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Culinary-Ness

* caterer * culinary instructor * cooking parties * food writer * Chef's Table * Columnist* Email:
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* Caterer
* Cooking instructor
* Organiser of cooking parties
* Food writer
* Chef's table
* Columnist

08/01/2023

Homemade lunch is served. Garlic naan, butter chicken and palak paneer. Only thing store-bought was the paneer.

30/12/2022

So glad a old family tradition continues here in Canberra. Sugee cake. A rich butter cake made with a lot of egg yolks, semolina, ground almonds and brandy. We usually serve this on Christmas Day and another one for New Year’s Day.

I wonder why more bakeries in Singapore don’t make this. And the ones that do, make a very poor version of it. It must be crumbly, buttery and rich.

So glad at least we can have a good proper one here. A recipe that has been passed down generations.

The cake would have been made earlier if AusPost actually delivered my kitchenaid on time. But hey! Better late than never.

03/12/2022

Life is all about balance. We had some naughty meals while away so now it is time to balance things out. A humble and comforting South Indian meal tonight. Chicken rassam (kinda like a Indian veggie spiced soup) with rice, egg In a tomato and onion spiced gravy, crispy anchovies (Ikan bilis) and peanut for texture and crunch.

Soul food.

27/11/2022

Storm rolling in. Time for some spicy beef curry puff and a nice cuppa teh (tea).

20/11/2022

Labour of love. We can’t seem to find braised duck here in Canberra. To satisfy my craving, I made it myself. So many elements! Braise the duck (after preparing the aromatics 48 hours in advance), braise the mushroom after hydrating them till they are tender.

We have paired it with firm tofu and soft boiled duck egg.

20/11/2022

Sharing. New cooking method (to me) that I tried and it really worked.

I went reef fishing and came back with some flatheads. I have never cooked flatheads. The bones make a great fish stock. It isn’t “fishy” at all.

I marinated the fish with some grated ginger, salt and white pepper. Coated it with corn flour, then egg wash and dipped in panko before shallow frying. It came out beautifully. Like really juicy fish fingers. Try it!

14/10/2022

Why is it wet every day. My flying birds don’t come and say hello. I have nothing to chase in the garden. Bored.

13/10/2022

The sun is hiding. So some warming lamb shank briyani for dinner tonight. The meat is so moist and fall apart tender!

18/09/2022

Felt inspired to make nasi lemak today. Paired with homemade petai Sambal tumis, fried Ikan bilis, prawn paste fried chicken, Vietnamese style fried chicken and nonya style bitter gourd omelette to ease the guilt.

A portion like this would cost a bomb in Canberra. Not even sure these sides are even available!

28/08/2022

Weather has been kind. That meant that it was time to prep some nonya paste for the warmer months. Couldn’t resist whipping up some prawn and petai sambal for dinner. Can’t wait for nasi lemak rice (coconut rice) to be done. Dinner is going to be good!!

20/05/2022

Nights have been cold. Nothing like a warming Indian spiced lamb meatballs with briyani rice and a side of jewelled pomegranate raita to warm up. That fluffy rice was out of this world.

19/05/2022

Back to basic meal last night. Simple but like a good friend who was here for dinner said “simple but so good!” Fresh egg noodles with a Chinese style vongole mussels. Fresh coriander, ginger, garlic, Chinese wine. Simple clean eat before our decadent briyani meal the next day.

28/04/2022

Another family recipe that appeared on our dinner table recently. Cantonese style char siu. What’s the difference? Zero red colouring. The bbq meat speaks for itself. Savoury with a tinge of sticky sweetness. Crispy little charred bits, with just the right layers of meat and melt in your fatty bits.

Funny story. A very good friend dropped by and some was offered to her. She thought it was fake! She thought it was some sort of decorative item. Lol

28/04/2022

Fish cutlets. It has been a long time since I last made these. Crispy golden on the outside. Fluffy spiced fish and potatoes inside. Not too spicy. Just enough for a tingle. I love pairing this with either a spicy coriander chutney or a cool cucumber raita.

08/01/2022

Some good friends have a busy week ahead so out comes my version of beef briyani to help tide them over. Made enough to share with some friends. Beef briyani with pomegranate raita and pickled veg. Nice way to start the weekend and the glorious sunshine after all that rain.

