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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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: "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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Grilled Rack of Lamb

What I grilled on the eve of Christmas Eve! These were small, but so tender and delicious! I got this rack of lamb from Meidi-ya Supermarket, and it is claimed to be 8 months old.

Only seasoned with salt this time, as I didn't have time to prepare a marinade or basting liquid. *Don't you love those grill marks?* :D



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Tomato

I've added a new Category called *FoodScoop, where I will post some food facts starting with the humble Tomato!

I got these beauties from Sixth Avenue Cold Storage! Very juicy and not the slightest bit acidic! The less red/orange ones are usually rather tasteless. These are On-Vine Tomatoes, the ones you see in the local supermarket are usually plucked before they are fully ripe, then ripened artificially with ethylene.

I also love Japanese Momotaro Tomatoes, but they're really expensive... I like them chilled and eaten raw, as an appetizer or dessert. Cherry Tomatoes may be sweet or sour, depending on the quality and specie, but the recent stock of yellow cherry tomatoes proved to be delightfully sweet! (:

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Fun with Origami: Yaki-Nori Style!

I know it's not polite to play with your food, but sometimes it's ok to have... just a little fun. (:

Fold a Bento Box with Yaki-Nori and add rice in!




Or even the popular Traditional Crane!!



Do you think even this is possible? ;)

...Try it yourself!

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DIY: Surf 'n Turf Kushiyaki

I love all things grilled, especially flame-grilled or charcoal-grilled meats and carbs. Kushiyaki is the Japanese rendition of our Singaporean Satay, which is charcoal-grilled meats and other food on skewers or bamboo sticks.

At Japanese restaurants you can sometimes get awesome cuts and grades of meat. My favourites are the beef karubi and tongue (gyu tan). Every kushiyaki chef also takes pride in his "Tare" (タレ) marinade. For premium marbled beef, just a sprinkle of sea salt is sufficient! The only thing we can't emulate at home is the charcoal grill so we had to use a hot pan instead.

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Mum's Experiments: Crispy Fried Chicken

Remember my 50-50 Fried Chicken experiment a couple months ago? Mum decided to try out her own Crispy Fried Chicken after watching a demonstration on TV.

The trick was to coat the chicken meat in lightly salted water overnight (in the fridge), although other recipes say in milk and lemon juice. Mum used Sweet Potato flour for the batter.

Woah! It was really good! The chicken was so juicy, it squirted out in a bite! The batter, though a little bland, was really crispy. A little too crunchy, but it became much better after adding a little water into the batter. HAHA, take that, KFC!!! >:P

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Mum's Recipe: Seafood Platter!

We had a Seafood Platter of Prawn Fritters and Calamari today! Went well with Kwepie Mayonnaise, Tartar Sauce, Ketchup and even Ranch Dressing!

Prawn Fritters

Not your usual Ebi Tempura, Mum used another kind of batter which makes it ever lighter than the Tempura batter. This batter creates a thin but crispy layer which envelops the flesh within.. Awesome!!


Calamari

Delicious Fried Squid Rings using Panko as the batter! They were crispy on the outside, and chewy-licious inside! Definitely one of my favourite fried finger snacks! :)

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Recipe: Korokke コロッケ (Potato Croquette)

I simply love potatoes, and I love them baked, roasted, boiled, mashed and deep-fried!! Here's a recipe for Japanese Croquette (called "Korokke" コロッケ) which can be found here. You can add minced meat, corned beef and frozen vegetables too! They taste great with extra onions, a bit of garlic... and the best part is, it tastes good even with just little salt!

Ingredients
Potatoes, boiled til soft
1 Egg
Onion (1 medium)
Garlic Powder
Flour
Oil, for deep frying
Panko パン粉 (Japanese Breadcrumbs)
Herbs, Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mash potatoes until fluffy. (Do not use a machine or it will become too smooth!)

