0 Go MAD

Have you gone MAD (make a difference) today?

Anyhow, Hamm bought a crate of lovely baby alphonso mangoes back from India and Praise the Lord!, for they were surely God's nectar. Despite its greenish tinge on the outside, it boasted a deep orange flesh that could rival a setting sun. It was dribble-down-your-mouth-juicy, bursting with summery notes of honey, just purely fantastic! After an awesome Monday lunch (I love mondays!) of wholewheat red wine couscous + omelette topped with red peppers, spinach, garlic & avocado, an enjoyed an equally awesome fruitful bowl of fat strawberries, blackberries, cubed alphonsos, fresh coconut meat, all swimming in a pool of refreshing coconut water. Lovely. And to think it's 8 more days to FREEDOM.

0 The Culmination

I'm kind of excited and happy and relieved to finally submit my thesis. After 10 months, I have learnt so much and killed so much. 3 days more but I have et to write my discussion section.

Anyhow, the more important thing is that the most massive haul of online grocery shopping has finally arrived at the doorstep! Well not exactly because I had to personally collect it from the post-office. Loving ALL the stuff. From the vanilla COCONUT macaroons to the "cheezy" kale krunch chips to the spirulina granola which I thought would be like oat bran kind porridge, but nevermind, it's darn tasty. The JEM almond butter was kind of below my expectations though. It tasted between a cross of gula melaka and kaya, a bit of almond flavour but not really there. I think I'll stick to the traditional almond butters like Woodstock or Artisana but it makes a nice drizzly topping nonetheless. Have yet to open the macadamia nut butter and raw cacao butter and cacao nibs!

Oh yes, the most awesome sammich for lunch: Gardenia bread with pesto, salmon + barely there wiggly sunny side-up egg whites, cherry tomatoes and sprinkles of KALE KRUNCH. Made complete with a whole october sun plum and a guilty indulgence of a crumble of vanilla almond macaroon.

0 The days are numbered

Never had I thought FYP could amount to such a tremendous amount of time, pain, blood and effort. The days are numbered, and I'm not even 10 percent through my poster and thesis :(

Ten days later and my second bowl of creamy, fluffy, eggy (white) oats, again bananafied with broiled and caramelized bananas. The twist this time was sesame/pumpkin/flax powder and passionfruit, and needless to say, the mandatory salty [and now chocolately] sunbutter. Amazeballs texture and taste! My appetite these days have been ravenous and my digestion speed may amount to a high speed train; despite the (expected) high protein content of this breakfast, it barely tided over two hours, but I decided to hold the hunger in anticipation of: Farewell lunch later with the lab members for HM and I at Star Vista!

0 A much welcomed break

I had a mini respite from the 12-hour intensive lab work over the course of last week. We marked granny's 83rd birthday at Ming Kee seafood restaurant, which meant I had an excuse to complete my work earlier. The dishes were lip-smackingly good from start to finish: signature homemade beancurd with shitake and broccoli, bamboo (razor) clams, triple cooked crab bee hoon, soft and silky smooth steamed tiger grouper, sea cucumber with more shitake and broccoli, and chinese spinach in superior stock. Everything was flavorful without being too rich, salty, or having that MSG taste that so often plagues cze char eateries. The crab bee hoon was Shiok with a capital 'S' - thin rice vermicelli coated in its sweet & robust crab stock, with more crabtastic goodness from the chunks of fresh Sri Lanka crab pincers. The fish was also very good (flavoured in the classic soy sauce/spring onion way), albeit a tad pricey. I loved the plump shitake shrooms featured in the bean curd and sea cucumber dishes too. Unfortunately, I didn't take to the bamboo clams, and the broccoli and sea cucumber could have been more well-cooked as they were slightly hard to the bite.

Before that I had a jaunt at Marketplace@Tanglin Mall, where I stocked up my supplies. Exciting new buys included Mullers coconut greek yogurt, cappuccino Larabar and a tabbouleh salad mix (Fantasic Foods). Also bought Israeli couscous, Pacific soy and cage-free eggs (to test if there's a difference between that and normal eggs).

