Mochachocolata-Rita

Tom Kha Steamed Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

It's been a while since I shared a lazy and tasty food huh?

One of my recent lazy tasty discovery is....using instant seasoning mixes (bumped up with fresh herbs and spices) to steam fish!

I can't believe I haven't done this earlier. Very easy, and it offers more variety of flavor combos when I am bored of the classic soy sauce or black bean steamed fish. I used tom kha instant seasoning mix this time, but I've also tried tom yum, opor, and rendang. All yummy! I will surely try more flavors...welcome to the world of endless instant seasoning possibilities!

If you hate using instant seasoning mixes (I bow in respect to you), feel free to grind your own paste using fresh ingredients, it could be as quick as a few pulses in a food processor, and I am sure it will be as tasty, if not tastier ;)

Ingredients
Fresh herbs & spices (you can omit all of these fresh herbs and spices if you are feeling lazy)
- a stalk of lemongrass, cut into sections and bruised
- galangal, bruised
- some kaffir lime leaves, cut thinly
- 1 or 2 red chillies, cut thinly

Main ones
- 1 of your favorite fish, cleaned and pat dry
- 1 pack of your favorite instant seasoning mix (I used Tom Kha)

Rub the fish with instant seasoning paste, scatter the fresh herbs and spices on top, and steam until the fish is just done.

Check the doneness by inserting a chopstick into the thickest part of the fish, the chopstick should go through easily, mine took about 10 minutes. Now I am really just saying stuff to make this "recipe" look longer...actually it is really one-sentence easy ^_^'

Experiment, enjoy and share!

Village Dining - Tai O Fishing Village, Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:36:00 +0000

During our last trip to Tai O, we also had a chance to dine in the village, where our local hosts cooked us simple but delish food. Let's have a look at how the kitchen looks like.

Where's the sous vide machine? Heheheh

Simple gas stove, old school rice cooker, a good start for a yummy meal.

Simple and fresh ingredients.

...and a wood stove for the soup. When was the last time you saw something like this?

Fresh mushrooms.

Stir fried tomatoes and eggs.

Self service soup station.

Corn, egg and tofu soup.

Potato and veggie curry.

Lettuce and mushrooms in soy sauce.

Pan fried tofu in soy sauce.

WTH? Isn't this Tai O Fishing Village? Where are all the seafood? Heheheh. Since this meal is organized by the company that I work for, it is strictly vegetarian. The hosts admitted that they've never prepared any vegetarian meal before and was pretty taken-aback by the request. Nevertheless, they still did a good job preparing a nice meal for us, my coworkers and I had a fantastic experience dining there.

I'll surely go back for seafood next time ^_^

Making Salted Egg Yolks - Tai O Fishing Village

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Don't we all love the rich savory flavors we get from salted egg yolks? I do! I love salted egg yolks with almost everything! Mooncakes, prawns, crabs,...hmm I need to experiment more with salted egg yolks. Anyway, a couple of months ago, I had a chance to experience making salted egg yolks during our company's cultural visit to Tai O Fishing Village. It's a lot easier than I expected, we had a lot of fun trying not to break the yolks!

Here are the pictures from the salted egg yolk making session :)

We need duck eggs, a bucket of water, a bucket for rubbish, a tray lined with salt and a net, and some more salt to sprinkle.

First, crack the eggs carefully.

Gently remove as much egg white as possible, pinch the clingy part with your finger without breaking the yolk and rinse in water. Don't waste the egg white, drop them into the bucket of water and use the water for planting.

Place the yolks gently on tray and sprinkle with salt.

And simply let them "cure" for about three days.

Look at all the salted yolks we did!

Hello yummy cholesterol!

After this session, we stuffed our faces with local delicacies and shopped 'til we dropped. I can't wait to visit Tai O again!

Here's how to get there:
Tai O Fishing Village, Lantau Island (Outlying Island)
1. Catch ferry from Central Pier 6 (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through ifc mall) to Mui Wo, then bus 1 to Tai O.
or
2. MTR Tung Chung Station, then bus 11 from Tung Chung Town Centre.

I've also posted some black and white pictures of Tai O here.

The Bin Tai II - Indomie, Sausages, Cheese & Mayo Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:58:00 +0000

To celebrate the last working day of the year, here's my bin tai (Canto for pervert - or click the word to see the definition from urban dictionary) gift to you all...the sequel to the bin tai.
Muhahahahaha.

