The belly rules the mind

Tong Shui 糖水

2011-10-16T11:18:00.002+08:00

The weather has sort of been crazy the past couple of days and I have just the remedy for it!

Inspired by the Tong Shui outlet at Thomson that I used to frequent with my gal pals. Easiest recipe ever. Do try it out.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Red Dates

1/2 cup Dried Longans

1/2 cup Chrysanthemum tea leaves

50 g of honey rock sugar (amount at your own discretion)

2 L of water

Method:

1. Bring 2 L of water to boil in a large pot

2. Add in all the dry ingredients

3. Boil gently for 1/2 an hour

4. Cool

5. Place in the fridge for an hour

6. Serve chilled

Steamed Chocolate Cupcake 蒸巧克力杯子蛋糕

2011-09-23T22:03:00.005+08:00

Modified recipe from: Magic Steamed Cake by Alex Goh

Found a great recipe book featuring steamed cakes while sauntering around NTUC with the mum, aunt and grandma 2 weeks ago. Needless to say, in my fervent attempt to build up my (+ mum's) stash of recipe books, I bought it ($10 only. cheap cheap).

Since it is a date-less lonely Friday evening at home, I decided to attempt the easiest looking recipe I could find that had ingredients which were stocked up somewhere in the kitchen. The Chocolate Cupcake fit the bill perfectly and thus, the peace & tranquility of the night was subsequently broken by the whirring 1980s Kenwood Chef mixer and my desperate pleas for help from mum - thanks to the silly + user-unfriendly Bosch steamer that she got for the new kitchen (why can't we just use the simple wok steamer??).

Some tips about steam cakes:
1) Remember to beat the eggs + sugar really really well. And by that, i mean more than 10 minutes of high speed whipping.
2) Heat up your steamer before putting the batter - filled moulds in.
3) DO NOT open the steamer half way through the steaming process (prepare to dump your products if you do not comply ;)
4) Fill the moulds all the way, don't worry about the batter spilling over during the steaming - it won't.
5) DO NOT let water get into your batter. not even a drop. They are really sensitive and won't 发 as nicely if that happens.

Serving Size: About 10 muffin size moulds. I used individual chwee kueh size moulds.

Ingredients:

A
1. 3 eggs
2. 140 g sugar
3. 1/4 tsp salt
4. 100 g corn oil

B
100 g orange juice

C
180 g flour
20 g cocoa powder
1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
2.5 tsp double action baking powder

Method
1. Whip A until sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes pale white + expanded. (About 8-10 minutes of high speed mixing)
2. Add in B, mix well.
3. Fold in sieved C, mix until well-combined with no flour clumps
4. Pour into lined moulds
5. Steam for 20-25 minutes

Enjoy!

Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant

2011-03-23T21:59:00.007+08:00

Add: Blk 662 Buffalo Road (Tekka Market), #01-16
$$$: $4-$10/pax
Cuisine: South Indian
Great for: Thosai, Bryani Rice and some say, chicken masala

Paid a visit to Sri Kamala Vilas one Saturday with an intention to introduce spicy Indian cuisine to Sha - a Chinese-Canadian-wanderer friend of mine who decided to check out the Singapore scene mid last year and has stayed here ever since. -waves to Sha-

My original plan was to gallivant around the entire Little India neighbourhood within 2 hours, popping by stores that have been featured on cyberspace for their fabled Indian cuisine. However, grand plan failed due to the sweltering weather and people who were still in bed 1/2 an hour before our meet-up time. -glares-
Anyways... I ended up picking Sri Kamala Vilas Restaurant as our one and only stop for the Indian food "hunt" as its location was convenient, which means no wasting of precious eating time winding through the intricate maze surrounding Serangoon Road.

I have done my research on this place and have heard people raving about their thosai and chicken masala. These 2 dishes naturally made it into my order list. Besides that, I also ordered the masala thosai and chicken bryani set. On hindsight, I should have just stuck to the (n-1) rule as the food that was piled onto the table afterwards would have been enough to feed an army! I am of course exaggerating, but you catch my drift..

Chicken Bryani
This was one surprising dish. It was not brought up in many of the sites that I visited, but it turned out to be a pleasant experience. The texture/wetness and the flavourings of the rice were done just right. I love bryani rice because of the thousand and one spices that go in there. Cumin, garlic, saffron, corriander, bay leaves...just to name a few. Its just magical how these spices come together to bring you the end result. I shall leave my comments about the chicken to the next section.
Chicken Masala
This was one of the most exalted dishes that reviewers claimed was a 'must-try'. Maybe the bar was set too high- the chicken masala was one of the few dishes that did not meet my (and some of the dining partners') expectations. The sauce/coating was great -crazily spicy (please have some ice cold Coke on stand-by) and aromatic. The meat however, was simply too dry and tough for enjoyable human consumption. The flavorings also failed to penetrate into the depths of the poultry. That being said, i am not expert at Indian cuisine, so if there are any readers out there who has tasted a good Chicken Masala before, please let me know so I could have a benchmark!
Paper Thosai and Masala Thosai
The paper thosai was awesome. Just the right thickness, and very large. The accompanying coconut chutney, sambal and curries complemented the dish really well. It was the biggest paper thosai i have eaten. Enough to feed 2 grown man!
The Masala thosai was also another popular dish. After a couple of bites though, you get very 'jelah' or 腻 ( someone enlighten me with proper english words to describe this phenomenon please). Masala thosai fyi, is simply thosai stuffed with spiced mash potatoes. It was a bit of a carb overkill. Thank goodness we had a 'rotation' system to prevent getting really sick after the meal.

Overall, I would recommend a visit to this stall...but definitely not just because of their Chicken Masala. It has a great atmosphere, popular with the Malays & Indians, good thosai and most importantly, very affordable! The above dishes + 2 masala tea at only $20.90. And..as mentioned, these 4 dishes would be enough to feed 6 grown adults (okok, not an army..).I went with 3 others and there were so much leftovers I felt bad about it.

Do recommend great Indian food if you have any in mind:) drop a comment!

干炒河粉 Fried Hor Fun

2010-12-08T20:23:00.003+08:00

Tried out this dish on a boring Sunday at home. Easy, yummy and tasty! Remember to give the kway teow/hor fun a quick run through the hot water though otherwise it will be too greasy! You will be surprised at how much oil there is in that little packet of uncooked kway teow from the wet market.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

200 g kway teow/horfun (shouldn't cost you more than $1 at your lovely neighbourhood market)

2 tsps chopped garlic (more if you are a big fan of garlic, i am)

pork slices (at your own discretion)

shrimps

bean sprouts (grumpy aunty wont sell you anything less than 10 cents in any case)

onion

2 crab sticks (sliced)

1 egg

Seasoning A:

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy suace

Seasoning B:

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce (depending on how dark you want your hor fun to be)

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

pinch of pepper

Garnish:
Spring Onions, red chilli & sesasme seeds (totally unnecessary)

Steps:

1. Heat up about 1/2 tbsp of oil, fry half the garlic till fragrant, add noodles and stir well. I would fry it until they become a semi crispy but NOT burnt. Add seasoning A. Set the noodles aside

2. Fry remaining chopped garlic in oil till fragrant. Add beaten egg. try to scramble it up. Put in the remaining ingredients in this order (pork slices, prawns, crab sticks, beansprouts/veg), making sure each ingredient is cooked before adding the next.

3. Stir in the noodles from step 1, add seasoning B and mix them well (bicep muscle cramps are a given especially if you are cooking for more people)

Enjoy.

Bac Ha Market

2010-11-02T20:44:00.011+08:00

Bắc Hà （北河）is a district of the Lao Cai province in the Northeastern region of Vietnam - 80km from Sapa.There is a fabled Sunday market there that I have been yearning to see after reading about it on Lonely Planet and I finally did it last December! (yes, i know, i write with an approximate lag of 1 year. but hey, better late than never right?)

Vege sellers outside Bac Ha's temple

My first and only travel experience in Vietnam was an eye opener and the experience at Bac Ha market definitely took prime spot in my "things to do in Vietnam" recommendation. Of course, this day trip to Bac Ha would best be tied in with your visit to Sapa, another legendary 'must do' town to visit when in the northern part of the country. In fact, i wrote about it (well, partially) earlier this year, read about it here.

The trip to Bac Ha was an epic one. W and I took a midnight sleeper train (Pumpkin)from Hanoi to Lao Cai. 2010 fees are about USD 33/pax. Was squashed in a little bunk bed and kept half awake the entire night with the screeching of the train wheels on the track. Memorable part of the journey was poo-ing onto the tracks (could see the rail through the latrine hole) as the train sped through the night. Pretty cool.

The train pulled in rather early at Lao Cai. I remembered stumbling out of the carriage, dazed, onto the platform at 6am in the morning. Was led to the Et Pumpkin hotel (just beside the station) and provided with a breakfast (Pho, again) to start the day. After about 2 hours of waiting and wandering around Lao Cai, we were packed into a van with 8 other strangers from around the globe and started our nauseating 2.5 hours drive up the windy roads towards Bac Ha. Nauseating because I am not great at car rides on mountain roads. (Too bad all the interesting places are tucked in obscure corners of this Earth)

Pho... AGAIN?

Notwithstanding the nauseating car ride part, i had a pretty good time peering at the little towns that we passed by on our way to Bac Ha. It was my first encounter with tribal people in N. Vietnam and was simply intrigued by the colorful outfits (all personally handwoven) that they don. Trivia:There are more than 50 indigeneous tribes living in the region, and each can be distinguished by their traditional dresses (colour schemes, head scarves, etc.)

The touristy section of Bac Ha market. Walk through it, fast.

After what seem like eternity, we were dropped at the southern end of the Bac Ha market area where we were free to roam for a couple of hours. My initial response upon disembarking was "what? i sat a blistering 2.5 hours ride ..for this?" and this = a wider version of your Lady's Night Market （女人街） in HK. Where's the authenticity? I couldn't believe my eyes when we walked past stall after stall of handicrafts and clothes that were obviously targeted at the tourists. Was feeling a little dejected until i caught sight of a crowd congregating at the top of the knoll situated at the end of the street that we were walking on.

Finally. the REAL Bac Ha market.

erm...Pig's head anyone?

It was a surreal experience walking through the maze of stalls at Bac Ha. Besides your usual wet market grub, there were more bizzare items like horse legs, horse innards, pig's head and home made alcoholic brews like cassava wine, rice wine and corn liquor (smelt intoxicating). Tribal sellers (dressed in their finest) fervently promoting their goods (in a language i can't fathom), Vietnamese men sampling the alcohol (contained in jerry cans and served in bottle caps), cooks stirring their cauldron of innards from some unknown animal - with the furry skin left beside the pot basking in all its glory, a Vietnamese fishmongeress (is there such a word?) waving her chopper at an aggressive customer.... the walk through the market was simply bewildering!!

Horse stew. hmm..still not up for it yet.

Walking further north and out of the crazy maze-like market, we stumbled upon an opening where (dog-lovers, you might like to stop reading right now).... little puppies and dogs were for sale. The yelping furries which were caged up in ratten enclosures were a depressing sight. And i don't really want to know what become of them after they are purchased. But I do know for a fact that dog meat is one of their specialities.

We saw the tribal ladies gnawing on sugar canes wherever we go

Venturing deeper into the market, we climbed up a flight of steps onto an elevated ground where we took in the scenery of the surrounding countryside and hills....in the company of water buffalos and chuckling Flower Hmong tribal ladies. Turns out that the highest point in Bac Ha market serves as a Water Buffalo trading ground.The animals were roped (through their nostrils) to a huge rock on the ground and traders will move amongst them to survey the size and robustness of the creature before haggling with the owners. As one might know, water buffalos are probably the most important animal in Asia (in my opinion) as they contribute crucial manual labour, and thus, to the economy of the agriculture/rice-farming societies in this region. This is their physical SGX!

Water bufflos for sale

After exploring the final section of Bac Ha market, W and I walked down the hill and got ourselves lost for awhile before stumbling onto an open road which led us to a temple. Surprisingly, it was no different from our typical Chinese temples in Singapore with its stone carvings and tiled arched roofs. Althought it was pretty unimpressive, it provided us with a serene place to unwind and zone out of the hustle and bustle that we have unwillingly left behind at the bazzar before taking our ride back towards Sapa.

The view from the top

The great thing about this travel experience was the fact that the tribal villagers and locals were so immersed in their trading and socializing activities that we (the tourists) blended into the background. To the locals, the Northface-clad aliens with Canon-DSLRs dangling round the necks were on the other side of the screen. Sure they could see us, but we were inconsequential to their agenda for the day, and thus faded into oblivion. Love it.

Flower Hmong ladies on the hill top

Do pop by Bac Ha during your visit to Northern Vietnam. March to May (dry season) is apparently the best time to visit the region. Day tours (leaving from Sapa or Lao Cai) can be signed up at both towns or at Hanoio's old quarter. Hurry before the area gets invaded by mass tourism and the Hmong ladies start selling you Bacardis instead of their homemade moonshine.

Master brewers and their jerry-canned whiskeys

Body Shop's Rainforest Moisture Shampoo

2010-10-20T22:29:00.004+08:00

Ladies who have dry/damaged hair...i just might have the remedy for you.

Ok firstly, a disclaimer. I know this blog's initial aim was to share my interest in food+travel+photography with you, so whats this out-of-place hair shampoo recommendation doing out here? Well, I decided that its preposterous to keep a good find to myself, so I have decided that the generic theme for this blog would be to write about the cool things/events i have come across, be it a travel experience, restaurant, food or in this particular case, hair shampoos!

好事分享吗。。。

Anyways, people who have know me a long time have given me a few nicknames over the course of 2x years (the x is because a woman's real age is sensitive issue..heh heh)

1. mop head
2. lion king (thanks Jean, thanks)
3. 爆炸hair

so yes, evidently, i have had some issues with my unruly+wiry keratin extensions my whole life (mum blames it on the 'hot temper'. to her, bad temper = wiry hair. hmm.). till i started on this Rainforest Moisture Shampoo thing.

well, i was attracted to it initially because it was marketed as an "eco-friendly" product and yes, being the tree-hugger i am, i was convinced one fine day (after multiple visits to the Body Shop over a course of 2 weeks) to capitalize on the Buy 2 for $29.90 offer and finally got my hands on it!

The 'ingredients' that go into this concoction of a shampoo are:
1. Pracaxi oil
2. Manketti nut oil
3. Community Trade honey

(sounds so yummy!)

and The Body Shop boasts that it does not contain:
1. silicones
2. sulphates
3. colourants
4. parabens

This made me study the chemical make up of the shampoo i was using before and yew, lets just say that I (or we) have been been soaking our hair with those noxious looking chemicals we have been preparing for A level chemistry practicals.

Anyways, again to keep the long story short , this shampoo really really works (sorry,i am not a very creative-descriptive writing kind of person and shall not attempt to be one). Its as though i have waited 2x years for this serendipitous moment!

Also, the entire "No Animal Testing" thing that The Body Shop has going and its partnership with Fair Trade programs lent support to my willingness to part with $15 for a bottle of shampoo.
(By the way, like the flip side to a coin, there are many opposing views on Fair Trade programs - a quick google might land you on some anti-Fair Trade sites that would give you a more balanced view. i happen to take a stand that programs like this have positive impacts that outweigh the negative ones)

Yes, I am pertty wowed by the marketing effect of this product but the truth is that it really works for my 'dry damaged hair'.I can feel my 'fiery temper' heading a few notches south already, pretty sure it has something to do with the smoother hair ;)

炒米粉

2010-10-14T21:21:00.005+08:00

This is just going to be a simple post on my latest cooking project.

Yes, I understand that the above-mentioned dish is seen practically everywhere in Singapore. From your neighbourhood hawker centres to home-catered buffet. But have you tried cooking it before? Its really hard to get the texture right!

