Once in a while, I buy interesting ingredients that catch my eye without having any idea what I’m going to do with them. And this jar of squid ink that I’ve got in my cupboard is just one of them. So rather than doing the usual – squid ink pasta, although making seafood lasagna with black pasta sheets did cross my mind – I thought it might be cool to use the squid ink to make a strikingly black loaf of bread.
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Ah Singapore. I think I have a love/hate relationship with it. After all, it’s where I spent my best childhood years, and my worst teenage ones. And despite my distaste for the humidity that poofs my hair into the worst version of a 70’s afro (blessed with sleek Asian hair, I was not) and the heat that makes me sweat like a criminal on trial, I do have a fondness for the people and the food – because you can find nothing like it in any other part of the world. So once in a while I visit. And when I do, it’s a whirlwind.
Ahh the (not so) humble burger. Ranging from the gourmet to the downright coronary-inducing, the traditional beef burger and all it’s variations have become the comfort food of many, and is a symbol of Western culture.
To celebrate National Burger Day, Chur Burger is giving away 800 burgers today, starting at 11am.
And for those of us who can’t make it, here are 6 ways to get more burger in your life.
But before that, the food.
I first visited Chi and Co as part of a Canley Height Food Crawl organised by Thang from Noodlies and the Fairfield City Council. We tried their signature tapas dishes – from pulled beef sliders to spanner crab on betel leaf – and were plied with expertly mixed cocktails.
So when they offered another chance to dine with them, I said
“HELLS YEAH!”
We knew that we wanted to order different dishes to what we had tried previously – can the rest of the menu stand up to the high standard that was set before?
Well the Son-in-Law Eggs (pictured above) were very cute, and very flavourful. I loved the savoury sauce on the top of the egg that lent a smoky spiciness to the deep fried eggs. What I wasn’t so crazy about, however, was the hard boiled egg yolk. Yes, I know that traditionally the eggs are hard boiled before they’re deep fried, and for these eggs not to have the grey ring of overcooked yolks shows finesse in execution. But really, I’m not a hard boiled egg person ordinarily, and I was really hoping to have a gold liquid centre.
Yolk porn man, YOLK PORN!
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We also ordered the Duck Spring Rolls. Pieces of savoury duck and juicy shiitake mushrooms are wrapped in an egg wrapper, then deep fried to crispy perfection. Now it might just be that I’ve got low expectations – I’ve never had spring rolls blow my mind before – but these were really good. It almost didn’t need the sweet syrupy plum sauce that it came with – there was a complexity and just pure yumminess that left me speechless.
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| Salt and Pepper Squid |
If a restaurant tells you that something is a signature dish, then you just gotta order it. And well, we just have a weakness for Salt and Pepper Squid. Our first impression was that the squid could be a touch crispier – yes it was a nice light coating, but there was a distinct lack of crunch – but the balance of seasoning was actually really sophisticated. Too often we’ve had this same dish in other eateries that have left us grasping for water, or popping a mint because of all the garlic, but this one was light enough on the salt that we were very happy demolishing the whole plate and fighting for the last piece.
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| Braised Beef Short Ribs |
Besides all the share plates, we thought we might have enough space to squeeze in one more main. I’ve got a thing for beef anything lately, and these Braised Beef Short Ribs with pickles just called my name. We also ordered rice and roti to accompany it – and to mop up the sweet sticky glaze – and sat confident in our ability to be little piggies and eat all the food.
Well, no. The beef was rich, and which was artfully balanced by the pickles (we would have appreciated a larger serving of pickles though), but we really shouldn’t have ordered both rice and roti. I much preferred the rice to go with the beef, but the roti was quite pleasant on its own – those crispy buttery layers make this the puff pastry of South East Asia.
As always, it was a lovely experience, and we were well taken care of. If you drop by, be sure to try something off their tapas menu – you can read more about that in this post.
And now, for the best bit. If you’ve read this long, I applaud and thank you. And if you’ve just scrolled to the bottom because you WANT THAT VOUCHER, I respect that too. Either way, you can enter below – leave a comment, tweet this post, or SHOW ME SOME LUUURRRRVE.
Good luck!
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| Source: Daremoshiranai |
Nothing in this world is original anymore, so they say. Well, who needs originality when you can just combine things that already exist! It’s called building on previous knowledge right? So here are 5 delicious food love-childs that have made the world a better place.
LET’S EAT ALL THE FOOD!!
