Before the Wok

Purple spinach for that extra dose of antioxidants

Fresh chinese mushrooms

Baby corns and bell peppers

Chicken and Red Date Casserole

Another yumminess from 'The Chinese Kitchen'. The recipe used a whole chicken but I made do with two drumsticks and halved the seasonings as well (except ehem for the rice wine!).

1. Blanch the chicken in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove and drain. You may also choose to deep fry the chicken in hot oil.

2. Place the parboiled chicken in a pot. Add three big bowls of water (or stock), spring onions, ginger, 1Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (I replaced it with black peppers), salt and 3Tbsp rice wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered for one hour.

3. Add about a small bowl of red dates (I added dried longans as well) with about 3Tbsp light soy sauce. Stir a little and continue simmering covered for another 50-55 minutes.

4. Enjoy!!

I used more dried longans than red dates..

This really makes a delicious soup!

Braised Mushrooms with Tofu and Cashews

A simple and yummy bean curd dish. Got the inspiration to cook it from 'The Chinese Kitchen'. The recipe calls for dried chinese mushrooms. I did not have any at the moment, so I substituted it with fresh chinese mushrooms. The basic seasonings are the same as the recipe but I added more ingredients. Here is how I did it.

1. Heat oil and stir fry ginger slices till fragrant. Throw in some spring onions and continue frying before adding in a handful of cashew nuts. Fry fry fry. (not sure if I should put in the spring onions when the dish is almost done instead..)

2. Add in some chinese mushrooms and bean curd. Fry fry fry. Add in seasonings - salt and sugar. Pour some water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

3. Add in a dash of sesame oil and about a tablespoon of rice wine. Stir gently, blending everything well.

4. Finally mix 2tsp of cornflour paste with 1Tbsp of light soy sauce, and pour it over the dish to form a clear light glaze.

5. Enjoy!!

I dunno if I'm being syok sendiri or what, but I thought it tasted like what some of the chinese makan shops would dish out! Will try chicken instead of mushrooms and tofu the next time.

Winter Melon and Ham Soup

'The Chinese Kitchen' has got to be the gem of all chinese cookbooks (the same goes for 'The Indian Kitchen'). These are birthday gifts from Karen and Kor *big grin* Not only does it provide recipes but also descriptions on the ingredients.

I officiated 'The Chinese Kitchen' yesterday with a simple dish of winter melon and ham soup. This is a fast and simple soup recipe: Drop a square of chicken cube into a pot of water (one big chinese bowl) and bring it to a rolling boil. Add dried shrimps and slices of ham and winter melon. Bring it to a boil and cook for another 2-3 minutes. I was true to the recipe except that I 'cheated' and replaced the soup stock with chicken cube. And so I didn't season the soup with salt and pepper.

Looks like a typical HK dish.. thanks to the ham!

Anniversary Dinner at Thai Pad

This another one of those overdue postings. I only recently uploaded pics taken with my 6500 slide (thus the compromised photos), so expect more of overdue entries with blurry pics ;p

Supposed to be cendol?! Didn't know it'll turn out as a drink! Not recommended at all. Too sweet for my liking not to mention that artificial santan taste. Yucks!

Seaweed soup. Not bad. Something different instead of the usual tomyum soup. We had the tom yum soup when we first went there (for our ROM anniversary). It was ok and spicy (can be spicier though) but definitely cannot beat Purple Elephant's!

Pork and chicken satay. These are yummy! Reminded me of Bali's satay lilit!

Green curry chicken. Simply delicious! One of the better ones I've tasted. But somehow I felt it was nicer when we first had it (this was our second time ordering GCC here). Could it be because the first time had lychee and full cherry tomatoes (so when you bite into it the juice will ooze out giving that perfect tomato taste!).

Some fried rice. Was it pineapple fried rice? Sorry, forgot. Too long d!

Some thai desserts. Ok ok only la. One of it tasted like the above mentioned cendol!!

