Salmon is truly one of the best choices of fish out there! I like how readily available it is, how versatile it is, and how healthy it is for any meal. The recipe we’re sharing today is my tried-and-true easy salmon recipe called Baked Miso Salmon with Scallion Sauce.
Miso & butter marinate salmon fillets, which are then baked until succulent & golden brown. Served with rice and scallion sauce, it is simple and satisfying for the whole family.
The Use of Miso in Japanese Recipes
Miso is made primarily from fermenting soybeans, salt, koji (a fermentation starter), and sometimes rice or barley for 6 months to 5 years.
From miso soup to salad dressing and seasonings /sauce, it is a common condiment that we use every day in Japanese kitchens. The sweet and salty miso also makes a wonderful marinade that pairs particularly well with fatty fish, like cod and salmon.
Miso Butter: Leave the butter on the counter to soften before combining it with the miso paste well in a bowl.
Scallion Sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine green onions, ginger, oil, tamari, vinegar, 1/16 teaspoon salt, and 1/32 teaspoon pepper. Set aside (or place in the refrigerator until serving).
Salmon: Preheat the oven to 220C. Meanwhile, season the flesh side of the salmon evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/16 teaspoon pepper. Place the salmon skin side down on a baking tray, cover it well with the miso butter, and baked it for 10-12 minutes.
Assemble: Serve salmon and topped with Ginger-Scallion Sauce with/ without rice. We also like to drizzle a little additional glaze over the rice or veggies too.
Just a few decades ago, it was still common to complete an assignment using pen and paper instead of a computer and to play with physical toys rather than a handheld device. Fast forward to today, where technology now plays an indispensable role in our daily lives, and pivotally transformed the ways in which we live, work, play, and socialize. We are more “switched on” today than ever, and connected to a vast network of technology and gadgets than we could have possibly imagined back then.
At On/Off we step into this immersive showcase and explore how everyday technological tools changed and shaped the lives of Singaporeans from the 1970s to the 2000s. Set against the backdrop of the nation’s industrialization and rapid transformation period, the showcase takes visitors through familiar local settings at home, work and other social spaces with a small, yet specially curated selection of technology icons from Singapore’s past. These include the typewriter and personal computer, as well as telecommunications and entertainment devices such as the payphone, pager, and the technicolour television set.
You can look forward to getting to know and reconnecting with some of these technologies, through several themed installations with complementary gamified experiences including an escape room activity.
National Museum of Singapore Address: 93 Stamford Rd Operating Hours: 93 Stamford Rd
This week’s mood board feels very fall-ish. we are into October, after all with Halloween and then thanksgiving just around the corner. it’s rather hard to believe this year is flying by so quickly. but here I am, embracing a new color palette, one that’s appropriate to this time of year.
During the fall I might consider the ochre-colored walls for my room as this bedroom certainly looks dreamy and the deep yellow walls work perfectly with the subtle stripe of pink in the throw. An unexpected but delightful pairing!
And I have been addicted to more cool chairs, this time from atelier de troupe — an l.a. shop! These are apparently called coda chairs and they are simply stunning, tubes and turns abound on these beauties. I must make it a mission to find one of my very own (and in my price range).
What do you think about this color?
xoxo, Joe
Credit | All shots are used on the mood board via our Pinterest boards.
Years back we tested on our very first spam musubi and ever since it has been our favourite to-go snack/ quick bite for the lunch. However, we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we could as spam is one of the unhealthy options and not to mention it is kind of overpriced. Therefore, with A vegan twist on the classic spam musubi, this tofu musubi will win over our hearts!
For those who don’t know what is spam musubi, it is basically big sushi with spam on it with seaweed wrapping over it. You could prepare it ahead without the seaweed and refrigerate it for the next day. Although, we are sure that you won’t keep any after once you did it. All you need is to microwave it for 30 seconds and wrap the seaweed over like an onigiri.
Why did we choose Tofu as a replacement?
Angela has been eating healthier for the past year, where she slowly replace vegan from her protein. With her influence, I got highly affected too. One day I want to make something easy for lunch and the Spam Musubi came across me. We decided to make something healthier instead and thought that Tofu could be the best replacement, like what many other vegan dishes did. The tofu doesn’t taste exactly like Spam, but it provides that salty, smoky, sweet meat-like flavour and texture of Spam.
What Tofu did we choose?
As we are all busy with our new careers and tasks, convenience has become our best friend. However, we always keep in mind that a healthy diet should always be our primary priority. This time we use Spicy Tofu by NutriSoy, which it already well marinated and good to use anytime.
However, if you couldn’t find one you could also marinate them yourselves. Start by getting tofu that is on the harder side. All you need to do is to marinate it with the below ingredients for at least 30 minutes you could get the same spicy tofu that we got from the store.
Spicy Tofu Marinate
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
2 scallions finely sliced
How to Cook the Tofu?
You can pan cook, bake, or grill tofu after marinating it. For a block of tofu cut into 4 strips:
In a pan, cook for 3 minutes per side until lightly brown.
In the oven, bake for 15 minutes per side at 400F until lightly brown.
On the grill, cook for 5 minutes per side making sure to get some beautiful grill marks on the tofu.
Time to Wrap it Up
Prepare your Rice: Like making sushi, you need to have your rice well prepared ahead, we decide to have normal rice this time instead of adding rice vinegar for sushi rice. Do not leave the rice out for too long as we wanted it to be slightly warm in order for you to shape it. We decided to add some seaweed flavouring to the rice for more flavours, but this is optional.
Shape your Rice: The key point when it comes to shaping rice is to dip your palm in cold water, however, we only want them to be slightly damp and not too wet to prevent the rice from sticking over your hand. The amount of rice depends on how big your tofu is, for us we have around 3 tbsp of rice for a “dough”.
Laying Them: As we are still not skilful enough, we did the wrapping on a plate instead. Stay layering with seaweed, tofu and then rice. Then roll them up tightly, if your rice is still warm, the seaweed will be sticking well.
2 tbsp of seaweed seasoning 2 sheets nori seaweed cut into 1.5″ strips (8 strips needed)
Methods
Lightly oil a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat. Cook the tofu on both sides until it begins to brown, ~3 minutes per side.
Split your rice into 8 equal parts. With wet hands, press each part into the side wall of your tofu container as shown in the photo. Pack it in firmly so it comes out as one piece. Repeat 7 more times.
Top each rice rectangle with one piece of the cooked tofu. Wrap each with one of the nori strips.
If I was to describe my summer this year in one word, it would be “fruits”. Fresh fruits, of course (though that makes two words), and a lot of them (five words now?). June came with rhubarb and gooseberries. Then I spent the month of July busying myself with making the most of short seasons of apricots and cherries (though the latter was mostly imported Bings, I must admit). And come August peaches and blueberries effectively took over my days – when I wasn’t picking, eating, or baking with them, I was thinking about how best to use them at their best.
And one way to preserve the best of the fresh fruits of the season, at least for me, was to make liqueurs with them. You see, I’m not really keen on jams and preserves, and canning generally involves more process (and sugar) than I’d ever like to have with my fruits.
f you are decorating a large and well-lighted room, going with all-warm colors adds a comfortable, welcoming mood. Start with a warm neutral on the walls, like taupe, a warm gray or a warm shade of white, such as ivory with a yellow undertone. Choose a natural-colored leather sofa to add richness and harmonize with a used brick fireplace wall. Pick up the brick red color of the fireplace in striped upholstery that includes the same as the walls for the chairs, and add custom throw pillows in the same fabric for the sofa to add cohesion. Choose an area rug that is either the color of the walls or one that combines the wall color and brick red. Be sure the shade of red harmonizes with the color of hardwood in your flooring. Warm walls plus brick red, natural leather and wood equal cozy to the max.
If you have enough moxie, paint the walls a deep shade of red and cover chairs in the same color—the fabric adds texture and dimension. Cover the sofa in a warm ivory with pink undertones and use that color as an accent throughout, including as painted trim. If they did it in the White House (the Red Room), you can, too. This is statement-making warmth.
xoxo, Joe
Credit | All shots are used on the mood board via our Pinterest boards.
Before the summer comes to an end and we head to welcome autumn, we can’t stop having our favourite activity during the summer – grilled meat “party”. While we can enjoy grilling meat in Singapore as we have no restrictions on the weather, we tend to enjoy grilling meat and vegetables more on the hotter day. This time we decided to challenge ourselves in making 3 different kinds of meat skewers accompanied by different kinds of vegetables and fruits.
Making your Skewers
Choosing the meat: Grilling meat is the best way to lock all the moisture and flavours to your proteins, thus you can choose all kinds of meat that you like, from pork, and beef to mutton and chicken. They are all very good choices when it comes to grilling. However, one thing to take note of is when you come to choose the part of the meat you need to choose one that has fats on it. For us, we choose Chicken Tight, Pork Belly and Pork Tenderloin for our choice this time.
Marinating the meat: Even though we have sauces on the side it is still best to marinate the meat for more flavours.
Honey Lime Chicken Tight: In a bowl, mix 3 tbsp of honey, and 2 tbsp of lime juice and season it with salt and pepper. Brush it over the chicken tight or marinate it in a zip-lock bag. Marinate it in the fridge for at least an hour before skewering up the meat. Remember to keep the remaining sauce as you need them during grilling the meat.
Mexican Pork Tenderloin: This Mexican mix add warm, spicy, and smoky flavour to your proteins. It is made of chilli powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, sea salt, black pepper, ground paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Brush it over the meat, we like to press and mix with our palms to make sure it is well marinated.
Herbes de Provence Pork Belly: Herbes de Provence is a herb mix we like to use for our steaks, it consists of thyme, black peppers, rosemary, marjoram, aniseed and lavender. It is light yet enhanced the flavours of the pork belly. All you need to do is grind it over the pork belly and let it sit for at least an hour.
Skewering up the meat: Prepare the skewers ahead by washing them and making sure they are dry. You can use the wooden and metal skewers if you can cook on the stove, however, you are encouraged to use the metal skewers on fire as you will burn the wooden ones.
Cut the meat up into smaller pieces and skewers them up evenly to your skewers. You may find it difficult to poke through the pork belly skin, thus you can remove them if you like.
Grilling them: When we want to have a fast meal we will grill our meat on the stove in the grilling pan. All you need is hot the pan and drizzle over some oil, before cooking the meat. Make sure you cook them thoroughly as we don’t want undercooked food. For the chicken tight, brush the remaining sauce over twice when cooking, as the honey it the tip of making sure the chicken tight is golden brown.
What to have on the sides?
Back in the day, we like to skewer up the meat and vegetables together. However, there are times our friends skipped them as they don’t like the vegetables. Thus from then, we decided to put them on the sides, as everyone can enjoy what they like!
Bell Pepper: Put a net over your stove, and roast your pepper over it. Turn your peppers from time to time and your peppers will be puffy from the air inside, but once removed from the heat and cooled a bit they will deflate and become wrinkly.
