We Ate This!

Moving to a new blog home...

2011-08-27T22:02:00.001+07:00

Hello there, fellow foodies.
I'm sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I've been busy battling virus attacks on my digital camera, then there's these bugs in this template that caused the loss of links and a few posts. With persistent bug problems in my blogger templates several times already this year, I made a difficult decision to leave Blogger, revamp We Ate This!, and move it to WP. No turning back now.

Thank you for following me here on Blogger. I love Blogger and this is where I met a lot of wonderful blogging friends and followers. You are going to be automatically redirected to my new blog site. My new site is:

http://www.queenofwishfulshrinking.com

I'd love to see you there. Also, if it's not a trouble to ask, kindly change or update your links from my old blog to the new one, Queen of Wishful Shrinking. Thank you. It is still a work-in-progress so please give me some time to update my feeds link and put the links back again.

Thank you and I look forward to your visits.

Food Trip Friday 069: Treading the healthy route…

2011-06-10T13:14:00.002+07:00

Here I go again… trying to mind what I eat. How long I can keep this, who knows? lol. At least I’m trying.

Never mind the eggs (cholesterol much) as long as I have lots of greens and beta carotenes in my diet – that’s what I told myself last night. Needless to say, I got hungry after two hours. Must. Eat. Rice.

Food Trip Friday 068: Leftovers are good!

2011-06-03T15:47:00.001+07:00

Friday once again and, as usual, our day started late.Woke up past 9am and only had coffee to begin the day…

Lunch was leftover spaghetti with bolognaise sauce that I re-heated. In a pyrex dish, I put all the leftover pasta, then the sauce. Before chucking them into the oven, I sprinkled a generous amount of cheese, and in 20minutes, we have this cheesy baked spaghetti.

This went very well with our leftover fried chicken and ice-cold Coca-Cola :)

Lunch for two is solved.

Food Trip Friday 067: Fried rice and Hungarian sausage

2011-05-27T15:47:00.001+07:00

My husband’s day off is every Friday, and so that means, we have long weekends. And in our house, weekends meant anything goes… especially with food. So today, we happily gorged on greasy food for brunch.

It didn’t take long for me to decide what to cook seeing I have leftover rice. I made fried rice with bacon bits and Hungarian sausages – (they were given to me by my little bro as pasalubong!).

Okay, perhaps a lot of you are grimacing now at the sight of this greasy food before you. Yes, they are greasy and unhealthy but, by golly -- they’re tasty, flavourful and oh-so-satisfying. Besides, I feel that it won’t hurt a bit if we indulge in greasy food from time to time.

Food Trip Friday 066: Tea time, with jam and toast!

2011-05-14T09:44:00.001+07:00

I’m back… I missed two successive weeks of FTF due to unavoidable circumstances. Just when I try to come back, Blogger/Blogspot was acting up and for the whole day (Friday) I could not access my blog. Fortunately, it’s now back this morning so … tuloy ang ligaya.

We have tea regularly at home so I’m sharing with you what goes with our tea. Sometimes we have biscuits, scones, and muffins, but most of the times we have tea with toast and jam. My favourite is blackberry jam, with real berries, slathered generously on toasted baguette with butter. I like mine slightly toasted though.

Come have tea with me :)

Food Trip Friday 065: Jackfruit!

2011-04-22T14:27:00.001+07:00

When my landlord and his family returned to Phnom Penh after spending their New Year holidays in his hometown in Stung Treng, they brought us a lot of things for pasalubong! One of them was this medium-sized khnao, or jackfruit, that I cut in half. The sweet scent of khnao filled our kitchen for several days.

I don’t really like jackfruit eaten as it is but I love it when it’s made into a smoothie. A perfect thirst-quencher.

Food Trip Friday 064: Jacket potatoes

2011-04-07T19:25:00.000+07:00

Here’s what my husband made during our BBQ lunch last Sunday:

After lunch, when the fire was dying, he wrapped potatoes in tin foil and threw them into the coals. Served up one hour later with melted butter and cheese. We did the same for kamote (sweet potatoes).

Food Trip Friday 063: My miracle banana cake

2011-03-31T22:45:00.004+07:00

I gotta say this now – the new FTF logo rocks!
And for some good reason, the logo makes me feel… young. Don’t you agree with me?

My entry this week is something like a miracle from … my kitchen. From the oven, specifically. You see, I haven’t used my oven for nearly a year now because it doesn’t get warm/hot enough heat for any kind of baking.

But since it’s my birthday today (ahem) and I recently scored a Pyrex bake n’ serve meatloaf dish that I’ve been itching to use for the longest time, I decided to venture on a kamikaze mission to bake my favourite banana cake using my newly-acquired Pyrex bakeware.

So considering the nature of my mission, there I was, understandably, mumbling prayers to the gods and goddesses of baking while mashing the bananas and sifting the wheat flour, practically begging them over and over to grant my one and only birthday wish – that is, to eat banana cake – promising not to do this, and not to eat that in return. Whatever I could think of basically! It was only later that I realised I was being silly. Hah. But you know what… an hour and a half later, I was not disappointed!

Out came this vanilla-flavoured, sugar-reduced banana cake!

Well, who says I can’t have my banana cake and eat it, too?

Happy birthday to me.

Food Trip Friday 062: Ensalada de pepino y zanahoria

2011-03-24T23:38:00.002+07:00

Okay, please indulge me. I just have this urge to write in Spanish because I think ensalada en pepino y zanahoria sounds so much fun than writing cucumber and carrots achara. hahaha.

I have to confess this – I have a thing for pickled veggies! I like the salty ones, the sweet-and-sour ones, the spicy ones, the garlicky ones… name it, I like them all. Not only that they serve as appetizers they also are a great relish and a side dish. No problem, because here in Cambodia, I share with the whole country the same love affair with pickled vegetables. They have bok lahong, which is like a cousin of our very own Pinoy achara, only spicier (with lots of fresh, red chilli) and saltier. There is also the same lahong that goes with an order of nompang pate (Khmer sandwich with meatloaf). In Cambodian wedding banquets, platefuls of pickled cucumber, radish, etc. are also served without fail along with local cold cuts as appetizer. When I was in Japan, I sampled most of their pickled veggies with every meal, including breakfast. I can still remember the colours, the kick of flavours, and the textures of different Japanese tsukemono.

It was very easy to prepare and I was very adventurous when I made mine. No measurements, no nothing. I sliced and diced, sprinkled and stirred, and trusted my senses :) And thank heavens, they turn out edible and good naman. I bottled the achara and chilled in the fridge; the will keep for about 2 weeks at most. Now I have something to go with inihaw or piniritong isda (grilled or fried fish), especially with my favourite piniritong tilapya. Great timing, ‘no, especially that it is the Lenten season.

Speaking of Japan, please let us continue to pray for the country’s speedy recovery. Our hearts go out to the Japanese people and not a day goes by without me thinking about their plight. Let us help in one way or another. Also, while I’m writing this, news came out about the two quakes that rocked Myanmar earlier this evening. No news yet about damage or casualties. We will probably know tomorrow. Let’s also pray for the people of Myanmar.

Food Trip Friday 061: The Pelukas went Korean

2011-03-18T08:24:00.002+07:00

This picture was taken a month ago, in one of our regular jaunts in the Penh. As usual, we didn’t have a clue where to go because, even, if our stomachs were already growling, we were busy yapping. Someone suggested we go Korean… and images of yummy Korean barbecues and grills entered our minds. Like Pavlov’s dog, we instantly drooled and decided in unison that that’s where we would love to go…

If I am not mistaken, we all ordered this dish:

This dish costs about $5++, a bit pricey for one order and without rice but the portions were huge. The meat is so tender and juicy and beautifully spicy it doesn’t overwhelm your palate.

The place is … how do I describe it… well, something new to my eyes. It’s well-lighted, clean and has a youthful vibe. On weekdays, most of the Cambodian yuppies and yappies (including the Peluka sisters!*lol*) go there. On weekends, families come and eat here for their popular value set meals. The food servers are pretty much well-groomed, friendly, speaks good English and are very attentive. The waiting time is about 30mins, which is the same length of time to wait for a delivery pizza.

Chicken BBQ is located at the third floor of Sorya Mall in Phnom Penh.

Food Trip Friday 060: Thai food trip, part 2

2011-03-11T08:37:00.003+07:00

Yes, you read it right… I had another Thai food trip recently, this time with my PELUKA sisters and we went back to that same restaurant I went to on my first food trip. Now I know the name of the restaurant – it’s called Goan Damrei.

Okay, on to our feast. Ladies, may I introduce you to the following:

This is finger-lickin’ good. It looks so simple but don’t underestimate it. It’s packed with oh-so-good-flavours. What a great way to use chicken wings.

We also ordered pad thai, you can see the pic that I previously posted here. The pad thai we ordered this time was a disappointment – not the taste, it' still had the same amazing pad thai flavour but the serving was smaller compared to the previous one I had :(

The second time I was there with the PELUKA girls also confirmed the waiting time – it’s next to forever. It took more than an hour for the food to be served even though there weren’t many customers – in fact, there were only two tables, including ours, that were occupied. If you are very hungry and need food pronto, this place is not for you. We were so hungry already but wala kaming magawa. There is only one cook, we found out, and everything has to be prepared from scratch. If only they’d find a way to shorten the cooking time, we’d be happy to come back to sample other dishes in their menu.

I give it a three-and-a-half-stars. Okay, since when did I start giving out ratings here in my blog? Wala lang, feel ko lang, chos! *lol*

Goan Damrei Restaurant
St. 51 (Pasteur Street)
Phnom Penh

Food Trip Friday 059: Thai food trip

2011-03-04T08:44:00.002+07:00

Last week I had the most amazing Thai food, well, outside Thailand, anyway. No, I did not dine in a 5-star hotel, or the chic restos in the area, or places with Thai-sounding names. The restaurant, whose name I had actually forgotten, is a small unassuming place just across the more popular Walkabout Bar in St. 51. People might think it’s a tiny, nondescript (not flashy and pretentious!), hole-in-the-wall eatery but don’t be fooled!! The food is definitely authentic, prepared personally by its Thai owner… and the food is absolutely amazing! What’s more, the prices are cheap and you get good value for your money.

Okay, ‘nuff said already. Chow time, er, I mean these are what we chowed on:

This restaurant is a must-go-to place when you’re in Phnom Penh. I’ve seen this restaurant every time I pass the area but never thought about stopping by and trying their food. It pays to have someone who knows where the best Thai food is – a Thai friend, of course! *lol* Although the waiting is a bit longer but I don't mind. That means it is being prepared right there and then, and, oh my, what a heavenly meal you are going to have. So a little patience is all you need...

I will post the name of the restaurant and address as soon as I get them.

Food Trip Friday 058: Saturday BBQ lunch

2011-02-25T00:45:00.003+07:00

Two weeks ago my husband and I hosted a BBQ lunch at our house. We invited our friends to come over just because…

We had the food and drinks covered but friends still brought some “contributions”. PinayWifeSpeaks brought her creamilicious Bicol Express, Mumsified made leche flan and PinayMum contributed ham, cheese, siomai and other finger foods. Due to the “excitement” we forgot to serve the fresh fruits brought by Mom of the Furries and the hotdogs with mallows for the kids.

Some more pics:

The kiddos had a great time playing Wii games, Jenga, and riding on our stationary bike! With plenty of food and drinks that lasted all afternoon, it was a fantastic way to spend the weekend together.

N.B.: Unless otherwise noted, the pictures are mine and first appeared in my other blog.

Of qr code in my food

2011-02-23T13:36:00.001+07:00

Today I was surfing for hours in search of some inspiration, food inspiration, that is. But while I sat clicking sites after another, looking at online food stores, my attention was turned to a site that introduces qr code in its outdoor advertising materials. These codes are readable by mobile phones. Oh my, so many awesome things a mobile phone can do these days. More and more I am led to believe that mobile phones are now in the “basic need” list of an increasing number of people all over the world because of the convenience it g

And what is a qr code do, you ask? My dear friends, Mr. Wiki says a qr code is a specific matrix code, and, a standard qr, or Quick Response, code looks like this box on the right:

So who invented the qr code? Of course, the Japanese did! They always invent the cool stuffs! It is used to get collect information about almost anything and sends these information to a mobile phone. You see these codes everywhere, don’t you? In the groceries, you see the cashiers whip out barcode scanners to get the price and other information on the product you are buying. In marketing circles, these qr codes are already used in movies, billboards, store-displays, that are linked to websites and easily read by some mobile phones. Pretty neat, huh? It is believed that the fast-paced advancement of mobile technology and the increase in mobile technology use, more and more quick response code usage will come out in the future.

