Cendol at Yan @ Md Zain Cendol in Taman Melodies in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Few things can beat the relief from the stifling heat on a typical sunny day in Johor than a good cendol.

 

Shaving ice

 

Adding gula Melaka

 

Adding the pandan jelly "worms"

And, the cendol of Yan @ Md Zain on a typical mobile cendol stall just outside the Maybank Branch along Jalan Tebrau in Taman Melody is a hot local favourite. Everyone who lives or works around here knows about Yan @ Md Zain cendol.

 

This cendol made of pandan jelly "worms", mashed boiled red beans, sweet corn, gula Melaka (palm sugar) and shaved ice in creamy coconut milk is smooth and delicious. Despite all the sweet ingredients, it was actually not overly sugary, hence its attraction.

 

Enjoying ice cold cendol, sitting on a row of plastic stools along a five foot way together with friends, taking cover from the blazing sun behind that narrow strip of shadow is a kind of blissful bonding, did you realize, my friends?

 

Restaurant name: Yan @ Md Zain Cendol
Address: Jalan Meranti Merah, off the Tebrau Highway, just outside the Maybank Branch Tebrau
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/VZMjG
GPS: 1.494003,103.766159
Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (closed on public holidays)
Halal

Date visited: 23 Oct 2012

Few things can beat the relief from the stifling heat on a typical sunny day in Johor than a good cendol.

 

Shaving ice

 

Adding gula Melaka

 

Adding the pandan jelly "worms"

And, the cendol of Yan @ Md Zain on a typical mobile cendol stall just outside the Maybank Branch along Jalan Tebrau in Taman Melody is a hot local favourite. Everyone who lives or works around here knows about Yan @ Md Zain cendol.

 

This cendol made of pandan jelly "worms", mashed boiled red beans, sweet corn, gula Melaka (palm sugar) and shaved ice in creamy coconut milk is smooth and delicious. Despite all the sweet ingredients, it was actually not overly sugary, hence its attraction.

 

Enjoying ice cold cendol, sitting on a row of plastic stools along a five foot way together with friends, taking cover from the blazing sun behind that narrow strip of shadow is a kind of blissful bonding, did you realize, my friends?

 

Restaurant name: Yan @ Md Zain Cendol
Address: Jalan Meranti Merah, off the Tebrau Highway, just outside the Maybank Branch Tebrau
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/VZMjG
GPS: 1.494003,103.766159
Hours: 10:00am to 6:00pm (closed on public holidays)
Halal

Date visited: 23 Oct 2012

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Johor Kaki Welcomes Guest Bloggers

Dear reader,

One of my greatest pleasures in developing Johor Kaki blog was the new friends whom I made while food hunting and blogging. Many of my new friends are themselves highly knowledgeable about Johor food and we sometimes mused about them contributing to Johor Kaki blog.

After much thought, I have decided to accept guest posts on Johor Kaki blog.

If you enjoy Johor food like me and would like an opportunity to post about your dining experiences on Johor Kaki, I am glad to welcome you. It is, thus, my pleasure to share with you my guest post guidelines so that it will be fruitful for you, me and most important of all, Johor Kaki readers and the Johor food scene that we so love.

If you already have your own blog, you are also welcome. Guest posting on Johor Kaki lets you reach a very specific audience of substantial size for your blog and article. Johor Kaki receives at least 8,000 page views a day. Profile of Johor Kaki readers are 40% Malaysian, 50% Singaporean and 10% other countries. As the author of the content, you will get full credit for your article and your blog site. You can also include a valuable backlink to your site.

Johor Kaki readers will benefit from fresh perspectives and different styles of writing and photography. I will personally ensure that all posts meet the high standards of accuracy, readability and usefulness on Johor Kaki blog.

 

Here are the guest post guidelinesso that you, me and Johor Kaki readers can enjoy the best of Johor food blogging.

Guest Post Guidelines: For submission to Johor Kaki, your article:

1. Must be your best original content. No duplicate content, please.
2. Must be about Johor food and offer value to Johor Kaki readers.
3. Text – At least 200 words and no more than 400 words in total, in English.
4. Multimedia - No less than 5 high resolution, well composed photographs per article. About 8 is ideal.
5. Must provide full information of Restaurant name, Address, Business Hours, Date of your visit to the restaurant.

