Jade Delights with Coconut Silk

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APPLE-flavoured, lemon-flavoured, tiramisu, cream cheese: Believe it or not, these are different flavours of mooncakes.

And they are back! Wherever you turn in supermarkets and shopping complexes over the next few weeks, you will not miss the areas set aside especially to display mooncakes.

And the varieties available are mind-boggling.

Snow Skin Chocolate Mint with Nut Pieces

So, what’s the best way to consume mooncakes?

It is a dessert, and as such it goes best with Chinese tea, but it can also be had with sugar-free coffee and tea.

“When eating mooncakes, take it with a sugarless beverage as it is already a very sweet confection. To enjoy the flavours, the drink must be tepid or bland.”

THE Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a time for moon gazing and romantic lantern walks. It is also a time to indulge in the decadent sweetness of the mooncake.

Only available between July and September, these fat, round pastries are filled to the brim with dense delicious fillings. Such is their richness that diners are only able to consume small wedges of these cakes at one time.

When the Chinese immigrated to Malaya in droves during the mid-18th century, they brought this sweet sticky delight along.

Mouth-watering varieties: From the traditional to the novel, there are now so many types of mooncakes

Of the other varieties of mooncakes, there is the Teochew version which is recognisable by its outer yam covering and pork filling. This uncommon mooncake is delicious when eaten hot off the wok.

More popular is the northern Chinese style with fillings of pine nuts, almonds and pork ham and is also known locally as the “wedding biscuit”, although it will take on a flatter shape on such an occasion.

There is also the Shanghai mooncake with a hard biscuit-like covering and a lotus paste and yolk filling.

Lum Tuck Loy, 64, chairman of Selangor Restaurant Keeper’s Association, has studied the mooncake industry during the early post-Merdeka years. The father of six who started making mooncakes at the age of 16 at Yuk Woo Hin, a Chinese restaurant at Petaling Street, recalled that there were only two main types of fillings in the market during the 1960s – lotus paste and red bean.

Popular: The northern China version of the mooncake is very similar to the ‘wedding biscuit’

Touching on the ping peh mooncake (snowy covering made of rice flour and sugar paste which does not require baking), there is a general misconception that it emerged only during the 1980s.

According to Lum, it was already present as far back as the 1960s.

“The ping peh was rather rare in the beginning as it was only made after the bakers had finished with their batch of baked mooncakes for the season. I remember that we only made it one or two days before the festival day and it was only distributed among the workers and close friends,” he says.

In contrast to the array of shapes, flavours and colours of today, the original ping peh only came in white and was filled with lotus, green bean or red bean paste.

However, its sudden proliferation in the market during the 1980s may be linked to the advancement of retail-style refrigeration units which made it possible for vendors to stock the ping peh.

But more endearing than the ping peh are the sweet chewy dough figurines in cute animal shapes. For the Chinese, no childhood memory will be complete without these sweet treats from their elders.

Made from the very same dough used for mooncake pastry, these edible animals were made after the bakers found that they had leftover dough. These were quickly transformed into piglets, lions or fishes to make the children happy.

Cute: Animal figures from leftover dough

Bank Negara Malaysia in co-operation with Sukom Ninety Eight Berhad has issued a new RM50 note to commemorate the Kuala Lumpur '98 XVI Commonwealth Games. This banknote is the first polymer banknote to be issued in Malaysia.


The design of the note will remind the world of Malaysia as a world class sporting destination. The front side features the portrait of the first Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the right and the Kuala Lumpur city skyline with prominent landmarks in the centre.

The Commonwealth Games Look Programme which features the stylised butterfly symbol and the gold-coloured Optical Variable Device (OVD) with the portrait of the first Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the clear window appear on the left. The logo of Bank Negara Malaysia appears in the other clear window on the right of the note.

The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is featured as the central backdrop. To the right, the background design shows the artist's impression of the Multimedia Super Corridor connecting Kuala Lumpur City Centre to Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The back design shows the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in the centre. The logo of the Kuala Lumpur '98 XVI Commonwealth Games appears on the left of the note.
The main security features of the RM50 polymer note are highlighted below as a guide to assist the public. It combines conventional security features commonly found in paper banknotes and innovative security features which are unique to polymer banknotes. These features provide protection against the use of contemporary high-resolution digital colour copiers and scanners.

The public is advised to look carefully for the security features to differentiate the genuine notes from the counterfeits.

