Speedy soy spinach

This one is a real quick dish as you can prepare it anytime you want. Just remember to wash the spinach really thoroughly before hand as you wouldn't want to be biting sand lol...I've added in a slight variation to the dish and hope you'll love the taste.

Speedy soy spinach(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
200g spinach, washed
2 tbsp soy sauce
a handful of goji berries(in chinese 枸己)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation method:

1. Wash and rinse spinach until it's clean off sand and dirt. Peel leaves off stems and keep leaves.(you can also have the stems in together, just cut them into sticks).
2. Soak and wash the goji berries. Make sure all water is drained out from the spinach and goji.
3. Heat oil in a pan, then cook the garlic. Tip in the goji and the spinach, then cook for 2 mins stirring often until the spinach begins to wilt.
4. Drizzle over the soy sauce, toss through and then scatter with sesame seeds.

It's a really quick dish to prepare :) enjoy!

Spaghetti with asparagus, mint & chilli

Just tried to cook something vegan over the last weekend...it's really simple and easy to prepare...here's the recipe to be shared:

Spaghetti with asparagus, mint & chilli (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• about 200g spaghetti
• 40ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• 200g asparagus, thinly sliced
• handful of fresh mint leaves
• sea salt and ground black pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve a quarter cupful of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli and cook for 30 secs stirring. Add the asparagus and continue to stir for 1-2minutes until it is bring green and tender crisp. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and simmer for 30 secs.
3. Add the hot pasta and mint leaves to the asparagus and toss together. Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated cheese.

Bon Apetite~!

Pancake

Making the batter for the pancake is really simple. It's one of the easiest and fastest breakfast you can prepare(although sandwiches are definitely faster).

To make the batter for pancakes:

Batter for 8-10 pancakes:

Ingredients:

125g plain flour
1 large egg
300ml milk
Vegetable oil/Olive oil

Preparation method:

1. Put the flour into the bowl and make a well in the center. Break the egg and add a little milk into it. Then, start whisking the egg with the milk. The flour will mix with the liquid and thicken it.

2. Continue whisking and as the batter thickens, gradually pour in more milk. Once all the ingredients combine, the batter should be smooth and the thickness of pouring cream.

3. Allow the batter to stand for about 30minutes before use to give the starch time to swell and less floury. If the batter thickens, add a little milk. Don't leave the batter for more than 6 hours.

4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a small frying pan until smoking hot. Then, pour a little of the batter into the pan. Immediately tilt and twist the pan so that the batter spreads to a very thin layer.

5. Cook the pancake for about 1 minute until the underside is golden. Test by lifting the edge with a spatula.

6. Turn the pancake with the spatula and cook until the underside is golden too. Place the product onto a plate and repeat steps 4 to 6 for the remaining batter.

Pancakes can be kept overnight. Wrap it in foil or greaseproof paper and freeze it. Thaw overnight or several hours in a refrigerator.

Pancakes can be served with countless ways. Best way in the morning, for me, would be maple syrup, some cut fruits like strawberries and bananas would be a fulfilling breakfast before starting off the day.

Tortilla

I did a tortilla with onions last weekend, simple, tasty and hearty. You practically can put in different types of ingredients into tortillas and it tastes good! Just to share the recipe for all to make a quick an easy meal here...

Tortilla (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil or butter
650g waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped to cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Large eggs

Preparation Method:

1. Season the potatoes and onion with salt and pepper
2. Heat a non-stick pan(medium sized) over medium-high flames and add in the oil. Let the oil be very hot but not smoky. Then, add in the potatoes and onion.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, cook and stir occasionally so that the produce does not get browned, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. This process takes about 15-20minutes.

(The potatoes and onions were very lightly browned)

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and whisk eggs, then add the potatoes into the bowl and mixed it together.

5. Pour the mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly and allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes over medium-low flame.
6. Once the bottom is cook, flip the tortilla over and cook for another 3-5minutes.
7. Once done, serve it on a place and bon apetit!

Deliciously Delight

Behold the delightful desserts, thou shalt enjoy the wonderful cakes that can indulge you and send you to the next dimension. Desserts gives everyone the sugar rush and it's the best way to enjoy an evening after a hearty meal with friends and family. Just to share about the types of dessert that have I have tasted. I love chocolates...just melts me haha...

