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Friday, May 29, 2009

Stewed Pork / Dongpo Rou

Hello Hello!

Today….it was a great day. I slept ard 5pm last night..so i woke up at 2am. Then…at 930am, me and fish walked over to macdonalds for breakfast. After that, we went to the butchery.

I bought 4 links of beef sausage - $2.70 (dunno whether nice or not though)
One slab of Pork Belly – $7.20

SO, i decided to make stewed pork that i really love today! I had to call my mum and dad to ask them about the recipe.

It was delicious!

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This is very much a very simple recipe which you can alter as much as you like – which is why i didn’t measure anything…hehe

  

Step 1: Scrap the skin with the blade of a knife and pluck any remaining hairs
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Step 2: Using 5 spice powder, rub it all over the pork – like a dry rub.
Step 3: Place the pork in the pot.

DSC01445Step 4: With the pork, add crushed garlic, ginger and star anise. I added around 11 cloves of garlic, 1/4 garlic and 3 edges of a star anise.

Step 5: Add good dark soy sauce.

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I should have sliced the pork into half for easier manageability. =)

Step 6: Marinate the pork ( in my case, i had to turn it frequently to get all sides). I think i marinated it for around 45 mins to 1 hour.

Step 7: Add enough water to cover the pork. Boil for around 30 minutes till the pork cooks before you try the sauce to see its saltiness and flavour. I added 2 more cloves of garlic. When it boils down, add more water if it is too salty.

Step 8: I simmer the whole mixture for around 2 hours. The fats and meat tasted really good and was really tender. However, the flavour didn’t penetrate totally.

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Anyways, we ate half of the pork and will eat the other half tomorrow – in which by then the flavour should have totally penetrated.

Also, this is such a versatile dish. I added firm tofu which should be cooked for quite some time as well so that the flavour gets into it.

I wanted to add hard boiled eggs as well, but we ran out of eggs. So, tomorrow i will go buy eggs and add it into the mixture!

I hope you guys try making this for yourself or family – its really simple and tastes really really good! Remember that garlic is a really important flavour in this dish – so don’t be stingy about it!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sayur Lodeh

Hehe…a few days ago – since Fish is now on a vegetarian diet till his stomach gets well, we decided as well to use up the veggies in the fridge. A new shipment of fruits and veggies will be coming in tml!

We had a box of Prima Taste’s sayur lodeh. I added cabbage and green beans and 4 boiled eggs and tofu puffs. It was really really good. The portion of a box is quite small, so i added more coconut milk which i had on hand and more water and added around half of the sambal chilli that was provided.

I will definitely make it again! We still have another box!

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It smelt really good – the only thing that i didn’t follow the instructions was to eat immediately. I like the veggies really ‘lan’ – really soft and mushy.

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Oh no….i’m craving for some now..haha..

Ooops!

Mama Teresa, Kensington

Mama Teresa is the only Italian restaurant that i’ve been to here in Sydney and it is definitely not the best, but it has its qualities that make me keep wanting to return.

We had dinner there tonight and this is what we had. Oh, i forgot to take a picture of my favourite item on the menu. GARLIC BREAD. I love their garlic bread, though personally, i would love it even more if it had more garlic (i am a garlic lover). If i am not wrong, their bread is baked fresh.

They have a specials menu written out in big chalkboards that they bring around the restaurant to new diners. I love looking at it for new stuff to try. However, the stuffs on the specials board are usually more expensive as compared to the menu. Today, they had a pea and ham soup which we tried and quite loved.

I had the “penne salmone” special which costs $20.80 (a little on the expensive side – but once in a while…)

DSC01425 It was a tomato based sauce with pine nuts and real tomatoes in it. It also had a liberal amount of cooked smoked salmon. It was good. but… sometimes i think i’m really an idiot. I am not a huge fan of ingredients. I am a carbohydrate girl! I attacked the penne first and then i realised i was left with a lot of salmon which i conveniently passed onto shi hui. Next time, i’ll order my favourite and show it to you guys. =)

Shi Hui had a rack of lamb which also costs $20.80

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Well, me and fish don’t eat lamb but hui really liked it – so i can’t really say much about it. Oh! and i think there was a herb crust on it as well. She did mention that she still preferred the lamb at Monarca – the other Italian place which we really liked – but they have already closed down. Their carbonara was the best!

