Italian Angel's Hair, Japanese Style?

What do you do with heaps of seaweed, miso paste, and only Italian Angel's Hair in your cupboard? Haha, check it out!

Ingredients: (serves 1)
200g Angel's Hair Pasta (pre-cooked in hot water, stir in some butter after removed from water)
25g Dried Seaweed (pre-soaked in water until soft)
5 bunch of Parsley (more or less to personal preference)
3 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 Spanish Red Onion (Coarsely sliced)
1 tbsp Light Olive Oil
2 tbsp Miso Paste
2 eggs
1/2 cup Water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of Sugar
Few Shredded Cheese

Method:
1. In a heated wok, dry fry garlic and onion, add pinch of sugar and salt to brown, followed by olive oil to saute.
2. Stir in seaweed, stir fry for a minute or two, and add in pasta. Stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Add water, followed by miso paste. Continue to stir fry for about 5 minutes, stir in some shredded cheese, make sure the sauce does not dry off. Done.
3. Serve on a plate, top with two half-boiled eggs (add a very egg-gy flavour to the whole. Mix with roughly chopped parsley, adds another layer of aroma to the pasta. Enjoy!

Note: There is no meat in this dish, so pure Vegans, you know what to do twist about to make it to suit your diet! =)

Apple and Bacon Roll with Cinnamon Honey Sauce

FEELING STRESSED! The assignments and the submission to meet next week is simply driving my nerves to breaking point! Everyone in the household is under immense pressure and we hardly talk as everyone is thinking of their work and their progress. How to overcome that?

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!!!

Now here's something really worth thinking about, I reckon cooking is really theraputhic, anyone with me? Making something simple everyday gives you certain sense of achievement! >.< In addition to that, you (well at least myself) get feel relieved and happy deep inside when you see something nice created with your own hands. (This reminds me of Su Yin's cakes) But anyway, check out the recipe...



Ingredient: (serves 1)
1 strip Middle Bacon
1/2 a Large Apple (use Royal Gala if red or Granny Smith if Green) (diced, or cut into chunks)
2 stick Celery (coarsely chopped)
2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Butter
1/3 cup water
Few Basil Leafs (coarsely chopped, add some to pot of boiling water)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Place bacon strip in a pot of boiling water, leave to braise for 3 minutes or less. Remove from water. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix all apple chunks with 1tsp cinamon powder and the rest of basil leafs. Lay bacon on dry surface, place some apple chunks on top of bacon and roll over carefully, hold with toothpick if neccessary. Roast in preheated oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan, add the remaining apples and sautee for a minute or two, add water, bring to boil, turn to low heat and slowly stir in honey.
4. On a plate, place chopped celery, top with roasted bacon, pour over with honey apple sauce. Done. Serve hot or cold.

Finger Food Anyone?

Another dish I would like to introduce, also involves white raddish and tofu, it is easy to make, and meant to be served as finger food, or as entrees before starting on main dishes.

Ingredients: (makes 12)

1/3 White Raddish (about 100g) (finely sliced to form thin-circle slices)

100g Fried Tofu Puffs (Cut diagonally)

3 tbsp Soy Bean Paste

1 tbsp Chili Sauce

1 pc Dried Chili (seeds removed and finely chopped)

1/2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

1/2 tbsp Sugar

Bunch of Parsley

Method:

1. Steam the sliced raddish and tofu puffs for about 10 minutes or more, or until the white raddish slices are soft and tender.

2. In a bowl, mix soy bean paste, chili sauce, dried chili, light soy sauce and sugar together, leave aside.

3. Lay the white raddish slices on a plate, preferably two slices each patch (beware of how hot the raddish is). Give each patch a teaspoon full of the mixed paste.

4. Top with parsley and a tofu puff each. Done.

Note: This is a complex taste dish, each bite of each serving should result in an intense flavour of the mixed paste, the sweetness of the raddish, and the strong scent of the parsley. The tofu is to compliment the intensity of the bean paste. You can use mint instead of Parsley.

