Tuesday, September 28, 2010

New Hawa

My favourite hunt hasn't disappointed me once. For a period of time New Hawa had been outcasted by the rest to hide in the small alley. But luckily the darkest days are now over and they are now at the same row as 98.7 and spize.
So being the forever hungry people, boy and I, 2 person with a huge appetite ordered a loads of food.

First up we had chilli crab.
We asked the auntie which one in the menu is the best and she said chilli.
And as true as it is, the sauce for the crabs are wonderful. Not as starchy as NSB, not too spicey, you can see the slimy eggs in it. One thing i thought the chef should not do would be to deep fry the crab. Many people have the concept that if the crab is deep fried the flesh will not fall apart. But it is rather hard to tell the duration to fry the crab, any minute longer will make the crab dry and tough, losing its natural juice. But even though it was fried, New Hawa's crabs were still considered okay. The sauce simply made up for the short comings of the crabs.




Some vegetables for fibre intake. Yet it was a good choice. Fragrant smell of garlic, soft yet not overcooked kailan with aromatic sauce to go with your rice.


The spicier kind of hot plate tofu. This had quite a lot of different varieties of ingredients added, like cauliflower, mushroom, carrots, praws, peas..... The sauce was just right, not too starchy, the eggy smell of the egg tofu was blending in well, and the egg at the base was slightlu burnt to give the fragrant taste.


Last but not least is Tom Yam soup. It has fishballs, fishcake, 2 kinds of mushroom, prawns, sotong, fish, baby corn, carrot. All for just $7 for this huge bowl.
It is not the authentic version of soup, but a very stong taste of spicyness. I love it as much.


Auntie note: New hawa has got so many other nice food as well, like their superb chicken chop, lemonade, maggi goreng. The crabs are much cheaper as well, 2 average sized crabs for just $28!!!!! Where to find?
New Hawa
Simpang Bedok



Sunday, September 19, 2010

Lovely Xia mian


Was looking for something light and simple for dinner away from the crowd so we went to have prawn noodles just around the area. Staying away from the usual katong at least, but not any further though.



The shop is very famous and the owner seems to be someone famous. Many celebrity photos were hung on the walls. But what curious me would be the lack of crowd during dinner time while i was there. Not even half filled.



The soup had a strong prawn taste to it, must have been boiled for hours before serving. The flavour was strong yet smooth, not too overwhelming. The seafood taste blended well with the noodles which contributed a "flour" taste to the soup but was still as delicious and slurpy. Prawns on the other hand could have been more generous, for $4, this is slightly tiny.




I had the dry version, i wanted it spicy but was given it with a mixture of tomato sauce. A big minus point. Even though i thought the noodles were well cooked, Q ness was maintained, the ketchup was still a turn off.




Had a bowl of soup which proved to be nicer than the one without noodles as the soup had the seafood taste all infused within, without any "contaminants".


Was a good experience, just that soup was slightly salty.


Auntie note: Parking should be free but limited. They seem to be selling bah chor mee in the afternoon so please come at the correct time.



I cant find the exact address of this place.

It is along East Coast road just two shops away from Two Fat Men.



Monday, September 13, 2010

The 50th post competition results!!!!!

The champion entry is out!!!!!
Thanks for all the support and publicity, I've received response from my readers and they are simply so well done. I will be posting the top 3 entries and their prizes! For now please enjoy my favourite entry~~~~~~
Today Amins will show you how easy it is to cook lasagna..or to be exact "Amins' Inner Beauty Lasagna"
What you will need:Baking ovenElectricity (ok thats lame =X)
Baking tin (tall longish rectangular shape)
Aluminium foil (optional)
(and the im-sure-you-have-them-at-home stuffs)
Boiling PotContainer
Cooking oil
Frying pan
Ingredients:Some potatoes (5 regular-sized ones will be enough)
Shredded cheddarCheese slices
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti cream sauce
Minced meat (beef/chicken) / or you could use burger patties
Actually lasagna will taste better with beef....so why chicken?Well..some people can't eat beef in the same way that some people can't eat pork....so let us try using chicken and see how it tastes.Well, I used chicken burger patties.. for convenience sake.Remember to thaw the patties until they are soft.If not, you could use a microwave oven to help you thaw em.Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C) before you start.

Step 1: Boil the potatoes with high heat (For at least 15 mins / or until the potatoes turn soft)

Step 2: While waiting for the potatoes, cut the patties into as many small pieces as you can.


Step 3: Fry the "minced chicken patties"

Step 4: Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into similar thickness..


Step 5: Mix the fried minced chicken and spaghetti sauce.Make sure that it's chunky and not too watery.



Step 6: First layer. Spread layer of the sauce mix into the baking tin.Not too thick though!


Step 7: 2nd layer. Place potato slices on top of the mix.Try to cover every "holes" and make em evenly spreaded out.


