Homemaker in the Making: Garlicky Focaccia Bread

Since I noticed that there are bottles of mixed herbs and seasoning left untouched in the fridge, I decided to put them to good use. Cant let these ingredients go wasted right! I am an anti food wastage advocate. Heh, which explains my curvy figure too. I got this recipe off the web but I made quite a bit of modifications to it so can I call it mine now? Haha. This one is really easy to prepare! Preparation merely took 10 to 15 mins while the baking time took me 35 mins. Anyway I am proud to showcase my first home made bread here. I am really proud as I made this from scratch! Plus I used plain flour and not bread flour which is easier for making bread. So here I present my crunchy on the outside, soft at the inside bread!

    Baking in process. This is the first time I am using the new oven.

Freshly baked! Can you smell the aroma? 

 Look how soft and fluffy the bread is! First attempt at making bread. Success! 

I cut it into strips so that it is easier to eat. Pair it with a mushroom soup and you are good to go!

Here's the recipe (makes a 9" by 13" pan)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of warm water of around 50 degrees (Dun use boiling water otherwise you KILL the poor yeast)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose/plain flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon of Masterfoods garlic seasoning (Optional. You can use fresh herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary)
1 teaspoon of Masterfoods dried mixed herbs and a little more for sprinkling (Optional. You can use fresh herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary)  

Procedures
1. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan 
2. Combine and mix all the dry ingredients (except for the garlic seasoning as it is only used in the final step)
3. Add in the warm water and olive oil and mix well. (You can use an electric mixer or do it by hand) 
4. Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it doubles in size or becomes bigger..
5. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 200°.
6. After the dough has risen, gently poke the dough all over with your index finger to remove excess air.
7. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with Masterfoods garlic seasoning and Masterfoods dried mixed herbs or the dried herbs of your choice.
8. Bake the bread till it's golden brown around 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Cut and serve! 

This is really easy to make! Try it sometime! 

Here's a silly gif I made. Look at the cutesy ribbons on my hair! My eyes look too big in here.. scary! Happy weekends everyone :) 

Xiang Xiang Fishball Noodles

If you are at Yishun, there are some food not to be missed and Xiang Xiang Fishball noodles is one of them. I was there with Dad a couple of weeks ago and these were what we had.

 Fish ball mee kia (dry and mixed) $3. A mixed portion means you get  meatballs and fishballs, the best of both worlds. This looks so tantalizing! But Dad complained that the noodles werent really cooked. Minus points for that. It is no wonder why our noodles were served quickly, almost too quickly.

I had the fish ball  meepok (soup) which costs $3 too. This is just nice to my liking because the soup is rich yet not salty. 6 fishballs for $3, baik lah (malay for good)!

According to Dad, Xiang Xiang's standards have dropped quite a bit ever since it become a big hit among foodies. Well to me, the soupy version still tasted good. It used to be $2.50 last year but this year there is a $0.50 price hike. So it's up to your discretion. Come on over and give your ratings!

Total damage done: $6 for 2 pax

Overall Ratings: 3/5    

Xiang Xiang Fishball
Chong Pang Hawker Centre
Yishun
#01-177

Homemaker in the Making: Steamed Kaya Pau

I tried my hand at making Pau (Chinese steamed buns) and it worked! Not too bad for a beginner like me. Ignore the kaya paste oozing out of the buns. It's the best that I could do, really!

 Cousin (coincidental that her nickname is Ah Bao! Lol)  is supportive throughout my pau-making process. One tough thing about making paus is closing the ends and to make sure the filling doesn not flow out. I failed for a few buns because I couldnt make the ends of the skin touch nicely.

