Coconut rice with an assortment of dishes, a small fruit platter and a cup of coffee/tea is today's set meal offered by the Atrium cafe at Serangoon Gardens Country Club. Of Malay origin, the rice comes with stir-fried squid rings in a mildly-spiced sauce, a fried chicken drumstick, a hard-boiled egg in a sweet and spicy chilli paste, and a slab of steamed fish custard in coconut milk and spice. The mix of watermelon, papaya and honeydew slices, and hot beverage present a balance to the rice dish. The set meal costs $10.80, and is available to only club members or their guests.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Japanese Ramen
A bowl of yellow egg noodles in piping hot soup, made from pork or chicken which has been boiled for long hours, accompanied by half of a braised egg, melt-in-the-mouth pork slices and seaweed strips, is what constitutes this dish. It is the ultimate Asian comfort food for me, especially when I am nursing a flu.
The heat emitting from and the tasty flavour of the broth give me a feel-good factor when I drink even just one spoon of it. The bouncy noodles complete the experience for me. Now I understand why the Japanese slurp their ramen when they eat this dish. It is ultra-delicious!!
The heat emitting from and the tasty flavour of the broth give me a feel-good factor when I drink even just one spoon of it. The bouncy noodles complete the experience for me. Now I understand why the Japanese slurp their ramen when they eat this dish. It is ultra-delicious!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
CNY goodies' sources of info
I am grateful for these nuggets of information. I now know more about the goodies I eat each year! :) This is taken from the Sunday Times Lifestyle of 16th January, The New Paper of 1st February and Mind Your Body of 3rd February:
Pineapple Tarts
(They originated from the Straits Chinese(my heritage!) and probably owes their popularity to the name in Hokkien, Ong Lai, which means Golden Pear and sounds like "welcoming fortune". Its ingredients include pineapple paste, eggs, butter and sugar.)
Barbecued Pork(Bak Kwa)
(It is believed to have originated from a meat preservation technique used in China. It is made of minced pork marinated in fish sauce, dark and light soya sauces, rice wine, sugar and honey.)
Love Letters(Kueh Kapit/Kueh Kapek/Kueh Belandah)
(Thin, crisp wafers made from fresh eggs, fresh coconut milk, sugar, tapioca and rice flour for the batter(How unhealthy!) It is believed to have originated from the Peranakan Chinese of Malacca who may have first adopted it and subsequently introduced it to Penang and Singapore.)
Kueh Bangkit
(It is made entirely from tapioca flour, sugar, eggs and coconut milk(again!) using a special mould. It is dry and slightly hard on the outside, but melts in the mouth. It originated from the Straits Chinese(my heritage!))
Peanut Cookies
(They are bite-sized cookies that are soft and crumbly, and easily melt in the mouth. They have a texture ranging from buttery to powdery in nature. A variation includes almond cookies. Peanuts(fa sung)symbolise longevity and well-being to the Chinese.)
Mini Sponge Cake(Kueh Baulu)
(Kueh Bahulu or Kueh Baulu are almost similar in taste to Madeleines and it comes in many different shapes such as button and goldfish. It is baked with simple ingredients such as eggs, sugar and flour, using a special mould.)
Fried Nian Gao(Sticky Rice Cake)
(We eat it to prevent the heavenly officers from making bad reports about our family when they eat it. It is believed that their mouths get sticky and they mumble. It contains glutinous rice flour, brown sugar and oil.)
Abalone(bao yu)
(It means "definitely lucky".)
Dried Oysters,Black Moss Fungus and Mushrooms
(It means sorrow, good tidings and prosperity; the balance of good and bad having a total effect on your wealth and well-being.)
Prawns(ha)
(It means 'laughter' to cure pains and sorrows. It must be fresh and intact, not shelled and headless.)
Fish(yu)
(It means 'smoothness ahead'. It has to be fresh, with head and tail intact.)
Prosperity Raw Fish Salad(yusheng)
(It was invented here over 50 years ago by Four Heavenly Chefs, who turned a humble plate of raw fish salad into a national festival feasting icon. It is made up of slices of pomelo, red pickled ginger, cucumber, carrot, white radish, plum sauce, peanuts, Chinese spice powder, ground cinnamon, toasted sesame, crackers, fish slices and oil.)
Shrimp Rolls
(They are made of dried shrimp, dried chillies, shallots, garlic, oil, salt, sugar, spring roll skins and eggs.)
Pineapple Tarts
(They originated from the Straits Chinese(my heritage!) and probably owes their popularity to the name in Hokkien, Ong Lai, which means Golden Pear and sounds like "welcoming fortune". Its ingredients include pineapple paste, eggs, butter and sugar.)