If you are submitting a guest blog post, please follow these 2 steps.

Step 1: Submit your article to my email: johorkaki( at )gmail( dot )com. Please title your email “Guest Blog Request followed by your Blog Name”

Step 2: Your email needs to include:

Title of your article

Content (200 words minimum, 400 words maximum)

Minimum 5 high resolution, well composed pictures (more pictures better, 8 is ideal)

About you (4 sentences maximum, with 1 backlink to your own site)

Article and photographs submitted to me shall become the property of Johor Kaki. Johor Kaki reserves the right to edit the submitted article and photographs before publication on any Johor Kaki platforms. Johor Kaki also reserves the right (without providing explanation) to not publish any submitted articles or photographs.

As Johor Kaki is a non commercial, private community service project, there is no monetary or other compensation or rewards involved in guest blogging. Guest blogging is strictly on a voluntary and goodwill basis.

Wish you happy eating and blogging :)

Thank you.

Tony

Dear reader,

One of my greatest pleasures in developing Johor Kaki blog was the new friends whom I made while food hunting and blogging. Many of my new friends are themselves highly knowledgeable about Johor food and we sometimes mused about them contributing to Johor Kaki blog.

After much thought, I have decided to accept guest posts on Johor Kaki blog.

If you enjoy Johor food like me and would like an opportunity to post about your dining experiences on Johor Kaki, I am glad to welcome you. It is, thus, my pleasure to share with you my guest post guidelines so that it will be fruitful for you, me and most important of all, Johor Kaki readers and the Johor food scene that we so love.

If you already have your own blog, you are also welcome. Guest posting on Johor Kaki lets you reach a very specific audience of substantial size for your blog and article. Johor Kaki receives at least 8,000 page views a day. Profile of Johor Kaki readers are 40% Malaysian, 50% Singaporean and 10% other countries. As the author of the content, you will get full credit for your article and your blog site. You can also include a valuable backlink to your site.

Johor Kaki readers will benefit from fresh perspectives and different styles of writing and photography. I will personally ensure that all posts meet the high standards of accuracy, readability and usefulness on Johor Kaki blog.

 

Here are the guest post guidelinesso that you, me and Johor Kaki readers can enjoy the best of Johor food blogging.

Guest Post Guidelines: For submission to Johor Kaki, your article:

1. Must be your best original content. No duplicate content, please.
2. Must be about Johor food and offer value to Johor Kaki readers.
3. Text – At least 200 words and no more than 400 words in total, in English.
4. Multimedia - No less than 5 high resolution, well composed photographs per article. About 8 is ideal.
5. Must provide full information of Restaurant name, Address, Business Hours, Date of your visit to the restaurant.

If you are submitting a guest blog post, please follow these 2 steps.

Step 1: Submit your article to my email: johorkaki( at )gmail( dot )com. Please title your email “Guest Blog Request followed by your Blog Name”

Step 2: Your email needs to include:

Title of your article

Content (200 words minimum, 400 words maximum)

Minimum 5 high resolution, well composed pictures (more pictures better, 8 is ideal)

About you (4 sentences maximum, with 1 backlink to your own site)

Article and photographs submitted to me shall become the property of Johor Kaki. Johor Kaki reserves the right to edit the submitted article and photographs before publication on any Johor Kaki platforms. Johor Kaki also reserves the right (without providing explanation) to not publish any submitted articles or photographs.

As Johor Kaki is a non commercial, private community service project, there is no monetary or other compensation or rewards involved in guest blogging. Guest blogging is strictly on a voluntary and goodwill basis.

Wish you happy eating and blogging :)

Thank you.

Tony

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Herbal Salt Baked Chicken 药材盐鸡 at Q Chicken in Taman Nusa Bestari 2, Johor Bahru, Skudai, Malaysia

I still remember that heartfelt happiness when I first tasted my first piece of salt baked chicken when I was a child back in 1960s Singapore. Since then I did not have the opportunity to taste traditional salt baked chicken as it was a luxury for us back then, and as I grew up, other distractions came along like fashionable Western food. Still, salt baked chicken is something special to me.

