Roasted Lemon Chutney

I have so many photos to share with you I'm not quite sure where to start. AND I have more film to pick up today. Can't wait. Anyhow, I'm thinking that whatever I share needs to somehow circle back to the roasted lemon chutney I've been slathering on everything this week. I made it from a gem of a recipe tucked deep in the back of this book. The book was part of the stack of magazines, novels, and cookbooks I brought to read last weekend when we popped up the coast for a couple nights on the Mendocino coast.

Lemon Chutney Recipe

Let me tell you a bit about the trip. The drive was pretty wild. We decided to cut over to the coast on a different road than normal. Wow - one of those decisions I'm glad we made, but probably won't repeat. A few of the things we experienced: plenty of single-lane hairpin turns, one pair of wild turkeys, end-of-day sunlight streaking through the redwoods and ferns, and(!) a huge buck leaping in front of the car in a blur of massive antlers. The road opens up to a sweet little general store on the coast where you can hear the seals and/or cows bellowing in the distance. You'd think it'd be easy to tell which is which, but not so much.

In the mornings, I'd sit in our little cottage, coffee in hand, and read with the front door open. Top of my pile was Molly's new book - All About Roasting. Molly is a friend, and this follow-up to her much-loved All About Braising, was eagerly anticipated by yours truly (and many of you, I'm sure). Her Roaste! d Apple Sauce jumped out at me immediately, and I was all set to make it.

Now, I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I kept glancing at the Roasted Lemon Chutney recipe, which lives a few pages back from the applesauce - and here we are. No applesauce, chutney instead, no regrets whatsoever.

Lemon Chutney Recipe

I slathered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat cheese - that's what you see in the photos. But really, there are so many other things you can do with it. A couple ideas: a dollop stirred into brown rice, chopped sauteed spinach, topped with a fried/poached egg and a touch of soy sauce. Or incorporated into a hot pasta bowl. Or, inside a savory crepe. Or, tossed with hot roasted potatoes, or baked potatoes. You get the idea. It's super versatile, and I hope you like it as much as I did - thank you Molly :)!

Lemon Chutney Recipe

More pics to come, hopefully from the film I'm picking up tonight. Fingers crossed. -h

Continue reading Roasted Lemon Chutney...


Cinque Terre Update

Update: The latest news is that Monterosso is damaged but not wiped out. I'm sure they will rebuild and Cinque Terre will be even better and more beautiful than ever.

Manarola, Cinque Terre
Picture of Manarola, my fave of the five villages, taken from here. We ate at the restaurant in the yellow building with the red roof on the village square, which is really small, just a triangle of flat land overlooking a cliff. The whole of Cinque Terre is very hilly and is the perfect place for hiking.


Amusing But True - Some of Malaysian Behaviours You Might Need to Know


Aural @ KL City Walk

KL City Walk isn't the smashing success we hoped it would be, but some of the eateries here might be worth one or two visits.

Aural serves Italian & Western food, but everything on the menu that we wanted to try on a recent evening _ from risotto to cod fish _ was unavailable. We settled for a so-so salad comprising cashews, Granny Smith apples & assorted greens. The portion was massive, but its tame, vegetarian-friendly flavors failed to thrill the taste buds.

Creative candy-based cocktails are Aural's true attraction. Sugar lovers might adore the Kandi Bubble Gum (baileys, peppermint liquor, vanilla ice cream & gummy fish).

Surf To Paradise (vodka, baileys, vanilla ice cream, peach, Oreo cookies, Snickers).

We've got a hot one tonight: Ferrero Good Cheer (! hot choc olate, vodka raspberry, creme de cacao, ferrero rocher, cream).

Will we return? Maybe not; the cocktails seem pleasant, but there's scant evidence that the rest of the food might prove outstanding. Let us know if we're wrong.

Aural,
KL City Walk, Off Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

Drunken Cones

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Aspic of chicken in Shao Xin Hua Tiao wine on a bed of jellyfish salad and oyster-sauce mushroom roses.

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Aspic of pork belly in Shao Xin Hua Tiao wine.

