Aunty Nene Wants Tacos

Aunty Nene wanted to have tacos and since dad and I weren't familiar with the way she eats hers, it was her turn to make dinner for us. After going around to get all the ingredients the day before, we went out for lunch, got a few more ingredients, then prepared everything for a mini taco buffet. It was the first time Aunty Nene has onions in her beef mince mix as Shane doesn't like onions. It was also the first time she had tacos with avocado and sour cream. In the end, we ate our tacos like we would nacho chips as the taco shells were really crispy and broke up into really small pieces after two bites. Whatever the case, it was a really fun and simple dinner that was really, really tasty. Might just make some when I get back to Singapore. 

Om Nom Nom....

Lunch With Cousin Manouschka

Got into contact with my cousin Manouschka, who was on the tail end of her Australia-wide tour, and we managed to set a time and date to meet. She was living with her God-father and family, which was only a 10-minute bus ride from Fremantle. Somehow, my sister told her that I love Little Creatures, and she suggested that we go there for lunch. I didn't have a problem with that as I did enjoy the food I had there the last time. 

Dad and I managed to get a parking spot and actually made it there a little early. Looking through the menu, the sardines I was looking forward to wasn't on the menu. In the end, dad and I decided on a really plain pizza (like a garlic naan), and some marinated octopus. Manouschka decided on a chilli prawn pizza as she loved prawns, and we ended up just sharing everything as the whole pizza was a bit too much for her alone. I think I might have just found another favourite at this place. 

After lunch, it was a nice slow walk around the Fremantle markets for a little shopping, and I had to get my favourite dark chocolate stuffed donut. 

Om Nom Nom....

We Brought Oxtail Curry & Roti Jala

Dad's ex-colleague, and FFF (Fishing Friend Forever), Alfred, called this afternoon and asked if we would like to head over to his place for dinner. Since we didn't have anything to do, I agreed and said we'd bring some of the oxtail curry we still had. Later on, Alfred called and asked if he needed to cook some rice, but I told him that dad was already making Roti Jala. Alfred made his wonderful roast pork with perfect crackling and the lovely medley of roasted veggies. It was a strange array of food, but everyone had their own way of enjoying everything on the table. 

Om Nom Nom....

Aunty Nene Craves Nasi Briyani

Aunty Nene asked if we have been to any place in Perth that has good Nasi Briyani, and since I don't really come here for Asian food, I couldn't name a place. In the end, dad and I decided to make Nasi Briyani instead and thought of making some curry to go with it. While we were looking for a good meat to use, we found some really lovely oxtail and decided an oxtail curry would be quite nice. We also had a few fruits and vegetables at the house that needed to be used and I decided to make a quick pickle with them. Finally, we cooked the rice at Aunty Nene's place and this is what we're having for dinner tonight. 

Om Nom Nom

Roadside Watermelon Patch

While we were heading towards Malaga market the other day, I stopped at a traffic junction and dad got excited about something he saw. He slid the window down and then excitedly exclaimed that there was a huge patch of watermelons hidden in the grass. I took a look and realised he was not just talking about a bunch of watermelon that fell off a truck, but rather a bunch of them growing as they were of different sizes and one was almost yellow. Dad decided he was going to go grab a few of them another day, which meant that I had to drive him back there.

So today I decided to go let him have his pick of watermelon and dropped him off at the junction and then drove back to pick him up. Good thing there were no police patrolling the area while we did it, and no one really bothered with what he was doing either. We ended up getting four melons, and I'm sure he'll go back for more.

Quick, Easy, Satisfying

Dad and I decided to have the lamb shanks for dinner today. Dad had bought some bread for himself and it was perfect to eat with the lamb shanks. I was contemplating having mine with rice or pasta, and I decided to try the instant macaroni and cheese I bought. It was rather easy to make, just add cold water, microwave for four minutes and stir in the powdered cheese mix. It was also tasty, and did go quite well with the lamb shanks, and filling at the same time. Easy, quick and yummy.

Om Nom Nom....

Cheap And Good

Dad and I got a good deal on lamb shanks and decided it would be a nice dinner during this cold weather. After looking at the recipe, we needed some dry red wine and could not find any in the house. So as we were heading out to check out Malaga markets (which was closed), we detoured and we directed to Honeywell shopping village. This place definitely had a big Vietnamese community as little messages were posted in Vietnamese instead of English, and half the stores there catered to the Asian community.

