Sat, 31st Jan 2009

I asked Z for some potato patties on Thursday and not only did I get potatoes, I also had SOTO AYAM to go with them.

Some of you will recognise Z's Mum's famous Soto as I've been lucky enough to have eaten it on several occasions. It is absolutely delicious and the best I've had. Nothing I've eaten comes close.

Here it is; we have soup, potato, rice cakes, meehoon, shredded chicken, tailed crunchy beansprouts, fried shallots, daun sup & spring onions, chilli paste.

Just one of the few portions I had.

I also had a takeaway to take home.... (yes, I know I am greedy).

We managed to get 4 portions out of the takeaway; 2 small ones which I had late in the afternoon, and medium portions for PT and Wm.

Thank you, Z, for the many sotos and for feeding me!

One more.

Porridge

This is yummy rice porridge boiled to a gruel with carrots and dried scallops, eaten with fried fish, ginger slices, white pepper, light soy sauce and sesame oil. Porridge, to me, is like a cloak of warmth and comfort and so filling but so easy on the tummy. I can see myself eating this right into me old age.

Mind Games

My dear friend J, gave me a pack of this recently. We spend hours together talking about procedures, methods, what's new, what's good/not, latest innovations and breakthroughs and are constantly updating each other with the latest findings.

So today somewhere on me is a little square of plaster (I'm supposed to leave it on for 24 hours) which is guaranteed to curb my appetite resulting in kgs and kgs of weight loss.

Brilliant! Just absolutely brilliant!!!!

One MUST believe. One must have faith.

CNY - Day 1 & 2

Yes, I know this household consumes a lot of food and it never shows on anyone (well except one).. :-)

Day 1 - Mon, 26th Jan

Woke early and cooked this vegetarian 'chye' dish with 10 ingredients; beancurd stick, tofu cubes, wood's ear, bamboo pith, dried mushrooms, shittake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, lily buds, Chinese long cabbage and vermicelli.

Here I am sauteing some garlic, shallots and ginger with some red preserved beancurd, and braising all the ingredients which require a longer cooking time.

In another huge wok, I fried the aromatics, then added Chinese cabbage.

Finally, tip the braised ingredients into the cabbage, and added vermicelli. Don't worry if it looks a bit watery or is slightly salty - the vermicelli will soon absorb the liquid & take on some saltiness.

Next, I fried a vegetarian kueh teow with a lot of choi sum, eggs, baby corn & mushrooms, and a fried yellow egg noodles with fish cake and prawns, mushrooms and vegetables.

This simple meal saw us through the entire day; each of us popping into the kitchen to help ourselves from the woks when hunger pangs strike in between cookies and snacks.

The children had some visitors and here they are setting off fireworks in the back garden.

Day 2 - Tues, 27th Jan

To 'open' the New Year, Wm and I jointly cooked lunch.

On the Menu:

Steamed cornfed chicken, chicken rice & ginger sauce

Another vegetarian dish of 2 types of tofu, lotus root, tofu pok, dried mushrooms, lily bud, water chestnuts, beancurd stick. Braise ingredients and top with panfried tofu, and let them stew together until the tofu absorbs some of the tasty braising liquid. This is quite healthy, all vegs and natural ingredients and contains only a tablespoon of oil. And of course, no msg.

Here is a black pepper stir fried stuffed tofu & prawn stick thingy.

Long Bean Omelette - we also had 2 other types of vegs - spinach with garlic and blanched lettuce leaves.

Table shots - Sauteed prawns with garlic, shallots, ginger, Chinese cooking wine, oyster sauce, light soy and a bit of sugar. The prawns were sea fresh, with a sweet flavour and crunchy texture. Worth the premium price paid for them.

A very home style no frills lunch with enough leftovers to feed the entire household for dinner too. Oh yes, there was also a huge watercress soup.

I will not mention the dreaded D word.

Happy New Year 2009 - Part I

Gong Xi Fa Cai to everyone celebrating!

Thank you to all of you who left wishes on the tagbox. May the year of the Ox be a peaceful, prosperous and happy one for all of us.

Before I start on my New Year, a little note for Iskandar, Liza, Nonnie, Marul, Siti & Addy, Maurina, Pablo & Bunny, Sk. Khalid and Madam Tiff, Ciliqueen - how nice to meet all of you on Friday.

Huge thanks to Sk Khalid and Pablo for inviting me to the surprise birthday party for Madam Tiff - the food was delicious at the new Seri Kandi restaurant and the company was super, I really enjoyed the entertainment - 2 local comedians and although I did not catch most of their jokes (thanks, Liza for trying to explain some of them to me), it was tremendous fun watching their antics and the reaction from the audience; howls and tears of laughter, slapping of thighs and tables, and clutching of bellies and stomping of feet. Marul's facebook has priceless gems.

I hope you all had a wonderful NY's eve with your friends/family filled with happiness, fun and laughter. Ours was fabulous; great food, leisurely eating, pleasant wine, good company, lots of card games and monopoly, fireworks, and fun.

We had a steamboat for our NY eve dinner. Pretty easy to prepare and fuss free (well almost...).. Just pics for now - I'm really tired, was up at 6 am to cook 2 types of noodles and a vegetarian 'chai' dish and worked a fair bit getting the steamboat ready yesterday.

Have to be up early tomorrow as well as Wm and I are cooking lunch for 10.

Chinese New Year Eve Dinner - Sunday, 25th January 2009

The smaller table has 3 seating for non-seafood (Hazel) and vegetarians (Sil & H); the larger table has 6 seating.

I made a little fruit display from pomelos, pineapple and Mandarins.

What makes a real steamboat - sauces! Here are 2 types and a lot of salty crunchy shallots which everyone loves.

Dom's table setting (I think he probably had his porridge out of this bowl when he was a baby), and his place card is one which I made for Christmas 3 years ago. Mark's setting with a personalised placecard also from a few years ago.

Now food - nothing too dramatic; lots of stuffed tofu, prawn sticks, fish balls, eggs, fillet of fish, squid, sliced chicken thighs/drumsticks/eggs. 3 types of vegetables, 3 types of mushrooms - Shittake, Oyster and Enoki, tofu, baby corn and parsley/spring onions and kueh teow.

Vegetarian steamboat.

These sea prawns were crunchy sweeeettt fresh. The squid and fish fillets were marinated in the best marinade ever for seafood - salt, white pepper, Chinese wine, sesame oil and grated fresh ginger and a few drops of light soy sauce.

The stock was a simple one made with carrots, radish and mushrooms.

Monopoly and fireworks at the open field near our house.

At the stroke of midnight, thunderous fireworks were set off in our neighbourhood and from several households in the near distance; We joined in the merriment with our little selection and more noise was created by the aid of a large tin with several coins in it (PT), and clanging together 2 pot covers (Hazel).

We went to bed at 1 am, tired, exhausted, happy and full with the entire family under one roof. Everyone took a few pomelo leaves to shower with!

Beautiful young ladies.

Kung Hei Fatt Choy!!

Next post - Day 1 of Chinese New Year.