Fried Nian Gao

Gosh, I don't even remember the last time I had this. It has been years since I got to go back for Chinese New Year. I miss my grandma's abacus disc (suan pan zi), stuffed mushrooms, minced pork and dried oysters wrapped in pig netting, steamed chicken with shaoxing wine, fried bee hoon, pig intestine soup.

So, when I came cross nian gao at the Ranch 99 market, I decided that it's time to make a little Chinese New Year snack to remedy this homesickness.



Very easy, lah.

Recipe:
Nian gao, sliced thinly
1 egg
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs rice flour
1 pinch salt

Heat wok with oil. Mix egg, cornstarch, rice flour, and salt. Coat nian gao in the batter and fry. Optional: Sprinkle powdered sugar over and serve.

~Ray

Cooking Class--Finned Fish

I was really excited about this particular lesson because I've always wanted to learn to fillet my own fish. Unfortunately, it was demo only, and we didn't get to practice.

On the plus side, my fellow classmates turned out fantastic dishes.



Cedar-plank salmon



Look how pretty!



Dover sole with lemon sauce



Don't remember what this is! But I really liked the fresh fruit and veggies.



Chinese steam fish



Fish tacos



Smoked trout with eggs made by me and my partner.



Ignore the burnt toast. Haha!



Salmon with red wine sauce and lentils, also made by me and my partner.



We eat at 10 p.m.

~Ray

Cooking Class Part 1

I'm a lucky girl. One of the benfits at my company is tuition reimbursement for career-related classes. And what class relates to my job? Cooking class! My co-worker and I signed up for the Professional 3-month cooking class at The New Cooking School in Culver City. I've met many wonderful foodies who are as passionate about food as I am.



We have a few dentists, a hand bag designer, a city government worker, an art director, and more.



Each week, we're partnered up with different people. This particular week, my partner and I made lasagna with béchamel (white) sauce from scratch. It was a bit of a trial by error since the instructions were vague.



And at the end of the class, we get to taste everyone's hard work. My favorite was the homemade gnocchi with butter-sage sauce.

~Ray

The Big 3-5

My husband's birthday happens to be a day before mine, and he turns 35 this year. Ever since I introduced him to high tea at the Shangri-La in Singapore, he's been obsessed with tea. He loves his chai, teh-terik, Earl Grey, crysenthemum ... It seems like high tea is not as popular in Los Angeles. After researching around, we decided to celebrate his birthday at The Peninsula in Beverly Hills. I called three weeks ahead to make researvations for 8. At The Peninsula, there's two seatings at The Living Room--one at 11 a.m. and one at 5 p.m. You can stay as long as you want. The Living Room is exactly what is sounds like ... big comfy couch with a roaring fireplace.



We picked the mid-range choice ($29), which includes one pot of tea, 2 scones, 3 small pastries, 4 small finger sandwiches. This tray was for two people. It looks quite pathetic, at least compared with the all-you-can-eat high tea at Shangri-La. Honestly it's $6 for the food, and $23 for the "couch rental." But, it was quite delicious and surprisingly filling. It was worth it for special occasion, but I probably won't pay for it again.

~Ray

The Big 3-0

Some might find it odd that of all the places, I chose to celebrate my 30th birthday at Sizzler! Well, it was pouring in Los Angeles, and it's a Thursday night. I had dinner with friends the Saturday before, and have dinner plans for the following Saturday and Sunday. I know 30 is a big deal, but I really don't need to go all out the entire week. Actually, Sizzler is considered quite "high class" for western food if you grew up in Singapore.



Cheese bread! That weird orange colored bread is delicious.



I had a rare ribeye. I always order my steak on the rare (i.e. bloody) side. This was not bad ... for Sizzler.

~Ray

Bento Dinner

I recently made a bento dinner. It included Ginger Pork, Fried Fish Cake, stir fried cabbage with tomato and mixed Japanese vege. I bought the fish cake and the mixed vege from a local Japanese market. The ginger pork is really easy dish and is my husband's favorite.

Ginger Pork Recipe:
Thin slices of Pork (Shabu shabu cut)
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Marinate the pork with soy sauce and grated fresh ginger (include the ginger juice). Cook the marinated pork in hot oil.

Stir-fried cabbage Recipe:
Cabbage
Chopped Garlic
Salt
Diced tomatoes

Cut cabbage into 1 inch slices. Heat garlic in hot oil. Add cabbage and stir-fry. Add tomatoes when the cabbage is almost done and salt to taste.

Mixed Japanese Vege Recipe:
1 tbsp of sugar
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sake
1 tbsp of mirin
1 bag of mixed Japanese vege (includes lotus roots, carrots, taro, shitake mushroom)

In a pot, bring water to boil and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Halibut in Tomato-Shiitake Broth

This was a recipe from the Best of Cooking Light Special Edition book. I tried it for the first time. It was super easy to make and delicious!



8 ounces uncooked udon noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 cup bottled clam juice
2 tsp red curry paste
4 cups of thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes undrained
1/4 tsp curshed red pepper
4 halibut filets
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp salt

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook until tender. Add clam and curry paste, stirring with a whisk. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and pepper; bring to a simmer. Add fish; sprinkle with basil and salt. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve over noodles. 4 servings.