Trailstops

We've Moved!

2011-09-06T19:57:00.002+10:00

Other Harvests

2010-02-09T22:58:00.001+11:00

Melbourne's blazing sun is doing its magic at the backgarden - but on the downside some of the more sensitive plants are taking a beating with the full sun in all its glory.

some of the tomatoes are ripe and ready

this is a spring onion. possibly on some serious steroids. they are huge!!!

waiting patiently for the green ones - while some of the leaves get burned out

baby potatoes - these spuds came from old potatoes from a colleague's pantry

they were growing those little nodes, so they were saved from the bin,and just out of sheer curiosity, i stuck them into the ground.

and voila! baby potatoes! dug out from the garden!

possibly navel oranges. we'll know later!

Scribe's Notes : Excess Baggage

2010-02-07T00:35:00.000+11:00

This just makes you want to be really careful in selecting the bag you use, and the quality of the zipper/lock :)

Flight - Barcelona to Dublin (connecting flight to Boston for most of the passengers)

The pilot was 'apologetic for the delays' without saying the exact reason why, but because I was looking at this situation I knew what was going on! (and just like a true shutterbug, my backup digicam was in my pocket, for reasons such as these!)

the luggage just BURST OPEN and the man handling it was just simply surprised at what happened.

i think it was a faulty zipper.

the crew saw me watching and with his hands up in the air in exasperation, he knew he had no choice

but to put all the stuff back in!

unfortunate. guess what the violet colored fabric was.

after asking someone to fetch the packaging tape, the luggage was taped all over.

just like massive bandage.

no the broken luggage wasn't mine - although upon arrival at Dublin i had some delays in getting my bag as it was mixed up with the other baggages going to Boston!

So that's what those massive cling wrap devices in the airport are for - to avoid things like these! :)

Shelled Ones

2010-02-07T00:04:00.001+11:00

This one was found at the front garden on a summer's day

which brought back wonderful memories of its cousin found on the other side of the planet, one winter day

go for escargot at Saint Michel Restaurant, along the Seine in Paris

Harvest

2010-02-06T23:51:00.002+11:00

ripe and red

the green one was an accident!!!

Sambal Matah : A Balinese Dipping Sauce

2010-01-27T22:59:00.002+11:00

A couple of colleagues went to Bali for New Year and were talking about their awesome holiday pver lunch, and there it was - a gush of wonderful gastronomical memories from this beautiful place, all coming back to me like a song last heard that you can't get rid off in your head. One unforgettable sambal (a chili based sauce, used as a condiment, just as you would use tomato sauce and brown sauce) to me was only remembered as "sambal bali" because that was what the restaurant called it! I did a quick search on balinese sambal and tried to recall what the ingredients were, and found this sambal matah recipe which was close enough to describe it.

I had to give it a go to see if it would hit the spot!

ingredients :
15 shallots, peeled, cut in half and finely sliced (unfortunately I had 3 shallots only so i had to substitute one huge gigantic brown onion)
4 cloves garlic, cut in half & sliced (i minced it)
15 small sliced chilies, minced
5 lemon leaves ("daun limau") chopped finely
1 tsp roasted shrimp cake (terasi), finely grated (i used belacan, that huge brown chunk on the lower left side, about 1 tsp worth, crumbled)
4 stalks lemon grass, bruised and very finely sliced
salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp freshly squeezed limejuice
80 ml coconut oil (i used peanut oil)

a whole lot of chopping going on

Simple!
1. Combine above ingredients in deep bowl and mix well for 5 minutes.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For an enhanced flavor, give it a quick saute on medium-low heat.

It was tempting to use a food processor but I remembered the sambal for its texture as well, like the crunchy bits of lemongrass, which is also one of the things that make it quite unique.

Best served with grilled fish ("ikan bakar").

However for this weekend, there was an extra cast for the Indonesian treat - petai (or "pete" pronounced "peh-teh"). I would describe it as bitter broad beans.... (very, very, very bitter beans!). I suppose it would be an acquired taste, but I personally love it. I found tinned petai in one of the newly discovered Asian shops.

just quickly stir fried with the sambal bali. yumm!

these beans look slightly lighter green in color - the fresh ones have a vibrant green color.

Previous sambal recipe here

Grapefruit Tart (and Tartlets)

2010-01-27T21:03:00.004+11:00

A harvest of grapefruits one lovely summer day meant that the fruits had to be put to good use. A previous play on lemon tart yielded good results - this time, the experiment was to substitute the grapefruits for the lemons. A choice too safe, you'd think, especially for this adventurous cook! But there were some folks coming over and I can't risk serving a completely untested recipe!

So grapefruit tart it is.

I just followed the same steps as per the previous recipe, and just directly substituted the juice of 3 grapefruits instead of lemon juice. Since this grapefruit was slightly sweet, the result was also quite nice.

the pastry rolled out and into the tart tin

Well, one big tart and 3 tartlets :p

bake it blind at 180C for around 15 minutes

let cool for a bit and serve with a dusting of icing sugar and vanilla ice cream

Previous grapefruit mug shot here and here

Seine, in the morning

2010-01-20T21:58:00.001+11:00

Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

2010-01-20T21:49:00.002+11:00

If the purpose is not to visit a relative, then I suppose most people would find it weird to drop by the city's cemetery...especially if one is on holiday. However, the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris would probably be an exemption, as this is one of the most famous graveyards in the world. The reason - most of the 300,000 names whose remains therein lie were actually pretty famous before their bodies were laid to rest. Tourists flock to have a glimpse of the epitaphs of these personalities, walk on cobblestone paths, see huge copper statues that have oxidized and turned green, or perhaps admire a slightly creepy landscape when the sun sets.

There are some people working inside the cemetery, friendly chaps (not ghosts) who are 'guides' and can provide shortcuts from one famous personality's grave to another...for a fee of course ("you know Jim Morrison? This way! Come on baby light my fire!"). Maps are available for those who prefer to explore on their own time and pace.

For more info, there is a movie link here.

Mojito

2010-01-16T19:43:00.004+11:00

Right! It's been more than a month since the last post on this blog, and I profusely apologize for such staggering delinquency - although I do have good reasons... all of which will be posted soon!

*
Melbourne is in for another very hot summer and the scorching sun is annihilating almost all of the herbs and veggies in the patch including the typically hardy mint growing vigorously in a tub at the corner.

So before the sun takes its life away I got a couple of handfuls of leaves and gave it justice by putting it into a cooling summer cocktail - a mojito.

Thought it would be good to sip this refreshing drink, as I contemplate on the chronology of these blog posts invoked all in the name of documentation. Cough.

see some of the burnt leaves on the left side

*

A mojito is a highball which means it has a larger quantity of non-alcoholic mixer compared to its alcoholic base. This mojito was made of

a handful of fresh mint leaves (around 12 leaves)

2 teaspoons white sugar

4 lime wedges

60ml (2 shots) of Bacardi (or any white rhum)
Ice cubes

soda water

In a tall glass muddle the mint leaves, sugar and lime (I used the end of a rolling pin)

pre-smash photo

Add rhum, top with soda water, serve with ice and a sprig of mint as garnish

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the heat (especially for those who spent the previous month in the much colder parts of this planet!)

Previous summer cooler here

Post # 300 : An Ode to the Past

2009-12-07T21:52:00.003+11:00

A post written some time around this time, some time ago... when these fingers flexed to write more than usual!

**

Early Morn

Melbourne sleeps peacefully...not stirring despite the noisy clicking of my keyboard... it appears to be lulled still by the birds' constant chorus outside.

I opened the windows and let the breeze in, and if i closed my eyes it doesn't take much for the mind to be in the middle of a forest, where there is peace, fresh air, harmony, and a cup of coffee.

It's 4:51am and my notes are still waiting for my eager fingers... but the smell of paper didn't quite appeal as much as the scent of this new beautiful day.

As I enjoy the odd hours of a weekend and the solitude in my living room, an unknown winged one decided to share my space. It stayed in a distance, hovered around and then left me alone again. I liked it.

Traces of brown sugar kept me high still. Flashes of expressive eyes and sunrise somewhere come to a corner of my mind. I let it stay there. Broken fragments of thoughts scattered in my head begin to form another picture. I let it merge unhurried.

A deep inhale. There's always time to pause and breathe in.

Again I hear the birds' song - i think they're rejoicing for my shallow appreciation for life's little moments like this.

Good morning.

**

And indeed, there's always time to pause and breathe, and be grateful of the wonderful things that life brings. The ingredients vary - some find it easy, some find it hard, some need a little luck, a little nudge, and a lot of sacrifice and hard work.

Happy holidays everyone. :)

**

Saturday Snapshots

2009-11-28T19:00:00.000+11:00

After the Rain, v.2

2009-11-26T22:41:00.003+11:00

Dead, or alive?

Dead

Notice the hole in the middle - no flesh left inside.

Bent

cant get enough of this blooming beauty

Previous rain dance here

Singapore Style Chili Crab v.2

2009-11-22T20:30:00.001+11:00

Made the same way as the last time, and with blue swimmer craps as well, except that I previously substituted bagoong for the belacan, and now I used the real deal!

If you haven't seen it before, here it is -

the cover

Top layer, plastic, to contain the distinct smell which some people may not like :)

and a thin parchment underneath, to keep moisture in (i suppose)

no it's not a chocolate bar!!!

This time, I made some steamed white buns to mop up the spicy sauce, and fried a few freshly steamed buns for a semi-authentic Singapore Chili Crab experience, just like in the restaurant! Except I screwed up the size and shapes of the buns. Hahaha. But the taste wasn't bad! I just used the same recipe as the previous steamed pork buns, and shallow fried several pieces in oil for a crispy outside, yet soft inside.

serving suggestion

and like most Sunday lunches - it is best served with beer! :D

Spell Check

2009-11-22T08:40:00.000+11:00

Remember this?

They spelled it correctly this time.

good work!

Pearl Jam Concert

2009-11-22T08:27:00.002+11:00

20 Nov 2009
Etihad Stadium
Front Act : Ben Harper, Relentless 7 and Liam Finn
Truly one of the best concerts ever! (and the crowd was not rowdy at all!)

Ben Harper

more Ben Harper

""Due to the possible injuries that could occur from moshing and crowd surfing, we ask that you refrain from such activities tonight"

Yay!

awesome

*screams!*

Pigging out at the Fiesta

2009-11-22T07:32:00.002+11:00

Every year, Filipinos in Melbourne gather for the Philippine Fiesta of Victoria. Just like back home where towns or barangays would have their special day of celebration (we'd look forward to it because the main street would be closed, meaning more room for playing games!), this one happens every November for two days (Saturday and Sunday). This particular event has been going on for 26 years now here in Victoria.

In this event we have successfully filled our stomachs with all the nice Pinoy food made with pork like dinuguan (sample recipe here), lechong paksiw - a stew made with leftover roasted pork with a special gravy and vinegar, menudo - pork meat and liver in tomato sauce, pork bbq (Pinoy blend tends to be on the sweeter side), bopis - minced pork lungs and heart sauteed in onion, garlic and chillies.

foreground - bopis and rice, with laing (the grayish/greenish-tinged veggie dish made with sundried taro leaves, minced and cooked with coconut milk)

top left - dinuguan

top right - menudo

lechon paksiw

summer cooler - a drink called "sago't gulaman" - "sago" refers to the tapioca balls and "gulaman" is gelatin, usually colorful and cut into cubes, mixed with a sugar syrup made from brown sugar, and served with ice

pansit - noodles

carioca - skewered balls made with glutinous rice and milk. the balls are deep fried, coated with brown sugar.

