Best Advice from the Grand Chefs

Régis Marcon: Enjoy yourself and your guests will enjoy themselves too. And never do things by halves.

Raymond Blanc: Never cook a new dish for your guests. Always try it out on your long suffering family and close friends. Good food starts with wholesome ingredients. Use only the freshest, seasonal food, organic where possible, to ensure wholesomeness and nutritional quality. Always try to have your starter and dessert prepared and ready so you can work on the main course whilst your guests are there.

Jean Coussau: Cook very simply with produce that is exceedingly fresh.

To be continued...

Chocolate Truffles

Want to show me romance and sweep me off my feet? Cook for me! If you don't know how to cook, make me truffles.

Flowers are a sweet gesture, but I don't have a vase so they end up sitting somewhere in the kitchen. Gifts and tokens are sweet and while I may say thank you out loud in my mind I'm saying, "Great, now I have more crud in my house and no place to put it!". Unless you are giving me some really nice kitchen stuff, haha!

Truffles are the simplest of candy to make; cream, chocolate, and time is all it takes to create something blissfully elegant, decadent, and delicious. Be sure to use high quality chocolate, and if you can find it, chocolate that is 62% cacao or higher, and organic cream, as the quality of these ingredients will affect the final product.

Ingredients

Dark Truffle Ganache

• 1000 g Dark Couverture Chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher), well chopped into small pieces
• 600gr fresh cream/ whipping cream
• 50gr butter
• 50gr sugar (optional)
• 25gr Cognac/Grand Marnier  
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)

 Milk Truffle Ganache

• 1000 g Milk Couverture Chocolate
• 500gr fresh cream/ whipping cream
• 50gr butter
• 50gr sugar (optional)
• 25gr Baileys/Raspberry Brandy

 White Truffle Ganache

• 1000 g White Couverture Chocolate 
• 450gr fresh cream/ whipping cream
• 50gr butter
• 50gr sugar (optional) 
• 2gr Malibu/Crème de menthe  

Optional base flavorings

• Mint leaves (1 cup)
• Cinnamon and cardamom (1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods)
• Almond extract (1 tsp)

Truffle coatings

• Cocoa powder
• Finely chopped walnuts
• Finely chopped almonds

Method

1 In a small, heavy saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer (this may take a while, be sure to stir and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula every few minutes).
If you are using one of the other recommended flavorings, stir it in with the cream (and ignore vanilla in the next step). If adding mint or other solids, after the cream simmers, remove from heat and let seep for an hour. Then strain away solids, and return the cream to a simmer and proceed with recipe.
2 Place the chocolate in a separate bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the vanilla (optional), and allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth. (This chocolate base is called ganache).
3 Add the liquor and mix well.
4 Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator until the ganache is thicken. Remove and with a teaspoon roll out balls of the ganache. Roll in your hands quickly (as it will melt from the heat of your hands) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
5 Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts and serve, or place back in the refrigerator until needed.

Makes 30-40 chocolate truffles.

Recipe is adapted and modified from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Jakarta.

Beet Salad with Grilled Leicester Cheese

This salad idea came about after one of my friends bought some beetroot - because she obviously knows the "goodness" of this vegetable - but she didn't know what to do with it. We tried to search for one and created this healthy and refreshing salad menu on our dining table.    

Containing the powerful antioxidant betacyanin, which gives beetroot its deep red hue, this vegetable purifies the blood and has anti-carcinogenic properties. Research shows it boosts the body’s natural defenses in the liver, regenerating immune cells. Also contains silica, vital for healthy skin, fingernails, ligaments, tendons and bones. Beetroot contains sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iodine, iron, copper, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C. Each capsule provides approximately 1-2mg of elemental iron.

Beet is believed to be native of the Mediterranean region of Europe and probably Western Asia. It has been used as a vegetable for the last 2000 years, even by early Greeks and Romans. It was so appreciated by ancients that it was offered on silver to Apollo in his temple at Delphi.

Beet Salad with Grilled Leicester Cheese

(lettuce, pear/apple, avocado, beet (lightly cooked/steamed), wholemeal bread, red leicester cheese)

For the salad sauce: balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, salt and pepper

From Kitchen Runaway

The Enchanting Profiteroles

Last Saturday was another dessert day and sure we had a lot of fun, especially the eating part yeah :-)

We made Profiteroles, or a popular choux pastry.It's really easy to make. Choux paste is baked into small round puffs that are served cold with a sweet filling and sometimes a topping. The filling can be varied as one prefers: whipped cream, pastry cream or cream containing alcohol is also occasionally used. The puffs may be left plain or decorated with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar. In the US, a profiterole may also be known as a cream puff, though in the UK a cream puff would be made with puff pastry.

