Blogger Masterchef Malaysia 2011 FINALS

A very very belated post this one, as I was busy for the past 2 weeks because of work and a well deserved island holiday...heh

So from my previous post some of you might have known that I was lucky enough to get into the finals of Blogger Masterchef Malaysia about 2 weeks back, which was held LIVE in SACC Mall Shah Alam. So after all the hoo-haa and getting lost in Shah Alam (damn u so many roundabouts and one-way-roads), I finally made it there alive and was almost immediately thrown into the battle field.


















































And the mystery ingredient of the day was...avocados. The organizers totally threw a curve ball at us as we all thought it was going to be a common fruit or vegetables, heck even eggs in the box! I decided I was gonna make a sandwich thingy with some avocado salsa straight away, sticking to something I know well and not gonna take any chances this time around.
































































And this came out. I was happy with the presentation but was not happy with the taste. The avocados were somewhat still unripe and I added extra coriander to the salsa to mask the taste of unripe avocados, which proved to be a mistake. Ah well but here you go: French Toast with Mushroom Omelet and Avocado Cream served with Avocado Salsa, with a sauce of Avocado Coriander Cream & Basil Pesto, now say that out fast 5 times, heh.







































Well the sandwich thingy turned out alright for the judges, but they didn't like my salsa because there were too much coriander in it, which overpowered the whole dish. Damn u coriander!

















I was hoping the 2nd challenge, which requires us to cut some onions would save me some extra point. Well I was the fastest cutter (and bloodiest, as you can see) and quite frankly, I was pleased with the results :)









































Here's doggyjames showing you how NOT to cut onions...























Well and it was over in a flash. I did not win anything but sources told me my name was placed 3rd overall :) Not a bad achievement if its true I must say :)

Wendy of http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com/ was the champion and Wawa of http://eencyweency.blogspot.com came in 2nd. Good job to both of them! Great champs :)







































A special shout out to all my friends who came during the finals. You peeps rock!


































All's well ends well in the end, this experience has certainly ignited my passion for cooking again and friends reading this: expect to be invited to dinners at my future crib very soon :)

doggyjames says....now go watch the real thing on Astro, heh.

Geylang Lor9, ss2

Despite all the claims from Singaporeans on Singaporean food (and yes, I still think Singaporean Chicken Rice taste like ****), the only good food coming out of Singapore for me at least is the frog porridge, especially the one in Geylang. So it was a decent surprise for me when a friend suggested we have Geylang Lor9 frog porridge for supper, right here in ss2.

Do not expect the hot, humid roadside stalls as the one you'd find in Singapore. You would be welcomed in a air-conditioned, nice environment with marble tables and chairs if you are here. And without any other *ahem* distractions like the one in Geylang, Singapore you are sure to enjoy your frog porridge here, a little more focused in the mind that is :)


































It's a fairly straight affair when it comes to ordering your meals here, Frogs in 3 types of preparation styles: Claypot Frog Porridge, Claypor Spring Onions & Claypot Dried Chillies. Prices are determined by the number of frogs in each dish mentioned, RM12 for 1 whole frog, RM24 for 2 and RM33 for 3. I'd recommend you get 1 frog each in all 3 different preparation styles, if 2 person are eating. There are various stirfried vegetables as well but my mind wasnt on them at all lol.


















































This is the correct way of having Frog Porridge: Get a bowl full of porridge (can be frog porridge or plain white porridge, add pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce to your taste, and then add in frogs and sauce from the spring onion or dried chillies one. I'd personally like to add in both sauces and some pepper sauce with anything else, as that's the best way to enjoy the taste of the porridge and frogs.



















































































Taste wise, the dried chillies version was of course, comes with a very aromatic smell and taste superbly well seasoned with a hint of spiciness and heat. The heat was however not overpowering and adds just the right amount of much needed taste into the plain white porridge. The spring onion version was really aromatic as well, and taste just right without any hint of spiciness, perfect for those who cant take hot stuff. The frogs were fresh and very tender, a sign of the chefs' great skills and attention to detail when preparing these dishes. Frog porridge are not an easy dish to make, and the chefs here really prepared them perfectly.


