The program was of course composed with karaoke singing contests, beauty pageants (Miss and Mrs. !) and some celebrities. Several stalls of migration agents, real estate and Pinoy merchandise also found their spot in the big hall at the entrance of Melbourne Showgrounds, this year's venue.

Previous Filipino food dose from the fiesta here and, a bit disappointed that this spiced vinegar wasn't sold this time!

And what could be more Filipino than this?

Aussie soft-serve ice cream. And gelati :)

a Baby Dora. ??!

The Sage Has Really Grown

2009-11-19T21:56:00.002+11:00

Last year's sage turned out to be a mutant.

A Day's Harvest

2009-11-19T21:52:00.002+11:00

baby cos lettuce

and there's still heaps more from where that came from!

Buzzed

2009-11-18T20:37:00.002+11:00

The Fly

Let me tell you about the birds and the bees...

Candlelight

2009-11-18T20:29:00.004+11:00

Reminiscent of the days when the power will be out by even up to 10 hours, back in the Philippines, several years ago. My father had to use a car battery to power a light bulb for evenings. A "pamaypay" (handheld fan made of dried leaves or paper, like those foldable japanese fans) would be an important device in warding off mosquitoes.

Tickled Pink

2009-11-17T18:29:00.000+11:00

Iris

2009-11-15T23:26:00.001+11:00

and i'd give up forever, to touch you... ?

Drunk Jellyfish?

2009-11-13T00:04:00.002+11:00

seen at St. Kilda beach

Spell it

2009-11-12T23:20:00.002+11:00

Seen near the city

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-11-12T23:17:00.001+11:00

literally!

(ok, maybe 3.)

Grapefruit-Gin Summer Cooler

2009-11-12T22:31:00.005+11:00

With temperatures reaching 30C Melbourne is sweltering in the longest run of November heat in more than 80 years. While the weather permits sleeveless shirts and shorts, the fruits and veggies enjoy (or torment?) the sun and bring forth a wonderful bounty, like the first harvested grapefruit.

So the second fruit taken from the tree landed in tall glasses with gin, cointreau, honey, mint and soda water, to help HYDRATE those who are thirsty amidst the hot weather!

In a tall glass (a very tall glass for very thirsty people, if you have one!) Muddle mint (as many as you like) with a teaspoon of honey (which normally would be a sugar syrup, and by using a muddler). This one was 'muddled' by the other end of a wooden spoon, briskly rubbed in between my palms.

Add your dose of gin (bombay sapphire in this instance, 2 and a half shots), half a shot of cointreau, 3 wedges of grapefruit (squeezed and then dropped into the glass!)

Garnish! Do not forget to garnish in however which way you like! This one was with a sprig of mint and a grapefruit wedge. Yay!

Happy days!

Grapefruit

2009-11-09T22:45:00.003+11:00

First harvest from the citrus tree which we first thought was an orange tree.

juicy-licious!

This color called...

2009-11-09T22:39:00.003+11:00

~~fushcia~~
~~fucshia~~
~~fushia~~

PINK!

and RED
(some scene stealer, really.)

The Piano!

2009-11-07T23:47:00.003+11:00

This was for a housewarming party for someone who knows how to play the piano, so I thought I'd do something different! Inspired by an idea from a baking magazine, this chocolate cake is frosted with ganache, the ebony-ivory is made of licorice and white chocolate. The cake base is my basic chocolate cake.

To make the piano body, I used two small loaf tins to bake two rectangular pieces of cake.

Cut tops off to make them evenly shaped

Place one on top of the other

And if you cut the top part lengthwise, (just the top cake), one half of this trimming could be used of the piano chair

But since it didn't look straight i just halved the 'chair' too!

Frost body with ganache (made by heating 400g thick cream and 250g chocolate - although i had heaps of leftover).

To make the piano keys :

Melt white chocolate and spread on baking paper

- not too thick to decrease chances of it cracking when cutting, but not too thin to give it a bit more dimension (you know, when looking at the keys). Let cool. To cut these up, dip a sharp knife in hot water and slice one inch by 1/4 in.

Cut licorice into 8 parts (or to desired length).

Arrange white chocolate and licorice on the lower part of the frosted cake.

I find that the white chocolate would go 'limp' quite easily (or perhaps its just because of the recent hot weather!) so had to refrigerate the whole cake until it had to be transported.

This was fun!

Chickpea Savory Pancake

2009-11-07T23:05:00.004+11:00

Savory, crispy, and definitely different from your usual pancakes! I found this recipe in my Indian Cookbook while looking for fenugreek recipes for a colleague (who is growing heaps of fenugreek in her garden), and thought it would be great change compared to your usual sweet pancakes for breakfast. The main difference is the use of chickpea flour instead of plain all purpose flour.

Chickpea flour, also known as gram, or besan flour, is rich in protein and dietary fiber. It is also gluten free. With the correct proportion of water mixed with it, it also becomes an egg-replacement for vegan cooking.

To make this pancake you would need

1.5 cups chickpea flour

1 cup water (more or less)

half an onion (brown), minced

1 in ginger, minced

1 red chili, minced

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped

salt, to taste

peanut oil, for frying

Mix all ingredients except water and oil in a mixing bowl. Slowly add water until the consistency is slightly thick and pourable (but actually even if it becomes very thin, it will still be good!).

Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a skillet, and cook like your usual pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface, drizzle a bit more oil on the side to crisp up the edges, and then flip over. Give it a good couple of minutes and should be ready to serve!

(try it with a bit of tomato sauce - pretty good too!)

Chicken with Quince

2009-11-03T20:56:00.006+11:00

Quince. The first time I've had it was in its paste form, eaten with cheese, and I thought it was delightful. Having seen some fresh quince fruit in the market, I took the chance to get some and then figure out later what to do with it. Although I did want to put it in a savory dish.

Two days and a couple of google searches later I found this recipe for Quince and Okra Tagine. Perfect!

So this dish was meant to be cooked in a tagine, a traditional clay pot with a flat and circular base with low sides, and cover which is cone or dome-shaped that rests inside the base during cooking. The aim of the cover is to ensure that the condensation returns to the base or bottom. When cooking is done, the base is served on the table.

However, since there is no tagine (YET!!) in this kitchen, this was cooked in a heavy-bottom large saucepan.

The only change I made was that I used asparagus instead of okra, just because it was the only veggie available in the fridge at the time!

before sealing the deal, i mean putting the cover

served with couscous

Lilac in a Wine Glass

2009-11-03T20:54:00.001+11:00

a de-commissioned wine glass, that is.

"White Flowers"

2009-11-01T19:39:00.005+11:00

I didn't explain this before so I have to apologize - the reasoning behind all those photos of flowers (other than the obvious fact that I like them) could possibly be attributed to a childhood memory - where every weekend, when it's my father's turn to do the market stuff because he likes it and he's not out driving cabs - he would purchase a bunch of flowers for my mother. It could be anything from a nameless weed flower to an orchid which could have been a wreath for a casket but he wouldn't have known any better, to him its a gorgeous flower and no other connotation is associated with it - and this mere act of thoughtfulness perhaps stuck with me, and will forever be etched in my memory.

Flowers. They are just the happiest, most beautiful thing.

And now I have an abundance of them in the garden, growing freely - some unnamed, some unknown, some more admired than others - but, in general, loved and adored. An ode to the happy times when money may have been an issue, but happiness and love, in the form of flowers, were never a scarcity.

The Making of a Bird

2009-11-01T19:38:00.003+11:00

Kingdom: Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Strelitziaceae
Genus: Strelitzia

common name : birds of paradise

A Rose by Another Name....

2009-10-27T19:26:00.004+11:00

Juliet:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Lilac

2009-10-25T21:21:00.002+11:00

Something about lilacs here

Semolina and Cornmeal Bread-Cake

2009-10-25T19:57:00.004+11:00

What is Bread-cake, you ask. I actually don't know :) I just invented the name, after baking something that's a bit sweet and savory, something like bread, and cake at the same time.

This is made of cornmeal (I used the stuff made for polenta) and semolina, and wholemeal flour. The result was a really crumbly (due to the coarse semolina and cornmeal) and feel-good baked goodie. Smelled awesome too. There is a considerable amount of baking powder to help lift all these things up.

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup wholemeal flour

3/4 cup coarse semolina

4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

100g melted butter, cooled

a good glug of olive oil

Lightly butter a 9" springform baking tin and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 190C.

Mix cornmeal and buttermilk and let sit for a 10-15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix semolina, sugar, wholemeal flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk well.

Add the egg and olive oil to the cornmeal-buttermilk mixture and mix well. Add flours, mix until combined (careful not to overmix). Add butter and mix just until well incorporated.

Pour onto baking tin and even the top (give it a big tap on top of the counter).

Bake for 30-35min or until a skewer comes out clean and edges are brown.

The result - crisp top, crumbly inside.

Breakfast Pizza

2009-10-25T10:04:00.000+11:00

No it's not from some delivered pizza the night before, conveniently tucked under the sofa for easy access. Think of it as a flat bread cheese sandwich with some tomatoes and fresh parsley.

This pizza dough recipe requires no proofing - so you don't have to leave it to rise for a couple of hours. Quick and easy. Thin and crispy. Yum.

This makes 2 thin crust pizza bases (around 33cm in diameter)

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 225C. If using a pizza stone, best to place it in the oven so that it heats up together with the oven.

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Add to the flour, mix in the salt, and mix until you get a nice ball of dough. Knead until smooth. Divide into 2 balls. Roll into desired shape. Add desired toppings - this time it was 1 tomato from a tin, crushed and spread across the crust, topped with shredded tasty cheese, grated parmesan, a bit of salt and cracked black pepper.

After all these, the oven should be hot enough. Place the pizza on the pizza stone (if using) or just place in a baking sheet and bake for around 12-15 min, until the sides are golden brown and the cheese has melted.

I prefer adding the chopped fresh parsley last just for a fresher flavor.

Serve with tabasco! And a mug of hot coffee!

Previous pizzas here and here.

Flower Power 3

2009-10-24T19:56:00.000+11:00

A couple more 'unknown beauties' continue to sprout all over the place, a pleasant surprise, as always!

Black Eyed Peas

2009-10-24T19:44:00.001+11:00

The Black Eyed Peas were in town in early October and pretty happy to be part of the gig. There were some old hits (like Don't Phunk with my Heart) and new ones from their recently launched album The E-n-d. The three-time Grammy Award winning group made another fantastic performance - I particularly liked will.i.am on the levitating platform as he dj's for the huge party.

One of the members apl.de.ap is half Filipino (mother is Filipino, dad is African American).

Lemon Pickles

2009-10-24T19:38:00.002+11:00

The lemon tree is being very kind to us, the first batch of lemons were preserved by the other chef using an Indian recipe based on mustard oil, and they were really yummy. Just the right amount of heat, great texture and wonderful fresh taste. Never mind that I had to bake a couple of breads afterwards to neutralize the smell in the house (due to the strong mustard oil) - it was well worth it.

Now there is a second batch of fruit and this time, this recipe is from a British-Indian colleague - using vinegar, turmeric powder, some fresh chilies and several slices of fresh ginger. Couldn't go wrong in preserving something with this base! Very simple too.

