Simplicity

There's always beauty with simplicity. Simplicity in appearance, simplicity in food. Sometimes I like to be elaborate & picky, but every now and then, I'm a little too lazy to do something complicated.

I haven't really cooked or baked much lately, but I made something simple that was easy and wowed my family. Green tea panna cotta.

For me, panna cotta has always been one of my favourite desserts. Basically like a pudding; soft, creamy with that little jiggle. It's simple.

Now, perhaps some of you are like 'Hold your horse! Isn't panna cotta difficult to do?' So, some of you may be intimidated to make panna cotta like I was initially, but it turns out, it's actually super super easy. Who loves fast & easy desserts? *Raise hands*

Honestly? You'll probably have all these ingredients in your pantry except for the green tea powder. However, I do suggest buying some green tea powder because it's a beauty in desserts (e.g my green tea ice cream). I'd dial up the green tea powder and take down the sweetness just a little. But other than that, it was simple, and pretty perfect.

P.S you can find me on Twitter now!

Green tea panna cotta
Serves 6 (I made about 7 ramekins)

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 tsp green tea powder (I'd increase to 2 or 2 and 1/2)
600 ml (21 fl oz) cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp gelatine powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
*Optional: Sliced fruit

Method:
1. Put the green tea powder in saucepan with a little of the cream. Mix and form a paste. Then, whisk the remaining cream, ensuring that there are no lumps.
2. Add sugar the saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Then, slowly bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Then remove from heat.
3. Put the gelatine in a small bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot cream to form a smooth paste. Return the mixture to the saucepan, stirring until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Rest for 10 minutes to allow it to infuse.
4. Strain the mixture into a large bowl, then add milk & vanilla and stir to combine.
5. Pour into teacups/moulds/ramekins, and chill for at least 3 hours or until set.

Adapted from Yoshoku via Ooh-look

Local eateries

Of course you can't pass the local hawker stalls in Singapore....While there are nice restaurants like in my previous post, there are also plentiful of local eateries around! 

Porridge with deep fried pig intestines

I was a little jittery when Aunty M & Uncle D said they'd be ordering some porridge with pig intestines and pig liver etc...But you know, it was not bad at all! Interesting. Also, above is one of Singapore's best fritters (yau zha gwai).

 We also had this sashimi thing.

Sweet mung bean soup with fritters

Also had these little rice cakes with some pickles on top!

 Making siew yoke...

This 'local eatery' was at my uncle and aunt's place. Uncle D is the master of roast pork... Roast pork belly has that traditional crackly, crispy skin. It was amazing. I learnt from the best! Now my family is awaiting for a replica. 

 Baked crab

The crab was amazing! We had black pepper baked crab and salt baked crab. Obviously if you want the au natural, then go with the salt baked. But I really fancied the black pepper because I'm crazy about black pepper.

Had some laksa..

 Tutu kuih. 

Interesting type of kuih, soft, and spongy with a nice filling! Very nice to eat when it's warm.

Cedele 

Cedele would be more fitting for the cafes post, but I simply had too many pictures! This was at a suburban mall, and I'm pretty sure there are a few branches. It claims that it has no transfat, and to be healthy.  I thought the cakes were nice (especially if it claims to be healthy), I shared a salted caramel cheesecake & carrot cake with my aunty (on my mum's side, not Aunty M).I think the cheesecake needed a little bit more salt though, but the carrot cake was very nice. Thank you to Aunty J for taking me out!

So 'Local eateries' is my last post of my Singapore trip. Singapore was a fantastic trip! Just when you think five days is sufficient, it really isn't. There are lots of things to do in Singapore, more importantly, there is so much food to eat. Had such a lovely trip staying & spending time with my relatives, and so far it's been one of my highlights of 2014 (even though 2014 just started).  

Happy CNY and back to reality

Happy Chinese new year everyone! I am celebrating with family for the next few days, and then I'm back to reality which is SCHOOL. I have been in holiday mood for the past month and a half. I've been in South-east Asia, visiting Singapore, Penang and my hometown, Kuala Lumpur. So it's been a pretty great summer.

I am hoping not so much for prosperity this year (besides, I'm a student), but for a good school year as I'm entering my second last year of high school!

Also, I wrote a post on Huffington post about why YOU should care about the 66 million uneducated girls in the world.

Eateries

I had a diverse range of food in Singapore, all tested by my trusty uncle and aunty. I was quite surprised to learn that food of other cultures are really good, such as Spanish, Italian, Mexican etc...
Tiong Bahru bakery

Kouign amann and traditional croissant.

These were the ultimate croissants, dare I say the best I've tasted in my life. I shared a traditional croissant and a kouign amann croissant with Uncle D. Think flaky, crispy with delicate layers. The kouign amann croissant is a must, so sweet and crispy. Btw Uncle,if you're reading this, I INITIALLY THOUGHT YOU SAID 'ALMOND' and was wondering where the almonds were...