Have you noticed that height is important in food presentation? Noodles are twisted mile-high, salads piled as high as they can hold and tall cakes always look better than short ones. On a buffet table, dishes are of varying heights, not level and low, and even I have been unconsciously taking a lot of vertical photos of the food for this blog. So yes, my point is, the Jellyriffic!Challenge moulds can give your food that the lift, like those new platforms you just bought. Only 3 more days to go for you to buy a mould and contribute to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association Of Malaysia. I forgot to mention in my previous post that besides contributing to the Association and getting a chance to vote for your fave blogger, you get a good chance of winning the new Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 camera, which is what I'm coveting too. Also, it's time to drop me a comment (need more comments) to keep my spirit up and also to get that Olympus VG-100 camera!

While cold appetizers are very common in Shanghainese cusine, the Cantonese are notbig on cold dishes except for the huge cold appetizer platter thatis ser! vedat th e startof a banquet dinner. The Cantonese appetizer platter is the most expensive item in a banquet meal because a lot of skills are put into preparing the varied items which must be pleasing in taste, color and texture and also because expensive ingredients, such as abalone, sharks' fins, prawns, dried oysters, corn-fed chicken and the best Jinhua ham are used. I've not had a really good cold platter in a long time because restaurants are scrimping on ingredients and making appetizer platters of cold and hot items which downgrade the platters because the hot items, which used to be dainty hors d'oeuvres, are now stir-fried stuff, like top shells with dried chilies or deep-fried processed meat made into different shapes.

The first week of the Challenge, I made beef in aspic. Both kids said "Yuks!" at the jelly with slices of meat suspended within and refused to eat it. That recipe was not posted. Today I thought I'll try again, making the aspic Shanghainese with the addition of Shao Xin Hua Tiao wine. The aspics do look kind of weird, almost like preserved specimens in the lab. But strangely, they tasted good, especially with the tangy and hot Sichuan garlic sauce.

If I were making this platter for CNY, I'd include cold cuts of abalone, pork tongue and Shanghainese red-braised beef shin. A Sichuan peppercorn and chili oil dip goes best with the aspic meat.I can almost hear the 'dong dong chang' and smell the fire crackers.

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The Chinese, like the Koreans, generally love gaudy bright colors and over-the-top decoration which they feel bring cheer, especially on festive and special ocassions such as birthdays and weddings.The most welcom! e color is red because they believe it's the color that brings happiness, prosperity and life.This cold platter would be considered very auspicious on CNY

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Drunken Cones
Aspic Chicken:
1 whole chicken leg, skin on
one small slice of ginger
1 small stalk of spring onion, tied into a bundle
1 cup of water
1 tsp gelatine (3/4 tsp in cold weather)
1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp salt (extra)
white pepper
1/2 tsp chicken stock
1/3 cup Shao xin hua tiao wine
--Simmer the chicken with everything for 10 minutes except the gelatine, extra salt, pepper and wine.
--Remove from fire, put 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, the 1/4 tsp salt, white pepper and wine into a bowl and soak the chicken leg in it until cool. Taste and season the liquid if necessary. Cover and put into the fridge to chill.
--When chicken is fully chilled and firm, debone it and cut into small slices.
--Put 80 ml of the soaking liquid and the gelatine powder into a small pot, cooking over a low heat until gelatine is dissolved. Put in 2 ice cubes to cool.
--Rinse a Nick Munro mould, scoop in 1/2 tbsp of the gelatine liquid and arrange the chicken slices in the mould, spooning more gelatine liquid in as you go. Chill until set.

Aspic Pork Belly
200 gm* piece of pork belly, skin on
a thin slice of ginger
1/2 tsp salt
enough water or stock to cover the pork
1 tsp gelatine powder (3/4 tsp in cold weather)
salt & white pepper to taste
1/3 cup Shao xin hua tiao wine
* there will be leftover
--Simmer the pork with the ginger, salt and stock for 20 minutes. Check by putting a skewer or chopstick through. The chopstick should pass through easily but for a good, bite, don't cook the pork too ! soft. Re member though that the pork will firm up when chilled. Remove and cool, then chill in the fridge to set the pork to make slicing easier.
--Cut pork into very thin slices.
--Do the same as for the chicken, making a gelatine with 80 ml of the cooking stock.

