A Rather Different Reunion Dinner

Ever since our Christmas dinner last month, I was on a roll in churning out 

'special' meal ideas for the family to celebrate every possible occasion. 

From a roast-turkey-wannabe to a mouthwatering miso-marinated BBQ pork. 

Y.u.m.m.y! Just the mere thought of it is making me salivate. 

So how can we celebrate Chinese New Year 

with just another usual steamboat right?

No Siree! Now the picture above might look like any other 

steamboats in any other households...

...BUT...

Take a look at that my friends!

"Ceh... tomyam you say?"

NOoooooo! Impossibru!

That my dear friends is a kimchi-jigae steamboat yo!

Now look at that happy korean-loving sister smiling one for the camera.

You bet I'm smiling too behind the camera.

Now let us roll the date back to a few weeks prior to the highly-anticipated 

reunion dinner. It was already decided then that we were going to do a steamboat this year

but... a sudden light bulb appeared over my head and then I calculated the risk 

and voiced out the idea.

"I got an idea for our steamboat!"

"What? You want to do miso soup is it?" 

-___-

*so sarcastic and yet so close to the truth as well*

"Umm... no and I not sure if we should risk it since it's reunion dinner

but I was thinking of doing... kimchi stew?"

*few seconds of silence*

"The one like we had in that Korean restaurant the other day?"

"Umm... yup but I don't know lah since I've never tried to cook it before...

maybe we shouldn't...." 

"Ok."

Ehh?!?! Hahaha. And so Kimchi Jigae steamboat it is! 

If you must know, it was not bad at all. Hehe. The funny thing was mom kept insisting that we need more soup, so I ended up cooking two pots full and guess what, we had leftovers! Hmmph! But all's good because we threw in some noodles and had ourselves some Kimchi Ramen for lunch this afternoon instead.

Y.U.M.M.Y

So I guess it's time to look at the calendar and see what's the next occasion. 

Woohoo!

Oh oh... Happy Chinese New Year everyone! 

Even Better Than Christmas!!

Don't get me wrong. We loved our modest Christmas feast the week earlier but... 

we absolutely LOVED our work-hard-to-eat BBQ New Year's Day Dinner! 

Korean-inspired, miso-marinated and somehow BBQ-perfected, tender juicy pork pieces. 

Wrapped with layers upon layers of lettuce. *sigh in contentment* 

Yuuuuummmmy!

Now remember my 2011 Special Pandan Chicken? Same turmeric powder, same chilly powder, minus the pandan. Sticked them up on a stick and waaalah! Real meaty satays! Boo to those tiny ones outside that are half the size of these but double in fat and oil. Ewww.

Cheesy cocktail sausages that oozed with cheese as we BBQed away. 

Do you know that gigantic mushrooms coat with butter are the best thing that can 

happen to a modest BBQ dinner? Even dad who does not fancy this mushroom in its many 

other ways of cooking actually voted it to be the best of the night. Wooot??!!?!

There were more of course! Sticks of baby corn. *highly recommended* Al dente squids. 

I know, I know. They're not spaghetti but they were cooked till juuuuust right. 

Springy to perfection. 

*sigh in contentment*

And then we have these! What the *toot*?!?

HAHAHAHA. Sweet potatoes left in the grill for waaaaay too long. We're blaming this on mom who insisted that they take a long time to cook. You know the saying that "when we spend too much time with someone or something, we eventually turned into each other." That's how husband and wife eventually look like each other after a whole lot of years together. =P

Well, our potatoes probably married the charcoals inside the grill 

because guess what we found under the aluminium foils?

We fondly named them the four "Or sai" 

which is the Hokkien equivalent to 'black shit'.

Hahahah. What a way to end the night. Boo hoo. 

But that's okay because we had this.

It's was so good it deserves to be mentioned twice in this post.

Now I just can't wait for Chinese New Year's Eve. 

*grins*

Who says you need a roast turkey to celebrate Christmas?

And I bet no one said anything about being a Christian to celebrate Christmas either.

After all, it's also a 3-day long weekend. That itself calls for a celebration, right?

So instead we chose to forget about what we don't have and make do with what we have.

No roast turkey? No problem.

.

.

.

We went ahead and got ourselves a yummy roast chicken instead. 

Baked up some cheesy cherry tomatoes and carrots to dress it up. Cooked up some mildly cheesy pasta. Faked up a minestrone. Mixed up some potato salad with fresh lettuce and eggs. Oh oh and somehow managed to also bake up a funny looking yet surprisingly delicious apple bread pudding. And top everything up with an affordable bottle of sparkling juice. *phew* And Waaa Laaaah! Enjoyed a grand feast for under uumm... RM40? 

