MY HOMEMADE PUTO-FILIPINO STEAMED RICE CAKE

It's Merienda time!
It's a light meal in between meals. Usually, can be a form of snacks/sandwich with coffee, tea or soda. While some would choose left overs from the previous meal. 
Merienda comes in different forms be it a light snack or as heavy as a main course, depending on the appetite of the person ^.^.

And today, I've decided to make a Puto for our merienda. But in any case, it can be consumed in any time of the day.

Though here in Malaysia, one can buy steamed rice cake in the market any time, but then I've decided to cook my own.

And I want my steamed rice cake or PUTO, as we call it in Philippines, wrapped in Banana Leaves. I once ate this kind of Puto back in Bacolod. And since then, I preferred this kind of Puto. The smell of the banana leaves kinda add a special taste to it. 
Since, this is my first time to make a Puto. I've decided to use glutinous rice together with regular rice in equal parts and soaked them overnight, then the following day, using my blender I blended them together. Adding a little water from the soaked glutinous/rice. Adding the rest of the  ingredients, mixed then transferred the batter into the molds then steamed. Much to my dismay, the results is this ↓↓↓↓

It didn't rise nor looked like the Puto I was expecting, though I added more baking powder on my next batch, still yielded the same result.

It's sticky and not foamy like the usual, but to be fair enough, the taste is the same as Puto. 

Well, my aim here is to cook a Puto that tastes-like and looks-like the one I ate before.

So, after several tries with the same results, I decided to stop and start with another recipe.

And here it is ^.^

  1 Cup Flour - Tepung Halus Lagi Putih

  1/2 Tsp. Salt

  1/4 Cup Sugar

  1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

  1/2 Cup  Evaporated Milk

  1 Medium Size Egg

  1/4 Cup Water

  1/4 Cup Butter - make sure to melt the butter first before adding it into the                                batter.

 ➡ Combine all dry ingredients and sift under a fine strainer. Mix well.

 ➡ Add in the rest of the ingredients.

 ➡ Mix well.

My batter after mixing all the ingredients together. ⤋

 ➡ Boil water in a deep casserole and place the steamer plate inside.

      Cut a roughly 3"x 3" banana leaves, clean and place over flame quickly to make it pliable. Place the leaf over the molds and pinch the leaf in the mold to shape.

 ➡ Fill the molds with batter. Arrange the molds on top of the steamer plate.       After doing so, place the cover. Wrap the lid with any clean cotton cloth. 

 Turn fire/stove from high to medium.

 ➡ Wait for rouhly 6-7 minutes, to check, do this by inserting clean toothpick into the puto, if it comes off clean, then this is an indication that the batter is already cook.

 ➡ Remove molds from the steamer, then separate the puto with banana leaves in a clean plate. 

 ➡ Repeat the process until the batter is finished.

Molds with banana leaves with batter. 

Checking the batter with toothpick. 

Here's my Puto ^.^

Back in Philippines, we eat this together with Dinuguan or Pork Stew with pig's blood, but sadly, I don't know how to cook Dinuguan hehehe..

And the best part of this story is sharing this Puto with my Love and our friends.

If you have tried to make a Puto using rice like my first try and comes out great, please do share it with me. Will be pleased to try your recipe :D .

Hope you like this recipe.

In any case, I missed something, comment down below. Will reply the soonest.

See yah!

Renelah

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WHEN IN MUAR - ASAM PEDAS AT LENG KEE BAH KUH TEH

When in Muar

Hi friends!

Introducing one of my favorite local dish here in Malaysia!

IKAN ASAM PEDAS

'Ikan' is fish in English,

'Asam Pedas' means Sour Spicy ^.^

When you're in Malaysia, never leave this country without eating this local dish.

And here in Muar, highly recommended this place for their mouth watering Asam Pedas Ikan at Leng Kee Bah Kuh Teh Jalan Khalidi, located just across Toyota Car Showroom.

When ordering, you can enter the kitchen to choose which part of the fish you like for your Asam Pedas ^.^

For us, we like the tail part.

A combination of sour and spicy. You can request if you like it less spicy or more.

It has lady fingers, onions, tomatoes, curry leaves and a spoon of sambal on top of the fish.

A bit similar to a Filipino Dish which is Sinigang (sour soup which uses Tamarind) without the sambal paste, belacan and turmeric( this is according to the recipes of Ikan Asam Pedas I've read online ^.^) I'm still learning how to cook this recipe myself. Hoping to cook this dish in my country.

Whenever, we like to eat Asam Pedas Ikan, this is the place to go here in Muar.

 This restaurant is also known for their Bah Kuh Teh.

I'll have a separate blog for this one ^.^

 YoursTruly and MyLove

Happy customers ^.^

As of writing, this meal together with rice and drinks for two we paid 45 RM.

See yah!

