Squids in Black Ink Recipe @ Resepi Sotong Masak Hitam

My Simple Sotong Masak Hitam Recipe

Today was a super tiring day for hubby and he requested to have dinner at home instead, since I have squids in the freezer, the simplest squid dish is of course Sotong Masak Hitam! It doesn't hurt that this delicious dish is also both hubby's and mine favorite squid dish :)

The recipe for Sotong Masak Hitam / Squids in Black Ink is as follows:

1. 4 medium sized squids - pre-wash with water and salt, strain and set aside, make sure you don't pierce the ink sacs that's inside the squids.

2. 1 medium sized onion

3. 3 cloves garlic

4. 2 thin slices of old ginger

5. 1 thin slice of turmeric

6. 5 stalks of dried red chilies (pre-soak with hot water for about 5 mins then strain and set aside.

7. 1 stalk lemongrass - bruised

8. 1 slice of dried tamarind  (Assam Keping)

9. 2 kaffir lime leaves

10. 2 tbsp sugar

11. salt to taste

12. about 800ml water

13. About 4 tbsp Oil to saute

How to cook Sotong Masak Hitam @ Squids in Black Ink:

1. Blend the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilies.

2. Heat up the oil in a saucepan and saute the blended ingredients, add in the lemongrass, tamarind, kaffir lime leaves and stir till the chilies are done (maybe about 3-5 minutes).

3. Add in the sugar and the water and let it simmer.

5. Then add in the squids (at this point when you start stirring the squids, the red gravy will turn black as the ink sacs are disturbed).

6. Add salt to taste and turn off the heat once the squids are cook to avoid overcooking them. 

Malay Version:

Hari ini Encik Suami teramat sangat penat dan request untuk makan malam di rumah. Memandangkan ada sotong dalam freezer tu, lauk sotong yang paling senang apa lagi? Sotong Masak Hitam lah :) Lagi-lagi memang sotong masak hitam ni lauk sotong kegemaran Encik Suami dan saya hehe...

Resepi Sotong Masak Hitam:

1. 4 sotong putih saiz sederhana - dibasuh terlebih dulu dengan air dan garam dan ditos - pastikan anda tidak memecahkan pundi dakwat di dalam sotong - 

2. 1 bawang besar saiz sederhana

3. 3 ulas bawang putih

4. 2 hirisan nipis halia tua

5. 1 hirisan nipis kunyit hidup

6. 5 tangkai cili kering - direndam dalam air panas dalam 5 minit kemudian ditoskan.

7. 1 tangkai serai -dititik

8. 1 Asam Keping

9. 2 helai daun limau purut

10. 2 sdm gula

11. garam

12. anggaran 800ml air

13. anggaran 4 sdm minyak untuk menumis

Cara-cara memasak Sotong Masak Hitam:

1. Kisar bawang besar, bawang putih, halia, kunyit dan cili.

2. Panaskan minyak dalam kuali dan tumiskan bahan-bahan kisar, masukkan serai, asam keping, daun limau purut dan tumis hingga cili garing sedikit (dalam 3-5 minit)

3. Masukkan gula dan air dan biar didih.

5. Masukkan sotong (disini kuah akan bertukar menjadi hitam apabila pundi dakwat mula pecah bila anda mengacau kuah di dalam kuali)

6. Masukkan garam dan tutup api sebaik sahaja sotong masak supaya sotong tidak mengeras dan mengecil kerana dimasak terlalu lama. 

Malaysian Fried Noodle Recipe / Resepi Mee Goreng Simple

My Simple Malaysian Fried Noodle Recipe :)

Ok.. today the school served Nasi Lemak, so the firstborn refused to eat and I had to cook Mee Goreng Mamak at home. Mee Goreng Mamak Malaysian Style of course cos Mee Goreng Mamak Singapore style is still beyond me. 

This version of Malaysian Fried Noodle is the non-spicy version since my 5 year old is not really a chili lover. After a lot of tries with different condiments at different times, I think this is the final recipe that I will be keeping for future use. 

