Cooking one's own goose

Christmas dinner!

Breakfast, served all day

I love breakfast food, any time of the day. For my eggs, I love the whites firm and the yolks just a touch runny. I usually cook them on the stove, sunny side up and over medium but I decided to be adventurous and try poaching. I grilled 2 sausages, cooked up some beans, toasted some sourdough bread with a pat of good butter and viola!

Note: Fresh eggs are recommended for poaching but mine were a couple of weeks old and turned out just fine. I added a splash of mango vinegar from my collection of 15 bottles.

~ s

Boundary Waters

Day 1, 6.06am:

My flight touches down at MSP. I only got 3 miserly hours of shut-eye on the plane. I realise to my horror that I had left my phone on during the flight and the battery was dead. I rely on the kindness of a stranger to send an email to LL who’s arriving from NYC at 10am and hope that she checks her email on her fancy iPhone.

6.30 am:

My gi-normous backpack (which extends an extra foot or two above my head when I’m carrying it) and fishing rod arrive intact. The only way I know the passage of time is from the public announcements that come on half-hourly. I have a lot of time to kill so I get comfortable and start reading fiction, a category of literature I haven’t had time for in a long time. I have my favorite brownie from Le Pain Quotidien and brioche from Trader Joe’s for sustenance.

10.30 am:

I get a little antsy when I don’t see my friends. I spot a stranger with the same phone and beg him to lend me his phone battery so I could make a call. LL and MP come running and hug me! All is well! We’re off to go fishing!

11.30 am – 2 pm:

We stop for (bad) Vietnamese food and shop for food for our foray into in the wilderness. LL and MP have good Italian sausages and French cheeses with them and I had brought some good olive oil and single serving sized Choya Umeshu that comes complete with a delicious plum in each little bottle. We also made a stop to get smoked shrimp, salmon spread and jerky. It was beginning to look like we were preparing for a gourmet picnic rather than a camping trip…

~ 5 pm:

We lose cell phone reception. We arrive at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters (SCO) where we pick out an 18 foot canoe, paddles and stay the night. We cook and eat our last meal with fresh ingredients. Almost-hardboiled eggs and Johnsonville bratwursts!The mosquitoes start their onslaught. We try to stave them off with some funky herbal repellent that LL brought.

Day 2, soon after sunrise (none of us have a watch):

I can’t get enough of the clean, cool air and wake up bright and early to do some taichi. After the other 2 wake up, we repack our gear and set off for Sawbill Lake!

Near lunch time:

We find a really nice campsite and set up shop.

We eat our dry rations since it’s too hot to want to start a fire. It’s a beautiful day and we lie out on the warm rocks, read and go swimming. LL brought some ridiculous sunscreen with an SPF of 10! I mean, what’s the point? Of course, they get burnt on the first day.

We use the MSR MIOX Purifier Pen to treat lake water for consumption. It’s a really cool gadget that is effective in killing all sorts of nasties. The device was low on battery though and there were creatures swimming in the ‘treated’ water. I make a face and ask that we filter the water and LL says that I’m “such a girl”.

We canoe out to fish but return empty-handed. After a hot dinner, we weigh our options and decide that we need to paddle back to SCO the next day to get an alternative water treatment.

Days 3-4

We pick up iodine tablets for water treatment (along with some ice-creams bars) at SCO and we’re off again! BWCA Take Two!

The water level is incredibly high and we skip a portage and navigate along a winding marsh to get to Cherokee Lake. We get competitive and try to beat the couple of groups behind us to get our preferred campsite. We win! More reading and lazing around, this is a wonderful vacation...

Here are some photos because I'm too lazy to post them twice. More highlights and stories to follw!

Turning 31 with ...PORK

It was a treat to usher in my birthday with another one of Lily's delectable potroasts. The simple goodness of a hunk of well cooked meat should not be underestimated. And here's Kristen carving the roast with aplomp while Lily and Mateo get busy in the background.

Funky foods summary

Here's a whirlwind tour of what LA has to offer...

Brazilian BBQ at Pampas Grill

Giovanni's Trattoria

Meals by Genet (Ethiopian cuisine)

Wang Gop Chang (King intestines/tripe - Korean BBQ)

Guelaguetza (Oaxacan cuisine)

I thought I was an adventurous eater but man, those grasshoppers you see above, they felt all pokey and weird in my stomach. Next time, I'll stick to the more regular fare but hey, I'll try almost anything once...

~ s

ng teck siang photos

the end of an era

my grandparents shop is moving to redhill after over 40 years on the same street.

i grew up sneaking around these drawers whenever my uncle was not looking and trying to sneak some dry logans for snack, ginseng and licorice roots to chew, and of course dried cicadas to freak other kids out...

being in singapore - part 1

At the Lavender MRT station, on my way to get my old person IC renewal thing done, I got seduced by the armless soya bean and spent S$3.50 for a soybean milk drink and a red-bean cake.... 

My total spending because of cutie here was S$7 in 10 days.... not bad for bland soybean milk and so-so red bean cake...

i am a sucker for advertising...

