Creamy Spiced Pumpkin & Banana Dessert

It's almost Halloween, and I'm obligated to put up something cheesy and clichéd, such as...a pumpkin post.

Plus, I received half a small pumpkin from SC's mom, and I didn't feel like stir frying it as much as she'd like me to...so I whipped up this weird version of Indonesian kolak.

Weird? Why?
It does have coconut milk in it, but instead of palm sugar, I used normal caster sugar, and instead of pandan leaves for fragrance, I used nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

Weird it is.

Recipe
- half a small pumpkin, cut into bite size chunks
- one large (super duper ripe, the skin should be all black) emperor banana, cut into a few sections
- 200 ml coconut milk
- hot water, a pinch of salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves

Cook pumpkin chunks in hot water, some sugar (adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste) and spices until tender, add coconut milk, a pinch of salt, adjust the amount of sugar and spices in necessary, add banana chunks, consume hot or cold.

...preferably in a slutty (or not ^_*) Halloween outfit.

Simple Beef Brisket & Daikon Stew

Hello, cooler weather...hello, stew!

(As if! Actually I stew all year round, solely because I am lazy ^_^')

Normally I love dark, bold, thick and rich sauces for my stew. For beef brisket, I usually love chu hou sauce, satay sauce, dark soy, brown sugar, kecap manis...but this time, I am trying something that's a bit more...minimalist, compared to my usual taste.

The result surprised me.
In a good way :)

Recipe
- 1 lb beef brisket, cut into chunks
- 1 medium white radish (daikon), cut into strips
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 cm ginger, crushed
- 2 shallot, cut into chunks
- hot water, olive oil, salt, white pepper, nutmeg
- crispy shallot and freshly chopped corriander for garnish (optional)

Saute garlic, ginger and shallot in hot olive oil until fragrant, add beef brisket chunks, brown them a bit, add daikon chunks, mix well, add hot water, bring to boil, season and simmer until the beef brisket chunks are tender, about 1.5 hours (or about 25 minute in a pressure cooker).

Garnish if you wish, prepare a dip of dark soy, sweet soy and chopped chilli or Chiu Chow chilli oil or chilli sauce...

Hearty and tender beef chunk, very flavorful and meaty broth, and the daikon...they're like sponge which absorb all the goodnesses from the meat and broth...

...feel free to slurp loudly ^_^

Spam & Pineapple Teriyaki Fried Rice

Ladies and gentlemen...

It's been a while (like 5 minutes?) since the last time I've spammed you...
It's time to spam you again!

Heheheh...

It's easy, tasty and super satisfying, my kinda meal.

Recipe
- 1 small can of spam, cut into cubes
- half a small pineapple, cut into chunks (or you can use canned pineapple chunks)
- 2 shallot, sliced thinly
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- 1 red chilli, sliced thinly (optional - I omitted as I didn't have any at that moment)
- a few sprigs of fresh coriander, chopped (optional - I didn't use this as my sister HATES coriander)
- 2 plates of cooked rice (preferably left in fridge overnight)
- teriyaki sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, olive oil

In a tiny bit of hot olive oil, in a non stick pan, crisp the outer sides of spam cubes a bit (you can skip this step if you don't need the spam to be a bit crispy). Add garlic, shallot, chilli, and pineapple chunks, saute until the shallot slices turn transparent and the pineapple chunk released some juices. Add rice, season with teriyaki sauce, fish sauce and white pepper, mix well. Mix in freshly chopped coriander just before serving.

Gosh, I don't know about you, but I kinda enjoy being spammed this way ;)

McDonald's Sweet Potato Pie

I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes, despite the old Indonesian belief that sweet potatoes are just for the poor.

Anyway, I am not exactly a rich bitch yet ;) and can be considered rather poor :D
...and I am an easy victim of advertising.
So when I saw an ad for this sweet potato pie on TV, I rushed SC to buy it for me.
Yes, advertisers...
Target me, I'll most probably buy :D

How was it?

It's the pie (or turnover?) crust that I love love LOVE...with creamy and sweet filling.
I wish that there's more sweet potato flavors (which will have to be chemically "enhanced" I guess)...and some hint of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg would be nice...although I am not sure if it would fit the Hong Kong market.

The verdict? Not bad!...at least it doesn't look like the green bean pie, which reminded me of green baby poo (opps, sorry for ruining your appetite, guys~)

Chinese Soup - Pig Stomach, Preserved Vegetable & Peppercorn

This is one of the few Chinese soups that I love.
It's very peppery, with a touch of sourness from the preserved veggie, and the tender but still slightly chewy pig stomach. Perfect to warm ourselves up when the weather is cooler.

And if you haven't tried pig stomach, please do :)

When it's done right, you'll love it.


Recipe
- about 1/2 lb pig stomach (if you live in Hong Kong, supermarkets normally sell the cleaned pig stomach and preserved vegetable in a pack, if not, ask if your butcher has it ^_^)
- a pack of sour preserved vegetable (suen choi)
- cracked peppercorns, white pepper (lots of it)

- pork bone (this gives the soup its "essence". A touch of sweetness and meatiness)
- Beancurd sheets (optional)
- salt, hot water

Add chunks of pig stomach, sour preserved vegetable and pork bone into a pot of boiling water, add peppercorns and white pepper, simmer until the pig stomach chunks are tender, season, add beancurd sheets, serve hot.

