Michelle's world of food

I cannot believe how easy it is to make bacon and egg pies and the many variations there are out there. All you need are: bacon, eggs and pastry. It's great for brunches, lunches, dinners, and even breakfast if I may add. My friend Adele makes the best bacon and egg pie ever. It will be an atrocity if I publish her recipe, so this is my version. I use a 23cm by 23 cm pie dish so depending on the size of your dish, you may have to make some adjustments. You should really let the pie rest for 20 minutes before serving. It is the same theory with meat. The pie will finish cooking while it is resting and you will end up with a firmer pie. Ingredients: 15 eggs 350gm bacon 2 large tomatoes A bunch of parsley A bunch of basil 4 pieces flaky puff pastry Salt and pepper Steps: 1. Turn oven on to 210 degrees celsius. Place a flat baking tray in the oven to heat up. 2. Defrost peas in the microwave. 3. Trim rind and fats off the bacon. Cut bacon into strips. 4. Cut tomatoes...

Can a foodie not like food? It's an oxymoron.That's just like saying that a fish does not like water. But I must admit that fast food chains scarred me for life. Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you unwrapped your hamburger and it never ever resemble anything in the picture? My only redemption is gourmet homemade hamburgers. It is so easy and you can pretty much add or take away any ingredients you like. Ingredients: 500 gm premium minced beef 1 slice of whole grain bread 1 onion 1 tomato 4 pieces gherkins 4 slices of smoke cheese 4 hamburger buns 1 tsp mixed herbs 2 tsp worcester sauce 1/4 cup milk 4 hamburger buns Olive oil Butter and tomato sauce Steps: 1. Turn oven on to 160 degrees celsius. 2. Crumb bread in a food processor. 3. Cut half the onion into rings. Quarter and finely chop the rest of the onion. Chuck out the rest of the quarter (unless you like more onion in your patties). 4. Mix mince beef, chopped onion, bread crumbs, mixe...

I have writer's block. What is writer's 'block anyway? Merriam-webster defines writer's block as a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece. Well, mine is more of a case of trying to do too many things at the same time. So, impeding me from writing this blog. Hence in my battle against this ancient enemy of many authors, I will keep this short. Cooking in a clay pot adds an earthly flavour to food. If you do not have a clay pot at home, try this recipe with a ceramic or cast iron pot that you can cook on a stove. But do NOT assume all pots can be used with on a stove! I have the unpleasant experience of cracking a ceramic casserole dish on a stove, spilling chicken curry all over the stove and kitchen bench. The cleaning wasn't the problem, the dog helped. It is the hours of work down the drain. If all else fails, this recipe actually works with a rice cooker as well. It is important that you try to use chicken pieces with bone...

Our new roller blinds have finally arrived. The last time the engineer husband of mine took fours hours to mount a set of Roman blinds. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine how many hours it will take for him to put up three roller blinds this time. So, as Phil sets up to install those blinds, I sneakily retreat to the kitchen, leaving him with the Best of Bread blasting in the background. Well, at least it is not Neil Diamond. It is a wet and cold day, a day most suited for a nice hot dessert of stewed apples. Apples go very well with spices like cinnamon and cloves. Plus, there are so many things you can do with stewed apples. On it's own with cold vanilla ice cream or creamy custard. With French toast, maple syrup and freshly whipped cream. Or one of my quick more refined dessert. Place some stewed apples into individual serving bowls. Crumble two ginger nut biscuits over it. Top it up with a dollop of whipped cream. Ingredients: 600 grams apples 4 tbsp brown sugar ...

I confess that I am a late starter when it comes to baking. Not having a sweet tooth did not help either. When I was a kid, I was quite fond of baking chocolate brownies. It was one cake that I would make over and over again. I had only one teeny weeny problem; really insignificant. The brownie always turned out hard as rock without fail. Go figure why I keep using the same recipe over and over again, just the way I did it the last time. Overtime, I learnt to disguise the brownies so that my older brother would eat them. So, Eric, if you are reading this blog...you know the "rocky chocolate cookies" I used to make when we were kids? Well, they were not exactly cookies. I have moved my fixation on to banana cakes since. I suspect my husband is extremely thankful for that. This probably makes me sound like a snob, but I am very particular about cakes, especially if I have to eat them. Have you ever wanted a piece of banana cake so badly that you would hop into the car on a ...

