Month: March 2011

Lamb and Pinot Noir Meatballs

Published by

I still had a little pinot noir leftover from the other day when we all needed a BFGOW after work. So I got half a kilo of lamb mince in a bowl, added a good glug glug of the wine, some chopped garlic, chopped basil, salt, pepper, some breadcrumbs, no, more breadcrumbs, no, still more breadcrumbs and rolled up 60 little meatballs and baked them for about 15 minutes in a hot 200°C oven. Then I made this light sauce to go with it. If it wasn’t a school night, I might have cooked this sauce for longer, but I’d already laboured over the meatballs and hey, a light sauce is good too. Chop up 2 red capsicums, 2 sticks of celery, 1 onion and brown in a hot pan with a little oil. Add 2 cups of water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain most of the water out. Work some voodoo magic with a stick blender and then put it back on the heat and add salt or bouillon as you wish. Serve with …

The Secret World of Private Kitchens in Hong Kong

Published by

Before our super epic trip, I’d mentioned to my cousin Charing that I wanted to dine at a private kitchen. From Wiki: Speakeasy, also termed private kitchen in Hong Kong (Chinese: 私房菜), is a term in modern Hong Kong referring to an unlicensed, restaurant-like establishment for eating. Some of the perceived problems with running a restaurant in Hong Kong—high rents and the common practice of landlords extracting profits from restaurants through clauses in tenancy agreements—have led to the establishment of this type of eatery. Owners also have the additional benefit that many government regulations concerning restaurants can be avoided. A typical speakeasy will be based in an ordinary apartment in a block of flats. Customers gain access by ringing the bell before the door is opened from the inside. Inside, the flat will be set out as a simple restaurant. Usually, it provides not only quality home-made food and drink, but a sense of being at home. Advertising is usually by word of mouth—it’s often not possible to have prominent signs outside to advertise the business’ presence, as with a normal commercial establishment. She knew …

Cabbages and pears

Published by

Just another mid week dinner. I read Citrus and Candy’s braised cabbage recipe the other day and was inspired to pair cabbage, balsamic and a fruit too. I didn’t have granny smiths and I don’t really braise during the week, but I had a pear and I’ve cooked cabbage in a frying pan a gazillion times before, so frying pan and pear it was. I’m trying to make extra these days so we can have lunch the next day. Lunch can be so expensive and cooking a bit extra doesn’t cost much at all. Intrinsically, this is chicken, cabbage and potato. I have a microwave at work, The Koala is on the road. So I’m taking chicken and cabbage for lunch tomorrow to heat, The Koala is taking chicken and potato salad to have cold. Hopefully his new insulated lunch box will keep it cool. Cabbage and pear with balsamic A side dish to pretty up any plate. Ingredients Quarter of a red cabbage 1 pear About 2 tablespoons of butter A glug of balsamic vinegar A …

Eating Borneo #8 – New Years at Mañana

Published by

New Year celebrations have always been epic for us. Many businesses are closed during this time in New Zealand so we holiday like there’s no tomorrow. It’s a time when we leave the city and flock to beaches all over the country to get absolutely trashed with their friends. There’s good food and good times to be had and the celebrations often last a week. I saw in last New Years with The Koala, my friend A, my sister Joey, her boyfriend D and the guests and staff at Mañana Borneo. Mañana is a small resort on a private beach about an hour north of Kota Kinabalu in the Sabah north of Borneo Island. It’s not on a separate island but this beach is only accessable by boat. No cars. No shops. No power during the day. Just a private, sheltered beach, snorkeling, swimming, books, hammocks, monsoon every afternoon (mandatory downtime). It was heaven. We stayed in 3 private villas with our own outdoor bathrooms. The menu here was limited but that was fine, it meant …

I ♥ Pork & Apple…still

Published by

Tasty, fatty comfort food. Make a big pot of this stew plus a big pot of rice and help yourselves to little bowlfuls whenever it takes your fancy. Great for lunch the next day and this stew seriously tastes better and better with time. Pretty similar dish to this rough guide. I seared (even burnt bits) the pork in a pan before I simmered and included some chunks of turnip (Chinese white carrot). Star anise might not be familiar to y’all but it’s a aniseed flavour that I love even though I don’t like licorice. They are added to food for flavour, but don’t eat them. It’s not nice to crunch on so try and remove them prior to serving or if they are intact, they can serve as a pretty garnish. The rough guide to Aromatic Pork Belly and Apple Ingredients: Pork belly, granny smith apple, onion, garlic, ginger, 5 spice powder, cloves, star anise, black vinegar, raw sugar, soy sauce. Preparation: Brown the pork and then simmer with all the other ingredients for about 1.5 …

