Roti Jala Made Easy yum-yum!

Well, peepz, its a lovely Monday today,

Yesterday, I taught my sis how to cook a mild yet thick chicken curry with potatoes. My ma was soo happy with my sis's achievement and expressed her longing for roti jala..she said "oooo, how nice if i could get my hands on some roti jala with this curry...mmmmm !!" So, the sucker me, feverishly looked for the right recipe, since I havta make this for breakfast so that I could pack some for my sis to be brought with her to work with the leftover curry.

First thing's first,

What is roti jala?

Neatly folded roti jalas

Direct translation = net bread. HAHA. It's a crepe-like consistency which is made with a kind of cooking item with holes at the bottom. When we make this, we swirl2 our hands to make a net-like configuration crepe. It is really delicious with chicken or beef curries. Very popular in Malaysia as tea times or as breakfast. You can go and ask, everyone loved this (but lazy to make haha). There's a good place to eat roti jala with curry chicken for breakfast in a gerai (stall) at the tasik area (near the lake) in Sri Serdang, just beside UPM.

I finally found a good source, its from the lovely blogger, Fatin Liyana's blog, her ways are simple and sweet, like the owner haha. Kudos to you my dear~

I'll add in a few more things to her directions to make it more comprehensive.

Yields about 20 pieces (about 4-5 servings)

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 c flour
2 c filtered water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of salt

Methodology

1. Heat your non-stick pan at low fire. Spray some oil on or just swipe some with a paper towel.

2. Blend or pulse all items in the list until smooth for about 2 mins or so. You will get a crepe-like liquid consistency.

3. Use the cup with the 3 holes, load it with the liquid mixture. Lower down your hand nearing the surface of the pan and swirl (slowly please) (it actually depends on the size of the holes). At first your roti jala will look like blobs of gooey yellowish thing, trust me, it'll get better  on your 3rd or 4th when you get the hang of it. Do be despirited too early !

Swirling the cup thingy..not so nice...sigh

 This is an ancient cup with 3 holes used in making roti jala. It's my mom's. I think its from before I'm born haha..Nowadays its made of plastic. You can also use an alternative, using the bottle with 4 holes used for mayonaise

 From bottom...

Inside...so old school..dun worry I've even immersed it overnight and vigorously wash before use haha

4. Let it be until the roti dis-tangle itself from the pan (it'll occur about 2-3 mins or so). If you desire a crunchy texture, leave it be longer (about 4-5 mins). NO need to flip. Just take it out and place on a plate.

5. If you wish to roll it up neatly like me, you must make a soft roti jala. Fold opposite sides (left and right) a little with the same distance, then roll up from bottom to top.

6. If you desire a crunchy texture, just fold it to 4 sides :)

Good luck!

It's delicious with a good thick curry !

 Roti Jala with thick chicken curry

Bite one time!! Blisss...

Stall review: Honey BBQed chicken wings with fresh coconut juice - a delightful accompaniment for a dazzling twilight, Langkawi

 Honeyed BBQ chicken wings of Langkawi :)

Well, we stop by to sample the food here after we checked-in at Hotel Geopark. It was just shy over 6 pm, but we couldn't find a decent restaurant for dinner..Quite pissed with the previous situation as well.. (well, with a slight incident at the oriental village)..So, we thought we should drive all the way to Pantai Chenang for a meal. Then, on our way, we saw stalls alongside a stretch of a straight road just beside the Langkawi airport selling dunno what..what intrigued us the most was on the sea on the other side of the road..pretty view..and without reading the signs, we just opt for the middle one.

Walah!

Nice BBQ chicken wings and coconut water for you!

The bbq wings were slightly burnt [shrug], but still the marination was thick and they were sticky and yummy. The ones in Serdang were more delicious though..

The coconut tasted really fresh..The uncle hacked the top of the coconut head on the spot when we ordered. Even supply us with extra sugar syrup and and extra coconut for the flesh, saying the ones we had have less 'meat' in it..Hence, they must've been pretty young..

While I was waiting, I noticed a glaring yellow ray from behind my sis..and went to the source with a camera from sheer inquisition..and hence, the scenic panorama I was presented to by God laid before me.. My heart throbbed with excitement as I went snapping with my pathetic digital camera..even with a weak ability it has, I manage to capture the beauty..but only 30 % of it. You gotta be there to know what I mean..

