Foodie Tales

Monday, 30th April 2007

2007-04-30T06:15:00.000+08:00

Hello all

I'm ready - thank you for your patience.

Please visit www.foodietales.blogspot.com

Please continue commenting.

Enjoy!

Best regards.

Sat, 28th April 2007

2007-04-28T08:50:00.000+08:00

Dear readers

I'm moving onto another blog which I've been busy updating.

Bear with me for a few more days and I will give you all the new name

(it's not far from this one!).

See you all soon!

Tues, 17th Apr 2007

2007-04-24T10:23:00.000+08:00

After breakfast, we went to Landmark and spent almost 1.5 hrs at T's.... ( J emerged with 4 boxes with white ribbons around them ). We then went to a supermarket which sells foie gras, kobe and wagyu beef, a lot of cooked food, sushis, etc - very interesting. I bought some jelly beans for M & H. We were snackish again after that and Mum brought us here:

to have wantan noodles:

and beef brisket:

and black sesame and red bean with lotus seed desserts:

Tues, 17th Apr 2007

2007-04-23T19:17:00.000+08:00

Dim Sum........ super fresh ingredients and steamed on order.. so yummy...

Chicken Feet (2 orders), steamed beef balls (2 orders), prawn dumplings, bbq meat buns, siew mai with abalone (2 orders), squid cake, fish cake, black sesame seed ball with peanut coating, bbq meat (so crunchy)

Washed down with pots and pots of tea. Walked off by 6 hours of shopping.

Tues, 16th Apr 2007

2007-04-23T18:24:00.000+08:00

Mum made my favourite porridge for dinner tonight. It's made with dried unsalted fish, salted ribs, whole peanuts, dried scallops and century eggs (again)!

Sat, 14th Apr 2007

2007-04-23T18:06:00.000+08:00

Typical breakfast - porridge with century eggs and salted meat.

chee cheong fun with the softest beef ever

Rice dumplings or joong (the Cantonese way with plain glutinous rice/skinless mung beans, a bit of meat - some have mushrooms, dried shrimps, salted duck yolks in them.

All from a little eatery 2 mins from Mum's place.

Sat, 21st Apr 2007

2007-04-22T08:22:00.000+08:00

I had lunch at Z's house today.

Here's their cat sunning himself on the window sill.

We had her mum's famous mee siam with all the condiments - hardboiled eggs, chives, fried tofu cubes, prawn sambal, lime and the delicious bean paste gravy......

We also had beef rendang, daging masak kicap/chillies/onions, nasi beryani, acar, lentil curry and chicken wings.

Here is the lunch table with food for 3 (her mum joined us later, we were still eating when she finished).

After lunch we sat down and had several slices each of this rich butter cake (I was given a box to take home - thank you!). Z had a massive mug of coffee while I had tea.......

and I ask myself why I have put on more weight lately?.... :D

Shopping......

2007-04-21T19:57:00.000+08:00

I'll just stray from the topic of food momentarily and show you my shopping loot.

Plain cotton top ( a bit crumpled as I wore it today ), sleeveless T with lace details, turquoise T with beading, versatile (slimming)black wrap T

Linen chocolate work jacket, silk tunic with wide sash, turquoise linen top with wooden beads, Laura Ashley 'demure' blouse

Crushed velvet sleeveless top, camisoles - white beaded, black lace, white lace and brown top

Coast drop waist skirt with crochet flowers, M & S denim skirt, 'Pucci' look skirt, NEXT wrap multi-patchwork skirt (also crumpled, I wore it today with the cotton top, top left - with 4 inch denim wedges)

(detail of the cream skirt)

Ann Taylor 3 tier skirt with small ruffle between each tier, Coast navy blue skirt with cream details, black and gold lace skirt with black beading/embroidery, cream skirt with black embroidery/beading (my black wrap top above will be perfect with 3 of these skirts)

White low waist crop pants (so comfy), linen khaki pants with flower cut outs front and back - I call these my fatty girl pants cos they are baggy and comfy and perfect for weekends.

And if you thought I was all shopped out with the recent buys, yesterday I just had to grab this dress from Butik Eileen Chen at the Mall - Oasis super tight elastane dress with zigzag hem and flower on hip - they told me it was the only one, just out of the box, and it was a 12 - ok, it's a 'bit' tight but I'll soon lose the weight, very soon - you'll see :P

And as I was waiting for Eve (Joe Jen Salon), I stopped to have a chat with the man who was selling knick knacks from China near Eve's salon and I reluctantly bought this lovely red stone necklace. In my butchered Mandarin, I knocked the price down from $50 to $30 - I'm not sure if this was a good buy but I love it .... Eve said it was as the workmanship was quite detailed and the stones were real, not plastic... and the man told me there were well over 300 stones in this necklace.

Nice with white tunic top and jeans? Or white work shirt/black flare pants?

Whatibought2day - feel free to repost this in your blog if you wish.

Sat, 14th Apr 2007

2007-04-21T08:27:00.000+08:00

Coming soon - Mum's home cooking and seafood......

Monday, 16th Apr 2007

2007-04-21T07:31:00.000+08:00

And this is what we dream off here when we think of HK. A delicious sticky plate of beef brisket noodles - ngau lam meen - the gelatinous pieces are beef tendon. We had this three times, twice with noodles in the same restaurant, once without in another restaurant.

The noodles have an elastic quality to them, perfectly al dente and springy, the beef tender with a light hint of star anise & dried orange peel. The vegetables still green, fresh and firm and the gravy - so tasty and sticky....

I remember reading in Kats blog about her search for beef brisket some time back, I wonder if this is what you are looking for?

More Roast Goose/Geese - Fri, 13th Apr 2007

2007-04-21T07:13:00.000+08:00

A common sight in any HK restaurant - rows of roast goose, duck, steamed chicken, soy chicken, roast meats, etc.

This is a pic of the geese whole;

and on the table......

p.s From upper left you can see the chicken/meats from the soup, the lobster noodles, deep fried pigeon and the roast goose in the front.

Sun, 15th April 2007

2007-04-20T09:38:00.000+08:00

I spent the morning visiting Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, first and second uncle and a cousin and performed the rites. Met the relatives too.

Much later in afternoon, in the train station, enroute to yet another shopping ground, J & I stopped to have a cream puff from Beard Papa while waiting for Mum.

Looking at the size, one would think, I really cannot eat the whole thing and look at all that cream - but oh nooooo, it was fairy light, with a crispy sweetish coating and the cream was not at all rich or heavy..... I could have had 2!!! ( Now I wish I had had 2 )...

If you get the chance to, don't miss this.

p.s Unsponsored Post :D

Friday, 13th Apr 2007

2007-04-20T09:24:00.000+08:00

Double boiled chicken soup with meat, dates, wild mushrooms, dried scallops and lots of other great stuff. Wow, the stock was clear and so rich and tasty............

Gave me tons of energy for weaving my way through crowds, carrying kgs of shopping bags, walking kms through malls, lanes, streets, train stations and crowded shops..... and coming home with 83 kgs of luggage between the 2 of us.

Friday, 13th April 2007

2007-04-19T16:44:00.000+08:00

Roast goose.

You would think that the meat would be tough and fibre-ry due to the size of this bird, but it was so tender and full of flavour that it yielded to the slightest bite. I really can't describe it more and you really have to taste it to know the sensational taste. The skin is crispy soft and has a slight layer of fat under it. Choose to eat the entire piece or carefully remove the fatty parts... hehe

Friday, 13th April 2007

2007-04-19T12:12:00.000+08:00

I'm back after 6 days of non-stop eating, talking, laughing and shopping. Lots of pics but let's start with the Lobster Noodles which we had for dinner on the day we arrived.

No description needed - just enjoy the photos and the noodles in the rich sweet lobster stock.

This chunky morsel of lobster tastes better than it looks, if it's possible. I topped it with XO sauce (which is made out of shredded dried scallops and a hint of chilli oil).

We also had roast goose, deep fried pigeon (which I wouldn't eat but Mum deboned a small piece of meat for me - it was good!), vegetables and a double boiled chicken soup......

More pics coming soon.

Friday, 13th Apr 2007

2007-04-13T06:59:00.000+08:00

Today my blog turns 1! Happy birthday Foodie Tales.