Rediscovering old favourites

Published by

Once upon a time, I was wedding crazy. It wasn’t a long time, about 8 months of intense wedding planning, but in that time I read everything I could about weddings. One of my favourite blogs back then was Peonies and Polaroids written by Cara. It wasn’t strictly a wedding blog, but she was also swept up on the wedding planning buzz so that’s what I’d decided her blog was about. Once our wedding was over and done with, my wedding obsessions stopped. I stopped reading wedding blogs. But blogs continue being written and read without me following. Blog topics move on. Fans come and go. I rediscovered Peonies and Polaroids. Since then, she’s moved on a bit from weddings, she continues to blog about “photography and beauty and love and stuff”. Most importantly she is now bunny obsessed and anyone that is bunny obsessed is alright in my book. Her and her husband run a wedding photography business so the photographs on her blog are exquisite. Even mundane, every day subjects. You should check …

Monday Bunday: Bunny Ninja Pirate Pin and Origimi Rabbit Pin

Published by

“Ninja Bunny pwns bad guys with his amazing ninja skills. Pin him anywhere for full ninja protection! This gold plated pin comes in a crywolf box, and is stamped with the crywolf logo in the back.” Available for $7CAD at Crywolf. Also available as a cellphone charm, necklace and zipper pull. And this week I’ve also fallen in love with this Origami Rabbit pin. You can get it for me from The Little Drom Store. Only $29 Singapore dollars.

Fungus invasion

Published by

These cream coloured mushrooms are popping up all over our backyard. We have never had mushrooms in our backyard before, but I guess this warm, wet weather is doing all sorts of things out there. Anyone know what they are? Are they edible? Are they toxic? Are safe for rabbits? Should we be getting rid of them?

Family Dinner with Chef Joey

Published by

We hadn’t seen the family for over a month – since they left us in Hong Kong and we continued with our travels – and last month was our first meal as a family. My sister Joey was the executive chef for the evening. On the menu were some yummy BBQ pizzas, skewers, pasta salad and a couple of classic Chinese desserts. Skewers: streaky bacon with cheese stuffed mushrooms. Chicken, camembert and cranberry pizza. Pesto pizza. Smoked salmon pizza (with a healthy dollop of sour cream). Mango pudding or Mongoh bodeen. Egg custard tarts or Dahn tart in the background. I had painted my nails yellow… …and The Koala happened to be wearing a yellow shirt. So it was only natural we had to pose with the yellow desserts.

Red Pepper Soup

Published by

After I read Millie’s Red Bell Pepper Bisque recipe in her blog Millie Mirepoix this week, I went straight to the local Chinese market after work, bought 4 red peppers and whipped up something similar. I read overseas blogs, but reading NZ blogs is more relevant when we cook seasonally with seasonal produce. I also made some rosemary and celery scones. Served hot and buttered they filled us right up. I love that soup is so forgiving and experimentation usually leads to wonderful things. Millie Mirepoix’s Recipe is here: My changes were: 1 heaped teaspoon of green curry paste instead of cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon instead of chicken stock No crème fraîche 2 carrots instead of 1 2 celery stalks instead of 2 This soup is surprisingly filling and I only needed a cup worth and a scone the next day for lunch. Curses to the tupperware container that was not leak proof! Thank goodness I always plastic bag stuff before it goes into my handbag. Tofu the rabbit very much liked …

What’s the deal with Urbis Designday?

Published by

Last Saturday we went to Urbis Designday where 12 showrooms collaborate with 12 designers from fashion and design industries. We had an awesome day, saw some interesting things, drank some yummy things and tasted some wonderful things. Good value at $30 per ticket (or 2 for $50). We figured we ate and drank an average of $10 each at each of the sites and including the taxis in between, we would have enjoyed $150 worth of Urbis. Here are some of my photos and a bit of a run down… 0. Media Design School / HP Future Designers at MINI Garage (HQ) This was were picked up their wristbands for the day if they hadn’t received them in the post. While this wasn’t considered one of the exhibits or a number on the circuit, this was actually one of my favourites. We spent a while here watching the Media Design School 3D projects. As you enter a big inflatable room you are given headphones and a Kapiti white chocolate and raspberry ice cream. Similar concept …

Eating Borneo #7 – Christmas in the Jungle

Published by

Paganakan Dii A short drive from Sandakan airport we found ourselves at the incredible Paganakan Dii. This accommodation set in the jungle of Sepilok is rated number 1 by both Trip Advisor and Travellers Point reviews. This high rating is well deserved and it is considered to be budget accommodation but don’t let the price tag fool you. Discreetly hidden inside a nature park, this place features 3 long houses with dorm style sleeping as well as private duplexes. The food is good, the beers are reasonable and breakfast is included every day. There is a great common area as well as lots of good spots to just hang out. Discreet driveway leading up to Paganakan Dii. Being tourists at the nature park. This bird loved The Koala to bits. View from a sunbathing deck. A lovely morning in the jungle. Dorms. Basic, but clean and comfortable. Windows and doors beside every bunk. View of the jungle from bed. No glass windows, just mosquito netting and slat shutters. Dorm balcony. My sister Joey brushes her teeth …