We started a tradition. One year ago, a group of us decided to get together for a party on Guy Fawkes day. We had a potluck dinner and celebrated the night with fireworks which was of course, an excuse for the boys to get their hands and matches on double happy and sky rockets. This year, the same group got together again..naturally. So this is how tradition starts. Someone had a good idea and repeated the same thing year after year. And voila! You have a tradition. I suspect if one of us fail to turn up next year, there will be a few words said. One of our friends from the group is dairy intolerant. It was a chilly night and I wanted to bring a more substantial side. So I got my inspiration from our Italian neighbour who introduced us to potatoes mashed with olive oil. I have always done mashed potatoes with milk and butter or cream but olive oil? This dish is surprisingly smooth and fluffy with a fresh, almost nutty taste. Chopped parsley added an interesting texture to the potatoe...

My photographer is on strike. Explains why my blogs are missing wonderful pictures of my scrumptious cooking. Actually, he is simply distracted with other interests at the moment as with boys and their toys. I remember as a little kid, cooking curry was always a communal event. I am not kidding. Aunties would be crowding in our already tiny kitchen, some pounding spices with the traditional mortar and pestle, some peeling onions and kilos of potatoes and some just hanging around with cups of teas in their hands gossiping away. At times, the neighbours were even invited for a meal of steaming, spicy, mouth-watering curry with rice and french loaves to mop up the gravy. Life has gotten busier now and instant ingredients have taken away the joy of communal cooking. The saving grace is that I can whipped up the same Nonya chicken curry in half an hour whenever I am reminiscing the good old days. There are some ingredients that I always have in my kitchen: Curry powder, coconut cream,...

We finally took lounge curtains down today. There was a moment of silence. The curtains had a long history; surviving battering from our various pets. It all started with our first pair of budgies, Birdie and Sunshine. We would let them out for a fly everyday while we are at work. They pretty much have free reign of the house. As we live up the hills and with such a lovely view and lots of privacy, we hardly ever draw the curtains, even in mid-winter. One cold, wet and miserable afternoon, we decided to chill and watch a DVD. It was one of those, "I want to be a couch potato when I grow up..." moment. To our horror, as we drew the curtains, we realised they were full of holes. We are not talking about tiny pin size holes but holes large enough to fill a bucket. It suddenly dawn on us that those birds were not being "cute" hiding behind the folds of the curtains, they were actually eating them! Those little rascals. We decided not to replace them; the curtains th...

If you are reading this page, good on you! Most people would have been put off with the words, "Steam vegetables". Give me a steak and spare ribs anytime. We are supposed to be eating healthy so you can't get healthier than steam vegetables. But we have been caught red-handed getting takeaways last night. I blame my husband. He locked the keys in the car while we were collecting our fish and chips. And we had to call on our neighbours to come pick us up to get the other set of keys which I conveniently left at home. Did I mention that we love our neighbours? Steam vegetables can be palatable. This recipe does not take away the sweetness of the vegetables themselves but rather enhances it. Friends love it and it always disappear rather quickly from the dinner table. Ingredients: 1 head broccoli 1/2 head cauliflower 250 gm french beans 4 medium carrots 6 garlic 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt Steps: 1. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into chunks. 2. Slice carrots ...

It is official, we are on diet. My lovely husband complained that he has been putting on weight since I started this blog. I have two choices, close the blog down or come up with healthier recipes. Well, there is a third, I could totally ignore him and continue with what I am doing. The problem with the third option is that my no longer loyal bathroom scale has been telling me the same thing. Don't you just wish you have one of those mirrors that tell you how you are the "loveliest lady in the land". Except this will be a lying bathroom scale telling you how perfect your weight is. Hence, I have been experimenting with palatable, wholesome and vegetarian recipes to set us on the path of  healthier eating. This is one of my favourite vegetarian meals which can be accompanied by a nice loaf of bread with hummus on the side for some nutritious carbohydrates. I ngredients: 1 eggplant 2 ripe tomatoes 1 courgette 6 asparagus 1 red bell pepper 1 red onion 6 large mu...

