Top Chinese New Year Foods I've Had

Happy Chap Gourmet, all.

Sigh, after today, Chinese New Year will be over. Gone will be the heavy handbags, stuffed with angpows lest you bump into that relative or friend that has a brood of 10, the late nights of lifting hands to the gambling gods for a DOUBLE ACE, the smell of freshly minted notes, be they 1s, 5s, 10s or 50s....the startling sounds of the start of a lion dance, (as I am typing this, one has started down the road).

Rather than talking about individual restaurants, I think I'll just reminisce in passing the foods I've had in the last 15 days, and highlight those that I think are worthy of mention.

It's customary for us, at my inlaws place, to have a vegetarian lunch. I cant really understand the concept of chinese vegetarian, whereby they seek to replicate the real thing, by making it into mock meats. I guess in a way, it does widen a menu selection by a thousandfold. I mean, afterall, there are only so many ways one can serve a tofuburger, or a salad...but throw in vegetarian char siu, like the one below, and vegetarian mutton, and vegetarian prawns..... and whatever else, you get a infinity menu, basically. Let us just IMAGINE we're killing the animals, ........

I love this charsiu, despite the screaming absence of lard.


This curry dish I think doesn't have any fake meats, so it is really vegetarian in content and thought.


This is a horrible picture, it looks like someone's regurgitated meal, but believe me, it tastes deeeevine. The vegetarian gods would approve. It's mutton curry, made from mushroom stalks.

Nothing like a plump juicy lobster cooked the Chinese way, in superior XO stock, to tickle and tantalise the palate. This was at the Equatorial Bangi, at the 7th day (everyone's birthday, aka Yun Yatt) hosted by my inlaws. The rest of the food in Equatorial Bangi, in the other outlets, I reckon are generally quite awful, but the Golden Phoenix does serve exquisite Chinese, if you know how and what to order. The lobster was fresh, and was probably waving its antennae around an hour before that trying to get astro reception.

According to Kylie Kwong, the most humane way of killing a lobster is to freeze it, so that it goes to sleep, and THEN, kill it.

This has to be one of the most divine desserts in a chinese restaurant that I've come across. Durian pancake, (more like dumpling) and the ping pei pumpkin with lotus filling. Now, durian pancakes are quite common, and used to be Lai Poh Heen's signature dessert. What makes a good one? For starters, no fake dairy cream mixed with the durian puree. 2ndly, even if it was cream, (real cream, straight from the mammaries of a cow), it should only be a hint of it. I like my durian strong, and bold. Thirdly, the filling should be cold as possible. Fourthly, the crepe skin should be thin as possible, so you don't feel like you're eating a badly made giant durian wantan with skin thicker than an insurance agent.

Note how the filling is a gorgeous duriany yellow. Apparently they added custard, but only a hint of. Absolutely gorgeous.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not as Yee Sang-ed out as some may think. My first yee sang was on the Monday before CNY, (by which time some people had like had it up to their ears with it), and since then, I haven't really had it all that many times.

Of the restaurant ones, my favourites were the ones in Overseas Restaurant, and Equatorial Bangi.

But of course, my favourite yee sang are the home done ones, because we always chuck in a whole can of THIS:


Top quality abalone from the mexican seas. Copious amounts of this stuff, that of course, really, is good enough to eat on its own. And we usually do serve it separately.


Abalone with a hint of yee sang.

Paying tribute to our favourite edible mammal, that oft misunderstood, sometimes reviled, sometimes adored, porcine creature that has spawned classics such as the 3 little pigs, Charlotte's web, etc.

The Yoke Pai in Overseas. Yummy. Fat and lean, just the way God intended, and meat falling off the bone in a lovely sauce, complemented with fried man tau. (buns)

A platter of waxed meats, Lap Mei, with the special rice in claypot. A lot of pork, I know. Well, eating this dish about once a year is about right. It is very sickly rich, (in a non dairy way), and salty too.

And specially for Lyrical Lemongrass, the Lemon Tart that I meant to pass you a slice of. (okay, this isn't really under the CNY Foods category, it's just that I made it for one of the CNY meals).