This was made today and will be ready 3 weeks later (after a bit of daily shaking!)

Cut 4 lemons into pieces (leave the peel on), put into a jar. Add vinegar (I just used white vinegar) so that it comes up to half the level of the lemons

Then :

add 1 large tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

half a teaspoon of red chilli powder

This is optional - I added 5 whole green chillies and 6 slices of fresh

ginger, skin left on

cover, give an initial shake, and leave for 3 weeks - shake everyday!

Watch this space!

Bicol Express

2009-10-24T18:52:00.002+11:00

The chili is actually a berry, which is then culinarily used as a vegetable (e.g. capsicums) or as spice (like cayenne pepper). Capsaicin is what gives it intensity, measured in Scoville heat units. As a reaction to capsaicin, the body increases heart rate, releases some endorphins and perspiration. That's why it's believed to be good for you. Either way I don't see any harm in chilies (if handled properly! Those hands spiced with chilies and rubbed against the eyes - or some other sensitive body part - can be really really nasty. Not that it has happened to me. Err.)

Now if you really want your food spicy, then this dish is for you - a simple Filipino recipe made of long green chilies, garlic, onions and coconut cream. What better way to celebrate spiciness than make the chilies the real obvious star of the dish itself!

This is called Bicol Express. Bicol is a region in the Philippines known for its very spicy dishes, and "Bicol Express" is the name of the train service that goes to the region. There are various versions to the history of this dish, as well as the recipe itself, but one of the stories say that the dish was named such because people who enjoyed the dish during the early times heard the train leave while they were eating it - hence the nickname.

Move over chili con carne, and other spicy curries!

As I mentioned there are various ways on making this, but my version is based on how I remember my mother's cooking. I am sure I will never be a better cook than her, so I hope that I gave this dish some justice!

15 pcs long green chilies, chopped (the filipino "siling panigang" is light green in color)

400g pork, cut into cubes (i used pork chops because they had a bit of fat)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 tin coconut cream (i just used 165ml + 80ml water) - depends on how saucy or dry you would like your dish to be

Some people add ginger, or tomatoes, or some other vegetables like long green beans.

Anyway - for this version :

Chop chilies. Remove the membrane and seeds if you prefer to decrease the heat.

guess what i opted for

Brown the pork (my mom has a little technique - she would slightly boil the pork in a bit of water, until it reduces, dries, and just leaves the pork to render on its own fat - so no need to add extra oil. Boiling the pork makes it a bit softer to bite, but it would be crispy on the outside due to the frying process). She would set the pork aside to one part of the pan and saute the garlic and onions on the oil the pork had left behind. This reduces the need to do this on a separate pan - less clean up too!

nanay's technique revealed!

(pretty sure this would have been a common practice for other pinoy moms :D)

When onion is translucent, add the chilies and the coconut cream and water. Let simmer, until sauce thickens and the chili wilts a bit.

Serve with hot steamed white rice. And maybe a box of tissue on the side. And a beer perhaps.

Guess where that warm feeling is from. :)

Homemade Marshmallows

2009-10-24T18:29:00.005+11:00

As one of my top ten comfort foods for all times I just had to know how marshmallows are made. And while there were different approaches to making marshmallows I decided to take the not so easy route and followed David Lebovitz' recipe, which, he said, he picked up while studying confectionery in Paris.

Shouldn't turn out bad then! (?!)

To make this you would need :

2 envelopes powdered gelatin

1/2 cup and 1/3 cup cold water
1 cup plain white sugar (or caster sugar)
1/3 cup light corn syrup (I used glucose)
4 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
about 1/2 cup powdered (or confectionery) sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch, sifted together

Equipment:

beater

big bowl (grease-free, egg whites and fat don't mix well)

candy thermometer

Dust with a sifter a baking sheet evenly and completely with some (not all) of the cornstarch mixture.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/2 cup of cold water to dissolve and soften. Set aside.

Fit candy thermometer onto a saucepan, and mix the sugar, corn syrup (or glucose in this case) with 1/3 cup of water. Place over medium-to-high heat.

the gooey thing is stray glucose that dripped on the thermometer. oops.

(This is where the multitasking begins as far as I understood the recipe!)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, pour in the egg whites and beat on low speed until frothy. Add the pinch of salt.

When the syrup reaches between 210 and 220 degrees, increase the speed of the mixer and beat the whites until they are thick and fluffy (do not overbeat). Timing is of the essence!

Keep an eye out on the syrup while beating the egg whites. When the syrup reaches 245 degrees, and while the mixer is whipping, pour the syrup into the whites. Pour so that the syrup does not fall on the whip, otherwise much of the syrup will splatter onto the sides of the bowl, not into the egg whites. (basically making an italian meringue)

guess i didn't follow instructions then - had lifted the beaters a bit and it splashed on the sides of the bowl. hehe.

Scrape the gelatin and water into the pan that you used for the syrup and swirl it to dissolve (it should have enough residual heat from the syrup to dissolve it). Pour the liquified gelatin into the whites as they are whipping. Add the vanilla and continue to whip for 5 minutes.

Use a spatula to spread the marshmallows in a layer on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours or overnight, uncovered.

Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut the marshmallows into pieces and toss in the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Put the marshmallows in a colander or strainer and shake off the excess cornstarch mixture.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I tried to take some (half of the batch) the next day but the powdered sugar coating sort of 'melted' on top, but it was very soft and fluffy and very dreamy. A couple of days later the other half of marshmallows left to dry some more turned out better. I think I just didn't give them enough time to dry out.

White Chocolate Mousse with Pomegranate

2009-10-18T16:46:00.005+11:00

I just had to get one of those pomegranates - bright red things, who wouldn't be enticed?

Pomegranate - from "pom" meaning 'apple' and "granatus" meaning 'seeded', is rich in vitamin C and is quite tart. It is used on various savory dishes, from salads to soups. The ancient Egyptians fermented its juice to make wine, but it is also used to make grenadine. Only thing is just it's a bit tricky to get the arils - those red juicy sacs - out of peel and white membranes. The juice can stain everything on their sight, so best to be careful.

get the pomegranate and line the counter where you will be working on. coz it will be messy.

cut crown and bottom part. score (not cut all the way through) the peel into 4 segments and submerge the fruit into a bowl filled with water

break the fruit into quarters (which should be easy because you've scored it beforehand!) the arils should sink and the membranes should float. remove the arils from the membranes. drain the arils. for this recipe get around 2 tablespoons of the arils and gently smash it with a mortar to release its juices.

Melt 80 g of white chocolate with a teaspoon of butter in a bain marie or in the microwave. When the chocolate is fully melted, whisk in 1 tablespoon of milk. In a separate bowl whip 1 egg white until soft peaks form, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the 'smashed' pomegranate bits.

(I would have made this with cream but I ran out!)

Spoon into tall shot glasses and chill in the fridge for about an hour, or until set. Top with more arils before serving. This made 4 shot glasses.

Pink

2009-10-18T16:29:00.004+11:00

She appears by the door.

Books!

2009-10-14T19:36:00.001+11:00

Been reading for the past few days - one old, 3 new.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - one of his famous works. I've also read No One Writes to the Colonel and other short stories. Next would be Love in the Time of Cholera. I like his work :) Notice the plain cover, it is a Penguin Classic. Thank God for people wanting to share wonderful works at a cheaper price. "We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it." Check out the site

Meanwhile these 3 books from Stephanie Meyer - so easy to read, so easy to get carried away. Keen to get out and purchase the last of the series, Breaking Dawn. Yes - will definitely see the upcoming movie New Moon!

(At times it feels like I'm back in high school reading Nancy Drew stuff - or maybe even Sweet Valley High now that we're at it!) but hey what the heck! I'm still buying the 4th book! (and maybe even The Host, another Stephanie Meyer creation).

Because to read is to feed the mind. Por que a leer es alimentar la menta.

Leche Flan

2009-10-11T16:55:00.001+11:00

After whipping up the egg whites for the pavlova, the egg yolks were definitely not meant to be wasted. All these time I have been experimenting on cupcakes, breads and cakes, all sorts of desserts, but have never really made a lot of Filipino desserts. That's not good is it?

So the first thing that came to mind is the Filipino custard, leche flan. The sweet, smooth, creamy, silky texture makes this dessert a winner and forever present in major occasions - Christmas dinner, New Year's Eve, town fiestas, birthdays, anything worth celebrating that meant good food and good desserts (and out of the 32 teeth in an adult I think half is made of sweet teeth!) . I remember my aunt's leche flan - I can easily eat a couple of servings of those... so the standards are high, can't let myself down with this one.

The mission : create silky smooth leche flan using ramekins (in the absence of the more traditional Llanera - oval shaped metal pans.

After my usual recipe research, I went with this recipe :

Custard
5 eggyolks
2 eggs
1 can condensed milk
1 can water (use the condensed milk’s can for measuring)
1 tbsp. vanilla to add to the mixture
(bring ingredients to room temperature)

Caramel
1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp water

Equipment
5 ramekins
steamer
foil
kitchen twine

Make the caramel :
In a shallow frying pan, dissolve sugar over medium heat until it bubbles, boils and turns a nice medium brown color. Do not stir, just swirl the pan, to help it dissolve. Be careful of the heat and remember to keep your eye on this - it can easily burn. (and can give bad burns too). Pour a couple of tablespoons into the ramekins, ensuring that the bottom part is covered. (i was able to make the caramel to be slightly darker than usual for a bit of bitterness, to balance the sweetness.) Set aside.

For the custard:

organic, free range.. and whites were not 100% separated, as you can see! :)

Mix all ingredients carefully, without beating so as not to introduce air into the mixture. The lack of bubbles is the key to having a smooth flan. I used a silicon whisk and a jug and was just gently stirring, while giving the whisk small circular motions. I would occasionally check by taking the whisk out and letting the liquid drip to see if there are still unincorporated parts of the egg whites. This took quite some time (and a lot of patience, I surprised myself). Strain mixture carefully.

i used the can of the condensed milk to measure the same quantity of water

Pour onto prepared ramekins (probably just 1.5 inches high - depends on your preferred serving size)

[left] the caramel at the bottom of the ramekin and [right] the custard slowly poured on top

Cover each ramekin with aluminum foil and secure using kitchen twine.

Boil water for the steamer then lower heat to medium low. Steam for about 45 min or until a knife comes out clean.

Let cool, then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

To serve, run a non-serrated knife along the sides of the flan. Set the ramekins on a hot water bath for a couple of minutes just to melt the caramel and make the unmolding easier. Invert the mixture onto a plate in one swift motion. Cross your fingers and remove the ramekin.

Serve as it is, or garnish as personally preferred.

this one was served with a couple of fresh blueberries

Happy days :)

Guinness Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting

2009-10-10T19:12:00.006+11:00

Cupcakes - Pretty, tasty, quick and easy.

There is just something about cupcakes that can make anyone grab a piece and shove it blissfully into the mouth. Is it the nice swirls of frosting? The cute garnish?

I think this one is mainly because its chocolate flavor - and with a little bit of booze too :)

This recipe is from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but i used whole milk instead of soy milk.

3/4 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Guinness
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting (i just really threw this one together)
200g butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
3 cups icing sugar
2 tbsps whiskey

To make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the milk, vinegar, Guinness, sugar, oil, and vanilla and beat until foamy. Add the dry ingredients in two batches and beat until well incorporated.

