Come dine with me....!

2007-01-27T13:40:00.000+08:00

漫無邊際

每天坐在電腦面前，呆呆地瞪著時間，安靜地等待郵件；
窗外的熙熙攘攘，路上的車水馬龍，似乎離我無窮的遙遠。

我走在霧蒙蒙的清晨河邊，除了那一點看似發霉的路燈，
寂寞，陪伴我摸索著向前；寂寞，你倒是從未走遠！

淙淙的水聲，為誰在喃喃細語？
單調、重復，訴說著憂郁和無奈。

我撐著獨木舟，航行在這遼闊的思海；
時而驚濤駭浪，時而又鴉雀無聲；

思緒，別把我拋棄在無盡的黑暗，
放手！要離開這千絲萬縷的深淵！

耳邊突然響起貓兒的呼叫，
現實，原來就在眼前；

貓兒好奇地看著我濕潤的臉，
欣喜、滿足原?就在這瞬間的轉念！

2006-08-01T00:19:00.000+08:00

It's amazing how the heart can be so full of colors... white when filled with bliss and mischievous; red when furious and angry; pink in love; purple in brood; blue when calm in loneliness; grey in despair; black, though very rare, comes with jealousy's sizzle and stare.
~~

I wonder why my heart is either blue or grey, always in the shadows of the vibrant colors, and the rainbow long seemed far away. Is my heart painted blue and grey? Who painted my heart blue and grey? My remorse? My sadness? My loneliness? My regrets?
~~

What has kept those in wars hopeful, I wonder? What has cheered up those in illness, I wonder? What supported the depressed to walk, I wonder? What has colored the mundane, I wonder? Humour? Confidence? Hope, and Faith? Where do these strengths come from, I wonder?
~~

Today, the color of my heart is grey.

2006-06-19T23:12:00.000+08:00

Most people said that Hong Kong's Disneyland is too small. My thursday trip there though was in fact a very pleasing one. We only had the second half of the day but we were able to finish all the games and shows within roughly 5hrs. Towards the end we started runing and taking fast-pasts, but there was no tedious queues, no killer sun, no stuffy weather, and it was exceedingly enjoyable.

Among all the games I loved the Space Mountain most, espcially when riding the mini-skytrain in darkness with all the "stars" around you. You never know where it turns, when it stoops, when it rises, and every move is a surprise. As to the shows the Golden Mickey was the best, when Taisan meets little mermaid, when Mulan dances with Woody, The singings were amazing! Even their hamburgers and chips were memorable!

Being compact, just like in all electronics, provides efficiency and convenience. Finishing the day with the amazing fireworks was just perfect. Spending another day in Disneyland though, would be a bit too much. But the trick, of course, is to go there during weekday... =P

2006-06-14T22:35:00.000+08:00

Vet, Be Not Proud
by John Donne's Cat (by Henry Beard)
~~
Vet, be not proud, though thou canst make cats die
Thou livest but one life, while we live nine,
And if our lives were half as bleak as thine,
We would not seek from thy cold grasp to fly.
We do but slave our daily bread to buy;
Our eyes are blind to gold and silver's shine;
We owe no debt, we pay no tax or fine;
We tremble not when creditors draw nigh.
The sickest animal that thou dost treat
Is weller than a man; in peace we dwell
And know not guilt or sin, and fear not hell:
Poor vet, we live in heaven at thy feet.
But do not think that any cat will weep
When thee a Higher Vet doth put to sleep.

2006-06-14T17:42:00.000+08:00

A new dish from my cookery idol Chu mum: Curry Beef Stew. Again a superbly easy dish to do, and a wonderful combination of Indian curry powder and Cantonese style curry paste. Mixing the hot powder with the more flavoured paste is like having the essences of both in one bowl. Check comment for the recipe.

Both curry powder and paste are made from a variaty of spices. Curry originates from India, and has been adopted into most of the mainstream cuisins in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Japan, Pakistan, and UK. There are a whole range of different curries to choose from, including white, green, red and, yellow. Curry of each different region has its own special flavour, so as to adapt to the local preference.

