Month: May 2012

{NZ} My Kitchen Part 2

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Remember my post on My Kitchen that had all the vegetarian Taiwanese food? This amazing place is also known for their meat-y delicacies and they are also equally mouth-watering! I’m sure if you’ve been to Taiwan, you know will know that they are well known for starters (小吃).

Pig’s ear! It’s stewed till the outside is really tender and the middle is really crunchy! It’s the fav of my parents and my hubs! It’s something you either like it or hate it I suppose. But in my family, we love it! hehe Mum said my grandma use to cook this but she doesn’t anymore. That explains why my dad loves it so much! hehe

Pan fried dumplings! I do love my dumplings. With lots and lots of vinegar! (: This came after our main for some reason and we were SO STUFFED. but still finished them all. haha

I ordered minced pork rice (卤肉饭)! I absolutely loved it! Worth every penny too! Just $4.95 for this small but mighty bowl of yumminess!

The hubs ordered the deep dried chicken cutlet. It was really crispy and was really well seasoned. It brought us back to Taiwan when we had the deep fried xxx-large chicken cutlet at the road side. This definitely came pretty close!

Mummy ordered braised pig trotters! Just looking at the photo makes me miss my grandma’s pig trotters even more! But these were really good too. Not too salty and the trotters were really tender, and the gravy. I could just have the gravy and rice to be honest. Think I might make some soon. haha

Dad had the dry noodles with mince. This sound and look ordinary but with the addition of the mince (similar to the rice) it was delicious. Could do more of the sauce though, cause it turned out a bit dry. The crunch of the zucchini was genious though. Added a bit of freshness with every mouthful! (:

The portions are really huge and we obviously didn’t learn from our first visit here and share our mains. haha Got too excited and just wanted to try everything on the menu! hehe Definitely a place you should try when you’re around the area!

Cooking in NZ : Courgette Polpette

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As a way to say thank you to my uncle, auntie and cousins for their kind and awesome hospitality. The hubs and I decided to cook dinner for everyone. There were 11 of us that night and needless-to-say I was quite worried with how the menu would turn out. Mum was super worried that there won’t be enough food. But of course, there was always WAY too much!

We were quite daring to try one of the recipes that we saw on a cooking show at Paihia a couple of days before the scheduled dinner – courgette polpette. Simply put, cheesy courgette balls! haha As funny as that sounds, it tasted surprisingly good!

               It wasn’t heavy even though there was quite a bit of cheese added, I didn’t cook the courgettes till they were overly tender, I preferred mine with a bit of crunch! But might actually be easier to roll and combine them when they are softer. haha. Personal preference! (:

Courgette polpette (adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in River Cottage Everyday)

2 tbs olive oil

3 medium courgettes, finely diced into cubes

1 egg, beaten

2 tbs grated cheddar

1/2 ball buffalo mozzarella, diced

50g breadcrumbs

1 tbs chopped parsley

Ground black pepper, to taste

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the courgettes for about 10 minutes, until tender and golden. Set aside to cool it a little.

3. Combine with all the other ingredients to make a thick, sticky mixture. Season with black pepper.

4. Take a heap teaspoon of the mixture and roll them into balls. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins or until it starts to brown. Serve them warm or cold. With bread or with salad. ENJOY!

ps : it’s vegetarian-friendly too! (:

The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe

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I love roadtrips. I don’t know bout you, but I ALWAYS look forward to going on one. Regardless on how far or near they are. When my parents were here, they decided to head to Bendigo, since it’s different from the usual Great Ocean Road or Mornington Peninsula we usually go to when they are here. I was super pumped!

It was a really great day for a roadtrip. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a single sign that it might rain at all. The 2 hour drive was really smooth (and straight!) The mr had alot of fun driving there. His first roadtrip drive since he passed his driving!

We made sure we left my place in time to try out The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe in the city of Bendigo! It was showing on a program in Singapore, and was one of the places on the “have-to-go” list. haha

The Good Loaf Sourdough Cafe

Add : 404 Hargreaves Street  Bendigo VIC 3550

Tel : (03) 5444 2171

And we made it just in time! They open till 3pm on Saturdays and close Sundays! So remember to make your way down to Bendigo a little earlier cause this place sells the most amazing freshly baked bread! They sit nicely in a corner and is not like the older squarish buildings, but round! (:

We saw all the bread that was displayed and couldn’t resist buying them. We bought pumpkin sourdough bread as well as the raisin and walnut loaf! Amazing when warmed up and with some butter. NOMS!

So so true! I found this quote in the toilet. haha But I totally agree! Who could resist freshly baked bread? I definitely can’t! The Good Loaf serves amazing breakfast/brunch too! There are quite a number of choices to choose from and also a Saturday special : French Toast with caramelised bananas and vanilla mascarpone. Let me tell you, the special is SO GOOD.

Yes I know it looks sinful. But after a 2 hour drive and working at for the past 5 days, you should reward yourself with this sweet treat! Worth all the calories. haha (: Besides, you don’t have this everyday do you? hehe

We also ordered their bacon and tomato frittata with a side of salad and it was so good. They made bacon cups and had a whole egg in the middle. It was like a kid eating Kinder Surprise and finding a toy in the middle; I was beaming when I cut into it and found a whole egg! hehe Their salad was really yummy! It had a combination of barley, red quinoa, walnuts, capsicum, avocado, raisins and rocket leaves! So gonna try making this at home. hehe Yummy and healthy. Best combination!

Even though this looks like a normal sandwich, this bacon, egg and homemade pesto sandwich was delish! The adding of pesto was just genius! Brought this sandwich to a whole new level of yums!

The Mr picked the savoury muffin and it was delicious! Really different form the usual sweet muffins we have. Having it is making me want to bake my Broccoli and Cheese muffins! mmm!

Butter just goes well with everything aye? (:

This is something that caught my eye the moment I looked on the menu board. Indian baked beans! A slight tinge of curry powder and chilli with a dollop of yogurt! Something different but in a good way! Not the usual tomato based baked beans. We all really enjoyed it!

I love love love how they serve their milk in an old school milk bottle! (: Mum loves her long black with warm milk. She said if the milk is not warm, then her coffee would not be as hot anymore! haha

Of course, I had my chai soy latter and it came with a packet of honey! I have to say I’m very reliant on my chai latter. It’s one of my morning essentials. (:

So if you’re a bread lover like me, it’s definitely worth the roadtrip down to Bendigo and try their breads! (: You and your bellies will not regret it! You have my word!