Banana Cake: A Postnatal Confinement Gift

I miss the simple time when the gifts I gotta find for friends are either birthday gifts or holiday souvenirs. Then come the tricky wedding presents. Once I get a hold on that, the game changed again. Now, the much more complicated, filled with pantang-larang, gifts for postnatal friends. 

Melawat orang pantang (postnatal confinement) nak bawa hadiah/buah tangan apa?

  Some suggested fruits then another said not all fruits! There are those "cold" fruits that new moms gotta avoid. No, nothing to do with putting the fruits in the fridge. Then there are those conflicting views on fruits like oranges. Some said no way jose while others said go ahead. Rules and more confusing rules.

Why is it so hard? I just want to bring something (hopefully healthy) for the mom!

So I Googled "kek pisang orang berpantang" and found this.

  Baked it for a friend and made some into cupcakes with cream cheese. Result? Tastier and more moist than other recipes I've tried.

Banana cake all wrapped and boxed

Ingredients

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 jumbo eggs
• 1 cup corn oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 cavendish banana
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Steps

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. In a blender, put eggs, corn oil & white sugar. Blend well. Add in mashed banana, white vinegar & vanilla. Blend again.

2. Add mixture to sifted flour. Combine well.

3. Pour into greased cake pan. Bake at 160ºC for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake come out clean.


I left the cake in the switched off oven for about 10 minutes to let it brown a bit more. LOVE the smell!

For the cupcakes, I poured the batter up till about half of the cupcake liners and bake for 10-15 minutes. I let them cool before frosting with buttercream cheese.

  Personally, I think the cake is good enough without any frosting. And I don't even like banana cakes!

Potato Skins: Another Way to Bake Potato

I've shared a cheesy baked potato recipe before. Recently I had a bunch of russet potatoes just sitting there BUT no sour cream. So I found another baked potato recipe and tweaked it to my taste. Read: cheesy and yummy!

Ingredients for 2

olive oil/butter to grease pan & potato skin

2 russet potatoes

1 tbsp butter/margarine

2 tbsp yoghurt

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tsp salt & pepper

1/4 cup shredded cheddar

cayenne pepper (for sprinkle)

 grated parmesan

Steps

1. Wash & dry potatoes. Poke a few tiny holes to help cooking and place them onto greased/oiled baking tray. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes at 180ºC. 

2. Slice the *hot* potatoes into half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh into a bowl filled with butter, yoghurt, mozzarella, salt and pepper without damaging the skin. Mix well.

3.  Fill the skins with potato mix. Top with cheddar, sprinkle with cayenne powder. Bake for another 5 minutes then top with grated parmesan before serving.

I used about 1 tbsp olive oil to grease the brownie pan and coat the potatoes skin (I just rolled them in the pan a bit).   

You may choose to substitute cayenne with paprika if you want something milder. Or skip it together if you want something that isn't spicy but I promise the sprinkle is just for taste. I won't be too hot. 

The texture is more smooth and creamy than the other recipe. A bit like mashed potatoes sans the gravy. You can pack them for lunch and you're good until dinner :)

Muzium Kota Kayang, Perlis

Muzium Kota Kayang

Operating hours

Daily : 0900 - 1700

Closed on eid ul Fitr and eid ul Adha

Muzium Kota Kayang is one of the museums in Perlis Indera Kayangan, a state in the north of Malaysia. It is situated in a complex comprising a few building and a park, among hills. You can find the museum using Waze or Google Map.

Where to start?

There are 5 galleries in the museum complex. 3 are in one building while the other 2 galleries are on another building.

• History Gallery
• Archaeological Gallery
• Weapon Gallery
• Royal Gallery
• Cultural Gallery

There is also a tomb and cave within the complex. I started exploring the museum complex starting from the Gua Kayang (Kayang Cave) and Al-Marhum Kayang's tomb.

Follow the path to the cave

The fella said he could see light on the other side of the cave but we didn't venture in

tomb

path to the park. I love this spot!