The idea started from how in Hong Kong we have a typical breakfast set menu of instant noodles, toasts and sausages and eggs. Why don't I put them all in one package of a sandwich? Aha! So I did, except I forgot the eggs. Ugh. Typical me.

I think you pretty much know how everything's prepared, but I'm gonna share how it's done anyway. I'm show-offy like that ;)

"Recipe"
- Buns or bread, and butter
- Your favorite sausages (or ham, or bacon, whatever pushes your buttons). I used chipotle cheese sausages
- Your favorite cheese(es). Ideally a combo of something that will melt well and something that will turn golden brown, but I only had cheddar, so I just used cheddar. Sobs
- Your favorite dry instant noodles. I used Indomie goreng. You can also use soup noodles but make it dry by excluding the soup and some of the seasoning to prevent it from going too salty
- Mayo and chilli sauce (or whatever sauces you want)

Prepare the noodles, undercook them to give the sandwich a bit of crunchiness and let the noodles withstand the additional heating the sandwich might need later. Once prepared, set aside. Butter the buns or bread generously and toast until golden brown. Slice and pan fry sausages, grate cheeses. Slather the buns with mayo and sauces, add fillings until the sandwich resembles an exploding, tumbling hot mess. Reheat the whole package in the oven, or you can blow torch the cheeses to melt and turn them golden.

Imagining how it tastes won't help much. Go ahead and create your own version of perverse yumminess!

And, Happy last Friday of 2011! Yayyyy!!!

Leisurely Lazy Holiday Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:18:00 +0000

Ahhh...it's been a while since I've prettified and properly photographed my breakfasts or any meals for that matter. I don't do it anymore, even on weekends! Sobs.

So, finally, I had a chance during my last holiday when my sister was in town. It's a lazy breakfast, because I didn't make anything. I just bought stuff and put them on the table. They are some of our favorites buns from Yamazaki bakery.

The savory bun has a creamy filling with onion, sweet corn and corned beef with some crispy cheesy bits all over, super yummy! Another favorite of mine is the pumpkin donut with curry beef filling. Awh! Really...how can something so small be so sinful and so yummy?

I love ending every meal with something sweet, including breakfasts. Normally I just have coffee with some cream and sugar, but on a holiday, I had mini chocolate croissant and red bean donuts.

All those and my favorite local food magazine, Eat Travel Weekly (I adore their photography)...just perfect.

Hong Kong Farmers Market - Crossroads Foundation - Tuen Mun - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Here are more highlights from a fun weekend at Crossroads Foundation farmers market.
We had a lovely lunch picnic, Gary of joie de vivre made this delishhhh quiche.

Bacon chunks. Yummm!!!

He also brought these cheeses with yummy crackers.

Janice of e*ting the world brought this Harry Potter chocolate frog, which we massacred with glee :D

..and these fun flavored jelly beans.

As for me, I came empty handed (hihihih), and just ordered drinks from this gorgeous cafe...

The cafe has lotsss of toys...

...guess who enjoyed them the most?

...no, not baby M,...but...

...uncle Jasonbonvivant! Hehehe (those are his legs; he was eyeing the pink "truck" baby M's playing)

We also visited the arts and crafts shop. It was SO HARD trying NOT to buy all the oh-too-cute stuff there (I need to save money for my new flat renovation T_T)..so I could only take pictures and wish these were mine...

The atmosphere's so wonderfully Christmassy...

We enjoyed it thoroughly.
The fresh produce from the farmers market are posted on Part 1, which can be found here.
Janice of E*ting the world's post of this farmers market can be found here.
More photos will be uploaded to my facebook page.

And....wishing everyone happy holidays!
Have a delicious one :)

Hong Kong Farmers Market - Crossroads Foundation - Tuen Mun - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:23:00 +0000

A farmers market in Hong Kong? Really? Seriously?
Uh huh!
Here are some pictures from that super fun day.

Produce, glorious produce <3

Lovely people.

So cute!

Teeny tiny melon! I bought this :)

I bought dry and fresh rosella too!

My favorite veggie, tong ho!

Colorful chillies. So pretty!

Handmade noodles.

Next time we should bring a portable hotpot.

My two boys had so much fun there.

There's a lovely cafe and a charming shop selling arts and crafts.
Part 2 photos coming up, stay tuned :)

To find out more about Crossroads foundation, check out their website.

