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I am sure everybody has their own magic ingredient/s. I just realised last night that mine's gotta be the creamy, rich, exotic and super fragrant coconut milk. It gives my dishes the extra oooompphh!
Just like my favorite little gold necklace (I'll add the picture), which perfects my outfit every time, this magic ingredient makes everything suddenly taste...exotic yet familiar, rich yet subtle, simply out-of-this-world magical!
Am I hard-selling this ingredient too much? Will this qualify me as a coconut milk sales lady? (or do they call it "sales associate" these days?) hehehe
Growing up in Indonesia, I've seen our family's helper, Mbok Yem making coconut milk all the time. While boxed/canned coconut milk/cream is easily available in Hong Kong and I bet anywhere in the world, it is no match to the coconut milk resulted from the freshly grated and squeezed home-made coconut milk. My busy lifestyle (i.e. my lazy ass) does not really give me the luxury of time to try making my own coconut milk, so I had to settle with the boxed ones, but you can try to make your own coconut milk this way.
I wanted to make a creamy tuna and pumpkin pasta last night (as I have a spare can of tuna in spring water ^_^), I was contemplating to use milk, cream or coconut milk...and decided to go with coconut milk. It made it perfect! The oceanic scent of tuna, the sweet and earthy tone of pumpkin, and the magic touch of coconut milk...stop it!
(I don't wanna be a pushy sales associate! I just can't be that person I've been trying to dodge throughout the mall all the time! LOL)
Recipe
- 1 can of tuna in spring water
- 1/4-1/2 small pumpkin (the pumpkin diameter is approx 15 cm), peeled, thinly sliced, softened in microwave for 10 minutes with a bit of water
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 5 cloves of shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 cm ginger, peeled & crushed
- 1/2 packet of farfalle
- 1 small box/can of coconut milk
- olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar
Saute garlic, ginger and shallot, add pumpkin pieces, add tuna pieces with the water, bring to boil, add coconut milk, add seasoning, lower heat. Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the packaging, drain, pour on the sauce mix, stir, heat through, sprinkle fresh chopped corriander/parsley flakes to garnish, serve hot.
Harry Potter and your magic wand, take that!
Sharing this with Presto Pasta Night's Gang!
Just after saying I don't wanna be a pushy salesman, here I go again:
Few more days to go, release the little Chinese in you, see you at the Chinese Take-Out Party Round Up!
no more selling, I promise...for now, hehe
This is one of those days. I just had a crappy day at work and I need a fuss free yet satisfying dinner.
When I need something fuss free, I normally do something where I can combine both my protein and vegetable in one dish. I either throw anything into a pot and boil them with soy sauce, or a stir fry dish.
When I need to blow off some steam, I'd stick to something I am familiar with. I wouldn't even think of trying something new, cos I just can't cope with risk of failure. I don't wanna be jumping off the rooftop of Hong Kong high rise flat (sadly, many people did in Hong Kong, especially teenagers during the exam season) over burnt baked goods, mushy pasta, funky tasting stew or chewy pieces of steaks.
But why not do something sinful and decadent to make myself feel better?...cos my ASS is on the line *grin*
So, although I know exactly how good rich, dark, velvety chocolate cake; a huge pile of pasta with melted cheese on top; and a giant serving of fried chicken with salty fries would make me feel..(I think those treats can make almost anyone cancel their flat jumping plans)...
Summer is here, and I wanna be ready for the swimsuit portion of Miss Kowloon Peninsula & New Territories contest (the contest is happening in my household, and I am competing against imaginary slim and sleek, Hong Kong version of Barbie dolls, so I am bound to lose, but what the heck, I plan not to let them win so easily nonetheless)...so, no decadent treats for me, especially in an attempt to correct a bad day (a day this bad needs truckloads of treats)
So, I went with this:
Fuss Free Fuzzy Melon & Beef Stir Fry
Look at them...they look like a couple of cute fuzzy bears...
Peel the skin off with a normal peeler...and you'll get this:
It looks like a cucumber, or a mini winter melon, it tastes like a firmer and crunchier zucchini. It absorbs sauces very well and it does not endanger my already expanded waist line (go easy on the grease and sauce though)
Recipe
(serves 4)
- 2 medium sized fuzzy melon, peel skin off, slice into 3-5 mm thick pieces
- HK$30 (around 1 pound) of beef, sliced for stir frying
- 1 small clove of garlic
- around 5 cm of ginger, sliced and crushed
- light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, shaoxing Chinese wine, corn starch
Marinate beef with light soy, dark soy, salt, pepper, sugar, shaoxing Chinese wine, and 1 tsp corn starch while preparing the other ingredients. Saute garlic and 1 slice of ginger, add fuzzy melon, stir until almost done, set aside. Using the same wok, add a little oil, saute the remaining of ginger, add beef, saute until almost done, add fuzzy melon pieces, mix well, add seasoning if necessary, add a bit of water if you want more sauce, cook until the fuzzy melon pieces are softened. Serve with steamed rice.