So for our Profiteroles, we prepared three different types of filling. No...no...no... It's actually four. The vanilla ice cream, pastry (custard) cream, fresh mango puree and fresh creamy durians. We don't have rum in the kitchen, otherwise that would be so much better for the pastry cream - well that is based on my palate. So I guess I have to keep some rum in stock. The mango puree taste doesn't go along really well for the Profiteroles. I still can't explain why, but that was also the feedback from some friends. So I have to think of other dessert that can compliment the sweet and fragrant taste of the mango. The creamy durians is so good too, but for me, the best still is the vanilla ice cream filling with chocolate sauce. It's heavenly for sure!

From Kitchen Runaway

Tips:

The puffs tend to deflate if left out to cool immediately after baking. To reduce the likelihood of the puffs deflating, some bakers poke holes into the finished puffs right after they have come out of the oven. Then the puffs are placed back into the still-warm, but turned off oven. The heat in the oven makes most of the wet dough inside the cream puff dry out and helps keep the shape of the puff. Another method is to reduce the oven temperature from about 200 deg C to 175 deg C about a quarter of the way into the baking process. This way, the shells are still crisp, but the inside is mostly hollow.

Guacamole

It was for my friends' housewarming, I first tried making my own Guacamole dip. The theme of the dinner was healthy vegetarian food. It was a big challenge for me because I didn't really have much experience on preparing good vegetarian food. Because it was a housewarming and not a big dinner, the food must be simple and yet appetizing for the guests (who mostly are not Vegetarians) to enjoy and eat comfortably while mingling with each other. So I proposed a fresh vegetables/ fruits salad with Guacamole dip as the finger foods. My friends agreed to that and the feedback from the guests was good.  

Guacamole is a dip made from avocados and is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words - ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce). The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

Ingredients 

• 3 ripe avocados (2.1/2 for mash and 1/2 for dice)
• 1-2 red chili, stems and seeds removed, minced
• 2 tbps cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbps fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped (optional)

Serve as a dip for vegetables salad or with tortilla chips.

Method
1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. 
2 Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.
Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve. 
3 Add the diced-avocado to give the bites-feeling. 
4 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
5 Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

Serves 4-6.

Variations

 For a very quick guacamole just take a 1/4 cup of salsa and mix it in with your mashed avocados.
Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste by varying the fresh ingredients.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound regular white mushrooms, cleaned, quartered or sliced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp minced shallots
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
• Minced parsley for garnish

Method

1 In a food processor, coarsely chop mushrooms and lemon juice.
2 Melt butter in (4-5 quart) sauce pan and lightly sauté shallots on medium heat. Add mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf, sauté over moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid that is released from the mushrooms disappears.

3 Add salt, pepper, cream and chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 Add cornstarch and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Correct seasoning and add more lemon juice to taste.

Serves 4. Serve sprinkled with a little parsley.

I know who will love this.... :p

New Year Resolution

New Year Resolution... ?!?!?

What New Year? International New Year? Chinese New Year? Songkran? Deepavali? Hari Raya? Matariki? Or anything else celebrated on this Earth planet?
Which New Year am I talking about...?!?

Yeah, it's kind of late to make a new resolution for the year of 2010, but isn't it better to be late than never?

I have just added one new item into my New Year Resolution. The rests I will not share, but surely for this one. I'm going to write a healthy-cooking book for a start, targeting the health-conscious and good-food enthusiasts. I still try to brainstorm the details of the book - the recipes, theme, outline, size, shape, material - but certainly I want to complete the first book by December 2010.

So if you have any experience or friends or connections with/to anything related to publishing, please let me know.

Counting down.... nervous but excited.

Seafood Safety

Although I have not been cooking much seafood, but hey.... I think this is something really useful. Courtesy of "Auckland Fish Market".
 

Three Steps to Buying Fresh Fish

1. Smell

If you can smell the fish, then is not fresh. Fresh fish and seafood should have very little smell other than that of the sea.