Sauteed Mushrooms in Butter, Garlic & White Wine on Butter Toasts - Vegetarian Party Option

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Perfect vegetarian option for parties, tea breaks, snacks, or even breakfast!
Super easy to prepare and so tasty!

I got the mushrooms from a farmers market which we visited last weekend.

Wait. A farmers market in Hong Kong???? Really???
Yesss! I'll post about it soon.

Anyway, yes. Fresh produce. Lots of fun. Now, back to the snack.

Recipe
- Your favorite bread, cut the way you like it (I used Yamazaki Onion bread, removed the crust and cut into square-ish shape)
- Your favorite mushrooms
- Garlic, minced
- Butter
- White wine
- salt and pepper

Butter your bread generously, grill on a frying pan or oven until golden brown, set aside. Melt butter in a saute pan, saute garlic until fragrant, add mushrooms, cook until there's a bit of a brownage going, add white wine, cook until the white wine's reduced, season with salt and pepper, done. Add the mushrooms on top of the butter toasts.

Although I am a huge carnivore, no meat does not always mean no good :)

My First Time Decorating Gingerbread Cookies - agnés b. DÉLICES, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Once upon a time, in the city of Hong Kong, there's a girl.

She got ready for a Christmas date, she put on her favorite dress, a white lacy vintage number with red buttons, her favorite red lipstick, did her short bob hair and went on to meet her date...

...she's been having a crush on this guy for a while, and finally asked him out. This is not the age where girls are supposed to just sit and wait for the guy to ask, right? Uh huh, uh huh. Little did she know that although he appeared super cool, he actually had his eyes on her too.

They had a fantastic time, got together....

...created a lovely family and live happily ever after!

Hohohoh...at least in my imagination they did. The little family was my first experience decorating gingerbread cookies ever! I had a fantastic time at agnés b. DÉLICES.

I started with these naked gingerbread cookies...

...I looked at the adorably decorated cookies and I got nervous, wondering if I would do well.

We know how I suck at decorating and baking...but I was pretty pleased with what I've done.
What the heck, let me just say it. I am soooo freaking proud of myself! Heheheh

I also sampled the ginger flavored hot chocolate, their Christmas special.

It would be nice in a cold winter day. The ginger flavor really came through, went really nicely with the chocolate. I just wish the chocolate is a tad richer :)

I got to try their Christmas cakes too.

Lovely combination of flavors and textures...

....and they look so darn cute!
Ahem! I'm superficial like that :)

It's a lovely cafe serving cute little cakes, savory treats, and coffee! Just the perfect spot for me to rest my tired legs after a long day of shopping. I'll surely drop by often.

Thanks for having me, agnés b. and Harbour City!

agnés b. DÉLICES
Shop 2402K, 2/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 17 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2175 0028

Hong Kong Style Steak House - Salami Restaurant, Tsuen Wan

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0000

A charming classic Hong Kong steak house.
Look at that smirking little chef at the entrance. I adore!

The decor is very old skool.

I hardly see this kind of doors and curtains anymore.

Black and white tiles, old chairs, Hong Kong version of diner seats (car wai)...I love!

Sparkly disco stairway to a smoky second floor.
Aw!

Daily specials.

Wilted flowers. Of course. I'd wilt too from all that smoke from the sizzling hot plate.

Napkins and table setting paper, all with Salami classic graphic. Lovely!

Set meals start with fluffy buns and butter.

Red soup. I always choose the red soup.

And then your sizzling meals arrive. Servers will pour your sauce.
Shield yourself with a napkin to avoid getting oil vapour all over you.

This is a "mixed grill". It's overflowing with all kinds of meat in there.
Beef, pork, chicken, ham (or bacon), chicken sausage, mixed veggies and fries.

The double beef. Marinated, corn starched, tenderized.
Ironically, not my favorite thing to order from Hong Kong style steak houses.

My favorite from Salami is...these two huge pieces of deep fried and breaded chicken "cutlets"!!! Crispy exterior, juicy interior, tasty all the way through! Served with potato "salad" drenched with mayo. I LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Not every Hong Kong steak house serves these chicken cutlets. If they don't have this, my next go-to choice is the "grilled" chicken steak. Always tasty.

Portions are generally gigantic, but we're big eaters.
We finish.

Servers always assume that the boy ordered the creamy drink and the girl ordered the lemony drink.
In our case, they're always wrong.

The giant meal ends with a small serving of frozen solid ice cream.
Sweet!

