First days of solids.. yay!!

Yesterday was the first day Rafael started on solids, and as recommended, I mixed a little fortified iron- baby cereal with his milk. He took it on almost immediately, apparently interested with the bright-colored eating utensils, and he latched onto the spoon quite eagerly even though he didn't quite know how to eat yet... I found it very amusing... taking a picture was a pain though, while trying to feed him at the same time... but all mothers are multi-tasker, no? *grins*

No pictures, please!!

So, in short, he ended up eating, or more aptly, eating while 'blowing' about 7 teaspoons of his porridge-like cereal before he seemed contented, and within the next half hour, he fell asleep. You wouldn't believe that the nap that followed was almost...3 hours? he only yelled out for a nappy change in between, and was sleeping quite soundly until his next feed, which didn't happen until almost 5 hours later! - I was a little worried there...

No dramas and no fuss, his first day of eating solid (though he didn't do no.2 due to less quantity of food), was a breezy affair, I almost regretted not starting it earlier, he he heh.. but apparently it's better not to start too early if the bub has skin allergy or some sort; and my boy does have quite a sensitive skin.. he got eczema, followed by mild rash that seems to linger around most of the time, due to his excessive finger-eating habits. But his skin is getting better; I'd say we hardly ever touch the cortizone cream a few days after the eczema worsened. Then it took an upward turn for the better, thank God!

Anyway, him eating cereal got the planner in me quite excited, so I did up a whole month of menu planned for him, even going as far as scheduling when to buy certain variety of fruits and vegetables for him. Premature perhaps, but I couldn't help it... ^_^ 

While I was at it, I got my multi-steamer-blender for baby food, and it's not Avent's. (Avent's is very good, I hear, though the price tag is a little steep at around $280?) I ordered mine online, it's called Cherub baby, an Australian brand, and costs around $125. The brand itself doesn't really matter as long as it delivers, so, I'll see if this works well. At the moment, since I haven't got the multi-blender yet, I'll plan for easy to puree veggies & fruits. Banana, avocado, apple and pear are high on my list right now..

Crumbed stuffed squid

A's birthday celebration continued on the next day (the potluck dinner was on Friday, but the actual birthday fell on the Saturday). It was a mini feast with just us & A's mom. She cooked an awesome noodle dish and I managed to cook a few dishes and baked another cake. Lunch consisted of corn & crab meat soup, seafood noodle, braised spring vegetables and tofu, crumbed stuffed squid (A's favourite), and mini baked cheesecake decorated with fresh fruits. (I really was pushing myself for time this time around!!). Talking about over-eating... :P

Crumbed stuffed squid - serves 4

Ingredients

500 g medium sized squid tubes w/ tentacles intact (about 15 pcs)

3 cloves garlic

1/3 brown onion

1-2 stalks spring onion, chop finely

5 pcs large raw prawn

1 tbsp cooking wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 heaped tsp corn flour

1 large egg (for crumbing)

1 1/3 cup breadcrumbs

oil for frying

Method

1. Wash & take out the insides & tentacles. Soak the squid tubes with cooking wine for at least 15 mins in the fridge. Meanwhile, pre-heat a steamer.
2. Wash & peel prawn, process with squid's insides & tentacles along with garlic  &onion in a food processor.
3. Mix the processed prawn+squid with spring onion, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper & corn flour.
4. Take out the squid tubes from the fridge & drain completely. Fill with the stuffing.
5. Place stuffed squid into the pre-heated steamer for 5 minutes.
6. Whisk the egg & dip each squid into it before rolling them onto the bread crumbs. 
7. Heat frying pan with enough oil to cover the squid. Deep fry for a minute or until golden brown.

I found that it is better to double crumb the squid tubes so that the result is a more even golden brown pieces. Also, only deep fry the squid as close to serving time as possible so that they stay crispy. 

Potluck dinner & birthday boy

This weekend is a particularly busy one, as we're hosting a potluck dinner, which coincides with A's birthday. I wanted to bake him an x-box cake, since he's been wanting one, but the real thing is so costly, so I'd rather give him an artificial one.. ^^, and as if keeping it from him for a few days while I was at it wasn't tough enough, I had to work around Rafael's sleeping times (which, during the day, consist of a few short naps at best), But at the end, thankfully everything worked out well enough. I even got to choose a perfect hiding place for it. (the oven, obviously! hahaha)

The dinner itself was enjoyable. There were 11 of us gathering on our dining table, and since neither A and myself didn't have time to take out another table from the store room, everyone squeezed into this 6-8 seater table; though that didn't affect the appetite, it's winter after all so we were ravenous!

