Headhunter's Recipe Corner - Stir-Fried Spicy Baby Shark with Salted Fish

Since I started blogging about my favorite food places, I have been busy trying out new recipes as well. And everyone has been asking me for the recipes after trying out my cooking :) Well, I'm just a Wannabe-Chef and let me share the recipes of the dishes I have tried out, starting with the Stir-Fried Spicy Baby Shark with Salted Fish. Now, the most important thing is to find fresh baby shark meat, and I really mean, FRESH! I was lucky to get 1kg last weekend from the market and tried out the recipe last night. And I must say, well, not me, the comments from those who tried - VERY TASTY & NICE. To me, I liked the taste of it. It was simply delicious. 

Now, it's your turn to try it out and indulge yourself and release the chef in you. 

Tips for this recipe: Try not to over fry the baby shark meat. It only takes less than 2 minutes to cook it. 

Stir-Fried Spicy Baby Shark with Salted Fish

Ingredients:
300g Baby Shark's Meat (Sliced Thickly)
2 tbsp Cornflour
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
50g Salted Fish (Diced)
15g Ginger (Sliced)
10 Dried Chilies(Cut into sections)
6 Bird's Eye Chilies(Smashed)
2 Stalks Curry Leaves
1 Big Onion (Cut into wedges)


Marinade:
1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1/8 tsp Thick Soy Sauce
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 tbsp Meat Curry Powder


Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Sugar or to taste
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Shao Hsing Hua Tiau Wine
3 tbsp Water


Method:
Season baby shark meat with marinade and leave it aside for 10 minutes or longer. Just before deep frying, toss in cornflour. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Dish out and set aside.


Heat oil and sesame oil and fry salted fish until fragrant. Remove salted fish and set aside. 


To remaining oil in the wok, add ginger and dried chilies and fry until fragrant. Add bird's eye chilies ad curry leaves. Saute' well. Add Seasoning. 


Cook for a while. Add onion, baby sharks meat and pre-fried salted fish. Fry briefly then dish out to serve. 

Chicken Curry Laksa - My Favorite Food Places in Auckland, New Zealand

My Favorite Food: Curry Chicken Laksa (Served with Mihun + Yellow Mee)

Where: KL Kitchen

Address: Chinatown, Ti Rakau Drive, Botany, Auckland.

How much: $9.80

Taste Rating: 9 out of 10

Category: Non - Halal

Verdict: If you're conscious with your cholestrol level, then I'd say, stay away from this page, however, if you would like to have the best Chicken Curry Laksa in Auckland, I'd say, read on and enjoy :) I must say, I am not a really a Curry Laksa fan however, i believe, due to the weather in Auckland, I needed to consume / try something soupy or spicy to keep myself warm in this cold weather. That's when I found this Chicken Curry Laksa in Chinatown - Botany. I have tried curry laksa in other places around Auckland, but this is simply the best I have tried. The curry is thick, creamy and simply delicious. Served with half sliced egg, chicken, fried and normal tofu, scallions, yellow noodle and mihun, spices and the curry itself. I have been to KL Kitchen and had the Chicken Curry Laksa several times and the taste has always been the same. Not to forget, the Chicken Curry Laksa taste even better with the Sambal served with it. To all Curry Laksa fan's in New Zealand, KL Kitchen's Chicken Curry Laksa is a must try for sure!

What else: They also serve Seafood Curry Laksa, Wonton & BBQ Pork Laksa, Char Kueh Tiaw, Singapore Mee Hun, Hokkien Mee, Curry Chicken Rice, Hainan Chicken Rice, Wantan Mee, Prawn Mee, Claypot Crispy Noodles, Lam Mee, Loh Mee, Pork Noodle Soup and many more authentic Malaysian Dishes. The owners of KL Kitchen are very friendly and always has a smile. The prices are very reasonable too. 

History of Curry Laksa: The origin of Curry Laksa is unknown, however, it is a common dish served in Malaysia and Singapore. Each state in Malaysia has it's own way of preparing it. The taste does differ from state to state in Malaysia, but the ingredients are usually similar to each other. It is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. There are two basic types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, though Mi Hun and Kueh Tiaw are also common.

