Pumpkin Balls - Japanese Style

This is a wonderfully nice and tasty finger food/snack/appetizer.

Ingredients

1. 600g Pumpkin or 900g Potato
2. 200g Chicken meat – add pepper, 1/2tbsp salt, 1/2tbsp mirin – marinate for 15 mins - to this, Fish added Sake too
3. 1 onion or more if you like
4. 2 eggs
5. Plain flour
6. Rising Flour
6. Bread Crumbs

Seasoning

1. 2tsp salt
2. 3tbsp Potato Starch/Cornflour
3. Pepper

Directions

1. Cut the pumpkin into pieces, steam for 10 mins till soft, smash into paste while adding 3tbsp of potato flour.
2. Slice marinated chicken meat and onion into cubes.
3. Heat wok with some oil, fragrant(meaning fry till the flavour comes out) the onion, add in chicken meat, and stir fry until cooked.
4. Mix pumpkin paste, onion, cooked chicken meat and seasoning in a bowl evenly.
5. Knead well into balls. Coat with a layer of plain flour+ rising flour (in equal quantities), beat egg solution and a layer of breadcrumbs.
6. Deep fry till golden brown then drain well and serve with some tonkatsu sauce. - or, with Fish, its wholegrain mustard(tangy) and Japanese Mayonnaise.

Very nice to savour as the pumpkin is sweet. The best pumpkin is from Japan - but that costs a bomb. However, i've tried and really..the local ones aren't that bad too. Organic's good too!

This is a great recipe to have fun with - get 2 friends to help and have fun with all the flour, egg and breadcrumbs!

Sausage Casserole

This is a wonderful dish that me and fish made a while back. It was bursting with flavour!

Ingredients

1. 2 cups Jasmine Rice - the rice you have at home
2. 2 1/2 cups of Stock - whatever you have, chicken, vegetable..
3. 2 different types of sausages - i used Johnsonville Better Cheddar and Cabanosi(a salami type of sausage) - 2 cheddar and 3 cabanosi
4. Onions - roughly sliced/diced - whatever you like.
5. 1 Red Capsicum - finely diced - anyway you like really..
6. Fresh Mushrooms - I used white buttons but found that they didn't go too well, i think shitake would be better

Directions

- Firstly, chop up the onions, capsicum and mushrooms.
- Best if you have a heavy base saucepan that you can fry and boil in. If not, with a little oil, fry the sausages whole. - Again, the amount varies with how much sausages you like.
- After frying, slice the sausages into how thick or thin slices you like - thick is better though - Leave aside first
- In a saucepan, fry the onions, then the capsicum till soft. I added the mushrooms last as they cook the fastest.
- To that fried mixture, add the stock - add less if you prefer a drier end product - you can always add in more stock later if need be.
- Add in the rice and the sausages.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for around 15 mins or more - depending on the moisture level you would like your rice to be.
- No extra salt is needed, but pepper can be added.
- Serve nice and hot!

P.S. His house didn't have a heavy base saucepan, so instead we used a korean hotpot which was wonderful too.

Bon Appetit! 

Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream!

I had the black sesame ice cream - the one on the left and Fish had the green tea ice cream on the right. It was divine! Very very nice to eat. The picture was taken after i've almost finished half of it. It wasn't an enormous scoop but enough to end my meal. For a scoop, the black sesame is $2.50 and the green tea is $2.90. Fish said that the green tea ice cream is much better than the one at Bugis - Uzumaki. It has distinct green tea taste and a subtle maple syrupy taste. I don't like green tea but i tried it and it was good. The black sesame is flavourful and very authentic.

We found this small treasure at a small ramen shop in Century Mall in Tampines. It is called Uma Uma Men and they sell Ramen, Don, Tenshi and Sushi.

