moonberry's Xanga

Lychee Milk Pudding

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:03:11 GMT

I had leftover evaporated milk this week and decided to make Lychee Milk Pudding based on this recipe which I have modified. I do not have a food processor (YET) to puree the lychees, I omitted the eggs + butter and I also used less sugar. Below is my version.

Ingredients:

1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Lychee in Syrup Water
2 cups Water
1 packet Gelatin/Agar-agar Powder
6 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

1. Separate lychees from the syrup water and set aside.
2. Add gelatin/agar-agar powder and sugar to syrup water, evaporated milk and water. Set to boil.
3. Add vanilla extract and blend well.
4. Put one lychee fruit into individual molds or ramekins.
5. Pour gelatin/milk/syrup liquid into molds and set to cool for 10 minutes before chilling in refrigerator.


Agar-agar powder	Canned Lychees in Syrup

Affirmations

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 09:09:16 GMT

Getting on a plane for a long-haul flight next week and there's a wee bit of conflicted emotions that's been nagging at me, so I thought I ought to purge it out of my system via writing. Despite biting the bullet and allowing myself the recent shuffle of changes, I do feel slightly displaced... still. Moving on was the hardest part, and now it's just a matter of rebuilding and settling into a new comfort zone. I know that in time, the unfinished businesses will be wrapped up and everything will be better than good. The last two years have been so very exciting and I've gotten to experience many wonderful things that I most likely wouldn't have had I not been so depressed prior. I think it all really hinges upon a choice to start living the life that I truly desire and all of a sudden, everything becomes a blessing.

In the last several hundred days, I have (in nonchronological-order):

thrown a rockstar birthday party for myself in New York City.

walked through the ruins of Angkor Wat and felt a spiritual transformation within me.

squeezed into a tuktuk with my parents in Bangkok and giggled all the way during the ride.

sang karaoke with a group of great friends in Singapore who let me lick the screen when Jam Hsiao's music video came on.

acquired a scar on my left palm from surgery and ended up getting over another scar, the one inside my heart.

sported the coolest, most bad-ass purple highlights in my hair.

partied with celebrities and models in Taipei, and got macked on by a lesbian in a club there.

pampered myself inside the private villas of Bali.

gotten a beautiful tan in Playa del Carmen and that would be the last time I worshiped the sun.

posed with the cherry blossoms at DC with my girlies.

become totally enamored by my baby nephew who arrived in this world not that long ago, but feels like he's been part of the family forev.

roamed the little alleys of Gang Nam district and salivating at all the street food.

transported my kitty cross-continent and celebrated her post-quarantine release.

curbed my nervousness and started to drive on the other side of the road; now I do it effortlessly.

inked my body with Khmer prayers by a master who applied the tattoo freehand.

.
.
.

And this list will continue to grow, just as I have stepped out from depression and grown to appreciate my existence.

So to my friends who are currently going through a rough patch, please hang in there and trust that things will turn around for the better in due time. I know you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel now and that's alright. No one can tell you when to feel better, there is no timeline to this sort of thing. You just have to go through it— the anger, disappointment, denial, sadness, heartbreak, despair, desperation, bitterness... and then one day after you are done processing all these emotions and exhausted yourself from all the negative energies, the empty vessel that you have turned out to be will begin to channel a different kind of energy. The positive ones!

I believe in the power of positive affirmations, because they are strong daily reminders for me to think positively. I have found affirmations to be very helpful personally.

The above are some of designs I've done. More can be viewed and are available on mysoti.com as tee-shirts. Regardless of what stage in life you are at right now, I hope you find some of these affirmations meaningful to you. :)

Untitled

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:11:37 GMT

bye. :)

Tom Yum Fried Rice

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:54:41 GMT

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Thighs, cubed
1lb Shrimps, peeled and deveined
2 Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Lemongrass, chopped
1 Tbsp Kaffir Lime Leaf, chopped

Seasonings:

2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Tom Yum Paste
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Lime Juice
Dash Pepper

Method:

1. Stirfry chicken and shrimps, set aside.
2. Stirfry beaten eggs, set aside.
3. Heat up oil and stirfry lemongrass until fragrant.
4. Add rice and seasonings. Mix well.
5. Add chicken, shrimps and kaffir lime leaf. Mix well.
6. Serve.