We had lots of food, and everyone's cooking were so yummy, I had trouble choosing what to try first :P. We had home made loh bak (our friend's family secret recipe, nice!!), stir fried seafood, crispy chicken wings, fish maw soup, szechuan soup (hot&sour), shiu mai, an attractive veggie dish, and a steamed pork dish. holey-canoley, we can barely fit the rice bowl in the middle of the table! I'll have to update the food photo later though...

When we came to the end of the dinner, I took out the cake for everyone to enjoy. (and accidentally broke the figurine's arm.. -_-...) Everyone sang a loud happy birthday and A cut the cake before he blew the candle! hahaha, I guess the birthday wish wasn't as effective then! I was glad A was surprised and everyone helped themselves to seconds and thirds. (really can't go wrong with chocolate cake! This was Milo chocolate cake - served with a little vanilla butter cream) At the end of the night, we had only three pieces left; great stuff! I was afraid there'll be lots of leftover...

the knife's inching to get to A,, creepy!!

Well, suffice to say that we went to sleep a fitful sleep with full stomach that night.. Thanks everyone for a great night!

Oxtail Soup

For somebody who enjoys eating (within reasonable limits, I suppose), oxtail soup has long been one of my favourites. I remember my grandma used to make a really delicious oxtail soup, very rich and filling. One bowl and you'll be hooked. My grandma passed on years ago, but even now I could still recall the taste of her cooking (that's just how good she was..)

The second person who makes the best oxtail soup? my mom, of course. Hers isn't as rich as my grandma's used to be (she used first quality rombutter - Dutch's term for butter), but still very delicious nonetheless. I think I can replicate her version, but these days I choose to tone down on the flavours a little. Too tasty sometimes isn't that good for your body (it desensitize your taste buds, for one)

So here goes my take on oxtail soup. Make sure to choose fresh oxtail as it affects the melt-in-the mouth factor. I like to choose the smallest pieces, plus they take less time to cook! They say slow cooking is the new trend. Let's embrace it!! ^_^

Oxtail soup

Oxtail Soup - serves 3

Ingredients

500 g oxtail (1 sml tray- approx 8-10 small & medium pcs)
1 large stalk of celery, cut into 3 parts
1 large carrot, peeled & chop thickly
2 medium potatoes (royal blue is best), peeled, chop thickly
6 candle nuts
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 medium brown onion, slice 1/2 cm thick
approx 3 L water
1 heaped tsp unsalted butter * optional
salt to taste

Method

Prepare the oxtail:

1. Wash the oxtail thoroughly, place in deep pan & cover with cold water. Boil on high heat for 10-15 minutes until scum surfaces. Throw away the water and rinse the oxtail. 
2. Cover the rinsed oxtail with fresh cold water, and boil on small heat. Throw in the candle nuts as well. - simmer for 1 hour.

1. Wash & cut all the veggies, soak the potato in cold water.
2. *optional: sautee the onion pieces with butter until tender & fragrant. Set aside. Otherwise, leave the onion raw.
3. After an hour, sprinkle a generous pinch of nutmeg & white pepper. Toss in the sauteed/raw onion & celery. Simmer for another hour. Water may be added as needed.
4. Once the meat is tender (takes approx 2-2.5 hours with small/medium oxtail pcs), add the carrot, then potato in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
5. Season to taste with salt. Scoop the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with fried shallots & chopped up celery leaves. 

If you like richer soup, do sautee the onion and add more candle nuts. They act as meat tenderizer, and will make the soup creamier. I used to put the potatoes in with the onions & celery so by the time the soup is ready, most of the potato have dissolved into the soup. Royal blue potato is superior than Nadine, I feel, it is not starchy and leaves a smooth, clean feeling when you savour them.

This is another winter staple at our house. My husband, A, loves it and he always leaves perfectly clean oxtail bones (he loves munching on the tendons), so if I slow-cook this for about 3 hours, the meat will be about to fall off-the bone, tender and has melt-in-the mouth texture - which is why it is so yummy!

6 month today

Time flies, I suppose.. When I checked the calendar this morning, I barely noticed that Rafael turns 6 months -young today! half a year! Amidst all the bottle washing and laundry, I guess dates and times are often forgotten. Looking at him now, I can hardly believe he was once weighed less than 2 kgs. Now he is a hefty 7-something kgs, and my arms are begging me to put him down in his cot for as long as possible. *LOL*

At six months he is now nibbling on his fingers like they're some kind of rare delicacy that needs to be thoroughly enjoyed. Oh, and anything else we give to him he'd put into his mouth now. Dribbles, smiles and laughter would follow suit. Sometimes when we play with him, he laughs so hard that he starts hiccuping, even then he can't stop laughing.. it's just so funny ^_^

He especially loves playing 'roller-coaster', where I  prop him up on my lap and swing on a rocking chair as fast as the chair allows (I hope this won't shorten my rocking chair's lifespan!!), jumping jelly-beans, flying high above our shoulders and peek-a-boos. Notice I make up my own terms here? :P I really can't wait to bring him out to jet-ski, ride a roller-coaster, or ride a horse. But I guess I gotta wait for a long, long time still.. heh, my other half freaked out each time I bring this topic up.

