Bukhara in Bento
September 2, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Food and Drink, Lifestyle
I love nasi briyani, whether the normal one, the ‘gam’ version or the ‘bukhara’, but to pack them away in plastic bags is a bit too tedious and sloppy to serve. Recently, my dad bought for the entire family boxes of Briyani Bukhara from Syed Restaurant for our iftar. These are perfectly bento-sized briyani, and are kept compact and neat by using paperboards. However, do keep in mind that these briyani bento are made with adult eaters in mind, rather than kids. Anyway, they can be adapted for kids of course by perhaps reducing the quantities.
Of course, their briyani is to-die for. I admit that I am a sucker for good Nasi Briyani. Those long-grained, fluffy and fragrant Basmati rice cooked with loads of herbs and spices. In fact, this Bukhara uses the same basmati rice as the one that I had at Thalappakutu.
Bento (or obento), is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. Beyond that basic definition though, just about anything goes as to what kind of box or container is used, as well as what is put inside that box.
I love the raya-theme bento.
it's neat huh, complete with the separators. In the healthy-eating lines, bento is great to keep the total caloric value of the bento meals based on the specific calorie daily allowance and the activity level.
Well, can you suggest some other good places in Klang Valley to enjoy a really good plate of briyani? Insaf Restaurant? JM Beriyani? Putrajaya Beriyani Gam? Thalapkkatu? Well, probably we can go there for our carbo-loading meal … 
nasi padang
September 1, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Food and Drink, Lifestyle
Without a doubt, my favourite Indonesian food is Nasi Padang, and I do enjoy this food on my cheat day, or days where I’ve worked out long enough like after a marathon or something. Nasi Padang, just like our regular white rice, normally serves with internal organs (e.g. cow’s liver, brain, chickens’ gizzards) cooked in santan (coconut milk) laden dishes, and of course they are as unhealthy as they come. My favourite dishes are ayam kampung goreng cili (fried free-range chicken with chillies), daging goreng dendeng (very dry fried beef) and tunjang masak lemak (I think these are cows’ tendons cooked in coconut milk and turmeric). Other dishes that are good are daging rendang, ikan keli goreng, ayam masak lemak, ikan masak lemak and gulai kulit sapi. Geez … this is such a sinful list, and practically ‘infused’ with cholesterol.
Recently, when my 600-700pm PT was cancelled last minute, and while waiting for my 830pm PT @ KLCC Park to start, I decided to break fast with a friend at Puti Bungsu Batam Restaurant, a Nasi Padang eatery located along Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, close enough KLCC. Of course the rice was served steamy hot, and that is crucially important as the dishes are normally served at room temperature. Well guys, this is how I enjoyed my Nasi Padang. First, I got myself a thigh drumstick quarter fried chicken with the chillies and drenched my hot steamy rice with lots of gravy from the tunjang masak lemak. Then, I got some pieces of the awesome daging dendeng with more chillies. I scooped up the most tender portion of tunjang and again, spreaded the gravy generously. For veggies, I got some pucuk ubi kayu rebus with sambal belacan and last but not least a dollopful of sambal hijau. (well, I hope you are not reading this while fasting …. …)
The restaurant is housed in an old bungalow. They got rid of all the walls, making it very breezy and airy. The limited parking is always a problem here. make sure you arrive there early.
this is very typical display of nasi padang dishes
of course you just choose your favorite dishes, but what actually served at your table are whole lot more than that!
all set for a good cholesterol-laden feast ....yikes!
these juices surely not to be missed - the right one is the staple drink of Padang - Alpokat or basically, an Avocado Juice with palm sugar. yummy!
after the call of azan, these spread of food is ready to go! .... hehehe
daging dendeng is addictive. Its hard and dry. The taste explodes once it is chewed finely.
I think Gulai Tunjang is made of cow's tendons. I love the jelly-like texture, basically 'melts' and slides down your throat after few chews ...
a ‘bready’ bunch
August 20, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Fitness Kitchen, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Travel
Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. Bread has a long history for a reason. It is a healthy and nutritious food that fills the stomach as well as the soul. Today, even with the competition of a growing variety of foods, bread remains important to our diet, just like “bread and butter” .