La-Manila's Chocolate Heaven that sends you to heaven with your first bite


and Chocolate Indulgence - A Must try!


Delicious' English Scones are a hearty pair with a cup of tea/coffee


And their Classic Chocolate Cake just melts me everytime :D


Midori's way of serving you green tea - a soft serve ice cream with green tea which tastes pretty fine


Secret Recipe's Black Forest - I only love it for the berries in the cake...


and, also Secret Recipe's Hazel Cheesecake is just way too sweet - awful

Starbuck's Opera - Nice with the multiple layer of chocolate and cream with a thin tasty crust at the bottom, tastes chocolaty but not too sweet, awesome!

Omelette

Omelette is a household favourite. I thought of just writing this because a friend was looking for omelette recipe today. Just for your information, Omelettes should be plump, set on the outside and moist, almost runny in the center. Have your ingredients ready before you start cooking.

Cheese and Bacon Omelette For 1 serving

Ingredients

3 eggs
15g butter
Cheddar or Parmesan Cheese, grated (i'm not specifying any amount because it's up to your liking)
Bacon, diced and fried(also to your liking)
salt and pepper

Preparation Method

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl and thoroughly whisk them with little salt and pepper

2. Add the grated cheese into the eggs

3. Heat butter in pan until melted and just on the point of browning. Tip in the eggs and push the mixture from the sides into the center. This is to make sure that all of the egg gets cooked. Use a fork to pull in the cooked mixture until very lightly set all over.

4. Add in the bacon. Spread it evenly on the eggs. Then, flick one half over the centre of the omelette with the fork, roll it out of the pan onto the plate and it's ready to be served! Bon Apetit!

焖伊面 Mun Yee Mee Recipe

Well, I was checking thru nuffnang analytics and noticed that there were search for Mun Yee Mee Recipe. It's quite a simple dish to prepare and cook at home, my mom used to cooked at least once a month for us and I would help in the kitchen back then.

Here's the Recipe for shares:

Mun Yee Mee 焖伊面 (serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 or 4 dried yee mee noodles(quantity is up to you)
350g chicken, sliced(season with a little salt, oyster sauce)
300g prawns, peeled(do leave the scale at the tail area so that the flavor of the prawn can be absorbed by the noodles too, fresh prawns please!! season with salt and pepper too)
200g fishcake, sliced
300g cabbage, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 tbsp Oyster sauce
4 tbsp Dark Soya sauce
2 tbsp Light Soya sauce
Chicken Stock(About 1 litre)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Preparation Method:

1. First, heat wok under high flame. Then, pour in the oil(about 6 tablespoons) into the wok and let oil heat.
2. Next, add the garlic and stir til light brown, then add in the chicken and stir-fry a moment then add in the prawns and fishcakes. Prawns cook very quickly therefore it has to be quick.
3. Pour in the Oyster sauce, dark and light soya sauce, to taste and the chicken stock. Add the yee mee in and cook under high flames still with the cover on the wok. Bring to boil to allow the stock to reduce. The gravy should be thick but make sure that it's not too dry.
4. About 5-8minutes later, add the cabbage and salt to taste and simmer for until noodles are soft(about 8minutes)
5. Noodles should be soft but chewy, try not to overcook.

Hope you'll enjoy the recipe. Cheers~

What you need in a Kitchen

Hmm, well, just to introduce a what we need essentially in our kitchen to be able to cook a hearty, good meal, we don't need to buy all those extravagant-high tech-cooking equipments. Back then at home my mom has just a handful of utensils and equipments to be able to cook. Just to share here with everyone what essentials we should have in the kitchen:

1. Knives and scissor
A good cutting knife for meat cutting, a smaller one for fruits and vegetables. A cleaver for
hacking bones for making soup base.

2. Tongs
For tossing salads to flipping meat on a griddle.

3. Rolling Pin
For rolling doughs.

4. Grater
For grating cheese, fruits and other ingredients like cucumbers, nutmegs etc.

5. Chopping Board
I prefer polycarbonate or plastic as compared to wooden because wooden will have bacterias
on it over time after using for cutting meat.(Never mix a chopping board for meat with fruits
and vege to avoid food contamination)

6. Mixing Bowl
A large one for easy mixing and tossing for salads.

7. Pestle and Mortar
For grounding flavors out from spices and nuts and other ingredients. Recommended to get
marble made.