2. See

Look at the fish. Whole fish should have the following appearance:

Eyes: clear eyes, with a black (not cloudy) pupil and translucent cornea.
Skin: should appear bright and firm, with a glossy sheen.
Gills: should be a bright pastel rose colour.
Fish fillets: Fillets should be translucent and firm, with an elastic texture. Avoid fillets that look yellowish, dry, or slimy.
Shellfish: Only buy live or frozen shellfish. Any with open shells should close when tapped. Do not buy shellfish with cracked or damaged shells. Discard any that do not open once they are cooked. Pre-opened scallops should have nice white meat and a bright orange roe.

3. Touch (for whole fish only)

If possible touch the fish. The flesh should be firm.

Safe Seafood Storage

Take the following steps to safely store fish and seafood:

Before storing

* Remove any wrapping or packaging.
* If necessary, wash the fish to remove scales or foreign matter.
* Ideally seafood should be stored on ice. Place a layer of ice in the bottom of a storage container, and cover ice with a sheet of plastic. Lay the fish or seafood on the plastic, put another sheet of plastic, then a layer of ice on top. Do not allow direct contact between the ice and seafood. Replace ice as it melts. Refrigerate as well, if possible or keep in chilly bin.
* If refrigerating whole fish, fillets or other types of seafood without ice place it on a large plate or dish, and loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent it drying out.

Safe storage

* It should be stored on ice, or refrigerated at a temperature of between -1°C and 4°C.
* Ideally cook it the day it is bought or caught. Depending upon how fresh it was when first refrigerated, correctly stored fish can be kept for four to six days provided that it is kept at safe temperatures.
* Shellfish and crustaceans (e.g. prawns and crayfish) are best consumed on the day of purchase.
* Fish or shellfish loses one day of shelf life per hour stored at room temperature. Deterioration is faster if it is kept in the sun or other hot environment.
* Store seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills.

Other notes

* Fish should be washed and lightly dried before cooking, if it has been stored for more than a day or two.
* Wash hands before and after handling fish and seafood!

Green Curry Night

We were rushing home after work yesterday. I was all excited to buy the ingredients for Green Curry and Lemon Rice. "Just bought the ready ingredients" has always been the answer I heard everytime I ask someone about how to cook green curry. So finally I found a decent recipe and got all motivation to make my own green curry paste. I reached the supermarket at around 6pm, few minutes later my two kitchen buddies were joining me. Oh you see, supermarket has always been one of my favorite playgrounds. We just needed some ingredients but we ended up spending an hour running around inside. It was too late to cook both because we were all so hungry, so sad to say, the Lemon Rice cooking was canceled. Never mind. It will sure come in one of this days.   

So, last night was the Green Curry Night... and I am satisfied that I did try making my own green curry paste.

Ingredients for Green Curry Paste

60gr (4) Green chili

100gr Shallots (optional)

30gr Garlic (optional)

40gr Lemon grass

40gr Coriander root (optional)

30gr Ginger

30gr Galangal or can be replaced with 1 tsp Galangal powder

10gr (Kaffir) lime rind

1 tbsp Coriander powder

2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 - 1 tsp Black peppercorns

6 Cloves

1 tsp Nutmeg powder

1 tsp Shrimp paste (optional)

1 tsp Salt

125ml Vegetable Oil

Method
Blend all the ingredients into a smooth paste.

Ingredients for Green Curry

Note: chicken/prawn/squid/vegetables: eggplant/carrot/potato/bean curd cube, can be used as variation.

Cooking oil

Green curry paste (prepared as above)

4 tbsp Fish sauce (optional) or can be replaced with sesame oil

750ml Coconut milk

1.0kg Chicken fillet/prawn/squid (optional)

500gr Eggplant/carrot/potato/bean curd cubes

100gr Green peppercorns (optional)

3 stalks Lemon grass, bruised

6 Green chili

5 (Kaffir) lime leaves

A handful of Basil leaves

300ml Coconut cream

Method

1. Heat oil and sauté the green curry paste until oil separates. Add in the XXX pieces, fish sauce or sesame oil and the coconut milk.

2. Simmer until XXX is almost cooked. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the XXX is thoroughly cooked. Garnish with basil leaves.

From Kitchen Runaway

Oh, just some notes from the experience last night. We purposely added 6 chili paddy, which makes the curry tastes hotter. I think even without that, the hot sensation from the black pepper, ginger, galangal root and ginger is enough. Also, blending all these roots are not that easy, so maybe using all powder ingredients are somewhat a better choice. If you insisted that you need the roots to give the paste more natural texture, then perhaps after mixing with the coconut milk/cream, you can pass it through a strainer.

