Yan & Zain Cendol @JB

This is one of our favourite stops in JB when we want to cool ourselves with cendol. Operated from a mobile stall parked outside a Maybank branch, often bank-goers drop by for a quick cendol before heading their next destination.

The cendol ingredients are sufficiently coconut flavored (including the greenish jelly - not sure what it's called actually) and affordable at 1.50rm per bowl.

We have tried cendols elsewhere in JB before but none was as good as this, and at this price!

I even overheard other patrons saying that this is one of the best around town and even better than the one at 彩虹城 etc. :) I couldn't agree more!

Address: to be posted....

Tze char at 彩虹城 (1)

Last weekend we drop by 彩虹城 to have "tze char" at stall 11.

We ordered the fried sotong, sambal kangkong and ko lo yok. It was past 8pm when we reached and they have ran out of fish head curry. (despite that they only open from 6pm(!) till midnight)

In all, the 3 dishes with 2 plates of rice and 1 cup of liang teh came up to 27.40rm (around SGD11 ~ using exchange rate of 2.48). Pleased with it overall!


Address: Stall no. 11, Taman Serene Food Centre, Jalan Biru (opposite the famous San Low seafood restaurant)

Operating hours: 6pm - 12am
Cons: limited veg choices (no sweet potato leaves)

No hot water from (Rheem) Water Heater?

No hot water supply from water heater? It might be thermostat or coil problem. And you might just need to replace the spoilt part(s) instead of the entire water heater.

I was advised by some plumber (without hesitation) that the water heater is faulty and I have to replace the water heater which would cost me a couple hundreds of dollars. Luckily I called Rheem's service hotline and was advised that it could be some parts problem such as faulty thermostat.

I got this contact through Rheem's service hotline. This is their authorized contractor for plumbing services.

Ben- +65 9382 1777

When I called the mobile number it was not picked up. But within a minute, I received a call from a landline number. It was Ben. As I wanted the job to be done ASAP, Ben managed to arrange for a plumber to come down my place between 3-4pm. The plumber arrived around 3.15pm, checked the water heater and advised that the thermostat had to be replaced. Total cost would be S$120 and asked if i wished to proceed (transport, labour, parts costs). I agreed and he swiftly replaced the thermostat and the next thing I know- the false ceiling is back on. So fast that I had asked him "done already???". He replied "Yes". He stayed on a little to make sure hot water was flowing again before he went off. (during the waiting time, he moved his barang barang out of the house) In all, he took less than 30 minutes to get the job done. He is so focus that he don't engage in chit chat but still remained friendly. He wasted no time.

Damaged: S$120.

A quick check with the uncle, he said they provide all sorts of plumbing services except aircon servicing.

Note: I didn't use Rheem's service guy as they could only schedule the appointment earliest 3 days later. As I wanted to settle this ASAP, I was given their authorized contractor's number to call to check if the contractor's plumber could come down later in the day (called the contractor at 10 plus in the morning and managed to schedule the appointment in the afternoon). The charges are the same as Rheem's as advised by the service hotline staff.


Overall rating: 4 out of 5 (Happy with the fast service and job done!)

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh

This is one of our favourite Bak Kut Teh places in Singapore. 
Besides the pepperish version of Bak Kut Teh soup, they also serve other dishes such as liver soup and pig trotters.

Where: Blk 22 Sin Ming Road, Singapore 570022
Hours: 7am - 9pm, everyday

Butter Cake

Made the above last Friday. It is a very simple recipe as you just need to put all ingredients (except the nutella and cranberries) into the mixing bowl and beat till the batter becomes smooth. I've adapted the recipe from http://www.cookrepublic.com/recipe-archive/nutella-butter-cake/.

The original recipe only uses nutella but I added cranberries - making it half nutella, half cranberries butter cake (then I get 2-in-1 cake!).

Recipe
(source:http://www.cookrepublic.com/recipe-archive/nutella-butter-cake/)
Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Baking Time – 60 minutes

Serves – 8

Ingredients

150g churned, salted butter

1 cup caster sugar

3 organic eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons Nutella (I've used about 4 tbsp of Nutella and cranberries as desired)

Method

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a 20cm (8 inch) round or 25x11cm (10×4 inch) rectangle loaf tin with baking paper.

