Category Archives: Food and Drinks

Craving asam pedas in Muar

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I was not a fan of asam pedas. Until I had my MIL’s asam pedas. The visuals of her dish are mouth-watering with its bright red colour, but it is not spicy at all. Since then, I have discovered asam pedas tetel and other proteins in asam pedas. I tried making asam pedas, but the balance seems to be off. You need a good mix of chilli and tamarind paste.

Before Ramadan, my father was craving for a particular asam pedas in MUAR. It was Asam Pedas Kak Yah, located near Masjid Jamek Nurul Iman Parit Bakar. The journey was an hour’s drive from our house. We ordered 2 portions of mayong, 2 portions of pari, 1 portion of vegetable, 2 portions of telur dadar, 4 plates of rice and 4 drinks. The total amounted to a reasonable RM80.

We reached there just after 11am. The crowd had not arrived, so we were able to have our meals peacefully. Overall, it was a great lunch.

The morning before KKOM-ing

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I had to substitute a colleague at Klinik Komuniti the other day. Klinik Komuniti (KKOM) has odd working hours of 12noon till 9pm. There is no lunch break, but there is an hour break during Maghrib at 645pm-745pm. It is usually manned by a medical doctor, a medical assistant, a registered nurse, a pharmacy assistant and a health assistant. KKOM was established as a means to provide services for minor ailments, wound dressing and emergency situations outside office hours for areas at the periphery of the main town.

I honestly think that KKOM is already out of touch.

We have plenty of GP services sprouting in these areas, providing care out of office hours. Some clinics even open 23 hours. The government should look into providing incentives for shared care between the GP and KK. Of course, cost is an issue, which is why patients still prefer going to KKOM. However, this is where the thinkers need to reconsider the said options. Furthermore, people are treating KKOM as a retail pharmacist. Some would straight up request paracetamol or mmt as standby meds at home.

Enough of that.

I am usually prepared on days I have to go to KKOM. Meaning I would arrange for certain errands to be done in the morning, like going for longer brisk walks or to the bank. This time I wasn’t. I have quite forgotten my own schedule. Hence, I find myself undecided on whether to go for a walk or stay inside with my kettlebell. Then, should I go for mamak or just have toast at home? Should I watch a TV series or do online CPD? Brunch with asam laksa maggi or go for a bite at Aeon. My decisions led to this.

  • kettlebell at home
  • toast and hot coffee at home
  • online CPD to collect enough points for my APC renewal
  • a bite at AEON

I had a lovely brunch of Beef Stroganoff Pasta and GIGI Coffee. Lucky me, GIGI was having a promotion. All drinks were priced at RM6.90. I ordered an Iced Pecan Latte. It tasted awesome.

Earl Grey Tea Cake with Lemon Glaze

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I rarely bake. I am not a good cook either. My first exposure to Earl Grey flavoured cake was from the Japanese Konbiniย (ใ‚ณใƒณใƒ“ใƒ‹) FamilyMart. What I had back then was a really good Earl Grey rolled cake.

I tried to find local bakers who could recreate the cake, but to no avail. Hence, I have been scrolling through Instagram, searching for easy-to-follow recipes for the cake. I found and saved a few reels. I managed to bake one today. The taste was OK. Perhaps I should find a recipe that infuses the tea flavour into the cake rather than just incorporating the tea leaves. It is because after the lemon glaze, it felt more like a lemon cake instead of a tea cake. Nevertheless, it was still delicious. I hope to send some to my MIL next week. She seems to like lemon-flavoured cake.

I am hoping to try making some cinnamon rolls or a chocolate cake in the many months to come. Maybe something in purple since BTS is coming to Kuala Lumpur in December. Baking is about precision. If you follow the steps to the dots, it is fail-proof. Sometimes, I lack patience. Which is why, for amateurs, it is best done when you have the time. It calms you down as you go through the recipe meticulously, and just let your thoughts sink into the process. As a bonus, if it turns out fine, you get to feed your family with delicious home-baked goods, which would probably cost me RM30 if I decide to buy them from a baker.

