Sushi making

Went to Telok Ayer Green Hong Lim Community Centre today to learn sushi making.

i was late for 15 mins and i DID NOT MISS anything.

Paid $18 for course fee, $4 for materials fee. To kick start, she first show us a platter of sushi she made and 'force' everyone to try.

She collect money from everyone, then use bare hands to touch the sushi, then ask pple to eat....

Then she talk about how to cook rice (while the rice is already cooking in the cooker)

when the rice is cooked and when she took it out, i have to admit.... i was pretty impressed.

The whole room smells great! she uses kelp (a kind of japanese seaweed) to cook her rice and it just makes it smells different from normal rice!

while she is scooping out the rice into a wooden container, she went on to say that she bought the wooden container many yrs ago for $70+ and now it cos around $120... but of cos you dont need to buy lah, just any bowl or container as long as not stainless steel....blah blah blah...

While she is scooping, a chuck of rice fall out of the container onto the table. She pick it up with her bare hands and throw back into the container.... **roll eyes**

then she show us how to mix the rice with the vinegar mixture and then demo how to roll.
Funny thing is, while she is demostrating, she ask her assistant (i think its her maid) to demostrate together with her.

The maid went on to do her own and end up making the california maki (the one with seaweed inside, fish roe outside) and while she is rolling her own maki (seaweed outside).

She grumble grumble and say that her assistant should do the same, then say never mind.. say her assistant can show us how to do the california maki cos she is very good at at it and is even better then her!

duh! i come her learn from assistant or learn from her?! **roll eyes**

then she take half the rice, open a can of seaweed mix thingy (say its ex, $4.70 per bottle) and then pour half a bottle in to mix with the rice. she then demo using the daiso moulds to shape out rice balls using the flavoured rice while emphasising at least 5-10 times
"this is make for children"
"this is for children to play and make their own"

She then went on with her sales pitch....say she also make to sell, and of cos she sell cheap cheap only -_-""

After that, she insist everyone try their hands at making 2 rolls (one each) but there is not enough table space for everyone! so we patiently stand around and wait... pple go up to her and ask questions...

but after each of us makes one roll, there is no more rice! *faintz*

No more rice... end of playtime, so we all go wash hands... the maid started cleaning, she ask if we bring container... then big hoo ha... some nice auntie went out and find some styrofoam boxes and started distributing... then the instructor started cutting the first roll into small pieces to demo how to cut sushi.... after she finishes cutting the first roll into bite size pieces, she said "i cut the roll into half and u all bring home and cut yourself okay?'

'come to the front and take from me".... then halfway through she add "after you take you can go home'

its only 9pm....and the maid has already clean the room, pack the stuff, the sushi distributed and she is already asking us to go home!

the course is 730 - 930 leh! cheat me of my money!

so i went home with half roll of seaweed maki, half roll of california maki, 2 pieces of flavoured rice for dinner.

oh, for the record, this is my instructor's credentials posted on the OnePA website:

Trainer's/Operator's Qualifications/Awards
OW FONG CHAN ELIZABETH
Certification:
Cert (6 Jul -4 Aug 07)
Cert (5 Mar - 24 Apr 07)
Cert of Attainment (20 - 22 Jul 05)

Stir fry pork and liver

This is a 'confinement' dish, meant for woman in confinement after giving birth.
This dish is to replenish the blood as it has pig's liver.
As it is fried with lots of ginger and sesame seed oil, its heaty and can help to repel wind from the body.

It taste very good but can only eat once in a while cos liver is high in cholesterol.
Once piece of liver from NTUC is too much for 2 pax so i always keep some for making supper.
Tell you more about supper at the end of this entry.

What do you need:
- 1 piece of pig's liver from NTUC (thinly sliced, as thin as possible)
- half a piece of pork from NTUC (thinly sliced, as thin as possible)
- 3 stalks of spring onion (1 cm length for the white part, 1 inch length for the green part)
- 1 large piece of ginger (length of your thumb, peel, sliced thinly into strips)
- Dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, pepper, chinese wine, corn flour
- sesame seed oil



How to do it?
In separate bowls, marinate the pork and liver with light soya sauce, pepper, chinese wine and sesame seed oil for at least 20 mins in the fridge
Before cooking, add 1 teaspoon of corn flour each and mix well

Heat pan and add 2 tablespoon of sesame seed oil.
Add ginger and turn heat to low.


Fry with low heat until ginger become crisp and turns brown

Turn up heat to medium and add pork.

Stir fry until its no longer pinkish.

Add liver and stir fry for 2 mins.

Add 2 teaspoon of chinese wine and 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce.

Stir fry for another 3 mins until liver no longer oozes blood and turns dark brown.

By now, the wine should already be dried up and the pan should be dry.

Add spring onions, 1 tablespoon of water and 2 more tablespoon of wine.

Quick fry with high heat for 1 min.

Add final dash of sesame seed oil and serve.

Liver soup for supper
Place 5-8 pieces of liver (marinated but without corn flour) in a bowl, bring soup to boil and pour boiling soup into the bowl. Cover bowl with a plate.

