Have you ever realised that auto mechanics in this country are not proficiency certified or qualified? Almost any joker can profess to be a mechanic; just wield a suitable wrench under a zinc roofed shack and you are in business. Trusting folks will then come to you with their auto woes and you will work your magic on their beloved vehicles then send them on their way, happier but much poorer for the experience. When your reputation as a fix-all and cure-all mechanic grows, then you can start to charge more and perhaps fleece some suckers in the process too. No wonder the common reference to mechanics all over of having to make large boat instalments – they had to fleece you in order to afford their weekend cruises.
The best story of mechanic fleecing came from the US of A. A young lady sent her car for routine servicing and ended up being charged for 'turn indicator fluid'. What a scam, the mechanic should get an award for inventiveness. No wonder I couldn't locate the turn indicator fluid reservoir on my own engine bay!
All these funny situations aside, mehcanics must realise that their clients' lives are in their hands , should they ever bungle a repair job. I have been twice lucky, coming out unscathed from inept mechanics who almost killed me through their lack of care and skill.
Situation 1 – The fuel tank of my car was removed to facilitate replacement of drive train and suspension parts while the vehicle was still under warranty. When the tank was re-installed, the damned mechanic did not tighten the front 2 bolts sufficiently. Said bolts decided to take a hike of their own one fine evening while I was driving the car. The tank hung down and scraped the road pavement and made the appropriate sounds as well.It so happened that I was driving at a sedate speed along a kampung road then and nothing disastrous happened apart a slightly abraded tank and wasting a few hours to locate the bolts to fasten the tank back onto the the car. I shuddered at what would have happened if I was running at speed down the highways and the bolts elected to depart at that time. I should add that the fuel tank was full too at that time.
Situation 2 - While having my tyres rotated, I asked the mechanic to check and repack the front wheel bearing grease.. When the job was done , I proceeded on my way. After about 50kms, the car suddenly felt very heavy and refused to budge although the engine was turning over nicely. I got out and saw the front right tyre/wheel slanted at an angle, smoke pouring from it as well. Got it towed to a workshop – seems the bearing got loose while in motion. Damage – a warped wheel, ruined tyre, broken knuckle , warped brake rotor, broken calliper & hub, trashed bearing, et al. I was truly shaken and stirred, thanking my lucky stars it didn't happen while I was on the highway. I could have easily flipped over several times and burned, the car having a high center of gravity.
Lest anybody suggest the car was jinxed, let me clarify it was a different vehicle on both occasions. Both mishaps happened because the mechanics concerned were careless. I could have paid for their errors with my life.
The only good thing to emerge from the above episodes was my knowledge and hands on experience of auto mechanical workings. I have learnt to perform detailed checks on my car, especially after routine servicing. Never trust a mechanic to have you best interests at heart, they are only after your cash!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
El Cheapo moisturiser, anyone?
A friend of mine, let's call him Henry; recently told me that good ol' cooking oil ie. palm oil can be a good skin moisturiser. I was quick to discount his claim as Henry is well known as a skinflint, didn't have the heart to call him Mr Scrooge though.
As he spoke on the merits of it, a thought flashed thru my mind that olive oil is widely used to smoothen the skin. So why not palm oil? Seems ol' Henry has learnt that palm oil contains Vitamin E that is supposedly good for the skin. I asked if palm oil isn't rather oily to the touch to which he advised rubbing the oil into the skin.Just a few drops will do, no need to slather yourself until you resemble the proverbial orang minyak (oily man).
I took up his recommendation (not without some misgivings)as I have rather dark forearms as a result of driving around in short sleeves or rolled-up cuffs. Skin on said forearms also seem to be a bit dry, so what the heck. The oil was sitting in my larder not doing a thing. Did it once a day; in the evening. After a week, sure enough the skin didn't seem so dry now. I noticed that the slightly oily touch dissipated after about an hour.
So waddaya know? I did some browsing at a pharmacy and saw that most so called moisturisers use a mineral oil base derived from oil in the ground. Surely a vegetable based oil can do a similar or better job? Well, I am going to continue this little experiment. If it really works, this may be the cheapest moisturiser around. Bottle the oil as a revolutionary organic moisturiser and sell it by the truckload to vain old men (nyuk) if not to little ladies. Wonder if the same palm oil has any sun protection factor (spf) as well; can hawk it as a sun tan lotion too. My bizness instinct has kicked in !
