Chik's Crib

21 March 2017

Paddy Hills

Review March 21, 2017 0

Words by Miss XS

Paddy Hills, one of the new additions to the cafe scene in the West, has created quite a sensation on Instagram and Facebook for its photogenic dishes. It's nested among the private estate with limited parking and isn't the most convenient to get to, so it's a little surprising to find that the cafe is fully occupied on a weekday afternoon.

Matcha Ice Cream Recipe

Recipe March 07, 2017 0

If you've never made ice cream before, this is the recipe for you.

One sticking point for me whenever I churn a batch of ice cream is preparing the custard. Heating up egg yolks until to the point of just-so is daunting at the best of times, and it's always a bit of a stress to avoid overheating the yolks and turning everything into a broken grainy mess.

Luckily, this recipe from Namiko takes eggs out of the equation. With just cream, milk sugar and matcha powder, it really couldn't be easier. The sole time this recipe didn't turn out as planned was when I engaged in some creative calculation (oops) when mixing the ingredients. Don't be blur like me.

Matcha Ice Cream Recipe

Original recipe by Namiko Chen

Ingredients

240 ml (1 cup) whole milk

240 ml (270g, 1 cup) heavy cream

3 Tbsp (9 heaping teaspoon) green tea (matcha) powder

100g sugar

Pinch of salt (about 1/16 tsp.)

Steps

1) In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, cream, sugar and salt. (Do not cut down on sugar. Really. Namiko is Japanese and knows how matcha desserts should taste like. I'll strangle a puppy for every gram you didn't add.)

2) Set the saucepan over medium heat, and add matcha powder. Whisk vigorously until combined. (It's tempting to use a spatula, but don't do it. No, not even a silicone spatula. Think of the puppies! A whisk breaks up the clots of matcha powder much better than a spatula ever could.)

3) Turn off the fire and remove from heat just as the mixture foams, and before it starts boiling. Let the mixture cool. You may find it helpful to sit the saucepan in a large bowl filled with water/ice mixture. Even just tap water is fine. Once the mixture cools, refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until chilled thoroughly.

4) Churn the ice cream according to the manufacture's instructions (about 20 minutes).

5) Transfer the soft ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 3 hours before serving.

28 February 2017

Chocolate Crack Cookies Recipe

Recipe February 28, 2017 0

It’s been a busy month.

I just moved house over here in Melbourne, where I’m now sharing a house with J, R, EJ and TY. It’s no mean feat to pack up all my belongings and move into a new area, and having to find my feet and start afresh again.

Not everything went smooth-sailing, and I got off to an especially rocky start. I touched down to Melbourne on Sunday evening right before my school started instead of the morning of, because Scoot had a flight delay (and my feedback email went unanswered one month and counting…). I reached our new property to find that my key was defective. (Of course, no one was home either.) My bedroom played host to an adventurous Giant Spider™, who survived multiple bashings with my dustbin throughout the night (curse the soft luxurious carpeting!) My metal bed frame bent during the transport, and after three hours of wrangling with EJ, we finally admitted that not all the screws are meant to go in anymore. Luckily, medical textbooks are nice and thick and heavy, and some of them now moonlight as a support for that vulnerable corner of my bed frame.

Don't Mess with Melaka! The Good, the Bad, and 50 Shades In-between: Souvenirs

Travel February 21, 2017 0

This is our list of the food products that Malacca is famous for. But it's not just enough to buy them from any random-o-store. Not all pineapple tarts are created equal!

Gula Melaka
This is the locally-produced palm sugar and is often featured in Asian desserts. If you come to Malacca, it's a shame not to bring some home with you. Cheng's@27 (in Singapore) serves decadent slices of gula melaka chiffon cakes, and online, there are many on-deh-ondeh inspired cakes that heaily features gula melaka.

Pro-tip! The darker the color of the gula melaka, the more pure they are. The lighter-shaded ones are cut with regular sugar. The cheapest that I've seen was RM10 for 2 bags, found at Medan Samudera, a market across the Maritime Museum.

Don't Mess with Melaka! The Good, the Bad, and 50 Shades In-between: Restaurants and Attractions

Travel February 14, 2017 0

There is a lot of food to try in Malacca, interspersed with some sightseeing attractions along the way. Because virtually everything to see - and eat - is concentrated in the same area, we trekked up and down the same few streets in our two days there. But there is so much to do, juxtaposed with only so much time (and only so much our stomachs can distend), that we had to forgo several things on our itinerary.

This is our run-down of everything we did in 2 mere days, as well as what I want to try on a return visit. It's a list of the delights that we chanced upon, and some of the things we would avoid (don't believe the hype online!). But I wouldn't want to badmouth Malacca too much and get on its bad side; after all, these signs are plastered everywhere.

21 March 2017

Paddy Hills

07 March 2017

Matcha Ice Cream Recipe

28 February 2017

Chocolate Crack Cookies Recipe

21 February 2017

Don't Mess with Melaka! The Good, the Bad, and 50 Shades In-between: Souvenirs

14 February 2017

Don't Mess with Melaka! The Good, the Bad, and 50 Shades In-between: Restaurants and Attractions

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