8. Whisk
For mixing foods well so that no coagulation is present.

9. Peelers
The most effective way to skin your fruits and vegetables!

10. Spatula
For your stir-fry cooking.

11. Colander/Strainer/Sieve
For retrieving and draining fried or boiled foods.

12. Wok
For your chinese cooking.

13. Non-stick Griddle pan
For cooking your meat fillets and vegetables by giving them the grill marks.

14. Non-stick frying pan
For all your normal frying needs.

15. Single deck or double deck steamer
For steaming food.

16. Stock Pot
For preparing soup!

17. Blender
Fastest way to blend your products to produce pastes

You're welcomed to give your inputs on what else you should have in your kitchen. This list is compiled based on what I have in my kitchen. Thank you for reading!

Food Safety

When we talk about food safety, take a second, sit back and think about it for a while. What would your answer be? Our basic idea about it is, when you buy something fresh, bring it home wash it, clean the food be it meat or vegetable then pack it and put into the freezer or refrigerator. But there is an importance in knowing about food's safety. We can't see bacterias with our naked eyes and therefore, never would we know what is happening to our food when it is exposed to air.

Preparation of food as well as storage of food plays an important role in producing the final food product. Food poisoning isn't something to be taken lightly although these days it is easily treatable compared to many many years ago when medicine wasn't as advanced as today.
Foodborne illness can seriously harm you so don't take it lightly.

Here are some tips to protect yourself by handling food safely.

1. Cook meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria.(Typically most bacterias are killed at about 70 degrees C)

2. Avoid cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food.

3. Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria grow very quickly at room temperature. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Bacterial growth are most rapid between 4 degrees C to 60 degrees C.

4. Clean and wash produce thoroughly. Soak and rinse a few rounds fresh fruits and vegetables to remove dirt and grime. Remove and discard outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage.

Signs and symptoms of food poisoning include upset stomach, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramping and dehydration.

Hope this information is useful to you. Thank you for reading!

Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong

Introducing, one of my favourite nasi lemak dishes - the Sambal Sotong! A good sambal requires the right blend of ingredients from making the sambal paste to preparing the dish. Just to share the recipe for trying it at home :)

Sambal Sotong(serves 4)

Ingredients to be grounded or blended:

8-10 shallots
2 tsp Belacan(dried shrimp paste)
5 tbsp Chili Paste(I would always like to use fresh chili and make the paste myself)
4 macadamia nuts
4 cloves garlic

Other Ingredients:

450-500g of fresh calamari/squid, cleaned and cut into rings
4tsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup water
1 tsp brown sugar
salt

Preparation Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the tamarind paste with the water, strain and discard seeds.
2. Grind the shallots, garlic, belacan, macadamia nuts, chili paste using a mortar & pestle or simply just blend it til it becomes a paste.
3. Heat wok on high flame, add oil and stir-fry ground paste until toasted and oil starts oozing. You'll be able to smell the fragrance of the ingredients. This process usually takes about 5 minutes.
4. Add onions, tomatoes, tamarind juice, sugar and salt to taste.
5. Cover and reduce flame to medium, to allow tomatoes to simmer to well stew and sauce to thicken.
6. Add squid/calamari and simmer til opaque. This process is very quick, remember to not overcook the squid!
7. Allow the flavors to be absorbed into the squid/calamari before serving.

Final Product - served with nasi lemak or white rice with side dishes of peanuts, cut cucumbers, stir-fried vegetable, sambal ikan-bilis(anchovies) and 1/2 of a boiled egg. Yummy! Bon Appétit!

What is Food?

Food is a very general term used for what we eat daily for the very reason to perform our daily activities. It gives us energy, proteins, nutrients etc. etc. for our body to function everyday.
I have been searching online over the past few days on food and couldn't really find any relevant articles which talks about it. Food can be represented as a substance but it can also represent a culture, a tradition, a cuisine. Food can symbolize a country, a race, a religion. Food is everywhere and is something which every single individual needs everyday.

Food is what brings people together, a gathering, a party, a celebration. Food bonds people, food is a remedy. I can't stop repeating Food here, Food there and every sentence it's all about food. The importance of food should never be neglected as a necessity that should be taken for granted. Studies on the relationship between culture and food is known as Gastronomy. But when the word Gastronomy is mentioned, people usually relate it to culinary arts, hence always a certain confusion.

