Braised Oxtails with Star Anise and Chinese Greens

I have a crush on sausage king Bruce Aidell, specifically his fantastic red meat-focused recipes. I've been dying to try his braised oxtail recipe for two years, but the frugal part of me was hesitant ($16 for a couple pounds!).

My very generous friend asked me if I were interested in some leftover oxtail and I gladly said yes. This recipe took two whole days and it turned out absolutely delicious. However, it was on the fatty side, so I'm saving this for special occasion.

~Ray

Father's Office

It's the last night of my mom's visit and she wanted to take us out for a nice dinner. We picked Father's Office, home of the best burger ever!



We had a chorizo sausage and cheese starter.



The soft-shell crab was pretty average.



We love the sweet potato fries. It's crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.



The burger is amazing.

~Ray

Homemade Okonomiyaki

Every summer when my mom visits, I always have a list of requests. Most of them are Japanese comfort food like omelette rice, niku jaga, and, of course, okonomiyaki. This year, I invite my good friend at work who is as crazy about okonomiyaki as I am.







This is the ONLY way my husband would ever eat cabbage. My mom is definitely happy about that.

~Ray

La Dijonaise

I've always been a fan of breakfast at La Dijonaise, especially its ooey gooey Croque Madame. When we were turned away from Father's Office a few doors down, we decided to try dinner here instead.



The scallops in a lobster brandy saffron sauce was decent. I feel the scallops could be a little fresher.



Kevin had the Beef Stroganoff.

~Ray

Katong Laksa!

My good friend took me to Katong for their famous laska. She insisted the one we went was the "original" one. But how come there's no customer? Nonetheless, Kevin thinks this is the best laksa he's had.



Lime juice





Otah



The best part is you can just eat it with a spoon, no chopsticks required.

~Ray

Wee Nam Kee

A trip to Singapore is not complete without a visit to my favorite roasted chicken rice place.



I can eat this every day for the rest of my life.



Sambal kang kong

~Ray

Shangri-La High Tea

My husband fell in love with the concept of high tea three years ago during our honeymoon in Singapore. He is a tea fanatic with a sweet tooth. His first introduction was the high tea buffet at the Shangri-La.





What a spread!



The sushi was a little out of place.



Haha ... yes, it's laksa! It's actually pretty good.



A little greens to offset all the protein.





All-you-can-drink tea



God almighty ... we were full.

~Ray

Join the Line

During a recent trip to Singapore, my husband and I stayed at our aunt's place in Sembawang. Her apartment is very close to the mall and MRT station. Every time we took the MRT, we would pass by this place.



Look at the line! Must be good, right?



The price is good and the chicken is not bad, but the noodles are a bit bland. Overall, it was a disappointment.

~Ray

Crepes & Co

My husband and I are brunch people. And our friend Camilla, whose sister is currently living in Bangkok, recommended the very popular Crepes & Co. The restaurant is very laid-back, the service is excellent, and the food is okay. It's standard brunch fare. The fun part is ordering: You get a checklist of options ranging from French toast and crepes to bacon and eggs. Kevin ordered the brunch special which includes tea, juice, French toast, crepes, fruit, bread basket, ham, bacon, and eggs. It's ALOT of food.



Tea to start



Kevin drinking watermelon juice



French toast



Ham, bacon, and scrambled eggs



Fruit plate



My three-cheese crepe with bacon. It has great flavors and texture, but the bacon was a bit tough.

18/1, Sukhumvit Soi 12
Klongtoey 10110
Bangkok
Thailand
http://www.crepes.co.th/

Hakka Abacus Stir-fry

My grandma came to visit us last month...mostly to see her first Great Grandson. :) While she was here, I took the opportunity to ask her to teach me how to make the Hakka Abacus stir-fry. It's one of my favorite dish growing up. My grandma often made it for special occasions like Chinese New Year. I've made it a few times with my grandma but never paid much attention to the ingredients or the measurement, especially for the abacus.

It's actually quite similar to making Gnocchi but instead of potato, we use tapioca or yam.


Grandma cooking away...

Abacus Ingredients:
1 lb of small tapioca (you can also use yam)
1/2 bag of 14oz tapioca flour
Water

- Use a grater to grate the tapioca into shreds. This will help the tapioca to cook more evenly. Place the shredded tapioca into dish and place it in the steamer.
- Steam the tapioca for 15 minutes or until it's soft and done
- While the tapioca is nice and hot, transfer it into a mixing bowl.
- Slowly add tapioca flour and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon. If you are not afraid of the heat, use your hand. Keep adding the flour and fold into the tapioca well. This is the hard part but you know it's well mixed if the "dough" is no longer sticky to your touch. If it's still sticky, add more tapioca flour.
- Once the dough is well mixed, pull a small piece off (about the size of a quarter) and roll into a ball. Press your thumb lightly into the ball to create an indent in the middle. Set aside, and make the next ball.
- Heat a big pot of water. Once the water is boiling, add the abacus dough into the water. When the abacus floats to the top of the pot, it's done.
- Scoop up the cooked abacus and put them into a bowl of cold water. This will prevent the abacus from overcooking.
- This process can be done ahead of time, ie night before, and chill in the fridge until you are ready to use it.


Abacus Dough

Stir-fry ingredients:
1 cup of Dried black fungus (soak in water)
1/3 lb of ground pork
1 tbsp of dried shrimp (soak in water)
1/2 cup of dried mushroom (soak in water and sliced)
Shredded Napa Cabbage (OPTIONAL)
Chopped garlic

- Heat the wok with oil and add garlic
- Once the garlic is fragrant, add the ground pork.
- Stir until the pork is cooked. Then add dried fungus, mushroom, dried shrimp and napa cabbage
- Season with salt, pepper and fish sauce
- Add Abacus and cook until the abacus is nice and soft


Final product - Tah Dah...

Love love this dish. I'm going to try and attempt to make it again on my own. See if it'll turn out the same. :)

~ Mina

More Bangkok Photos!

Donuts for breakfast



Flat rice noodles in tom yum soup.



Pad thai



Baked pizza



Fruit at the hotel



It's mangosteen season!

~Ray

Bangkok Market

When I travel, I always love visiting the city's market. This one was a block from our fabulous hotel Siam @ Siam. Actually, it turned out to be a pretty scary market. There were flies everywhere! Gross!



I bought a fried chicken from a vendor. As I was paying the guy, I could smell the oil he cooked the chicken in. It smelled rancid! Ewwwww! But I was stubborn and I insisted on eating it. I prayed before I took a bite. It was terrible. I threw the rest in the trash. That was the extent of my Bangkok street food.

~Ray

Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden

I work at a food magazine, and one of my jobs is to maintain the library. I have to weed out boxes and boxes of junk (any of Sandra Lee's cookbooks, yuck) and find gems worthy to keep in the already packed shelves. I love reading cookbooks, but very rarely do I actually follow the recipes from within. It's almost easier to search the Web.

There is one cookbook, however, that I'm extremely excited to try. That's "Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes" by Jeanne Thiel Kelley. I've had the privilege to sample many of Jeanne's amazing dishes and I'm always thinking of them fondly days after I tasted them, especially her vegetarian pastas. Me--a proud card-carrying meat eater--dreaming about vegetarian food. Yes, it's THAT good. One thing that stands out is the various textures she incorporates in her dishes. I'm placing an order on Amazon, and you should, too!

~Ray

Ikoi All-You-Can-Eat Sushi

In Singapore, eating is like a sport. And what better way to test your stamina than with a buffet? The food at Ikoi in Miramar hotel is not the best sushi I've had, but it served its purpose.











~Ray

Ice Cream Prata

~Ray