Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Goreng Pisang!
Authentic taste of goreng pisang crispy batter. The Aussie bananas are not as sweet as their Asian counterparts but I'm just stoked to get the batter right.
Labels:
Goreng Pisang Recipe
Monday, January 2, 2012
Queen Victoria Market Famous Bratwurst Sausage Roll
After purchasing and picking up the famous Corica Apple Strudel and Cream Horns that originated in Perth from someone who brought them fresh over from Perth that morning, we were near Queen Victoria Market and decided we were in the mood for another "famous" food. Why not?
The Melbourne Bratwurst Shop in the deli section of Queen Victoria Market fronting Elizabeth St and close to the Macca's opposite (don't worry, you'll find it from the long snaking queue) serves the tourist must-try Bratwurst sausage in a roll.
Thank goodness chivalry still exists. I was swamped and swallowed by the lunchtime crowd at 1 pm, but the 2 gentlemen ahead of me saw tourists jostling me from behind and placed me forward ahead of them while they became the buffer for the crowd.
The smell of sizzling sausages totally made it worthwhile despite the rather abrupt and strange server. I made an order of 2 with exactly the same flavour bratwurst, fillings and condiments. She insisted on making only one first and then made another one after that making me repeat the order all over again for the next one. It took so long, I felt embarrassed and sorry for the guys behind me who so kindly let me go first.
Anyway, I opted for the Spicy Bratwurst with Sourkraut, onions, cheese with hot mustard dressing. As I was driving, I had to wait till I get home before devouring the lot. 20 minutes later, it is no less delicious with the moistness of the bratwurst bursting with flavour in my mouth, at the risk of sounding corny, there was a party happening in there. The sourkraut was just right, perfectly seasoned and not salty and too sour. The shredded cheese had melted by the time I got home from the heat of the sizzling hot sausage.
My dad will be salivating over these pics, he never fails getting one when he's there. So here's to you, Daddy, CHEERS!
The Melbourne Bratwurst Shop in the deli section of Queen Victoria Market fronting Elizabeth St and close to the Macca's opposite (don't worry, you'll find it from the long snaking queue) serves the tourist must-try Bratwurst sausage in a roll.
Thank goodness chivalry still exists. I was swamped and swallowed by the lunchtime crowd at 1 pm, but the 2 gentlemen ahead of me saw tourists jostling me from behind and placed me forward ahead of them while they became the buffer for the crowd.
The smell of sizzling sausages totally made it worthwhile despite the rather abrupt and strange server. I made an order of 2 with exactly the same flavour bratwurst, fillings and condiments. She insisted on making only one first and then made another one after that making me repeat the order all over again for the next one. It took so long, I felt embarrassed and sorry for the guys behind me who so kindly let me go first.
Anyway, I opted for the Spicy Bratwurst with Sourkraut, onions, cheese with hot mustard dressing. As I was driving, I had to wait till I get home before devouring the lot. 20 minutes later, it is no less delicious with the moistness of the bratwurst bursting with flavour in my mouth, at the risk of sounding corny, there was a party happening in there. The sourkraut was just right, perfectly seasoned and not salty and too sour. The shredded cheese had melted by the time I got home from the heat of the sizzling hot sausage.
My dad will be salivating over these pics, he never fails getting one when he's there. So here's to you, Daddy, CHEERS!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Ang Zhao Chicken (Red Rice Wine Chicken)
I've grown up eating this my whole life so the sight of chicken seemingly bathed in a sea of red bloody mess does not faze me. Most of you quite likely have not heard about or seen this dish. Due to my mother's Hock Chiew (Fuzhou) roots, we are used to having this dish and fuzhou fish balls. Yes, the ones with minced meat filling. In fact, Ang Zhao Gway is a hokkien pronounciation when in fact it should be called oinng zhao giaay in hock chiew.
The process of making the Ang Zhao is tedious with the fermentation process taking a minimum of 6 weeks. It is made from the fermentation of red rice and glutinous that has been steamed and cooked, with a mixture of a jiu bia (alcohol biscuit), apparently a disc of alcohol-transforming thing of some sort.
In any case, my mother-in-law was kind and generous enough to make the actual Ang Zhao for me when she knew I missed eating the dish and since Mum is currently overseas and even she has never made the actual Ang Zhao, my MIL who has never heard of this dish in her whole life decided to seek a way of making the Ang Zhao. So all I had to do was to cook it.
There are 2 ways of cooking this dish - a soupy version and a stronger dry version.