- Not fuss free enough? Skip marinating the beef, saute melons first, add the beef once the melon's almost softened, throw in all the sauces, make sure everything are cooked through
- Still not fuss free enough? Maybe we should go to McDonald's/KFC together
In case the dish failed to make me feel better, I might as well go for that chocolate, fries, chicken and pasta treat anyway. Scr*w my waistline! LOL
Sharing this with Weekend Herb Blogging Crowd, invented by Kalyn, hosted this week by Laurie.
This original version of this post was initially a comment on Jaden's Steamy Kitchen Food Porn post...and now she wants to see more! Then I thought...well you guys probably might wanna know how I take my crappy pics...hmmm, if I could recommend, it's better NOT to know...
I must warn you, it ain't pretty!
...and I am sharing this wacky post with the folks at Dita's event: STUDIO
Crappy Food Photo Studio - Version 1.1
Circa November 2007
This is just too professional to believe:
- Set camera (canon ixus 850is) to macro, vivid color, turn off flash
- Hold dish under halogen light attached to the exhaust fan on top of stove
- Endure the heat from hot dish on hand
- Try not to shake (holding breath helps)
- Hold balance while the other hand try not to drop the camera into the stew/soup/kitchen sink
- Prep the model "work it, girl...work it! yeah u look faaaabbbulousssss"
- Click shutter 100-150 x for each pose, hopefully some aren't so blurrrrrrrrryyy
- Sort and select 1 file out of 10001 out-of-focus ones
- Open selected file/s in microsoft photo editor
- Select 'image', then 'auto balance'
- Upload
HAHA, you amateurs can just eat my shorts (i am not wearing any)
*now i know why ur food pics suck and mine are so fab* LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
PS. i hope u guys dig sarcasm?
POSE 1
Sufficient when I still had my natural light (only on weekends, on weekdays, just impossible)
POSE 2A
Started to feel unhappy with the lighting
POSE 2B
Need to switch to the other, less shaky leg for support
POSE 3
Back damage control
Version 1.1 yielded the following shots:
- Golden Nuggets with Creamy Corn Sauce- My First CNY Feast- Prawns in Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce
Crappy Food Photo Studio - Version 1.2
Circa March 2008
Had enough of cramps and backache, decided to try an alternative method (moved "studio" to the living room, i.e sofa, procured a study lamp for lighting when there's no natural light), which was not much of an improvement LOL!
Version 1.2 yielded the following shots:
- Peanut Butter Chicken Wings- Licky Leek Spring Rolls- Snacks in Black
Crappy Food Photo Studio - Version 1.3
Circa April 2008
Still feeling unhappy about my crappy photo results (In theory, this is good for improvement, right?), I decided to go through a major restructuring again. Procured various colors of background papers...
...stick 'em on a message board on top of my chest of drawers, which means removing all the happy pictures of me and my pals from it (sob! sob!), cleared various rubbish off the chest of drawers, used the cheap study desk for lighting, and got myself an L-POD (no offense, but tripods are just too out of date!), ...and still curled like a shrimp, thus the back pain persists!...not to mention ass gets bigger due to all the cooking, baking & eating!
The L - POD! Extra light, extra flexible, extra mobile, extra unstable, easy installation, and...
...absolutely FREE! (at least mine is)
...and...standing by my side all the way through version 1.1 to 1.3...
my humble, tried and tested, trusted, and beloved camera! CANON DIGITAL IXUS 850IS
Version 1.3 yielded the following shots:
- Steak & Tortellini in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Spicy Chayote in Coconut Milk (Sambal Goreng Jipang)
- Cellophane Noodles with Mushroom Fritters
...there will surely be version 1.4, 1.5,...100.1, etc ...as I love to take crappier pictures to make you guys feel better ^_* (sarcasm, sarcasm)
Now...brainwashing you into joining my event...
(I am not pushy in person, so I compensated by being extra pushy on the net LOL!)
See you there!
I'm officially falling in love all over again....
Head over heel, smiling from ear to ear, day dreaming, butterflies in my stomach, can't sleep at night, the world looks like a beautiful place, pollution fumes from the buses smelt like freshly baked cinnamon cookies, C-R-A-Z-Y in L-O-V-E!!
