Radish cakes *

On less controversial, and more heart-warming issues, Winter is an ideal time to cook some simple Asian dishes. An easy recipe to make is steamed radish cakes cut into snack-sized portions. Wonderful for afternoon tea on the weekends and healthy too. In the alternative, they can be pan-fried until golden for a crispy exterior and moist tenderly centre!

radish cakes

radish, roast pork, chinese sausage, dried duck, shallots, 

sprinkle of sesame seeds

Got rice *

Simplicity speaks for itself. 
Easy to please but difficult to impress. 
This classic chinese dish is made by, literally, throwing everything in!

fried rice

chinese bbq pork, egg, shallots

Circles of family life *

Seated around our round table, 
the lazy-susan displays the magic conjured by my parents. 

The story goes: 
they immerse themselves in the kitchen, 
then two hours later emerge with 
a feast to share with the family. 

It still amazes me to this day how in love my parents are - 
with food, and moreso, with each other. 
Impressive.

Aside: As a matter of interest, how many circles can you identify in this photo?

steamed ocean trout, boneless chicken with shallots & ginger, chicken & shiitake mushrooms in oyster sauce, luffa gourd & beef, king prawns, 

braised fire duck with coriander

Egged again *

So proud of my little brother who is not so little anymore.
Taller than me and well on his way to becoming a better chef than me too.
Being the doting older sister, I would usually cook him lunch on the weekends. 
Yet it seems I may need to retire prematurely and let him take over the kitchen!

soft boiled egg on a bed of baby spinach, chilli jam relish, 

sliced avocado & wholemeal toast

Sweet Potatoes *

A distant relative of the potato. 
Its flesh colour varies from shades of orange, golden yellow, white, purple & red.
Large, starchy, sweet-tasting and all-in-all a nutrition packed root vegetable.

Popular for the health conscious and dieters, 
alongside other 'superfoods' such as chicken breast, broccoli & bananas.
Easy to bake, in a little as 35 minutes, 
and ready to eat straight from the oven!

purple & orange sweet potatoes

Going round in circles *

Grandma's trademark recipe she had perfected over the years. 
Light and fluffy sponge cake rising to a height of 20cm with a hollow centre. 
Golden tones with a crisp outer & soft inner. 

I miss her baking...

circular sponge cake

Almond Cookies *

My brother had requested I make almond cookies during the week, but work had kidnapped me from life until now. First thing on my agenda this morning was to bake them as promised. Put some aside for R and CJ who I am going to meet for brunch later in the afternoon. As they say, half the gift is how you give it so I dressed the cookies up with lavender crepe wrapping & gold ribbon!

Almond Cookies

Awesome Foursome *

Individual dishes representing the unique preferences for each member of my immediate family. After dining out so much lately it is a welcome change to have some homemade food. 

skirt steak and garlic shoots

(enough protein for my brother to beef up)

ma por tofu

diced pork, mushrooms, carrots, celery, tofu, chilli sauce & 'sprinkle' of shallots

(satisfied my recent addiction to spicy food)

king prawns, asparagus, broccoli stir-fry

(mum's speciality as she enjoys mixed vegetables)

salmon sashimi

(thinly sliced pieces reflecting dad's knife skills)

Some say *

"Cheese and wine, 

dips with crackers,

bonding with close friends

appears to be obvious combinations?

Some say yes and some say no."

While studying for WSET, one of my coordinators insisted that cheese and wine were not complementary as most may think. Often the creaminess of cheese coats the tongue, masking the aromas of delicate wines. However, certain cheese and wine pairings may work such as blue cheese with a sweet fruity wine.

A girls night in with K 
how the evening unfolds
we both don't know.
Some say gossips and some say mischief
and I say- possibly so!

pumpkin, cashew & parmesan dip; danish blue cheese; salami; 

rye crispbread & rye multigrain snaps

Cooking for K *

Spent the past weekend with K
catching up on stories from her travels around America
and enjoying each others company 
while sharing our common love for food.

Reminds me of the countless times during university
when we would stay up late at night
to cram for exams, talk about pointless happenings
or simply be in a panic-mode to finish our assignments on time!

While I was busily preparing lunch, 
K started researching for our Europe trip.
We agreed K will organise the itinerary for sight-seeing 
and my responsibility is to plan our food adventures.
So excited, can't wait!

For K:

red atlantic salmon, poached eggs, tomatoes & slices of avocado on rye

For B*:

cos lettuce, tomato wedges, poached egg/salmon on rye

As a last minute order, Andy requested a second lunch for himself!

poached egg on avocado wholemeal toast stack with chilli jam relish

30 minute meal *

Couldn't decide where to go for dinner
so parents whipped up a few simple dishes.
I was eagerly standing by the sidelines
observing their tricks of the trade.
Our meal was ready in less than 30 minutes!

salmon sashimi

(to keep sashimi chilled for service,

place ice cubes on a plate then glad wrap to secure)

 

sauteed chinese spinach

(boil for a minute with dash of olive oil & pinch of salt)

eel in black bean & ginger sauce

(for better presentation, curl eel in a circle)

fresh scallops covered in xo vermicelli

(steam in Combi for 3 minutes to get medium rare)

dad wanted Scotch instead of his usual cognac

so it was time to open the bottle that Andy gave him, 

all the way from Berlin!