Now who says it costs a lot to enjoy a delicious 5-course meal?

;-)

Rainforest Bakery: Rich Bread, Poor Manners (Part II)

Now as for the bread. They were really gooood.

The Foccasia had a strong herb smell to it which may not suit the general taste buds.
Mom for one couldn't handle more than a slice. So I figured since its herbs, it should go delightfully well with some good old tomato soup. Dip dip. Yummy. Fortunately there was some tomato paste left from my last baked spirallini. So I added water to thin it out and simmered it with finely chopped onions and meat loafs. It's no surprise that Mr Tomato Man enjoyed his meal.


Then there's the Poppy Seed Bloomer covered with lots of happy seeds on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Do you know that you can actually fail a drug test after consuming poppy seed bread? Hahaha. I read that up on the internet. It has low opiate level
but still enough to place you positive for drugs. Whoah! Anyway, for that, I worked up some scrambled eggs with onions and meat loafs. Same same ingredients, just different way
of preparation. :)

The verdict? The bread was so good, we almost finished the entire loaf in one sitting. There's only three miserable slices left. Hmm... maybe it's the poppy?

So if you're looking for good old traditional bread, Rainforest Bakery is as good as it gets. Just beware of the 'unfriendly' man. Ignore him, get your bread and you'll be fine.


Rainforest Bakery & Pastry
300 Chulia Street,
10200 Georgetown, Penang
Tel: 04-2614641

FREE Delivery
Delivery time: Monday - Saturday
(2pm onwards)

Sauceless vs Cheeseless

This was what I cooked last week.

*points to picture below*

And this was what I cooked this week.

*points to picture below*

Monday Night Verdict?

Apparently the latter is the crowd favourite. The crowd being mom and dad. Heh. I got an instant "Nice." from dad even before I actually sat down. Dad was already digging in. *as shown in the picture above*

It was a no-brainer since it's been known that dad is a Tomato Man. I've been stubborn for the past few weeks in attempting to cook all my pasta-ish dishes without the regular tomato based sauce. Hence last week's Salmon Spaghetti was flavoured with just garlic and pepper. I personally enjoyed it. *bias* Because unlike dad, I have a thing for pepper. Many weeks earlier, I worked up a pot of Green Pea Spaghetti and let's just say that lunch was enjoyed in silence. =P

In my defence, it was still yummy but apparently,
nothing beats good old traditional tomato.

Now I came to realise that I've been posting up pictures of all my cooking adventures without actually sharing a recipe or two. Well, that's 'cause I rarely cook with a recipe.
I either randomly come up with an idea of what would work and buy my ingredients or in some cases, make do with what's available in the kitchen.
Hence, today's cheeseless baked pasta!

The idea of baking my spiralini instead of just cooking them ala spaghetti came about yesterday while I was walking around Giant. Now being right in the centre of the hypermarket, I could have easily grab some cheese for the idea yet I stood there in front of that cheese and decided against it. I admit they were not cheap and I was not feeling generous. Heh.

So I came home and seek Google for help. After twenty recipes asking me to put lots of cheese on my casserole and a read on a cooking forum later, I came to a conclusion!
What was important is that I have enough sauce to cover the dish so as to not dry up my spiralini. The cheese, aside from being rich and yummy, was a core ingredient in holding up the dish together. All I need is something else to do the job!

Finally, a first time in Hiyashibeeps,
I am offering a cooking tip instead of a travelling one. :O

If you're cooking for lactose-intolerant people or simply want to avoid the rich and not exactly healthy cheese, break an egg or two and coat it over your dish. There's also the other option of using yogurt in replace of cheese but again, I got none in my kitchen and there's lactose in that too.

So dear readers, if you are out there.
Try your luck with a cheeseless baked pasta today!

On a side note, I'm done with all things pasta for the time being. Mom just reminded me yesterday night that I still have my Japanese rice in the fridge. Yikes! Looks like it's time to go back to Japan. *grins*

No Wonder Lah!

I click 'Publish Post'. I check my post. Edit, edit and edit until that stupid line spacing is perfect or until I give up, whichever comes first. I give one final read to my post and then I realised... No matter what I cooked, be it Japanese, Italian, Chinese, English, American, they all end up on that same flowerly cina-pek plate.
So tak cocok lah.

No wonder lah, they call those chinaware.

-___-

The Making of the L.E.P.A.K Sandwich

In conjunction with the on-going L.E.P.A.K series, I therefore name this sandwich the
L.E.P.A.K Sandwich.

