Homemade Takoyaki

I don't really like to buy single use appliances unless I will use the appliance regularly, like a rice cooker or a toaster. Even then, a rice cooker can double as a steamer (aha! didn't know that, did you?), or you can use it to make congee too. The problem with single use appliances is that once the novelty wears off, it is just clutter in the kitchen, or becomes another piece of item that the landfill didn't need. I can hear the collective gasps of hoarders worldwide... Of course, who am I to judge when I have egg moulds that I have only used twice in a decade? 

So anyway, I have been hankering to make takoyaki at home for years but didn't want to buy a takoyaki pan. I finally managed to borrow a cake pop machine (perhaps that is why people should have single use appliances - so their friends can borrow them!) and made these takoyaki at home!

They were so delicious, but it was fiddly pouring the batter into those little moulds, turning, waiting for it to cook, pouring more batter to make it round, more waiting for it to cook. I made these takoyaki with prawns instead of octopus just because I didn't have octopus handy and they tasted more delicious. I topped it with Kewpie mayo and bonito flakes that waved in the heat. 

My first bite into the takoyaki balls were wonderful - it was somewhat crispy on the outside and soft in the inside with the bite of the prawn pieces. 

The downside is that the cake pop machine only yields 12 pieces of takoyaki for 20-30 mins worth of work and wait time so the reward vs work ratio was grossly unbalanced. But it was still a good experience to be able to make my own takoyaki. You can also experiment with other fillings, perhaps oysters or unagi or spring onions. 

Cabbage Rolls

Chinese cabbage was plentiful in the markets recently and I usually buy a whole one (not a pre-cut half) and then struggle to think what else to cook with it besides stir fried cabbage with dried shrimp and bean thread noodles.

I have made these cabbage rolls once before and decided to make them again this time using turkey mince filling. With the turkey, I also added chopped garlic, shitake mushrooms, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil and a little salt and sugar. The flavours are very nice, but the meat was a little dense so I might add some more vegetables like water chestnut or carrots.

You must be wondering how to wrap the cabbage since it is not pliable at all! Be sure to select the outer/middle leaves so that you will have a large enough leave to wrap the filling with. You only need the leafy bit so cut away where the leafy bit ends and the stem begins. Blanch the leaves in boiling water for half a minute, then refresh in cold water so that the leaves remain green. You don't want your dish looking like they've been sitting in the bain marie for three days!

Drain the leaves, and pat dry if you have to. Then put some filling at the bottom of leaf and roll upwards, be sure to tuck the two sides in before finishing rolling. As there is already quite a lot of moisture in the leaves, there is no need for a sealing agent like corn flour slurry or water.

Steam the rolls till cooked, about 15 minutes and finish off with a sauce of your choice. I used abalone sauce with scallops but you can also use oyster sauce or chicken stock (thickened with corn flour slurry). 

Mushroom Cake from Gelato Messina

Look at this super cute mushroom cake from Gelato Messina! This is a limited edition Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom Cake created by Gelato Messina in collaboration with eBay to celebrate the latter's 21st birthday. Only about 450 were sold Australia wide. The mushroom cake is Gelato Messina's most popular cake and retails for around $80 (17 people portion) so I was very happy to be able to taste this limited edition, popular and beautiful cake. 

The mushroom is made of vanilla gelato, chocolate coated honeycomb, raspberry jam, hundreds and thousands cased in red chocolate glaze and white chocolate dots in blue, green and yellow the eBay colours. The green dots tasted like matcha while the blue, red and yellow dots are white chocolate. 

The chocolate stem is made of vanilla gelato and dulce de leche paste. Lastly, the grass is popping candy feuiletine. I had to google up feuiletine - it's a crispy French crepe pastry. 

My favourite bit is the feuiletine grass because it gave me such a nice surprise when the popping candy started to jump and dance in my mouth. I also really love the dulce de leche paste in the mushroom stem because it is so decadent.

This gelato cake feeds 8 people. Initially, I didn't think it was possible but after tasting the cake, it is probably the right estimate because I already felt quite full after one small piece. It was very creamy and filling. 

This is probably the nicest looking cake I've had the pleasure to eat for some time!

Seafood Galore!

It has been several months that seafood especially lobsters, crabs, quality tuna are at their cheapest. With the supply chain to export markets disrupted due to Covid19, quality seafood are now redirected to the domestic market instead. For example, lobsters are selling at $40 per pound whereas it was double the price previously. 

Well, we did take the opportunity to savour the taste of lobster noodles in the brief 1 -2 month window when Victorian restaurants opened for dine-in. With the restaurants only providing takeaway service these days, I would think twice about ordering the same dish. Even at such prices, lobsters are a treat food for special occasions so I'd rather be served steaming hot lobster noodles at a restaurant than be eating from a takeaway container. 

What is more affordable are crabs, and I must say I generally prefer the mud crabs to the flower crabs because the former is meatier and the meat is firmer. But in terms of preparing them, I prefer the latter because it is easier to cut up a flower crab than through the thick shells of a mud crab. Also, it is impossible to find fresh not frozen but dead mud crabs. I just cannot bear the thought of slaughtering a live, moving animal myself. 