Nigella Lawson's Chicken Mughlai

I've never really been very ambitious to try anything to do with curries, because of the inordinate amount of work involved, if you do it from scratch. That means no using of curry pastes, etc. And furthermore, our cook at home makes wonderful curries, so why bring sake to Japan, or why bring waffles to A&W?

However, I've always been curious to try THIS particular recipe, because 1. It's by Nigella Lawson, and curry is afterall, England's National Food. 2. She looked so seductive making it, I wondered if I could look sexy too. 3. I was hosting dinner for friends who've eaten my stuff countless times, and I had run out of repertoire. Like a has been lounge singer who keeps repeating New York New York every night.

So, I actually made an almost entirely new menu, when I hosted dinner for the Woman I Am Scared Of. (she insisted I cook for her, and she wanted to meet my "new friends", so any of you old fellas out there reading this, you weren't invited not coz of me).

The dinner menu was something like this. Paprika's Lasagne Al Forno Con Melanzane, minus the lasagna sheets, since I couldn't fit them in, and therefore only used egg plant as the layering. Sorry to plagiarise your recipe dahlink.


(Photo courtesy of Lyrical Lemongrass, since I forgot to take)

For soups, wife made a shrimp bisque, also her first time. Not something you'd want to attempt without domestic help. Peeling 2 kg of shrimp is not my idea of culinary fun.

For mains, we had Pan Seared Scallops on a bed of Aragula and Frisee, With Balsamic Honey Mustard Dressing, accompanied by Quails eggs, A Zuchinni and Mushroom Pie, Store Bought Briyani Rice, Embellished with Wasabi Cashews and Plump Golden Raisins, and Nigella Lawson's
Chicken Mughlai .

Here's the recipe.

Group 1
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried chili

Group 2
4 tablespoons ground almonds
1/2 cup water

Group 3
5 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 bay leaves ( I omitted, coz forgot to buy)
4 cloves

Group 4
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1.7 kg boned chicken thighs, each cut into 2

Garlic & Onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 onions, finely chopped

Group 5
1 cup Greek yogurt (beyond my budget, so I used Nestle Natural Yoghurt)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream

Group 6
1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Group 7
3/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted, to garnish


1. Process of blend group 1 ingredients, and add group 2 until it forms a gloriously orangey paste.
2. Fry the chicken pieces until slightly brown, just to seal in the juices.

3. Using the remaining chicken oil, and vegetable oil, fry the garlic and onions. Chuck in the group 3 ingredients.

4. Add the paste (group 1&2) and fry together until the aroma hits you like the sweet embrace of a buxom woman.

5. Add the yoghurt, half portion at a time, chicken stock and then the cream.

6. Add the chicken pieces, and simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Take off the heat, cool and refrigerate. Best when kept overnight, or longer. Before serving, sprinkle toasted almonds. Serve with basmati rice, pilaf rice, or BRIYANI, which you can easily buy anywhere.

Max Revisited

When dear wife of dear fellow gym buddy asked me for suggestions for her husband's surprise birthday party, somewhere cosy, with good food, and privacy, the first place that sprang to mind was MAX'S KITCHEN, along Tengkat Tong Shin.

Oh, by the way, Happy Chinese New Year to all the descendants of the Middle Kingdom. My criteria for angpow giving, lest any of you should ask, is pretty much the same criteria that applies to children; Unemployed, Unmarried, and Virgin. If you qualify, let me know.

Back to subject at hand. yeah, Max very kindly offered to open specially on a Sunday to cater for this party. And this is even without having to name drop Precious Pea's name.

Despite Bukit Bintang being closed for that pre-election crap "National Chinese New Year open house", the jam wasn't too bad, but I ambitiously circled the place looking for a carpark within a 20m vicinity, but ended up wasting a lot of time, and having to walk in the end anyway. Not that I mind walking, I love walking, but in the correct gear. Not with 4 bottles of wine in tow.

The guests were all surprisingly punctual. Anyway, the menu looked staggering, a seven course meal, with NO YEE SANG involved. Wow!!!

