udon for dinner

So was kinda bored... and figured I'd do udon for dinner. The other motive was to finish up some stuffs that had been sitting around in the kitchen for a while now (that would be onions, garlic). So here's what I did:

Ingredients

1. udon ($2 for two packets)
2. seafood (mixed sotong, small prawns and clams. Seasoned with pepper, sesame oil and some salt) ($1.90)
3. ikan bilis soup stock (instant ones)
4. 1 big onion (chopped, and seasoned with olive oil and some salt)
5. lots of minced garlic
6. taiwan sausages ($3.30 per packet, used two so cost is $1.65)
7. butterhead lettuce ($2+ per packet, used one, so cost is $1)
8. red chili ($1, used one, so cost is $0.25)
9. mint leaves ($0.80)
10. fish sauce (optional)

Process

1. Boil udon for about 1.5 minutes to soften and pre-cook. Rinse with cold water and set aside in serving dish.

2. Boil the soup base and set aside.

3. Fry minced garlic, seafood and chopped onions. Add red chili as desired

4. Add soup stock and let it come to a boil. Add pre-toasted taiwan sausages (cut into smaller pieces).

5. Add udon and coat well with soup. Stir gently and add in lettuce when the soup has thickened a little. Let it cook for about half a minute. Dash with some fish sauce to add to taste.

6. Serve and garnish with mint leaves.


Total cost for dinner (serves 2)=$7.60

Quite tasty, but it didn't look pretty. The bowl was kinda small so everything looked cluttered. The first bowl came out dryer as the sauce thickened well. But the second one, came out looking like udon soup.. which I don't mind la.

child of our time

Have you heard of this programme? I find it a great show, informative and educational. Suitable for all, not only parents. It follows through the lives of selected children from various backgrounds, and this project spans across 20 years.

Child of Our Time comes on TV (Arts Central) every Thursday 10pm.

Yesterday, we learn about what motivates a person/child, the way we pick up new skills, why talking on cellphone while driving is dangerous and to recognize some disabilities that we may not be aware that we are having.

It shows that a child, given a reward at the beginning of a task, will actually performs badly or half-heartedly, if done at all. If the child is given a surprise reward after the task is completed, will return to the task will renewed vigour. And surprisingly, if a child is not told that they will be getting any reward at the end of the task, they will still perform the task (and they looked quite happy enjoying it too!) without any expectation of a reward.

Also, it seems that a person will learn better if the new skill is linked to some senses; smell, taste, visual, auditory etc. As a baby, there is a link between skills and senses for us to learn better and faster. However, for most of us, this 'link' will disappear once we have mastered the skill and when we grow, as this 'link' is now deemed useless. However, for some people, it seems this link remains with them. So, when they listen to a music for example, they will actually see blots of shapes or colours forming in front of them (probably when they were young, music was linked to some shapes and colors). I find these information, fascinating :)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri

Here's wishing to all my Muslim friends a very very happy Hari Raya Aidil Fitri! Maaf zahir dan batin!

home-made ice cream~

There's this quaint little shop that we always walked past during lunch at Shaw. Outside of the shop stood a chalk board that exclaims exotic flavors such as "Red Date & Longan Ice Cream", "Plum Ice Cream" etc. The flavor of this month is "Wasabi Lime".

So finally today we went into the shop to try. It was a nice surprise that we can sample any ice-cream that we like before we even buy anything. Tried the wasabi lime and its actually quite good! Refreshing, I would say.

But as usual, I'd go for the safe stuffs. I had Chocolate and Coffee (you can mix 2 flavors! How nice, hor) The others tried the Wasabi Lime and Mango, Chocolate Banana and Coffee, and Oreo Cheesecake and Vanilla. The price is $2.80 for small cup. But they'd fill up to the brim and the ice-cream is actually quite the sticky type like gelato!

I give the chocolate flavor, the highest vote in terms of taste. Rich and slightly bitter.. very good, very nice. Tasted a little of the oreo cheesecake flavor.. quite nice and good for those who prefer their ice-cream sweeeet. The coffee flavor, would come in second in terms of aroma, but the taste is not as good as the chocolate. Chocolate banana... hmmm.. not for me.

If you're there, you can look for Eunice. She's super friendly and you can talk to her about any ice-cream flavor that you would like to see on the menu. She did mention that coming flavors would be Durian and Black Sesame!



ps: the shop's name is Tom's Pallete.. didn't ask about Tom though...so i dunno who's Tom
pps: ahah! we've asked about Tom, and this Tom is a common friend of Eunice and the other co-owner of the shop, who has been contributing ideas and honest feedback to them

S.H.E 'Perfect 3' World Tour 2007

They're back again on 27 Jan '07. Anyone interested in going? Tickets go on sale today! Check it out here.

houston, we can't see you

Yah man... hazy days are here again. 9pm psi level had hit 150. Imagine the people in those hot spots.. man.. hope rain will come soon.

mid-autumn night~

中秋节快乐！Have a great day, this mid-autumn~!

To HC n Gerry, congratz! and glad to know that your mini-hunk in on the way!