Renelah

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KUALA TERANGGANU-SIMPLE THINGS I LEARNED IN KT

I ❤ KT!

Yup! You read that right!

During Hari Raya Aidilfitri, hubby and I spent our long weekend holiday on a long road trip to Terangganu. 

Muar ↔ Kuala Terangganu is  468.9 KM

We stayed there for 3D and 2N. Within those days, we learned several things about KT.

And in this blog, I'll be sharing these things with you guys. And hopefully, this will somehow help you once you decided to visit Terangganu in the future.

Happy Reading!

 PLEASE WEAR APPROPRIATE ATTIRE IN PUBLIC PLACES

If you are in Malaysia you are one of us.

Help us preserve Malaysia Culture and Values.

Top and the most important on the list.

    Saw this signage before we boarded the ferry going to Perhentian Islands. And since a lot of foreigners visits KT, one are expected to follow these guidelines.
This only shows how serious they are in preserving their values.
Lucky me, I was wearing my favorite outdoor attire, my Lakambini longsleeves and Lakambini Pants.

Parking Meter

We've been residing here in Muar, Malaysia for more than 8 years and it's our first time to see and experience Parking Meter like this one in the picture ↑. To be honest, I've only seen this in movies. And when I saw one, I'm already excited to operate this meter. There's always a first time, right! ^.^. After dropping several coins/change inside the slot, a time meter will appear on the LCD Display, indicating how many minutes you are allowed to park.
Parking rate per hour is 60 sen, same as here in Muar. 

Another Parking Meter

This one is much more high tech ^.^ 
Here you have to key-in some informations like your car's plate number and how long your planning to park your car (I can't remember the other infos needed)
It comes in two languages, in Bahasa Malay and English. 
Which is a big help for us foreigners ^.^
-- sikit-sikit malay-- a little bit malay --

For your reference, I took a video of my love while operating this parking meter.And then this is the ticket ⍗⍗. Put this on your car dashboard for checking.
Parking Ticket

Always bring coins/change when driving around KT, this will save you time when parking.

 But don't worry because you can always ask the store near you for change.

Picturesque Coastline

If you just want to have some quiet and relaxing time with nature. This is the place to visit. Terangganu has a long stretch of beautiful and clean coastline. You can just park your car without paying any entrance fee. Bring your mat, snacks, books you've always wanted to read or just simply enjoy the nature and the sea. A wide space to let your kids run around and breathe fresh air. A great place to get away from the city. I can't really describe the beauty of this place, it's just so relaxing that you'll definitely regret not visiting this place.

Spectacular Perhentian Islands - Besar

Honestly speaking, I don't know how to describe this place that will really express how beautiful this place is. Clean and clear water. White sands everywhere. It's so magnificent that every where you look, you'll be amazed on how beautiful this island is. I've read a lot of blogs describing this place. And it's tremendous!

Perhentian Islands are so breathe taking and spectacular.

The moment we stepped our foot on this island, I understood why this place is a Must-See Place in Terangganu.

We're planning to visit this place again and we'll be staying here for several days. Wait for us Perhentian Island! We want to experience your beauty from dawn to dust ^.^

DAY TRIP TO PERHENTIAN ISLAND BESAR

Eating dinner at China Town

If in any case, you want to eat dinner at the China Town of Terangganu, please be informed that mostly all Chinese Restaurants closes at 5 PM. We learned this the hard way. We were so hungry at the time and tired from our long drive from Muar to Terangganu when we craved for some heavy meal for dinner. Sadly after several stops in different restaurants, they were all closed by 5 PM. Since, it's Hariraya mostly all local(Malay) food restaurants are closed as well. So we decided to have our dinner at PappaRich.

Beautiful Murals around Terangganu Town 

In this video, I captured only one street with murals on both sides.

Driving around Terangganu town, you'll see beautiful murals painted on building walls.

People of Terangganu are so creative that they turn their vacant walls into a wall of art. And there everywhere, no dull moment for your eyes.

BEAUTIFUL MURALS AT KAMPUNG CINA

More Photos ⍗⍗

They even have this wall where you can put a love lock. So romantic ^.^

And since, we went during the Hari Raya holiday, mostly all Malay restaurants are closed. We were planning to try their local cuisine/delicacies but sadly my friend was right, she told me that mostly all local restaurants will be closed. Same as for the souvenirs stores, we looked for some stores to buy Terangganu Car Stickers or any souvenirs but there all closed. But then, we'll just visit this place again and that's very soon ^.^

Can anyone tell me what this bus is? While walking around town, we saw this bus. We saw several of them. And they are so beautiful with brilliant colors. This town keeps on surprising me ^.^

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay in Terangganu. Though we haven't had the chance to try their local dishes, we get to experience the beauty of this place.

We will visit you again KT with our friends/family.

It was a loongggg drive but it's all worth it!

