Steamed Sutchi Fillet + White Belly Pork – 11th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 13May2016

Posted on May 13, 2016 by chefquak

steamed sutchi fillet

this morning we had an additional dish for teban gardens community breakfast on 13.5.2016. ^^

a RI friend made steamed sutchi fillet. he had to wake up real early to prepare the dish & bring it from sengkang to teban gardens to arrive on time by 830am in the morning rush hour traffic. very good chappie!

for myself i made white belly pork.

(i had prepared 3 angkoli fish aka sea bream, removed the heads & also fillet the fish to make a fish curry dish without bones for the teban gardens community breakfast. heard from my friend the day before that he was making steamed sutchi fillet, so made a last minute switch to belly pork).

this my 11th friday breakfast community meal at teban gardens community service centre (CSC).

i first started doing a community meal dish for teban gardens CSC on 8.1.2016.

the centre was started in 2002 after much effort & challenge by our RI friend who is a pastor of pasir panjang hill brethren church (pphbc) which owns & runs the CSC.

white belly pork

i made 1.2kg belly pork. reduced the quantity since there was already the sutchi dish.

white belly pork

i used a simple preparation.

scald the belly pork to remove scum, & clean thoroughly.

add 4 tbsp shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp salt & 1 tbsp sugar & mix to dissolve. can heat if required.

season the belly pork & place in oven-proof dish in a 90degC oven for 4 hours. this can be done the evening before.

final step, place belly pork in steam oven (or steamer) for 75mins.

cut the pork

pork is tasty & tender & still have bite.

monthly birthday cake

every month, a volunteer bakes a cake for the centre to celebrate the birthdays of folks whose birthdays fall within that month. very meaningful & endearing for the folks to have everyone celebrate their birthdays together.

very nice cake today!

& tasted good too. just a little sweet for me.

c.h.e.f andy

Chocolate Banana Cake – Simply Awesome!

Posted on May 12, 2016 by chefquak

chocolate banana cake

today i made a chocolate banana cake for the first time on 11.5.2016. ^^

chocolate banana cake

& actually it turned out quite awesome! ^^

chocolate banana cake

my primary school friend is buying lunch the next day.

so i thought i would make a banoffee pie so we can all share after lunch.

just happens that the conversation on group whatsapp was chocolate banana cake. a friend had just taken that at awfully chocolate. i know cedele sells that too but have not tried it, and also secret recipe when i googled.

i found a recipe on joy of baking which i thought i can do.

10″ x 10″ cake tin from phoon huat

next was to go buy a cake tin & the ingredients like flour, baking soda, baking powder etc, all i didn’t have.

i bought a 10″ x 10″ cake tin from phoon huat, S$6.50.

mashed banana

recipe seems simply enuf!

i just have to manage the sugar, as usually the western recipe has many times the sugar we like.

i mashed about 1.5 medium bananas & kept 1/2 for some banana chunks (not in recipe).

mixed eggs, water, milk, vanilla essence, mashed bananas, oil

i mixed 2 eggs, mashed bananas, 1 cup water (240ml), 1/2 cup milk (120ml), 1.5 tsp vanilla essence & 1/2 cup oil (120ml) in a large bowl, & whisked.

mixed cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar

i sieved 1 & 3/4 cups plain flour (245g) & sieved 3/4 cup cocoa powder (75g) to a large bowl, added 5 tbsp sugar (75g), ! & 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt & mix.

recipe called for 400g sugar. i used just 75g so i could adjust later. i tried the cake mix later & added 1 tbsp & then 1 more tbsp sugar so in total 7 tbsp (105g) sugar

fold the wet light mix to the dry mix

i added the wet light mix to the dry mix.

i made a big mistake though!

i forgot that i should fold & not whisk!

cake mixture before baking

well for this time it didn’t matter that i whisked.

as i said earlier, i tasted the cake mix before baking, so i added 2 tbsp more sugar, 1 tbsp at a time & guess what, i had to whisk la!

so in the end no diff!

baked for 40mins at 180degC

i buttered the 10 by 10 cake tin & pour the cake mix in.

baked for 40mins according to joyofbaking recipe instructions.

made chocolate ganagce for frosting

then i made the ganache.

boil 180ml whipping cream with 1 tbsp butter (15ml). broke up 200g dark chocolate (i used cadbury) & whisked.

chocolate ganagce for frosting over baked cake

chocolate ganche for frosting over baked cake

after the cake had cooled completely, i added the ganache frosting.

chocolate banana cake

when i tested the cake, it was still warm & the ganache flowed a bit. ok but didn’t feel special.

chocolate banana cake

i put it in the fridge & tried the next day.

what can i say? it was awesome leh!

well it was pretty good la…chocolate cake standalone not really my favourite, but this was really jolly good. the ganache was specially good. the cake itself was dense but it was ok good.

i may add a bit more bananas, but for me, this cake just like this was quite good enuf.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

2 medium bananas
2 eggs
1 cup water (240ml)
1/2 cup milk (120ml)
1.5 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup oil (120ml)
1 & 3/4 cups plain flour (245g)
3/4 cup cocoa powder (75g)
7 tbsp sugar (105g)
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
180ml whipping cream
1 tbsp butter (15ml)
200g dark chocolate (i used cadbury)

Directions:

mash 1.5 medium bananas & kept 1/2 for some banana chunks (not in recipe).
mix 2 eggs, mashed bananas, 1 cup water (240ml), 1/2 cup milk (120ml), 1.5 tsp vanilla essence & 1/2 cup oil (120ml) in a large bowl, & whisk.
sieve 1 & 3/4 cups plain flour (245g) & sieve 3/4 cup cocoa powder (75g) to a large bowl, add 7 tbsp sugar (105g), 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt & mix. <recipe called for 400g sugar. i used just 5tbsp (75g) so i could adjust later. i tried the cake mix later & added 1 tbsp & then 1 more tbsp sugar so in total 7 tbsp (105g) sugar>
add the wet light mix to the dry mix & fold, figure of eight motion.
butter the 10 by 10 cake tin (or non-stick spray), placed the banana chunks on cake tin & pour the cake mix in. bake for 40mins according to joyofbaking recipe instructions.
make ganache frosting – boil 180ml whipping cream with 1 tbsp butter (15ml). break up 200g dark chocolate (i used cadbury) & whisk.
when cake is completely cooled, add the ganache frosting. voila!

