the FOOD laboratory

A guilt-free dinner

2010-11-07T19:28:00.000+08:00

Pork tenderloin and chicken wings marinated with molasses

Cauliflower mash

1. Steamed cauliflower
2. Steamed bulb of garlic
3. Half a tbs of butter
4. Parmesan cheese
5. Seasoning

Whipped all in the food processor to reach awesomeness!

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Passover lamb

2010-04-03T11:19:00.000+08:00

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice that I may live :)

Braised Lambshank with Rosemary and white wine

Step 1:
Season overnight with pepper, salt and Rosemary

Brown the lamb and put aside

Step 2:
Sauté the onions, garlic till soft

Step 3:
Add in fresh Rosemary and bring to boil after adding half a bottle of white wine

Step 4:
Put the lambshank into the pot and reduce to a simmer for 3 hrs, adding water to keep braising the lamb

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Carrot cake

2010-04-03T11:11:00.000+08:00

My second go at it using the recipe from joywithbaking.com

Step 1:

Bake 2 layers

Step 2:

Prepare the cream cheese frosting

Step 3:
Toast and crush walnuts

Step 4:
Frost the first layer and sprinkle the walnuts and repeat for the second layer

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Egg-cellent

2010-03-28T21:25:00.001+08:00

I love Chawanmushi but this batch still doesn't have the texture of those served at restaurants :(

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Aftermath of Chinese New Year

2010-03-28T21:22:00.001+08:00

What do you do with all those mandarin oranges? Well stir-fry them with pork and some bak choy! Perfect with white steaming rice :)

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Chicken Tonight

2010-03-28T21:20:00.001+08:00

Roasted chicken with Rosemary from my 'garden' !

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Happy Barkday Chewbacca!!

2010-03-21T16:30:00.001+08:00

In anticipation for the meatballs and pumpkin...

Chicken minced balls with Rosemary and roasted pumpkin

All gone in less than 10 min :)

A very satisfied 49er indeed...

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2010-02-03T09:36:00.004+08:00

Day 5 - Tokyo (Dinner)

Tok-queuing for Tempura

Finally we're at the door...but then when we got in, there was more waiting inside but this time at least there were benches :)

I was told a good Tempura is one that leaves little oil stain on the paper, so here's my before shot for comparison.

They give the usual Tempura dipping sauce, but the salts, especially the Wasabi salt was really good even though I am not a fan of Wasabi. LR and myself couldn't figure out the black purplish one.

Prawn, fish and my anti-histamines!

Cuttlefish with the most amazing texture, it is like sinking your teeth into scallops!

Lotus root

Wild mushrooms.

Abalone!

Eel

Huge prawn cake

Hmmm.... that's a huge oil blot, but it was my best Tempura meal ever!

2010-02-02T23:05:00.004+08:00

Day 3- Hakone (12 reasons why I love Ryokans)

1. Massage chair in the lounge area

2. Massive area to wash your face

3.Facial wash and moisturiser all provided for

4. Orderly lockers -You strip here and place all your clothes in these baskets.

5. A foot reflexology machine after the onsen to provide a head to toe experience

6. Shower with Shisedo toiletries before entering the onsen

7. Indoor onsen

8.HUGE room with separate sleeping, drinking & wash up area

9. Yukata to be fashionably dressed for bed

10. Little dining area to chill over green or roasted tea

11. Fusion deco in the toilet

12. Futons on tatami mat

2010-02-02T22:22:00.003+08:00

Day 3- Hakone (Dinner)

Promptly at the restaurant at 6pm sharp, or else...

We would incur the wrath of the very strict Japanese manager and there would be no smile on our faces. When can we eat?

Appetiser was raw fermented squid, very yummy and I had 2 portions because LR doesn't eat squid. Yay!

Tofu with strong taste of soy and the smooth mushroom clear sauce complemented so well with the slightly grainy texture of the tofu.

A warm side dish that is very similar to chicken dumplings, however this time, the sauce was a little too starchy for me.

Pork Shabu Shabu

Bubbling and boiling...

In the midst of enjoying my pork shabu shabu, the gleaming grilled fish seasoned with miso gave variety to dinner.

Then came a tempura calamari with wasabi salt. WOW, love the texture contrast to the dinner.

The meal ended off with a scoop of Yuzu sorbet, a great end to a full meal.

2010-02-02T20:03:00.003+08:00

Day 3- Hakone (Black eggs)

A lone shop at the top of the 'steaming' mountain selling black eggs

Tables were tourists were peeling their black eggs in excitement, we could not join in the fun because we had to catch the last tram back to our hotel.

Check out the steam rising from the ground, no wonder they call this place Hell's valley

Amazing views on the rope tram and we had a clear view of...

Mount Fuji!!

After a while we got bored and decided to check out our own bag of black eggs

That is one black egg for sure!

Some how this picture reminds me of Willy Wonker

2010-02-02T19:41:00.003+08:00

Day 3 - Gambling on our train meals

Gamble 1- Bento: No idea what this is, but it sure looks pretty *fingers crossed*

There's my chopstick!

Pork Floss?? It was cold but so yummy, this bento contains ALOT fish floss, a huge piece of cooked tuna, some egg, stewed bamboo shoot and carrots and finally a deep fried potato patty with wasabi tartar. Cold and savoury food never tasted so good! First gamble paid off *whew*

Gamble 2- Bread : LR was enticed by the soft texture of the bread, but what was inside was again another gamble.

It's harmless condensed milk, what was amazing was how the liquid condensed milk did not make the bread soggy. Technology in a simple sandwich!

Gamble 3 - Onigiri: This is a typical snack for Japanese, but I'm pretty sure when they purchase a rice ball, they know exactly what they're getting, not us for sure.

Here we go...

A relief look

Salmon floss, but so little of it to accompany so much rice!

2010-02-02T19:30:00.002+08:00

Day 2- Tokyo (Snack)

Roasted Sweet Potato - Perfect for the cold weather

Mochi Ichigo - My long lost friend when I had in years ago in Nagoya

So delicate and so perfect...

The fresh cream, sponge cake and ginormous strawberry were born for each other!

2010-02-02T19:16:00.002+08:00

Day 2- Tokyo (Dinner)

Embarrassed that it took 2 Belgians to help us translate the Japanese menu!

Chicken Wing Gyoza - yummy, but it is a familiar taste (similar to guo tie)

A very chewy BBQ squid, my jaw ached halfway through the dish :( And it didn't help that LR doesn't like squid!

Fishy BBQ fish of course.

Retro lemonade with sake.

Not a meal I would like to remember....

2010-02-02T16:25:00.002+08:00

Day 2 - Tokyo (Lunch)

We decided on this stall because it had a relatively short queue and they served us hot green tea while waiting to go in!

Tok-queue indeed (we waited approximately 40min)

Finally at the door and peering in to observe the chefs at work, once inside the very charismatic chef was singing away and entertaining the guests :)

LR's non-sashimi platter (turned out to be more expensive than mine!)

I truly died and went to heaven..... Maguro, Uni and Ikura...Orgasmic!

2010-02-02T16:10:00.002+08:00

Day 1 - Tokyo (Snacks)

Bread in the subway - Looks better than it tastes

Highly recommended by many....

$8 for a chocolate and azuki bean eclair... not worth the price

$1.50 Tayaki - Fish with red bean filling

So worth the queue! Why aren't they the same in Singapore? :(

2010-02-02T15:11:00.005+08:00

Day 1 - Tokyo (Dinner)

Welcome to Tok-queue!

Side dishes - Salad, pickles and miso soup

LR's Beef Set ( approximately $30)

My premium beef set (approximately $80), worth every cent!

2010-02-02T15:07:00.001+08:00

Christmas parties

2009-12-16T15:38:00.002+08:00

pasta vongole

why?

Two weeks ago, a few colleagues and myself decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant and we ordered the usual suspects like pizzas, gnochi and pasta. I was so particularly disappointed with the pasta vongole and felt like I need to rescue my taste buds or forever this dish would be condemned! Also, I discovered that clams are very affordable and cost as much as the too-often- despised cockles while grocery shopping for the ingredients. This really made me wonder why this dish cost so much in restaurants, could it be the white wine? Well, in line with the economic recession, I decided to use the cheapest white wine I could find and hope to prove that these Italian restaurants are over-pricing this dish!

success?

Absolutely! The broth was divine and the sweetness from the clams and onions brought out the freshness of the parsley and chillis superbly. I have Italian blood in me, positively! Haha... I added prawns as well, because LR does not like the texture of clams, could that be the accidental secret to fabulous pasta vongole? Also, I decided to let the spaghetti sit in the pan for about five minutes to soak in all the broth before serving. Do they do that in restaurants or Italy? I did not bother to check for any recipes online or cookbooks I own, I wanted to 'experiment' :)

failure?

Too little broth! We licked our plates dry and I was left pretty high and dry.

2009-12-16T15:37:00.001+08:00

beef bulgogi

2009-12-16T15:34:00.001+08:00

busy muffin

2009-10-08T17:07:00.000+08:00

sorta oxtail stew

muffin bread

2009-10-08T17:05:00.000+08:00

green papaya salad

2009-10-08T17:03:00.000+08:00

mango chicky lasagne

2009-10-08T16:45:00.003+08:00

the good, the bad and di-vine (left to right)

fairy cupcake...

silver bells....

pretty on the outside AND inside...

the process is important...

ready for frosting ...

a dash of colours ...

ain't no mountain high enough...

thanks for the cupcake party Ah-mei !