For me, Indian curry is not my favourite as it's too strong and sometimes it tastes almost bitter. I love Japanese curry which is similar to Chinese ones due to the additional sweetness, more vegetables, and less spicy. Interesting to know that curry was brought to Japan by the British during Meiji era and was once considered a western dish. It's in turn brought to Britain by the voyagers, probably invaders, landed in India centuries ago. Expeditions and exploitations have riched the cuisines of the colonizers, but unfortunately the global exporter India remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

2006-06-13T12:34:00.000+08:00

Our soup of the day was my favourite Watercress Pear Cream. This is a wonderly fresh and healthy soup, and is extremely easy to make. Check the comment for the recipe. The freshness of the lime, the tinge of sweetness from the pear, and the soothing watercress, all blending beautifully to give a truely appetising soup and prepare you for the meal!

One thing I've learnt from Angel, is that continuous tasting and seasoning are a crucial part in the process of making of good food. Blindly following the recipes only results in either excessive volume or unsuitable flavour. Well, trial and error is always an inevitable process of learning; making good food, just as doing all things serious, needs patience and scrutiny to the finest details. =)

2006-06-12T16:17:00.000+08:00

I've spent my weekend making cake with Angel, a really talented cake maker preparing for the grand opening of her cafe, and tala: Rasberry Cheese Mousse Cake!! I can't even express how I loved the cake! It tastes Heavenly! Really happy that I've taken part in making such a wonderful cake! I love rasberries in the very first place, and the cream was a very specialy one. It was made from egg yolks, sugar syrup, formage blanc, and whipping cream. The slightly sour 20% formage blanc does the magic of balancing all the heaviness of the whipping cream. When it is mixed with the rasberries, the two makes the cake extremely fresh and tasty! The sponge was also a new one, in which beaten egg whites was mixed with almond, icing sugar, and flour, with no butter at all. That's why the sponge is really light, and actually when first taken out from the oven the fringes are still crispy.

Angel handled both the flour mixture and the mousse mixture SO well that everything comes out perfectly. I can tell the difference between a few years' hard practise and a real amateur like me even when we were looking at the same recipe. I'm very sure that her cafe will be a big success!

2006-05-31T17:33:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm not sure whether diamonds are my best friend yet, but I'm definitely crazy about jewelries! Necklaces, earrings, rings, hairpins... look at my jewelry box and you'll know...

A little break from the reading in a breezy afternoon is the best time for my treasure hunting, and a small jewelry store downstairs is my favourite hunting ground. They sell all sorts of accessories of exotic styles, and my treasure today is a pair of laced earrings!

~~
Laces are a big hit this year, for both clothing and accessories. I love the laced fringes in little vests, as it hints a lovely girlish delicacy when you only wear a simple jacket with a pair of jeans. But overdoing it can be just the contrary to its original exquisite feel and texture. I'm pretty fed up with the recent Lolita look, in which the girls look drowned in a waterfall of thick white laces from head to toe... save the heat they have to endure under the burning summer sun...

This lovely pair of vintage looking earrings is a bit flamboyant and indulgent. It can be matched with a simple silky white shirt, and possibly a skirt with either light purple or turquoise patterns. With your hair tied up and a little bit of cosmetics, you're good enough for any parties or banquets. That's the magic that jewelries can work!

2006-05-30T18:22:00.000+08:00

I can't wait to try the simple recipe of Durian Pancake! Durian has never been one of my family's favourite fruits, but after my first try from a friend's persistent cajoling, I have since then fallen in love with it, esp. the golden pillow.

~~
Durian is distinctive for its unique and profound odour, which can be smelt a few hundred meters away. However the amazing thing is its flavour, and believe it or not, it's SWEET! It is indeed a very rich and lingering sweetness that's almost addictive whenever one is able to detect it. The texture of a perfectly ripe durian is extremely tender, a bit like cooked pumpkin, if not softer. Therefore a piece of ripe durian after a few hours in the fridge tastes like thick ice-cream and it's heavenly!

~~
Same as the stark opposition between the fruit's flavour and odour, there are either addicts like myself or those who hate it, nothing in between. When it is loved as the King of the Fruits in Southeastern Asia, it is also frequently compared to sewage and excrement esp. in the Western countries. I guess the smell is perhaps too overwhelming... but what a pity... although I agree that by far durian is the most bizarre fruit I've ever tasted.