For lunch today I decided to have the egg yolk, instead of throwing it away. Lunch was tri-colored fusili pasta with purple sweet potatoes and the last of my soaked and roasted crunchy buckwheat groats, salmon, aforementioned egg done sunny-sideup, cucumber and lettuce, and pesto and goat's cheese. I thought the egg yolk would make a "sauce" for the pasta since I don't fancy Pappy's pasta sauce, which is the bottled creamed version. Although I couldn't really make out the taste of the yolk, I did have the thrill of poking into the yolk and seeing the golden liquid ooze out. I was eating in the dark (in confocal room), and sometimes I like it that way.

0 Crunchy buckwheat

In the cold-as-winter confocal room now scanning pics

This morning's breakfast was a nice pleasant surprise - the kind that makes you go 'wow, I'd never did expect that awesomeness!' Introducing crunchy buckwheat groats! It's so simple; just roast raw groats in the oven for 20 min at 300F (150C). The original recipe recommended coating with nut butter & honey mixture immediately after roasting but I decided to store the roasted groats as it is so I can get more variations, using it in both sweet (breakfast) and savoury (lunch) recipes. Normally buckwheat groats release a slime not unlike okra, but toasting it first, either in the skillet or oven helps it retain its texture. I enjoyed the groats with some oats/coconut muesli (possibly Dorset) in a 50:50 ratio, with protein powder, chopped Larabar chocolate cherry torte, rice milk, chopped nectarine and Maranatha's creamy drippy sunbutter (with tahini mixed in). It was a party of tastes and textures in the mouth. Considering having a savoury breakfast tmr - avocado & sunny side (sans yolk) sandwich (on rye bread) Or should I do a 6-minute boiled egg?

0 All the good eats in a [klutz] day

Breakfast - banana cinnamon oat-muffin-bagel porridge topped with Justin's chocolate almond butter, a chunk of Theo & Philo green mango and sea salt dark chocolate and cocoa mole hot chocolate sauce made with Delamere's skimmed goat's milk, and a scattering of pomegranate seeds. Lunch - Italian salad leaves, roasted vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and uber-ripe mushy avocado slices, purple potatoes & carrots roasted in avocado oil, seasoned with black pepper, cumin, paprika and dill, two whites-one-yolk creamy scrambled eggs, crumbled goats cheese, and half an Ambrosia apple afterwards. Dinner - lup cheong, shitake shroom and scallion soy sauce fried rice, sea bass, slow cooker chicken wolfberry herbal soup with si shen powder, papaya slices.

On the other hand, something was wrong with me today. 1. Spilled gooey egg whites all over the kitchen counter when I cracked the egg (NOT fun cleaning up). 2. Splashed egg mixture onto stove top when stirring the eggs in the non-stick pan. 3. Prepared my secondary antibody mixture wrongly three times before I got it correct. 4. This included fixing the dissected brains in the secondary antibody mix instead of fixing buffer! 5. Almost incubated the in situ brain samples with a secondary antibody mix with mouse Cy3 (red is Tyramide Cy3!) 6. spilled rice all over the floor when scooping rice for dinner.

I believe He was trying to impart a message about having quiet quality time today. The topic in Our Daily Bread today was "Time Out," a reminder to take time out and pray in the midst of hard work. Incidentally Luke 10 (I'm still through Luke 10) also talks about Jesus' teaching on Prayer.

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

0 Amok over amok

Curiosity and craving duly satisfied. Amok trei (steamed fish in a curry coconut custard) can be considered as the Cambodian sibling of Singapore's otah, except the fish is left whole instead of pureed to a paste. In fact, the spices are pretty similar - garlic, shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime, shrimp paste and coconut. I compared various recipes online and here's my version.