Well, I'm looking forward to his turning 1 year old, at least then I can prepare a birthday party and bake a cake for him. That's plenty of adrenaline rush for now.. heheheh

Gourmet Pizza

I've been meaning to make my own pizza dough but kept putting it off, until last night when my other half & I (and Rafael, of course), went grocery shopping and I spotted ingredients that are great for pizza-making. Mushrooms, baby rocket leaves, camembert cheese, to name a few. So, here  I am, kneading pizza dough away - coincidentally it's tuesday (cheap pizza days)

It's great now, by the way, since we've taken baby box out in the kitchen for Rafael to lie down and play in so I can work around the kitchen and don't have to run like a maniac to the nursery each time he cries/ wants attention.

Kneading, raised dough, final dough

Back to the pizza dough, it's actually very easy to make your own and more economical too... and with the topping, it's so much fun to play around with all sorts of ingredients. I'm a firm believer of  the 'anything-goes' on top of pizza.. be it savoury/ sweet, it would still taste good :)

El Savadore

Pizza base - makes 2 medium (squarish) size

250 g bread flour

7 g dry yeast

1/2 tsp salt

2 T olive oil (EVOO for best flavour)

125 ml lukewarm water (approx)

1. Mix the flour, yeast & salt; make well in the centre. Pour in the oil, then add water gradually, while working the dough, until the dough is pliable and smooth. - make sure it's not too dry.
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a further 10-15 mins by hand, until it is more elastic and smooth.
3. Knead into a ball, rub a little olive oil, cover with clean & damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for approx. 1 hour until it doubles in size.
4. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough, knead gently for 2 mins before rolling it out thinly as pizza base. You can prick the dough with fork at this stage if you like.

Now, the fun part is dressing the dough base before baking. This time, I choose these ingredients for a little bit of an Italian flavour. I shall call this.. erm.. "El Savadore"..? ^_~

Now, all we need is to turn on the oven to 200C (fan-forced) and throw the ingredients artistically on top of the dough, then bake 'em for approx 20 mins. Delizioso!

the topping

El Savadore

3 T instant pasta sauce - tomato & herbs

2 Elmar's beech smoked sausages

handful of mushrooms, peel the skin, chop thickly

1/2 small wheel of camembert cheese, cut into wedges

25 g kent pumpkin, peel, chop & blanch in hot water for a few mins

2 handfuls of baby rocket leaves, wash & strain

before baking

Lumpia Basah

Or literally .. wet 'spring roll'? This type of snack can easily be found at nearly all food stalls in Indonesia, and for a very cheap price too.. (as little as Rp 1500.. and 1 AUD is probably Rp 9500-ish? go figure) Too bad over here I have to make it from scratch and with the time taken to slice all the ingredients into fine bits & pieces, the price should now increase to $2 a piece, at least, hahaha...

Lumpia basah

Okay, so for this version of lumpia basah, I don't use bean sprout. I know a lot of people use them, but it's just one of my many idiosyncrasies. Heh, big word, that. Instead, I use bamboo shoot, though you have to boil it for a few times to get rid of the pungent, piss-like *excuse the rudeness* odour. Do buy whole bamboo shoot for a more superior taste, but you can also use whole peeled portions that are available at your local Oriental market. Try not to cheat and buy the already sliced ones as they are usually mixed with some older, tough & stringy pieces.

the filling's ingredients - with soy sauce in the middle :)

Lumpia Basah - serves 4

Ingredients :

Filling

1 medium sized carrot, julienned

1 cup finely sliced young bamboo shoot

4 medium garlic cloves, chop finely

12 pieces peeled raw prawns, chop

2 pcs chicken thigh, chop finely

3 stalks spring onion, chop finely

3 Tbsp Lee Kum Kee premium soy sauce

2 1/2 Tbsp kecap "Bango" *dark, sweet soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chicken powder * optional

3/4 tsp white pepper

150cc (approx) chicken stock

Method:

1. Heat a wok with 3 tbsp oil. Toss garlic until fragrant. Add chicken and once it starts to brown, add prawns, carrot, bamboo shoot and spring onion last.
2. Stirring ocassionally, season with soy sauce, pepper, & chicken powder. 
3. Turn down the heat to medium, pour in chicken stock slowly. Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced and almost completely drained. 
4. *add salt to taste.