I'm into strong flavours that pack a punch so is S. Hence I've always cooked the dry version, passed down from my Mum from my maternal grandmother.
Here goes:
Generous knob of ginger sliced as well as minced garlic, which is not shown here.
Chicken of course. There's one whole chicken here chopped into small pieces.
The process of making the Ang Zhao is tedious with the fermentation process taking a minimum of 6 weeks. It is made from the fermentation of red rice and glutinous that has been steamed and cooked, with a mixture of a jiu bia (alcohol biscuit), apparently a disc of alcohol-transforming thing of some sort.
In any case, my mother-in-law was kind and generous enough to make the actual Ang Zhao for me when she knew I missed eating the dish and since Mum is currently overseas and even she has never made the actual Ang Zhao, my MIL who has never heard of this dish in her whole life decided to seek a way of making the Ang Zhao. So all I had to do was to cook it.
There are 2 ways of cooking this dish - a soupy version and a stronger dry version.
I'm into strong flavours that pack a punch so is S. Hence I've always cooked the dry version, passed down from my Mum from my maternal grandmother.
Here goes:
Generous knob of ginger sliced as well as minced garlic, which is not shown here.
The star of the show, a big bottle of Ang Zhao. It might look like pasta sauce here but it most definitely isn't.
Quintessential in Chinese cooking - Sesame Oil and Shao Xing Wine
Pour sesame oil rather than cooking oil into the pan and saute the ginger when the oil heats up. Wait for the fragrance of the ginger to permeate your kitchen...
before adding the garlic.
Add the chicken before the garlic starts to burns and take on a bitter taste. Stir fry the chicken till browned. Then add a splash of rice wine, stir it once and cover with a lid.
When the chicken is 3/4 cooked, use about 7 tablespoons of Ang Zhao.
Dollop the Ang Zhao with the chicken and stir-fry. The amount shown in the pic is about 3 to 4 tablespoonful.
It's not shown here but add about 5 tablespoons of sugar and stir-fry, adding splashes of red rice wine or cooking wine. Add salt to preference.
Cover with lid to fully steam chicken till cooked.
Now it's alright if you would like to serve the chicken and make it a main dish with rice. But I adore Mee Sua. So I bought some "old-school" thin Mee Sua for the dish. Truth be told, I much prefer the modern slightly thicker version. The old school Mee Sua disintegrated quickly in the water and was really chalky. Blech.
We ran out of chinese mushroms and shitakes that day. Nonetheless it was so absolutely satisfying I might have to bug my mother-in-law to make us another batch to satisfy our greedy cravings. This time, we might convince her to attempt and taste the dish herself for the first time.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Kong Bak Pao (Bao)
It has been said the Kong Bak (Braised Meat) Bao (Bun) is the Chinese version of the American Burger. But with gourmet burgers coming in the form of Golden Fields' Lobster Burger down to the pedestrian Hungry Jack's, there is always someone's version of something.
But enough of the burger talk. One of the things I missed most from my childhood is the smokey sweet smell of Kong Bak Bao and the braised tenderness of the meat encased within warm soft pillows of mantou. My parents used to bring me to West Lake as a child for some serious Kong Bak Bao indulgence. I don't remember much of the restaurant itself except that it was located on the 2nd floor under blocks of flats. I do remember thinking how lucky the residents were having West Lake Kong Bak Bao right at their doorstep literally and eating it everyday. Oh, the naivete of a Lipitor-innocent child.
So, having missed this dish for quite some time, I decided to make my very own for the first time. I tend to cook by instinct and gut feel so did not quite follow any recipe. But I would advise using a slow cooker for the recipe below or what I can remember of it!
Ingredients (for braised meat)
1-1.5kg pork belly skin on
8 star anise
2 tbs five-spice powder
12 tbs kecap manis
15 cloves peeled garlic
1 litre water
3 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs honey
3 tbs sugar
Method
Make sure the water is boiling hot. Pour into the slow cooker. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the pork belly. Once the mixture boils, taste and add salt to preference.
Slice the pork into 1-inch pieces and place carefully into the slow cooker once the broth is ready. Ensure the meat is completely submerged.
Slow cook for just over 3 hours. I set mine on high although that does not mean a literal "HIGH" with my slow cooker, it's really just simmer. I prefer my meat to be melt-in-your-mouth braised. But it's entirely up to you to decide when to turn the slow cooker off.
When the meat is ready, steam your store-bought (yes, really. they taste good and who wants to waste their time making them nowadays) clam-shaped mantou. Once they are done, try making sure you have the mantou while they are hot.