The second time I had salt baked chicken after a decades long interval was at Tapai Tang in Taman Melodies. And, it was very good.

So, when heard about the traditional salt baked chicken in Q Chicken in Taman Nusa Bestari2, I just had to go pay them a visit.

Co-incidentally, the boss who is better known as MR Q, had the same sentimental attachment to salt baked chicken as me. MR Q had been selling salt baked chicken in 777 Food Centre in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah before opening his shop in Taman Nusa Bestari 2. MR Q actually closed his business for 4 months last year so that he could rediscover and recreate the old style taste and flavour of traditional salt baked chicken. MR Q reopened his shop in March this year after he was confident that he had found the answer.

 

Freshly baked chicken made right there at the stall

MR Q makes his salt baked chickens using this large black iron wok filled with coarse salt.

 

MR Q experimented and invested heavily in other cooking methods and devices before settling for the traditional old wok which produced the best results.

MR Q only uses fresh chicken to bake his salt baked chickens and only freshly baked chickens are sold. Any left overs are given to charities and never sold.

 

As we also had other places that we planned to eat at that morning, we ordered just a half a chicken at RM14 (whole chicken sells for RM25). The staff cut the chicken apart easily with a pair of scissors as the flesh was tender.

 

The chicken flesh was juicy, firm yet tender. There was a subtle herbal taste and flavour blended with the chicken's natural sweetness, and it was only delicately salty even though it was baked in salt.

 

The kampung chicken had very little fat and the meaty thighs were huge. MR Q said that this is the authentic taste and flavour of traditional salt baked chicken.

As for me, I could not remember the taste or flavour of my first salt baked chicken decades ago. I only remember the feeling of wide eyed delight and pleasure as a child tasting such a treat for the first time. As an adult, the same child like wonderment and joy is very hard to recreate.

 

MR Q said that actually the best way to enjoy salt baked chicken is to tear the tender chicken apart piece by piece with hands as the flesh releases aromatic puffs of steam when torn apart.

MR Q said that most of his customers including many from Singapore buy and take away his chickens to eat at home. So, Q Chicken's dine in menu is limited to just his salt baked chickens, a simple vegetable dish, cold herbal desserts and canned drinks.

 

Click on the picture to view the Fatbook video on Q Chicken's salt baked chicken.

Try Q Chicken's salt baked chicken, if you are around in Taman Nusa Bestari. You might like it.

 

Restaurant name: Q Chicken 药材盐鸡
Address: 118, Jalan Nusa Bestari 2, 1/4, Taman Nusa Bestari, Skudai
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/jVYUR
GPS: 1.500674,103.652111
Hours: 11:00am to 8:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Nov 2012

I still remember that heartfelt happiness when I first tasted my first piece of salt baked chicken when I was a child back in 1960s Singapore. Since then I did not have the opportunity to taste traditional salt baked chicken as it was a luxury for us back then, and as I grew up, other distractions came along like fashionable Western food. Still, salt baked chicken is something special to me.

The second time I had salt baked chicken after a decades long interval was at Tapai Tang in Taman Melodies. And, it was very good.

So, when heard about the traditional salt baked chicken in Q Chicken in Taman Nusa Bestari2, I just had to go pay them a visit.

Co-incidentally, the boss who is better known as MR Q, had the same sentimental attachment to salt baked chicken as me. MR Q had been selling salt baked chicken in 777 Food Centre in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah before opening his shop in Taman Nusa Bestari 2. MR Q actually closed his business for 4 months last year so that he could rediscover and recreate the old style taste and flavour of traditional salt baked chicken. MR Q reopened his shop in March this year after he was confident that he had found the answer.

 

Freshly baked chicken made right there at the stall

MR Q makes his salt baked chickens using this large black iron wok filled with coarse salt.

 

MR Q experimented and invested heavily in other cooking methods and devices before settling for the traditional old wok which produced the best results.

MR Q only uses fresh chicken to bake his salt baked chickens and only freshly baked chickens are sold. Any left overs are given to charities and never sold.

