Pigging out at Elcerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang

I've heard so much - all good things about El Cerdo, a Spanish restaurant in Changkat Bukit Bintang that I decided that it was time to check it out myself. So, despite the rain, J & I, together with two of other "makan" buddies made our way to the city centre for a pig-out. After all, Elcerdo specializes in all things porky!

To start off our gastronomic journey, we ordered the Spanish Ham Platter, an assortment of Jamón Serrano & Jamón Iberico ham with a Variety of Chorizo Sausages and Condiments - salad, nuts, cheese and rock melon balls. The ham eaten with the rock melon balls combines the salty and sweet beautifully.


Next, we had ribs, which is supposed to be black pig ribs, if I'm not mistaken. The grilled ribs had a wonderful spiced flavour, very different from the American ribs we've eaten before. Whilst, it was a little tough to get off the bone, nevertheless, it unique flavor makes this a worthwhile dish to order.


We then moved on to the reason we came to El Cerdo - the famous roasted suckling pig - so tender, you can even cut it with a plate...I kid you not. When the waitress served us the suckling pig, she would tell us the story behind the chef who came up with this dish. Then she would demonstrate how to cut the pig with a plate and invite one of the patrons to cut. And then for good luck, you then break the plate into the wooden barrel (I suppose it helps reduce the cleaning up). So, when you eat at Elcerdo, be prepared for a little bit of fun and lots of plate breaking!


Our next main was our only non-pork dish for the night - paella with king prawns and scallops. Cooked just the way I like it, moist, but not too runny, the paella was also a winner.


Finally, for dessert, we ordered their homemade tiramisu with mango sauce and their special, off the menu raspberry ice-cream cake. The tiramisu, was light and fluffy, whilst the layered tangy raspberry ice cream complemented the sweet cake. All in all a good way to finish off out meal.

Our verdict?
We were as happy as the pigs on our doggy bag.


The food is fantastic - the bill for an appetizer, three mains, which included a 1/2 suckling pig), two desserts, two sangrias (the white wine pear sangria was delicious), two juices and two bottled water came us to close to RM500. It's worthwhile to save up to dine here for a special occassion!

Elcerdo
43&45 Changkat Bukit Bintang
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2145 0511

Homemade Chinese Barbeque Pork (Char Siu)

One of my specialites developed over the last few years is chinese barbeque pork or char siu. I guess practice makes perfect and this dish remains a favourite with my family and friends. The only problem with this recipe is that I don't measure my ingredients. I just add a dash of this and a dash of that. Also, I tend to improvise my ingredients depending on what I have available in my pantry so my advice if you're trying this recipe is to be adventurous :-)

Here is my recipe, to the best of my estimation...

Serves 4-8 (depending on whether you're serving other dishes)
1. 8 strips of pork belly (you do need a fatty cut in order for this dish to be successful. A fatless cut would result in a rather dry and chewy char siu)
2. 1 jar (240 gm) of Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce
3. 1/2 jar (120 gm) of Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce

4. 1/4 cup of honey
5. 1 tablespoon of five spice powder
6. 2 tablespoons of lemon/lime juice
7. 2 tablespoon of Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce
8. 1-2 teaspoons of thick soya sauce
9. 1 tablespoon of Chinese wine
10. 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
11. 1-2 tablespoon of Maltose sugar (Mak Ngah Tong)

Marinade:Mix ingredients 2-10 in a deep glass dish. Place each strip of pork belly into the marinade and make sure that each pork belly is coated with the marinade. Using a fork, pierce the meat to allow it to absorb the marinade into the meat. Ideally, the marinade should totally cover the meat. Marinade overnight in the fridge.

Pre-Roast:45 minutes before roasting, take out the pork belly from the fridge. Preheat oven to 180C. Wrap your roasting rack and tray with aluminium foil (it will make cleaning up much easier). Slit some holes on the rack to allow the liquid to drip down to the tray. Place the pork belly on the rack and pour half of the marinade over the meat.

