Fish maw soup

One of the must-haves at our family table during Chinese New Year. The effort is not v laborious compared to pen cai but the ingredients can be just as luxurious and the end result just as satisfying.

Ingredients:

Half a head of Napa cabbage roughly chopped

400g pork bones or any kind of meat bones

750ml Swanson broth

1litre water

1 packet fish balls

8 pcs of wanton (I use CP brand)

2 pieces of fish maw.  Doused in hot water to remove the oil and soaked in warm water thereafter till soft. Cut into small pieces. 

1 can of abalone. Retain half can of abalone liquid and thinly slice abalone 

1 can button mushrooms, halved

Serves 5

Directions: With the exception of the fish maw, sliced abalone and wanton, throw all the ingredients into a slow cooker/ crockpot and leave to simmer for at least 3 hours. In the final hour, add abalone, fish maw and wanton. 

Viola! No additional seasoning required. Serve with hot steaming rice. Sliced chili padi and superior light soy sauce make a delightful dipping sauce. 

Char restaurant

There's been some clandestine activity going on at Guillemard road, just opposite Kong Hwa school. Every night sharply dressed yuppies have been forming snaking queues outside a non descript Shophouse unit called "char" for a taste of killer char Siew, roast pork and beer.

I'm no yuppie (auntie is more apt) but I love my char Siew nonetheless. And though this char siew is charged by weight (min 400g for around $20), this little piggy gives 2 thumbs up. 

So succulent you can literally feel the fats dripping down your throat.

And what's char Siew without its faithful accomplice "Siew yoke". This crackling rocks! 

The duck. Nice sheen of crispy skin. Some crazy people prefer this to char Siew.

Their not so fantastic yusheng only served during cny.. 

Must try this slightly over salted but umami packed claypot eggplant 

Getting to the restaurant is easy if u know your way. Take the circle line to dakota mrt and take exit A. Walk towards a wooded path under weeping trees and continue down along a stretch of canal before crossing the road at the traffic light outside Kong Hwa school. Housed along the same Shophouse stretch as char are stalwarts like tanjong rhu pau and a pub called Tuckshop. 

For drivers, there is a lovely empty car park outside mount batten community park. The restaurant is a 5 min walk from the carpark. And it is quite a romantic walk. Ladies pls do not park there if u are alone. 

Best eats 2014

In 2014, I was fortunate to be exposed to a wide range of food and drink of varying textures, tastes and price tags (shiok ness being their only commonality). Here are some of my prized finds.

(1) Char Siew from char..love the semi burnt honey marinade and the tender semi fatty pork slices. 300g (min order) costs around 16 bucks and feeds 3-4 pax. I usually order this with a delish side of Claypot eggplant and a bowl of steaming white rice thrown in for good measure. Looking forward to order this for 2015 reunion dinner.

(2) cristal champagne. Evil stuff which beats Dom Perignom by more than a whisker. Nuff said.

(3) tai parfait: always had a thing for the red bean stuffed taiyaki since yaohan days. This is an amped up cutesy version that comes with add ons like ice cream and mochi

(4) salted caramel cake n fish n chips from nom patisserie. Was it the memorable blind date I arranged that made the dishes seem particularly yummy that day?

(5) char kway teow from the famous hill street fried kway teow in Bedok market. Hands down the best smokey old school version I've ever eaten.

(6) hand made chocolate with crunchy rose bits from Czech Republic. My insurance agent bought a bar for me and the taste was exceptionally exquisite.

(7) rabbit satay from Malaysia's famous kajang area. It tastes like a more tender version of chicken. I was conned into eating this but concede that it is really not that bad!

(8) salted egg calamari and fried mango chicken from ah loy Thai, shaw plaza. Discovered it via a online coupon promotion. I was instantly hooked by the addictive batter and kept making return visits. 

(9) live sea urchins from sushi airways. Shucked fresh on demand. A spine tingling experience. Love love love the creamy and briny texture.

(10) Tim ho wan.. I finally tried their famous char siew Bolo pau and other signature dishes. Cheap and good. 

Apple tartin

Am always on the look out for a good apple tartin recipe after eating a killer version at restaurant ember.

This one featured on 8 days eat sounds promising..definitely ranks v high on the "must bake" list for 2015.

Happy New Year and bon appetit to all!