lemons & oranges

S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant 2010

2010-05-30T22:20:00.009+08:00

HIGHLIGHTS:

The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant & The Acqua Panna European Best Restaurant: Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Eckart Witzigmann.
Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade: Ferran Adrià, Spain
The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in North America: Alinea, Chicago, USA.
The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in The Middle East & Africa: La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa.
The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America: D.O.M., Sao Paolo, Brazil.
The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia: Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan.
Chef’s Choice Award: The Fat Duck, Bray, UK.
The Highest Climber: Daniel, New York, USA.
Highest New Entry: Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland.
Restaurant Breakthrough Award: Marque, Sydney, Australia.

Behold, the Top 50...

Noma, Denmark (▲2) noma.dk
El Bulli, Spain (▼1) elbulli.com
The Fat Duck, UK (▼1) thefatduck.co.uk
El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (▲1) cellercanroca.com
Mugaritz, Spain (▼1) mugaritz.comx
Osteria Francescan, Italy (▲7) osteriafrancescana.it
Alinea, USA (▲3) alinea-restaurant.com
Daniel, USA (▲33) danielnyc.com
Arzak, Spain (▼1) arzak.es
Per Se, United States (▼4) perseny.com
Le Chateaubriand, France (▲29) +33 (0)1 43574595
La Colombe, South Africa (▲26) constantia-uitsig.com
Pierre Gagnaire, France (▼4) pierre-gagnaire.com
Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (▲2) philippe-rochat.ch
Le Bernardin, USA (=) le-bernardin.com
L’Astrance, France (▼5) lastrance.abemadi.com
Hof van Cleve, Belgium (▲9) hofvancleve.com
D.O.M., Brazil (▲6) domrestaurante.com.br
Oud Sluis, Holland (▲10) oudsluis.nl
Le Calandre, Italy (▲29) alajmo.it
Steirereck, Austria (▲9) steirereck.at/wien restaurant
Vendome, Germany (▲3) schlossbensberg.com
Chez Dominique, Finland (▼2) chezdominique.fi
Les Créations de Narisawa, Japan (▼4) narisawa-yoshihiro.com
Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (▲25) mathiasdahlgren.com
Momofuku Ssam Bar, USA (▲5) momofuku.com
Quay, Australia (▲19) quay.com.au
Iggy’s, Singapore (▲17) iggys.com.sg
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (▼11) joel-robuchon.com
Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland (New Entry) schauenstein.ch
Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (▲6) lequartier.co.za
The French Laundry, USA (▼20) frenchlaundry.com
Martin Berasategui, Spain (=) martinberasategui.com
Aqua, Germany (New Entry) restaurant-aqua.com
Combal Zero, Italy (▲7) combal.org
Dal Pescatore, Italy (▲12) dalpescatore.com
De Librije, Netherlands (New Entry) librije.com
Tetsuya’s, Australia (▼21) tetsyuas.com
Jaan par Andre, Singapore (New Entry) swissotel.com/singapore-stamford
Il Canto, Italy (New Entry) certosadimaggiano.com
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France (Re-entry) plaza-athenee-paris.com
Oaxen Krog, Sweden (▼10) oaxenkrog.se
St John, UK (▼29) stjohnrestaurant.com
La Maison Troisgros, France (Re-entry) troisgros.fr
wd~50, USA (Re-entry) wd-50.com
Biko, Mexico (New Entry) biko.com.m
Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (▼24) traube-tonbach.de
Nihonryori RyuGin, Japan (New Entry) nihonryori-ryugin.com
Hibiscus, UK (New Entry) hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk
Eleven Madison Park, USA (New Entry) elevenmadisonpark.com

And the rest on the list (51-100)...

Maison Pic, France, pic-valence.com
Jean Georges, USA, jean-georges.com
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, China, joel-robuchon.com
Wasabi, India, tajhotels.com
Robuchon A Galera, China, joel-robuchon.com
Bras, France, michel-bras.com
De Karmeliet, Belgium, dekarmeliet.be
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, UK, the-berkeley.co.uk
Lung King Heen, China, fourseasons.com
Rouge, Canada, rougecalgary.com
Etxebarri, Spain, asadoretxebarri.com
Tantris, Germany, tantris.de
Akelarre, Spain, akelarre.net
GästeHaus Klaus Erfort, Germany, gaestehaus-erfort.de
Bo Innovation, China, boinnovation.com
Zuma, London, zumarestaurant.com
Marque, Australia, marquerestaurant.com.au
Restaurant Sant Pau, Spain, ruscalleda.com
Chez Panisse, USA, chezpanisse.com
Quique Dacosta, Spain, elpoblet.com
Ristorante Cracco, Italy, ristorantecracco.it
Pujol, Mex, pujol.com.mx
Attica, Australia, attica.com.au
Rust En Vrede, South Africa, rustenvrede.com
Varvari, Russia, anatolykomm.ru
La Grenouillère, France, lagrenouillere.fr
Langdon Hall, Canada, langdonhall.ca
Les Amis, Singapore, lesamis.com.sg
Can Fabes, Spain, canfabes.com
La Gazzetta, France, lagazzetta.fr
Plavi Podrum, Croatia, gastronaut.hr
The River Café, UK, rivercafe.co.uk
Mirazur, France, mirzazur.fr
Gunther’s, Singapore, gunthers.com.sg
Doce Uvas, Russia, doceuvas.ru
Manresa, USA, manresarestaurant.com
Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy, enotecapinchiorri.com
Quintessence, Japan, quintessence.jp
JB Restavracija, Slovenia, jb-slo.com
Amber, China, mandarinoriental.com
Masa, USA, masanyc.com
Le Gavroche, UK, le-gavroche.co.uk
Café Pushkin, Russia, cafe-pushkin.ru
Semifreddo, Russia, semifreddo-restaurant.com
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, UK, alainducasse-dorchester.com
Cépage by Les Amis, Hong Kong, lesamis.com.sg
La Pergola, Italy, romecavalieri.it
Le Louis XV, France, alain-ducasse.com
Le Pré Catelan, France, precatelanparis.com
Amador, Germany, restaurant-amador.de

Singapore: The Culinary Star of SEA

2010-05-29T12:07:00.004+08:00

Singapore: The Culinary Star of SEA

Singapore continues to muscle its way into the world culinary stage with two restaurants on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant 2010 list.

Singapore’s Iggy’s, which debuted on the list last year, has climbed up 17 rung to stand proud at number 28, just inches away from the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia – the 24th seeded Les Creations de Narisawa of Tokyo, Japan.

Jaan Par Andre shares in the glory of being the only other South-East Asian restaurant to be on the top 50 list, thanks to Andre Chiang’s sensational creations of nouvelle French cuisine. The Stamford Swisshotel restaurant in Singapore impresses by taking the 39th position as a new entry on the list.

But after four consecutive years at the top (2005 through to 2009), Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli finds itself in second place this year as Copenhagen’s Noma took the coveted top slot with the most votes from the panel of international food experts and judges; Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck completes the top three line-up.