Fish had a tortellini boscaiola.

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Wasn’t too bad. But fish is on a nearly vegetarian diet because his stomach has been working up and causing him grief, so he left majority of the bacon on the plate.

So, if you guys wanna try this place – give it a go. Get takeaway first if you wanna try – their takeaway menu is cheaper. =)

I will be back with more pictures when i return to mama teresa again!

Monday, May 25, 2009

We love this ad!

This is an advert on television which we find quite funny. HaHa.. Listen out for the “Are you bear or chicken?”

Just sharing something that makes me laugh!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Fried Rice and Dumplings

Hello!

Well…2 days ago, i made dumplings again! They are so easy and yet oh..so tasty! This time, i added more to the mince meat – i added dried shitake mushrooms, a little onions and chinese cabbage.

The end result is still very very very tasty!

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I really like the way i am cooking these dumplings and the cooking method is improving all the time. I fry them first to brown, then i add water to cover around half of the dumplings. Cover the lid and let the water cook off and when the water disappears, the bottoms starts to fry again till it crisps up. Delish!

Today, i made dinner all by myself. I decided i will make fried rice since we had leftover rice. I did cook another 2 cups of rice and added 1 cup of the cooked rice to the leftover rice – which i think would total ard 2 cups.

I had so many ingredients to use around the house. This was also the first and best time so far i have ever made fried rice.

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I added vegetable tofu (the one i blogged about before), crabsticks (my favourite!), smoked chicken (fish’s favourite), green beans, corn kernels and eggs.

It was wonderful. This dish just reaffirmed how great the veggies here are. I almost forgot about the green beans. I think they were left sitting in the fridge for about 2 weeks, but….the sweetness of the beans are unbelievable! I kept thinking if i had too much corn in there because of the sweetness i was biting into when i realised that it was the green beans that were as sweet as the corn! It was wonderful. I should have added more green beans. I think we’re gonna have green beans on the menu soon.

I think i will cook them with a familiar sauce – not 100% sure on how to cook the sauce. I do know that it includes onions and soy sauce. I think the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce would go perfect with the green beans!

The fear of cooking fried rice – not really a fear – but there’s this problem with getting the eggs right. This time, it absolutely worked.

I used 3 jumbo eggs.

I fried the ingredients on their own first. Then removed them and added the garlic.

The only thing with fried rice is that (i think), it requires an amount of oil. I fried the garlic then added the rice. When all is mixed well, i added the beaten eggs all over the rice, let it set for just a little – while placing the bowl into the sink. Then just start stirring and flipping – the trick that i’ve heard before is to try to get the eggs to coat every single grain of rice – which i think i have nearly achieved.

I seasoned the eggs. But after adding all the ingredients etc.. i added oyster sauce and soy sauce to the rice – more oyster sauce.

It was delicious! I was so apprehensive about it cause i’ve never really cooked a good fried rice – but i think i might have just learnt it.

Another really good thing i’ve realised. Garlic Rice. I was frying the garlic with the rice when i realised just how fragrant it is.

I have leftover rice in the rice cooker – i guess you all know what i’m having for lunch tomorrow!

I hope you guys had a great dinner too!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Simple Banana Muffins!

This is really simple and definitely a lunchbox keeper!

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This picture isn’t very good – i apologise. But Fish and Hui (who doesn’t eat bananas) really liked it.

Banana Muffins

4 medium-large bananas – mashed up well
1 cup sugar (brown/white – depending on what you like)
1/2 cup oil ( i will try using butter next time)
1 tbsp vanilla essence

  • Take all the above ingredients and mix it together in a big bowl (which i really need btw) =)

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

  • Then mix all this in. I didn’t sift my flour – didn’t seem to hurt the muffins in anyway.

