Taipei - 1st week

1 week has since passed for my Taipei trip. Not sure how many pounds I have piled on and the amount of saturated fat that I have consumed...*sob*...but, I am not regretting it... :D

The chocolates and cookies served to me when I checked in at Shangrila is already a sign...haha. The cookies and chocolates are sure good... ;)

On the 1st night, we visited Ximending and had the famous mee suah. Three of us bought a small bowl and stood among the locals, happily slurping down the mee suah, even though the tougue is scalded by the hot soup. Lovely, marvellous... Move away, SG's version of that ShiLin oyster mee suah. Although this 'Ah Zong Mian Xian' does not have oysters, it has bits of the pig intestines, paired with a sprig of basil leaves, black vinegar and chopped garlic. There's no problem in wolfing down a 2nd bowl!

The 1st work week is pretty uneventful...until Friday! All of us can't wait to get off work. Threw our bags in the hotel room and zoomed off to 'Wu Fen Pu', a fashion area. Nothing much...for us actually, haha...we are getting old. Also went to the nearby nght market. Waited long time to visit the night market. My tummy is ready for anything and everything! Saw a queue in front of this stall, so... typical Singaporeans... we join in the Q! Hee, it was a treasure found. Piping hot bun, baked in a hot stone stove... the juices literally flowed from the buns... yummy...

This is just the beginning.. will be posting up more pics which I took over the weekend... :)

Chocolate cake in a bowl

CHOCOLATE! Really thankful to the person who invented chocolate for cooking...One of the best creations on earth.
Haven't been baking for a while and I really can't stand it. But I was so busy that I just don't have that 2 hrs to spend in the kitchen!
So when I saw th recipe on Su's website, I was really eager to have a go at it. What's more, W is in town to share my guilt. haahaa...:P
Followed the recipe, a bit apprehensive at first, cos I nvr baked using a microwave oven. Used Carefour's 64% baking chocolate for this recipe. Other modifications include using wholemeal flour, raw sugar, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence.
Result? OK... I know it looks damn gross in the pic...but it really really REALLYy taste damn good! Even W applaud it. Only thing is that the cake can't hold its shape, thus the mess on the plate.
This is a recipe that can be easily doubled and baked in individual ramekins for small dinners. Don't omit the fruits and whipping cream to serve. They are very impt and accompany the chocolate cake/pudding very well.
As I am writing, W is eating... a peep into the bowl shows only 1/4 left...haha...maybe I should do another one before i leave for TW tomorrow, keep him company for 2 days maybe...if it can last that long... ;)

Friday Dinner

Fridays are special for me. Maybe it's becos in my first job as an auditor in the Big4, we will slog through the week and chill out on Friday. So Fridays are just different.
Now, Fridays are STILL different, haha... esp when W is around. We usually eat out on Friday, but with a fish in my freezer and me leaving on Sunday, means that I have to cook on Friday... Not very exciting, but well... for a change.
Something simple, I don't want to use too much crockery...
Decided to do a fried beehoon and baked the black promfret... It's easy to do, and can be done even when you have very little ingredients in your fridge...:)

Baked Promfret( or any whole fish or fish fillet)
Marinate:
1 tbsp mirin or sherry
1 tbsp black soya sauce
Dash of black pepper
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of paprika
Marinate for a good 15mins and place the fish on a double layer of aluminum foil. Wrap the fish and back in a preheated oven of 190 degrees. My oven's temp is abit low, so depending on your oven, you can use 180. Bake for 20 mins.
When 15 mins has passed, take the fish out, open up the foil, and put a dash of pepper/salt mixture on both sides of the fish and let it continue for the rest of the baking period.
Because it's baked, so all the juices of the fish are retained. Pair it with some good chili sauce and its really bliss.

Fried Beehoon
No recipe here. You can add what you like and what you have on hand. Some points to note, after my fry beehoon experience:
- Soak the beehoon overnight, or at least 2 hrs before frying with hot water. This makes frying easier.
- Fry the ingredients first. Dried mushrooms, Black fungus, dried shrimps, whatever. Fry it with some olive oil till its fragrant. If you are adding veg like peas or seafood, only add it just before you add the beehoon. And fry it only for a min of so, cos it will still continue to cook when you are frying the beehoon.
- Prepare a mixture of water and dark soy sauce, about 100-150ml beforehand. Abit of estimation..hee. As you fry the beehoon, it will be very dry and the mixture need to be added slowly and stirred thoroughly.
- A long pair of chopsticks will also help in the process.
- Remember, don't add too much soya sauce in the beginning. If the beehoon is bland, more salt/ soy sauce can be added. If it's too salty... I have no idea what you can add... *wink* Happy cooking!

