5 October 2012 by Crave Malay Mail

Friday OCTOber 5, 2012 S AT I S F Y I N G

YO U R

W E E K LY

F O O D

THINK PINK Go pink this October to support the breast cancer awareness cause

D R I N K

C R AVI N G S

W I T H

Y O U R

C O P Y

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FOOD bites

BEERY GOOD This Oktoberfest, live the good life with Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) as they pair their range of beers with haute Chinese food from Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur’s Tai Zi Heen. The three-course beer pairing promotion is to celebrate “For the Love of Beer”. Each pairing is designed to enhance the flavours of GAB’s different beers such as Tiger, Guinness, Strongbow, Paulaner, and heighten your taste sensation for the dish. According to GAB’s Beer Ambassador Keith Nair, the unique flavour profiles for the beers come alive when paired with the right type of dish. “It’s not as simple as just pairing it with food, it also has to take into account how the dish is prepared and cooked,” he says. The menu kicks off with a dec-

200g unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon salt 80g icing sugar, sifted 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 50g corn flour, sifted 50g milk powder, sifted 260g plain flour, sifted royal icing 1 (about 43g) egg white 1 tablespoon corn flour, sifted 150g icing sugar, sifted few drops light pink Chef master food colouring few drops Wilton white food colouring

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ROSE CUPCAKES

EDITORIAL NOTE by Lee Khang Yi

Crave Editor

The month of October means all things pink for the breast cancer awareness month. Events all over the world have kicked oﬀ to alert the public on what they can do to help the disease. We took the pink theme to cupcakes, biscuits and a macaron round-up in our digital edition. Tis also the time for Oktoberfest, where feasting and beer go hand to hand. This year, Guinness Anchor Berhad works with Prince Hotel & Residences to develop a beer and Chinese food pairing. The beverage works well with the dishes to leave you with a refreshed palate. The Asian roast pork gets highlighted in Morganﬁelds and our review on Kuala Lipis Noodles. Last but not least, the Sheraton celebrates their 75th anniversary and we talk to Chuck Abbott who runs the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. Email me any feedback you have to khangyi@mmail.com.my. Proost!

ADVERTISING SALES Rajan Gopal Senior Manager, Direct & Classifieds Direct line: 03 74951282 rajan@mmail.com.my

(MAKES ABOUT 30 CUPCAKES WITH A 6CM DIAMETER) These lemon ﬂavoured cupcakes resemble beautiful blooms. The bright pink colour is from a natural source of pink dragonfruit puree.

250g butter ¼ teaspoon salt 180g caster sugar 3 large eggs 170ml fresh milk 1 teaspoon vanilla essence zest of 2 lemons 300g self-raising ﬂour, sifted icing 100g pink dragon fruit, peeled and cut into small pieces 100g icing sugar, sifted 500g cream cheese, at room temperature ¼ teaspoon salt 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180C. Place 6cm diameter cupcake paper cases on a tray. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until it is well combined. Fold in the milk, vanilla essence, zest and the self-raising flour. Divide the batter equally among the paper cases filling it to three quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from

the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing them. To prepare icing: Using an electric blender, blend the dragon fruit without adding any extra water into a ﬁne puree. If you prefer, you can sieve the seeds out. Using an electric mixer, beat the icing sugar, cream cheese, salt and butter until it is creamy. Beat in the dragon fruit puree and zest until combined.

To pipe roses: Fill a piping bag ﬁtted with a Wilton 2D nozzle. Using a cool cupcake, pipe a small amount of icing in the centre. Slowly work your way around going clockwise while applying an even pressure, until you reach the outer edge of your cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Serve the cupcakes immediately. – Recipe by Debbie Teoh. Photography by Kenneth Lim, Gray Studio.