RM50 Polymer Security Feature

BRAILLE FEATURE (1)
Braille feature of the diamond shape marking with a layer of tactile ink printed in intaglio can be felt by touching.
Section 1 of the obverse of the note:

BACK TO TOP
WATERMARK PORTRAIT WITH ELECTROTYPE HIGHLIGHT (2)
The Watermark Portrait can be recognised by tints that are lighter or darker than the surrounding paper. This watermark portrait which has a three-dimensional effect appears without sharp outlines. At the base of the watermark, the numeral 50 is clearly visible.
Section 2 of the obverse of the note:

BACK TO TOP
PERFECT SEE-THROUGH REGISTER (3)
Perfect See-Through Register feature where the graphic songket design on the obverse side of the note will register perfectly with the same graphic songket design on the reverse side when it is held against the light.
Section 3 of the obverse of the note:

BACK TO TOP
MULTICOLOUR LATENT IMAGE (4)
Multicolour Latent Image of the denomination 50 can be seen when the banknote is tilted slightly and the colour changes when it is rotated.
Section 4 of the obverse of the note:

[b] When tilted slightly or rotated BACK TO TOP
INTAGLIO PRINT (5)
Intaglio Print is a raised printing effect produced by applying layers of tactile inks on various parts of the front and reverse sides of the notes, such as the portrait of the First Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, denomination figures, design elements and the wording 'Bank Negara Malaysia'.
Section 5 of the obverse of the note:
BACK TO TOP
HOLOGRAPHIC STRIPE (6)
Holographic Stripe features the denomination 50 and the hibiscus flower, with a multi-coloured pumping and matt-structure effect when the banknote is tilted slightly.
Section 6 of the obverse of the note:

BACK TO TOP
THE COLOUR SHIFTING SECURITY THREAD (7)
The Security Thread is embedded in the paper and appears on the reverse side of the note as coloured intermittent lines. When the note is held against the light, it is seen as a continuous dark coloured line and contains repeated text reading RM50 BNM. When the note is tilted, the colour of the thread changes from red to green and vice versa.
Section 7 of the reverse of the note:
BACK TO TOP
FLUORESCENT ELEMENTS VISIBLE UNDER ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT
Invisible Fluorescent Elements can be seen through various parts of the background on the obverse and reverse side of the banknote and will fluoresce in different colours when viewed under ultra-violet light.
IMAGE AND TEXT ON HOLOGRAPHIC STRIPE (6)

TEXT AND LOGO (7)
A rectangle showing the text BNM 50 with the stag motif, and repeated texts on security thread reading RM50 BNM. On the obverse side of the note, the thread can be seen as a continuous yellow fluorescent line.
Section 7 of the reverse of the note:

BACK TO TOP
SECURITY FIBRES (8)
The security fibres in the paper in three colours: red, yellow and blue
Section 8 of the reverse of the note:
BACK TO TOP
TWO-COLOUR FLUORESCENT ELEMENTS (9)
Complex design numeric '50' on the reverse which can be seen in green and red.
Section 9 of the reverse of the note:
BACK TO TOP
NUMBERING (10)
The numbers fluoresce under ultra-violet light.
Section 10 of the reverse of the note:
BACK TO TOP
MICRO PRINTINGS (7, 11, 12, 13)
Micro-Letterings can be viewed under a magnifying glass.

Micro-text in Security Thread (7)	Background Micro-Letterings (11)
Intaglio Micro-Letterings (12)	Intaglio Micro-Letterings (13)

How much sugar do you consume a month? Have a thought in yourself..

As we know durian season is back since mid-June and become a favourite of my fruit since it tasty.

Yes, I would like to share with readers about the varieties in Malaysia that are well known for uniqueness and quality.

Know your durians: The Tracka durian has a visible gap in the heart of the fruit.

D24 variant

D2 variant

• D-varities: D13, D18, D20, D88, D96, D101
• Tawa, Tembaga, Mas Johor, Mas Pahang, Kampung durian, Udang Merah, Raja Kunyit

The Tracka durian, for example, is recognisable by the visible gap in the heart of the fruit and its deep yellow coloured pulp, which has a sweet yet slightly bitter taste.

Then there are the sweet but small seeded varieties, like the Jiuji and D96; and for those who relish a luxurious mouthful, there is the Raja Kunyit and the Udang Merah, which has a slight tinge of red in its rich yellow pulp. Another rare but popular choice is the XO, named for its pale, bitter flesh.

Tips

• Consuming durians with alcohol is also not advised.

If you have to choose your own fruit, remember that a durian should first be light. Look at the tip, if it is too dry means it is no longer fresh. A little dry is okay. And when you shake the fruit, you should hear a muted rattling. Lastly, give it a good sniff and if the aroma pleases you, then it’s a good durian.

On August 1, Kuala Lumpur again in attention for the illegal street demonstration. Past two years, it was Bersih rally and Hindraf but this time is anti-ISA.

