a little trip to melbourne

We spent a lot of time with my uncle/aunt/cousin's cat in Melbourne!

Wow, it feels like October is over before it's begun! It's true, time does fly when you're having fun! Simon and I spent ten days in Melbourne this month, and it's been great just lazing around, and catching up with friends and family while we were there.

We had quite an indulgent time, food-wise. Dinner on the first night were these delicious home-cooked lobster noodles.

Chinese-style lobster noodles.

A big batch of bak kut teh (pork ribs in herbal broth) was also cooked at some point, and I turned the leftovers into a vegetable-studded bak kut teh noodle soup.

Bak kut teh with vegetables and thick rice noodles.

We spent most of our time out in the suburbs with my parents and relatives, but we did also manage to catch up with a few friends while we were there.

I caught up with my ex-colleagues, and we had a nice lunch at Nara Thai. My chilli-basil pork with rice was gratifyingly spicy, and I enjoyed chatting with everyone at the table and getting all the latest news!

Stir-fried chilli and basil pork with rice on the side at Nara Thai Restaurant in South Melbourne.

Delightful conversation flowed over a delicious Indian dinner with our friends at Mukka in Fitzroy. I was particularly charmed by the bhel puri, a salad-like snack consisting of puffed rice, Indian snack mix and crunchy chickpea vermicelli, pomegranate, tomato, onion, lime, tamarind and mint.

The intriguing and delectable bhel puri at Mukka Indian Restaurant in Fitzroy.

And we were treated to a pleasingly light and fresh Japanese lunch at Ichi Ichi Ku Izakaya the next day. The sushi here was beautifully made, and the company of our friends was stellar. We only wished there could have been more time to hang out!

Fancy sushi rolls at Ichi Ichi Ku Izakaya in South Yarra.

Since we thought we might be looking at moving back to Melbourne sometime in the future and settling down, we spent one whole day checking out property inspections in the inner-city area. In between it all, we popped by Ba'get for quick and wholesome, cheap and cheerful Vietnamese food - just the thing to fuel us for the day.

Coffee and grilled pork vermicelli bowl at Ba'get Vietnamese Eatery in the Melbourne CBD.

And of course, amidst all the hobnobbing around, we do still always take the time to chill out with the cat, and we made sure he ate well, too.

He loves the mackerel!

Also, while I don't have pictures, my parents made zongzi (large triangular dumplings made with glutinous rice, meat and beans, wrapped in bamboo leaves), and that was awesome. My dad is very good at wrapping these things! He also bought durian for me, yum yum.

In conclusion, it's been fantastic to be back in Melbourne again after more than two years away - and we hope to return soon enough!

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recent delights: yoghurt, salt with attitude, jarrah honey

Things have been hectic recently.

A huge change is coming, and I'll tell you all about it in my next post.

But for now, here's a short and sweet compilation of some recent delights, as it's been a while since I've posted about the random foodstuff I've bought and enjoyed.

For the past year or two, I've been buying five:am organic yoghurt. It now comes in many flavours, and I haven’t tried them all, though I’m actually quite in love with just the natural one with no added sugar. The tub in the picture below is of the vanilla bean yoghurt - as you can see, they're pretty generous with the vanilla. I still like some of the more niche yoghurts that I get elsewhere, but this stuff is great and has the upside of being easily available in the major supermarkets. I have my eyes on trying the coffee bean, as well as the dark caramel, next.

five:am vanilla bean yoghurt.

I've also just used up the last of my jar of Salt with Attitude from Green Farmhouse. I actually purchased this on a whim at a shop in a local airport whilst on an interstate trip. I rarely buy food souvenirs at airports, but this just looked like it would be delicious, and it was. With sea salt, sesame seeds, bush tomatoes, chillies and spices in the ingredient list, there is definitely some jazzy attitude there, with a bit of kick and a bit of zing. I think the rich, piquant flavour of the native Australian bush tomatoes really give it an extra edge. When I use this instead of regular salt, the dish takes on a distinctive new flavour.

Green Farmhouse Salt with Attitude.

Last but not least, Jarrah honey. Where have you been all my life? I got this on last year's trip to Perth because I was intrigued by the claims that the health benefits of this honey surpasses many others. What no one told me, was that it tastes like caramel popcorn. Yes. Seriously. Sweet, nutty, divine - I’m happy just licking it off a spoon! Mine was from The House of Honey but I suppose any minimally processed Jarrah honey from a quality producer should be just as good. I'm so in love.