Btw, no ants or roaches snacked on the arms of your friendly neighborhood guinea pig!
As he spoke on the merits of it, a thought flashed thru my mind that olive oil is widely used to smoothen the skin. So why not palm oil? Seems ol' Henry has learnt that palm oil contains Vitamin E that is supposedly good for the skin. I asked if palm oil isn't rather oily to the touch to which he advised rubbing the oil into the skin.Just a few drops will do, no need to slather yourself until you resemble the proverbial orang minyak (oily man).
I took up his recommendation (not without some misgivings)as I have rather dark forearms as a result of driving around in short sleeves or rolled-up cuffs. Skin on said forearms also seem to be a bit dry, so what the heck. The oil was sitting in my larder not doing a thing. Did it once a day; in the evening. After a week, sure enough the skin didn't seem so dry now. I noticed that the slightly oily touch dissipated after about an hour.
So waddaya know? I did some browsing at a pharmacy and saw that most so called moisturisers use a mineral oil base derived from oil in the ground. Surely a vegetable based oil can do a similar or better job? Well, I am going to continue this little experiment. If it really works, this may be the cheapest moisturiser around. Bottle the oil as a revolutionary organic moisturiser and sell it by the truckload to vain old men (nyuk) if not to little ladies. Wonder if the same palm oil has any sun protection factor (spf) as well; can hawk it as a sun tan lotion too. My bizness instinct has kicked in !
Btw, no ants or roaches snacked on the arms of your friendly neighborhood guinea pig!
Feeling down, depressed .... try this
Ferget the booze and valium when you are feeling down. Try reading this :
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
(reportedly from old St.Paul's Church, Baltimore)
Works for me every time. Cheaper than going to the shrink too.
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
(reportedly from old St.Paul's Church, Baltimore)
Works for me every time. Cheaper than going to the shrink too.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Exotic foods?????
Being a Chinese myself, I am sometimes bewildered by the enthusiasm shown on exotic foods. Dishes such as abalone, shark fin, etc are greedily devoured as if they are the best tasting dishes without understanding what goes into these preparations.
The exotic food mentioned here are over vaunted, in my opinion. Most types of abalone are bland tasting in their natural state; cooked ones derive the flavour from being simmered long in a superior stock- the taste coming from the stock rather than the shellfish itself. Same with shark fins, virtually tasteless without the broth or stock in which it is served. It is just cartilage from a shark; softened by lengthy soaking and simmering. Forget tales about sharks never getting cancerous growths, they do get tumours at times. Heavy metals also tend to accumulate in shark finnage, so be forewarned. Paying thru your nose for bits of flavoured cartilage is certainly not my idea of a great tasting dish. The widespread consumption of shark fins also brings about
ecological imbalance in underwater communities that leads to an irreversible decline. Live sharks often have their fins hacked off and thown back overboard to die. How would you like it if your arms and legs were chopped off for a special dish?
Taste aside, I suspect that most consumers of these exotic foods readily admit to themselves that it is not that great tasting or worthwhile but still consume it from a prestige standpoint; they want people to think they are well off and can afford such dishes. Prestige??? Foolish perhaps, but definitely not prestigious. Coughing up a prince's ransom just so you win others' approval is foolishness of the highest degree. It is so sad.
Perhaps you may be better off spending your cash on bird nests and sea cucumber as these have been shown to be nutritionally superior. Just don't go overboard or the prices of these items will skyrocket till they reach the outer reaches of the universe.
The exotic food mentioned here are over vaunted, in my opinion. Most types of abalone are bland tasting in their natural state; cooked ones derive the flavour from being simmered long in a superior stock- the taste coming from the stock rather than the shellfish itself. Same with shark fins, virtually tasteless without the broth or stock in which it is served. It is just cartilage from a shark; softened by lengthy soaking and simmering. Forget tales about sharks never getting cancerous growths, they do get tumours at times. Heavy metals also tend to accumulate in shark finnage, so be forewarned. Paying thru your nose for bits of flavoured cartilage is certainly not my idea of a great tasting dish. The widespread consumption of shark fins also brings about
ecological imbalance in underwater communities that leads to an irreversible decline. Live sharks often have their fins hacked off and thown back overboard to die. How would you like it if your arms and legs were chopped off for a special dish?
