281. Homemade Strawberry Jam

Strawberries...the main ingredient. I got 2 boxes at $7.50. They were from USA. It was sour, I stopped eating after popping 2. Some time ago, we could get strawberries from Korea from the supermarkets, they were smaller but much sweeter than the USA strawberries. So, I decided to use them to make strawberry jam lest my $7.50 goes to waste. A tad expensive but it's preservatives free.

The old saying, Health = Wealth.

Cut them into chunks. Not to cut them too small else in the process of cooking, the fruits will break into smaller pieces. I like my jam pulpy, the taste and texture leveled up with the chunk bites. Pulpy jam works well with sundae, pancakes and scones too.

Marinated the strawberry chunks with sugar overnight so that they will be sweetened. One good thing about homemade jam is I can control the amount of ingredients used. I didn't want my jam to be too sweet so I reduced the amount of sugar used. I didn't measure exactly how many grams of sugar I should use, everything's done using approximation. Followed what my heart desired.

Simmered the strawberry mixture over medium heat. Added a few drops of lemon juice and some butter. Again, it was based on approximation. Done! Let it cool first before refridgerate. Here, you have a nice and healthy pulpy strawberry spread. Contain it in a clean glass container, cover it with baking parchment paper and seal it tight. Even though it is preservatives free, it should be able to last for 2-3 weeks. Enjoy!

280. Steamed Durian Cakes - West meets East

The hotels are coming out with durian degustation desserts buffets (at an appealing price), offering durian lovers with durian strudels, crepes, rolls, tarts and da da da......those that belonged to the Western land. Let me introduce this which belonged to the Eastern. Jang! Steamed durian cakes.

It's actually traditional steamed cake with a generous amount of fresh durian pulp added to the mixture. People used to make these steamed cakes during the festive seasons in the past but seldom now as cakes are so easily available.

It's very easy to make. Soft and fluffy. And they huat-ed (surface of the cakes split). And what's the difference from those from the Western land? We eat them whilst they are hot. Not when they are piping hot but when they have cooled to a lower temperature. The taste will be a tad stronger then. The durian fragrance that floats in the air when you slowly tear it apart is going to make the older generation reminisce the days they had in the kampong.

279. Foodies Queen with her apron on

It's Father's Day today. Dining out would definitely be a hassle if we didn't make reservation in advance and it would be pricey. So, I decided to put on my apron on this Father's day. Nothing complex but simple cooking. These are the ingredients I bought but I didn't use all of them.

Cold tofu. Somewhat similar to the ones served at Ajisen except that I have added century egg. It's very simple to make. Get gomu shabu sauce (available at the Japanese corner of all supermarkets) and add some lemon juice to it. Ajisen added sesame paste which I didn't. We can also add chopped chili and parsley for the texture and garnish.

Sauteed scallops. These scallops were flown in direct from Perth, Australia. It's definitely fresh! I had the scallops sauteed in butter with garlic and made some salsa with avocado, red capsium and onions. That greenish round fruit which I used to garnish was a peeled blueberry.

Prawn salad. Poached the prawns, not longer than 25 minutes. Lettuce, avocado, tomatoes (can't get the Japanese tomatoes in Giant, I think they are only available in Cold Storage and The Market Place), boiled egg and topped with parmesan cheese. Jang~ simple and healthy salad, here you go!

Big sized prawn as the main course. Very simple. Grilled the prawns in garlic butter. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice and it's woolaalaa~

Onigiri. I like onigiri. I think it's easy to make and convenient to eat. What's more, it's much healthier to eat than fast food. Rice can be made different with the dried food (nori, dried salmon, sesame seeds and etc)(bought from Daiso). It's no longer just a bowl of plain rice.

Had my whole morning spent in the kitchen. Even though these dishes are easy to cook, preparing all the ingredients have used up quite a bit of time. But, it's Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! ^.^

278. Daiso's grabs

I think this candy is quite unique in the sense that it has a mild content of saltiness. Yes, salt content in a candy. The brown sugar innards has salt mixed in it. And probably because of the salt, I felt the candy is not very sweet. My Chinese physician told me brown sugar is better than the normal refined white sugar, raw and cane sugar. Then again, even brown sugar is categorized in different grades. So, what to expect from a pack of sweets for $2?

Rice crackers. Not Wang Wang brand. It is much smaller than Wang Wang's. I felt it is more flavoured than Wang Wang's. With the weather killing almost all creatures on Earth, I think these rice crackers worked best with a superb chilled mug of beer.

I loved shopping at Daiso. The Japanese stuffs are so kawaii! But, I don't know why, I didn't manage to shop the entire daiso everytime. I supposed there are too many things to see, that's why I usually made my way to the cashier after browsing through the food and utensils corner. Though everything is priced at $2 each, some of the items are definitely overpriced.

277. Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant

Free edamame was served. Me and my friend are not edamame lovers so we did not touch them at all.

Seafood Paperpot Combo @$11.80

It was stated under the promotional price. Sukiyaki is also on promotion. The combo comes with rice and a glass of green tea (hot/cold). The fire was too big. I feared for the life span of the living cells on my face with the heat surrounding the paperpot. They should have made the fire smaller. Geez.

The seafood paperpot consisted of salmon fish slices, a prawn, a mussel and lots of cabbage and mushrooms. The broth was light and refreshing.

Sakura Maki @$4

We added a sakura maki that comes at a special price with the paperpot combo. They should have been more generous with the pink roe.

Hoki Cheese @$7.20

Hoki fish, with its dense white flesh is high in Omega-3 acids. They are usually processed and made into our supplements like fish oil. Even though, hoki fish does not come cheap, I think the hoki cheese (where the hoki fish was already processed and breaded) we had was overpriced. The cheese flavour was very mild.

Overall bill worked out to be $27.10 for 2 pax. As both of us were not hungry and rushing off for a movie, we missed out their noodles. I didn't like the dining environment. They have made the entry corridor so small, the staffs were all standing there and worse still, hawking at the diners as they have their food. I felt quite uncomfortable then.

Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant

Tiong Bahru Plaza

302 Tiong Bahru Road

#02-16

Tel: 6273 0013