Lights Out

DSC00127.JPG, originally uploaded by shawnchin.

Just re-started blogging, now taking time off again. Ciken. hehehe..

Will be going off to Edinburgh for a week starting this weekend, for my convocation! I really miss that place. Can't wait to be there again.

As for this week, I haven't been cooking at all. My parents have been visiting for the past one week. Come home from work, got food ready liao. So nice :) (Thanks mom, dad)

Oh, and happy belated birthday KeYing. Send my regards to Ah 出 :p

Liturn of the Jedi

My comeback to cooking has not lead to anything fancy or elaborate.

Started simple with a pile of salad, and one of those pop-in-the-over-and-you're-done chicken kiev.

Next, I opted for something I was comfortable with -- massive sandwiches with lots of assorted stuff thrown in. This one had an omelette, corned beef fried with onions and Maepranom crushed chilly, cheese, ketchup, cucumber, and shredded roast chicken.

Was initially planning to wrap everthing in the omelette, ala Nasi Goreng Pataya, but I got carried away and piled on too much. So end up tak jadi. My egg not tua liap enuff :p

The one I enjoyed most (preparing and eating), was the roasted chicken wing with cheese omelette. Not the most healthy meal, but when has that ever mattered? It hit the spot, and that's what counts.

Chicken wing I play cheating wan, just bought pre-marinated pieces, and throw in my kuno oven.

The cheese omelette is what I like to consider my specialty - crispy on the outside, runny and cheesy on the inside. Enhanced with onions (slow cooked till soft and sweet), spring onions, Death Sprinkles, and mince meat (or lap cheong).

Not a bad start I guess. Hopefully I don't loose steam and end up eating instant microwave food again.

The Sirence of the Rambs

OK. To be honest, my cooking strike did not start immediately after I moved in. My disdain over the puny kitchen developed gradually over the course of one week. In the early days of the week, all was sunny.... for I had discovered the local butcher.

Cheap fresh meat. Plain or pre-marinated. Any cut, just ask. Eggs, sausages, burgers, lamb, beef, pork, bacon, steaks, .... I wanted everything. So hard to choose. So I just simply tikam one lah...

My First score. A huge portion of minty breast of lamb for half the price of a Big Mac meal. Not bad lehh..

Nowadays, I always use cooking foil as a makeshift tray. Some origami magic to make it boat-like, use, throw. No washing required. If food cannot finish, can reuse as ta-pau material oso. ;)

Mr. Lamb when it's almost cooked. Switched to grill mode to get a crispy outer shell. Would have glazed it with honey if I had some at the time.

Served with a simple salad of greens and cherry tomatoes, tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt.

Eat like crazy, in the end, still got half left. Good lah. Can recycle.

"Brown brown glass, paper blue blue, ...". Bloody jingles!

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Recycling: Day 1 - Pan Fried Lamb Sandwich

Jumbo sandwich with an omelette (hidden), lettuce, tomatoes, and slices of lamb pan fried with onions, red pepper, chopped Habanero, and err.. some other stuff I can't recall.

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Recycling: Day 2 - Spicy Sichuan Lamb Pasta

Simple ingredients: Diced leftover lamb, red pepper, onions, mushrooms, ...

... Lee Kum Kee Spicy Noodle Sauce, and some Angel Hair pasta to immitate BeeHoon.

Damn Syiok!

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Recycling: Day 3 - Maggie Goreng Kambing

Indomee with lamb and Lap Cheong, a taste of home away from home.

*burp!*

Dig dig dig. Ice cream sticks.

DSC00109_2.JPG, originally uploaded by shawnchin.

Things are finally starting to fall into place.

Broadband is up and running. Suitcase unpacked. Household necessities purchased. Daily activity starting to converge to a predictable routine. And I'm slowly picking up cooking again.

Yes. Picking up.

I stopped cooking for a month. One whole month of salads and semi-instant food. Just pop in microwave, jampi a bit, and *ding!!*, dinner is served.

Why? I'm not too sure. I've never thought myself as being the fussy type, but somehow, I'm strangely depressed by the state of my new kitchen. It exudes an aura of impotence that I'm yet to come to terms with.

It's crammed. Real estate is scarce on the worktop. There's two small electric slabs that's trying too hard to pass itself off as a stove, ...

... and the oven that has seem way too many winters. It takes longer to preheat than it does to cook anything, and it makes strange noises in the middle of the night as if there's a trapped pixie trying to tunnel it's way out with an ice cream stick.

Oh well. Perhaps all it needs is a good breaking in...


I'm back!!!!!!