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!

2005-12-29T14:57:00.000+08:00

Huge clams steamed - its own juice formed the sauce, so it's extremely sweet and fresh. I've never seen such big clams, but the spring onions are superb to take away the taste of fish.

2005-12-29T14:46:00.000+08:00

Huge Eastern coral trout cooked with sliced spring onion, ginger slices, and soya sauce - this is a typicall Cantonese style of fish cooking, which preserved all the original taste and flavour of the fish, while making the fish taste milder and sweeter. Eastern coal trout is regarded as the most luxurious fish dish in a seafood restaurant, but with so many seafood in one meal, it doesn't look as grand anymore.... =P

2005-12-29T14:42:00.000+08:00

Salt and pepper squilla - my favorite! The squillas are marinated in a generous layer of salt, pepper and chopped garlic, and fried in the really hot wok for a very short period of time, and take out to serve as soon as the squillas are cooked. Doing this at home is very difficult, because the stoves in the resturants are so big and the temperature so high, that once you toss in the squilla it cooks almost immediately. Only with such amount of heat can this dish be delicious.

2005-12-29T14:33:00.000+08:00

Pearl snales in chili sauce - the sauce is something like a Sichuan style chili sauce, that covers with a thick red layer of chili oil. It's seriously hot and spicy, definitely not everybody's cup of tea. However interestingly, it seems that the stronger the chili, the more obvious the sweetness of the snales. It's really good and addictive!

2005-12-29T14:29:00.000+08:00

Lobsters with cheese: one of the local's favorite! Not sure about what type of cheese is used, but it's interesting that eventhough the taste of the cheese is quite strong, the freshness of the lobster is never fully obscured. Usually the base of the dish is in long noodles, representing longevity, but more importantly to absorb the juices coming out from the lobsters, serving the same function as the Wudong in the crab. Superbly delicious!

2005-12-29T14:27:00.000+08:00

Huge calamary slightely chopped and steamed in soya sauce. A bit too salty though, but the calamary is nice and crunchy, extremely fresh.

2005-12-29T13:35:00.000+08:00

Steamed crab with beaten eggs and Wudong - one of my favourite! The eggs and Wudong are poached underneath the crabs, and thus absorbing all the juices and freshness of the crabs. The crabs itself is really fleshy and tasty, and the Wudong is superb when coated with eggs and the sauce.

2005-12-29T13:19:00.000+08:00

Bavette with Sardin and Mozzarella - easy and light lunch. I've used Sardin canned in Olive oil instead of Tuna in the instruction, simply because of the leftovers for the bread from yesterday. I agree that Tuna might have tasted a lot better because the taste of Sardin with pasta is just a bit too exortic. Nonetheless, I like its simplicity and the blend with the mozzarella, a nice remembrance of my favourite pizza.

2005-12-29T11:57:00.000+08:00

Appropriate ingredients are essential to good cooking. It's not always easy to find Western ingredients in a very much Chinese society as Hong Kong, but due to the old British colonial influence and the presence of a multitude of multinational corporations, a large Western community resides in Western Hong Kong Island, Lanma Island, and Discovery Bay. The grocery stores or even local supermarkets in these areas offer a wide range of imported ingredients, from wine vinegar to herbs and spices, from multinational oysters to one of the best Kobe-beef. They not only create a home-like feeling for those who are away from their home country, but also bring variety and interesting experiences to the local cuisine.

The Wellcome supermarket next to the what claimed to be the world's longest escalator is my hunting ground this time. With red/white wine vinegars, Balsamic vinegar, mint jelley and a big bottle of lemon concentrate all under hkd20 each, it's very easy to lose a few hours there in complete frantic. I mean CitySupers are great, they have almost everything. But their price tags are great too, and if I can find sth similar at a much lower price, then why not?

2005-12-29T11:30:00.000+08:00

I've grown into a nice habbit of buying flowers to my only aunt in Hong Kong (also my only relative here), either on her birthdays or Lunar New Year or Christmas. This Christmas I've bought her a lovely mixture of colors that I like so much: pink (peonies) and purple. The white tulips work so well in bringing out and blending the colors, and those cute little lantern-like flowers (don't know its name) add a tinge of liveliness to the whole basket.

Choosing different flowers to fix into one single bunch is a test to your sense of color and style, and watching how individual flowers (always splendid on their own) to fuse and complement each other in a basket is a real joy. I've learnt quite a lot under the guidance of the shop keeper, and thx also to the arranger who brings my vision through.

