Monday, August 6, 2012
I Want to Cook For My Family
The I Want to Cook For My Family Campaign is initiated by Daniel Ang of DanielFoodDiary.com to gather 100 bloggers to cook for their family. Most of us bloggers spent most of our time outside attending events and food tasting session. At times, we are so caught up with our own personal life that we forget about the love ones in our family. The campaign helps to remind us to take a step back to do something and spend time with our family members.
Ingredients
- Kang Kong
- Yifon Botted Tea Tree Mushrooms
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- Dried Shrimps
- Sambal Paste
- 1 Teaspoon of Knorr HaoChi All-in-1 Seasoning
Direction
1. Pre-heat Happy Call Double Sided Pan for 1-2 minutes.
2. Heat cooking oil in Happy Call Double Side Pan.
3. Add in garlic, dried shrimp and sambal paste. Saute till fragance.
4. Add in Kang Kong and Teatree Mushrooms and stir fried for a minute.
5. Drizzle in the seasoning.
6. Stir Fried for another minute and we are ready to serve.
The first dish I prepared for my family is Stir Fried Sambal Kang Kong with Yifon Teatree Mushrooms. It can be easily prepared for your family. Just need to fried fragrant some garlic, sambal paste and dried shrimp. Next just need to stir fried the Kang Kong and Teatree Mushrooms.
Ingredients
- Mackerel Cutlet
- Salt
- Pepper
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Chopped Red Chilli
Direction
1. Pre-heat Happy Call Double Sided Pan for 1-2 minutes.
2. Heat cooking oil in Happy Call Double Side Pan.
3. Pat dry Mackerel Cutlet before putting into pan.
4. Grill mackerel cutlet until one side is brown and flip over to the other side.
5. Drizzle in Teriyaki sauce and cooked both sides for 1-2 minutes.
6. Topped with some chopped red chilli to serve
The second dish I cooked for my family was Teriyaki Mackerel Cutlet. It is another very simple dish to prepare. Just need to marinate the mackerel cutlet with salt and pepper. Grilled the cutlet until both side is brown and then drizzled with teriyaki sauce.
Ingredients
- Pork Ribs (7-8 pieces)
- 1.5 Cup of uncooked rice, rinsed
- 2 Cup of water
- 1 tsp of sesame oil (for marinade)
- 2 tsp of light soy sauce (for marinade)
- 1 tsp of dark soy sauce (for marinade)
Direction
1. Wash and blanch pork ribs in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
2. Marinate pork ribs for 20-30 minutes with 1 tsp of sesame oil, 2 tsp of light soy sauce and 1 tsp of dark soy sauce.
3. Pre-heat Happy Call Double Sided Pan for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add in uncooked rice, water and left over marinade sauce. Close cover and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes till water almost absorb.
5. Put in marinated pork ribs into pan. Close cover and cook for another 5 minutes till pork ribs are cooked through and done.
6. Drizzle some sesame oil and dark soy sauce over the rice mixture. Close cover and stands the rice for another 5 minutes.
7. Open cover, stir and mix the rice mixture before servicing. Add in more dark soy sauce if you prefer it to be darker and sweeter.
Wrapping up the 3 course meal was the Pork Ribs Claypot Rice. If you own a Happy Call Pan, claypot rice can be easily prepared in the ease of home.
As you can see, cooking a meal for the family does not need to be fancy and can be readily prepared. Greatly appreciated Daniel Ang for initiating the I Want to Cook For My Family Campaign giving me the opportunity to cook and spend some quality time with my family.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Drips Bakery Cafe @ Tiong Bahru
If you have been following my blog, you would probably know that I have been down at Tiong Bahru market & food centre to check out some of the stalls as I was planning for a hawker trail at Tiong Bahru market & food centre. In one of the trips, I decided to check out the cafe culture that is booming in the area. Initially I wanted to go to either Forty Hands or Tiong Bahru Bakery but both places were full. Disappointment was short lived when I turned the corner onto Tiong Road and found Drips Bakery Cafe.
Blackberry Almond Tart 4/5
Many reviews have mentioned about the tarts at Drips Bakery Cafe. Since my girlfriend and I were still quite full from lunch, we ordered a slice of Blackberry Almond Tart ($7.50) to share. The crumbly pastry base was really enjoyable. The fruity topping, almond cream and pastry base were layered in a nice textural balanced proportion. What we did not enjoy is the seedy bites we can find in the blackberry toppings.
Mocha 4/5
With that many cafes setting up at Tiong Bahru area, I thought the name "Little Melbourne" is rather appropriate for the buzz in the area. I love my coffee and drink like 3-4 cups a day. However I admit I do not know how to differentiate coffee and I look forward to attending coffee workshop to widen by knowledge in coffee appreciation.
