Sunday, October 17, 2010

Pizza

Not my work but my brother's recipe for the dough. Toppings are sliced cherry tomatoes, shiitake 'shrooms, Hungarian salami, buffalo mozzarella and Scarmoza.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Shanghai Hairy Crab

It’s the Shanghai Hairy Crab (大閘蟹) season! Every year my Mom’s friend will gift us a few from a reputable dealer in Shanghai. That’s imperative, for a bad example will have you wondering what’s with all the fuss about this little creature. I eat mine the patient way, getting every bit of meat out and then mix the whole glorious mess in the semi-liquid roe. The taste? Simply incredible – imagine a uni and salted egg yolk custard.


Steak Sandwich

Enfin, les petites vacances! A couple of weeks ago I had a craving for a nice juicy steak sandwich after viewing this article on Serious Eats. It's interesting, but I thought the chipotle mayo didn't add much to the steak. Instead of slicing the steak after grilling I butterflied it thinly to give it more surface to brown.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Bee Hoon stewed in 奶汤


I must admit I completely lifted this dish from Fook Weng restaurant which is helmed by Chef Kang, formerly of the Canton Wok fame. The new place serves up some sublime cuisine too, but sadly on both the occasions I went business was really slow. Their struggle was clearly reflected in how this Bee Hoon soup evolved between the both times I had it. The original version combined poached prawns and scallops with thin sliced asparagus for crunch but when I next had it, they lowered the price and substituted the scallops with an unidentifiable tasteless fish and the asparagus were replaced with broccoli stems. Still, I wish them the very best and hope to return soon.

Start out with a Nai Tang (奶汤) and add some fish racks. I won’t go into detail about the recipe but the whole idea is that under vigorous boiling, the proteins and fat from the meat incorporate into the liquid to make a whitish and slightly creamy stock. Poach the prawns and scallops and set aside. If you are using unshelled prawns then use the peelings to make a flavour boosting prawn stock. For the greens, I used Kailan bone as it was available but it’s flexible. Blanch the Bee Hoon until half cooked and then drain well. This step is important! If you don’t drain the blanching liquid will dilute your lovingly prepared soup. When ready to eat just complete the cooking of the noodles in the stock. Top with shredded and fried dried scallops and with dried flatfish flakes.