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Cook with Ipohbunny

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Pistachio Pesto Pasta

Posted on January 15, 2022January 16, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Pistachio Pesto Pasta
Pistachio Pesto Pasta

No, this pistachio pesto pasta is not classic, but after trying this recipe, you might just prefer it to the original version with pine nuts! First, why pistachio for pesto? For this wild idea, I gotta thank my frugal inner housewife. I love a good pesto pasta, but the price of pine nuts has skyrocketed….

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Noodles & Pasta, One-pot meal, Western

Nyonya Heritage Food at KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen, Penang

Posted on December 29, 2021December 29, 2021 By Alexandra Wong 2 Comments on Nyonya Heritage Food at KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen, Penang
Nyonya Heritage Food at KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen, Penang

Our discovery of KUEH by Bibik’s Kitchen – a hidden gem serving some of Penang’s best nyonya heritage food – began with a frustrating search for old-fashioned kaya. To be exact, pleasing hubby’s craving for the kind of traditional kaya he grew up with in Penang. From famous brands to owner-operated cafes to roadside stalls,…

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Food review, Nyonya

Beef Noodles at Kuan Soo Noodle Stall, ICC Pudu

Posted on December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Beef Noodles at Kuan Soo Noodle Stall, ICC Pudu
Beef Noodles at Kuan Soo Noodle Stall, ICC Pudu

I’m a latecomer to the pleasures of beef noodles. Specifically, the beef SOUP noodle type. Somehow, I just never ate a version anywhere that was good enough to impress me – they were all too watery, like reconstituted Bovril, and were measly in their helpings. I still enjoyed beef noodles though, but only the dry…

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Chinese, Food review, Noodles & Pasta

Mum’s Fried Beehoon

Posted on December 24, 2021January 15, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Mum’s Fried Beehoon
Mum’s Fried Beehoon

Mum’s fried beehoon is “very simple only.” Come to think of it, that’s her standard answer whenever I ask her for the recipe of virtually any dish she cooks. She’s telling the truth. When she describes the process to me, it DOES sound simple. Ingredient lists are typically short. The steps, few. But somehow in…

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Noodles & Pasta, One-pot meal

Chicken Confit

Posted on December 23, 2021January 15, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Chicken Confit
Chicken Confit

Make chicken confit at home? No way in hell, man! Or at least – until yesterday. Now, I’ve seen chicken or duck confit in restaurant menus a number of times, in particular fancy restaurants. The price tag is usually hefty, which gave me the impression it must be super delicious AND super difficult to make….

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One-pot meal, Poultry

Stir-fried Cabbage with Miso

Posted on October 26, 2021January 15, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Stir-fried Cabbage with Miso
Stir-fried Cabbage with Miso

Folks, meet my Chinese-style three-ingredient stir-fried cabbage that delivers loads of umami courtesy of …. miso! I know, miso is not an ingredient commonly used in Chinese kitchens. But the moment I tasted the result, I was like, why didn’t I think of that earlier?? If you make Chinese stir fries regularly, you probably rely…

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Chinese, Vegetables

Parmesan-Crusted French Toast

Posted on October 25, 2021January 15, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Parmesan-Crusted French Toast
Parmesan-Crusted French Toast

This ADULT version of the traditional French toast uses a not-too-secret pantry ingredient …. parmesan! We all know how to do normal French toast. You take a slice of white bread, dip it in beaten egg, fry in hot fat, and voila. This one takes the same concept. Except I add a layer of grated…

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Breakfast & Brunch, Eggs

Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl

Posted on June 21, 2021August 17, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl
Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl

A teriyaki chicken poke bowl is a thing of joy – and the perfect quarantine meal. First, what’s poke bowl … is it Japanese or Hawaiian? Poke is a regional American-based cuisine from Hawaii, heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine.The word “poke” means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian. In the original version, poke bowls feature…

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Japanese, One-pot meal, Poultry, Rice

Garlic Fried Rice

Posted on June 18, 2021June 27, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Garlic Fried Rice
Garlic Fried Rice

Folks, meet Japanese garlic fried rice. Like all simple dishes, it only looks easy to perfect. I couldn’t believe that making fried rice could be so difficult, until I tried to recreate the dish at home. The results were not bad, but somehow my garlic fried rice lacked umami, or wok hei, or something. I…

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Japanese, Recipes, Rice

Onion Jam

Posted on June 7, 2021June 27, 2021 By Alexandra Wong 2 Comments on Onion Jam
Onion Jam

I’m no stranger to onion jam. A sweet-sticky condiment of slow-cooked onions, it’s typically served with burgers in Western restaurants. In Asia, it’s sometimes just called “caramelised onions”. Is it nice? Yes, but nothing to get excited about. Until I ate a version made by a friend in Singapore, using her personal recipe. Holy smokes….

