Curry Noodle & Clear Soup Noodle At Kedai Kopi Ah Chow, Ipoh

This was a Sunday (yesterday), so instead of morning walk, we were preparing to attend Sunday church service.

Sunrise at 7:35am

We were on the way out to Ipoh old town for breakfast at Kedai Kopi Ah Chow.

Rice vermicelli with bbq pork, chicken and prawns in clear soup for me. The prawns were hidden under the noodle.

Hubby ordered curry noodle (dry version) but he didn't specify "dry version", so he was served the usual curry noodle. Poor me drooling over the curry noodle. I am still being a good girl, refraining from spicy food.

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We attended 2 church services at different churches and after the 2nd church service, we attended a sponsored buffet lunch at one of the Salvation Home For The Aged near our area. It was a triple celebration (Christmas, New Year 2023 & Chinese New Year).

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Home cooked dinner.

I finally get to cut down and cleared the bottle gourd vines from my garden. Ingredients for boiling soup: Half bottle gourd, 1 corn on cob, carrot and soft bones.

Hubby's bowl of soup without carrot.

My bowl of soup without the corn. I love corn but have to avoid because it may cause indigestion and wind/gas.

I harvested some home grown siew pak choy or bok choy from the garden. I just plain blanched it.

This is fermented beancurd (fu yue). This is hubby's favourite whenever I cook porridge at home. Recently, I found a way to enjoy this with my rice. I just take a cube and mix it with my steamed brown rice so that I don't get the flat taste in my mouth.

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I found the following mural in the Heritage Town Cafe Gopeng which we visited in June, 2022.

Some chairs covered with black plastic were blocking part of the mural.

Hope to revisit Gopeng soon in the near future.

Linking to Monday Mural.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.

They are plans for good and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

(Jeremiah 29:11, The Living Bible-TLB)

Chili Seedlings & Bottle Gourds

We have another 2 weeks to the Chinese New Year celebration. Somehow, I have managed to convince my lazy self to start off some of the spring cleaning. I am taking my own sweet time to do bit by bit, spacing out the work so as not to tired out myself too much.

Sunrise at 6:40am.

6:45am

This morning I harvested 2 green brinjals / aubergine / eggplants and some chilies from my garden.

A chili seedling has sprouted out from some of the seeds that I have disposed off in the flower pot.

In another pot, there are 3 more chili seedlings which look healthy.

I also harvested 2 bottle gourds from my garden. I think there are 3 to 4 small bottle gourds on the vines. I will wait for these baby gourds to grow big for harvesting before I cut down the vines.

Evening sky at 7:15pm.

Linking to Skywatch Friday.

Sing to the Lord, O kingdoms of the earth - sing praises to the Lord,

to him who rides upon the ancient heavens,

whose mighty voice thunders from the sky.

(Psalm 68:32-33, The Living Bible-TLB)

Waxed Duck, Bottle Gourd Soup & Nai Pak Choy

 This was a nice cool and clear morning. We got ready for morning walk.

Sunrise at 7:02am.

On the reverse side - Kledang Hill.

We settled for shredded chicken noodle for breakfast at our regular coffeeshop.

The boss added a chicken liver to hubby's bowl of kai si hor fun (shredded chicken with flat rice noodle).

He also added something to my bowl: 2 pieces of fried fish cake.

2 bowls for RM11.00, no extra charge for the add-ons.

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Home cooked dinner on a rainy evening.

I boiled soup with bottle gourd, carrot, goji berries, red dates and roast pork bones.

Steamed 1 waxed duck leg. This is hubby's favourite.

Stir fried home grown nai pak choy and ladies fingers with pork slices.

Our dinner on a rainy evening, eaten with steamed brown rice.

The bowl with more soup was hubby's. I like to drink and also eat the soup ingredients. That is the reason why I prefer not to eat rice.

But, O my soul, don't be discouraged.

Don't be upset. Expect God to act!