Lucky for us, there was a Cellarbarations outlet there and I went in asking for a dry red wine that I could cook with. The guy there asked what kind of budget I had and I said I wanted a bottle as cheap as possible as it was going into the pot. He pointed out this bottle and it was going at $5.99, great for the budget (that I didn't really set).

As I started cooking, I asked dad to help me open the bottle and he was raving over the smell of it. Finally we decided to give it a taste and found it actually really fruity and perfect for drinking with the lamb shanks rather than for it to go in. However, since I did have some acidic vegetables going in, the fruity wine was a good compliment. Now dad is going to look for more of this wine to have with some cheese instead.

Huge Dog Treats

Dad and I went to Canning Vale markets last Sunday and found some really huge smoked bones for the dogs. Since they were rather good girls and the weather was good for a picnic, they got a huge smoked joint each to chew. They were actually chewing most of the afternoon and only decided to come back into the house when it was too cold to stay out.

Wake Up Call

It's been 2 days since my sis and Brendan left for Europe and left these 2 for us to take care of. They're used to being fed really early in the morning, before my sister leave for work, which is before 7 am usually. Today, I get wet noses in my face, a tail whacking the bed, and then both of them lumping themselves on me in bed by 7.30am. Then when I finally sit up, and I get them both in front of me, giving these faces. 

"I want my breakfast now thanks!"

First Pizzas This Trip

Met up with Shane & Karmei today, and as usual, it was pizza on the menu. There's a pizza that is a combination created by Shane that I like, and I also love the bacon cheeseburger pizza from Dominoes. So whenever we meet up, it's an opportunity to have my favourite pizzas and eat them. There was actually more pizzas than this, but I was too busy eating to remember to take photos. One day I shall try some other bacon cheeseburger pizza, but for now, I'm happy with what I have.

Om Nom Nom...

Noodle Love

Aunty Nene was craving some Kon Lo Mein and we got a pack of it at Coventry Village. We almost got a different pack, but she said the colour just wasn't right, and grabbed this pack instead. I wondered if we would have been disappointed with the other pack, but I guess this pack was shining out to us for a reason. 

These noodles are now one of my favourites and I doubt I can find it back in Singapore, but I shall bring some back. I kept my cooked portion out a little longer as I cleaned up a little after cooking, yet the noodles kept it firm bite and springy-ness. I haven't tried them in a soup dish, but I'm betting they will remind me of my time in Hong Kong when I had Wan Ton Mein which was firm tip the end even though it was in soup for at least 15 minutes.

Om Nom Nom....

Good Deals

While searching for things to do in Australia, I came upon a blog that said something about Drovers giving out free stuff every week. I wondered if they were writing about some other Drovers, but it was the one that was close to my sister's home. So today, after getting some things for dinner, dad and I went to one Drovers before heading back to prepare for dinner, and we finally saw the board showing today's giveaway. This week, it is a kilogram of nicely washed potatoes, good for a pot of leek and potato soup (which was also given out free), or a nice roast dinner. Score!

Porkathon

After we got all the pork yesterday, we stayed home again today and had a pork cooking session. Dad made Bak Kwa, Char Siew and some strange Peking Pork. While I just made good old Pork Ribs ala Mom, and Cincalok Pork. Although only some of it is for today, that was a whole lot of pork, and we had 2 pairs of eyes following us from the couch all the time through preparation. The two dogs were lucky enough to get a few bak kwa corners that were not up to dad's quality control standards, while the rest still needed a few minutes on the charcoal grill. The char siew is mean for char skew pao, but I got a feeling Brendan might eat it all with noodles. 

Now the house smells like a roast meat restaurant. 

Highly Sought-After Finds

Before we even came to Australia, dad and I had been taking about getting pig's blood cubes and cooking it with some pickled mustard vegetable. It was once sold in Singapore, but ever since a change in health and safety standards about twenty years ago, the blood cubes were no longer available. People craving it would travel to Malaysia to get a fix, but the last place I saw it was in Australia, and since we're here, it became one of our missions. 

Since we settled in yesterday, dad and I decided to take the car from my sis and head to Northbridge, the area with quite a few Asian grocers and butchers. We got into one store and the butcher gave us some excuse for not having any blood cubes. We left a little sad, but dad wanted to look for fresh duck as well, and ended up looking in another shop. He then came out with a huge smile and I thought he got some fresh duck, but he said:" Got pork blood! A lot! Big big cubes!", and sent me in to get some. 