Aspic Prawns
6 to 8 small prawns
enough water to cover the prawns
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Shao xin hua tiao wine
1/2 tsp gelatine powder
--Trim the prawns & remove the dirt vein.
--Boil the prawns until just cooked. Drain, remove shells and put into a bowl with the wine (no cooking liquid). Cool and chill. Make gelatine as per the aspic chicken.

Mushroom roses
3 to 5 black Chinese mushrooms (remove stems), soaked in warm water until soft
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
--Put the mushrooms in a small pot with the above ingredients with just enough cooking liquid from simmering the chicken or pork to just cover, simmering about 20 minutes. When cool, slice the mushrooms thinly, slanting your cut to get a larger slice. Arrange into roses, using black thread to hold the 'petals' together.

To serve, arrange the aspic meat on a large platter with other cold cuts if like and serve with:

Sichuan garlic dip:
1 tsp each Sichuan peppercorn oil and chili oil
2 pips garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/3 tsp caster sugar (to taste)
a dash of msg (optional)
--Mix everything together. You can add a tsp of black vinegar too.


Bar Hopping in Jakarta: 10 Great Routes

Jakarta nightlife, as I mentioned in previous posts (Jakarta Nightlife Tips), is best enjoyed if you explore a few venues on the same night, and it is preferable if those are close to each other (to avoid traffic). If you don't know Jakarta very well, I give you below 10 great bar-hopping routes. Some are famous, some are chic, some are dirty, and some are still unexplored... Anyway, follow one of them and I guarantee you a great time!

Blok M - For the Beginner
Difficulty: Easy, but be careful when you leave Jalan Falatehan, most taxis will overcharge you.
Transportation: Walking only
Highlights: Hectic street life on Jalan Falatehan, with a mix of beggars, prostitutes and fake blue bird taxis; Secret backroom in D's, Live band in Top Gun

Don't arrive too late and drink plenty of water beforehand. Start at 8pm, during the week (Wednesday or Thursday), with the bars that arelocated in the end of the street (Oscar and Maxi). After a few beer in those deserted joints, visit My Bar, Highway to Elle and D's Place, have a pause inEverest and Sportsman, then finish in Top Gun

Jalan Jaksa - For the Tourist
Difficulty: Easy
Transportation: Walking only
Highlights: Live bands in Equal Park and Memories Caf; Cheap beers; Friendly backpackers; Street food; Chatting with Paula, owner of Dyna Pub; Ladyboy spotting on Jalan Wahid Hasyim

The base camp for the Jalan Jaksa trail is actually on JalanWahid Hasyim: Dyna Pub, which has been around for ages, is not crowded but it is pittoresque. After that, you can have a quick look at Domares, 20 meters from it, and Embassy 21st (in front of Akhmani hotel). This bars are far from happening, but they are interesting because you will hear live bands playing old Indonesian favourites. On your way to Jalan Jaksa, you will see Melly's Garden on your left, with a nice crowd of young Indonesians, but stopping is optional.

Further east, at the crossing between Jalan Jaksa and Jalan Wahid Hasyim, you may stop in D'Consulate, a lounge popular with arabs. The elegant "Ocha & Bella" in Morrissey Hotel is noteworthy too if you want to meet some higher class Indonesians.

In Jalan Jaksa, most busy places are located around Margot Hotel: 3 bars should be on your to-do list: Equal Park, Memories Cafe, and Cocktail and Friends. If you still have time and/or need a drink, you may go to Ali's Bar, Venus, Obama Bar, and Pappa's Caf.

The Jalan Jaksa trip can be undertaken any day of the week.