Everyone Loves Miso Soup

I have not been posting for some time since the last post I made, thanks to all the assignments and pressure from my courses. Well, thanks to the 15th day of the Lunar Calender, which I usually would take the dinner's responsibility for that particular day. So I made 4 dishes yesterday, quite unusual for 3 eaters, but it was fulfilling. Haha. There are two dishes that I would like to introduce from yesterday, hopefully everyone like it as we did.

Well, everyone likes miso soup, and would probably would know how to make it, 'you only have to chuck in the miso paste! What is so hard?' Haha. To certain extent, I do agree with that, but let's try adding something extra to it, and still maintain (or enhance) the sweetness of the soup.

Ingredients: (serves 2-3)
50g Seaweed (pre-soaked in water until soft)
1/2 White Radish (about 150g) (coarsely chopped)
3pc Soft Tofu (about 250g) (cut into small cubes0
5 big bowls of Water
4 tbsp Miso paste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of Miso Paste, fresh Parsley and some Bonito

Method:

1. In a pot, boil water together with radish, turn to low heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add miso paste and simmer for another 5 minutes.
2. Add seaweed, turn to high heat and bring to boil, turn to low heat again and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Turn to high heat again when adding the tofu cubes, allow to boil for another 5 minutes or until tofu are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Transfer soup into a bowl, sprinkle with some bonito flakes, add a dash of miso paste (about 1/2 tsp), garnish with some parley leafs. Done.

Note: Add water as required if the radish stalk reduces to much.

The Tofu Bakar I missed...

It was another day sharing dinner at John's place, and I was really wondering what I should cook. I went to the grocery shop walking around, it was as if I did not know what I wanted to cook, but I actually already have something in mind, in fact I was just walking around trying to find something else that might change my mind, which I have to confess, nothing did! Haha

Anyway, I reckon it is probably due to the fact that I am deeply missing home! (the food especially! XD) Anyway, life has to go on, I saw this dried tofu that was almost like those 'Tauhu Bakar' back home, certainly there's a difference, but "it would do", my little mind whispered that moment. Well check out the recipe, it's not hard, after being twisted by my creativity, I think it does not at all look like the original 'Tauhu Bakar', but again, "it will do, I am fine with it... XD"

Ingredients: (serves 3-4)

500g pre-fried tofu (available at Asian stores)

300g Cucumber (about 3 of it, skinned and finely chopped)

50g Skinned Peanuts (toasted and crushed)

2 tbsp Anchovy Sambal Chili Paste

3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Sugar

Method:

1. Half the tofu lenghtwise, then further half top and bottom, and diagonally across to form two traingular pieces. Lightly wipe the tofu pieces with some sea salt on each sides, grill for about 5 to 8 minutes on each sides.

2. In a bowl, mix the anchovy sambal paste, sugar, dark and light soy sauce. Heat the mixture in a saucepan and bring to boil.

3. Place the cucumber in the middle of a plate, arrange the tofu pieces around, sprinkle with crushed peanuts and pour sauce over, serve hot preferably. Enjoy!

Note: The original version would be to sandwich the cucumber in between two tofus (the content scooped away before grilled), sprinkled with peanuts and top with the sauce.

A simple dish - Texture or Aroma?

I shared dinner over my mates place yesterday and I cooked this dish. It was a simple one, but they were wondering what was the main structure of the dish, I wanted to explain to them in detail, but wonder would they understand. But anyway, let's check out the dish first.

Ingredient: (serves 3-4)

1kg Garlic sprouts (soaked and chopped into 2cm pieces)

50g Fried Gluten (soaked until soft and tender)

50g Peanuts (skinned, toasted until crispy)

30g Salted Black Beans (rinsed, drained and set aside)

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Black Pepper Powder

2 pc Ginger (finely chopped)

2 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)

Water as needed

Method:

1. In a wok, heat vegetable oil, add in ginger and garlic and fry till aromatic. Stir in garlic sprouts, stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

2. Add in gluten, fry for another 2 minutes, add light soy sauce and continue to stir-fry.

3. Stir in salted black beans, continue to stir-fry, add water bit by bit if the wok is too dry. Stir in the black pepper powder by now, followed by the toasted peanuts, stir-fry for another minute or two.