Happy slurping!

Hong Kong Style Steak - the Prime Steak Restaurant, Prince Edward

Yesterday was our date night.
Thank God for SC's mama and my helper...we could leave little Marcus for a bit and take a breather.

SC was in charge of picking the restaurant.
I was worried that we might end up in Ajisen Ramen or MOS Burger. I love them both, but please, not all the time ;)

He picked the Prime Steak Restaurant in Prince Edward.
The place serves Hong Kong Style Steak and western food.

The meal started with super tasty Hong Kong style minestrone soup, served with soft and sweet buns and butter. Super delish! My meal also comes with a fruit salad...chunks of pineapple, cucumber, etc, coated in sweet mayo based dresssing. I was pleasantly surprised! It was sweet yet super refreshing!

The steak..

I had the Kobe steak set...for HK$93 :D
Don't expect much from the "Kobe" label. It's tenderized and marinated meat after all. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. It was tender and tasty. What I love the most...is the fries swimming in black pepper sauce, thoroughly seared in the sizzling hot plate. I wish I could order a hotplate full of just the fries in the sauce ;)


The mixed grill served here is pretty unusual. It has the usual, a slice of minute steak, pork chop, chicken thigh fillet, bacon, chicken frank, and check this out...a piece of lamb chop, and a slice of....SPAM! Uh huh! You heard it right, spam, baby! All tenderized, marinated and thoroughly drenched in sauce. Hello, heaven~? Well, if you like this sorta thing ;)


The meal comes with typical Hong Kong drinks (lemon/milk tea, coffee, coke, etc)...and a surprisingly delightful serving of ice cream. I had the chocolate, which wasn't too sweet, smooth and very chocolatey.

The meal made my date night!

Everything cost us HK$195 (for two) including service charge.

The Prime Steak Restaurant (第尾牛扒)
太子西洋菜南街218-220號1樓
Prince Edward, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2380 3938

Easy Side Dish- Mushroom, Garlic & Butter Rice

Just another easy peasy side dish I like to make when I'm not too lazy to make another one-pot-all-in-one dinner ;)

I normally serve this "fried rice" with a simple meat dish (that night, it was lamb chops grilled with garlic, butter and herbs), love the earthy, garlicky and buttery flavors.

Recipe
- a plate of rice (not too mushy, preferably overnight rice)
- a cup of mushroom of your choice (I used shimeji, because they're cute!)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- butter, salt and pepper

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter, add rice, season, mix well and serve.

Gosh I love one-liner recipes :D

Egg, Pork Trotter & Ginger in Chinese Sweet Vinegar

Lil' Marcus is one month old today.
SC mama has prepared this treat, which is normally consumed after delivery, and given away to family, friends and neighbors when they visit the baby.

This dish is believed to remove wind and cold from the mom's body, as well as promotes the uterus' shrinkage (uh huh~)...and since the vinegar dissolves the calcium from the pork trotter, the mother gets calcium from the soup.

Powerful, eh?

It's not too difficult to make, but it does need a bit of love...

Recipe
- hard boiled eggs (how many? It depends...do you like them? SC mama put in about 10)
- pork trotter (chopped)
- peeled ginger (again, she puts in quite a lot...about a huge pack of ginger, cut into large chunks)
- a couple bottles of Chinese sweet vinegar

Bring everything to boil, and simmer until the sweet vinegar's well absorbed by the ingredients. It can be kept for quite a while, it doesn't have to be refrigerated due to vinegar's preservative qualities, simply bring to boil once a week. I like consuming it hot, but weird SC likes it in room temperature (The idea of pork trotter in room temperature? Eeewww).

I disliked this dish at first but consumed it anyway considering the amount of love that went into it. After a while...I am loving the sweet & tangy soup, and the egg yolk which has absorbed all the flavors from the ginger and sweet vinegar.

Oh, PS. Wanna see what lil' Marcus is up to? Check it out here.

Eating OCD

My typical plate of leftovers...

See...almost no meat left (except for the excess fat), some rice (normally the part that's not drizzled/soaked in sauce), and most of the veggies.
I know.
Unhealthy.
Wasteful.
(I do bring a doggie bag most of the time, but not this time. I wish more restaurants offer "less rice/veggie" option)
Anyway...it's clearly messy.
But, hey! Who tidies up messy leftovers?

My sis.

This is her eating OCD.
Her leftovers, if any, has to be neat, clean and tidy.
*I'm rolling my eyes*

Do you have any eating OCD you wanna share?

Chocolate Konyaku Jelly & Teh Botol - Stupid Stuff Makes Me Happy

Stupid stuff makes me happy.
What sorta stupid stuff?