01/12/2021

Sorry for the silence. We moved to the South of Canberra. We have been busy sorting ourselves out. Didn’t last long. We have started feeding our neighbors. Simple poached chicken. With a master sauce and homemade belachan chili. Paired with garlic fried rice and a chicken broth with fish dumpling. Winning.

03/08/2021

Good things should share. So this Flybuys offer starts today. Buy a Netflix gift card from Coles and you get a bonus 1,000 points ($5) in your Flybuys account for each gift card purchase. Max of 5 cards per person.

So grab 5 of the $20 dollar Netflix gift card, and you technically only pay $75. Enter the gift cards into your Netflix account and don’t think about your Netflix subscription for a while cos you have $100 in your account which netflix will deduct from.

02/08/2021

Beginning of the week. Best time to have a good decadent dinner. Roasted pork loin with a creamy mustard sauce and hasselback potatoes. Simple steamed beans on the side with garlic. Dinner is served.

31/07/2021

The sun was out yesterday after days and days of gloomy wet weather. We celebrated with a yummy fry up brunch. What’s your must have in a decadent fry up? We take bacon over sausages any day for a fry up. Portobello mushrooms sautéed with some garden herbs just to ease the guilt a bit. Lol

28/07/2021

So two things about my husband. He isn’t a fan of vegetables. He loves bread.

I’m still recovering so another kapow simple meal. My tastebuds needs some yumminess.

Cream of mushroom and a boatload of broccoli soup. With a huge side of Mexican cheese bread. Savoury and creamy Lux soup paired with crunchy on the outside fluffy on the inside with oozy cheese bread. Who needs croutons!!!

27/07/2021

Some people have congee or fish ball soup or chicken soup when they are under the weather. I’m a strange cookie. I want punchy flavour. Don’t give me bland. My tastebuds need a proper kapow! And that’s what we had today. This sickie (me) whipped up some chicken adobo and slaw pau buns. Happy camper.

Am I strange? Anyone else rather punchy food when they are under the weather? (By the way I wasn’t a piggie. I had two buns. Heh)

25/07/2021

It’s cold. Perfect time for the oven to do double duty. Cook our dinner and warm the house up. Question now is to serve the homemade char siu with rice or noodles. Decisions decisions decisions

22/07/2021

Homemade satay for dinner. Beef and chicken satay with “pressed rice” and a side of peanut sauce. Humble meal that reminds us of home. Comforting.

13/07/2021

Gotta love a budget meal that just keeps stretching. I prepared some oven baked chicken breast katsu (essentially a Japanese version of chicken schnitzel). Threw a piece into the oven till it was crispy and cooked through. In the meantime, made a teriyaki sauce, added the breast and some eggs and sautéed onions. Dinner was done. And enough for my hubby to have for lunch too. Just from one chicken breast.

29/05/2021

When your local butcher does a good deal on bone in rib-eye, you can say no. A 1.1kg hunk of moo for $21. Steak dinner it is!

03/05/2021

I love barter meals. Our friends surprised us over the weekend with some yummy food from their favourite restaurant. In return, I whipped up a traditional Nonya meal to thank them. Nasi Ulam with chicken curry kapitan. Humble meal but cooked from the heart.

03/05/2021

Nasi Ulam done! A tradition Nonya rice. Flavour bomb!!! Rice mixed with roasted grated coconut, fresh medley of julienned herbs like Vietnamese mint, Kaffir lime leaf, coriander, Thai basil, coriander, and so much more!! Can be eaten on its own. But I’m going to make a dish that will compliment it.

02/05/2021

Dinner last night. Nonya prawn laksa. Labour of love that takes three days to prepare. But oh so worth it. The reviews came in thick and fast last night. A lot of yum, yummy, serap and sedap. Made our bowl extra special by adding some cockles. Oh my lord do I miss blood cockles.

29/04/2021

I am swamped prepping my laksa cook. So I had to turn to the oven to help me out while I prep laksa. A quick and easy roast beef meal. Roast beef (marinated for three days), onion mash, buttered peas, roasted carrots and gravy. Quick and easy while I concentrate on laksa prep.

29/04/2021

Just back from the coast. We brought some Vietnamese marinated pork chops from home with us. Grilled with that beautiful sunset view. Some locally harvested oysters to start off our meal. I miss the trip already.

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