Very Good Enjoyable Lunch @ Seng Kee on 12May2016

Posted on May 12, 2016 by chefquak

香煎米粉or三楼米粉 fried beehoon

my OPS primary school classmate bought 5pax lunch at seng kee today on 12.5.2016.^^

the 香煎米粉or三楼米粉 fried beehoon we had today, i so enjoyed this i am going to try making this myself.

i came here twice before, both times with my RI friends.

the last time was a year ago after watching australian open tennis finals between djokovic & murray on 1.2.2015.

food was so so that day. the steamed fish head was good.

香煎米粉or三楼米粉 fried beehoon

recently these friends brought me to try many interesting food, like the white bee hoon at tampines 844.

some i tried before in the younger days maybe but did not pay much attention, some i have not tried.

today my friend ordered 6 dishes.

the 香煎米粉or三楼米粉 fried beehoon seems to be a seng kee’s newly added dish.

& it was very good. very nice flavours, wok hae, nicely crisp, not soggy, i think overall almost perfect.

after that i googled & saw some photos of the 三楼米粉 at 三楼海鲜园 Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru. just by picture alone, i would think the seng kee one look much better. of course will have to try la one day….

assam fish head

the assam fish head was also good.

basically fish head was fresh & sweet, & the assam sauce added to the taste. would have been just as good steamed (like last time the teochew style).

东坡肉dongporou with brocoli & bun

the 东坡肉dongporou was not the best, but it was pretty good. my friends felt the fat was not done well enuf, in terms of the bite. i guess so. i think the meat taste & sauce also not as good not 入味 intense enuf. brocoli buns all that ok but those were not definitive of the dish.

deepfried tofu with minced meat sauce

the deep-fried tofu was good too, very well done.

the meat sauce though quite pedestrian, by the way type.

kidney mee sua…so so

their famous kidney mee sua??

kidney mee sua…so so

i wonder, nothing great about it…same thing i thought the last time. that was worse actually, there was a taste i remember, this time no bad taste, but nothing great, in fact nothing good.

any bakuteh stall would be better la…so i rate this as the worst dish…

didn’t have a photo of the romaine lettuce 油麦菜. it was ok but nothing to talk about just very average.

overall it was a very good lunch. friend wasn’t satisfied himself but i enjoyed the lunch quite a lot. wasn’t much of a problem for us. he can keep buying lunch until he is satisfied la…the least you can do for a friend…lol! ^^

my friend paid. i haven’t found out about the cost. will update this later if i know the cost.

c.h.e.f andy

Samgyetang 삼계탕 参鸡汤 Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

Posted on May 12, 2016 by chefquak

Samgyetang 삼계탕 参鸡汤 Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

another dish i did when my friends gathered at my place to relish hong kong food fun moments on 20.1.2016 was Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup).

glutinous rice stuffed chicken soup HK$188 2-in-1 special

interestingly, during our recent 6pax hong kong eat & hike 10-14Jan2016, i had one of the best samgyetang at-

Tao Heung 稻香 (Tsimshatsui) on 11.1.2016

the soup was very intense, sweet & flavourful. chicken was tender & the glutinous rice added an interesting texture. this something i always like, similar to the indian mulligatawny soup which i like.

well, this the chinese version. there was NO ginseng in it. neither has mine. 🙂

Samgyetang 삼계탕 参鸡汤 Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

my chicken soup was also very tasty (though maybe still not as intense as the wonderful glutinous stuffed chicken soup we had at tao hueng tsimshatsui), & chicken very tender as my friends noted.

i stuffed the chicken with 3 tbsp glutinous rice (soaked in water for 1 hr according to one internet samgyaetang recipe), 3 cloves garlic & 3 dried red dates, cut ginger, 2 spring onions.

i boiled the small 1kg chicken with chicken stock i made the day before, added 3 more red dates & sliced ginger & spring onions, salt (to taste) & boiled medium for 45mins, then turned over medium low for 30mins.

seems that the glutinous rice in the koreanbapsang internet recipe was too little, would have been better with more so texture of soup will be better. will try 1/2 cup next time.

overall, a nourishing, warming comfort food, very shiok with the other dishes we had. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

small 1kg chicken, cleaned & massaged with salt
1/2 cup glutinous rice (soaked in water for 1 hr)
6 cloves garlic
6 dried red dates
3cm cut ginger
2 twig spring onions
5 cups chicken stock

Directions:

stuff small 1kg chicken with 1/2 cup glutinous rice (soaked in water for 1 hr), 3 cloves garlic, 3 dried red dates, cut ginger, 2 spring onions. tie legs with kitchen twine.
boil chicken with 5 cups chicken stock, add 3 more red dates, cut ginger & spring onions, salt (to taste) & boil medium for 45mins, then turn over medium low for 30mins.