Kemang - For the below 21
Difficulty: Easy. Many venues have a First Drink Charge (FDC).
Transportation: Walking, but if you take a cab for a few short rides, you can extend to some cool bars.
Places to see: Within the "walking distance perimeter": Eco 365, Monaco, Elbow room, Tipsy, The Green, Attics, Nu China, 999. Optional, with a car: SHY, Beer Garden, Bremer, Eastern Promise, Venue (all of these to begin the evening), SF Club and Barcode (for clubbing, on weekends), Dim Sum Festival (to close the night)
Highlights: The irrespirable atmosphere in smokey Tipsy; Hearing electron! ic music until you become deaf; Watching the Indonesian youth getting hammered

You should do this route on weekends since the clubs might be empty on weekdays. There is a vibrant nightlife in Kemang, but one area has such a high concentration of bars and clubs that you may spend a whole night there without taking a cab. You could follow this trail:

Start eating and drinking in Elbow room at approximately 10pm. At 11pm, walk about 200 meters to the right, and go to Eco 365 near Aksara. At this time it should still be quiet and "loungy", so don't hesitate to have at least a couple drinks. Around midnight, move to Tipsy, which should be already packed with students. If you cannot stand the smoke, go to Monaco, then head for Attics, Nu China, and finish in 999. Those venues usually close around 4am.

Senayan: "Hookers and Socialites"
Difficulty: Moderate. Expensive, you will have to pay at least Rp500,000 in entrance fees. Dress appropriately: No T-Shirts or torn jeans.
Transportation: Walking + Car
Places to see: Union, Red Square, X2, Domain, Portico,CJs. Optional: Hyu, Black Cat, Hacienda, KTV Boutique
Highlights: One of the best bar hopping trail in Jakarta because of the diversity of the fauna you will encounter.

Start with a karaoke in Hyu or KTV Boutique (optional), then have a drink in Union, or alternatively Portico. At 11pm, head to Hotel Mulia with a car (5 min ride) and stay in CJs until 1am. Then go to Domain (5min with cab) until 2.30am, then Red Square (walking 10 min or with cab, 3 min) and at last X2 (just in front of Red Square) which closes at 5am. In the same area, if you need more bars to warm up, you may visit Hacienda or Black Cat in Senayan Arcadia.

Sudirman to Hayam Wuruk: "From One World to Another"
Difficulty: Moderate, once in the North, you should be careful with taxis. Girls should dress with skirt and high heels if you plan on going to Immigrant.
Transportation: Mostly by car
Highlights: Very interesting route as it takes you from some of the hippest bars in Jakarta to some of the worst places the city has to offer.
Start in a classy venue such as Facebar or Social House, perfect to warm up. At 11pm, go to Paulaner Brauhaus or Hard Rock Caf to enjoy live music. At 00.30am, Immigrant should start being busy... You can stay an hour or two because clubs in North Jakarta stay open very late. Before 3am though, head to Malio Club (not Malioboro Spa). Warning: This is a place with "sexy dancers" so anyone may not feel comfortable inside. Malio closes at 4am, so after that you should go to Millennium, only 300 meters from there. If you take a cab, try to get a Blue Bird or Ekspress, or pay Rp20,000 without hargometer.

Millennium is interesting because it is one of the largest disco in Jakarta, with an incredibly loud sound system. Inside the club, ask for the room with "western music" (music barat). When you're sick of Millennium, and depending on the time (if it is before 5am), you may still have the chance to visit a few places such as Illigals, Monggo Mas (scary), ML Disco (even scarier). There is also the very funny Mandarin singing hall De Volvo.

! Stadium always closes very late (and it doesn't close at all on Sundays), so it is the best place to finish your route.

Lokasari-Glodok-Mangga Besar: "Holy Sh*t! Where Am I?"
Difficulty: Hard. You need to feel confident visiting club with almost no foreigners, full of drugs and prostitutes, sometimes dirty, dark and trashy. You will also need to walk at night in a reputedly unsafe area to go from one place to another and/or to find good taxis.
Transport: Walking + Car
Places to see: Golden Crown, Sydney 2000, Diamond, Sun City, Club 36, Super, Nuansa Permai, Siera, Exotis, Mille's, Mn'B
Highlights: Most venues you will discover are incredible and are highlights of their own.