Try not to overmix the batter as it will develop into a tough muffin.

Also, i wanted to use cupcake papers on these, but realised i didn’t have the big ones – so i didn’t – and it came out GREAT! It has a brown caramel crust-like thing going on the top and the sides were nicely browned. I didn’t need to oil the muffin tray or anything as well.

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Then i just sliced up another banana and placed 2 slices of banana on top of the muffins.

Then into the preheated oven it went at 180 degrees for 25 minutes (that’s the colour you get seen in the first picture) – although it could be nicer if placed in for maybe 35 minutes – keep an eye on it.

I also baked some in the smaller muffin trays and placed just one slice of banana, they fit perfectly.

They are really quite nice – Fish and hui really likes them. They taste great whether they’re eaten cold or warm or hot. Which makes this a great lunchbox addition!

We ate them for dessert today – warm with vanilla ice cream.

Yum Yum.

Chicken Teriyaki – Totally Homemade.

A few days ago (as it always is), i decided to make Chicken Teriyaki from scratch.

I realised how easy easy it was. And how much healthier it is and will be.

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I cooked it in a Korean Pot. It doesn’t look like your typical teriyaki chicken nor will it have the same texture. The ingredients in a bottle of teriyaki sauce outnumbers the ingredients i used for mine and doesn’t have additives, preservatives etc.

However, i must say that i didn’t do it exactly correctly. You’re suppose to grill while continually basting it in the sauce. I just grilled and chicken and cooked it in the sauce. I will try the other method though and report back. =)

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce (Taken from “The Japanese Kitchen)

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1/2 cup Mirin
1/4 cup Sake
1/4 cup Shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tbsp Sugar

Just cook all together. I added ginger and garlic to this mixture as well. You can also add more sake or more sugar depending on what you like.

Chicken

Your choice as to how long you want to marinate the chicken. I marinated the chicken pieces for around 24hrs in the teriyaki sauce above.

I then grilled the chicken – i realised that i should have basted the chicken as well – it slipped my mind.

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We ate dinner with just some green veggies and Japanese rice. And, the mushrooms that i blogged previously, just simply fried with garlic, soy sauce and sake.

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I wouldn’t recommend making the chicken the way i made it – i think because of the long long cooking time, the chicken became quite tough.

I will try the correct method and let you guys know if it turned out better. =)

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Birthday etc Wishes!

Ok.. i know my birthday not coming for a long time, still.. i already have a list of things that i really really need and want! In order of importance:

1. 

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A set (i’ll settle for even just one knife) of knives. I finally truly understand the frustrations of a bad blunt knife. We have 3 knives in the kitchen. 2 bought from a supermarket and one from a dollar shop. Guess what? The best one is from the dollar shop. It is small but so much sharper than the other 2. However, it is a small knife that we have been using for 2 years, so i think it’s blunt and because of its size, it makes it difficult to cut bigger items. I made a pumpkin and sweet potato soup today. It was way tough to cut though the tough fibrous vegetables. I swear i will never make pumpkin soup again till i get a knife that does the work better.

Isn’t the set of knives in the picture just beautiful?! It’s from the brand ‘Wusthof’ and costs AUD$1039! Not that i want this – but it looks just really really really pretty and it helps that the brand is reputable too!

I’m actually quite interested in one of those Japanese ceramic knives – anyone has had any experience with them?

2. 

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A HUGE bowl. I think it’s so essential in every kitchen to have a humongous bowl. I bought two large bowls from Miracle (the asian supermart) – it’s the cheapest if you don’t mind the chinna look of it. I think i’ve found a set of bowls from Myers that i might like. It’s not toooo expensive (AUD$59.90) and it’s made of melamine and they are heavy and sturdy. Plus, they are colourful! Also, Myers always has offers and discounts – so i’m sure we can get it even cheaper.

What i was looking in Myers doesn’t look like that – i’ll take a picture if i ever buy it. =)

3. 