~~
If you find having the durian alone is too strong, you can try the durian pancake, in which the cream and the pandan flavoured skin nicely balanced the richness of the flavour. The pancake skin is a normal one with a tiny bit of pandan flavour and color; whip the cream and sugar until it stands; mash the durian and wrap everything together. The pancake is best served after a couple of hours' chill in the fridge. Yummy!

2006-05-29T12:51:00.000+08:00

I always thought that Mr. Bean has created the legendary modern comical figure, but the recent Japanese prime-time series Trainman has changed my mind.

The story is about a typical young Japanese geek, secluded from normal social life, has "unfortunately" fallen in love with a virtuous girl he saved in the train from a drunkard. The poor thing possibly represents the "nice guy" class who are though kind and honest, but all too shy to socialize and find girlfriends. His only channel for counseling is from his fellow similars online, who give him advices, cheer him up, and accompany him through the difficult journey of his bildungsroman.

In fact, both the wooing and chatroom plots are unimpressive and repeating; but the way in which the actor presents the silly frustrations, the awkwardness, and the nervousness of the geek, is almost a guarantee to make you laugh away all the weariness and exhaustion from your whole week's work! In looking at his expressions, I keep wondering whether he needed facial massages everytime after his shots for the series...

I've no doubt about Atsushi Ito's being among the top in the local show business, as I guess only a very few actors can twist their faces like his. He has brought to life all the dramatic images only possible in the Japanese catoon, and has brought to the screen a perfect comical portrayal of a small potato's struggle for personal growth in a big cosmopolitan city, through the search of his own identity. You can almost visualize the drop of sweat streaming from his forehead, or the saliva from the corner of his mouth when he sees his goddess of love. Exceedingly amusing!

Misaki Ito is hot and charming; but compared to Atsushi's performance, she's however no more a beautiful statue than anything real. (all pictures from Fuji Television Network)

2006-05-26T14:13:00.000+08:00

I've finally seen the too much discussed Davinci Code this Wednesday. It's an amazingly intricate "escape + treasure hunt" Hollywood movie, that has used a lot of historical and religious backgrounds to support the author's claim that Jesus was in fact human, that his divinity was a result of election in the court of Constantine, and that Mary Magdeline is the feminine aspect of Christianity threatening the masculine power of the Church. The response from various fields of study is enormous, and by that alone the author has achieved unprecedented success in his objective of winning the world's attention. Guided tours are formed in various traveling agencies around the world to visit the churches and places appeared in the story, and I'm just wondering whether commissions are paid to Dan Brown for all the entry tickets.

To me the movie was OK but it was a tiring 2.5 hrs in the cinema. Tom Hanks did nothing but frowning, and Audrey Tautou has again proven herself only suitable to act the girl next door. It's funny that the Davinci's code has in the end become IM Pei's code, transforming Pei's structural design that aims at reflecting light, into some symbolically phallic and womb imageries. But then the fact that the mere mentioning of the Apocraphies could have intrigued so many people, compared to the nowadays little regarded Canons, is something that the Church must think seriously about. Anyway, to me, it's a nice fiction.

2006-05-21T00:09:00.000+08:00

Sometimes it's just amazing to see how time flies, and that we've been dating for seven years. It's difficult to describe how the stream of love can run so quiet and so long... you just feel it and know the feeling is always there... may be it's like loving your cats, when you give all and request no return; or loving your favorite clothes, when you wear it so carefully that you agonize any scratches and damages; or enjoying a cup of cappuccino, when the aroma lingers in your mouth and mind; or watching your favorite movie, when you give your tears and laughter time and again without feeling bored...... but before all these feelings can be a part of you, the most important thing is perhaps knowing how to be loved... to know that you're appreciated, and that you're a precious little jewel to that someone who offers you the whole of his heart... although our dating anniversary is in March, i'd still want to say THANK YOU... of teaching me how to love and be loved, of holding my hands tight during the time of trial, of accepting me as who I am, and letting me have all that you are !!