Y food pairings *

Bit bizarre when one finds a matching outfit, 
particularly if it coordinates with lunch.
I found myself in this colourful circumstance
at my brother's house party last weekend.
Coincidence, I think so!

satay chicken and roast pumpkin

(feel free to pair, or wear as the case may be, with yellow dress)

B smashed Eggs *

Inspired by the 'smashed egg' dish from Kitchen by Mike, I decided to make my own adaptation. Rather than poaching the egg, I tried to soft-boil it then remove the shell. Took me a while to peel the shell as I was worried the yolk would break! First time round was my personal experiment and later when my brother woke up I did a second round to perfect the dish.

Round 1

'B smashed egg'

with chilli jam relish & light cottage cheese spread on toasted rye

plus side of garden salad

(purple onion, celery sticks, cucumber, 

green capsicum, grated carrots, tomatoes & mixed leaves)

Round 2

to break or not to break... the eggs?

instructions: 

boil egg for six minutes then carefully remove the shell 

so that the yolk should be barely cooked. 

arrange on top of desired sandwich 

& roughly cut through the centre for the yolk to ooze

Ta Da! 

'B smashed eggs' 

with chilli jam relish & avocado on wholemeal toast

plus side of garden salad

Greenery is Gold *

Inspired by the tones of green and gold in our garden,
my mission today was to create a dish that embraced this colour palette.
It was quite fun to rummage through the pantry 
in search for something yellow and green!

avocado fan, pine nuts, roast pumpkin & curry beef cubes 

with soy & linseed toast

Breakfast fait par moi *

To celebrate the long weekend,
there is nothing like waking up bright & early
to prepare some breakfast for the family.

Enjoying the morning sunshine under the gazibo, 

table is set & we're ready to eat!

For dad:

mixed fruits upon soy & linseed stack

blueberries, strawberries & banana with low fat cottage cheese, drizzle of organic honey on soy & linseed toast

For mum:

Campos coffee & almond cookies

(fashioned in an adorable oversized Tweety mug that Q gave me)

Parents are all smiles!

And for moi,

a smaller portion of the breakfast stack I conjured for dad.

Colourful evening *

Lovely dinner hosted at Aunty Elaine's to celebrate Andrew's 22nd birthday. 
Set upon a rainbow tabletop, it was surely an evening to remember for our family gathering.

Roasted chicken, steamed broccoli,

baked pumpkin, potatoes and purple sweet potatoes

(healthy feast & deliciously homemade!)

mooncake

(Chinese pastries traditionally eaten during Mid-Autumn festival. 

There is a thin crust enveloping a sweet dense filling of 

lotus seed paste with yolk from salted duck egg.)

Pam 23 *

Family dinner to celebrate my cousin's birthday ~ 
per special request, 
mum cooks some of Pam's favourite dishes!

stir-fry efu noodles with pork; braised duck in oyster sauce; 
steamed blue cod with ginger & shallots; 

chicken maryland & shiitake mushrooms; fish cakes & garlic chi; 
pumpkin & taro mash pork belly

Brother in Berlin*

Missing my brother who has been on exchange in Berlin for the past six weeks.
Looking forward to his return in a few days!
Seems only days ago when we had family dinner to bid him safe travels,
oh how time flies ~

(steamed blue cod with ginger & shallots; stir-fried kailan; salmon sashimi; oysters; salted chicken; mushrooms & sea cucumber in hoisin; 
duck & lotus root; braised pork belly)

Almond Cookies *

During the interlude of making job applications, interviews and so forth...
I am determined to keep myself busy busy busy!
Per mum's special request,
it was time for me to enter the kitchen again
and bake her favourite Almond Cookies!
(a classic recipe from Q's mum, which I gathered last time in Brisbane)

BEFORE

many normal sized cookies

and a few mini bite sized pieces

AFTER

Finally, must be packed in air-tight containers to retain freshness!

(our trusty Tupperware are always on stand by)

Dine to Impress *

Fashionistas will always dress to impress,
while the lovers of food shall try &
dine to impress!


An invitation for family friends to come over
is like a catering contract for my family.


Implied Terms:
Dress code: loose clothing to prepare for consuming large quantities of food
Time: 1 day planning, 3 hours of preparation, 30 minutes presentation
One Condition:
3 hours of continuous eating & drinking

DRINKS

red wines

(uncorked two hours prior to allow for oxidation)

ENTREES

crispy nut shrimp clusters

deep fried shrimp balls 

coated in pinenuts or almond slithers

fresh Sydney rock oysters

(perfect with a dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice)

salmon sashimi

(fresh from the markets, on top of a bed of ice to keep cool)

MAINS

silk gourd & calamari in seafood sauce

(my favourite chinese vegetable- firm exterior, soft inner with eatable seeds)

free range chicken & coriander

(steamed- served cold with diced ginger & shallot dressing)

barbequed jumbo prawns

coral trout with ginger & shallots

dried scallops in oyster sauce

abalone, shiitake mushrooms, iceberg lettuce

Now that the table is set,

let the eating begin!