My Malaysian Fried Noodle  Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

500gm yellow noodle - pre wash with water and salt, toss and set aside.
1/2 medium size onion
2 thin slices of old ginger
1 fresh green chili
1 1/2 tsp pureed tomato
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
3 tbsp sweet soya sauce
3 tbsp sugar
salt
300gm beef slices
1 egg
spinach as desired
1 large tomatoes - cut in slices
Vegetable oil to saute - about 5 tbsp

How to cook Malaysian Fried Noodle:

1. Blend the onion, ginger and green chili.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in the wok and saute the blended ingredients.
3. Add in the pureed tomato, curry powder, chili sauce, tomato sauce, soya sauce, sugar and salt. Let the sauce marry for a bit.
4. Add the beef slices and cook till tender (if it gets too dry, add in a bit of water to prevent drying out)
5. Add in the egg.
6. At this point, taste the sauce and adjust the salt if necessary, the sauce should be a bit salty so that it will balance out after we add in the vegetables and yellow noodle as it is a bit difficult to spread the salt evenly when the yellow noodle is already in the wok.
7. Add in the spinach, tomato slices and yellow noodle.

Langkawi makan-makan: Jom Ikan Bakar & Telaga Harbour Malay Food Restaurant

After two days of disappointing and expensive food at the hotel, hubby and I are more than ready to eat malay food with a friendly price tag. First, we tried to eat dinner at Cenang Beach, but after driving up and down looking for a promising seafood restaurant, we settled upon Telaga Seafood since it looked quite decent. Unfortunately, the crowd was huge and as we sat down a girl came up to the waiter and said loudly "Excuse me! I've been waiting for my salad for the one hour! It's just a salad! Not fried rice?" Ermm, while I was very much tempted to tell her that even fried rice should only take 15 minutes to prepare, I bit my tongue and smiled at my husband and we both decided to get out of the restaurant haha.. we cross the road over to a grey buiding that looked empty but has a huge sign that displays "Ikan Bakar" "Air Asam" which means "Grilled Fish" and "Tamarind Sauce", we went inside and apparently the grey building is a hotel and the restaurant is at the back with loud karaoke and noisy crowd plus the tables are not really comfortable for eating dinner. Next!

We crossed back the road and head to another non-descript seafood restaurant, by this time we were awfully hungry and desperate, we were just about to sit down when the kids screamed "cats!" Oh God! I think there is seriously something wrong with my kids! After trying a few times to pacify them, we gave up and went back to the hotel without eating dinner. Seriously, I think we spoil them too much but we were too tired to argue with the kids.

Malay food @ Telaga Harbour; Langkawi

Ayam Goreng Kunyit @ Telaga Harbour

The next day, we tried searching for Jom Ikan Bakar@ Padang Matsirat, but as we were driving down the Padang Matsirat road (we don't really have the address) we were from the Atma Alam road, then we reached a junction with signs like airport to the left and oriental village to the right, we unknowingly took the right turn and of course didn't find Jom Ikan Bakar. After driving for some time, hubby gave up and suggested going to Telaga Harbour instead and see which restaurants with no cats that we can eat there. Stumbled upon this "Harbour Malay Food Restaurant" at the back of the Telaga Harbour area not facing the harbour and since we came in late for lunch, the mixed rice selection was very poor and the man suggested ordering "goreng-goreng" instead. (That means fried rice, fried noodles etc) But, I wasn't in the mood for fried rice or fried noodle for lunch, so we asked if they have tom yum, fried chicken with tumeric and omelette and they said they can do that, so that was what we had.

Tom Yum Campur @ Telaga Harbour

Omelette @ Telaga Harbour

Food was mediocre but at least the place is clean and my kids were comfortable enough. Flies were also minimal (maybe only one) which is more than we can say since even eating at our hotel restaurants was like dining with flies. Total turn off. I asked hubby if he would like to eat seafood dinner here later and he said "we won't be missing much". Ok point noted.

Mee Goreng for no 1 kiddo @ Telaga Harbour

The day after, we tried again going to Padang Matsirat, this time around, turning left as we reach the junction and lo and behold the "Jom Ikan Bakar" is just a few stalls down. The place was crowded with people, tables and chairs were basic, food spillage on the floor, flies and the mixed rice selection while quite a variety is not served hot or even warm. So, I told hubby I will just settled for the grilled fish with sambal belacan and ulam which is basically chilli paste and green vegetables.

