Steamboat at Ah Chan's Place SS2 on the 14th Day of CNY

Steamboat or hot pot 火锅 is usually eaten during winter time in China but in Malaysia or this part of the world it could be a sweaty affair provided you eat in a well air conditioned room.

It's healthy there is no frying and minimal oil found in the food.

Electrical pot is very convenience & fast as compared with the conventional charcoal burnt pot.

Lot and lot of green leaves.

Fresh slices of grouper fish meat.

Huge prawns form Sabah.

Oyster mushrooms & Enoki mushroom.

Thin slices of pork neck and belly.

Fish maw or air bladder another lovely delicacy for hot pot.

Slices of sweet abalone.

Bouncy fish balls.

Homemade "Sui Kao" dumpling.

Egg Tofu & crab sticks.

Nothing like having a relax steamboat meal at home. 

These non steamboat dishes were meant for the younger people whom might not fully appreciate a good meal of steamboat. Therefore a braised soy sauce meat and a steamed pork ribs were specially prepared for them.

Happy dinner on the eve of Chap Goh Meh or rather the Valentine's Day of the Chinese.

Home Breakfast by Mum - Teochew Porridge

My friends said I am bloody lucky to have my mum cook breakfast for us. Well, when she is in KL we get pampered by her with lots of delicious foods.

Being Teochew nang we love our Teochew porridge, it 's typically watery with grainy rice and I like it watery.

Salted fish from Kuantan.

Fried scrambled eggs.

Angle beans stir fried with chilli and pounded dry shrimps.

Canned vegetable.

My mother cooks very good braised stuff, these were pork belly, chicken, tofu and eggs.

Absolutely delicious and nothing like home cooked food by our loved ones.

The Many Wonders of Petai.

I Love Petai.

You need to eat it to like it. It could be bitter but likeable. Once you start eating it you will like it. Anyway I got these interesting facts from a friend about PETAI and I want to share with you.

Petai contains three natural sugars -sucrose, fructose and glucose. Combined with fiber, petai gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just two servings of petai provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder petai is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way petai can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.


Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating petai. This is because petai contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.


PMS(premenstrual syndrome):
Forget the pills - eat petai. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.


Anaemia:
High in iron, petai can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.


Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the petai industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.


Brain Power :
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating petai at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Understand that bananas contain lot of potassium too so eat more banana. Just look at those monkeys, they are really active, alert, smart and cunning too!!


Constipation:
High in fiber, including petai in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.


Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.


Heartburn:
Petai has a natural antiacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating petai for soothing relief.


Morning Sickness :
Snacking on petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.


Mosquito bites :
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.


Nerves:
Petai is high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.j


Overweight:
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.


Ulcers:
Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.


Temperature control :
Many other cultures see petai as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In holland, for example, pregnant women eat petai to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.


Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) :
Petai can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.


Smoking:
Petai can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.


Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.


Strokes:
According to research in 'The New Engla nd Journal of Medicine, ' eating petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%'.


Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of petai and place it on the wart. Carefully hold the petai in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

How is it? It is a natural produce with many wonders.

What is inside of a Bak Chang (zhongzi 粽子)

Today (June 16th) is the 5th day of the 5th Lunar month a day to marks the death of a Chinese poet named Qu Yuan (屈原). It is the day where you and I can eat Bak Chang (zhongzi 粽子) for a reason.

Bak Chang or zhong zi is made of glutinous rice stuffed with various ingredients and wrapped with bamboo leaves. I had the chance to see how these dumplings are made last night. Thanks to our neighbour Madam Yeo Fong Sien. She is assisted by other neighbours May Fong and my mother. Love thy neighbour.

Glutinous rice with peanuts and the delicious ingredients for the dumplings.

Bamboo leaves & the salted egg yolks........

Dried oysters, chestnut and mushroom......

Pork belly and dried shrimps.....

Step 1 - fold a bamboo leaf and fill with the glutinous rice and mushroom.

Step 2 - put a salted egg yolk & dried oyster and chestnut.

Step 3 - a piece of pork belly and the rice again.

Step 4 - final wrap into a shape of pyramid.

Step 5 - the wrapped dumpling firmly tied up. Poach it and they are ready to be eaten.

Step 6 - Unwrap the cooked Bak Chang and enjoyed by Xiang Yi.