Pink Starry Agar Agar (Duo layers)

Each time I make an agar agar cheesecake (pictures coming up!), I always end up w leftover agar agar.. usually i just pour the remaining agar agar into my jelly moulds and let it harden as it is.. yesterday, i decided to do something different with my agar agar.. i split the agar agar mixture into 2 bowls and added some evaporated milk and bandung essence into one bowl.. this creates the obaque pink mixture. so then i added some canned longan (also leftover from making the cheesecake) into each hole in my star mould and filled each hole half full with the clear pink agar agar mixture.. then waited for it to harden slightly before topping up with the obaque pink mixture.. and there you have it, pink starry agar agar in duo layers :)

Kim Chi Jigae

I thought I might as well post the kim chi jigae i made a few days ago.. super easy to make.. all you need is stock and korean chilli paste which is readily available in NTUC! I adapted the recipe from here. 

dad made some sze chuan cai soup the other day and i didn't feel like drinking that so i took some of the soup, added tap water, brought it to a boil and added 1 tbsp of korean chilli paste into the pot and voila! the soup base is completed.. then i added some korean tang hoon, kimchi, sotong balls and an egg.. topped with some coriander and dinner is served!

i know it's weird to use sze chuan cai soup as the base but seriously, i think it doesn't matter.. cos i felt that the korean chilli paste actually overpowers the sze chuan cai taste.. but basically, i'm just lazy to make my own stock from scratch :P 

Korean Instant Noodles

This is really good! It has been quite some time since I ate korean ramen.. this isn't the shin brand and sorry I threw the packaging away before I could take a picture of it! see that slab of dark rectangular thing towards the top right side of the bowl? that's kelp. it came with the noodles and did i mention i am a fan of kelp?? i'm so going to buy a couple more packets next time..

fyi, i bought this ramen from Shine Korea supermarket located at Burlington Square. it's sold at about $1.50 per packet (if i didn't remember wrongly). droolz..

Walnut Cake

I bought some blocks of President butter a couple of weeks back when it was on offer in NTUC.. i heard about the brand and it's quite pricey so since now it's on offer, i purchased a few.. i baked my usual raisin cookies and walnut cakes with it and apparently, there seems to be a huge difference in the taste of the final products.. the cookies turned out more buttery and it was really well-received even by those who don't usually take raisin products.. the walnut cakes were v fragrant and even my dad, who usually just says my stuff are "ok", said the cake's nice (without me asking him for feedback!).

i used to think i didn't need to buy such expensive butter since i wasn't baking to sell.. but well, i guess i am a convert now.. :)

Agar Agar Cheesecake

Fruit layer: Lychee & pineapple

Chuk Bi Phng

First attempt of chuk bi phng after mum left us.. i thought it tasted ok.. but when i brought it to grandma's house to share, it got kinda dry.. not sure if that's normal.. didn't quite get a firm answer when i asked around.. if only mum's here..

here's the recipe to share:
INGREDIENTS
1 kg Thai glutinous rice
- soak overnight in a pot of water before use. no need to rinse rice before soaking.

120g - 140g groundnuts
- soak in a bowl of hot water for at least 3 hours. no need to rinse groundnuts before soaking.

75g chinese mushrooms
- rinse once and soack in a bowl of tap water.
- when soft, remove stalk and slice thinly.
- retain mushroom water.

60g dried shrimp
- rinse and mince.

5 cloves of garlic
- mince

pepper
1/4 cup oil

SEASONING
2 tbsp thick dark soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp mushroom water
- mix all ingredients and combine in a bowl.

METHOD
1. Drain glutinous rice and groundnuts.
2. Use approximately 1/4 cup oil and stir-fry the minced garlic.
3. Add sliced mushrooms. Fry.
4. Add minced dried shrimps. Fry.
5. Add glutinous rice and fry for a few minutes till well combined.
6. Add seasoning to mixture and mix well.
7. Add groundnuts and pepper after all rice coated with seasoning.
8. Mix well and taste.
9. Transfer mixture to steaming tray and steam for 25 minutes.
Note: water must touch the bottom of the tray when steaming.
10. After 25 minutes, stir the rice in the tray. If too dry, sprinkle 1/2 cup of tap water (or mushroom water) onto the rice.
11. Cover and steam for another 20 minutes.
12. Taste to see if rice is cooked. If not, sprinkle approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of water over rice and steam for another 20 minutes.

Garnish with deep fried shallots, spring onions and red chopped chilli.

pajeon (korean pancake)

bought the korean pancake mix from, Shine Korea, a korean supermarket store located in burlington square. the packet weighs 500g n it was to serve 5 to 6 pax. since i was cooking for my dad n myself only, i used 150g but the portion was too much! will prob cut down to 50g next time for 2 pax. then at least the batter wld be thinner n more crispy! today's final product was a little chewy n thick. i used happycall to fry it btw.. makes things easier.. :)

other ingredients used: leek, spring onions and squid. i marinated the squid w salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sesame oil prior to mixing everything together.

and after i was done, i remembered i forgotten the most impt thing.... the accompanying sauce!!! :/

nonetheless, i went to google for a recipe and basically, the sauce is made up of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. well, will try it again next time!!!