I've had so much fun writing talking about a subject I have great passion for, and met so many lovely people through this blog. I hope some of you have been entertained and do keep coming back and leaving comments, something I look forward to in the mornings when I turn on the pc.

p.s I'll be away for 6 days from today with very very limited internet access.....

but watch out for lots and lots of food pics when I return.

I'll be keeping a food diary from the minute I get on that aircraft with my food and shopping buddy, J.

....... sniff ....... I'm going to miss my poor kids..... mummy loves ya both - be good and look out for each other.

Thurs, 12th Apr 2007

2007-04-13T05:41:00.000+08:00

We had another steak dinner last night.

3 lovely ribeyes from SS - total cost $11 - simply marinated in salt, black pepper.

A shot before and during:

Don't be alarmed by the little pools of blood - just let the steak rest for a minute and two and they'll be ok for mediumish rare.

Served with panfried mangetout

And roasted potatoes

Do try this roast potato recipe using potatoes with the thin pale yellow skins. Cut them into even sizes - leave skins on, parboil and drain. Into a roasting tray, add some garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper. Add potatoes and coat them with the seasoning. Dust with breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for half an hour or so, turn potatoes half way through, till the skins are brown and crunchy. Potatoes done this way turn incredibly sweet and mellow. Lovely.

I made a quick and easy pepper 5 minute sauce by deglazing the steak pan with some milk, and a teaspoon of Bisto (cheat!), and extra black pepper.

For less than $20, the 3 of us had a delicious, satisfying dinner. *mini rant ahead* - Far better than going to certain restaurants which serves extremely tasteless, tough, fibrous meat, frozen chips and mushy vegetables for approx $18 - $25 per portion. They never get the doneness correct, their sauces are just coloured gravy, and it's such a chore to complain, send food back, etc. I really don't mind paying for well cooked food using fresh ingredients, but for the reason above, I'd much rather eat at home. And when the menu says tenderloin, I expect tenderloin, not a piece of meat hacked from whichever area you may imagine the tenderloin to be located in the cow. I still value my teeth, Chefs.

Weds, 11th Apr 2007

2007-04-12T20:06:00.000+08:00

So here we are at the Seria mee stalls.

This is my kolomee. The noodles are great - a bit flat, thin and bitey with a salty, oily meat sauce. Perfect with pickled chillies.

My kasturi ping! ping = ice - it was so cold and icy and perfect in the middle of a blistering afternoon .......... (in the left hand corner, you can see my glasses, hat and baby wipes).

And our takeaways.

Weds, 11th Apr 2007

2007-04-12T19:34:00.000+08:00

When you take time off work, send uncountable emails/sms's to your friends, shuffle and stress over drivers/diaries, send one's car for servicing for the long and arduous drive, and eventually agree to drive (shock) to KB - just to go to a home sale, you just know you mean business.

Plus of course, the lure of the food stalls in Seria/KB offers 50% of the attraction.

Here we are eating:

Cucur yam & prawns and tofu with a sweet sticky paste and chilli sauce

Cencol with red beans with coconut milk

Fried Chicken wings

Kangkong and cuttlefish

aahhhhhh............ (the home sale was fabulous - fantastic bargains all around)

Next stop, Seria.

p.s My very capable young friend, M, drove after all as I threatened to not go faster than 100 km/h.

Sun, 8th Apr 2007

2007-04-10T21:44:00.000+08:00

Who has a sweet tooth?

Thurs, 11th Jan 2007

2007-04-10T20:50:00.000+08:00

I so need work, lots and lots and lots of work.

Dr Woffles Wu, Dr Martin Huang, Dr Georgia Lee - hear me please............

Sunday, 8th Apr 2007

2007-04-10T19:27:00.000+08:00

Easter Brunch (or Spring Brunch as they delicately put it) at Empire Hotel.

I hope these few pics manage to portray the magnitude of the food on the buffet. At $42 per head, it is very good value as the quality and freshness of the food, and raw ingredients is unbeatable.

Endless freshly shucked oysters and sashimi

Massive cold poached prawns, mussels and crayfish

Slabs of rib roasts, boneless leg of lamb and chicken shawarma with all the condiments

This wheel of parmigiano reggiano will probably last a lifetime for some. I could so take it home with me.

4 huge bouncers in a hall with a magnificently high ceiling and endless fun for the younger ones throughout the afternoon (18, 9, 13) - don't you think Dom & Mark are radiating excitement in watching Hazel paint? (They took a break from the food to join in the kids' party).

And much much much more....... roast duck, panfried quail (eeks), cold poached salmon, tenderloins stuffed with spinach & feta, cajun spiced prawns, mussels, and kms of desserts.......

Tues, 10th Apr 2007

2007-04-10T19:15:00.000+08:00

I haven't done a vegetable post for a long time so here is a plate of sayur manis with egg which I had for dinner tonight. Two big bunches from Utama Grand at $1 each.

Mon, 9th Apr 2007

2007-04-09T23:57:00.000+08:00

Thank you, Mr & Mrs Reeda for inviting me to your beautiful home, and for the fabulous meal you cooked. It was a pleasure to meet your very well-behaved and polite children, a credit to both of you.

Look what we had:

Spinach Fettucine with Sauteed Mushrooms, Huge Tiger Prawns and Grilled Peppers

Baked Sea Bass with a light cream sauce with olives & basil - the basil worked well with the seabass fillets which were done perfectly with no hint of dryness.

Prawn Fritters
Rich Dark Chocolate Cake
Coffee/Tea

It was pure bliss to sit down, eat, unwind, and enjoy the company and conversation of my fellow guests. A perfect end to an extremely stressful day which involved hunting through dark classrooms for a lost pencil case AND driving into a puddle of WET cement AND almost washing my earrings into the sink AND getting lost in Gadong, before arriving at yours.

p.s So please forgive me if I appeared slightly highly-strung tonight :P (slightly highly - is there such a word?)

Sun, 8th April 2007

2007-04-08T08:24:00.000+08:00

HAPPY EASTER!

p.s. I'm off to Easter Brunch at the Empire Hotel later - more food pics soon.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

Thurs, 5th Apr 2007

2007-04-08T08:08:00.000+08:00

I didn't think there would be enough porridge for all of us (I was wrong) so I decided to cook another firm favourite of ours which is Sardine Meehoon. I think this has been featured before. For the benefit of M, here is the recipe.

Fry some garlic/shallots in a wok, add tin or two of sardines, mush them up slightly, add pre-soaked meehoon, fry with oyster sauce, tomato sauce, light soy and white pepper. Add sliced cabbage and carrots, fry till well mixed and fragrant. Add a little water if it looks too dry and adjust seasoning if required. Add thick egg omelettes and eat with chilli oil.

I love sardine meehoon.

Thurs, 5th Apr 2007

2007-04-08T07:40:00.000+08:00

My kids had homemade fish & chips again.

Here is yet another picture of Mark in his usual 'eating' position. This time, he is reading John Grisham's The Client. It looks thick as it's a 2-in-1 book, The Street Lawyer is the other novel.

My kids are only allowed to read/eat if they are not eating with adults, so Mark ate before the rest of the family turned up as he was too hungry to wait as well, while Hazel ate with us later. It was a Thursday evening and she was devouring cartoons in the bedroom.

(Yes, another rule, my kids are not allowed cartoons/computer games on weeknights and have access only on Thurs/Sat nights and Sundays). Here I am slowly revealing my 'tyrannical mum' side. hehe

Thurs, 5th Apr 2007

2007-04-08T07:06:00.000+08:00

I always have a little giggle when I see contestants gagging/crying and being well and thoroughly grossed out and sickened by these eggs which they have to eat, as one of their 'challenges', on shows such as 'Fear Factor' and 'I bet you will'.

To the uninitiated, I must admit they are quite a gruesome sight and colour. Tastewise, like strong cheese, belachan, durian, escargots and the like, it's simply something you love or hate and eat or don't. I really don't think you can be 'in between'. Mum used to tell me that a sign of a 'good' century egg is the snowflake like markings in them.

I will only eat century eggs in my porridge and this was what we had last Thursday. Meatball rice porridge with dried scallops, served with sliced ginger/spring onions, a light drizzle of light soy and white pepper.