 

As we also had other places that we planned to eat at that morning, we ordered just a half a chicken at RM14 (whole chicken sells for RM25). The staff cut the chicken apart easily with a pair of scissors as the flesh was tender.

 

The chicken flesh was juicy, firm yet tender. There was a subtle herbal taste and flavour blended with the chicken's natural sweetness, and it was only delicately salty even though it was baked in salt.

 

The kampung chicken had very little fat and the meaty thighs were huge. MR Q said that this is the authentic taste and flavour of traditional salt baked chicken.

As for me, I could not remember the taste or flavour of my first salt baked chicken decades ago. I only remember the feeling of wide eyed delight and pleasure as a child tasting such a treat for the first time. As an adult, the same child like wonderment and joy is very hard to recreate.

 

MR Q said that actually the best way to enjoy salt baked chicken is to tear the tender chicken apart piece by piece with hands as the flesh releases aromatic puffs of steam when torn apart.

MR Q said that most of his customers including many from Singapore buy and take away his chickens to eat at home. So, Q Chicken's dine in menu is limited to just his salt baked chickens, a simple vegetable dish, cold herbal desserts and canned drinks.

 

Click on the picture to view the Fatbook video on Q Chicken's salt baked chicken.

Try Q Chicken's salt baked chicken, if you are around in Taman Nusa Bestari. You might like it.

 

Restaurant name: Q Chicken 药材盐鸡
Address: 118, Jalan Nusa Bestari 2, 1/4, Taman Nusa Bestari, Skudai
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/jVYUR
GPS: 1.500674,103.652111
Hours: 11:00am to 8:00pm
Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Nov 2012

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Xiang Man Ju Vegetarian Restaurant 香满居素食馆 in Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 

I have often been asked for recommendations of vegetarian restaurants in Johor. This is a hard one for me as I am not naturally inclined to vegetarian food and I don't have many friends now who know much about this either.

 

Fortunately today, I stumbled upon a good vegetable restaurant Xiang Man Ju 香满居素食馆 in Taman Gaya in Ulu Tiram that I can recommend to anyone who asks.

 

Xiang Man Ju is a large Chinese vegetarian restaurant occupying two shoplots in Taman Gaya.

 

 

 

On one side, the food is laid out in buffet style with some seats here.

 

 

On the other side is an air conditioned dining area. There is piped in Chinese Buddhist music playing in the background. 

 

We were at Xiang Man Ju at about mid morning and there was a steady stream of people coming in for their meals. Many people were taking away packets of food for their lunch. We were so excited about our find that we actually came back again at mid afternoon for another round. At mid afternoon, there too was a steady stream of customers.

 

I am not really a fan of vegetarian food but what attracted me was the huge range of dishes available at Xiang Man Ju. I estimated that they must have around 30 to 40 different dishes, so there must be something for everyone. The staff was constantly bringing out steaming trays of freshly cooked dishes from the kitchen. 

 

Here are a few photogenic dishes that caught my eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers start at one end of the line of food, pick what they liked as they move along up the line, and pay the cashier at the other end of the line. Simple and sysmattic.

 

 

And, this is the heap that I had. All these for RM6 with free flow of soup. I didn't take any pictures of the soup as it was clear and plain looking. But the soup was quite tasty and I actually had two bowls of it.

 

 

In the afternoon, we came back for this because we couldn't resist trying out Xiang Man Ju's vegetarian BBQ "stingray" at RM15. I liked the novelty :P

 

 

The large and thick slab of "stingray" made with gluten was pretty tasty as it soaked up the tangy, spicy, salty sambal blanketing it. We found the dish rather overdosed with greasy oil. If we were to order this again, we will definitely ask the kitchen to take it easy with the oil. I am quite sure the friendly kitchen will accommodate our request.

 

Next time when I am asked to suggest a vegetarian restaurant in JB, I will confidently recommend Xiang Man Ju.

 

 

Restaurant name: Xiang Man Ju Vegetarian Restaurant 香满居素食馆

Address: 27-29, Jalan Gaya 25, Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q7VhB

GPS: 1.568102,103.800909

Hours: 7:30am to 10:00pm (closed on Tuesday)

No pork, no lard

 

Date visited: 2 Nov 2012

 

I have often been asked for recommendations of vegetarian restaurants in Johor. This is a hard one for me as I am not naturally inclined to vegetarian food and I don't have many friends now who know much about this either.

