Where I Belonged

Mama took me back to Mak Long's house. (Mak Long means eldest aunt in Malay). Remember her? She's my handsome Abang Epi (the eligible physiotherapist)'s mother. We went there for dinner. I had a fun time getting reacquainted with the surrounding as I used to live there. I was Abang Epi's lap dancer pet before he went off to uni...and coincidentally Mama was looking for a wife for Tom.

Anyway, while waiting for the hooomans to finish cooking and whatever they do in preparing dinner, I snooped around in the garden. I really have this thing about gardening and photography at the moment. So, bear with me, OK? First I'm going to show you the edible stuff I found in Mak Long's garden. I'm a cat, food is always on my mind naturally.

Lovely pomegrenate flowers......

...and fruit....can't wait for it to grow bigger and ripen.

Dwarf ambarella (Spondias dulcis) aka  hog plum tree laden with fruits. The local name for the fruit is kedondong.

Another miniature - dwarf sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) tree with fruits. Local name for the fruit is ciku.

Apparently this mango tree suffered damage during a recent storm. Then it started fruiting...at the broken bough. Weird, eh?

"Normal" fruits from the same mango tree protected from the elements. A good way to reuse and recycle newspapers here.

Who can guess what this is?....OK...it's the bud of a soursop (Annona muricata) fruit. Local name is durian belanda (Dutch durian???).

What's "edible" about this  you might ask. Aha....but this is the fish pond. Fishies are edible, OK?

This is my Mak Long's turmeric and tapioca patch.

We picked some of the young tapioca shoots....to be consumed as vegetable. There are many ways to cook this vege.

Yummy papayas.....will visit again when these fruits are ripe.

And now, feast your eyes on the non-edible stuff I found. Here goes....

Elegant multi-layered red hibiscus....

....and single-layer tri-coloured hibiscus too.

Dreamy....white camellia. The locals call this Bunga Cina (Chinese flower).

ooops.....no, I didn't get anywhere near those lilies. I used the zoom lens to take the pix, OK?

Heady perfume of the jasmines....local name is Melur...what a pretty name.

I don't know the name of this beautiful bunch. Can someone help me?

Aaah...another aromatic species -  Cananga odorata.... local name is Kenanga...hmmm... Mak Long can open a perfumery, eh?

oooohhh...but I digress. The main reason we went to Mak Long's place was to have dinner with the family....

The dinner spread....for iftar.

After dinner? I played with Abang Epi....

Nicole's 2-cent: And why did I agree to leave this house in the first place? hmmmmm.....purrrr *giggles*

A (kinda) Different Mothers' Day Picnic - Part 2

Not too far from Mama's village is a town called Sekinchan. It has a thriving fishing community as well as rice farming activities. Mama and Dad made a little detour just so we could be more adventurous. And I love it as I get to exercise my camera clicking paws more.

Mr State Rep, if I may say so, what's the idea behind this billboard? May I recommend my Dad to redesign your thingy?

As usual, we'll look see if there's any stray around. There was this black beauty at the market place. Looks like he's been hurt in the past. Hmmm....maybe he was hungry and wanted a taste of the really fresh fish and the fishmongers weren't too happy about it, eh? But kitty needs to eat.

Oh yes.....fish and fish everywhere....

The locals call this siput sedut (lit. trans: sucking snails????) coz you have to suck the shells to get the flesh out. Slimy stuff but yummy. Usually they're cooked in hot chili and coconut gravy, or stir fried with chili.

Aaaahhhh.....cuttle fish or squid....whatever it's called, I love it. It's so fresh that it's body (tube) seems translucent. This fresh, best grilled!

More fish...and crabs too...OK, so I loooove seafood.

Interesting building this is. It's a music school. I thought it's a giant keyboard.

Dilapidated fisherman house next to a swiftlet bungalow. Bird's nest is big business in this area.

There's a larger and proper fire brigade station in the area but this one is where the fire volunteers congregate - looks so rustic.

Fishing depot in the fishing village?

Colourful fish boxes at the fishing depot.

Another interesting building that used to be a movie theatre, I was told.

Hey birdy.....saw flocks of them near the fishing depot.

Another kind of birdy.....Mama forbids me from chittering at them! The birdies are bigger in size than me. They may think I'm their lunch instead.

Does this mean we are going to sleep here next time instead of Atuk's place?

