back in action

Yes, I am back in Melbourne and back at the stove too. Dinner was lightly-fried marinated tofu (kecap manis and mirin), corn and celery soup and a cabbage, yellow zucchini, carrot garlic stir-fry. Make sure you have some liquid like water or rice wine and a tight lid, cos the cabbage needs to cook but without becoming soggy.

In the 72 hours I've been back, my fridge is full again. I've made hommus, a salty miso pickle from daikon leaves (they broke off), and a pumpkin and chicken stew (the chicken was frozen from before I left - don't worry, am sure it is safe to eat).

Now off to a different diet - vegging out with the oscars. George Clooney is as hot as ever. I am always concerned that one day, he will do a Cary Grant and my dreams will be shattered.

valentine's day

Had a cold ice lemon tea at the new-old colbar. It was going to be torn down but enough people protested so they still tore it down but rebuilt it plank by plank 200m away. In fact, the new location is even better because you look out onto greenery instead of the highway. (btw the old site is now a new highway - very hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy)

After lunch and fresh beers at a microbrewery, a movie, we ended up eating durians in geyland. I'm not sure if there is a glut now, but that little wonder cost us $2, and it was both creamy and bitter.

Island Creamery

This has got to be the best local ice-cream place in Singapore (that I know of). Half the price of haagen daz and twice as nice. I'm a sucker for new places and besides haagen daz is really expensive - the last I checked, it was almost $20 for a sundae with 2 scoops of ice cream and more whipped cream than actual ingredients.

Island creamery has local flavours like teh tarik (frothy milk tea), pulot hitam (glutinous red rice dessert with coconut), chendol (another coconut dessert drink), horlicks etc. Each scoop is $2.50, compared with $4 or more you pay at other chains.

It is on the way home from work, and I've resisted its charms for the last two months, but faced with impending return, I've decided to heck it and savour.

I tried black sesame ice cream today - the ice cream is crumbly and soft, very unlike gelato which feels stickier. I've also tried pineapple tart last year, and that was nice too. I really want to go back and sample the flavour pear sake..... it has two of my favourite things in it! And they claim no preservatives or eggs are used in all their flavours.

You can read a review by another blogger here and a comparism between scoop shops here.

Dinner options - there seems to be an interesting Japanese western place just next door, and a more posh french restaurant up the road. Or there is always Adam Road hawker centre a 3 min walk away.

loyalty

I've been eating at the same chicken rice stall in my market for at least 15 years. The rice portions have gotten bigger but prices are still the same ($2) and they still use the same yellow-green plates. The lady at the stall has seen me grow up, and I've seen her change as well, from a young girl to someone with less spring in her step, someone who looks tired.

I remember the neighbouring stall too, it was run by an old couple that served zi char (mixed dishes, freshly made) and his sweet and sour fish rocked. Sometimes, the flames from his wok rose above his stall, like serious flambe. I never figured out what dish he was making at the time. The couple sold off their stall when the market was being renovated.

Business isn't so good these days, partly because there are a lot of new chicken rice stalls. There are long queues just two doors away, a new hainanese boneless chicken rice stall, I guess boneless is a big draw, but they only serve the white steamed chicken.

To be fair, the stall I go to doesn't serve the best chicken rice, it is a bit dry, but I can't really try the other stall and not feel guilty, especially since the lady will definitely see me in the queue. Yes, I could get someone to ta pao (order takeaway) the boneless version for me, but what if I really really like it? Then I'm doubly screwed.

Joe has a favourite coffeeshop in the East, and there is also a very good chicken rice chain next door. We can only eat there in the day, when the coffeeshop is not open, for the same reason - he doesn't want to disappoint the coffeeshop auntie by walking there but eating at the other side.

My regular stall is Own Kee Chicken Rice, at Ghim Moh Market, and you can't miss the other chicken rice stall.

and if you're in Singapore, Team Williams just told me about this local food delivery service. Sorry, they don't deliver overseas.

Ack

Have just realised that I am getting older - not as much energy when exercising and alcohol tolerance has plummeted. I think my birthday drinks record was an anomaly. Having chucked most of lunch and the six G&Ts I had at the office party, I am now somewhere between hungry and queasy. Since I am at work, I can only fantasise about what I would like to eat right now.