I'm writing on this today because I felt that there is a need to share with people about food. Do you really understand the meaning of it? Does it really matter if it tastes good or not before you put in your mouth only to find out that you can't swallow it down after tasting it? Or, as long as it fills your stomach and serving the main purpose - giving you energy to perform your daily activities, it's good enough? My Dad once said to me when I was still in highschool, 'Son, you don't live to eat but you eat to live,'. I have always disagreed with him. You need to eat to live, yes, but when you live in a multi-cultural country and everywhere you go, there are just amazing foods awaiting for you to taste and eat, it just becomes irresistable. From hawker stalls to gourmet food and different cuisines, it just makes you unable to resist.

Do you remember the days when you would go back to visit your grandparents and when you arrive, grandma would be actually in the kitchen preparing those deliciously mouth-watering homecook food that you love and enjoy 'til cleaning up the plate? All those festivities like the night before the Lunar/Chinese New Year where everyone in the family would come back home and have the Reunion dinner on one table. It's what food that brings everyone back home(in a way, doesn't have to be always that reason). Understanding food will give a deeper meaning and appreciation to it.

We often see people putting food to waste by not finishing it mostly because life now is so luxurious compared to those days when people like our grandparents, ancestors have to slogged just to make enough to feed the family. Food represents history too. It gives you insights to why that particular dish is popular in some cultures and why it is so important in certain culture's cuisine. Histories are events of past which has lessons and wisdom seeded in it for us to learn and food, is part of it. Hopefully this short write up on what I think about food conveys a certain message that I'm trying to send out to everyone out there. Appreciate good food, use it as a tool to re-bond your relationship with family and friends and don't put food to waste. Kudos to you and thank you for reading!

I <3 Lala Soup

If there is one place i could recommend for a good and yummy lala soup(cooked in white wine and ginger) it would be at this place - Le Kwang Restaurant at USJ 2. One reason why, which is very obvious - the lala is fresh. It's a typical chinese 'tai-chaw'大炒 open during the night which serves chinese stir-fry dishes. They also have nice 'mun yee mee'焖伊面 braised yee mee noodles. I had a 'gon chaw hor'干炒河 stir-fried hor fun and 'gon chaw lou shu fun'干炒老鼠粉 stir-fried lou shu fun(rat tail's noodles) and to be fair it tastes not bad...however the star for the night was the lala soup....my friend recommended it that we must try and sure he was right, no regrets :) *thumbs up for this!*

Le Kwang Restaurant at USJ 2/2d. It's at the corner shop at the other end of Petronas near Summit USJ

The 'Gon Chaw Hor' @ RM 5.50

'Gon Chaw Loh Shu Fun' also at RM 5.50

The 'Mun Yee Mee'

And the Star of the Night - LaLa Soup! @ RM 12(I think...can't recall since it was 2 weeks ago hehe...)

鼎泰豐 - Din Tai Fung

Allow me to start with a brief introduction to Din Tai Fung first before my review. Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 is quite a renowned and respected chinese cuisine/or more specifically, taiwanese/shanghainese cuisine all over the world. Famous for it's delicate steamed 'dumplings' or famously known as the shanghai 'xiao long bao' 小籠包 (in other words, small basket dumplings) and also other steamed dumplings 蒸餃.

In other words, Din Tai Fung promises good quality food. I remembered my first visit to Din Tai Fung was in April 2008 where I had the most delicious 'Dan-Dan Mian' 擔擔麵 which is Taiwanese style(Sze-Chuan style is more watery and has a tremenduous amount of chili oil in it) as well as various good dishes. I yearned for quite some time before I found out that there was a Din Tai Fung in the Gardens Mid-Valley.

I have visited Din Tai Fung in the Gardens for 3 times before this and each time i went, I was always disappointed by them. First visit, no Dan-dan mian擔擔麵, but food was acceptable, their 'xiao long bao'小籠包 was juicy and has a thin skin that fits perfectly to the requirements of a good 'xiao long bao'小籠包, their noodles 麵食 has a number of variety and is tasty although I always reckon that they have to improve on their noodles(Texture is okay, but it should be fine, and smooth to bite, and melts in your mouth - that is what you call the perfect la-mian拉麵).

Anyway, moving on, my 2nd visit to Din Tai Fung was evenmore disappointing and embarrassing. There was a fly presented in my noodles - I had 蝦仁餛飩麵(Prawn dumpling Noodle in clear soup/broth) which ended all of my hope of giving another chance to Din Tai Fung.

