CHAPTER 18 – POOLSIDE SUMMER FUN AT CHEF NAJIB HAMID’S BUNGALOW.
Jul 28th
It was a lovely evening where the shining sun is slowly setting and the breeze is lightly blowing…
The photographers and I had been invited to Chef Najib Hamid’s beautiful bungalow for a fun photoshoot and of course, food tasting!
The soothing sound of the running water when we arrived at the Balinese style bungalow.
Fishes swam freely by the door step.
Oh the sweet-smelling greens that perfumed the entire garden.
The embossed baba-nyonya tiled wooden dining set, set beside the Balinese-styled pool was simply elegant.
Entering the tropical home.
Love the old-fashioned and nicely carved wooden door.
The living room that I will definitely spend hours reading my favorite book and have tea in this lovely evening.
Tropically designed.
A cosy spot for you to chill and relax.
A see-through wall.
Lovely white benches.
Outdoor swimming pool shower.
White wooden mailbox
Loving the tropical feel.
It’s been a while since I alst rode a bicycle.
Skinny-dipping? or Sun-tanning? Your choice.
Esty by the pool.
Baby Dylan happily swimming in the pool.
Swimming to mommy.
Super adorable !
Perfect weather for photoshoots!
Loving the big compound.
The professional Ken from foodpoi.com
With the lovely Coco. *kisses*
Thirst-quenching chilled lime juice with orange slices.
Well-prepared cutleries.
Thai-style prawns and squids for appetizer.
Fried butter prawns.
Chilled watermelon cubes topped with Persian feta, basil and balsamic vinegar.
The Portobello mushroom pesto bruschetta.
A huge portobello mushroom, stuffed with steamed couscous and laced with fintel. It was topped with Napoli sauce and had a sprinkling of feta cheese. The juicy and unexpected flavours were utterly pleasing.
Next was pan-fried cod, lightly crisp on the outside and soft and moist inside.
The potato fondant which accompanied the fish enhanced its flavour.
The flame-grilled sirloin angus (with pumpkin puree, onion relish, filed mushroom and sautéed asparagus) was perfectly medium rare and tender.
Banoffee with deliciously cooked sliced bananas and crisp almond tart shell for dessert!
A closer shot of the lip-smacking dessert.
Heavenly creamy!
Last but not least, the Tiramisu topped with healthy nuts and raisins.
Can’t get enough of it!
Chef Najib and his gorgeous fiancee.
Handsome kiddo. The prince of the family.
Najib’s planning to open his own restaurant very soon in Subang Jaya, so stay tuned!
With love, luck & laughter……Esty.
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CHAPTER 17 – MY LUCKY FLIGHT TO GUANGZHOU
Jul 12th
It was just about 2 months ago when I went on a trip to Guangzhou, visiting the Canton Fair (known as the largest China import and export fair), and discovering the best Cantonese delicacies in the city itself.
My favorite travel wallet where I keep my passport, boarding pass, and other important documents.
Was surprised to see that just how cute my flight to Guangzhou is.
Air Asia’s Junior Jet Club. Adorable, isn’t it? *grins*
I saw my little red luggage! Just right there, sandwiched in the middle.
And surprisingly enough, I was on cloud nine to know that my friend was the co-pilot to fly the plane to Guangzhou when the Captain announced who his First Officer was.
So we ended up chatting away at the back of the aircraft, and I was introduced to the hot cabin crews on board.
Oh lucky me!
Carts of warmly kept delicious in-flight meal.
They were so nice to give me a box of Krispy Kreme, a cup of hot coffee, and a bottle of water.
Guess my flight wasn’t so boring afterall.
Yummy Yum! Everything tastes extremely good when you’re flying on a plane.
And then I was invited into the cockpit!
It’s my turn to control the flight deck.
Hello there sexy pilot, Edmund Tan!
Arrived safely in Guangzhou. *flying kisses*
Salute to the pilots who flew us there safely.
Oh did I mention that the landing was perfectly smooth too? 
Captain and the co-pilot. *winks*
And then…
My Very First Meal in Guangzhou!
The famous Fast-Chinese-Food chain in China, the “真功夫”.
Looked like a KFC to me, but indeed they serve undeniably good Chinese food!
My Dinner Set. Well, supper actually.
Fragrant steamed rice.
Delectable steamed pork cake with preserved vegetables in it.
Mouth-watering chicken herbal soup that I was happily slurping away.
Silky smooth steamed egg that was extremely irresistible.
Another dish of heavenly steamed pork.
Well-seasoned steamed vegetables.
Little curry fishballs.
Literally means “Real KungFu”.
Happily stuffing myself in Guangzhou.
