Brinjal Bonanza

Brinjals are rather versatile veggies. It goes well in curries, masak sambal belacan, deep fried and tempra, among others. Cook it well and it'll be all soft and nice and totally basking in the flavour of the gravy. Here are two brinjal dishes that I whipped up recently.

White pepper brinjals with minced chicken. Recipe courtesy of Karen. Thanks dear. Always trust her for good home cooked dishes!

Terung cili garam. Something different from the usual goreng sambal belacan.

p/s: the title of this post was contributed by hubby dear *wink*

Refreshing Lemongrass Soup

Soupylicious and simple to prepare - mommy's way. Hubby loves it and so does the little girl, "Mommy I want soup!" All you need are chicken (I used 4 drumsticks), 6 stalks lemongrass (bruised), 1" ginger, one big onion, one chicken cube. For the health conscious, you may omit the chicken cube and add a pinch of salt instead. Simmer for about an hour. Enjoy!

Your Liver

My BIL gave me an 'assignment' today - on the vitamins and supplements to take for a person with an alcohol-damaged liver. Hmm.. as a nutritionist (a very rusty one at that!) I'll rather go for dietary changes. But when food intake alone is insufficient, supplement is always recommended. These are what I have after some googling on 'liver nutrition' and 'supplement liver health'.

The bit I got from health.nytimes.com:
Our liver is involved in the conversion of food into energy. A damaged liver cannot function normally therefore diet modification is essential. In those with a severely damaged liver, protein is not processed efficiently, therefore protein restriction is recommended. Control salt intake (especially if there's fluid retention). Carbohydrate should be the main contributor of calories, and moderate fat intake (to preserve protein in the body and prevent protein breakdown).

nwhealth.edu and liverdoctor on liver supplements:
Milk thistle, alpha lipoic acid, licorice extract, dandelion, turmeric, artichoke, flaxseed oil, vitamin K, arginine, selenium, essential fatty acids, among others.

I can go on and on but I'm not writing a thesis here. Plus these info are very minimal. Further reading and pondering and research are needed for a really complete write-up. The info here is very basic and BIL and his friend can surely continue on from here.

Chicken Keema

Got the inspiration to cook this from Busygran. As usual I didn't totally follow the exact recipe so here is my version.

Ingredients:

Minced meat (from two palm sized chicken fillet). Marinate with curry powder (or turmeric and chili powder), mixed spice powder, corn flour, light soy sauce and a bit of cooking oil.

(A) Cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, cardamon, crushed black peppercorns, fennel seeds, curry leaves.

(B) 5 medium shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 1" ginger (chopped)

Curry paste with some mix spice powder

Carrots, potatoes (cubed)

Tomatoes, green chili

2 Tbsp santan

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil and stir fry (A). Add (B) and continue to stir fry till fragrant.

2. Throw in the minced meat and fry fry fry. Add in the curry paste.

3. Throw in the pototoes, carrots and bell peppers, with sufficient water and simmer. Stir occasionally.

4. When amost ready, throw in the tomatoes, santan and salt.

5. Simmer some more and it is ready to serve.

Notes:

* Boil the potatoes first so that it'll be soft and nice.

* Bell peppers make good replacement for green chili.

* You may also add in green peas or chick peas.

* I used whole cherry tomatoes - the sweet-sour tomato taste wasn't really infused in the dish so I added a tablespoon of tomato sauce.

Turmeric Chicken

This is the first recipe I followed from Busygran. It got me excited at the first glance as it looked rather simple. The second glance had me wondering if it'll be yummy with such limited ingredients. I guess hers was a healthier version. Some improvisation is needed then. Here's how I cooked it.

Ingredients:

4 chicken drumsticks

Grind - 8 shallots, 3 pcs turmeric, 2 stalks lemongrass (thinly sliced), belacan, candlenuts, chili padi

1 stalk lemongrass (bruised)

Kaffir lime leaves

About 80ml santan (packet), some water

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil and fry the blended ingredients till fragrant.

2. Throw in the chicken, bruised lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Stir stir stir and fry fry fry.

3. Add about 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Pour in the santan.

4. Stir to a mix and simmer.

Notes:

* Even after some changes, I still find this dish very mild. You may consider adding pounded anchovies and dried prawns, ginger, galangal, more chilies (if you love spicy). But then again if there are too much additions, it might turned out like sayur lodeh or masak lemak etc.