Recipe (makes 12-14 buns depending on your bun size)
Modified from happyhomebaking

Ingredients
300g Hong Kong pau flour
3g baking powder
3g instant yeast
30g caster sugar
150ml water
15g vegetable oil
A jar of kaya paste (Mine is NTUC brand)

Procedures

1. Sieve Hong Kong pau flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add yeast, caster sugar and mix well.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add in water and mix to form a dough. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it becomes smooth (about 5 mins). Knead in the vegetable oil and continue to knead for another 10-15 mins or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Take a piece of dough (about the size of a table tennis ball) and stretch it, you should be able to stretch it to a fairly thin membrane without tearing off easily, if not continue to knead for another 5 to 10mins.
3. Roll dough into a smooth round, place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it proof for about 1 hr or until it doubles in bulk.
4. Punch down the dough and give a few light kneading to release the trapped air bubbles. Divide the dough into 12 portions (about 40g each). Roll each portion into a smooth round.
5. Flatten each dough into a small disc with your palm or a small rolling pin, make the edges thinner and the centre portion thicker. Wrap each dough with a dollop of kaya paste the size of a 50 cent coin. Pinch and seal the seams. Place dough seam side down on a square piece of parchment paper. Cover loosely with cling wrap and leave buns to proof for 20-25 mins.
6. Place buns in a steamer or wok and space them apart so that they do not touch one another. Steam at medium to high heat for 12mins (make sure the water is already boiling before steaming). When ready, remove the lid carefully to prevent water from dripping over the buns. Remove immediately and serve warm. Keep any leftovers in fridge (covered with cling wrap or store in airtight containers) and re-steam till hot before serving.

Happy cooking everyone!

Rest in Peace

I just learned of the news that a good friend's mom has passed away. I am terribly upset about it because I have met her twice, both during Chinese New Year. Last Chinese New Year was especially memorable to me, because I had already fallen sick then, with difficulty swallowing. Her mom took note of that and she specially brewed me herbal tea. As she was heading out when we just reached her house not long ago, she specifically reminded me to drink the herbal tea and to add hot water if needed. She also told me to just eat the white bee hoon that she cooked and steer clear of the other fried food she cooked because it wouldn't be good for my throat. Such is the thoughtfulness of this mom, who isn't related to me at all. I am just her daughter's friend, no one special, yet she treated me just like her own. It just hits me more badly because I have personal dealings with her and it is just terrible not being able to attend her wake when I really want to. I hate being sick. Please let me be well. Rest in peace auntie, I will always remember you as someone jovial, the one with the infectious laughter. I used to joke with your daughter that she inherited her laughter from you because you girls laugh really alike! Thanks for your kindness. To my friend, I hope you can stay strong and be your cheerful self again. Thanks to Breadman for going on my behalf. I know these four days are big days to you so I am truly appreciative of it.

Mad for Garlic Revisited

This is the 7th time I stepped into this Italian Bistro that originated from Korea, which is also my all time favourite restaurant! However, this is my first time setting foot in the new outlet at clarke quay, my previous garlic sessions were at the suntec one, which has since closed down. I am one who dislikes crowds, especially noisy ones, hence it was a wrong decision to visit this place on a Friday night. My gastronomic experience was a little disrupted by the throngs of people in there, who were busily chatting/shouting  away. I had to scream (I am not joking!) to my companion who was just seated by my side!

Wreaths of garlic welcome you as you step into this restaurant. I like the garlic themed decorations which are cleverly included in this place as it shows the painstaking efforts put in to inject this garlicky-feel. I should have shot a few pictures of the garlic shaped lamps!

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 For starters, we had the garlic bread tower ($12.50) which is a block of garlic bread filled with garlic spread, enough said.

 The aftermath. Bread was well toasted and crisp. Garlic spread was average. In short, this dish is comfort food, but nothing memorable, something that my mom could replicate easily.

 Mushroom risotto ($22.50) is itself a pretty sight. 10 points for the excellent food presentation!

The rice grains were infused with the aroma of cheese, cooked with spinach and mushroom. Generous chunks of grilled chicken topped the grains. In my opinion, this dish is really good and recommended for hungry fellows!  

 Calzone pizza ($19.90) is a personal must-eat each time I am here. They should make it a chef's recommendation! This is akin to a stuffed cheesy tortilla. It is served with sweet garlic sauce, which is my favourite! I can polish the sauce up easily.   

Sweet garlic puree to go with the calzone. This is really good for someone with a sweet tooth like me. 

I will definitely go back again when I have my garlic craze, but not at night of course! Reservations are a must if you do not want to wait until your legs are sore. 

