Pepperoni Instant Noodle Casserole

It was Thursday night...and I fancied a super rich and sinful breakfast to celebrate a happy Friday morning ^_^

I wanted noodles, eggs, cheese, something meaty...and of course, easy peasy. So here it is...

Recipe
- 1 pack of instant ramen noodles (you don't need the seasoning)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup of milk
- about 20 slices of pepperoni
- half cup of cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper, paprika, mixed dry herbs (rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme), a dash of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp sugar, a dash of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Cook the instant ramen only to make it "moldable"/"spreadable" in the baking pan, set aside. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, milk, add seasonings and half of the grated cheese. Mix the noodles into the liquid, pour into a lightly greased baking dish/pan, add pepperoni pieces, add cheese on top and bake for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and slightly crispy.

Super sinful savory goodness!

The only bad thing was...SC didn't allow me to eat this sinful breakfast. Sobs.... T_T

Satay BBQ Chicken Flavored Indomie Goreng (Hong Kong Version)

Remember my #1 guilty pleasure, Indomie Goreng?
Hong Kong has its own version of Indomie Goreng...and although the Indonesian version is now available in most supermarkets, I couldn't help but wonder...how does the Hong Kong version taste like?

I've tried the Hong Kong version of Indomie Goreng "original" (yellow packaging), and it is different. The seasoning is relatively milder and the noodles are thinner and not as chewy.

This time, I'm trying the Satay BBQ Chicken flavored Indomie Goreng.

Yes, it is still a watered down version of the Indonesian one. The satay flavor's really mild, it's almost negligible...and it is not as garlicky and as "kicking" as the Indonesian version, it is also less oily. Maybe a touchhh healthier, but significantly less yummy, at least for me :D

From various local forums that SC reads, the Hong Kongers seem to like the Indonesian version more too...should they bother with a HK version?
Hello, Indofood?
Are you listening?
:)

Ayam Kecap - Chicken in Soy Sauce

I wasn't feeling very well yesterday and wanted something warm, something comforting, but yet still easy to put together (typical me)...and suddenly I thought of this dish I grew up with, ayam kecap (chicken in soy sauce), cooked the way it's cooked at home, again minimum ingredients, maximum deliciousness.


Recipe
- one whole chicken, cut into parts (or you can buy the ones that's already butchered, or you can use chicken fillet), remove excess skin and fatty bits, keep some skin though, it makes the soup really luscious
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- hot water, soy sauce, white pepper, salt

Add chicken pieces into a pot, our hot water just enough to cover the chicken pieces, pour about 3/4 ladle of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, a dash of pepper, bring to boil. Once boiling, simmer under low heat until the chicken meat is super tender and the meat absorbs the flavor of soy sauce (which will happen in no time if you used chicken fillet). Since I used a whole chicken and I have a pressure cooker, I pressure cook it for 20 minutes...and done.

Sometimes it is tempting to add this and that...five spice powder, sugar, shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, vegetables, tofu , etc etc etc...but really...you don't need any. This time I successfully kept it as minimum as it originally was and it's finger smacking delicious!

Serve with steamed rice. Back home, my sister and I would break down every single piece of meat off the chicken and gnaw on each bone with our bare hands...eat plates after plates of rice...with a few pieces of kerupuk...our legs up on our chairs, sweat dripping down our backs. Not too elegant perhaps, but what a memorable pleasure! I'm now too pregnant to eat with my legs up my chair...but I still used my hands to wrestle with my dinner last nite and it made me feel a wholeee lot better.

Hope you'd enjoy this ridiculously easy dish too :)

Shitake Mushroom Scrambled Eggs

I needed quite a hearty second dish...and I only had two ingredients on hands...shitake mushrooms and eggs.
What the heck, let's make the max out of the min ;)

Recipe
- 3 eggs, beaten
- a cup of fresh shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can use other kinds of mushrooms)
- olive oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, white pepper

Saute mushrooms in hot olive oil until softened and browned, add oyster sauce, add beaten eggs, drizzle a bit of fish sauce and white pepper, mix a bit and serve hot. Don't overcook the eggs ;) I love my eggs when there are still runny bits here and there as well as browned bits. I know I'm weird :p

Earthy, rich flavored mushrooms with soft, smooth, runny eggs and some smoky, crispy browned egg bits...easily yummy.