1) Clear chicken soup.
2) Prata.
3) Slices of bacon.
4) Orange juice.

On a more serious note, am considering abandoning the demon drink, which is something I would have never have said last year. Not giving it up completely, but sticking to a 3 drink limit, which will be good for both my wallet and my liver.

Cooking up a storm

Boredom + american food overload = inspiration to cook up a storm.

I actually baked some muffins AGAIN, and made curry, chili chicken, garlic prawns and chives and sauteed mushrooms.

To mark this amazing event (erh... I ain't likely to cook again like this when I get back home to Sg)

Here are a couple of recipes:



Curry:
Okay, hands up - who thinks pre packaged curry sucks? I do.
But here are the secret tips to make that premix taste totally authentic.

If you have curry and chili powder, GREAT, if not, and you're stuck with premixes like me, here's what I do:

Step 1:
Blend 5 shallots and 5 candlenuts - candlenuts not available? Subsitute with macadamia nuts or, in a pinch, cashews/pinenuts/peanuts. Three or four cashews will be equivalent to one candlenut... so adjust as necessary. Consistency should be really smooth, like paste.

Dump premix in pot, add the step 1 blend, add a wee bit more oil, and if you can some chili powder/cayenne whatever, if you like it a bit spicier.

Step 2:
Fry up this stuff until the oil starts oozing out again and it doesn't taste of raw nuts and shallots. Add two star anises, half a cinnamon stick and cardamom if you can find it. Some curry leaves too if you have some on hand.

Step 3:
Dump in some cut up chicken thighs, drumsticks and wings. Try not to use breast - cos you will be boiling and boiling the curry - the breasts come out totally dry and icky. Fry in the curry paste for about 3 to five minutes.

Step 4:
Add water till the chicken is just covered. Let it boil. About 15 minutes later - add some peeled, cut up potatoes.

Step 5:
After boiling for about 20 minutes or so, taste it. Add as much coconut milk as you like. Usually I use about 1/4 of the can... so keep tasting and adding the milk, don't dump all in at a shot. I don't like my curries too lemak, but its up to you.

Let it bubble on fairly low heat. And then, if you can, leave it alone for one night. I don't quite know why curry tastes better when it's left overnight but it does.

Each morning/night, boil up the curry - yes, till you see popping bubbles - this keeps it from going sour. If its too thick after you've left it in the pot for some time, add a wee bit of water.



Wontons:
Got some wonton skins on hand?
Mince up some prawns, and either some chicken/pork (one breast or one pork chop will be plenty). Mix together and add stuff you like, spring onions perhaps? Salt it a little and add a bit of pepper.

Stuff tiny bit into wonton - like less than 1/2 a teaspoon, fold it up anyway you want, and deep fry em. Tip: Try to flatten the meat out a bit - if the ball of stuffing is too tightly packed together, the wonton might become charcoal and yet the middle of the ball is not cooked. Hot oil is essential but not tooo hot.




garlic prawn and chives:

Step 1:
Scald the chopped chives in salted boiling water

Step 2:
Plonk in at least 4 tablespoons butter - yes I know, sinful... but so good.
Add about an entire clove of garlic, which has been minced. I like plenty of garlic in mine.

Step 3:
Sautee garlic for a while, then add in the prawns (which should be deveined.

Step 4:
Remove prawns after they curl up. Dump in chives and mix with the garlic butter remnants in pan. Salt to taste.

Step 5:
Return the prawns and serve up!


Njoy!

Gnat

Just finished this book, and also bought the Kitchen Diaries by the same author - which is a record of what he ate for a year, plus recipies of course. Toast is a different sort of book, more memoir, unless you really want to assemble food from packets and tins (it was the 60s). The chapters are organised by food items, many of them sweet treats, and it is a rather sad book of his childhood. His mum is a bad cook who often burnt toast, but it is still the "best toast in the world''. After she dies, his dad remarries their cleaning woman (so much for The sound of Music - remarriage for the kids is not as easy as these films make out). So even though the house is filled with the smell of ham steaks and pies, it is the loneliness that comes through most.