Bonjour!

Bonjour! It's a new life in France for my family...We have arrived here in a small city southwest of Paris for a week now. We are homeless, carless and poor! Yes, everything's so expensive here even with the Euros at one of it's lowest rate now. Sigh, the most difficult part is the language and despite learning it from a private tutor prior to coming here. Truly understand the term 'duck and chicken' lol!

We are still in the midst of finding a rental house which is really difficult as there are not many in the market and many people are also looking for a place...We have put in our interest in a house so we are just waiting for the owner to accept us. Or else we have to start looking again. Yes, we are so desperate for a place that we are actually putting in our interest for a house that is just a stone throw away from a cemetery.....note the desperation?! But it seems that that is a cemetery in every few streets here in France....Not sure if it's a norm...

Hope to get a place by this month so that I can start cooking for the family..and my toddler and crawler who have been eating microwave and bottled food. Praying hard!!!

Coming back soon...

Dear Readers,

I am sorry that I have neglected this blog for the longest time. I am back in SG now and life has been busy with my toddler attending playgroup and a 3 mth old addition to my humble family....I have a daughter to dress up now yippeee!!! LOL.

I am still cooking but have not been baking for a long time as my house is pretty much still in a mess....108 items (boxes/furniture & toys) from US!! Gosh, I must have depleted my savings shopping online!

I will try to put up some posts soon before you, my loyal reader decide to abandon my blog :' ((

Blog Temporary Closed

I will not be posting as I am moving back to SG. Have been busy packing the house and it is definitely not an easy feat with a clingy toddler following me the whole day and a tiny one in my tummy ; p

It doesn't help when Hub is away for the last 3 weeks either. Sigh, hope to post again once I set up my kitchen in sunny island ; ))

Keep on visiting my post for latest updates!!!

Vegetarian Fried Bee Hoon

Made this for dinner last night together with Spicy Wings. Altered my own recipe a bit and this is by far my best recipe ; )

Hope you like it too....

What You Need:

2.5 pieces of dried Bee Hoon (I use Wai Wai brand)

1/2 small cabbage, sliced thinly

1 cup long beans, sliced diagonally lenthwise

3 carrots, shredded

5 dried mushroom, soaked and sliced thinly (keep water)

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

3 cloves garlic, minced

Seasoning

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 chicken bullion

1/2 tbsp sugar

What To Do

1. Soak bee hoon in warm water until soft, drain and set aside
2. Mix all seasoning in a small bowl, add about 3 tbsp of water (from soaking mushroom)
3. Fry onion and garlic till soft, add all veggies and about 1/3 of seasoning mix. Cover
4. Add some water to prevent the veggies from drying out.
5. Made a well in the middle and add in the bee hoon. Mix well.
6. Add the rest of the seasoning & some water (from soaking mushroom) and mix well. Cover the wok.
7. Stir the bee hoon after about 5 mins.
8. Serve.

Oven-Steamed Fermented Bean Chicken

This is the 2nd dish I prepared for dinner yesterday....Hub's lunch for tomorrow.

I like to use the oven to 'steam' my food because it is so easy to clean up....or no need to clean up at all!!!! You can use it to 'steam' your fish too!!!

Here's a recipe I adapted from a dish I had at a Teochew restaurant in St Louis during my 3 weeks stay there when I first arrived in US...

What You Need

5 skinless, boneless chicken thigh, sliced

1 big thumb of ginger, julienned

1/2 cup black fungus, soaked & trimmed

1/2 cup wolfberries, soaked

2 tbsp fermented beans, lightly crushed

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp chinese cooking wine

2 tbsp water

What To Do

1. Preheat oven to 365 F
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl
3. Pour all into a aluminum foil, make sure there is some water in the mix (add more than 2tbsp if need to) and wrap it up tightly
4. Bake for 30mins.
5. Serve!!!

Sambal Long Beans

I like to cook this because I can always find long beans regardless of where I stay...It's easy to get a pack in SG and here in US too ; ))

Sometimes I will use dried shrimps (Hay Bee) or the korean dried shrimp (like the ones in pic)

Here's the recipe,

What You Need

1 pkt of long beans, thinly sliced diagonally (blanched in hot water)

1 small shallot, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1/2 cup korean dried shrimp

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp sambal chilli

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

What To Do

1. Fry shallots and garlic in oil till slightly brown, add in dried shrimp
2. Add in beans, chilli, oyster sauce & sugar. Mix well
3. Add a bit of water if it is too dry. Stir and fry till bean is soft
4. Serve!

