Thursday 25 February 2010

Potty about Pie Tee (and of course Amy!)

One lazy aternoon, I was watching Australian MasterChef on TV, when from the corner of my eyes I saw the lights on the router stop blinking. That was about a month ago and that spelt a month's absence from blogosphere. I had withdrawal symptoms; cold sweat, palpitation and all but after some time I got used to it. The BB is great because I could check my emails, and with a top up mobile internet, we survived. The only snag is that it wouldnt allow me to log into my own blog. There was a content control.

Just now, ag, after recovering from his jetlag, spent an hour on the phone to someone perhaps in the Indian sub-continent, trying to sort out our internet problems. And now, at least one light is blinking.


Anyway, the time away from the internet afforded me the time to pursue other interests; apart from waiting for Search and finally after 30 years, listening to Amy singing Isabella live! As if that wasnt enough, over nasi lemak and teh tarik at Tuk Din's Restaurant, Amy told me the story of Search and Isabella!
A perfect breakfast at Tuk Din's: Amy, nasi lemak and nescafe tarik!
(Wanda - eat your heart out!)
And of course I had more time to indulge in other less exciting things such as making pie tee. It was just out of the blue that I thought I should try my skills making pie tee. AG came home with two moulds and I began experimenting. It wasn't that easy.

With Chef Fauzi at Tuk Din's, we put our heads together and finally produced some very fine Top Hats worth putting on the menu.

But it was such a tedious job which requires the precision of rocket science, patience and concentration.

There in the kitchen of Tuk Din, we experimented with Isabella blaring in the background, for it is still Isabella fever here eventhough Amy and company had long left the British soil.

Although Chef Fauzi couldnt make the perfect Top Hat just yet, he made the most beautiful fillings to complement the cases that I produced. It took a few hours to make but just a few minutes to finish them off.

 Pie Tee: A Chef Fauzi-Kak Teh Productions

Normal blogging will now resume.

Salam Maulidurrasul to all and may Allah bless us.

57 comments:

3yearshousewife said...

K.Teh,
I thought you were on assignment somewhere due to the long absence. Welcome back.
Your Pie tee looked soooo delicious, I could easily finish that one in minutes too.
You and Amy Search over nasi lemak, sangatlah jeles.

kay_leeda said...

Dear Kak Teh,

"Isabella adalah...." Used to sing my boy to sleep with that tune back in the 80s. Still a favourite I must admit.

Yes...welcome back to blogsphere Kak :) Adusss...am drooling at your pie tee and so, so jeles of you, Amy and nasi lemak!!!

D said...

Tee hee... I was wondering what happened to you?! Kot beku sejuk sangat ke..

wah, pie tee?!! bestnya!!

Iskandar aka DR Bubbles said...

Hehehe...I am not Mr.Kumar from Bombay wanting to ask you whether your internet is OK already..Hehehe..

Mana dapat Pie Tee mould tu? I dok teringat Pie Tee Little Penang.Sos cili depa sedap.Lain dari yang lain. Depa letak kaskas kot. Kena pi sana lagi ni. Nanti I ambil gambar and email to you.Hehehe...

Kak Teh said...

3yrshousewife, Yes, I have been busy but that had never stopped me blogging. Bila dah tak ada internet, then i was sort of forced to do other things - er, like pie tee!

kay, macam mana anak you boleh tidor dengan lagu Isabella, especially when you hit the high note? heheh, am sure he still has that song in his head. Yes, amy and nasi lemak and teh tarik - perfect combination.

Kak Teh said...

D, memang sejuk beku semuanya. Otak pun beku. Bila nak mai London and i can make you pie tee.

Iskandar, yes, I have tried the pie tee at Little Penang. Memang best. I have yet to perfect it. Now that the internet is running and blogging resumed, susahlah tu.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mother of Tabby! I thought you've gone on some IT cold turkey treatment...hahaha... Anyway, did Amy tell you he owns a restaurant too? Cheng Ho's the name, if I'm not mistaken, somewhere in Ampang. Here's to more Tabby tales...purrr...meow!

Kak Teh said...

cat-in-sydney, of course he did. and it is called Cheng Ho. am sure he has many dishes that cats love. You must go during one of your trips back.
i think he is very intereseted in opening more restaurants> he was talking abt opening one in Dublin.