Birthday Dinner

We had my birthday makan at a nearby north indian restaurant named the Curry King restaurant. This is where we always go for our 'tandoori house' fix. We had a very satisfying meal *burp*

I have always been a rice person and will choose rice over naan, anytime and anyday!

Yummy aloo goobi

The spiciest ever fish vindaloo, which was surprising considering hk's standard of spiciness! The best! The squeezed lemon complemented the dish well.

Hubby's cheese naan. Annabel loves it as well.

Lunch at Food Republic

This is my first time having a laksa at the Citygates' Food Republic. What to do, suddenly kempunan. And it doesn't help that Karen was having some laksa party in another part of the world! :( The laksa was very mild but ok I guess to ease a little of the craving. Beggers are not chooser huh?!

Hubby and Bel's Vietnamese lemongrass chicken chop. Not bad at all. Bel is very selective on spicy food! Hmmm..!

Vietnamese spring roll. Full of lemongrassy-spice taste. Refreshing.

My Birthday Cake

We first heard rave reviews of Awfully Chocolate from Kor and Karen years ago. I even cut an Awfully Choc cake with my 'evil' twin *wink* a few years back (in one of those rare moments where we actually celebrated our birthday together literally). So you can imagine my excitement when I found out last year that they have branches here!

Hubby got me Awfully Chocolate's all chocolate cake for me birthday. Thank you dear! *muacks* Was so tempted for the chocolate rum and cherry but for obvious reasons we didn't get that.

True to its name - rich and chocolatey!

Of course Annabel had a slice too!

Annabel was so excited posing with mommy and the cake...

... and blowing the candle too... while patiently awaits for her slice!

Mommy and Annabel ~16 July 2010~

Hey, Papa's Creative Too!

Here are pics on creativity, courtesy of hubby dear. He has always been into legos but I still can't help but be amazed at how he could easily model a 'car' out of some clipo parts. He did an aeroplane before but didn't manage to capture it.

Annabel was so excited with her car especially since Elmo and Big Bird could fit nicely inside!

See how comfortable her little friends are!

One contented little girl!

Sek Bak

Bought Evelyn Wan's Cooking Without Tears ages ago, during my theory-only-no-practical cooking days. Yes I must confess I love cookbooks more than cooking at that time.

I picked this book up again during my last trip back. It was nice browsing through possible dishes that I could actually cook this time. I wasn't going to bring the book with me to hk so I jotted down a few recipes. And this sek bak recipe is one of them.

Sek Bak (how I did it)


Ingredients:
3 palm sized pork fillets (you can also add pork organs)
*10 small shallots (sliced)
*1 pip garlic (crushed)
*1" each galangal and ginger (sliced)
*2 stalks lemongrass (bruised)
*a few pcs of kaffir lime leaves (shredded) this is my own addition
*cinnamon bark, star anise
3 cups of water
half cup light soy sauce
3 level Tbsp sugar
salt to taste
taukwah and taupok (add in half an hour before the dish is done)

Method:
1. Heat oil, add in * and fry till fragrant without burning, about 7 mins.
2. Add meat and turn about with the spices for about 5 mins. Slowly add in soy sauce and sugar and allow it to fry with the meat and spices for about 5 mins to release the fragrance of the spices.
3. Slowly add in the water (boiling), give it a stir and cover the pan. Simmer for about one hour over low flame or until meat is tender and gravy reduced. Check occasionally to ensure no sticking or burning. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

Tah-dah.. . sek bak!

Truth be told, I couldn't really remember the taste of sek bak. Don't think mom ever cooks it. My only encounter with sek bak that I can remember is when we ordered it (for occasions) from our two-doors-away neighbour.

I don't know if this is how sek bak should taste like but I do know that Annabel likes it. It's tasty and sweet with such pleasant blend of spices. What's not to like?

IFC Mall Outing

Summer is the time filled with temptations to go out and shop. Especially in HK. There are sales everywhere. So yesterday was mommy and daughter's third window shopping outing together.

