PerutBesi's Home-Cooked Dinner

Date: 6 February 2010, Saturday
Venue: Home!
Occasion: Simple home-cooked dinner with family

I visited the SS2 morning market on Saturday & oh, what a crowd! I actually fancy the madness in the market....the hustle & bustle of people from all walks of life. The madness is worse in the weeks prior to Chinese New Year; there were numerous stalls selling clothes (more women clothes than men), biscuits, Chinese New Year decorations, & loads of other Chinese New Year related goodies. Call me an 'aunty', but I really enjoy the market despite the stench! *lol*

Since I didn't have much in plan for a Saturday, I decided to cook a simple meal for my family. My parents & sister rarely have home-cooked food since my parents work & I, the only other person who can cook, stays out during the weekday.

Dinner for a family of four is relatively simple. All we need is at least a veggie & a meat. Any other dish will be a bonus. Hahaha. I walked past the fish stalls & this fish below caught my attention! I found it very 'cute'! Yes, it's not a very apt word to describe a 'dead fish' on the fish monger's table, but it does look rather unique.

I somewhat felt that I have eaten this before....but when?

Dragon Tongue/Shoe Sole Fish @ "Long Lei Yue"/"Hai Dai Yue" (RM8.00/4 fishes)
The uncle told me that he's selling this type of fish for RM10.00/kati. I thought it was not too bad a price, but when these 4 fishes cost me RM8.00, I was surprised & asked the uncle why is it so costly...hahaha... when a person rarely buys fish from the market, he/she won't know how expensive fish (or any other sort of meat) costs! Apparently, it's currently very popular among the Chinese households as compared to years back. Oh well, with demand comes the hike of price! This fish is flat & looks almost like the sole of your shoes. Its eyes are tiny, on ONE side, while the other side of the fish is actually flat, without any design. I found cleaning this fish rather challenging as I didn't know where its gills were! *lol*

Fried Dragon's Tongue Fish
The uncle said this fish is best eaten fried. The flesh is "sweet" & smooth. I decided to try frying the fish although I HARDLY do so. More often than not, I'll steam the fish, but hey, this fish doesn't look like a steam-able fish! I covered the fish with some flour to avoid getting myself "popped" with the 'excited oil'. Yes, it doesn't look very presentable :( But it tasted nice!! That's more important, right? Especially when you're at home....presentation doesn't really matter, does it?

Stir-Fried Romaine Leaves/Yau Mak (RM1.00)
It was on cheap sale by the time I walked through the market after my hair cut. What a bargain...RM1.00 for a plate of veggie to feed 4 persons! *me happy*

ABC Soup with Pork Ribs (Ribs cost RM5.00)
I've always enjoyed the simple ABC Soup - potatoes, tomatoes, carrot (we didn't have that at home), yellow onions (it's much sweeter in soup than the red/purple ones, which are more suitable for cooking curry) & meat. My mum asked me to get the "pou tong kuat" (bones to boil soup), so I got that & ergh, it was quite a hassle to clean the pork ribs since there were small pieces of bones everywhere! Bleagh. Thank goodness the soup tasted REALLY good that my sister said it wasn't enough!

All I look forward to each weekend is a simple meal or two together with my family/friends. When was the last time you had a home-cooked meal? If you have home-cooked meal everyday, you're really fortunate 'cause not everyone gets the luxury of non-msg food!


Enjoys cooking,
Ruth