Now for the key ingredient - maltose sugar. Pour some boiling water onto a large bowl. Place the maltose sugar jar into the bowl. This will warm up the thick maltose sugar into a more liquid syrup, making it easier to pour on the pork belly. Using a large spoon, scoop up the maltose sugar. Lift your hands high and start lacing the pork belly until the maltose sugar coats the pork belly fairly evenly.

Roast:
Roast in the oven for around 30-45 minutes. Midway through, turn the meat and baste with the remaining marinade. If you wish, you can also add the maltose sugar again (I used to but don't anymore). When the char siu is cooked, remove the meat from the rack and the gravy from the tray. Once the meat is cool, slice and serve with rice or noodles. Enjoy!

The Best Of Tokyo - Ramen

I love a bowl of steaming hot ramen noodles. Apart from the springy ramen noodles, crisp fried garlic slices and sliced roast pork served in creamy white miso soup, I love the Japanese hard-boiled egg, with its bright orange yolk. Here are 2 places which I found for good ramen in Tokyo. The first ramen shop which came recommended by the Lonely Planet is called Komen. It has a chain of 12 ramen shops in Tokyo. For non-Japanese speakers, look out for the 2 Japanese words encased in a large circle above the shop. I went to the Komen in Shinjuku (3-32-2, Shinjuku-ku, corner of Meiji-Dori and Koshu Kaido). This two storey ramen shop is big by ramen shop standards. They also have a branch in Harajuku.


Komen Ramen at Shinjuku


Big pots of stock for the ramen soup


Ramen with roast pork and white miso soup set - 990 yen

I stumbled onto the second ramen shop quite by accident. We were window shopping on the busy streets of Harajuku when this sign caught our attention. Walk down the stairs to a cosy little basement shop. Unfortunately, I don't know what the English name is but this shop is further down the street from the Lotteria at Takeshita Dori. The ramen is served in a stone bowl, which keeps it piping hot. In summer, the cold ramen is also quite popular. Personally, I found the ramen at this shop better than Komen.





Sigh...I wish I was back in Japan!

"We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins."
Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Risotto with Prawn and Bacon

It's been a while since I experimented with new recipes. I've always been a big fan of paella and risotto. Maybe it's the Asian in me - rice is such a big part of my life. I've been wanting to cook a paella or risotto dish for a while but was not able to find the medium grain Arborio rice in Malaysian supermarkets. The Arborio rice has a high level of starch which absorbs many times its weight in liquid, resulting in a soft and creamy texture. So, on my last trip to Australia, I bought a pack of Riviana Arborio rice. To be honest, I was quite surprised at how easy it is to cook risotto. However, if you're looking for a quick dish, then this is not it as it requires a fairly long cooking time and constant stirring. If you have the time and patience, this dish is worth it. As with all recipes, you can substitute the ingredients according to your fancy.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
2 tablespoon olive oil
30 gm butter
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
600 grams streaky bacon (or as much or as little as you want)
600 grams prawns, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper (again, as much or as little as you want)
2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups stock, simmered (you can use chicken or a combination of stock. Since I was cooking fresh prawns, I used the prawn shell and head to boil into about 1.5-2 cups of stock. I used chicken stock for the rest)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Basil or Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat a large heavy based saucepan. Fry about 1/3 of the bacon until crispy and set aside. Note, since I used streaky bacon, it was not necessary to add oil as the bacon will ooze its own fat. Add a little olive oil and stir fry the prawns until it's pink. Remove and set aside.

Heat the rest of the olive oil and butter in the pan. Add the onions and stir fry for a few seconds. Then add the garlic and the remaining bacon and fry for about 3 minutes. Stir in the Arborio rice and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or so, until the rice slightly colours, stirring regularly. Add the white wine and simmer to absorb the liquid, again, stirring frequently (Note: this is a constant theme when cooking risotto!).

