The Nerve!

Tomorrow, my ballet kids will go into their RAD Examination. They're kids and it should be easy. It would take them a great deal of effing up to not be given a certificate. They're bright, adorable and they've been really good students. I shouldn't be worried.

But I am. And only because this is the first time I am entering students for exams. They're my first. And tomorrow's RAD Exam is just the beginning of this week's examathon. In a few days, my Speech & Drama and Musical Theatre kids will be doing their Trinity Guildhall Young Performers' certification. Nerves, nerves galore! And I joked about it, but part of me means it. I know that back in my youth and days as a student-- academic, or otherwise-- I've been a nightmare to my teachers. I am praying to the Universe that my kids don't get dragged into my karma.

To calm myself a little bit, I decided to putter a little bit in the kitchen, and make my T dinner. Thanks for teaching me the technique, Tita Mike!

Pinaupong manok

(Traditional Filipino whole chicken pot roast)

served with mixed greens and Hainanese dip

Celebration and Frustration

Vegan lunch in honor of Remi La Mama for Mother's Day.

Masoor Dal Baghar

Greens and Beetroot salad

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Went to the mall to get myself an iPad2, but they were out of stocks. So I headed to the supermarket and picked up stuff for dinner, just so I don't go home empty-handed.

Carrot, Pumpkin & Ginger Soup

Blanched Spinach with Spring Onions, Pineapple Juice & Bagoong

Assorted Grilled Meats

Apres-Batis Late Lunch

Late lunch.

Leftover Salad, Red Dhal in Garam Masala and Tamarind Soup and Jamie Oliver-Inspired Chorizo Omelette

Happy Labour Day! Goodbye Osama!

Pasta Moira

Sunday, 01 May 2011

Moira Sauce:

Pre-fried capsicum & shitake mushrooms

Garlic

Fresh tomatoes

Salt & pepper

Tuna chunks

Black olives

Dried Cloves

Capers

Chorizo

Fresh basil

Salad:

Tomatoes

Chopped coriander

Blanched broccoli

Spring onions

Potatoes

Black olives

Roasted garlic

Sesame oil

Fish sauce

Balsamic vinegar

Parmesan

Chicken Shitake in White Wine

Monday, 25 April 2011, Kitchen Experiment:

Chicken Shitake in White Wine

Chicken, shitake & capsicum in white wine, olive oil & fresh sweet basil, served with Thai-inspired broccoli salad salad. Bon appe- T!

Saute garlic.

Pre-fry capsicum. Pre-fry shitake mushrooms.

Fry shallots in olive oil.

Add chicken.

Pour in white wine. Simmer and reduce.

Add olives.

Add capers.

Add coarsely chopped sweet basil.

Simmer.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Toss:

Roasted Garlic

Tomatoes

Chopped coriander

Blanched Broccoli

Spring Onions

Back For Seconds

So I've decided to give it a second chance. This blog, I mean. Give this blog a second chance. My objective has changed, so I'm hoping I won't just abandon it anymore the way I did, almost two years ago.

The recipes will come soon, but for now, here's Swiss Chef Noelito, to re-preheat this blog.

My Boyfriend Is Cheating

I never saw it coming. Ever.

But often, I found myself wondering why and how. Why it was always peculiarly perfect, and how managed to make it so. I never found the answer. Or a clue to the answer.

So I started questioning myself. Maybe it was I who had the problem. Who was the problem. And then I started punishing myself for not being able to measure up.

Today, as I opened the door that only last night, he had shut, I found the answer. It has been right there all along, waiting to face me.

CleverRice. It's for people like T, who grew up never having to worry about cooking rice, because they really didn't eat it much. And for people like me, who grew up in a country that eats rice at least 3 times a day, we never had to worry about cooking rice manually because every household has a rice cooker.

Hard to overcook. Perfect. Always.

DBay Turon

I would like to give one of my best friends, Chris, credit for this easy-to-prepare yet heavenly dessert. Whether it was really he who came up with this, or his partner, AJ, or whether it was somebody else, I do not really know. Point is, it was Chris who brought this to our Ma Wan Tsuen kitchen, so it is Chris who gets the credit. In this blog, at least.

Quirky as it may sound, Dbay Turon brings together two simple banana-based desserts from two very different families of sweets-- the turon and the banana split (geographically, Cubao and Discovery Bay respectively)-- into one hearty delight. Quirky, indeed, but in a very, very mouth-watering way. It has a wholesome quality too, so it's definietly for anyone that has a sweet tooth, no matter what the age is.

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs., saging na saba
• lumpia wrapper
• 4 tbsps. brown sugar
• 4 tbsps. white sugar
• shreds of jackfruit (optional)
  
• cooking oil (Canola, to make it less sinful)
  
• 4-8 scoops Dreyer's Toasted Almonds Ice Cream

Procedure:

• Slice bananas lengthwise.
• Sprinkle some white sugar on the banana.
• Wrap them by halves.
• Coat each wrap with brown sugar.
• Fry until brown sugar caramelizes.
• Serve 2 pcs per plate.
• Top with a scoop or 2 of ice cream.
• Serve while turon is hot and the ice cream hasn't completely melted.

Serves 4.

Beacon

If in the Vatican, the people has the Pope as their beacon, here in HK, the sausage has one too. And it's very affordable.


But that's not all they've got. They a few other items on the menu too..
Found in Fu Tung, Tung Chung, right at the foot of the escalators from Maple. Open till 1am, daily. Affordable and tasty. Of course, it's not 5-star quality, but it's only $8.00 per stick, come on!

Winewalk 09

If you think Saturday afternoons in HK are boring and uneventful, then you probably haven't seen the red-and-black posters scattered around Central.

This Saturday, April 18, from 2-6pm, Timeout HK will lead a flock of wine connoisseurs to a wine tasting rally around Central* for only $280.00. With that minimal fee, participants will:

• Visit top restaurants at The Landmark, Lan Kwai Fong and Wyndham Street
• Taste fine wines from around the world
• Dine on delectable morsels provided by participating venues

*CENTRAL includes Alexandra House, Chater House, Exchange Square, Jardine House, Prince's Building and The Landmark.


What's more, part of that fee will be donated to charities supporting children with cancer and building children's libraries in developing countries.


Participating Restaurants (view the map here.)

Bombay Dreams, California, Dakota Prime, Di Vino, Finds Bar & Restaurant, Frog Face Fish, Goccia, La Bodega, Lotus, LUX, Mrs Jones, Pickled Pelican, Solas, Thai Lemongrass, The Priory, TIVO Restaurant, Kyoto Joe, TRU, Yun Fu, Zest, Zuma

Online ticket sales are now SOLD OUT.

For enquiries please contact info@timeout.com.hk or call: 3583-5678