Prices here are alright in my mind, and although it's not exactly a direct replica of the Singaporean version, it definitely taste good for me and a perfect place for after drinking meals as it's open until 4am :D

Here's a map for you readers. it's located along ss2's 7-Eleven, right across the basketball court. They have branches in Sunway Mentari, Penang (Medan Angsana 3, Air Itam) & Jahor Bahru (Jalan Sengala, Century Garden).














Geylang Lor9, ss2
10, Jalan ss2/61,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: 03-7874 1233

Opening Hours:
11.30am - 4am daily



doggyjames says...a great find in ss2, certainly worth trying at least one heh?

Malaysia's Own Oktoberfest 2011

If you are a beer lover like me, I don't need to explain what Oktoberfest is now, do I? This event made famous in Munich, Germany is now in Malaysia too! And I was at one of the events in ioi Boulevard, Puchong lately.

Lotsa stuff to do there besides drinking and socializing...







































More drinking and games....of course I joined the drinking competition but unfortunately lost. I blame the pork knuckles and sausage platter.







































And most importantly...hot chicks! and more drinking...



































































There are still a lot of events happen each week, so do check out Malaysia's own Oktoberfest 2011'sa FB page to find out more.
























doggyjames says...PROST everyone!!! :D

Bloggers MasterChef Malaysia 2011 FINALS Notice

After a week or 2 of nervous waiting and check my emails at least 3 times a day (new record for me, normally its 3 days 1 time), the venue and details for Bloggers MasterChef Finals were revealed.

Date: 15th October 2011

Time: 12.30pm

Venue: SACC Mall, Shah Alam (click for location map)

I do hope you peeps will drop by and support me, especially after I've seen what all the other contestants can do with their culinary skills....ITS GONNA BE A TOUGH FIGHT!

Also, I belive if you (hot chicks only, please no mankinis) dress in cheerleader outfits and scream out my name I'd perform even better, or get a heart attack from all the excitement, whichever comes first.


















These will be the 10 finalist who will be gunning for the title of Malaysia's First Blogger Masterchefs, all of them really great cooks from what I experienced!























And their blogs:

1. Zamimie ~ http://zamimie.blogspot.com
2. Wawa ~ http://eencyweency.blogspot.com
3. Falihin Jasmy~ http://falihinjasmy.blogspot.com
4. James ~ http://doggyjamessays.blogspot.com
   
5. Yatie Sawanila~ http://sawanila.com/v10/
6. Baby Sumo ~ http://goodyfoodies.blogspot.com
7. Strawberi ~ http://mystrawberi.blogspot.com/
8. Jejai ~ http://teratakarmo.com
9. Wendy ~ http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com/
10. Erna Malia ~ http://jabberholic.blogspot.com/

(details credited to Falih, another great cook who I place at the hot favorites to win this thing)

I will be donning my lucky Blue Malaysian jersey for the finals, so if you like me to win, do come in BLUE to show your support :)

See you at SACC Mall, 15th October 2011 12.30pm!



















doggyjames says....lets do this KAMOOOOONNNN!!!!!!!

Otak Otak Place, Tropicana CityMall

Ever since I had my first taste of otak otak in Muar years back, I have been hooked to this great culinary creation. Unfortunately it is not easy to get a good otak otak meal conveniently in the Klang Valley. This is where Otak Otak Place comes into the picture.

This is the go to place for me whenever I feel like having some good old traditional Malaysian meal especially after I grew tired of the thousands of boring modern kopitiams in town. You get a great choice of traditional Malaysian food rather than the boring coffee ice and bread at those place. Me and a bunch of buddies were at Otak Otak Place again after work and I decided to blog about this place after much delay.


















The decor for all Otak Otak Place restaurants instantly brings one back to his or her primary school times. the brown exercise books as their menu is a really nice touch, and the perfect family game, haha....too bad kids nowadays would not be able to relive this kinda experience. We are a lucky bunch, the Gen X & Ys :)







































We decided to start off with Steamed Otak Otak, both Fish (RM 8.90) and Prawn (RM10.90). The texture is different from the satay ones, as this is really light, smooth and even fluffy. The taste of fish and prawns were really there and it's the best way to start off anyone's meals.


















For meals, we decided to have separate meals each and really, its just an excuse for me to steal everyone's share. heh. The Nasi Lemak Ayam Perchik (RM12.90) is the bomb here. rice was fragrant and fluffy and the chicken was done to perfection. Not overcooked and just enough spiciness. Nice one.


