Dried Mustard Leaves Belly Pork 梅菜扣肉

Posted on May 12, 2016 by chefquak

dried mustard leaves belly pork 梅菜扣肉

i read about mei cai kou rou recipe on internet many times but never got to try it.

post our 6pax hong kong eat & hike 10-14jan2016,

my friends gathered at my place to relish hong kong food fun moments on 20.1.2016

though we did not have 梅菜扣肉 in hong kong, i was thinking what dishes to add to the lunch menu.

this my first try at梅菜扣肉 & in any case a good opportunity to get my friends to try it.

it was very well done. ^^

i varied a 梅菜扣肉 recipe i read on internet.

i bought the sweet mustard leaves, mei cai, 梅菜 from sheng shiong & used the whole packet with about 500g+ of belly pork. the mei cai, 梅菜 need to be soaked & washed many times to remove the sand.

i placed the belly pork in a 90degC oven for 3 hrs, instead of boiling it in water for 35mins according to the recipe.

i then seared the skin & sides & added 1/2tbsp dark sauce to coat the belly pork. & sliced the belly pork when cool.

then i melted 1 tbsp sugar, added 1 tbsp oil & fried the 梅菜 & added 1/2cup chicken stock.

then i placed the 梅菜 on the sliced belly pork & placed in the steam oven for 75mins.

the 梅菜 was just perfect, texture, colour, taste, everything & the belly pork 扣肉excellent, so tender & tasty!^^

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

500g belly pork
1 packet sweet mustard leaves, mei cai, 梅菜
1/2 tbsp dark sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

soak & wash sweet mustard leaves, mei cai, 梅菜 many times to remove the sand. cut into small bits.
scald the belly pork to remove scum. place the belly pork in a 90degC oven for 3 hrs (or boil it in water for 35mins).
sear the skin & sides & add 1/2tbsp dark sauce to coat the belly pork. slice the belly pork when cool.
melt 1 tbsp sugar, add 1 tbsp oil & fry the 梅菜. add 1/2cup chicken stock.
place the 梅菜 on the sliced belly pork & place in the steam oven (or a steamer) for 75mins.

Stewed Cabbage with Fried Beancurd Puff (Taupok)

Posted on May 11, 2016 by chefquak

cabbage with tau pok

i did a stewed cabbage with fried beancurd puff for a 4pax lunch for my OPS (Outram Primary School) classmates on 17.3.2016. ^^

it’s a wonderful dish really!

ye shanghai’s cabbage

at good & cheap teochew muay stalls like ye shanghai, they do simple dishes like cabbage that are very tasty.

stewed cabbage

i managed to do that quite a few times including a homecooked teochew muay lunch for my friends-

15 teochew muay dishes for 9pax RI friends on 28.10.2015

my cabbage with tau pok was also a variation of my usual cabbage for teochew muay.

this time it was a lot tastier even, because i reduced the stock more & also the hara fried beancurd puff added a very pleasant, sweet taste.

a great improvement even compared with the cabbage everyone liked on 28.10.2015!

i had the idea of adding ikan bilis.

i got that from the nice ikan bilis bee hoon we had last time at ayer rajah food centre afte the indian rojak.

it went very well with the cabbage dish actually, but you can’t have too much of it so i just added 1/2 portion of what i made.

so basically, the steps are –

add cut chilli padi, chopped garlic & fry

then add the cabbage, oyster sauce, fish sauce (or light soy sauce), and fry for 2 mins to coat the cabbage with the sauce.

then add stock, cover & reduce, 10mins.

add hara taupok (cut each taupok square into 4 strips), cook for 20mins. the taupok is a good combination, add texture & more sweetness to the dish.

reduce is the key, so flavours are more intense, too much water will dilute the taste. make sure cabbage not overcooked & still retain the crunchy bite.

fry ikan bilis (optional)

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent Fish Head Curry

Posted on May 11, 2016 by chefquak

fish head curry was very good

recently, i have made fish head curry a number of times & happy to say it has consistently good everytime, and my friends all thought the fish head curry was the best dish. ^^

mak’s curry paste for fish head curry

first time i did fish head curry was 14.3.2016. it was a 10pa curry rice lunch + bakuteh post JB trip. ^^

i grabbed a curry paste from sheng shiong. found this mak’s nonya fish head curry S$2.45, used it for the first time.

fish head curry

wife went to chinatown & bought me an angkoli (sea bream) fish head. i though it was very expensive at S$16.

anyway it was super fresh, meat was firm & sweet.

fish head curry

cooking was easy. i just followed instructions at the back of the sachet-

fry first the sliced yellow onions, curry rempah & some coconut milk.

add cut okra (lady’s fingers) and fry another few minutes.

add fish head & coat thoroughly both sides with rempah

add cut egg plant, chicken stock & coconut milk, covered, simmered about 8 – 10mins

add cut tomatoes.

fish head curry

i did this a few more times, & it was good, in fact excellent, every time-

8pax curry rice lunch for my OPS primary school classmates on 21.4.2016

a simple 3pax family curry dinner on 24.4.2016

& most recently a 12pax home dinner + silk road briefing on 9.5.2016

fish head curry

what i like was the simplicity in the preparation.

fish head curry

& that it is consistently good without fail.

i am planning to do this for the community meals at teban gardens & at bathesda bedok.

fish head curry

i am good with using premix for my cooking. if they works why not? why invent the wheel? no hang-ups for me. 🙂

i do have a good recipe for nonya curry chicken, so for that i do not use curry paste, but there is no fix rules, whatever works, works for me la…

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

1 angkoli (sea bream) fish head about 1kg (or garoupa)
1 Mak’s fish head curry sachet
1 small yellow onions (sliced)
5 ocra (1cm cut)
1 egg plant (1.5cm cut)
2 tomatoes (cut into 8 or 12 pieces)
200ml coconut milk
750ml to 1000ml chicken stock

Directions:

wash fish head with salt thoroughly & drain.

i just followed instructions at the back of the sachet-

fry first the sliced yellow onions, curry rempah & some coconut milk.
add cut okra (lady’s fingers) and fry another few minutes.
add fish head & coat thoroughly both sides with rempah
add cut egg plant, chicken stock & coconut milk, covered, simmered about 8 – 10mins
add cut tomatoes.

