Mussels in garlic butter

If you liked your escargots cooked this way, you will certainly love my concoction of blue lipped mussels in garlic butter and herbs. Throw in a generous amount of chiili flakes for that extra oomph!  

An attempt at Roast lamb

My good friend, Rachel recommended me to a great place that sells good lamb cuts. So what followed naturally was an attempt to cook lamb for the first time. It didn't turn out too bad taste wise although the dish didn't look as appealing as I would want it. 

Roast Chicken

The week where everyone just yearns for western saw me putting all kinds of meat into the oven. This one was a roast chicken cooked in balsamic vinegar and herbs with garlic mash and a generous serving of garden salad.  

Roast pork

Because good roast pork is hard to come by...I decided a diy effort might be worth my while. And yes it was!!! I used shoulder butt to do this and it tasted really good. Moist, juicy and sweet. 

Catching up on a long bout of absence

Just a quick pictorial post to bring the last four years up to speed. These are certainly not exhaustive because I am quite sure, there was much more going on in my kitchen than just these during the last couple of years. But sadly, these were about all that were recorded. My most satisfying attempt of the lot I must say was the blue lipped mussels which were loaded with lots of garlic and herbs...just the way the family loved it. The pai tee dish was another one that was painstakingly done but gobbled up in a short time. As with all my attempts in the past, I try to strike a balance between chinese and western dishes to appeal to the palate of my food savvy kids. The next few posts will see me trying to catch up on sharing dishes that were served over more recent months before we get into real time cooking. Bear with me! 

What's cooking??

Hi there all!!!
Wow! What a long hiatus it has been for me. About four years!! And what's cooking all these while?? Well..loads actually. You know what they say about how time waits for no man and that time once lost can't be regained? I'm feeling exactly that right now. Gosh, all those lovely food, cooked passionately and with love, not captured and forever lost. All those wonderful eateries we visited, moments cherished and food devoured, times celebrated with good grub but which went unacknowledged. What a sad waste. All because yours truly got lazy and thought she wanted to spend time doing something else. Well...that's a done deal. I'm back and determined to start recording my kitchen thrills and spills and gastronomical exploits again. Hopefully, I leave a delicious trail for you and I am disciplined enough to let the trail linger on. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

Ladies fingers with belacan

Been a long time since I made this dish. The prob with this vege is that it has to be cooked fresh. And since I never can be sure if I have time to cook
these days, I end up not buying them. To get round this, I'm planning to plant them in my vege plot at the backyard. This dish is so appetizing that I can just have it with a hot plate of steaming rice.

Century Egg and Pork porridge

"Better than the Tim sun restaurant
one, Mummy!" What's left to say:)

Western ham and egg omellette

After a long hiatus (don' ask!), and thanks to my newly acquired IPad which has been become my faithful kitchen companion, I've managed to do a little something. This western ham and egg omelette is surprisingly easy
to do, except that it requires at least 8 hours in the fridge the night before. Turned out nice and the kids loved it.

ROTI JALA

I posted about my first attempt at making roti jala some time ago. Glad to report back here that with practice, this dish which is a favorite with the entire family, has improved tremendously. I am still making it with the same plastic, cheap roti jala sieve. Just goes to show that when you are determined to cook something which is a popular request from people you love, and when the dish is cooked with love, it almost, always turns up well. This was a total of 4 dozens of roti jala which disappeared in about 10 minutes during lunch time when the kids are famished right after school.

Teochew Plain Porridge with Condiments

Plain Teochew porridge is something I really appreciate especially when I am ill. It makes me feel better almost instantaneously. In the olden days, this used to be a simple dish, presumably for people from the low income group who can't afford to serve anything too elaborate on the dinner table. So at that time it was plain, watery, white porridge with a few measely condiments to go with it. Hardly nutritious, I guess. But that was before. As time went by, Teochew porridge has evolved to become a meal that is rather elaborate and certainly not confined to those who can't afford a decent meal. Nowadays people also go out for a teochew porridge meal in the shops. A wide selection is offered and the bill you pay finally, can be a large one, mind you. My hubby's Dad loves Teochew porridge and I remembered how we would always opt for his favourite Teochew porridge when we invited him to join us for or lunch or dinner. I don't recall having much porridge when I was small, except during the times when I was unwell. But somehow, I have grown to like this dish and my kids have also followed suit. So every now and then, I would try to cook this at home for the family. Our favorite is a sourish dish comprising dried prawns, shallots, chillies, a generous amount of lime and soya sauce. It's about the simplest dish to make and has a nice tangy taste to it. Try it, you'd be surprised how well this dish goes with Teochew porridge.