Being Cantonese, I love my porridge boiled to a gruel to an almost creamlike texture and consistency.

Lovely comfort food which we all yearn for every so often. I cooked 2 small cups of rice with hot water and a handful of dried scallops in a crockpot before I went to work.

If anybody else thinks this is yummy, please let me know!

Sat, 7th April 2007

2007-04-07T20:14:00.000+08:00

Don't forget - if you could not make it today, do try to go tomorrow,

Sunday, 8th April. Rainforest Gallery, Kiulap.

Five pictures sold when we left at 5.30 pm, I wonder how many are left.....

I bought this: (Eternity)

I'll ask the artist to sign/date it in black and have it framed in black lacquer-look frames with gold mounting?

Note to self : pay visit to Alley Framers on Monday when I pick up picture.

His art teacher bought this (not Hazel - the pic, sorry, weak :P)

Thank you, for explaining each and every pic of the artist and shedding some light to my untrained eyes.

I turned back just to have a last look at this pic, and someone had snapped it up:

His mum bought this (upper right of the pic I bought):

Opps did not take pic of the other sold pic

(but it's the one between D & his art teacher) in the pic below .......

And there was food too... (mini muffins, Malay kuehs, egg/tuna/tomato sandwiches)

Sat, 7th April 2007

2007-04-07T15:02:00.000+08:00

When I saw TFP's post on the lovely turkey thigh roast she had last Christmas, I just had to write and ask where she bought it from. She sent me this link and I sent it to UR, whose mate, K, travels between Perth and Brunei.

And look, look, see what turned up at my door today! yeah, thanks UR & K. I can't wait to cook this.

Here it is, on my dining table.

TFP takes the most delicious photos and here are two pics of the turkey she enjoyed last year.

The two photos above are taken (with permission - thank you tfp) from The Food Pornographer's blog.

Sat, 7th April 2007

2007-04-07T07:10:00.000+08:00

CORRECTION : The art exhibition will be held from 4 pm to 6 pm today, Sat, 7th Apr

Dear friends, art lovers and shutterbugs

ISB is presenting an art exhibition featuring work of their Year 13 IB finals students at:

Venue: The Rainforest Gallery, Kiulap

Date: Sat, 7th April - Opening Night - 7.30 pm

and Sunday, 8th April - All Day

The students' artwork will be available for sale to the public.

Please come along to lend your support to young local artists.

Hope to see some of you there tonight.

p.s Good luck, Dom!

Sun, 1st April 2007

2007-04-04T12:18:00.000+08:00

I had some jacket potatoes, sour cream & chives left over from Saturday's dinner. Look at that lovely potato - its skin was slightly burnt to a soft crisp finish and the inside was really tender but had firmed up in the fridge overnight.

So I turned the leftovers into a potato salad.

I added some hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, bacon bits, black pepper and parsley for flavour and taste.

It was so good but oh - so - fattening.

p.s It's lovely with a can of tuna thrown in as well.

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-04-02T13:07:00.000+08:00

Here is M's plate. There is a jacket potato with sour cream, bacon & chives, a portion of vegetables, yummy whole broiled mushrooms and the ribeye.

Enjoy.....

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-04-02T13:04:00.000+08:00

M made some mini tiramisu's for us - one each ....... yummy.....

Thanks M!

Sun, 1st April 2007

2007-04-02T12:41:00.000+08:00

Remember I said we had some snails left over the girls' dinner? Last night I made more garlic parsley butter and cooked them for the boys who missed out on Saturday. I added some pepper cream sauce for a slight variation to Sat's recipe. I think P & KF really enjoyed them, and Dom managed 3 pieces.

And now no words are needed to describe the following pics - just enjoy watching Hazel's first experience of eating a snail.

p.s No, she couldn't!

Sat, 31st March 2007

2007-04-02T06:16:00.000+08:00

I took my mind off dinner for a moment by roasting, no, burning, a red pepper on the stove. It was very therapeutic and relaxing; just standing there, watching it blacken and blister and turning it every so often. I wished I had more peppers to burn.

When it was a complete charred knob, I popped it into a paper bag and sealed to let the steam cook it further.

Then rinsed the blackened skin off under running water and cut into thin strips. It had taken on a rich, sweet, smoky flavour and I can imagine this bottled in olive oil and light balsamic vinegar to be eaten with breads or as a side relish...

This time, I placed them on top of the vegetables which were simply baby corn, pea shoots, carrots sauteed in a bit of garlic, salt and a pince of organic vegetable stock. I topped the dish with a lot of crunchy toasted sesame seeds and that was my pledge for healthy eating that evening.

I call this my 'traffic light' vegetables due to the colours.

Next post: Steak, jacket potatoes and mushrooms. Come back soon.

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-04-01T10:25:00.000+08:00

And now for the escargots. M and I had a moment when I opened the tin and we were faced with these fierce old boys..........

Wow, they were massive, but were all perfectly formed and intact, and very intimidating in their colour and shape. I must admit that I have never seen escargots in their naked glory before and was slightly taken aback by their appearance - haha. And here I apologise for frightening some of you but hey, they put me off too.... But press on we did.

I had earlier made the garlic butter which has butter (of course), garlic, parsley, shallots, salt & black pepper and white wine.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and keep butter mixture covered in the fridge till required.

Stuff a little butter into each shell, add an escargot and seal with more garlic butter. Here's M helping me.

Bake for 15 minutes approx till butter is bubbly. The delicious garlic butter pooled in the little hollows in the escargot plate and were soaked and mopped up with the wholemeal bread.

Do not be put off by their appearance - they were tender with a bit of bite in them, juicy, and bursting with flavour and taste. I am really really happy with my first attempt at escargots but will wait for another special occasion before I make it again.

We did not use all the snails from the tin, so tonight I will make the rest for Dom, his Dad and KF.

p.s On reflection I now realise that I had set the tongs on the 'wrong' side - I think they belong on the left and not right side where I had placed them - tee hee!

Sat, 31st March 2007

2007-04-01T09:20:00.000+08:00

This was one of the starters I made, the other being the escargots which I will come back to later.

The tuna was marinated in salt, pepper & light soy for 15 mins. I coated a piece in cracked black pepper and the other in toasted sesame seeds and deep fried them for 5 minutes. They could have had less cooking time for a rarer meat but as this was the first time, I was cooking this, I was slightly apprehensive that it might be 'fishy' with a shorter cooking time. Next time, I will definitely give it a shorter cooking time as it was great with no fishy taste.

Here they are, resting, before being sliced.

On the dining table. I drizzle a few drops of sushi soy sauce and a nice dollop of wasabi on each piece. I think this was very popular with the girls as we cleaned the plate.

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-03-31T14:33:00.000+08:00

I've marinated the steaks with salt & black pepper and a light drizzle of olive oil. Some chefs tells you not to salt meat before the cooking process as it draws water out of the meat during, but frankly I don't find any difference.

Here is a parboiled potato, with some butter and salt on its skin.

Here it is wrapped in foil and the rest sitting in a tray just waiting for about an hour's baking time in the oven.

Now I'm off to prepare the garlic parsley butter for the escargots, the mushrooms, the vegetables and the condiments to be served with the jacket potatoes. Oh don't forget the light dressing for the small salad to go with the seared tuna and of course the tuna itself. eeekkksss - and I thought dinner for 5 was going to be easy.

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-03-30T23:08:00.000+08:00

I have just finished setting the table for tomorrow.

I've used the same tablecloth, napkins, crockery, glassware & placecards as last year's do.

Menu cards will appear on the table tomorrow night, just before the girls arrive. I removed J's menu card immediately after this pic was taken. hahahahaha (oh no, I'm haha-ing x 5 again)....

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-03-30T09:36:00.001+08:00

One more day, girls, just one more day......

Girls’ Birthday Dinner – Sat, 31st March 2007

Starters
Escargots with Garlic Parsley Butter

Served with Wholemeal Baguette

Seared Tuna with Black Pepper & Sesame Crust
Served with Japanese Soy Sauce & Wasabi

Main Course
Grilled Ribeye Steaks

Jacket Potatoes
Make your own topping with the following: Sour Cream, Bacon Bits, Butter & Chives
Broiled Whole White Mushrooms

Sauteed Sugar Beans, Pea Shoots & Carrots with Garlic

Dessert
Chocolate Birthday Cake

Tiramisu

Irish Coffee

Green Tea

Dancing?

p.s I've put on 3 kgs just looking at this menu..