Taste aside, I suspect that most consumers of these exotic foods readily admit to themselves that it is not that great tasting or worthwhile but still consume it from a prestige standpoint; they want people to think they are well off and can afford such dishes. Prestige??? Foolish perhaps, but definitely not prestigious. Coughing up a prince's ransom just so you win others' approval is foolishness of the highest degree. It is so sad.
Perhaps you may be better off spending your cash on bird nests and sea cucumber as these have been shown to be nutritionally superior. Just don't go overboard or the prices of these items will skyrocket till they reach the outer reaches of the universe.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Traditions & Commerce
Someone once remarked ;' When you are flush with cash, everyday is Christmas'. I would add that when you are in love, everyday is Valentine's Day.
It is not a new opinion that certain festivals are over commercialised. Festivals like Valentine's Day, Moon Cake festival, Fifth lunar month (bak chang) are some of them.
Florists and gift shops make a killing whenever Valentine's Day comes around on February 14. Romantic restaurants serving special twosome menus also rake it in on this day. What you pay for a single rose stalk will easily get a dozen in other periods. What you pay for a lovey-dovey dinner will easily feed a poor family for a month. I am not unromantic but believe that romance should be sustained all year long; not just spiking on this particular day.
When the 8th lunar month rolls around, moon cake makers get a windfall that can easily sustain them for the rest of the year. They start selling these confectionery at the start of the seventh lunar month; so sales actually span about two months. A baker whom I know personally admitted that profit margins are at least 200%. So a moon cake that sells at Rm10 cost only rm3.00 to make at most. Worse spin off effect is that salted egg prices jump during this period due to its overwhelming use by moon cake makers; as the yolk is a popular filling. Same with prices of lotus seeds. No problem if some stocks are unsold, just recycle the fillings for other confectionery.
Same with bak kua (barbecued meat) that is sold during this period. It is very hard to get bak kua that is actually sliced from a chunk of meat. Those sold now are just flat slices of minced meat with lots of oil, salt, sugar, coloring, nitrates and nitrites in them – a veritable concoction of chemicals. Lucky that they are expensive and we don't eat it year round; it is certainly not something the doctor prescribes.
Bak chang or rice dumplings are nice to eat, to me they are also a comfort food that bring back fond memories. I used to help my mom sort the glutinous rice and mung beans, wash the leaves and then, when the process is completed help her to devour the bakchang doubly quick. Somehow, the ones your mom made always seem to taste the best; the bought ones never able to measure up to dear old mom's labour of love. How I wish my mom still had the energy to make them. My fondness for them is never satiated by bought bakchang as the makers stinge on ingredients and never steam them long enough. Terribly expensive too at minimum Rm3.50 each for the simplest ones. Buying them is akin to buying an insult with a slap thrown in for good measure. I have the recipe in my head but never got around to making them myself. Just plain lazy, I guess.
At the risk of being branded a renegade of traditions; I remain steadfast in my conviction that festivals are over commercialised by entrepreneurs out to make a fast buck.
It is not a new opinion that certain festivals are over commercialised. Festivals like Valentine's Day, Moon Cake festival, Fifth lunar month (bak chang) are some of them.
Florists and gift shops make a killing whenever Valentine's Day comes around on February 14. Romantic restaurants serving special twosome menus also rake it in on this day. What you pay for a single rose stalk will easily get a dozen in other periods. What you pay for a lovey-dovey dinner will easily feed a poor family for a month. I am not unromantic but believe that romance should be sustained all year long; not just spiking on this particular day.
When the 8th lunar month rolls around, moon cake makers get a windfall that can easily sustain them for the rest of the year. They start selling these confectionery at the start of the seventh lunar month; so sales actually span about two months. A baker whom I know personally admitted that profit margins are at least 200%. So a moon cake that sells at Rm10 cost only rm3.00 to make at most. Worse spin off effect is that salted egg prices jump during this period due to its overwhelming use by moon cake makers; as the yolk is a popular filling. Same with prices of lotus seeds. No problem if some stocks are unsold, just recycle the fillings for other confectionery.
Same with bak kua (barbecued meat) that is sold during this period. It is very hard to get bak kua that is actually sliced from a chunk of meat. Those sold now are just flat slices of minced meat with lots of oil, salt, sugar, coloring, nitrates and nitrites in them – a veritable concoction of chemicals. Lucky that they are expensive and we don't eat it year round; it is certainly not something the doctor prescribes.