Keep bowl covered and let the heat of the soup cook the liver for 5 mins.

Serve.

Cooking liver this way makes the liver especially tender and the soup will be exceptionally sweet.

Try it.

Mui Fan

The idea of cooking Mui Fan is spanned off from the idea of cooking Hor Fan.
We are unable to get hor fun noodles from NTUC so...

This is my first attempt at making this.
Hubby likes to order this when we eat out at Zi Char stalls. He likes his rice 'swimming' in the gravy.
For me, I seldom order it cos it always comes with squid and prawns that i dont really fancy.

This is why my version of it has meat, meat and more meat...

What do you need:
- Freshly cooked rice for 2 pax
- 1/3 pack of minced pork
- 1 egg
- 1/2 chicken breast
- 4 stalks of kai lan
- 8 prawns
- minced garlic in oil
- 10 dried scallops (you dont need this if you have ready stock)
- Pepper, soya sauce, sesame seed oil, chinese wine
- Corn flour, approximately 6 teaspoon
- Oyster sauce (to taste)



How to do it?

Prepare the scallop stock:
- Using a small pot, fill it with water halfway (about 3-4 cups of water), and bring to boil.
- Add dried scallops into boiling water, leave it covered and boil it for approximately 20 mins.
- At the end of 20 mins, the scallops will be soften.
- Using a ladle, break up the scallops and let it boil for another 20 mins.
(Breaking the scallops will allow the sweetness to release more readily)

Prepare the ingredients:
- Wash and cut the kai lan into bit size pieces
- Cut chicken breast into thin slices.
- Shell and remove intestines from prawns.
- In separate bowls, marinate the chicken, minced pork and prawns with soya sauce, chinese wine, pepper and sesame seed oil for at least 15 mins.
- 5 mins before cooking, add half the egg white from 1 egg into the minced pork and mix well.
- Add 2 teaspoon of corn flour into minced meat and mix well.
- Put remaining egg into a bowl and beat well.

- For the chicken and prawn, add 1 teaspoon of corn flour each and mix well.

- Put 2 teaspoon for corn flour into a clean bowl and mix with water to form a corn flour mixture.

How to cook:
- Heat pan and fry garlic in olive oil until brown.
- Pour scallop stock into the pan and bring to boil.
- Add chicken slices into the pot.
- While waiting for it to re-boil, using a teaspoon, scoop spoonfuls of minced meat into the palm of one hand and carefully shape them into balls before adding them into the pots.
- After all the meatballs are completed, bring stock to boil again before adding the prawns.


- When the prawns turn pink, add beaten egg slowing into the pot, pouring it in a slow stream, moving around the pot to create 'egg flowers'
- do not stir the mixture for 1 min and wait for the egg to harden
- add kai lan and cook until soften
- test the stock for taste. if its not saltish enough, add in oyster sauce to your liking
- add corn flour mixture into the pot, in a slow stream, stirring constantly to thicken the mixture.

Scoop freshly cooked rice onto the plate and scoop the ingredients over the rice to serve.

Ubud Bali - 28 Mar 09

Thursday 26th is called 'Silent Day'



Entire Bali shuts down, everyone stays at home to mediate, even airport is not open.
Lucky for us, our flight to Bali is on Friday. Airport is open, and by the time we reach the villa, its almost evening and we are not affected by the festivities.

We are informed by the staff at the villa that saturday morning, the shops will not be open in the morning as everyone will be heading to the temples. so we asked more about whats going on and who knows, our guest assistant, artawa volunteered to take us to his village and join him for praying.



All in all, on saturday morning, we went to 3 temples.
Below are the pictures

Their traditional costume for ladies is also called the kerbaya. i am surprised to see that some of them are pretty revealing (can see through)...

After the temple visit, we went to artawa's house cos he has to go back and pray at his house's shrine, every house has their own shrine and his looks like this

Fighting cocks... every family keeps at least 2-3

The kitchen area - open concept

His uncle's house's shrine

The 'theme' of this festival is Metal and decoration is put on anything metal to 'thank' them.

You will see something similar on motorcycles, cars etc

Mother hen running wild with the chicks in tow...

Fried rice

To cook fried rice, i always have to plan in advance. No, not prepare the ingredients.... its to cook extra rice and create ' leftover cold rice'.

As for the ingredients, i will just put whatever i have in the fridge.

This time round, i have leftover luncheon meat from our breakfast for the week. Wanted to put my leftover CNY bak kua to stir fry but kena rejected by hubby. So have to use chinese sausage lor!

He is still tramatised by my bak kua fried egg!

In fact, he decides on the meat this time (i dun usually ask him for his opinion). but on saturday morning, while we are arguing about whose turn it is to get out of bed first, i ask him to choose between:
- minced pork and luncheon meat
- minced pork and chinese sausage
- chinese sausage and luncheon meat

and guess what he choose?
.
.
.
.
.
ALL 3, minced pork and luncheon meat and chinese sausage.

Of cos cannot lah! so much meat... eat fried rice or fried meat?

To satisfy his carnivorous appetite, i gave him some prawns instead.

What do you need?