Naz in Norway said...

You're back!
I'm still MIA here at blogistan. So many things to do. Oh! that pie tee looks delish. Do you do home delivery? ;D

kamal latiff said...

nampak sedap sunggoh....lebih2 lagi kalu di luak tu sejook....kat mana kedai tuk din ni kak teh? kirim salam kat dia no.., kata i ni yang pinjam songket dia dulu untuk some concept dengan lord foster, masa tu dia di malaysia hall byranston sq.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Isy isy isy.. lamanya hilang! ingat dah keraih jadi ais dah..LOL
Am joining the 'welcome back' chorus. you have been missed...

Kak Teh said...

naz, mesti syok balik lama. but i bet it must be a shock to the system to e back in the cold. my hugs to your adorable children - habark kata peluk cium daripada beradik-beradik.

Will do home delivery - Insyaallah, one day.

kamal, are you still in London? kedai Tuk Din di 41 Craven Road, Paddington. very near the station. Insyaallah i will kirim your salam to him, but i bet he reads this comment.

Kak Teh said...

puteri, keraih-keraih kat joints tu memang dah tanda athritis. maklumlah umork dah lanjut. That is why if i dont resume blogging, that will be it.

Thanks for the warm welcome. it helps when the weather here is so unpredictable.

mekyam said...

i knew it had to be something technical!

[not to mention ag dragging his feet in the tropics... ;D]

but so very delighted to have you [and ag] back again in blogistan!

p.s. now that all is as it should be again with my blogworld, i shall proceed to find amy and "isabella" on youtube...

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Howdy stranger, that ‘forced’ cold turkey was tough wasn’t it? Glad u survived..hehehe.

I must say your Pie Tee looks very tempting but if u don’t mind me saying, ‘the presentation still got room for improvement’, overly clustered on one plate & that sauce dressing looks more like a mess lah…..muahaha. So soli hah, only constructive criticism only mah :))

Keep warm & many cheers,
Tommy

Zendra-Maria said...

Kak Teh, you made me go cold turkey off your blog, but now I'm returning to being addicted once again.

Hahaha re the pie tees, practise makes perfect. Pretty soon you will be wearing your own master-chef's top hat for that pic on the package of your own brand of pie-tees :D

Ms B said...

KT,

I saw him at H Villa and chatted a bit. He wasnt exactly as I pictured. Those Hujan boys (did I get the name right?) as well. I suppose media has managed to create certain expectation (re physical features). :)

The other day I was trying to translate fantasia bulan madu to the young lady and somehow it cracked her. LOL!

Yang-May Ooi said...

Welcome back to the blogosphere!

tireless mom said...

Welcome back Kak Teh. Saw your pic at Dato' Jaafar's blog and I know you are ok, but surprise surprise... one notch up pulak, dah lepas pandai buat pie tee. I am sure orang kat Chicken Rice shop akan mencari cari Kak Teh to make sure you are no competitor of theirs!

NanaDJ said...

Kak Teh,

Welcome back! You are greatly missed. Every day I kept hoping that you will be back. Now the rindu dah terubat.
So you have added making pie tee to your repertoire. Well done! What next, halwa nikbat?
Salam and love to you both

ilene said...

Oh, now I know the reason for your absence. Well, at least something good came out of it! Your pie tee does look delicious. Now that the lights are blinking again, I suppose the pie tee moulds are packed away?! hahaha ....

Kak Teh said...

mekyam, when it comes to things technical, i put my hands up in defeat. AG was trying to direct me over the phone to do this and that - no way I could do it. Anyway, at least one light is blinking and I've still got limited use of wireless. Hope you are enjoying Isabella as much as i did listening to Amy performing live.

Tommy Yew, that is what we call art. I take responsibility cramming all the top hats in one small plate and Chef Fauzi did the sauce. No one noticed the mess because the top hats disappeared within minutes. Mess, what mess, I hear them say. hehe!

Kak Teh said...

Zendra, pie tee is a real challenge - just like making roti jala. A lot of wastage and a lot of patience needed. You spend hours hovering over hot stove and they all go in minutes, kan?

Ms B, i wonder what the translation sounds like. Amy is nice. I like him and his easy and unassuming character.

YMO, yes indeed i am back! cant wait for 25th for the getogether!

Kak Teh said...