So to fulfil my craving for crab curry that one would get from a restaurant, I cooked this flower crab curry with okra, tomatoes and onions at home. And now that I know how easy it is to prepare, I am going to make this every month! The trick is to find a curry paste (haha, cheating!) that you like and dump the crab into the sauce, then the veges and voila, crab curry! I used MasFoods Seafood Curry paste for this dish. 

Next on my list of restaurant dishes to replicate was lobster noodles with spring onions and ginger. I bought a lobster tail from the supermarket and bulked the dish up with fish slices and prawns. I think it tastes 90% close to the lobster noodles one gets from the restaurant. 

 Are there any dishes that you like to eat in a restaurant but have been making at home? 

Country Cob Bakery, Boronia

The humble meat pie is the quintessential Australian food. China has its Xiao Long Bao, Malaysia its Nasi Lemak and Australia has its meat pies! (of course, I'm over generalising here, there are so many other delicious foods in each of the aforementioned countries).

And where do the best meat pie in Australia come from?? Country Cob Bakery!! This bakery is located in Kyneton and Boronia, and its American BBQ Whisky Pork and Quail Eggs Pie has just been awarded the Best Gourmet Pie in the whole of Australia by the Baking Association of Australia! It's Pepper Beef Pie was awarded the Best Pepper Beef Pie and they also received a myriad of other awards, not just this year but in the past few years too. And to think we have not tried them before today... sigh*

We bought the Pepper Beef Pie and the BBQ Pork and Quail Eggs Pie to try, as well as a Vanilla Slice. A very typical Aussie lunch, it makes me want to eat them at a construction site with a cold beer by my side. 

Pictured below is the BBQ Pork and Quail Eggs Pie ($6.90). See those markings on the pie? They are there so people don't get confused about which pies they're getting. The full summary of pie markings can be found on their Facebook page if you're interested. With over 30 varieties of flavours, it's a wonder that the staff can remember which pie is which! 

There are several things that I look out for in a good pie - pastry, filling, and sauce. And this pie just ticks all of them!! (oh except one). The pastry was light, does not feel oily or heavy. It was flaky and fragrant. It was generously filled with big chunks of beef and oodles of sauce. It was tasty stuff. The only gripe I had was that the pie I got DID NOT HAVE ANY QUAIL EGGS!! :( :( :( :( :(... (some tears there).

Look at the picture below of the pie innards, there is not one quail egg to be seen whereas the sample picture of the same pie on their Instagram account had at least 3 eggs. I love quail eggs so I was very disappointed. Maybe they forgot to fill my pie with any quails eggs.

Gaz had the Pepper Beef Pie ($5.90) which was delicious, so much tasty gravy. It certainly lived up to its name, it has 3 different types of peppers in the pie though it was too peppery for me. Compared to the Gourmet Pies, the pepper beef pie had minced meat (rather than meat chunks) filling but I enjoy a traditional meat pie nevertheless.

For dessert, we devoured their Vanilla Slice which definitely deserves equal mention as their pies. The vanilla custard was soooo good! The taste of vanilla was thoroughly unadulterated, the pastry was fresh. I think it deserves an award of its own. 

Country Cob Bakery has appeared in many media including being the subject in a short film by SBS. The founders are two brothers from Cambodia who migrated to Australia and decided to open up a pie shop because they had never had pies in Cambodia before. It's such an inspiration to see their success story unfold. I hope they continue to do well. For those who wish to taste their pies, the bakery is open through Covid19 and does delivery too, delivery is free for orders over $100 in September. 

As a side, I have posted a picture of my chicken pie that I made for Gaz's mom here. It certainly is no award winner, but I put a very cute touch on the pie, spelling out the word MOM. The recipient was easily amused and thought it was an innovative touch.

                                         

October

We have reached the month of October - it has been 10 months since Covid19 turned our world upside down, and 2 more months to Christmas. I wonder what Christmas will look like this year? Covid19 has changed the world so much that it has been a year of 'firsts' - first time wearing a mask while outside the house, first time not seeing anyone else for months, first time wearing pyjamas to work.... perhaps there will be no family Christmas celebration this year. Hmm... I think that is not entirely a bad thing. Imagine the reprieve from busybody relatives, the uncle who like to ask how much you earn before tax, the auntie who always compares how well her daughter's roast turkey is (but has never offered to bring) to yours. 

I was just thinking the other day about how October seems to be a popular month for awareness for mental health. October is the National Depression Education and Awareness Month, Positive Attitude, Self-Promotion, Head Start Awareness, Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Awareness. It's also a month to celebrate pears, pineapples, pretzels, popcorn and pizzas (no pun!). My favourite is the I'm Just Me Because - not only does it sound rebellious, like something you'd say to your mom when you don't want to cut your hair or wear something other than black it also celebrates diversity.

So if you have used up your exercise time quota this October and have some time on your hands, consider your mental health and have some healthy food. 

Rice Noodle Rolls

Covid19 stage 4 restrictions in Victoria meant that we in metro areas can only go out once a day for 1 hour for exercise, be home by 8pm, and leave the house for food, care, work or exercise only. The restrictions are meant to limit movement to control contagion of the virus so it means that if I forgot to buy something, I'll have to wait till the next day to buy it or just go without. 

So when I decided I wanted to eat rice noodle rolls, but have already used up my 'shopping quota', I made them instead. They're filled with spring onions from the garden and dried shrimp accompanied by fried shallots, and sweet soy sauce mixed with shallot oil which was so delicious!

