Raspberry-Chocolate Brownie by Villa Halia

An opportunistic shot of a display item during a wedding roadshow hosted by Villa Halia.

Enjoy~!

黯然消魂饭

(aka Homemade Char-Siew Rice)

為了表示我犹如滔滔江水连绵不绝的敬仰, 請大家先回味電影《食神》中關於黯然消魂飯的一段經典對白:

評審：叉燒，好吃啊！我從沒吃過這麼好吃的叉燒，
救命啊~~~~叉燒的肉汁鎮在纖維裡面，好似江河匯聚，
而且裡面的肉筋被內力打碎, 入口即之鬆化，
再配合用火雲掌煎成的糖心荷包蛋...
哇！這叉燒太棒了！塵世間沒有形容詞可以形容它了！為什麼？為什麼？為什麼？
為什麼讓我吃到一碗這麼好吃的叉燒，如果我以後吃不到怎麼辦？！ （昏倒……）
嗯？這是怎麼了？我怎麼會流淚呢？有一種哀傷感……

食神：是洋蔥，我加了洋蔥。

雖然肉筋不是被內力打碎（在下用的是雙立人刀背）、
糖心荷包蛋也非火雲掌煎成 （用的是家中的煤氣爐和平底鍋）、
但，俺的的確確加了洋 蔥！
我還故意刺破糖心蛋黃，製造一顆受傷的“心”呢！

希望吃的內人能嘗出我的堅持輿用心...

Enjoy~!

Birthday Wishes from JacJac

Here is a video of Birthday Wishes from JacJac!



Happy Birthday to me! Yay!

Remembering Ah Wang, One Year On

It's been one year since Ah Wang's passing.

We held a simple ceremony to remember our beloved canine companion, Ah Wang, who passed away on 15th May 2009, aged 20 (human) years.

Despite the passage of time, Ah Wang is still very much part of the family.

Ah Wang's altar at home is decorated with bright cheerful colours, pictures of Ah Wang, canine "companions" and her favourite foods and drinks which are replaced/replenished regularly.

I know for a fact that Popo (my mother-in-law) still sits with and speaks to her daily...

We also pooled money and bought (a considerable amount of) paper Taoist offerings to be burnt for Ah Wang.

These included a nice two-storey house and numerous other luxuries (can you spot the LV bag and MacBook?) in addition to probably several millions in spending money.

Hopefully, she'd be able to receive them and lead a plentiful afterlife before reincarnation. ;)

Girl-Girl, you'd always be in our hearts. ;)

Home Kitchen - Roast Brined Chicken with Apples and Vegetables

I have never cooked any proper foods (aside from roast sweet potatoes, that is) using an oven which I have always considered the domain of the missus for her sweets.

That and the fact that our humble oven is exactly that, humble.

Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go at making roast brined chicken on a tray of apples and vegetables with encouragement from my gal.

What do you think of my first attempt at oven-cooking?

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photography - Xbox Cake

An Xbox-shaped cake is marjerLynn's response to the request from the family of a teenage boy celebrating the first of his adolescent years.

Guess what? I helped shaping the D-pad and the power button!

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photograpgy - Banana Muffin with Chocolate Bites

One of my favourite marjerLynn products.

Baked with real bananas you can literally bite into within the muffin. Soft chocolate bits complements the taste perfectly! 'Nuff said!

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Treasure Island Golden Fried Rice

金包银炒饭

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Fresh Oysters

I happened to pass by one of my favourite supermarkets which features wide range of live seafood and decided to treat myself to half a dozen of fresh oysters from USA.

Taken with a quick squeeze of lemon. Slurrrrp!

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photography - Rainbow Cake

This Rainbow Cake is marjerLynn's response to a request from a special 20 year old birthday girl.

You can imagine the amount of work that went into baking the layers one by one!
Don't you feel happy by just looking at that? ;)

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Homemade Pancakes

I love pancakes and Hotcakes from MacDonald's has always held something special for me with its soft, fluffy yet rich taste without stuffing you up.

Over the years, I have tried all kinds of methods, from instant pancake mixes to chef's recipes from cook shows, all without success.

Finally, (I think) I have uncovered the secret to them! The trick lies in mixing melted butter and milk to the batter (which has been left overnight in the fridge to "wake" it up) until it reaches the consistency of fresh cream.

Then, in one smooth swift motion, ladle the batter onto a non-stick pan over low heat. Flip the lovelies over when the pancakes are browned on the heated side (I'd say about 20 seconds each side).

I'm picky about good food. And I'd say these taste grrrreat!

Enjoy~!

p/s: To further test this recipe, I kept some in cold storage and steamed them after a couple of days.
Still as delicious!
Now I can make them hotcakes at home too! Wazzzaah!

See.Food.Photography - Banana Muffins

Some of my all time favourites -- Banana Muffins!

Topped either with chocolate chips or cranberries. Simply yummy!

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photography - Green Tea and Pear Roll Cake

A surprisingly sophisticated and refreshingly combination in this second of marjerLynn's month of going green.

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Chinese Sausage Bun (臘腸包)

Here's something that I tried to re-create at home after some good friends from Hong Kong first introduced me to the dish during a recent trip to the territory.

It is one of Hong Kong's comfort foods. So simple in concept and preparation and yet so sinful and fulfilling. It's not for the faint-hearted or cholestrol-conscious though.

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photography - Kiwi Tart

marjerLynn decided to go green this month with this first of several green colour-themed creations.

Do check out marjerLynn's Facebook page for more! Join as a fan to lend us your support!

Enjoy~!

See.Food.Photography - Vanilla Bean Pods

It has been 2 months since my last update. I didn't even realise it has been that long. Gosh!

Well, sometimes, you look at something simple and plain and get that inspiration to capture it unto something special.

Here is my take on some of the missus' vanilla bean pods.

Let me know what you think~!

Home Kitchen - 赛螃蟹

An innovative dish that I have enjoyed since tender ages in a restaurant that my family still patronises.

I'm surprised it took so long for me to attempt it at home.

I did not not include an English moniker for this post for want of suitable, descriptive name.
It is a dish created from scrambled egg whites flavored to taste like crab meat, typically topped with a raw yolk for added texture.

I have been led to believe that at the epitome of culinary skill, one can successfully achieve it without using any real seafood or artificial flavourings. Imagine that!

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Braised Pork Belly (东坡肉)

I'd honestly never think of making this if not for the request from dear wifey.

The results are pretty good for a first attempt.
To quote the missus, when asked to appraise the dish,
"Like ice-cream".

Melts in your mouth!

Enjoy~!

Home Kitchen - Singapore Laksa

The familiar thick rice vermicelli in rich coconut broth exploding with rich aroma of dried shrimps and tangy spice of chilli!

Deep-fried fish cake sliced length-wise, fresh cockles, well-soaked tau-pok (i.e. puff toufus) and topped with a sprinkling of chopped laksa leaves.

I can go on about how we know we shouldn't indulge but I caved in to my gastronomic desires.
Gosh, I'm just a man!

Enjoy~!