2005-12-28T23:21:00.000+08:00

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!

2005-12-28T23:09:00.000+08:00

Dessert of the evening: Apple Sabayon – Its original Italian name is Zabaglione, and the French refers to this as Sabayon. This is a simple Italian dessert made of egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine that cooks in the double boiler. This time I've used the remaining Chinese rice wine plus apple juice to form something like an apple cider. The egg yolks and sugar are beating on the steaming water and whip until foamy. The wine is added and cooked until doubles in volume. Serious cooking will need a thermometer at its 140F. I just serve it immediately when boiled.

Zabaglione is said to have been invented in the 16th Century in Florence, Italy in the court of the Medici. This dessert is classified as a "caudle" rather than a custard. A "caudle" is a sauce used as a custard to fill pies or tarts. The original pre-sixteenth century version was a drink made or wine or ale thickened with egg yolks

2005-12-28T23:06:00.000+08:00

Baked Fish in bacons – since trout seems to be a very common fish used in this dish, I’ve found some trout in certainly only CitySuper. With some fresh thyme and olive oil tucked in the belly, it makes a perfect blend with the bacons outside. The only drawback is that people in Hong Kong prefer sea fish than fresh water ones, because the large amount of small bones that take ages to pick away before safely placing the fish in the mouth.

2005-12-28T22:59:00.000+08:00

Fried lamb sticks (all fried... yes, cos I find it's the easiest) sided with Australia potato and Thai asparagus. Very easy to cook, in just a few minutes it's done.

2005-12-28T22:54:00.000+08:00

The 2nd Starter: Fried Scallop in apple sauce. Very easy to make again. Just fry fresh scallops until almost cooked. Using butter, apple cider (I've used some Chinese rice wine and apple juice instead, because apple cider in Hong Kong is exobitant...), and some extra virgin olive oil to make the sauce. Drop in some chopped parsley and make the perfect dish.

2005-12-28T22:44:00.000+08:00

The 1st starter: Foi Groi - Fried goose liver with caramel apple slices. It's so fantastially easy to make!! Just dip the sliced apples in sugar, fry them in the pan until soft and golden brown. Take them out on serving dish. Fry the liver on both sides till all the blood residue comes out and brown each side. Serving with sweetish-soury apple helps to reduce the oily feeling of the liver, a perfect match and compromise!

Thanks Yves in introducing me to the Angus Prime Food Company! Genuinely fresh frozen food and extremely warm attitude from the keeper! Will definitely buy from there again!

2005-12-28T22:33:00.000+08:00

The Soup of the Day - potatoes, turnips, carrots, and onions diced and fried in olive oil and butter. Add some water, bring to the boil and mashed in the blender. The mixture is returned to the stock and bring to the boil. Adding some creme fraiche, a little bit of natural yogurt and some chopped parsley then make it a perfectly thick winter soup.

2005-12-18T18:03:00.000+08:00

Sai sai & Siu fu!
God's gift for the start of my new life!

2005-12-18T00:29:00.000+08:00

Voila! Mini apple pies, with self-made pie skin as well as apple puree!! True, it was quite tiring in spreading the dough and butter over and over again, and it was time consuming waiting for the dough to harden time and again in the frige. But woo~~ so delicious! Not sweet at all, since apart from regular sugar, also added cane sugar and honey. Reasonable amount of cinamon and thyme (quite strange though... hehe) really enhanced the taste of the apple puree. The idea of making the pie into smaller ones is great, as one can have his own pie. About 260g butter is needed to make the skin, so having one is quite enough~

2005-12-14T21:59:00.000+08:00

After pouring the sweet corn thickened soup onto the fillets. Nice, crispy, a little bit sweet!! Nothing to complain! Thank you so much Yves!!!

2005-12-14T21:57:00.000+08:00

Long-lei fillet, just fried... really crispy and nice!! Love them! That's before pouring the sweet corn puree...

2005-12-14T21:53:00.000+08:00

Sweet and sour pork again, but with Chu mom's method this time! Obviously much better and tastier than before!

2005-12-14T21:48:00.000+08:00

Japanese food = amazingly delicious!

2005-12-02T09:39:00.000+08:00

Simple carrot soup with sweet corns and sea-coconuts - actually there're other materials as well, like some pig's bone and a little bit of diced pork (to bring out the sweetness of the vegetables), and some Chiese almonds. The trick is to let the whole thing boil for half an hour, so as to bring the flavour out from every ingredients, and then let it simmer for 2.5 hours, so that everything becomes soft and tender, and the soup is reduced to 1/3 of its original volume. This is especially good for the skin, therefore particularly good in winter.