Well, maybe this gravlax thingie is the western equivalent of a yee sang. Lovely smoked salmon on a bed of crunchy tomatoes, and a lovely piquant sauce to complement it.

Scientific Name : Pastrami of Salmon, With Olives, Artichokes and Lemon Oil Laced Greens

I think the seared scallops are one of Max's signature dishes, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Just nicely seared, the scallops were plump and juicy, unlike some that look good but taste like distilled water.

Seared Sea Scallops WIth Dried Tuna Majoma, (probably pronounce Ma Yo Ma), Parsley Puree and Bell Pepper Salsa

If the other dishes were stars, this one is the DIVA. Foie Gras terrine with Unagi. Absolutely deeevine, unless you don't like unagi, (like the wife) in which case, avoid it like the plague. Melt in the mouth, the textures and tastes were a mini eruption of pleasure in the palate. Not to mention the dazzling sensation of your arteries becoming instantaneously clogged, similar to when one chews on the chee yau char of a hokkien mee. So good, so sinful, and all is right in this world.

Scientific Name: Unagi with Duck Liver Terrine with Sauteed French Chanterelle and Cepe Mushroom Ragout

This was followed (by which time I have to say, I was getting a bit full), GH MUMM Champagne - Baby Abalone Stew With Seared Tuna Loin, Sea Trout Roes and Basil Oil. I always confuse a loin and a groin, so was left wondering how a tuna could possibly have a groin. Unless it was a MerTuna. Very nice, all expensive ingredients, sure nice one la. Wonder how many trout our table deprived the world of, devouring all those helpless eggies, like the barracuda in Finding Nemo.

Ah, the mains, finally. We had a choice of.....

Atlantic Cod Fish Fillet, Oven Roasted on Slipper Lobster, - Cannellini Beans Cassoulet WIth Crisp Beef Bresaola. (help, help, translation please). Note how some locations, such as the Atlantic, lend credibility and class to a dish. Try putting, Straits of Malacca Pomfret Roasted On Fresh Mussels from beach facing the Tengku Ampuan Hospital on the Tebrau Straits.

Since I opted for the Escalope of US Veal Tenderloin (let us close one or two eyes to the whole brouhaha surrounding the controversy of veal rearing), on a Parmean gratinated asparagus with Cabernet - Mushroom Jus and Potatot Gnocchi, I didn't get to try the cod and slipper lobster. Initially, those of us who ordered the veal thought the cod looked better, only until we tucked into the first sliver of veal, which was OOOOH SOOO TENDER. Didn't care much for the potato gnocchi though. Not a real gnocchi gnocchi who's there fan.

The 3rd choice of main, which only 1 of 20 guest ordered, was the Chargrilled Lamb Cutlet accompanied by a garlic confit and port wine mint sauce. It looked sooo good, that the hostess ended up ordering a couple for all of us to try. It WAS really good, tender, succulent and no lamby smell that hits you like a smelly armpit hits you in the gym.

Sometimes I think chefs are too adventurous for their own good. One bite into this dish, and my first thought was, argh, what a waste, 90% of the guest are NOT gonna like this. Warm Kataify Pastry Wrapped Goat Cheese with Four Berries Jam. Since I am quite fond of strong cheeses, I didn't mind this dish, while I watched the carnage of fainting women and men around me, like a fallout from a nuclear zone. What IS kataify anyway? Meehoon?

Petit Valrhona Chocolate Souffle, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Finally, the equivalent of the universal language of love, in the culinary world, CHOCOLATE. After the goat cheese massacre, everyone was loving this dessert.

The decaf coffee went down lovely-ly. A wonderful dinner, hosted by a most generous couple. Pity I had a diarrhoea-ed tummy, and was running to the loo in between every course, but I shall spare you the details of my tribulation.

King Crab With Legendary Lemongrass

After hearing SO much about this place, and missing numerous opportunities to dine here with famous food bloggers, I couldnt let up yet another chance pass, so when Unkaleong (of all people, since he ain't REALLY a flogger) organised a low sang here, I said yes, at the expense of leaving the brood of wife and kids to their own devises on a Saturday night.