12pax Home Dinner + Silk Road Adventure Briefing on 9may2016

Posted on May 10, 2016 by chefquak

fish head curry was very good

made a simple homecooked 12pax dinner for friends today on 9.5.2016. ^^

a good friend was briefing us on a silk road adventure tour she planned for sep this year.

mouthwatering it was! ^^

it was simple as curry dishes are easy to do & by now i am quite organised for these dinners.

the heavy cooking was only 3 full hours.

so i in fact went to the gym in the morning & a good friend bought a good teochew muay buffet lunch afterwards.

of course that excludes deboning the chicken, making stock, making the paste for nonya curry chicken & making tiramisu, all done the day before. 🙂

great wines brought by 2 friends

2 friends brought 2 nice reds.

we had the yellow label, the michel torino for another occasion.

for this evening’s dinner, i made 7 dishes-

#1 fish head curry
#2 nonya chicken curry
#3 teriyaki sutchi fillet
#4 kou rou (w/o mei cai) + white kong bak (both experimental)
#5 chap chai
#6 fried hokkien noodles
#7 tiramisu

& a friend brought excellent cheng chow dessert

nonya curry chicken

the fish head curry, like the last 2 times, was excellent. everyone loved it.

my nonya curry chicken was very good too.

nonya curry chicken

very lemak, flavourful & a key difference with curry chicken outside, my chicken was very tender not overcooked.

kou rou扣肉 preparation w/o the mei cai 梅菜 (experimental)

the kou rou扣肉 preparation w/o the mei cai 梅菜 was experimental. result was excellent. several friends picked this as the best, their favourite. 🙂

i used my mei cai kou rou recipe basically.

this time i used shao xing wine & sea salt & sugar to marinate, put in 90degC oven for 4 hours, browned on non-stick pan, added dark sauce to coat & some sugar, then steam oven for 1hr 15mins.

white kong bak 白腩肉 (experimental)

white kong bak 白腩肉 also experimental.

this after having the teochew white belly pork at bedok north food centre.

this was excellent too. a similar number of friends picked this as their favourite.

today’s teriyaki sutchi not so good

the teriyaki sutchi fillet was not so good today.

i did teriyaki sutchi fillet for teban gardens community meal & bathesda bedok community meal recently. of you look at the photos, the difference is quite evident.

i think it was because i wrap it in aluminium foil in oven for 2 ovens & the fillet sweat.

chap chai was good sweet & tasty

chap chai was very good. cabbage sweetness + taupok yellow bean sweetness + chicken stock sweetness & reduced.

tanhoon gave some additional texture.

fried hokkien noodles tasty but soaked up the gravy & a bit mushy

this the second time i made fried hokkien noodles.

but amount was doubled that of the first time so quite different.

another big difference was that the first time i served & ate right away, this time it was in a 50dgegC ove to keep warm for 2 hours wrapped in aluminium foil. it was tasty still but noodle soaked up the gravy & became a bit mushy.

excellent cheng chow mango, longans & aloe vera

a friend brought excellent cheng chow dessert.

excellent cheng chow mango, longans & aloe vera

it was very nice, with canned longans, freshly prepared aloe vera, lime juice & cut mango with some tanginess.

my usual tiramisu -irresistable for one friend

my usual tiramisu, simply irresistable to one friend, he mopped up all. ^^

korean strawberries quite sweet

korean strawberry was sweet for me, not sweet enuf for some friends.

grapes very sweet

a friend brought the grapes, very sweet! 🙂

had a great time with friends. & we had an excellent briefing too on silk road trip which one friend is organising. such a thrilling adventure from the slides presentation! 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Good S$13.80nett Teochew Muay Buffet @ Gimtim on 9May2016

Posted on May 10, 2016 by chefquak

teochew muay buffet dishes

friend bought 3pax lunch at gimtim at amk ave 4 on 9.5.2016. ^^

this was a follow-up of our last makan at toa payoh lor 8 food centre on 30.4.2016.

i have been to 2 other gimtim group restaurants & they were pretty good-

sweet potato porridge

they have a S$13.80 nett teochew muay weekdays buffet lunch.

buffet turned out better than i expected. 🙂

setting & dishes were humble, but the taste was quite good.

braised chicken

chicken was good, tender & sauce tasty.

braised duck wings

duck wings so so, can skip.

mui choy 梅菜

mui choy 梅菜 was good, not salty, nice flavour.

kiam chai咸菜

kiam chai咸菜 also good, not salty, & sweet.

egg plant

egg plant boleh da…

chicken feet

chicken feet was good. friend went to get a second helping.

ter kar (pig trotters)

ter kar (pig trotters) nice gummy texture & tasty. people took most of it i managed to get some odds & ends.

tau kee

tau kee average competent.

pork & cauliflower

pork & cauliflower simple, ok.

tofu fungus chinese cabbage

egg tofu quite well done. with wood fungus & chinese cabbage, sweet.

braised pig heat meat & tofu

strange they did not have kong bak. friend only picked up pig head meat, tofu & egg. they were good. 🙂

braised pig ears

there was a refill, but only pig ears. good too. 🙂

ikan selar

the i think ikan selar? was good. people took the tails so only left heads.

i will try to cook this dish myself.

sides

i enjoyed all these little sides – fermented beancurd, peanut ikan bilis, olive vegetable, haebeehiam & radish pickles.

all memory foods from childhood la….

pulut hitam

had some fruit (papaya) + pulut hitam.

i don’t mind this place. can come back some time again with my sis.