We had ramen and i felt it didn't taste too bad. I found it a little salty, but Fish said it was ok. He prefers this place more as compared to Ajisan. He also said that the pork katsu with cheese was very good, but on the day we went, it was sold out. So we had stir fried beef with onion which we felt that the meat could be a little tenderer and the price was a little steep, around $8.90 for a small plate. We also had Vegetable tempura, which was ok by my standards and it was the only way i could get myself to eat vegetables. HaHa..

A unique thing on the menu is that they have mini sets. From what i remember, it is around 3 different types of noodles - mini sized for those that cannot make up their mind, with side dishes. I think around $12+.

I had the corn butter ramen - went their around 4pm and they had an offer - so mine costed around $4.50 only. Fish had char siew ramen if I’m not wrong and this came with half an egg. He loves the egg as it is cooked in the sauce they use to braise the char siew and the egg yolk and watery and has the flavour of the soup. He even asked for an extra half an egg for $0.50. You could ask for extra stuffs and this would cost differently. If i didn't remember wrongly, extra char siew is $2.50 and extra corn is $0.50 - there's still others, but i don't remember them already.

The place is small and the kitchen can be seen. Because of the fact that the shop is in a corner of the Basement 1 floor, the amount of people in the shop is not a lot. - Relatively empty.

Overall, we would go back there again for the food especially the ice cream which was wonderful and satisfying!

They have another branch at the Capitol Building near City Hall MRT Station. They are open daily from 11.30am till 10.30pm. Last order is at 10pm.

Hope to see you there one day - if not for anything else, but their ice cream! 

Taco Inspired Meal!

Taco Inspired Meal!

Sep 8, 2006 - 6 Photos

Sorry....

So sorry for not posting anything for the longest time ever.. HaHa..Very busy with work right now. Can't find the time to sit down and cook. If not, i'm too tired to cook. However, i shall try to get my cooking back in schedule and this time, enough of pasta for the moment. I will be going onto Japanese Cooking. Please remember to not expect any sashimi or raw fish, remember i'm a vegetarian. If all goes well, my lastest recipe would be Japanese Curry Rice. See ya Soon!

Marks & Spencer's Minestrone Soup

I just bought this Minestrone soup at Plaza Singapura's Marks & Spencer. I have not tried it but i hope it tastes good. I have been told by the cashier that it does not require extra water and it is for 2 servings. Hoping to try it out some day soon!

Updated Carbonara and Bread and Butter recipe

I tried making carbonara again that day.

First i fried the mushrooms in a tiny pot with butter till they release their juices. Then put it aside.

Using milk and whipped cream, heat till slightly simmering, don't boil, or it will spill over. Add the spaghetti or whatever pasta you're using and mix well. Keep heating till the mixture thickens then add in just parmesan cheese. Not alot, just a little according to your taste. Then add in the mushrooms together with its juices and mix well again. And it's done!

ENJOY!

As for the Bread and Butter Pudding, i baked it again, but i would add less sugar, not more to 1/2 cup, maybe even lesser. But keep in mind that it is a dessert, so we want it to be sweet, but not too sweet.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Truffles

Today i made these..very very sweet though..

Ingredients
1. Almond Marzipan - can be bought from Phoon Huat - only available in 1kg
2. Macadamia nuts - roasted and halved
3. Dark/Milk/White Chocolate - or a mixture
4. Any decorative or nuts you wish to roll your dipped chocs in

Directions
First i tempered the chocolate, strictly speaking, you place the chocolate in a double boiler, make sure the water only simmers and not boiling and no steam can escape or else the chocolate would seize.

Let the chocolate melt and using a thermometer, check the temperature to be around 45 degrees, then take it off the double boiler, here, you're supposed to use a marble slab to cool it down, but really, who can afford one? - at least doing it leisurely. I just left it to cool on top of another pot. Till the temperature drops to about 26 degrees. Then put it back into the double boiler and get the temperature up to 32 degrees for dark and milk chocolate and 29 degrees for white chocolate. This ends the tempering process and just try to keep it at this temperature for the whole of the dipping process.

