The Book Cafe~

A nice place to chill with friends or enjoy a drink while you indulge in your own world of reading or browsing.

~*Hoegaarden 330ml*~

Check out the frosted glass!

~*IBC Root Beer*~

A non-alcoholic beverage, root BEER~

Chinatown Market Hawker Centre II~

The place was less crowded this evening compared to the previous time when i was there in afternoon.

~*168 Satay Beehoon*~

hmmm... the gravy was watery and was lacking in the aromatic peanut fragrance... it's a far cry from the shiok-licious satay beehoon at Alexandra village.

~*A Fortune of Food's Cuttlefish KangKung*~

A good serving of cuttlefish, kangkung, pineapples, beansprout, tau pok, ground peanuts, sweet sauce, chilli paste and a piece of lime. i requested that the sweet sauce be placed by the side, normally it is drizzled on top of the kangkung followed by a generous serving of ground peanuts. The stall also sells homemade popiah skin and popiahs.

~*YomYom Rojak & Popiah*~
The popiah was alittle soggy and the skin was too thick... i preferred the popiah at A Fortune of Food.

Flaky Sesame Square Cookies~

i enjoy the flaky flavour, texture and mouth-feel of Fang1 Kuai4 Shu1 (Flaky Square Cookies/Thousand Layer Cookies). Hence, here comes the second experiment for today, "The remaking of Fang1 Kuai4 Shu1".

~*Flaky Sesame Square Cookies*~

These savoury cookies are flaky and crispy-crunchy. i'm already starting to think of the different variations i could come up with during the next batch of the square cookies... Curry? Coffee? Chocolate chip? Seaweed? Peanut? hmmm...

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Water Dough

• 3/4 Cup Plain flour
• 1/4 Cup Top/Cake flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbs Icing sugar
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 1 Tbs Pepper chilli powder
• 2 tsp Ground black pepper
• 20 gm Shortening
• 10 ml Cornoil
• 40 ml Water

Oil Dough

• 1/2 Cup Top/Cake flour
• 25 gm Shortening

Method:

Water Dough:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients then add in the shortening, cornoil and water and knead into a smooth dough.
2. Clingwrap the dough and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Oil Dough:

1. Mix the flour and shortening together and knead to form dough.
2. Clingwrap the dough and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Square Cookie Dough:

1. Wrap the water dough around the oil dough. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough.
2. From one end of the flattened dough, roll it up like a swiss roll, rotate it 90 degrees and flatten the dough with a rolling pin again.
3. Preheat oven at 180 degrees.
4. Roll it up into a ball, flatten it out to about 0.5 cm thickness, cut out squares of 2..5 cm x 2.5 cm in dimension (estimated). Place them on a baking paper lined baking tray, using a fork, poke some holes into the square pieces.
5. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Leave it to cool on a wire rack before enjoying them with a cup of hot/cold coffee, milo or milk.

Peanut Pancake~

A little experiment in the kitchen this morning...

i finally got a non-stick pan (Yes... what took mi so long?) and i'm totally amused by it! In the absence of butter or oil, the batter won't stick to the pan! (okay... fine! You must be thinking, "Duh~"). Well, it's not that i've never seen the wonders of non-stick pan in action but in my kitchen... it was for the very first time...

~*Peanut Pancake*~

It's an agak agak (impromptu/offhand) recipe that i came up with this morning :x Thank goodness it went well~ The pancake was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, yummie~ (Must be eaten hot/warm)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Plain flour
• 1/4 Cup Fine Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Eno
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Ground peanuts (with 1 tbs sugar)
• 1 tbs Butter

Method:

1. Sieve flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and eno into a bowl and mix well.
2. Pour in the water and mix well till smooth. And let it stand for 10 minutes.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, stir the batter well before pouring into the non-stick pan. Cover the pan and allow the pancake base to cook till golden brown.
4. Flip the pancake over and let it sit for another 1 minute before flipping it back.
5. Spread the butter and ground peanuts on half the pancake surface, fold the other half over to form a semi-circle folded pancake shape.
6. Transfer the pancake to a plate, cut to desired shapes and serve immediately. Enjoy~

Venezia @Takashimaya~

i lurve gelato! :p~ i was mesmorized by the variety of flavours and had trouble deciding which to have... So how? i chose a double scoop serving...keke...