1. Waffle Sandwiches
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| Source: odonata98 |
Sandwiches are awesome because they are so easy to eat and waffles are awesome because they are fluffy clouds of happiness with a crisp exterior and the perfect surface area to soak up sauce. And we already know that waffles aren’t just a sweet food – chicken and waffles anyone? So delicious is this love-child that The Huffington Post did a round up! Read all about it here.
2. Cronuts
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| Source: ccho |
Created by Dominque Ansel at his bakery in New York, the Cronut is basically croissant dough that has been shaped into a doughnut, then deep fried, filled with custard and iced, just like a doughnut. Now I don’t know what kind of late night munchies created this artery clogging dessert, but it’s one magnificent piece of work. So magnificent, in fact, that imitations have popped up all over the world. People are still queueing up round the block at Dominique Ansel’s bakery, and scalpers are selling these babies at about $100 a pop! So rich I would suggest sharing, you can try a version of it in Sydney at Adriano Zumbo’s patisseries.
3. Ramen Burger
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| Source: ManEatManila |
I’m still not sure what kind of college late night memories inspired ramen burger creator Keizo Shimamoto, but I think that this is a delicious win either way. Many recipes and imitations have popped up around the world, and some of them include involved steps like including egg whites, to freezing the ramen ‘buns’, to other more elaborate steps to ensure a compact bun that can support the patty but still have a nice tender bite to it. In Sydney, On-Ramen has debuted their own version of the ramen burger, to mixed reviews.
4. Chicken Fried Steak
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| Source: Jeff |
So this is not exactly new, but delicious nonetheless. Steak is coated just like southern fried chicken, and fried in chicken oil. Paired with a hearty gravy, this dish to me screams comfort. Kinda like a schnitzel, but not! Try making your own with Alton Brown’s recipe, here.
5. Wafflegato
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| Source: Hungry Go Where |
Dominique Ansel has been at it again, this time creating a Belgian Waffle flavoured ice cream, to replace the traditional ice cream in an affogato. While it might not be as big a leap as some of the other food love-childs, this is definitely adding the sense of theatre back into dining, something which I think that we’re sorely lacking. And I can appreciate a little bit of drama. 😉
So have you tried any of these food mashups? What do you think? Let me know about any of your favourites that I’ve missed out!
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| Source: JBloom |
There’s a new app in town: Pareup’s plan is to reduce food waste by creating a “mobile marketplace for excess food”. The idea behind it is that food retailers often throw food away at the end of each day, sometimes because of safety standards, but sometimes because they need to preserve their brand: some prepped food aren’t nearly as good the next day, and quality can diminish super quickly when food is stored overnight. But what if they could make a profit from the excess food?
Would you buy it?
Well, it’s not a foreign concept in Australia is it? Many food retailers – like those little Japanese kiosks that sell takeaway boxes of pre-made sushi, or those Asian food court stalls that sell stir fries out of a bain-marie – heavily mark down their prices at the end of the day, in a bid to clear out all the excess food that can’t be sold the next day.
Currently still in its youth, Pareup has paired up with a few bakeries and coffee shops in New York, hoping to minimise food waste. And that, is a cause that I can get behind. Read the Huffington Post Article here.
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| Photo from Dorli Photography |
With Mothers’ Day just around the corner, breakfasts in bed are the meal du jour! But hot food on an unstable surface? Excited kids jumping on the bed? Breakfast in bed can be a disaster waiting to happen. Here are 6 things to avoid when planning that perfect breakfast in bed!
1. Forget to feed everyone else
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| Photo from Stephanie Kilgast |
So you bring in a beautiful breakfast to Mom, on a hand-carved wooden tray for one. It gets placed over her lap, and she thanks everyone. She picks up a fork to begin eating…and everyone is staring at her hungrily awkwardly throughout the rest of the meal. Eating alone is not fun! Why not grab a picnic blanket and lay out breakfast for the whole family to have together?
2. Tall glassware
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| Photo from Susan Lucas Hoffman |
Maybe you want to include a Mimosa to top off the breakfast tray, or maybe you want to garnish with a long stemmed rose in a tall water glass. Either way, tall glassware filled with liquid is your worst enemy when you’re mobile. Tall glassware = high centre of gravity. If you haven’t spilled it already while bringing the tray to Mom, it will spill while she’s having breakfast. Maybe use a low-ball glass instead? There’s also no shame in a covered coffee cup.
3. Biting off more than you can chew
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| Photo from Adrian Milliner |
It’s not nice waking up to a smoke alarm going off. Don’t attempt a recipe for the first time on the morning of, with kids and pets underfoot. Not confident about making a hot meal? Yoghurt and fruit parfaits are absolutely acceptable, and something that anyone can throw together! She’ll appreciate something executed well more than an imminent disaster being created in the kitchen.