2009-08-12T20:28:00.008+08:00

Day 4 - Ninh Binh, Tam Coc

After the 2 days in Halong Bay, it would be absolutely fitting for us to wake up late and take a chill pill. However, our hotel (Hanoi Boutique Hotel) was so popular that they only had 1 room left for us and it was room 602. Sounds great, considering it is the only room on that floor and would mean absolute privacy. EXCEPT... the hotels in Hanoi, at least the smaller ones do not have lifts, which meant climbing up 6 floors after combing through the streets of Hanoi and coming back drenched in our perspiration! AND... the top floor room somehow traps heat so well from the blazing sun during the day that even through the night it felt like we were in a sauna. So needless to say, we hardly got any sleep and we out of the room by 7am and demanded a change of room! So being out of bed so early, I suggested that we head to this place, Ninh Binh that was recommended by other tourists during our Halong Bay trip. While having our breakfast, I browsed through the guide books and the tour pamphlets and wondered whether we should just book the tour at US$25 per person or just be gung-ho and get there on our own. LR took a look at the organised tour and noticed visits to temples which he was uninterested in and didn't want to go for it. So we decided not to go after breakfast and head for a morning market called Cho Hom market. But when we got there it was a wet market where the locals go get their meat and vegetables daily and there was nothing there for us! So at that moment, we decided to go to Ninh Binh on our own!! I didn't bring the guide book out and I had to rely solely on my memory about how to get to Ninh Binh.

Step 1: Take a taxi to Giap Bat

It was crazy! The scene looked so familiar like I've seen it on Amazing race where teams get to the local bus stations and are frantically and confusedly looking for the right bus to get to their destinations. There must have been a thousand buses there but thank God that the Vietnamese language uses the alphabet, so we could buy our tickets (42, 000 DONG per ticket, works out to be about S$3) from the official ticket counter and we very quickly ushered to the bus. The man ushering us was so impatient and was annoyed that we had to go use the washroom before we boarded the bus. We're talking about almost a 2 hour bus ride here, cut us some slack!

Step 2: Get the tickets and board the bus to Ninh Bin

The bus ride was really interesting. Along the way, the bus kept stopping to pick up passengers till it was full. There were all sorts of locals taking the bus and while we didn't manage to speak to any of them but observing the bus culture was pretty intriguing. There aren't any bus stops but somehow the locals just knew how to wait by somewhere along the road to board and somehow the bus also could just drop them off anywhere along the rood. So anyway, after 2 hours we finally reached a much quieter bus station in Ninh Binh, we then took a taxi to Tam Coc where the National park was.

Step 3: Take a taxi from Ninh Binh bus station to Tam Coc

Step 3: Lunch at this restaurant, and made both bad and good decisions.

The bad - the spring rolls and grilled pork were extremely salty.

The good - we rented umbrellas at 10,000 DONG and drank cold lotus tea to cool off.

Step 4: Buy tickets for park entry and boat services at the 'jetty'

Step 5: Get on the boats, we had a young girl and her brother paddling us through the clear and vegetated lake.

Step 6: Crouch low and to go through tiny and low bridges

Step 7: Secretly gloat over tourist without umbrellas and give yourself a pat on the back so such a fantastic decision to look unglam but remain shaded.

Step 8: Enjoy the beautiful scenery and help paddle!

Step 9: Watch your head as you enter the caves!

Step 10: Smile at the 'ugly'

The entire boat ride to the end of the 3 caves took 1 hour, but having read the travel books, I was warned about what to expect at the end of the last cave. You would be ambushed by ladies on boats selling drinks and snacks. When you refuse they convince you that the lady or guy paddling you is very tired and thirsty and would like you to buy them a drink. DO NOT!! Instead offer them your drink you brought with you. Reason is, the paddle boat rowers would take the drinks then sell them back at the ladies and half the price! It's all a conspiracy. Then along the way back, the paddlers would take out embroidered work to sell and photographs with ancient looking cameras pleading with you to smile and have your picture taken by them. I smiled but that was all they got :)

2009-07-31T23:10:00.014+08:00

Day 1 - in Hanoi Old Quarters

Ate breakfast at the hotel (Hanoi Cozy Hotel) as it is included in the US$25 per night which was 2 sunny side up eggs with toast, fruits and juice. It was okay, as with the rooms, but after our trip to Halong Bay we are definitely looking for a nicer one :) It was not a terrible hotel but the two reasons why we wanted to switch are...

Reason 1: The rooms are clean but old

Reason 2: Situated a super busy street & the traffic waking you up at 6am!

After breakfast, we embarked on an Old Quarters Walking Tour

Start: North end of Hoan Kiem Lake (at the Ngoc Son Pagoda).

Finish: Return to the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake (to Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Sq.).

Time: We began at about 10am and reached back our hotel at about 4pm.

1. Hoan Kiem Lake

Start with a visit to the Ngoc Son pagoda on the north end of the lake. Cross the red Bridge of the Rising Sun to reach the temple.(we didn't go in, we just glanced from the outside) From this most prominent point in the city, follow the northern edge of the lake heading west and cross over the busy traffic circle. This busy square is known as the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square (The Tonkin Free School Movement Sq.), named for the early-20th-century nationalist movement that would eventually spawn grassroots Communism in Vietnam.

Tips for crossing the streets in Hanoi:

1. Don't look left or right and left again before crossing the street

2. Focus on the destination and walk at a steady pace.

3. Don't stop or speed up while crossing the streets even if you see a million motor bikes coming at you!

4. Trust the motorists, because they WILL avoid you not the other way round.

West from the square is:

2. Hang Gai Street (Hemp St.)

This busy avenue marks the southern boundary of the Old Quarter. Hang Gai no longer supports hemp outlets as in days of old (the street would also host print shops and bookstores in the 19th c.) but is lined with boutique shopping, galleries, and silk tailors. Just a few hundred meters west of the traffic circle (on the left) you'll find a large banyan tree out in front of what was once a prominent communal house at no. 85 Hang Gai. The tree is one of the finest specimens of an old banyan in the city, a perfect example of nature's adaptability as heavy roots cleave large stones and masons have built around the old tree for centuries. The sight is like a small temple, with sticks of incense wedged between knobs of the tree and offerings of rice whiskey lining the base of the tree.

Turn right at the end of Yen Thai Street onto Hang Da Street:

3. Hang Da Market and Hang Dieu Street

At the intersection of Yen Thai and Hang Da is the Hang Da Market, which is a large, local dry-goods and clothing market. After a quick look, head north on Hang Da -- don't miss the large bird shop with a wall of bamboo cages on the northern corner of the Hang Da Market.

Continuing north, Hang Da becomes Hang Dieu Street. Hang Dieu was traditionally the area for tobacco and pipe sellers; keep an eye out for the filigreed colonial edifices at no. 66 and no. 77 Hang Dieu (you'll have to look up to distinguish these from the concrete clutter).

4. Take a BreakBun Bo Nam Bo , at 67 Hang Dieu St. (tel. 04/923-0701), serves one of Hanoi's most popular one-dish noodle specialties.

Turn right off of Hang Dieu onto:

5. Bat Dan Street

This street once housed sellers of clay bowls that were brought to the city from riverside workshops along the Red River. No. 33 Bat Dan is a very ornate and colorful communal house.

Turn left (go north) on Thuoc Bac Street, once an area for traditional medicines. Then turn left (west) on:

6. Hang Phen Street

At the corner of Hang Phen and Bat Su, look for a preserved traditional house, characterized by its low tile roofline, at no. 52 Bat Su (also note the cozy little coffee shop on the corner, good for a rest and to watch the busy street life).

We made a beeline for a hotel that we might want to switch to to check out the rooms, which we did stay there for the remaining nights in Hanoi after our return from Halong Bay. A much better hotel - Hanoi Boutique Hotel, also for US$25 and including breakfast( which had Pho on the menu!). The staff were also very helpful.

Carry on along Hang Phen until it becomes Cua Dong Street, which brings you to the eastern edge and wall of the Hanoi Citadel built by the Nguyen dynasty in the 1800s. Cua Dong Street terminates at the wall of the Hanoi Citadel.

Turn right off of Cua Dong onto:

7. Phung Hung Street

Running along the wall of the city's old citadel, what marks the western edge of the Old Quarter, Phung Hung Street is a notable sight among Vietnamese tourists for the publication offices of an important Communist paper at no. 105 Phung Hung. There's a plaque that notes this spot as a historical vestige, but if you spend too much time studying the shuttered colonial edifice, local folks might get edgy, thinking you're a spy of sorts.

Turn right off of Phung Hung onto:

8. Hang Vai

Translated as "Cloth Street," Hang Vai is the bamboo district. The busy exteriors of small warehouses are lined with stands of cut bamboo poles, some more than two stories in height. This is the raw material for those wonderful Doctor Seuss scaffoldings you see on construction sites. The shops also sell bamboo tobacco pipes of the "bong" variety, some quite elaborate. At the corner of Hang Vai and north-south Hang Ga, keep an eye out for the communal house at no. 44 Hang Ga St.: A corner door cut into the white plaster and flanked by Chinese script ushers you into a small courtyard area with banyan trees and a small temple to Bach Ma, the White Horse, a god associated with Hanoi. Carrying on east on Hang Vai, look for the entrance to the communal house at no. 7 Hang Vai.

Heading east, Hang Vai becomes:

9. Lan Ong Street

One of the most interesting parts of the Old Quarter, Lan Ong Street is still home to a large enclave of ethnic Chinese who sell the herbs and medicines of old from small storefronts that date back to the origins of the quarter. The best shops are on the right side as you head east. Here you'll find picturesque little interiors with walls lined in massive dark wood cabinets with tiny drawers and buckets and bins all around with the most curious assortment of dried goods you'll ever see. This is the kind of place where, sadly, you might be able to buy a bear's gall bladder or a monkey's paw. The buildings all along this short stretch are originals dating back as far as the 17th century. Look for the busy elementary school at no. 42 Lan Ong, which was once the communal house of the area's Chinese population. Just across from the converted communal house and all along the length of the street, look for low roofs and narrow entries, especially those with tile roofs covered in moss, as these are original Chinese homes.

