Sanuki Udon Hoo Chiak !

I was very bored with the usual japanese restaurant or some semi fast jap food chain like Sushi King which is located mostly in shopping malls. The price sometimes doesn't really reflect the quality of the food served . I was headache when i am going to decide which japanese restaurant to eat . I recently found a quality = price restaurant which is Sushi Zanmai . The don which is served with some toppings just cost around RM 10 to 15 depending on what is the toppings. But soon i was bored with the variety don served there .

Plain Udon

Fried Kakiage and Ebi tenpura


I stumbled upon some blogs recommended a place called Sanuki Udon restaurant which is located off Old Klang Road . So I went there , the place is rather small as the name suggested, it served mainly on UDON .

I tried a few bowl of udons and the taste of the soup and udon is just perfect . The texture of the noodles with a steaming hot soup makes me crave for more. I would say udon which is served in renowned jap restaurant has the same quality as this restaurant or better.

It has 2 choices for each type of udons which is Hot/Cold . I have never tried the Cold Udon with soup before in this restaurant . But I guess it is as good as the Hot Udon.

The udon served with kakiage (a kind of tempura which different ingredients are mixed together in tempura batter before deep-frying) cost only RM7 . There is no way that you can find it else where . The serving portion is enough to fill a hungry stomach .

Kakiage Udon


Dry style Udon


Address:
Restaurant Sanuki Udon
9, Jalan Bukit Desa 5,
Taman Bukit Desa, Jalan Klang Lama 58100 Kuala Lumpur
( Closed on Mondays )

Hopped on to a new lifestyle

Breakfast- Grilled chicken garden salad


Lunch- Stir fried vegetable


Lunch- Fried noodles


Lunch- Fried chicken with lemon juice


I used to cook for my dinner after coming back from school , now i started cooking for my lunch and breakfast . I don't really enjoy cooking for 3 meals at once but due to the insufficient of food choices in vicinity of my work place .
Sometimes i would think that there is a chinese restaurant or chinese stall which is within walking distance that would be nice .I am in a company where non muslims constitute a small fraction in the total workforce, therefore the idea can't be fulfilled.

Not only that , here comes my complains ....During lunchtime I used to walk to MHub . Mhub which a small restaurant dedicated to the staffs working in MAS Subang. There are lots of choices for us to choose (Malay ,Chinese, Indian cuisine)from but the chinese food served is of course Halal which is Kosher in English . One thing which need to be highlighted is the MSG content in food is terribly high , until i drink almost 1 bottle of my 1 L of water with an hour after eating because of thirst .

I think back the recent uproar of the increase in sugar price , I recommend the government to include the MSG into the list of price increase since the government would think that increase the price of sugar will make the rakyat(people) consume less. This would apply to MSG as well. Moreover , consume lots of MSG will detrimental our health such as obesity .

There are other food stalls within walking distance , but mostly need to walk for a further distance to get there , So , I still prefer to go to the nearest with my home cook food.

I am left with little or no choice but to bring my home cooked food to school for my breakfast and lunch .

After so many years....

Clockwise from 12 ;Chuan Wei, Shao Thing,Me,Victor Geh, Swee En.

Chuan Wei
Shao Thing
I,Wei Liang
Swee En

Yesterday was kind of surprise for me as I was about to leave my school for the day , I received a message from my secondary school friend + prefect mate + ex-classmate ,Swee En.He came all the way from Malacca to spend his weekend here with me . He is now busy with his clinical after few years of studying in Malacca Manipal, India.

I was in a tight schedule when he messaged me a text but somehow I was manage to spend sometime with him . Yesterday was a tiring day for me , as I have committed myself in Yoga class so I need to practice it but at the same time I will miss my gym routine . After a relaxing and stretchous session of yoga , I began my gym routine . That's a tiring but satisfied day I had.

After we met,we went to the famous Kei Tuck Sek shop in SS2 for our late night craving . But not quite actually , it was my supper but his dinner .
We talked almost about everything , and I notice that he is still a same person whom i met since secondary school.