2005-12-02T09:22:00.000+08:00

Pomfret with fermented black beans - one of my favourite dish! Extremely easy to handle: boil the water in the wok, place the black beans and sliced ginger on the fish, and steam it for 10 minutes (depending on the size of the fish).

I'm a big fan of all kinds of fish and seafood, as well as all sorts of delicacies from the lakes. My other favourite dish is the steamed crabs from Yang Cheng Lake, not everybody's cup of tea. Most of those who don't like it say it's just too much trouble in taking the flesh out, and there's so little flesh in the crab. What I'd say is that the procedure of eating the crab is in fact one of the reasons why so many people enjoy it. The taste is very different from that of the normal sea crabs. It's a kind of fresh water crab and is therefore especially sweet in taste. The serving sauce is a mixture of finely diced ginger, sugar and dark vinegar, which is believed to balance the cold nature of the crab. The male crabs are best served in September of the Lunar Calendar, and the female October. The only problem is that due to its rarity this sort of crab is quite expensive (a few hundred hk each), therefore not so often served at home....

2005-12-02T08:22:00.000+08:00

After finishing the bawdy Restoration Comedies with Janis, really felt like having a good breakfast (lusty only in the sense of food!!) Fried eggs with home-made little almond lemon cake. I love the 80% cooked fried eggs topped with a tiny bit of sea salt and freshly grounded black pepper. Served when hot is really a luxury. The Mong-gnaw milk is a good thick kind of milk from Mongolia, very successful and guess it's a sort of joint-venture product (like the Great Wall red wine). The lemon cake is one of the easiest-to-make desserts, with a generous amount of grounded almond, and quite a lot of lemon peels (which tastes really fresh). Very tasty!

2005-12-02T08:10:00.000+08:00

Sliced beef fried with onion - a really simple dish that can be done within a minute or so. The trick was that you must only use boiling oil to fry the beef (the oil must be so hot that you can see smoke coming out of the wok) and just stir until the beef changes 70%of its color, which is really quick. The beef must not be marrinated, especially not in corn starch which is normally used. Take up the beef from the wok and use the rest of the oil to fry the onion. When the onion is nice and soft put the beef back into the wok and fry it until totally done/according to your preference. Adding a little bit of Japanese barbeque sauce will definitely enhance its flavor. Unfortunately I do not have the necessary barbeque sauce, but serving with some freshly grounded black pepper made it no less a delicious dish.

2005-11-15T16:50:00.000+08:00

Banana pound cake again! Extremely tasty, quite irresistable!!!

Today received quite a good horoscope character analysis from a friend, and have actually found some of the description interestingly accurate. The analysis, into male and female parts are, as usual, mainly about love affairs. Some parts are about fatherhood, which are obviously written by a male writer. I'm not a big fan of all these analysis because I know 3 Aries to be so very different individuals. But it's nonetheless quite useful, as it calls you into attention the short-comings of your partner when you're dating, and reminds you of his/her good after you're married.

Nothing to do with the banana cake though..... =P

2005-11-14T23:01:00.000+08:00

Sweet and sour pork with lantern peppers and pineapples, a very traditional Chinese dish (in the eyes of Westerners). A great recipe from Leisure Cat, relatively easy to handle, just some problems with the amount oil for deep-frying. As I'm not cooking everyday, it's quite a waste to use so much oil, so I just fried the pork a bit until brown. Looks good and tastes OK, though quite incomparable with Chu mum's.

This is a very popular dish in the Chinese resturants, not for the locals because it's rather simple to make, and that we Chinese seldom choose such a sweet dish. It's just like going to Italy and ordering pizzas when the mums on the next table smile at you. Nowadays you don't need to go to that country for a particular cuisine, as people migrate and export, recipies are all around, and cooking programmes of all types are on air in different languages. It's very easy to find Peking ducks in South Africa, how about a piece of chocolate-coated scorpians in English 5-stars high-tea returants, pizzas and spaghetti in Mongolia, and possibly hamburgers in Kongo... who knows! But the best Chinese food is always in China, so traveling is still the best way to not only know the country but also its food.

