Chicken soup for lunch

I think I am going through this soup phase now. Have had it twice already this past week and I think it's cuz I've not managed to get it right just yet. That's until today when I made it again for lunch and I think am happy with the results. Not perfect yet but definitely edible. You're probably thinking like 'Allo, how difficult can it be to cook chicken soup?' Exactly, that was what I thought too. Like chicken soup...just throw ingredients in and let it simmer right? Wrong. It's hard when you're on Cohen meals cuz you can't use the bones to make tasty stock or use any kind of stock to help enhance the flavour.

Let me take you through my soup experience.

First attempt at chicken soup:
Totally tasteless cuz used too much water and it was taking forever to reduce cuz had THAT much water. Also, I used chicken chunks which was rock hard by the time I gave up trying to reduce the soup level. Why hard? Yes, over boiled it. So was quite a painful experience eating that!

Second attempt at chicken soup:
Used too many chilly padies - 2 to be exact. These are the ones with power and kick. That plus the amount of pepper I used, I was in tears when I ate the soup. Also, it took me a loooong time to cook the soup cuz amount of water was still not right yet and I wasn't getting the right combination of salt, pepper, garlic and ginger yet. Didn't use chicken chunks but rather diced them finely while semi-frozen (makes cutting easier) and made little round chicken balls. The chicken meat wasn't hard at all. Yay!

Today's attempt at chicken soup:
Reduced amount of chilly padi to one. I might do away with it totally the next time cuz the black pepper gives it a nice kick already. Right amount of water. Used a whole variety of mushrooms to add different flavours to the soup. Used sliced garlic and ginger. Also used the usual salt and pepper. Also added garlic powder - my current favourite right now. Use it on anything and everything. And the soup was cooked real fast. I think it took me longer to chope all the ingredients!

Next thing would be to try this with seafood. Let's see if I will manage to get it right the first time round or need at least three attempts before getting it right *laughs*

Very exciting for me ...

This is really cool. I got a message last week from a Adam Goff, photo editor from New Scientist Magazine, saying that the magazine is considering using this photo that I took when I went for an inter-tidal walk at Pulau Semakau. They are even willing to pay for the photo. I mean, that's like not a concern. Am just thrilled by that. Now will wait to see if they will ultimately decide to use it for their article. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me ya!

Shopping in Singapore...

I love shopping. It's retail therapy for me and I feel darn good after shopping, even window shopping. And it helps that I have friends who enjoy shopping too. But I realise as I get older, I enjoy shopping on my own at times cuz it's me time and I don't have to worry if I am wasting any one's time. I go where I want, try anything that strike my fancy. It's just a feel good experience. Until the credit card bills come in. Then it's not such a fun experience *laughs*

Anyways, just to share my shopping experience today. Not very fruitful cuz wanted to look for some things but the fit wasn't good. So came home with things that weren't on the list. Yes, there is a term for that - impulse buying and I am good at that. Am trying to get that bad habit fixed but it will take time. Made worse with being on Cohen cuz on most days, I am not able to pig out on food that I love.

Today I was checking out some places. Why do the sales person feel that us shoppers actually want them to be there physically next to us when we shop. I don't know if that's what the majority wants but I HATE IT. Either they trail you as if they are afraid you might steal something...yes I know they are trying to be helpful but how helpful can it be when you are trying to shop and you have somebody watching over you like a hawk and when you dare touch something from the rack, the sales person will IMMEDIATELY rearrange it once your hand leaves the hanger. It's like a huge SIN to have any items not tucked in line with the other clothes which have been tightly arranged on hangers. We're suppose to have x-ray vision to know EXACTLY which items we want and fit us perfectly.

If you happen to be at Takashimaya around ten, try this (don't use main entrance, go through the one next to MacDonald's. I was there today and was waiting for the store to open. When they finally opened, I noticed all the staff had their eyes on the door...waiting as people go by, praying that one of them would enter. I was a bit hesitant to enter FIRST but hey, no one was around so I had to go in. A few staff at the door started to bow and I realised then that EVERYONE was standing along the aisle just waiting for the FIRST customer. And after that FIRST person has entered, everyone went back to what they were doing. So my thought was this, if I didn't enter, how long would they have to wait? It was like the staff for the WHOLE level was just waiting.

Next stop, Marks and Spencer at Paragon. A customer had asked for them to check the other branches for something that she wanted. And the staff there was suppose to call her back. Speaking in Malay, this was the conversation they had (translated into English by moi so that everyone can enjoy the conversation).

Staff A: What should I tell this customer. I tried to call the branch but they were not picking up (the phone).

Staff B: Tell her you tried and will call the branch again later in the evening.

Staff A: Can you talk to her for me?

Staff B: What?

Staff A: Can I just tell her that they don't have (the item) at the other branch?

