SMALL EATS - A FOOD BLOG

Ramblings

2007-05-31T09:53:00.000+08:00

OK, hanging out with people I don't know and don't particularly want to know is killing me. I figured I have to go for five events before I can accurately write about how desperate and depressing it is. Some of these people move from one do to another - breakfast with people you don't know, lunch with people you don't know, movie with people you don't know ... you get the idea. It strikes me as a very odd way to spend a weekend.

The upside is, while the people are really quite boring and nerdy, the locations they choose have been great. Just like that I've discovered St Leonard's Tavern has excellent steaks for $7 so I'm definitely dragging a couple of friends there soon(ish).

I need to get this story over and done with before people get suspicious because my visible boredom and occupation (when I'm asked) is a bit of a giveaway.

I don't know how it is that I can live here forever and not meet any Singaporeans and suddenly, out of the blue, they seem to be everywhere. Met a bloke whom I thought was Malaysian because he was nice and real. As it turns out, he's a Singapore-hating Singaporean. I think John Clang is right about Singaporeans - we are either pro or anti. I am a pro, though because I have numerous criticisms about Singapore, am often thought of, wrongly, as an anti. Here in Australia, I have met plenty of real antis.

As for whether I want to return to Singapore for good in a couple of years, I'm giving that plenty of thought. I will surrender lack of office politics and six-and-a-half weeks annual leave for ... what? ... family, culture (a real Asian culture rather than a pseudo one), and I suppose a sense of familiarity.

And of course, if I do want to move "back", I will have to remain in a big name newsroom rather than move to a small, obscure one I'd been thinking of doing. Too many things to consider.

I should have joined the diplomatic services or ASIO which would allow me to live in lots of places for spurts of period, though in the case of the latter, I may well be dead sooner rather than later.

What I need to do is write a list of pros and cons, though at the end of the day, it may be my heart making the decision and not my head.

Book Club

2007-05-28T09:58:00.000+08:00

I am member of a somewhat unusual book club in which we're not required to read the same book. Everyone reads their own book, shows up and talks about why they like/dislike it. Having attended one meeting, I definitely see the benefits of uniformly reading a single book. This book club I am in is more like a book recommendation club. It is not so bad because I now have a list of "to read" books.

In any case, I'm dropping out. As far as Sydney book clubs goes, it isn't at all pretentious. But it is pretentious enough to pooh-pooh The Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter. I am not interested in literary snobbery. The members of my book club are extremely well-read and literate and can debate all manner of theory. But I'd like to join a book club where members can discuss both Jane Austen and Kathy Lette.

The book I recommended for my first and last meeting was Little Money Street: In Search of Gypsies and Their Music in the South of France by Fernanda Eberstadt. It was brilliant and I loved it.

Stupid English Girl

2007-05-12T10:14:00.000+08:00

Recently, an English girl whom I'd know for two seconds blurted, "The Chinese people here aren't very well integrated." She looked at me expectantly, as if I owed her an explanation.

I hate people making these "observations" to me. While I share the same skin colour as a Chinese mainlander, I am not responsible for whether they are or are not well integrated.

Because my rudeness to people who deserve it is legendary, I said to her curtly, "And were English people very well integrated in Tanzania when you were living there?"

She looked stung, as if I had slapped her in the face.

No More Cooking Posts

2007-05-04T18:06:00.000+08:00

I woke up one morning and decided I no longer wanted to blog about cooking. It has served me well for one year plus but I've simply lost interest in photographing and writing about my kitchen adventures.

It's partly due to my getting bored with it and also because I'm pretty busy doing other things. I have taken on a mega work related project that will take up plenty of my time over the next couple of months.

I've also joined a book club organised by my local library. This French woman just emailed me with the details and get this ... in this club, you don't read the same book. Everybody reads their own books and discusses what they read!?! That is so bizarre. It should be very chaotic. I can't wait!

And in a move that is completely out of character for me, I may be joining the Temasek Club (www.temasekclub.com) - a ... gulp! ... Singaporeans in Sydney group. I am also organising a bunch of young and young(ish) Singaporeans living here to meet up for makan and gossip. Everyone in the mini-Singaporean clique has, in typical Sg style, offered to help with organising and cooking on August 9.

The reason for my sudden ... er ... fondness for Singaporeans is due to the fact that after more than a decade of living in Australia, I am a bit sick of ang mohs. So there.

A couple of friends and I have also kicked off a little eating kaki. They are ang mohs so they have no idea what a kaki is. Anyway, the aim is to eat authentic Asian cuisine in Sydney. Since I'm the one who initiated it, I suppose it's up to me to arrange the first munch event. I already have my eye on a Beijing noodle bar in Chinatown.

Peanut Honey Bar

2007-04-25T07:31:00.000+08:00

Because it's Anzac Day, I decided to make something Australian. I'd originally planned to do lamingtons which are totally yummy and as Aussie as it gets. However, having a skim though a couple of recipes, I realised I would, under no circumstance, be bothered to hold individual sponge cakes with chopsticks, dip them in chocolate sauce and dip them again in dessicated coconut.

So I settled for the next best thing - Rice Crispies Bars. I followed the recipe on the cereal box and lemme just say that if parents are making these for their kids, this is about the right time to sign them up for Diabetics Anonymous. This is so damn sweet. I may as well have eaten sugar straight off the box. Who actually follows the Rice Bubbles recipe? Probably the sort of people who wear track suit pants everywhere.

Anyway, I think this would be way better. I omitted the sugar altogether.

What

* 5 cups Rice Bubbles

* 1 cup oats

* 1 cup peanut butter (reduced sugar, if you can manage it)

* 1/2 cup honey (as above)

How

* Heat peanut butter and honey on low till smooth

* Remove off stove, add rice Bubbles and oats and mix

* Spread on tin lined with baking paper and refrigerate for an hour

* Cut into squares and store in airtight container in fridge

Happy Anzac Day!

PS I don't know what the fuss is. They went to Turkey. The military strategy was at best non-existent, at worse a complete turkey ... and they were slaughtered. Whatever.

PPS City rudeness. Walking near Martin Square when a stupid woman and I had to sidestep each other to pass. She muttered under her breath cheerily "Piss off" in that singsong manner as if she was saying "hello". I whipped around and snapped, "FAT RUDE BITCH!" She was so shocked. Hahahaha! The expression on her face was priceless. It's the "fat" that did it. Ang mohs are very sensitive about their weight. Which is why they shouldn't be saying "piss off" to complete strangers on the street. They never know what kind of completely deranged Asian chick they may encounter.

Stuffing

2007-04-20T07:08:00.000+08:00

I'm sure there's a perfect Martha Stewart way of stuffing bread up a turkey's ass and having it turn out fantastically moist. In my family, we long gave up doing that and make our stuffing separately. It's sooo good that without fail, as soon as the guests are fed and gone, I peer into the remains of the stuffing tray and declare it choped.

And every time anyone so much as opens the fridge, I run down the stairs and shout, "Don't touch the stuffing! I've choped it!"

What

* 450g sausages, mashed

* 220g bread, crusts off and cut into small cubes

* 4 sticks celery, chopped

* 3-4 green apples, diced

* 1 onion, finely chopped

* 2 eggs, beaten

How

* Fry onion and sausages and set aside

* Fry apples and celery till soft

* Place everything in bowl and mix

* Add bread and mix

* Add eggs and mix

* Spoon into baking tray, presing it down slightly

* Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes or till top browns

Road Trip

2007-04-15T08:47:00.000+08:00

20km - Drive out of Sydney city with 12 Girls band blasting on speakers.

30km - Pay road toll of $3.40.

50km - Cruise along Hume Hwy listening to 12 Girls Band.

80km - Desperately need to pee.

100km - Stop at BP for loo.

140km - Continue listening to 12 Girls Band; gossip about nothing.

160km - Play spot-the-road-kill; sight several foxes, a roo and one chicken.

200km - Stop for loo (again); follow time honoured tradition of road trips by eating junk food at Hungry Jacks.

230km - Listen to more 12 Girls Band and continue driving.

250km - Thoroughly sick of 12 Girls Band.

300km - Cheer along the Federal Hwy as greeted by a sign that reads "Welcome to Canberra"; unfortunately, zoomed by too fast to get a picture.

310km - In London Circuit! Notice that Canberrans drive at a glacial speed, as if they are lost; stop at side road for stretch; hurl 12 Girls Band into bin.

Easter Show Cakes

2007-04-14T09:06:00.000+08:00

Cakes at the Royal Easter Show. Good eh?
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No Name Pasta

2007-04-05T09:31:00.000+08:00

I've been watching Food Lovers Guides to Australia whenever I'm home in the afternoons. It's an excellent programme, and the team is always off to someone's home, discovering ... and I hate this grossly overused word ... multicultural Australia and what the different racial groups eat.

Last week, they went to the Chung Wah association in Darwin and interviewed these elderly Asian-Australians. It was quite amusing listening to the typically broad ocker accents that came out of these 70-year-old Chinese men and women. They were sort of very Chinese and also pure Aussie.

They also visited this Italian family that owns a restaurant. The head mama made this yummy looking pasta-pastry dish. It's easy - line a baking dish with pastry sheet, scoop bolognaise sauce in, followed by grated parmesan cheese, penne, more bolognaise and cheese. Cover with pastry sheet and bake till brown.

It looks a little like lasagne doesn't it? I used loads of Reggiano-Parmasan. I remember not liking the "King of Cheese" when I first tried it. Thought it was quite off actually. It must be an acquired taste cos I love Reggiano-Parmasan now. I ate half of it while I was grating. I don't even want to think about fat content.

Cajun Chicken

2007-04-02T09:48:00.000+08:00

I found a local deli that sells cheese. I didn't have any cash on me and had to spend $10 on Eftpos so I bought this BBQ marinade.

It's supposed to go with beef but not having any, I used it for chicken instead. Not one of my better ideas.

Modanyaki & Weather

2007-03-29T09:41:00.000+08:00

I had Modanyaki for brekky and again my tiny apartment smelled of Takashimaya's food court. I don't know what it is about the latter but I love it. It is almost always packed and you can never get a seat but I can't get enough of it all the same. I wish Sydney had a Taka food court too. I would be hanging out there all the time fer sure.

In light of the coming winter, I have resolved to be more of a Melbournian and less of a Sydneysider. The latter bitches endlessly about cold weather, allowing temperatures to determine their daily activities. Melbournians, on the other hand, get wretched weather all year round and as such do not allow a foul day to become even fouler by staying home and moaning. They go out regardless of grey skies and low temps. I think this optimism is partly bourne out of necessity since Melbourne is freezing 90% of the time.

Here's another Modanyaki pic. I wouldn't mind having some of those prawn balls thingy, also available from Taka, but you have to buy a special apparatus to make them. The balls are sold here but only octupus.

Food Crazes

2007-03-26T10:11:00.000+08:00

I have been eating at Kura a lot lately and despite my resolution to have something other than curry rice or tempura udon, I haven't. Their eel with rice and soft shell crab look excellent but I need to get tempura udon out of my system first. I'm one of those people who suffer from food crazes and will eat something endlessly until I am thoroughly sick of it.
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Have also heard about a Malaysian hole-in-the-wall in Ultimo that is supposed to be "authentic". I'm petrified of trying it, handing over 10 bucks per plate and being bitterly disappointed.

At home, I rehashed an old favourite - beef and potato patties with tonkatsu sauce.

Sultana Pikelets

2007-03-23T10:23:00.000+08:00

Made some great sultana pikelets. The recipe called for sultanas to be poured into the batter mix. I did with and without (in mix) and found the latter to be best. The sultanas tasted heaps better topped on the freshly made, hot-off-the-pan pikelets. The original Better Homes and Gardens recipe also used 2 tbs of caster sugar which I did away with altogether and served with maple syrup instead.

What
* 1 cup self-raising flour
* ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
* ½ cup milk
* 1 egg, beaten
* 2 tsp oil
* ½ cup sultanas

How
* Sift flour and bicarb soda
* Make well in centre of bowl and whisk in combined egg, milk and oil
* Add the sultanas
* Drop tablespoons into heated/oiled pan and cook until bubbles form; flip and cook the other side until golden

Serve with butter and maple syrup. Can be frozen for one month.

Stuff

2007-03-21T09:13:00.000+08:00

I've been rather busy engaging in the very grown-up activity of house-hunting.

As such, I've been revisiting old (and easy) recipes in the kitchen and have not experimented with anything new. I have discovered that Blogger's search is completely useless. Despite repeated attempts, I couldn't locate my Modanyaki or Japanese pizza recipes - both in July 2006 as a manual search revealed.

I'm going to Marrickville tomorrow. I drove by recently and the main strip looks fascinating. I can't wait to check it out properly, on foot.

Earlier this week, I bought all the necessary ingredients for sultana pikelets and it's simply a matter of getting off my fat arse and making them.

PS I read Cry, the Beloved Country for the first time and recently watched Catch a Fire, and am astonished that black South Africans haven't killed every single white person in their country by now.

Soup

2007-03-15T15:27:00.000+08:00

Lately I’ve discovered the wonders of soup. I have obviously had it before but I’d never paid too much attention to it. I think it was my short stint in a kitchen that made me aware of soup because we made it every day - pea and ham soup, minestrone soup, chicken soup, and the list goes on. Needless to say I had no part in the actual making of the soup. I was instead given the grand task of ladling it.

After the success of the mee swar (granted, it was so easy, I'd have to be an idiot to fail at that), I did another lot, this time with the now defrosted chicken. I learned something - if you allow your soup to boil beyond two hours, it’s going to acquire a slight medicinal taste. It happened when I made kong bah and again today when I left my soup simmering for three hours. It’s quite strong and probably wouldn’t suit ang mohs but it warmed my nostalgic Singaporean heart.