Pineapple: When we decided to have fruit for the platter, the first thing that comes to our mind is the pineapple, it is sweet and sour best side is when you have a whole plate of meat. We grilled it over the pan when cooking the meat.
During the Night Festival, one of the highlights events was most of the museums and centres are open out to late at night instead of closing during the evening. We then come across an exhibition located on the second floor of the National Design Center – Class Acts. We were attracted by the orange translucent “curtain”, which very clearly explained the exhibition, a history of Singapore creatives pioneers.
As someone who only listens to pop music, my understanding of indie music and its history of them is little to none. It’s a very small exhibition showcasing a few of the music scenes of the past. It’s heartwarming to see all the images or videos of their existence of them making me want to research them more.
As it is a National Design Center it is also a place to showcase or highlight the design scene we have in singapore, from artitacture to products, and even packaging. Away from the Class Acts Exhibition, there has a place beside it showcasing a history of important design moments. Well, the place is not big you can enjoy a whole hour there. They even provide a flat the seat for you to seat, a great place to stop over if you are around Bugis.
National Design Center Address: 111 Middle Rd Operating Hours: 9 am to 9 pm
A modern penthouse apartment by Nina Mair Architecture + Design located outside Innsbruck, Austria was converted into an urban loft that embodies the Alpine lifestyle. In addition to oak marquee, Kanfanar stone, linen, and wool textiles, the interiors feature a warm, pastel color palette.
Furthermore, the home was designed around a central nucleus that allows residents to adjust the rooms according to the season and position of the sun. Depending on the room’s purpose, such as cooking, dining, resting, or bathing, natural light is captured appropriately or avoided.
In keeping with the natural Alpine environment outside, the kitchen is made from native Kanfanar stone and the floors are made from oiled wood. There is also custom oak furniture custom made for the interior. This generous space is filled with light and enhanced by thoughtfully placed openings.
What do you think about this apartment?
xoxo, Joe
Credit | All shots are used on the mood board via our Pinterest boards.
Ding Tai Feng’s Honey Kaofu is one of my favourite dishes – not only is it vegetarian friendly but it is something that I will keep on munching while having conversations over meals. Every time, I told Joe that I wanted to try to make it at home. However, for the last couple of years, we were unable to do that. We do not know where to get the main ingredient Kao Fu, the wheat gluten. We attempted to make it ourselves but so far we weren’t satisfied with it yet. But a couple of months ago, we found it at a Chinese supermarket (Si Jia Ke), and without much thought, I just grabbed a bag from the freezer.
Braised wheat gluten, known as Kao Fu in Chinese, is widely known in Shanghai. The method is pretty simple like our granny old braised vegetable recipes. All you need are 6 ingredients and a pot to make this comfy dish.
Ingredients needed for braised Kao Fu
Not much technique is needed for this dish. Thus when it comes to the preparation of the ingredients, we always take more time in it. For this dish 6 main ingredients are needed, Kao Fu, dried shitake mushrooms, dried wood ear mushrooms, dried lily flower, roasted peanuts, and ginger.
Kao Fu; as mentioned we picked this wheat gluten from the Chinese supermarket (Si Jia Ke)’s freezer. As it is frozen, you need to de-froze it and soak them in warm water till the puff rises up. Then cut them into a 1-inch cube for later use. If you are lucky to pick up some fresh Kao Fu, there’s no need to soak it.
Dried Shitake Mushrooms; for our old reader, you should be familiar with these dried shitake mushrooms, as we love to braise them in our Asian food. We like to soak them ahead in the water overnight, while you can just soak them till they are slightly soft, but soaking them overnight for a richer flavour and smoother texture.
Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms; play an important role here, they give the crunch that you need for this dish. You can easily find fresh ones in the local wet market. However, we have some dried ones at home, thus this time we use this. Unlike the mushroom, you do not need to soak it overnight. Soak in warm water till it is softened, which usually takes 30 minutes or less.
Dried Lily Flower; when it comes to Asian vegetarian food, this dried lily flower is commonly found in many dishes. Like the wood ear mushroom, soak them in warm water till they soften before use. Remember to use warm water instead of cold ones. As warm water help to remove the impurify of these dried ingredients. Instead of cooking the straight lily flower, we tied a knot to make it nicer.
Roasted Peanuts; for those who are allergic to nuts, you can remove this from the recipe. However, it does add a good texture to the dish. We got the raw peanut from the wet market’s dried goods store as it is much more affordable and roasted in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C.
Ginger; while the seasoning gives flavour to the dish, the ginger help to remove the raw flavours we have in the wheat gluten and dried ingredients. It does affect the dish’s taste if you don’t add a slice of ginger.
While most of the ingredients can be prepared 30 minutes beforehand, you could also soak them ahead, drain the water well and store them in the fridge for later use.
All you need is a Clay Pot
We like to use clay-pot when it comes to braising our food. The clay generally takes longer to fully heat than a metal pot, but once it does, it retains that heat and allows for steady, gentle cooking. Thus a piece of good equipment to simmered, stewed, or braised your food.
Now that you have your ingredients and equipment ready you can start to cook them.
Heat oil in your wok over high heat. Add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the wheat gluten, and cook until slightly browned about 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, wood ear, lily flower, and peanuts. Mix everything well. Then add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and water.
Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking. Serve warm or cold (this is usually served as a cold dish).
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, at here we hope everyone stays happy and healthy. The possibilities are endless – share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
(about 5” x 5” each: Soak in warm water until soft)
12 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft)
1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft)
1/2 cup dried lily flower (soaked in warm water until soft)
3 tablespoons oil
3 slices ginger
¼ cup raw or roasted unsalted peanuts (shelled and skins removed)
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
3 cups water
Methods
Once the Kao fu is soft, rinse it under running water. Then cut each piece into 1-inch by 1-inch squares. Rinse the mushrooms, wood ears, and lily flower. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in your wok over high heat. Add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the Kao fu, and cook until slightly browned about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, wood ear, lily flower, and peanuts. Mix everything well. Then add the wine, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking. Serve warm or cold (this is usually served as a cold dish).
Singapore Night Festival returns after two years of hiatus. A long-awaited event that Joe and I are both looking forward to attending. Joe and I both have a lot of editing to do while busy with our work, so this visual journal post will probably come later. Because the event occurred during the rainy season, we were unable to visit all the locations. There is a wide spread of various locations for the event this year. We decided to compile our favorite ones in this post.
Let’s start with one of our favorites – NOCTURNE: Conversations with Waterloo is influenced by the feeling of wanting in on a conversation you’ve overheard. Along some benches sits 2 statues made of wire, capturing mid-conversation moments that we joined in on for a fun snap. We love the yellow light frame, which acts like a photo frame for the pictures.
Moving on to the Bugis area we spot the Terrarium which was located in the National Design Centre. The indoor exhibit was wonderfully air-conditioned, for a respite from all that walking, and it had a hint of whimsicality – a must-have for any stellar exhibit in our books. We love the light show showing how the cute otter “conque” our city Singapore. Down to the road, we found Glitches of You by Amanda Tan featuring glitch art projected onto the Stamford Clock Tower. The Night Festival 2022 this year covers lots of areas, from City Hall to Bugis to Plaza Singapura. Thus we missed our chance to visit An Ocean Without The Anchor by Speak Cryptic and Paddy Fields by FARM located toward City Hall.
While the Peranakan Museum is under construction now, the Armenian Church district is still as busy like past years. Two of the exhibition that caught our eye was the PALIMPSEST by William Chan and Brandon Tay and Latent (BBB edition)by Chok Si Xuan. Walking down the street makes us recap back the past exhibition throughout the years. Making us realize how many of the small exhibitions by the Singapore Night Festival impact our lives. Every small corner is filled with interesting memories and experiences.
This year’s festival also covers up Fort Caning Hill, walking toward the Park and down to the National Museum of Singapore, we visited the must-watch mural light show. This year it features a visual narrative of Singapore’s origins and history dating back to the 14th century – Stories from Forbidden Hill.
Ending our night at the SMU Greens with this engaging installation Fēcundus by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng. We have fun with these inflatables that represent rice kernels. One little fun fact about the installation stems from the meaning of Bras Basah, which means “wet rice”.
Our evenings can be filled with the “usual dinner and Netflix” but, this August, we brighten up our night with colorful and interactive art installations at the Singapore Night Festival 2022. Although it is not our favorite among all the years it is a great time to spend our night there.
Tomatoes tend to make the most of the warm weather, with a peak season that begins in July and lasts well into the fall, when the frost comes. As one of the most popular garden vegetables, many people have realized you can usually taste the difference between a fresh tomato and a commercially-grown one.
If you have a lot of these little red gems on-hand, you’ll want to know how to make sun-dried tomatoes in the oven. It’s a great way to make them last longer and add flavour to so many dishes. But don’t be intimidated — making this homemade sun-dried tomato recipe is surprisingly simple!
You can make batch after batch of these oven-dried tomatoes, and have loved tossing them in everything from salads to soups, pasta, pizzas, frittatas, sandwiches, biscuits, pestos and more. We’ve also found that — if you happen to make an extra batch while you’re at it — people love receiving these little gems as summertime gifts. And if you pop a freshly-dried batch in the freezer, they can keep there for up to 3 months! Let us get started now!
This Marinated Tomatoes will be the perfect side dish for the tiring weekend. We probably won’t be stopping anytime soon because it’s convenient, low maintenance, and juicy and delicious. If you’re fancy enough to have side dishes right now, don’t let me stop you from making marinated tomatoes and eating them as a side.
The extent of our “cooking” on a daily basis is soaking tomatoes in garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs for a little while. Using marinated tomatoes, you can create the illusion that you have cooked something wonderful, when in fact you have just been enjoying the nice weather instead
Tomatoes Confits are the sweetest, meltiest, most delicious tomato recipe. Garlicky, soft, juicy, and packed with thyme flavour, tomatoes made this way can literally elevate any kind of meal. Perfect as an appetizer, on bread, bruschetta, or on top of freshly baked rosemary focaccia bread. These confit tomatoes are even great on pasta, or with pan-fried tofu. The key to the dish is ripe cherry tomatoes but more importantly, the extra virgin olive oil. Luscious sweet tomatoes and creamy buttery garlic are slowly cooked to perfection and packed with tons of flavour.
Using the Cherry Tomatoes Confit, you are able to use them in different dishes. One of those is this Stuffed Portobello Mushroom, the tomatoes confit are stuffed together with veggies and cheese, making for a great appetizer that’s perfect for all occasions. A great and delicious way for stuffing big mushrooms, simple to make and always a crowd favourite! We know that not all are a fan of mushrooms, but personally, it is our favourite as it is versatile in cooking.