 

Fortunately today, I stumbled upon a good vegetable restaurant Xiang Man Ju 香满居素食馆 in Taman Gaya in Ulu Tiram that I can recommend to anyone who asks.

 

Xiang Man Ju is a large Chinese vegetarian restaurant occupying two shoplots in Taman Gaya.

 

 

 

On one side, the food is laid out in buffet style with some seats here.

 

 

On the other side is an air conditioned dining area. There is piped in Chinese Buddhist music playing in the background. 

 

We were at Xiang Man Ju at about mid morning and there was a steady stream of people coming in for their meals. Many people were taking away packets of food for their lunch. We were so excited about our find that we actually came back again at mid afternoon for another round. At mid afternoon, there too was a steady stream of customers.

 

I am not really a fan of vegetarian food but what attracted me was the huge range of dishes available at Xiang Man Ju. I estimated that they must have around 30 to 40 different dishes, so there must be something for everyone. The staff was constantly bringing out steaming trays of freshly cooked dishes from the kitchen. 

 

Here are a few photogenic dishes that caught my eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customers start at one end of the line of food, pick what they liked as they move along up the line, and pay the cashier at the other end of the line. Simple and sysmattic.

 

 

And, this is the heap that I had. All these for RM6 with free flow of soup. I didn't take any pictures of the soup as it was clear and plain looking. But the soup was quite tasty and I actually had two bowls of it.

 

 

In the afternoon, we came back for this because we couldn't resist trying out Xiang Man Ju's vegetarian BBQ "stingray" at RM15. I liked the novelty :P

 

 

The large and thick slab of "stingray" made with gluten was pretty tasty as it soaked up the tangy, spicy, salty sambal blanketing it. We found the dish rather overdosed with greasy oil. If we were to order this again, we will definitely ask the kitchen to take it easy with the oil. I am quite sure the friendly kitchen will accommodate our request.

 

Next time when I am asked to suggest a vegetarian restaurant in JB, I will confidently recommend Xiang Man Ju.

 

 

Restaurant name: Xiang Man Ju Vegetarian Restaurant 香满居素食馆

Address: 27-29, Jalan Gaya 25, Taman Gaya, Johor Bahru

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q7VhB

GPS: 1.568102,103.800909

Hours: 7:30am to 10:00pm (closed on Tuesday)

No pork, no lard

 

Date visited: 2 Nov 2012

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Holiday Cards: Do's and Don'ts

I have something important to share.  

It's November.

While most of us are still recovering from Halloween Candy overload, and the very thought of the holidays makes us hyperventilate, they are right around the corner.  In an effort to avoid the last minute rush to pump out a holiday card before Christmas Eve, I enlisted the help of a very trusted, talented blogger friend to provide us with some holiday portrait insight.  She very graciously agreed to guest post on my blog, and I urge everyone to visit hers because she's awesome. 

Hey there, Sam here, from over at Goodnyou?. I couldn’t be more excited to be guest blogging over here in the hood of Mommy. I think we can all agree she’s pretty great, right?

When Jodie asked me to guest write I was pretty pumped, three short breaths later, the anxiety set in… My blog’s about the every days of my family… I’m a shoot from the hip writer, who has a hard time focusing on a collected focused post.  But, with the festive season fast approaching, what better time to prepare your mindset for the yearly dreaded task of Holiday card pictures…. so here is where I’ll settle…

According to the experiences I have had in this arena, allow me to pass long, my top 4 Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas portraits.  

DON’T Holiday theme.

I know a lot of people do and I’m not saying I never have, but always AFTER I’ve already gotten one I feel could easily be used to be sent to the masses… then anything else, is just bonus. I’m a big believer in killing as many birds in a folk, with a single stone shot…

Holiday themed pictures have a short shelf life… Especially when you have little ones. If you’re putting the efforts into getting the shot, make it one that can be hung on the wall year round, be given as a gift for Meme’s mantle, handed out in wallet sizes for Uncle Bub to show off, while bragging about your angles, to his bowling team.