My mum has always been very picky about the chewiness of beehoon, she absolutely hates it when it still has that crunchiness left over from not boiling it well. So, it was with great delight 2 Sundays ago when I whipped up a simple dish of Fried Beehoon and got her approval. (by the way, no complaints whatsoever equates to approval) Dad kept repeating "did you really cook this? serious? i don't believe this" in between mouthfuls of beehoon. I didn't know whether to feel flattered by his sudden praises or upset at his sudden realization that yes, his daughter does know a thing or two in the kitchen. hmm.

Anyways, promised this would be short (i aim to be less rambly..). so here's the recipe (modified from Jimmy Chua's cookbook - the one that i have been quoting the past few times).

ps. sorry the photos don't look as appetizing as it should be ;)

炒米粉

Serves 5

Ingredients A:

1 pack Rice Vermicelli (my mum swears by Chilli brand. i have no idea why)

3 eggs (beaten)

2 tbsps chopped garlic

Ingredients B:

50 g shelled prawns

100 g charsiew ( i used sliced lean pork instead)

50 g ben sprouts ( i substitued this with Chye sim)

1/2 carrot (cut thinly)

1/2 onion (sliced thinly)

Ingredients C:

2 Red chillies (shredded)

2 Spring onions (cut into little 5 cm sections)

Seasoning:

500ml stock ( i used water, turned out fine)

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

pinch of pepper

Steps:

1. Blanch the vermicelli in hot water for a minute, drain it and set aside

2. Fry the garlic in oil till fragrant

3. Add eggs and ingredients B. Keep stirring and flipping it so the eggs can break up

4. Add seasoning and bring it to boil

5. Add rice vermicelli and stir fry till the sauce thickens and turns dry. Give it a taste and see whether you need to add anymore sauces

6. Sprinkle your garnishes (C) on top. Serve! :)

Bumbu Bali

2010-09-20T20:53:00.011+08:00

Add: Jl. Pratama, Tanjung Benoa,PO Box 132, Nusa Dua 80363, Bali - Indonesia

$$$: $15-$30/pax

Cuisine: Balinese

Great for: Cooking School, Bumbu, Sates, Rijisttafel (Dutch for Rice Table) or Nasi Campur Set

Website: http://www.balifoods.com/

"Aerial View" of the Nasi Campur Set Lunch

It was the penultimate afternoon of our 6-day trip to Bali - an enjoyable 2.5 hours flight from Singapore (thumbs up for KLM btw). W and I were running out of ideas on what to do/feast on and we ended up spending a good part of the morning researching on affordable Balinese restaurants on the island that we could visit for lunch and Bumbu Bali seems to be one of the hot pick on travel review pages.

Since it was situated on the southern peninsula's (a.k.a Bukit Peninsula because of its hills) luxurious resort strip of Tanjung Benoa/Nusa Dua, we decided that it would be a good area to explore after lunch as we have not covered that part of the island before. Also, we definitely do not have a legitimate reason to be there since it is filled with 5-6 star resorts - think Conrad, St. Regis and Club Med. Bumbu Bali thus provided us with a perfect excuse to mingle with the erhem, up-town tourists.

After a pretty long ride down from Kerobokan, we entered the Balinese gates flanking the entrance of the restaurant and were ushered to our seats in the pavillion (wayyy too hott to be sitting out in the open). The cosy little compound felt like a microcosm of Bali itself, with little fountains, minute ponds with water lilis in it, wooden pavillions, hand-woven table clothes, distinctive Balinese tatch roofs, wooden carvings...and the fragrance from fresh herbs & spices wafting from the open kitchen.

Sweltering day in Bali. Diners hiding in the pavillion.

We were first served some shrimp crackers (more affectionately known among Singaporeans as "keropok") with some mind-blowing Balinese sambal as an appetizer while we flipped through the laminated menu. Since we wanted to try a little of everything, we decided the the Nasi Campur set lunch (190, 000 RP ~ SGD 30) would be just the right choice. We also ordered the Tum Bebek (Minced Duck in Banana Leaf) to supplement the meal. On hindsight, the side order was totally redundant since both of us were seen struggling to finish the Nasi Campur set towards the end. Should have saved the Bebek for another time!

Best sambal ever!

While waiting for our food to arrive, my order of Bumbu's Balinese home-made specialty alochol - Brem Bali (Fermented Rice Wine) arrived. Was expecting a strong alcoholic fume when i picked up the glass (like the crazy one i had at my Sapa homestay) but the wine turned out to be pretty mild and surprisingly sweet. There was also a red tinge to it and I never did figure out why that was so. It was served on the rocks, which proved to be really forgiving on a sweltering day.

Brem Bali

Being the restless soul I am, I picked up my camera and started prancing around the front of the restaurant where the kitchen was. There were also shelves of Chef Heinz von Holzen's (owner of Bumbu Bali) cook books on Balinese cuisine. Had a field time flipping through them before I caught sight of the man himself sitting in the corner right next to the kitchen door sipping on a cup of coffee.

Chef Heinz von Holzen

(yea. you can say I was pretty star-struck at that point in time)

He walked into the kitchen next and started putting on his apron before politely dishing out orders to his Balinese sous chefs who were all busily grilling fishes + sates and pounding herbs + spices. Felt like a total papparazzi when I turned into a trigger-happy photographer trying to take in as much as kitchen action as possible through my camera lens. This, was the absolute highlight of my visit there.

Food on the open kitchen counter waiting to be served.

After the major invasion of Chef Heinz's kitchen privacy, I decided to head back to my table as I was starving by then (i blame the sun). Was more than happy when the entire tray of minature dishes finally arrived. The waitress took pains to introduce every single one to us and left us to enjoy our meal after that.

So, it turns out that the Nasi Campur Set Lunch (called Rijisttafel by night - more quality dishes, and a little more pricey) was a dazzling array of 9 minature Balinese dishes served with rice topped with shallots. The misconception about Balinese food is that it is no different from those sold on the streets. Big no no. Street food in Bali came from the neighbouring island of Java. The Javanese were the ones who brought their Baksos, Padang and Nasi Campur when they migrated over to Bali (more on those in a latter post). Balinese food is completely unique to Bali itself! It is a melting pot of the cuisines from eons of migration and interaction with the regions around and the foreigners who sailed halfway around the world to trade or erm, conquer them. Portugese, Chinese, Dutch, Indian, Malaysian.. you can find traces of them in all the dishes.

Our Feast!

The nine dishes were served in cute little ceramic dishes placed on a wooden tray decorated with lemon grass and red chillies. The Nasi Campur set not only smells good.. it LOOKS good. Out of the 9, my favourites were the Sate Ayam/Babi/Lillit. Although both the Balinese Sates and Singaporean Satays share the same family tree, the Balinese ones were definitely a little more refined in both presentation and taste than those we have here. I guess the difference lies in the ingredients used for the marination: lemongrass, shallots, chilli, palm sugar, lime, coconut milk, galangal (ginger)..i don'ttttt think we have that in our regular satays at our Lagoon Hawker Centre. The fresh spiciness and fragrance of the mashed up herbs certainly brings some punch to each bite. Love the fact that it is served on lemongrass stalks too!

Sates

The Be Celang Base Manis (Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce) was surprisingly nice too. It is a sweeter version of our "Lor Bak" with a lighter + more fragrant sauce. Another favourite would be the Siap Base Kalas (Chicken in Spiced Coconut Milk) - a more intense version of our chicken curry. The other memorable dish was the Tum Bebek (Minced duck wrapped in Coconut leaf), that looked and tasted very much like a more chewy fish otah. However, as mentioned, please exercise some self control and not order it on top of your set lunch - its really too much to handle for 2!

Tum Bebek

The only gripe about my experience at Bumbu Bali was that the food was served luke warm and the charcoal fire for the Sates were out. I don't really know if that was the intention but that did dampen my expectations by quite a bit. Not to worry though,I am sure a friendly reminder before the food is being serve would solve that.

If its your first time in Bali and your itinerary doesn't allow you to stay for more than a few days, then a trip to Bumbu Bali is a must to experience authentic, fresh Balinese food.

Authentic? How can it be since the chef himself is a Swiss! Yes, he is Swiss but after settling down in Bali more than a decade ago, Chef von Holzen has gone around the entire island to collect traditional recipes from the Balinese themselves since Bumbu Bali's doors open in 1997 + he has an army of Balinese sous chefs in his kitchen!

Fresh? Are you sure? Well, I dare not vouch for that but I am pretty sure the hundreds of cooking enthusiasts who have attended Bumbu Bali's cooking classes at the crack of dawn each day (first stop: wet market visit to purchase ingredients/poulty/seafood) would attest to it.

Bebek Betutu shall be my motivation to visit Bali (and this restaurant)again for the upcoming year.

Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar

2010-07-22T21:11:00.009+08:00

Add: 1 Nanson Road (Gallery Hotel along Robertson Quay)

$$$: $40-$50/pax

Cuisine: Japanese

Great For: Shochu (ok.duh), Sake, yakitoris, ambience

Nestled within a cosy 2 story building at the periphery of The Gallery Hotel, Satsuma Shochu Dining Bar is perfect for small gatherings & romantic dinner dates alike. It is not a huge restaurant to begin with, so bookings are definitely a must if you want to secure a spot indoors (which i highly recommend!). I love this place because of its ambience and the intimate dining experience it never fails to deliver.

Courtesy of: hungrygowhere.com

My first time at Satsuma was all thanks to an impromptu dinner choice by a dear ex-colleague of mine who prides herself in all things Japanese. Upon arriving at the restaurant, the visual appeal of its facade immediately struck me. The clever lighting coupled with the roundish exterior of the 2 story building and the Satsuma blossom motifs on the exterior wall made the entire dining bar look alot like a glowing lantern in the dark. Also, the spiral staircase leading up to the 2nd level added even more character to the structure itself.. ( i have a thing for spiral staircases)

Of course, that being said, the architectural appeal of Satsuma is not the only reason why diners flock to this restaurant. In my opinion, although the restaurant's main focus (judging from its name) is the endless array of Shochu and Sakes it offers, the star(s) of the show would definitely be the equally never-ending selection of Yakitoris.

Oyster+ Cheese and Teriyaki Chicken

The memorable Yakitoris that i have tried (but trust me, every darn skewer on the menu will be awesome) would have to be the Oyster+Cheese, Pork Belly+Golden Mushrooms and Salmon skewers. They were all grilled to perfection by keeping the juices and flavour intact without it being charred. Although the wait for it to be served was a tad bit long (but then again, I am impatient when it comes to food=p), the great skewered meat morsels totally made up for that!

Pork belly + golden mushrooms and Salmon Yakitori

Besides their famous Yakitoris, Satsuma serves many other quirky Japanese fare that you won't get at your typical Japanese chain restaurant. My recommendation for the Cold Dish/Appetizer would be the Salmon and Avocado Tartare (Sake to Abokado Tataki) - a finely chopped dish of raw Salmon Sashimi and fresh avocado blended with Satsuma's secret concoction of spice and seasonings. Each teaspoon full of tartare melts in your mouth - quite literally!

Sake to Abokado Tataki

As for the Fried Food section, my one and only selection of Pork Cutlet with Bean Paste and Cheese ( Miso Katsu Chizzu) proved to be a winning bet. The cheese layss embedded within the pork cutlet and oozes out from the sides of each clean slice. The cooks' technique in deep frying was so awesome that it left the outer breaded crust crispy and detached from the inner hot juicy meat layer. Definitely one of the best Katsus I have tried in Singapore.

Miso Katsu Chizzu

The more adventurous foodies can venture into the Rice/Noodle section and get themselves a bowl of Fermented Soy Bean Porridge (Nattol Zousul). Definitely not for the faint-hearted! But supposedly healthy nonetheless. However, be warned, it could potentially mar your appetite for the rest of the night!

Nattol Zousul

Last but not least, even the desert section has something quite out of the ordinary to offer. Diners at MOF (outlets at Suntec..Marina Sq..) would have definitely come across the sweet potato deserts(..."Imo"..). Well, Satsuma has an amazing variation of those Sweet Potato deserts-Caramelized Deep Fried Sweet Potato Fries (Ama Imo Karameru Age). Some might find it a little too sweet (my mum did) and others might give up chewing on little strips of concrete (my dad did). However, once you get pass the crunchiness of the hardened caramel and bite into the piping hot Japanese Sweet Potatoes (naturally more fragrant than their counterparts from around the globe), and let the mixture of Imo and partially melted caramel permeate your senses, you would be convinced that the prospect of chipping your teeth during that initial first bite was well worth it.

Ama Imo Karameru Age

So much has been said about the food, but what about the Shochu/Sakes? The most I can say is that Sake on the rocks didn't really go down well for me. Me and my other 2 dining partners left about half the glass untouched on my first visit. Warm sake (cheapest on the list) during the 2nd attempt with my parents was definitely a much better choice.

Check out the cheesseeee..

I personally think there are very few restaurants in Singapore which are capable of creating a charming dining experience with great ambience and even better food that wouldn't burn a hole in your pocket. So do try it!

Fried Seafood Mee Goreng

2010-06-23T21:52:00.004+08:00

Adapted from: Singapore Hawker Food (新加坡风味小吃）by Jimmy Chua

hello everyone! back here once again for my random food rambles. Life has been crazy busy and fulfilling for the past few months and I discovered so many cool places to eat that I have a serious backlog of postings to do here. So do keep a look out for it.

I won't be trying out much recipes though since I moved out (temporarily) and the kitchen at my place now is kinda well..sad. No oven, crappy stove top and most of the baking and cooking utensils/equipment were kept away! Anyways, here would be one of my last posts (for a lonnngg while) of my personal food creation. Its one of the simpler recipes around and I must say it tastes like the real thing (well,almost. I went easy on the oil.)

The reason how this random mee goreng cook-out came about was due to W occasional complaints that I have never ever cooked a real meal for him ( and that instant food at random European hostels do not count). Since Mee Goreng is one of his favourite dish (he digs the one at Long Beach Kallang) and the recipe was readily available in the Jimmy Chua book, I decided to troop over to the Tua Kong market one weekend to grab some fresh yellow noodles (they were sooo OILY i had to blanch it in water for a few minutes to 驱油). Mum's home-made killer sambal chilli paste also helped pave the way..

My parents were away for that weekend so I had the entire kitchen (the one in my previous dwelling that is.)to myself ..woooweeet! Had a field time slicing the prawns, preparing the sauce and being rough with the pans and spatula - no one breathing down my neck this time round.

Ok, I am beginning to sound very aunty so I am gonna stop here and leave you with the recipe. I swear the end product tastes pretty much like the one in your neighbourhood hawker centre. Its pretty easy and fool-proof. Try it! W gave 2 thumbs up for it. Right? (he had better....=P)

Fried Seafood Mee Goreng 中式印度炒面

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 tbsps Sambal Chilli paste

1 onion (shredded)

500 g Hokkien Mee (though i personally feel that 500g isn't enough for 4 adults!)

100 g bean sprouts

cai xin

200 g prawns (shelled and blanched)

200 g sotong (sliced and blanced) - i used sliced pork and crab sticks instead as i wasn't a big fan of sotongs

2 sliced tomatoes

2 shredded red chillies

3 limes

Seasoning:

3 tbsp water

4 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsps sugar

pinch of pepper

Method:

1. Fry chopped garlic in 3 tbsps of oil till fragrant.

2. Add sambal chilli paste and beaten eggs. Stir well.

3. Add onion, Hokkien mee, cai xin and bean sprouts. Stir well.

4. Stir in prawns, sotong and seasoning. Stir fry till fragrant.

5. Add tomatoes and red chillies. Stir well.

6. Squeeze some lime juice on top and serve

Tartine Bakery

2010-04-26T22:46:00.008+08:00

Add: 600 Guerrero St, San Francisco

Great for: Breakfast, brunch, baked goods, quiches, hot-pressed sandwiches, morning buns

Website: http://www.tartinebakery.com/

If you ask the average person about what he/she remembers most about their visit to San Francisco, I am pretty sure the answer would revolve around the city's iconic attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and the trams that have been in operation since the 1870s.

