April 16, 2018 In All recipes, Meat, Noodle/Pasta/Rice

Book announcement + Singapore hawker marathon: Tai Hwa pork noodle

THE ONE MICHELIN-STARRED HAWKER NOODLE FROM SINGAPORE, NOW AVAILABLE AT YOUR NEAREST CONVICTION. AND BTW, I WROTE A BOOK. [ezcol_1half] Wow, it's been awhile.  I know I tend to say that a lot here, but this time, it has really been awhile. The reason why I haven't posted a single word on this blog for almost 2 months, or really, my general absence from this space for the past whole year, hasn't exactly been a secret.  I've mentioned it briefly once or twice before but there hasn't been an "official" announcement of any sort, so I guess, I'm making it official today. In a nutshell, I wrote a cookbook. Or more precisely, I have just finished the manuscript of my cookbook, which is scheduled to be published around October 2019. I feel strange announcing this with such formality, maybe because the notion of a cookbook, for better or worse, has become quite a predictable outcome in the food-blogging community, sometimes a sorely needed contribution, but sometimes, let's be honest, a bit not.  From a personal standpoint, I feel strange parading with what could be perceived as an unnecessary accessory, regardless of how excited I feel about what I wrote.  I guess it's a mixed feeling, and to

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February 12, 2018 In All recipes, Meat, Noodle/Pasta/Rice

ONE-POT SICHUAN SAUSAGE (OR ANY SAUSAGE) RICE W HERBS SALAD

[ezcol_1third] THE ABUNDANT FAT AND JUICES FROM THE SAUSAGE WILL DESCEND GODLY AND SEEP DOWN THROUGH THE RICE BELOW, FLAVORING AND AIDING THE FORMATION OF THE HEAVENLY BOTTOM CRUST [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third] If you follow my Instagram, then you'd know that I'm head-deep in rushing towards the finishing line on my cookbook.  Yeah, I'm writing one, and this is probably the first time that I'm mentioning it on the blog, all very anti-dramatic and all.  But I promise to talk more about it when the time comes. For now, let me quickly leave you with a recipe, well more like a technique almost, that I think everyone who struggles with weeknight meals (or writing a book no less) should have in their repertoire.  Inspired by claypot rice, here's how to turn any type of fresh sausages and a few cups of rice into a one-pot, steaming, savory, fluffy and crispy wonder.  If you have a few minutes to spare, you can prepare this sichuan-inspired sausage thoroughly studded with fatty guanciale bits (Italian cured pork jowl), burning with toasted chili flakes and tingling wtih sichuan pepercorns.  Or, you can use any other types of your favorite, fresh sausages like sweet Italian, spicy Italian, or fresh Mexican

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December 11, 2017 In All recipes, Meat

Roast pork butt sandwich

[ezcol_2third][/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end] A couple weeks ago, I wondered my way into a small break from cooking.  For no particular reason than because, over one morning coffee, I felt it was called for.  People talk about the ferocity of love and passion a lot, in all forms and sizes that drives humanity for what it's worth, rising in salute for its consuming, inconvenient, majestic torment and glory.  But what fuels it, what fuels love and passion, is often less marketable. At certain points, what fuels passion is simply absence.   THE AU JUS

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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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February 28, 2017 In All recipes, Meat

DIM SUM MONTH: PORK BELLY BUN W/ PEANUT BUTTER AND CAPER

[ezcol_1half] DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  Super cute and tiny steamed buns stuffed with braised pork belly, pan-fried capers and smooth peanut butter. WHY:  It's pork bun in baby form!  It's pork bun in two-bites size!  It's pork bun but pop-able!  Dispute settled. HOW:  The idea is to create an over-the-top, porky, fatty and gooey bun-tasy with a built-in acidic element to balance it all out, and this is what came out on the other side.  Inspired by traditional Taiwanese guabao (which is the former life of David Chang's infamous "pork bun"), the pork belly is first braised with aromatics and spices until melty and tender, but instead of ground peanuts that's used in guabao, smooth peanut butter is being introduced.  Just when pork belly and peanut butter - both fatty, gooey and intense - are locking tongues in your mouth, the taste buds get a sharp and pleasant zing of acidity and pickle-ness from pan-fried capers, all swirling and dancing inside this slightly sweet and chewy dough.  What's more wrong?  Eating just one or more?  I can't decide. By the way, most of the recipes in DIM SUM MONTH is designed to be prepared ahead of time.  Make each items and store them in the freezer, and at

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