Salami Restaurant
G/F, 294 Sha Tsui Rd
Tsuen Wan
Tel: +852 2492 5021
Hong Kong
荃灣沙咀道294號地下

Steamed Fish with Fremented Black Beans, Garlic, and Chilli Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A classic Chinese dish. Very easy to prepare and super tasty!

I used to hate steamed fish (don't we all?). Ugh. It's not something that I normally had when I was still in Indonesia (back then, we preferred deep fried fish with sweet and sour sauce heheheh). I was just not used to eating fish skin being silky smooth (I would think that silky smooth = slimy), and I felt that the steamed fish with ginger and scallion served with soy sauce is just too...subtle for my taste. I want explosions. Subtle isn't my thang.

After a few years in Hong Kong, I learnt to appreciate and enjoy steamed fish. Yes, even the subtle kind...but this explosive one is one of my favorites. Never gets bored of this flavor combo!

Recipe
- 1 fish (choose your favorite. I love pomfret/grass carp/hung yao. You can use fillet too), cleaned well
- 1 cm ginger, julienned
- 2 chilli, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fermented black beans
Place fish on a plate. Scatter some of the minced stuff on top of the fish and in the cavity of the fish, steam until the fish is just done. The above fish takes about 8-10 minutes to steam. You can use a steamer or a wok. Fill wok with hot water, about 1.5cm deep, place a shallow bowl or plate upside down, place the plate with the fish on top of that bowl, cover wok and steam.

If you want a short cut (I always do), you can opt to not use ginger and chilli, simply buy Lee Kum Kee's black bean and garlic sauce and 1-2 tsp all over your fish before steaming.

Perfect with (lots of) rice.

Just A Simple, Healthy, Thrifty and Tasty Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:29:00 +0000

I love one pot/one dish meals (I am lazy like that), and I have to learn from SC's mom to make the most out of a minimum budget. She whips up multiple dishes menu daily, three meals a day minimum!
This is an example of a her simple lunch menu.
Meat, fish, vegetable, rice.
Very well balanced, easy to make, and inexpensive.
She is my guru!

Stir fried chicken with ginger, garlic and scallion.

Pan fried grass carp, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. You can also steam this if you don't want your flat to be perfumed by fish oil :D

And choy sum stir fried with garlic and chinese wine.
Served with fluffy jasmine rice.
I have a longgg way to learn to be able to create thrifty, healthy and tasty meals like her.
Give me a shout if you need any of the recipe.

Hope your Monday's yummy.
Mine gives me headaches T_T

One of My Favorite Breakfasts - Sausage Donut, Yamazaki Bakery, Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Let me state the obvious here.
I haven't been blogging much. Hmmm, correction. I haven't been blogging at all!
I am sure you don't want to read my 74983275984 lame excuses (work, life, stress, baby, relationships, home, mortgage, renovation, health, insurance, never cooking, blablabla etc etc etc) , and NO, I am NOT having another bun in the oven :D

One of the less-cliched reason that I haven't been blogging is...(it's pretty lame)...that I am addicted to instagram!!! Crazy huh? I have a collection of god-knows-how-much photography gear, and now I am addicted to taking pictures with my phone and editing them with free apps. And it's not as if I had lots of followers or likers or my photos are exceptionally fantastic. But I can't help it. I'm gonna need an instagram rehab soon. Just in case you want to see what my addiction is like, I'm @mochachocolatarita on instagram.

I don't know why the content of this post is not related to the post title at all...I guess I have a tendency to ramble.

Now, since I haven't been cooking much, I'd like to share one of my favorite breakfasts with you. I am sharing this one simply because when I tweeted "sausage donut" one morning. Someone asked me "Sausage donut???? What's that???!!! Is there such a thing?"

Yes there is, it's from Yamazaki bakery and it is fan-freaking-tastic! Imagine stretchy chewy and very slightly sweet donut dough, with a tasty frank in it, deep fried to a glorious golden brown until the exterior is sufficiently crispy and the interior is fluffy. That and a cup of coffee.

What a heavenly morning!

It's been a while since I had this breakfast. I am so gonna buy it tomorrow.
Now, excuse me while I instagram the heck outta my life.
You should too.
See you there!

Caramelized Grilled Banana with Condensed Milk

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:05:00 +0000

A simple yet decadent treat for a sloth x glutton crossover like me.