If you have prepared the cherry tomato confit ahead and store them in the fridge for later use. All you need for this recipe is 10 minutes. Here, we’re tossing cooked pasta with slow-roasted tomato confit and chopped fresh basil. You could also heat the tomato confit in your pan with some garlic for extra deep flavour.
Seasoning is key with this recipe. You need to season the tomatoes before they go into the oven, and you need to season the pasta water. Once you combine the two, you need to check for seasoning again. We found that we needed to add a couple more pinches of salt to really make the flavours pop.
If you want to try something more complex you could also give Roasted Tomato Pesto Chorizo Pasta a try, the combination of tomatoes, pesto and chorizo is a perfect match.
If you have read our 10 Easy Summer Salad posts you will surely spot this salad – Mixed Tomato Feta Salad. This salad is like a fattoush, but without the cucumbers. It’s like Panzanella, without the giant croutons. It’s a Greek salad without the grape leaves. It’s got all sizes of beautiful tomatoes cut into attractive halves and wedges.
It’s got a fragrant dressing built on za’atar, the Middle Eastern dry spice made with sesame seeds and thyme and sumac and other things depending on who made it or where you got it. It’s got a little lemon to dial up the natural acidity of the tomatoes, honey to amplify their sweetness, and garlic to coax out their savoury flavours. It has it all.
Tomatoes, brie and bread are something you will see in our kitchen, they may consider a staple to us. Thus we decided to grab all these ingredients and create a toast for a lazy afternoon. So you see, it’s clear we all need this toast in our lives today. We are hoping that you all have these ingredients on hand so that you can make this toast for lunch, as a snack or even for dinner.
While we like to eat tomatoes as a whole, we also like making them into sauces. And when it comes to tomato sauce, we love matching it with seafood like mussels, prawns and clams. Caramelized onion adds a subtle sweetness, fresh tomatoes add tanginess, while citrus rocket pesto (which is optional) kicks up the flavour by adding the perfect amount of heat and heartiness. Serve this with crusty bread to mop up all the juices, this is the perfect dinner. If opting for gluten-free, try adding cannellini beans for a little extra heartiness instead of the bread.
Lastly, Burrata with Peach and Cherry Tomatoes Salad is bursting at the seams with fresh peach, creamy burrata, and juicy tomatoes. Although it looks like it can be served as the fanciest restaurant, it actually takes only 15 minutes to prepare. Whip it up for your next gathering and watch your guests’ eyes widen!
There really is nothing quite like a carefree Saturday evening with the sun shining, and nothing much planned for the day except a trip to the beach! When I was younger I probably looked for every opportunity to visit the beach to experience the sunshine and sand. Maybe I can build a sand castle or pick up some seashells. But there are no seashells on any of the Singapore beaches. All we have is sand, seaweed and people but stunning beaches never stop us from visiting them.
We do like to visit the beach on weekdays or Saturdays afternoon. Taking a break from all the work we have, packed all the equipment and food that we need and off we go to the beach. However, we do recommend a hearty lunch before setting off. Even though we prepared lots of food, we got so hungry when we are under the hot sun.
After a few tries to the beach, we are used to what to bring and avoid bringing for the trip. Can’t wait to share with you on how we prepare for our beach day. From the gadget needed for the trip to food to bring. Although we like the beach and sun, but we are not the bikini girls like many. Thus we always tend to dress in our most comfy yet stylish clothes. Let us know what’s your favourite way to dress up for the beach.
Even though it was always crowded at the beach, but lying down listening to the waves of the sea. The noise of the surrounding become quiet and we could lay on the sand all day. While the monsoon season is around the corner, we can’t wait to visit the beach more often before it gets wetter.
It’s been a daunting week with new challeging coming into our life. However, we always make sure time were free for some cooking and “experimenting”. While we want something fun, we try to make it easier for more time to spend together. This Marinated Tomatoes will be the perfect side dish for the tiring weekend. We probably won’t be stopping anytime soon because it’s convenient, low maintenance, and juicy and delicious. If you’re fancy enough to have side dishes right now, don’t let me stop you from making marinated tomatoes and eating them as a side.
The extent of our “cooking” on a daily basis is soaking tomatoes in garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs for a little while. Using marinated tomatoes, you can create the illusion that you have cooked something wonderful, when in fact you have just been enjoying the nice weather instead! Let’s get started!
Preparing your tomatoes
We used the 500g of multi-coloured grape-sized tomatoes, but any cherry or even baby tomatoes would work well in this recipe. 1) Rinse tomatoes and cut them in half. It is easiest to slice with a serrated knife and we slice them through the centre because they look prettier. 2) Add the sliced tomatoes to a glass mixing bowl or container. Add the chopped basil leaves and red onion then pour over 1 1/2 to 2 cups of (2:1 olive oil and balsamic vinegar) or just enough to barely cover the tomatoes. Stir and cover to marinate.
How long should I marinate it?
It is recommended that the tomatoes marinate for at least two hours in order to make them more flavorful. Serve them at room temperature after 4 hours covered – if you have leftovers, chill them afterwards. If refrigerated overnight, they stay fresh for a long time.
If you have leftover tomatoes or want to serve them with breakfast, try serving them as bruschetta. All you need are some toasted baguettes. So easy and good! We hope you enjoy this recipe.
500g of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1red onion, sliced
1 cup of olive oil
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly minced herbs (we like basil leaves)
salt to taste (I use about 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt)
Methods
Toss tomatoes, grated garlic, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt together in a jar. You’re done.
Now that the marinated tomatoes are good and tasty, let them sit for a while. Ideally, you should let them soak up all the goodness for 3 to 4 hours on the counter, but you can also leave them for up to 24 hours if you’re going to mix them into something, like a salad. Bring them back to room temperature for ideal serving conditions!
A few trips down to Joo Chiat where it’s one of the places in Singapore where you can find lots of trendy cafés, we always passed by Homeground Coffee Roastery and want to give it a try. When you look up “where to visit in Joo Chiat?” this cafe will surely pop up in your search. However, due to its popularity, there’s always a long waiting list. Yes, after a few trips down we still couldn’t get a seat!
During our latest trip to Joo Chiat, we went to try our luck, and the news came out that they are closed down and moving away. But it was not all bad news, they are going to move to somewhere near Outram Park, at the same time near to us too! Hooray!
Muji-like Interior
Knowing that they are reopened, we head over during the 2nd week of their opening. We were welcomed by the friendly staff and cosy atmosphere. Compared to their old place at Joo Chiat, they have a different vibe to it. It is bright and modern muji-like. The large coffee bar caught our eye as it allows for many to watch their baristas at work – who are dressed in MUJI and overall give a contemporary meet down-to-earth vibe.
Michelin Standard Food
The main dishes are served in sharing plates format, with some of the stand-outs being Tajima Wagyu ($48 for 100g), Beef Tartare ($29), Baked Brie ($19), Pork Belly ($18), Quinoa Tofu Fritters ($12), Charcoal Grilled Chicken ($29), to Poisson en Paiolotte ($36).
As there are so many options for the food we op for a suggestion from the staff and Tajima Wagyu was been recommended. We were questioned when the staff walked toward us with a box. Yes, they served the dishes in a customised box, when they open it you will smell the amazing rosemary smoke from it. It was accompanied by 3 different sauces, salt, gochujang and yuzu sauce. There was a nice smokiness, and they tasted differently with different kinds of sauce.
If you visit the café alone, they are also small plates that you can enjoy. We ended up giving the Brie Cheese($18) a try! Every dishes was like a performance, the staff touches the brie at our table to give the brie a toasty touch. It was served with a toast on the side and we really wish they have more of it.
After the food, we end it with coffee (how can we miss it!) You really need to experience the coffee at the bar table. As the bar is evenly split to feature coffee made with immersion methods (mainly iced filter coffees) and coffee made with percolation methods using the Origami and Kalita drippers. We were told that the coffee menu changes occasionally to reflect the best coffee of the current season, so you can discover a new favourite every time you come. Lovely space – we would come again.
Retail Experience
Something new about Homeground is that they have a retail corner, not only you can purchase their coffee bean off the shelve, but you could also experience the tools they have before purchasing them. They have a huge range of tools, from Origami and Kalita drippers to Handpress. You can pick up the tool you are interested in and with guidance from the staff, you are been teach how to correctly use the tools. Lastly, purchase it if you are interested in your experience. This service really amazed us thus we ended up getting a hand press.
All the staff is so patient with us and assisted us warmly during our trip there. Can’t wait to head back again!
Yellow is one of the brightest colors to decorate with. It’s the most vivid color in the spectrum and the most noticeable to the human eye. Depending on which shade of yellow you use, you’ll convey feelings of either happiness or frustration in your designs.
There is bright yellow and here we have pale yellow. This pale yellow can invoke feelings of freshness and joy. Who wouldn’t want to wake up to those feelings? If you’re interested in creating a mood that’s refreshing yet still calm, decorate with light shades of yellow. This is a particularly great option if your bedroom is darker and you want to brighten it up to fight off gloominess.
Inspired by the Korean Bibim Naengmyeon we created this fusion dish – Korean Cold Soba. Replacing the buckwheat noodle with Japanese Soba, this noodle dish became more accessible during the humid summer. It’s cold, spicy, sweet and tangy. Everything you need is all in one bowl!
Compare buckwheat noodles with Japanese soba, it is less accessible to obtain. In most of the supermarkets, I had to have a bigger selection of Japanese items, whereby for Korean ingredients I have to visit a Korean supermarket for items.
What is Bibim Naengmyeon?
Bibim Naengmyeon is Korean buckwheat cold noodle, served with gochujang, kimchi, pear, hard-boiled egg and some meat. Where many are more familiar with one that is served with iced and beef broth aka Mul Naengmyeon which is more refreshing. However, we are sure with this spicy chilled bibim sauce and sweet, tangy and crunchy kimchi, the Bibim Naengmyeon is a hearty, satisfying meal. The combination of these two is simply irresistible!
Replacing the Noodle with Soba
Both Korean buckwheat noodles and soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour, however, the texture of both noodles is very huge. The Korean buckwheat noodle uses a mixture of buckwheat and sweet potato flour while soba uses only buckwheat flour, thus the Korean buckwheat noodle is chewier in terms of texture.
The soba noodle has an earthy, somewhat nutty flavour to buckwheat soba noodles and they can be served hot or cold. Depending on the brand, you should follow the instructions on the package when cooking dried, packaged soba noodles. Generally, soba noodles cook in boiling water for about seven minutes. To prevent them from sticking together, stir them occasionally while cooking. You want them to be tender but firm and chewy, so cook them until they are al dente. If you plan to serve them hot, rinse them after cooking in a colander under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
Spicy & Tangy Korean Sauce
For the traditional Korean cold noodle, gochujang is used, however, to make the dish more interesting we add sugar, chilli flakes, minced ginger and roasted sesame seeds to make the dish deeper and flavourful. While the usual way of serving is to top it onto the noodle, and the consumer will mix it before they eat it. For us, we mix the sauce with the noodle first letting it marinate before serving it with the toppings.