Food Trip Friday 057: My version of Chicken Kiev

2011-02-17T22:30:00.000+07:00

This is my version of chicken kiev…

Nothing fancy in the preparations - I marinated the chicken breast in eggs with a dash of pepper and a tablespoon of Kikkoman soy sauce for at least 30mins. Inside the chicken breast I put a rash of bacon and a bit of cheese before frying. Using olive oil, I fried the chicken over low flame in a covered pan for 10mins for each side. When almost done, I sprinkled with a bit more cheddar cheese and let it melt for a few minutes. To finish it up, I blow torched the cheese to give it a hint of burnt cheesy flavour. Yum.

I Heart Coffee

2011-02-16T14:00:00.001+07:00

Valentine’s Day came and went unnoticed.

While the whole world was seeing hearts everywhere, my husband and I were recuperating from the BBQ lunch we hosted two days before V-day. The plates and cutleries were finally put back in its places and we were munching on the leftover food with coffee in front of the television. I guess we’re not so big on celebrating V-day. We don’t need schzmaltzy stuffs because we fill each other with love. Naks. I’ll give you a tip, we welcome any kind of gifts for coffee-lovers. hahaha. Like this jumbo coffee mug on the right, because one cup isn’t enough for us in one sitting ;)

I’m kind of yearning for a cuppa Joe and wishing that my PELUKA sisters and I could meet for our regular coffee date this week. We always frequent this small and unassuming coffee shop in Boengkengkang area that is so popular to expats and locals alike. They serve better coffee compared to other coffee shops with big names in the city because they have this unique coffee specialty blends that are worth coming back to.

This cafe is locally-owned and managed by brothers who have studied the art of coffee, coffee-making and pastry-baking abroad. All these factors combined, plus their management skills and great business sense have propelled them to open a second shop. Not bad considering that there are a lot of coffee shops mushrooming all over the city. New ones, but definitely lacking the originality.

Anyways, I know I’m just blabbering over coffee, but if you are a coffee-addict like me I suggest you check out this new discovery of mine, ShopWiki.com, for a comprehensive source for your coffee needs. You’ll be surprised to find out that it has every thing there including the hard-to-find items.

The Bloggers Exchange Linky Love

2011-02-06T09:33:00.010+07:00

I should have posted this earlier but a lot of things went in the way. I joined The Bloggers Exchange to inject a bit of fun and excitement in my blog-life. Conceived by the ever-energetic Willa of the FoodTripFriday site, it now has over 200 members with a lot more trying to get in. Galing! To know more about the TBE, please click the following badge:

TBE is a group of mostly women bloggers located every where in the world and the numbers are growing ever week. So far, here are the members, in alphabetical order (please read after the jump):

All About Her

American Money Solution

Azumi, Kawaii Princess Story

Chubbymommyme Losing Weight, Raising baby and Annoying hubby

Chris’ Chronicles

Coffe,Pearls and View

Come, Dine In!

Current News Online

Dancing In Midlife Tune

Elementary School Lessons

Elijah’s Crib

Family Life Online

Family And Home Living

Food And Drink Fusion

Fun,Fancy And Frivolous!

Girl On A Thrift Hunt

Imriz

Inspirational Insights

In Pursuit Of Success

In The Company Of Me

Iska’s Lesson From Working At Home

It’s Sewtastic Mama

Janet Speaks

Jared’s Little Corner Of The World

Journey to Motherhood

Joys In Life

Just Love Blogging It

Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery

Mum @ Works Kitchen Wonders

My Home,My Kitchen, And My Garden

My Life And My Journey Online

My Life’s Perception & Inspiration

My Little Home

My Nipa Hut

My Phone And Gadgets Zone

Nutrition And Health Care

Pinaymum- Mommy’s Life Around

Pinoy Holistic Healthcare

PixelMinded

Postcard Crossing

Pretty And Awesome Things In Teacher’s Life

Princess Wannabe

Proud Mommy Of Three

Prosperity’s Desire

Randomness Is A Bliss

Sanctuary Of My Emotions

Savour D’ Flavour

Sexy Blogging

Shopping List & Product Reviews

Shutter Happy Moments

Small Kids Big Dreams

The Blogging Traveller

The Pinoy Biggest Loser

Travel Sites And Scenes

Under The Golden Apple Tree

Viva Pinay

Wanna Be Fit

What’s Inside Johanas heart?

Where My Feet Took Me

Food Trip Friday 056: Lucky’s Italian Gelato

2011-02-04T08:37:00.002+07:00

After successfully combating viruses and malwares lurking maliciously in my laptop, I rewarded my husband with – wait for this – three scoops of gelato! So off we went to Lucky’s in Sihanouk Boulevard for this very refreshing treat.

Gelato has no cream in it and has a much lower fat content compared to ice cream; yet it is creamy, melts in your mouth so quickly and you can taste the full flavour immediately. Yum. A second helping of gelato is always a MUST.

Food Trip Friday 055: Deep-fried soft shell crabs

2011-01-28T23:47:00.006+07:00

After nearly three weeks, the PELUKA sisterhood met today for a day of coffee, food, and more coffee! Tee-hee-hee. This time we have a new PELUKA member with us and already had her first taste of PELUKA sisters day out.

Photo Credit: PinayMum.

We started our day with coffee at Gloria Jeans coffee shop in Boeungkengkang. Day outs like this with my friends make me feel so thankful for the great bonds we have all established. Now that we have a new "member", we all can't wait to hang out with her as soon as she and her family moves to the Penh later this year. Over coffee, we talked animatedly, giggled like teenagers while at the same time debating where to go for lunch.

In the end, we went to Champs-Élysées Restaurant along Trasak Paem St. (St. 63). PinayWife, Mumsified, PinayMum, and My Furry Place have dined at Champs-Élysées many times already and can attest to the yummy-ness of the Chinese food that is the specialty there. So I had this “surprise me” kind of mood that day and left it up to them the task of ordering our lunch.

The food came one by one… they were all so delish... but for me, this is clearly the winner:

Deep-fried soft-shell crabs, a delicacy in Cambodia.

This is a very tasty Chinese specialty that is popular around the world. It is so crispy served with fried garlic bits and the usual soy-garlic-chilli dipping to complete the deal. You can literally eat everything – as in you can eat them all of the crabs – and it is very difficult to stay away from. You will want to reach out for more. Soft-shell crabs, by the way, are blue crabs in their molting (shedding) stage, when crabs shed their shells to become the much sought-after and highly-prized restaurant favourite. In the Bisaya-Hiligaynon language, we call soft-shell crabs, or any other soft-shelled crustaceans like shrimps, as luno.

Who would ever thought... that a restaurant with a French name serves one of the best Khmer and Chinese dishes I've ever had... where else but only in Phnom Penh! Definitely worth coming back to with my husband.

Food Trip Friday 054: Omelet a la Sreisaat

2011-01-21T08:56:00.001+07:00

Another product of my experimentation in the kitchen. At a first glance, it looks like pizza… but it’s not. It’s just an omelet with a lot of borloloys (extras). Since I made this from scratch for dinner last night, I shall call it…

Yes, we make our omelet with a blow-torch! Blow-torching cooks the top portion nicely and without burning the bottom part. It also gives us a nice burnt/toasted cheesy taste. With the blow-torch I take my time and don’t move haphazardly from one side of the omelet to the other until the spot I’ve been working on has achieved the “burnt/toasted” colour that I want.

Oh, and as dessert, my husband made another batch of his choco-corn flakes. Yum.

Food Trip Friday 053: Happy-herbed beef la’ap

2011-01-14T16:04:00.001+07:00

Last week, my husband and I got our first invitation for 2011 – it’s for a birthday party of my former colleague’s son and daughter. Unlike the usual Khmer parties where a tent is put up in the street in front of their house, my friend and her husband, both middle-class kids, opted to hold their kids’ party in a restaurant with over 100 guests invited. Still, it is a birthday party Khmer style with a live band and entertainers taking turn to, well, sing Khmer songs and entertain the crowd. Each table sits 10 people. A table doesn’t get served if there are still empty seats so it is common to see people eating while others sat and wait. Oftentimes, you are seated with people you do not know from Adam. Anyways, it was a formal, sit-down, six-course meal consisting of Chinese-Khmer dishes. There were cold cuts, fried battered seafoods, tasty seaweed soup, a huge steamed fish, and this beef la’ap:

It has some roasted ground glutinous rice that added a nice texture to it. My husband said he felt a sudden urge to smile for no apparent reason after eating beef la’ap. He thought that some “happy herbs” – if you know what I mean *winks* – might’ve been thrown in for added flavour... *lol* Because I don’t like beef that much, I only sampled a tiny slice of beef, so I didn’t feel what he felt. Oh, and by the way, one interesting thing about this Khmer-style multi-courses meals is that the rice is served last, just before the dessert!

Food Trip Friday 052: Chocolate-coated corn flakes

2011-01-06T22:59:00.001+07:00

I have a weakness for chocolate and, over the holidays, my husband totally spoiled me with the chocolate-y goodness of his childhood. The kitchen was his for the time being as he lovingly made chocolate desserts and sweets the same way his mum did when he was a boy. No wonder my blood sugar increased several notches after the holidays! Just kidding.

So here’s one:

Corn flakes coated in melted dark and white chocolates with brandy-soaked raisins. It’s fattening alright yet oh-so-tempting-and-oh-so-good! Pardon the quality of the photograph but I assure you it tastes much, much better than it looks here.

A very interesting note: The very mention of chocolate-corn flakes crispies brings added spring in my husband’s walk. I think it brought back memories of his childhood; the scent of the chocolate and vanilla transported him back to his mum’s kitchen and delicious cooking.

From my kitchen to yours…

2011-01-02T12:39:00.001+07:00

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R!

Should your mouth be bigger than your stomach…

… may you have a chewing good time!

May 2011 be our best year ever.

Food Trips Friday 051: Fried Rice a la Sreisaat

2010-12-16T23:04:00.001+07:00

A quick, easy-to-prepare solution when hunger strikes:

Ooh-la-la!

Food Trip Friday 050: Toast Français par un Anglais

2010-12-09T22:44:00.004+07:00

Some weeks ago I stayed up late watching the Barclay's London ATP World Tour matches on television, especially Rafael Nadal’s matches. Because of the time difference, the matches lasted till the wee hours of the night. Call me crazy if you must, but I’m really a tennis fan. I'm glad that my husband lets me sleep in the following day, and when I wake up he makes me breakfast. And this was my request most of the time:

I love mine slightly crunchy and the egg runny.
Don’t you just love waking up to breakfasts prepared by your husband? Heaven. Next time he promised me he’d make stuffed French toast. I’m already excited.http://foodtripfriday.net/

Food Trip Friday 049: B is for Bibimbap (again!)

2010-12-03T11:28:00.002+07:00

Oh yes, because bibimbap is one of my favourites I ordered it again when PinayWifeSpeaks, PinayMum, and I were at Sovanna Mall a few months ago. PinayWifeSpeaks led us to this tiny Korean stall called Kimchi and Bulgogi. The menu is limited but we all thought it was worth a try. So we did.

Looks gorgeous, isn’t it? The colours as well as the textures not only make it my favourite but also appealing to many. Haven’t you noticed how many times I said the word “favourite”? It’s a record! *lol*

We also ordered these tasty sushi rolls to complete our meal. Di naman kami gutom masyado!

I wish I could back there again to try the Korean version of dongas. PinayWifeSpeaks guarantees to its yummy-ness! I’m convinced ^-^

Food Trip Friday 048: Rogan josh

2010-11-26T09:46:00.003+07:00

I’m sure a lot of you know by now what happened this week in Phnom Penh. We are still in mourning and the Penh is still unusually quiet. People are still reeling from the horrible incident, and grieving the loss of hundreds, mostly young people. The Cambodian Prime Minister declared yesterday, Thursday, the national mourning day.