Skin

6 soup spoons of plain flour

2 medium eggs @ 50g approx

1/2 tsp salt

approx. 400 cc water

this is what I mean by soup spoon

Method

1. Mix flour with egg; pour water in gradually, and add salt last, whisking with a egg beater/ stirring with a wooden spoon all the while
2. Strain the batter to get rid of any lumps & egg whites.
3. Heat frying pan greased with a little oil (oil spray works best), and pour a ladle-full of batter, swirling it quickly to cover the pan (like making crepe - it's exactly the same method)
4.  Continue greasing the pan for each crepe until the batter is used up.

*use a medium-sized (18-20cm) non-stick shallow frying pan with a little grease for best result.

The filling

Assembling it is easy, just take about a table spoon of filling and set it out a little off-centre on the crepe, and start rolling. After that, all that's left is to enjoy 'em. Finally! These little morsels are best eaten warm with a dab of hoisin sauce. (actually they have a sauce similar to hoisin sauce in taste, but I'm just too lazy to even consider making some... ^_~). Selamat makan!

Baby sling

I've written about baby sling previously during my pregnancy, and since then I've owned three different brands. Talk about splurge! I've tried Sleepywear, baby breeze, and an overseas no-brand model that turned out to be quite comfy. Here's my short review on all of them.

The sleepywear is a wrap-around type of carrier that requires a little bit of effort initially (they have around 5 different ways to wrap around your body), is made from a super-stretchy fabric that is rather comfortable to be worn, both for you and your baby, especially for newborns, as the wrap ensures that the bub is very tightly bonded on your chest and this is what makes him feel very secure and happy. It is great to lull baby to sleep in this in winter time as your body heat + the tight wrap = toasty warm bub. It comes in a range of colours, washable and easy to dry.

The downside is, not all babies like to be wrapped tightly for a long time, so my little boy outgrew this after about 3 months, even though it is suitable for older babies up to 1 1/2 years. And you must remember to put your little one in the sling only when he is in an agreeable mood (i.e. after a meal, when he is sleepy), because trying to do so when he is cranky means a lot of unnecessary frustration for both you and your baby. Trust me, I've done it countless of times before...

Sleepy Wrap

The baby breeze is a light, summer type sling with ring mechanism that is supposed to sit on your shoulder. It is made of a single breathable fabric with double ring to wrap the fabric around; this will create a 'pouch' in which your baby will rest, then the length is adjustable by pulling the length of the fabric through the ring. Theoretically easy, and is actually quite easy to put on, so long as you take care of the fabric not to get all bunched up around the ring. Easy to wash & dry and great for swimming too. Rather on the pricey end of the range though. This one, my baby loathed completely & utterly for no good reason :(

Baby Breeze

The no-brand carrier is very cheaply priced yet this fits my purpose well enough, for short-time usage throughout the day when bub doesn't want to be put down in his own cot. This has a fixed clip-on shoulder attachment that simply clicks in place; then the strap is also adjustable. At first I thought I'd require assistance to clip it, but then I figured out a way to do it without any help. The biggest issue with fixed attachment is that it fits some people well; such as me and my mom, but my other half couldn't use it comfortably. This is perfect for newborn as well, but it doesn't free both of your hands to do other things.

Baby Bjorn Air

I know I've said I'd get a baby bjorn carrier, but I was discouraged by not-so-stellar reviews from some friends, and that it is rather expensive... Tried on the baby bjorn Air version once and the material whilst nice and breathable, doesn't sit very well on the shoulders. Now that I'm looking back at it, it's been 5 months so far, and recently, bub's getting more and more active, I doubt that he'd like to but put in baby sling anymore ^_~ Well, I won't start collecting baby slings, that's for sure.. :P

A good baby sling does give you a number of benefits such as: freeing your hands to enable you to do more work, lulling bub to sleep & let him bond closely to you, better weight distribution that doesn't tax your back/ shoulder alone, and size-wise, more convenient for outings than a bassinet/stroller will ever be; So, if you do want to get baby sling, shop early! compare as many different types as you can; try them with your baby too, because, in the end, it boils down to whether baby likes it or not after all.

Steamed pork belly with yam

I just love the combination of pork belly and yam. I've had it at Chinese and Malaysian restaurants before, and if I recall correctly, Chin Noodle House in Leeming makes a great one; and so does Satay-mu in Kardinya. Their version has salted mustard leaves in it. The best thing about this dish is the melt-in-the mouth pork belly and creamy yam pieces that dissolve into the sauce.. yum!!!!