I’m going to do other soup varieties. I reckon it’s wonderful … non-fattening, has zero salt content and is delicious. It is the best thing a gal recovering from a 2 litre tub of choc ice-cream can ask for.

I Love Cupcakes

2007-03-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

Every time I’m online admiring gorgeous pictures on food blogs, I always check out a cupcake blog. I love cupcakes. I like how they’re so pretty with cream swirls and multi-coloured speckles. And I’m completely blown away by the food bloggers who turn their cupcakes into Santa Claus, panda bears, miniature gardens, etc.

The thing is while I have fun baking cakes, I tend not to want them around after I’m done. I mean, I take a bite or a slice and I enjoy it enormously. But to me, any kind of cake is supposed to be an indulgence, a treat to be had in small portions and preferably when I am outside or in someone else's house.

I feel similarly about certain Japanese food. I have no desire to learn how to make tempura udon, soft shell crab or sushi/maki. Because, what would I have when I go out for a meal?

In this spirit, I put my journalist skills to good use and located two cupcake shops, one along Pitt St and the other in Neutral Bay.

I went to Cupcakes on Pitt and bought a white chocolate on vanilla. Tempted as I was to eat it on the spot, I waited until I got back. My cupcake, clearly visible in a transparent container, received a lot of attention while I was walking home.

Cupcakes on Pitt
Shop 2, 323 Pitt St
Sydney

Plus
* Cheap, only $3.50 each.
* Reasonably well decorated. I’ve read raves about how great the deco is. I’m not so sure. It’s pretty, but not outstanding. There weren’t any miniature gardens or anything even close.
* Great packaging. It’s not shoved in a paper bag and comes in a box.
* Service is quite good.

Minus
* Unfortunately, some reviewers on Eatability were spot on. It does in fact taste exactly like a pre-packed cupcake from Woollies, in which case $3.50 would make it overpriced.

Mee Swar

2007-03-12T07:57:00.000+08:00

I had planned to celebrate my blog’s one year birthday with a homemade cake but did not have time to during the move.

Now back in Sydney I decided I still wanted to mark Small Eats’ first year even if it’s belated. Instead of a cake, I made something true to my culture - mee swar (sp?).

I remember going to ah mah’s house to have mee swar with a single red egg every time my birthday came round. We seemed to do this only when we were kids. After that, we moved to Australia and were never in Singapore for our birthdays.

Mee swar is really easy. Make your own chicken stock by boiling (on low heat) chicken bones, carrots, celery and a dash of pepper and oyster sauce. I also threw in some pork spare ribs bones which may have improved the stock somewhat. Boil an egg and some mee swar, and that’s it really. I wanted to add some shredded chicken but it was still frozen even though I took it out of the freezer last night. My fridge is like the Arctic.

You can dye the egg if you want but I didn’t. Next year I reckon.

Fried Wontons

2007-03-11T12:49:00.000+08:00

I know I’ve said this before but I’m going to say it again. Asians are very polite when you ask them for help at the Asian supermarket. I don’t know why that is because as a group of people, by Western standards, Asians are probably quite rude - pushing, not apologising when they bump into you, talking at the top of their voices (applies to people from HK and China only I think) and so on.

In all fairness, I should add that by normal people's standards, Sydneysiders are also f**king rude.

Anyway, every time I am stumped at the Asian supermarket (which is often), all I have to do is approach a fellow shopper and ask, “Do you read characters? Can you tell me if this is sweet sauce?” I’ve lost count of the number of times people have stopped what they were doing and walked me all over the store looking for exactly what I needed, at times throwing in some cooking tips along the way.

It’s only the shoppers who this. Don’t even thinking of asking the stupid staff anything because they are rude as hell. Though I suppose if I had a low-paying loser job like working in a supermarket, I would probably be quite fed up and in no mood to be nice.

‘Nuff said.

I was looking for tian jiang and this very nice lady suggested I buy the Indonesia version, Kecap Manis, instead. She said it was very close and I could use it for popiah and everything.

When I got home, I made fried wontons. It’s just a standard wonton recipe - see wontons post - but I added an egg (accidentally) and some chives (intentionally) in the mince. It more or less tastes the same.

I am quite pleased with the result after the below average garlic prawns and Coke spare ribs. And the woman was right. The Kecap Manis was good. I would even venture to say that as it’s slightly thinner and lighter than gluggy Chinese sweet sauce, Kecap Manis is probably better. But I've been told it has a high salt content and as far as possible, I should stick to sweet sauce. Another alternative is Japanese pancake - okonomiyaki - sauce. Sweet chilli sauce (the kind they use for spring rolls at Thai takeaways) would be good too.

The fried wontons were yummy. I had them with rice and the rest of the egg I'd used to get the skins to stick together. I really shouldn’t be eating fried anything because I hopped on my weighing scale last week and was stunned to see I’d gained 2 kg. No wonder I have a muffin top! I have to lose it, for vanity and economics.

All my clothes fit me exactly. My jeans are so damn tight, there’s no allowance for even a tiny waist expansion. And I certainly cannot afford new clothes. Why can’t I eat like a pig (which I normally do anyway) and still have a flat stomach?

I think I know what did it. Eating most of a two litre box of double chocolate ice-cream in … oh I’m too embarrassed to say how many days it took me to go through it. Not many is all I’m saying.

PS I was so excited about “discovering” Kecap Manis I told my Singaporean friend about it. She looked at me with disdain and sniffed, “It’s what hawkers use to make black kway teow. Everybody knows what Kecap Manis is. You’ve been in Australia too bloody long.”

Garlic Prawns

2007-03-09T18:20:00.000+08:00

I learnt a very important food lesson today - never mix two “strong” dishes. I made garlic prawns to have with rice, but at the last minute decided I wanted garlic noodles instead.

As any seasoned cook would know, the garlic prawns completely overshadowed the mian. The noodles tasted of nothing; not a trace of light oyster or light soy sauce remained. Which was a pity because the garlic noodles by itself is so tasty.

Plain boiled noodles would have gone much better with garlic prawns.

Apart from that, it was my first time peeling prawns in bulk and … what is that gross yellow stuff that squirts out when you yank the head off? I got such a fright when this gooey mess splattered on my kitchen wall. Eew. No wonder Coles and Woollies sell peeled and de-veined prawns. I got mine from Chinatown so that wasn’t an option.

Standing over the sink peeling, I was torn between my culture and my Western squeamishness. Do I remove that revolting black vein or not? In the end, I removed the veins that came off easily, left the ones that wouldn’t budge, and cleaned the prawns very, very thoroughly.

What
* 2 tbs butter
* 1 small bulb garlic, finely chopped
* 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
* a bit of onion, finely chopped
* ¼ cup chives, finely chopped.
* ½ kg prawns

How
* Heat oil in pan and add onion, garlic, chives, chilli and butter and fry
* Throw in prawns and stir for 3 minutes

This dish is also missing something. It’s not my recipe. I found it on the net. The prawns need something else to give it a bit of a kick. I'm sure there are much better garlic prawn recipes around.

Pasta Maker

2007-03-08T17:27:00.000+08:00

I finally own a pasta maker. I am quite beside myself with excitement. I have no idea why I’ve waited this long to buy it. For the past year, I have been rolling out dough and cutting pasta manually (considerable trouble as anyone who’s done it will know) so I am very pleased about not having to do that any more.

There’s a long story about how the pasta maker led me to meet a Malaysian TCM practitioner in a Japanese restaurant, but I won’t go into that now other than to say I have found an acupuncturist.

I bought the pasta maker from Queen Victoria’s Basement at half price. I am a big fan of half price. If it weren’t for half price, I wouldn’t have any Dolce & Gabbana jeans. I noticed there were Jamie Oliver pasta makers too … for three times what I paid for mine. It is so crazy to spend so much just because somebody slapped the name Jamie Oliver on a product.

OK, the same can be said about my jeans. But it is an indisputable fact that Dolce & Gabbana jeans make your butt perky, and god knows my bum needs plenty of help. I doubt very much a Jamie Oliver pasta maker is going to do that. On the contrary, eating all that pasta is likely to make my ass grow bigger.

On that note, I have resolved to stop buying jeans. When I was unpacking my stuff, I counted … ohmygod … 25 pairs of jeans. I suspect I am veering away from the point where people say, “Wow, you have so many nice jeans” to (thinking), “This woman is a psycho Imelda Marcos freak. I wonder how many bras she has.”

Simple Grilled Chicken

2007-03-07T15:02:00.000+08:00

Made a simple grilled chicken dish today. It really is very simple, probably something you'd feed someone who was ill and sick to death of porridge. Or if you were detoxing, this would be a good in-between (in-between oily food and total cleansing) meal.

What

* Three large chicken drumsticks

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 tsp pepper

* 1 tsp sesame oil

* 1 tbs dark soy sauce

* ½ tbs shao hsing hua tiao jiu

* ½ tsp Chinese five spice

* 1 tsp sugar

* 3 tbs water

How

* Mix everything in bowl, leaving sesame oil last

* Coat drumsticks in marinade and leave in fridge overnight or for several hours

* Grill, covered, for 20 minutes

Garlic Noodles

2007-03-05T13:57:00.000+08:00

I had the (leftover) pork, this time with noodles and it was perfect. I reckon the (unintentional) fusion just didn’t work. It was as if I’d put tao yew on lasagne sheets instead of béchamel cheese. Too weird.

I found a recipe for garlic noodles from Bim and Ruth’s website, though I think she may have pinched it from somewhere else. Ruth used a whole garlic bulb for two people. Yikes! I made do with three cloves per serve.

What
* Coke pork ribs (or any kind of marinated pork), de-boned and cubed
* Six cloves garlic, finely chopped or pounded
* 2 tsp light soy sauce

* 2 tsp oyster sauce
* Dash of sesame oil
* 2 serves white noodles (like Hokkien noodles but white and lighter)

How
* Fry garlic till soft, adding sesame oil midway
* In a separate pot, boil noodles, drain and place in bowl
* Pour garlic into noodle and add oyster and light soy sauce
* Throw in ribs and give a good toss

The sesame oil gave the noodles a nice glossy sheen (as if it’s been prepped for a photoshoot) and also made it very soft and smooth. For health reasons, sesame oil can be substituted with extra virgin olive oil. But there’s nothing like sesame oil for that distinct Asian flavour.

What would make this really excellent was if I threw in some fresh chopped basil, and served it with prawns instead of meat. I've run out of white noodles so it's something to KIV for another day.

Coke Spare Ribs

2007-03-04T19:17:00.000+08:00

I went to a jazz festival yesterday. We were supposed to bring something each and everyone had typically Aussie food such as ham sarnies, lamingtons, hotdogs and potato salad. I brought char siu bao. Everybody loved them and they were gone in a flash. I was beaming happily as if I’d made them myself rather than bought a whole bag from Chinatown.

The jazz fest was small, cosy and community-based. The library laid out some tables and chairs, and gave away rubber bracelets (I took pink) and multi-coloured balloons.

There were lots of cute blonde kids running around with their over-sized bracelets, chasing balloons, playing tag etc. Middle-aged and elderly couples danced to the music on the lawn. They were not particularly good but it was still charming to watch.

It was so very hot. I came home and marinated some spare ribs. I got the recipe from Kyoko’s Kitchen and tweaked it just a tiny bit.

What
* One slab spare ribs
* 2 tbs light soy sauce
* 2 tsp sugar
* 4 cloves garlic, pounded
* 2 tsp chilli flakes
* 1 can Coke

How
* Rub garlic into ribs
* Marinade with everything else and leave in fridge overnight
* Grill on high for 20-25 minutes agar agar

It tastes strangely Asian. I was expecting something more Western, with the Coke and all. But it is pure Asian. I had it with mash. I’m not sure how much I like it, if at all. I will try the leftovers with garlic noodles.

Apparently it rained buckets last night. I think there was hail too, going by the white sheets I saw on TV. I slept like a baby. Storm? What storm?

Great Grater

2007-03-02T22:07:00.000+08:00

I hate grating. Hate hate hate. With the exception of cheese, anything that requires grating, I avoid. Until I bought this nifty grater. It promised to be non-clogging, easy-to-use and rust-resistant. And can you believe it ... it is.

Check out the fabulous carrots I've been using for my noodles. I did it in a jiffy. Not struggle, no force, nothing except a smooth glide and beautiful veggies.

I love it. I have "medium coarse". I may go back and buy the rest of the series. I think there's another three more. They're $15 each which is a little bit expensive but worth it.

Northern Chinese Noodles

2007-02-27T05:44:00.000+08:00

I made some lovely Northern Chinese noodles today. I reckon the person who gave me the recipe skipped a few ingredients because while it's quite good, it doesn't taste exactly the same as the one I had in her house.

What

* 1 packet medium thick white noodles (the one that looks like the fat yellow noodles)

* 1 packet mince beef

* 3 tbs oyster sauce

* 1 tbs dark soy sauce

* 1 tsp light soy sauce

* 1 tsp sesame oil

* 1 pinch sugar

* ¼ onion, finely chopped

* 1 thumb ginger, finely chopped

* 1 carrot, grated

* ¼ cucumber, grated

* Dash of black vinegar

How

* Marinade mince with oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar and leave in fridge for an hour

* Fry onion and ginger, followed by carrots

* Fry mince; add some water if necessary

* Separately, boil noodles for about 5 minutes and drain

Pour a little black vinegar over noodles and mince, and top with cucumber.

