cooking show

Just happened to watch a cooking show on TV (Channel 5) earlier this morning. Think the show's called "Ching's Kitchen" or smthg like that. So there was this cook, and her name is Ching He-Huang, and don't know where she comes from but she's staying in England. She has a chili factory where her employees are all Brits, and they were like busy chopping up chilies, cooking stuffs etc.

Anyway, she showed one recipe about how to make the sweet thai chili sauce from scratch combined with some homemade thai fishcake. Sounds interesting? I thought so too. So the sauce is really simple. Some boiling water (200 ml), combined with sugar (she said it was dunno how many grams but to me.. it looked like a lot!), and two chopped red chilies. Throw everything into boiling water and let it cook on low heat.

Next, how to make the fish cake. She chose salmon, so she cuts up the salmon block into smaller chunks and throw into blender. Next throw in some sugar (also looked like diabetic inducing amount), throw in some 2 tablespoon of fish sauce (finally some use here! heh heh), throw in one egg, throw in chopped corriander and chili, throw in two tablespoon of corn flour, some salt, some pepper, some lime juice and some salt (actually looked like quite a lot of salt). Next blend everything and then scoop out the paste and fry in a pan.

Here's the interesting part. While the fish cakes are frying, she went to attend to the sweet chili sauce that she was left cooking earlier. Put the sauce into a blender and blends it. Then pour out into a sauce dish. Next, she goes back to the fish cake to turn over to the other side. But, when she flips it over, the TV viewers were presented with... burnt fish cakes! *LOL* Imagine that, a cooking show where the stuffs are like burnt and its a deep brown chao tar kind! So she had to continue no matter what, and so she said, "I like my fish cakes crispy". That's ultimate! Muahahahaha!

If you like, you can catch the show on Saturday's, I think its around 8.30-9 or 9.30 am. Realized that England grocery shops do stock up on Asian sauces, as there were Lee Kum Kee's, Yeo's and other familiar brands shown.

buy buy buy

Yesterday I wandered inside Cold Storage Causeway Point. I've always liked the variety of produce that they have over in Cold Storage (but not the prices, of course). It was amazing. Fresh green vegetables, some with names I've never heard before. Wide array of meats and seafood. Local, Japanese, Australian stuffs.. alot!

Anyways, I looking at stuffs when suddenly an auntie called out to me and asked whether I wanted to try any chocolates. Ok, no problem with that, so I went over to her chocolate counter. You can imagine Godiva, Chocz, etc but then this is like neighbourhood style but with upmarket prices! So anyway, she let me try some and so I thought ok, I'd buy some from her. So she weighted some and out came the price.. $13.80! Then she said, why not buy up to 200 gms (its $1 per 10 gms).. I was like, $20 for chocolates? NO! Haha, anyway, I still bought $10 worth from her.

So continued walking... and looking at stuffs.. when suddenly another sales lady called me over to ask whether I wanted to try some honey drink. I was kinda thirsty after tasting those chocolates, so ok, why not. So she started offering samples of all the different flavours she had. Before I knew it, once again.. I agreed to buy 2 bottles from her. Come to think of it, their strategy not bad.. get the customers to taste chocolates and then get thirsty and then offer them drinks.. *LOL* Anyway, the deciding factor on the honey drinks, was it was something nutritional and the price was right. Originally sold at $18 per bottle, now 2 bottles is $20. So that was the deciding factor. The chocolate one.. what can I say? Stupid lor...

fish sauce?

Was walking around in NTUC, searching for groceries to buy. Wanted some vegetable.. but what do you know... the whole range of vegetables.. looked, kinda limp and dead. It doesn't entice you to buy.. nothing looks fresh.. just very 掺. I suppose its because this one is in those neighbourhood kind area.. so we don't get the better products? I don't know.. or else, the vegetables imported from Indonesia, doesn't look exciting at all.. the green is like a boring kind of green, if you know what i mean... haha probably you don't, but do come down to my neighbourhood to take a look, and you'll understand.

Anyways, walked past the aisle selling sauces.. and found, fish sauce. I was searching for fish sauce in fact, but I kinda forgotten what I wanted it for in the first place. You know you wanna buy it, but you don't know why you wanna buy it. Anyway, i bought one.. its $1.30 or smthg like tht.. and its a huge bottle. Well, anyones with recipes that make use of fish sauce, do tell me, thanks! Somehow I don't think its for instant noodles though. Hahaa!

tired...

it's just like the beginning of the day...
already.. i feel soo soo tired...
give me back my sleep!
take away my eye bags!

oyster noodle?

bought a packet of the taiwanese rice vermicelli (mian xian), and tried to make oyster noodle for lunch today. hmm... well, haven't run to the toilet yet, so i guessed it was alright bah...

but i think i will go try the real stuffs someday, coz if i don't know what it was supposed to taste like, then it'll never get improved.

recipe:
oyster (couldn't find any fresh ones, so used the frozen ones instead)
marinate oyster in mirin + soy sauce and starch for about 15 minutes

cook the noodles just like instant noodles.. instructions says cook for about 6 minutes.. but my brother said it was supposed to taste softer... so i guess next time need to cook longer. i added in the oyster at the 4th minute but i also poured the whole marinate sauce in as well, that's why it was too salty!

before serving, add the pre-blanched vege and fish cake and sprinkle spring onions to garnish (was suppose to use cillantro)

hmm.. maybe next time can put some meat in as well.

Jay Chou - Still Fantasy

Jay's new album is out! Here's a list of the songs:

1. 夜的第七章
2. 听妈妈的话
3. 千里之外
4. 本草纲目
5. 退后
6. 红模仿
7. 心雨
8. 白色风车
9. 迷迭香
10.菊花台

I find the first song,夜的第七章, sounds familiar. Probably reminds you of the 以父之名 from the 叶惠美 CD. Hmm.. but there was on part of the lyrics that sounded suspiciously like the 'F' word. Haha, faintz!

Another genre that can be found in this album, is the slight bossanova feel of the 迷迭香. I suppose the 听妈妈的话 has the same feel as 爷爷泡的茶，although not as catchy. As usual he has a 中国风 song, 千里之外, where 费玉清, sang the chorus.

白色风车 sounds like its from the 十一月的萧邦 era (with similar sound to 一路向北).
红模仿 is quite a fun song.

Here's a few recommended songs:
心雨,夜的第七章, 迷迭香, 退后

Another song that sounds quite 'unjay' is the 菊花台. Very chinese orchestra like, probably can use for some chinese period drama or opera sort of stuffs!

Happy listening~