Warhol copycat

Saw a new brand of evaporated milk at the supermart! I know I am very aunty-ish for noticing such things, but I really enjoy grocery shopping. Kekeke! I find it relaxing.

There are many things I like about the packaging - the b/w cow against the pinkish-red & green background.


Is this art?



And this seems to be the most common and sometimes the only cheap luncheon meat available on the supermarket shelves nowadays



I haven't tried it, as I would prefer to check out more Maling. Anyway, I still have one can of ML after giving one to mom. I don't think she appreciates it or realise the significance of actually possessing a can of ML luncheon meat nowadays...haha!

Potato Salad

I made a modified version of the Wasabi Potato Salad based on this recipe, omitting the prawns, and adding bacon bits. It tasted not bad lah, although more wasabi can be added for a stronger taste, if preferred.

There was too much so I gave some to the "Spuddies" (Spud's family), calling it "Spud Salad", haha! They love it (more than I do) and even picky daughter was "devouring it", to quote mom, who asked for the recipe, so here's my modified version:

Potato (Spud) Salad

Ingredients:

A) 4 - 5 medium potatoes, boiled till cooked, peel & cut into chunks



B) 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peel & chopped coarsely or cut into chunks



C) 1 stalk of spring onions, chopped
D) ½ to 2/3 cup of Japanese mayonnaise
E) 1½ tsp wasabi paste
F) Bacon bits as topping (optional)



Method:

1) Add potatoes, eggs & spring onions into a mixing bowl.
2) Mix mayo & wasbi well. Add the combined Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi paste.
3) Mix thoroughly. Chill and serve slightly cold.

(Optional: Sprinkle with bacon bits before serving)



Viola!

Saturday lunch

Vegetarian stew.



The colours in the photos look weird, machiam those artificial food displays at Japanese restaurants.



Served over rice, but I think it's better if dipped with crusty bread, like a Delifrance baguette. :)

Office beverage

I need my coffee breaks to help me get through the 7 to 8 working hours at the office everyday.

Tried a new product...I think it's new.



Not bad leh...got the right foam texture; made with milk powder plus the unavoidable creamer.



It's a surprise to me that Nescafe can come up with a not-too-bad instant product. I will buy it again.



My other beverages...



My secret unfulfilled wish is to operate a kopitiam/cafe lor. Actually, I don't mine being a barista...if only the pay is more decent.

:P

After the CNY period

Normally, people will have to eat the leftover CNY goodies after the new year. For me, I think I should have to continue with my leftover spring cleaning (the keyword here is "should"). Another way of looking at it is this - I'm starting next year's spring cleaning early...very very early.

Really, we ought to plan some of the spring cleaning chores like washing sofa covers and curtains early, especially when the next CNY is going be on the 26th Jan 2009, according to the lunar calendar on my hp. And if the coming December rainy season is going to hit us late like the last one, there won't be sufficient sunny weekends for us to do all the "special laundry" in time for the CNY! Talk about planning ahead!

Oh shucks! If my hp is correct, then the first day of the CNY will be a Monday, which means we will loogi (forgo) the half-day or 1-day off on CNY's eve!

:-(

元宵节

Today is the 15th and the last day of the Chinese new year, or 元宵节.

The SO asked me what's the significance of this day. I can't quite remember, but as a single living with my family, it would be the day for another reunion dinner of sorts, usually steamboat. I was told recently that this is more usual for the Teochews.

Then what about the day when single, unattached men and women are supposed to throw Mandarin oranges into the sea, so as to get blessed, or have their specific orange(s) get picked up by an eligible party? I know there's one day in CNY meant for this, but can't remember which day.

I also vaguely remember this practice of throwing oranges was done during the Mooncake Festival (中秋节), unless I am getting all confused with the different festivals as age catches up. :-(

Tilapia (fish)

Dear cat aunty, this is the red tilapia aka 尼罗红。



Seeing that I was taking a photo of his fish with my HP, the young uncle at "aunty lucy" supermart became curious.

I told him I'm taking it to show a friend, after which, he very kindly fished out one fish from under the layers of shaved ice for me to take a better picture...haha!



It's a popular fish with the Thais.

Kueh Pietee again

I thought I should do the yummy kueh pietee better justice by shooting them with my non-HP camera.

Dinner tonight:








Plus a nice salad with feta cheese, olives and a dribble of Balsamic vinegar.

Of course, I also picked on bits of the SO's box of chye png. The vendor was very generous with the portions of veges...must patronise his stall more often.

Party Kueh Pietee

Cat aunty was right! >_<

We got the kueh piety or pietee on Monday night from Spud's mom. We had it for supper (in addition to the dinner that we already had).

