Recently I've begun to pick up my pans and pots again! It's been a long time since I had my own cooking... haha. AND I've tried to be more adventurous and ambitious (though it's still simple cooking... in many people's eyes).
Hit the Korean supermarket - Freshia at Torrance this weekend. I thought I will be lost in translation, oh well, thankfully only 50% lost. At least I managed to recognise sesame oil haha.
Tried cooking Japchae! It's the first time trying and it tastes nothing like what I tasted that day when Deborah cooked it. Something was missing there... I think it's the soy sauce. I was there sniffing the different brands of soy sauce. Though I was tempted to buy, it was too big a bottle! And mum just brought over my favourite one and only DA HUA soy sauce that I'm used to. Soy sauce is very important in Chinese cooking... and I grew up tasting Da Hua soy sauce. I remember there was once mum changed brands to Tiger brand. And I could tell something was different! Gosh! And she never ever changed to anything else again. I think I am 100% true and devoted to Da Hua. Even the 'branded' brands like Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee taste different and STRANGE.
Check out the shreds of carrots, greeen peppers, yellow peppers, onions, chicken (though beef is used in the dish, I am a non-beef eater) and spring onions. Actually I improved! I used to take 2 hrs to slice carrots, now I am down to 45mins! hahahaha...... I think one day I will further improve to 30mins! :) Getting better. Of course, a better investment of knives contributed to greater efficiency and concentrating on the carrot fully rather than MSN-ing at the same time helps.
Japchae was saturday night's dinner... and on sunday night, this was what I cooked quickly and gobbled quickly. A DON of tofu and egg. Yummy is what I can say.
Since it was sunday's night, what I cook would spill over to next day's lunch. Actually I've been waiting for sunday night. Cuz thinking of what to cook made me excited enough. Hahahaha. And here was the bento I packed for Monday -
Tofu and egg don with side of Chicken Marinated in Shao Xing Wine and Blanched Spinach.
Yummy.
home around 7plus and couldnt resist cooking again, and quickly whipped up a fried rice. Shit.... I eat for the sake of cooking, and not for the sake of eating. THis is so wrong. NO wonder I am getting FAT.
Nowadays I'm more excited about cooking than eating....
Looking at the fried rice, this reminds me! I forgot to take a photo of the first ever plate of fried bee hoon I cooked in my life! I had fried bee hoon for breakfast. Oh man... so indulgent. Shoots.
ANd here's tomorrow's dinner/lunch.
A pseudo Chicken Cacciatore aided by Roasted Garlic and Basil Pasta Sauce. (organic one btw...)
I still havent thought of what to do with the basil I have in the fridge. It was meant to make pesto sauce. But I decided that it is too much work without a blender or a mortar....
I think I'll make some Thai Style spaghetti with the basil another day.
Btw... suddenly just dawned on me that the stuff I cook look so boring.. everything yellow, green, white, time to crack my brains again. :)
I wish there were some mouths to feed..... sigh.
ラベル: Food, Los Angeles
After the recent meal presentation, I began to get the idea that presentation is very important in food. Sometimes the way food is displayed can make a dish that is not as good taste even better. Actually, this is old stuff. It has never dawned on me how important colors, placing are, cuz with the CHIN-CHAI personality, as long as the substance is good, it doesnt matter if everything is mixed together. Nonethelesss, now, I've advanced a level and into presentation.
With this new perspective, I've gone on to present some dishes in a better manner. Here they are:
Not too bad?
ラベル: Food
You won't believe how much I eat... check out this huge bowl of Chicken Sukiyaki. And it was my lunch on sunday @ a japanese restaurant in Pasedena, this really nice little town. Ohhh I love Japanese food!
Let me put it into perspective for you to understand how big it was...
And of course, I couldnt finish this crazy quantity and did the American thing of packing the rest back. Guess how many variations I came up with?