Coincidentally, it was my husband’s birthday and, out of respect for the victims and their families, he decided to forego our planned birthday dinner. Which is fine to me, by the way. So we had Indian food delivered to us instead. This is one of my husband’s favourite:

I often mispronounced this dish to something like Groban Josh! *lol* Rogan josh is diced lamb meat cooked in heavenly rich onion and tomato sauce. Of course, rogan josh, or any other curry for that matter, is not eaten without it’s ever-present partner, the chapati:

And this is how we ate it…

Food Trip Friday 047: Creamy tuna salad

2010-11-11T20:31:00.003+07:00

Here’s a quick post for today so here it is:

Creamy tuna salad from Cafe Lika.

Masarap siya, pramis. The greens were fresh and crispy and the cherry tomatoes as well. And it tasted even better when shared with my PELUKA sisters. For only $2.5o per serving/order, it’s already enough for four people as starter. How I wish I could replicate this at home.

Technorati Tags: Food Trip Friday,tuna,vegetarian,health food,salad,dining out,Food from Everywhere

Food Trip Friday 046: A taste of Lebanese

2010-11-05T09:32:00.003+07:00

I think I have not posted these pictures yet so here they are.

On our third wedding anniversary, my husband and I went for Lebanese. It's the very first Lebanese restaurant that opened in the Penh. One day after its launch, my husband and I had the pleasure of sampling their offerings with one of my favourite bloggers, Toe.

On our special day, we were hoping to have a quiet dinner. The neak tas (gods, spirits) must have heard us - by the time we arrived (8pm-ish), only three tables were occupied and were already done, or finishing their meals. When our starters arrived, we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was really nice having the whole place only to ourselves - the lights were soft and there was a faint Lebanese music playing in the background. While my eyes were mesmerized by the hookah that sits seductively on a shelf across the room, my imagination ran wild -- images of enchanting belly dancers slowly making its way inside the smoky room flashed on my mind

Oh well, enough of the drama... here are the main attractions for today:

For starter: Mankoucheh sojouk and cheese. It's a Lebanese pizza topped with cheese and sausages.

Sojouk, spiced Lebanese sausage. It comes with giant Lebanese bread.

Main: Ouzi samak,spicy baked fish served with salad.

Main: Mixed shawarma, a mixed plate of chicken and beef shawarma grilled on an upright spit.

Mixed sweets for dessert, the oh-so-sinful baklava and another kind but forgot the name.

I think I already said this, but I'm saying it again...

One of the best things about living in Phnom Penh is the numerous restaurants offering authentic international cuisines - French, Italian, Russian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, German, Filipino, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Korean (yes, we also have Pyongyang Restaurant offering North Korean fares!), Mexican, Spanish - name it, they are all here! What's more, dining out doesn't cost you an arm and a leg and most of these restaurants do not require reservations, how cool is that?

Creative Food Art: National Flags Made with Food

2010-10-30T20:16:00.001+07:00

I was surfing the net today and mindlessly clicking links like a madwoman. Then I came across this web ad that promoted the International Food Festival in Sydney in September last year. I say the idea is very creative and original I haven't seen anything like this before. It definitely appeals to those who are flag and food enthusiasts! There are only twelve flags -- notably missing are the flags of USA, Philippines (shempre!), Thailand, UK, Germany, China, and many more. These "edible" flags are made from foods/edibles that are native to the country it represents. If the aim was to generate interest on the event, then, hands down, this ad certainly achieved its goal.

If you are familiar with the different flags of the world, you might be able to identify them instantly!

So, which flag(s) would you like to eat, and why?
How many flags have you guessed correctly? Tell me how did you fare in this mini quiz. The answers are in the comment section =)

Food Trip Friday 045: Spicy Seafood and Crispy deep-fried fish

2010-10-28T21:22:00.003+07:00

Two great reasons why we keep on coming back to Trasak Paem Restaurant, along Trasak Paem Street, a few blocks away from the Central Market:

Sizzling, spicy seafood!

Very crispy deep-fried fish with garlic and green peppercorns *drools*

They're soooo good and relatively cheap - absolute great value for your money!

In Cambodia, it is best to order whole fish on a plate. My Cambodian friends say, this is because fish, like all kinds of meat, that's cooked "on the bone", always tastes better.

Trasak Paem Restaurant has a nice, cosy ambiance and the waiters and waitresses are quite attentive. Best thing about Trasak Paem restaurant is that the rice and tea are bottomless and dessert is free. No wonder it's always full at lunchtime with locals and expats.

Food Trip Friday 044: Hola! Alimentación de disparo en la comida mexicana!

2010-10-21T21:25:00.002+07:00

Despite our busy schedules (kunyari lang! hihihi) the Peluka sisters were able to meet again last Tuesday. I always look forward to our weekly coffee dates because, apart from the guaranteed gossips and laughter, we almost always end up food tripping in one of the many restaurants offering genuine international cuisines in Phnom Penh.

This week, we headed to Casa Lika, a Mexican restaurant tucked in one of the busy streets along the riverside. The place is small with only about 4-6 tables and nothing fancy really. It was practically empty when we arrived. We were not feeling particularly hungry so we just ordered what we thought were not too filling:

Tacos

A simple Mexican street snack, this traditional Mexican dish is composed of folded tortilla shells and beef filling, topped with lettuce and cheese. It also comes with re-fried beans and salsa.

Cheesy Quesadilla

Also a favourite Mexican street snack. Double-tortilla with melted cheesy cheese over ground beef. It comes with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.

Food Trip Friday 043: Mie Goreng (Fried noodles)

2010-10-15T12:18:00.002+07:00

Here's another of my favourite fried noodles, mie goreng, which I ordered on my first visit to Sumatra Restaurant with friends. We ordered several dishes, of course, but since I am such a noodle-fan, the spotlight will be on mie goreng! Besides my Peluka-sister PinayWifeSpeaks already featured those in the previous FTFs.

Ibu, Ipe... Saya tidak bisa mendapatkan cukup dari mie goreng panas dan pedas. Janji.

It's so hoooooooooot and spicy and I love it so much I want to go back for more! I know it's just easy to make as well. Boil a pack or two of instant noodles (using Indomi, the most popular Indonesian brand and also a hit in Cambodia), combined with chicken, bits of vegetables, and a generous amount of freshly chopped red-hot chili and spices!! Seriously, I so love fried noodles (well, noodles in general) and I can eat just only this dish like every day =)

Food Trip Friday 042: Marmite delight!

2010-10-07T22:33:00.001+07:00

I finally found a window of opportunity to blog this week. I haven't been posting for weeks because of a consultancy job that I recently signed on to.

For this week's Food Trip Friday, I'm sharing what I've been snacking on - marmite sandwich! It's quick and easy to make.

My marmite delight! Spread it on toast or on sandwich. Generally spread thinly because of the strong flavour, but I love mine thick, but not as thick as jam!

According to the Marmite FAQ, a marmite is a thick, brown, savoury spread made from yeast that is a by-product of the brewing industry. It has a strong, salty flavour but surprisingly nutritious as it is packed with B-vitamin content, as well as riboflavin and niacin, and it is VEGAN!

I was introduced to marmite by my husband when his mum sent us a parcel with lots of goodies, including a jar of marmite that my husband grew up with and loves up to this day. Let's say it wasn't love at first sight between me and the marmite - I turned my nose up at it the moment he opened the jar. But as days and months and then years went on, I got so curious why most British-born seem to enjoy it. I don't remember when and why I finally decided to give marmite a try but now I'm enjoying it on toast like a true-blue Brit. I tell you, it is definitely an acquired taste and one that produces strong reactions from the uninitiated! You either love it, or hate it! It is also best with cheese :)

Now, Vegemite is another story!

Food Trip Friday 040: Cafe dahko teuk'o (iced coffee with milk)

2010-08-26T21:12:00.002+07:00

Yes, say it one more time... café dahko teuk'o... a bit of a tongue-twister, eh? But never you mind, just say iced-coffee and you'll surely be addicted to it, too!

I have to say that the best iced-coffee in Phnom Penh is found at Psar Tuol Tumpong (Tuol Tumpong market), popularly known as the Russian market. I love it so much that I used to have my fix more than three times a day. And who doesn't? It is prepared similar to the Vietnamese style of coffee-making using a clay pot and out comes a wonderful blend of Khmer-Vietnamese coffee, crushed ice, and all-you-can-stomach sweetened (or condensed) milk. It is absolutely a must-have! If only not for my current diet regimen, I would be happily sipping a glass of iced-coffee every time I crave for it.

Tired of exploring the maze-like Tuol Tumpong market? Feeling hot and thirsty? This sinfully addictive caffeine fix will not only quench your thirst but will leave you jiggly-wiggly and ready for more rounds of shop-till-you-drop adventure!

Food Trip Friday 039: Pork Embutido

2010-08-13T08:45:00.001+07:00

Home-made embutido... bow!

I finally was able to make this Pinoy meatloaf, errr, meat roll? Whatever. There are a lot of recipes online and I chose the one that didn't look complicated to prepare. hihihi.

Masarap siya and my husband loves it, too. I made three huge logs that I keep in the fridge. Great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snacks din. Best eaten straight from the fridge, pero pwede ring i-fry, whatever suits your taste.

Food Trip Friday 038: Spicy chicken with Thai Basil

2010-08-06T09:09:00.001+07:00

This is my version of the popular Thai dish, spicy chicken with Thai basil. One of my favorite dishes that takes just a few minutes to put in the pan and cook while I go do some little things else.

This is a super-quick dish, easy to make and delicious! Chicken breast fried with garlic, chili flakes (you can also use fresh chopped chili) and lots and lots of basil. Seasoned with patis (fish sauce). Topped with fried egg - a touch my husband loves. You'll have this one-dish meal on the table in just a jiffy. I make this dish when I am so running out of time and this definitely takes out the frazzle of the cooking chore.

Food Trip Friday 037: Khmer yellow curry at ang bahaw...bow!

2010-07-23T09:34:00.001+07:00

For some reason I wasn't really impressed at the curry my husband ordered at Hagar Restaurant several nights ago:

Seeing the unusual rice shape, I thought to myself, "ngiii, bahaw (cold, left-over rice)!" Di ba ganito ang itsura ng bahaw na naiwan sa kalan? Not that I dislike bahaw, or tutong (burnt rice crust), for that matter. In fact, ako ay laki sa bahaw (I grew up eating bahaw)! I was just surprised why a restaurant would serve rice in this manner, but the husband assured me it's not bahaw.

Food Trip Friday 036: Pizza-ooh-la-la!

2010-07-16T07:20:00.002+07:00

And because I was too lazy to haul my butt off the sofa to the kitchen to prepare dinner last night, I did the second best thing... food delivery!! And who did I call? The Pizza Company!

This is a large-sized super deluxe extreme pan pizza with extra cheese and sausage bites. Just by looking at it again now makes me reach out for another slice. I know, it has all the stuffs that are cringe-worthy to dieters and health buffs, but hey, we hadn't had pizza for so long a time! Besides, it is great to give ourselves a treat once in a while, isn't it? And pizza is not really the worst of the worst of foods anyway? Okay, okay, I know I am rationalising now =)

And no, we didn't finish the whole thing. We only had two slices each and chucked the leftover in the fridge. Best eaten at lunch, cold, and with a mug of coffee. There goes my diet :(

Food Trip Friday 035: Chicken samosa

2010-07-09T08:26:00.002+07:00

My favorite chicken samosa...

... don't they look like headless chicken to you? *lol* Chicken chunks cooked in aromatic Indian spices and fried... crispy on the outside, meaty on the inside. Mint sauce and/or soy sauce for your dipping.

For only $3.50 per order with four pieces of medium-sized samosa, this is a bargain at Flavors of India Restaurant. You can find Flavors of Asia along Street 63, just a stone's throw from the traffic lights of Sihanouk Street.

