MEETING UP 2

The lobby of The Garden Residence at Mid Valley was calm, quiet and almost empty with just one or two souls hanging about. Waiting. Just like me. 

I had arrived 5 minutes before the appointed time so I waited very patiently and was relieved that I had made it in time. I had rushed dressing up and I really didn't want to be there huffing and puffing and breaking out into beads of sweat. So I was glad for the breather.

I took a seat on a milk chocolaty couch from where I would be able to spy Ju, The Little Teochew, and her family from a distance as soon as they entered the lobby.

Within minutes I spotted that familiar nymphlike figure, then a smaller version of Ju slightly behind her and then a husband and two lovely little boys and their maid. Having arrived all the way from Singapore a few days back they were leaving for home that very afternoon.

I stood up and exhibited my widest grin from about 30 meters away. Ju, The Little Teochew, saw me. We crossed the lobby and met halfway. We sort of looked at each other, grinning, a little dazed and then stretched out our arms for a real life hug. 

Her adorable little girl, her two sweet young men and her most kind and considerate husband left us to ourselves.

We yakked..... about ourselves, each other, her, me, our goslings, our mothers, our husbands, some blogger friends we had in common and a little about food. Punctuated only by laughter. It seemed like we were simply catching up from where we had left off. We were just being what we were, first and foremost. Women.

It's hard to believe that I have come to know Ju and her little family only months ago. And merely through our blogs. Yet her warmth, her desire to reach out beyond that is unmistakable. Which has led to some (funny) email exchanges between us.

Ju looked as gorgeous as she does in her photographs. It seemed that all that was done were some whisperings of life into those images and there you had Ju, young, beautiful, bubbly and warm. And ever so interested in getting to know you better. 

It was a brief meeting, fleeting almost, but so meaningful and immensely satisfying. 


I am so blessed to know and so lucky to have been able to meet with Ju.


And...... we pried our ages from each other. But I'm not telling;)

PS : The pictures above were taken at the beautiful Scotio River in Ohio, USA, 2007 when I visited my eldest daughter and her family.

AN ICE CREAM BIRTHDAY CAKE

There comes a time in your life when age doesn't matter anymore. 

I really don't care how old I am... 'honest';) So there is no need to ask for my age.... because it matters not.

You see...and I'm sure you will agree with me...that at my or our or your age.....it is not how old I or we or you am or are that bothers me or us or you but how old I or we or you appear to be that matters. Agree ? Yes? No?

I assume that is what they mean when they say "Age is just a number".

But when you reach a certain age...where once you took a year to age a year you now take a day to equal that. Unless you were born just 'yesterday'.

Think about it....at what age would you start to check the mirror for a new line on your face? At what age would you start to check the firmness of your assets?  At what age would you start to measure the size of your pores? Or to count the strands of hair that gravitate to the ground? Everyday. At what age.... I ask you....at what age would you begin to measure and to count?
 

And/Or......At what age.... would you start to scrutinize the lines and fats of others in order to provide yourself with some comfort. I ask you.

 'At my age?'. 

But who cares........ 'Age is just a number'.

I wish a very happy birthday to my dearie and wonderful second daughter who is not quite counting nor scrutinizing. Yet. 

We celebrated her __th birthday this very evening.


This picture was taken some light years ago. She's a totally grown up young woman now. 

This is an ice cream cake. A nice creamy chocolate ice cream sandwiched between 2 layers of a very lovely,moist and fluffy Rose Levy's American sponge Cake. Covered with whipped cream, scrolled on and accented with some pink chrysanthemums. The ice cream part requested by hers truly. The rest is history.

It was quite stressful working with whipped cream and ice cream in my warm/hot little kitchen. So the slathering of the cream on the cake and the scrolling was done in quite a rush for fear of the ice cream melting within. 

I used a Wilton no. 6 plain round nozzle for the piping. I wished I had used a no. 4 which would have created a finer line.


Full credit for the design goes to Deeba of Passionate about Baking. Deeba is the Queen of Desserts and the design is her own original creation of which I'm mad about. So simple yet so chic. Thank you Deeba for sharing your Art.