Amok trei

Yield: 5 small servings

Ingredients
Curry paste (kroeung)

• 1 red chili, deseeded (ideally should use dried red chilis)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 sticks lemon grass, trimmed and chopped
• 2" galangal, peeled and chopped
• 2" ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely minced
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Curry (amok)

• 400g fish, skin removed and diced into chunks(I used toman, also called snakehead)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (ideally should use palm sugar)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 egg
• banana leaves

Directions

1. Blend curry paste (except oil) using food processor, or more traditionally - and tedious - a mortar and pestle.
2. In a medium/large pot, fry curry paste in oil until fragrant, about 1-2 min.
3. Add coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 mins. Allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, fold the banana leaves into cups. For a 7 cm cup, cut out a 20 cm diameter circle. Use two circles for each cup with the leaf grains crossing for added strength. Fold in the corners and secure using toothpick or staples (initially I tried using toothpicks but the leaves kept tearing; staples were much better although less presentable).
5. Beat eggs gently into cooled coconut milk mixture. Add fish chunks.
6. Divide the entire mixture among the banana cups.
7. Steam for 20-25 minutes until the custard is set.

Typing this, I realized I haven't posted a recipe in quite awhile. I'm glad I'm back at tring out new recipes! The final result was a non-spicy coconutty gravy. It did not quite reach the thickness of custard. That might be due to the coconut milk (homemade, thus probably more liquid) or insufficient eggs; some recipes call for coconut cream and 2 eggs, which I don't think my heart will be thankful for. Nevertheless, the spices compensated for all that. Full of lemongrass and lime! I would prefer a more spicy kick to it though. Maybe it was because I did not use dried chilis. I would add some crushed red pepper flakes next time (although it's not authentic to do so).

The gravy (not quite custard as I mentioned above) was perfect for dunking rice into. I slurped up every bit of gravy with Pappy's lup cheong rice sans lup cheong. I haven't enjoyed coconut-based curries since... I can't even remember. I'm thankful for having gotten over the irrational fear of coconut milk and coconut-based dishes. MCFAs, bring it on!

1 Setting an undesired precedent

I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed of myself. Over the past few days I've been treating myself very well - too well for my own good. On Friday I decided not to pack lunch despite knowing that I had a long day, because I wanted a change from the usual. I decided I would get something from Starbucks in between my IT class and Immunology. I could probably count with one hand the number of times I've been to Starbucks (probably third or fourth time) so I wansn't familiar with their menu, or even whether they sold anything other than coffee. After a long glance at the display shelf, I decided on the Egg White, Pepper and Mushroom wrap. It doesn't sound the most exciting, but compared to the other mayo-laden and hefty looking sandwiches, I suppose it was a more healthy choice.

It looked small, so I wasn't sure if my $5.80 was justified. But when I started eating [during lecture], its size suddenly seemed to balloon - it was never-ending, like the Magic Porridge Pot story. The funny thing was the egg whites and the pepper/mushroom were not mixed but separated into two halves of the wrap, such that initially I was eating an egg white wrap, and then a pepper/mushroom wrap. Nevertheless it was really filling (think of all the proteins from the egg white) and really peppery. Not only does the peppers here refer to red/yellow capsicums, it also meant the black pepper folded into the egg whites. What made me guilty was that I actually enjoyed the bit of cheese hidden unexpectedly in the middle (cheese wasn't labeled on the display) - a savory sinful delight.

Then today I wanted to have something light - Novena Fish Head bee hoon (Goldhill) seemed to fit the bill. However I was disappointed when I saw its shutters pulled; it wasn't open on Sundays. So I went to United Sq FC and upon seeing that the Japanese chain Botejyu - the father of okonomiyaki - had set up a stall there, all my plans for "healthy" was gone. I ordered the salmon & steak yakisoba. In case you didn't know, yakisoba refers to noodles [soba] fried [yaki] on a hot plate, and then coated in the typical umami japanese black sauce - a grease and sodium bomb. Luckily though it wasn't as greasy as other versions I had before. If you have noticed, I underlined the word steak above. Initially that word missed my eye and I thought I was just ordering salmon yakisoba. And then when I saw him adding pieces of meat while cooking, I double-checked the menu. Indeed, the "steak" word was there except it was in a smaller font size! I intended to skip all the meat but to my surprise - and horror - I decided to try one piece - it tastes like chicken! I though. So one piece became two. And three. And before I knew it, most of the meat (I'm guessing beef) were almost gone. This is definitely unprecedented in my life's history. At that point in time I rationalized to myself that since I had made the mistake already I might as well not waste the food and eat it. But that's just part of the justification; I was well aware that I was eating [beef]. What's the beef with eating beef, you ask? Well, I don't know. It's like a vegetarian or vegan suddenly eating meat - and actually liking it - after abstaining from it for his whole life. It's not only a revelation; it's a mourn for the loss of control.

