Recipe: Chilli Con Carne

So now and again, I would try making something new in the kitchen for BabySumoKids to try. A couple of weeks ago, I made Chilli con carne - a spicy Tex-Mex meat stew with kidney beans and tomatoes.

I usually make this with beef mince, but you can also use beef chunks if you prefer. The beef is slow cooked along with onion, red pepper, garlic, tomato puree, beef stock as well as spices such as ground cumin, paprika powder and hot chilli powder. Incredibly easy to put together and makes such a homey, comforting dish. You can make a huge batch and have it over several meals too, as it keeps really well in the freezer. My favourite way of serving chilli con carne is with rice or tortilla chips (or both! cos why not?), along with some sour cream and half a creamy avocado each. Yum!

Chilli con carne

Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from BBC Good Food
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves 4-5


Ingredients
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

500g beef mince

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp hot chilli powder

300ml water

1 beef stock cube

1 can (400ml) tomato puree

1 can (400g) kidney beans

1 tsp caster sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve

Boiled white rice

Freshly chopped herbs (eg basil or coriander)

2 avocados, peeled and sliced

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, add oil and then saute the onions for about 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, red pepper, ground cumin, hot chilli powder and paprika powder and saute for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Next, add the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes, until evenly browned.

3. Pour in the beef stock and tomato puree, and season with the sugar and some salt and black pepper. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to ensure the sauce doesn't catch on the bottom of the pot.

4. Add the kidney beans and continue simmering for a further 10 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt or black pepper as required. Turn off the heat and leave the chilli to stand, with cover on, for 30 minutes before serving. 

5. Serve the chilli with sour cream, tortilla chips, or rice.

chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe chilli con carne recipe

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Christine's Bakery, Sunway Geo: New Menu 2020

Since its inception in 2017, Christine's Bakery, located in Sunway Geo, has made a name for itself and is now touted as the place to visit for delicious high-quality hand-rolled bagels and pastries. The inviting smell of freshly baked bread greeted us as we stepped inside this cosy bakery-cum-cafe. Rows of pastries and cakes, baked in-house daily, all seem to be calling out my name.

Christine's Bakery is best known for its bagel sandwiches with exciting fillings. They are passionate about what they do, so everything is baked daily using the finest ingredients, and without added preservatives and MSG, to ensure freshness of the product. Earlier this month, they launched a new menu, offering exciting new sandwich fillings as well as more varieties of bread such as homemade croissant and sourdough to pair with the fillings. 

Our personal favourite here is the Texas Burger (RM32.80), which we paired with the original hand-rolled bagel. A new addition to the menu, the bagel is lightly toasted and layered with an amazingly juicy burger patty (made from 85% USA Angus cornfed beef and 15% Japanese Wagyu fat), crunchy tempura onion rings, caramelised onion, cheddar cheese, and smoky BBQ aioli. Now, this is what I call a burger! And I can certainly see what the rage about the bagels are all about...absolutely top-notch.

A meat lover's dream, the Wagyu Steak Out (RM36.80) is a must-try! A 100g Wagyu steak, perfectly cooked to medium rare doneness, is complimented beautifully with mozzarella cheese, mustard BBQ sauce, pickled cabbage, caramelised onions, roasted tomato and garden greens. This time, we had it with the sourdough bread, which was excellent too. 

So far so good, we're loving the well-thought out fillings for these sandwiches. Next, we also went for the classic bagel filling of salmon and cream cheese-  the Surf (RM25.80). We chose the Sea Salt hand-rolled bagel (other bagel choices include seeded, pumpkin, cheese and walnut) for this sandwich. You get generous amounts of homecured salmon slices, cucumber cream cheese, roasted tomato, capers, red onion and garden greens.

Another new item on the menu is the Truffle Unagi (RM32.80), which we paired with another newbie, the homemade croissant. The croissant was the star here with all the beautiful flaky layers. This is similar to an unagi bowl, but in sandwich form - with truffle-infused Japanese unagi kabayaki, cucumber cream cheese and omelette. 

Do leave some room for desserts - there are pastries, tarts, cakes, and more. We highly recommend the signature Portuguese egg tarts (RM3.40), with its crisp buttery crust and creamy custard centre. We also loved the luscious Salted Caramel Mille Crepe (RM13.90) and the Strawberry Tart which reminds us of our summer days in Scotland. 

Christine's Bakery Menu

Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo Christine's Bakery Sunway Geo 

Opening times: 8am to 9pm daily.

Location: Christine's Bakery, B-02-01,  Sunway Geo, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Sunway South Quay, 47500 Jaya, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (Parking RM1 for first 3 hours)

Tel: 016-363 4183

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Recipe: Bihun Goreng Putih (Fried White Meehoon)

 Pre-MCO, we would ocassionally visit the Malay food truck in the morning for some of our favourite Malaysian breakfast items such as nasi lemak, curry puff, kuih and more. 