Jom Ikan Bakar @ Padang Matsirat - After the lunch crowd was gone

My second son was starting to act up again, complaining about cats -what else- and flies (after 3 days of eating with flies, I have more or less accepted their existence around me while I eat) but once the rice and fish were served in front of him, all complaints ceased and he ate most of the fish! Even enjoying its slightly spicy but sweet sauce :) While I wouldn't say that Jom Ikan Bakar serves the best local grilled fish during lunchtime in Langkawi,I would say that they serve a pretty decent one except that the sambal belacan is very diluted. Now, if only all the other dishes are also piping hot.. Hubby, who is also a big eater, settled on just rice with squids in coconut gravy which is so unlike him as he always pile his plate with at least 3 side dish. We were quite happy with our simple lunch though the overall price with drinks at RM45 is a bit high. For those of you trying to be adventurous and eating like a local in Langkawi, you can try Jom Ikan Bakar, but stick to the grilled fish only :)

A close up of the fish @ Jom Ikan Bakar, Padang Matsirat - Langkawi

My Simple lunch @ Langkawi

Tips untuk interview (temuduga)

Interview Tips (Image Courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Memandangkan entri mengenai contoh resume / surat permohonan kerja saya sangat mendapat sambutan :) Saya rasa mungkin saya boleh berkongsi sedikit sebanyak mengenai bagaimana nak prepare untuk temuduga atau interview bagi adik-adik yang belum pernah experience interview :)

Tips interview ni simple je tapi sangat penting untuk memastikan kita nampak bersungguh-sungguh dalam sesi temuduga nanti. Lagipun bila dah prepare untuk interview, kurang sikit rasa gemuruh pada hari tersebut betul tak?

1. Pastikan anda jelas mengenai jawatan yang sedang anda memohon dan pengetahuan dan kemahiran yang diperlukan. Kemudian catitkan keupayaan-keupayaan anda yang akan menolong anda untuk cemerlang dalam menjalankan tugasan anda jika anda diberi peluang untuk bekerja dengan syarikat tersebut. Contohnya: jika anda sedang memohon jawatan sebagai "Customer Service Officer" anda mungkin ingin menonjolkan kepada Interviewer bahawa anda adalah seorang yang peramah, cepat memikirkan solusi jika pelanggan kurang berpuas hati dan dapat mengawal perasan dengan baik apabila berhadapan dengan pelanggan yang marah / kasar. 

2. Pastikan anda telah membuat sedikit kajian mengenai syarikat yang anda pohon. Paling minima anda harus tahu adakah syarikat itu adalah SME atau MNC, jika ia mempunyai branch di mana-mana lokasi lain, apakah aktiviti utama syarikat tersebut, apakah visi dan misi syarikat tersebut dan bagaimana anda dapat menyumbang terhadap visi/misi syarikat dalam jawatan yang sedang dipohon. Anda juga harus jelas sekiranya jawatan tersebut mempunyai keperluan-keperluan "istimewa" seperti waktu bekerja syif / hujung minggu, sering out station dan sebagainya dan adakah anda sanggup memenuhi keperluan-keperluan itu. 

3. Pastikan anda tahu alamat dan nombor telefon syarikat / tempat temuduga anda. Gunakan google maps jika perlu untuk mengetahui lokasi temuduga anda paling lambat sehari sebelum interview. Juga pastikan anda tahu bagaimana untuk sampai ke lokasi tersebut dan berapa lama anda perlukan untuk ke sana. Tambahkan 20 - 30 minit lagi sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga (Sekiranya perkara yang tidak dijangka berlaku seperti LRT rosak / lambat, trafik sesak kerana kemalangan dan sebagainya). Simpan nombor telefon syarikat dalam handphone dan juga catit di atas kertas (manalah tahu handphone tak ada battery) just in case jika anda telah sampai ke lokasi syarikat tetapi tidak tahu tangga / lif / entrance mana yang harus digunakan. 

4. Pastikan resume (bawak 1 gambar pasport just in case dengan 1 clip atau glue jangan sesekali staple!) dan dokumen dokumen asli dan fotokopi anda tersusun rapi di dalam fail. (1 fail untuk yang asli dan 1 lagi untuk yang fotokopi). 

5. Pastikan anda hafal fakta-fakta penting resume anda! Tak usahlah nak hafal semua tapi paling tidak jika anda tidak pernah bekerja sebelum ini anda haruslah tahu tahun bila anda masuk/ habis kolej/ universiti, jurusan yang diambil dan penglibatan dalam kelab-kelab yang mungin dapat menonjolkan kemahiran anda yang sesuai dengan jawatan yang dipohon. Jika anda pernah mempunyai pengalaman bekerja, ingat tarikh bermula / berhenti bertugas 2 jawatan terakhir anda, nama dan alamat majikan tersebut dan peranan dan tanggungjawab anda yang relevan dengan jawatan yang dipohon. 