I rushed to the wet market this morning to get those pink chrysanthemums. And I thought they went perfectly well with the pink ribbon that I have had in a corner for ages. 

I also like the fact that art does not equal symmetry. I adore imperfection in art. Deliberate imperfection. Perfectly imbalanced art. 

I hope those are enough excuses for the lopsided ribbon-ing of the cake.

The main dish for the birthday dinner was a spiced shoulder of lamb.

The recipe for the sponge cake.............from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, The Cake Bible.......

Nancy Blitzer's Classic American Sponge Cake

2 T water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp grated ,emon zest
1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs, egg whites and yolks separated
3/4 tsp cream of tartar


Preheat oven to 350 F or 170 C


In small bowl combine water, vanilla and lemon zest.
Remove 1 T of the sugar and reserve to beat with the whites.


In another small bowl whisk together the flour and 3 tablespoons of the sugar.


In a large mixing bowl beat the yolks and the remaining 3/4 cup ssugar on high speed for 5 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and ribbons when dropped from the beater.Lower the speed and gradually add the water mixture. Increase to high speed and beat for 30 seconds. Sift the flour mixture over the yolk mixture without mixing in and set aside.


Beat the whites until foamy, add the cream of tatar, and beat until sofr peaks form when the batter is raised.


Beat in reserved 1 T sugar and beat until very stiff peaks form.Add 1/3 of the beaten whites to the yolk mixture and fold in gently with a whisk or large skimmer until incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining white in 2 batches.


Pour into pan. Run a knife through the batter to prevent air pockets. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.


The recipe recommended  an ungreased  2 piece 10 inch tube pan. I used a 9 inch round cake pan, grease and lined bottom with paper.

I sliced the cake into 2 layers and slathered softened chocolate ice cream on one layer and topped with the other. Then I whipped two cups of whipping cream to cover the cake completely and to pipe the scroll design all over.  

SESAME AND BONITO FLAKED CRUSTED TOFU

Tofu has never been on my favourite food list. I can eat it.....but it doesn't give me that blithely bounce in my step or the fireworks in my head or the squint in my eyeballs kind of feeling that a creamy, rich, dark evil chocolate ganache or a stinky, stingy sambal belacan or the outrageous, soluble humps of a Baskin and Robbins would. 

It is just simply all-the-way-bland. Say what you may. 

But when I saw a picture of these in Divina Pe's beautiful blog Sense and Serendipity I was stunned into a meek silence and it made me swear to make it. My little tastebuds trembled. They did not rest until I had made some.  

I now sheepishly pronounce that these golden tofu nuggets are absolutely beyond wonderful. Dunk them into a spicy-salty soy-vinegar bird chillie bejewelled sauce and you may think that you've died and been granted eternity in tofu heaven.

So sharing this recipe is my good deed for the day.

Bonito flakes or katsuabushi sounded Greek/Japanese to me. But I found them quite easily in the Japanese section of Jusco.  

They are fish flakes made from dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna and are one of the main ingredients of a dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many Japanese soups.  Fishy and smelly heaven. Quite like what anchovies or dried shrimps are to the South East Asian palate. Just more refined.

Tell me, how can anything that is slathered in smelly, wispy, fishy flakes and a million sesame seed bits, fried to a golden, feathery, crust on the outside with a wobbly, silky and creamy inside not be good? 

But remember....dunk them in thoroughly before you let them slither down your throat. If you still find it bland you need not speak to me ever again and/or you may swear and condemn me to tofu heaven. I'd be happy to oblige.

The recipe by Divina Pe from Sense and Serendipity 

The tofu :


1 block semi firm tofu (320 gm)

1 egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used cornflour)
1/4 cup sesame seeds (or a mixture half and half black and white)
1 cup bonito flakes

2 T rice bran oil or untoasted sesame seed oil
(I used a vegetable cooking oil)



Dipping sauce.....

3 T light soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar (I used aple cider vinegar)
2 small bird chilies, finely chopped (optional)

Topping.......


1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 green or spring onion, finely sliced

Prepare tofu : Drain the tofu of any liquid. Pat dry with a clean dish cloth or paper towels, pressing down a little with the palm of your hand to make sure the tofu is dry and to remove excess water. Lay on a board and cut into 3/4 or 1 inch cubes. About 8 slices.