I hardly go out alone with Annabel because I have to cook and it can be quite tiring carrying her all the time. But it's getting better as she's willing to walk these days, and even insisting at times to walk without holding hands, "I don't want hold hands, I walk alone!" (or is it I walk myself?). But when she gets tired or lazy or moody, she'll quickly walk in front of us, stop and hold on to our legs saying, "Wait!! I tired. Carry me!!" Yesterday was no exception. She obviously didn't hold on to her promise of walking when out shopping with mommy!

Nevertheless Annabel does make a good shopping companion with quips like "Nice mommy!", "Mommy princess!", "Why mommy don't want to buy?", "How much is the dress mommy?" when I was shopping for clothes and trying them on. Aww.. so supportive my sweet little darling!

Annabel likes going in bookstores as well and will get excited when seeing her favourite characters on the cover of books like Mickey Mouse (and friends), Dora, Diego, Kai-Lan... She knows the books that she has at home and will exclaim, "I got!!" when seeing Eric Carle or Dr Seuss' books etc. Upon leaving the bookstore yesterday, she asked that I buy her a book, and immediately grabbed one from the shelves! Books here are expensive and especially since we've discovered the wonders of free delivery of wide choices of books at bookdepository, I am quite contented with getting our books there. So after a round of explanations blahblahblah she relented. Phew!

Despite so many good bargains and temptations, I only spent on a mng dress. On a budget mar teeheehee! I am very happy with my buy - such a lovely floral dress with lace trimmings. I like! It was priced at HKD259 (probably after a discount of bout 60%-70%) which is about RM110. I think it was initially priced at Euro 35 (about RM147). See how much they marked up the price!!

Line Peel Yeux Crystalescent

So much for my previous eye cream posting. In the end I chose Biotherm (now why didn't I think of it earlier). We were already at Sasa and they having some sort of discount. Plus I was quite happy with what I read - ... instantly illuminate the eye contour, gently renovate it, and visibly reduce under-eye bags, with silica micro-crystals, pearls and caffeine being among the main ingredients.

The Biotherm line peel yeux crystalescent

From HKD315 (~RM134) to HKD252 (~RM107). A twenty percent off. I wonder how much is it back home.

I was expecting a gel-like formulation but it was 'creamy'. No worries, it is rather light and doesn't leave an oily residue. There is a soothing sensation immediately after applying it. Long term benefit is still unknown as I've only been using it for two days.

Chicken Varuval

I love chicken varuval. Especially PJ Gasing's Sri Pandi's. So when I stumbled upon this varuval recipe by Babeinthecitykl, I knew I have to try it! I've tried a varuval recipe before but that one didn't involve frying the chicken first and it tasted more like dry curry. No surprise! So I was excited when I finally uncover the missing link.

Our dinner later. Can hardly wait.

And it looks like how a varuval should look like!

Just love it! Thanks Babeinthecitykl!!

Be our Guest

This is a long overdue post. Had our first guest, HL over for dinner sometime end of last year. Due to our extremely tiny place, we can only afford one or the most two guests at a time. I chose dishes that I felt she was missing from home, those that I felt couldn't be found here. It was indeed nerve-wrecking that somebody else was trying my cooking instead of my usual guinea pigs hubby and Annabel!

Pongteh chicken.

Bendi and kacang buncis goreng sambal belacan.

Chap chye.

The whole works.

p/s: The colour of the various food (in the pictures) may not reflect the true colour of the food (in real life).

World Cup ala Harbour City

Harbour City celebrates the World Cup 2010 with cute comic strips, a giant ball and a row of flags. Enjoy the pics.