New Fridge & Hitchhike

2007-02-24T05:54:00.000+08:00

The fridge arrived this morning. It's a brand new Samsung. Bing Lee lets you bargain so I got a substantial discount. My friend and I cabbed all the way to Moore Park only to learn that IKEA has moved to Homebush. After we got the fridge and some other stuff, we stalked some guy in the carpark and hitched a ride to Bondi Junction.

I can start cooking. Yeeay!

Tempura Udon @ Kura

2007-02-20T10:07:00.000+08:00

Failing to locate a noodle restaurant in The Galleries Victoria that came highly recommended, I ended up at Kura, a hole in the wall Japanese eatery in Chinatown. It is very small, seating only 12 at full capacity. If you get a place at the bar, expect to jostle elbows.

The food is cheap and excellent. But with limited seats, the form is to eat quickly and leave.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

2007-02-18T10:25:00.000+08:00

At about 9 last night, the familiar sounds of clang clang clang chang ching ching chang (cymbals) followed by bang bang bang (firecrackers) drifted into the house I'm temporarily staying in. I remembered there was a temple nearby and figured they were probably doing some chun jie eve preparations.

At 10 pm, the cymbals were still being banged at full strength and it occurred to me that they had every intention of going on right up till 12 midnight to usher in the Year of the Pig.

True enough, at 12.01 am on the dot, the noisy celebrations came to an abrupt halt.

Today, I walked down the road to check out the very temple that had kept me awake. It was a pokey little place, even smaller than the hugely popular temple at Bugis in Singapore. There were lots of Chinese people walking in the same direction as me, with happy, excited voices in a mixture of Cantonese, Mandarin and Australian-accented English filling the little laneway leading to the temple.

We had to pay for our hew. $3.50 for a bundle of about thirty. My diam hew skills aren't that hot, and I learnt a new Cantonese word - xiu xim - which a HK woman said to me politely because I was waving my hew around rather dangerously.

On the bus to Haymarket, I added another word to my slowly growing Cantonese vocabulary. Two middle-aged woman hopped on the bus and upon seeing a pair of elderly women, exclaimed loudly and happily, "something something pong dou ...". I think the English translation goes like this, "Fancy meeting you here!"

It was crowded as in Chinatown. Tried to catch a lion dance but as they are hopeless and cannot do anything beyond hopping from one leg to the other, we saw squat due to the throng of people in front of us. Walked around Haymarket for a bit, catching some very bad singing by two unknowns in the mall. People were clapping and taking pictures. Why? Who on earth are they? The singers I mean.

Ended the day at a packed HK-style coffee shop with hor fun and ice-lemon tea. They called it hor fun but it was really kway teow. However, since my companion is ang moh, he doesn't know the difference anyway and proclaimed it very good. It was really only average.

We're home now to pick something up. When I said I would hit the ground running upon my return to Sydney, I wasn't kidding. We are off to spend the rest of the day at the Mardi Gras Festival at Victoria Park, but for now ... Gong Xi Fa Cai! Nian Nian You Yu!

Happy New Year!

Chinatown

2007-02-17T11:01:00.000+08:00

It's chun jie (Spring Festival/Chinese New Year) tomorrow and Haymarket is positively buzzing. I went to kan re nao - watch the festivities or more literally, watch hot noisy or watch happy chaos, which is quite an apt description.

I've actually missed the Chinese-ness of Sydney, and almost went teary with happiness in Haymarket with everyone jostling me and not saying sorry, the abruptness and rudeness of the shop-keepers, the top-of-the-voice conversations in Cantonese ...

First stop was my favourite HK bakery for a chicken pie, char siu bao, Portuguese egg tart and soya bean drink.

OMG. Chinese overload.

Back in Sydney

2007-02-16T11:56:00.000+08:00

Photo credit: Australian1

Guess where I am now?? I had no idea how much I missed the pulse of Sydney until I arrived in the wee hours of Friday. I spent my last night in Perth with my bestie and her family, which is a nice way of wrapping my time in WA.

When I left Perth, I was ... bolting out of there as if I was fleeing a burning building. I did not look back, not even for a second. I had a great time living in WA for five months (out of which, I flew to Singapore twice) but at the end of it, the whole country town thing became too suffocating and achingly dull.

It's Spring Festival this weekend and there's no better place to celebrate it in Australia than in Sydney, with its staggering number of mainlanders.

It. is. so. good. to. be. back.

Gang Tang Kid

2007-02-14T22:11:00.000+08:00

My paternal grandmother used to call me gang tang gia (we are Hokkiens) because of my predominantly Western diet and as a result preference. Rice was so-so. Potatoes and steaks, I absolutely loved. As a teen, I would mash several potatoes, add butter, a bit of salt, throw in some chicken pieces and bake it in the toaster oven. Years later, as an adult, it's still just as good.

All Packed

2007-02-13T21:32:00.000+08:00

Okay, I'm all packed. The last to go in were these way cool monkeys I got from Mackers when I was working in a magazine in Singapore. I had to eat lotsa Happy Meals to get them. Well, not really. I kinda forced other people to eat the french fries and cheeseburgers. I just took the monkeys.

The three imps were sitting on my bed's headboard (is that what it's called?) and ever so often, late at night, I would hear a light plod ... the sound of one of them falling off. I shoved them in a box along with my 80 cent snowman from Beijing.

I am sending almost everything so if they lose the lot, I am well and truly f**ked. I am taking with me - two pairs of jeans, one cargo pants, two skirts, several tops, inside shorts and tee-shirts, a pair of boots and thongs, my print and broadcast portfolio (v. important), laptop (of course), a pillow and a doona. That's it. Yikes!

Too late to change my mind as the boxes are sealed and labelled, and the movers are coming tomorrow.

Triple Luck, Triple Fa

2007-02-12T14:48:00.000+08:00

I am changing my mobile number and the plan was to go to Chinatown in Sydney on CNY eve to pick a new number. My Singaporean friends have all offered well-meaning advice, telling me to get luck luck luck or fa fa fa numbers. Haha. In response, I say, "What? You mad issit?" Actually, I don't speak like that at all. Never have. But whenever I do, it's so out of character my friends and I end up cracking up and laughing our heads off. Anyway, my point being, Sydney is full of Chinese people and they would have choped all the good numbers already.

The chances of any triple luck or triple fa numbers available are very slim. The mobile phone operators buy the numbers and sell them for thousands of dollars by taking out ads in the papers, just like in Hong Kong. All the ang mohs do it. There are enough Asians in Sydney for Caucasians to know the value of a $10 SIM card investment.

In any case, when I went to Freo today to collect my dental records, I noticed a Vodafone store. What luck. I admired the shiny new mobiles for a bit before asking the salesgirl to show me the numbers they had. They had stacks and stacks but she would only let me have a look at a box of 10 packs. How desperately I wanted to knock her unconscious with my dental impressions, leap over the counter and get my hands on the boxes of phone numbers. I'm sure it hasn't occured to a West Aussie to go through the numbers and re-sell them.

All the numbers were boring and difficult to remember so I didn't get one there. But walking past Dick Smith, I saw they had laid out a giant box with more than 200 Vodafone SIM packs so I went through every single one of those and finally made my selection. The best part is, it only cost me $2, that's $8 less than what the Vodafone store was selling them for.

Came home, read a little, cleaned up some more, grabbed some loose change and went to the newsagent to send a fax to my car dealer. The cost of the fax turned out to be more than what I had in change. How embarressing. I said I was just round the corner and would be back in a tic. But the woman was very nice and reassured me there was no need to go home and come back, and I could pay the rest the next time I was in.

I quickly walked back home, swiped a 20 dollar bill from my wallet and returned to the newsagent. Her husband told me she was at the hairdresser's round the corner so I popped in there and asked her how much I owed. She was very taken aback to see that I'd actually returned immediately, and rounded it off to 50 cents. So I walked to the newsagent, told her husband "50 cents", paid and left.

Since I had the spare notes and coins (from the $20) in my cargo pants, I dropped into the deli and bought a chocolate Paddle Pop.

The end.

Going Hoi, Going Hoi

2007-02-11T22:01:00.000+08:00

Good Morning! I'm up early, blogging and eating oats leftover from when I made apple crumble. I've never had oats before. You boil a cup with two cups of water till it's mushy like baby food, add milk, toss in a couple pieces of fruit, and pour maple syrup over it. Oats are supposed to be good for you - high in fibre and excellent for the digestive system. Read more about it here.

I'm tempted to hop back into bed and hide under the doona. But as it's Sunday, "Sunrise" is going to be on in a minute and they may have more CNY stuff in Sydney.

Recently.

Guy I know: something...something...something.
Me: What?
Guy I know: going hoi fat choy.
Me: Oh. Close enough.

Everybody around us cracked up laughing, with another bloke saying, "that means it sucks, mate."

It was a nice effort though, even if I'm not Cantonese. Western Australians do not know the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin.

Gong xi fa cai (an advance) everybody!

Bananas & Neighbour

2007-02-10T16:45:00.000+08:00

Now that bananas are priced normally again, I bought a small bundle for $2.88 per kg. That's more than 400% less than the ridiculous post-cyclone Larry price of $14.

Piked on Subi because I woke up still feeling woozy, from being sick on Thursday and Friday. I think it's going to be an in weekend for me.

My landlady was supposed to show the apartment but she, amusingly enough, forgot to name the suburb in her ad. She said maybe people will ring and ask anyway since she advertised locally. Seeing as nobody dropped by today, I guess not.

I've told my neighbour - an older woman - that I am going back to Sydney. She stood there with her watering can and gaped at me in horror. She's sorry to see me go because I am so quiet at home. Haha. She should have known me when I was 12 and blasting Jon Bon Jovi on my hi-fi.

In any case, she's right. I am a good neighbour. My home is an oasis of calm and peace; plus I have an acute awareness/consideration of space sharing, and am therefore mindful my activities (music, guests, TV etc) do not disturb other people. If I have a party at night, I drop my immediate neighbours a note to let them know in advance. And I bring them a small slice of cake the next day. That's the kind of neighbour I am. Heck, I would be sorry to see me go.

So Jane - that's her name - was rather put out I'm leaving. She said an African student occupied my apartment previously and he smoked and partied non-stop, and he and his friends threw up all over the common area. She was not amused.

They (Western Australians) do not like Africans, and WA seems to be getting an influx of them, which is making the Anglo population rather nervous . I am not sure what the problem is as the Africans seem to be very unobtrusive immigrants to me.

Speaking of racial matters, on my way to the video store, I saw that the exterior of Dr Vicki Ho's surgery had been scrawled with the word "Asian" in several places. It was also scratched on to her glass doors. I was quite shocked as it was the first sign of racism I'd witnessed in Perth. And Dr Ho is such a true-blue Aussie. I am not sure what she's going to do about her door as she can't possibly leave the racial graffiti there.

Pizza

2007-02-09T18:13:00.000+08:00

Yummm. Pizza from the local wood oven pizza café near where I live. I got them to add the pineapples for an extra $1. Italians reckon pineapples on pizza is totally off. I don't care. I love it.

I cleared up a little today. I'm almost done packing, with one more box to go. Incredibly enough, I came to Perth with four very large boxes and am returning with five small ones. I have bought stuff during my time in Perth, and made two trips to Singapore carting shopping and other things back. Have my possessions disappeared into thin air? That or I'm getting really good at wedging gadzillion Dolce & Gabbana jeans into boxes.

This morning, I had "Sunrise" on and there was a lion dance at Martin Square. I started getting all teary and nostalgic. I never thought I would ever say this but boy, do I miss Sydney. I am so excited about flying in just in time for Chinese New Year.

Have been looking at real estate on SMH and Sydney rents are up by 20%. Yikes! However, had I remained there instead of coming to Perth I would not still be paying my old rental. My landlord would simply have kicked me out and hiked it. That's how it is in Sydney.

Tomorrow and Sunday will be my last weekend in Perth and I'm off to Subiaco to meet some friends, grab brekky and poke around the shops and markets.

Egg & Salmon

2007-01-25T16:33:00.000+08:00

Whew! It is shit hot today. It's going to be worse tomorrow at a predicted 39 degrees celcius.

Unfortunately, my cooking always goes to pot when I'm about to move. I trudged home in the sweltering heat, dumped my Dolce & Gabbana bag, grabbed my green shopping bags, staggered to the supermarket and picked up some quick-to-cook groceries.

I made this in five minutes with two eggs, light whipping cream and salmon.

Lemon Sauce

2007-01-24T15:57:00.000+08:00

Made up a lemon sauce for chicken that I reckon is pretty good. I bought a big slab of chicken breast to make crispy chicken chunks and had a bit leftover so I wanted to do something with that.

This lemon sauce tastes nothing like the one you get at the Asian stalls in food courts. Those are really thick. The one I "invented" is a lot thinner and finer in taste.

What
* 1 lemon, thinly sliced
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1 small ginger, thinly sliced
* ¼ cup chicken stock
* 2 tbs honey
* 2 tbs light soy sauce
* 1 - 2 tbs cornflour

How
* Fry sliced lemon and ginger on medium heat
* Add honey, light soy sauce, chicken stock and lemon juice
* Add cornflour, stir and allow to thicken

Serve with seasoned chicken and rice.

In other news, the major change going on around here is ... drum roll pleeze! ... I am returning to Sydney. Yup, unfortunately Perth - charming as it is - is so sedate I am just seconds away from throwing myself into the Swan River.

