Posts tagged Lunch

From Spiders to Water Lilies

Recipe July 24, 2011 2 Comments

Ooh look what I got in the mail!! =)

I was very excited to get send a copy of From Spiders to Water Lilies, a collection of Cambodian recipes of food that’s featured in Romdeng, a restaurant that is a project of Friends International, and that is run by children who were picked up off the street.

First of all, let me say that I would have bought this beautifully printed book even if I wasn’t sent it because I believe in the cause. I believe that food is not just nourishment for the body, but also nourishment for the soul, and when children are placed in unfortunate circumstances, food can definitely be used as a tool to help them reach for whatever future they would like to reach for.

Secondly, I can’t believe just how yummy the food is!!!! I’ve never been to Cambodia, and I knew that because of the geographical proximity, there will be certain elements that are similar to many South East Asian food. But what I didn’t realise was that – even though in some recipes there are elements of sour, salty, sweet – the combination is just so new and absolutely delicious!

And so, I’m very happy to share with you…

Spicy Mushroom Dip:
Recipe taken from From Spiders to Water Lilies: Creative Cambodian Cooking with Friends, Pg 28.

1 tsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
4 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp *Chilli Paste
80g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
1.5 tsp Palm Sugar
1 tbsp **Tamarind Paste
3 tbsp stock
Salt to taste
Thai basil leaves, thinly slices, for garnish

Wash the mushrooms under cold water then soak for 20 min in hot water. Discard stems then finely chop the remainder. Heat oil and stir fry garlic till fragrant. Add chilli paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, mushrooms and tamarind paste. Fry for 5 min and season with salt. Place in a bowl, top with basil leaves and serve with vegetables and bread.

*There is a recipe for chilli paste in the book, but if you don’t have the time (or are afraid that your clothes and house is going to smell like chilli for a while) then I think that sambal (the fried kind, not the fresh kind) is a good and convenient substitute.

**I used a mixture of bottled Tamarind paste and lime juice.

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I found the recipe relatively easy to do. I made my own chilli paste, but ran into a few issues – I forgot to deseed the chillies, and for some reason, my chillies simply refused to rehydrate to the level that I needed. As a result, the dip didn’t seem as fiery red as was shown in the picture in the book, but it was still delish!

I toasted some multi-grain wholemeal bread and Sean practically scoffed the whole lot. And that is coming from a person who does not like mushrooms. At all. I very happily had it for lunch the next day, and the guys at the office seemed to like it too.

In all, I adore the book. I love that it’s for a good cause – the proceeds of the book goes back into Friends-International projects – and it is beautifully photographed and printed. The recipes are nicely broken down, and most of them are relatively quick. Yes, there are quite a few ingredients that are foreign or hard to find, but the book has a great section both in the front and the back of the book that tell you about substitutions that you can use.

Definitely a book that makes me want to go to Cambodia and try the food first hand.

Tammi of Insatiable Munchies was given this book by the lovely people at Beyond the Square Communication.

Comfort Eating 2

Recipe July 18, 2011 5 Comments

As some of you may know, I’ve been a little bit under the weather recently. And in those moments where I think the flu is going to get the better of me, I turn to some comfort eating!

For me, anyway, the best foods to have when I’m sick are semi-solids. I get the works in terms of the flu – burning lungs, solidly stuffed nose, pounding headaches – and eating (although always a priority) is not the most attractive thing.

So here is how I make my congee – a simple recipe that even the partner (who may not be the best in the kitchen!) can make.

Congee recipe

Cooking time: 30 min (roughly)
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Raw Rice (long or short grain is fine. If you have broken rice, it’s better!)
Water (1L minimum)
1 tsp Sesame seed oil (optional)

Warm the sesame seed oil in a saucepan over medium heat (make sure that it’s big enough to accommodate the porridge!) and add the rice in. Once it’s fragrant and the rice starts to fry a little, start adding about 2 cups of the water.

Once the water starts boiling, stir the rice occasionally. For the rice to get to rice porridge stage, it first has to go through cooked-rice stage.

Once the rice grains have puffed up, add more water and reduce the heat to low. Simmer and stir occasionally till the porridge has become the consistency of oats.

You can have it a little more watery or a little thicker if you’d like, and it’s easy to add water to thin it out or cook it a little longer to thicken it.

And as with any sort of plain porridge, condiments are usually in order!

The first jar that I reach for is usually Olive Vegetables (橄榄菜）.

These salty black strands are a source of addiction for me. It has the common savoury taste of olives, and is quite oily. Use sparingly, as this is – as most rice porridge condiments are – incredibly salty. I would suggest, if you were going to get a bottle to try, trying a small amount on a teaspoon before you unload a whole lot into your bowl.