~*Mango & Green Tea with Red Beans Gelato*~

The mango gelato was refreshing, moderately sweet with a light sourish tinge. The green tea/red bean gelato was slightly creamier and sweeter. Of the two, i'll probably go for the mango gelato the next time... hmmm... or maybe mango and some other flavour~ hehe! :p~

Sushi Tei (Shoyu Ramen)~

~*Shoyu Ramen*~

i like the clear shoyu ramen soup, it's not too salty and light in flavour. The ramen however was slightly overcooked as a result the ramen was slightly expanded and not as springy as it should have been...

Taiwanese Sun Pastry II~

Adapted from Do What I Like: Taiwanese Sun Pastry.

My first attempt was way better than this... Well, the score for today is 7/10 for taste and zero for appearance... i didn't seal the dough well after wrapping the filling, as a result some of the filling leaked out.

~*Taiwanese Sun Pastry*~

The pastry was flaky... Phew~ i managed to get the water and oil dough right this time! i didn't apply egg wash, hence the pale white appearance...

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream~

Adapted from David Lebovitz: The easiest chocolate ice cream recipe.

hmmm... looks more like dark slush right? It's a far cry from the original version. Hee... i guess it's because i left out the banana and added too much bailey's... :x

~*Dark Chocolate Ice Cream*~

i'll make a second attempt soon! *fingers crossed*

Creamy Ice Cream~

What a wonderful gelato ice cream recipe by aunt yochana! Not only is it an easy to follow recipe, the ice cream is simply ooh la la :p~

i made some modification by replacing the coconut cream with evaporated milk, added some gram nuts and mango extract.

~*Home made Ice Cream*~

Smooth, sweet, creamy... awww~ sugar rush~

yippee~ ice cream making adventure, here i come!

Gram Biscotti~

Just a single trace of yolk in the separated egg white can seriously jeopardise the fluffy or stiff peak consistency of the whites during the whisking process. i made this mistake today... i wasn't able to get the required volume and consistency of the egg whites... as a result, the biscotti turned out crunchy and hard instead of light and crunchy...

~*Gram Biscotti*~

Hard and crunchy... but still edible... :p

Check out the crispy almond slices on aunt yochana's blog to see how wonderful they should have been...

Eggless Huat Kuei~

My mum made Huat Kuei (Fa Gao) this morning. Her "agah agah" (estimated) recipe turned out pretty well~ No eggs were required, just top flour, evaporated milk, sugar and strawberry extract, mix, pour into tin moulds and steam over boiling water~ simple as that!

~*Huat Kuei*~

Soft and fluffy~

Peanut Coated Coconut Cinnamon Burfi~

More burfi(s) for you? Hee... these are exactly the same as the previous Coconut Cinnamon Burfi except that i coated 'em with ground peanuts instead of dessicated coconut.

Marutama @The Central~

My fourth Japanese cusine dinner in a week! Amazing! i've read mixed reviews of Marutama's ramen. i finally had the opportunity to savour their ramen~

~*Karashi Ramen*~

The ramen was prepared in spicy chicken soup, and served with spring onions, wakame and a slice of char-siew (pork slice).
~*Tamago Ramen*~

The main difference between the karashi and tamago is this is the non-spicy "normal" version with the addition of an egg. The hard boiled egg was prepared with perfection~ The yolk was semi well-done and the egg white layer closest to the yolk was soft and runny.

i liked the "Q-ness" of the ramen and the soup was tasty and enjoyable. But if i were to make a comparison, i would prefer the char-siew and soup base over at Baikohken :x Nevertheless, the service at Marutama is pleasant, they also offer soup/ramen refills at an affordable rate~

Shimbashi Soba~

i'm not exactly into carbo, but when it comes to japanese soba, it's a totally different story ya~ Shimbashi soba at the Paragon serves really good soba! The texture of the soba is "Q" and addictive! :p~