Today in History

Hari ini dalam sejarah. Annabel for the first time ever slept without her pacifier last night. It sounded so simple. But not quite. She decided to throw away her one and only blue tut-tut (as she fondly calls it) after I showed her a rather obvious hole. She insisted on throwing it away even after I reminded her that she would not have her tut-tut that night and every other nights from then on. She was adamant.

Then it was time to sleep. As expected she cried out for her pacifier. But luckily it was not as bad and pitiful as the first time (we tried this before a few months back but she was crying and crying and so we gave in). Finally she slept throughout the night without her tut-tut.

When she woke up in morning, she seemed to be complaining about the crying-for-her-pacifier incident the night before, and still asked for her tut-tut (I think it's more for the sake of asking). Even when I told her how proud I was and that she's a big girl now. Hmmm.. big time mak nenek this one!

Annabel has been without her pacifier when going out for a few months already. Let's just hope this sleeping without her tut-tut business will last and that she'll accept it and move on. The next chapter of life without tut-tut..

Bag-o-rama

I love handbags (and shoes). However, there was a time once not too long ago where I would go like, "How can a person live with so many bags and shoes." But I can see clearly now and so I beg to differ.

In HK, everybody carry designer bags everywhere. Guys and girls. I even saw a small pooch in a Gucci recently (now how they treat their pets is a different story altogether)! When you are a professional earning HKD, it is surely no sweat when it comes to luxury items. In fact you can even treat yourself to a nice bag every month (if you do not have house commitment etc). The price is often a fraction of what you earn. Unlike good ole Msia. I better not get started on that.

I have my own preference for my bags. I love them cute, unique, quirky and especially with colours. Bright pink colours are the best. Now please don't cringe! Well, maybe not too bright. All these make the style so awesomely me! That is why however hard I try to look for pieces that I like in LV and Gucci, I would almost always end up disappointed. Which is actually a good thing as the bags there are about double in price compared to my favourite Coach. I am proud to say that I am my own style - that I do not buy for the sake of joining in the masses, or for having a branded bag or because everybody else is flaunting it.

I can always find bags that I fancy in Coach. I also adore Radley, Marc Jacobs (WC was quick to point that he is the person behind LV) and Kate Spade. Le Sportsac and Kipling are not bad as well.

I would like to share a bag-experience with a fellow bag-buddy. While contemplating if she should get a new LV, WC mentioned that LV has a secondhand value. I immediately questioned her if she was planning on selling her beloved bags in the future. She wasn't too sure. I wouldn't sell mine unless (a) I really have loads and loads of LV bags, and (b) I somehow touchwood go bankcrupt. And so finally that same year, WC ended up with two Coaches instead (on two separate shopping outings la)!!

Happy Papa's Day

Had an early father's day makan treat for hubby dear last saturday. Dunno why but we initially thought father's day was the second sunday in June! Prepared (with lotsa love) a couple of his favourite dishes. Since I am currently not working, darling insisted not to buy anything for him but instead give his tummy a treat! Dished out tamarind-braised chicken, fried bittergourd and fried eggs with corn and onions (this one's for the lil darling). Simple but darling thoroughly enjoyed it. Love you dear!

Row Row Row Your Boat...

We decided to do a 'tourist-sy' activity on bakchang day. So off we went to join in the maddening crowd at Stanley beach to witness the much publicised Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships. For the first time ever bus 973 was packed to the brim (to and fro), and the whole of Stanley was jam packed! We reached the race venue just in time to catch a race. There were several races throughout the day, plus trophies to be won and titles to be claimed. I was also surprised by the number of international contestants. And so the 'photographer' started clicking amidst all the smell and sweaty beings, to bring you some exclusive scenes from the race!

Bel's First Full Haircut

For the first time ever, on monday, Annabel had a full haircut, front and back, Surprisingly, she was very cooperative. Good girl. Perhaps cos I used the 'daddy' word. Whatever works *wink* The photos surely tell how she is enjoying her new look!

Oily Rice

My first effort of a complete set of nasi minyak (literally translated as 'oily rice'), which is often served in malay weddings. Of course the condiments and dishes may vary. The recipes for the nasi minyak and spicy honey chicken were taken from the internet (except for the cucumber salad) but I've forgotten the sites. Sorry yea. But here are my versions (I usually 'agak-agak' and modify them recipes).