Hey... hey... hey... Never ever forget the basil leaves!!!

~ Cheers

The Frantic Dessert Weekend

I think what we really need to share here is just the pictures.... :-)
Sorry, Guys! There's just too many ingredients and steps to write down. So as for now, you can enjoy the picture. It's nice too, isn't it?

From Kitchen Runaway

Shopping Spree

Had good fun this week with my own version of shopping spree....

Not on branded leather bags nor shoes nor clothes, but really good quality grill-pan and ramekins.... :-)

So pleased.

This weekend is the dessert time. I will have no class, so I plan to practice on the Vanilla Creme Brulee and Alsatian Tart with Blueberries and Almonds.

Sounds yummy.... and of course some red wine to go with.

Till then. Cya!

de Mexican Italiano

Phewww...... finally we made it last night... having Quesadillas i mean, hehe!
It was rather a slow process in the preparation as one of our Kitchen Assistants was not well, but still it was fun and most importantly good.

I don't know, sometimes, what to title the post. Just like today, what is that "de Mexican Italiano?" Maybe the Quesadillas is Mexican and the tomato soup (from the ingredients) I thought it's more Italian. However, honestly I don't know.

So here what we have, and hopefully the pictures will be up soon!

1. Quesadillas
(tortillas, tomato, red and green chili, chinese celery and/or parsley, white or preferably brown button mushroom, salt, black pepper, oregano, lemon)

From Kitchen Runaway

2. Tomato Soup
(canned diced-tomato, white button mushroom, fresh basil, salt, oregano, black pepper, red cooking wine or red wine) 

From Kitchen Runaway

3. Lemon Grass Cooler
(lemon grass, lemon, lemon rind, rock sugar, fresh mint leaves, ice)


The Quesadillas was really good and we still had one left - sure you can put them in the freezer and just heat up your pan when you are hungry or just feel like having snack. It's good actually to keep some.

The tomato soup was not bad, but somehow I felt there was something wrong with the black pepper powder. It's weird, but worry not we are not going to see that particular bottle on my spices rack anymore. We couldn't find the red cooking wine from the supermarket nearby, so I used red wine instead and it helped saving the taste.

And.... the lemon grass drink was soooo light and refreshing. It was really nice with the hint of the lemon, and oh I missed out something, after boiling and let it diffuse in low heat, I added some fresh mint leaves. Just to get a hint of it. Served it cold... mmmmm...

Back by popular demand...

So bored writing my report for the first project summary. It's due on March 17. I have not been writing since 1.5 years ago. It's really not easy to re-start. So boring....

Thinking of what to cook for tomorrow night's dinner. Was talking to my friends and they want Quesadillas. That's not bad but there won't be Guacamole to accompany as it's not really the season for avocado now.

I think I will cook tomato-based (white button) mushroom soup. How that sounds?
For this, I will need fresh basil, canned diced-tomatoes, fresh white button mushroom and red cooking wine.

Gotta prepare!

My Blessed Day

I just feel so happy today as I was with my doctor today and she told me that I am discharged!!! No more medicine for me. No more poison in my body. No more antibiotics...!!!

What a relieved.

I had tears in my eyes when the doctor broke the news. Joyful is the right word. Not just happy.

Thank GOD for this and dearest Friends for the support.

I want to enjoy good food today, hehe!
Sure I think I also need to get started with my plan to have antibiotics detox program. Perhaps I can also share it here.

Whooaa... Pictures of My "Babies"

So exciting...!!!

Big applause for the Team Creative for the great pictures.

It's the beginning of the ball-rolling. Please bear with no pictures now.

Many thanks ~

Craving for Taro

After few days being absent from the kitchen, I started feeling tired of eating out and craving my own cooked-food. I enjoy the fresh ingredients and my own style of preparing the food - not overcooked, not too oily and just the right taste for my palate.

Last night I was actually craving for the taro-based creamy corn soup again. This time I modified it slightly, also because I have some bit of Australian pumpkin. Besides, I was also cooking this "slummy" vegetable that my dining buddy doesn't really like to eat normally. She told me that she never really likes the way it is prepared by any food-stall outside. I took up the challenge! I know she likes sour-salty-hot kind of stuff, so I tried. By the way, that vegetable is called "ladies finger". I guess it's not because ladies finger is slummy (eeeekkkk.....), but rather it looks like a nice long and slender shape of ladies finger. Really?!?

