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!

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.