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++

GIMTIM

Address :	Blk 157, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-546 Singapore 560157
Hotline :	6459 7766 (Reservation is needed on Saturday and Sunday)
Fax :	6458 0467
Email :	amk157@gimtim.com.sg
Business Hour :	Monday – Friday (Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm / Dinner 6.00pm – 10.30pm) Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday (Lunch 11.00am – 2.30pm / Dinner 6.00pm – 10.30pm)

Fabulous Mother’s Day Lunch @ Majestic Restaurant on 8May2016

Posted on May 8, 2016 by chefquak

crab roe sharksfin soup (limited to one order)

bought wife & family a fab 5pax mother’s day lunch at majestic today on 8.5.2016. ^^

look at the crab roe sharksfin soup (top photo), a perennial favourite of ours at majestic. it was still so good! one of the very best soup i had, so sweet & tasty.

chilli lobster (limited to one order)

majestic does a mother’s day ala carte buffet lunch at S$68pax++ with 15% citibank discounts.

a new item on the ala carte buffet menu was chilli lobster (used to be a NOT great chilli crab). for me, still not great la…

majestic restaurant

we came early at about 12pm. restaurant was full by 1230pm.

majestic restaurant

i did not find a recent post on majestic on my blog. perhaps i did not record.

the one i had was 3 years ago, a world gourmet summit dinner in apr2013.

roast duck, roast chicken, char siew, siew yoke

for today, there was a self service station. the roasts were excellent!

roast duck, roast chicken, char siew, siew yoke

roast duck was especially good. we had a few individual helpings. char siew was good. siew yoke ok not as good as the usual cube roast pork servings in these kind of good restaurants.

lotus bun, pumpkin, braised duck wing

the lotus bun was good. we shared one among 5 of us. i took the braised duck wing. the pumpkin with 肉松was non-descript for me. wife liked it though.

century egg porridge皮蛋粥

i wanted to try the porridge. took a tiny bit. it was good!

braised belly pork卤肉

the braised belly pork was very flavourful. texture was tender though it didn’t look it in the large serving claypot.

har gau虾饺

from the ala carte menu, har gao was average. many dimsum places like crystal jade, imperial treasure better.

crab roe sharksfin soup (limited to one order)

the crab roe sharksfin soup was limited to one serving each. top draw stuff!

chilli lobster (limited to one order)

the chilli lobster was so so for me.

chilli lobster (limited to one order)

chilli gravy was good especially with the bun which was excellent.

lobster meat was not bouncy. did not feel like live or fresh lobster.

the thai lemongrass chilli lobster i had recently at red house was far, far better.

wasabi prawns

wasabi prawns were very good. tops!

did not look it though with too much of the green mayo. but the batter was very good, not like most places where they were thick, hard, tough. prawns were very fresh, water melon a great balance, counterpoint.

chilean seabass

i love chilean seabass, & majestic served very good steamed ones in their regular menu.

here it was non descript.

锅仔牛柳beef ribs korean style – galbi

the galbi style beef ribs were ok.

somehow it works better when served in individual small portion courses.

lobster crab roe broth

the sharksfin soup was limited to one order. there were like 3 or 4 other soups unlimited orders. we ordered 2 lobster crab roe broth to share.

a pretty good soup, though no comparison with the crab roe sharksfin soup.

spinach wolfberry in superior broth

the spinach wolfberry was good. this something i can do easily myself.

oyster mee sua蚝仔面线

wife love the oyster mee sua.

oyster mee sua蚝仔面线

it was very tasty with nice oyster flavour.

this also something quite easy to do myself-basically a good stock, as also for the spinach wolfberry, that’s about it.

salted egg custard buns流沙包

the salted egg custard buns流沙包 was very good here.

salted egg custard buns流沙包

the best!

deepfried durian ice cream

& the deepfried durian ice cream, another perennial favourite here.

deepfried durian ice cream

i ended up eating 1.5 portion.

really enjoyable lunch & family time on mother’s day.

after that, some of us had what my children called food induced coma.

not eating dinner this evening.

really!

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Majestic Restaurant
New Majestic Hotel
31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089845

Contact
Tel: [65] 6511 4718
Fax: [65] 6222 3379
E-mail: restaurant@newmajestichotel.com

Majestic Hours

Tuesdays to Sundays
Closed on MondaysLunch – 11.45am to 2.30pm
Last lunch order – 2.15pm

Dinner – 6pm to 10pm
Last dinner order – 9.45pm

Excellent Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles

Posted on May 8, 2016 by chefquak

fried hokkien prawn noodles

did a fried hokkien prawn noodles today on 7.5.2016. ^^

had always wanted to do since the very nice fried hokkien noodles at a friend’s home gathering in nov last year (2015). 🙂

just never got round to it till now.

i googled for an internet recipe, and found a rasamalaysia.com.

fried hokkien prawn noodles

i varied the recipe according to the estimate amount i wanted to cook the the ingredients i had-

fry prawn heads & shells in oil & some butter till fragrant. add 500ml chicken stock. boiled for 1.2 hr. add water as required.

fry thinly sliced belly pork & set aside.

add cut chilli, 2 tsp chopped garlic & fry in 2 tbsp oil. add 2 eggs & scramble.

add yellow noodles & bee hoon (both soaked to clean & softened & then drained) & fry short while on high fire.

add 1/2 the stock reduce till almost dry to infuse the flavours.

add remaining stock, prawns & cut squids, and belly pork and cover. manage the stock so noodles is reduced & very flavourful but still wet.

fried hokkien prawn noodles

it was my first time doing fried hokkien prawn noodles.

the taste was excellent really. i think better than many average fried hokkien noodles at hawker stalls. still need to try couple times more to see if i can reproduce this consistently & also if i have to make a larger quantity.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

200g yellow noodles
100g beehoon
6 medium prawns
1 medium sotong (squid)
100g pork belly
40g Green chives
500ml chicken stock
2 Eggs
2 chopped garlic

Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 dash pepper
(i did not add sesame oil)

Directions:

fry prawn heads & shells in oil & some butter till fragrant. add 500ml chicken stock. boiled for 1.2 hr. add water as required.
fry thinly sliced belly pork & set aside.
add cut chilli, 2 tsp chopped garlic & fry in 2 tbsp oil. add 2 eggs & scramble.
add yellow noodles & bee hoon (both soaked to clean & softened & then drained) & fry short while on high fire.
add 1/2 the stock reduce till almost dry to infuse the flavours.
add remaining stock, prawns & cut squids, and belly pork and cover. manage the stock so noodles is reduced & very flavourful but still wet.

