My recipe: Simple Peppery Gingery Oat Porridge

Suddenly I have this idea of cooking healthy meals or recipes when I have this craving to "cook to de-stress". Plus I don't want to take too much time in the kitchen when I have important assignments or exams due. Opening my pantry, I suddenly realised I have a medium size Milo can of oatmeal ... remain untouched since a month ago.  I remember a good friend in uni who was totally crazy over chicken oat porridge. I usually have my oat mixed with milk but I was advised to go on a non-dairy diet recently so making porridge out of oatmeal seemed like a great idea. Plus it is super easy!

Ingredients (1 person serving)

3 cups of water

2 inch of ginger (pound or slice thinly)

1 spring onion (finely chopped)

a handful of minced chicken or pork (round into meatballs)

5 tablespoon of instant oatmeal

salt and white pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the water in a pot and bring it to boil.

2. Reduce the heat to low and then put in the ginger, spring onion and the meat ball. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add in oatmeal and stir slowly. Simmer for another 2 minutes.

4. Add salt and lots of pepper to taste.

5. Serve.

Note:

You may substitute with chicken stock if you want something more savoury. You may also add in a few drop of sesame oil to fragrant it.

I would like to tribute this entry to Che Sue Ella for inspiring this recipe. Selamat mencuba!

Love from Down Under,

MJ

Weeked Brunch Project : Croissant Sandwiches

I don't have the mood to start my assignment (...again) so I decided to do something productive at home. Lately, the frequency of my mood swing was quite rampant that I prefer to stay at home most of the time. I have to be frugal anyway as I am no longer working and rely heavily on my student's allowance. 

Frugality make me really into Aussie supermarket or home brand products. They are cheap, taste good, look good and value for money. Like UK, I find some Aussie grown or made products are exceptional. From fresh produce to daily bakes. In London, I love the Sainsbury butter brioche. In Brisbane I love COLES butter croissant. It is the nearest I can get like the one I often had in Paris.

Yesterday, I decided to make that short trip to the nearest supermarket more interesting by creating a challenge - you have AUD 15.00 and try to create nice meal with AUD 15.00. Why AUD 15.00? Well, it is based on how much I usually spend if I eat out, in any cafes, foodcourt or restaurants of my choice in Brisbane. Of course, I will never go to fancy/posh Michelin star restaurants. Admittedly, the portion are bigger here but for me if we compare "dollar to dollar" ... it is quite hard to get a complete meal at AUD 5. At least in Kuching or Penang, a nice bowl of mee can be around RM 5 with drink - if u know where to look!

Anyway, domestic goods generally are not cheap here in Australia too, based on my experience in Brisbane of course. I compared the price to UK and some European countries that I have visited based on dolar to dolar concept, I find it slightly higher here. Anyway AUD 15 got me all of those items above and what did I turn it into?

Two sandwiches, and I still have 2 croissants left. Know what, I bought a simple ham and cheese in uni the other day and  it cost me AUD 3.90 ... yea just ham and cheese! Huhuhu! Will finish the rest off tomorrow. With AUD 15, I can feed 4 person plus a salad bowl made with the leftover salad leaves, smoked salmon, turkey breast and salami. Huhuhu!

By the way ... this project was also inspired by one lecture back in KL for new undergrads before going overseas titled "Life is more than just 2 minutes noodle". I just hope ... students who don't like to cook but want something nice to eat to find this information useful.

Product Testing: McCain Healthy Choice Lemon Chicken

I only have about 16 months here in Australia so I decided to try out as many products as possible before returning to Malaysia. So this type of entry will not only be a journal but also documentation of what products I tried here. In general, I am quite satisfied with Australian food products especially their dairy products. Even some supermarket brands or home brands (I think that's how they call it) are quite good compared to Malaysia (I think many people can relate to this).

Today, I will start my product review with McCain Healthy Choice Lemon Chicken with Asian vegetables and rice.

1. What made me buy this product?

I am all alone this week so I was looking for something fast, wholesome, yummy, no frill ready-made meal for one. I was interested for something Asian and rice based so this product just fits my need nicely. The "eating healthy" and "25% discount" (sold $4.00 at Coles) were additional motivations to buy and try this product.

