Thursday 27 December 2012

Merry Christmas

well. This probably shouldn't be the first photo to show up. However, that was exactly how crazy I'd go.on.christmas eve. ;D


We visited this awesome place.that my boyfriend brought me. I have no idea what it's called. But its at Farrer park. :X All their food are absolutely delicious! Very reasonably priced as well. I'd state the prices of each dish as accurately as possible - now I may have forgotten the prices now. 


Squid ink spaghetti. I took this with flash. But the squid ink in this was crazy. Just refer to the first photo if you need proof. :D DELICIOUS.
$6.90

Escargots. I have no idea how they prepared this, but each piece of escargot is soaked in garlic and olive oil. They almost melt in your mouth. Its that good.
$5.90 

I can't remember what this called. Apparently the white stuff you see is actually made with milk. And then, layered on top of rice. baked. I suppose this is much healthier than usual baked rice. And the price point, shocking.
$4.90

Panna cotta. This dessert is actually frozen. So it's like a mix of jelly and ice cream. This is pretty delicious too, however, it is pretty expensive if you were to compare the price of the other items. 
$4.90

Well, that's it for my Christmas eve dinner! One of the best dinners I've had, at an really affordable price. 

We then headed over to Mustafa. I bought myself and my boyfriend a set of earphones - Christmas gift! and then had our supper. 

Giant paper Dosai! It is literally longer than our table! 

Called that a day for our Christmas eve celebration. :) Headed home happily. 

On the actual Christmas, we're pretty boring. But a pretty good day too. 

Hokkien mee and fried oyster for lunch. Hey you should really pay this store a visit. They're located opposite Kovan Mrt station. And this is serious good food. 
Hokkien mee as you can see, is finished by us,. It is of the perfect texture. Not too wet/dry, with a strong aroma of eggs and I don't know how to describe it. GO EAT IT.
As for the fried oyster, this stall actually makes the dish CRISPY. Every bite is crunchy. And their oysters is dreamy soft, they melt in your mouth.

This is our dinner - nothing fun. But I love the fish beehoon. This particular store is never stingy with their fish. Thick slices. My boyfriend had teochew fried rice. Which I totally ignored in the above photo. :D


What else for Christmas?

I made my boyfriend his favorite Salted yolks custard buns! :D Super yummy treats and...
.
.
.
Success!
It is really flowy inside - and soft outside.

Hmm shall share recipe of this awesome dish in some post later. If you're a fan of salted yolk custard buns, you'd thank me for that. ;)

XOXO 

Friday 21 December 2012

21st Dec - End of the world. Sth funny.


I was on telegraph... and I came across this. Had a good laugh, so I thought I'd share it! :D 
---
09.42 A reader has emailed us, an actual one, not made up, called Lloyd Dodd. He has fashion advice for the end of the world. I genuinely didn't make this up.
(I include here in full, but if the end is already underway where you are: smart casual is good, don't dress like a hooker)
E-mailDear Friends, I have been pondering something important recently and was encouraged by a friend to share it with you. With my background in protocol and etiquette I feel that I have sufficient knowledge to speak authoritatively on this topic. This burning question that needs an answer is, of course, what to wear for the end of the world. Yes, I'm sure it has crossed your mind as well and here is my considered opinion on the matter.
Do not over dress. Evening jacket or sequinned cocktail dress is far too pretentious and, let's face it, just not that comfortable. A good rule of thumb is not to wear any outfit that requires a tie or expensive clutch.
Mind you, this option never crossed the minds of most people, but you're not most people now are you? You're the discerning type who likes to make a good impression, just remember that it might look like you're trying too hard if you over dress when meeting your maker. He/She will appreciate it more if you dress in a smart but casual manner.
On the other side of the spectrum are those who intend to meet their maker in a bathrobe and fuzzy bunny slippers. Mind you, God does enjoy the ironic aspects of mankind, but dressing is such a manner shows a lack of respect both for yourself and your Creator.
Your favourite jammies might be comfy, but let's face it, you wouldn't wear them to the grocery store so why would you become one with eternity in them? (If you do wear your pyjamas to the grocery store, or to breakfast in the hotel lobby, please unfriend me now ... right now.)
It's time to grow up and have a little respect for both yourself and the world around you. If you're going to dress like an adult once in your life, I recommend this be the day.
So what should you wear? As stated above, a smart casual look is perfectly acceptable. Blazers and open sports shirts are good for men, but it's always a good idea to just let your spouse dress you. Women should feel free to wear a demure knee-length dress or a nice pants-suit. Sandals are a definite no-no as it's December, I don't care how cute your feet look in them (our Antipodean cousins might have a little more leeway, but I try not to think about their sartorial escapades.) Also heels over three inches are out. You do not want to meet your Lord and Maker looking like a hooker.
Just dress like you're meeting Mitzie and Chauncie at the country club for dinner and drinks and you'll be dressed perfectly for the horror that will be the end of the world.
Best of luck to everyone!
Mr Lloyd Dodd
Thanks Lloyd!
09.40 Ben Lagle tweets me from North Carolina, where it is "pretty vold". Possibly Mayan lingo, don't know.