Coming Up Next: Mee Goreng Mamak (Kambing)

Penang Assam Laksa - My Favorite Food Places in Auckland, New Zealand

My Favorite Food: Penang Assam Laksa

Where: Great North Express

Address: 4055 Great North Road, Kelston, Waitakere (Auckland, NZ)

How much: $15.00

Taste Rating: 10 out of 10! (Oh yes!! 100% Authentic!!)

Category: Halal

Verdict: Why the need to fly back to Penang, when you can have it here in West Auckland. I would personally say, it's the Best Penang Assam Laksa I've had in my Life! Seriously, though I have tried many assam laksa's in Penang and all around Malaysia, including the famous one in Jusco, Mid Valley, I am not really a big fan of Assam Laksa's. However, the Great North Express has certainly made me fall in love with it. At first I thought, well, it's just gonna be soupy or it wont be the same and I'm gonna end up wasting it, but the moment I sipped the 1st soup and my taste bud went nuts! It was amazingly delicious and I still cant believe it tasted 100%, just like how an authentic Penang Assam Laksa should taste like! Bravo! Bravo! I really enjoyed every bit of the assam laksa to the last drop. The only problem is, the assam laksa is a Weekend Special dish. Meaning, the weekend specials menu differs every weekend. Best is to give them a call to check what's on special or when they would be serving Assam Laksa. 

I'd say, its a good marketing strategy. Makes people wonder, hmmm, I wonder what's their Weekend Special this weekend.

Great North Express can be reached on - 09 813 5088.

What else: Being a Malaysian restaurant, they also serve a good selection of local Malaysian cuisines including authentic Nyonya Kuih's. Also, another must try from their menu would be their Nasi Lemak. (Picture attached) I would definitely be writing about the best Nasi Lemak in Auckland, however, I will need to try a few more before I can choose the best Nasi Lemak. Mind you, back home, I can have Nasi Lemak all day and night if it's yummy :)

History of Penang Assam Laksa: Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as assam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the assam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not 'curry mee' is the usual 'laksa' one gets in Penang.

Coming Up Next: Chicken Curry Laksa

Bah Ku Teh - My Favorite Food Places in Auckland, New Zealand

It's been a while since I wrote my last blog and I believe I have taken a long break from blogging now :) Time to blog again!

14 months has passed since I'm away from home, Malaysia and honestly, the only thing I miss about home is my mum and food! My Malaysian cuisines! I miss my nasi lemaks mata kerbau's (Bull's eye fried egg), Babu's Teh Halia Tarik, Old Klang Roads Ba ku Teh, Jalan Ipoh's Dim Sum, Sarawak Laksa, Kolo Mee, Wan Tan Mee, Chicken Rice, Rojak Buah, Satay,..... phewwww!! I need to stop drooling now! Mum, I miss your cooking too la :) Nothing beats mum's cooking's eh?

Okay, so that's just a small list of food stuffs that I miss a lot back home. Luckily, there are lots of Asian restaurants in Auckland and a number of good Malaysian ones too. Hence, here I am, once again to make you drool away with my favorite food places in New Zealand... Take it slow and steady and don't forget to enjoy reading... if you're feeling bored already, let me know, and I shall make it worthwhile :) 


My Favorite Food: Bah Ku Teh (Served with rice)

Kopitiam Malaysia, Panmure

Where: Kopitiam Malaysia Restaurant

Address: 139 Queens Road, Panmure, Auckland, NZ

How much: $16.00

Taste Rating: 9 out of 10

Category: Non-Halal

Verdict: Just like the older days kopitiam's back in Malaysia, with a simple set up, nothing fancy or to shout about the premises but this is the only place I enjoy coming back to have my favorite Bah Ku Teh. The taste is almost 90% similar to the ones in Old Klang Road. The soup is not too strong, yummy-licious, and definitely mouth watering! You get a big bowl of it, with button mushrooms, lettuce, well cooked pork meat and ribs, served with rice. If you're after a good Bah Ku Teh, then Kopitiam Malaysia Restaurant is the place to have it. It is indeed quite pricey, but hey, if it's good, why not try it and trust me, you will love it. Infact, I am sure you will be smiling away with the authentic taste of an excellent and delicious Ba Ku Teh!

