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Why amazing? Well, on my recent trip to Bandung… my boss can’t seems to stop taking this thing known as Kecap Manis… and ABC seems to be the popular brand with everyone. Fried rice, cumi (squid), prawns, anything he eats, he had to have kecap manis with it, he is just short of taking it with pancake, but he did suggest for someone to try it that way, hehe :P.

Well, I can’t blame him, this dark and sweet sauce is really not bad, especially when they chopped up some bird chilies (cili padi) and mix it with kecap manis, just take a little with your rice or dishes, taste really good. Its also good for cooking with things like squid or prawns.

I googled around and I was surprised that they even sold it on Amazon.com!!! Its not expensive, I brought back the small 140ml bottle, cost about RM1.20 and you don’t really need a lot to go with your food. On the label you can see some of the main ingredents are things like sugar, water, salt, soy bean, wheat and sodium benzoate (aka preservative).

Yesterday, during tea, Joe was telling me that when he was kid he remember, we used to have a similar kind of dark soy sweet sauce here in Malaysia as well, and I sort of remember vaguely that I used to had something like this when I was young too! Any idea if we have something similar here in Malaysia?

This is one of the easiest thing to cook, its basically chinese water chestnuts, wrapped with streaky bacon and fried! Crispy bacon with and crunchy water chestnut inside! All you need to do is simply marinate your bacons with wine, it can be chinese cooking wine, red wine or white wine, all works fine. Also add in soya sauce, sugar and pepper to the bacon’s marinate.

Peel the skin of the water chestnuts then cut the bacon into half and wrap it around the water chestnut then hold it with a toothpick. You may also use cherry tomato or apple to replace the water chestnuts. Once all is wrapped up, heat up a pan and deep fry the bacons till brown and crisp. Alternatively, you fry the bacon in a pan for a few minutes, then remove the juice and bake them in the oven until it browns.

The juice that is being remove, mix with the balance of the marinate can be use as sauce. Just add in a little more wine and seasoning if needed and thicken the sauce with corn starch. Then serve the bacon water chestnuts with the sauce and I have added some vege in this case.

Makan first, think later

This is a really simple recipe, you basically need nice cuts of pork belly with skin, the part with bones are the best. Simply wash the meat, optionally I like to rub the meat with a little bit of chinese cooking wine and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then mix five spices powder and fine salt together, I use about 3/4 tablespoons of five spice and 1 1/4 tablespoons of salt. Its really up to your taste, just rub them on the bottom part of the pork belly and place them a rack.

Then cover the top part of the skins with coarse salt and all you need to do now is roast it! Heat up the oven to about 150-170 degrees and put the meat in for about 15-20 minutes. Oh ya, make sure you put a tray at the bottom of the rack to catch all the oil that’s gonna flow down.

You will notice that the salt becomes harden like crystal, then take the meat out and remove the salt, just use a spoon or knife to rub them off. Once that is done, put it back to the oven at low heat, I did it at less than 100 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the skin are crispy.

Then chop them up hot and serve

Makan first, think later

Daniel got some lobsters from Sg Renggit in Johor and I was asked over to do a cook out. Being a newbie to lobster and since the lobster is not live, I have decided to grill them instead.

So, I got my Tefal electric grill out from the storeroom and put it to good use. The lobsters need to be cut into half from the tail up and you will need a really big and sharp knife to do the job. I recommend chinese chopper if you have them. Wash up the lobster and get it ready to grill.

I placed a small pot on the grill and melt some butter then add in chopped chilies and coriander leaves. You may add in garlic if fancy. Then brush a light layer of the melted butter on the inner lobster’s flesh and put them face down on the grill. You may turn it to brush more butter as needed but I would not recommend to much or the butter taste will cover the lobsters.

Once cooked, serve the lobsters with more coriander leaves and squeeze lime juice on it just before eating.

Makan first, think later

This is a really simple to do tom yam soup which can easily be made at home in a quick manner. You can take this soup on its own, go with rice or add in noodles if you fancy.

First things you need are:
1. 1-2 Bird chili (depends how spicy u can take it)
2. 1 clove of garlic
3. 1 lemon grass
4. 1 big red onion (sliced)
5. bunch of kaffir lime leaves
6. 1-2 big juicy lime (depends how sour you like it)

Crush all the above using a mortal and pestle to let out the fragrant (except for onion), then put them into a boiling stock. The stock should ideally be chicken or seafood stock, if you don’t have time for stock, stock cube are ok too.

Once they above are boiling again, add in vegetables of your choice, tomato, carrots, greens are good with this. Also put in any meat or seafood of your choice.

Once the meat or seafood is cook, its ready, simple right

Makan first, think later