Eggs Benedict

I have never made Hollandaise sauce before, but the other night Ollie and I were talking about eggs Benedict, so i decided to try to make some considering we were having a lazy Saturday free from sailing, which almost never happens. I googled a few recipes and found Julia Child's blender version then though screw this i should really try to make the proper one the first time. I googled it and ended finding Michael Ruhlman's recipe for Classic Hollandaise sauce, and decided to give it a try as i am currently reading his book "The Making Of A Chef".  I made a shopping list and Ollie went to the grocery store for me :), and then made a second trip for me... oops i didn't realize i needed soooo much butter...... It's lucky there is a grocery store downstairs!

chicken soup

ok i am going to whine a little bit, i have been feeling a bit tired the last week. And woke up on Sunday morning with the most awful cold. So i have spent the last 2 days watching far to much of How I Met Your Mother and trying to get better. I have only just managed to leave the house once today to pick up some groceries, even tough the grocery store is downstairs. Well yesterday I didn't really feel like eating at all anyways. So this is a recipe for a very simple chicken soup it takes about five minutes to prepare and can be easily prepared when feeling awful.

tomato, basil & bocconcini salad

Sorry for the exceptionally long hiatus since my last post, been busy with work friends sailing... This is the salad i made for the for the August long weekend lamb barbecue while i was in Canada. Yes i know this post has taken forever.

Peach & Chicken Quesadillas

tortilla with all ingredients before cooking

Sorry its been ages since my last post... I have been extremely busy and haven't been actually cooking much.... Why have i been so busy you ask, well working simultaneously for around 6 companies while studying is not particularly easy.  On the plus I have completed my course in AdvCert in Nutrition and AdvDip in Child & Adolescent Nutrition, and currently trying to decide what to do next. I either planning on doing a program on Advanced Holistic Nutrition or some personal training courses or maybe both. We will see, hopefully i can make up my mind soon.

Bagels with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Dill & Capers

sitting on terrace enjoying birthday cake

I have just booked my flights to Canada at the end of July for 2.5 weeks. It has been a long time since I visited Canada, 2 years!  Considering the length of time, I think it's time that I finally finish my draft that's been sitting on my blog for the past 2 years!  Just a simple recipe... well more of a combo "bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon, fresh dill, capers and lemon juice".  I miss Canadian bagels and salmon, I am already planning on filling a piece of luggage up with them on my return.

Shanghai Street - Cooking Shops - Hong Kong

wooden butcher blocks at Man Kee Chopping Boards

The weather in Hong Kong was crazy last night, the thunder and lighting and rain insane, I looked out my window and it looked like a river pouring off the next door neighbours roof.  And when I woke up this morning there was a black rain warning, which means you are not suppose to leave the house or if you're at work you're stuck there until it's lowered.  So since I am avoiding the rain in the apartment, here is a post I have been meaning to add to my blog for awhile...

Thai Style Fish with Tomato Basmati Rice

A few days ago I took part in a fund rasing event for Sailabily, which provide sailing instruction for persons with a disability, who wish to learn to sail. There was a sausage sizzle and garage sale, one of the items at the sale was a Le Creuset frying pan that had only been used once before...score 

My Version of a Cobb Salad

Generally a cobb salad compromises of: chopped salad greens (iceberg lettuce, watercress, endives, and Romaine lettuce), tomato, crisp bacon, boiled or roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled egg, avocado, chives, Roquefort cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette.

My Belated Cinco De Mayo Dinner

fresh corn tortillas with corn salsa and stir fried sirloin with romano

I have just moved into a new flat in Hong Kong, the kitchen is actually pretty nice and big and open! I have looked at so many terrible flats while searching for a new apartment in Hong Kong, I have seen kitchens in the bathrooms, tiny kitchens and no kitchens!

DimDimSum Hong Kong

Shanghai Soup Dumplings with Black Truffle

DimDimSum was voted one of the 101 best places to eat in the world in Newsweek's Foodie awards 2012, and in my own city I decided to check it out! My friend and I went to DimDimSum a few weeks ago and ordered off the picture menu, then started chatting blah blah blah, and after about 30 minutes realised that we had not received any food yet!