I have been on a food sabbatical (if there is such a thing). Actually, we have been busy with house renovation and also now proud parents of Timothy Williams (or Timmy for short). He's a one a year old cat we adopted from SPCA three months ago. So, my time has been split between work, renovation and making little Timmy feels right at home. If the name, Timothy Williams rings a bell, remember "Timmy Willie was a little country mouse who went to town by mistake in a hamper" by Beatrix Potter? There's a Tiger in every cat I admit I am appalling when it comes to naming pets. My very first dog, a female mongrel was named "Oinky". Why? Well, she loves sleeping and you have to admit that her snoozing habit reminds me of a little pig! Poor girl has to put up with that name for her whole life. After she was long gone, I got myself a Pembroke Welsh Corgi; the Queen would have approved. Of course, I named him "Corgi". Seriously, you can't go wrong wit...

If you never had this before, beef rendang is a spicy dry beef curry with a Peranakan origin. Peranakan is a culture that evolved in the 15th century when Chinese immigrants started setting foot in South East Asia. With intermarriages between these new immigrants and the locals, the new ethnic group was born. I love the Peranakan culture, it has the most beautiful and intricate artifacts that captures the exquisiteness of both civilizations. One of the best heritages from this group is its food. Peranakan food has a distinctive influence of both Chinese and Malay cultures, giving them their unique flavours and characters. Beef Rendang is absolutely one of my husband's favourite dish. I suspect he could probably eat this everyday for the rest of his life! My husband likes it so much that there are two restaurants in Wellington where he can actually walk in, grab a table and they just bring the dish to him. And if I happened to be with him, the waiter would kindly offer me the menu...

The cucumbers in our garden do not seem to stop growing. New cucumbers seem to be popping up by the minute. They have been made into salads, eaten on their own, made into sushis, you name it. So this is my latest recipe with cucumbers. It is definitely not for the faint hearted, mostly scary because of the appalling recipe, but also this salad is rather hot and can potentially send you racing for that cold glass of beer or even through the roof! The combination of hot fiery chillies marinated in vinegar with crisp refreshing cucumber is quite a gastronomic adventure. In South East Asia, this salad is also known as Archar. There are many variations and this is my version which I made with fresh vegetables from our garden. Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts Ingredients: Salad: 500 g Cucumbers 100 g Carrots 100 g Cabbage 400 g Canned pineapples in juice 5 Red chillies 3 Green chillies 80 g Roasted peanuts 3 tbsp Sesame seeds Marinate: 100 ml White vinegar 2 tsp Sal...

Cabbage is a lovely compliment to any meat or seafood dishes. But as kids, we didn't think much of this vegetable, other than the odd occasion of yummy cabbage rolls. It was the same boring steamed cabbage every time. I remember having to pile heaps of salt so we can reluctantly shove them into our mouths before we were allowed that after dinner chocolate cake. There was an occasion when my older brother decided he had enough and started chucking handful of cabbages into his pocket while mum wasn't looking. I don't think mum ever found out, well she does now. Sorry, Eric. If you are still doing that, here's a wonderful way to jazz up that cabbage. Tried and tested on children and husband with fantastic verdict! Cabbage with Garlic Ingredients: 1/2 large head of Cabbage 4 cloves Garlic 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Sugar 1 tbsp Oil Steps: 1. Chop the cabbage up into 1/2 inch width. 2. Wash and dry cabbage. I simply put them over a kitchen towel to absorb the water...

On our trip to Martinborough, I bought some spare ribs from Scotty. Like any good butcher, he asked what I was going to do with his produce. I think he was rather disappointed when I stared at him blankly and answered I had no idea. I think half of the world's population go grocery shopping with an idea in mind what they are going to cook. And the other half is probably like me, buy and decide what to do with the ingredients later. That is how I ended up with a freezer full of spare ribs until a bright idea came along. I recall savoring coffee spare ribs in a food court many years ago in Singapore. I thought it was the most intriguing idea; who would have imagine using coffee with meat. Perhaps it was one of those incidents where the cook mistakenly added coffee to the ribs thinking it was ground spice. Like the story of the Tatin sisters from France who "accidentally" invented the Tarte Tatin. The story goes that one of the sisters burnt an apple pie that she was makin...

How many hours does it take for an engineer to hang a Roman blind? Four. One to make a trip down to the local mega hardware store to buy a stud finder. It can't just be any stud finder, it must have the right technology, design and price. Browsing, testing and dialogues with the store manager all takes time. And while we are there, why not have a look around. One never know what else one may need, like a ride on mower for example. Now, this is one essential item that every household must have, so says the engineer! An hour later and a few hundred dollars poorer, we are back home again trying to finish what we have started. Now where were we? Yes, the Roman blind. It takes another hour to decide if the blind should line up with the ceiling or the window. Does the ceiling and window not align, did you say? Don't be ridiculous, of course they don't. They should, you say? Now you are just being silly. The third to get the level tool from the shed, mark and mount each bracket ca...