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                                      The beautiful night scene    

Total damage for 2 pax: $52.90 (I used an online voucher)

 Overall Ratings: 4/5 stars

Mad for Garlic Italian Wine Bistro

Blk 3B Rivervalley Road

#01-16

The Foundry

Singapore  179021

Tel: 63331507

 

            

Happy Mothers' Day

This is a belated post on Mothers' Day which falls on the Sunday of the second week of May. Meant to blog about it earlier, but I was so overwhelmed with work these few days. Finally manage to get a breather today, after finishing the work due for submission tomorrow. Anyway, here's a secret! I didnt know that Mothers' Day did not have a fixed date! I thought Mothers' Day is on 12th May every year! Goondu me. I gained that wee bit of general knowledge again. Haha. Family has decided to eat out next Sunday as a celebration for it. We usually do post celebrations because we do not want to fight with the crowd and pay exorbitant prices for the same kind of food that you get on usual days. Well, dates do not matter because after all it's the thought that counts. This year is a bit different cuz I went to select Mom's gift personally and I made her a card, with my heart and soul ok! I repeat, with my heart and soul! I painstakingly glued each tiny sequin/crystal onto the card because mom likes all things bling, shiny. In short, she is the blink queen.

This card may look simple, but it isnt that easy to make. Materials used: crystals/sequins. letter transfers, scissors, glue, tweezer, textured construction paper, clear nail polish. What?! Nail polish?? Yes, I used it as a varnish, learned that during my art lesson last time in secondary school.

The interior of the card! Nei you qian kun! My hanyu pinyin still okay right? I won third prize in the national hanyu pinyin competition during primary school ok, dun play play! Pop up heart to show my love for my beloved mama. I call her mama. Not mom nor mummy, just an affectionate "mama". Pardon me for my handwriting, I suck at penmanship.

 

Look how joyful she looks while "reading" my card! Fooled you! Mama cant read, she isnt educated, but that's fine, I can read to her. She was having more fun with the pop up card, closing and opening the card repeatedly and trying to push the heart in.

 Mesh design Bering watch. Mesh watch is all the rage now, we have Skagen too. Both brands are originated from Denmark. It cost $249 bucks, while the Skagen one is $219 bucks. However, the former has scratch proof glass which justifies the 30 bucks difference. The watch is gold plated and will not tarnish. Its face is encrusted with tiny swarovski crystals, giving it an overall sophisticated yet sleek feel. There is life time warranty for this watch as well, such a good buy right!

 

                                                The evidence of age on mama's hand. Haha...         
Happy Mothers' Day to all mothers out there! Shout out to your mama today! Show them your love, if saying "I love you" to them gives you the shudders (I do! I only say that to my guy. Haha), then do up a card like me :)                     

Be My Granddaughter In Law

I was at bugis for my biweekly acupuncture session when I met this old granny who appeared to be in her seventies. She was there to treat her chronic leg pain and was accompanied by her maid. When she saw me as I walked out of the treatment room after acupuncture, her first question to my mom was whether I was her daughter. Her next response brought a smile to my face though. Guess what? She said I look beautiful! And I am not kidding! She didn't say it just once, but thrice! Ask my mom and aunt and they can vouch for me! I was both flattered and amused by her compliment because I haf to admit that I dun think I look that good since my hair was tousled after lying for long on the  bed for my acupuncture session, my lips were slightly chapped and my spectacles were falling off. You call that beautiful meh? Haha... Perhaps she has a weird taste. Probably she was captivated by my smile, which I am very proud of.
Her next comment shocked me! She asked me to be her grand daughter in law! I have had people asking me to be their girlfriend, their daughter, but this is the first time I have such an interesting request from a stranger! Needless to say, it made my day! Before we bid goodbye, she still asked me to go to her house and play! Haha... Well, probably next time then granny, if we get to meet again! Bring your grandson along next time! Hahaha..

Today, I was badly hit by some senseless and insensitive remarks made by an individual who desperately needs classes to bring up her emotional quotient. Even though I knew it myself that her remarks did not bear any truth, I was still pretty emotionally shattered. From this moment onwards, I am never going to let others' words get into me or affect me negatively. If I were to meet any such individuals again, this time around I shall politely leave the scene, instead of letting them lead me by the nose, giving them the freewill to verbally abuse me. I shall stay strong. I promise.