Thurs, 29th Mar 2007

2007-03-29T22:13:00.000+08:00

A certain someone celebrated her 4x birthday today.

This is her birthday cake.

This is her birthday soup - Turkey soup with whole onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbag and whole peppercorns, with dried scallops and dried oysters from HK.

Left - soup in the morning, Right - in the evening just before serving

This is her birthday curry - Thick rich spicy chicken curry with potatoes and a lot of curry leaves.

This is her birthday leg of lamb with PURE reduced meat juices.

This is her birthday beansprouts whichI stirfried with egg. We had 2 plates of these.

This is her birthday jelly - with rambutans. There was another batch in the fridge made with nata de coco which we didn't eat because we were all too full.

We also had roast potatoes and rice and green tea and ice-cream and white wine.........

With another huge meal coming up on Saturday, I will be so glad when this month is over due to the number of birthdays falling in the same month....

Sat, 31st Mar 2007

2007-03-27T18:07:00.000+08:00

Sneak peek into the Girls' Birthday Bash

to be held on

Sat, 31st Mar 2007.....

Escargots in Garlic Parsley Butter

Classic Escargots A La Bourguignonne

Served with Toasted Wholemeal Baguette

Advance wishes to the birthday babes;

Wm, J & M

Note: I've never done escargots before so I hope it'll be good.

The tin has an expiry date of 2010.

Does anyone know where I can buy escargot shells from in Brunei?

I have tried Guan Hock Lee but they had sold out.

My tin of snails were from GHL - I had a peek into their freezers and they had Alaska Crab Legs, Scallops, Cod and many more. I picked a small slab of tuna which I will turn into 'Seared Tuna with Sesame & Black Pepper Crust'

Served with a Light Soy Wasabi Dressing

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-27T17:44:00.000+08:00

Meat lovers, feast your eyes on this monster. Vegetarians may turn away.

Just wanted to show what Hazel's birthday turkey looked like when it was released from the oven. The little red button is the turkey-o-meter which pops out when the turkey is done.

Sun, 25th Mar 2007

2007-03-26T13:09:00.000+08:00

Photo: Taken by AnakBrunei

Many thanks to Reeda for capturing the essence of the afternoon through his lenses.

SUNSET YOGA AT BUKIT SHAHBANDAR

Nora, talented and committed guru, organised an outdoor Flow session for us on Sunday.

Here we are in savasana at the end of quite a challenging Flow class. I really enjoyed the feel of the air on my skin, the greenery all around us, the wonderfully clear blue sky with fluffy cotton balls of clouds lazily drifting by, and sounds of nature - light breezes rustling tree branches ahead and even the birds chirping merrily in the background didn't un-nerve me!!

Managed to filter out the curious onlookers but couldn't help joining in the giggles during some of our unsuccessful attempts at the more challenging poses, and Pablo's comment on the 'men's version' of childbirth! hehe

More from: Pablo & here.

Sun, 25th Mar 2007

2007-03-26T12:48:00.000+08:00

A simple home meal.

Fried fish with ginger and a sweet soy sauce and fried kangkong with dried shrimps and belachan.

Sun, 25th Mar 2007

2007-03-26T12:18:00.000+08:00

Don't believe this tranquil scene for a moment!

While they were both hard at work, they were bickering with each other over Mark's pink dog and Hazel's yellow cat with its purple tail ...

p.s Mark was painting the dog for me.

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-26T09:34:00.000+08:00

Comment from M:

I must thank YM for the fabulous dinner on Friday night. Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner. It was sooooo goooood! Someday I will be able to cook like that (ok maybe just below par) and then you can take a break and let someone else get all stressed out over dinner while you sit back with a drink. hehe. I can't believe you're gonna go through another round of it this coming weekend for us. I really appreciate it though - thank you very much :)

Reply from Eleanor:

You're verryy welcome, M! Roll on Saturday!

Sun, 25th Mar 2007

2007-03-25T08:12:00.000+08:00

Usually I steer clear of instant noodles;

but when you're pms-sing as badly as I am now, nothing hits the spot better than a packet of salty, fatty noodles. I added sliced fish cake, a few slices of turkey, an egg and a good dollop of chilli oil for extra taste.

I thought they were pretty tasty while I was eating them but ugh, I feel a bit sick now and I'm so glad I had the good sense to cook only half a packet with the other half in the bin where it belongs.

I had to have a bowl of mango ice-cream to take away the salty, processed taste of the noodles from my mouth. Didn't work so it's on to the green tea now.

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-24T21:29:00.000+08:00

Dessert:

We had Japanese jelly with nata de coco & pineapple, mango and yam ice-cream from the Philippines, fresh mango & grapes, and of course:

The Birthday Cake

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-24T21:16:00.000+08:00

Here I'm trying inject a little creativity by taking a pic of myself. If you think my name badge looks a bit silly, I had all of us wearing them, to match our placecards on the table.

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-24T18:53:00.000+08:00

Presents!

Angpows from Auntie J, UR, KF, Popo, Popo's friend, grents in Seria.

A battery operated toothbrush with a tube of whitening toothpaste and a extra pack of Energizer batteries from Mark.

A cat magazine from Wm and a home-assembled ice-cream birthday cake which Hazel decorated and iced herself.

A Hama bead set with kitten designs from Auntie M

A make-it-yourself kaleidoscope from Mummy

A do-it-yourself sun catcher set from Popo

A big Cat book from Auntie S

A cheap & cheerful set of kitchen appliances from Mummy

Here she is, making a small speech before dinner, thanking everyone for coming to her birthday party and for their presents and angpows. Without being prompted, she also thanked her mum for cooking the meal and arranging her party.

Sat, 24th Mar 2007

2007-03-24T18:37:00.000+08:00

Turkey salad sandwich

Made simply with mayonnaise, wholegrain mustard, parsley & black pepper

Tasty!

Fri, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-24T14:22:00.000+08:00

Here's the birthday girl with some of her presents and angpows,
dressed in a ninja suit which Dom bought.

Friday, 23rd Mar 2007

2007-03-24T08:35:00.000+08:00

I thought I will post a few pics from last night's dinner which I really enjoyed cooking. I wasn't too rushed or stressed and managed to get everything on the table at the same time with help from my elves.

Here's M's plate.

I made these little tomato roses as garnish. I'm quite proud of this as I'm not very patient by nature. Strips of spirals skins were painstakingly sliced from the tomato, artfully curled it into even sized roses and stuffed with a roll of lettuce. The roses served as a division between the white and dark meat of the turkey on the platter.

The turkey was really tender, juicy and tasty.

Here are my kids, Dom & KF enjoying their meal.

I have heaps more pics to put up but I'm going to have my dinner now at 9 am! (which I did not have last night by the way - I'm that way when I cook).

Thurs, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-23T09:12:00.000+08:00

More table pics.

And all the serving ware has been labelled. Last Christmas I forgot to take out the roast potatoes till mid-way into the dinner and I also forgot the broccoli with almond flakes till the end of the meal. That is what happens when you single-handedly cook a traditional Christmas dinner for 15 persons with 7 or 8 side dishes plus 2 vegetarian dishes!

Tues, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-23T09:06:00.000+08:00

I have also prepared a stock using chicken bones, onions, carrots, turkey giblets & neck, whole peppercorns, a bay leaf and a light dash of mixed herbs. It's wonderfully clear the way I want it to be and later I will remove the solidified fats from the top and slowly reduce it. This will be the base for my turkey gravy.

The turkey neck and giblets have already imparted a wonderful light gamey flavour to the stock and with the addition of pan juices later, this will turn into a delicious gravy for the Roast Turkey.

Thurs, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-23T00:45:00.000+08:00

It's Hazel's birthday dinner on Friday. She turns 9 on 27th Mar and as it's a school night, we are having an early birthday party.

I've also just set the table in a cat theme. There are place mats, coasters and place cards with cute cats printed on them. Everyone has an eye mask or crown on the plates, with a napkin inserted into a lacquer ring and a sticker given by Hazel.