Peach Cobbler

I have a box of peaches sitting in my fridge for more than a week now, we picked those from a farm. They are so wrinkly and ripe that I couldn't give it away and Hub is sick of eating everyday.
I was trying to clear the fridge for the long weekend ahead and decided to make this as dessert after lunch.
Easy one!!

What You Need:
Topping~
3 peaches, cubed
About 4 heap tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp corn flour
Mix all together and transfer to a baking tray or ceramic tray like mine
Cobbler~
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 salt
60g butter
3 heap tbsp sugar
1/3 cup yoghurt

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to about 365F
   
2. Sift flour, soda, salt & baking powder. Add sugar
3. Cut butter into small cubes and rub in flour mix till it resembles breadcrumbs
4. Add yoghurt, mix well
5. Sprinkle flour dough on top of the peach mixture.
6. Bake for 30 to 40 mins or till medium brown
   

Serve with vanilla ice cream immediately for the earth-rocking taste!!

Breadmaker Hot Dog Buns

I have no idea why I have never post this too, now that I am staying thousands of miles away from home I miss those hot dog buns from the HDB bakeries...Really there are so many things we take for granted in SG.
I make these every week, sometimes twice a week and they are always welcomed with Oooo and Ahhhh from my SG neighbours haha...We must be really homesick!!! My family will be leaving US soon and my house is almost empty now...I have to bake these before I sell my breadmaker away!!! I adapted the recipe from here

What You Need:
150g cake flour
150g bread flour
2g salt
5g active dry yeast
60g sugar
125ml milk
1 egg
50g butter
1 egg yolk + 2tbsp cold water for glazing

Filling:
9 hot dogs

Topping:
Shredded Parmesan

What To Do:

1. Add all wet ingredients (except butter) into the breadmaker pan
2. Add dry ingredients leaving yeast last
3. Make a little well in the flour mix and add yeast into the well.
4. Start the breadmaker to DOUGH function and press START
5. After 5 mins, add butter (cubed) in
6. Restart the cycle after about 30mins.
7. Once the cycle is completed (about 130mins after restart)
8. Preheat oven to 180C
   
9. Take out the dough and divide them into 60g
10. Wrap hot dogs with the dough pressing the edges firmly together
11. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle cheese and bake for 20mins.
    

Korean Stewed Short Ribs

Got this recipe from a Korean friend, M. It is a really simple recipe but it's SO GOOD!!!!
Didn't managed to get a good shot because I have a hard time trying to assemble it! The meat has been stewed to 'fall off the bone' soft...
Here's the recipe......

What You Need:
About 1.2kg korean short ribs
2 carrots, sliced about 1cm thickness
1 potato, cubed
1 red onion, cut into big wedges
5 cloves garlic, skinned
About 5 dried prunes (Del Monte type)
10 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1tbsp Chinese wine

What To Do:

1. Blanch ribs with boiling water and place them in a slow cooker
2. Add water till it covers the ribs
3. Let it boil for about 30mins. Add everything except prunes
4. Add prunes about 30mins prior to switching off the cooker (when the meat is soft enough)
5. Serve!
   

Winter Plum Blossom Flower Flaky Mooncake

I know Mooncake festival is over in some part of the world but being in US, it's our turn to celebrate ; ))
Made these today with thr remaining lotus paste, I must say I prefer this over the snowskin ones.

Snowskin Mooncakes

Being far from home makes me miss my family more especially during festive season. And this year I decided to make some mooncakes to ease the longing....
What You Need:
150 koh fun (which I can't find in where I stay, I dry fry 150g glutinous rice flour instead)
150g icing sugar
50g shortening
2 drops pandan paste
180ml ice water

Filling:
600g lotus paste
melon seeds (optional)

What to Do:

1. Divide lotus paste into 30g balls and set aside
   
2. Fry glutionous rice flour for about 5mins. Set aside
   
3. Sieve icing sugar and glutinous rice flour into a big bowl
4. Add pandan paste into water (to get a even colour)
5. Add shortening to the flour mixture, mix well. Add water a bit at a time. Stop when you manage to form a soft dough.
6. Divide dough into 25g ball. Flat it
   
7. Place lotus paste ball onto the dough and cover it with dough
8. Flour the mooncake mold and gently push the unformed mooncake (from 7) into mold
9. Press mold firmly and push mooncake out...

