I think I suffered from what everybody would call a writer's block. I thought I was just busy coping up with being newly married and that was why I was not able to update this blog. I was still doing a lot of cooking and baking and I even have new gadgets and repertoire to boast but I just didn't have the inclination to write about it.
I made a lot of excuses (like not getting the fancy camera that I want) and it made me not get over the funk right away. Lately, the guilt has been nagging more loudly specially since this blog still picks up a good number of traffic even if it is clearly being neglected.
So, I made another blog..one that I have been thinking about doing for a long time. It's called PhukEAT : ... a guide to all the best places to eat and drink in the island. But why start a new blog when I can't even keep up with this one? Because that is how I work..I know it doesn't make sense but most of the time when start a new thing..my creative juices comes back again. Plus, I've been meaning to do more "Phuket here and there" segments here but it feel so out of place.
I think the best reason is I cannot find a decent restaurant guide in Phuket. One that is unbiased and informative. It is also a good excuse for me to try out a lot of new places and revisit the ones that I have been before.
So I hope you will support and visit my PhukEAT!
"One of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a plain dish, to sustain them truly against the hungers of the world." --MFK Fisher (Gastronomical Me)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Hello 2012!
I was so bad with not updating this blog last year that I promise to make it up this year!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thod Maan Koong (thai prawn cakes)
Sorry if I haven't been posting a lot this week because we have guests. Scott's best friend Hayden just got married in Florence, Italy last week and they decided to spend their honeymoon here. It was also our first time to meet his lovely wife, Stephanie. I will, however, post a recipe of an appetizer that I served on a dinner we hosted.
you will need:
500 g. prawn (devined, unshelled, minced really well)
1/4 cup pork lard (but I used vegetable lard)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
vegetable oil/ canola oil for frying
plum sauce
Method:
1. In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients. Put a bowl over another bowl of ice so that the mixture will keep firm and expanding. Knead well. You can use mixer to make it finer.
2. Wrap in cling film and put it in refrigerator for 2-3 min.
3. Form into a ball and deep fry.
4. When they float, they are already cooked.
you will need:
500 g. prawn (devined, unshelled, minced really well)
1/4 cup pork lard (but I used vegetable lard)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
vegetable oil/ canola oil for frying
plum sauce
Method:
1. In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients. Put a bowl over another bowl of ice so that the mixture will keep firm and expanding. Knead well. You can use mixer to make it finer.
2. Wrap in cling film and put it in refrigerator for 2-3 min.
3. Form into a ball and deep fry.
4. When they float, they are already cooked.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Musing: Running for my life
A month ago, I was in a mall with my friends and this lady came up to invite us to their booth and try their free health check. I knew right away that she was from a slimming center and this was just a marketing ploy. It was not also the first time that I was approached for slimming products and services because I am literally a walking target market.
We were just buying time while my friend's car was being fixed so my friend thought it would be a great idea to know our weights. I knew I was overweight but the girl insisted that I was and take note "morbidly obese" at 142lbs! She even encircled the words to my horror. On hindsight, maybe she was just trained to create fear and sense of urgency for me to want to lose weight so she can sell their product. And it successfully scared the hell out of me that I ran away to the nearest McDonald's and had a sundae.
The next day, still traumatized by what happened, I vowed to not eat rice. The day after that, I vowed not to eat carbs altogether. I also downloaded a running program for beginners to get me started to exercise. I knew I had to start somewhere (although deep inside I doubted if I can sustain it). I downloaded my Myfitnessplan, an Apple app to compute your calorie intake and start my own food journal.
I was successful in the first 2 weeks. I mean I followed my no carbs diet and fitness plan religiously but I was not losing enough weight. I worked my butt off but the scale did not go down faster than I expected. I was contemplating on throwing in the towel.
Then it made me think, the first day of the running program I almost killed myself trying to run for a whole straight minute but after 2 weeks I can already run 2 minutes straight in a walk/run interval for 10 minutes. That in itself was an achievement..thinking that I cannot even walk from the gate of the building (GMA) to the 2nd floor without panting so hard during my all time heaviest (171 lbs.). So I soldiered on.