Combine all ingredients except Nutella, craberries in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for approximately 4 minutes until combined and smooth.

Spoon half the mixture in the prepared tin. Place one tablespoon of Nutella over the mixture. Using a wooden skewer or fork, gently swirl the mixture through the batter along the top to get a marble effect. Top with remaining cake batter.

Add another tablespoon of Nutella on top and repeat the swirling pattern. 

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Macaron Making Journey II

Since my first attempt on making macarons (started on 8 November 2012), I have been practising almost daily making macarons. I progressed from 250g packet of almond ground to 1 kg packet of almond ground . Sounds crazy I know but I still have more than 3/4 of the 1 kg almond ground left for your information. I am able to maximize my ingredients by downsizing the proportion for practice purposes.

For the first recipe that I've posted, somehow it didn't work the 2nd, third, and fourth rounds for me. I began to think that it was beginner's luck in my first and only successful attempt with that particular recipe. Having failed so many times, I knew that this recipe wasn't stable for me and my kitchen. I began searching for more recipes and thought why don't i try google for bloggers with successful experiences in making marcarons under Singapore's humid condition? Finally, I came across 2 blogs - Lady J who calls for the use of cream of tartar powder which I wasn't too keen, and Keropokman with his successful experiences! Hmmm, looks promising!

Keropokman indicated that he has used the recipe from David Lebonvtiz and David Lebonvtiz indicated himself have adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz. (sounds confusing yeah? Am just quoting what they had indicated.....)

Macaron Batter Recipe on David Lebonvitz's website (reproduced here for easy reference):
Makes about fifteen cookies

Macaron Batter

1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar
½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
3 tablespoons (25 gr) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

I've tried the batter recipe and was happy to find that I could achieve a relatively firm egg white batter that doesn't fall off even when i flipped the bowl upside down (yes, I've tested and meant it literally! You can't imagine how happy I was to be able to flip it over without dropping :P). In the other recipes that I have tried, though I could achieved a relatively firm batter (that didn't fall off from the beater) but it was still a little runny that I did not have the confidence to flip my bowl over. When I mixed in the rest of the ingredients (sifted icing sugar, extra fine grounded almond, and cocoa powder), i felt that the overall batter was a little dry in comparison to those from the other recipes I've tried. Nevermind that, since Keropokman has tested it, it should be "OK" I thought.

After piping the batter onto the baking tray, I banged it a couple times and prong it into my preheated oven of 160°C (as tested by Keropokman). After 2-3 minutes, I started seeing feet. You could not imagine how delighted I was, yet again! But some minutes later, i see cracks! Yes! Cracks! Failed once again. i tested the recipe again with more mixing and banging but it still didn't worked for me.

So i began reviewing what worked and what didn't worked in the various tried and tested recipes, and finally I came up with this "concoction" which I've adapted from Keropkman's, David Lebonvitz's and Ann Reardon's:

My Adapted Macaron Batter Recipe:
(adapted from Keropkman's, David Lebonvitz's and Ann Reardon's)

• 35g of egg white at room temperature (1 egg gives an average 35g of egg white)
• 30g of granulated /castor sugar
• 58g of icing sugar
• 30g of extra fine almond ground

Steps:

1. Sift the icing sugar and extra fine grounded almond.
   (I usually sift them separately once first, and then sift them together another time -total sifted twice).
2. Beat the egg white and add in the granulated sugar. Continue to beat till you get a stiff, firm batter.
   (I used the lowest setting on my electric mixer, and it took me between 8 - 11 minutes to achieved the desired firmness. You can try to move your bowl and see if the mixture is still runny or stay firmed. This would give you an idea if the batter is ready. When it's ready, flip over the bowl and the batter would not fall off! The lesson I've learnt after numerous attempts on this step is not to follow blindly with the "number of minutes". Instead try to identify when the batter is ready.)
3. Fold in the sifted icing sugar and extra fine almond ground till you achieved a  consistency such that the batter falls off in ribbons from your spatula.
   (Some people say 30 folds, some say 50 folds, some say as few folds as possible. Nevermind all that! You really need to fold, check, and stop when you the batter falls off in ribbons. I've tried all the x number of folds and after a while, i stopped  counting and try to identify the "ribbon" consistency instead. Also, you need not be too gently in folding as you really don't want to have too many air bubbles trapped in the batter.)
4. Now it's ready to put the batter into the piping bag. Once done, cut the tip of the piping bag no more than 1cm big. (unless you want to get very big macaroons).
   (Usually by this stage, I would start preheating my Bosch oven to 160°C)
5. Pipe them onto your baking tray which have been lined with 2 baking sheets and 1 parchment paper (the parchment paper goes on top of the 2 baking sheets). Once done, bang hard the baking tray of macaroons batter a couple of times. The macaroon batter will spread wider and any soft peaks arose during pipping should slowly disappear as the batter flattens.
   
