Kangkong Belacan (Malaysian Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste)

Salads are all well and good, but most of the time, I prefer my greens sauteed. I love rau muong/ong choy/kangkong (Vietnamese/Chinese/Malaysian water spinach), but mostly eat it as Rau Muong Xao Toi Chao (Vietnamese Water Spinach Stir-fried with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd). So recently, I decided to change things up a notch and make it Malaysian-style with Mam Ruoc (Vietnamese Fermented Shrimp Paste). If you have blocks of Malaysian belacan, then by all means use that, but I've found the Vietnamese version just fine for substitution.

The fermented shrimp paste and dried shrimp are incredibly pungent, so make sure you have a good exhaust fan or air filter turned on high. And for some weird reason, this recipe is all in portions of two. You'll see what I mean.

Penang Asam Laksa (Malaysian Penang-Style Tamarind Fish Soup)

After recently eating Penang Asam Laksa (Malaysian Penang-style Tamarind and Fish Soup) at Yazmin Malaysian Restaurant in Alhambra, and last summer at Banana Leaf Restaurant - Milpitas, and making asam laksa from a package, I figured I was finally ready to try making it myself.

I knew there was tamarind, lemongrass, galangal but you know I prefer ginger, belachan (Malaysian shrimp paste) which I usually substitute with Mam Ruoc (Vietnamese Fermented Shrimp Paste). MalaysianFood.net had a pretty adaptable recipe which confirmed which ingredients I thought I needed for the soup.

I think it's the combination of tamarind and shrimp paste that makes me liken asam laksa to a cross between Canh Chua Ca (Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup) and Bun Bo Hue (Vietnamese Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup), which makes it understandable why my Vietnamese palate had a craving for it one cold and rainy night.

Yazmin Malaysian Restaurant - Alhambra (Closed)

Along with giving me the calamansi, when I met up with Pink Candles at Ridgemont High I suggested Yazmin Malaysian Restaurant in Alhambra because I knew she liked to try new cuisines. Also, it gave me a chance to revisit the restaurant and to finally blog it.

So I'll start back in June 2008 when I first went to Yazmin with cousin Q and his younger brother.

How to Prepare and Use Tamarind in Recipes

Me (Vietnamese Tamarind) is a common ingredient in several dishes for a slightly sweet-tart flavor. You can buy tamarind pods whole for a few bucks at the Asian or Mexican grocery store. I find the Asian tamarind of better quality than the Mexican tamarind in my area -- pods intact, fresher, sweeter tasting.

You can actually snack on these plain if you wish. They taste like chewy sweet-tart candy.

To prepare tamarind for recipes is pretty simple.

Banana Leaf Restaurant - Milpitas

After third lunch at House of Nanking - San Francisco, the plan was to drop lil' sis and the middle '87 off at my cousin's place since lil' sis wasn't feeling well, and then go meet up with my high school friend. But we got caught in traffic and I took the wrong freeway, thereby missing the exit to my cousin's condo. Instead of making me turn around, lil' sis nicely offered to sleep in the car while I met up with my friend. Awww. So sweet of her. And my cousin decided to meet up with a friend who lived nearby.




The only place I knew of in the South Bay and had recommended to my friend long ago was Vung Tau Restaurant - San Jose. She loves it and has pretty much eaten everything on the menu so she wanted to try a new place. Ila of I Nom Things recommended Banana Leaf Restaurant in Milpitas.

Pandan Mini Cupcakes with Coconut Flakes, Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix, Belacan Chicken Wings, Thai Green Curry Paste, and Instant Rendang Mix

I finally got around to trying the Pondan Pandan Chiffon Cake Mix, which sells for $3.99, that I received from Asian Supermarket 365. I was debating whether to make a cake when lil' sis suggested I make mini cupcakes instead. We used store-bought white frosting. Lil' sis frosted them and sprinkled the toasted coconut flakes. Bite-sized goodness. The coconut flakes nicely complemented the green flavor of the pandan. I was at a loss for descriptive phrases. How would you describe pandan?

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

I think the line between products I review and when they become recipes depends on whether I followed the directions on the back of the package or did my own thing. Or maybe I make an exception for curries? Because Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) is the only Vietnamese curry recipe I know and the curry powder comes from a jar. I did attempt Gaeng Kiaw Waan (Thai Green Curry with Thai Eggplants) with good results. But that's because lemongrass was an ingredient I was familiar with and could adjust according to my taste.

Anyway, after having made and eaten several Malaysian dishes in the past few weeks, I felt more confident in my abilities. A quick phone call to my cousin to get generalities of a Malaysian mango chicken curry she had recently and I was ready to experiment.