Jarrah honey, purchased from The House of Honey in Western Australia.

I hope you enjoyed my Australian-centric edition of tasty odds and ends. Stay tuned for my big announcement in the next post!

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odds and ends: a glimpse of my everyday cooking: noodles, soups and stews

Here's a lazy end-of-the-month post where I share with you the sort of things I cook regularly: noodles, soups and stews. For an indolent cook, these are easy, fuss-free dishes that don't take up much time or effort at all. I whip up meals like these ones in all sorts of variations all the time without jotting down any measurements, but I'll give you a quick tour anyway, and perhaps you'll be inspired to make something similar!

I love a good ramen. If my memory serves me correctly (ha! Iron Chef reference!), this is a vegetarian miso ramen I made with organic ramen noodles, bits and pieces of vegetables from the fridge, and free-range eggs. Gotta love the umami taste, and those wobbly, creamy orange yolks.

Vegetarian ramen.

This is a quick stew I made some months ago, using leftovers from a roast pork dinner. I added some tomato and onion to the roast pork and root vegetables, along with some water, cooked it for a bit until the flavours married, then threw in some coriander leaves.

Leftover roast stew.

A wondrous work lunchbox creation: blanched rice vermicelli noodles, fresh beansprouts, raw cashews, and a boiled egg. I sloshed in some lemon juice and soy sauce, then sprinkled on mint leaves, sliced red chilli, white pepper and salt. When I wanted to eat, I poured in some freshly boiled water from the kitchen kettle, let it sit in the container with the lid on for a few minutes, and voila! A gentle, soothing, vegetarian Asian vermicelli soup to enjoy at my desk. I really should do this more often, I was a very happy girl that day.

Just-add-hot-water vermicelli lunchbox.

Last but not necessarily least, I bought some organic Koshihikari rice recently, a Japanese short-grain variety. I paired it with pork, cauliflower, broccoli, lamb's lettuce, fatty pork, and miso to make sort of a rice stew, or soup.

Miso rice soup.

What are the types of dishes that make up part of your everyday life?

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recent delights: brazilian banana candy, orangina, cantaloupe jam, havarti cheese

Hello everyone, I hope you've been well.

I knew I was way overdue for a "recent delights" post when some of the delights aren't that recent anymore. So here we go! Another edition of various odds and ends I've encountered lately.

My capoeira instructor came back from a trip to Brazil earlier this year, and he brought back these Brazilian banana confections with him. It's apparently pure banana. That's right, banana is the only ingredient in this sweet, chewy candy called "bananinha". I have no idea how it's made, but I imagine the bananas are cooked down until they're all thick and caramelised, then poured into a tray to set, before being cut up into pieces. How's that for a guess? I've also received a very similar banana candy from a Thai colleague, though I think that one had additional ingredients, and as a result, a slightly more complex flavour profile. Either way, these are pretty nice snacks. Maybe I should try making my own one day.

Bananinha, a Brazilian sweet... basically,  banana candy.

The carbonated citrus drink, Orangina, is quite common back home in Malaysia but I rarely see it here in Melbourne, or anywhere in Australia, really. However, one of my local spots, Le Petit Français Crêperie & Café in South Yarra, serves it. Intrigued, I hopped online to find out more about Orangina's story. Two things: 1) I find out that it's actually Algerian in origin, 2) I'd always assumed that it was just a fizzy orange drink, but I now know that it also contains lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit juices. I'm a bit of a citrus fiend so I guess this explains why I find this beverage so attractive. That plus the nostalgia factor, no doubt.

Orangina, a sparkling citrus beverage.

Simon's housemates went to Daylesford a while ago, and they brought back some lovely fruit preserves. Our favourite one was the homemade cantaloupe and passion fruit jam by Dale's Delights. I don't know if I've ever had a melon-based jam before this, but I'm a total convert - it was fresh, dewy, charming, playful. This is the kind of jam that makes people happy.

Cantaloupe jam. So fragrantly delicious.

