Mum's Birthday: Shabu-shabu and Cheescake!

Wednesday was Mum's Birthday, so we celebrated by having a delicious Shabu-shabu (シャブシャブ) dinner at home. Just dip the thinly sliced beef in the hotpot for a few seconds' and it's ready to eat! The soup base is made from Konbu 昆布 , White Radish and Assorted Mushrooms. Besides beef and pork slices, we also had some Beancurd, Glass Noodles, Veggies, Kelp, Assorted Balls including Hakka Beef Balls.

And for desert, we had Japanese Cheesecake from Uncle Miki @ Liang Court! Yummy! (:



Happy Birthday, Mummy! :D

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DIY: Kurobuta Teppanyaki

Whilst eating around Orchard yesterday, we decided to look around Isetan especially since they had a Nigiwai Japanese fair going on currently. The Shittake Mushrooms blew me and Mum away-- Juicy, Aromatic and full of Umami. And that wasn't the only reason it blew us away; the price tag did as well. :P I also discovered a little gem: カゴメ野菜生活100 Kagome 100% Fruit and Vegetable Juice I tried the Pink Version, and it was really surprisingly delicious! Without salt, sugar or sweeteners, it still tasted sweet and delightful! Tasted a little like berry yoghurt juice; this drink gets a two thumbs up from a Anti-Veggie teen like me! :P

Anyway, you came here to look at Kurobuta Teppanyaki, so here it is:

I was surprised when I saw this on sale at Isetan-- It looked uncannily like... BEEF! Kurobuta refers to meat from the Berkshire Pig, and you can get them from US, Taiwan and Japan. This one came from US. I marinated it in a little Tare, and sizzled it on a hotplate.



This was so good! It had a good bite to it, yet not tough, and went very well with fluffy white rice! Very flavourful, and though rather oily, this kind of fat is the epitome of guilty pleasure! :P

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Dining Out: Disappointing Dim Sum at Orchard

At first I wanted to eat dim sum at Junction 8's Crystal Jade, since it was just a MRT stop away. Instead, Dad wanted to eat somewhere with the traditional dim sum "push-cart", so we ended up at Xin Fu Yin Cha Fortunate Restaurant joint in the Orchard area. Sadly, the food was very disappointing, and there wasn't even any push cart.

The sauces and gravy (especially for the Sheng Mian we ordered) were too starchy and had lumps of starch. Mum told this to the waitress but she didn't seem to respond at all.



The Har Gao was probably one of the better dim sum, though the skin could be improved.



Oh well, but we discovered a little small place selling handmade Xiao Long Bao and Jiao Zi. The lady actually makes the Xiao Long Bao at the window for passers-by to see. They looked really good, and meat filling was generous! Too bad I didn't get to try it. It's loated near the Dim Sum Restaurant at International Building.

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Mum's Recipe: Chilli Crab

Here's Mum's very own rendition of the Chilli Crab! It's the dry version, without the spicy gravy, but fried with egg, onions and chilli. This was really, really fragrant, and not too spicy!

I suggested making it less dry and adding tung hoon (mung bean vermicelli) to fry and soak up all the lovely aroma. I think it's be delicious! :P



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Happy 43rd Birthday Singapore!!

What better way to celebrate Singapore's 43rd Birthday than a dedicated blog post to the oh-so-famous Chilli Crab? It is a must-try Singaporean delicacy, and was featured as the star dish of Singapore's Food Festival 2007.

Happy 43rd Birthday, Singapore! (:

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Mum's Recipe: Oxtail Stew

I loved Stewed Oxtail and Ox Tongue when I had them at a Bistro in Kuching, Sarawak. Oxtail is a more common dish now in Singapore, and you can get chilled or frozen ones at the supermarket.

Stewed for many hours with onions, carrots and tomato paste. I personally like a little tomato paste in my Oxtail Stew, it gives it an additional sweet and sour taste to the savoury gravy.



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Jamie: Tomato Seafood Bisque

Just when I said I was going to make seafood bisque, my cousin beat me to it!

This is Jamie's Tomato Seafood Bisque! It tastes as delicious as it looks! (:

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re-Tweak: Cream of Mushroom Soup!!

Shiitake and Friends Creamy Mushroom Soup's back for take-two! This time, I used chicken fat ("butter") leftover from Mum's Chicken Soup and olive oil to fry the shallots and garlic instead of ordinary butter. Added some slices of mushrooms for the extra chew, and sneaked a few strips of bacon in the soup for that alluring aroma. I also made it a little more chunky and less creamy for that extra hearty feel. (:

So what was Mum and Dad's verdict this time? Two Thumbs Up! =D

The next soup I want to try out would be Seafood Bisque, a hearty tomato-based seafood soup! I might even try that out with some puff pastry on top! So keep your eyes peeled for the next delicious post! ;P

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