Old Town White Milk Tea (3 Dalam 1 Teh Tarik)

I've got several Hong Kong cafe posts that I'm just too lazy to get out. The great thing with the Hong Kong cafes in the San Gabriel Valley is their breakfast or afternoon tea specials. For about $5, you get a small entree, sometimes a side or dessert, and a drink. For $5! Unfortunately, the specials are usually between 3 or 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., when everyone is at work.

So I made a quickie Hong Kong cafe-style afternoon tea for one.

AA1 Instant Seafood Curry Mix (Rempah Kari Segera)

Is it just me? Are ya'll feeling the summer doldrums too? Too lazy to cook. Too lazy to go out. Definitely too lazy to post. :P

I'm slowly eating my way through the box of goodies from Asian Supermarket 365. I've been trying out various packets whenever the mood strikes me. On this particular night it was seafood curry. Don't ask me why I got a craving for seafood curry, I just did.

Singlong Black Pepper Sauce (Sos Lada Hitam)

Since I was making a seafood fest for lil' sis's 21st birthday bash, it was a great chance for me to try Singlong Black Pepper Sauce for crabs from the box of goodies I received from Asian Supermarket 365. The sauce sells for $2.89.

Bamboe Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) and Aik Cheong Instant CoffeeTea 3 in 1 Mix

I had leftover chicken and rice from several restaurants outings and the thought of eating them again just wasn't very appealing. Luckily I remembered I had a packet of Bamboe Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) from Asian Supermarket 365. The mix sells for $1.59. The ingredients listed were simply shallots, garlic, chili, salt, tomato, and vegetable oil.

Hmm. Seems so simple. Couldn't I just do this at home?

ChanHong Penang Asam Laksa Noodle Instant Sauce and Ayam Brand Sardines

One of the items I requested and the first paste that I tried from the box of goodies I received from Asian Supermarket 365 was asam laksa, a Malaysian hot and sour fish noodle dish. Obviously, if you're the so-very-talented Bee of Rasa Malaysia you would make Penang assam laksa by scratch. :P But, even Lily's Wai Sek Hong used a mix when she's not in Malaysia. So that's good enough for me.

Teh Tarik (Malaysian "Pulled" Milk Tea) and Pandan Kaya (Malaysian Screwpine Leaves and Coconut Jam)

When the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 asked if there were any products in particular that I wanted to try, I had some idea in mind based upon what I had read on various food blogs. I first heard of kaya spread from Tigerfish of Teczcape, who made a kaya and butter sandwich. She said it's a common breakfast or snack in Singapore too. Coconut jam spread on toast sounded intriguing. So I definitely knew I wanted to try some when given the opportunity. So I had a nice afternoon tea for one with a packet of Aik Cheong brand Teh Tarik, $5.99 for 15 sachets, and ChanHong Pandan Kaya-Coconut Spread, $3.39 for a 400 g jar. The tea, a blend of black tea with non-dairy creamer and sugar, was very smooth. Each packet makes a big cup of tea, I just poured half into a smaller teacup for a prettier photo. The pandan kaya spread tasted like sweet eggy coconut milk. I think when I make the pandan chiffon cake, this will make a nice filling between layers. I was trying to figure out where to categorize my posts from the bounty of Malaysian and Indonesian goodies I got from Asian Supermarket 365. I do think they do provide a valuable service for many people who might not have access to such products. I think the best way is to simply include links to the posts when I prepare a package, like this one, but on that list in my Terrible Twos post since I already had each product typed out. Blah. Blah. Blah. You wanna hear who won right? The winners of the three $10 vouchers from Asian Supermarket 365 are: Vicki of A Work in Progress Ning of Heart and Hearth and Hong P. of Secret Garden Studios And the winners of one item from my "backlist" of recipes are: Hong P. (What can I say, he literally paid to double his chances. Thanks for the donation to my Figs with Bri fundraiser!) Jonathan of Days of the Dragon Hedgehog of Diary of a Novice Cook Please email wanderingchopsticks (at) gmail (dot) com so I can send you the online code for your vouchers. Of course, you are under no obligation to blog or write about their products, but the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 would appreciate it if you do. For the winners of my prize, please send me your mailing address, the item of your choice in case you changed your mind from what you commented on before, and I'll send it off when I get a chance. If you didn't win, for a $10 donation to my Figs with Bri fundraiser, you can get a chance at 5 items of your choice. Deadline is June 30. For those of you who didn't win the vouchers, the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 have nicely offered a 3% discount to Wandering Chopsticks readers, just enter code "WC30608A" at checkout. Expiration date is June 30, 2008. If the discount is popular with my readers, they said they might extend the expiration date. ***** 1 year ago today, and we had a winner at last year's drawing too. 2 years ago today, still my favorite Hong Kong-style cafe, Baccali Cafe & Rotisserie - Alhambra.

