Capturing sunsets :)

Serves 5

400g of fish fillet, sliced
2 tablespoons of shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon of sesame oil + 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to finish
30g of old ginger, chopped into matchsticks
0.5 teaspoon of pepper
0.5 teaspoon of salt
0.5 teaspoon of soya sauce
8 medium sized scallops, soaked and shredded
3 cups of rice, washed
1 salted egg, hardboiled
1.5 cubes of Knorr chicken seasoning (No MSG Added)
1 stalk of spring onion

Prepare the fish by marinating the sliced fish fillet with shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ginger, pepper, salt and soya sauce. Use your hands to really work the seasoning into the fish slices but be careful not to break the fish meat with too much force. Set it aside.

Boil the rice, scallops and add the chicken seasoning cubes when the porridge is almost cooked. Then top up with more water and keep stirring till the consistency of choice is achieved. I estimate myself to have used about 2.5 L of water in total.

Add the fish slices and simmer on low heat till fish slices are cooked thoroughly. Bring the porridge to a boil and add in one tablespoon of sesame oil to finish.

Serve topped with spring onion, more old ginger, pepper and with salted eggs on the side :)

Sweet and sour fish :)

Ingredients:

1 Fresh gold band snapper - 1kg, descaled, degutted, sliced into half with head and tail removed. $9

2 tomatoes, sliced into eighths each $0.60

1 yellow onion, sliced into eighths $0.20

A knob of old ginger, sliced $0.20

5 tablespoons of tomato ketchup $0.20

1 teaspoon of Kikkoman soya sauce $0.20

2 teaspoons of corn flour $0.10

100 + 10 ml of corn oil $0.40

A dash of pepper + a pinch of salt $0.20

20 ml of water

Method:

A pinch of salt and a dash of pepper sprinkled on both sides of the fish.

2 teaspoons of corn flour sprinkled on skin side of fish and patted in lightly.

Heat 100ml of corn oil (reserve just one tablespoon) and place 5 slices of ginger into the oil when heated. 

Place fish skin side down to fry on high heat for a couple of minutes. 

Turn the fish over to fry on high heat till thoroughly cooked. 

Leave the fish aside to drain the oil on some kitchen towel.

Pour away the oil and clean the pan with kitchen towel before adding the 10ml of corn oil. 

Once heated, add the ginger (sliced into matchsticks), onion and fry till fragrant.

Add the 5 tablespoons of tomato ketchup (or more if more gravy is favoured) and soya sauce.

Add water when the mixture bubbles till consistency of choice.

Add the tomatoes to fry for a couple of minutes till well mixed with the sauce.

Plate the fish and spoon the sweet and sour sauce over the fish. :)

Optional : Diced pineapple slices for the sauce.

From our kitchen to yours,

Brenda x

米粉被谁骗了？🐟 因为鱼骗米粉！

Two of Dad & lil bro's prized fish. After my fingers have been sliced, stabbed, pricked and my nails ruined to the moon and back, all while trying to gut, clean and fillet fish, I have newfound respect for all fishmongers! 

And I'll pay any amount to have fish soup outside.

But for now,

this was what came out of a whole arvo spent in the kitchen from 11am till 4pm.

Just to make things clear though. 

I've never cleaned or filleted a fish before.

So this could all possibly be done in a fraction of the time for the more skillful chefs.

Or really, just get the fishmonger to do it for you. :)

Bubble, bubble. Toil and ALOT of trouble.

But it was all worth it!

Presenting fishhead rice vermicelli soup UPSIZED! :)

• One fish of 1-2 kg (Slice the fish flesh in thick pieces and set aside fish head, bones and tails)
• 5 stalks of spring onion – White portion
• Few stalks of choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage)
• 5 cm of ginger, sliced into thin pieces)

• 250 grams of rice vermicelli – blanched and set aside.
• 3-4 leaves of salted vegetable (sliced into thick pieces)
• 2 fresh tomatoes (cut into 4 quarters each fruit)
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of anchovies
• 1 cube of chicken stock
• 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1/2 cup of Chinese cooking wine
• Dashes of white pepper
• 1 tablespoon of XO alcohol (optional)

I added slices of bittergourd. Sliced thinly. :)

Fish meat marinate (depends on the quantity of fish meat that you have)

• Some sesame oil
• Chinese Shaoxing Wine
• Kikkoman Soya Sauce
• White pepper

• Marinate the fish meat with white pepper, sesame oil, corn flour and salt for about 1 hour. I skipped the deep frying part so I just left it to sit in the fridge after marinating.

• Use the same oil to deep fried the  fish head, bones and tails for 2-3 minutes or until the exterior is cooked. This step is optional and the main purpose of this step is to remove some fishiness of the fish and to preserve the exterior texture of the fish. You can deep fried these either with flour or without flour. Dish up and set aside.

• In another stock pot, put 1-2 tablespoons of oil and the sesame oil above, Sauté the ginger slices until fragrant, add the anchovies, the white part of spring onion, add water gradually just adequate to cover fried fish head and bones earlier. You can always adjust the water later.