Organized by the UK’s Restaurant Magazine, the ‘Oscars’ of the global dining scene also acknowledge three chefs for their outstanding achievements: Ferran Adrià for Chef of the Decade, Heston Blumenthal for the Chef’s Choice Award, and Eckart Witzigmann for the Lifetime Achievement accolade.

PS: Andre Chiang will be leaving Jaan at the end of this month.

stir-fried cockle with pineapples

2010-04-20T00:09:00.004+08:00

2 tbsp peanut oil

handful curry leaves

2-3 tbsp chilli paste

180g-200g de-shelled cockles, marinated with the juice of one lime right before cooking

150g pineapples pieces

salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1 shot (30ml) rice wine

1 large onion, sliced

handful coriander, chopped

heat the oil in a skillet or wok and fry the curry leaves until fragrant and crunchy. add the chilli paste and saute on high heat until fragrant (be careful, it spatters. if it doesn't, your wok ain't hot enough). now throw in your cockles and pineapples. stir-fry for 2 minutes on high heat, season to taste and deglaze the wok with the wine. cook for a further half minute, stir in the onion and coriander and remove from heat. plate the cockles and sprinkle on some extra coriander for garnish, and flavour of course.

braised vege pasta in tomato curry sauce

2010-04-04T02:00:00.005+08:00

serves 2-3

1/2 brinjal, cut into large cubes
oil for deep frying
1 tbsps butter
1 medium-sized onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp curry powder, mixed with a little water to form a paste
1 cup tomato puree
2 cups vegetable/ chicken broth
1 red capsicum, seeded and sliced lengthwise
1/2 chinese napa cabbage, cut into thick slices
1 tbsp chopped parsley or basil
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
200g pasta, cooked to packet instructions

Sprinkle some salt over the brinjal and let sit for about 15 minutes to draw out its moisture, drain.
heat some oil in a saucepan. deep fry brinjal for 2-3 minutes; drain on paper towels.
remove and leave 1 tbsp of oil in the pan. add the butter and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
add the curry paste and fry till fragrant, and mix in the tomato puree and broth; bring to boil.
add the capsicum and simmer until it is limp, about 10 minutes.
add the napa cabbage and reserved brinjal; simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
season to taste with salt and mix in the chopped herb.
serve the braised vegetable over cooked pasta, with a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese shavings.

* i find that drawing the moisture out of brinjal/ eggplant/ aubergine and then deep frying them before braising makes the vegetable (er, technically, botanically it's considered a fruit, specifically a berry. seriously, wiki it.) sweeter in taste and it retains its shape better instead of turning totally mushy during cooking.

rambling about riedel

2010-03-21T03:08:00.007+08:00

so i'm officially an employee of The Star now. got my confirmation letter on friday, signed and sent it back to HR today so, hmm, yeah, i guess i'm stuck there for a while. lol, commitment phobe.

covered the Riedel glass tasting on wednesday. got a one-on-one interview with mr. georg riedel, a very imposing character. well-spoken and commands a lot of respect, and respect well deserved considering how far he has brought the company.

Riedel (pronounced "reedle," rhymes with needle) is a family owned Austrian crystal wine glass manufacturer, headed by 10th generation glassmaker Mr. Georg Riedel. Claus Riedel, Georg's father, was the first in history "who thought about wine friendly stemware," believing that the shape, size and rim diameter of a wine glass can significantly affect the enjoyment of wines.

after attending the glass tasting at hilton kl, i have to agree that using the right glass for the right wine could significantly enhance the taste and especially the smell of the wines. as for the material of the stemware, that was an area that we did not delve into, although my online research seems to suggest that there is little or no difference between using glass or plastic stemware of the same shape, size and rim diameter, except for the aesthetics.

which brings to mind a very good quote from mr riedel during the tasting: "if you truly want to insult me, call my glass pretty." they are pretty, but they are functionally pretty. riedel emphasises on grape varietal specific stemware, and to date there are 12 riedel collections, beginning with sommeliers by claus riedel, 10 more by georg riedel (including the Vinum XL collection which the tasting highlights), and the O collection by maximilian riedel.

haha, ok, getting a little academic there, sorry. i guess i'm sorta plotting out how i'm going to write the story.

so after the wine tasting, riedel's distributor in malaysia, muihua sdn bhd treated the media to a wine dinner at senses. and i gotta say, chef michael elfwing is a genius when it comes to food (and a very amicable guy).

his signature "smoking allowed..." first course is fantastical and will rock your pants off. "table smoked tasmanian ocean trout & sugar salted salmon, nordic deep sea shrimp with sour cream & chives." yes, table smoked. they brought out a jar with smoke still trapped in it, and out of the jar comes our smoked ocean trout, which is seasoned just right with a good dill flavour and oh-so-tasty. hmm, the shrimp was a tad chewy though. but, the dish still rox. (paired with clifford bay marlborough sauvignon blanc).

then there was the "wild caught itoyuri & alaskan king crab." seriously, king crab souffle? genius. another very satisfying course served with the yalumba eden valley wild ferment chardonnay. next up, a glass of louis jadot gevrey-chambertin served with elfwing's "french quail & butternut tart." the quail was stuffed with foie gras and their homemade wagyu bacon. sounds quite heavenly but i found the foie gras's flavour a tad liver-ish. maybe not fatty enough?

then the "tomahawk steak baked with hay" made quite a strong impression with the diners as elfwing wheeled it out still in the clay shell and cracked it open to reveal the huge slab of steak beautifully cooked to medium rare (or was it rare? er, was kinda tired at that point so my memory's a lil hazy. haha, didnt take that much note at that point since i'm not required to write abt the dinner.) the steak was yummy, and the hay flavour quite subtle. it was paired with don melchor cabernet sauvignon, which works fine with the steak but i made the mistake of taking a sip of it after a bite of the "senses black forrest" and the acidity of the wine hit me like a huge slap on the face. big mistake lol. would have graciously accepted the coffee if it wasn't already 11pm and i have to get up for work the next morn.

all in all, a nice event from a PR perspective. mr riedel had issues with one of the wines that was provided for the tasting but i guess i see his point. after all, his guide for picking wine glasses was this: spend as much on a glass as you would on a bottle of wine. good advice, but might present a problem though. in malaysia, wines dont come cheap and most of the wines that are consumed don't come close to the price tag of a riedel. there is a market for his wares in this country, but it's not that huge. perhaps that would change in time...

yawn. still have to cover the malaysia barista championship finals tmrw. night night.

sesame oil mee sua with hard boiled egg

2010-02-22T01:07:00.000+08:00

so we just finished prayers for the jade emperor's (tian gong) birthday. my mom was the one doing the prayers, i just helped her prep some of the food and wave some joss sticks around. and after all the prayers are done -- paper house and paper gold burned, god munched down the spirit of the food offerings -- whatever was placed on the altar can now be packed up, preferably in our stomachs. so, i whipped together the mee sua and red-dyed hard boiled egg into a delightfully satisfying late night snack. (emphasis on snack. u'd want to increase the amount of mee sua if this is gonna be your main meal.)

