Best part of a meal...

... is the fellowship, not the food.

"Better is a dry morsel with peace and contentment, than a feast with strife." (Proverbs 17:1)

An epitome of fellowship. A table of laughter and hearty conversation where every member gathers at the end of the day. While the food nourishes the body, the fellowship nourishes the soul. Is not a table of humor, thanksgiving and grace better than a meal of riches and delicacies with contention and discord?

Boys have learned they are to come to the table to bless and be blessed. Only the best behavior is welcomed here; not tears nor arguments, whines nor complains.

Save for Son3 who's relatively new to the table, Son1 & 2 have learned their lessons well. Both having been banished and barred from the table. Son3 is learning the ropes real neat. I sure hope he soon acquire the skill of diplomacy at my table. Till then, I will have some more years of mess and mishap to bear with.

It should not be long before the table is truly a civilized one, I hope.

My latest loots

There are serious moments that I deeply regretted my school days. I swear I should have paid more attention during Chinese lesson.

Though I cannot read these bakery books well, I'm taken by its beautiful pictures and the detailed photos. Carol is one of the best teachers I have come across. Very precise, very comprehensive. I have learnt a lot from her, and still is. In fact, she is now in my blog list.

One of the other things I am learning from her -- Chinese! Look at the sample pages. Am I dizzy?! These Chinese characters, like those in our local Chinese dailies that my parents read, never fail to give me headache. A major one in fact. I cannot read them competently, and I am not proud of myself. These are the moments that I wished I had done otherwise in school.

All's not lost yet I tell myself. I have a Primary school boy and 2 other pre-schooling kids in tow... surely I can pick it up from here.

Good grief... or what?!

Simple Meatballs

My mom's dish. My favourite since a little girl. Simple, fuss free, tasty, any child's favorite.

The best about this, you can liberally add in any other vegetables that your (fussy) eaters will not usually eat. Be it diced french beans or sniped spinach. Just make sure you chop it up real mad till it's minced and completely tiny.

Here's what you'd need:

* Pack of minced pork
* Carrot (diced)
* Onion (diced)
* 1 egg
* Soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper
* Corn starch

This is what I did:

1. Season minced pork liberally with soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper

2. Add in diced carrots and onions. Stir to mix.

3. Beat in an egg. Mix to incorporate.

4. Add in one spoon of corn starch. Mix till incorporated. End mixture should be rather thick and somewhat sticky (resembling fish paste; if the end mixture is too dry, meatballs will end up being too tough).

5. In a shallow pot with oil (enough to cover at least half the ball's height), heat up oil on medium fire.

6. With a small teaspoon, scoop minced mixture and shape roughly into a ball, and fry on small fire, till light golden brown.

7. Dish up and drain of oil on kitchen towel. Serve on a dish of lettuce to absorb excess oil.

8. Enjoy! (Realised that the meatballs taste quite good with lingonberry sauce!)

Psst psst... you know you can...
1. add this into simmering baked beans...
2. convert this dish to a Meatball Spaghetti... 

Sky's the limit!

Coffee-Chocolate Bun

Okay, I hand knead this. (Told you! My bread maker died. And I haven't received my KA! *super big hint to you-know-who-you-are*)

Why home baked bread? Choices and varieties bountiful in the Bakery. You are free to pick and mix to everyone's delight. Why sweat and pit your muscle against the unyielding dough? (And you know... you know! I haven't done a single manicure in years! Coz nail polishes and paints are just NOT friendly to food. Ohhhhh how often have I gazed longingly at my tai-tai girlfriends' perfectly manicured hands... sigh...)

Even as I diligently knead the dough with all my might and strength, questions of other I-should-have's floated by. One of which is, I should have AIR CONDITIONED my kitchen! *pant*

Hours of labour yielded 12 unevenly sized buns. I didn't measure each bun's weight and didn't pay much attention to uniformity. That's the beauty of h a n d i c r a f t, I justified (to myself).

