Another culinary tool acquisition as a result of the frenzy purchases made in the preceding two weeks – mooncake piglet moulds in three different shapes and sizes!
Loving My Coffee Again
I recently received a gift with utmost joy. It is the Nespresso U coffee machine – the latest Nespresso machine in town. 😛
Teochew Spicy Stingray Stir-Fry
This dish of stingray stir-fry is a Teochew dish that I love eating – a dish which I’ve seen my mum cook umpteen times in her kitchen. Last weekend, I got her to show me once again how it should be cooked, just so I could be sure that I will not miss out any vital steps in this straightforward yet tasteful fare of salty and spicy stingray stir-fry.
Pair this with a bowl of Teochew porridge for the most awesome combination. Yummy…!
Lemony Almond Shortbread And A Shot Of Sour Redolence
I acquired the habit of munching on Scottish shortbread fingers when I was studying in Durham more than two years ago. Back then, I could buy up to two packs a week – a behaviour that is not unlike that of a smoker and his pack of cigarettes. It did not help that shortbread cookies were sold at such affordable prices in the UK – at least two to three times cheaper than those found in Singapore.
The original flavour of shortbread is still my favourite, though I hate to admit the flavoured ones – lemon, cheese, almond etc – are just as scrumptious. Since I have some chopped almonds left in my fridge, I thought I might as well add these into the shortbread. And… well, since I’m already at it, why not infuse a tad of lemon flavour too?
So, there you have it – my lemony almond shortbread.
Hainanese Chicken Rice – A National Dish For A Happy National Day!
Hainanese chicken rice is one of the favourite dishes of local Singaporeans as well as tourists, some of whom visit the little red dot with a purposeful intent to try out this dish. What makes this dish special is the simplicity in its taste – soft, tender chicken skin and meat decked out on a plate of fragrant, oily rice cooked in chicken stock. This simplicity parallels the minimal amount of effort that goes into preparing the dish. In fact, what matters most is not the amount of time spent cooking the chicken and rice, but the skills required to cook them – knowing how long to cook them (especially the chicken) and how. Once you get the chicken and its stock right, the other steps would fall into place quite naturally – the rice would smell aromatic; the garlic chilli would be tart; the soup would be savoury too.
I hope you’ll find pleasure in making (and eating) this dish, just like I did.