This has been a fantastic year for our vegetable garden. In fact, we have got vegetables coming out of our ears! We have an abundant harvest of lettuces, cucumbers and tomatoes. This is actually the first time we managed to successfully grow cucumbers. I cannot wait to cook up ideas for our apple and lebanese cucumbers! According to my husband, cucumbers are best eaten raw, peeled, cut into wedges and sprinkled with a little sea salt. They taste refreshing and surprisingly pleasant, but for the less conventional like me, a salad made up of cucumbers, tomatoes and pasta sounds more to my liking. This salad is all made up of fresh vegetables from our garden and if you look at the picture carefully, you can see our lebanese cucumbers in the background. Summer garden salad with pesto Ingredients: 80 gm Uncooked pasta (spiral, penne or seashell) 1 Apple cucumber and 1 Lebanese cucumber (or any cucumber that is available, about 300 gm) 3-4 small Tomatoes (about 150 gm) A h...

We had an awesome weekend doing a wine trail in Martinborough on our push bikes with some good friends. Great way to see the Wairarapa. Called in at Scotty's to buy some beautiful meat and had a blast cooking them on the barbecue. I thought we could never get through the pile of food, but the boys gobbled up the very last morsel. Good one, Scotty! What has this to do with sausage rolls? Meat and summer. Sausage roll is a must have at every party and picnic. It's not exactly caviar but it never pretends to be. Sausage rolls are unassuming and down to earth but can be easily jazzed up with just a few ingredients. Home made sausage rolls Ingredients: 1/4 Onion 12 Sausages* 1/4 cup Parsley 1 clove Garlic 2 sheets Flaky puff pastry Chili flakes to sprinkle Fennel seeds to sprinkle Sesame seeds to sprinkle 1 Egg Steps: 1. Turn oven on to 220 degrees celsius. 2. Chopped onion and garlic finely. 3. Chop parsley roughly. 4. Beat egg lightly with a fork...

There is a really neat legend about the humble origins of the Guinness beer. The Guinness beer is the brain child of Arthur Guinness. Back in the 1700s when medical science was in still in its infancy, people were getting illnesses and diseases just with drinking water. Ironically, they started turning to alcohol, mainly Gin which proved to be safer than their drinking water. Disheartened by the destitute caused by Gin which had plagued the city of Dublin, Arthur Guinness decided to brew a drink that not only the Irish would enjoy but will be nutritional to them. The beverage is none other than what is known today as the Guinness beer. It is supposed to be so full of nutrition that it is more like a meal! I had my first Guinness stew in an Irish pub; where else? And I absolutely fell in love with the rich, creamy texture and flavours the stew had to offer. Many years later, an Irish friend handed me a recipe for the stew and as with any good cook, I made changes to suit my taste. H...

Today, we will take a stroll down China Town just before Chinese New Year. Imagine a long wide street bustling with hawkers peddling their sumptuous goodies, shoppers picking up last minute bargains and little kids playing catch amongst the crowd. One can never miss that stall selling sweet peanut puffs. So what is it? Sweet peanut puff is a bite size snack made of pastry filled with sugary chopped peanuts and sesame seeds. You can almost guarantee each household will have a good stocking of this treat during Chinese New Year. If you like peanuts, this is not to be missed. It is great as a snack, for high tea or dessert. In fact, I'm taking some to a picnic tomorrow! Sweet Peanut Puffs Ingredients: Pastry: 1 ¾  cup All purpose flour 1/3 cup Peanut oil * 1/3 cup water 2 Egg yolks Filling: 150 g Unsalted roasted peanuts 100 g Castor sugar 25 g Toasted sesame seeds ¼ tsp salt Oil for deep frying * If you can't get peanut oil, use any cooking oi...