Barbecued Pork(Bak Kwa)
(It is believed to have originated from a meat preservation technique used in China. It is made of minced pork marinated in fish sauce, dark and light soya sauces, rice wine, sugar and honey.)
Love Letters(Kueh Kapit/Kueh Kapek/Kueh Belandah)
(Thin, crisp wafers made from fresh eggs, fresh coconut milk, sugar, tapioca and rice flour for the batter(How unhealthy!) It is believed to have originated from the Peranakan Chinese of Malacca who may have first adopted it and subsequently introduced it to Penang and Singapore.)
Kueh Bangkit
(It is made entirely from tapioca flour, sugar, eggs and coconut milk(again!) using a special mould. It is dry and slightly hard on the outside, but melts in the mouth. It originated from the Straits Chinese(my heritage!))
Peanut Cookies
(They are bite-sized cookies that are soft and crumbly, and easily melt in the mouth. They have a texture ranging from buttery to powdery in nature. A variation includes almond cookies. Peanuts(fa sung)symbolise longevity and well-being to the Chinese.)
Mini Sponge Cake(Kueh Baulu)
(Kueh Bahulu or Kueh Baulu are almost similar in taste to Madeleines and it comes in many different shapes such as button and goldfish. It is baked with simple ingredients such as eggs, sugar and flour, using a special mould.)
Fried Nian Gao(Sticky Rice Cake)
(We eat it to prevent the heavenly officers from making bad reports about our family when they eat it. It is believed that their mouths get sticky and they mumble. It contains glutinous rice flour, brown sugar and oil.)
Abalone(bao yu)
(It means "definitely lucky".)
Dried Oysters,Black Moss Fungus and Mushrooms
(It means sorrow, good tidings and prosperity; the balance of good and bad having a total effect on your wealth and well-being.)
Prawns(ha)
(It means 'laughter' to cure pains and sorrows. It must be fresh and intact, not shelled and headless.)
Fish(yu)
(It means 'smoothness ahead'. It has to be fresh, with head and tail intact.)
Prosperity Raw Fish Salad(yusheng)
(It was invented here over 50 years ago by Four Heavenly Chefs, who turned a humble plate of raw fish salad into a national festival feasting icon. It is made up of slices of pomelo, red pickled ginger, cucumber, carrot, white radish, plum sauce, peanuts, Chinese spice powder, ground cinnamon, toasted sesame, crackers, fish slices and oil.)
Shrimp Rolls
(They are made of dried shrimp, dried chillies, shallots, garlic, oil, salt, sugar, spring roll skins and eggs.)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Cookies!
I read about this food outlet at Esplanade Mall. It specialises in cookies and is aptly called The Cookie Museum. I get the impression that there are a myriad of flavours of cookies sold there and they aren't priced too low as well.
Her World magazine June 2009 featured 3 new flavours. At $38 a tin, Nasi Lemak Cookies are really authentic in taste. The other 2 flavours are Chicken Rice with a chilli sauce dip and Tom Yum. I doubt I can adapt to these flavours though. The purpose is to have innovative cookie flavours but these are a tad too much for my cookie palate. I cannot imagine eating these Asian dishes in the form of cookies, what more dipping cookies in chilli sauce. Perhaps I have a conservative palate.
Her World magazine June 2009 featured 3 new flavours. At $38 a tin, Nasi Lemak Cookies are really authentic in taste. The other 2 flavours are Chicken Rice with a chilli sauce dip and Tom Yum. I doubt I can adapt to these flavours though. The purpose is to have innovative cookie flavours but these are a tad too much for my cookie palate. I cannot imagine eating these Asian dishes in the form of cookies, what more dipping cookies in chilli sauce. Perhaps I have a conservative palate.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A new ice-cream cafe and new ice-cream flavours!
This month's issue of Lifestyle Magazine showcases the new ice-cream outlet LICK which stands for Little Ice Cream Kafe. It is located at Basement 2 of Ang Mo Kio Hub. Some of the ice-cream flavours featured are rather unique. They cater more to local palates. Each scoop costs $2.90.
There are Cheng Tng, Kaya Toast with "bread bits", Gula Melaka, Bandung with Palm Seeds, D24 Durian and Teh Tarik. I would go for the first one as it sounds rather refreshing. The second one tastes more like Pandan though because of the Pandan-flavoured Kaya used in its making, while the "bread bits" are really sponge fingers, thus using traditional English biscuits to recreate bread. Gula Melaka is the star flavour though a tad sweet. I don't like Palm Seeds so the fourth out is out for me. I like durians but eating them give me asthma. Alas, I can't try the D24 Durian flavour. The last one was lamented as not being authentic enough.
