Insanely Easy - Two Tone Chocolate Popsicles

In summer, I often have "emergencies".
The emergencies, so far (luckily), did not require any CPR action by ___________(Insert name of your current crush here. No, mine isn't Rob Pattinson), but they often require something cold and sweet.

Something fruity or chocolatey.

Couldn't I simply take an elevator downstairs to get some "chocolatey/fruity emergency fixes" from 7-11?
No. Because that would require me to put on my pants/shorts.
In summer, I don't do pants *grin*
Plus, I don't wanna scare my doorman, who was probably daydreaming about _____________(He can insert his current crush here. I bet it's not Megan Fox).

There's an Indonesian saying "sedia payung sebelum hujan" = prepare your umbrella before it rains.
So I am preparing my "umbrella", in case of "emergencies".

It's insanely easy.
Thus, calling it a recipe would be...well, insane.
I simply poured a bit of store bought chocolate syrup into my popsicle mould and top it off with chocolate milk from a box, and pop it into the freezer.

That's that. Insane!

They're not perfect (not sweet enough and the chocolate tip melts way to quickly), just good enough for last night's "emergency".

To make a better version, next time I'll add more sugar into the chocolate milk and use melted chocolate instead of syrup.

But since that will require me to work behind a stove, melting chocolate, boiling milk, stirring, washing.....
Forget it! I'll just put on some pants and go to 7-11 instead.

Hello, Sucker - A New Addition to My Kitchen

What do you do with your dinner party guests when you're preparing food in the kitchen?
- Prepared lots of booze to get them drunk before dinner?
- Prepared delicious snacks for them?
- Leaving them enjoying some kind of entertainment, e.g. Wii/Xbox/PS3/TV/Karaoke machine/your sex tape/your pets/your spouse?
- All/none of the above?

How about me? What do I do with my guests while I was cooking?

I choked them to near-death with super hot chilli and pungent onion-garlic cooking fumes.

I don't think you see many situations where dinner guests scrambling, desperately trying to open your windows, teary-eyed, coughing violently, gasping for air. Oh, my poor guests...and the kind of sufferings they went through for a lousy dinner :p


But that was before the arrival of my new baby.
My shiny and new exhaust fan.
Why did I not have this before?
Isn't it a standard item in a Hong Kong kitchen?
Isn't my stove facing a huge window/excellent ventilation?


The kitchen didn't have a proper hood with exhaust fans on top of the stove, because the previous owner bought and renovated this flat with sole intention to resell, he never lived here, never used the kitchen and only focused on making the flat look good in the eyes of potential buyers. Thus, the hood would only mean another additional HK$2k expenditure that's gonna block the view for him. Understandably, he didn't have it installed.

In terms of blowing out hot fumes, the window right behind my stove didn't help at all. It generally blows the fumes IN instead of OUT. I admire my own hot fume tolerance. I guess I got used to it, but it can't be good for me. I thank sous chef for insisting to get a hood with powerful exhaust fans (he was the one of the victims choking in the living room while I was cooking) when I almost gave up on the idea.


Hello, sucker.
Welcome to the family.

Dinner guests, you can consider coming over for some super spicy food this time. No more choking. ^_^

Icy Cold Fizzy Coca Cola, Welcome to Hong Kong!

Some like it cold.
Some like it hot (in Hong Kong coffee shops, they really serve hot coke with ginger and lemon to combat cold and flu).
Some like it without ice (fear of losing "money" paying for a little coke and lots of ice).
Some doesn't mind if all the fizz has gone.

Not me.

I like my coke icy cold (there's gotta be ice) and super fizzy.

There's no other way.

Nothing's more upsetting for me than being served un-cold/lukewarm/fizz-less/un-iced coke (most of them aren't real words, but I trust that you get what I meant)....hmmm except being served KFC fried chickens without skin...that'd be equally upsetting.

Thus, although I am a huge coke fan, I hardly buy my coke from vending machines, except the ones that also dispenses ice, which can be found in some 7-11.

You guys can imagine how ecstatic I was when I heard the news...

...that now I can buy coke off vending machines...WITH ICE.

W...wwww...wot??? You're joking?!

Eits...you know I'd never joke about coke 'n ice combo. Seriously, I think I have never been more serious about something since my primary school history exam (I was about to fail it miserably)!

So, how does it work?
Feed the machine with some cash, or wave your magic octopus card, and select your icy fizz drinks as usual.
1. Grab the bottle (you can see that it's all liquid inside, no ice)
2. Open it
3. See ice forming in the bottle, right before your eyes

Such a wonderful sight...in scorching hot days like these...

...it felt like I was witnessing a modern day miracle.

Sous chef and I debated about what's the deal with this ice thing. Liquid nitrogen? Something in the bottle? Something in the machine? Something in the coke?