Tom Yum Paste	Kaffir Lime Leaf

Squid and Celery Stirfry

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:01:50 GMT

Ingredients:

1 Squid, cleaned, scored and cut into small pieces
1 Red Bell Pepper, cubed
3 stalks Celery, sliced
1/2 cup Water Chestnuts, cubed
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
Some oil
Some cornstarch mixed in water

Stir fry garlic in oil, add bell pepper, celery, water chestnuts.
Add squid and the rest of ingredients.

Easy peasy. :)

Sup Tulang

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:51:22 GMT

In my earliest days visiting Singapore with my dad, sometime around the late 70s, I remember him bringing my mom and I to eat Sup Tulang at a hawker center. Sup Tulang, literally translates to "Soup Bones", is an Indian Muslim dish consisting of lamb bones swimming in bloody-red gravy. I wouldn't exactly regard this as a soup, but it's served with so much gravy I guess that's why they call it a soup. It is normally served with baguette pieces to mop up the gravy. The appeal of this dish lies in the little bits of meat and tendon clinging onto the bones, as well as the bone marrows. Super delicious!

Last week while I was in Surabaya, our family was driving to have dinner somewhere and my dad randomly brought up the subject of mutton which somehow led to a discussion of Sup Tulang and how delicious we remembered it was. My sister mentioned that Anthony Bourdain had done a segment showcasing this dish on his TV show. My brother-in-law, who had never tried Sup Tulang before, became extremely curious about it. Before long, all of us were salivating while imagining this tasty dish that can only be had in Singapore. So I googled for Anthony Bourdain's show and decided to go to the same exact hawker center to have my fill of Sup Tulang for nostalgia's sake.

Haji Kadir-M.Baharudeen
Golden Mile Food Centre
505 Beach Road #B1-13-15
Singapore 199583
12.30pm to 1.30am
Closed alternate Wednesdays

Turned out this establishment, Haji Kadir at Golden Mile Food Center at Beach Road, which Anthony Bourdain went to, is truly super famous for its Sup Tulang! One local taxi driver whom I encountered previously had also recommended this place. (I love chatting w/ taxi drivers about their favourite local joints for good and cheap food; hey, might as well get some insights on what the locals love to eat while sitting in a taxi, right?)

Haji Kadir menu (and conveniently, the phone number for home delivery).

There it is... Sup Tulang (Item #15), MmMmMmMmmMmMMmmmMMM~~~!!!
I ordered an $8 portion, bungkus (ie. bring home to eat). I'll tell you why later, keep reading.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sup Tulang. A humble dish of just lamb bones without a lot of meat, as you can see, in thick tomato-based gravy that is both sweet and peppery. What's that green straw doing on the plate? Ah, that is to aid in sucking the marrows out of the bones because you don't want to waste anything. Many will say that the marrows are the best part! And I absolutely agree; if you have never had marrows before, the best way I can describe it is sorta like a jelly-like substance. A rich source of collagen, I say, although some think of it as artery-clogging food. This is hardcore food indeed.

Now there was a very good reason why I packed this dish to enjoy at home. Because it can get VERY VERY messy!

My tips for eating Sup Tulang:

1. Do not wear white clothes!!! These bones are slippery and they will fly out of your hands.
2. Be prepared to get your hands and fingernails dirty (but fortunately the gravy washes off easily w/ soap and water post-feast).
3. Make loud slurping sucking noises while getting as much marrows out as possible, even with aid of straw.
4. Wet wipes. The sauce will get all over your face.
4. Dental floss. The bits of meat will be stuck all over your teeth.