TM, thanks for alerting me about Dt Jaafar's blog. Yes, I bumped into him and Datin in Malaysia Hall and of course we met up for dinner.

NanaDJ, halwa nikbat? OMG what is that? I will need another spell of internet interuption to experiment with that. )

ilene, now that is a challenge. What can i do to convince you that the mould wont be left to rust?

Tunku Halim said...

Kak Teh - Tuk Din's looks wonderful ... we must go there on my next trip to London! :)

Kak Teh said...

Tunku, that's a date! actually Tuk Din's was the restaurant we were supposed to go to the last time u were here but they were not quite ready. Sure, just let me know when.

ilene said...

Wish I'm nearer to you to see to it that the moulds won't turn rusty!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mother of Tabby,
Why Dublin? Maybe I should send a delegation to him and persuade him to open one in Sydney instead. Oh, I'm still upset that Gordon Ramsay chose to open his in Melbourne instead of Sydney. Used some of his famous *f* word when I heard the news. Or maybe Tuk Din could branch out? purrr....meow!

Hazia said...

Salam Maulidur Rasul:)

Kak Teh said...

ilene, if you are near me, we'll have pie tee in the warm summer afternoons, watching eastenders or masterchef on tv. How about that?

Cat-in-sydney, tu lah tu! You know, i also interviewed Gordon Ramsay last month. Luckily he was onhis best behavior and not one F word was heard.
I hear that the group Hujan is performing in Australia - though which part tak tahu.

Hazia, same to you and take care.

Ajzie said...

Salam Maulidur Rasul

Isabella...Nigina...Gadisku... sgt suka

Kak Teh said...

Ajzie, salam maulidurrasul to you too.
Lagu yang lain tu semua kak teh tak tau. mesti tengok you tube.

Unknown said...

Salam..I do not know whether I can wade through it, your pie t's and tophats..might need my gobek..but I remember feeling proud reading your take on Noor Zaitun Yahya and that pic of her with her 6 children and hubby..yes, a bitterly cold morn..but not bitter enough to hide the pride and joy of her children..cheers..

Kak Teh said...

pak mat, no gobek needed for the pie t as its quite crunchy. As for Noor Zaiton, yes, we are all proud of her. She is in good company producing work worth the award.

It was indeed a bitterly cold morning. I dont know how i managed to take that photograph.

Anonymous said...

First, the mouthwatering otak-otak at Cat-in-Sydney's. Now, the pie-tee at Kak Teh's. ish!ish! I never knew that surfing blogs late on a Saturday night could be so hazardous for the tummy. Now you girls have got me hankering for BOTH otak-otak and pie-tee. *laughs*

Welcome back to blogsphere, Kak Teh. Know that you've been missed -- an awful lot!!!

Al-Manar said...

Is this the Tukdin where you took Kak Mah and anak cucu for meals? Abang Ngah was secrectly envious listening to her endless tales of her meals with you andfamily, and the lovely cold days in London. And here I was getting roasted.
Salaam to everyone
Abang Ngah

Kak Teh said...

andrea, it was scary how after the first two weeks of cold turkey, i actually got used to not blogging and not even surfing. Thus the pie tee. My children will testify to the fact I am no expert in the kitchen and they were quite suspicious of the two metal moulds that AG brought home.

I must say, I find it quite therapeutic - not unlike ironing.

Kak Teh said...

abang ngah, it is indeed the sama place. You know that I am no wizard in the kitchen and nothing would match kak mah's nasi dagang SO i played safe and took them there. Also i have a cat patient in the lounge which i think would put them off their food.

We could listen for hours to rayyan talking about his cat Glasgow who was in hospital.

Do come , Abang Ngah, and we can go to Tuk DIn and do more than that like take a walk down memory lane.

Next month you'll have three visitors. Make them work for their supper.

ilene said...

Kak Teh, I love your proposals! What a temptation! Come Monday, I'm going to check on my bank account! hahaha....

Kak Teh said...

Ilene, summer is a long way away, so keep the tabung ayam fed till then. Meanwhile I will perfect the art of Top Hat making. Pie Tee with Ilene in summer sounds nice.

Madam Tai Tai Again said...

Cool moment there, Kak Teh - the cold winter weather, the nasi lemak and nescafe tarik and breakfasting with Amy Search! Wow!

