A Piece of Fried Fish and A Vegetable Dish

Fried Golden Pomfret with Ginger

All we need for dinner is a simple fried fish, a vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice each. Yesterday, we did just that for dinner. We were all so busy with our work that we did not even think of dinner until someone mentioned the word dinner. I quickly took out a golden pomfret from the freezer and immediately thawed it by submerging it in warm water. While waiting for the fish to be ready for the wok, I prepared the ginger that was to be fried with the fish.

Fried Golden Pomfret

And I also picked a vegetable from the fridge to cook a stir fry vegetable dish. Cleaned and chopped the vegetables for later. Meanwhile, got the wok ready and drop in four spoons of cooking oil and put the golden pomfret in the wok. And turn over after three minutes for another three minutes. Then, take the cooked fish and put in a serving plate. With whatever cooking oil left in the wok, drop in the thinly sliced ginger. Fry until the ginger turn golden brown and garnish on to the fish with the oil. To add taste, sprinkle a few drops of light soy sauce onto the fish then serve.

Sambal Ikan Cencaru Sumbat

Fried Sambal Stuffed Fish

I was doing monthly grocery shopping at Hen Long Supermarket in Surrey and came across the type of fish that my mom use for cooking the ikan sambal sumbat. The cencaru or scan fish is a popular fish used in ikan sambal sumbat which I have been searching among the supermarkets in Vancouver until I finally found it in Hen Long Supermarket. I first started using the black pomfret and then seabass for this spicy sambal recipe.

Fish Filled with Chilli Paste

After finding the fish in Hen Long Supermarket, I immediately asked my mom to do the sambal ikan sumbat. The sambal which was the key ingredient in the recipe was prepared from scratch. She put together lemon grass, red chillies, and shallots for the sambal. After chopping the ingredients and blending them together the sambal paste was simmered with cooking oil for a few minutes until the kitchen fills with the aroma.

Chilli Paste Stuffed Fish

Once the cooked chilli paste has cooled down, stuffed the chilli paste into the fish. Usually for this recipe the fish is cut with two deep cuts on the back of the fish on both sides to allow the chilli paste to be filled into the cuts. The chilli paste is filled right into the stomach cavity. Once the chilli is in the fish, Then, the fish is fried in the wok with cooking oil. It will take about five minutes on both sides to fully cook the fish.

Vietnamese Pho Noodle

Beef Pho Noodle Cuisine

This popular Vietnamese cuisine is served in almost if not all Vietnamese restaurants. In fact, the Pho noodle is the most significant cuisine of all food Vietnamese. So, when there is a mention of Vietnamese food, the Pho noodle cuisine is definitely associated. And with this strong interest in Vietnamese cuisines in Vancouver, one would think that the range of Vietnamese cuisines must be rather extensive. Actually, the range is rather small.

Lemon Grass Pork Rice

The reason that the Pho noodle is so popular among Vietnamese eateries is because patrons to Vietnamese diners usually orders the Pho Noodle and one of their lemon grass marinated meat (chicken, beef or pork) with rice cuisines. Originally, the Vietnamese diet include noodle and rice cuisines but during the French occupation of Vietnam, the sub sandwiches were introduced. And, today the sub sandwiches are widely recognized as a local cuisines.

Spring Rolls Cantonese Signature Cuisine

Crispy Spring Rolls

Spring roll is one of the cuisines that is synonymous to Chinese and particularly Cantonese cuisines. Whenever there is the mention of spring roll, it must be Chinese. And every Chinese type restaurant will have it on their menu. We like our spring rolls crispy on the outside and vegetable stuffed in the inside. Usually the vegetable that is used for the stuffing is a mixture of carrots, cabbage, and minced pork. Sometimes with shrimps too.

Spring Rolls

At home, we normally do not prepare spring rolls from scratch, which is actually a simple process to do. But we rather buy the ready to cook ones. The wrapping of spring roll does require some skill, if not wrapped properly the spring roll will be too loose and become soft instead of crisp. We found one Chinese grocery store in Richmond that sells really good ready to fry spring rolls. The grocery store is Foodly Supermarket on Sexsmith Street.

First Choice Hons

Roasted Chicken

The first diner we dined in when we first came home to Vancouver was HONS Wuntun House which serve some of the finest Cantonese cuisines in Vancouver. Although there are four different locations where HONS has a diner. Our most favorite in terms of authenticity, flavour and taste is still the HONS wuntun house which we dine-in most frequent, is the one located in New Westminster on sixth street. But the most favorable in terms of item price is the HONS diner in Chinatown.

Clay Pot Seafood Tofu

This particular HONS diner always have discounts on our favorite Cantonese cuisines. The HONS diner in New Westminster on the other hand is the nearest to where we live and most friendly among all the HONS in Vancouver metro area. And whenever we dine at HONS, we have our own order list. Usually, because of our familiarity to the Cantonese cuisines in HONS menu, even before we reach HONS, we would have decided on our orders.