My most distinct memory about San Francisco however, would definitely have to be Tartine Bakery-a nondescript bakery cafe at 600 Guerrero St, just before you enter the main city itself (northwards) .If not for the queue snaking out of the door during peak hours, no one would have given this bakery a 2nd look when driving by. There wasn't even a signboard when I was there. During my first visit, I had to peer through the glass windows and read the faded out newspaper reviews pasted in the front before arriving at the conclusion that we were in fact standing @ the entrance of Tartine.

Tartine's Exterior

My first visit there was with Sel for a brunch date one weekday afternoon. We were lucky enough to get a table after a few minutes of waiting within the cramp quarters of Tartine. Though the place has minimal decor and was a little run-down, it was certainly full of character with customers congregating around unpolished wooden tables sipping on their teas & coffees, initiating conversations with complete strangers sitting next to them. The chatter that reverberated throughout the cafe + the smell of croissants/quiche/pies & coffee wafting through the air makes Tartine the place to be on a nice morning in San Francisco.

The inside

The most famous pastry being sold at this 8 yr old bakery would have to be the Morning Buns. Do check out an interesting attempt of it by Christie from Pardon My Crumbs ( the recipe is in there too)

Sadly, I stuck to the familiar (quiche, eclairs, bread pudding..) both times i was there (looks like i m pretty conservative in my choice of breakfast food. haha) and neglected the reknowned Morning Buns altogether. So silly of me!

Sel & I did the Quiche (choices of quiche changes daily), Chocolate Eclair & a cup of Bread Pudding.

Quiches of all sorts

The Quiche with Ham was huge..and baked really well with a consistent creamy texture throughout (thanks to the creme fraiche) & a good proportion of Niman's smoked ham. The Chocolate Eclair tasted heavenly too with the vanilla custard and Valrhona (French) chocolate glaze . They definitely took pains to bake with the finest ingredients on the face of this planet!

Eclair with vanilla custard and Valrhona choc glazing

Last but not least, the bread pudding (one of my favourite food in the world!) was presented in an interesting manner - scooped into a tea cup. Also, what makes this bread pudding special was that the fruits (soaked with caramel)were not actually embedded within the whole mish-mesh of a pudding like what we are used to eating. Apparently, Tartine bakes their bread pudding plain using broiches and poke holes into it when they take the pans out of the oven so that it could be soaked with the prepared caramel sauce + seasonal fruits when served. Many thanks to Alexandra from Alexandracooks.com for unlocking the mystery=)

Sel and our bread pudding order

Whats great about Tartine (and most other Bay area eateries) is their emphasis on using organic local produce. For example, their dairy product come from the Straus Family Creamery in Marin County (just a little north of San Fran) and their meats are from Niman Ranch, whose mission is to "raise livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the finest tasting meat in the world."

The line started to form after we placed our order. Phew!

Read more about the chef/owner couple: Elisabeth & Chad here & the awesome array of yummy pastries they have created here.

Note-to-self: remember to try the Morning Buns if fate brings me back to SF!

卤花生 (Braised Salted Peanuts)

2010-04-08T20:38:00.004+08:00

Adapted from: 新加坡风味小吃 (Singapore Hawker Food) by Jimmy Chua

I love traditional Chinese restaurants that serves braised peanuts as part of their appetizer (you know, those soft ones that are fulllll of flavor?) and have always thought that the only way I could get them is to buy the canned ones at the supermarket.

That was until I chanced upon the cook book (another one of those Popular bookstore ones) specializing in home-cooked Singapore's 'Hawker' Fare.

Gave the recipe to my mum and a week later, came back home from work to find a big pot of braised peanuts. Just in time for my grandma's stay at my place for the weekend. (卤花生是老人的最爱）。

And of course, mum being mum, she tries to make everything 'less salt, less oil' so the end product was a tad bit bland.

Trust the original recipe from Jimmy Chua!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

200 g Big Peanuts

3 rice-bowls water

1 Star aniseed (八角）

1 g Cassia bark (桂皮）

Seasoning

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp five-spice powder (五香粉）

Method

1. Soak peanuts in hot water for 2-3 hours.

2. Boil water in a pot with star aniseed and cassia bark.

3. Add seasoning and peanuts and bring to boil

4. Turn to low heat and simmer for 3-4 hours. (i think 5-6 hours would make it softer. but, according to your preference of course)

SO EASY.chey.=D

Seattle Eats (III): Pike's Place

2010-03-30T21:59:00.008+08:00

Location: Pike's Place, Seattle

For the third installation for Seattle Eats, I have chosen to write about the stretch of stalls just opposite Pike's Place market (aka Val's favouritest place in the world!)

ps. attempting to write this piece in an effort to get my mind of these flu symptoms I am suffering from. humour me by reading it.

Piroshky Piroshky
Add: 1908 Pike's Place
Great for: Russian pastries (or buns to be exact), cheap breakfast food
Website: http://www.piroshkybakery.com/

This place never fails to reminds me of my house mate at Duke (waves hi to the other Lee) who is an epic fan of Piroshky's buns. We discovered this little bakery while walking down Pike's Place one spring day in March last year and L was immediately won over by the savory smells that drifted out of the shop. Also, with the display shelves packed full with freshly-baked pastries that looked simply irresistible, it was no wonder that we stopped by almost every day to get our Piroshky fix. I also remembered packing some on the plane ride home (Durham then)!

Shelves of baked goodness!

Piroshky originates from the Russian word "pir", which is the equivalent to "Feast" in English. And with those countless varieties of sweet and savory pastries (alright, 30 to be exact), Piroshky Piroshky is totally befitting of its name. I remembered trying the Potato, Mushroom & Onion and packing the Whole Baked Apple on to the plane back to Duke. Both were awesome. Don't think there was anything to nit-pick about. After some research online, I figured that the Beef & Onion (the traditional filling) and Apple Cinnamon Roll are considered favourites among the residents in Seattle.

My Mushroom Onion Piroshky. Huge.

The pastry had just the right texture and there was an abundance of filling (mushroom, potatoes, onions and what have you..). In fact, for a few dollars, one Piroshky pastry alone is enough to fill you up for a single meal at any time of the day. Pretty value for money!

L stares longingly through the shop window on our last evening in Seattle.

Be prepared to queue though. Each time I was back there ( 2 trips to Seattle x 3 days of wandering around Pike's Place), the little store would be pack full of tourists and residents alike, waiting patiently in line to pick out their "stuffed pies" - what the creators of Piroshky call their baked products. Accurate description, but I would still stick to it being labelled as buns as it look pretty much the same as those we have here in our traditional neighbourhood bakeries. And if you just aren't hungry or patient enough to queue up for it, keep yourself entertained by peering through the front shop window and witness some really skilled and artistic bakers rolling, moulding and shaping their dough into exquisite pieces of food art in a blink of an eye.

The cosy shop

Le Panier- Very French Bakery
Add: 1902 Pike's Place

Great for: breakfast, pastries, people-watching

Website: http://www.lepanier.com

Just a few doors down from Piroshky Piroshky stands a fairly large bakery cafe called Le Panier - Very French Bakery (as though Le Panier is not too obviously French enough.hm)

Was introduced to this lovely place with L by JS (Singapore's ambassador to Amazon.com. haw haw) for our very first breakfast at Seattle. The cafe was crowded (like almost every other stores along this stretch) but we managed to grab a table after getting our chow and coffee. And again, we were spoilt for choices! Everything looked freshly baked and they were, for the lack of a better word, so so pretty.

JS + his breakfast + his google phone

During my visits there, I tried (and nibbled from my other breakfast mates) a variety of French tarts, pies and breads of which my favourites were : the pain au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants), éclair au Chocolat (Chocolate Éclair), Quiche and Broccoli Feuilletes. The Macroons were a little too sweet for my liking but hey, i have never been a big fan of Macroons anyways - so don't trust me on that one.

Quiche

Think this was the almond croissant. Amazing stuff.

Le Panier (bread basket) was, according to its website, created by a Frenchman in U.S. who missed "the daily baguette and croissant". Well, all I can say is thank God for this homesick dude that I (and all the lucky Seattle inhabitants) had the chance to experience Bon Appetit moments of the good ol' pain au Chocolat & Latte a few thousand miles away from France.

The warm interior of the cafe. (Pls kindly ignore the monkey in the picture)

Starbucks
Add: 1912 Pike's Place

Great for: coffee and erm, a piece of coffee+capitalism history?

Website: http://www.cityofseattle.net/html/visitor/starbucks.htm

And...you must be wondering - Starbucks? What's so special about the @#(*@#* coffee joint at every street corner and shopping mall? Well, if you are a big Starbucks fan, you would have probably known this by now but the very first Starbucks store opened right here in 1971.

There have also been rumours that the brew here is much better than those normal ones you get at the other 16,635 outlets (quoting Wiki). But neh, I don't buy that.

Just so you can tell your friends that you have visited the very first Starbucks in the world, it would be worth the while to pop by this place for a cuppa.

The original Starbucks logo

Oatmeal Scones

2010-03-22T21:18:00.005+08:00

Adapted from: Baking Illustrated

You know you can't go wrong with a cook book which claims that "every recipe has been exhaustively researched and tested to bring you the 'best' recipe". And so far, my experiences with Baking Illustrated (a spin off from Cooking Illustrated) have been flawless.

Baking Illustrated's Oatmeal Scones

I have tried the Calzone recipe 2 years ago (after discovering what Calzones actually are - thanks to an outdoor cooking session by the Colorado River) and a couple of other baked goods (muffins..biscottis..) The recipes are really kinda fool-proof! Swear!

The rainy Saturday that just passed gave me an excellent excuse to rummage through the book looking for a recipe that wasn't too taxing (it was such a nice day to sleep in mah..) and I finally decided on baking the Oatmeal Scones.

Before putting them into 450 dF of fiery hell

I am not going to torture you with one of my rambles, so here is the recipe for it. Enjoy=)

Oatmeal Scones
Makes 8

Ingredients
1.5 cups of rolled oats or quick oats
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1.5 cups lower-protein unbleached flour (aka. flour)
1/3 cup sugar, 1 tbsp for sprinkling
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp (~140g) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes

Method:
1. Adjust over rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 dF.
2. Spread oats evenly on baking sheet and toast them until fragrant and browned (7-9 min), cool on a wire rack. When cooled, measure out 2 tbsp for dusting
3. Increase oven temperature to 450 dF.
4. Whisk milk, cream, and egg in a large measuring cup until incorporated. Remove 1 tbsp to a small bowl to reserve for glazing.
5. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade and process until combined (x4 1 sec pulses).
6. Scatter cold butter evenly over dry ingredients and process until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal (x14 1 sec pulses)
7. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and sir in cooled oats.
8. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the liquid ingredients until large clumps form.
9. Using your hands, gently knead the mixture in the bowl until the dough forms a collective mass.
10. Dust work surface with half of the reserved oats. Turn the dough onto the work surgace and dust the top with the remaining oats.
11. Gently pat the dough into a 7 inch circle about 1 inch thick.

Your step 11 should look something like that =)

12. using bench scraper/chef's knife, cut dough into 8 wedges and set on parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
13. Brush surfaces with milk and egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar.
14. Bake for 12-14 min until golden brown 425 dF, cool scones on a baking sheet for 5 min, then transfer to wire rack to cool to rtp.

The scones cooling on the rack

Brunch @ Chowy's

2010-03-18T21:09:00.010+08:00

Visit Chowy @ http://chowanmushi.wordpress.com

Boozy French Toast and Baked Eggs Recipes from http://smittenkitchen.com

A decade long friendship =)

Was invited for bunch over at Chowy's last Saturday and of course, with C as the cook - this was one invitation that I will never dream of turning down.

Now that i come to think about it, every visit to Chowy's has always been food-related. Tea parties, (failed) baking sessions, even impromptu visits to her house would end up in some food-tasting frenzy (pineapple tarts, Moon Cakes, miso tofu, popiah..and the list goes on). I just might have establish part of the reason why I gained 4 kg (#$@*%@#$!) since coming back from the States! hmm.

Baked Eggs + Spinach & Mushroom

I would say that she is more of an "ang-moh"派 cook who gravitates towards creating Westernized dishes. I guess the Oxford and London years had a compounded effect on her.

Anyways, we had quite a spread that day which she 'claims' to have single-handedly 'slogged all morning' for. (ok to be fair, traces of flour on her black dress serves as evidence for her hard work). The stars of the show besides all the ready-made food were the baked eggs and the "boozy french toast". And trust me, it tasted as wonky as it sounds.

The wonderful brunch spread

I loved the baked eggs with spinach and sauteed mushrooms! The greedy me secretly wished there were more (oops) but servings were limited to one egg/guest which was great since there were so many other yummylicious food on the table. The 'boozy' french toast was...interesting. Like a hybrid between a bread pudding and a french toast. (And yes, just in case you were wondering, the bread slices were indeed soaked in alcohol before baking). Besides these 2 main dishes, there was a throng of other side dishes like smoked salmon, granola+fresh fruits & German sausages. Also, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when freshly baked madeleines were brought out by C's mum towards the end. They looked (+ tasted) tonnes better than our previous combined attempt which failed miserably due to Chowy's questionable French translation skills. Read about it here:

http://valeebelly.blogspot.com/2009/09/madeleines-lancienne.html

Freshly baked madeleines. They go surprisingly well with smoked salmon!

All in all, it was a nice brunch where the group of us caught up on life over some lovingly prepared food which ended with a nice cup of exquisite Darjeeling and English Breakfast tea.

Brunch companions

Looking forward to the next invite. erhem. -big wave to Chowy if you are reading this-=)

ps. She swears by the recipes on this website: http://smittenkitchen.com and these are the links which she drew inspiration from for the brunch.

Baked eggs+ Spinach & Mushrooms
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/my-bacon-is-always-crisp/

Boozy French Toast
http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/new-years-day-2001/

Boozy french toast in the foreground

BBQ in the mountains

2010-03-14T18:18:00.012+08:00

Location: Sapa, Northern Vietnam

Price: 5 000 vnd - 15 000 vnd/food item (in short, it will cost you less than 5 bucks to fill your belly)

Sapa BBQ

If you find yourself in a situation where you are cold and hungry in the Northwestern mountain town of Sapa in Vietnam, head to the intersection where Sapa church and the town square meets and be greeted by the fragrant wafts from sticks of roasted meat and barbecue bamboo rice. No matter how apprehensive you are about the dubious-looking slain animal parts and cooking utensils, coupled with a thousand voices ringing in the head telling you to keep your first-world-country-trained (aka. weak) stomach away from street food, you would still find yourself being drawn to it.

The town square at dusk

It is just a matter of time where you would find yourself sitting on a little plastic stool placed precariously close to the barbeque pit, pointing randomly at the menu and stopping short at a dish called "small bird" at which point both you and your travelling partner will go "eh???"

Sapa Church on a cold & foggy morning

The ensuing conversation would probably go like this:

1: "eh..small bird? wth is small bird"
2: "er..do they mean..chicken..."
1: "no what..they already have chicken on the menu!"
2: "eee...so is it like those small black birds we see in trees and shi** everywhere"
1: "yew....is that even edible?"
2: -shrugs- "if there is small bird...there should be big bird right"
1+2:- peers down the menu-
tada... BIG BIRD!

So, that was the general flow of conversation between W and I one cold foggy morning at Sapa town last December. The anti-climatic part of this story is that, we did not manage to find out what exactly "small bird" and "big bird" are. haha. (can sense this is a -__- moment)

Being close to the action

Out of all the food items we tried, i would say the pork, sticky bamboo rice, chicken wings and bbq eggs were absolutely delicious! The pork and poultry were very well marinated and interestingly reddish in color - very much like our Char Siews.

The sticky bamboo rice was unlike anything I have tasted before. We were deceived by the plain-looking rice and did not think much of it except for the fact that it reminded us of those brownie/scout days where we learnt to cook steam rice in bamboo (so fun!). However, after the tube of rice vanished within a minute of being served, I remembered going through another 2 (or was it 3?) more orders of it before we were completely satisfied (and not to mention, awfully bloated). Halfway through our first tube of rice, the owner of the stall took out a tin can (which looked like it has been through the Vietnam War) and started giving us each a tablespoon full of its contents on our little plates before hand-gesturing to us that it was to be eaten with the rice. The powder-like substance turned out to be a concoction of salt + grounded peanuts and some other spices (couldn't figure out what it was. not so powerful yet). Whatever it is, it tasted heavenly with the steaming hot stick of rice.

