Just me and my carbs

Praise the Lord! My cold is gone! I'm really relieved I tell ya. I was so worried that I wouldn't get well in time for next Sunday's marathon. So I suppose the Febs tablets did work and my prayers didn't go unanswered :)

Now that I'm well, it's high time I resume my training within this coming week. Geez, there's only 7 days left. I just went to collect my race pack yesterday and I've got to say that the reality sank in yet again - the ardous 42.195km that I would have to complete, just like last year. The pain I felt last year still lingers in my mind and somehow it seems like pure torture to run it again but I've decided that I'm going to stick by my guns and run the race with as much passion as I had last year. Not really sure if I can beat last year's timing though, given that I haven't been training enough because of my exams and cold. Ahhh... okay I shall stop worrying and leave it up to God. Seriously, it'll take a miracle for me to complete the race again this year. I remember praying really hard as I ran last year's marathon. Desperate times call for desperate measures after all! Last year I 'summoned' my guardian angels, and prayed to God for mental and physical strength and I am definitely going to do the same this year!

Now now, of course I must do my part and those running the race this year will know that one aspect includes carbo-loading! This is my most FAVOURITE part. Why? Well, hello, if you know me, you'd know that I cannot stay away from carbs. Bread, pasta, noodles, rice, you name it, I love it. So it's super cool to know that I actually have to consume more carbs so that I'll have enough energy to run the race this coming Sunday.

So speaking of carbs, I got down to business and made some pasta dish for lunch today. Mum was lazy to cook again (as usual) so I raided the fridge and used what was in it. I could have gone out to buy lunch but honestly, I'm sick of oily, salty, msg-laden food. Besides, I felt like some pasta.

It so happens that Dad is on this crab-craze. He's been buying alot of flower crabs of late and has them steamed. Today he steamed quite a few and left some in the fridge. I saw the crabs when I opened the fridge and then I had an idea. I could make something with the crabmeat and so I took the flower crabs and extracted the meat:



I really think these are pretty crabs. And is it me or do I see a cross on the shell? Oh blessed crabs. haha. What a Godsend! :)

With my crabmeat, I scoured the kitchen for more ingredients and finally put together a cold pasta salad dish that looked very 'rojak' but tastes really good:



I used wholemeal pasta, celery, tomatoes, kalamata olives, crabmeat. For the dressing, I mixed together some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and used Masterfood's blend of spaghetti bolognese herbs (contains a mix of dried oregano, thyme, basil, red bell peppers, parsley and garlic).

This pasta is best eaten chilled. Best of all, it's uber healthy! I'm so going to make this again before the marathon. Pastas are so versatile you know - as long as you have the right dressing, it'll probably taste good and please, nothing can go wrong with tomatoes in pasta, oh and balsamic vinegar. Yummy.

You can give me a million dollars and I would never ever give up my carbs. I love them too much, period.

Thunder Tea Rice

I have been hiding in the library all week trying to cram all the info I need for my exams which start next Tuesday and it has taken a toll on me. Am having a cold and for some reason, I can't stop sniffing. It's really bad! Especially since I have a marathon to run next Sunday - all 42.195km of it. I really don't know how I'm going to survive. Ah... anyway I've been taking Febs, some kind of cold relief tablets Lina recommended me. I think it's quite effective. I hope it rids me of my runny nose soon!

On a different note, I have to rave about this Thunder Tea Rice that I've been wanting to try ever since I saw it featured on television some time back. It's actually Hakka Lei Cha, a super duper healthy rice dish made from the healthiest of ingredients - basil leaves, green tea leaves, mint leaves, Chinese parsley, coriander leaves, etc. And mind you that's just the stock. The rice itself is served with loads of good stuff like anchovies, okra, cabbage, tofu, long beans, and spinach:



That's alot of green stuff! Full of fibre and lots of nutrients! This dish actually tastes good. Well to me at least. I know JF cannot stand the potent smell of the green stock. By the way, you can choose to have brown rice (which I did), instead of the normal white rice.

You can find this dish at Vivocity's Food Republic (which I love by the way):



I still like the one at Wisma Atria, but man, the one at Vivo is HUGE and the furniture is so old-school!



I tell you, Vivocity enthralls me and it's only my third time there! Love the place, especially the supermarket. Haha. I took some pictures at the Naturally Marketplace by Cold Storage. Post it up when I have the time.