6. Pastikan anda berlatih menjawab soalan-soalan interview (google search top interview questions) paling tidak pastikan anda mempunyai jawapan yang meyakinkan mengenai mengapa anda rasa andalah paling sesuai untuk jawatan ini, apakah kemahiran anda yang dapat membantu anda melakukan tugasan anda dengan cemerlang dan mengapa anda mahukan jawatan ini. Jangan malu untuk men"jual" diri anda di sini. Tekankan semua keupayan-keupayan anda yang relevan dengan jawatan yang dipohon dan bagaimana anda dapat menyumbang kepada kejayaan syarikat. Berlatihlah dengan seorang rakan yang dipercayai  dan dapatkan maklum balas daripadanya. Berlatih sehingga anda dapat jawab dengan penuh keyakinan.

7. Pastikan anda memakai pakaian yang sesuai untuk sesi temuduga anda. Elakkan warna-warna yang "clash". Seluar hitam/ biru tua / cokelat dengan work shirt terang (plain atau very simple stripes) amat sesuai bagi lelaki dan bagi wanita pula, pastikan pakaian anda tidak ketat dan "over" dari segi warna. Elakkan dari pattern / prints yang berlebihan. Jika anda bertudung, keep your tudung / shawl simple. Jika anda tidak bertudung, pastikan pakaian anda sopan, skirts are better to be at the knee or below and no plunging necklines! 

8. Dalam sesi interview, matikan handphone anda! Senyum dan kekalkan "eye contact" dengan Interviewer. Tujukan fokus anda terhadap soalan-soalan yang dikemukan dan jawab dengan tenang. Stick to the point! Jangan jawab meleret-leret dan jangan masukkan hal peribadi anda. Ingat bahawa anda harus menonjolkan imej yang professional, interviewer tidak perlu tahu bahawa anda dalam kesedihan kerana anak kucing anda baru mati semalam. 

9. Jangan sesekali bercakap buruk tentang sesiapa! Samada orang tersebut adalah majikan lama anda atau lecturer anda, anda tidak akan tahu apakah Interviewer itu berkawan baik dengan mereka atau lebih dasyat lagi bersaudara dengan mereka! Tambah pula, jika anda bercakap buruk tentang seseorang, ini akan membuat Interviewer terfikir apakah anda akan bercakap buruk mengenai mereka pada masa hadapan.

10. Buat follow up (secara telefon / emel) seminggu selepas temuduga anda. Nyatakan anda berterima kasih di atas peluang temu duga tempoh hari dan anda amat berminat untuk berkhidmat dengan syarikat itu. Akhiri dengan ayat " Saya boleh dihubungi di talian 0123456789 atau nurislam@emel.com.my jika anda memerlukan maklumat lanjut daripada saya." Something to that effect lah.. Ini akan menunjukkan bahawa anda memang berminat dengan jawatan yang ditawarkan dan jika mereka belum lagi memilih calon, mereka akan membuka kembali fail permohonan anda dan *hopefully* reconsider you!

That's it! Harap-harap entri ini bermanfaat kepada anda. Harap maklum juga bahawa ini adalah karangan original saya so please.. no copy and paste! Sila hormati titik peluh orang lain ye.. Remember you will only be respected when you respect others. Kalau-kalau awak suka sangat baca entri ni, bolehlah tolong share di facebook or google + tapi tolong jangan share sebagi entri di blog anda sendiri. Terima Kasih! 

Arabic Alphabets Worksheet for Mikail 24 Sep 2013

Assalamualaikum readers,

It has been a while since I last updated the Iqra' worksheet posts, we have been quite busy skipping school :) Finally got to time to sit down in front of the desktop and write the last worksheet on arabic letters recoqnition for Mikail. Hmm.. after this I might go with either recognizing different form of letters OR recognizing letters with strokes, I am not so sure yet which one to do first. 

