The Singing Pilot Does Cooking: Singapore Style Fried Meehoon

 

Was on off day. Was looking forward to a productive rest day. Don’t really fancy going out to the mall. Weather in Jakarta is currently on the unkind manner. I should just sit home and reevaluate to live life at the humblemost manner. And what the hell am I talking about right now. Within a split minute ( mind was at a slower working pace during off day )

Productivity + staying at home = Cooking!!

 

Done a bit of shopping at the Carrefour which is ten stones throw away from home. Not that close either. It is actually. Again, laziness strikes at its worst during off day. Mind you Vaseline and Sunlight detergent were not included in this productive session. It did actually. I was running out of detergent and my face needs to be in a fairer tone. Now I look exactly like an overburnt loaf of bread hohoho.

 

Hold that thought. I was running out of gas. Need to get a newly filled cylinder. HOHOHOHOHO my gas cylinder looks like a fat spaceship. Never patronize and underestimate due to its petite size, it is adequate enough to keep me supplied with cooking gas for more than 4 months. Considering I was at home like 2 days a week that will explains it all  hahaha.

 

First thing first, soak up those dried chinese mushrooms. They take like forever to be rehydrated.

 

Ya Allah, after 2 hours bathing in a bowl full of liquid, it turned out to be this gooey jelly-ish handful piece of fungus!

 

The mise en place: minced garlic with sufficient amount of black pepper as per your liking, not so julliened carrot, as much as you wanted slices of luscious juicy chicken breast fillets ahaha, few handfuls of beansprout, and meehoon for sure that is. Don’t forget to slice up the rehydrated mushrooms so that know you or might even yourself will not mistakenly take it as a piece of unwanted junk that fall into the wok. Hey introducing my cute rice cooker, looks like Doraemon hahaha.

 

 

I’m turning into my Mama in a way. Just bought this cooking wok and never been this thrilled. I never shop for kitchen appliances and crockeries and to commemorate my shopping debut at the kitchen section, I bought this big wok! hahaha. Ok enough of pity party, sautee the minced garlic and black pepper corns with just right amount of oil, not too much. I’m on a weight watch, yeah right.

 

Toss in the sliced chicken fillet and put the heat on high. Get the meat charred for some hawker style effect. Didn’t happened to me since I forgot to extract out the excess liquid in the chicken huhuhu.

 

Next, julienned carrots and sliced mushrooms. Isn’t this easy???

 

 

Put in some amount of water to evenly cook everything in the wok. You need the liquid to aid the cooking process of the meehoon or vermicelli to make everything sounds more fancy. Then next is to pour in some oyster sauce, I was being generous to myself and poured in extra dollop of it. Support Malaysian product! I saw this Mahsuri brand oyster sauce and without any second guessing i tossed it in the trolley. I should be getting an endorsement deal for doing so ahaha.

 

Salt to taste. Although I did put in the oyster sauce, I just felt like it. No salt means less excitement in life. Right??

 

The cheat. Chicken cubes. Ahahaha as long as it turned out good, why even bother much right??

Let me spill all the emotional rant of my screaming heart, hahaha. I have been coaching my cousin through Blackberry messenger ( how sweet am I haha ) on how to improve her cooking skills and to brainstorm more and more new simple and quickie fix for the family. She is of the low esteem kind of lady. Been cooking repetitively the same dish day in day out. After much sharing sessions, she has improved hell a lot  and the carbonara fettucine recipe that I shared with her is now a hit among her lovely daughters. YES they are really adorable.

What I wanna reiterate is, to be a career woman, and a mother on top of that, is a hell a lot on a person’s plate and I take courage to pull of such stunts. Ahahaha. Having to wake up on the wee hours everyday to get the kids and spouse out of bed, fix up some breakfast in the kitchen, fetch the kids to school, off to work, 9 hours spent on doing whatever tasks in the office, braving herself through the traffic jam and reckless drivers on the road in order to make it in time to reach home to cook up a storm for dinner, and to proceed with other domestic chores if there’s any amount of energy and will left in her.