The bbq eggs tasted just like a smoke-flavored hard-boiled egg. It was kind of interesting to consume it straight from a bbq pit though.

Sticky rice + grounded peanuts = yumz

The simple fare was great, no doubt about that. However, to me, the essence of a Sapa Barbeque meal was the experience of crouching on those small little stools, gnawing off pieces of meat from a stick and observing the mountain dwellers get about their daily lives. You see people walking in and out of the stone church (did you know Vietnam has the 2nd highest percentage of Catholics in SEA?! because i didn't!), merchants carrying piles of fake North Face jackets to their stalls, tourists zipping gingerly around the town square on rented scooters, minority tribes with fresh vegetables in their ratten baskets and young children in toll and of course, the BBQ ladies (there were like 20 stalls in a row all selling the same food at the same price!) vying for customers "hello Mam.. hello sir...you want try barbeque? very nice. come come".

Same same but different.

And of course, with Sapa's cold and foggy winters, you would definitely gravitate towards the warmth radiating out from the row of colorful tents at D Ham Rong. Because i ASSURE you, that the spot right in front of the bbq pit, could well be the toastiest place in the whole of Sapa (because heated rooms are kind of a rarity there for budget travelers).

Our BBQ lady

More on Vietnam's Queen of the Mountains in a later post..

D Ham Rong's row of bbq stalls at night

El Toro Restro Bar

2010-02-17T20:44:00.009+08:00

Add: 165 Penang Road, 2F of Winsland Conservation House

Price: Mains $20-$30, Appetizers $10-$20
Great for: Mexican Food, 1 for 1 ladies drinks special, Chocolate Chilli Cake, Chillout,Paella, Atmosphere Website: http://www.eltoro.com.sg/home/home.html

I have always wanted to check out the restaurants/bars in the quaint white shophouse at Penang Road that stood out in stark contrast against the new developments around it (think 313@ Somerset). The opportunity came about 3 weeks ago when I met up with a handful of my friends from UMich at El Toro Restro Bar within the Winsland Conservation House for a meal after work.

Having done my research on hungrygowhere (quoting SJ: "wah, you did your homework before coming"), I decided to give recommendations. Reviews online have nothing but praises for El Toro and I started my meal there with high expectations, which on hindsight, I shouldn't.

Unfortunately, they ran out of the highly acclaimed Grilled Fresh Calamari on the day we were there and since we weren't in the mood for salady appetizers, we decided to give that portion of the menu a skip (though I was really tempted to rate the Ceviche against the one I had in Peru). For the main courses, we decided to stick to what the reviews claimed was good: the Fajitas and Paella.

While waiting for the food to arrive, we munched on the complimentary nachos & salsa, which were pretty good I must say. The nachos weren't your typical Doritos and the spices in the salsa gave a pretty good punch to the concoction. I also ordered the Mojito (they were having a 1 -1 drinks special for ladies) which wasn't fantastic, but still pretty much decent.

El Toro's Nacho + Salsa

After what seemed like a millennium, our main courses were finally served. The first dish (Fajitas) was an immediate disappointment. For a classy Latin restaurant selling their food at exhorbitant prices, ($26.80 for a puny chicken breast and 4 tortilla wraps?) they have failed to even learn the art of grilling their poultry well. We were all chewing on tough+overcooked meat and the marinade was definitely not substantial enough to console us from our little jaw workout.

Say NO to this Fajitas

The next dish was so-so. Or maybe, I have eaten too much Paella during those 29 days in Europe of Spring 2008 that nothing would ever come close to the authentic ones I had every day in Madrid and Barcelona. However, that being said, El Toro did a decent job for this one by using fresh seafood ingredients and the rice was sufficiently moist (though I prefer it to be drier, but was informed by Sj that this was the right consistency) and flavorful.

Paella with really fresh seafood cooked in white wine, saffron & cilantro

We decided to add one more dish (Plato Mixto) to our meal since Sel was joining us late from work . It was an appetizer mixer filled with mini chimichangas, quesadillas, al fuego chicken wings and jalepeno poppers. (I know, you must be like...chi chi what? Please refer to the end of El Toro's menu http://www.eltoro.com.sg/menu/menu.html. They have a Spanish glossary there, which may help shed some light =) Definitely a unique dish this one. I especially liked the jalepno poppers! And the chimichangas & quesadillas were done much better than their cousin (Fajitas) which we were trying very hard to forget by then. Also, the chicken wings reminded me of Har Chiong Gais at your typical 煮炒 store.

Plato Mixto

I think the saving grace for the entire meal was the dessert. No doubts about that. This was one spot-on review from hungrygowhere: Chilli Chocolate Cake. I have had my fair share of molten lava cakes and chocolate cake on hot plates while i was in the U.S but this was unlike any other! If you haven't guess by now, the chilli was KEY to the success of this cake. It gave such a surprising kick to it that you simply have to try it to understand what I (and many others) are raving about. Also, the basics of this desert weren't lacking either, you have the moist+warm chocolate cake, thick melted chocolate (with chilli) surrounding it, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and it was served on a hot plate! Every bite was like having a little bit of heaven (or fiery hell, depending on how you look at it=P) in your mouth.

Fighting for the Chilli Chocolate Cake

Ok, so maybe El Toro isn't that bad after all. The slow service, $$$$$ meal and yuckeroos Fajitas were thankfully saved by the other dishes. If you are there, remember that the first thing you have to do is order the Chilli Chocolate Cake (less you forget), ask for drinks specials, forget the Fajitas, go for the Grilled Calamari and come back here to tell me about it. (many thanks!)

Jang Shou Korean BBQ (Katong Village)

2010-02-05T21:04:00.009+08:00

Add: 86 East Coast Road (Blk B Katong Village - 2nd Floor)

Price: $33.80 ++ (weekend), $28.80 ++ (weekday) - not open for lunch

Promotion: 10% off if you dine within an hour (which honestly, i think you shouldn't=)

Great for: buffet, carnivores, kimchi, authenticity

Was watching Food Safari just a moment ago on the Travel Channel featuring some Korean eateries in Adelaide and it kinda reminded me of this really awesome Korean restaurant i visited 2 Saturdays ago with W.

My BBQ Grill

Not wanting to travel far after a hard day's work of spring cleaning a flat in Marsiling (part of company comm service project), we figured that travelling into town was a bad idea and decided to dine within a 3 km radius of my home. After much research online, we kinda settled on Jang Shou Korean BBQ at Katong even though the reviews weren't typically astounding (it was a close fight between that and the Jap buffet at Katong Mall, but being the carnivores we are, meat prevailed).

Yummy Korean Fish Cakes!

The Food

It was a well-balanced buffet spread with the star items (of course) being the wide variety of marinated meat: pork (spicy belly, tongue(yew), bulgogi, terriyaki, intestines..) beef (tripe, shoulder cut, prime cut, bulgogi, spicy..) ,chicken and seafood (sotongs and fish). Vegetables (brinjals, cabbages, onions, leeks, carrots, garlics, mushrooms..)

Cooked Food selection: Galbijim, Spicy Korean Rice Cakes and Noodle Soup

The cooked food and kimchi sections were definitely a bonus to the entire meal. There was an entire spread of tradition Korean food that includes Galbijim (beef stew with carrots and radish) , my FAVOURITE Korean fishcakes (fond memories from my OBS course at Odaesan National Park in Korea), rice cakes and potato currry stew. And in addition to the usual cabbage kimchi, there were 5 other different vegs that were (what I would like to call)..'kimchified'. Radish, spinach, seaweed..(and I can't remember the other two)

Pickled vegetables & the amazing potato salad

The salad/fruit bar consisted of your usual selection of raw veg, watermelon, pineapple, and honey dew. What really stands out though is the potato pasta salad and the raw beef salad, the latter being a personal observation of its replenishment rate since i do not particularly enjoy beef.

If I were to single out which dish was my favourite, it would have to be the spicy pork belly ( i swear you have never seen a 'broader' pork belly than this)...you could almost feel the TLC given by the chefs during the marination process. The Galbi-jim, spinach kimchi and the spicy fish were excellent too. And of course, W gives both thumbs up to the beef.

Spicy Pork Belly. Check out the width of it as compared to the 'normal' one

The Service

Generally good service and you could see that almost half the staff are actually from Korea! They were responsive and at times...TOO enthusiastic about cleaning away the grease & burnt bits on your bbq grills with kitchen towels (I hope. please let it NOT be toilet paper)

The Manager (or so I assumed) seems to guard the art of eating Korean BBQ very fervently. From a few metres away, he spotted my haphazard arrangement of meat and veg on the sloping bbq grill 5 minutes into my meal, shook his head in utter disappointment, trudged over with the folded toil... i mean...kitchen towel clamped in between the thongs, and started pushing all my food aside while scrubbing the grill at the same time. He then gingerly arranged the fatty meats at the top of the grill while leaving the garlic, onion and brinjals at the trough. I guess that makes complete sense since gravity would do its job on the melting fats and oil the entire grill in the process.

They had a great selection of sauces

The Vibes

Well, with the restaurant packed full with chattering customers and the aroma of bbq meat in the air, this must be one of the most unique dining experiences to have in Singapore. And the fact that HALF the customers were Korean make it a comforting fact that this establishment isn't one of those run-of-the-mill eateries boasting their soggy Bi Bim Baps.

The Before

p.s. Remember to grab a complimentary carpark ticket that could help offset a portion of your parking fees at Katong Village!

p.s p.s Wear the most chapalang shirt you have to this meal as you are gonna smell like a ton of bulgogi beef by the end of it. You should probably bring a change too if you are going somewhere for a date later.

If your partner is with you, and smells like bulgogi too, then I guess it's fine=)

Sweet Potato 发糕

2010-01-31T22:18:00.006+08:00

(Again, I apologize for the long hiatus from blogging on this page)

I have caught the baking bug lately and have been incessantly trying to find good/easy recipes for my experimental trials. While flipping through one of the many cook books I got from Popular, I came across this "Sweet Potato Fa Gao" recipe and decided to try it out last week. I had 3 projects going on in one Sunday afternoon and was dead beat by the end of it all. The almond suji cookies (from an earlier post) and fa gao turned out alright. But the Pineapple tarts leaves much to be desired (imagine feeding your bf the pineapple tarts that you had painstakingly baked for the last 3 hours and all he could do was burst out laughing upon the first bite -__-).

First batch of Fa Gaos from the steamer

Anyhoos... I bought some Japanese sweet potatoes from NTUC last week and it turned out to be the 'wrong' kind as it was predominantly pale yellow in color. The fa gao from that batch did not have much of an aesthetic appeal because of that. Today, I dug out the normal orangy sweet potatoes from the fridge (mum always has a stash of them hidden somewhere) and went for round number two.

Needless to say, the orange little cakes looked tons prettier than the ones from last week's. That being said, the yellow Japanese sweet potatoes did not lose out (taste-wise) when compared to it's local counterpart. In short, play around with the different varieties/colors available. Mum was even suggesting that I make purple fa gaos with those purple Peruvian sweet potatoes. Yew??)

Unfortunately, though my fa gaos passed Mama Lee's QC, (read: it tastes so yummy that i got my mum's accolades-and for those who know my mum, those are really hard to come by!!) they did not 发 very nicely. I have seen done my research online and found out the 'secrets' to it. Here are some pointers:

1. Make sure the water in your steamer is BOILING before you place your cake moulds in.
2. Never open the cover of the steamer halfway through baking. Just let it run its course.
3. Use a satay stick/chopstick/whatever to draw a cross on the batter before placing them into the steamer.4. Most importantly, allow your batter to sit for a FEW HOURS before baking. This was one thing that I failed in doing (and i blame the book for that!!#Q#@$)
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薯泥发糕 - Sweet Potato Fa Gao (Sweet Nyonya Kuih)
Adapted from: 情牵娘惹糕 by Andrew Kow (Pg. 46)

The original orange sweet potato发糕s from today

Ingredients A:

1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
60ml water

Ingredients B:
200 g mashed sweet potato (that is about one medium size potato)
200 ml coconut milk
300 g flour
2 tsp double action baking powder
1 egg

Method:
1. Mix Ingredients A until well combined and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Add Ingredients B and mix well. Set aside for another 1.5-2 hours. (the original version says 30 minutes, but that wasn't enough for me)
3. Pour the batter into small cups, draw crosses on them and steam for 20-25 minutes. Serve.

Huat Ah!!! (sorry, couldn't resist it.)

发糕 using the pale yellow Jap sweet potatoes.

Those who stay will be Champions.

2009-11-22T00:21:00.003+08:00

Last game of the season. And although I know this blog is primarily dedicated to my 2favourites in life: food & travel, I would like to use the last few ounces of energy for the day to say... LET'S GO BLUE!! .
I am in no condition to rattle on with all the inspirational/motivational/rah-rah talk, so i would leave you in the hands of Al Pacino...

"I don't know what to say really. I mean, three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives; all comes down to today. Well, we either we heal as a team or we'll gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we're finished. We're in hell right now gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here and get the shit kicked out of us; or we can fight our way back; into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch at a time.

Now I can't do it for you. I'm to old. I look around and i see these young faces and I think. I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who has ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old in life; things get taken away from you. That's part of life. But you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life's this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game life or football the margin for error is so small. I mean one half step too early or too late and you don't quite make it. One half a second too slow or too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game; every minute every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches, that's what gonna make the *ucking difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying. I'll tell you this in any fight, it's the guy who's willing to die who's gonna win that inch. And I know if I'm gona have any life anymore. It's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch. Because that's what living is. The six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it. You have to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes. Now i think your ginna see a guy who will go that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it; your gonna do the same for him.

That's a team gentlemen. And, either we heal, now as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys. That's all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do ?"

WHEREVER YOU GO,

GO BLUE.

Seattle Eats (II): Top Pot Doughnut

2009-10-07T21:01:00.009+08:00

Photos By: Val

Add: 2124 5th Ave, Seattle, USA

Website: http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com
Great for: coffee, breakfast, doughnuts, hanging out, price

As promised, here is the 2nd installation of Seattle Eats.

Was just looking through my Picasa3 albums on photos from June - right after the epic road trip where a group of us took a 9 day drive across the U.S. from South Dakota to Seattle (yes, that is a hell lot of driving)...totally filled me with an immense sense of longing. I miss that place.

In any case, the first album taken on the 1st of June consisted of shots from an early breakfast jaunt at Top Pot Doughnuts - a popular breakfast place near JS's apartment where the lucky people living in Seattle get to saunter in at any time of the day (till 7pm) for some lovely doughnuts.

Upon stepping into the eatery, I was engulfed by the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and doughnuts. The place was brightly lit by streams of morning sunlight pouring through the glass-pane front facade of the cafe. There was an elaborate bookshelf to the left of the entrance that spanned the entire height of the cafe and was well-stocked with books. In short, the bakery felt like a comfy loft more than anything else! It was a great place to start off a brand new day.

The friendly staff at the counter gave some hints on which doughnuts were popular and we made our choice, collected our doughnuts (not before getting our morning caffeine of course) and proceeded to the second level (this place is kinda huge for a bakery/cafe) to start on our breakfast.
I have NEVER tasted anything like the Apple Fritter doughnut that I ordered. Although covered with glazing, it was not too overly saccharin ed - unlike many of the mass-produced over-the-counter doughnuts out there. This was one doughnut that had a delicate and well-proportioned blend of cinnamon spice, little bits of apple, fried dough and icing ...all acting as complements to one another. The dough was light and fluffy too, a great change from those conventional dense ones.