What else: They also have a good selection of Chinese Malaysian Cuisines, like Nasi Lemak, Hokkien Mee, 3 Taste Fish, Pan Mee, Fish Head Noodle Soup, etc. Reasonably priced and excellent quality food and will tickle your taste buds for sure. As mentioned, the kopitiam may have a simple older day setup and disorganized, however, always remember, we should Never Judge A Book By It's Cover :) Never Try, Never Know!

History of Bah Ku Teh: Literally meaning "Pork Bone Tea", Bah Ku Teh is a marvelously spiced stew worthy of admiration the world over. It is a soup based dish consisting of different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours. Most shops will normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other cuts of pork into the herbal broth as well. Meat from other parts tend to be softer and delicate compared to meat from the pork ribs, though most of it will just melt away as soon as it is spooned into the mouth. The herbs and spices that are normally used to give it that distinct taste are star anise, cinnamon, cloves, female ginseng (locally known as dong guai), fennel seeds and garlic, which is boiled for hours together with the selected cuts of meat. The meat becomes infused with all the flavors from the herbs and spices, and the sweetness from the meat seeps into the broth, mellowing the tangy and sharp taste of the herbs. Other ingredients commonly found in a bowl of bah ku teh are mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, pieces of dried tofu and iceberg lettuce.  

Coming up next: Assam Laksa

My Best Shots... Canon 500D Rocks!

Sunset - Mt Eden

Night Safari Singapore - Tribal Fire

Auckland City - Taken from 360' Cruise

Gannets of Muriwai - Muriwai Beach

My Favourite Places - Best Chicken Rice in Seremban

Its 11.30am and gosh I’m like starving. Not feeling well tho’ but what the heck, I just feel like having the ‘Best Chicken Rice in Seremban’ and aha... Joey's Online now. Let’s ask him if he's free to join as well. Ahh he is free and confirmed lunch at 12.30pm. and yup, time to get goin.

Now, let me give you a lil’ history of this place. Located in Seremban Town, well it’s quite to the corner of Seremban town actually. Restoran Chai Hong, No. 50, Jalan Kapitan Tam Yeong....The Best Teo Chew Chicken Rice in Seremban. They started business in 1979 (the year imborn) and has been in business to date. As you can see in the picture, the shop looks its age too. Oh don’t worry its pretty solid ... olden days building mah and I’ve been patronising this place since school days. I’d say since 1994, and trust me, the taste never changed a bit. That’s what I call Consistency & Quality!

There are 10 tables in the restaurant, you know the round marble kopitiam tables. Oh yeah, the interior looks like we are still in the late 70's. I believe even the furniture, fittings and equipments are older than I am. There were 3 tables already occupied when I got there but no one has received their orders as yet. I’m the 4th in line, and ordered 3 plates of Chicken Rice, plus a small plate of taugeh (bean sprout). Two more tables are occupied now with a total of 14 customers... waiting patiently.. haha now, remember that always,... patience... cause you will need all your patience in order to try and taste this Best Teo Chew Chicken Rice in Seremban. Wanna know why? Read on :)

I placed my order at 12.30pm (6 customers-3 tables has been waiting before me and they have not been served as yet). Joey brings another friend, Thomas and they join me at 12.55pm and we have yet to get our orders. Our drinks finally arrived at 1pm. (Imagine that - I‘ve been sitting there all alone without a drink for 25mins) and … finally, we got our favourite chicken rice ... at 1.06pm … that’s 36mins ... actually, that’s pretty fast ... the longest Joey had to wait previously was 45mins and as for me, it was an hour plus but I just can’t recall the exact time, but what the heck, I’ve never regretted waiting that long and you wanna know why? Haha you gotta try it yourself to know, that’s why I keep saying its the best chicken rice.

Well, I’d say the waiting period is long, no doubt, but let me tell you, the feeling you get in your tummy when they finally serve you, is awesome! Its like tons of butterflies tickling my tummy and telling me, hey dude! EAT!! haha oh yeah, you know, all those time of waiting no longer matters now cause the moment it gets into your taste buds,.. you end up melting and yummy … I tell you, you just wanna focus on savouring it.. just wanna enjoy my lunch :) Best Teo Chew Chicken Rice that is :) and I tell you, ITS JUST REALLY WORTH THE WAIT!! TRUST ME!! :)

Moral of the story - If you have the patience, go for it, if you’re in a rush or don’t have the patience, then I’d suggest you have lunch elsewhere :) hahaha