Taking the marzipan, cut out a portion that you want together with the plastic covering. Then, get rid of the plastic covering which covers the portion that you want and slice into large cubes.

Toast the macadamia nuts and chopped almond nuts. Using your fingers, place one half of the macadamia nut in the middle of a cube of marzipan, roll into a ball and drop into the chocolate, roll around and either place it in the chopped almond nuts or just on its own onto a piece of parchment paper.

After dipping and making whatever else you wish, just place the parchment paper onto a tray and into the fridge, you'll be surprised at how fast it hardens.

ENJOY!

Bought a Thermometer!

Hiz...

Last saturday, i got Bailey to run down to the Phoon Huat in Holland Village to buy me chocolates and a thermometer. We chose the cheapest one which has the widest range but not too detailed in its increments. It costs $9.90

Just used it when i was making ricotta cheese which i will post when its done!

New Cookbook!

Hiz again..
Recently, i went to Thomson Plaza and they had like a mini book fair and so i went in search of cook books, there were only a few and so i chose this one and it costed only one dollar! A good deal for a brand new book!

Haven read it in detail yet..shall be reading it sooon and see if any treasures can be picked up from it!

My new Apron

Erlow!



I recently bought an apron through yahoo's auctions and found this really nice one that cost me nine dollars together with 2 oven muffins and 2 pot holders. Very nice and bright colors. Used it the first time when i was making my cheese cake cups.

A very satisfied customer!

Cheese Cake Cups

This is one cool thing to do with kids or i would say comfort cooking..

Ingredients
1. Cream Cheese - i guess you could use Philadelphia but i used one that was not called spreadable cream cheese
2. Dairy Whipping Cream - i used the Milard brand which is cheaper then President's and can be found in Phoon Huat
3. Vanilla Essence
4. An egg
5. A Packet of Plain crackers - or whatever crackers you can find
6. Butter
7. 1/2 cup of Granulated sugar
8. Cup cake papers

Directions
First, place all the cream cheese into a big bowl, followed by approximately 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and mix well.

Then, using a whisk, whilst slowing adding the cream a little at a time until you reach a medium consistency. Meaning not too thick and not too thin, more on the thicker side would be safer. After that, add in the egg, this would dilute it further and if you like the consistency that is reached, then its fine, if not, add more cream. Then add in about half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Whisk it all well together then place it aside.

Now, take the biscuits and place them in a plastic bag, transparent would be better. Then, using a rolling pin or something else, smash the crackers into little bits. There is about 5-6 crackers in each packet. After that, pour them into a bowl and add in the butter, just enough so that they are bounded together and also so that the cup cake would not stick to the paper.

After that, place the cup cake papers onto the muffin tray and because this is a little harder to explain, see the picture below. As you can see, place the biscuits on the bottom layer and if you're in a calm and peaceful mood like i was, use your fingers to press the biscuits down gently so that it looks neat and orderly. After that, fill it with the cream cheese mixture. It won't rise during cooking, so no worries about making it high. Of course you can choose to make bigger cup cakes, but i think these look quite cute. To take a closer look..
Get a clearer picture now? =) Just fill them all up and place them inside the oven to bake for approximately 10 minutes or till it is golden brown on the top in which the sugar caramelizes and forms a nice sweet soft crust on the top.

If you wish to make the chocolate which i tried to do but was unsuccessful cause i forgot the chocolate seizes and so i rolled them into balls. I won't try to explain this now, but i will be making chocolate truffles soon, i will explain it then. =)

To make it a wee bit more flavourful, i crushed some pine nuts and sprinkled them on the top. Pine nuts are the best..at least in my opinion. =)

Enjoy!

Original Sin

Hello..

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday (16th Dec) and to celebrate, we went to a restaurant at Holland Village, called ‘Original Sin’. A very cozy and warm place to be. The lightings inside were really low and dark and we sat right in front of the place where the food was served. The place served Mediterranean cuisine and it was catered to vegetarians, although non-vegetarians can certainly enjoy the food too.