Adding freshly chopped coriander, shallot and red chillies would bring this dish to another level, but I kept it pretty mininum and it was still tasty ;)

Tezukuri No Mise 手作之店 - Sweet Potato Ice Cream

What's better than beating the heat by licking a cone of ice cream?
It surely beats munching ice cubes :D

Let me share one of my favorite el-cheapo ice cream...Tezukuri No Mise's Sweet Potato Ice Cream. The sweet potato flavor is so so so fragrant and the ice cream is light enough to be refreshing for summer, not too creamy, not too sweet, just perfect!


They do offer many more flavors from black sesame to good old chocolate...but still, sweet potato is my all time favorite ^_^! A large cone costs just HK$10! If you happen to see an outlet...give it a try!

Tezukuri No Mise 手作之店
3/F, Kwai Chung Plaza, 7 Kwai Foo Road
Kwai Fong
葵芳葵富路7號葵涌廣場3樓
Click here for other outlets all around Hong Kong

Mun Tahu with Sawi Putih - Tofu, Minced Meat & Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce with Chinese Cabbage

Another quick one-dish dinner for busy weekdays...and this time, no canned food, I promise...
...although maybe not for long. Hehehe~


I wanted to do the classic Chinese inspired Indonesian dish, mun tahu (stir fried tofu with minced meat), but I wanted to incorporate my veggie of the day into it, as of course, I am too damn lazy to create another veggie side dish.

Thanks so my sister's lunch habit of ordering mun tahu with stir fried chinese cabbage, I decided to add Chinese cabbage into the dish and call it a night.

So I did.


Recipe
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed, divided
- 1 medium head of Chinese cabbage, cut into 2 cm slices
- 0.5 lb minced meat (pork, beef or chicken)
- 2 pieces of soft tofu
- 1 pack (around 8-10) fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (feel free to replace with other mushrooms)
- olive oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, fish sauce, corn starch, water

Saute a clove of garlic in hot olive oil, add Chinese cabbage, let cook, season with a bit of fish sauce, set aside. Saute the rest of garlic in olive oil, add sliced mushrooms, cooked until wilted, add minced pork, let cook, season with oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Thicken the mixture with corn starch dissolved in a bit of water, add the chinese cabbage, mix well, heat through, and serve.

Normally this dish is garnished with spring onion, but since I didn't have any, I just added crispy shallot.
Owh, you can finish a couple bowls of steamed rice with this.

Meat? Check! Veggie? Check! Extra tofu and mushrooms? Check!
Fresh? Check! Tasty? Check!
Go for it :)

Canned Food Convenience - Minced Pork in Bean Paste with Tofu Puffs & Veggie

It looks like we're still on the lazy-ass canned food "series" :p

I can't believe I haven't tried this little can of deliciousness before, minced pork in bean sauce!


It's, again, SC's recommendation...(it sounds like he grew up eating a lot of canned food :p)

He told me that normally it can be heated/steamed and eaten with rice as a dish, but of course, we wanted a more "balanced" meal, so he suggested to stir fry it with some vegetables (brilliant idea), and I added some tofu puffs and more fresh minced pork to make it more substantial ^_^


Recipe
(serve two)
- 0.5lb minced pork
- 1 can of minced pork in bean sauce
- around 8 pieces of tofu puffs, quartered
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 4 small heads of lettuce, washed, remove stem and ripped
- a dash of fish sauce, olive oil, hot water, white pepper

Saute garlic in a bit of olive oil, add lettuce, let cook until a bit wilted, add a bit of fish sauce, set aside. Pour the can of minced pork in bean sauce, add the fresh minced pork, add a bit of hot water for easier mixing, once the meat's cooked, add tofu puffs, let cook for a bit, add the lettuce back in, mix everything well, let everything get heated through, and serve with (a few bowls of) steamed rice ^_^

Quick and tasty all-in-one dish, perfect for weekdays.

Use Campbell Soup for Easy Baked Cheesy & Creamy Rice

I have heard about using Campbell cream soup as a "cheat" cream sauce, but have yet to try it before...yesterday.

I have to thank SC for the idea, he was the one who told me to try...more than that, he was the one who picked up the canned soup and place it in my shopping cart. I was pretty excited about this dish...and let's see what we can do with a little can of Campbell soup...


