Durian Cake Making

I went for two durian cake-making workshops on Friday night and Saturday morning. These workshops are interesting as the cakes are to be chilled, hence no oven baking is involved. Cool! Then I can finally make a cake without having to go through any oven!

Not using an oven means the steps are so much simpler and easier. All you need to do is to mix the ingredients together, whisk all together, then put in the fridge and let the cream settle. The tip is to use durians that are in season, so the fruit itself is softer and more aromatic. Also, remove all the seeds, crush the flesh and freeze the durians before mixing them into the cake ingredients.

I went home smelling like a big durian! But the efforts are paid off though, especially when people who ate the cakes all gave positive comments! I shall try out the recipe on my own one of these days and see if I can do it just as well!

Making Nasi Lemak

"Nasi Lemak" - rice made of coconut milk, garnished with anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted nuts, fried chicken wing (or fish), beancurd and sambal (chilli sauce). It is a traditional Malay or Peranakan dish, normally served during breakfast. It is also one of the most popular local dishes.

I went for a workshop this morning, on how to make "nasi lemak". First impression when I stepped into the class was that there was an overwhelming lot of ingredients. We went through the step by step instructions on how to prepare the various ingredients, like the chilli (now I know why some chilli is hotter than others), the anchovies (why some are more fragrant and crunchy) and the chicken wings (how to make the chicken crispier? It is all in the flour!).

It was a very fun-filled session. Everyone chipped in and the instructor was very detailed in her explanations. Before the session was over, I was so worried about getting belachan all over myself as the smell was really strong when the chilli was being cooked. I feared that people would complain of me being smelly!

Come to think of it, the cost of S$2.00 per dish by the hawkers is considered pretty inexpensive already, considering the amount of work and preparation involved, not to mention the cost of all the ingredients. Wonder if the hawkers ever recoup their losses even if they sell two hundred dishes a day? I will never complain that hawker food is expensive again!

Gourmet Paradise!

I just returned from a three-week trip to United Kingdom and Malta. This entire trip has been a gastronomical feast for me. Besides the fact that my parents crave for Chinese food every few days, the food I have partaken was great! Scrumptious, delicious, satisfying, pleasurable... in a nutshell, just GREAT!

In Malta, there were lots and lots of pasta, not to mention the traditional dish - Rabbit Stew! Yes, I know people will shoot their eyebrows up at me eating rabbit stew, but when I have mistakenly tasted one thinking it was chicken, I found it so nice and tender, so juicy... So I stopped thinking and just kept eating. A pity I still could not stomach the other Maltese traditional dish - Octopus Stew.

In Britain, there was English breakfast, Yorkshire Pudding, Fish and Chips and Shepherd's pie. People who know me know that I swear by almost anything English, so it is of no surprise to others that I will partake all the traditional English dishes! Even the Chinese food was good, better than a lot I have tasted!

Furthermore, I got to eat Raspberry Creme Brulee and Bonaffee Pie! I first heard of Bonaffee Pie when Juliet (Keira Knightley) offered it to Mark in "Love Actually". Since then, I have been searching high and low for it but the only place I have seen it is the various Pizza Huts of Great Britain. It is made of banana and caramel, with a dash of whipped cream on top, and the taste is just heavenly!

Now that I am back, I can go back to explore all the different places for good food again! And now I have to rush, going for dinner at Porridge King, for the Sexy Crispy Sambal Belachan Fish! Another mouth-watering experience!