"The sky may be starless, the night may be moonless, but deep in my heart there's a glow; Cos deep in my heart, I know that you love me, you love me, because you told me so"

2006-05-19T10:52:00.000+08:00

Oh, how I miss our holiday in Australia's Blue Mountain!! The relaxed and cozy atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the hectic and bustling Hong Kong.

The photo was taken outside a little tavern in the Mountain, an afternoon just after the whole day's heavy shower. The sun looked like a clean little baby after a nice bath, and the fresh wild flowers smelt like the slightly aromatic bath gel, just to fit the tender skin of the cute little one. The casual arrangement of the rustic tables and chairs created the perfect mood for us to enjoy the surrounding woods and overlooking the colorful bungalows in the succinct little valley. The muffled clickety-clack of the passing train reminded us that people were quietly coming and going, and that time for dinner has arrived.

A nice cool glass of beer before the meal did the magic of calming, and the tiny bit of alcohol was just enough to blend our souls with nature and the mesmerising sunset. We both looked afar into the bluish-red horizon, and there was a line dividing the wood and the sky: is it a line formed from the tip of the trees, or an opening of the heaven? Did the angels come circling in the sky, and sprinkled the sparkling dew on every leaf in the area? Or may be just an electric wire? Oh how disappointing! But why, of course?! For how else do the local habitants almost a hundred kilometers away from the city centre connect to the rest of the world? Possibly some of them are browsing the internet, reading about Hong Kong and looking at the pictures of Victoria Harbour. What miracle does technology make nowadays! The world is so big and yet so small...

2006-05-17T22:58:00.000+08:00

I'm so proud to announce that my friend Angel is creating her blog at http://www.wretch.cc/blog/angelscafe for her upcoming coffee shop!! I love her Coffee & Earl Grey Mousse Cake, not only because it's the first home-made birthday cake I've ever had, but also because it's not at all sweet or heavy. The blend of coffee and Earl Gray is sensational, and the fact that the Earl Gray could compromise the heaviness of the cream so well is just amazing! It didn't taste like "yuen yuang" at all, because that drink tastes neither coffee nor tea. But the cake is able to present the naturalness of both coffee and tea without either one overlapping the other.

It's always a joy to have friends who are willing to spend a few hours out of their busy schedule to do either cooking or shopping so as to give you something nice/surprise on your birthday. I'm sure her coffee shop will be a success! Add oil ar~~

2006-05-05T20:39:00.000+08:00

The remaining minced beef from last night was used to make real hamburger this morning for brunch. A lot of other ingrediences were added, like fried eggs, tomato, raw luttices, and cheese. The bread was from the supermarket, which wasn't the best when mixed with all the wonderful and nutritious ingredients. But then making bread myself is just too challenging and time consuming for a morning's easy meal. =P

2006-05-05T20:33:00.000+08:00

Haven't been cooking for a long tim, have been spending all of my time reading and preparing for the coming exam on Wednesday. Have finally made up my mind to do something really simple: hamburger rice: one of my favourite dishes from our campus canteen. The hamburger stake is made from normal minced beef, with some diced and fried red onions. The sauce is from bottle speghetti puree, which tastes very special when thickened to be the sauce of this dish. This is a very satisfying dish, and only need less than half an hour to make.

2006-04-18T15:37:00.000+08:00

The Three Sisters at the Blue Mountain, Sydney, Australia. No wonder it's called the Blue Mountain... it was just after a heavy shower and the place is wet all over, in particular the rain forest of course. I'm not sure whether it's the vapour reflecting the sky color in the mountain, or it's just the haze after the rain that's giving the color, the whole place is truely blue, and truely breathtaking. We arrived at about 3pm, but were lucky enough to grasp the mountain in a sunny afternoon. It rained again the next morning, and a huge cloud covered the mountain range for the whole day. We left for Sydney in the afternoon. The moutain was spectacular!

2006-04-18T15:31:00.000+08:00

After a long long break from posting, I realised that the blog is not only a place for my friends to know about me, but a recording of my everyday life. It was once a place to share my passion for good food, but now I'll make it a diary-like place.