6. Pop them into the pre-heated oven of 160°C, at mid level (or slightly below mid level), with time setting of 25 minutes.
   (Most recipes calls for the macaroons to be left for an hour or so to allow the top of the macaroon shell to dry up. However, given Singapore's humidity, I don't know how long it would take to achieve that. And you would be happy to know that my adapted recipe didn't require a resting under Singapore's weather.
7. Once you see that all the macaroons have developed feet, lower the temperature to 130°C. (Else you might get dark brown macaroons)
8. How to tell when the marcarons are ready? The feet holds firm when you touch/press down on the macaron shell lightly. And they should "pop" off from the parchment paper easily. if the underneath is still damp, pop them into the oven a couple minutes more, or as necessary.
9. Put them into an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. They are nicer after a night resting in the fridge.

I have tried my above adapted macaron recipe several times and it worked for me so far! Hope it works for you too! I'll be glad if you could share with me your experience on how my adapted recipe worked for you if you are using it ..... 


Lessons learnt from my practices:

1. Make sure that the equipment used in beating the egg white and sugar and grease free/oil free, and "egg yolk" free, and water free. If you don't achieve the firm egg white batter no matter how long you beat it, something must be wrong somewhere. Especially if you are using a plastic mixing bowl, ensure that it is cleaned properly. There could be traces of grease on the plastic bowl (even your hands) which are invisible to the naked eye. And any traces of egg yolk kills the batter too. You really don't want to transfer grease, water, egg yolk etc to the batter unknowingly. (you may think that I'm being paranoid but I've wasted enough ingredients and the "should be ok lah" thinking really kills everything in the end)
2. Almond ground may excrete oil. So after sifting the almond ground and icing sugar, make sure you clean your hands properly before handling/ breaking the egg. You don't want to transfer any oil from the almond to the egg white (Yes, you may say I am being paranoid again but I'm taking no chance.)
3. Use parchment paper if you want your macaroons to be able to "pop out". You need 2 layers of baking sheet/ greaseproof paper placed below the parchment paper.
   I had trouble finding parchment paper initially as even Phoon Huat sells only baking sheet (which is greaseproof paper as indicated on the packaging). And I found that the terms are used loosely/ interchangeably. But I researched on the internet that parchment paper isn't quite the same as baking sheet and greaseproof paper. I tried using 3 layers of greaseproof papers and my macarons often stuck to the paper. It didn't work for me. When I finally gotten hold of parchment paper (Waitrose baking parchment available from Cold Storage, S$4.40 for 10m long, 375mm wide) and use 1 sheet of parchment paper above 2 layers of greaseproof paper, my macarons pop out easily from the parchment paper. No more sticking!

Gap Scent - So Pink

So Pink is one body mist from Gap that never makes me feel tired of it. It features a pink grapefruit scent and a light pinkish colour, and makes me feel fresh whenever I put it on. It is light (not pungent) and quite lasting.

As the description on the back of the bottle says: a blend of citrus and flowers - so fresh, so bright, so pink. A light fragrance to spray all over. 

How true! I loved it so much that I always couldn't resist spraying it all over myself!
But unfortunately, I think it has been discontinued!

Agnès b BB Cream

Agnès b BB Cream is one of my top favourite BB cream foundations  (the other being Cle De Peau's) having tested several. I was very happy when some time back, my sis spotted it going on a promotion at a box of 2 for S$50 at DFS Nuance-Watson, T2, Changi Airport! Without much thinking, I told her to grab a box for me! What a steal!