Anyway, to all the students having their exams, 'jia you!' I'm in the same boat as you and we're all going to make it to the finish line!

__________________________________

Thunder Tea Rice
China Square Food Centre
51 Telok Ayer St.
#01-31

Amoy St. Food Centre,
7 Maxwell Road
#-01-11

Food Republic @ Vivo City
No. 1 Harbour Front Walk
#03-01

Teh Tarik Secret!

I wrote briefly about my virgin visit to Mustafa a few weeks ago. I also mentioned about some tea that I discovered.

It's no ordinary tea - well to me at least.

I've been searching high and low for this tea! I know it might seem like a silly endeavour but really, I've been quizzical for the longest time and now I have finally found the answer.

Answer to what you might ask. Hmmm.... well you'd know if you've drank teh tarik. I believe that almost every local would have drank it once.

For the uninitiated, teh tarik translates into 'pull tea'. It's basically tea that's been mixed by 'stretching' it from a great height. Think of it as a 'juggling' act - except that the key object involved is the liquid a.k.a. the tea! hahaa....

Anyways, yes, I like teh tarik and I know that they use a very special tea. How do I know? Well I've tried using the usual Lipton teabags and I don't get the same taste and colour. Seriously, I have been really puzzled.

Have any of you ever wondered the same? Ya know... like where in the world did they get their tea from? One main reason is because I wanted to make my own at home whenever and wherever.

So while at Mustafa, I checked out the tea section and searched high and low....

Until....

I found this!



Haha... Teh Tarik Since 1918!

I assumed then, that it meant that this tea has been used to make teh tarik since 1918. Now that's alot of history and it probably is a damn good brand... or rather, the makers of the tea are good at what they do.

Care to know what brand it is? Look closely because I think the spelling mistake is pretty obvious. But then again it could have been done on purpose yea? You decide!



"Cocoanut Tree Brand Best Strength & Flavour"!

Hehe.... I was really excited. This small packet put me back by a mere $1. It's really cheap! I didn't dare buy a bigger pack for fear that it wasn't the real deal. But now that I know, I'm so gonna go back there to get a bigger pack!

I'm really happy. I've made teh tarik with this tea and am pleased to report that it really does taste, smell and look like the actual teh tarik they sell outside!

All you have to do is to add some evaporated milk, a dash of sugar, mix in the tea and tarik it as much as you want! And you'll end up with a fantastic hot teh tarik to warm yourself up during the rainy days...

I've been making alot of it... nice comfort drink especially when you need some caffeine to keep you awake while studying really hard for that exam... heh, like ME!

All right... back to my books! ciao!

Chocolate Hearts for a Wedding

Remember my promise to let you in on my wedding cookie project?

That picture up there says it all. In dark brown and in hearts.

Chocolate Heart Shaped Cookies for a wedding - Jason and Jen's wedding to be exact. They're both such wonderful people. Jason is my kickboxing instructor and Jen goes for his classes (duh!) too so that's how I got to know her.

It all started when Jason approached me with a suggestion; that I bake cookies for everyone attending their wedding. And of course I immediately asked "How many?". He wanted each of his guest to have 2 cookies so the final number came to 230.

So I sat there and thought... 230.. okay. It might seem daunting but I should be able to do it since I've done this sort of 'endless baking' when I do my bake sales. So I said yes.

And that yes amounted to loads of cookies that look so pretty:



I decided to make it heart shaped and I baked and baked and baked....

I did it over two days. I mixed the dough and left it overnight in the fridge so it'll be easy to cut the next day.

Then last Wednesday night, I rushed home from school to bake through the night and I must say I was pretty satisfied. You decide:



These are chocolate cookies and I used Hershey's Cocoa.

In the end, I baked about 260 pieces of the cookies.

So were the couple satisfied?

What do you think?

Their wedding was last Friday and it was held at the Singapore Art Museum's Glass Hall. It was a cosy and sweet affair. Simple, understated and elegant. The bride (Jen) looked stunning in her tailor-made gown! And Jason, the groom recited a poem. It was soooo touching. Wow. God Bless them both! Congratulations to you two once again. May you have a blessed and blissful marriage!!

Here's my cookies on one of the wedding tables:



I heard that the guests liked my cookies so that was good to hear. I was relieved that everything went well.

To be honestly, I was initially really stressed about not being able to finish baking the cookies on time. But thank God everything went as planned.