I also like Mushroom and Meat Sauce 香菇肉酱

Thick pieces of fatty-ish pork and mushroom sit in a slightly gelatinous chilli sauce. More people who haven’t grown up with congee tend to take to this particular condiment more easily than the Olive Vegetables. It is still on the salty side, and you can warm it before eating, if you’d like.

The two that I’ve mentioned are of course not the only condiments out there for congee, but it’s definitely the two that I always have around in the house. Some others include Salted Duck Egg with its luminescent yolk, and Fish with Salted Black Beans. These condiments are served like the Korean Banchan – many small plates dotting the table – and the more variety the better!

I hope that this helps widen the types of comfort food you can have when you’re sick (or not! I’d have congee any day, but more so when I’m sick)- I know that this often provides me with warmth and something really easy to eat.

Mappen, Sydney

Review July 12, 2011 10 Comments

“Heaven…I’m in Heaven…And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak…”
Berlin, I. (1935) Cheek to Cheek

I do believe that I have found noodle heaven for foodies on a budget! I know I’m a little (or a lot!) late to the scene, but Mappen is an absolute dream come true in its simplicity.

The concept is simple. Decide what main you’d like to have, order, add sides (or not!) and pay. It’s so simple it’s almost poetic in my book.

The place is always busy, and gives a feel of a cramped, bustling noodle bar, but I assure you that efficiency beats so strongly at the heart of it that you won’t be put out. They feed you with such conveyor belt-type flow that it feels like the perfect place for a eat-and-run lunch.

Signs on every table encourage you not to grab tables without food, but that almost-counter-intuitive move – for what if I should have a tray full of food and no seat? – near-guarantees you a seat when you do have your food.

Since people only sit when their order is ready, their time with the table starts immediately, eradicating the “dawdle while deciding” crowds that seem to happen otherwise. The result, you get your food, you get fed, you leave.

Genius.

And the food? Amazing. Laura and I had an early lunch there earlier this week.

I had a hot Ontama Bukkake – don’t snigger! I know you people 😉 – with Udon, and Laura had the Soba version.

It’s basically noodles in soup. It’s that simple. We had a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the top, and a creamy, dreamy soft boiled egg.

Look at all that eggy goodness. /drools

The savoury noodles had the citrusy zing of lemon threaded through the strands, and oozy yolk giving them a bright orange coating.

Yum.

And those sides?

Well I got a Prawn Tempura.

No surprises, no fireworks, just what you would expect – crispy batter, and prawn that isn’t overcooked. It’s lunch that makes you feel good after – not weighed down, not still wanting – and for me anyway, brightens my day.

Oh, and I haven’t mentioned the price have I? My Ontama Bukkake was a regular size and was $4.90! Friggin’ $4.90 lunch IN THE CITY! That’s partially what gets me so excited about the place. Are the portions overflowing? No. But they are good value – I chose the Prawn Tempura ($2.50) cause I was greedy, but I could very well do without. Sean’s favourite – Sweet Potato Tempura – is only $0.80, and while I’ve considered making it at home, I think it’s well worth the price if you are in the city and need some hot food.

Mappen is somewhere that consistently gives me a good, cheap option (I’m not a fan of fast food) smack in the middle of the city. One downside though, it’s not exactly a great source of your 5-fruit-and-veg, since the veggie options are either small or battered and fried. I just bring fruit with me to munch on during the day, and have that while walking to my next destination.

We ate at:

Mappen
11/537-551 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9283 5525

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Mad Mex, Darlinghurst

Review June 30, 2011 7 Comments

After hearing so much about the Mad Mex (and that Mad Mex challenge!), Sean and I decided to go see what all the fuss was about.

The first thing that greets you as you enter the outlet is a chandelier made up of Corona Bottles!! Being quite into crafts, I was absolutely excited by this light piece. I know, it’s simple and not hard to make, but still!! So pretty…

I love how they’ve got that salad bar look to it, and you get to see them assembling your order! I feel like it takes away the mystery, but the best thing about it is that the food still tastes awesome!

Sean ordered the Regular Burrito, $10.90, which is the signature dish and the subject of the Mad Mex Challenge. The Regular Burrito is apparently 500g, and the Burrito in the challenge is a whopping 1KG! Would it be hard to do? Probably not, but just be careful not to have had a first lunch before it, like I had that day. /guilty.

But anyway, on to the Burrito that Sean had.

Believe it or not, it came with instuctions!

I thought that it was very cute that they had instructions on how to properly enjoy/unwrap your burrito!