My go-to breakfast item is the bihun putih, literally translated to white meehoon (vermicelli); a very humble, simple dish of bihun stir fried with only cabbage, some egg, carrot and choy sum. It is seasoned with chicken stock so it retains its pure snow white appearance. Basic but very delicious, especially topped with copious amount of sweet-spicy sambal. If you want it to be vegetarian, you can replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

When the craving hits, you gotta cook it yourself at home! My version tastes just like the ones we get from the food truck, but with slightly more "liao" (ingredients). If you are feeling luxe, you can serve it with sambal prawns or rendang. 

bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun goreng putih bihun 
Bihun Goreng Putih (White Meehoon)
Recipe by Baby Sumo

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients
200g meehoon, soaked in tap water for 2-3 minutes
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
2 bunch pak choy, cut into 1" lengths
3-4 cabbage leaves, roughly chopped
400ml chicken stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp light soy sauce
Salt, to taste

Serve with sambal or rendang


1. Beat the eggs and season with light soy sauce. In a wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the egg mixture and spread the egg around with your spatula so that you get a thin omelette. Cook until the top is almost set, then flip the omelette and cook for a further 15 seconds. Using your spatula, roughly chop the omelette into small pieces. Remove from wok and set aside.

2. Heat same wok with 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Add carrot and cabbage and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary, adding more chicken stock granules or salt as necessary.

4. Add the meehoon and pak choy and cover. Allow meehoon to braise in the stock for about 2 minutes. Uncover and you will see that most of the sauce has been soaked in, add the egg back in and give it a good stir.

5. Serve with sambal or rendang (optional). It is also good eaten on its own. 

fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon fried white meehoon
If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Le Meridien Putrajaya: 2020 Mooncakes

Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with handcrafted mooncakes from Le Mei, Le Meridien Putrajaya. This year, the hotel is offering five different flavours, namely the Mini snow skin with raspberry and cashew nut, Low sugar white lotus paste with wasabi and pistachio nuts, White lotus paste with single egg yolk, Pandan paste with hazelnut, and Assorted fruits and nuts.

The mooncakes are handmade daily at the hotel's kitchen by Chef Yau Fong Peng and his team. Available from now until 1 Oct 2020, the mooncakes are presented in a vibrant, colourful box with hidden images of rabbits. Legend has it that the moon rabbit is a companion of the moon goddess.

Mini snow skin with raspberry and cashew nut (RM20)

Low sugar white lotus paste with wasabi and pistachio nuts (RM33)

Le Meridien Putrajaya - Mooncake List

Add caption

The mooncakes are priced from RM20 onwards, with 20% discount available for purchases made with selected credit cards from Maybank, CIMB, Hong Leong, Standard Chartered and UOB. For further information or to place an order, please call 03-8689 6888 or send them an email on dining.lmputrajaya@lemeridien.com. Purchases can also be made at the mooncake counter at the hotel's lobby from 12pm - 8pm or at Le Mei from 12pm-10pm.

mooncakes le meridien putrajaya mooncakes le meridien putrajaya mooncakes le meridien putrajaya
mooncakes le meridien putrajaya mooncakes le meridien putrajaya mooncakes le meridien putrajaya

Location: Le Mei, Le Meridien Putrajaya, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City, 62502 Putrajaya, Sepang, Malaysia (located next to IOI City Mall).

Tel: 03-8689 6888

Website: http://www.lemeridienputrajaya.com

GPS Coordinates: 2.969213, 101.712596


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, KL: Craftsman Menu

Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar is no stranger to the KL fine dining scene. Under the helm of Chef Daniel Cheong, this stalwart is still going strong after more than 10 years in operation and is well-loved for its elegant, refined French-Japanese cuisine.

Earlier last week, we went to Sage for a spot of daytime dating while the kids were in school. Just like the good old times! Service is still excellent as ever, with all SOPs and social distancing adhered to. Currently for lunch, they offer a 4-course Lunch Set Menu (RM150) and 5-course Craftsman Menu (RM298). We went for the Craftsman Menu, which comes with more premium ingredients such as Wagyu and foie gras as well as a complimentary glass of red or white wine. Similar to the lunch set menu, the Craftsman Menu also changes on a weekly basis - first released as the Plat Du Jour menu every Saturday for dinner, and then served throughout the week as the lunch Craftsman Menu.

To start, Chef Daniel always serves one of his signature cold appetizers. A deceptively simple soba served with thin slices of kombu-jime shima aji with a dash of their divine truffle soy. So exquisite... one of my all-time favourites! While waiting for our next course, we enjoyed their freshly baked breads with the signature basil dip and sipped on their welcome "virgin mojito" drink. 