Boy, making rice noodle rolls in a domestic kitchen is a pain! Unlike commercial kitchens where the steamers are huge, the pans for the rolls are huge and everything would just take a snap of the fingers, I had to patiently wait for my small wok to boil, place the batter on the one pan that was fit for use and repeat 15 times to get a decent sized plate of rice noodle rolls. It took me ages even though the steaming process was quick. 

The one good thing is that I know we are eating freshly prepared rolls which unlike those sold in a package from the fridge at the shop, these are entirely preservative free. The recipe needs a bit more tweaking but I think it will take me a few more months to muster up the patience to make this dish again. 

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Lor Mai Kai

I rue the day that someone thought of the bright idea of wrapping edibles in leaves to cook. Did they envision the hard work they have imposed on modern day people hundreds of years later? I really dislike wrapping food in lotus leaves, bamboo leaves what have yous - these leaves need a lot of preparation, and it is not an easy task! Look at the lotus leaf I'd bought from the store, they're full of holes (holey moley!!). Witches rags, I call them. 

But on someone's request, off I went to the store to buy these holey lotus leaves that took me one day to prepare and another day to prepare the ingredients and wrap. Compared to wrapping the triangular bak changs, I think these are easier so that was a positive.

This is the end result - lotus leaf wrapped Hong Kong style lor mai kai. The filling consists of dried shrimp, shitake mushrooms, chinese sausage, pieces of chicken (of course, since lor mai kai is translated to 'glutinuous rice chicken' covered with glutinuous rice. Steamed in the lotus leaf, the fragrance from the leaf was unmistakable as one opens the parcel for a taste of the rice. 

This dish is tasty and usually served during yumcha in restaurants. I just never thought of how laborious it actually is to make! So now, I know... and I must think of what else I can do with the 4 remaining dried lotus leaves in my pantry. Halloween costume, perhaps?

Bento Bento, Glen Waverley

Many restaurants are participating in some kind of promotion or other in this challenging retail times. It is even more commonplace where the competition is significant, like on Kingsway in Glen Waverley. Many Asian restaurants on the strip has daily promotions, Groupon, or promotion with purchase type advertising. 

After the first lockdown ended, we went to Bento Bento on a Groupon voucher. It was nice to dine out again. The restaurant was quiet but livened as lunch hour progressed. There were a number of take away orders but many people also preferred to dine in. One of the things I missed during the lockdown was dining out, and not needing to wash the dishes afterwards!

Under the Groupon promotion, we were given a serve of endamame each and allowed to order one rice bowl and a soft drink each. Gaz ordered the Gyu Don and I had the Katsu Curry Don. 

The Gyu Don came with an onsen egg and pickles. The beef was cooked in a flavourful soy based sauce. The beef slices were thin with distinct strips of fat i.e. tender!

I enjoyed my Katsu Curry Don because as always, I find Japanese curry delicious and heartening. The Katsu Curry Don reminded me of the time we went to a mountainside town in Japan during offpeak ski season. We ventured out at night for dinner but strangely could not find any restaurants open except for a small neighbourhood eatery that served their last two bowls of curry udon to us. It was a scary moment for me - imagine starving through the night! But thankfully we found something to eat and even if it was an ordinary bowl of curry udon it filled the hole.

Ordinarily the rice bowls would cost $15 each but we got a good deal with Groupon. Each of our meal ended up costing below that but included endamame and a drink. 

Our order was served quickly and were freshly prepared. Except for a few hiccoughs at the beginning where the soft drinks of our choice were unavailable, the service was prompt. 

There are already a few Japanese restaurants on the strip like Ajisen Ramen and Waya so I do think that this restaurant would need something more to differentiate itself to survive in these challenging times. 

Update: This restaurant has permanently closed

Forage Food Store, Boronia

When brunch was a thing in Melbourne (sigh... those days look so long ago!), we would go to Forage. They serve hip dishes like pulled pork, apple kimchi slaw, watercress. They're always busy but the waitpersons are friendly and the service is prompt. One thing though - if you're having a girly brunch, don't sit on the stools. They're not very comfortable. 

The last time we were here shortly before the lockdown, we ordered the Benny with Pulled Pork Shoulder ($18). This comes with poached eggs on potato rosti, pulled pork, kimchi slaw. I like the potato rosti and the eggs were poached perfectly. The hollandaise sauce was creamy and rich, to be cut with the acidity from the kimchi slaw. I would rather prefer the real kimchi though, as the kimchi slaw was a bit meek for my taste. 

Gaz being the big man ordered the Big Meat Breakfast ($21). It was laden with bacon, sausages, potato rosti, eggs sunny side up, mushrooms, grilled tomato and in case you didn't have enough carbs, toast as well. I love big breakfasts and this was no exception. I just love the meats and wished there was more kransky sausages but this is portion control by the restaurant and I am glad for that. Otherwise I will be eating far too much processed meats for my own good. 

Forage is currently open for takeaways only, which lessens the attractiveness of any dishes so it would be wonderful to be able to dine in once again. They have outdoor seating at the back as well as along the side of the shop so if you prefer to sit outside during warmer days or just to be socially distanced from others, that is a good option to keep in mind. 