Thursday 20 December 2012

How to make man tou - steamed buns

Now. PMS gives me the weirdest cravings! The other day I made Mochi - durian mochi to be exact. To satisfy my cravings. Then I had cravings for BUNS. MAN TOU. 

And pumpkin. 

So. Pumpkin mantou, here I come. This particular type of mantou that I made is not like what you'd typically eat at dim sum store etc. My version is slightly 'harder' and more 'chewy'. So if thats what you like, read on!

Ingredients: I made 18/20 mantou I think.
- 300g pumpkin
- 30g - 50g glutinous rice flour (This is the magical ingredient that makes your bun slightly chewy)
- 1.5 teaspoon yeast (Yeast is essential for the type of mantou I like. If you prefer it the type you could buy outside, then switch to baking powder instead)
- 400g plain flour (now if you like soft mantou,you need to buy a different type of flour. I think its called hongkong flour)
* Sugar if you like it sweet. I prefer it not to have any sugar. Now I do have a family history diabetes. So I'm a little careful.
That's it!   

- I added some vegetable - prawn fillings to the mantou. but I prefer it empty. honestly.

wash pumpkin, remove skin, boil till soft.

measure out your flour, yeast, glutinous rice flour

Mash the pumpkins, add a little water and all the dry ingredients. this is what you'd get. Make it a soft dough. It should feel something like... Mochi. if you want hard mantou, make it harder by adding less water.

Cover with a cloth and let it sit for around an hour. I let mine sit for 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, do whatever you want. :D

I brought my w0bert out for a walk! Its her first time out, and SHE LOVES IT. some pet owners say you should not bring your rabbit out since rabbits could get use to it and start disturbing you if you don't. however, what kind of owner you are if you don't even want to let your pet enjoy some grass! 

Dough should rise to around twice of the original size when you're back! :D

Now if you forgot how it looks like originally - which is what my bf always does. Pull a portion of the dough and you should be able to see bubbles. like that.

now my fillings. I added veggs egg and prawn. but honestly add whatever you want. or not at all. I kind of wished I threw my left over mochi as the filling. Yums.

add the filling

roll it into a ball.

when you're done, let it sit for around 30 minutes before steaming.
then turn on the fire. STEAM. 

Soft soft mantou. 

yums love it. ok. Don't judge me. but I ate 12 man tou in one day. 

Xoxo

Monday 17 December 2012

Stuffed Eggplant - Yummy, easy treats.

Eggplant(Or brinjal) is one of my favorite vegetables. However it tastes like crap to me when not cooked in the right way. 

To me, it is the most tasty to deep fry it first, and then fry it again in tomatoes, eggs and some meat. As tasty as it is, that method is extremely fattening! (Eggplants soaks up oil like crazy!)

I like to eat it stuffed - meat - no oil required. 

What do you need:
- 3 medium sized eggplants
- 300g minced meat of choice (I used minced chicken)
- 2 tablespoon goji berry/wolf berry
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
* if you like a more crunchy taste, add water chestnut or green bamboo shoots. 
* If you want it more spicy, add a teaspoon or two of chopped chili.
* Vegetarian and vegan options at the end of the post!

everything you need here! Ignore the purple bowl.

mix salt, pepper, wolf berries and the minced chicken.

Stir well.