Step 8: 3rd Layer. Spread cream sauce.

Step 9: 4th layer. Put cheese slices.


Step 10: 5th layer. Sprinkle shredded cheddar.



(Okay~~ Time to repeat the few previous steps)Step 11: 6th layer. Spread sauce mix again.


Step 12: 7th layer. Potato slices again.


Step 13: 8th layer. Cream sauce again.




Step 14: 9th layer. Cheese slices again.


Step 15: 10th layer. Sprinkle cheddar cheese again.


Step 16: 11th & final layer. Finally~~! Spread sauce mix again.And then sprinkle some shredded cheddar again.


Step 17: Time to bake!! Approximately, 30-40 mins.Depends on your oven's capability. =S
Step 18: When you see some edges of the top layer being slightly burnt,this means it's ready!!

Step 19: Remove from oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.Total time I took: Abt 1 hour
Okay okay..... I know it doesn't look the best..Now you know why it's called the Inner Beauty Lasagna.. =XDoesn't look good but taste good! =D

Me not pleased with the look of the lasagna. =(


Ermm.. a half-eaten lasagna pic.. =SMy mom, sis & maid were too anxious to try and I haven't take the "end product" pic yet.. =S(And im suppose to send the pics for an online food contest.. =/ )Anyways, they said it was very nice... =DYay~

Preparation : 25 mins
Cooking Time: 35 mins
Thank You Amin, that was superb!
I will be posting the other 2 soon. :)

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Ah ma Bday


Ah ma's 80th Birthday is super grand. With traditional birthday wishes and giving of red packet before we set out for dinner.



Dinner is at a neighbourhood chinese restaurant. Ah ma with strong teeth can still chew chew chew... The set dinner was expensive. More than $1000 per table for ten pax. We had 3 full tables.



The appetizers for us was set nicely with each individual getting 1 each.



The braised peanuts were so well done each of them was bursting with flavour and rich aroma of the 卤味. They even added the beancurd. A little less salt would make this perfect.




The setting of the tables was great! Classy with wine glasses.


The first dish is definitely the 寿桃. Its longevity buns. Its was served warm, with fluffy outer skins and sweet lotus paste. Not too big to make you feel full.


Ah ma's bun was extra large. In comparison to our, she had to use a knife to cut it up! But its not edible!


The first dish is cold crab. Lovely crabs instantly froze after steaming to lock the juicy seafood taste.


It was of considerable size and each of the legs and pincers were filled with the flesh to the brim.


The 蟹膏was thick and filled the shells. Even the other parts of the body had the paste on it. The aroma fills up your mouth making you want to eat it non stop.


The body had the "gao" on it too.



The traditional 冷盘we usually have in wedding dinners is this huge plate of assorted canapes.

This is served individually and it was so delicate we had to eat this gently.

First up in smoked duck confetti. The duck meat was so heavily smoked it tasted more like bacon and ham than duck meat. The jelly fish thing is hidden underneath the meat. It was too spicy for my liking. But the QQ ness was the best i've eaten.


Wasabi prawn was crispy but the wasabi taste was too mild to have the kick. Batter was not too thick, prawns were crispy and huge.



Heard of Buddha Jump over the Wall? Yes, meet the real buddha.

Loaded with all the sea gems, from shark's fin to abalone, you name it they'll have it.


The shark's fin huge and large, streaky and Q. A pity the air con was blasting, when we were served it was already lukewarm.




Abalone how to describe? Chewy and cannot bite? The sides were soft and tender. The sauce laid over was great.


The rest of it? I should say i don't know how to appreciate. The sea cucumber was thick and super chewy, the rest i dont even know wad are they......


Next up Miss piggy....


Skin was super crispy and had a thin layer of fats attached for the smooth texture.



Steamed promfet in Teochew style. Nice and yummy sauce cooked with plum and tomatoes for the tinge of sour taste. The fish was not too soft. Its considered quite a big fish and normally meat is slightly tough. But it was just nice for a table of 10 to devour this fish.

The thick thick fleshy meat.


Next up is roast chicken. Not too dry unlike many other roast chicken. The skin was crispy and sprinkled with garlic fried till golden brown.


Scallop noodles with handmade noodles. Was too full by the time the dish came. Noodles had a weird texture, its was not like Chinese Ramen, not like maggi mee, not like japanese ramen, not like indian mee goreng. Texture was like Kang Kong. Slightly hollow. But the scallop was too little though.


Bird nest as dessert, who can resist it. With rock sugar, white fungus, Gingko nut, and some fruits, the bird nest was sweet and light. Great after a heavy meal. A piece of sugar cane also seen to add on to the flavour. Bird nest could have been more generous though.


Auntie note: Loads of people patronage the restaurant so please make reservations. The cold crab is to die for but please call to enquire if its available for the day.



Blk 115 Bedok North Road #01-285 Singapore

Tel: +65 6444 5554