POS Malaysia

Here's a shot of the main Seremban Post Office I snapped while waiting for R to pick up a package. In Malaysia the postal system is known simply as POS.

Happy Holidays from Malaysia

A few readers have asked me what I'm going to do for Christmas here in Malaysia and so it got me thinking...

2005 Christmas in New York

I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota where it was always a white Christmas. Snow outside, fires going inside. Christmas decorations throughout the house that had been collected over the years and every house had a tree sparkling through the front window. Growing up in the 70s was a different time, older generations of midwest women would still bake for the holidays. And it wasn't just one or two types of treats. They would bake cookies, bars, candies... basically in the midwest back then, there was pretty much a non-stop flow of sugar during the holidays.

My family had a tradition that every year we would go together an buy our Christmas ornaments for the year, my mom and dad and sister and I would get one, they would all be the same kind but slightly different. Every year was a different theme reflecting something we did that year. So over they years I have collected an ornament for every year. When I left home and moved to New York these ornaments followed me and every year I'd continue to get a new one. Putting up the tree, I'd start with my first baby ornaments and proceed year by year putting them on the tree up to the current year. This was what my family did, and it is what I did as an adult.

So you can see that in 2005, my last Christmas in New York, I had accumulated quite a few ornaments. Some on the tree were also antique ones I found around at garage sales around my house. Anyway, this is what my Christmas was like in the US. When I moved to the middle-east in 2006 there was no Christmas, no trees, and the desert heat did not feel like the December cold that I knew the holidays to be. So I adapted. No tree, but still Holiday gifts with family and friends and other ways to celebrate.

When R and I moved to Malaysia, we noticed more Christmas celebrations. We saw the malls were decorated in holiday decorations and a general sense of Christmas. There was actually Christmas wrapping paper and bows! Holiday cards!

Mid Valley Mall Malaysia

The Christmas tree situation is this: not really any fresh cut trees (although I'm not sure I'd buy a fresh tree anymore thinking about it from an environmental perspective), there are small potted trees that people buy. The other option is an artificial tree from Tesco or Jusco. The ones I have seen have been smallish and not really full, pretty 'fake'. So as of yet I haven't had a tree in Malaysia. My ornaments are in storage in the US as I'm afraid they will break in transit. Maybe next year I'll sort the tree thing out. Not sure.

I did get a Time Out email yesterday with suggestions of what to do around Kuala Lumpur for Christmas. There are plenty of places serving Christmas meals listed and even places that will make Turkey for you to take home. It all looks quite festive.

What I learned about Christmas is it's not only the decorations, it's the spirit and being with loved ones. A Tropical Christmas is starting to grow on me, although I'll always have a soft spot for a white christmas. This year I don't think we will head to KL, R and I will stay home, break open a bottle of special Chardonnay and open our gifts to celebrate.

I wish all my readers Happy Holidays!!!!

King's Palace

While my parents were here we decided to go to the Sri Menanti Royal Museum or as we have been calling it, the King's Palace, located in the royal state capital about 40km East of Seremban . I listed it in my "Places to Visit and Eat in Seremban and Negeri Sembilan" post awhile back here.

R and I had seen photos of it and were really interested to drive more inland towards the middle of Malaysia to see this place. Trying to find out exactly how to get there from Seremban wasn't that easy, all directions were vague. The best way to go, or the way we went, was to look for signs in Seremban town heading to Kuala Pilah on Federal Route 51 going east. Federal Route 51 East takes you from Seremban to Kuala Pilah. The road quickly leaves Seremban and takes you on a breathtaking climb over some mountains covered with trees and palms... really beautiful. Then, still traveling East on 51 you start to get local. You see local stands selling fruits and some grilling meat right there on the road. It's pretty nice. Before getting to Kuala Pilah you see signs to turn right to Sri Menanti on to N29 (south) which takes you to the royal town and then a roundabout towards the King's Palace. The place is pretty surreal and cool. The drive might be better than the actual 'palace' though. But it is fun to walk through. The building was built from 1902 to 1908, there are supposedly 99 pillars each at 65 feet and there were no nails or screws used to construct the place. Climbing to the top level was a steep ladder climb, fun.

As seen in the photo above and on the outside of the building, the main color theme here is YELLOW. There are tons of yellow bulbs all over the palace, we would have liked to stay into the night to see it lit up, but we decided to go back up to 51 travel further east to Kuala Pilah which on a quick tour produced not much interest and too much traffic. Maybe another day, because there are supposedly many old shophouses to see that haven't been torn down.