2. Mince onions or slightly blend chopped onions in a blender.

3. Pan fry onions until they turn brown. (but not bitter!)

4. Mix the onions with the potatoes, and add the seasoning.




5. Mould the potatoes into flat, smooth shapes of around 8 cm thickness. The traditional Japanese Korokke is a round, oval shape.

6. Coat the potato pieces with flour.

7. Dip each piece in beaten egg, then coat evenly with Panko (Breadcrumbs).



8. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden-brown and crispy.










Mmm... try it with a dip if it's not tasty enough. Creamy dips go very well with Korokke!! (:




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BBQ Chicken: Korean Fried Chicken!

There's been quite a lot of hype recently about Korean Chicken and Street Snacks, especially with the Korean Drama Wave on TV. I happened to chance by BBQ Chicken, a Korean restaurant-style fast food with their signature healthier Olive Oil Chicken.

They are a restaurant-style fast food eatery, similar to Pizza Hut, so prices are a little steep for fast food. I ordered their Crispy Olive Chicken (Original) set [around $12], which comes with 2 pieces Chicken, some Potato Wedges, Coleslaw and Soft Drink. Look at the delightful packaging! (:



The price may be twice KFC's, but definitely much, much better. The chicken here is of good quality, plump and oh-so-juicy! The batter is very crispy, yet not salty or oily. It might not be as flavourful as most fried chicken, but it suits me perfectly. There is a tinge of spice just enough to tickle the tastebuds! (: I was very, very impressed. This has got to be the best deep-fried chicken I've had yet!

I'm not too sure about risk factors regarding deep-frying foods in olive oil-- there has been some health issues about the low smoking-point of olive oil (BBQ Chicken claims they use extra virgin!!) But I think it's still better than frying in hydrogenated oils.

June Update: I tried taking it away to eat (in the ward!!) but sadly, it was far, far inferior to when I last had it on the spot. Don't da-bao this! The chicken loses its crispyness and juicyness. Best eaten on the spot!!

8 Grange Road
#B1-04/05 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard


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Snack: Tuna and Cheese Biscuit

Potato chips and "junk food" often come to mind when one thinks of Snacks. Low Salt High Fibre Biscuits are perfect for those snack cravings or just when you don't want to fill yourself up! (:


Tuna Spread:
1 can Tuna in Water (drained)
1 1/2 tbsp Mayonnaise
Lemon Juice to taste

Drain tuna solids of brine. To reduce sodium content even more, soak meat in distilled water for a few minutes and drain well. Make sure meat is dry,
or else it becomes soggy. Add Mayonnaise and Lemon Juice (don't put too much at a time!), and use a fork to mix it well. Spread on biscuit or toast.

Tip: Low sodium canned tuna in water is locally available; some brands I found are Bumblebee and TC Boy. You can also use low-fat mayonnaise instead.

I melted 1/2 a piece of Hokkaido Cheese on a biscuit for some variation. Another favourite is Swiss Emmental, especially since several brands have significantly lower sodium than regular cheeses. Try to limit the cheese to not more than 1 serving if you are on a low phosphate diet. :(

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Experiment: Sweet Honey-Baked Wings

Something I experimented with a few days ago. It turned out a little stickier than I expected, and I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, so it wasn't tasty enough. I ended up using the toaster instead of the oven. But I thought it was a pretty good attempt. (: You can add some chilli pepper to make it spicy.

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken mid wings
Olive oil for coating

Marinade:
3 heaped tbsp honey
2 tbsp mexican chilli powder
3 tbsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp Worchestire sauce
Juice of 1/3 medium lemon
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Some crushed parsley



1. Mix the ingredients of the marinade together in a bowl and put the chicken wings in.
2. Mix the marinade with the chicken wings well with hands, then leave it in refrigerator for at least two hours.



3. Pre heat the oven to 200 C. Bake the wings until they are cooked and turn golden brown.
4. Drizzle a little parsley on top and serve while hot!



Aunt also made some (lightly salted) fried potato wedges to go with the wings! Delicious! (:

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