~*Wakame Soba*~

Just look at the wakame (japanese seaweed), isn't it lovely? The lovely combination of the hot soup, wakame, soba... mmm mmm~

~*Healthy Diet Special Soba*~

hmmm... i made an adventurous choice and ordered this cold soba accompanied with natto, wakame, quail's egg with japanese yam, nori and lady's fingers. Why so? Firstly, although i really love my vegetables, i usually avoid lady's fingers whenever possible due to the slime. Secondly, although i've never tasted natto before, i've read about their gooey and slimy texture and that it's an acquired taste, but being a soya bean fan, i thought, well, how terrible can it be? hmmm... i enjoyed the "Q" texture and mouth-feel of the soba but the slime was simply too much for me to handle... it was amazing how i managed to finish 3/4 of it...

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

Although Shimabashi is known for its soba, the salmon was simply divine. The thickness, freshness and texture of each slice was simply...ooh lah lah~

~*Shimbashi Soba*~

The cold soba has a slight rough and strong texture compared to the soft and smooth texture of the warm soba. i'll be going back soon! And next time, it'll be hot soba for mi :p~

Sakae Sushi @ Rivervale Mall~

Another evening of japanese cuisine... Itadakimatsu~

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

For starters~It's reasonably fresh and the thickness of each slice was just right.

~*Chicken Katsu Don*~

~*Katsu Curry Don*~

~*Sakae Salad*~

An interesting combination of fresh salmon sashimi, seasoned jellyfish, seaweed, sweet beancurd, sweet omelette eggs, ground nuts, tempura crisps, ground sesame anchovy bits, shredded cabbage, accompanied with sweet plum sauce in a separate dish (not shown).

Coconut Cinnamon Burfi~

i caught the episode of Food Safari on televison when they featured Indian cuisine and was amazed by the simplicity of the coconut cardamon burfi recipe. i attempted to emulate the recipe but i wasn't able to get cardamon spice from the supermarket. Hence, i replaced it with cinnamon powder instead.

~*Coconut Cinnamon Burfi*~

Sweet treats for you?

MOF - My Izakawa II~

More food from Ministry of Food @ marina square centerstage~

~*Wasabi Seafood Salad for 3*~

i like the way the separate the dressing. The prawns were succulent and fresh~

~*Tenzaru Soba Set*~

~*Salmon Sashimi*~

We went to the Esplanade after dinner for some Haagen Dazs ice cream. But were extremely unsatisfied, and unhappy with the ice cream, hence, we went over to Raffles city for more Japanese gelato ice cream...

~*MOF Melon Gelato (Raffles City Basement)*~

Light, refreshing and awww~ Contented! :)

Pandan Bao~

i had some remaining Hong Kong flour left in the kitchen, hence, i attempted to make some bao1 (man2 tou2).

~*Pandan Bao*~

i added some pandan paste and extract to give the green colour appearance and pandan aroma. They tasted exactly like mantous when they were pipping hot. But when cooled, they kind of tasted like steamed chinese rice cake...

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Cup Hongkong flour (refined wheat flour) (sift)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tbs Yeast
• 3/4 Cup Warm water
• 1 Tbs Magarine/Vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp Pandan Paste
• 1/4 tsp Pandan Extract

Method:

1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together. Add the pandan extract and paste into the warm water, stir-well to mix. Gradually add the warm water mixture into the flour and knead into a dough.
2. Add in the margarine and continue to knead for another 10-15 minutes.
3. Separate the dough into smaller balls, shape them to you preference and place them into little aluminium tart cups. Leave it to prove/rise for 90 minutes or till double in size.
4. Steam over boiling water for 10 minutes.
5. Enjoy~

Healthy Mung Bean Biscuits~

Title: ~*Mung Bean Biscuits*~

Introduction: A modification of the traditional tau sar piah. Alittle experimental baking with reduced sugar and minimal oil content incorporated into the mung bean filling and pastry dough.

Methods: Mung beans were soaked in water for 2 hours. Then steamed for 45 minutes before they were mashed and incorporated with sugar syrup, salt, pepper and fried shallots. The mung bean filling was rolled into balls and wrapped with water/oil chinese pastry dough.

