Mocha Chiffon Cake

Baking failure, yet again !

Siaopo had her stupid, brain-not-engaged moments again.

Thinking coffee and choc might give bitter taste, she added 20g more sugar into this Mocha Chiffon Cake.

The cake turned out to be dead sweet.......

To hubby's credit, he eventually ate all up, grudgingly...ha ha

Three Cup Chicken ( Sam Pui Kai )

Hubby grin at Siaopo after tasting this Sam Pui Kai.

Adapted from Amy Beh's Three Cup Chicken.

Three Cups Chicken comes from the three key ingredients- sesame oil, Chinese rice wine and soy sauce.

Ingredients
2 lb chicken (cut small)
4 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp garlic
1 1/2 inch ginger (sliced)
3-5 stalks spring onions (cut)
8 dried chillies (soaked)

Marinate
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce

Seasoning
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Chinese wine
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp water

Method

1. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minute.
   
2. Heat up a wok. Add sesame oil and saute garlic,ginger, half of spring onion and dried chili.
3. Add in chicken. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes with lid on.
5. Remove lid and continue simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Garnish with spring onions and red chili.

Beef Flavour Instant Noodle

A meal with a difference !

Siaopo had a sudden burst of panic when she return home late.

What to cook for dinner tonight? Absolutely no plan in her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted two packet of....Instant Noodle. Oh Yes, BEEF FLAVOUR instant noodle. Yippee !

And now, how to make this quick, cheap dinner to look delicious ?

This is how Siaopo turned them into a feast for both hubby and her eyes.

Ta-dah !

Siaopo just can't stop a smile coming to her face. This is so cool. Just can't get more delicious than that ! Ha ha...

Operation Christmas Child Appeal

To show compassion and christian love to deprived children in Africa , this post is specially written to appeal friends residing in United Kingdom to participate in the Give this Christmas Away with Operation Child Shoebox Appeal.

Operation Christmas Child is a Christmas project - devoted to spreading love, joy and smiles to children in parts of the world who really need them.

A simple gift in reminding a child in need that GOD loves them and have not been forgotten.

For those residing in Newcastle, you can drop off your shoeboxes at Jesmond Parish Church before 8th November 2009.

So, please join Siaopo in packing Shoe boxes bursting with joy. Steps are shown below :-

1. Get a shoe box and wrap the lid and the box separately in wrapping paper.
2. Decide if your gift is for a girl or boy.
3. Fill your box full with gifts.
4. Give a cheque or cash of £2.50 and place on top of box. Secure lid with rubber band.
   

Toys, education supplies with CE mark, hygiene items -soap, toothbrushes,toothpaste.
(PLEASE DO NOT include food, clothes, medicine,liquids and dangerous items )

Siaopo has chosen gifts to be given to girl from age 5-9

More information to donate , please visit Operation Christmas Child Website.

( *Photo taken from Operation Christmas Child Website* )

Malacca Chicken Rice

The first time Siaopo tasted Malacca Chicken Rice was during her yearly-family-trip last January.

Does the chicken rice ball taste any different than normal chicken rice?

Honestly. The answer is NO.

Siaopo still couldn't get her head round the few-metres-long queue in front of chicken rice shop in Malacca.

Anyway, Siaopo decided to make Malacca version chicken rice for dinner.

Similar recipe as Hainan Chicken Rice. Just press the rice into small balls while hot.

Visitor From Faraway Land

Yippee, visitor ! Visitor from faraway land.

It's so nice when a visitor drop in to say Hi.

Hubby and Dr K.S go back a long way. Both went to University together many moons ago.

Siaopo was in a haze of delight when hubby suggested Wednesday dinner venue to be at Kebabish Indian Restaurant. It had been a while since we last visited Kebabish for a decent meal.

Hubby and Dr K.S had a great night catching up. As for Siaopo, she had an even better time. She was busy exercising her stomach with all the mouth-watering curries on the table.

Truly, truly delicious and yummy.....

Situated in Fenham, Kebabish is a ONE-MUST-DEFINITELY-GO Indian Restaurant.

Hubby, Siaopo and Dr K.S

Tom Yum Fish

Siaopo was stuck with ways of cooking the two sea bream she bought from Morrisson.

Flipping through the pages of her recipe book, she came across this brilliant recipe.

Recipe adapted from Amy Beh 3.

Ingredients
2 sea bream (cut half)
1 onion (sliced)
1 tomato (cut)
2 stalk lemon grass ( crushed)
5 kaffir leaves
5 pieces of galangal
2 shallots ( peel and keep whole)
2 chili (sliced)
3 tbsp Tom Yum paste
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup water
1 lime
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

Method

1. Heat oil in pot. Add onion, lemon grass,galangal, shallots and Tong Yum paste.
2. Fry till fragrant. Add chicken stock and water.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Add in chilli, kaffir leaves and tomato.
5. Cook for 8-10 minutes.Add in fish.
6. Stir in fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste.
8. Serve warm with rice.