The palace is located next to the Sri Menanti Resort. Online I grabbed the following hours, but I am not sure they are accurate, best to check ahead. Hours Weekdays: Daily: 9.30am - 6pm; Fridays: noon - 2.50pm Weekends & Public Holidays: 9.30am - 6pm Thursdays (From 1pm onwards): Closed.

Panasonic MX-900M Blender

So I have been putting off buying a Blender since we moved to Malaysia. Every time I'd see them in the stores I couldn't decide what to get. I was looking for stainless steel to go with the kitchen or black to go with the coffeemaker. But many of the SS models are imported models and just way too expensive. You see I bought a blender back when I lived in New York . It wasn't that expensive maybe $75 USD (but you can get much better quality appliances in the US for less cost than Malaysia). I bought it to mainly make frozen drinks like margaritas, etc. And when I used it, the thing barely could crush the ice to make the drinks, in fact, I don't think the ice ever got that small it was more like shaved ice. This was disappointing. I figured I had to spend a lot more to get something that would do the job but never go around to it.

So being in Malaysia, I immediately thought... oh there are good fruits here, we can make all sorts of frozen drinks!!! Every time I was in a store, I would think about my bad blender in New York and not be sold on any of the Malaysian blender options.

Well, my parents from Virginia were just here to visit R and I for the first time and they thought I really needed a blender so they said they were going to buy me one as an early Christmas present! We went around the shops looking and I was still being fussy. One day we happened in my favorite appliance store in Seremban called Syarikat Hoong Bee (Jalan Tuanku Antah Jalan Rahang) where R and I bought all of our Panasonic products for the house. We have been pretty happy with the Panasonic refrigerator, washing machine, fans etc. we have bought from the guy Jimmy there.

Jimmy said that the best blender is the Panasonic MX-900M Blender (now R said Jimmy just says that because he sales mainly Panasonic, which is probably true), nevertheless, he said it is the model that all the commercial businesses use.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of buying a white blender, but I was trying to be flexible because my parents were buying. But I did like that the model had a plastic container instead of glass because many of the real glass models just seemed way to heavy. He said the blender was made in Malaysia which didn't excite me (although strangely the plug is not a Malaysian plug and needs an adapter?). So I said OK to this blender to put a rest to the whole situation! I bargained him down to 140RM (about $46 USD).

Right after buying the blender we stopped by a fruit stand and picked up some fruit. All the fruit above cost 2oRM (under $7 USD). One Papaya, two mangoes, bananas and some strange small fruits on a stem. Does anyone know what they are called? They have a white fruit and taste pretty nice. I mainly bought them to try with my parents as they were trying all the local fruits (they liked Durian!!!).

So we decided to make some Papaya drinks in the blender using the whole papaya, some ice, sugar and rum. We put all the ingredients in and turned the blender on it blended it in like 2 seconds! It was amazing, there must have been something wrong with that New York blender. I can't wait to blend tons of things like pesto with my Thai basil ...

Pertubuhan Penganut Dewa Seremban

Inside the Temple so close to our House.

Christmas Palms Growing

I always drive by a house near my house here in Seremban that has the cutest small palms in the front of the yard (image above is one of the palms). They had beautiful red seeds for quite awhile. So I stopped one day and picked up some of the red seeds. After searching online I found they are are Christmas Palms (Adonidia). I planted a number of the seeds to see if they would grow. I tried a couple methods. I soaked some, soaked some and removed the red part from the seed before planting, and also planted a couple without doing anything. Oh and I also put a couple in wet paper towel and placed them in a plastic bag. All methods worked and they eventually sprouted. Strangely, the largest plant right now was one from the plastic bag method. But I guess removing the red part after soaking worked well too. I've already transplanted the small shoots once into bigger pots. I found they had already established thick roots. In the new planters, now I wait for them to get bigger before I plant them in my yard.

Teratak Perpatih in Seremban

Recently R's parents came to visit and we had a great time taking them around to different places. A nearby must see was Teratak Perpatih or The State Museum of Negeri Sembilan. We visited just after a rainstorm so it wasn't too hot out in the mid-afternoon and the sun was covered with clouds (somewhat of a rarity around here in the afternoon!).

I wrote about the State Museum in my "Places to Visit and Eat in Seremban and Negeri Sembilan" post awhile back here. What's great is that the museum is located right here in Seremban just off E2 at the main Seremban Exit 218 (you drive towards town and you will see the brown buildings on your right. Do a U turn at the Specialist Hospital turn and go back to the entrance).