Chocolate konyaku jelly in the shape of a rose...
I used Nutrijell Chocolate Konyaku Jelly Powder (available in most Indonesian stores in Hong Kong), and a silicon rose cake/jelly mold I bought in Jusco $10 plaza :D
Very chewy, not too sweet, easy to make (just follow directions on the packet)...plus, it's very pretty!

...and...

This classic Indonesian Teh Botol Sosro bottle, which my sister brought all the way from Indo. It was pretty challenging for her to even get a bottle, since most eateries do not allow her to buy the bottle as they have to return the bottles to the manufacturer. Luckily she could buy it from an eatery...we don't wanna steal the bottle, despite being desperate ;)

Stupid, right?
Any stupid stuff makes you happy?

Chinese Soup - Pork, Peanut & Red Date

You might think that I only post junk/unhealthy food...

Hmph!
Think again :D

These days, wherever I go (to the clinics, to the paediatrician, etc) carrying my newborn baby, everyone felt that they're entitled to offer me unsolicited advice.

"Don't wear short sleeved clothes"
"Don't drink cold drinks"
"Don't drink coke"
"I repeat, do not drink coke!"
"Don't wash your hair"
"Don't go out"
"Don't do this"
"Especially, don't do that"
Yada yada yada...

Anyway, they have my best interest at heart, so I greatly appreciate their advice (apart from the one telling me that I am not supposed to drink iced coke! What the...). I learnt new things from them every time :)

This soup was one of the advice I got from a lady in the clinic, who has a super cute baby and judging from the size of her jugs, she seems to have endless supply of milk :D

I guess it's worth trying.
A mom would do anything, remember?

Recipe
- 1 lb pork (pork bone + pork shin for some "meat")
- a handful of peanuts
- a handful of red dates (core removed)
- hot water, salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything into a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 25 minutes, season to taste and slurp~

Although, it didn't make my chest overflowing with milk...it tasted pretty darn good ;p

Sinful English Muffins Breakfast

How do you like your breakfast?
Healthy? Tasty? Powerful?
For me...I like mine sinful.

This is how I like my English muffins...
The savory one...

Buttered toasted english muffins, slathered with mayo, ketchup and Indonesian chilli sauce, filled with the layers of sinful junk...pan fried spam (crispy on the outside, soft and tasty on the inside), cheese, and fried egg, over easy, with yolk that's still runny.
Oh my!

As for the sweet one...

Buttered, toasted English muffins, slathered with peanut butter, jam, and drizzled with sweet condensed milk.

Generously.

For me, if this is not a good morning, I don't know what is :D

Udon Goreng Siram Telor - Fried Udon with Meat & Egg Topping

I miss kwetiaw goreng siram telor (fried hor fun/flat rice noodles with meat & egg topping), and there's no place in Hong Kong that serves this Chinese-Indonesian dish.

As luck would have it, the day I wanted to try making my own version of this dish...I couldn't find rice noodles anywhere near me.
Bah! As if that would stop my craving.
No rice noodles, udon it is :D

It worked well and I love the extra chewiness that udon has.

Recipe
(serves 3)
- 3 packs of udon
- seasoning for udon: dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, a touch of oyster sauce
- 1/2 lbs sliced meat for stir frying (normally, it's beef. I used pork, and you can replace with chicken or seafood)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- fish sauce, salt, a touch of sugar, white pepper, corn flour diluted in water, vegetable oil for stir frying

Marinate meat in fish sauce, white pepper, a bit of sugar, and corn flour, set aside. Prepare about 3 tsp of corn flour dilluted in a small bowl of water and beat the eggs, season with a bit of salt. Saute garlic in hot oil, add meat, stir fry until cooked and season well. Add diluted corn flour, add egg mixture, stir well, set aside.

I "separated" my udon in a big bowl of hot water for a couple of minutes, drain and discard the water. Heat up a bit of vegetable oil in a frying pan, add udon, season with light soy, dark soy and a touch of oyster sauce.

Pour the meat and egg mixture on the fried udon, serve hot.

Ideally, add a bit of vegetables (kai lan or choy sum or others) into the egg and meat mixture, and you'll get yourself a well balance one dish meal.

Enjoy! :)

Chinese Drunken Chicken Soup

If you've never tried this soup...
Please do.
Seriously.
It has just become my favorite Chinese soup!

It's a classic confinement tonic for women who just gave birth, but confinement or not...I love this soup! Plus, unlike other type of slow cooked soup which takes forever to make...this takes less than one hour to whip up!
Fast, easy, delicious & warming for this cooler days....perfect!


Recipe
- Half a chicken, chopped into pieces
- a handful of red dates
- wood ear fungus, soaked in water until soft and sliced thinly
- glutinous rice wine, about half a cup
- 3 cm ginger, sliced thinly
- 2-3 bowls of hot water
- vegetable oil for sauteeing, salt to season

Saute ginger and chicken in a bit of vegetable oil, add sliced wood ear fungus, add glutinous rice wine, cook for a few minutes, add 2-3 bowls of hot water, let cook for about 20 minutes, or until all the flavors merged, season with salt and serve.

A bowl of liquid gold! Slurp!