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 fish balls, halved
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp shao xing rice wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp salt to taste
2 bundles mee sua
handful torn lettuce leaves (cos or iceberg)
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced or quartered
handful coriander leaves
chopped spring onion
fried garlic
pinch ground white pepper

heat the oil in a saucepan. saute the garlic on medium low heat until just beginning to brown.
add the fish balls and fry on high heat for about 1 minute. season with white pepper, soy sauce and rice wine; cook for another minute.
add the chicken stock and bring to boil.
season to taste with salt and add the mee sua and lettuce leaves. cook for a minute on medium heat, separating the mee sua with chopsticks.
remove from heat. divide the mee sua, fish balls, lettuce and soup between two bowls.
top each bowl with an egg each, some coriander leaves, spring onion, fried garlic and white pepper.
serve immediately.

note: sadly, my bowl of mee sua didn't actually have spring onions in it, but it still tasted great. it'd be much better with it though.

thanks tseyein for taking the pikchar.

quick update

2009-12-29T02:49:00.003+08:00

so as the title suggests, i'll keep this short.

firstly, apologies to my one and only follower on this pathetically miserable blog that doesn't get updated. haha, sorry. u know how i am.

anyway, i got a job as a sub-editor with Flavours magazine (owned by Star Publications), and that's taking up a huge chunk of my life. i've literally worked every damn day since i started work there on dec14, 2009. no kidding. public holidays, saturdays and sundays. the only days i've had off are dec25 for my christmas party, and yesterday and today coz i'm on MC for conjunctivitis. bleh.

so yeah, if u think that getting a job at a food magazine is gonna give me more time to cook, hells no. i get lots of inspiration for food (i spend the whole day reading recipes and articles about food and wine), but i don't get much of a chance to try them. so that sucks. it's kinda like sucking the life out of my passion for food. after a while, every recipe i read feels like a bore.

i'm digressing. my point is, i have a lot more things to say regarding food nowadays, but much less time to do it. i've also accumulated a lot of recipes but no time to publish it. i do sometimes log on to nibbledish to post my recipes coz i have more than one follower on that site. and no, i don't mean just two. i actually have a pretty decent sized following there. pro ranking okay, don't play play. so, check things out over there when things are quiet here.

i will attempt to keep this food blog more updated. (note to self: posts on christmas dinner and all the yummeh yummeh foods that night; high tide; and things-i-don't-like-abt-nibbledish-since-yongfook-sold-it.) till then, happy food hunting.

ps: this sub-ed did not proofread this post coz she needs to go rest her inflammed eyes. gotta work tmrw, good night.

Tuna & Rocket Pasta

2009-10-06T19:36:00.012+08:00

the ingredients...

1 can (200g) tuna (preferably in brine)
200 ml whipping cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion (yellow or red works), roughly chopped
handful of sweet basil
50g rocket leaves
2 tbsp butter
100 ml melted butter or olive oil
6-8 pitted black olives, sliced
4 servings spaghetti or fettucini
salt, white pepper and freshly cracked black pepper.

the method...

Start cooking the spaghetti/fettucini as per packet instructions.
Get a skillet heated and melt the 2 tbsp butter. Fry the garlic and onion on medium heat until fragrant. Don't let it brown.
Add the whipping cream and bring it to boil. Remove from heat.
Place the tuna and basil leaves in a blender or food processor. Pour in the contents of the skillet and process until smooth. With the motor still running, drizzle in the melted butter/olive oil. Season with salt and white pepper.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving abt 1/2 cup liquid. Pour in the processed sauce and half the rocket leaves. Mix well.
Divvy up the pasta and sauce onto four serving dishes. Garnish with the other half of the rocket leaves and some freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with a slice of garlic bread to soak up the yummy sauce.
Bon appetit!

photo courtesy of tsewei...

SoCo Orange Scallops

2008-09-08T03:26:00.004+08:00

classes started already, which means i don't have as much time to cook anymore :(
it's sunday, and after a night of drinking at my room party (roomie's bday) yesterday, i guess i can spare some time to make some yummy scallops with, wait for it... a shot of southern comfort. yes, waking up and doing more drinking. it's not my soco though, it's jerez's, but since he left it behind, i decided to steal one shot. just a shot jerez, please don't get mad. me makes u food next time ok?

ingredients:

7 sea scallops
150ml orange juice
1 shot Southern Comfort
1 tbsp butter
sliced mushrooms
chopped spring onions
salt
white pepper
garlic powder
chili powder

this is how we party...

wash scallops, pat dry with paper towel.
season both sides with salt, white pepper, garlic powder and chili powder.
heat butter in pan until it's smoking hot.
place seasoned scallops (wide side down) in a single layer. no sliding, no moving... no, don't you dare touch those scallops once they're down!
gently turn them over with thongs after 1 1/2 minutes, and sear for another minute.
plate the scallops.
now add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. stir fry on medium heat for 2 minutes, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
scoop out the mushrooms and place them over the scallops.
turn up the heat to high, add the shot of southern comfort and orange juice to the pan. boil for 5 minutes until the soco orange is reduced to a syrup.
pour the SoCo orange reduction over the scallops and mushrooms.
garnish with the chopped spring onions and serve.

this is a great appetizer. the scallops are nice and juicy, and eaten with the sauce, there's a symphony of sweetness, salty and tangy feeling, and just a teeny weeny bit spicy.

don't overcook the scallops! it becomes tough and rubbery, and when juices starts oozing out, u know it's too far gone. keep track of the cooking time, and keep an eye on the color of the scallops. as soon as they turn from translucent to opaque, get them off the heat!

Nasi Lemak & Chicken Curry

2008-09-02T15:05:00.005+08:00

a truly Malaysian cuisine, made using ingredients that are more readily available in America.

ingredients for making nasi lemak...

1 cup white rice (preferably Jasmine)
1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup coconut milk (unsweetened, first pressed)
4 bay leaves
3/4 tsp salt

directions for making the nasi lemak...

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Strain and pour into a pot. Add the salt, bay leaves and water and soak for 15 minutes.
Place the pot of rice on high heat and bring to a boil with the lid on. Keep a close watch on it so that it won’t leak out when it starts boiling or else you’ll have such a fun time cleaning up the stove.
Anyway, once it comes to a boil, add the coconut milk, stir, place the lid back on, turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring once or twice in the last 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

ingredients for making chicken curry...

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 carrot, diced
1 1/2 cup water (potato)
4 pieces chicken thigh, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tsp lemon grass mash
3 tsp garlic mash
2 tsp ginger mash
3 tbsp soy sauce
pepper (preferably white)
6 bay leaves
4 heap tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup water (curry paste)
3 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 white onion, diced
2 tbsp rice wine, or any cooking sherry
1 cup coconut milk
1 cube chicken consomme (15g)
salt

directions for making the chicken currt...