We stopped by a roadside stall selling these delicious fruits....items for the picnic basket.

Look at how big that mango is!

Close up of the mango pile. They are all local fruits, from surrounding villages.

More and more mangoes, the brown tuber is what the locals call keladi (yam or taro).

Oh yesss! Local corns. I love them steamed, grilled or boiled. Or even cooked in sweet coconut milk....yummmmm...

The stall also sells steamed and boiled corns (see that big steamer at the front of stall).

Angelina's Notes:
1. Mama's village (or rather my maternal grandma's village) is called Kampung Sungai Sireh (literal translation: Betel Leaves River Village) in the Rice Bowl of the state of Selangor. The district is Kuala Selangor (Selangor Estuary) while the county is called Tanjung Karang (Coral Cape????). So, the address would be Kampung Sungai Sireh, Tanjung Karang, Selangor, Malaysia.
2. The main activity in this area is of course, rice planting. As Mama's village is also the location of a MARDI rice research station (MARDI - Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute), the farmers here have become somewhat the guinea pigs. They get to be the first to plant a new variety, use new fertilizer or even new ways of planting and harvesting. Wayyyy ahead of other parts of the country.
3. Side activities - coconut, mango, corn, breadfruit, vegetables, cooking herbs like lemongrass and galangal, fresh water fish farming, sugarcane, cockle farming and sea fishing.
4. Latest craze - birds' nest production where humongous brick "caves" have been erected all over the place. These "caves" are where swiftlets come and build nests using their saliva as building materials. These nests are said to have certain medicinal properties and fetch very good prices. Hence the huge interests. But these "caves" are spoiling the landscape. You can see them dotting the rice fields. I'd use the term Sybaritic eyesore!
5. purrr.....meow!

Inspired by Curtis Stone

Kiss the Cook? Oooohhh....YES!!!! (pix from Uncle Google)

We were helping Mama reorganise her library when we came across a magazine with Curtis Stone on the cover (anyone unfamiliar with that name purrrlease stop reading and do something else... go...shoo!). Anyway, there are so many wonderful recipes in the publication. Mostly courtesy of my darling Curtis, of course. It's very rare to find someone that cute to be talented in the kitchen too. And of course, we had to try out his recipes. See if our talents combined can match His Dishiness.

We tried Curtis'  Mango Glazed Salmon

Ingredients (to serve 8):
3/4 cup white wine vinegar (we used balsamic vinegar)
1 tbsp pure honey
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped (we grated it instead)
1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into large chunks
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp coriander, chopped finely
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 x 170g salmon fillets, skin removed

1. To make glaze: place vinegar and honey in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. Cook until honey has dissolved and liquid has thickened slightly, about 2 mins.
2. Add ginger and mango. Bring to low simmer and continue cooking another 5-7 mins, or until softened.
3. Remove from heat and transfer contents of saucepan to a blender. Process until a smooth puree forms. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, season with lime juice and soy sauce, and fold in coriander.
4. Preheat grill to high and line a medium baking tray with foil.
5. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over high heat.
6. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place in pan, flesh side down, and cook until golden brown, about 15secs. Flip over to sear other side for another 10secs.
7. Immediately transfer salmon, flesh side up, to baking tray lined with foil, and coat with mango glaze.
8. Place tray in oven under grill and cook approximately 5 mins, or until salmon is just done and glaze starts to brown. Transfer salmon to a plate and let rest 2 mins.
9. To serve, transfer fish to platter and serve with sides.

Our version....we used cutlets instead of fillets.

Burp...(excuse me!) It was delicious! yummmmyyyy.....Curtis would be so proud of me.

Angelina's note: I looooove Salmon and I looooove mangoes and I adore Curtis. What a combination, eh? Mama, may I have another piece? Curtis, would you feed me, purrrlease...? While I sit on your lap? *winks* Eat your heart out, Aunty Caren. Curtis is mine..... purrr.....meow!

What's Good to Eat on a Friday

Summer = Figs

Is it a figment of my imagination

That there are fresh figs in the house?

It's not a figment of my imagination

There are fresh figs in the house. 

Summer = Mangoes

My imagination comes and goes

It makes me think of mangoes

My imagination comes and goes

Isn't that a box of mangoes?

Mama, are we having a party? Why are there so many fruits in the house? purrrr.....meow!