My family is truly the ‘bready’ bunch. We just love breads, especially the fresh ones. Fresh bread is prized for its taste, aroma, quality, appearance and texture. Retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetizing. Recently, we bought many wonderful fresh breads crafted by Chef Jeffry cum baker at The Gourmet Shop @ Sunway.
Baker Jeffry bakes perfect breads - I bought (L-R) Raisin Twist, Rye Bread and SourDough. Rye bread is made with flour from rye grain of variable levels. It is higher in fiber than many common types of bread and is often darker in color and stronger in flavor. While a sourdough is a bread that uses a fermentation starter in its dough to improve the keeping time of the baked bread.
We had beautiful night scenery while enjoying these breads from our studio unit at Pyramid Tower. Lately, we resorted to stay in hotels ard Klang Valley due to lack of time. Often times, we save alot more money than vacationing out of KL. We save the travelling time, petrol and also toll charges. Rather than settling down in a 3-star hotel in Kuantan, why not go for a 5-star in KL Best of all, it makes the journey less tiring.
I have this breadmaker by Kenwood at home. Unfortunately, we haven't done much bread-baking at home.
It makes a perfect loaf size for my small family. Can't wait to get this bread-maker working again... i just love the smell of freshly baked breads filling up the air in our little home.
In our household, we only buy the wholemeal bread. In fact, our taste-buds are so used to it that we could no longer take the white bread anymore. We just love the texture and the ‘nutty’ flavor that wholemeal bread offers. They are healthier, and less-refined. I guess healthy-eating is always about that – once you get used to it, you will never want to go back to other one. Hmmmm, must try to like brown rice from now on. So guys, how well do you know your bread?
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White bread is made from flour containing only the central core of the grain (endosperm).
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Brown bread is made with endosperm and 10% bran. It can also refer to white bread with added colouring (often caramel colouring) to make it ‘brown’; commonly labeled in U.States as “Wheat” bread (as opposed to “wholewheat” bread.)
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Wholemeal bread contains the whole of the wheat grain (endosperm and bran). It is also referred to as ‘wholegrain’ bread.
I managed to find this Wholewheat Bread recipe from the net (with the healthiest list of ingredients). Will definitely try it one day. Or why don’t you try it and let me know .. hehehe
Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
7 1/2 C whole wheat flour (divided)
3 C warm water (divided)
2 tsp salt
2 T honey
2 T oil
Directions:
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Put honey in large bowl, add 1 C. warm water, sprinkle yeast on top, agitate a bit to dissolve. Put in warm place for 10 minutes.
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Add other 2 C warm water, beat in 3 1/2 C flour.
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Stir in salt and oil.
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Add rest of flour 1/2 C or so at a time. When it gets too stiff to mix, turn out on a floured surface and mix in most of the flour by hand, saving some to use while kneading.
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Cover dough with a damp towel and allow to rest 10 minutes.
[While you wait, wash and oil the bowl.] -
Knead dough 20 minutes, using up most or all the remaining flour.
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Cover with damp towel (the dough, of course …hehhe) and allow to rest 10 minutes.
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Knead a few times, make ball, and put in oiled bowl. Cover with that damp towel and put in a warm place to rise ~ abt 1 1/2 hours.
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Knead gently a few times, return to bowl, cover, put in warm place for 1 hour.
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Divide dough in half [Each half of mine is usually 1 pound 12 oz - 800 g.]
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Knead the dough balls a few times, cover with the damp towel and allow to rest 10 minutes.
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Form loaves (a delightfully ambiguous term) and place in well greased (or Pammed) pans, find that damp towel again, cover, put in a warm place for 1 hour.
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Preheat over to 350 degrees.
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Slash tops of loaves [A straight longitudinal line the length of the loaves is OK, but so boring! Be imaginative.]
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Bake 45-50 minutes.
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Turn out on a rack to cool.
Have a good weekend!
crabmeat pasta with capers
June 25, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Fitness Kitchen, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, general
Have you tried capers? I love capers. Capers, just like olives, are always cured or pickled in salt or brine. They preserve well, making it easy to transport them around the world.
Capers are loaded with quercetin which are flavonoids used for blood vessel protection. Capers have been known for centuries for their medicinal properties – headaches, rheumatism and hair loss, but most appreciate the enhanced flavor found in meat and pasta dishes, salads, sauces, pates, tartar sauce or by themselves.