I ate more than the SO because it's not really his favourite food, whereas I like it, whether in the form of pietee or popiah.


Spud's mom also gave us a rather big portion of the stir-fried leek with tau-gua dish (on the left). I found it tasted rather sweet; I think it's cooked that way for the children.

On Tue morning, I had the pietee for breakfast.



On Tuesday evening, I had more of it for dinner... a lot more...

...plus a salad (was in the mood for freshness, remember?)

This evening (Wed), I shall eat the rest of the pietee again, together with the rest of the salad from the bag of European Salad mix...plus maybe something else.

Over-indulgence? Yes, very happily indeed.

;P

In the mood for freshness

Salad Platter

Thai Som Tam

Greek Salad

Israeli Salad

Fruit Salad

Garden Salad


Do they make your mouth water?

Diet Per-char

Will be meeting Spud's folks this evening...and Spud, of course.
Spud's dad say Spud's mom has made my favourite kueh piety (I'd eaten her KP before).

I say I need to go on a diet.
He say it's only vege, what!

Hur, hur, hur! >_<"

Recent makan

Some of the food we've had recently:

Chicken chop from Crazy Ang Mo


It was tasty - well-marinated and moist. I like their fish n chips too, which I find is better than the average western food from food courts/hawker centres, but I don't know why our guy friend kept complaining about their food. (Well, if he can like the Balinese pushcart mee bakso, then I guess there's no accounting for taste! :P )

Indonesian style mee goreng from the new Indon food stall - very yummy and the sambal with ikan bilis was delicious. It's got 4 medium prawns too...not bad for $3.



Ayam Penyet from the same Indon stall, which is more average.



Guo Tie (pot stickers) from the hand-made noodle stall.



Breakfast (a bit overbaked) from Breadtalk - my favourite is the cranberry with cream cheese bun, but from Four Leaves Bakery.



Ahh...the surprise of the month. It's "grilled fish with breadcrumbs & herbs".


I didn't know what it was, but the way it turned out was really nice, with a dash of Italian herbs, I think.

The hidden mash with gravy underneath the egg...yummy!



Fried half spring chicken from A-Star coffeeshop.


I agreed to let them chop up the chicken but didn't expect them to also "batter" the pieces with the flavoured flour. It's as good as (if not better than) KFC.

*Slurp!*

Saturday's lunch

Looking at the photos of luncheon meat sandwiches at KSN's blog tempted me to open a can myself. So I did, with an old can which was purchased way before the ban/restriction was imposed.

I like this version with added ham.





To be eaten with char ban mee.
First time I'm using this no preservatives, no "kee" noodles.



The preparation always takes longer than the actual time spent eating the dish.



Cooked with whatever ingredients that's available in the fridge, leftover from CNY.



Luncheon meat & fried ban mian.

Steamboat again

Mom called to ask me to go eat steamboat next week. This will be the 5th steamboat I will be eating within a month!

Although I love to eat steamboat, to eat it 5 times in a row is also a bit much, hor?

感觉上有一点夸张.

The last time we had steamboat at mom's/bro's, the Zhuroshi hot pot failed to boil sufficiently to cook the food. In the end, we had to cook the food in a pot over the stove. Wahaha! What sort of steamboat dinner was that? And they made us go all the way there some more.

Later, it was discovered that the steamboat fiasco was due to the dirty plug, i.e. the connecting point of the hot pot's plug was dirty, and failed to conduct electricity effectively.

Hope history will not repeat itself.

Wasabi Potato Salad

I found this recipe on the net by Bimandruth and it sure looks lovely. With hard-boiled eggs, prawns, wasabi and mayo added, I think no one can go wrong with a combination like this......right?

Wasabi potato salad (serves 4)

(Photo by Bimandruth)















6 potatoes, average size (I didn't use any special type or anything. Just regular old potatoes)

6 eggs

400g prawns

5tb onion shoots, chopped

1 cup Japanese mayonnaise

3ts wasabi paste

1. Scrub the potatoes clean. Immerse them in pot of water and heat till water boils. Boil for 20-25 minutes, using a fork to prick for doneness. Set aside to cool. Then, remove skins with a knife and chop into chunky cubes.

2. Immerse eggs in another pot of water and heat till water boils. Then, closing the pot with the lid, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit there for 20-25 minutes. * After that, de-shell the eggs and chop into chunky cubes.

3. Blanch the prawns in boiling water, then peel and chop into chunks.

4. Put the potatoes, eggs, prawns and onion shoots into a mixing bowl. Add the Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi paste. Mix thoroughly. Chill and serve slightly cold.