Anyway.... here is the recipe,

1. Taro Creamy Corn Soup
(taro, pumpkin, creamy corn soup, salt, sugar, black pepper, oregano, dried basil, butter)

2. Hot and Sour Ladies Finger
(ladies finger, salt, green chili, red chili, chili paddy - optional, fresh basil, lime)
Pssstttt..... honestly, this recipe was inherited from my sister when she cooked for me some time back at Petir Cafe.


So, I won her taste at last.... It was fresh and tantalizing the taste buds! The creamy corn soup came out to be better, with the right sweetness from the pumpkin and some hint of herbs in the background.

Nice and I was pleased that my craving was satisfied simply.

Fully Booked

No cooking tonight. I am all "booked up" over the weekend.

So many visitors over the weekend. How can I entertain all together when each one of them is asking me out? I can't even combine it all together as they don't even know each other. Great to have many good and close friends but unfortunately I am only one person. Well, I will still try to enjoy and have fun.

Cheers ~

Searching for Food Critics

Guys,

If you have noticed it so far, all my recipes were leaning towards vegetarian style - no garlic, no meat, no seafood. I'm not a vegetarians, but my existing Food Critics are... So, there's no choice that I have to pleased them.

I think I have to start inviting some "meat-eaters", then I can practice on my meat-cooking skills.

Anyone...?

Ooohhh... Pasta Again...?!?!?

Yaaaa..... sorry but that was the menu for the dinner last night. Sounds so boring. Pasta and pasta again...?!?!?

Well but it's totally different from what I have cooked before, and maybe this is the first time I ever cooked it this style. So what is it?

1. Spinach Tagliatelle with Creamy Pesto Sauce
(spinach tagliatelle, whipping cream, white wine, fresh basil, peas, fresh mint, roasted pepper)
For the pesto sauce: fresh basil, salt, black pepper, roasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil - all ingredients blended together

From Kitchen Runaway

2. Enoki Mushroom Tempura
(fresh enoki, cold beer, white wine/ sake, salt, fresh parsley, cayenne pepper and oregano powder - optional)

From Kitchen Runaway

The Spinach Tagliatelle turned out to be quite good. Very creamy, sure! But it didn't make you feel sick eating it. The fresh mint and the roasted pepper actually helped to neutralize the "milky" taste. Oh and of course the white wine did wonder too!

The Enoki Tempura was also really good. The only problem was with the salt. I wanted to sprinkle some salt on the mushroom instead of the batter, and that caused uneven saltiness. Apart from that, the batter was good. Crispy and puffy...!!! Mmmmm..... yummy =)

Hollandaise Sauce

Ohh.... I hope the 30 eggs that I bought last weekend won't go bad so soon. I need to make some time to practice on my Hollandaise Egg Sauce..... It's really tricky.
The first time I tried, I forgot that I supposed to use purified butter instead of oil. No wonder the consistency was not right - too watery.

A Quest for That Perfect Chawan Mushi

Chawan Mushi is the cool name for Japanese Egg Custard Dish, or just a normal Steam Egg Dish. It looks really simple to cook, but of course as expected it's quite tricky to make a delicious one!

My adorable niece, Fiona, "motivated" me to learn to make it. She is a pretty, cute and smart 4 y.o. girl of my eldest sister. She loves good food ever since she can take outside food! I know it and we all in the family know it that she can actually differentiate really good quality food from just a normal good ones (the bad ones don't count here). She would be able to finish the good ones, but not the opposites.

She loves Chawan Mushi from a nice but expensive Sushi restaurant in town. She often would say to us that she wants Chawan Mushi, whenever we ask her what she wants to eat. As young as 2 y.o., she didn't even mind to be left alone in that big restaurant, only accompanied by her baby sitter, to enjoy her favorite dish.

Last week, I promised myself that I must be able to make a good Chawan Mushi before my next visit to my hometown, and seeing her again.

So I used the same stock as I prepared for the Vegetable Tofu Nimono, water to dilute, good quality egg, sake, hon-mirin, salt, and soy sauce (preferably to use usukuchi soy sauce).
For the fillings, any kind like this is good: chicken meat, shrimps, shitake mushroom, kamaboko (Japanese steam minced-fish), ginnan (ginkgo seed), and parsley as the garnish.

Steam it at high heat for 1 minute, continued with very low heat for 10 minutes, and it's ready to serve.

The Japanese Kitchen

I tried this recipes on Saturday, March 27. Just wanted to get a different taste on the dining table, after focusing so much on the Western cuisines.

