Ferdinand's, The Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort

We haven't been here in years and a friend recently raved about it, so we decided to pay Ferdinand's a visit last night. I don't know if it was because we were late at 8:30, but the restaurant was empty except for one couple. For a place that can seat about 60 people, the restaurant was pathetic.

Ferdinand overlooks the resort's swimming pools, the little beach and the sea beyond so the view is awesome. The restaurant is very comfortable and elegant without being overly posh although they tried, by putting their waiters in silly striped coattails. While I like a lot of privacy when fine dining, Ferdinand's felt out of date and abandoned, like everybody is eating somewhere else we don't know of. So I realised last night that ambience is not just how beautiful the decor and setting are, but also the whole feel. The place felt dead, or about to die.

But, on a positive note, the food was good except for the dessert, and I have made my disappointment known on the questionnaire form they provided at the end of the meal. What I also wanted to say but didn't because I didn't want to appear as a cheapskate, was probably the reason people aren't coming is that in an economically uncertain time like this, RM71/US$20 before tax for two small pieces of lamb rack is ridiculous. I don't know about you, but whenever the food is served at fine dinners, I always feel a funny wave in my stomach, and I have to hold back this terrible urge to suddenly throw my head back and laugh at the big plates and the bird feed portions. I like fine dining for its elegance, and many courses in small portions make very decadent and luxurious dining compared to one big meal of pasta or a giant steak. However, when you have to pay RM40/US$11 for a soup, RM25-30/US$7-8 for a salad, RM60-90/US$17-25 for a main and RM20-30/US$6-8 for a dessert, plus that glass or bottle of wine, and gov't tax and service charge, I have this urge to shout, hey, I could eat an ostrich for that amount of money. I know my mom would say something like that and get a look from me, like, you don't understand, this is fine dining.



We started on a crabmeat salad, RM24/US$7 ++. It was quite ordinary, crabmeat (definitely frozen) with some mayo and a few pieces of lettuce and sun dried tomatoes. I don't know why they are so stingy with the greens, it is a salad after all.

This was accompanied by a basket of assorted bread with the usual tomatoes and eggplant tapenade and a dip of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, on the house. Oh, and a small piece of bruschetta. Then came the little surprise, a lovely lemon-lime sherbet to clear the palate for the next course.



My pan fried cod with an herb crust, RM60/US$17++. The cod was thick in depth but not in breadth, done just nice and very moist, with a flavorful crusty crust. Cod being an oily fish, I couldn't finish this cube of fish unlike steamed cod, which goes very well with rice, which I can never get enough of.



Hub's lamb rack was two little chops of 2 small ribs each rather than a rack. To me, a rack is only a rack if there's at least 3 ribs in one piece, or just have the whole 4 ribs in a piece. But it was done perfectly, crusty seared outside and tender moist inside, RM71.25/US$ 20 ++



These guys (Filipinos are such great singers!) came along and sang at the next table. The Korean guy asked for 'My Way' and I sputtered. I hate that song. I know this is bad of me but I'm annoyed by how Asians love 'My Way'. This song is so over-sung, and is probably the reason I hate going to karaoke joints. And it is a stupid-sounding, draggy naggy song too. The only place I want to hear this song is at a funeral, out of deep respect. "And now, the end is near/here..."

Remember I told you that I never know where to look when singers come serenade at my table? While they were at the other table, I was mentally stressed thinking, where shall I stare, and what song shall I request? Hub looked relaxed and dreamy. Oh oh.

Then they came and sang a lovely song which I can't remember the title of. I could see Hub with a funny look in his eyes. Oh oh. He is such a music person. They finished and asked us what song we wanted them to sing, and Hub said, "More love songs." I was embarrassed so I asked for a chippy Abba song. They did a good version of Chiquichita followed by a Filipino love song (which we requested), "Dahil sayo/Because of You". When they finished, I told them that we were celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary one day early and they said, ah, we have the song for you. It was hard not to laugh but I controlled myself, for they sang "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone"! If they knew how many nights we preferred sleeping alone in the last 24 years after a fight! But, they were good and the cello is such a mellow romantic instrument that I too was taken in by all that love stuff. We both decided that we would still marry each other even if we went back in time. Wine and music really can rob people of their senses.

These guys sure made the dinner special.



