Betau Valley

Betau Valley

Monday 28 July 2014

Rhythm of the forest during the dry spell...

The onset of the draught and haze has brought some drastic changes to the forest, especially the usually lively dark forest floor now that things are a bit dry and "crispy"...

 A beetle among the leaf litter...

A seed germinating in the dark forest floor...

 Where moisture is still available, some fungus thrive...

A pair of very large Stick insects along the jungle path...

The Centaur Oak Blue, Arhopala centaurus, caught in mid-flight...

A Chequered Flame in the dark understorey...

Honey hives are being enlarged slowly up in the crown of the canopy...

Monday 14 July 2014

Culinaria mia...

Well I was asked to try some recipes with some friends (luckily not me who paid for the expensive ingredients) as they are newcomers to dining French-styled.

So here's the pictorial result of the experiment (went well) ...


 Table set the way I like it - pure and simple lines


 Something to chew on while waiting: Serrano ham on indian mango

 A trio of amuse-gueule - sauteed mushroom with bacon and highlighted with piment d'Espelette, canard confit (duck) on orange segment and fresh tomato and roquette salade with octopus in garlic oil.

 First course: a twist on quiche Lorraine - salted cod (called Morue salée in French) is used, a traditional brandade ingredient and the filling is mixed with wilted onions and leeks, topped with Comte cheese and baked to golden brown. The cod must be soaked 24 hours before hand and the water changed a few times to reduce its saltiness as well as to rehydrate the fish. Always good served with a tangy salad (lemon-honey dressing).

Decadent: braised Wagyu ribs with wild cèpes and  red wine stock. The Wagyu is served on a bed of gratin dauphinois.  A crowd pleaser, especially the meat lovers!

 The cheese and salad was kept to a bare minimum for first timers - kind of initiating them to this part of the dining with an easy to eat cheese - petit camembert.

Crêpe Suzette made easy. The orange sauce was made by squeezing six oranges, reduced to half by boiling down with sugar and flavour with Grand Marnier and eau de fleur d' oranger (orange flower water). Blanched orange peel is mixed in to get the candied bits in the sauce.

Tuesday 8 July 2014

HS Barlow's moths and butterflies collection at Genting Tea Estate

One of the highlights of our trip to Genting Tea estate was the viewing of HS Barlow's lepidoptera collection - in wood cases specially made for the estate....90% of the butterflies and moths were collected from within the 95-acre compound of the estate.

One of the two display cabinets

 The display drawers were chosen by Mr. Barlow for the talk and displayed on a very long dining table...

 Showing the first butterflies...

 Amathusiinids

 tiny moths with very similar markings

 green moths

 "Humming birds" of the Malayan tropics - moths

 Lycaenids

 Arhopalas

 Rionids et Milletinids

 Large nymphalids

 
 Leaf butterflies and Mapwings



 pierids

 Swallowtails

 Birdwings and Batwings

 Hesperiids


 close up of the Spotted Royal and Purlisa gigantea