Share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Follow the instructions on your packet of Korean cold noodles for the length of cooking.
While the water is boiling, assemble your choice of toppings.
Place the packets of broth flavouring into the bowls, along with icy cold water. Reserve a few ice cubes for when you serve the noodles.
When the noodles are done cooking, immediately drain and rinse them in running cold water. Divide them among the four bowls and use a pair of scissors to cut clumps of noodles into more manageable lengths.
Known as Genkan in Japanese, the entrance features a nameplate, and a longitudinal window just like an enlarged mailbox against a light-coloured wall.
Stepping through the wooden door, I felt that I had just entered a Japanese Omakase restaurant, with a single long wooden coffee bar counter elevated like a sushi bar. With 5 bar counter seats and a communal table that can seat another 5 pax at the rear end of the compound, DAWN is not a huge space to begin with so you might expect some waiting time.
I liked the raw, unfinished textured concrete walls which creates a natural vibe, coupled with distressed limestone table top and warm lighting for a cosy experience.
I ordered a Pour-over; Jimena Rivera ($12), with a hint of fruitiness, which suits my taste. It is know as geisha of the filtered coffee where you can see from the price. It is so smooth to consume that it even suitable for anyone. I went for a second cup of coffee and ordered an Iced White ($6.5) which also has a hint of caramel and chocolate, plus a hint of tartness from the berries. Good choice for those who want a quick drink. There are also a good range of cakes and spotted the Plum Cake ($6), it taste so fluffy and not too sweet, perfect for match to have with the coffee.
Overall I enjoyed this place, as it is small a little bit of waiting is needed during the peak hours.
DAWN Address: 78 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058708 Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm (Mon – Sun)
The dining table is one of the undisputed, much-needed protagonists in most homes. We spend hours sitting around it, eating, chatting and bonding over meals with family members. It is therefore important to choose just the right table to complement the style of your home,ensure it meets all functional requirements and most importantly, makes you feel comfortable too. Given all these considerations, you can almost never go wrong if you choose round dining tables. They offer multiple advantages and fit into any type of space, large or small. This versatility has made them very popular, with good reason!
When tomatoes are in season, it’s the perfect time to include them in just about every dish. If you have a lot of these little red gems on-hand, you’ll want to know how to make sun-dried tomatoes in the oven. It’s a great way to make them last longer and add flavour to so many dishes. But don’t be intimidated — making this homemade sun-dried tomatoes recipe is surprisingly simple!
You can make batch after batch of these oven-dried tomatoes, and have loved tossing them in everything from salads to soups, pasta, pizzas, frittatas, sandwiches, biscuits, pestos and more. We’ve also found that — if you happen to make an extra batch while you’re at it — people love receiving these little gems as summertime gifts. And if you pop a freshly-dried batch in the freezer, they can keep there for up to 3 months! Let us get started now!
3 Ways to make Sun-dried Tomatoes
Dry them out in the sun – The obvious way. Simply arrange on a rack, sprinkle with salt, and place in the hot sun. Unfortunately, weather can be unreliable and humidity can be a problem.
Dehydrator – Homemade sun-dried tomatoes can be made in a dehydrator, but it’s a speciality tool that not everyone has. If you do, you can follow the oven-dried tomato recipe below but dry in the dehydrator for 6-8 hours instead.
Oven – Our favourite method! No special tools are required and everyone has one. Get instructions for how to make sun-dried tomatoes in the oven below!
Choosing the Right Ingredients
As this is a simple dish, we usually pay more attention to the ingredients that needed to be used;
Tomatoes – We used cherry tomatoes, but Roma or grape tomatoes are great to use. San Marzano tomatoes are also excellent because they don’t have a lot of pulp or seeds. Small to medium tomatoes have less water and seeds, meaning they dry out faster and hold their shape better after drying, so we don’t recommend using ones larger than Roma tomatoes.
Sea Salt – Helps get the extra moisture out of the tomatoes, and adds flavour.
Olive Oil – You can use this for serving or storing, but it’s optional. If you do use it, get a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Italian Seasoning – Optional, but adds extra flavour! Use store-bought or make homemade Italian seasoning. You can also just pick individual dried herbs, such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, or basil.
How to make Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oven?
Prep your tomatoes. Super simple — just slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise*, spread them out in an even layer cut-side-up on a parchment-covered baking sheet, then season with salt.
Slow roast. Now comes the patient part — the tomatoes will need to slow-roast in the oven for about 2.5 to 3.5 hours at low heat (250°F), or until they reach your desired level of dryness. You don’t need to flip or rotate the tomatoes during this time, but I do recommend keeping an eye on them near the end to ensure that they do not burn.
Serve or store. Then once your tomatoes are done, they’re ready to serve or add to a recipe right away! Or see below for storage instructions.
How to Store Sun-dried Tomatoes?
As we are making them in a huge batch thus there may be some leftovers for later use, and below are the ways we store them to keep them fresh;
Refrigerate sun-dried tomatoes. Place them in a small jar then drizzle with olive oil (you will need quite a bit) until the tomatoes are completely submerged. Place a lid on the jar to seal, then refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze sun-dried tomatoes. Spread the sun-dried tomatoes out in an even layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet or plate. Then transfer to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until the tomatoes are frozen. Remove and transfer the tomatoes to a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out any extra air, and then freeze for up to 3 months.
There are so many delicious ways to cook with sun-dried tomatoes! We especially love adding them to salads, soups, pasta, pizzas, frittatas, sandwiches, biscuits, pestos and more. Can’t wait to share with you our recipe for using them. The possibilities are endless – share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
Lychees are delicious tropical fruits that can be enjoyed all year long. This fruit is sometimes spelled litchi or called alligator strawberry, and it is native to China. Although you could fine the fruit all year long but the one between May to October is the best. This fruit is covered with an inedible stone, which is the fruit’s seed, underneath the hard, bumpy husk. The flesh is tender and white with a strawberry-watermelon flavour underneath the hard husk.
You can eat lychee raw on its own or add it to fruit salads, sauces, desserts, and beverages. This time we decided to make a refreshing Lychee White Tea to cool down the hot summer! For this Lychee White Tea drink you will need 3 main ingridents; Lychee, White Tea and Thyme to make this simple and refreshing drink.
How to Prepare the Lychee
Start by choosing a good Lychee Make sure the fruit has bright, vibrantly colored skin and is larger than one inch in diameter. Generally, the skin of lychees is red, but some varieties are orange or yellow with a pink hue. Gently press your thumb on the skin to check for ripeness. It should give a little when you squeeze it. You can tell if it’s overripe if it’s too soft. You will be able to smell lush, floral scents emanating from ripe lychees. If the husk or fruit of the lychee is brown, cracking, leaking liquid, or smells fermented, it is spoiled.
Prepare the Lychee It is necessary to peel the lychee and discard the husk and stone. The white flesh is the only edible part of the seed, which is slightly poisonous. You should treat it gently since it is a delicate fruit, and you should work over a bowl to collect the juice.
Brew the Tea of your Choice
To match with the delicate lychee we decided to use white tea for the tea base as it is a light tea with subtle yet indulgent flavours. The white tea has a smooth and soft texture which will compliment the lychee well without covering the fruit taste. When it comes to tea, we like to stick with our favourite local brand TWG.
As it is rare, refined, and not always easy to find white tea. White tea should be brewed correctly to avoid mistakes. The perfect cup of white tea can be brewed and enjoyed using these tips.
During our trip to the tea house the experts recommend that the brewing time for white tea be between 2 to 3 minutes. As if you under brew it may taste bland and lack of flavours, while unlike the green tea you will have a bitter taste when you over brew it. It is also ideally to brew the tea with water that is at the temperature of 70-80 degree, as boiling water will burn the delicate white leaves. We like to prepare the tea ahead allowing it to cool down before making the drink.
Making the Lychee White Tea
Now that you have all the ingridents being prepare you can start making the tea. In a cup put in the flesh of the prepare lychee, using a muddler to smash and mix the lychee, you want the juice of the lychee for your drink. We really found the muddler very useful in making all kind of drinks from tea to cocktail, which is why we highly suggest you to invest in one. Now layer the ice, tea, thyme and decorate it with the lychee. Isn’t this drink simple to make? We like that very few equipment is needed for the drink.
Does the white tea disputs sleep?
We all know that there is some caffeine in the tea, taking example of my mother she is one of the case where she is very sensitive to it. However we reassured you the amount of in the white teais usually lower than in other types of tea. Not to mention much lower than in a cup of coffee! Thus this is a good tea choice for a relaxing evening, as times white tea (and tea in general) is a relaxant for the body rather than a stimulant (a property that coffee is famous for).
The possibilities are endless – share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
Brew the tea leave in a pot of 100 ml water for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain and leave it to cool for later use.
In your cup, place the lychee and smash it with the muddler till you have most of the juice from the lychee. Then layer it with the ice, tea and granish it with the thyme leave and lychee.
Everyone who knows me knows how important sleep is to me. Sleep is something I love, from needing eight hours of sleep to sneaking naps when I have the chance. Thus when I came across this lifestyle brand in Bali called Sleeping Culture, they have all sorts of home decor from eco bedding to loungewear. As the brand is from Bali, it straight away gave a Bali vibe to each and every item they created.
I love the tone they used in their textile, the ashy undertone makes it so pleasant to look at. And each of them gave a calm and comfy vibe that makes me want to sleep on them right now. Not that they have a whole range of bedding textiles, but they also have some pottery that I didn’t want to miss it too. Now I am tempted to get them online or during my trip to Bali.
Ochazuke (お茶漬け) – usually served in one bowl, it consists of steamed rice with savoury ingredients, partially infused with green tea. Ocha means green tea, and zuke means “submerged”. It is more commonly eaten as a quick meal or as a filling snack at the end of a meal in Japan rather than as proper mealtime food.
Ochazuke is the kind of comfort food that we crave because it is soothing to eat and easy on the stomach. My midnight hunger pangs would always be satisfied with this rice dish after a long day. We immediately felt comfortable when we tasted the warm tea and rice and it instantly soothed our busy day. There is no easier way to make a meal than this!
Choose the Tea
To make Ochazuke, you can use various types of green tea, such as Genmaicha, Sencha, Hojicha, etc. Usually, dashi broth is used instead of green tea when you order Ochazuke in Japanese restaurants. Most of the green tea tastes wonderful with this dish, thus you could grab anyone that you could find. We use one that has roasted rice in it which adds a malt taste to the dish that we like about it.
For best flavour, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 85 C into a pot with 2 tbsp of tea leaves. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can achieve the temperature by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. Steep it for 3 minutes before enjoying them, and do only prepare the tea last as we want to serve it hot.
