Chik's Crib

03 October 2019

Reverse Searing

Western Food October 03, 2019 0

One of the highlights of living in Melbourne was the Costco, and one of the perks that I'd missed when I left. Costco's a celebration of good ol' American excess, with eye-catching prices from fuel to food to liquor. I wish Costco would come to Singapore!

We had a chance to get reacquainted recently, when I visited my sister in California during my holidays. We spent an inordinate amount of hours wandering up and down the aisles and (me) grabbing everything in sight. Despite my enthusiasm for all things Disney, I skipped Disneyland this visit (Costco is my wonderland!). We went a little crazy in the meat section of Costco, but the upside was we had a lot of practice with newfangled cooking methods.

Kenji from Serious Eats explained the reverse-searing concept in much greater details than I could, but essentially, the traditional process of cooking meat is 'reversed': the meat here is cooked over low heat first, and then seared over high heat. This replicates the effects of sous-vide, and with the additional benefit of the steak having a dry surface when it's subsequently seared on a hot frying pan. Steaks cooked this way are evenly cooked inside, with the cross-section going from the seared surface to an even pink interior, with no overcooked layers (which can be seen as grey-colored band).

The guideline below is a good way to estimate cooking times in the oven, but a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of the equation. A ruined steak costs way more than a thermometer, so get one! With a little prep work, the resultant steaks were as good as any in fancy steakhouses, and at a fraction of the price.

Approximate cooking guidelines - from Serious Eats

Reverse Searing
Thinly sliced steaks cook too fast in the oven, and for reverse-searing, each steak has to be at least one-and-a-half inches thick.

EQUIPMENT
Rimmed baking sheet, which fits in the fridge
Wire rack, to be placed within the baking sheet

STEPS

1. Season your thick-cut steaks with salt and pepper on all sides, and then transfer to the wire rack set set in the baking sheet. Place the set-up uncovered in the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours. This dries out the exteriors.

2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven between 95 to 135°C (200 - 275°F). The lower you go, the more evenly the meat will cook, though it'll also take longer. Be aware that the timing estimates in the picture above was for 120°C, and that some smaller ovens may not hold temperature consistently below 100°C.

3. Place the set-up in the oven, and roast until they reach an internal temperature close to the target temperature.

4. Over the highest burner in the stovetop, set a frying pan and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. As soon as that oil starts smoking, add the steaks along with a tablespoon of butter. It'll take about 45 seconds til the steaks are nicely browned on the first side. Flip the steaks and brown the other side, and then hold the steaks sideways to sear their edges. Serve the steaks immediately, or, if you'd like, let them rest for at most a minute or two.

20 September 2019

Blueberry Ice Cream Recipe

Recipe September 20, 2019 0

I had always been a little leery of making fruit-based ice cream, as I have some trust issues with my ice-cream making capabilities. But also, bearing in mind the prices of berries from where I'm from, a nagging voice in my head keeps reminding me that berries are a little too pricey an ingredient to mess around. I'm a struggling newly grad, y'all. But now that I am currently on a break and visiting my sister in California, I'm making full use out of her ample fridge space, her ovens (plural), her full array of kitchen gizmo, and of course, all the agricultural produce blessed by the California sun. It's smack-dab in the berry season in September, where every grocery chain that we'd been to couldn't offload their boxes of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries fast enough. And all these fresh dairy products supplied from within state lines? Simply gorgeous. Which, naturally, we took full advantage of.

When everything was set and done, we found ourselves with two quarts of a brilliantly-coloured ice cream bursting with blueberry flavour. We managed to cook off excess water content during the process, resulting in an ice cream that was smooth and creamy.

Best of all, I lucked out with the FT I'd been holding onto forever (which I'd snagged from my flight, and had been meaning to read), and its warm hue makes a perfect backdrop. Who says hoarding wouldn't pay off?

Blueberry Ice Cream Recipe
Adapted from Food
Makes 1 quart
The original recipe makes 2 quarts (almost 2L), which my sister's ice cream machine could accommodate. I had scaled the recipe down to a more manageable single quart, which fits my ice cream machine back home. I hadn't tried Kirsch for myself, but I'd heard it can be paired with fruit-based ice cream instead of vodka. If using kirsch, keep the amount less than 1 tablespoon per litre of ice cream.

INGREDIENTS
250g (2 cups) fresh blueberries
150g (3/4 cups) sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
360ml (1 1/2 cups) cream
120ml (1/2 cup) milk
3 tbsp vodka

STEPS
1. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, combine blueberries, sugar and water. Let it come to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a slow simmer. (If using frozen berries, start off with low heat.) Let the mixture simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly and squashing the blueberries as you do.

2. Remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon. Stir well. Transfer to a table-top blender (or use a handheld blender). Blend the blueberry mixture well.

4. Stir in cream, milk and vodka. Cover and refrigerate until well-chilled.

5. Operate the ice cream machine according to the manufacture's directions.

08 September 2019

Matcha Cheesecake Recipe

Desserts September 08, 2019 0

I started making this as a wee young lad back in 2013. I had made numerous tweaks here and there along the way, not all which are appreciated. Some, like layering the cheesecake with sweetened red bean paste, are smashingly successful, while others, like using honey cheerios and ground almonds in lieu of graham crackers, remain best forgotten.

Layering the cheesecake with red bean paste is an optional step that requires an additional day of prepping ahead, but which is well worth it as it elevates this dessert's appearance - and taste - to something rather extraordinary.

This cheesecake is a frequent favourite of my sister, for whom I'd make regularly whenever we visit. This year, as I had some vacation time, I jumped at the chance to experience summer in LA and spent a few weeks making the most out of her massive kitchen and her extensive range of kitchen appliances. It's also the peak season for summer fruits, and seeing the prices of cream cheese and other dairy products make my jaw dropped. So this is what acute jealousy feels like...

Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste) Recipe

Original recipe from Namiko Chen

This makes enough to layer one cheesecake. Japanese red bean paste can be either chunky (Tsubuan) or fine (koshian). This recipe makes the chunky ones, and koshian is made by further straining tsubuan through a sieve.

Ingredients

100g Azuki beans (Not all red beans get mushy, so if in doubt, buy the large ones which are labelled as Japanese Azuki beans)

Water

80g granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

Steps

1) Soak the azuki beans in a bowl of water overnight, about 8 hours.

2) Discard the water and rinse the azuki beans. Transfer the beans into a pot, and pour room temperature water into the pot until the water comes to about 1-2 inches above the beans. Let the water come to a boil, and then turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let stand for 5 minutes.

3) Discard the water, and replace with fresh water; but this time, only pour just enough until the water covers the all the beans. Let the water come to a boil over high heat, then let simmer at a low-medium heat for at least an hour. Stir occasionally and continue to add water at regular intervals to replace water which has been boiled off. The beans are done when they are soft and can be squashed easily.

4) Turn the heat to high, and add the granulated sugar in three portions, stirring after each addition. Let the mixture continue cooking and thickening, until a line drawn with your spatula exposes the bottom of the pot for 2 seconds. This would take roughly another 45 minutes for the azuki bean paste to thicken. When done, turn off the heat and add salt. Stir well and let the mixture cool. The paste will thicken further as it cools.

5) Let cool completely, and then transfer to a container and refrigerate until well-chilled. They can keep for a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer.

Cheesecake Base Recipe

Ingredients (for the base)

250g graham biscuit

100g unsalted butter, melted

Steps (for the base)

1) Crush the graham biscuits with a food processor, or with a plastic bag and the flat end of a hammer (If you're low-tech like me).

2) Place the crushed graham biscuits in a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle melted butter in and mix well. If the mixture remains dry and crumbly, add more melted butter until it just comes together.

3) Line the bottom of a cake pan with baking paper. Spread the graham mixture over the base of the cheesecake and press and compact them. Place in the freezer and chill thoroughly.

4) When the graham layer is completely hard and frozen, spread the azuki paste over the graham, leaving about an inch of azuki-free space along the circumference. Excess azuki paste can be kept in the fridge/freezer, or perhaps turned into koshian and smeared onto serving plates with a slice of cheesecake.

5) Wrap the outside of the cake pan with aluminium foil to prevent water from the water bath from seeping in afterwards. Place in the freezer until ready to make the matcha filling.

Matcha Filling Recipe

Original recipe from Allrecipe

Ingredients (for the matcha filling)

450g (2x 8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

125g white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 heaping tablespoon matcha powder

Steps (for the matcha filling)

1) Preheat the oven to 175C (350F).

2) Beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low power until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla extract. Add in the matcha powder and fold the mixture together until homogenous.

3) Set a sieve over the cake pan. Pour the matcha mixture through the sieve into the cake pan (over the graham layer and the azuki layer). Rap the cake pan on a towel set over a flat surface, so any air bubbles in the cheesecake mixture can escape. This prevents the cheesecake top from cracking.

