I went to bed on Saturday night with a grand plan to take a walk to Bourke St Bakery for a nice sausage roll and their famous Strawberry Brûlée Tart the next morning. When morning came, the skies were dark and no prizes for guessing that my so-called "grand" plan didn't come through so I went back for a snooze. Funny thing was, I had a craving for sashimi when I finally got up. Seeing that the sun was shining brightly (the weather's weird here), I decided that a trip to the Sydney Fish Market was going to satisfy the tummy.
To cut the long story short, let's just say I was a bit over zealous in thinking I could have THAT much sashimi on my own so I ate half of what I bought and turned the other half into a little sashimi appetiser which Mom and I picked up from a recipe book years ago. I can't eat endless amounts of raw fish because the oil gets to me after a while so dressing it with garlic and ginger does the trick for me in cutting out that oil from the fish.
I used to do this with salmon only but you could use any fish as long as it's sashimi grade. I used salmon, kingfish and tuna this time. The proportion of the ingredients is totally up to you. I tend to put more garlic than ginger just cos too much will make it too spicy. I left the spring onions out this time cos I didn't want to buy and only use part of it but I guarantee it would make the dish so much better if you had it.
Easy peasy and delicious!
Ingredients
Assorted Sashimi, cut into medium sized pieces Ginger, finely chopped Garlic, finely chopped Spring Onion, finely chopped Soy Sauce Sesame Oil
Place the sashimi and chopped ingredients in one bowl
Season with soy sauce until all the fish coated. The mixture shouldn't be too wet. Taste as you go along so that you don't end up with a salty bowl of raw fish. Put a tiny amount of sesame oil for that extra fragrance and adjust to your liking.
It's that time of the year where food bloggers from the little red dot meet!
I remember the 2 times that I went for the dinner and how much fun I had meeting like minded people who had a whole lot of passion for food. It was kinda bizarre to some of my friends when I first told them about dining with a bunch of people whom I had knew only by their blog names. It was amusing when we had to identify one another that way but it was a night that I still remember clearly 'til today although it happened years ago.
Ivan of Recent Runes will be organising this year's dinner and I encourage you food bloggers out there to attend the dinner if you have not done so before. You will have more fun than you'd ever imagine. You can find out more about the dinner here and sign up here if you'd like to be there.
Have fun and oh, no one at the dinner would blame you for taking forever to take pictures!
Since arriving in Sydney almost 2 weeks ago, I've been glued to Masterchef Australia. Now that that's over, I don't know what I should watch at 7.30pm everyday! Masterchef has been a great platform for those with foodie dreams. Meeting those people who are well respected in the food industry, learning from a few of the best and having the space to display one's culinary flair is what makes the show the phenomenon that it is.
I'm extremely proud that Adam who has Malaysian/Singaporean roots won this year's Masterchef! I guess his roots and life experiences are what gave him the extra perspectives needed for his creativity in the kitchen. And he's ANOTHER lawyer who cooks! Back in Singapore, there are people like Willin Low, Michael Han who were trained as lawyers but ended up pursuing their careers in the kitchen. Just makes me wonder whether there's any correlation between law and food?
I've also been watching Jamie's Revolution where he takes on a huge project by changing the school meal programs in West Virginia, the unhealthiest city in the US. I really take my hat off this guy because he's doing so much for something that he just believes in. It's also shocking to see the junk that's in the processed foods that people eat, how schools in US serve pizza for breakfast to young kids and how pizza meets the bread requirement in the US school meal guidelines. Something obviously needs to be changed.
Boucla 349 Rokeby Road Subiaco 6008 Perth, Western Australia Tel: 618 9381 2841
Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie 333 Rokeby Road Subiaco 6008 Perth, Western Australia Tel: 618 9381 7968
There are some things about cafes that I love; the laid-back vibes, the smell of coffee in the air, the smiles on people's faces as they catch up over a simple meal. I could spend hours sitting in a little corner of a cafe chatting with a loved one, reading a book or just watch the world go by. To me, what differentiates a good cafe from a great one is when the 2 'F's; Food and Feel, hit the right spot.
I remember how ZY's eyes lit up when he first mentioned Boucla and how much he loved the food there. This little Mediterranean cafe was actually voted 'Best Cafe' in Western Australia in 2009. The eclectic decor captures your attention immediately as you walk through its doors. I usually like to sit al fresco when the weather's cool outside but the cosy ambience of its tiny interior was too inviting to ignore. I absolutely loved that the pastries were displayed out in the open and I was seated right in front of it!
Boucla has a reputation of serving simple, honest food and one of the best coffees in Perth. The food definitely did not disappoint. The Vegetable Tart was light, refreshing and super tasty. The pastries all looked very tempting but we finally decided on the Cinnamon Pear Cake which was freshly baked, not too sweet and an excellent complement to the smooth and aromatic coffees we had.
I enjoyed every moment spent there that morning. My only gripe was that I didn't get to try that Beetroot & Orange Salad which ZY raved about since that obviously wasn't on the breakkie menu. Boucla is definitely going on my "to do" list the next time I visit Perth again.
By the way, don't say I didn't mention this. Do save a little space for the excellent jam-filled doughnuts from the nearby Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie. More if you think one isn't enough!
I've been in somewhat of an 'Aussie' mood recently. It doesn't make much sense but I guess with my recent visit back to Perth, an impending visit to Sydney and memories of the years past, I've been feeling rather attached to the land of the koalas and kangaroos.
I was flipping through my Good Taste magazine which I brought back from Perth last Sunday (which was Anzac Day by the way) and found this recipe for Anzac Biscuits. Anzac Biscuits are associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established during the World War I. It's said that the wives of the soldiers sent these biscuits abroad to their husbands because they kept well during the transportation and do not spoil easily. You can find out more about them here.
The recipe is really easy and the results are great. Baking is rather therapeutic I must say so have a go at it!
Anzac Biscuits (makes 26)
Ingredients 150g plain flour 90g whole rolled oats 85g desiccated coconut 100g brown sugar 55g caster sugar 125 butter 2 tbs maple syrup or golden syrup 2 tbs water 1/2 tsp baking soda
Preheat over to 160℃. Line baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Combine flour, oats, coconut and combined sugar in a large bowl
Stir the butter, maple syrup and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the baking soda. Add to the oat mixture and stir until well combined.
Roll level tablespoonfuls of the oat mixture into balls and place, about 5cm apart, on the prepared trays. Flatten until about 1cm thick. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden.
Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Tip: Do not use instant oats as the mixture will spread too much and make the biscuits flat.
Having been away from Perth since graduation years ago, I finally returned over the Good Friday weekend. When I first booked the flight, many people raised their eyebrows and told me that I would be absolutely bored to death since shops were going to be closed. I guess they just didn't know that Perth meant a lot more to me than they thought.
Returning to Perth reminded me of what I loved about it and made me fall in love with the place all over again; the clear blue skies, the vastness of space, the people, the lifestyle, the townhouse in South Beach which I will probably never live in and of course, the food. To be honest, I'm not sure if the food scene has changed or whether I just have more options now since I'm no longer a poor student. I had loads of great food experiences thanks to ZY who brought me to places he loved. Food is afterall what made us fast friends during uni days in the first place.
I have so much to say but yet not know where to start from. Let me gather my thoughts before I pen them down. I hope I get to. In the meantime, get hungry.
