April 23, 2018 In All recipes, Condiments, Noodle/Pasta/Rice, Poultry, Seafood

Singapore hawker marathon: Coconut rice part one, tomato chili sambal and lemongrass ricotta

[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] An incredibly fragrant coconut rice cooked in pandan extraction, a tomato-based chili sambal boosted with Italian anchovies, and a lemongrass-infused coconut milk ricotta crumbled with thinly sliced shallots and bird's eye chili marinated in fish sauce WHAT:  Nasi Lemak, Malay's signature fragrant coconut rice cooked in coconut milk and served with a spicy and sweet chili sambal. WHY:  You haven't really had rice until you've tasted nasi lemak.  And if you have tasted nasi lemak and consider this statement grossly exaggerated - as I once was - then it's highly probable that it's because you haven't had this nasi lemak.  Best yet, most components can be made days ahead of time. HOW:  Let's face it.  There are a lot of underwhelming nasi lemak out there.  And I say this with the full acknowledgement that it's an explicitly personal opinion resulting from my deeply rooted disagreement with more than one of its traditional, possibly beloved, practices.  The coconut rice, without any dispute, is the heroine of the entire dish.  We should all agree that if this part isn't done right, then none of the others shall matter.  But in my three to four encounters of nasi lemak in Malaysia and Singapore, more often than

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October 30, 2017 In All recipes, Meat, Seafood

BEEF TARTARE WITH SEA URCHIN FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD

[ezcol_1half] IT HAD ME AT HELLO [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Oh geez, in between life in general and an unexpectedly eventful visit to my OBGYN which involved an adorably named chocolate cyst, I'm going to quickly leave you with, nonetheless, a recipe for my favorite thing to eat these days.  This is a dish inspired by a restaurant called Neighborhood in Hong Kong's central district, which serves predominantly French bistro-style dishes with a spritz of Japanese infusion, and in this case, classic beef tartare served with fresh sea urchin roe on top.  For the record, I have NOT had this particular dish at the restaurant.  It wasn't offered on the menu by the time I visited, and so I created my own rendition at home.  The major difference is that their standard beef tartare is mixed with chopped raw oysters, which I omitted because fresh oysters just isn't something that Hong Kong markets excel at, and for the many times that I've pushed my luck, I wish I hand't, so. But, having said that, you've got to try this.  I would want to sell you on how the creamy sweetness and foie gras-like richness of the sea urchin blend almost biblically beautiful with the irony savoriness of the

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August 14, 2017 In All recipes, Meat, Seafood

PORK CHOP W/ TUNA-SANDO SAUCE

  MAKE THIS RECIPE RESPONSIBLY, OR NOT AT ALL [ezcol_1third] I haven't eaten tuna for almost 10 years.  Except one time in Hawaii when/where it was responsible.  Unless you've been living under a rock, or conveniently turning a blind eye, you should know exactly what I'm talking about. It is estimated that by 2050, a large number of species of wild fish, tuna especially, will be gone.  That statement was made more than a decade ago.  It still stands.  Are we better than locusts?  The question is, are we worse? So why am I, a hypocrite on all accounts, posting a recipe that involves tuna?  Because I see it now no longer as a question.  But instead, an opportunity. I first came across the inspiration of a "tuna-sando sauce" from an espisode of Mind of A Chef on Gabrielle Hamilton, where she made the Italian dish maiale tonnato, thinly sliced pork served with a mayonnaise-based sauce flavored with canned tuna.  I was instantly intrigued.  It was one of those instances where, without actually tasting something, I felt certain about its sublimity, the velvety texture of a sauce that is the sum of all that is awesome about a tuna sandwich but minus the bread and the gritty mouth-feel,

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March 28, 2017 In All recipes, Seafood, Slider Sticky, Snacks

FISH WONTON W/ ANCHOVY, GARLIC , TABASCO

[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] HOW DARE YOU.  I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE TASTE-BUDS OF HIGH CALIBER As we are preparing for our Tuscany vacation that is fast approaching this Saturday, I'm going to quickly leave you with an even faster recipe. I threw this together in less than an hour today, in a frantic effort to clean out the freezer (duh, to make way for the incoming fleet of smuggled imported Italian goods), and they turned out to be little drops of afternoon delights.  So why fish wonton?  Why fish?  See, I don't know about you, but when other people stock up their freezer with prime rib-eye steaks from Cosco, I do mine with frozen catfish fillets.  I don't know why.  Cheapness, possibly.  Don't make me admit that I like frozen catfish.  I'm supposed to have taste-buds of high caliber.  How dare you.  No, the point is, I was saying

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February 14, 2017 In All recipes, Dairy, Seafood, Snacks

DIM SUM MONTH: Creamy salmon & egg in rice wrapper rolls

DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  Stuffed rice wrapper rolls they call "cheung fun"! WHY:  These gorgeous and elegant beauties are often overlooked on the dim sum table because of their less flashy appearances, mellow flavor profiles, and batters with the wrong ratio that results in unfortunate, mushy-textured wrappers.  Well, that ain't their fault, in fact, cheung-fun is the most versatile blank canvas waiting for someone who appreciates its possibilities. HOW:  In restaurants, this dish is always made to order.  The rice batter is usually steamed with the filling on top then rolled into a log and served with sweet soy sauce.  This method has its virtues but also, many flaws.  It is convenient from a restaurant's perspective, allowing them to serve the dish hot and speedy, but not necessarily so from a creative point of view.  Making the dish to order will be unrealistic to pull off for at-home dinner parties, and steaming the wrappers and the fillings simultaneously will greatly limits its possibilities.  So, we are going to prepare the rice wrappers beforehand, and assemble them with the filling at the last minute.  In my wildest dreams where money flows like abs in a Channing Tatum movie, I would make the filling with gently poached lobster meat

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February 6, 2017 In All recipes, Seafood, Snacks, updated recipe

DIM SUM MONTH: Crystal shrimp dumpling w/ shrimp oil mayo

[ezcol_1half] EXACTLY WHAT DIM SUM IS SUPPOSED TO, BUT SOMEHOW FORGOTTEN TO BE, LITERALLY, AS TO TOUCH HEART [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Welcome to DIM SUM MONTH! WHAT:  I'm dedicating this whole month to the delicate art that is dim sum. WHY:  I'm slowly and painfully realizing how scarce a good, thoughtful and delicious dim sum can be.  Even in Hong Kong - the supposedly promised land of dim sum - I found my expectation being shattered with sloppy, tired, and borderline unethical display of dimness.  Frankly, I'm fed up. HOW:  Just as unfamiliar as most of you are in terms of making dim sum, I'm going to show you that it is possible for us to create these little baskets of happiness at home.  We are going to take each conventional dim sum item, and mix them with a bit of thoughtfulness and fun.  Almost every items can be made ahead of time, and hopefully at the end of the month, we'll be able to host our own dim sum party that is more awesome than most. Let's start with the classic of the classics - crystal shrimp dumplings. We are going to correct all of its frequently ignored mistakes: soggy and texture-less wrappers, and frankly, boringness.  This recipe will yield a wrapper that

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