Malaysian Pastry - what is so unique about it.
Malaysian pastry is somewhat different from other pastry you find elsewhere in the world. However, the basic methodology to make and bake them are still the same.
There are several types of pastry - short crust pastry, double crust pastry, filo pastry, puff pastry and choux pastry. Pastry involves kneading fat in flour in certain proportions. To make perfect pastry, certain knowledge in techniques and skills are required. It takes a lot of practise to make perfect Malaysian pastry.
The secret of making perfect pastry lies in the coldness of all ingredients and the utensils being used, including your rolling pin, your plastic sheet for rolling and the pastry dough itself.
If you use a food processor to rub in the fat and flour, remember not to over-process, because your pastry will turn out tough and rubbery because the butter will melt. Short bursts are sufficient, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and only then you add iced cold water to bind the dough.
Pastry normally have fillings - sweet, savoury or spicy. They are either deep fried or baked. If you have managed to make the perfect dough and shaped the pastry beautifully, it is quite a challenge also to deep fry them perfectly. Deep fried pastry should not be full of bubbles on its skin. McDonald's apple pie, therefore, will score very low marks in my book.
Malaysian pastry has evolved tremendously over the last fifty years. Three most popular pastry here are curry puff (karipap), spring roll (popiah) and pineapple tart. All three represent different kinds of pastry.
These oversized karipaps have spicy potato filling.
Pickled onions also made their way inside this pastry.
Knowing Malaysian cooks who are always creative, karipap has many versions. Epok-epok and karipap pusing are examples of karipap. The filling variety is also endless but the most popular is spicy curry potato with chicken or beef.
Karipap falls under short crust pastry. The fat normally used is margarine but I have my own special recipe using ghee AND margarine.
The way you seal the pastry is also an art form. Even though there are now karipap molds, prospective daughter-in-laws who can beautifully seal karipap are much sought after by discerning mothers.
In Penang, large sized karipap are sold with a special twist - the addition of pickled onion in there. You must sink your teeth into this Malaysian pastry to understand why people rave about it.
Spring rolls or popiah is the Malaysian version of filo pastry. Filo is a Greek word, meaning layers. While western filo pastry are made into strudels, eastern filo sheets are made into spring rolls and samosas.
Extra crunchy fried spring rolls.
The pastry normally are bought ready made, frozen in the supermarket. However, to make "popiah basah", which is a type of fresh vegetables spring roll, the pastry sheets are made fresh. It is also an art form to make these fresh popiah sheets.
Spring roll sheets uses vegetable oil to make and does not follow typical pastry making routines. I have not come across non-commercial ways of making the skins just yet. At the moment, I use ready-made frozen spring rolls sheets.
Spring rolls usuallly are deep fried with the exception of "popiah basah" mentioned above. My favorite fillings have the combination of minced chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, black pepper and cucumber. Aren't these very healthy?
The best popiah basah in Penang is available at Brown Field (Padang Brown) which is a football pitch on the way to Dato' Keramat. The pushcart selling the popiah basah has been there since I was a toddler bouncing on my grandfather's knees.
They are special because of the delicious sauce swiped on top of the rolls, and then the rolls are sprinkled with fried shallots. That is not all, a one-of-a-kind vegetable soup is also included in the package. This is definitely a unique kind of Malaysian pastry.
Here is my special spring rolls recipe.
Now, this is an all time favorite for everyone. Imagine, crumbly textured, melt in your mouth little baskets of pastry filled with homemade pineapple jam. Ahh, heaven! I used to eat the jam on its own when I was a kid when I thought no one was looking.
Pineapple tart, no surprises here, comes in many forms also. We have traditional looking tart (little baskets with filled the jam in the middle), we have "rolled" pineapple tart, we have sliced tarts...Mmm, mmm, mmmmm!
Pineapple tarts can be bought at the supermarket, mass produced by biscuits manufacturers. However, none of these instant tarts come close to those you make yourself or those baked by cottage industries entrepreneurs. During the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya, these work-at-home bakers will pull many all-nighters just to keep up with the demands for this Malaysian pastry.
Here is my own version of tat nenas. Try make it yourself and see why it is popular.
Karipap, spring rolls and pineapple tarts are perfect treats for your tea. They are only the tip of the iceberg of little morsels of delightful bites that you find in this country. And, I have not gone yet into other special local cakes and puddings. It would take a lifetime to taste them all.
Banana is Malay traditional food, it is a nutritious and widely available. Read the full report here.
Before you come to Penang to experience the local and traditional food here, check out this list of Penang Hotel here.


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15 Restaurants & Bars To Help You Get Through Winter
15 good options whether you'd like to do winter all over again, or you were never really into the idea of it starting in the first place.