It was with great effort that I dragged myself there though, as the residual alcohol from the late night before, a toxic combination of Vodka, Beer and Long Island Teas, was still lingering in the system, and the 4.30 am bedtime had rendered me semi zombified. It's great when you have livewires at dinners, so one doesn't really have to worry too much about conversation. We had the fabulous Baker Boys, as livewire.

Other people present were of course, Empress of the Floggers, Lyrical Lemongrass, the Ab Fab fella, who didnt flash this time, his friend and ex colleague from BKK (now based in Shanghai), the ex colleague's friend, our Fabulous Baker Boys, (hmmm, cannot use that title, on second thoughts, coz it spells FBB), aiya, the Just Heavenly Angels lah, (or the other mythical creature with wings), and their friend, who resides in Bahrain. I feel highly undertravelled in the presence of such nomadic company.

Yee Sang, the uniquely Malaysian dish, just like Yam Seng is also only done in Malaysian weddings. Singapore doesn't count la, after all, they share the same roots. Allan halted the waitress from drowning the Yee Sang with too much sauce, resulting in it looking a bit dry, but was actually perfect. I'm not entirely sure what the pink color fish was, could have been salmon, but its pinky hue made me wonder.

Presumably a steamed kampong chicken. Great hangover food. Clear and clean. (Unkaleong did the ordering). Not too tough, as some kampung folk tend to be.

This fish pieces dish in a lovely soup, riddled with golden needle mushrooms. Again, perfect hangover food. The fish was chewy, almost like chicken, according to Unka. The soup was sweet and full of wholesome goodness without smelling like dead fish.

I was actually yearning for the Pork Reef, (dunno if it's a typo), with preserved vegetables, I imagine to be something like Mui Choi Kau Yoke, but they had sold out, so offered us this instead. Braised arm of Pork, or was it leg? Well, leg or arm, it was quite good. The meat falls of the bone, and the meat was nice and tender.

Call me a freeloader, but I LURVE attending dinners when JHP are there, cos I know almost for sure that there will be a lovely sweet treat at the end of the meal. Sure enough, they didn't disappoint, with a lovely Sacher Torte. My mistake was having two slices, which rendered me in a Jabba The Hutt state after the 2nd slice. Short of leaving a trail of slime as I crawled to the car....

For some reason, I didn't get a shot of one of the Master Bakers himself.... so I'll just have to put up two of the other half...

Culinary Capers In Cambodia

I am very lucky, because these days, the only time I need to wake up really early is when I need to catch a flight somewhere. In the days of yore, I used to have to wake up at dawn for work, and other less pleasurable pursuits. So I guess I shouldn't complain, even if I was slightly hungover from a friend's 40th the night before, and having to wake up at 4.15am to catch a 7am flight to Siem Reap. (pronounced Seem Ree ap, not Siam Reep).

Since this is a FOOD blog, I shall stick to the culinary aspects of my trip, but of course one has to make a cursory reference to the other things, also to add some context to everything, afterall, a steak is a steak be it in London or Siem Reap....

While everyone has heard of Angkor Wat, (unless you completely did not pay attention in school, and were high on cocaine during your schooling years), not everyone (including me) had heard of Tonle Sap Lake, a HUGE HUGE humongous inland lake. A picture paints a thousand words, so there are 9000 here.

I took pictures of the children to remind ours how blessed they are. Yet, these kids seemed contented. Look at the heart warming pic of the three boys playing in the washbasins as boats.

Of course, one has to have a photo collage of the famed temples. Angkor Wat being just one of many. There are many, like the one shot to fame by Lara Croft, like the Jungle Temple (forget what its called? Ta Phrom I think), Bayon, (with the famous smiling buddhas), etc etc. That famous scene which everyone takes at the pond with the reflection of Angkor Wat....WELL, there I was looking for some monumental body of water, like the sea of Galilee, but it turns out the reflective lake was nothing more than an oversized puddle. (the middle picture in the collage)

In contrast to the general squalor, Siem Reap is also host to many a 6 star hotel, from the Raffles, to the Aman Sara to the Sofitel. The one in the middle is where I stayed, some cheapo hotel from the Air Asia Go Holiday package.

