Food is a universal language, a communicator, a bridge and a window to others’ traditions and cultures. It is also something you could put your heart and soul and your creative ideas and imaginations to work and enjoy the fruits of your labour ultimately!
There was a 3-in-1 effort here, Rika made the aioli sauce, I cooked the pasta and ER did the rest.
posted by Food Trails at Thursday, February 28, 2008
ER, although he does little cooking at home, he sure has ideas when mine runs out.
This dish was done according to his suggestion and preference. The sight of chestnuts had inspired this dish. Chestnuts have released a mild fragrance that assimilated into the meat. Nice...moreover, boiled chestnuts have always been my favourite snacks.
In the midst of preparing this dish, I had forgotten about mushrooms and ER who was watching TV in the living room was quick to remind me: The mushrooms, did you put in some mushrooms?
Braising, the cut that I love to use is always shoulder butt with the occasional streaky pork or pork belly added in...As I said before the later is a "luxurious" treat for us for I have consciously avoiding, using too much of animal fat in my cooking.
Rika said, "This dish is really yummy. I have not had tasted such flavour for a long time!"
posted by Food Trails at Saturday, February 23, 2008
Reheating the French loaf bought from Giant Hypermarket with a frying-pan, ER had made it so crispy and yummy!
posted by Food Trails at Saturday, February 23, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Saturday, February 23, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Saturday, February 23, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 18, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 18, 2008
Click on this for more ideas on: Curry Chicken
Chilled chickens nowadays are so tender that I just have to reduce the cooking time. In curries, chicken meat tends to break away from the bones when over done. The curry shown here with the chicken just cooked was very “lemak” or creamy with coconut gravy but lacked the captivating layer of oily orangey reddish appearance that I love. However, once the cooked potatoes were added, contents brought to a boil and simmered for a while, a much awaited lovelier colour was achieved.
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 18, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 18, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 18, 2008
"Suan cai”: This is a childhood dish that I remembered well, something made out of leftovers seasoned mainly with dried chillies and "assam keping". Lots of "da cai" or a variety of mustard greens is added and boiled with the mixture with more chicken broth added in my cooking. You can see the varieties here: http://www.evergreenseeds.com/ormusgreen.html
posted by Food Trails at Friday, February 15, 2008
For a change, I only used fish paste to fill the triangular-shaped beancurds and then fried them.
During lunch, YH took a bite into a piece of stuffed capsicum and he said, “Um…the capsicum is sweet!” And ER said the filling has the right softness and nice. Minutes later, YH asked for some to be reserved for his supper. I did not make a lot this morning, so I told him may be I will make some for him again this coming Sunday if ingredients are available.
The filling was a last minute concoction using just fish paste and mashed tofu. I once read a recipe that uses a filling made with chopped chestnuts, shrimps, mushrooms, egg and mashed tofu for stuffed capsicums. This should be tasty too.
Fish paste packed in sealed boxes is available from our local supermarkets or the beancurd stalls in wet markets.
posted by Food Trails at Friday, February 15, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Sunday, February 10, 2008
Although I noticed this cake was cooked in about 40 minutes, I left it in the oven for a little longer and this has caused it dried out a little.
This was not the best butter cake I had made BUT, I was pretty lucky, it turned out quite nice, the cake was not hard thought not as fluffy, considering I had made mistakes forgetting to cream butter and sugar first before adding in the eggs and further omitted a tablespoon or two of milk to be blended into the cocoa mixture. Earlier, I was worried it might not rise properly!
This was what I did with mistakes: Using electric beaters, butter was creamed till fluffy, slightly beaten eggs were added in one at a time and beat well after each addition. At this point only did I remember I had left out the sugar! So…immediately I beat in sugar in batches for 5 minutes using electric beaters and stopped. I continued to beat the buttery mixture though, this time using a wooden spatula instead for a further 10 minutes to ensure sugar has melted. Undissolved sugar caused white specks in the cake after baking. Flour and baking powder were sifted together and gently folded into the buttery mixture in batches. Addition of cocoa powder was my option, I knew I had to add a little milk if cocoa powder is used and yet I omitted this.
This cake was baked in a cake pan from my sister's shop. Butter cake keeps well for a few days in air-tight container and its flavour improves over time.
posted by Food Trails at Thursday, February 07, 2008
This is a must have vegetable in my maternal home during Chinese New Year. My mother would eat them raw with a dark red sweet sauce called "tim jiong" in Cantonese.
posted by Food Trails at Thursday, February 07, 2008
This meal was too heavy for us...the chicken was left whole! Good to have leftovers…this made me think of the auspicious phrase, “nian nian you yu”, which means there is excess every year or abundance in everything in Mandarin~
posted by Food Trails at Wednesday, February 06, 2008
posted by Food Trails at Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Sun, Feb 3, 2008: Time again for us to do CNY baking! Yummy nice mini tarts that Rika helped to fill with pineapple jam till she was worn out for the day...ER took over for the last two trays besides doing packing. My tasks were to prepare the buttery pastry moulds and then watched the baking.
Spending long hours preparing these minis were worth it. They were so deliciously soft that they just melt in the mouth :)
posted by Food Trails at Monday, February 04, 2008
A home cooking enthusiast who loves to try out new dishes when ideas come along!
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