Honey Garlic Pork Ribs

So, like always we ordered half roasted chicken, stir fried ginger and honey beef stick, clay pot seafood tofu, and garlic honey pork ribs. Of all the Cantonese cuisines that we have eaten within the last few weeks, whether in Malaysia or Vancouver, nothing taste better than the cuisines we are familiar at home. My family and I enjoy these simple Cantonese cuisines anytime and anywhere. HONS, still serve our favorite meals.

Logenhaus Western Cuisines

Baked Halibut with Potato Salad

We joined friends at Subang Jaya's Logenhaus Restaurant, a restaurant serving german cuisines, to celebrate one of the friend's birthday. This was our first dining experience in Logenhaus, but they have been around over fifteen years in the same location and popular among the local Western cuisine diners. We were there on a weekday and the diner wasn't exactly full but it wasn't empty either. Opened and operated by a local Chinese Malaysian with passion in authentic German cuisines.

Beef Steak with Baked Potato

For the years this restaurant has been operating in Subang Jaya, it has not only established itself as a restaurant serving authentic German cuisines but built a strong following among its diners. Their menu too were overhauled several times over to cater for improvements on their cuisines. And each time the cuisines become better and tastier. Other than improvement on cuisines, the diner were redesigned and renovated several times too.

Seafood Salad

On that day, there were seven of us in our party and we ordered at least five different Western cuisines from the menu. The first Western cuisine which I ordered was the baked halibut with Potato Salad. The second was the beef steak with cream cheese on baked potato. Next, was the seafood salad which was actually serve in a large portion that could be shared. And among the seafood selections were large jumbo shrimp, large oysters in shell, and salmon fillets. The other orders were the roasted chicken with rice, and a bacon and shrimp salad.

One More Meal with Cantonese Cuisines

Curry Fish Head

Before leaving for Vancouver, we took the opportunity to enjoy one more Cantonese cuisine meal with the family in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of our scheduled flight home. Again, we went to one of those neighbourhood restaurants. This particular restaurant was selected by our family members and was their treat for us. Therefore, we were guests and we had previously been here before, several years ago when we came for a holiday.

Emperor's Four Cuisines

The selection of the cuisines were also left to them. And we get to enjoy slightly different types of Cantonese cuisines, such as emperor's four cuisine, fried butter crawfish meat, curry fish head, stir fried egg plant and long beans, and stir fried Brussel sprouts. We actually enjoyed the meal but if it was left to us to order, we would not have ordered the vegetable cuisines and the curry cuisine. Because the vegetable cuisines was not worth the value and the curry fish head is not one of their specialty cuisines.

Fried Butter Crawfish Meat

That particular meal was not exactly the best we have had so far in Malaysia, there were other restaurants in the neighbourhood that had much better selections and tastier cuisines. Overall the meal was just okay. We were definitely appreciative of the gesture for inviting us to dine with the family before our flight home. Personally, I had hope to at least eaten a unforgettable dinner with my family before leaving for home but it turned out to be short of expectations. But importantly, I was happy to have met family members.

Banana Leaf Curry Rice

Standard Banana Leaf Curry Rice

Went for banana leaf curry rice with a group of friends in Subang Jaya on Jalan Kewajipan. The coffee shop was called Banana Leaf and they have a full range of banana leaf curry cuisines. It was just a typical Indian style coffee shop serving authentic Indian cuisines but serve on a piece of banana leaf. I was looking forward to this meal all day long when the friend that drove us there told us about this place in the morning.

Whole Fried Fish

Although, there are several other such diners in within the kuala Lumpur area, serving the meals from banana leafs, this particular location was the nearest to where we were during the day. Once you are seated, the waiter will come with a new banana leaf to set you up. Then, rice will be placed in the centre of the big banana leaf. Next, the waiter will come around with the curries and vegetables. And a piece of the fried vegetable crackers. This standard banana leaf curry rice include choices of vegetable curries, fish curry, meat curry and also pickled vegetables.

Fried Chicken

There are also plenty of side orders which anyone can add to the standard banana leaf curry rice meal. And the range of selection starts with three kinds of fish cuisines like fried fish fillet, whole fried fish, or fish head. Then, there are fried chicken, chicken curry, mutton curry, squid curry, shrimp curry, and beef curry. Other side orders include, fried squid, fried crab, and fried shrimps. There was just too much to select from and usually we will have to make a few trips to complete the menu list.

Shrimp Curry

Typically, restaurants of this kind serve very standard Indian cuisines. No matter which banana leaf curry rice restaurant one dines in, the flavours, taste and authenticity is very much the same. They all serve the same curries, the same fried seafoods, and the same selection of curries. Even their pickled vegetables and stir fried vegetables taste and look the same. The spices and herbs that is used in the preparation and cooking are also the same.