Review of Krabi, Thailand - The Food, People & Lotsa Fun!

Here's our Top 3 Favourites in response to Grace Wong's comment on Facebook for all the good stuff in Krabi.  :)

First and foremost, the Food.  You've got to try these:

1.  Banana Pancake

It's something like "Roti Pisang" but not as sweet.  They give you soft, plump nicely ripe bananas rather than the over ripe, sometimes brownish bananas here in KL.  To serve, they drizzle it with some condense milk.  It is available at almost every street.  (No, we didn't fall sick or ill after having street food.)

2.  Dry Tom Yum with Seafood 

The love of Tom Yum is always in the soup.  But not this dish as the nice bouncy and chewy noodles have absorbed the soup giving that burning sensation when you eat it.  What's special here is the seafood.  It is raw, then placed into a pot with the cooked noodles adding some vinegar to kill the germs and after a few stirs over high flame, everything is cooked.  It is then finally garnished with cilantro, bits of serai and tiny slices of cucumber.  We ate this at the Krabi Walking Street located in Town.

3.  Mango Sticky Rice  

I'm not a fan of sticky rice but this was exceptionally good.  First, the colour was really pretty with pink, yellow, white rice and a bright yellow mango.  The rice is light, slightly sticky with a little bit of sweetness in it.  Coupled with the coconut milk and sweet mango, it is truly mouth watering.  Again, this was found at Krabi Walking Street.

Next, the People.  We find that they are extremely crafty, talented and always so humble.  Here are a few pictures that caught our eyes.

Here's a little boy sitting at the back (more like the edge) of a motorcycle whose size is smaller than his school bag.  Unfortunately, he's not wearing a helmet and it does look rather dangerous sitting at the edge.

Beautiful hand bouquet made with Pandan Leaves!

Blue Statue...a man painted his whole body blue, including his specs, puts on a crazy wig and stands still at the market.  There's a money can for donations and 3 paint brushes with different colours beside it.  As you've already guessed.  Once the money is dropped in, you pick up a brush and draw anything you like on him.   Artistic, eh?  :)

Finally, the Fun stuff.

1.  A ride in their natural aired taxi.

This ride will only cost you RM2 per person.  Ride at night for a colourful display of their in-house boombox. 

2.  Go Island hopping

Traveling on a speed boat, it only takes about 10minutes from one island to another.  This is the Chicken Island.

You can see fish from the shore!  The water is crystal clear.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way on your ride to the next island.

3.  Get yours Nails done and a Body Massage

Please click on the photos to enlarge.  All photos are taken by Jonathan Photography at http://www.jonkam.com/

Recipe: Oh, Bruschettas!

Bruschettas are my all-time favourites.  I can have it for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and even supper!  These little yummies are filled with flavours that have a bite and crunch to it.  Anything that's yummy and crunchy always wins in my household.  This is a brilliant idea to give a little sophistication to your menu at home when you have guests around. Here's my favourite recipe and a picture to inspire more ideas.  Have fun and enjoy this with ingredients that you like.

A platter of bruschetta shows the variety of toppings for this simple concept. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times / September 15, 2011)

Ingredients:
1 loaf of Bruschetta, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Easy Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven at 200°C.
2. Mix 1 tsp Olive Oil with the diced tomatoes and let it sit.
3. Brush some olive oil over the sliced Bruschettas and load the diced tomatoes on them.
4. Add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper to every slice and pop it into the oven for 5mins.  Serve hot.

Recipe: Short Rib Stew in Red Wine

Did you know, making stew is like boiling good soup?  It has to be simmering away in the same temperature over a period of time.  So, don't you lift up that lid to peek.  :)

Ingredients:

10 short ribs

1 tbsp corn flour

1/2 large onion

1 tomato, diced

1 carrot, roughly chopped

Gravy:

1/2 cup red wine

1 small can tomato sauce (any brand)

Pinch of salt

Dash of pepper (White or Black to your liking)

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup water

Easy steps:

1. Coat ribs with corn flour and pan-fry in hot oil till both sides are nice and golden brown. Then, transfer into your stewing pot.
2. Throw in onions, tomato and pour tomato sauce, red wine and water in. Close the lid and allow it to simmer over medium low flame for 25mins.
3. Drop the potatoes and carrots in and allow it to simmer for another 15mins.
4. Stir in salt, pepper and sugar.  

That's it! Serve with rice and a simple vege dish.  Try it out and tell me what you think.

Hot meals on the table by 7.30pm on a Weekday?

Have you ever wondered how did our moms do it?  Work from 9-5pm and still make it home on time to have hot meals on the table by 7.30pm.  I told myself "Hmm...perhaps they are extremely skilled at cooking.  Also, they work only till 5pm whereas women today work till 6 or 7pm.".  Soon after, I realized well, if they could do it, I could too! (Very typical of me...kiasu :)).

After thinking it through, I listed a few things that I could do to achieve this.  Since having this list, I have been able to dish out hot homemade meals on the table by 7.30pm (I work till 6pm).  So, here's my list and hope it helps you too.

1. Plan your meals ahead.  I plan what I want to cook the next week every Saturday morning.
2. Shop for groceries once a week.  I buy everything I need on Saturday from Jaya Grocer or Cold Storage (I'm really not a wet market person).  I noticed I spent less when I shop once a week.  So, that's another plus point!
3. Pre-cut vegetables and throw frozen meat into the fridge to thaw* the night before for meals you plan to cook the next day.
4. Cook your meal and voilà!

* Did you know, the best way to thaw meat is by placing it in the fridge? This significantly reduces bacteria from getting into your meat. Need more info on thawing?  Refer to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Big_Thaw/

YES, We're Back

Hi Everyone,

We've been out for the last 1 year and it's time to be back to do what we love.  We will be launching in a couple week's time. 

Being busy people, we understand the pressure in making quick homemade meals.  Therefore, we are planning to share 1 quick meal recipe bi-weekly to all our e-mail subscibers.  To join us on this exciting journey, please e-mail healthyhomemades@gmail.com.

Stay tuned!