Fill your cupcake containers til 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
Beat the butter using an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the Bailey's and half of the sugar. Beat until smooth. Add the second half of the sugar and beat until smooth.

Garnish as you wish. I used cachous and colored sugar crystals.

Never mind that the frosting was haphazardly spread on top. It was yummy.

Pavlova

2009-10-10T18:52:00.007+11:00

They consider it an authentic Aussie dessert, despite the Russian sounding name. The Pavlova - who would not want to eat one? - crispy on the outside, sweet, soft and chewy on the inside, generously smothered with cream, and made more beautiful with unpretentious fresh fruits.

5 egg whites at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp sifted cornflour
1 tsp white vinegar
1 1/4 cup caster sugar (1/4 cup sugar for every egg white)
pinch of salt
food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 110C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Beat egg whites, vanilla, vinegar and salt until soft peaks form, then gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until thick and glossy. Fold in cornflour (and food color, if using)

Spread onto prepared tray and bake for 1 hr, until crisp.
Turn oven off and let cool, with the oven door ajar.

The vanilla cream was made of 2 cups thick cream, whipped until soft peaks were formed, spiked with a bit of sugar and around 5 tbsps of whiskey (more if you want it extra boozy)

To assemble, spoon vanilla cream on top of the meringue. Garnish with fresh fruits (usually berries, or something tart, to balance the sweetness of the meringue).

this one was topped with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and some cachous for extra glitter, and some mint tips for extra greenery!

SpiceStop : Garam Masala

2009-10-04T21:57:00.004+11:00

Garam masala, the heart and soul of Indian cooking, was all used up for Saturday's lunch, so I had to make a fresh batch ;p Garam means "hot" and masala "mixture" in hindi, and while there are also quite a number of garam masala recipes available, I found a new one which I thought would try - this uses black cardamom and black cumin.

black cardamom and black cumin

Unlike its green counterpart, the black cardamom has a smoky and almost mentholated flavor. The pretty intense taste is quite unique, and I have not actually used this much other than for the occasional curry.

Black cumin (cumin noir! or shah jeera) is sometimes confused with caraway, which is sometimes called the same thing in some places (don't ask me why). This has an extremely different taste from the usual cumin - quite bitter when raw, but it changes when cooked.

To make this batch I used :

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds
4 tbsps whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 ½ tsps dried ginger
4 pods of black cardamom
10 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
10 pcs small dried bay leaves

Dry roast ingredients in a shallow pan over a medium fire, be careful not to burn. When the seeds have turned to a slightly darker color, take away from heat, let cool, then grind using a coffee/spice grinder. Place in an air tight container and keep in a dry place.

Fills half a recycled bottle of Doritos salsa - I suppose this spice mix is also 99% fat free!

Rocky Road

2009-10-04T21:25:00.002+11:00

Sometimes my sweet tooth just takes over like a maniac grabbing the steering wheel while singing "We Are the Champions" (?!) So while at the checkout at Coles, those chocolate bars sensed the raging desire and started screaming right at me. "Take me, take me!" they said, but the Turkish delight drowned the rest of the voices and two bars made it to the bag.

However it wasn't going to be just an easy way out, there had to be some process!

Rocky Road
2 Turkish delight bars, cut into cubes
350g dark chocolate buttons
raspberry flavored marshmallows - a couple of good handfuls
3 tbsp crushed peanuts
a handful of shredded coconut

Melt chocolate buttons. Place all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and mix well. I placed them in muffin trays just to make individual servings. Chill, and devour.

SpiceStop : Moroccan Spice Blend

2009-10-04T18:42:00.002+11:00

Everyone has their own version of things. Even my parents have a different approach on cooking the same thing. The same goes with spice blends, I find that two spice blends are never the same; they may have the same ingredients but different quantities... (something like that). The beauty of homemade spice blends... is that you can add or decrease whatever you like, without veering too far off from the real thing. :)

This spice blend is made of :

15g cumin seeds

10g dried chili flakes

15g fennel seeds

10g ground smoked paprika

15g green cardamom pods

10g dried ginger

1 cinnamon stick

10g dried turmeric powder

15g coriander seeds

Dry roast in a shallow pan - be careful not to burn the seeds, around 2min. Let cool, then grind using a coffee/spice grinder. Transfer in an air tight container and keep in a dry place.

Native Aussie Edibles

2009-10-04T16:49:00.009+11:00

Bush Tomato (Solanum centrale)

Nicknamed "desert raisin" because of its sultana-like appearance when ripe, the bush tomato is a native Australian plant that like the full sun and has low water requirements.

It has a strong spicy and slightly bitter aftertaste and as such is most recommended for curries. Also called "Kutjera", and it is one of the 6 edible wild species out of 100 in Australia. This needs to be cut back hard in winter, not too much humus, but add potash as it starts to flower.

Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) or "old man's saltbush" is an interesting tasting plant. Its name "atriplex" is derived from the Latin word which meant "a plant substitute for spinach". True enough, fresh leaves are great and can grow big enough to make wraps, or in salads, or as a leafy bed to grilled meat and vegetables. The leaves can also be dried and use as you would dried herbs - with bread, pasta, etc. Indigenous Australians used to collect the minute seeds which are the ground and roasted for damper.

Samphire (Tecticronia verrucosa) is endemic to Australia and is a distant relative of rock samphire, its European cousin that grows along the coast of the UK. It has long been used in stir fries or salads. This plant also loves the salty soil, likes the heat and has minimum fertilizing requirements. This variety can be occasionally watered with a saline solution to enhance flavor, and can be harvested as soon as the leaf spikes have grown to 10cm or more.

Patience is a virtue that I usually easily run out of - hopefully this time I'd get busy doing other things while waiting for these yummy treats to grow so that I can give them my own version of TLC :)

Rain Kissed

2009-10-04T15:18:00.001+11:00

* took this shot while dreaming of a DSLR for christmas...

Flower Power 2

2009-10-04T15:06:00.004+11:00

With the changing seasons come the change of scenery, and almost 5 months after I've gotten to know the first few blooms, here are a few different varieties that continue to be a surprise .. (and at least this time I know some of their names!) :

Yes, the wisteria has a couple more flowers out :

I am yet to identify this wonderful fuschia one :

Small but beautiful

White and fragrant

Lilac!

One agapanthus, coming up :

Choco-Coco Rum Cake

2009-09-28T22:39:00.005+10:00

The reasons to bake a cake never seem to run out these days! This one is in celebration of another new life!

chocolate ganache (just chocolate chips and cream); basic chocolate cake; and the cake sliced midway and filled with double cream whipped with a good glug of rhum and icing sugar

the ganache is poured on the assembled cake to completely cover it, then dusted with shredded coconut, and extra chocolate pieces for decoration (cake decorating time saver and tasty treats, these chocolate things!)

Wexford Creme Ale

2009-09-28T17:30:00.004+10:00

It was a curious green can that looked at me somewhere along the aisles of the bottle shop, and this time it was not successfully ignored.

Wexford is a county on the southeastern tip of Ireland, but the Wexford Irish Cream Ale is actually made in England.

Pouring the amber liquid on a pint glass was delightful to see, with lots of foam settling and leaving a trace on the sides of the pint. Quite light for the first few swigs, but there is a strong metallic taste left on the mouth, then it turns into easy drinking beer with bitterness leftbehind.

Not too bad, but not too memorable either, unfortunately.

After the Rain

2009-09-27T22:21:00.002+10:00

After the rain I braved the cold winds to take some snaps of the lovely things that are sprouting in the garden.

Beautiful things that survived the rain that Melbourne needs.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, there was rain too. But after the rain, things looked like this :

Typhoon Ondoy had a record breaking rain fall. In a span of 6 hours, it measured 341 millimeters, compared to 334 mm in 24 hours - which was the previous record in 1967. The average monthly rainfall in the Philippines amounts to 392 mm.

More info in this news link or google Typhoon Ondoy Philippines.

Looks like it was even worse than the amount of rainfall that Katrina had to offer in New Orleans (news article here)

Pan de Sal

2009-09-27T21:48:00.005+10:00

At the crack of dawn, the scent of freshly baked bread emanates from the bakery at the corner. Mom (Nanay) must have been awake at the same time as the bakers, fixing things here and there, making coffee (or warming up milk for me), or ironing the sole skirt that was my school uniform, washed the night before. As the sun slowly makes its way out of its hiding place, someone (my father, or probably my older bro) would rush to the bakery to get some of those little bread rolls, known as pan de sal ('bread of salt'), placed in a brown paper bag, to be eaten before it gets cold. Choose from a variety of possible fillings, from butter (with white sugar! well, think of the concept of fairy cakes), corned beef, cheese (the saucy cheese spread Cheez Whiz or just plain cheese), or just by itself, dunked in a steaming mug of coffee.

Ask any Pinoy about pan de sal, especially an adult who has gone away from home, and there would be a million different versions of memories associated with this piece of bread. There would even be a time when the cost of one pan de sal, being a couple of cents, would denote the state of the Philippine economy (the more expensive the pan de sal, the worse the economy is getting!).

Funny how some recollections can be summarized in a bread roll... so having been able to reminisce some of mine one Sunday morning when the pan de sal came out of my oven... was pretty special.

This recipe was inspired by this post from the site Apple Pie, Patis and Pate - the author of which mentioned that he was of Filipino descent and currently living overseas as well.

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups room temperature water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs, and knead until smooth. Place in an oiled boil and cover with a tea towel, let rise until doubled in size. Roll out the dough into a log about 2 inches wide, and roll it in bread crumbs.

Using the blunt side of a knife cut the dough into 1 inch pieces, and place on a baking sheet cut side up about 1 inch apart.

Leave to proof for around an hour or until the sides almost touch.

Bake in a pre-heated 200C oven for aroun 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestion other than cheese would be corned beef (from the tin!!!) sauteed with some chopped onions.

I'm pretty sure I would make my nanay proud with these.

Anniversary Stout

2009-09-26T16:11:00.002+10:00

This limited edition Guinness brew was launched in celebration of Arthur Guinness' signing of a 9,000-year lease in 1759 at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. "More refreshment and zing", says the Guinness Master Brewer. I say, it has a deeper roasted flavor... agree on the 'refreshing and zing'-iness, I find that it was a bit easier to drink (not that the other version is difficult to down!) and perfect for a Friday night!

yummmm

Tarragon Chicken in Bread Bowls

2009-09-26T01:01:00.014+10:00

Tarragon. One of the distinct herbs that haunt me in my sleep, as I dream about Sonya's Garden and their tarragon tea... (one of my favorite places back home) - the lovely garden and getting away from the city, driving in the languid streets towards Buck Estate, looking forward to that exotic licorice-flavored ultra hot tea that was a perfect finish for the organic meal of fresh salad, freshly baked bread (with the mushroom pate!!!!), pasta...

and how I crave for it and how I can't have it now that a couple of thousand miles away...

so now, tarragon grows in a little pot in the front garden...

This is the Russian variety, hardy and easy to grow

This herb also goes very well with chicken, and after a bit of research, I stumbled upon this french recipe that combined the flavors of tomatoes, chicken, tarragon and vermouth...Sounded fabulous - so this is my version, served in little bread bowls (a recipe that I found at this site, and had been meaning to try for a long time!)