A quick left (north) turn brings you to:

10. Cha Ca Street

Following Lan Ong Street, heading east, cross the famous Cha Ca Street (Fish St.). Make a left (north) and look for the Cha Ca La Vong, which serves one of Hanoi's most famed dishes. Do not get tricked!!! There's an imposter restaurant called Cha La La Vong that we went in to eat this ...

... served with some noodles and chincalok type sauce. It was okay but nothing compared to Bun Bo Nam Bo, thank God we ordered one serve, also it wasn't cheap, it cost usabout S$10.

So, after the meal we walked further down the street and to our dismay, we saw THIS...

Sigh, we got duped :( Anyway, perhaps desserts coming up would make up for the silly mistake!

11. Take a Break

Just across from Cha Ca La Vong restaurant, you'll find the Hoa Sua Cafe(11B Cha Ca St.; tel. 04/923-1500), a combination school and restaurant (they now have a number of locations throughout the city), where young students serve good coffee and cakes. (We didn't stop and buy anything because the desserts looks like Breaktalk from Singapore!)

Returning to eastbound Lan Ong, turn left (north) onto Hang Duong.

13. Hang Duong Street

Hang Duong Street (Sugar St.) is lined with traditional constructions, foremost of which is the communal house on the left as you go north at no. 38 Hang Duong St. It has a stunning banyan tree in the courtyard and a dark, alluring charm to its smoky interior. Note: Hang Duong is a pedestrian area on weekend nights and becomes a busy little market for tourist trinkets and local goods.

Also spend some time in Dong Xuan Markets which reminded me of Tekka Market, just bigger!

A short detour off of Hang Duong is the 13th-century Thanh Ha Communal House, just a short walk east on Ngo Gach Street (Brick St.).

Continue north on Hang Duong, then turn right on:

12. Hang Chieu

Follow Hang Chieu east across the northern end of the Old Quarter to Quan Chuong Gate, the only remaining gate of the city's once-formidable fortifications. From here, go right (south) onto Dao Duy Tu Street and look for the small entrance to the Huong Nghia Communal House on the left side near the corner of Cho Gao Street.

13. Take a Break

Tired? Thirsty? On the corner adjacent to the communal house on Hang Chieu is a popular bia hoi stand and restaurant where you can get a mug of local brew and get out of the heat for just 1,500 VND (10¢/£0.05).

Turn right onto Nguyen Sieu.

14. Nguyen Sieu Street

Nguyen Sieu is a street named for a noted 18th-century scholar and lined with colonial buildings (your architecture-spotting muscles must be strong by now).

Turn left (south) on Hang Giay Street. Go straight 1 block. Then turn left on Hang Buom Street. Immediately on your left is the important:

Continue east along:

15. Hang Buom Street

From the Bach Ma Temple, continue east on Hang Buom (Sail St.). Once adjacent to a small tributary of the To Lich River, which brought goods to the city, Hang Buom was where local merchant vessels came to refit their ships. Look for the many colonial buildings and traditional Vietnamese houses, as well as a communal house at no. 22 Hang Buom.

As Hang Buom curves to the right (south), it becomes:

19. Ma May Street

Ma May is the beginning of the busiest budget tourist areas of the Old Quarter. In and among Internet cafes and tourist restaurants (often one and the same), you'll find good examples of traditional and colonial buildings. The Huong Tuong Communal House is at no. 64 Ma May, and one of the most interesting sights in the city can be found at no. 87 Ma May, a refurbished and restored traditional house. Here, for a fee of just 20,000 VND ($1.30/£0.70), a young docent dressed in a traditional flowing ao dai gown will take you on an informative tour of the building and can explain important details about life in the Old Quarter in centuries past. With the careful renovations done by a UNESCO-funded, French- and Canadian-backed organization, this classic home offers a unique opportunity to have a close look at the interior detail of a traditional Old Quarter home. Also see the similarly renovated property at no. 38 Hang Dao St. .

Ma May also houses some fine services, such as Tamarind Café, where you can grab something to eat, check your e-mail, and shop for trinkets.

Heading south on Ma May, turn right at its terminus with:

20. Hang Bac Street

Heading west on Hang Bac, you're in the heart of the backpacker area. Here you're sure to be assailed on all sides by touts and hucksters and have your pick of budget tours from the many storefronts that line this busy street. Hang Bac means Silver Street and the silver these days is mostly the stuff coming from your pocket and falling into tour operators' hands, though you still can find some silver (and gold) jewelry makers and sellers.

As you approach the intersection of Dinh Liet Street, look right and you'll see the large Chuong Vang Theater at no. 72 Hang Bac, which was the stronghold of troops who laid siege to the French after the August Revolution in 1945.

You'll find good shopping and lots of goods and services in this area. You can finish the tour here, or check out one more sight worth seeing.

Head west on Hang Bac. Turn left (south) on:

21. Hang Dao

Immediately on your right, don't miss another fine example of a restored traditional Old Quarter house, much like the one on Ma May (and run by the same folks). No. 38 Hang Dao is a two-story home that was once owned by silk merchants. Quite spacious and elaborate (silk merchants were wealthy), you'll see how an Old Quarter house was set up, including where the worship area was set (now an office), as well as where the family lived, cooked, and worked. Helpful docents guide you through for a fee of 20,000 VND ($1.30/£0.70) (or for free if you've got your ticket from Ma May St.).

Hang Dao continues south and ends at Hang Gai and the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square (The Tonkin Free School Movement Sq.). Look for the large ocean-liner-shaped building that overlooks the square and Hoan Kiem Lake to the south.

22. Take a Break

On the fourth floor of the most prominent building on Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, find the popular Highland's Coffee, a good place to meet up after your walk or to rest your bones after completing the circle.

We then headed back to the hotel to wash up to go for dinner. Over the internet I read a review about this place Samson Seafood restaurant and sounded so yummy that I included it in our food plan... MISTAKE number 2 after the afternoon's boo-boo with Cha Ca Va Long.

The place looked promising, with no tourists and many Vietnamese locals, this place must be good! We were taken to the 2nd floor , they have 3 floors (another 'good' sign) and we had some what of a pleasant view (another 'good' sign)

and then things started to go down hill from there when we began to flip through the English menu which was very interesting, they had...

SALAMANDER?!?!?!?!

PORCUPINE?!?!?!?!

We went with NORMAL like oysters, fish, crabs and veg which were salty, ugly , dry and grassy!

After that very tragic dinner, I thought what else could go wrong... sigh like a horror movie, the scariest bits are saved till the very end. We paid up and while waiting for the restaurant to call us a taxi back to our hotel my too-curious eyes stumbled upon the very sought after tonic drinks with ....

WORMS???!!!?!?!

STARFISHES?!?!?!?!?!

LIZARDS?!?!?!?!?!

I wanted to get back to the hotel FAST and think happy thoughts of leaving for Halong Bay tomorrow. Thank God I had no nightmares about the dinner *whew*

2009-07-29T22:55:00.019+08:00

Day 2 & 3 - Halong Bay & Hanoi

We started Day 2 really early because the Columbus cruise was coming to pick us up for our 2 Days 2 Night tour to Halong Bay. We booked with them after reading many horror stories on TripAdvisor about the much cheaper tours and resulting in being treated like refugees! So we splurged on a US$85 per person, which is already a summer promotion price and opted for the standard junk - Pinta Cruise as oppose to Pinta Gold which is US$99 per person.

So anyway, back to breakfast at Hanoi Cozy Hotel. I did not want eggs with toast and asked if we could have Pho for breakfast instead and the hotel kindly obliged! So I had Pho Bo (beef) and LR had Pho Ga (Chicken)

While we were eating and checking out, the tour guide arrived and he actually patiently waited for us, in fact the whole bus waited for us! But thank God, there was only a driver and another tour guide that was there *whew*

Off to a almost 3 hour bus ride to Halong Bay...

On the way some nice scenery of the Red River...
And very luscious green rice paddy fields...

And half way through a much needed toilet break to stretch our legs and be reminded that we are tourist!

Being surrounded by the sea of tourist, I got caught doing very silly and tourist pose shots to keep myself entertained in the souvenir shops!

Also bought the best thing you could buy there- Ice cream!!! For only 10,000 VND which comes out to less than S$1, this chocolate ice cream on a stick was dark and does not resemble those cheap chocolate milk type of ice-cream. What a find!

So anyway, after another hour or so, we arrived at the dock where the number of junks exceeded the number of tourists there. The other thing was all the junks looked the same! So inevitably, I began to wonder if paying a premium on the cruise was worth it at all.
But thankfully, our guide told us that our junk cannot dock here because it is bigger did reassure me somewhat that I could have made a right decision. So we had to wait for a smaller boat to take us to our junk.
Waiting.... they gave priority to the Pinta Gold to board their junk first. Not unreasonable :)

Then ours came and to our surprise there were only 2 of us and our guide. And then when we got unto the junk, we realised too that we would have the entire junk to ourselves till evening when the people that opted for a 3 Days 2 Nights tour would rejoin us from Cat Ba Island to finish up their 3rd day. What a nice surprise!

This is our tour guide, Khanh whom was very interested in the Bible and even sat on the deck with us that afternoon to hear LR share Christ and though he did not pray to receive Christ but we wanted to borrow our Bible after to read about the birth of Christ! Amazing how open he was.
So anyway, just the two of us, we began the lunch feast!