Now that we've got the sight seeing out of the way, food..... hmmm. I honestly CANNOT say that I found the street fare appealing at all. As such, I shall only show them in passing, and will only blog specifically one meal.

These were all taken in the vicinity of the Old Market. Honestly, give me our economy rice or nasi kandar anyday. Look at the hideous fish. Looks like something out of a Stephen King book.

Moving away from the street fare, we had lunch at the Raffles, where I think I paid the most EVER for a bowl of noodles. It was a Khmer noodle, probably their version of laksa crossed with the vietnamese Pho, but it was very ordinary, and certainly not worth the USD18. (RM 60) Why did I have that? Well, it's a long story, but call it peer pressure if you must. Wife's nicoise salad seemed to be much better value for money at USD11. Having said that, the food at the 6 star hotels aren't overly over the top, and are comparable with our hotels here.

We had Khmer food on the first night. Now, the lighting in every restaurant seems atrocious, so it's virtually impossible to get proper food shots at night, at least not with my cheap camera. So basically I gave up after awhile, and have no proper record of our meals. We ate at a place called Touches, at the other end of Pub Street, and had their signature Khmer-ian Amok, (like a green curry), something that resembles pai tee, some Thai Tom Yam, etc. I found all the soups in Siem Reap not hot enough. Us Chinese like our soups piping hot. Whatever heat that was lacking in temperature was amply made up for with their Chilli Padi, which really offers a major kick.

A lovely little establishment called the Blue Pumpkin offered free wi fi and an escape into a world of pastries and ice cream. My all time favourite was the caramel cashew nut ice cream. The cakes, a banana chocolate roll and the carrot cake, were dismal.



After a morning of traipsing around the temples, we had to have tea at the Sofitel. The coconut curry was from some stall where we had lunch, outside angkor wat, while the cakes were from Sofitel. Again, the cakes were dismal. Fortunately, they only cost USD2 per piece. The opera cake was a 80 year old opera singer. Dry, and falling apart. The chilled peach cheese cake would have given Secret Recipe a run for their money. The pandan cream cake was probably the most passable of the lot.

On the 2nd day, fellow traveller got an sms from a supposed Siem Reap expert friend, who said we MUST eat at this place called Indochine. Whilst we were there, at a rather quaint wooden bungalow, rather nice ambience, two buses full of white tourist came by and jettisoned their cargo, which should have clued us in. The food was exceedingly ordinary, I could have probably whipped up a better meal. Pomelo and crabmeat salad, prawn fritters, pork sates, caramelised pork (that tasted like it was caramelised with salt...and had to be sent back) .....largely unmemorable.

Dinner on the last night was at the Victoria Hotel, a beautiful colonial style hotel, at the restaurant called Le Bistrot, french inspired. I had the French Onion soup with puff pastry, which was excellent, and the beef fillet with foie gras. The foie gras was disappointing, the slice thinner than an anorexic Calista Flockhart, and saltier than the Dead Sea.

Okay, if I had to pick one meal to blog about it would be this. It was at the FCC, (Foreign Correspondent Club) along the riverside, a beautifully restored old colonial building, with about 31 rooms, in verdant greenery. The whole atmosphere of the place is charming, and made me feel like some indulgent colonialist screaming for a gin and tonic.

I had the potato and leeks soup for starters, a hearty thick broth, which coupled with bread, is enough for one as a main meal. Wife had the Prawn Ravioli for mains, which was swimming in a gorgeous thick seafood bisque. The bisque was divine. Prawny, crustaceany goodness.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup


Prawn Ravioli in Seafood Bisque



Seared Scallops and Pork Belly Salad.

No prizes for what ingredient made this the salad of my choice. Okay, it was a bit too lardy (lardous? lardacious? lardful? lardorial? lardida?) even for me. Obviously pig in question had too good a life and never went to the gym a day in its life. But the combination was very good. Crunchy purple cabbage, beansprouts and shredded carrots gave the crunch, the dressing gave a tang, the scallops gave it elegance and the pork belly gave it completeness.