I did my baking just after I did my laundry and cleaning of one particular windowsill. The latter was on my to-do list since my last birthday. While waiting for another load to finish in the dryer, I decided to bake this cake. It took me at least a good 30 minutes for me to assemble the ingredients and go through the process. I was slightly frantic when the recipe asked for the oven to be preheated to 370. My oven only had numbers till 280. I then realised that it was in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. Silly me.

The cake was finally done just after I had my lunch of rice with chicken curry.

15th Wedding Anniversary at Wagyu Melaka

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Recently, we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Usually, I would be able to arrange a short staycation somewhere, but for 2025, our date fell in the middle of the week. It was difficult to apply for leave as it was also the school holidays. So, the competition for annual leave is fierce.

The best I could come up with is a special dinner. With the kids.

I made a reservation at Wagyu Melaka, located at Kota Laksamana. We can redeem a wagyu stick for our special occasion. Since we were not big eaters, we ordered the RM150 family set meal and a kids’ meal for our daughter. The food was astonishingly good. The taste of the meat came through with minimal flavouring. Just the simple salt and pepper.

Since Mr Husband has already gifted me with an Umrah trip (he paid at least 90% of it), the least I could get him was this gadget I found online. It could translate a foreign language in real-time. I have no idea if it works, but surely it counts for something. Ha ha ha.

The city of Madinah

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat by

Everyone who has been to Madinah would utter the word, RINDU. In fact, both Mekah and Madinah taught me how to carry my worldly burden differently. The worries of my job, my family matters and others seem so small and distant. The goal there was so clear. To worship and please Allah.

The stay at Madinah would have been better if I had gone for the ziarah. Even then, the calmness in just seeking to pray 5 times at the masjid, reciting the Quran, and just resting at the masjid was enough.

Haramain Speed Train

2 adults, 1 kid: RM 662.00

We checked out of Al-Kiswah Hotel and took an Uber to the station. My husband had bought the ticket online. Once the train arrived, we boarded the designated carriage and looked for our seats. It was a 2-hour-plus ride at a speed of 300km/hour. Before this service was available, Jemaah would take the 6-hour bus ride to Madinah. The fare is of course cheaper.

We enjoyed our doughnuts, and soon enough, we arrived in Madinah. The temperature was slightly cooler compared to Mekah.

Al-Mustarah Hotel, Madinah

5D4N: RM 968.00

It is a new hotel, and we loved that it has a shuttle service. The shuttle would leave 30 minutes before prayer times. Occasionally, the shuttle was full, and visitors needed to find their own transport to the masjid.

The hotel is located near eateries as well. We did not include breakfast services with the room. Overall, it was a really comfortable stay. The hallway smells clean and fresh all the time. The sheets were crisp, and having a mini pantry to prepare our beverages was great. They even have a Netflix service in the room.

Masjid Nabawi

The beauty of Masjid Nabawi rendered me speechless. I could only pray that Allah would bestow His Mercy and Rahmat towards those who keep this place beautiful and clean for all worshippers. Finally, I get to see the majestic umbrellas, the prayer halls and sniff the smell of the masjid. Although I did not get to set foot in Raudah, the chance to just be within the grounds of it was a grateful experience.

We were very relaxed in Madinah. We joined the obligatory prayers, and we read the Quran. We ate, we shopped and we rested. Then we prayed again.

We bought souvenirs here. My daughter bought bracelets and chocolates for her friends. I did the same. We also bought Saudi snacks to bring back home. We had sips of Zamzam water in the masjid. In short, our main focus there was just to perform our ibadat.

I wish to revive theย spirit of my personal ibadatย in Malaysia. Slowing down in my prayer movement. Improving my Quran recitation and supplication. Perhaps polishing my Arabic. I learned it in secondary school. When everything you do is focused towards worship and pleasing Allah, indeed, I do feel that my problems back home are so small.

I can see why muslims want to return for Umrah again and again. It resets your life and thoughts. It stills your heart and programs your mind to believe that Allah is The Al-Mighty and that He loves you and will take care of you, no matter what you’re going through. Trust in His plans and at the same time strive to become a better muslim.

Our time in Madinah passed by really quickly. Soon it was time to go home. That will be the matter in my next post.