Pan Mee - Can't Find Good Ones? Make Your Own!!!

Pan Mee or Flat Egg Noodles is a Malaysian favourite that's popular in West Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur. It's a type of hand made egg noodles of Hakka origins, served in an broth derived from anchovies.

 

Living in East Malaysia, it's pretty difficult to find good Pan Mee, so I decided to make my own. The first attempt had garlic that I sauted together with the anchovies before adding stock, which rendered the broth a little bitter and the second attempt, I decided to omit the garlic altogether and that yielded better results.

 

 

It's fun to make and utterly delicious. Prep time was minimal, especially if you prepare the dough ahead of time (recommended, since the dough needs to rest). Here's the recipe:

For the Noodles:
250g plain flour
1 egg
Pinch of Salt
80ml water

Mix all ingredients together, knead until even and rest the dough for atleast an hour. The more you knead, the better the texture of the noodle. Use a pasta machine to roll and cut or roll by hand and cut using a knife. I don't have a pasta machine so I do everything by hand.

For the stock:
Anchovies
Water/Stock (either chicken or pork)

Fry anchovies until crispy in a pot with some oil, remove some anchovies for garnishing, add stock and season to taste. (salt only, no pepper)

For the Garnishes:
1. Cangkuk Manis, blanched in the broth, just before serving
2. Previously Fried Anchovies
3. Mined Pork - Marinated in Soy Sauce, Pepper, Sesame Oil and Sauted
4. Wood Ear blanched in broth, just before serving

Assembly:
Cook noodles in boiling water, drain and place in a bowl. Add garnishes on top and ladle broth over into the bowl. Serve hot with a side of chilli in soy sauce and a wedge of lime.

Utterly. Delicious.



Like Novocaine for the Soul

kiwi fruit tart

Everyone knows that I love cooking and baking, although I'm not that great at the latter. But if there's anything I love, it's baking in the middle of the night. I find that it's strangely gratifying.



So, I made a Kiwi Fruit tart with sablee dough tonight. It took my mind off the itch on my inner arm and left boob. Got stung by a single wasp, TWICE. WTF!



It's a good thing I'm not allergic to bee stings...or anything else for that matter.



Refrained from eating it tonight though, as I've exceeded my calorie intake for the day...or week, I lost count. MEH!!



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Climbing the Pinnacles via The Headhunter's Trail with Mr Chua

The Pinnacles, Mulu is a formation of rocks located near Mulu, close to the city of Miri in Sarawak and is famed for it's beautiful scenery and very difficult trail. The trail is 14km long and according to Mr. Chua, the breakdown is about 11.3km flat-land trekking and a ball-busting 2.4km uphill towards the pinnacles.

 

Mr. Chua himself is a well-known trekker and has done the pinnacles trail a number of times. This year, he is arranging the trek again and invited me along. The trip of course is opened to anyone who's up for the challenge.



 

 

 

 

Cost and Itinerary Breakdown:

 

Itinerary below:
Climbing the “Pinnacles via The Headhunter’s Trail” Limbang. (3 days/2 nights)

Day 1,Nov 23,2012 (Friday)
6.00am Depart for Medamit/Longhouse by Van -> 1hrs.
...

Boat riding upriver safari to Kuala Terikan for > 2hrs.
Hike 11.3km to Camp 5(The headhunter's Trail) for >2hrs.
Overnight at camp 5 jungle hut.
B/L/D


Day 2,Nov 24,2012 (Saturday)
6.00am early ascend for "Pinnacles"(2.4km) of Gunung Api.(6-8 hrs.)
2nd night stay at camp.
B/L/D


Day 3,Nov 25,2012 (Sunday)
7.00am reverse back via The HHT to Mentawai for lunch and transfer to longhouse for a short tour with a tea break.
ETA longhouse at 3.00pm.
6.00pm Van transport transfer down to Town.
End of journey.
B/L


Joining fees at RM650.00 per person(Malaysian)
None Malaysian addition charge of RM15.00 for entrance fees.(RM665.00)

Package Includes:
Land and river transfer, guide, entrance and camp fees, Pinnacles climbing fees, Meals of 3Breakfast/3Lunch/2Dinner, Pinnacles and HHT certificate.

Excluded:
Personal travel Insurance, Porter.

Option:
Porter can be hired at RM200.00 to carry Max 15 kg.(one way) or To & fro for RM300.00

Terms and condition:
Maximum intake: 38 pax.
Booking: RM200.00 to be paid upon confirmation with full Name, address, mobile No.
Acceptation: First come first serve basis with 38 pax confirmed; event listed as closed.
Payment: Full payment to be paid 2 week before travel.
Cancellation: No refund or in the event of no show.
Contact: 019-8145355 (Chua) for further information.
Borneo Touch Ecotour S/B,Limbang.


Note: For Brunei participants, you can drive your own car directly to longhouse after crossing the border at 6.00am. All cars are to be parked at longhouse.

 

If you're interested and joining on this exciting trail, feel free to drop me an email or call Mr. Chua himself in the number listed above. Don't wait because it's a first come first serve basis and only 38pax for this trip!