NASI MINYAK
1. Heat up a pan. Add ghee and margarine.
2. When hot, add pounded paste (shallots, garlic, ginger), star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamon. You may also add in screwpine leaves (knotted) and lemongrass (knocked flat). Fry till fragrant.
3. Add cashewnuts and raisins (you may also add in the raisins when the rice is almost cooked). Stir, stir, stir.
4. Then add in rice and mix well.
5. Transfer everything into a rice cooker. Add tomato juice/ketchup and a pinch of salt (some recipes also call for milk. Then add water.
6. Put the rice to cook and do remember to stir the rice as it is being cooked.

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN
1. Marinate chicken with turmeric powder, salt and pepper for half an hour before frying the chicken.
2. Heat up a wok. Add oil and stir fry cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and curry leaves till fragrant. Add in pounded ginger and garlic and continue stir frying till lightly browned.
3. Add in tomato paste, chili paste, honey and stir well for ten seconds. Add in some water and bring to a boil. Toss in the fried chicken and onion rings.
4. Stir fry and bring the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook until the sauce thickens and the chicken is done. Check on the sweetness and saltiness.
5. Ready to serve.

CUCUMBER, ONION AND CHILI SALAD
1. Toss in sliced cucumber, chilies, shallots and pineapple, together with lime juice, sugar and salt. Adjust the sweet-sour-salty taste according to your preference.

Rain Rain Go Away.. take one

Annabel sang one full song for the first time last weekend. At 26+mths. Previously she would replace the last line with "I want to play". She would sing it when we mentioned that it is going to rain. And she would go like, "Oh no.. I sing.. rain rain go away, come again another (pronounciation sounded like 'come other') day, lil Bel (Bel) wants to play!!" I recorded her singing for the first time in this video. Perhaps she was a bit conscious of herself that I needed to prompt her for the last line. Will record her singing the full song without prompting soon.

The Book of Lost Things

I first came across this book while browsing the bookstore. As tempting as it looked, I didn't get it. However, I decided that I just got to read this one when an ex-colleague was facebooking about it. This is my first John Connolly outing.

This is the tale of a twelve year-old boy called David, who loves his books, stories and fairy tales. He mourns his recently departed mother, and now has to deal with the remarriage of his father (and the addition of a little step-brother). All this makes him bitter and angry.

Then the books started whispering to him and the Crooked Man made its appearance. Before David knows it, he was in a whole strange new world, one that is filled with myths and stories (think fairy tales gone awry). There he met the Woodsman and Roland (such a knightly name), and battled (and fooled) trolls, wolves including mutated ones, the huntress, the Beast, the Enchantress... It is David's journey from childhood into adulthood, from a timid boy to a courageous young man. He is indeed true to his name David, just as the biblical David had bravely battled Goliath.

For the Love of All Things Pink

It has been ages since I last window shopped at Swatch. Konon-nya I've outgrown it. So when I happened to look through the display two weeks back, I was surprised to find that I could still find watches that I heart. One in particular is the Huyana model. Hubby commented that it was too bright.. but that's the whole point! It is not like I'm going to wear it for work (as if I have one anyway!). But hubby was so generous and offered that I could have that for our anniversary pressie. I have yet to make up my fickle mind but thank you dear in advance.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

A friend posted the link this homemade ice cream recipe on fbk. I thought it was easy to make and might even give it a try one of these days (it is actually a craft idea for kids). Here goes..

What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes

How to make it:
1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!


Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But do not increase the proportions more than that - a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

In search of prawn mee and laksa

We actually stumbled upon Malaymama while looking out for a cab after exiting the Sheung Wan mtr station. Actually it was me that spotted the signage - cute and bright, couldn't have missed it. Hubby has heard about this place but it just didn't cross our mind to go look for it. So we decided to drop by for lunch last Saturday.

As we were approaching Malaymama, we were delighted to discover two other equally tempting cafes *clap hands*

A closer view. There are food from malaysia, india and singapore. For a moment we were contemplating if we should stick with our lunch plan or have some katong laksa instead.

Malaymama won, we are after all msians hehehe.

A very blurred look at the menu.

The wall displaying photos of the food. Notice the narrow side table. That's hk for you!