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Condiments, Western

Ginger Scallion Chicken

Posted on June 6, 2021June 21, 2021 By Alexandra Wong 2 Comments on Ginger Scallion Chicken
Ginger Scallion Chicken

Ginger scallion chicken reminds me of dad ❤️Unlike mum and I, dad has a milder palate. He would go for dishes like this whereas Mum and I would order fiery, spicy stuff like curry fish and kung pow chicken. In fact, I used to think that ginger scallion chicken was boring!Not anymore though.I now appreciate…

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Chinese, Poultry, Side dish

Sausage Tomato Pasta

Posted on June 4, 2021June 27, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Sausage Tomato Pasta
Sausage Tomato Pasta

This ridiculously simple sausage tomato pasta is so tasty I couldn’t believe it until I made it myself. I’ve seen variations of this floating around the internet. Jamie Oliver has made a version of it, among other people. But it wasn’t until I saw Catalina Tre’s gorgeous photo of her spicy sausage pasta that I…

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Noodles & Pasta, Western

Smoked Salmon Pâté

Posted on May 31, 2021June 21, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Smoked Salmon Pâté
Smoked Salmon Pâté

My first encounter with pâté was thanks to the late Dr Frank Dourado, a popular general practitioner in Ipoh. Many years ago, my father went to his clinic on Brewster Road for consultation. Both gardening geeks, the two men got along like a house on fire, though their backgrounds were very different. Their friendship extended…

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Condiments, Seafood, Western

Gulai Labu (Pumpkin Curry)

Posted on May 30, 2021January 23, 2022 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Gulai Labu (Pumpkin Curry)
Gulai Labu (Pumpkin Curry)

This delicious gulai labu is the combination of two brains – a friend, and my mum’s! How did that happen? Well, it all started when Madam R gifted us her gulai labu to eat for dinner a few days before Eid. Food gifting has become common during the COVID19 pandemic era, as a way of…

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Malay, Malaysian, Side dish, Soups & Stews, Vegetables

Air-fried Dengaku Naku (Miso Eggplant)

Posted on May 28, 2021June 21, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Air-fried Dengaku Naku (Miso Eggplant)
Air-fried Dengaku Naku (Miso Eggplant)

A lot of my friends asked me how I made dengaku nasu in an air fryer after I posted it in my Facebook and Instagram stories. Since I aim to please, I thought I’d roughly write up my experience 🙂 Some of you might be asking – what is dengaku nasu? It’s a traditional Japanese…

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Side dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

Last weekend, we went on a drive to recce elderly Last weekend, we went on a drive to recce elderly friendly dining spots in Teluk Kumbar. Somehow we ended up on the Gertak Sanggul road, and right at the tip of Gertak Sanggul, we found Country Home & Cafe @countryhome_cafe

Arriving at a little roundabout for making U-turns, we thought it was a dead end. Then we saw people walking out of an alley facing the tiny "roundabout". They told us that down the alley was a cafe. 

It was so much more than a cafe.

Country Home & Cafe is a family-run cafe and homestay selling simple stir-fries and whatever produce they get nearby. Hubs ordered a durian, and I ordered a mee udang. It was delicious - much much better than the other famous one in this part of the world. The gravy was so rich and intense; you could taste that the prawn heads and shells have simmered for hours to create stock. And the prawns! Three gigantic ones and the whole plate only cost RM18. 

Quirky murals and installations give this place a whole lot of character.  

But the best best best thing is the location. On one side was a durian hill. On the other, the sea!! Omg, talk about having the best of both worlds at your doorstep.

After our light lunch, we walked over to the beach and sat on the swings over the beach. Bliss.

#Penanghiddengems #countryhomeandcafe #GertakSanggul #meeudang #explorePenang
Penang oh Penang. It's like a freaking theme park Penang oh Penang.

It's like a freaking theme park of quirky eateries and offbeat locations - told a friend today that we haven't been back to the same place even once, since we moved here. Every time we find some hidden gem, we are told there's a dozen more elsewhere. Pengsan - in a good way!

Like this adorable little stall/cafe/whatchamacallit that's located in a garden setting, selling #vegetarian #bananaleafrice.

The food is good. Tastes like its home cooked even though its a small business. Bru coffee was excellent - so much better than the famous restaurants I've been recently.

But what struck me most was that you can see people from all walks of life, from students to the aunties gathering for their favourite rice fix. Muhibah is well and alive in Penang, and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

#penanghospitality #penangfood #thali #Indianfood
Nice or not my Raya baju? 😀 Bought it last yea Nice or not my Raya baju? 😀

Bought it last year from @tyramei_collection but only managed to trot it out this year.