Recipe
(serves two)
- 1 can of Campbell Cream & Mushroom soup (plus half can of water and half can of milk)
- 1 chicken thigh fillet, remove skin, cut meat to bite sized chunks
- 2 chicken franks, cut into 3mm thick slices (you can replace with good quality sausage, spam, ham, or omit it and use another thigh fillet)
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, sliced thinly (can be replaced with a quarter of onion)
- 1 cup of shimeji mushrooms (you can replace with button or straw mushrooms)
- 1 cup of mixed cubed veggie (corn, carrot and green peas)
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar & mozzarella
- 1.5 cups of cooked rice
- paprika powder, salt, black pepper, dry mixed herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), worchestershire sauce, olive oil

Saute garlic and shallot in olive oil, add mushrooms, let cook, add chicken & franks pieces, drizzle a bit of worcestershire sauce, let cook and brown a bit, add cubed veggie, season with salt, black pepper, mixed herbs, paprika and worchestershire sauce, let everything cook. In a separate sauce pot, heat up the canned soup, add water and milk, use the same seasonings to spice up the mixture, mix well, pour the cream sauce mixture to the chicken, franks, mushrooms and veggie mix, let everything combine and cook through.

You can pour this deliciousness over rice and consume if you don't need the crusty, savoury, and melted cheese on top...but if you can handle the sin...go further.


Preheat oven to 250C, prepare a oven proof dish, place some rice on the bottom, pour the creamy mixture on top of rice, top off with cheese, generously, and bake until the cheese is golden brown. You can nuke this dish too...the cheese won't be crusty, but it will melt beautifully. YUM!

Have a look...

...and I don't think I need to say anything no more ^_*

Indonesian Bakso & So Much More from Warung Malang, Causeway Bay

I never thought I could find authentic Indonesian bakso (beef balls) in Hong Kong, so you can imagine how happy I was when I saw a friend posted that such bakso exists in Hong Kong! Yay~ yay~ yay~! I've been craving bakso forever! We'll discuss the bakso later...but this is where the place is...Warung Malang.

It's a humble lil' place on the 2nd floor of Dragon Rise, Causeway Bay. No wonder it's not exactly popular with the locals but I'm sure almost all Indonesians living in Hong Kong knows this place.

Not Indonesian? No worries! The friendly gentleman who looks after the place speaks fluent Cantonese (Wayyy more fluent than me. Oppps)

You can check out the food behind the counter and order them with rice...or grab some snacks and exotic fruits from the counter...


Once we were seated, a plate of condiments was placed in front of us.

We Indonesians love our sambals (chilli condiments). There are sambal terasi, sambal bakso and sambal kecap. I wish I could bring these bowls of sambal home :D

Surely, a bowl of bakso alone won't be enough for me...so I ordered their famous complete mixed rice (Nasi Campur).

It's absolutely delicious! It has telor balado (fried hard boiled egg topped with chilli), sayur lodeh with rambak (vegetable cooked in coconut milk and spices), curry chicken, sambal goreng tempe (soy bean cake cooked in chilli and spices), and beef rendang. Everything on the place's delicious and taste really authentic, bold, strong flavors. It definitely transported me back to Indonesia. I've also added an additional perkedel (fried potato cake), and it's delicious and authentic.


I saw some fried snacks at the counter, and surely I had to have some. I took the perkedel jagung (corn fritter) and tempe goreng (fried soy bean cake). At first I thought that the perkedel jagung didn't look freshly fried...but when I tasted it, it's yummy. Crunchy on the outside; fluffy, tasty and corny (in a good way) inside. Consume with a bit of sambal terasi for perfection.


The tempe goreng wasn't freshly fried, but that's pretty much how it's served in most Indonesian eateries back home. I devoured it with a generous serving of sambal kecap...and yum!

Now...back to the bakso...

Indonesian bakso (beef ball) is very different from the Chinese ones. It probably has less of beef flavor, but what I love is how chewy it is. It's not bouncy kinda chewy, it's a bit more...elastic. I guess you gotta try it to understand it ^_* I find the fried dumpling (pangsit goreng), stuffed tofu, rice and egg noodles a bit unnecessary, next time I'll go for just the good ol' bakso and broth.
The art of handling the broth of the bakso...it's served plain, garnished with celery and fried shallot, add your own condiments to create your own "flavor", kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), chilli sauce, vinegar, and salt...until you achieve your own perfect version of broth.
Slurp~!

I saw sate on the menu, so I gotta try their sate as well.