Let me tell you how its served... rice, with Boneless Steamed Chicken (Teo Chew Style-nicely marinated with all the soya sauces etc), Cucumber slices and coriander, and a bowl of chicken soup and chilli (If you love chilli, you will need more) and yeah, talking bout the marinating, you should watch the aunty doing her work. She does it so carefully, and slowly, she takes her own sweet time to cut the chicken into slices, remove the bones, puts them on a plate, pours all the different types of soya sauces and all, marinates them, pours the sauces out.... and she repeats these steps at least 3 times... and after that, she arranges the chicken slices nicely (If you ordered it to be served separately) and garnishes properly with selected coriander and she will only serve it if she is satisfied ... a perfectionist I guess.. but I ain’t complaining :)

As for the pricing, well, I normally take the economy rice set which is RM4 for a plate of rice, served with chicken, cucumber and coriander plus a bowl of soup and chilli. and I’ll have a can of Kickapoo which is RM2 and an additional bowl of rice (small) at RM1. So that’s RM7 in total. Oh they also have Barley at RM1.50 and Barley Lime at RM1.60. and they serve beer & packet drinks too. But let me warn you, the price differs if you order them separately and it can get doubled... haha confused? Let me give you an example ... this happened to me in 2001. Four of us ordered the chicken to be served separately in a big plate, for 4 pax of course and to cut the story short, the bill was RM48 including drinks and since I was paying, I was like, what?? RM48? (in my mind, how did aunty get to that figure lah .. aiyoo). Anyway, I paid the bill after aunty explained that if you take it separately, its more expensive, whereby, if I had taken 4 economy rice sets with can drinks (can drinks are RM2 each and 1 extra small rice) that’s like RM28 only. Then again, you get more chicken la if u take separate la, but for me, economy set is sufficient enough, but then again, no one complains as its the Best Chicken Rice in Town mah.

As you can see in one of the pictures (check out my plate, before and after), my plate is super clean. That’s how delicious it is. Oh yeah, aunty belanja (treated) us one plate of extra chicken (Picture 8) cause she was happy about me wanting to write about her chicken rice in my blog.

For those of you who don’t like steamed chicken, well, just try it once, and you will know what I mean. You can always tell aunty to remove the skin but let me tell you, the skin is the best part! Yeah it may be fattening, but its just delicious! (Check out Picture 11) Once again, you just gotta trust me. Just take a look at my plate again. I don’t know how to explain how yummy it is (the entire chicken rice dish of course) but I bet no other chicken rice stalls in Seremban is way close to this. As i mentioned in the beginning of my blog, the Taste has never ever changed :) Its Really Unique, Tasty & Simply Delicious! :)

Another thing i must add, the aunty has a very good memory, you dont hav to tell what you want if ur a regular, she will just confirm it with you before you could even order.. just like Joey's usual order (he normally has the Wing part, served separately) not bad eh :)

So what you waiting for :) Look out for Chai Hong Restaurant, 50, Jalan Kapitan Tam Yeong, 70000 Seremban, NSDK. Tel: 06-762 4357

If you cant find it, just look out for the Honda Car Showroom or Sangam Printers, you will never miss the Restaurant... Its just around the corner :) or if you still cant find the shop, just give the a ring.. well, you may have trouble getting directions from them, but im sure you can find the place.. and remember... you will need all the patience to try it :)

My advice to food lovers - if you want to enjoy each and every tasty morsel and savour each bite to the fullest, then go there when you're not rushing for an appointment etc - because you have to be a bit patient until the food arrives and it would be a shame if you had to have your meal in a hurry.

Pic 1 - Chai Hong Restaurant (Famous Teo Chew Chicken Rice) Looks old aight

Pic 2 -Our Lunch for the day :) Best Chicken Rice in Town, Seremban :)

Pic 3 - Joey (left) & Thomas (Right)

Pic 4 - The Economy Rice Set

Pic 5 - The Economy Rice Set (Close up)

Pic 6 - The Taugeh (bean sprout) Marinated with Soya Sauce

Pic 7 - Joey's Chicken Wing

Pic 8 - Aunty treated us to some extra chicken (that's a lot weii!!)