Roasted Capsicum Hummus

I have made hummus so many times but the last time I did which was actually about 2 years ago I kinda forgot a step, so when you make hummus first you soak the garbanzo beans then you cook them, and then you blend them up.

Lamb Burgers

Finally the recipe for the rest of the burgers... Sorry for the delay I have been searching for a new flat and working on a paper for university! I found a flat with a friend and it actually has a pretty big open kitchen, which I am excited about. Hopefully I will be moving in by the end of the week!

Capsicum Chutney

lamb burgers with capsicum chutney

The weather has been seriously crappy over the Easter long weekend, I was planning on going camping but the constant rain and wind didn't really make that possible. Hopefully I can get out one weekend soon before it gets to hot and muggy in Hong Kong.  Instead of going camping I have been cooking, visiting the Andy Warhol Exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, bowling and working on my latest uni project menu planning for toddler and school aged children...

Japan - Hakuba Ski Resorts

snow man at Iwatake

During my 6 day trip to Japan I had 4 days of snowboarding in Hakuba, and there were 7 ski resorts. Thats a lot in such a small area, I would almost prefer there weren't so many, its hard to make up your mind on where to board!  I went to 4 hills in 4 days, next time I think I would maybe I would not go to quite so many. I bought a multi day pass which you can visit a new resort each day if you choose, the pass cost ¥16,500 for 4 days. I visited Hakuba in late March so keep in mind that the snow is usually a lot better earlier in the season.

Japan - Hakuba - Shinshu Dining Sarugaku

deep fried tofu ¥150, shiitake mushroom ¥150, chicken wasabi ¥150 and chicken teriyaki yakitori ¥200

On the second to last day of my trip I picked up a free copy of Hakuba Essential Guide at the visitor information centre, I wish I had gotten it sooner I would have had a little more insight on where to visit. After flicking through the guide I decided to go to Shinshu Dining Sarugaku because truthfully it was walking distance away and it looked good. Shinshu Dining Sarugaku is located beside a mexican restaurant on the side of a large new building in Echo Land.

Japan - Hakuba - Hie

tuna & avocado  ¥700

I was trying to figure out where to go for some Japanese food for dinner and was recommended to go to Hie by Daniel who was staying at my hostel. (there are a lot of restaurants that are not Japanese in Hakuba) As you walk up the road in Echo land it is easy to miss Hie, actually I walked straight by it. Hie is on the main road but slightly set back, Hie is just up from Weather Report/Top target which you cannot miss.

Japan - Hakuba - Kikyouya Sushi

tuna rolls, salmon, tamago (egg), ikura (salmon roe) ect..

As you walk in the door at Kikyouya Sushi, the first thing you notice are the walls are plastered with comments and drawings from past dinners which includes: olympians, celebrities and travellers from Japan and around the world. It gives Kikyouya a homely feel and throughout your dinner you catch yourself reading stories of peoples visits.  When we arrived we removed are shoes in Japanese fashion and were seated on cushions at a low japanese table in between two other groups, at one table there was a family and the other table was full of some very tipsy Japanese men, with a giant empty bottle of Shochu.

Japan - Chanko Dining Sumo-tei

Chanko Nabe before being cooked

Right after I arrived in Hakuba and through my stuff in my room, I went straight out the door for dinner with some aussies I had only met a few moments earlier, we went to Sumo-tei for dinner. Sumo-tei is run by a former sumo wrestle, he mostly serves Chanko Nabe which is a Japanese stew commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestler's. He's quite the character and enjoys breaking out sumo poses for photos.  They have 2 locations in Hakuba one in Echo Land and the other in Wadano, called Restaurant & Bar and Musashi.

Japan - Tokyo to Hakuba

Mount Fuji

I just got back from an amazing trip snowboarding in Japan, I only decided to book the trip a few days before I left, I think its really the way to travel, you don't really bother trying to look around where to stay or what to do you just go... I went by myself, its pretty hard to find friends that can go book a trip so last minute, anyways its great traveling by yourself, you get to do what ever you want and you meet way more people, because really who wants to walk around, snowboard, eat or drink by themselves.  I took the morning flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo with Cathay Pacific. Whenever I fly now I order a special meal, it actually works out pretty well, you get served first, and if your still hungry you can always ask for an extra meal, even though the food is pretty gross! I used to fly a lot to China for work and a flight attendant suggested that I do this because I was so tired of getting the breakfast with the soggy eggs, grey sausage, and tasteless tomato. There's usually about 15 meals to choose from so you can order something new each time you fly.