And so.

Although it was Sean’s, what kind of food blogger (and self confessed glutton) would I be if I didn’t at least have a bite? Ok, maybe more than one bite. But it was just SO GOOD! I love how the soft floury tortilla just seems to tear ever so slightly with every time that your teeth sink into the gorgeous meat, bean and rice mixture within.

YUM.

That’s not to say that my Quesadilla, $9.90, was anything to laugh at either.

Creamy sour cream, melty cheese and tangy hot sauce was absolutely addictive! It’s like mouthfuls of amazingly addictive wedges just bursting with flavour in your mouth. It was just very slightly salty, tangy, fresh and rich all at the same time! LOVE IT.

The food, coupled with the friendly and extremely helpful staff, makes for a big, “I HAVE TO GO BACK!!” Good stuff, and highly recommended.

We ate at:
Mad Mex
(02) 9331 7788
2/241 Crown Street
Darlinghurst, NSW

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Bistro 80, Pyrmont

Review June 22, 2011 7 Comments

On a recent food blogger gathering at Fat Noodle (post about that later), it was decided that while we were at Star City, Bistro 80 would be a good place to go for dessert.

But before I could even contemplate any of the sweet goodness, I absolutely had to try the Flavours of Jamon, $40.

I have this thing about cured meats, and believe me when I say that the pure excitement of ordering this jamon just made my eyes light up. What is jamon? Well, very simply, jamon (pronounced hah-mon) is Spanish ham. Pigs are fed acorns and the resulting cuts of meat are then brined and cured. Similar to Italian Prosciutto, some say that jamon is cured for longer…although I can’t say for sure until I get to cure my own! =)

So. The platter. The jamon was expertly presented by our wonderful waiter, Peter, much in the way cheese is presented. The first was from a white pig, which was ( I’m told) fed a rather restricted diet and kept really high above sea level. The next was a black pig that was fed a mixed diet of acorns and grass, and the last was fed an extremely restricted diet of just acorn. (I tried my best as to remember this all correctly, but excuse my pockets of lost information!)

The white pig had a lovely flavour that reminded me of macademias. Lightly oily and nutty, this particular jamon had a great silky feel in the mouth and tore away much more easily than the other two.

The second had a slightly chewier texture that was similar to that of prosciutto. It also had darker, meatier flavours, and the saltier edge was more apparent to me. The cornichons (think French gherkin) really helped in this case, since the crunchy, sour/sweet of the cornichons provided a great foil to the chewy salty/smokiness of the jamon.

The third (I apologise in advance for my unrefined palate!) tasted quite similar to the second to me. Salty and chewy, the first bite held a glimmer of difference to me, but upon trying to more clearly discern the difference in taste in the consequent bites, I just lost all difference completely. It was almost as if my taste buds swooned in the utter delight and there was nothing else I could do in the meantime to revive them. Maybe this is a little like Impressionism – you get that fleeting moment, but when you try to concentrate on it you lose the beauty of it all.

I shall try again, next time. I promise!

And now, on to the dessert!

The Milk Chocolate Mousse was suggested by the ever-helpful Peter-the-waiter as the first thing to try. Velvety mousse sat below a viscous river of salted caramel and a layer of heavily aerated vanilla milk foam. I desperately tried to catch a shot of that beautiful cloud that was rapidly, and rather tragically, deflating fast. Maybe it’s that impressionistic thing again – get it quick or lose it forever. Either way, the mousse was one of my absolute favourite things for the night. In the mouth, the foam left the comforting aroma of milk while the silky mousse rushed in with it’s chocolatey richness. Finally, that dense, molten lava of salted caramel coated my tongue in it’s heavy and heady blanket of complex sugary goodness.

From left: Honey Creme Brulee, Exotic fruit and Rum Savarin

While the Creme Brulee hit all the right spots for me – glass-like melted and scorched sugar delicately perching atop soft, smooth, slightly-set (excuse the alliteration) custard – the ‘honey’ bit of it went largely unnoticed. It had a great complexity in its sweetness that ranked it above the run-of-the-mill Creme Brulees that you get at some pseudo-gourmet eateries, but I personally didn’t notice enough to place a tag on it that says, “Honey”. This also being my first ‘proper’ exposure to rhubarb (which really reminded me of celery) I think I might have been a bit more intrigued by the compote served with the dessert.

The Exotic Fruit and Rum Savarin – Savarin being a yeast cake that has sort of bread-y texture with a cake-y denseness and soaked in a (usually alcoholic) syrup – was light and enjoyable, but nothing that I would run around and do cartwheels about. It’s a good end if you’re having a heavy dinner though. The fruit was just slightly on the tart side, and was nice with the texture of the juicy cake. The sorbet was nice and light, but not quite essential to the dish. To me, anyway.

