Wasabi Prawns

I actually prepared this dish for a meal for 4-6 persons, but Mr Tofu invited another 2 guests over, so the guests ended up fighting for these yummy stuff.


Recipe from here.

Bittergourd with Beancurd, Egg & Minced Meat

How to select less bitter bittergourds
- choose those that are lighter shade of green
- choose those with less bumps or uneven surface
- choose local SG/MY bittergourds (those gigantic 20-30cm ones) instead of Japanese bittergourds (those tiny little 10cm ones)

How to remove bitterness in bittergourds:
- cut bittergourd into half, remove seeds, slice thinly
- rub bittergourd slices with 2 teaspoons of salt, let the salt draw the bitter juices out
- rinse thoroughly and squeeze out all water to remove the bitterness



Stir-fried Bittergourd with Beancurd, Egg & Minced Meat

Ingredients:
1pc Bittergourd (prepared as per above to reduce bitterness)
1clove Garlic (chopped)
100g Beancurd (cut into cubes)
100g Minced meat (marinated)
1pinch Salt
1no Egg + 1tbsp Water + 2tsps Soya sauce (beaten in a bowl)

Method:
* Marinade sliced bittergourd with salt for 30 minutes till bittergourd juice seeps out into bowl.
* Rinse bittergourd several times to remove bitterness and salt.
* Squeeze out excess water and bitter juices.
(Steps 1-3 will help reduce the bitterness)

* In a wok, fry garlic till slightly shrinked.
* Add bean curd cubes and fry 3 sides of the cube (I prefer to leave the other 3 sides unbrowned to enjoy a softer texture of the beancurd).
* Add minced meat and fry till 50% cooked.
* Add bittergourd and salt. Stir fry and simmer with some water for the next 3 minutes.
* Add egg mixture and simmer for 1-2 minutes (I like to eat the egg in chunks, so I usually let the egg sit and solidify).

Had this dish in a Japanese restaurant called Satsuma Sochu Dining Bar in Gallery Hotel serving Okinawa cuisine with Blacktulip before she left for Sydney. I remember it costed at least SGD10 a dish. With this recipe post, Blacktulip, u can try making this simple and affordable dish for your bf! (^ ^)

Gifts of Friendship

Gifts full of love from my sweet colleagues...

Multi-purpose chilli paste

Dearest Agnes, I don't know what came onto me when you asked me what I wanted to eat before I leave, only one thing came to my mind - your CHILLI. You must had been shocked that I made this demanding request. When I saw this huge tub of chilli, I was so touched. You must had spent ages to make this. I will treasure this special gift.


Iceless orange juice

Dearest Miss Siew Fong Fong, thank you for the thoughtful hi-C drink. This is the most useful and practical gift I've ever received.




Indonesian keropok
[keropok photo] - will be uploaded soon

Dearest Aunty Ann, yesterday my mum suggested that I could bring keropok to eat in Beijing. I told her my friend already gave me one packet. She said I'm a very lucky girl cos I'm doted by so many people. 



Watching a variety programme on Channel U with my favourite boy bands of yesteryears dancing to their signature songs. To my dear idol 张克帆:你为什么会变成这样？？咳。。。没关系啦，我也是。。呵呵。。。 :-D

Kaya (easy slow cooker method)

When I was buying the ingredients for making kaya in the supermarket, Mr Tofu was surprised that only four ingredients were needed. Yes, FOUR ~ eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan leaves. He was more surprised at how 'unhealthy' the ingredients were... hahaha.... like what gourmet chef 蔡澜 says, delicious food is never healthy ^ ^


I used a mix of coconut cream and 'instant' coconut milk:

People always say coconut milk is unhealthy due to the high cholesterol. But look at the label on both types of coconut milk:

I would think it's more of the fat content that makes it unhealthy...  -____-


The knotted pandan leaves ~ it's easier to knot them if the pandan leaves were split into 2 from the middle. Can you tell from this picture?

Kaya (easy slow cooker method)
(adapted from The Little Teochew)

Ingredients:
200ml coconut cream
350ml coconut milk
10 eggs, lightly beaten
450g sugar
10-20 pandan leaves (or 1 pkt of $0.45 NTUC pandan leaves)

Method:
* Wash pandan leaves throughly & wipe each blade dry with a cloth. Knot them.
* Assemble all ingredients in a slow cooker.
* Switch on slow cooker and stir mixture till sugar thoroughly dissolves.
* Remove cover & stir mixture from the bottom every 30 minutes.
* Cook for a total of 3-4 hours (i cooked only for 3 hours today).
* Puree kaya mixture with a sieve.
* Store pureed kaya into sterilised glass jars.


This is how the kaya looks like after 3 hours of cooking. The pale green comes from the colour of the pandan leaves.















The pureed kaya with the sterilised bottles. This recipe yields five bottles of kaya. Three bottles for friends, one bottle for mum, one for myself ^ ^

That's my thumb for the comparison of G-brand Royal white bread (left) and Junior thick slice (right). I prefer Royal white, but there are only 5 slices in 1 packet... expensive...

Spreading a thick layer of kaya....

Besides butter, do you know that sliced cheese squares go very well with kaya? For me, I like to use the lighter tasting cheese so that it doesn't overpower the delicate fragrance of coconut & pandan leaves in the kaya ^ ^