However, fond I was of their 'dan-dan mian' I gave it another try on Sunday just yesterday, and there it was, the 'dan-dan mian' that I have craved for more than a year since I last ate it. And yet, how disappointing it was as it entered my mouth. First a major flaw was the sauce had too much sesame oil taste which kill off the peanut flavor as well as other sauce flavorings to make the right combination for the 'dan-dan mian' sauce. 'Dan-dan mian's most important ingredient in the recipe is sauce - peanuty, slightly sweet and spicy and I have been let down by Din Tai Fung in Malaysia for the 3rd time. Then, shing ordered 鸡排蛋炒飯(chicken chop egg fried rice) and my verdict - the fried rice was nice and good but too oily and the chicken chop - just like Uncle Bob at those pasar malam stall; Oily and just plain oily. It's too disappointing for me to see this and it hurts to see how such kind of food is being served to people who patronise this restaurant for it's renowned good food and good name with a slightly higher price than normal shop just hurts me.

I've already given up on thinking of giving them another chance and shall relish my chance to go back to singapore's Din Tai Fung for that awesome meal I had which I still crave for until now...

The Fabled 'Xiao Long Bao'小籠包 which Din Tai Fung is famous for


The Oily Chicken Chop Egg Fried Rice @ RM 14.80


The Disappointing 'Dan-Dan Mian'擔擔麵 @ RM10.80

My Verdict: Ambience 7/10
Food 6/10 (Still credits to the xiao long bao and other dumplings which is a must
try there)
Service 6/10 (Took them so long to serve our chinese tea even after the food had
arrived 10minutes later)

Orange Mint & Mango Salad

Taken from the recipe of Robert Rainford(License to Grill) and I took the initiative to try the recipe out.

Here is the recipe:

Orange Mint & Mango Salad (Serves 2)

2 Oranges(Can use one big Orange depending on your preference)
1 Mango - peeled, cut from pit and cubed(My favorite would be the indian mango, it's really sweet!)
1 Banana, Sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
25ml vanilla yogurt (i used plain yogurt)
1/2 cup sweetened, toasted coconut (i substituted with honey)
1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint

Preparation Method

Peel, Seed, and slice 1 orange and place the slices in a bowl. Add the Banana, Mango and Strawberries and Honey, set aside.

Grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the remaining orange and juice the orange into a small bowl.

Add the yogurt and chopped mint and mix well. Add the fruits and mix well. Chill for 2 hours before serve.

My verdict: Maybe my portioning for the yogurt and honey went a little overboard which caused the final result feeling like a salad with quite an amount of sauce...plus, my mint which was plucked from the backyard wasn't giving me the mint taste which i expected( I used mint leaves which was used typically for Assam Laksa) Maybe I'll refine the recipe the next time I attempt this recipe again..

French Onion Soup - Recipe

I took the opportunity to try out this classical dish on a wonderful weekend...There were a few recipes which i did my referencing on but to no avail, i had suspecting important ingredients and method of cooking missing and thanks to youtube, I managed to get hold of myself on a french onion soup making video...

French Onion Soup isn't a hard recipe but it tests your patience in waiting for the onions to caramelize..which is the key to the entire soup making process. Preparation would take about 10mins but cooking is a real pain in the ass...Nevertheless, here's my share for the day:

French Onion Soup- Home made version(Serves 2)

4 Tablespoons of Grape Seed Oil(I would recommend to use Butter instead of Oil because I don't think oil produces the caramelization effect which you expect just like what you eat from the restaurants)
3 big White Onions, Thinly Sliced
1 Clove Garlic
A pinch of Salt
2 slices of bread
1/4 teaspoon of fresh thyme
Grated Gruyere Cheese to your liking
2 cups of water

My recipe has a big loophole because it's short of Chicken Stock, dry vermouth/dry white wine, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, some people uses a little flour, a little Parmesan Cheese and most importantly, french bread.

Preparation Method

1. Heat up a large saucepan and saute the Onions in the Oil or Butter on medium high heat until it's brown. Add in some salt and stir it in the process. This browning process will take about 45minutes. Then, add sugar into the saucepan to help the caramelization process.

2. Add in the Garlic and saute it for about 1 minute for flavoring. Add in thyme, stock, vermouth(for my case water and thyme) into the saucepan. Simmer it for another 30minutes. This will give the rich flavoring to the soup.