Much Below Par Crab Beehoon Soup @ Uncle Leong Jurong East on 6May2016

Posted on May 7, 2016 by chefquak

crab beehoon – S$68/kg add S$5 for soup

i arranged a 5pax lunch with my OPS primary school buddies at uncle leong jurong east on 6.5.2016. ^^

i had quite many excellent crab beehoon soup at uncle leong jurong east last year (2015).

& recently a OPS primary school buddy bought a very good lunch at red house, so i wanted to let them try the crab beehoon soup at uncle leong.

crab beehoon – S$68/kg add S$5 for soup

price of crab has gone up from S$63/kg to S$68/kg. adding soup still S$5.

higher price is ok, but somehow the soup was not as intense & flavourful as every of the previous times i had???

if you look at the 2 past photos above, the soup previously all had a deeper yellow colour. just by the look, it appeared more delicious than what we had today!

also, as one friend mentioned immediately, the crab was not as “strong” ie the meat texture is not as firm, and i felt also not sweet as a very fresh good crab should taste.

my own crab beehoon soup 2.5.2016

recently i made a 6-course dinner including crab beehoon soup for a very good friend’s birthday.

the crab beehoon soup i made using 2x250g small crab was very nice. i commented that uncle leong’s was much better, but if i were to c/w what we had today, i think mine was better both for the soup & the crab. my crabs were tiny but very sweet!

cereal prawns – S$25

the cereal prawns was still good.

however for comparison, i just had cereal prawns at red house 2 days back for another friend’s 7pax bjrthday dinner, and red house cereal prawns were so much better.

seafood pot – S$30

the seafood pot was still very good.

many good ingredients including fish maw, sea cucumbers etc.

hotpot tofu – S$15

this hotpot tofu was the worst dish. no comparison at all with any zi char tofu dish say the likes of kok sen etc

3-egg tofu – S$15

i used to think this was the best 3-egg tofu.

my taste buds must be different today, but while it was still pretty ok, i thought the recent 3-egg spinach at red house was better.

longan sea coconut – complimentary

when we first tried the crab, immediately we told the server it was not so good.

i did not really expect anything, it was not so good but it was not like “bad”. anyhow the server arranged a complimentary longan sea coconut dessert for us.

the lunch came to S$176nett for 5pax like S$35pax. it was really quite below my expectations, much below par.

the last many times i came in 2015, i used a $51 for S$100 voucher so those meals were first super nice & second like super value-for-money. this time no discounts, but i was ok if only the food were as good, but they were not….

c.h.e.f andy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Uncle Leong (Jurong East)

Address:

262 Jurong East Street 24, #01-485, Singapore 600262

Contact:

(+65) 6897 2881

legacyseafood262@gmail.com

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sun: 11am – 11pm

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 5th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 7May2016

Posted on May 7, 2016 by chefquak

teriyaki sutchi fillet

made a teriyaki sutchi fillet this morning on 7.5.2016. ^^

this my 5th community lunch dish for bathesda community’s newgate learning hub (bread of life). ^^

my 1st for newgate community lunch was on 27.2.2016.

teriyaki sutchi fillet

i did the same teriyaki sutchi fillet for my 10th teban gardens community breakfast on 29.4.2016.

the fish was quite delicious! 🙂

the difference between HK steamed & this teriyaki sutchi fillet 日式红烧鲶鱼柳 just that instead of putting on a steaming tray in a steamer, the fillet is placed with the condiments etc in a non stick pan, turn fire on high to boil then cover & low to steam. in between turn over the fillet at 3mins.

basically the condiments is reduced & thickened & made the fillet quite flavourful. texture just a little firmer than the steamed version.

c.h.e.f andy

Wonderful 7pax Birthday Dinner @ Red House at Prinsep on 4May2016

Posted on May 6, 2016 by chefquak

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – 1.2kg S$86

we had a wonderful dinner for a very good friend at red house @ prinsep street on 4.5.2016. ^^

my primary school classmate bought lunch here recently (also a birthday). i thought the food was pretty good & might be a good place for the birthday dinner. 🙂

red house @ prinsep street

my wife & i were early as we wanted to look at some shop nearby. street parking was full at 6pm so we parked at sunshine plaza which had a lot of parking.

ambience was quite good. nice place.

#1 thai lemongrass chilli lobster – S$88

i ordered 7 dishes. 🙂

there was a promo thai lemongrass chilli lobster at S$88.

#1 thai lemongrass chilli lobster – S$88

the chilli was excellent. everyone loved the taste.

it was quite a large serving too, i later learned it was a 800g blue lobster. 🙂

#2 cereal prawns – S$28

we ordered cereal prawns 400g at S$7/100g.

#2 cereal prawns – S$28

this was really good too.

#3 pepper crab – S$58

crabs were priced at S$72/kg.

we ordered a small sri-lankan pepper crab, 800g for S$58.

#3 pepper crab – S$58

this was a red house signature dish, and it was very good!

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

the 苏格兰面包螃蟹 (similar to dungeness crabs at pier 39 san francisco, also a common crab dish in hong kong & china seafood restaurants) was priced at the same S$72/kg. it’s 1.2kg so S$86, quite a bit more expensive.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

this also red house signature dish.

the crab meat was quite solid & more firm than sri-lankan crab.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹

i felt sri-lankan crab was tastier & had a better texture.

also my wife & i thought the chilli sauce was quite poor really, quite sweet but not intense with meat sweetness, instead gluey, sweet not spicy, more like a tourist version.

i would say alan’s homecooked chilli crab was a lot better than this la…

actually we ordered the chilli sri-lankan crab but they came with the expensive (heavier at 1.2kg)苏格兰面包螃蟹 . it was ok for us too to try a new crab dish.

#4 dungeness crab 苏格兰面包螃蟹 – S$86

this crab had a lot of roes & tomalleys.

friends ordered additional 10pieces man tou, so they must like the chilli. 🙂

#5 spinach tofu – S$21

we ordered a medium spinach tofu, 9 pieces S$21.

i liked this dish. it was very good. 🙂

#6 3-egg heng chai (spinach) – S$22

the 3-egg spinach also very good.