To all mothers out there: YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE, PHENOMENAL!!

And to all future mamas and wives, fret not, YOU’RE NOT A SUPERWOMAN. No one will ever be. It’s fictional.

 

Stop punishing yourself if the gulai you cooked turned out curdled, your chicken soup is tasteless and your sauteed veges are overcooked. It takes time and practice to make it near to perfection. Don’t expect perfection. It doesn’t exists! Some of you guys just wonder why you’re not a masterchef in the preparing even the simplest food. Here me, YOU WILL NEVER BE AND STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO THEM CELEBRITY CHEFS except  for Nigella coz her hips are just juicyyyy! hahaha. Those chefs went through professional cooking training and rigorous on job training in the restaurant and I can guarantee you, it is NO FUN AT ALL. Be proud for what you are, A PROUD MOTHER AND WIFE!

To those husbands who are just uncooperative at home, just lounging around on the couch after work, hoping wonderful food will magically appears on the table. BE HELPFUL, LEND YOUR HANDS IN THE KITCHEN. OR DO OTHER DOMESTIC CHORES LIKE FOLDING THE LAUNDERIES, SWEEP THE FLOOR, OR ATLEAST DON’T WHINE OR COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. Ahahaha.

I truly despise those men who just love to criticise his other half’s cooking, and simply stash his used plate in the sink without even bother to empathize and sympathize on his wife’s burden at home. Rasulullah SAW is the perfect example. He did clean his house, look after his children and even help in sewing. How cool is our Holy Prophet. Be like him.

WOOOOW I AM MAD! 

 

OK back to the kitchen ahaha, stir it well and let the liquid to reduce abit.

 

 

And now, in goes the water  soaked meehoon. And I’m getting hungreyhhh

 

 

Stir stir stir, let’s get physical, Let the remaining liquid to evaporate. We don’t need a watery fried meehoon. It’s disgusting

 

 

Once about to be done, pour in the beansprout. Close off the fire and let the heat of the meehoon to wilt the sprouts. You want it to be crunchy and not thoroughly cooked.

 

 

YEAHHHHHHHHH finally! Sweat all over my face with a plate of love. And why did I squint??

 

By the way I was on Arafah fast, which was the source of my enthusiasm. Hahahaha. The meal is complete with a coke zero, perfect for weight watchers. OK shut up.

 

Packed up some to be given to the owner of nasi padang restaurant. He’s much of a family to me here. Plus point: He can speak malay wuhoo! Hope you’ll try out my recipe!

 

P/S: SITI NURHALIZA RETWEETED MY TWEET ON HARI RAYA KORBAN’S EVE. WUHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When the sun sets down

 

 

When the sun’s about to leave the horizon

 

 

What a sleepy schedule it was. Though I had ample rest the night and the morning before the flight, I was still longing for the comfy, fluffy, cuddly pillow of the hotel room I was in. Argh how wonderful life is when you have the opportunity to make the hotel room as your temporary home. Yeah it works that way, I spend more nights away from my rented apartment. Ohh I miss the unwashed pillow sheet, the uncovered mattress back in my pad. Never missed my place ever then tonight. Obviously, I’m scheduled to return to Jakarta tomorrow therefore that is the only appropriate mood to have in mind. Hahaha

A friend from Sarawak will be heading to town soon and InsyaAllah he’ll be staying at my place! Can’t wait to communicate in my native mother tongue since the homesickness pandemic last week. Wait, since he’s coming from Kuching, I should take the advantage of this opportunity to request for rempah laksa sarawak. Yeah I should. And he’s from Bintulu to be exact, Bintulu renowned belacan!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA killing two birds with one stone!