U Dumpling, Boronia

U Dumpling is a good place to go to if you have a hankering for some Sichuan food or something spicy. Their dumplings are not too bad either but it's really the dishes of hot and spicy food that we come here for. If you do order the spicy dishes, then be ready for the mind numbing heat that will have you reaching for tissues to wipe your tears away. 

We ordered the Braised Spicy Lamb Ribs ($28) - this was on the special menu. It came with green peppers, bamboo shoots and the portion of lamb was generous (more generous the first time we ordered this dish when it was still new on the menu). I love lamb ribs cooked this way because it falls off the bone and is so tender. Tina's Noodles have a spicy noodle dish with lamb ribs that is my go to each time I visit that place because of the same reason. But this, just lamb ribs and plentiful at that, is way better!

In the mood for something deep fried, we ordered the Sichuan Spicy Chicken Rib ($17.80). It's entirely a coincidence that we ordered two rib dishes! Deep fried with sichuan spices, it was crispy and the fix I needed. But it had a heavy taste and it was not due to the spices. 

The restaurant looks clean and tidy and the portions are generous. They have been adding more main sized dishes to the menu so it is more than just a dumpling and noodle restaurant. The menu need a little more variety though, maybe a few more non spicy vegetarian dishes to complement the spicy dishes. 

Malay Momma, Southbank

The National Gallery of Victoria has reopened but admissions are only through booking so that they have some sort of control over the number of people in the gallery. It was probably the first time we had a nearly empty gallery to ourselves, where we could take photos and stop by exhibits for as long as we wanted without getting in other people's way. It was quite a pleasant experience! 

The arts sector is bearing the brunt of Covid19. Many performers and artists do not qualify for the Jobseeker payments. Arts is a luxury, but at the same time a necessary part of life. It really is too bad that some universities may seek to decrease the cost of job-ready courses such as Economics at the expense of Arts courses. What kind of society would we become without beauty in our lives? 

After our visit to the NGV, we were hungry but wanted to avoid going into the heart of the city. Luckily, I had heard of this new restaurant nearby. It was a 5 minute walk and the restaurant was empty so we could dine in without worrying about the social distancing rules. All of their orders while we were there was for takeaways or deliveries.

I found it thoughtful and hygienic that their cutlery came in a prepacked sleeve containing fork and spoon or spoon and chopsticks with a napkin. Common cutlery boxes should be out the door by now, but many restaurants still retain this pre Covid19 habit. 

We ordered the Curry Laksa ($14.90) - with chicken, fish cake, tofu puffs, green beans. The broth was creamy and lacked a little spice but I have no complaints. There were plenty of chicken, tofu puffs and fish cake in the dish. I was really happy about that, because no one likes eating just noodles.

I had the Beef Hor Fun - flat rice noodles with beef in silky egg chiffon sauce ($14.90). I could smell and taste the breath of wok in this dish. The flat rice noodles were cooked really well, so was the beef slices. It was tender and there were lots of them. I can see that this restaurant does not skimp on the ingredients that matter! I really dislike restaurants that serve big portions of carbs but you'll be hard pressed to find any proteins in the dish. 

The prices are probably a little on the high range but I understand that the rental and location may be contributory factors here. There is also a lack of good Malaysian restaurants in the area so if I was living nearby I would be happy to pay these prices. 

Kokoro Asian Cafe, Bayswater

This cafe recently had a change in management and now serves Japanese food. Previously, I believe it was a cafe known for its coffee and also served Indonesian food. We actually stumbled across this cafe only recently and decided to try it out as we wanted to support the local businesses. 

The wait person told us that they had only taken over since two months ago at the height of Covid19 so it must have been difficult for the owners to remain profitable during this period. Unlike some restaurants that had increased their prices to cover for the additional cost (hand sanitizers, reduced patron numbers due to social distancing), Kokoro had maintained the same prices and even provided more complimentary items like prawn crackers, miso soup and candy bars. 

We ordered Spicy Kimchi Chicken Bento Box ($16.50) and Baked Chicken Chop Rice ($12.50). 

I liked the kimchi chicken and the assortment of fried entrees in this bento box. The packaged jelly in the dessert section of the bento box is a cute touch! 

The sauce in the baked chicken chop rice was sweet but bland. It was not what I'd expected and I would probably not order this again.  

The cafe is a friendly neighbourhood Japanese cafe close to the train station so it is great for weary commuters wanting to pick up some Japanese food on the way home. 

Quiche Lorraine

Here are a few of my favourite things thrown in together in a dish.. voila, the Quiche Lorraine! It could pass for a variation of bacon and eggs on toast and instead of a breakfast food, it's a lunch or dinner meal. 

I made my own pastry this time but the pastry was a little dry but crumbly. How can it be possible for a pastry to be short but dry? I have yet to master the art of the pastry...

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the Quiche or quiche Lorraine? Who is this Lorraine chick who was so popular she got a quiche named after her? Did she like bacon and eggs too? 

Apparently, the quiche was invented in a medieval German kingdom called Lothringen and was renamed by the French as Lorraine. The word 'quiche' is from the German word 'kuchen' which means cake. So Lothringen cake became Quiche Lorraine under the French. 

Regardless whether it is a German or French invention, it is one of my favourite dishes to eat!