Breading the tofu : Place the flour/cornflour into 1 medium bowl. Break and egg into another and beat lightly to mix the white and yolk well and in the last bowl place the combination of bonito flakes and sesame seeds.


Taking one slice of tofu, cover it completely with flour, dip it in the egg and then coat it in the bonito/sesame seed mixture. Place on a plate and do the same for the rest of the sliced tofu.


Frying the tofu : Heat up the oil in a pan on medium high till hot but not smoking. Carefully place the crusted tofu slices in one by one and make sure that they are seperate. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden. When done remove and drain on kitchen paper.


Make the dipping sauce :


Slice the bird chillies (if using). Place in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and vinegar and mix well. Put in a serving bowl.


Garnish with topping :


Place the ginger paste and sliced spring onions on top of each tofu crust and put on a serving plate.


To serve :


Either let the guests dip the tofu into the dipping sauce or using a teaspoon dribble some sauce over the tofu before eating. 


Enjoy.

 





 .

GINGKO NUT CHICKEN SOUP

Pour kicap (soy sauce) into the milk to turn it into soy milk to feed  it to the chicken that plays with onions and rolls in rolled oats.

Which translates to :

Kicap (soy sauce)
Milk
Soy milk
Chicken
Onion
Rolled oats

That was my grocery list memorized according to Kevin Trudeau's mega memorizng method that I learnt years ago when I thought I still had one (a memory).

It took me a good 3 minutes of hard concentration to come up with that useful utter nonsense. It's hard work.

Which translates to :

I have very little willing memory.

So when Terri of Hunger hunger had so generously given me some gingko nuts when we met on her way home from China I thought they would make lovely plugs for all those holes that my brain has been complaining about.

I have made the soup three times since. It is simply chicken broth cooked with some ginger, any kind of vegetable, some tofu and of course the memory enhancing gingko nuts. A simple, light and healthy soup with a slight bitter undertone from the gingko nuts. All in all quite lovely. And I have finished the batch of nuts that Terri had given me.

When I first began cracking the shell, ejecting the nutmeat, blanching the nutmeat in hot boiling water to ease the skinning of the thin brown skin, splitting the nuts length wise to remove the bitter young shoot within, I found it more fiddly then I had expected. But I was determined to make it.

Eventually, as the following batch of nuts sat and waited their turn over the next few days, ejecting and peeling them became much easier. Terri had also told me that it was not necessary to rid it of the bitter shoot within. But being rather bitter intolerant I thought it would be better if I did.

The gingko nuts were very tender when cooked. They were rather creamy and soft and rather bland with a slight bitter edge to it.

The soup was very easy to make. I have adapted it from a recipe for a lovely clear chicken soup with leeks from a Vogue Travel and Entertainment magazine.

Please note that the gingko nut is toxic if eaten raw. It must be cooked.

The recipe................ serves about 4

1 medium free range chicken (kampung chicken), whole
3 slices ginger
leeks, white part trimmed to 1 cm lengths and green part just cut roughly, washed and rinsed well

1 large onion, peeled
1 small carrot

1 cake tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
10 -12 gingko nuts, shell cracked, brown skin peeled and bitter shoot removed, if preferred

Place whole chicken into a pot large enough for it. Cover with water. Put in the ginger, whole onion, and washed green part of the leeks and a carrot.


Bring to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add salt. Remove scum, the green leeks, carrot and onion.

You have basically made a chicken broth.

Remove the chicken, drain well and keep it aside on a board.


Add tofu, the chopped white part of the leeks, prepared gingko nuts and bring the broth to a boil and then simmer very gently for about 10 to 15 minutes. 


Meanwhile, the chicken may be deboned and the meat removed in shreds or it may be cut up into its parts with a pair of kitchen scissors at the leg joints, wing joints and the breasts cut into 2 or 3 parts with a knife. Arrange in serving bowls and pour the soup over the chicken to serve, dividing the tofu, leeks and gingko nuts between the individual bowls.


Serve hot. Food for the brain.