You can start with a drink in the lounges of Sparks Hotel (Mn'B) or Golden Crown at 9pm on almost any nights. It is North Jakarta so expect some dancers between breaks. At 11pm, move to Sydney 2000 (walking distance from Golden Crown, 5 min taxi ride from Sparks). Sydney 2000 is pretty much he! ll on ea rth, and its nickname is the "ectasy factory": It will be so dark and loud that you won't stay more than 10 minutes. Once done, you can walk 5 minutes to Diamond Club, where you have live music again, and plenty of working girls.

More fun, Sun City is worth spending at least an hour, from midnight to 1am. Many foreigners from other Asian countries there, and a fun atmosphere most of the time. Don't stay too long though because you still need to visit 2 very local entertainment venues: Super Club and Nuansa Permai, both on Jalan Labu, to where you can just walk from Sun City. These venues are a bit old-fashioned, but very friendly: Do not hesitate to take the mic and sing some dangdut. When they close, you can stay in Jalan Labu and visit one of Jakarta nightlife's icons: The Club 36. This coyote bar features sexy dancers non-stop all night long until 5am, and it is always lively and crowded.

After such easy fun, you're ready for more hardcore stuff: Head to the crossing between Jalan Mangga Besar and Jalan Hayam Wuruk and ask for a club called "Siera". Locals should know about it (my review about Siera is not online yet). If you are walking, it should not take you more than 10 minutes from Club 36. It is a horrifying disco, with at least 500 persons high on drugs inside. Bring a torchlight because it is impossible to see even your hand. Once you are out of Siera, if you want to see another club just like that, you can take a taxi and go to "Exotis" (less than 5min). If not, then head to Mille's, the best nightclub for afters in Jakarta. Mille's rarely closes, so you're free to party there forever.

Pen-J: The Blok M of North Jakarta
Difficulty: Medium (Hard to find, very local, mostly bad taxis)
Transport: Walking only
Places to see: Sari Ayu, DV, LA bar, Astro, Royal, M Karao! ke, MTR Club
Highlights: For those who wish to experience Indonesian-style male entertainment.

I must say I went to Pen-J only to take pictures from outside the bars, so it still needs to be explored. From what I could understand, many of these venues have live music or club music with working girls, and some rooms upstairs. Once you find the street with all the bars, it is extremely easy to go from one place to the other by foot. Here are some photos I took in July 2011:
L.A. BarAstro Massage and Bar in Pen-J

MTR Club

Pen-J is not easy to find: You need to go to the main road, Jalan Pangeran-Jayakarta, in North Jakarta, and from there you should ask about the places mentioned above.

Mega Kuningan: Meet some fellow expatriates
Difficulty: Easy
Transport: Mostly by car with some walking if you know your way around
Places to see: Sports Caf, Tempus (ex-Mistere), Loewy, Cazbar, Poste, Blu Martini, Apollo (Gay)
Highlight: Avoid the traffic.

Mega Kuningan is a bit like an island isolated from the continent: Because of the crazy traffic on Jalan Gatot Subroto and Jalan Casablanca, it is almost impossible to get out of it (or into it) at peak hours. So if you're stuck there, the good thing is that you'll find a decent number of drinking options. It never gets crazy though, but it is always friendly and perfect to meet other expatriates.

I would start the evening with Sports Caf, with its fun crowd of regular patrons, for a couple of beers at 6pm. Then visit Cazbar at 8pm because they will often have events, and if not you can always play pool. Not later than 10pm, go to Poste (optional) or Blu Martini (optional) only if you are curious. If you want to meet other people, then head for Loewy, make friends there, and take the whole group to Tempus (Ritz-Carlton) to enjoy the live band. There is also a fantastic karaoke in Ritz-Carlton. At last, when the whole troop is intoxicated, head to Apollo, the most popular gay club in Jakarta. When you're done, there shouldn't be much traffic, allowing you to go home fast.

