Bak Kut Teh Night!

It's been a while since we had Bak Kut Teh ( it's too unhealthy to eat too often!), so I decided to make some for dinner last night. I used the herbs that my mom bought from Lim Wah Thai the last time we were in Penang. It's really good and easy to make.

It comes in a box of 6 individual packets and cost RM48 (approx US$13). They had some kind of promotion going on when we there and we got 9 packets for RM48! Pretty decent price for something so good :D You can see from the photo all the different kinds of herbs that can be found inside the packet. There are some Tong Kooi, Tong Som, Gaik Teik, Sok Teh and some other secret chinese herbs and spices in a small pouch. The lady at the sales counter said that this herbs will help improve blood circulation, revitalize the body and helps nourish the skin. Woohoo! Another reason to eat Bak Kut Teh often!! ;P

Like I said earlier, it's really easy to make. First, you need to boil approximately 2.5 liters of water.

Once it comes to a rapid boil, add in all the herbs and pouch from the packet. Put in some salt and sugar to taste. Let it continue to boil on high for at least 45 minutes. I would usually let it boil for an hour.

I bought a little over 1 lbs of short ribs and another 1.5 lbs of fatty pork shoulder to add into the soup later on. I also bought a can of oyster mushrooms and pre soaked some dried chinese shitake mushrooms in water. I usually would add golden straw mushrooms too but I forgot to buy some for yesterday. You can pretty much use any type of pork that you like. I sometimes would use pork belly or pork knuckles instead of pork shoulder, depending on what's available in the grocery store. If you do not like pork, you can also use 1 whole skinless chicken too.

After letting the herbs boil for an hour, transfer the stock to the slow cooker. I like to use the slow cooker to make Bak Kut Teh because I can just leave it on the whole day and the meat becomes really tender and nice. Add in 3 whole cloves of garlic (do not peel off the skin or smash the garlic) and the pork. Turn on the slow cooker and put it on 'low'. Let it cook slowly for about 6 hours then add in the mushrooms. Turn the setting on to 'high' for about an hour and the Bak Kut Teh is done!

We had the Bak Kut Teh with steamed white rice and yau char kwai that we bought from the Asian grocery shop. Mmm mmm mmm...nothing beats a pot of steaming hot Bak Kut Teh on a cold winters night :D

Medieval Times - Dinner & Tournament

We have heard a lot about the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament and have always wanted to go experience being whisked off to 11th century Spain, being addressed as Mi Lord and Lady and join King Philippe for a feast in his castle. I found a coupon online that gave 50% off all admission tickets. With a price of $56.95 (excluding tax) per person, we certainly welcomed the 50% off coupon :P So, we bought the tickets, got on our chariot (also known as our trusty old Chevy Lumina) and headed towards Lyndhurst Castle.

Medieval Times is a four course dinner and show, having locations in nine different venues all over America. The royal guests (that's us!) gets to join King Philippe and Princess Leonore for a feast as well as enjoy watching knights compete on horseback in various tournaments, displaying authentic classic equestrian skills and medieval pageantry. This is inspired by true medieval traditions of royal families inviting guest to their castle for festivals and feast.

Upon arrival, the royal guest will be given their table number as well as a crown in their respective section colors. Guest will be seated in sections named after different regions of Medieval Spain and they are encouraged to cheer for the Knight representing their respective regions.
After receiving our crowns, we were ushered into the Hall of Arms. This where we will have to wait until they are ready to seat us. The doors to the castle open 90 mins prior to the show, so we are encouraged to come early because sitting is on a first come first serve basis. After getting your table number, you can walk around the Hall of Arms. There are many medieval weaponry and armours on display.

You can also look for souvenirs in the many souvenir counters located all around the Hall of Arms.

There are also two full cash bars open in the Hall. You can get alcoholic and non alcoholic frozen drinks in souvenir glasses there.