Oh I'm really tired now. Tomorrow I have to:

- prep/roast the turkey
- roast lamb
- prep the roast potatoes
- make gravy
- make peas/bacon/breadcrumbs
- make glazed carrots
- make Japanese jelly

I know Mum will like her place setting. She used to have a cat which looked like this.

Thurs, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-23T00:15:00.000+08:00

Can you imagine this spread onto hot crusty bread?

I made a garlic/anchovy dip next. This time I roasted the garlic for more than an hour on very low heat till they turned smoky and sweet and simply oozed out of their papery husks without persuasion. Added chopped anchovies, parsley, olive oil and black pepper.

I had a sudden brain wave and thought that if I popped everything back into the oven for 10 mins or so, the heat will dry out water content in anchovies and in turn intensify and strengthen the flavours. I wasn't wrong but oooh, the smell left lingering in my oven and kitchen!! Lovely...

Again, this has been sealed in a plastic bag, put into an air-tight plastic container, and stored in the fridge. NEXT!

Thurs, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-23T00:08:00.000+08:00

Then I prepared the mini legs of lamb. Washed, trimmed and stuffed with slivers of garlic. Seasoned with rosemary, salt & black pepper. The joints are sitting on onion wedges to allow air to circulate underneath them while roasting. Sealed and put into the refrigerator. Next!

Note to self: Add olive oil before roasting tomorrow.

Thurs, 22nd Mar 2007

2007-03-22T23:10:00.000+08:00

Grilled Vegetable Platter

I've been very busy all night.

Preparing this amongst others.

Brinjals, baby corn, mushrooms, red/yellow/green capsicums, and zucchini. I had wanted to add carrots and onions but decided against it in the end.

The vegetables were washed, dried and cut into desired sizes. Marinated in olive oil, herbs, garlic and seasoning and panfried. There's something about panfrying vegetables in a hot pan - the flavours intensify even with a simple salt & pepper seasoning, they turn so tasty and sweet.

Here they are just before I started arranging them on a platter.

Garnished with chopped red capsicum.

I have sealed the platter tightly in foil and placed it in the fridge. One down.

Tues, 20th Mar 2007

2007-03-20T21:49:00.000+08:00

Today I had an excellent lunch with J. We swopped stories, ranted and vented, laughed and cheered each other up throughout our meal.

The food was lovely too by the way. I had an ENORMOUS burger with double meat patty, mushrooms, cucumber, tomato, lettuce & cheese in a 3 layer bun with sesame seeds served with a mammoth portion of chips.

The meat was lovely, it had quite a lot of chopped onions in it which I like, it was tender and juicy and meaty inside and charred outside.

My only gripe would be the bun, which was cottony soft, I would have preferred it to have a more bready texture and I wish they had used a more flavourful cheese (cheddar maybe?).

Mon, 19th Mar 2007

2007-03-19T15:12:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Dom - 18 today!

A home assembled ice-cream cake.

First layer : Crushed Oreo cookies

Second layer : Ben & Jerry's Choc Fudge Ice-Cream

Third layer : Cadbury's Mint Choc with Mint ripple Ice-cream

Fourth layer : Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice-cream

Covered with a thick layer of Swiss bittersweet chocolate................

Assembled and designed by his mum, Wm.

Sat, 17th Mar 2007

2007-03-18T07:57:00.000+08:00

Hazel's dinner. She cleaned the plate.

Sat, 17th Mar 2007

2007-03-18T07:36:00.000+08:00

In the same pan which you had earlier sauteed the potatoes in, add thickly sliced mushrooms. Add pan juices from roast chicken, don't forget to scrap the bits which are clinging to the side of roasting pan as this is where all the flavour is.

Add some black pepper and cream (a tiny teaspoon of Bisto adds colour and extra seasoning).

There, perfect mushroom sauce.

p.s I've just about smothered my slices of chicken with the sauce.

Sat, 17th Mar 2007

2007-03-18T07:07:00.000+08:00

Simply potatoes

With garlic, rosemary, salt & white pepper and olive oil.

Lightly panfry till golden browned in a pan. You can actually hear the potatoes sizzling and hissing on the hot pan!

Serve!

Sat, 17th Mar 2007

2007-03-18T06:26:00.000+08:00

Step by step to panfried brinjals.

I have two single serving bottles of these tiny olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing;

which I poured into a plate. Add chopped garlic, salt & black pepper and a sprinkling of parsley.

Mix thoroughly until all the brinjals are evenly coated with the dressing.

Then panfry in a little olive oil

and arrange in a neat little circle on a plate before serving. This is delicious and very healthy.

Sat, 17th Mar 2007

2007-03-17T20:27:00.000+08:00

Does this make you hungry? Read on.

I thought we will have steak for dinner tonight with a creamy mushroom sauce so I popped into SS to buy the ingredients. I was surprised to see an Australian butcher there conducting training for our local butchers.

He had prepared some really interesting marinated cuts of chicken & beef, and I was quite fascinated by this ball of boneless chicken. One of the butchers told me that they had stuffed garlic butter inside and dusted paprika on the outside. They had tied the chicken with some elastic heat proof string. Very, very interesting - I love the shape so I decided to buy it and have it for dinner tonight instead of steak - it costs $9.90 and weighed about 1 kg and a bit.

It measures about 6 inches in diameter and to get it tender and juicy inside, without drying out the outside or burning the skin would be an interesting challenge, I thought.

Before I put it into the oven, I added extra seasoning (as I would) - salt & black pepper on the skin, some olive oil and onions. Here it is before it went into the pre-heated oven.

After 20 mins, I lowered the heat to mark 6 (earlier 8), and took it out for basting. The skin had already browned nicely so I cut a piece of foil and covered the surface and popped it back into the oven. At this point, I added a tablespoons of light soy over the chicken.

An extra 10 minutes later, here is the chicken. Looks done but the inside was still at room temp (there is a way to check without using a meat thermometer) so it's definitely a long way from being done. So it went back under its foil tent and was returned back to the oven.

I basted it at regular intervals of 10 mins and after an hour and 15 minutes, I pierced a skewer into its centre to check for doneness. The juices ran clear and the inside very hot so I knew it was done. Here it is, resting for 15 minutes before being carved.

I removed the elastic strings and here is the first cut - success - it was perfectly cooked, still tender and juicy with not a hint of dryness.

The skin was crispy and golden brown - the onions had caramelised and were crispy and so sweet.

Next post - making the sauce, bursting with fat mushrooms. Also panfried brinjals and sauteed garlic rosemary potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this chicken post!

Thurs, 15th Mar 2007

2007-03-15T21:41:00.000+08:00

Here's M having a chunk of pate I made earlier on a toast triangle.

Thurs, 15th Mar 2007

2007-03-15T21:04:00.000+08:00

My friend, M, has been eating very very lightly since Monday. Tonight she popped over for an early dinner and this was what she had:

M, I hope tonight's dinner satisfied your craving for your grandma's cooking....

1. Chicken with Rice Wine and Ginger

2. Meat with Yam

3. Vegetables

4. Stir Fried Cabbage

Oh, no I think I had too much rice today but the gravy was so thick and delicious.

Chicken with rice wine and ginger is eaten by ladies in 'confinement' for 40 days after they've had a baby. Some go to the extent of eating this 3 times a day. When I had both Mark and Hazel, Mum made sure I had this at least twice a day. It's supposed to rid wind (!) and repair the pen the baby had been living in for the past 9 months. Secretly, I think the alcohol content of the rice wine lulls and calms anxious new mothers!

This is what you need to make chicken with rice wine:-

- Chopped chicken lightly marinated in ginger juice, salt, pepper, sesame oil and a little cornstarch

- rice wine

- ginger (finely grated and squeezed till all the juice is extracted)

- salt and sugar

- sesame oil

p.s Rice wine brought in legitimately through Kuala Lurah and declared through Customs Department with signed and stamped yellow forms.

Thurs, 15th Mar 2007

2007-03-15T16:13:00.000+08:00

This afternoon I was a busy bee.

And I'm very pleased with myself.

My chicken liver pate was successful.

Very succesful.

It's delicious.