Pic 9 - Joey taking his first bite

Pic 10- Thomas already half way thru... he's really hungry i guess :)

Pic 11- Joey having the Skin part (Remember i was saying, its the best part)

Pic 12- That's my plate.. Super Clean :)

Pic 13- 3 extra bowl of rice (big one)

Pic 14- That's me and im so full and Satisfied! (Dont You Wanna Feel Like Me Too)

Pic 15- The interior of the Chai Hong Restaurant & our table. Notice the late 70's environment.

My Favourite Places

Where are you taking me?? Yishun.. i say, the best place for Poori & i bet you will love it cause they serve 2 piece of poori with sardine sambal, dhall & potato and the water chesnut drink is awesome too... its actually one of the food stalls in Block 418, Yishun... thats where im taking you :)... You Should Start a Blog... say's Krishna.. to me, when i went on talking bout my favourite makan (food) places in Singapore... And i went? A Blog?? Me?? U gotta be kidding me.... and i laughed away... thinkin.. me & blogs are so far away :) Me writing? haha thats so not me! But hey, look at me now... ive just started my own blog??? i still cant believe im doing this but what the heck! There's always a 1st time for everything aight :)

No matter where we are, what we do, we never fail to recognise places with good food,.. like i do :) Near or Far... Town or Kampung (Village), Here or There, pricey or cheap,...when there's good food.. all tat does not matter... dont u agree? :) and when it comes to food, i just cant stop bragging about it.. well, my favourite ones off course :)

Yishun Block 418's Poori Stall is just one of my fav makan places in Singapore.. it's SGD 3.50 (RM8.10+) per serving of 2 lightly fried poori with Sardine Sambal (Yummy i tell u!), Dhall & potatoes to go with it. The other option is with Mutton curry which is SGD 4 (RM 9.30+) They also serve other stuffs like Briyani, Prata, mix rice etc etc :) Oh if ur wondering whats the name of the stall,.. hehehe honestly.... i forgot :) but dont worry, i hope to go there soon.. will take pictures of the place and upload it for ya :) oh not to forget, you should also try the Water Chestnut drink which is SGD 1.20 (RM 2.80+-) The Lemon juice is not bad also, SGD 1.20.

For lunch, and if you fancy Chicken Briyani.. 2 places in Singapore that you would want to try.. well that i know of for now off course :) one is in Woodlands, Causeway Point, Banquet Food Court, Top Floor, just next to the cinema (again, i forgot the name of the stall & name of the cinema, but its just next to the cinema) now, they also have Mutton Briyani, Vegetable Briyani, Fish Briyani, and Prawn Briyani if im not mistaken (price varies) my fav is off course the chicken briyani, which is SGD 5.50 (RM 12.80+) Its served with Briyani Rice, Chicken Thigh and a lil masala/sambalish sauce with 1 vege & dhall on a plate. It is just nice if you dont like ur food to be spicy. Delicious id say :) and for the drink, if ur on a budget, id suggest you to get a Big Gulp from 7-Eleven SGD 2.20 (RM 5.10).. its on the ground floor :) Reason behind Big-Gulp... Banquet prices can be a lil expensive :) Will get the pictures and more details updated soon :)

The other Briyani place is in Tekka Market, again i cant recall the name but its in Serangoon Road lah :) haha Will get the pictures and more details updated soon :) As for the price, im not too sure but it should be between SGD 5-6 (11.70-14). They serve it with Briyani rice, Chicken Thigh with masala sauce, 1 vege on a banana leaf :) but i tell you, if u can handle spicy stuff, then you should go for it :) its claimed to be one of the best Briyani in Singapore :)

actually, Serangoon Road and its surroundings has many North & South Indian restaurants, some of the known ones are Muthu's, Gayathris, Sakunthala's, Karaikudi, Apolo, Komala Vila's and so on.. as u walk along... u will pass by many shops selling Indian stuffs like wedding sarees, punjabi suits, ornaments, jewellery's, and so on.. oh yeah, not to forget, Buffalo Road has a few shops selling FRESH Vegetables.. notice the word fresh in capital, cause it is fresh :) price wise, i think its reasonable.. well, if u earn in sgd dollars, then no issue lah :) haha

To be continued..... (lunch time) (actually... hehe i'm blur like sotong already.. too much of writing i guess.. hehe, but no problem... ill be back with more info n details.. will try to get the pictures and more detailed info soon... watch out for more aight) :)