Colossal Hunters

It first happened when I was about 15. It was my first visit to the then brand new Night Safari at the Singapore zoo. I was standing next to a man at the Golden Monkey exhibit who was pointing the little nimble little creatures out to his son. What a touching little scene. Immediately my thoughts were filled with romantic notions. Thought of how I perhaps someday I would be able to take my own kids to the zoo...until I got the gist of their conversation.

"Look boy, how small they are... their meat must taste so sweet."

I was horrified. How could he even associate those cute little monkeys with... food?

**************************

The setting was different this time: a tiny table at a Malaysian restaurant in Amsterdam's Chinatown with my fellow hobbit friend, Timi. Our conversation was of course rife with talk of our favourite subject: food.

The Char Kway Teow (surprisingly tasty although hardly authentic*) came first. Then came the squid.

"Imagine if this were a Colossal Squid!" said Timi as she took her first bite. She looked like was on to something.

" What's a Colossal Squid?"

Apparently (as I was explained to by my most knowledgeable friend), Colossal Squid are mysterious and highly evasive sea creatures which are similar their cousin, the Giant Squid but are believed to be much, much bigger. Their tentacles do not posses suction cups. Instead they are equipped with teeth that allow them to attack prey as large as sperm whales.

I was fascinated.

"So imagine if this tiny squid were a Colossal squid."

"Yes...?"

"We'd have to sit at this restaurant for weeks to eat it all."

I wasn't horrified. Something was different this time.
The Colossal Hunter in me understood.



*Note: Char Kway Teow is those things you just have to have in a hawker (food) center on a hot, humid Singaporean afternoon. Any other way and it just isn't the same.

Ode to my Boretti

I love you oven, dear
your fiery-playful flames,
your sudden upward sparkles
slowly cooking all around
those Italian lighting-flames.

There's a more potent smell:
eyes lower.
A mouth hungers.
Lids almost open.
My casserole is aglow.

Based on Tyuchetv's I love your eyes. The work of a genius which I have blatantly bastardized.

baby cakes

Is it the fact that they're individually portioned and look like a little present? Or maybe its just the icing...I can't decide what it is about cupcakes that makes me love them so much.

These are one of my favourites - double chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate and mascarpone icing. The cupcakes are super moist, icing nice and creamy.

What I put in (makes about 12 cupcakes)
Cake recipe:

• 125g butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100g good dark chocolate
• 155ml (1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons) water
• 12g (1 1/2 tablespoons, firmly packed) cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules/powder (optional but good for flavour)
• 168g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
• 1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
• 125g (1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup) self-raising flour

White chocolate frosting:

• 175g white chocolate
• 75g mascarpone
• 2 tablespoons cold milk

How to make it:
Place butter, chocolate, water, cocoa, coffee and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally and remove from heat when chocolate and butter have just melted. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and egg to chocolate mixture. Using hand-held electric beaters, beat until combined. Add flour and beat for about one minute, until mixture is smooth. Bake for 12-15 mins at 160 degrees

Icing:
Melt the white chocolate an au bain marie (no direct heat!!) and mix until smooth. Beat in the milk until nice and creamy. Leave to cool for awhile before mixing in marscapone. Place in a piping bag and leave to cool for at least 20 mins before icing the cupcakes.
I like topping the cupcakes off with a strawberry or raspberry. The tartness of the fruit really completes the flavour of the chocolate cake. Yum.

Chicken Curry Memories

I don't think I know anyone that doesn't like Chicken Curry. It's such a flavoursome, comforting dish and once you have the basic spices at home, you'll be able to make it several times over without buying too many ingredients.

My childhood memories of chicken curry include family picnics at the beach. In Singapore, where I grew up, chicken curry was considered a picnic (!) food. My mom would make a huge pot of the stuff and we would drive to the beach with the family and have dinner on a big canvas sheet on the sand. When we made longer trips we would even bring along a make shift stove to re-heat the curry so that we would have something warm to eat after having a dip in the cool sea. I have many fond memories of shivering away in half-soaked beach towel towel, ready to dip a big chunk of french bread the thick gravy.

There are lots of different types of chicken curry and this one is some what a hybrid version of my mom's chicken curry and a North Indian version I created myself.

What I put in (Enough for 4):

• 1 whole chicken (around 1-1.2 kg) cut into parts
• 2 large white onions
  
• 4 cm of ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 large ripe tomatoes
  
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1.5 tbsp garam massala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
  
• 4 cloves
• 2 seeds of cardamon
• 6 whole black peppercorns
  
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 4 dried chillis
• Half a star of anise
• 1 small stick of cinnamon
  
• 4 tbsp thick full cream yoghurt (greek-style yoghurt works well)
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (do not use olive oil!!)
• Coriander to garnish

How to make it:

• Pound the garlic and ginger and dice the onions finely.
• Cut the tomatoes in half and then into slices
• Place the chicken parts in a large bowl and add curry powder, chilli powder, garam massala and salt. Use your fingers or a spatula to ensure that the chicken is well coated in the spice mixture. Leave to rest.
  
• Heat the oil in a large wok or saucepan on high heat. When oil is hot, add the pounded garlic and ginger and then cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, cumin seeds, dried chillies, anise and cinnamon. Fry in the oil for about 10-30 seconds until fragrant, don't let the spices burn!
  
• Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, letting them sweat until the onion is translucent. Try to make sure that the onion does not brown.
• Add the chicken and stir until browned then add in the tomatoes and cook till soft.
• Add the yoghurt and stir till all ingredients are well mixed.
• Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for about 30 mins, occasionally stirring.
• Your curry is ready to serve!
  

Curries tend to taste even better when left to sit for a day so make a big portion and have it the next day or the day after. I like to serve this up with steamed white rice and garnish with coriander. Or go old school and dip a slice of thick-crusted french loaf straight in the pot.

Lazy Sunday Fried Rice

I've been making fried rice since I was a teenager. It's probably one of my most favourite one-dish-meals as it can include generally almost any ingredient. It's also a great way to use up left-overs when you don't feel like stepping out to do grocery shopping. One of my favourite cooking activities is to put together something out of a bunch of random ingredients. Fried rice is just the embodiment of that.
What I put in (Enough for 2):

• 1 large shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1tsp fresh ginger, ground
• Handful of frozen peas
• 2 eggs
• Dash of fish sauce (to taste)
• Dash of sesame oil
• Sunflower oil for frying
• Cold left over rice (about 3 cups)*
• Handful of frozen baby crayfish (prawns, left over meat cuts or tofu will do too)

*note: it's really important that the rice is cold or at least at room temperature. Freshly cooked/steamed rice will make your fried rice sticky


How to make it:

• Crack the eggs into a hot pan with some oil and stir it up until cooked. Dish the egg away into a plate or bowl and leave to rest.
• Add some more oil into the pan, dice the onions, ginger and garlic and add to pan, letting them sweat until the onion is translucent
• Add the crayfish and peas and stir until almost cooked
• Add the rice. At this point it might take awhile for the rice to separate. Be patient, just stir the rice around, add the fish sauce and sesame oil. It will help the rice to separate.
• When rice grains are separated, stir in the eggs. The fried rice is now ready to eat!

Serve up the fried rice in a bowl and eat it on the couch in front of your laptop or the tv. After all, that's why it's called a lazy sunday :)