All this peace and quiet is turning me into a suicidal bundle of nerves. Despite my best efforts, I am not a small-town girl. I've realised that while Sydney may be dirty and over-crowded and full of people for whom rudeness takes on a whole new meaning, it also has a pulse. I am going a little crazy without this city vibe/beat.

And so it is that I've regretfully handed in my letter of resignation, arranged a gig in Sydney, given notice to my landlady and organised for my brand new car to be delivered interstate. If anybody has been on and off following this blog (yeah, right), they'll know I didn't venture out west with much stuff, just a couple of boxes and that's what I'll be lugging back.

I'll miss my friends here and my new colleagues as they are simply the best. I am supposed to drive to the country to visit friends but I don't imagine that's going to happen seeing as I'm leaving WA in about three weeks.

Crispy Chicken Chunks

2007-01-20T16:27:00.000+08:00

I thought I'd better make a new dish and post it since this is supposed to be a cooking blog and there hasn't been much cooking around here lately. If I didn't do something about it soon, I would lose my entire readership - all of two people.

This is from Bill Granger's Every Day and can be found on page 50. Instead of chicken strips, I made chunks because that's what I got after cutting my chicken breast against the grain.

I threw in some fries and carrots - not julienne-ed from my kitchen stint of julienne-ing carrots every single day and absolutely hating it. That was my least favourite thing to do and the only time I'll ever have those ultra thin carrot strips again will either be in someone else's house or in a restaurant.

The chicken is coated with parmasan cheese, salt and pepper, Italian parsley (flat-leafed parsley), flour and egg.

Dearth of Posts

2007-01-17T19:48:00.000+08:00

This is what I've been reduced to on account of the major changes that are afoot at the moment. I haven't had much time to cook which explains the dearth of posts. I'm afraid it's going to stay that way for the next month or so before things pick up again.

I am planning to take on several projects this year because I reckon it's time I come out of "semi-retirement" and start being more driven after a two year plus hiatus, enjoying a relatively relaxed life.

Watch this space.

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-09T23:21:00.000+08:00

I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions apart from several vague non-binding ideas about what I would like accomplish in 2007.

Food-wise, I have resolved to -

Drink lots of water
Eat fruit and vegs every day
Buy organic more often (for taste, not health)
Improve presentation skills
Improve food photography
Learn to use Adobe Photoshop
Sign up for regular cooking classes
Throw a degustation dinner party

Hols: S'long Singapore

2007-01-05T11:55:00.000+08:00

My holiday has come to an end after three glorious weeks. It's been brilliant. I did do other stuff besides eat, though ... heh ... you wouldn't know it from these posts. This is a food blog after all.

My last meal in Singapore was a very tasteless poor man's mee with fried egg and fried chicken at the airport. It cost $8.20 which is just ridiculous.

On the plane, I opted for spaghetti bolognaise. I knew it was a mistake the minute I lifted the foil cover and saw a few bits of mince beef on top of soggy curly pasta.

The fish and baked potatoes in cream sauce my neighbour was eating looked yummy. I was tempted to whack him on his fat head with my Nintendo DS and steal his food but common sense prevailed. Also, I wasn't sure how solid Nintendo consoles are.

The day was saved by a small bar of Cadbury and a chocolate coated ice-cream.

Hols: Zhang

2007-01-04T19:41:00.000+08:00

I've realised 20 days is insufficient time to get in all the local food I wanna have. I missed out on several things, including giam chye soup, chee cheong fan, chwee kuay among others.

I did remember to buy a zhang. Yup, another "famous" one. I'm not obsessed with this "the best" thingy but everyone else around me is and I don't have much choice in the matter. I have no complaints. It's excellent.

Hols: Mee Pok

2007-01-03T11:55:00.000+08:00

Not very good mee pok. Someone was supposed to take me to a great mee pok place but I woke up early and was hungry so I went to a hawker nearby to takeaway this. I ate half and gave the rest to the dog.

Hols: More Japanese

2007-01-02T11:55:00.001+08:00

Not counting Christmas, I have not had a single Western dish ever since I arrived. This is what living in Anglo-Saxon Perth does to you.

It turns you into some kind of pan-Asian cuisine pig.

Hols: Kuay Chup

2007-01-02T11:55:00.000+08:00

This kuay chup - next to Siglap Centre - is supposed to be "the best". It cost me $4 plus $1 for the lime juice from a neighbouring stall. Yikes! What happened to all the $2 hawker food?

I'm guessing they disappeared along with the brown ta pao paper. I'm bitterly disappointed to learn that hawkers now use clear plastic takeaway containers like they do in Australia. Before long, we won't be able to get coffee in white syrofoam cups hanging off pink pastic bag strips.

Hols: Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T11:55:00.001+08:00

I've been wanting to go to a Hong Kong style cafe ever since I got here. They seem to be all over the place and are apparently "in" right now, with Crystal Jade jumping on the bandwagon and opening their own HK eatery later this year.

We spent the first day of 2007 lunching at the Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe.

Xin Nian @ Xin Wang. Appropriate or what?

Hols: New Year's Eve

2006-12-31T11:55:00.000+08:00

My plans to spend the day sleeping into the New Year were scuppered at the last minute when I was talked into going to the Esplande to watch the 10 pm fireworks. Except, the said fireworks were so miserably wretched, lasting only five seconds, I ended up staying for the whole do. They saved the big bang for midnight.

Because it rained and the people who didn't have umbrellas ran for cover, we managed to get really near the waterfront. I shot a video of the fireworks with my digital camera and I'm trying to figure out how to cut it on a computer, having learned videotape editing the old fashioned way, on an edit machine.

How do Singaporeans count down to the New Year? By eating. Non-stop. We were left with little choice but to join in. The food end of the bay was very crowded. I ta pao-ed an oyster omelette and we bought assorted goodies like corn and candy floss. When in Rome ...

Hols: Cheap Japanese

2006-12-29T11:55:00.000+08:00

I am eating my weight in Japanese food. I suspect Japanese in Singapore isn't particularly good but I'm such a pleb I don't care. I have re-discovered tempura udon and am having it at every opportunity.

The one at Bugis foodcourt is great for only $7. They even provide the tempura dipping sauce without being asked.

Hols: Carrot Cake

2006-12-28T11:55:00.000+08:00

Yummm ... carrot cake.

Hols: Famous Prawn Noodles

2006-12-27T11:55:00.000+08:00

They're so famous and doing so spectacularly well, they do not open on Sundays and have recently (?) taken over the shop next door. For $8, you can order mega prawns prawn noodle. I stuck to the cheap regular sized bowl.

Hols: Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T11:55:00.000+08:00

Christmas dinner

* Turkey

* Cinnamon stuffing

* Sausage, celery & apple stuffing

* Mint roast beef

* Honey glazed ham

* Mint sauce

* Meat sauce/gravy

* Thai mango salad

* Almond jelly & longans

* Mango pudding topped with fresh mango

* Peach glazed chiffon cake

* Chocolate chiffon cake

* Assorted chips & chocolates

Hols: Last Hurrah

2006-12-23T11:55:00.000+08:00

2006 is the last time this tree goes up as it's been shedding furiously. I won't be sorry to see it go as half of it dropped off when I hung up the decorations. I put the tree up a week ago and it has been lighting our house every night since. You can see the lighted tree from the street.

Hols: Penang Hawker

2006-12-21T11:55:00.000+08:00

Penang oyster omelette

After a three day delay, I finally had Penang hawker fare at York hotel. No special promotion. No aunties/uncles. No crowds. Thank-bloody-God.

The portions were miniscule, with everything served in tiny plates and bowls.

Hols: Sakae Sushi

2006-12-19T11:55:00.000+08:00

I will never forget asking a friend if she ate conveyor belt sushi. She stared at me with such horror, as if I had suggested she roughly chop her Golden Retriever and stir-fry him with ginger and oyster sauce. She was clearly not a conveyor belt sushi kinda gal. More Tetsuya's I reckon.

This friend would approve of Sakae Sushi at Raffles City. It's a swisher version of the plebian Sakae Sushis dotted around the island. And the food is exquisite. But eat fast because the restaurant is freezing.

Hols: Beef Noodle

2006-12-18T11:55:00.000+08:00

Trooped to York hotel for their annual Penang hawker fare. But as a result of poor planning by some PR doofus just out of school, a lot of ah kongs, ah mahs, aunties and uncles were there too. They were presumably drawn by the once-off 1986 price special and seeing as it is a buffet, I can only assume they had gone without dinner and brekky. The queue was quite alarming, about 300 and counting, transforming the understated York hotel into Toa Payoh Central.

We took one look at the scary uncles and aunties "slopping all over place" (to quote a v. atas* friend about the Esplanade's grand opening), turned around and headed to Scotts for beef noodles. The Scotts food court appeared rather sorry at lunch time and was almost deserted.

We're going back on a non-promotional day when there's no crowd and the fellow-eaters, going by past years, will likely be comprised of office workers, Penang natives, a sprinkling of tai-tais, and one Singaporean-Australian.

* Haha! I actually know what atas is because years ago when I was working as a Broadcast Journalist here, my voice coach said I sounded very atas. !?

Hols: Din Tai Fung

2006-12-17T11:55:00.000+08:00

What is the big fat deal about Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao? It's over-priced and over-rated. And the much raved about pleats were crooked. Miang Jiang (formerly Goodwood Park) and Crystal Jade has way better dim sum.

Hols: Surviving Singapore

2006-12-16T11:55:00.000+08:00

At this time of the year, Singaporeans who live overseas congregate at their island of birth, whether it’s to celebrate Christmas, make an annual non-religious pilgrimage or return for good.

Whether you spend a week or a month in lah-lah land, you’ll need help surviving Singapore …

* Keep away public transport if you can manage it. The MRTs will piss you off because ill-mannered commuters - which is all of them - shove their way in and out of trains. Cabs are also to be avoided at all costs because taxi drivers are notorious ranters. Yes, their life sucks. Who cares? If you must take public transport, the bus is the probably safest bet.

* Do not go near anyone who is even the tiniest bit unhappy with their lives. Because such people will direct clumsily snide attacks in your direction. Unless you want to play this silly better than the Joneses game Singaporeans are so fond of, it’s best to steer clear.

* Under no circumstance do you ask a salesgirl anything. They’re not paid enough to do anything beyond fold clothes and ring up your purchases. The same goes for waiters. If you’re eating at fast food restaurants like Cafe Cartel and Pasta Fresca with no real waiters and no chefs, you are getting what you pay for, which is nothing. Imagine forking out 15 bucks for an eighteen year old to dump a can of NTUC spaghetti on your plate. Go high (Garibaldi) or go low (Marche). Anything in-between is a waste of money and precious stomach space. Japanese being the exception.

* If you have a limited social circle and everybody you know graduated from Cambridge and/or lives in Holland Village, keep it that way. Make no attempt to widen your social circle or you’ll spend your entire time listening to whinging about maids, upgrading, work and the government.

* Should you encounter someone outside of your immediate group and the conversation turns to maids, upgrading, work and the government, show your disinterest immediately letting your eyes to glaze over, stifling a yawn, and looking round for someone more interesting.

* Eat hawker food and shop a lot. It will make you happy. Try to do your shopping in the early mornings as the lack of crowds will make you even happier. Also shop at Bedok or Toa Payoh at least once. It is relatively inexpensive and it’s a fun day out.

* Point and laugh at a fat ang moh expat. Feel sorry for him because you know what a loser he is in his own country (the country you just came from) and needs to milk his white status in Asia for everything.

* Watch movies. They are cheap. Watch movies in the mornings or afternoons on weekdays. Even cheaper.

* Buy some pirated DVDs and computer software.

* Avoid buying footwear from Charles & Keith as you will regret it later. When you get back home to San Francisco or wherever, you will realise you are stuck with five pairs of tacky shoes that make you look like a poorly paid secretary or a mainlander.

* Embark on activities you normally wouldn’t such as going to the Chinese Heritage Centre in Chinatown (it’s really good) or getting a bum boat ride up and down the Singapore River (ditto).

* Go look at the lights in Orchard Road. It’s terribly commercial but pretty(ish) all the same.

* Load up on cosmetics and toiletries at Sa Sa and Watsons.

* Indulge in a day of spa treatment at Sentosa's Spa Botannica. It is excellent. Bookings essential. If you’re on a budget, Spa Esprit in Holland V is also good.

* Only read the world and lifestyle sections of the local newspaper.

Life in the Western Suburbs

2006-12-15T11:55:00.002+08:00

I live in an apartment in the western suburbs. I am in a small block where the neighbours appear to know each other. To my left is a blue rinse lady, Jane, whom I’ve been told is extremely nosy. This makes me keep away from her, giving reserved nods and “hellos” whenever we meet along the corridors. On my right is a guy who is very fat and something of a slob. For this reason, I also steer clear of him. The two are not mutually inclusive of course, but he happens to be both.

I don’t seem to see anyone else, but sound travels and I can hear other neighbours chatting to each other in the common area, and also talking to the two resident cats. The tabbys - so overfed, they look constantly pregnant - must be the only outside felines in the world desperate to be inside cats. I can’t tell them apart but one or the other is always trying to sneak into my apartment when I’m going in and out.

The over-familiarity of my neighbours with each other startles me. I’m used to the detachment of Sydney where people are reservedly polite or reservedly friendly.

I love my little apartment. It’s a marked improvement from what I had in Sydney. I have an ensuite, a living room, a dinning room and a newly renovated kitchen. Overall, it is cosy and feels rather homey. It’s quite small (and over-priced) and I continue looking in the classifieds for a townhouse or a villa to buy.

