Hong Kong Holiday 2009 Review Part 2 - Macau

This Hong Kong trip we decided to make a stopover to Macau for 1 day 1 night. We took the ferry from the Kowloon Ferry Terminal there. To get there from our Kimberley Hotel on Kimberley Rd/Nathan Rd we actually walked across Kowloon park which in itself was a great experience. It felt very much like the Central Park of HK. It was serene and there were people doing Tai Chi and practising some folk dancing. And then to our surprise they even had a little bird sanctuary with flamingos! It was great for Caelyn to see them. Then within 10 minutes walk we had reached the other side of the park and arrived at the Ferry terminal.

Ferries to Macau leave about every half an hour. You can buy tickets whenever you're ready to go. It's roughly SGD50 for a return ticket. Not too sure if we got ripped off as the lady was calculating so fast. But I think it's about there if I remember correctly from what my parents told me. Don't worry about rushing for a seat on the ferry too because the seats are allocated. If you go around lunch time, grab a bite to eat at the Kowloon ferry terminal first because there's nothing to eat at the Macau terminal.
Having had a really bad ferry ride experience when we went to Bintan we prayed so hard that this time it wouldn't be the same. But luck wasn't on our side. It was a terribly rocky ride - in part I guess due to the drizzling rain. Tip: if you start to feel sea sick just put your head down horizontally, it helps immensely! The return journey unfortunately was even worse for us. And I put my head down almost immediately and I didn't feel sick at all. My unlucky husband however who had the duty to take care of Caelyn felt worse than I did and he usually doesn't get any motion sickness one. Poor Caelyn too....but we were very lucky she somehow managed to fall asleep on both ways. It was almost like she made herself go to sleep to avoid feeling ill.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn and it was a great hotel. Like most of the hotels in Macau, there is a free Shuttle Bus that takes you to and fro the Ferrry Terminal. The room was wonderful, it was spacious with a huge and ultra comfy bed. Location wise it was ok too, there is several restaurants within the same street. It is situated on a small street though, so there's no view out the window. If we had more time, we would've tried to stroll to the nearby Grand Lisboa Hotel and Wynn resort. I think it would've only been like 20 minutes walk. FYI Grand Lisboa Hotel supposedly has the Longest Buffet Line in Asia...yum yum :) Maybe next time....

From the hotel we took a cab to Senado Square. It's a very pretty picturesque square with the tiled floor and Portuguese style buildings. The rain made it a little inconvenient tho. If you're going there for lunch or dinner, here's a tip, the restaurants are mainly at the front of the square near the fountain. We spent ages walking around the backs trying to find a restaurant but couldn't find any. From Senado Square it is a very short stroll to the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral. We didn't go up to the ruins for a closer look...didn't think it was necessary at the time, but now I wonder what can you see from up there on the other side of the Cathedral?

We felt that when in Macau it's a must to visit The Venetian hotel. So we took a cab from Senado Square. Taxi fares here are not expensive and distances aren't that great. From Senado Square to The Venetian hotel I think it was roughly SGD10. If you really really wanted to save money, I read that you could go to The Sands hotel and casino and take the free shuttle bus from there to The Venetian. As people who've visited the original Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, we felt that the Macau one is small and lacked that 'wow' factor. Or maybe it's cos we've seen it all before? The Venetian is on another island so going there took a bit of time. The whole area where The Venetian is at and Hard Rock Hotel is called City of Dreams. I think they're trying hard to make it like the Las Vegas Strip. But it's not the same at all, for one there's practically nobody walking around from hotel to hotel like they do in Las Vegas. And two, the glitter and glamour is a bit lacking. And that generally is the feeling you get with Macau. It's a Las Vegas wannabe but it's still not quite there yet. At least in Las Vegas there's more to do than gambling.
We were gonna go to Macau Tower, but because the weather was bad, we decided to skip it. It wouldn't be worth paying to go up the tower and not see anything because it was covered in fog as it was that day.