P.S. Pardon the wrong link. I published the wrong post title earlier :(

Food Trip Friday 034: Seafood Amok

2010-07-02T09:46:00.001+07:00

I'm late, I'm late! Sorry, guys, I have no other excuse except that I was really oblivious of the time (and date). I've been watching Wimbledon matches till late at night, eagerly anticipating my boy, Rafael Nadal, advancing to the semis. Anyways, here's my entry for this week:

Seafood amok. Shrimp, squid, and fish cooked in coconut milk with various aromatic herbs and spices. One of our favorite dishes to order at Trasak Paek (Sweet Cucumber) Restaurant along St. 63, also known as Phlauv Trasak Paem (Sweet Cucumber Street). Nice name, eh?

Food Trip Friday 033: Pork chop, tofu, and steamed veggies

2010-06-24T21:44:00.004+07:00

Tonight I was feeling a bit under the weather and so it is one of those times when I didn't feel like spending so much time in the kitchen. I'm sure you all probably feel the same at some point. So tonight, as per usual whenever I am not up to cooking, I just made this fried pork chop (this was marinated beforehand) and tofu and assorted steamed veggies.

It's fast and no fuss and delicious, too, if you get the pork marinade right.

How about you, what do you prepare when you don't feel like cooking? I would love it if you could share your recipes :)

Food Trip Friday 032: Thai eggplant and ground pork

2010-06-11T15:02:00.001+07:00

Don't let this sorry-looking photo stop you from ordering this at the Lemon Grass Restaurant. It tastes better than it looks. It definitely made up for the lousy pad thai and green chicken curry that we ordered along side this dish.

The ground pork sits on top of grilled (and peeled) eggplant splashed with a sweet-and-sour sauce. The Thai basil and mint provides extra herbal goodness while the peanuts give it a nutty/crunchy factor.

Food Trip Friday 032: Special ensaymada and mamon

2010-06-04T17:35:00.004+07:00

Two weeks ago, my younger brother went to the Philippines for a short holiday. It was the Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni's birthday and it was celebrated for three days plus he took some days off to enjoy a 10day holiday. When he came back, I was surprised to receive a boxful of Goldilock's special ensaymada and mamon, thanks to his girlfriend, Jasmin.

The sight of the familiar yellow and blue colors of Goldilocks made me salivate, an instant response that reminded me of the experiment conducted by a psychologist named Pavlov a long, long time ago. And who wouldn't be, just look at that oh-so-sweet goodness? The ensaymada - topped with cheese and sugar with bits of ham - is a total indulgence while the mamon had cheese on top, which my husband found weird (*lol*) but the sponge cake itself was nice. Having mamon and ensaymada after such a long time (more than 2 years is a long time!) definitely satisfied my craving for something that reminds me of home.

Again, madamo guid nga salamat, Min-min :)

Food Trip Friday 031: Fried Seafood with Bean Noodles

2010-05-27T18:45:00.001+07:00

I had another lunch date with friends at Samdoo Restaurant. It was definitely another food trip because the dim sum was just coming and coming... albeit at slow intervals. But my entry for this week was a dish we ordered from a previous lunch date, also in Samdoo.

We weren't disappointed at all! It's so tasty and had the right amount of pepper and oyster sauce to spice it up. But most of all, it satisfied our cravings for seafoods!

Of course, this dish came with the house special Samdoo "ried rice" and our other favorite dim sum fares.

Food Trip Friday 030: Chicken Jenjaloo

2010-05-14T09:08:00.003+07:00

I recently discovered a new and exciting Indian dish at our favorite curry restaurant in Phnom Penh, Mt Everest Restaurant. It may sound like Nepali but the owners are 100% Indian and are offering the best of Indian and Nepali cuisine. This restaurant has been in the same spot along Sihanouk Boulevard for the last 10 years now, and, according to long-time expat residents, it's already been there even before I arrived in the country. The no-fuss-no frills restaurant is sandwiched between the ANZ bank and an upmarket clothes shop. But do not be fooled by its incongruous looks, it is the curry institution in the city in my humble opinion, if ever there is one.

Chicken jenjaloo, spicy chicken in various Indian spices. It's not like any other curries I've had before - it is sweet-ish and at the same time spicy, and the curry-gravy is just finger-lickin' good - I instantly favorite-d this one. Even my English husband says it is the best we've had in all of our stay in Cambodia. Best eaten with a few chapatis and your hands.

So if you are in the Penh and looking for the best Ruby Murrays in the Penh, I highly recommend Mt. Everest Restaurant. Dining there doesn't burn your pocket as well.

Food Trip Friday 029: Braised/Simmered noodles

2010-05-06T21:22:00.002+07:00

Dinner two nights ago:

Braised/simmered noodles. I made this myself following the recipe of Tigerfish of Teczcape - An Escape to Food, my favorite place for easy to cook Chinese and Indian food.

My husband and I loved the braised noodles. The sauce is very tasty but I love to squeeze in lime juice for the added tang. I also sprinkled ground white pepper for the spice factor and we love the crunchiness of the carrots and cabbage. I was tempted to eat this with hot buns (my husband's version of pandesal) but am glad I successfully kept myself from doing so. Sobrang carbs na hihihi.

Food Trip Friday 028: Bok lahong khdam prey

2010-05-01T01:16:00.002+07:00

The name is bok lahong kdam prey, or papaya salad with salty crab, is the Khmer version of papaya salad. It's a very simple and mouth-watering appetizer, sweet and sour, depending on your preference, can be hot and spicy. Of course, I love mine hot and spicy!

The salty crab (khdam prey) is added along dried shrimps, shrimp paste, sugar, lime juice, and other herbs and spices, and pounded in the mortar and pestle. It is a quick and simple appetizer, or can be also paired with main dish like Khmer sausage or any grilled meat for that matter. I just love the riot of sweet-sour-spicy flavours plus the crunchy texture from peanuts, cucumber, (raw) string beans, and of course, papaya (lahong).

Food Trip Friday 027: Soup trey ma'choo

2010-04-23T10:11:00.001+07:00

The name of the food might be difficult for most of you to pronounce, but I tell you, the soup is really fantastic. Soup trey ma'choo, when translated, means fish sour soup, and this is the Khmer's version of our very own fish sinigang. The Khmers make it sour by using semi-ripe tomatoes and pineapples too.

So how did I get to this steaming bowl of soup? My landlady :D She knew I wasn't feeling well that day when I went to get some stuffs from her small sari-sari store at the ground floor of our apartment building. Just after I closed the door behind me, I heard a knock at the door and saw her standing there holding in front of her this aromatic bowl of soup. She told me that this soup is perfect to eat when you are a little under the weather. It's not only very healthy - there are lots of fresh tomatoes, fragrant herbs and spring onions in it - but also very flavourful! Bless her soul.

Now who wouldn't feel better after eating this? I did.

Food Trip Friday 026: Khmer lo'chaa noodles

2010-04-15T20:35:00.002+07:00

This is one of my favorites in Cambodia. It's called lo'chaa and it is a kind of rice noodles, round, about 2-3inches in length, and looks like maggots (pardon the comparison). It is stir-fried with bean sprouts, spring onions, and some spinach or collard greens and your choice of meat - beef or pork. I prefer mine meatless but with fried egg (well done) and pate on top.

The accompanying sauce is a blend of palm vinegar, palm sugar, salt, fish sauce, garlic, red chillies, lime juice and a bit of water. Depending on your preference, you may also add a dollop of chilli sauce to complete the taste. As I love the riot of flavours in my mouth, I put chilli sauce. I have to say that the sweet and sour-chilli sauces concoction is absolutely da-bomb I could really live off this stuff. It is sold almost everywhere in the city, even in pushcarts that go around, but the best place for lo'chaa is along Street 178 near the National Museum. You should definitely try fried lo'chaa when you are in Cambodia.

Tuesdays at the Table 001: Tasty Chicken Wings

2010-04-14T14:13:00.003+07:00

What is your favorite chicken part? If you ask me, it's the chicken wings! Though it doesn't have lots of meat compared to the thighs, it is way flavourful I think. My husband doesn't like wings, he favors drumsticks more but when I found a great marinade-recipe, he actually eats chicken wings more now.

I'm participating in the new food meme that I found while surfing for recipes recently. For my debut entry, I am posting the most-requested recipe of the tasty chicken wings I featured on Food Trip Friday last week. This recipe is by Delicious Asian Food and it is originally intended for back ribs. I just couldn't resist using it on chicken wings and I'm happy I did. Go visit her blog for really delicious and easy to follow recipes.

Here's the recipe: Tasty Chicken Wings (originally Tasty Baby Back Ribs)

Ingredients: 1kgs chicken wings

2tbsps corn flour

cooking oil for frying

Marinade: 3 tbsps oyster sauce

3 tbsps hoisin sauce

3 tsps cooking wine

3 tsps Worcestershire sauce

salt

generous amount of white pepper powder

3 tsps of cornflour

Here's how:

1. Marinate the chicken wings for at least 6hours.

2. Heat oil in wok. Whilst heating it up, pour the 2tbsps of cornflour over the chicken wings and coat evenly.

3. Fry chicken wings in medium heat until thoroughly cooked.

4. Serve hot.

You can also roast if you have an oven by basting it regularly with the marinade.

It's not that difficult to make, is it? Well, I hope you all like it.

Food Trip Friday 025: Tasty Chicken Wings

2010-04-08T22:08:00.000+07:00

My husband's favorite, the finger-lickin', sarap-to-the-bones tasty chicken wings in secret sauce.

The first batch of wings were a bit burned (I was watching something interesting on TV) but the burnt skin added extra oompph to the flavour. I managed to salvage the succeeding batches from getting charred, thank goodness. This is great for pulutan, also a sure-hit during barbecue parties. Best with ice-cold beer, or any beverage you prefer.

Wordless Wednesday 035: Szechuan Tofu

2010-04-06T21:23:00.000+07:00

My favorite tofu dish, spicy Szechuan tofu.

Available at Peking Canteen near Psah Thmey (Central Market) in Phnom Penh.

Salt, salt... salt of the earth

2010-04-03T13:30:00.001+07:00

I recently got my blood tests back and results showed that I have high uric acid in my blood. I was shocked to learn about this but, sensing my alarm, the Fil doctor assured me that it doesn't necessarily mean that I already have gout or kidney problems.

Just so you know, I am so fond of salty foods. Here in Cambodia, dishes are almost always seasoned with patis (fish sauce), prahok (preserved fish), kopi (bagoong, preserved tiny shrimps) which, as you know, are all salt-based, plus the fact that my water intake is below the recommended level. It is when I realized that it's probably my over-consumption of salt/salty foods that caused this. So, of course, I asked the doctor how can I lower my uric acid level. Avoid salt/salty foods and take lots and lots of water, she answered promptly. In addition to this, she advised me to maintain a healthy weight, to exercise regularly.

Back home, I tried searching for low-salt recipes for me and came across a kind of salt that is touted to do wonders to our health and well-being. It is called the Himalayan salt, and as the name suggests, it is mined only from the great Himalayan mountain range. It basically is used similarly to the ordinary table salt for cooking and it is also used for bath salts, but the Himalayan salt is packed with extra medicinal and valuable detox properties. The salt contains assorted minerals that, not only give therapeutic effects to one's body, but also give its pretty pink color. This wonder salt is actually very versatile - Himalayan salt does not only provide us culinary and well-being benefits, the salt slabs (cut or uncut) provide fantastic uses at home, whether as a serving-platter or crystal lamps. I'll surely add Himalayan salt in my wish list for this year.

Food Trip Friday 024: Going Chinese

2010-04-01T22:11:00.002+07:00

In observance of the Holy Week in the Philippines, I am sharing this Chinese dish I and my friends had in one of our meatless lunch dates.

Cold silk tofu with century egg. At first I cringed at the thought of eating chilled, raw tofu (the soft kind) but my curiousity was piqued. I wolfed down one slice of tofu with a bit of the egg on top, of course, I dipped it first in the vinegar-soy sauce dipping with loads of garlic and chopped red chillies. Ooh-la-la. Tastes heaven.