3. Pour into Thick oven-proof Soup bowls which are heat resistant, toast the bread and lay it on the soup, sprinkle the grated Gruyere Cheese (and also Parmesan). Put it into an Oven at about 350 degrees F or about 176 degrees C and allow the cheese to melt to a slight brownish. Then, remove it from the oven and it is ready to serve!

My verdict: Soup was really sweet and onion-ish but i couldn't get the taste like you get from dining in a restaurant...a good experience, worth the challenge again but not the time...

Something to Lighten the Day

While I was reading on soccer news there's this ad which really made my mind lighten up..Hope you guys enjoy it...Love the chick~

Escape to Nanjing Feb 2009

The capital of southern China province Jiangsu, Nanjing has had its fair share of history, culture and tragedies. Nanjing has been the capital of China for six dynasties and Republic of China during the Chinese Civil War the city is the hub for education, research transportation and tourism throughout history. (read about Nanjing here)

My visit was a short 2 days 1 night trip but it was an extremely exciting trip. Apart from being able to visit the beautiful purple mountain where the mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-sen lies, the ancient Linggu Temple, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and the purple mountain observatory, it was a getaway from work for me and a wonderful family trip with my family over the Chinese New Year.

DAY 1 - We took an early Speed Train from Shanghai Train Station in the morning. It took us just slightly over 2 hours to reach Nanjing Train Station. The fare train fare for the Speed Train from Shanghai to Nanjing costs under 200RMB per person.From there, we took a cab to our motel which is located in the middle of Nanjing City at South Zhong Shan Rd, Bai Xia District. It costs us about 25RMB for the cab ride from Nanjing Station. After checking in, we took a cab to purple mountain(紫金山) which took us about 20mins ride and about 30RMB. There were a lot of people as it was only the third day of the Chinese New Year. We bought our tickets 150RMB per person and took our way into the entrance of the Mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-sen.

The scenery was a welcoming sight and had it not for the weather I would've worn T-shirt and short running all the way up to the mausoleum. The walk up to the mausoleum was no easy task. 392steps to the top after the first gate plus the walk from base was no joke but reaching the peak was a breathtaking view of the Nanjing.

After we came down, we paid 200RMB to rent a tour guide with a cart to visit Linggu Temple, the pagoda and the civil war shrine. After that, we had to squeeze our way into the free train ride back to the mausoleum base then took a walk to the Ming Xiao Ling Mausoleum. It was just a day that we walked and walked and walked til the evening that we decided to go back for a good rest.

DAY 2 - Our visit was restricted due to the downpour in the early morning. We went to the Nanjing Museum which was free entrance and it was an exhilarating experience having to see ancient artifacts and handicrafts created thousands of years ago still lie in front of your very eyes. It gave me a thought that no matter how much technology has advanced, we must never forget about history that had gave us what we have today. Soon after the museum we headed over to Fu Zi Temple where confucious is worshipped here. After that, we had to make way to the train station to depart home for Shanghai. It was a wonderful visit to Nanjing eventhough there were many other beautiful and historical places which I did not manage to visit. I'll be back to Nanjing the next time to learn more about its history.


Walking towards the entrance...


At the entrance to the Mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-sen

At the base.


Walking through the first gate


The climbing of 392 steps


Outside the mausoleum


Statue of Dr Sun


Linggu Temple


The museum tribute to those sacrificed during the civil war






The 'Purple' Lake


Stone Elephants at the long stretch walkway


THE MUSEUM


The Emperor seat made of Jade


An extremely fine art made of jade


Fu Zi Street


Outside Fu Zi Temple


The Wishing Tree


Fu Zi(Confucious) Temple


A strike on the bell for Good Luck

Do Eat is Back

It's just gave me a big surprise on how long I have not updated this blog since the last posting. I did have a few drafts which I wrote halfway and then I just paused which leaves me no clue to what I had wanted to continue about. Working life has taken it's toll on personal time and freedom hence this idle blog. Much has changed over the past 2 years and this time, it'll not just be food, it's going to be about life as well, and some rants on daily frustrations. Stay tune, and hope to have everyone interested in reading what's coming up next...

Cheerio and good day =)

Do also visit http://watsurflavor.blogspot.com on our food hunt around KL town as well as overseas adventure....stay tune.....