Preheat oven to 200C. Get some super ripe bananas (I like using mini or emperor bananas as they are not mushy), peel the skin and halve them length-wise, place them flat side down on a lightly greased pan, on top of each one, add a tiny bit of butter (about 0.5cm dollop). Put the pan on the top rack of the oven, grill until gloriously golden. Remove from oven, drizzle some condensed milk over them (I used both original and chocolate condensed milk) and devour.

If only I had some cheddar to shave on top, it would've made the whole combo even more deliciously unreal. If you wanna improve the presentation (aka, not making them look like a pile of crap, like mine T_T), you can dust some powdered sugar, or serve it with ice cream, add a dainty piece of mint leaf etc.

As you can see, I didn't bother T_T

Easy Roasted Pumpkin Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Oreo Crust Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Halloween is coming and I feel obligated to do something pumpkin to compensate the lack of slutty costume planning. So this is what I did.

You know my baking is the exact opposite of refined. No cute decoration, it's not a super smooth cheesecake, not done in a proper cake mold. It's pretty rough around the edges with bits of roasted pumpkin in it...or maybe I should call it "rustic".

And don't ask me what's with the peanut butter. Why did I think that peanut butter plus roasted pumpkin plus oreo would be a good idea? I don't know. But, luckily, the end result was pretty damn delish. Phew!

Recipe
- 1 block of cream cheese
- a quarter of a small (around 15cm diameter) pumpkin, remove seeds, remove skin
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 whole packet of oreo
- 2 heaping tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 180C, roast pumpkin until soft. Meanwhile, prepare crust. In a food processor, pulse oreos + peanut butter + butter until smooth. Pour into lightly greased pan. Set aside.

Once soft, remove roasted pumpkin, set aside to cool down, cut into chunks. Cut cream cheese into chunks, throw it into food processor, add the rest of the ingredients, pulse until everything's combined. Don't worry about little bits of pumpkin. Pour batter onto the crust, bake in 150C oven for about 20 minutes. Cool down and refrigerate.

Or spoon the custardy warm batter fresh out of the oven with a spoon, and ofcourse, lick the spoon clean.
Yum!

Now tell me more about your slutty Halloween costume...

Super Simple Steamed Fish with Lemon and Garlic Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:10:00 +0000

After an exhausting session at the gym, I wanna be a good girl, but I don't wanna eat something (salad? fresh fruits?) that would make me hungry after an hour and end up eating a large bag of chips or a bowl of sinful instant noodles with more sinful frills. All of my hard work would be wasted!

I need to eat something savory, light yet satisfying, and easy to prepare.
This is perfect! I adore the classic soy sauce/ginger/chilli/garlic/fermented black beans/spring onion combo, but it's so tasty, it makes me end up eating a few bowls of rice with the sauce alone. This one is much lighter and brighter, but still flavorful.

Recipe
- your favorite fish (it can be with bone or fillet, I used pomfret)
- 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- white pepper, fish sauce
- hot water for steaming

Clean your fish, place in a dish you'll use to steam, squeeze juice of half a lemon, scatter the garlic around it or stuff some into the cavity if you're using whole fish. Pour some boiling water into wok, place a saucer or a small bowl with its bottom facing up, place your plate with the fish on top of it so that the water won't get into your fish dish (you can use a steamer if you have), cover the wok and steam the fish until it's just done (mine took about 8 minutes). Once done, drizzle a bit of fish sauce, and if you want, garnish with freshly chopped coriander (which I didn't use simply because I didn't have one in my kitchen).

I could just eat that for dinner, or with a bit of brown rice and vegetables.

I feel healthier already...
But I am sure I'll get back to the normal junk food programming soon.
I am weak like that.
T_T

Super Easy Chocolate Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:20:00 +0000

Lazy. That's me.
Too lazy to melt chocolate, too lazy to melt butter, too lazy to line a proper cake mold, too lazy to process each ingredient correctly, and definitely too lazy to get dressed, go out, and buy chocolate cheesecake.
So, I just dumped ingredients into food processor and baked an easy chocolate cheesecake.

Short-cuts is my life.

The cake isn't smooth, it has chocolate bits all over it and stuff...but since it has cream cheese, chocolate, sugar and oreos...how bad can it be?