Will we come back again? I suppose we may consider coming back again on a budget airline - bypassing the ferry - if the ticket was cheap and we had a spare few days.
Photo Album: http://reeney.multiply.com/photos/album/119/Hong_Kong_Holiday_2009_Part_2_-_Macau

Hong Kong Holiday 2009 Review Part 1 - Hong Kong

This isn't the first time Edmund or I have been to Hong Kong. But it had been many years since the last time we went. It was a great trip overall, but very tiring especially on our feet as we literally walked everywhere - plus no stroller meant we often carried an extra 14kg of weight everywhere (more on this later). This trip was a little too rushed, and we still didn't get to see everything and had not enough to do some leisurely shopping...and more eating :)

We were a little disappointed at Cathay Pacific. Bad food and not so great service - the stewardess wasn't nice. But the kids meal was good (pasta bake on the way there and spaghetti on the way back), while ours was pretty tasteless and generally unappetising. The kids also got a good Mickey Mouse Clubhouse goodie bag consisting of a backpack and activities inside including stickers. They also got a curly straw to take home from the kids meal.

We stayed at the Kimberley Hotel on Kimberley Road, near Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon. Location wise the hotel is in a great area, lots of shops and is easily accessible via Tsim Sha Tsui MTR. There are plenty of restaurants nearby, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese you name it, as well as fast food. A few clothing shops too, but everyone was selling winterwear of course so there wasn't much for us to buy. 

The hotel itself is a little worn and the rooms a little dated (update: 14/10 I've read the hotel has since

been refurbished). The first time we stayed there we got a really really small room, with a really really small bed. It was smaller than a Queen size bed from the looks of it and the three of us had to share the one teeny bed. Bathroom was ok, well cleaned, including clean bathtub. The second time we stayed there was when we came back from Macau. It was great that the hotel allowed us to leave our luggage with them as we only took an overnight bag with us. So the second time we came back we got a different room. The first room overlooked a dingy back alley, the second room looked over Kimberley Road (sort of) and was much bigger with a bigger bed. This room was even big enough to accommodate a sofa and coffee table in addition to the writing desk and tv stand. Bathroom was smaller tho, with only a standing shower no bathtub. There is a Watson's and 7eleven nearby the hotel, if you want to buy bottled water, buy from 7eleven, it's cheaper - eventhough it's still a Watson's brand water. I don't have any qualms recommending this hotel, but having said that, next time we go to HK we'll stay in a different hotel most likely on HK Island.

During our trip we also managed to swing by Tung Chun where there's an outlet mall. Great bargains there. Oh and they even had a Food Republic food court! But not as good as the one in Sg. Don't forget to check out the supermarket at the basement if you go. At Tung Chun we also went to the Ngong Ping Cablecar. It's a pretty good experience with fantastic views of Lantau Island and it's surrounds. It took a good 20 mins one way. But once you reach Ngong Ping Village there really isn't much to see there unless you want to try and hike it up the big Buddha statue.

We also managed to check out Temple St Night Market and Ladies Market. There's a couple of seemingly good seafood 'streetside restaurants' there. Not sure how fresh the seafood is nor how hygienic it is, but it looked pretty good and there was a big crowd eating there so it can't be all bad. 

From pics I've seen on the web of the food, it looks pretty good. Too bad we never got a chance to try it this time. I would definitely have liked to try the dish Typhoon Shelter Crab. Ladies Market was much better tho, I thought it would be just the same as Temple St market, but there's so much more shops - electronics, beauty supplies, clothes, shoes, etc, rather than just the typical fake brand bag sellers.

Stroller Tip: For parents with young children, don't hesitate to bring your stroller. A lot of ppl told us not to bring so we listened and didn't bring. But actually I think as long as your stroller is compact it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't mind going the long way, you should be able to find elevators to the MTR, but if not, then you can fold up your compact and light stroller and just lug it with you up and down the stairs which are still manageable. Or fold it and ride the escalator. On the MTR itself, take the first carriage where there's more space for a stroller. At the outlet mall at Tung Chun we were really disappointed when we couldn't rent a stroller because they said it's only for kids aged 2 and below.

Worst Experience in HK: Riding the Victoria Peak tram on the way down - standing up while carrying Caelyn and while ppl pretended they didn't see you with a child so they wouldn't have to give up their seat (gee sounds familiar). If you've ever been on Victoria Peak tram, you would know it's a steep 45 degree angle in/decline. So imagine trying to balance myself, making sure I didn't smash into the front window where the conductor was sitting, supporting myself with one hand on a pole while the other arm was carrying a 14kg child. I can't comprehend why they would let ppl stand up on the way down anyway, it's utterly dangerous. On top of that I can't understand why the conductor didn't make someone give up their seat so that the child could be safer. Obviously they didn't think it was necessary! Needless to say after we got off my knees and arms were wobbling like crazy. I was lucky our friends were standing beside me and could help me support Caelyn's weight and pull me up as well (hubby was further up). Ok so you could say it was also our fault entirely for going on such a crowded tram. But it was very late and by the time we realised we couldn't come down it was too late. Oh this is also the one place where having a stroller would be a bit difficult - but not impossible. The Peak itself is great tho!