Anyway, I'm trying out a simple version that doesn't require fancy spices, (I think some restaurants use cinnamon, star anise and the sort..). It's a one-pot meal for two and warming to your stomach. Great winter meal!

Pork Belly with Yam

approx 350g pork belly, wash, cut into smaller portions.

1 medium sized taro/yam

3 garlic cloves, 1/3 red onion/ shallot, chop finely

2 tbsp salted soy beans

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp five spice

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp chinese cooking wine

salt to taste

800 ml water 

Method

Preparing the pork:

1.  Blanch pork belly pieces in hot water for 20 minutes, remove. Rub a little soy sauce, and prick holes with a fork. Deep fry  for 5 minutes.
2. Boil the fried pork once more for another 30 minutes. Strain & set aside.

1. Prep up steamer.
2. Peel yam into 4cm thick, deep fry, set aside on a kitchen towel.
3. Sautee garlic & shallot with 2tbsp oil. Add salted soybeans, all the seasonings and water. Turn off the heat once the mixture boils.
4. Arrange pork belly & yam pieces alternately in a heat-proof container (pyrex/clay pot will do)
5. Pour sauce on top of the pork & yam slices.
6. Steam in a steamer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the meat is tender enough for your preference.

As the dish is cooking, chop up a few stalks of spring onion, or coriander if you prefer, for garnish. Scoop up the mixture atop of steamed rice and sprinkle fried shallots. 

*optional: goes well with cut chilli & soy sauce too ^_^

Steamed pork belly & yam

Breezy afternoon outing

Today we're going out (YAY!) with my mother-in law to walk around South Perth. It's a crisp Autumn air with plenty of warm sunshine to make the day perfect. After brunch, we headed to Mill Point and brought out the stroller. There were lots of people around today, everyone wants a piece of warm sunshine apparently. And the weather is just great for barbecue too..

We saw ducks, black swans and an unknown breed of bird (at least unknown to me) by the riverside. The water seemed quite inviting, clear and bluish, though I'm sure it is freezing cold. Good thing the birds have fur, eh? 

Most importantly, Rafael seemed to enjoy it too.. He was looking around quite curiously, squinting when the sun rays struck his vision. He looks quite chubby now, I feel he might be gaining some weight. On the other hand, I still need to lose much of this unwanted weight gain off me otherwise I will run out of clothes very soon, LOL.

After the outing, we had lunch at Yuki Japanese restaurant in Willetton. What a nice relaxing way to enjoy the weekend (Rafael slept very well afterwards. Outings tire him faster... I'll be going out more!!)

crazy online bargains

Lately I've been having more time to browse online. Whoopee... and online bargains are exciting - to the point of, well, let's say, now whenever I  do go out to the shops, I always compare whatever I see with whatever I could get online, price-wise, that is.

Shop til' you drop?

Here's my top eight shopping sites I discovered after eBay a long time ago:

1.Ozsale

2. Brands Exclusive

3. okme

4. Baby shop direct

5. Bump baby & beyond

6. GAP

7. YES style

8. Book Depository

There are tons of shopping sites like ozsale.com and brandsexclusive.com where I frequently shop for stuff. okme.com and baby shop direct for baby items often have special price tags. If not a bettwe price, at least it saves one from toting bulky items from the shop, to the car and into the house, heheh, but it does take longer for delivery - time frame ranges from 7-21 days. So, online shopping in these sites are great for non-urgent items.

There are also deals on teampreets, living social, scoopon and catch of the day that are pretty good, though very rarely applicable for full-time new mom like me. Most of these deals are restaurant-cafe deals; with some beauty packages every now and then. For these sites, it's best to subscribe so you can get daily deals sent to your emails and you can just decide from there.

Books are another thing that I like to look at; especially children's; now that I have Rafael. Book depository is a great place to go to. They offer a huge range of books and free shipping worldwide. Koorong also has quite a good range in its online shop- and when you're a member you'll get sale notice sent to your email inbox.

There's also another type of auction shopping, but different to eBay, like flutteroo, for example. They term it 'penny-auction' where the auction increases 1 cent at a time; so the goods could end up being much cheaper than retail. I'm talking MUCH cheaper here... i.e. iPad sold for $3.50 or something like that. But hmm.. better be careful not to get sucked in into spending money on what seems to be too good to be true.

An Autumn wedding

For a friend's wedding recently I made chocolate mud cake filled with dark chocolate-raspberry ganache. It was a little bitter to my liking, but I'm certain that to those who prefer dark chocolate, this slight bitterness is rather delicious. :)

Made a set of wedding figurines as well, working around my little boy's sleep & waking hours in the process. I'm hoping it will get better and better as I have another wedding cake for this coming Spring.