From top: Dark Chocolate Tart, Poached Raspberry Meringue

If you like your desserts thick, rich, and decadent, then the Dark Chocolate Tart is the dessert for you. A fudgy filling is topped with a silky smooth ganache on the top. Served with a mandarin sorbet, this fudge needed that citrus hit to prevent me and my tastebuds from descending straight into chocolate-induced insanity. The grapefruit on the side, I thought, was inspired, and the slight bitterness of the grapefruit actually enhanced the sweetness in the dark chocolate filling. Yum.

The best part of the Poached Raspberry Meringue was definitely the raspberry sorbet. The thing is though, the sorbet was almost exclusively all that I can remember about it. One quinelle was delicately perched atop a beautiful piece of architecture, it’s tangy sweetness dissolving into the mouth like a fresh, minty breath. Maybe because of the awesomeness of the sorbet did I not remember much about the rest of the dish…

Either way, so many gorgeoulicious desserts were sampled that night that we were promptly nicknamed the “Dessert Mafia” by the hilarious Peter-the-waiter. Besides the good food, the experience was certainly enhanced by his beyond excellent service, which deserves a standing ovation. He actually turned on the lights for us when the only other table in the room left, which really aided getting nice photos!

*Cue applause*

Which is why we left him this:

There was a little card thing that came with the bill, so we wrote a little something for him!! :D:D

We ate at:

Bistro 80
Star City
80 Pyrmont Street
Pyrmont NSW 2009
1800 700 700

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When the Moon hits your eye…

what i ate June 15, 2011 1 Comment

That’s right, I made a Pizza Pie! Thoroughly inspired by Muppy’s Pizza Campofranco, I thought, “I’m not up for making pastry on a week night, but I LOVE the idea of the layered pizza!”

The answer? A Pizza Pie! It is easy, and takes barely any effort at all.

Leftover Pizza Pie
You’ll need:
Chorizo, sliced
Bacon, chopped (Or any other meat that you’d like to put into your pizza)
400g Tinned tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
Mozerella cheese
Basil
Puff Pastry, Defrosted

First, sauté the garlic and onions in two tablespoons of olive oil till golden. Next, tip 400g tinned diced tomatoes into the pan and simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, till the tomatoes reduces to a thick sauce.

While the tomato sauce is reducing, fry off your selection of meat.

When all your ingredients are ready to go, lay down a sheet of puff pastry (I used frozen) onto the pie dish of your choice. Next, layer the tomato sauce, meat, basil and cheese.

I used some pumpkin purée as well as I had some steamed pumpkin left over. The idea of this is to add whatever you feel like, because at the end of the day, it’s your pie! Cover with another layer of puff pastry and fold in the corners. Bake in a 180-200 C oven till golden brown.

And there you have it! A quick, yummy weekday evening treat that took barely anytime to make at all. And the best part is that anything in your pantry goes! Which means that you don’t have to scrounge around for a particular ingredient, or make that mid week dash into the shops.

Enjoy!

El Jannah, Granville

Review June 8, 2011 6 Comments

When we were told that we were going to have the best charcoal chicken in the world, I must admit that I was just a little bit skeptical. So was Sean, but as we were hungry, out of ideas, and this was very near home, we decided that it was worth a shot.

And we were not dissappointed at all!

The meat plate that we ordered was really nicely spiced and well cooked, but what really impressed me was the pickles!!

MM the pickles. It’s saltier and more sour than I’m used to, but it is gorgeously so. I kind of feel like one of those kids who taste lemon for the first time, but you keep wanting to eat them!! It really cut through all the meatiness and added an awesome crunch to every mouthful.

And who can forget the chicken at a charcoal chicken restaurant!

It may not look like much, but I love the blend of spices and the juicy smokiness. I’m a thigh meat kind of girl, and this did not disappoint! Sean and I were fighting over the crispy skin. YUM.

Every eat-in meal comes with Lebanese bread, individually packed.

AND this HEAVENLY garlic sauce. If nothing else, I’d buy heaps of this garlic sauce. I heard that it freezes well too! Great for a party, this creamy mayo-based garlicky goodness is absolutely addictive! I would bet that the mayo is homemade – there just that extra something about that amazing mouth feel.