I guess it's back to healthy food for the weekdays.

Edit: after googling, I think those were pork slices instead.

0 Hello Khmer

Seven days in a "developing" country. I think it'll be an eye-opener, learning about the politics of a place as you traverse it. I realized that despite my travels, I had never really visited such "backward" places, and it makes me all the more be grateful of having been born into Singapore.

Yesterday started with a bang at Wild Honey, Scotts Square. We "traveled" to Persia with the Persian French Toast, California with a veggie tofu scramble and (??) with a fontina and feta cheese scramble.

Come to think of it, I don't know why my french toast is considered Persian; I mean I've come to associated Persia (modern day Iran) with Persian cats and french toasts to American style breakfasts. But Persia and french toasts? Anyhow, the signature brioche bread was coated in a sweet orange marmalade, topped with stewed rhubarbs instead of the black plums as stated in the menu; the waitress had informed us the black plums were not available. I loved the brioche most - soft and imbued with hints of milky fragrance, it was delightful. The french toast was not the eggy kind (more like marmalade spread on top?) but the syrup was overly sweet [such that I totally forgot that syrup was offered]. I could manage one toast on my own, but luckily I had mum's veggie scramble and sam's cheese scramble to share to tone down the sweetness. I really liked the Californian and would order it again if I were to make a return visit. The french toast was more one-dimensional (sweet sweet sweet), but the veggie scramble and more interesting textures and flavours - crunchy peppers & earthy shrooms wrapped in a silk-robe of fluffy eggs and tofu pieces, plus the smokey grilled ciabatta!

I was probably too excited over the glorious spread and threw my mantra of "slow, savour, stop" mindful eating to the wind. Have to constantly remind myself not to get so overwhelmed :D

Moneyball somewhat redeemed the tragic experience with TTSS. Simple, straightforward and enjoyable, with a good bit of Stats thrown in to tease the mind.

Haul from BRP:
- Justin's classic AB
- Allos amaranth basic muesli (popped amaranth makes a return!)
- Sharpham Park spelt porridge
- Clif Crunch PB & Chocolate ($3.95 for 5x2 bars! - sold for clearance)

But. Last-min packing! (PS: I'm dismayed to have read that Heart Bistro at Palais Rrenaissance is now defunct (recalls fond memories of the shrimp pasta). Hope they find a new space soon!)

0 Tale of two

Delirious, I tell you. I strategically placed half of a Justin's Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Cup on a bed on steaming hot Sweet Tentation pear steel cutters, then poured the remaining layer of oats over it. You get the idea - choc + heat = melted puddle of choc. But it's not just any chocolate puddle, it's a chocolate puddle encasing an inner puddle of salt-kissed peanut butter, sitting like a golden orb in the center of a bowl of oatmeal. Finally reaching that layer is tantamount to striking gold! That sent shivers down my spine, toes curling in delight. Oh my! Even saying the word peanut butter cup is so cute!

...and the Campagne bread from Maison Kayser. It harks back to the (sample) bread I had at Whole Foods back in London - springy, holey innards in a chewy crust. I can imagine it going so well with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Or soup. To let the bread and its texture shine, I had this simple with shmeared avocado, poached egg whites topped with blacked pepper and paprika. Bread at its epitome.

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If there is one thing I learnt in CS&IT today in my half-awake state, it is the concept of decomposition, and more importantly, it's usefulness and applications in daily life.

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I got two free mandarian oranges and a free fuji apple today! :)