They kept serving us food! There were 3 starters (which we thought were mains) - Fruit salad, clams and prawns. Then came rice and 4 other dishes!! Goodness, there was tofu, vegetables, chicken, squid and this ended off with fruits as dessert. We were stuffed!! We then proceeded to our rooms to were given rooms that were furthest from the engines, so nice of Khanh :)

He told us that after resting, we would be making our way to SURPRISE cave. I love surprises!

The beautiful view while making our way to the cave...

We had to ride a smaller boat to the cave where once again we were re-united with hoards of tourist :) And a steep stair climb to the cave with views of Halong Bay...
And views inside the cave. The cave was HUGE. My photos definitely does no justice to the cave's beauty at all.

After the tour, we went back to the junk for some Rest and Relaxation on the deck.

I'm glad I had my crocs on to weather this sinking jetty!

We got pretty close to the rocks to find a secluded spot to anchor for the night.

So serene and peaceful. I read blog reviews about Halong Bay tours how they try to squeeze 40 people into 1 junk to save costs and what I've experienced is a total opposite! Pure bliss... well, at least till dinner time where 6 other people joined us, but still! The maximum capacity of the junk was for 16 people and half full was such a luxury. And then there's the eight course dinner!

They actually off the lights and presented us with the spring rolls stuck in a pineapple! After that huge meal, we hung out on the deck to enjoy the quietness of the night and gaze at stars... We head to bed early because we're going for some serious kayaking the next day!!!

We went round the fishing village....

It was a yawn, so I decided to put our arm muscles to the test and kayak round these rocks!

We got back super late and the tour guide wasn't too happy with us, but welll, at least I had fun! We went pass narrow gaps, lagoons and almost open seas. LR did get a little worried when each rock we passed didn't seem to be THE ONE where our junk is anchored at, but eventually...

Pinta Cruise!!!! So thankful :) So after lunch we said our farewells to Halong Bay.

Back to our newly booked hotel - Hanoi Boutique Hotel. So much nicer... BUT, I guess we weren't the only ones who thought so, therefore the hotel was fully booked and we were given room 602. The hotels in Hanoi do not have lifts, therefore we had to climb up 6 flights of stairs and upon reach the top, we're so hot and the room is HOT too, because it was mainly glass windows rather than walls and the heat just gets trapped in the room.

But at least the toilets were cooler...

So after being cooked in the room, I told LR we had to get out, have an early dinner and stay out till it gets dark and hopefully a little cooler..

Looks like some food court malay cuisine...

But we were served some luncheon meat dish as appertiser....

Then came the sauce that tasted like sweet diluited soya sauce.

Served with freshly made Chee Cheong Fun!!

After the dinner that felt more like an appertiser, I blame the Halong Bay cruise for feeding us an 8 course meal such that this somehow did not satisfy our bellies! So we decided to walk around the Old Quarters till we chanced upon....

Little Hanoi for desserts...

Cream caramel - wasn't overly sweet and had a lingering taste of burnt caramel in a yummy way! Next, the highlight of our unexpected find...

Warm apple tart with ice-cream. This was DE BOMB!! The thinly sliced apples was simply magical. We had to resist the urge the next few days into having seconds and thirds. After the very satisfying end to our two course meal, we decided to head for the weekend markets in Old Quarter that begins on Friday nights and end on Sunday nights. It almost seems the entire population of Hanoi gathers here!

And we ended our 2 hour walk around the markets with ...

Kebab with bread.

2009-07-29T16:14:00.011+08:00

Top 10 Eats in Hanoi

10 . Fanny Ice Cream @ 48 Pho Le Thai To

This is the place to chill after walks around hot, humid and horn-blaring traffic in the streets around Old Quarter. The Fondue option gives you a choice of 14 flavours and we tried, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Rum & Raisin, Strawberry, Mocca, Passion fruit, Soursop, Tutti frutti, Baileys, Green Tea, Raspberry, Nougat, Chocolate Chip & Mango! Whew... My top 3 flavours are Chocolate, Green Tea and Rum & Raisin. We went back another day to try their Avocado and Salt Caramel and I favoured the latter more.

9. Banh My @ Dong Xuan Weekend Night Market

The kebab meat served with pickled vegetables in a warm bread sat well with LR. He said this was the closest to the Saigon Baguette he can find in Singapore.

8. Banh Ghoi @ 52 Pho Ly Qouc Su

We were clearly disappointed when we got to the stall and found out that this was a curry puff dish, when the description I was given was meat patty with glass noodle. I guess we were expecting this to be similar to our favourite dish - Bun Cha but just served with glass noodles.

Also, the previous stalls we went usually were packed with locals, but this stall was empty with 3 stall helpers chatting among themselves listlessly. Sigh, I guess this Singaporean mentality of long queues & many patrons equals to delicious food will forever be in our blood. So anyway, we sat our butts down on those tiny plastic red and blue stools and waited for our 'curry puffs' to be served.

First came some pickles and herbs then the Banh Ghoi cut into 3 pieces. Then I began to see that the fillings consisted of glass noodles and meat, hence the description I got. The first bite reminded me of the usual fried spring rolls, but the combination of pickles in sweet sauce and herbs had me gobbling up the next 2 pieces in a jiffy. Yummy!

7. Green Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky @ Quan An Ngon

We ordered this dish without the beef jerky the 2 other times we came back as an appertiser. For less than S$1 this really is a good starter to whet your appetite for more to come!

Quan An Ngon , 18 Phan Boi Chau St

This place is the place to go if you want to eat all the street food in Hanoi under one roof! In Hanoi, the street food or stalls believe in specialisation. They do a one dish system and therefore if you want to try a variety of food, I would highly recommend this place. Also, the prices are not much different from those on the streets. There are other added advantages of coming to this place as well is that firstly, there's a menu in English to tell you exactly what you are going to expect, secondly, the stalls are around to let you wander around and point at what caught your eye and lastly a pretty important factor for weak tummies, this place is 100 times cleaner than the usual street food.

These are the following dishes we tried there...

Banh Xeo - Saigon Pancake

Sugar cane wrapped in prawn paste and served with a putu mayam type beehoon patty. The sugar was really rock hard and you would not be able to chew on it to savour the sweet juices of the sugar cane.

You basically wrap the prawn meat, putu mayam thingy, herbs, cucumber and what appears to be banana in rice paper and dip in the sauce.

Dessert that LR ate everytime we were there :) It was a cross between cendol and red ruby. The interesting thing about this dessert is that they serve it with mashed up mung beans to give this dessert a creamy texture.

6. Apple Tart with Ice cream @ Little Hanoi

Walking in Hanoi makes you want to go into nice air-conditioned cafes and have a cold drink with some sweets. We stumbled upon this cafe at a corner of a busy street and ordered the cream caramel and apple tart. This apple tart was more apple than tart and the apples were sliced so thinly and warmed to the right temperature with the perfection of matrimony with the cool and melting ice-cream was heaven....

5. Grilled pork rice with egg and shredded pork @ Quan An Ngon

This rice dish I first ate in believe it or not in Brisbane and ever since I've not had the full works (grilled pork with egg loaf and shredded pork). Mainly in most Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, they leave out the egg loaf and shredded pork, so sinking my teeth into the much missed complements was pure bliss :)

4. Banh Cuon Gia Truyen @ 14 Pho Hang Ga

Vietnamese version of Chee Cheong Fun

LR enjoyed this dish much more than I did and I blame the fried shallots while LR thanked the fried shallots. The skin is made on the spot and stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms. You dip this in a somewhat similar to the dim sum kind of chee cheong fun sauce that is probably a mixture of soya sauce and sugar.

3. Bun Bo Nam Bo @ 67 Hang Dieu St

I was surprised by the size of the bowl. It was huge. This is a noodle dish (bun) topped up with saute beef and bean sprouts with nuts and pickels and very flavourful sauce that I do not know what but am just grateful that I had the chance to eat it as my first lunch meal in Hanoi!

This auntie basically sits there to saute the beef with beansprouts.

There were some wrapped up thingy that looked like ba zhang but I never got down to trying it.

Probably the only street food place that had long benches instead of the usual plastic too small for a non-local's butt stools.

2. Pho Bo Xao @ Nua Hang Phu Ny, 45B Bat Dan

1. Bun Cha @ 34 Hang Tha

2009-07-16T12:25:00.005+08:00

Step 1: Presenting my gorgeous Berry Cheescake!!

Step 2: Sliced to reveal the inside

Step 3: Designed with berry coulis

2009-07-16T12:15:00.004+08:00

Step 1: Skate & Capers with lots of butter

Step 2 : In goes the beetroot, parmesan & parsley

Step 3 : Served with grilled corn

2009-07-09T21:56:00.002+08:00

braised red cabbage

completed with chicken and pototoes

2009-07-07T21:15:00.002+08:00

stained glass lasagne

open lasagne with butternut squash

2009-07-07T21:11:00.001+08:00

smoked salmon & potatoes

2009-07-04T14:54:00.005+08:00

Bottom of the food chain : Chicken liver

Next on the food chain: Prawns

The hunting ground

The stove

The dinner table!

2009-07-04T14:44:00.006+08:00

Homemade Cinnamon Honey Butter

Step 1: Washing and sterlising the mini jars

Major ingredient : Honey (came from the mini jars)

Over bought ingredient: 3kg of butter when I only needed 1kg

Step 2: Throw all the ingredients with technology

Step 3: Primative labour

2009-07-02T21:26:00.003+08:00

oven baked pulled pork!

served with homemade coleslaw !

why?