Char Siu Bun

Hand kneading bread dough is awfully tough.

It all makes sense now the reason why bread shop in Chinatown is charging £0.80 for just a small Char Siu Bun.

Siaopo spent 5 hours of her Saturday afternoon making the bread/bun dough, filling, baking and etc.

Never mind the hours. The worst is the bun is not as soft as it should be. The texture is far and away behind those sold in the shop. What a big failure...

Is time to call it a quit. This will be the last bread/bun making session for Siaopo.

But again, she must say decision will change if she is allow to purchase a kneading machine! Jeng* Jeng * jeng.* ...ha ha

Recipe adapted from here. Filling similar to Char Siu Pau Filling.

Curry Mee

An easy peasy Curry Mee recipe and still taste as good as the original !

One of Siaopo and Hubby's favorite. Yummy yummy...

Ingredients
1/2 packet of rice vermicelli (cooked)
1/2 lb chicken (cubed)
1 packet of Hup Loong Curry Mai Fun spice
1 onion ( ground)
1 can of coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass (crushed)
1 cup fried bean curd (cut small)
1 cup of prawns
1/2 cup fish balls
1 packet of beansprout

Method

1. Heat oil in pot. Add ground onion and chicken.Fry till fragrant.
2. Add in HL spice and coconut milk.Bring to boil.
3. Add in bean curd, prawns, fish balls and beansprout.
4. Simmer for 5-6 minutes.
5. Pour soup onto cooked vermicelli.
6. Garnish with mint leaves and sambal.

Ikan Bakar

Another famous delicacy in Malaysia.

Ingredients
3 Ray Wings
1 lemon

Marinate
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 shallots
1 lemon grass
1 tsp turmeric powder
10 dried chilli
1/4 tsp belacan powder

Method

1. Blend marinate into mixture.
2. Rub mixture into fish.
3. Marinate for 2 hours.
4. Grill the fish till cook.
5. Sprinkle lemon juice before serving.

The Celebration

Episode two. The birthday celebration.

And so, what hubby did for Siaopo apart from the special gift kept back in Malaysia?

Yes, a well thought-out birthday spree for Siaopo. Three meals outside and what matters most - NO cooking! "A good day-off for his cooking wife", he claimed.

One of the three meal events - a wonderful meal at TGI Friday.

One of the three meal events - a meal at TGI Friday.

Siaopo making a wish...

What did Siaopo do for herself?

She took half a day off from work, had lunch with hubby at Chinatown, dropped him back to work and spent the rest of the afternoon chilling-out at home with her novel and tea.

No cleaning, no washing, no ironing, no cooking on birthday ! Siaopo's Pantang - Larang culture (abstain and forbid ) ha ha...

Siaopo's birthday celebration ended with hubby dashed in to her study room all geared up with his surprise singing performance.

" Nothing gonna stop us now" by Starship. Apparently hubby had memorised the lyrics and practice the song for 3 days ! Wow...

Hubby serenading Siaopo with his beautiful singing.....

George Michael in making...

Siaopo couldn't stop laughing listening to his singing. Yes yes, she was touched too...hahahaha.

Siaopo had a fantastic birthday celebration. Thank you very much lou kong..

The Big 30 !

Siaopo officially turn 30.

Siaopo has reached the point where when asked for age, she wouldn't be able to say "I am twenty something" and start counting the numbers of years from the last decade ending with 9. Easy maths this year - The BIG 30 !

What are Siaopo's thoughts on turning 30?

Well, Siaopo doesn't think she had made a mess of her life for the last 30 years.

In fact, she is thankful for her achievements in her life all these while.

She has never committed a crime (apart from one speeding ticket), completed both her bachelor and master degrees, took on another professional qualification, landed in a career she has no complaints on, got married to a man she loves dearly (despite his lazy and penny-pinching attitude), her passion for cooking throughout, continued doing voluntary work for the church/community , took good care of her family members, and learnt to be a understanding wife/daughter.

So, Happy 30th Birthday to Siaopo and Many Many Happy Returns !!!

Siaopo would like to take this opportunity to thank family, friends and colleagues for all the birthday cards and wishes via post, facebook, email, mobile messages and etc.

Many Thanks for all your thoughtfullness for remembering this special day.

Kam Siah.. Kam Siah...

Cards, gifts from family and friends....Thank you all !

Indian Mee Goreng

Another famous Malaysia hawker delight in sight - Indian Mee Goreng.

Hubby finished two full plate of this Indian Mee Goreng in less than 10 minutes ! What a Pig...ha ha

Ingredients
1/2 packet spaghetti (cooked)
1 onion (sliced)
2 chicken thigh (cubed)
3 tbsp garlic (chopped)
6 fried bean curd ( sliced)
1 potato (cubed and cooked)
1 cup prawns
5 squids (cut)
2 cup beansprouts
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tbsp sambal olek

Sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp sambal olek

Garnish
Shredded lettuce
Chili (sliced)

Method

1. Heat oil in wok. Fry garlic till fragrant.
2. Add chicken. Fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add in sambal olek and salt.
4. Add onions, prawns, squids. Continue frying.
5. Add in potatoes, bean curd and noodles.
6. Fry for 3 minutes.
7. Add in sauces and mix well.
8. Push the lot to one side of wok. Pour in beaten egg.
9. Cover with noodles. Check seasoning.
   