In the meantime, I am near everything I need … supermarket, shops, takeaways (which I’ve yet to try), and a video store. Service is generally good and a charming small town ease ensures there's plenty of "luvs", "how are you goings" and "have a good days" thrown into fleeting exchanges.

When I step out, I see other people walking their dogs in the neighbourhood, gardening in their front yards, or just power (?) walking. We greet each other with a small wave, nod or a smile. Crossing the road, cars slow down to let me go, which I acknowledge with a wave and a quickening of pace.

This is life in the western suburbs in Perth.

Chicken Stock

2006-12-13T11:55:00.000+08:00

I made chicken stock which is the easiest thing to do.

What
* Chicken bone
* Chicken breast, roughly chopped
* 3 carrots
* 3 celery
* 1 onion
* 3 tbs Italian parsley, chopped
* 6 cups water

How
* Throw everything in a large stock pot and simmer for four hours

Tub the stock and stick it in the freezer. It keeps forever.

This is probably the last thing I make for the year because I'm going on Christmas break in a couple of days. It's highly unlikely I will be slaving over a hot stove while on holidays, no matter how much I enjoy cooking.

Tomorrow, I hit Claremont to pay several bills, get money out for my vacation and run the kind of last minute errands that invariably surface at the last minute.

It is also that time of the year where there are plenty of Christmas parties and it's a matter of having a good think about which ones I want to go to so. Meaning, which shindigs have an abundance of food and drinks and a scarcity of boring people.

I am about to step out of the door now to go down the road for some mangoes. For reasons beyond me, mango prices fluctuate by the week, sometimes day. So long as it's between $2 to $3, I shan't worry too much about it. I try to buy them on the $2 days but have no idea how that works at all. I suspect the mangoes are just being priced arbitrarily.

PS Three more sleeps to summer hols.

Aim in Life

2006-12-12T11:55:00.000+08:00

I have the worst headache from lack of sleep and 35 degrees heat today. Sadly, my ... er ... plan to be Rosie Hancock Porteous II (!) has yet to materialise with aging millionaires in short supply. My aspiration of being a tai-tai firmly on the back burner, I have been forced to take a job.

While I am working (what a dirty word), I'm dreaming of getting hitched to someone enormously wealthy and doing nothing at all. Nothing except shop at Harrods, buy Armani bags and go on exotic holidays.

It is my frivolous aim in life to return to Harrods for a massive shop. The last time I did that, my parents paid and I don't think they're going to do it now because they have funny ideas about me paying my own way as I'm not in uni. The only way I can swing Harrods again is to pull a Rose H-P. I really should have ambushed Her Royal Greatness at Claremont the last time. I shall keep an eye out for her.

There's a very funny interview of Andrew Denton with Rose here.

PS My other bizarre aim is, strangely, to become a postie. Wake up, sort mail, stick them into letter-boxes, go home. What could be better?

PPS Four more sleeps to Christmas vacation.

Spicy Chicken Meatballs

2006-12-11T11:55:00.000+08:00

There’s this nifty community event where the house with the best Christmas decorations win a top prize of $10,000. The runner-up gets $5,000. I think the addresses of the houses in the contest can be accessed online. You drive up, admire all the lights and place your vote.

From what I’ve seen on TV, the unifying decor theme appears to be tackiness and coloured lights in abundance. I don’t imagine the competitors are in it for the prize money since the cost of the decorations and powering the house for a month would probably come up to $5,000. So if you don't come in first or second, you are out of pocket.

But it's all good fun and there's a certain charm in opening your home - the exterior at least - to complete strangers.

I made Spicey Chicken Meatballs from Bill Granger's Every Day. I surprise myself by actually using the book so much. Usually I read my cookbooks from cover to cover before putting them away and getting my recipes from other sources. Didn’t much like the meatball chicken pasta. It looks ok captured on camera though.

Year-end Rush

2006-12-09T11:55:00.000+08:00

London Court

Shopping in Perth is tough. I ran all over the place like a headless chook looking for small gifts and some paper/ envelopes to write year-end notes with. I even went to London Court.

I eventually found the pressies at Borders in the city and the paper closer to home, at a newsagent in Claremont. Because I am leaving for holidays in a week, I am writing all my notes for people who've helped or made an impact on me in some way and whom I need to thank.

I love the baby blue envelope. It reminds me of Tiffany's boxes.

Popping by a friend's blog and reading her 2006 wrap, I realised how close to 2007 we are. Around this time, newsrooms around the world work on their year-end wraps, which is basically a review of the year. I must remember to do my own soon and also to think about my New Year's resolutions, which I do keep.

Porridge

2006-12-08T11:55:00.000+08:00

Century egg costs $5 for two. Yipes! They are only sold in twos. This is the last time I'm having it.

Cantonese style porridge making - soak rice overnight with a pinch of salt and cook as per normal. This I discovered after doing it the longer way ... adding lots of water and occasional stirring.

I've just sorted my Christmas/New Year's holiday and it cost me an absolute fortune to fly at this time of the year and also to be booking at the last minute. But I decided that after giving myself a loooong break from Sydney, the last thing I want to do is spend another three weeks "vacationing" in Perth. Much as I love this sleepy little city, it's not quite the place to enjoy three weeks of leave.

Believe it or not, Sudan's former Acting Ambassador to Britain reportedly kept a slave in his London residence. This slave girl's story can be read in Slave: The True Story of a Girl's Lost Childhood and Her Fight for Survival by Mende Nazer in collaboration with journalist Damien Lewis. Mende escaped from the (Acting) Ambassador's home with the help of other Sudanese in September 2000. After a very public battle with the British authorities, Mende was, in December 2002, granted asylum status in the United Kingdom.

Sausages with Caramelized Onions

2006-12-07T11:55:00.000+08:00

Soon-to-be caramelized onions

Had meal of sausages with caramelized onions and parmesan mash from Every Day. Loved the sausages. Caramelized onions and parmesan mash was so-so.

Encountered an older gentleman peering at packets of Japanese curry at Coles yesterday. He was looking for fish paste and wanted to know if he could use J-curry. I recoiled in horror, "Oh no, that's Japanese curry. You do not want to use that for fish at all."

I lead him away from the Japanese section and down to Southeast-Asian (what a long way Perth has come) where lo and behold, there was indeed no fish paste. I suggested he try Peppy Grove and Broadway for Asian mini-markets.

From the brief conversation, I gathered that he lives alone, has difficulty shopping and usually gets his daughter to accompany him (she has busy yesterday).

Anyway, he thanked me, wanted to know how long I'd been in Australia, and remarked that my English was brilliant and entirely accentless. I've heard this "you speak without an accent" thing enough times to know it means "without an Asian accent".

Because he was an older guy and I think not in the best of circumstances, I nodded and refrained from telling him I know my English is excellent and accentless and I don't need a dumb f**k telling me that.

If you ever encounter a breezy, largely indifferent and supremely confident Singaporean in or out of Singapore who speaks immaculate accentless English, they are probably not poor and not badly educated, and trust me ... we know this already.

Yakitori

2006-12-06T11:55:00.000+08:00

I had to pop into the city, something I am loathe to do, to run an errand and while I was there, dropped by the Asian minimart for Yakitori sauce and cooking sake.

I also went into David Jones to have a look at some stuff I’ll wanna buy during the summer sale. I didn’t bother checking out the Armani bags because they’re all under lock and key during non-sale periods. I went to look at kitchenware instead.

Have come up with a short list of things I will be getting in the new year -

* Pasta maker
* Food processor
* Ice-cream maker
* That Asian pounder thingy that weights a ton

While I’m dreaming of all the fabulous stuff I’m going to make with the above, I settled for something a little more basic - bamboo skewers. I have 100 of them.

The Moo Ping got me thinking about those Yakitori sticks at Takashimaya … and what’s a gal in WA to do but make her own?

It’s dead easy. Simply marinate assorted carnivorous food, stick them on skewers and shove them in the toaster oven for 15 minutes and … tra la! … Yakitori.

Coincidentally, I am reading The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales and Foreign Babes in Beijing. Maybe I subconsciously pick up books to match the cultures of whatever I’m cooking. Too weird.

Lemon & Lime Juice

2006-12-04T11:55:00.000+08:00

It’s a complete mystery to me how much individual items cost in the supermarket. Ask me how much, say, carrots or orange juice are, and I would be utterly clueless. I only pay attention to the total of my weekly grocery bill - except when I’m at the Asian mini-mart and when I am buying cheese.

So when I peeked at my receipt and saw that four little limes set me back $8.40, I almost fainted. In comparison, lemons, my receipt showed, set me back 50 cents each. What’s truly baffling is this - lime grows everywhere in Australia, even in my backyard if I had one. There is no reason for them to be $30 per kg. Someone suggested I go out at night and steal some from a neighbour.

My homemade lime juice days are well and truly over.

What
* 2 lemons
* 4 limes
* 8 tbs sugar
* 1 cup water

How
* Heat water in pot until it starts to bubble
* Scoop the sugar in and leave to dissolve without stirring
* Add sugar water into jug of squeezed fruit

French Raisin Toast

2006-12-03T07:23:00.000+08:00

I love brekkies. Very often, I order the Big Breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown, grilled tomatoes, sauted mushrooms and orange juice in cafés not because I actually want it but because I adore the idea of it.

Weekend breakfasts are so indulgent … you read the morning paper at a leisurely pace, you discuss the day ahead with your partner, you make comments on the texture of the bacon, you read the paper some more, you slurp your too-sweet OJ until there isn’t a drop left, you make sure your plate is wiped clean, and finally, you get up to pay the bill and start thinking about heading off.

I like home breakfasts too, though it is a fraction of the fun and production of a Big Breakfast outside. Early this morning, I made French Raisin Toast. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla on the fry pan reminded me of cafés in France.

While I vaguely used Bill Granger as a guide, I am going to post it here because many people have similar recipes and I do not think anybody has a monopoly on French Raisin Toast.

What
* 2 eggs
* 3 slices raisin toast
* ½ cup full cream milk
* 2-3 tbs caster sugar
* 1 tbs vanilla essence
* ½ tbs ground cinnamon
* Maple syrup
* Icing sugar

How
* Combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon and beat
* Soak bread in egg mixture and fry both sides on medium to high heat
* Bake for five minutes in toaster oven

Serve with maple syrup and icing sugar.

After years of wrangling, daylight savings - starting today - has finally come to WA. We are two hours behind the eastern states and one hour ahead of Singapore/Hong Kong. A whole hour of my life has disappeared without a trace.

Proscuitto Mushroom Pasta

2006-12-02T07:23:00.000+08:00

I’ve just returned from the very, very mini Subiaco Festival which turned out as expected.

On my way home, I picked up all the stuff I’ll need for making dishes from my new cookbook, Bill Granger’s Every Day. I purchased it from Myer in the city for only $30, sale price.

The first thing I made was Proscuitto Mushroom Pasta (pg 130 if you’re too cheapskate to buy the book and want to get the recipe quickly from the bookstore), a light, creamy dish using tagliatelli.

Every single time I make pasta from scratch, I marvel at how wonderful it is, how good it smells and how incredibly fresh it tastes. It may take a little practice, but pasta made from scratch is well worth the effort.

It is so excellent I can happily eat it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, cream and nothing else. In the past, I‘ve followed recipes calling for fresh such-and-such and used pre-packed instead, the result is never as good. Where pasta is concerned, the difference in taste is simply mind-blowing. Everybody should try homemade pasta at least once.

I have only recently discovered the magic of crushing garlic. It's fantastic, all those lovely juices and flavours oozing out. Crushed garlic, proscuitto and buttom mushrooms simmering happily in chicken stock and cream is too marvellous for words. The scent drifts from your kitchen, out of your windows, into the corridoor outside, leaving your neighbours to sniff in the air and wonder what's cooking in your home.

My verdict for Bill Granger's Proscuitto Mushroom Pasta? Bellissimo. Beautiful.

Subi Festival Thur-Sun

2006-11-30T09:20:00.000+08:00

The Subiaco Festival kicks off today. I'm going on Saturday when the theme is food.

I'm not going to take any big city expectations with me because it'll only lead to disappointment, not to mention boredom. I shall believe it to be a small, country town fair and if it turns out bigger, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Soy Chicken (Mum's Recipe)

2006-11-29T15:53:00.000+08:00

In keeping with my “pay more attention to how much things cost” resolution (see Lemon & Lime Juice post later in the week), I noted that $3.50 will get me four chicken wings, with drumsticks attached, from the butcher’s and ten pre-packed at the supermarket.

Because I’m trying to decrease my reliance on shrink-wrapped meat, I bought the one at the butcher’s. Aussie chicken wings are plump and meaty, unlike the measly, puny ones you get in Singapore. I will always associate skinny chicken wings with Singaporean BBQs. Here, we have huge slabs of steak and massive bowls of salad. Now, that’s a barbie.

The last time I made soy chicken, I used the recipe from another food blogger. It turned out I didn’t like her soy chicken, and as I soon discovered, I did not care for anything else on her site. We have very different taste in food.

This time I pinched a recipe from my mum and while it’s ordinary Singaporean fare, it’s hearty food all the same. I reckon everyone has their own family soy chicken recipe. This is mine.

What
* 4 chicken wings
* 1 tbs oyster sauce
* 2 tbs shao xing hua tiao jiu
* 2 tsp light soy sauce
* 2 tsp dark soy sauce
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* 2 tsp sugar
* Tiny bit of onion, finely chopped
* Tiny bit of ginger, finely chopped
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 3-4 tbs water

How
* Marinate chicken wings with oyster sauce, shao xing hua tiao jiu, light and dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar for at least half an hour
* Fry onion, ginger and garlic on high heat
* Add chicken and stir, burning the skin slightly if you wish
* Turn heat to low, add water, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes

PS The skinny Singaporean chicken cooks faster, in about 10-15 minutes.