My counterparts' choice were not too lacking either (though some disagreed with my raving reviews of the Apple Fritter). The Raspberry Doughnut was pretty to look at, but definitely not one of my favourites as it was a little too sweet for my liking. The old-fashioned/original doughnut tasted great with coffee! I am not a big coffee drinker (and i don't claim to be an expert at it), but reviews online have given Top Pot's coffee a 2 thumbs up so do remember to order a cup of their specialty brew when you are there!

There are many who swear by Top Pot's Bavarian Cream doughnuts, and others who faithfully stand by their choice of the old-fashioned glaze doughnuts. Whatever the case, I am pretty sure you would find one that suits your mood and tastebud at any time of the day.

Check out their entire doughnut selection here

That being said, I still pretty much enjoy the normal sugar-ed doughnuts we have here in neighborhood bakeries all around Singapore=)

Wild Oats Bar on the Hill

2009-09-28T20:23:00.007+08:00

Photos By: Val

Wild Oats

Add: At the top of Mt Emily! Upper Wilkie Road

Website: http://www.wildrocket.com.sg

Great for: Chilling out, sunset, finger food, alcohol, ambiance

Was at Old School @ Mt. Emily for the International Social Action Film Festival (http://www.sinema.sg/2009/09/10/sinema-international-social-action-film-festival/) just 2 weekends ago where I caught the film - Earthlings (http://www.earthlings.com/)...

"EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”"

Although I did 'enjoy' the film, the gory footages of cows being skinned alive and wings of chicks being clipped did not achieve its aim of converting me and my 3 fellow film companions into vegans AT ALL. Ok, maybe we did consider it - but I am pretty sure it only managed to last through the duration of the film (and perhaps, 2 minutes after it ended?)

Honestly, I was a little cynical of the contents and the extremist+biased view that the whole film was based on. Most of the slaughterhouse footages were from ~10 yrs ago, and yes, I do not deny that animals featured did go through a fair bit (ok,ALOT) of pain and suffering on their final journey to our markets, but surely, conditions would have improved by now...

Thankfully, I was assured by Jloo (http://logue.sg) that Singapore's pig slaughtering practices are unquestionably humane and that the porkies endured minimal pain before ending up on our table. Do view her article here: (http://logue.sg/v1/50)

Anyways...apologies...I digress.

Wild oats, yes.

So, after enduring 1.5 hours of blood, gory, gut-spillages, rotting carcasses and throbbing cow brains, we got......well....hungry. And since Wild Rocket + Wild Oats was just around the corner, we decided to have an early dinner+drinking session at the top of Mt. Emily.

Now, I have been craving for some spam fries after reading Chubbyhubby's article on it (http://chubbyhubby.net/blog/?p=579) about a month back. I know....spam IS my weak spot. So imagine the excitement when I spotted it (Luncheon Meat Fries) on the menu!

We proceeded to order 1 mini Wild Rocket Burger, 1 seafood Burger, white baits with fries and of course, the SPAM fries! (i am pretty sure most of us felt a little guilty, but oh well). They also had their 1-for-1 house pour and drinks promotion going on (every Sunday).

Firstly, I would give Wild Oats (many) thumbs up for the relaxing ambiance they have created at their outdoor sitting area. Primarily filled with rattan /wooden furniture and surrounded by greenery (think little palm trees and all), it was as if we were transported to a beachside resort in a totally different country. The brilliant pink sunset was also definitely a plus. I would definitely recommend getting an outdoor table (vs. the indoor ones) at this charming place, go sit on their indoor stools and you will know why.

The service was also just right, not too overfriendly/pesky ( i dislike waitresses who pop by the table every microsecond and insist on scooping every drop/morsel of soup/food onto my platter) and definitely not aloof (those where you have to do a Kallang wave in order to get their attention).

The drinks were great, the gin tonic was done surprisingly well with an equal balance of both constituents ( i have had some really awful ones before). The Stellas and white wine were refreshing on a warm humid evening too.

As for the burgers, well, you can't really go wrong with Relish's burgers right? The Wild Rocket burger was juicy+tasty and gobbled down within a couple of minutes by the bf. The seafood burger however, was a littleeeee disappointing as compared to the original one served at Relish (another eatery under the Wild Rocket chain). It did not have the intensive fragrance that I remembered from my first visit to Relish about 2 months ago and was a little too chewy for my liking.

Next up..-drum rolls- ..the SPAM FRIES ( ok la ok la, we Singaporean, we say Luncheon Meat Fries.. eh sai boh?)!!!

Unfortunately, chubbyhubby gave the spam fries such a godly status in his post that I was totally crushed when the fries served that day turned out to be a little charred and thus, dry. The taste also fell short of my expectations for it. It was not till yesterday that I was told that the spam fries on Chubhub was actually homecooked by himself from the Wild Oats' inspired recipe. His version was definitely way more aesthetically appealing than the original one.

A suggestion for those who are still interested to try it would be to request for it to be less burnt - that would definitely make them a little more succulent as opposed to crispy/bland.

The white baits were not entirely fantastic, they were ok..but the curry-mayo that was served along with it totally outshone the main dish itself! Never got down to asking them what went into the mixture but I must must remember to ask for more of it the next time!

In short, Wild Oats would be a great place to unwind for the evening with their nightly drinks promotion and better than average finger food. Just remember to ask for more curry mayo, outdoor sitting and under-fried Luncheon meat fries!

ps. “we distrust camels or anyone who can go for a week without a drink”

Don't you just love their endearing slogan? =)

Madeleines à l'ancienne

2009-09-12T14:46:00.013+08:00

Written by: Chowy (hence the stark contrast in writing quality)

Adapted from: 750g.com

Photos By: Val

The madeleine is an extraordinary creation. Oval and distinct with its shell-shaped base, it's a tiny bundle of simple goodness - crisp and moist, buttery and light all at once when done well. It perhaps is best thought of as a glorified butter cake made famous by its Proustian connection and similar to the financier. A quick search on Wikipedia provides the following description. The madeleine, or petite madeleine is "a traditional small cake from Commercy, a commune of the Meuse département in northeastern France". It doesn't require much ingredients apart from the basics - flour, eggs, butter, sugar and some lemon zest, making it a simple treat to whip up at home, guaranteed to be well-received fresh out of the oven. If madeleine moulds are difficult to find, shallow bun pans/muffin trays should do the trick too.

In our case, energised by the thought of recreating the delicious tea-time treat, as well as by the recollection that I had indeed acquired a set of madeleine moulds in a recent trip to Japan, I convinced Val it was worth a shot. After some research online, we went with a recipe from 750g.com - a French food website. As a side point, recipes on the madeleine abound on the internet, varying both in flavours (e.g. chocolate, vanilla, fruit flavoured ones - you name it the net has it!) and the basic ingredients (e.g. some would recommend using almond meal in place of flour, but that I feel would make it more of a financier). It's probably useful to experiment in small batches with a couple and use the one which best suits your tastebuds.

Most unfortunately, our attempt turned out to be somewhat dismal, as the batter stubbornly refused to rise in the oven. Alas, that heavenly aroma of lemony-butter couldn't conceal the dense texture of the madeleines, which made it at times barely chewy. I later discovered the fatal flaw, due embarrassingly enough, to my dismal French - causing me to misread 'baking powder' (levure chimique) for 'yeast' (levure). Which would explain why subsequent batches turned out slightly better after allowing more time for the yeast to interact with the batter. Yes - "oh dear + snigger" cry les Francophiles.

Nonetheless aside from the failed French translation, a la Proust, when consumed with a spot of tea and served slightly toasted, the resultant product was still sufficiently addictive for a couple more to disappear within seconds of appearing. And for that spine-tingling, body shuddering brief moment of pleasure, it's a recipe most certainly worth a shot.

Madeleines a l'ancienne (for 30 madeleines)

225g of plain flour

175g of sugar (can be reduced if less sugar is preferred)

100g melted butter

1 sachet of BAKING POWDER (1 sachet = approx. 11g)

4 eggs

1 lemon (for the rind)

pinch of salt

1) Beat the sugar and eggs together till it thickens and turns a creamy yellow

2) Sift the flour and baking powder together, before gradually adding, alternating each time, the flour and the butter + lemon zest

3) Before placing in the oven, grease and flour the madeleine pan to ensure ease of removal.

The original recipe advises the batter be left to set for about 20 minutes before cooking.

Et voila, les madeleines a l'ancienne! Bon appetit!

P.S. Do drop a line if you've come across any successful modifications!

Seattle Eats (I): Macrina Bakery & Cafe

2009-08-20T21:49:00.008+08:00

Location: 2408 1st Ave, Seattle, Washington

Website: http://www.macrinabakery.com/

Genre: Bakery, Breakfast, Brunch

Famous for: Brunch, Coffee, French Toast & ALL their pastries

If there is one city(besides Singapore) I would love to move to , it would have to be Seattle: home of Grey's Anatomy, Starbucks, the Space Needle, Puget Sound, REI (YEAH!)....and the list goes on...

I had the privilege of visting this great city not once..but twice during the last 6 months. Thanks to our only Singaporean warrior (ok, more like geek) at Amazon.com - JS. He graciously hosted me and my friends when spring rolled in (with the rain and all) and a second time when summer started in May. I should also mention that JS was an ex-valeebelly photographer, but he has since moved on to greater things in life. erhem.

Anyways..back to my point! I absolutely LOVE the food culture there. Fresh seafood, Pike's Place, wine from the surrounding valleys, bakeries, oysters...I can't seem to get enough of it. So, I decided to preserve these memories by (rudely) prohibiting my dining partners to even breathe when the food arrives until I have finished snapping some decent pictures with my 50 mm. And trust me, the lack of SLR skills made it a long and painful before-meal ritual for them.

I would be gradually putting up recommendations on places to eat at Seattle over the next few posts. So watch out for this space! (Singaporeans: only applicable if you are heading back to the States. if not, sorry, go on and drool.)

I decided on a thank-you treat for JS on the last afternoon there before leaving for the airport and got him to choose a place to have a light lunch. And I guess Macrina Bakery & Cafe was the best place to end my visit to Seattle.

I love this place! The waitresses were friendly, the atmosphere was great and besides the great food, they serve awesome beverages too. Not to mention, the complimentary slices of rustic bread they serve before your main meal + spice olive oil was to die for...

Please do also try their apple cider (only available after winter). It is not freshly made by them, but still, its great. Cold apple cider on a warm summer day. Nothing can beat that. And check out the stalk of rosemary in the olive oil...

I don't exactly know whats the link between olives and Seattle but they seem to serve it as a side in almost every restaurant that I visited! I had the quiche (i am a big fan of quiches!) with some salad greens and olives..

while JS had their specialty crostoni (i think?) bread with sundried tomatoes and baby spinach + a cup of soup too.. Sadly, I can't remember the exact names of the dishes we tried (should have jotted it down somewhere!) but in any case, chances are that you will not find it anyways since their change their menu rather frequently (almost every week!). I believe the reason for doing so is to capitalize on the fresh produce available during that particular period/season. Great concept!
Had the berry pie for desert..heavenly

Take me back there.......

Banana Nut Bread

2009-08-17T21:10:00.006+08:00

Adapted from: Baking Illustrated

Photos By: ME (yes! i got a SLR already=))

I don't even know whether this qualifies as a short hiatus. A quick check tells me that the last time I blogged over here was on june 29th of LAST YEAR. That is like...more than a year ago.

In any case. Things have been moving along and i m finally finally back home (Singapore <3)!

Been trying to bake regularly too since I hardly am motivated to do so back at Duke. Sadly, I have lost a little bit of mojo (maybe baking products in the U.S. are different than in Singapore?!) but still!! I am trying...

Anyhooss..

I found a really great banana nut loaf (the bf insists it tasted more like a cake than a loaf of bread!grr) recipe that I would love to share!

Banana Nut Bread

Makes a 9-inch loaf (use a loaf pan measuring 9" x 5" x 3")

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) or all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups chopped coarse walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup plain yoghurt

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Heat oven to 350F

2. Grease loaf pan. Dust with flour, tap out excess

3. Spread walnuts onto baking sheet and toast till fragrant (5-1o min), Set aside to cool

4. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts in large bowl.

5. Mix mashed banans, yoghurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium pold.

6. Lightly fold banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Batter looks thick and chunky.

7. Pour batter into loaf pan

8. Bake for about 55 minutes till loaf is golden brown.

9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes.

10. Serve warm or at rtp.

Flagstaff & the Grand Canyon

2008-03-25T12:51:00.008+08:00

Photos by: Val and other random GC-ers

“To stand upon the edge of this stupendous gorge, as it receives its earliest greeting from the god of day, is to enjoy in a moment compensation for long years of ordinary uneventful life.”
-John L. Stoddard

Its been almost a month since I left the mundane life in Ann Arbor for my Spring Break trip to the Grand Canyon National Park with the University of Michigan's Outdoor Adventures Club. I would say for sure that this has got to be the most significant experience during my short stint in America (which thankfully got prolonged by some good news!=). There was nothing more I could ask for: 9 days away in the majestic canyons, humbled by nature, the scenery, the people, the night sky blanketed with stars, isolation, the bittersweet pain of the sore-d muscles and burnt skin, 10 strangers evolving into 10 great friends..

I find that the most amazing thing about being close to nature was the way in which we learn the subtle lessons on humility and courage. Our tiny existence gets lost in the grander scheme of the world around us and we take these lessons away from that short moment in our lives in the depths of the canyons and forests.. The magic in all this was that it continues to inspire us long after we've conquered them...

Is has been a month, memories will fade no doubt but I guess it was really the moments that matter, up the Mesa, by the Colorado River, camping in knee deep snow at the Rim.. they were my little snippets of Paradise.

The charming town of Flagstaff was amazing. I wouldn't say that I'd love to live there forever, but it was a unique community with the distinctive "mountain culture" oozing from every shop and establishment. We had a great time stuffing ourselves silly at the eateries after climbing out of the canyon (You really can't blame us, it was so exhausting!)The pleasant streets were lined with hotels from the yesteryears, microbrewries, historic brick buildings and chic restaurants. I also had an awesome time walking into all the outdoor equipment shops with Wilson (and lamenting about how expensive the stuff were!).

I intended to put up NOLS's (North-American Outdoor Leadership School)recipes of the meals that were made in our backcountry kitchen (right under the stars and by the river.oooo.) but I decided it will be too long a post (and its already 315am over here!) so I shall spare you (and me) the misery. Would definitely feature those yummy deserts soon though!

Anyways, here are some restaurants that we tried at Flagstaff based on recommendations by our hostel staff..

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Beaver Street Brewery
http://www.beaverstreetbrewery.com/
11 S. Beaver St., Flagstaff, Arizona

This brewery prides itself with its beer of course, but sadly, we were unable to try it due to the no-alcohol policy set by the Outdoor Adventures Center (which I can understand why after witnessing my dear GC-ers turn insane back in Ann Arbor on St. Patrick's Day under the influence of alcohol=)
Besides beers, there was also a really sweet wood-fired oven near the entrance of the restaurant for their popular wood-fire pizzas..
I chose the Salmon B.L.T sandwich though and it was a decent choice. The guys went crazy over their Beaver St Burger which consisted of 1/2 pound of certified Angus ground chuck and erm..ALOT of fries. We were all really hungry and had no problems wolfing down those calorific and sinful burgers. Our powerful stench (from not bathing for 6 days)that came from the jackets, pants, shirts, bandanas managed to attract the attention of the brewery's customers while they walked past us after their meal. It was a wonder why they didn't barf.
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Mountain Oasis International Restaurant
http://www.themenuplease.com/mountainoasis/
11 E Aspen Ave

For lunch on our rest day, we hopped down to Mountain Oasis after having our lattes and capuccinos at Flagstaff Coffee Company. I loved the ambience at that cosy cafe, and the Pesto Chicken sandwich i had....was TO DIE FOR. I may be biased though because I am a huge fan on Pesto! Give me anything with Pesto and I am sure to give it a two thumbs up!They have daily specials too and their meals (lunch menu) are reasonably priced.