There are takeaway options also available, but you have to order the pickles, sauce and bread extra. Whatever you might decide, I would certainly recommend giving this smoky joint a shot – your tummy will thank you. =)

We ate at:
El Jannah
4 – 8 South Street
Granville NSW 2142
(02) 9637 0977

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Mamak Village

Review June 6, 2011 7 Comments

Mamak village – the seemingly smaller cousin of Mamak, the Malaysian sensation that has swept Sydney by storm – is just 5 minutes from where I work, so I thought that I absolutely “owed”* it to myself to check it out.

I decided to try the Roti Canai. It was actually quite good – nothing quite like what I can get at midnight back in Singapore, but way better than I expected. It was still soft and fluffy, with a good amount of bite, and the sambal that it was served with was a tad watered-down for my liking, but still not bad at all.

I also ordered the Nonya Tofu.

This dish was quite nice, and actually reminded me of Agedashi Tofu that you get at Japanese Restaurants. It also came with a sweet chilli dipping sauce that was not too cloying, but lacked that spicy

I do, however, really like the Acar (aa-chah) that comes with the tofu. Why? I have no idea. But it does make me miss the bags of acar that my mom used to buy from the markets.

Acar is basically a pickled salad, commonly with pickled cucumber, carrots and sometimes pineapple. It’s great with rice, or on it’s own as a snack/munchy type thing.

And finally, I ordered a Teh Ais (as in, iced tea) to go with everything. It’s something that I would always order in a Singaporean or Malaysian coffeeshop, and it’s basically strong tea sweetened with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice.

Perfect for a hot summer’s day, or any time, really. But then again, I’m quite the iced tea fiend, so I’m a bit biased. 😉

*Any excuse for gluttony really.

I ate at:
Mamak Village
Glebe
25 Glebe Point Road
Glebe, 2037

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Fisherman’s Wharf Seafood Restaurant, Pyrmont, Sydney

Review May 7, 2011 7 Comments

The lovely Miss Piggy and Starloz organized a blogger’s meetup, and much MUCH food was consumed. We all went to Yum Cha at a restaurant and sat above the Sydney Fish Markets, and well, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Yes, that was our bill in the end. Though, considering that it was over 20 hungry food bloggers in attendance, it wasn’t a bad effort at all!!

The food, well, it was ok, but not particularly exquisite. I think that especially since I have to commute to the city, there’s no real draw for me to make another dedicated trip back by myself.

I did have a really good time though, and I think the whole experience made it really fun for me – the hustle and bustle as the trolley-pushing ladies jostled for our attention, cameras going off in every direction, plates and cups clinking…it all made for a very memorable day indeed.

A big thank you to our lovely organizers, and it was lovely to meet everyone!!! =)

We ate at:

Fisherman’s Wharf Seafood Restaurant
+61 2 9660 9888
Sydney Fish Markets Gipps St,
Pyrmont NSW
Mon – Fri: Yum Cha and A La Carte Lunch – 11am-3pm; Dinner 5pm-11pm
Sat – Sun: Yum Cha and A La Carte Lunch – 10am-3.30pm; Dinner – 5pm-11pm

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Mamak, Sydney

Review May 5, 2011 7 Comments

I have had my first Mamak experience!!! I’ve tried to go there before, but the extraordinary queues have always brought out the procrastination monster in me.

But no longer!!

With the lovely Miss Piggy keeping me company both in the queue and the meal, I can proudly say that I’ve eaten at Mamak.

Miss Piggy ordered the Roti Canai, which came in a fluffy, crispy ball. How cute is that?

I ordered the Roti Planta, which is something firmly entrenched in my childhood. The Planta bit at least. Planta is this kind of margarine that is widely used in Southeast Asia, and I remember the local Kopitiam (Coffeeshop) serving up crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside toasted white bread that is slathered with Planta and Kaya – which is a spread that is made from egg yolks and coconut and HEAPS of sugar.

But back to the Roti Planta. It fired off heaps of memories, but the texture of the roti left something to be desired. For me at least. It still is the closest that I’ve come to what I find at home, but there’s just a little bit of chewy lightness that I need from Roti for it to really hit the spot for me.

Miss Piggy and I had the Rojak to share. This one was a bit of a surprise to me – Rojak in my mind is chunks of ingredients covered in a salty sorta fermented shrimp sauce.

In it’s own way, it was a really nice dish. The julienned cucumber and radish offered a refreshing crunch, and it was all covered in a reddish peanut sauce. Nice enough to finish, but it sort of left me a little bit puzzled as to what rojak is. Considering that the word rojak literally means “salad”, this dish is well within the range of expectations.

In all, my Mamak experience was quite good, and I’m really excited to go back sometime soon and try the other dishes.

We ate at:

Mamak
15 Goulburn Street
Haymarket NSW 2000
(02) 9211 1668

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