2005-11-12T23:07:00.000+08:00

My first-time bread pudding after a fast-food dinner downstairs (quite strange to have the impetus for making pudding rather than a proper meal). A really easy-to-follow recipie: just some bread-sides with a tiny bit of butter and cinamon powder, plus a liquid mixture of beaten egg with sugar and milk and whipping cream. A really satisfying dessert before sitting down again for the never-ending essay writing, and I realized that one must pamper oneself well before doing such pain-staking task. ^_^

2005-11-03T23:34:00.000+08:00

A perfect dessert after not-so-filling dinner with the crabs -- Banana pound cake! Actually it's not typical pound cake, although it looks very much so. Very easy-to-handle recipe, just mixing everything in one bowl. The only problem with mine is that the mashed bananas are not very well mixed with the dough (thus seeing the grey and yellow parts), or that they are not too well mashed. Anyway, this is the first successful banana cake I've ever made since my last failure months ago. Can't say enough thanks to Yves' generous sharing of her recipes and experiences~

Thank you Yves!! Wish you every happiness and health!!! ^_^

2005-11-03T23:24:00.000+08:00

Fried crabs in ginger and green onion stirred with little rice cakes.

This is not the typical Shanghainese rice cake available in the fresh market. Instead of a long hard piece that must be sliced, it's round and finger like, and really nice and chewy. I've brought 5 blocks of those from Shanghai in particular (handcarry all the way back!!!), and have left one for myself. Our maid in Shanghai did this unforgettable dish for us, and I promised myself that I must try it at home someday~

The ginger and green onion mixed really well with the freshness of the crabs, and the rice cakes soaking the crab juices are just incredible. As usual and in order to eat fresh and healthy, I've finished it all!

2005-11-02T23:16:00.000+08:00

Just learnt this fabulous ginger milk pudding from Yves~ wow~~ have never imagined myself able to do it~~ This is a typical cantonese after meal dessert, very popular and healthy, definitely good for your skin~~ very good dessert for girls~

It stood well and firm, I'm so glad!! Since didn't add sugar, it's not sweet at all (better add some next time though =P). The recipe seems bit too spicy for me, so next time will have less ginger juice. The inside of the pudding is a bit soft, I guess the milk is not perfect for this kind of food, should find something more concentrated!

Anyhow, I'm very happy with it~

2005-11-02T20:53:00.000+08:00

Home alone can also have tasty and healthy home made dinner.

White radish cooked in soya source and sugar, one of my favorite in the dry and cool seasons. The little bitter taste of the radish matches perfectly with the sweetness of the sugar, and it's better than any kinds of soft drink when feeling thirsty.

Fried pork slices with onion, a tiny tiny bit of soya source and sugar, just to make the color and enhance the flavor. Simple and healthy! Yummy~

2005-10-27T09:39:00.000+08:00

A supposed birthday cake for friend but failed in its appearance. The taste is fine but the look is terrible (may be suitable more for Hallowe'en rather than birthday ^_^)

2005-10-15T12:21:00.000+08:00

My first chiffon cake, green-tea flavoured and filled with soft red beans. The texture is superb, very much like those in the stores, but it looks a bit wet, though doesn't taste so at all. I was worrying how to get it out from the mould, but after it cooled upside down, it fell out automatically without any effort. A really tasty and filling dessert for breakfast in the morning.

I'm really happy with it cos I always thought chiffons are very difficult to make. But then room for improvement is always there: less sugar and more greentea next time, that'll be really delicious; can cover the whole cake with a foil and continue baking till enough dry. Anyhow, glad that I'm much more confident now~

2005-10-12T20:05:00.000+08:00

The first successful mango pudding I've ever made in my entire life. I've never known why it's always so difficult for me to make a good one, but now I understand that the pudding powder can never make good puddings but only the jelley powder can. It's strange that what is supposed to be will never give you what you've anticipated; the more you think you're right and stand for it, the greater the wrongs you might find at the end of the day. "We're merely the stars' tennis balls, struck and banded. Which way please them". So never trust the stars.

Anyway, very lucky to find pretty good mangos at the end of its season. They're not superb ones, but not very sour, quite tasty when mixed with the slightly sweet pudding. Have never thought of making such puddings in summer, just wondering whether I've done everything too late, and everything I did is just a bitter rememberance of the past. But then it can be the preparation of the future too... summer comes every year, can always do it then, Like the cup-of-water theory: the cup is half full, not half empty.

2005-10-12T14:37:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I bought some baking books which were quite a good bargain, from a 2nd-floor bookstore that is planning to move to a new location (actually just in the neighboring street). The rents in Hong Kong is recently wiping out many small businesses, but this one seems to be doing extraordinarily well among its counterparts. It's not just moving, it's in fact expanding! A bookstore that can expand when the rent has tripled is but a miracle! And as a staunch supporter I send my congratulation!