For those who might have missed on the earlier intro bit of the series. L.E.P.A.K is the abbreviation of my recent adventure with Cik Anai to London, Edinburgh, Paris (I almost wanted to type Perak -.-;;), Amsterdam and K... (well, K is happening later in a few months). L.E.P.A.K would probably conclude my travelling tales for the year 2011 as I'm pretty sure I'll be broke to go anywhere else after that. XD

So what exactly makes a L.E.P.A.K Sandwich?

Representing London is Apply Chutney from Harrods.

Yum!

I know, I know. It says there the perfect accompaniment to roast pork but I'm the innovative chef here. My kitchen. My decision. Right? Besides, we don't really eat much roast pork to enjoy this.

Representing Edinburgh is Whisky Flavoured Coffee.

Mmmmm.... the aroma.

Representing Paris is of course French Bread.

Though obviously not bought from France nor is it as good as the real stuff...
but yea... still, it's French Bread.

And last but not least...

Representing Amsterdam is Cheeeese.

Smoked Cheese with Herbs. So stinkily goood.

And that's what makes a L.E.P.A.K Sandwich Meal.

YUUMMMieeeee!

Sunday vs Monday

Eastern vs Western

Noodle vs Bread

Meat vs Vegetarian

I can go on and on and on... but there will be no winner.
Because both are made of awesome.
Because they are made by me.

Did I just call myself awesome?

*shameless*

This was Sunday's lunch.

I cheated and used filament sticks but that's no exactly meat either...
so the vegetarian claim still stands.

This was today's lunch.

YUM!

More on L.E.P.A.K Sandwich in the next post!

Lookie At What I Did This Afternoon!

I steamed a cake.

Yes, you read it right.

STEAMED!

I can't believe how easy peasy it was. I admit I myself was a little doubtful of the "3 ingredients, 3 steps" too-good-to-be-true recipe that I read off the internet. Oh which reminds me...

"Thank you dear Chingy for the link!!"

But it worked! And now I have a new thing to play with. I could take this simple recipe further. Yum! Think about the possibilities.
Hey, now I can even have myself some real desserts the next time I woop up a meal. Oh my. Hehehe...

Oh oh.. Credits! One must never forget to be thankful.

苏联妈妈的清蒸鸡蛋糕

Thank you for sharing the recipe.

Lookie What I Cookie for Lunchie This Sundie

Yakisoba.

The name is so not appealing at all by the way.
I mean "Yucky Soba?" Come on.

*shakes head*

My camera ran out of battery.
So the shot came from a mere camera phone.

*shakes head again*

I claim it as "my style" because I just make do with whatever we have in the kitchen. Don't think scallops were listed as part of the original ingredients. There's no meat in this as well. And and, the pretty yellow omelette is definitely not a norm.

So that was my Sunday morning / afternoon.
On a side note, a long post is coming up within the next week.
Yes it's long overdue. =P

I'm on my way in becoming a Japanese Chef

*grins*

So I went on The Great Okonomiyaki Hunt when I was in Japan. Not once! But twice! One turned out yucky, another one was totally awesome. Two different styles - one from the Kansai region while another from Hiroshima.

And guess what?!

I conquered them both this afternoon.

Again. Not One!

But Two!

Though I kind of cheated. Techically, my Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is a "Kansai style okonomiyaki plus yakisoba". Then again, that sort of constitute what a Hiroshima style okonomiyaki supposed to be. Hmm... it's just that instead of doing them layer by layer, I sorta jumble all of them up and cook it my way.

Hey! It's called 'IMPROVISE'
That's how we survive in life!
Whuah, what's with the sudden philosophy. Silly me.

Well at the end of the day, it turned out pretty alright with me.
Another Mission Accomplished. Yosh!

I Made Sushi - updated!

I can't help being very proud of myself over my darn good sushi.
It's hard to be modest when I'm so so happy with it. Please whack me back to the humble me.

*sigh in contentment*

It's actually quite surprising the all Japan-loving me have never ever attempt to make sushi. Especially since I love my random Sunday stints in the kitchen. Why oh why? Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I think it was the thought that sushi simply won't satisfy my cravings enough. I need good sumptuous food. Pasta with soup topped with bread puddings and all. That's the meal I want to cook and enjoy.

So why now?

I craved for Japanese fooood!
Like seriously for the entire last week.

*desperate*

And my Japanese meal is scheduled this week. Ya. I have my meals scheduled. *shrugs* Furthermore, it was the last week of the month. Even if I'm willing to splurge for food, it's hard to find others who share the craziness.

"Wait get salary first."

*pouts*

By Friday I call for emergency meeting. I need to take matters into my own hands. Literally. I'm gonna make sushi myself to at least satisfy that annoying craving.

