Pickled Green Chillies

Is it just me, or has the quality of pickled green chillies gone down drastically? Maybe PJ stalls still make their own pickled green chillies with the care and attention they deserve, but here in KL, I can tell you it’s a rare day that you find anything but watery, underpickled, boring rubbish. Now for

Pineapple Fried Rice

Is Pineapple Fried Rice Thailand’s equivalent of Chow Mein or Spaghetti Meatballs, or is it a genuine Thai dish? I may be offending my Thai friends by casting asparagus, but I’m honestly wondering. There are some dishes a white person like me simply cannot order unless they want to be given the worst table in

Aromatic Crispy Duck

Our Aromatic Crispy Duck has come to its completion, so here is the actual recipe in full, without diversions into making your own Hoisin Sauce, for which you can make your own Black Bean Paste, for which you can make your own Five Spice Powder. Guess who was fool enough to make all his own

Japanese Curry Udon

Japanese Curry is neither. It’s not really Japanese and it’s definitely not a curry. Even the curry powder used is an English interpretation of curry powder. It’s all really rather weird; No person in ANY curry cooking country would ever make curry like that. And yet it is so delicious you can’t stop eating it.

Project: Aromatic Crispy Duck – Part 5: Steaming the Duck

Today we are going to steam our duck. It has been marinating in its spiced salt for two days and is ready to hit the steam bath. We’ve come quite a long way in this long project, so don’t give up on me now! Five Spice Powder (see Project: Aromatic Crispy Duck – Part 1:

Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin Sauce is ridiculously easy to make and I promise you, it is so delicious, you’ll be licking the spoon (I know I did). I do recommend that you make your own Black Bean Paste as well as your own Five Spice Powder, which will make all the difference. Neither is particularly difficult to do

Stir-Fried Beef with Bitter Gourd and Black Bean Sauce

This dish has been attacked and perverted by my mat salleh spirit. By right there should be lots of bitter gourd and a little beef for flavouring, but I felt like meat, so it’s a half and half affair. Feel free to adjust the quantities to your preference. As long as you stay with a

Project: Aromatic Crispy Duck – Part 3: Black Bean Paste

Black Bean Paste is a fantastically useful thing to have in the kitchen. It can elevate a simple dish and a teaspoonful can save a boring dish from oblivion. I will not only show you how to make black bean paste, but also show you one recipe that is both simple and delicious and really

Project: Aromatic Crispy Duck – Part 2: Aromatic Salt and Spice Mix

Here’s the second part of our quest for that perfect Crispy Aromatic Duck, served with delicious, thin pancakes and homemade hoisin sauce. In part 1, we made the Five Spice Powder, so that’s crossed off the list and all that remains to do before we get to sink our teeth into the crisp duck is

Project: Aromatic Crispy Duck – Part 1: Five Spice Powder

A word of warning: This post contains upsetting images of a dead duck. So if you are my vegetarian, animal loving friend, please don’t read on. That’s the reason there is no relevant picture features here. That will come later, when the duck is less recognizable as such. This is a rather involved project, not