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A standing mixer. I really wanted to bring one from Singapore but it was troublesome etc etc. I don’t need a KitchenAid (although i do forsee one in the far future) but i do want a good, inexpensive standing mixer. However, there’s always the issue with, i’m not going to be here forever and we already have a lot of kitchen equipment – is it really necessary to buy? I don’t know and i couldn’t bring myself to buy it – that’s why it is in the wishlist.

Well…these are basically all that i can think of for now. I’ll let you guys know if i ever have more to add (maybe i should put a column at the sidebar) and if i ever ever ever get one of those. =)

Have fun peeps. By the way, with reference to the pumpkin and sweet potato soup, it didn’t turn out a 100% so i’m not going to blog about it – but other than the chopping part – it is really easy to make. =)

Oh! I think i will be making teriyaki chicken tomorrow for dinner. Making my own teriyaki sauce – i read and think that it is kinda simple – just mirin, sugar and sauce sauce but i will add sake – cause we just LOVE it! I just bought a big bottle of cooking sake yesterday in case the small one we have ever runs out. HeHe.. =) Most likely will blog about that! Sayonara!

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Shopping!

Well..this week i bought a few items..so just consolidating them all here.

I’m into the whole online ordering of fresh veggies and fruits. I ordered mine from www.flemingtondirect.com.au

This is my second order.

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The first time, i ordered a standard box ($60) – but we found it a little too big and too much for us. So, this time i ordered the movers box ($48)– which is slightly smaller and i think just the right size for us.

It comes delivered to my door on Thursdays and i have to order it before 4pm on Wed.

The veggies and fruits are really really fresh and so could last longer than those bought from the supermarket. I am able to customize my box. So i could say what veggies and fruits i absolutely want and what i don’t want and then they will fill the box up with whatever that is fresh that day. They buy the veggies and fruits the very morning (Thurs).

For now, i am really quite happy with this service. I have yet to calculate if it has proven savings over purchasing from the supermarket. But a sure thing is that, if they didn’t deliver those veggies, we will hardly buy them to cook. That’s for sure.

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This is our favourite tofu which we always buy in Singapore – tastes really good in steamboat. It is vegetarian. I managed to find it here in Miracle Supermarket in World Square. Happy Happy!

I LOVE MYERS! They are always having great sales! Today, for Mother’s Day, they had loads of sales going on but the one that caught my interest is 40% discount for Nigella cooking books.

YAY!

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So, i bought “How to eat” which usually costs AUD$59.90 but today it costs only AUD$35.95!

I found the other book on the left which has recipes for basic foods which i think might be helpful and interesting. It’s original price is AUD$35 but today it costs AUD$22.75!

Total, i spent AUD$58.70 which is even cheaper than if i just bought the Nigella book at its original price! Way happy!

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I had to rush my essay the night before and so i didn’t get any sleep. In the morning, my darling Fish cooked breakfast for me. I had 2 slices of bread (which is a new brand that he bought and we like it a lot) with butter and he fried me 2 egg whites with mozzarella cheese in the middle. To top it off, a glass of hot milo! It was lovely! Thank you darling! =)

Ichiban Boshi! and a Home Cooked Dinner!

Fish wins the 2nd chance challenge!

What’s this 2nd chance thing? – Simple. Our rule is to always give everything a 2nd chance before condemning it till the end.

We went to Ichiban Boshi once before at TGV. I didn’t like it and Fish loved it. So, today, with Shi Hui, we gave it a 2nd chance. It was a rushed dinner though, cause we sat down at ard 1730 but had a movie (STAR TREK!) to watch at 1845.

AND! THE FINAL VERDICT: DEFINITELY GOING BACK FOR MORE!

These are what we ate.

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Fish ate the Aburi Chashu Ramen. Shi Hui ate the Tempura Udon. I ate the Yakisoba Omelette.  The ramen was good. “Thick, juicy slices of tender marinated pork are grilled under a hot flame and placed on our famous ramen. How can you resist?” – From the Ichiban Boshi website.