Little Tokyo: The Japanese Karaoke Experience
Difficulty: Easy, once you've found Jalan Melawai VII, near Blok M, South Jakarta
Transport: Walking only
Places to see: Tokishirazu, Flamingo, Ge! isha, Ja wa-Jawa, Himeragi, U-Zou, Cantik Jakarta, Chameleon, Club J, Don Sancho, Genji, Gokurakucho, Junko, M21 International Club, Maimu, Matsuri, Mitsubachi, Q-RI, Studio 21, USA-G1, Yujiro, ZII (all the Japanese karaoke in Jakarta available here)
Highlights: More than the karaoke, the atmosphere of the street is very amusing with all the Japanese signs and customers. You should also try the Japanese restaurants of the area such as Aji Hara, among the best in Jakarta.

The problem with Little Tokyo is that if you are not interested in karaoke, you will get very bored since there isn't a pub or a lounge. If you do like karaoke, you can probably do a 24-hour karaoke marathon in Jalan Melawai, changing venues every hour.
Girls in Little Tokyo

Yes, they are Indo (not Japanese)
Grogol/Daan Mogot: The unchartered Territory
When I came back home from the airport the other day, my taxi drove to a street with at least 10 bars and clubs next to each others... I was in a hurry so I couldn't stop, but the driver told me it was Daan Mogot, in Grogol. It is a bit far so I didn't have time to visit yet, but when I have time I will make a report for Jakarta100bars.com.

Dom Joly in Bordeaux

Dom Joly in Bordeaux

Comedian Dom Joly has been on a mission to discover the beauty of the Bordeaux region of France. Well known for his love of wine, food and travel, Dom was very willing when the Bordeaux Wine Council invited him to visit the area to discover everything that this well known wine producing region has to offer, and produce a series of videos.

During his time there, Dom had the opportunity to see some of the major attractions of Bordeaux, whilst also taking the time to sample the delicious wines from some of the regions thousands of chteaux, many of which are still family owned.

As well as enjoying the local produce, Dom also took a course at the Ecole du Vin, Bordeauxs wine school, which he describes as the best school I have ever been to and watched the Marathon du Mdoc, glass in hand, whilst offering encouragement to runners this year dressed as animals going through many beautiful vineyards in the Mdoc. He hilariously took part in the Ouvre la Voix, an annual screaming contest which takes place along the cycle paths in the Entre Deux Mers, with the loudest scream winning. All this in addition to experiencing the beautifully rejuvenated city centre where he had fun playing around with a huge wine glass, reflecting his giant mobile skit, dodging the sleek trams and enjoying the caf culture.

Comments Dom,

I spent three fantastic days in Bordeaux in September discovering many of the wonderful things that the region has to offer. I think, probably the most surprising thing for me, was the variety of affordable Bordeaux wines on offer red, white and ros. Like most people, I had an image of Bordeaux as being exclusively red, expensive and really only for wine connoisseurs, but in reality, there are a multitude of wines available for easy drinking and at very affordable prices. I would highly recommend a weekend in Bordeaux to anyone who loves food and wine.

spittoon.biz - We Spit So You Can Swallow


#RandomUpdate

See what has twitter done to me. Everytime I want to express or narrate something irrelevant, but also relevant at the same time, Ill use #something or *insert something* Haha ok nevermind.

In the midst of compiling some posts now, but heres a little short update, if anyone is interested at all.

Well u know I mentioned a few posts back that I would do a kitchen post, its not 100% done yet, probably at 90% now, waiting for some glass shelves to be installed and a few bar chairs. So its not going to be up till its 100%. But in the meantime, here are other shots..

Well, it really doesnt look like I have alot of books at all. Im sure it can take on more. !! :P

The books are kinda segregated to baking, cooking, asian, short-books-that-can-fit-small-shelves, non-fiction, references, local, non-english, celebrity chefs, magazines and cake decorating ones..Oh yeah theyre all cookbooks except for a set of twilight and shopaholic series

Ah, the mini herb garden. Just a sneak peek picture though. This one here, you can see sage (bottom, just the leaves) sweet basil, and rosemary at the back. Kaffir and aloe vera photobomed the picture hehe

(Wendy if youre reading this, its the same rosemary plant u gave me last time, it is still THAT small)

The dogs benefited from the move as well. Big running space! well hell yeah!! Run dog run!!!

Ok, till then.