The tofu dish also went absolutely great with this freshly-made noodles seasoned only with sesame oil, soy sauce and egg. All these and more (fried/steamed dumplings, Peking duck, and a lot more) are available at my favorite Chinese food haunt, the Peking Canteen near Psah Thmey (Central Market), which is just a stone's throw away from the Sorya Bus station. So if you are looking for incredibly cheap but yummy Chinese food, just go to Peking Canteen. Packed during lunchtime but worth the wait. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Food Trip Friday 023: Malaysian laksa

2010-03-26T08:20:00.004+07:00

I missed last week's Food Trip Friday and I'm coming back with a vengeance! *lol* Yes, check out my FTF entry:

... an authentic laksa from Sophia's Kitchen somewhere near the Sorya Mall along the back alleys. Served in a large bowl, the laksa is packed with lots of fried tofu (my favorite!), mushroom, boiled egg, clams, and a dollop of chilli all swimming deliciously in creamy and spicy coconut milk. I was a little disappointed because they used rice noodles instead of the usual yellow egg noodles but it was nevertheless heavenly. Tasty and very filling. I mentioned "authentic" because the owner of this canteen-style kitchen is from Penang, Malaysia where laksa is one of the popular local fares. What's more, it comes with a free dessert and bottomless tea for only $3! What a bargain!

Happy first anniversary, Food Trip Friday! Many, many thanks to Mommy Willa for creating this wonderful meme. My eyes feasted on yummylicious dishes featured every week from different countries and most of all, I get to borrow other food trippers' recipes and try it at home. Thanks to everyone! Now, on to our second year...

A promise is a promise

2010-03-25T14:26:00.002+07:00

I've been meaning to post this but it keeps getting delayed and stayed in the drafts folder longer than intended. Friends from Food Trip Friday have requested me to publish the recipe for the cold soup gazpacho which I featured in Food Trip Friday a few weeks back. I did promise them but I kind of got distracted by some things. A little trivia first, one of my Spanish visitors, Zaida, is from the Andalucian region of Spain where gazpacho is a specialty. Andalucians like her prepare gazpacho especially during the hot summer season in the region, a wonderful way to cool down and start their meals. Anyways... so I accompanied my Spanish visitors to the market to select the freshest ingredients available and watched as Zaida prepared gazpacho in my kitchen. Please do note that I merely recorded the ingredients and the procedure mentally. I bravely made gazpacho myself from memory, so here it goes:

For 4 persons, you will need:

half a kilo of red (ripe) tomatoes
1/2 medium-sized onion
a clove or two of garlic
1/2 medium-sized cucumber
1/2 medium-sized green bell pepper
3 tbsps of olive oil
2 tbsps of vinegar
a dash of ground black pepper and salt to suit your taste
a small piece of stale bread, soaked in a cup of cold water

Dice the tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber, and bell pepper and, together with the bread and cold water, put them all in a blender and blend for a minute or two. This results to a chunky consistency which both my husband and I like. If you prefer it to be completely smooth, blend it for about 5mins or more until you achieve the preferred consistency. Others put the blended ingredients through a sieve to take away the unneeded lumps. Then transfer the mix into a bowl and, at this point, you may add more cold water to get the thickness that you desired, and stir in the olive oil, vinegar, ground pepper, and salt. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge before serving. Garnish every serving with diced tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and croutons.

That's it. So easy to prepare. I hope you enjoy a refreshing and healthy bowl of gazpacho!

Food Trip Friday 022: Vego Salad Bar

2010-03-12T09:42:00.003+07:00

There's a newly-opened salad bar in town called Vego and my friends went there last Wednesday to check the food. We were sort of in an adventurous mood and,being meat-lovers, we were surprisingly very eager to try an all-green lunch. Turns out, it's a make-your-own salad joint. How fun! For $3.50, I had this:

You pick your green leaves, 4 add-ons, condiment, and dressing:

Greens - Ice berg, Romaine

Free add-ons - cherry tomatoes, mushroom, green olives, cucumber

Free condiment - boiled eggs

Dressing - Vego dressing

Once you had your pick, they will make it for you. For $1 you get to choose another cheesy add-on, and, another $2, there's salmon, tuna, prawns, crabmeat and sundried tomatoes for choices.

Set in a small but a nice, cozy, woody interior, which I really, really like. During lunchtime, customers usually queue for take-outs and so the place doesn't really get crowded that much. Diners are guaranteed to enjoy chemical-free vegetables and the dressings are freshly made. Ratana, the owner, said the Vego dressing is a secret family recipe.

How odd it seemed, but I chose a nice concoction of pineapple, orange, mango, and banana drink they call the Power Punch to go with my salad. Power punch nga - it was so powerful enough to cause my insides to revolt hours later. But that's another story for later. I was quite happy with my pick, enjoyed the ambiance and service. Ratana is so friendly and accommodating. My friends and I are happy to come back to this place again when the urge to eat greens strike us again. And by the way, they do accept deliveries for free!

Vego is located along Street 51 (Pasteur), about four doors down off Sihanouk Boulevard, and just a stone's throw away from Wat Langka and the Golden Street.

Food Trip Friday 021: Cold gazpacho to beat the summer heat

2010-03-04T20:22:00.001+07:00

Two nights ago, I was not really in the mood to prepare dinner. Aside from the fact that I had no idea what to make, I also didn't feel like turning the stove on a stuffy, warm Wednesday evening. On the 11th hour though, I sluggishly dragged my butt to the fridge, one good look at my veggies bin and saw this lot staring back at me:

Tomato and friends

So what to make of these?

The hot summer days are upon us again on this side of the planet and we've been getting our money's worth out of our airconditioner. So I reckon, why not make one of those refreshing cold soup for this barmy night? With an over-supply of tomatoes, gazpacho came to my mind and I immediately sprung to action.

The cold gazpacho soup didn't fail to satisfy me and the mister. Served cold, we enjoyed a bowl of this with a French baguette dipped in olive oil-malt vinegar mixture and giant meatballs that I prepared earlier in the day. Gazpacho is a very light and rehydrating meal (it tastes even better the following day) and saved a whole lot of tomatoes from ending up in the garbage can.

P.S. The downside is that the husband and I got hungry a couple of hours after dinner and raided the fridge for some late-night snacks! Ah, sira na naman ang diet regimen namin.

Food Trip Friday 020: Thursday night dinner

2010-02-25T21:35:00.002+07:00

Just taking advantage of my free time tonight so I'm now posting my entry for this week's Food Trip Friday. This was what we had for dinner:

Chips, fried spaghetti and our favorite Thai pork in coconut milk. What a combination, eh?

The pork in coconut milk tastes somewhat like our adobo or pork bistek but more flavourful. The pork meat was marinated for hours in a mixture of several sauces and spices. The coconut milk is da bomb! It definitely gave it its unique flavour! Yum.

Food Trip Friday 019: Samdoo "Ried" Rice

2010-02-19T15:37:00.005+07:00

Ried rice, anyone?

Yes, you read it right.

It says right there in the menu.

I and my lunch dates - Elma and Che - could not stop giggling as we flipped through the pages of the menu. I was reminded about another funny encounter I had in another Chinese restaurant years ago.

Anyways.... It was my first time at Samdoo Restaurant, tucked amidst a block of mostly restaurants offering Chinese specialties (it's off Monivong Boulevard and near Psah Thmey or the Central Market). The numerous Chinese restaurants all over the capital bring to the country yummy Chinese flavor to Phnom Penh's huge Chinese population as well as to an expat community with big appetite for Chinese food.

Since it already attracted our attention, we decided to try the Samdoo "ried" rice special...

... and we weren't disappointed! Here were the rest of our meal:

Phoenix dumplings

Fried collard greens with garlic - oh so tasty!

Siomai, my all-time favorite

Bean curd and seafood hotpot, my new discovery. All the above dishes were perfectly enhanced by a spoonful of chili oil (with real, hot chili bits) and soy-vinegar.

Samdoo is one of the popular dim sum restaurants in Phnom Penh and they have wide array of dim sum favorites in its menu. The dishes are a bit pricey compared to other Chinese restaurants around the same block, but, by Khmer standards, Samdoo Restaurant is clean, including the toilet. The food was served in no time and the servers were attentive. I would love to go back there with the mister and try out their other popular dishes.

Food Trip Friday 018: Cambodian crispy spring rolls

2010-02-12T09:59:00.001+07:00

... from Sugar Palm Restaurant in Phnom Penh.

Spring rolls are served in most restaurants everywhere in Cambodia but my favorite of them all comes from Sugar Palm restaurant along the chic Street 240. The crispy Cambodian spring roll, as you can see above, is not wrapped in lumpia wrapper but in bean noodles. The filling is made from ground pork and spices and a bit of prahok paste to give it just enough fishy flavor. An order of the crispy spring roll (pricey for $4.50) comes with a sweet-sour peanut sauce and a teeny-weeny pile of nom lahong (Cambodian pickled papaya).

The cozy Sugar Palm Restaurant is named after one of Cambodia's national icons, the sugar palm tree (borassus flabellifer), or the Asian Palmyra palm. These trees are not hard to miss (from afar they look like cute pompom heads on a stick) as they are found all throughout Cambodia. Just like our very own coconut tree, the sugar palm tree plays a very important role in providing a source of income, and not to mention as a source of building materials, to Cambodians.

Food Trip Friday 017: Ensaladang Talong (Eggplant Salad)

2010-02-05T22:07:00.002+07:00

Wednesday lunch was at Josiet's place. She prepared a menu of mostly Pinoy food and invited our other Pinay friends. It was such a great lunch - we feasted on CPA (chicken-pork adobo), pansit, steamed fish, and ensaladang talong, which is pictured below, Thai omelet, and sticky rice with mango for dessert.

I know for a fact that preparing ensaladang talong takes a bit of patience, grilling or boiling the eggplants first to loosen up the skin for easy peeling. Despite craving for this dish countless times before, I rarely make this dish at home because the mister isn't big on eggplants. Imagine my joy when it was served on Josiet's table! Josiet's ensaladang talong is made with gata, or coconut milk, an ingredient that you don't usually find in the Ilonggo version of this dish. However, I prefer putting coconut milk for a creamier and tastier flavor, as what most Visayans from Central Visayas and Mindanao put in most of their kilawin/kinilaw dishes. The vinegar she put was just the right amount to give it a tangy goodness. For me, having the ensaladang talong again after so many years made me feel like I was at home in Roxas!

Many thanks to dear Josiet for hosting our lunch this week. Galit-galit muna kaming lahat while on the table but we were back to our normal chatty, funny selves after dessert! *lol* Next time will be at my house, hopefully, as soon as my visitors have gone and I've settled back to my normal routine.

On throwing parties and selecting dinnerwares and flatwares

2010-02-02T08:10:00.001+07:00

This is not about food, but quite related to food.
I have an aunt who, when she was younger, was known to throw the most enjoyable parties back then. I say enjoyable because we truly love how she would arrange her dining table into something spectacular visually.

She was very hands-on and was very particular about not only the food served but also how to set the table and present the food. We kids would marvel at how attractive the table looked like that everyone thought of not touching the food itself for fear that it would alter the whole setting! Zooming in on her table, one would learn why. Her guests would always be heard "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" at the sight of her fabulous dinnerplates arranged beautifully. Even my grandmother, her very discriminating mother-in-law, complimented her of her choices, especially when, once on her visit on a regular day, she saw a set of nice looking dinnerwares that could've been used on special occasions but were used for everyday use.

And the flatware, oh, they were sparkingly gorgeous. I once heard my mom say that you could actually see your reflection on the spoons! Yes, they were that shiny. I heard stories of helpers spending a lot of time polishing the flatwares again and again till my aunt was satisfied. All their efforts paid off, indeed, considering the compliments they received from their guests.

I once dreamed of throwing parties like my aunt but I could never-ever match her expertise at all, her meticulousness from menu selection and preparation, selecting and collecting simple yet classic dinnerwares and flatwares and caring for them properly, to table setting, etc.. Apparently you need to have genuine interest in the art of throwing/hosting parties and have the eye for detail - things that you can never purchase anywhere, even from the dependable Home Depot stores.

Food Trip Friday 016: Korean lunch special

2010-01-29T12:56:00.008+07:00

Hello FTF friends. Once again, I am coming back for this week's photo-meme and I am bringing one of the lunch specials that I recently had at the Korean Grill located inside NagaWorld Hotel in Phnom Penh.

