MELAKA CHENDOL

A chendol stall has been in business at the corner coffee shop in Jalan Tua Kong where the popular Ah Lim Teochew fishball noodles is.  We were told that the stall was owned by Kenny Chan who hosted the popular Peranakan cooking show on television.

The family stall operates from 11 in the morning.

The chendol costs $2 a container and the use of fresh coconut milk and thick gula melaka syrup justify the cost.  My bowl was without the red beans as I prefer the original version where green mung bean noodles being the only ingredient.

This dessert reminisced of my childhood in Joo Chiat where every afternoon there were numerous food pushcarts plying the street.  The chendol cart was manned by an Indian man with 2 enormous containers of these "emerald gems" to be scoped into a glass mug and mixed with thick coconut milk and gooey gula melaka syrup with each order.   This store was one of our favorites.

Besides chendol other kuehs on offer are kueh kosui and oneh-oneh.  The kosui is bland and without the taste of "ke".  Should have tried the oneh-oneh.

PORK LIVER

Liver is a good source of iron and consider good treatment for anemia.  When young my mum would  fed me with minced liver ginger soup which she believed that liver helps to increase red blood cells.

Liver is extremely perishable and should be consumed as soon as it is purchased.  It must be cooked until no longer color pink in order to destroy any living organisms, but not too long as it becomes tough and dry.  Thus liver is not easy to cook.

I prefer to stir fry liver in sesame oil and ginger rather than make into soup.  Do not add in wine if sesame oil is used as the two are incompatible.  Sesame oil + wine = bitter taste.

Cut up liver into thin slices and marinate with soya sauce, ginger juice and cornstarch.  Leave aside.

Heat oil and add in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil till hot.  Fry ginger and garlic till fragrant.  Add liver  and leek and stir fry over high heat and splash in quarter bowl of water.  Cover and simmer for 5 mins.  Poke liver to test for blood and make sure pieces run clear.

If spring onions are added instead of leek, turn off fire then stir in spring onions to avoid overcooking.

TOA PAYOH MAK CHOR MEE

Lorong 4 Toa Payoh mak chor mee is popular bur has moved out as we discovered this morning when we went there for breakfast.  The coffee shop has been renovated and all the old staff had vacated.    We relished the noodles here as the chilly sauce mixture was deliciously spicy.  Besides the delicious sauce it was filled with crunchy salted fish and topped with plentiful minced pork, springy meat balls, liver, and stewed mushrooms. 

Filled with goodness after a thorough mix

Besides the noodle stall there were the chwee kueh and roast duck stalls which we often patronized.  The chwee kuehs were on par with the one in Tiong Bahru and the chilly sauce, one word to describe - shiok!  The roast duck with crispy skin and tender meat was a winner, compared to the char sau with too much red food coloring and texture was rough and dried.

Now we are short of one eating place to go.  There is another branch at IMM building which we will hunt for it .... sorry never notice the name of the stall !!

XIN WANG

Let us settle for lunch before going for the big sale.   Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe is the place to go for "authentic"  Taiwanese food and is a new setup in Millenia Walk, which I have never been to.  The ambience is vibrant and neat.

Old food scenarios on walls

Fragrant and delicious sesame chicken mee-sua in robust broth

Signature dish - soya sauce egg and mince pork rice bath in smooth lardy sauce

Crispy intestines with sweet-sour chilly sauce - porky smell spoiled the flavour

Beef rice with egg and onions, nothing great

Deep fried gyoza stuffed with pork and chives.  Go well with vinegar and ginger.

Wholesome oyster egg omelette without starch.  Chilly sauce should be spicy than sweet.

Coconut red bean pudding to end the meal

The red bean paste pudding was smooth with creamy coconut topping

SARDINES

There are always can food in the pantry for emergency.  Sardine fish is one of the essential items.  Additional ingredients are added to enhance the dish :

1onions, 1 fresh red chilly, 1/4 bowl tomato sauce, 1 lime and 1 red tomatoe

Cut onions and chilly into strips and tomato in wedges, add 1 teaspoon oyster sauce and 2 teaspoons chilly sauce to tomato sauce.  Squeeze lime juice into tomatoes mixture.  Fry 1/2 onion, garlic and chilly till fragrant and add in tomatoes.  Fry over high heat and pour in tomatoes mixture and add in the sardines.  Taste and season.  Sprinkle the other half raw onions over and dish to serve.

QiJi

Whenever we drop our daughter at Changi Hospital for her day shift in the morning we would proceed to the cafeteria for a leisure breakfast.  

Gravy is watery

EATING OUT

The children has now grown and each with their own activities they are seldom home for dinner during weekday.  That's leave us 2 old folks to dine out on our own, as cooking for 2 is a bit of a hassle, especially after work.

DH prefers Chinese food and Crystal Jade group restaurants are his preference.  One of the evenings after work we ended up for dinner in Crystal Jade Kitchen in Holland Village. 

Szechuan vegetables as appetizer

Pear with almond spare rib soup

Watercress pork rib soup

Roast duck and char siew

Mushroom, tofu and vegetables

CHERRY CAKE

There are still balance of cherries after making the berries tarts.  I use the balance berries to make a fresh fruit cake.  The recipe can be found on Jane's blog.

Besides cherries, added some blueberries

So happy that there is no cracks on the surface and the cherries did not sink

The texture of the cake is soft and fluffy and more like sponge cake

GREEN TEA

Dried plum add into green tea provides a thirst-quenching drink.

COUGH... COUGH...

For the past week DH and daughter are having flu and cough, and the cough is not subsiding despite a round of antibiotics.  To relieve cough and strengthens function of respiratory system, I boiled fig and dried orange soup to help in relieving their symptoms.

Dried ju bing (橘餅)
dried fig
bitter and sweet almonds
chuan bei mu (川貝母) and
gan cao (甘草)

Add ingredients into boiling water
Cook for 1-2 hours under low heat

PUMPKIN SAVORY RICE

My children from young were taught the proper way of handling the chopsticks and it is an essential tool to use for eating.  As Chinese one must be able to hold the chopsticks the right way.  Moreover chopsticks history has come a long way and has become part of Chinese food culture.

1/4 pumpkin flesh cut into cubes
dried shrimps soak in water and cut into small pieces
soak shitake mushroom and cut into strips
1 tablespoon szechuan vegetables
garlics

Boil white and brown rice together till half cook
Fry garlic and shrimps in hot oil till fragrant
Add in mushroom, pumpkin, szechuan vegetables and seasonings (salt & sugar)
Fry till well mixed and add in 1/4 bowl water
Cover and cook over low heat till pumpkin is soft.  Set aside
Add pumpkin mixture to rice till rice is well cooked