I've also recently fallen in love with Havarti cheese. It's mellow and creamy and nutty and almost mushroomy. I can be a bit of a wimp when it comes to cheese, but Havarti strikes a pleasing balance for me with sweet, rounded flavours that don't get too strong and crazy. It's popular as a dessert cheese, with fruit and wine, and I can certainly see why. Obviously I had to pair it up with that exquisite cantaloupe jam, on top of some garlic and herb water crackers. It was a beautiful match all around.

Garlic and herb crackers, Havarti cheese, cantaloupe and passionfruit jam.

What are some of your recent delights?

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recent delights: organic pasta; dinner @ itali.co, st kilda; fig & fennel bread @ rustica sourdough bakery, fitzroy

Oh hello! I think I'm way overdue for another post on some of the recent odds-and-ends in my food world. Today's going to be a carb-heavy issue. Pasta, pizzas and bread. You've been warned.

So first of all let's talk pasta. I bought some organic pasta from the shops some months ago, which I've been meaning to blog about, because they're pretty different from the standard pasta I usually eat.

These lovely little morsels pictured below are strozzapreti tricolore from Montebello in Italy. Prior to this, I've not had pasta in the strozzapreti shape, so the mere novelty of it all engaged me. Plus, it apparently means priest strangler in Italian, which also brings forth the question, does everything just sound better in Italian? Also, they come in three colours. Technically, it's really four - we've got the chilli ones in red, the nettle ones in green, the wholemeal ones in brown and the classic ones in beige. They're gorgeous AND tasty. The chilli is distinctive, and it will infuse the pasta water with a good dose of heat. The nettle ones have a pleasantly earthy taste, similar to spinach. I have to confess that I've been cooking them in a rather un-Italian fashion, using them in lieu of noodles in my Asian-style broths. I quite like them that way!

Montebello - Strozzapreti Tricolore Pasta.

Getting a bit closer to home, and with less food miles, we have Australian-made pasta, too. Hurrah! These are mixed olive leaves from L'Abruzzese, a South Australian company. The green ones are flavoured with spinach powder. The "leaves" are so charmingly rustic, and they also cook up well, retaining a great al dente bite. I figured that they would go beautifully in a gentle, creamy base, so I tossed them through some mascarpone, as well as some other ingredients I no longer remember. My instincts proved correct - it was a delicious match. I've noticed L'Abruzzese also have pasta in native Australian flavours (lemon myrtle! wattleseed! excitement!!), as well as a gluten-free range made with buckwheat, chickpea, rice and lentil flours. Buoyed by my good experience here, I might try those next time.

L'Abruzzese - Mixed Olive Leaves.

I bought both of the above pastas at Ripe the Organic Grocer in Prahran Market, but you can probably find them in other stores that stock a good range of organic pasta, as well. Or you may find something else which is just as fun to cook and eat!

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Moving on. I recently accepted an invitation to a complimentary dinner at itali.co ( 1/173-177 Barkly St, St Kilda) to experience a set menu created by head chefs Piero Roldo and Lino Maglione.

Firstly, we were treated to some kitchen demonstrations - a behind-the-scenes look at how they make pasta and pizza. Here's a fleeting shot I managed to catch of one of the steps to creating a squid ink tagliolini.

The making of squid ink pasta at Itali.co.

We ate so much and I won't be posting all the photos here, but if you'd like a comprehensive pictorial summary you can check them out under the Media/PR Events album in my Facebook page.

I shall indeed share with you my favourite savoury and sweet dishes of the night, however.

Behold...

Slow-cooked boneless rack of rabbit, filled with sun-dried tomatoes, olives and basil, served with a red cabbage strudel, and carrot puree.

The description alone is enticing enough, but I did not anticipate how well-executed and beautifully cooked it would be, and in turn, how much I would love it. The rabbit came out in the form of a succulent involtini, rolled with little tangy, salty and herbaceous hits from the tomatoes, olives and basil. The red cabbage strudel, put simply, was like delicious sauerkraut in pastry. The carrot puree was smooth, unctuous, and indulgent. I adored all of it.

Rabbit involtini, red cabbage strudel and carrot puree at Itali.co.

My favourite dessert of the night was the strawberry nutella pizza. You're probably not surprised.