My Cleo Hamper

I won this Cleo hamper before we left for our trip. It's worth over $118. Yay Me!

Chilli Crab Bread Bowl and Crispy Soft Shell Crab from Swensen's

This is part of a promotional menu they have at Swensen's. But I hope it sticks around longer because it is simply delicious! The breadbowl was made from sourdough bread and was perfectly crisp ready for dipping into the Chilli Crab "soup" which is pretty much chilli crab sauce with a lemony zing to it. Oh and did I mention that it was good? :p The accompanied Soft Shell Crab was nice and crispy. If I remembered correctly there were two whole pieces of soft shell crab.

Black Pepper Beef Meatballs

Swensen's signature fries

7th Year

It's almost hard to believe that this month has marked my 7th Year in Singapore. I can still remember when I first arrived here, how I missed home, missed my parents, etc.
Where has all that time gone?? It was never my intention to live here this long, but now I do feel quite at home here and am unsure how I feel about life in Australia after Singapore. I've talked about this before in previous blogs - on how 'strange' I felt being back home. But I don't know, I think in the back of my mind I still abhor thoughts or hopes of going back to live in Brisbane again. Lord knows I still pester hubby about going back. I guess only time will tell if we'll ever go back....

Beef Rendang Recipe from Simply Her Magazine

This is a pretty good rendang recipe.
Ingredients (Serves 3-4):
8 shallots, peeled
3 slices galangal, peeled
1 piece thumb-size ginger, peeled
20 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10 min and drained
2 stalks lemongrass, white parts only
1 clove garlic, peeled
6 tbsp grated coconut, skin removed
3 tbsp canola oil
500g topside or beef shank, cut into larger chunks
2.5 cups coconut milk
1 fresh turmeric leaf, thinly sliced (optional)
1 kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1. Place the shallots, galangal, ginger, dried red chillies, lemongrass and garlic into a food processor and blend to a fine paste.
2. Place the grated coconut in a frying pan and dry-fry until it turns a deep golden colour.
3. Pound the coconut till fine.
4. Heat oil in a pot and fry the spice paste over medium heat for about 10mins, till it is cooked. Stir constantly.
5. Add the beef, pounded coconut, coconut milk, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves, salt and sugar. Keep stirring until the mixture boils.
6. Cook on low heat in a covered pot for 4 hours (stirring every 20 mins) or use a pressure cooker or thermos pot, and cook until the gravy thickens and the meat is tender. Serve with rice.

Vietnamese Coconut Waffles

Ever since I got my waffle maker, I've been searching for a specific waffle recipe. Waffles in the Western world are seen to be a breakfast item, or dessert that goes with ice cream. But in Singapore and other parts of Asia, waffles are seen as a snack item which you can simply buy from a shop. Usually in Singapore bread shops have a little waffle stand set up near the entrance. You put in your order and they'll make it for you on the spot. If you're unlucky you'll get one that was pre-made and had been sitting on top of the waffle maker for a while. But most often than not, you usually get a fresh one. And you get your choice of topping such as chocolate, strawberry jam, peanut butter, or kaya (pandan jam) or simply plain.

E and I are rather picky when it comes to our waffles, we like them crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. And we want that crispiness to last too. Some shops sell nice tasting waffles, but it's just soggy and no crispiness at all. If I had to describe it I would say it is more like pancakes rather than Belgian Waffles.

If you've been following my blog, you'd know that I've tried out 2 other waffle recipes. One with Buttermilk/Milk and the other the yeasted variety which is what Beligan Waffles are supposed to be like. But I still wasn't satisfied. My Mum told me that she had a recipe that used coconut milk, but she couldn't remember the recipe off hand. So what do I do, I Googled of course! And came across this website for Vietnamese Coconut Waffles. And the rest is history.

