Spinach Banchan

Sharing another super easy Korean banchan!

Ingredients
300g spinach leaves, washed
3 cups of water
2 tbsp soy sauce (or to taste)
1 spring onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Korean sesame oil
1 tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Bring water to boil and blanch spinach for about 30 seconds. I used baby spinach but can use normal spinach too – hold leaves together and blanch the stalk first for about 1 min before plunching in rest of the leaves into the hot water.

2. Rinse spinach under cold water. Drain and gently squeeze out excess water from spinach.

3. Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add blanched spinach and toss until well combined.

4. Cover the sesoned spinach and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.


Bench note – If opt to use baby spinach, the longest time spent would be cleaning it!

Cameron Highlands

This is a back-dated post in March this year. *slack* Been sitting pretty since then and was spurred on by Jacss who posted pictures of her recent Highland trip!!

How do you keep yourself occupied at Camerons??? Good R&R place since the weather is nice and cool (not freezing cold) but if you are like us and can't sit still, here are some things you can do.

#1 Visit the tea plantations

- Bharat Cameron Valley Tea Plantation (good place for a quick tea break with a magnificient view. Since this is along the highway, its very convenient).

- Boh Tea Plantation * (ORIGINAL & very rustic atmosphere)

- Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation * (NEW & pretty chic - the cafe reminds me of Ikea, very modern but with a much better view! TIP - bring your own news paper, trudge up the hill (treat as nice short morning walk) and find a nice table out in the balcony to enjoy both your cuppa and the beautiful green backdrop of the tea valley! Aiseh, wish I had a country holiday house up in the highlands!)

Part of the back to nature deco.

*Note the Little Man (below) says closed on Mondays, otherwise opened 9am - 4.30pm.

More scenic sights.

See the people doing their morning walk (small hill, not that bad). Family with prams, would advice taking the side road instead of the off-beaten path!!

#2 Steamboat Dinner (best way to warm up since weather is pretty cool as sun goes down)

Relaxing and enjoyable charcoal steamboat dinner was at Water Cress Valley (pass Equitorial Hotel and the butterfly farms, drive a little further and the restaurant is on your right hand side). Food was good (maybe we were too hungry) but best part was it wasn't jam packed with people unlike those heading towards Brinchang.

#3 Eat strawberries and corn

#4 Buy strawberry merchandize (if you have girls, this is really a pink/red paradise. Sorry boys, just stick to the corn which is pretty yummy!)


#5 Visit other farm attractions - butterfly, bee/honey, cactus, strawberry, vegetables, etc.




There are night markets (aka pasar malam) @ Brinchang but since it was school holidays, traffic was pretty bad and raining so we gave it a miss. Yep even visiting the tea plantations can be a traffic nightmare as the roads are very narrow - so PATIENCE otherwise don't visit during public or school holidays!!


Getting there - we went up Tapah Road and came down the Simpang Pulai Road. More intersting using the former but roads are narrower and more windy. The latter was good (less cars & less windy) but further, good if you plan to stop by Ipoh to makan!

More scenic shots - taken on a morning walk. *INHALE, DEEP BREATH IN & OUT - air very fresh indeed!!* These pictures were taken on the road to Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation. It was Monday and early in the morning so we knew traffic would be minimal. We parked along the main road (near butterfly farm) and walked in. Since this is Malaysia, watch out for the cars ya and don't forget your camera.

Good link for more Highland information - here.

Yep, we were curious enough to stop by this road side stall to quench our thirst and curiosity. Drink is very sweet but refreshing especially if stuck in a slow bad jam! Stall owner is also very friendly - and why not, as he gets business with all the curious cityfolks like us, ha ha!!

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How could I forget this part of our journey....we were one car away (repeat ONE CAR away) from a head on collision. We were so fortunate otherwise whole trip would have been cancelled not to mention the hassel of getting the car towed and repaired, etc. What happen was an coming car over steered or something and ended up bumping the side of the 1st car, then crashed head-on into the 2nd car in front of us (we were the third car that was spared). No one was injured but sufficient damage was done to all cars involved!!