About Agnès b BB Cream: It is a tinted cream with 6 in 1 actions, and has SPF20/ PA++. The 6 in 1 actions include: 

• hydrates 24hours
• unifies complexion
• corrects blemishes
• fights the signs of ageing
• protects skin from UV rays
• provides radiant glow

Comes in 30ml (1 fl. oz.) tube, the Agnès b BB Cream has a creamy texture that applies easily onto the face. I liked that it has a correcting effect (on skin imperfections like freckles and blemishes) and gives my skin the radiance throughout the day till night. The shade that I'm using is 01 Light which is rather "white" and more suitable for fairer complexion. Am not sure if it is available in other shades (otherwise why bother to give it a shade number) but it is always 01 shade that we see out there.

Talika Eye Therapy Patch

For the past 3 nights, I've tried out the Talika Eye Therapy Patch sample collected from BHG Talika counter. Apparently the product is so popular that the sales assistant said that it is currently out of stock.

A little info on the Eye Therapy Patch: these reusable patches (up to 3 times) are supposedly to help reduce under-eye puffiness, dark circles and combat wrinkles and fine lines. A look at the ingredients, the patch contains: Ceramide III, essential oils, karite.

Each eye patch has a plastic film on it which you are supposed to retain as you need to put the eye patch on it for subsequent usage.

The eye patch has a herbal/ essential oils scent. It is not overly strong so it was alright for me. By the second and third applications, the scent faded away.

After removing the patch, I didn't really observe any visible improvement in terms of dark circles. I didn't have fine lines so I couldn't comment on this area.

Given the price tag, I would give this a miss, at least for now.



What: Talika Eye Therapy Patch
Retail Price: S$120 for 6 pairs (18 treatments)

Estee Lauder - Double Wear

A couple of days ago, I gotten a sample of Estee Lauder's Number 1 Foundation - Double Wear from their Isetan Scott Counter. The Double Wear is a liquid foundation with an SPF 10/PA ++. Supposedly it is a long-wear makeup with 15-hours staying power.

Above: Sample size bottle

This morning i decided to try it out. After my usual face sunblock application, with my finger tips, I dabbed the Double Wear onto my face. It was lightweight and easy for application. I was surprised how well the colour matched my skin tone (almost perfect match through no fault of theirs as i have uneven skin tone). Kudos to the lady who chose the shade "Tawny" for me.

Back on the application,  the foundation spread easily and left what I thought a slight powderish feel to the touch. My face felt neither oily nor heavy. It was comfortable but a little drying. And I noticed that the coverage (for my freckles) isn't as good as other BB creams. On second thought, the selling point was the "stay on" power. 

Now I shall wait and observe the stay on power under Singapore's humid weather.

Update: the stay on power was there. It didn't "melt" after a short walk mid noon and it was still there on my face when I cleanse my face at night.

 

For those interested in getting a sample, check out the following link for sample giveaway: 
https://www.facebook.com/EsteeLauderSG/app_295673160537757

Kanebo Sale (14-16 Nov 2012)

14-16 Nov 2012
11am-7pm
#16-08, UE Square

Kanebo Warehouse Sale started today at their office in UE Square. Products were up to 70% off and included brands like Kate, Impress, Lunasol and Blanchir. There were skincare and cosmetic products and accessories like sharpener, eyelash curler, etc.

I reached there slightly past 11am and was glad that a queue has not formed yet. The sale was held in a pretty small room and didn't seem to have lots of stock in a glance.

After a walk through, i felt that this round it wasn't as impressive as previous's. I also noted that quite a handful of the products have manufacturing dates dating year 2009. Some were 2010 and 2011. I recalled previous sale had "fresher" stock. However, in compensating the manufacturing dates, the products did have very attractive prices (see price list below).

As usual there are people grabbing every other thing into their bag(s) and I wondered if they could use all up those before the products go beyond their shelf life..... I asked one of the staff on the expiration of a particular product with manufacturing period dated year 2009 and was advised: "2 years if never open, there after use within 2 years". Simple counting revealed that since the x date 2009 till now it's been more than 2 years. I wondered why it was put on sale. Shouldn't it be discarded? (HMMPT!) Even with the tempting price, I decided to give it a miss!