LR and myself love the taste of pork! Also, the times we go to Blooies or Hard Rock Cafe, we would order the Pig Sandwhich, which essentially is pulled pork. I've always put off attempting to cook pulled pork because I don't have a slow cooker, but then one day I chanced open a recipe online that suggested that cooking whatever dish in an oven at a low temperature very similar or almost the same as cooking using a slow cooker! So I was pretty excited and of course it's time to experiment some pulled pork! I also made coleslaw even though am not a huge fan of this salad but it does go well with pulled pork. So i searched through my cookbooks and decided to improvise on Jamie's version :)

failure?

Too flavourful! I think I should have not been too generous with the BBQ sauce, it did steal the thunder of the natural taste of the pork.

success?

The pork was so tender even after only 3 hours in the oven when most recipes called for at least 6 hours and 8 to be perfected! The coleslaw was really refreshing with the addition of fruits and a splash of apple cider, unlike the usual ones I eat that are drowned in mayo. LR really loves the pulled pork but personally I would tweak the recipe more, therefore will just include the recipe for the coleslaw only.

Coleslaw (serves 8)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 red cabbage
2 red apples
1 china pear
3 carrots
2 tbs of apple cider
5 tbs of mayo

METHOD:
Thinly slice the cabbage, carrots, apples and pear
Mix the apple cider and mayo
Incorporate the above sauce with the sliced vegetables and fruits
Refridgerate till ready to serve

2009-07-02T21:01:00.009+08:00

Step 1: Cooking the prawn filling...

Step 2: Mixing the roux

Step 3: Beating the egg whites till they're stiff-peaked!

Step 4: Praying for the souffle to rise in the oven....

Finale: Prawn souffle!

why?

I was home alone and hungry! So I rummaged through my fridge, freezer and cupboard to see what I could whip up. I found prawns in the freezer, tomatoes, eggs and coriander in the fridge and flour in the cupboard. I took out this ancient seafood cookbook I had and scoured through the pages and found a Prawn souffle recipe!

success?

TOTALLY!!! It was so yummy that even though I had rashes (am a little allergic to prawns), it was worth it :)

failure?

The top of the souffle looked a little burnt... think my oven is really quite powerful, need to take it down from the stated temperature!

Prawn Souffle (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

(A)

400g of prawns cut into pieces

2 riped tomatoes diced

4 cloves of garlic

3 tbs of white wine

2 tsp of paparika

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs of butter

A handful of chopped coriander

(B)

3 tbs of butter

20g of flour

240ml of milk

4 egg yolks

(C)

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp of cream of tartar

METHOD:

Grease a souffle dish well and preheat the oven at 190 degrees
Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour to make a roux, then add milk gradually.
Allow to cool and beat in the yolks until smooth.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar till stiffed.
Fold the mixture into the stiffly-beaten whites.
Melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic and fry till fragrant.
Saute the prawns and season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Simmer with white wine and tomatoes for 5 min and add the chopped coriander
Place half the souffli mixture in the dish, place cooked prawns on top, and cover with the remaining mixture.
Place in the preheated oven and bake 40 minutes.

2009-07-02T20:37:00.003+08:00

super quick shepherd's pie

fillings inside

why?

LR and myself are self-professed nerds, we play computer games and invite friends over for boardgames sessions :) But, gamers get hungry too and especially after a competitive and intense session we want to be fed FAST - Fast As a Speeding Train FAST.

failure?

I had help in the kitchen. We were that hungry!

success?

In 45 min dinner was served! Call me a worker! I had to snap a picture before it was all gone! Taste was definitely not compromised.

Super Quick Shepherd's Pie (serves very hungry 3 ppl)

INGREDIENTS

3 medium US potatoes, peeled and halved
200g of pumpkin, cubed
4 tbs of butter
A pinch of nutmeg & cinnamon
1 tbs butter for frying

500g minced beef

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of sliced button mushrooms

1 medium white onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic chopped finely

3 slices of cheese / grated cheese (mozzarella would be nice)

(A)

2 tbs of Worcester sauce

2 tbs of sherry

2 tbs of BBQ sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp of rosemary

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees
Boil potatoes and pumpkin in salted water till soft
Drain and mash with butter
Add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
Fry the onions and garlic in butter till fragrant
Add in the beef to brown
Add in (A)
Add in the peas and mushroom to fry for another 5 min
Lay out the beef in a casserole dish
Grate / lay the cheese on top
Lay the mash over
Bake in the oven till the top is lightly browned.

2009-04-23T13:49:00.002+08:00

assam fish

why?

I was craving for curry since Sunday night!
I wanted to get my hands on some Maggi Curry noodles at about 8pm, then progressively by 10pm I was dreaming of dousing steam rice with spoonfuls of Fish Head curry gravy. I had to convince myself that going straight to bed would put a stop to my curry cravings.
However, suddenly, yesterday morning when I woke up, that curry craving began to plague me again!! Oh before you think I am carrying a baby and hence all these cravings, I would like to declare that I AM NOT PREGNANT! Just because a woman craves for something, does not mean she's pregnant! I have cravings all the time and thank God this came in the morning, so I could plan to satisfy my craving with cooking! I began to surf the net for recipes and decided to experiment and rely on agar-ration!

failure?

I could not find mackeral at the supermarket and had to settle for Song Fish (I really have no idea what type of fish this is). This fish was not firm like mackeral but instead pretty soft and bordering on mushy! Perhaps I should have gone for salmon instead :( Also, next time, I would cook the fish before throwing in the vegetables, they did get a little mushy as well.

success?

Yuummmmyyyyyy!!! Here's the recipe:

Assam Fish(serves 3)

INGREDIENTS:

600g of fish(mackeral)

1 small brinjal

10 lady's finger

1 can of sliced pineapple cut in quarters (save the syrup)

1 handful of laksa leaves

1 packet of assam/tamarind

(soaked in 300ml of water and throw away the seeds)

salt and sugar to taste

(A)

4 stalks of lemongrass(use only the white part)

1 medium white onion

1 bulb of garlic

10 red chilli deseeded

2.5cm tumeric/ 2 tsp tumeric powder

1cm ginger

METHOD:

Pound (A) into a paste
Fry the paste in 3 tbs of vegetable oil till fragrant
Add in the fish to coat with the paste and fry
Add in the laksa leaves, assam water and pineapple syrup
Bring to boil then add in all the vegetables
Bring to boil again and simmer for 20 min
Season with sugar and salt

2009-04-09T10:40:00.002+08:00

Vietnamese pork chop rice

why?

LR just simply cannot live without pork and Vietnamese cuisine. It's the sweet and savoury combination that he adores. Whenever we visit Le Viet, we would both order the Grilled meat with vermicelli and douse the dish in the fish sauce without fail, unless on a really cold and rainy day (very unlikely in Singapore), I might go for the Beef Pho! So anyway, I wanted to do the 'exact' dish that we always order, but LR who is so particular about textures in food, insist that the usual beehoon is not the same as Vietnamese vermicelli *sigh* So to get around this, I will focus on the Grilled Meat and serve with rice!

success?

Yummmmyyyyy!!! LR gave his stamp of approval and even LR's mom who eats really little, finished up the 4 pieces given to her.

Here's the recipe:

Vietnamese Pork Chop (serves 3)

INGREDIENTS
400g of pork loin sliced 1/2 an inch thick
3 tomatoes, sliced
1 Japanese cucumber, sliced
(A)
3 stalks of lemongrass, use the bottom half and save the top part of the stalk
5 cloves of garlic
5 small shallots
(B)
2 tbs of brown sugar
1 tbs of fish sauce
1 tbs of light soya sauce
A dash of pepper
2 tbs sesame seeds
(C)
1 carrot, very thinly shredded
3 tbs of lemon juice
3 tbs of water
1 tbs of white vinegar
White sugar to taste

METHOD
Use the back of a cleaver, hammer gently the pork slices to tenderise them
Pound (A) together in a a mortar and pestle
Mix (B)
Marinate the pork slices thoroughly with (A) and (B)
Leave in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
Cook rice with the top half of the lemongrass stalk for fragrant rice
Prepare the sauce with (C) and refrigerate.
Fry/ Grill the pork till slightly charred on each side
Serve with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, rice and sauce at the side
failure?
My sauce still needs tweeking... maybe it's the fish sauce, I've been using the Thai fish sauce instead of the Vietnamese one. Don't know!

2009-04-09T10:39:00.000+08:00

chicken sandwhich

2009-04-09T10:38:00.000+08:00

traditional white bread

2009-04-09T10:36:00.000+08:00

mushroom soup 2

2009-04-09T10:34:00.000+08:00

frutti yogurt

2009-04-09T10:26:00.001+08:00

chicken hamburg

2009-03-27T10:54:00.002+08:00

chinese glutinous rice

why?

I had half a pack of glutinous rice left in my cupboard after my udang rempah experiment and some lap cheong bought over Chinese New Year that is crying to me to use them! I researched for recipes and came up with my own concoction mixing two recipes together (Lo Mai Kai and Lotus Leaf Rice).

success?

Yummmmy, I love glutinous rice and it is definitely comfort food for me.

Here's the recipe.

Chinese Glutinous Rice

INGREDIENTS

200g of chicken fillet, cut into bite sizes

250g of pork belly, thinly sliced

100g of dried shrimp, soaked till soften and drained

600g of glutinous rice, soaked for 3 hours and drained

10 dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water and keep the water

1 lap cheong

20 small shallots, thinly sliced

corriander and spring onions

dark soya sauce

light soya sauce

oyster sauce

sake (can also use chinese wine)

pepper

corn flour

sesame oil

vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Marinate the chicken and pork belly in 2 tbs of dark soya sauce, 1 tbs of light soya sauce, a dash of pepper, 1 tsp of corn flour, a dash of sesame oil and 1 tbs of sake. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Fry the shallots in 2 tbs of vegetable oil till brown.
Add in the lap cheong, dried shrimps and mushrooms. Fry till fragrant.
Add in the meat with 2 tbs of light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and oyster sauce, a dash of pepper and sesame oil. Fry for about 10min.
Add in the rice and fry till evenly coloured and add 200ml of mushroom water. Fry till rice slightly expanded.
Scoop into a pan/bowl and prepare steamer.
Steam for 45min.
Serve with corriander and spring onions.

failure?