(sorry.no valeebelly photographers with me on the trip.haha)

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Nimarco's Pizza
101 S Beaver St. Flagstaff, AZ

The locals view it as the "best way to sit and enjoy the best pizza in town, drink beer and watch football" The 2 memorable pizzas we had there was the one with the pesto (duh.) and this one called "meat lovers"....and you REALLY have to be one to fully enjoy it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Macy's European Coffee House
http://www.macyscoffee.net/
14 South Beaver Street

I wished I had more time to hang out at this cafe! I loved the interior decor..the old-fashioned way of selling pastries over the wooden counter...some chess action going on near the corner..the country singer crooning away at the other end of the cafe ( i sat there mesmerized by the songs.i think some country songs are so heartwrenching! GAH). Thank goodness I had a chance to actually try some of their pastries when Wilson decided to go hunt it down right before we met up with the group for dinner. Though their prices are steep, you would definitely enjoy soaking up the laid-back and almost hippy-like atmosphere blanketing the cafe.

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If you are in the area, do remember to pop by one of these restaurants for a meal!
Till the next post...

almost at our campsite..almost...after about 9 hours of trekking

cooking out.

Anthony Bourdain on Korea

2008-03-10T06:29:00.005+08:00

I really love this particular episode.Think I have watched it at least 5 times on the Travel channel (whats with all the No Reservations re-runs?!)I especially like Bourdain's description of Kimchee:
"Kimchee, the heart and soul of Korea.The principal dish.The beginning and end.The constant condiment.The much-loved concoction of cabbage and tongue-scorching spice buried in claypots until appropriately..fragrant.From a field of fermenting kimchee to hanging bricks of dry and moldy beans...i love the dark forces of rotting, of aging, of fermentation..the divine game of changing between light and dark, but the difference between the divine and the rotten, is entirely in the hands of a talented artist"

I have been a big fan of the Hermit Kingdom (much of it attributed to the tear-jerking drama 秋天的童话 which I was crazy over in secondary school) and have visited it twice of which both times I remembered how their cuisine was just so unique! They go big on spices, antiquated food traditions like Kimchee, love their seafood, have moulded sheets of metal serve as their cutlery and bowls (seriously! have you seen an authentic Korean chopsticks?)and are so proud of their cuisine that they bring it wherever they go!

There are many Korean food establishments here in Ann Arbor and I could say that you can trust most of them for a good hot meal on a blistering cold wintery day...Will miss these places when I leave in 1.5 months time...

and wow, do you know that the Kimchee fermentation procecess is kicked off by rotting oysters? you will never look at that plate of Kimchee the same way again=)

Chicken and Pineapple with Cashews

2008-03-06T13:41:00.005+08:00

Photos by: Ed
Recipe from:Kitchen Library's New Asian Cooking (this $4 bargain book i got from Ann Arbor's Borders!)

So,I have been asked for this recipe alot of times (most requests by the photographer himself) and decided to post it here. Its an easy dish to prepare and is pretty yummy too! Its classified under Vietnamese cooking with an emphasis on Asian sauces like oyster and fish sauce. Goes well with plain rice.

Chicken with Pineapple and Cashews
....................................

Serves 4

1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tbsp oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, cut in large chunks
2 tsp chopped red chillies
350 g chicken thigh filllets, chopped into cubes
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1/2 green capsicum, chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (canned ones will suffice really)
3 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp shredded coconut

1. Roast cashews on oven tray for about 15 minutes in moderate 180 C oven until deep golden, allow it to cool
2. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir fry garlic, onion and chillies over medium heat for 2 minutes, remove from wok. Increase heat to high an dstir-fry chicken and capsicum in 2 batches, tossing until chicken is light brown. Heat must be very high so the chicken will be succulent.
3. Return onion mixture to wok, add oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pineapple and toss for 2 minutes. Toss the cashews through. Arrange on serving plate and scatter spring onion and coconut over the top.
4. Serve with rice, garnished with corriander leaves.

Enjoy!

Suji Cookies

2008-02-18T02:55:00.004+08:00

Photos By: JS
Recipe By: Oi Lin at http://pineapple-tarts.blogspot.com

Gong xi fa cai!!!! Yeah...I know I am lagging. Its like day 11 of the Chinese New Year already. Gosh..time flies. The first few days of the new year was spent trying to recuperate from a bad bout of shingles (caused by dormant chicken pox virus)but thanks to the support of my friends and daily consolation by my parents via phone, I managed to have a speedy recovery=) Nothing however, could dampen my festive baking spirit and I went on a CNY cookie baking frenzy. The pineapple tart didn't turn out like the way I wanted it to be (pineapple jam tasted more like the fruit itself than the conventional pineapple filling).The suji cookies however, were pretty awesome and I thought it would be great to share the recipe with you. Go easy on the Ghee though!! It clogs the arteries.

I found Oi Lin's recipe online while googling for pineapple tarts. It turns out that she is quite the professional baker who has published a couple of Asian desert cook books. She also has a vblog at http://pineapple-tarts.blogspot.com Do check it out!!

Suji cookies have always been one of my favourite CNY tart since when I was little. I remember my mum making it a couple of years just before I left for the States (and said bye bye to 3 years of Chinese New Year + Hong Baos) but honestly speaking, I like mine better =) I attended a church service 1 month back and the pastor was preaching about how God's love manifest itself through common family interests and I was just thinking how baking/cooking and bowling forge stronger relationships within my own family. I cannot imagine summer holidays without me and mum contributing to the decibel level of peaceful Siglap by overworking our Kenwood Chef cake mixer (its Dad's birthday present for mum from the 80s!). Can't wait to get home this May for more kitchen adventures!

Suji Cookies
............

Ingredients:
100g ghee
120g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
70g ground almonds
150g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Egg glaze: egg yolk

Method:
Mix first 4 ingredients, then add almonds and mix.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Mix and add to above. Mix to form a dough.
Scoop dough with a teaspoon, shape it with your hands (see video) and arrange on lined tray. Brush with yolk glaze.
Bake in preheated 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 12 to 14 minutes till yolk glaze on cookies look golden yellow and bottoms of cookies are golden brown. Do not overbake!! Do not underbake either or cookies will not be crisp.
Allow cookies to cool completely on a rack and store in container.

Recipe Notes:
Using a measuring spoon to scoop dough makes your cookies all evenly sized.

Magnolia Cupcakes

2008-01-24T16:46:00.002+08:00

Recipe from:The Magnolia Bakery
Photos by: JS and CY

So,I have heard alot about bakeries selling good cupcakes in New York but there was a particular one whose name keeps popping up at every food blog and review site. I then decided to try out the recipe for it one Friday night so as to satisfy the photographers' cravings for food with "more life and colour". Quoting JS: "I really cannot help you much if you keep baking things that are brown you know..." Hence, the inspiration for baking cupcakes.

Had a lot of fun doing this one. Invested in this pastry piping bag thing which really, could be ranked number 1 in Val's-bad-baking-tools-investment chart of the year 2007. Well, I could be biased now because I caught sight of this amazing pastry piping pump sold at the Chicago outlet of Williams-Sonoma which costs USD$25 *gulps*. It was made like a huge plastic syringe (easier for cleaning) and had up to 10 different nozzles! The $5 pastry piping bag I got from Krogers was such a disappointment! Seriously.Messy messy affair with frosting dripping everywhere. (ooo.it rhymes!)But, I got it done in the end and yippee..it tasted kinda decent too. Could have done better with the texture of the cupcakes itself though but sigh, what can I say, good creaming = good mixer+patience+noise pollution = need moolah + need to learn to be patient + nice housemates (which I thankfully have)

It is 4am and I am getting really tired!So enough with all the "let's tell you about my life and how it turned out to be a cupcake/cookie/cooking affair".straight to the recipe.

Magnolia CupCake
................
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
2 cups Sugar
4 Large eggs, room temperature
1 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a small bowl, stir to combine the flours. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
4. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
7. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
8. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
10. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
12. Ice with tinted Vanilla Buttercream and sprinkles.

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Icing
......................................
Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Do visit Magnolia Bakery at:

401 Bleecker Street
New York, NY. 10014
212 462 2572

Ethical Food?

2008-01-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

I was sitting in the ladies room on the 3rd floor of the Mechanical Engineering department when I caught sight of "The Economist" December 9th-15th 2006 issue which featured a report on "Why Ethical Food Harms the Planet". Although I was running late for my lab, the notion that organic/fairtrade/local food was bad for the planet disturbed me greatly and so, I sat down on the couch and started devouring the page long report.

If you have the time, do read on.

Ethical Food. Good Food?

If you think you can make the planet better by clever shopping, think again. You might make it worse.

"You don't have to wait for government to move..the really fantastic thing about Fairtrade is that you can go shopping!" So said a representative of the Fairtrade movement in a British newspaper this year. Similarly Marion Nestle, a nurtionist at NYU, aruges that "when you choose organics, you are voting for a planet with fewer pesticides, richer soil and cleaner water supplies"

The idea that shopping is the new politics is certainly seductive. Never mind the ballot box: vote with your supermarkeet trolley instead. Elections occur relatively rarely, but you probably go shopping several times a month, providing yourself with lots of opportunities to express your opinions. If you are worried about the environment, you might buy organic food; if you want to help poor farmers, you can do your bit by buying Fairtrade products; or you can express a dislike of evil multinational companies and rampant globalisation by buying only local produce. And the best bit is that shopping, unlike voting, is fun; so you can do good and enjoy yourself at the same time.

Sadly, it is not that easy. There are good reasons to doubt the claims made about 3 of the most popular varieties of "ethical food": organic food, Fairtrade food and local food. People who want to make the world a better place cannot do so by shifting their shopping habits: transforming the planet requires duller disciplines, like politics.

Buy organic, destroy the rainforest
Organic food, which is grown without man-made pesticides and fertilisers, is generally assumed to be more environmentally friendly than conventional intensive farming, which is heavily reliant on chemical inputs. but it all depends what you mean by "environmentally friendly". Farming is inherently bad for the environment: since humans took it up around 11 000 years ago, the result has been deforestation on a massive scale. But following the "green revolution" of the 1960s, greater use of chemical fertiliser has tripled grain yields with very little increase in the area of land under cultivation. Organic methods, which rely on crop rotation, manure and compost in place of fertiliser, are far less intensive. So producing the world's current agricultureal output organically would require several times as much land as is currently cultivated. There wouldn't be much room left for the rainforest.

Fair trade food is designed to raise poor farmers' incomes. It is sold at a higher price than ordinary food, with a subsidy passed back to the farmer. But prices of agricultural comodities are low because of overproduction. By propping up the price, the Fairtrade system encourages farmers to produce more of these comoodities rather than diversifying into other crops and so depresses the prices-thus achieving, for most farmers, exactly the opposite of what the initiatiove is intended to do. And since only a small fraction of the mark-up on Fairtrade foods actually goes to the farmer-most goes to the retailer- the system gives rich consumers and inflated impression of their largesse and makes alleviating poverty seem too easy.

Surely the case for local food, produced as close as possible to the consumer in order to minimise "food miles" and by extention, carbon emissions, is clear? Surpringsly, it is not. A study of Britain's food system found that nearly half of food vehicle miles were driven by cars going to and from the shops. Most people live closer to a supermarket than a farmer's market, so more local food could mean more food-vehicle miles. Moving food around in big, carefully packed lorries, as supermarket do, may in fact be the most efficient way to transport the stuff.

What's more, once the energy used in production as well as transport is taken into account, local food may turn out to be even less green. Producing lamb in NZ and shipping it to Britain uses less energy than producing Briticsh lamb, because farming in NZ is less energy-intensive. And the local-food movement's aims, of course, contradict those of the airtrade movement, by discouraging rich-country consumers from buying poor country produce. But since the local food movement looks suspiciously like old fashioned protectionism masquerading as concern for the environment, helping poor countries is presumably not the point.

Appetite for change
The aims of much of the ethical food movement-to protect the environment, to encourage development and to redress the distortions in global trade-are admirable. The problems lie in the means, not the ends. No amount of Fairtrade coffee will eliminate poverty, and all the organic asparagus in the world will not save the planet. Some of the stuff sold under an ehitcal label may even leave the world in a worse state and its poor farmers poorer than they otherwise would be.

So what should the ethically minded consumer do? Things that are less fun than shopping, als. Real change will require action by governments, in the form of a global carbon tax; reform of the world trade system; and the abolition of agricultural tarrifs and subsidies, notably Europe's monstrous common agricultural policy, which coddles rich farmers and prices those in the poor world out of the European market. Proper free trade would be by far the best way to help poor farmers. Taxing carbon would price the cost of emissions into the price of goods, and retailers would then have an incentive to source locally if it saved energy But these changes will come about only through diffiicult, international, political deals that the world' government have so far failed to do.

The best thing about spread of the ethical-food movement is that it offers grounds for hope. It sends a signal that there is an enormous appetite for change and widespread frustration that government are not doing enough to preserve the environment, reform world trade or encourage devlelopement. Which suggests that if politicians put these options on the polical menu, people might support them. The idea of changing the world by voting with your trolley may be beguilling. But if consumers really want to make a fidfference, it is at the ballot box that they need to vote.

To avid readers of this blog, you might have remember the proclaimation in the Nov 8th entry about Fairtrade products - "We shape the future by the products we choose to buy and the life we choose to live. The forces of economics complement our choices, not the other way round." You could say I experienced a huge sense of defeat after reading the article, it is after all..The Economist. However, my firm belief in "ethical food" kicked in, and instead of succumbing to my guilibility, I went on a mad search for anti-arguments and boy was the result encouraging.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8515834

http://nullbull.gnn.tv/blogs/20374/Organic_Food_is_Bad_for_the_Environment_The_Economist_s_Sloppy_Logic
http://www.fairtrade.net/single_view.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=11&tx_ttnews[backPid]=104&cHash=ccfcb32023

http://www.foodfirst.org/node/1627/print

http://www.newfarm.org/features/2007/0107/grist/philpott.shtml

So it seems that The Economist's case was a really weak one. Whatever the case, Organic farming and Fairtrade products acceptance are definitely fighting uphill battles against current farming and trade policies. However, like global warming, it needs to start off somewhere before the whole slate can be wiped off clean. The problem now is that these revolutionizing techniques are co-existing with conventional/traditional methods of farming and of course, as history has always shown, a perturbance to what people consider as "normal" do not always go down well- even though normal may = bad. My stand now is that BOTH consumer power and voting would change the world, but thats of course assuming that we live in an ideal world.

Wanton Noodles

2008-01-09T12:02:00.002+08:00

Photos by: JS and CY

Hello! It has been a long while since I last blogged on this site. Almost a month!I have been crazily busy with the finals and left straightaway for my amazing winter break at Hawai'i (more on that in a later post)for 2 weeks and then it was back to Ann Arbor with floods of application, emails and admin stuff to clear. But I guess I have neglected this blog long enough to the point that even the fooble chatbox went through self-destruction and had to be resurrected!

Anyways, in the midst of all the excitement for the Hawai'i holiday planning, I decided to have a wanton mee party at our place about a month ago. It was indeed a phenomenal task cooking for 12 people.

Note to self: never ever attempt it again unless you own an industrial size kitchen.

I wouldn't say that the wanton noodles cooked that day was great because I got so disoriented after a while and started overcooking the veg and wantons. My friends were a big fan of the charsiew however, which was just pork marinated in plain old simple Lee Kum Kee charsiew sauce.Yeah I know...I wish I could make the marinate from scratch but I couldn't get hold of a reliable recipe then and decided to try out the bottle of Lee Kum Kee stored on the shelf.I think it belongs to my housemates but I stole it anyways.Yikes. By the way, I bought a cooking book called "Food of Paradise" from the international airport at Honoululu which proved to be a delightable read on the plane (don't even get me starting on the 2 hours of turbulence) and guess what, it teaches you how to make Charsiew Sauce from scratch! =)

I personally liked the wantons best because it is a special concoction of minced pork and prawns, a recipe inspired by my mum. But Mr Lee Kum Kee sure did steal the spotlight!