Was back for a whirlwind trip to KL and managed to meet up with precious family members and some friends, were treated to homecooked meals, and we even discovered two exciting makan places: a superb new-ish cafe, @plump.kl where we had the most divine butter berry cake and Syed Bistro at Bangsar, which serves one of the most delicious fried chicken I've had. The flavour.....!!! 

You probably can tell I like to keep my personal life private but  am leaving some food shots for posterity. Here's to more strengthened ties and renewed friendships!
I am so proud of myself for making ikan goreng cil I am so proud of myself for making ikan goreng cili garam successfully.

The first time I ate it was at @bulldogmalacca aeons ago. I haven't been back in Melaka, and tried looking for a restaurant that serves this but sadly nowhere ever came close to nailing the taste. 

Three days ago I boldly decided to make my own.

I studied a dozen recipes at least and all of them had a simple ingredient list. Just chillies, shallots, garlic, salt and a touch of belacan. Blend and tumis.

I did taste testing when the oil had separated but balance not quite there. So breaking all the usual rules, I corrected the imbalance by adding brown sugar. Perfect!

Final squeeze of lemon juice (didn't have lime) for acidity and we're done.

Sooooooo gooood!!!

#Nyonyacooking #fishrecipes #cookwithipohbunny #ikangoremgciligaram #fish #homecooking #Malaysianhomecook
Honestly, have been quiet because I had a socmed i Honestly, have been quiet because I had a socmed identity crisis. Re the IG account, I mean. Do I want it to be a cooking blog? A food review blog? Or travel? Photos or long captions? I wanna talk about them all, but all the experts say I should niche down and focus on one, after all.

Ah sod it. I'll just do me. I'm done posting for follows. 

So today I wanna tell you about this outrageously good maggi mee goreng in a nondescript nasi kandar shop near where I currently stay. It doesn't even have a geotag, for crying out loud. Hence I'm tagging Queensbay about 50m away. 

But check out the creaminess of the scrambled egg that wraps every strand. Noodles nicely separated.

The cook's got skillz man.

From the picture, you can probably see the intensity of the spice factor, and guess at the #umami too. A tad salty, like most #nasikandar food, but hey this is a #cheatday.

The only thing I'll change is the fried shallots, which obviously originate from a bottle.

But still. 

#Vegetarian. Who knew it could be so good?

📍NS Nasi Kandar Queensbay
90-G Persiaran Bayan Indah
14300 Bayan Lepas
Opens 6am-12am

#maggigoreng #Penangfood #BayanIndah #NSNasiKandar #Queensbay #bayavenue #halalPenangfoods
Why do I keep going back to Thai restaurants? Beca Why do I keep going back to Thai restaurants? Because the Thai food in Penang is so good!

Serious. I've never seen so many Thai restaurants per square inch anywhere in Malaysia.

Of these, one of (if not the most) famous must be Khunthai. Hubs even brought his dad and late mum there donkey years ago, and when he suggested going on Sunday, I thought why not? 

After braving a dimly lit lonely kampung road, we finally arrived. I was shocked by the huge number of cars and started to panic - where and how will we find parking?

Then we noticed a flash light waving at us, indicating an empty space on the right. The parking attendant was an old man in shorts on a stool. We made a left turn and there it was, a big empty space for us. Cool!

Khunthai is huge. There was no maitre-d leading us in - but there was no need for one. The tables were arranged on both sides of the hall leaving an empty "aisle" in the centre, which would lead customers to the best seats in the house: the tables by the seaside!

I know I was raving abt Bukit Genting the other day, but the food at Khunthai is even better!

Just look at that tom yam soup. The taste of tom yam was so intense and the prawns, fish and cuttlefish were so plentiful some floated to the top. The princely cost? Only RM27. I am sure something similar in KL would set us back at least 45 or more (don't kill me Penangites).

The signature nameless fried chicken was an umami bomb with crunchy skin and moist meat. Not sure what's in it, but I think I detect belacan and maybe foo yue (fermented beancurd).

The deepfried kangkung was a tad oily  but delicious too.

Service was super fast too. Took only 15 minutes to arrive, despite the huge crowd.

Our bill came up to a grand total of RM61. Heck, I even had enough to tapau the chicken and soup for another meal at home the next day (yes, hubs and I are bird-like eaters)

I'll definitely come for seconds :) 
#Penangfood #Thaifood #PenangThairestaurants #tomyam #friedchicken #friedkangkung #Malaysianfoodbloggers #porkfree #Khunthai
Long before Malaysia became sophisticated and conf Long before Malaysia became sophisticated and confections like meuillefille, basque cheesecake etc became normalised in cities, the highlight for us was mom and pop bakeries like Jenni. 