Ground Lamb In Lettuce Leaves Recipe

One of my regular readers has been asking for nutritional information for my recipes, and since I am studying nutrition, calculating the nutritional values will be great practice for me to remember what micro nutrients actually in different foods. After quite an extensive search for a reputable nutrition program that does not cost an absolute fortune, I have analysed the nutrition facts for this recipe. (please see bottom of page)

Mr. Taco Truck Hong Kong

El Pastor and Carnitas tacos

On my quest for more Mexican food I went to Mr. Taco truck for lunch, actually the truth is I go to Mr. Taco Truck all the time, its near my work and its a tasty affordable lunch. Mr. Taco truck is located on Wo On Lane just off D'aguilar street in Central Hong Kong, this is Mr. Tacos trucks second location, their first location is located in Quarry Bay. For lunch I chose the taco combo.  There is a choice of fillings: El Pastor, Carnitas, Fish or Chicken they are served on either fresh corn or flour tortillas with cilantro onions on top.  The tacos come with mexican rice, refried beans and freshly made tortilla chips with 2 kinds of salsa. The Taco combo costs $65 hkd including a drink + 10% service charge.

Kaffir Lime Leaf Shortbread

I am generally not a big baker of cookie's, but I have had plenty of requests lately to make some cookies so here they are. I adapted a recipe from a Australian Woman's Weekly Cookbook- Biscuit and slices. I added kaffir lime leaves for their intense aromatic lime flavor. I had one difficulty with the recipe, it says to make rosettes with a piping bag, which was frikin difficult, I made a few then gave up....  Maybe I didn't have a large enough tip or possibly the dough was too cold, they turned out all right in the end just maybe not as pretty as they could have been.

Corn beer bread with oven roasted tomatoes, rosemary and cheddar

fresh beer bread

As I mention a few posts ago, I wanted to try and make some more versions of beer with different ingredients.  Each week I get deliveries from Home Grown Foods an organic fruit and vegetable supplier in Hong Kong, recently I have gotten a lot of lovely fresh tomatoes.  I had so many tomatoes that I decided to make another batch of oven roasted tomatoes, and add them to the beer bread alongside rosemary and cheddar.

eatRIGHT Hong Kong

Thai scallop salad

For lunch the other day I went to eatRIGHT to try the set lunch, I decided on having the scallop salad followed by tandoori chicken with couscous and for desert almond cake with a skinny late. Right away the waitress came back and informed me they were out of tandoori chicken, but they would make me a chicken breast instead which was great. I thought it was good service to offer another option even though they were out of the tandoori.

Bun Cha And Monopoly

fresh herbs: thai basil, mint, cilantro 

On Sunday night we did something very odd for Hong Kong, we actually went to a friends house for a pot luck. Everyone always seems meet and eat out in HK the apartments are so tiny, there's never much room to have friends over. So it was nice to go to a friends for a change we all sat around the coffee table on cushions from the couch. I decided to experiment and make a Vietnamese dish called bun cha which is pork meat balls with rice noodles, fresh herbs which you wrap up in lettuce leaves like a taco and eat.

Going snowboarding in Japan next week!

on my last trip to japan

Yesterday I was looking at Facebook and I saw a post of a friend snowboarding and got extremely jealous. (i don't think I have been snowboarding is 2 or 3 years) So this morning I woke up and booked a ticket to Tokyo for next week, I am planning on arriving then taking the bullet train or a bus or a combination of transportation to get to Hakuba. I actually looked at flights last night and wasn't 100% sure about going, then looked this again this morning and got a fanfare from Cathay for $1700hkd return, about 2000 cheaper then last night. So at the end of next week you can expect restaurant reviews from the ski slopes of Japan! I cant wait, snowboarding and japanese food! Sashimi, ramen, sushi, yakitori, okonomiyaki... yum my stomach is already rumbling.