I still remember when I was in my university year , he called me once and that was the second last time we talked .Until recently , I was surprised to heard that he came back Malaysia for his final few year to complete the whole course . Then I managed to talk to him through phone but not face to face .

Until yesterday , after so many many years .....
Welcome back , friend!

!My 2010 Birthday!

This year ,my birthday was celebrated the way i wanted, the reason simply is because I really love to have a cake on my birthday. Sounds easy. But not every year I can celebrate with a cake in front of me.

I don't quite remember when is the last time I have a perfect round cake on my birthday .But I still remember my friends when I was in Sabah , they gave me a slice of cake on my birthday and the cake was hardly can put candles on it. > <

Since then I don't have a cake on my birthday anymore,but I finally got one . About the celebration , I still remember the time when my best friend from UK visited me in KL , we headed to Baskin Robbins in Pavillion KL , I had a nice ice cream fondue with my name on it .Hahaha…That year was in 2008.

This year on my birthday I woke up early in the morning then drove to McD in Damansara for my free breakfast . My classmate gave me the voucher on free Sausage Egg muffin then I redeemed it . Soon after I ate my filling breakfast , there goes my day in my training school.


During breakfast break, I was given a surprised birthday fruits cake from my best friend ,Baskaran . He prepared all the surprises with my classmates . I was so touched when I realized that there is a cake for me on my birthday !
Thank you , Baskaran! ;)

My Birthday Cake


Mimi with my Birthday Cake, Thanks!


Surprise's lOOk


After blowing candles,


Baskaran,Hafiz and I.


Icing on my face , so ugly .....

No matter what in this world , good friends are there for you ready to go through your ups and down. My 2010 birthday was a good and memorable one .


This photo was sent to me by an ex-room mate when i was in Sabah !
Thanks ,JM.Hope u can win in the FB voting event!
The photo is full of unforgettable memories...

Thanks everyone who contributed his/her effort !

Osaka の Okonomiyaki 大阪のお好み焼き

Last week , I was arranging my stuffs in a box and stumbled upon 2 items which I bought from Japan which are Okonomiyaki Sauce　お好み焼きソース and also Katsuobushi 鰹節.
I nearly forgotten about the stuffs, the reason I bought is because I wanted to try making my own Okonomiyaki after tasting an Okonomiyaki in Osaka, Japan. The taste was just fabulous and the fragrance of the Katsuobushi makes me think of takoyaki たこ焼き.
The inside of the Okonomiyaki is soft and fluffy and the top part of it is covered with sauces and Katsuobushi.

YUM YUM!!


Here are the recipe :
Ingredient:
1 teaspoon of chicken stock
100g flour
3 large eggs
300 g of thinly chopped cabbage
3 teaspoon of diced onion
1 stack of diced celery
4 tablespoon of oil
1 instant noodles

Mixed Meat:
2 stick of chopped crab stick
4 cm chopped Chinese sausage
70g of soya sauce marinated chicken cubes



Topping:
Aonori　青のり
Katsubusi鰹節
Okonomiyaki sause お好み焼きソース
Mayonaise

PLS REFER TO THE JAPANESE TERMS EXPLANATION BELOW

Instruction:
1. Mix well the chicken stock,flour,eggs until becoming like a paste with some bubbles
2. Dribble batter into oil.
3. Cook until golden brown and drain of the oil,allow the Tenkatsu to cool.
4. Cook the instant noodles and set aside.
5. Add cabbage , celery,instant noodle and mixed meat into the batter.
6. Heat up the pan with a thin layer of oil.
7. Set it to medium high level.
8. Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
9. Close the lid and cook for 5-6 mins.
10.Flip it over.
11.Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
12.Top with the Tenkasu ,mayonaise,okonomiyaki sauce .
13.Sprinkle with Katsuobushi and aonori
14. And serve.

Batter.

Fried batter=Tenkasu.

Let Tenkasu cool down in a bowl.

Mixed meat.

Chopped cabbage.

