Stop Using Trans-Fat

Heard of trans-fat? Is it dangerous? What is this all about?

Most of us use the ingredients as it's mention in our recipes and never seem to border so much what is that. After I run my very own ingredient shop called Cooking Island, I have learn alot. What are the danger of certain ingredients and is that advisable to used or not. This is not to say I am so afraid of death but I want to learn more about what we eat to avoid certain dangerous ingredients.

Trans fat is known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and was found to increase the risk of heart disease. Many food companies use trans fat instead of oil because it reduces cost, extends storage life of products and can improve flavor and texture.

Last year, I registered for a seminar in Singapore when I were there visiting the International Food Exhibition. The seminar is all about baking trend and I should also registered myself for another one which talk about trans-fat. Fine. Since I have missed that, I decided to do some reading and find out more about trans-fat.

Trans-fat is an unsaturated fatty acid. Consuming too much of trans-fat will increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Trans fat is known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and was found to increase the risk of heart disease. Many food companies use trans fat instead of oil because it reduces cost, extends storage life of products and can improve flavor and texture. Find out more about trans-fat. You can find trans-fat in vegetable shortening, margarine and some frying snacks. I suggest you stop using shortening and margarine in your baking or frying. Switch to pure butter or olive oil. Off course, this is your choice to used whatever you wanted but I am here to share with you what I know. I am not here to promote any butter fats. I don't gain any money for doing this.

It's quite a long story to tell you about trans-fat and if you are interested, do check out from some site

1. Trans-fat - it's your health

2. Fact Sheet on Trans-fat

Do you also know that the butter cake that you buy from most bakery are not using pure butter? Majority are using 30%pure butter + 70% margarine. There are bakers who added some butter oil essence in their batter to enhance the flavour. So, it's time we learn to bake our own cakes.

Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan

Well! Well! Well!!! There are lots of ways to spend it together with our family. At least that is what I feel, ok? My hubby enjoy bringing the whole bunch of us (his lovely family lar) to everywhere during the weekend to look for food. If it's happen to be a long weekend then, he will plan for a further trip. For your information, if you tell him where to find good food he will be damn happy. If I tell him which shopping complex got sales hor, he will tell me - it's the same one. Hahaha............ luckily, he had got this wife who don't fancy shopping so much. I only go shopping when I need to buy the household stuff or anything that I need. The best thing about the 2 of us is - we both love food.................. So, what do you think? Is he lucky to have me OR I am so lucky to have him? *scratch head*

Forget about all those nanny nagging stuff. I were supposed to show you some other stuff that I have in Bidor - yam ball (wu kok) and kaya puff (kaya kok) that we bought from a shop called Pun Chun.

The signboard. This shop is located along the main road. Very easy to locate it.

This is the ambiance of the shop. There are lots of things to buy - snacks, biscuits, white coffee and bla bla bla..

Business is damn good. People got to line up to pay. If only my business is like that!

The yummy wu kok (the dough is made from yam and some flour and the filling are bbq meat). This is one of the quick selling item in this shop. Each time come out, you can hear people calling, 5 please, 10 please, 3 boxes. But, I must admit the wu kok is good........

This is the box to put the wu kok. So, why wait some more. See the address and the contact number on the box. Make a plan to bring your family there. Quick quick lor........... school holiday also mah.

See............. my little girl is having 1 kaya puff all to herself. She seems to enjoy it.

HAPPY TRAVELLING!!!

DAMN BUSY

I am so so the busy until I don't have much time to do my things. Just finished baking 20 cakes and a few tarts. Wanted to write my blog and another call come in to order cakes. Alamak........... today is fully my cake making day. Aiyah!!! Business & money punya story, die die also must do lar. Otherwise, my customers run away liau.

There are so many things I wanna share with all of you. Such as :

1. Recipe on bake macaroni

2. My children baking class

3. About trans-fat

4. Antiques

5. Bla bla bla.......................

Nevermind, I will do it no matter what. But maybe later only. Just wait for me,ok?