We adjourned to the lounging area for our ice cream.



Deevine coffee ice cream with ginger ice cream, and chocolate and strawberry down below. A perfect lunch.

Reunion, Twice in 5 Days

Oddly enough, I've never been to Reunion at Bangsar Village II for dinner. Ever since they moved from Bangsar Shopping Centre, (Previously known as YI GARDEN), I found this new posh setting a bit intimidating, and at RM12 or so for a measly bowl of wantan noodles, and RM4.80 per person for tea, not a place I was looking to head to in a hurry.

Then I got an invitation to a friend's birthday dinner, hosted by another friend. Such generous friends. Everyone but one, was fashionably late, and I was famished by 8.30 or so, so the reviews here might not be so objective, because I think it's true that everything tastes better when you're hungry. Conversely, nothing really tastes very good when you're stuffed.

We left the ordering to the expert, who patronises the place as often as .....help, my metaphors escape me at this point. I actually find ordering food for people, at a chinese restaurant, to be quite stressful business, so am always glad when there is someone else to do it for us.

The first dish was the crispy skin roast chicken with keropok. A timeless classic, this. The chicken was moist and succulent. I am so glad that God in His wisdom created some people to be breast men, and some leg men. ("Men" being the all inclusive of gender term, including women). This prevents unsightly battles for a particular anatomy of the dead chicken. I personally am a leg and thigh person. I find breast meat like blotting paper.

To the youth of today, who probably have never seen a blotter or blotting paper, in the days of yore, when we used REAL fountain pens, which can squirt ink, and suck ink, we used a blotter to quickly dry the ink to prevent smudging.





The other dishes more or less came simultaneously, hence the name reunion, I guess. Feels like a Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner, when all the food's on the table, and we are spared the wedding dinner style one by one by one courses. I like it when all the food is there at one go. You can mix the flavours together with your bowl of rice. Feels homely.


The (presumably Hong Kong) Kai Lan was soft and tender. You didn't need the molars of a T Rex to chew your way through this dish.



Sweet and Sour Fish. Nothing outstanding about this dish. Would have probably been happier if it had been pork.


Sauteed Prawns with Snow Peas (are they called snow peas?) with a generous helping of deep fried shallots and garlic. The prawns were plump and fresh, though a bit one dimensional in taste. As in they were not sweet. The taste was purely external.




These pork ribs were yummy. Well seasoned, (Nam Yue Pai Kuat I think) and the meat was nice and tender. Also a bit on the lean side. However, the servings were toooo huge. We are afterall delicate eaters.




Ah, the carbo nightmare. Spicy Brinjals With Mince Meat In claypot. This dish alone makes the perfect bridal partner to a bowl of rice. Slathering that lovely greasy gravy, a bit pedas, on rice, ahhhh, this is the comfort food. There was a hypothesis on the table that brinjal is a lady's vegetable, or usually only women like brinjal. Hmmm, I'm not sure of the vast ramifications and freudian implications of that statement, but heck, I am not ashamed to admit I lurve brinjal, and its relatives. The fat round ones, the long phallic ones, the bell shaped ones....

And that was Saturday night. Yesterday, Lemongrass pops up on MSN and asks me for lunch. I had my standard answer ready, coz I had just had my eggs and toast and was stuffed, and said, "I got no transport", which is true. Then she said, s*** la you, its in f******* bangsar. (don't believe me? its all there on the MSN Archive). I then played the "I just ate" card, but she insisted that the food would have digested by then. Anyway, I thought it WOULD be nice to meet up, so I went along, saying that I would join them for the company. But that woman in all her wisdom WAS right, by 1.20pm the breakfast had dissipated into an eggy smelling fart.

So, everyone was late as usual, and I wandered around the Kitchen Shop next door, and nearly fainted at the prices. ANd as they arrived, I suddenly had a phone call I had to take, so by the time I re-entered Reunion, I was the last.

Lemongrass was feeling particularly carnivorous and wanted her meats. Nigel said he was fine with the protein fix. Paprika, aka Lulian, aka Ravenous Rabbit, (make up your mind, woman) was easy, as was I, and left the ordering to them. But I did request the hokkien mee though, as we had that on Saturday as well, and it was deeeeevine. Pieces of deep fried lard calling out my name.