At first I thought that was a beansprout in that bowl of steamed egg.
Then only I found out that it’s a cute little fresh Anchovy!
*
Till then loves!
Will see you in the next entry on my Little Travel Journal.
Yours truly, Esty.
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CHAPTER 16 – DIM SUM CULINARY WORKSHOP WITH CHEF LO TIAN SION.
Jul 7th
COOKING PASSIONS WITH HOTEL NIKKO KUALA LUMPUR
“Wanted to specialize in cooking for family with different menu? Tantalize them with the attractive Dim Sum as breakfast! The unique culinary art of Dim Sum originated with the Cantonese in Southern China. Dim Sum is usually liked with the older tradition of Yum Cha (drink tea) from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. Besides that, Yum Cha also treated as a weekend family day.”
- Hotel NIkko Kuala Lumpur
I’m lovin’ the art of making Dim Sum!
Dim Sum has always been my favorite for breakfast, and it was undeniably a great opportunity to actually learn how to do it in the spacious kitchen of the renowned Nikko Hotel just last week, together with my fellow foodies.
Frankly, I’m not a good cook.
But I can definitely make good Dim Sum now! *grins with self-satisfaction*
Let’s start off with our first Dim Sum!
Steamed Diced Chicken Dumpling with Scallops
Wanton Skin is definitely a MUST for making Dim Sum.
Corn flour as one of the seasoning.
Chicken seasoning powder and salt.
30grams of sugar.
My favorite sesame oil that smells incredibly good.
Cubed chicken drumstick.
Sliced scallops.
Chef Lo guiding us step by step.
Mix the cubed chicken meat with the seasoning ingredients, and mix well.
My evenly mixed chicken.
Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wanton skin.
Gather up the edges of the wanton skin around the filling and top up with one slice of scallop and flatten the base.
Another chef complained that I put too many slices of scallops on top and was helping me to redo it.
*pulls a grumpy face*
My basket of huge dumplings!
Big fat “Siew Mai” ready to be steamed, for approximately 5 minutes.
What’s NEXT?
Deep Fried Crispy Prawn Dumpling with Thousand Island Sauce
600grams of prawns for the filing.
Chicken Seasoning Poweder and Salt.
30grams of sugar.
Another 30grams of Sesame oil.
40grams of corn flour.
24 pieces of big Wanton Skin.
Add in the seasoning items and manually blend them together with the prawns until paste like.
Take a piece of wanton skin and place one teaspoon of filling onto the centre of the wanton skin.
Fold the skin into a triangle shape.
Neatly tight the edges of the wanton skin.
My plate of Prawn Dumpling ready to be fried until golden in colour.
With a wooden clip that stated the letter “I”.
Photo credits to BigBoysOven.com
Third Dim Sum!
Steamed Fish Ball with Chopped Coriander Leaf
Mackerel and Cuttlefish meat.
Mix the ingredients together, add in the seasoning and water slowly while mixing thoroughly by hand.
Shape into round balls and arrange on plate.
Steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
Steamed fish ball is one of my favorites too!
Witch and I having fun at the culinary workshop!
Last but not least.
Deep fried Sweet Potato Balls coated with Sesame Seed
300grams of sweet potato (to mash).
200grams of Glutinous Rice Flour.
80grams of shortening.
A plate of white sesame.
Mash and mix the sweet potatoes with the glutinous rice flour.
Shape dough into balls.
And then coat the sweet potato balls with the sesame seeds.
Shape it again to make sure the sesame seeds are all stick onto the dough.
When ready, deep fry the sweet potato balls and drain out the oil.
Our dirty hands!
Done learning all four Dim Sums!
From left : Foodpoi.com, Taufulou.com, YourEsty.com & iamthewitch.com
At the Toh Lee Chinese Restaurant, patiently waiting for the chef to cook my Dim Sum.
All the dim sums that we made earlier were properly segregated by alphabets, and mine was the letter “I”.
Finally! My plate of Deep Fried Crispy Prawn Dumpling that was so juicy and mouth-watering.
Witch and I contentedly pleased with what we’ve learned throughout the workshop.
Beautiful bags of Dim Sum for us to bring back home, thanks to Nikko Hotel!
“Wanna learn how to make Dim Sum too?”
On 17th July, Dim Sum Chef Lo Tian Sion will have hands on cooking class especially open to all participants to learn the art of Dim Sum at 10.00a.m. Delightful dim sum set lunch and recipes booklet will be provided.
Come and join with family and friends to have fun!
Besides that, the best Dim Sum made will be rewarded!
Price at RM150.00++ per participant.
To reserve your place, call +603-2782 6188 or email to foodandbeverage@hotelnikko.com.my.
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