Here's the recipe: Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

It's a simple recipe but I halved the amount of sugar again. It was perfect. I didn't want the sugar to overwhelm the chocolate taste. Try it - it's really fool-proof.

Okay, time to hit the books! Just 13 days to my exams! EEEks!

Bacon or not?

Hola! Man, it feels good to be back online.

Been so busy with my assignments and as if that wasn't enough, my laptop crashed last weekend!

Yea, so that's why I haven't been posting here.

Anyway it's fixed (thanks to my very capable aunt!) and I have my laptop running smoothly now with everything intact and with the proper updated softwares and all. So that's cool! Praise God!

So anyway, I want you to look at that photo up there and guess.

Is that bacon? If yes/no, why?

Just a simple quiz to tease you guys! :)

Ahh, on another note altogether, I want to encourage all those students out there whose exams are around the corner! Happy Studying... keep it going... it's tough but hey, it'll be over in no time. Haha, just like mine... which starts in 2 weeks. Eeks. Trying my best not to freak out!

To be honest, I haven't really started revision! This is bad. The first half of the week was spent planning and baking more than 200 cookies for my friend's wedding. It was stressful I tell ya! But so worth it. Will talk about it in another post ya... Right now I better get some sleep! Got a 9am tutorial in the morning. Nitez!

Supermarket 'Loot'

Remember what I said about an increased consumption of snacks and nibbles during times of stress and anxiety?

Well, it has led me to a state of heightened attention whenever I enter the supermarket or a mini-mart. Seriously, I would go through the shelves and start picking out what I should stock up on.

It doesn't help that I am a supermarket addict. I have to go to the supermarket whenever I'm anywhere near one. When I'm at Raffles City, I'll pop by Jason's Marketplace, when at Suntec or Plaza Singapura, it's Carrefour, when at Tampines Mall, it's NTUC, and at Takashimaya, it's always Cold Storage, etc.

The list goes on but I shall stop lest I bore you all! I sometimes think that is it just me or am I like totally weird? Truth be told, I'd rather window shop at a supermarket than go shopping for clothes or shoes. I normally go girly shopping when I feel like I actually need to get new clothes or shoes. Supermarkets however are a different story - I can go to one even when I'm feeling full after dinner. Ask JF, he knows me well enough and I think it's sweet that he accompanies me and understands my 'obession' with supermarkets.

Anyway, enough about supermarkets and on to my 'loot'. Okay, I'm not exactly a thief or anything like that, but I did get some great stuff that I'd like to share with you...

Some of you might have tried them; if yes, great! If not, please go buy some... and for those who have better recommendations, you can always let me know! :)

If you've been reading my blog for quite a bit you'd know that I have a thing for chocolates so naturally I couldn't stay away from one which said the words "Dark Chocolate with Orange and Spices" (see the photo above). So I succumbed, and bought it.

How was it? It was great. I know it's supposed to be organic but can someone tell me if it's supposed to affect the taste? I didn't really think it made much difference but it's all right because I like the orange taste and the fact that Green & Black's paired it with dark chocolate. Mmmm..... Brown is good:



You can find them at Cold Storage and Jason's Marketplace. I think they only came to our shores this year. Read about them in the papers before.

Next, I want to rave about this japanese cracker/pastry thingie called Genji Pie:



Grace recommended to me and I just had to get some of my own. It's sold at the Isetan at Shaw Towers in Orchard Road.

I like it because it's very yummy and because of it's shape:



Everyone go 'Awww...' It's sweet ain't it? It's supposed to be heart shaped. Notice that it says there "Heart-warming Pie" on the packaging? These really look very much like palmiers ya know. But really, these are good to have with a cup of tea when you take a break from mugging for your exams. It's really light and flaky but not too overpowering. Me likes!

In case you can't read the fine print, here's what the makers of Genji pie have to say: "Genji pie is made from the finest ingredients, wheat flour, margarine, sugar and salt. This heart-shaped pie has been enjoyed since 1965. Why don't you make your tea time happier with Genji".

So there you have it, my latest supermarket 'loot'. I recently went to Mustafa Centre for the FIRST time! And I loved loved loved it. I bought quite a lot of stuff and finally found something I've been looking for, for ages! But I'll write about it in my next post. I have to go sleep now... and rush through my last research paper which is due on Monday. Wish me luck! tataz...

Wholemeal Chocolate Almond Coffee Cake

Yesterday, I succumbed to my urge...