It was a corner shop operating in Jalan Cantonment in Pulau Tikus. I still remember her prune layer cakes, her chocolate mud cakes, her cheesecakes. They were a special treat during my USM student days, and after that, my early working life in Dell.

So today when I googled "cake near me" and Jenni's name popped up, I practically squealed. "We must go to this place!!"

I didn't know that Jenni had branched out and opened up an outlet in Bayan Baru!

It's located in the same row of shops as Lim Cycle. Nondescript, almost inconspicuous. 
Despite the pouring rain, I dashed across the street, sans umbrella, into the shop because I was so excited.

As my eyes fell on the boxes in those familiar purple brand colours and the chillers with those familiar cakes, a wave of almost tearful nostalgia came over me.

Now I understand why they say: there's comfort in the familiar.

#cakeshops #jennicake #Penangbakeries #Penangfood
Such a gorgeous meal I half regretted going to @tw Such a gorgeous meal I half regretted going to @twofrenchiesrestaurant on a weekday. This is one of those special places that scream weekend date.

But we don't want to jostle with half of Penang trying to book a table at this intimate restaurant, so we went last night.

Spread across a long Penang heritage shop house, Two Frenchies is opened by two Frenchies - no surprises - and serves possibly the most delectable French food I've eaten. 

First, my duck confit.

The skin! Crisped so expertly that at the prick of a fork, it tore off the meat underneath like paper. And oh the meat within, gloriously moist, succulent and fall off bone tender after being slow cooked in duck fat for hours, at the perfect level of umami.

I would even daresay it was better than the one I had in Paris in 2017. Mon dieu!

Honestly, after that culinary tour de force everything else that came after would pale, even though hub's creamy salmon was excellent, I swear. 

But the dessert forced me to reconsider again what's my favourite. My eyes boggled at the Valrhona cake that arrived on a slate tile, and that was before I nearly gasped in shock at the airy lightness of the chantilly cream and swooned at the chocolatey depth of the cake. Yes, this is the real stuff and they do NOT STINGE.

Notice Ive not even uttered a syllable about the amazing setting, or the impeccable service (was particularly impressed by Jeya's table manners). I'll let the video clips do the storytelling. 

I will be back again - and might even brave the Saturday night crowds for a repeat of this singularly  exquisite experience.

Edit: after reading this, hubby's first comment was "Drama queen." Haha! Yes, I am unapologetically so. I write for both entertainment and information. #embraceyourself ! :) 

#Penangrestaurants #penangfood #Frenchfood #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger
Last night, we enjoyed a rare delicacy: roasted mu Last night, we enjoyed a rare delicacy: roasted mutton leg cooked Ningxia style from @cmr_restaurant_3.0 (Chinese Muslim Restaurant) in Bayan Baru. 

Now, we had been waiting to try this dish but we knew the portion would be too big for two stomachs, so when R pinged to say he would be in town again, I immediately went YES!! Mutton time!

Verdict: it was nothing short of magical!

I enjoyed the dish so much I did some reading up later on this signature Ningxia dish later. 

Ningxia is a landlocked region some 2k km from Xinjiang with a large Hui Muslim population. Apparently, roasted mutton (whole or just the leg) is a traditional delicacy for nomads to entertain guests. 

The unique natural conditions in the dry and warm area have made local water and grass full of minerals. A special breed of sheep called Mudflat Sheep grazes on this special grass, and as a result is tender, refined and odor-free. The mutton is now exported in large quantity to many Islamic countries in the Middle East. (I wonder whether that's what we had - the owner said the mutton was imported).

Traditionally, the sheep goes through three hours of oiling, cutting, sprinkling with the secret recipe, before it is cooked in an oven, tumbling over a full charcoal fire. The warm roasted whole lamb is carried on the table to be enjoyed. 

We're in the city so obviously the food can't be cooked in identical conditions. 100% authentic or not, I found no fault with what we had: the mutton was expertly deep fried until the skin is golden and crispy but miraculously didn't feel oily at all. The meat was soft and fork-tender, retaining its succulent juiciness. I could literally feel the fat melting like butter on my tongue, the hallmark of damn good mutton.

The spicy fried brinjal and braised tofu were excellent too but the mutton was the rock star of the meal.

This is, by far, the best Chinese Muslim food I've had in Malaysia (and I've tried quite a few restaurants in Klang Valley).

Now to gather some more kaki for the next round!

#ChineseMuslimfood #ChineseMuslimRestaurant #Penangrestaurants #roastedmutton #Ningxiacuisine #Ningxiacuisine #halalfoodpenang #penangfood #meatlovers
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