This was dinner on Monday Night. Fried SHA CHA noodles, Tofu Patties & a little bit more of Chicken Sukiyaki. I added in more napa... btw, the fried noodles was a left over from my cooking on saturday night. So were the Tofu Patties.
Too bad I don't have pictures, but I had it again for Tuesday's lunch. (which is today). Chicken Sukiyaki with Philadephia Sushi. I bought sushi cuz I felt that the sukiyaki tasted good with rice. Wanted to buy Onigiri instead cuz onigiri is full of rice and the cheapest thing around. You know what those suckers at the airport restaurants were selling a pathetic scoop of plain rice for $2.75! Hell no am I going to buy that! I'd rather buy 4 pieces of sushi with salmon and goat cheese in it for $3.79 after discount.
And that was not the end of the chicken sukiyaki story. I just finished the rest of it for dinner... threw in udon, more tow gay, and more japanese squid cake. Whipped up a Koo Chye with Egg. That's it... I had enough.
That pot of chicken sukiyaki fed me for 4 meals. From Sat to Tuesday. Well done.
Cooking is theraupetic. Especially after a good day which turned sickening because of the dreadful news that my application for the nice apartment I was looking at was not approved by the leasing company due to some issues relating to my company. I can't believe they took so long to get back to me. What a waste of time, and what a nice way to spoil my day.
I am so beaten now. Beaten by the invisible hands of fate. The wheel has turned full circle - I wish.
Btw, there is this quite attractive Japanese guy living on the same floor as me. He lives on the other side, but we always meet and walk towards each other in the morning when I go to the carpark to the car.
He is botak btw.
He drives this really lousy blue car, and a few times I swear he caught up with me to take a look at me because when his car stopped two lanes away at the traffic light, he turned his whole head to look at me.
And today, I saw his girlfriend.
Hahaha.
ラベル: Food, Los Angeles
Fav Pad Thai and Steamed Fish with super duper appetizing gravy. This was our dinner at Pratunam on the first night @ 11pm!
Then we set off for SIAM PARAGON on the second day. Everybody was raving about the big aquarium in the food court.. to be honest, I thught it was REALLY big... felt 'cheated' by my expectations...
Mum bought Thai Mini Chwee Kuey and Crispy Pancake with egg shreds & coconut shreds
Having a very sensitive stomach, I had to resist the waft of street food and settled for food court food instead. I believe these can be found on the streets too... maybe a little pricier and possibly cleaner. Crispy Pancake with cream and lots of types of eggs!
including Century Eggs!
Anyhow, how wish there are these things in Singapore food courts.... The toothpicks sure come in handy for people with screwed up teeth!
DESIGN!!! Thai designs are really nice! I've been quite excited to go to Bangkok because I've seen a lot of pictures with great designs... recently I've grown to like LIGHTS... chandeliers have become the IT thing these few days... i've seen a lot of fashion shops - whether the more upclass or the more mass-friendly adorn their ceilings with chandeliers. Those are really impractical things, hard to clean, and some more suck lots of electricity! There was a little exhibition showcasing tree inspired designs. In my haste I only managed to take some photos of the lights that were feaured in the exhibition. Look at the amount of details on these designs.
The whole decor in Siam Paragon is very tasteful, be it shops or the ceilings, or anything else... There are many island type restaurants, and I thought this one with the brown wooden antique looking piano is very nice. This is complemented by a hanging chandelier (yeap!) and a border of water around the raised platform the dining area and piano was placed on.
Lights adorn the ceilings of Siam Paragon.
..... and a very vintage-y Bangkok. Well, I guess vintage is everywhere.
Finally, to end part 1 of Bangkok... here's a subtle humourous side of Bangkok.
ラベル: design, Food, Travel
Red Dot Museum & MAAD Flea Market
Exhibits
Sweets....
& Treats...
Dons...
Baby Squid.
Wall
Menma & Ramen
Fish & Soba, Salmon Don Set
Clarke Quay Sights... find me there on sundays... love meidiya, central & tampopo
ラベル: Food
Life Goal
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