Thursday, May 26, 2011

RESTORAN JETI, KUALA SELANGOR


Driving 1.5 hour to the borders of Selangor for seafood? That’s what being a Hungry Traveler is all about! With so many friends of mine raving about the seafood at Kuala Selangor, I thought it’s time the expert step in to judge with my very mouth what the fuss is all about. Of course after dinner, we went for some firefly viewing by the river (darn you mosquitos!)…








Steamed Fish
I was never good with fishes (one you’ve tasted one, you’ve tasted them all). Again, your magnanimous Hungry One is sadly mistaken. I ordered a Sour Spicy fish that is succulent and juicy, and pull out a piece and you’ll have the fragrant sauce wafting towards you nasal senses.



Mantis Prawn 1
Ok, for a person who places Mantis Prawns in the category of Road Hogs and men who leave the toilet seat up (ie. I hate them), I was weak in determination when my troupe persuaded me to try two types of Mantis Prawn that they swore will convert me. This one, not bad, really. Not much of a taste, but the slight spiciness is enough. The prawn was first fried to crisp then stir-fried in sauce, giving it a crunchy yet soft taste. I may like this.


Mantis Prawn 2
Time for the second experiment! It comes in a suspicious yellow mustard color, which I was told is basically milk and butter. Hmm, not a good concoction with prawns, but oh well! At first bite, my mouth exploded with flavor with this new-found butter milk mixture. It’s delicious, appetizing and definitely has you craving for more. I was initially worried about the abundance of sauce deeming the prawns soggy, but no worries! They’re pretty crispy and still awesome!


Oyster
When they told me it is oyster, I argued and said it is pancake! It’s basically oyster mixed in flour batter and fried to a circular round, and it’s perfectly balanced. The original taste of oyster is brought out even through the batter without being too over-powering.


Signature Tofu
Mmm…tofu lovers, this is for you. Their chef’s home made tofu is tasty and full of flavor, and absolutely mouth-melting. Breaded and fried, and when hot, dip it into tartar sauce and it’s the perfect side dish by itself. Some were a little over-fried, but it’s still fine (adds a little home feel to it…sorry mom).


Conclusion
It took 1.5 hours to get there in the dark unlit roads, but seafood lovers will love the trip, and for me, it’s totally worth it! I didn’t get to eat any crab this time (they ran out) but there will always be another time! Till then, Restoran Jeti, wait for me, my love!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Let’s Get Serious about… Eating!

Let’s be honest here, the truth is always hard to digest, but someone’s got to take the bullets and unveil the hard core truth about our food. As the “mamak” stalls are flourishing like mushrooms after rain, it’s time we take matters into our own hands before our future generation suffer from…*gasp* roti canai  overload…


Seriously: What are we eating?

1.       Burgers made out of a family of cows – A variety of different cows from many different areas can be used in order to produce one ordinary burger patty. This increases the risk of contamination as even just one unhealthy cow within the group may end up causing a large amount of people who eat it to become really ill.

2.      Painted food – The reason that artificial food colourings are used in our food is to make it more appealing to the eye. Apart from these food being those that have questionable nutritional values, these artificial colourings have been suspected to be one of the causes of cancer as well.
3.       Nail dissolving acid – Not to scare you, but the next time you gulp down on your second large cup of gassy drink, just try to remember that the phosphoric acid in it is sOoo acidic that it can dissolve a nail within 4 days.

4.      An average person’s yearly outdoor food intake will contain 12 pubic hairs – Now, I believe that in itself is self explanatory. You know you’ve been to one of those food joints! Let’s try to keep this number low. 

Seriously: What should we be eating?

The fact is that eating healthy is not about trying to stay scarily thin, obeying strict unrealistic (should I say, unMalaysian?) food habits or cutting yourself off the food you love but rather eating everything in moderation, keeping healthy and feeling good and more energize. The key to eating healthy is to “eat smart”. Here are some tips:

  1. Think variety – Your body needs more than 30 types of nutrients each day. No single food can supply them all. Therefore, it’s important to eat a variety of different food to ensure that your body can have all that it needs. And no, variety does not mean, Roti Canai, Roti Telur and Roti Mumtaj Naan in one seating.

  2. Eat in smaller portions – One of the reason for overeating is the fact that the size of food servings have balooned in the current times. Try using smaller plates the next time you dine as it is actually a basic psychological need to want more food when you serve on a bigger plate as the plate will seem emptier.

  3. Make sure you eat a rainbow of food – Apart from making your food appear more appertizing and delicious, it is said that each food colour provide different sort of benefits to your body.

  4. Do not ban certain food - Of course, not all food has to be perfect la... Therefore, just because you have a sweet tooth or salty tooth, do not label certain food item as “off limits” because you will only crave for them more. Instead, eat a small portion of them just to satisfy your craving.

  5. Eat slower – Chew your food and eat slowly as it takes a few minutes for your brain to register that you are full. Plus, often times we tend to rush through our meals forgetting to savour and appreciate the deliciousness of it thus, craving for more.