Thai Fried Rice

2006-11-28T12:57:00.000+08:00

Still on my Thai phase, I modified this from Thai Table.

What
* 3 tbs veg oil
* 2 tbs Maggie seasoning sauce or light soy sauce
* ½ tomato, diced
* ½ carrot, diced
* ½ cup towgay
* 1 mushroom, diced
* 1 and ½ cup cooked rice
* ½ cup chicken, diced
* 1 egg
* 1 lime
* Pinch of pepper
* ¼ onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

How
* Heat oil until the wok starts smoking before frying onion and garlic
* Add chicken and fry; set to one side and fry the egg first followed by the veggies
* Add light soy and fish sauce and continue stir-frying for another one-two minutes

Serve with ground pepper and lime.

What’s the difference between Thai fried rice and Chinese fried rice? Minus the lime at the end, not a damn thing.

Moo Ping - Grilled Pork

2006-11-24T05:48:00.000+08:00

I went and looked up all the Chinese festivals for 2007 as I’m determined to try and follow some of it. I shall cook at least one dish related to the festival. I’m thinking pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year on January 18th.

Anyway, that got me thinking about the food I want to learn to make and here’s my list -

* Kiam Chye Soup
* Ngor Hiong
* Grilled Chicken Wings
* Chicken Stew
* Sweet & Sour Pork
* Deep Fried Prawns
* Mee Suaw
* Gyoza
* Pad Thai
* Chicken Macaroni Soup
* Taco
* Coloured Pasta
* Lamington
* Ice-cream

I pinched something else from Thai Table - Moo Ping or Grilled Pork. The recipe called for sliced pork but I used minced. I ate it with rice but it is more of a snack, like satay. It’s very sweet but I suspect lots of Thai food is.

Perth having crap Asian food has resulted in me cooking a lot more different dishes. Because if I want real Thai or Viet or whatever, I am not going to find it here, not at a reasonable price anyway. On the upside, there are decent(ish) Asian mini-marts and groceries are cheap(ish).

Risotto (Cheat's Version)

2006-11-23T05:43:00.000+08:00

I did something extremely foolish a couple of weeks ago. I gave away one of my Armani bags. It’s a classic black bag that is essential to every gal’s wardrobe. From time to time I spring clean my closet, but I am beginning to realise that I should never, ever part with any of my Armani bags … not even if the recipient is my sister eyeing it like a hungry refugee.

Now that I am without a black bag, it can only mean one thing - I will have to hunt down another Armani in black during the summer sale. Poor me.

On things Italian, I have discovered a cheat’s way of making risotto. It’s easy. Instead of slaving away and stirring the stupid rice for 50 bloody minutes, all you need to do is cook it first (with chicken stock, not water), fry your veggies etc, combine the two and stir in the cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Japanese Cheesecake II

2006-11-22T16:05:00.000+08:00

Apricot glazed cheesecake

In a past life, I tried to make Japanese Cheesecake but it didn’t quite turn out. I skipped the cream of tartar and baked on a cold day, both of which contributed to a mushy, soggy, deflated cake.

This time, I made sure I did it right, choosing a warm day (32 degrees), having cream of tartar at hand, and leaving the cake to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar. Guess what? It stayed up! Happiness is making a perfect Japanese Cheesecake.

Alright, I will never be complimented on my food presentation skills. Nobody will ever say, “Wow Nicole, your food/cake is presented so beautifully. How do you do it?”

But I reckon I do okay on the taste front and unless you’re opening a restaurant, that’s what matters no?

If you want it to taste exactly like the one sold at Takashimaya's food court, omit the lemon juice and glaze. Recipe courtesy of Kyoko's Kitchen. She has other interesting things on her site too. The gyoza looks a killer.

I’ve posted a picture of the old cheesecake to compare with the one I baked today. Mass improvement eh?

Old cheesecake

New cheesecake!

Marinated Fried Chicken

2006-11-21T05:26:00.000+08:00

Ohmygoodness, I have discovered the most marvellous website, Thai Table, for Thai recipes. I forgot to credit them for the Pad See-Ew I made. I tried something else of theirs - Marinated Fried Chicken - and it was sooo mouth-wateringly good.

Recently, someone told me he “didn’t agree” with the Asian cooking style of adding sugar in mains. According to him, there was already sugar in desserts and therefore should not be in anything else. Naturally, given my fondness for being told what Asians are or are not/should or should not do, I treated this bit of unsolicited opinion with a polite but withering smile. I was debating whether to say what was going through my mind, who gives a f**k what you think about Asian food?

Here is my sugar, among other condiments, marinated fried chicken.

Sago Gula Melaka

2006-11-19T09:41:00.000+08:00

An evening of sex and sago

I saw something at the video library I couldn’t resist - Sex: The Annabel Chong Story. It was riveting, in the same way a really horrific car accident is. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen when I played it at home. I don’t mean there was a lot of porn in the documentary. There was some but it was insignificant and definitely nothing to get hot and bothered about.

What struck me most was her pretension. Annabel or Grace Quek, the name she was born with, claims to be “from London”, having been “brought up there”. It’s such an odd thing to say since her parents live in Singapore and she attended Singaporean schools (Hwa Chong Junior College) before going to King's College London for a year and then moving to the US to continue her higher education.

Chong also has that impossible to place accent, a strange combination of fake English/fake American. And she had a weird way of saying “sex”, coming out like SAX as in “SAXual”, “homoSAXual”, which was extremely grating.

The last thing about her that jarred was this scene where her mother finds out she’s a sex - or SAX - worker and is crying. They are conversing in Mandarin and her mum is sobbing and telling Chong she has to regain the family’s dignity. Chong, crying in unison, replies, “Wo hui de, mom. Wo hui de, mom. Mom, ni xiang xing wo ma?”

Maybe a Caucasian person would miss it but I find that extraordinarily bizarre. The Quek family are obviously Chinese educated. How unnatural is it for a Chinese daughter to be speaking in Mandarin and calling her mother “mom”? An American would relate to the scene with the constant "moms" far better than the more plausible but foreign sounding "ma". I got the feeling Annabel Chong was simply acting her way through everything - the tears, being the brassy fake Londoner porn star in America, and posing as a mom-sprouting, filial Asian daughter in Singapore.

This may be a little known fact but Chong claims to have been raped by six men in London. As she tells it, she’d taken up an offer to have sex with a guy in his council flat. After they’d done it, he told her to wait and went and got his friend who also wanted to bonk her. She agreed to do his friend too, but more men started coming and she says "it was clear they were going to screw [her] and steal [her] money.”

The documentary fails to address why a smart, middle-class girl from Singapore with no apparent history of abuse would want to become a porn actress. Chong's statements about reclaiming her sexuality make her sound like a cliché gender studies student. She also claims she wanted to get paid for sex since she was doing it for free anyway. But she contradicts herself by saying that she doesn't care about not getting $10,000 owed to her from the "gang bang" since it was never about money.

I read somewhere Chong/Quek is now working as an executive something or other in the States. I wonder if she can ever have children because presumably they would freak out when they got old enough to understand that their mother was a porn star and screwed 251 guys at a go.

If her aim was to earn money from sex, she was an abject failure. She didn't appear to have much money and her apartment was a hole in a wall in a suspect suburb. She could have certainly made more money as a high class hooker or social escort (thin line between the two). However, if Chong/ Quek had aspired to be a sleezy, broke and washed out porn actress, she was probably a huge success.

While I was watching Singapore’s most famous sexport, I made Sago Gula Melaka. I drained the sago beads and folded a whisked egg white into the sago to get a lighter texture. This method will also prevent the sago from hardening.

I added honeydew, though for purposes of presentation, a rock melon, scooped out in small balls, may be better.

Steak Sandwich

2006-11-18T10:12:00.000+08:00

After listening a friend describe her lovely pan-seared steak sandwich brekky, I knew I had to have one. Of course, my meal isn’t quite like hers because she had her steak specially flown in from Japan or France, I can’t remember which, and mine came from the supermarket down the road.

I finally deep fried French Fries. Yummy as they are, I won’t be repeating this in a hurry because it’s very oily. I had to give my counter-top a thorough wipe before proceeding to pan-sear the steak. I topped it with Béarnaise sauce which you can make (see Neil Perry’s The Food I Love) but I used Maille’s.

Speaking of which, in his book, Neil Perry trashes anything from a bottle at every opportunity. I think his exact words are “it tastes like crap”, “it’s disgusting” or something to that effect. And lo and behold, guess what I spot in The Boatshed? Neil Perry’s mayonnaise. I suppose for enough money, he can be persuaded to swallow what he claims is - if you'll excuse the language - shite.

Pad See-Ew

2006-11-17T08:31:00.000+08:00

This is a really simple dish to make and while not exactly like the one I bought at the $5 takeaway place in Glebe, it’s still pretty good. I think it lacks a little sweet sauce which I will get when I next go to Kong’s.

I used thin white noodles because the HK girl at the store assured me the thick one breaks easily and is difficult to cook. I thought the thin noodles would make a big difference but it really tastes quite similar. I couldn’t find fresh noodles anywhere nearby and made do with the dry version.

What
* ½ packet white flat noodles
* ½ packet chicken or other meat of choice, thinly sliced
* ¼ onion, finely chopped
* 1 glove garlic, finely chopped
* Small bit of ginger, finely chopped
* Any Chinese veggies
* 1 and ½ tbs light soy sauce
* 1 tbs dark soy sauce
* 1 tbs sugar
* 2 eggs

How
* Boil noodles in small wok for about 5 minutes before draining in colander
* Fry onion, garlic and ginger, and add chicken and veggies
* Run noodles under hot water for a second and place in wok, giving a good mix
* Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar, frying as you go along
* Make a hole in the centre of stir-fry and crack two eggs in it
* Wait till eggs cook before stir-frying again

At the end of the egg stage, I realised I forgot the veggies. It was still good even if it could’ve done with some greens, towgay or tofu at least.

One of the sites I visit regularly is Obachan's Kitchen, an entertaining and very well written food blog by a Japanese middle-aged woman. I've always been puzzled by why she - a university graduate with immaculate English - works as a clerk and a kitchen hand.

Reading an article of hers in a magazine when I was on a plane recently, I remembered what my former Japanese flatmate told me about women and employment in Japan. Apparently, it's virtually impossible for women past the age of 29, no matter how qualified, to get a decent job. Many companies, my flatmate said, specify "no over 29s" in their ads. Ouch.

Assorted Food

2006-11-16T19:17:00.000+08:00

I tried to bake French Fries with limited success. They really do need to be deep fried.

The rest of the meal turned out okay though. I was extremely lazy and for the first time in a veeerry long time, I used sauce from a packet for the veal leg steak with cauliflower and French Fries. Not a good idea. The homemade one is superior by far.

It's Gula Melaka and Pad See-Ew this weekend. I first had the latter in Sydney at a little Glebe eatery that sold everything for five bucks. It was excellent and I'll see if mine is anywhere even close.

While I was in the area buying palm sugar and white flat noodles, I picked up a small tiny wedge of Parmagiano Reggiano from The Boatshed. I haven't a clue what I'm going to do with it but I'll think of something.

A Hot Day

2006-11-15T12:30:00.000+08:00

Photo credit: Wikipedia

It has been a spectacularly hot start of the week in Perth with temps averaging 34 degrees celcius. Apart from going out to get two luscious mangoes, I haven't been able to do much.

I have not even managed to stagger to The Boatshed even though I am in desperate need of cheese for an Aussie Burger and palm sugar for Gula Melaka I am planning. I have a whole list of food I wish to make but have yet to translate cooking them spectacularly in my head to actual action in the kitchen. I really should do something about it soon because my imagination can only take me so far.

On a slightly more productive note, I have finally ordered my car. There's a wait list which means I won't get it until February. I don't mind too much since it's exactly what I want and despite the high demand and reluctance of the dealer to budge on a discount, I managed to negotiate $1000 off the quoted price.

I had this nifty idea that since the car was arriving on the month of my birthday, my family could give it to me as a present. This was unfortunately greeted with snorts all round and they didn't go for it at all. Some people are so stingy over a few measly dollars. Hmph.

Anyway, it's a snazzy pearlescent black (to match my mobile and Nintendo DS - I am anal about these things) and is so new I have only seen it on the road here once.

In the meantime, I am relying on the reasonably reliable public transport to get around. On my way to the city today, a sort of trashy Aborginal family of four shared my train carriage. There was an unease in the air, felt - or perhaps generated - by the other passengers. Do you walk up and move or stay where you are, thinking all manner of politically incorrect thoughts.

A pair of transit officers came along to check tickets and it came as, if I dare say so, very little surprise to anyone that the Aboriginal family didn't have any. They were fined $50 each.

Minutes later, another pair of transit officers appeared to reinforce the existing two. I thought, how ghastly, to be Aboriginal and not be able to take the train without everyone looking at you as if you were a troublemaker and authorites appearing out of nowhere to watch you.

In this case however, if they were white, I suspect everyone else would have been equally wary because like I said, they were very trashy, unkept, and looked rather unpredictable. I took particular care to clutch on to my bag.

The Aborginal family got off at Daglish. What they are doing at Daglish is anybody's guess.

Kaya Toast

2006-11-12T18:47:00.000+08:00

After my trip to Singapore, I decided I should learn to cook more dishes that are true to my culture. I mean, honestly, what is the point of being able to do Italian and French cuisine? Apart from tasting good, it has no meaning for me at all. In terms of cultural significance, there's little difference between a hotdog and a plate of risotto.