We were their last customers, as they were busy packing up as we finish up our meal..friendly people :)

I ordered MYR 20/10 small pieces (coz that's what's left), and 3 big coconut (I think RM4 or was it 6?/coconut)..I spent about MYR +-35 I guess. And throw in the view together, its worth every penny.

Stall alongside Langkawi Airport,

Padang Mat Sirat

gps coordinate: (will be updated later)

p/s: I tagged the location on the map, but it was not that accurate

Operating hours:

Suggested during the evenings (after 2 pm - 7 pm)

Rating : 8/10

Restaurant review: Bolaven Cafe, Oriental Village, Langkawi

It's something different. And its for you to judge.

From previous reviews, other people said the coffees were high quality and lovely due to their distinctive tastes from the depth of Bolaven farms, southern Laos.

The plus plus, was the tiger-viewing.

My thoughts?

Well, I could not understand the minds of coffee enthusiasts as I'm not one of them. What I sought after was the tiger viewing. The tigress is known as Zannah, a female tiger of 4 years old, confined in a small garden with bamboo trees here and there (very pitiful and sad watching her endless walks from wall to wall). As a dear reader informed, this sweet cat has been raised from a cub by the management, well cared for and loved.

A glass panel separates us from the tigress (I'm a bit nervous at first, just in case the tiger jumps towards the glass panel, ima gonna die too soon T____T [kancheong!!]. We were honoured by the tiger's presence, as the waitress was taking the order, the tiger came realllllyyy close to lap on the water and then submerged lazily in the pond for a short while..(the pond was like 1.5 feet away from us) we were happy and thrilled with the closeness :D hooo!!! (excited again when thinking about it) Too bad I can't take a picture [sigh heavily]. We were not being provided with adequate information regarding the condition for taking pictures as explained by the reader; the waitress forbade us from taking it altogether and as responsible client, I just obliged [shrug].

I went for the coffee latte (coz I'd love the art on the brew), and my sis ordered a frapuccino.. er..something..we got 2 cups of black coffee as complimentary drinks for staying in the Geopark hotel opposite the cafe via LivingSocial.

Well, to me that is..you peepz must understand, to my own personal opinion (which shouldn't be taken into consideration for the coffee lovers, am not forcing you to believe me), I truly suffered the most from trying to finish the coffee T__T it was too thick for my tongue, and I don't have the heart to leave it as it costs me +- MYR16/mug (pardon me as I've lost the receipt aigooo..like old makcik..)..my sis complaint that the almond essence in her drink was too strong, which makes it off-flavour..only the coffees were a little suitable for our tongue..An accompaniment of brownies and ice-cream did not really remedy the horror of finishing the drinks.. [sigh] why can't i enjoy the delight?

Frapuccino = MYR 18

Latte = + -MYR 16

Brownies with ice cream = +- MYR 12

Maybe the coffee lovers out there will love the place, but we certainly didn't. Truly a disappointment for me since I have such a high expectation from all the reviews. (oh, but the brownies are lovely)

Total costs with tax (estimation) = +- MYR47

However, it is said that the profit from the purchases will be used to maintain Zannah. Hence, it cooled my heart a little :) I seriously feel that the farmers did a good job, but maybe the coffee brewing needed some more passion? [laughing] I don't intend to offend anyone here, this is my personal space where I could pour my heart to..yeah, its totally opposite all the reviews in tripadvisor, but I don't lie.

Bolaven Cafe,
Oriental Village, Langkawi
GPS coordinate : (point for Oriental village)
no tel: 04 959 4959

Operating hours:
10 am - 6 pm

p/s: I went there at 5.50 pm previously, they've already closed although they're still inside..sigh..1st time in my life entering a cafe that closes so early. Sincerely speaking, I'm offended by the way the staff treat us when we inquired about it, maybe coz I'm a local haha..I don't mind though, but my mom was visibly pissed :) It soured our evening after that.

Rating : 3/10 (its for the tiger's sake)


Bottom line, I will not go here again as it is not worth my money.