Matt Tervooren
Almost everyone likes winter right when it starts. You forget about subway cars with no A/C, you feel less bad about devoting half your closet space to three jackets, and beer and jewelry commercials suddenly fill you with festive joy. But at some point after Christmas, things change. You spend too much money on gifts, you get tired of hat hair, and you're ready for this weather to stop happening to you.
The tipping point happens at different times to different people. But whether you're still in the mood to drink Scotch next to a fireplace wearing an ugly holiday sweater, or you're a crosswalk puddle away from booking a one-way flight to Miami - the 15 spots on this guide have you covered.
WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU'RE NOT SICK OF THE SNOW YET
American in Lower East Side
$$$$ End of Freeman Alley
After that one friend gets back from their long weekend upstate this winter, they'll probably mention a house in the woods, families of deer, whiskey, and red meat. Smile and say it sounds lovely, but know that you can get a very similar experience at Freemans on the LES. The bookshelves, old couches, and very good American food make it feel like a lodge in The Catskills, and there are even lots of deer, but they're taxidermied and hanging on the wall.
Café Select
Bar Food , European in SoHo
$$$$ 212 Lafayette St
Sure, you'd probably love to go on a ski vacation to the Alps, but that would require lots of time and money, let alone health insurance and a renewed passport. Instead, go to Cafe Select, an all-day spot in Soho, and take advantage of the best part of any ski trip: apres-ski. Have some wine and small plates in the bar area in the front, or get a table in the fondue room in the back.
Mekelburg's
American , Bar Food , Sandwiches in Brooklyn , Williamsburg
$$$$ 325 Kent Ave
Maybe we saw Independence Day when we were a little too young, maybe not. Either way, we spend a lot of time thinking about where we'd go if the sh*t ever really hit the fan. Slush-covered sidewalks aren't quite the same as alien invasions, but they both make us want to go to Mekelburg's to ride it out. This restaurant in the back of a high-end grocery store serves the best sandwiches in Williamsburg, as well as decadent takes on comfort food, like a salt-baked potato topped with a scoop of caviar. And if the aliens or winter weather advisories do get the better of us, you can bet that we're not going down sober, which won't be a problem thanks to the big selection of craft beers and option to add a shot to any can of beer for $1.
Rolf's German Restaurant
German in Gramercy
$$$$ 281 3rd Ave
Some people put up Christmas lights as soon as the Thanksgiving table has been cleared, and then there's Clark Griswold and Martha May Whovier, and then there's Rolf's. This German bar and restaurant in Gramercy is decked out in colorful lights, wreaths, ornaments, and dolls year-round, and when you're drinking mulled wine or spiced eggnog here, you'll put off getting your A/C out of storage for another week.
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Brandy Library
Bar Food in Tribeca
$$$$ 25 N Moore St
When people plot hostile takeovers in Davos or superhero franchises at Sundance, we imagine it happening somewhere like Brandy Library. Illuminated shelves of brown liquor - the spirits menu alone is 15 pages long - cover walls of this big, low-ceilinged cocktail bar in Tribeca, and the seating is made up of leather lounge chairs that wouldn't feel out of place in a private smoking den. Sit by the fireplace with a date, and try flights of Calvados or Armagnac while Googling what Calvados and Armagnac are.
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
Bar Food , Eastern European in Astoria , Queens
$$$$ 29-19 24th Ave.
Most bars with beer steins, communal seating, and pretzels the size of spare tires are good places to hang out in the winter, and Bohemian Hall in Astoria is no exception. But what makes this place different from other beer gardens is its massive outdoor space, which is decorated during the winter with lights, Santa's sleigh, and a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree.
The Standard, East Village
Winter Garden at The Standard
$$$$ 25 Cooper Sq
The idea of glamping always seemed kind of silly to us - why go through the charade of staying in a tent when it's just as luxurious as a hotel? We're still not totally sure of the answer, but after spending time in the Winter Garden at The Standard, we think it has to do with having your own private space that kind of feels like nature. During the winter, the outdoor garden at this East Village hotel fills up with heated yurts that have faux fur chairs and blankets in each one. Some of them are big enough for groups, but they're best for drinks and snacks, like spiked hot chocolate and fondue, with a date.
Black Mountain Wine House
Wine Bar in Gowanus
$$$$ 415 Union St
Drinking by a fireplace in a dimly lit room surrounded by bottle-lined shelves sounds ideal in the dead of winter, and even though it might sound like something you'd typically associate with drinking dark liquor or cocktails, it's just as enjoyable with wine. At Black Mountain Wine House in Gowanus, the shelves around the fireplace are filled with small production wines from around the world, and whether you're interested in blind-tasting three wines for $10 during Happy Hour, or sharing a bottle and some small plates with a date, this place is a great option.
WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SUN FEELS LIKE
The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club
The shuffleboard hall of fame is located in Clearwater, Florida. We have no idea what else goes on in Clearwater, but we're pretty sure it never experiences slush puddles that somehow seep through waterproof boots. If you want to understand what that type of worry-free living is like, head to Royal Palms in Gowanus. The tropical-themed bar has 10 shuffleboard courts, and in the event that some of your friends don't feel like sliding discs across the room, the massive space also has two bars, oversized board games, and plenty of seating.
Mama Capri
Italian in Cobble Hill
$$$$ 247 Smith St
You know who doesn't have to deal with black ice and snow that suddenly turns into rain? People who are smart enough to live on the Amalfi Coast. Pretend you're one of them at Mama Capri. Even though you probably can't make use of the backyard for a couple more months, the interior of this coastal Italian spot in Cobble Hill has white brick walls, turquoise chairs, and woven basket lights that make you feel like you should be wearing at least one piece of linen clothing.
The Polynesian
Bar Food in Hell's Kitchen , Midtown , Times Square
$$$$ 400 W 42nd St
Hanging out by Port Authority never makes anyone feel better about anything, unless it involves getting cocktails and small plates at The Polynesian. This huge, indoor-outdoor rooftop bar from the people behind Carbone and The Grill serves high-quality bar snacks and tiki drinks in mugs shaped like treasure chests. Drinking a flaming cocktail near Times Square would probably feel kitschy if it weren't this delicious (and strong).
Miss Lily's 7A Cafe
Jamaican in East Village
$$$$ 109 Ave. A
If you find yourself on Family Feud, and Steve Harvey asks you for words people associate with summer, you just need to remember a night at Miss Lily's 7A in the East Village. Think about drinking piña coladas and frozen margaritas while eating fish tacos, followed by shots of rum with Red Stripes on the dancefloor while Rihanna blasts from the speakers. And then just say, "beach" - that's probably the top response.
Llama Inn
Peruvian in Williamsburg
$$$$ 50 Withers St
Llama Inn has enough hanging plants that it could almost pass for a Rainforest Cafe, but instead of kids shooting spitballs at mechanical parrots, this Peruvian restaurant in Williamsburg is filled with groups sharing ceviche with plantain chips and cocktails. Get the "Llama del Rey," which has pisco, rum, grilled pineapple, and a bunch of other ingredients that people whisper to themselves when they're experiencing S.A.D.
Bar Food in Williamsburg
$$$$ 27 Broadway
With a vaulted ceiling, white walls, and abundance of plants, Donna feels like a wedding venue in San Miguel de Allende. But this cocktail bar in Williamsburg is a fun spot to get tacos and tropical drinks, rather than a place to watch your friend make out with someone you know isn't right for them. Actually you may see that here too.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Hinterland - 02 October 2018
Hinterland Newsletters
Its hard to find generally interesting rural stories this week with the political winds blowing around the party conference season. Apologies if some of this shows through in the articles I have selected. Housing, Education and field sports are my key themes this week. Read on.....
Brexit costing Britain £500m a week and rising, says report
Local Government concentrates on local issues, many of which, as this issue of Hinterland demonstrates are being run down and neglected, whilst the economy continues to suffer from the national uncertainty we currently face. This story tells us:
Brexit is already costing the public purse £500m a week, new research has found – a stark contrast to the £350m "dividend" promised by the Leave campaign. The Centre for European Reform's analysis also suggests that the government's austerity drive would be on the way to completion had Britain voted to stay in the European Union.
It shows that the UK economy is already 2.5% smaller than it would have been had Remain won the referendum. Public finances have been dented by £26bn a year, more than half of the defence budget. This translates to a penalty of £500m a week, a figure that is growing.
The stark finding comes as the Tory conference begins in Birmingham, with Theresa May's premiership under severe strain. The prime minister faces competing proposals from cabinet ministers over how she should resolve the Brexit impasse with the EU.
The febrile conference coincides with explosive claims that the boss of one UK-based carmaker has been flown by private jet to meet President Emmanuel Macron, in an attempt to persuade the company to move manufacturing to France after Brexit.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry, told the Observer this development was a sign of the economic damage Britain faces from the wrong Brexit deal.
While some cabinet ministers are pushing for a loose, Canada-style trade deal, support is growing in May's ministerial team and on her backbenches for a deal under which Britain would stay closely tied to the EU for a limited period
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/29/britain-bill-brexit-hits-500-million-pounds-a-week
England has more than 200,000 empty homes. How to revive them?
A brilliant scheme equally applicable to rural settings (Devon RCC are moving forward with a similar initiative) which should be applauded!
Ask most people about England's epidemic of empty homes and they are likely to think of lavish vacant mansions in London owned by absent foreign billionaires.
In fact, the majority of empty properties are in post-industrial areas, where poverty rates are high and house prices languish well below their pre-crash levels. Such a place is Stockton-on-Tees, near Middlesbrough, where Martyn Jones lives.
