Author Archives: chefquak

Nice Wanton Noodles @ Kok Kee (国记) Lavendar Food Square on 22Mar2014

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was in the area & my wife suggested to have wanton noodles at Kok Kee (国记) @ Lavendar Food Square on 22.3.2014. 🙂

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i had not tried this popular stall before.  there were about 15 people in the queue & the wait was >30minutes.

it was worth the wait though! we had each a small portion at S$4. the noodle was wet yet not soggy (as commented by several reviewers) & in fact just al dente and very tasty. 1 of the best wanton noodles i had, better than red ring & the one at first centre. the char siew & wanton were good too but nothing special, no different from other stalls (as also commented by others). i like the char siew at red ring better. 🙂

unlikely to come here specially to queue for the wanton noodles though, especially with the difficulty in parking. but if around the place & already parked, will probably drop by. quite enjoyed it! 🙂 make me want to go back & try the fei fei wanton noodles at joo chiat place again. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Recipe = Teriyaki Cod

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#6 teriyaki cod

teriyaki cod – on a high baking rack

first attempt at teriyaki cod on 28.2.2014, practising for dinner for friends later. it was pretty good, good alternative to Nobu miso cod which i had been serving out in past dinners.

i had very good teriyaki cod at keyaki & a bit more frequently at mikuni. actually bought some teriyaki sauce, but decided to do the sauce marinade as offered in several online recipes.

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teriyaki cod

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pan-seared teriyaki cod

also decided to marinade in a ziplog bag for 3 days, in the fashion of my very good nobu miso cod, hopefully to derive a more intense flavour. it did! 🙂

cod is really an excellent fish & just simple pan-grilled or barbeque or oven roasted would deliver a delightful dish, so i do simple pan-grilled also as alternative with miso cod.

with this equally great recipe (thoguh i am still partial to miso cod), there is 1 more variation on offer.

teriyaki cod

roasted teriyaki cod

roasted teriyaki cod

roasted teriyaki cod

roasted teriyaki cod

roasted teriyaki cod

likewise in addition to pan-grilled, an oven roasted teriyaki cod (12mins in preheated 250degC oven) is equally wonderful.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients –

500g frozen cod from ntuc or giant or sheng shiong (IQF individual quick freeze)

sauce marinade :

  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter (30ml)
  • 2 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (2-3cm)

Directions –

  1. combine marinade in sauce pot & heat to dissolve the sugar.  cool the marinade & place in a zip log bag together with the cod (cut 4 or 5 pieces) & press out the air. leave in chiller for between 2 and 3 days.
  2. take out cod 1 hr before cooking to get to room temperature.
  3. place on a high baking rack in a 250degC preheated oven for 12 mins (see top photo).
  4. OR pan grill the cod over high heat in non stick pan with 1 tbsp oil. watch of colour change to opaque white on the sides (about 2 minutes) & turn over & sear for another few minutes. serve.

Jam Crumb Cake

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jam crumb cake

made a very good jam crumb cake yesterday 19.3.2014. 🙂

i not a very dessert person. so far my solitary repertoire has been the chocolate lava cake. i did a lemon lava cake variation & also an apple pie which were pretty ok & i had served them once or twice during my home dinners with friends, but they didn’t quite inspire me.

i am doing a 10pax dinner on 24.3.2014 & was looking up doable online dessert recipes. last november 2013 a friend’s wife did a very good jam cake which i liked for a lovely home fine dining dinner – so inspired i looked up a few recipes and found this jam crumb cake recipe on epicurean.

the first attempt turned out pretty good, anyway i like it enough to post & share. 🙂

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jam crumb cake

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jam crumb cake

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jam crumb cake

i have never baked a whole cake my entire life. the lava cake was the first but those were in muffin tray. i also did the lemon lava cake variation (in muffin tray as well) & the apple pie. that was about it. & i had badly failed couple times attempting macarons. so i did not know what to expect mixing flour & butter & sugar & milk & making the crumbs. anyway i followed the recipe mostly with some adjustment (like reducing the sugar & the recipe for the crumbs taking in the feedback from comments of others who had attempted the recipe).

the jam crumb cake came up beautifully, by my lowly standard anyway. the flavour & texture were great & not too sweet, and the cinnamon did the magic. I would increase the crumbs a little for my next cake & also swirl in more jam. otherwise everything was near perfect.

my adapted recipe is below. 🙂

c.h.e.f. andy

Ingredients-

For cake

  1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
  2. 1/2 cup sugar (to reduce further to 1/3)
  3. 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  5. 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted (i used about 40g)
  6. 1/2 cup milk
  7. 1 large egg
  8. 1/2 cup raspberry jam or preserves (i used not enough, need to add more)

For crumb topping

  1. 25g unsalted butter, melted
  2. 2 tbsp brown sugar
  3. 1 tsp cinnamon
  4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
  5. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (will increase to 2/3 cup)
  6. preparation

Directions –

Make cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Generously butter a 9-inch square or round cake pan.
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, milk and salt.
  3. Whisk together melted butter and egg in a large bowl, then whisk into flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter into cake pan. Dollop jam all over surface, then swirl into batter with spoon.

Make crumb topping:

  1. Whisk together butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Stir in flour, then blend with your fingertips until incorporated. Sprinkle crumbs in large clumps over top of cake.
  2. Bake cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides begin to pull away from pan, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

Excellent Yakiniku Dinner @ Aburiya on 19Mar2014

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hokkaido wagyu jo karubi (prime ribs)

hokkaido wagyu jo karubi (prime short ribs)

had an excellent yakiniku dinner at aburiya on 19.3.2014. 🙂

had not been there for a while..just checked my blog & it was almost a year ago that i had dinner at aburiya on 26.3.2013.

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jo karubi (prime short ribs)

karubi negi (ribs with leeks)

karubi negi

yakiniku

yakiniku

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yakiniku

the prices had gone up slightly. we basically ordered similar food. for this evening the jo karubi (S$15.90) was not that great but the cheaper karubi (S$10.90) was good. we also added hokkaido jo karubi (S$21.90) which was excellent, nicely marbled and very flavourful. they did not have the ohmi wagyu though it was on the menu.

bibimen

bibimen

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kimchi chigae

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kimchi chigae

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ice sake

we always ordered the bibimen & kimchi chigae. both were very good. 🙂

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aburiya

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aburiya

the inside tables were mostly taken up at 7pm. there were still quite many tables available outdoors.

the dinner including sake (S$15) added up to S$105 for 2pax, not cheap but it was very enjoyable. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

S$9.80 Quick Lunch @ Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 13Mar2014

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xiaolongbao (小笼包)

had a 20mins lunch at Crystal Jade Lamian Xiaolongbao HollandV on 13.3.2014. they start serving the S$9.80nett lunch set (i think used to be S$8.80) only at 12pm! 

i had great dishes here at crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao @ hollandv on 11.8.2013 & also at the taka branch with my G8 friends on 2.9.2013. i had not yet tried the quick lunch set though so today is the day. 🙂

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S$9.80 lunch menu

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barley drink

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prawn dumplings lamian

the xiaolongbao (小笼包) here is 1 of the best, very nice tasty soup, thin & smooth skin & tasty pork fillings. 🙂

the prawn dumplings lamian serving was like 1/2 a bowl, which actually served me fine as i don’t take so much carbo anyway though others might find it too skimpy/meagre… the prawn wantons were tasty too. the set came with a drink. i had the cold barley, usual good.

for S$9.80 nett, the lunch was quite fine, and service was good. they charged S$0.30++ for the wet issue which is fine and the waiting staff told me no need to order ice water which they also charge S$0.30 which is also ok, as the set came with the drink.

it’s not quite the meal for me though. i don’t really need to eat lunch and if i do the S$18pax ++ type 2-course lunch at reddot brewhouse on 12.3.2014 would be more worth the while. 🙂 that of course is strictly my own needs, not about crystal jade’s food…

c.h.e.f andy

S$18pax Set Lunch @ Reddot Brewhouse Dempsey (Quick Update) on 12Mar2014

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we had lunch among the fundonate partners & decided on reddot brewhouse at dempsey. it is convenient, has ample free parking & great ambience & of course has the best value set lunch (S$18pax for 2-course & S$22pax for 3-course, and including drink or coffee as well). 🙂

i had lunch here several times and did an earlier post great lunch with old friend @ reddot brewhouse dempsey on 19nov2013, so this would be just a quick update.

we all took the 2-course set. i had the portobello salad. 2 friends had the bruchetta & the reddot salad. another friend had a melt (lava) cake in place of appetizer. i guess 3 of us were all watching our carbo intake.

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for the mains, 2 friends had the sirloin steak (which looked pretty good), 1 had the chicken breast. i was deciding between my usual halibut (very good here), the steak (which i do rather well at home) and decided on the chef’s special, the beef stroganoff linguine in the above photo. it was excellent. linguine was al dente, very good, and the sauce was excellent. the beef cut was not an expensive one, so just slightly tough, but overall it was an excellent dish, of good restaurant standard, and with nice alfafa & grape tomato garnish. this was a dish i tried at home once previously (pretty ok), so i wanted to try & get some inspiration. 🙂

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the melt cake was a beauty to behold. i had this the last time. the texture (lava) was excellent. the flavour was good too but probably no better than my lava cake. 🙂

1 of my friend was saying he could even come here for lunch if he was dining alone – everything was quite perfect for him.

c.h.e.f andy

Bakuteh (肉骨茶 Pork Rib Soup)

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Bakuteh (肉骨茶 Pork Rib Soup) is about the easiest delectable dish to cook at home.

usually i used the $7.50/kg frozen pork ribs bought from chinatown market. last evening when i was at sheng shiong, decided to pick up a packet (about 700g) of fresh indonesian pork ribs at S$19/kg. they were good but very fatty & took shorter time to cook (about 40mins).

if i have to compare i guess the fresh pork ribs were slightly better but fatty, and the frozen pork ribs (cost 2.5x less) were almost as good.

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i used a cheap bakuteh spice premix which i liked (photo above). this one is a non-herbal premix which i prefer but i had  very good herbal ones too (bought by a friend). 🙂

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i only added 1 bulb of garlic (about 1.5 bulbs if cooking 1 kg pork rib), and basically nothing else needed. i do not prefer it very peppery but that is something one can easily add to taste.

c.h.e.f andy

Seafood Paella

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seafood paella

tried paella couple of times about a year ago. at the time it was just passable, so i did not post.

today i decided to give it another go. i used my favourite chef john of foowishes.com shortcut oven-baked method.

medium prawns & squid fried with butter

medium prawns & squid fried with butter

for seafood, i cooked 9 medium prawns (lightly seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper) in 2 teaspoon butter at high heat to about 90% cooked, and did the same for the squid.

for the stock i sautéed the heads & shells of 9 medium prawns in olive oil & tumeric & added 500ml of chicken stock & boiled for an hour.

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i had leftover leek, celery, red capsicum from a recent 8pax homecooked dinner. i finely chopped them, and sautéed in olive oil with chinese sausage (substitute for expensive chorizo) with a teaspoon of tumeric (substitute for expensive saffron), together with chopped yellow onions & garlic.

i then added 1 cup of shokaku rice (a USA short grain rice for sushi, which is a lot cheaper than aborio) & mixed well, then i laid the thinly sliced leek & red capsicum on top, added enough chicken/prawn stock to cover the rice & brought to boil. once boiling i placed the oven-proof skillet in a preheated 210degC oven for 16mins. i tasted the paella. the flavour was excellent, and in this case as the stock already had some salt in it & mindful that the prawns & squid were also seasoned i did not add more salt. the paella was about 85%-90% cooked with the centre slightly hard.

i set it aside, and when ready to serve dinner, i boiled the stock & added it over the paella to just cover the rice & heat over high heat & placed the pre cooked prawns & squid on the rice. this cooked the paella to al dente & the seafood. the taste was excellent from the sweetness of the vegetable, stock & also the prawns & squid.

it was a beautiful dish to behold & the flavour was superb. i added a bit too much stock & not wanting to overcook the paella, the rice was just very slightly wet which was ok except i did not get the burnt bottom, which was ok. will try to have that next time. 🙂

Ingredients-

  • 10 medium prawns (shelled & de-veined)
  • 1 large or 2 medium squid (cross-cut)
  • 1 yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 stalk celery (chopped)
  • 1 red capsicum (chopped & finely sliced)
  • 1-2 stalk leek (chopped & finely sliced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 500ml prawn & chicken stock
  • 1 cup shokaku rice (or aborio)
  • 1-2 chinese sausage (or chorizo)
  • 2 teaspoon tumeric (or saffron)

Directions-

  1. seafood – cook medium prawns (lightly seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper) in 2 teaspoon butter at high heat to about 90% cooked. do the same for the squid.
  2.  stock – sautéed the prawn heads & shells  in olive oil & tumeric & add 500ml of chicken stock & boil for an hour.
  3.  cook paella – finely chop leek, celery, red capsicum, yellow onion & garlic. sauté in olive oil with chorizo & saffron. add 1 cup of aborio rice & mix well, then lay the thinly sliced leek & red capsicum on top. add enough chicken/prawn stock to cover the rice & brought to boil. once boiling place the oven-proof skillet in a preheated 210degC oven for 16mins. taste the paella & add salt to taste if desired. the paella is about 85%-90% cooked with the centre slightly hard. set iaside, and when ready to serve, boil the stock & add it over the paella to just cover the rice . add the pre cooked prawns & squid on the rice. cook the paella over high heat to cook the paella to al dente & the seafood. serve.

Drunken Chicken (醉鸡)

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drunken chicken (醉鸡)

made drunken chicken for first time yesterday, and quite successful. 🙂

bought a sheng shiong 1.4kg chicken cost S$7.15, cut into 1/2 using kitchen shears & cooked 1/2 chicken.

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drunken chicken (醉鸡)

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drunken chicken (醉鸡)

i added sliced ginger, garlic & shallot & spring onions & 1 teaspoon salt & boiled about 1.5l water in a dutch oven. then i added the washed & cleaned 1/2 chicken to the pot & once the water boiled again, i lowered fire & simmered for 10 minutes. then i turned off the fire & let the chicken cooled for 2 hrs. i then took out the chicken & placed in a ice water bath. i deboned & cut the chicken into serving sizes & placed in a glassware large enough for cut chicken to be laid out in single layer.

i then mixed 2 cups of shoaxing wine (绍兴酒), 1 cup of chicken stock, 2 tablespoon of fish sauce (or to taste), and cover the chicken with the wine marinade.  i then placed the covered glass container in the fridge overnight. the flavour was excellent when i tried it next day about 24hrs later. 🙂

the current preparation is quite good really, like most restaurants’, but i will try a bit more to see if i can improve further.

c.h.e.f. andy

ingredients-

  • 1/2 chicken (i use 1.4kg whole chicken size)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 to 3 shallots (I cut in 1/2)
  • 2 stalks spring onions
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 in ginger (sliced)

marinade –

  • 2 cups shoaxing wine (绍兴酒)
  • 1 to 1.5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce

Directions:

  1. add slice ginger, garlic & shallot & spring onions & 1 teaspoon salt & boil about 1.5l water in a dutch oven. add a washed & cleaned 1/2 chicken to the pot & once the water boils again, lower fire & simmer for 10 minutes. then turn off the fire & let the chicken cools for 2 hrs. take out the chicken & place in a ice water bath. debone & cut the chicken into serving sizes & place in a glassware large enough for cut chicken to be laid out in single layer.
  2. mix 2 cups of shoaxing wine (绍兴酒), 1 cup of chicken stock, 2 tablespoon of fish sauce to taste, and cover the chicken with the wine marinade.  place the covered glass container in the fridge overnight. ready to serve next day about 24hrs later.

Early Dimsum Dinner @ Canton Paradise at Star Vista on 22Feb2014

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crispy char siew pao

had an early 4pax family dim sum dinner at 5.30pm (to beat the crowd) at canton paradise at star vista on 22.2.2014. 🙂

we ordered 8 dim sum & 1 congee. most were quite good!

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har gao

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xiao long bao (小笼包)

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pan-fried carrot cake

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prawn cheongfun (虾肠粉)

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prawns in crispy bean curd skin

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steamed prok ribs

custard salted egg buns (流沙包)

custard salted egg buns (流沙包)

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custard salted egg buns (流沙包)

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3 varieties congee (liver, kidney, meatballs)

#1 the crispy char siew pao was quite good. my daughter liked this better but i preferred the one at timhowan. this had a bit much of the pork filling, & for me the flavour & the look were not as good.

#2 the har gao here was very nice, among the best i had. filling was tasty & skin was taut, not soggy, & thin.

#3 the xiao long bao 小笼包 was good too, quite a lot of the tasty soup, certainly beat the very dry ones at tunglok signature i had recently.

#4  the pan-fried carrot cake was just ok.

#5 the prawn cheongfun 虾肠粉 was among the better ones, smooth skin & tasty fillings.

#6 the prawns in crispy bean curd skin was very good, among the best.

#7 the steamed pork ribs was also average & a bit more fatty, not as good as imperial treasure teochew.

#8 the custard salted egg buns (流沙包) was very good, same as imperial treasure teochew & better than royal china.

#9 the congee was quite ok, but i think crystal jade kitchen at hollandv still better.

Canton Paradise Bill 22.2.2014

the bill came to S$62, so about S$15.50pax all-in, pretty ok price, same price & perhaps overall better than timhowan i had recently.

c.h.e.f andy

Protected: RI G20 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

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Great Teochew Food 23pax Dinner Get-Together @ Ah Orh on 20Feb2014

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teochew braised duck

had our largest G20 gathering last evening at ah orh at jalan bukit merah on 20.2.2014. 🙂

it was the handy work of 1 of our friends, with his megawatt smile & shining hallo…lol…especially his ability to ring in the gals. we had 23pax (including 3 ladies) on 3 tables, a meeting (or eating!) record! it was 25, but 1 was held up in a meeting, another was ill.

ah orh had mixed reviews & mostly dated. most thought it was expensive for the food (it may still be probably but it often depends on food ordered).  anyhow there was a deal.com offer & the organiser bought 3 vouchers of S$150 worth at S$97.50 each – 1 voucher was allowed for each table. 🙂

some friends went early to order the dishes. we had in total 9 dishes & the cost came to S$23+ all-in (about S$180+ per table) after redeeming the vouchers, so it was in fact very good value-for-money even considering that we did not order the usual teochew pomfret, cold crab etc.

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deep-fried fish skin

there was deep-fried fish skin as table starter. pretty good!

teochew braised duck

teochew braised duck

#1 the braised duck platter (top photo & above) was good – moist, flavourful. i would say as good as imperial treasure teochew & better than muliangzai liang kee & chui huay lim. 🙂 the lor bah (braised belly pork) was good too.

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fishmaw soup

#2 fishmaw soup was tasty, but maybe just average. the one at beng thin we had recently was substantially better.

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ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

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ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly)

#3 the ter kar tan (pig trotter jelly) was very good – firm, flavourful. there was also good chilli & “seng ni cho” 蒜泥醋 dip. this was as good as chui huay lim, imperial treasure teochew & crystal jade.

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yam basket

#4 the yam basket was i supposed really excellent for this dish – yam was tasty & very crisp outside yet “sang” inside & very good combination in texture & taste with the fillings. a very good dish though yam basket not my favourite. 🙂

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kailan with ti poh

#5 the kailan with ti poh was competent. vegetable was fresh & crunchy. the ti poh (a teochew favourite condiment not so often seen) added to the attraction but perhaps the wok hae was kind of lacking a bit.

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teck kia fish with bitter gourd in black bean sauce

#6 not sure about this teck kia fish (竹仔鱼) dish, certainly competent but the fish had more bones than meat. at kok sen, they used some fish head & added chunky fish meat which worked well to accompany the black bean sauce & was much better overall by comparison.

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hae chor

＃7 hae chor was quite ok, competent, nothing special.

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orh luah

#8 orh luah was pretty good, large fleshy oysters.

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orh nee

#9 orh nee was better than expected, tasty, i liked it but would have been better with pumpkin though. 🙂

company & fellowship were the key in our get-togethers of course, but we did come to eat & overall the food was quite good & the price of $23pax very reasonable after the deal.com offer, not much different from say muliangzai liang kee, and food we had here were better. 🙂 w/o the offer, it would cost about $30pax which was still not a bad deal, about same as what we had at shin yeh at our last 20pax dinner.

c.h.e.f. andy

Great S$88 4pax Set Lunch @ Tunglok Signature at Central on 19Feb2014

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smoked duck breast

smoked duck breast

had a great 4pax fun lunch at tunglok @ central today on 19.2.2014.

i visited the clinic of my close dental surgeon friend twice a year for regular maintenance, and we went lunch near his clinic afterwards each time with 2 other close friends. 🙂

today i ordered the S$88 6-course set lunch for 4pax. PLUS i added a xiaolongbao (小笼包), pan-fried custard buns (流沙包), and a dessert 雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream for 2 to share, as 2 other of us did not want dessert. 🙂

fupeiquin (腐皮卷)

fupeiquin (腐皮卷)

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smoked duck breast with bean curd

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siew mai 烧卖

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xiaolongbao （小笼包）

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lie tong (例汤) ingredients (forgot to take soup photo)

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heng chye with bean curd

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prawns with egg white (赛螃蟹)

#1 the 2 dim sums were quite ok, competent – fupeiquin (腐皮卷) was good, siew mai 烧卖 was ok..the xiaolongbao （小笼包）i added was low in tasty soup, skin average, overall average or below, the pan-fried custard buns (流沙包) which i asked to serve with the dessert was also average. overall dim sum wise cannot compare with crystal jade or imperial treasure. 🙂

#2 smoked duck breast was par excellence, as is quite obvious from the photo (top & above) & the braised bean curd too. 🙂

#3 lie tong (例汤) was very good, the ingredients included pork soft bones & 粉角 arrowroots, an excellent soup as always. 🙂

#4 the poached heng chye with beard was good too.

#5 the prawns with egg white (赛螃蟹) i guess was ok above average dish, prawns was fresh bouncy, the style of preparation not my favourite.

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stone pot rice

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stone pot rice

#6 the stone pot rice was excellent! 🙂

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pan-fried custard buns (流沙包)

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pan-fried custard buns (流沙包)

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雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream

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complimentary drink refreshment

the pan-fried custard buns (流沙包) was ok average but really the ones at royal china & imperial treasure were much better.

雪中情怀＝杨支甘露 + ice cream is my favourite here, though i didn’t take it today. the complimentary refreshment was ok welcome.

overall the set lunch (exclude ala carte orders) was S$100++=S$117 include S$8 for 4pax tea & S$4 for peanuts which could do without. quite a good set lunch deal! 🙂 including 2 more dim sum & 1 desert it was S$141, still ok.

c.h.e.f andy

I Do Not Support Any Form of Militancy

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i do not support any form of militancy, be it FOR or AGAINST gay or the environment or animal rights.

in my humble opinion, militancy (& behind that, prejudice & blind intolerance) is the destroyer of human happiness & purveyor of human miseries. it is a dangerous emotion to value -isms, opinions, theories, politics over the true well being & happiness of human beings, and to be militant in imposing such views on others. it is the root cause of wars, strifes, injustice & in short human miseries. people who think their opinions are better than others, more important than others, that they monopolise truth & what is right, that they necessarily represent the opinion of others, that all who dare disagree with them are misguided, mischievous & deserving to be struck down, are the cause of human miseries throughout history.

i love my christian friends, many of them are very close buddies, so i fully respect the christian view on LGBT. in my opinion, there is no contradiction, & one can be at the same time, NOT agreeing with/advocating/supporting something as one’s own opinion & value system while NOT judging, criticising, attacking, discriminating against someone different. it starts with respecting all other human, understanding that they deserve as much happiness, freedom & space & to follow their own choices as we do (except when they are perpetuating a crime on others).

if we want to share & convert others to our views, what we believe is the truth, wisdom & correct “way”, it should be done with a loving & caring heart, with the other person’s well being & happiness utmost in our consideration, NOT with hatred. if one tries to impose his views & value system on others, and failing, then strikes down others with militancy, prejudice & hatred, then one cannot be truly loving, caring, helping & desiring the best interest of the others.

leader of the catholic world pope francis said “who am i to judge gays (bbc news report 29july2013)” –

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well,” Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists.

“It says they should not be marginalised because of this but that they must be integrated into society.”

i saw the ellen page come-out video recently.

we may or may not agree with her, may or may not support her position, but that should not have any effect on our respect  & empathy for her as a human being who has every right to her own happiness, freedom & choices as long as she is NOT imposing, advocating, pushing her views on others.

c.h.e.f. andy

Good Dimsum @ Timhowan Toa Payoh on 16Feb2014

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chicken, mushroom, chinese sausage rice

went with children for 4pax dim sum at timhowan toa payoh on 16.2.2014.

i went to the hk sham shui po timhowan with friends 2 times, and we really enjoyed the food there, so i had wanted to try their outlets in singapore but really not one to want to queue hours to eat dim sum or any food for that matter.

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place was crowded at 4pm. traffic/turnover was good.

we went at 3.30pm on a sunday to avoid the crowd. place was still constantly crowded with good traffic & turnover.  we only waited 10mins though to get our seats so it was ok. 🙂

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crispy char siew bun

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crispy char siew bun

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liver cheongfun (肠粉)

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prawn cheongfun (肠粉)

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deep-fried fupeiquin (腐皮卷).

the menu was very limited, like 1/2 that in hk. i ordered 2 of the 4 heavenly kings. crispy char siew bun was a must, and i wanted to try liver cheongfun (肠粉) again. none of us were fan of mala cake & the pan-fried carrot cake.

we ordered a chicken, mushroom, chinese sausage rice (top photo). it was good, hk standard. we all liked it so we ordered a second helping. 🙂

the crispy char siew bun did not disappoint. it was very good – both the crispy bun & the char siew fillings.  the cheongfun (肠粉) was good too, very smooth. liver was nicely done, just right & not overcooked. the prawn cheongfun was very good. 🙂

another order was the deep-fried fupeiquin (腐皮卷). this looked a little different from usual, seemed to be very neat & clean cut. anyway it tasted great, 1 of the best i had. 🙂

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hargao

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chicken feet in abalone sauce

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wasabi prawn dumplings

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the hargao skin looked thick, tasted ok, not as good as crystal jade or imperial treasure.

the chicken feet in abalone sauce was ok, but not as good as the usual steamed black beans chicken feet (usually slightly redder & more fluffy deep-fried) in most dim sum places.

the deep-fried wasabi prawn dumplings – i did not try but it was quite ok.

overall the 4pax dim sum lunch cost S$64, about 2x the price in timhowan sham shui po for less food. i guess it was not really expensive, but i would think crystal jade, imperial treasure & royal china dim sum are better. this was 2x the price c/w with kowloon at AMK (I am going to try that one soon & compare). 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Very Fulfilling RI Buddies 8pax Homegourmet Dinner on 13Feb2014

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4hr sous vide crispy skin duck breast

the sous vide crispy duck breast was one the dishes i was ambivalent & uncertain about. first, it was troublesome to buy a whole duck, cut out 2 duck breasts, and then think what to do with the rest. i usually made a good lor arh (braised duck) from the remaining pieces but it was not healthy to keep eating duck with all the fat. second, while i was quite confident the sous vide meat would turn up well, i was not confident of doing the crispy skin w/o overcooking the duck & was not entirely convinced that the crispy skin was not just much ado about nothing (same ambivalence i had when practicing crackling belly pork). did the skin add much to the experience? i guess it did but whether the result was deserving the effort?

anyway for this evening, it turned out that the sous vide duck breast & the striploin pot-roast, a method i did for the first time on striploin, were quite excellent! 🙂

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menu planning – i was looking for a change of menu for my RI buddies dinner from the usual miso cod & pan-fried wagyu as main courses. i did a good gordon ramsay crispy salmon so i knew i would do ok with garoupa fillet.  it was not convenient to practice the gordon ramsay pepper sauce nor the pot roast but i felt quite comfortable to do it for the first time for my friends. 🙂 the poor man’s buddha-jump-over-the-wall was also a new dish. i did it once & it was good. for the pasta, i thought to revisit my seafood pink sauce linguine (& i did a very good one recently) to replace my usual alio olio. 🙂

pan-grilled giant hokkaido scallops (some 2" diameter)

pan-grilled giant hokkaido scallops (some 2″ diameter)

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scallop. miso belly pork. pencil asparagus. grape tomato. carrot.

#1 got dinner started with a very good pan-seared giant hokkaido scallop & my usual 4hr miso belly pork. both were very good. this the first time i added cooked vegetables. the carrot sticks were done in the steam oven, very sweet & consistent. the pencil asparagus were pan-roasted after i did the scallops & miso belly pork.

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poor man’s buddha-jump-over-the-wall

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poor man’s buddha-jump-over-the-wall

#2  next was the poor man’s buddha-jump-over-the-wall. the pig trotters was done overnight (about 7hrs) together with dried scallops & thick dried mushrooms & 2 chicken drumsticks (skin removed) for stock in a crockpot on low. the pig trotters were removed & put in the fridge to preserve the nice gelatinous texture. 🙂 the limpets & sea cucumbers were added just before serving, together with cut pieces of pig trotters. the soup was quite perfect at the time i was about to serve, but i was worried it was not enough for 8pax, so i added a bit of chicken stock. it was still good but i felt the flavour was not as intense, and actually there was enough soup w/o diluting it. it was kind of guesstimate thing as cooking for 8pax & practicing it once for a smaller serving did have some variations. 🙂

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4hr sous vide crispy skin duck breast

#3 the duck breast turned up supremely good! was brined in sugar & salt for 2 days & cooked at 60degC in the oven for 4hrs. the skin was then scored & i put on a pan at medium fire for 5mins to render out the fat to create a thin crispy skin. an important addition was orange sauce (see recipe here). i reduced this substantially to produce a thick caramelised nicely citrous sweet sauce. it went really well with the duck which was super tender. 🙂

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seafood linguine in pink sauce (creamy tomatoes)

#4 next was the seafood linguine in pink sauce. all my friends thought it was very tasty, but another & i still preferred the alio olio style which i did very well every time. 🙂

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pan-grilled garoupa fillet in gordon ramsay pepper sauce

#5 then came the 2 main courses. first up was the pan-grilled garoupa fillet with gordon ramsay pepper sauce. my hand-held food blender was evidently not the right tools to produce the very smooth blended sauce in gordon ramsay’s pepper sauce video (a real beauty). the garoupa were marinated well so flavour was ok. the texture of the garoupa fillet (frozen pack) was not great. of course it was too much to compare with my usual miso cod (also frozen pack).

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striploin pot roast in crockpot low to 125degF (52degC)

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vegetable ratatouille

#6 the striploin pot roast was a beauty. see the nice maillard reaction brown ring in the photo. it was nicely seared all round before placing in a crockpot on low with the vegetable ratatouille to reach 125degF (52degC) – about 1.5hrs, then in a 55degC oven for another 1 hr.  it was a very nice medium rare, & medium at the ends. i was very pleased with this first crockpot roast on a striploin. my first was a chuck pot roast. it was good but this was lots better! 🙂

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chocolate lava cake, toasted almond ice cream & “huat kueh”

#7 the last course was my chocolate lava cake. i had done very many good lava cakes. this time i did the exact same recipe & timing (3m 40s in a 210degC oven on broiler setting). somehow it was overdone & there were not much lava. will need to reduce to 3m 30s next time. sigh! i really need to work on another dessert recipe.

it was a really enjoyable & fulfilling experience for me (1 of my good friends described as full-filling haha!). i really feel good about this! 🙂

c.h.e.f. andy

Good Roti Prata at S.M. Aisha @ Food Canopy on 15Feb2014

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roti prata

roti prata S$5.30

went back to food canopy at cluny road near botanic gardens to have roti prata on 15.2.2014. 🙂

first introduced to the place by my wife, then came with my 2 daughters couple weeks back. decided to go myself today.

S.M. Aisha Muslim Food (from West Coast)

S.M. Aisha Muslim Food (from West Coast)

mutton curry

mutton curry S$3.50

roti prata

roti prata S$1.80 for 2

dahl curry

dhal curry

1 of  the best prata stall i had. didn’t have many though to really make comparisons.

most important for me where prata goes are (a) freshly made (b)tasty dough (c)good dhal curry..i am ok whether it is the crispy type like at 6th avenue or the slightly doughy type at mr prata or at s.m. aisha which had all 3. 🙂

& the mutton curry was really good, very tender.  i still love the mysore mutton at mr prata more, but for mutton curry, this was good! 🙂

the ambience was great too. nice airy canteen, lots of parking on a saturday morning, very clean…by comparison mr cafe down the road is kind of messy.

c.h.e.f andy

Feeling Excited – Doing a 8pax Dinner for My RI Buddies This Evening!

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doing a 8pax dinner for my RI buddies this evening – feeling excited! 🙂

for me, cooking is about planning & making it happen, and the process is quite fun.

i don’t have to start cooking until 1.30pm.

the soup for poor man’s buddha-jump-over-the-wall was done overnight. so i just need to add back the individual servings of pig trotters, limpets, sea cucumbers & mushrooms when serving the soup.

the miso belly pork & crispy skin sous vide duck breast will be in the oven at 60degC for 4hrs. during the 4hrs, i will prepare the chocolate lava cake (takes <1/2hr) and 4 sauces- orange sauce for the duck, gordon ramsay pepper sauce for the garoupa fillet, pink sauce (creamy tomato) for the seafood linguine & vegetable ratatouille for the striploin pot roast. each takes say 15 – 30minutes.

at 5.30pm, i will start my striploin pot roast (700g) with ratatouille in the crockpot on low & should get to 125degF (52degC) in 1 hr, & i can place it in a covered oven dish in a 55degC oven for another 1.5hrs, probably serves it at 8pm.

when the friends are here at 7pm, i will do the pan-charring for the scallops & then miso belly pork (which were marinated in miso for 3 days & “sous vide” at 60degC for 4hrs in the oven, & then pan-roast the pencil asparagus.

after that i will serve the soup, and then do the cold pan method to try to get the crispy skin “sous vide” duck breast (brined for 2 days & also 4hrs at 60degC in oven). as i told my friends the medium rare duck breast is ok, but i unsure of the crispy skin (both texture & taste) & will probably not do this dish much in future if it doesn’t work well (just like the crackling pork belly – not worth doing if cannot get it right).

the seafood linguine in pink sauce is straight forward just tossing, with both pasta & the prawns & squid already prepared.

for the garoupa fillet, i had a good marinade (2days) so it should be quite nice pan-grilled. i am doing the gordon ramsay pepper sauce for first time today, but the video sure looks really exciting. 🙂

for the striploin pot roast, i have done this before on chuck pot roast (a cheaper cut) but this the first time i am trying it on striploin. never really know how it will turn out especially i am varying the temperature a bit to make rare instead of medium rare, but that’s the fun & challenge of the unknown. 🙂

my chocolate lava cake is quite standard fare, so should be ok though occasionally the lava part still doesn’t work out well as the timing is too short & any slight variation in oven temperature & timing will affect the result.

looking forward to a fun evening. we are going to share our secondary school photo albums too…haha. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Beautiful Mesmerising Song = 千年之戀–(央吉瑪，呼斯楞)攝人心魂的天籟之音

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i subsequently made an english translation of the lyrics here.

& another post “A Moment in Heaven” which included the english translation of another amazing song 莲花开了

i love this singer 央吉瑪!

she is from a minority tribe in tibet – the 门巴族（藏文：མོན་པ་，威利：mon pa), which has only 7,000 people.

first saw her on youtube for chinese idol 中国梦之声 (literally china’s song of dreams) back in jun2013. the judges were swooning over her & calling her 女神 goddess. it’s easy to see why. the voice is like descending from heaven. the chinese describe as 天籟之音, which means the sound of nature like the wind, water, insects, birds, literally the sound from heaven. 🙂

it is completely mesmerising 绕梁三日, which means a voice or music that circles the roof beams for 3 days long after the singing has past. 🙂

she went on & sang a whole list of incredibly beautiful songs including 醒来吧 & 央吉瑪 which she wrote both the scores & the verses. the latter was her song for the final competition. the song was also her name. it was not self aggrandising but to remind herself that she came to a huge city (beijing) of lights & attractions from a tiny village, was fortunate to be in the competition & more so in the finals & NOT to forget her roots.

she had been steadfast & very gently non-compromising & did not want to sign contract with the show organiser. many thought that was the reason she did not become the champion but only the runner-up & many believed it was 内定 & 黑幕, basically a sponsor/commercial reason driven pre-determined result. several lamented it was a regret 遗憾 NOT for her but for chinese idol!

we will never know the truth.  however the american idol format was changed so that the popular votes did not decide the result, and the judges had the balance votes, and all casted their votes for the other singer who did not get the popular votes.

anyway it did not matter really. she felt she was not ready for all the commercial obligations & prefers to devote herself to writing music & singing songs she likes & be true to her devotion to spreading the tribal music to the world. 🙂

& here are her many beautiful songs, in particular –

c.h.e.f andy