As per previous posts, the below picture is the reference arabic letters transliteration sheet, it is to be referred to when doing the worksheets with the kids. Parents/ teachers are encouraged to sound out the letters for the kids or if the child is doing the work independently, maybe you can highlight the letters (say blue for worksheet 1 and green for worksheet 2) so that the child knows where to refer to instead of being overwhelmed with all 30 letters :) 

As per normal, you are allowed to use the worksheet for personal and school use but not for commercial use.  If you are reposting this please credit it back to this website. Thank You.

The Arabic Letters Names (Reference Sheet)

The Iqra' worksheet for recognizing letters : ف - ى :

My second islamic app "My Dua Buddy" is out :)

Assalamualaikum readers.. 

My second attempt at publishing iPhone and iPad apps is an app that got its inspiration from the Talking Friends app.. since my kids loved playing with the Talking Tom and Talking Ginger app and then Talking Friends started introducing cartoons which I do not think is good for the kids.. I thought.. why not make an app that repeats good things that we want the kids to pick up instead? 

So.. My Dua Buddy is a bunny that teaches the kids some basic duas that we use in our every day life such as Dua before and after eating, dua before going to bed and waking up from sleep and so on.. it also plays back your speech like the talking friends and has a video sharing function via YouTube and Facebook as well.

The bunny will sneeze and say "Alhamdulillah" if you touch its nose, says "Masya Allah" if you rub its tummy and "Astarghfirullah" if you poke its legs.

Two duas are free while 5 other duas can be purchased through in-app purchase.

You can view the app video here:

Please support my effort and help spread the word so that I can make more apps :) Thank you!

Halal Food : Dinner @ PickNik, Publika

Chef Nik Michael's restaurant at Publika :PickNik

Note to readers: PickNik restaurant arm has closed down since Feb 2016. 

Ok.. after trying out Chef Riz's restaurant On The Table that is just a few doors down from PickNik at Publika Mall, we make it a point to try out PickNik by Chef Nik Michael since the place is always filled with patrons in comparison to the quieter On The Table. PickNik must be much better than On The Table if you judge by the crowd, we assumed. 

PickNik has a very open and friendly vibe to it and the menu also offers western, a few asian and fusion dishes. Which is great since kiddo no 2 favorite dish is rice, sadly kiddo no 1's fave which is mee goreng mama is not on the menu but at least they serve carbonara here. I was quite excited before coming to try out the desserts since I saw on a few sites the sinful pictures of the glorious desserts served at PickNik but somehow on that day itself, I wasn't feeling very hungry and hence didn't order any.  

PickNik's tagline is "comfort food" and yup that is exactly what they serve, so if you are expecting high end dishes.. head to "On The Table" at the end of the row :p and we have no objections against comfort food just that when the price is about the same as the dishes served at "On The Table" it does set one thinking.

Watercress Salad @ Chef Nik Michael's restaurant - PickNik @ Publika Mall

Since I wasn't really in the mood for eating, I just ordered a salad as I haven't been eating a lot of greens lately. PickNik offers crispy watercress salad with thinly sliced sweet pear and strawberries (tasted a bit tart but then again it's difficult to get sweet strawberries in Malaysia)dressed with a sauce that was very delicious but I can't put my finger on and garnished with toasted sliced almonds. I love this salad!  

Nasi Lemak @ Chef Nik Michael's restaurant: PickNik

"Nasi Lemak Basic" (RM12) for kiddo, we have to add on a chicken (RM8) and since I am sharing with him, I thought maybe I should take the extra rice (RM5). Turns out I shouldn't have ordered the extra rice cos the rice portion is huge. 

the huge portion of extra rice! lain kali tak payah order extra..

The nasi lemak is fragrant since it is served on a banana leaf, but lacks the "ka-pow" that one would expect from a MasterChef hehe. boiled egg is also nicely done with no green edges around the yolk that is a sure sign of being over-done. The sambal sigh.. leave much to be desired..  there is nothing wrong with it just that I expected much more..  I guess.. it all tasted just normal... too normal with oversized portions that's it.. like "Teh Tarik Place" normal you know?

Kids Carbonara @ Chef Nik Michael's restaurant ; PickNik

Kids carbonara with turkey ham was small in size (perfect for one child) and pretty much very basic and tasted average. But since we also ordered kids carbonara at On The Table previously (which costed about the same and sufficed for two kids instead of one with mushroom, bacon and chicken fingers AND tasted waaay nicer) Picknik's kids carbonara didn't get our favor that evening. 