If you’re putting in the effort of getting a good picture, milk it for all it’s worth.  
DO use bribes Bribes get results. Results are what we’re looking for. M&M’s work nicely.
 

 

DON'T say ‘Cheese’

Saying ‘cheese’ pulls the corners of your mouth back, creating what I call a ‘gritting your teeth’ look…. If you happen to fancy the look of someone gritting his or her teeth, then by all means ignore this tip…

However, if you want a more ‘natural’ looking smile, suggest a word like “Bunny”… the natural way to enunciate the “y” sound draws your mouth upward, not back. If you want an actual natural smile… throw in a foolish word like pollywog, scallywag, or rumbleduflingplatapus… kids love silly… silly creates smiles… smiles are good… especially the real ones.  

DON’T have any expectations.

You know that image you have in your head about all the children, blissfully displaying a genuine smile that radiated their reflection of all that is glorious as a child this time of year?  Well rip that little idea from its cloud, aggressively crumble it up, dramatically throw it in the trashcan, and set fire to it.  If you go into it with the purpose of ideal you’ll come out with the ladder. Set your sights on getting everyone looking at the camera at once and no fingers up noses. This leaves plenty of room to be pleasantly surprised. And if all else fails, take a picture of your kids while sleeping, play up the whole Silent Night theme, they’ll love it!

Happy Snapping!

Visit Sam over at Goodnyou? and read more about her fabulous family, the ins and outs of mommy-ing in Maine, and don't miss her etsy shop! 

I have something important to share.  

It's November.

While most of us are still recovering from Halloween Candy overload, and the very thought of the holidays makes us hyperventilate, they are right around the corner.  In an effort to avoid the last minute rush to pump out a holiday card before Christmas Eve, I enlisted the help of a very trusted, talented blogger friend to provide us with some holiday portrait insight.  She very graciously agreed to guest post on my blog, and I urge everyone to visit hers because she's awesome. 

Hey there, Sam here, from over at Goodnyou?. I couldn’t be more excited to be guest blogging over here in the hood of Mommy. I think we can all agree she’s pretty great, right?

When Jodie asked me to guest write I was pretty pumped, three short breaths later, the anxiety set in… My blog’s about the every days of my family… I’m a shoot from the hip writer, who has a hard time focusing on a collected focused post.  But, with the festive season fast approaching, what better time to prepare your mindset for the yearly dreaded task of Holiday card pictures…. so here is where I’ll settle…

According to the experiences I have had in this arena, allow me to pass long, my top 4 Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas portraits.  

DON’T Holiday theme.

I know a lot of people do and I’m not saying I never have, but always AFTER I’ve already gotten one I feel could easily be used to be sent to the masses… then anything else, is just bonus. I’m a big believer in killing as many birds in a folk, with a single stone shot…

Holiday themed pictures have a short shelf life… Especially when you have little ones. If you’re putting the efforts into getting the shot, make it one that can be hung on the wall year round, be given as a gift for Meme’s mantle, handed out in wallet sizes for Uncle Bub to show off, while bragging about your angles, to his bowling team.

If you’re putting in the effort of getting a good picture, milk it for all it’s worth.  
DO use bribes Bribes get results. Results are what we’re looking for. M&M’s work nicely.
 

 

DON'T say ‘Cheese’

Saying ‘cheese’ pulls the corners of your mouth back, creating what I call a ‘gritting your teeth’ look…. If you happen to fancy the look of someone gritting his or her teeth, then by all means ignore this tip…

However, if you want a more ‘natural’ looking smile, suggest a word like “Bunny”… the natural way to enunciate the “y” sound draws your mouth upward, not back. If you want an actual natural smile… throw in a foolish word like pollywog, scallywag, or rumbleduflingplatapus… kids love silly… silly creates smiles… smiles are good… especially the real ones.  

DON’T have any expectations.

You know that image you have in your head about all the children, blissfully displaying a genuine smile that radiated their reflection of all that is glorious as a child this time of year?  Well rip that little idea from its cloud, aggressively crumble it up, dramatically throw it in the trashcan, and set fire to it.  If you go into it with the purpose of ideal you’ll come out with the ladder. Set your sights on getting everyone looking at the camera at once and no fingers up noses. This leaves plenty of room to be pleasantly surprised. And if all else fails, take a picture of your kids while sleeping, play up the whole Silent Night theme, they’ll love it!