Strawberry and Cream Mille Crepe Cake

I can't really say that I like sugary desserts and snacks which is why I really like mille crepe cake because it is a mix of savoury-sweet crepes, cream and fresh fruits. I made about 15 crepes and layered it with whipped cream and thinly cut strawberries this time but I also like mango in my mille crepe cake when it is in season. 

Mille crepe cakes require much patience to make and assemble. This cake took me about an hour to make and assemble which gave me a lot of time to think about other things. Like the Australian sugar industry. Did you know that sugar is Australia's second largest export after wheat? The sugar industry was deregulated in 2006 and since then out of the 24 sugar mills in Australia, only one remains Australian owned. In Australia, the biggest players in sugar processing are Wilmar Sugar (Singaporean owned) and MSF (Thai owned). More than 80% of sugar is exported overseas which makes Australia the second largest sugar exporter after Brazil. Sugar cane thrives in hot and humid environment which is why Queensland is the the sugar cane growing state. 

The average Australian consumes about 105 grams of sugar per day of which 60% are free sugars (not found in naturally occurring foods). This is compared to the recommended sugar intake of 36 grams per day. I think that many people are genuinely health conscious these days but inadvertently eat more sugar than the recommended intake because it is hidden in many everyday foods such as breakfast cereal, flavoured yoghurt, chocolate milk and food sauces. 

So if you wish to indulge in a dessert but don't like too much sugar, then the mille crepe cake is perfect for you!

Post Covid19 Dining Out

When the restaurants open again, would you dine out? That is the million dollar question. 

From my limited experience of dining out post Covid19, restaurant operators need to understand that the whole operating environment has changed. The new normal is no longer just about putting a bottle of hand sanitiser at the door, it is so much more than that. 

Restaurants should no longer be putting out shared condiments, utensils and cutleries on the table for everyone to help themselves. The virus can live on plastic for 7 hours, during which multiple customers would have helped themselves to a dose of the virus too. 

Many restaurants are still charging a surcharge for card payments. By all means provide the option of payment by cash or card, but removing the surcharge on card payments would be helpful. Do restaurant workers really want to be handling cash right now? And do the customers want them to handle food or dishes after handling cash?

Maybe it's time for restaurants to have disposable paper menus or menus on the wall to avoid multiple people touching those plastic encased menus and leaving their DNA on them.

Collecting customers' details does not mean passing a book and pen that have been handled by numerous people for customers to write their details down. To be honest, I don't really want to be touching anything that has passed through the hands of so many people before me. 

To ensure social distancing and meeting maximum customer numbers in the dining area, seating should be removed or if not removed, blocked off so that customers cannot demand to sit in a particular spot in close proximity to diners on the next table. 

Perhaps the more established restaurants have already implemented these changes, but there are still a number that have not, particularly the suburban restaurants. I would not be surprised to see restaurant reviews cover Covid19 safe practices besides the quality of service and food. 

So, back to the million dollar question. I think I will dine out at restaurants less often and preferably in large, airy venues with good hygiene practices. Until then, more home cooked food for me. 

BlackBall, Bourke St

We visited BlackBall desserts to satisfy our hankering for something cold one day and ordered the Mango Qffles and Chocolate Banana Qffles. 

The waffles were spongy and bland, and the ice cream tasted below average. Perhaps for $9 each we should not expect too much. Maybe the other Chinese style desserts would taste better but we would not be going back to try them out.

Hokkien Mee

When I think of Hokkien Mee, I think of the big sizzling wok it is usually cooked in, the giant stove spewing with fire like a dragon's mouth, and the chef who is almost always a man - skinny, wrinkled and weathered from spending too much time close to the immense heat. Out from his skilled hands come this fragrant and glistening noodle dish. It derives it's aroma from the two most important ingredients - caramel dark soy sauce and pork lard. This is the delicious Hokkien Mee that I know, but of course, for health purposes we cannot all eat pork lard as and when we like. But I've discovered a simple recipe for a great Hokkien Mee without pork lard. 

This recipe is so simple that I like to think of it as my 1-2-3 recipe. Why? Because if you remember to put 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 3 tablespoons of dark caramel sauce then you are almost already there. Can you smell it?

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
500g thick hokkien noodles, blanched
100g choy sum or chinese cabbage
100g prawns, deshelled and deveined
50g pork, sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons of dark caramel sauce
dash of white pepper powder
1 teaspoon dried sole fish powder (optional)
water

Fry the minced garlic in oil till fragrant. Fry the pork and prawns until semi cooked. Add the noodles and vegetables to the pan, oyster sauce and dark caramel sauce and stir till combined and vegetables semi softened.

Add just enough water to cover  the noodles, close the lid and braise until sauce has thickened, around 10 minutes. There should still be a little bit of sauce left so don't be too worried if the sauce has not fully evaporated. If too wet, then open the lid and cook to the preferred slurpiness factor.

Shujinko Ramen, Flinders St

In Japan, noodles are slurped and eaten as noisily as you can manage, to show your appreciation for the cook's work and the deliciousness of the food. In the western culture, it is customary to eat quietly because it is considered polite. So, to slurp, or not to slurp? If I slurped, the broth might get onto my shirt. So we ordered two types of noodle dish at Shujinko Ramen. 