Choose your Topping
In order to make a dish more flavourful, toppings play an important role. Thanks to the versatility of the Ochazuke recipe, you can add any toppings you like. The following are some good options you can use in your kitchen:
Saba / Salmon – is a very popular ingredient used in Ochazuke, not only it is easy to cook, but it also adds a wonderful touch of fanciness to Ochazuke. We got our salmon at Isetan where it is well prepared and seasoned with miso. All we need is to cook them in the oven for 17 minutes at 170 C. You can place it as a piece or break it into smaller flakes and mix it in the rice.
Umeboshi – these plums are commonly used in Japanese cuisine, they taste salty and sour which will make your dish more appetite. Not to mention umeboshi is one of the popular toppings to be used in this dish. As it was said that the effects of citric acid (クエン酸) on plums are said to be good for restoring energy, preventing heat stroke, and keeping obesity at bay. It’s quite hard to find them in the local supermarket thus we always head over to Mediya Supermarket or Don Don Donki for them. Look for one that is seedless as it is easier to enjoy later.
Eggs – who doesn’t like eggs? I’m sure we all have eggs in our pantry thus this is a great option we have nothing at home. We like to pan fry them thinly and slice them into thin stripes before topping over the rice. Seasoning it with salt is the key in making the eggs.
While the topping is all we need additional seasoning and sprinkle help to complete the dish. Below are some of the options we like to use:
Nori – is dried seaweed that you can sprinkle over the rice before pouring it into the tea. It is a typical rice seasoning in Japan.
Chirimen Sake – boiled and completely dried salmon. We found this at Isetan Supermarket and were told that they are rich in calcium and taste good with rice and soup.
Instant Flavouring Pack – these were commonly found in Japan where they like to add this special powder to their rice. They have assorted flavours from plum and salmon to nori. It will instantly enhance the flavour of the rice right away.
There are many other toppings you can use for this dish, and the options are unlimited. All you need are rice, topping and green tea, the combination will make you your comfort food.
Suggested Combination of Ochazuke
As mentioned there are unlimited combinations of Ochazuke, thus you can create whatever ways you like to your preferences. However, below are examples of how we do it:
We hope you enjoy making and eating this quick and easy Japanese Ochazuke! Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
We are not professional cooks/chefs; we are two foodies who enjoy trying out recipes at home based on what we have eaten, seen, and are inspired by the world. When we are out of ideas on what to cook we read books and head over to the internet for inspiration. However, when it comes to Asian food, there are always fewer options. As our grandmothers passed away and our mother grew older, we attempted to recreate as many of their recipes as we could. Nonetheless, we like to learn more and share our experiences along the way. Thus in the past year, we are glad that there is this Chinese platform called Little Red Book, which is similar to a combination of Pinterest and Youtube, where you could find many kinds of Asian inspiration there. We get to interact with and learn from great creators. Watching short vlogs of bloggers who share their lifestyles is one of our favourite series.
The expert home cook’s kitchen is one of the aesthetics we admired; they all have a variety of jars on their shelves. That was common in Chinese and Japanese households, and both food cultures have had a strong influence on us. These jars, hold preserved food, homemade infused liquors, and more. This allows them to keep their food for longer, particularly seasonal ingredients. We decide to try these Mandarin Orange Infused Liquors because we have plenty left over from our Chinese New Year in early February.
Getting the Right Ingredients
There are only 3 basic ingredients to make homemade fruit-based liquors, you will need your choice of fruits (this time we use mandarin orange), rock sugar and white or yellow alcohol with a high percentage level.
If you have once tasted the skin of an orange, you will know that it tasted bitter yet we don’t want bitterness to destroy the wine. However, the skin is the key to this homemade wine, as it is so fragrant compared to the flesh. Thus in order to reduce the bitterness, during the cleaning of oranges use plenty of salt to scrub the skin of the orange. 1) It will help to reduce the bitterness of the orange. 2) The salt act as a scrub to the orange to remove the dirt on it. Once you clean it well, let the orange dry as much as you can, before cutting them into wedges.
Sugar: Rock Sugar
Sugar plays an important role in homemade wine, when a mixture of sugar and wine is added to a jar, sugar can be used to encourage secondary fermentation of the liquors. Talking example in making red wine, the riper the grape, the more sugar in the fruit there is to convert to alcohol. Thus, winemakers sometimes add cane or beet sugar before fermentation is complete to boost alcohol levels when grapes are not as ripe as they would like. As sugar content in the dosage will determine the sweetness of the final product, thus for those who don’t like it to be too sweet can reduce the amount by 20%.
Some of the makers use white sugar, however, we prefer the sweet taste of rock sugar which taste more natural and sometimes like honey. Read more to find out how to choose the correct rock sugar.
Liquors: Shuang Jin Chiew (Asian Version of Volka)
Choosing your infusion is the first and most obvious step. The most common liquors, such as vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, and gin, make great choices. Liquors that are more complex, like mezcal, are harder to work with.
We use Shuang Jin Chiew which is 100% fermented from rice, the Asian version of Volka. It features crystal texture, distinctive flavour of rice, rich taste as well as a long-lasting aroma. It’s essentially a blank canvas that can take on any flavour combination. Tequila and rum are easy to try, too, if you’re not a fan of Shuang Jin Chiew/ vodka.
Now that you have all your 3 ingredients well prepared, add the orange and rock sugar to the jar, then fill the jar with your liquor of choice. Seal the jar with an airtight lid and store in a dark, cool place until it’s ready to strain.
How long should you infuse the liquors?
Alcohol with orange infusion can be infused for up to a week. It will taste better the longer it is infused! If you’re not sure, open the jar after 24-48 hours and smell it. Typically, if the infusion smells very good, it’s good to go. Then let it infuse for another day or two and check again. A general rule of thumb is 3-5 days for most infusions. Don’t worry – even if you use fresh fruit, nothing will go bad. Because alcohol prevents mould from growing on the fruit, it can be stored for a long time even after straining.
The white liquors turn orange after the long process of infusing. You could enjoy them on the rock like our father did or make them into tasty cocktails for your summer party. The possibilities are endless – share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
A Beginner’s Guide to make Infused Liquors at Home
Ingredients
5 mandarin, washed and sliced
200g of rock sugar
600ml of Shuang Jin Chiew/ Vodka
Methods
Wash and slice orange. Add to a clean glass jar with rock sugar top with vodka and seal with an airtight lid.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 days, but up to a week. Strain into a measuring cup or glass bowl through a fine mesh sieve and discard the orange. You may need to strain a few times or use a cheesecloth to remove all sediment. Seal in a clean jar and store in the pantry.
We visited a hidden textile studio days ago and really impressed with the place. During our conversation with the artist/ owner regarding where her idea came from, she explain that when she is doing renovation for her shop she find that the painting of walls is really harmful both to the earth and herself, thus she decided to use clay/mud on her wall, it is non-toxic and good for her and the earth. Using mud/clay on the wall transforms the place into an entirely different place with the accompany of some wood. It feels really down-to-earth and peaceful during our place there.
As mentioned, a new wall finish can transform your home. Finishes protect walls from the elements and from daily wear, and they play an important role in regulating indoor temperature and humidity. Natural finishes, which undergo minimal processing and are generally nontoxic, can be made from clay, lime, chalk, casein, rock dust, earth pigments, and natural plant extracts such as oils and waxes. These naturally beautiful materials bathe walls in color and texture while balancing relative humidity, creating a more comfortable indoor environment.
The West Coast doesn’t have that many buzzy cafes, although some have sprouted up around One North and Holland Village. Wonderfully, there is now one tucked away in the leafy suburbs of Faber Drive.
If you’re familiar with Gelato Labo at Jalan Besar, they need to open another outlet next door to GLASS Roasters. Gelato Labo and GLASS Roasters have teamed up to offer a menu that is different from their Cavan Road outlet. It would probably be along the same line of coffee with gelato as a coffee affogato.
It is hard to overlook the fact that this minimalist interior style has caught on in many other cities, from Tokyo to Melbourne, with its sparkling clean white tiles and unfurnished concrete ceiling.
On a weekday, Glass Roasters often feels quite serene because of its relatively out-of-the-way location while offering limited seating. I think that’s part of what made it feel like an overseas cafe.
We were recommended Taro Latte ($7.5) by the chef, and love how fragrant the taro tastes in the coffee and they complement well with each other. On the other hand, Angela ordered a Chia Latte ($5) and we are really with it as it tastes just what we like. The mixture of aromatic herbs and spices is the perfect ratio. They strive to work with smaller farmers to source coffee from, and they are currently using Colombian beans, though that can and will change from time to time.
As the place is small, they don’t serve much food there, all they have is Banana Bread ($4.5). While it looks simple but is good!
Regular customers walking in with a quick chat makes the entire atmosphere feel a bit cosier. I enjoyed that it wasn’t overcrowded, which made for a wonderful time to spend a morning.
Beyond that, we genuinely do love the aesthetics of the place.
For those of us in the East craving a caffeine fix, fret not as you can also find Glass Roasters and Gelato Labo at 18 Mohamed Sultan Rd.
Glass Roaster Address: 108 Faber Drive Operating Hours: 9 am – 6 pm (Closed on Tuesday)
It’s easy to fall into a greige trap: tasteful, restrained, but perhaps a bit more subdued than intended. When a room calls for a bit of energy to liven it up, consider adding a pop of color to bring things to the next level. Whether it’s a vibrant piece of art, a side chair upholstered in an eye-catching fabric, or even curtains that draw attention, a colorful element can give a room a much-needed jolt.
See how some of our favorite designers used a pop of color to create memorable spaces throughout the home, and get some inspiration for your next project.
Lately, we have been exploring new food in Singapore, especially bakeries and coffees. This time we decide to visit this anticipating bakery which is formerly a home-based business – MADU The Bakery. Now it has opened its physical store along Race Course Road in early May.
As we stepped into the bakery cafe, the first thing that hit me was the aroma of garlic. Next, the only thought we had was how this place looks right out of a furniture catalogue or a Pinterest board — the beige-woody interior was so aesthetically pleasing and strangely calming.
We headed straight for the glass display case where their seasonal bakes were laid out for customers to choose from. These aren’t on the menu though, so you’ll have to go over to see what’s available! Their selection of savoury sandwiches isn’t out on display as well, since they are all made to order.
We decided to go for the Umami Mushroom Bun ($6) that came blanketed in a generous amount of bonito flakes. Encased in the bun was a mix of Shimeji and Shiitake mushrooms and Wakame which gave each bite a burst of savoury notes. The brioche bun was coated in a crust of nori and a sprinkle of furikake which added a nice crunch. This stuffed bun would make for a satisfying light meal but if you’re looking to dig into the plethora of bakes on offer, we would suggest sharing this with a friend or two.
Other than bakes from the shelves they also have sandwiches from the shelves and we choose Nori Jambon ($14.9). You can choose between Cisbatta and brioche for your choice of bread for the sandwiches and we have brioche for ours. The star of this sandwich is the nori butter which is so flavourful that completes the dish.