Wash and cut the coriander, don't discard the stems.
You are set to go. Sandwich the meat between the clams of the mantou with lots of coriander. I have no idea why in the following pics my coriander looked like they've been plucked from the giant's veggie patch. My parents actually thought they were lettuce. My in-laws were intrigued as they have not seen or eaten Kong Bak Baos much to my chagrin and shock.
But enough of that, warning, food porn below (not THAT below):
But enough of the burger talk. One of the things I missed most from my childhood is the smokey sweet smell of Kong Bak Bao and the braised tenderness of the meat encased within warm soft pillows of mantou. My parents used to bring me to West Lake as a child for some serious Kong Bak Bao indulgence. I don't remember much of the restaurant itself except that it was located on the 2nd floor under blocks of flats. I do remember thinking how lucky the residents were having West Lake Kong Bak Bao right at their doorstep literally and eating it everyday. Oh, the naivete of a Lipitor-innocent child.
So, having missed this dish for quite some time, I decided to make my very own for the first time. I tend to cook by instinct and gut feel so did not quite follow any recipe. But I would advise using a slow cooker for the recipe below or what I can remember of it!
Ingredients (for braised meat)
1-1.5kg pork belly skin on
8 star anise
2 tbs five-spice powder
12 tbs kecap manis
15 cloves peeled garlic
1 litre water
3 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs honey
3 tbs sugar
Method
Make sure the water is boiling hot. Pour into the slow cooker. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the pork belly. Once the mixture boils, taste and add salt to preference.
Slice the pork into 1-inch pieces and place carefully into the slow cooker once the broth is ready. Ensure the meat is completely submerged.
Slow cook for just over 3 hours. I set mine on high although that does not mean a literal "HIGH" with my slow cooker, it's really just simmer. I prefer my meat to be melt-in-your-mouth braised. But it's entirely up to you to decide when to turn the slow cooker off.
When the meat is ready, steam your store-bought (yes, really. they taste good and who wants to waste their time making them nowadays) clam-shaped mantou. Once they are done, try making sure you have the mantou while they are hot.
Wash and cut the coriander, don't discard the stems.
You are set to go. Sandwich the meat between the clams of the mantou with lots of coriander. I have no idea why in the following pics my coriander looked like they've been plucked from the giant's veggie patch. My parents actually thought they were lettuce. My in-laws were intrigued as they have not seen or eaten Kong Bak Baos much to my chagrin and shock.
But enough of that, warning, food porn below (not THAT below):
Labels:
Kong Bak Pao Bao Recipe
Killiney Kopitiam Melbourne
Killiney Kopitiam
114 Lygon St
Carlton VIC 3053
03 9650 9880
It was a chance passing on Lygon St and a quick glimpse of that oh-so-familiar logo that I realised the Singapore famous Kopitiam, Killiney was here in Melbourne! S was convinced I must have got it wrong, how could a coffee shop in Singapore be right here in Melbourne? But hey, here it is.
For those in the know, Killiney is known for their kaya toast and kopi (which I don't drink). Personally I've always loved Ya Kun's thin brown rye bread with kaya and butter. Not that I'm in a position to be picky here in Melbourne. And I do have fond memories of Killiney as a kid in Singapore next to ComCentre.
Back to Killiney in Carlton.
The decor is nothing like I remembered of the more humble version in Singapore. But mind you, that was going back decades ago. It's a franchise so I was hoping for authentic versions of Singapore fare especially now that Chom Chom was no longer around.
Familiar logo and not-so-familiar menu:
Of course we had to order their signature set of Kaya Toast, Soft-Boiled Eggs and Teh Tarik to start.
The teh tarik was way too sweet, it lacks the fragrance and strength of a good teh tarik.
I was certainly not disappointed with the kaya toast. While the bread was just an average toast, the triumph was definitely the kaya. The whiff of coconut pandan brought back great childhood memories of biting into a warm toasted kaya slice. My fave kaya in Australia is Glory's Hainanese Kaya in a jar. But it sure doesn't beat Killiney's fragrant pandan flavoured coconutty eggy concoction.
Eggs were cooked perfectly but I was offered light soy sauce instead of the thick caramelly kecap manis. Love the little spoon, so so kopitiam.
Roti Prata was floury and definitely not the Singaporean version I remembered. Completely edible but does not leave you wanting more. It tasted just slightly stodgy.