 

Cruising and tummy was growling. Can’t help it with the temptation of seeing the captain enjoying his meal. Bare in mind, I’m on a strict diet and in need to shed off like tons of excess fat off this body frame. I’m aspired to look like those men of the runway of Paris hahaha. Still looking for places to get skinny jeans with good bargain. I came across this so called first Malaysian made jeans ( like seriously, do Malaysian manufacture their own clothes, don’t we naturally just outsource?? ) and the basic skinny will cost at least RM180 and the premium ones are priced at mere RM300. Are they seriously freakin’ kidding me? Are those denims made from the finest organic Eqyptian cotton or a hybrid species of exotic Iguanas extracted into sheets of fabric ?( ok digression again ). Like seriously, do your research on your target clientele and keep it within a range where most Malaysian commoners like myself could afford. And again, your target customers are teenagers. Child, those teens who are able to afford such price tags will definitely shop for goods of greater brands. Take my advice!! Lower your price!! OK how did I get myself into this emotional rant which all started on in flight crew meal?? hahahahah

 

Told you I’m on this program. I only ingested the roasted chicken. Thank god I refrained myself from munching those cabbage slices or else the cockpit will be intoxicated with gaseous discharge from my ***  hahahaha. If you’re on a date, skip the cabbage or whatever food  that will give out flatulence effect, or in laymen’s term, fart!!

 

The captain decided to leave the logo lights on to flaunt out the logo of the airline. This bird is fresh of the factory by the way.

 

She's only 3 days old. OK 3 days old in service for the airline

 

Hey hey I’ve flown this new girl in town. Isn’t she a beauty? I’m referring to the plane not the cabin crew okk.

 

Myth buster 101: When you’re done with your business in the aircraft lavatory and the second you press the flush button, the waste is collected and is discharged by the ground staff using such vehicle. Your fecal waste or whatever waste you have passed off will not gonna be eliminated off the plane recklessly and end up on anyone’s rooftop. Myth has been busted.

 

Let me break this to you. Well, this is my first ever experience tasting the rainbow cake. I’ve great passion of food and I’m not that thrilled either to munch this cake, it’s just layered coloured sponge cake. Those whoever posted photos of this kinda cake on facebook or instagram, hahaha you’ve just been fooled over a simple plain bakestuff. Nothing much out of it actually. BUUUUUUUUUUUUT, I bought it after 9pm and guess what?? I know I’m a very smart consumer, 50% off!! ahahahaha. I always like to brag about discounts. Just wait till the clock hit the hour and tadaa, the same thing for half the price. Wouldn’t be bothered with freshness, how fresh can a cake be? Eating it straight off the oven, piping hot?? Ermm, I’m supposed to be on diet right??

 

P/s: Siti  Nurhaliza loves patin masak tempoyak. and I miss Temerloh for that. Hahaha goodnight world.

Lovin’ the lounge, wuhoo!

 

My Monday blues started on Friday, hahaha how uncommon is that? ( No, it’s not even qualified to be so ). I was still stricken by homesickness albeit spending a full week back in hometown ( correction, I claimed Subang Jaya as my hometown, but home is where family is right? so bye bye Subang Jaya huhu ).

*Ding Dong Kring Kring Krong Kong Kong* ( whatever the sms ringer is )

erghhh, I’m flying tomorrow. I miss home! Miss Mama and nieces to the bones!! I’m in need of motivation to unearth my conscience from this misery I’ve been thrown into. OK dramatic at its best ahaha.

Scheduled to fly from Surabaya and layover in Semarang ( my favourite Indonesian city next to Bali, is Bali considered as one? ) To cut things short we were scheduled to arrive in Surabaya so early, we reached 3 hours ahead of time. What is there to be done to kill the time?? What? Help me!

“Let’s go to the lounge” the captain intervene. OK. ahahaha

 

My first visit to this lounge. Been to few other lounges in different airports but this particular place deserved the recognition above all. Oooo I love you Singosari Lounge! Keep me in here and I’ll be the happiest man ever!