The meat platter was good. The siu yoke was too fatty though, it was like, SKIN AND FAT. Eugh. Very contradictory, I know, but the only form of pork fat that I eat readily, without question, is chee yau char, (very healthy, I know).







There you go, I told you the piece of lard was calling out my name.

Twas a most entertaining lunch, and I had no regrets going.

New Toys (cont'd)

I've been meaning to put up acknowledgements for the wonderful presents I've received over the last two months, which spanned Jesus' and my birthday. Actually, I reckon it's quite easy buying presents for people with very obvious hobbies. The trick is, ensuring you buy them something they don't already have.

I have earlier posted some of the cookbooks I received. Sure enough, one of them was a duplicate to what I already have, Nigella Feast. SURELY the giver should have known that being the avid Nigella Fan that I am, I would have most if not all of her books. Truth be told, I don't have her Forever Summer, for some reason, and have no inclination to get it at all, despite my obsessiveness about having complete sets, when it comes to books. Still that does not remove her from the pedestal she's on. The other guy whom I do not feel compelled to have complete sets either are Jamie Oliver.


So anyway, I was rather pleased with THESE two books I received.




The problem with Gordon Ramsay's book, CHEF, is that whilst one can dream and ogle at the lovely lovely food porn in that book, it probably is destined to REMAIN as such. Something one can only fantasise about, because it looks darn difficult to do, and tedious as well. Its like reading THE SILMARILLION vs Jackie Collin's "HOLLYWOOD WIVES". (the latter being the Nigella equivalent...not in terms of literary value, (Nigella writes wonderfully), but in terms of ease of recipes). But it was a BEAUTIFUL gift nonetheless, and really, is the sort of thing one can only HOPE to receive, coz I doubt I would buy it on my own volition, because of the prohibitive cost. Thanks to the Lionheart, yhsmom and Leon crowd.

Annie Bell's Gorgeous Desserts was such a sweet surprise, from favourite neighbour girl, Miss D, who dropped it off as a belated Christmas present. She has always been a sweetie. The recipes here look delectable, and I can't wait to try some of them. In fact, there's another book in the same series I saw in Borders, Gorgeous Cakes, by the same author. I tell you, age is really catching up, coz when I was browsing that book, I really wanted to get it, coz there was 20% off, but at the back of my mind, I was thinking, hmmm, do I have this book? Annie Bell, hmm, rings a Bell.



In the tool/accessories department, I got these. My long awaited and dreamed of Blowtorch. Nigella is right. There is something wonderfully satisfying about wielding that flame thrower, it gives such an adrelanin rush. The sound of the highly pressurised lighter gas flowing through the nozzle with that glorious blue flame, sends tingles of pleasure down my spine. Who knew a blowtorch could be so fun. Oh, in case yall are wondering WHAT one does with the blowtorch, no, it is not for disciplining recalcitrant children. It's to caramelise sugar on top of the creme brulee, which are what those ramekins (them little bowls) are for. Ramekins are for things like souffle, brulee, anything else ending with Le....
Many thanks to Kung Tai Tai and gang for this birthday present.

The red silicone baking pan, is pyrex brand, given by Sunshine. Frankly, I have my reservations about silicone ware. For starters, the baking pans seem to come in really irregular sizes, so I was pretty thrilled to see that this particular one was 20cm diameter, or 8", which most cake recipes cater for. Secondly, I always thought they didnt cook as well, ie, didnt conduct heat as well as the normal aluminium pans. This particular one seemed to do a splendid job actually. So, I don't know if there are different grades of silicone, coz if there are, then pyrex must be using the good type, probably the same grade as that for breast implants.

And Crewcut of Crew's Brew, who bought me the Nigella Feast which I already had, replaced Nigella with this lovely arty clock he got from Thailand. Got people give clock for birthday one ah? Haha, fortunately, I not taboo.



So thankyewberrymuch all of you for your lovely birthday and Christmas gifts.