Above: going for $15.  (manufactured Aug 2009)

Above: Kate Eyeshadow Palettes

Above: Lunasol Eyeshadow Palettes

Above: Freshel products

After going a few rounds, my loot consists of only a bronzer and some brow liners. As I still have stock for some skincare and cosmetic products I reckoned I shouldn't get more here considering the shorter shelf life. Done with my shopping, I head for payment. While the queue isn't exactly considered long (for such sales) but it was super duper slow! Only 1 cashier! I think I had queued almost an hour. Luckily I wasn't in a rush, else it would have been frustrating. Hope they could do better with more cashiers and fresher stocks next round! 

Here's the non exhaustive master price list as not all price lists were on display:

Freshel White C Whitening Lotion (L/M/Acne) S$6 (RSP S$S$28)

Freshel White C Brightening C Lotion S$6 (RSPS$28)

Freshel White C UV Day Lotion S$6 (RSP S$33)

Freshel White C Essence Lotion A S$6 (RSP S$30)

Freshel White C Whitening Cream S$6 (RSP S$33)

Freshel White C Essence Cream S$7 (RSP S$36)

Freshel White C Night Essence S$7 (RSP S$36)

Freshel White C Whitening Milk (L/M) S$6 (RSPS$28)

Freshel White C UV Day Protector S$5 (RSP S$26)

Freshel White C W Cream UV (BB cream) S$6(RSP S$33)

Freshel Moist Lift Moisture Cleansing S$5 (RSPS$24)

Freshel Moist Lift Moisture Soap S$5 (RSP S$24)

Freshel Moist Lift W Creaming (BB Cream) S$6(RSP S$33)

Freshel Moist Lift Cream (Moist/ Ex Moist)N S$6 (RSP S$36)

Freshel Moist Lift Night Essence N S$7 (RSPS$36)

Freshel Moist Lift Smoothing Essence S$7 (RSPS$36)

Kate Rouge EX S$6 (RSP S$23.50)

Kate Lip Gloss S$2 (RSP S$8.50)

Kate Liquid Rouge (Liquid Lipstick) S$6(RSP S$23.50)

Kate Liquid Eye Brow S$5 (RSP S$17)

Kate Gel Eye Brow S$6 (RSP S$19)

Kate Gel Eye Brow Brush S$3 (RSP S$6.50)

Kate Eye Shadow (single shade) S$4

Kate Eye Shadow Brown Collection S$6 (RSP S$27)

Kate Eye Shadow CQ S$8 (RSP S$27)

Kate Eye Shadow Diamond Cut Eyes S$8 (RSP S$27)

Kate Eye Shadow Gradical Eyes S$7 (RSP S$23.50)

Kate Eye Shadow Wide Edge Eyes S$8 (RSP S$27)

Kate Eye Liner C S$7 (RSP S$23.50)

Kate Eye Liner FR S$5 (RSP S$19)

Kate Eye Liner Pencil RT S$6 (RSP S$20.50)

Kate White Eye Liner Pencil S$3 (RSP S$11.50)

Kate Super Sharp Liner N S$5 (RSP S$17)

Kate LC Powder Foundation W Case S$15 (RSP S$48.50)

Kate High Cover UV Pressed Powder S$7(RSP25.50)

Kate Covering Concealer under Eyes S$5 (RSPS$17)

Kate Covering Concealer for Pores S$5 (RSP S$17)

Impress Lotion I, II S$55 (UP S$153)

Impress Emulsion I, II S$65 (UP S$184)

Impress LT (Lifting) Essence S$90 (UP S$230)

Impress Advance CT(Cell Treatment) Essence S$150 (UP S$340)

Impress UV Essence S$60 (UP S$123)

Impress White Lotion S$30 (UP S$85)

Impress White Emulsion S$30 (UP S$85)

Impress Revitalizing Lotion S$30 (UP S$85)

Impress Revitalizing Milk S$30 (UP S$85)

Impress Revitalizing Cream S$50 (UP S$136)