The Knighting Ceremony also happens there. You can join in the ceremony and be knighted by the King for a small fee. You will also get a souvenir photograph. If being a knight is not your cup of tea, you can dress up in Medieval clothes and get your souvenir taken. Of course everything comes with a fee.

For $2, you can explore a tiny dungeon where a showcase of medieval torture devices is displayed.

Once they are ready to seat you, they start calling out the colors. You will be seated according to your colors. The arena sits a little more than 1,000 people...so it's not a small feat to get everybody seated. I managed to take a photo at the entrance on the arena before the crowds came in!

Once everybody is seated, the show begins. The King makes a grand entry with all the knights, squires and colorful banners. This marks the beginning of the feast.

Wenches and Pages would go around serving food. The first course was Tomato Bisque with garlic bread. It's pretty interesting to see them carry a large pail of soup, going around serving the guest. There are no utensils whatsoever, so we all have to eat with our hands.

The main course was half a Roast Chicken, Ribs and half a Roasted Potato. Again, in line with how people eat back then, there were no utensils :D While we were eating, we were kept entertained by the Master of Horse showing us his wonderful displays of horsemanship. The Royal Falconer also brought out his collection of birds of prey.

For dessert, we were served an Apple danish and a big mug of coffee to end the meal. We also had steins of Pepsi that came along with the meal.

Now, the real show is about to begin. The crowd really got into the mood and was cheering for their knights. The tournament was starting! There were jousting on horseback, all kinds of sword fights and a host of other things. It was really exciting and entertaining. The lighting was very dark, so I didn't take many photos. Here are some of the photos and videos I managed to take.

All in all, it was a good experience. I would definitely recommend to it anybody who is looking for a fun night out. However, be careful not to get sucked into buying all the souvenirs and drinks from the bar. They are way overpriced and I feel that it's not really worth it.

Note: The coupon code that I used when I bought the tickets online was AKFEB109. It's valid until the end of February. Also, you can view more photos of Medieval Times in my Facebook photo album. Just click here!

Medieval Times - Lyndhurst Castle
149 Polito Avenue,
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
Tel: 1-866-543-9637
Web: Medieval Times Website

Hooked on Frogger...again

I was surfing the net yesterday, searching for nothing in particular, when I stumbled upon a somewhat nostalgic website. It's called Classic Arcade Games. Suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood. I felt like it was only yesterday when this was THE game to have.

Yup, the ever popular Western Bar! Every kid wanted one! I pretty much lucked out cos my aunt was working at a watch shop in Singapore back then and I would get a new game every time she visited us. She is just the greatest! She would also buy me those Nintendo Game & Watch games. My all time favorite was the Snoopy Tennis :D I bet this brings back lots of memories for many of you too.

Browsing around the Classic Arcade Games website, it brings me even further back. Back when computer games came in floppy disk. Yeah, those 5 1/4" disk!

Remember those? Well, I used to loveeeeeeeeeeeeee Frogger. I could spend hours playing Frogger on the computer. It's actually a pretty basic game. The frog jumps from one side to the other, to seemingly greener pastures. The frog better be careful though, cos there is a high chance that it will be knocked down. If I were the frog, I would really think twice before jumping to the other side. Is it really worth it to risk being knocked down just because it seems that there are better things on the other side?

Ok, please excuse me. I need to go and continue playing my computer game. It's really fun sometimes to see the frogs get squashed by the passing cars. For those of you who grew up playing Frogger just like me, check it out here. It sure brings back memories.

DISCLAIMER: This post is purely about a classic video game and has nothing to do with the current political situation in Perak, Malaysia. :P

Pineapple Rojak!

Fresh pineapples were on sale at our local grocery store last weekend, so we bought one. I believe it was going for only $2.50 each. Pretty good deal for such a big pineapple.

It looked pretty ripe (maybe a tad bit over ripe), so Kevin decided to cut it up after dinner for dessert. It looked really juicy and after taking a piece to try, boy was it sweeeeeet!

