MCO 2.0 - Day 50

 Day 50 of Movement Control Order 2.0

28 December 2020

        I, for one, was taken by surprise by the announcement that the Conditional Movement Control Order for Ipoh ends today, three days earlier than scheduled. Ipoh was thrust back into the Red Zone yesterday, and the figures continued to climb today.

        With the end of the Movement Control Order 2.0, the curtain comes down on my humble cooking posts. 

        Day 50's dinner was a simple one - hubby's favourite Tofu Prawn Soup and Steamed Pork Patty with Preserved Vegetable. There was also an additional dish of Pork Slices In Oyster Sauce, bought by my Papa from the economy rice stall.

Tofu Prawn & Mushroom Soup

冬菜蒸肉饼

Pork dish from economy rice stall

MCO 2.0 - Day 49

 Day 49 of Movement Control Order 2.0

27 December 2020

        This Conditional Movement Control Order is scheduled to end in 4 days, but will it? Even though today's new Covid-19 cases (1196) is way lower than yesterday's record highest daily case count of 2335, Ipoh has been thrown back into the Red Zone with 7 new cases. And judging from the non-existent physical distancing shown in Concubine Lane, Ipoh, it would hardly be surprising if a spike in cases ensues.

       Choosing to be far from the madding crowd, we stayed at home. For dinner, we had Steamed Cod, Onion Omelette and Stir-fried Angled Luffa with Scallops.

Concubine Lane today

MCO 2.0 - Day 48

 Day 48 of Movement Control Order 2.0

26 December 2020

        Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, is traditionally a shopping holiday, with stores in the UK offering drastic price reductions. Boxing Day or otherwise, it is sheer folly to throng the malls and jostle with the crowds, just to secure good bargains and save some money. Saying no to shopping would be a much better way to save money, and more importantly, would be safer, considering the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. Of course we still need to go out and buy the essentials but we should not be lingering around any longer than necessary.

        Our Boxing Day dinner was a simple one : Hakka Braised Pork Belly with Wood Fungus (客家木耳炸肉) and Fishballs in Flavourful Soup.

        I had not cooked the Hakka Braised Pork Belly with Wood Fungus for some time and I feared that I had lost the touch. But my fears were unfounded when hubby declared, "Mmm...better than whatsitsname?" Hubby was referring to Ying Ker Lou, the restaurant where he had first tasted this dish and fallen in love with it.

        The ikan parang fishballs were heartily welcomed by the flavourful soup, left over from our steamboat meal. I could still taste all the sweetness of the prawns, mussels, clams, and other steamboat ingredients that had lent their flavour to the soup.

MCO 2.0 - Day 47

 Day 47 of Movement Control Order 2.0

25 December 2020

        Hubby was like a kid unwrapping his Christmas present under the Christmas tree when he spotted ikan pari or stingray at the fishmonger's. He was keen to cook Ikan Pari Assam Pedas for Christmas, together with Stir-fried Siew Pak Choy. 

Ikan Pari Assam Pedas

Stir-fried Siew Pak Choy

        Since I had been freed from the kitchen, I turned to the bakery. Hmm...what should bunny bake for a Christmas treat?

Bunny poised to make an important decision

        The plan was for Lemon and Grapefruit Poppy Seed Muffins. However this presbyopic bunny didn't have her glasses with her and had reached for 1 grapefruit yoghurt and 1 raspberry yoghurt instead of 2 grapefruit yoghurt. And that's how we had Lemon, Grapefruit and Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffins to nibble on as we watched a perfect post-Christmas dinner movie, "Christmas Perfection".

My Lemon Grapefruit Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffin

A very enjoyable movie in the comfort of home

Blessed Christmas 2020

MCO 2.0 - Day 46

 Day 46 of Movement Control Order 2.0

24 December 2020

        As we anticipate the birth of Jesus, it appears apt to ponder and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas should never be about the presents, parties and festivities. It is a celebration, nonetheless, but it should be a celebration of God's love for the world for giving us the ultimate present, His Son. It is also a reminder that all the celebrations in the world are meaningless, if we do not have God in our hearts. I love this quote by Roy L. Smith : "He who has not Christmas in his heart, will never find it under a tree.".