Seriously, the cubes were huge!

My Claws Are Out

It's the second day in the house, dad and I decided not to take the car, but rather stay at home get settled in. The house needed a clean up, and dad was happy to wash and sweep, while I tried to cook the head cold away. The house was at a nice temperature, but the floors were cold and didn't help my headache, so out came my claws as a nice padding between my sensitive soles and the icy cold floor. Now I just need to keep the dogs away from chewing my feet. 

Great Meal To Start A Holiday

Dad and I were picked up at Perth International Airport by my sis and she later made a nice roast dinner that was perfect for the cold weather here. The weather wasn't as cold as expected tonight, but the warm dinner was a great meal to start our holiday. 

We had roast potatoes, roast pork and gravy, and cauliflower cheese bake. Surprisingly, this lactose intolerant eater managed to enjoy the creamy cauliflower bake without much issue and I even got a second helping. 

Om Nom Nom....

Last Ramen

Dad and I fly tomorrow and I can't bring my packs of ramen over to finish or at least hide them from the moths, I HAD to eat one pack of ramen. Good thing was that I had one more piece of pork chop from my pork craving a few days back. It was a pack with 2 lumps of noodles, and I knew I had to share it with mom, and made an additional omelette to add more protein. I think I added a little too little water to make the broth as it was quite salty, but it definitely wasn't made with MSG as there wasn't the never-ending thirst that followed after. 

I'm hoping my full belly can help me sleep before the flight....

Pretzels For Mom

As mentioned, mom enjoys a good pretzel, and after finishing the last batch, we decided to try a few variations with some additional ingredients, as well as try our hand at getting them in the typical pretzel twist. We started out with making olive pretzels, then stuffing them with some smoked salmon. Then it was pretzels stuffed with hot dog. Dad was happily scoring all of them and placing them on the tray. Soon, we filled up one tray before I can even start on the twists. So this is batch one, hot out of the oven. 

Asian Salad Wrap

When I feel like having a snack at the hawker centre, I find popiahs the best option, however, finding one that has a good balance of flavours and texture can be quite hard these days. I like my popiahs with lots of garlic, and enough chilli to give a bite but not burn my mouth off, with just a slight amount of sweet sauce that doesn't make it into a dessert. The rest of the filling doesn't really matter much to me, but it is nice if the stewed turnip mix has a nice dried prawn flavour to it. Most importantly is the skin. It has to nice and soft, thin enough not to taste gummy, yet thick enough to hold all the damp mass of fillings. Dad has another criteria too, the vendor needs to know how to cut the popiah right through, which can get frustrating if they are not. 

Today's popiah was at the Kreta Ayer Food Centre, and it's one of the better ones I've had. The benchmark was set by Queenstown Popiah, who still makes the skin, but they've given the stall to a neighbour. The popiahs are still good, but the couple running it is getting old, and this might be a good replacement. 

Money Laundering

I've been hearing coins being swished around in a pot lately and I decided to ask my dad what he was up too, getting up every few hours, swishing coins around in some solution he made quietly in the kitchen. I find out that he's been trying to clean old coins from all the from and tarnish they've accumulated over time.

This little money laundering job did prove useful as Australian, European and English coins were found, just in time for the dog sitting trip. The coins also did look a lot more shiny after their washing.

Childhood Favourites 07

When mom got the pork bones for Bak Kut Teh, she also bought some ribs to make one of her globally requested dishes with no dramatic name, Pork Ribs. I think the first taste of this was during the Christmas eve party when I was 5. Well, it seems I can't really remember much of anything before that, and maybe that's when the food in my life became awesome.

Anyway, the first taste of mom's pork ribs and I couldn't get enough of it. Sadly, everyone else had the same reaction and I never got enough of it. This dish also set a benchmark for other pork ribs as they were savoury and tart, complimenting the sweetness of the pork. Plus the meat lifted off the bone easily yet I could still have a nice time chewing all the juices out of every bite. I think it's also why I dislike BBQ sauce on my ribs, it just over powers the natural flavour of the meat, so much that you don't really know what meat you're actually eating. 

 So today, I get to eat almost the whole bowl of mom's pork ribs, enough to satisfy any pork craving I have. 

 Om Nom Nom.....