Ferdinand's dessert menu is disappointing, with at least 3 out of 6 items being some kind of mousse, which I don't like. So I settled for their apple tart, which was a bad end to a nice meal. The puff pastry tasted of commercial pastry margarine while the apple slices were tasteless because they were sliced so thin. RM18/US$5 ++

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves but I walked away with a pounding headache that is still there this morning. I know it was that Wolf Blass Eagle Hawk Chardonnay, because I've had it before, and I'm never going to drink that again.

p.s they also gave two little favor packs of pretty good home-made chocs on the way out.

Marmite Pork

Marmite pork--yum!

As a kid, I had poor appetite and was skinny and anaemic and my mom would have bottles of Marmite and Bovril at home as prescribed by the doctor. These two very British spreads are still easily available here, even in little grocery shops, and they are the result of Sabah's British colonial rule in the 50s. If you come into my kitchen, you will always see Marmite and Bovril on the counter, in the biggest bottle they come, 470 g. They are as essential as soy sauce and cooking oil and I make sure I'm never out of them. People have comfort blankets, but I have comfort condiments.

Which do I prefer? I'd have to say "Marmite!" even though I do love Bovril too. Sometimes, I'd take a teaspoon of the stuff and eat it just like that and feel comforted that I've had my Vitamin B complex for the day. Truth is, besides the nutritional goodness, I love the salty-savory-sourish taste of Marmite. I love it on bread, on crackers, in my congee, in my noodles and in my rice. I stop at drinking it though. That would be strange, sipping a cup of steaming Marmite.

The Australians and NZders have a vile version of Marmite called 'Vegemite'. I shudder when I type this word, Vegemite. It shows that you can be so close yet so far, even in taste. If I had to , say, pledge citizenship allegiance to Australia by eating Vegemite, I'd fail. Back to Marmite. Do you know why Marmite tastes so good? Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of the beer making process (another plus) and it naturally has lots of glutamic acids, a non-sodium form of monosodium glutamate, those magic chemicals which perk all savory food up with that extra xien/umami taste. For more info on Marmite, check here. For more Marmite recipes, here's the official Marmite site.



Marmite is good enough to eat as it is, but in Malaysia, Marmite lovers use it as a condiment. I've never tasted a good restaurant Marmite chicken or prawns. I think the cooks are too stingy when it comes to using this ingredient and as a Marmite lover, I want to taste the Marmite, not the soy sauce and sugar. The great thing about cooking a dish yourself is that you can add as much of any ingredient as you like. This recipe doesn't make a shy Marmite dish: I used 2 1/2 tablespoons of the stuff. The dish is intense in flavor and taste and you just need a good soup and a plate of garlic fried greens to complete the meal. The sauce is sticky and especially good with plain rice. Hub said "Hmmm!" at first bite and Wey didn't complain like he did earlier when I was frying the pork. He doesn't like sauce-coated fried stuff and thinks deep-fried food should be eaten as they are, nice and crunchy. But tonight, he actually ate most of this dish. I saw the original recipe in a magazine and made some changes, to my convenience and taste, such as doing away with the chopped onions and chili sauce, replacing Chinese black vinegar (partly for the sake of those who have no idea what Chinese black vinegar is) with Worchestershire sauce for a more tangy taste and black soy sauce for a deeper color instead of light soy sauce. Marinading the meat before frying it also made it tastier, and the egg white helped the cornflour to stick better so, yes, this is a winner and I'm inspired to do a similar dish with Bovril and beef.

update: I just made marmite prawns and find them simply the best, better than pork!



Marmite Pork
500g meat*
1 egg white
dashes of white pepper
1 T light soy sauce
1/8 t salt
--marinade the meat with these ingredients for at least 1 hour. Alternately, you can use 1 T of the Marmite sauce below to marinade the meat, but add the egg white.

Sauce:
2 to 2 1/2 T Marmite
1 T Lea & Perrins Worchestershire sauce
1 T tomato sauce
2 T caster sugar (or honey)
1 t dark soy sauce
100 ml water (omit if using honey)
--mix well

For frying: 1 cup cornstarch + 2 cups veg oil

* you can also use lamb, pork, pork ribs or large prawns with shells on, chicken boned or with bones

1. Chop or cut the meat into rectangular (not cubes because it may be too thick & hard) pieces about the size of a large walnut (I can't think of anything else). If using chicken with bone on, cut it bigger, say the size of a large egg.

2. Marinade meat for 1 hour.

3. Coat each piece of meat with the cornstarch (you can shake them in a plastic bag) to cover completely, shake off excess.

4. Heat up 2 cups of oil in a wok and deep fry meat in medium heat until golden and cooked. Blot on kitchen paper.

5. Pour all the oil away, wipe the pan or wok with paper towels to clean and add the sauce ingredients. Let sauce cook at high heat until it is very thick, then add the fried meat pieces, tossing well until the sauce is all absorbed by the meat. Remove onto a plate & sprinkle some sliced hot chilies for extra oomph. Serve with plain rice. Eat with fingers.