Bak chang or rice dumplings are nice to eat, to me they are also a comfort food that bring back fond memories. I used to help my mom sort the glutinous rice and mung beans, wash the leaves and then, when the process is completed help her to devour the bakchang doubly quick. Somehow, the ones your mom made always seem to taste the best; the bought ones never able to measure up to dear old mom's labour of love. How I wish my mom still had the energy to make them. My fondness for them is never satiated by bought bakchang as the makers stinge on ingredients and never steam them long enough. Terribly expensive too at minimum Rm3.50 each for the simplest ones. Buying them is akin to buying an insult with a slap thrown in for good measure. I have the recipe in my head but never got around to making them myself. Just plain lazy, I guess.
At the risk of being branded a renegade of traditions; I remain steadfast in my conviction that festivals are over commercialised by entrepreneurs out to make a fast buck.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Are you a junkie?
You may be a junkie without even knowing it. Or a painkiller dependent slob.
How? By eating local delicacies of course. Local fare such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh, nasi kandar. Heaven only knows what other foodstuffs are guilty too.
A friend in JB who used to sell nasi lemak in KL told me that he regularly pops a handful of panadol (paracetamol) into the rice/water mix when boiling it. I jibed that he was trying to pull my leg but he swored that he kid me not. I countered that panadol tablets taste bitter, wouldn't the bitter taste be evident when the rice is done? It seems not; some kinda chemical change occurred during the boiling process, rendering the bitter taste non existent. Why then would someone put paracetamol into nasi lemak? The answer was it makes you feel better, paracetamol being a painkiller. Regular consumption of the doctored rice will lead to a feel good sensation, leaving you with a hankering for the particular nasi lemak joint. You won't feel good unless you have had a good dose of the rice with lauk (side dishes). Over the long term you certainly won't feel good with the liver having to process the drug. Liver failure is a real prospect here!
Horror stories abound in JB's nasi lemak joints. There was a popular shop in Taman Perling that opens only in the evenings, may still be around as I haven't passed it for over 3 years . This being a mamak joint, it is patronised mainly by Chinese diners. One popular story making the rounds then was that the food is charmed; the sambal being the prime suspect - a patron having come across the remnants of a used tampon in the sambal mix! Eeeyuck! Another variation was that someone saw toyol (little spirits) running among the dining patrons. I suspect that these stories were cooked up by envious competitors whose businesses weren't up to scratch. Enough said that I didn't feel up to trying the fare at this joint, but a friend who did told me that the food was no big deal.
Another shop was located along the seafront in Permas Jaya; lots of people can be seen waiting for it open up by 6pm. This I did try, coming away disgusted as the food was so ordinary and bland as not to merit the waiting. Saw people clamouring for the ayam goreng (fried chicken), tried it – it was like trying to swallow bits of dried jute bags. Perhaps the fengshui must be awfully good here; there's certainly lots of wind and water in the vicinity.
Bak kut teh or 'meat bone tea' is of course pork ribs in herbal soup. Some joints selling this dish do a roaring business while others regularly swat flies. Most of the time the herbal mix is a proprietary secret; the exact composition known only to the proprietor. He'd sew up the herbal mix in a cloth bag; boil the soup in the shop, then take the used bag home to dispose of it – thus preventing any would-be spy from learning the blend. Stories I heard include one where ganja is one of the ingredients in the magic bag of tricks. Some joints do not allow takeaways; to preclude you from doing a lab test. Drinking a soup where a narcotic has been simmered probably makes one feel good; you may not function well on days when you don't consume it. I don't know, bkt has never been a favorite with me; especially the JB version that is over infused with pepper and tastes rather bland similar to the Singapore version. Seems the Klang version is the authentic one as it originated here.
On opiates, nasi kandar cooks presumably used to add kas-kas when cooking curries. I heard it is seed from the poppy plant; how they imported it is another matter. People who regularly consume such curries would invariably fail urine drug tests even though they are not knowing drug users. Imagine a situation when a job seeker takes a urine test and is immediately labelled a drug user; I really sympathise with such poor buggers. This ingredient is probably not used anymore. I must admit to a hankering for fiery curries; maybe should get a urine test soon. But of course , I was brought up on a steady diet of curry and rice, must be my jaded taste buds, hmmmm.