I now declare that I do not need any othe waffles recipe. This is the it. The texture and taste of this one is entirely different to the previous ones I made. Previous ones tasted like a cross between pancakes and crumpets. But these tasted like a cross between pancakes and cake. E said I shouldn't share the recipe, but since I got it from another site, I think it's only fair that I share it with everybody. So here it is:

Source: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/08/vietnamese-coco.html

This yielded about 6 waffles on my waffle iron.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
7 - 8 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, or 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, separated
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or pandan extract

1. Heat the waffle iron and have an electric mixer handy. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, soda and cream of tartar (or baking powder). Use the whisk to combine the egg yolk, coconut milk, butter, and extract of choice.

2. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently stir. Switch to a folding motion toward the end to incorporate all the flour. If the resulting batter looks lumpy, that's okay. Expect the batter to be thick. Avoid over-stirring, lest the batter becomes over worked and yields a chewy, tough waffle. Set aside momentarily

3. Use the electric mixer to beat the egg white for about 1 minute, or until it holds a 1 ½-inch peak. It will look solid white. Use the rubber spatula to gently fold in the egg white.

4. Spread a decent amount of batter onto the waffle iron, stopping short of the far outer edges since the batter will spread once the top is lowered. (I often don't fill up all the holes and let gravity distribute the waffle.) Cook the waffle until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Darker waffles will be crisper (and stay crisper) than lighter ones. Aim for medium-brown, not light tan.

5. To remove the waffle, I use a pair of mini tongs with a silicon head so as not to scratch the surface of the non stick waffle iron. Place the waffle (which will be slightly soft) onto a cooling rack, where it will crisp up. Break up the waffle and enjoy warm. They'll soften as they sit but may be reheated to a crisp in the toaster oven.

Below is the picture of all 3 waffles side by side. I'm not sure if you can see clearly, but the Buttermilk Waffles (the one on the right) had the smoothest looking surface and this went soft pretty much immediately. The Yeasted Waffles (middle one) looked more 'patchy' to the rest, but i'm not sure why. It certainly was crispy, but you could also taste the yeast which might not be for everybody. It was also the one that took the longest to cook (would probably make everyone starved at breakfast). The Vietnamese Coconut Waffles (left one), not sure if you can really see has a bit of a cake like appearance and the colour was more even (but I guess uneven colouring would also depend on individual waffle irons and different photo conditions). Its batter was also the easiest to handle without over filling the waffle maker and having it drip or overflow.

Easy Crispy Yeasted Waffles

Previously I tried out a Buttermilk/Milk Waffles recipe hoping that it was the recipe that would give me crispy waffles that stayed crispy even after they sat on the plate for a while. Well I found one that's pretty good and is MUCH easier to do than the previous Buttermilk Waffles recipe. This will now become my go-to waffles recipe. But I also want to note that eventhough this yielded a Crispy on the outside and Fluffy on the inside type of waffles, it still didn't taste like the 'Asian' waffles. Not sure if you've had them before (not the soggy Prima ones) but they're crispy on the outside and light on the inside....it's a cross between a cake and waffle. I highly suspect they use coconut milk in their recipe just like the chinese egg rolls/love letters that you see during Chinese New Year (If you've never had chinese egg rolls/love letters, they taste like a waffle cone). Must hunt for that recipe. In the meantime, give this recipe a go.

Source: http://www.crispywaffle.com/2007/09/best-and-easiest-yeasted-waffle.html

I can't quite remember, but using my waffle iron, I think this recipe yielded 8-10 waffles.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup or 110 grams)
2 cups warm milk (heated to about 110 degrees)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar (add 3/4 cup of sugar if you intend to eat this as is without honey/syrup)
1/2 tsp salt

The night before:

1. Combine and whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
2. Combine the melted butter and milk. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk eggs and vanilla together in a separate small bowl. Add the egg-vanilla mixture to the other mixture, and whisk until well-combined.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until tomorrow morning. (The batter can rise for 10 to 24 hours.)

The next morning:

1. Prepare waffle iron as usual. Stir the batter to deflate it (it should be puffy and frothy).
2. Add to waffle iron the same way you would other batter, keeping in mind that this batter will rise more than batters that use baking powder instead of yeast.

Raffles Marina

This is the first time I've been to Raffles Marina. Frankly, unless you're totally nuts about boating or yachting then I don't see why you'd come here. Not that the place isn't nice, but cos it's all the way at the end of Tuas (West of Singapore island) - just beside the Immigration checkpoint actually or what is also commonly known as The Second Link (to Malaysia).