Marinate the chicken in the lemon grass, garlic and ginger mash with the soy sauce, bay leaves and pepper for about 10 minutes.
Fill a pot with 1 ½ cup water seasoned with salt and add the potatoes. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the diced carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Mix the curry powder with ½ cup of water to form a paste.
Heat the peanut oil in a large pot and fry the diced onion until translucent. Add the chicken fry for about 3 minutes, then the curry paste and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add in the rice wine and empty the potatoes, carrots and its liquids into the pot. Pour the coconut milk in and add the chicken consommé cube. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt to taste.

to assemble this dish...

divide the rice between the dishes and pour the chicken curry over the rice.
add to each serving a hard boiled egg, 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, some celery or cucumber sticks, and garnish with chopped cilantro and chili.
serves 3-4 people.

let's talk about OSF...

2008-09-01T20:00:00.000+08:00

what is OSF u say? well, the full name is Open Source Food. this is the website i have been frequenting and updating a lot recently, and in the process of that, neglecting my lemons & oranges food blog. yes, i know, i am... ashamed. but not that much! because OSF is THE best food website i have ever came across. they have tonnes of recipes there and each and every recipe comes equiped with gorgeous pictures that will make u wanna reach out and grab the food right out of the screen. trust me, if u're ever stuck for an idea of what to cook for a party of 5 or just for urself, this is the best place to visit. everytime i get onto that website, i get a surge of creative buzz that makes me wanna make shitload of crazyassed food. yes, it is that insanely good.

what i love most about this website is the OSF community. we get people from all over the world, many of them are like me who have left their home country and transplanted themselves in a foreign place and a different food culture. the result? lots of recipes from every continent, and also a lot of fusion food. this website, unlike most others, is also very south-east-asian centered as the creater of OSF (yongfook) is, according to his website, half Singaporean Chinese. well, he is also half British and is a web producer based in Tokyo and runs OSF as a personal project and probably earning quite a bit of $$$ from the advertising. don't get me wrong, the website is not overloaded with ads, thank goodness, it's just that he has some pretty big names lining up to advertise on OSF (jamie oliver and gordon ramsay, or is it bourdain? cant quite remember, but, u get the picture). anyway, yongfook is also a bloooody good cook.

but, back to the website. yeah, like i said, love the community. u get anything from novice chefs and simple recipes to professional chefs with absolutely delectable treats. heck, one of the chefs i follow on OSF was a private chef to antonio banderas, eddie murphy and also microsoft's paul allen... so yeah, recipes with different skill levels. and if u come across something u don't know, just ask. everyone is very nice, friendly and helpful.

trust me, i'm not the only one who raves about OSF. the website was launched in march 2007 (i believe) and since then OSF has been featured in TIME's 50 Best Websites 2008 and also in Food and Drink magazine. even australian celebrity chef benjamin christie blogged about it.

so, what can u do on OSF? browse recipes! this is the place for all food lovers. if u cook, take some pretty pictures and post up your recipes. if you're like me and doesn't always measure your ingredients when you cook, what the heck, post up your recipes anyway. maybe the noobs wont know how to make it, but the more experienced ones will know how to approximate the stuff on their own. some recipes are featured on the home page and you can also see which recipes have recently been commented on. browse recent recipe additions or browse by which recipes are popular. if you like a particular recipe, vote on it it'll appear on your profile with a list of your fav recipes (by other users), and u can go back to it when u wanna have another look. if you like the recipes by one of the users, u can become a groupie and follow their progress on OSF. say u're looking at a particular pasta recipe, the bottom of the page will showcase other related recipes by other users based on the tags. that's right, tags. they're your best friend when you're trying to search for recipes. too much lemons left in the fridge? no problemo. the search engine will generate a list of recipes that uses lemons and u can start pickling, juicing and cooking those lemons in no time.

being on OSF is just soooo much fun. it's also wayyy easy to navigate. no kidding. download squad and appscout (amongst others) gives this website 2 thumbs up... fuss free interaction on one of the best food communities. a site for foodies by foodies.

if you're here on my blog, you're obviously a food lover too. so, what are u waiting for? go start an account at OSF NOW!!!

enjoy! :)

garlic mash

2008-08-28T08:11:00.003+08:00

this garlic mash is useful when u want to infuse a smooth sauce with garlic flavor without compromising the texture. great as rubs on meat and poultry as well.

get a few bulbs of garlic. peel away the outer layers of skin (except the immediate layer of skin surrounding each individual clove) and leave the cloves intact to the bulb. using a knife, cut off the top of the bulbs so that each clove has it's top end removed. place the garlic bulbs on a tray and bake in preheated oven at 350-400F for abt 30 minutes. remove from the oven, let cool, and then squeeze the garlic (each individual clove) out of its jacket into an airtight jar. store in the refrigerator up to 3 months, possibly more.

cheesecake factory

2008-08-04T11:10:00.005+08:00

cosy lil restaurant i went to in boston. as the name suggests, they specialise in cheesecakes. kinda like secret recipe back in malaysia, just with much better selection of food. i mean, like, it's a real restaurant and all. lots of different food items in the menu. great seafood selection. good service. nice atmosphere. decent pricing. awesome...

*me and the jojo at cheesecake factory during winter...

i've been there twice, once in december (with jojo, tiffany and yiran) and again a few weeks ago. and both times i ordered fried calamari. yup, like i said, crazy asian's love for seafood. muahaha... so, yeah, the calamari was yum. totally satisfied my cravings for fried calamari which i've been deprived of in oswego. i had fried calamari twice in my recent boston trip. the other time was at pizza uno, like 2 days before my cheesecake factory trip. the pizza uno's fried calamari was not bad. interesting that they had some fried yellow peppers with it and it was served with marinara sauce, but i wasn't quite satisfied coz it was pricier and half the serving size of what cheescake factory gave me. hence, me gobbling down fried calamari again so soon after i've had it.

anyways, i wish i'll have another chance to go there. like i said, i was very impressed by their selection of seafood. and from the looks of the food served to other tables, they are pretty nicely done. cant wait to try out their salmon...

Shrimp Salad

2008-08-03T11:34:00.011+08:00

i went down to one of the cafes in the new campus center for lunch on friday with patrick and amazingly, they had boiled shrimps at their salad bar!!! must be my lucky day coz i hardly ever eat at the campus center during summer unless patrick comes and drags me over, but they've never served shrimps at the salad bar everytime i've been there. anyway, i proceeded to make myself a shrimp salad, got myself some new england clam chowder (to which i added more shrimps) and a bottle of orange juice. lunch came up to $7.50 or so. it... was... yummy!!!