4) Place the cake pan in an oven tray and set a water bath (pour boiling water into the tray surrounding the cake pan.) Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the sides are set but the centre still wobbles slightly. It is better to err on the side of underbaking, as the cheesecake would continue to cook as it cools. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside and crack the door of the oven slightly ajar to let the interior of the oven cool gradually.

5) Chill thoroughly before serving, for at least an hour.

07 August 2019

4-Day Trip to Bangkok: A Thai Getaway Part 2

Travel August 07, 2019 0

They say learning a bit of the local language goes a long way in applicability, and they're right! I've added Leo, Chang and Singha to my growing vocabulary, and my trip had been a blast. (It's not explicitly stated but presumably, said applicability involves a degree of intoxication) I love u Bangkok. Please accept my PR request.

Breakfast was a latte brewed by expert hands at Roast (EmQuartier). And owing to our past experience in Pacamara, more of us opted for the iced coffee. It's a cup of frozen coffee cubes and topped with a dollop of milk foam, to which you pour cold milk in. Watch the coffee cubes mingle with the milk and make friends and get to know each other. It's very dramatic indeed.

We had a ramen stop at Ra-Men Bankara. That ramen's not bad at all, and quite good actually, even for me who’s not planning to eat ramen in Thailand. I can see why the restaurant's a local favourite, and despite the signature dish being the Bankara broth, we kinda preferred the thicker and richer tonkatsu broth.

We split up into two groups - some of us wanted to check out Mega Plaza, the biggest toy mall in Thailand. But I wanted to tour the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, and maybe sneak in some massage time at Wat Pho's massage school.

I bought jeans to tour the Grand Palace, but I just couldn't bear to put them on in the sweltering heat. Instead, we bought elephant pants at a street side store across the Grand Palace for 100 baht. It's nice and comfortable, and feels just as cool and airy as if I'd been wearing shorts. The Grand Palace has some pretty remarkable structures, and compared to our last palace experience at Korea's Gyeongbokgung, was definitely more opulent. The entrance fee of 500 baht was pretty steep, so try to check Klook for discounts prior to your trip.

Walking around the estate took more time than I thought (and in fact someone half-jokingly said "If it costs 500 baht, we're stay here until closing time.") But mostly, there was just so much to see, and afterwards, we didn't have enough time to cross the river to Wat Arun. (Something that I was low-key grateful; all the heat was making me a little spazed.) We sought out the comfort of dinner at Som Tum Nua, a casual eatery serving Thai street food (at restaurant-level cleanliness!). The fried chicken was so good, we ordered another round. Their Grilled pork neck was plenty delicious too. But despite claims telling us the Som Tum (green papaya salad) was toned down for foreigners, we still thought it really spicy and couldn't finish despite our best efforts.

Our after dinner stroll also brought us to Terminal 21, an airport-theme shopping centre with each level corresponding to a particular country. It was pretty cool, especially when some stores of each floor correspond to the type of country they're from.

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Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice is a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee, but the best part of our breakfast was the mango sticky rice from the street-side stall in front of the chicken rice shop. We had two servings! (The server seems resigned to their customers having mango sticky rice for desserts.)

We had a grand old time shopping for souvenirs in the form of snacks at Big C (do you sense a recurring theme to our travels yet?), and even snuck in another round of massage at Healthland afterwards (Klook is pretty great for this as well!) The last day is always a bit of a rush, and after an early dinner, we caught our flight to Singapore.

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Bangkok has been a blast, with good food and great shopping. My biggest regret was not being able to visit Methavalai Sorndaeng in Chinatown, the other Thai restaurant recommended to us by Pak's local friend, or to check out other fancy restaurants like Blue Elephant. Or even be able to revisit old haunts like Taling Pling. And y'know, not eating more mango sticky rice - we didn't even need to go Kor Panich, I think I'll be pretty happy even with the ones in the food courts or over at Suvarnabhumi Airport. (which actually I've heard is pretty good). It's common to spend the rest of your baht loading up on mango sticky rice at the airport, which was what I wanted to do, but when we reached the airport, we were too busy sprinting for the gates. Darn those notorious weekday Bangkok peak-period jam!

While boarding, we were advised by other travelers to take public transport during peak hours, which makes sense in hindsight as our Grab ride remained stationary for 45 minutes. (Also, in such instances, don't trust the Grab driver when he promises the world and tells you there'll be no problem getting you to your flight in time - his only concern is you cancelling the ride.) But otherwise, Grab has been super lovely and is a lot less hassle than having to deal marked-up quotations from taxi drivers. If nothing else, it is good to check on Grab to get an estimate of a fair market rate before haggling with taxis.

