our malaysian food.......

Malaysian Food Culture

Dining - Malaysian cuisine is exotic with an exciting range of flovours and culinary styles offerring the uninitiated an endless gastronomic adventure. It comprises three main group - Malay, Chinese and Indian with each having its own distinct style of cooking. There are also cuisines that have evolved from the meeting of cultures notably those of the Nyonya and Indian Muslims communities. Western cuisines, especially Continental and Mediterranean fare, are also available in the major cities. Indeed, Malaysia as a meeting place of both eastern and western cultures, has produced a most diverse culinary melting pot. For teh visitor who is interested in dining out, Kuala Lumpur will prove to be a unique experience both in terms of the array of culinary delights as well as in the wide choice of settings. You can dine out at posh hotels, restaurants, elegant chain restaurants, chic sidewalk cafes, delicatessens or eat out at the many hawker stalls till the wee hours of the morning.

Malay Cuisines - Malay cuisine is rich and spicy arising from the use of hard spices and a wet spice mixture of "rempah" and coconut milk. Malay cuisine varies from region to region. Kelantanese cuisine, akin to Thai cooking for example, has a sweetish taste due to liberal use of coconut milk and sugar in cooking. On the other hand, the cuisine of Kedah is spicier due to the influence of Indians who arrived here centuries ago during the spice trade. For the adventurous, there is an array of popular Malay dishes to tantalise their taste buds. A favourite with Malaysians is "Nasi Lemak", rice cooked in coconut milk served with anchovies, squid, eggs, cucumber and sambal (chili paste). An East Coast favourite is "Nasi dagang", fragrant unpolished glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk and served with tuna fish curry. "Nasi Kerabu", another rice-based dish native to Kelantan, is served with local herbs and salted fish. A Malay banquet would not be complete without the ever popular "Satay", skewered chicken or beef marinated in spices, then grilled over charcoal fire. It is served with peanut gravy, rice cubes, cucumber and onions.




Chinese Cuisines - A wide variety of Chinese cuisines is available in Kuala Lumpur. Among the popular styles of cooking are those of the Cantonise, Hokkien, Hainanese, Hakka and Szechuan communities. Generally, Chinese cuisines is mild in flovour but local influence has given it a slightly spicier taste. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, there are elevenses where "Dim Sum" (steam snacks) is served. Apart from hotels outlets and large chain restaurants, Chinese food is also available in most coffee shops around Kuala Lumpur.




Nyonya Cuisines - Nyonya or "Peranakan" cuisines evolved out of a unique blend of Malay and Chinese cooking styles. It is characterised by sweet, sour, spicy and pungent flovours. Typical dishes include "Otak-otak" (fish meat marinated in spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled) and "Itik tim" (duck with salted vegetables). The cuisines is best tried in Nyonya restaurants which have become popular in recent years.

Indian Cuisines - Contrary to popular perception, Indian cuisines need not be searingly hot. Various spice blends are used in Indian cuisines to give a robust flavour to food but yoghurt almost always accompanies a meal at the end to cool down the tastebuds. Milder on the tastebuds are dishes such as "Kurma" (mild meat curry) and "Tandoori" chicken (chicken baked in clay oven). Generally, Southern Indian cuisines is hotter than its Northern Indian and Moghul counterparts and is characterised by the heavy use of cream meat-based dishes and "Naan" breads. Indian -Muslims cuisine is another local favourite one ought to try while in Kuala Lumpur. Popular dishes include fish head curry, "Murtabak" (pancake with spiced meat mixture) and "Mee goreng" (fried noodles).

International Cuisines - Foreign visitors will be pleasantly surprised to discover the abundance of International cuisines available in Kuala Lumpur. Restaurant serving International cuisines can usually be found in major hotels as well as in the vacinity of Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Ampang and Bangsar where there is a sizeable expatriate community.

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aliens attack....

The chance of encountering intelligent extraterrestrial life becomes greater every day. As of January 8, 2008, 217 planets have been discovered outside of our solar system and 2-3 new ones are found each month. Famous astronomer Carl Sagan believed there to be billions upon billions of planets in the universe. With such high numbers it is hard, if not impossible, to believe that there is no intelligent life in the universe besides human and that an alien invasion and destruction of Earth is impossible. It is theorized that it would not be a conflict between humans and aliens that would cause lead to our end but that the aliens would exploit Earth for her resources or merely disrupt the planet by mistake.

The highest ranking female official in vietnam...

: We chose this story because it exemplifies Seattle’s progressive relationship with Asia. It mentions the fact that Washington state’s former Gov. Mike Lowry was the first to visit Vietnam. Also, it portrays Ninh’s unique position in a government not known for having many female leaders.

Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh was once the highest ranking female official in the Vietnamese government. Now retired from her official diplomatic roles — she is the former ambassador to the European Union and Brussels — she has founded a new private university in Vietnam, called Tri Viet (which means Vietnamese intellect). Ninh was in town to meet with various faculty and administration members at the University of Washington, hoping to forge educational ties.

During her three-day trip to Seattle, she stopped by the Northwest Asian Weekly’s office Jan. 8 to share her vision of the new university.

This was Ninh’s third time to Seattle, a city she said was one of her favorite on the West Coast. She also mentioned the diversity of Seattle, and the fact that “Seattle turns to Asia a lot.”