Now scoop out the flesh of eggplant using a spoon. The flesh of eggplant is spongy and soft. So its really easy to get the flesh out.

It should look something like this when you're done. 

You should get around half a bowl of the flesh after getting all the flesh of the 3 eggplants out! Now don't throw this away. You could chop it up and use it to thicken up your soups or cook it and use it as sauce over any dishes. For me, I cooked it in soup the second day! :)

Ok now stuff the meat into the eggplant. Pack tightly.

tehdah!

If you're using a nonstick pan, don't add any oil. Just put the stuffed eggplants onto the pan faced down.

Wait for around 5 - 7 minutes and flip it over. The meat should be golden in color, and it smells delicious! Yums. Cook this in dry, no oil pan for around 3 minutes.

Add a third of a cup of water and cook till the water dries. This is because its relatively hard to cook eggplants since the flesh is foamy. That is why we add water to speed up the process. You could add vegetable oil if you want as well, but that's a little fattening. Yeh....

When it's fully cooked, you should be able to poke a hole into the eggplant with chopstick easily.

Yumms. Juicy wolf berries. :D I regretted just adding 2 spoons actually. If you love the sweet juicy wolf berries like I do, feel free to double up the wolf berry amount used!!! :D


Wrap the rest and you should be able to keep this for around 3 - 5 days in the fridge. :D

Trust me, this dish is really good. you have virtually no fats(no oil used, plus chicken is low in fats), high protein(chicken), magnesium(Eggplant), antioxidants & vitamins(goji berries). This should be suitable for whichever diet you're on. Apart from vegan/vegetarian of course. :P But just in case you're on vegetarian, stuff with tomatoes, avocado and egg. For vegans, stuff it with tomatoes, mushrooms and avocado. :D

Xoxo.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

PMS - FOOD CRAVINGS

Now if you read my previous post, you'd probably know that I'm into this 'healthy home cooked food' diet.

Well. 'healthy diet' doesn't occur to me at all during the time of the month. My PMS is probably the worst in the world. Not only am I highly irritable and angry all the time, my brain screams for all unhealthy food on earth - especially carbohydrates. sugar. pastry. WAFFLES.

I could eat till my tummy turn from D - O (The shape) and my brain would still tell me, more. FOODFOOD.

2 nights ago, my hunger strike so bad in the middle of the night that I woke up, sat beside my fridge and eat all the left over chicken. How desperate. I even took out my biscuit tin and ate all the left overs. My brain still wasn't satisfied. I had to cook all the fishballs I had in the fridge after all the above food. 20 more fishballs before I'm happy. What a night.....

I went on to eat dim sum the next day with my boyfriend! CRAVINGS LIKE CRAZY! Now I forgot the address of this dim sum place but they're good. I'm definitely going down again soon, and I'd note down the address.


pork
yumms

FAVORITE salted egg custard bun; crystal skin bun.

Lotus leave wrapped rice. Now I'm done with the rice before I could take the picture. Hence this sucky finished lotus rice skin. :D

We later head on to paya lebar mrt station where I had one of the most crispy and delicious waffle in my life. for just $1.10. It's at the basement of Post office at paya lebar mrt station. Again, no photo because I didn't have the patience to take a photo before eating the food. 

Dinner was more dim sum and astons - grilled chicken with pasta and onion rings. 

Happy. satisfied girl. not healthy for weight though. hmmm I honestly don't give a damn during PMS. Do you?

Breakfast today! Chocolate oatmeal pancake - made with 2 eggs and cottage cheese. :D 

XOXO

Sunday 2 December 2012

How to lose weight

Now I'm not anywhere close to being skinny(Ok once. I was underweight all the way till I was 7years old). But I was really overweight once. I'm only 1.63cm/5.34ft tall, and I once weigh 68kg. I was 1.59 when I weigh 68kg btw. Now obviously everyone in school laughs at me and my confidence lvl is extremely low. I felt miserable everyday. I'd cry secretly and of course, I couldn't wear a lot of pretty clothes! 

My fear of being laughed at everyday wasn't helped by my neck turning grayish black. Which is an early sign of diabetes. My mom's side has a history of diabetes, so that freaked me out. I decided to lose some weight. 

