Dinner with Rice (:

Here are some of the home dishes that mum whips up to go with plain white rice. (:

Pork Ribs Marinated in Red Yeast



Steamed Pomfret (Teochew Style)



Crispy Tempura Prawns


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Dim Sum Lunch at Ah Yat Forum!

We went for a dim sum lunch at Ah Yat Forum last week because it was a special occasion. ;)

We just ordered a few dim sum as we were rushing to leave for Singapore Art Museum afterwards. These are just some of the dim sum we ate.

Egg Tarts



We had a Danish guest with us, so we dared him to eat Braised Duck's Tongue. He enjoyed it! :D



Sorry for the blur photo! This is the Char Siew Pastry.


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Mum's Experiments: Faux Tiramisu!

Mum saw this quick tip on making "Faux" Tiramisu on TV, and we tried it out!

It's really simple and easy to make! All you need is some full cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar and some chocolate swiss roll from your nearest cake shop. Just beat the full cream, mascarpone cheese and fine sugar until it becomes smooth and velvety, then layer it on top of slices of chocolate swiss roll. Alternate and finish with the cream layer. Chill and before serving, sprinkle some cocoa powder on top! Alcohol is optional.



Try to use a smaller container, or there won't be enough for multiple layers, like what happened in the picture above! You can see why it's called "Faux" Tiramisu. There's no coffee, egg or liqueur in it, but it's just so easy to make!

And I has fun making the cream! :D

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Mum's Experiments: Okonomiyaki

Sorry everyone for the major lack of posts! I've been rather busy with school, and there wasn't much to post anyway. ): But Mum's making new experiments again, this time it's the Japanese Pancake: Okonomiyaki!

I wrote words on with Mayonnaise! Mmmm! :P


This is what is looked like before serving. Pan fry the pancake then add Okonomiyaki sauce: 2/3 part Tonkatsu Sauce, 1/3 part Tomato Ketchup.


Sprinkle generous amounts of Bonito Flakes and it's ready to eat! :D

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Dad's Hainanese Hamburg

I've been making my own home-made hamburgers lately, so Dad decided to make his own hamburger... without the burger buns. He wanted to recreate that old coffeestall-style Hainanese Hamburg Patty with Vegetables, so here it is!

Mum took a bite... and well, let's just say there was too much nutmeg in the patty. :P

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Roasted Meats at Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant

Some other goodies we treated ourselves at the New Year feast:

Roasted Pork (烧肉)

My personal sinful indulgence: A crisp layer of crackling skin, followed by a melt-in-the-mouth experience of aromatic lipids, finished off by the tender meat. All compacted in a small but sophisticated package of flavours and textures. They provide mustard, but I like to eat it as it is.



Roasted Goose

Another stellar dish at Imperial Treasure, this one is me and Mum's favourite. The meat is not the slightest bit dry, and the skin crisp and bursting with flavour. Truly the epitome of all Chinese roasts! :D

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My Favourite Goose Web!!

While celebrating "ren ri" at Imperial treasure Nan Bei restaurant, Mum and Dad treated me to one of my favourite dishes: Braised Goose Web!

Fear factor to others, but favourite dish to me! :D The skin and meat is so smooth and tender it slides from the bone and glides down your throat! The strange thing is that many restaurants serve this dish with knife and fork. I find that using chopsticks is much easier.

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Chinese New Year: Yu Sheng

We had a rather delicious Yu Sheng (Lo Hei) during the Chinese New Year festivities at Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant. (During "Ren Ri" or the birthdate of all men in Lunar calendar) To tell the truth, I've never liked Yu Sheng as 1) I still couldn't get used to raw fish except Aji; 2) Full of veggies! But strangely this one actually got us finishing the entire plate!

The syrup was not too cloyingly sweet, and I liked the fact that they added crunchy shredded yam. Oh oh and there were (a few strands of) jellyfish!



Mixing the ingredients together and drawing it high for good luck!

Click here for more information about Yu Sheng and Lo Hei!

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Lunch at Wahiro

Year 2009 has started, so it also means that school will be starting very, very soon. As a start-of-school-year treat, my parents brought me to Wahiro at Goldhill Plaza (Katong is pretty far, and Dad might find it a little squeezy) for their kushiyaki. (grilled skewered items)

They have pretty good set lunches, so Mum got this Wahiro Set that comes with a little of everything.



I had the Tempura Set(shown above), while Dad had the Yanagawa-nabe set. Of course I also ordered ala-carte kushiyaki!



From left: Chicken Skin (Kawa), Beef Tongue (Gyu Tan), Chicken (Tori)
I really enjoyed the beef tongue, because it's been a really long time since I last had such a thick meaty cut of it. Some parts were too well done, but the rest with pink centres were really delicious! Kawa was chewy and crisp at the edges.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009! (and school!)

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New Year: Mum's Stir-fried Glass Vermicelli

Every Chinese New Year, Mum will cook this staple dish without fail. These "glass vermicelli", or also known as mung-bean vermicelli or "Tang Hoon" is extremely delicious because it is cooked in a concentrated stock. Stir-fried with Jew's Ear and various veggies, I can wolf several servings of this down at dinner time! :p

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New Year: "Hae Zhor" Prawn Rolls

These are a family specialty: "Hae Zhor", or Hokkien Prawn Rolls.

My grand-aunt does it the traditional way: wrapping prawn meat, water chestnut and minced pork in membrane derived from pigs' organs. It may sound gruesome, but some sausages also utilise the same natural membrane as a casing. First, it has to be steamed to ensure the ingredients are cooked. It is then coated in batter and deep fried to a crispy golden brown!


Hae Zhor in batter ready for deep-frying!

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Mum's Traditional Foo Chow Nian Gao

This is Mum's Traditional Foo Chow "Nian Gao", a kind of New Year pudding made from tapioca flour, sweet potato flour, red sugar and shredded yam. It is wrapped in beancurd sheet and garnished with red dates. She made 3 cakes to share and give to family and frieds! :)

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Experiments: Baked Pumpkin Gratin

Mum and Dad were so impressed with the Pumpkin Gratin at Sushi Tei's Hokkaido Promotion, that they decided to try baking their own!

Loads of mashed potato in the hollow pumpkin, plus topped with cheese and black pepper! I don't usually like pumpkin, but this really had me getting second helpings!

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