Tag Archives: Weekend Herb Blogging

Fruit

Cat’s Eye Fruit (Mata Kuching)

16 Comments

Another of Borneo’s unique tropical fruit, the Mata Kuching (Cat’s Eye Fruit) is a cousin of the Longan (Dragon Eye Fruit).

Mata Kuching – Cat’s Eye Fruit

Yellow Mata Kuching Cats Eye Fruit

On the day we went to the market in Serian, we found this fruit which we had never seen before. It was round, about the diameter of a dime, and covered in tough, bumpy, leathery, yellow skin. We asked the vendor what it was, and she said “mata kuching”.

“Is it good?” we asked. Oh, yes, she replied. She let us peel open a few to taste. The fragrance and taste reminded me exactly of longan (dragon eye fruit). I thought to myself, why not give it a shot? So we came home with a kilogram of these fruit.

Continue reading Cat’s Eye Fruit (Mata Kuching) →

Chinese, Poultry, Vegetables

Black Bean Chicken and Bell Peppers Stir-fry

2 Comments

Loving bell peppers is easy when stir-fried with chicken and black bean sauce.

Black Bean Chicken and Bell Peppers 1

When I was younger, there were certain vegetables that I didn’t care for—bittermelon, celery, watercress and bell peppers (specifically green bell peppers). These vegetables tasted bad to me except for watercress (that one I just didn’t like because it was so stringy—we mainly had it in soups and I could never chew it enough to swallow it).

When I met Nate, he had his own food dislikes but they didn’t match mine. I was incredulous that he didn’t like mayonnaise, bananas, and asparagus. Those were all things that I loved. So it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to me that the things he loved, I didn’t – especially bell peppers. And this particular dish of stir-fried chicken with bell peppers in black bean sauce is one of his favorites.

Continue reading Black Bean Chicken and Bell Peppers Stir-fry →

Fruit, Malaysian

Buah Tarap – Borneo’s Unique Tropical Fruit

7 Comments

It smells like a burning tire but tastes like the sweetest custard apple.

opening a buah tarap

We are really happy to be living here in Sarawak. Time and again, the kindness and the generosity of the people here simply blow us away. Last month, when we invited our friend Paul and his family over for a big, home-cooked Japanese meal of miso soup, niku-jaga, kabocha no nimono, and sesame salad with chicken, they brought over a couple of these unique fruits called “buah tarap” to eat for dessert.

Continue reading Buah Tarap – Borneo’s Unique Tropical Fruit →

American, Vegetables

Leek and Potato Soup Recipe

Leave a comment

An easy, healthy, hearty soup with extra oomph.

leek and potato soup

It’s only been in the past year or so that I’ve discovered leeks. Before that, I would use it if it was called for in a recipe, like the cioppino hot pot recipe, but otherwise, I did not know how to cook with it. But this past year, I visited the farmer’s market a lot more and tried to experiment a little bit more with unfamiliar ingredients.

Whenever I would see leeks on sale at the market, I would normally buy some and treat them like onions in several of my dishes, putting them in my quiches, soups or even in my stir-fries. But really, this humble soup is one of the most wonderful ways to showcase leeks.

Continue reading Leek and Potato Soup Recipe →