Besides gobbling down the delectable spread of bakes, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there thanks to the friendly staff. You can take my word when we say we will definitely be back again for more!
Madu The Bakery Address: 421 Race Course Road Operating Hours: 10 am – 8 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Mondays.
We’re having a craving for summer and some beach vibes for too long now, so we’re super happy to finally be in the beach again. Until now there wasn’t any real summer feeling at home as it is always raining and feeling wet.
When we thought of beach, the sea and the sand came into our mind, and we always crave for some pizza when we are heading over there.
Yes, it’s true, even I get tired of cooking sometimes and will opt out with a good piece of brioche toast. Sometimes it is as easy as mashed avocado and furikake, or sliced heirloom tomatoes with olive oil, basil and dukkah, but lately, it has been this simple recipe for Mushroom Brioche which feels more like a meal and less like a snack because it’s warm, comforting and full of umami flavour.
Mushrooms on toast is a hearty savoury dish that can be made quickly. Using ordinary cultivated mushrooms, it’s cheap and delicious, and ideal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a late snack. The amount of mushrooms needed for two servings is one pound. It is important to use a variety of mushrooms for the best texture and flavour. For this recipe, we use Maitake, Beech and Oyster mushrooms available at the market.
Types of Mushroom
It is best to use a variety of mushrooms for the best flavour and texture. For this recipe, we use Maitake, Beech, and Oyster mushrooms that are available in markets.
Maitake Mushroom; the Grifola Frondosa species is also known as “hen-of-the-woods,” “ram’s head,” and “sheep’s head.” Popular for centuries in Japanese and Chinese cuisine, the maitake generally grows at the base of oak trees.
Beech Mushrooms; this variety of mushrooms (also called Clamshell or Shimeji) grows in clumps and boasts quarter-size caps and a crunchy texture. They boast an umami flavour and must be cooked to be enjoyed – when they are raw they are tough and bitter. To cook trim away the bottom and break into individual stems.
Oyster Mushroom; Available in either the thin, petal-like white form or the “king oyster” variety with long, broad stems and brown heads, these mushrooms have a delicate, sweet flavour that goes well with stir-frys.
You could also use more varieties of mushrooms or replace them with other mushrooms you find.
How to make Creamy Mushrooms?
To sear mushrooms, pan-fry them in batches over medium heat (in batches to prevent them from steaming). Adding garlic, chilli flakes, herbs of your choice, and butter will enhance the flavour. Season with lemon, salt, and pepper and stir well
The cream can be added at this point, but we find that butter makes the mushrooms nice and creamy. To spice up the dish we also like to add in some white cooking wine and steam it for a while before serving.
Spoon the creamy mushrooms onto toasted bread smeared with cream cheese (optional) and serve.
What is brioche?
Brioche bread is French bread and a cross between a pastry and bread. This is because the bread is enriched with butter and eggs. It belongs to the family of viennoiseries (think croissants, Danish pastries, sweet rolls etc.). It’s a very buttery, soft and delicious bread and can be made into sweet brioche or savoury brioche.
We got our hands on a loaf of brioche from our local bakery, Mother Dough one of the best bakeries in Singapore. The brioche is so soft and buttery, perfect to eat with the creamy mushroom. Heat the bread on your toaster or the oven till it is slightly crispy on the skin before serving it with your mushroom.
Tips on making Mushroom Toast
Never wash your mushrooms as this can make them very water. We like to clean mine with a damp paper towel to wipe any dirt off
When sautéing the mushrooms, never add any salt until the mushrooms are fully cooked and browned. Mushrooms release a lot of water, and adding salt speeds this up and can make them watery
Cooking the mushrooms on high heat is also recommended to make sure they are nicely browned and sautéed
I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to tag @leplaincanvas and share your Creamy Mushroom Brioche photo on Instagram so I can share the love
Did everyone set up a cafe this year and decided they were either going to be along East Coast or Jalan Besar? These two locations seem to have a genuine buzz lately, as new-wave coffeehouses have set up shop in other corners of these popular areas.
And one of them is Asylum Coffeehouse; with its blue and red heritage shophouse set along Jalan Besar (near Petain Road), Asylum Coffeehouse has the typical white and woody (well, MUJI-like) interior, with natural light streaming in.
The Beauty of a Simple Menu
The Jalan Besar cafe doesn’t have a wide menu, with typical drinks such as Black ($4), White ($5-5.50), Pour Overs ($6), Mocha ($6) and Hot Chocolate ($5.5). They also have oat and macadamia options for those who do not take dairy. We ordered ourselves a cup of pour-overs each, each of the cups has interesting flavours where it may be too intense for us but it sure woke us up.
While we didn’t get any food but you can expect sandwiches from the popular burger hawker, Hambaobao. They have a Turfoieken ($19), which consists of Turkey, Foie Gras and Chicken in sourdough with homemade Aioli and Apple Chutney. The other sandwich is the Cubano ($16), a Mojo pulled pork ciabatta sandwich with gherkins, swiss cheese and mustard.
Asylum is definitely one of those places we might think of when we are craving a good cup of tea. There are already many Coffee Snobs Singapore members heading over to try their weekly speciality beans, making the place a hot favourite.
With a cosy environment, great coffee and pastries, and friendly staff, it checks off most of our requirements. Despite the short time we spent in the cafe, the interior was welcoming and facilitates communication between baristas and staff. There’s probably a crowd near the counter that’s directly in front of the door that the cafe must manage.
And come nightfall, this minimalist café ditches its simple aesthetics to unveil a secret identity – as an entrance to multi-sensory dinner experience Restaurant Absurdities, dreamed up by local theatre company Andsoforth.
Asylum Coffeehouse 311 Jln Besar, Singapore 208970 Mon-Sun, 8am-4.30pm
Nowadays, radiant and intense shades aren’t very common. It’s difficult to find a space where this type of aesthetic can be used well. Keep in mind that these shades stand out on their own and attract the eye in a more direct and forceful way. We’re all guilty of following conservative decor procedures that create less risk, but deep down can be boring in the long run. Therefore, it’s time to make a change and find other ways to modify the appearance of our homes.
Lemon Yellow – This color is among the vibrant and strident warms. Let’s be clear if we use this as the main color in our decor, it’s not always pleasant. In fact, it can become overwhelming and draw too much attention. As a result, we should use this color sparingly or for an objective purpose.
The Chinese-style Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Salad is a delicious, refreshing cold appetizer. There’s only a little prep involved, and it’s sure to satisfy. If you’re like me, you’ve already incorporated king oyster mushrooms into your regular mealtime rotation because they’re so easy to prepare and versatile! With Sichuan chilli and red & green chilies, we’re making a spicy salad filled with gingery, garlicky goodness.
In the summer, people like to make cold salads 凉拌菜 (liángbàn cài) with whatever they have on hand to minimize cooking and heat. In fact, the concept is similar to making salad, but lettuce is not the main ingredient. We’re using king oyster mushrooms in this recipe, but you can use any vegetables you prefer: carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, peppers, or string beans. There are also some traditional Chinese ingredients you can add, such as tofu, seitan, five-spiced tofu, bean threads, seaweed, wood ears, noodles, and so on.
King Oyster Mushroom
King oyster mushrooms have a lovely name in Chinese called “leg mushrooms,” describing their lovely shape, similar to chicken legs, as well as their special texture. Similar to chicken, it has a lovely flavour and texture. Kung pao mushrooms and deep-fried mushrooms can also be made with it.
Is it better to steam or boil?
For this salad, steaming is the best way to avoid the mushrooms absorbing too much water during cooking. When mixing with the seasonings, wait for a while until all the flavours are well blended, then mix in green onions and peanuts.
How to prepare it?
The king oyster mushroom should be slightly washed and any dirt on its surface should be removed. Then halved. Place in steamer and steam for 10 minutes until softened. Steaming can avoid the mushrooms from absorbing extra water in the mushroom and thus can present a stronger flavour from the seasonings. Let the mushroom cool down before tearing them into smaller strip.
Seasoning is Key
To complete this dish the seasoning is key and you may need a bit time to prepare them. What you need are;
Fresh chilli; we use both green and red chilli for the colours and bit of heat
Toasted peanuts; you could get the ready toasted peanuts from the supermarket to save time. For us we get the raw peanuts from the wet market and toast it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200C.
Minced garlic and ginger; this both are the basic yet key to making chinese food, it added frangant to the salad. Do not minced them too fine as we still want a bite of them
Spring Onion/ Corriander; the key to preparing them is make sure they are dry well before chopping into diced as you want chruncy vegatable
Seasoning; oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and sugar, sichun chilli powder helps to elevate the dish
The sequece of combining them is imporant, start with add fresh chilli, sichun chilli, spring onion, garlic and ginger. Then drizzle hot oil on surface to work up the aroma. Try to spread the aromatics. Add oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, light soy sauce and toasted peanuts, mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes. Let the sauce and the mushrooms combine well.
The spice and juiciness of the mushroom taste exactly like what we have in the Hotpot store Hai Di Lao, we always have been craving for it when we wanted something vegan and spicy. Now it can be easily made at home.
Steaming Slightly wash the king oyster mushroom and remove any dirty on surface. Then halved. Place in steamer and steam for 10 minutes until softened.
Shredding Transfer out, slightly cooled and then shreds by hands.
Drizzling hot oil Add salt, sugar, dried peppers, fresh pepper circle, pepper powder, garlic and ginger. Then drizzle hot oil on surface to work up the aroma.
Other seasonings Add oyster sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, light soy sauce, mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Presenting Mix in chopped spring onion and coriander. Transfer to serving plate and decorate with chopped spring onion on top .
We recently compiled a list of cafes to visit in Singapore based on area. Everton Park, which had lately been transformed into a hipster hotspot, took us several weeks to find out. One of the places to go this weekend is O Happi Place, a cafe with a delightful mid-century modern décor that serves a variety of ice cream sandwiches, gelato flavours, and more. We were surprised at how well made this place is, from renovation to the food.
First of all the menu, we were impressed by the wide variety of flavours to choose from. From classics like Dark Chocolate and Matcha to local flavours like Kopi C and Ondeh Ondeh, O Happi Place has it all. We ordered a scoop of Bergamot Orange ($6.70) and Waffles with Pistachio ($9.90). While the Pistachio is not as good as our favourite gelato store Apairy, the Bergamot Orange do amaze us with its flavour. The refreshen of the orange is just a hint on our taste buds.
Other than gelato they also offer a few choices of drinks, and we had Ice Lemon Tea ($4.50) and Blue Pea Tea ($4).
Located in a mature estate, which usually has a higher population of elderly residents, this considerate design welcomes families to have a gathering here with both the young and old. The cafe is designed to be spacious, with a wide entrance and a large door to allow easy access for wheelchairs or prams.
