Friday Night

I was pretty sickly over the weekend, and my body reacted to the anti-biotics I was taking. For once, I didn't feel like eating anything today.

Anyway, here's what we had for dinner on Friday night... us and our guests...

Lychee Chicken in a white wine sauce

Squid with home-made lemon mayonnaise...

Frenchbean Salad...

Achar...

Mandarin Orange Almond Cream... much quirkier than the traditional variety!

Time for a lie-down....

My Stomach Could Use a Rest

I think those durian puffs did not agree with my system. I had a hard time at the market this morning. Thankfully, there are many restrooms all over the place in Singapore!

Here's a good lunch for you if your stomach isn't too pleased with what was loaded in it... Chicken Noodle Soup... Asian style.



I'll try to write a recipe for it here:

What

1 chicken breast, 1 thigh, skin-off, bone-in
1 piece of ginger (thumb-size), smashed or pounded
about 7 cups water
250-300g dried noodles, any sort (I used something like a spinach linguine)
1 1/2 cups blanched bean sprouts
chopped herbs (basil or coriander, I used culantro)
chopped chilli (optional)

How

1) In a soup pot, simmer the chicken and ginger in water for about 1 hour. *Tip* Add a few dried scallops for added flavour.
2) Cook the noodles in water with a few drops of oil (any edible kind); drain.
3) Shred the chicken and arrange on top of the noodles with bean sprouts.
4) Ladle the chicken broth on top and garnish with herbs and chilli.
5) Serve piping hot.

There! You could also add toppings such as fried shallots or garlic, preserved mustard greens (tong chye) etc.

As for me, I like my food pristine. Especially on a day like this! ;p

Vegetarian Sensation

I had too much food for dinner last nite! I couldn't resist, Indian Vegetarian... one of my favourites :p~ Carbo overload!! And durian puffs for dessert! Woooh!

Anyway, I was still hungry this morning. After a couple of small bagels, I decided to whip up something for lunch (already!). I had some giant shitake mushrooms in the fridge... thought I'd stuff 'em. Inspiration sprang, "I'll make something like a risotto!". I fished out the leftover rice, cherry tomatoes, and the crab mushrooms I just bought yesterday.
Not that my rice was the right kind, it was brown, but the results were fantastic... if I may say so myself. Haha! First I had the tomatoes sauteed with the browned onion and garlic, lots of -tomatoes... Lycopene!! Then I added the rice and finely-chopped mushroom stalks. Herbs, salt n pepper, then the crab mushrooms.

I pre-baked the mushrooms for a while, stuffed them and sat them on a bed of boiled greens. Finally sprinkled with chopped chilli, and drizzled with avocado oil! It's so good for you. I could've sprinkled some parmigiano or romano... but I thought I'd be a purist just for today. :D

This dish could be called Duo Funghi Surprise. Hahaaaa!! Risotto Mushroom Cup? Crab Risotto Cradle?? Best as an appetizer. But we're having that for lunch. Maybe 3-4 of them!

Fish Tale

We had grilled fish last night. A big chunk of pan-seared fish on a bed of sauteed spinach, topped with home-made horseradish mayonnaise.







OK, the mayonnaise was whipped up in the last minute coz' the top looked a little bare. It went really well. :D The fish was nice and firm, not oily. I think it's the kind most commonly used in sliced fish soup. I cooked it skin on of course! ;) Paired well with Chardonnay.

All this talk is making me hungry. LUNCH TIME!!

Over the Weekend

We had hot pot on Saturday! It was perfect, considering the weather. The thinly sliced meat I marinated tasted yummy after a hot bath in our steamboat. Haha! On top of the usual, we also had fresh kelp from Japan and Konnyaku! My family was skeptical about the Konnyaku, but it was highly favoured with just one bite!

After that, I experimented with making Almond Pudding -- a cross between a pudding and a jelly. Our Sunday guests liked it... but I think Hubby was my best supporter! Here's what it looked like:

After a 30minute run/walk, the dinner we had more than compensated for the calories burnt! I didn't take any pictures because we were all out of battery power! I'm determined to make the same menu again!

Today, I threw in some left-overs and made fried rice for lunch. It had all kinds of things in it, including those dried little white fishies, beans, carrots, onion, eggs, and my home-grown basil. I love basil... any kind! Oh, and here's a tip: add about 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder in your fried rice for colour and flavour.

As it must be a habit, I simply had to go find something sweet to eat after that, so I decided it'd be the mango in the fridge. It's the best I've had in a long time. Most large mangoes of this variety had been picked way too early. This was firm, fragrant and very very sweet!

I'd lie quite content even after a simple meal like this! :D Nap Time!

Whatever Energy Bars

After returning from grocery shopping this morning, I was inspired out-of-the-blue to make energy bars... from WHATEVER I had in the pantry and fridge. Flax, pumpkin, sesame seeds; walnuts; dried cranberries, raisins, sultanas, figs & wolfberries! I have no idea how energy bars are made but my ingredients were mixed together with 2 eggs and a little water to a crumbly mixture. Of course I ground the flax to a meal 1st. Then I shaped them to a kind of shape that was convenient. Haha! There goes that "ding!".

Wow, they look great! I can' t wait to eat them. OK, I'll wait just 5 minutes. In the meantime, I'll take a picture.
















OK, maybe they don't look so great. But they are yummy! They taste like they could keep you full for hours. Haha! I like this kind of texture in my mouth -- hearty and meaty. Unlike the local bread, which I call 'Wussy Bread'. And those colourful flavoured breads from certain popular bakeries... eeks!

I wonder what possesed me to bake today. I don't bake much. I generally cook foods that can fill my large-capacity stomach. Which reminds me... I made a funny-looking salad yesterday! Dressed with home-made vinaigrette of course. I recommend this with BBQed meats. See!





















What's for lunch today? Some pork stew I made in the slow-cooker yesterday -- belly pork; carrots; ginger; preserved black beans... nothing super exciting. Tonight we're going to Bukit Panjang to try this tze char place recommended by the friends we are meeting. Not exciting to me, but the hubby likes this kind of food. Wonder if they'll let us bring our own wine. Perhaps a Reisling and a Shiraz.... :D Wash down all that oily food. (I wish!)

I wonder how long I'm gonna keep this up for.... ha...