I was anticipating the taste of laksa from home. From the pics on the menu, it looked like they were serving it with thick rice vermicelli (chor bee hoon) as was the description. Disappointing, it arrived with hokkien noodles instead. The broth was scented with the right amount of coconut milk, spices and laksa leaves. Unfortunately without the right laksa noodles, it just missed the mark.
The sambal chilli was familiar enough.
The char kway teow actually tasted rather like an Aussie version of itself. I was so rooting and hoping this would turn out good. But it's neither Penang char kway teow nor Singapore sweetish char kway teow. Again, perfectly edible but I question the authenticity.
We did take away the mee siam and chicken rice. While the minute portion of mee siam was fine (nothing a packet of Hai's instant paste can't match), the chicken rice was suitably impressive by Melbourne standards.
The owners assured us they were refining as they go and will be adding more to the menu. They are such nice guys you really are genuinely hoping the business goes well. They are looking at expansion, which sounds promising. I do hope they will and have plans to stick around longer. Actually talking to them reminds me of Singapore Chom Chom's Andrew, engineer son of the owner who is there helping most of the time and one of the most genuine guys you ever meet. Singapore do breed good blokes.
114 Lygon St
Carlton VIC 3053
03 9650 9880
It was a chance passing on Lygon St and a quick glimpse of that oh-so-familiar logo that I realised the Singapore famous Kopitiam, Killiney was here in Melbourne! S was convinced I must have got it wrong, how could a coffee shop in Singapore be right here in Melbourne? But hey, here it is.
For those in the know, Killiney is known for their kaya toast and kopi (which I don't drink). Personally I've always loved Ya Kun's thin brown rye bread with kaya and butter. Not that I'm in a position to be picky here in Melbourne. And I do have fond memories of Killiney as a kid in Singapore next to ComCentre.
Back to Killiney in Carlton.
The decor is nothing like I remembered of the more humble version in Singapore. But mind you, that was going back decades ago. It's a franchise so I was hoping for authentic versions of Singapore fare especially now that Chom Chom was no longer around.
Familiar logo and not-so-familiar menu:
Of course we had to order their signature set of Kaya Toast, Soft-Boiled Eggs and Teh Tarik to start.
The teh tarik was way too sweet, it lacks the fragrance and strength of a good teh tarik.
I was certainly not disappointed with the kaya toast. While the bread was just an average toast, the triumph was definitely the kaya. The whiff of coconut pandan brought back great childhood memories of biting into a warm toasted kaya slice. My fave kaya in Australia is Glory's Hainanese Kaya in a jar. But it sure doesn't beat Killiney's fragrant pandan flavoured coconutty eggy concoction.
Eggs were cooked perfectly but I was offered light soy sauce instead of the thick caramelly kecap manis. Love the little spoon, so so kopitiam.
Roti Prata was floury and definitely not the Singaporean version I remembered. Completely edible but does not leave you wanting more. It tasted just slightly stodgy.
I was anticipating the taste of laksa from home. From the pics on the menu, it looked like they were serving it with thick rice vermicelli (chor bee hoon) as was the description. Disappointing, it arrived with hokkien noodles instead. The broth was scented with the right amount of coconut milk, spices and laksa leaves. Unfortunately without the right laksa noodles, it just missed the mark.
The sambal chilli was familiar enough.
The char kway teow actually tasted rather like an Aussie version of itself. I was so rooting and hoping this would turn out good. But it's neither Penang char kway teow nor Singapore sweetish char kway teow. Again, perfectly edible but I question the authenticity.
We did take away the mee siam and chicken rice. While the minute portion of mee siam was fine (nothing a packet of Hai's instant paste can't match), the chicken rice was suitably impressive by Melbourne standards.
The owners assured us they were refining as they go and will be adding more to the menu. They are such nice guys you really are genuinely hoping the business goes well. They are looking at expansion, which sounds promising. I do hope they will and have plans to stick around longer. Actually talking to them reminds me of Singapore Chom Chom's Andrew, engineer son of the owner who is there helping most of the time and one of the most genuine guys you ever meet. Singapore do breed good blokes.
Labels:
Killiney Kopitiam Melbourne
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Kurobuta Belly Pork Roast and Red Velvet Cupcakes
Being home-bound this holiday season need not be a sad parade everyday. There is no person I love spending time with more than my precious babies. My paralysed husky girl is fighting one health battle after another but with Mummy giving her some nice Kurobuta pork (minus the fat and crackling), it did cheer her up a little bit.
Labels:
Kurobuta Pork Roast,
Red Velvet Cupcakes
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