Dumpster Diving

My roomie’s been preparing to move and after a productive Sunday afternoon of sorting and clearing, she realized that she’d misplaced the sparkly bauble that is a pledge of her fiancé’s love, devotion and earning prowess. We first looked through the obvious places and then it dawned on her that she might have tossed the less-than-snug-fitting ring out along with her old junk.

As her bridesmaid, it's my duty to support her in her endeavors and safeguard her sanity so there was no way I was going to let her go digging through trash alone. So we both put on some gloves and headed out to the dumpster. We went through the bags she had thrown out just hours before and while it was not exactly a perilous undertaking, we did have to watch out for random items of trash that came hurtling down the chute from above. After that failed to turn up anything, her fiancé was called upon to help in the hunt for his investment. We decided to retrace her steps before we go all out and climb into the dumpster and empty its contents.

Of course I'm able to write about this incident because after some frantic searching, the happy couple found the princess cut diamond platinum ring. It was in a shoebox, at the bottom of a pile of things, in her closet. Through it all, not a single harsh word was spoken. Congratulations you two, you’re going to be very happy together.

~ s

Take home message: Skip the stone and wear titanium

Of taco trucks and Texan BBQ

Birds of a feather flock together or, as MW would say, ornithological creatures of a similar plummage congregate in chorus. My friends and I have gone on a hunt for our favorite (Parisian-style) macaroons and cupcakes in the city but in the recent months, EK, our dishwashing gnome, has gone off to Atlanta, Tanzania and Kenya, SH is busy with wedding prep and as for CN, well, she’s in Melbourne now. This time round, I was hanging out with LL, a newly minted MBA and we decide to check out Urmerican food since he’s leaving the country soon. We drove all the way to North Hollywood to ‘The Swinging Door’ to try Texan style (dry rub as opposed to a sauce marinade) ribs. Our quest for BBQ hit an unexpected snag, we got there 4 mins too late… Now which restaurant closes at 8.30 on a Fri evening?!? In hindsight, it might not have been the best neighborhood to be hanging around in after dark since the guy at the gas station would only interact with me through the little cashier’s window. It fits the bulletproof BBQ theory that’s been put forward by enthusiasts though. http://professorsalt.blogspot.com/2005/10/bulletproof-bbq-theory.html

Hungry and frustrated, we surveyed the area and decided to try the taco truck that had set up shop at the opposite street corner. It’s a car wash by day and a Mexican hub by night. It even came complete with vendors selling illegal DVDs. All the customers were Mexican/Latino and they were sniggering at us cos we looked completely out of place.

I’ve always been intrigued by the taco truck, a humble enterprise that’s both an interesting food establishment concept and multiple hygiene violations on wheels. These taco trucks are often parked outside construction sites and/or dark street corners and my self-preservation instincts have always been stronger than my greediness and curiosity. Eating from what’s often referred to as a roach truck is also too much for the sensibilities of many of my friends. However, the steady stream of patrons driving high-end SUVs gave La Fonda a modicum of respectability and made their food seem safer for consumption. Plus this time, I felt bolstered by the company of someone who’s schooled in the art of ancient Chinese martial arts. While not exactly throwing caution to the wind, I figured that if we do encounter an angry mob defending their turf, LL can first try pitching a business deal to convince the La Fonda people of their potential for larger scale commercial success and avert a bloody showdown. At the very least, LL can put his fighting skills to some use and save us from getting tarred and feathered.

At the time of publication, LL had not uploaded any of the pictures he'd snapped so instead, here’s a review by a taco bounty hunter (http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/2006/09/tacos-la-fonda.html). I have to add though that this blogger was probably so focused on tacos that he/she failed to sample/mention La Fonda’s quesadillas. They’re not unlike the El Salvadorean pupusa. La Fonda uses the same maize flour dough used to make the corn tortilla, fills it with a delicious meat/cheese/onion mixture and fries the whole scrumptious pocket to a crisp. Be warned that it’s really greasy and not for the health-conscious but those who overlook its humble appearance will be rewarded with what must be close to a taste of Mexican paradise. According to LL, it even keeps and reheats well.

Between the two of us, we tried almost two-thirds of La Fonda’s menu. After we had used up all our cash, LL discovered that they sold tripas. Intestines! He swore to make a return trip to try both the Texan BBQ and the intestinal tacos. I wish him well on that adventure that he will have to undertake without me.

Perhaps this food madness will subside when LL leaves the US since I’ll have one less makan kaki (Southeast Asian vernacular for dining companion or foodie buddy) to hang out with. Maybe then, I will focus on graduating... ;)

~ s

Side note: ‘Baby Blues BBQ’, a dive-y ribs joint in Venice (Rose and Lincoln) is really quite good, cute servers, sweet tea, awesome sides and fall-off-the-bone meat, what else can one ask for?

The London "Real Food" Fair

We went, ate, and conquered. I most enjoyed the various sausages - think I ate at least 4 different varieties! Here's Wen and Babs (aka Amir). The happy soon-to-be-married couple!

Check out MY Fridge...