- cold leftover rice for two

- 1/4 canned of luncheon meat (cubed)

- 1/2 a chinese sausage (sliced thinly)

- approx 6 prawns (shelled, cleaned, diced)

- 2 handful of frozen corn

- 3 stalks of spring onions

- 1 hadful of dried scrimps (soaked and chopped)

- 2 eggs

- 2 tablespoon of black pepper sauce

- pepper

- sesame seed oil

- garlic in olive oil

How to do it:

Heat pan using medium heat and fry garlic until light brown. Add minced dried scrimps and stir fry until fragrant (1 min)

Turn heat to low, without putting more oil, add luncheon meat and slow fry until luncheon meat browns. Will take about 5 mins.

Add chinese sausage and stir fry for another 2-3 mins.

Push both sausage and luncheon meat to the side of the pan and pour 1 teaspoon of oil into pan.

Crack the 2 eggs into the oil, breaking the yolk and add soya sauce and pepper onto the eggs.

When the eggs hardens on one side (approx 1 min), mix the egg together with the meats and push to side of the pan.

Add prawn into pan and stir fry until it turns pink/cooked.

If you are using a non stick pan, dont need to add more oil before adding prawns

After prawn is cooked, add in the corn and mix all ingredients well.

Add rice and mix well. to mix well, you will at least have to stir for 3 mins.

Add pepper sauce and mix well, stir for another 2 mins.

Lastly, add spring onions, stir fry until spring onions soften.

Add dash of sesame seed oil and pepper, serve.

Bak Kua fried egg

I think its nice leh, but hubby say very strange... wahahha...

How can bak kua be not nice? How can fried egg he dont like?
When u put the 2 together, CONFIRM nice one right?
hehe

-_-""



What you need?
2 pieces of leftover bak kua (cut into 2cm by 2cm cubes using the kitchen scissors)
2 eggs

How to do it?
Crack eggs into a bowl, add 2 teaspoon of soya sauce and dash of pepper
Beat well.

Heat pan with a little olive oil, place bak kua into the pan and fry for 2 mins, taking care not to burn them.

when u see the bak kua is soften and excess oil purged out into the pan, push them to the sides and pour in the beaten egg.

Scoop the bak kua back onto wet eggs, wait 3 mins for one side of the egg to harden before flipping over the eggs to cook on the other side.

Fry for another 2-3 mins for the egg to turn into a nice light brown, remove from heat and serve.

Black pepper minced meat spinach noodle

Finished yoga, feeling good about myself, didnt wanna eat unhealthy food so i decide to cook. by the time i reach the supermarket, all the vegetables are mostly 'dead' if not rotton. luckily there is always the good old french beans in the fridge... and my last roll of spinach noodles!

Feeling like having something hot and soupy, so wanted to make meatballs so that the soup will have taste. however, when defrosting the minced pork, i 'cooked' it. so no choice lor, cannot make meat balls liao.... can only stir fry and make dry noodles.

Armed with my bottled pepper sauce and minced garlic in oil, its almost effortless to cook this healthy and tasty dish!

Even fussy hubby say its nice okay? ;P



What you need?
- 1 portion of dried spinach noodle
- 1 handful of french beans (wash, trim off both ends, cut into 1 inch length)
- 1/3 pack of minced pork (1 pack from NTUC cost around $2.50), marinate with pepper, soya sauce, wine and sesame seed oil.
- 2 tablespoon of lee kum kee black pepper sauce
- minced garlic in oil

How to do it?
Bring water to boil, add 2 teaspoon of cooking oil (this prevent the noodles from sticking).
When boil, add noodles and cook until soft. Will take approximately 5 mins as spinach noodle is not instant noodle.

Remove noodles from water, pour water away and rinse with cold water. This will stop the noodle from continue cooking. Drain water, put a dash of sesame seed oil and mix well. This will prevent noodle from sticking while you cook the minced meat

Heat pan, put minced garlic in olive oil and stir fry until garlic browns. Add french bean and stir fry for 3 mins.

Add minced meat, cook for 2 mins and add 1/3 cup of water. Braise for another 3 mins, until minced pork is fully cooked.

Add black pepper sauce and mix well.

Pour minced meat sauce (with french bean) over noodle and serve.

Fried french bean with ikan bilis and eggs

What you need?
- 1 packet of french beans (wash, trim off both ends, cut into 1 inch length)
- 1 handful of ikan bilis (wash and dry with kitchen napkin)
- 2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 2 eggs
- minced garlic in oil



How do you do it?
Heat wok, stir fry garlic in olive until slightly brown
Add ikan bilis and stir fry until crisp, taking care not to burn the garlic
When ikan bilis is crisp, add french bean and fry until beans are 70% cooked (approx 3 mins)



push beans to the side of the pan and crack 2 eggs at the sides


Wait 1 min for the eggs to be 50% cooked before mixing the egg with french bean. This will ensure that pieces of eggs are visible and yet lightly coating the beans.

If you dont want to see huge chunks of egg but the egg to coat the beans, stir quickly once u have added the eggs

Add the oyster sauce to taste

Quickly stir to mix well before serving

Food in Bali