For days afterwards, I would get random cravings for that delicious chocolatey hazelnut spread that we all know and love. I fairly blame it on this pizza. It's a simple concept and a flavour combination that has been no doubt done many times in many places, but what really elevated this pizza was that gorgeous crust. I could try to replicate this pizza at home (and ha, I probably will) - the toppings will be easy - but that perfectly cooked dough, with its beguiling stretch and crunch... I'll have to come back here for that.

Strawberry Nutella pizza at Itali.co.

Other notes: The general quality of the food I sampled here was excellent. A few didn't quite grab me so much, but besides the two dishes mentioned above, there were several others that I enjoyed - the pan-fried Canadian scallops with cauliflower pannacotta, the black ink tagliolini with assorted seafood (especially when drizzled with the chilli oil condiment on the table), and all the other pizzas I tried - one was a lovely summery one with swordfish on an eggplant base, and the other a deliciously pungent mushroom and truffle pizza. Additionally, a shout out to owner, Remo Nicolini, who was an excellent host - he is clearly passionate about food and it really shows in the way he runs the place.



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Last, but not least, in this series of carb-laden treats...

Hi, bread with juicy figs and aromatic fennel seeds. Why art thou so yummy?

This is the fig and fennel ficelle from Rustica Sourdough Bakery (402 Brunswick St, Fitzroy). Apparently this bakery has been around for quite awhile, but Simon and I only stumbled upon it recently when he wanted some takeaway coffee. We went in and discovered the ficelle. I also discovered, unsurprisingly, that it is even more delicious toasted, with butter. What isn't, really.

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What are some of your recent delights?

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a mini-detox? going raw for one day (almost two)!

Green smoothies, green smoothies galore!

I've never been the dieting type. But when Simon's housemate, Georgina, bought Anya Ladra's book, Raw Food Detox, recently, and suggested we embark on a weekend of clean eating with its guidance, I thought it was a fabulous idea.

Raw Food Detox - a cookbook by Anya Ladra of Raw Fairies.

Let's face it, while I like to think I eat healthier than the average person, I know very well that I can do with more fruits and vegetables in my diet. And I realise the concept of a detox is not for everyone, but I thought it would be an interesting experience, and kind of exciting. After all, even if you don't buy into the concept of a cleansing diet, you can still see this as a not-too-extreme experiment that puts more fresh, wholesome food in your body, which surely is a good thing.

Going with a more relaxed approach, we did not truly follow any of the detox programs in the book, but we did try a few recipes, plus some wildcards of our own. Here's a time line of my adventure!

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Friday night:

We have a naughty "last supper" of Sarawak laksa (so good!) and follow up with a very refreshing Melon and Banana smoothie with Parsley, made faithfully according to Anya's recipe to atone for our sins.

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Saturday morning:

I somehow wake up earlier than everyone else in the morning. I have a spicy herbal tea, which is technically not raw, but seems to be embraced as a "good cheat" by many raw foodists, except for the strictest ones.

After everyone awakens, we all enjoy some detox lemonade together (similar to the one from the book, but with mint added). Awhile later, we create our own spinach melon cashew milk smoothie, which is nutty, fruity, and all-round amazing - recipe to come!

Spinach melon cashew smoothie.

Saturday afternoon:

Feeling peckish, I whiz up a Carrot and Lemon juice with Omega-3 oils (I used evening primrose), also from the book, then follow up with a few snacks - a peach, a slice of watermelon, a couple of medjool dates, and a handful of raw hazelnuts. I feel good.

Carrot juice with citrus and good oils.

Saturday evening:

I start to feel sleepy and hazy. Georgina makes us a delicious ceviche - a bit of a cheeky dish outside the realms of Anya's vegan detox book, but hey, at least it's still raw! After eating this, I feel totally rejuvenated - perhaps my previous tiredness was merely a sign of hunger, or a yearning for protein. Brimming with energy, we all go for a walk with the dogs.

Ceviche.

Upon returning from the walk, we threw a few things together to whip up a cacao hazelnut shake. The thoughts are mixed on this one but it is still mostly satisfying.

Later in the night, I graze on celery, then wrap up with more herbal tea, a soothing one this time, to induce a sweet slumber.

Cacao hazelnut shake

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Sunday morning:

I don't plan on being as disciplined today, as I have to work, but I still want to try my best to continue with this health kick, particularly as I feel really bright and alert today (placebo effect or not, it's unusual for a Sunday morning in the office, trust me), which I take as a sign I have been doing something right. I brew myself some rosemary tea for breakfast, then tuck into lovely ceviche leftovers from last night.