...but that wasn't enough. once i was done with lunch, i went back to the salad bar and bought more shrimps! lol, to the amusement of patrick, who sorta understands the crazy asians' love for all things seafood (ok, not ALL seafood, but most seafood. i mean, sea cucumber? yuck...) since he has a chinese girlfriend.

coincidentally i did just buy some mixed greens, my favourite romaine lettuce, and cherry tomatoes. hehe, which means... more shrimp salads to come!!! yay...

so, yeah, i just finished eating my shrimp salad supper. burp. excuse me. here's the recipe... nothing special, but a totally fantabulous salad.

chop up some fresh romaine lettuce, pile it on top of some mixed greens. dump in some cherry/grape tomatoes. add some croutons, then flood it with lotsa small chilled boiled shrimps. sprinkle some black pepper. now top up with some thousand island dressing.

i mixed the thousand island dressing with equal parts mayonnaise and some lemon juice to tone down the sweetness and tangy taste of the thousand island dressing.

voila.

photoshopping

2008-08-02T04:06:00.006+08:00

well, got bored, and decided to do a little photoshopping...

i'm gonna go print it out and use it as a bookmark. want one?

blueberry pie (croissant crust)

2008-07-31T07:39:00.005+08:00

well, here's a lazy assed way to make pie. if u ever need to get to a potluck but all the ez stuff to make (like potato salad) is already being prepared by someone else, run down the store, and get these ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls
1/2 can blueberry pie filling
9-inch pie plate
apricot jam

in half an hour's time, u'll have a beautiful blueberry pie which u can tell people that u (sorta) made it urself.... haha, cheater bug... but who cares? in today's society, no one's really gonna be up ur arse if u didn't make every aspect of that dish from scratch.

so, here's how u do it:

unroll the dinner rolls.
arrange the 8 triangular rolls on the pie plate into an 8-edged star, with about 3 inches of the narrow end of the tip extending from the rim of the pie plate.
trim and patch the dinner rolls so that the base of the pie plate is evenly covered.
spoon blueberry pie filling onto the base.
bring the tips of the dinner rolls over the filling towards the center of the pie.
bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes at 350F.
heat some apricot jam with some water and brush it over the pie crust.
let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

* pie in picture was left in the oven a lil too long and i also ran out of jam so no glaze. still tastes good though.

tada... now wait for the pat on your back..

turkey bacon burger patties

2008-07-18T19:19:00.003+08:00

this recipe combines two of america's favorite meat: turkey & bacon... a great fourth of july burger! place it on a grill while watching the spectacular fireworks... shiok!

Ingredients:

0.65lb grounded turkey
8oz bacon
1 medium sized large onion
1/2 bulb garlic
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
8 tbsp honey bbq sauce
2 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp vege oil
3 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste
handy food processor

Directions:

peel and cut the ends off the onion and garlic. cut the onion into decent sizes and dump them into the food processor with the garlic and pulverize it. transfer the garlic onion mix to a pan and add the oils (all 3 kinds). turn on the heat to medium high and stir fry it, slowly reducing the heat bit by bit. just cook until fragrant but not browned. remove from heat and let cool.

now cut the bacon into more manageble sizes and dump them into the food processor with the cilantro. let the machine to its work.

mix together all the ingredients listed (except the food processor of course).
heat a little glug of oil in a pan and then add a small dollop of the patty mixture to the pan. fry on medium low heat until cooked through. let it cool and give the patty a try. check to make sure that its taste is to your liking and also that the burger patty binds properly.
once well adjusted, shape the meat mixture into burger sized patties (this recipe makes abt 8 servings of half inch patties) and package them in foil. freeze until ready to cook.

flaming b52 shot

2008-07-18T17:45:00.002+08:00

so... i decided to make myself a b52 shot on thursday night, and offered to make one for my friend too. next thing i know, there's ppl knocking on my door and more and more ppl just started popping up and what started as a mini recreational drinking session turned into a full fledged room party all the way up to 5am with ppl leaving my room completely trashed. haha, sweet...

i generally dont do shots but i've come to love this drink a lot. it costs a bomb but i make it pretty often and my friends loves it too...

get a clean shotglass. equip each bottle with a speed pourer. fill 1/3 of the shotglass with kahlua. then another 1/3 with baileys irish cream poured over the back of a spoon or ice-cream stick. top with 1/3 of cointreau also poured over the back of a spoon. light it on fire, enjoy the flame for abt 5-10 seconds. blow it out, and bottoms up!

this drink is layered so that the cointreau (40% alcohol) is on top for flaming purposes and to give the drink a kick. the center layer of baileys helps support the cointreau while the bottom most layer is kahlua so that u'll get a nice aftertaste.

a note to fellow pyromaniacs. try not to watch the flame for too long. i know it's pretty but u'll end up burning ur lips if u let it heat the rim of the shotglass for too long.

sorry for the fuzzy pic, the photographer was a little tipsy... hehe... (._.)

creamy pesto pasta

2008-06-09T09:13:00.003+08:00

served with prawns/shrimps sauted with garlic and chili powder, garnished with spring onions.

ingredients
1 pkt Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
8 oz pasta, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sausages/hotdogs, cut diagonally

directions
premix the pesto sauce with milk. heat oil in a pan and stir fry garlic until fragrant, add the sausages and fry for another minute. add the pesto milk mixture and bring it to a boil. turn off the heat, stir in the pasta and serve. makes abt 3 dishes.

microwave potato

2008-06-09T07:31:00.003+08:00

yes, i am that lazy.

instead of boiling a pot of water to cook my potato, i've decided to stuff it in the microwave. here's how u can do it too...

scrub clean a potato and remove any sprouts. puncture some holes all over the potato (to let out the steam when cooking so ur spud won't explode) and then place it in a bowl with about 2-3 tbsp water. place it in the microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes, then turn the potato over and add another 1 1/2 minutes of cooking time. poke the potato with a fork and if it goes through easy it should be ready.

this cooking time is for a fist sized potato. larger potatoes takes up to 5-6 minutes each. if you're unsure of the cooking time, just repeat the process of turning the potato over after every minute of cooking time, and keep testing it with a fork until it's cooked.

serve the potato with a chunk of butter, some salt and pepper. simply delicious. an egg salad works too.

EZ cheese baked rice

2008-05-19T05:54:00.002+08:00

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Reheat some overnight rice and layer it at the bottom of the tray. Add some sausage (aka hotdog in america) chunks and layer some provolone or swiss cheese over it. Open a can of campbell cream of mushroom or chicken soup. Spoon it over the rice and sausage. Cover with generous amounts of shredded mozarella. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F until the mozarella crust is slightly golden brown. Mix well, spoon onto a plate, sprinkle with spring onion, parsley or basil and serve. Add chili for some reddish decoration.

One-Pot Chicken & Potato Bake

2008-05-19T05:40:00.002+08:00

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, cut into wedges
3 pieces chicken thigh, cut into 1 inch strips
2 oranges, cut into wedges
3 tbsp melted butter or olive oil
2 tbsp dried oregano
6 clove garlic, crushed with the back of a knife
1/2 large onion, cut into large quarter-moon shaped pieces
6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch strips (optional)
salt & pepper

Directions:
Toss and mix the ingredients well (except the bacon). place them on a baking tray in a single layer and bake in preheated oven at 400F for 20 minutes, toss again at half time. add the bacon strips 5 minutes before it is done. serve with buttered corn or salad.