...and baked - even though I really should have been hard at work meeting my deadlines. Well I really couldn't help it.

You see, sometimes when I face a mind block and just simply cannot concentrate, I find that it helps if I rest my mind and do something else.

Hmmm.. okay or maybe that's just a lame excuse for me to bake. haha.

It's not my fault! My hands were simply itching to bake something yum. In fact, I had a recipe that I've been dying to use - just that I haven't got the time of late.

So I finally got down to it and baked that cake you see above and I loved the result. My family liked it and so did JF. And here's a virtual slice for you my dear reader:



This cake is rather different from the ones I usually bake. Due to the grounded almonds, the cake had a loose texture which made it crumbly and really nutty. Perfect for nut-lovers. The fact that it was combined with wholemeal plain flour just made it even yummy. As a wheat/multigrain/wholemeal lover, I have to say that this cake really made my day. The nutty undertones of the wholemeal totally melded with the almonds and chocolate.

I gotta admit that I ate quite a bit of the cake! Perhaps it's because of the fact that it's not as sinful. But you know what; despite it being quite healthy, it really tasted good. The dark chocolate did the trick.

The original recipe called for hazelnuts but I had none at hand so I used almonds instead. To make it more chocolatey, I added in some cocoa powder. As usual, I cut down the sugar. Ended up using only 180g of sugar - and that worked out fine for me because I don't like my chocolate cake too sweet because it would overpower the chocolate taste.

I love this recipe and I think it's a great recipe to try out if you want to play around with your ingredients. This is a recipe from Nigel Slater but I can't remember which blog I got it from. Well anyhow, I'm glad I copied it into my computer!

Oh, before I go, here's an extra tip the recipe includes: you can add orange zest or finely chopped fruit like dried apricots or prunes. Also, walnuts and almonds work fine, if you don't have hazelnuts!

Man, I should make another one with hazelnuts. Chocolate and hazelnuts - a divine combination. Just think Nutella! Heh... you know what, I think I will add some nutella in the cake batter the next time I bake it. Nothing goes wrong with Nutella, trust me :)

__________________________________________________

Wholemeal Chocolate, Hazelnut & Coffee cake
an adapted recipe from Nigel Slater's Appetite - p.438.

250g butter (1 block)
125g soft brown sugar
125g white or raw sugar (feel free to play with these sugar amounts)
4 large eggs
3-4 tablespoons strong espresso coffee
250g wholemeal plain flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
200g skinned hazelnuts, coarsely ground (I used almonds)
250g good, dark chocolate - coarsely chopped (it should look like gravel)

23cm springform cake tin or a normal cake tin.

Method:

Line the tin with greaseproof paper and set the oven to 180C.

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy and pale.

Add in eggs one at a time, beating lightly between each addition. Don't worry if the mixture curdles. Stir in the coffee.

Add the flour and baking powder and fold them in. Now fold in most of the hazelnuts and chopped chocolate, keeping a little back for the top of the cake. The mixture should be quite firm.

Spoon the batter into the lined tin and smooth the top. Scatter over the remaining hazelnuts and nuts

Bake for about 1h 20 minutes or until the cake is springy. Test it with a skewer - it should come out clean.

Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting. This cake is best served warm.

Krusteaz Oat Bran Pancake

Quick breakfasts are important to me these days because I just want to quickly fill my tum and get on to my assignments or to school. I live terribly far from school and would always have to wake up pretty early just to get to my morning classes. It takes me about 1 and a half hours to reach school. So I'd have to be really quick on my feet especially on days where I have morning lectures and so on!

I don't usually like using pre-mixes but on occasions like this that calls for something hassle-free, I have to compromise. These days, I have been having oat bran pancakes for breakfast and I love it because it is healthy and it fills me up! Best of all, you can do your own combination oat bran pancakes.

What do I mean? At the side of the box, there's a recommendation for those who want to add more omph to the pancakes. For example, add 1/4 grated carrots and 1/4 raisins for your own Carrot Raisin Pancakes or 1/4 cup peeled, chopped apples and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for Apple Cinnamon pancakes.

Here's a shot of the carrot and raisin version:



It's pretty yummy and sometimes I even add some wheatgerm to up the health-factor :)

The people at Krusteaz just know how to make our lives all so much easier!

P.S. I bought this at Raffles City's Jason's Market Place.