Green Tea Red Bean Roll

Green tea roll

The first time I ate green tea cake was in Singapore years ago, from a bakery called Sun Mou Lin. I remember I was hooked on it and couldn't get enough of the moist, light and subtly flavored cake. Green tea cakes came to KK after that, but until now none of the local bakeries do a good version. That is, until Lorrine of Ganache (she takes orders!) came along, and her green tea cake is my absolute favorite. Because green tea can be very subtle, it is not easy to make a good green tea cake. You can't add too much green tea powder to the cake or it'll taste slightly bitter and dry, giving your tongue a pulling, dehydrated kind of feeling. Apparently this dehydrating feel is the reason why people drink green tea: green tea draws out the oil from the food in your guts. I've been told many times by my friends in China and Hong Kong that the reason why Chinese people don't put on weight easily despite eating being their national hobby is because they drink lots of tea throughout the day. It is common to have a pot of tea brewing in Chinese homes, just like how coffee lovers have their coffee machines on 24/7. Old folks will say "Tea washes your guts" as they chomp on their 5th piece of stewed belly pork.

Green tea powder is called macha in Japanese. I made this cake using Japanese macha I had bought from Cold Storage in Singapore, and I am very disappointed with the results. The green tea flavor is almost nil and the cake looks more beige than green. I shouldn't be surprised though because I know macha should look greenish-yellow. Macha from cake ingredients shop give a stronger flavor and color, but the resulting cakes will still be light greenish-yellow, not green. I can safely bet that any green tea cake out there that looks greenish has loads of green coloring in it, so be warned.

Instead of making the usual green tea gateaux, I decided to use a semi hemispheric 'cassata' pan that I make my jellies in, an idea I saw in Alex Goh's book, Fruity Cakes, and from where I got the recipe for the sponge too although I had to adjust some of the ingredients. The sponge is light, but can be moister. I also added little chunks of kiwi fruit, just because I have it. Okay, it was really just to give the cake a bit of green color. I didn't mix the red beans with the whipped cream because I didn't want the beans to color the cream and so I added the beans in the center of the cake.

If you are tired of rich sinful cakes, try this light angelic green tea cake. And if you are sensitive to green tea like me, remember to not eat this cake at night. I couldn't sleep all night after eating this cake plus a few cups of fragrant green tea.

Green Tea Red Bean Roll

The Sponge
A: 4 large egg yolks
50 ml milk (or use diluted cream)
50 ml corn oil
85 g cake flour
1 1/2 T good macha powder
1/2 t double action baking powder

B: 4 large egg whites
1/8 t cream of tartar
80 g caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 170 C, grease and line a 32 cm x 32 cm (13" x 13" ) baking tray*. Sift the flour, baking powder and macha powder together.

2. Using a hand whisk, mix all the A ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

3. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into your electric mixer bowl and beat until the whites are foamy. Add all the sugar and beat until stiff peaks stage; do not beat beyond that or the whites will loose its holding strength.

4. Add about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into 'A' batter to lighten it, then pour the 'A' batter into the remaining whites and quickly fold (I use my hand) to mix well.

5. Pour batter into the baking tray, level it and bake 25 minutes. Cool cake completely.

* or use a 23 cm (9") round cake tin. Cut the cake into 2 or 3 layers when cool and fill the layers.

Filling: fresh fruits (optional), 3/4 cup cooked red beans, 1 1/4 cups dairy cream (more if making a round gateaux), 1-2 T sugar

To assemble, cut the cake to fit a semi hemispheric pan and line the pan with the cake. Whisk the dairy cream with the caster sugar until stiff. Add some chopped fresh fruits and cooked red beans to the cream (or you can add the red beans after filling the cake with the cream) and fill the cake with the cream mixture. Cut another layer of cake to fit the top and cover the cake in the pan with that. Cover the cake with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

Ma Po Tofu

Ma po tofu

I have eaten great ma po tofu in Australia and even Singapore but in Malaysia, this spicy signature Sichuan dish has always been elusive. Just as in the less authentic Chinese restaurants in most countries other than China, ma pa tofu in Malaysia has been adapted for local tongues and the dish is totally different from the real thing in Sichuan, China. Our local version is a plate of bland wimpy tofu bonded with cornstarch sauce that tastes of tomato ketchup, far from the authentic version that hits your taste buds and nasal cells with the wonderful combination of chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns and hot broad bean sauce. But of all the countries, ma po tofu is the most unauthentic in Japan, where it is very popular but is totally adulterated into a thick saucey dish that doesn't taste a bit like the original ma po tofu.