Recipe
- 1 block of cream cheese
- 1 bar of lindt dark chocolate
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp cream (I don't know why I measured like this, I am so crap at writing recipes)
- 1 egg
- 1 pack of oreos
- 3 tbsp butter

To make crust, throw the whole pack of oreos and butter into food processor, pulse until smooth, pour into a lightly greased pan, press well onto the pan. To make cheesecake, throw everything into food processor, pulse until everything's well blended (there will be bits of chocolate, let them be), pour into pan, bake in 180C oven for 30 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate to set and consume later, or if you're crazy impatient like me, just dig into the hot stuff with a spoon or something.

And don't forget to lick the spoon.

Have a happy weekend!

The Bin Tai - Ham, Cheese, Fried Egg, Mayo, & Potato Chips Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:36:00 +0000

Junk food haters, cover your eyes. This post is gonna disgust you to oblivion.
Inspired by e_ting at desk's post, the nutella cookie peanut butter sandwich, last night I made this monstrosity that I named "the bin tai" (Cantonese for perverted).
It's fully loaded with all kinds of junk that I found in my kitchen.

It's like this:
- A slice of buttered bread
- Slather mayo
- Add a slice of ham
- Add fried egg (runny yolk ftw)
- Add potato chips (I used Lay's sour cream and onion)
- Add a slice of "cheese"
- Add more potato chips
- Dump in the oven until the "cheese" melted
- Squeeze a few dots (or dollops) of mayo
- Squeeze a few drops of ketchup or chilli sauce

If you're up for it, top it with another slice of bread.

Did I really eat this bin-tai-ness?
Yes I did.
And the most bin tai thing is, I really loved it.
Sobsssss.....please don't hate me.

iPhone Food Photography - RIP Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:59:00 +0000

As a tribute to Steve Jobs, I am posting my recent favorite food pictures, all shot using my iPhone 3Gs.

Oyster burger from Burger Room, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Macaron from Jean-Paul Hevin, IFC, Hong Kong.

Supermarket sweep.

Mie Sedap rasa sambel goreng with cheddar chunks

Kowloon Dairy milk and hot coffee from a neighborhood char chan teng.

Hot coffee in Black & White cup from San Chui Kei, Wanchai.

Luncheon meat and fried egg in buttered bun from neighborhood char chan teng.

Fanta at yumcha.

Typical weekend yumcha.

Grape calpis soda from random Japanese eatery.

Beef sukiyaki hotpot from random Japanese eatery.

Colorful salad from random Japanese eatery.

Taro froyo with taro mochi etc.

My iPhone and my favorite apps (Toy SLR, instagram and iDarkroom) made instant food blogging with eye candy photos possible.
iLOVE.

Ugly Delicious - Banana Chocolate Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Another ugly delicious thing for you guys :)
Seriously, how ugly does this thing look?
But I can assure you that buttery pastry + banana + chocolate...no matter how ugly it looks, it must be delish!

I used the crust recipe here, simply removed the teaspoon of salt and dry herbs, and used salted butter instead (I love a touch of savory in my sweets), or you can use frozen pastry too, I have nothing against that ^_^. I filled the pastry with chunks of banana and semi sweet chocolate chunks, egg-washed it and baked it in a preheated oven until golden brown.

If you can't get over the ugliness, eat this with your eyes closed or lights off heheheh.

Perfect with a cup of tea.

Grilled Chicken in Creamy Turmeric Sauce - Ayam Panggang Santan Kuning

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:33:00 +0000

Another recipe from what I made for baby M's recent bday celebration at home.
I hardly use coconut milk when marinating meat, but I should really use it more often. It's this magic ingredient that makes everything creamy and fragrant. Plus, the wet marinate keeps the chicken meat moist even after grilling.

Recipe
(for 4)
- 4 Chicken thigh fillet with skin on (allow half or one chicken thigh fillet per person, depending on whether it's served with other dishes and lots of rice/other carbs)
Marinate
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 shallot, peeled
- 2 cm ginger, peeled
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp turmeric
- salt, pepper, sugar
- 200ml of coconut milk
Process everything except coconut milk in a food processor or blender, or you can use mortar and pestle to make your paste. Add coconut milk, mix well. Marinate chicken in the mixture for a couple hours, or leave overnight in the fridge.

On the day of serving, you can either cook the chicken a bit in the marinate before broiling the chicken to brown the skin, or you can place chicken in a preheated oven (200C) along with some of the marinating liquid and grill it until it's done (you can crank up the heat in the last few minutes to really brown the skin). Cook the remaining marinating liquid until reduced, thickened and creamy as use as a sauce.