Alright, the museum is a bit lacking, but you can go in these traditional houses which is pretty cool and worth the trip.

The Front of My Local Nursery in Seremban

Doesn't look like much for sale from the outside, but the plants are in the place behind the fence and building. This is where we bought the water bowls and the other planters.

Second Try

I decided to do another paint test for the blue in the second Guest Bedroom on the main floor. The color to the right is the Nippon Porcelain Blue we think is too bright. The color on the left (only one coat) is Nippon Seclusion Blue which we think is much better.

We just had the ceilings painted and now we can do the blue paint sometime soon. R and I are going to tackle this room ourselves as it is small.

Frog on the Window

The other morning our cat T was very excited over by the window. I thought it was a gecko, he loves to hunt geckos. But when I looked out the the window I saw a frog! You can barely make him out in the photo above... he is on the left side of the window. After I took the photo he jumped off the window back into the water bowl! At least I know that there is life in the water bowl keeping the mosquitoes away.

Thai Basil Chicken

One of our favorite meals is Thai Basil Chicken over Rice Crust (a Persian food called Tahdig in Farsi check wiki here). It was a wonderful thing to be able to go out to the back of the house and pick a bunch of Thai Basil from our yard to make the meal!!!

I collected a bowl of the Basil for our recipe. Although, we normally use more basil, but this was all I could take from the plants. The amount worked out okay.

Our Thai Basil Chicken is our own version of Gai Pad Gra Pow. Ours is different in a few ways. First, we cut up the chicken very small and R likes to cook it until it is crusty making the mixture a bit crunchy. We serve it on top of R's fantastic Rice Crust which is both soft and crunchy rice. And lastly, we make our own sauce instead of Fish Sauce which is traditionally used in Gai Pad Gra Pow.

Here's our recipe if you'd like to try it. You can use regular Bastami Rice. Someday, I'll ask R to help me with a post on how to make Rice Crust (or if you are dying to know or try it you can check My Persian Kitchen's rice crust recipe here, although you don't need to use yogurt or saffron for cooking Rice Crust (although Saffron is always nice ;). In fact, you can use potato or bread or other things at the bottom of the pan. But sometimes, it might be best just to make it simply with rice and oil. R uses a different method which appears easier than My Persian Kitchen's). Be warned, rice crust is addictive!

K and R's Basil Chicken

2 Servings

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1½ -2 Boneless Chicken Breasts

2 Red Chili minced very small

2 Green Chili minced very small

1/4 to 1/2 Head of Garlic minced very small

1 Large Bunch of Thai Basil (cleaned and the thicker stems taken off, you can leave the flowers if your Basil has some)

Sauce (the sauce we make below is a substitute for fish sauce)

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Basmati Rice for two

Instructions:

Start your rice.

Make the Sauce by mixing the following ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lime (or one whole lime which is a bit more)

Set Sauce aside.

Cut the chicken into very small pieces. In a Wok heat up the oil on med-high and add the chicken. When the chicken is nearly cooked add the chilies and the garlic and cook for a minute or two longer. Stir constantly over med-high heat. Do not burn the chili or the garlic. R likes to cook the mixture long enough that it gets brown and crispy. He let’s the mixture stick to the bottom of the wok and scrapes it off forming crispy bits in the mixture. But you don't have to cook the chicken that long.

When mixture is cooked, lower the heat and add the sauce and sugar cover the chicken mixture then add the basil Leaves into Wok. Turn off the heat and lightly toss all items together.

While someone is tossing the basil, someone else should be dishing up the rice on to serving plates. The basil leaves will wilt down to a smaller size and start to look like cooked spinach very quickly. Try to get the mixture out of the Wok and over the rice on the serving plates before the leaves get too wilted (they will continue to cook down on the rice).

Serve with Fresh Lime halves.

My favorite corner near our house. Always in bloom.

The Malaysia Water Company: Sains

This is the second time the Malaysia water company known as Sains has dug a big hole in front of the house. And they have dug holes a number of times in our neighborhood and in the immediate area since we have lived in the house. There seems to be constant water pipe bursts and leaks. I have read about it and heard from others this is a common problem in Malaysia.

So in this case, like the time before, they dig a big hole which looks ominous. Then they look inside the hole for a long time. Not sure what they are doing. Then they fill it back up and a few days later the asphalt team comes and covers it with fresh asphalt. There are tons of fresh asphalt patches all over Malaysia's roads too.