I wished I hope peanuts!!! That would complete the whole experience, I might even try this recipe again with peanuts and also steaming the rice wrapped in lotus leaves!

2009-03-27T10:46:00.003+08:00

salmon and pesto

2009-03-20T16:37:00.004+08:00

black forest cake

why?

This is LR's favorite cake and somehow I just never got around trying this recipe. So I invited SW over to experiment with me. She had a Western recipe(probably yielding a denser cake), but as for me I was searching through blogs to find an Asian recipe that would yield a chiffon type texture sponge. I finally decided on using the recipe from Lil's Wai Sek Hong's blog.

failure?

YES! Goodness, I took so much care to seperate my egg yolks from the white, cleaned the mixing bowl very thoroughly, made sure all my ingredients were at room temperate etc... I read all the comments of bakers who failed in their chiffon cake and made sure I would not go down the same path!
But, I still ended up with a cake that barely rose and cracked in the centre with a little 'mountain' that really resembled a volcano :( What went wrong! So because of the failure of my chiffon cake, I could only slice what I had into 2.
Then, SW suggested we try her recipe, and even though I was tired and disappointed, I gave in because she was so convinced hers works! But I hate to say this, her recipe was worse! The cake came out with a rubber texture, but that made me feel much better about my failure! Haha....

2 thoughts though:

1) I'm not perfect no matter how hard I try

2) Comparison can make you feel lousy or give you a false sense of pride, so why
compare?

success?
Layering my BFC and decorating with the shaved dark chocolate cake was my only saving grace :)

2009-02-24T21:52:00.002+08:00

dinner feast

why?

This year, the church where I am currently working at is challenging us to Bless 50, Connect 25, Win 5 and Disciple 1. LR and myself, are intentionally on our off-days (Tuesday) out to bless anyone, so this Tuesday, we decided to cook for LR's dad and step-mom. Something we have never done before, and instead have always been cooked for. We have been spoiled rotten by his dad's lavish chinese dishes, so in a sense, we want and should bless them back :) I knew cooking Asian cuisine would like me trying to teach Tiger Woods how to play golf. So, it was definately going to be an all out Western affair.

The menu for the night:

Starter

Tomatoes in French Dressing

Entree

Asparagus wrapped in Bacon

Main

Roasted Chicken with

Sweet Potatoes Mash

Dessert

Crepe Suzette

success?

On the whole, the dishes complemented one another, this was more accidental than planned! Also, put together on a dish, it was a masterpiece! The colours looked so pretty and I must say, my presentation skills are on the uphill! Taste wise, I think I did impress my in-laws but LR gave good comments that reminded me that there can always be room for improvement! LR really enjoyed the tomatoes being prepared this way (lightly blanched, remove the skin and drizzle some dressing on top) and the mash as quoted was "velvet-y" ! Pat on the back for 2 out of 3 sides being well executed.

failure?

The asparagus were a little over-cooked, perhaps I should not have blanched them first before grilling them. The chicken was not a juicy as my previous roasts, this could be due to me opting for 2 smaller chickens instead of a jumbo one but yet did not alter the cooking time in the oven. The marinade I used this time included paprika which added some spicy-ness to the chicken, but LR said he prefers a sweet marinade with honey mustard. This boils down to preference I guess :)

2009-02-03T21:49:00.000+08:00

udang rempah

2009-02-03T21:48:00.000+08:00

tang yuan

2009-01-24T13:59:00.003+08:00

reese's cookies

2009-01-24T13:54:00.000+08:00

cranberry & apple pie

2009-01-06T22:50:00.002+08:00

chicken goulash

why?

I have recently been converted into a paprika fanatic! Last week after lunch, I walked passed a shop selling spices by weight. You don't see that too often these days, I couldn't help but walk in and walk out with 50cents worth of paprika and after that is done, I'm definately going back to try the other spices. I looked up the internet and decided to make goulash since I had some baguette left over. However, LR's mom does not take beef which is the usual main ingredient. So I decided to 'improvise' :)

success?

I was yummy!! A little spicy but I like!

failure?

The taste isn't as robust as Hungarian Goulash, but I would think that not using beef would have that effect. The taste is more subtle and in fact using chicken brought the paprika from a supporting role in the dish to the lead role! So even in seeming failures something good does emerge!

2009-01-06T22:44:00.000+08:00

2 all beef patties!

2009-01-06T22:41:00.002+08:00

yam kueh

why?

LR's mom bought ALL the ingredients and if that isn't a hint that she wanted me to make it then I don't know what would :)

success?

Sigh...... continue reading!

failure?

It was rock hard!! The reason... I was multi-multi- MULTI tasking :( I was trying to marinate my meat for dinner, talking to my friend and assuring LR that I would be done soon so that the game sessions would began AND prepare this kueh at the same time, and I left out a transparent, odourless and costing next to nothing ingredient - water!! Almost a whole litre of it! What a disaster. The taste was ok, I guess how wrong can you go with mushrooms, lap cheong, yam and shallots. Two lessons I learnt today. Firstly, FOCUS and secondly, HUMILITY!

2009-01-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

chicken fajitas dinner

2008-11-07T20:16:00.001+08:00

braised chicken

2008-11-07T20:09:00.001+08:00

F1 cookies

2008-10-06T09:40:00.001+08:00

duck & chutney

2008-10-01T10:58:00.004+08:00

traditional chocolate cake

why?
Well... the year is coming to an end, and there are many ingredients in my kitchen cabinet that I hope to use up and not to have to dump them away! I decided that yesterday was a good day to use up half of my cocoa powder and most of my icing sugar. I searched allrecipes.com for a recipe that would use these 2 ingredients A LOT and this came up!

success?
This is the first cake I made that I managed to replicate the "cake-frosting-cake" layers technique and was glad that the cake turned out moist and spongy but not too light as the chiffon cake texture might not hold all that frosting. The taste wasn't overly sweet because I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe and added coffee to give the cake a tinge of bitterness.

failure?
There was also too much frosting, I guess I could have not slapped on so much frosting, but I was trying to not waste anything! When LR ate the cake, he had to remove the frosting and he commented it looked like cement! Grrrrr...... and I told him to be grateful he had cake! Haha.... Somehow the taste wasn't as refined as I would like for it to be, perhaps it could be the use of vegetable oil instead of butter in the recipe? If I were to bake this cake again, I might use melted butter instead. The recipe was called Extreme Chocolate Cake, but I didn't think anything extreme about it, to me it was a good and safe cake to make for birthdays and would suit most people's palate. Hence, I would rename this recipe to Traditional Chocolate Cake instead.

Traditional Chocolate Cake (9 inch cake pan x 2)

INGREDIENTS

350 g white sugar
220 g all-purpose flour
65 g unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
235 ml milk
120 ml vegetable oil
2 tsp ml vanilla extract
235 ml boiling water with 1 sachet of 3 in 1 coffee added

170 g butter
130 g unsweetened cocoa powder
640 g confectioners' sugar
155 ml milk
5 ml vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Use the first set of ingredients to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
Stir in the boiling water and coffee by hand.
Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients.
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

2008-10-01T10:54:00.002+08:00

Fried Viet Spring Rolls

2008-09-22T17:22:00.001+08:00

dinosaur cookies

just look at that!?!

2008-09-20T14:10:00.004+08:00

all things colourful and Brit...

pork & apples (after)

pork & apples (before)

mint peas

2008-09-20T14:01:00.002+08:00

penang laksa

2008-09-20T13:59:00.000+08:00

dutifully cooking...

2008-09-10T21:39:00.003+08:00

a trinity of pizza

before they head into the oven...ouch!

toppings included...

tomatoes and mushrooms

chicken and pineapple

why?

I had some left over cheese and tomato salsa from the mexican dinner I made on Sunday. And pizzas came to mind. However, despite the fact that even when I always wanted to make pizzas from scratch, the concern that I do not have a pizza pan or a granite stone or even a wood fire oven bugged me so much that I never got down to making them. But I guess a foodie like me would hate to let good food go to waste and my 'Just do it' Nike attitude found myself in the kitchen producing such fabulous results and my fears of not getting a crispy thin, wood fire oven base were totally unfounded!

success?

This is so easy, fun and cheap to make!! Totally would make this again and anytime. I do not need a pizza pan, wood-fire oven or a granite stone to achieve that crispy thin base. So what are you waiting for? Get down to Mama mia!!

failure?

I probably got a little too excited with the toppings, that made my pizza look like a hill! But I really do not care, the more the merrier. I say "Pile them on!"

2008-09-10T21:33:00.001+08:00

beef stew

2008-09-08T10:16:00.002+08:00

burritos

sangria

2008-09-08T10:09:00.002+08:00

caramalising

dusting and rolling

downside

upside... pear tartin!

2008-09-03T16:48:00.000+08:00

DIY sushi handroll

2008-09-03T16:46:00.002+08:00

cold shabu shabu

2008-09-03T16:36:00.001+08:00

Mentaiko Onigiri

Mentaiko - Fish Roe

Skills....