Wanton Mee

1 pound pork tenderloin
Lee Kum Kee Charsiew Sauce

Wanton skins
1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound raw peeled shrimps (chopped into fine bits)
chopped garlic

Xiao Bai Cai

Yellow hongkong noodles

For each serving:

1 tsp Fish sauce
1/2 tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tbsp Chilli/Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp Fried garlic bits
1 tsp Black pepper

1. Marinate the pork tenderloin with 5 tbsp of charsiew sauce for 2 hours (or as long as you like!) and bake it at 350 F for 30 minutes
2. Mix the minced pork, prawns and garlic together. Marinate them with 6 tbsp of soy sauce, 5 tbsp of sesame oil, 5 chopped garlic cloves and 4 tbsp of fried shallots
3. Shape them into little balls and wrap them in the wanton skins

4. Throw the wantons into boiling water for 1.5 minutes, take them out and put them into cold water so that they won't stick
5. Boil the noodles for 3 minutes
6. Boil the Xiao Bai Cai for about a minute
7. While the noodles and veg are cooking, pour the mixture of fish suace, soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli/ketchup into a plate and mix it with the garlic bits and black pepper
8. Drain the noodles, dip them into cold water and thoroughly mix them with the sauce mixture on the place

9. Cut the pork into 1/4 inch slices
10.Drain the vegetables
11.Garnish the plate of noodles with the pork, veg and wantons (duh!)

to all friends who are currently in Singapore: i know you can get wanton noodles within a 100 m radius from where you are right now but you have no idea how precious authentic Asian food is to us over here!!

to all others reading this from around the globe: hope you find a good Asian supermarket near you!=) Good Luck!

A Buyer's Guide to Milk

2007-12-12T05:33:00.000+08:00

I have always wondered how different were the 2% to the whole, or the fat free to the low fat.... and it was by chance that I came across this article on my favourite food mag-Eating Well and found the online version for it. Hope it would clear some doubts!=)

"
With its balanced mix of carbs and protein and rich supply of calcium and other bone-strengthening nutrients, (cow’s) milk certainly does a body good. But with so many choices on grocers’ shelves, how do you know which one you should buy? EatingWell (http://www.eatingwell.com) helps you cut through the confusion with this guide.

Whole, reduced-fat, low-fat or nonfat?
Consider whole milk—which delivers 150 calories and 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated) per cup—a once-in-a-while treat. Nutrition experts recommend drinking low-fat (1%) milk (100 calories, 2.5 grams fat) or nonfat milk (80 calories, 0.5 grams fat) to limit intake of the saturated fats that boost risk of heart disease*. Don’t be fooled: reduced-fat (2%) milk is not a low-fat food. One cup has 5 grams fat, 3 of them the saturated kind. You won’t miss out on milk’s nutritional boons when you opt for low-fat or nonfat milk (sometimes called “skim”): per cup, all varieties deliver about one-third of the recommended daily value for calcium and at least 20 percent of the daily value for riboflavin, phosphorus and vitamin D.
*Infants under age 2, who need extra fat to support a developing brain, should drink whole milk.

Organic or not?
According to The Nielsen Company, sales of organic milk jumped from $550 million in 2003 to almost $900 million in the first quarter of 2007. Polls suggest people associate organic milk with superior nutrition, better treatment of animals and a healthier planet. But there’s no evidence that organic milk is more nutritious. While preliminary research has suggested that grass-fed cows produce milk with more vitamin E and omega-3 fats than cows fed grains, organic standards don’t require that cows be solely grass-fed. (Farmers must use organic fertilizers and pesticides and may not give cows preventive antibiotics or supplemental growth hormones; animals must also get some time outdoors.)

Lactose-free?
This type of milk is basically regular cow’s milk minus lactose, the natural sugar in milk. It provides all of the same healthful nutrients (e.g., protein and calcium), just not the sugar that stokes digestive problems for up to 50 million Americans.

Raw vs. pasteurized?
During pasteurization, milk is heated to high temperatures (>161°F) then rapidly cooled to kill harmful bacteria, including salmonella, E.coli 0157:H7 and listeria. While raw-milk enthusiasts claim heating milk destroys its natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria, studies show that the nutritional differences between pasteurized and raw milk are slight. What’s more, public health experts warn that drinking raw milk is like playing Russian roulette. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that raw milk accounted for 1,007 illnesses and two deaths between 1998 and 2005.

RBST-free or not?
The claim “rbST-free” indicates milk produced without using the artificial growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rbST. Giving this hormone to a cow boosts its milk production by about five quarts per day. Some consumers believe that treating cows with the supplemental hormone is inhumane, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that treating cows with rbST does not harm the animals—or significantly affect the hormone content of milk. In fact, all milks—even from cows not treated with rbST—contain hormones. Note: All organic milks are rbST-free, but not all rbST-free milks are organic (i.e., farmers may use pesticides, fertilizers, etc.).

Some people swear milk tastes better in pretty glass bottles, but it’s best stored in opaque containers to help prevent milk’s riboflavin—an extremely light-sensitive B vitamin—from breaking down.

—Amy Paturel

"

Apple Cake Deluxe

2007-12-07T07:24:00.001+08:00

Adapated from: Great RGS Recipes
Photos by: JS and CY

My mum is a huge fan of any pastry with apples in it and was always on a constant prowl for recipes from her cooking classes/shows/books that features the Malus Domestica . So, it was to her delight one day (a year back) when I baked 2 butter cakes with apple slices on top of it

(The mini round one eventually ended up as my friend-Mx's birthday cake which we celebrated at Holland V's Breko.)

For the first time in my ENTIRE life, my mum (who has never ever complimented me for any of my food creations ever since I started invading her kitchen in JC) actually gave a 2 thumbs up and went on to devour a quarter of the 9x9 inch square cake in one sitting! She even asked me for the recipe after the mini feast. If you guys know my mum well enough, you would realise that she sets incredibly inhumane standards for everything that she does (so unlike me!haah)-from cooking and sewing (something i can never do)to the cleanliness of the house. The feeling that I got when she requested for the recipe was as though she had certified me fit for exploiting her kitchen utensils and equipment. I was esctatic. Seriously!It was a pain (before that butter cake episode) to even be around her when she bakes or cooks because she claims that I am more of a hindrance than help. And when that happens, I would childishly stomp out of the kitchen (with a very scrunched up face)and lock myself in the room in a fit of anger and disappointment. After the subtle "permission" was granted, my presence in the kitchen was tolerated and she became a little more proactive in giving me tips on good cooking/baking techniques. It reached a point where she would just throw me a receipe in the morning and instruct me to bake for her bowling/ktv party at night. OOOooo.The feeling of trust, priceless!

On one of my Friday baking night 3 weeks ago, I decided to work with something familiar - no prizes for guessing what that is. That same day, I decided that I have had enough of handheld mixers and decided to invest in a cake mixer. Trooped down to Meijers and Target, drooled at the KitchenAid Professional cake mixers which cost USD$399 (%$#@%*&*&^$#@)and settled for a Hamilton Beach one that was on discount-USD$33! And erm...you know the saying that goes :"You get what you pay for"? Very true. But in all honesty, it did help to speed up the process and the creaming was like about 10x better than what would have been if I had continued using the handheld mixer which threatened to tear off my limb after 5 minutes of creaming.

I was pleased with the cake that day and baked for almost everyone in my batch. The kitchen area was transformed into a warzone with egg shells, spatulas, mixers, flour, apple skins and sugar strewn all around. It was a chaotic night with visitors streaming in every hour (thank goodness i baked enough cake to go around).

Here is a big thank you to Sel who helped with the creaming and Ed who decided to make himself useful by slicing a few apples for the top layering. And of course, to the 2 dedicated Valeebelly photographers who unfailingly turns up every Friday and work in unbearable (I have a super warm kitchen la, I don't know why.think the heating is screwed up) + unprofessional environment (JS and CY every Friday: "how how?you cannot blame us. we have no reflector. no lighting. and change your bulb to white light la! yellow light sucks. and eh eh...can you please hold the lamp properly?") for food photography. Words cannot express how thankful I am to all of you=) for taking time out on a lovely Friday night to snap pictures of mediocre food made glamarous by your excellent photography skills. I think of this blog as a collaborative effort between the realms of cooking and photography art because the visual appeal of the pictures in my opinion make more of an impact than the taste itself.Hahaa.Seriously!

Alright, here's the recipe for the Apple Cake Deluxe < Ed thinks that the food featured in the RGS recipe book have very uninspirational names.

Apple Cake Deluxe
.................

150 g self-raising flour - sifted
2 level tsp dried yeast
250 g butter
125 g caster sugar
4 eggs - beaten
1/4 lemon - juiced
1.5 green apple - peeled,cored,sliced thinly

topping: 2 tsp caster sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon

Over shelf: Middle
Oven temp: 150 C
Baking time: 45-50 minutes

1. Grease and line 22 cm square baking tin
2. Prepare apple. Store them in salted water (so that they won't turn brown!)
3. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy
4. Gradually add beaten eggs. Beat well after each addition to prevent curdling
5. Add and fold in flour, yeast and lemon juice and mix to soft dropping consistency
6. Pour into prepared cake tin. Line apples neatly on top and sprinkle topping.
7. Bake till golden brown

It's that simple!

Cream puff filled with custardy goodness!

2007-12-02T00:25:00.002+08:00

Adapted from: Cakes and Deserts by MPH Publishing (1986)
Photos by: JS

I have tried making cream puffs twice before my virgin solitary attempt 2 weeks ago. The first try was during the summer of 06, when a good friend of mine,WQ, was back for summer vacation from her penultimate year at Oxford. I had a 2 months summer break back in Singapore too (after a horrendous freshmen spring term spent staring at organic chemical reactions 24/7) and decided to pay her a visit at her awesome house (with an even cooler kitchen) at Holland Grove Drive.

After mulling over a huge cupboard full of cook books the entire morning, she finally dragged out this humongous recipe book called "Italian Kitchen" and we were soon trooping around the kitchen, dragging pots, flour, sugar, eggs, spatulas and a million other utensils+ingredients out. The plan for that day was to bake chocolate biscottis and cream puffs. That fateful day was also my very first encounter with a choux pastry recipe, I remembered being very skeptical about melting butter in water (yea, yew?)... But of course, under the guidance of WQ (actually, i think she ran the whole show.), the puff pastry turned out really really well and I was quite blown away by the very first one I tried. I was then put in charged of whipping the cream for the filling. Oh my goodness, you guys simply have NO IDEA how tough it was whipping the cream till light and fluffy.Both my attempts failed miserably and I think I kinda exhausted the entire Chow's family worth of unwhipped cream. However, the puff pastry tasted so good that it still went down well with liquid-ish cream.*shock shock horror horror*

Here is what the cream puffs looked like during our attempt 2 years ago,

For those interested in what choux pastry actually is, here is the definition from Wikipedia:

Chou(x) pastry, paste, or dough (French pâte à choux, German Brandteig) is a light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, croquembouches, eclairs, French crullers, beignets, and gougères. It contains only butter, milk, flour, and eggs. Its raising agent is the high moisture content, which creates steam during cooking, puffing out the pastry.

So, there goes my most memorable story on cream puffs. Whenever I see one on the rack or in a recipe book, I would always remember that very day spent at WQ's place. Wished there could be more of that but she will only be back in Singapore after a year or 2 in the UK flying high with her investment banking career. Hope that her love for baking never dies though, because I am still very much looking forward to more of those fun times with her in the future.

2 weeks ago, I had a very special friend visiting from Indiana, a long friendship dating back to those glorious bowling days(ok, who am i kidding,it wasn't glorious at all). Anyways, I was thinking of stuff to bake as a welcome surprise when I came across this ancient recipe book called "Cakes and Deserts" that I brought over from home, there were many loose writing papers that fell out of it and I smiled to myself because those belonged to my mum, copied recipes that she obtained from TV programs and cooking classes all written neatly in her unique cursive handwritting. That is just so..mummy=) Anyways, I eventually chose the custard cream puff recipe from the book itself as it looked fairly simple and I had most of the ingredients needed for it. Right down to the Bird's Custard Powder (one of my stash from Singapore again!) for the filling.

I made 3 batches over the course of 4 days and I would say that my last attempt on the Monday before Thanksgiving was the most successful one with a hollow puff pastry and thick cool custard filling. One point to note about this recipe is that the baking time is really sensitive, do not place it in the oven longer than necessary. There is a very fine line between it not rising enough and overbaking it (till it becomes like rock hard). A good puff pastry should be hollow in the middle. The unbaked pastry should also be shaped into a size that should be no bigger than a Singapore 50-cent coin as it expands to about 5 times its size! My first attempt produced a batch of puffs that were almost as big as a tennis ball, very cool to look at, not very cool when you try eating it with all the custard cream drooling down the sides of your mouth. Oh, and the custard filling should be refrigerated for about an hour or 2 for the best effect!

In the words of my friends Ed and Jer *in a funny tone*... Ennnjoooyyyyy.... (ok, you really have to meet them in person before you can actually appreciate that word)

Cream Puff
..........
170 g flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
115 g butter
285 ml water
5 eggs

1. Preheat over to 450 F
2. Sift flour and baking powder
3. Bring butter and water to boil in a saucepan. Add sifted flour, stirring in well, till mixture is smooth and leaves sides of pan.
4. Remove from heat. Pour into a bowl to cool. Add eggs one at a time beating well till mixture is smooth and shiny.
5. Place cooked mixture in a forcing bag and press. Space better out in small heaps on a well greased tray, and place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Slit puffs at sides and fill with custard cream.

Custard Cream
.............
3 eggs
115 g sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp custard powder
225 ml evaporated milk
225 ml water
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Beat eggs, sugar, flour and custard powder together in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Pour condensed and hot milk into egg mixture
3. Cook mixture over low heat
4. Stir in butter and vanilla essence.
5. Cool before using.

Raw Seal for Sashimi?

2007-11-27T13:33:00.000+08:00

Anthony Bourdain. You guys have NO idea how much I revere this guy. I love the way he goes about presenting his shows filled with frank opinions, vulgarities (that is censored of course), sacarsm, booze and cigarettes. I am not an advocator of the vices of course, its just that, we hardly get honest views from presenters nowadays so his method of sounding out his thoughts is a refreshing change.

This is one of my favourite episodes from his travel-food series that was shot in Quebec, Canada. It is in my opinion, one of the best portrayal of man's honest relationship with his food.very raw.very real.with no fancy sauce,no chinaware,no pots and pans. its kinda amazing. check out how they use the blood "for stews" and the way they lick the fresh blood off their fingertips. I especially love the old lady of the family, catch her towards the end of the show, she does something really really...cute.

enjoy

The one with a Meatloaf (and other side dishes)

2007-11-20T23:42:00.001+08:00

Adapted from:
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, featured on ChubbyHubby (Harlem Meatloaf)
Val's awesome mum: Doris (Tangy Potato Salad)
Quick Short Recipes (Creamless Mushroom Soup)

Photos By: Ed

I have never eaten a meatloaf in my life, largely due to the fact that I do not consume beef because of well, "religous" reasons and the fear of infuriating by mum. But then again, who am I kidding? I have consumed beef (in a conscious state of mind)before but they were all backed by really really good reasons...

However, I was a good sport 2 Saturdays ago when I tried a slice of the Harlem meatloaf that Ed cooked. And I have to say that the "sacrifice" was worth it.

I first came across the meatloaf post on Chubbyhubby's 29th October post and it was pretty amazing how he could make something so dull look incredibly yummy. It was my intention to bake it for my housemates and the usual dinner guests from the apartment at 1072. Coincidentally, Ed (also a huge Chubbyhubby fan, just not as mad as me) brought up the idea 2 days later of a collaboration for the meatloaf on one of the Saturday dinners to thank apartment 1076(inhabited by my generous housemates) for providing him with warm wholesome dinners on many occassions.

We bought all our ingredients from the organic grocery store-Whole Foods ( I wanna bring the franchise to Singapore.swear!), the italian sausages, ground beef, tobasco ..right down to the pickles! It was going to be a healthy meatloaf! Oh, the irony.

