tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80915754033588508242026-06-16T11:17:08.370+02:00Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-27225631733734160592015-10-25T19:27:00.000+01:002015-10-25T19:27:52.303+01:00

After almost 14 years in Germany. It's time to say goodbye. I came to Germany when I was a young optimistic and naive young adult. I spent almost all my twenties, part of my teenage year and my early thirties here in this land. It become my second Heimat. I love the culture, the language, the directness of life, the cleanliness, the people that become my friends,and of course the food.  I

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-4638731767717937712014-11-17T11:39:00.000+01:002014-11-18T13:07:36.774+01:00

Autumn products are plentiful nowadays, last week I bought Aubergine for 99 Cent/kg. Considering the normal Price at € 1,99. It was such a bargain that I bought 2 KGs of it right away. I made Karniyarik (Turkish filled Aubergine) with them and serve them with pilaf Rice and tabbouleh. I'll post a recipe after this post.  Anyway the title of this post is Japanese

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-84059041848401776642014-11-12T11:38:00.000+01:002014-11-12T11:38:06.129+01:00

We have such a mild autumn, glorious sunny days. I love how the German words implied how wonderful autumn can be. Goldener Herbst literally means Golden Autumn. Which sunny and dry autumn really is. Trees are colourful, golden leaves on the ground, so many autumn products to be enjoyed. We spent a lot of time outdoor nowadays, Fitzie walks now so we brought her along to pick wild chestnuts

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-59611507745315497812014-07-12T21:30:00.000+02:002014-07-12T21:30:00.427+02:00

Hubby and me love cherries. Every year we waited patiently for summer and once the cherries hit the market, we drive to Altes Land - a suburb area of Hamburg, where the orchards are located. Usually we bought our cherries in a small shop called Im Apfelgarten. Last year we drive a bit farther away and found another orchard which offer cherries for picking. We were so excited and brought 6 months

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-57659418303717432762014-07-08T14:34:00.003+02:002014-07-08T14:35:59.053+02:00

My dear neighbour, Ute, gave us 3 Lindt Gold Bunny this Easter.  Fitzie loved to play with them, there're bells which chimed prettily and she loved to threw them onto the floor and picked them again. Surprisingly those bunnies are really robust. She played with them for three months until last Saturday. One of them broke. I thought, now it's the time to bake a cake with it. I've been

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-48596758187937061222014-07-05T16:00:00.000+02:002014-07-05T16:00:03.339+02:00

We picked strawberries last weekend. It was so much fun, we were so full after that and went home with almost 3 kg of strawberries. I made jars of jam out of it and eat the rest of it just like that. Nothing beats fresh strawberries directly out of the farm. Well maybe fresh cherries but it's stuff for next week.  Anyway for breakfast I made this, French toast topped with fresh

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-62610529417531832962014-06-28T00:50:00.000+02:002014-06-28T00:50:00.016+02:00

It's World Cup Time and we diligently watch each and every German match. For the Germany vs USA game last Wednesday I made this: Guacomole with nachos and Caipirinha Guacamole 2 ripe Hess avocado 1 small shallot 3 cherry tomatoes 1 lime a sprinkle of dried chili flakes sugar and salt to taste Mashed the avocado Cut the shallot, cherry tomatoes and mixed in to the mashed avocado

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-31720318466551022502014-06-25T12:30:00.000+02:002014-06-26T16:45:35.996+02:00

Fitzie is now one and half year old. How time flies, I can still remember the day she was born and how small I thought she was. Now she's almost walking and loves to eat so much that I need to control her portion. Otherwise she will eat eat and eat.  Nowadays when I cook, I try to plan food that Fitzie can eat along with me too, preferably something she can grab herself so I don't need

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-52066410746717668352014-05-24T19:52:00.000+02:002014-06-24T23:58:32.742+02:00

Let me present my new favourite Persian Restaurant in Hamburg ..... *drum rolls* Padideh in Eilbek. We just found this one coincidentally, we drove around that area and saw Persian Restaurant. Hubby and me thought let's give them a try. So we went in. The restaurant is spacious and clean. We take a peek at the menu. Yes! our favourite lamb kebab Kubideh is on the menu. And we ordered them right

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-45085694917467839232014-05-17T19:20:00.000+02:002014-05-17T19:20:00.565+02:00

Whenever I'm planning a menu for my family I will plan a coordinated menu, If it's Kimchi Jigaee, I will surely buy kimchi and prepare other ban chans. If it's spaghetti then we will eat salat and open up a wine. If it's Soto ayam then I will buy kerupuk and brew some sweet jasmine tea. So it's not a surprise when I feel like Chicken Karaage I will prepare cucumber salad, Hiya Yakko and Miso

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-65316052657553409542014-05-10T18:45:00.000+02:002014-05-10T18:45:00.525+02:00

After Fitzie is born, we rarely eat out. We still do but not with the gusto that we had. One of the reason is because bringing a baby is really not easy. So I cook more and try to replicate many intricate Indonesian delicacies and I must say most of times it's a success. For a Chinese born Indonesian like me Indonesia food is like a mystery with all those tons of spices. I used to take a short

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-80530389460044284382014-05-03T23:38:00.000+02:002014-05-03T23:38:00.238+02:00

I like my food to be prepared authentically by natives. For examples, Pho by Vietnamese, Dim Sum by Hongkongnese, Xiao Long Bao by Shanghainese and of course Sushi by Japanese. That's why I detest all those weird so called sushi made by either Chinese or Vietnamese. I don't mean to be a food snob but I prefer quality than quantity.  So I was excited and happy to know that Happi Sushi is

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-60297669940594234072014-04-26T14:12:00.000+02:002014-04-26T14:12:00.572+02:00

