New Wonjo

Thinking of having Korean BBQ for lunch/dinner? Great call. Hit up New Wonjo on 32nd St, tucked between 5th Avenue and Broadway.

I went there the other day for dinner with two of my pals, and we ordered the Marinated Meat Combo #2, which was perfect for a party of 3. It came with chicken, beef and spicy pork. We also received a complimentary spicy tofu soup, known as the Soon Doo Boo Jigae.

Soft tofu cubes floated in a pool of steaming red broth, garnished with chives and other spices that contributed to the strong, exotic flavor.

One of my favorite things about Korean BBQs is the wide variety of healthy little appetizers that accompany the main entrees. We didn't even ask for these. The waitress just laid the plates on our table until there was no room for anything else. Kimchi. Flat rice strips. Steamed vegetables. Salted black beans. Fresh lettuce.

Well, I guess we were off to a healthy start! And then our meat platters arrived. We waited patiently as our waitress grilled the meat in front of us. A suction tube hovered above the grill to absorb the smoke rising from the meat. The spicy pork was my favorite out of the three. Marinated in a special sauce, it was the epitome of perfection. It was spicy enough to test your taste buds, but mild enough to keep you lunging for another piece.

My love for Korean BBQ has brought me to several places, but New Wonjo is definitely a winner. It's worth every penny. For what you pay, you get quality food and decent service, along with a quenched appetite.

What I Miss...

I've been in the States for two years. While I've learned to appreciate a lot of American cuisines, especially Southern cooking, there's not a day when I don't crave some of my favorite Malaysian meals.

Ask any Malaysian living abroad if they miss the food back home, and they'll start saying things like, "If I could teleport home right now for the food, I would."

It doesn't help that my Malaysian mates are constantly flooding the social networking sites with delicious Malaysian cuisines. And with the vast time difference, I always happen to be viewing photos of their breakfasts and lunches when it's late at night over here. I'll be prepping for bed and scrolling through my timeline, when photographs of mouthwatering meals start appearing on the screen. What a bad time to be hungry.

This post is dedicated to some of the Malaysian meals I've missed for a long, long time.

Char Kway Teow

This is currently the top dish on my list. I've missed it so much. Kway Teow is a type of rice noodle with a broad, flat texture. This dish consists of stir-fried noodles with soy sauce sauce, bean sprouts, shrimps, eggs and the optional cockles, chives and the Chinese sausage known as the Lap Chang. The sausage, dried and pink, creates a sweet flavor above the saltiness. Chili is optional. Best served hot.

Tom Yam Fried Rice

Oh my gosh. I'm torturing myself with all these pictures from the past. The tom yam fried rice is actually a Thai-inspired dish, but plenty of Malaysian restaurants have adapted it into their menus. It's basically rice fried in a tom yam paste or mix, garnished with chicken or shrimps, spring onions, onions, eggs and minced garlic. The spiciness varies depending on your preference. It's heavier on the salt than it is on the spices. The sweet-sour Tom Yam flavor is distinct but not overpowering because the other ingredients balance the overall taste.

Won Ton soup

Won Ton soup is healthy because it's boiled with vegetables in chicken broth and sesame oil. There's something soothing about supple won tons floating in steaming bowl of warm, tasty soup. Won Ton is a Chinese dumpling, often containing ground and vegetables wrapped in a flour skin. Won Tons can be cooked in various ways - deep fried, pan-fried, boiled or steamed. 

Fried Asam Laksa

If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of fried food. Fried Asam Laksa is derived from the original asam laksa, a spicy noodle soup. The fried version comprises a collection of fragrant and flavored ingredients that will tantalize your tastebuds. The Asam paste adds a sour tang to the thick, sticky noodles and the red chili bits spice up the dish. Lime is often squeezed over the noodles for that extra sour taste, which blends perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. Throw in an egg, onions and fresh shrimps, and the serving is complete.