God's Words Biscuits

Yes there is joy in His presence! :)

I just have to tell you about about these biscuits I came across at the recent CJC J1 retreat. They were giving it out to all the students and I was so tickled by them. How novel!

Manna biscuits, or God's Words Biscuits:



Inside that simple bright orange box lies something really holy... haha



How cool is that eh? Bible verses and quotes printed on biscuits. I think I feel holier just by eating a few :p

I know it's just words printed on biscuits but this is the first time I've seen these.



I couldn't bear to eat them at first. But then I can't possibly keep them forever ya? SO chomp chomp chomp I go...



I hear that churches sell them? Anyone who know, please share? These are so cute, really! What a fun way to spread God's words ya? And if you're wondering how the biscuits taste like - crisp and yum. haha just like any normal biscuit... except that you're consuming God's words!

Now, if only they printed notes on it. Then during exams I'll just eat biscuits with my exam notes on it and feel smarter. Haha, how lame.

Okie dokie, I'm off to bed. Been squeezing my brain dry. I've met one deadline. There's just two more to go and a test to start studying for! I'm hungry..... but I think I'll just sleep it off. Too tired to eat. This is what happens when you burn just too much midnight oil.

Anna Ginger Almond Thins

Found these at Ikea's little food section and love it to bits. It's very cheap too. Only $2 per box.

I like ginger so that's what caught my eye. I seldom see ginger being paired with almonds so I had to try these. They also have the ones with just the ginger.

I recommend these with mocha or just about any hot drink. Makes for a great snack!



Speaking of snacks, heh, I find that I snack alot more when the deadlines and exams are looming! Is it just a girl thing? But sometimes, I do feel more hungry - hmm or maybe my mind's just messing with me.

Been so busy that I haven't been quite regulary with my running! Which is quite bad considering that my marathon is in December... I'm supposed to be training alot! Oh well, I have got to prioritise anyway. Top of my list: Meeting my deadlines! I have 2 papers due this week, 1 next week and one more the following week. On top of that, I've got a test next week too. Okay, pace yourself Cheryl!

Truffles to die for

Yesterday, I got a real treat. Just check out that box of 'gold' above.

I did spend quite a while just sniffing the heavenly scent and staring at the ingenious shape of these gems.

Not one to be selfish, I shared them with some of my friends and they were bowled over.

What am I swooning about?

Truffles that's out of this world of course... and that's all thanks to Julius, my chocolatier friend who has his own online chocolate business.

He let me try two of his 'Volcs' - one called Volcs Black, and the other, Volcs Remy:



These are simply the bomb I tell you. Containing a good deal of Remy Martin XO Cognac, the Volcs Remy promises to give you a high like no other. Come on, dark chocolate and alcohol? Perfect.

I realised what I've been missing out. Julius Truffles are something that's oh-so-unique that you really can't find it sold elsewhere.



This dude is really creative and has added more items to his virtual chocolate shop, including the special AVOLCS Box of Nine.



AVOLCS is his latest venture and it seems that his chocolates are going to take the local chocolate scene by storm.

Be sure to take a bite off his decadent creations. You really won't regret it. I know I didn't. With chocolate this good, everything else seems blase.

Julius the Truffle man is here to stay!

To order, email avolcs@gmail.com
or visit AVOLCS.

New Menu at Miss Clarity Cafe

A polished plate says it all!

My utmost favourite cafe in Singapore has something new to offer you hungry peeps!

And I'm not talking about your usual cafe fare a la sandwiches or fish and chips... No no. The good people at Miss Clarity are going Italian and French.

Well they'll still be cooking up their signature dishes but the talented chef has been busy coming up with brand new dishes that exhibit his creativity and innovative ways.

You will never look at cafe food the same way again I assure you. While tasting some of the new dishes, I almost forgot I was in a cafe. It definitely felt like I was in some posh Italian restaurant, minus the cut-throat prices of course. No kidding.

Okay enough of me rambling. Here's some of the dishes from their new menu:



This is the Risotto Venere with Steamed Seabass & Vegetable Cream ($13.80). The black rice is actually wild risotto that the chef orders from overseas (forgot which country though!). This is my absolute favourite because I really love risotto. The vegetable cream melds well with the rice and gives you that smooth creamy feel that really sent me on a high. Honestly, I was enjoying the risotto so much that I almost forgot about the lovely seabass. I like the idea of fish and risotto - it lifts the heaviness of the rice. Deliciously heavenly. Sometimes the most simplest combinations give you the best gastronomic experience




Next up: Oyster Ravioli with Clams Vinaigrette ($11.80). Gosh, I tell you, Jonanthan (the chef) is a genius. He makes the ravioli skins from scratch mind you. It is one of the best ravioli I've eaten. The skin is very different from the ones I've tried at other Italian restaurants. This one is kind of translucent and literally glides down your throat - it's that smooth. The vinaigrette is refreshing and light.