We only happened to be there because Edmund had to drop by his work site for a while one weekend day and it so happened that his site is in Tuas. So while we waited for Edmund to finish his stuff, Caelyn and I had a mother-daughter lunch right beside the dock. I was surprised to find that there was quite a number of people having lunch there too.

The place is rather relaxing, quiet and a little breezy. We ate on the terrace, can't remember the name, but there's really only one there. The food wasn't that great, even if it was just fish and chips and lobster bisque that we ordered - I was rather disappointed considering it's supposed to be a "aseanarean's premier marina, country club and nautical lifestyle centre" (http://www.rafflesmarina.com.sg/). Maybe the other stuff on the menu would be better.

I wonder who the boats and yachts belong to....

see The Second Link checkpoint in between the trees there?

Baked Croque Monsieur - Nigella Lawson's Express recipe

A Croque Monsieur is basically a toasted Ham and Cheese sandwich French style. Nigella Lawson goes one step further in her Express cookbook by making it an easy next day breakfast or brunch by preparing it the night before and keeping in the fridge till morning.


We really liked the crispy top, but wasn't that into the soggy bottom. If ever I decide to make it again, I may put the baking tray on the hob after taking it out from the oven just to brown and dry up the bottom a bit more.

Here is the recipe I've amended from the original:

Ingredients:
6 slices bread (brown, white, multigrain whatever)
1/3 cup Dijon mustard or 1/3 cup Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
3 slices of cheese
3 slices of ham
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
4 tbsp grated Cheese (any kind you like)
good sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce

1. Spread the mustard or pesto on the bread slices and make sandwiches with the cheese and ham. If you wish, cut the sandwich diagonally to make two triangles.
2. Squash the sandwich into an appropriate sized baking dish.
3. Beat together the eggs, salt and milk and pour over the sandwiches in the baking dish.
4. If you're not cooking it immediately, cover the dish with cling wrap and put in the fridge overnight.
5. Next morning preheat the oven to 180C and remove the cling wrap from the dish. Before you bake it, sprinkle over the grated cheese and worcestershire sauce. Place on the lowest rack in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown.
   

Crispy Prawns using Ottogi Frying Mix

This Korean Ottogi Frying Mix really gives whatever you're frying a nice crispy coating. I was surprised at the fact that the prawn tails were so crispy that you could eat it. I wanted to try to see what it was like if I just fried it with the flour without making a batter, but it didn't turn out very nice, dried up the prawns and made it shrink. So to make the batter, just add some water to the flour mixture. Pour a little at a time to get the consistency you want. I usually like to have the batter not to runny so they'll stick better. I must say, I'm usually very afraid of frying prawns but the batter coated the prawns so well that the oil didn't spit at all.

The prawns are nice as is. But I added a cereal mix to it and turned them into Cereal Prawns...yumm...my favourite!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem - Separated at Birth???

I was watching Enews the other day and they had a segment on celebrity look alikes - how there are celebrities who look like each other. All the other celebs featured yes looked like each other, but when they got to Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem, OMG my jaw fell open! Cos all along I thought these two were the same person!! I thought that the guy who played Danny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy (Izzy's love interest that died of heart failure) was the same person who played Juan Antonio in the movie Vicky Barcelona!
photos source: http://backseatcuddler.com/2008/01/07/javier-bardemjeffrey-dean-morganseparated-at-birth/

So who's who you ask? Jeffrey is on the left and Javier is on the right. Freaky right?

Home-made Buttermilk/Milk Waffles

I've been looking for a crispy waffles recipe and tried this one out. Not exactly crispy unless you crispen it again in a toaster or oven. The website suggested you turn on the oven to low heat and put the the waffles on the rack in there while you finish making up the rest so they stay warm and crispy. I didn't manage to save the website I got it from tho. They do taste good after toasting them, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I've got another recipe to try (a yeast one), so keep a lookout for my review on which one is the best.

Oh I also like to eat waffles plain (like Belgian waffles) so I upped the sugar quantity too. But if you like to douse your waffles in honey or syrup then by all means scale back the sugar.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk or 3/4 cup buttermilk+1/4 cup milk
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup sugar (or 1 tbsp sugar if you want it unsweetened)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda in medium bowl. Measure the milk and oil; mix in the egg yolk and set aside.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg white to almost soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in vanilla.