I like rice. Rice is a common commodity among different cultures. Italians have their arborio rice, Chinese have their jasmine rice, Indians have their basmati rice;  and there is the long grain rice, medium grain rice and short grain rice. The list goes on. But sometimes rice can be rather boring, like white bread where you yearn for a wee bit of variety. Which is why I supposed you have whole grain, mixed grain, soy, linseed and my favorite, fruit and cinnamon bread. This is one simple way you can jazz up your rice. It is meant to be an accompaniment to other dishes but if you so feel like, simply throw in some frozen mixed vegetables and you have a vegetarian fried rice! Egg and Ginger Fried Rice Ingredients: 2 Cups cooked rice 2 Eggs 1 tbsp Crushed ginger 2 tsp Light soya sauce 1 tbsp cooking oil Steps: 1. Beat eggs lightly with a fork in a bowl. Add soya sauce to egg. 2. Heat oil in a frying pan. 3. Add rice and give it a quick stir. Add crushed ginger and...

Hands up those who like tofu. No? Well, I hope I can sway you with this recipe. My husband had an aversion to tofu until he met me. Now, he even requests for this dish. The flavour of tofu, or rather the lack of it makes tofu a great candidate as accompaniment to stronger tasting ingredients.   This is another easy to make recipe with minimal ingredients. Tofu with Bean Sprouts Ingredients: 400 gm Firm tofu* 250 gm Mung bean sprouts 2 Cloves garlic 2 tsp Light soya sauce 1 tsp Salt ½ tsp Sugar Cooking Oil Steps: 1. Slice tofu into squares of about ½ inch thick. 2. Heat 1 ½ tbsp cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan. 3. When oil has heated up, place the pieces of tofu flat in the frying pan. (You probably do not have enough space in the pan. Cook them in 2-3 batches) 4. Leave tofu pieces in the pan for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Then turn them over and repeat on the other side. 5. Set cooked tofu aside. 6. Thinly...

The thought of spices and buttery pastry simply makes my mouth water, or maybe it was that extra teaspoon of chili I added to the pie! Whatever it is, this recipe is always a hit with friends and family. Best of all, it is easy to make. Mini Chicken Curry Pies Ingredients: 1/2 Brown onion 1 Large potato 2 Chicken breast (or 500gm boneless chicken) 4 Sheets flaky puff pastry 3 tbsp Curry powder 1/2 tsp Chili powder (optional) 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (optional) 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Sugar 1 Egg Cooking oil Steps: To make pie filling: 1. Boil water (enough to cover the large potato) in a sauce pan. 2. While waiting for water to boil, finely chop onion. 3. Dice potato into small cubes of about 1 cm in size. Add to boiling water. Boil potato cubes until almost soft, about 8-10 mins. You do not want to cook the potato completely. Drain and set aside. 4. Dice chicken into cubes of about 2 cm in size. Add 1/2 tbsp cooking oil to a frying pan. Fry chicken until 70% cooked. ...

I love summer. Nothing beats Wellington on a nice, hot and still summer's day. We love packing a picnic and heading to the beach for a relaxing evening meal in the sunset. It totally redefines the meaning of "eating out". On spontaneous moments like these, I often just quickly put together what I can find in the pantry. This is my adaptation of bean salad. It is extremely easy and quick to make (If I can do it so can you). Wonderful as a light lunch, for a picnic or as a side dish. Quick Bean Salad Ingredients: 2 cans 400g Four beans mix * 1/2 cup Thinly sliced celery 1/4 Red onion 1/4 cup Coriander 40ml Olive oil 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin 1 tbsp Lime juice 1 tsp salt Pepper to taste * Four beans mix contains: Butter Beans, Cannelini Beans, Borlotti Beans and Red Kidney Beans. Steps: 1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. When the oil is hot enough, (Test it by putting a wooden spoon or wooden chopstick into the oil. If it bubbles, it means that the oil is...

Welcome to Michelle's world of food.  Why a blog? Simply because I love food and most of all, I love cooking. I contemplated calling this blog, "The skinny chef". However, on consultation with the bathroom scale, we both agreed that it was a bad idea. (We couldn't decide which was worse, the skinny part or the chef part...) Wise men once said that music is the language of the world. I beg to differ. I say that food is the universal language of humankind! Food transcends culture, geographical boundaries, time, race, ethnicity, social classes, religions and politics. Where else would you find two people with opposing viewpoints coexisting amicably? In a restaurant of course.  I do not not profess to be a chef, except perhaps in my own kitchen! In fact, far from it. I just happen to be blessed with an innate ability to fry an egg without mucking up and most importantly, a wonderful husband and a neat group of friends who so obligingly put up with being guinea p...