4. Give her flaky food
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| Photo from Steven Depolo |
Buttery, flaky croissants may seem like a fantastic idea for breakfast in bed, but when all the little flakes fly out all over the bed, guess who’s the one who needs to clean it up? Besides, she’s the one who’s going to sleep in the crumbs later that night. And icing sugar? Yikes.
5. Serve in cookware
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| Photo from Susy Morris |
Individual ramekins of baked eggs look beautiful, and the frittata that is baked in the cast iron pan may look like something out of a cookbook, but it’s not a good idea to have scalding hot pans and bakeware while having breakfast in bed. See reason #2.
6. Stress out about it
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| Photo from Dimitris Papazimoulis |
At the end of the day, Mom just wants to hang out and enjoy the company of her family. An easy, relaxed morning is so much more enjoyable than presenting a fabulous breakfast with a tense atmosphere.
So chill out, and feed yo’ momma! Or you know, mother of your children. I’m sure she’ll love it.
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| My Mama and me! |
Mothers do so much for us: lovingly and selflessly, and most of the time, thanklessly. And while we all know that Mum shouldn’t just be celebrated on one day of the year, we don’t always appreciate Mum as much as she deserves it. So if you’re wondering what to give the woman who has given you life and an appreciation of good food (and she already has too many mugs), here are some gift ideas that any foodie mum will appreciate.
Fulfil any foodie’s French marketing fantasy by getting her this lovely shopping basket from The Market Basket Co. for all her weekly groceries! Once she slips the soft Moroccan leather handles over her shoulder she can imagine that she’s wandering down cobblestone streets, with all her treasures from the markets. It’s like making every grocery trip a holiday! Extra points if you put a selection of gourmet food in the basket when you give it to her!
Tea Garden in a Box
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Source: Martha Stewart
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Mason Jar Cookie Mix
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| Source: Something Turquoise |
If your mom is a foodie, she probably makes the best cookies in the world. But you know what the problem with making the best cookies in the world is? That it’s not special to you because you know exactly what goes into it! Well why not give mom your special cookies: all the joy of baking, but with some of the mystery left for the joy of eating! Bonus points if you give these to her accompanied with a cellophane bag of the baked cookies for her to eat right now. Get the instructions here.
Flavoured Salts
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| Source: Country Living |
Any foodie worth their salt (heh heh) loves variety, and homemade flavoured salts are a way of combining your creativity with theirs! You’re not only providing inspiration, you’re providing the building blocks of deliciousness. And these are so easy to make, you don’t have to stop at six! Why not include variations like Vanilla salt and Bloody Mary salt? Find the instructions for these flavoured salts from Country Living here.
Hot Chocolate Truffles
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| Source: Your Cup of Cake |
As much as a food mum would enjoy a box of truffles, can you imagine how mind blowing it would be to give her hot chocolate truffles? Made with a similar method to regular truffles, these sweet morsels can be dropped into a mug of warm milk, providing an instant cup of steaming chocolatey goodness for a winter evening. Want to take it to another level? Why not gift these to her with a bottle of Irish cream! You know it would go perfectly with the ‘Best Mum in the World’ mug she got from you 5 years ago. You can find the instructions for these truffles here.
Edible Bouquet
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| Source: Maggie’s Wine |
That bouquet of flowers that you’ve ordered is pretty and nice smelling and all, but I’m sure that foodie mums would rather have something they can eat. But it doesn’t mean that it can’t be pretty! Why not gift her with a bouquet of fresh herbs – I bet you that they smell better than the flowers! Find more inspiration here.
All gifts aside, I’m sure that all your mum wants is to hang out with her favourite people: her family. So make her that cuppa, and just ask her how she’s doing. And don’t forget the rest of the year!
Have a happy Mothers’ Day you guys!
Note: Tammi from InsatiableMunchies was gifted with a shopping basket from The Market Basket Co. and Pursuit Communications.
Musubi
I went to Hawaii recently! And while I’ve got a lot of photos to process, and posts to write, I thought that I might start with all the random things that I thought was interesting in Hawaii.
SPAM is HUGE in Hawaii. Apparently, the people of Hawaii consume more SPAM per person than anywhere else in the US. Even on the shelves in the local grocery store, there are more varieties of SPAM than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Musubi (pictured above) is an example of the omnipresent SPAM, mixed with the distinct Japanese influence from migrants after the war. A slice of SPAM is fried, coated in a terriyaki sauce, and placed on top of a shaped handful of sushi rice, secured with a piece of nori (seaweed).