However, I reassessed my diet. I listed all the healthy food that I really like. I can eat Muesli and yogurt the whole day and a lot of fruits and vegetables. So I will eat most of them and an occasional treat of my favorite baked pastry once a week in moderation. I think choosing to eat healthy and not go on a crazy diet is something that I can sustain forever (crossing fingers). After all, I am eating the things that I really like and not some bland unappetizing food in a diet plan that will soon go out of fashion like the rest that preceded it.
I also wrote a note that I carry all the the time as a reminder:
My fit and fab project
1. Eat not more than 1000 calories a day and never skip a meal.
2. Eat all the colors of fruits and veggies 2 cups each per day
3. Exercise 1 hr a day first thing in the morning- believe me this will give you a lot of energy the whole day and postponing it will only give you more chance to formulate an excuse not to do it.
4. Exercise Monday-Friday and Sunday. Rest day Saturday.
6. Walk, take the stairs
7. Incorporate strength training in the exercise every other day.
8. Drink a lot of water.
9. SLEEP 7-8 hours everyday. If you don't have enough sleep might as well not exercise.
10. Always have a friend to do it with..
We were just buying time while my friend's car was being fixed so my friend thought it would be a great idea to know our weights. I knew I was overweight but the girl insisted that I was and take note "morbidly obese" at 142lbs! She even encircled the words to my horror. On hindsight, maybe she was just trained to create fear and sense of urgency for me to want to lose weight so she can sell their product. And it successfully scared the hell out of me that I ran away to the nearest McDonald's and had a sundae.
The next day, still traumatized by what happened, I vowed to not eat rice. The day after that, I vowed not to eat carbs altogether. I also downloaded a running program for beginners to get me started to exercise. I knew I had to start somewhere (although deep inside I doubted if I can sustain it). I downloaded my Myfitnessplan, an Apple app to compute your calorie intake and start my own food journal.
I was successful in the first 2 weeks. I mean I followed my no carbs diet and fitness plan religiously but I was not losing enough weight. I worked my butt off but the scale did not go down faster than I expected. I was contemplating on throwing in the towel.
Then it made me think, the first day of the running program I almost killed myself trying to run for a whole straight minute but after 2 weeks I can already run 2 minutes straight in a walk/run interval for 10 minutes. That in itself was an achievement..thinking that I cannot even walk from the gate of the building (GMA) to the 2nd floor without panting so hard during my all time heaviest (171 lbs.). So I soldiered on.
 |
| My Runkeeper record |
However, I reassessed my diet. I listed all the healthy food that I really like. I can eat Muesli and yogurt the whole day and a lot of fruits and vegetables. So I will eat most of them and an occasional treat of my favorite baked pastry once a week in moderation. I think choosing to eat healthy and not go on a crazy diet is something that I can sustain forever (crossing fingers). After all, I am eating the things that I really like and not some bland unappetizing food in a diet plan that will soon go out of fashion like the rest that preceded it.
I also wrote a note that I carry all the the time as a reminder:
My fit and fab project
1. Eat not more than 1000 calories a day and never skip a meal.
2. Eat all the colors of fruits and veggies 2 cups each per day
3. Exercise 1 hr a day first thing in the morning- believe me this will give you a lot of energy the whole day and postponing it will only give you more chance to formulate an excuse not to do it.
4. Exercise Monday-Friday and Sunday. Rest day Saturday.
6. Walk, take the stairs
7. Incorporate strength training in the exercise every other day.
8. Drink a lot of water.
9. SLEEP 7-8 hours everyday. If you don't have enough sleep might as well not exercise.
10. Always have a friend to do it with..
 |
| My running mates! |
 |
| Me running on the beach early in the morning |
 |
| Trail mix snack I made |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Chicken Massaman Curry
The reason why I don't cook Thai food a lot is it is so cheap. And it requires a lot of ingredients. So if I'm planning a meal for 2, it would be more cost effective to have a take away than prepare it myself. But one day it crossed my mind, what if we will leave Thailand? Would I regret not learning how to cook the Thai dishes that I like? Most probably. And, that is why I will be doing more Thai dishes in the coming weeks.