Rosemary tea.

Sunday afternoon:

I snack on medjool dates, then quickly pop out to South Melbourne Market, get myself a dozen fresh oysters and a lime, duck back in to the office, and enjoy a scintillating seafood spread at my desk. Oh yeah. Probably shouldn't be eating all these ocean delights if this is to be a proper detox, but hey...

Fresh oysters.

Sunday evening:

After work, I go to Simon's place again, and concoct a green smoothie with watermelon, banana, lime and spinach. I also finally give in to cooked food, baking a comfortingly cheesy frittata for dinner - I will be sharing the recipe for this eventually, too. We also recharge ourselves with a carrot-lemon-celery juice.

Lime-spinach-banana-watermelon smoothie.

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Conclusions:

This self-structured mini raw detox has been a really excellent experience for me. I would be keen to do this again, and I want to find a way to incorporate more raw, fresh produce, especially vegetables, in a practical manner to my everyday life.

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Aftermath:

Inspired by my detox weekend, I've started blending fruit and vegetable juices/smoothies in the morning for breakfast, and I hope this shall become a habit. They really seem to wake me up and invigorate me for the day ahead, so that should be enough incentive to spur me on.

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Have you ever gone on a "detox" or a similar challenge to eat and drink only clean / raw / wholesome / minimally or non-processed foods? I'd love to hear about it!

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a quiet christmas

So... it's Christmas by myself.

Simon is in Perth, visiting family. Thanks to work, I have to remain in Melbourne. Curses!

Not to worry, though, we already had a mini celebration before he flew off. A very small affair, just the two of us, with puff pastry mince pies and vanilla ice cream.

puff pastry mince pies with pine sugar, by Heston Blumenthal for Waitrose.

The mince pies are by Heston for Waitrose, and they got into my radar thanks to Sarah's tweets about them. I promptly found them stocked at my local Coles supermarket and bought a box to try.

On the packaging it says, "The magic of these mince pies is the rich mincemeat, which incorporates apple puree, lemon curd and rose water. Warm in the oven and then sprinkle with pine sugar for a real festive twist."

While it wasn't as luxuriously complex as I imagined (based on that description), they were still scrumptious and quite the treat - especially with that delightfully flaky puff pastry and the intriguing pine-infused sugar. We polished it all off in no time at all.

On Christmas Eve, I worked overtime and on my way home, I popped in to my local Chinese, Pacific Seafood BBQ House (210 Toorak Road, South Yarra) and treated myself to takeaway.

Hello, roast duck on rice!

takeaway - roast duck on rice, from Pacific Seafood BBQ House.

And that's about it for my Christmas celebrations. It's Christmas evening as I post this, and I haven't really done much today, but it has been peaceful and relaxing. And Simon will be back in a few days, hurrah!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!

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much ado about matcha... weekend baking adventures

Kitchen disasters. We've all had them.

But oh, the joy when you salvage the mess and rise from the ruins!

I don't usually post my creations when I don't have a recipe to go along with it, but I'm a bit more relaxed these days. Plus, I was actually quite proud of how I saved the day, so here we go. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of how awful the batter looked at the beginning, which would make the results here look all the more impressive. Hey, we can't have everything.

It all started with an idea. Gluten-free buckwheat matcha cookies.

gluten-free buckwheat hazelnut matcha cookies.

When I have an idea, I like to draft out a recipe and then adjust it in the real world, adding and subtracting as I mix, knead and taste.

In this instance, I had underestimated the amount of buckwheat flour I needed... and not only that, I didn't have any more of it left in the pantry. The batter was neither liquid nor solid, and it was crazy sticky. Shaping or cutting it into cookies was out of the question. I made a makeshift piping bag by cutting a hole in a plastic sandwich bag, and forced in the batter. Bad idea. The consistency wasn't good for piping either. And the batter was so gluey, I now had trouble getting it out of my makeshift piping bag.

My typically trusty spatula looked dirty, tired and helpless. SO I DECIDED TO USE MY HANDS. Desperate times call for desperate measures, or rather, they drive you to insanity... I know that now. Feeling wretched and with gummy green goo all over my hands, I imagined I looked not unlike a forlorn swamp monster.