        For many, 2020 has been Annus Horribilis (which means "year of disaster or misfortune" in Latin). But I prefer to think of it as Annus Gratia  ("year of grace") and to give thanks for all the graces that my loved ones and I have received this year. Living in lockdown, full or partial, for most of the year, has made me re-examine life's priorities, reinforced the realisation of how unpredictable, fragile and ephemeral our life on earth is, cultivated new ties, strengthened existing bonds, compelled me to adopt new norms (I'm referring to the use of e-wallet and online banking), drove me to learn new approaches (Google Meet and the use of Edit & Create to mark students' work) and most importantly, served me a reminder to always put God as the focus of my life.

        It is, undoubtedly, strange to find that we are not in a position to continue with many things and practices that we used to, in previous years. For the first time, I couldn't send Christmas cards to dear ones abroad. I will not be attending Christmas Mass in church with my mum; we will be attending virtual Mass. There won't be any Christmas dinners or gatherings either. But all these pale in comparison to the one thing that should matter most : having Jesus in my heart. And I have that! Hence, this Christmas is not Horribilis, but it should be Gratia, or even Mirabilis ("Wondrous").

        And in celebration of the birth of our Lord, hubby and I had an intimate Christmas Eve steamboat dinner.

        

MCO 2.0 - Day 45

 Day 45 of Movement Control Order 2.0

23 December 2020

        Yesterday I was given a reprieve from cooking, hence no post in this blog. And after a day of rest, I was brimming with enthusiasm to try another new dish. Roland of the blog, Spice N' Pans, had shared a recipe for a very common dish. Yet, his ingredients and method seemed to be a notch higher than other bloggers so I was keen to give it a try.

        Honestly, I am not bragging but tonight's Fragrant Golden Chicken or Kam Heong Chicken was incredibly tasty. Although hubby loves spicy food, he rarely orders this dish at restaurants but tonight, he lauded my version (to be exact, Roland's version) of the Kam Heong Chicken.

        The chicken pieces were first marinated for 2 hours with light soya sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper, curry powder and an egg. While the oil was being heated up, the chicken pieces were lightly coated with cornflour before being deep fried. After that, a whole bunch of aromatics (dried shrimps, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, curry leaves and dried chillies) were fried till the kitchen became immensely aromatic. The water, which was earlier used to rehydrate the dried shrimps, was then poured in. Oyster sauce and sugar were added. After the sauce had thickened, the chicken pieces were returned to the wok for a good toss. There's a fair amount of preparation (lots of aromatics to cut up) and this is definitely not a weeknight dish. But it's exceedingly delicious and hubby will not see the last of it.

Fragrant Golden Chicken

Stir-fried Beansprouts

MCO 2.0 - Day 43

 Day 43 of Movement Control Order 2.0

21 December 2020

        This year's Winter Solstice Festival is celebrated today, the shortest day of the year (and longest night). Our simple Winter Solstice Festival dinner featured pork, pork and pork. There were Nam Yue Fried Pork, Potatoes with Minced Pork and White and Green Radish Soup with Pork Ribs. Sadly, no glutinous dumplings were served as wifey was occupied with other matters and couldn't get some from the market this morning. 

Nam Yue Fried Pork

Potatoes with Minced Pork

White and Green Radish with Pork Ribs

MCO 2.0 - Day 42

 Day 42 of Movement Control Order 2.0

20 December 2020

         Hubby took over the reins of the kitchen today and I could take a back seat. I didn't actually put my feet up. I ironed a heap of hubby's shirts and assumed the role of kitchen assistant.

        Tonight's dinner menu : Fried Grouper with Crispy Fried Ginger Strips in Soya Sauce, Stir-fried Nai Pak and Fried Lor Bak. Yummy!