Impress Revitalizing Cream Energission S$120(UP340)

Impress Revitalizing Softening Oil S$30 (UPS$85)

Impress Revitalizing Moist UP Essence S$50(UP S$136)

Impress Moist Fitter Balm S$40 (UP S$103)

Impress Moist Up Hand Cream S$15 (UP S$34)

Impress Milky Change Warm Massage S$30 (UP S$85)

Impress Filter & Corrector S$35

Impress Skin Smoother S$35

Impress Makeup Base S$35

Impress Pressed Powder S$50

Impress IC Brightening Wash (Facial foam)2 for S$46 (UP S$2 for S$84)

Lunasol Balancing Milk OC, SO S$25 (UP S$68)

Lunasol Control Essence UV S$25 (UP S$59)

Lunasol First Skin Adjuster S$30 (UP S$60)

Lunasol Foamy Moist Wash S$15 (UP S$43)

Lunasol Lip Essence For Night Kit S$18 (UP S$46)

Lunasol Moist Conditioner S$25 (UP S$68)

Lunasol Point Make Off S$10 (18.50)

Lunasol Wrapping Skin Repair S$30 (UP S$85)

Lunasol Creamy Makeup Base S$20

Lunasol Eyeshadow Palette S$35 (UP S$77)

Lunasol Face Powder Compact Brush S$10

Lunasol Face Powder Compact Casing S$15

Lunasol Modelling Bronze Face Powder $20

Lunasol Starter Kit 2012 (limited edition) S$60(UP S$118)

Lunasol TU Makeup Base S$25

Blanchir Whitening Cream Cleansing S$30 (UPS$46)

Blanchir Whitening Oil Cleansing S$30 (UP S$46)

Blanchir Whitening Cream Soap S$30 (UP S$46)

Blanchir Whitening Clear Conc 1, 2 S$45 (UP S$80)

Blanchir Whitening Milk Con 1,2 S$35 (UP S$65)

Blanchir Whitening Night Con 1, 2 S$35 (UP S$74)

Blanchir Whitening White Luster S$35 (UP S$66)

Blanchir Whitening W Conclusion S$80 (UP S$170)

Coffrit D'or Liquid Gel liner (WP) S$10

Coffrit D'or Luxulight Collection S$15

Kanebo Faircrea White UV Powder Foundation S$25

Zam Zam Restaurant

Visited: 11 November 2012

We reached one of Singapore's best known Muslim Restaurant "Zam Zam" at around 4pm and was surprised to find the place crowded! It was the first time we revisit this place since arriving home (back in Singapore) 3 months ago. We thought we might have better luck since it was neither lunch nor dinner time. Fortunately, after a few rounds of checking upstairs and downstairs, we finally got a table for 2 just outside the restaurant. Here, locals and tourists thronged the place. 

My favourites are the biryani and murtabak. I like the generous filling, the well cooked meat, and most importantly the curry sauce. At first instance, the curry sauce didn't feel that spicy. But the spicyness picked up the more you have it.

 Above: Chicken Murtabak with curry sauce

Where: Zam Zam Restuarant
            697 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 198675 
            (situated opposite Sultan Mosque near Arab street) 

Mee Goreng @ Medan Selera Tong Yang

Visited: 11 Nov 2012

We couldn't help but noticed that a fair number of people were having mee goreng at the coffeeshop. Unable to resist the temptation, we ordered a plate to check it out.

When the plate came, what visibly noticeable was the generous spread of cockles all over the mee goreng. Besides cockles, other ingredients include prawns, beansprouts etc. Took a mouthful and found the taste to be familiar. It was cooked in Char Kway teow style! However, being a non-fan of yellow noodles, I wasn't too keen on this. I  think I would stick to traditional Char Kway Teow. My verdict: 2.5-3 out of 5.


Where: Medan Selera Tong Yang
            No 36 Jln Sutera 2, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor
Price : 4rm/ plate
Note(s): Non halal

Wanton mee @ Medan Selera Tong Yang

Visited: 11 Nov 2012

Having missed the timing for the acclaimed Roti canai, and given the time constraint that day, we popped into Medan Selera Tong Yang. Without any special craving in mind, I ordered the wanton mee.