Scoop

Cute ice cream shop, also pointed out by Aunty that it's a shop that attracts so many girls! Gee, I wonder why. There are many flavours to choose from, but I settled with butterscotch and pecan. Aunty got the lychee martini, which was very refreshing and Uncle D got durian... I normally don't eat durian, but on this trip I had durian ice cream twice, suffice to say I like it!

Lei Garden

Chijmes

We were supposed to eat at the iconic Chijmes branch of Lei Garden, however there was a power trip. There was also a wedding happening, I really pity that groom and bride. Anyway, we went to the Orchard road branch. I really loved the dim sum there, some of the best baked egg tarts, bbq pork puff pastry and I also had sago with mango & pomelo. My cousins had durian pudding, which I could smell from across the table. We all also shared the glutinous rice balls, coated with peanuts and a hot sesame filling.

Zaffron

Hearty Indian food. My whole family knows how much I love roti canai, so eating naan, mutton curry with teh halia (ginger tea)is my kind of lunch. Uncle D and I agreed that the roti naan was ordinary, and we'd just order two of the garlic naans. Funnily enough, he accidentally ordered a vegetarian dish via the iPad menu, mistaken that the tandoori tofu was chicken! I was perplexed when it arrived, wondering where the meat was (let's say, my uncle is more of a carnivore) and then he realised his order was wrong and we chuckled about it.

Don Quijote

Steaming, braised ox's tail.

 Don quijote is in Dempsey Hills, a nice location with quite a few popular restaurants.

It was quite a light dinner with interesting flavours. Kind of reminds me of The black toro! My favourites were the wagyu beef with blue cheese dip, the braised ox's tail, mushrooms, calamari and to top it off, we had a chocolate lava cake! Overall, a really enjoyable dinner.

Max Brenner’s

Yes, there are a couple of Max Brenner’s around the world, but I have only tried it once, and was left disappointed with soggy waffles last month in Australia. So, after the night we had a chocolate lava cake, Uncle said we could try another one at a different place and compare. While I loved Don Quijote's, if I had to pick, it'd be MB. I felt that the chocolate was pronounced more in MB, but that having been said, MB specialises in chocolate.

So the next post is full of local eateries. These were at nice restaurants/cafes/franchises! So delicious...

Outings in Singapore

I'm a Malaysian, yet ironically I've never visited Singapore until now, at sixteen. I flew up to the tiny country (barely a dot on a world map) for five days visiting Aunty M & Uncle D. They were the ones that took my parents and I around in Beijing (and also their family went with our family to California), while they were living as expats. They are so much fun to be with, and they took extremely good care of me :) It was my first time flying by myself. Though it was only an hour flight from KL...

To my surprise, although Singapore is a small place, (going from the east to the west of the island so easily), there is a plethora of activities & sights and eateries to do. The food is great,  from your local hawker stalls to restaurants of all kinds of cuisines. Singapore is cosmopolitan.

Singapore trip will come in THREE parts; outings, eateries in restaurants and local eateries.

So things I did in Singapore....

1) I went to the Singapore zoo and also did the night & river safari. The Singapore zoo itself is huge, you can walk (real workout) or take the tram around. My favourite animal was the leopard and also seeing the splash zone show with the sea lion.  I really liked the Night safari, and also the shows. River safari: my uncle and I would not recommend. Waste of money just to go on a five minute boat ride,and some of the animals were hiding. Though, we saw the Red panda and the giant panda which was cute.

2) Shopping on Orchard Street. Of course you gotta have some shopping therapy! I had so much fun with my aunty shopping along there! I'm regretting not buying more though...

3) Gardens by the bay. The enclosures are extremely nice, obviously the project costed a lot of money but it's impressive. We went to the Cloud forest and the flower dome. I also really liked the cool temp inside, unlike the heat during midday in Singapore.

4) Take pictures with the lion and Marina bay sands hotel. I have yet to visit the actual hotel!!

5) My uncle and I went to Adventure Cove in Sentosa. According to my older cousin, Universal studios isn't really worth the money, and initially I thought so too. So even though I didn't go there, I personally think Adventure Cove would be better. It’s a nice place to spend the day. Our favourite ride was the Riptide Rocket, we rode on it about four times! You can also snorkel at Rainbow reef, which was pretty cool considering I've never gone snorkeling but the water left a nasty salt taste afterwards. My uncle says we could easily spend three days in Sentosa, however my trip was quite short. So next time, there will be more.

6) We went to the Jurong bird park and took the tram around the park to tour. The park isn't very big, so I don’t think you'd need to spend a lot of time. I do recommend seeing Kings of the skies show. I saw some owls, eagles and vultures.

I did quite a fair bit of activities within five days, thanks to my relatives’ planning!

2013

Dear twenty thirteen, it's been good.

Somewhat, I had a good school year; whether it was the love-hate relationship with biology (not a fan of the ecology unit), or my love for history. I'm loving the fact that I'm saying goodbye to geography & physical education, because quite frankly, my mapping skills nor my coordination is top notch. But I'm entering year 11 & 12, my two final years of high school...