After reading your post, I couldn't resist showing you what's in my fridge. The photo only partially reflects its true contents, which include: 6 take-out cartons of white rice (mostly partially eaten), a half portion of grilled lemongrass beancurd (delivered from "Chelsea Cottage" aka Ping's kitchen), silksoy (extra calcium!), an apple, uncooked soba, some tea, and beer. Oh, and some ancient prune juice (I've given up on it) and a jar of english mustard hiding behind rice box #1 on left. Don't be horrified!

The Final Stretch..Then London!

I'm off to the races - my final two exams. I'm really quite checked out (hence the blogging, when I should be reading), and am looking forward to spending Sunday with Wen in London. She's taking me to the "London Real Food Fair." It makes me wonder how the Brits define "real food" (as opposed to...?). Check in next week, after I intrepidly investigate.

Screw Labels!

Hmmmm..I still can't accurately recite what exactly you study my'dear. But honey, I'm NOT a marketing executive (in fact, nothing in my job has anything to do with marketing at all!) so I think this goes to show that we're just clueless about things outside of our sphere of expertise :P

I do agree that "mature and studious" is a very inappropriate label for you. Why don't you try writing, "vivacious, gorgeous, highly talented graduate student seeks same. Only foodies and higher beings need apply." xoxo

Labels

Argh! I'm in the midst of searching for a new roommate and posted a listing on the website that is hosted by UCLA. I had to write a little blurb about myself and the people managing/editing the website content KEPT ON slipping in the phrase "mature and studious" in place of "graduate student"! I edited their edits TWICE and that phrase still popped up in their version of my listing! Maybe they think that would make me seem so much more attractive as a potential roommate. But for crying out loud, I'm the girl who my college roommate and best friend of 20 years describes as being wild and unpredictable! That's an Aquarian Dragon for you!

Why am I reacting so strongly to those innocuous words you may ask... It's probably due to the chip that I carry on my shoulder (no, not my evil twin that was surgically removed last year, for those of you who remember that little episode). Over the years, I have grown a lot more mature I have to say but it's got less to do with the fact that I'm a PhD student than that youth is generally wasted on the young! "Studious" is still synonymous with "straitlaced", "staid" and "insipid" in my dictionary I guess. And NO, not all graduate students fall under just those categories! For those of you who do, STOP giving us all a bad name! At the end of the day, I'll admit that I'm defensive about the reputation that graduate students in fields with bombastic, multi-syllabic names have. I underplay the nerdiness of what I do when talking to other 'normal' people. One has to be relevant to the world, right? Every now and then, Ping will ask me to tell her what I do and being the marketing exec that she is, forgets it the very next minute so she refers to me as the brainiac. (It's alright babes, I know you really do love and care about me.)

I'm hoping someone slightly deviant with a healthy dose of irreverence will not check my listing off their list. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy and am good at what I do, I'm just uncomfortable with stereotypes, especially ones that nameless, faceless people have decided that I fit. You can call me out the next time I try to box you in. We all have our little quirks and insecurities... How comfortable are you in your own skin?

~ s

Refrigerator cooking

Once in a while, I peek into my fridge and pull a meal together from the motley ingredients available. This is a necessary skill to have in graduate school. Although I'm not quite a starving student, I often don't have the luxury of time or resources to have a ton of fresh ingredients available (unlike those cooking show hosts).

Last week, I had green onion, yoghurt in the fridge and salmon steaks in the freezer. so I pulsed the a few sprigs of green onion and a couple of cloves garlic with the yoghurt and marinated the salmon steaks in the beautifully creamy pale green mixture. Yoghurt is traditionally used as a marinade for its acidic and hence tenderizing properties. The fatty salmon steak didn't really need that but the slight tanginess of my marinade cut the richness of the salmon to perfection. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it...

~ s

mmmm...

On the topic of food... let me share that I've stuck a blown-up photograph of these sardines - my absolute fav snack in barcelona, besides fuet and jamon, of course - up in my office. Everyone who sees is gets either hungry, inspired, or slightly turned off by the close-up view of fish. The third type of people aren't my friends. Take a look at how juicy these things look! mmmmm...

Posts from the Coasts

In sunny Singapore, the appreciation of food is both a sport and an obsession. How we ended up in the US of A on either coast is a long story but our love and pursuit of good food continues... From humble hole-in-the-wall Korean kitchens to fine Italian dining, we will leave no stone unturned. We've sold our souls to keep our fine figures so if you can handle the (cholesterol) highs, come along for the gastronomic ride!

From the sunny Coast,

~ s

Welcome to this blog... And Who Are We?

The motley crew: Lily, Ping and Shuwen... well, we all met a long time ago in a faraway tropical island, called Singapore. As three puny girls wearing the same uniform -- blue pinafore, white shirt, white belt, white shoes -- we didn't stand out in looks. But our quirks found each other and here we are today. Great friends who share a common love for all things sumptuous, be it steamed, seared or sauteed. This blog will be our forum for scribblings on life, love, friendship, food (and booze!) and anything our imaginations so desire.

Drool on!