Autumn wedding topper

The cake itself is a simple three-tiers of off-white with a chocolate sugar ribbon band around each tier. On the day, the florist scattered fresh burnt orange roses all around it. Great that the day went smooth for the bride & the groom... though the clouds hung low in the morning, the day cleared up and stayed crisp & fine, just like a perfect Autumn day should be...

 

Autumn wedding reminds me of our own wedding, and how the weather (thank God!) turned out fine for the day, though some areas rained in Perth then. Thinking back, I'd rather have much smaller wedding than what we had (though it was considerably small with only 210 guests in attendance). I feel small and intimate is the best when one wants to plan a wedding. Even better, make it into a destination wedding, so only a select handful of people, you closest ones, could attend your special day. That way you don't have to worry about seating arrangements and the number of RSVPs ^_^. Now that's a win-win solution, no?

Peking Duck lunch

It's been a while ago since I enjoy something mundane such as going out to eat in the city. It makes me shudder to think of bringing Rafael in a stroller to a crowded restaurant just to eat something nice such as pork rice or roast duck - it's just not worth the pain, though it didn't lessen my wanting Peking duck :(

Thanks to my husband's effort, today we are enjoying a MYO Peking duck lunch. Well, I'm not cooking duck, ever since that incident with cooking duck al galantine, I vowed not to cook duck ever again. Anyway, he bought the marinated duck from Good Fortune roast duck house; and we're roasting it ourselves! coz' Peking duck just has to be eaten right away, when it's still crunchy and steaming hot, yum!

So, I prepared the accompaniments, cucumber, spring onion, ready-made pancakes *steamed for 8 long minutes* hoi sin sauce and lettuce leaves. A roasts the duck in the oven at 185C, for about 30 minutes, (I truly lost track of time, I was just watching the duck cooks while drooling) until the skin becomes crispy, yet the meat still tender. 

Just like at restaurants, A sliced the crispy skin off the whole duck, I sliced the meat for sang choy bao, and the bones go into the pan for soup.. 3 course meal in one go! Finally.... we're enjoying our very own scrumptious Peking duck lunch!!

bliss!

Pumpkin Chicks

Food processor, love it!  With time and energy at a premium, I like to get things done FAST! This dish is an example of that. Everything comes together in a food processor bowl, then baked for a healthier meal... Don't you think the name's cute...? :)

PUMPKIN CHICKS - Makes approx 18

1 1/2 pcs medium chicken thigh fillets, chop roughly

2 Tbsp chopped onion

2 Tbsp chopped lean bacon 

50 g Kraft cheddar cheese, cubed

3 1/2 Tbsp plain flour

80 g pumpkin, chop & steam for approx 10 mins (Kent pumpkin preferably)

Salt & white pepper to taste - optional

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 190C (not fan forced), line baking tray with baking paper and a little oil
2. Process chicken & onion, add steamed pumpkin pieces. Pulse til' reasonably smooth.
3. Add in cheese cubes, pulse a few times until cheese becomes tiny bits
4. Add in bacon pieces, pulse to combine. It should still be a little chunky.
5. Scrape the processor, transfer into a bowl. Pour in the flour gradually as the mixture is stirred with a spatula.
6. Bake rounded teaspoons of the mixture for approx 10-15 minutes or until golden and the bottom browns nicely.

freshly baked

Serving suggestions: serve these on a bed of shredded lettuce and grated carrot. Add salad dressing of your choice.

The pumpkin lends some sweetness and the bacon and cheese a slight saltiness. So even without an additional s&p, it would've been okay. The salad gives it a touch of crunch and it's a fitting accompaniment to this dish. On a hindsight, if I were to re-do this again, I'd sprinkle the pumpkin-chicken (pumpkin chicks, get it? ^_~) with some chopped Italian parsley, either fresh/ dried, before it gets baked. It'll taste much nicer!! 

Best served warm  :)

something to think about...

One who says parenting was easy must have been somebody who hasn't been there before.  I've seen seemingly all good and rosy stories around parenting that would lead you to believe that parenting is a smooth sailing journey. I tell you, even a rookie parent like me would attest to that. (well, especially a rookie parent like me :P ) How about the late night hours? the countless nappies and breast-feedings/ bottle washing? and those are just the beginnings..

However, as I watch over my baby son sleep tonight, my frame of mind has changed considerably. Sometimes we have much, (way too) much to complain, but after stumbling upon this blog this afternoon, I don't think I would complain ever again. 