If you're wary of getting food poisoning, restaurants and food courts would have higher standards of hygiene. Food sold on the streets might be less safe, not only of possible improper food preparation, but also because under hot sun may spoil faster and usually has more flies (and who knows where the flies’ legs have been.)

All in all, we'd an amazing 4-day holiday. It's been a grand trip, Bangkok. We'll see you soon.

02 August 2019

4-Day Trip to Bangkok: A Thai Getaway Part 1

Travel August 02, 2019 0

There were three things I had been assured about Bangkok. One: there is no need to plan an itinerary, as the malls are so big, each day would sort itself out. Two: we simply have to visit a tailor at Amari Watergate Hotel. And three: coming to Bangkok without stopping by After You is not an option.

I didn't quite believe the itinerary part, and bashed out a rough itinerary a few days beforehand. But true enough, plans have a way of going awry. A 4-day vacation isn't enough to cover everything!

We snagged a great deal at The Athenee Hotel, which was so grand, even the common toilet is stocked with L'Occitane. On our last day here, while we waiting for a taxi, we watched a camera crew set up for filming in the hall. It was close to 2pm by the time we were done checking in. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have skipped breakfast. As soon as we were done, we headed off to Somboon Seafood just a street away from Central Embassy.

A few years back when I was travelling in Thailand with friends, Somboon Seafood was the highlight of my Bangkok part. I craftily planned Somboon as the first meal of our trip. The Deep Fried Grouper was as crispy as I remembered, and we snacked on the crunchy fins long after we were done with the meal. Somboon is also renowned for the Fried Curry Crab. But because we were lazy, we went for the shell-less Fried Curry Crabmeat. We like the fragrant curry, but felt that it overpowered the loose crabmeat's taste and texture. We didn't like the Roasted Prawns in Glass Noodle, and I think it was left unfinished on the table. There was a bit of a sticker shock at the end of the meal, but it really shouldn't have come as a surprise: there were fresh fish, prawns and crab! (And someone had taken the time to de-shell the crab.)

We aren't nearly in the right socioeconomic status to be shopping at Central Embassy, but luckily there's a shuttle bus service running between several malls, which was how we made our way to the tailor at Amari Watergate Hotel. There are several in-house tailors, and at a firm that my brother-in-law had worked at, it was put to me that half of the male staff were dressed by Paul's Fashion, and the other half by Alex's Fashion. But honestly, with four in-house tailors facing stiff competition from one another side-by-side, I don't think that you could go wrong with any of them.

It's a stressful time when a tailor measures your waist and let you know exactly how much you've gained over the last year, but post-measurement, there's nothing better than stuffing yourself silly in the name of food therapy to make yourself feel better. We popped by the nearby Platinum Mall for some terrific Mango Sticky Rice (on the 6th floor food court), and browsed around until dinner-time. Here, I've began to appreciate what my travel-mates meant about not needing an itinerary; despite several hours spent wandering around the mall, we barely scratched the surface.

After the wallet-busting meal at Somboon, we were angling for a simple dinner, and we got what we wanted at Inter. It serves simple hearty local food of Pad Thai, fried rice and stir-fry Minced Pork with Thai basil.

The dessert chain After You is just across the street, and as an assurance of its quality, I've never seen an After You store without a queue, despite it being around for years. The main dishes are thickly cut toast and Kakigori (shaved ice) and often a riff from local flavours such as the Mango Sticky Rice Kakigori and Thai Tea Kakigori.

You can't see it, but under the shaved ice, there's a mountain of mango cubes and balls of sticky rice

The Strawberry Cheesecake had bits of cheesecake mixed in. It was excellent. The Shibuya Honey Toast was overflowing with salted melted butter. Is there any other way to eat toast now that we've tried this? I spent the night hobbling around Ratchada Train Night Market nursing a distended tummy, but obesity's a small price to pay for nice food and good company. And as a result of our sojourn in the night market, I am now the proud owner of a enamelled vintage tiffin carrier as well as several patterned wooden knicknacks.

That store was helmed by perhaps the most grumpy man in Thailand, possibly because all his stuff were so cute, people couldn't resist rummaging through his wares and playing with them. I didn't haggle (he looked really really grumpy), but in spite of his bad mood, he knocked 20 baht off my bill. Yay?

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Our breakfast destination the next day was Jeib Roddeedet, a local beef noodle shop selling small portions of beef noodles. The thin spicy broth was sharp enough for an early morning perk-me-up.

