tai Fung's pork chop tastes loads better.  For me, it's more fragrant and better seasoned with a more crisp feel since it's served like a fried pork chop (and not braised like the one here).

The chew-chew noodles on its own tasted quite flavourful already as they came tossed in a sauce (maybe due to customers' feedback previously that it was bland tasting like the one choiyen.com had which had no sauce).  Even the shape of the noodles looked different now from the one she had.  The noodles did come topped with some braised minced pork and half a boiled egg (that had a different consistency from the previous bowl).

Anyway, if it's still not up to mark, then the addition of the housemade chilli dip (this one is rather fiery, so add little by little if you can't take something that's too spicy) will further perk up its flavours.  This chilli oil was far more spicier than the one I had at HoLiao Noodles, so those who like a real spicy kick will certainly enjoy this one.

The chew-chew noodle set was served with condiments of pickled cucumber....and this side dish I found myself enjoying the most with its fresh, tangy, crunchy texture.

The soup was robust in flavour and tasted exactly like a herbal soup (again I see it's a different soup from what choiyen.com had).  Such a strong tasting soup is not something I expected to go with the noodles.  Just like there are customers who don't like a too herbally bak kut teh, there'll be customers who don't like herbal soups.  Even though I do drink herbal soups, I'd much prefer a subtle, cleaner tasting soup to balance out the robust flavours in the noodles.

Our side dish for sharing of Golden Fried Tofu @ RM12.90 was a dish of tofu cubes that have been deep-fried to an airy, golden crisp and dusted with that chilli powder that's become a signature of Taiwanese food (which they dust on almost all of their fried food like chicken, pork, mushrooms, sweet potato fries, etc).

When I say airy, I really mean it coz somehow the insides of the tofu were very hollow, so you end up eating more air than tofu...hah..hah...and the amount they give (for the price) is rather shocking (the portion looks like one block of tofu...and one block of tofu is very cheap!).  There were more crispy rice noodles (which lined the plate as decoration) than there were tofu cubes.  The sambal accompanying the tofu was also not outstanding as it tasted like something out of a can (a canned ikan bilis sambal comes to mind). >_<

For drinks, I went with one of their cold brewed Taiwan teas, the Osmanthus Oolong Tea @ RM9.90 that's also available hot in a cup or pot.  Other teas include a green tea, a rose tea and a black tea.

My Personal Opinion

DayOne DayOne has garnered high ratings on Google and continue to pack in the crowds at some of their outlets.  With these many outlets (some are franchised outlets I believe), there's always the tendency that some outlets will do better in terms of taste, consistency and service.

From what I've tasted so far, it's average at best (so I'm not sure what the hype is about) but I will definitely say they nailed the texture of their chew-chew noodles which is a pleasure to eat...that I've got to give it to them.  If I were to compare DayOne DayOne's Taiwanese cuisine to Din Tai Fung's (from the small sampling of their menu I had), I would go with the latter (who is still going strong to this day).

That said, I'm not sure if I'll be back...though there's still a lot more to try from their vast menu like beef noodles, 3-cup chicken, crispy chicken chop and oyster vermicelli that forms an integral part of Taiwanese food that may change my mind yet.  But two things that won't excite me to explore though is the Japanese (can their Japanese food be any better than Japanese specialist restaurants?) or Asian/local section of their menu (who can do better siu yuk than our locals, even Hong Kong-type restaurants here can't compare...#I'm not biased....lol).  If I do return....it won't be anytime soon. ^_~

DayOne DayOne Noodles

B44 & B45 Sunway Velocity Mall

Lingkaran SV Sunway Velocity

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-517 1511