Begin adding stock, one cup at a time. I found it best to add the stock slowly, stirring well and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid, before continuing adding the stock. So, for one cup, it may take about 2-3 pours. Continue to do so until the you have finished adding all 4 cups of stock, making sure that you stir dilligently! You will see the arborio grow plumper as the rice grains absorb the flavourful liquid. After you have added all 4 cups of stock, taste the risotto. If the rice is still crunchy, you may need to add a little more water or stock until the rice is fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and basil/parsley. Dish out the risotto and add the crispy bacon and prawn. Enjoy the fruit of your labour!



I've eaten risotto at restaurants where the risotto is way too mushy and is served in a bed of starchy liquid. Personally, I prefer my risotto like this - you can see each plump and juicy individual grain.


Rice is born in water and must die in wine.
Italian Proverb

Hua Hin Beach Resort - Plearn Wan

Hua Hin Beach Resort is a favourite destination among Thais. Unlike Pattaya, Hua Hin is fairly unknown to foreigners or farangs. Located 200 kms south of Bangkok, this is a popular weekend getaway with journey ranging from 2.5 - 3.5 hours depending on traffic conditions. Anyone who's lived in Bangkok can attest to the heavy traffic on the expressways leading into and out of the city!

In addition to the refreshing seabreeze, cooling waters, fresh seafood, there is much to do in Hua Hin if one wants a different scene. Our friends took us to Plearn Wan. It is described as a “Center of joy and happiness ... stop the past in order to tell the various tales of Hua Hin in the past ... toward present” on its website. It's actually a huge wooden complex designed based on the old wooden shops in the past, with shops and stalls selling food, souveniers, etc.

Highly popular with the local tourists (colourful buses, MPVs and cars fill the parking lot beside Plearn Wan on weekends) due to the cutesy shops and numerous photo opportunities (Thais love photography), it really is quite fun walking around the shops, snapping away and deciding which yummy desserts to try.

I highly recommend the soft love letter made on the spot. You can choose from a couple of different flavours - yam, banana, etc. Absolutely delicious!


Who can resist one of Thailands most famous desserts - mango sticky rice ("kao niao mang muang")?


Mini crispy pancakes with a choice of fillings - shredded coconut, sweet corn, taro, kaya (coconut jam), etc, etc.


Have some ice cold local coffee to accompany dessert, very similar to Malaysia's local coffee. I thought that the use of the rafia string to hold the paper cup was quite clever!


Watch a local artisan at work as he fashions a horse from candy...


Admire old and current photos of the royal family. It is very common to see shops hang pictures of the royal family from various eras. The Thais highly revere the king. This particular shop in Plearn Wan had quite a good selection of prints for sale.


I was told that in the evening, the look and feel of Plearn Wan is quite different from the day. Unfortunately, time did not permit for us to make a return visit at dusk. Still, we had a pleasant time roaming the "streets" of Plearn Wan, experiencing a little bit of "old" Thailand.

Simply Red Bistro, Sheldrake Point, New York

New York City was exciting, but after a week, we were happy to leave the bustling city to explore the rest of New York State. We headed towards the lovely wine region of Finger Lakes. Our first stop - Ithaca, located on Lake Cayuga. Based on the glowing recommendation from our bed and breakfast hostess, we decided to drive to the Sheldrake Point, a winery in Ovid, about 20 minutes away from Ithaca to have our dinner at Simply Red Bistro. It was worth it. Apart from its great location by the lakeside, we had one of our best meals here during our New York trip.




We were there on a Monday night, which happens to be their Southern Night with live music. We were there early but the place was already packed. Fortunately, we managed to get a spot at the bar. Do make reservations if you plan to visit to avoid any disappointments.