It is almost like a test of a restaurant's authenticity to me, whenever I order ma po tofu. Just by the look, I know whether the dish is authentic. There should be red chili oil, lots of it so that instead of a cornstarch sauce, the tofu swims in red oil. There should be Sichuan peppercorns, usually in powder form. There shouldn't be thick gooey sauce, although I have been wrong on this because I have come across a ma po tofu that looked too corn-starchy yet it it had the flavor of the Sichuan peppercorns, hot broad beans sauce and chili oil, which are absolutely essential to the dish. I think cornstarch is added when there's too much liquid in the dish and a lot of liquid makes it easier to turn the tofu pieces without breaking them up. Definitely an amateur's trick.


Hot broad bean sauce from China. These sauces are very salty and the best are the ones with some whole broad beans intact. Brands vary in taste, so get a good one. Lee Kum Kee's hot bean paste is not.

Even with all the essential ingredients, ma po tofu can turn out bland. That was my ma po tofu before meeting Leila, who's from Chengdu, Sichuan. I used to cook a bland ma po tofu because my tofu was cut too big and I thought a shorter cooking time will result in softer, silkier tofu. Leila taught me two important tips about cooking ma po tofu: the tofu must be cut small, to increase the surface area so that more sauce can coat the tofu, and equally important, so that the tofu will not break up into a mess (think span and tension). Tip no. 2 is that you must let the tofu cook for at least 5 minutes or longer in the sauce. Leila lets her tofu cook gently for nearly 10 minutes, but I can't wait so I don't.

In KK, I like the home-made tofu from a lady who has a stall next to Chiu Tai Seng. I never liked sui (water) doufu (as white beancurd is called in Chinese) and it was only recently that I've come to like tofu especially after eating home made tofu from this aunty. Most tofu in our markets is coagulated with calcium sulphate which masks the subtle soy beans flavor and makes tofu slightly firmer (ideal for making stuffed tofu) and more easier to handle. One stall in Lido makes silken tofu with fruit acid, but the tofu is not very fragrant, probably because the soy bean milk is not concentrated. I dislike the fact that everybody dips their hands into the trough of water where the tofu is immersed without using a plastic bag or glove. I also dislike the silken tofu packed in a plastic container; the tofu never comes out whole. A good strongly soya bean-flavored silken tofu makes all the difference to this dish.


Sichuan peppercorns are pink and naturally cracked open.

One last word on ma po tofu. Apparently there are two stories to the name of this dish. Ma (as pronounced in the second intonation) means pocked-marked while po means grandma, and a certain pocked-marked lady in Sichuan was said to have come up with this dish long ago. However, ma also means numb, and the second story says that the word ma refers to the distinct Sichuan flavor called mala which means numbing hot, a sensation that comes from the Sichuan peppercorns and la means spicy-hot, which comes from chili oil. I never knew Sichuan peps had that numbing property until I went to Sichuan about 3 years ago. Up to then I thought the pink Sichuan peps had this nice distinct flavor that is different from white or black pepper. It turned out that the Sichuan peps we get in this country (and probably elsewhere other than China) aren't fresh enough to give the ma sensation. Leila insisted that I store the Sichuan peps she brought me in a glass container in the fridge to retain the freshness. If you haven't experienced ma, you must. Take a Sichuan pep and chew it with your front teeth. Within seconds, the tip of your tongue will tingle and you'll feel some bubbles effervescing on it and then a slight numbness will take over. It's fun and addictive. I love the thrill of mala. I dream of visiting Chengdu and Chongqing in Sichuan and eating all the mala food. Imagine a cuisine where not only the flavor is important, but the sensation too. Amazing.

Ma po tofu is a dish full of flavors and is best eaten with hot plain rice.

Ma Po Tofu
500g silken beancurd
150g beef or pork, minced
2 T hot broad beans paste
1/2-1 T light soy sauce (optional)
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1 T garlic, minced
2 T Sichuan peppercorn oil
2 T red chili oil
1/2 t Sichuan peppercorns, freshly grounded
1/2- 1 cup Swanson's chicken stock
2 T spring onions, cut fine
2 T Chinese leeks, in 1.5 cm diagonal lengths

1. Cut the tofu into 1.5 cm or 2 cm cubes, put into a colander to drain away all water. There's no need to blanch the tofu.