MCO 2.0 - Day 41

 Day 41 of Movement Control Order 2.0

19 December 2020

        Adapting recipes from Rasa Malaysia and Spice N' Pans, I scored a personal triumph when I cooked something that I often order when I go for 碟仔饭 in restaurants. However, despite seeing my penchant for this dish, hubby has never been tempted to try. I mistook that for disinterest so I've never attempted to cook this dish myself.

        But after buying some pork tenderloin from Ah Chun, my regular butcher, I was compelled to make this dish. First, I used the back of the cleaver to render karate chop treatment on the slices of meat. Then I dipped the meat into a marinade bath of beaten egg, baking soda, oyster sauce, light soya sauce, pepper, sugar, five spice powder, curry powder and Shaoxing wine. The pork slices were given five hours to luxuriate in the bath.

        To prepare the cooking process, I got ready the sauce mixture of chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, black vinegar, plum sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, water and cornflour. The juicy pork slices, which were glowing from their marinade spa session, were lightly coated with cornflour before being lowered into their hot oil treatment. They were then drained on paper towel while I stir-fried some minced garlic and brought the sauce to a simmer. The glistening pork slices were added into the sauce, given a good toss, plated up and garnished with toasted sesame seed. And there you have it, my alluring Peking Pork Chops, sometimes referred to as     排骨王   and at times, referred to as  京都排骨 .

 

Peking Pork Chops

      Theoretically speaking, this dish should not be called Peking Pork Chops as its origin is not from Beijing but from the eastern-central coastal province of Jiangsu. And the capital of Jiangsu is Nanjing (  南京  ).

        Regardless of the name, it's still one of my favourite dishes. And I was heartened to see hubby thoroughly enjoying it.

Tofu Prawn Soup

Onion Omelette

MCO 2.0 - Day 40

 Day 40 of Movement Control Order 2.0

18 December 2020

        The Conditional Movement Control Order, which was due to end on 20 December, has now been extended to 31 December for some parts of the country, including Ipoh. It is not the extension that irks me; it is the lackadaisical attitude adopted by many that is infuriating. Once the borders were opened, throngs went shopping and holidaying like there's no tomorrow. Even the locals went about their daily routines like exercising, without being mindful of physical distancing.

        Call me odd, but I still refrain from visiting my parents as much as possible. And even when I do, I merely pass the food or groceries to them over the gate, all the while with my mask on. Hubby is a frontliner and we do not know if and when we are infected or are healthy carriers. The least I can do is to be extra vigilant and mindful.

        With the extension of the lockdown, the blogging on my cooking continues. I thought I'd cook something fuss-free to coincide with the last day of the 2020 academic year. What could be easier to cook than fried rice?

        But I was ambitious. I decided to cook what Marion Grasby calls the "special, luxury fried rice" with the "king of condiments". The XO Sauce Fried Rice was indeed extremely tasty, but it was not fuss-free. Instead of just one wok, there were lots of washing up. I suppose if I had used store-bought char siew, it would have involved much less steps. But I pulled out all the stops and oven-baked my own char siew chicken to use in the fried rice.

XO Sauce Fried Rice (recipe adapted from Marion's Kitchen)

Prawns, char siew chicken, french beans and omelette in the XO Sauce Fried Rice

        Hubby's "mmm...nice, very tasty" made it all worthwhile though. 😀 And now, as I type this, the dear man is changing the bedsheets.

MCO 2.0 - Day 39

 Day 39 of Movement Control Order 2.0

17 December 2020

        Although I've never set foot in Vietnam, those who know me well would be aware that I have an affinity for the Vietnamese. I still have clear memories of the Sungai Besi transit camp, where the Vietnamese refugees or boat people were housed as they awaited either repatriation or resettlement in a third country. It was fairly near the college in Cheras where I was undergoing my Matriculation course, back in the early 1990s. For one of my assignments, I chose to write on the plight of the Vietnamese refugees. I tried very hard to obtain permission to enter the Sungai Besi transit camp. But I was denied permission on security grounds. Thanks to my best friend, I managed to conduct a phone interview with her uncle, who was then Malaysia's Ambassador to Vietnam. With precious information from him, I was able to complete my assignment and score an A for it. However, my empathy for the boat people never abated and I regret never having the chance to visit the camp as well as talking face-to-face with some of the refugees. And on 25 June 1996, before I left to further my studies in the United Kingdom, the Sungai Besi transit camp officially closed its doors with the repatriation of the last 22 boat people.