O Happi Place Address: 5 Everton Park, #01-22 Operating Hours:
Housed in a historic Art Deco tower, The Robey might be exactly what you’d expect from a design-centric landmark hotel in a hip neighborhood—but that doesn’t make it any less appealing. Its 69 guest rooms are decorated with a minimalist blend of mid-century modern and industrial furnishings; the color scheme is an Edward Hopper-inspired palette of dark gray, burgundy, and cream; and the sparse, white bathrooms boast Le Labo products and denim bathrobes.
The common spaces include a French-American café on the second floor, a rooftop cocktail bar, and a soon-to-open Cabana Club with a terrace pool. At The Hollander, which is billed as a high-end hostel, the aesthetic is similar—albeit somewhat sparser—and there’s an airy coffee shop on the ground floor.
Baked Potato with Prosciutto in an exceedingly pan is flat-out, it’s one of my all-time favourite potato dishes. we often prepare them, and they’re excellent for occasions where you wish a fast, simple, but incredibly delicious entremots.
This hot potato salad is amazingly simple and loaded with flavour. We make it often after we have a lazy day because it’s simple to create but so tasty. This dish can even be made before time and reheated easily either during a pan or maybe within the microwave – just what you wish if you’re making a variety of side dishes.
The Best Types of Baking Potatoes
Nothing really compares to our love of potatoes. Potatoes are our comfort and celebration food. We cook them in every possible way, from an easy baked to a layered gratin, to a stretchy aligoté. And as a cook, we’ve come to understand a number of the subtle differences between the assorted forms of potatoes. Our three go-to potatoes are Russet, Red, and Yukon Gold. We love all equally and for very different applications. And for this case we like us use Russet for baking.
Due to their thick exterior and fluffy, starchy interior, russet potatoes make the tastiest baked potatoes (once baked, of course). The waxy potatoes should only be cut in half and roasted with some rosemary. While you have good potatoes now, some steps are needed to make sure the potatoes are used well.
Scrub the skin well: Those Russets you’re about to eat came from the ground and are probably still covered in a considerable amount of dirt. Give ’em a rinse, people!
The key to crispy skin: is to have dry skin before baking, and you definitely want to eat the skin. It’s got all the flavour. After you give the potatoes a good scrub, make sure to dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel. Moisture will result in soggy sadness.
Season it well: You’ll also want to coat them with olive oil. Not only does it help the skin crisp up even more but it makes it taste better. Rub the potatoes all over before baking, then season generously. Without enough salt, they’ll taste boring and plain.
Bake it at high temperature: And high heat makes all the difference in the world. We’re talking 220°C high. Any lower than that, and you’ll likely be tucking into leathery, crinkly skin.
What you’ll need
The wonderful thing about this easy potato side dish is that most of the ingredients are in the title – aka relatively few – and few ingredients often equals easy to make, just like this recipe. Other than potatoes here are the other few ingredients that you need.
Prosciutto: the thin prosciutto becomes super crunchy and adds a great contrast to those soft potatoes. You could swap this for bacon or pancetta, even ham.
Red Cheddar Cheese: This bold flavour is perfectly balanced by the light creamy flesh of the potatoes
Chive: this is the perfect herb to go with cheese. It just adds a light fresh touch.
Oil and sea salt flakes round out the ingredients list.
Spicy & Sour Mayonnaise
Roasted white and black sesame for crunch
Spicy & Sour Mayonnaise
The highlight of this dish is the sauce, while sour cream is the perfect match for potato, this spicy & sour mayonnaise spices up your summer. All you need is mayonnaise, hot sauce (we use Cholula, you can use sriracha as a replacement too) and juice of a lime. The ratio to the ingredients is 4:2:1, mix them well in a bowl. When the sauce is done you can serve it together on the potatoes or you can scoop the sauce into the piping bag as we did.
How to make them
Lay the clean and cut potatoes on the baking tray, drizzle them with plenty of olive oil and season them with season and pepper. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, till soft.
Insert the thin prosciutto in between the potatoes and sprinkle as much cheese as you like to cover the potatoes. Bring it back to the oven and bake for another 8 – 10 minutes till the thin prosciutto turns crispy and the cheese melts. Switch the oven to broiler mode and bake for another 3 minutes for the cheese to turn golden brown.
Drizzle the prepared sauce over and sprinkle the sesame seeds and chive. Tattda now you are done!!
If you’re after a delicious but quick and easy side dish, these perfectly cooked One Pan Baked Potato with Prosciutto are just what you need. This potato dish is especially great for gatherings where you want a quick and easy but insanely tasty side dish recipe.
Lay the clean and cut potatoes on the baking tray, drizzle them with plenty of olive oil and season them with season and pepper. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, till soft.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine mayonnaise, Cholula hot sauce and lime juice, mix it well. When the sauce is done you can serve it together on the potatoes or you can scoop the sauce into the piping bag as we did.
Insert the thin prosciutto in between the potatoes and sprinkle as much cheese as you like to cover the potatoes. Bring it back to the oven and bake for another 8 – 10 minutes till the thin prosciutto turns crispy and the cheese melts. Switch the oven to broiler mode and bake for another 3 minutes for the cheese to turn golden brown.
Drizzle the prepared sauce over and sprinkle the sesame seeds and chive. Enjoy!
After a two-year hiatus, i Light Singapore is back to the city. We are back to immerse in the creative artworks of professional and student artists that hope to raise awareness of sustainability and inspire environmentally-friendly habits.
Each edition of the i Light Singapore festival starting this year will be anchored on colour from the visible light spectrum. For 2022, the chosen colour is violet. Violet is the colour which has the shortest wavelength with the most powerful electromagnetic energy in the visible light spectrum. Violet is also a colour that signifies the awakening of the senses, akin to the spark of an idea in one’s mind.
The artworks showcased at i Light this year are created by local and international artists who showcase their creative interpretations of topics that aim to encourage conversations about our lifestyles and consumption behaviour to build a more sustainable future. Below is some of out favourite shots from the event.
This approach is evident in a serene Brooklyn apartment that is a part-time residence for a couple with a blended family. They admire what the wife calls Mellone’s “fairly restrained palette” and his sense of proportion—an important skill, given the apartment’s eleven-and-a-half-foot ceilings—and they were intrigued by the shelves of old National Geographic magazines in his own New York apartment, “a great idea for our young grandchildren,” who live nearby, the husband notes. (Mellone had previously designed the interiors of a house on Lake George, in New York State, for the husband.)
The apartment is filled with modernist design. At the apartment’s entry, a wood console designed by Mellone stands next to a Pierre Jeanneret chair and a rug by Marion Dorn. In the living room, Mellone established a “center” with a grouping of three cubelike 1960s armchairs (and a solid component) by Bernard Govin. Two sofas, designed by Mellone, mingle with chairs designed by modernist masters like Maxime Old and Poul Kjaerholm, tables by Ico Parisi, a 1930s tea cart by Alvar Aalto, and a bookcase designed by Mellone to hold the couple’s own collection of National Geographic magazines. On the far side of a large structural column that is wrapped in a vintage French pine screen, the dining area has a Pierre Chapo table and Jeanneret chairs. Mellone installed Venetian blinds to disguise the fact that the windows don’t go all the way to the ceiling. Works by contemporary artists including William Kentridge and Françoise Grossen are part of a diverse collection assembled by the wife.
Designed by the people behind ANDSOFORTH and Warehouse16, Haus217 is a brand new venue in Singapore that takes on the Japanese lifestyle concept of Wabi Sabi, which is to embrace imperfection. Haus217 is located within a 60-year-old shophouse, and its interiors feature meticulously-crafted stained wood accents, reminiscent of European travel homes.
On random days of the month when there are no bookings for their event venue, HAUS217 will be transformed into a cafe with art installations. In late May, we got our chance to make a visit before it went into hiatus for reformation. For this current pop-up concept, we booked tickets where they are priced at $8 per person, with $8 credits given to spend (technically free to enter).
Stepping inside, the interior is decked in the Japanese lifestyle Wabi-Sabi which is to embrace and appreciate the beauty in imperfection. Stones, crafted stained woods and the deliberate unfinished surface of the walls are used to create a natural habitat, and the extensive use of textured glass allows natural sunlight to enter the space. With a single art installation in the centre of the room, furniture pieces are arranged around it to recreate the vibe of an art class in school.
Seasonal bakes are sourced and available on different days and timings, specially curated to bring something new for diners. There was Rose Lychee Cake ($8), Hojicha Roll Cake ($8) and Red Velvet Cake ($8.50) during our visit. As we have a full meal previously thus we only order the Rose Lychee Cake and some drinks along. On the other hand, a limited savoury menu is available such as Bolognese ($16), Fennel Meatballs ($18) and Salad ($12), and takes quite a while to prepare.
Slowly sip the coffee and enjoy the art installation right before our eyes, and enjoy the natural habitat created in the house (HAUS).
HAUS217 Address: 217 Lavender Street, Singapore 338772 Opening Hours: 10 am – 4 pm, only by reservation (Currently on hiatus)
It’s the time of the year to celebrate the little joys of Summer. After spending hours looking at various photos of pale sandy beaches and crashing ocean waves, we started noticing the beauty of certain pigments. So, this Monday we wanted to dedicate the Slowdown to two timeless colors that continually catch our eye: BLUE AND BEIGE.
“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with its many chords. The artist is the hand that, by touching this or that key, sets the soul vibrating automatically.” ― Vasily Kandinsky
Lately, the rising of the temperature makes you feel flushed and burning all the time. Wondering what to drink to stop the thirst through the hot summer? Below you will see our top favourite fruits to be used in the summer, assorted citrus (orange, lemon, lime), peach, and strawberry. You could also see our favourite ways of using soda water and sparkling water for the drinks. So here are our Top 10 Refreshing Summer Drinks that we always like to rotate the drinks for the summer!
Peaches are one of the fruits we love to have during the summer, not only does it taste good, the colour of the peach in the drink just made our day. Peaches add sweet, mellow roundness to traditional lemonade for a refreshing summertime beverage.
For this Cajun Peach Lemonade recipe, you can make the peach syrup ahead and store them in the fridge. When you are ready to enjoy them, simply rim the glass with some cajun spice and it’s inevitably going to sprinkle down into your drink, giving it the perfect amount of spiciness. Stir in white rum or bourbon for the grown-ups!
Limequats Sparkling Water with Honey will be the instant cure for your dry throat and immediately reduce your body heat. While many don’t know actually limequat helps to quench our thirst when we are thirsty and hot for the summer. Unlike drinking harmful artificial drinks to quenches our thirst, the summer drink can help you make your best choice, even though scorching temperatures.
Matcha has always been our favourite ingredient to be used in food and even drinks. Not that it tastes nice it also have good benefits for our body. You can make use of matcha to spruce up your soda or sparkling water – Sparkling Matcha Green Tea. It’s made with matcha tea powder and soda or sparkling water for a bubbly and refreshing drink. You only need a few minutes to create this drink and it’s absolutely perfect for warm days when you don’t feel like sipping hot matcha tea.