So come Saturday. I prepare.
Sunday. I turned Sushi Chef.

Not bad at all wei!

I think I got talent lah. Really, please bear with me as I indulged myself with my own flatter.

*hearts*

.

.

.

But but... I think I overdid it a little.

*blushes* Awww....

Hiyashi Bakes pt02

Visual Proof! Hiyashi did baked Chinese Chicken Buns last Saturday. The result? Umm... let us put that on hold for now.

Step 01: Sift flour.
Note how small that penapis is? My brain cannot process what is the name of the utensil at the moment. Am close to closing my eyes due to the accumulative late nights. Anyway, dad said "we're doing it the manual way, almost ancient." There is a bigger "sifter" in the house but mom wasn't around and we're clueless about this kind of stuff, so... old traditional method then.





Step 02: Yeast, sugar and water GROW GROW GROW!
It's amazing I tell you, seeing it foaming up like that. At first I was wary about it, how is it possible? I don't believe lah. But it grew on its own. Yeast dear readers is an amazing amazing thing.

Step 03: Pour in the flour and kneed kneed kneed...
This is the part I didn't do properly that cost me dearly in the end. T_T *sobs*

Step 04 - 06: Let the Pao take its form!
I forgot to take pictures at this point. The dough was left to grow. That was when I escape off to make this post instead. And then cooked the filling. Let me tell you the filling was de.li.cious.!

See that ugly shaped pao on the top right hand corner, that was done by my dearest imouto-chan. HAHAHA... shoo her away after that and force her to help me take pictures instead. I obviously make better looking pao than her. =P

Step 07: Steam the funny looking paos!
Here's when the excitement died and the disappointment kicks in. Eh, my pao really look not bad weh. So what gone wrong? The pao lah! The dough, the flour, the bun. HAHAHAHA... Kneeding is very important. No one told me that. I curi tulang a bit only, the dough didn't made it through. My dad said when you kneed, the air then seeps into the dough. Kneeding is what makes it fluffy. =.=;; Why awal-awal tak cakap?

But honestly, you see for yourself. Look not bad right?

My dad called these "Punishment Paos". That's the strategy to sell these paos. Little kids who are naughty shall be punish by eating these paos. Aww... heart-breaking ain't it?

And when came Sunday morning, those who woke up early got to eat yummy dumplings, those lazy sleeping ones who woke up late got punished and ate "Punishment Paos" instead.

As evil as dad was in naming the pao, he did gave some consoling words.

Dad: You think make pao so easy ah. Then the boh-cheng-saa (aka shirtless man) sell pao fellow mah no business loh!

Dad has a point. I shall attempt again.

Long long time from now.

Hiyashi Bakes pt01

I'm making pao! Chinese Pork Buns. Okay, maybe not pork. Chinese Chicken Buns. Now that doesn't sound very Chinese. XD

The dough is growing. It's GROWING.

2 TIMES ITS ORIGINAL SIZE!!

I can't wait. *shivers in excitement*

A Pen for A Pan

Change of weapon!

Hiyashi holds a pan just as well as she holds a pen.

But Hiyashi is not a Japanese Chef. As bizarre as it sounds, Hiyashi don't even know how to make sushi.

Hiyashi cooks only spaghetti, pasta, Italiano!

Yup. It's boiling! The Farfalle is boiling!
Anyway I *refering myself as Hiyashi got a little weird at this point* So anyway, I got kinda busy after that and the few photo attempts I've made while cooking turned out blur. -.-;;


Therefore, let's just proceed with the results shall we?

How can Italian food go without a bowl of clam chowder soup and of course a glass of red wine. *slurps*

Up close.
Should have cut more mushrooms yesterday night. That's right, preparation started a night before. Hahaha... all because I refuse to wake up early on a Sunday morning.

Ohohoho... and when I cook, I give you variety.

TA-DAA!

My dad called this green thick keoy teow. *swts* Bought this out of curiousity and for it's green spinachy look but personally I'll say I prefer to go with good old spaghetti. Just like how I prefer good old Original Recipe over Hot and Spicy when it comes to KFC.

Hmm.. while I'm at it. *waves flag* Support Original! And that goes for more than CDs okay?

The close-up for this is not so appetising huh? Forgot to add smelly cheesy powder earlier. Haha..

And when all things come to an end, it only makes sense to end it good, right?

YUMMY! Strawberry dessert.

I am not really a strawberry fan but it won't be italiano to have buah jambu as dessert eh. ^^;;

Ah it's now 5.30pm and I'm still full of myself! Muahahaha...