Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cashew Nuts



I get excited every time I see the cashew apples on the trees. This is because from where I come from, cashew nut trees do not even exist! The first time I saw a cashew nut tree was when I moved here to KT. Pity me...kan???.. Here in Peninsular Malaysia, cashew nut trees can be found mostly in the East Coast particularly in Kelantan and Terengganu. I am not sure whether they can be found in other parts of Malaysia but definitely NOT in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur.

Last month I noticed that there were a lot of cashew apples on the trees ....There were the yellow apples and the red apples but I only managed to snap the photos of the yellow ones.




The fruit is called Cashew Apple. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. ..


The cashew nut (seed) hangs at the bottom of the apple, and is c-shaped. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy and sweet. Nak makan kena petik sendiri kat pokok sbb tak jual kat mana2 pun..

Cashew apples and cashew nuts are excellent sources of nutrition. The cashew apple contains five times more vitamin C than an orange and contains more calcium, iron and vitamin B1 than other fruit such as citrus, avocados and bananas.



Ni buah yang tak berapa nak sihat ye! They are cashew apples from a tree we found by the roadside. Dari pokok terbiar..



The nuts look like boxing gloves..


Cashew tree by the roadside..




Butter toasted cashew nuts and sesame coated cashew nuts I bought in Rantau Panjang...Thailand mari ma..I especially love the sesame coated cashew nut. Sedap tau!

Cashews are a delicious snack that are good for us. They contain healthy mono-unsaturated fats, magnesium, and copper which help prevent heart disease, promote strong bones, and give you energy. I also found out that eating cashews may also reduce your risk of getting Colon Cancer.



Young leaves of cashew nut plants. Just like the fruit, the leaves are packed with vitamins. Ni beli kat pasar..


Here in the East Coast, the young leaves are often eaten raw as salad or with sambal belacan(shrimp paste mixed with chili and lime) or Budu (Anchovy Sauce). I love it you know. I suka ulam- ulaman- apa apa ulam pun I makan... I especially love to have it with Ikan Singgang and Budu! Peeergghhh!

Adding Cashews to any dish is also a great way to add taste and important nutrients to your diet. Cashew nuts are mostly common in Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisines.



You can also garnish your dish with cashew nuts..... This is Sweet Sour Meatball from Ummidishes..... Ni pinjam gambar from Umi hehe..

Well, till then. Have a beautiful weekend everyone... Tomorrow is a public holiday for us in Terengganu because Terengganu became the overall champion in SUKMA 2010. Congratulation to Trengganu and org2 Ganu kite!!!


Thursday, June 24, 2010

I Love Your Blog Award




Thank you so much to a wonderful blogger friend Umihoney from Ummidishes and Tea With Ummi who had passed me the 'I Love Your Blog' Award..Terimakasih Umihoney! I am honored and appreciate it so much. ..You have been such an amazing and kind hearted blogger friend. Sayang Umi....Thank you for the friendship and thanks for dropping by and say hello selalu..So nice of you...

Now, I would like to pass this award to other bloggers whose blogs I adore.

Nana
Meenyusof
Biana
Fatenton
Lady Of Leisure
Azmiezas
Ermayum
Zarin
CatInSydney
Pn Kartini
Ayu
Maya Amir
Hana
Hani Fadhil


To all award recipients, pass this award to other blogs you love!




The next award is the Angels Friends Award from Hana from CatsNotebook. Thank you so much Hana! You too is also an angel friend to me. I am so honored..
I would like to extend this award to my other angel friends.

Mak Isah
Umihoney
Cheqna
I am Amsterdam
Rad
Dita
Karen
Rosebelle
Mami
Susannah
Actually all of you(semua kawan2 bloggers) are angel friends to me. Thanks for dropping by and leave your comments here at PFM...I appreciate so much. Love you all!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tanjung Tuan


We made a trip to Port Dickson about two months ago to visit my brother who had just moved to Teluk Kemang. So, all the way from the East Coast we travelled to the most popular beach holiday destination in the West Coast of Malaysia. If not for my brother, I really have no idea when we are going to be there. PD is so near yet so far..The last time I went there was about 3 decades ago!

While we were at Teluk Kemang, my brother suggested that we go for hillwalking at Tanjung Tuan to see the view of the surrounding area from the top of the hill...I love going for hillwalking macam naik Bukit Besar here in KT..When you reach the top you will feel so relax and can enjoy the breathtaking view of the surrounding area. Sebelum tu kena menapak and berpeluh2 dulu la tapi..


So here are some photos of the trip...yg telah diperap for some time...


Historically, Tanjung Tuan was an important sighting ground for the Portuguese forces that conquered Malacca a long long time ago. They built a lighthouse at the peak of the hill in 1528 to guide friendly vessels to the port while keeping an eye out for enemy ships. The waters off Tanjung Tuan was also the site of a historical battle between the Dutch and Portuguese naval forces in 1606.

Tanjung Tuan, also known as Cape Rachado, is also a forest reserve popular with visitors for its quiet beaches and nature activities, such as bird watching.