Anyway, did I mention the word "collaboration"? Well, it turned out to be more like an Iron Chef scenario in which Ed (with all that SAF commanding aura around him)kept barking out orders to the sous chef (demoted right in her own kitchen!!!)..

"eh Val.can you chop the onions?"
"wheres the measuring cup?"
"can you pass the Worchestshire sauce?"
"can you chop the pickles?"
"do you think its done?"
"do you have a larger mixer bowl?"

All in all, I would say I did a darn good job at all the dicing. Thanks to my awesome food chopper that I bought from Chef's Outlet at the factory outlet. Our saving grace. And it was a hilarious sight looking at a guy friend of mine running excitedly around the kitchen like a 10 yr old kid in a red-striped William Sonoma apron and oh gosh, you should have seen the blissful expression on his face when he finally got to wipe his wet hands down on the apron (thats what he claims the apron is for).

I made some other side dishes (Creamless mushroom soup and Potato Salad) for the dinner party at Lynn's place. Shen Ye created an awesome baked rice in a Pyrex dish and Lynn's fruit tart was as close to what you can get at the pastry section of Whole Foods.Neatly arranged fruits, very flavorful crust and all. The meatloaf I must say, was pretty impressive and with every bite, the Southern flavor gets enhanced and you could ALMOST (operative word being "almost")feel yourself being transported back to the lush green plantations of Alabama..

Hope you would enjoy this mini feast we managed to create in under 2 hours.

Harlem Meat Loaf
.................
Serving Size: 6 people

450 g ground beef
225 g Italian sausages (prefrably sweet ones)
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp + 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 tsp Tobasco Sauce
1/2 cup chopped sour dill pickles
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat over to 175 C
2. Place minced beef and sausage meat into a large wide bowl and break the meat up into golf-ball sized hunks
3. In another bowl, whisk 1/2 cup ketcup with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire and 2 teaspoons Tabasco. Pour thi sover the meat.
4. Using the same bowl, mix pickles, onions, garlic and parsley. Scatter this over the meat mixture
5. Sprinkle break crumbs evenly over it.
6. Add egg and salt
7. Use hands to mix the ingredients well, until evenly blended.
8. Transfer mixture to a 9" x 13" roasting pan and pat it into a compact loaf.
9. Bake this for 35 minutes on the middle rack
10.Whisk remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire and 1 teaspoon Tabasco together in a small bowl.
11.Brush the glaze generously over the top of the meat loaf.
12.Put it back into the over for another 15 minutes and the glaze should harden and stiffen.
13.Let the meat loaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing. (or place it in fridge)

Creamless Mushroom Soup
.......................
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total cooking time: 25 minutes

2 onions
60 g butter
2 cloves garlic
500 g small/medium mushrooms, chopped
30 g plain flour
560 ml milk
375 ml beef/chicken stock
20 g chopped parsley

1. Chop onions fniely
2. Melt butter in a large pan, add onion and garlic. Stir over med heat for 3 minutes until onion is osft.
3. Add chopped mushrooms to pan, stir 5 minutes
4. Add flour, stir for another minute
5. Add milk and stock to pan, stir until combined.
6. bring to boil, reduce heat to low.
7. Simmer, unconvered, for 15 minutes or until mixture has reduced and thickened and mushrooms are tender.
8. Stir in parsley.

Mummy's Potato Salad
....................
Potato
Onions
Canned corn kernels
Green Apples
Mayonaise
Hard-boiled eggs
Bacon bits
+
much discretion and love=)
( I honestly estimate the portions of each ingredient!)

i love the last recipe. Always reminds me of home and of mum when I make it. It is a big hit among the Americans here because there is a different kick to it when you add green apples to the otherwise dull mixture of starchy potatoes and hard boiled eggs.

Going Nuts (from Math and a Macadamia Nut Cake)

2007-11-12T06:13:00.001+08:00

Adapted from: Grub by Jane Lawson (featured on Chubbyhubby)
Photos by: JS

The title is inspired by my current state of mind that is very much linked to a mathematical linearization problem for a process control system of a flash tank that involves many ugly looking ordinary differential equations with variables that are dependent on each other and integration terms WITHIN it ....and...its just driving me CRAZY.

ok. I shan't go on.

Another issue driving me nuts? Macadamia nuts. WHY can't i find them over here?

So, the story goes like that: I was recipe hunting on Chubhub last week when I saw this fantastic one that involves Macadmias+Cake and thought that it was worth a shot because I don't think I have eaten one before. Decided to grab the ingredients on Friday (my self-proclaimed baking day)at Meijers, the largest supermarket that Ann Arbor (and the Midwest region) has to offer. It sells a million things under then sun, from bake ware, fresh produce, elctric drills, tents, hunting rifles (oh yes they do) to hamsters and fishes! They have this incredible section of plastic containers filled to the brim with nuts of all sorts that are sold by the pound. However, it seems like Macadamia nuts do not make it pass the equator into the Northern hemisphere since seven out of the 10 countries commercially cultivating macadmia nuts (not counting Australia, the largest producer)are situated in the lower half of the globe. I was in disbelief and continued scanning the 2 long rows of nuts unwilling to face up to this harsh reality. I gave up on finding the macadamias eventually but still harbored hopes of baking some kinda nutty cake. I eventually settled for the cashew nuts, knowing that it will have the least chance of screwing up the recipe since it gives off a natural fragrance that goes down well with most people. (think pistachios and pecans, yea, yew?)

My friends gave a thumbs up for the cake but I personally felt that it came out a little too dry. The best part however, was the lime syrup glaze that was made from scratch (my housemate Sel was a big fan of the glaze!). It was a painstaking effort slicing key limes and using the garlic presser (oh yes, i found an ingenious way to squeeze limes efficiently without having to fish out the seeds afterwards!). I must have squeezed about 20 limes to get through 2 recipes worth of fresh lime juice.

Back to the dryness of the cake: I figured that my choice of using cashews instead of macadamias contributed to the downfall of the it because the texture of both nuts are different. After putting it in the food processor for a whole 45 seconds, the cashews were still coarse. I would imagine the macadmias to be much finer than cashews after blending because of their smooth texture. As I didn't tink that it would matter much, I threw the slightly coarse cashews into the cake mixture..the result was a slightly crumbly cake (plus,I didn't use caster sugar!), not the smooth texture I expected a decent cake to be. However, I think the idea of a cashew nut cake wasn't that bad after all because I especially enjoyed the aroma of it (especially when it was fresh out of the oven).

As I have mentioned earlier, I think that the lime syrup glaze is a MUST for the cake because it gives it a tangy twist, a sudden jolt that chases away your judgements on the pastry before tasting it. However, some of my friends voted for more glaze while others thought that it was too overbearing. The choice is up to you.. I personally would use just 3/4 of what the recipe quoted but will put the full one up here just for the sake of completion.

At this point, I would like to stress that not everything that appears on this blog is perfect. Michelangelo once said: "The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection" and so, my imperfect creations do not stop me from featuring it because everyone learns from mistakes and my purpose here is to point them out (from the POV of a beginner baker) so that you could look out for it=)

Also, I realised the importance of having the right ingredients, kitchen equipment AND much patience for a pastry to turn out right. The creaming wasn't done well (till pale and creamy) because of my lack of patience with the handheld cake mixer (which gave me massive forearm cramps the very next day), caster sugar wasn't used (because I can't find them here!! I am pretty sure any supermarket in Singapore have them though), the cashew nut wasn't blended enough and the cake tin was not of the right size (which affects the baking time and all). I am working with money and ingredient constraints here though so I try my best to work as closely to the recipe as possible.

Would love to get my hands on the real recipe book - Grub.Word has it that she is an awesome Australian foodwriter whose recipes are very much sought after. Enjoy this one for now.

Try the real version (with macadamias!) and tell me how it tastes like.

Macadamia Cake with Lime Syrup
------------------------------
serves 10-12
temperature: 160 C, 315 F
size: 10 inch wide, 3.5 inch deep non stick bundt tin/scalloped edge ring cake tin
time: 45 min

200 g macadamia nuts
185 g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
200 g unsalted butter, softened
230 g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
80 ml milk

Lime syrup
..........
170 g caster sugar
3 tsp finely julienned lime zest
80 ml lime juice
1 tbsp rum

1. Very finely grind the macadmia nuts in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl
2. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda over the top and combine well.
3. Beat butter and sugar using electric beaters until pale and creamy
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Beat in vanilla and lime zest
6. Mix in half the flour, then half the milk, repeat with remaining until all ingredients are well combined
7. Spoon into prepared tin and smooth over
8. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is dark golden
9. Allow cake to rest in the tin/wire rack for 10 min before inverting onto the rack to cool completely (IMPORTANT! or the cake might collapse)

Lime syrup:
1. Put sugar, lime zest, lime juice and 125ml water in a small saucepan and stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved
2. Boil for 5 min or until slightly syrupy
3. Lift out lime zest with a fork and set aside as a garnish.
4. Take the syrup off the heat and stir in the rum
5. Brush the syrup over the entire cake surface
6. Decorate top of cake with reserved lime zest and serve with whipped/ice cream.

Fairtrade

2007-11-09T10:41:00.000+08:00

I first chanced upon Fairtrade products back in Singapore while shopping at the Marks & Spencer food section for quality nibbles while my mum was galavanting within the consumer labyrinth of Parkway Parade. Being a dark chocolate (and organic produce) fan, I picked up a nicely packaged family-size bar of their in-house Organic Dark Chocolate made of 72% Cocoa Solids:

in case you can't read the words on this badly taken photograph (courtesy of yours faithfully), here is what it reads:

from the Chocolatier:
This bar of chocolate is made from organic Fairtrade cocoa beans from Peru,Costa Rica and Panama which gives it an intense fruit flavor with slightly spicy notes.

and then I caught sight of the Fairtrade product logo which had a short description underneath it: Guarantees a better deal for Third World Producers.

And if you know me well enough, you would know that I fell instantly in love with that bar of chocolate.

Here are the reasons:

1. It is Dark Chocolate!! Milk chocolates are for babies. (i am sorry for being mean here but I m protective over my dark chocolates)

2. Did you see how sleek the pacakaging was? and the food photography? (again, i apologize for my bad photography skills if you can't see it) They actually took the effort to package it so much so that you could almost smell and taste the choc even before ripping the outer paper wrapper apart!

3. I love South America! Been to Costa Rica, was supposed to be in Peru this December (but would have to postpone it because of the exhorbitant air ticket prices!) and I may have a slight chance of taking up a scuba diving course in Panama this Spring break! I realized that the U.S. is really dependent on South America produce and its really great because of the immense varieties of produce they cultivate..from coffee, bananas, avocados to cocoa beans!

4. A better deal for Third World Producers? I would definitely want the bulk of my consumer money to go that way rather than to the chauffeur-drven CEOs of the profiteering processed food industry. +100 for Fairtrade!

Alright,so, back to that fateful afternoon. I picked up another M&S product, this time, a Boysenberry Jam Preserve (also made with Fairtrade sugar!) which I eventually brought over to the states. Could only find this picture of a Strawberry Preserve Jam on the net:

I strongly recommend these M&S products to you (sorry to my U.S. friends, we don't actually have M&S here do we?), especially the dark choc.

So anyways, after a really draggy introduction..here is what Fairtrade is all about:

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal.

It was created because "Development agencies recognised the important role that consumers could play to improve the situation for producers. By buying direct from farmers at better prices, helping to strengthen their organisations and marketing their produce directly through their own one world shops and catalogues, the charities offered consumers the opportunity to buy products which were bought on the basis of a fair trade."

I strongly believe that consumer power is the largest power in the world. So... support Fairtrade!!=) I mean, there is no need to be excessively anal about ONLY buying Fairtrade products (though they do carry many other products beyond cocoa beans,haha) but just do look out for them on your supermarket shelf! I found a whole aisle of Fairtrade products at Meijers yesterday, pretty heartening sight.

We shape the future by the products we choose to buy and the life we choose to live. The forces of economics complement our choices, not the other way round. Check it out at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk

Tuna & Egg Quiche

2007-11-08T13:30:00.002+08:00

Adapted From: Great RGS Recipes
Photographs By: JS

Those lower secondary school days in RGS were memorable. With the last ounce of effort that the school could muster, we were placed in a system where etiquette, cooking, sewing, philosophy, drama and dancing classes took up a significant amount of time in our term schedule. I guess that's probably a defensive mechanism against the preconceived notion that "RGS turns out confident, competent and competitive women, it does not encourage femininity and probably marriageability." - quoting a certain ex-Rgs girl Ms Chua Mui Hoong (Straits Times writer) in a November 2003 article that sparked an outcry from the aforementioned girls all around the globe. (no kidding!). The laced toilet roll holder hanging behind my toilet door back home, bad memories of Mrs Cavanagh teaching us the cha-cha in the claustrophic-inducing dance studio and a book titled: "Great RGS Recipes By Tan Siew Geok and Suki Wong" with a foreword by the much-beloved Mrs Carmee Lim sitting on my table are but a few remnants of my fond memories dating back to the days when Neoprints and Backstreet Boys ruled my world. I am glad something good came out of my time there, the quiche recipe being one of them=)

Makes 2 small flan sized quiche, or 10 mini quiches
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes
Total Prepration Time: 1 hour
Oven Shelf: Middle

Short Crust Pastry
..................
100 g plain flour (sifted)
50 g frozen butter (chopped finely)
3 tbsp cold water

1. Lightly grease the flan tins
2. Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Add in cold water and mix with a palette knife to semi stiff consistency
4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly
6. Line flan tins, prick base of pastry with fork
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 170 C

Filling
.......
1/4 large onion (chopped)
1 small tomato (chopped)
1/4 tin tuna
2 eggs (slightly beaten, season with salt and pepper)
2 tbsp diluted evaporated milk (put more if you prefer a squishier filling)
50 g grated cheese
1 dsp tomato ketchup
1 stalk spring onion (chopped)

1. After taking out the pastry shell, mix the filling and pour into it.
2. Further bake at 180 C for 10-14 minutes till filling is set and golden brown
3. Garnish with parsley

Hello World

2007-11-08T12:47:00.000+08:00

So, after weeks of deliberating on starting up a food blog...I am finally at it.

Recently, I had this sudden urge to bake/cook something new when the weekend approaches. Maybe its the school stress...or perhaps boredom? But one thing's for sure, it is definitely therapeutic. I can now finally understand why Izzie (Grey's Anatomy, go watch it!) embarks on one of her baking sprees whenever things troubled her in the hospital. There are many things that set the soul free, it is running to some, or listening to music, meditation, reading...but for me, a perfect day would be shopping at a organic food-produce grocery store or a charming Asian wet market, followed by a day of baking/cooking and ending with smiles on the faces of my friends who have tasted my creations. (I am trying to get there..haha)

Anyway, the main point of my virgin post is to actually explain why this blog was created. For one, I realised the need to separate my daily mundane rantings from musings about my beloved subject: food. Another more compelling and justified reason would be that I would very much love to share the good eateries and recipes that I have come across during my short stint in America (which is sadly, coming to an end..soon), my travels and of course, back home in Singapore. My aunt (hello to Yi Zai if you're reading this!) has always been pestering me for recipes too, especially so after her recent discovery of the most mindblowing internet portal ever created-Facebook!(ha!) and gawking at the awesome food photographs taken by an awesome food-photographer-wannabe: JS! I must say that good photography skills are essential in marketing the whole product *wink*. The very last reason (and perhaps the most influential one) would be my recent forage into Chubbyhubby (http://chubbyhubby.net/blog). Enough said.

I do not claim that the food that appear on this blog are drop-dead-delicious (especially those that were made by me), however, it does pass my standards and a couple of my friends to be able to make it here. Also, I would like to invite any of you who have been to a nice restaurant or made something phenomenal recently to be a guest-writer on this blog! So do enjoy! My wish is to bring this blog through my years in college, and beyond (husband, kids and all -no laughing pls, thank you very much-)...it will be fun I guess.

We shall see.