I sorta lost it at the tail-end. Patience and time running out! It is 5pm!!! It's been 4 hours since I started at 1pm, and I'm still at bread making. Ought to dump them into oven and start preparing dinner before my brood comes 'vulturing' over my dining table.

Yet again, I did it!! Yeah!! I promptly served 3-dish-1-soup dinner at 6 with a tray of aromatic coffee buns. I made it!!!

Verdict:

Very nice! My dough passed the window pane test (so you can imagine how much muscle I have gained from this work-out; rather, how much calories I have lost). The coffee piping was just right -- right amount of sweetness. In fact if I had baked it a minute or two longer, my coffee piping will be burnt just that little bit and it would be even more perfect. The bun is soft... not fluffy soft, but s o f t.

Area of improvement (singular: area):
* Time management. Gathered if I intend to serve this for tea, I really should start the dough right at mid morning (before lunch). ... Which incidentally means I would have burnt my entire day.

It's this start-pause-start process that is stumbling.

Maybe I should just use my no-knead formula. If only I have a KA at my beck and call. If only...

Here's what you'd need:

Bread Dough:
Part A
40gm warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1tsp bread flour
1tsp instant yeast (I used 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)

Part B
250gm bread flour
45g sugar
1/4tsp salt
95gm chocolate milk
20gm egg yolk (about 2 yolks)
25gm butter

Topping:
40gm butter
40gm icing sugar
45gm plain flour
30g egg (about 2 eggs)
1/2tbsp instant coffee powder (dissolved in 1tsp hot water; I used 3-in-1)
1/2tsp coffee emulco

This is what I did:

Bread Dough:
1. Prepare Part A. Mix water, sugar and flour together to form a watery paste. Sprinkle active dry yeast into it and let it stand for a minute or two till frothy.

2. Start on Part B. Combine bread flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add in yeast mixture. Stir to combine.

3. Add in chocolate milk, and egg into mixing bowl. Knead to combine everything.

4. Transfer dough into a lightly floured top. Slowly in add butter in batches, knead till a smooth & elastic dough is formed. Knead till you pass the window pane test.

5. Transfer dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let it proof in a warm place for about an hour.

6. Lightly punch back the proofed dough. Remove from bowl onto a lightly floured top and divide dough into 12 portions, shape each dough into a round ball.

7. Arrange onto baking tray lined with baking paper.

8. Cover and let it proof for another 45min - 1 hr till doubled in size.

9. Preheat oven to 190degC.

10. Pipe topping onto proofed dough.

11. Bake in preheated over for 10mins till bun is brown and topping has set.

12. Remove and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Topping:
1. Somewhere after step 5 above, prepare the topping.

2. Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in egg until well combined.

4. Fold in flour, coffee mixture and emulco until well combined.

5. Spoon batter into piping bag and store in fridge for later use. (I use a normal plastic bag and slit a small opening at the base when ready to pipe)

NB:
* Carol is my online tutor on how to knead by hand. Most impressive. Look at her flawless hands!
* For the record, take a look at her video on her How-To-Knead-with-a-KA. *Drool*

Blueberry Muffins

I find blueberries kinda expensive. So whenever the supermarket has a promotion "2 for the price of 1", I would jump at it. And that was what I did.

Then, now what? I stared at the two punnets of blueberries I bought.

Son1 suggested blueberry muffins. Therefore I woke up at 6am the next morning, and dutifully baked them fresh blueberry muffins for breakfast.

Verdict: as always, hugs and kisses. This recipe from Joy of Baking is my favourite. Maybe it's coz of the yogurt, the muffins are always very soft and moist. And it keeps very well for next day too.

Son2 wasn't that enthusiastic though. He's a 'kong ba bao' boy, preferring Chinese fares 95% of the time.

It makes me wonder how and why do two boys born of the same parents, brought up by the same hands, ate the same meal everyday, can have such different preference in food?

Puzzling.

I am now curious what Son3's preference will be. Hmmm...