Soup For The Soul

I've been craving for some pork dishes recently and now of them is Bak Kut Teh, something which mom also wanted to have. Must be something about the weather that soup seems to be on a lot of people's dinner menu. Good thing is that pork soup bones are on sale at Sheng Siong and mom got a few packs to make a nice big pot of peppery soup. 

I was actually just hoping for a soup full of pepper, garlic, pork and lotus root. Mom had other ideas and added fried mushrooms and oyster. There wasn't a need for the last 2 ingredients, but maybe she needed was craving something in those 2 ingredients that she needed them in there. Anyway, the important thing was that I could get a big bowl of piping hot broth that warmed the soul and it definitely did the job. 

BURP!

Test Kitchen 14

Mom is fond of Aunty Annie's pretzels and would usually get a few to snack on when she passes an outlet. She, however, complains that it is a bit expensive, especially when she compares other kinds of snacks she eats. So one day she suggested that I should find a recipe to make pretzels (and bagels since I'm at it) and try to make some on our own. Knowing I'm not good at bread making, I ask dad to help me with it when I find a recipe that might just be the one she would like. A recipe that says it's a pretzel recipe like Aunty Annie's that I stumbled across on Yammie's Noshery.

As I said, I'm not very good with breads, and this dough got stuck all over my fingers, hence the weird shapes. Weird sizes and shapes aside, they turned out great and more importantly, mom liked them. She even said we should make these more often when this is our first try. I would like to try making them in smaller bites or sticks though, or at least try to get them into a pretzel shape.

Forgotten Ramen

Realised when I posted about the second ramen set I got that I forgot to post about this awesome natto ramen Angie and I bought from the Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki. Ibaraki is known for its natto, a sticky fermented soy bean delicacy that most Japanese would eat with rice. I always thought it was only something you would have with rice, but this natto ramen and some natto rice crackers did open my eyes to its flexibility. The breakfast we had at the hotel also helped change my mind about natto with the interesting pairings they made with it. My first taste of natto made me wonder why the Japanese would  like such a foul item, but I am lucky to have given it a second chance while in Japan.

Anyway, back to the natto ramen. The boxed set had 2 portions and each portion had a pack of powdered soup base, as well as a liquid one. The powdered pack also contained dried natto bits which gave a nice burst of fermented bean flavour when smashed with my tongue. The broth was really hearty and I think there might have been a bit of natto paste in the mixture as it had the broth had a slight stickiness, making it cling to the noodles, yet didn't make it disgustingly gluey. 

As you can see, I had this portion with the marinated perfect egg and a yummy tonkatsu, which was after the dinner with Angie at Ippudo.

Om Nom Nom... BURP!

This is also my one thousandth post! WooT!

Test Kitchen 13

I've been wanting to attempt to make pancakes with coconut flour for a while and I finally got up to doing it. I found a recipe that looked good, and wanted to use the conversion I got before, but it was a bit too much calculation to do and I decided to just wing it with the ingredients. In the end, I used the same ingredients, substituted the plain flour for coconut flour, increased the milk, oils and eggs and mixed it to a consistency that felt like pancake batter. My first few attempts were a little crappy, but soon I got the heat, timing, and my coordination right. 

Soon I was making some rather nice pancakes, that were fluffy in the middle, crispy at the edges, but rather fragile. I made them a little salty, which was a perfect pairing with the sugar-free maple syrup for a nice afternoon tea. 

Om Nom Nom....

Photo Posting Issues

After reading this article, it made me wonder about the results of looking at other people's selfies and the kind of emotions they evoke. Seriously, looking at good food does not hurt my appetite, and usually make me hungry. What hurts my appetite is looking at a picture of a carbohydrate-overloaded dish such as a mac & cheese sandwich. There are the dishes that you're able to spot the lack of love in its production, and that sickens me.

I can say, though, that most selfies definitely turn me off food. Some even go the extra mile and make me feel like slapping them. I think this is worth researching.

On A War Path With Moths

There is a bit of a moth problem in the pantry and they have attacked a few packs of instant noodles. So before they can attack my precious ramen from Japan, I will probably be finishing my stock before leaving to take care of 2 big dogs in Australia. 

Today's ramen is a boxed set that comes with 4 portions, and with the help of Google Translate, might be a tonkatsu ramen. While preparing the ramen, the broth seemed really plain and simple, like it was just some soy sauce and oil. The noodles were a little thin, and like the one in the Ippudo ramen, but somehow I managed not to overcook it and kept it firmer than what I got at the restaurant. 