Lunch at Provence

Chocolate Wassants

Has been a while since I last blogged...sigh... staying in SG does not mean alot of free time. Everynight was packed with stuff, either work, yoga lessons, thai lesson or volunteer work. On Friday night, I just wanted to sit down and stone in front of the TV, not really concerned about what was showing and the type of junk I am shoving down my throat. These are just some days that you feel like self destruction...hahaha

Well, I do have days when I am more obedient though. Last Saturday, finally went to my yoga class with W in Holland Village. Lunch was a question mark, both of us not knowing what to eat.
Earlier, I have read about this Japanese bakery called Provence which sells lovely bread...hee, I am a bread person through and through, no matter how hard I control it, I still fall for it alot alot of times!
Finally found it! Its just under the food court at Lorong Liput, diagonally opposite the hawker centre. When we stepped in, it was...'Wow'... the bread and the queue forming behind the cashiers...I had a happy time selecting the breads and the sandwiches...:)

W wolfed down teh chicken teriyaki sandwich before I can take a pic of it. The wassants are lovely!!! A pack of 10 or 12, I can't remember cost me $5... not cheap but worth it. It is only out at the shelves everyday at 12noon and the regulars make a beeline for it. For me, I literally take whatever people are taking...haha.

Also bought the Brazilian cheese bun, French sesame cream cheese, and some others...lovely... I can drool just thinking back the fragrance of the breads and cakes...Doing all that yoga seems to defict the purpose...but who cares! :D

Shermay's Cooking School - Chocolate Making Class

Chocolate scone at Dao Palo

Chocolate cups
Truffles

My first chocolate making class! I had it at Shermay's Cooking School in Holland Village. Had a yoga lesson in the morning and spend some time having lunch at Dao Palo... great food there. The chocolate scone does not have the floury after taste that most scones have. Wait till W is back, and we will have our lunch there. Just looking at the stuffed mushrooms, eggplants and pizza make me drool... although the items are abit pricey... :P

Anyway... chocolates.... the class was packed. The instructor was Frances Wong, a chef from The Patissier, along with Terence, a Temasek Poly student on attachment.

Frances is very clear in her teaching on the basics on chocolate making, tempering etc. I volunteered for the marbling and the dipping process, which was so enlightening...haha... Only Valhorna chocolate is used...so I did not waste the chocolate that was given to us for dipping. After all the ganache was dipped, the remaining chocolate was put into small little cases and dressed with almonds, chocolate pearls and stuff.

The class gave me alot of ideas for Christmas gifts which can be delivered easily. Well, apparently this is the last class of the year... Friends, if you like to attend, you have to wait till next year. This is the website, where you can find the schedule for the rest of the year... ;)

Mango and Passionfruit Cheesecake

Did another cake for a colleague's birthday. She loves cheesecake and mango, thus the combination. This item does not need any baking. Looked through quite a few recipes, trying to decide what goes into the cake.
Couple of recipes... the main source one from Imperial Kitchen and some others on the internet. Along the way, I made some modifications since I do not have gelatin leaves.

Variations made:
- Used 1 block of cream cheese instead of mascarpone.
- Used 250 grams of marie biscuits, mixed with 2 tsps of cocoa powder. Marie bisuits tend to be drier, so I added slightly more melted butter. The trick is if the crumb mixture does not come together after you press them in your hands, you will need more butter.
- Used juice and zest of 2 big limes. Zest is mixed with the cream cheese during the creaming stage, while the juice is added in the last stage after the whipped cream is added. The juice acts as a thickening agent for the cheese, and adds a tang to the cheese, which is a nice contrast.
- I did not use sour cream. Only added 200g of whisked whipping cream. Did a boo-boo on the whipped cream. I over-whisked it and the water separated from the fat! All in a matter of seconds...haha... Had to run out and buy another portion.
- Oh yes, I added 1 cup of low fat condensed milk! I had my reservations initially over adding condensed milk. But after searching through a few recipes, I realised that quite a few added this item. To my pleasant surprise, the end result was a very smooth batter, and the sweetness is just nice for someone like me who don't have a sweet tooth. :)
Of course, no further sugar is added.

I had the whole cake stored in the freezer overnight, and cooled in the fridge on the day of serving. You would realise that the passionfruit will start to 'defrost' and trickle down the sides of the cake. It's ok, let it be, as it enhances the flavour of the cake.

Not too difficult a recipe to make... :) Will make this again based on request...kekeke...

Chewy Junior

Chanced upon these cute little puffs at Tanjong Pagar. The name of this shop is called Chewy Junior. Its like a cross between cream puffs and doughnuts. Personnally, I think they are healthier than doughnuts in Krispy Creme and Doughnut factory. At least the puffs are baked, not fried! heehee. Sorry if I offend any doughnut lovers out there.
They are sold at $1 to $1.20 each, and they are just next to the famous Chocolat n Spice muffin shop in Tajong Pagar market area. The hot sellers are the Choc Museli, Choc Madness and the Oreo crunch. The size of each puff is just nice, not too guilty...haha
Heard a 2nd shop is already on the way, I can foresee another queue will be forming soon....:)