AMERICAN IDOL - RESULT

Last week, it was such a big disappointment to me when the result announced that Melinda is going home. Why her? She is so much better than Jordin. Is it because Simon said, she will be in the final therefore, everyone try to vote for Jordin even though they know Melinda is better. Is it because they want prove that Simon is wrong. To me, Melinda is like another Diana Ross. Too bad, the American had voted her out. But she will be a good and popular singer one day even though she is not selected to go into the finale. Go Melinda!!! I know you can make it. If she ever had a album, I will surely buy it. However, do you all agree with me that Melinda should not be the one that go home? Don't you think she does better than Jordin?

I hope Blake will be the winner but again it depends on the American vote. I like his beatbox style. Something nice and new. He can really sing very well. Do you think he will be the winner? If I can vote, I will surely vote for Blade. We need fresh and new blood in the entertainment industry. Agree? What is your comment?

I don't find that Jordin had got a good voice. Will you vote her to be the winner? Come on........... I know she is young, beautiful and sexy too but be realistic leh.

Malaysian! Who will you vote for the American Idol? I know lar, we are in Malaysia and they are in America but we all listen to songs too and I believe all of us are looking forward for good entertainers. So, Blake or Jordin?

My Favourite - Wan Tan Mee

I got tagged by Kenny.

Actually, I were about to write on my favourite Wan Tan Mee which I had in Bidor liau. Luckily, haven't started otherwise sure die liau. Mana to find food lagi? Hahaha............... talking about food - it's always my favourite topic. I can talk with you day and night. Thank god, my hubby is also a food lover otherwise, I sek chee kei (eat myself) chor. LOL

Wan Tan Mee is always my favourite ever since I am young. I am quite picky on wan tan mee - noodle must be fine, not soggy and the way their cook it must be important too. It must have some crispness too. Very fussy lady hor?

There are 3 stalls that served pretty good Wan Tan Mee in Penang. I have blog about this 2 stalls before - Mee Juta & Assorted Wan Tan Mee. The other stall is located at Anson Road (next to a bookshop). Last 3 weeks when my hubby suggested we make a trip to Bidor to look for food - we found this famous Wan Tan Mee.

The shop that we went to is called Pun Chun. It's a very famous shop for their noodles and duck drumstick herbal soup. Very nice too. If I am not mistaken, the wan tan mee cost RM3.60/plate. Apart from the wan tan mee, they served very good wantan too. Inside is some minced meat with some whole prawns. Yes, not minced prawn har!!! It's whole prawns (off course, it's the small size one lar). My little daughter finished up a whole plate of wan tan mee by herself. I am not joking, ok? She is only 2 years old. My son loves the wantan. He finished a bowl of 10 wantan inside.

See! How my little girl enjoying her wan tan mee.

My son enjoying a bowl of wantan by himself.

See how nice the wantan is.........

I am done and now I wanna tag :-

1. 5XMom - this one is called Master of Food liau.............. hahaha.

2. Hor ny ang moh - he is leaving in the East Coast and I hope he can share with us some nice food there.

3. King's Wife - she is another food lover

4. Soleilina - this is???? she can tell you more place to eat than me.

5. Earl-Ku

***Start Copy***

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?

Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang,

MalaysiaJustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow

My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak

Monterssorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun

Chinnee loves Melaka Wan Tan Mee

PeimunLeah loves Hakka Lei Cha

Hui Sia

Jonamum

Karen loves Pan Mee

Something about Lai loves Crispy duck skin from China

Simple American loves Cheese Enchiladas

Nicole Tan loves Char Tau Kueh

Velverse loves Otak-otak

Kenny Ng loves Jawa Mee

Erina Law loves Wan Tan Mee

Anyone Want Lotus?