Bibimbap, (above left, and, up close, below pics), is a typical Korean meal of rice mixed with different vegetables. An order of bibimbap is usually accompanied by a bowl of seaweed soup and an array of side dishes, including the ever-present kimchi.

The food was not that great but not too bad as well. I had better Korean dishes before and, hindi man sa pagbubuhat ng sariling bangko, I can whip up a mean bibimbap myself! I also had to request for a stronger (read: hotter) gochugang paste because the one that came with my order was not spicy/hot enough to even tickle my taste buds. The dessert served was a funky tasting blend of yogurt and jello that we didn't bother finishing after our first taste. How I wished, though, that their ginger tea drink was bottomless, otherwise, it was very costly for one teapot.

All in all, we had a good dining experience there... the company of friends I was with was awesome and the chatters were endless. The ambience was great, and the servers were attentive to our needs. Perhaps, the cook/s was/were having a bad day when we went there, who knows. I wouldn't mind going back there again to sample other Korean fares but only if and only invited to.

Food Trip Friday 015: Pizza a la Sreisaat

2009-12-18T11:17:00.006+07:00

Pizza a la Sreisaat

'Twas one of those days when I suddenly had the urge to eat pizza. But, Mama mia! I didn't have enough moolah to buy one from my favorite pizzeria. So I raided the fridge, then the cupboard, to assess whether I have the basic ingredients for pizza. The wheels in my head started to turn, and my hands began rockin' and rollin' the dough. An hour or so later... e tanto!!! Pizza delizioso!

Wordless Wednesday 034: M-EGGS-tery

2009-12-15T16:47:00.003+07:00

Can you spot the not?

Visit other Wordless entries here

Food Trip Friday 014: Arepa de Venezuela

2009-12-01T10:23:00.013+07:00

Hello, dear FoodTrippers. My consultancy jobs are over and I am now back and ready for more foodtrips! This week I am featuring something I made borne out of a challenge by my dear Venezuelan friend, Luis Manuel. It's called arepa, a traditional delicacy and considered the national bread of Venezuela. It was my first time to make arepa when I accepted Luis Manuel's challenge and was excited to see if I could pull it off.

Arepa is a corn-based snack, made from corn flour, baked and lightly fried, and served with a multitude of fillings. For examples, combinations of black beans and meat; mashed mayonnaise, chicken and avocado; scrambled eggs with peppers tomatoes and onions, and a lot more. Arepas are surprisingly easy to make. You mix the corn flour with salt and water, cook it on a griddle and stuff it with whatever you have on hand. In my case, at that time, I had left over fried chicken and coleslaw salad. When my arepa "buns" are done, I scooped out a bit of the insides and spread butter on and stuffed them with my chicken-coleslaw filling and sprinkled with a bit of mozzarella cheese. Yum! These delicious self-contained arepas are excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For me, arepas filled my hungry stomach up instantly.

In the future, I will make experiments to improve my arepa (prevent it from being dry) and cook up more yummy fillings. I hope Luis Manuel was here to sample the results, and I wonder if I would have gotten a passing grade? My husband, although it was his first time to eat arepas, said it wasn't bad at all.

A birthday dinner to remember

2009-12-01T10:23:00.005+07:00

After several weeks of being busy with the international conference that I helped organised, I am finally free and ready to continue my food trips. I was relieved that the last of the participants left Phnom Penh on my husband's birthday. After sending them off, I immediately sprung into action and planned a simple dinner.

For our food, I decided to prepare my husband's favorite food. Nothing fancy, just his favorite samlor kari saramann, nom pang (local version of French baguette), beer, and of course, his birthday cake.

Cooking kari samlor saramann is a story in itself. It is easy to make, however, preparing the ingredients for the curry paste is quite tedious. Aside from picking the fresh ingredients from the market, you'll need the strength in pounding these herbs and spices into a curry paste.

Anyhow, when you've put on so much effort in making the food, it also follows that you set them in beautiful stoneware for a delightful dining experience. I tried something different this time. I set out the table in our living room and put out my best linens, usually reserved for special occasions such as this. And for a romantic finish, I lit dozens of tea lights.

It was a great intimate birthday dinner, just the two of us. I'm glad he loved every bit of it.

Wordless Wednesday 033: Giant shrimps of Kep

2009-11-03T13:35:00.005+07:00

You're always on my mind!

Food Trip Friday 013: Steamed Fish

2009-09-17T19:58:00.001+07:00

Again, a favorite fare whenever we are in Kep. Kim Ly's restaurant never fails to satisfy stomachs hungry for seafood!

Steamed fish with soy sauce and garlic, served on a bed of fresh herbs, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and onion. Ooh-la-la!

Food Trip Friday 012: Mok chaa mareth

2009-09-04T09:20:00.004+07:00

One of the reasons why my husband and I keep on coming back to Kep:

Seafoods trip!
Above is our favorite, mok chaa mareth kchhay (fried squid with young peppercorn). Fresh squid caught the night before from the Gulf of Thailand, blended with oyster and chilli sauces, and spiced up with Kampot peppercorn grown in the lush mountains of Phnom Voar, the last refuge of Khmer Rouge soldiers. We washed down the spicy flavor with fresh coconut juice. Hayyy, heaven on earth!

I tried several times to cook this at home but I never got the taste right. Oh well, as wise folks say... try and try... and try again.

Food Trip Friday 011: Samlor kari saramann

2009-08-07T12:14:00.004+07:00

A month ago, my husband came home from work and surprised me with a copy of From Spiders to Waterlilies: Creative Cambodian cooking with Friends. I squealed in delight! He and I, we love Khmer food and he knows how much I like experimenting in the kitchen. So one day, to show my appreciation to his sweet gesture, I made him samlor kari saramann (Khmer Muslim Beef Curry). I substituted beef with pork because we don't usually have beef in stock. I also added vegetables which are not present in the original recipe. It is easy to prepare but requires a lot of preparations like making the curry paste - pounding fresh lemon grass, coriander, ginger, garlic and shallots into paste. But it's all worth it.

My labor of love... need I say how much my husband loved it?

This dish is served with either rice or nompang, a local French bread, at Muslim as well as Buddhist weddings in Cambodia. I was told that it tastes even better the next day.

Come back on Sunday for the recipe.

Food Trip Friday 010: Otap and brownies

2009-07-31T07:55:00.004+07:00

Nothing beats the feeling of getting not one, but two boxful of sweet goodies from a very dear friend, Redlan.

Although I didn't get any of those sweets, these two feisty borloloys (rascals) were the happy recipients. They told me over the phone that the otap and brownies were manamit guid (yummy) and that they brushed their teeth without so much prodding after wolfing down the treats (their Grandma's words) para indi kuno sakit ila teeth (to avoid toothache). *lol*

See those excited faces? Self control, Joshua, Beebop. Gotta have the pictures first.

Salamat guid, Red. Hope next year, magkitaay na guid kita ya.

Food Trip Friday 009: Taro spring roll

2009-06-26T12:18:00.005+07:00

My favorite snack - taro spring roll. Wonderful blend of shredded taro, pork, and shrimps with secret spices, fried and dipped in Khmer sweet and sour sauce.

Food Trip Friday 008: Malpuwa Khuwa

2009-06-18T20:44:00.003+07:00

This week, dessert is on me; this time it's Nepali:

Malpuwa Khuwa, Nepalese mini pancake topped with Khuwa

It was, about two years ago, in Nepal that I had one of the most delightful dining experiences of my life. Come with me as I relive my old-world dining experience in Nepal.

Food Trip Friday 007: A slice of carrot cake

2009-06-12T08:16:00.003+07:00

Dear FoodTrippers, please excuse my absence. I snagged a short-term consultancy work with an international NGO for some health campaign. While I enjoyed doing the work, my blogging duties had to be given up temporarily. However, now that the first phase is done, I have free time to do some food-tripping! Yay! One afternoon, while having a relaxed YM meeting with my boss, I suddenly had a craving for carrot cake. With the meeting over, I raided the fridge to see what I had and voila -- the carrot cake from scratch was made!

A slice of yum!

Food Trip Friday 006: Fresh Spring Rolls

2009-05-14T22:48:00.002+07:00

Fresh Spring Rolls
Boat Noodle Restaurant
Corner Streets 294 and 9
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

These fresh spring rolls from the Boat Noodle Restaurant are a favourite and they were gone in a few minutes! They are a refreshing, and healthier, change from the usual fried kind. It is never served without the accompanying dipping sauce which helps bring out the flavour. Served in a boat, don't you think they make a pleasing and appetizing presentation with the colourful filling? :)

Just about 200metres away from the Philippine Embassy, you will find the Boat Noodle Restaurant. Set in a beautiful and charming wooden house and a sprinkling of wooden artefacts and decorative flowers and plants, Boat Noodle Restaurant is the favourite of many, locals and ex-pats alike. My husband and I have tried other restaurants with similar offerings but we keep on coming back to the Boat Noodle Restaurant. And who wouldn't? The food is spicy (you can ask the waiters to "de-chillify"), authentic and tasty, and the prices are low. Whenever I crave for food - spicy mango or green papaya salad, fish amok, my favorite fresh spring rolls, and many others -- this is where I go.

FoodTrip Friday 005: Ginger and Scallions Chicken

2009-05-07T19:58:00.002+07:00

Back in my university days in Cebu City, there was this Chinese restaurant in downtown Colon Street where my roommates and I were regular customers. This unassuming restaurant, dark on the inside with nothing much but rows of tables and chairs, arthritic ceiling fans, and grumpy ladies in cheap cheongsam attires pushing food-carts. To the newcomers, the sight was a disappointment. To us, old-timers, it looked basic but the lip-smacking and cheap food, albeit oily at times, more than made up for the oh-not-so-fantastic interior.

My regular order was the chicken-rice topping for only P12 (about US$0.30) at that time. So when I found a chicken recipe resembling this from Rasa Malaysia, I wasted no time in trying out the recipe... and voila!

It has the same taste, the ginger is not overpowering and just enough hint of Shaoxing wine. Memories of my university days flooded my consciousness! Back in the old days, it's serve in a small bowl and topped with the chicken dish and we downed it with a glass of softdrink. Aah, those were the days.

You can get the recipe here or here.

Happy Food Trip Friday!

Blue Man Group show in Las Vegas

2009-05-03T11:45:00.003+07:00

I have friends who have visited the US and a lot of them have been made it a point to go to Las Vegas - and who wouldn’t? Las Vegas is an amazing place and to me, the very name evokes an image of bright lights, fun entertainment, vibrant life... among many others. Rightfully so, Las Vegas is dubbed as the entertainment capital of the world!

My friends were amazed at the diversity and variety of entertainment offered in Las Vegas. Some shows have lavish production numbers, complete with Cancun dancers ala Moulin Rouge; others are simple musical concerts of popular artists, grand magic or circus shows ala Cirque du Soleil, or the awesome Blue Man Group, to exciting boxing matches like the Hatton-Pacquiao fight that happened just awhile ago. Literally, there are hundreds of choices every single night for every person’s preference and there seems to be no need to sleep while you are there!

The hottest show in Las Vegas these days is the intriguing and awesome Blue Man Group. Need Blue Man Group Tickets? Buy now as ticket prices tend to go sky-high – even if there’s so much competition. And with an in-demand show like the Blue Man Group, ticket prices could go even higher and they go very, very fast! Buy tickets as early as possible. You might even get a huge discount if you reserve early with your friends.

Pacquiao-Hatton fight in Phnom Penh

2009-05-03T10:11:00.004+07:00

Dear Pinoy Friends in Phnom Penh... do you want to chase homesickness away, or, are you looking for something new to do this weekend?

Check out the Winking Frog in Sothearos Blvd. They are airing the Pacquiao-Hatton fight as it happens in Vegas. For $10/person, it includes buffet lunch (with lechon!) and 2 bottles of SanMig beer. As of this writing, Pacquiao downed Hatton two times already just into 2mins of the first round.

Later, in the evening, head over to Meta House. Meta House will be presenting NU PHILIPPINE CINEMA, featuring not one, but two Filipino (Indie) films back to back:

7PM - CAVITE (2005, 80 min.)
The breathtaking feature CAVITE by Ian Gamazon/Neill dela Llana focuses on terrorists and proves its mettle and drawing power by its searing and intense representation of a cityscape in the clutches of violence, poverty and globalisation.

