COLD DISH

Cold Storage sells smoke duck breast in individual packet and flavor is smoky tasty.  I sliced it up to make a cold dish paired with canned abalone and liver sausages.

HALIBUT

A simple dish is a good dish.  Steam halibut with sesame sauce

Season fish with salt and mirin.  Mix sliced chilies, ginger and garlic with sesame sauce (bought from Japanese grocery store).  Steam for 3-4 minutes under high heat till flesh is opaque.

SALAD & SEAFOOD

A big bowl of mussels bathed in white wine, butter and garlic?  No, not with butter but olive oil.   It's both easy and quick for festive season.  

The "beard" is the fibrous hairy thing hanging from one side of the tasty bivalve. Pull it off with a side-to-side motion. soak the mussels in cold water and change every 20 minutes till ready to cook. This lets the bivalves expel any grit.  Finally, scrub them under the tap.

Fry garlic and fresh red chillies in olive oil till fragrant.  Add in mussels and give a quick stir.  Pour in white wine and seasonings.  Cover cook for 5 mins over high heat.

This watermelon salad is cool and refreshing, combining fresh mint, pickled artichokes and crumbled feta cheese in lime juice.  This salad is light and sweet, with a perfect balance between fruit and vegetables.

LAKSA TAGLIATELLE

Making pasta is easier and quicker than you may think, and thus this was served as main dish to celebrate the eve of 2014.

For an Asian flavor the pasta was paired with laksa sauce, which cooked down to a more creamy and thicker version

Pan fried fresh prawns a good combination with the sauce

Extra dish to go with the dish - chicken pork balls in tomatoes sauce

A mixture of minced chicken and pork, together with herbs like parsley, mint and bay leaves to stew with tomatoes sauce

SMOKED SALMON BRUSCHETTA

For the Christmas eve dinner a light appetizer of smoked salmon and feta cheese with bruschetta was served.

Feta is a type of Greek cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep's and goats' milk.  The cheese is salty and tangy in flavor and a crumbly consistency.  It is best to use up fast when it is in a packed form as it will dry out fast.  Best buy it packed in water or oil.

The smoked salmon gives a deep red flavor

These smoked salmon bruschetta can be prepared hours well in advance and refrigerated. The smoked salmon gives out rich deep flavor, which the brie lightens up making it suitable for an appetizer.

CHILLI CRABS

Chilli crabs for dinner on National Day. We bought 2 big Sri Lankan crabs from Bedok market and cooked in sambal chilli and tomotoes sauce.  The flesh is fresh and firm and came off easily from the shell.  The dish was accompanied by steamed bun to soak up the mouth-watering gravy.  Normally I would attack the crab shell first given that it is brimming with egg roe.  Cannot help licking our fingers after the last piece.

STEAM DRIED OYSTERS

Steam dried oysters for Chinese New Year Eve dinner.  

Soak oysters till soft and marinate with ginger juice, mirin sauce, light soya sauce, Chinese wine and oil.  Sprinkle chopped garlic and ginger over oysters.  Steam over rice

SWEET SOUR BATANG FISH (MACKEREL)

Batang fish is suitable for frying and is delectable when eaten with sambal belachang.  Fish prepared with lime and fish sauce.

Mix thai fish sauce, lime juice, soya sauce and sesame oil.  Add garlic, ginger strips, diced raw onions, green and red chillies and spring onions to the sauce.  Pour sauce over fried fish and serve.

BAKED COD

Good food is a consolation when you are unhappy.  It is a blessing to come home to a nice house with a nice kitchen where all unhappiness are forgotten and there are good food awaiting.  

Working life is a battlefield with ugly and frightening office politics, especially when there are jealousy and back stabbings to achieve goals.  These are people whom you think you can trust but turn out to be horrible monsters.

Marinate fresh cod with seasonings & herbs and wrap each piece with bacon to bake

Serve with arugula leaves, potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini.  Drizzle lemon juice over fish before eating

CHEF

Cooking can never go without oil, rice and salt as the Chinese phrase goes.  Cooking can be a leisure and also a burden.  If you take it as a burden it will be an uphill task.  As a leisure you will fill with inspiration to create varieties of delicious food, moreover recipes can be download from handy ipad.

Routine marketing

Recipe from ipad

FOOD BONDING

The weather is so hot that I do not want to cook. But it is worth the effort  and sweat when all family members are present to enjoy the food and camaraderie.  With everyone busy with work and occupy with other activities nowadays it is rare that all are hardly able to enjoy a meal together.

Simple and quality meal.  A soup, main dish, vegetables and a salad.  Boiled soup and marinate fish in the morning.  When ready to eat, grill fish in oven and prepare salad.  Last of all fry the vegetables.

Lemon juice with seasame oil, soya sauce and sugar mix together and pour over fish before serving.   Fry onions till caramelized and add in fresh mushroom till cook.  Spoon over fish.

Prepare fresh prawns and add in avocado pieces, fresh onions and tomatoes.  Toss salad in olive oil, lime juice, salt, mirin sauce and a spoonful of mustard.  Mix well and refrigerate till serve.

SCALLOPS

Having tasted fresh seafood in Sydney, the craving for fresh seafood is inevitable even though you know that it is impossible to get cheap and fresh seafood easily here. The only way is to buy frozen ones and cook.

Defrost scallops and wash thoroughly.  

Marinate lightly with Chinese wine and soya sauce.  

Stir fry sambal paste, minced garlic and red chilly pieces over high fire till fragrant.  

Add in scallops and quick fry for 2 mins and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of mirin sauce.

Dish up and serve

JUMBO SEAFOOD I

The Jumbo Seafood in Riverwalk offers more varieties than the one in East Coast.  Moreover there is individual room with karaoka on request, with a premium.  After dinner one can stroll on the busy street with pubs and restaurants operating along the river.

A cosy room with a capacity of 1 table

Clean and neat layout with porcelain crockery and cups

Started with numerous side dishes

Fruit salad with lobster in mayonnaise cream

Fresh tender asparagus

Duck with mango and cucumber salad

Crispy sweet squids

Deep fried minced tofu with prawns and meat

Fried fritters stuffed with minced squids to be eaten with sweet sauce

Firm big scallops stuffed in yam fried to perfection
  
To continue with main dishes & desserts .....

SYDNEY FISH MARKET (II)

After a hearty lunch, we proceeded to tour the mall which makes up of many shops selling various food.

Big seafood store to cater for takeaways showcasing fresh and live seafood

Wait to order on ice

Bright gleaming eyes and shiny scales

Brightly color lobsters and prawns

A deli selling bottled sauces and condiments with various cheese display

Bread, cakes and pastries freshly baked on show

Hugh supermarket selling vegetables and fruits nicely packed

Colorful fruits and fruit juices

Citrus perfume

Ripe and cut fruits ready for consumption