...and the new leading actor in my little day time soap opera is...my stud non stick, easy to clean, 6 cup MUFFIN TRAY!
Finally! After baking unshapely "muffins/cakes/baked goods/thingies" (cross out the inappropriate word), I could bake something which resemble muffins :) I had to hold back and restrain myself not to get my hands on my little stud muffin tray all the time! If only I could...I'd bring it to work with me or hold him in my sleep *grin*
My friends (i.e. my guinea pigs) noticed this infatuation and one of them asked:A: (upon receiving another sample of baked goods) Do you bake EVERY DAY??!!
Me: NO!...well...not EVERY day...
A: So, every other day??!!
Me: (decided to use the most convenient method on hand...staring at my freshly painted toes)...
OK...you don't have to point a gun to my head...I admit...I might have over-used the tray, but what the heck! Life's short, bake more treats!
I want something savoury, and South East Asian inspired...so....I made...
CURRY TUNA MUFFINS
Recipe
- 1 can of tuna chunks in spring water (remove water and shred using fork, yields about 1 cup)
- 1 small clove of garlic, super finely chopped
- 2 small cloves of shallot, super finely chopped
- 1.5 tbsp of chicken stock powder (you can replace this with normal salt, just use less)
- 1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/3 cup of coconut milk
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup of self raising flour, sifted
- fried shallot flakes and dried/fresh corriander for garnish
Preheat oven to 175C, saute the super finely chopped garlic and shallot in 1 tbsp olive oil until fragrant, add the tuna, add 1/2 tbsp chicken stock powder (or a pinch of salt), add curry powder, stir about, set aside. Mix flour, chicken stock powder, sugar in one bowl. Mix beaten egg, coconut milk, olive oil in another bowl. Make a well in the middle of flour, pour the egg mix, stir about, add the tuna (leave some for topping), sprinkle more curry powder if you wish. Line muffin tray with muffin paper cups (or brush with oil), pour muffin mix until 3/4 full, bake for about 25 minutes, 10 minutes before they are done, add more tuna chunks, fried shallot flakes on top, continue to bake until toothpick comes out clean, sprinkle some dried corriander flakes, serve.
I like 'em HOT! Fresh from the oven ^_^
Now I gotta get back to day dreaming about my stud muffin tray...(cue background music...*recommend a love song of your choice here, it has to be the corniest, cheesiest love song EVER!!*)
Check out more yummy muffins at Michelle's Snack Shots event!
....and...there's still time to whip up something to bring for the Chinese Take-Out Party, see you there!
This is my take on one of the most popular items out of Chinese Take-Out menu, Chow Mein. As always it has been tweaked miles and miles away from the classic version, Indonesia-ised (added kecap manis), added some bling (shrimps, fried shallots) *grin*...and...ta-da!!...
My Indo-China Chow Mein, proudly delivered to you, online for the Chinese Take-Out Party!
(PS. Bring your own booze, utensils, flatware, Internet, keyboard and hanky for drool wiping purposes ^_^! Am I the most gracious host on earth or what?! LOL)
I've been on Chinese Take-Out diet...almost my whole life (hmm who isn't?). Ironically, I NEVER order Chow Mein here in Hong Kong. The Chow Mein in Hong Kong is often made of super thin egg noodles, which I am not fond of, I love my noodles long, thick, luscious and chewy, not those itsy bitsy fragile thin noodles, who said size doesn't matter?
Plus, with my current Cantonese language proficiency level, I wouldn't order chow mein, risking calling the restaurant owner "Stinky Face" or something (yep, Chinese is one of the trickiest language to learn...say it in the wrong tone, and one tiny phrase could get you beaten up by the joint force of all triad members from the whole Kowloon peninsula-oppppps)
Recipe
- 1 pack of round noodles (yau mein/oil noodles, can be replaced by other noodles, such as instant egg noodles, rice noodles, etc)
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 6 cloves of shallot, finely chopped
- 1 pc of ginger, crushed
- 2 pc of small red chilli, remove core, finely sliced
- spring onion, chopped into 5 cm long pieces
- 1 egg
- 1/2 pound of lean pork, sliced thinly
- 1/2 pound of shrimps, deveined
- 1 tbsp of fried shallot
- kecap manis, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper, sugar
Marinate shrimps in lime juice for a while, season with salt, pepper and sugar, pan fry until pink and curled, set aside. Saute aromatics in hot oil, add sliced lean pork, crack egg, stir in noodles, add sauces, throw in spring onion, throw in the shrimps, sprinkle fried shallot, serve hot.
8 more days to the round up of Chinese Take-Out Party!
I've started piling up boxes of Kleenex all around my desk...and you should too! ;)
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