J opted for the Country Style Pork Ribs whilst I had the Creole Seafood Jambalaya. The pork ribs were so flavourful and melts in your mouth. It was definitely better than the one we had in New York city! I've never tasted Jambalaya before and I was not disapppointed. The seafood- shrimps, scallops, mussels were so fresh. Cooked together with chorizo and wild rice in seafood stock, it was a meal to be had! The cornbread...Yummy!




We were really full after our main meals but we were told that the desserts were delicious and should not be missed. So, we ordered the Slow Ass Ginger Spice Apple Cake (which was highly recommended) and the Dark Chocolate Capuccino Mousse (I can't resist anything with dark chocolate). I'm glad we heeded the advice as the desserts were absolutely wonderful!



We really enjoyed our meal at the Simply Red. Not only did we meet talented Chef Sam Izzo (we were amazed at how young she was), we also enjoyed great conversation with the bartender and the gentleman we sat next to at the bar. Good food, great conversation - an unforgettable experience all round.

Simply Red Bistro
7448 Rte 153, Ovid, NY 14521
607 532 9401 ext 111

Best Babi Guling in Bali - Bu Oka

I mentioned in my last post that Ma-de, the driver took me to the best Babi Guling (Roast Suckling Pig) in Bali. Bu Oka is a small shop or warung in Ubud, opposite the palace. The warung comprises of a stall up front where the chef prepares the food. Next to the stall, there are a few long tables with benches. To get inside the warung, you have to go up some wooden steps (per Asian custom, you need to take out your shoes). There are low tables inside and you sit on the floor.

The menu, which is on the wall is straight forward. There is babi guling, babi guling and babi guling. You would have figured out by now babi guling is their specialty. There are some variations (e.g. pork with/without skin, with intestine, with vegetables). Ma-de recommended that I try the Babi Guling Special (i.e the works with rice, veg, crispy skin and intestine). It was very delicious. The meat is so tender that it literally melts in your mouth. Ma-de explained that the suckling pig is stuffed with Balinese spices and then roasted in a pit on a roller. It then is turned slowly and roasted for many hours to get the meat tender and juicy. The skin is crispy, while the intestine taste similar to the Chinese "siu cheong" (roast intestine). The assorted vegetables were diced finely and cooked with Balinese spices. Topped with the Balinese sambal, it was an unforgettable meal!

Balinese Cuisine at Bumbu Bali

On our first night in Bali, we decided to have a Balinese dinner at the Bumbu Bali, located in Tanjung Benoa. Bumbu Bali claims to be the first authentic Balinese restaurant and was created following the principals used in designing a traditional Balinese home compound. Surprisingly, the owner of the restaurant is Heinz von Holzen, a Swiss, married to a Balinese. Heinz used to be the Executive Chef at the Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton Bali.

Having missed out on the Bumbu Bali during our first visit to Bali a couple of years back, we decided to make reservations for the night so as to not miss out again. It was also very convenient that the restaurant provides complimentary transportation to the restaurant from Nusa Dua hotels guests. The Bumbu Bali is so popular that the driver told us on the way back that it was his 8th trip to the Melia Bali that night.

At the restaurant, the kitchen staff greeted each guest with a cheery "Selamat Malam" or Good Night (which in Bali, is used as a welcome greeting as opposed to in Malaysia where it is used as a farewell greeting). The guests, both male and female are given a frangipani to be worn on the ear.

We opted for the set meal called the Rijsttafel (yeah, it's a mouthful, isn't it?), which means "Rice Table" (Indonesian dishes are always served in the center of the table surrounding a large basket of steamed white rice). We also complemented it with Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning (Assorted Seafood in Yellow Turmeric Sauce), which was recommended by the waitress.

THE RIJSTTAFEL
APPETIZER

Sambel be Tongkol (Tuna Salad)
Sate Babi, Ayam, Lilit (Pork, Chicken and Seafood Sate)
Peanut Sauce
Lawar - Vegetable Salad

Verdict: The sates were absolutely delicious. The sauce was smooth and had a flavourful peanut taste (it definitely was made from roasted peanuts and not peanut butter). The lawar was fresh and crunchy.

