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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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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November 22, 2016 In All recipes, Meat, Noodle/Pasta/Rice

Sichuan/Chongqing Little Slurp w meat sauce and chickpeas

[ezcol_1half] COULD THIS WORK? THAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST THOUGHT, BEFORE THIS BOWL OF MAGIC POTION SUCKS YOU INTO AN UNSTOPPABLE WHIRLPOOL OF HAPPINESS. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Sorry I have been absent. Boy, do I have a good reason. Recently, I believe, we've all been experiencing a kind of peculiar surrealism in life.  I don't know about you, but for multiples times during the span of my day, I found myself staring at the mundane occurrences of my perceived reality - the sound of cars brushing through the street

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September 20, 2016 In All recipes, Noodle/Pasta/Rice, Poultry, updated recipe

SUPPLE SLOW-COOKED SOY SAUCE CHICKEN RICE

[ezcol_1half] Sometimes ideas arise upon the complete rejection of another.  This recipe is a perfect example of such. The other day (I say "the other day" a lot, which really means "last year"), I was watching this video on YouTube, a michelin-starred chef explaining how to make his "perfect roast chicken".  Curious, so I watched, as he demonstrated with a straight face on how he cooks his chicken slowly inside a low-temperature oven for 4 hours, then afterwards, finish browning the skin inside a skillet, and after which, injecting the chicken with melted butter. I mean, is this guy serious? I don't even know where to begin.  First of all, the whole notion that one could crisp up a whole, uncut chicken inside a skillet is basically again the laws of physics.  The extremely curvy and maneuvering silhouette of a chicken is exactly the reason why people resort to a three-dimensional heat source to tackle it in the first place.  Steaks, flat.  Chickens, curvy.  Simple logic.  Is he Doctor Manhattan?  Did his pure geniuses allow him to leap into another dimension of space and time to warp his chicken to the skillet?  Of course not!  That patchy-browned chicken looked like it just suffered from a skin-graft.  But you

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September 5, 2016 In All recipes, Bakery/Pastry, Noodle/Pasta/Rice, Travel

France Part II, and chicken w/ morels and rice pilaf

[ezcol_1half] ONE OF THE BEST DISHES I COOKED. I AGREE. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Lourmarin is what it promises, a picturesque village in the Luberon region in Provence, and more. No matter what kind of cynicism you bring along, or distaste for anything that seems to fit too squarely into Martha Stewart magazines, you come here, you see it, and it's hard not to surrender, even just for a moment, under Lourmarin's somewhat curated but irresistible, undeniable charm. We arrived at 7 o'clock in a summer evening when this village draped with honeysuckle vines and buzzing bumble bees were casted under a slanted, pale blue light. With just one deep breath of its brisk, floral and light beige linen atmosphere, everything felt just right. May I even remind you that this was after 9 hours of driving from Lyon cutting through the gruesome, annual European migration to the south in the middle of August? If it weren't for the highlight of us stopping midway at an orchard, and me may-or-may-not having stolen a bright red apple and ran, the day would've all seem to be in ruin. That ain't pretty. But Lourmarin made it worthwhile. [/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1third] (may or may not have stolen an apple from

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July 26, 2016 In All recipes, Noodle/Pasta/Rice

HOW TO USE KITCHEN TOOLS TO MAKE FRESH PASTA

[ezcol_1fifth] [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth]OMG YOU GUYS HAVE TO TRY THIS OUT!Inspired by @miyukiadachi, a Japanese pasta chef in Toronto who creates beautiful pasta with self-made pasta boards or even vegetable grater! It made me wonder what kind of pasta shapes I could potentially create in my own home without spending an extra dime, and after testing with what I have in my kitchen drawer, I'm amazed at how many different and beautiful fresh pasta shapes that came out from simple kitchen tools like tongs! Like rice spatula! Or even from making my own pasta board simply with wooden skewers!Here, three types of fresh pasta doughs that could be used interchangeably with each different method. Really!? Do you really want to hear me say another word at this point?! Go! Run! Make it now![/ezcol_3fifth] [ezcol_1fifth_end] [/ezcol_1fifth_end][ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaca0J8UJw8MUSHROOM WATER PASTA DOUGH:Yields 2 servings1 1/2 cup (195 grams) tipo 00 flour, or all-purpose flour2 large egg yolk1/8 tsp salt5 tbsp mushroom water (the water you use to soak dry mushrooms)Mix flour, egg yolk, salt and mushroom water in a large bowl

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