* the orange can be ommited, i just really love the flavor of oranges.

* add carots if you'd like more variety of vegetables in the mix.

Orange Glazed Lamb Chop

2007-11-24T09:38:00.003+08:00

this is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying meals i've had since i came here. i'm gonna go get more lamb chops. it's much cheaper than beef and sooo easy to cook. this time, i can savely say that the lamb chops are cooked to perfection. definitely beats any lamb chops i've tried in restaurants...

Ingredients:
2 lamb chops
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
or 2 tsp mashed garlic
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:
Season the lamb chops with garlic, salt and pepper. On a large frying pan, heat the oil and lay the lamb chops without overlapping. Fry for 6 minutes on medium-high heat. Turn the lamb chops over and fry for another 5 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a warm plate and keep it warm while we make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and orange juice. Pour it into the pan and turn up the heat to high. Boil uncovered (about 5 minutes) until the sauce is reduced to half and the sauce thickens (it becomes very bubbly, and the bubbles have a brownish coating and doesen't break that easily). Pour the orange glaze over the lamb and serve with potatoes.

Tips & Hints:
* For lamb chops, chose loin, ribs, sirloin or blade chops. Make sure the cut is at least 1 inch thick.
* The garlic gets rid of the strong lamb flavor that many throws many people off of lamb.
* When frying the lamb, once you've laid the lamb on the pan, DO NOT MOVE IT. The heat and oil will caramelize the lamb creating a layer of crust preventing the juices of the lamb from leaking out.
* The 5 minutes sitting time (while you're making the glaze) allows the internal temperature to cook the center of the lamb chop without overcooking the sides.
* To health conscious people, please do not trim off the fat of the lamb chops before cooking. We need the fat there as it gives a smoky flavor. Animal lard, including butter, have a low smoke point, which is the temperature when the heat starts breaking down the fat, releasing smoke in the process. You may discard the fat when u're eating the chops.
* Works great on steak as well.
* Alternatively, one can use Chicken instead of lamb for this recipe. Depending on the thickness of your cut of chicken, reduce the cooking time by about 2-3 minutes.

i miss my photographers...

2007-11-23T05:20:00.000+08:00

they're back in malaysia, hence, no pics for my food. if anyone tries these recipes, please take pretty pictures of it and send it to me, i'll post it up on this blog. thousand appologies and many thanks in advance for the pictures...

oh, and it's turkey day today... Happy Thanksgiving!

Microwave Chicken Rice

2007-11-23T05:09:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rice, rinsed
2/3 cup water
1 whole chicken leg
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt & pepper
3 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped

Directions:
1. De-bone the chicken leg and cut it into long strips. Marinade it with salt and pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a large Tupperware, microwave the rice and water uncovered for 9 minutes.
3. Stir the rice and add in the marinated chicken strips. Cover and microwave it for 4 minutes.
4. Stir the rice again and microwave it for another 2 minutes.
5. Remove from the microwave and let stand for 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the spring onions and serve.

* use jasmine rice
* coz i live in a dorm, and microwaving is the easiest way to cook food, hence this recipe...

Baked Oregano Fries

2007-11-21T04:34:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into 1 cm cube sticks
3 frankfurters, cut into 0.5 cm diagonal slices
1 large onions, cut into thick slices
½ bulb garlic, cut into thick slices
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp extra salt

Directions:
Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover over the potatoes. Add the extra salt and place the pot over high heat to bring it to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once half way through. Remove from heat and strain. Preheat the oven to 400F. On a large baking tray, mix well the strained potatoes with the rest of the ingredients, except the frankfurters. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the frankfurters and mix well before returning it to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

* Frankfurters: a.k.a. sausages (to Malaysians), and a.k.a. hotdogs (to Americans)

* For a vegetarian fare, just leave out the franks, but still remember to toss the potatoes 5 minutes before it's done.

* Alternatively, use 1 tbsp of grounded dried rosemary instead of the oregano and basil

* Serve with roast chicken, roast turkey, grilled fish... etc. etc. etc.

Cantonese Pork Porridge / Congee

2007-10-01T13:21:00.000+08:00

Porridge Ingredients:
¼ cup long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ tsp salt

Minced Pork Ingredients:
½ cup minced pork
2 shallots, extra, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, extra, finely chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil, extra
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the rice with water twice, pouring away excess liquids. Then in a bowl, add some water from the 2 cups in the recipe, just enough to cover over the rice. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a nonstick pot, heat the vegetable oil and fry the shallots for 5 minutes. Add the sesame oil and garlic and fry for another minute or until the garlic becomes aromatic.

3. Turn the stove on to high heat and add the rice into the pot, including the liquids. Stir fry it until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.

4. Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and the remaining water. Add the salt and place a lid over the pot and bring it to boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and let it simmer for 1 1/2 hour. Don’t forget to stir it every 5 to 10 minutes, stirring more frequently as it nears the 1 ½ hour mark.

5. While waiting for the porridge to cook, prepare the minced pork by mixing all the ingredients together. Separate the minced pork into half teaspoon sized balls and place them on a large oiled plate.

6. When the 1 ½ hour is up, use a tablespoon and gently slide the minced pork one by one into the simmering porridge, stirring the porridge occasionally to avoid letting the pork stick together. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.

7. Pour the lightly beaten egg over the porridge, and stir the porridge 3 to 4 times, pausing for 30 seconds or so before mixing it evenly. Let it simmer for another minute before removing it from the heat.

8. Divide the porridge into 2 bowls. Serve to taste with pepper, soy sauce, fried garlic oil, sesame oil, roughly chopped coriander, and finely chopped spring onions.

* * * * * * *

* for anyone living in america, please use thai jasmine rice. dont use yellow or brown rice, it doesnt have the same flavor. look for Thai Kitchen brand's select harvest jasmine rice.

** yes it takes a long time to make this but it's worth the time and effort. since u have to stay in the kitchen to watch over and stir the porridge, best thing to do is to use the time to prepare other food stuff, like marinating beef or chicken and pack it seperately so u can easily defrost the portions u want and cook it when u're hungry.

american food...