2006-02-21T00:38:00.000+08:00

Taiwan Style braised pork noodle. A fantastically delicious dish, with a few different versions of cooking. About 300g of minced pork belly, with 5 spiced stiff beancurd. Fry the shallots in the wok first, take up the shallots and fry the garlic and the already fried red-onions. Toss in all the pork, and sturr well with the spices. Add the beancurd and shallots back into the wok, and stir well. Add all the sauces like spicy soybean paste, sweat soybean paste, soy sauce, water, and a bit of rice wine. Let the whole mixture to simmer in low heat for 30 min, and thus letting the rich taste to penetrate the meat and beancurd.

Served with either noodle or rice is heavenly!

2006-02-20T14:02:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong style pork chop and daomiu (not sure the english name). A very satisfying baked pork dish topped with shredded mozzarella and cherry tomato. The rice underneath is fresh fried with green onion and eggs. The pork chops have been marinaded in pepper, salt, sugar and oil. Pad some corn flour on both sides and fry in a hot pan until golden brown. Place the rice on the bottom of the baking bowl, and put the pork chops on top. Prepare the sauce: katchup, italian black vinegar, a little bit of sugar, salt, starch, and cook in a small pan until well mixed. Pour the sauce on top of the sliced port chop, and lay a nice layer of mozzarella. Bake under 250C pre-heated oven for 20-25 mins.

2006-01-24T10:17:00.000+08:00

A trip to South Africa always have something new to experience. Buying souvenirs is a nice way of remembering the exortic place one has been, but bringing back the indigenous spices and recipe allow you to relive the taste, the smell, and the feeling of that particular country.

2006-01-24T10:01:00.000+08:00

The origins of Bobotie can be traced back to the eastern influence on South African culture. The Cape Malay society are famous for cooking this dish and it is usually served with yellow rice. This time I've used the Mexican cous cous, which is efforless to cook and taste quite nicely with the dish.

Easy to follow recipe: fry onion and curry powder, and add minced meat (mutton or beef give a richer taste, but as my friend is allergic to beef and mutton is not easily available, chicken is a nice alternative). Mash the thoroughly wet bread soaked in the milk, and add into the mince with 1 beaten egg. Meanwhile add raisins, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and chutney/jam to the mince. Scoop the mixture into a pie dish, pour 1 more beaten egg and some more milk in the mince. Place 2 bay leaves on top and bake for 30 mins at 180C.

Cous cous is even easier: boil some water and oil in the pan, add the cous cous and some herbs. After 5 mins it's done!

2006-01-24T09:52:00.000+08:00

Roasted vegitables - put some olive oil and butter in the baking pan, bake in the oven for3-4 mins. Drop in all the diced vegies and coat them with oil. Bake for around 30 mins. In the meanwhile prepare the sauce: mix one orange juice, green peppercorns and sugar together in a bowl. I do not have green peppercorns so used ground black pepper instead. Pour the sweet sauce on top of the vegies, and bake for another 30 mins.

The sauce supposed to creat a golden brown coating for the vegies, but the turnips produced too much water that the sauce simply dissolved and produced something like a soup. The turnip is not as easily cooked as teh pumpkin, and therefore pumpkin should be added a bit later.

Nevertheless, very nice and healthy. Retained all the flavour and nutrition.

2005-12-29T16:27:00.000+08:00

People in Hong Kong are absolutely crazy about seafood (I'm no exception), not only because it is surrounded by the sea and has itself a rich reserve of great seafood, but also due to the superb Cantonese cooking style that largely enhanced the eating experiences of the dishes. Apart from the local fish market, there is a wide range of seafood imported fresh by plane from Australia, Japan, Canada etc.

This Tuesday, I went with my boyfriend's family to one of my favorite seafood restaurant in Saikung: Tungkee, to celebrate his parents' birthdays. We had a feast of almost every creature from the sea! And as usual, we walked away with a stomach-full of protein and content. ^_^

2005-12-29T15:03:00.000+08:00

We had of course some Chinese steamed birthday buns for his parents... unfortunately I didn't take the pictures, and can only show one from another website. The cakes are actually rice cakes, with sweet lotus paste fillings. They are shaped and colored to form a peach to symbolise longevity. After a heavy meal of seafood, taking some form of rice is genuinely refreshing!