We shouldn't complain because water in Malaysia is cheap. Our bill for a generous amount of water each month including some gardening watering comes to 5 RM (about $1.70 USD) per month. Sometimes a couple RMs more.

I should say that this does not include drinking water because we do not drink the tap water here. We drink bottled water which is a sizable expense of about $30 USD a month.

On Jalan Tok Ungku July 24, 2011

Malaysian Dwarf Peacock Tree

My favorite tree in the neighborhood is a few streets over. Every time I drive by I always love looking at this orange flowering tree. It is always in bloom (the photo I took doesn't do it justice, it is usually more in bloom).

Since we planned to have orange as the predominate color in our garden, when I first moved here I thought I should look out for the this plant in the nursery. But, never saw it.

Recently I was driving by and saw the seed pods dangling from it and thought I'd try and get some seeds to sprout. I took a sample flower to a nursery and the woman said it is a Peacock Tree. I did some research online and think that this tree is the dwarf version (let's hope so because the regular trees get much larger). I found out that while it's called Peacock here its botanical name is Caesalpinia Pulcherrima. In other regions throughout the world it is also known as Poinciana, Dwarf Flamboyan, Pride of Barbados, Barbados Pride, Barbados Flower-fence, Peacock Flower, Paradise Poinciana or Red Bird-of-Paradise.

On my first attempt, I followed some directions online. It said soak the seeds for a day or a few days then peel the seeds out of their skins and plant them. I soaked eight seeds for two days, then peeled them and planted them. I had two small seeds that I wasn't able to peel so I planted them in their skins. I marked them and waited. Surprisingly, it was the unpeeled seeds that sprouted, none of the others did! So I went back and got some more seeds and soaked them and planted them directly, no fussy peeling. I now have twelve plants growing. Apparently from what I read online they are easy to grow, and this seems to be true. I will keep growing them and the strongest few I will most likely plant in my front yard along the hedges.

The Famous Seremban Beef Noodles

Recently we went to Yee Kee Seremban Beef Noodles the famous shop that sells the signature dish Seremban Beef Noodles. Owner Yee Kee is the originator of this dish that started way back before the Japanese occupation. This is the same company selling beef noodles on the second floor of the Seremban Wet Market, but here it is a sit down restaurant in one of the old pre-war shop houses in Seremban.

There were a few beef noodle options I think we got the 'dry' ones. We also ordered some wontons on the side.

Basically, we didn't love the beef noodles. The taste was ok, but the meat was a bit chunky, or it's hard to explain, you'll have to try yourself. The wontons were great though.

Location: Across the street from the main Public Bank Branch in Seremban town. The restaurant is open 8am till 8pm everyday except Monday.

Malaysian Flowering Herb

At the back of the house this herb? which is flowering is starting to grow over the back wall from my neighbors yard. I saw their maid picking some and then cleaning it in their wet kitchen. At first I thought it was basil from a ways away, but now I'm not so sure looking at the photo. Does anyone know what this herb might be? I wonder if it is something used in Malaysian cooking. Please let me know if you have any ideas so I can pick some and try it out.

Back to On Sweet Thai Cuisine in Seremban

I've wrote about our favorite Thai Restaurant On Sweet Thai Cuisine before here. But I didn't post photos. Well, here are a few shots. This place is always good. We've had different things, but our favorite is the Phat Instant Noodle (Maggie) with Chicken and cooked extra spicy.

The ingredients vary but on our recent visit I spotted chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, egg, instant noodle, greens, red chili peppers and carrot. How can you bet a great lunch like this for 4.50 RM (approximately $1.50 USD)?

Oh, and I love that they serve me my noodles in the pretty plastic floral plate and R merely gets a yellow one.

On Sweet Thai Cuisine

1978, Gorund Floor, Bukit Blossom

70100 Seremban

06-012-374-3400

06-012-639-5055

Malaysia Sunset

Often the sunset makes the entire sky pink, but this photo doesn't capture just how pink and beautiful it really is.

Rattan in Seremban Store

I was in Seremban town the other day and dropped by the Rattan store to check the rattan table I had seen there to see if it would go with my patio chairs. The table pictured above doesn't come with a top. The woman at the store had a large round flattish basket tray sitting on it. It might be nice to use a tray to bring out food and drinks, but not sure. Maybe a round piece of white laminate or a piece of glass for the table top, but the glass might fall off easily?

The store also had this foot stool as well. I would remove the fake leather cushion and find another or leave it without one.

I'm not sure if I get these pieces if it will be too much rattan on the patio. Have to think....