That's all guys. It's not complete though, hopefully you learn some thing.

What's your KT story ^.^

See yah!

Renelah

Related Post:

        Day Trip to Perhentian Besar

        Beautiful Murals at Kampung Cina

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BEAUTIFUL MURALS AT KAMPUNG CINA KUALA TERANGGANU

During our first day in KT, we drove to Kampung Cina to have our much needed coffee break and somehow familiarize the town.

That's when we saw these beautiful murals.

Actually, before we even reached Kampung Cina, I noticed several murals on buildings along KT town.

It's so pleasing to the eyes seeing these paintings.

It says a lot about the people of KT.

Transforming these vacant walls into some kind of portraits. 

Showing their creativity thru paintings.

 They even have this bench, so tourists like us can incorporate ourselves on the paintings.

Such a clever idea ^.^

Providing shades while adding artistic  decorative touch.

Love-Locks ^.^

Took a video of the murals on one of the streets.
So don't forget to visit this place when in KT ^.^ and be amazed with these paintings. 
Take time to read as well the informations mentioned on their paintings.
Great day ahead!

Renelah

Related posts:
   DAY TRIP TO PERHENTIAN ISLANDS-ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

DAY TRIP TO PERHENTIAN ISLAND BESAR - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Hello there!
Today, I'll be sharing with you guys several things that you need to know when planning for A Day Trip to Perhentian Islands.

Okay, your journey will start at Kuala Besut, this is the departure point to Perhentian Islands.
Once you arrived at Kuala Besut, no need to look for ticket counters, guys on motorbikes will approach you selling boat/ferry tickets to Perhentian Islands. They're also always on the phone, communicating with the ferry/boat captain ^.^ informing them about their passengers and also, they will help you for the car park problems ^.^, be it overnight or just for the day.
One Way Ticket - 35 RM/pax
Round Trip Ticket - 70 RM/pax

                  Arriving at Kuala Besut, these are the things I've noticed:

                                 ⟹  Everywhere you look there's a Hotel/Inn for travelers. 

                                ⟹  Restaurants to feed your hungry stomach. 

                                ⟹  Grocery stores where you can buy stuffs you'll need on the island.

                                ⟹  Parking areas with contact numbers. 

                                ⟹  And travel agencies offering different tour packages. 

Things to remember once ferry tickets was purchased:

         ⟹ Secure your ticket.

         ⟹ Be very sure that you don't leave anything behind when alighting the boat, as you wouldn't have the time to get them until the ferry comes back.

         ⟹ Don't forget to inform/advise your driver as to which island you're going.

         ⟹ And lastly, ask as to where is the pick up point when it's time to go back(acquire the captains's contact number/contact on the island that you'll be alighting).

             But then don't worry, they will inform you these things before leaving the boat.

Sorry, this is the only decent  shot of the boat I got, we're a bit in a hurry during this time as we are the last passengers to jump in to the boat. 

After taking this photo, we locked our life jackets for safety ^.^
YoursTruly & MyLove

On the boat's ceiling is where they keep all the life jackets, don't wait for someone/driver to offer you a life jacket. Just take one and help yourself ^.^ it's for your own safety anyways. The boat captain will instruct you to utilize them- but then sometimes they may forget to, maybe they are a bit busy(still not a valid reason but then give them some slack). 
And enjoy the ride! 
It's a bumpy ride, but you'll definitely enjoy the beautiful scenery, wide sea, vast cloud formations and the  beautiful islands along the way. Don't forget to position yourself for leverage (or with your partner next to you) once the boat starts to depart. 

There are two islands to choose from, and according to blogs I've read this is how they described the two islands:

                        1.  Perhentian Kecil (Kecil means Small) - more on backpackers

                        2. Perhentian Besar (Besar means Big)  - mostly resorts and fancy                                                                                                                                 restaurants

We mainly chose Perhentian Besar for no reason at all, since it's only just a Day Trip.

This is it! 

Boats will stop beside this platform for passengers to walk through going to the island.
After～ 30 minutes boat ride, we arrived at Tuna Bay Island Resort ˂˂˂ this is the Perhentian Island Besar pit stop.

There are several resorts to choose from on this island. But I'll be focusing/covering only the two resorts namely Tuna Bay Island Resorts and Abduls Chalet.

Upon arrival, we had our lunch at Tuna Bay Island Resorts.

We chose this side of the restaurant, enjoying our lunch while our eyes feasts on the beauty of the sea right in front of us.

⇩⇩⇩

Tuna Bay Island Resort #RegenePhotography
fancy restaurant

Settled our bill after an hour or so, then a guy working at the resort offered us to leave our stuffs/things under their care/watch-nice one right ^.^ , great help for backpackers like us ^.^

By the way, we purchased our round trip ferry ticket for only 60 RM-we have no idea and plan to haggle, but we we're really surprised when the guy suddenly gave us this price after discussing about the ticket, well, lucky us!! we saved  10RM each ^.^
 Our pick up time going back was 4PM, which is the last time slot returning to Kuala Besut.