Has Tuk Din roped you in to help out in his restaurant ke?

KG said...

Kak Teh,

Tiap tiap hari I dok tunggu your update, miss you! And Pie Tee, I also have the acuan, but when to make? The Bombay beryani masala tu dah try ke Kak Teh?

Pi Bani said...

I pun ingat kot you busy with assignments sana-sini. Rupanya internet problem. Tapi sempat juga tu gi dating dengan Amy... ;)

I think I boleh mati kutu without internet lah.

Kak Teh said...

madam tai tai no more, oh no what would i do at Tuk Din's? menyibuk boleh la. I had actually made the pie tee cases for our weekly tazkirah at Tuk Din's and asked Fauzi to make the fillings. But that night the restaurant was usy so he ouldnt We decided to do it on another day. We decided to try them out in the kitchen. The second and subsequent attempts were more successful. Fauzi made the most beautiful filings for pie tee. Your next visit, nanti kita buat, okay?

Kak Teh said...

KG, i think after a month tak blog i can sort of pace myself and be more disciplined - so much to do now. and masala beriani, OMG! memang terlupa. We are always at Tuk Din's eating his delicious food and Chef Fauzi'z cooking. Tapi semalam sempat pulak buat nasi tomato, which is quite easy. Nanti kak teh try.

Kak Teh said...

Pi Bani, Yes, when i came back, i was very busy with visits from ministers and most of all, visits bt school inspectors at the school ( I also teach!) on top of that tak ada internet - mati terus - luckily ada internet mobile - tapi limisted use - to log in blogs i have to register and pay two pounds pulak - tak payah lah. kononnya ada content control.

now that my husanbd is ack - at least we've got one pc working. He is now working on the router I have the wireless laptop, tu pun kena share dengan budak2.

Pi tengok Amy search tu kerja...hehe, especially having breakfast with him. tu pun kerja jugak. heheh!

Mama Huptihup said...

yeay..yeay! kak teh dah ada!! *teddy bear hugs*

Kak Teh said...

yeah, yeah, yeah, lyana dah mai!
amboi lyana pun lama tak update, kan? dok buat apa? anak-anak sehat ka?

Mama Huptihup said...

kak teh,

skrg ni co-pilot dah balik kg..i kena buat semua sorg2...lagipun otak ni mcm dah x berapa berfungsi utk menulis haha...ank2 ok..lani homeschooling, bulan depan kot i nak hntr sekolah balik, mencabar kesabaran sungguh jd cikgu ank2 sendiri ni :D

Kak Teh said...

lyana, sabar, sabar! semuanya dugaan. Kirim salam kat Pak Usop.
dan jaga anak-anak baik-baik.

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

Love, love, love the shot of Breakfast @ tukdin. Clean logo, pretty location, and OMG food. What an incentive to be in London again, since 2001. Gotta start cracking on a new paper for a symposium @ LBS. It's a tall order, but I believe I have a fighting chance of success.

Kak Teh said...

GUiKP, does this mean we will see you here in cold gloomy london? Now, that is something to look forward to. Let us know when.

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

Kalau jadi (i.e. paper accepted) the London trip will be in summer InsyaAllah. That pix of the two celebs having breakfast should be used by AirAsia to promote its London destination. By the way, I've shared your kuih ketayap @ Nahar Cafe London anecdotes with my former A-Levels mates in Facebook. Tak pe kan, Kak Teh?

Kak Teh said...

Salam GUiKP, it i a summer date then!and we can book that table by the window at Tuk Din's.

I still remember that incident at nahar - my son had tears running down his cheeks and he was clutching his stomach trying not to laugh. sure, you can share that story.

Unknown said...

Salam Kak Teh,
I am trying to get in touch with Tuk Din. We were housemates in London about 30 years ago. I can vouch to his cooking then. Can you provide me with his email, or ask him to contact me.
Regards,
NORDIN MOHAMAD

Kak Teh said...

salam nordin, i will let Tok din know - I think if you google Tuk Din, you will get pages aout him. His restaurant - Tuk Din is in Paddinton: 41, Craven Road, Paddington. Restaurant phone number is: 02077236955. Will get his email for you.

Kak Elle said...

wow! new version of pie tee...nyonya cusine maybe derive from the word pie berinti...next time you are here will get for you the ready made pie tee cases.