Tips to Bake and Eat Your Own French Bread

Bread is basically flour, water and yeast. Sound simple? Bread making is not so much about the ingredients as it is about the process, and thus it really can be called an art. One which has taken me many years of practice in order to bake a decent loaf. 

Durian - The King of all Fruit

Although no cooking is involved here, I thought that a post should be dedicated to the durian, aka the king of fruit. Now I don't want to talk about how people think this fruit stinks or that it may smell of old socks. I just want to say that when a significant number of south east asians love this fruit, there can't be anything wrong with it. Also, the durian is a favourite food of the elephants! Now they can't possibly be wrong can they? 

Four Days of Hong Kong Food part 4

Glutinous rice, pan fried dumplings, cuttlefish balls in curry, siu mai, portugese egg tarts and more became dinner at the Brands and Products Expo in Victoria Park. So much food in one place! Saves me the trouble of travelling!

Four Days of Hong Kong Food part 3

Almost all the seafood in Hong Kong is sold live, and this was the perfect example of how the locals like it. Fishermen here display their catch of seafood from their boats in Sai Kung. After the haggling is done, a basket on a stick is thrust upwards for the customer to deposit his money in. The same basket is then loaded up with assorted sea creatures to start their journey to the dinner table.

Four Days of Hong Kong Food part 2

A visit to the local Wanchai markets was next, and what better way to introduce Hong Kong than with a display of their local roast meats. The markets are always bustling here and are located right in the middle of the urban sprawl. They really are a big part of local life.

Four Days of Hong Kong Food part 1

What better way than to start of a trip to Hong Kong than with dim sum? I ate at Sportful Gardens in Wan Chai and I have to say that Hong Kong really does beat everywhere else for the quality of their dim sum.

Fried dough sticks with honey. Delish.

Roast Your Own Crispy Pork Hong Kong Style

This roast pork was made as a house warming dish and it was so popular that the 2 kilos which was prepared got eaten up while waiting for the later two thirds of the guests to arrive! There was high praise for this dish and there was even talk about turning into professional roasters. The only problem encountered was that the children and certain unmentioned adults would eat up the crispy crackling only to leave the meat behind.

Spicy Black Bean Pork Ribs

Nothing is more heavenly than pork ribs, and rather than smothering them in barbeque sauce I decided to cook the ribs with black beans.

An afternoon drink of Pimms

Pimms is a wonderfully refreshing and secretly alcoholic drink. Favoured by the English, it is often drunk on Sunday afternoons. Perfect for sunny picnics or even in the garden at home. Simply add your favourite fruit to 1 part Pimms and 3 parts lemonade. 

Try not to drink too much!

By: thehomefoodcook, Published: April 4, 2012

Prep time: 5 min
Yield: 1 servings

Pimms 
Ingredients:

• Pimms: 1 part
• Lemonade: 3 parts
• Strawberries
• Cucumbers
• Oranges
• Mint

Burgers with Avocado and Onion

I want to cook and eat these again just from looking at the pictures.

How to Make Roti Prata Like in Singapore

I am told that Roti Prata has its origins as a south Indian bread. The food however has since evolved and been adapted into Singaporean as well as Malaysian cuisine. Whatever its background, this is one of the most popular and distinctive breads in Southeast Asia and it is without doubt one of my favourites from home.

Thai Glass Noodles with Beef and Bok Choy

This is a simple but absolutely delicious meal I made for dinner at home one evening. I hadn't eaten Thai food in some time, and one of my favourite Thai ingredients is glass noodles. However with the only food left in the fridge being beef, I decided to go ahead and pair the two together.

The result was a contemporary dish which gave me the punchy Thai flavours I had been longing for combined with the satisfaction of thickly sliced beef.

For the Noodles

Soak the glass noodles in tap water for five minutes.

Meanwhile, slow fry garlic, dried prawns, ginger, lemon grass until fragrant. Add the glass noodles to the fragrant oil and continue frying until they become transparent. Add more water if the noodles become too dry. Finally stir in sesame oil and fish sauce to taste. Chopped chilli, a squeeze of lime and plenty of spring onions added on top give the flavours a lift.

For the Beef

Marinade the beef with sufficient salt and white pepper. Pan fry like a steak, making sure not to overcook it. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing thickly and adding a squeeze of lime.

Cook the Bok Choi in boiling water for one minute and assemble dish.

Sri Lankan Chicken Biryani

While living away from home, back in 2010, I developed a really bad craving for proper biryani. I missed the spices, heat and fragrance found in good indian food and so I set off to cook my own dish.

The recipe I provide here does not have quantities shown as I'm the sort of cook who judges by eye, taste and smell.