• Put in the fish head, fish bones and tails. (Note that at this stage, you can add in the salted vegetables if you want to. However, it will be very difficult to serve the  vegetable as it will mix with the fish bones. Therefore, I have advised to add it at a later stage though adding the salted vegetables at this stages will yield a tastier soup). Bring to boil and let it simmer at medium heat for at least 30-45 minutes. Add water gradually if you find that the water level is low.  In this process, you will witness the fish stock will become cloudy. *Achievement unlocked! Once done, sift the stock from the first pot to another pot. Throw away the fish head and fish bones.

• In the new pot, add the chicken stock, Chinese cooking wine, salted vegetable, diced tomatoes and bittergourd. Bring to boil and add seasonings of your choice (fish sauce, dashes of white pepper). Once boiled, off the heat, add the XO (if any) and set aside for assembly. Meanwhile, have a pot of water, blanched the choy sum with some drops of oil and followed by the bee hoon. Drained and set aside.

• For assembly, have a bowl, put some bee hoon in the serving bowl and followed by some gravy adequate to cover the bee hoon,  put some blanched choy cum, tomatoes and fish meat on top of the rice vermicelli. Garnished with deep fried shallots, dashes of white pepper and chopped coriander or Chinese celery if preferred.  Best served with red cut chilli and some light soya sauce and usually served as a standalone noodle dish. If you do not like rice vermicelli, it can be served as a soup dish that goes well with white rice.

Credits to : https://kwgls.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/fish-headfillet-rice-vermicelli-soup-%E9%B1%BC%E5%A4%B4%E7%89%87%E7%B1%B3%E7%B2%89%E6%B1%A4%EF%BC%89/

Paprika & Cumin @ Chijmes

This is a Pan-European Mediterranean gastropub with a bar counter boasting more than 200 wine labels and cocktails.

And what's to do for a non-alcoholic like I?

We eat.

Fill up the tummy, I shall!

''

Bruschetta

As I worriedly held onto the bruschetta, I wondered how much of the crisp baguette I could take.

And it was love, and ease at first bite.

I've got tooth issues and they don't do well with anything too hard.

So it was a huge relief to bite into only a crisp exterior and a soft interior.

The minced garlic and diced tomatoes were a delightful burst of refreshing flavour.

Simple.

But a winner in every way.

Tournedos Rossini

Foie gras balancing precariously atop a thick slice of beef.

I'm nary a fan of this. Those images of violence too cruel for me to enjoy this.

So I tried a small piece of foie gras which was pan fried to a delicate crisp. 

The liver melted immediately in my mouth.

Mmm.

Taking my first cut into the thick piece of beef, I was presently surprised to see that it was wrapped with a piece of bacon.

Keeping all the juices of the beef locked within.

This was a medium well order with a slightly pinkish hue in the interior.

The beef was full on flavour.

I was full but I could hardly pass up a dish of red meat just like that!

Chilean Sea Bass

A substantial chunk of sea bass arrived on a platter of happy summer colours.

Thick flaky pieces of fish fell apart just with the use of a fork.

This was a brilliant departure from the rich taste of the red meat.

But taken on its own, could be a little bland for some.

The sweet potato patty on the bottom would've been better if there was the addition of some crab meat for an added dimension to taste.

Perhaps a little more sauce to be served on the side as well?

It does get a little too dry with all the pan crusted fried items on this plate, as a matter of personal opinion.

Apple Filo Pastry with Vanilla Ice Cream

Now this.

Was a paradoxical surprise waiting to be unwrapped.

Altogether hot and cold.

Sweet and salty.

Crisp and moist.

This was my idea of a perfect end to a delicious meal.

I was expecting diced apple pieces alike those in the apple pies from McD's

But in that parcel?

It was a whole apple cored and held together a deliciously creamy cinnamon filling.

Eaten with the crisp warm filo pastry outside and topped with a nib of cold vanilla ice cream.

Aaaahhh.

I'd be back for this.

Just because,

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Right? :)

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What's one to do with an insatiable sashimi craving?

The bright and cheery colours of the morning came in the form of these plastic utensils.

A fire-engine red bowl filled with a deliciously smooth fish congee.

Not overly dense.

Just enough liquids to keep the taste of the porridge light.

Skip the soy sauce, it's tasty enough on its own.

The pale yellow green plate held sides of a raw fish salad topped generously with fragrant sesame oil. The heady aroma so deliciously addictive.

The man's hand works like clockwork.

Expertly assembling plates of these raw fish salads.

I could hardly keep up.

Finished with a generous peppering of white sesame seeds, spring onions, a dash of white pepper, ringlets of chopped red chilli for just that little spice.

Topped finally with a mound of chopped raw lettuce.

Don't forget to squeeze those bits of lime on the side.

The chinese version of a sashimi salad does not pale in comparison to its better known japanese counterpart.

What completes the experience is a lovely husband and wife team.

While getting on in age,

they look to be fit and healthy.

Working fast to fill orders yet never missing an opportunity to offer a smile.

The uncle also practices service excellence. 

He even brought over the soy sauce and pepper for me after I had left with my orders.

Because he says, "Just in case you needed it."

:)

This stall has a light green store front, called ___ Ru Yi Porridge is an understated gem.

It is directly opposite Wow Wow West at ABC Brickworks Market.

If anyone knows what their stall name is, please do leave a comment.

Thanks!