Half day trip to Pulau Ketam, Klang

After delicious Bak Kut Teh at Seng Huat (Under the Bridge), 7 of we head to Pulau Ketam Jetty to take boat to Pulau Ketam for half day visit. The Jetty is known as South Port Passenger Terminal. It has open carpark with ample parking space where we can park our cars at reasonable rate. There are few speed boats service and ferry to choose to go to Pulan Ketam and Pulau Sungai Lima. The speed boat that we ride to Pulau Ketam is a chartered boat that also can be share with others walk in passengers which will depart once the headcount is fulfill. It's a speed boat with open deck seats where we can enjoy boat ride with full open sea view and sea water splashy occasionally, quite thrill and it reminds me of the boat ride at Chao Phraya in Bangkok. About 20 mins+ ride to reach Pulau Ketam. 

Pulau Ketam a bit similar to Pulau Pangkor. However not sure is it due to Pulau Ketam is a popular tourist destination, rubbish such as mineral water bottles and snack plastic wraps can be see everywhere on the mud surface / swamp. I read those travel log and article majority recommended to rent a bike to go round the entire village but I personally think that walking is the best way to see more in details than biking. We walk and stroll around every corner which is accessible in a slow pace and make longer stops at few spots; it only takes an hour in total and we are back to the main street which is our starting point. We did not miss out to have fresh seafood for our lunch before leaving the island. We did not purchase a return ticket to go back to mainland as we were told that we can buy the ticket anytime on the island. So go back we are riding a different speed boat - an aircond speedboat with window view depends on your seating area. In summary, half day trip (about 3-4 hours including boat rides) is good enough to see the island if you are not keen to stay overnight to experience the sea village life.

吧生盛发 (桥底) 肉骨茶~ Seng Huat (Under the Bridge) Bak Kut Teh, Klang

Since Klang is well known Bak Kut Teh and our family members all love Bak Kut Teh, we off course did not miss out to have BKT as breakfast before we begin our Pulau Ketam trip. This Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh is situated right next to the Bridge (Jalan Tengku Kelana) that cross thru Klang River, main roads and railway, not exactly under the bridge anyway. Occasionally we can see Komuter train passed by since the railway is right behind the restaurant. Now this place has become another new addition to my Klang BKT list that I've tried so far. As there are 6 of us, we can share different parts of the pork from fat to lean meat, soft ribs, pork knuckles and intestines. Eating Bak Kut Teh with rice early in the morning at 7 something is something I will do when I am in Klang, but not when I am not in Klang haha.

Korean style Zucchini Fritters~ Hobak Jeon 호박전

It's clear fridge day and I have leftover Ho bak to clear off quickly. So I made it into Hobak jeon~ a common fritters or Jeon side dish thats erved at those Traditional Korean Restaurant, just like the Gamja jeon. It's simple, doesnt required a lot of ingredient and quick ready. All I need is just Buchim-garu, egg, and some salt. 

Ingredients:

Zucchini 

Buchim-garu (Pancake mix)

Egg

Salt

How to Cook:

Step 1. 
No need to peel off the skin of zucchini, just cut it into slices about 2cm thick. Lightly sprinkle some salt to the zucchini slices and let it sit for 5 mins to soften it. Careful not to over-salted the zucchini slices. You can feel the zucchini slice turn softer and moisture than before after the salted process. 

Step 2. 
In a ziplock bag or veggie storage bag, pour in enough amount of buchim-garu. Put all the salted zucchini slices in and tie up the storage bag, shake the bag gently so that the zucchini slices is coated well with the flour on both sides.  

Step 3.
Beat an egg into a bowl and whisk well, set aside. Heat up a frying pan with 2 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is heat up and ready for pan frying, remove the battered zucchini slices from the storage bag, and dip it into egg wash (one piece at once) before place it on the pan for pan frying. Pan fry it over medium heat or low heat until it turns golden brown for both sides then it is done. 

The jeon can be kept in fridge up to 3 days in airtight container and reheat on frying pan again before served on the table. That's what the Koreans normally do. I don't encourage to consume overnight food so normally I will cook adequate amount or portion that just enough for a meal. 

Quick & Easy Sweet & Spicy Korean Fried Chicken~ Yangnyeom Chicken 양념치킨

Back then in year 2010 - 2011 when we were living in Kota Kemuning, there were no Korean restaurants nearby~ So some of the weekends we would drive 30 to 40 minutes to Desa Sri Hartamas or Ampang for Korean fried chicken. That's when I started to learn how to make Yangnyeom chicken at home. Making your own chimek at home is not difficult, in fact it is cost saving. I only spend RM20 - RM30 on this Yangnyeon chicken for 2 adults. What I am going to share here is a less than 30 mins quick and easy Yangnyeom chicken recipe - by using frozen breaded chicken drummets or wings.

Frozen type is ideal for last minute cooking or in a hurry to get it ready. I will keep 1 pack of this frozen breaded drummets & wings by Ayamas at home just in case we crave for chimek for late night supper, or he invite his colleague home last minute for meal, etc. If you are not in hurry, you may use fresh chicken parts too. Cost more or less similar, except you need extra time for marinated and battered it. The key of success in this dish is - use only drummets and wings, double frying and the sweet spicy sticky sauce!

Ingredients : 

1 pack of frozen breaded drummets & wings (850gm)

To make sauce :

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar 

2 Tbsp minced garlic (or more)

2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste) 

2 Tbsp honey (or corn syrup)

3 Tbsp chili sauce or ketchup

3 Tbsp mirin (rice wine)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

How to cook:

Step 1.

One pack of frozen breaded chicken - the Ayamas brand I use here weighted 850 gram - contain 16 pieces of breaded drummets & mid-wings. No thawing required, I split them into 2 two batches for deep frying since my pan is medium size pan. 

Step 2. 

1st round of frying - add in cooking oil enough to cover the drummets & wings, heat up the oil to 180 Celsius, deep fry around 8 mins (or according to the instruction on the packaging).

Step 3.
After 8 mins, remove the cooked drummets & wings and place them on a drainer to drain out excess oil. Continue to deep frying the second batch. You can see that drummets & wings will looks light golden color after first round of frying.

Step 4.
After all the drummet & wings done frying for the 1st round, heat up the oil again to 180 Celsius. This time, place all 16 pieces of them together back to the wok for second round frying. Fried for about 3 minutes then it is done.

Step 5.

Remove and place them back on a drainer to drain out excess oil. This time the drummets and wings outer layer colour turn darker than before. Double-frying is necessary as it will make the chicken parts more crispy and crunchy.

Step 6. 

Make the sweet & spicy sauce for coating. Normally I will prepare the sauce when the chicken meat is deep-frying.

Step 7.
On another pan, pour in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, pour in the sauce and sautee a little over low heat until it is bubbling.

Step 8. 

When the sauce start bubbling, add in the cooked drummets and wings, stir well until all evenly coated then it is done cooking! The whole process takes about 2-3 minutes.

Step 9.

Garnish it with some crushed peanuts, or sesame seed, or nothing. This sweet and spicy chicken is actually not spicy (to me). You may add 1 tablespoon of Korean chilli powder (gochugaru) or chilli oil into the sauce to level up the spiciness according to your liking. 

All ready in less than 30 minutes! Hope you like this recipe and enjoy Chimek at home!