2. Heat the Sichuan peppercorn oil in a wok, or just use veg oil and add 1 t Sichuan peppercorns when the oil begins to smoke. Lower heat to medium. You can remove the peppercorn or let it remain in the oil. Quickly (the peppercorns burn easily) add the bean paste. Fry a couple of seconds until fragrant. Now add the chopped spring onions, garlic and ginger and fry in medium heat for a couple of seconds.

3. Add the minced meat, breaking it up to separate and to mix well. Fry for a minute or more, until the meat is nearly cooked. Add 1/2 T light soy sauce.

4. Add the 1/2 cup chicken stock (remember that the tofu will release liquid as it cooks), then the tofu and stir carefully. Cover, and let it simmer (medium heat) for 5-7 minutes.

5. Add the leeks, stir well to mix. Taste and add more stock only if necessary (not too much or the dish becomes bland and watery), bean paste or soy sauce to taste. If there's too much water, you can thicken with a cornstarch solution (2T cornstarch : 2 T water) but this is not very authentic.

6. Remove onto a plate and sprinkle with grounded Sichuan peppercorn and chili oil.

Celery Stir-Fry

Celery stir-fry

This is my MIL's na shou (expert) dish. Although simple, I can't get it as good as she does. The secret lies a lot in control of the heat used in cooking this dish. I usually stir up a slightly charred veg (heat too high) or watery dish (heat too low) that tastes very different from Ma's. This CNY, I stood watching her, memorizing how she quickly fries every item, washing the wok after frying each item, tasting as she fried (which I never do) and combining it all perfectly without overcooking or undercooking, at just the right temperature so the veggies don't dry up nor sweat.

In Chinese meals, instead of salad, a simple plate of greens fried with garlic is always on the table. Well, in my home at least. I think that simple fried veg is the best way to eat your greens because the quick frying doesn't destroy much vitamins yet reduce the veg to half the volume so that you eat much more than you would compared to uncooked veg, as in salads. Serve this as an alternative to that daily plate of greens and even the kids will eat it. All my three kids love celery. If you are one of the unfortunate ones who hate celery, you can substitute it with stem kai lan (the type without leaves), Japanese squash and even cucumber or any veg that does not go too soft upon frying. The cashew nuts are optional.

Celery Stir-Fry
3 stalks celery
1 small carrot
1/2 pkt (about 200 g) fresh waterchestnuts
1 can button mushrooms (fresh ones are not used bc they can darken the sauce)
200g chicken breast
1 pkt (about 200g) fresh baby corn
salt and pepper
cornstarch/cornflour
homemade chicken stock or 1/2 can Swanson's chicken stock
veg oil

garnish: toasted or fried cashew nuts (optional)

1. String the celery to remove the hard veins. Cut each celery stalk into 2-3 long strips lengthwise and then cut into diagonal pieces about the size of your thumb.

Peel and cut the waterchestnuts into small cubes about the same size as the celery. Do same with the carrot, button mushrooms and baby corn. Cut the chicken breast into similar-sized cubes and marinade with salt & pepper and a heaped teaspoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of oil.

2. Heat the wok up, add about 1 T oil and fry the celery. Add a pinch of salt and fry, then add about 2 T of chicken stock and fry until it is about half-cooked. Remove onto plate. Rinse the wok and re-heat, and fry the corn (again add salt and a little bit of stock) until half-cooked. Remove corn to plate, wash the wok and fry the carrot the same way. Since the carrot will take a little longer, cover it while it cooks. When carrot is 1/2 done, add the waterchestnuts and mushrooms to the carrots, fry and season again. At all times, there shouldn't be much liquid/stock so make sure you add the stock in small amount just to keep the veg from searing and also the heat should be adjusted up or down. eg if you are frying each veg, the heat should be medium but increase it to high when you add the veg together because more heat is needed. The heat is best when it's high enough to keep the veg from 'sweating' out any liquid yet not too high to burn the veg.

3. Now add 2 T oil to the clean wok and fry the chicken (this is the healthy way. If you don't mind the oil, you can use 1/2 cup of oil to fry. This is done in the restaurants to get quick, even cooking and tender & better tasting meat but it is oilier even after you pour away most of the oil after frying) until it is about 3/4 done. Now add all the other fried veg and keep tossing and frying. Taste and add more salt if necessary. This dish should be refreshing to the palate so don't add too much salt.

You can thicken with cornstarch solution but because the chicken had been marinaded with cornstarch, the liquid from the veg will thicken the liquid slightly. I find that this dish tastes better without any cornstarch thickening.