Nasi Lemak with Curry Chicken (RM9.90) was good too. The curry sauce was really flavorful and trust me, you'd need to order another bowl of rice for this.


















Before you think its all Malay food here, they have a nice selection of chinese cuisines too. One of us decided to have Cantonese Rice with Beef (RM8.90). The sauce was okay and it goes well with the rice. It was alright but dont lah expect authentic chinese restaurant quality :)


















I decided to go for the Mee Bandung Muar (RM8.90). The soup was really fragrant with lots of peanut bits and the noodles was good as usual. Finished till the last drop hehe.


















For us who grew up before the 90s, this place is a great reminder of our carefree childhood, and I doubt kids nowadays would enjoy what we did years ago, before the times of internets and electronic games. The food is really good as well, some say just like grandma's cooking but of course, my grandma's cooking is much more awesome lah. hehe.

Here's a map of Tropicana CityMall for you readers. Otak Otak Place is located on the first floor, right on top of San Francisco Steakhouse.














Otak Otak Place, Tropicana CityMall
Lot L1-58
No.3 Jalan ss20
Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: 03-7728 0403

Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm daily



doggyjames says...a really nice place which brings us back to our carefree childhood, no worries, no racism, no adult problems :)

Blogger MasterChef Malaysia Semifinals, The Cooking House

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the finalist of Blogger MasterChef Malaysia, organized by Astro & Nuffnang as mentioned before. The event was held at The Cooking House in Hartamas on a chilly Saturday morning along with 19 other bloggers, yet everyone was so phyched up for the event :)

Along with a few friends, we met up at one of the coffee shops nearby and adjourned to The Cooking House around 10pm. It was to be a half day event with 2 challenges: the invention challenge and skills challenge which at the point of time, no one has any idea what to expect. And I was caught in my WTFOMG mode once I had a look at the itinerary.


















































We were to be judged by 3 esteemed judges: Chef Ryan Khang, the resident chef and cookbook author; Astro Channel Manager Azlin; and of course, the big daddy of all food bloggers, KYspeaks.


















Right the customary introduction and speech, we were ushered into the kitchen and the first challenge was thrown to us: The Invention Challenge. We were basically given a mystery box containing the following ingredients: chicken breast, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, chillies, mushroom, tomato, egg, potato, lemon. I terus got into panic attack.


















































The I remembered a recipe from The Secret Meat Business. The hours spent on the sofa watching cooking shows finally came in handy hehe. Full of Adrenalin, I got into NINJA mode and started cooking! RAWR!


































The time limit is 45 minutes, the stage is set and all of us have our aprons and mittens on. Time to do some serious cooking!


















































And plate it! Ommph!







































And there you have it, doggyjames' version of Pan Fried Chicken Breast with Cajun Coating Stuffed with Herb Butter on a bed of Mediterranean Salad. Oh la la c'est marveilleux...no?







































Our dishes were then placed on the table and awaits judgement. The other contestants' food were all soooooo ossum! Wow!!! Luckily the judges didn't puke when they tried mine....fuuuh


































Then for the skills challenge, we were supposed to poach some eggs. This one I totally failed. Booo























































Well I reckon my poached eggs did not score high in terms of skillfulness, hopefully the smiley face gave me some sympathy points.

Now THIS is how poached eggs are supposed to be like, silky smooth! Courtesy of one of the finalist who wowed even the judges.


















Well its was good to know that I eventually stumbled into the finals :) Checkout the 5 finalist here


















Group picture of all the contestants that day, good job peeps!















And a super big thank you to my friends who came, you peeps rock!


















Some of the prizes all of us got, good end for the day :)


















The finals will be held on 15th October 2011, venue is unannounced yet. Do come and support me as I will post the details up soon :)

Now, imma faint.























Bloggers MasterChef Malaysia really is a fantastic experience. But this is nothing compared to the real thing....MasterChef Malaysia!


















Cant wait to see what the best of Malaysia could cook up...stay tuned to Astro Ria this month for the first episode! Details as per below:

- MasterChef Malaysia launch date – 22nd October 2011

- Show title – MasterChef Malaysia
- Program Details: – MasterChef TX will be starting from 22nd October 2011, every Saturday – Wednesday, 9.00pm. Master Class will be on every Friday, 9.00pm.

- Program channel – Astro Ria (Channel 104)

- Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/
- Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia
- Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY

Cant wait :D