I could understand how some people thought it was the 'kayangan' (heaven/paradise). The huge rocks lent a mysterious air to the path which opens out to a park.

park behind the museum building

the royal well, methink

 Couldn't take the Perlis scotching sun too long. So I went into the galleries (and aircond).

They have library, kids activity room, etc.

"Bukit ni kita nak bagi nama apa? Banyak bukit kita jumpa di sini"
"Bukit lagi!"

Jon Snow's bastard sword should look like this :P

Then to the other side for the other 2 galleries...

A copper fan. I wonder how well does it fan?

That's another state museum in Malaysia off my list!

Fatinnaz Corner, Kangar

Fatinnaz Corner in Persiaran Jubli Emas, 01000 Kangar Perlis is also known as Fatin Corner. You can use Waze to find the restaurant. I came from the "wrong" side and didn't see the restaurant as I was looking to my left. The restaurant is opposite the road and you should see the signboard if you come from the other way (from town). 

What's famous here?

The cendol pulut of course. There are a few choices for how you can have your cendol. I took mine with laici. The friendly staff was helpful and patience while I ponder on what to eat.

Cendol

Most people come here for the cendol pulut (sticky rice). I arrived just in time for lunch and so I ordered chicken rice, noodle soup and cucur udang (prawn fritters). Cucur udang is different than my favourite batter fried prawn although I've used the same translation before. Think of it as fried cakes flavoured with shrimps.

I'd prefer if the chilli wasn't poured onto my chicken :( 

Chicken rice <3<3<3

Cucur udang <3<3 served with sliced cucumber, tofu and hard boiled egg

Noodle soup <3<3<3

Taste - Average. The chicken rice and soup were good. Cendol was okay but I prefer Banting style :) Nothing bad but nothing memorable either

Price - At total of RM20.50, I'd say value for money. Remember to remember what you ate when you go pay at the cashier :)

Ambiance - Family-friendly, spacious and shaded. Table cloth could use a change tho.


Is it worth a visit?
Yes. If you love cendol pulut.

Gua Kelam, Perlis

Gua Kelam is situated in Kaki Bukit, Perlis Indera Kayangan- a state in the north of Malaysia. Aside from Gua Batu Caves, Gua Tempurung and Gua Mulu, it is probably one of the most popular caves in Malaysia. 

  It is less than 3-hour drive from Penang Internation Airport and just over 5-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. You can use Waze or Google Map to find the place.

  As you arrive, you'll see a building which looks like the reception. Ignore it and proceed to the parking area. Supposedly they have train/tram service into the caves but on the day I visited, the building was deserted. Ticket counter is at the other end of car park (near the parking for motorcycles).

  It was a public holiday when I visited and there were some motorcycle gangs hanging about. They didn't give any trouble though.

RM1 parking fee

Ticket Price

Adult - RM 1

Children between 4-year old to 12-year old - 50 sen

Operating hours

Monday - Friday : 0800 - 1730

Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday : 0800 (ish) - 1800

Campsite rental charge per person

Students - RM 1

Adults - RM 2

I *believe* that there's no different rate for foreign tourists.

The walkway is different that the one in Gua Tempurung. Gua Kelam's one scared me a bit because it was suspended and a bit shaky. Water runs under the walkway so try not to drop your camera when taking photos. The cave was well-lit but unfortunately, filled with graffiti. Many visitors can't resist the temptation to write their names on the cave walls like the cavemen.

  I was pleasantly surprise to see many visitors. Until I realised that they don't care about the cave. They were there for the river! To 'mandi sungai'.

Vandalised cave wall behind this sign :(

at the other end...

From the cave, you will emerge at the "secret garden" where locals swim and have picnic (in and by the river). There is a trail going around the place. You can follow it and see the deer farm (looked deserted to me) and camping ground. Plenty of gazebos for families to use.

The park (?) is peppered with information like this one. If you're interested to learn.

Camping ground

Watch tower

Is it worth a visit?

At least once.

But please don't vandalise the cave. or trees. or rocks. or whatever. You are not a caveman. We have papers and blogs for writing.

My favourite view

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks ~John Muir