Taster Comments: It took me some time to master the piping of the roses but once I did, it was impressive. The cupcake has a nice light tang to it with the lemon ﬂavour.” RACHEL MAH, Student

To prepare cookie: Preheat oven to 170C and grease cookie trays. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, salt and icing sugar until the salt dissolves. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla essence until well mixed. Add the corn flour, milk powder and the flour; beat until the batter binds together. If the batter does not bind, add a little more flour (about 1 tablespoon). Roll out the dough in between 2 plastic sheets to a thickness around 0.75 cm. Stamp out butterfly shapes with a 3 to 4cm diameter butterfly cutter. Place cookies onto greased trays and bake for 15 minutes or until they are light brown. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool on the trays for a few minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks. To prepare icing: Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg white till creamy. Beat in corn flour and icing sugar until glossy. Divide the icing into two. Tint one batch pink and the other batch white. To pipe: Pipe half of the cookies with pink icing. Using a bamboo stick, dip into the white food colouring and trace on the pink icing before it hardens to draw

FRIDAY 5 OCTOBER 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

PORCINE FEAST

adent Wok-seared ﬁve spice salt dusted foie gras. Also on the plate is the Beijing smoked duck wrap drizzled with passionfruit vinaigrette. It balances well with the slightly bitter Guinness draft that eliminates any heavy after taste. This is followed by a spicy Hot and sour seafood soup with unagi Parmesan stick. The slightly acidic Strongbow cider keeps

the palate refreshed. The main course is a choice of three dishes. Firstly, Paulaner beer cuts through the sweet tasting Honey soy glazed oysters on asparagus, to give you a balanced end. The Paulaner beer also matches well with the second main course selection, a delectable Baked cod with garlic crust, to leave a lingering light taste. The third main course selection is the Kung poh style chicken with dried chillies and cashew nuts served in a light ﬂuffy yam ring. The Tiger beer pairing alleviates the spicy overtones of the dish that clears the palate for the sweet ending. For dessert, it is the stunning Purple sweet potato cream with mango ice cream paired with Strongbow. The refreshing cider guarantees you will end with a high note that

gets you singing yam seng with your co-diners. The three-course beer menu is available till October 31 at RM150++ per person. Each diner can also take home a special limited edition GAB’s Oktoberfest 1 litre ceramic jug. For reservations, contact Tel:03-21708888 or email restaurants@princehotelkl.com. my

BUTTERFLY COOKIES (MAKES AROUND 100 PIECES)

For the month of October, Morganfields celebrates all things German with their Porktoberfest. Feast on the crispy Roasted German pork knuckle (RM95.90++) with tender meat on the inside, with red skin mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw and assorted vegetables. The Pork sausage platter (RM32.90++) includes sausages such as Bratwurst, smoked sausage, spicy Hungarian and Emmantaller cheese sausage, served with coleslaw, Dijon mustard and garlic aioli. For those with Asian tastebuds, you can order the Roasted Oriental pork

belly (RM20.90++). Wash them all down with a pint of beer with Morganﬁelds’ Awesome Threesome promotion: three pints of Carlsberg or Connor’s Original Stout at RM50 nett, Blackthorn Cider at RM60 nett or Kronenburg or Hoegaarden at RM80 nett. Morganﬁelds is at Lot C4.03.00, Level 4, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-21413192.

In the Kitchen with Eu Hooi Khaw Long before the Europeans learnt about edible flowers, we were chopping the pink torch ginger bud up and throwing it into our assam curries and kerabu for its fragrance. The pink buds of the bunga kantan, also known as the ginger flower are indispensable in Nonya, Malay and Thai cooking. Its botanical name is (Phaeomaria) Etlingera elatior and it is a tropical herbaceous perennial. If you have a large garden, you should try growing them, and they will reward with pink tapering buds sitting atop slender stems that can grow up to 20 feet. It has got long pointed leaves that resemble those of the heliconias. The buds also open into beautiful flowers that are long lasting. For the kerabu or Nonya

salads, the pink petals are ﬁnely sliced and tossed with the ingredients. On its own, the ﬂower has a citrus like aroma but when paired in salads and curries, it seems to give a fresh uplift to the dish. With the assam curry, the whole bud is halved and added to slowly simmer in the curry. The bud can last for one week refrigerated. If you have more than you need on your hands, you can also slice and freeze them.