She hoped that the University of Washington would provide an “overall mentoring role for” the process of creating a university. She cited several reasons for approaching UW. “First of all, it’s a top quality university, but it’s not part of the so-called traditional Ivy League. ... They have too many people courting them.”

She added that another reason was because “Washington state engaged with Vietnam quite early on, even before normalization. After all, former Gov. (Mike) Lowry was the first U.S. governor to ever visit Vietnam.

In terms of her own university, Ninh outlined the differences between universities already present in Vietnam and her vision for Tri Vet. A former academic and English teacher of 10 years, Ninh said, “It will be completely private, no public funds. And it’s going to be a holistic endeavor, meaning that we want to create the school from scratch, building the physical infrastructure and creating the whole campus. We want it to be innovative, interdisciplinary, trying to make up for some of the deficiencies of the existing system in Vietnam.”

In order to ensure high standards, Ninh said that she would focus on the recruitment of faculty and staff, paying them “good salaries” but decreeing that no faculty be allowed to teach elsewhere, contrary to the common practice of professors who are “affiliated with one university, but are visiting lecturers at too many other colleges. They don’t give their brain and soul to their home colleges,” she said, and consequently, they don’t contribute to the development of their schools.

A series of dust clouds.......

A series of dust clouds originating with distinct wind events over Asia two weeks ago, have made their way across the Pacific and spread a whitish haze across half of the U.S., sources say.

Gene Feldman, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD said aircraft have been monitoring the particulates in the dust clouds. Apparently, the dust clouds picked up industrial pollution from two of China's largest cities and are now blanketing the mid-Western United States with this matter. Dr. Feldman said, "At one time, the dust cloud was bigger than Japan."

As early as 1998, scientists were claiming that industrial pollution from China was spreading to the United States where pollution in the U.S. was rising to two-thirds the federal health limits. The current storm proves this theory to be true. Pollution from Asia is reaching in the U.S. in alarming amounts.



The particulates in the dust clouds that reduce visibility and cause respiratory problems have not been measured in such high volume since Mt. St. Helens erupted, and even then, the particulates did not reach the ground as they are in this case.

The dust storms could even reach the Eastern U.S., but experts say they will probably dissipate as they move across the midwest.

A series of dust clouds originating with distinct wind events over Asia two weeks ago, have made their way across the Pacific and spread a whitish haze across half of the U.S., sources say.

Gene Feldman, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD said aircraft have been monitoring the particulates in the dust clouds. Apparently, the dust clouds picked up industrial pollution from two of China's largest cities and are now blanketing the mid-Western United States with this matter. Dr. Feldman said, "At one time, the dust cloud was bigger than Japan."

As early as 1998, scientists were claiming that industrial pollution from China was spreading to the United States where pollution in the U.S. was rising to two-thirds the federal health limits. The current storm proves this theory to be true. Pollution from Asia is reaching in the U.S. in alarming amounts.



The particulates in the dust clouds that reduce visibility and cause respiratory problems have not been measured in such high volume since Mt. St. Helens erupted, and even then, the particulates did not reach the ground as they are in this case.

The dust storms could even reach the Eastern U.S., but experts say they will probably dissipate as they move across the midwest.

Blueberry Cake- melt in your mouth....

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup milk 2 egg whites 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
Cream butter or margarine and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Separate eggs and reserve the whites. Add egg yolks to the sugar mixture; beat until creamy.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder; add alternately with milk to egg yolk mixture. Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and add to batter.
In a separate bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Cheese Cake......

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, halved 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup strawberry glaze

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, white sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 cup sour cream, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Slowly beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour filling into crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until smooth, then spread over cheesecake. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top of the cheesecake. Spoon strawberry glaze over berries. Refrigerate several hours before serving

fried noodles.........my first recipe in ATI..

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound fresh egg noodles, thin variety
1/2 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 pound Chinese barbecued pork (char sieu) (available at Chinese stores), cut into 1/4-inch (5-mm) thick julienne
3 scallions, mainly the white part, sliced into 2-inch long shreds
1/2 cup snow peas, topped, tailed and cut into julienne
1 tablespoon wood ear fungus (wun yee) (available at Chinese stores), soaked for 30 minutes in warm water, rinsed and drained
1 cup celery, julienned
1 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup water
For Seasonings:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine (available at Chinese stores) or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water




DIRECTIONS
Drop the noodles into boiling water, loosen the strands with chopsticks, and when the water comes to a boil again, drain immediately. Rinse well under cold water and drain thoroughly. Spread the noodles on a tray to allow them to dry for at least 20 minutes. Lift them and gently shake to loosen and allow to dry more evenly. Arrange the noodles on a dinner plate and shape into a loose mound.


Heat the 1/2 cup oil in a wok until just beginning to smoke. Slide the noodle mound into the oil, and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the base of the noodles is crisping and turning golden brown. Flip over to the other side and fry. Remove and drain on paper towels. (The outside noodles are crisped and lightly browned, but the inside should still be soft and tender.) Keep warm in a low oven (210 degrees F) with the door open.


Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a wok. Stir-fry the Chinese barbecued pork and the scallions for 1 minute. Add the snow peas, wood ear fungus, celery, and bean sprouts and toss together over moderate heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle the water down the side of the wok, cover the wok with the lid and cook for about 30 seconds. Add all of the seasonings ingredients, stirring immediately until the sauce is lightly velvety.


TO SERVE: Arrange the fried noodles on a serving plate, place the Chinese barbecued pork and vegetables over the top of the noodles and serve.