Messy Witchen - Food, Recipe, Dining Blog

Hanoi

Bun Cha Ta Hanoi @ Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

I visited Hanoi in October last year for a duration of 4 days and 3 nights with my sister. Although it’s a short trip, we enjoyed the trip immensely especially the vibes in the Old Quarter and the delicious Vietnamese food.

On our first night, we had bún chả at Bun Cha Ta Hanoi. I have never tried bún chả before so I was really excited about it. I knew beforehand that Bun Cha Ta Hanoi caters mainly to tourist, but because I was tempted by its good reviews so I went with it without putting any expectation.

Our first ever meal in Vietnam is bún chả. 😋

Bún chả is a Hanoian dish of grilled pork with rice noodles. It also comes with fresh herbs and vegetables. This dish was made even more famous by Anthony Bourdain and Barrack Obama when they shared a meal of bún chả together for Bourdain’s travel show in 2016. I didn’t patronize the restaurant that they went to.

February 18, 2020
41 views

Breakfast & Brunch, Chinese, Pork, Quick & Easy

Beautiful Mess Siu Yuk Egg Scramble

Siu yuk, sio bak or Chinese crispy roasted pork belly is a much-loved meat dish that’s usually eaten with rice and noodles. Then, there’s curry chee cheong fun with siu yuk which I rarely find but makes my mouth water at the thought, and finally, there’s my dad’s yummy stir-fry siu yuk! The point is, siu yuk is awesome with everything and even on its own (when the siu yuk is made right that is).

This recipe was created when I was making a simple scrambled egg. I had just roasted siu yuk two weeks before and had some left in the freezer. Into the scrambled egg, the siu yuk goes and the rest is history. I have made this egg dish thrice so far in the span of 6 days, and all 3 times they look different on the outside (mostly messy) but the taste is the same. 😛 That’s why I called it a beautiful mess. It’s actually a matter of controlling the time (when to fold) and keeping in mind that the bulky whole siu yuk has some to do with the overall look too.

Beautiful mess siu yuk & egg scramble. 💥❤️🥚🍳🐷

October 5, 2019
1,198 views

Klang

End Of An Era: Emporium Makan, Klang

I grew up alongside Emporium Makan, which is Klang’s oldest and longest operating food court. Opened in mid-1969, Emporium Makan is located strategically in the heart of Klang town. This half a century-old food court, unfortunately, is bound to be demolished. It’ll soon be the latest victim of demolished heritage buildings in the Royal Town of Klang. It’s this kind of time that I pray 🙏 our Sultan Selangor can intervene and help save Emporium Makan just like how he saved Kuan Yin Temple (over a century old!) from being demolished due to termites many years ago.

There used to be a supermarket called Gama on the first floor which was very popular in the 80s. However, the supermarket closed down a long time ago and efforts to make the empty place happening again failed big time. Besides, the vacant first floor isn’t in good condition.

Packed! At one of the famous stall at Emporium Makan. Coincidentally, this is where I usually eat.

September 15, 2019
2,716 views

Bread, French, Tarts

Cherry & Speculaas Brioche Tart – Tarte Brioche Aux Cerises Et Speculaas

When I first saw this cherry and speculaas brioche tart recipe and a couple of times after that, I couldn’t imagine how this tart would look like because I haven’t seen this type of tart before. In short, it’s cherries on brioche in tart form. It took me quite a bit of time to process everything. 😛 Brioche is my very favorite kind of bread because it’s so rich. It’s a French bread made using high amounts of eggs and butter which make this bread tender, light, and a little sweet.

Besides cherry clafoutis, this cherry and speculaas brioche tart is another wonderful solution when you have too many cherries 🍒🍒🍒 and not sure what to do with it. Sure you can freeze the cherries and use it later for smoothies, making sweet treats or eat it on its own, but I’ve learned that using fresh in-season cherries is the best way in respecting these wonderful bundles of nature and in return the joy they gave us.

This cherry and speculaas brioche tart delights me tremendously! ❤️❤️❤️

August 16, 2019
1,420 views

Flans & Custards, French

Cherry Clafoutis – Clafoutis Aux Cerises

Cherry clafoutis or clafoutis aux cerises is a fruit-based traditional French dessert. Clafoutis is pronounced as clafouti (kla-fu-tee) in French. I have never heard of cherry clafoutis before until I was faced with loads of frozen cherries last year with more coming soon and not sure what to do with it besides eating it as is. You see, every cherry season (May/June to August) especially mid-July to early August, my family will make a pilgrimage or two to Isetan, KLCC to buy loads of cherries. Why? Because they have the cheapest cherry all over Klang Valley during that time (if I believe so). It’s as affordable as RM30/kg. Of course, if you include the parking cost and petrol then it’s another story.

Cherry clafoutis is YUM!!! 🤤

August 5, 2019
1,472 views

How To

How To Make Lightly Heated Yogurt In Thermos

I finally got my butt on yogurt making in July last year all thanks to the influence of my sister. 😉 Later when I was gifted with milk kefir grains, I began making it frequently and thus yogurt making was put aside and forgotten. This year, I started making yogurt again. I am currently embracing yogurt and milk kefir because both have different strains of good bacteria that will help strengthen and heal our guts and thus improving our overall well-being. Do you know that the gut is our second brain?

Homemade yogurt is the best! 💞

July 27, 2019
1,521 views

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