Restaurant review: Hole in the Wall, Kilim River, Langkawi

Due to bad planning, we went to the same jetty, the Kilim Jetty twice, this time for our late lunch+dinner..I actually didn't realize that we needed to board a boat from the same jetty as this morning in order to reach the floating restaurant.

After a call to the restaurant from the jetty (no charge, dun worry), a local boat driver picked us up and sped towards the destination. The safety life vest smelled like cat urine @___@||| OMG...cannot stand liao..i hate it big time!

Again, reaching this destination, there're no customers around..I suspected maybe it was due to the odd hours (we reached there about ++ 3 pm after going to the crocodile farm).

The menu were not as extensive as I've expected, but the prices..errr...I think I can consider this as fine dining I guess..haha [sweat]..Well, considering location-wise..[shrug] (Comparable to KL's restaurant price) After going through the menu, we've decided on some dishes..


The tiger grouper at MYR/100g (it can easily go up to a kilo u know T__T), half cooked in curry and another half grilled (MYR 80.50/700 g); seafood tomyum (MYR 12.00/2 servings), garlic butter prawns (MYR 22.00/200 g = 5 pcs of prawns)..with 2 orange juices (MYR 12.00/2 glass) and 1 soft drink (MYR 3.00). Total damage includes warm rice + service charge + tax = MYR 147.40

The curry was exquisite!! So lovely! A smooth texture, mild yet thick curry..a perfect complement with warm  white rice! I loved it so much  :) I think if I ever go this restaurant again, I'll surely order up this..Foodies who can't tolerate spicy+hot food can still sampled this..very refined..

The grilled fish was so-so..not to my liking..its juz a basic tumeric+salt grilling, and its still a lil wet..I prefer my grill fish to be crispy, hot and spicy..malay-style..just like from the previous post..but still quite ok-lah..for others who's just like me, its advisable to ask the restauranteur to grill it crispier..

The tomyum..erm..a wee sweet..and not that hot..hmm..this is the first time I had this kind of tomyum..the one from Red Wok in Bangi was 1000 times much better..but still the taste is quite nice..I think the squid inside this dish had been overcooked..only the prawns were fresh and nice

Garlic butter prawns..lovely and tasty..a must try! its different from what i usually get in other restaurants

Well, in my opinion, it is quite a decent restaurant..good food, good service..after taking the order, one will be entertained by the restaurant staff with fish farm sightseeing..it was really nice..you can play with a really cute stingray, and let the crayfish grab your fingers, and watch fishes shooting water to pull bait into the sea..the cooking took some time though..and its abit pricey..but other than that, its a must try :)

 Waiting for the kid to get the sea urchin

Playing with the stingray..

Boy, I never thought that there will be a time in my life that I found a stingray to be uber cute! (yet, still loving the taste haha)

Hole in the Wall,
Fish farm & Floating Restaurant
Pengkalan Kilim, Kg. Kilim, Mukim Ayer Hangat,
07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia.
no tel: 04 959 3115/012 562 0015 (local numbers)
gps coordinate: point for 'Kilim Jetty' or 'Mangrove tour'

p/s = for international number, add +6 to the front

operating hours:
9.00 am - 8.00 pm

Rating: 7.5/10

Restaurant review: Nasi Lemak @ Cafe Simpang Datai, Langkawi

Another hidden Langkawi delicacy :)

My lovely nasi lemak with add on goodies :D erm..the egg was hidden under the okra..

On our way from the Geopark Hotel, we stopped by at Cafe Simpang Datai, en route to the Kilim Jetty for a hearty breakfast. We were soooo hungry for some good food, and juz drop by by pure luck..the previous stall was full of males only (since its a girls' day out/holiday, we were kinda afraid :P malu lah).

Its juz a regular restaurant-stall like place with basic deco..nothing fancy as the items present served only its purpose rather than catching the eyes of passerbys..a lot of older locals were there..I feel that all of them knew each other, and thus the game of 'eyeing-the-strangers with intense aura' took place

I took the delicious looking nasi lemak with a number of accompaniments  deee pollo sinfully deep-fried in palm oil..a dollop of sambal with crispy deep-fried anchovies sprinkled on top, a sunny side up darling, 2 okras from the fish curry and a brinjal stewed in sweet curry sauce..(its the first piccy) [am i crazy? yes, plus im hungry grrr..]. The sambal was delicious, but not hot or spicy, contrary to the colour..yet it was quite delicious..the brinjal/eggplant was soft and flavourful..I love it :)


My sis and my ma took nasi lemak as well, but with different accompaniments..some took sardines..and eggs..etc..we went for warm lime juice, tea and warm water to clear off all the greasiness..