4. Give the wok a good drizzle of sesame oil right before removing from heat and serving. This is the important part where every ingredient in the wok get a bit of the sesame oil taste, if you think 1tbsp is not enough, add more to get a stronger taste, do not add water after adding the sesame oil, add before if necessary. Serve hot.

Well, if you look at it, there's really nothing hard about the dish, and too simple that there is no main structure some people reckon? Well, the main structure, I say, would be the texture of biting the food. Imagine the crunchiness of the toasted peanuts and the tenderness of the other ingredients in your mouth, it pushes you to bite and crunch a but, but out of it, you get this rich texture of biting...

On the other hand, there is this subtle taste of sesame oil in the ingredients. As you bite, there should be a mouthful taste of sesame oil in it, not forgetting the taste of the ingredients themselves. The latter should be unleashed in a series of biting, after the sesame oil's taste is passed. So, a bit too hard to imagine? Try it yourself! Haha

The Classy Lidnt's

It has been some time since I posted on some nice places to dine and hang out. But the fact is, I have been around visiting some really nice restaurants, but most of the time the laziness just drives me away from posting them.... =)

However, a visit to Lindt's Cafe at Darling Harbour yesterday really urged me to post it straight away this morning. Thanks very much to fact that this fellow Taylorian senior that came to Sydney from Canberra, we get to visit this wonderful place. The night actually started with a dine out at Takeru's, it's really a good restaurant I reckon. But I will leave that for another day, this post is about Lindt's!

Well, after our dinner, fellow Hong Leong actually suggested to have a coffee or something, to get everyone sat together, and talk and chat a bit in a warmth environment. We actually spent sometime sitting around Darling Harbour waiting for Hong Leong's mates before going there, so time was actually running out as we arrived there about 11pm. (It closes at 12am!)

Goodie! The wait and the walk was worthwhile after all. The cafe was classy and elegant, with all the glossy finishes, advocating it's sense of class and prestige. In contrary to Max Brenner's at Paddington, this is indeed very different! Wondering why there is no picture to compliment what I am talking about? They do not allow it! What a waste! But in a way, hey, come and have a look for yourself! XD

Check out their Hot Choco! Free from Max's funky and 'at the face' attitude! Frankly speaking, all the things here focus more on quality and class, which I think in a way ties them down a bit on the more formal and serious approach in presenting their products. Having said, it does not mean it is on the downside! Seriously, their choco is quite good!

Looks like those drinks you get at the Mamak's back in Malaysia? No it's NOT! You can't call the waitress 'tangachi'! lol Anyway, what you are looking at is Fui Kiat's Iced Choco, he said it is too sweet, not sure about that, I only tried a scoop! Haha. For those who visit there, I do recommend the Iced Choco or Mocha with Ice Cream, or simply the hot choco, the latter is a lot more fun!

Check out Wen Liang's Mocha, the presentation is not bad, thanks to those Barista skills! Again, this is not teh tarik with choco flakes on top!

Now I mentioned about the Hot Choco which is more fun... Hehe I ordered Rich Dark as usual, personal preference! XD Check out the outcome just below!

Tadahhhh! How is it? Not bad I reckon! ^^ Self-taught! Thanks to my visits to Max! Haha the next time, I'll attempt the leaf motif, if I succeed in doing so, they should give me a Barista cert!

Tasting time! Yummy! ^^ Seriously, you cannot compare the Lindt's and Max's. They are way too different, even the quality, aroma and texture of the choco is different. They are both good, in their own way, I reckon. But if you ask around, I think most people still prefer Max, sorry Lindt, no offence! I still like your choc! Haha