KERABU BOK NEE 50g wood ear fungus 2 tablespoons sambal belacan 4 tablespoons calamansi lime juice 2 tablespoons sugar 130g chicken thigh, steamed with a little salt and shredded 2 ½ tablespoons ( 1 bud) ﬁnely sliced torch ginger bud (bunga kantan)

out the four corners of the wings. For the other half batch of cookies, pipe with white icing. Tint a bamboo stick with pink food colouring and draw out on the white icing the four corners

of the wings. Leave to dry and store in airtight containers. The iced cookies store well up to a month. – Recipe by Debbie Teoh. Photography by Kenneth Lim, Gray Studio.

Taster Comments: The cookies have a nice buttery taste and look so pretty with the icing.” RACHEL MAH, Student

1 stalk lemongrass, cut finely 1 large red chilli, cut finely 80g shallots, peeled and cut finely 3 kaffir lime leaves, cut finely 1/3 teaspoon salt, or to taste garnish ½ tablespoon finely sliced torch ginger bud (bunga kantan) Soak the wood fungus in water for 30 minutes or until it softens. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Cook the drained wood fungus for 5 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Cut into fine strips. Combine the sambal belacan, lime juice and sugar together in a bowl. Toss in the remaining ingredients with the wood ear fungus. Season with salt or to taste. Serve garnished with finely sliced torch ginger bud.

• FRIDAY 5, october 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

Chuck Abbott

Sheraton marks a milestone as the iconic brand celebrates its 75th anniversary. Since 1998, Sheraton joins the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide that also includes internationally renowned brands like Westin, Le Meridien, St Regis, Four Points. The Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur is part of the Luxury Collection brand, which Abbott has been heading for the past three years. Why did you pick Sheraton? After I graduated from Michigan State University, I joined the Sheraton as a management trainee and I’ve been with them for 33 years. In 1996, I moved to the Asia Pacific and worked at Guam, South Korea, Shanghai and Macau before coming here. Is there a personal story you wish to share about Sheraton? What resonates for me is the brand gives you the opportunity for every of its associates to grow personally and professionally. It is just like a family that works together to accomplish the task.

as out of over 100 Sheraton hotels currently under construction, 65 hotels are located in South East Asia. This December, we open Sheraton Kuta Beach. In Malaysia, we just started developing Sheraton Desaru that is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

Managing Director, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

What plans for expansion of the Sheraton brand in South East Asia? The region is an important one

You also wear the hat as regional vice president of Starwood in South East Asia. Is Starwood going to have a stronger presence here? Next year, Aloft at Sentral is set to open. In 2014, the luxury brand St Regis will open in Kuala Lumpur Sentral and the hip W Hotel is set to open on Jalan Ampang in 2016. All the Starwood brands will be represented here except Element. It will be hard to set up Element here as it is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, which is unavailable here. Will there be any upgrade for the hotel? The hotel is continuously keeping the place looking fresh. Last year, we opened the M Floor and our café Toastina. The rooms went through a refurbishment about four years ago.

celebrations (From left to right): Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur’s Esther Tan, Armugam, Ken Liew, Mohamed Mokhtar bin Embon, Chuck Abbott and Azrem bin Jahari pour wine into the ice scuplture for the 75th anniversary .

Join the festivities at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur with their special promotions up to November 14 like free room stays, dining discounts and bridal event discounts. Diners

can also enjoy buffet prices at RM75++ per person at Essence. Seniors aged 75 years old get to dine free. For those born in 1975, a 50 percentage discount is applicable. Special

set menus for RM75++ from Celestial Court and Villa Danieli is also available, for dinner only. For the full list of promotions, visit www.sheraton.com/ imperialkualalumpur

MORE THAN JUST NOODLES WEEKEND SPECIAL: The porchetta with roast potatoes and carrots

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TOSS IT: The al dente noodles with pork mince and siew yuk