2008-09-03T16:30:00.003+08:00

Dusted Mochi with Azuki Beans

Rolling & Boiling

Dusting

2008-09-03T16:23:00.002+08:00

Okonomiyaki Chef Chisako

In the pan

In the bowl

2008-09-03T16:21:00.001+08:00

Peanut Happy Cookies

2008-09-03T16:18:00.000+08:00

Milky Fish

2008-09-03T16:06:00.001+08:00

M&M Oatmeal cookies

2008-07-01T12:16:00.001+08:00

mango mashie cake

why?

I saw this on Do What I Like's blog and thought it was a cheesecake, but upon reading further, I discovered that it is a 'pirated' cheesecake! The white layer is actually made up of mashmallows and whipping cream. I love cheap thrills and making this would be such an opportunity :)

success?

I brought it to class and most of them love it! Especially this girl who abhors anything cheese.

failure?

There were a few areas I would most definitely improve on. Firstly, I might bake the biscuit layer as pouring the second layer did make the biscuit a tad too moist. Secondly, I would also definitely not whisk the second layer because it became a little foamy and light and could not firm up nicely and did not produce a smooth consistency. Thirdly, I will never trust my springfoam cake pan to retain liquid again, it leaked and i had to wrap the aluminium foil and still quite a bit of both the second and third layers were wasted.

Mango Mashie Cake

Ingredients for Base:

200 gm digestive biscuits

80 gm melted butter

2 riped mangoes

Method:

1. Crushed digestive biscuits and mix well with melted butter.

2. Press into a 8” cake pan.
(I would bake this for 10min at 180 degrees in future)

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Line the base with sliced mangoes.

Ingredients Marshmallow filling:

300g white marshmallow

150ml milk

300ml whipping cream

2 tsp of gelatine powder

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into a pot.

2. Doubleboil over small fire until gelatine is dissolved.
(Stir gently and do not whisk!)

3. Cool for 20min, then pour it into cake base.

4. Chill it for at least 2 hours.

Ingredients Jello topping:

1 pkt of Mango pudding

Method:

1. Prepare the pudding as per instructed by the packet/box.

2. Cool for 15min

3. Gently spoon the pudding over the second layer.

4. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

2008-06-28T14:28:00.001+08:00

tomato soup

2008-06-28T14:25:00.001+08:00

pumpkin soup

2008-05-21T21:41:00.002+08:00

strawberry salad

2008-05-21T21:16:00.007+08:00

chicken cottage pie

why?

I wanted to prepare a dish that I could make the day before to serve at the luncheon to save me slogging over the kitchen and leaving me utterly exhausted on the day when my friends arrive. This dish also tastes better the next day after the chicken fillings are allowed to soak in the gravy at least over a day. I have made this dish so many times and it is something that my mom taught me that never fails to WOW my guests. Thanks mom!

failure?

I forgot that the gravy would be lessen with baking and being soaked up by the chicken and potato topping. So personally, I would have preferred the filling to have a wetter consistency.

success?

Never fails and I this dish is a keeper. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Cottage Pie (serves 10)

Ingredients

1 kg chicken breast, diced in bite size
2 cups of frozen vegetables
1 can of mushroom soup
1 can of button mushroom, sliced
3 tbs of mixed herbs
2 medium white onions, finely sliced
20 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
10 US potatoes, peeled and cut into half
300g of butter
1 cup of full cream milk

Method

Fry the onions and garlic in some butter till fragrant.
Add in some pepper and mixed herbs.
Add in the chicken and fry till slightly browned.
Add in the mushrooms and frozen vegetables.
Mix the canned mushroom soup with 1 can full of water and 1/2 can full of milk, and pour in.
Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 min.
Spoon the fillings into the baking pan for your pie.
In a pot of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain off the water.
Mash the potatoes with a fork and add the butter.
Add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time till smooth consistency is achieved.

2008-05-21T21:14:00.000+08:00

apple crumble

2008-05-21T21:06:00.004+08:00

peach and cheese salad

2008-04-24T20:19:00.003+08:00

yam rice

why?

Just last week, I was hit with this unexplainable push of wanting to be more intentional in juggling work and home responsibilities has somehow inspired me to want to start preparing cheap, quick and of course delicious meals at home. I don't know, perhaps this could be a sign of my biological clock ticking? Somehow I always liken mothers to being SUPERwomen. How they need to juggle work, family and kitchen still boggles me. Can I ever be a SUPERwomen? Everyday when I get home from work, I simply can't see myself doing any housework or cooking after a long tiring day even though I really enjoy being in the kitchen! So perhaps this concern has prompted me to start with small? I don't have kids right now... so maybe I need to start with managing work and kitchen and somehow slowly I can see myself progressing to managing children as well. Sounds so tough! No wonder in Singapore, it's so easy for families to succumb to employing help. Wow... What a rant! Haha... ok, so back to yam rice. Totally fits the criteria of cheap, quick and delicious!

success?

This took about half an hour to prepare and cook, although I had to soak some of the ingredients in the morning before I left the house. So quick it is! Cheap? I probably spent about $8 to prepare a 4 person portion. So yeah it's cheap too! Delicious? Good enough for me and LR!

failure?

Nothing to complain about! So here's the recipe...

Yam Rice (serves 4 person)

Ingredients

500g yam, diced in 2 inch cubes

100g dried shrimp, soaked in warm water and drained

100g dried scallops, soaked in warm water and drained

8 dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water, sliced and drained

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 small shallots, finely sliced

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cups of rice, washed and drained

4 cups of chicken stock

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

Serve with

small bunch of corriander

sweet dark sauce

Method

1. Heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

2. Fry the garlic and shallots till fragrant

3. Add the yam and fry till slightly browned

4. Add in the shrimps, scallops and mushroom and fry till fragrant

5. Add sesame oil and pepper

6. Add in the rice and fry for 10min

7. Dish everything into a rice cooker

8. Add in 4 cups of chicken stock and cook accordingly to the rice cooker

9. When cooked, season with dark soy sauce and serve with corriander and sweet dark sauce

2008-04-22T18:02:00.003+08:00

lady marmalade biscuits

why?

I was flipping through my Bake It recipe book and came across this recipe for thumbprint biscuits and I couldn't resist making these cute little jam filled cookies :)

success?

They tasted really light and almost had a texture of a macaroon, coupled with the marmalade filled centre to give the buttery biscuits a nice tang of citrus flavour with the right amount of bitterness. I would definately try this recipe again with other jams and possibly even chocolate!

failure?

They really didn't had the crunch of being a biscuit and they expanded so much! In future, I would reduce the pre-baked size of biscuits and maybe try the recipe with less baking powder and soda.

Lady Marmalade Biscuits (Makes about 45)

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened

140g icing sugar, sifted

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

90g cream cheese, softened

1.5 tsp of vanilla essence

zest of 1 whole orange

350g plain flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 tablespoons of marmalade

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius

2.Grease baking sheets

3.Cream the butter, icing sugar and egg yolk till pale and fluffy

4.Beat in the cream cheese, vanilla and orange zest till smooth

5.Combine the flour, baking powder and soda and salt with a wooden spoon

6.Until a soft dough firms up, set aside for 10min

7.Break off small pieces of dough to shape into balls

8.Flatten slightly and make a small indent in the centre of each with your thumb

9. Spoon in the marmalade into the small indent

10.Bake for 10-12mins

11.Cool for a few minutes on the tray then transfer to a wire rack

2008-04-09T20:58:00.002+08:00

candied chicken wings

2008-04-07T20:54:00.004+08:00

meatball noodles

why?

GBS organised a picnic last Saturday, and it was requested for me to prepare beehoon. To me frying beehoon would be automatically labelling myself as an Ah-Soh!! Of course, I wanted to prepare something close to the request of beehoon but still try something exciting :) So began to pour through all my cook books to find something to cook. I found this recipe in Nigella's FEAST book and as I read through how to prepare the dish I discovered that even when it comes to cooking, there can be an element of surprise and mystery! I bet you must be wondering as you look at the picture above and cannot help but ask "Where are the noodles?" Haha... that's the surprise! The noodles are actually mixed with minced meat to form the meatball noodles!

success?

This dish is so easy to prepare and it definitely got people asking where the noodles are! Yeah, this is really a 'cheap thrill' experience, but I did get a kick out of it! Haha.. It does look pretty as well, but somehow the noodles were not visible enough.

failure?

Somehow Nigella's recipes never turn out great for me at least. On my part, I knew that from my many experiences trying out her recipes, so I already knew I had to tweaked the recipe to add more spices and seasoning but the meatballs still ended tasting too bland for my liking. Yes, the recipe did call for Thai sweet chilli sauce to complement the meatballs, but it should not be bland on its own! And the meatballs could have turned out much worse if not for my added ingredients...Sigh, I wonder if she really did pen down the recipes accurately. I watch her on television and I am more incline to think she has not been as meticulous as she should be :(

2008-03-27T17:23:00.002+08:00

saigon baguette

why?

I remembered the first time I had a sample of this sandwich with Rach, we knew we would be back! I brought LR to try it, and he proclaims this is the best sandwich he has ever eaten his whole life! Haha... and it only about time I try my hand at making it. What if the shop closes down? Would we need to fly all the way to Vietnam for our sandwich fix?

success?

LR said it tasted almost like the real thing! I knew I would never be able to produce the real thing because I don't have those ham that they use. I substituted with marinated pork and I used very good Pate that I bought from Cold Storage. On a scale of 1 to 10 of being like the real thing, I would rate it a 7.5 :) I included the recipe, do try!!