The wanton mee came in a fairly small portion but what pleased me was the generous sauce that ensured every strand of noodle would be fairly coated with the chilli sauce. And for those who enjoyed lard, yes, you can find pieces of crispy lard in the noodles as well. Though it wasn't fantastic to be boost about but it was decent enough that I emptied the plate. I probably rate it 3-3.5 out of 5.

Above: 3 wanton with some xiao bai cai

Where: Medan Selera Tong Yang
            No 36 Jln Sutera 2, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor
Price : 4rm/ plate
Note(s): Non halal

Adam Fishball Noodle

Ordered a bowl of fishball kway teow dry, with chilies, for dinner. This is one of my favorite stalls. The fishballs are bouncy ("Q Q") and not as saltish as some other fishballs out there. I liked that they were not stingy with the chili sauce and coupled with some ground nuts, it was Yummy!

Above: S$3 quantity

Stall: Adam Fishball Noodle
Where: Adam Food Centre
How much: S$3/ S$4

Macaron Making Journey

This evening, I decided to make my first batch of macaron.

It all began with a google search on "easiest macaron recipe" and the first link that appeared was "http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/easy-macaron-macaroon-recipe/".

From the instructions given on the website, it looked simple. 

As usual, I like to experiment in small quantity. So I halved all the ingredients stated on the website:

Ingredients (yields about 20 halves or more depending on macaron size pipped):

70g of egg white (2 eggs)
35g of caster sugar
115g of icing sugar
60g of extra fine ground almond (if you have almond meal/ almond flour by all means use it)
1g salt (tiny pinch)
gel food colouring (optional)


Steps (done under Singapore's humid condition):

1. Sift the icing sugar, extra fine ground almond, salt together at least twice. (Mixture A)
2. Beat the egg white and sugar together for 8-10 minutes with an electric mixer (I have used the lowest setting). Add in the gel food coloring (optional) in the last 1-2 minutes of beating. (Mixture B)
3. Fold Mixture A into Mixture B. Make sure that it is not over-mixed.
4. Put into piping bag and pipe onto baking tray lined with baking sheet.
5. Rap the baking tray several times, rotate it around and rap a few times.
6. Leave it to stand for a while (10-30 minutes), the peak will flatten and the top should be smooth (the macaroon will flatten/spread abit). Some say leave it till the top forms a crust. However, given Singapore's humidity, it is unlikely to form a crust (or probably it would after x hours?)
7. Anyhow I didn't wait for the crust to form. 
8. While leaving it to stand, I heat up the oven to 180 degree celsius.
9. When putting in the baking tray, I lowered the oven temperature to 150 degree Celsius, set for 20 minutes.  I put the tray on the 2nd highest level.
10. Now you can start clearing up your kitchen and wait for the macaroons to be ready.

After going through the entire process, I realized that over-mixing and/or over-folding would easily kill the entire macaroon mixture.  Being able to recognize when to stop mixing and folding are key skills that probably can only be developed after multiple practices. (Now I understood why the high retail price tag on macaroons.)

There are a few keys areas that you need take note of: you need to ensure that the mixture is not over-mixed, you need to remember to "bang" the tray enough times to prevent the macaroon from cracking, have a good control in pipping consistent size, ensure that the utensil is grease free, egg yolk free (any presence of grease/oil, egg yolk will kill the mixture!). 

Overall: The result wasn't too bad. It was better than I had expected. (I didn't expect to produce a "decent, see-able" macaroon.) Nevertheless there are still tons of room for improvement. I will continue to experiment and update this page from time to time.....

Above: result of beating the egg and caster sugar for 8-10 minutes

Above: mixing the icing sugar, almond meal, pinch of salt into the egg whip

Waiting patiently for the outcome

Note: I've kept the macaroons to rest in an airtight container and into the fridge. Found them to be chewier then when it was just baked! After going through several recipes, yes, all called for the macarons to be rested for at least a day so that it tastes better.

Update: Please refer to Macaron Making Journey II post for my adapted recipe.

Need macaron template? Found one on the Internet:

http://www.honeyandsoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hns-macaron-template.pdf