We would usually just eat it with salt or by itself, but today I decided to eat it with rojak sauce! I do not have the other ingredients on hand to make a full blown rojak, so it was just pineapple cut into cubes mixed with the rojak sauce. I got this sauce from the Malaysian/Singaporean grocery store down in Chinatown for only $1.75 per bottle. It's the famous Cheong Kim Chuan rojak sauce from Penang. The taste is pretty authentic but I found it to be a tad bit spicy. I have a very low tolerance for spiciness, so maybe it's just me :P Kevin doesn't really like the smell of rojak, I think it's the heh koh (shrimp paste) smell that throws him off...so I cannot get his opinion if the sauce is too spicy or not.

After mixing the pineapple with rojak sauce, I sprinkled some peanuts on the top. Yummy yummy yummy! I have the whole bowl of pineapple rojak to myself!! Of course I didn't eat up the whole pineapple! It was only a quarter :P I would sometimes eat fuji apples with the rojak sauce too. Fuji apples cubes, yau char kuai and rojak sauce, topped with peanuts. Thats really good too!!

Egg Custard King Cafe

While roaming the streets of Chinatown during the Chinese New Year celebrations, Kevin and I stumbled upon this little gem on Mott Street. Egg Custard King Cafe is a bakery/cafe that specializes in Egg Tarts. Being an egg tart lover, I just had to go in and try some.

It's a small cosy cafe, located in the basement level of Mott Street. There are a few tables and chairs, but they are reserved for people who are eating meals and not just desserts. I later found out that the egg tarts here are really popular, hence the long lines.

We lucked out that day because there were not that many people. I guess everybody was outside enjoying the CNY celebrations. They serve many varieties of egg tarts, from the regular egg tarts to just egg whites tarts. They also have the ever popular Portuguese egg tarts as well as Strawberry, Almond and Banana( just to name a few) flavored egg tarts.

Apart from egg tarts, they also have many different kinds of yummy desserts and cakes. I was told later on that their swiss rolls, mango cakes and cream puffs are really good too. They also have all kinds of Bubble Teas as well as hot drinks like Milo, Ovaltine and Horlicks.

Two big trays of egg tarts just came out from the kitchen when we were there. I guess we really lucked out that day! We ordered two regular egg yolk tarts as well as the Portuguese egg tart. We packed it to go, so that we can eat and walk around Chinatown. So, what did it taste like? Did the egg tarts live up to it's name? YOU BET IT DID! It tasted heavenly...sooo yummmmmy! The crust was nice and flaky and the custard was smooth and not really super sweet, just perfect. No wonder the shop is called Egg Custard King! They really make really good egg tarts!

The next time you are in Chinatown, you should pop in to check it out. Oh, one word of caution though, the staff working there don't really speak English and I read in other reviews that they can be rude to customers sometimes. They are sometimes known as the Egg Tart Nazi, yup, just like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. We didn't have any problems when we were there, maybe they were just in a good mood cos its CNY. I'll be returning the next time I go to Chinatown, so I'll let you know if they are really the Egg Tart Nazis. I sure hope not, I do not want them to say " NO EGG TART FOR YOU TODAY!!"

Egg Custard King Cafe
76 Mott Street
(between Canal & Bayard St)
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 226-8208

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We were in the mood for some cookies today, so I went through all the cookie recipes that I have and decided to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. It's really fast and easy to make. Check it out :D

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups Quaker oats
• 1/2 cup raisins

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350F


2. Mix soften butter with brown and granulated sugar


3. In a different bowl, beat egg and add in vanilla essence


4. Pour egg mixture into butter and sugar mixture. Mix it well.


5. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl.


6. Mix that with the egg and butter mixture.


7. Stir in oats and raisins.


8. Drop mixture onto a greased baking sheet.


9. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

* This recipe should make about 4 dozen cookies.