Two years ago Jones, 23, was homeless and relying on friends to let him sleep on their couches while he struggled to find work. Today, he is painting a wall in a gutted home on a quiet street, part of a group tasked with refurbishing some of the area's many vacant, derelict homes.
Last week, Theresa May pledged an extra £2bn for housing associations to fund large-scale developments. But with new house building not providing enough affordable homes for more than 1 million people on waiting lists in England, social enterprises and councils are trying to bring empty homes, which number well over 200,000 and are worth almost £50bn, back into occupancy.
One of them is Community Campus 87, which buys such properties in Stockton-on-Tees, refurbishes them and offers them to previously homeless tenants at rents below the going rate for social housing. In the process, it provides jobs and skills training for people such as Jones.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/25/england-has-more-than-200000-empty-homes-how-to-revive-them
Help to Buy scheme is not working as it should, housing minister admits
Everything in my "gut" resiles against this scheme. I have noted other imperfections in it previously and I would applaud the principle of ensuring it only concentrates on first time buyers who wouldn't otherwise be able to buy a house and not on the basis of leasehold arrangements in terms of the land they sit on.
The Government's flagship scheme to help people onto the housing ladder is being used for purchases ministers do not wish to fund, the Housing Secretary has admitted.
James Brokenshire said Help to Buy equity loans were financing the acquisition of leasehold properties, which can see householders saddled with large annual "ground rent" payments.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Brokenshire said the Government was "reflecting carefully" on the scheme and would make an announcement soon on "the next steps".
He said ministers were identifying "where there are practices that we would not support" and also hinted that the policy could be overhauled to focus more on first time buyers....
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/09/29/help-buy-scheme-not-working-should-housing-minister-admits/
Wildlife Trust chief faces calls to quit over hunting and shooting sponsorships
I find the picture associated with this story very upsetting. Nonetheless I eat meat. I also recognize the contribution of field sports to the rural economy. Trying to weigh up the pros and cons of the issues surfaced in this article is like sitting on a razor blade…
The head of a conservation charity is facing increasing pressure to step down because of his firm's sponsorship of hunts and game bird shoots.
Critics say Michael Bax's position as chairman of the Kent Wildlife Trust is at odds with his support for activities that involve loss of wildlife.
More than 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for the trust to sever its links with Mr Bax, who served as huntsman and joint master for a hare-hunting group, supports other hunts and allows pheasant shooting on his farm
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/kent-wildlife-trust-mike-bax-hunting-shooting-petition-hares-pheasants-a8558281.html
Head teachers' polite protest over funding in England
There was much controversy when the education funding formula recognized some of the additional costs of providing education in rural areas. This very "British" protest demonstrates that the funding formula still has many imperfections, the greatest being it doesn't provide any school with enough cash to do its job.
Relentlessly reasonable" is an unusual rally cry - but this was no ordinary demonstration.
Hundreds of head teachers - the men in smart suits, the women in business wear - came to Westminster to make their point about school funding in England.
Ripples of applause filled Parliament Square - their meeting point and the scene of many a demonstration over the decades.
"Don't be chaining yourselves to the railings now ladies," someone joked.
It was clear that these protesters, passionate though they may be, would not have dreamt of it.
The gathering had more of an air of a collegiate conference than a demonstration.
"We're all a long way out of our comfort zone," one head teacher said.
"We asked each other on the bus if anyone had ever been to a protest before and nobody had," another added a little sheepishly.
The participants may have felt cheerful, and maybe little awkward, but the mood was nonetheless serious.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45665122
Man takes his horse into Bilston pub
Have you heard the one about a horse walking into a bar?
It sounds like the opening of a joke, but it was a reality for pubgoers in the West Midlands as this horse found its way into a local Wetherspoons.
The horse was taken into the Sir Henry Newbolt in Bilston on Friday, as customers enjoyed an afternoon drink.
A video posted on Facebook by Kerry Ashfield has since been shared thousands of times.
'It's an 'oss'
During the clip the horse can be seen inside the pub as his owner is asked by a member of staff to "take the horse out".
And in Black Country dialect, another staff member can be heard saying "it's an 'oss [horse] in the pub, take it out".
Ms Ashfield, 40, said: "He [the owner] drinks in there and he just came in with his horse.
"It's not something you see every day, it was just really funny, everybody was trying to film it."
The pub declined to comment. The BBC has contacted J.D. Wetherspoon for comment
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-45692710
Hinterland is written for the Rural Services Network by Ivan Annibal, of rural economic practitioners Rose Regeneration.
Hinterland - 04 March
Hinterland - 24 June 2019
Hinterland - 05 November 2018


The 1Call Division of Amtelco announced that the Genesis Intelligent Series solution and Intelligent Soft Agent have both successfully completed Avaya DevConnect Compliance Testing.
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