Yong Tau/Tow Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

Don't see any tofu you say? Well, yong tau foo (Chinese stuffed tofu) was created in the 1960s in Chew Kuan restaurant as a dish of only stuffed tofu, and now can mean any of a variety of stuffed vegetables. It is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. The stuffed tofu and vegetables may also be served with a clear soup and noodles.

I had frozen the cha ca (Vietnamese fish paste) my youngest aunt had given me a few months back. For the recent death anniversary dinner of my ba noi (paternal grandmother), I decided to defrost the cha ca and stuff it. But instead of making my usual Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce), I remembered Rasa Malaysia had stuffed okra and chili peppers. It was so gorgeous that I decided to prepare it that way as well, but substituting the chili peppers with sweet baby bell peppers. I also had some Brussels sprouts sitting around, so I halved those and stuffed them as well.

I haven't made cha ca since I was 12 years old, so you'll have to wait for that recipe. Or maybe that's just as well because I remember adding baking soda to fluff up the fish paste. Then I got clever and added more baking soda because that would make the fish paste even fluffier right? Well, it did, but it also made the fish paste incredibly bitter. So for now, you can either buy from the store, or use my recipe for shrimp paste. You can find fish paste at most Asian grocery stores either in the fresh seafood counter or frozen. Depending on the variety of fish, the paste may be either pink, pale gray, or gray.

Belacan Grill - Redondo Beach

I had eaten Malaysian food in Northern California and in Oregon, but hadn't tried it in Southern California. So when Belacan Grill in Redondo Beach was recommended to me as the best in SoCal, I figured I might as well start there. I hesitate when people say anything is the "best" because it builds in a set of expectations.

Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie - Alhambra

So I'm new to this whole blogging thing and haven't gotten used to taking my digicam with me everywhere I go. That and my food recommendations usually consist of taking my friends to my favorite restaurants and having them oooh and aaah over whatever I order. That being said, I do have some favorites for various dishes. Alhambra is a suburban Chinatown. And Valley Blvd. stretching down to San Gabriel is filled with hundreds of Chinese restaurants.

One of them is Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie. I'm not sure how it's pronounced but I say it as if it's Vietnamese. (Bac as in North and Cali as in California.) But the restaurant is purely Chinese/Chinese fusion. The menu lists several hundred items with Chinese-Malaysian, Chinese-Singaporean, and Hong Kong Chinese dishes. The restaurant looks like it's trying to be a cafe and sports bar in one. Whole chickens are spinning on the rotisserie.

The menu lists several hundred items ranging from two dozen kinds of fried rice to lobster newberg and New York steak. I go for the beef chow fun in dry soy sauce, deep fried chicken wings in spicy salt, and Korean short ribs and chicken fried steak with black pepper sauce with sides of rice or pasta and vegetables. All that and two Thai iced tea with bobas were $26.

The beef chow fun had nice large slices of meat, the dry soy sauce imparts a mellow saltiness to balance out the blandness of the noodles. The chicken wings were crispy-skinned and still juicy. The black pepper sauce on the ribs and steak had a slight kick and was so flavorful with the plain white rice. I don't much care for their pasta as it's a sweet tomato sauce that I've been told tastes like Filipino spaghetti so if that's your thing... I've tried their deep fried frog legs, lobster newberg and sambal dishes. But I go back for those three favorites.

It's a Hong Kong cafe in the style of OK Cafe and Alhambra Garden and other places -- a fusion of diasporic Chinese cuisine and American offerings.  

Update January 11, 2007: Went back for dinner and finally brought my camera. Baked Pork Chop Rice $7.95, beef chow fun with dry soy sauce $6.50, deep fried chicken wings $6.


Update June 14, 2007: How funny that I went back here almost the week before my anniversary post. Of course, I remembered my camera this time. So my recent meal included a Hong Kong milk tea. Basically like English tea but with condensed milk. Free refills. Mmm.


Black pepper beef with crispy chow mein for $7.95.


Look at how crispy the chow mein noodles are. So delicious.


And the triple crown - steak, chicken steak, and pork chop in mushroom sauce with pasta and veggies for $11.95. Lunch prices are slightly less.


Update October 2, 2007: Another revisit for lunch and this time I ordered the aforementioned Korean short ribs, chicken steak with pasta for $8.50.


Malaysian roasted chicken with curry rice for $6.50.


Other Hong Kong cafes:
Garden Cafe - Alhambra
Sika's - Alhambra (Closed)
Sunday Bistro - Alhambra
Tasty Garden - Alhambra

Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie
245 West Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-293-3300
Open 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.