Toppings at $0.80 are also provided. I would ask for Gummy Bears with my ice-cream while Caramel Popcorn is an unusual combination with ice-cream :)
Swensens has come up with new ice-cream flavours. They are savoury-based and some novel flavours are seaweed and pistachio, and salted cornflake. Seaweed is the more novel ingredient for the first flavour while the second one sounds really original. I have never tasted salty ice-cream, and cornflakes are usually toppings for ice-cream rather than ingredients. Each flavour is served in a mini-cup and costs $3.90.
Two parlours have been conducting ice cream-making workshops for the public. These workshops cost about $45 and last for 2 hours. Tom's Palette and Udders are the innovators. I was surprised to read that there is no need for an ice cream machine to make ice cream. Merely a stainless-steel mixing bowl, a weighing machine and ziplock bags are needed to turn the eggs, milk, cream and sugar into ice cream. It sounds tempting to try it at home :)
Some participants were so inspired that they asked for bizarre flavours like Ikan Bilis or Chilli Crab. :S The latter sounds repulsive to me. Chilli ice cream? It is not for me. I am accustomed to the traditionally sweet flavours. At the same time, Tom's Palette sells unusual flavours like Wasabi Lime, Curry Apples and Caramelized Onion, which also sound unenticing to me.
There are Cheng Tng, Kaya Toast with "bread bits", Gula Melaka, Bandung with Palm Seeds, D24 Durian and Teh Tarik. I would go for the first one as it sounds rather refreshing. The second one tastes more like Pandan though because of the Pandan-flavoured Kaya used in its making, while the "bread bits" are really sponge fingers, thus using traditional English biscuits to recreate bread. Gula Melaka is the star flavour though a tad sweet. I don't like Palm Seeds so the fourth out is out for me. I like durians but eating them give me asthma. Alas, I can't try the D24 Durian flavour. The last one was lamented as not being authentic enough.
Toppings at $0.80 are also provided. I would ask for Gummy Bears with my ice-cream while Caramel Popcorn is an unusual combination with ice-cream :)
Swensens has come up with new ice-cream flavours. They are savoury-based and some novel flavours are seaweed and pistachio, and salted cornflake. Seaweed is the more novel ingredient for the first flavour while the second one sounds really original. I have never tasted salty ice-cream, and cornflakes are usually toppings for ice-cream rather than ingredients. Each flavour is served in a mini-cup and costs $3.90.
Two parlours have been conducting ice cream-making workshops for the public. These workshops cost about $45 and last for 2 hours. Tom's Palette and Udders are the innovators. I was surprised to read that there is no need for an ice cream machine to make ice cream. Merely a stainless-steel mixing bowl, a weighing machine and ziplock bags are needed to turn the eggs, milk, cream and sugar into ice cream. It sounds tempting to try it at home :)
Some participants were so inspired that they asked for bizarre flavours like Ikan Bilis or Chilli Crab. :S The latter sounds repulsive to me. Chilli ice cream? It is not for me. I am accustomed to the traditionally sweet flavours. At the same time, Tom's Palette sells unusual flavours like Wasabi Lime, Curry Apples and Caramelized Onion, which also sound unenticing to me.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Dumplings have joined the club
Dumpling versions have also been reinvented. Besides the traditional ones like Hokkien, Cantonese and Nyonya, four dessert dumplings, courtesy of Crystal Jade, have entered the market. Chocolate with Coco Nugget, Black Pearl(Black Glutinous Rice, Mango with Nata De Coco and Lychee are the new versions. The last two sound appealing to me. The Mango version reminds me of the Thai dessert Sticky Rice with Mango which I love, and Lychee is surely an original, providing an unusual taste.
Crystal Jade has also come up with a version containing spicy chicken and the Deluxe version with Conpoy. The former sounds yummy, with the addition of bean curd, peanut and beans. The latter is definitely a luxurious item catered to the tastes of the rich.