Latte 4/5
Anyway I ordered by usual Cafee Latte ($4.80) while my girlfriend had the Mocha ($5.50). We felt that the barista made quite a decent cup of coffee. Drips Bakery Cafe is a nice cozy place to laze the afternoon sipping a cup of aromatic coffee and enjoying their popular tarts. All prices are nett too!
Drips Bakery Cafe
82 Tiong Poh Road
Singapore 160082
Tel: +65 62220400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dripsbakerycafe
Website: http://www.drips.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line), Outram (EW Line, CC Line)
Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 1030am - 930pm
Fri-Sat: 1030am - 11pm
(Closed on Tue)
Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Head east on Tiong Bahru Road towards Jalan Membina. Walk down Tiong Bahru and turn right onto Kim Pong Road. Turn left onto Lim Liak Street. Continue onto Eng Hoon Street. Turn left onto Tiong Poh Road. Journey time about 12 minutes.
2) Alight at Outram MRT station. Take Exit A or C. Walk to bus stop opposite Outram MRT station (Stop ID 06011). Take bus no. 33, 63, 75, 851 or 970. Alight 1 stop later at Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Road. Walk to destination about 200 meters away. Journey time 8 minutes.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Le Bistrot du Sommelier @ Armenian Street
Jacob floated the idea with Maureen, Shiting and me that we should do a monthly dinner thingy to dine at restaurant that we want to check out. After throwing a few suggestions we decided to check out Le Bistrot du Sommelier that has moved from its previous location at Prinsep Street to their new home at Armenian Street.
Braised Pig Trotter 4/5
Jacob and Shiting both had the Braised Pig Trotter ($36) stuffed with veal sweetbreads served with steamed vegetables and mash potatoes. The portion and presentation was rather intimidating to finish. Not to forget the generous serving of stuffed veal sweetbreads unless you have an enormous and adventurous appetite.
Beef Short Ribs 4.2/5
For myself I have the Beef Short Ribs ($38) which was beautifully cooked. The portion was rather huge again consider this is french cuisine. The lovely fork tender meat fell off the bone with easy and made my palate sang to the lovely tunes of flavours.
Braised French Chicken Leg 4.2/5
My girlfriend had the Braised French Chicken Leg ($28) which was interesting served in a claypot. The chicken leg was braised in vinegar and tomatoes served with gratin of potatoes at the side. Ignoring the presentation, the tangy broth was rather appertizing and I couldn't help going back for more.
French Duck Confit 4.2/5
Jacob's partner, Chloe has the French Duck Confit ($28). I had a piece for taste and I enjoyed the texture. It was moist and aromatic. I didn't get to try the beetroot salad but I thought the flavour will be a good balance for the gamey duck. You can read more on Jacob's site.
Catch of the Day, Bouillabaisse of Red Gurnard 4/5
Maureen ordered the Catch of the day, Bouillabaisse of Red Gurnard ($30). Bouillabaisse is classic French fish stew from Marseille. The word in general means boil and reduce heat. Maureen just had a dental surgery so she went for something soft in texture.
Profiteroles 4.2/5
The classic Profiteroles ($14) simply brought smiles to our faces with each scoop. The warm chocolate sauce and sliced almonds toppings were a welcome boost to the already wonderful dessert.
Green Apple Sorbet with Calvados 3/5
The Green Apple Sorbet with Calvados ($18) was a love and hate affiar. We loved the refreshing sorbet with the green apple bites. Unfortunately all of us felt that it was a bit too heavy on the Calvados, a type of apply or cider brandy.
Apricot Souffle 4/5
The giant Apricot Souffle ($20) is for the serving of 2. As it takes about 20 minutes to prepare, do place your order early. It had raised beautifully, light and fluffy.
Food at Le Bistrot du Sommerlier overall is top notch. However the restaurant is rather small and noisy. Definitely not suitable for romantic quiet dinner. Do remember to make reservation and they expect a minimum spending of $70 per pax for group of more than 5.
Le Bistrot du Sommelier
53 Armenian Street
Singapore 179940
Tel: +65 63331982
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Bistrot-Du-Sommelier/169391063079607
Website: http://www.lebistrotdusommelier.com
Nearest MRT:
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 230pm (Lunch), 6pm - 11pm (Dinner)
Direction:
1) Alight at Bras Basah MRT Station. Take Exit A. Head towards Stamford Road at the traffic junction of Bras Basah Road, Queen Street and Stamford Road. Continue onwards onto Armenian Street. Journey time about 8 minutes.
2) Alight at City Hall MRT Station. Take Exit A or B. Head northwest onto Stamford Road. Turn left onto Armenian Street. Journey time about 8 minutes.
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