Here's what you'd need:

*1 1/2 cup plain flour
* 1/2 tbsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 70gm butter (softened/melted)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 3/4 cup plain yogurt
* 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (or orange peel)
* 3/4 cups blueberries (leaving some for toppings later)

This is what I did:

1. Preheat oven to 190degC.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add in egg, and beat till well incorporated. Add in lemon grind and mix well.

4. Beat dry ingredients into (3) in 2 successions, alternating with yogurt in 3 successions, ie. 1/2 of Dry ingredients, mix well. Then 1/3 of yogurt, mix well. Followed by remaining 1/2 dry ingredients, mix well. Another 1/3 of yogurt, mix well, and finally, the remaining of the yogurt.

5. Fold in berries. And scoop into muffin tray lined with muffin paper. Fill it up to 2/3 full coz the muffins will rise in the oven. I like to top the muffins with the remaining blueberries that was set aside -- perhaps 1 or 2 per muffin cup.

6. Sprinkle top with some sugar to give it a light crunch if you like (optional).

7. Bake at 190degC for 25-30mins till golden brown. Check doneness with a toothpick. Lift muffin cups from tray and cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Fried Tang Hoon

I love this dish since I knew my husband yore ago. His mom, now my MIL, fries lovely tang hoon! I remembered she will dish this up at every festive get-together, and each time, I have to force myself to stop scooping more; politely and diplomatically declining any top-ups. (Come on, I was only girlfriend then, can't be 'showing my capacity' right?!)

I love the crunchiness, the taste, the aroma. It was always very very nice. I like this better than fried noodles or fried mee hoon for that matter. It was just totally different.

Well, its been 10 years now (at least), and I only just managed to give it a try myself. I'm so proud of myself! I made it! I did it!!!

This time, I also serve it with fried shallots. Woooooo, am I in love with myself!? It tasted just like the real thing.

Man was, of course, diplomatic. "Hmmm,... very nice..." were his only words. To know if he really truly likes it? See if he finishes it. AND HE DID!

Wahahahahahahahaha... Top of the world really.

Here's what you'd need:

* Dried Tang Hoon (aka glass vermicelli, soaked for at least 30mins in cool tap water to soften)
* Green leafy vegetables (I used Xiao Bai Cai)
* Pork fillet (sliced thin. seasoned)
* Garlic
* Salt & Pepper to taste)
* Soup Stock (I used some Dark Soy Sauce Pork gravy)

This is what I did:

1. In a wok, fry garlic till fragrant.

2. Add in pork fillet and fry till almost cooked. Add in vegetables and fry.

3. Add in stock, and simmer slightly. (Ensure you have ample stock coz tang hoon will soak it all up)

4. Add in softened tang hoon and with a chopsticks, quickly and gently loosen it by stirring continually. Allow the tang hoon to soak up the stock, add more stock if required. (Important to keep stirring).

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Dish up in a casserole and cover (I find the heat from within gives the glass vermicelli its glossy and crunchy feel).

7. Serve with chopped chili padi and fried shallot. 

Mozzarella Spinach Omelette

I am infatuated.

Pan fried cheese is just sooooooo great! It has this very subtle burnt taste and smell to it. Just that little burn-y taste goes a long way to an otherwise plain omelette.

Boys dislike egg yolk actually. They won't touch the yolk if you serve them hard-boiled eggs. Annoying coz I'd be the one to finish up the remains of the white-less egg. Not that wise for a middle aged lady, ya?

So the only way to make them finish their eggs is to fry it omelette-style. And the better way to make them ask for more is to serve it warm with melted cheese. Mozzarella to be exact.

This time, I diced fresh baby spinach to shreds and bits and mix it generously with grated mozzarella cheese and fry them in the egg. A little bit of skill is required to get the perfect flip of the omelette without breaking it to million pieces. Other than that, this is fanta-bulous!

Here's what you'd need:

* 2 eggs
* 1 cup of diced baby spinach
* 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
* Salt and Pepper to taste

This is what I did:

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, mix spinach and mozzarella together.