2. How do I like this product?

The product was easy to prepare, took me about 6 minutes to reheat in my microwave oven. The portion is medium ... just nice for Asian palate like me. Taste-wise, the lemon sauce was slightly sweet but nicely done and the rice was neither too dry nor soft. However, eating the rice and vegetable alone ... yes ... it taste very bland and "healthy". I prefer enjoying the fried chicken nugget with the lemon sauce separately as I think the lemon sauce was not savoury enough and didn't go well with the rice.

3. Will I buy it again?

Maybe but not in near future. It doesn't scream "buy me, buy me" to me. I might try other products from the same brand or same product from other brands

4. Where did I get this product?

I bought mine at Coles.

Rating : 6/10

US Government Shutdown

This latest development in U.S politics was what I expected to be the top search in many search engines (Malaysian included). Most might searched for more details about it wondering what the impact would be to the global economy. However to me personally it somehow signal possible development in future Malaysian politics.

Why I said this was, coupled with the latest A-G reports on the "many" mismanagement of funds and assets by many Malaysian government departments, agencies and civil servants, not to mention stupid remarks/statement issued by leaders of late will witness who those "yang atas pagar" will vote in the next general election. Please don't tell me that Malaysian economy will not be affected by this news.

Students studying overseas on self funding (whom majority are non-bumiputras) will feel the heat on the exchange rate, further fueling the divide already caused by that "special rights clause" agreed in 1957. And frankly, these are the group of Malaysian citizens that would later seek greener pastures outside Malaysia, or live most their life OUTSIDE Malaysia but want to exercise their right to vote IN Malaysia.

Many might not want to admit it openly for fear of being accused racial or non-patriotic for Malaysia but let's understand this simple common sense .... who are mostly in the Malaysian civil service and who are the ones who have more taxable incomes especially taxable business incomes? So when the civil servants mismanage or overspent funds paid by "these majority" taxpayers, it will definitely further fuel the next BERSIH, UBAH or TUKAR ... whatever name you want to put it.

Opposition leaders will definitely picked this up and championed it as their cause though frankly in my opinion are not strong enough to replace the current government. Either way the fight is still "race-based". With Internet, cabled TV, access to many international news databases around the world, young Malaysians are very much expose to the fact that many countries "change government constantly when they think the leaders are not good" though electoral votes. No need to wonder why last election so many new young first time voters. However, in Malaysian case it is not Labour versus Liberal or Republican versus Democrats, so the sudden change from N to A or M to C might not be a wise decision ... for now.

It is also a bitter truth that many long reign leaders purposely prevented progress and development in certain parts of Malaysia for their political security. Admittedly some societies are not interested in development, but it doesn't mean that they want to stay backward, knowledge-wise. Development doesn't mean more "canggih" buildings or factories ... it may comes in the form of education and basic facilities. Eco-tourism for example proved to be a lucrative business in many developing countries anyway!

I was never a political analyst, nor have I ever written a post on Malaysian politics. However, something inside ignite me to write this particular entry based on the many FB shares and status on the above subject matter. So pardon my not-so professional approach on this topic.

Love From Down Under

MJ

My Recipe: Ginger and Garlic Steamed Chicken Wings

Lately, I always experience terrible mood swings, muscle cramps and bloating during period. And since entering my 30s ... it became heavier. These past few months though, since I have better sleeps and rest ... the flows are lesser but still heavy. 

My late maternal grandmother used to advise the ladies in the house that ladies must also adhere to some strict confinement routines during period. Example ... no ice water, bath in warm water or cannot wash your hair. I am not very sure how and why such rules existed. In fact, I felt the confinement practice after giving birth in most Asian cultures doesn't have much medical evident to say that Asian women fare better than their Western counterpart in their older age. Especially in the era when work and life stress reign supreme and make your body go haywire anyway. The way I see it ... it is the best excuse for the ladies to recover ... physically, mentally and emotionally from childbirth without interference from their hubby, and of course giving full attention to the "new" love of their life. 

Anyway ... Period is not a wonderful time for me emotionally so I need something comforting, spicy, yummy and soothing for lunch today. One of my favourites is ginger and garlic steamed chicken wings. You can used other chicken parts if you like but my favourite is always the wings. To me it is the most versatile and yummy chicken parts. Though back home, most of my lady friends don't like to buy wings for fear of growth hormones.

Miuchu (left) and Shaoxing wine (right)

Ginger is expensive in Australia but a woman got to do what a woman got to do.