Eating Borneo #6 – Sepilok

Published by

In Sepilok, we stopped off at a random food court on the side of the road for lunch. I liked the fact that we seemed to be the only tourists here. I ordered a Meehoon Goreng Singapore. It was way too spicy. I suffered through this one and didn’t even get a quarter of the way through before I gave up. The soup it came with was good though. Chicken and mayo with rice. This was nice and mild for The Koala. A’s fried noodles with an egg on top. This is a ubiquitous dish and for good reason. It’s yum, cheap and filling. Cruising in Sandakan On Christmas morning, Mr Aji dropped us back at Sandakan airport where we had a rental car waiting. I’d been a bit worried about renting a car in Borneo. I was worried that we might end up with a clunker on dodgy jungle roads. Instead, the roads were smooth and the car turned out to be a super sweet ride. Because we arrived in Sandakan on Christmas Eve, …

Eating Borneo #5 – Sukau

Published by

Mr Aji Tours http://www.mrajiexpeditions.blogspot.com On Christmas Eve, Me, The Koala and A met up with my sister Joey and her boyfriend D at Sandakan airport in the Sabah area of Borneo. Our first day in the area, we met with Mr Aji who chauffeured us in style to Sukau and then onto the Kinabatangan River for an early afternoon river cruise. Mr Aji is a passionate wildlife photographer and had one of the biggest zoom lenses I’ve seen up close. It was incredible to see all the animals in the wild and Mr Aji has a hell of a keen eye. We saw proboscis monkeys leaping from tree to tree, An orangutan mother with her baby, a troop of curious macaques, lots of birds like the rhinoceros hornbill, snake bird, egret, black and white hornbill, eagle, Stockbill and common kingfishers. Because we were on the river earlier and longer than other tours, we had the river to ourselves. The boat driver turned off the engine and we just floated down the river and listen to …

Monday Bunday: Dust Bunny and OCD Chef

Published by

Adorable Dust Bunny by Fred and Friends. Inside every home cook is an OCD chef just dying to get out. Get this The OCD Chef chopping board for the OCD chef in you. Marked out on the board are medium dice, small dice, julienne and fine julienne. Unfortunately it looks like the measurements are in inches so maybe not for the metric OCD chefs. This chopping board makes the OCD chef in me squeal in delight and then laugh maniacally. You can get it from Fred & Friends www.worldwidefred.com. I’ve been a fan of Fred Flare since forever. Their quirky, whimsical yet useful accessories and knickknacks are right up my alley. Their newer brand Fred & Friends has some awesome kitchen and house goodies. Great for gifts and for yourself. Can be found online or also at your local Living and Giving store.

Burgers at Matakana House

Published by

Opensouls, one of my favourite bands in the whole world, played their final show last Sunday. It was at Leigh Sawmill Cafe which is about an hour drive north. So we made an afternoon of it and packed the van with some friends. Clinging on to the last threads of summer, we visited the beach by Goat Island for a swim and a snorkel. It was a beautiful day in Auckland but as we drove north, the skies turned grey and by the time we’d finished swimming and snorkeling, it was pelting down. Swimming and snorkeling are a surefire way to work up an appetite and with Leigh Sawmill closed until 4pm for set up and every single shop in Leigh closed on a Sunday afternoon, we were forced to drive to Matakana for a munch. Matakana is pretty gourmet as far as small towns go and I realised I’d never been there before. They have a highly rated farmers market which I do hope to visit another time. As we drove down the main …

Sexy French Sausages. Take 2

Published by

I squeezed another meal out of those sexy French snags. More assembling than actual cooking. A huge plate, but the kind of dinner that makes you feel good afterwards. I presented this plate to my husband who for some reason thought it was a shared platter for dinner. He realised his mistake when I brought out a second plate of food for me. One each FTW! Cheese, beans, avocado, cucumber, eggs, spring onion, lemon pepper, cherry tomatoes, rocket and sexy French sausages.

Eating Borneo #4 – Sandakan

Published by

Both Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan are in Sabah which is in the north of Borneo. Tourists often fly to Sandakan Airport before heading to the Orangutan Sanctuary in Sepilok,  The Kinabatangan River in the Sukau area and Turtle Island near Sandakan. This area of Borneo is on your bucket-list if you want to love wildlife. Asian Delight – Sandakan Airport We ate fair bit at Asian Delight because it is the only restaurant at Sandakan Airport. We also give it thumbs up for having air conditioning. Here are a few dishes we ate there around the Christmas period. The Koala’s Western style breakfast with a basket of fries. My noodle soup. A’s rice filled omelette. I had to try a Nasi Lemak at least once. While I like dried fish this was a bit much for me. But the chicken wing was really good. So good that I just ordered chicken wings and rice the next time we came to this restaurant. As with most places, western style food is available is usually more expensive and …