It's Spring!!! I love spring, the weather is getting warmer, flowers and trees are blossoming, nature fresh products are on the market. Spring means for me rhubarb time. I was so curios about rhubarb, the first time I saw them, I was wondering, what is this bright pink stalks. I asked around to other Indonesians. No one can give an answer. A Holland friend told me to make a compote out of it. It

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-6466949518145286742014-04-19T11:46:00.000+02:002014-04-19T11:46:00.123+02:00

*drums roll* let me present the best xiao long bao in town: Neatly packed, thin dough, soupy, umami sweet and not to greasy. Exactly how I want my xiao long bao to be. Served with ubiquitous chin kiang black vinegar and sliver of gingers. They really burst with sweetness, tang from vinegar, hint of heat from the ginger and all porky pleasure possible. I enjoyed every bite of these precious

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-30575361924804759912014-04-12T11:43:00.000+02:002014-04-12T11:43:00.404+02:00

Jakarta, the very heart of Indonesia is the place where I grew up until I'm 15. Then comes boarding school and college here and there. But it's the place I called home and its food are still in my humble opinion the best. Ever heard of nostalgic eating? No? Okay you heard it from me. It basically means that the food we ate in our childhood are the best because food similar like smell are

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-67008011518523084482014-04-05T10:41:00.000+02:002014-04-05T10:41:00.679+02:00

For my dearie sis wedding, we flew back home from mid November to end of December. It was a wonderful, busy and hectic holiday. First it was a visit to my in-laws small city, where we get a lot of tasty local Javanese food. Then we flew back to Jakarta, the capital, to celebrate my sis wedding, to join the wedding a wedding ceremony of a cousin and to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday. All

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-58831774603466233072014-04-02T08:23:00.001+02:002014-04-02T08:23:33.035+02:00

I'm entering the prime of my life aka my thirty something birthday. We don't plan any big celebrations this year. It just with our Fitzie's sickness we just don't have so much energy to do a lot. So because it should still be a special day. I ordered a pack of petit macaroon. Jö Makrönchen is a mail delivering macaroon patessiere. The mini macaroon are so cute and not overly sweet. All the

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-62313757217689521072014-03-29T11:16:00.001+01:002014-03-29T11:16:31.540+01:00

At last we were discharged from the hospital. We are home since last week and we are coping with Fitzie's illness. She's such a tough girl and in a short week she's on to way of recovering. The road is still long but I believe with my persistent and her toughness, it can only be better.  To celebrate that days in hospitals are over, I went to have a nice Japanese dinner with a dear

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-56603018073176297082014-03-11T10:43:00.001+01:002014-03-11T12:45:26.316+01:00

Fitzie is sick. It started with fever, eye infection, lung infection and lastly seizures. We are already hospitalized for 3 weeks and now we are still here in hospital. Yuck! Not fun. But my new year resolution is to post more. So i thought I drop a word, say hi and post our lunch tray. It's fish with mashed potato and salad. 

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-14389214962423032922014-02-15T16:26:00.000+01:002014-02-15T16:26:00.813+01:00

My daughter, Fitzie, started her solid last summer. Since then I ordered an organic veggie box to cook her solid food. I'm very satisfied with the boxes, the veggies are fresh sometimes the carrots are delivered with some dirts too. Once I even had romaine lettuce plus a worm. Hubby told me surely sign of no pesticides and we even got some extra protein :) Here are some of the examples of the

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-39929543429261680272014-02-07T17:03:00.002+01:002014-02-07T17:05:23.821+01:00

After Fitzie was born, we rarely eat out. Bringing a baby to a restaurant is not easy. At first, because I was still breast feeding her. I was always afraid that she will wake up and want her milk and I need to do public breast feeding. Honestly in Germany, breast feeding is very normal, it's not frowned upon and no one will give a breast feeder a second glance. My friend even breast feed her

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-43118525366272466862014-01-16T16:40:00.000+01:002014-02-07T16:41:53.747+01:00

I've mentioned, my baby, Fitzie a few times already. Since this is her birthday month. I think it's appropriate for her to say Hello. She was born in January last year. Born in the year of dragon, better said, the last few weeks before the year of dragon's end; dragon's tail is how my mom described it. She's named after a famous jazz legend. Hence Fitzie is her nickname.  She's been a

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-89552164747793301192014-01-11T11:30:00.000+01:002014-01-28T03:02:02.523+01:00

What kind breakfast do you like? sweet and light? hearty and savory? Me? I'm hearty and eggy type. Give me an English breakfast with bacon and baked beans. I'm all happy. But hubby, he's such a sweet breakfast type. His perfect breakfast consists of a toast with nutella and a black coffee. Since he's not such a breakfast eater. I tend to follow his suit and join him for his nutella toast. But

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-7070018775746631582013-11-16T12:00:00.000+01:002014-01-28T02:12:53.760+01:00

Sushi Bar Dehnheide Note this name. I'm sharing a secret here. This is a place to go when you are not in the mood for cooking and just want to have a cozy meal prepared by an aunt. Operated in a run down Korean Imbiss,  Don't expect fancy fusion sushi a la Stefan Henssler or some high grade Korean BBQed rib eye and pork. No! this is all about the side dishes; imagine all the tasty Korean

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8091575403358850824.post-53628385781191164482013-10-19T11:30:00.000+02:002014-01-28T01:12:34.630+01:00

While I was preggie with my daughter, Fitzie, I wasn't really keen on eating. I lost 8 kg at my first trimester but after that slowly but surely I gain them all back in the last 6 months. After I got my appetite back, I always want to eat spicy food and here's the place that I frequently visit once the craving hit in. At last I got a good reason for all those cravings I've having for years (see

Mel Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12291597438104260396noreply@blogger.com0