Let me show you a recipe using capers. I love all sorts of pasta, and you can always find it at my home. Few weeks back, we prepared some crabmeat pasta where we added capers to it. It is a perfect carbo-loading meal for your KL International Marathon this Sunday . Here’s how we made it;
remove flesh from cooked crabs ( we steamed the crabs)
We use Capote Capers. Slightly bigger in size and a bit salty. So, you don't need to add any more salt to your pasta.
other ingredients include fresh button mushrooms (sliced), tomatoes (diced), chopped garlic. On the chopping board are the capers (drained and chopped)
saute the garlic in Olive Oil
add the sliced mushrooms
add in the capers and continue mixing on heat
add the cooked pasta - we used linguine
lastly add the diced tomatoes. add freshly ground black peppers to taste. You can add a little bit of fresh milk if it's too dry.
voila .... easy to make. go and do it yourself. If it's too troublesome to take out the flesh from crabs, use shrimps instead. Pls. don't substitute it with so-called 'crab-sticks' ... they are not crab, it's flour!!! Avoid processed food as much as you can.
Friends, we need to start cooking again, to make sure our children don’t grow up on a diet of processed food, so that they won’t have to battle obesity and diet-related illnesses when they grow up. A small change in the kitchen could save the life of someone you love.
Cooking skills give people a basic knowledge of food and help us to make informed decisions about what to eat. Without these skills, people have no choice but to eat fast food and processed meals.
prawn mee @ changkat
June 23, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Travel, general
Holiday for me is always about food :) We do try out at many local restaurants. For someone who is so much into the food world, it’s important for me to gain a vastly different food experience – to study the taste and the ingredients, and come up with a healthier and fresher version so that we can enjoy it guilt-free.
In my recent trip to Perak, I made a point to went back to my favorite Mee Udang (the malay-version of Prawn Noodle) restaurant, located near the Changkat Jering Toll - Restoran Mee Udang Nur Zetty. I love the Prawn Noodle here more than anywhere else.
At the T-junction after the Changkat Toll, turn left and drive about 100 meters before you can the see the Zetty Mee Udang signboard on your right. Turn right into the junction.
Drive along the Kampung road (I love this stretch) for about 200 metres before reaching the restaurant.
Although a lot of credits have been given to the ones in Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld), I still find this one better. Due to its high cholesterol level (for people with Gout, beware of the high uric acid in prawns) I resorted to a small bowl. They even have the special Mee Udang, with loads of prawns in it.
I like to peel the shell first (and wash my hands) before eating the noodles. Well, how do you eat your Prawn Noodles?
Just in case if you want to try out this place, do give them a call. Well, I do have in mind how to do a healthier version - need to find the time to do it. Basically, I will blend fresh shallots, fresh chillies and tomatoes. Will simmer it in seafood stock and season it. For noodles, I will try to use the wholemeal noodle. Care to try?
Consuming sufficient quantities of prawns is necessary to gain its many health benefits. Being a food rich in many essential nutrients, there are several health benefits of prawn. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Prawns are a fairly good source of protein, which help in proper growth and development of the body.
- Prawns are also a rich source of selenium. Selenium is believed to prevent the growth of cancer cells in the body, thereby protecting the person from life threatening diseases such as cancer.
- The omega 3 content in prawns, has been associated with the prevention and also in reduction of the Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- Cardiovascular health is one of the biggest health concerns in the modern day world. However, the high content of vitamin B12 and low cholesterol content in prawns, help in protecting the walls of blood vessels and therefore contribute to the betterment of cardiovascular health of the person.
- Moreover, presence of minerals such as calcium, makes prawns useful for maintaining healthy teeth and bones
Have some today!
roti kahwin
June 21, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Travel, general
Hainanese Toasted Bread or better known as ‘Roti Kahwin’ has become a pretty much commercialised snack in the past 5 years or so, served by many modern ‘kopitiams’ commonly found in shopping complexes and in urban areas. Perfectly toasted bread slices spread with butter and rich homemade kaya, these ‘light’ snacks are packed with so much calories. That makes it a perfect pre-training snack, offering spikes in sugar to kick-start your morning run. I don’t normally order this food when I am in KL, but every time I go back to my hometown, roti kahwin is always part of our ‘ritual’ staple for breakfast. There’s no other place to enjoy this simple snack other than at a favourite kopitiam located along Main Road of Taiping (infront of Kwantung Hall) known as Lian Thong Restaurant.
