Watercress Soup with Mushroom & Pork Ribs

Watercress Soup with Mushroom and Pork Ribs for today's dinner. I used the pressure cooker to cook this in the evening because I only got back home at 7.30pm. By the time I settled down, it was already 5 passed 8. So our dinner was quite late for tonight, at about 10pm.

I mopped the floor while waiting the soup to boil, then came back to add the watercress, let it boil again for the last 15 mins before I turn it off. Eager to finish my last assignment, I started writing again. I still have 1000 words to go. My last lap of the second module should not be jeopardised by my hunger. Let me wait till CY come back from work....

Watercress Pork Ribs Soup is great for clearing heat in the body and sputum in the lungs.

Ingredients:

1. 2 bunches of fresh watercress, most people just use 1 bunch, I use 2. Mainly because I like the watercress cooling flavour.

2. 350g blanched pork ribs

3. 2 dried red dates -stones removed to prevent heatiness

4. 2 candied date 蜜枣 - this is important to add sweetness to the soup

5. 3 cups of water

6. 6 dried shitake mushroom and some dried scallop, soaked.

7. 1 tablespoon of GOOD soya sauce - the secret ingredient from one famous chef.

8 salt to taste.

Instructions:

1. Bring water to boil, add in the everything, except the watercress.

2. Simmer it for about 20mins in the pressure cooker.

3. Let all the steam out, open the cover, add watercress. Bring to boil again to cook for another 15 mins.

4. Lastly, add 1 tablespoon of soya sauce and salt to taste.

Fried Rice

A simple meal for dinner today.

Simple food is still the best. I enjoy this than anything else. I don't mind eating fried rice a lot, like 2 or 3 bowls (1 bowl of rice is definitely not enough for me) and I don't bother about my weight. The fact that I am still under weight (45 kg for 163cm) means I should eat more!

Everytime when my relatives or my friends see me, they will pop these questions: Are you on diet? Why are you so slim? How come you are so slim?...blah.....blah...blah....They think I hide some secret recipes or something. Only CY knows that I have never try to keep fit or go on diet.

I guess the only reason why I am so slim is that I do not live by snacks. I do snack but not that very often. If I snack, my stomach will not have enough space for good food. I do not eat potato chips, crackers, biscuits, keropok, etc. I prefer to have rice, noodle, bread. If I am hungry, I go for staple -- anything that make me full. I prefer rice than bread, bread than noodle. I LOVE vegetables, less for meat. I always drink water, less coffee or tea. I do not indulge into anything related to deep-fried food or soft drinks. I only like some cake or biscuit with liquor or dark chocolate. That's why I seldom bake. Sorry! I just can't make myself liking them. Any recommendations for me to try? :)

I feel happy when I eat, that also explains why I have this blog - about food. So if the food is not up the standard and I don't like it, I cook myself. If the food is in front of me and it does not taste good, I won't eat it. I don't compromise on the food that goes inside my mouth.

So for whoever wants to lose weight, I guess eat happily and healthily is the key.
Here are my Do's and Don'ts:

• Do indulge into food that you like. (But no snack!)
• Do eat staple till full. It helps to make you satisfied and less craving for snack.
• Do eat more vegetables, less meat.
• Do cook more because you can control what goes inside your body, less oil and salt.
• Do cut down on snacks.
• Don't compromise on food that won't kill your hunger.
• Don't eat deep-fried food.
• Don't drink soft drinks.
• Don't just eat cakes or biscuits.

In that way, I gues you can be like me, always on the slim side. Hope you enjoy my post. See you next time!

Fried Rice recipe

Ingredients:

1. 2 big onions, diced
2. 1 garlic, diced
3. 3 bowl of rice, cooked
4. 1 bowl of mixed vege, defrosted
5. 1 packet of maggie nasi goreng mixture
6. 1 egg, lightly beaten
7. some soy sauce and white pepper to taste
8. Garnish with pork floss

Method:

1. Fry onion before frying garlic because garlic will be burnt. Fry for about 3 mins.
2. Fry garlic for another 3 mins till everything slightly brown.
3. Fry the nasi goreng mixture till fragrant, about 1 min.
4. Fry Mix vege till cooked, about 2 min.
5. Fry egg till slightly cooked.
6. Pour all the rice to cook together, stir and fry till each grain coated with colour.
7. Garnish with pork floss and sliced cucumber.
8. Serve.

Singapore Food Festival 2010

Embark on a mouth-watering journey and discover the culinary cultures behind different Singapore Chinese dialects this year at the Singapore Food Festival 2010.

When I received the email from Marcus, I was ill then and I seriously didn't have the time to go for any other food outing unless it is seriously good.

This is GOOD.

You have most of the good food under one roof which means that you do not have to venture around this island for them.

