STUFFED BEANCURD SHEET

One month before Vesak Day DH will be a vegetarian.  The dishes that were consumed were quick and easier to prepare, moreover it is much healthier.

Fillings - dried Japanese mushrooms (soaked till soft and slice), carrot (cut into strips and boil till half cooked) and needle mushroom.  Steam stuffed beancurd sheets till soft and pour over sauce which make up of vegetarian oyster sauce, soya sauce, sugar and mirin.  Place a handful of wolfberries into sauce and boil.

APPLE PIE

The girls have been urging me to make apple pie for quite sometime but due to my laziness I have ignored their request.   While shopping at Carrefour saw apple pies on sale but cost $7 for one, which is quite expensive.  Instead of buying one went to the fruits section and pick up some green apples to make pie.

Make the dough and leave it in the fridge for 20 mins (The pastry recipe was from Dorie Greenspan cookbook "Baking From My Home To Yours").  Cut up 3 apples to stew with brown sugar and cinnamon till soft.  Cut another 2 more apples into thin slices and sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.   Roll out dough and put into the pie pan.  Prick the bottom of the pie with fork.   Line parchment paper on top of pie and scatter beans over.  Bake in the oven till pie is half baked.

Sprinkle almond meal over the pie and pour in the stewed apples.  Decorate the top with apple slices till filled.  Spread a layer of honey over the apples.

Put the pie back into the oven and bake till apples are caramelized.

Forgot to photograph the pie till half eaten as it was too delicious

SAYONARA...

It was fate that brought us together as colleagues and friends.  For your further career advancement that we had to say goodbye.  No matter how much fun and frustrations we endured during your 4 years with us our friendship will never cease.  Hope you enjoyed the ala carte dinner buffet spread we had specially selected for you at Noble House.

Pickle cucumbers - 涼 瓜

Complimentary dish Double-boiled sharkfin's soup with chicken and cabbage heart - 菜膽雞燉翅
Full of flavour

Noble House barbecued meat platter - 金玉滿堂摒盆
Delicious mix

Chilled conch meat - 秘汁凍螺肉
Appetizing side dish

Complimentary Dish Crisp-fried beancurd skin served with pancake - 湖南烤素方
Nothing fantastic

Braised sliced sea abalone and mushrooms with lettuce in oyster sauce - 北菇海鮑片扒時蔬 

Wok-fried Kelong crab with chilli sauce - 辣椒炒螃蠁
Not spicy only tomato sauce flavour.   Not worth ordering, crabs small size

Sauteed diced chicken and dried chilli - 宮保雞丁 

Braised broccoli with crab meat and golden mushrooms - 鮮蠁肉金菇扒時蔬
Too messy, to order lettuce instead

Stir-fried french beans with minced chicken - 雞末干扁四季豆
Bland.  Disappointed

Crisp-fried prawns with oats - 麥片蝦 (bland)

Pan-fried oyster omelette - 蚝煎蛋 (Soggy

Wok-fried venison with black pepper - 黑椒鹿肉

Fresh salmon sashimi - 日式三文魚刺身 (Very fresh and ordered 2 rounds)

Double-boiled pigeon soup served in bamboo tube - 湖南竹鴿盅 (Thick stock)

Braised pork belly with salted fish served in claypot - 咸魚花腩煲 (Too salty)

Special roast chicken - 金牌一品雞

Braised beancurd and sea cucumber with spicy sauce - 麻辣海蔘豆腐 (Bland)

Sauteed cuttlefish with XO - 极品醬爆花枝 (Delicious)

Deep-fried tempura prawns - 天婦羅炸蝦

Fried lettuce with preserved beancurd paste - 椒絲腐乳炒西生菜 (Flavorful, ordered 2 plates)

Chilled mango pudding - 香芒凍布丁 (Solid and sourish)

Ice cream puff - 冰淇淋夾心酥

Chilled herbal jelly served with honey - 龜靈膏

BERRIES BARS

1st batch : Combine 100gm butter with 120gm dark brown Muscova sugar, 120gm plain flour and 1teaspoon ground cinnamon.   Mix together till mixture resembles wet sand and pad into baking tin to bake blindly.

Make 2nd batch of the above.  Throw in blueberries and raspberries into baked tart shell and put 2 tablespoon of castor sugar over fruits.   Sprinkle 2nd batch of mixture all over fruits till fully covered.  Bake again till toppings are crispy and lightly brown.  Cool and refrigerate for 3 hrs for easy cutting.  

Long for something sweet and sour to munch - berries bars !

Scrumptious snacks

VIVO CRYSTAL JADE

Dim sum for lunch on Labour Day, which happened to fall on a Saturday.  We went for dim sum at Vivo City Crystal Jade.  We had to make a reservation to avoid the hassle of having to queue for a table, especially during public holiday.

This branch is smaller as compared to the one in Takashimaya but the ambience is more on a casual side.

Century Egg Porridge served in gigantic teacup.  Enough for 3 people to share.

Soft radish cake, tasty with bountiful radish served in light soya sauce

Delicate sharkfin dumplings

Cheong fun stuffed with scallops

Beancurd skin stuffed with needle mushrooms and bamboo shoot

Deep fried radish cake best eaten with chilly sauce

燙 點 王

Having spent half an afternoon on cake-baking class at Shermay's Cooking School dinner was done at Suntec City.  After a brief hiatus from the place for months there were numerous new restaurants mushrooming in the vicinity.  With much selections we settled for Chinese cuisine in a brand new (to us) soup restaurant.

"Soup King" greetings at the entrance

Spectacular roof display of Chinese lanterns which gives the place a warm and soothing feel

A must choice - Soup (Pear with Chinese herbs)

The soup tasted great with lots of ingredients.  The fragrance and sweetness indicate long hours of boiling

Deep fried soft-shell crabs, crispy and tender with a hint of spiciness

Drunken chicken in thin slices, but juicy and tender with wine aroma

Dry wanton noodles in spicy chilly sauce.  Prawn dumplings were big and substantial in number.  Noodles were soft and not springy

DH favourite  -  crispy skin and tender meat

Almond milk pudding  -  Bland

For the eyes only

APPLE UPSIDEDOWN CAKE

An interesting recipe from a local blog (sorry forgot the name & link) and baked one for teatime.  Turned out successful and delicious, cannot stop eating.

Should have sprinkled sugar over baking tin before adding the apples, which resulted in the apples not caramelized.  The baking tin should be smaller to achieve a greater volume.