        Australia is one of the four countries where many of the Vietnamese refugees have been permanently resettled. Hence, it explains why there is a thriving Vietnamese community all around Australia, many of whom have set up authentic Vietnamese restaurants. And every time I visit Australia, I make it a point to try the different Vietnamese restaurants...and I have never been disappointed. There was one Vietnamese restaurant in Kiama, New South Wales, that we liked so much that we returned for another meal on a different occasion.

        Tonight, I decided to cook the Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken. Actually, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cooking share a lot of similarities as the same ingredients are featured. Besides lemongrass, a key ingredient here is the fish sauce, which is also used a lot in Thai and Chinese cooking. The combination of the lemongrass and fish sauce is incredibly aromatic! Hubby's only complaint was : let's have smaller pieces of chicken.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (from Marion's Kitchen)

Stir-fried Cabbage with Prawns

MCO 2.0 - Day 38

 Day 38 of Movement Control Order 2.0

16 December 2020

        Chicken fillet strips were signalling to me that I should turn my attention to them. Hmm...what should I do with them? Lemon Chicken? Szechuan Chilli Chicken? Then I thought of a concoction of a spicy, sweet and slightly sour sauce - 酱蒸酱 (Cheong Cheng Sauce).

              Cheong Cheng Sauce requires finely minced garlic, ginger, shallots, pickled leek, fermented soybean paste (taucu), plum sauce and cili boh. I don't have pickled leek in my kitchen. Neither do I intend to buy. In place of pickled leek, I used vinegar.

Chicken in Cheong Cheng Sauce

Stir-fried French Beans

Fried Loh Bak

MCO 2.0 - Day 37

Day 37 of Movement Control Order

15 December 2020

        Upon hubby's request, I baked chicken pies for his breakfast the next day. As I was also busy with my virtual lessons and preparation, I decided to cheat by using a frozen puff pastry that I had bought from Jaya Grocer two weeks ago. Of course it's not as nice as shortcrust pastry, but it did save me a lot of hassle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that what the pastry lacks, the filling makes up for it.

        Making the filling was easy. After dicing the chicken fillet, I marinated it with salt, sugar, black pepper, cornflour, light soya sauce and dark soya sauce. I had an hour's break between my first class and my second. That was when I cooked the filling. Pouring a little oil into my wok, I threw in garlic, thyme, fresh white button mushrooms, potatoes and green peas. Chicken stock was then added in and the mixture was left to simmer for about 20 minutes. I heaped in 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour and gave everything a good toss, before dishing out and leaving aside to cool.

        After my second class, I proceeded to roll out the puff pastry, line the aluminium pie containers, spoon in the filling, top it with pastry and brush on some egg wash. In went my 6 chicken pies into the pre-heated oven and left to bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

        Waiting for the chicken pies to be ready was an agony. The aroma wafted from the kitchen and my tummy growled furiously. And after they were done, I had to let them cool for a while before I could dig in.

Six Chicken Pies fresh from the oven

1 freshly baked Chicken Pie for the baker

My lunch : Chicken Pie and English Breakfast tea

        Although hubby had not tasted the pies (they were strictly reserved for his breakfast tomorrow), he was glad to see the effort. So he rewarded wifey by saying, "Let's go out for dinner." 😝

MCO 2.0 - Day 36

 Day 36 of Movement Control Order 2.0

14 December 2020

        The Chinese believe that  三菜一汤  equates a nutritious and well-balanced meal. When there are only two diners, having 3 dishes and 1 soup is quite a feast. But tonight, I dished up 三菜一汤 .