To kick start Cooking and Eating Singaporean, I got out a long-forgotten bottle of kaya and had a taste of my childhood. It's even a Singaporean brand - Yeo's which is slowly but surely making its way into mainstream Australian food consciousness. Yeo's drinks and sauces are available in Coles and Woolworths but for something as "exotic" as kaya, a trip to Kong's will be necessary.

This is Asian Vegemite ... fragrant, creamy, sweet and slightly sticky.

Sloppy Cheeseburger

2006-11-09T18:55:00.000+08:00

Not counting instant udon, this is my first cooked meal since returning from holiday.

I got Quickes Farmhouse Cheddar (British) but any other good quality cheddar will do.

What
* Mince beef
* 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
* Pinch salt & pepper
* ¼ day old bread soaked and mashed in milk
* BBQ sauce
* Burger bun
* Quickes Farmhouse Cheddar
* Several slices tomato

How
* Mix beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and milk-soaked bread
* Form into a patty, cover with clingfilm and leave in fridge for an hour
* Fry patty on grill for two minutes on each side

Serve on buns with tomatoes and cheese.

Post-Wedding

2006-11-08T19:24:00.000+08:00

Not at all about food but here's the fabulous $70 dress I wore to the wedding banquet. I pinched those strappy black shoes from my sis who shares the same feet size as me. About the dress, my aunt said, "Of course it's cheap! There's not much material." !?!

I forgot to take a photo at the church but I had on a goldish-beige little number with silver sparkly shoes. Fingers crossed, the official photog captured it somewhere.

It's incredible how much weight a camera puts on. Believe it or not, at 160cm tall, I'm 46kg in these pics, having lost 2kg from being sick during my holiday. It's a good thing I'm not on TV, I would've been suicidal by now.

Back Home

2006-11-06T09:17:00.000+08:00

I'm back from a short holiday/attending a wedding in Singapore.

Perth Airport is not equipped to handle more than one incoming flight.

A mere two planes landed within minutes of each other and it was absolute hell.

There is a night flight (7.45) from Singapore to Perth. Never, ever catch this because it's enroute from Europe and is packed. Add in an Emirates arrival and you'll find yourself inching along a very slow moving line at a glacial pace beyond description.

Line at customs, line at "Nothing to Declare", line at baggage carousel.

At two in the morning, I was close to collapsing into a heap and judging by the weary faces around me, so was everyone else.

There were distinct mutterings, from the Europeans, of "It was much better at Singapore Airport".

Arrived home almost three hours after landing.

Exhausted.

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

2006-10-28T07:02:00.000+08:00

I made salmon fettuccine for real this time. But I tried a different sauce, replacing cream with skim milk for a low-fat alternative. I found a cream-based dish minus the actual cream was lacking in a little something … such as cream. Perhaps it just takes getting used to.

Smoked salmon fettuccine (weight watcher’s version) …

What
* 1 large slice smoked salmon, roughly sliced
* A tiny bit of onion and garlic, finely chopped
* ½ cup milk
* A tiny bit of unsalted butter
* Dash of pepper
* Fettuccine, boiled

How
* Fry onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil
* Plonk smoked salmon in, stir for 15 seconds and remove from pan
* Add milk, butter, pepper and stir
* After a minute, add fettuccine and salmon to pan, giving a good mix

Scrambled Egg Salmon

2006-10-27T18:00:00.000+08:00

No recipe necessary.

Just saw the TV stations condemning the makers of South Park. Apparently the Irwin family are "hurt and upset" that anyone would exploit Steve's death. How odd.

In the weeks after the croc hunter died, his widow was invited to all sorts of events that were presumably shut to her before. She showed up, strolled up and down the red carpet, smiled at people and waved to the cameras.

There's also the small matter of everyone in the Irwin camp reportedly saying that eight year old Bindi is dying (pun not intended) to continue her father's legacy.

I'm not even going to start on what legacy they mean exactly - are they referring to the legacy of him hunting down and antagonising animals in their natural habitat or his legacy of making millions from being on TV?

Is the so-called (alleged) family outrage due to someone exploiting Steve Irwin or is it because someone else is exploiting him?

Mushroom Risotto

2006-10-26T18:00:00.000+08:00

Never having been a fan of risotto or indeed any vegetarian dish, I changed my tune recently when I sunk my teeth into a delicious mushroom risotto at work.

Today, I asked for the recipe and came home to cook it. The traditional way of standing over the stock pot and stirring it non-stop for 50 minutes or so is time consuming and tiring on the arm. But that is how I did it nevertheless.

Everything was going swimmingly well, and my taste tests throughout indicated that it was close to what I’d had at work. During the last step - add Parmigiano Reggiano and stir - I threw in oh, about 500% more cheese than required. I really should have added it bit by bit, adjusting the amount of accordingly.

And so I have a cheese, instead of mushroom, risotto. But I’m at this exact moment trying to salvage the situation by cooking more rice.

What
* 1 ¼ cup uncooked Arborio rice
* 5-6 cups chicken stock
* 1 carrot, roughly chopped
* 2 baby zucchinis, roughly chopped
* ½ onion, roughly chopped
* 3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 large field mushroom, roughly chopped
* 3-4 tbs Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
* 3-4 tbs tomato sauce (agar agar)

How
* Fry onions and garlic in olive oil
* Add veggies and mix
* Pour in tomato sauce and give it a good mix
* Add uncooked rice, stir and pour chicken stock to cover rice
* Stir, adding more stock when it absorbs into the rice
* It should take about 50 minutes of stirring/adding stock before the rice is cooked
* Sprinkle cheese, mix and remove pot from stove

Plagued by Cows

2006-10-25T17:22:00.000+08:00

Ten years ago, if someone had predicted that cows in Italy and Switzerland would weigh in significantly on the course of my life, I would have laughed myself stupid. But it is just so.

It may sound odd to say it was an impressive selection of European cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano and Swiss Gruyere in particular, that forced me to re-examine some decisions I had made, but that is exactly what happened.

Ever so often, a small event or a series of them forces you to take stock of your life. In my case, what it took was an allergic reaction and cheese. The two, seemingly disparate matters, are closely tied to my future.

Over a week ago, I developed a rash on my hands that I dismissed as a minor irritation. It turned out to be more than that and what I thought to be a small rash started spreading rapidly up my arm in the manner of an angry red plague.

I spent Sunday night tossing and turning as I attempted - and failed miserably - not to scratch myself to death. At three in the morning, I realised that immediate action was called for. But unless I was two seconds from death, I would be sitting in a hospital outpatient clinic for ten hours at least. Immediate medical action in Australia means six hours later when the GP opens at 9am.

Apparently it also means going to a surgery in Nedlands to be greeted by a surly receptionist shaking her head firmly and telling you in no uncertain terms that appointments are de rigueur. How foolish of me not to have predicted that my rash would take a turn for the worse and I would be in need of medical attention on a Monday morning.

The situation was no better in Dalkeith where I was informed the waiting period would be two hours. I barely suppressed my expression of disbelief, gave her a wan smile, turned on my heels and walked out into the blazing sun of the Western Australian spring.

Finally, it was in Peppermint Grove that I managed to get a walk-in. The waiting room was packed with blue-rinse little old ladies, as were the surgeries in Nedlands and Dalkeith. They apparently made appointments the week before, having known that they could not survive a weekend without a sympathetic doctor at hand to regale the fascinating tales of bowel movement to.

I was beginning to see western suburbs GPs in a completely new, and not altogether flattering, light. And on a Monday morning at least, they appeared not to be practicing any real medicine but rather posing as paid ears to the wealthy and lonely elderly.

In any case, the lovely Dr B certainly did have a real case with me. My bowels were moving just fine. But my hands and arms were in a sorry state and we struggled to find the cause of the mysterious rash. We concluded that it was very likely something in a commercial kitchen but we didn't know what. Dr B piled cream and meds on me and sent me on my way.

By then, my rash had subsided considerably and I thought it an inopportune time, while I was in the area, to check out The Boatshed, a rather swish supermarket in Peppermint Grove. Ordinary things in The Boatshed are very expensive and if you're after items such as ketchup, Woolworths down the road is by far the more sensible alternative.

What The Boatshed does stock that Woolie's does not is exotic stuff like fresh coconut ($5 each), very large mangoes ($9 each), and the widest range of cheeses (prices vary) I have seen anywhere outside of France. They also had small plastic tubs with cheese samples cut into cubes laid out neatly.

Ten minutes, many samples and a packet of Swiss Gruyere later, I was beaming my way home. But an unease, with little to do with my dermatological malaise, was slowly but surely creeping upon me.

Going to the GP at Peppermint Grove (the Perth suburb with the most millionaires per square foot) and shopping at The Boatshed only served as a reminder that the way I live cannot be described by any stretch of the imagination as "cheap".

The standard of my life really dropped when I started work and handed over my subsidiary credit card. Suddenly, I had to pay for everything myself (a condition from which I have yet to recover from) and I realised how little of my former life I could afford.

Fortunately my salary grew, my tastes moved towards it and the two met midway, at a point where I could be reasonably comfortable and not have to file for bankruptcy.

Needless to say, the flying shopping visits to Europe stopped. But I could and can live with that. And it's amazing what David Jones carries these days. But at The Boatshed, the crippling poverty of an apprentice chef's life - should I sign on the dotted line - struck ... in the gut and hard.

It is virtually impossible for me to have any semblance of normal life as a chef-in-training without the generosity of my family. This is something I do not wish to take up on.

I suppose what makes the final decision all the more difficult is the fact that while I am happy to train as a chef, I am just as happy not to. Both options are, horribly, equal.

As I nibble on my Swiss Gruyere, knowing it could well be my last, I am savouring every bite and mulling on the ironies of life that a bunch of grass-chewing European cows have come to figure so prominently in my life.

Someone's laughing alright. And it's still not me. I suspect it could be the same languid cheese-producing bovine that haunts me day and night. I think I hear Moooo in my sleep but now I realise it's really Haaaa, the sound of a laughing cow.

Apple Crumble

2006-10-21T00:03:00.000+08:00

Isn’t the new layout fabulous? I got sick of all that white and decided to go in the opposite direction. I love the new colours. And the fact that I can search my own recipes.

I thought I was attending a party tonight and was waiting around for things to happen (ie the going to of the said party) when it occurred to me that I got the dates mixed up. I think it's next week which I won't be able to make since I am going on holiday.

Anyways, there I was, poor me, home on a Saturday night. So I revamped my blog, watched Monk, and whipped up apple crumble. I created the recipe after pinching what I liked from various online sources.

The scent of baking apples is fab. Y'know how you should bake bread on the day people come over to view a house you wanna sell? Well, I reckon baked apples do it just as well. Warm, cosy, inviting and oozing granny comfort.

What
* 3 Fuji apples, peeled and chopped into cubes
* 2 tbs water
* 1 tbs brown sugar (adjust according to sweetness of apples)
* ½ cup flour
* 3 ½ tbs castor sugar
* 50g unsalted, chopped
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* ½ cup rolled oats
* 3 tbs sultanas

How
* Place apples, water and brown sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil
* Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes (longer if you like it super soft; I prefer mine slightly crunchy)
* Line ovenproof glass dish with apples and set aside
* Mix plain flour and castor sugar together in a large bowl
* Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until well combined
* Add cinnamon, oats and sultanas and mix with spoon
* Sprinkle over apples and bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes

Serve with whipped cream or custard or ice-cream.

At the supermarket, I almost picked up custard when I was struck by a dreadful memory. Gluggy, steaming hot yellow slop was religiously served with apple crumble by the cooks at boarding school and whenever I ate the horrid thing, it would sit heavily in my tummy for days. Yuck.

I quickly put the custard back on the shelf and chose the whipped cream instead. Light and scrummy.

Carrots in Strange Places

2006-10-20T18:54:00.001+08:00

I worked a crazy straight eight and a half hour shift with no break. On my feet making salads, cutting, crating, peeling, and running around like a lunatic. When I got home, I found a slice of carrot in my hair. !?!

I did manage to sneak in very, very small bites/slurps of fruit, chicken in soy sauce with rice and lentil soup. The latter was excellent and my fave so far. Watching a professional cook is expanding my tastebuds and opening my eyes to different ingredients that I'm starting to use at home.

My efforts not to eat meals at work or takeaway have only been moderately successful. As we were clearing up today, the Italian chef asked me if I wanted to some spaghetti bolognaise. I shrugged, "Sure," before remembering I wasn't supposed to. I pointed at him and shouted, "You see! Don't offer me food! You know I have low food resistance. It's all your fault. Aarrrggh!" He and everybody else just laughed.

Earlier in the week, when there was just the Italian chef and I working, a Korean girl wandered in. She sort of hung around the kitchen. Instead of kicking her out, the Italian chef was very kind to her, talking to her and even offering her some ravioli, which she ate without a word of thanks and proclaimed "sour". Sour?

When she finally left, I asked him if she was his friend. He looked startled and replied, "I never saw her in my life."

Sweet Chilli Chicken

2006-10-19T15:10:00.000+08:00

Ohmygod … I am eating way too much. I remember this family friend who used to ask us (my sisters and I) how we could sit in Chinese restaurants and sort of just nibble at food. We shrugged. She said she couldn’t help herself and had to keep eating when presented with a banquet.

I’m starting to understand what she means. It’s v. hard to say no to food when you’re in an environment filled with it. And the scents. That’s even worse than having all the food paraded in front of me all day.