If you like seafood, you'll like their Grilled Slipper Lobster with Capellini and Tomato Lobster Cream ($15.80). The homemade cream was tasty and I liked how they chose capellini to go with the lobster. It's a thinner pasta that doesn't take the attention away from the tender lobster. Perfect.




Ahh.... pure black bliss.

You know, when I talk about those black strands, all my friends go 'eeeee'. I really don't know why black is seen as icky and gross? Hmmmm you see, colours really matter sometimes. But heh for me, you know I never really like to judge anything by appearance. If it tastes good, I'd eat it! And I did eat it.....



I ate the awesome Squid Ink Linguine with Stuffed Squid & smothered with Coriander Dressing.

This dish is not out on their menu just as yet. But it will be, soon, in November. Akan Datang! (Malay for Coming soon!) Do look out for it.

I dig their squid ink pasta. They cooked it with butter I suppose because it tasted really rich and delicious. Oo-la-la. Check out what's inside the stuffed squid:



Healthy eh? I couldn't agree more. That's what I like about the food at Miss Clarity Cafe! It's not only uber scrumptious, but healthy as well. Each visit to the place makes me smile ever so widely. There's really nothing better than a good meal.

So there you have it. Some of their new items. Oh, you know, they even serve French escargots in garlic butter and Red wine Risotto with Pan-seared scallops. I haven't tried those yet. Why don't you try it and tell me about it?

Anyway they're currently working out their Christmas menu and I think they're gonna do something exciting! Might also work out something with them for you my dear readers :) So stayed tuned ya!

Their website is up, go have a look: www.missclaritycafe.com

Cakes from Slizes

amazing chocolate swiss rolls from Slizes

Deadlines are looming and for the next three weeks or so, I'll be posting less so bear with me!

Anyway I really have to tell you all about some amazing chocolate cake I just discovered over the weekend. Amplify organised a prayer prep for the upcoming CJC retreat on Saturday and one of the CJC teachers sponsored some cakes for refreshments. These cakes are the bomb.

From Slizes, an online bakery set up by a lady by the name of Marie, the chocolate swiss rolls (see above picture) and chocolate fudge cake, were superb.




I was seriousy hooked on the cakes. The fudge cake was really moist and the fudge was chocolatey but not too cloying. Man, this lady's really good! I was bowled over. There were brownies too but didn't have time to snap a shot of them. The swiss rolls were perfect. Fluffy sponge cake filled with a generous amount of chocolate cream. Mmmmm.... You have to try these cakes if you are a fan of light chocolate cakes that don't come with the guilt :)

Do check out the website: www.slizes.blogspot.com for the prices and more pictures. Apparently she also sells Durian and Blackforest cakes! Wow-wee... how come no one ever told me about them?

Homecooked food is always the best

Nothing ever beats the aroma that comes from the kitchen whenever someone at home cooks. Especially when your family is skilled and always whips up delicious food that you have no problem polishing up.

If your dad was a former chef, you would know what I mean. If there's any one who never fails to impress me in the kitchen at home, it's Dad. No matter what he's cooking, whether is it something typically Peranakan, Western or Chinese, his food is always so appetising. I don't think there was any instance where I didn't finish the food that he cooked. Especially not his amazing curry!

Curries to me, are like golden liquid, essential to every self-professed chilli-queen. I do like my curries spicy and it helps that Dad's curries are always fiery-hot! He makes the best devil curry, assam pedas, fish head curry, and yes, beef curry (as shown above)!

What can I say, he is the best cook at home. I can't beat him! I'm bent on mastering his amazing culinary skills. Just you wait and see! haha.

Speaking of homecooked food, I have to show you guys this:



That's a Hainanese dish one of my aunts made. My fifth aunt to be exact.

It looks alot like the Malay ketupat, except that this one's more rectangular. The texture is quite different too because there's a mix of both normal white rice and glutinous rice.



In the middle is some pork and chestnut stuffing - that definitely makes it authentically Hainanese.