Our 三菜一汤 dinner

        The star of the show was the Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. The chicken pieces were marinated with soya sauce, dark soya sauce, black pepper and cornflour and put aside for 30 minutes. After soaking the black beans for 5 minutes, I mashed them a little. Pouring a little oil to the hot wok, I stir-fried chopped garlic and red chillies before adding the mashed black beans. It was so aromatic! The chicken pieces were then lowered into the wok and given a good toss. Water was then added and the chicken was allowed to simmer for about 30 minutes. I added some sugar to taste and swirled in some Shaoxing wine. After another 5 minutes, the Chicken with Black Bean Sauce was ready.

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

        Its co-stars were Steamed Brinjal with Fried Shallots, Fried Prawn Wanton and Tomato Egg Drop Soup.

Steamed Brinjal with Fried Shallots

Crispy Fried Prawn Wanton

Marion's Tomato Egg Drop Soup

Revisiting Aotearoa - Part 5

        

Cathedral Cove at sunrise

        13 December, being Derrick's birthday, was planned to coincide with Cathedral Cove or Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve in the Coromandel Peninsula. Before we started off on our 179 kilometre-journey to Hahei, we had the simple breakfast provided by Mattie, who is also a lovely lady with a charming house in the Auckland suburbs. Should we return to Auckland one day, I wouldn't hesitate to stay with her again. But perhaps the next time around, we will not be able to say no to Derrick's uncle. He was rather disappointed that we didn't stay with him this time, but as we were really pressed for time and were only flitting in and out of Auckland, we didn't want to trouble him and his wife.

 

Our Chinese lunch at Thames (NZ$11 each)

        On the way to Hahei, we passed by Thames, and thought it would be great to take a look at what the town has to offer. We found a supermarket and stocked up on some provisions. Spotting a Chinese stall at the food court, we decided to have an early lunch.

        Arriving at Hahei in the early afternoon, we checked into our Airbnb accommodation for the subsequent 2 nights, Hahei Holiday Suite. We had paid RM842.78 for 2 nights. Our hostess, Carroll and her family, were in the process of moving permanently into the adjacent house from Wellington. She and her husband had a wealth of information to share with us, especially on the tide times.

A walk through nature

This coastal trek rewarded us with views like this

        The best time to visit Cathedral Cove is at low to mid-tide. If you go at high tide, the archway floods and the level of the water can reach to your chest, making it difficult and even dangerous to walk through to the other side of the beach. Our accommodation was chosen for its proximity to the start of the 1-hour walk to the magical world of Cathedral Cove.

Awesome views here and there

Hahei Beach down there

        The cathedral-like arch is naturally formed and is truly a photographer's dream spot, especially with the right lighting at sunrise and sunset. And the beach beyond is unspoilt and awe-inspiring. It is no wonder that the New Zealand director, Andrew Adamson, thought of introducing the beauty of this spot for C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian". It is at this spot that the four Pevensie children find themselves on, upon being transported to Narnia.

Snoopy lands on Cathedral Cove, joining Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy of Narnia

        After a fairly easy walk through scenic nature, with the gradient ascending at times, we arrived and were awestruck by the incredibly picturesque Cathedral Cove. It was even better than what we had read and seen in pictures. 

Magnificent Cathedral Cove

        We stayed on till after sunset, and then slowly made our trek back to our accommodation in the gradually diminishing light. For dinner, we had a simple microwaveable dinner, and retired to bed early.

Birthday boy's simple dinner

        The next morning, 14 December, we woke up about 4 a.m. as Derrick wanted to make the trek back to Cathedral Cove to catch the sunrise. I drove him to the pick up / drop off zone at the top of Grange Road, to shorten his trek. Then I returned to our accommodation and blissfully went back to slumberland.