Happy Snapping!

Visit Sam over at Goodnyou? and read more about her fabulous family, the ins and outs of mommy-ing in Maine, and don't miss her etsy shop! 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Beef Enchilada Soup

I wanted to add a new addition to this year's Halloween Soup Supper.

My kids always request Homemade Chicken Noodle and Broccoli Cheese, 

but I wanted something new....

So this year, it's Beef Enchilada Soup!

Everyone LOVED it!!  

Beef Enchilada Soup

2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained

1 onion, chopped

1 - 15oz can of Mexican stewed tomatoes

1 - 15oz can pinto beans, liquid an all

2 - 11oz cans of Mexi-Corn

2 - 10oz cans enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese

extra cheese for topping

6 corn tortillas, cut into strips

Spray crock pot with Pam. Brown ground beef with chopped onion, drain and put into your crock pot.

Dump the rest of the ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) into your crock pot.  

Add two cans of water, using the enchilada sauce cans.

Give it a stir.

Cook on low all day.

About an hour before eating add your 2 cups of cheese and tortillas.

Top with extra cheese if desired!

I wanted to add a new addition to this year's Halloween Soup Supper.

My kids always request Homemade Chicken Noodle and Broccoli Cheese, 

but I wanted something new....

So this year, it's Beef Enchilada Soup!

Everyone LOVED it!!  

Beef Enchilada Soup

2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained

1 onion, chopped

1 - 15oz can of Mexican stewed tomatoes

1 - 15oz can pinto beans, liquid an all

2 - 11oz cans of Mexi-Corn

2 - 10oz cans enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese

extra cheese for topping

6 corn tortillas, cut into strips

Spray crock pot with Pam. Brown ground beef with chopped onion, drain and put into your crock pot.

Dump the rest of the ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) into your crock pot.  

Add two cans of water, using the enchilada sauce cans.

Give it a stir.

Cook on low all day.

About an hour before eating add your 2 cups of cheese and tortillas.

Top with extra cheese if desired!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Kampung Chicken at Restoran Tong 东肉骨茶馆 in Taman Skudai Baru in Johor, Malaysia

I often ask restaurant owners about what is their favourite eating places (other than their own :P ). So, when I asked a salt baked chicken restaurant owner this question, the first name he mentioned was 东肉骨茶馆 Restoran Tong Bak Kut Teh. And, the dishes to go for were chicken, steamed fish and bak kut teh, in that order.

The restaurant owner gave me detailed instructions on how to find Restoran Tong. You see, Restoran Tong is located in the deep corner of a sleepy industrial area in Skudai that is pretty out of the way. So, it is best to take a good look at the Google map before you proceed, or better still, lock on to your GPS.

We arrived at 12:30pm and the bak kut teh was already sold out. The waitress suggested that we try their chicken instead. I took a double quick scan at the tables around and saw that almost all had that large shiny steel dish with chopped chicken inside. Even from a distance, the yellowish hue of the chicken looked enticingly delicious. So, we ordered half a chicken (at RM22). As we were still full from brunch, we decided to save the steamed fish for another visit.

 

When the signature steel dish arrived at our table, we were greeted by the lovely aroma of the old style sauce and chicken. I unconsciously hurry as I took these photos, as the aroma made my mouth water and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the tender looking chicken.

Even the breast meat which is the healthier but least flavoured choice was juicy, tender and sweet.

When we finally got to taste the chicken, it was just marvellous. This chicken dish at Restoran Tong was made with free range kampung chicken. The tender chicken's natural sweetness was brought out by the sauce. Indeed, the savoury delicate sauce enhanced the tender chicken's natural flavours and juicy texture.

 

We tipped the steel dish and dipped every piece of chicken in this special sauce. Before we finished, I poured the remaining sauce onto my rice and ate up the deliciously wet grains :P

The boss MR Poh who had been running Restoran Tong for over twenty years, graciously let me photograph him at work. He was extremely busy yet cheerful.