Besides school, I've encountered some of the most amazing experiences;

Becoming a HuffPost Teen blogger
!!!!! is all I can say. I cannot believe that some of my work is being read by many, many people!

Work experience at the hospital
Just a year ago, I applied for my work experience at RMH, not really thinking I'd get the placement (since there are only limited places available to students), but I did! Although it was only for a mere week, it really opened my eyes into the medical world; it makes me want to pursue that dream. However, I'm not sure whether I'll make it, since it is incredibly difficult & competitive to get a placement in med school, I'm going to try my best! If not? That's okay.

Charity work

After all these years, I've finally taken the initiative to do some charity work. I raised over $700 for a baking fundraiser. Half of it goes to the UN's world food programme and Stop the traffik. I also hosted a Girl rising screening at my school!

EUROPE TRIP
Going to Europe; Paris and London has been a long-time dream of mine.

Taylor Swift's concert 
I WENT TO T-SWIFTY FOR THE THIRD TIME!

Favourite recipes of 2013? 
Green tea ice cream

Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

I declare it as the BEST chocolate chip recipe ever.

Most popular recipes
One of the most viewed recipes this year was my coffee cupcakes! Definitely a pleaser for coffee-lovers.

Blueberry muffins

The best blueberry muffin recipe I've encountered so far. The streusel is delicious and the muffin itself, very fluffy!

So I don't know about you, but I've had a pretty good year.

Christmas 2013

I think a lot of people are in a food coma, comme moi (like me) after Christmas. We had our Christmas eve dinner.

There was more food than this, we just couldn't fit everything on one table!

HAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

We ordered a turkey & the best ham ever...

We cooked prawns, curry & noodles (of course you have to put an east meets west twist), potato gratin, roasted potatoes with duck fat, salad, roasted vegetables. It was my first time roasting potatoes in duck fat. This technique was suggested by M's boyfriend, who read an article on The Age. Very successful! The outsides were crisp and the inside was fluffy. I seasoned it with rosemary & pepper & salt. Quite indulgent; my mum was saying why I wanted to make the potatoes even more fat, and I proclaimed "BUT IT'S CHRISTMAS!" 

Dessert: Green tea ice cream, fruit cake, tiramisu, pavlova and cheesecake. I made the green tea ice cream, which was a pretty big hit! It's SO simple yet tastes amazing (and no egg yolk fuss, like in usual ice cream recipes). Aunty SS made the cheesecake, pavlova and fruit cake. My mum made her tiramisu. ALL delicious!

Next year I'll be in year 11 during Christmas... What? 

I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas. It's literally my favourite time of the year, and I had a really nice one this year :) We have so many left overs, it's time for me to make my grilled cheese turkey & ham sandwiches mmmmmmmmmm!

London

I enjoyed London, more than I thought I would. Prior to visiting, I wasn't that excited going to London because I perceived the city as just another English city, some what similar to Melbourne. The only mutual thing between London & Melbourne? The weather is pretty crazy.

Dearest V

Dearest V,
Thank you for being an awesome eldest sister. I love the fact that I'm half a head taller than you, but at the same time, I hate the fact that some people mistaken me as the older one.

More than a decade ago!

Just like everyone in the family, you are an utterly smart, and have definitely set the bar high, as you're the eldest sister. I'm sorry that I tower over you, but hey, if it helps, you are a feisty short person who can really argue (how else would you be a lawyer? Or yell at me.)

REVERSE HEIGHT ORDER: From youngest to eldest.

I must have caught the reading bug from you; I heard you got into some trouble during primary school reading books in class! I would read until late night (past bedtime whoops) during primary school with my reading light on (and to this day, still do that). Thanks for letting me borrow some of your books as well :)

So thanks sis :)

Anyway, asides from my open letter, we celebrated my sister's birthday, just like last year. Over stuffed and stomach aches.. 

Entree: Peking duck from a restaurant take away

Main: Mum's curry laksa 

Dessert: Three cakes.

Yeah you heard that right... THREE cakes. I helped my mum bake a mango cheesecake with macadamias (Star hit of the night), I made a vanilla sponge with white chocolate ganache & raspberries and Aunty SS bought a flourless fig & almond cake. I've been eating far too much cake! 

 I used my vanilla cupcake recipe but doubled it. I made some ganache but whipped it so it was more spreadable. I also made some dark chocolate ganache in the middle with strawberries & raspberries, to counteract too much sweetness from the white chocolate ganache.

The massacre 

Paris in a bombshell

 I was told by one of my fellow French classmates, that Paris will be like a 'dream', because everything is so perfect. She couldn't be more right. Mind you, this is a bit of a long post.

The most magical view from Trocadero. It's what I've seen on movies and it became a reality!

Paris exceeded my expectations. I loved the vibe, and saw some of the most extravagant, beautiful with exquisite attention to detail architecture. It's hard to think that a post office could look so pretty.