Golden delicious.
I might make this in the form of sate...because who doesn't love food on a stick?

Best Weekday Lunch Picnic Ever! Hong Kong Park x Simplylife

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:51:00 +0000

Yesterday was the last day SC and I worked in the same office. We had our farewell weekday lunch together, and it was perfect.

We had the perfect spot.

And the weather was perfect.
24C, cool breeze, no rain.

And we bought our favorite takeaway lunch.

Two choices of dishes with rice and burgers with fries. Yum!

Pork with vinegar sauce and eggplants with fragrant minced pork. Absolutely delicious.

Chili burger with spicy fries. One of my favorite burgers in Hong Kong.

The chili bit just added extra umph to the whole thing.

And those little specks of heat?
As if I needed fries to be more addictive...T_T

Spicy fries + mustard + ketchup.
Carbtastic heaven.

After lunch, we strolled around the beautiful park...

...not hand-in-hand. Pffft. We're not cheesy like that.

Imagine this scene.
The girl crouched down, almost falling into the pond trying to photograph lotus flowers...

...and the guy's busy with his iPhone.
Of course. We're romantic like that.

Wishing SC all the best with his PMP exam today and the start of his new job tomorrow ^_^

Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Pack of 5 - A "Huh?" Moment at the Supermarket

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Please excuse the ugly photos.
I just had a bit of a "huh???!!" moment at the supermarket, when I was buying my favorite instant noodle soup, the Nongshim kimchi ramyun.

Buy 5 packs HK$20.9...

And...

...or buy 5 in a pack for HK$24.50 (!!)

...from the same supermarket!
The value pack is more expensive than the loose packs?

I wonder if anybody still bought the value packs...

Hong Kong Beef Offal, Wonton & Fishball Noodle Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:37:00 +0000

I couldn't remember the last time I had beef brisket/wonton/fishball noodle soup, and finally, when SC and I had a chance to go out (thank God for grandma & grandma who are always willing to babysit...)...we went all crazy and ordered loadsss of food.

My favorite...beef stomach and beef brisket with flat noodles.

SC's picks...beef brisket and fried fish cake ends with flat rice noodles (hor fun).

A bowl of wonton soup. Big, juicy juicy shrimp wontons.

Obligatory veggie, we picked water spinach in fermented beancurd sauce. I love how the veggie is tender enough but still green and not butchered, and they're pretty generous with the sauce. I slathered my noodles in this sauce too. Yummm~!

And my favorite from this particular shop...

...the deep fried fish skin! Very thin, crispy, and not stinky at all!

If only I could bring home this whole container...

Now, this shop is not necessarily my favorite, but it's near my home, and it's good enough to satisfy my cravings. I have yet to find time to visit my favorite shop in Mongkok. I'll do a post once I had a chance.

Meanwhile, have a yummy week, everyone!

Soto Sapi - Indonesian Spiced Beef Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Mochachocolata Rita) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:38:00 +0000

One of the dishes I served at baby M's birthday party last weekend.
It was a hot day, and in Indonesia, we surely eat hot and spicy soup with a lot of acid to sweat it out. Slurp! If you did sweat, you'd feel like you just did one heck of a workout. Refreshed! Forget makeup, or use something totally waterproof :D

There are sooo many different kinds of sotos in Indonesia, I tried to do the yellow kind.

Recipe
Beef stock
- 1 kg beef (I used brisket and shin), blanched and cut into cubes
- 2 stalk lemongrass, bruised and cut into 5 cm long pieces
- 6 lime leafs
- 2 cm galangal, crushed
- hot water
- salt, pepper, sugar
Spice paste
- 8 cloves garlic
- 6 shallot
- 2 cm ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric (or more)
- 1 tsp salt
- a bit of cooking oil for saute-ing
Serve with
- crispy shallot
- kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- lime wedges
- chopped scallion
- and of course rice ^_^

In a large pot, cook beef cubes in hot water with lemongrass, lime leafs, and galangal, bring to boil and simmer for 1.5 hours (minimum, or until tender), or pressure cook for 30 minutes. I made my spice paste by throwing all the ingredients into a food processor, followed by grinding it using a mortar and pestle until really smooth. You can use blender, try to make the paste as smooth as possible. Saute spice paste in a bit of hot oil until fragrant, add into the beef stock, mix well, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish and serve hot.

Can't wait for winter so that I can use this soto as a hot pot soup base. Oh yes!