I lost a bulk of my weight in my secondary school, just from stress and being in this club in sch whr they force us to run around the school every morning. Obviously this is really embarrassing! But from that, I lost around 10kg in a stretch of 1.5years, with healthy diet. By that, I meant no fried food and sweet drinks at all for around a year. I continued eating healthy and cutting down my carbs intake slowly. That brought my weight down to 52kg - 54kg after another year plus.  

I started running during one of the holidays in my JC1. Which kind of changed my life. I fell in love with running. Running daily also helped stop me from eating some how. I'd feel really full for an hour plus after running (I run around 3km everyday, followed by 100 sit ups daily). That really helped since I usually finish my run half an hour before my dinner. With less food for dinner and my run, I managed to reach 48kg - 50kg. Managed to keep that weight for around 2 years. I think.

Then I moved house. I started eating out everyday. Oily junk food - roti prata for supper everynight, pizza for lunch, KFC...... And I stopped running because there isn't proper running track here. ok i'm just lazy! For 3 years.

My weight went through a crazy shift! I gained like 10kg. And to be honest, I was never too upset about it because I could still fit into most of my clothes. It was until 3 weeks back that I realise I couldn't fit into one of my favorite dresses! Well I could fit into it but I look FAT. like. fat. 

I told myself I need to lose weight. And step one was to stop eating out. I cooked myself meals everyday, brought it to work. I stopped drinking the ever so famous Gong Cha (highly sweetened milk tea). And I try to go for a run at least once a week. A 2 - 2.4km run with at least 30 sit ups. 

Its been 3 weeks, and I've lost around 4kg - last checked today morning. I try to bring non fattening treats eg low fat yogurt and skimmed milk where ever I go. Keep eating throughout the day. That speeds up metabolism rate and keeps you away from junk food - eg fries from McDonald.

Below, I'm showing some of the foods I cooked for myself - and you'd see it's not torturous to eat non-fattening food. In fact, they're really delicious. You just have to be determined to cook everyday and run at least once a week. Of course, try to walk around as much as possible everyday. What I do daily is to walk to mrt station and mop floor. Hmm ya. It's not hard to lose weight girls.

Beef stew. I love to eat this for dinner. It's really quick to prepare. Cut beef into chunks and lay they on non stick pan. Without any oil. Wait for a side to be slightly burnt and flip it over. Add water, salt, black pepper, chilli, onion and garlic. Let it cook for around 10minutes and you're ready to go. Eat with with whole grain bread, glass noodles or oatmeal crepe below!

This is what I eat for breakfast. Oatmeal egg crepe + 2 pieces of low fat ham. Mix 2 - 3 spoon of oatmeal with 2 spoon of milk. Crack an egg and stir well. Fry it like you would a pancake. Add some sugar if you want. As for the ham, just buy from Supermarket. Choose the ones with lesser fat. 

One of my favorite snack. Oatmeal apple ginger steamed cake. Just change out 2/3 of the flour you'd normally use with oatmeal, and all the butter to skimmed milk and cooking oil. Its really yummy. 

My dinner/lunch again. Beef stew prepared the same way as the previous one, bt I added vegg. 

As for the fish..
Lay the fish on a non stick pan and squeeze 2 whole lime juice on it, and add some salt. I like to add a little of oil when I fry fish because fish stick to my pan like crazy. That gets rid of the fishy taste. Flip over when one side is slightly burnt and add half a bowl of water. Since my fish is around 0.5kg, I waited for all the water to dry up before it's ready to eat.  

Mussels. The easiest thing on earth to cook. But it tastes heavenly. Pour a can of beer, add 2-3 chili, some garlic, onion, half a tablespoon butter, some salt... and the mussels! add some mushrooms on top if you want and just let it boil for around 45 minutes. Ready to eat. BEST MUSSELS ON EARTH.

I hope this could inspire some ladies. I understand how painful it is to be overweight. But sometimes it just boils down to your diet. Don't ever go on a no-food diet. Or just fruit diets. I eat like crazy these 3 weeks, yet I shed over 4kg. Never go without food - it hurts your body really bad. Of course, upon reaching your desired weight, maintain a healthy diet. Just don't eat like a monster like what I did - prata + pizza + KFC. Remember. Smaller portions, many meals a day. Bring energy bar out if it helps!