IT’S very straightforward to satisfy your noodle cravings at Kuala Lipis Noodles. Do you want the signature kon lou noodles or their loh shee fun? Their signature strands is available in two sizes, thick or thin. I went for the thin, and it turned out to be the right choice. The almost white noodles came with a generous topping of pork mince, siew yuk (roast pork), chopped spring onions and coriander. On the table is the garlic chilli jam. It is made from ground dried chillies and shallots, cooked in oil over a low fire for one hour. The dark glistening red sauce is lightly sweet, with a delicious aroma, and tasted good stirred in with the al dente noodles. The noodles come with a choice of meats: chicken, char siu or the signature siew yuk, that tasted good. The charcoal roasted pork had thin layers of fat sandwiched between thicker layers of lean meat. The crackling was golden brown, not too thin and very crispy. You can order a slab of siew yuk for RM78 per kg, giving a day’s notice. The kon lou noodles is RM4.50 for a small portion, RM6 for a large portion. It is RM3 for the

Crave pays for all its meals and all its reviews are conducted anonymously.

BY Eu Hooi Khaw

addition of one type of meat, RM5 for two meats and RM7 for three. Rice can also be ordered with your pick of meats. We also tried the siew yuk rice (RM6.50). The rice, fragrant with ginger, and cooked in chicken stock, was flavourful and could even be eaten on its own. Since it was a Saturday, it was porchetta day at Kuala Lipis Noodles! The Italian special served with roast potatoes and carrots, is only available on weekends. It is pork belly rolled up with Italian herbs and slow roasted for four and a half hours. This produces a thin, crispy skin that crackles at the bite, with moist, absolutely tender meat inside, which picks up the fragrant aroma of the stuffed rosemary and oregano. I liked the apple sauce served with it, but not the chilli sauce nor the rather starchy sauce made from the drippings. The porchetta is RM16.50 per slice. You could also order a whole roll of porchetta for RM130.

Later I spoke to KC Chee, owner of the restaurant, and a former corporate guy. He said the noodles are not typical of Kuala Lipis. It is made to a special recipe developed by his friend, a noodle manufacturer who comes from Kuala Lipis, hence the name. Chee’s porchetta requires a lot of work with roasting done at graduated temperatures to achieve that crispy skin on the outside and tender meat inside. “It takes two people about 45 minutes to roll and tie up the 5kg pork belly that is around two feet long,” he said. Chee also recommends his loh shee fun noodles as well for its smooth texture. Chee upholds a homemade touch for his food, and does not believe in taking any shortcuts in the cooking methods. He is set to also launch his own made pork balls and new items in upcoming months. Restoran Kuala Lipis Noodles, 26-1 Block B, Jalan PJU1/38, SunwayMas Commercial Centre, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 0162000222. Open: 8.30am to 3pm. The roasted meats are only available from 9.30am onwards. Closed on Mondays.

Friday october 5, 2012 S P E C IAL

D I G I TAL

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Paris Calling

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The French macaron goes pink

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28 This October, in honour of breast cancer awareness, we have decided to focus on various delicate pink macarons. Our round up of the French confections is a delectable taste test of each sweet delight. Looking for a perfect macaron can often be like a needle in a haystack. This dainty dessert goes beyond just its looks. As you savour each delectable morsel, you will realise how the textures and taste interplay together. The shells must be barely crisp with the trademark feet, the rough uneven edge at the bottom of the shell. Sandwiched between the two macaron shells, is a generous filling packed with flavour that gives way to a slightly chewy and soft center with each bite. The macarons are best kept refrigerated. Enjoy it at room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator about five minutes before.