Lian Thong has existed more than 50 years at this little corner of Main Road. This shop used to deliver breakfasts to goverment officers that worked across the street. It's amazing to see that the business is still going on strong.
Roti Kahwin - I am actually salivating when I'm writing this post. I already miss the taste of it, too bad I can't get it this good in KL.
It's always full house in the morning. Unfortunately, they don't take reservation.
they preserved bottles of lime here.
a curry-puff seller stopped by at our table, offering one of the gigantic curry-puffs around (definitely better than the ones at IKEA). It costs RM1.50 each.
sinfully delicious .... (geez, so much of being a Fitness Chef) - moderation people!!!
my nephew ordered this char noodle. Sometimes, my wife will cook this at home. She uses chicken stock for the gravy with the organic soy sauce, and mixes with all sorts of seafood.
my healthy selection - clear kuew teow soup
wifey's fav. Char Kuew Teow. Btw, do you know the famous Taiping Doli Char Kuew Teow? Well, you know what? Even Doli herself has this Char Kuew Teow for her morning breakfast
This is the Honey Lime drink - made from their own preserved lime. This drink cools down bodily temperature.
my niece ordered Curry Mee. Well, I think my mom cooks the best curry mee...
You can even spot a type-writing business at the entrance to this kopitiam. Most of the forms that are submitted to gov't offices need to be typed-written. How cool is that!
chicken at eden
June 21, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Travel, general
Last weekend, I took my family back to my hometown in Taiping. To me, Taiping is a food haven. Visitors to Taiping can satiate their appetites at many extremely good eateries in town. Highly recommended is Yut Sun restaurant, a coffeeshop in Jalan Pasar. It serves authentic Hainanese food and the chicken chop with toasted bread is, according to many who have sampled it, better than even those in other more well-known kopitiam around the country. Also popular among locals is the fried kuey teow at Doli, the roti canai at Bismillah Restaurant, the sotong kangkung at the hawker stalls behind Taiping’s fire station and the roti kahwin at a Kopitiam near Kwantung. But my all-time favourite has to be The Eden Restaurant, located along Jalan Kamunting, not far away from Fajar Supermarket. By far, this has to be the best place in the country that serves extremely delicious chicken chop :) (ok Ian, cut it off … you’re over exaggerating!)
Come and have a look.
Eden Restaurant is located in Kamunting, the neigbouring town of Taiping . The owner, Vincent, an Indian is married to a Chinese, also the Chef of that restaurant. It has been my 'second kitchen' since childhood.
the much talked-about Chicken Chop. My munchkin, being a rather poor eater, can have the entire Chicken Chop all to herself.
Mom ordered a Black Pepper Chicken Chop. She loves the Chicken Chop too.
while Dad ordered Lam Rice. He is a 'rice' person. Whenever we travel overseas, we always ensure that there's rice at least once a day for him.
Since Taiping Heritage Run is just around the corner, you may want to have this as one of your must-eat places. It is also a great place to ‘carboload’ – try the Assam Fish Curry, Deep-fried Calamari and Chicken Inche Cabin. You can call the owner, Vincent, at 016-503-5474 to make the reservation.
p/s – this type of food best enjoyed in moderation. Calories are high .. so be extra cautious.
lunch with Azean Irdawaty
June 15, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Books, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, behind-the-scene, general
Last Sunday, I was invited for a cooking plus makan2 session with celebrity Azean Irdawaty at her house in Bandar Utama. Kak Yan as she is fondly known in the film industry, is a veteran actress. I love her and I love her acting. This multiple award-winning actress has played many roles – the naughty Datin, the suffering HIV-positive patient and, the guardian of a mythical tiger in Waris Jari Hantu. She is definitely the best actress around.
She bought a copy of Fitness Food Made Simple. I was more than happy to autograph it for her.
Using a Noxxa Pressure Cooker, she cooked for us a complete lunch within minutes – beef rendang and mutton soup in just less than 20 minutes and beriyani rice well under 7 minutes. I am so impressed with her cooking skills, and the food taste super delicious! Wifey and I really enjoyed her food. With so little time taken to prepare the meals, she could entertain and mingle with the guests longer. Now, that’s Entertaining 101.