 

Arrays of fooooooooood. OK should put the weight watcher mode on. I’ve been eating like a walrus back in KL. Can’t bare to blame on anything, Malaysia is just the best food haven on earth. Wuhoo! By the way I’m loving the dessert here. Should I even bother to elaborate? Indonesia is good with their sweet offerings. Hands down they rock it, hard. Ahaha

 

The prayer room, inside the lounge itself! Convenience is the key. But don’t be surprised, you can find surau or musholla as what they called it here in almost all nasi padang restaurant. Performed Jama’ prayers here, as usual, have to skip the friday prayer at the mosque. The captain had skipped five times now. How he wanted to have a day off on Friday.

Alhamdulillah done with the prayers, walked off the room, WHERE DA HELL ARE MY SHOES???

 

“Sir, it’s with me, let me polish it first”

OKKKKKKK.

I nearly decline. Soo not used to such hospitality. Can’t recall how much gratitude I had offered to him. Never in my life ever I had my shoes polished by none other but myself.

 

OOOOOO free internet by the computer on top of the free wifi. Things keeps getting better as I walk through the lounge!

 

Enjoying few sip of bliss. Hell no, I had few glasses of that orange juice. Perfect balance of tartness and hint of sweet aftertaste. OK I know I’ll be happy if I’m fed with free food. Ahaha.

 

Like seriously? Free massage?

 

Oh yeahh they do. Two masseurs taking charge of the patrons’ aching physique. They were rather reluctant to have me snapping photos of them at work. Thank god I’m not a massage junkie ( coz the massage translate as tickling gestures on my body and I might pass out laughing ), or else I may spend the entire 3 hours of waiting in this parlour. My Mama will definitely appreciate this facility.

 

 

The only thing I ate. Shut up. Diet went out the window. Heyyy I need to fly therefore I need to get fueled up! Ahahaha dear fat please magically dissapear from my waist, tummy and all the undesired areas you’re roaming.

 

How I missed The Star back home. This is the only paper I can actually understand reading through each page ahaha.

 

Killing the last 30 minutes doing thing that I love, browsing through mamatiamia’s!

 

To my surprise, I was featured! Ahahaha my celebrity status is on the rise. Watch out world, I’ll be coming out with my record soon! Ahahaha. Felt like a living celebrity, not a dead one ahahaha, OK bed is calling. Let’s dream!

 

 

P/S: Siti Nurhaliza attracted to Dato’ K partly due to his moustache. Will be growing some soon. OKKKK not!

Pobondo tu??

 

Done with the day, back to the apartment, all I wanna do was to catch up with my sleep. And then…..

 

An envelope??

 

 

Waddahell is this? My rent is only due by next year. What could this envelope holds? Is the owner wanted to chase me out coz he wanted to give away the apartment to his daughter for her upcoming wedding? Wait, she’s only 2 years old. Hahaha the imagination went all wild trying to figure out the content of the envelope. Whatever, just open it.

 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???? OK enough of unwanted surprises. The dreamland is calling.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………….

Newfound love

 

We found love in a hopeless place, we found love in a hopeless place

I just read a tweet stating that if you use ‘Honestly’ as an opening of a sentence, you aren’t actually being honest in the first place. But here I am, being all honest, from the bottom of my humbled heart haha, honestly saying that I don’t enjoy the song quoted above by Rihanna. Just felt like putting a quote that which optimizes the word found and love. OK too much digression.

Hello fellow readers, since I’m a self proclaimed the biggest fan of Siti Nurhaliza, I assumed y’all do the same too. ahahaha

I love Malaysia. What’s there not to love?? It’s THE country that practices 24 hour gluttony and proud to have one of the highest mortality rate of heart diseases  -__-

Therefore suffice for me to blorg a little bit more on my recent homecoming, which I met my ultimate favourite blorgger mamatiamia! She’s soo cool that soo many came into curiosity of asking who is she ever since I dedicated a link to her blorg. We share the same kampung, not the same house for sure ahaha, proud to be negeri sembilan people, though I was born in Selangor ( Ya Allah all of my justifications turned out to be so contradicting ), and she even went to the same school as my Mama did.