SOUP
Cram Cam (Clear Chicken Soup with Shallots)

Verdict: The soup was seasoned with aromatic Balinese spices. Tasted quite similar to soto ayam.

MAIN DISHES
Ayam Betutu (Roast Chicken in Banana Leaf)
Be Celeng Base Manis (Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce)
Be Sampi Mebase Bali (Braised Beef in Coconut Milk)
Kambing Mekuah (Lamb Stew in Coconut Milk)
Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish Fillet)
Pesan be Pasih (Diced Fish Grilled in Banana Leaf)
Sayur (Selection of Daily Vegetables)
Nasi Kuning, Merah, Putih (Yellow, Red and Steamed Rice)

Ala carte: Hasil Laut Bumbu Kuning (Assorted Seafood in Yellow Turmeric Sauce)
Verdict: Each dish was simply oozing with flavour. The lamb stew and braised beef literally melts in your mouth. The fish and seafood dishes were very fresh. The pork in sweet soy sauce tastes very much like the Chinese style dish we have in Malaysia.

DESSERT
Kueh Bali (Selection of Balinese Cakes)
Bubuh Injin (Black Rice Pudding)
Jaja Batun Bedil (Glutinous Rice Flour Dumplings in Palm Sugar Sauce)
Buah-Buahan (Seasonal Fruits)
Balinese Coffee or Tea

Verdict: At this stage, we were already quite full. But, we couldn't resist sampling the dessert. My favourite dessert is the Glutinous Rice Flour Dumplings in Palm Sugar Sauce. It was absolutely delicious and not-to-be-missed. The dumplings had a soft chewy texture and the palm sugar sauce was so fragrant. The black rice pudding is similar to what we have in Malaysia (not surprisingly since there are similarities in our cultures).

Final verdict: I'm glad we managed to taste the food at the Bumbu Bali this trip. Absolutely delicious!

Thought for this Week

I decided to share a quote about food since I've done a bit of blogging on this topic last week.

Food is so primal, so essential a part of our lives, often the mere sharing of recipes with strangers turns them into good friends. ... Jasmine Heiler

Isn't this so true? There is an instinctive bond among foodies. This is dedicated to my food buddies!

Vienna Sausage Wrapped With Bacon, Home-Made Onion Rings, Potato Salad

After writing my post on pizza yesterday, I was inspired to turn what would have been typical British pub fare of "bangers and mash" (ie sausage with mash potato) to a more creative dinner meal.

I was watching Scandinavian Cooking on the Asian Food Channel ("AFC") the night before and decided to try the bacon wrap on Vienna sausage. Ideally, streaky bacon would have been the best option for a wrap as the pieces are longer. However, I chose to use smoked back bacon as the meat was leaner. It was my little compromise on an otherwise not very healthy meal (but taste oh so good....).

To accompany the sausages, I experimented with home-made onion rings, again inspired by another program called Restaurant Makeover on AFC (by now you would have guessed I'm a big fan of AFC). I was looking forward to trying out the homemade version as you could only taste the batter and not the onion in the commercial frozen onion rings. I also made Tracy's yummy potato salad but had to make some adjustments as I didn't have cream in my fridge. Last, but not least, a simple salad to ease my guilty "healthy" conscience.

The Main...
Wrap 2 pieces of bacon (streaky or smoked back bacon, depending on your preference) over the sausage (take your pick - Vienna, Hungarian, Pepper, Garlic, Chorizo, etc, etc). Secure the wrap with a small toothpick. Pan fry until it is done. Serve with mustard of your choice, tabasco sauce or home-made thai style green chili sauce (something we picked up from our 18 months in Bangkok).

The Side Dishes...
Potato Salad
Click above to see Tracy's recipe from her Makanning blog. I substituted cream with milk as I didn't have any cream at home. To add some richness to the sauce, I added a slice of cheddar cheese into the milk. Otherwise, I followed her recipe to the T.