I usually used lots of garlics and ginger for this recipe. Sometimes I will also add in Shaoxing Wine or Benedictine D.O.M at the end to enhance the peppery and gingery flavour. My housemate use Chinese cooking wine called miuchu, which is actually like sweet sherry in his version of this recipe. 

Ingredients

8 chicken wings (cut to two parts)

10 cloves of garlic (crushed)

2 inch ginger (preferably crushed, but can cut to smaller pieces)

fresh crush peppercorn

pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

3 tablespoons of Shao Xin Cooking Wine

Preparation

1. Mix the crushed garlic, ginger, peppercorn, seasalt, sesame and chicken wing pieces in a bowl.

2. Marinate for 10 minutes.

3. Arrange the chicken wings in the baking tray or caseroles and put it in the steamer.

4. Steam for 30 minutes.

5. Take the tray out from the steamer and pour in the Shao Xin wine all over the chicken.

6. Ready to serve. (You may garnish with coriander leave if you like)

I love slurpping the chicken soup, juice or gravy that was produced during the steaming so I will usually ensure that it is well flavoured with salt and pepper during the preparation. However, sometimes I put in less salt and enjoy it later with cencalok dipping or cut fresh chillies with sweet soy sauce and lime.

Personally, I think eating food cooked with lots of ginger and garlic is good to calm and warm the body.  After a hectic day at work, this dish is something i will look forward to for dinner. It is simple, healthy and easy to prepare.

Do give it a try.

Love From Down Under,

MJ

Recipe Testing: Tuna Mushroom Bread Base Quiche

I was planning to share about my new misadventure in the kitchen today .... but in between getting my personal financial planning done to reading old entries in "another" blog, followed by checking up on Lee Young Ae on Mr Google ... (on why she seems to have that "caucasian" features) ... I ended up with Girl's Generation new MV Galaxy Supernova and shared it in the previous entry.

Yesterday had been semi productive - academically - but it was a way positive progress compared to last week. I would like to personally thank the Almighty God, His Son, the Holy Spirit and all archangels and angels that had been listening to my wish of having little happiness (like small achievements/wonderful surprises). I truly had a great day indeed.

Okay ... we have stale bread issue in the house again. With a higher cost of living in Australia, I find myself getting more frugal and creative with leftovers.  So I searched for stale bread recipes online (other than French Toast) and found a site that recommend making bread quiche out of it. By the way, just for the record ... I successfully made apple marmalade bread and butter pudding using my housemate's stale loaf of bread 3 weeks ago. However, the photos were not that cool so I will attempt to make it again some other time.

I shortlisted 2 recipes here and here. After meticulously devising some modifications, adding this and minus that based on what I could find in the pantry, I finally came out with my own bread quiche recipe hehehe... Not bad for a first timer (never done quiche before).

Ingredient A

200 grams of fresh button mushroom

150 grams of Philadephia Onion and Chive Cream Cheese

1 onion (chopped)

3 tablespoons of butter

Ingredient B

9 medium size eggs

1 can of evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

8 slices of stale bread (slightly toasted)

2 tablespoon of dried parsley

1 can/185 gram of tuna chunks in sunflower oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180'C (or 160'C with fan)

 2. Line the baking tray with butter and arrange the bread until it covers the whole tray.

3. Sauteed button mushroom in Ingredient A with onion and butter. Then add in cream cheese. Put aside to cool off.

4. Combine Ingredient B and whisk until fluffy.

5. Pour in Ingredient A onto the bread and spread evenly, then spread tuna chunk on top of the mushroom mix.

6. Pour in Ingredient B and then sprinkle the parsley leave.

7. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

The bread quiche came out beautifully, and it tasted a bit like Malaysian Murtabak. Speaking about comfort food, miss Murtabak Sardine back home! Great for tea times and showing off that entertaining skills hahaha
 

  

The photos have different qualities as some I took with my digital camera and some I took with my Iphone. Okay I leave it to you guys to try it out!

Love From Down Under,

MJ

GIRLS`GENERATION 少女時代_GALAXY SUPERNOVA

How on earth did I miss that??? I totally love this new song from Girl's Generation ... catchy tune and great dance moves! Well this one is Japanese version but I love it all the same!

Actually I was waiting for Master's Sun Episode 14 but with an hour time difference with Seoul and the fact that I forgot the show aired today, meaning I will only get to see the episode with English subtitle tomorrow (deng!).

Guess I will just dance myself away tonight ...

Love From Down Under

MJ