There is no need to resort to underhand tricks if the food you serve is delicious and offers value for money. This will be my motto if I ever set up a food joint one fine day !
How? By eating local delicacies of course. Local fare such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh, nasi kandar. Heaven only knows what other foodstuffs are guilty too.
A friend in JB who used to sell nasi lemak in KL told me that he regularly pops a handful of panadol (paracetamol) into the rice/water mix when boiling it. I jibed that he was trying to pull my leg but he swored that he kid me not. I countered that panadol tablets taste bitter, wouldn't the bitter taste be evident when the rice is done? It seems not; some kinda chemical change occurred during the boiling process, rendering the bitter taste non existent. Why then would someone put paracetamol into nasi lemak? The answer was it makes you feel better, paracetamol being a painkiller. Regular consumption of the doctored rice will lead to a feel good sensation, leaving you with a hankering for the particular nasi lemak joint. You won't feel good unless you have had a good dose of the rice with lauk (side dishes). Over the long term you certainly won't feel good with the liver having to process the drug. Liver failure is a real prospect here!
Horror stories abound in JB's nasi lemak joints. There was a popular shop in Taman Perling that opens only in the evenings, may still be around as I haven't passed it for over 3 years . This being a mamak joint, it is patronised mainly by Chinese diners. One popular story making the rounds then was that the food is charmed; the sambal being the prime suspect - a patron having come across the remnants of a used tampon in the sambal mix! Eeeyuck! Another variation was that someone saw toyol (little spirits) running among the dining patrons. I suspect that these stories were cooked up by envious competitors whose businesses weren't up to scratch. Enough said that I didn't feel up to trying the fare at this joint, but a friend who did told me that the food was no big deal.
Another shop was located along the seafront in Permas Jaya; lots of people can be seen waiting for it open up by 6pm. This I did try, coming away disgusted as the food was so ordinary and bland as not to merit the waiting. Saw people clamouring for the ayam goreng (fried chicken), tried it – it was like trying to swallow bits of dried jute bags. Perhaps the fengshui must be awfully good here; there's certainly lots of wind and water in the vicinity.
Bak kut teh or 'meat bone tea' is of course pork ribs in herbal soup. Some joints selling this dish do a roaring business while others regularly swat flies. Most of the time the herbal mix is a proprietary secret; the exact composition known only to the proprietor. He'd sew up the herbal mix in a cloth bag; boil the soup in the shop, then take the used bag home to dispose of it – thus preventing any would-be spy from learning the blend. Stories I heard include one where ganja is one of the ingredients in the magic bag of tricks. Some joints do not allow takeaways; to preclude you from doing a lab test. Drinking a soup where a narcotic has been simmered probably makes one feel good; you may not function well on days when you don't consume it. I don't know, bkt has never been a favorite with me; especially the JB version that is over infused with pepper and tastes rather bland similar to the Singapore version. Seems the Klang version is the authentic one as it originated here.
On opiates, nasi kandar cooks presumably used to add kas-kas when cooking curries. I heard it is seed from the poppy plant; how they imported it is another matter. People who regularly consume such curries would invariably fail urine drug tests even though they are not knowing drug users. Imagine a situation when a job seeker takes a urine test and is immediately labelled a drug user; I really sympathise with such poor buggers. This ingredient is probably not used anymore. I must admit to a hankering for fiery curries; maybe should get a urine test soon. But of course , I was brought up on a steady diet of curry and rice, must be my jaded taste buds, hmmmm.
There is no need to resort to underhand tricks if the food you serve is delicious and offers value for money. This will be my motto if I ever set up a food joint one fine day !
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A hankering for the real thing ....
Something less serious, on my favorite subject – FOOD, Glorious food.
Good ol' chicken rice, you can't get it easily anymore. By this I mean chicken rice cooked the traditional way. A nice chicken stock is made from the legs, necks, etc and then used to boil the rice with fat you liposuctioned from the chooks; enhanced with ginger, salt, and other ingredients.. Rice cooked this way is nice enough to eat on its own, to borrow a phrase.
The chicken will be steamed not boiled as nowadays; no roast chicky for the true gourmand. Wonder who steams chickens the old fashioned way anymore. Steamed chooks actually taste sweeter as they retain the juices which are otherwise lost when boiled.