Three of which are from French Blue Ribbon, about desserts and bread; the other one is from Japan. All well translated with very clear illustrations. Hoping to have more practises in the basic skills, instead of jumping too quickly into making things that I'm unable to handle.

2005-10-08T02:08:00.000+08:00

Although worked all day, don't really feel like sleeping tonight. Having a lemon and some almond powder left, determined to make some dessert for breakfast! ^_^

Should-be lemon tards were made into lemon cakes, because I don't have tard trays. Recipe from DIY, with really clear video illustration and explanation. The products looks so nice, and tasted extremely fresh! Very good afternoon dessert to stimulate appetite for dinner~

Ingredients: softened butter, sugar, almond powder, half lemon, half lemon peels, and low protein flour. Very simple and healthy.

2005-10-07T19:09:00.000+08:00

Wow, thanks Yves for your recipe!! It looks so nice and taste good as well! I wasn't quite sure when frying the curry because it felt a bit dry, but then after adding the seafood and some water, it seems OK again. The pumpkin is quite good, better if sweeter, guess not in season. But overall, a quite successful 1st trial. I'm happy with it! =)

2005-10-05T11:57:00.000+08:00

Green-tea pound cake, really like the combination of greentea and redbean! It's not sweet at all, and I guess serving with vanilla ice-cream will easily lift me to heaven! (but that's for imagination only, better have some control before getting hopelessly fat =P)

2005-09-30T18:31:00.000+08:00

Little lemon cakes for desserts after dinner. Very tasty with tiny flakes of lemon peels, really like them!

Possible improvements: can place a small cup of warm water in the oven so that the surfaces wouldn't crack like that (did that on the 2nd batch); possibly bake longer to make sure they're cooked thoroughly (one wasn't - not a good idea).

Just got an expert's advise that I should've beaten my eggs with the electric beater to the thickness with which I can actually write characters on the batter! OK, found the clue! Will definitely do it again very soon!

2005-09-30T15:50:00.000+08:00

A relatively successful Japanese style cheesecake made last night. Much better than the first trial, and it tastes really creamy and spongy~ the surface looks really nice right after it was taken from the oven, but shrinked a little bit after cooled down. The only thing is that the surface texture is a bit different from that of the bottom: surface is dry and the bottom is a bit wet. Have no clue about the reason for that......

Anyway, a really enjoyable tea-time dessert! ^_^

2005-09-14T00:35:00.000+08:00

So glad that i can finally do a successful batch before the holiday! So happy when the cake actually jump out of the mould! The mistake last time are probably: forgot dusting the dough the same time as the mould; didnt use a wooden roll to spread out the skin; too much liquid in the skin (too much coconut milk i guess) and thus too soft. Really like to thank Yves for her kind and useful advices! The dark ones are sesame and the white ones are regular. Very tasty, very good indeed! =D

Happy Mid Autum Festival to all of you!

2005-09-12T17:37:00.000+08:00

My cookies made according to both Leisure-cat and DIY. Putting the chocolates on top is not a good idea as it'll make your container very messy. This one with chocolate top was made last night and it's (I was told) a kind of 'American style' cookies cos it's less crispy.

The one below made today with Brenda is probably the 'English style'. Anyway, the taste is similar but I like today's texture.

Fillings: chocolate chips, almond chips, and some raisin. Yummy~~

2005-09-07T20:20:00.000+08:00

Today gave it another try, baked fully according to DIY recipe and procedures. But still.... the side is not smooth, and the surface doesnt look as browny...

Friends love the Oreo base, so it looks unconventional anyway~~ =P

Friends like it, I'm happy~

2005-09-07T12:03:00.000+08:00

Today's book: Spanish Tragedy

A really good play! The more you read it the more similarities you find in the other significant Elizabethan tragedies! If it's true that this was written way before The Jew of Malta, then it would contain the first Machiavellian villain, would have the earliest modern play-within-play, and woule be the first modern tragedy! Kyd's amazing imagination had, through this single book as others were lost, established new dramatic conventions for many of the great playwriters of his age to follow.

If you're a big fan of Shakespeare tragedies, you'll find this book, with very concise explaination by J.R. Mulryne, really enjoyable.

2005-09-07T10:56:00.000+08:00

My first New York Cheese Cake! Although it tasted really nice, but it doesn't look like the conventional type. I've followed both 美食 DIY and Leisure-cat recipes, but still....