Staff B: (no reply as she was handling a customer)

Staff A: I'll just tell her we don't have the item (picks up phone to call the customer)

I walked away, disgusted. I didn't plan to eavesdrop. I was just keeping my card and receipt at the counter and they were speaking loud enough for anyone standing at the counter to hear. Guess they thought it was to converse to Malay and nobody would understand. I do wonder now cuz there were times when I have asked Marks and Spencer staff to help call the other branches to check if they had tops in my size and the lines are usually busy so they promised they will call me back. Usually they do call back and there were times when they said they didn't have my tops at the other branches. So now I wonder if they really did call. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't ...

Love my weekend!

I love my weekends cuz I have time to try different things. During the weekday, I cook the simpliest thing possible so that I can quickly get to work. Another criteria for weekday is that the food must be okay eaten cold cuz there's no microwave where I'm at.

Had an idea today and decided to try it out for lunch and it turned out rather nice. Had leave over crab meat from last nite and decided to use it and stuff a sotong and then oven back it in my handy little oven.

I diced some mushrooms and tomatoes, chopped up finely some chilli padies and stir fry all that quickly with the crab meat, dashed a little pepper, salt, garlic powder and onions. Ran out of balsamic so used some apple cider vinegar instead (still prefer the taste of balsamic compared to the apple cider vinegar).

When it's almost cooked, took out some and stuffed the squid (which I rubbed the outside with a little bit of olive oil). I didn't have a large squid (will use a big one next time round) so didn't get to stuff very much in. Then added a dash of pepper, salt and garlic powder on the outside and popped it into the oven for about 15-20 minutes till the squid was nice and chewy.

With the rest of the crabmeat, I threw in the rest of the mushrooms (sliced ones) and fry them some and serve it as a side with the squid.

Once done in the oven, cut the squid into poppable size and don't forget to squeeze a little lemon or lime all over and eat away. Verdict - NICE considering that it's an experiment.

As for dinner, had marinated some thinly sliced beef two days ago and the flavour really seeped into the meat. Grilled it tonight and then fried some green veggies with shitake with the remnants from grilling the beef to get the flavour into the veggies. Nice!!!

Had a good day today with two neat meals!!! Now what about for tomorrow. Am going to try and attempt chicken soup again. Had some failed attempts before and yes, it's suppose to be real simple I know but...

Mint Museum of Toys in Singapore

Above: Poster for the Door of Hope Exhibit

Singaporeans are a funny bunch. We are so obedient and so afraid of breaking rules that I wonder sometimes what we're missing out on when we're so cautious and think forever before doing anything. Now why do I say this. Recently, after a trip to Bras Basah, I saw the sign that pointed where the Mint Museum of Toys was at (opposite Seah Street Deli at Raffles Hotel). I knew that was one of the places I wanted to see so it was good timing and we headed there.

If you're wondering where this museum is at, head this way or check out their website:

The Mint Museum and Café
26 Seah Street
Singapore 188382

Opening hours: Mint Museum from 9.30am to 6.30pm & Mint Cafe from 9.30am to 10.30pm

After paying the entrance fees ($7 per adult), we went in and started from the very top and walked our way down. Interesting displays and was rather nostalgic when I spot toys that I remember from my childhood days. So yes, looks of oooohhhhs and ahhhhs from me.

So as I was saying about us Singaporeans, maybe we are so well trained here and overseas that we should NEVER EVER take pictures when we're in museums. I mean, god help us if we even try to sneak a picture with our mobile phones cuz the consequences could be real horrid..we might end up at museum hell when we die ya.

I saw some very nice dolls that I wanted to take pictures off. I looked around and saw there were cameras pointing my way (well space rather limited there so wherever you stand, the camera will most likely be looking at you kid. Hmm, so the security people are probably looking at me now wondering why I am staring at them security cameras. I looked around to see if there are any signs that prohibits photo taking. No such signs. I walked around and even asked Slawek, maybe I missed the sign somehow. He confirmed that there were no such signs. I looked around and saw that no one else was taking photos. I mean, there was this REAL FEAR that I might get thrown to jail if I actually took photos of the exhibits. So to play safe, I waited till the guy who was cleaning the display cabinet went off and the plan was if any security fella came to drag me away, I will just cry and claim temporary madness that made me take them pictures.

So will that plan, I took out my mobile and started taking pictures. And guess what, the same people who were only browsing, saw what I was doing and ALL of them whipped out their phones and starting snapping away. I burst out laughing because everyone was just waiting for one person to do it before they actually started to take snap shots. I guess there's security in numbers. What can they possibility do when it's like 7 of us versus one security guard ya.

Feeling alot braver now, I took out my brand new camera and took proper shots and am so glad I did as I now have pictures of the dolls that I feel in love with to show everyone.

If you love toys, check out this museum. If you want to relive your childhood with some fond memories of them toys you played with, check out this museum. I sure hope this museum will be around for a long time as it's such a shame when neat places like this go bust in a year or two!