Onion Rings with Beer Batter
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup beer
1 egg

Whisk the ingredients until the batter is smooth. I also added the excess sauce from the potato salad to the batter. (As the taste is fairly consistent, why waste?) Slice the onions into rings. Dip the onion ring into the batter and deep-fry in hot vegetable oil. The trick is not to move the onion ring immediately after placing into the wok (I'm Chinese so I like to use the wok) or pan. This enables the batter to stick to the onion. When it is golden brown, use a chopstick or a tong to turn the onion ring over. Remove the onion ring and place on a plate with layers of paper towel to soak excess oil. Be careful not to burn the kitchen down as paper towels are flammable. I placed the plate too close to the burner and the towel caught fire when the a gust of wind blew the flame! Lesson learnt...

Simple Garden Salad (for 2)
Slice cucumber, tomato, capsicum, red onion (1 of each) and fresh basil. Combine ingredients into a salad bowl. Just before serving, toss with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar dressing (Rule of thumb - 1 part vinegar, 3 parts oil). Season with pepper and salt.

The Results...

The plate was too full for me to find space for the potato salad. Hence 2 different pictures. Hubby, who is a huge sausage fan absolutely loved dinner last night!

Quick & Easy Home-Made Pizza

I found a quick shortcut to making my own pizza. As with the baby back ribs, I prefer to home-cook because of the lack of pork options in the restaurants in Malaysia. But, because I am lazy, I'm always looking for short cuts to making cooking easier and faster.

If you really wanted to make it from scratch, you could make your own pizza dough. Me, I either buy the pizza base from the baking shop or as I recently discovered, naan bread makes a great pizza base. You could get that from any supermarket. I prefer to use garlic naan. As for the topping, just use your imagination...I like to use real bacon and real sausages (translated: real = pork).

Here's my recipe:

1) 1 Pack garlic naan

2) Pork bacon & sausages - sliced (Can also vary with salami, pepperoni, you get my drift...)

3) Tomatoes - sliced (Can also vary with bottled sun-dried tomato)

4) Capsicum - sliced

5) Canned pineapple - sliced

6) Anchovies - diced (as this has very strong flavour, use sparingly)

7) Red onion - sliced

8) 1 Pack pizza cheese - Combination of Mozarella, Parmesan & Cheddar

9) Olive oil

10) Fresh basil - chopped

11) Cracked black pepper

11) 1 Can tomato paste (Can also vary with pesto sauce for a different flavour)

The Pizza...

Spread tomato paste or pesto sauce on the garlic naan. Layer the pizza with ingredients 2-7. The beauty of it is you can add any combination or all ingredients, according to your whim and fancy at that time. Finish off with a generous topping of pizza cheese, sprinke of black pepper and basil . Drizzle olive oil over the pizza.

The Tray...

Place a piece of greaseproof paper on the pizza tray. Grease the paper with butter/oil. Place pizzas on tray.

The Oven...

Preheat the oven to 200C. Bake the pizza for about 15-20 minutes.

The Finished Result...

Roast Pumpkin Soup & Mango Salsa

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Mango Salsa Dip with Corn Chips

These were the other 2 dishes we prepared at the dinner party we hosted last month. Check out the recipes at Makanning, Tracy's food website. I am grateful to Tracy for encouraging me to start blogging about my cooking...Since I didn't want to overstay my welcome as guest blogger at Tracy's site, watch for future recipes here...

Mother's Day Gathering

If you're married, have you ever faced the problem about Mother's Day celebration? Should you have lunch with your mum and dinner with your mother-in-law? If you have siblings, how do you coordinate it with their schedule? How do you make everyone happy?