2007-09-08T03:25:00.000+08:00

as u may or may not know, i'm stuck in US of A right now, somewhere in NY state in a little county callsed Oswego. i really really miss malaysian food, and me mommy's cooking. if somebody reads this, please fedex nasi lemak, rojak & cendol (frm tmn megah), roti telur bawang, teh ais, mee goreng, taufufar, gungfuchao yeemin, wattanhor, charkueyteow, wantanmee and muichoi zhuyoke, pls pls pls pretty pls?

i've been here for 2 weeks now... the food here is, by american cafeteria standards, quite good. but if u are a food loving malaysian like me, u'll most likely be half dead by now.

starting with my fav food, pasta... the pasta's all soggy and overcooked, and they only know how to eat it with 2 kinds of sauces, alfredo and tomato paste... actually, it makes me wonder why they bother with having the sauces since they drown everything with parmesan cheese. trust me, when u eat the pasta here, the only thing u can taste is their horrible, horrible parmesan. oh, and their instant mac and cheese tastes nasty...

they put cheese into everything... but their cheese sucks... my french friends are always complaining abt the cheese... they said that cheese in france is ALIVE, with all the delicious bacteria crawling around, and mold growing on top.... hahhaa... yeah, so i met this girl who tells me she puts cheese into her ramen........ omg, like, who eats ramen like that?!?
i havent tried their ramen before (like our maggi mee), but my roommate chantal is cooking it now and it doesnt smell too bad, in fact, i'm real hungry now... i bought 2 packets d, maybe i'll try tonight.

oh, and their rice... tasteless and textureless... what happenned to the nice smelling jasmine rice we always eat at home? the ones that smells real good the moment u open the rice cooker... i mean, what they eat here, is NOT rice. it was the point when i ate the rice here that i decided that i shd go out and get some pots and pans to start cooking REAL FOOD. and lucky me, i found jasmine rice hiding in one corner of the grain section 3 days ago at price chopper so yay, i can start eating rice soon.

ok, so the rice and pasta are my main complains... the rest of the food is quite ok, the tortillas are not bad really... but stuff like salmon and steak are overcooked so everything's really dry. their vegies are only ever eaten in 2 ways, overcooked stir fry with butter, which only ever features broccolli and carrots... and eaten raw as salad, with the same kind of leafy vege everyday, and only with thousand island sauce. sigh...

oooh, but i like their quiche though, but they've only had it once. 3 diff kinds of baby quiche, seafood, spinach, and smtg else i dont remember. it's really nice though...

i cooked pasta last weekend... bacon and porcini mushroom penne carbonara. was sharing the kitchen with four other latino girls and it was damn crammed. we ended up sharing our food with each other. they made plantains with crispy salami. it was kinda nice... oh, and i gave some pasta to my roommate as well and she loved it... so now i'm supposed to teach her how to cook over the semester.

what else? oh, yeah, i ordered chinese take out from Food Chow City III, this szechuan, hunan & cantonese style place voted as best chinese cuisine restaurant by the readers of the local paper, the Palladium times. it wasnt too bad. by PJ standards it would have been pretty bad but at least it tastes ok enough... so, got my first fortune cookie, and it's still sitting on my table. i dunno why, i dont feel like eating or even opening it.

ok, enuf talking abt food for now, i'm damn hungry now and my dining hall has just opened for dinner so i'm going down for some food. there's seafood on the menu today, i hope it's good. like ppl here dont eat seafood, and they live right by the lake. so weird. there was this cashier at price chopper who wouldnt even touch the packet of clams this guy in front of me was paying for.

oh well, AMERICANS...
crazy, but lovin' it...

PS: i miss curry... and thai food... green curry... i think i'm going nuts thinking abt food...

vodka melon punch!

2007-08-20T20:30:00.000+08:00

my mom made a virgin melon punch for a party coz there were kids around. i've tweaked it up a bit for a more adult crowd and it tastes fantastic!

you need...
1 large ripe honeydew
1 extra large punch bowl
melon scoop
blender
3 litres ice-cream soda
1 1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup cointreau
1/2 cup water

this is how you do it...
cut the honeydew in half, deseed it, and start making little round balls of honeydew with the melon scooper. you can drop the load of honeydew balls straight into the punch bowl. now, dig or cut out the leftover oddly shaped honeydew, cut it into pieces and place it in the blender. add the 1/2 cup water to the blender and process until smooth. pour the honeydew juice into the punch bowl, and wash the sides of the blender with a little more water to get all the juice out. now add in the ice-cream soda, vodka and cointreau. mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve. place a large block of ice in the punch bowl to keep the drink cool throughout the party.

* if you're feeling lazy or just dont have the time for melon scoopers, just cut the honeydew into 1cm cubes.
* add the juice of 1 lemon if you fancy it being less sweet.
* alternatively, you can use tequila instead of vodka.
* if you're out of cointreau, replace it with any other brands of triple sec.

Cheese Baked Lobster

2007-08-20T17:10:00.000+08:00

for yoon chun...

Ingredients
2 lobster (1.5 pounds each)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp soft butter
½ large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp rice wine
½ tbsp basil, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with lemon wedges
Chili powder/paprika powder/finely chopped chili

Directions

1. To steam the lobster, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tbsp of salt to the water. Place the lobsters in a pan, and place the pan (above the boiling water) within the pot. Cover and let boil. Steam for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from the steamer. Save the liquids left in the pan.

2. While the lobster is steaming, heat the milk in a small nonstick pot and bring it to boil. Once boiling, quickly reduce it to a simmer and stir in the cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Add the lemon juice and 1 tsp basil. Stir well and remove the pan from heat.

3. Place the steamed lobster on its back and firmly grasp its head. Using a chef’s knife (with a sharp tip), cut the lobster lengthwise from the abdomen (where the head and body connects) to the tail. Then rotate the lobster around and this time hold on to the tail and cut it lengthwise from the abdomen towards the head. You may want to remove the claws and legs ahead of cutting if you wish to serve it without them. You may also choose to discard the stomach sac and feather gills from the head, and the intestinal thread. (Some people enjoy the flavors of the stomach sacs). Please refer to this website for further pictorial instructions on how to cut and clean lobsters.

4. In a sauce pan, heat the butter and stir fry the onion and garlic until fragrant but not browned. Add in the reserved lobster liquids and rice wine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring it to boil. Add ½ tbsp basil and removed from heat.

5. Arrange the lobsters shell side down on two oven-prove serving dishes. Spoon some of the lobster sauce on the flesh of each lobster. Then spoon generous amounts of the cheese sauce over the lobster. Sprinkle the top with some paprika powder/chili powder/chopped chili. Place in a preheated oven and bake on moderate heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2.

ham & mushroom carbonara pasta

2007-08-05T00:45:00.001+08:00

my good friend kenneth requested to have another taste of my carbonara pasta before i fly off to the states so we were at bangkung park last night with jojo, sheila and josh, and this is what i served them...

heat 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet and leave it on medium heat. saute 1 roughly chopped large onion for 2 minutes. add 5 cloves of minced garlic and continue to saute for another minute or so until fragrant. add in 8 shitake mushrooms (thinly sliced), season with a pinch of salt and generous dashes of black pepper, and saute for 2 minutes. stir in 5 slices of ham (cut in cubes or strips) and fry for another minute. then pour in 750ml (or 3 cups) of whipping cream, season with salt to taste and slowly bring it to boil. let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tbsp of finely chopped basil. gently drizzle in 2 egg yolks (lightly beaten and mixed with 1 tsp water), stirring throughout the process. served warm over pasta (250 g) cooked as per packet instructions. serves 5 pax.