* This is Australian chef Neil Perry's method for attaining perfect hard-boiled eggs. The eggs are immersed in the water before the water is heated up. After the water hits boiling point, the heat is turned off and the eggs are allowed to cook by just sitting there in the water. May sound a bit weird, but hey it worked!

Happy Valentine's & 拜天公 day!

I guess the people who will be smiling away all day and saying "Huat ah!" would be the restaurant owners, hotels, florists and chocolate retailers. The SO and I have never celebrated valentine's, not even while we were dating. SO says it's too commercial, or maybe he's just stingy...keke!

As a kid who lived in an old shophouse among the mostly Hokkien community, praying to the sky God was a very fun, boisterious event. It was really 兴高采烈! Both sides of the street would be lined with red colour tables, each tied with a pair of sugar cane branches by the side and filled with lots of goodies, including the obiquitous roasted 猪头, an assortment of meat, fish (to be converted into fish floss), fruits and candles. Old men playing flutes would come by to visit every household to play a short, auspicious tune for a small red packet, and lions would come dancing and add to the festive air! We kids were happy to stay up late till 12am, and that's when mom will sliced up the long-awaited, yummy home-made Ngoh Hiang (五香) and chopped up the sugar cane for us to sup on! Yoohoo~!

I'm reminiscing, but those were really memorable days. Once we moved into HDB flats, the feel of the celebration was never the same.

:-)

ps: Ok, ok, I must attempt to learn to make the Ngoh Hiang this year; must not let the yummy home recipe be lost. Mom has probably forgotten the exact recipe, but I shall try to re-create it by trial and error. :-P

Fuji apples

After having eaten the Fuji apple from Japan last Sat (for the first time), the PRC's Fuji apple I'm eating now taste blah!....so bland. The one from Japan has an intense apple flavour and was very sweet, definitely not a taste which I had tasted before. I think I will not buy PRC's Fuji apple from now on.

I saw the Japanese Wong Bok (pek chye) at Cold Storage earlier and was tempted to buy it. One whole cabbage costs about $5, perhaps $1.50 to $2 more than the PRC one. Luckily, the PRC's Wong Bok at this time of Spring (called 元宵白）usually tastes very sweet, so perhaps I'll try the Japanese version after Spring is over.

LHL can try to convince us with his "bread is bread, rice is rice" talk, but I am not convinced lah! If that were true, then there would be no such thing as 一分钱，一分货, would it? Even the Sunday Times' ranking of bread has proven that bread is not just bread, regardless of price, ok? That ranking/taste test by Violet Oon published last Sunday was like a spoof on LHL's theory...haha! And the funniest thing is that "Aunty Lucy" house brand of bread did not even get into the top 10 ranking.

Tsk, tsk, so malu!

Do you like to lo hei?

Or more specifically, do you like to eat the yusheng salad (raw fish salad) from the lo hei? I've never really like this dish, as I find it has a weird taste, machiam too sweet and too citrusy. I like to eat salads but I think the overpowering taste and smell of the preserved orange peel and perhaps nutmeg, and what-have-yous thrown in kind of turn me off a bit.


So, it was to my surprise when I had a very pleasant home-made yusheng at the SO's cousins' home recently. The yusheng had lots of fresh vegetables (mainly shredded cucumber & carrots) and did not have the overpowering taste of any one herb or seasoning, so it was quite tasty. They'd even added thin slices of abalone in the lot.

The vegetables were very finely and evenly shredded, and when I asked if they were chopped up by machine, cousin's hubby pointed to his FIL and said: "There! That's the machine." LOLs!

Cousins' mom says they would make and eat this dish several times over the CNY period. Lucky, lucky cousins!

First cooking for the year

After feasting on too much rich food, one of our favourite comfort food to tuck into is porridge, eaten with simple dishes that helps to clear the jer-lard-ness from all the fattening, sugary food consumed.

On Sat (3rd day of CNY), I cooked 2 vegetable dishes, which are a bit too much, but I had to use them up before they wilt and waste away in the fridge. :P



Stir-fried Beijing cabbage with carrots and fresh Shitake mushrooms




Ti Hwang Miao (帝皇苗 or 帝王苗?) stir fried with Taiwanese vegetarian (mushroom) oyster sauce



Instead of being simple, the meal was made slightly "complex" with the addition of CP brand Pepper Kicks (black pepper chicken)...coz we are greedy. :P



The CP brand of ready-to-eat foodstuff is quite excellent; the other superb frozen product being the CP wanton soup with crunchy prawn wanton....yum!



In the end, what was meant to be a simple meal to clear our system ended up as too much and too filling!!

>_<