Running Through Life With My Eyes Shut Tight

 

I have seen you walk down the street
The wind in your hair
Your eyes wide and full of expectations
You walked like the you owned the world
Taking in the sights and sounds
Not really listening
Not really seeing
Not comprehending
What goes on inside your head

I have seen you whisper into the wind
And smile for no reason
The lines on your face lighten up
The shadows in those eyes
Chasing away the demons of the past
Hope like butterflies
Float away in the warm summer's breeze
And you watch them
Watch them carry your dreams away

I saw you standing infront of your mirror
Naked with arms at your side
Staring at the reflection
Hoping to see what you once were
You touched the mirror
Touching your own reflection
And the cloak of sadness
That envelopes your being
Tweaks the strings of my broken heart

And I saw the tear
I hear your silent scream
And I wished you could see me
As I screamed the way you did
As I mourned for you
For the me that I saw in you
Certain now that I am
Looking at myself through
The cold hard surface of a mirror 

 

Running Through Life With My Eyes Shut Tight



Give me life tonight
For I grow weak and cold
From this superficial world
I wish to cease
A part of my soul
Wretched in a mass of deceit
But what is truth
And which are lies
My tired mind cannot derive
I watch another sunrise
And wait for its setting rays
To grace upon the land
the land that I wish to be free from
the land which I'm rooted upon

Show me life
For I cannot remember
The smell of fresh cut grass
and unadultered innocence
The taste of morning breeze
and blind naiveté

I close my eyes and wait
for the descent of slumber
Glorious sleep, glorious sleep,
Elude me not this day
Blessed slumber,
I bid you Good morning,
and with this
Let my dreams take flight

Bako National Park, Kuching, Sarawak - The Inaugural Journey

The gang decided on a trip to go to Bako National Park a few weeks ago. Mr P decided to join us.

Bako National Park is famed for it's rock formations, treacherous trails and it's colonies of monkeys, gibbons and wild boars. Suffice to say, the island was beautiful. We were blessed with a sunny day, the waters were clear and our pre-determined trail took us on a boat ride from the mainland to the park entrance and a 1.5hour trail to a beach named Pandan Kecil.

Arriving on the island, it was clear that there have been some marked improvements made to it's facilities, including a new jetty. Took a pic of the old jetty that was supposedly destroyed by a rogue wave. 

Bako National Park's rock formations are majestic, for lack of a better word. One cannot help but feel small standing to such magnificent structures made by the hands of God himself; or years of corrosion if you're a non believer.

Took a short break before heading on with our trail, it was long and arduous, all 2 hours of it (1.5 hours for the more experienced and fit). Devoid of trees, the trail was not difficult, but on a hot day like this, it was painful. Came home with a sunburn (!@%$@&!) But towards the end of the trail, when you can just about hear the lapping of waves, the trail opens up to a flat rocky cliff overlooking the beach, Pandan Kecil. It was beautiful! 

We made our way down to the beach carefully, there were man-made steps and ladders but I have an inate fear of falling down rocky surfaces and stairs. It was very steep but the journey down was well worth it.  

On facebook, the picture above was captioned "Hello? McDonald's?" by my hiking mate. It was her way of teasing me and my inability to live without my cell phone. LOL  

Took some pictures with some of the structures at the beach as well as some of the inhabitants (the crab, cause we couldn't get hold of the monkeys and wild boars).

***NO ANIMALS WERE HURT/KILLED/SLAUGHTERED/EATEN IN THE MAKING OF THIS POST***

Running Through Life With My Eyes Shut Tight

 

My Artwork,

It's Novice,

My MS Paint Skills,

Is Minimal,

I Am Bored,
Can You Tell? 



Potluck at Khoon and Linda's

 



End of the September marks the end of summer for most people, but to us in Kuching, to my friends, it marked the end of a horrendous heatwave. We were blessed with beautiful weather that evening, with a thunderstorm earlier in the afternoon which in turn brought a cool and breezy evening, which was perfect for the potluck hosted by our hosts Linda and her husband Khoon at their recently acquired and renovated apartment.

 

 

 

Linda must have been really busy that day because she definitely cooked up a storm for the lot of us. My friends and myself included, enjoyed a lovely dinner ranging from braised pork knuckle, chicken kacangma and chicken curry cooked by the hostess herself. I myself made a Thai green papaya salad and our photographer, of whom took the above pictures, cooked up some pretty awesome mixed vegetables.

 

 

Linda even had time to whip up a non-bake Oreo Cheesecake. I reckon her Oreo Cheesecake is better than those made by the more commercialized bakeries because she took into account our health needs and the cheese filling wasn't as sweet as its store-bought compatriots.

 

Dinner was wonderful and of course, swift because none of us wanted to waste any more time; alcohol does not wait. Like any other good party, the night ended up with us drinking a lot of beers and 2 bottles of vodka with Ribena. No, we didn't get that drunk. Infact, we were so sober that we were still able to go out to the balcony overlooking the south side of the city of Kuching and cam-whored a little bit with the girls.

 

 

See? Still sober. Told you so. xoxo