1. Vegetable Tofu Nimono
(carrot, boiled bamboo shoot, renkon (lotus root), satoimo potato (taro/ yam), shitake mushroom, ginkgo seed, parsley/ chinese celery)
For the stock: carrot, seaweed, fresh shitake mushroom, salt, sugar, sake and hon-mirin

2. Deep Fried Pumpkin with Honey Glaze
(fresh Australian pumpkin and honey)


For the drink? Ice green tea of course, with some slice of lemon. So refreshing!

This dietary contains a lot of fiber, which I think is really healthy for our digestion system. Because it also contains a lot of different type of vegetable, the soup is actually really nice and sweet.

I had some problem finding the stock, so I experimented through my own way. The proper stock will be "dashi stock", can be made fresh using kombu kelp and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), or buy the "granulated bonito dashi", mixed with water. I was trying to find it as the Market Place and some Cold Storage, but had no luck. Perhaps I should try the Cold Storage at Takashimaya or best try at the Daimaru.

Asian Fusion Vegetarian Food

 
1. Mixed vegetables
(ginger, red & green chili, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil (optional), hon-mirin, seasonal vegetables)

2. Satoimo potato (taro/ yam) - based creamy corn soup
(satoimo potato, salt, sugar, readily prepared del monte creamy corn soup, parsley, butter)

3. Brown rice
(You've got to check it out from my "kitchen assistant" - the expert of beans & grains)


Honestly, it was a perfect brown rice. Nice composition and consistency. Keep it up, Girl =)

The creamy soup turned out to be really pleasant in taste and smell. Oh, I boiled the potato with some salt. After it was soft, transferred it into a blender to make it like a paste - not too thick and not too runny though. I also prefer it not to be too smooth. Later on, brought it back to the pan and added the creamy corn soup, salt and sugar to taste, parsley, and lastly the butter.

My Last Meal.... (for the month of February 2010)

It was a really bloody hot day. I came home late (I mean a bit late for my dinner cooking), after the whole day running errands. I hit Borders on my last stop before heading home. Disappointed as I couldn't find the book that I desperately want to read. It's "Becoming A Chef" by Andrew Dornenburg and his wife, Karen Page. It is reviewed as a must-read book for anyone who loves food. I do. I do love food.... good food. It is also recommended before anyone deciding to start or switch career in the culinary arts, be it as a chef, a nutritionist, a caterer, or other related profession.

Oh well..... I will talk more about the book after I get one.

Nevertheless, I came home excited to try the new beer batter recipe that I learn from my last cooking class. It was a bit hectic. I didn't feel all collected, so I was a little confuse to give instructions to my two very-supportive-kitchen-assistants. As a result, the food wasn't prepared and served in good order. We had the Aglio Olio done, and waited for some time before I could finally get the beer batter ready. Worst, we had the salad as the dessert. What?!?!?


1. Aglio Olio
(spinach tagliatelle pasta, black pepper, red chili, fresh rosemary, fresh basil, salt, olive oil)

From Kitchen Runaway

2. Battered Enoki mushroom and fish (without the chip)
(self-raising flour, salt, cold beer)

3. Caesar Salad and Tomato Salsa Salad
(tomato salsa sauce - tomato (de-seed), red chili, fresh basil, salt, lemon, zest, olive oil)
(caesar sauce - elaborate next time when i try making it again)


That's the menu for Sunday, the last day of February 2010.

The Olio came out nice - not a surprised. I used fresh herbs and I think it smells really good. The battered Enoki mushroom and the fish turned out quite well, although it's not perfect. The real big problem was on the tomato salsa sauce for the salad. Oh myyyyy!!!! Terrible!!!

The battered mushroom was really puffy and crispy for the first few batch. It was yummy. However, the last batch of the mushroom and fish were slightly downgraded in terms of quality. Not sure why. I thought it was because of the bubbles from the beer had disappeared. If it was to be true, then how do actually the "fish & chip kiosks" keep their batter? Keep on making the fresh ones? I will need to try more I guess to find out the secret.

Arrggghhhh.... I don't really like to talk about the tomato salsa sauce. At first I thought I have lost my taste-sense. I kept on adding lemon juice and salt as I couldn't taste anything from the mixture. Well, of course later on I realized that I only tasted the olive oil, and of course it was bland. But.... but.... the diced tomato was really salty and sour. What a shame! I learnt my lesson though. The next time, I should have tasted everything, before adding in the olive oil. Let them sit for some time to infuse.

Ok, now back to my other work.