Best Time For Malay Food!

The best time for Malay food in Malaysia, (in my opinion) is during Ramadan! Ironically, Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting! In the day you'll probably wont find much food, however, as the sun is about to set you'll start to see people setting up stalls with the roads. These food and drink stalls usually start business at about 4pm till the breaking of fast and are known as Ramadan Bazaars. At these bazaars you can find just about all kinds of Malay food! The pricing are reasonable and variety is just endless. It's a great way to try everything in one place!

You'll find roti jala (rice cakes shaped like nets), mutabak (roti with meat filings), kuehs (traditional cakes), agar-agar, nasi kandar, satay (bbq meat) and the list goes on.

Ramadan Bazaars are only around during the Ramadan month!! So hurry and don't miss out. In my opinion this is almost the best time to visit Malaysia, as there will be many traditional shows and sales during this festive season!

Get them before it's gone! Photos from Bangsar Ramadan Bazaar

Oven Hot: Banana Pound Cake!

I had some banana's laying around that were going to go bad if I didn't do something with them..  So, this is what i made. 

Banana Pound Cake

This was the first cake my mum taught me to make. I think I was 10 or 12. This recipe is super duper easy. I can it the "fail proof cake". Basically, this is the simple pound cake recipe only with a twist, there many variation you can try out.

Anyways, this is the basic pound cake recipe:
Equal parts of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.

Fridge Cool: Green Tea Konnyaku!

Konnyaku is an increasingly popular form of Japanese "jelly". It is extremely chewy and has a fresh taste. Traditionally Japanese people eat it with porridge but now it has become a popular dessert!

And this is "My Take" on it on this traditional dessert/dish.

Green Tea Konnyaku

Start by preparing the green tea, powdered green tea is the best but it is pretty expensive. So as an alternative I use tea bags. The taste of the jelly will depend on the tea you use, so i suggest using a better quality of tea.

These are my favourite:

My Favourite Green Tea

Now that we have our green tea, follow the instructions on the pack of konnyaku jelly. Let's say the pack says use 1250ml of water, I will reduce the water by about 20%. 

1. So, bring 1000ml of water to boil then add in the green tea. You will need about 2 packets. Prepare the green tea as you would normally. I personally like the texture of tea so I will break one of the tea bags then strain the tea leaves out. 

2. Slowly add in the konnyaku jelly powder into the prepared green tea, keep stirring to avoid the konnyaku from forming lumps. 

3. Now bring the mixture to boil. Stir once in awhile. Once the mixture come to a boil you can turn off the flames. The mixture will look bubbly don't worry it will disappear once it cools. 

4. Let the mixture cool then mix in the citric or malic acid. This is very important for making the jelly chewy. Be careful not to add too much, the jelly will not set with too much.

5. At this point you can add in all kinds of fruits and flavoring but since I am making Green Tea Konnyaku, I will just let it be and pour then into the molds. The jelly will set once it is cooled. Chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before serving for the best results. 

Preparing the green tea

Keeping mixing while adding

The mixture will look bubbly, don't worry!!! 

Final Product!!!