Tarragon Chicken in Bread Bowls

4 large chicken thigh fillets

3 whole tomatoes (i used tinned ones)

1 brown onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup vermouth

1/2 cup vegetable stock

4 stems tarragon, minced (a couple of whole leaves set aside for garnish)

for the bread bowls

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1/4 tsp salt

around 1/2 cup warm water

1 tbsp olive oil

for the mold - i used 2 small oven safe pyrex bowls, the bottoms sprayed with canola oil

Make the bread bowl first - mix all ingredients together and knead for around 6 minutes or until smooth. Let rest for around 20 minutes.

Divide dough to 2 pieces and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Flatten into circles around 1/2 inch thick. Spray with canola oil (or brush with melted butter). Cover the upturned oil bowls with the flattened dough, oiled side facing the oiled bottom. Bake for 20-25minutes at 200C, or until golden brown.

While the bread the bread bakes, you can cook your chicken :

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and sear in batches in a bit of olive oil. Set aside. Soften garlic and onions until translucent, add vermouth and let the alcohol bubble away. Pour in stock, tomatoes, tarragon and chicken, cover and let simmer until chicken is almost done. Remove cover and let some of the juices evaporate (depending on how "saucy" you would like it to be). As this was going to be served in bread bowls, I wanted the sauce to be not too thin, nor not too thick!

Spoon into the prepared bread bowls (I sliced the chicken into bite sized pieces first - i did this last as i think that the chicken will be juicier if cooked whole, rather than sliced) and garnish with remaining tarragon leaves.

Serve immediately!

Wisteria

2009-09-20T22:29:00.005+10:00

This "hardy, heavy-wooded, vigorous, deciduous, fragrant vine...

...with abundant, long, pendent racemes of usually mauve to violet flowers that begin to open as the leaves expand" is a great sight in the front garden...!

More about Wisteria here

What's Wrong With These Photos?

2009-09-20T22:12:00.002+10:00

What's wrong with this is that there is a snail on the car... yet it is not the focal point of the shot!!!

taken at the Eastland parking lot

What's wrong with this one is that the fish is upside down... and not on my plate!

(taken at a Chinese restaurant in Knox City)

Ceviche

2009-09-19T19:16:00.006+10:00

Ceviche is a citrus marinated seafood dish, fresh and spicy, with no cooking required. In the Philippines we have a version called "kinilaw", and my father makes a mean spicy version, either with fish (usually fresh giant anchovies - we would get a kilo from the wet market, and I'd get the task of painstakingly deboning each and every one of them! But well worth the effort!) or even boiled pork tossed in a similar acidic marinade (like vinegar, something like this)

This one is made with john dory fillets, a mixture of lemon and lime juice, the zests were also used. I cannot recount the quantities used for this (it's a secret...not!), as I just measured them by eye and depends on the amount of fish (usually white fleshy fish). The goal is to have a perfect balance of citrus flavors, heat and spice (depending on your tolerance). Bits of minced cucumber counteract the heat and citrus as well. I used minced bird's eye chili and red chili, minced garlic, a bit of spanish onion and brown onion (also minced), and chopped coriander to finish.

the minced aromatics and the fish

refreshing!

The fish was sliced into thin slivers. The acid in the citrus actually cooks the fish, and since the fish was sliced thinly the 'cooking process' just took around 7-10 minutes - you can tell by the way the flesh of the fish is not longer translucent.

This was actually served as a fishy Saturday treat alongside yellowfin tuna sashimi, sake and (obviously homemade irregularly rolled) cucumber sushi rolls

[rolling those sushi rolls made me recall one of the best japanese restaurants IMHO - Jamon Sushi - a must try!!! A bit pricey, but with good reason - this place is not for the conventional nor play-by-the-rules person, because once you sit down in one of the 18 seats in this intimate setting, the best way to go is to leave it to the hands of the chef and you will never regret it.]

Cheese Stuffed Masala Spiced Burgers

2009-09-19T18:54:00.006+10:00

Sometimes, a craving for a particular food comes. And when it comes, it comes HARD.
For Friday night, it was for a burger.

It was probably the effect for running around at the Botanic Gardens! So, not wanting to (ultimately) waste the healthy routine, it had to be homemade burgers (just so we know what went in it!)

Makes 2 HUGE burgers

500g 5 star lean beef mince
1/2 brown onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
garam masala, paprika, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, salt and pepper (to taste)
1 egg
2 handfuls grated cheddar cheese
a couple of handfuls of breadcrumbs

burger condiments : vine tomato, spanish onion, mild mustard, whole mustard seeds, tomato ketchup, spinach leaves, gerkins, or whatever you fancy
burger buns (I used multigrain buns)

Pre-heat oven (grill setting) to 220C. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Start by softening the onions, garlic and cumin seeds in a bit of olive oil. When onions are translucent, set aside and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, dump mince, spice powders (you just want a hint of spice so not too much of each!), egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, the cooled garlic and onion mixture...and there is no other way to mix this but by using your hands.

Shape into 2 patties. Make a hole in the center and add the grated cheese, then cover with the mince and reshape into patties again.

Place the patties on the foil-lined baking tray and pop into the oven, 10 min each side should do the trick!

When done, assemble your burger :
Slice buns into two (toast if you prefer), add spinach, a slice of tomato, a couple of slices of spanish onion, sliced gerkins, (i also used sliced sweet red chili!) topped with a dollop of tomato ketchup and whole mustard seeds.

with a bit of the cheese oozing from the inside!

Double Chocolate Stout

2009-09-17T22:33:00.002+10:00

A little bit of liquid indulgence once in a while!

"Silky rich and creamy smooth", it says on the label -

Won't disagree on that department!

Daan's Cake

2009-09-13T22:48:00.004+10:00

This week has been a cake-baking spree, but with good reason. It's a little Dutch kid's 2nd birthday, and as a present I wanted to make something special for him. While I had been making several components separately (the fondant from the cake last Sunday and a practice round for the chocolate with B's cake), at least if these turned out good, putting them together shouldn't turn out so bad!

This cake was made of 3 layers

vanilla, chocolate, vanilla

This time i cut the top off the topmost layer to for an even spreadthe entire thing iced with ganache to help the fondant stick - normally it would be butter cream but based on the last experience the chocolate tasted really nice with the vanilla cake. It could become extra messy if the fingers get smudged with the chocolate - as it leaves a trail of chocolate smudges in the fondant, so need to be extra careful.

The top cover was marshmallow fondant made green with food coloring (blue+yellow).

took a while to smoothen it out using a rubber spatula hehe

A star template was cut out from greaseproof paper and I used a pizza cutter to cut out stars out of pink-colored fondant. A teaspoon of glucose thinned with a bit of water served as glue for the hundreds and thousands (those little dots of color!)

Some smarties added more color (it was a kid's cake, so there can never be too much color!).

a little extra blue for 'an extra dimension' :p

his name is Daan (daaaaaaaan)

...and he has long blond hair...

..and has perfected the art of blowing birthday candles!

A couple of hours effort (baking the cakes were not an issue - just mix it up and chuck it in the oven - but the fondant and decorating the cake took a little longer than I had planned), for that priceless look from his face :)

I think I can stop baking cakes for a while....!

The Cake Known as the Giant Blackforest Sandwich

2009-09-11T18:39:00.001+10:00

One of the folks in office is celebrating her last day in office as she gets assigned to a different project. ..so there's another excuse for me to quickly whip up something in the kitchen.
One of the flavors that I've been meaning to do is a blackforest cake, so I figured now's a good chance to do a version of it. Most of the blackforest cakes I've had is very rich and decadent, sometimes too rich that it can be quite off-putting after a couple of bites. I also settled for a simple cake decor - did not have much time anyway!

I was hoping that version will not too be rich (yeah don't worry about the double cream that I whipped), made on the chocolate cake base that I think is beginning to settle with me (just minor tweaks on the flavoring) but the at least i think i can call this cake base recipe 'my own'!

[ i found the cake to be not as moist as it was the last time i made a similar version - perhaps because it was baked in a different oven, but the top bit rose almost evenly that it didn't need any leveling... anyway, it was well received... or my officemates are just being polite! haha!]

Marshmallow Fondant

2009-09-06T21:24:00.007+10:00

A kid's birthday is coming up and I thought I'd amp up the cake department and practice on my fondants. After a bit of research I opted for an easier version, the marshmallow fondant. A step by step procedure is available here.

Opted for the simple design this time as it was the practice round (!) , had some issues with the edges of the cake, as the fondant showed signs of cracking, but think I know why (most likely didn't knead it well enough before rolling.) At least I had my practice, there's actually some left for the real deal next week - watch this space!

Breakfast Burritos

2009-09-06T20:40:00.005+10:00

Remember the stash of chilis from the Spanish place? I had my eye on the ancho chili this time.

In its fresh state is called a poblano chili, also called a pasilla. It is not very hot based on the Scoville scale, but packs a lot of flavor. I found a recipe for a New Mexican style chili sauce, which I thought was fit for this purpose.

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
salt, to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ large yellow onion (aprox. ½ cup) peeled and roughly chopped
2 ancho chilis
2 cups water or broth.

Directions:
I didnt' bother removing the seeds, but most recipes asked for it to be removed.
Rinse chilies briefly to dust them off.
Put them in the sauce pan with the water, garlic and onion.
Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
I saved half of the water in the meantime.

In the blender or using a hand mixer, place the hot chili mixture and add remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. Add the remaining chili water if the mixture is too thick.

So the chili sauce is sorted, time to move to the salsa verde.

I had a tin of tomatillos bought from a store somewhere in Kiama so before it reaches it best before date, it had to be given justice.

The tomatillos were roasted, mixed with half a brown onion, 1 clove of garlic, half a cup of cilantro, a bit of salt, juice of 1 lime and 2 green chilies, and blitzed with a hand mixer.

Easy.

The trickiest part was the tortilla.

1 cup of masa harina

enough water to bind the mixture into a dough

a bit of salt

Mix ingredients and knead until it becomes a pliable dough. Let rest for around 30 minutes. Most people would probably be using a tortilla press to make those perfect circles of soft bread.

I used cling film to line the counter - anti-stickiness mechanism.

reminds me of a scene in Dexter

for a similar reason - to avoid mess!

So because I don't have a tortilla press, i thought Hey maybe I'd be resourceful and use a heavy saucepan!

but them tortillas don't have those weird markings do they? so this one was balled up again!

Option 2 was to use the removable base of a springform baking tin, and use the pestle to weigh it down.

it was a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig and heavy pestle, I tell you.

BUT! that didn't quite work either so I just resorted to plain old rolling pin (duh - yeah brain was not working properly on a very early Saturday morning).

Toasted for a couple of minutes on a hot pan and voila! Home made tortillas!

must...work..on...those....perfect circles!

So the breakfast burrito was completed with some scrambled eggs, fried grated potatoes, crispy crunchy bacon, layered and served with the sauce on the side, and some cilantro leaves for garnish.

Well worth all the effort!

A Birthday Cake

2009-09-03T23:21:00.002+10:00

Tuesday night quickie baking stint for a birthday treat to an office mate :)

Made with a chocolate cake base with a rum-chocolate ganache

the cake was sliced midway and filled with the ganache as well

300 g of chocolate (200g of 85% coco and 100g compound chocolate buttons)

for a quick dress-me-up, Lindt chocolate bits on top and colored sugar sprinkled on top

Last year's cake for her here... at least my baking and cake decorating has upgraded to ganache from icing sugar hehehehe!!