Delicious lamb chops at Chef Nik Michael's restaurant PickNik @ Publika Mall

Hubby ordered korean lamb chops, this is a fusion dish -I think- tender lamb chops that was also juicy and not fatty. yummy! paired with a sauce that has a korean touch (a bit of sweet, sour and spicy) very nice twist and served with a good portion of greens which I guess is spinach. Hubby (who is not a leafy vegy enthusiast) says the pairing of lamb chops and spinach is weird but I find it to be in perfect sync.. kind of like eating a bibimbap where you have the beef, the chilli paste and the saute vegetables but with lamb chops instead and no rice :p

Dinner @ Chef Nik Michael's restaurant: PickNik - Tempura Prawns

Side dish was tempura prawns, presentation lacks finesse and the taste fails to impress. Again mediocrity at its best. 

For drinks, we ordered lemon tea for the kids (I think it's home brewed, tasted quite ok not too strong) and teh tarik (less sweet) for me and hubby. Unfortunately the teh tarik disappoints.. too milky and sweet.. hmph.. where oh where can I get teh tarik with strong tea taste and just the right hint of milk and sugar without being overbearingly sweet? aaahhh.. 

Ok, so wrapping it up, we like the watercress salad and I like the korean lambchops.. the rest just didn't inspire us much. If you have been to PickNik or frequent it but have never heard of On The Table at the end of the row, do yourself a favor and check it out too.. who knows you might also like it. Oh, but best to read up on others' reviews on it first to know which dish fares well and which didn't quite make it yet. :)

Second Visit to Chef Nik Michael's Restaurant PickNik:

Since, this post has been garnering quite a number of read daily, I thought I owe it to the readers and Chef Nik to give PickNik another try since the first visit didn't really leave much impression on me and hubby. 

This time around we decided to order items on the menu that are under the chef's recommendation. So we ordered:

Salmon Rocket Mango Salad - Quite a nice combination of crunchy rocket and almond slice, sweet mango and vinaigrette (I think that was the salad dressing) but the cheese slices (the white thing in the bowl) doesn't really go with the salad in my opinion, maybe a different kind of cheese in smaller size would be more suitable and the raw salmon didn't quite thrill me as I am not a fan of raw fish.

French Onion Soup With Cheesy Bread: This is our first time tasting french onion soup and to tell you the truth, other than the pretty cheesy bread, the soup didn't excite us at all. Very oily in my opinion and I can't taste the beef broth that much. This is one soup we will not be ordering again. 

Fat Tuesday Chicken: A big fat portion of chicken (which is too huge for me to finish up on my own as it is pure meat) stuffed with maybe 2 small shrimps then breaded and fried and topped with a buttery sauce and served with yellow rice and pan fried vegetables on the side. 

The chicken is too much for me and tasted ordinary, the buttery sauce is overpowering but I guess when you mix it with the bland yellow rice, the taste kind of even out. I like the combination of orange with the sauce as the zesty orange makes the sauce more tolerable, too bad there are only 3 slices of oranges that came with the fat chicken. Again, to me, for this to be a chef recommended dish, it still lacks the "Oh-My-God-I-am-in-Heaven" punch. 

Salted Caramel Brownie: We made it a point to try out one dessert and this one came recommended. Ho-hum.. what do I say? It's ok I guess.. I am not a fan of salted caramel but I can eat this dessert. The brownie though is just average, not very chewy or chocolatey but edible enough. A bit of disappointment for me though since I am a dessert person especially anything chocolate. And I was expecting something like Swensen's (Singapore not KL outlets) Walnut Rocky Road kind of sinful delight so I guess that's why I am just ok with the dish and not blown away by the Salted Caramel Brownie :( 

This is what Swensen's Rocky Road Brownie looks like

So, the second visit to PickNik is over and done with and I still stick to my previous opinion with regards to this restaurant. Comfort food that is good enough for casual dinner but definitely not for a gastronomic experience. I would assume that most people who frequent here do so more for the environment rather than the culinary wonder. The place got a good vibe and decent crowd, it would really be great if Chef Nik Michael can bring up the food standard a few more notches. 

Third Visit on 01 April 2014: 

We haven't been to Publika for dinner lately and that evening hubby wanted to eat On The Table, we arrived at 5 mins before 8pm and On The Table was closed! The only other alternative since we didn't want to walk far was of course Pick Nik. Usually, the place would have at least 3 tables filled at around 8pm and crowded by 9pm but that evening at just before 8pm there was not a single customer. Hubby looked at me and said "You think that you have something to do with this?" "I'm like waaaaaat? I'm not that popularlah.. but Oh My God I feel bad if it's really partly because of this review..."