My mom's rice

Concentrating on finishing the meal fast to catch a boat ride at Kilim Jetty weeee~

You guess it right. Its SUPER CHEAP. Total damage = MYR 14.

A hit like this won't even scar the purse of the other tourists. It's a good meal, with friendly uncles and aunties.

I had the pleasure of making a conversation with the stall owner when paying. A friendly old man of 50 or so..They were going to close early due to the coming of the eid-ul-adha..he was disbelieved that my mom is my mom haha. A lot of people said she looks young.. (that only makes her happy and smiling all the way to the ear haha..so cute!)

Enough of all the ramblings!

My verdict!

Cafe Simpang Datai,
Simpang Datai, Langkawi
GPS Coordinate: (will be edited in later)

Operating hours:
7.00 am - 4.00 pm

Rating: 8/10

Next time ima gonna try the banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak..

Restaurant Review: Jom Ikan Bakar, Padang Mat Sirat, Langkawi

From here on out I will post reviews of the eateries I went in Langkawi, Malaysia :)

Malaysians love 'nasi campur'. It means, rice with other side dishes acompaniments usually a meat and a vege cooking. Nonetheless, the mixtures are limitless..ranging from a small portion of dishes to a ton of dishes added together.  In a Malaysian home, usually there will be about 3-5 dishes accompanied with the hot steamed rice ho..I was really disappointed for not realizing that Sheila's only open during evenings, not noon. Hence, from Pantai Chenang, we drove to Padang Mat Sirat for our lunch at Jom Ikan Bakar, the second choice on the list. The day before that, we have gone to the stall for a late lunch (about 3 pm) but everything were already finished T___T

Synonym to its name, this humble restaurant-stall yellowish look-a-like provides great tastes grilled fish and a lot of assortments of dishes with very cheap prices. I originally take note of this resto-stall in  kucingorengemuk's blog (the writing was funny, hence entertaining lol, anyway the meaning of the blog's name is fried fat cat haha). The restaurant looks shabby..but the number of tables available did show its popularity. I suspect this place is only visited by the locals (those sceptical tourists won't realize what they missed haha). [ehem, its good tho..if not the price will skyrocket suddenly huu]

I was pleasantly overwhelmed [more like super excited] by the variation present, although very bad lighting reduced the picture taken significantly..everything here is DIY..from taking the dishes, rice, drinks..haha..

I took a big siakap from the hut in front where a guy was feverishly fanning the flames (is the name baramundi or sea bass hmm?). The delight was grilled crisp with a blend of chillies and some spices (SOOOO LOVELY!). Like a makcik-makcik, of course I got the one right of the grill! the grill-bro was laughing at my antics :P

my ma took some lala (clams? or izzit known as mussels?) stirred fried in chillies as well (a little overcook but still very tasty)..love the chilli sauceeee...cannot tahan one...

and some long beans (just so-so)...[moi a true carnivore grrrr huhu]

And you know what? all these dishes + some fresh veges as ulam (salad) + sambal belacan with 3 rice, and 3 drinks = MYR 37.00!  O___O (1 siakap dish usually will costs around MYR 40/fish)

The bro who's grilling the fish..kudos to you bro~ :D

My verdict?

AWESOME!!

Look at the evidence! haha

Jom Ikan Bakar,
Padang Mat Sirat, Langkawi
GPS coordinate: (will be edited in later - my gps is dead, left the wire 400km away)

Operating hours:
advisable to go at 11 am - 2 pm

Rating: 8/10

P/s: When the restaurant is on your  right, a lil in front there'll be a night market (although it started operating at about 5 like dat) on your right after a traffic light :) can get good + cheap light food for munching over there as well..provided its a Sunday la haha..

I never regret eating there..will go again for the grilled catfish next time..my fave yum2!!