Chik's Crib: May 2018

28 May 2018

The Zen of Baking: Erin McDowell's Flourless Cocoa Cookies

Desserts May 28, 2018 0

After a six-month hiatus on baking, I thought I could kick off my cooking gears with a no-frills, low-stress easy cookie recipe. Who doesn't love cookies? It's easy to put the ingredients together, and in a recipe like this, the steps are immensely forgiving, and you can miss a few steps here and there without being too worse for the wear.

That optimism was stretched when my house suffered from an outbreak of equipment malfunction. Something must be contagious, and it's not just my enthusiasm! Both my electronic weighing scales and my oven went on the frizz.

But Calvin, you ask, when did you discover the malfunctions? Great question, and your inquisitive nature is laudable. The most Zen moment to discover a non-functioning oven would naturally, be when the batter is done.

It hadn't been easy, but I've learnt to roll with the punches. I packed the cookie scoops into the fridge until after I located an oven. The recipe said to bake straight after mixing, but surely there's no harm in sticking them in the fridge for a few hours, or even overnight's quite fine too, as it turned out, and now they sit very magnificently in front of you, leaving your hearts thumping, marvel blossoming in your chests, eyes wide and jaws agape, wondering how did he bake these? And is he single?

Baci di Dama cookies - bottom left

I'll tell you how I baked them. Like most things in life, the making of a cookie may lead you on unexpected detours. Sometimes, it involves the hunting for spare batteries in the house before giving up and trying to locate a third weighing scale in the house. It could involve driving out at 8pm on a weekday night trying to buy an oven, while trays of cookie batter warm up in your car boot. It may require angling for a discount for an oven while avoiding thoughts about said cookie batter melting into puddles in your car.

Sometimes all three.

But no matter. The best cookies are not made by slapping ingredients together in a mad dash. Like all art, the process can't be rushed. It's made with fortitude in the face of kitchen adversity (in your face, mis en place!), carefully sifting the flour, mixing the chocolate in, shaping the dough, maybe leaving work a little early the next day to install an oven.

It's an exercise in Zen, the baking of cookies.

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Flourless Cocoa Cookies
Original recipe by Erin Jeanne McDowell from The Fearless Baker', published in The New York Times.

23 May 2018

New Ubin Seafood

zichar May 23, 2018 0

I'm always in the mood to hear about zi char stores that have been making a splash in food circles. On one end of the spectrum is the traditional kind of zi char stalls like Por Kee, an established presence serving up orthodox zi char - think plates of perfectly-done beef hor fun and braised tofu. On the other end is the team at New Ubin Seafood, bringing fresh ideas into the mix and pushing the boundaries of what zi char can be.

We kicked off the meal with Brinjal Delight, deep-fried, crisp brinjal slices drizzled with a sweet sauce. The undertone of lemongrass complements the sweetness of the dish, and it's an impressive way to start a meal. Much like how 唐人轩 in Guangzhou has their magnificent brinjal dish, I'm glad I've found a local equivalent here.

The rich sauce accompanying the Hokkein Mee Special dialed up the seafood flavor of the dish up to an 11. The heaviness of the dish didn't sit overly well with me in every mouthful of noodles, but was decadent with the giant prawns.

I enjoyed the spin on the traditional kailan, served with crunchy slivers of fried seaweed on the side.

They know there's only one way to cook a steak - medium-rare, and our US Rib Eye Beef was perfectly seared with smoky, crisp charcoal-tinged edge and a pink, juicy interior. I snapped up most of the rarer cubes while being given the dubious eye by my mom, who reached for the well-done edges. To each their own. One beef I had with the dish (get it? Ha ha) is the heavy-handedness with the salt. This is a dish that demands to be shared; your taste bud will rebel if you try eating one by yourself.

The complimentary Beef Fried Rice was soggy and clumpy, and drowning the rice in salt and dark soy sauce did the dish no favour. Am I a grinch for not enjoying this picturesque dish? The sticker shock is real (this dish costs $84), and the quality of the cut or the marination is not in the same league as other restaurants for the same price point.

What we did enjoy were the crabs: the fragrant Garlic Baked Crab, and the Chili Crab. The fragrance of the garlic crab approached the table before the dish, and even the whole roasted garlic cloves are delicious when peeled and eaten. The mantou is perfectly deep-fried; hot and crisp on the outside, and perfect with the chili crab sauce. But fair warning, the chili is intensely spicy.

New Ubin Seafood
63 Hillview Avenue, Level 6 (Canteen), 669569

18 May 2018

Honest Grill @ Grains&Hops - Cheap Grilled BBQ and Cheaper Beers!

Singaporean food May 18, 2018 0

In a quiet corner of Pandan Loop's industrial estate lies Honest Grill, a homely establishment that carved out a place for itself amongst the locals. It's located in an area with seemingly zero foot traffic, but the affordable food and alcohol makes it a local hot spot for supper.

The joint lights the area up like a candle in the dark - the industrial park is hushed in the still of the night, but the bustle of Honest Grill drew us in from the adjourning streets. Customers sit merrily over a small charcoal set-up, grilling up a melange of meat and vegetables. Most people congregate near the back of the store, where it's closest to the stall selling the raw cuts of meat, but we elected for the quieter, breezier side along the storefront.

The bacon-wrapped quail eggs could've used a little trimming of the fats, though we were big fans of the DIY-grilled oysters and brinjal slices. The best-seller was the 50c-a-stick pork belly, and we ordered as many as we could finish.

Still, this place is a watering hole first and a grilled meat joint second; the main draw is the $30/10 bottle deal, and over our supper, some customers just dropped by to pick up beers. I'm not a big beer drinker, but it's nice to kick back and relax with a pint or two before the weekend officially starts.