Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Beekeeping Course In Sabah

By EMIN MADI

KOTA KINABALU: Siran Lasong remained cool and did not panic when he was suddenly surrounded by wild honeybees, known as pomosuon to the locals, that swarmed out from the man-made gelodog beehive.

Instead, he gently brushed off those still clinging to the honeycombs with his bare hands hoping to find the queen bee.

A few minutes later, Siran managed to find what he was looking for. He immediately trapped the queen bee before placing the insect inside a new beehive.

This method is known as translocating the bee colony from a gelodog into a new and permanent bee house, after which thousands of worker bees would be tempted to follow their queen.

Having done that, Siran not only completed his final day of practical training on beekeeping but also made himself a qualified beekeeper.

Some of his friends in other groups were unlucky because they apparently must have overdosed the bees with smoke, resulting in the queen bee abandoning its hideout before they could trap the insect.

Siran was among 33 participants at a two-day beekeeping course organised by the Sabah Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry’s Rural Cooperative Development (KPD) at a bee farm in Simpang Mengayau, Kudat, recently.

Siran, a Sarawakian who resides in Lawas, traveled more than 400km to attend the first beekeeping course opened to the public.

The rest of the participants were from Keningau, Tambunan, Ranau, Sipitang, Papar, Kota Belud and Penampang.

“It’s very interesting and I am really glad to have attended the course. Maybe after this, I will start my own beekeeping business, but most important of all is that I am now able to recognise the natural honey, and in this case, the tropical type,” he said.

Participants were also taught how to identify the male and worker bees as well as on the insects’ life span and behaviour.

Earlier, the participants spent a day at KPD’s honey beekeeping centre at Sikuati, Kudat, where they were given extensive briefings on the basics of honey beekeeping, including how to find wild bee nests and trapping them with the gelodog or wooden box.

The two-day practical beekeeping course, conducted by two of KPD’s experienced beekeepers, Benjamin Subinon and Madillius Maradan, also provided an insight into various bee species found in Sabah and the types of bees suitable for commercial honey beekeeping.

The common bee species reared by KPD and its participating farmers is the apis cerana which produces a high amount of honey.

Other species found in Sabah are the apis dorsata or the Asian giant honeybee, apis korsevnikovi, a multicomb cavity nesting bee, apis andreniformis, a very small bee species and apis nuluensis.

KPD’s encouraging success in the honey beekeeping business has helped raise the living standards of hundreds of rural farmers in the state, particularly in northern Sabah.

Several farmers in Kudat, who keep hundreds of bee hives, are now earning around RM1,000 a month.

Beekeeping has been one of KPD’s many socio economic activities since its inception in 1976, especially in supporting the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty in the state, particularly among the rural poor.

At present, the agency’s beekeeping business is concentrated in Sikuati, where KPD has its own bee farm with more than 700 hives and 200 gelodogs.

But vast land clearing in the district has depleted the forest of flowering trees, especially the fast-growing acacia mangium tree whose flower nectar is the bees’ favourite source of food, and is now threatening the beekeeping business in that area.

KPD has decided that it is time to move to other areas.

KPD general manager Datuk Basrun Datuk Mansor said the agency was looking for business partners in honey beekeeping among rural people in the Pantai Barat and Pedalaman districts.

They could become KPD’s contract farmers once they acquire the technical know-how in beekeeping, he said. – Bernama.

Friday, November 2, 2007

A Passion For Good Food

By HELEN ONG

WHAT started as a passion and hobby for Jane Phung has now become a full-time occupation.

“I love cooking, and my husband used to bring friends home to eat, so we were always having parties,” the 44-year-old restaurateur said.

Luckily, for the rest of us who weren’t fortunate enough to have been invited to her home, Jane finally decided to put her considerable skills to even better use by starting a restaurant with her son Tomy Yeoh, 23.

Six months ago, the Summer Garden Food Bistro, located at the corner of Jalan Lembah Permai and Lorong Lembah Permai 3 in the Vale of Tempe, Tanjung Bungah, was opened to the public.

There is no signboard in front, but the place lives up to its name – the relaxing and serene garden abounds with greens all grown by Phung like bamboos and ferns.

Inside, a mesmerising water feature tinkles merrily and more green plants dotted about the place add to the cool, calm feel.

“There are a lot of restaurants out there, so we try doubly hard to make customers feel welcomed.

“The first thing we impress on our service staff is the importance of a smile,” explained Phung, herself beaming.

With four well-qualified chefs, each with his or her own speciality, strutting their stuff in the clean open kitchen, the menu offers a good spread of not just Western and Japanese food but also some local favourites.

Try the laksa (the lemak version was thick and yummy, although they also have the assam), Mee Jawa, personally made by Jane herself, and Nasi Lemak.


Bursting with flavour: The Lemak Laksa is thick and yummy.

The Sashimi Moriawase, a colourful platter of various cuts of fresh seafood eaten with wasabi and soya sauce, makes an excellent starter for a few people.