We visited two coffee shops in the area, but both - including the Gallery Drip Coffee - were closed when we arrived (hmmphh), but I finally managed to get my grubby hands on some caffeine at Pacamara. One of their ginormous cup of latte later, and I feel like a normal human being again.

Most of us had the classic latte, but we soon learnt that in the hot Bangkok weather, iced drinks are your best bet. One of us got their Snow Cold Brew. The bottom is a jelly made from espresso, which was then covered with a mountain of shaved milk ice. And then you get to add a espresso shot to the concoction.

A cheap gimmick, or pure inspiration? A question for the ages.

After several unfruitful attempts to take a picture of a shot being poured into the shaved iced, we pretty much gave up and started stirring everything together.

Filled with boat noodles and jacked up on caffeine, we thought we could conquer the behemoth that is Chatuchak Market. It's the largest market in Asia with over 15000 individual stalls, and we ... lasted less than a dozen lanes. Some lanes were even air-conditioned. But in the few hours that we were there, it was some of the most productive shopping of the trip. Miss XS bought 8 pairs of shoes, while I've near-revamped my wardrobe. There's a foreigner surcharge in effect, I'm sure, but even so, the clothes were at reasonable prices after some bargaining, and rather well-made too. This ain't them night markets selling junk clothes.

And look what I found! Okay, I made that, but I bought most of the decorations from Chatuchak market. Many months ago, I went to a terrarium making class. On my way home from the workshop, my car took a turn and my terrarium ... tipped over. It's been a few months, but I still hadn't quite gotten over it yet. I've snagged these sand and stones from a booth and upgraded my Totoro's accommodation, and gave him some new Moomin friends to boot, souvenirs from my Finland trip.

My herb garden has so far showed no signs of either herbs or spices, but I also bought some varieties of chili seeds to try my luck yet again. 27th time's the charm!

Alternating between sipping a blended pineapple (try it!) , some freshly opened coconuts and coconut ice cream, we made our way to Union Mall for some much-needed AC, and ... went back to shopping again. We had a break at Kin-Tiew-Kan, which sells snack-sized bowls of boat noodles. stack up the small bowls sushi-buffet style. It's a nice concept, and my favourite side dish was the generously-filled fried wontons.

Dinner was officially Our Best Meal In Bangkok. Sri Trat doesn't have a strong internet reviews on the English-speaking side of the pond, but it was one of the two places recommended by Pak's local friend, and I was eager to get to it. It was charmingly housed in Bangkok's underbelly, in the Red Light District. (OK the charm was totally felt only in hindsight. When we were walking along the darkened streets in search of Sri Trat, we were actually mildly terrified.)

When we finally located the front of the restaurant (whew!) the walk from the seedy streets into the classy interior was a sharp contrast.

Three out of five people do not recommend going to Sri Trat in your Chatuchak Market attire.

Just as soon as we got seated, we were welcomed with a glass of sweetened butterfly pea tea, and they left us to browse the menu. We actually had no idea what to order, given the paucity of English reviews online, but the waitress was kind enough to make several recommendations.

Spicy and Sour Relish with Crab Roe and Crab Meat was the clear centrepiece of the dinner. It's a curry with a predominant coconut taste,and we've never tasted anything quite like it in Thai cuisine. I believe we were meant to dip the vegetables into the curry as an accompaniment, and after several unsuccessful attempts by the waitress at miming, she finally had to dipped one of the root vegetables into the curry for me before we got what she meant. But were we meant to dip even the raw brinjals in too? Hmmm. Spoiler: we wussed out.

I also love their Stir-Fried Glass Noodles with Minced Pork and Cha-Om (Climbing Wattle), which was so fragrant, I could have finished an entire plate by myself. I almost did too, along with most of the delectable Deep-fried Boneless Sillago Fish. Honestly, I have no idea what the rest of my tablemates were so occupied with. Probably still marveling at the blue pea tea.

We ordered the Massaman Curry with Chicken and Unripened Durian, just to see what unriped durians taste like, which ... drum rolls ... add a couple more seconds to build suspense ... then a few more beats, dum dum dum ... like tapioca. Hmm. Who would have thunk. It's nice but not outstanding the way the other dishes were, and sadly got a little sidelined.

We couldn't resist ordering desserts. Who could, after such great mains? The Mango Sticky Rice is great as always (and really, does any bad mango sticky rice exist?). My favourite-est was the glutinous rice balls floating around in a sweet coconut broth. It's filled with shredded coconut and gula melaka, and I'm a little awe-struck by how they got the glutinous rice balls so blue. We also like the Durian Sticky Rice, though the coconut broth that it came submerged in was on the sweeter side, even for desserts.