10. Garnish with shredded lettuce and chili.

Tao Cheong Chicken

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Even though this dish looks unappealing, the taste is simply lip-smacking.

Ingredients
2 lb chicken ( cut small)
3 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Tao Cheong (fermented bean paste)
6 Chinese mushroom (soaked)
1 potato (cut quarter)
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 cup of water

Method

1. Blend shallots and garlic in food processor.
2. Heat up oil in wok. Add in blended mixture. Fry till fragrant.
3. Add in Tao Cheong and stir fry.
4. Add in chicken and continue fry.
5. Pour in water and bring to boil.
6. Turn down the heat. Add in mushrooms and potatoes.
7. Add in brown sugar and dark soy sauce.
8. Simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Serve with warm rice.

Another Birthday Gala

Another birthday crazies after the two previous posts - DW's Birthday Meal and Ash Birthday Meal.

Last to go : Siaopo

Siaopo's birthday meal was held after Siaopo's actual birth date.

Fengshui side of it, celebrating after the birth date will bring bad luck. As a person who knows nothing about astrology, Siaopo is happy NOT to believe it !

It's an easy arrangement. The three musketeers just popped into Marcello Restaurant straight after work.

Siaopo had ordered a very special starter this time - Avocado with prawns. The moment the dish was served, Siaopo can feel a pleasurable lurch in her tummy. The starter was simply awesome and Siaopo plate everything.

Come to cake-time, DW and Ash ordered three mini chocolate profiteroles and stick three little candles into them. Siaopo was thrilled. Thank you very much Ash and DW.

Three candles representing the BIG 30 again. Legitimately, she is MIDDLE-AGED considering world average human life span is around 65 years old.

Now, Siaopo is making herself sound ancient ! haha

Avocado with prawns

The three RADFORD-IAN

Ash and Siaopo ( via DW's mobile )

*May Siaopo strikes lottery next - so she can be young tai tai *

Coffee Chiffon Cake

Hubby is a stereotypical picky cake eater. One of the few cakes he likes is chiffon cake.

And so, another variation of chiffon cake this time - Coffee Chiffon Cake.

Similar method, steps and ingredients as Pandan Chiffon Cake and Japanese Chiffon Cake.

Only replace coconut milk with fresh milk and 2 tbsp of Nescafe powder.

Ash Birthday Meal

The day passed unremarkably.

It was DW's last month, and today is Ashleigh's birthday.

Birthday celebration took place at the usual Marcello Italian Restaurant. Ash picked the venue as is "let the birthday girl dictate the day".

The three ladies bounced in to the restaurant after work, cheerfully asked for menu, picked up starter and pasta, and deliriously enjoyed the wonderful meal.

Come to cake time, Ash has chosen a chocolate fudge cake. To beef up the sweets, a small scoop of ice-cream was added on to it. Yummy yummy...

After a HAPPY-BIRTHDAY singing episode, Ash got to blow the candle and cut the cake.

It was indeed another awesome dinner celebration.

And then, the two ladies started teasing Siaopo as she will be officially 30 next month. Siaopo actually felt upset that she will no longer be in her 20s....

Siaopo found this menu hilarious. The waiter literally put this gigantic menu on our table come dessert time. It is a truly unique menu ...at least to a Kampung Girl like Siaopo.

Almond Cake

This classic almond cake is well worth making.

Siaopo baked this cake for Sunday tea and served perfectly well with coffee.

Method
200g self raising flour
50g ground almond
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
200g butter
200g caster sugar
20g flake almonds
4 eggs

Method

1. Grease the cake tin. Pre-heat oven to 160 degree.
2. Put the sieved flour, eggs, baking powder, sugar, butter and ground almond into mixing bowl.
3. Mix well with hand mixer.
4. Spoon the mixture to cake tin.
5. Gently level surface and sprinkle with flake almonds.
6. Bake for 1 -1.5 hour till golden brown.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

It's been a while since the three families met up.

And so, on Saturday night, the three families celebrated the joyous Mid-Autumn Festival at Siaopo's place.

It was a fascinating event, with lots of laughter and entertaining jokes and also lots of yummy food !

Supper session - Mooncake from Malaysia
Goes perfectly well with a cup of hot Chinese tea...

Chinese Watercress Soup

Do not underestimate the goodness of this simple soup.

This Sai Yong Choi soup is loaded with nutrition and act as a lung cleansing antidote.

Ingredients
1 packet of watercress
500g pork ribs
2 carrots (cubed)
10 red dates
Pinch of salt

Method

1. Put all ingredients into a big pot of water.
2. Simmer for 1 hour.