Results: The pastry lacked the flaky texture of typical chinese pastry and the mung bean filling wasn't sweet at all.

Discussion & Conclusion: Besides the flour, sugar and fat are essential in making chinese pastries to achieve the balance between the sweetness of the fillings and the savory flaky pastry texture...i can forget about creating a healthier variation! :x

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Sauteed Salmon~

A lunch time special for mum and dad~ Fusion, fusion~

~*Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Sauteed Salmon Fillet*~

Grilled portobello drizzled with soya sauce, chopped garlic, olive oil dressing and topped woth japanese mayo. Served together with sauteed asparagus and lightly seasoned salmon fillet

~*Miso Soup with Puffed Tofu*~

No frills, instant miso soup from a pack. And added some toasted tofu puffs to the soup.

Rosemount Chardonnay~

~*Rosemount Chardonnay 2006*~

My amateur account: It had a refreshing fruity-melon smell. As for the taste? The light sweetness of the wine was easy on the palatte. A good balance between the sweetness and the alcohol content.

p.s. It didn't give me any headaches after that, phew~

Crepes Party!~

Crepes party number 5? 6? 7? Oops! i kinda lost count already :x

i love having crepes party! There are just so many different ingredients one can have in a crepe, all it takes is to let your imagination flow and appetite rule.

~*The Crepe*~

i don't have a non stick pan at home, hence, to avoid the hassle, i usually get these nicely packaged, ready-to-use crepes from the supermarket.

~*What goes in?*~

Fresh buttercup, tomato wedges, cucumber slices, button mushrooms, grilled marinated chicken fillet shreds, chilli pepper powder and pepper sauce (for the extra spice).

~*Crepes Wrap*~

Ready to be savoured~

~*Seasoned Scallop Wings*~

Side dish no. 1

~*Seasoned Deep-Fried Giant Oyster Mushrooms*~

Side dish no. 2

~*Tuborg*~

A perfect chilled beer to go along~

Pandan Chiffon Cake~

What happens when you experiment by reducing the number of eggs to 3 instead of the recommended 4 nos and underbake your cake batter? You may have a cake that looks like this...

The cake rose nicely and was soft and fluffy when i checked whether it was cooked with a satay stick after taking it out from the oven. But the center of the cake collapsed gradually within a few seconds later... :(

Well, the next time i'd bake the cake in the oven for 45 minutes instead of forty. Hopefully it will remain nice and fluffy and not contract that much...

For those who are daring/interested to try out the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 tbs corn oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp pandan extract
• 3/4 tsp pandan paste
• 1 cup cake/top flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup sugar

Method

1. Sift flour salt and baking powder into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream egg yolk and sugar together. Add in the corn oil, water, pandan extract and pandan paste, mix well.
3. Add the flour mixture into the batter and mix till smooth. Remove any lumps if neccessary.
4. Whisk the egg white for 20 seconds before adding the cream of tartar, continue whisking for another 30 seconds. Add in the sugar in 3 batches and whisk till stiff peaks form.
5. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees.
6. Fold together 1/3 of the whisked egg whites with the egg yolk batter before you gently fold-in the batter with remaining whisked egg whites.
7. Gently pour the batter to avoid air bubbles into a 7 inch baking tin line with a square piece of baking paper at the bottom of the tin.
8. Bake at 170 degrees for 45 minutes. Or when toothpick comes out clean.
9. When cooked, remove the cake from the tin and let it cool on a wire rack.

MOF - My Izakawa~

~*Wasabi Seafood Salad*~

Fresh cooked prawns, scallops and cuttle fish served with almond flakes, tomatoes and cucumbers

~*Avocado Salad*~

A must try for avocado lovers~

~*Wasabi Mayo Dressing*~

A creamy japanese mayo with a hint of wasabi that hits the spot. i liked the way they separated the dressing. It gave me the freedom to dress my salad according to my preference~

~*Onyakodon Bento*~

The well marinated chicken was tender and tasty

~*Sansai Soba*~

Soba in tasty hot soup with japanese vegetables. The chilli pepper was served separately, which allowed for more contol over the spiciness of the soup.

Thanx! M! for the treat and the great company.