8.30PM - PI7ONG TAGPO (2007, 130 min.)
Director Rahyan Carlos puts together seven films about seven lives, seven struggles, seven decisions, seven realities — all shot in one take.

Don't let the rain spoil your weekend. Call all your friends now and set a date for tomorrow night. Let's watch Indie Pinoy movies at Meta House. See you there.

***
META HOUSE
Street 264, #6
Sangkat Chaktomuk, Khan Daun Penh,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia

Meta-House is Cambodia's first art/communication/media center just a few minutes away from the riverside and Royal Palace. Know more about the Meta House and their work here.

UPDATE!
Pacquio defeated Hatton via a TKO on the second round. Hatton was definitely stunned not knowing where did the left hook that knocked him out come from!

Finding your soulmate online

2009-05-02T23:49:00.005+07:00

Did you know that the world wide web just turned 20 this year? The world wide web contains gazillion of interesting stuffs. Having said that, I am sure a lot of people will agree with me when I say that the second most popular thing to ever come out of the web is online chatting. Nowadays, from being a communication tool, it has evolved and become a popular tool for singles to find friends, and even soul mates and partners, creating lots of room for interracial dating. And a lot of people I know attest that it’s an exciting way to meet people of different races and backgrounds.Wanna know how it works? Visit www.blackbbwsingles.com now!

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 006: Ginger and Scallions Chicken

2009-05-02T20:45:00.006+07:00

Here's another tried and tested Chinese recipe that I borrowed from Rasa Malaysia. You can say that I am a fan of Rasa Malaysia's blog and have tried some of its recipes.

The taste reminded me of my favorite chicken-rice dish I always order at the Chinese dimsum restaurant in Colon Street, Cebu City (Philippines) where my roommates and I frequented long ago. This was considered the "staple meal" of university students like me at that time. It's easy to make, tasty and can be prepared under an hour. So for busy mums out there... this recipe is for you:

Ginger and Scallions Chicken
from www.rasamalaysia.com

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut lengthwise into 2-inch
4 stalks of scallion, cut into 2 inch sections
2 inches ginger root, sliced into pieces
3 tbsps cooking oil (1 tbsp for marinating chicken)
1/2 tbsp of corn or potato flour
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsps oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 dash of white pepper powder
Salt to taste

1. Marinate the chicken strips with corn or potato flour and add 1 tbsp of oil to seal in the chicken juice. Set aside for 15-20mins.

2. Heat up your wok (or frying pan) and pour the remaining cooking oil into the wok. When the wok gets very hot and begins to smoke, add in the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the scallions and stir until thoroughly hot. Add in the chicken strips and continue to stir well. Just when the chicken strips start to cook, add in oyster sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper, sugar, and toss the wok a few times. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed white rice.

And it's done! Here's the end result:

Blog disclosure

2009-05-02T10:47:00.002+07:00

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Phoenix Locksmith

2009-05-01T21:49:00.007+07:00

Long ago, I blogged about one peculiarity about living in Phnom Penh - and that is how many keys could accumulate in one's pocket. I myself carry a huge bunch wherever I go. It’s interesting because we live in a typical French-styled Khmer apartment and yet it feels like living in a high-security level building. You see, we have keys for every gate and door, inside and outside of the house, accompanied by padlocks. Imagine, if I lose my keys, how could I ever get inside my own apartment?

So right after moving into our new apartment, one of the first things we did was to see a locksmith to have our keys duplicated. In Phnom Penh, there are no locksmith shops where you can just leave your keys and come back for it afterwards. In the US, people simply go to locksmith shops. In Phoenix, Arizona, the popular name in locksmith services is the Phoenix Locksmith. Started in 1979, Phoenix Locksmith’s popularity has grown over the years for proven quality service to their costumers. Now a household name, tens and thousands of costumers are relying on Phoenix Locksmith’s fast, honest and reliable services which they are known for. These services range from re-keying, repairing and installing locks to high-security locking systems and safe openings and repairs, and catering to the needs of homes and business establishments. To know more about Phoenix Locksmith, go check out its awesome website - www.phoenixlocksmith.biz.

Croatian Dalmacija Cheese

2009-05-01T21:45:00.003+07:00

I just want to post here this fun and cheesy postcard I recently received from a friend in Croatia.

Sent by Tomislav Dolar
Postmarked Nedelisce
Dated 05 March 2009

It's in the shape of a cheese, with holes you can punch to simulate cheese holes. Cool, eh? This odd-shaped postcard shows views of Vir, a beautiful island located on the coast of Adriatic sea. It has only one village, also called Vir, and is connected to the mainland via a road-bridge. Vir has a small population, but the numbers drastically increase when tourists arrive at the coast during summer. Apart from being a holiday town, Vir is also popular for producing the Dalmacija cheese.

Before Vir became a popular holiday destination, it was a barren island. In the 1980s, the then Yugoslav government considered building a nuclear power plant there due to its barren condition, causing the price of real estate to fall to an all-time low. Because of that, people who normally couldn't afford it were able to buy parcels of land. In a twist of circumstances, the planned nucler plant was not built and that's when people started building resorts.

The island of Vir gets over-populated during summer holidays, but with the existing resorts, the demands of the tourists are met. Off-season, Vir is a quiet island with a fantastic Mediterranean landscape and shoreline.

According to the Wikipedia, the word 'vir' is Croatian for "whirlpool". However, the name of the island probably originates from the word 'ueru' (probably from an old Dalmatian dialect) which means "pasture".

To see my postcard collection, please visit Postcards Crossing.

Web-hosting blog at Web-hosting Geeks

2009-05-01T19:51:00.004+07:00

As a non-technical person, I chose a free blogging platform when I started blogging. I was very much contented with the service and didn’t feel the need for web hosting. To me, web hosting is just another internet thing or trend. I really don’t know what web hosting is all about and why must we invest on it. But as time went on, to generate more traffic and for aesthetic purposes, I find myself wanting to add widgets and features in my food blog that a free blogging service could not accommodate or is not capable of accommodating. This has led me to seriously consider whether to upgrade to my own domain and search for web hosts.

The benefits of web hosting blogs are boundless because web hosting will put you right on the internet map, giving your blog a much wider reach for a small amount of investment. With a hosting package, you will have your own domain name, no more worrying about sharing bandwidths, give you the luxury and flexibility of designing the look of your site, plus, there is technical assistance when needed. What’s more, web hosting also gives you the benefit of starting your own business through reseller hosting. Isn’t it a great way to earn extra income in this time of recession?

Web-hosting Geeks provide you with a lot of web-hosting choices to suit your preferences. Plus, they also have independent reviews of the top 10 best web hosts to help you a bit in making your decision. It is always best to turn on to professionals before making your decision. If you are unsure about the making the move, Web-hosting Geeks' web hosting blog will give you reasons why web hosting blog is a smart choice. Go check it out today.

Food Trip Friday 004: Shrimp ouzi

2009-04-30T21:14:00.006+07:00

One thing that I love living in Phnom Penh is that there is no shortage of restaurants offering genuine international cuisine. So two years ago, when news of a Lebanese restaurant opening spread out to the expat community, my husband and I and fellow blogger Toe went there, eager to sample what it has to offer. The restaurant, the very first in Cambodia, is called Le Cedre. I know the name sounds French but the food is authentic Lebanese. And we weren't disappointed; we were instant fans. Two years on, Toe had already left Cambodia, and my husband and I still keep on coming back for more Lebanese specialties.

And here's one reason why:

Shrimp Ouzi - rice and shrimps with pine nuts, herbs and other spices wrapped in what looked like a pastry.

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 005: Kao soi (Chiang Mai curry noodles)

2009-04-25T19:17:00.012+07:00

Once upon a time, I went to Bangkok. I was received very well and my Thai colleagues were very eager to show me around. Being a newbie in Thailand, it was an opportunity for them to introduce me to everything Thai, especially to their delectable food. They took me to the usual touristic places, and most importantly, to the best eats in Bangkok.

Of course, they know where the best places are -- and they're not in restaurants but in the food stalls by the roadside. There are a lot of these roadside food stalls around Bangkok and for about 50 Baht ($1=35.48Baht), you can enjoy a plate of fried rice, noodles, and a whole lot more. Some would frown at the thought of eating at roadside stalls but I think that it is not bad at all and they are missing if you haven't tried it yet.

Having meals in these food stalls, I was introduced to one of the popular dishes, kao soi, or the Chiang Mai curry noodles. Reminiscent of the Malaysian laksa that I also love so much, the spicy, savoury, rich and creamy flavor started my love affair with this Chiang Mai specialty. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

600ml/ 1 pint/ 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
30ml/ 2 tbsp red curry paste
5ml/ 1 tsp ground turmeric
450gms/ 1lb chicken thighs, boned and cut into bite-size chunks (pork and beef may also be used)
600ml/ 1 pint/ 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
60ml/ 4 tbsp fish sauce
15ml/ 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
juice of 1/2 - 1 lime
450gms/1lb fresh egg noodles, blanched briefly in boiling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Garnish:
3 spring onions, chopped
4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
60ml/ 4 tbsp sliced pickled mustard leaves, rinsed
30ml/ 2 tbsp fried sliced garlic
coriander leaves
4 fried noodle nests (optional)

1. Put one third of the coconut milk into a large saucepan, bring to a boil and stir with a wooden spoon until it separates.

2. Add the curry paste and ground turmeric, stir to mix completely and cook until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken and stir fry for about 2minutes, ensuring that all the chunks are coated with the paste.

4. Add the remaining coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and soy sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer gently for about 7-10minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

5. Re-heat the noodles in boiling water, drain and divide between individual bowls and ladle in the hot soup. Top each serving with a few of each of the garnishes.

Et voila --

A hot bowl of comfort food

I used a dried flat noodle so I soaked it first for about 15minutes in warm water before being drained for use. I added some green beans when I made this dish just for added color. There was very little sauce left when I poured the sauce on the noodles, perhaps the noodles absorbed it. Nevertheless, it still has the same aromatic and spicy flavor of kao soi that I love. Hope you'll like it too.

For more delicious recipes, head over to Tamy's Simply Delicious Sunday Recipes site.

Food Trip Friday 003: Tamago kake gohan*

2009-04-23T20:27:00.003+07:00

When I was in Japan in 2006, breakfast was served for free in the hotel where I was staying in. Out of curiosity (when in Japan, eat what the Japanese eat!), I ordered the the traditional breakfast. The whole meal is consisted of grilled fish, fermented soy beans (natto) soup (miso), pickles, dried seaweed (nori), steamed rice and other side dishes.

For the second time, I ordered another breakfast meal that is also traditional Japanese (photo above). The usual soup, fermented soy beans, seaweed, pickles, steamed rice with fresh egg. The egg is simply mixed in with the rice and soy sauce. It is known as tamago kake gohan, or, simply translated, egg-sauce over rice. As you can see in the picture, the bowl of rice is traditionally placed on left side with the soup on the right. Both traditional breakfast sets were good and light, just enough to give my stomach a little more space to accomodate more food in a little while.

See other Food Trip Friday entries at Willa's Food Trip Friday site.

***
This is a re-post.

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 004: Stir-fried Napa Cabbage with Dried Shrimps

2009-04-19T16:15:00.004+07:00

As promised, here is how to make stir-fried napa cabbage with dried shrimps. As I told friends before, I am no good cook. All I am good at is finding great food blogs over the net, trying the recipes out, and then blogging about it. And this is one of those instances. The recipe is not mine, I took it from Rasa Malaysia. I made this dish long time ago and my husband and I loved it that it's become a favorite. I emailed Bee, the brain behind the yummy recipes at Rasa Malaysia and she was very kind to give me the go-signal to post one of her family recipes in my blog.

So here are the ingredients needed:

3 cups chopped napa cabbage
6 straw mushrooms (optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 tbsps dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 10mins, drained
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil

1. Make the garlic oil first by stir-frying the chopped garlic with the cooking oil. Dish out half of it when the garlic turns golden brown.