Well, for our family, we celebrate it together. My siblings and I invite our parents and all our in-laws (including sibling-in-laws) and have one big celebration. It really is a twice-a-year (one for Father's Day as well) gathering of the in-laws. We're still targeting to have one celebration where every member of the family is present. This time round, hubby's sis and her hubby could not make it. Still, we have a pretty decent track record with close to 90% attendance every year. Last Sunday, there were 19 of us. With such a big group, eating-in is more relaxed. as everyone can mingle and there is no pressure to vacate the table quickly for the next batch of customers. So, we usually take turns to host the celebration.

The younger folks did most of the cooking. Bro-in-law's aunty also contributed 3 yummy dishes. Hubby and I prepared namtok mu (grilled pork with thai chili paste) and kai chiao mu (minced pork omelette Thai style)- a legacy of our 18 months in Bangkok. Typical Malaysian style, there were more than enough food to go around with 9 mains and 4 desserts!
Apart from the great food, it was a great time for catching up. As we have increasingly busy schedules, it is good to set aside a time for a family get-together. Coming up next, Father's Day...

Baby Back Pork Ribs

Good friend, Tracy invited me to be a guest blogger on her Makanning blog. She actually asked me months ago when I was still living in Bangkok and now I've done it. If you like baby back ribs, check out the post in Makanning. Enjoy.

Tribute to Mum

One of my passions is cooking. Looking back, I can trace this passion back to my mum. My mum loves to cook for her family. So, I grew up with home-cooked food on the table. When mum first got married to dad, she didn't know how to cook chilli dishes (She comes from Cantonese background). My dad, a Malacca baba, grew up eating curry and chili dishes. Mum told us that when she first fried fish, dad refused to eat coz it didn't have chilli. Today, one of mum's specialty dishes is fried fish with stuffed sambal filling! It is a testament of her love for dad. Mum continues to experiment with new recipes she's seen on TV. This goes to show that you're never too old to learn.

I have to confess that when I used to live at home, I never really enjoyed cooking. I didn't like to help out in the kitchen as it meant I had to miss out on my play time or TV time. But, mum was a believer that her children should know how to cook. When I went overseas for studies, I had no choice but to cook. Eating out was expensive and not something a student could afford to do on a regular basis. So, very often, I would call home and ask mum for a recipe.

Now that I am married, I find myself preferring to eat in most days. Even when I was working, our friends used to be amazed that I cooked dinner regularly. The dishes were simple and I used the crock pot often. Now that I'm on a sabbatical, I've had time to experiment with more complicated dishes. Plus, with my brand new Teka oven, I look forward to experimenting with more roasts and grills. Our friends loved the baby-back ribs we prepared for a dinner party.

And so, on this Mother's Day, it is apt for me to pay this tribute to my mum, and all mums out there - for all the good food you have lovingly prepared for your children and for instilling the passion for good ol' home-cooked food.

The best things in life are unexpected...

I received a really cool gift last Saturday at my dinner party. It was totally unexpected, hence it made it sweeter. Aren't the best things in life unexpected? Little C bought me a book "Cook With Jamie" by the Naked Chef to thank me for spending the day with him when his mum & dad hosted an event.

I was really touched. Honestly, it was a real pleasure to spend the day with him and I didn't expect anything in return. Little C & I lazed in the jacuzzi, watched the filming of "5 Minutes of Fame" where people dressed in silly costumes and made a fool of themselves, played hide and seek behind the curtains, had coffee and cookies (Don't worry mum, Little C had orange juice)during tea time and then went for a romp at the park. Doesn't sound like hard work to me... Besides, little C is the most adorable boy I know and is quite well-behaved as far as little boys go. Well done mum & dad!

Of course, little C's dad had another motive. He just wanted to get invited again for dinner - this time to try out one of Jamie Oliver's recipes. No problem, big C. I enjoy experimenting with new recipes. Anyway, we agreed that we would have another dinner party soon. Our friend Kim agreed to host it at his place and we would probably consider a Jamie Oliver themed party... All this happened because little C gave me a book "Cook with Jamie". What can I say, the best things in life are unexpected.