This is a beautifully written little blog that expresses honest emotions, dealing with grief and death. I admit I cried copiously after back-reading the entries. Heart-breaking story with bittersweet notes to it, this blog is a poignant reminder of how precious and fragile life is, and that true love conquers all.

cherish what we have today, for today may be our last...

Thod man Pla

Does anyone like Thai food? Close your eyes for a moment and try to conjure the tastes of Thai food... what comes to your mind? For me, it's the whirlwind sensation of hot spicy chilli and sour tamarind, with high notes of spices such as coriander, lime leaf, and lemongrass. With seafood. Yes, seafood is excellent cooked Thai style, it just goes so well with the myriad of spices used for Thai dishes. 

Thod man pla is one of my favourites. They are magical little morsels of golden, deep fried fish cakes infused with chopped coriander and chilies. On my last trip to Bangkok a few years ago, I snacked on them wherever we went, they are so addictive! (that, and som tum - the green papaya salad. Truly yummy with a capital Y). 

This time, I'm attempting to make my own thod man pla, and it's relatively easy (especially if you cheat and use ready made curry paste, which is what I did, heheheh..). Eaten with hot & sour dipping sauce, it didn't last long at all!

THOD MAN PLA - serves 2

150 g firm, white fish fillet (I used blue spotted cod), de-boned & minced.

1 tbsp rice flour

1small egg, beaten

5-6 pcs stringless green beans, chop thinly

1 1/2 stalk spring onion, chop finely

1 1/2 tsp red curry paste - ready made

1/2 tbsp fish sauce

2 stalks coriander, chop finely (use stalks for dipping sauce)

1/2 red chilli, de-seeded & chop finely

1/2 tsp raw sugar

Oil, for frying

Method:

1. Blend together minced fish, egg & flour.
2. Add in green beans, spring onion, coriander & chili. 
3. Stir in curry paste, sugar & fish sauce. Add a little salt if preferred.
4. Mould the batter into round patties of medium thickness. (see picture)
5. Heat oil in frying pan & deep fry these patties until golden brown & firm to the touch.

NAAM PHRIK (Dipping sauce):

1/2 red chili, de-seeded & chop finely

10 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced *optional

1 lebanese cucumber, slice thinly

Method:

1. Put together chili & garlic, toss it into a frying pan without oil until fragrant. Turn off the stove.
2. Mix in vinegar, fish sauce and brown sugar. Add a little water if preferred. 
3. Place sliced cucumbers in a prepared sauce dish & pour the dipping sauce on top.
4. Garnish with a stalk of coriander.

I forgot the garnish =O

Easy chicken buns

These days I do more cooking than baking, I even considered changing the title of this blog (but I couldn't, 'cause I do love baking, just can't afford to do more of it at the moment..) 

Coming into the cooler autumn months means warmer foods. And boy, don't we usually eat a lot around this time of the year? (well, for me, any season except Summer.. ^_^) This time, it's a simple snack. It is oh-so-simple and versatile because you just need to buy the folded buns off the freezer section of your local Oriental market, and make the filling as you steam the buns.

Sandwich buns

SAUTEED CHICKEN & ONION BUNS

Ingredients:

A pack of sandwich buns 

250g chicken thigh, minced 

2/3 medium onion, chopped finely

2 1/2 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce ("Bango" brand)

1 1/2 tbsp light premium soy sauce

1/4 tsp raw sugar

1 tbsp oyster sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

A generous pinch of five spice powder

4 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onion until fragrant and slightly tender.
2. Add chicken mince and cook halfway before seasoning with the remaining ingredients.
3. Stir well until the chicken is thoroughly cooked but not until the juices dry out. It should still be moist with a little sauce left in the pan. Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer and place preferred quantity of frozen bun in the steamer. Steam approx. 5-10 mins or until the buns have fully defrosted and are soft to the touch.
5. Fill the buns with the prepared filling, about 2 tsp each (do not overfill, it could get messy)
6. Enjoy them right away.

The filling

 

Warm, toasty buns

If those buns don't get your taste buds moving, I don't know what would... :P

A time to cook

Since the birth of my son, I barely cook, let alone roam around the kitchen; I'm pretty much confined in the bedroom and bathroom, taking care of nappies and bottles, feeding, sleeping and bathing. Sometimes the routine is soothing, therapeutic even, but at times it drives me nuts. ^_^

Quite recently, thankfully, Rafael is adjusting to some kind of routine well enough for me to do a little bit of work, and that includes cooking. Like this morning, for example, I could get laundry, dishes and the cooking done at the same time. It made me happy (it's surprising how little things can make me happy now... hahaha)

I've got half a rack of pork spare ribs sitting in the freezer, so this recipe is created to make use of those ribs.. yum!

