Happy Chinese New Year To All

DOM'S ASIAN TEAHOUSE CHINESE NEW YEAR GREETINGS

在DOM的茶館都可能要在世界各地的華人社會
非常幸福和繁榮 農曆year.
may大家都在進步,你的事業,並努力改進.
預祝你和你的直系親屬非常幸福與和平2007.

Teahouse Malaysian Beef Curry Kari Daging

I would suggest 2 to 3 kg of quality beef meat for example Topside roast or at the very least or Rump steak with its fat trimmed. This is sufficient for 4 people when served with steamed rice and salad. Topside or roast beef is ideal. But avoid shin beef because it would be too tough for our purpose. I am going to keep this as simple as possible. Email me if there is any problem.


Cut the selected lump of topside beef into 2”x 2” fillets along its grain. Then slice the fillets into mouth size pieces across its grain in quarter inch thickness to prevent fast disintegration and overcooking. Set aside the sliced raw meat.



Ingredients :

6 cloves 2 tablespoon sambal oelek chilli sauce
2 cardamom pods Finely dice half a ripened tomato
Crush a knob of fresh ginger 2” in length 2-tablespoon Malaysian curry powder
2 star aniseeds 1/4 bloc of crushed creamed coconut
1 cinnamon quill snapped into half 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 kaffir lime leaves 1 teaspoon ground yellow turmeric
2 medium size brown onion quartered 3 teaspoon red paprika



Methods :

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan with oil and sauté under low heat with a wooden spoon stirring gently in all the mentioned ingredients (till brown onion become translucent) and blend into paste with the melted coconut cream and tomato.

Now add your sliced topside beef into the saucepan. Turn the heat on high for 2 or 3 minutes when blending thoroughly your cooked ingredients and the meat together. Continue stirring till the meat changes to obscure colour.

Add ¼ cup water stirring in to blend. Turn heat back on lowest point and put the lid back on the saucepan. This is to keep all the flavour in. Restir the content at every 10 minutes interval but not to forget to recover the saucepan. Finally add a teaspoon of salt to taste. The whole cooking process should last no longer than 35 minutes.


Bon Apetit’!

Take 5

Teahouse Journal Update

Another hectic year has gone and past and 2007 is really with us. This whole year I plan to first reorganise and then expand my topical conversation . This is more than a food or a diner's journal .

It is a journal and kept record about what I have done over the years reflecting back what I have achieved and how I could do better in the future.

Some of my Diary format will change gradually overtime. I shall include in and explore more new theme and additional labels such as My Travel, Fruits and Vegetables, My Commentary and a host of other related topics that truly reflect my philosophical outlook to life.


I shall also concentrate and dwell more into my other existing theme such as The Teahouse Historical portfolio but I am dutifully reminding myself not to forget and to neglect the major theme on Food Dishes and Spices which is part and parcel and corollary to this Dom's Teahouse Chronicle.

Reunited In A World Apart

What Do They Share In Common?

They are firstly cousin to each other . They live in a world apart from each other and they are all closely related to the author. What is more this is their first reunion and 'get-together' since they were born and they are going to spend for the next few weeks in Australia trying to make up for a lifetime. Mariam on my left from Malaysia is my niece who happens to be my elder brother's daughter . She is an NGO executive working for the World Vision International organisation. Wystan Chevannes my nephew is a young GP out from England on a cricket entourage as part of the 'Barmy Army' organised group attached to the Ashes . The lady in the middle Ms Ming Zhu Hii happens to be my daughter who by profession is a playwright, a dramatist and a stage theatre performer.

Season's Greetings

Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All Mankind

At this time of the year when I see everyone around me enjoying themselves partying wining and feasting together I like to spend sometime thinking and reflecting on those who are more unfortunate than us, those who feel persecuted and those who have not got all their families together. And for those who only dream of going home for Christmas but couldn't quite make it for one reason or another . I also think we ought to remain tolerant and respect human social and cultural difference and encourage religious political and ethnic diversity at all times. Above all I wish understanding harmony peace and goodwill on earth.

My parents had since passed into a better world but in 1902 they along with my other elder relatives were the persecuted Christian minority in Fujian region of China during the declining years of Imperial rule. They were like the pesecuted Huguenots of Europe having to escape France Germany & Holland from charges of heresy and treachery to their respective country. My grandparents were equally ridiculed as 'rice-eating Christians' cajoled ostracised and forced out of their country and eventually sought refuge in Singapore then a British protected colony. From then on they were repatriated to other nearby colonies such as Malaya and British Borneo. My father continued to work dexteriously for the British Borneo Missionary Society whilst in Sarawak and actively assisting Europeans under the Brookes' Administration . Whilst I was still pursuing my tertiary studies in Australia in the 70's he was awarded a Papal Knighthood Order for Chivalry of St Gregory .



To all my viewers wherever you are may we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year together. May you all have a happy and a trouble free Holiday.

A Sentimental Journey

The Teahouse Trademark

Thirty odd years so ago I asked a learned friend of mine from mainland China with regard to a an appropriate logo for a visible identity to the type of product and service that we provide without requirements to formal copyrights and related rigmaroles whereupon he suggested one paper cutting that is commonly used by the peasants in China as direct ornaments for windows and bookmarks. This is supposedly popular in Huiming Prefecture Shandong Province and used almost everywhere by the agrarian working class. There are flower-in-flower, theme-in-theme and subtlety-in-brevity patterns. Deftness is highlighted in the naivety. The themes of Douxiang paper-cutting range from dramatic tales, historical legends, folklores to propitious patterns flowers and herbs.Such peasant revolutionary art is richly reflected in window ornament and embroidery pattern. Students and strident scholars kept them for fancy bookmarks. Affluent class in decorative snuff box and jewelry cases. It is directly cut on papers without a draft pattern by the peasants themselves and widely stocked in antique shops in Asia.

Thanks to the wise decision of my learned scholar. The last I heard of him was that he is now a lecturer at one of New York's institution.The teahouse logo has been in use since 1978This old picture must have been taken in the early part of 1990 at the end of my first lap of running a restaurant marathon. Menus were then restricted to the Malaysian and the Chinese only it was then more popularly known to be a Malaysian Teahouse. The 'flower-girl' logo is clearly imprinted on the door.

The latest addition to a collection of 'flower-girl's at Blackman's Bay 2006. This is a sample of Dom's Teahouse restaurant colour brochure which is exactly a year old now. In fact it was a high school student graphic showpiece which he adopted. With the advent of PC and in-house desktop publishing software nowadays who needs outside commercial printers. But I must admit at times for bulk volume work we still do require their service. You will also find the flower girl logo imprinted on our dining and takeaway menus.

This is the front entrance to the old Salamanca Teahouse Restaurant during the years 1996-2004. Once again you can see that the teahouse tradition has been carried forward by the 'flower-girl' emblem.

The same address except that you can see both the upstair and the downstairs property which all belongs to the same title.

Lastly the 'atrium' but not the least since I have omitted out The Teahouse 'main dining room' which will be uploaded in a more narrative separate post in the near future. This so called terrace section forms the atrium of our yesteryear's restaurant. Highlighted above it is an illuminated flower-girl' signboard.

Playing With Musical Chairs

Festive Season Celebration Down South Coast

2006 Christmas party in session at Dom's Teahouse

Well, it is this time of the year again. I must admit as trading operators we are treading on a very trying time. Christmas period leading up to the New year and a few weeks beyond into the holiday period has to be one of the busiest in our hospitality calender year. I get less time to spend behind my desktop as the business draws most of whatever surplus leisure time I have away.