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Blackswan
Passionate about food, crazy over shopping, eccentric about travel, frenzy over Hello Kitty. Started travelling since age 6 & it's in my blood! 7 yrs as a Flight Attendant has brought me to many beautiful places to savour the best & shop for bargains.
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What I've Been Cooking

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Make Your Own Delicious Glutinous Rice With Sea Salt!

Love eating that Glutinous Rice from your neighbourhood stall? Why not try making your very own with all your favourite ingredients & what’s more? Discover the negative impact of using salt vs sea salt. A growing number of people are getting more health-conscious & many are turning to sea salt in their cooking for better quality & taste. Why use a fake chemically-produced salt substitute when you can use a natural environmentally-produced less sodium sea salt?

Sea salt blood pressure - It’s commonly known that eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure. The regular table salt that people use in their cooking does not dissolve in the body & over time, begins to block arteries etc, causing serious harm to our bodies. The sea salt will flow through your body & do more good than harm. So try to use sea salt for all your food preparation to enrich the flavour of your food while adding vital nutrients to your diet.

The other key ingredient here is Chinese Dried Shrimps. I love the unique fragrant flavour, which is very different from fresh shrimps & I like using them in my dishes. The shrimp need to be reconstituted in warm water before being used. In turn, this water is sometimes added to the dish for flavour.

For this home-made Glutinous Rice, I’ve used 2 different types of dried shrimps. Unfortunately, I don’t have the names for the classes of shrimps. The slightly bigger ones in the picture are for mixing into the rice & the tiny, weenie ones for topping, replacing the usual shallots.

300g Glutinous rice
50g Dried shrimps (Hebe)
20g Dried shrimps (tiny ones)
1 Chinese sausage
15 pieces of big Chinese mushrooms
¼ cup of peanuts
2 stalks of spring onion
1 chilli
450ml water
1 tbsp black sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
½ tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp cooking oil

  1. Soak rice in water for an hour. Soak Hebe & mushroom in warm water till soft. Remove stalk from mushroom & dice into cubes.

  2. Peel off outer layer & dice sausage (optional). Most people skip this step but I don’t like the taste & texture of it, so I’d always take it off.
  3. Heat wok & fry mushroom, sausage, peanuts & hebe till fragrant.
  4. Drain rice & add to mixture. Fry for about 2mins. Add seasonings & stir well.
  5. Transfer into steaming bowl/mould & add water. Stir lightly & steam for about 20mins. Meanwhile, chop up spring onions & chilli & set aside.
  6. Heat wok & fry the tiny shrimps till crispy. Be careful not to burn the
    shrimps. Remove & leave to cool.
  7. When rice is ready, transfer to serving plate. Leave to cool. Sprinkle spring onion, chilli & top with crispy shrimps.

Remember, for a healthy choice in your daily meal, choose the all-natural sea salt! Sea salt obtained from solar evaporation of sea water is entirely different from modern refined salt & it contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body's electrolytes in a healthy balance.

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Saturday, October 31, 2009

GUESS 'Edgy' Sandals Promo!

Back by popular demand, get these pair of chic GUESS "Edgy" sandals for just S$39 (U.P S$79) each with any purchase at your favourite GUESS outlet.

* While stocks last. Promotion not valid with other offers or discounts.
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Philips Carnival Sale!

Hey, here's a chance to get those electronic stuff you've always wanted. Philips is holding their carnival sale on 7 & 8 November 2009, 9:00am-6pm.

Plus, get 0% interest free installment plan with selected banks. Terms and conditions apply. Products subject to availability.

Philips Electronics
620A Lorong l Toa Payoh
Parking is available at designated areas in & around the vicinity on a first-come-first-served basis.
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Friday, October 30, 2009

1-For-1 @ Li Bai, Sheraton Towers

Named after the famous Tang Dynasty Poet, Li Bai is famed for its Cantonese cuisine served in the tradition of grand Emperors & I was there to take advantage of the UOB 1-for-1 promo, trying the Chef’s Creation @ S$68 for 2 pax.

Of course, the other excuse was actually to feast on the legendary Hairy Crab (大閘蟹), renowned for its supreme combination of colour, texture & flavour & the most eagerly anticipated crustacean on the culinary calendar now. (This is a side order, not part of set lunch).

While waiting for food to be served, I ordered this must-have appetizer. The S$8 plate of Silver Fish at Li Bai is the best, next to Man Fu Yuan & Lei Garden. The starter here is served with crispy Kailan leaves & with a dash of chilli peppers. The very first time I tried these suspiciously delightful leaves, I was surprised when the chef told me it was Kailan. I didn't know this mild bitter-taste vegetable, often served blanched with a hinge of oyster sauce, could be deep-fried.

The first course on the set-lunch menu was the Dim-sum Combination, which blended perfectly with the artistic touches of paintings & poems. The tasty deep-fried item is wrapped in beancurd-skin & has a crunchy filling of minced meat & seafood. I like the dim-sum in the middle best cause I love the tiny bits of green & yellow peppers, chestnut etc, which added some punch to the seafood. The last item was just an ordinary seafood dumpling you’d often find in the dim-sum menu.

Now, the Double-boiled Chicken Soup is worth-mentioning. You get a whole piece of baby abalone to chew on after drinking this delicious clear soup, which was bursting with flavours.
Next course was the Pan-fried Wagyu Beef & Chicken Roll, served with Lotus Leaf Rice. Japanese Enoki mushrooms were cleverly disguised in the tender meat rolls, with special sauce dribbled on them. As the oyster-based sauce was rather rich, it kinda left the lotus leaf rice rather blend. With drum-rolls in my heart, the much-awaited king of crab roes finally arrived at our table, professionally cut. In the masterful hands of Li Bai’s chef, the rich & distinct taste of the hairy crab flown in from Jiang Su province, were preserved & highlighted. At S$53 each (about 240g), it’s another marvelous epicurean experience & I was slurping with joy.

After our crabby side order, we ended the decent meal with the Special Dessert of the Day - Mango in Sago. Hairy Crab lovers, check out my post on this renown crustacean @ It's The Hairy Crab Season!

Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant
B1, Sheraton Towers
Thirty-Nine Scotts Road
Singapore 228230
(65) 6839 5623

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Hong Kong Disneyland "BUY 2 GET 1 FREE"!

From now to 11 December 2009, Cathay Pacific is offering "BUY 2 GET 1 FREE" Hong Kong Disneyland Travel Packages with:

- Round-trip Economy Class ticket to Hong Kong
- 1 night or 2 nights hotel accommodation @ Disney's Hollywood Hotel or Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel or opt for 2/3 nights stay @ downtown hotels (based on package type selected)
- Park admission ticket
- Return airport/hotel transfers by VIGOR

Guests staying in the Hong Kong Disneyland themed hotels also enjoy:
- "Stay and Play for 2 Days" offer
- Late check-out
- Disney FASTPASS®
- Park meal coupon (for guests of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel only)

Click here for more details & book your package today through your Singapore Reservations Office at (65) 6533 1333 or your travel agent.
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