Almond-Orange Biscotti

2009-08-30T00:04:00.006+10:00

The weekend plan to toil away the whole Saturday was foiled due to an incorrect interpretation of the weather forecast (didn't know "occasional rain" meant "rain at most times of the day"). So it was pretty much a day of finishing off chores and a nice little window to bake some treats.

Seeking for some inspiration, I turn to some of the food related blogs that I read through (like this) and there it was, a biscotti. Biscotti (meaning "twice baked") is an Italian biscuit, quite hard and dry, and is really baked twice (hence the name). I haven't made one before so no harm trying this one out!

I followed the recipe from this site except that I decreased the sugar by 1/4 cup, and I did not measure the orange zest, just added all the zest from one orange, baked at 165C all the time, didn't have the patience to let the thing cool completely before cutting it, and added a handful of chopped peanuts because the stash of almonds I had was not enough to my liking!

The kitchen smelled heavenly, and this recipe will definitely be repeated!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
zest of 1 orange
1 cup whole almonds
handful of chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 165C. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Chop the almonds (I used a mezzaluna).

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another, combine the eggs and sugar and beat by hand until light in color. Add the extracts, zest, nuts and flour mixture.

On a lightly floured board, divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a long, flat slab the length of the sheet pan, set about two inches apart.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the loaves are golden and slightly cracked. You're supposed to cool completely on a rack (but I didn't!!!). Slice the biscotti intodesired sizes with a serrated knife, lay them out on sheet pans with cut side up, and bake another 20 minutes, until crisp and dried up.

It's not meant to be browned after the second baking session.

Serve with coffee or tea, for a lazy rainy afternoon - a perfect accompaniment with a book - Stephanie Meyer's Twilight - both book and biscotti were demolished in one sitting!

Chicago the Musical

2009-08-25T20:58:00.001+10:00

...and all...

...that...

..jazz!!

The song never left my brain the day I watched Chicago the movie, so after realizing that the Musical was in town, I knew I had to get tickets. Good thing there were several other ladies interested (no chance with the blokes, I didn’t even bother asking).

I truly admired Catherine Zeta Jones (Velma Kelly) and Renee Zellweger (Roxy Hart) in the movie (it won an Best Picture, and I’m sure they paid a lot of money to whoever choreographed the whole gig so I was curious to see what the difference in approach would be if done in a theater setting. It was entitled Chicago because this was where these two ladies have committed crimes that sent them both to Cook County Jail around the 1920’s – Velma killed her husband and her sister when she caught the two of them, and Roxie for killing a man she had an affair with thinking he was going to make her famous – but eventually confirmed that he only wanted her for sex.

So Her Majesty’s Theater stage was installed with a backdrop of musicians (as opposed to being ‘under the stage’) and it also provided the overall stage ‘décor’, and had participated beyond the music that they provide – there were flashes of humor and unexpected bits and pieces from the musicians (even the female music conductor was sporting a nifty black outfit). This minimal setup provided more room for dancing, which is obviously a critical requirement. “Cell Block Tango” still remained to be a personal favorite – it tells the stories of the women and the ‘crimes of passion’ they have (or have not) done.

Great performance from the ladies and gentlemen of the Melbourne show. Quite inspiring for those who would love to be back in theater (cough!), highly entertaining without being over the top, and you definitely get your money’s worth. And all that jazz.

Other details here and the Chicago website here.

Flax Seed Wholemeal Loaf

2009-08-24T21:33:00.007+10:00

The tiny yet mighty flax seed - a great source of fiber, omega-3 fatty acid, low-carb phytochemical-rich awesome little thing was something I had picked up from the market one day out of curiosity. Little did I know that I had actually stumbled upon a seed that is 'most useful' - as it species name "Linum usitatissimum" means!

This would have been typically added into oats and homemade power bars, but because the weekend weather promised a bit of sun despite all the gusts of wind, I figured that it was time to make some bread - the heat would facilitate the rising of the yeast, which would otherwise feel like forever during winter (after further research I would learn that slow rising is also a technique - so I suppose I'll try that next winter then!)

I probably won't recommend this recipe yet as I am a newbie in bread making myself (newbie i.e. have not made a lot of leavened bread so far!) but anyway just to remind myself later in hindsight :

for the pre-ferment I used

1 3/4 cups plain wholemeal flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1 cup water

mixed together and kneaded for just a couple of minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise slowly in the fridge overnight.

the soaker was made of

1 1/3 cups plain wholemeal flour

1 1/2 tbsps flax seeds

1 1/3 cup water

1 tsp salt

mixed together and left covered, unrefrigerated, for at least 12 hours (can prep in advance)

After the dough has risen and the soaker soaked for quite some time, mix them altogether with

1 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsps caster sugar

2 tsps instant yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

Knead for around 12 minutes, let rest for around 5 minutes, then knead again for a 2-3 more minutes to strengthen the gluten. Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover, leave to rise until 1 1/2 times its original size.

it's alive!

I used two smaller size bread loaf tins ( i have to measure the tins...!) for this. After dividing the dough into 2 and made into sandwich loaf shapes, the dough is left to proof in the tin for another hour or so.

Pre-heat oven to 220C, then slash the dough just as you are about to bake it. After placing the loaves into the oven, immediately reduce to 180C, and bake for around 25 minutes.

seedy little thing

Badger Creek Blueberry Farm and Winery

2009-08-24T18:23:00.001+10:00

There are heaps of wineries around - but to stumble upon a blueberry winery was new to me (although I know of a strawberry wine that was quite yummy somewhere up in the mountain ranges of Northern Philippines!)

Badger Creek Blueberry Farm and Winery at Healesville is family owned and run, and perhaps one of the warm charms that the place has to offer other than scrumptious breakfast for sharing! Just take a bit over an hour drive away from Melbourne CBD it is close to other wineries in the Yarra Valley region but offers a different variety of wine - blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, some sparklings - pretty amazing actually!

Having planned for breakfast, an early morning berry wine tasting was also a different Sunday morning adventure!

smoked salmon with capers, yea cheddar, terrine, poached pear, mayo and toasted bread

for $20, to share, was very tasty.

long black with what we thought was cheese (which would have been another first!)

but turned out to be sweet stuff :)

some sights along the way - wineries prepping up for new life from the crops

the day's loot - blueberry sparkling wine, raspberry nectar and a 'hot blueberry salsa' - it was not too spicy, but different and quite tasty

apparently great in pizza topped with cheese!

Singapore Style Chili Crab

2009-08-22T19:17:00.004+10:00

I was just after some fish for the weekend, but today I saw some blue swimmer crabs staring back at me... and there it was, a vision of Singapore Style Chili Crabs appeared somewhere in the depths of my brain, reminiscent of visits to the Lion City, sticky fingers and fried Chinese white buns called man tao (little white bread rolls).

Typically mud crabs would be used for this dish but for a sudden craving like this, surely this blue-tinged crustacean would do!

got 4 of them

Thoroughly clean the crabs and chop into sections (the cleaver only found its way midway these babies though)

Other Stuff You Would Need :
2 (brown) onions, peeled and roughly chopped
9 red chillies + 3 green bird's eye chillies (decrease according to taste - I only added the 3 green chilies because I knew the red ones I had were not very hot but had a great chili flavor)
3 cloves garlic
1 small tin of tomato paste (140g)
2 tbsp vinegar
a good glug of light soy sauce
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch mixed in ½ cup of water
1 egg, beaten
a couple of cups of water
3 tbsp oil
some use belachan (dried shrimp paste) to season it as well, but I used a teaspoon of Filipino style bagoong alamang (something like this)
Coriander leaves, to garnish

In a food processor or using a hand mixer, blitz together onions, garlic and chilies.

you make me cry!

In a separate bowl, combine tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and sugar. Season to taste. Add a cup and half of water (or more depending on how much sauce you would like). Some use tomato puree, or tomato ketchup (or a combination of both) for this. I used tomato paste because that's what I had!

Heat wok and oil, dump in onion mix and stir until the moisture from the onions have evaporated. Add belacan (or alamang), stir fry for about a minute or two. Add tomato mixture, let simmer for a couple of minutes. Mix crabs in, and cook til crabs are red. Add cornstarch mixture and mix until slightly thickened. The finishing touch is the beaten egg to further thicken the sauce - make sure to mix promptly after adding so it doesn't clump up, you want to see those wonderful yellowish-white swirls of yumminess thoroughly incorporated in the sauce.

Serve immediately and garnish with coriander leaves.

I would have loved to eat this with man tao (crisp on the outside but soft inside - perfect for wiping the plate clean) but it requires some time to let the dough rise - so the next best bet was long grained rice to absorb all that wonderful sauce. yum.

And there is no other way to dig into that crab but to use your hands!

Pretty happy with how it turned out, it was almost the real deal back in Sgp (or so I thought!)

gone

Sugar Art

2009-08-17T21:19:00.000+10:00

Produced during the spun sugar session

Poached Pear Cake

2009-08-16T19:00:00.006+10:00

I'm an avid fan for trying things out in the kitchen, and one of the things that I actually have not before was to poach a pear (can you believe that) and to play with sugar.

A couple of minutes of research and I found a recipe for a cake with poached pear, decorated with spun sugar - jackpot!

The basic components of the cake were a cake base, poached pears and spun sugar. Once you put all these things together, it would create one of the best cakes ever.

Inspired by the Poached Pear Halo Cake from The Home Guide to Cake Decorating by Jane Price.

For the poached pear :
5-6 beurre bosc pears (depending on how big or small they are)
1 liter water
peel and juice of 1 small lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 1/2 cups caster sugar

Combine all ingredients except the pears in a pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile peel the pears, leaving the stem intact, and slice a piece off the bottom so that it stands upright. Using a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from the underside.

Poach the pears in liquid for around 10 minutes or until you can poke it with a no need to fully at this stage as will be baked later. Turn heat off and let cool in the poaching liquid.

After around 5min (or until just soft enough that it can poked by a fork), drain and set aside. (no need to fully cook them at this stage since they will be baked later.)

For the cake
200g softened butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
4 whole eggs
100g self raising flour
100g all purpose flour
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp orange marmalade
½ cup lightly toasted roughly chopped

You would need an 18cm springform cake tin. Line bottom sides greaseproof paper.
Pre-heat oven to 150C. Sift flours together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, ensuring that it has been well incorporated before adding another. Add vanilla extract and mix.

manual labor - in the absence of a hand mixer I manually creamed the butter and sugar and didn't bother changing my weapon to a whisk afterwards. hehe.

Fold flours, stir, add milk and mix until batter is smooth. Pour into the cake tin. Take the pears and gently push each pear around until reaches the bottom of the tin.

Bake for around 90 minutes or until a skewer poked in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, heat marmalade until it looks slightly watery. Spread on top of the cake and sprinkle with almonds.

For the spun sugar :

Spun sugar is basically sugar boiled to hard crack temperature (146-154C). A bit messy to make but it does provide an extra wow factor into the cake, as well as extra sweet crunchiness. A step by step procedure is found here

I had fun making this :) I used oiled wooden spoons to catch the threads.

sweet cobwebs

A detailed procedure on how to make spun sugar here

To assemble, take some spun sugar and arrange it around the edges of the cake

...and some in the middle, if you want!

The result is a moist, light cake, not too sweet, with hints of crunchiness from the nuts and the spun sugar.