By the way big kudos to  akak greetingsfromengland for that compliment on my Mama haha. She surely enjoys her youthful look despite her age, but my main concern is her health, insyaAllah everything’s gonna be in the OK land.

 

Hot FM’s entrance, at the reception hallway of Mamatiamia’s office. OK Fara Fauzana wasn’t fat at all ahahaha. Heard stories about the studio  is haunted by spirit I don’t even wanna elaborate. But the truth is, it’s located at the ground floor, relatively at the entrance of the main building and you can even see the DJ in action. Aren’t ghosts supposed to locate themselves in a more spooky setting, or they just wanted to be a DJ? OK shut up.

We met and she gave me a superbly done pure sambal bawang nogori which only true nogorians can appreciate the love that the simple and fulfilling sambal has to offer. Those who aren’t in favour of onions, please walk away ahaha. We then proceed to the cafeteria cum food court for a chat, and trust me we talked like we have met forever. So much to gossip for such a short period of time, it was friday so the call for friday prayer is the main priority.

Mamatiamia was talking about Ikea’s meatball and without much of a significance she expressed her desire of eating banana leaf rice = __ =

Right after the prayer at Kayu Ara mosque, I began my search for the coveted and much talked about banana leaf rice. She did said about a restaurant in TTDI, so there I went. My Mama did told me before about her experience eating it but never take me out to sample it. An Indian friend once said it’s sinful to eat the rice other than using our hand. OK I can do that hahaha.

 

Found it! Ordered the fried quarter chicken, breast side and a cup of rassam. Honestly, and yes I’m being honest here, I’m kinda clueless on how to order the food, and later to find out that the food actually comes to you. Ooooo heavenly!

 

The highlight of the whole experience, right hand in action! Get it all wet and messy!

 

The yellow star to conceal the uber huge mole, inherited from my Mama haha

 

It is the newfound love. Why didn’t I try this meal before? Why only few days before I leave for Jakarta? WHYYYYYY?

Total damage: RM15.40. Hmmmm, more on the expensive slope. BUT, it was quarter chicken and the rice is seriously equivalent to 3 plates. So it was rather economical right? It filled me up and I’m never been more satisfied over a meal. Hidup banana leaf rice!

 

 

Met a friend, for the first time too in The Empire Subang and we had a long chat about work and he’s into fashion, High fashion to be specific. His words inspired me so much my mouth was literally opened soo wide everytime more and more explicit details about designers’ goods were told. One day I’ll be shopping in KLCC ground floor boutiques and money will never be an object, anymore, Astaghfirullahalazim. Initially we wanted to hit Dave’s Deli, only one thing registered in mind, the glorious Hainanese Chicken Chop!!! It turned out the sky wasn’t soo pleasing and it rained like hell. We ended up at The Loaf. Thanks Tun Mahathir for coming out with such a brilliant bakery, the bakestuffs are to die for.

 

The newfound affair. The chocolate croissant. Delicious is an understatement. It was divine. Oooo yeah. What a wholesome day it was. Great company + great chitchat and gossips ( my favourite part of the whole thing ) + super good food. What is there not to love about Malaysia. And why am I being so patriotic??

 

Just for the record, Siti Nurhaliza went to the same school as my father did wtf

I I I WANNA GO GO GO!!

 

Hello my deary subjects ( ok I’m registering myself for a homicide with this salutation )

I just got so much to talk about, plentiful of stories to be told, pictures to share ( like I have my own loyal audience to this lackluster blorg ). The main reason that leads to this enthusiasm,  I WAS BACK, back in tanah tumpah kari daging, MALAYSIA!! MALAISIE MALAISIE! I’m a proud Malaisien. Siti Nurhaliza Siti Nurhaliza !!! OK shut up

*** p/s: Malaisien was never a typo ***

I’m the guy of such full of surprises, especially towards my Mama. The other night I was having a night stop in Bali and next morning I’ll be texting my Mama advising her that I’ll be boarding a 1 pm flight bound for KL. Wuhooo home after 7 months in the foreign land. It makes me sound as if I’m currently residing in Alaska or something, I’m just 2 hours flight away from home but to get an empty slot in the schedule for me to apply leave can be a tiresome ordeal. But whatever, I’m back and about to gain weight ( dead ).

