Mapo Tofu

I had this craving for mapo tofu since I last had it at one the restaurants at The One 2 weeks ago.
Tried cooking this dish and it turned out pretty well (not perfect since I do not have Szechuan peppercorns) albeit not 'mala' or mouth numbing enough.

Here are the ingredients:

1 packet of soft tofu - cut into squares (mine turned out a little mushy from the packet)
50gs minced pork
3 cloves garlic - chopped
2 chilli padi - chopped
3 spring onions - chopped

For the sauce, you will need:

2 tbsp chilli bean paste ( I use Lee Kum Kee's Toban Djan sauce)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tspb sesame oil
2 tsp chilli flakes
100 ml beef stock (not in the picture)
100 ml water
Cornstarch for thickening

Steps:

1. Heat up cooking oil in the wok.
2. Add garlic, chilli flakes and chilli padi and fry until fragrant.
3. Add the pork and fry until the pork is cooked.
4. Add the chilli bean paste and mix the combination until even. Add in the spring onions.
5. Slide the tofu in gently.
6. Add in the balsamic vinegar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, shaoxing wine and sesame oil.
7. Coat the tofu with the gravy evenly and gently. Now pour in the beef stock and water.
8. Bring it to a boil.
9. If the gravy is too diluted, add cornstarch.
10. Add salt and sugar to taste.

Kupang (Mussels) Masak Merah Berserai

The inspiration of this recipe comes from a lady blogger.

I read through the ingredients and decided to tweak a little.

Ingredients:

Mussels (about 200g)

Turmeric powder (1 tsbp)

Lime juice (2 tbsp)

3 garlic cloves (chopped)

12 knob ginger (chopped)

2-3 shallots (chopped)

1 medium size tomato (cut into slices)

1 Lemongrass (bruised)

3-4 pcs Kaffir lime

2-3 pcs chilli padi

2 tbps tomato sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

100 ml water

salt and sugar to taste

Steps:

1. Boil mussels until they're cooked. Drain mussels and add turmeric and 1 tbsp lime juice. - This is to remove the musky smell.

2. In a wok, heat up oil and then add in chopped garlic, ginger and shallots. Fry until fragrant.

3. Stir in lemongrass, kaffir lime and chilli padi. The combination should be very aromatic.

4. Now, add tomatoes followed by the mussels.

5. Keep frying until for about 5 minutes and then add in the tomato, chilli and oyster sauce.

6. Ensure the mussels are coated nicely with the sauces and then pour in water.

7. Bring to a boil. Then add in the remaining lime juice.

8. You can add salt and sugar according to your preference.

9. Serve warm with rice

Enjoy!

Pizza with tuna and pineapples (Hawaiian Tuna Pizza)

Some called it Hawaiian pizza, it's basically a simple pizza made with 2 main ingredients; tuna and pineapples.

This is our first time making this, so there's still room for improvements.

Prepare beforehand the basic marinara sauce. You don't need much for the pizza base, but the remaining sauce can be used for pasta too. I prepared the marinara sauce several hours before making the pizza. It's pretty simple. You will need

• Chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
• Chopped onion (1 large yellow onion),
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 200-300 ml water
• 3 tomatoes chopped
• 2 bay leaves 
• Mixed Italian herbs
• Black pepper and salt to taste

In a pan, heat up olive oil and saute the garlic and onions until slightly browned. Add in chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste. Add bay leaves and mixed herbs. Give it a stir and then pour in water. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add some freshly grounded black pepper and salt.

You can always make the pizza base from scratch but since we were lazy, we used the pre-made base bought from Tesco instead. We got the canned tuna and pineapples from Tesco too.

Using a fork, mashed the tuna and add some black pepper. Slice some button mushrooms.

Now, put some olive oil into the baking tray (we do not have a pizza pan so we used a baking tray instead). Spread the marinara sauce on the pizza base.

Next, spread the tuna on top followed by mushrooms and pineapples.

Now, sprinkle generous amounts of mozzarella cheese on top.

Pre-heat oven for 5 minutes at 200C. Then pop in the pizza and bake for another 20 minutes.

We realized halfway that we should have sprinkle more cheese on the pizza. So halfway through the baking process, we took the pizza out and add more cheese on top.

Hoping that the 2nd time round, I would have perfected this pizza. I suppose I could also add some bacon/ham to this pizza. What do you think?

James Foo Western Food @ Bayan Baru

Located at one of the new shophouses opposite Giant Hypermarket, James Foos' newest branch is drawing lots of people especially during dinner time. We were there last Friday night for dinner.
I was too hungry, so I skipped pictures of the entrance and took one or two shots for blogging sake.

The restaurant is quite spacious, with seats outside and inside. The staffs are attentive and pleasant.