The cookies turned out pretty well and I think Kevin has already eaten about 2 dozens! I should double the recipe the next time I make this :P

Happy Groundhog Day!!

Second of February is not just our wedding anniversary but it's also Groundhog Day! Well, our anniversary, Groundhog Day and Ron's (our brother in law) birthday :P So, what's Groundhog Day actually?

Every year, revelers would make their way to Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to wait for the world famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil's forecast. Punxsutawney is a small town about 65 miles northeast from Pittsburgh. I still remember back when we were studying in Indiana University of PA, kids party all night and jump on the party bus to head to Punxy at 4am morning to celebrate Groundhog Day! We never made it, you must either be a die hard party animal or just plain mad to stand in the freezing cold, in the middle of the night, just waiting for Phil to make an appearance :P

This year is the 123rd annual Groundhog Day. So, what's the forecast? As a member of the Inner Circle took Phil from his tree stump home, an announcer said " As I look around me, a bright sky I see and a shadow beside me, six more weeks of winter it will be". There you go! As usual, Phil sees a shadow and another 6 more weeks of winter to go!! This is a German tradition during the Candlemas holiday, that if a hibernating animal sees a shadow on Feb 2nd, winter would last another six weeks. Out of the 123 years, the groundhog has seen a shadow 97 times. Only 15 out of the 123 times has Phil not seen a shadow and the remaining 9 years were unaccounted for. So this years forecast doesn't come as a surprise :P Come to think of it, with all the bright spotlights around, of course Phil would cast and see a shadow! Hahaha.

Anywaysss, another 6 more weeks of winter to go. Enjoy to freezing cold and snow :D Oh, and Happy Groundhog Day!!!

Our 1st Anniversary!!

Wow! It's been a year already since we got married and what a great year it has been. It felt it was only yesterday when we were so busy preparing for the wedding...

...when my dad walked me down the aisle....

...when I held Kevin's hand and promised to love and cherish him through good times and bad...

...and goofing off with the bridal party during the photo sessions :D

This one year together as man and wife has been a journey, a journey of growing together. It's been a year of ups and downs, mostly ups...but some occasional downs too. We learnt that life is not a bed of roses but as we grow closer in love with each other and also God, everything will turn out right :) I'm forever grateful that God has brought such a wonderful man into my life and I'll love and cherish him for the rest of my days...

Here's to us..may there be many more anniversaries fill with joy, love and laughter to come!! For our readers who might have missed out on our wedding day, here is a 10 min video montage of the highlights of day. Remember to turn off the blog background music before you watch the video. Enjoy!

Super Steelers, Superbowl Champions!!

A whole season of rough and tough football...it all boils down to this. After having one of the most difficult season match ups this year, the Steelers still managed to make it to the Superbowl! They face the Arizona Cardinals, a franchise that has never been to the Superbowl before. A true fairytale story...too bad the Steelers will have to squash that little dream :P

I was feeling a little sick today (sore throat and I think I am coming down with a cold) so Kevin was the one who made our Superbowl dinner. We had earlier planned to go out to the city but I really didn't feel well, so we stayed in. Kevin made a tray of nachos with four kinds of cheese and salsa! Doesn't it look yummy!?

He also made some buffalo wings.

Look! We even had a Steelers cake! Hahahaha.

At last the moment of truth arrived, kick off was at 6:30pm. We were really excited and couldn't wait to see the Steelers win! It was a real nerve wrecking match, I couldn't ask for a more exciting game. I have to say that the Cardinals played really well and they deserved to win if they were playing any other team in NFL. After about 4 hours of football (including a super cool half time Bruce Springsteen performance), the Steelers did it again! They beat the Cardinals 27-24!! The Super Steelers were crown the Superbowl XLIII champions! They became the only franchise in NFL history to ever win the Superbowl SIX times! It's a glorious day for all of us Pittsburgh Steelers fans...a glorious day indeed :D