Colourful Mongkok

I've been avoiding Mongkok for as long as I've been here. For one, the acid attacks is a real turn-off. Then comes the immensely crowded situation with lots of irritating pushy ceena crowd. Such a no-no if travelling with a toddler. But a blogger Rita mentioned in one of her posts that if you haven't been to Mongkok then you haven't seen HK! And a recent posting of hers also tempted me with her good shopping bargains at Argyle Centre in (where else but) Mongkok! So Mongkok is suddenly in my must-visit-list before returning home. Of course Mongkok has other interesting places as well like ladies' street, sneakers' street, Sino Plaza, Langham Place, Mido Cafe, Australia Dairy Company, Charlie Brown Cafe, among others. Looks like we'll be making our tripsss there soon.. soon after hubby's exam! :)

Icare for Ibags

I always tell my girlfriends that having single eyelids do come with a silver lining - you don't get eyebags! Errmmm... I was proven wrong by the uninvited puffiness under my left eye since a few weeks back (sorry no close-ups). Nowadays my eyes feel tight and dry. Is it due to too much tv and laptop time? Or simply signs of ageing? The time has come to look for that perfect eyecream.

... and the nominees are... (description based on the various product website)

1. L'occitane's VERY PRECIOUS EYE SERUM
Plus points: softens and hydrates. revitalizes tired eyes with problems of fine wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and dullness. maintains skin's elasticity.
Key ingredients: organic immortelle essential oil (sounds so canggih!), natural omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, essential oils of camellia and evening primrose.
The damage: HKD 410 (~RM 175) for a 15ml canister.
My verdict: too expensive la, but I'm sure it's a mighty preciousssss good cream!

2. L'occitane's SHEA BUTTER ULTRA RICH EYE BALM
Plus points: moisturizes, soothes, hydrates and stimulates cell metabolism.
Key ingredients: shea butter, calendula extract, orange blossom water and wheat aleurone extract.
The damage: HKD 270 (~RM 115) for a 15ml jar.
My verdict: can consider.

3. Origins' HIGH POTENCY NIGHT-A-MINS Mineral Enriched Eye Cream (cute name!)
Plus points: decreases appearance of lines and ageing. firms pillow-like puffs.
Key ingredients: vitamins, minerals, centella asiatic (huh?), sunflower seed oil and shea butter
The damage: not stated. comes in a 15ml jar.
My verdict: possibly..

4. Origins' YOUTHTOPIA Firming Eye Cream with Rhodiola
Plus points: de-ages, reduces puffiness and protects from stress. firmer and youthful looking eyes.
Key ingredients: Rhodiola (obviously!).
The damage: not stated. comes in a 15ml jar.
My verdict: hmmm..

5. Benefit's EYECON
Plus points: fades dark circles and smoothes fine lines. eyes look refreshed and wide-awake.
Key ingredients: extracts of sweet almond, apple fruit and japonica leaf.
The damage: HKD 310 (~RM 132) for a 14gm jar.
My verdict: sounds yummy!

6. Benefit's DEPUFFING ACTION EYE GEL
Plus points: tones, revitalises and cools the under-eye area.
Key ingredients: plant fibres, chamomile and raspberry extracts.
The damage: USD 28 (+/-RM 98) for a 15ml tube.
My verdict: possibly maybe..

And the winner is.... Benefit's (either one) ;p

What is your eye cream of choice?

Glee moments

There are some 'adult' shows that Annabel enjoys watching / tolerate / gets excited over.

One such programme is Glee. Probably because she loves dancing and singing. And maybe she sees that we enjoy watching Glee. She would go...

"Mommy, see Jessie!" upon seeing Rachel and Jessie together.
"Papa, see papa's favourite song. Papa like, mommy like, I like!" when watching or listening to some of the songs.
"Mommy, Glee!" while watching or hearing the promo advert on tv.
"Poke-the-face, poke-the-face.." while pressing both her index fingers to her cheeks! Bel's take on 'p-p-p-pokerface, p-p-pokerface'.
"Hello goodbye, hello goodbye" trying to sing along to Hello Goodbye.
"Hey I watch before" when watching a repeat or a clip on youtube.

I'm a Gleek!