I intend to go there again tomorrow, Monday, with CY of course.

Here are some of the shots on Friday.

For more info, please visit: http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg/

Four Seasons Hotel - One Ninety

Time to celebrate again!

Not only to celebrate CY’s birthday but also for a smooth recovery from flu + headache + fever. We have been sick for the past 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS… It was no joke. It was like seeing the sunlight finally came out from total darkness. I miss shopping, I miss cooking, I miss everything outside. I also missed quite a number of things in the last 2 weeks. Firstly, the Singapore blog award, I was thinking maybe I should go because I am kind of kiapo (busybody), want to see who’s in who’s not, but I didn’t have the chance to. Secondly, I missed the Singapore food festival opening media conference in Mandarin Oriental last week. I was seeing everyone tweet here tweet there…wah lau, I was also thinking of free flow of FREE food, I was so excited when I got invited but who knows… I still missed.

But up and coming event that I should not miss is this Friday Food Festival again! Clarke Quay! I will come!!!

Enough said. Now the celebration is held in One-Ninety. It is a bistro grill specialising in grilling food on an applewood grill. What so special about this applewood, by the way? It is supposed to bring out the best of the foods which giving it a lovely scent. Aiya…anyway, I just want to try lar!

So, this bistro offers a selection of local and international all-time favourites, and at lunch diners on the go can choose items from an appetiser and dessert buffet.

We chose a main course with the buffet. I chose the grilled wagyu beef and CY chose grilled Tuna as the main course. While waiting, we searched for appetisers to go inside our stomachs.

(Below) CY has almost every appetiser on his plate. A bit here and there, just for tasting. He has grilled mushroom, Parma Ham, some I really don't know.

I was particularly delighted to see Parma ham (below) on the table, grilled pepper (who knows why I like grilled bell pepper so much?? ), sun-dried tomatoes (2nd below), grilled assorted mushroom. Yum Yum. However, these are not every Singaporean’s favourites, unless you are a fan of Food Network or Asian Food Channel or Travel & Living where you are brain-washed by those chefs about how difficult to bring these things on our tables in this region. Parma Ham, aka Prosciutto, You guess how much does it cost in Cold Storage (not NTUC or Shop N Save can you find this)? I will not buy it EVEN IF I am super rich. It’s like 50g for $20! Ridiculous! So if they serve me with this ham here of course I would be more than happy. Overjoy! For those who are from Europe, I know this is just a normal food for you.

Below is the caramelised vanilla pineapple, gave me an idea how to prepare for dessert next time. It's so simple yet so classy!


Somemore appertisers, our main courses were not in sight yet. Some lobster, grilled asparagus, and beetroot, good food for health.

Next , this cod fish soup (below) is so weird. I mean weirdly delicious! I never think of cooking a fish soup in such a manner. Not that I know of…hmm…but it’s nice. Then Here come the main course. The Wagyu is good, nothing to complain, cook to medium rare, PERFECT. I like wagyu, with rockets salad and sliced parmesan cheese. But the tuna, looks good but a big no-no. The sauce is too sweet to go with tuna, which is a savoury food.

Dessert time!

All is so good and I know now Singaporeans are crazy over these macaroons right? $1.60 for one bite? They are great and above all, the one in this tall glass is the winner (2nd below). I will go back just for this! Nothing else. Champagne with crumbs in a glass. Nicely done.

Crumbs with whip cream flavoured with champagne. HEAVENLY! Every mouth was so delicate and flavourful. I felt like a QUEEN in that moment.

CY's favourite: pudding with berries.


Lastly, I must say this: how often do we get to be served by ALL Caucasian chefs in a restaurant? I was surprised to see so many foreign chefs here, rather than those from this region. No wonder the food is pitched and presented differently , in many ways. May be, it is not appealing at first sight, somehow, but it's definitely worth a try!

Okay, that’s for now. See you next time!

One-ninety

190 Orchard Boulevard Singapore, 248646

Tel. (65) 6734-1110

Entering 2nd half of the year

Can’t believe that we are entering 2^nd half of the year. If you ask me, how have I been doing in the 1^st half? I would probably say, Okay, but could be better. In fact this year, I guess I am hoping more to be done than what has already been done. I am still hoping (keep my fingers crossed!!) for some good news in the 2^nd half of the year, hopefully!

So now what? For the second half of the year, let’s make a deal. I want to start a cooking wish list or else it will be end of the year before I notice it and still nothing proud to be posted here. So… my wish list is…

1. Singapore chili crab!!!! This is definitely the number one!

2. Another nonya food, anything

3. Try to do an impressive pastry again

4. Marmite chicken

5. Sambal prawn

6. A full course of BBQ

7. …

8. …

Can’t think of any now…