Learn a new dish every month

Well, as I’ve said earlier, 2012 is dedicated to myself and have set out a few things to accomplish on the personal front. Personal development, some call it and that is to learn a new dish every month.

In January, I had tried Ngoh Hiang. Though I liked the texture of the Ngoh Hiang, which is extra crunchy with the water chestnuts I added, I still prefer the skins to be crispier. I think I have found the solution to that. The best thing to learn a dish is to ask, ask and ask. The more I ask, the more tips I learn. December, January are the best months to ask because the are so many gatherings. If it is potluck, it’s even better! Can learn secrets from friend’s mothers/grandmothers.

I’ve also practiced my yam abacus, which is getting better and better. But hor, cannot be greedy, maximum use 2 yams. 3 yams will put me into toning my biceps and make the whole process a drag more than an enjoyment.

Rekindling with my estranged paternal family also make me learn a new Cantonese dish – braised mushrooms.

Ingredients:

1 pork knuckles
10 chicken feet
12 mushrooms
8 dried oysters
1 wongbok or Chinese cabbage.
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce

Method:

Soak mushrooms till soft.

Mix chicken feet and pork knuckles with dark soy sauce and brown.

Ina separate pot, boil water and add soak mushrooms, dried oysters, browned chicken feet and pork knuckles. Boil for about 10 mins and add wongbok. Stew for another 1 hour or until all are tender.

Notes 1:

There are 2 types of pork knuckles. The front knuckles and the hind knuckles. The front are meatier but smaller. The hind are fattier but bigger. For stew, and if the pork knuckles are not for consumption, use the hind. The stew liquid will be more coagulant. If you want to eat the pork knuckles, use the front knuckles.

Notes 2:

There are actually a huge variety in the cabbage family. Some are used for stir fry. Some are used for pickling, like kimchi. Wongbok is actually a smaller version of the one we are familiar with. The leaves are less flimsy, more taut, and the stems are thicker. It taste sweeter too. In NTUC supermarket, it is labeled as Chineses Wongbok. If wongbok is not available, Chinese cabbage can do too.

Notes 3:

One can add any other ingredients to it such as sea cucumber, fa cai, dried scallops, abalone, etc. These are optional. Aiya, just dump anything you think can compliment the stew taste! My neighbour came around the next day with a whole roast duck, we cut it up leaving the the duck bones and neck and dump them into the stew. The more it stews, the more flavourful it becomes. With the duck rack, I added more mushrooms and wongbok and ate it for 3 days.

In the past where I don’t have any wongbok or cabbage, I even put salted vegetables and carrots. This is the best dish after Chineses New Year where there are are so much leftovers, just dump them all in!

2012 is Mine!

2012 is a year I dedicate to myself.

Last year had been a hoo haa year with the passing of my mother, with my mother’s business, with my own business, with my new re-united extended paternal family, with my brother’s new Chinese bride, with the incessant bickering of my extended maternal family on my brother’s new bride.

I am done!

I am glad that things had finally settled, luckily there was no court proceedings to pursue ….. which will inevitably waste more money on. And as with all conflicts, time will be the mediator.

And if there is one thing I had learned the past year – The best commentary is silence. This silence entails respect and space.

I am happy for my brother’s decision, and proud of him not least. To see him put on some weight, quit smoking and talk  about his new job, these are definitely good signs.

Last Saturday, 4 of us marched into Leong San See temple, paying our respects to our mother, for it been a year since she passed on. I can never put more emphasis on customs and rituals like these. It is a time for us to get together, talk cock and sing song.

And with the past behind me, this year, it’s MINE! And my “Ang’s”.

Marching into 2012, I re-watched one of my favourite youtube videos – JK Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Speech 2008. She touched on 3 main topics – Failures, Imagination and Friends.

 ”Failure strips away the inessential and makes us stop pretending who we are. Failure sets us free because the greatest fear was realised and we are still alive! It is impossible to live without failing at something unless we live so cautiously that we might as well not have lived at all, in which case we fail by default.”

I had understood what failure was at a young age. Those were easily defined in schools. At age 36, going on 37, the society is quick to term you a failure with their preset criteria.

I have failed before, in many arenas. And assumed I will too in the future. Perhaps in an epic scale I cannot fathom right now. But more importantly, failures do not stop me. They do not restrict me in my comfort zone. They help me march forward the unknown, armed with past failures (or some people prefer to use the word “experience”)

This year will be the year to pursue my passion. Sometimes I find that passion is a very Avante Garde, abstract thing to grasp. What exactly is passion? How do we know we are passionate about it? Maybe it is just a 3 minute love affair? It took me some time to find out and I am still quite unsure if it is truly my calling, even now.