2. In a pan of heated oil over small fire, fry the egg. Swirl the pan to make a big round circled egg.

3. When the egg is almost set, add in the spinach-mozzarella mix on one half of the round egg.

4. With a stick-proof spatula, flip the other half of the egg over the spinach-mozzarella half and press gently to 'seal', especially round the corners and edge. Let it stand over the fire for a minute or two.

5. Gently flip the semi-circle egg over. Fry till both sides are golden brown.

6. Dish up and serve warm.

NB... I find small and low fire works best. You get the best flip with such heat. Flip the egg only when it has set and looks slightly hardened and cooked. Any earlier, you may risk tearing the omelette apart. To flip the semi-circle egg that has been filled with the vegetable and cheese, you may need the help of another spatula / chopsticks. Coz of the low fire, chances of a burnt omelette -- zilch.

Confinement

I'm sure every mother has her fair share of things to say about their confinement experiences. With the excitement of a new born baby, there is a truly lot to do now, and talk about later. Everybody I know, is always eager to share about their 'secret' know-hows for their confinement. Starting from my own Mom and MIL.

Being a (relatively, ahem) young mother when I had Son1, I was naturally clueless about what confinement was all about.

Myths and old grandmothers' tales aplenty.

* cannot wash hair (hello! excuse me!)
* cannot shower (gosh)
* cannot touch tap / cold water (errr...)
* sweat it out (aka no fan or air con)
* no cold drinks / plain water; drink only red dates tea or brown rice water...
* cannot sit or lie on floor, not even mattresses on floor
* cannot walk on floor barefooted; best to keep socks on 24/7
* shower only in those herbal bath and not running tap water
* rest in bed as much as you can (a luxury really especially when Son3 was born)

In this incredibly humid part of the world, any wonder why some of these new mothers are driven to depression with these to-dos? Or, rather, to-not-dos.

I kept to some of these practices but bend the others. I shunned from wind and fan and air con (rather religiously). It was true for me that I developed major headaches after sitting beside a rather breezy window. Wind in my head sorta feeling. It was a heavy-headedness feeling and no caffeine or rest could take the discomfort away. I had to drink this specially concocted herbal soup for a week before I started to feel better.

And to not wash hair?! Gosh! Kill me right away. No way I can do that! So I sought 'permission' to wash on alternate days and was told to blow them c r i s p y dry.

The most torturous confinement I had was during Son3's birth. Sorry Son, but you were born in the peaking summer heat. I swear I sweat it out real good. What's more, I had two older boys to care for. They were stickier than ever, as though they fear you will usurp their positions in the family.

But it is true that I do feel worse off after 3 births. Age has something to do with it I believe (though I'm not that old according to WHO's standard). I do feel that I tire more easily these days, and my body aches after a day of outing or even nothingness. I think my 3rd epidural wasn't well administered. It's been a year since Son3's birth and so often, I can still feel that dull pain at the spot on my back.

So much grievances it seem. Where was my comfort and joy?

In retrospect, I can see that I was very blessed. I had endless string of support, particularly from all the grandparents. All throughout my 3 deliveries. Especially so for the latest, I recalled MIL made my soup daily and FIL had to lug pots and pans all over town to deliver these specially brewed soup to me. Of course, Grandpa FIL killed many birds with that one stone. He get to see all his 3 grandsons with every visit!

My Mom and Dad helped out with the other two boys on top of their regular working hours, thus allowing me time and space to rest and bond with Baby3.

And thankfully, I enjoy confinement food. Special fondness for Ginger-Fried Rice, Black Vinegar Pig Trotters, Herbal Soups (all kinds), Ginger Sesame Oil Pig's Liver... Slurp. Love.

Many of these recipes were lifted from books, family, and friends.

With 'ailing' memory and depleting memory space, I told myself I had better blog these down quickly. So I shall endeavor to include these in my posts. Sadly though, I have no photos to show. I should have thought of this a year earlier right? Sighz...