We ate a whole lot, it started off with pita bread with an assortment of Mediterranean dips, such as Hummus and some other dips, if I’m not wrong, there were about 5-6 different sort of dips.

This was followed by Magic Mushroom as shown below.

This is really really nice. It was baked on top of a Portobello mushroom which is ‘stuffed with ricotta cheese, rocket, garlic and pine nuts, draped in a tomato basil sauce and mozzarella cheese.’

If you’re a cheese fan like me, you would probably be able to finish one off by yourself, if not, share. I shared this with 4 persons and the cheese wasn’t too overwhelming.

Then we had Bosco Misto. Which is made of ‘Mouth-watering spinach, feta and tofu patties smothered in a mushroom ragout marbled with a delectable plum sauce.’ However, I found this a little too salty to my taste buds, and I think this was caused by the feta cheese. So this is almost a definite must share dish.

We also tried the Capri which is ‘Vegetable skewers lanced with Portobello mushroom, eggplant, Spanish onion and zucchini, served with a tomato basil sauce and garlic infused potato puree.’ This tasted really good, however, I only got to try the mushroom which was delightful as it was plumb and juicy and had a little crispy texture on the top. The onions were also really sweet and tender yet still retaining its crunchiness.

We also tried the Pasta Porcini as shown below.


This was creamy and the fettuccine was cooked to perfection. ‘Fettuccine pasta with a combination of porcini and button mushrooms, sautéed with white wine, fresh thyme, parsley and a touch of cream, topped with shaved parmesan.’ Very nice, we actually shared 2 plates of this. Although, the dish wasn’t piping hot when served and so the parmesan shavings didn’t melt and for those who are not too keen on cheeses, biting into a shaving may not be too welcomed.

We also tried the Lasagna. It was ok to me, nothing too fantastic, but my little sister loved it. The Lasagna had ‘Delectable layers of sautéed button mushroom, spinach, onion, zucchini, red capsicum, tomato and fresh basil topped with a béchamel sauce.’

We also had a pizza that my little brother chose, The Funghi Pizza, as shown below.

It had ‘Marinated Portobello and button mushroom with fresh asparagus, smoked cheddar and bocconcini cheese.’ It was nice and the crust was not too thick and not too thin, just the right thickness. However, it wasn’t something that hit my taste buds off my tongue. It was like the Lasagna. Nice, but not fantastic.

As we were still hungry, my mum ordered a Pasta Broccollini. Which only the adults liked and my little sister. It was an all vegetable dish, cooked in ‘Aglio olio style spaghetti tossed with baby broccoli, asparagus, artichoke, fava beans, green peas, onion, rocket pesto, chilli and parmesan.’ I didn’t even wanted to try it. Too veggie for me. HaHa.

We ended it with a Chocolate Mud Cake with real vanilla ice cream, this could be seen as the ice cream was not purely white and was dotted with black dots, an apparent indication that it was made with vanilla pods which are really expensive in Phoon Huat. The ice cream was good, the mud cake, a little too chocolately for me, bearing in mind that I’m not a chocolate and sweet lover.

A point to note, whenever I go to these sorts of restaurants, I also drink ice water, other then my parents who drank beer that nice. Victoria Bitter to be exact. I think ice water is the best, it keeps your mouth free of any other taste that could interfere with the real taste of the different tastes in your mouth.

I would return, because of the wonderful magic mushroom and because I wish to taste the other dishes they have to offer. I have not tried any risotto at all yet. I must try it the next time I go.

The dishes are priced as in normal restaurants, about twenty odd per dish. Not too expensive, just about the normal price expected.

Feta Cheese!

Erlow..

I have just come back from Thomas Plaza’s NTUC and I bought a new supply of Parmesan and Romano Cheese. Together with these, I also bought some feta cheese soaked in oil with spices and olives. I have no idea if it tastes good, so I’m going to try it later and do a report on it..HaHa.. I also bought a new book by the way, nothing to do with cooking, it’s ‘Carol Vorderman’s How to do Sudoku’. Anyone into Sudoku by the way?