Mixed cabbage , celery,instant noodle and mixed meat into the batter.

Covered the pan to cook.

Before turning the okonomiyaki.The uncooked side.

Flipped over to expose the cooked side.

Spread with Mayonaise, Tenkasu, Okonomiyaki sauce.





Terms :
Katsuobushi

Katsuobushi (鰹節 or かつおぶし) is the Japanese name for a preparation of dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito). Katsuobushi and kombu (a type of kelp) are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso soup) and sauces (e.g., soba no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine. It is today typically found in bags of small pink-brown shavings. Larger, thicker shavings, called kezurikatsuo (削り鰹; けずりかつお), are used to make the ubiquitous dashi stock. Smaller, thinner shavings, called hanakatsuo (花鰹; はなかつお), are used as a flavoring and topping for many Japanese dishes, such as okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.
The batter is made of flour, grated yam, water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage, and usually contains other ingredients such as green onion, meat (generally pork or bacon), octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, kimchi, mochi or cheese. Okonomiyaki is sometimes compared to an omelette or a pancake and may be referred to as "a Japanese pancake" or even "Osaka soul food."

Aonori

Nori (海苔) is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver . Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking. Japan, Korea, and China are the current major producers of nori, with total production valued at up to US $2 billion per year.

Steamed Marble Goby(Soon Hock) with Ginger and Shallots

I was quite unexpected to cook the fish with a friend of mine,B.L. who is the contributor of the Marble Goby fish . Not only that , this fish is a special ones as the price fetched around RM120 per Kg . Wow, that price is very exorbitant .I have never tasted the fish before as it is very expensive , i wonder how a freshwater fish can have an expensive price tag .....

Serving size: 3-4 Pax

Ingredients:
1 Marble Goby (Soon Hock)
2 inch of ginger strips
2 cloves of shallot julienne
1 stack of scallion ( use only the leaves as the stem is a bit too much )
1 stalk of cilantro leaves
2 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine)
1 piece of kitchen towel

Soy Sauce Mixture:
4 tablespoon light soya sause
2 tablespoon shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine)
2 tablespoon water
2 dashes of white pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon rock sugar (grind to powdery form)

Instruction:
Steam Fish
1. Pat dry the fish using kitchen towel.
Make 3 diagonal slits into the side of the fish using a sharp knife.
2. Blend all the ingredients of soya sauce mixture.
3. 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine) on fish
4. Top the fish with 1/2 of total amount of ginger strips.

5. Above Boiling Water ,steam the fish for 8 minutes.
(The flesh should be white through to the bone , which will be exposed by the cuts )

6. Throw away all steamed water and ginger strips from the steamed fish.
7. Put all the ginger strips and shallots on top of the fish again.
8. Cook soya sauce mixture and stir well.
9. Pour it over fish.
10.Cook 2 tablespoon of cooking oil until hot.
11.Pour the hot oil to 'scald' the ginger and shallots.
12.Top with scallion and cilantro leaves .

Japan Trip (31-12-09) Kyoto 京都 Arashiyama 嵐山

Guess what building is that?

After a long wait to witness the scene of snowing , finally we got the chance.
This was the second last day before we went back to Malaysia. I was looking forward to visit Kiyomizudera 清水寺 once again after the first visit when I went there back in 2007.


Arashiyama 嵐山
My father was very anticipated to see the lush green of bamboo grooves in Arashiyama 嵐山.
The bamboo grooves was the among the most fascinating scene of natural occurrence.The bamboo grooves was before you reach the　Nonomiya Shrine 野々宮神社.
We went there from Kyoto Station to Keifuku Arashiyama (on Keifuku Arashiyama Line).

Bamboo grooves with Han Yee and I.

Arashiyama 嵐山 is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district.

The romantic "Moon Crossing Bridge" (渡月橋,Togetsukyō)


Romantic Train in Arashiyama (CLOSED)

The famous Romantic Train in Arashiyama begins running its scenic tour along the Hozugawa river on March 1st and will continue running until December 29th.