On the way up to the light house.. masa ni tgh termengah2 and berpeluh2..sikit lagi nak sampai

We were finally at the top! The lighthouse, still sits on the summit today in its original state and still functions until today with the help of a modern revolving radar transmitter. The lighthouse has been there for more than 400 years !



At the top of the hill, you can see a lot of shipping vessels as the Strait of Malacca is one of the busiest shipping lane in the in the world! It's the main shipping chanel between Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. On the other side is Sumatra, Indonesia.




My children ran all the way down the hill cause they were so excited to go to Blue Lagoon beach.

The famous Blue Lagoon beach is located right next to Tanjung Tuan, along with a few resorts and holiday bungalows.



alamak ceteknya air..


My children were so happy cause they could swim in the water . They are not able to do that here in KT! Kat sini korang nak menyelam pun mama benarkan..




I love the beaches at PD so much. The water is so calm and it's really safe to swim . You can jump into the water anytime which is a NO NO here in the East Coast! Here, swimming can certainly be a very risky affair! It's South China Sea babe!

The best part during the trip was the 'makan' time lah of course..My brother brought us to a seafood restaurant in Pasir Panjang



The view from the restaurant in Pasir Panjang


Some of the food we ordered-Grilled squid and shrimps and also black pepper crabs . They are really delicious and cheaper than in Terengganu! We really had a wonderful time in PD and we would definitely go there again.. To me yg dah lama tak pegi PD mmg it is really a memorable trip....





Thursday, June 10, 2010

Cendol Mamak


Once in a while I love to have Cendol and Rojak Mamak . Last week, on our way back to KT, we stopped at my hubby's favourite mamak stall . It's the Maju No 1. stall near the KK Home Decoration store in Ampang.


I just love Cendol especially Cendol with a lot of red beans and creamed corn. When I have Cendol I would usually try not to have so much of the coconut milk. Makan accessoriesnya sahaje.. I know Cheqna, it's full of fat..but once a while takpelakan Cheqna. BTW, I just found out the name "Cendol" originates from southern Thailand, where the original word is Chorn Dooi meaning "Help!", since the process of making cendol in old times was very difficult, and mutual help was often needed. Begitu rupanya... So far, I have tried Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian Cendol. They are all very delicious!


Another popular dessert- The ABC is so good but I was so full that day. I couldn't finish even half of the ABC. Mana taknya , I dah terhabiskan Cendol my hubby dulu.



My son had Maggi Goreng Mamak

I ordered Mee Rebus Ayam. (Chicken Noodle Mamak Style) . I seldom have this at a Mamak stall. Saje nak try..


There are Mee Rebus Ayam , Mee Rebus Penang and Mee Rebus Sotong. So far I've never tried Mee Rebus Sotong in my whole life!. Wonder how does it taste like. Anyone have tried Mee Rebus Sotong??


I tell you ..the Rojak at the stall is much better than the Rojak at Pelita or Kayu Nasi Kandar. Usually, I would order Rojak without the noodles because I really don't know how to eat Rojak with noodles.

BTW, The Maju No 1 stall is near to KK Home Deco in Ampang..



Before we left, I entered KK Home Deco in Ampang which is only a 100 metres away from the stall . I love going to a Home Deco shop..cuci2 mata..





Most of the stuffs at KK Home Deco can also be found in SSF Home Decor..cuma SSF tu tempatnya class sikit..that's all.

As you walk out of KK Home Deco..you will see the stall on the right..




Monday, June 7, 2010

Balik Kampung!


Hi everyone! The school holiday is here and I just came back from my mother's house. At first, I thought of spending the weekend somewhere else but changed my mind at the last minute. Baiklah balik kampung jenguk2 mak...My mother lives about 500 kilometres away from us (mcmlah jauh sgt..) but once or twice a month we would find time to visit her. Kalau tak, rasa cam tak complete je. I just can’t be away from my mother for too long. Usually when we go back to our hometown, it seems that we really have so many things to do, so many shopping complexes to cover (there are sales here and there) and so many eateries to stop at...as I love to eat so much!!!

Our stay at my mother’s house was even more enjoyable and fun for my children with the presence of my 4 years old niece who is so healthy, bubbly and chubby. Adelia Nur Khadijah is my younger’s sister’s daughter and she is our youngest niece. She is like a pet in the family. Everyone adores her so much! Everyone loves to be around her and play with her. She is also my husband’s favourite niece!

Just before we left for KT, Khadijah came to me and told me to snap her photos. She just loves to pose. So as not to dissapoint anak sedaraku yg montok itu, I snapped some photos of Khadijah while busy packing all my things. !



I don't have to tell how to pose. She just knew how to do it. I just love to pinch her cheeks! She is so montok and heavy!

And while at my mother's house , my sister (Khadijah's mother)demonstrated to me on how to decorate cupcakes. Baking was certainly not easy when Khadijah is around. She also loves to participate in baking activities and making a mess, of course!. She really made my sister scream and yell at her all the time!


Khadijah buat sepah..

muka tension kena marah..




Now I know how to decorate my cupcakes...


Before we finally left Khadijah shouted at us “ nanti balik lagi ye auntie !” Do come home again, auntie!



Bye Khadijah..Muwah!! See you again next time...



Blog Widget by LinkWithin