The first is Tsukemen ($16.50), which is a dry noodle with a dipping sauce. So if I slurped on dry noodles, my shirt will be protected from stains! The noodles come with the same broth as usual, only more concentrated because there is nothing else in the broth to dilute it. The noodles's texture was harder than normal so I didn't really like this. I think I will stick to the usual ramen in soup next time. There is also an onsen egg and two pieces of chashu and a piece of seaweed.

Gaz ordered the Black Ramen ($16.50) which is ramen in pork broth and black (seafood based) seasoning. The broth tastes better than mine, I suppose because of the added sweetness from the seafood seasoning. Also, there is black fungus slivers for added crunchiness.

Staying at Home - Weeks 7 & 8

Wow, has it been 2 months since we have been staying and working from home? I have almost lost the memories of what it felt like to cram into public transport before sun up to get to work and I can't say that I miss it. There are moments in the day especially around dinner time when I get flashbacks of dining in restaurants, but these are fleeting thoughts as either Gaz or I cook another dish for our meal. With so many routines interrupted, lives changed, how will it look like in another 2, 6, 12 months after Covid19? Here are some of my predictions:

1. I think there will be a population increase in about 9 months' time, not driven by immigration. Businesses in the baby product industry should take advantage of the lead time, and the times to create new products and strengthen their online sales capability. Astronaut suits for babies perhaps?

2. Demand for IT services and personnel will only increase as businesses shift online. Covid19 has provided the impetus to conduct more business transactions online. Much to the dismay of 5G naysayers, the bandwagon for faster internet is only rolling earlier into town and will be here to stay.

3. You'll finally get a seat on public transport. As public transport operators are forced to reduce capacity to safely provide for adequate space on the trains, bus or trams, those of of us who take public transport will no longer have to cram into a people's armpits in a tram in peak hour anymore. Unfortunately, it would also mean more cars on the road because people who have to get to the office will need to, one way or another. Also, public transport is not appealing to people who have high risk family members.

4. Death of the open plan office may look possible. Anyone who has tried to have a phone conversation in an open plan office will rejoice at this prospect. Keeping your voice low does not work, everyone else is also trying to keep their noise levels down so they can listen in. And how can anyone appear professional or normal when they're whispering?

5. For those who are able to, working from home for more days a week will no longer be something to frown on. The employers have proof that it works, the employees have more flexibility so it will be a win-win situation right? This is debatable, because I think it will eventually morph to working more hours in a day because work=home=work, and it's easier to be left out.

So, what are your predictions?

Happy Mothers Day

Here is my very amateur attempt at decorating a cake for Mother's Day. But what you just need to know is that the golden kiwis were very sweet, and so were the red seedless grapes. This is a chestnut cake, the chestnut paste was very delicious too. What I'm getting is that it may look bad but it does taste good! Substance matters more than looks! And certainly the thought matters a lot too...

So Mom, Happy Mother's Day to you. I remember we had the chance to celebrate the day together last year but it feels like a century ago. We can't go out as freely anymore, so I will make you more homemade things to celebrate. And although they would have looked amateurish or even taste different than those in the restaurants or shops, you would have oohed and aahed over it just like you normally do to show your appreciation.

I remember reading a famous Malay story called Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup at school. In the story, the mom abandoned her two young kids because they ate the fish roe she so craved. I thought to myself how selfish can this mom be that she would begrudge her kids from eating her food? Because I have never known my mom for withholding anything from me, much less food. My mom would rather go hungry than seeing us kids without food. Mom's really the best.

Staying at Home - Week 6

This week one of my more noteworthy dishes is a home made pizza. I made the dough from scratch and chose my own toppings. No, nothing zany like anchovies and brown sugar. I had a little bit of leftover sausages which I carefully socially distanced on the pizza, cracked an egg over it, shaped the pizza into a square (I used a cookie sheet pan to bake) and called it Quarantini.

For the second pizza, I made a seafood variation with supermarket marinara mix over the same tomato sauce base topped with grated cheese. I also sprinkled some mixed herbs which imparted some freshness and called it Marona. 

The base turned out fluffy and crispy on the edges which is not bad for a first attempt. I also like how easy it was actually to make, but there is a skill involved in shaping the pizza and that's why our local pizza store will still be in business!

Lai Good Taste, Boronia

We found a new joint that serves a Malaysian hawker style yin yong noodles! For those who love yin yong - so called because there is the contrast in texture and colour between the deep fried rice vermicelli (white in colour) and stir fried flat rice noodles seasoned with soy sauce (dark in colour), you will know that it is not a common noodle dish among the Malaysian restaurants in Melbourne. I am not sure why, but it makes the finding of this restaurant extra special. 

We ordered the yin yong of course, for me ($13.50). The balance of portion between the rice vermicelli and flat rice noodles was just nice, and there were lots of chicken pieces and gravy in the dish. I do find that the flat rice noodles were missing some wok hei (breath of the wok) but I finished the dish to the last bit of gravy anyway.

Gaz ordered a lunch special - dry egg noodles with braised pork belly and black fungus (I think it was $12.50). This is also dry egg noodles with chicken feet and mushrooms, which is a more common Malaysian hawker dish but we didn't feel like eating chicken feet that day. The noodles were springy and the braised pork was tasty. I still liked my yin yong better.

The restaurant takes up two shop lots but there was only 1 waitperson and 1 chef in the kitchen. I'm not sure if it is normally quiet or because of Covid-19 but there were only two tables of customers that day including us. Service was quick and the waitperson was very obliging and friendly.