Sounds like too much trouble to eat? HELLZ NO!!! The experience of gnawing on a lamb bone, soaking up a piece of baguette with gravy and getting to the marrows are all worth it. Trust me, this dish is really very delicious. If you're up for it, ask to kick up the spice for an even more finger-licking, lip-smacking euphoria. Perfect for supper with a mug of ice cold beer on the side. :)

By the way, I must note that even though this is mutton, there is an absence of that gamey-ness commonly associated with lamb. Not really sure why, maybe the gravy overpowered it in this case. FYI, I was reading an issue of Cook's Illustrated recently which said the strong gamey flavour is caused by and comes from the fat layer in lamb, so try to remove as much of the fat as possible when preparing lamb at home. Perhaps because Sup Tulang is mostly bones and there's virtually no fat around the meat, this does not smell pungent at all.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:36:34 GMT

*HIAKS*!!!!!
It's been raining over the last few days and there were snails crawling into my herb garden boxes. :[ Half a dozen were already removed (not by me) yesterday morning, but today I found one still lingering on my basil tray. It appeared to be munching on the single basil sprout that's trying to grow. I have no idea what happened to the rest of the basil seeds, as only one poor lonely sprout decided to grow (and it's been about over two weeks since the seeds were planted).

Anyway I was assigned to get rid of the snail. -________-" Had to wear latex glove and I disposed of it far far faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrr away into a drainage gutter somewhere. At one point, I thought I was going to drop it on my foot. That wouldn't have been a pretty scene, coz I'd be screaming like a mad woman around the estate.

*shudders* Creepy crawlies.

Oh, by the way, I happen to love eating escargots. ;P

Water Chestnut Chicken Patties w/ Wood Ear Mushroom Ginger Sauce

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:06:47 GMT

Patty Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Chicken
5-6 Whole Water Chestnuts (chopped)
Bunch of Cilantro (chopped)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Chicken Buillion
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Potato Starch

*** Mix the above ingredients and form patties. Makes about 6 patties.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tbs Ginger (chopped)
3 Tbs Chopped Water Chestnuts
3 Tbs Wood Ear Mushroom (chopped)
1 Tbs Oyster Sauce
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Potato Starch
1 cup Water

*** Boil water, add all ingredients and mix until smooth.

Serve with Chicken Patties and boiled Cha-Soba (or rice).

Friday, August 14, 2009

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:59:21 GMT

Uhm yeah, I went to PS Cafe again... this time the Dempsey location with PF and Joan for lunch. Gosh, I have been to pretty much all of their locations: Paragon, Palais Renaissance and Dempsey. I don't mind the restaurant, but the portions are seriously ginormous!!!!!!!! I am trying really hard to maintain my weight these days... please, no more weight gain! Eesssh~

(I MUST GO SWIMMING AT THE CLUBHOUSE THIS WEEKEND!!!! Even if my red hairdye bleeds all over the pool.)

Baby K in a jovial mood. Not quite the same peace-loving pretty picture fifteen minutes prior, when she was screaming at the top of her lungs in the car ride over, because she had stranger anxiety. Stranger = me! :X

Hey Strange Auntie, stop pointing your camera in my face while I eat my biscuit. Okay!?

Soup and Sandwich Special. I ordered the Minute Steak Sandwich + Portobello Mushroom Soup. Ate half of the sandwich, got full (from Truffle Fries, not pictured) and packed the rest to go.

PF's version w/ French Onion Soup.

Joan's Veal Schnitzel over a bed of Spinach and Potatoes.

Lunch w/ girlfriends = I like! :D :D :D

PF and her "death grip" over her daughter's throat. :P Kinda reminds me of those kungfu movies in which a pugilist taps on accupressure points to paralyze his opponents.... kekekeke!

I got so very excited over the Profiteroles on the dessert menu, because I've been craving it for the last two weeks. But everyone (including myself) was super full by the time we finished our main meals and couldn't stomach anything anymore, so I had to sadly give it a pass. But now I know where to head for Profiteroles. *Yummm* ^^

Seriously must go swimming this weekend. :X

Oh rite, after lunch I went to Funan to pick up an external HD + USB hub (ya know, additional insurance after the last dark episode involving my Mac), and got macked on by this chubby nerd who mouthed "You're cute" and blew me a kiss while I was riding the elevator up to the top floor. I ignored him at first, but he insisted on doing this to me for TWO floors, which annoyed the crap outta me. Dude!!!!!!! Do I look like a girl who will be smitten by such tacky behaviours and go out with youuu!?