 

In such an unchronological manner, I skipped to the part of the homecoming that is worth the attention compared to the other. I missed out on the kenduri doa selamat for my Uncle and aunt, and an annoying cousin, hahaha whom will be leaving for Mekkah to perform the Hajj. Alhamdulillah was given the opportunity to be the company to the Tabung Haji Complex in Kelana Jaya. It’s such a good exposure for someone like me who basically have lost his touch and knowledge on Hajj pilgrimage, and I myself don’t even have a clue where the complex is. But pretty sure and full of confidence that it’s located rather near to Makcik Gemuk kuey teow in KJ. Ask me where you can find that fat makcik, I’ll spill you the location if I’m in the mood to be generous hahaha.

Few weeks ago, in Lombok, done with the day after 6 landings ( physically and emotionally drained hahaha ). We  were ahead of the schedule and landed on the last flight approximately half an hour ahead of schedule. I was like a wilted stalk of celery and all that in mind was to check into the hotel and get my much anticipated afternoon nap. Do you get into dreams when you’re having your nap? Or does that considered as an ordinary sleep wtf. It came into a surprise that the airport was jammed packed, road was at the standstill. I was left in a daze, this is not federal highway or the roads in Jakarta. Lombok is just basically stunning beach and tobacco plantations. Later we were told by the driver that the pilgrims of the island were embarking for the hajj flight. OK noted and understood. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, the family of the pilgrims that came along, MasyaAllah!! They were in the lorry, and I can assure you not less than 20 people were on it!! That’s just one lorry, imagine the airport compound was full of lorries which were full of relatives of the pilgrims! Some even sat on top of the lorry’s driver compartment and I’m out of words to describe it hahaha. So, what’s the hype with accompanying the pilgrims, You ain’t gonna be granted with free tickets ( OK I’ll slap my face for making such vulgar statement ).

 

Business opportunities. Luckily my niece wasn’t with us or less dead

 

Bubbles came out between the gaps of the grill. Again, my niece wasn’t around. hahaha

 

Do I look fat, honestly??

Kartinot ( hahaha ), the ever annoying cousin, came to me and said, “Am I the the youngest pilgrim for this flight?” That is sooo annoying my dear cousin. AHAHAHA It’s your rezeki to have that valuable opportunity to visit the sacred land at the tender age of 21. Haha you’re already in the 20’s hoho

 

The ladies: dearest Mama, Mak Uda, Sistah Kak Da and Kartinot haha

 

When I salam my aunt to bid farewell for the journey, I did wished her “selamat menunaikan rukun islam ke 6”

“hoi yang ke 5 la. Mana ada sampai 6!”

 

hahahahah sorry my bad

 

 

 

And the group photo before the check in. Ya Allah we were next to the trash bin hahaha. OK let’s get back to the enquiry, why so many to accompany? Why a whole load of lorry of relatives? Why??

So this is my take to this issue. To be part of this pilgrimage does require a pilgrim to be well prepared mentally and physically as the journey can be physically enduring, especially to the elderly. The role that needs to be played by the relatives is to ease the burden as much as they could afford to, like helping the pilgrims upon the registration at the Hajj complex, help to label the luggage and carry it around. Try to empathize, the pilgrims may get overwhelmed with the whole process and you’re there as a support system. It may get me into an emotional state as I haven’t met them for 7 months! InsyaAllah may the time comes I will at least have some rough ideas on how things are going on before departure to Mekkah. InsyaAllah  Amin

 

OK this is fairly a job of an idiot, I did looked around hoping to see Siti Nurhaliza, with hopes she’ll be on the same flight. Astaghfirullahalazim! Focus on the pilgrims not on the celebrity!!

 

Wongga Wongga!!