        Derrick returned close to 9 a.m. with some great shots. After having a simple breakfast at our accommodation, we decided to venture around Coromandel Peninsula. Our adventure took us on the famous (or should I say, notorious?) 309 Road, a 22-kilometre-unsealed road that cuts a serpentine path through the Coromandel forest, linking the east to the west. Now it wouldn't have been so treacherous a drive had it not been raining. During our drive, it started to rain fairly heavily and I had to manoeuvre our car through squidgy, sloshy mud on winding roads that were, at many instances, only wide enough for one vehicle! I only had one aim in mind...that is, to reach our destination safely...hence I was in no mood to pause and enjoy the unspoilt nature along the 309 Road. To be fair, reviews and my good friend, Angeline, testify that there are plenty of places to explore along the 309 Road like The Waterworks, an eco amusement park, and Stu's Wild Pigs.

 

Oil overdose (fried snapper, fish cake, paua fritters and oyster fritters)

Oysters, come to me!

Coromandel Oyster Company

Such delightful oysters...worth the nightmarish drive?

      I was mighty glad when the end of the road came into sight. Time to celebrate my driving expertise (ahem! ahem!) and soothe my frazzled nerves with food, also the main reason why we had travelled in this direction. We headed for the Coromandel Oyster Company for some freshly shucked oysters, battered fish as well as some paua and oyster fritters. Yummy!

Exploring Coromandel Town

        Later, we had a leisurely stroll around the historic Coromandel Town to enjoy its charming Victorian architecture. I was pleased to spot a food truck selling fresh strawberry and cranberry ice cream.

Delighting in fresh strawberry and cranberry ice cream

        After that, I had to brave myself and navigate through the 309 Road again. As it's so terribly twisty, I couldn't let Derrick take the wheel or else I would suffer a bad spell of motion sickness. The drive was better this time as the rain had stopped. But it was still nerve-racking, especially when we spotted a car dangling precariously over the side of the road as the unfortunate driver must have made an error of judgement. Fortunately, help had already arrived.

Lobsters merrily baking away on Hot Water Beach

"Get off! This pool is mine. Dig your own pool!"

        Back at Hahei, we explored the famed Hot Water Beach. It was mid-afternoon and we had no intention of joining the hordes of people (or lobsters) industriously digging small private pools and soaking in the bubbling thermal water. We were just there to marvel at the sight and to test for ourselves how hot the water is, approximately 64 degrees Celsius.

   

Glorious views of Hahei beach from the Te Pare Point lookout

      

Stunning views all around

     

Spectacular views of Cooks Beach from Shakespeare Cliff Reserve

        In the early evening, when the weather was cooler, we explored the Te Pare Point Historic Reserve, a lookout on a hill as suggested by Carroll's husband. We also drove to Shakespeare Cliff Reserve for more scenic views. For dinner, we walked to the nearby Pour House to get a Sharkbait Pizza and have it at the comfort of our accommodation.

Delicious Sharkbait Pizza

We had thought of having a meal here but it was all fully booked.

        We left Hahei on Sunday 15 December for Piha Beach. This was our final night in New Zealand before we flew back to Malaysia on the following afternoon, 16 December. We had chosen Piha Beach for its 3-tiered Kitekite Falls as well as its iconic Lion Rock, an eroded 16-million-year-old volcanic neck. On the way, we passed by a town called Maramarua and spotted a little fish & chips cafe with no curb appeal. Needless to say, it wasn't the signs that shouted "flounder", "mussels" or "paua" that appealed to us. It was the sign that began with the "O_" word!

Let's have oysters at Fish Faze, Maramarua.

         Unfortunately, luck deserted us that day at Piha as we were plagued by heavy rains on and off. Plans to take good photos were dashed and I was overwhelmed with worry as Piha Beachstay Accommodation on Glenesk Road was prone to flooding. This worrywart, therefore, could not truly enjoy her last day in New Zealand. Had the weather been favourable, Piha Beachstay Accommodation (RM496.93 for a deluxe en-suite) would have been a lovely place to stay and revel in the beautiful Kitekite Falls and spectacular Lion Rock. Oh well, I guess we will just have to return on another occasion.

Love the walk to Kitekite Falls

The 3-tiered Kitekite Falls

Lion Rock on the black sand beach of Piha, from afar