Another Sunday and another dish I actually remembered to take a photo of. Bak kut teh with a literal Hokkien tranlation of “meat bones tea”. Doesn’t sound (or look) great does it? It’s actually a herbal soup cooked with pork ribs. There are plenty of variations out there, but this one had pork, Chinese mushrooms and tofu. I think it’s one of those dishes you either like or dislike. You can find a tiny bit more information on Wikipedia

There is no better day for baking than Sunday…even though it was a bit hot today.

Earlier today I baked cupcakes for the third time in my life.

The first time was from a box and that was floury. I also burned my hand and that resulted in me avoiding the oven for a couple of years. The second time I thought I’d be smart and combined 3 different online recipes into 1 (don’t ask me why) and that didn’t go so well. But now for my third attempt I tried a recipe from my new book, Jennifer Graham’s ‘The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook’ and they turned out great!! It really makes a difference when you follow a pro…

She makes everything sound so simple and I think her technique is what makes them turn out really good so I recommend her book to all. I also recommend a cupcake tower as it makes your cupcakes look much more impressive.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

To see the cupcakes from other angles, check out our Flickr.

Now the title is a bit misleading. I don’t actually cook but nevertheless good food comes from my (mum’s) kitchen and there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be eating. The highlight usually being when my mum cooks something which you can find in a Malaysian hawker store.

Just recently, my mum made Har Mee (prawn noodles):

My personal favourite is the Curry Laksa:

(Note: this is Kuching style laksa)

We have provided food for takeaway on the odd occasion. But it’s generally best when you actually come and sit in. Sorry I’m not giving out “restaurant” details except that I live in the middle of no where.

I got this recipe from a fellow gourmet at work (Thanks B.Kazazes!) – hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground ginger
• 60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
• 60ml (1/4 cup) ketchup
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• Black pepper
• 500g pork ribs

Method

Marinate the spare ribs for at least 30 minutes, then drain and grill briskly on one side. Baste with a little marinade and grill the other side. Baste once more and grill the ribs until they are stickily glazed on both sides. The ribs may also be baked in a preheated oven of around 180 degrees, and require basting occasionally.

They ended up tasting a little like char siu (Chinese bbq pork), but most definitely a winner in my eyes!

I was watching my new favourite show MasterChef last night and in the Masterclass episode, George Calombaris (one of the chefs/judges) was teaching the contestants how to make the best ever chunky chips. He made it look so easy and being a big chip fan myself I just HAD to try it. Yes, this was a recipe that actually got my butt off the couch and into the kitchen where my mum looked at me suspiciously when I pulled out some cooking utensils.

I was scared but excited at the same time since I rarely make anything from scratch (requires too much time and effort). But I am proud to say that the chips were a super-crunchy-on-the-outside-and-heavenly-soft-on-the-inside success!

Here’s how YOU can make awesome chips.

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Salt

Oil

What to do:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick cut chips – try to keep them the same size so they cook evenly
2. Put the potatoes into a pot of cold water with some salt
3. Bring the potatoes to boil on high heat, be careful not to let them boil for too long as the potatoes will become too soft and break
4. Drain the potatoes and lay them on a tray
5. Put the potatoes in the fridge to dry out for at least half a day – this is the key to making them crispy on the outside
6. Heat oil (he recommended peanut oil) and deep fry the chips, taking them out when they start to look golden
7. Sprinkle salt on the chips immediately and serve!

I actually tested a batch of chips that had been refrigerated for about 1 hour and they turned out great but not as crunchy and friggin’ delicious as the batch that had been in the fridge for about half a day. So it really does make a difference to let them dry out for longer!

The girls at work bought me shot of wheatgrass from Boost on my last day. Their assumption was that I would love it because:

1. It’s green, healthy and tastes terrible.
2. I enjoy the Sunbeam Just Nuts, which for some very odd reason tastes a bit like grass.

Much to everyone’s disappointment, I wasn’t head over heels for wheatgrass. The slice of orange to the side was definitely tastier. Unsurprisingly, it did taste exactly as described (i.e. like grass).

I’m not sure I’d fork out the $3 to get another one, other than for novelty purposes. Having read the Wikipedia article on wheatgrass I’m not entirely convinced of its health benefits either. For the same flavour I’ll stick to Sunbeam. For the same price I’d rather buy a bag of carrots and make my own juice. Here’s one I prepared earlier:

I’m a HUGE fan of aioli. If aioli was a rockstar, I’d be the one in the front row throwing my lingerie at it. In fact, if this post gets 1000 comments, I may just name my first child Aioli.

Here is my version on how to make a quick aioli for all those occasions where you could use it – chips, steak, chicken or main dish, whatever makes you happy.

What you need:

• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Honey (optional)
• Salt + Pepper
• Japanese Mayonnaise (don’t use the normal stuff)
• Dijon Mustard

What you do:

1. Get some garlic cloves.
2. Chuck them into some aluminium foil that you’ve shaped like a basket (you don’t need to peel the garlic)
3. Drizzle some olive oil, add some salt and pepper
4. Optional: drizzle a little bit of honey



5. Seal your package and chuck it into an oven to roast for about 30 mins.
6. Take the garlic out of their skin and mash it all up



7. Mix in some japanese mayonnaise – use however much you like
8. Mix in some mustard – use about half the amount of mayo you put in
9. Mix, mix, mix
10. Aloha Aioli!

Here is a picture of my half eaten dinner with a bit of the aoili on the side. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product because I was too busy eating. Whoops.

Chilli spiced pan fried chicken w/ steamed vegies, roasted peppers & AIOLI!

It’s been over 18 months since my friend Irene got back from teaching English in Japan. Since then, she has threatened to get us to try her homemade okonomiyaki.

On Saturday, in the middle of the downpour, Irene finally made good on her promise. The okonomiyaki was the main attraction, but the pumpkin soup was pretty good considering the weather.

The okonomiyaki didn’t taste like the ones in Japan, but Irene reckons she knows what the secret ingredient is (which I can’t reveal) and hasn’t been able to find it locally. Nevertheless, it was pretty tasty.

Now, we all wait for her to open a stall or restaurant.