* even though i actually used angel hair pasta on this recipe, i recommend using fettucine (flat & thin), fusili (2 or 3 edged spiral) or penne (medium length tubes cut diagonally at both ends) pasta for better sauce retention and maximum flavor. these types of pasta are common enough to find at most supermarkets.

* how not to burn your butter when pan frying: 2 parts vegetable oil, 1 part butter. the butter is for flavoring only so you dont actually need too much of it.

* if you're using dried shitake mushrooms, soak them in warm water at least 4 hours ahead of cooking.

* i used EMBORG brand's UHT whipping cream for this recipe. if you are using ANCHOR brand's whipping cream, you can cut down the simmering time to just 2 minutes as anchor's cream is thicker in consistency.

* you can forgo the basil leaves if you cant get your hands on any. it's a pretty common herb, available in most major supermarkets (although giant is not exactly prompt in restocking their supplies) and at wet markets.

* try to avoid reheating the sauce after adding the egg. you dont want to compromise the smooth texture of the sauce and turn it lumpy.

tsemeiroquai, over and out...

potato salad

2007-07-14T20:36:00.000+08:00

here's the thing, potato salads doesnt have to be made up of potatoes only.

assuming that you're not providing this to a vegetarian party, this recipe is the ideal thing to bring to a port luck. easy to make and guranteed to taste good.

1. peel the skin off 3 large potatoes and give it a good rinse. cut them into large bite sized chunks and place them in a pot and fill it with water enough to cover over the potatoes. add 1 heap tsp of salt to the water. place the pot on the stove and bring it to boil. then, lower the heat and let it simmer for 12 minutes or until the the potato is cooked. (test by poking a fork or satay stick into the potatoes. it should penetrate it with ease). once cooked, drain the water off and let it cool.

2. in another pot of boiling water, cook 3 whole sausages for 3 minutes. remove the sausages and let cool. in the same pot of boiling water, cook 5 crab fillament sticks for 1 minute, remove and let cool. cut the sausages into little coin shaped pieces and the crab fillament sticks in approximately the same size.

3. (shortened instructions: boil 2 eggs (hardboiled), let cool, remove the shells, and cut them into rough chunks.)
place 2 eggs (room temperature. if you store your eggs in the fridge, it's advisable to let it cool to room temperature before cooking) in a pot with water enough to cover over the eggs. place the pot over medium heat and stir the eggs continuously until the water boils and cook for another 3 minutes, all the while stirring the eggs. remove the eggs and let cool. remove the shells from the egg and cut them into rough chunks.

4. in a large container, mix the potatoes, sausages, crab fillament sticks, eggs, with a pinch of salt, generous dashes of black pepper, 3 heap tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 heap tbsp of coleslaw sauce, 1 whole stalk (or more) of spring onion. cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to be served.

serves 4-5 as side dishes. garnish with more fresh spring onion.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
(*the tedious job of constant stirring is to ensure that the yolk remains in the center of the egg, preventing it from overcooking on one side. overcooked hard boiled egg has a layer of greenish grey colour around the yellows. it's still edible, but if you taste it carefully, that part has a slightly sourish taste.)

(*if you like your yolk to be still a little runny in the middle (not recommended in this recipe), cover egg with water, bring to boil, continue to boil for another minute, remove from heat and let sit for another 2 minutes in hot water before removing the egg, all the while stirring the egg)

cranberry lust

2007-06-03T03:28:00.000+08:00

thought this up as i was clearing up after the margaritas. there was half a can of bitter lemon left and i was gonna store it in the fridge when lo and behold, a big packet of dried cranberries staring back at me... ::lightbulb above my head lighted up::

1/2 tsp dried cranberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grenadine syrup
1 tbsp brandy
bitter lemon, to top up

place the cranberries in the bottom of a martini glass. place 3 to 4 ice cubes above the cranberries. add the lemon juice and then the grenadine syrup, which should mix together to form the first layer. then slowly pour in the brandy and gently top up with the bitter lemon. this should give it a gradual blend of colors from blood red, golden to clear liquid at the top. garnish with a paper umbrella or skewer a few cranberries (fresh or dry would do, or strawberry) together on a toothpick.

it tasted real good, and the color is a luscious red. this is a great party drink, especially if it's a hawaian or red themed party. this layering style of serving is only suitable when you're serving a small group of friends. if you're catering to a large bunch of people, throw 1/2 measure of lemon juice and grenadine syrup, and 1 measure of brandy into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. shake well and strain into martini glasses prefilled with 1/2 tsp of cranberries each and top up with chilled bitter lemon.

if you can get your hands on some fresh cranberry juice, all the better. use it to replace the bitter lemon.

* it's almost impossible to find dried cranberries in malaysia, so try and get frozen ones. as far as i know, it's available at section 14 pj's cold storage. you can try looking for it at the bangsar village grocer or other supermarkets around bangsar.

* garnish using something with a toothpick so that your guests can eat the dried cranberries at the bottom

* sprite & 7-up (or any other brands of lemonade) can usually replace bitter lemon but the drink will be slightly sweeter.

* it's a good way to get rid of the tonnes of VSOPs and XOs we've accumulated over so many CNY

* for something fancier, tint your ice cubes red. in a jug of water, add in a few drops of red food coloring, stir and pour it into the ice tray. for added effect, add a a small piece of frozen cranberry into each cube before refrigerating.

for food enthusiasts...

2007-06-03T02:07:00.000+08:00

hihi, hope you'll enjoy this blog. it's abt food, and drinks, and everything in between.

i have an abundance of recipe books at home, but i tend not to follow recipes because it's usually very hard to find the ingredients i want and need (the books are there just for reference sake, and as a good source of inspiration). also, i'm an impulsive chef, so i usually just raid my fridge and cupboards to see what i can find and make something out of it. in time, this became a hobby of experimental cooking, and so far, 99% of the stuff i've tried turned out great. but since most of the stuff i cook is impromptu, the recipes ended up being a one time thing only.

after getting very happy on margaritas a few hours ago, i decided to finally record down some of the recent successful recipes i've tried, starting with a new cocktail drink i just made. coming right up. but, back to the topic...

another reason why i decided to start this blog is for my guy friends who have to suddenly acquire culinary skills to impress their new love interest, and most recently, their mommy dearest... awww... so sweet, how could i refuse? then again, there are those (you know who you are, dont act all innocent) who would prefer to con their way through ala mastercard-ad style, by getting gourmet takeaways... not that i support it but here's somewhere to start looking: (for malaysians) http://www.dinemalaysia.com/guide_catererslisting.php dont say i didnt help...

the recipes i'll be posting will vary in difficulty. so if there's a recipe you'd like to try but seriously couldnt get past words like mince, finely chop, boil, simmer or differentiate between pan-fried, stir-fried and deep-fried, just ask. i'll try my best to guide you through the treacherous world of cuisine as i know it. but, most of it should be pretty simple...

let's get started!