I really hope that this restaurant will make it through the current crisis, because there are still so many dishes I want to try in this restaurant, for example - Fried Hokkien Mee (full of lard, black soy goodness that is so difficult to find in Melbourne) and Bean Curd on Sizzling Plate (ahh... the memories, I wonder if it will taste the same as the restaurant near my childhood home?). It is no doubt a very difficult time, let us hope that everyone will pull through alright soon.

Update: This restaurant has now closed.

Spacewalk Cafe, Ringwood

Spacewalk Cafe is a small cafe in a neighbourhood shopping strip that serves brunch and coffee. Their main attraction is a robot waiter that supposedly carries trays of food to the table. Too bad it was not working at the time of our visit. Even robots need time out for R&R. Another drawcard is the cafe's decor - modern, rose gold chairs, wallpapers with a space theme sets it apart from other cafes.

We had bought a Groupon deal for this restaurant which entitles us to choose a dish and a beverage each. We were given a special Groupon menu to choose from so I have no idea how much the dishes would normally cost or if they are on the main menu at all. 

I chose the Waffles with Schnitzel and a short black coffee. I was disappointed with the food portion, thinking that I would get a whole waffle. A small chicken schnitzel sandwiched between two quarters of waffles and some salad leaves peppered with cheese powder was quite a small main dish. The waffles tasted good, fragrant and eggy and the chicken schnitzel although looking a very dark brown was not overcooked. 

Gaz ordered a Beef Burger which came with fries. I think the standout here is the fries, it was crispy and fluffy on the inside. I'm not sure if it is housemade but it tasted good enough for me to wish there was another basket on the dish. As for the burger, I think it could be elevated with brioche buns and a larger patty.

Service is slow here (maybe because the robot took a sickie?) but since there was two large groups that day, it is possible that they were just not accustomed to the volume that day.

Verdict: Good for brunch with the kids, especially if the robot is working.

Update: This restaurant is now closed.

Staying at Home - Week 5

So, it's Week 5 of staying at home. The numbers seem to be dropping and people are more relaxed these days to the detriment of those who are still practicing social distancing and safe hygiene. For example, a man stood right beside me while waiting at the cashiers to ring up my purchasers. Someone was telling me that they'll start going into the office a couple of days a week then perhaps scale it up. 

As bad as people want things to go back to normal, I've gotten used to how the way some things are which I now enjoy very much. I like going for groceries and not having to jostle people for the specials. Because almost everyone is posting up fitness videos these days, I've gotten hooked on workouts that I can do at home. Who doesn't like casual clothes Friday all week long?

Today as I was going for a walk outside the house, I found it so strange wearing sneakers on my feet. They have been used to walking on soft carpets at home, not encumbered by any covering. Maybe in another month's time I will find it strange wearing anything other than tracksuit pants? 

Tao's Restaurant, Bulleen

Tao's is a modern Asian fusion restaurant located in Bulleen. It only does a degustation style menu which is priced at $68 per person for dinner or $58 for lunch on the weekends. Diners get 7 dishes which include a set starter, an entree and rice plus a 2nd entree, main, soup and dessert of your choosing. 

We were here many years ago and recently decided to visit this place again. Not much has changed, the interior still looks the same, the service is still good - in fact as a sign of the times we were handed a squirt of hand sanitiser when we crossed the threshold! (this was during the early days of the virus when hand sanitisers were still readily available for sale).

For the chef's seasonal platter starter, we got some grilled scallop wings (no picture). Scallop wings are the frilly bits around the actual knob of meat. I don't normally see it on the menus as obviously it is a by product akin to sashimi off cuts and so on, but it was tasty and is in the spirit of not wasting every edible bit of a produce. We also had cherry tomatoes which must have been infused with honey water because it was watery, and oh so sweet. If only I knew how to make it at home, I would enjoy tomatoes much more.

For my entree I chose tempura prawns with kombu shoyu sauce. The tempura batter was a light and crispy but not greasy. The ornamental wheat garnish is so Tao's and I remembered it really impressed me when I was here many years ago. Tao's was fine dining at an affordable price. 

Gaz chose the miso pork belly which was thin pieces of pork belly slices and blobs of miso on the side. It wasn't what we expected with pork belly, which conjured visions of crackling or melt in the mouth meat. The slices were tender but too thin to enjoy the melt in the mouth feeling.

The chef's 2nd entree was seafood fondue. It consisted to assorted seafood topped with cheese sauce and baked in the oven. It was nice and hot and quite filling. Add some rice and sriracha and you'd have a good dynamite pot bake.

For my soup I chose the ginseng chicken soup which as its name suggests was ginseng with chicken bits on the bone. I like my herbal soups and although this did not taste too strong of herbs, I enjoyed it.

Gaz chose the seafood chowder. It didn't taste too strongly of seafood and tasted quite generic.

For my main, I asked the waitperson for his recommendation and he did not hesitate to suggest the beef ribs with chocolate and red wine. I didn't think I would like a sweet sauce with a savoury dish but the sauce was not sweet at all which was a relief. It was rich and well balanced, and the meat on the beef ribs were melting in my mouth, so delicious.