If you have a hearty appetite, try the Japanese Curry Set of rice and fried chicken (or fish), different to our local curries and quite tasty.

One of their most popular items is Lamb Shank served with Pasta. Another appealing choice is the Duck Breast with Black Cherry Sauce, but the Wagyu Beef Steak, although pricey, was really superb, tender and succulent.


Succulent: Duck Breast with Black Cherry Sauce.

There are also succulent large king prawns or lobster cooked in a variety of styles including Thermidor or baked in grilled cheese. If you can’t decide, their well-trained staff will be able to advise.

Indulge your sweet tooth and choose from a selection of six to ten freshly-baked cakes – all made by the talented lady – with such delicious-sounding names like Kahlua Moist, Tiramisu and Chocolate Cheese.

You will be hard-pushed to decide which one to go for. The Chocolate Cheese Cake was absolutely delightful, light but full of flavour, and went perfectly with one of their aromatic, full-bodied coffees.

Summer Garden is open from 11am to 10.30pm every day. For details, call 04-890 0977.

Good Food And Ambience Draw The Crowd

By JADE CHAN

THE Tagline “Quality Food @ Reasonable Prices” – to offer good food, with consistent and authentic ingredients, at good value – is the secret to Pizza Uno’s success for the past 10 years.

Pizza Uno started its first outlet in USJ Subang in 1997, and now has two more outlets in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama and Bandar Puteri, Puchong, which was opened 10 months ago.

Uno@Puchong features a more contemporary layout, with a spacious and comfortable ambience.


French-Lebanese flavour: Baba Ghanouj and Hummus Dip is a platter of dips made from (bottom, left to right) char-grilled eggplants, chickpeas, tomato salsa and pesto and served with homemade grilled bread.

The three neighbourhood restaurants serve authentic European food, and are frequented by families for dinners and during weekends, and the office crowd during lunch.

“We have a central kitchen in USJ that caters to all three outlets, and we offer the same menu at all our restaurants,” said Pizza Uno partner Y.S. Mak.

“The central kitchen does the early stage of food preparation work, sources for ingredients, ensures portions are consistent at each outlet, and helps keep our costs down.

“When the founder Ng Yam Boon started the first restaurant, he was competing on price. The emphasis now is on dining and visual experience of the food, ambience and service.”

Ng, 55, takes care of the operations while Mak, 47, handles corporate planning.


Snack: Bacalao is typical Spanish tapas made from deep fried salted cod fish and potato.

Mak described themselves as “food obsessive”, and both frequently travel to Europe and Australia to follow dining trends and food concepts, as well as to improve their recipes.

“We started off emphasising our pizzas; now we offer a wider range of Mediterranean food like pastas and tapas, as well as Western-style desserts.”

Two popular starters are the Cream of Mushroom and Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad – a colourful concoction of soft-boiled egg, imported Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese flakes, smoked salmon, herbed crouton and homemade Caesar Salad dressing.

For a French-Lebanese flavour, try the Baba Ghanouj and Hummus Dip – a platter of dips made from char-grilled eggplants and chickpeas, as well as new additions pesto and tomato salsa, served with homemade grilled bread.


For pasta lovers: Aglio Olio with Grilled Prawns, served with a choice of spaghetti or homemade spiralli or fettucine.

Mak recommended the Bacalao, typical Spanish tapas made from deep fried salted cod fish and potato, for people who want a snack to enjoy their wine with.

“Diners love our Baked Whole Lamb Shank, which we braise in a gravy that has a lot of root vegetables like carrots and celery for a sweeter flavour. We cook it to a certain degree of tenderness so the meat 'falls off' the bone when the dish is served,” she said.

Pasta lovers can try the Aglio Olio with Grilled Prawns, which features a choice of pasta tossed with olive oil, chilli flakes, garlic, parsley and basil, and topped with freshly grilled prawns.

For dessert, there is the Traditional Bread and Butter Raisin Pudding served with crème anglaise and Lemon Panna Cotta, a classic Italian custard dish.

Pizza Uno’s regular menu carries a range of food to suit different palates and occasions.

It is complemented by ongoing and festive promotions, like Tuna Day, Black Mussels Special, Valentine’s Special and French Month Promotion.

“For the promotions, we create dishes that are reminiscent of the country or celebration, and play on the theme and season’s colours or ingredients.

“We also have weekly and fortnightly specials to give our regulars’ palate a fresh taste, and coming up with new recipes keep the central kitchen’s cooks on their toes,” said Mak.

Upcoming promotions include Thanksgiving and All-Saints’ Day, with dishes like Oriechetti with Beef Bacon Mushroom and Green Peas in Porcini Sauce, and Slow-Cooked Lamb Roast with Onion and Capsicum in Rich Mint Gravy served with Polenta Cakes.

Pizza Uno’s menu, which includes a list of wines to complement diners’ meals, is regularly updated to reflect new food trends, as well as popularity and customers’ feedback.

Mak added that there are plans to move the USJ Subang outlet to a nearby bigger premise and open a new outlet in TTDI next year.