I would suggest you give it a go if you visit Hawaii for the cultural aspect. It didn’t exactly rock my world in terms of flavour combination or innovation, but it’s still pretty cool and good fun. And surprisingly filling too, though for a complete meal I would suggest supplementing with some fruit/veg. 😉
In my late night prowling of grocery stores – they need more 24hr grocery stores around here! – I also found this!
These sugar cane stirrers are about as unprocessed a form of cane sugar you can get, I think. I’m sure that it would be great to sweeten your coffee or tea – they remind me of the Persian rock sugar stirrers that you can get – I bought some because I thought it would be cool to use as a sweetener/decorative item for a cocktail. The original thought was that I’d use it to sweeten a Caprioska, but I haven’t opened the packet yet. Given that Hawaii used to be known for its sugarcane plantations, these are not as common as I would’ve thought, but you can still get them in grocery and convinience stores.
Also in the grocery store – have I mentioned how much I love Foodland? – are their selection of ready-to-eat items.
My favourite breakfast while I was there was a simple half of a ripe papaya, with a squeeze of lime over the top. Simple but satisfying.
Poké is another ready to eat item from the grocery store, and I’ve developed a mild addiction to it. I’ve been back in Sydney for about a week now, and I’m still suffering from withdrawals.
From left: Tako poké, spicy ahi poké
Poké, from my understanding, is raw cubes of fish (or pieces of seafood), in a variety of marinades. Common ingredients in the marinade include garlic, ginger, shoyu, green onions. Spicy poké commonly uses kochujang, a korean chilli paste. Limu poké uses limu, which is the Hawaiin word for seaweed.
The most common fish I’ve seen used is ahi, which is tuna. Tako (Octopus) and salmon poké are also widely found.
If snacking on tub after tub of raw fish is a bit much for you, you can also get poké bowls, which are bowls of rice topped with poké. At about $5 a pop, those bowls became my go-to lunch options. There are also other pre-packed rice bowls with other toppings.
$6.95!! I don’t think I’d necessarily get a bowl with that much ikura that cheap in Sydney. Like I said, I’m suffering withdrawals big time.
And if you’re feeling the heat after a satisfying lunch, then try to drop by Waiola for a Hawaiin shaved ice. Delicious and refreshing, it’s basically finely shaved ice that melt like snowflakes on your tongue, covered in syrup. I got a banana and lime one – green and gold! – but you can get a whole variety of flavours, with various toppings like pearl and mochi.
The biggest thing that I’ve found is that the people of Hawaii are just so nice and hospitable. Every local that I’ve asked has happily told me their recommendations for foodie destinations, and even what their favourite dish on the menu is.
I miss Hawaii already. =(
I am an absolute advocate of reducing food waste. Not only is it bad for the wallet – you wouldn’t throw money into the bin would you? – I also find it incredibly disrespectful of people’s hard work in producing the food for you to buy.
But what happens when you don’t believe in the food producer?
I went to SMH’s Pyrmont Growers Markets and bought tickets to the breakfast talk by Matthew Evans.
As part of the admission, I got given a bag of goodies from the sponsors of the event. As you know, I absolutely getting new things to try, but then I saw Barilla products in the bag.
The CEO of Barilla, Guido Barilla, recently made some comments on Italian radio about how he didn’t support gay couples adopting, and how he wouldn’t use gay families in Barilla marketing because they aren’t a “sacred family”.
OH NO HE DIDN’T.
This then led to huge international furore and a boycott fuelled by outrage. I stopped buying Barilla, but the reactions of others were more extreme, and I saw many posted pictures of Barilla products in the bin.
Barilla has since apologised, but it almost seems like a case of too little too late. I still have an aversion to buying their products, and I’m sure it’s pretty obvious to them what a PR nightmare they’ve created. The only thing that would really redeem them in my eyes is the resignation of the CEO, but that’s another story for another day.
Meanwhile, I’ve got a quandary: do I throw away perfectly useable product that was given to me, just to prove a point? I very nearly did: I was quite blinded by the instant distaste the moment I saw their products in the bag. Then I stopped. I feel equally strongly about not wasting food, and I didn’t shell out my money buying their products, but I still refuse to have that in my kitchen.
So what to do?
I finally decided to donate them to Oz Harvest. They were there, and thankfully accepting food donations, so I dropped it off. I think that taking a stand is a luxury that thankfully I can afford, but if my kids hungry and I was given Barilla products, I’d be hard pressed to say no. So while I’ll not be using it, I’d rather help feed the hungry than to put it to waste.
What would you have done in this situation?