Sitting down at the table, I noticed that they have added new items on their menu.. so, hubby ordered chicken wings and garlic prawns (for my no 2), turkey carbonara (for no 1) watercress salad for me and Pan Seared Salmon for himself.

The chicken wings was delicious, some parts were a bit charred and some drumlets were not so cooked on the inside but the ones that was done well was very nice, sweet and juicy, perfect for appetisers. I tried to guess the seasonings but failed! *sorry* that yellow sauce.. I can't put my finger to it (a classic sign that I have not been cooking much lately) I think it's honey mustard but I could be wrong..God I don't even remember what thousand island dressing taste like!

Garlic Prawns - just because my no 2 love chicken and prawns. The Garlic Prawns taste more like some sort of bolognese sauce to me but still it was a simple and comforting food.

Dish of that evening was Pan Seared Salmon, this dish might just be the reason if I come back to PickNik Restaurant again. Pan Seared Salmon crispy on the outside, tender but perfectly cooked on the inside, paired with buttered french beans, cherry tomatoes and sweet broiled (I am assuming) potatoes on a bed of lemon butter sauce. I love it!

Great Job Chef Nik Michaels and team for updating the menu and introducing some finger licking additions. We wish you to continually raise the food standard in your restaurant and may you prosper well :P

For those searching for the recipe for Chef Nik Michaels Pan-Seared Salmon.. I did a little googling and I think this recipe might be helpful as a basis but you have to adjust a bit to imitate the taste of PickNik's Salmon. (Maybe If I have the time, I'll try the recipe in July - yes I am busy till then :P )


PickNik's address is at:

Publika Mall, Solaris Dutamas
Block A4, level UG1 - 05

Opens: 11am - 11pm
Tel: 03-64116499


You May Also Like:

Chef Riz's On The Table

Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant

Alif Ba Ta / Iqra' Worksheet for Mikail 02 Sep 2013

Today, I decided to let Mikail do some coloring while still sticking to Arabic letters recognition. Since the last 2 worksheets was for letters from ا - ز, this time around I focused on the letters س -  غ

Tomorrow is his last Iqra' class with the Ustazah for the week (He has Iqra' lessons Mons - Weds) and I am still scratching my head for tomorrow's worksheet (wait, that just doesn't sound right, I send him to Iqra' class and I am drawing up his worksheets for him? yeah it doesn't sound right but that is what is happening) 

So, hopefully I will be able to keep this up and I will update the worksheets as I go along on my blog every week. ! ربنا يسهل ان شاء الله . You are free to print and use the worksheet for personal / school use but not for commercial use.  This worksheet is to be used in reference to the Arabic Letters Name Chart that was previously posted here.

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Halal Chinese Restaurant : Mohammad Chow @ Damansara Perdana

Halal Chinese Muslim Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

A new chinese muslim restaurant recently opened in Damansara Perdana last June and we accidentally came across the place while driving by last Ramadhan and decided to break our fast there. The place looked really small so I called them up to reserve a place just in case. We enquired whether they have a place for us to pray since Damansara Perdana is a bit far off and we don't want to rush for our Maghrib. They informed us that they do have a small area for prayers and so it is decided that we will break our fast there :)

Simplicity is the theme here at Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant @ Damansara Perdana

We arrived about 10 minutes before maghrib and we were the first customers. Hubby actually snorted and said I should not have bothered with reservations but when we entered all the tables were already reserved -hah!- We took our time to decide on the dishes and when we were finally ready to order others have already started to come in with their pre-ordered dishes already being served (So that's how it works here) Dishes are prepared on a first order first served basis and so we decided to pray our Maghrib first while waiting for our dishes that is on queue). The toilet is quiet small and taking your ablution there requires some finesse and the praying area accommodates one at a time. Ladies also need to bring their own telekung. Nonetheless, we are thankful for the dedicated area.

Halal Chinese Restaurant in KL :Mohammad Chow : The praying area is behind the red screen besides the cashier.