RHKYC - Pan Fried Crab Cakes

view from my office :)

So truthfully, most of the time when I eat out I eat at the RHKYC Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. I come here a lot, it's a great place to do work on my days off, I can sit outside on the balcony overlooking the Harbour do work and have lunch. Clubs are big in Hong Kong - everyone seems to be a member of one or two, or even more. I have a friend who's on a mission to join about  five of them. (she's joined two so far, and is pretty determined to get into the Hong Kong Club, eventually). Each time I come to the yacht club I generally order a lot of the same food, so for the next few months I have decided to try and order something new every visit and review it. I was also thinking maybe I should start reviewing the food from all the clubs. I am going to the Football Club for dinner tomorrow and have friends who are members at almost all the other clubs.

Socialito Hong Kong

Yesterday I went to Socialito Taqueria for a quick lunch on my quest for tasty mexican food in Hong Kong. For lunch I decided on the Pork Belly Tacos $80, and the Tuna Tostaditas $90.  The tuna tostaditas with avocado oil, grilled pineapple, picked jalapeno, spicy coconut aioli and cilantro were quite unique the flavours were a combination of Mexican and Thai together. I really enjoyed them they were light, the crackers crispy, the tuna fresh and the fruity smoky flavour of the grilled pineapple was really nice...

Chicken Haloumi Tacos With Mango Salsa

chicken tacos with fresh salsa and cilantro

Its time to go back to work tomorrow, no more Chinese new year holidays... I have had a great CNY meeting up with friends, hiking, and barbecuing. With my exam fast approaching I had to spend a few hours of the holiday studying, I have been reviewing a lot at home and even met up with friends to study at the peak cafe. (Next time I think we will meet at a coffee shop the 4 glasses of mulled wine may have slightly impaired our studying abilities)

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Kung Hai Fat Choi, I hope everyone has a happy and prosperous year of the snake! Today I have been studying for my nutrition exam, the weather is beautiful and I should go out. But I am off to the fireworks and lion dance at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club tonight and want get some studying done. I am going hiking tomorrow then having a barbecue tomorrow afternoon and don't want to feel to guilty about not studying on my days off.

Lamb Shanks With Pumpkin

As usual the weather is Hong Kong is getting colder for Chinese new year, and while most of my friends seem to be jetting off to warmer destinations I will be studying and cooking. (Well not to much study) When its cold outside one of my favourite dishes to make are lamb shanks. I love how the tender meat just falls of the bone. I usually make a Thai version of lamb shanks with coconut milk and red curry paste but I decided to try something new this time. (ill put the other recipe up when I actually pay attention to how much of the ingredients I put in and take a photo) Serve the lamb shanks on top of rice.
Happy year of the snake!

Dumplings Hong Kong

One of my favourite places in Hong Kong to get dumplings is Dumpling Yuan, I always take visiting friends there for a meal. First thing is that they are fresh and most times you visit there will be a lady sitting at a table hand making the dumplings on wooden trays. Second and the most important is the dumplings taste amazing, you can get all versions of the dumplings steamed or fried. My top 3 choices for dumplings are:

Easy Beer Bread

lunch on the beach: beer bread, potato salad and steak sandwich

I remember when I was in kindergarten I used to go to a friends house after school, and her mum would often have fresh beer bread. I have been thinking about it for ages and finally decided to make it while I was in Australia. I am not sure why I didn't try to make it sooner, it so easy to make. You can experiment with different kinds of beer,  herbs and cheese to change the flavour. I am going to try to make a few more combinations in the coming weeks, maybe adding rosemary, feta and caramelised onions. Check back for more recipes soon.

Australia

bull cray and me

Sorry for the delay with my writing this post, I had to write 2 papers for university, one on analysing my diet and one on nutrition for an elderly Chinese lady who has a budget of $77 Hong Kong dollars a day. (Which I don't think is going to be my target market when I finish my course, as she probably can't speak English) Without any further delay my post on Australia. I spent the Christmas holidays in Adelaide and Beachport in South Australia.