There are 6 lovely little bowls sealed in individual plastic bags.

They are all kept in a tightly closed plastic container in the fridge.

There will be lots of lovely pate for all of us for the next 3 days!

I made 4 bowls of coarsely ground pate

and 2 bowls of finely ground pate.

Tues, 13th Mar 2007

2007-03-15T07:16:00.000+08:00

Anak Brunei organised a photographers' dinner on Tuesday.

Hello everyone, it was good to meet all of you and finally put a face to your photoblogs!

Now, I'm not sure who worked harder at the sess, the models?

the ...

Nora says, "and now, you sink deeper and feeeeeeel the stretch on your side"

photographers? :P

Sharp Shooters are also sharp dressers.

For more pictures, please visit:

Anak Brunei, UcingItam, Shai , ZAdm, David Cheok & Bandar360

Home cooking

2007-03-14T21:41:00.000+08:00

A nice plate of healthy greens with lots of garlic.

Here we have 2 slices of meat cooked with yam.

This is quite special as it requires lengthy preparation. First, the meat is cleaned thoroughly and boiled lightly. After that, you use a fork to prick all over the skin to create lots of tiny holes, after which you apply a light coat of dark soy and fry till the skin is crispy. Then braising begins, with garlic, shallots, ginger, cinnamon stick & five spice powder, dark soy, rock sugar and some oyster sauce. THEN remove and arrange yam/meat in layers in a bowl, pour gravy over and steam for 2 hours till meat is tender. But oh so delicious and Mum showed us the method - I know how to make this now!

Sat, 10th Mar 2007

2007-03-12T21:28:00.000+08:00

We know them:

Eyan & Rano

And 2 pretty lady bloggers - hello E & L!

More pictures from Liza's wedding

2007-03-11T20:42:00.000+08:00

Especially for S in Australia, here are more pictures of the beautiful bride.

The look.

We gave her a big kiss and hug from you.

One more kiss

Miss you, S!

Wish you were here.

Here is your message for Liza & Edly.

Brunei's well known photographer, David Cheok - we look forward to seeing Liza's pictures on your site and thank you for taking some pictures for/of us...

Please go to Rano's and Lisa's for more pics.

Sat, 10th Mar 2007

2007-03-11T10:14:00.000+08:00

And lastly, food from the Bersanding Ceremony

Sweet & Sour Chicken and Fish Fillets with Chilli Sauce

Mixed Vegetables with chicken and Rice

Fruits and cakes

Whew, that was a huge quantity of food over the past 3 days! Congratulations again, Mr & Mrs E, and thank you for having me as your guest in all 3 ceremonies of your beautiful wedding.

Fri, 9th Mar 2007

2007-03-11T09:17:00.000+08:00

Food from the Nikah Ceremony

Two types of rice

Beef Masak Kicap and Ayam Korma

Pineapple Curry and Sliced Cucumbers with Sambal Belachan

Assorted Kuehs

Tapai on top left - a first for me. It's fermented rice wrapped in some leaves, it's sweet and sour at the same time, and although it does not have any alcohol in it, it tastes a bit alcoholicky!

Fruits

The food was all cooked with care and did not have too much msg in them - very nice simply cooked homestyle food which we all enjoyed very much.

Wedding gifts from L & E

2007-03-11T08:33:00.000+08:00

Thank you for the lovely gifts, L & E!

Berbedak Ceremony - Thurs, 8th March

Homemade cookies which were very delicious and a drink

Nikah Ceremony - Fri, 9th March

Prune Cake nestled in a little basket and a drink

Bersanding Ceremony - Sat, 10th March

A very useful mug with some sweets

Thurs, 8th Mar 2007

2007-03-11T07:21:00.000+08:00

The delicious spread at L's Berbedak Ceremony

Nasi Minyak & Plain Rice

Ayam Masak Merah, Beef Rendang

Stir Fried Beans & Sliced Cucumber with Sambal Belachan

Traditional Malay Kuehs

More...

And finally some fruits

Now, that's a LOT of food for one night.

Sat, 10th Mar 2007

2007-03-10T23:54:00.000+08:00

L, how lovely you are tonight at your Bersanding ceremony.

And how beautiful you look with your groom, E during your wedding march.

Here they are cutting their wedding cake.

There was a roar of appreciative approval from the crowd when they fed each other with bananas!

And with us. Tonight - we are all in purple!

At the dinner table.

Next post - 2 sweet lady bloggers who sat next to me, and 2 famous men bloggers who were very busy snapping away.

Fri, 9th March 2007

2007-03-09T21:34:00.000+08:00

Today was L's Nikah Ceremony,

Look at the beautiful details:

and here is the lovely couple, looking very happy and relaxed. Congratulations to Mr & Mrs E A M S.

Here is the radiant bride.

No prizes for guessing what today's colour theme is .....

Tomorrow's ceremony - Sat, 10th March - the Bersanding with purple colour theme!

Miss you, S, wish you were here.

Thurs, 8th Mar 2007

2007-03-09T00:27:00.000+08:00

And here are friends of the bride, all closely following the blue theme for tonight.

Here we are with the cool and collected bride, just before the start of the ceremony:

Just before we set off to pick up Wm:

Next post - Wedding feast.

Thurs, 8th Mar 2007

2007-03-08T23:26:00.000+08:00

We went to L's Majlis Berbedak tonight - here is the beautiful bride in her wedding finery:
(scroll down to 23 Nov's entry entitled 'Ladies - Getting Married?" - with thanks to Mr BR)

Isn't she beautiful?

Sun, 18th Feb 2007

2007-03-07T21:38:00.000+08:00

I really like this picture of Hazel walking to church on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Here she is having a doughnut at the breakfast served at the church hall after mass.

Fri, 2nd March 2007

2007-03-07T15:34:00.000+08:00

Here is an American breakfast, enough to feed 4!

Fresh Fruits with yoghurt, raisin bran, orange juice and chamomile tea

Croissants with butter and assorted jams

2 eggs sunny side up with perfect runny yolks, 3 veal sausages with crunchy casing, half a grilled tomato, chicken ham, and sauteed potatoes

Delicious?

I really like this tablecloth with its matching teacosy.

Fri, 2nd March 2007

2007-03-07T15:23:00.000+08:00

Right here are some foodie pics from last week.

I love Haagen Dazs - please could someone bring them into Brunei? Guan Hock Lee? Smooth creamy vanilla ice-cream with a chocolate almond coating...

Starters : Smoked Tenggiri with Chicken Tandoori (it was well... - the tenggiri, you can get anywhere and the chicken tandoori was just a piece of chicken breast with reddish colouring)

Mains : Pan Fried Prawns with Piri Piri Sauce
(This was surprisingly good! The prawns were quite tasty, and not mushy or soft, in fact they had a good bite to them and portion was very generous - there were 8 of these fat bursty prawns - 2 were hidden underneath)

A peek into the menu.

Sun, 25th Feb 2007

2007-03-07T14:53:00.000+08:00

We went to Capers for lunch today. They still had their 'Eat all you can' promo which is at $6 per child and $12.80 per adult. Hazel & Mark both had their usual Fettucine Carbonara, and they shared a small pizza between the two of them.

After a very very long debate with myself, I decided to have their set lunch at $6.50 per head and I chose Penne with Beef Bacon, served with Caesar Salad and a soft drink. I asked for sparkling apple juice which Hazel wanted.

I must say I didn't like my pasta much as I thought the sauce was too sweet, but this is purely a personal preference as I do not like sweet sauces on savoury dishes. The Caesar Salad was good - the mixed lettuce was crispy and cold (and Cos would have been better) and it came with the very important ingredients of a good Caesar Salad; anchovies, croutons, chopped beef bacon and shaved parmesan. Dressing was a very simple lemon juice and olive oil combination (add some mashed garlic, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper and the dressing would be magic). I would have liked it if they had served the salad on a separate plate which I promptly did as soon as the plate was served.

I think Capers serves pretty good food (their Carbonara was lovely) and their staff are always very polite and pleasant. Ambience is terrific with their tall glass windows which you can look out of, at the busy Kiulap junction. Their prices are insanely cheap too without too much sacrifice on quality & portion control. It's one of the children's favourite places to eat at and I like it too, for the location and ambience.

