Recipe: Shark's Fin Melon Soup 鱼翅瓜汤

Do not be mistaken.

This is NOT Shark's Fin Soup with melon.

This soup is made with a type of melon called Shark's Fin Melon (鱼翅瓜).

This melon is so named because once cooked, the flesh will disintegrate into transparent strands that resembles shark's fins.

Do not confuse this melon with it's cousin, Winter Melon although you could prepare them practically the same way!

Here are some benefits of the Shark's Fin Melon:

- Low in calories 
- Expels heatiness
- Decreases blood sugar

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Bon appetit!

General Elections 2011 Nomination Day


With the forthcoming General Elections, one could really sense the tension building up in their respective neighborhood.

Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice @ Eng Hoon Street

UPDATES (6th June 2014): Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice has moved location. New address is updated at the end of this post.

Mention Tiong Bahru and what comes to mind?

Other than the unique pre-war and post-war architecture as mentioned in my previous post, what draws people to this quaint little estate has got to be food!

And indeed, Tiong Bahru boasts some of the best hawker stalls that Singapore has to offer!

While planning my Tiong Bahru trip, l did some research on what to eat as well. Among all the suggestions that turned up in the search list, what caught my eye was Hainanese curry rice.

I have long heard about Hainanese curry but have never got around to tasting it. Since most of the reviews that I found have been quite positive, I see no reason to deny myself a visit to this stall!

The stall in question was Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice located at Blk 57 Eng Hoon Street.

Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice SGD 4.90
(Bernese Mountain Dog in the background)

Tiong Bahru Estate: A Walk Through Time

That low rise building was where my Grandparents' flat once stood
My Grandparents used to reside at Jalan Membina before their old flat was demolished and redeveloped into what you see today. That was a long time ago and it was way before Tiong Bahru Plaza was even built.

During that time, we would visit my Grandparents every weekend and I remembered I could see CK Tangs Tower in the distance right from the corridor.

Community Performance By Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra

Several months ago, I received an invitation via Facebook to attend a community Chinese Orchestra  (CO) performance at the Community Center near my neighborhood.

This performance was organised by Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra and two neighborhood secondary schools (Bukit Batok Secondary School and Bukit Panjang Government High School) which are participatig in the SYF Central Judging this week would be participating in this performance as well.

Being an old boy from Bukit Batok Secondary School, this got me real excited because I was involved in the CO as my ECA (CCA).

As a alumni, I was more than happy to turn up and support my fellow juniors.

You may not know who was the one that got me involved in this whole cultural art back then, but if you were a CO member, you would have most probably seen his name somewhere... like on the score for Matsuri?

MATSURI/ 响宴

Recipe: Lotus Root Soup with Peanut 莲藕花生汤

Slow-cooked soups (ie, soup cooked over slow fire for several hours) are particularly popular especially among the Cantonese.

Being one myself, soup plays an integral part in my life. I grew up eating rice in soups and I could survive on that for every single meal.

Tradition wise, it is also imperative to have soup on the table during festive occasions.

Some foods are known for their healing properties and our forefathers have cleverly incorporated such ingredients into soups.

Recipes for such soups vary infinitely, depending upon the desired health benefits as well as taste.

Here are some benefits of Lotus Root:

- Stops diarrhea
- Relieves constipation
- Clears heat and improve appetite

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Bon appetit!

Recipe: Braised Chicken Wings With Dried Bean Curd Skin

I first learn how to cook this no fuss, one-pot dish from my Mum.

This recipe is easy to clean up and without having too much dishes to wash.

I would cook this whenever I feel lazy or when I have simply ran out of ideas over what to prepare for dinner!

This is a fairly easy recipe as you just dump everything inside a pot and wait for it to be done.

Sometimes, I would prepare slightly more so I could eat it over several days.

The meat would have absorbed all the flavors and needless to say, the robust sauce goes very well with white steamed rice too!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Bon appetit!
Ingredients:
5 chicken wings (trim away the fats)
A handful of Dried Bean Curd Skins (腐皮)
Pig's Skin (blanched in boiling water )
5 Chinese Mushroom (soften in warm water)

1/2 a Star Anise
1/2 a Cinnamon Stick
1 head of Garlic, skin on and bruised
2 inch Ginger, skinned and sliced
1 cup hot water
Dark Soy Sauce to taste (I used Kecap Manis)

Method:
1)  Fry the Star Anise, Cinnamon Stick, Garlic and Ginger in a tbsp of oil to release the fragrant.
2)  Add in the chicken wings to brown.
3) Add the water, Dried Bean Curd Skins, Pig's Skin, Chinese Mushroom  and Dark Soy Sauce.
4)  Allow to boil, then reduce fire to simmer for 20 minutes.
5) Garnish with Spring Onion and Coriander if desired.
6)  Serves 4.
Note: This is a very versatile dish as you could always mix and match your favourite ingredients. Some other ingredients that you can use for this dish include: Pork Belly, Duck Wings, Chicken Feet, Hardboil Eggs, Bean Curd Sticks (腐竹), Tau Kwa, Tau Pok, Champignons...