Saigon Baguette Recipe

Ingredients

Ciabatta bread (I bought mine from Giant at a steal! $1.70 for 4 small ones)

Mayonnaise

Pate De foie (I bought 100g from Cold storage)

Corriander

White vinegar

Sugar

2 Carrots

1 Radish

2 Cucumbers

200g Lean Pork

1 Lemon grass

Cornflour

Fish sauce

Method(Start at least 3 days before eating)
1. Peel the carrots and radish.
2.Slice the carrots, cucumbers and radish into 3 inch by half inch rectangular shaped.
3.Place the vegetables into an airtight container.
4.Mix 2 cups of white vinegar with 1 cup of sugar, then dilute with 1 cup of water.
5.Pour the mixture into the container with the vegetables and preserve for at least 3 days.
6.The day before, marinate the pork.
7. Slice the pork thinly and marinate with 3 tsp of cornflour, pounded lemon grass, 3 tsp of fish sauce, 1 tbs of sugar and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Cover with a cling wrap and sit overnight in the refridgerator.
8. Fry the pork with some vegetable oil and set aside.
9. Toast the bread and slice into half.
10.Spread some pate, then mayo, put in the pork, pickled vegetables and corriander.

11.Drizzle some fish sauce over the sandwich and you are good to go!!

failure?

The real deal doesn't use pork, but 3 different kinds of ham. Maybe next time, I'll go get some salami and try. I know it isn't regular ham, because the pork taste is much stronger than the common ham we eat.

2008-03-27T17:21:00.001+08:00

teochew mui

2008-03-27T17:15:00.001+08:00

stewed mushrooms with oysters

2008-01-26T16:48:00.000+08:00

hakka pig trotters

why?

My grandma cooked it every year for Chinese New Year, and then my mom took over the reigns to produce this so yummy dish and now that my mom is with the Lord, I have either the option of missing and hoping or I attempt to re-produce the dish!

success?

YUMMY!!!!!!! Of course as the saying goes, nothing beats mom's cooking, but I think my mom would be proud of me! The taste of sourness with sweet pork flavour is like the combination of bak kwa with kecap manis and drinking a cup of lemon juice! Haha... I tried to explain the taste but truly, if you are a huge fan of the confinement pig trotters dish, you would love this!

Ingredients

2 kg of pig trotters chopped into pieces (get the butcher to do this)

1 kg of white radish, peeled and chopped into big pieces (see the picture)

5 hard boiled eggs, deshelled

20 dried chillies, soaked for 1hr and drained

10 cloves of garlic, minced

3tbs of chinese cooking wine

5 tbs of light soya sauce

5 tbs of dark soya sauce

200g gula melaka

1 big bottle of white rice vinegar (add depending on ur preference of sourness)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blanch the pig trotters in boiling water for 5 min

2. Dish up and rinse well

3. Heat up 1 tbs of cooking oil

4. Saute the garlic and dried chillies till fragrant

5. Add the pig trotters and fry till slightly brown

6. Add the light and dark soya sauce and wine and fry

7. Add in 2litres of water and bring to a boil

8. Add the gula melaka to dissolve

9. Pour in 300ml of white vinegar and add seasoning

10. Add in the radish and stir

11. Simmer for 1 hour

12. Put in the hard boil eggs and let the dish cool completely over the stove

13. Refrigerate for at least 2 days but make sure that all the radish, trotters and eggs are submerged in the sauce

14. When ready to eat, bring to boil and add more seasoning or vinegar till desired taste. I actually use up an entire bottle!

failure?

Mommy, you are not here to give me your comments :)

2008-01-26T16:42:00.000+08:00

Gre-int cake

why?

A birthday cake for a special lady in my cell group. Also, LR expressed how much he really loves those japanese light and fluffy sponge cake. So I searched the internet and came across a japanese green tea cake. Sounds exciting enough for me try it! But why the name Gre-int? Refer to 'failure' below for a better explanation :(

success?

Sigh... it was a disaster, read below for the details.

failure?

The recipe calls for green tea powder which I could not find. However, I did not want to give up, so I went to the beverage section in the supermarket, hoping to find something similar to green tea powder. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I found a box of ice green tea drink mix in powder form and at that point it seemed like a really good substitute. I got home and followed the recipe religiously. When the cake was baking in the oven, I decided to reward myself with some ice green tea. I took out a sachet, mixed the contents with iced cold water and as I took a sip my face turned green. I simply could not describe what I just tasted. I picked up the box, checked the expiry date and that was fine, then I saw a small fine print of the words "mint" next to these words "Iced Green Tea". OH NO!! But confusion quickly turned to anger. Angry at the manufacturer! Where is the green tea? All I could taste was mint, mint and all mint! Seriously, there was absolutely no green tea at all. If anything, the manufacturers of this drink should change the label to "Iced Mint Tea". I was duped!!!!! And what was more disgusting was I had no idea how the cake would turn out! A mint cake?? Hence the name Gre-int. Sigh... needless to say, the taste of the cake was weird and I think my decorating muse left me too, I don't know what came over me to simply scatter silver balls around the cake. The cake looked like something out of twilight zone and it should stay there and never return!

2008-01-20T19:12:00.000+08:00

O0ooooreo cheesecake

why?

I had another priviledge to bake a birthday cake!! I initially was going to bake a strawberry cheesecake, but the strawberries at the supermarket looked yellow and withered. I guess I would probably bake one when the season comes around!

success?

WOW! I mean I would definitely boast that THIS IS THE BEST cake I have ever made! Firstly, it looked so gorgeous, I learnt the technique of 'dripping' the chocolate on the surface of the cake from Nigella's FEAST and the mini oreos by the side added a touch of cuteness to the oh-so-sophisticated cake! Secondly, the texture of the cheesecake was soooo smooth and the bits of oreo cookies not just from the crust but the middle of the cake gave such a crunch to each bite. My only concern was that the cake would turn out too sweet, but the marriage of the oreos and cream cheese was perfect. I was really impressed at the taste and texture! Haha... I told LR, after we left the restaurant that I was supressing my immense excitment and joy the whole night. I wanted so badly to shamelessly boast but I guess I would have to settle for shamelessly declaring the wonders of this cake here!

Oreo Cheesecake

Ingredients

200g oreo cookies, with centre cream removed and crushed

100g unsalted butter, melted

55g soft brown sugar

910g cream cheese, softened at room temperature

250g white sugar

80ml whipping cream

15g plain flour

1 tsp of vanilla essence

4 eggs

160g oreo cookies, crushed with the centres

400ml sour cream

100ml whipping cream

50g white sugar

1 tsp of vanilla essence

100ml whipping cream

200g dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla essence

mini oreo cookies for decorations

Directions

1. Combine 200g of oreo cookies, melted butter and brown sugar. Press firmly the mixture onto the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 5 min at 175 degrees.

2.Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually mix in 250g of sugar, 80ml of whipping cream, flour and 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

3.Pour half of the mixture on into the pan with cookie base, then gently sprinkle the 160g of oreos and carefully spoon on the top the remaining mixture.

4.Bake at 175 degrees for 45 min at the centre rack and at the bottom of the oven, place a roasting tray with water.

5.Mix the sour cream, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla essence. Remove the cake after 45min and carefully spread this mixture on the top and bake for a further 7 min.

6.Turn off the oven and allow the cake to 'rest' in the oven for 1 hour.

7.Combine the whipping cream and chocolate on low heat to melt then stir in the vanilla essence.

Using a spoon, spread the chocolate mixture in a horizontal direction then vertically to form a pattern as the picture above.

8.Decorate the cake with the mini oreos.

9.Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.

failure?

This cake failed in the affordable department! The cost of all the ingredients came up to just over $40 and I spent 4 hours making this cake. Gosh, if I ever had to sell this cake commercially, it is going to cost ALOT.

2008-01-16T20:37:00.001+08:00

hainanese chicken chop

why?

I brought LR to Colbar once and from that day on, we started sharing this unexplainable love for this seemly old-fashion fusion dish. I decided to try to whip it up by 'feel'.

success?

This dish is terribly heart stopping. The potatoes and chicken are deep fried. But we can comfort ourselves to say the usual "once in a while, it is ok" and also we used white meat, chicken instead of red meat, pork! Any excuse to gorge! Haha

Ingredients

300g chicken / pork fillet

1 medium white onion, sliced

1 cup of frozen vegetables

2 bowls of breadcrumbs

1 egg

2 tbs of milk

salt and pepper

2 local potatoes cut to resemble french fries

4 tbs of tomato ketchup

1 tbs of sweet chilli sauce

3 tbs of sugar

1 tbs of light soya sauce

2 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of cooking wine

2 tsp of corn starch

some water to dilute, depending on how thick you want the gravy to be

Directions

1.Season the meat with salt and pepper.

2.Heat up cooking oil in a pot for deep frying. Check if the oil is ready by dropping some breadcrumbs. If it is ready the breadcrumbs should start 'bubbling'.

3. Deep fry the potatoes and remove on a kitchen paper to soak up the oil.

4. Mix the egg with milk. Dip the meat into the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Repeat this again.

5.Place the battered meat to deep fry and turning only once when 1 side browns. Remove onto a kitchen paper to drain off excess oil.

6.Scoop 3 tbs of the oil into a frying pan and saute the onions till slightly brown. Do not overcook the onions, you want them to remain crunchy.

7.Throw in the frozen vegetables and fry for another minute.

8. Mix the ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, sugar, light soya sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, cornstarch and some water together.

9.Pour into the frying pan, have some water on hand to dilute to the consistency of gravy you desire.

10.Place the french fries and battered meat onto the plate and spoon the gravy over to serve.

failure?

I would probably try pork. Chicken just isn't the same! The next time, I might add some white vinegar to add a slight tinge of sourness to the sauce.

2008-01-16T20:34:00.000+08:00

low fat chocolate cake

2008-01-16T20:30:00.001+08:00

japanese katsu rice

2008-01-09T21:16:00.000+08:00

fish lasagne