Kak Yan's Beef Rendang is simply irresistable!
chatting with Uncle Mokhtar, an engineer by profession. He used to be the director of several companies, but now happily retired. He is in the midst of losing fat, and doing a fantastic job so far.
He likes the book and decided to buy a copy as well.
p/s – As most of us are aware, Kak Yan was diagnosed with stage three cancer in June 2007. I’m so very happy and grateful to see her well and strong now. Alhamdullilah.
signing books at Mohsin
June 9, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Books, Fitness Kitchen, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, behind-the-scene, general
Last Sunday, right after a stretching session by dear friend MsJewelz at Kiara Park, friends and I went to Mohsin Restaurant at TTDI for our Tribute TT to Sundowners. As always, I really enjoy meeting friends, especialy those who share the same passion. It was also the venue for my unofficial book signing. Thank you so much to those who have bought my books. I really hope they love the recipes, and enjoy preparing these healthy meals. There are very easy to prepare recipes.
Thanks to Yimster for some of the photos here
also thanks to Kash for some of photos that appeared on this entry
some of the friends who turned up at Mohsin
another group of hardccore runners who also turned up at Mohsin
MissJewelz conducted the stretching session FOC .. thanks Julie.
This book is different from a normal cookbook. I substituted many common unhealthy ingredients in the recipes. This is one of the recipes, extremely simple and worth the try;
- Mango Pudding – All you need are silken tofu, mango flesh and honey. Blend it all up and voila, a very tasty and healthy dessert.
I’ve been informed by my Publisher that the books will be available at MPH Mid Valley and KLIA starting next month at a retail price of RM69.90. As for the book-signing scheduled this Sunday, sorry to inform that it has to be postponed to a later date to allow for some other important agendas. Will inform the exact date once confirmed. Sorry once again.
p/s – Friends blogged about the event too. Do visit their blogs;
Kash : http://run-kooky-run.blogspot.com/2010/06/hearty-week.html
Yimster : http://yimster.blogspot.com/2010/06/stretch-it-babe.html
Syah : http://iamsyah.blogspot.com/2010/06/time-by-original-bell-ross.html
Diket : http://wcr1414.blogspot.com/
Tribute TT Session
June 3, 2010 by thetrainer
Filed under Books, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, general
(sorry guys, bear with me, it is meant for non-malaysians)
Teh Tarik (TT), one of Malaysian ‘must-have’ beverages is a mixture of tea, sweet condensed milk and hot water. This mixture is poured back and forth from a height repeatedly using two pitchers, forming a thick frothy top. This process cools the tea to drinking temperatures, and helps to thoroughly mix the tea with the condensed milk. It also gives the tea a better flavor. Teh Tarik is filled with sugar and is generally not healthy …!
However, being Malaysian, we just need our doses our TT once in awhile. I keep mine to a minimum of once a week (more like once per fortnight now). However, if you are a big fan of TT, you can even opt for a healthier version by using organic tea, fresh milk and honey.
Ironically (well, don’t you think that we deserve TT after pounding the tarmac tirelessly), our Corporate Athlete Syah decided to organize a TT session as the tribute to those who have conquered their first Sundown (dedicating especially to those first-time ultra-runners). Well, everyone is invited to this TT session. The details are as follows
When : Sunday, 06 June 2010
Where : Mohsin, TTDI (same stretch as Pizza Hut/Maxis, just behind the TTDI Market)
Agenda (please pick and choose) :
07:00am – 07.30am – Recovery Run at Kiara Park
07:45am – 08:30am – Stretching Session, courtesy of certified sports masseur and ironlady missJewelz (please bring your own water, towel, resistance band if you have, yoga mat)
09:30am – TT @ Mohsin TTDI
I will also bring along my long-awaited (phiiiewww) Fitness Food Made Simple book for sale/signing. There will be a 10% off from the retail price of RM69.90. Those who can’t make it to this informal book-signing session, do make a point to drop-by to my next official book-signing session at following date & venue:
Date : 13 June 2010 (Sunday)
Time : 10.00am – 2.00pm
Venue : Angel Spa, Mont Solaris @ Mont Kiara (light snacks will be served)