RESTORAN PIZZA UNO, No. 18, Jalan Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri, Puchong. (Tel: 03-8062 2530).
Business hours: lunch, Mon-Sun, noon – 4pm; dinner, Sun-Thurs, 6pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 6pm – midnight.
Pork free.

Doughnuts Worth The Wait

By TAN KARR WEI

DO not be surprised if you see a long line of people outside a store in Pavillion Kuala Lumpur as they are just trying to get their fix of doughnuts from J.Co Donuts and Coffee.

Senior public relations officer Fazil Tahir said the queue was a norm, even on weekdays.


For the love of doughnuts: Customers queuing up outside the outlet.

“There’s roughly 10,000 transactions a day and each customer buys an average of half a dozen doughnuts,” he said, adding that the top three flavours were Glazzy (honey glazed), Alcappone (white Belgian chocolate and almonds), and a tie between Coco Loco (dark Belgian chocolate topping and filling) and Cheese Me Up (savoury New Zealand cheese topping).

He said some customers initially did not like the idea of having to wait in line for so long but when they tried the doughnuts, they understood why.

Saw Hooi Yee, 18, and her friend Lee Shin Lui, 16, saw the line of people when they walked past the outlet and were curious so they decided to try some.

“They had so many varieties and it all looked so nice that we ended up buying a dozen each,” said Saw.

Inside the seating area, Madeline Yap, 37, was seen sipping coffee at the outlet with her daughter Andree Lee, five .

“I bring my daughter here at least once a week because she loves the doughnuts. Her favourite is the Glazzy doughnut. The coffee here is very good too,” said Yap, who is from Kuala Lumpur.


Busy: J.Co Donuts and Coffee employees serving the many customers.

It was a first for Jess Tan, 31, who liked the doughnuts so much after she tried it that she willingly jumped into the queue again to buy more for her family.

Her daughter Joey Tan, five, happily munched on a Coco Loco doughnut while still holding on to her Game Boy with the other hand.

Journalist Radin Sri frequents J. Co about three times a week and her favourite flavours are Cheese Me Up, Tiramisu and Alcapone.

“The doughnuts are just so good. I always buy half a dozen for myself and I would also get orders from my colleagues if they know I’m coming here,” she said with a laugh.

If you see people in the shopping mall with light brown boxes in transparent plastic bags bearing the round J.Co logo, these are the customers who had successfully braved the line to get their favourite doughnuts.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Special Five-Step Process To Marinate Meats

Photos by T.K. LIM

THOSE who like Korean food can head to Tongkun, which opened in Solaris Mont' Kiara in September. Tongkun is a popular restaurant chain in South Korea that is famed for its authentic barbecue food.

Tongkun, which means “big size” – a reference to the portions of meat – serves ethnic Korean meat dishes that are specially marinated with more than 27 spices.


A taste of Korea: Tongkun, the first Korean restaurant chain to open in Malaysia.

The meats undergo a special five-step marinating process that involves boiling, cooling to room temperature, marinating with spices, chilling and putting the final touches to the meats before they are served, to be barbecued at the table.


Choice beef: The Waygu Kkotdeungsim or Grilled Beef Rib Eye Roll and the Jin Galbi Sal or Beef Short Rib.

According to Wee Joon Ho, managing director of Dynasty Hallmark Sdn Bhd, the local franchisee of Tongkun, the restaurant is the first Korean restaurant chain in Malaysia.

“This restaurant is very famous in Korea,, where there are about 98 outlets. We brought the chain here because we wanted to give people here a taste of the real food and environment in our country,” he said, adding that they hoped to cater to the many foreigners in the vicinity of the outlet in addition to the local Chinese community.

The outlet is unpretentious, with a homely feel.

“We have given the place an organic and homely environment, hence the use of a lot of shades of green, which helps soften the environment,” Wee explained. The tables come with grill and steam absorber.


This is how it's done: Wee showing how the meat is grilled.

“We use premium meats like wagyu, which is considered the most tender, succulent and tastiest beef in the world. For our pork dishes, we use the highest quality local pork,” he said, adding that separate grilling equipment was used for the beef dishes to respect the sensitivities of patrons who did not eat pork.

“For our side dishes, there two sets of menu which we rotate every day,” Wee added. Among the side dishes are the popular kimchi and scrambled eggs.

Patrons can also look forward to complementing their meal with Korean ginseng tea, Soju (Korean liquor) and Bak Sek Ju, a ginseng liquor which is said to promote longevity because of the herbs, like ginseng, ginger, liquorice, yarrow, cinnamon, vine and arrowroot, that are infused into the wine.

Prices of the meal sets range from RM15 to RM150.


TONGKUN, No. 20, Block H, Jalan Solaris 5, Solaris Mont' Kiara,
Off Jalan Duta Kiara, Kuala Lumpur (tel: 03-6203 6528).
Business Hours: Daily, lunch (11am-3pm); dinner (5pm-10.30pm).
Closed on the third Wednes-day of each month.