Pears Poached in Spiced Red Wine

2009-08-16T18:59:00.004+10:00

In my other post I mentioned that I had not poached pears before, so when I had the chance I doubled up on the effort and made this other poached pear recipe. Honestly, i love the way fresh pear is crunchy and juicy, but done this way is an entirely different level of yumminess.

And yes some of the spun sugar was used here too :)

The poaching liquid was made of half a bottle of red wine, 1/3 cup caster sugar, 1 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, fresh lemon peel and 2 green cardamoms (smashed lightly to release the seeds). The pears were poached for around 45 minutes, and the liquid left to reduce further until it is syrupy. A great looking dessert if served on a nest of spun sugar and that star anise somewhere on the side :)

sweet, soft and yummy

Homemade Ricotta

2009-08-16T18:13:00.006+10:00

Cheesemaking! As most culinary endeavors there is an art and science to it. I found a site that simplifies making this wonderful dairy delight, and thought I'd give the recipe for whole milk ricotta a go!

Just to make sure I don't spoil too much milk in case something I did goes wrong - i only used 1 liter of milk. There were also some cute lemons harvested from the tree, so this was the souring agent used to curdle the milk. The plain whole milk was brought to a temperature of 200F, then a bit of lemon juice was added, and the temperature raised back up to 200F. Then it was taken off the heat, covered, and left to sit for around 15 minutes. Then the white bits floating were strained in muslin, and left to hang and drain for around an hour.

Enjoy with plain crackers for afternoon tea!

Silent Gardener

2009-08-15T22:25:00.005+10:00

What Grows in Your Garden

2009-08-12T18:55:00.007+10:00

a song by Wolfgang, a Pinoy rock band

In response...

...well some of them are :

Other flowers here

Hehe!

Morcilla

2009-08-09T20:18:00.006+10:00

Morcilla (mor-si-yah) is the Spanish blood sausage usually with onions and spices but depending on the region the ingredients vary of course ;)

So just like any sane people who should make good use of just about every part of the pig - even its blood shouldn't go to waste! So fresh off a slaughtered pig, onto a receptacle and into the kitchen it goes to make this sausage! (or this perhaps if you want a soupier version)

can't go wrong with all that fat either!

Like the black pudding it is great simply sliced, fried, and served with brown bread!

cheddar and chorizo (the pink slice on top) are optional!

the bread in this instance is fried on the oil where the sausage has rendered its fat as well

deadly and yummy hehe

quick brekky

Tamales con Guindillas Pequenas y Especias

2009-08-09T18:56:00.005+10:00

Tamales with Chillies and Herbs

A tamale is a Mexican steam-cooked corn dough wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, with or without a filling. The filling can sweet or savory. This is considered a traditional dish, (so I hope that I didn't screw this one up.)

A bag of masa lista or masa harina (maize corn meal/corn flour) was also one of the items picked up from the previous visit to the Spanish store.

This same masa is used for the tortillas but I figured I'd start with this recipe picked up from Mexican Cantina Cooking, a $10 spanish cookbook randomly picked up from Borders quite some time ago :)

corn husks soaked in warm water for around 30 minutes

it's supposed to look like that!

The tamales dough is made of

125g softened butter

600g masa harina

3 cups of chicken stock

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Beat the butter until light and creamy. In another bowl mix the masa lista, baking powder and salt with the stock. Mix the butter to the masa and beat until the mixture forms a smooth dough. To check if the dough is ready, drop a little bit of it in a bowl of cold water and it should float, otherwise the dough needs to be 'beaten a bit more' :)

The filling (chillies and herbs)

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

3 green chilies (roasted, seeded and chopped - but I was lazy so I just chopped fresh ones!)

1 red bell chili

2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

a drizzle of olive oil

(the recipe also called for marjoram and some creme fraiche but i didn't have some at hand, so i just skipped it!)

Heat oil in a pan and fry onion and garlic until golden brown. Add chilies, salt and pepper, until chili is wilted. Set aside.

To assemble

Pat corn husks dry, place around 2 tbsps of the dough in the middle of the husk and flatten it. Add a tablespoon of the filling on to the dough. Take another tablespoon of the tamale dough, flatten it again ensuring it covers the filling completely. Fold the corn leaf over the parcel, fold another corn leaf around it in the opposite direction and tie with kitchen string.

(yeah big slices of chili. too lazy to mince!)

Steam for around 30-45 minutes or until completely cooked (when the dough pulls away from the corn husk).

Serve hot!

Parma Grandeoso

2009-08-06T22:12:00.005+10:00

Remember the Albion Hotel and that slight mention of ParmaRama night? Well almost a year after that post it just so happened that the whole gang had mustered enough motivation to go out for Parma Night - except it's not just for your ordinary parma, but for the Grandeoso Challenge.

The Grandeoso is a serving of double parma with chips and salad.

Doesn't sound intimidating at all, until you sit there and they serve it to you.

try this on for size

This is not for the faint-hearted, small-stomached, chicken-allergic person.

notice there are two layers about 1.5cm each.

chips are underneath.

the fork shown is your proper-sized fork (ehm, standard restaurant fork size)

To sign up for this challenge is to have the determination of a 45 year old virgin going to a nightclub to get lucky (or just succumbing to peer pressure perhaps!). Shell out $25 and a pint if you're brave (or crazy) enough!

To guys, this could appear to be not a problem at all, but statistically speaking, out of the gang, there was a 50% success rate (or at least of the known 'contestants').

Check out the Hall of Fame and other details here

Mangga at Bagoong (Mango and Shrimp Paste)

2009-08-05T23:15:00.004+10:00

One of the things that could make any Filipino mouth water is the mere mention of mangga at bagoong (bah-goh-ong). The mango referred to in this case is green mangoes, which go perfectly well with the fermented shrimp paste, particularly bagoong alamang.

Barrio Fiesta is a famous Filipino restaurant and this is their blend of bagoong alamang - quite yummy, really... obviously it is export quality ('crevettes' is French for shrimp, we typically don't use that term in the Phils!)

available in Asian shops!

The Philippine bagoong alamang is a slightly 'wet' or moist version of the Indonesian terasi (trassi) or the Malaysian belacan (be-lah-chan) all of which refer to fermented shrimps. The pinoy version is typically made of small (really tiny) shrimps, quite 'chunkier' and 'wetter' in appearance compared to its Indonesian counterpart terasi, which is sold in compact blocks - one can either scrape or cut some off to use, whereas the Pinoy alamang may be spooned or dolloped.

Colors also vary depending on the grade - I remember as a kid we'd go to the market and head towards a pink mountain of 'fresh' bagoong alamang and buying off a couple of pesos worth. This is then used to add a different depth of saltiness to a dish to be used instead of plain salt, or just sauteed with oil, garlic, onions and a bit of white vinegar until the color becomes a deep dark brownish red and then served with ... green mangoes! The dark colored variety can of course be store-bought.

afternoon snack!

in this case the skin was not peeled off the fruit because the green mango is still quite 'young' - so the skin would be quite crispy at this point

(how can you tell - one way would be to feel the skin as it would be a bit 'thin' and can easily be pierced by your fingernails)

Bagoong is also usually served on the side of a dish called Kare-Kare (kah-reh kah-reh), a stew usually made of oxtail or tripe and veggies in peanut sauce.

More details on bagoong here if you want to know more!

Paella

2009-08-03T20:21:00.006+10:00

In my previous post I had mentioned about going to the Spanish store in search of a caldero – a paella pan – for my paella experiment. Here is the result of this Spanish alchemy.

I was meaning to go for the ‘authentic Paella Valenciana’ recipe which is primarily chicken and rabbit meat, but because a more famous dish ordered in Spanish restaurants include a wonderful array of seafood such as mussels, prawns and clams, I figured it would be disappointing from a guest’s perspective if Sunday Paella didn’t have any crustaceans in it. Hence this recipe was revised a bit to add a couple of prawns and mussels to chicken and rabbit pieces, simmered in chicken stock flavored with saffron.

The recipe was pretty much based on this , with just the addition of the seafood around 15 minutes before the heat was turned off, just thought that since the mussels and prawns were not completely submerged it may take a bit longer to cook them. I also pounded the saffron with salt (I saw it on TV!) before adding it to the mix.

bubbling away

finished product

I used Calasparra rice (a bit expensive but well worth it!) and the pan is an investment and is good for 6 servings.

The paella was pretty tasty and will definitely do more of these to get the hang of the proportions of the water/stock and the rice.

Tips that I picked up from researching prior to making this dish :

- NEVER stir the rice after you've added it in

- Let it sit/rest for around 10 minutes before serving

- It is best to cook it in an open fire rather than an electric stove to ensure better, even heat distribution. Unfortunately this is my constraint. Will probably try it over the bbq next time!

- The perfect paella has a soccarat - from the verb socarrar, which means to toast lightly - a crust of rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan. (tutong in tagalog!)

One thing is for sure - it was tastier the next day!

Cake, the Savory Kind

2009-08-02T19:39:00.011+10:00

So. One day officemate sends me a link for a meatcake, and found myself thinking, yeah, I can do that! Besides, muffins and (some) breads were beginning to be a bit monotonous so why not do something new? This was the perfect opportunity.

Inspired by Black Widow Bakery's meat cake, here it is :

my version of a meat cake

This 'cake' was made with :

1 kg veal mince, spiced with

(about) 1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

sprinkling of paprika

salt and pepper to taste

3 eggs

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 onion minced and 4 cloves garlic cooked until the onions are translucent in a bit of olive oil

All mixed together by hand and baked for about 50 min in a 180C oven in a circular 9" baking tin.

The 'icing' was made of 20 small (really quite small) potatoes (well they were the ones I had so might as well use them!), boiled with skin on until cooked through, then the skin is discarded and then mashed with a knob of butter and a glug of olive oil, salt and pepper.

After reading the Black Widow's post obviously the key was getting the texture and consistency right - a mash too sticky may be a bit too hard to handle, and a 'meatloaf' too wet may not hold together. I was a bit lucky that the stuff held their shape!

I also made a thick tomato sauce made of 1 tin of whole tomatoes, 2 teaspoons tomato paste, half an onion and 3 cloves garlic. Figured since the meatloaf could be a bit 'dry' the tomato sauce would give it a bit more moisture.

So when the meatloaf was cooked through, it was left to cool for a bit and using a carving knife (which was long enough to assure me that at least i would cut through midway without completely destroying it), I divided the 'meatloaf' into two. (If I had 2 baking tins of the same size that would have probably saved me the trouble).

Then the tomato sauce was sandwiched in between.

yes, like a giant burger

The mashed potatoes were then slathered on to cover this beast of a burger using a palette knife. I was getting a bit more excited at this stage :)

And to make it pretty, the rest of the mashed potatoes were placed in a piping bag and I just played around with the nozzles. The basic border was put in (and the beauty of these mashed potatoes is that if you did it wrong you can pick it up and try again hehe). Then there was this huge blank space in the middle - if it was someone's birthday I would have just scribbled "Happy Birthday" and then, done! BUT! It wasn't someone's birthday, so had to think again of how to decorate the meat cake.

the bunny rabbits are made with black olives

a trick I picked up from Jacques Pepin's book

fortunately the thought occured to me, primarily out of desperation as my hands were getting tired squeezing the piping bag hehehe

the flowers were suggested by my better half (the reason why he is BETTER)

picked up from the rosemary bush in the garden

the 'trees' were parsley - eventually they wilted though, so had to trim the 'stem'

a couple of black pepper corns to serve as 'pebbles' or 'rocks'

(or rabbit poo)!

and the 'orange' colored mashed potatoes were mixed with

a dollop of ketchup (yes tomato sauce) and a bit of american mustard.