In any case, I shall exercise self-restraint and stop eating at work. I must keep in mind the greedy family friend who, two years after her Chinese restaurant confession, bloated to the size of a whale.

I made sweet chilli chicken and, in keeping with my new resolution, had a miniscule portion.

What
* ½ chicken breast, diced
* ½ red capsicum, deseeded and diced
* 1 stick celery, diced
* ¼ cucumber, deseeded and diced
* 6 mushrooms, thinly sliced
* ¼ onion, chopped
* 6 tbs sweet chilli sauce, add more if required
* 1 tbs light soy sauce
* 1 tbs Maggie seasoning sauce
* Dash of salt and pepper

How
* Marinade chicken in light soy sauce for an hour
* Fry onion in pot
* Turn heat to low before throwing in veggies and covering with lid; stir in Maggie seasoning sauce and salt and pepper
* Allow to stream for 20 minutes or till veggies are soft
* Add mushrooms and chicken, and stir in Maggie seasoning sauce before covering again for another 15 minutes

Serve with rice.

I reckon it would be even better with pineapples. Not instead of rice. On top of.

Sausage Fried Rice

2006-10-18T10:55:00.000+08:00

To get rid of some sausages and bacon, I threw them together with an egg, cucumbers and carrots for an improvised fried rice. It’s comparable to the regular one with spam.

Tomorrow afternoon I have an interview with XX restaurant, a fine dining establishment. Who knows what will come out of it. Probably nothing but I won't mind too much because the restaurant is smack in the city and parking will be a bitch. This is my test interview so I can learn from it for the real thing.

Smoked Trout Fettuccine

2006-10-16T09:44:00.000+08:00

I had intended to make Salmon Fettuccine but when I got home and looked in my shopping bag, I realised I’d bought trout instead. So Trout Fettuccine it is.

Whenever I see a recipe at work that I like, I make plans to try it at home. The original was Salmon Linguine and I overheard another chef complaining that it was too salty. It is too salty. I don’t know how to remedy it because I didn’t add any salt. Otherwise, it was pretty good.

Salmon dishes, I’ve been told, are usually more popular with women. Men, as a rule, do not order salmon. Maybe it’s the pinkness.

What
* 1 packet smoked trout or salmon
* ¼ onion, finely chopped
* 2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
* 3 tbs homemade tomato sauce
* ½ cup whipping cream agar-agar
* Dash of pepper
* Dash of mixed herbs
* Fettuccine

How
* Fry onion and garlic in pan
* On low heat, add trout, tomato sauce, pepper, mixed herbs and cream in quick succession; this needs to be done fast or the trout will overcook
* When the sauce thickens slightly, remove from pan

Serve with fettuccine and grated parma.

If you feel like splurging, replace the trout with lobster. I will save the lobster for a special occasion.

Correction: Skip the parma. Grated cheese is never served with seafood, according to Italian food laws, I've been told. They believe it kills the taste.

Tomato Sauce

2006-10-15T18:23:00.000+08:00

Mixed veggies for tomato sauce.

It wasn't so long ago that I swore off trying to make a different type of tomato sauce. I changed my mind.

I made a very small batch just in case it didn’t work out. An Italian would cook a giant pot and freeze it in portions. Apparently, they use tomato sauce in pretty much everything. The sauce is supposed to be drained twice with a machine designed for such a purpose or with a sieve. I skipped this part but it’s probably best to drain because it is supposed to be tomato sauce and not tomato sauce with bits of celery, cucumber and carrot.

A recipe from the chef at work.

What
* ¼ onion, finely chopped
* 3 gloves garlic
* 1 stick celery, chopped
* ½ carrot, chopped
* ¼ red capsicum, chopped
* ¼ large cucumber, deseeded and chopped
* 4 tomatoes
* 4 tbs tomato paste
* Dash mixed herbs
* Salt and pepper to taste

How
* Fry onion and garlic in pot
* Turn heat to low and add veggies (except tomatoes), cover and simmer for 20 minutes
* Cut the tops of tomatoes, squeeze seeds and juice out and roughly chop
* Throw tomatoes in pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes
* Add 4 tbs tomato paste, stir and cover for 10 minutes
* The mixed herbs and salt and pepper go in last; cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour or until you get a sauce like consistency (like thin ketchup)
* And the final step that I skipped - drain sauce with a sieve twice

Draining with this amount would have left me with about two spoonfuls of tomato sauce. To do it properly, I reckon tomato sauce needs to be made in a massive quantity, which I will get around to doing one of these days when I purchase a big enough pot.

Big Eats

2006-10-14T18:06:00.000+08:00

I finally bought a cake from The Cheesecake Shop. They’re all over and I’ve been meaning to try their cheesecake for ages. I got wildberry. You can either buy them in wholes or halves. Select IGAs sell them in quarters too. It is okay. Considering they make the cakes on location, it’s not that fantastic. I reckon David Jones and even Gloria Jeans have a better product.

Cooking menu for the week - a new tomato sauce (I changed my mind about this) tomorrow, and salmon fettuccine, fried rice and sweet chilli chicken stir fry later in the week.

Big eating day. Lunch at Claremont. Had a giant-ass steak. Cheesecake at my place for dessert. Dinner at a friend's house in South Perth in a few minutes. I'm running out of the door even as I type.

My Friday

2006-10-13T17:37:00.000+08:00

I gave myself a little treat today. At David Jones' bags section, I considered. Admired. Walked up and down along a mirror. Carried it across my shoulder, slung it over one arm Japanese style, clutched it with my left and right hand. Tried several angles and poses with the mirror. I considered some more. Then I happily carried my new goodie to the counter and paid. It's my summer bag.

Here it is.

The lining is pretty eh? All that lovely blue and pink.

In my excitement over my new bag, I almost forget to mention that Rose Hancock Porteous came in (to my workplace) today. I didn't see her because I was busy making a Greek salad or something, but someone else did and said she looked "frail" as if she was ill. I was so very tempted to dash out and seek Her Greatness' advice regarding the nabbing of rich men.

Rose Hancock Porteous is famous for being a Filipino housekeeper who worked for and subsequently got hitched to WA iron ore magnate Lang Hancock. At the time of marriage, I believe he was more than twice her age. After his death, she was engaged in a long battle with Lang’s daughter for his fortune. She was also fighting very publicly with her own daughter about god-knows-what.

I realise I'm veering further and further away from the original intention of Small Eats, that is to blog about cooking. What can I say? I am not doing much of it.

Instead, I went to DJs Foodhall. I had a ridiculously expensive pink grapefruit drink and a blueberry cheesecake. I went to look at Dolce & Gabbana sunnies. I bought an Armani bag. I came home. Ate a peach and a muesli bar.

Earlier in the day, I had bacon and scrambled eggs on toast for brekky and two slices of pizza and a big bowl of spaghetti bolognaise for lunch. Yeah, I can really eat. But I walk everywhere and I always take the stairs. Plus I work in a kitchen. That must be worth at least 10 gym sessions.

On Sunday, I'm going to make salmon linguine. I will definitely get on track with the recipes again.

Death of a Home Cook

2006-10-12T16:11:00.000+08:00

Working in a kitchen is absolutely killing home cooking for me. It reminds of the time I had a gig at Splash/Lizard Lounge in Sydney. The last thing I wanted to do after pretending to have fun at a club was to go to another club for some (real) fun. That was what Splash paid me for - to show up and pretend I was a clubbing customer who was having a fabulous time. Looking as if you're having a fun time isn't as fun or easy as it sounds.

Anyway, I love my current non-clubbing work but I've stopped cooking on weekdays. Going from one kitchen to another on a daily basis would be too much like having two jobs, with only one of them paying.

The other reason for my culinary decline at home is because I get to eat at work which is the best thing ever. About four hours into my shift, I'm kinda starving and that's about time when the Italian chef looks in my direction and asks, "You want some of this, Nicole?", pointing at some salmon linguine or mushroom risotto.

Twice I declined because I was going out for lunch and he looked so mortally offended, I've said yes every single time since.

I found this old picture of a terrible fish burger I had in Glebe Point Road in Sydney. Despite what it says on the wrapper, it was neither fresh nor tasty. It seems an age since I last dropped into a takeaway for a quick burger or Thai noodles.

And the days of having a tiny bar fridge in a miniscule apartment seem like a different life altogether. I have a proper refrigerator now. Whenever I cook, I make more than I require and freeze the rest. There's always food in my fridge and my larder. It feels almost luxurious. It's amazing what a little deprivation can do for you.

Regarding my course, I've deferred that and may even drop it altogether. Call it journalistic instinct, but somehow I didn't quite believe the information I was getting from the school and I spent one afternoon ringing various government departments to get the info I wanted. I was so thorough I even found out the award rate (very little) for trainee chefs. I also rang the Tax Office to get them to tell me how much of the very little salary they will rob me of.

But the main thing is, I don't actually need to do any year-long and expensive course to become a chef. All I have to do is find a qualified chef who will accept me as an apprentice. I will work in his/her restaurant and he or she will teach me the trade. Why would they do that? Because the government pays them to. While I am working, I will also need to attend Tafe once a week to learn some cookery theory.

At the school, I met a lot of foreign students who were hoping to eventually train as chefs here after their course. The school failed to tell them that only Australians can take up apprenticeships because it is a subsidized government programme. Canberra does not pay money to train foreigners.

Therefore, if someone is qualified elsewhere, they can work in Australia if their papers are in order. But they absolutely cannot receive training for qualification here. So if you're one of those students I met at the orientation, doing a course so you can train as a chef and get PR in Australia, forget it. You'll have more luck seducing an iron ore king and waiting for him to die.

Anyway. Not my problem. There are too many fake students anyway. Sydney is crawling with them. It isn't as bad in Perth, I suppose because it's a much smaller community and people tend to dob in illegals.

I haven't gotten around to looking for a restaurant yet. I don't imagine it will be easy at all. Getting the right chef/teacher to agree to take you in is so very important. The Italian chef at work would have been a terrific teacher I think.

Unfortunately, at the moment, I'm in a gourmet kitchen, not a restaurant kitchen. I am looking for someone who's sort of like the Italian chef. Despite the fact that he thinks I'm a complete idiot, he takes the time to show me stuff, lets me watch when he's cooking, explains to me what he's doing and why, etc.

Earlier this week, the Italian chef pulled me aside and said seriously, "Nicole, if you really want to do this, you shouldn't be here. This gourmet kitchen. You need restaurant kitchen. You work here a little bit, then you go find restaurant."

I didn't mention that I already knew that and I was testing the waters with the less stressful and more manageable gourmet kitchen.

But he is really too kind. And of course, it is exactly what I will do.

Chicken Cacciatore

2006-10-07T20:41:00.000+08:00

I have to concede that certain things in my life are not going to change:

1. I’ve known one of my best friends since I was 13 and that is the way it is going to be forever. We’re stuck with each other and that’s that.

2. I will make new friends but I probably won’t have any more new close friends. Either someone is already in the circle or they’re out.

3. I can forget about being really tall or really busty.

4. I will never be a sushi chef or a dancer.

5. I do not like seafood except fish and chips.

6. I will not own another Chanel bag. I bought my first and only one from Paris and it was a gift.

7. I can never be too thin or too rich.

8. I like strawberry aeroplane jelly and almond jelly with longans.

9. I will never turn into a Helmet Hair.

10. I will not try making new tomato sauce recipes.

I decided on point 10 after making a sauce to go with Chicken Cacciatore today. I found the recipe from the internet and the author swore by it. After buying a lot of expensive ingredients and going through the trouble of making it from scratch, I took a tentative sip and promptly threw an entire pot-ful in the bin.

I like my tomato recipe just fine and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. No more experiments.

What
* 2 chicken breasts, diced
* 3 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
* ½ onion, coarsely chopped
* 3 gloves garlic, finely sliced
* ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
* 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
* 6 brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 4 tomatoes, chopped
* 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
* 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
* 6 cups tomato sauce

How
* Fry bacon in stock pot, remove, drain on kitchen tissue and set aside
* Throw onions, garlic and basil in the same pot on low heat and cover for 5 minutes
* Add balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
* Drop in carrots and mushrooms, stir and cover for another 5 minutes
* Fry chicken until it brown before adding bacon and tomatoes
* Lastly, pour in tomato sauce, cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Serve with pasta and grated parma cheese.

After working with gigantic portions at work, I forgot myself and made enough to feed an army. It’s entirely possible that I’ll still be eating Chicken Cacciatore next year. I may ring a friend and give him some or offer a Tupperware full to my neighbour. Or I could horde and freeze the lot.

Kitted Up

2006-10-06T20:26:00.000+08:00

Went to Osborne Park to pick up my (trainee) chef’s uniform and knives kit. Way cool. It’s tucked away in a bag in a corner of my dinning room/home office. But I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the knives kit and chef’s hat to post here.

Attended a two hour orientation at school this week and it was boring as. Some self-important bloke carrying on about rules and regulations, getting to class on time, blah blah blah. I don’t remember ever having attended a lecture like this, not in uni or high school, or even kindy come to think of it.

Got a fright when I picked up my classroom uniform. It is the ugliest thing imaginable and the designer should have his hands chopped off and his penis stabbed repeatedly till he bleeds to death to prevent another future couture travesty.

Worse yet, the dumb skirt came up to just over my knees. And the concept of same day tailoring service has evidentially yet to arrive in Perth. They have plenty of “next week” service though and if I can rock up to school with a shirt and knickers, I am okay.

On the upside, they didn’t screw up the chef’s uniform too much. Standard white jacket and white hat. Except for one little thing - the pants are checkered. They really shouldn’t make people armed with knives wear checkered pants.