A good mooncake is said to have a ratio of 40% skin weight and 60% filling weight...I think a good mooncake is made with LOVE ; )) What do you think?

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Made this for dinner, I used chicken thigh instead of whole chicken as I am only cooking for 2 of us...
What You Need:
Jasmine rice (For 2)
About 6 cloves garlic
2 thumb sized ginger
1 pandan leaves, tied into knots
About 4 chicken thighs

Blend this (to Paste)
4 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt

What To Do:

1. Boil chicken thigh in a pot of boiling water until it is cooked thoroughly, about 45 mins
2. In a saucepan, add 1 tbsp of oil & 1 tsp sesame oil. Fry the garlic and ginger till slightly brown, add in paste and stir well
3. Add rice and fry till slightly transluscent. Transfer mixture to rice cooker
4. Add in stock from step 1 to rice cooker till the desired water level (In my case to Mark 2.5 for 2.5 cup of rice). Add in pandan leaves and hit COOK button
5. Serve with chicken thigh and of course, chicken rice chilli!!!!

1. NOTE: To make the sauce to drizzle over the meat and rice, add 2 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil & 4 tbsp of chicken stock in a bowl mix well and drizzle!
2. NOTE: Do not waste the stock, add cabbage and carrots to make soup!
   

Rum & Raisin Fudge

Come fudge with me....
I developed my love for fudge during my 2 years stay in Perth, Hub & I used to go to Frementle market once a month to buy my favourite coffee beans, big fat fresh prawns to make prawn noodle & fudge!!! My favourite of all....Rum & Raisins!
Can't seem to find them here so I decide to make my own...and I am so going to make my own fudge from now on....
Here's the recipe if you are interested to make your own.

What You Need:
400g dark chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60%, preferably 70%)
1 full can of condensed milk (Yes, 1 full can....about 396g)
40g butter
1 cup raisins
4 tbsp rum

What To Do:

1. Line a 20cm by 20cm tray with baking paper.
   
2. Soak raisin with rum and set aside, preferably overnight
3. Put chocolate, butter and condensed milk in a glass boil and double boil it over a pot of boiling water. Make sure it is not touching the water.
4. Stir until all the chocolate has melted, it gets thick and the oil will seem to separate from the mixture. You have to keep stirring!!
5. Continue to stir until the butter oil has incorporated with the chocolate and is no longer shiny. Add in raisins with rum.
   
6. Pour into tray (sprinkle some nuts on top if you like) and let it cool before putting it in the fridge to set for about 3 hrs.
7. Cut and serve!

Tomato, Mushroom with Mozzarella Tart

I have been blogging for more than 2 years now, it started as a blog to keep Hub & my overseas friends in the loop but I find it harder and harder to do that now esp when my son takes up almost 100% of my time. It has become a blog where I keep all my recipes, so that I will not forget how to prepare these dishes! You will be surprised how many times I refer to my blog when I bake, I can't remember most of the measurements ; ))
Anyway, I made this for lunch and it is definitely a keeper! Simple, fast lunch you can fix for that unexpected guest ; p

What You Need:
(Recipe adapted from here)

1/2 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1/2 roma tomato, thinly sliced
About 4 white or brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 tbsp 6 cheese
1/4 cup red onion, diced finely
1tsp salt & pepper
Dash of dried parsley

What To Do:

1. Set oven to 400F
   
2. Add a little oil & red onion in a microwavable bowl, microwave on high for 2 mins. Remove and set aside
3. Place pastry sheet on a non stick pan, bake for 10 mins or when it starts to puff like this,4. Add topping, onions(drained) & cheeses,
   

5. Brush with the oil that was microwaved with onion
6. Bake for about 20mins or till brown
7. Serve while hot!

Curry Puff Eggrolls

I got this idea while making the Avocado Eggrolls that day, since the eggroll wrapper actually taste like 'Epok Epok' so why not make curry puffs with it?? So I came up with my own curry filling...
Here's my 'secret recipe' ; P
All wrapped up and ready for frying!!! It tastes GREAT!!!