Well, going back to the island.
Both Tuna Bay Island Resorts and Abduls Chalet have rooms/chalets facing the sea and the other rooms near the hills.
We started our walk from the left side of Tuna Bay Island Resorts.

Front of Tuna Bay Island Resort 

Abdul's Chalet

not so fancy restaurant

Next is Abduls Chalet. Restaurant facing the sea. ⇧

Front of Abdul's Chalet 

Walking further up, once you've reached this area, take the concrete stairs to reach the other side of the island.

Other side of the island after walking through the concrete stair.

If your plan is to stay on this island just for the day, feel free to walk around and enjoy the beach. No need to pay for any entrance fee ^.^ Just don't forget to be on time for your pick up time going back to avoid any inconveniences.
During our day trip, we walked along the stretch of the beach, exploring the beautiful shoreline. Took several photos, then after we felt weary, we just sat on one of the empty beach chairs along Abduls Chalet. Took a power nap ^.^, we were so tired because of the long drive from the previous day, from Muar - KT (～550 KM) then KT - Kuala Besut (～ 100 KM)that day, then adding our boat ride going to this island. And to mention, it was quite hot that day which added up to the trips we did.
After relaxing for nearly an hour, we decided to walk our way going back to our pick up place. 

Tips and Reminders:

1. Bring Sunscreen! Your skin will thank you for this. Though, there's a store on the island where you can purchase Sunscreen but they are a bit expensive and have limited choices.

2. If your on a tight budget, bring/purchase/prepare food like snacks, drinks and breads before heading to the island, these will definitely save you some bucks. 
      Remember you will always feel hungry after having a swim ^.^

3. Bring along extra cash and credit cards, they don't have ATM machine on the island. But surely they accept credit cards for payments.

Activities on the island:

                 Took this photo for future reference ^.^ You can thank me later (*wink*)

Okay, so your weary of all these activities, worry not, because you can just chill on the beach. Several stores on the island offers books for rent. If you forgot to bring your fave books, then simply rent one or two on the nearest stores. 

You can even buy a hammock, if you just want to spend hours of sleeping under the trees.

Additional Safety Reminders for YOU!

YoursTruly and MyLove, on our way going back to Kuala Besut. Together with all of these Europians. We're the only passengers who wore a life vest hehehe...
Another tip when going back to Kuala Besut.

If you have booked a taxi/car to pick you up at Kuala Besut going to your next destination, for example the 4 PM schedule(which is the last trip for the day), don't buy a return ticket going back to Kuala Besut from Perhentian Island at exactly 4 PM as well, because most probably you will be late for your taxi/car. I noticed this scenario when we were on the boat going back to Kuala Besut. One of the passengers was trying to call his driver that was already waiting at Kuala Besut, informing him that he will be late, because the boat did several stops on different islands, making sure that all passengers who are going back that afternoon will not be left behind. Lucky for this guy, he was able to contact his driver while in the middle of the trip. Thinking we're already at sea ^.^

My thought about this island.

When I was trying to book a hotel resort in Perhentian Islands via online, almost all were fully booked which is understandable since it was Hari Raya Aidifitri. That's the reason why we only had a whole day to explore the island. 
We are definitely going back again the soonest and this time we will stay for several days. Hubby and I have seen and experienced some of the best beaches/islands in our home country Philippines. And adding this place on our lists makes me more than excited.  

We had a great time exploring, unfolding its beauty through our own eyes, blogs I've read and even this blog will never be enough to justify it's beauty.

If you're looking for a place to just enjoy nature/sea and the sun on your skin. And just to have a laid back vacation, then this is the place to go.
Though you might consider snorkeling, scuba diving and island hopping to see beautiful corals/fishes, it's also the great place to visit. It's the best of both worlds, depending on which experience you prefer.

But then again, there's a downside for this Day Trip. Having no reservations means no place to have a complete rest anytime you want, nor a chance to experience and capture both sunset and sunrise. 
The great thing is that we're more prepared with details/information s that are needed for our next trip going back to this island

Still, this was indeed a great experience. And I must say Perhentian Islands are the MUST-SEE PLACES in KT.

For Hotel Reservations:

1. Tuna Bay Island Resorts - click here

2. Abduls Chalet                     - click here

Car Parking: I've mentioned earlier that there's a lot of car park signs with contact numbers at Kuala Besut. Luckily, we have taken a snap of them (just to be clear, we're not endorsing here, just helping out).

That's it guys! These are the things I've gathered while spending a day at Perhentian Islands. Hope this blog may be of help.

What's your Perhentian Islands story ? ^.^

We will see you again Perhentian Islands ^.^

Renelah

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