The Torroko trolley travels 7.3 kilometers in distance along the river and through 8 tunnels between Torroko Saga and Kameoka stations. The duration of the trip is 25 minutes and costs 600 yen.

Enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms, bamboo groves, or momiji Japanese maple leaves depending on the time of year you go. It’s a wonderful way to spend the day sightseeing and a must do activity if you visit Arashiyama!

Ryoanji 龍安寺
This the place where my long awaited dream came true . I witness the snow falling from the sky onto the beautifully arranged stones in Ryoanji 龍安寺. It was forecast that at around 6 pm there will be snowing in Kyoto 京都. The most unforgettable scene was when I was standing on the open space , i was 'blessed' with the tiny snow flakes falling from the sky . It was a simply amazing .

Nice setting to meditate.

Snow falling from the sky.

Miniature of Ryoanji

In an article published by the science journal Nature, Gert van Tonder and Michael Lyons analyze the rock garden by generating a model of shape analysis (medial axis transformation) in early visual processing.

Using this model, they show that the empty space of the garden is implicitly structured, and is aligned with the temple's architecture. According to the researchers, one critical axis of symmetry passes close to the centre of the main hall, which is the traditionally preferred viewing point. In essence, viewing the placement of the stones from a sightline along this point brings a shape from nature (a dichotomously branched tree with a mean branch length decreasing monotonically from the trunk to the tertiary level) in relief.

The researchers propose that the implicit structure of the garden is designed to appeal to the viewers unconscious visual sensitivity to axial-symmetry skeletons of stimulus shapes. In support of their findings, they found that imposing a random perturbation of the locations of individual rock features destroyed the special characteristic

Kinkakuji 金閣寺
From the outside of the temple, there was a beeline appeared, we waited for our turn to visit the Kinkakuji 金閣寺 which is a few metres away from the main entrance. The buildup of the structure is simply stunning, the golden colour blend with the sunlight produce a glittering pattern of elegance .
From the outside of the temple, the golden colour are very appealing to the eyes . Especially you looked from opposite the lake .

Kinkaku and I

The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku, is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of the Buddha (Buddha's Ashes). The top floor is built in traditional Chinese cha'an style, also known as zenshu-butsuden-zukuri; and the middle floor in the style of warrior aristocrats, or buke-zukuri. The ground floor is rendered in shinden-zukuri style, reminiscent of the residential style of the Heian imperial aristocracy. The building is often linked or contrasted with Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple), and Shōkoku-ji, which are also located in Kyoto.

The Golden Pavilion is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden (kaiyū-shiki). The pond in front of it is called Kyōko-chi (Mirror Pond). There are many islands and stones on the pond that represent the Buddhist creation story.

Kiyomizudera 清水寺
We reached there around 3.30 p.m. but the sunset was around 4.30 p.m. After a while , the whole area was engulfed with darkness. The silence of the evening make it perfect for people to reminisce about the past. From the above , you can see a skyline of Kyoto town scenery with lights come into place. Although it is a bit dark , the whole temple still looks very magnificent.

Night view on the pathway towards Kiyomizudera

An aged man is writing and drawing something related to Year Of Tiger using calligraphy before selling to his customers.

Popular spot in Kiyomizudera

Entrance to Kiyomizudera

Kiyomizudera 清水寺 is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site.
The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city. Large verandas and main halls were constructed at many popular sites during the Edo period to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims

Pontochō 先斗町
A night out was said to be incomplete without visiting Pontocho . A few narrow street with only a couple of people to walk in the same time , small and stylish eateries with exorbitant prices , pleasant atmosphere with a touch of traditional Japanese authenticity ---are the trademark for Pontocho.

The name Pontochō is said to be a portmanteau of the English word "point" or the Portuguese word "ponto" (also meaning point) and the Japanese word meaning town, street, or road. The district crest is a stylized water plover or chidori.

Main Street of Pontochō

Back Alley of Pontochō

The shop is selling foodstuffs with live demonstration.

Nice temple with lots of lanterns .