Food Trip Friday 088: Singapore’s Hainanese chicken-rice

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Mar 30, 2012 in dining out, Food from Everywhere, Food Trip Friday, friends | 9 comments

I’m feeling run down today and nursing a bad cold so this is going to be short and sweet, err, yummy. PinayWifeSpeaks and I discovered this newly-opened Singapore Barn Barn restaurant a few metres away from the Russian Market (Psah Tuol Tumpong).

Hainanese chicken-rice at Singapore Barn Barn Chicken for only $2!

The chicken is so tasty and tender while the rice can be eaten alone as it is. This set, which includes a bowl of soup and a glass of tea, is filling. Just remember to go there before lunchtime as it gets really crowded, proof that it’s popular amongst the locals! I said it before and I’ll say it again – Phnom Penh has a lot of international restaurants offering authentic fares at affordable prices. I want to go back there again for more Hainanese chicken goodness! Plus I’m also keen on sampling their rice-cake desserts.

Food Trip Friday 087: Kuy teav noodle soup

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Mar 15, 2012 in Cambodia, cravings - nothing more than cravings, Food from Everywhere, Food Trip Friday | 4 comments

One of the most popular breakfasts in Cambodia, kuy teav is a very simple but very tasty pork noodle soup, topped with shallots, toasted garlic, spring onions, collard greens, various herbs and sprouted mung beans. Kuy teav is similar to the Vietnamese pho.

Not the most flattering picture but the broth of this much-loved Khmer breakfast is to die for!

Most Cambodians, in Phnom Penh or in provinces, prefer to eat kuy teav in open-air restaurants rather than make this at home. Rice noodles are mostly used for kuy teav and, depending on the customer’s preference, the soup also features liver, intestines, meatballs and local pate. A bowl is served with a side sauce of red chilli sauce, preserved soya bean paste and a slice of krochma (lime).  I prefer mine with flat egg noodles without the extras, as in the picture above, for breakfast. A bowl costs between 4,000-6,000 riels (US$1=4,000riels) and best to finish off with iced coffee with milk.

Food Trip Friday 086: Omuraisu

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Mar 9, 2012 in cravings - nothing more than cravings, Food from Everywhere, Food Trip Friday, From My Kitchen, Luto Ko | 5 comments

Today is Friday, the day in the week where anything goes at home. I don’t have much in the pantry and too lazy to go out (who wants to with the scorching heat?) to shop so I just made this omuraisu, the Japanese rice omelet that my former housemate taught me how to make several years ago. So here’s my brunch:

Omuraisu is a Japanese dish and a fun way of preparing/eating rice. If your kids are picky or fussy, make them omuraisu.

 Omuraisu is basically an omelet stuffed with fried rice with ketchup as topping. The Japanese sure know how to make omelet and rice fun to eat! Traditionally, chicken is added in the fried rice but you can have anything you like. I use bacon bits all the time and they’re delish. The ketchup really works well with the fried rice. It’s a very simple dish and quick o make and very filling, too. The only problem I have is that I cannot wrap the egg neatly – the rice spills out – and ruin the omelet.

Food Trip Friday 085: Pork BBQ-rice for breakfast

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Mar 1, 2012 in cravings - nothing more than cravings, dining out, Food Trip Friday | 8 comments

For a change, we went for a pork-rice meal the other day. I think my husband wanted something different from the usual kuy teav (pork noodle soup) for breakfast.

My husband took me to this Khmer-Thai eatery near our place. We could smell the familiar aroma of barbecued pork as we got off the car. In an instant, we knew exactly what to order.

The BBQ and the sauce is worth coming back to!

And we weren’t disappointed. The pork was really good – tender and packed with spicy goodness – and the dip was a fantastic accompaniment! However, there’s not much to write about the soup. I also expected a better side dish of bok lahong (papaya salad, similar to the Filipino achara but spicier and has more flavour) but we were served this preserved cabbage that’s dry and sour. This was forgiven when we finished our meal off with our usual order of kafe dahko teuk’o (iced coffee with milk) that tastes more like mocha. Which I liked.

Guess how much we paid? We paid $4 for everything! Not bad, I should say, but we’ve had better meals for the same amount somewhere else.

Will I come back? Yes, but only for the BBQ and the sauce. To go.

Food Trip Friday 084: Coffee break

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Feb 24, 2012 in Food Trip Friday | 5 comments

The QoWS is taking a coffee break.

A study in 2010 found out that taking coffee breaks may aid your memory.

So go ahead and take one.

Food Trip Friday 083: Dulce de leche brownie

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Feb 9, 2012 in cravings - nothing more than cravings, Food from Everywhere, Food Trip Friday, From My Kitchen | 12 comments

I’ve been experiencing chocolate and caramel cravings lately and as a result of that I’ve been making all sorts of baked goodies during odd hours. This week’s cravings resulted in this – dulce de leche brownie:

Sweet, creamy, fudgy dulce de leche brownie!

I used David Lebovitz’s recipe for this yummy treat. Although my brownie doesn’t look much and far from the ones that come out of David Lebovitz’s oven, I can attest to its fabulous flavour – the fudgy, chocolatey taste of the brownie plus the oh-so-luscious caramel is a heavenly combination.

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Many years ago, my Venezuelan friend challenged me to make Venezuelan dishes. Out of that challenge, I was only able to make one, the corn-based snack called arepa. Actually there was one more thing that was in the list that I wanted to make but didn’t get around to doing, a dessert called arequipe, also known as dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is a favourite dessert in all of South America. It is basically sweetened milk cooked slowly until it is thick, golden brown and have a taste similar to caramel.

I made a big bottle of dulce de leche from two cans of milk and, oh my, when I tasted it, I almost ate half of the contents! It is sinfully sweet and sticky and I guarantee you you’d be licking your spoon. Yes, it is that gooooood! I use my homemade dulce de leche as palaman (spread) for my homemade hot pandesal or store-bought nom pang (local baguette). I discovered that vanilla and chocolate ice cream flavours taste more exciting with a dollop of dulce de leche as topping. Promise!! I didn’t stop there, naturally. I had to look for more ways to use dulce de leche and that’s when I came across David Lebovitz’s recipe. Next in my to do-list is dulce de leche banana bars. Can’t wait.

Food Trip Friday 082: Crispy green mango wedges

Posted by Queen of Wishful Shrinking on Feb 3, 2012 in cravings - nothing more than cravings, Food from Everywhere, Food Trip Friday | 2 comments

At home, we not only love ripe mangoes (fresh, or made into delicious mango pie) but  also the green, unripe ones.

Crispy wedges of green mango and sugar-salt-pepper-chilli dip make for a great snack.

I cannot imagine living in Cambodia without these delectable fruits of summer. Green, unripe mangoes are slightly sour and crispy, dipped the Khmer-way in the flavourful mix of sugar, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh chillis, they are also great after-meal palate cleansers. Yum. They are also great for making mango salads, which is another favourite of mine.