3. Pour milk into dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white into the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula onto hot waffle iron and cook until waffle is crisp and brown.

Thai Minced Chicken Salad (Larp of Chiang Mai)

This is sooo good, I simply can't get enough of it. This is also when I discovered the yummiest secret ingredient - Toasted Ground Rice! Sprinkled over the salad the taste of the dish completely changes! I've known about this ingredient for a long time, but I've never tried it, now there's no turning back. It's recommended that you use Glutinous Rice for the ground rice, but I didn't have any. I figured Short Grain Rice would probably work just as well (maybe even normal Long Grain Rice would probably work too). I really don't know if it would've made a difference, but I'll try it next time just to see.

When I ground up the toasted rice, I was really surprised that it had a peppery fragrance. I now declare it as my new favourite 'ingredient'!

To toast the rice: put some uncooked rice in a dry pan over high heat and keep stirring until the rice has become nutty brown colour. Remove from heat, grind using coffee or spice grinder and store in a container to use whenever you like.

Recipe adapted from: Classic Thai Cooking Course by Kit Chan

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
450g minced chicken/pork/duck/beef
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
4 red chillies, chopped (optional: seeded)
4 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp roasted ground rice
2 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves
mixed salad leaves, cucumber and tomato slices, to serve
a few sprigs of mint, to garnish

My Notes: I omitted the lemongrass because I don't fancy chewing lemongrass in my dish. I don't mind lemongrass as an ingredient as long as it can be fished out later. I also added more lime juice and fish sauce than recommended because I like more salt and sourness. And I also added a ton more ground rice just because it was that good!

Method:

1. Cook the mince chicken until brown. You can add some water if you wish and cook till the water has evaporated.
   
2. While the chicken is cooking, chop up all the other ingredients.
3. Transfer the chicken into a bowl and add all the other ingredients except for the mixed salad leaves, cucumber, tomato and mint.
4. Serve on the bed of salad leaves either at room temperature or cold.
   

Home-made Buttermilk/Milk Waffles

I've been looking for a crispy waffles recipe and tried this one out. Not exactly crispy unless you crispen it again in a toaster or oven. The website suggested you turn on the oven to low heat and put the the waffles on the rack in there while you finish making up the rest so they stay warm and crispy. I didn't manage to save the website I got it from tho. They do taste good after toasting them, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I've got another recipe to try (a yeast one), so keep a lookout for my review on which one is the best.

Oh I also like to eat waffles plain (like Belgian waffles) so I upped the sugar quantity too. But if you like to douse your waffles in honey or syrup then by all means scale back the sugar.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk or 3/4 cup buttermilk+1/4 cup milk
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup sugar (or 1 tbsp sugar if you want it unsweetened)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda in medium bowl. Measure the milk and oil; mix in the egg yolk and set aside.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg white to almost soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in vanilla.

3. Pour milk into dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white into the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula onto hot waffle iron and cook until waffle is crisp and brown.

The Masked Menace

This was Caelyn earlier when I took her to the Doctors. It was so funny, she got the face mask wet on the mouth area and we had to throw it out and ask for another one. It was so flimsy. It's pretty hot and uncomfortable under these masks.

It's only the first week....

of Caelyn going to school and she's already sick!! She's come down with a cold. I know it's inevitable, but didn't think she'd get sick so fast since it's only the first week. I remembered there was a kid who was coughing in the class the first day we attended.....hate to say it but I think he's the one spreading the germs. I even heard the teacher keep telling him to cover his mouth when he coughs.

People (including us) are getting more sensitive these days anytime anybody coughs or sneeze around us cos of the fast rate that swine flu is spreading. I think other ppl are getting sensitive too. The other day Caelyn was just clearing her throat and was coughing (not cos she was sick at that time), but u should've seen the look ppl were giving her and me. Can't help it I guess, we probably would've quickly walked as far away as possible from whoever was coughing or sneezing.

Let's hope that it doesn't last too long so she doesn't miss out on too many class activities.

Did u know that Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series was also down with the swine flu a while ago?

Nice dried noodles to keep in the pantry

A while ago I made some Bakmi Kangkung (or Kangkung Noodle Soup, click here for recipe). Traditional yellow egg noodles are used for this, but since I didn't have any, I improvised with these dried noodles I had in the pantry. Turns out these noodles taste great, it's chewy and springy and doesn't go soggy even after soaking in the soup a long time.