But, i think my favourite has to be the Yakisoba Omelette. I really liked it.

The only problems there are that: 1. Only accept cash 2. Really long queues and waiting time.

Still, it is really good and worth the wait!

A few days ago, i cooked a home cooked meal – me and Fish rather. I was really happy with it. It was the first time we had proper cooked veggies.

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The chicken you see on the top left hand corner, is really simple. I just took chicken breasts, rub smoked paprika, salt and pepper and grilled it. The bottom left hand corner is (to me) the highlight!

It was just simple button mushrooms. I bought small mushrooms so it was better to slice it into half or quartered – if not they shrink by too much. I fry mushrooms simply, just fry it and add soya sauce and it tastes beautiful on its own. However, a few days ago, we bought Japanese cooking sake. We added a good amount of it and it totally changes the taste. It made the dish smell really good and gave the mushrooms a very nice slight sweetness. This is a wayy simple way of cooking mushrooms and i will 100% do it again and again. Very good way to use up mushrooms that have been lying around in the fridge and you don’t know what to do with it. =)

Have you guys had great dinners this week?

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Rice-Cooker Claypot Rice, Scones & Chendol

Tonight’s dinner was Claypot Rice!

It was using a recipe that came with my rice cooker’s manual. The rice cooker that i have here in Sydney is the exact same one as the one back in Singapore.

A few days ago, my dad told me about him cooking claypot rice and tasted good. So, today after thinking for eternity, claypot rice came to my mind.

It was EASY, FAST & SIMPLE.

Basically, it makes use of the casserole setting on the rice cooker.

Directions

Wash 3 cups of rice and start cooking it.

Sliced 300gm chicken breasts/thighs – we marinated it in soya sauce, oyster sauce, cooking sake, a little sugar, sesame oil and white pepper.

Sliced 120gm of lup cheong (dried sausages) – don’t slice tooo thinly because they shrink. Also this way too little, next time i will use 200gm instead

Sliced ginger – also don’t slice thinly esp if you don’t like biting into ginger because they shrink

2 cloves of crushed garlic

  • When the rice cooks and beeps, it is the sign to add the ingredients in. I added the ginger and garlic and lup cheong to form the first layer. After that, i added the marinated chicken all over on top. Also, fish said to add more oil, so i added ard 2 tbsp of olive oil. Then continue the cooking process.

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We had no vegetables to add to the claypot rice so i just steamed a bowl of corn kernels while cooking the main dish. 

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This was my bowl after adding dark soya sauce and a little more olive oil. On the top left hand corner, fish made a dipping sauce for the chicken. He’s just really good at making sauces.

It was good, nice and really quite delicious. We finished it all up and had brownies with ice cream for desert.

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I made scones or otherwise called biscuits. They were really nice and tasted good though i really have to make these again. I’ll try it again with buttermilk and use lesser baking powder.

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Guess what’s this?! A huge lump of coconut sugar. We had a huge huge pack of coconut milk and decided that we shall make chendol. I melted the coconut sugar with a little water and while melting, i cooked red beans in water and some of the coconut sugar. After that, i also marinated the red beans in coconut sugar.

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This was our dinner – i think last friday. It was just a simple simple dinner of baked beans, fried spam, leftover soup and onion egg. The three of us LOVE fried onion eggs.

After cooking onion eggs a few times, i’ve realised that the best onions to use and still the big brown onions. I tried it with big red onions which work as well but the onions when cooked tend to turn grayish – so i still prefer using the brown onions. Also, it requires an amount of oil.

Firstly, i fry the onions in oil with a little salt and let it sweat and softened and brown a little. In the eggs, add a good amount of soya sauce. Then just pour the beaten eggs over the onions and wait till it fries and browns – the difficult part comes in the turning of the eggs!

Anyway, i really had fun making all these dishes and sometimes it really is very difficult in thinking of dishes to cook for dinner. Hope you guys are having a way easier time!