Gaz chose the lamb racks with pine nut dukkah. Lamb is expensive and it's reflected in this dish. The lamb was thin slices of meat. I must say I didn't enjoy this dish because I felt the lamb didn't smell fresh, there was cumin in the seasoning which is not a spice I liked and there was not enough food to qualify as a main dish.

But we didn't go hungry because there was the chef's rice which was a simple egg fried rice to fill us up. This dish was very plain and would have been a lot more fragrant if they added some spring onions. My MIL does a very good fried rice dish and she taught me a vital ingredient of fried rice is spring onions.

For dessert I chose the chestnut puree cake. This looks like a birthday cake from Breadtop - they have one that looks like a shaggy dog, its locks formed by strands of chestnut puree just like this one. The chestnut was not too sweet and the cake was not too sweet either but even though I do not like sweets, I found this dessert a little too bland for me. Gaz had no problems polishing this one.

He chose the matcha swiss roll with adzuki paste. Similar to my dessert, this was not sweet and I found it quite bland, and probably good that it was a very small portion.

Our dining experience was good. We were only 1 of about 5 tables in the restaurant (due to the coronavirus situation) so the service was extremely fast. Sometimes the waitpersons would send the next course to our table even when we have not finished what we were eating yet. Gaz did feel like he got the shorter end of the straw because he seemed to have chosen his dishes poorly - small portions (though he was not hungry by the end of the meal as he had some of mine and also the rice filled us up) and he did not enjoy the taste of his entree and main dishes.

Tao's had wowed me in the past when it first jumped into the fusion, affordable fine dining scene more than 10 years ago but with new restaurants, bolder flavours, food known for its instagrammability rather than taste, I'm afraid it's getting left behind.

Update: This restaurant has now closed

Working from Home - Weeks 3 & 4

This two weeks are not any different to the last two weeks except that I'm trying some new routines to minimise going out and avoiding crowds such as buying my groceries on one weeknight, and getting hooked on workout videos on Centr (gosh, the HIIT sessions by the lady trainer is so good!). 

I also enjoyed a few days off from cooking ever since we overcame the fear of taking away food (or rather, our hunger for restaurant cooked food overcame us!). I remember how my babysitter used to cook for her family every day, every meal. Looking back, I don't know how she managed! She would churn out 6 or 7 dishes every meal on her own. She is a real superwoman. 

One of the meals I cooked last week was a mussel dish stir fried with minced garlic, minced ginger, minced lemongrass (white bits only), birds eye chillies and chopped coriander to garnish. I cooked it in a wok for just long enough for the mussels to open up. You won't need to add any stock or water (or wine) because the mussels will release their own juices as they open up and it is so so sweet, so good to drink like soup. 

The dish was part of our Easter celebration. This year, it was a circle of eating, napping, watching tv, exercising to videos on Centr and sleeping. It was very relaxing. People were urged not to go out this year and between the weather and the Victorian police, I think the message got through to most people. It was raining and very windy on the Easter weekend, and the police roamed the streets looking for people who were loitering to fine them. Gaz told me he saw many police cars on the road when he was driving to pick up our food. 

I can't wait for next week to see what other new routines I can incorporate into my day! 

Gurkha's Nepalese Restaurant, Brunswick

Ever had Nepalese food before? It is rather like Indian food and Chinese food, as Nepal borders both India and China. For example, momos are influenced by the chinese dumplings, and dhals influenced by indian cooking. 

We were indecisive on what to order so had the simple banquet ($27 pp). We received these dishes: 

Entree was Gurka's Special which was fried lentils and spiced potatoes topped with yoghurt served in a pappadum cup. The texture was a mix of crispy from the fried lentils and soft (yoghurt).

Chilli chicken is one of the main dish. The chicken pieces were deep fried then sauted with capsicum in a sweetish, chilly sauce. Although the name of the dish was chilli chicken, it was not spicy at all which I was fine with. This dish would be a chinese influenced dish as I have a chinese recipe that is almost the same, except it has the addition of dried chillies.

Matar Paneer is a dish made of cottage cheese, in a creamy curry sauce with green peas. It is very creamy as the name suggests and is delicious when paired with basmati rice. It would be perfect with some roti but there was already too much food for us.

There were also Mutton Curry and Dhal. I must say that the mutton curry is where I wished it had a bit of spicy kick like the Indian curries have. The cut of mutton used in this dish has a dry texture, whereas I'd expected a springy texture. So although I love mutton and mutton curries, I liked this dish the least in the banquet.

For dessert, the waitperson was kind enough to offer us two different desserts when the menu specified we were to choose between one or the other. On the right there is Khir or rice pudding and the left, Rato Mohan or cottage cheese balls.

I liked the Rato Mohan very much, it is similar to Gulab Jamun in Indian cuisine. It is deep fried cottage cheese balls soaked in syrup.

It takes a little getting used to for the rice pudding which was spiced with cardamom, cloves and other spices. Being used to rice as a savoury dish, it'll take some time to get used to a sweet rice dish like rice pudding. So it was a dish for Gaz the vacumm cleaner to finish up.

I love the waitpersons' friendly and easy going attitudes. The amount of food was definitely enough for the both of us, so much we took some leftovers. The banquet was a good choice because it gave us an idea of what we would like to order again, and also to keep an open mind of what the dishes would taste like. For example, curries didn't necessarily mean it would be full of chillies.