Fried Minced Pork Yee Mee

Simple lunch while Hub's on his way back to SG for work...

What You Need:

1 piece of Yee Mee (boil for 5 mins, drain and soak in cold water until ready to use)
1 bunch of broccoli florets (lightly blanched with boiling water)
About 1 cup of minced pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp chilli paste (I use Taho sambal blachan)
1/2 cup stock

Marinade
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
pepper

What To Do:

1. Marinade pork and set aside
2. Saute garlic in 1 tbsp of oil till slightly brown
3. Add pork and stir it to break it up
4. Add broccoli and fry for 2 mins
5. Add noodle, oyster sauce, dark sauce & chilli. Stir evenly
6. Add stock and stir for another 5 mins
7. Serve!
   

Korean Spicy Wings

I have no idea why I have not posted this in my blog before...I mean I make this almost every Sunday for my 'Family BBQ Day' and it is my all time favorite! Okok, I simply love chicken wings...grilled or fried ; p
Sometimes I use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe and it tasted just as good! Well, if you like Pizza Hut's spicy wings then you have to make this!

What You Need:

About 16 wings
3 heap tbsp of hottest Gochujang you can find (you can get it from any Korean grocer, it comes in a red tub)
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, smashed & minced

What To Do:

1. Marinade wings with all the ingredients overnight or at least 6 hours
2. Grill them on BBQ pit or bake at 365F for about 15mins
3. If you are using oven- switch to BROIL(520F) and broil it for about 15mins turning the wings occasionally to get that charbroiled look
4. ENJOY ; P
   

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Baked this today, am tired of making pandan chiffon so I thought I will try this out. I got this recipe from here, it's a Martha Stewart clip. Another reason I made this is for my son, this is a yolk-free/oil-free recipe. To be honest on a scale of 1-10, I give it a 4. Don't get me wrong, it's a ok recipe....but I prefer my chocolate cake dense and full of chocolate flavor. On comparison, this is light and you can hardly taste or smell the chocolate. Like I mentioned before, I am very particular about cakes coz it is my all time favorite dessert ; ))
Anyway, here's the recipe if you like light cakes...

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• Scant 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce, semisweet chocolate, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 12 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Chocolate Hazelnut Anglaise (recipe follows)

Baking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° with rack in center. Sift together onto a piece of parchment paper, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add grated chocolate; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With machine running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a slow steady stream, beating until fully incorporated, and stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat to combine.

Remove from mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, gently but thoroughly, folding into egg white mixture until fully combined. Pour into a 10-inch non-stick angel food cake pan. Tap pan on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when depressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, inverted, 1 hour before removing pan.

Picture with VIP

Was honored on Sunday when a VIP came to visit Hub's workplace. Was thrilled when he carried my baby for photograph session and at that moment when he picked my baby, a feeling of sadness swept over me...Sad because my late Dad never had a chance to carry nor see my boy but yet I know he will be proud to know that his grandson managed to get a shot with such important figure...

Cheesecake Factory Avocado Eggrolls

Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite restaurant here in US. If I am financially capable, I would love to franchise it back to Singapore ; ))
This is their signature appetizer *YUM!!* & it is really simple to make....I will just post the recipe for the eggrolls, the recipe for the sauce comes later. (Actually the difficult part is making the sauce)
Here's the recipe for the eggrolls (makes abt 8)

What You Need:

1 avocado, sliced abt 0.5cm thick
About 8 sundried tomatoes, sliced
4 shallots, diced
1 handful of cilantro, cut into 1" in length
About 1tsp salt
About 1 tsp olive oil
8 eggroll wraps

What To Do

1. Mix all the ingredients (except wrap) together
2. Lay the eggroll wrap on a flat surface
3. Spoon about 2 tbsp of ingredients onto the wrap. Wrap & seal with some water
4. Deep fry it for about 5-8mins or golden brown