This time I went for sate kambing (lamb skewers), the meat was super tender and flavorful (from the spices, it doesn't have a strong lamb flavor), and the peanut sauce served with chopped shallot tasted authentic too. Love it!


I tried their es cendol, which is rice flour bits served with coconut milk, palm sugar and ripe jack fruit pieces...it was pretty authentic. Not bad at all :)

The owner told me that she tried to keep everything as authentic as possible...and I think she was pretty successful at that. She warned me not to visit on Sundays as the place would be fully packed with Indonesian domestic helpers on their day off. Duly noted, and I'll definitely go back with more friends and let them try authentic Indonesian food.

Dinner for two + drinks cost us HK$177

Warung Malang
2/F, Dragon Rise, 9-11 Pennington Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
銅鑼灣邊寧頓街9-11號登龍閣2樓
Tel: +852 2915 7859

Mark & Spencer's Double Chocolate Muffin & Mint Tea: My Late Night Snack

Just a quick tea break post :)

Tonight's after dinner late night snack...
Mark & Spencer's Double Chocolate Muffin & Dilmah Mint Tea
I love love LOVE M&S double choco muffins...as they're more cake than muffins...very moist, enough sweetness and super duper chocolatey! I am sure they aren't healthy, that's why I love 'em ;)

...devour them with a cup of hot tea...perfect!

Spicy Sardines with Tomatoes and Zucchini

My love for canned food and anything lazy-ass-friendly is no secret.
But this spicy sardine dish is something that's rather far from lazy. It's doing a lazy dish the un-lazy way, as it involves a bit more than opening a can of sardines and reheating it in a microwave, which would've been nice too, but we wanna bring canned sardines to another level ;)

It's a dish that's always served back home in Indonesia when I was growing up...minus the zucchini. I simply added the zucchini as I want it to be a one-dish-dinner (as always).

It takes more than opening a can of sardines, but it is by no means difficult (you know me and my limited skills ^_*)

Recipe
- 1 large can of sardines in tomato sauce
- 1 zucchini, cleaned and sliced to 5mm thick slices
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 1 red chilli, sliced thinly (or more depends on how spicy you want it to be)
- 2 tomatoes, cut into 8 sections
- olive oil, salt, pepper, kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), light soy sauce, fish sauce, hot water, crispy shallot (for garnish)

Saute 1 clove of garlic in hot olive oil, add zucchini pieces, season with salt, pepper and a touch of fish sauce, let cook (add a bit of hot water if necessary), set aside. Saute the other clove of garlic, onion and chilli in hot olive oil until fragrant, add sardines including the juice, let cook for a while, season with fish sauce, light soy, kecap manis, and pepper. Add hot water if you want more "sauce", pour over zucchini, garnish with crispy shallot and serve with steamed rice.

Quick, easy, tasty, although not too lazy :)

Chong Qing Hot & Sour Noodles - In A Cup! 東門町重慶酸辣粉 - Kwai Fong

I've been seeing a lot of this noodles in paper cups lately...most of the times with super long queue. They boasted hot, spicy and sour noodles...up to the level of numbing-hot.
Do we dare to try?
Of cos we do...(but the less spicy one heheheh)


You could select some side dishes to go with your noodles...


See your noodles get made...

...and tada!

Spicy looking broth, preserved veggie, freshly chopped coriander, fried peanuts...looking really good...


We ordered pig intestines to go with the noodles...deeply flavored, absolutely delicious!


...and the rice sweet potato (thanks for pointing this out, Kevin!) noodles? Chewy, sticky, thick, transparent goodness. There's enough noodles in one bowl to fill you up, but I definitely go for more side dishes next time. The "least spicy" broth is only a little spicy (we could order a spicier version next time), and the amount of MSG? Whew! Abundant, as expected. Buy a lot of drinks to compensate :)

How do you eat it?
Standing up!

Noodles to face...


...or face to noodles...
It's up to you.
But whatever happens...


Don't spill.
...like SC ^_^'

(PS. A cup of noodles cost HK$13, side dishes around HK$6)

Chong Qing Hot & Sour Noodles

東門町重慶酸辣粉

Shop 87B, 3/F, Kwai Chung Plaza
(Right by Kwai Fong MTR Station)
Hong Kong
葵芳葵富路7號葵涌廣場3樓87號B舖

Baked Spam and Pineapple in Teriyaki Sauce

I should really call my blog "lazy cooking". Really.
It doesn't get any lazier than this.