Wan Tan / Won Ton

2007-03-07T14:46:00.000+08:00

To continue with the series on Mum's homecooking, here are some of her homemade wan tans - meat and prawn dumplings.

Mince meat and coarsely chop prawns, mix together and marinate. The secret to the genuine HK taste is the dried fish which you dry roast, then pound into powder and add into the meat/prawn mix. They are so delicious, tasty, tender and each morsel fitted perfectly into your mouth. Eat with chilli oil and some spring onions.

Here's Dom eating wantan noodles straight out of the serving dish. The noodles had shrimp roe added and they taste ever so slightly of seafood and its the perfect accompaniment to Wan Tan.

Thurs, 1st March 2007

2007-03-07T11:08:00.000+08:00

I was really hungry by 10 pm so I went for the menu (yes, I know it's bad to eat after 9 pm and all that, yes I do know) so I had the grilled tenderloin. I couldn't decide between mash and fries so I asked for both but they gave me all fries. While I was waiting, I dove into the shower and got into my comfies.

Wow, it was a quite a big thick piece of meat which I had asked to be medium done.

But it came mooing-blue-rare! I touched the inside and at least it was hot, and I didn't want to wait another 25 minutes so I decided to eat it.

It was pretty good - all beefy and tender meaty, I added some mushroom sauce but the meat didn't really needed it. The mixed stir fried vegetables were lovely, there were carrots, asparagus, chye sim and pea shoots in a lovely garlicky stock. I ate them all and promptly ordered another portion which came in 15 mins flat.

Full of food, and slightly spinny after 4 hours of starring at my laptop screen, alternated with browsing magazines and watching TV, I went to bed at 2 am - very happy, full & satisfied. (But I didn't forget to hang out my breakfast order for tomorrow and that's the next post)...

Room Service made a record 6 visits to my room tonight:

Call 1 - Wine opener, please

Call 2 - Soup & extra ice, please

Call 3 - Steak & chips, please

Call 4 - Mayonnaise please (I must have mayo with chips)

Call 5 - Extra vegetables, please

Call 6 - I've finished now, can you clear my tray please (Room Service breathes sigh of relief....)

Steamed Fish

2007-03-07T06:49:00.000+08:00

Mum is also an expert in steaming fish, the classic Cantonese way, using the freshest fish, and a few other basic ingredients. She knows exactly how long a piece of fish should be steamed for, according to its weight, and the result is always a tender, juicy, flaky fish which just leaves the bone., perfectly cooked.

Rub the fish with very little white pepper and salt. Put a couple of slices of ginger into its belly. Put onto a place. Put plate into a wok filled with water (from room temperature) and steam for approx 20/25 minutes (depending on weight and thickess of fish). In the meantime, make the sauce which is light soy diluted with some water, sugar, pepper and dash sesame oil. Heat up sauce and keep warm.

You can check for doneness by opening the lid and cutting into the thickest part of the fish but Mum rarely does this as she just 'knows'.

When it's done, remove plate from steamer and if the fish is sitting in too much stock, pour most of it away. Pour still warm sauce over the fish. Spread finely sliced ginger and spring onions over fish, heat oil in a small pan till smoking hot and pour over the sliced ginger/spring onions on top of the fish. There should be a loud sizzling noise and the ginger/spring onions will wilt immediately. Serve with rice. My kids love the sauce over rice.

There will be no smell of 'fishyness' if your fish is absolutely fresh. This is incredily light, healthy, delicious and full of goodness. It's perfect for children but do make sure you check for bones and remove them before serving. Your fingers are your best tool for this job!

Weds, 28th Feb 2007

2007-03-06T22:56:00.000+08:00

6 hours of food (9.30 am to 3.30 pm)

Breakfast - 9.30 am - Fruits, Orange Juice & the Borneo Bulletin

Snack - 10.55 am - Orange Juice & Assorted Nuts

Lunch - 11.30 am - Appetiser - Sesame Coated Prawn with Thai Mango Salad, Selection of Bread Rolls & Garlic Bread. Dessert - German Cheesecake Meringue.

Main Course - Grilled Chicken Breast with Creamy Mushroom Sauce, Roast Potatoes, Buttered Asparagus and Courgette Ratatouille

Snack - 2.00 pm - No. 1 - Fried Wantan with Spicy Chilli Sauce in the gold foil pack and a sandwich (There was quite an enormous selection of food here - noodles, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken Rice, Salad Bar, Cheese Bar, biscuits, soup and more). 2 glasses of wine & sparkling water

No.2 - Spring Rolls, Fried Wantan & Cheng T'ng (a kind of sweet tea dessert)

No.3 - Haagen Dazs Strawberry Ice Cream (does anybody remember the days when we can buy HD ice-cream in Yaohan at Seri Complex? - I remember demolishing them by the tubs when I was carrying Mark).

Snack - 3.30 pm - Seafood Sandwich - hey, this was pretty good! The seafood salad was fresh and didn't smell fishy at all, lovely little shrimps & small chunks of fish coated in creamy mayonnaise with very very little chopped onion.

There was a tiny little tub of dressing which tastes of oranges & lemons.

p.s. ok, ok, please do not panic, I didn't eat EVERYTHING you see in these pics - I nibbled a bitty here, and a bitty there but said yes to everything put before me for the sake of posting up pics on my blog! hehe

p.p.s. I love looking at food served on aeroplanes, meat/rice/noodles, etc, cramped into little dinky doll's house servingware with miniature cutlery and glasses - so cute.

Sun, 4th March 2007

2007-03-06T22:35:00.000+08:00

Mum made one of my favourite Cantonese dessert - Water chestnut cake - I think she makes it from a water chestnut flour which she had brought from HK, chopped fresh water chestnuts and sugar and is there some oil too?.... I must get the recipe from her. She used white sugar but she told me brown sugar will impart a nicer colour to the cake. This greyish quivery looking slab is very very delicious - it is springy & squidy & chewy, and the chopped crunchy water chestnuts lends a lovely texture to the cake.

The best way to eat this is to cut it into slices, and panfry with a little oil, till the surface is slightly golden brown and caramelised. This is a childhood favourite of mine which Mum makes whenever she visits or when we do. I love it.

In HK, you will find this in all dim sum restaurants, from your humble neighbourhood joint to the swankiest fine-dining dim sum establishment. Do try it if you get a chance to, perhaps in Singapore or KL. It is however not served in Brunei restaurants as the water chestnut flour is not available here.

p.s I am having a slice right now with my green tea - yummy.

Tues, 6th March 2007

2007-03-06T22:20:00.000+08:00

After yoga tonight, I went to Z's house for a while, and as Nasi Katok Mama 24 hour, was not too far from hers, I stopped by to buy myself a packet. Dom told me that NK Mama is the best in town so I had to try it.

So here it is - they didn't have drumsticks or thighs and I chose the back - eeks, mistake - it was too bony and there was too much skin. I think Wm would have enjoyed this part as she likes chewing on bones, but I prefer a meatier part.

However the rice was nice and hot, the sambal pretty tasty and oniony but I would have preferred it to be spicier. I had 2 tablespoons of rice with all the sambal and whatever meat I could prise out of the chicken and a bit of skin which didn't have too much fat attached.

Thurs, 1st March 2007

2007-03-01T21:33:00.000+08:00

Breakfast - I had 2 helpings of this, and a small mushroom omelette wth 2 glasses of juice. There was a nice selection of food; smoked salmon, cheese board, congee, noodles, cereal, breads, Japanese selection and local favourites.

Lunch - popped downstairs with the girls. This 'Italian' restaurant is located on the ground floor, tucked behind the fountains and frequented by the business types who work in the buildings around it. This was the speciality of the day, something called 'Monteray Chicken - Grilled chicken with beef bacon and cheese and BBQ Sauce, served with salad and chips. I really cannot stomach food like this - mass produced and pre-cooked ages and ages ago, from processed sauces, chucked into the microwave to re-heat and served. The chicken had that faint freezer taste and was so bland - the BBQ sauce was something straight out of a low quality bottle, with too much artificial flavourings and sugar. Well you can't go much wrong with the shredded red and white cabbage & carrots, and the chips were ok - at least they were hot and salty. I left most of my food.