I still refused to throw the lot away. Organic buckwheat flour ain't cheap, y'all.

Thinking hard, I remembered the hazelnut meal I bought a few weeks ago. Oh, come here, my pretties, and rescue me from the mire of despair! I finally had a workable batter, which I rolled into balls, then pressed down with a fork on the baking sheet. Fifteen minutes later, we have these babies. Not bad, really.

Cross-section of gluten-free buckwheat hazelnut matcha cookies.

But wait, there's more!

At some point during these calamitous proceedings (it's all a blur to me now), and before the hazelnuts came sprinkling at me with heroic exultation, I had, in a moment of resignation, decided to go with the flow, as you do, stirring more cream into a small portion of the batter, and pouring it into a cupcake/muffin case. Amidst the confusion, I nearly forgot about this little cake-in-waiting, but spied it in the nick of time and it went into the oven with the cookies.

And this was the result.

gluten-free buckwheat matcha cake.

It looked alright. It tasted even better. I mean, it tasted really, really good. The cookies were not bad, but this mini cake, soft, moist, and rich, was seriously luscious.

I didn't share it with anyone. It was only tiny, after all...

cross-section of gluten-free buckwheat matcha cake.

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recent delights: spring, antojitos & cocktails, quinoa

Here in Australia, we're currently enjoying the last few weeks of spring, and summer is almost within reach. Almost.

flowers in spring.

With only about two months left of this year, I am once again struck by how fast time has been speeding by. Each year that passes now seems to be infused with a stronger sense of urgency. Simon and I are talking more about hopes and dreams for the future: thinking about doing things differently, thinking about embarking on new projects together.

And by the way, while, as yet, it is mainly just a hobby for Simon, I've been hassling him about getting his photography out there and it's starting to yield results already. He recently won a contest with this absolutely stunning photograph of pigeons at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. So proud!

Gateway of India.

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What else has been going on? I was invited to be a guest at the launch of Senoritas' late night menu and new cocktail list recently, where I was introduced to "antojitos", Mexican street snacks which translates literally as "little whims" - how poetically cute! Simon and his DSLR came along for the ride. I've included a few photos below; if you would like to see more, feel free to hop over to my Facebook page where it's under the Media / PR Events photo album.

Being greedy we tried almost everything that was on offer, except for one of the cocktails. Some highlights of the night: Chicharrón de Puerco (crunchy pork crackling served with guacamole and salsa), Chocolate Dia de Muertos (dark chocolate ganache with guava jelly and chilli), and the El Pimento cocktail (who knew capsicum could be so tasty in a sweet alcoholic drink?).

chicharrón de puerco (crunchy pork crackling) at Senoritas.

chocolate dia de muertos ("day of the dead" chocolate) at Senoritas.

cocktails! at Senoritas

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Also, I figure it is time to tell you more about how quinoa has been taking over my life this year. In fact, it's kind of a staple these days. I've been cooking quinoa more often than I cook rice - a pretty big deal coming from someone with an Asian background! It takes just 15 minutes and it's so easy to throw a few things together to make a full meal. Admittedly, I haven't done anything particularly precise or exciting yet, but when I do I'll be sure to share a recipe with you all.

a simple quinoa dish.

What are some of your recent delights?

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life and new chapters...

fresh apricots.

This is shaping up to be a year of new chapters in the lives of those close to me. Today, I'm going on a one-week interstate holiday. In the next few days, I'll be celebrating my cousin's wedding and embracing my sister's new baby.

In contrast, this has been a fairly stagnant year for me... but I feel that I am on the verge of a breakthrough.

The photos in this post were taken a long time ago. I never found a place for them, but I found it fitting to include them here today. The way the light falls upon the upward-reaching apricot leaves. A sweet potato that looks like it's inching forwards in search of a delicious destiny.

I have plans and wishes for the future. They are not coming together yet, but I can almost see them fall into place, piece by piece, gradually, over the next year or so. And I hope the results will be tasty and satisfying for the soul. I know it's a little cryptic at this point, but I will try to divulge more as I make progress. Promise!

But for now, off to Sydney and Canberra, to be with wonderful people, to chat, to laugh, to reminisce, to celebrate, and yes, to eat and to drink. I'll be back in about a week with pictures and stories - see you then.

sweet potato and thyme.

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