The next appetizer, is a luscious slab of pan seared foie gras with Muscat grape and red wine reduction, followed by a palate cleanser of zesty Bentong Ginger and wild honey sorbet.

For mains, diners have a choice of three different dishes to choose from - usually a selection of fish, lamb or beef. We both went for the Australian Wagyu striploin with chasseur sauce. Simply irresistible, the Wagyu was cooked to perfection... every mouthful a delight to savour.

For a sweet end to our meal, we had the Belgium white chocolate torte with white truffle ice cream (which is totally amazing btw!) with your choice of coffee or tea. 

To view Sage KL menus, click here. Lunch is available every Monday to Friday from 12pm to 2pm, and dinner is served from Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 10.30pm. Reservations highly recommended.

sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl sage kl Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar  Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar  Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar  Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar  Sage Restaurant

Location: Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603-2268 1328

Website: https://www.sagekl.com/

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Recipe: Paella with Chorizo, Tiger Prawns and Crispy Bacon

It's World Paella Day on 20 September! If you love paella and have always wanted to try making it at home, do give this easy recipe a try.

Paella is a rice dish originating from Valencia in Spain. It is most commonly eaten on Sundays or during lunchtime. For me, it's THE must-order dish whenever we visit a Spanish restaurant, other than the tapas. Vibrant and full of flavour, what's not to love?

Since I posted our recipe video on YouTube, I have been receiving requests to post the recipe on my blog too, so here it is!

Paella is usually made in a paellera, aka paella pan, however, if you do not own one of this, you don't have to rush out to get one. Instead, you can use a flat-based wok, which I believe most Asians would have in their kitchen.

If you can get Spanish bomba rice, that would be the best for this dish, however if you can't, a good substitute would be arborio (which we use for making risotto) or Japanese sushi rice. For our paella, we added chorizo sausage, tiger prawns and crispy bacon - man, it was so flavorful and delicious! It was ssurprisingly easy to make too - if you've made risotto before, the process is pretty similar to that. 

Enjoy this recipe video we made for our YouTube channel too!

Paella with Chorizo, Tiger Prawns and Crispy Bacon

Recipe by Baby Sumo, inspired by Gordon Ramsay

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients
200g chorizo sausage, sliced
150g streaky bacon, sliced

8 tiger prawns, trimmed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 mini sweet peppers, cubed

1 large red chilli, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp paprika powder

250g arborio rice

900ml chicken stock

1/4 tsp saffron strands, soaked in 2 tbsp hot water

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

2. Add onion, garlic and peppers and saute for 2 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add chorizo sausage, paprika and red chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add rice and stir for 2-3 minutes, until rice is coated in oil. Then, pour in chicken stock, saffron and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until rice is tender. If the paella gets too dry before it's ready, you can add in extra water, about 100ml at a time. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper as necessary.

4. Once the rice is tender and 85% of the stock has been absorbed, stir in the peas. Then, arrange the tiger prawns over the top of the paella, cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until prawns are cooked.

5. Sprinkle the crispy bacon over the paella and enjoy!

paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe
paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe paella recipe

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)

Recipe: Sui Kow 水饺 (Boiled Dumplings)

Other than wantan, another must-have dish when we're having wantan mee is sui kow 水饺, also known as boiled dumplings. Sui kow are slightly bulkier and contains more ingredients than wantan. Some of the ingredients you can add are finely chopped cabbage, spring onions, Chinese mushroom as well as wood ear fungus (mok yee). Sui kow is one of the easiest dumplings you can make, as you do not need any special folding techniques; simply run your fingers over the edges with water and press to seal.

You can enjoy these juicy boiled dumplings with a vinegar dipping sauce. It also goes well with noodle dishes as well as served in a clear soup with some greens.

Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe Sui kow recipe

Sui kow 水饺 (Boiled Dumplings)
Recipe by Baby Sumo

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Makes 28

Ingredients

200g dumpling wrappers

For the sui kow filling
200g minced pork
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
100g cabbage, finely chopped
2 Chinese mushrooms, diced

1 large wood ear fungus, soaked for 2 hours and roughly chopped
A large pinch of white pepper

For the dipping sauce
1 tbsp aged black vinegar (laocu)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2cm ginger, julienned
1 tbsp finely chopped spring onions



1. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the sui kow filling. Using your hands, mix well. 

2. Prepare a small bowl of water. Take a wrapper and fill with 1 tbsp of filling. Dip your finger in the water and run it over the edge of the wrapper. Fold and press gently to seal. Repeat for remaining wrappers.

3. Bring a pot of water to the boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, add 1/3 of the dumplings and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the skin is translucent and they float to the top. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside, and repeat for remaining dumplings.

4. Place ingredients for dipping sauce in a small bowl and mix well.

5. Serve dumplings with dipping sauce. You can also serve it with noodles or in a bowl of clear soup. 

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks :)