Author Archives: chefquak

Asian Dishes – Thai, Nonya, Indian Curries & Jap Teriyaki Salmon Belly for 12pax RI Friends on 14Mar2018

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12pax dinner curry dishes

our RI buddy P who lives in London was visiting singapore. we arranged a 12pax makan makan group homecooked asian/curry dinner on14.3.2018.^^  👍🙂.

I did a combination of thai, nonya & indan curries, and a Jap teriyaki salmon belly.

  1. jap teryaki miso salmon belly
  2. nonya curry chicken & potatoes
  3. nonya sambal prawns
  4. chicken thighs with yellow thai curry
  5. sotong with thai red curry
  6. mixed veg & tofu with thai red curry 
  7. fish masala
  8. mutton masala

CL & YF bought birthday cake for march birthday boys SCG, P & doc🎂..CCG also march birthday boy but he was away, so unable to join us on this occasion.

CM brought ching chow dessert👍

HK brought sweet giant pomelo 忘不了？？from malaysia & red wine

P brought sparkly & some chocolates

LKY brought me some carrot cake from his cousin chef…

& CL took the nice group & people photos as usual..

12pax dinner curry dishes

just 8 dishes, quite enough for 12pax, food all finished…

ruby champagne

white wine

many drinker in this group…i basically just had couple of sips, nice ruby champage & white wine.

the distinctive dish from the curries was the teriyaki salmon belly..the others all liked it like all my other friends & family. YF said it was too sweet? actually it was not, but it was treated, so not a plain fish fillet..

my usual preparation, a very popular dish…

the nonya chicken just using heng’s curry paste & chicken thighs.

the nonya curry was very tasty. i topped up a second portion so that it was hot, and everything was finished..

the thai yellow curry very lemak. it was prepared as a dip. chicken thigh was pan-roasted, nice crispy skin & moist, tender meat, quite perfect with the curry.

mutton was a bit of a let down for me.

the preparation was ok so the meat was tender & the House brand mutton masala curry paste was tasty & nice. the mutton itself though i felt was not great, no much taste…

sotong was done with “dancing chef” thai red curry..it is very similar to thai yellow curry, but red curry is spicer & good as a gravy…yellow curry is sweeter ok as a dip or gravy..

nonya sambal prawns

i use “heng’s” sambal paste for the nonya sambal prawns. prawns were done perfectly, succulent & sweet,  bouncy & not old, overcooked..

i bought the batang fillet from chinatown market the day before. just S$8 for a large thick i think almost 800g cut which i asked the fishmonger to cut into 4 thick slices.

i pan-fried to give it a firmer texture. this batang fillet quite perfect for pan-frying just with salt & often eaten this way.

for fish masala, i cooked with sliced onions & “house brand” masala paste…CM said this was excellent & he had the piece i got for him, and afterwards not much was left..

everyone enjoyed the vegetable curry too.

i fried tofu & added eggplant, lady fingers, onions, some chinese cabbage & some tomatoes…friends commented the tofu were well infused with the thai red curry flavours. a simple yet wonderful dish…

curry rice dinner

HAB came late as he had to counsel some young chappie from his church.

i kept food for him, a bit of every dish with minimal rice/carbs…

HK’s giant grapefruit

HK brought giant grapefruit from malaysia. it was very sweet indeed..we were expecting 忘不了after he shared some photos on group chat, but the sweet & more forgettable grapefruit sama boleh la…

CM’s ching chow dessert

CM brought nice ching chow dessert with longans. a nice refreshing dessert. everyone had like 2 bowls…CM doing better with more practices, definitely to be encouraged.

a nice dinner with old friends…we had the cake afterwards, bought by CL & YF for the march birthday boys including P visiting from london…next week SCG is organising a makan group dinner at joe’s kitchen, a thai eat by his sis & bil…

c.h.e.f andy

My Brother’s Old Childhood Friend & Her Son Came for 4pax Dinner on 10Mar2018

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dinner dishes

SL (an old childhood friend of my brother YS) and her son came for dinner this evening..

she is a very close friend of my brother. On CNY eve at my brother’s house, we arranged to have dinner on this evening with my brother but he now cannot make it..i thought dinner was canceled since brother not attending…they contacted me the evening before so we decided to go ahead with 4pax dinner. 🙂

i made-
1 claypot chicken rice
2 steamed pork soft bones
3 steamed minced pork
4 赛螃蟹 egg white with brocoli

claypot chicken rice my regular dish. this evening though not my best…

steamed pork soft bones

steamed pork soft bones a really easy dish to do. i took some from a frozen pack in the freezer. so basically with a good marinade just steam for 1.5hrs to 2hrs, and you get a very tender & tasty pork ribs like in dimsum restaurant.

steamed mined pork with light soy sauce

steamed minced pork with light soy sauce also a regular dish many liked.

SL & her son enjoyed both the dishes & also the claypot rice. there were enough for a second helping as wife & i took little rice… 🙂

赛螃蟹brocoli eggwhite

i gave another try on my new dish 赛螃蟹brocoli eggwhite…still not perfected. i guess tasty enough…

SL excellent dessert

sis SL made an excellent dessert. this evening even better than the one she brought to my brother’s house on CNY eve…really good!

so good i took 3 bowls la…

SL excellent dessert

SL excellent dessert

SL excellent dessert

don’t think i want to learn this, just invite sis SL for dinner ok la… :-p

it was sweet enough not too sweet…anyhow i like dessert to be sweet…and i like the dumplings though very sinful with all the carbs & sugar…

after dinner i made some 功夫茶 & we had a good chat…had not spend much time with sis SL in the past so it was very good to catch up & know more…afterwards i sent SL & son back. they were staying nearby..we plan to go out for some makan soon…

c.h.e.f andy

 

My Homecooked 14pax Teban Gardens Staff & Volunteers Farewell Lunch for AC & Wife on 7Mar2018

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14pax lunch dishes

i made a 14pax lunch for teban gardens staff & volunteers today on 7.3.2018. ^^

this was a farewell lunch for AC & wife B who are taking up a 8 yr mission posting to udon thani near laos border.

KF, my close friend & jogging buddy LCH, &  WM also joined lunch.

14pax lunch dishes

i made 8 dishes-

1 claypot chicken rice
2 braised belly pork with mushrooms
3 teochew braised hock 卤元蹄
4 steamed minced pork with light soy sauce
5 claypot tanhoon prawns
6 白斩鸡, chicken rice & chilli
7 steamed angkoli fillet with taujeon lime sauce
8 fried kang kong & cuttlefish in nonya sauce

14pax lunch dishes

i can see everyone had a really enjoyable time…

claypot chicken rice has always been my most popular dish…everu friend & family loved it.

& claypot rice was good today..very flavourful & chicken was plump, tender & tasty..

it was upstaged & outvoted by the chicken rice though…everyone loved the chicken, and especially the rice – very flavourful, fried fragrant with chicken fat & cooked with intense chicken stock…

chicken rice chicken 白斩鸡

chicken rice chicken 白斩鸡

& K loved the chilli…

the chicken rice chicken 白斩鸡 was very tender & moist. even the breast meat very moist & sweet…

many liked the 元蹄braised hock too. i used the teochew light braise (own braising sauce) instead of the darker tai hua braising sauce..

very “pang”, flavourful, gelatinous & even the lean meat was moist & tasty…

#4 braised belly pork & mushrooms

the braised belly pork & mushrooms was ok..R commented the belly pork was very tender…i think the mushroom taste overpowered it a bit, so i think the taste of the 元蹄braised hock braising sauce was better…

the steamed minced pork with light soy sauce was another popular & talked about dish, with my many friends & also with this teban gardens gang..

it is so easy to make, just 2tbsp good fragrant light soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil & 1tbsp cornflour…

the taujeon lime juice steamed angkorli was ok…not many commented so i guess while it was ok, it was not a stand out dish..a hk steamed red garoupa would be better, but since i had the firmer, less tender texture of angkorli (seabream or white snapper), a slight sour, sweet salty taste was a good condiment to the fish…

the  tanhoon prawns was another favourite dish…very fragrant, great wokhae & very tasty tanhoon from the intense chicken stock, and wonderful black pepper fragrance & coriander flavour…

#8 fried cuttlefish kang kong in nonya sauce

fried cuttlefish kang kong in nonya sauce was good too…here the nonya sauce stood out. cuttlefish was just nicely done so no overcooked & rubbery.

i admire AC couple commitment to a 8 yr missionary posting…AC said previously he did 12 yrs…or 3 4-yr posting..i guess that was harder still as children young then…

very happy to be cooking a meal for the first my friends at teban gardens..these people are doing such good works…i started cooking a friday breakfast community dish for teban gardens on 8jan2016..

(update=as of today 24mar2018, i did 57 times friday breakfast dish for teban gardens…my most recent was braised pork cubes on 23mar2018)

c.h.e.f andy

 

Braised Pork Cubes – 57th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 23Mar2018

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braised pork cubes

made braised pork cubes for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 16.3.2018.^^

this my 57th friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre.

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.

braised pork cubes 

bought 2x1kg frozen pork cubes from qbfood last week. decided to cook that for teban gardens friday community breakfast this morning.

started late last evening past midnight did not have the sauce i wanted ..lazy to go buy..concocted a sauce but it wasn’t so good…

braised pork cubes 

after braising the pork cubes for about 1/2 hr, i left it in a 95degC oven overnight for 6hrs.

that was so that i did not have to stay up for 2 hrs to braise the pork cubes over the stove, or wake up early this morning to do that.

braised pork cubes 

this morning i got up at the usual time 7am, took the pork from the oven dish & into the pan-wok, then heat up (& reduce as required, only little sauce was needed, and that also facilitated the transport in aluminium carrier.

i didn’t think it tasted too good this morningn, anyway MH told me it was all finished & the residents loved the taste, so i guess not good but also not too bad la..

c.h.e.f andy

Wife Invited My OPS Primary School Buddies for 7pax Dinner on 8Mar2018

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wife wanted to invite my OPS primary school buddies for dinner. i arranged dinner with WM, J, HC & M & youngest daughter joined for 7pax dinner on 8.3.2018. ^^

i made –

  1. claypot rice with steamed pork ribs & sausages
  2. scallion baked salmon fish head
  3. nonya sauce steamed tilapia
  4. steamed minced pork with light soy sauce
  5. tofu prawns
  6. 赛螃蟹 – brocoli eggwhite

HC brought a read wine. M brought chocolates & orange…

HK claypot rice 香港腊味沙煲饭

HK claypot rice 香港腊味沙煲饭

i made HK claypot rice 香港腊味沙煲饭 this evening as i just made claypot chicken rice for the 14pax farewell lunch yesterday for AC of teban gardens who is going away for 8 years mission posting in thailand.

HK claypot rice 香港腊味沙煲饭

generally this style has fragrant taste of pork & liver sausages but not as tasty in comparison w/o chicken in it.

so today i did a very nice steamed pork ribs (like at dimsum restaurants) and added to the claypot. it was very good, almost as good as the claypot chicken rice.

scallions baked salmon fish head

i bought 3 salmon fish head S$3each at song fish when i went there to buy salmon belly. so i did another scallion baked salmon fish head this evening.

scallions baked salmon fish head

i find salmon fish head a good enough proxy for 鸦片鱼头which WT brought 2 from shanghai recently.

of course nothing’s like the real thing, but i find salmon fish head has the softbone texture similar to 鸦片鱼头 though not quite the flaky, cod like texture of the flesh..but baking made the flesh firm and also the sauce more intense (unlike steaming) so that added to the taste experience…

scallions baked salmon fish head

scallions baked salmon fish head

i made this previously both 鸦片鱼头 and  salmon fish head, and my children, son, youngest daughter, and also sil all loved the dish…& walloped the very tasty infused scallions…

this evening no exception…we finished the whole dish ….

i forgot HC does not take scallions, but he enjoyed the fish all the same, w/o the scallions…

steamed minced pork in light soy sauce

steamed minced pork in light soy sauce

the steamed minced pork in light soy sauce dish was a regular favourite for all my friends. so simple to do, and so tasty..

tilapia in nonya sauce

steamed tilapia in nonya sauce a popular dish in JB…we had that at ya wang a short walk from city square mid 2017.

also when HH, our OPS sis, hosted her birthday dinner at tunglok seafood.

tilapia in nonya sauce

tilapia in nonya sauce

tilapia not my wife’s favourite, mud taste.

but with the very tasty, tangy nonya sauce musking it, tilapia’s firm & smooth texture with few small bones is a perfect fish for this dish.

tilapia in nonya sauce

certainly a dish i enjoyed much, and at very little cost…

tofu prawns

tofu prawns

this evening’s tofu prawns stock & fried tofu were good, well infused.

the prawns though were not great…maybe the timing was out…

赛螃蟹 – brocoli eggwhite

赛螃蟹 – brocoli eggwhite

wife like the 赛螃蟹 – brocoli eggwhite from crystal jade kitchen at hollandv & ordered in recently. this my 3rd time trying this dish..improving but not quite there yet..

presentation passable, texture of brocoli ok, eggwhite i guess about all i could do..won’t be much better, so just the seasoning need to be perfected…

it was a fun evening, nice food & wonderful company of old friends..

c.h.e.f andy

 

海底捞 Simple 3pax Home Hotpot Dinner with SIS & BIL on 5Mar2018

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海底捞hotpot dishes

did a simple 3pax home 海底捞 hotpot dinner with sis & bil on 5.3.2018. ^^

funny thing is i have never try the 海底捞  restaurants here in singapore but went to a very good one in shanghai on sep2017! lol!

with sis & bil

with sis & bil

hotpot of course is the simplest of makan, no skill no cooking required, just do it at the table yourself. 🙂

beef & mutton

so i bought some beef & mutton from sheng shiong…both not so good…better to buy iberico collar & good usda beef shabu shabu…

prawns

some prawns…

海底捞hotpot

had some leftover beef balls my brother brought back from our relatives in china..

海底捞hotpot dishes

& all the accompaniments like teochew fish cake, fish paste (not so good, better to get fish balls), beancurd rolls, shimeji & enoki mushrooms, and vegetables etc)..

a very enjoyable dinner with sis & bil, except i won’t get the beef & mutton next time, only iberico pork & usda beef…

c.h.e.f andy

 

USDA Prime Ribeye & Ika Sugatayaki 3pax Family Dinner on 4MAr2018

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usda prie ribeye steak

got back from HCK’s RI buddies afternoon chinese tea appreciation to make 3pax family dinner this evening..

1. usda prime ribeye 1” steak 375g
2. Japanese ika sugatayaki 👍👍👍
3. vegetable sides

steak & ika with veg sides include jap sweet potato

tagliata di manzo – steak & ika with veg sides include jap sweet potato

steak was in chiller had to makan soon anyway…simple dinner just 375g 1′ thick usda prime ribeye shared by 3pax plus vegetable sides.

also jap ika sugatayaki (which just means grilled whole squid)…this was supernice, will write-up a recipe separately…

roasted onions & sweet corn

i had sweet corn, onions, garlic, whatever leftover stuff in the fridge…

tagliata di manzo – usda prime ribeye steak

the tagliata, sliced usda prime ribeye steak on a bed of rockets (no cherry tomatoes ) was fabulous…

though it was medium more than medium rare, still super tender, marbled so flavourful, and melt in the mouth including the fat..

ika sugatayaki

ika sugatayaki was superb this evening, primarily because it was japanese quality squid, so big & thick, and in a way cheaper than sheng shion during CNY, where the squid price was like S$21.90/kg..

ika sugatayaki

steamed to cook 90%-95%, then dry in fridge & with kitchen towels, then added olive oi, sea salt, coarse black pepper & agave nectar (or honey) and flamed!

wonderful bbq flavours, thick, succulent sweet squid.

jap squid

squid price was just $7.80 for i estimated 400g-500g large squid! 🙂

ika sugatayaki

really good, imo standard of restaurants outside! ^^

c.h.e.f andy

 

Chinese Tea Appreciation 品茶 at HCK’s Home on 4Mar2018

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HCK’s tea pavilion

HCK invited us for a chinese tea appreciation session at his home on 4.3.2018.

we had 5 different tea-

1 龙井
2 碧螺春
3 单从
4 兰贵人
5 普洱

I left before 普洱 so did not taste that…🙂🙏..had to cook 3pax family dinner this evening.🙂

HCK’s tea pavilion

i am coffee & chinese tea drinker, but i lazy to do 功夫茶at home so used to take big cups of chinese tea..

my sis come often & she always made 功夫茶 at my place & also bought me many茶具 tea sets, including very useful travelling ones.

so these days i do 功夫茶  often enough & sometimes for my friends too, but really limited to 4pax.

HCK’s tea pavilion

so don‘t have the elaborate tea sets and the ambience of the tea pavilion 古色古香 :-)..this a very refreshing experience for all of us to have exquisite tea tasting 品茶 at HCK’s home

RI gang tea tasting

i brought some 铁观音for HCK.

other friends brought some makan tidbits.

RI gang tea tasting

HCK also had some nonya kuehs to go with the tea…

RI gang tea tasting

& some dessert from ivins like pulut hitam, bobor chacha etc..

RI gang tea tasting

a bit blur phto, but we all enjoyed the tea & the chats…

兰贵人

on the tea,

1 龙井 was somehow too light? didn’t really feel much of it…
2 碧螺春 was quite popular, every one liked it..though it is a much cheaper green tea than 龙井 and quite often served in jiangsu area..
3 单从 is a stronger tea & can serve 冲 many rounds..
4 兰贵人 is a very fragrant flowery tea, no need to 洗茶wash the tea, and can serve right away…i had a very good one like 20 years ago given by some business contacts in shanghai & after that did not manage to buy it..after HCK ‘s tea tasting i asked my relatives in china…they said it is very expensive…
5 普洱 – i missed this part as i had to leave to prepare 3pax dinner at home...anyway, nowadays they sell small one serving 普洱  mini tea cakes, and i take that often enough, very smooth tea like XO.

very fun afternoon for all of us, sharing & enjoying the company & little joys in life.

c.h.e.f andy

Supremely Good Chapgomeh 元宵节 5pax Home Dinner on 2Mar2018

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claypot chicken rice 

made excellent 5pax chapgomeh 元宵节home dinner this evening. ^^

1 claypot chicken rice – the best!
2 scallion baked salmon fish head
3 prawn tofu
4 eggwhite scallops brocoli 赛螃蟹

scallion baked salmon fish head & prawn tofu were tops, superb this evening.

赛螃蟹 my first attempt after reading from Internet earlier only when cooking eggwhite i realised forgot to add milk! Anyway, son, daughter & sil all loved it!

claypot chicken rice

my claypot rice always good, and this evening it was specially good!

very tender, sweet chicken, and tasty, smoky, flavourful rice, and very little burnt parts..quite perfect!

tofu prawns 

tofu prawns very good too…

prawns 

medium, fresh prawns…

tofu 

tofu well infused (very importantly) with very tasty chicken stock…

tofu prawns

tofu prawns 

to make a very tasty tofu prawn dish…

scallion baked salmon fish head 

i used salmon fish head as proxy of 鸦片鱼 (a flat fish)头.

we had 鸦片鱼头 in shanghai at old jessie & also 陈记,

and my OPS bro brought back 2 for me from shanghai which i made recently.

鸦片鱼头 has firm, flaky, sweet flesh like cod, and a softbone structure for the head like salmon…really excellent dish…

this time, i bought 3 salmon fish heads from song fish star vista for only S$3each. so i used this as a proxy of the 鸦片鱼头! ^^

scallion baked salmon fish head 

i covered the salmon fish head with scallions, then the usual 2tbsp olive oil, 3-4tbsp light soy sauce & squeeze 1 lime (1 tbsp lime juice), and roast in a 250degC ove for 10mins.

roasting makes the flesh firmer & a dryer more intense sauce condiments c/w steaming…

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli 

this the first time i made 赛螃蟹egg white brocoli .

will write up a separate recipe later…

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli 

i googled online recipe…7 egg whites, trawling in oil for a min etc, not difficult to do..

赛螃蟹egg white brocoli

however, after cooking a few other dishes, and starting the 赛螃蟹egg white brocoli dish, only at the moment the eggwhite hit the oil did i realise that i forgot to add milk to the egg white.

anyway, result look like fried egg white omelette…i added good black vinegar, very flavourful…everyone liked it, the nice, “pang”, slight sour flavour of good vinegar.

though we do not normally celebrate chapgomeh 元宵节home dinner, and so this dinner was rather kind of impromptu, anyway the dishes turned out mostly perfectly, so everyone was happy with the food & spending the evening together with family!

c.h.e.f andy

Bset Value S$18.90 Japanese A5 Wagyu Yakiniku Lunch Set @ Heijoen on 1Mar2018

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Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku 

OPS bro HC bought 3pax yakiniku lunch at heijoen on 1.3.2018. ^^

we knew there were limited 15 sets a day so we came early at 11.30am..

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set 

the set included kimchi pickles, salad, bibimbap & soup.

the price S$18.90 is more expensive than the previous S$16.90, however S$16.90 was for wagyu, pork & chicken combo, so in a sense this set is even more value-for-money… 

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

somehow though, the bibimbap & soup were not as good as last time? i wonder?

Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku 

the beef was perfecto!!! best!

that’s all that count la! ^^

SOLD OUT! S$18.90 Jap A5 wagyu yakiniku set

as we left after our lunch, the sign was up – SOLD OUT!

i had the Jap wagyu lunch set with my wife & son last week & it was S$24.90 with plain rice NOT bibimbap…we were late & the special lunch set already sold out by then…so this S$18.90 really worth it!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Yakiniku Heijoen

Address:

435 Orchard Road, #04-46, Singapore 238877
6262 3294
Saturday – Sunday
  • 11AM–11PM
Monday – Friday
  • 11:30AM–11PM

 

Fun & Delicious 18pax CNY Family Lunch on 25Feb2018

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CNY lisa family makan dishes

wife organised a 18pax CNY family makan & chill gathering.

I made a fun & delicious tapas+pasta+steak lunch-

1 teriyaki salmon belly
2 flamed miso belly pork
3 red wine oven slow braised fresh prime ribs
4 grilled chicken thighs with thai red curry onions dip
5 oven grilled vegetables
6 chorizo prawns
7 tagliata di manzo – pan-grilled usda prime ribeye

aunty bes made her famous dishes-
8 deepfried chicken wings
9 cheese sausage spaghetti
10 chicken & prawn alio olio

aunty bes chicken wings

wife’s nephew K has 4 teenagers & pre-teens, so aunty bes chicken wing is a regular popular item.

i made the usual teriyaki miso salmon belly. everyone’s favourite dish today! ^^

salmon steak too chunky & satiating, so belly with oil & roasted, making it less oily & very flavourful (oil spread over) and firmer texture, is just the perfect preparation..

& nicely garnished with dill from my garden! ^^

just light soy sauce, miso, chopped garlic & ginger marinade 2-3 days in chiller then grilled in 250degC oven for 15mins…

i made a pan roast chicken thigh with thai red curry…no thai yellow curry so i used thai red curry, which is spicier!

it was just frozen boneless leg (no effort to debone & just costing S$7.95 for 2kg 8 pieces large thigh + leg). seasoned, fried skin down golden brown, perfect tender & juicy & the thai chilli with coconut milk an ideal dip/condiment…

i made red wine pork ribs…good too..all walloped finish! ^^

browned on non-stick pan, seasoned with mustard, red wine, coarse black pepper, korean yuzu jelly (can use honey), garlic, red onions, scallions etc, and slow braised in 95degC oven for 6hrs…

same slow braise 95degC oven 6hrs method for miso belly pork..just that i flamed it before serving…nice bbq/smoked flavours & more tender than pork ribs..

chorizo prawns another crowd favourite….wonderful, wonderful dish…

& so easy to prepare…

fry garlic cloves, sliced onions, chilli padi, 12 pieces sliced chorizo..off fire…add white wine & intense chicken stock, then reduce…add red pepper of red chilli for colour & vegetable balance…

when serving, just add prawns (seasoned with fish sauce & white pepper & cover while pan/pan heats up. cook the prawns just right, bouncy, fresh, sweet, not overcooked.

aunty bes alio olio 

aunty bes did her 2 pastas – cheese sausage pasta (forgot to take photo),  and the alio olio..

a great round up after the tapas dishes…

& as the highlight & curtain closer for the great fun family makan, i had usda prime ribeye served as tagliata di manzo, on a bed of cherry tomatoes & rockets…2 servings of 350g 1′ ribeye steak. ^^

the steaks were super, tender melt in the mouth, even the fats…everyone loved this!

a memorable lunch for family..good food great time together…

c.h.e.f andy

OPS CNY2018 Makan & Chill at CH2 House on 24Feb2018

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huat ah!

had a wonderful OPS CNY makan & chill at CH2’s place..

pot luck & many great dishes – CH2’s yummy mushroom soup, j’s 蚝豉发菜-very thick japanese mushrooms & nice dried oyster flavours 👍, & CH’s irresistible curry chicken…& HC brought roast duck..long queue..WT’s mala spaghetti etc….

J & LH also made kueh ubi kayu & kueh kosui…

*****************

first thing first for CNY celebration – Huat Ah!

lohei

nice lohei…

lohei

& CH2 “poured” in lots of salmon sashimi….

OPS CNY2018 makan & chill

OPS CNY2018 makan & chill

CH2’s home

spacious & great ambience…

OPS CNY potluck dishes

so much food…i didn’t try many dishes…haha! 🙂

CH’s yummy mushroom soup

mushroom soup yummy & delicious…maybe should have taken another bowl..

first time i took J’s bakut prawn mee, took one bowl…second time threw caution & calories to the wind & took 2 bowls..next CNY la..

WT’s mala spaghetti

WT’s mala seafood spaghetti..

WT’s mala spaghetti

nice colour..

WT’s mala spaghetti

spaghetti was al dente..

CH’s curry chicken

my perennial favourite…drank quite a bit of curry..

J’s oyster fa cai  蚝豉发菜

J’s oyster fa cai 蚝豉发菜 was intended for her in-law family, luckily our accomplished lifter WM stole some…thick jap mushrooms & the dried oyster taste combined with fa cai texture, lagi shiok!

steamed pomfret

steamed pomfret

steamed pomfret looked great. i didn’t try though, wonder who did? CH2 is it?

HC brought roast duck

HC brought nice S$40 roast duck…long queue he said, forgot the shop name….

fried prawns with asparagus

took some asparagus, good…not sure who did?

sushi platter

didn’t try the sushi…don’t know who brought?

OPS CNY makan and chill

my food plate…

kueh

i like nonya kueh..J’s kueh ubi batu really good. LH’s kueh sosui too..cheating!!! sista made one!!!

angku kueh not sure from where? not so great…not so “pang” and too much infill tau sa…

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

my braised belly pork with mushrooms

i did a braised belly pork with cheap mushrooms (3 packets S$10)…can always rely on WM to steal the good thick mushrooms la…

c.h.e.f andy

Good Dinner with RI Bros @ Thai Pan Mandarin Gardens on 28Feb2018

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tom yam soup

my RI bro CL organised a movie evening..

5 of us – CL, CJ, KK, KH met for dinner first at thai pan..

J & HAB joined afterwards..we watched “Glory”, a Denzel Washington movie 👍

after dinner, movie time – we had bak kwa & chomp chomps & KK brought banana cake made by I 👍

tom yam soup

we ordered the tomyam soup.

for me, not edible, spicy with the kick yes, but thin, no flavour, not tasty, the instant, paste kind..

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

deep freid seabass was good, garoupa would be better.

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

deep-fry a good way to do seabass, which has mud taste, and meat soft & not firm.

deep-fried seabaas to trio thai sauce

the sauce was good compliment, sweet & a tinge tangy..

deep-fried pork belly

deep-fried pork belly pretty ok too.

deep-fried pork belly

a nice dish…

salted egg sotong

salted egg sotong a popular dish here. wouldn’t say it was special, but i guess most salted egg dish pretty good in most makan places..

salted egg sotong

nice salted egg flavours, and the sotong was not overcooked & rubbery, so pretty good stuff.

fried baby kailan

fried baby kailan

thai baby kailan was good too.

overall, nothing spectacular, still very nice dinner with good friends, and most dishes good, competent…excepting the tomyam for me, but a friend also quite like the tomyam…very individual taste preference la…

c.h.e.f andy

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

Thai Pan Restaurant @ Mandarin Gardens
Address:
13 Siglap Rd, Singapore 448911
Contact:
thaipan.com.sg
6448 9827
Opening Hours:
daily
  • 11:30AM–3PM
  • 5:30–10PM

Sutchi Fillet & Brocoli in Nonya Sauce – 56th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 16Mar2018

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sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce

made sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 16.3.2018.^^

this my 56th friday breakfast community meal dish at teban gardens community service centre.

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.

brocoli in nonya sauce

been making mostly chicken the last many times for teban gardens because it is the easiest, boneless thighs, no need much preparation, just cut & use a variety of curry and sauces. haha! 🙂

for a change sometimes i do a belly pork also.

today i decided to do sutchi fillet, again no preparations required basically & easy to cook.

i sued to cook 2 packets = 2 kg frozen sutchi fillet from sheng shiong, but today it looked not enough as the residents attending breakfast have grown to 130/140pax…will increase to 3 kg next time. 🙂

i added 2 brocoli. looked a lot on the colander but quite meagre also on the aluminium food tray…maybe have to do 4 next round..not difficult preparations except for shaving the skin of the stems…

sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce

i drain-dried the fillet & seasoned with the heng’s nonya sauce sachet the evening before.

this morning, i got up at the usual 7am.

just added cut chilli padi, sliced ginger, chopped spring onions, then 3 tsp chopped garlic to 2 tbsp oil, fried then added the fish, turned around a bit to get even cooking, then added the brocoli, and covered to steam the fish & the brocoli…

lazy man way of cooking la…

sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce

i tasted a bit of the fish…very tasty with the nonya sauce…brocoli looked fine.

sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce

still early as i usually leave at 8.15am, so placed in 40degC oven to keep warm.

added in some cut spring onions to garnish.

sutchi fillet & brocoli in nonya sauce

so, easy preparation, and quite nice dish..

the next round, i will cook 3 kg fish fillet & maybe 4 brocoli…i probably cut the fillet into good size pieces first la…

c.h.e.f andy

CJ hosted Brotherhood CNY2018 Hotpot Lunch + Bak Kwa Tasting on 21Feb2018

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CJ’s shih tzu doggy

CJinvited RI brotherhood for CNY hotpot lunch & bak kwa tasting on 21.2.2018…👍👍👍

also doubled as his birthday celebration! we had 12pax out of 14 missing CH & J..

bak kwa tasting

started with a bak kua tasting session….

bak kwa tasting

our friend collected too much bak kwa during CNY cannot finish la…

CJ’s hotpot lunch

a very good hotpot lunch!

induction heater was strong & fast!

CJ’s hotpot lunch

12pax gathered at the table.

CJ had good chicken stock. he used 2 whole chicken, i used chicken bones & feet, different class la! lol! :-p

CJ’s hotpot lunch

CJ’s hotpot lunch

some people knew to pick corner seats – got served the whole lunch & quietly finishing the bak kwa! lol!

beef

pork collar

red garoupa fillet

CJ had red garoupa fillet, pork belly & beef all nice;

small abalones, quite big, & enuf for 2 each 🙂

& also quite big baby abalones enuf for 2 each!..

shimeji mushrooms

golden mushrooms enoki

tofu & ngoh hiang

vege

& lots of nice vegetables…KH still talking about it the next day👍

cherries

& huge, sweet cherries.

CJ’s shih tzu doggy

CJ’s shih tzu doggy

CJ’s shih tzu doggy got special affinity to KH…TC eluded to some part of anatomy 😜

CL took all the beautiful camera shots! 🙂

brotherhood makan & chill are especially fun! i enjoyed every one of them thoroughly la!

c.h.e.f andy

So-so Nasi Padang 6pax OPS Birthday Dinner of KS @ Indo Chilli on 20Feb2018

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KS birthday cake from baker & cook

we organised a 6pax birthday dinner for our OPS bro KS on 20.2.2018. ^^ (KS, WM, FM, M, HH & me). 🙂

i got a birthday (carrot cake) from baker & cook at namly place. 🙂

indo chilli

we went to try out indo chilli, a halal, indonesian restaurant at savourworld science park.

indo chilli & savourworld lagi equally empty on a tuesday! no business no traffic!

Indochilli dishes so-so only…chicken satay, tauhu telor, tempeh petai, and chicken panggang were good.. oxtail soup, beef rendang, mutton curry & ayam kari were poor..

HH joined later, took some satay ..

afterwards we went to island penang kitchen at clementi west…HH ordered penang laksa 👍 but not my favourite…chendol was good but four seasons @ lor 8 is better

chicken satay

online reviews said chicken satay was good…& it was!

a little on the sweet side…we liked it enuf to order a second..

tauhu telor

tauhu telor was good too…of course just standard stuff in any indonesian restaurant.

sop buntut – oxtail soup

sop buntut – oxtail soup was quite poor, not tasty..

beef rendang

beef rendang was passable. gravy ok, beef was too soft, no bite/texture, no much taste.

ayam panggang padang

ayam panggang padang was a better meat dish, ok tasty.

we also ordered another chicken, ayam kari padang…that one not so good…chicken texture also not good, maybe frozen chicken…

mutton curry stew

mutton curry was poor also both taste & texture, not comparison to a good roti prata stall’s.

tempeh with petai

tempeh with petai was the other nice dish here…great taste!

dinner for 5pax was about S$115. HH joined us afterwards. she was busy with lots if CNY lunches & dinner entertainments so joined for fellowship did not eat much…

island penang kitchen

island penang kitchen

S$3 chendol

after makan, KS brought us to island penang kitchen, also M’s regular haunt….

HH found her apetite & tried a S$5 penang laksa..the rest of us had the S$3 chendol…good enuf & none too expensive…i will come back here to try out the penang dishes!

c.h.e.f andy

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

Indo Chilli

Address:
2 Science Park Drive #01-09, Ascent / Savourworld, Singapore 118222
Contact:
indochili.com
6909 0177
Opening Hours:  
Mon-Sat 11AM–9PM, closed on Sunday

 

 

Shiok! 7pax Home Donburi Dinner on 19Feb2018

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kaisen don 海鲜丼 

wife brought back fresh sashimi from hokkaido last week. we finished the uni, ikura etc & had some salmon, amaebi, ika & tako left..

i made my usual tamago. also added a fried iberico shabu with onions & yakiniku sauce. 👍

& we got aunty bes to make some calamari from the tako….👍👍 

we had 7pax family dinner..

wa! the doburi looked so shiok right?

seafood donburi dinner

seafood donburi dinner 

all the good stuff…

salmon sashimi 

salmon was like lightly cured..would have prefered sashimi..

hotate & my tamago 

my tamago pretty good standard not too sweet. 🙂

hotate 

hotate was like so sweet & fresh….shiok!

ika 

ika was excellent too….

amaebi

amaebi 

amaebi or sweet prawns the usual good…

tako 

tako was pretty ok…

tako calamari 

& the calamari fritters were excellent!

fried iberico pork & onions

many greedy mouths in this family, so add iberico pork, no problem la!

kaisen don 海鲜丼

can’t stop thinking of eating a good kaisen don 海鲜丼 now!

c.h.e.f andy

S$4 Piccolo Latte Heaven @ Tiong Hoe on 19Feb2018

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S$4 piccolo latte 

after our energizing morning walk up & down bukit timah hill, we went to tiong hoe at stirling road for a cuppa on 19.2.2018. ^^

S$4 piccolo latte

we ordered a $4 piccolo latte ..smaller cup same amount of coffee 👍 good flavours & silky smooth! 🙂

we gave the $2 as tip into the box & owner served us 2 1/2cup free sample of pourover black coffee..

great experience 👍

c.h.e.f andy

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

Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee

Address:
170 Stirling Rd, #01-1133, Singapore 140170
Contact:
tionghoe.com
6474 5442
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri
  • 8.30AM–5.30PM
Sunday
  • 9AM–4PM

 

Walking Bukit Timah Hill on 19Feb2018

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BTNR walk

with the CNY break, wife was free a few days this week.

we went for a morning walk up & down bukit timah hill @ BTNR on 19.2.2018. ^^

we were able to park right at the carpark a short walk to the visitor centre. this time we took just below 1 hr, with a few rest stops, at the huts & the summit.

we walked 3 times this week & one time the following week. 🙂

on the second time this week. we took 47mins up & down, basically a consistent 25mins up to the summit with a short rest at the hut. this time we could not find parking at hindhede road side so went over to park at courts & walked over the overhead bridge.

BTNR walk 

pleasant walk as always…

BTNR walk

outdoor, in nature,

BTNR walk 

among the woods…

BTNR walk 

 a relatively easy walk, easier than dragon’s back, and much shorter of course.

no comparison with bukhansan la! that was 7hrs & lots tougher…

BTNR walk

BTNR walk 

serene, peaceful..

BTNR walk

soon we were at the turn to the paved main road.

BTNR walk 

& after the usual long flight of steps, we arrived at the summit the tower & the stone marking the summit.

a very pleasant morning time together with wife, afterwards, we went for a cuppa at tiong hoe.

c.h.e.f andy

Steamed 鲈鱼 Stripe Bass on 15Feb2018

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steamed 鲈鱼 stripe bass

my OPS bro WT brought back from shanghai & gave me a 1kg 鲈鱼 stripe bass. i decided to cook it on 15.2.2108. ^^

like the 桂鱼 mandarin fish i did previously, as i was not certain how fish the fish might be, i decided to steam the fish separately & pour away the juice,. always felt wasted, but what the hack right?

steamed 鲈鱼 stripe bass

i butterfly the fish & cut the sides.

i added sliced ginger to the fish & added 1 tbsp shaoxing wine, & a dash of sea salt.

steamed 鲈鱼 stripe bass

steamed for 8 minutes & discard the steaming juice.

steamed 鲈鱼 stripe bass 

i then fried the ginger & chilli padi in a wok with 2 tbsp olive oil & 3tbsp light soy sauce.

steamed 鲈鱼 stripe bass 

then i poured the sauce over the fish & placed the sliced ginger nicely with the cuts, and added some cut spring onions…

i must say the fish & preparation were excellent! fish texture was firm & a bit like cod actually, and very sweet without adding sugar. really i think this preparation is excellent & better than the quite expensive 鲥鱼 in shanghai (which cost like 1/2 fish for RMB360).

this one here, cheap & simple and very tasty, sweet, flavourful fish. quite prefect la!

c.h.e.f andy