But one thing I am sure. It makes me smile, it makes me think, it makes me wanting more……

And as I’ve mentioned, 2012 is dedicated to myself. I have started to document my passion and interest here.

And I must also document JK Rowling here.

Ngoh Hiang

Its the New Year! And Chinese New Year falls on 23 January this year.

I have started to plan for CNY parties and prepare the food menu. I decide to make Ngoh Hiang (5 spice rolls). There are several versions to this dish. I liked the Hokkien version. the Teochew version adds yam to it making it towards the mushy end.

I like crunch so I pumped up the water chestnuts content.

Ingredients:
(1) Mince pork – 750g
(2) Water chestnuts – 500g
(3) Onion – 1 big red or yellow one
(4) Mushroom – 6 pieces
(5) Prawns – 20 medium prawns
(6) Egg – 1 piece
(7) Soy Sauce – 2 table spoons
(8) dash of pepper

I do not really like carrots but you can add in carrots in a proportion that carrots + water chestnuts = 500g.

Method:
- Mix all ingredients together
- Wipe Ngoh Hiang skins to remove excess salt and cut to desired rectangular shape.
- Place mixture onto skins and roll it.
- Steam them for 10 mins
- Deep fry themso that the Ngoh Hiang skins are crispy.

To keep for a longer period, do not deep fry them. Wrap the steamed Ngoh Hiang in aluminium foil and freeze it. Only deep fry them when you want to eat it.

While making Ngoh Hiang, I made used of the by-products to make other dishes.

One being the soup base for prawn noodles. I fry the prawn shells (typically thrown away) and add rock sugar to it. Add water, star anise, cloves, garlic and let it simmer.

The other is actually a drink, a refreshing one at that! I washed the water chestnuts thoroughly, off with the mud, and peel off the skins. The skins are typically thrown away but I add water and rock sugar to it. It will take some time (about 1 hr) before the water is infused with water chestnuts flavour. Cool it in the fridge for added shiokness!

算盘子 Yam Abacus

Recently I made a trip to Malacca. It was madness as we ate and ate, probably 7-8 meals a day!

One of the things that we ate consecutively for 2 days was yam abacus, and from the same stall. It was soooo good that we “ta bao” (packet to go) back to the hotel and ate by the pool side while we conjure up plans for the next holiday.

So, out of nowhere, I was craving and decided to make some the other day. Adopted from Going With My Gut, I went supermarketing and planned to make them on Saturday, but I was already craving on Thursday! Those 2 days were so long.

Here, making these little doughs make me wished that I had bored one dozen kids and ordered them to knead them! These abacus become bigger and bigger as I get more impatient to finish them.

Finally done kneading and cooked them in boiling water!

Then, I fry them with hay bee (dried shrimps), black fungus, mushrooms and garlic.

Mental note: To add cuttlefish and mince pork next time I make them.

Well, I gave some to my in-laws for my regular Saturday family dinner and also on Sunday morning, I brought some to the dog pool to share them with my neighbors (we regularly bring our pooch to the dog pool on Sunday morning that it has become a ritual!), all of them liked the texture but find it too bland. I didn’t add any salt to the dough but seasoned the frying ingredients with salt, fish sauce and a little soy sauce.

I guessed I’ve kinda succeeded making yam abacus and will be gunning to make them this coming CNY!

Paint

I cannot take it anymore. Every time I drive pass this building, I cannot take it how badly it had been built. Because it sits on my usual route back home from Orchard Road, I’m confronted by its ugliness every time, so …..here it is……..

Look at the discoloration at the top few floors of the building. This development has 2 blocks and I have observed the discoloration spreads sporadically on certain patches on the external walls. Thus, it eliminates the theory that it is due to sun exposure at a certain time and certain directions.

It cannot be the applicator (labour and method statement on applying the paint) either, again because of the sporadic nature of the discoloration.

All fingers point to the paint. These must be external paint and external paint needs a layer of sealer before the finishing coats. Recently, there was a court case on a dispute between the paint supplier and paint applicator and the paint applicator won on the basis that the supplier advised that the sealer was not necessary, resulting in the discolouration.

I showed the above photo to one of the contractors building one of my sites, had a discussion with him, together with the Architect and Project Manager. Sounds like everyone is aware of this court case but not this building.

Best guess here is that the painting done used different batches on paint and sealer, resulting in the patches to certain location of the facade.

Anyway, it is really an eyesore, at least for me. Can the MCST please quickly get a contractor to do a repainting work on them? I’m sure you have sufficient sinking fund for it.

Tags: discolouration, external, Paint, wall