For your information the lotus I am talking about here is a kind of water plan. This is a very unique plant to me. The root can be eaten - most of the people use it to boil soup or stir fried it. The lotus seed can be consume too. The flowers, the Buddhist devotees normally place it near to the Buddha.

Previously, you will see lotus plants near mining area but nowadays, people also plant it in a big pot at their home - for fungsui purposes. Don't ask me how ar. Me no good in fungsui.

I got this picture of a lady plucking the lotus .............. who knows what she pluck. Flower, root or fruit. They are not doing it for fun but for business purposes.

Many people know about dried lotus seed but how about fresh one. Ok, I know most Perakian know about this and some knows the trick on this too. I will share with some of you later. In Perak, it is quite easy to find fresh lotus seed but lately it's getting harder coz nobody wanna pluck lotus fruit anymore. The lotus fruit nowadays don't come cheap too. I still remember when I were still young (I am still young now,ok). - what I mean is slightly younger than now lar. Lotus fruit come in a a bundle of 3 or 4 which cost us 50cents only (hoi, itu pun about 10years plus ago only). I bought my at RM2/bundle. Wah lau!!! Never mind because I love it so much and have not have it for so long - buy.

This is the seed that we get from inside. There are many in 1 fruit. About 30 to 40 seeds. Before you eat them, you got to unskin it first. Fresh one will have a sweet taste. See the green thing in inside the seed. This mean, the fruit is a little bit old liau and if you see this make sure you take out the green thing. It's bitter taste. I were told by my mom that this are used as medicine to cure a kind of sickness and she cannot remember liau. So, I can't share with you too.

This one???? hahaha.................... apa lagi, kena dig out all the seed liau by me. But still look nice.

Back to the trick I were talking about earlier. Guess, I have accidentally deleted my pictures of the little lotus seed so, cannot show it to you all. The smaller size lotus seed actually don't have any flesh inside. So what we do with it is, we take this small seed and pock it at someone forehead. I know you people are going to say childish. But that is for fun only ma. You guys go ahead argue about the childish thing and I am going to enjoy my tong sui which I had added some fresh lotus seed in it. Yum yum...................... yee mai fu chok tong sui. Inside it had got barley, beancurd skin, egg and off course my favourite - fresh lotus seed.

I am a tong sui lover!!!

Leaning Tower

Leaning Tower? The one in Paris? Sorry har, me no money to go there yet. Maybe, in another 10 years lar. Wait long long or dream more often then, maybe dream become reality(mong keng seng chan). Wake up Erina Law! It's not time to dream yet. *wash face n continue writing blog*

Actually, I am talking about the Leaning Tower in Teluk Intan. My sakai punya hubby said he never been to Teluk Intan and insisted we must make a trip there to see the tower. Aiyoh!!! I told him liau that there is nothing one in Teluk Intan. It's a very small town. So, don't wanna disappoint him and agree that we will drop by there.

This pagoda like structure were built in 1885 by a Chinese contractor called Mr. Leong Choon Choong. This was built for water storage. Read more from this site http://www.cuti.com.my/Sub/Perak/guide_tilearntw.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teluk_Intan#Leaning_Tower_of_Teluk_Intan

There is a clock inside and it's control by this funny iron. I also don't what is it called. Just show the the pictures only. No one knows how it works. This iron hor will go up and down one. The wonderful part is - the time in this clock never go wrong wor. *scratch head*This is the the thing that I am talking about where my hubby manage to get a closer view of it. He were so busy talking to a pak cik (old uncle) asking him how does this thing work. If you wanna know more hor....................... visit lar Teluk Intan. Afterall, this year is Visit Malaysia Year mah. Like my hubby always tease me, if you don't know much about the place of interest of Malaysia then, don't talk so much about places in oversea. We should be proud where we are from mah. At least if our friends or people that we meet from oversea ask us, we know mah. Ok ok, you are damn rite darling. One kiss for you. Muahhh....