For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason

to praise him for all that he will do.

He is my help! He is my God!

(Psalm 42:11, The Living Bible-TLB)

Attractive White Flower Of Bottle Gourd

I finally get to see the white flower of the bottle gourd plant and get to take some snap shots of the attractive white flower.

Fan like green leaves of the bottle gourd plants.

Bud of the bottle gourd plant.

Usually the flowers are facing upwards above my head so I couldn't see or take good photos of the flowers. This flower happened to be at the edge of the trellis where I can see it clearly.

Attractive delicate white flower of the bottle gourd.

These are some of the bottle gourds harvested from my garden.

This is still growing well even in this rainy season.

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Breakfast at Kedai Kopi Ah Chow, Ipoh old town on a Thursday morning, 2 days before General Election (GE15). Elder son reached home in the wee hours of the morning and he wanted to catch up on his sleep.

Dry curry noodle for hubby.

Tom yam noodle for me.

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Home cooked dinner 

Pork tenderloin cooked with Sichuan pickled mustard.

Steamed 3 types of eggs (chicken eggs, century egg & salted egg).

Blanched home grown nai pak choy.

Home cooked dinner for 3 people.

Mural found on the back wall of a row of shops in Ipoh new town.

Linking to Monday Mural.

What a God he is! How perfect in every way!

All his promises prove true.

He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him.

(Psalm 18:30, The Living Bible-TLB)

Purple + Green Amaranth & Bottle Gourd From My Garden

On this particular morning, I noticed that the purple and green amaranth were ready for harvest

The above is just enough for 2 people.

I also harvested the above bottle gourd to make soup for dinner.

This is hubby's bowl. He prefers the soup more than the ingredients. I am the one who usually will finish most of the ingredients.

I also make minced meat + fish paste patties.

I blanched the purple and green amaranth.

This is plain without any garlic oil or soy sauce.

This was our dinner without any rice.

I kept back some of the patties for the next day's dinner.

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Thanks to Shirley for sharing the following photos with me.

She saw these chickens when she was out on her morning walk.

These chickens look healthy and well fed.

These chickens belong to one of her neighbours.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

And how can we be sure that we belong to him?

By looking within ourselves:

are we really trying to do what he wants us to?

(1 John 2:3, The Living Bible-TLB)

Fruitful Bottle Gourd Plants In my Garden

There are 3 bottle gourd plants growing in a big pot in my garden.

After harvesting the 1st batch of bottle gourds, more bottle gourds appeared on the vines.

Some of the gourds have different shapes.

But mostly, they are shaped like the above.

I love to see the gourds hanging down from the vines.

There was one hanging down right in the middle of the walking path and hubby and I sometimes get knocked on the head by the gourd. Recently, I harvested one of the biggest gourd and found that it grown a bit old. The skin got very, very hard to cut.

So, I quickly went out to the garden to harvest the above 6 gourds before they got too old. Fortunately, the flesh is still edible and haven't got fibrous. I have used 2 of the gourds for cooking our dinners and given away the other 4 gourds to friends.

1st dinner: A one dish dinner with steamed brown rice.

A self invented dish. I don't have a name for this dish. I made minced chicken breast meat + fish paste patties. I fried the patties. I lightly brown some chopped garlic in the pot, add the cut gourd and water and let it cook. When the gourd is soft, I add the patties and let it simmer a short while, add salt to taste. I forgot that the gourd will release water so it looks like a soupy dish. We finished the whole dish.

2nd dinner: We had boiled gourd soup, steamed Chinese sausage and steamed brown rice.

Ingredients for soup: Bottle gourd, pork rib, carrot, red dates, goji berrries and dried cuttlefish.

Steamed Chinese sausage with casing removed.

Chili and soy sauce dipping.

Visitors to my mini bottle gourd farm.

My friends were wowed by the size of the gourds.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday & My Corner of the World.

Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

(Proverbs 3:7, New Living Translation-NLT)