Family Vacation (Perth) - Day 1

I bought some very good deal MH flight tickets to Perth sometime in October last year during the MITF. So, after almost 6 months since the tickets booking, we finally travel to Australia for the second time for our family holidays. This time around, there were 2 additional passengers i.e my 4 yo boy and the kids' grandma. It was Iman's first flight experience so I was a bit nervous because he's a very restless and loud kid. My biggest worry is that he will scream up there in the plane, jumping here and there, disturbing people and the other passengers will get annoyed. 

Our departure time was 9:30am on a Sunday. We were there around 7:15am, parked our car at the long term parking zone, dropped our luggage at the web checked in counter, catch a 20 minutes breakfast before going to the departure hall...and there was a very very long queue. When we finally passed the gate, then there was another long queue at the passport autogate. By the time we board the train and finally reached the plane, it was already 9:15am. Probably we were the reason why the plane was delayed by half an hour as it only took off at 10am.

I guessed since this is his first time in the aeroplane and still wondering what was happening, Iman is quite ok to handle. Just playing with his Ipad, eat his breakfast and playing with his newly acquired helicopter. After a while, he fall asleep. Alhamdulillah.

We reached Perth airport around 3:30pm. After collecting our luggage and take the fast lane since we have no food or dairy products to declare, we got off from the airport around 4:30pm with our 8 seater rental. Oh..by the way, if you did not declare anything, you will be required to drop your luggage and bags at one marked line and the dog will check them for you whether you are telling the truth or not so for future travelers to Australia...don't lie. For us, we purposely decided not to bring any food whether canned or packed because we know we can buy the same thing in Perth, just bring the money.

It was a 15 minutes drive to Swan Riverside Apartment where we will be staying for the next 4 nights. It is a 3 bedroom apartment fully equipped with kitchen facilities, washer, dryer and secured parking. A very nice and cosy apartment. When we reached there, the owner has already waiting at the car park. She guided us through the basement parking and then all the way up to the apartment. She also provided us with some complimentary bread, butter, eggs and some other ration for tomorrow's breakfast. And she also put some nice cold ginger beer in the fridge...as if we are going to consume that. They're still there when we left...hehehe.

The view from this apartment was magnificent. The balcony is overlooking the beautiful Swan River and from the left side of the balcony, Perth City is waving at us. Let the pictures do the talking.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:
6 large eggs plus one additional egg white - separated, cover and bring to room temperature
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
Orange zest - grated from 2 oranges
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 tbsp caster sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and prepared one 25cm 2-pc ungreased tube pan.
2. Combine and beat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt using your handheld electric mixer or a whisk. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the yolks, oil, juice, zest and vanilla essence. Beat/whisk until no patches of flour visible, about 1 minute. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy and add the cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Add 3 tbsp caster sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in one spoonful of the egg white into the yolk batter and carefully blend them together. Then fold in the remaining egg white mixture into the batter and blend.
5. Pour batter into the ungreased tube pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, turn the pan upside down and place it on a flat surface for cooling process. Let the cake cool for about 1- 2 hours before removing it from the pan.

Chocolate Banana Marble Bread

Ingredients:
3 medium very ripe bananas, at room temperature
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup unsifted unsweetened good cocoa powder
3 tablespoon boiling water, plus more if needed
180gm unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Lightly spray the 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil and line with a parchment paper that extends 1 inch beyond the long edge of both side s of the pan.
2. Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork or using a food processor. Mash or process to a smooth puree. Measure 1 cup of the puree and transfer it to a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and whisk until blended. Set aside.
3. Sift the cake flour, baking soda and baking powder into a medium bowl. Whisk to blend well and set aside.
4. Place the cocoa powder in the small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. If it is too thick, add a little water. Set aside.
5. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium high until the butter is very light and white in colour, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a silicone spatula.
6. On medium speed, gradually add the beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon at a time. About halfway through, turn the mixer off and scrape down the bowl. Continue adding the rest of the eggs. Scrape the bowl again.
7. On low speed, add one third of the flour mixture. Add half of the banana mixture. Repeat with the flour-banana-flour. Scrape down the bowl and finish blending the batter by hand using a silicone spatula.
8. Transfer half of the batter to a clean medium bowl. Add the cocoa paste and blend well.
9. Drop alternating spoonfuls of dark and light batters into the prepared pan, then marbleize by using a spoon or knife.
10. Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely in the pan. When cool, remove from the pan, peel off the parchment paper and cut slices with a serrated knife.

Note:

To ensure that the cake has an intense burst of banana flavor, be sure to use bananas that are very ripe and soft, with plenty of black spots speckling their skins.

Trailing Botanical Park Putrajaya

Our Putrajaya park trailing continued today with an evening walk in the Botanical Park or Taman Botani in Putrajaya. It is a man made tropical garden which located in Precint 1 and houses all kinds of Malaysian living plants as well as other tropical flora and fauna. 

We started our trail from the Canopy Bridge which is accessible from the park's tourists' center.

Some of wooden planks has already deteriorated, so please be careful

And then we passed by the Heliconia Trail..

A sad looking bananas

We reached at the Vine Garden...not many flowers though...another sad looking garden.

Leaving the Heliconia Trail, we reached the Sun and Palm Garden...the garden is beautiful overlooking the lake and PM's residence.

A nice place to watch the sunset...

Just like any other parks in Putrajaya, the grey colored pathway is for bicycles and prams and the other one is for walkers or joggers.

Going home...another good walk