Meh. We concluded that we ain't no scientists....so we'll just...

...Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Ahhhh....

Hail all icy cold fizzy coca cola lovers in Hong Kong! Get a bottle from some vending machines in locations listed on iCoke Hong Kong site and let's all rejoice!

Update: there's an explanation on how it works (wow!), check it out here

Kopi Luwak - Indonesian Civet Coffee

"Ignorant" should have been my middle name.
I grew up in Indonesia, and my only knowledge of "luwak" had been limited to knowing that it has something to do with coffee.


I only learnt that Kopi Luwak is a highly coveted and super pricey coffee when I watched a Hong Kong TV program recently (shame on me :p).

What makes Kopi Luwak so good expensive?

Luwak, or Civet the cat (or the weasel), picks the best coffee cherries, eats them, helps make the coffee less bitter and spills the undigested beans (if you really wanna know more...ask uncle wiki).

Wait a minute!
So it's weasel's crap?
We're gonna drink it?
...and it is EXPENSIVE???!!!

It's IDR165,000 (around HKD127 or USD16) for a sachet of 10 grams.
It's an expensive sachet of weasel crap!

But we aren't exactly gonna drink weasels' crap.

The undigested beans found in the crap had to go quite a labour intensive process before ending up in my cup, including cleaning, sun drying, and high temperature roasting. No bacteria should be able to survive that. The long cleaning process as well as super limited supply contribute to its expensiveness.

Call me weird, but I was never put off by the coffee-beans-found-in-a-pile-of-crap thing.

It only made me wanna try it even more! ^_^
I had my kopi luwak just like how I normally have my coffee. Slightly sweetened with a bit of milk. No fancy coffee press, no fancy coffee maker, just the way they do it in back home in Indonesia.

Coffee fragrance filled the room as I poured boiling water into the cup....

...I added a bit of sugar (and a bit of milk if you want, or try it without milk to really taste it), stirred for a bit, then I stopped stirring, and waited for the coffee granules to settle.

Patience is the key, drinkers. You really have to wait until it has completely settled. Otherwise, you're gonna be munching some coffee granules and it ain't no fun.

Since I only had one sachet and everyone wanted to try, we divided the cup into small shot glasses.
Shit good thing is best for sharing, right?


...and we have two more eager tasters...panting, hoping, begging by the table...


So, we gave in and let them have a lick...


Seriously, this can't be good for the dog????!!!!


How did it taste?
Kopi luwak is well known for its mild flavors and lack of bitterness.
It was indeed mild and not at all bitter.
But was it craveable?


Judging from Ah Yi's smirk...

It's definitely something worth trying once in our lifetime...but I won't be running to get another sachet anytime soon.

My smirk isn't as photogenic as Ah Yi's, thus it shall remain unposted.

Quick & Easy Semur Ayam - Outta My "Designer" Kitchen

Just like I've previously mentioned, there was a moment of my life when I love designer items.
Designer bags, shoes, watches, jewelries...LV, Gucci, Prada, Tiffany...you name it, I've probably lusted over it :p

These days, I drool at different kind of brands...such as Canon, Le Creuset, Miele, or Tefal. However, since I can't afford them, I'd normally settle for their Chinese "alternatives", such as Midea (this brand makes affordable stuff and they work well too! I have quite a lot of Midea stuff in my kitchen).

When I first moved into my new place, I didn't realize that apart from the breath-taking view, my kitchen has a "designer" item!
Wow! Really?

Well, not really....but close enough.
It's not exactly a brand you'd see in a kitchen....
What is it?

Wouldn't you love anything Gucci Guchi in your kitchen?
You can even sing it!
"Guchi guchi yaya dada...."
Sexy eh?
With or without an H, this sink has helped me prepare loads of wonderful meal...

I certainly rinsed and cleaned my chicken over my Guchi, and dumped lots of carrot, garlic and shallot skin into it while preparing this dish...

Quick and Easy Semur Ayam

A severely simplified version of a semur (Indonesian sweet stew) dish, perfect for a weekday dinner.

Recipe
(serves 2)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 cloves shallot (I use more shallot compared to garlic for sweetish dishes)
- 2 x 1 cm pieces crushed ginger
- 2 pieces of chicken thigh fillet, remove skin and excess fat, cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 carrot, cut into bite sized chunks
- cinnamon, clove, ground nutmeg, ground corriander seeds
- water, olive oil, salt, pepper, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

Saute garlic, ginger and shallot in olive oil, add chicken pieces, add carrot, add water, season with spices, salt, pepper, and sweet soy sauce. Cook until the carrot pieces are tender. Garnish with crispy shallot (optional), serve with steamed rice.

Sous chef will give little Guchi the tender loving care it deserves by cleaning, scrubbing and wiping it dry.