Prawn mee. It is said to be made from fresh prawns including the head and shell without added monosodium glutamate. Well, that is how a good prawn mee should be prepared. The verdict? It is acceptable for hk standards, and if you really crave for a bowl here (beggars are not choosers right). But this bowl didn't give me that kick. It didn't have that peppery goodness akin to my favourite in mlk (situated opposite LTP restaurant, next to a chinese school).

Hubby ordered the laksa. Good choice. The gravy was a little mild but still very much acceptable. I might order this on my next visit there.

Sotong kangkung. Not too bad. But I still prefer the ones back home where it is spicier and not too sweet.

Will we visit Malaymama again? I believe so. There other interesting items on the menu like hakka yong tau foo, kon loh mee, bak kut teh and kaya toast that I would love to try. But I will never have their iced milk tea again. It tasted like the 'yucky' ones back home (sorry to say this but my standard for milk tea is quite high, plus you can hardly find a 'yucky' milk tea in hk). One thing that is worth mentioning is their good service - very warm and homely. They even offered to prepare a separate dish of ipoh hor fun for Annabel (as she might not be able to tolerate spicy food). And when the bill came only did we realise that it was FOC! How often do we get this kind of service here?

Our next target.

A pair of studs and earrings

Hubby's mother's day pressie to yours truly. A pair of Tous sterling silver bear-shaped agate studs. Love it and all the little details. Yes, I'm a Tous fan, and of gemstones too. The price here is apparently 30% lesser than in Msia. And now with a better exchange rate make things all the more merrier.

A pair of rhodonite (I think) earrings. Found this gem at a craft stall in Hong Kong Park. And it was only HKD5, which is about RM2!

Dimsum feast

We finally went for our long overdue proper dim sum makan last saturday. HL took us there - a dimsum restaurant (a part of Lei Garden, I think) at Wan Chai. Nice spacious restaurant (for hk standards) and the food? Even better! It was truly a dimsum feast.

Some pork ribs dish.

Siew mai.

Chee cheong fun.

Char siew pau. Nice pork filling with ample gravy.

Shrimp dumplings.

Vegetable dumplings.

Congee with century eggs.

Some fried fishball stuff.

Radish cake. Yummyumm.

Some gyoza thingy with shrimp filling.

Custard bun.

Steamed cucumber with shrimp topping.

Popiah looking thingy with shrimp filling.

Eating out

Tsui Wah Restaurant is one of my favourite joints in HK. It is convenient, just a walking distance away from the church - about ten minutes. So we come here often for lunch on sundays. Although it is always packed, we could always dine in comfortably. That's very important as we now have a little toddler to consider. That's one of the reasons we do not frequent those tiny popular shops with a long queue (that is often associated with out-of-this-world food). So far, I have not gotten tired of eating here yet as the menu displays a wide variety of local food. But then again I tend to choose the same things, particularly the spinach shrimp dumpling noodles. The dumplings have generous amount of spinach and prawns - simply delicious. The broth can be a bit plain so I always add some pepper and their oily chili sauce (don't really know what it is called) to give it more oomph! Hubby simply loves their crispy bun with sweet condensed milk. It is really true to the name - crispy and sweet. Nice! And Annabel's favourite has got to be the fried rice with diced chicken and kale with abalone sauce!

Our shopping break teatime at IFC's Honeymoon Dessert. This is our third time there. The first was at Western Market and the second was at IFC Mall with Cynthia. Clockwise from top left: mango sago dessert, mango dumplings and walnut soup with black glutinuous rice. For some reasons they do not have my favourite peanut paste. A friend mentioned that their durian dessert is yummy too. So that definitely will be the next on my list. Oh and I heard that there a branch in 1Utama, PJ. That's good news indeed.

* I simply must add hubby's motto on eating out in HK, "You can never go wrong with pork (for savoury) or mango (for your sweet tooth) here." Wise words from hubby dear heehee.

Babi assam

I often go to asianfreerecipes in search for good nyonya recipes (after a few tries, I concluded that this is a reliable website). I've cooked babi assam twice, the first using pork (as the recipe suggested), and recently using diced chicken. I simply love this dish. So does hubby! It has a sweet sour taste with a tinge of spiciness - awesome. I think this will go very well with prawns as well. Will try that the next time.