The weather is really bad during this time of the year. It is hot and humid and gets rains from time to time in Singapore. We always have this traditional Chinese home remedy for cough relief as this Summer Fruits Drink is inspired by it.
Steamed or boiled pear with rock sugar is a delightful dessert very easy to prepare. This time we added in our favourite fruit making it more flavourful. Usually, all you need is a pear, but we added apple, lemon, dates and rosemary for more flavour. The original recipe is to serve the drink warm, but you can leave it cold in the fridge for this summer too.
You can never think of making Thai Mango Sticky Rice into a drink, but surprisingly it works well. Thai Mango Sticky Rice is a sweet snack that combines the richness of sticky rice, the sweetness of ripe mangoes and the creaminess of coconut milk. However, rather than eating them, we will be enjoying them as a drink. Turning the sweet dessert into a refreshing drink for the summer. It consists of mango white tea, topped with coconut cream, sticky rice ball, vanilla ice cream and mango. It is refreshing and tasty at the same time.
The Osmanthus is good to have during this hot and wet season, it is the best natural remedy to keep at home. It is a well-known herb that can improve skin, detoxify the body, reduce thick saliva in the throat and boost lung health. It is great for all seasons, Osmanthus tea is often consumed when one suffers from dry skin or hoarseness.
Thus this Sweet Osmanthus Soda will be the prettiest and simple beverage to serve during this humid weather or the hot Summer. All you need is the homemade Osmanthus Sugar (aka Honey Syrup)and you can make this glass of sweet osmanthus soda in the least 5 minutes.
Not many are a fan of all kinds of fruits, for us, kiwi and pineapple are a no-no, as they always left a tangy feel on our tongue. However, kiwi is a delicious fruit with a unique taste. The green kiwi juice has a tangy taste that is great for making a refreshing Kiwi Soda. For a deeper taste experience, we pair it with lime and mint. Green kiwi juice can be very sour and you need to balance the sour taste with some sort of sweetness. We use soda compared to the usual sparkling water.
Food is like an art, there is no 100% of procedure to follow. Coffee is like a cocktail, a good mix you will get a glass of magic. While lately, we realised coffee and fruit juice share the cup in a most refreshing twist – you will be in love with this Green Citrus Coffee. Ready yet, to embrace the joy of mixology.
What could be finer than this summery Strawberry Gin Smash? This wonderful recipe comes from my favourite the Kitchn with its brilliant ideas. According to to the Kitchn a ‘smash’ is a ‘thing’. It is a cocktail involving herbs, sugar, fruit, and booze – which ones seem to be up to you. This pretty drink speaks for itself, with its super tasty mixture of lime, sugar, strawberries, gin, and a fashionable mint sprig garnish.
Lemon is one of those juice that just goes down so easily, especially on a hot day with friends. So why not use lemon as a base for punch? That’s exactly what we have done with this number. Think mildly boozy, bubbly adult lemonade with a soft earl grey undertone. Since this is a punch, you can use an ice ring to freeze a large block of ice; otherwise standard cubes work, too (We like to freeze fruit and herb in the ice). This is a good drink for a party in the summer.
Here are our top 10 favourite refreshing drinks for the summer. We hope you enjoy them like we enjoy our summer.
Sandwiches and sammies seem to be all the rage these days. Korio at Telok Ayer might not be well known unless you work there. It was considered far down the rabbit hole until you got curious and dug it up. Located in the middle of Far East Square, at the end of Amoy St., This may not interest you if you are not a morning person, as they only operate for six hours.
I’m glad that Joe decide to get up early for me to get a taste of Korio, they served artisanal doughnuts, sammies & coffee. We have the Grilled Cheese ($14) which was paired with a tangy sourdough, complemented with a jammy, slightly tart, and acted as a counterbalance to the decadent melty cheese. You should also order the Breakfast Sammy ($14) sees an entirely new set of ingredients. Eggy, fluffy brioche slices, with a creamy egg mayo slathered on, and a slice of savoury luncheon meat snuggled between—a classic flavour with nothing to complain about.
Their doughnuts are also one of the signatures in their stores, it looks so fluffy. The choice of brioche seems to give the doughnuts a fuller flavour, as well as a softer texture. Can’t wait to try them all on our next visit. Please make sure to visit them early as it closes as early as 2 pm.
Now built-ins (as with many midcentury elements), whether beds, benches or dining room tables, are popping up everywhere in new builds and renovations. They’re particularly good for creating effective storage or adding useful elements in tight spaces. Not only so, but it is also a good way to customise some unique pieces that only can bring out your characteristic to your house.
At this apartment 116 located in Shanghai, China uses 3 main elements, white, wood and stainless steel to bring out the characteristic of the house. We especially like the customise shelves from this apartment, the combination of wood and stainless steel works really well here.
Ler us know in the comment below what do you think?
There are more than 101 ways to cook eggs. Each method is different from the other. Some of these methods require skill and experience, and even special tools, while a handful can easily be done by anyone. Cooking eggs is probably the first thing that you learned when you started to learn how to cook. In fact, the egg is one of the easiest ingredients to work with in the kitchen. It is one of our staple ingredients.
We got interested in cooking at a young age. Back then, we started to learn basic things; one of them is frying eggs for breakfast. Frying an egg might sound simple, but it can be challenging if you are doing it for the first time. After practising which resulted in something like a dozen burnt eggs, we got the hang of it. I became aware of the many ways to cook eggs and this time we are going to share with you our top 4 ways of having our eggs cooked – fried, soft boiled, hard boiled and scrambled.
You can enjoy these eggs alone, however, to have a complete breakfast we like enjoying them with these waffles – crisp on the outside, and fluffy on the inside.
How to make Waffles?
When we made these Easy Waffles from Martha Stewart, consider this our new, go-to waffle recipe when we want to start our day off with it. No fussy steps or unexpected ingredients are required here, which means we can whip these up whenever your cravings hit.
We love our waffles “fresh-off-the-iron waffles”, although it may take more time by preparing the ingredients, on our good day it takes less than 15 minutes! You must be wondering if you can make the batter ahead to save time in the morning. We would not make all the batter in advance as a batter with baking soda needs to be cooked shortly after mixing.
However, a solution to this is you could also make the waffles ahead and freeze them. To reheat, microwave them for about 15-20 seconds just until they’re no longer frozen. Then pop them in the toaster or toaster oven until they’re hot throughout and crispy!
How to Cook an Egg (4 Ways)!
Sunny-side up
This type of fried egg gets its name because the bright yellow yolk shines brightly on top. It’s briefly cooked over a moderate flame to gently set the whites and is covered the entire time. This cooking method traps the steam, which cooks the top of the egg without flipping over. The process takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
If you don’t have a lid for the pan, just cover it with the bottom of a larger pan or use a lid from another pot. You can also fry the egg over medium-heat uncovered, reduce the heat to low after a few minutes, and baste it with extra fat like butter to finish cooking the albumin proteins on the surface.
Scrambled Egg
Scrambled eggs are one of our favourite ways of cooking an egg. The perfect scrambled egg should be all the egg pushes into a pile and stays together, indicating it’s cooked ie. there’s no raw, runny egg leaking around the edges, and also the surface is shiny so you can tell it’s still custardy and moist. Compare to the other 3 methods, scrambled egg is one that we took a long time to perfect.
Gordon Ramsay has the best recipe for making scrambled eggs, all you need is your trusted pot and spatula. Start by putting all the ingredients (other than seasoning) in a cold pot. Start mixing all the ingredients and whisk it well on high heat. After 30 seconds, also start gently folding the eggs over (ie scoop and gently flip). Keep pushing/folding for 60 seconds total cook time or until raw runny egg no longer spreads out onto the pan and you have a pile of the soft, custardy egg.
Tips: If you are unsure about the doneness, remove it from heat while mixing. Remember only to season them when your eggs are only going to be done.
Hard-boiled Egg
A hard-boiled egg is a result of boiling an egg for a long period of time. First, boil the eggs. Place them in a pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Then, let them sit in the hot water. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Leave the eggs in the hot water for anywhere from 8 to10 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. The 6-minute eggs will have vibrant, creamy yolks, while the 10-minute yolks will be paler and opaque, with a chalkier texture.
Soft-boiled Egg
Soft boiled is the opposite of hard-boiled. Using the same boiling method, eggs are placed in boiling water and cooked for a short period of time. The egg white is slightly cooked leaving some parts liquid. It will also produce liquid egg yolks. First, heat the water. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, so the water maintains a gentle boil. Then, add the eggs. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the simmering water. Set a timer for 7 minutes.
For both hard and soft-boiled eggs. While the eggs cook, prepare the ice bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water, and add a handful of ice. When the timer goes off, remove the eggs from the hot water, and immediately add them to the ice bath. Allow them to chill for at least 3 minutes to stop the cooking process. Then finally, peel the eggs!
Perfect Tips for Cooking Eggs
Buy the eggs in advance. If I’m cooking sunny side up eggs, fresh eggs will yield the best results every time. But if I’m hard boiling them, the opposite is true! Boiled farm-fresh eggs are more difficult to peel than older eggs. If you want to make perfect hard boiled eggs, it pays to buy them in advance and cook them after a few days in the fridge.
Store the eggs upside down. This tip comes from Jack’s mom, who makes the BEST deviled eggs for family gatherings. In order for the yolks to land right in the centre of the hard boiled eggs, she recommends storing the raw eggs upside down before you cook them.
Hoe you have all your ingredients ready, assemble them and enjoy them with a cup of tea for your breakfast. To spice it up we enjoy them with our favourite avocado, but you can have them with tomatoes, vegetables and even bacon.
Crisp on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, these waffles are delicious topped with your choice of eggs. The perfect start to any weekend morning!
Ingredients
Butter Waffles
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Methods
Butter Waffles
Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk milk and eggs; pour over flour mixture, and whisk gently to combine (don’t overmix). Gently whisk in butter.
Following the manufacturer’s instructions, cook waffles until deep brown and crisp. (For a standard waffle iron, pour a generous 1/2 cup of batter into the centre, spreading to within 1/2 inch of the edges, and close; the waffle will cook in 2 to 3 minutes.) Serve with your choice of eggs.
Matcha has always been our favourite ingredient to be used in food and even drinks. Not that it tastes nice it also have good benefits for our body. While we are still new to matcha we only use it to make Matcha Latte and desserts. However when we are getting better at using this ingredient we tried making more variations like Matcha Pumpkin Nut Milk, Matcha Espresso, Coconut Matcha Pines and more.
This time we decided to make use of it to spruce up your soda or sparkling water – Sparkling Matcha. It’s made with matcha tea powder and soda or sparkling water for a bubbly and refreshing drink. You only need a few minutes to create this drink and it’s absolutely perfect for warm days when you don’t feel like sipping hot matcha tea.