After praying, our dishes arrived and these were what we had:

Buka Puasa @ Mohammad Chow : Apple Asamboi and Kedondong Asamboi

Drinks were apple asamboi for hubby and kedondong asamboi for me, I specifically asked for more kedondong as I don't like drinking kedondong asamboi that is very diluted. However, the kedondong is still not as much as I would like it to be.

Halal Food KL : Crabs @ Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant

We were in the mood for crabs and wanted to order Singapore chili crabs but erm.. they don't serve that dish so we asked which one is something like a chili crab and the waitress recommended this dish (the menu didn't have descriptions) and erm.. this is such a belated post that I forgot the chinese name of this dish. Sorry! But the dish was delicious! Spicy but still tolerable, the crab was fried first so the shell is slightly crispy and the chef has thoughtfully cracked the crabs at all the right places making it easy to enjoy the fresh and tender crab flesh. Yummy!

Dinner in KL : Butter Prawns @ Mohammad Chow

Butter Prawns was another winner. Prawns were dip in batter and fried before coated with the yummy butter gravy.. waaah so shiok..

Broccoli in oyster sauce at Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant

Our vege dish was broccoli in oyster sauce, I can not recall what the brown thing sprinkled over the broccoli is.

It was a delicious buka puasa at Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant and we walked out of that restaurant a very happy customer. It's been a long time since we enjoyed good halal chinese seafood dinner. Hubby isn't impressed with DeTempler and Muhammad Chan Abdullah, we have stopped patronising Homst at TTDI after hubby and kiddo had a bad case of diarrhea one day (but it is inconclusive from where they got it from, just that hubby refused to go there again after that even though Homst serves delicious chinese muslim food) and Hj Shahrin Low in our opinion serve great tasting dishes but the ingredients used were not fresh (based on our only visit a looong time ago at the chinese chambers branch).

So impressed we were with Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant that we came again a second time for buka puasa haha.. this time around we thought we would be very clever and make a reservation and order ahead. Unfortunately, yours truly was feeling very tired that day, so dear husband made the call and order and this were what we had:

Buka Puasa Day #2 at Mohammad Chow Restaurant: Nyonya Style Sea Bass

Unfortunately our clever little plan didn't work too well, we arrived about 5 minutes before Maghrib and all the dishes ordered were already on our table and no longer warm.. bummer.. this fish dish might have been very delicious if it was served just before Maghrib :) but by the time we digged in, the fish was already a bit soggy from the gravy. I really like the gravy though, taste something like a cross between asam pedas and gulai rebung, am pretty sure if it was hot from the wok I would have licked the plate clean :)

Tempura prawns at Mohammad Chow Chinese Muslim Restaurant

The tempura prawns was a bit of a disappointent. The batter was bland. The dip was so-so. We let our 3 year old finished the prawns sans the tempura since his tastebud are not as picky as ours yet.

Seafood Tom Yum at Mohammad Chow Restaurant

The seafood tom yum was served in the pot that can be heated by a candle at the bottom part, but no candle was supplied to us? so it was also no longer hot. Even though ingredients used were fresh, let's just say that tom yum is not their speciality.


The second visit left us a bit disappointed. Hah.. that's what we get for being such a glutton during Ramadhan :p Nevertheless we will keep this restaurant in my mind the next time the craving for chinese muslim food strikes.


Mohammad Chow CHinese Muslim Restaurant address is :
3-1 Jalan PJU 8/5H Damansara Perdana
47820 PJ

Opens 11.00 am - 11.00pm

Tel: 03-77316383


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Iqra' Worksheet for Mikail 01 Sep 2013

Monday is here again and it's time to prepare for Mikail's Iqra' worksheet. This week, I am trying to make him match the arabic letters to it's romanized names while waiting for his individual reading turn with his Ustazah. It's a bit difficult to decide which standard of arabic transliteration to base on but in the end I chose the ALA-LC Romanization Table For Non-Roman Scripts. The Arabic Letters Names Schedule (for referencing) is based on ALA-LC except for 5 letters (ث,خ,ذ,ش,غ) that I changed to follow it's transliteration (that I am going to use for later worksheets) to avoid confusing my child.

Romanized Arabic Letters Names based on ALA-LC with slight changes.

So here are today's Iqra' matching exercise for Mikail. Parents/ teachers are encouraged to go through with the kids the romanized arabic letters names first before letting them attempt the worksheets. 

Iqra' worksheet : matching exercise.

Iqra' worksheet page 2 : Matching exercises

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Alif Ba Ta Worksheet