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VOLUME II | MAY 2014
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ESCAPE Travel & Living magazine Travel
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People
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Food
PHOTOGRAPHER
NUR AFINA BINTI ZAIDON SITI NUR HIDATUL JAMALUDDIN
EDITOR
NUR AFINA BINTI ZAIDON SITI NUR HIDATUL JAMALUDDIN
WRITER
NUR AFINA BINTI ZAIDON SITI NUR HIDATUL JAMALUDDIN
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T A B L E
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION i TRAVEL KUALA LUMPUR 1 - PUTRAJAYA 3 - BATU CAVE 7 FOOD - APAM BALIK 15 - NASI ARAB 19 PEOPLE - ATILIA 23 - SUZY 27
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INTRODUCTION A sweet escape magazine is a magazine that talkS about travel, food and people. Involve alot of travel information around the world. This volume we are going to expose about malaysian culture and many interesting places, food and people. Through this magazine you can learn a little bit about malaysian, where the interesting places that we can visit for holiday season and also the culture that run in malaysia.
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K
uala Lumpur, often abbreviated as K.L., is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country, in terms of population and economy. Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they were moved to Putrajaya in early 1999. Some sections of the judiciary still remains in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The official residence of the Malaysian King, the Istana Negara, is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. Rated as an alpha world city, Kuala Lumpur is the cultural, financial and economic centre of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a key city. Kuala Lumpur was ranked 48th among global cities by Foreign Policy’s 2010 Global Cities Index and was ranked 67th among global cities for economic and social innovation by the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Index in 2010. Kuala Lumpur is defined within the borders of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and is one of three Malaysian Federal Territories. It is an enclave within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
P U T R A J A YA
THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
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Panorama of Putrajaya from Cyberjaya Lake Gardens
Panorama of Seri Saujana Bridges
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B
atu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in the Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. The limestone forming Batu Caves is
said to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people (a tribe of Orang Asli). Wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built in 1920 and have since been replaced by 272 concrete steps. Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best known is the Temple or Cathedral Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrines beneath its high vaulted ceiling.
ba t u c a v e s
STAIRS TO THE TEMPLE OF BATU CAVES
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ising almost 100 m above the ground, the Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps. Below the Temple Cave is the Dark Cave, with rock formations and a number of animals found nowhere else. It is a two kilometer network of relatively untouched caverns. Stalactites jutting from the cave’s ceiling and stalagmites rising from the floor form intricate formations such as cave curtains, flow stoncave pearls and scallops which took thousands of years to form. Batu Caves serves as the focus of the Hindu community’s yearly Thaipusam festival. It has become a pilgrimage site for not only Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore.
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pam balik redirects here, not to be confused with Appam, an Indian type of pancakes. Apam balik may be known as ‘Turnover Pancake’ in English or Ban Jian Kuih, Chin Loong Pau, Martabak Manis, Terang Bulan, Apam Pulau Pinang or Kuih Haji (in certain areas) is a type of griddle cake from Malaysia. Apam Balik is usually sold at specialist roadside stalls throughout Malaysia. The texture of Apam Balik is akin to a crispier form of crumpets.
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APAM BALIK
RECIPES
INGREDIENTS - - - - - - - - - - -
170 gm plain flour 100 gm rice flour 30 gm corn floor 2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract few drops of yellow colouring (optional) 250 gm of water / coconut milk 150 gm castor sugar
METHOD
Fillings – butter, coarse sugar, roasted chopped peanuts, cream sweet corn, choc rice, cheese etc etc. Combine all the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Sieve. Then add the salt, eggs, vanilla, colouring and sugar. Mix with a whisk. Slowly add the liquid ie the water and coconut milk or mixture of both. Add little by little until you get a thin and smooth batter. Strain the batter and let it rest in the fridge for about 3 hours. When you are ready to make the Apam balik, put all the fillings in individual bowls. Take a small non-stick pan, rub with butter or vegetable oil and heat using a small fire. When the pan is hot, pour 3/4 ladle of batter into the middle of the pan, then swirl the pan ( similar to making crepes). Or you can use the ladle to thin out the batter into a round shape. Make sure it covers the wall of the pan, for appearance sake and also to keep the filling from oozing out. Once you see the pancake starts to bubble, sprinkle your chosen filling. Check to see the bottom is cooked, then flip the pancake. Do not overcook. Serve hot.
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M
andi, also known as Haneeth, is the traditional dish of Hadhramaut and many other Yemeni cities. It is now very popular in the rest of the Arabian Peninsula and in many other Arab countries, such as Egypt and Syria. The word mandi comes from the Arabic word nada, meaning dew, and reflects the moist ‘dewy’ texture of the meat. Mandi is usually made from rice (basmati), meat (lamb or chicken), and a mixture of spices. The meat used is usually a young and small sized chicken to enhance the taste further. The main thing which differentiates mandi is that the meat is cooked in the tandoor (taboon in Hadhrami), which is a special kind of oven. The tandoor is usually a hole dug in the ground and covered inside by clay. Raisins and pine nuts can be added to the rice as per one’s taste.
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NASI ARAB
RECIPES
INGREDIENTS - - - - - - - - - -
2 kilo lamb shoulder 5 cups basmati rice 5 cups water 2 onions, cut into slices 1 tomato, grated 2 tablespoons Mandy spice mix 2 tablespoons butter, softened + more for smoking 1-1/2 teaspoon salt 1 black lemon Boiled eggs, optional
METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a small 6. Bring to a full boil then reduce to bowl add Mandy spice mix and but- low and cover. Allow to simmer for ter, mix well. 30 minutes while covered. 2. Cut a few deep slits around lamb 7. Meanwhile, heat a charcoal. and then rub mixture all over lamb When rice is cooked, arrange the and deep into slits. lamb chunks around pan on top of the rice 3. Cover lamb tightly with aluminum foil and place into oven. 8. Place the charcoal in the center of an onion shell (or aluminum foil) 4. After 30 minutes reduce heat to with a spoon of butter then put on 350F and allow cooking for 2 hours, top of the rice and cover the pan. reserve juice. 9. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes be5. When lamb is well cooked, take fore serving. a saute pan on high heat add reserved lamb juice. Add rice, water, onions, tomato, black lime, and salt.
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ATILIA
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orn on 15th September 1974, Raja Putri Atilia Raja Haron, or also professionally known as Atilia, is an innocent yet mature women that surely will attract anybody with her girlish and sweet voice. As most of us knew, Miss Atilia is a daughter of Salamiah Hassan, a Malaysian singer during the 70s to 90s. Following her mothers’ footstep, Miss Atilia is also a singer; pop jazz artist. Other than that, she is also a song writer, an actress, and an executive producer. However, what make her shines more than others is because she owned her own Yoga studio, which is totally not fall under music industry category. Her achievement has proven that how busy you are, fitness still important.
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“Never Put Till Tomorrow What Can Be Done Today”
ATILIA
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S UZ I E TA B U S S I N E S S WO M A N
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orn on 16th June 1991, Suzieta Zainal Abidin, or also known as Suzy, is a sweet girl with her politeness and her humbleness. She is a student majoring in software engineering, in other words she also a programmer. He is very good at managing time as student as well as a side job she was doing. Managing the business of beauty products is a great challenge for her because there is a lot of competition do the business.
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“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it”
SUZY
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