 

 

The boiled chicken was chopped into bite size pieces and then blanched and drenched in Restoran Tong's special hot broth.

 

MR Poh then threw in a scoop of their special sauce before serving the chicken to eagerly waiting customers. So, in that quaint steel dish was a magical blend of the chicken's natural juices, the blanching broth, and the special sauce.

 

 

Take a look at the crowd in the background.

 

MR Poh was also steaming fish non stop. I was amazed at the frenzied pace and super efficiency at which MR Poh managed the kitchen.

I am definitely coming back to Restoran Tong for their famous steamed fish.

I have not used this oft abused cliché in my blog so far, but I can't resist saying that Restoran Tong's chicken is a DDMT or Die Die Must Try.

In that corner restaurant with that faded signboard was a full house!

Restaurant name: Restoran Tong 东肉骨茶馆
Address: 41, Jalan Hang Lekir 10, Taman Skudai Baru, Skudai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/U54dr
GPS: 1.502524,103.638818
Hours: 9:00am to sold out (usually about 2:30pm). Opens at 08:00am on weekends. (Rest days are not fixed. Rest for a week every two months.) Call 07-558-5367 to check.
Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Nov 2012

I often ask restaurant owners about what is their favourite eating places (other than their own :P ). So, when I asked a salt baked chicken restaurant owner this question, the first name he mentioned was 东肉骨茶馆 Restoran Tong Bak Kut Teh. And, the dishes to go for were chicken, steamed fish and bak kut teh, in that order.

The restaurant owner gave me detailed instructions on how to find Restoran Tong. You see, Restoran Tong is located in the deep corner of a sleepy industrial area in Skudai that is pretty out of the way. So, it is best to take a good look at the Google map before you proceed, or better still, lock on to your GPS.

We arrived at 12:30pm and the bak kut teh was already sold out. The waitress suggested that we try their chicken instead. I took a double quick scan at the tables around and saw that almost all had that large shiny steel dish with chopped chicken inside. Even from a distance, the yellowish hue of the chicken looked enticingly delicious. So, we ordered half a chicken (at RM22). As we were still full from brunch, we decided to save the steamed fish for another visit.

 

When the signature steel dish arrived at our table, we were greeted by the lovely aroma of the old style sauce and chicken. I unconsciously hurry as I took these photos, as the aroma made my mouth water and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the tender looking chicken.

Even the breast meat which is the healthier but least flavoured choice was juicy, tender and sweet.

When we finally got to taste the chicken, it was just marvellous. This chicken dish at Restoran Tong was made with free range kampung chicken. The tender chicken's natural sweetness was brought out by the sauce. Indeed, the savoury delicate sauce enhanced the tender chicken's natural flavours and juicy texture.

 

We tipped the steel dish and dipped every piece of chicken in this special sauce. Before we finished, I poured the remaining sauce onto my rice and ate up the deliciously wet grains :P

The boss MR Poh who had been running Restoran Tong for over twenty years, graciously let me photograph him at work. He was extremely busy yet cheerful.

 

 

The boiled chicken was chopped into bite size pieces and then blanched and drenched in Restoran Tong's special hot broth.

 

MR Poh then threw in a scoop of their special sauce before serving the chicken to eagerly waiting customers. So, in that quaint steel dish was a magical blend of the chicken's natural juices, the blanching broth, and the special sauce.

 

 

Take a look at the crowd in the background.

 

MR Poh was also steaming fish non stop. I was amazed at the frenzied pace and super efficiency at which MR Poh managed the kitchen.

I am definitely coming back to Restoran Tong for their famous steamed fish.

I have not used this oft abused cliché in my blog so far, but I can't resist saying that Restoran Tong's chicken is a DDMT or Die Die Must Try.

In that corner restaurant with that faded signboard was a full house!

Restaurant name: Restoran Tong 东肉骨茶馆
Address: 41, Jalan Hang Lekir 10, Taman Skudai Baru, Skudai, Johor
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/U54dr
GPS: 1.502524,103.638818
Hours: 9:00am to sold out (usually about 2:30pm). Opens at 08:00am on weekends. (Rest days are not fixed. Rest for a week every two months.) Call 07-558-5367 to check.
Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Nov 2012

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