A total of 589 protesters were being detained for alleged taking part in the demo, and this morning 29 of them were charged.

As we know police started to make road blocks at road leading to city centre which causes tremendous traffic jam.

Human shield: Protesters marching during the anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) demonstration in downtown Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Jogoya is actually a Taiwan based company, having a number of branches in it’s country of origin, a very successful and recognisable name there.

Located at the posh Starhill Gallery

Huge selection of choices

Start off with some Japanese seafood, sashimi and tempura

Fried seafood and some awesome soup

This massive restaurant located next to the main commercial center of Era Square, can host over 150 tables, and their website.

Restaurant Min Kok Sdn Bhd

A typical morning at Min Kok starts very early, the chefs and kitchen helpers come in at around 4am to start preparing the food as they want to have their dim sum fresh and not left overnight. Some 40-50 serving staffs come in at around 6 something, and usually, there are already customers waiting at the door.

Check out the scallop dim sum!

A variety of their offering. The steamed dim sum were fresh and tasted very good, the scallop dim sum, very luxurious and actually quite hard to find else where. The prawn dim sum, stuffed chili, and ribs were all rather delicious too.

Porridge, siew pau, egg tart, and fried carrot cake

Besides the steamed dim sum, they also offer fried snacks, porridge, fried carrot cake, chee cheong fun, egg tart, and Min Kok’s version of the famous Seremban siew pau. I have to say I was quite impressed with the quality of food there.

The yummy Seremban siew pau

As for price, the dim sum ranges from RM 2.00 (porridge) to RM 5.00 (the scallop), very reasonable especially if you factor in the fact that this place is fully air conditioned, and has plenty of staff to keep a good service level. Which explains why this place is always packed despite having over a hundred tables for the morning crowd.

Chef's Special - Chef's special dimsum are changed every 3 months.

Note: This post is completely reflected from KYspeaks.com

A recent food tasting session saw the old-fashioned Tau Sar Pneah winning hands down over the newer flavours.

 IT’S another food item that is synonymous with Penang, and something that no visitor to the island will leave without buying either to enjoy as a light snack or to take back as a gift for relatives.

After all, Tau Sar Pneah, otherwise known as Dragon Balls or Tambun Biscuits, is one of the few things you can transport far without compromising on taste or quality.

AStocking up: Shopowner Mrs Ng putting the biscuits into plastic packaging at Tong Hoe Seng in Chowrasta market at Jalan Penang

The little rounds of light flaky pastry filled with a sweet or savoury paste made of mashed green beans (tau sar) and a rich, underlying aroma of fried shallots are delicious straight out of the oven, though few would be so fortunate as to enjoy them this way.

However, if you freeze them as soon as you get them. then defrost and put them in the oven for a brief spell, they will come out almost as crispy and tasty.

When you want a whiff of Penang, what better way than to tuck into one with a nice hot cup of our white coffee?

Hard at work: Sheng Hiang staff putting together the biscuits

There are several well-known brands available but what was surprising even to me was the number of less well-known ones. Most also manufacture or retail other well-known Penang products like Beh Teh Saw, Hiao Peah, Dodol, nutmeg and the like.

And the flavours! Who would have thought the humble dragon ball would have evolved to include so many different tastes: there were pandan, coffee, orange, dried shrimp and even durian! And this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Popular snack: Ghee Hiang staff packing Tau Sar Pneah into boxes

Tean Ean: Located in a huge mansion at the corner of Gurney Drive, this company was started about 14 years ago. 90, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, 10050 Penang. Tel: 04-229 8130

Soon Seng: Available from Chowrasta Market.

Sheng Hiang: Also established over a decade ago, now with several branches in Penang. They are famous for their “fruit” flavours although apparently their “sambal udang” is the most popular. 19, Kimberley Street, 10100 George Town, Penang. Tel: 04-261 9928

Loong Nam: Another established company which used to be in Penang Road and has now relocated to Hutton Lane. 213, Hutton Lane. 10050 Penang. Tel: 04-226 9663

TB Tambun: Available from Chowrasta Market.

Him Heang: Established in 1948, very popular with locals and visitors alike, as reflected by the number of cars which jam up Burmah Road. 162A, Jln Burma, 10050 Pulau Pinang, Tel: 04-228 6130

Ghee Hiang: One of the best known, it was established in 1856; probably the patriarch and oldest biscuit company in Penang. The old shop in Beach Street is still there, but they have introduced several outlets in town for easy access.

The fruit-flavoured Tau Sar Pneah that comes in corn, pineapple, orange and apple

Note: This post is reproduced from Original flavour beats the rest