Frickin' ay. "馬不知臉長“ (The horse who doesn't know his face is long.)

Back that chit up, people!!!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:16:49 GMT

Last week was a complete nightmare for me. It all started with a *.xls file on my desktop that was sporting a generic icon and I couldn't stand it. Why? Because it wasn't right. It did not look right, smell right, feel right, sound right. So I did all the zapping PRAM stuff, repairing disk permissions etc, trying to resolve this minor little issue until somehow it spiraled out of control and led to my hard disk crashing. @_@ D'oh! So in an attempt to revive it, after various failed methods I had to do the inevitable: erase and reformat my hard drive. *INSERT TRAGIC BACKGROUND MUSIC HERE*

This was a catastrophe!!!!!
ARRRGGGHHHH.

Now, let me explain to you the severity of this matter. Being hooked up to my computer (with access to all my files and apps, and most importantly THE INTERNET) is a major vein in my blood stream. Life is meaningless without it, if I can even live at all. (Dramatic, I know.) You can put me in a deserted island, dress me in palm leaves, feed me bugs and let me poop into the sand, but without my computer setup and/or no internet? NO WAY, JOSE! Earth might as well stop revolving and let me die a slow painful death.

I was seriously freaking out all of last week and had to ultimately go into the Mac's fsck mode.
What's fsck mode? You do not want to go there, trust me.

You see how scary that black screen looks? Uh huh. Welcome to fsck mode, baby.

Bla bla bla, some technical lingo mambo jumbo. I was looking paler and paler with each refresh of this screen because I was getting nowhere closer to having my disk cleaned up.

The thing is, at some point in our lives one way or another, we ALL have had to erase/reformat our computer hard disks and lost data before, right? And you swore after it happened the first (or second, or third) time that you'd back everything up. That was exactly what I did after my Powerbook got wiped out several years ago. I stopped saving files onto my computer's HD and backed everything up (photos, music, fonts, documents) into an external drive. And with Mac OSX Leopard's Time Machine capability, I've been religiously backing up my backup as well. Great and dandy, except...

Problem was: After I wiped out my entire drive, I had nothing to access my backup with because I can only get to it via original Mac OSX Leopard installer disks, which I did not have on me. -_-" So began the frantic quest to borrow and no one seemed to have a copy that worked. I had to cancel dinner appointments and prioritized picking up the disks from various lending sources so that I could fix my computer first. Those few days were so crazy, I had to have a day itinerary planned out for me so that I could organize my time and complete my errands.

Ain't kidding about the itinerary. Detailed timelime/task list.

At this point, I must say my brain was already half-dead plus I have never been a tasklist kinda gal, so this was prepared for me (by someone more OCD than me, ahem) and it helped me go through the day, getting things done systematically. Else I'd have pulled my hair out and done something stupid, like smashing my iMac into pieces. :x

In the end, I managed to obtain a working MacOSX Leopard installer disks and was ultra super duper relieved that I could access my backup data via Time Machine. And can I just say THANK THE FRIGGIN' GAWD for that????????? I was finally F-I-N-A-L-L-Y able to restore my computer back to the exact way it was prior to the crash. I did not have to reinstall any apps again and set up all my user accounts, network settings etc. all over. Every app, every preferences, every library item intact. Untouched. Exactly the same virtual copy. It was like, going back in time. :p And yes, including that annoying *.xls with the generic icon that started all of this fiasco... it was back to right where it was, sitting there smugly on my desktop, daring me to try and fix it. I decided to leave it alone for a bit, and then dragged its sorry arse into the Trash bin.

So all's pretty much back to normal again in the happy computer land of Moonberry and the moral of this horror story is: If you are on a Mac, Time Machine your chit up NOW!!!!! (If you're not on a Mac: What the heck is wrong with you?! Heh, j/k.)

Sure made me think what my life was like before Macs (and I only use Macs). Was I even alive back then??? :o