FRIDAY 5, october 2012

THE MALAY MAIL

Les Deux Garcons Located in Bangsar, this small French patisserieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s macarons come in assorted flavours including a fiery wasabi one. These tasty treats have a thin crust on its shell that crumbles to a slightly less gooey middle. For pink treats, the patisserie offers rose and strawberry flavours. The lighter pink rose is fragrant with a delicate touch, while the strawberry pink reminds us a little of ice cream from our childhood. Each macaron is RM5 and can be beautifully packaged in a box that resembles an eye shadow palette. 36, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-22847833

Pierre LeDent Chocolatier The renowned Belgian chocolatier has also expanded its sweet collection to include macarons. Ledentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection is divided into what he calls five families: the classics, fruits, summer, winter and the trendy ones like balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For their virgin Kuala Lumpur store, a selection of each of the families are represented and air flown from Belgium when stocks dwindle. Unlike its pristine French cousins, these Belgian made macarons have imperfectly shaped shells. The shells have an ultra crispy texture. Rather than just a soft centre, each bite of these Belgian confections reveals a rougher texture with nuts and sesame seeds. Our pink choice was the recently introduced pamplemousse made with pink grapefruit. It is not too sweet and the grapefruit peel adds a nice dimension and tangy texture to the macaron. The macarons are best for gifts to impress, since they come packaged in matt black jewel boxes. Expect to fork out a hefty RM12.90 per macaron. You can also sign up for a free membership to receive it at a special price. A box of eight macarons can set you back to RM109.90. Jasons Food Hall, Ground Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof, Kuala Lumpur, Tel:012-3770001

THE MALAY MAIL

FRIDAY 5, october 2012

5 WAYS TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Nathalieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gourmet Studio Francophile Nathalie Arbefeuille is one of the forerunners of the macaron craze. The self-taught chef not only sells the macaron but teaches cooking classes on how to master the making of the delicate confection. Her airy macaron shells have a thin light crust that crumbles gently when bitten into. This allows you to enjoy the contrasting texture with the decadent fillings in the centre. Of the many flavours sold, the Chocomel with its chocolate and the gooey caramel filling was a hit. Another standout is the tangy passionfruit. The pink rose lychee is a tad too sweet for our liking. Each macaron is RM4.40 and is also sold by the box. Unit A4-01-5, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1, Kuala Lumpur, Tel:03-62079572.

Buy a cupcake

Bisou will be offering pink ribbon cupcakes for RM6 each. All the sale proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA). Grab six cupcakes and it comes with a free pink box and a pink ribbon.

Learn how to make jelly Join in the fun of jelly making with various local celebrities by purchasing a Nick Munro designed jelly mould from Royal Selangor for RM290. For each purchase, Royal Selangor will donate RM100 to BCWA. The classes are held every Saturday this October from 3pm onwards. Expect to rub shoulders with Patrick Teoh, Bernie Chan and Elaine Daly.

Epicurean Cuisine & Patisserie The new kid in town stands out for its exceptionally well crafted macarons with perfectly formed feet. These delectable specimens are the product of Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef David Lee. He believes in generously filling his macarons to give it a delectable taste, when bitten into. Lee who is a private chef whips up French gateaux on demand and also conducts baking classes. His macaron collection is a small one with flavours like passionfruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, green tea, raspberry, caramel and black sesame. Our pink specimen was a new flavour recently brought out, the rose lychee. The taste of the rose is rather light but as you slowly savour the macaron, the sweet distinct lychee flavor unfurls out on the tongue. The macarons are RM4.30 each and an introductory offer of RM21.50 for six macarons is now available. Pop up stall during the weekend (until further notice), Eat Paradise, Isetan, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya. The macarons can also be purchased at Love @ First Bite, 27, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 012-3391500.

Cool off with dessert

The Taiwanese sweetshop Snowflake has crafted a new dessert, Roselle Royale, priced at RM5.90 for this month only. The pink sorbet is made from natural ingredients and served with a ruby red roselle flower. Ten percent of the sale proceeds of the dessert will go towards BCWA.

Support the Pink Charity Run

Mark your calendar for October 7 for the Pink Charity Run organised by the Pantai Hospital Klang. The event starts from 7am at Harbour Place, Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Klang.

Get checked

In the recent Budget 2013, it was announced that women above 40 years old can qualify for free mammograms. Grab this opportunity and get checked for early detection.