I ordered Grilled Chicken and Lamb set (RM 13.00). This meal is served with fries, greens and a bun at the side. The portion is just nice, in fact I would say really reasonable for the price. The only downside is that the sauce is too little and you need to pay RM 1 for extra sauce. Not much (perhaps none) herbs are being used to marinade the chicken and lamb.

Grilled Chicken & Lamb (RM 13.00)

Hubby had the Hawaiian Pork set (RM 11.00), which consist of pork, a slice of ham, pineapple, fries, greens and a bun at the side. According to him, this is one really normal tasting pork. Not much flavours and taste of herbs.

Hawaiian Pork (RM 11.00)

I conclude that this place is more like a fast food eatery where people can come and enjoy Western food for a very reasonable price. I would recommend this place for people with families too.

Tips: If you are fussy with the way your meat is prepared (well-marinated wit herbs and all), this isn't the place for you.

Hameed 'Pata' Mee Sotong @ Padang Kota Lama, Georgetown

I didn't know how famous Hameed's mee sotong is until hubby brought me to Padang Kota Lama to try out for myself. He was the first to line up, before 15 people showed up behind him. From what I gather from other bloggers, Hameed's mee sotong has been around since 1978.  Located near Fort Cornwallis, Hameed's stall is located inside the food court (medan selera).

The mee sotong can be ordered dried or with gravy. Hubby ordered both for me to try.

Most people ordered the dry kind, but I personally love the wet (basah) one. It tastes something like mee rebus. Lovely!

Each plate costs RM 5.00. Quite reasonable for the portion of mee and sotong.

Hubby said we haven't explored food in Penang mainland. He is right, I think we should spend some time to try out other food with the little time we still have here in Penang.

Next to try on the list; mee udang and mee kuah ketam..
 

Fettuccine with Mussels and Broccoli

We bought some frozen mussels from Giant last Sunday.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that and voila, I present to you our own version of Fettuccine with mussels and broccoli.

Ingredients (cooking for 2)

1/2 cup mussels
10 broccoli florets
3-4 garlic cloves (chopped)
Fettuccine pasta
Handful of bacon bits
White wine

Marinade
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp mixed herbs/Italian herbs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Steps
1. Marinate mussels with the marinade for 15-30 minutes.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in fettuccine pasta. When the water is boiling, add in broccoli. Remove broccoli after 1 minute. Once the fetuccine is soft, drain and set aside.

3. In a pan, add some oil and stir fry the bacon bits until crisp.

4. Without removing the bacon bits, pour in the mussels together with its marinade into the pan.

5. Mix everything together under heat and stir fry until the mussels are completely cooked.

6. Once the liquid has reduced to half, pour in white wine. Keep stirring.

7. Now, add the fettuccine pasta and broccoli into the mussels mixture. Make sure the mussels and broccoli are distributed evenly within the pasta.

8. You may now add salt and black pepper to suit your tastebuds.  Since I'm the adventurous kind, I added more paprika and cayenne pepper to get the fiery kick.

9. Serve hot
 

De Paella @ Lorong Sek Chuan, Penang

We arrived at De Paella 10 minutes later than our 8 pm dinner reservation. This 'home kitchen' as they call it is located inside the House of Journey Hostel & Guesthouse. There were many tourists bustling in and out of this place. The decoration is simple, with an array of clocks showing the time in different countries and converted dustpans into mini bookshelves. How creative is that!

De Paella serves a mini selection of Spanish tapas and the famous Spanish Paella (pronounced Pa-eh-ya).

The Croquetta de pollo consists of marinated deep fried chicken served with a garlic-cheese dip.
One word: Yummy!
I can eat them non-stop since they tasted so lovely.

Croquetta de pollo (RM 9)

Next was Patatas Bravas which are actually deep fried potatoes served with spicy tomato sauce and aioli, and garnished with basil. Lovely combination! The hint of basil added flavour to this particular tapa.

Patatas Bravas (RM 9)

The Tortilla de Patata came with a mashed potato topped with poached egg and drizzled with salsa sauce. I suppose this is a reconstruction of the Spanish Omelette.

Tortilla de Patata (RM 8)

Paella, to some is known as the national dish of Spain. Paella consists of rice (usually Bomba rice) with seafood or meat or a combination of both, cooked in a paella pan.
We had the seafood paella which looked so beautiful that I had to upload the picture on my instagram on the spot. The paella came with generous amounts of small clams, squids and prawns. I loved the taste of white wine used in this dish as well as the presence of socarrat (caramelized crust at the bottom of the pan).

Seafood Paella, 2 pax RM 55

This place serves reasonably priced Spanish food. Although the selection is small, it is adequate for backpackers and tourist alike to sit down; enjoy some tapas over a cuppa, while chit chatting or reading.

De Paella (at House of Journey Hostel & Guesthouse)
No. 45 & 47, Lorong Sek Chuan
10200 Georgetown Penang
04-2621399