I recall when I was a wee kid my mum used to cook chicken rice for the whole gang on alternate Sundays. She reared her own chooks in a hutch I built for her at the back of the house; damn proud of it I was. She'd boil water and select the fattest unfortunate chook, pulled the feathers from the gullet area, then enlist the services of her most blood thirsty son namely yours truly here - the rest of her brood were too squeamish; and I'd blithely slit the poor bugger's throat while she held on to the squirming bird's legs and neck. Norman Bates's rival was on the prowl again! Now I do the squirming as I shudder at the thought of how I could do it then. It was by the grace of Providence I didn't graduate to become a serial killer.
Nostalgic, those were the days. Chicken rice you get now just don't taste as good anymore. The rice is boiled with bottled stock or cubes with margarine, coming out a sickly pale yellow and tasting as bad. Chickens are boiled and then immersed in cool water; ostensibly to improve texture. Old mamas will tell you to avoid such boiled chooks if you are in the midst of a coughing spell; don't really know why.
You ever thought how many plates of chicken rice can be served from just 1 carcass? I did, but never figured it out. Suffice to say, it is many. Vendors employ many tactics to squeeze out as many servings as they can. The breast meat is often cut into 2 layers as it is thick. One layer will have the original skin, then the second layer will be adorned by skin transplanted from another unsaleable part of the chook such as the back. Another trick is to smash the flat of the cleaver on the portion, squashing and loosening out the meat to make it look more substantial. This trick is the favorite of vendors in Johor Bahru as I have observed. I know as I grew up in ol' JB.
A must have condiment with this meal is ground chilli mix - made from chillies, garlic, lime juice, sugar and salt. Dip the chicken slices in this mix, heavenly taste. The mix you get from vendors are made with artificial vinegar or acetic acid, the taste is way off the mark. Sometimes, you just can't cut any corners.
Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.
Good ol' chicken rice, you can't get it easily anymore. By this I mean chicken rice cooked the traditional way. A nice chicken stock is made from the legs, necks, etc and then used to boil the rice with fat you liposuctioned from the chooks; enhanced with ginger, salt, and other ingredients.. Rice cooked this way is nice enough to eat on its own, to borrow a phrase.
The chicken will be steamed not boiled as nowadays; no roast chicky for the true gourmand. Wonder who steams chickens the old fashioned way anymore. Steamed chooks actually taste sweeter as they retain the juices which are otherwise lost when boiled.
I recall when I was a wee kid my mum used to cook chicken rice for the whole gang on alternate Sundays. She reared her own chooks in a hutch I built for her at the back of the house; damn proud of it I was. She'd boil water and select the fattest unfortunate chook, pulled the feathers from the gullet area, then enlist the services of her most blood thirsty son namely yours truly here - the rest of her brood were too squeamish; and I'd blithely slit the poor bugger's throat while she held on to the squirming bird's legs and neck. Norman Bates's rival was on the prowl again! Now I do the squirming as I shudder at the thought of how I could do it then. It was by the grace of Providence I didn't graduate to become a serial killer.
Nostalgic, those were the days. Chicken rice you get now just don't taste as good anymore. The rice is boiled with bottled stock or cubes with margarine, coming out a sickly pale yellow and tasting as bad. Chickens are boiled and then immersed in cool water; ostensibly to improve texture. Old mamas will tell you to avoid such boiled chooks if you are in the midst of a coughing spell; don't really know why.
You ever thought how many plates of chicken rice can be served from just 1 carcass? I did, but never figured it out. Suffice to say, it is many. Vendors employ many tactics to squeeze out as many servings as they can. The breast meat is often cut into 2 layers as it is thick. One layer will have the original skin, then the second layer will be adorned by skin transplanted from another unsaleable part of the chook such as the back. Another trick is to smash the flat of the cleaver on the portion, squashing and loosening out the meat to make it look more substantial. This trick is the favorite of vendors in Johor Bahru as I have observed. I know as I grew up in ol' JB.
A must have condiment with this meal is ground chilli mix - made from chillies, garlic, lime juice, sugar and salt. Dip the chicken slices in this mix, heavenly taste. The mix you get from vendors are made with artificial vinegar or acetic acid, the taste is way off the mark. Sometimes, you just can't cut any corners.
Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.
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