Mee Goreng meets English Breakfast

In Singapore, the quintessential brand of instant noodles for home-cooked Mee Goreng (fried noodles in Malay) is Indomie.

I love mee goreng. You can get it at many stalls in hawker centres across Singapore. There's a Malay version, and an Indian version which is redder in colour and sometimes bits of (I think) mutton in it. I love having a sunny side up (with runny york) on top.

Anyway, I recently visited my friend Rebecca in Birmingham, and there - of all places - I learnt the "correct way" of making the Malay version of mee goreng.

Ibo, her lovely partner spoilt us rotten and cooked us some lovely noodles.

So here goes:

First, you fry up some red onions in a bit of oil. For extra points, throw in some sliced mushrooms. After a few minutes, throw in the raw noodles. Then you add some water (don't drown the noodles, we're not boiling here).

Add in the condiments that come with the instant noodles, and keep stirring the noodles so it's evenly cooked. If you have some kecap manis (sweet sauce), add an extra dash. It takes it to a whole different level.

When I got back to London, of course I busted butt to get a few packs. Oddly enough it's not sold at See Woo, the mother of all Oriental stores.

Here's my version of it - albeit with a few other ingredients.Vegans and health food types, look away now!

Curry Night

I've not made Indian food in a while. In London, you can get pretty tasty curries in the supermarkets (yes, the type you pop in the microwave and nuke).

Tonight I whipped up Balti Chicken Madras and Courgette Curry. Both recipes are from the Low-Fat Indian Food, a simple cookbook with easy instructions and the crucial ingredient in my view - photographs.
I also made basmati rice flavoured with onions, cumin and mustard seeds.

Anyway, the Ah Lau said it was a "screaming success" - I don't think he meant it was too hot. At least I hope not. He is the undisputed King of Chilli  Buffalo Wings at Jerry's after all so his tolerance for spicy food is beyond human nature.

Maybe I will be braver next week and  make Chicken Vindaloo, the mother of all Indian curries, the one that makes grown men weep.

Le Cafe Anglaise

Last night was our Big Night Out. We went to not one but two wine tastings, organised by Howard Ripley and Justerini & Brooks.

After the guerrilla tastings we headed for Bayswater to check out the much-touted Cafe Le Anglais.

The restaurant, set up by Rowley Leigh, won both Best Newcomer and London Restaurant of the Year at the London Restaurant Awards 2008, so we had high expectations.

We were not bowled over.

The decor is very cool, and spacious layout very appealing especially for a group night out. I like the bar area!

The Anglo-French menu is massive - not surprising given Leigh's long career - and includes aperitif, hors d'oeuvre, rotisserie specials, fish, desserts, and ice creams. There is also a Menu Gormand, and three other fixed menus. To add to the ambition, there's a daily special. Pant!

While the restaurant was born out of a desire for a rotisserie-based business, we decided to choose the Menu Gormand (35 pounds). I had the spaghetti with langoustines, followed by tronconette of brill with parsnips flavoured with garam masala, and er, some chocolate dessert.

I thoroughly enjoyed my starter. It had a lively fresh flavour, and the tomato sauce was perfectly light.

My brill (fish) was a letdown - it was like cod only firmer, and the garam masala didn't quite work.

 My dessert - some sort of choco mousse inside a cake thingy - was only so-so:

For his main course, Ray had a steak which was competent but nothing to shout about. Writing this right now, he can't even recall what he had for a starter it was that unforgettable (some of game with foie gras) but here's an attractive shot of it:

His dessert was the best thing we had that night - a panna cotta with a perfect bounce and delicate flavour.

Too bad the rhubarb was severely undercooked.

I would come back for the panna cotta, but that's about it...

Thinking back, I should have stuck to the rotisserie dishes - some other diners had the chicken and that looked very good. But you know when you have a big night out, sometimes you want to splash out so you reckon the menu GOURMAND would bowl you over especially given the price...

Plus I make a decent roast chicken so the thought of paying top bucks for chicken is like getting a roasting yourself.

Ah Lau gets Big Balls

Being a fan of Italian food, I decided to conduct a step-by step cookout of my favourite meatballs & spaghetti recipe.

It's taken from Bon Appetit magazine, but I've made one slight tweak i.e. to add ground beef to suit the Ah Lau's love for bovine.

I love this recipe: Firstly, the meatballs are baked, not fried. It's marginally healthier, and the lovely juices are nicely retained.

Secondly, the use of pine nuts and currants give the dish both sweetness and crunch. Delish!

Thirdly, it uses sausages so you can go wild with the possibilities. Personally, I like using a mix of Sicilian and Tolouse sausages from Sainsbury's.

First, I get on with the sauce, as it will take about an hour. After heating up the olive oil, I put in 1.5 cups of finely-chopped onions.

After about five minutes of stirring, I add two cloves of minced garlic and stir for a minute.

Then I add the canned tomatos. Canned tomatoes generally pack more flavour than the fresh supermarket version (says the Ah Lau), and it saves you a lot of hassle (says me who does a lot of the washing up). Let the sauce stew for an hour, stirring frequently. And yes, you can sneak a taste or two.

While the sauce's bubbling away, pre-heat the oven and get on with making the meatballs.

After letting the milk-bread crumb mix sit for five minutes, add the pine nuts, basil, parmesan cheese, currants and the meat. I love removing the membrane (yes, that's what I call it) from the sausages and watching the meat slide into the mix. There's something oddly satisfying about it.

Here comes the fun part: Using my clean bare hands, I go into PlayDoh mode.

 

I shape the meat into balls and spread them evenly on a baking tray.  On this occasion, the Ah Lau exclaimed: "I want BIG balls!"

So..... I granted his wish :) 

When the sauce is almost done, I add salt and pepper to taste followed by the remaining basil, then I give it all a solid stir for five minutes.

When the meatballs are done, I add them to the sauce. Then the Ah Lau cracks open a big-ass bottle of red, toss up a salad, and we say Salut!

The Last Supper

Okay, so how to end annus horribilis and close the decade with a bang? Well, my friend, for such a crucial task only CHEESY CHINESE FOOD will do.

So I made some mandatory fried rice - complete with lap cheong (the proper type smuggled by kind friends from Hong Kong), peas, carrots, chilli and eggs, topped with bawang goreng (fried shallots) and ikan bilis.

The end of the decade was also the chosen time for my very first attempt at Chinese pork ribs.

Here's my marinade, adapted from Cooks.com:

Chinese five-spice powder
Light soya sauce
Sesame oil
Sherry
Garlic (I used powder as I was too lazy to chop)
Star anise

I let the flavours work their way for a solid day. Also, I used prime ribs instead of spare ribs because 1) I am married to an American and they simply don't see the point of spare ribs, and 2) I figured since I am gonna make the effort, might as well get a bit more meat out of the exercise. Kiasu Singaporean, yes yes.

Once ready to bake, I laid out the ribs on a nicely-greased baking tray before popping it into the oven.
I then prepared my basting sauce which was equal parts of hoisin sauce and ketchup, and a touch of honey.

Then it was simply a matter of watching them babies cook in the oven, basting on occasion, turning them after 20 minutes, and repeating the process!

The final touch: Ray fired up the baking tray on the stove, added hot water, scraped the tray to collect the plate the nice drippings(we are absorbing the carbon footprint, yes we are...) and poured it onto the ribs.

Viola!

The meat was super tender and the sauce spot on in terms of flavour (although I found it a tad sweet).

Of course, the best way to enjoy cheesy Chinese food is with some champagne...Yes, it's a secret tradition that historians would rather not divulge.

Happy New Year!