tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13742102369312468462026-08-07T05:17:30.637+08:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-80832208275118953212021-09-28T20:26:00.005+08:002025-03-01T22:29:34.759+08:00

Sop merah is comfort food in my family. It’s a type of Indonesian chicken soup with sweet and sour taste. The red colour comes partially from the juice of carrots and tomatoes, but mostly from the sweet and sour sauce. If I were to make a comparison to other cuisine, it would be like the Italian minestrone soup in that it is tomato based soup, but it’s also like Korean budae jjigae 부대찌개 in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-26064078816970786532017-11-13T15:30:00.000+08:002017-11-14T09:40:47.102+08:00

I went strawberry picking on the weekend. There's not a lot of Pick-Your-Own (PYO) farms here in Perth, which makes me all the more excited when strawberry picking season finally arrived. The season starts in September and ends sometime in November/December. I'd keep an eye on the farm's facebook page, they update it pretty regularly during the picking season.  The farm I went to is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-1888356221678345012015-04-11T13:21:00.000+08:002015-04-11T13:37:47.564+08:00

Our last, and most memorable, outing in Korea was at Gwangjang Market 광장시장. I wanted to go there to experience an authentic korean night market. To eat some crispy bindaetteok 빈대떡 and what other delicacies the market offers. Bindaetteok 빈대떡 - ₩5,000 We set off by foot from our hotel late at night with a map in hand, and we still got lost. Fortunately two

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-16499820521744329802015-02-14T17:01:00.000+08:002015-02-14T17:01:49.212+08:00

I wish we have these stations at my local grocery. The Lotte Mart (Jamsil branch, near Lotte World) I went to has a packing station after the cashier counters where we can pack our stuff in boxes, sticky tape them and strap them up with the provided string so we can carry them more easily. All for the price of ₩0! I'm not sure if this is the norm for bigger supermarkets or just in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-14379050487062235452014-10-26T12:10:00.000+08:002015-10-26T22:40:55.858+08:00

I’ve found that Korea has one of the most exciting and diverse street food scenes in Asia. Not only do they dish old-school favourites like tteokbokki 떡볶이 but they also come up with new ones constantly. Tornado Potato 회오리감자 anyone? My interaction with street food during the trip was fairly limited. It was a quick bite here and there amidst the shopping and the sightseeing. Like this corndogs

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-46618197998842472852014-10-22T13:12:00.000+08:002015-04-11T13:24:04.764+08:00

Asians love their garlic. Koreans not excepted. Garlic can be found in most Korean dishes. Even their most beloved import, kimchi is made with plenty of minced garlic. In some less luxurious versions of samgyetang 삼계탕 (ginseng chicken soup), a lot more garlic than usual is added to supplement the flavour lacking from the relatively smaller quantities of the expensive ginseng. So why do we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-20846907569882263332014-09-10T09:59:00.002+08:002015-04-11T13:27:04.605+08:00

In Indonesia, we have this Dutch influenced Javanese stew called semur, of slowly simmered beef dominated with nutmeg and peppery undertones with a hint of sweetness from kecap manis. Every household has slightly differing version of semur, at our house we make them with potatoes and glass noodles. It might be odd to be thinking of this dish while in Korea, but the consensus with the Indonesian

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-11434889530907013222014-08-28T11:35:00.000+08:002014-10-26T12:12:05.378+08:00

Soybean, and in particular sundubu (soft tofu), is a specialty for towns surrounding Mount Seorak (Seoraksan). It is said that tofu around these parts are more flavourful due to the pure mountain spring water used in their production. It was the second day of our whirlwind tour of South Korea, we have stopped over for lunch in Sokcho, 20 km North of the mountain. Today’s menu is sundubu

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-90937986676187413562014-08-15T11:02:00.001+08:002014-10-22T13:16:21.736+08:00

Last winter, I was given a chance to go to South Korea for free, all I had to do was pack enough warm clothes for a week and get there. Being a huge K-drama and K-pop fan, it should be a no-brainer. Not to mention my long torrid affair with Korean food, my fondness was to the point where I jokingly told my husband if ever we got fired from our current jobs, we should think about starting fresh

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-89560140646694911272014-08-14T08:13:00.001+08:002014-09-10T10:05:30.428+08:00

I am somewhat picky with my choice of holiday accommodation. It has to have a clean bathroom. Cleanliness is next to godliness, as is with quietness. I avoid “party” hotels and hotels near them, of which there are a few in Bali. Quality of sleep is very precious to me. What don't factor in my decision are the complimentary breakfasts. Although it is convenient not having to worry about where

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-49150182287393320412014-07-31T12:20:00.002+08:002014-08-28T12:04:09.491+08:00

From left to right:Babi guling ala bakas - Rp 50,000Babi guling campur - Rp 50,000Sate babi - Rp 40,000 The practice of using every bit of the animal is not some fancy new-fangled phenomenon in Indonesia. And eating these lesser than prime cuts is also not something that’s extraordinary. It’s a normal everyday occurrence, examples of which can be found all over the country. Like sop kikil (

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-44116426053955265352014-07-29T20:05:00.000+08:002014-08-15T11:03:56.170+08:00

When I’m in Bali, I avoid having western-style food. The variety of Balinese cuisine and the general Indonesian food in Bali is immense, it’s almost a shame to eat food I can readily access back in Australia. The bargain-hunter part of me also feels it’s more economical to eat local food. When you think about it, for the same priced ingredients, western style cafés, bistros and restaurants

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-54936842889494025142014-07-13T21:37:00.000+08:002014-08-14T13:24:05.371+08:00