2. With the remaining garlic oil in the wok, add in the dried shrimp and do a quick stir-fry until you smell the aroma of the dried shrimps. Add in the straw mushrooms (I used shiitake mushrooms) and do a quick stir, then followed by the napa cabbage. Stir-fry for one minute and then add in the oyster sauce. Stir well and dish out the napa cabbage when it's still crunchy and not over-cooked. Top the stir-fried napa cabbage with the remaining half of garlic oil. Serve immediately.

And here's the result:

Thanks again, Bee. For more Chinese, Malaysian and other mouth-watering Asian recipes, head over to her site, Rasa Malaysia. I guarantee you'd visit her blog again and again, as I have been for several months now. I have never met her in person, yet, but I think she is a very good cook and photographer. In her blog you will find not only authentic and easy-to-follow recipes but also beautifully photographed dishes -- it makes me drool by just looking at them!

Food Trip Friday 002: Stir-fried Napa Cabbage and Dried Shrimps

2009-04-17T09:31:00.002+07:00

... and dried mushrooms, too.

Please come back on Sunday for the Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe where I will tell you how this simple Chinese dish is prepared :)

Happy Khmer New Year!

2009-04-16T22:39:00.002+07:00

I'd like to say... suosdei chhnam thmey to my Khmer friends. Happy New Year to the Buddhist world. Today is leung sakk, the last of the 3-day celebration of the Khmer New Year. I didn't go out today as I didn't fancy (dirty) canal water thrown at me, as is the tradition here.

"New Year in April?!?", you may ask. Don't worry, my non-Buddhist friends also asked me that in a rather incredulous tone, the same kind of incredulous response I get from them upon learning that after nine years, I am still here in Cambodia. But that's another story.

To answer the question... yes, dear friends. Not all cultures celebrate the new year on January 1st, and one of them is Cambodia.

The Khmer New Year started Tuesday, April 14. It began around 1:36pm, according to the Buddhist astrology, and runs until today, April 16th. Here, and in other Buddhist countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, among others, the new year is based on astrological calculations. When the old year ends and the new year begins, is also based on these calculations. So the year here now is 2553 BE (Buddhist Era) -- that is, 2,553 years since Buddha achieved enlightenment and entered the state of nirvana.

The first day of the celebration is called the grand Maha Songkran, or the first day of the Khmer New Year. According to the Buddhist beliefs, angels known as apsaras or devatas come down to replace the old ones here to watch the earth. Cambodians clad in their best clothes go to wats and pay homage to Buddha and offer food to the monks.

Our landlady preparing her offerings

And this is our offering at home

The second day is called vanabot. It is the time when families donate or give to their less fortunate neighbours and relatives. They also go to wats for a special ceremony dedicated to their ancestors. The third day is called leung sakk, and the one I like the most. Cambodians wash all their Buddha statues in scented water. Children pay respects to their elders by washing their feet in water, and in turn, they are blessed by them. Read more about Khmer New Year traditions here.

A facade of Buddhist wat decorated for the Khmer New Year celebrations

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 003: Chicken laap

2009-04-12T13:35:00.006+07:00

Dear friends, I was away for a long time, so my apologies for being absent in our weekly meme. My husband and I went to Laos for a much-needed holiday. It was a great trip, albeit a tiring one. We decided to go up north of Cambodia, in Stung Treng, and then cross the border to Laos via Dang Kralor border in Champasak province, traveling to Pakse city. There we then boarded a bus that took us to Vientiane, the capital. All in all, it took us two days and two nights to complete that stage. It was then we realised that we are now too old for backpacking! But with the aching bodies aside, we did enjoy the trip. And the food.

We like a particular Laos dish so much that I made it right after returning to Phnom Penh. This is what I am blabbing about:

... and that is called chicken laap, the national dish of Laos, which my husband and I had grown fond of. So for this week's Simply Delicious Sunday recipe, I am coming back with a recipe so easy to make and yet so tasty. I adapted this laap recipe from Kit Chan's Classic Thai cookbook.

Chiang Mai is a city in the north-east of Thailand. The city is culturally very close to Laos and famous for its chicken salad, which was originally called laap or larp. Duck, beef or pork can be used instead of chicken.

Ingredients:
450gms/1lb of minced chicken
1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
60ml/4tbsp lime juice
30ml/2tbsp fish sauce
15ml/1tbsp roasted ground rice
2 spring onions, chopped
30ml/2tbsp coriander leaves
mixed salad leaves, to serve
cucumber and tomato slices, and a few sprigs of mint, to garnish

1. Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add the minced chicken and a little water to moisten while cooking.

2. Stir constantly until cooked; this will take about 7-10minutes.

3. Transfer the chooked chicken to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

4. Serve on a bed of mixed salad leaves and garnish with cucumber, tomato slices and a few sprigs of mint.

And voila --

Since I adapted this from a Thai cookbook, I noticed the absence of banana bud, red onions, and black pepper in the recipe while mint was used merely for garnishing, ingredients which were very much present in the chicken laap we ate in Vientiane. So when I made mine, I just had to add about 50gms of grated/chopped banana bud and red onions and generous amounts of mint leaves and ground black pepper, for authentic Laotian taste. You may omit the ground roasted rice and chillies, to suit your taste, but my husband and I love it with chillies.

Chicken laap is very easy to prepare, great with fresh vegetables, and great as an appetizer or as a main dish, or for your husband's beer-food.

Food Trips Friday 001: Chicken laap

2009-04-10T15:52:00.009+07:00

My blogger-friend, Willa of Fickle-Minded invited me to join her latest photo-meme called the Food Trip Friday. What a coincidence, I said to myself, as my food blog is also known as Food Trips... We Ate This! So of course I had to say yes. It is so easy to join, the rules are here.

Here is my first entry for this week's Food Trip Friday:

It's called chicken laap, a national dish of Laos. It's a simple dish best eaten with fresh vegetables and goes well with Laos beer, the other pride of Laos. We love laap so much that when we came back from our Laos holiday, I immediately tried the recipe I got from the cookbook I bought and voila -- my husband absolutely loved it. I am thrilled at the result and so will be seeing laap - in pork as well - served on our table in the future.

For the recipe, please come back on Sunday when I feature this dish for the Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe :)

The Cook on Leave

2009-03-17T21:35:00.000+07:00

I'm off to the land of million elephants, Laos, tomorrow, via Phnnom Penh-Stung Treng-Pakse-Vientiane-Luang Prabang-Vientiane route. The husband and I will be on a two-week holiday -- a much anticipated R and R. As I am looking at more time spent on rural areas where internet access is rare, I might not be able to update as much as I'd like to. I will, however, give you a detailed account of my road (and food) trip, with pictures, when I return. Ciao!

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 002: White-peppered Pork

2009-03-15T11:21:00.005+07:00

For this week's Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe, I am re-posting a recipe that I borrowed from the Cooking Ninja several months ago. Here it is:

My husband loves pork chop very much that it is served every week at home. They are tasty on their own, but I have to say that they're even tastier when they are marinated before cooking. Soaking the pork in basic marinade such as soy sauce, lemon, and sugar, gives a better flavor to the meat.

I have to admit though that it gets boring after a while making the same pork chop over and over again. It challenged me so much that I scoured the Net for more ideas and, luckily, I stumbled upon this exciting recipe (and bookmarked it), white-peppered pork slices, from the Cooking Ninja.

I tried it not long ago and I am happy to say that my husband loved it! In fact, he asks for it every week :) So I paid another visit to the Cooking Ninja to tell her how we love her recipe and to ask if she would allow me to post her recipe here. I'm glad that she gave her go-signal ... big, big thanks!

Ingredients

* Pork (cut into big slices)
* Ground white pepper
* Black soya sauce
* Potato flour or cornflour
* a bit of sugar
* oil (for frying)

Directions

1. Tenderize the pork slices.
2. Coat the slices with ground white pepper (to your desired amount).
3. Add some dark soya sauce, and a little bit of sugar on it and marinate them well with your hands.
4. Then sprinkle some potato flour on it and mix them well.
5. Heat up some oil in a frying pan or wok till hot, fry the marinated pieces for a few minutes or until cooked. Then drain it on paper towel.
6. Serve it while hot. Can be taken as part of the main dishes.

Cooking Ninja's original recipe didn't include minced garlic but we at home love garlic so much I had to add it in. I marinated it overnight and the result - a succulent, sweet, garlicky flavor. It did remind me of tocino, the sweetened cured pork native to the Philippines, but the white-peppered pork is spicier (superb) and more flavourful. For my husband, I served it with chips (french fries to our American friends) - it was an instant hit - while I prefer mine with steamed rice and a side dish of sliced tomatoes and cucumber.

Again, many thanks to the Cooking Ninja for sharing me her recipe (and the photo above) and for letting me share it to others through my blog. For more exciting recipes, visit the Cooking Ninja's blog.

Four Foods Friday 005

2009-03-13T14:45:00.000+07:00

Here are this week’s four questions.

1. Olive oil. What kind do you prefer to use?
- We just use ordinary olive oil, Latino Bella.

2. Meatballs. Do you make them from scratch, buy premade cooked or buy premade frozen?
- I make them from scratch.

3. Do you use napkins at home? Paper or cloth?
- Paper napkins

4. Share a recipe for a white sauce.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter over low heat. Stir in chopped onion, ground pepper, and milk, and bring to a boil. Add in a can of Campbell's cream of broccoli or cream of mushroom soup, your choice of herbs, e.g. coriander, and let it simmer. Voila, it's done in minutes.

On restaurant furniture

2009-03-13T10:43:00.003+07:00

After choice of menu, one of the factors that make us decide which restaurant to dine in is the restaurant’s ambiance and interior. But of course, if we’re paying more than the regular price for the food, we expect that the restaurant is comfortable, has a nice atmosphere where we can enjoy the food and talk.

It is difficult for some restaurants to maintain its ambiance. Nowadays, restaurants seem to offer same things that you get the impression they are merely copying each other. If I were to open my restaurant, I want mine to be unique. And how, you may ask? I am no expert myself but I say aside from the choice of menu (food), the next most important factor is the concept. For example, romantic, cozy, bistro-style, etc.... The concept of choice basically will dictate the ambiance and to achieve the ambiance, it is important to determine what kind of restaurant furniture works best.

Choosing the right and proper restaurant furniture could be very daunting – imagine having to decide amongst the multitude of materials, sizes, designs, colours, among others. For example, what size of tables and chairs would be ideal for a specific dimension of the eating area. Don’t forget the bar counter and the size of the matching bar stools for functionality.

I am sure there are other great ideas to spice up a restaurant’s interior. Tthe things mentioned above are but some of the crucial choices a restaurant owner has to take into consideration right from the beginning. It is important in a restaurant business to invest in the right kind of equipments to ensure success.

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipes 001: Indian-style Meat Patties

2009-03-08T19:40:00.006+07:00

I have been away for so long and now that I am back, I am bringing a recipe I recently discovered and I am sharing this to Simply Delicious Sunday Recipes (my first time!). This Indian-style meat patties is very tasty and so easy to cook. This is also for my sister whose son doesn't like vegetables. Her son eats rice, fish and meat alright but runs away from vegetables. So she asked me how to make him eat vegetables. I told her the idea is to blend in the vegetables in his food without him knowing it.

The following is the recipe for Indian-style meat balls and it calls for potatoes. I adapted this from Meera Blackley's Indian Home-cooking and cleverly mixes potatoes and spices with meat.

The ingredients:

And here's how to do it:

*In a saucepan, place potatoes and two cardamom pods together, adding just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat after the water comes to a boil and simmer for 10minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

*Add onion and minced meat and cook for 5 more minutes. Drain off excess liquid, remove cardamom pods and set potato and meat mixture aside to cool for 15minutes. Add chillies, cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garlic, egg and salt to taste to the potato and meat mixture and mash to combine. Form mixture into patties.
*Heat oil in a large frying pan and shallow-fry patties for 3-4minutes each side or until golden. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve immediately. Makes about 20 patties.

I replaced minced lamb meat with pork. Kids normally don't like spices so it is better to adjust the amount of spices, if not omitted totally, to suit your kids' tastebuds. While the flavour might be slightly different, I'd say the meat patties will still be delicious. I know the photos didn't come out nice but I assure you they taste better than they look.