#6 3 egg heng chai (spinach) – S$22

but really this 3-egg spinach dish the best i had was at uncle leong jurong east.

#7 seafood hor fun – S$18

we ordered a medium seafood hor fun.

it was pretty good. several friends commented good wok hae! 🙂

#7 seafood hor fun – S$18

the broad kuay teow was especially flavourful. & the serving had quite a bit of prawns & sotong.

it was a good round-up dish for the dinner.

birthday cake

i didn’t have time so just got a 6″ 500g cake from swissbake at holland village.

this their most popular signature cake paradiso di nicciola. 🙂

cake was pretty good but the double chocolate praline from patissier was just a ot better la…

another friend, my weekly jogging partner, quietly paid for dinner without our knowledge. we were still waiting for the bill but he already settled it. ^^

dinner came to S$409. it was less than S$60pax nett. i think pretty good for this quality of food & actually cheaper than the recent 5pax lunch (which was S$311 for 5pax).

the service here was excellent, very friendly, very attentive, keep changing plates & gave a lot (continuous supply) of wet tissues etc. very good service indeed!

c.h.e.f andy

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Red House

Address

68 Prinsep Street, Singapore 188661

Contact

Tel = +65 6653 7160

Fax = +65 6336 6801

Email = prinsep@redhouseseafood.com

Parking

Sunshine Plaza, POMO and Somerset Bencoolen

Opening Hours

Mon – Fri

11.30am – 2.30pm (last order 2pm) 5pm – 11pm (last order 10.30 pm)

Sat, Sun & PH

11am – 11pm (last order 10.30pm)

Simple Quick Eats near ICA on 4May2016

Posted on May 4, 2016 by chefquak

laksa @ toastbox

went with wife to ICA (Immigration & Checkpoint Authority) to collect passport on 4.5.2016.

queue number a bit high & officer advised we go have lunch & come back later.

we crossed over the other side of kallang road via lavender mrt station & found toastbox at kitchere complex.

wife ordered a laksa set include iced barley drink for S$6.80. i ordered a kopi c gosong tik lok.

laksa @ toastbox

laksa was lemak, quite tasty, competent if nothing to shout about.

there were lots of taupoks & fishcake, few prawns & no “hums” (cockles).

S$6.80 include drink quite ok i guess in the comfort of aircon environment. my kopi c was S$1.80 already.

needless to say, it’s no comparison with a S$5 laksa & wei yi laksa, tanglin halt food centre la…

old chang kee

after that we bought 2 chicken puffs at old chang kee. took with coffee when we got home. 🙂

always like old chang kee. 🙂

poh guan

i saw this shop poh guan & decided to buy back some “tausapia”. they said their “low por pen” also good, so i bought 8 tausapia & 2 low por pen all S$1ea so S$10 in total.

poh guan tausapia

i told the shopowner that i think balestier sells only S$0.60 ea but theirs seem bigger.

the girl was quite cheerful not the nazi type. she asked me to try it out & see. 🙂

hoong woh tong

this shop reminded us of hong kong guilinggao 龟苓膏，so we ordered small one @ S$5.50 (large @ S$8) to share.

gulinggao @ hoong woh tong

it was good standard. but i tasted better even in singapore la.

they say traditional but the mint taste was kind of overwhelming, not what i like.

the guilinggao 龟苓膏 we had recently at xin cuisine was way better la…

c.h.e.f andy

A Memorable Belated 6-course Birthday Dinner for a Very Good Friend on 2May2016

Posted on May 3, 2016 by chefquak

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chill butter grilled lobster

did a 6-course belated birthday dinner for a very good friend on 2.5.2016. ^^

friend & his wife both have their birthdays in apr, but he is ever so busy. great he could make it today. another common friend couple joined dinner so 6pax. 🙂

6-course birthday dinner

friend like seafood so i made mostly seafood this evening.

we had-

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chilli butter grilled lobster

#2 crab beehoon soup

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

#4 teochew fried egg onions crayfish

#5 claypot rice

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline cake

#1 gordon ramsay garlic chilli butter grilled lobster

gordon ramsay’s garlic chilli butter marinade was just excellent like last time. 🙂

i used a new bottle of remy martin but was unable to flame this time (not sure why? pan not hot enuf?) so i was worried the lobster might be overcooked (these were the frozen cooked lobster from cold storage).

everyone loved the very tasty lobster. i still felt my piece was slightly tough, but my friends were all ok with theirs. 🙂

today i added some sweet peas, 2 per person. very tasty.

#2 crab beehoon soup

the crab bee hoon soup was just superb this evening. better than what i did last time.

crabs were small today, just 250gx 2 crabs. they were very sweet & done just right not overcooked. i made sure of that la. 🙂

soup was intense & flavourful, crab, lobster, chicken stock with lots of chinese cabbage to balance the taste. thick bee hoon was just right too, not mushy.

#2 crab beehoon soup

still, i think it was no comparison with the very intense & flavourful crab bee hoo soup at uncle leong jurong east.

my OPS friends will be joining me for lunch at uncle leong jurong east this friday.

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

i did a HK steamed red garoupa.

as we were having quite many dishes, i did a very small one just 400g, which i bought from chinatown market the day before.

#3 HK steamed red garoupa

the HK steam method is so simple to do yet so tasty. you can feel the fragrance of the light soy sauce.

i did HK steamed red garoupa at a demo for teban gardens after the community meal on 29.4.2016.

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

the next seafood dish i did was a teochew-styled egg & yellow onion crayfish dish.

i softened the onions & added egg, fried separately then set aside.

then i fried the halved crayfish in butter in a very hot pan & added some oyster sauce . i then added some fish sauce. you could feel the aroma! 🙂

then i added back the egg onions & fried together.

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

friends liked the dish. my friend’s wife said meat was tender.

(crayfish meat is not as tender, springy, refine as lobster or prawns. & lobster & crayfish are quite easily overcooked).

#4 teochew egg & onion crayfish

the egg & onions were especially tasty as they absorbed the flavours of the crustaceans & also the wok hae.

#5 claypot rice

i did my claypot rice.

its a very flavourful dish. you can feel the aroma around the room & when you lift the lid.

today it was not the best like what i did recently on 20.4.2016, so i would not claim it was better than new lucky….

still i still it was a very good claypot rice. certainly my chicken was very tender & flavourable much better than most claypot rice outside, even for the not best version i did today.

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline

this is the first time i took patissier’s cake in a long, long while.

it’s a very expensive cake, and the 500g cake cost almost the same like a 1kg cake at cedele.

#6 patissier’s double chocolate praline

but it was very good.

i enjoyed it. my friend said he had not taken cake for the last 10+ years & only taking this because i bought for him. ^^

i don’t meet this friend often. he is always busy. i enjoyed the dinner preparation & we had a really good time this evening. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Wife Made the Best Shakshuka on 2May2016

Posted on May 3, 2016 by chefquak

wife’s shakshuka

wife made the best shakshuka for breakfast this morning on 2.5.2016. ^^

really excellent, i think i like shakshuka now. 🙂

wife’s shakshuka

shakshuka is a jewish libyan dish of poached eggs, with tomatoes, peppers, onions, & spiced with cumin. 🙂

wife made it really well with yellow & red cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, egg, onions & cumin.

wife’s shakshuka

it was a lovely dish.

wife made it once previously & son does a good shakshuka too.

i am actually the one in the house who is not excited with all day breakfast & egg benedict kind of dishes. but this dish i really like.

and i like it more than the breakfast we had at sunday restaurant in london we visited recently.

shakshuka, chorizo, pama ham rockets, baguette

shakshuka, chorizo, parma ham rockets, baguette

wife also prepared fried chorizo & parma ham rockets salad.

& i went to cold storage to get some baguette from cedele for her. 🙂

shakshuka, chorizo, parma ham rockets, baguette

chorizo was wonderful.

parma ham rockets

parma ham rockets are quite the usual. still it was very good!

chorizo, parma ham rockets

it was a very enjoyable breakfast. i was planning to skip the breakfast as i was busy with cooking for my friend’s birthday & collecting his birthday cake from patissier.

but just as well i joined breakfast. it was one of the best i had. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Homecooked Yong Tau Fu, White Beehoon & Cuttlefish Kang Kong on 1May2016

Posted on May 2, 2016 by chefquak

cuttlefish + yong tau fu from chinatown market

went to chinatown market on 1.5.2016 to get some stuff for my very good friend’s birthday dinner the next day.

saw the yong tau fu sold by some chinese stall owner for S$3.80. they looked really good, plump & lots of fish meat fillings.

& indeed they were, much better the average yong tau fu stalls.

also bought a S$3 cuttlefish (like S$7.90 at sheng shiong)

yong tau fu, white bee hoon & cuttlefish kang kong

for home family dinner this evening, i cooked the claypot yong tau fu, white beehoon (using some cuttlefish) & cuttlefish kang kong. ^^

yong tau fu

my yong tau fu was the best. later i will do a recipe for this. briefly-

add minced garlic, cut chilli padi & 1tbsp spicy black bean paste (i use lee kum kee) in 1 tbsp oil & fry till fragrant.

clean & cut yong tau fu items in 1/2 & fry in pan. coat the sauce on the yong tau fu.

add chicken stock, cover & reduced to cook the yong tau fu & make a tasty sauce.

add 1tbsp corn flour, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, mixed in little water & add to the pan to get a thicker tasty sauce.

transfer to claypot & heat up when serving (of course can also cook in claypot from start).

yong tau fu

yong tau fu was very good, tasty, not overcooked, not overpowered by the black bean sauce, just slightly starchy.

kok sen’s yong tau fu

for me it was as good as kok sen’s yong tau fu la… 🙂

i do agree with daughter though that this preparation is not as good as the normal style in a good yong tau fu stall like say u hakka yong tau fu.

white bee hoon

i tried white bee hoon again, using the cuttlefish, sliced chicken & prawns.

my version was ok but nothing great & i not hot on the original version, so i not trying this again. better to try cooking fried hokkien noodles next time la. had been wanting to try that. 🙂

cuttlefish kang kong

cuttlefish kang kong also not so great.

i used the nonya sauce so it was tasty but my preparation not quite right & don’t really make the best of the nonya sauce, unlike what i did for the ocra the other night.

got to do this again right before i record the recipe. lol… 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Steamed Sutchi Fillet + White Belly Pork – 11th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 13May2016

Very Good Enjoyable Lunch @ Seng Kee on 12May2016

Samgyetang 삼계탕 参鸡汤 Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

Dried Mustard Leaves Belly Pork 梅菜扣肉

Stewed Cabbage with Fried Beancurd Puff (Taupok)

Excellent Fish Head Curry

12pax Home Dinner + Silk Road Adventure Briefing on 9may2016

Good S$13.80nett Teochew Muay Buffet @ Gimtim on 9May2016

Fabulous Mother’s Day Lunch @ Majestic Restaurant on 8May2016

Excellent Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles

Ingredients:

Directions:

Much Below Par Crab Beehoon Soup @ Uncle Leong Jurong East on 6May2016

Teriyaki Sutchi Fillet – 5th Newgate Learning Hub Community Lunch on 7May2016

Wonderful 7pax Birthday Dinner @ Red House at Prinsep on 4May2016

Simple Quick Eats near ICA on 4May2016

A Memorable Belated 6-course Birthday Dinner for a Very Good Friend on 2May2016

Wife Made the Best Shakshuka on 2May2016

Homecooked Yong Tau Fu, White Beehoon & Cuttlefish Kang Kong on 1May2016

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