June 2006

The Archives

• Penang Durian

  06.30.06 | Permalink |Food, Information, Penang, Travel| 8 Comments

  I received this through email. Drool over it. :drool: I will make my way there to locate them. Yum Yum. :good:

  Source: AsiaExplorers

  Durians of Balik Pulau

  In Penang, Malaysia, the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the southwest corner of Penang Island. Balik Pulau is a 30 minute drive over the main range and has a lot of durian orchards.

  The following is a selection of branded durians which I photographed during the 2004 and 2006 AsiaExplorers Durian Feasts.

  D11 “Number Eleven” is a very popular durian in the 70’s. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

  D604 The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some “body” to it as the seed is small.

  D600 This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

  D700 The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

  Ang Sim (Red Heart) Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

  Khun Poh This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

  Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown orchard of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a “Hor Lor” pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

  Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

  Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) Xiao Hung, whose name means “Little Red One,” originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

  Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name “yah kang” means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

  Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian) Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

  
  The following are some of the durians I tried the first time at Peng Siew Durian orchard in Titi Serong, Balik Pulau, on the AsiaExplorers Durian Feast, 17 June, 2006.

  D17 D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

  Coupling This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.

  Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian) The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

  Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means “green skin”. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

  Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian) As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

  Lin Fong Jiau This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. I wonder whether it is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple, for Lin Fong Jiau is a bittersweet durian, for too bitter for my liking. The flesh is whitish and wet.

• Cheap Disney Tees

  06.14.06 | Permalink |Children, Shopping| 9 Comments

  I was awarded with some gift vouchers for one of my project. I went for a shopping spree. I found Disney’s tees on sale. It is dirt cheap, only RM7.90 per piece. The sleeveless ones are RM5 per piece. The usual price is RM 15.90. If you were there, you can spot me grabbing it all. :giggles: Too bad, they only have size of age 1-3. It is all for Emily. She will be very happy to see all of them.

  

  

  

  

  

• Penang Tropical Fruit Farm

  06.09.06 | Permalink |Food, Information, Penang, Travel| 8 Comments

  My department arranged for a Fruity Friday as a team-building event. We went to Penang Tropical Fruit Farm. There is not much to see, only if you are interested in looking at fruit tree. I learn a lot about different types of fruit trees. There is a particular plant that the guide explains it can improve fertility and it is called “dukung anak”. You can use it to make tea and drink. It is a common plant that can be found everywhere. The seeds of the plant are beneath the leaves. Very interesting. Half the time the guide tells us that this plant can cure this and that. Not sure how true.

  
  Fertility Plant/Dukung Anak
  
  

  Anyhow, this place has plenty of fruits to eat. We went at the wrong time. July to August is the best season where there are lots of different fruits. We had banana, jambu, guava, jackfruit, local durian, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, dragon fruit, mango and honey dew. They also serve refreshing fruit juice. If that is not enough, you can also opt to try out their BBQ lamb, beef, fish, chicken, squid and satay. There are healthy salads too. I really enjoyed the healthy lunch to cleanse my system.

  The fees, the BBQ lunch is RM28 & dinner is RM38. If you just want the fruits package, it is RM25. You need to call in to make a booking. More information here: http://www.tropicalfruits.com.my/packages.html .

  Enjoy the fruity pics:

  
  

  

  

  

  

  The BBQ Lunch

  

  

  

  Yellow Mangosteen Tree

  

  Dragon Fruit Tree – It is actually a type of cactus.

  

  The red pineapple for deco.

  

  The View.

  

  More Fruits:

  

  

  

• Oh TNB

  06.09.06 | Permalink |Information, ProductReview, Service| 10 Comments

  Two month ago, TNB sent me a PINK letter saying they are going to cut my electricity if I do not pay the balance amount (“Tunggakan”). Usually my hubby settled all the bills using the Internet. We have statements to show we pay on time and the right amount. I was frustrated then because I thought my hubby delayed in paying. Anyhow, I asked him to go to the TNB branch and settled the matter. TNB told him many customers have these issue and they are working with the bank on it. How come this sounds so familiar?? :sc:

  Last month, I took over paying the bills of the Internet. This month bill came and you see for yourself. What a booboo TNB did? I should send them a PINK letter to cut away the billing. :giggles:

  
  
  

  Anyway, I need to cut down on electricity to bring it below RM43 so that I don’t taste the 12% increase. Here are some I can think off.

  1. Take the children out to walk more often, cut down their TV hours.
  2. Buy a bigger kettle to boil water for whole week.
  3. Shower before the sun goes down, no need to switch on bathroom light.
  4. Iron all the clothes bi-weekly or buy clothes that do not need ironing.
  5. During a hot day, if need air-condition, hang around shopping malls.
  6. Put more load into the washing machine.
  …..

  Anymore bright ideas?

• Japanese Seaweed

  06.02.06 | Permalink |Food, Information| 9 Comments

  Seaweed has always been my favourite. I can eat the entire pack, yes few hundreds slices all at one go. My favourite soup is also seaweed soup, the real seaweed kind. In Cantonese, it is called “Kuan Po Hoi Choe”, you can ask the Chinese medical shop. I don’t know about you, but eating seaweed has made my hair black. I seldom get white hair and no need to dye. I never dye my hair too because I cannot stand the smell of the chemical.

  Now in the market, brand new Japanese Crispy Seaweed, made in Thailand. Yes Crispy. It is very nice but only thing is, they put a little bit too much salt. It is not very healthy for children. Anyway snacks are never healthy. If you haven’t tried it, go get it from Tesco.

  
  
  

• Happy Belated Dumpling Day!!

  06.01.06 | Permalink |Food, Information, Penang, Special Day Event| 5 Comments

  Yesterday was Dumpling Day. My neighbor made dumpling. My house was filled with the delicious aroma of those dumplings. They gave some to me. It was so good, wanted to ask for more. :giggles: I have been having dumpling for breakfast these few days.

  I always wonder how they make it. Usually in the wet market here, they will have a special section that sells all the dumpling ingredients. I am always so tempted to buy and try it at home. If any of you know how to do it, please contribute your recipe on http://cookblog.mybabybay.com

  
  
  

  Wrapping Method Here.