After preparing a bowl for mom as well, I realised the broth was much more complex than it appeared. I could taste the soy sauce, but a deeper, richer flavour emerges and it's not as light as it seems. Mom suspects there might have been leeks in the preparation of the broth, and I would agree, although her accuracy is indicated with a tightening of her chest due to an allergy to them. I wouldn't really think there is any pork in it, but perhaps, the oil is actually lard, and that might account for the richness. 

I'd say I still prefer the natto ramen over this, but this is the kind you have when you want a lighter ramen. 

Om Nom Nom....

New Noodle Love

Went to ABC Brickworks for dinner yesterday and was thinking of having the usual minced meat noodles and fried spring chicken. Sadly, the spring chicken was closed and I was looking at the Lor Mee stall for some fried fish when I realised that the stall next to it had a change in ownership. Previously, it was a stall selling porridge, and now it is my new favourite noodle stall. 

The first plate of noodles also caught dad's eye and although there was only 4 choices of toppings, it was enough of a menu to satisfy all of us. I first tried the Prawn Paste Chicken Noodle (4), while dad had the Stewed Mixed Beef Noodle (1). Mom wasn't feeling too good and had something else. Dad and I then shared a plate of the Hainanese Pork Chop Noodle (3). The noodles were actually quite plain, but so nicely done and well seasoned that I didn't even bother with adding their chilli paste to it. However, the green pickled chilli slices, that is prepared by the stall holders, is the best accompaniment to the rich toppings. To think that this was the discovery we made yesterday. 

Today, we went back again, and this time mom got a taste of the number 1, while dad and I stuck to our first choices. If that wasn't enough, dad and I also packed a portion back for supper. It's sooooo good!

Om Nom Nom...

Long Time No See

Went to the wet market and found some mini fishballs that I haven't seen in almost 20 years. I remember eating them for one last time in 1996 during camp. The first was probably in 1988, during my first year in Primary school, in a bowl of noodles which cost 30 cents. 

I don't really know when these tiny fishballs went "out of style" and everyone seem to start using the bigger versions, or maybe it was just the suppliers for school canteens that kept that size. Anyway, I was glad I decided to buy these and make a snack out of them. I don't know if it's just in my head, but they were definitely more fun to eat than their bigger counterparts. 

Om Nom Nom....

Not The Best Place For Ramen

Met up with Angie as she wanted to borrow the Instax Share, while I also asked for her help to get something printed out in preparation for the Australian Dog Sitting trip. One of her friends mentioned that Ippudo was quite nice, and looking at the online menu, we were already impressed with the appetisers and thought that the food there should be quite good. 

I can easily say that the appetisers were really well done, however, the fried chicken was definitely overpriced for it's portion. The tofu salad was really well-balanced, with the greens already tossed in some dressing, and the light silky tofu was topped with a piquant miso and minced meat mixture, all becoming a wonderful fireworks display in your mouth. The cucumber salad was another dish that was very well presented, looked simple, yet tasted amazing. I would probably order plates of these two dishes over and over again if I wasn't here to try the ramen. 

Sadly, the ramen was a bit of a disappointment. The portions were a little small, and I'd say the toppings would not fall under a "value for money" column. Angie and I both ordered our bowls of ramen with hard noodles, and both agreed that the rather thin noodles turned out soft instead. The broth was also rather tasteless considering that it was supposed to be a tonkatsu broth, yet it tasted as though the chef left out half the ingredients in the broth. I'm now left wondering what the original in Japan would've tasted like. 

And I'm now considering making a cup noodle just to satisfy my noodle craving. Gah!

Test Kitchen 12

Dad was making fried battered breadfruit and had some batter left to use and asked mom if she could find the soft shell crab he bought a while back. While looking for the crab, she took a bag of paneer out and I decided to batter and fry that since the crabs seem to have walked out of the freezer on their own.

This was inspired by the SMAP-themed izakaya dad, Angie and I visited during our trip to Japan. At first I thought about marinated the pieces of cheese, but trying to coat them in a dry marinate might break them up, while a soak might make them hard to coat with the batter. I decided to flavour the batter instead.

The paneer didn't melt down, and kept their firmness like tofu, but they were less chewy when hot and balanced nicely with the flavoured batter. It's different from what we had, but it's definitely a nice snack.

Now I want to try it with mozzarella chunks!