I was saved from finishing my lunch by this distraction. The pair of lions put up a good show for the lunch crowd.

Dinner - Spicy Imperial Hot and Sour Soup with Seafood, a speciality dish from their signature Cantonese restaurant. Was it good? So so, tart - can't put my finger to it now but something was missing. The ice bucket contained extra ice to chill my bottle of wine.

I think I will have something else to eat later.

6 weird things about me

2007-02-28T21:32:00.000+08:00

Here is what I have to do:

“Each player of this game starts out by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.”

So here goes:

1. I am neat, clean and tidy to a fault - I arrange money in one direction before handing over or putting into my purse.

2. I am terrified of birds; their feathers and beaks. I almost knocked my sister into a pond once as I was dodging a bird which I thought was attacking me. The sight of a feather duster gives me the shivers.

3. I find it difficult to leave the house if my toe & finger nails are not painted.

4. I must have 2 cups of Japanese green tea before I sleep at night.

5. My right foot is half (maybe a quarter) size bigger than my left.

6. Not only do I listen to sappy love songs, but I love techno/trance music - hehe - I sometimes stay in Unitek longer than I should if they are playing a particularly good trancey tune.

Who reads this stuff anyway - and I think most of the bloggers I know has been tagged so I won't pass this on. However if there are silent, or otherwise, readers who would like to participate, please do so - DBS?

Weds, 28th Feb 2007

2007-02-28T19:57:00.000+08:00

So Room Service has just come and gone - I had Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken.

The lettuce was lovely, they had picked out the youngest hearts of Cos. The Grilled Chicken was tough. The dressing - where shall I start? - it tasted of cream ONLY, I couldn't detect garlic, seasoning, mustard and where is the all important ingredient of a good Caesar dressing - the anchovies? I added some salt & pepper but still it was blah. Marks out of 10? 2, 1 for the real parmesan shavings and 1 for the lovely Cos.

On the 29th floor, with the bright lights of the city twinkling in the distance, I have no wish to venture out, but am loving the alone me time.

Next post : 6 weird things about me - thanks ( I think! ) for tagging me, ZT. :P

Weds, 28th Feb 2007

2007-02-28T18:00:00.000+08:00

With so many magazines to read and my laptop with free high speed in-room internet access, sleep will not be high on the priority list tonight.

Friday, 23rd Feb 2007

2007-02-25T08:03:00.000+08:00

Here's Friday's lasagna when it came out of the oven.

The topping was just nicely browned and the parmesan cheese gave it another depth of flavour.

Inside, you can see the still pretty well-defined layers,

and the white sauce gave great balance to the tasty meat sauce, chunky with carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes and simply bursting with flavours.

Here's Mark enjoying his lunch.

And Hazel's dinner portion, which is slightly splattery as I heated it up in the microwave.

And one last pic:

I hope all of you enjoyed this lasagna post as much as my kids enjoyed eating it (and as much as I enjoyed making it)! Have a lovely lazy Sunday.

Fri, 23rd Feb 2007

2007-02-23T22:18:00.000+08:00

It's National Day and a public holiday today so I made Lasagna for my kids.

Step 1 - The Meat Sauce

First make the meat sauce. In a pan, add olive oil and finely chopped garlic and a chopped onion, fry till translucent, add minced topside and fry till lightly browned and dry. Add diced carrots, lots of mixed herbs, a bay leaf, dried parsley, salt & coarsely ground blackpepper and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Stir to combine, add a little tomato puree and some water and simmer gently till the meat is soft and the sauce thick and gooey. Add sliced fresh white mushrooms and simmer again and adjust seasoning.

While you are waiting for the meat sauce to finish cooking, make the white sauce or bechamel sauce.

Step 2 - The White Sauce

Put 2 tablespoons of flour into a saucepan, warm gently but do not let it brown. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk.

Add milk in a thin stream stirring continously. As you stir, the mixture should clump together. (Here, I wish I had a photographer to take over at this point as it's not easy to stir and click at the same time).

Don't be alarmed - just keep stirring till the sauce turns smooth and glossy.

Simmer gently and season with salt and pepper, parsley and a bit of mustard - a bit of veg stock cube does improve the taste. The traditional recipe calls for grated nutmeg but I wasn't going to buy a bag of nutmegs just to use one so I simply left this out! Put sauce aside.

Step 3 - Cooking the Sheets

Now boil the lasagna sheets in briskly boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove sheets gently and oil very very lightly to prevent them from sticking to each other. Now you have completed all the steps, it's time to start the assembly.

Assembling

Lightly butter a deep narrow roasting tin. Lay a sheet of lasagna (and do trim it to size), top with meat sauce, then white sauce and sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese on top of the white sauce.

Proceed in a similar fashion till the layers reach the top of the roasting tin.

The final layer is lasagna

+ white sauce + cheese (omit meat sauce). Sprinkle surface with some parsley for flavour and colour.

And now bunk it in the oven for 15/20 minutes and put on grill function for the last 3 minutes so that the top is lightly browned and crispy.

Then all you have to do is cut a huge slice and put it on a plate, blow vigorously to cool it slightly and eat!

Mark really enjoyed this and Hazel said OMG!! when she tasted it. Wm said it was very very tasty and rich, and 'restauranty'.

I'm very happy with the result and Zippy, if you are reading this, I hope you like it too.

Next post - the lasagna when it came out of the oven... and closeups of the layers of lasagna on Mark and Hazel's plate.

Oh No Not Another (Ridiculous) Diet

2007-02-21T22:05:00.000+08:00

I think I have definitely overindulged all month, and have run out of excuses how/why all my clothes (even the fat ones) have suddenly shrunk. So I am about to embark on another diet.

This diet is known by several names, none of which I will repeat here, but it has been around for simply ages. I do know of one or two people who have lost weight while on it. And yes, before I hear some tut-tutting and tsk-tsking, I do know:

- semi starvation diets as these DO NOT WORK
- you pile the lost weight back on (and more) the minute you stop
- you cannot 'trick' the body into eating less than it should - it goes into starvation mode and your metabolic rate slows right down
- all you lose is water (not fat) and at worst, muscle
- you will feel tired, hungry and listless

HOWEVER - it is only for 3 days and for the sake of experimenting and perhaps a slightly looser waistband, maybe it's worth me trying it out?

Here goes:

Day 1

Breakfast
Black tea /coffee
1 grapefruit
1 slice toast
2 tsp. peanut butter

Lunch
Black tea /coffee
4 oz. tuna
1 slice toast

Dinner
1 slice cold meat
1 cup string beans
4 oz. beetroot
4 oz. ice cream
1 small apple

Day 2

Breakfast
Black tea /coffee
1 boiled / poached egg
1 slice toast
½ banana

Lunch
Black tea /coffee
4 oz. cottage cheese
5 Ritz biscuits

Dinner
2 Frankfurters
4 oz. broccoli
2 oz. carrots
½ banana
4 oz. ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast
Black tea /coffee
1 hard boiled egg
1 slice toast

Lunch
Black tea /coffee
1 slice cheddar cheese
5 Ritz biscuits
1 small apple

Dinner
4 oz. tuna
4 oz. beetroot
4 oz. cauliflower
½ piece melon
4 oz. ice cream

· You must drink 5 × 8 fl. oz. water each day.
· Toast is to be dry, no butter or margarine.
· Tuna, string beans and beetroot can be frozen.
· Ice cream is vanilla flavoured only.
· This diet works on a chemical breakdown and is PROVEN - (hahaha - by whom, I wonder?)
· DO NOT VARY or SUBSTITUTE any of the above foods.
· Salt & pepper to be used – no other seasoning.
· Where no quantity is given, no restriction other than COMMON SENSE.
· This diet is to be used for 3 days at a time. It must be followed exactly to lose up to 10 lbs. - 3 days.
· After 3 days of dieting, you can eat normally BUT remember NOT TO OVER-DO it.You can lose up to 40 lbs. a month if you stick to it. (hahahahaHA. HA.)

Note: I am not endorsing this diet as you can clearly see from the heading but am merely sharing information which already is readily available from the internet with all of you. As always, before you think of embarking on any diet, let alone something, as totally unsubstantiated as this one, please check with your doctor.