Oh and for those who are not too clear what feta cheese is, it is supposedly to be made with goat’s milk, but there are cow’s milk ones available too, and the packet which I just bought, gave no indication which milk it used. It just stated ‘milk’.

From ilovecheese.com, ‘Usually thought of as only a Greek goat's milk cheese, Feta is now deliciously produced in the states using cow's milk. Its preservation process gives Feta a salty, pickled Mediterranean flavor that gives salads, vegetables, chicken and seafood a pleasantly sharp zest.’

And from About.com, ‘Feta cheese is classified as a soft cheese made of 45 to 60 percent fat whole sheep's or goat's milk. The better fetas are aged (but not ripened) four to six weeks, cured in a salty whey and brine. Known as a pickled cheese, the flavor of feta becomes sharper and saltier with age. It is creamy white in color with small holes, a crumbly texture.’

• Feta is considered a medium-fat cheese on a par with mozzarella and reduced-fat versions of regular cheeses.


• Allow a good thirty minutes for feta cheese to come to room temperature to fully enjoy its rich, tangy flavor and creamy texture.

A recipe that I found that would go well with Feta cheese is Spanakopita (Spinach Triangles), which I will definitely try in due course. Keep in tune!

Dinner?

Hello!

I just had spaghetti cooked by my maid for dinner. It wasn't too bad but it wasn't good. Firstly, she used Angel hair pasta, which I totally disliked. I think it's a tad too thin and tasteless..(my opinion stands as for the present) The sauce, which I bought, wasn't the way I liked it, thick and saucy. It was too sweet and thin. The cheese slices which I loved were the wrong brand and it was lacking in taste. Nothing went too well, but since she cooked it, I ate it. Made me full, but made my taste buds totally disagree with my dinner. Haha.. Hope your dinner was better!

Spaghetti Frittata

Last minute thought of recipe after getting inspiration from Chef Gino D'Acampo, a very funny and witty Italian chef!

Ingredients - Like usual, i have no idea how much of what i used and it's really up to you too, just add how much of whatever you like!

1. Spaghetti - i used between a quarter to half a bag - boiled - or any leftover pasta
2. 2 eggs
3. Pure cream - thickened cream, whatever
4. Milk - this time i used UHT Fresh milk - those not placed in the fridges in NTUC
5. A mixture of Parmesan and Romano Cheese
6. Crabmeat - imitation ones and in my case, vegetarian ones - or any meat you can find in the house, bacon etc..
7. 3 small onions - sliced up roughly
8. Butter
9. Salt and Pepper

Directions

Firstly, boil the spaghetti in hot boiling water added with salt and oil. Meanwhile, in a big bowl, crack the eggs in and whisk it till the yolks break up - into like how it would be when you make an omelette. Add in as much or as little pure cream as you wish and continue whisking till the lumps disappear. *It is a better idea to use a whisk as it helps to bring everything together whilst getting rid of the lumps inside the mixture. If you decide the cut down on the cream, in which i used approx 6 tablespoons, top it up with more milk then.

Make it the mixture is lump free, then add in the cheese. just add as much as your tastebuds allow and mix it well into the mixture. Add in the salt and grounded black pepper, for taste.

Now you can chop up your onions roughly and your crabmeat - just slice it up anyhow you like.
In a medium sized saucepan, melt in the butter and add in the onions and crabmeat to fry. Fry till nice and brown, then add it into the cheese mixture and immediately whisk it together or else you might end up with scrambled eggs. Your spaghetti should be ready by now, *from what Gino said, you can use any leftover pasta, even if it is already coated with sauce. Add it into the cheese mixture.* If you want to do a few batches, then split the cheese mixture up into different bowls, this way, it won't seem as if it is not creamy enough. Add the spaghetti into the mixture and stir well.