The green bits are frozen peas nuked in the microwave with a bit of water for a couple of minutes.

And that was my creative outburst for the day.

Total elapsed time to do this was 3.5 hours (including prep time, baking time, thinking about what to do next, making a a spicy chocolate brownie, messing around, kitchen clean up and a couple of cups of coffee - not too bad for a lazy Sunday morning!)

Chipotle Chocolate Brownies

2009-08-02T19:25:00.002+10:00

This weekend's treat was a taste of Spain through a trip to Casa Iberica at Fitzroy. They sell all the wonderful things that Spain or South America has to offer... it was love at first sight.

The main aim was to get that paella pan (caldero) but who would not wander beyond the shopping list after seeing all sorts of other things - especially dried chillies. And not just ordinary chilies, but ancho and chipotle chilies - for someone who likes it HOT this is an extremely wonderful find.

delightful!

So, since the paella recipe didn't really require these chilies, had to find an excuse to use it. For dessert perhaps? I did have my eye on a spicy brownie recipe so the best bet was Chipotle (all time favorite) made its way to be dry fried and blitzed in a spice grinder.

Chipotle is a fully ripened and smoked jalapeno - and there's something about how they smoke this thing that makes it smell heavenly, and have such deep flavor. This recipe is a combination of a few of my favorite things :) The challenge is to add the spice without overpowering the flavors of chocolate, which still remains to be the star of this show (or so I say to myself).

Spicy Chipotle Brownies

250g dark chocolate melted with 100g butter

1 cup plain flour sifted

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground dried chipotle chilies

1 teaspoon ground cloves

pinch of salt

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 cup sultanas soaked in (a couple of shots of) tequila (in keeping with the Spanish theme)

1/2 cup almonds, bashed (or roughly chopped, or "coarsely ground") :p

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain marie (or in the microwave, if preferred). Meanwhile, mix the flour with the spices and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside. Whisk eggs with sugar until sugar has melted and well incorporated, and add to the melted chocolate. Combine wet and dry ingredients, fold in sultanas (remove excess tequila) and almonds. Place in a square (or rectangular) brownie tin lined with foil and bake in a 180C pre-heated oven for around 15-20 minutes - don't overbake or it will become too dry.

Serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar with a dash of the chipotle powder.

WHB Roundup

2009-07-27T23:15:00.000+10:00

Check out the fantastic dishes whipped up for this week's WHB - roundup here

Weekend Herb Blogging : Black Beans

2009-07-26T13:07:00.013+10:00

A recent trip to the Asian store has left me armed with a typical ingredient in Chinese cooking, black beans.

Not to be confused with the black beans used in Latin American cooking (black turtle beans), this is actually salted soybeans with a slight pungent smell and a distinctive salty-bitter-sweet flavor.

There are heaps of varieties of black bean sauces available in the local supermarket, but for $1.30, this 375g pack of black beans is a real tasty bargain that would go a long way since you won't have to use a lot per dish, like for this one...

3 teaspoons black beans

2 teaspoons chinkiang (black rice) vinegar

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon palm sugar

1/3 cup water (or stock if you have some handy)

1 teaspoon corn starch

Mix above ingredients together and slightly mash the black beans to release more flavor.

This will be used as sauce for a quick beef stir fry using

300g rump steak, sliced into thin strips

handful of enoki mushrooms (they were there in the fridge, so might as well add it! just chop off roots)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

5 spring onions, chopped (separate the white part from the greens)

3 birds eye chili (decrease if you dont want it hot)

1 red chili, sliced, for garnish

1 (or 2) tbsp peanut oil

a bit of fungi to soak up that nice black sauce!

Swirl some peanut oil into a really hot wok and toss in garlic, ginger, birds eye chili and the white spring onions. Stir fry for a couple of seconds, then add in the beef, and the mushrooms (cook beef to your liking, I prefer it a bit medium rare) , then give the black bean mixture a quick stir and pour on to the beef. Let bubble a bit until the sauce has slightly thickened and looks glossy.

Serve on steamed rice and garnish with the red chili and the greens from the spring onions.

This is my entry to the Weekend Herb Blogging #193 (my first time to join this very interesting event!), organized and hosted by Haalo of Cook Almost Anything at Least Once.

Es Teler 77

2009-07-22T21:07:00.006+10:00

[ some random blah ]

Minggu ini sebelah jalan jalan di kota, saya lihat "Es Teler 77", restoran fastfood Indonesia.... mulutku jadi 'yummm...!'... langsung di dalam restorannya, saya bilang "... mau nasi goreng kambing, pedas ya..."

nasi - rice; goreng - fried; kambing - goat

..."mungkin bila nanti kita akan bertemu lagi"... :p

Este semana lei "Es Teler 77", restaurante de Indonesia... yo pense "yummm", fui a restaurante, dije "quiero nasi goreng kambing, picante por favor!"

... hasta luego!

This week while walking around the city, I saw "Es Teler 77", an Indonesian fast food restaurant... my mouth went 'yummm!' , went straight to the restaurant, and said " I'd like a goat fried rice, spicy please!"

Maybe we will see each other again!

MC : This post probably took longer due to a long time fishing and finding the words, if at all they are accurate - apologies if grammatically incorrect!

Baked Egg

2009-07-22T20:58:00.004+10:00

Inspired by the Saturday biking lunch stopover, this dish is also a play on the huevos rancheros (ranch eggs). Quite simple (eggs baked over a homemade tomato sauce), made a bit more interesting through the use of terracotta bowls and served with remnants of toasted focaccia...old bread never tasted so good :)

Tarte Tatin

2009-07-20T21:14:00.004+10:00

This weekend's culinary experiment was in the form of a French classic, invented by accident by the Tatin sisters. Apparently it was the case of apples bubbling away in sugar and butter, and in panic, one of the Tatin sisters covered it with pastry, baked the whole thing, served it to their restaurant's patrons, and became an instant hit. It was henceforth known as their signature dish, the Tarte Tatin.

I followed Rachel Allen's recipe here (yes I'm a fan - i find her recipes are awesome.)

ingredients for the shortcrust pastry - and sugar bubbling away

gone around in circles... and caramel oozing through the pastry cracks

the finished product, served with vanilla ice cream

I think I may have made the caramel too sticky and it was a bit difficult to get the stuff out of the pan :) not as difficult as eating the entire thing though!

Cheers,

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-20T18:45:00.001+10:00

No point arguing the book is better than the movie (as is typically the case anyway), but having read the book a while back and forgotten some details, the storyline seem fragmented, and was unable to hold my (admittedly short) attention span, unlike previous Harry Potter movies.

Don’t get me wrong though - the special effects were still spectacular (the intro being a swooping take on the vicinity which I thought would have been pretty cooler in 3D), the cast had grown up (including some slightly muscles and better acting – not that they were utterly bad before, but obviously experience has made them better). Raging teenage hormones fit for their current state in ‘life’ gave good banter. Credit as well to Luna Lovegood who was perfectly portrayed (at least, to my mind).

Not quite sure if ‘the magic was just lost’ on me, or if I’ve grown ~~way older~~ up too much not to enjoy it as much as I would have – a bit unfortunate that they sort of lost me midway the 2 hour – 33 min long movie and ended up wishing I spent the time reading the book again instead. I suppose (more) avid Harry Potter followers who would know the story by heart would feel otherwise. Perhaps this groundwork of a movie is best watched just before the final installments for the Deathly Hallows, which closes the series.

Forgiven and forgotten, hope the next one redeems and wins back this disillusioned fan.

Biker's Notes : Capital City Trail

2009-07-18T19:13:00.009+10:00

The Capital City Trail is a loop around the city, around 32 kms of established tracks suitable for running, walking, biking (any bike types) or just for sightseeing :) It goes along the water - the Yarra river, some creeks - and gives a quick tour around some of Melbourne's top spots like Southbank, Collingwood Children's Farm (a farm in the city!), Docklands, Telstra Dome, Zoo and Royal Park, Yarra Bend Park, Melbourne Park, Alexandra Gardens and MCG.

There are areas where one needs to lift the bike to go walk through some steps (extra points for variety!?). The farm was a good stop, offering organic food, freshly baked bread, muffins and scones , organic eggs (and chocolate milkshake!).

the farm under sunny skies (but awfully cold wind!) and today's special, baked egg with slow cooked mushrooms and capsicum

Some sights :

Dight's Falls

(it may not look like too much of a falls but apparently it sits on an 800,000 year old lava rock)

[ Edit : Had received additional helpful links - Check out more details here and here. Not mentioned in the original post was that we had cycled a bit more than the kms mentioned as there was a re-routing somewhere in Westgarth - and I think we took a couple more turns than required and ended up somewhere farther north towards the Merri Creek trail. Hehe. ]

Bluestone Restaurant

2009-07-15T20:03:00.004+10:00

"This place drips with unassuming style" says their website, and perhaps I do agree - the sexy red string curtains, mood lighting, stone walls and wooden tables - it is not difficult to relax at Bluestone Restaurant, especially down at the Lounge. The dining room upstairs is grand, but not imposing. Huge mirrors and wine bottles against the wall provide a perfect backdrop to great conversation.

There was a small blackboard with the day's specials (osso bucco, saltimbocca for that night) - if you are not tempted with what's on the menu (like seafood jambalaya and steak). Sit back in the company of friends especially on on Jazz and Shiraz Thursday nights - can't go wrong with a $5 glass of Shiraz while listening to the cool voice of the jazz singer!

Bookings are essential.

Dine Fine 2 Starter : Baked Camembert

2009-07-12T20:43:00.000+10:00

Also double tagged as SpiceStop : Rosemary

Not sure if this would be classified gourmet though, because it's so simple :) well some might argue and wrinkle their noses for being such a ponsy git, but hey, it's filed under the blog post "dine fine" tags so that's how far its qualification can go!

Anyway, rosemary is from the mint family, a perennial evergreen shrub, and this variety from the side garden has lavender (or is it pale blue?) flowers.

Take a camembert cheese, cut into half, place in a small ramekin, add a sprig of fresh rosemary (or a couple of slivers of chopped garlic, if preferred) and bake for around 30 minutes in a 200C oven middle rack (microwave on high for a couple of minutes, if in a rush!)

Serve with fresh veggie sticks (carrots, celery, maybe beetroot for that nice color) and steamed brocolli. If preferring to be a bit fancy, serve in a glass with ice cubes on the bottom, and fennel fronds.

Gourmet cheese dip ?

Dine Fine 2 Main : Burgers

2009-07-12T20:18:00.000+10:00

What do you mean fine dining with burgers?!

I suppose it would qualify if you made your own bread and burger patty?

Anyway, the bread is focaccia. This is a bit different in approach from the previous recipe, but still a focaccia anyway :) a bit of rosemary and garlic sprinkled on top as well. The kitchen was mighty nice smelling afterwards!

For the burger patty, the beef mince was mixed together with sauteed onions and garlic, a bit of garam masala, cumin, bread crumbs, 1 egg, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper, before fried and finished in the oven. Assemble with the bread (spread a bit of dijon mustard?), cos lettuce, tomato, gerkins, and perhaps a salad on the side.