IGA BUMBU KUNING (SPARE RIBS IN YELLOW SAUCE)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 L water

1/2 rack of ribs (approx. 400g)

1 lemongrass

3 cm galangal

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 medium onion, chop finely

3/4 tsp raw sugar

3/4 tsp chicken powder

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut the ribs into single portions, clean & boil in the water on low-medium heat. Filter out the froth.
2. Add all the ingredients except salt, pepper & chicken powder
3. Put a lid on the pan once it boils & lowers the heat, continue simmering the meat until tender (meat almost falling off the bone) It took me approx. 50 minutes. The sauce will be reduced to almost 1/4 by then. Season to taste, turn off the heat.
4. Serve the spare ribs with a mound of steamed rice and fried shallots, drizzle with the sauce.

That's it. Easy peasy, and tastes quite good too.. Perhaps I was hungry.. ^_~

Lodeh terong

I've been longing for a decent lodeh terong recently ( lodeh = vegetable stew, terong = eggplant) and I couldn't help myself not to cook it at 5.00 AM, yes, the world's gone mad! since when do I normally wake up at such an early hour anyway? mind you, I take pride in being a midnight owl, so turning into a morning lark is a huge leap... ^_~

Anyways, lodeh holds a special place in my heart for when I was little, I was very much eating lodeh at least once every 2-3 days, well, variations of it, since it's quite a versatile dish. Really, you can throw in *almost* any type of veggie and be done with it. Now, what's not to like about that? Though I feel lodeh does require an 'acquired taste', it doesn't mean one should avoid it.. In my home country, we even put in tempe bosok (lit. rotten soybean/tempe, produced by further fermenting the soybean), or ikan pe (I don't know the English word for it, but this is a type of fish that has a distinctively smokey flavour with similar aftertaste to the tempe bosok).

This time I'm making lodeh terong, because I've been wanting to eat eggplant for a while.. oh, and originally, all types of lodeh use coconut milk because it is meant to have a thick, coconut-ey sauce that tastes delightfully rich, but I'm deviating from the original and use milk instead, for a healthier version. (evaporated milk/ full cream)

Lodeh terong - serves 2

Ingredients:

5 lebanese eggplants, cut into 2 cm thickness

10 pcs deep fried tofu (I used topok tofu, because it absorbs the soup better)

2 pcs cabbage leaves, slice thickly

2 tbsp dried prawns

2 bay leaves

1/4 shallot, chop finely

3 garlic cloves, chop finely

2 chilies, red & green, de-seeded & chop thickly

1 litre chicken stock

250 ml coconut milk/ cream (if you like it rich) - substitute with evaporated milk

1 cm piece galangal

a 50-cent size palm sugar

Salt & chicken powder to taste

How to:

1. Pour chicken stock & milk into a medium sized pan, and cook it on low-medium heat setting.
2. Add sliced garlic, shallot, chilies, prawns, galangal & bay leaf until it bubbles.
3. Throw in the cabbage, eggplant & tofu.
4. Once the vegetables are tender, season with sugar, salt & chicken powder to taste.

Because I use 'soft' veggies, this dish could be whipped up in 10 minutes flat.. so convenient when one is starving... :D. Selamat makan!

Lodeh terong - my style

Bub's one month

Ever wondered where the tradition of giving out cakes and/ gifts on baby's turning one month started from? I don't really want to know, yet this Chinese tradition remains, and if anything, people feel more obligated to give gifts that are not just elaborate & expensive, it has to be big & showy too. *shakes head in dismay* now I completely disagree with that kind of custom.

"When Rafael turns one month..., I stated adamantly, "I'm not going to give out customary gifts out to people & family; especially not with the two red eggs perched on top of whatever the gift is". So I said. and I continued with "in fact, if I have to give out these gifts, I'll do it a day later; so it doesn't have to be exactly on the d-day". 

Well, when this day finally came, I still had to give out gifts, *LOL* my husband's family still follow the custom, and my own less traditional parents, though they don't follow this, still have friends who give us gifts, so it's like, urmm.. giving something in return? ^_~ ahh, what one does to complicate one's own life....

Anyway, I persisted in giving gift of something less customary than a cake and two eggs. Since it's Summer here in Perth, ice-cream could be substituted. For some people, it's individually boxed ice-creams - Movenpick to be exact, and for some others, it's petit pastries. Either way they come in a blue box with ribbon and announcement card. (Thanking my sister profusely for all the help...)

For my husband's family & relatives though, my mom-in-law insisted on getting a whole cake instead of ice-cream, since they don't eat ice creams. Oh, well.... at least I got to do it my way *partly*. Happy one-month, Rafael!