Some other new versions are Black Garlic with Smoked Bacon from Szechuan Court and Chempedak from Peach Blossoms. The former sounds really unique but I bet the bacon will go perfectly with the glutinous rice. As for the latter, it is really jackfruit if I am not mistaken. It is a dessert dumpling and so I bet it will taste sweet :) Peach Blossoms has also come up with a wild fungus version. This is definitely one that whets up my appetite :)
Ooo, the list goes on. Cherry Garden has its waxed meat claypot rice-inspired dumpling with Chinese sausage, waxed meat and liver sausage. Pine Court marinates its pork filling with Japanese teriyaki sauce while Pearl River Palace has its Kaya dumpling as well as Herbal Chicken dumpling. Xin Cuisine increases the luxury factor with its Soft Shell Turtle and Fish Maw dumpling, which has Chinese herbs with the turtle meat. Shin Yeh has a Taiwanese-style dumpling of preserved turnip, minced pork, dried mushroom and dried shrimp, reminiscent of the Savoury Glutinous Rice pancake from Crystal Jade bakery. Last on this list is Peony Jade's Treasure of the Sea dumpling with shark's fin, abalone, golden conpoy and salted egg yolk. This is probably the most luxurious version of all that I have mentioned here.
In terms of size, Szechuan Court has revealed the 1kg dumpling. Besides its Black Garlic with Smoked Bacon and Organic Red Brown Rice Vegetarian Dumpling, Gong Bao Chicken Dumpling with Peanuts and Szechuan Spicy Peppercorns is one other giant dumpling. The third one sounds the most enticing though.
Crystal Jade has also come up with a version containing spicy chicken and the Deluxe version with Conpoy. The former sounds yummy, with the addition of bean curd, peanut and beans. The latter is definitely a luxurious item catered to the tastes of the rich.
Some other new versions are Black Garlic with Smoked Bacon from Szechuan Court and Chempedak from Peach Blossoms. The former sounds really unique but I bet the bacon will go perfectly with the glutinous rice. As for the latter, it is really jackfruit if I am not mistaken. It is a dessert dumpling and so I bet it will taste sweet :) Peach Blossoms has also come up with a wild fungus version. This is definitely one that whets up my appetite :)
Ooo, the list goes on. Cherry Garden has its waxed meat claypot rice-inspired dumpling with Chinese sausage, waxed meat and liver sausage. Pine Court marinates its pork filling with Japanese teriyaki sauce while Pearl River Palace has its Kaya dumpling as well as Herbal Chicken dumpling. Xin Cuisine increases the luxury factor with its Soft Shell Turtle and Fish Maw dumpling, which has Chinese herbs with the turtle meat. Shin Yeh has a Taiwanese-style dumpling of preserved turnip, minced pork, dried mushroom and dried shrimp, reminiscent of the Savoury Glutinous Rice pancake from Crystal Jade bakery. Last on this list is Peony Jade's Treasure of the Sea dumpling with shark's fin, abalone, golden conpoy and salted egg yolk. This is probably the most luxurious version of all that I have mentioned here.
In terms of size, Szechuan Court has revealed the 1kg dumpling. Besides its Black Garlic with Smoked Bacon and Organic Red Brown Rice Vegetarian Dumpling, Gong Bao Chicken Dumpling with Peanuts and Szechuan Spicy Peppercorns is one other giant dumpling. The third one sounds the most enticing though.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Eww. How gross a presentation.
I was watching the programme Come Dine With Me on BBC Lifestyle. Four aspiring cooks each hosts a dinner party that is made up of a three-course meal and optional entertainment thrown in, in order to gain points. The one with the highest score gets the prize of a thousand pounds.
A contestant actually served his Sushi on a half-naked man's torso. I would have been more turned off than turned on at the sight of it. The thought of his sweat and body odour mingling with the delicacy totally disgusts me. I wonder how his guests could have stomached themselves to eat the Sushi, even if they were doing so out of politeness. If the contestant had placed the Sushi on platters before putting the platters on the man's torso, it wouldn't have been half so bad. Eww a million times.
Another contestant cooked a pasta dish for his fellow diners. Halfway through the meal, one of the females found a strand of his hair in her pasta. That automatically lowered his ranking to the last one. He was disappointed to know that he had been relegated but it was due to the true reason being withheld from him.
A contestant actually served his Sushi on a half-naked man's torso. I would have been more turned off than turned on at the sight of it. The thought of his sweat and body odour mingling with the delicacy totally disgusts me. I wonder how his guests could have stomached themselves to eat the Sushi, even if they were doing so out of politeness. If the contestant had placed the Sushi on platters before putting the platters on the man's torso, it wouldn't have been half so bad. Eww a million times.
Another contestant cooked a pasta dish for his fellow diners. Halfway through the meal, one of the females found a strand of his hair in her pasta. That automatically lowered his ranking to the last one. He was disappointed to know that he had been relegated but it was due to the true reason being withheld from him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)