Baked Broccoli with Cheese

Believe it or not. I usually blanch my broccoli and eat them with steamed rice and other dishes (Chinese meal) or baked fish and potatoes (Western meal). How boring can this get. But I am used to that. Here is another simple variation to flavor up some blanched broccoli, oven-style (...means easy-style).

Baked Broccoli with Cheese
Ingredients: Butter, olive oil (butter and olive oil enough to just oil the pan surface), salt and fresh ground black pepper, 2-3 shallots thinly sliced, 1 garlic minced, blanched broccoli, cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Melt some butter+olive oil mix in a pan and saute shallots for 5 mins, add garlic, continue saute, seasoned with salt and pepper
2. When shallots turn soft/caramelized (without overcooking and burning the garlic), turn off heat. Set aside.
3. Place blanched broccoli on aluminium foil or baking dish, and pour the shallot+garlic mixture on broccoli and toss well.
4. Top the broccoli with cheese and baked in pre-heated oven 180degC for 5-8 mins till the cheese melts.


Tag: broccoli, cheese

Vietnamese noodle - Bun Bo Hue and Pho

Few weekends ago, we were invited to some rockin' delicious Vietnamese food. YESsss! Again! :D This is the second time to the same place, and definitely the place to seek true authentic Vietnamese food. Prior to that, I knew it was going to be central Vietnamese cuisine (Hue cuisine). Quietly and secretly, I was happy. The last time we had "special" Vietnamese noodles was in LA. No way am I going to get a good ol' bowl of Bun Bo Hue in Singapore. Of course I felt lucky, to be able to reminisce the flavors of Bun Bo Hue again, in Singapore. So, what makes Bun Bo Hue different from pho ? First, the lemongrass. That is what I am going to say.

Second, the broth. This broth is typically made from pork hocks and beef, instead of just the beef for pho's broth.

Of course, the host did not just prepare one dish. There was so much food prepared by the host. We had a feast, as usual. You can click to have a better look of what we ate.


















The next time, I am going to make my salsa this way!


Thank you, host ^o^

Tag: Vietnamese food, Bun Bo Hue, salsa

Onion Soup (Non-French Style)

What would you do if you have 3 pounds of onions? I do not know. Ginny Gets Floury is caught in this situation. Well...I was caught in a similar situation before, on a much smaller scale though - a few yellow onions leftovers and did not know what to do with them all at once. No stewing beef cubes - I can't make beef stew. With the only produce left in the fridge - carrot; and pantry ingredient - a can of tomatoes, I decided to make my (non-french) onion soup.


Onion Soup (Non-French Style)
Ingredients:
2-3 onions, thinly sliced; carrots, shredded; 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 fillets of chicken breast(optional)

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, add in onion, and carrots, and saute/cook till tender. The onions should just about to be caramelized.


2. Add in diced tomatoes, then add in chicken stock/water to make into a soup


3. Poach the chicken in the soup mixture till cooked. Then remove the chicken from the soup mixture for shredding (optional)
4. Continue simmer the soup till all the sweetness of the onions and carrots are released
5. Before serving, you can garnish with chicken shreds (optional)



Tag: soup, onion soup

Snow Peas with Peppers and Shitake

Food in Color-FIC is Red and Green in the month of April. Here is a little re-collection of my older recipes, to feature these colors - Stir Fry Snow Peas with Peppers. As it is supposed to be vegetarian, I tweaked the recipe a little.


Stir-fry Snow Peas With Peppers
Ingredients:
-snow peas, washed, and trim off tips at both ends of the pod pea
-green and red peppers, washed and sliced in strips
-shitake mushrooms, wiped with damp kitchen towels, stalks removed, and cut caps into halves
-1 clove garlic, minced
-salt, and white pepper

Method:
1.Heat oil at low-medium in frying pan, fry the minced garlic
2.Add the snow peas and fry for 2 mins
3.Add in mushrooms and continue frying for 2-3 mins
4.If mixture looks dry, add in some water
5.Finally, add in green and red peppers (added last since I do not want to overcook them; peppers can be taken raw anyway)
6.Fry lightly for another 2-3 mins; then ready to serve

Tag: snow peas, peppers

Shrimp Crackers, or cute name Krupuk

Krupuk, keropok or merely crackers, if you wish to call it. So colorful and pretty isn't it ?


For me, I like shrimp crackers and the Melinjo version (slightly bitter) of crackers. It is a childhood snack for some of us, isn't it ? :D

What is your favorite childhood snack?

Tag: crackers,snacks

Stuffed Tomatoes...served whole

I watched the Japanese chef peel the skin of each tomato while I ate at the counter. There was a large tray of peeled tomatoes waiting to be prepared for starters and served.

My patience waiting for the appetizer paid off as I thought it was lusciously beautiful.

Note: This was taken months and months ago at a Japanese restaurant in Taiwan. The restaurant was located just downstairs, where we stayed. I suddenly miss those "carefree" days. And I still have many "un-posted" photos to post, so here you are.

Food photos

Exterior shutters are for functional use or can be fixed mounted for decorative use only. Shutters will add curb appeal to any home and can add color and distinction to your house. To me, I will make sure the vinyl shutters are up or opened to allow light into the room or home when I need to take my food shots. Yes, taking food photographs requires lighting and light!

Bringing home the bacon during this crisis

I never really wanted to add pessimism to the current crisis since every other day, I read and hear lay-off news in the media. It is already very depressing. If you have friends who are affected by the economic crisis, I am not sure if LIGHTSHIP RESEARCH will be of any help. But if their methodology and tools really work, it might be worthwhile to try. This is one testimonial the site carries:
***
I got laid off as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing of a new media company in the Bay area. I was recommended by a recruiter to call Lightship Research to help me with my job search, as I wanted to relocate to New York City. I was a little skeptical at first, as I had always used traditional recruiters in the past, but they were not producing any interviews and I needed a job quickly. I spoke with a reference that had used their services and decided to give them a try. Their strategist was very knowledgeable and came up with some good ideas. They really know how to get under the radar and find companies, that you would never have thought of and then find the direct hiring authority. I got four interviews and an offer in 30 days (yes in this economy), which I accepted. Lightship Research http://www.lightshipresearch.com you rock!
***

Steamed Shrimps with Garlic Oil...oooh la la!

There are some absolutely mouth-watering recipes that I come across while I surf the food blogs. I look at them picture-perfect and drool-worthy, ready to try the recipe one day...slowly but surely.

Rasa Malaysia's Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Oil is one that I have bookmarked for the longest time now since the recipe satisfies my criteria when it comes to cooking esp. for worker-bees: First, of course, it is fuss-free and a time-saver. Second, the delicious-ness.

The trick to saving time during a work week is to fry the garlic over the weekend, then store them (fried garlic and garlic oil) within air-tight container in the fridge. On a normal work day, you just have to thaw the shrimps/prawns from freezer to fridge in the morning; and in the evening, set the properly-sliced shrimps to steam with the essentials - fried garlic, some garlic oil, green onions/scallions etc. That is it. Of course, fresh shrimps would be better if available.

Also remember, you have to be patient - not to burn the garlic while frying, or it will turn bitter and spoil any other dishes.

If you find yourself drooling now, well....so am I. I re-created from RM's recipe and the shrimps turned out almost exactly perfect. The recipe is very easy to follow. I am so happy. Thank you, Rasa Malaysia... *muakz and hugz*

This bookmarked recipe will go to Ivy at Kopiaste who is the host for the week.

Tag: shrimps, steamed shrimps, garlic