It was really yummy! My aunt brought it to my second aunt's housewarming gathering last weekend. I love family gatherings alot. The maternal side of my family is really huge! My grandma has 8 daughters (my mum being one of them) and whenever we get together for birthdays, Christmas, Chinese New Year or whenever, every one of them will bring food - and their children. So you can imagine how noisy it is. And the spread, man, it's so tantalising and it's like a marvellous buffet! All of them can bake and cook really really well - all except my mother. Heh, oh well, I can't really complain since I have a Dad who can cook.

Nothing ever beats homecooked food. No matter how busy I am in future, I will make sure my own children will always have freshly cooked food at home; food that I've prepared myself! No way am I going to subject them to the unhealthy oily and salty msg laden food from outside. Besides, homecooked food is so much cheaper! Yes siree....

I really salute this dedicated mum who makes a Bento for her kids everyday: www.bentocorner.com Check that blog out, it's really cool! She documents photos of the bentos she makes. So adorable and sweet!

My Sociology of Food Cooking Project

You're looking at the dinner I had yesterday.

It was not only super easy to make; it tasted amazing! Well, it's quite hard to go wrong when you're dealing with baked pasta eh? All you need is some cheese, pasta, some ingredients and you're ready to go.

This baked pasta was the work of me and my group of friends from my Sociology of Food tutorial. Our task was to cook up a meal with a $25 budget. Sounds simple? Yes, it was that simple and we spent only $20! How cool is that? All five of us, Jason, Kathy, Lina and Suk Ching met at Bedok MRT and went grocery shopping at NTUC before heading to my place to cook.

I don't have a fancy-looking kitchen but well, it's quite well-equipped and it's good enough. This project was pretty fun. I enjoyed myself and I'm sure the rest did. Everyone chipped in. Some chopped the ingredients, while others helped prepare the other ingredients:



That's Kathy chopping the tomatoes!

Here's Lina slicing the ham and Jason in the background checking on the boiling pasta:



It didn't take us long to prepare all the ingredients because there were 5 pairs of hands.

Washing up was fast too, and hey hey, here's Jason helping out Kathy:



Anyway, I was so busy I didn't have time to take that many pictures so what you see here might not be a fair representation of who did what. But all I can say is that everyone had a part to play and it certainly was fun finding out who is good at what.

By the time the pasta was ready, we were so hungry but managed to bear a while for a group shot with our glorious pasta:


From left: Kathy, Jason, Lina, Suk Ching & Me

Our baked pasta was the highlight that evening! Cue spotlight!

So there you have it, the fruits of our labour, our baked pasta:



Yummy. The pasta was delicious and we were all happy. Thanks guys for all the help! It was a good end to the evening.

To me, it didn't felt like a project at all. haha, or maybe because I am so used to cooking? Anyhow, we did a lot of substitution for this dish and I think it sure taught everyone how anyone can be creative when whipping up a meal.

The original recipe called for rigatoni but they didn't have it at this NTUC outlet so we settled for elicoidali. I did some research and found out that they are soooo many types of tubular pasta!. There's ziti, tortiglioni, elicoidali, rigatoni, manicotti, paccheri, etc. I was quite intrigued and really amazed. In fact, I can't really tell the difference between elicoidali, ziti and tortiglioni because they're so similar! Man, I really am loving the variety of pasta. So creative the Italians!

Our recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit's Baked Rigatoni with Ham, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese recipe. We did a number of substitutions because some ingredients couldn't be found at that NTUC outlet - like the feta cheese. We replaced it with parmesan instead and changed the ham to chicken ham because Lina's Muslim. Then we added button mushrooms to the pasta for more bite and used oregano instead of thyme. So this is our final recipe:

Baked Chicken Ham Pasta

Ingredients:
12 ounces (340g) elicoidali
1 1/2 cups diced chicken ham (about 8 ounces, 230g)
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1 1/4 cup grated parmesan (125g)
1 cup (packed) grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces or 113g)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup whipping cream

Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F/190 degrees celcius.
Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Once pasta is done, drain it and transfer to the baking dish.
Mix in ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, parmesan, mozzarella cheese and oregano. Pour cream over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to blend. Cover with foil.
Bake pasta 15 minutes. Uncover and stir to coat pasta evenly with melted cheeses. Cover again. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes longer.

Serves 6.

*Note* You can add more cheese if you like. Some of us felt that we could do with more cheese! :)