In the saucepan, add butter and when it melts, pour in all the spaghetti together with the amount of sauce that is designated for it. Spread it out nicely over the whole base of the pan, and this should be done under a larger flame - i.e. when you see the flame, it covers the whole base of the pan, this helps it to cook faster and more evenly. Using a spatula, press the spaghetti down and periodically lift the spaghetti up on its sides to ensure that it doesn't stick and to check the colour.

When the base is golden brown, slide it onto a plate that it about the same size as the spaghetti circle. Taking another plate of the same size, cover it and turn in up side down, so that when you lift off the top plate, you get to see the brown and cooked part of it. Then adding butter to the pan again, slide the spaghetti back into the pan and wait till the other side cooks as well.

When it's done, just slide it back onto the plate and you're ready to eat! Enjoy!

---Adapted from Gino D'Acampo's Spaghetti Frittata--- Thanks!

Mashed potatoes with Garlic and Cheese

No picture for this cause i didn't present it well.. =)

Ingredients - Serves 2
1. 450g potatoes
2. 2 fat cloves of garlic - peeled and halved
3. 25g butter
4. 225g any cheese - parmesan, romano
5. Salt and Pepper

Directions
Begin by placing the butter and garlic in a tiny saucepan, the butter would melt on the gentlest heat possible for around thirt minutes to infuse the garlic.

Meanwhile, pare the potato and cut them into small chucks - no need too small. Sprinkle the potato - or rub them if you like, with salt. Place them in a steamer and steam for around 20 minutes - you know its done when it breaks up when you poke a fork into it. Transfer to a large bowl and place a tea towel over it to absorb the steam.

I used a electrical hand whisk, but you could also used the potato masher to break up the potatoes, then add the garlic oil, with or without the garlic itself - your choice. Add in the cheese and although it looks like alot of cheese, as you whisk it in, it will turn translucent and glossy. - i didn't try this part though, i only added 2 handfuls of cheese. Serve very quickly.

---Adapted from deliaonline.com---Thanks!

Mushroom Soup!

This has been given rave comments from my family, a very simple, one-pot soup. Once tried, you will never go back to Campbell soup.

Ingredients - For 5 servings

1. 70g butter
2. 100g chopped Shitake mushrooms - about $1.90 per box
3. 200g chopped Portobello mushrooms - about $3.40 per box, bigger than the shitake - i used the mini ones, but its up to you
4. 3 small onions
5. 20g plain flour
6. 435ml of eith vegetable or chicken broth/stock
7. 300ml cream - pure or thickened - your choice
8. Salt and Pepper
9. Pinch of cinnamon - optional

Directions
Firstly, in a medium saucepan - or large if you want, melt the butter then saute the mushrooms and onions for about 5 minutes, or till soft.

Then, slowly add in the flour till it is smooth. Gradually then stir in the broth and cook whilst stirring continuously till is becomes thick and bubbly.

You can now add in the cream and season with salt and pepper. *Be careful of the salt though, as the stock it self should be quite salty already, so keep salt to the minimum. Add in the cinnamon and let it cook over a low fire till heated throughly but not boiling.

**This is an optional step** You could take half or any amount of the soup you like and place it in a blender, blend it till smooth - which should only take a few seconds, then add it back into your soup. This creates a creamier and much more exotic looking soup.

---Adapted from allrecipes.com, Submitted by Lori---Thanks!

Cooking with the Oil

I cooked pasta with loads of finely chopped garlic.. and it tasted really good..it was just spicy enough for me. Very easy and very fast. Though my sister commented that the fresh chilli tasted a little better, this is just a safe method..i always get the amount of spice i want and i don't have to make my fingers 'burn' when i slice up the chilli..I'M LOVING IT!

Final Product of the Infused Chilli Oil

This is the final product of my oil...very tempted to cook it now! HaHa..
P.S. The difference in color with the former picture is due to the lighting differences.