2.Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan until warm. Add the paste from the mortar,
Massaman Curry Paste, Red Curry Paste. Stir-fry until an aroma develops.
3.Add 3 ladle scoops of coconut milk. Wait until the mixture extract the oil. Add potatoes and shallots,
ginger, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add chicken breast fillet and simmer until chicken cooked well.
4.Season with palm sugar, fish sauce, bay leaves, cardamom, cinamon stick and Star Anise.
5.Simmer for another 10 minutes, add tamarind juice and continue simmer until the sauce has a
medium consistency.
6.Transfer to a serving pot and add the fried cashew nuts, swirl cream of coconut milk on top (optional) and sprinkle with the Cilantro leaves. Served with steamed jasmine rice or Roti and Nana bread.
This next dish is called Massaman Curry, a southern Thai favorite and I suspect has Malay origin. Nam phrik kaeng massaman or massaman curry paste is usually prepared with chicken or beef (but hardly pork because its a Muslim dish). This dish was also mentioned in a poem written by King Rama II because it was his favorite. Here's how to prepare this delicious dish that is fit for a king:
Ingredients (For making 1 serving)
Paste ingredients
2 tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
1 tsp Red Curry Paste
2 cloves Garlic (peeled)
2 pieces Shallots (peeled)
10 stem Cilantro roots with its stem
5 g Ginger (cut into mini-juliened)
Curry ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
300ml Coconut milk
150g Chicken breast fillet (or cube-cut beef)
50g Potatoes (peeled)
4 pieces Cherry tomatoes (small size)
4 pieces Shallots (cut into halves)
10g Ginger (cut into mini-juliened)
2 tbsp Roasted peanut
Seasoning
1 tbsp Fish sauce
2 tbsp Palm sugar (optional brown sugar)
2? tbsp Tamarind juice
4 leaves Bay leaves
1 tbsp Cardamom (optional crushed)
1-2 pieces Star Anises
Garnish
15 g Deep-fried cashew nuts
2 tsp Cream of coconut milk
fresh cilantro leaves for sprinkling
Method
1.Coarsely mince or process the garlic , shallots ,ginger and cilantro roots and its stem in a mortar or food processor. Set aside.
Paste ingredients
2 tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
1 tsp Red Curry Paste
2 cloves Garlic (peeled)
2 pieces Shallots (peeled)
10 stem Cilantro roots with its stem
5 g Ginger (cut into mini-juliened)
Curry ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
300ml Coconut milk
150g Chicken breast fillet (or cube-cut beef)
50g Potatoes (peeled)
4 pieces Cherry tomatoes (small size)
4 pieces Shallots (cut into halves)
10g Ginger (cut into mini-juliened)
2 tbsp Roasted peanut
Seasoning
1 tbsp Fish sauce
2 tbsp Palm sugar (optional brown sugar)
2? tbsp Tamarind juice
4 leaves Bay leaves
1 tbsp Cardamom (optional crushed)
1-2 pieces Star Anises
Garnish
15 g Deep-fried cashew nuts
2 tsp Cream of coconut milk
fresh cilantro leaves for sprinkling
Method
1.Coarsely mince or process the garlic , shallots ,ginger and cilantro roots and its stem in a mortar or food processor. Set aside.
2.Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan until warm. Add the paste from the mortar,
Massaman Curry Paste, Red Curry Paste. Stir-fry until an aroma develops.
3.Add 3 ladle scoops of coconut milk. Wait until the mixture extract the oil. Add potatoes and shallots,
ginger, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add chicken breast fillet and simmer until chicken cooked well.
4.Season with palm sugar, fish sauce, bay leaves, cardamom, cinamon stick and Star Anise.
5.Simmer for another 10 minutes, add tamarind juice and continue simmer until the sauce has a
medium consistency.
6.Transfer to a serving pot and add the fried cashew nuts, swirl cream of coconut milk on top (optional) and sprinkle with the Cilantro leaves. Served with steamed jasmine rice or Roti and Nana bread.
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