Being a food blogger, joy fills my heart whenever I see beautiful tableware. The same feeling came over me when I spent an hour (or maybe two) browsing Jenggala Keramik’s website prior to my Bali vacation. Their pieces are influenced mostly by traditional Indonesian and Balinese pattern and colours, but I can see some are influenced by Japanese pottery -- clean and simple lines with muted

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-51651500267843865842014-07-11T13:34:00.001+08:002014-07-31T12:24:03.907+08:00

A lot of Asians -- myself included -- won’t feel full without eating rice thanks to being brought up with the typical Asian diet of eating rice at least twice a day. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m addicted, but I certainly can’t picture my life without it. Last year in an effort to better my nutrition value, I’ve started adding grains, seeds and beans such as chia seeds, barley, soaked mung

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-63232303240033908502014-07-08T20:34:00.000+08:002014-07-29T20:07:21.802+08:00

Artisanal salt farming is a dying trade in Bali. The Indonesian government has an incentive program to subsidise local salt farming in an effort to attract and retain this trade. Is it working? Is this primitive and labour intensive method of producing salt worth saving? The salt farm we visited was near Goa Lawah (Bat Cave) in Klungkung -- there are two other traditional salt farming

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-62115254195547315442014-06-28T16:57:00.000+08:002014-07-13T21:43:00.364+08:00

Bali can be many things for many different people. For the aussie school leavers looking for some fun, Kuta is party central. For the honeymooners, there's Seminyak. For the executives and families with slightly deeper pockets, Nusa Dua has its posh resorts. But Ubud, it always bill itself as the cultural epicentre of the island, where the yoga freaks congregate, where struggling balinese

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-43647503110100759242014-06-23T21:57:00.000+08:002014-07-13T21:44:23.387+08:00

The sound of charcoal crackling, flames flaring up to meet the dripping fat, the sweet smoky smell of sticky ribs on the grill. It was enough to make us salivate. Three ribs please! We're in Bali, well Ubud to be specific. After a week in Makassar, we flew to Bali to continue our run of great food and great weather. We had some really great meals -- the villa we stayed in served us

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-51473920948429712872014-06-21T16:20:00.000+08:002014-07-08T20:36:22.503+08:00

Nasi + Konro bakar When I told an Indonesian colleague at work that I was going to Makassar, he had one request: don't forget the konro! Konro is another classic Bugis dish one simply cannot miss having when visiting the province. It's a dish that's not too dissimilar to rawon. The accompanying broth is black in colour, stained by the keluwak fruit. The main protein is beef,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-37037781061043520712014-06-19T15:21:00.001+08:002014-07-07T08:00:30.013+08:00

There are various unmissable jajanan to be had in Makassar, some of which we bought from Toko Cahaya at Jalan Sulawesi -- located near the Confucian temple Klenteng Kwan Kong Satya Dharma. Gogos is similar to lemper, in that it consists of mostly sticky rice with minced meat filling. To make gogos, sticky rice is steamed with pandan leaves before being simmered with coconut milk. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-622425242504138012014-06-17T12:34:00.001+08:002014-07-07T08:00:34.202+08:00

The phinisi, a traditional two-masted sailing ship, is a wholly Bugis invention. The only place to view these ships in Makassar is at Pelabuhan Paotere. There is a fee to enter Paotere harbour, which I can't remember, primarily because our uncle paid for us. But it was in the region of Rp 5,000 (AU$0.50) per person. Uncle explained to us that in the olden days these wooden ships were

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-6058040369280734272014-06-07T15:35:00.001+08:002014-06-21T16:28:50.118+08:00

When our uncle told us what nyuknyang was, I asked, “Aren't they just bakwan?” Everywhere else in indonesia, the term bakwan is reserved for meatballs made from pork, whereas the ubiquitous bakso is made from beef. For reasons I'm not aware of, pork meatballs in Makassar is called nyuknyang. A bowl of nyuknyang can consist of a few types of meatballs. Nyuknyang putih are the paler

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-29566524544558302032014-06-04T11:17:00.000+08:002014-07-07T08:00:37.369+08:00

Before we went to Makassar, I agreed to not bring my bulky DSLR camera. It was my first trip to the city, so I was torn about it. But with the aim of having the least fuss as possible, I relented. With that goal in mind, I took less photos than I normally would, became a bit more discerning. I realised when I have my DSLR strapped around my neck, I was a woman possessed, I would shoot at

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-45205697919897396232014-05-25T10:51:00.000+08:002014-06-21T22:13:31.235+08:00

There’s nothing hard with making takoyaki at home, after a couple of goes, we’re experts at it. What might throw a spanner in the works is in the trying to find the equipment essential for homemade takoyaki: a takoyaki grill pan. There are a few ebay sellers and Japanese vendor selling takoyaki pans online. But they’re pretty expensive with the shipping and foreign exchange conversion.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-74153525147947075902014-05-09T19:11:00.001+08:002014-06-21T22:13:49.139+08:00

Octopus is an essential ingredient to one of my favourite snacks, takoyaki. The problem is, I have to buy a whole octopus for which I will only use a minimal amount for takoyaki. What was I going to do with the 10 other legs or so? Enter the spicy korean stir-fried octopus dish: nakji bokkeum 낙지볶음. I found this recipe from an iphone app called Kfood magazine (Vol. 002). This app

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1374210236931246846.post-22945474028977028862014-05-08T11:08:00.001+08:002014-06-21T22:14:04.100+08:00

I haven’t posted a recipe in a long while now, even though I've been cooking more now than before, I haven't been inspired enough to take pictures. Besides, I wanted to finish posting about my Canada road trip. It took one cold, cloudy, dreary morning to change all that. It was a dilemma. On one hand, it’s the perfect weather for a bowl of warm pudding. On the other, it’s hard to take

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0