My favourite area would be where the dolls were on display. There is the DOOR OF HOPE collection where the dolls originate from China and range from 1920's-1930's. So these are real vintage toys. This mission was established in 1901 by 5 Western women who wanted to help the Chinese women who had to deal with abuse and prejudice then. There were young children and women who were sold to brothels and these 5 Western women provided a safe haven for those who managed to escape the brothels. Other than learning to read and write, they also learnt to sew where they worked on Doll Project. These dolls were sold and contributed to the girls' personal income as well as help upkeep the mission. Each doll is handcrafted and unique and it's just amazing how 'real' the features are.

I took some snapshots of the dolls so that I can share how amazing they are. However, being pictures, they don't do justice to the real dolls so if you have a chance, go take a look at the exhibit.

Above: A baby all safely wrapped up

The details are amazing and you just can't help peer closely to study how real they look. Check out this pair below dressed in silk.

There are alot more dolls on display and these are just a sample of what's available. Below, you have another kiddo in silk.

And one of my favourites has to be this one - mother and child. Just beautiful I think. Looking at this closer, it's probably the amah carrying the child from a wealthy family cuz no wealthy lady of the house would be caught dead carrying her kid this manner. The kiddo is all dressed up wherelse the amah is simply dressed. I guess things haven't changed much for us today. These helpers are usually women employed by the family to clean, look after the children etc. And they are usually very close to the children as they are the main care giver. And if we look at things here in Singapore, many families have helpers to help look after their children and who do we see the kids running too when they fall or need a cuddle? The helpers. Rather sad I think but guess that's the cost of having both parents out at work to bring in more income to give the children a better life.

There is another collection of dolls from China and it's by a talented doll-maker Michael Lee and here his first two dolls that he made. Again, beautiful dolls like those above.

And here are more of Michael's dolls. Dolls such as these really give insight to how life was back then. So much about the culture, the way people behave and dress back then can be learnt from these dolls. Who wants Barbie dolls when you have these beauties.

Update: Googled some and found this website that's worth checking out if you want to see more Door of Hope Dolls.

My special own dish.

Am struggling to stay on Cohen with all these stressful times and have been preparing my food ONE way. Guess it gets easier when it becomes a routine thing and requires minimal thought when I cook my meals. It works super well with seafood like fish (including them tuna chunks from the can), prawns and crab meat.

What I do is chop some garlic and onions till it's really fine. And for a real kick, I use two chilli padis (you can use normal chilli but if want a kick, go for one chilli padi, two for a real damn good kick - the kind that will clear your nose and get you sniffling) and chop them up too. With olive oil, heat up the pan and brown the garlic, onions and chilli. Once they have browned nicely, throw in chopped tomatoes and mushrooms. For mushrooms, I use a mix of enoki (that I have blanched using boiling water just before this), and any kind of mushrooms that I have around. I also love this brown crunchy mushrooms that are usually used in soups but I add a strand or two that I chop roughly to add crunch. Will have to find out what it's called.

After all the veggies have soften, I add in the fish (or whatever I want) and fry it till the meat cooks. Then end off with salt, pepper and basalmic vinegar and swish them around. If you want to make this a bit wetter, add more tomatoes as it will mush up and makes a nice kind of sauce.

Below is a picture where I used Red Snapper to cook with the veggies. It's still moist and fish tastes alot better moist than too dried.

When out over the weekend, we try to pack lunch so that we can actually catch a movie and then have lunch out and then continue to do what we want to do. Being on Cohen is quite a chore cuz the places that have Cohen friendly eateries are not located in town but at rather god forsaken locations. So used tuna as it will last a little longer without being in a fridge and it can be eaten cold (of course will be nice warm but...). So we usually find a nice quite spot, buy some fruits and drinks and have our own 'feast'. Must confess that it's tough when everything around us smells so much better. Yes am obsessed with food. But am a true blue Singaporean and we enjoy our food!
Tried with some frozen crab meat and I guess it could be better. The crab meat wasn't very tasty. Guess that what happens when meat gets frozen and it takes away any taste so fresh is always good. Was edible but will be awhile before I try this again. Prawns are great to do it this way and cooks real fast so when I don't have time, I go for the prawns - thaw and cook real quick!

Over the weekend, for one of my meals, I made this using the same recipe. But tried with beef. Had a small piece of beef and used Slawek's recipe and marinated it with salt, pepper, basalmic and a squirt or two of Braggs. It would have been better if I had left it overnight but thanks to poor planning, I left the meat aside for only about 20 minutes.

Browned it on a hot pan for 1-2 minutes each side and then pop it into the toaster oven for 15 minutes. It depends on how well you want the meat done. Love mine well done. Made the veggies the usual way and made it a little 'wetter' as I wanted to eat it with the meat. Also used the juices that came from the meat and added it to the veggies when I cook them. And surprise surprise, it actually goes damn well with the meat. And the meat was nice and soft.

So looks like will be cooking this style for some time now. It takes about 30 minutes in total to prepare and cook the food. Longer for the meat though. Anyways, that's it for now. Got to try and find a new way to cook my meals because am not sure how long I will be happy with cooking it this way. Okay for now but with my short concentration span .....