This was what I prepared last night for today's lunch.

I still have leftover fresh sliced pineapple from the tea party, and a can of spam. Throw a little something something, and that could very well be a meal.

I thought of pan frying each element separately on a frying pan...crisp up the spam, caramelize the pineapples and onions, reduce and thicken the "glaze" and stuff...but oh wells, I couldn't be bothered. So, despite the heat, I cranked up my oven and decided to throw everything in and let it cook itself to perfection :D


Recipe
- 1 large can of spam (I used Tulip brand), cut into sizeable bite sized chunks
- half a pineapple, remove skin and core, cut into bite sized chunks
- half an onion, sliced thinly
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- teriyaki sauce, sugar, olive oil

Preheat oven to 200C. Lightly grease baking tray, throw all ingredients in, mix well, bake until the spam pieces are crisp on the outside, and pineapple chunks are caramelized. To bring this to another level, add freshly chopped coriander and chilli as garnish (which I didn't have on hand last nite. Oppps). Consume with a steamy bowl of rice.

Sweet, tangy, juicy pineapple; tasty, hearty, crispy but tender spam...savory garlic and sweet caramelized onion...plus teriyaki sauce? Oh, you knew it was gonna be good ^_^

Weekend Tea Party

Last weekend, my friends and I had a small "high tea" party at home. The idea is...trying to recreate the hip and happening "high tea" we normally have in upscale restaurants/hotels at home. Being a bunch of hopeless lazy asses we are, we didn't plan to cook/make anything, well maybe the bare minimum.

Our game plan was...if you can buy it outside, do it. With that in mind, we did our little "task allocation":

J: Savory pastries
S: Indonesian snacks (sweet & savory)
F: Sweet pastries
R: Sandwiches, drinks, fruits
D&K: "Entertainment" & photo bitches heheheh (sorry guys~)

Apart from the above tasks, everyone is free to get whatever the heck it is they fancy, even if it's beyond their category..and as expected, we delivered beyond customers expectations ^_^ and ended up with a table full of deliciousness!

What kind of tea did we have? I was planning to serve earl grey, Indonesian jasmine tea and mint tea...but due to the heat, we ended up having iced green tea, iced water and ahem...iced Coke ^_*

We surely had some savory goodnesses...Japanese corn chewy donuts & sausage wrap...


Plenty of Indonesian goodies...risoles, kroket, lemper, pastel tutup, klepon, durian mochi, kue lapis...yum!


Croissant, Japanese choco chip and red bean chewy donuts...in cutest shapes imaginable!


Of course, we gotta have scones, jams in cute little containers and custard filled pastries


...and some spectacular looking cakes...fruit pastries, chestnut napoleon...oh my!


Indonesian nastar nanas and klepon...


Spongy goodness in the shape of sandwiches...


Cookies...


...and something that's sweet and savory...grilled bacon wrapped pineapple drizzled with maple syrup.

Recipe
- Half a pineapple, peel skin off, remove core and cut into bite sized chunks
- Bacon
- Maple syrup
- Toothpicks (if possible, soak toothpicks in water for 1 hour to prevent from burning)
Preheat oven to 200C. Wrap pineapple chunks with bacon, secure with toothpicks, lay on lightly greased baking tray, drizzle with maple syrup, bake until golden brown.

Of course we took lots and lots of pictures...our new photo bitch did very very well, he deserves a raise!


...and Jason tasted the blessing (or curse) of flexibility...that is Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 :D


...and of course, what's a gathering without a little gambling? ;)

Monopoly deal HK$20/game, the game where we can be a property tycoon/conglomerate for a few hours :D

...and since there was a truckload of food, we didn't go ahead and make sandwiches, so I just ate it the next day as breakfast...

Creamy Minced Chicken Sandwich
Recipe*
- 1/2 lb minced chicken
- quarter of an onion, diced
- 1 tsp butter, a dash of olive oil
- mayo, ketchup, sweet relish, salt, black pepper
Saute onion in butter and a bit of olive oil until fragrant and transparent, add chicken until cooked through, season well. Set aside to cool down. Once cool, add mayo, a touch of ketchup, sweet relish, and mix well. Spread on sandwich bread of your choice.

*Recipes are inspired by/adapted from Pioneer Woman

'Til our next delicious gathering, guys~