Egg custard tarts

After four hearty appetizers, we should end with dessert. Egg custard tarts (known as dan tart in Cantonese) originated from Hong Kong and made their way across the globe. The outer crust is loaded with creamy egg custard and placed in the oven to be baked. The brittle crust breaks easily, giving way to the smooth, pudding-like texture of the egg tart. Unlike English tarts, these egg tarts do not contain milk in them.

I live in Conway, a university town in central Arkansas. The few Chinese restaurants here are catered to the Southern tastebuds, so most of their dishes lack the Asian authenticity I was accustomed to. 

Malaysian food is generally rich in color and taste. Because of its cultural diversity, it's known for the multiple cultural cuisines such as the roti canai, nasi lemak and the mee goreng. But more on that another time. Stay tuned!

PS: Writing this really made me crave a taste of home.

Photographed and written by Carissa Gan.

From The Kitchen: Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Dish: Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Cost: £3

This is one of my favourite soups. It is healthy, delicious and absolutely easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

• A whole pumpkin
• Chicken stock/ Knorr's chicken cube 
• Milk
• Salt and pepper
• Cream
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Remove the pumpkin skin and dice them up. (This may be tricky because the pumpkin is a tough vegetable. You will need a very sharp knife. Be patient and careful)

2. Boil the diced pumpkin in half a pot of water. When soft, mash the pumpkin in the water. (It will turn murky-orange)

3. Add a cup of milk and cream.

4. Add in some chicken stock. (or a Knorr's chicken cube)

5. Remove from pot for it to cool. 

6. Place into blender. (You probably have to do this a few rounds because the pot of soup might not fit into the blender)

7. Blend till there are no lumps of pumpkin and considerably smooth.

8. Place back into pot and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve while hot.

Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan.
Image edited by Carissa Gan.

Winter Warmer

Dish: Potato soup

Venue: Stoby's Restaurant

Price: $2.99 (cup) / $3.99 (bowl)

Walking into the tiny restaurant, Taylor and I weaved through the maze of pre-occupied wooden tables and chairs until we arrived at the only empty booth near the wall.

The restaurant was crowded during lunch time on a Monday. A pretty waitress approached the booth to hand us menus. 

I didn't have to browse the menu. I already knew what I wanted, and so did Taylor.

"I'd like the potato soup, please," I told the waitress, over the buzz of conversations circulating the shop.

"Sure," she wrote something down on her notepad. "Cup or bowl?"

I hadn't eaten anything that day and was starving. "Bowl," I said. The soup would come with a roll of cornbread, which I wasn't fond of. So I asked if she could change it to garlic bread instead, and she politely obliged.

Taylor ordered the same thing. Our soups arrived about 10 minutes later. 

"So, this is the soup you've been telling me about," I said, staring at the huge bowl of creamy substance before me. 

"It's awesome! Such a pity they only serve it during winter." Taylor was already digging in. 

The smell of potatoes greeted my nostrils. I picked up the spoon and stirred the soup, watching the bits of shredded cheddar, bacon and spring onion swirl enticingly, inviting me to indulge in the center of its creaminess. The bacon was minced into itty bitty chunks. The cheese was melting into the soup, adding a stringy texture to the dish. I lifted a spoonful to my mouth and allowed the warm, luscious taste to consume my thoughts. Yummmm. The sweet taste of potatoes, coupled with the chewiness of the bacon and mild sour tinge from the cheddar created an irresistible flavor, so new and yet so familiar.

Next, I sampled the garlic bread. 

The brown crust framed the buttery center. What surprised me wasn't the crispiness of the crust, but the chewiness of the bread. Every time I ordered garlic bread at restaurants, the garlic bread would be fully toasted, crumbling away into my mouth as I crunched on its brittle texture. However, this one was soft and slightly rubbery, but it was enjoyable. By the time I was done, I wiped the buttery grease from my fingers into the paper napkin and smiled. 

"Great garlic bread," I told Taylor. She agreed.

After our lunch, we walked out into the cold winter afternoon, stuffing our hands into the pockets of our coats as the wind exhaled its icy breath around our fingers. But our bellies were warm and contented. Even after we left Stoby's, the soup never left my mind. As always, a good taste never fails to leave a favorable impression.

Photographed and written by Carissa Gan.