Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage
- Cha Soba (available at Daiso for just $2)
- Bonito Sauce (available at Daiso for just $2)
- Basil Chicken Karaage (available at NTUC Fairprice)
- Wasabi
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage
I decided to have Soba for dinner to combat the sweltering heat. I prefer green tea soba in particular. However, eat cold soba alone any side dish seem too bland. After rummaging through the freezer, I found a pack of frozen basil chicken karaage that is ideal soba accompaniment.
Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage
Cha Soba With Roasted Basil Chicken Karaage
Saturday, May 22, 2010
"Twilight Killer" Ramen - NANTSUTTEI Ramen
Being a ramen fanatic, I always take the opportunity to try new Japan ramen restaurants that had set its root in Singapore. Nasutte is among the few that I chosen for my taste test as I absolutely adores Tonkotsu soup based ramen and its well known roasted garlic oil topping.
NANTSUTTEI is located at the 3rd floor of new Millenia Walk extension - Parco Marina. I had the chance to try out NANTSUTTEI's garlic oil tonkostu ramen during their initial first week of operation. If I had the time, I normally would like to grace newly open Japanese restaurant during the first 2 weeks as this is the time you get to taste authentic Japanese cuisine as the Japanese cuisine are prepared under the watchful eye of main store chef from Japan.
I decided to go for the full work and order the Charsiew Ramen ($16.00) and additional topping of ramen egg ($2.00). About 15 mins later, steaming hot Charsiew Ramen was served up to me. Without further ado, I took a sip of the soup and was struck by how full bodied the ramen soup was brewed. It is the best tonkotsu soup base I have ever taste shaming even the popular Ippudo, Tampopo or Ichibantei. The black garlic oil further enhance the richness of the Tonkotsu soup to a new level. If your averse to Garlic, you might want to give this ramen a miss if you happen to be Robert Pattinson of Twilight or Twilight fan.
NANTSUTTEI serve thick curly noodles that doesn't lose it el dente despite soaking in the soup. The ramen egg is perfectly cooked with liquid-center yolk that not much ramen restaurant able to attain. I definitely give 2 thumbs up for impeccable attention in making such delectable ramen.
NANTSUTTEI is located at the 3rd floor of new Millenia Walk extension - Parco Marina. I had the chance to try out NANTSUTTEI's garlic oil tonkostu ramen during their initial first week of operation. If I had the time, I normally would like to grace newly open Japanese restaurant during the first 2 weeks as this is the time you get to taste authentic Japanese cuisine as the Japanese cuisine are prepared under the watchful eye of main store chef from Japan.
I decided to go for the full work and order the Charsiew Ramen ($16.00) and additional topping of ramen egg ($2.00). About 15 mins later, steaming hot Charsiew Ramen was served up to me. Without further ado, I took a sip of the soup and was struck by how full bodied the ramen soup was brewed. It is the best tonkotsu soup base I have ever taste shaming even the popular Ippudo, Tampopo or Ichibantei. The black garlic oil further enhance the richness of the Tonkotsu soup to a new level. If your averse to Garlic, you might want to give this ramen a miss if you happen to be Robert Pattinson of Twilight or Twilight fan.
NANTSUTTEI serve thick curly noodles that doesn't lose it el dente despite soaking in the soup. The ramen egg is perfectly cooked with liquid-center yolk that not much ramen restaurant able to attain. I definitely give 2 thumbs up for impeccable attention in making such delectable ramen.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Handmade Soba That Never Fail To Amaze Me - Shimbashi Soba Raffles City
The sweltering heat bathing Lion City for the past few weeks doesn't seem to abate. Hot food no longer seem tempting to my palate. Nothing beat having soba during hot hot Singapore summer. Normally, I cook dry soba bought from supermarket or Daiso. Irregardless whatever brand of dry soba I purchased, nothing beat freshly made soba kneaded by human hand. Today my craving for quality cold soba prompt me to tried the Shimbashi soba outlet opened in Raffles City Basement. It been 3 years since I last tried the handmade soba at the newly open Shimbashi Soba at Paragon until now I still reminisce the el dente fresh buckwheat taste that deeply imprint in my brain.
I went down to the Raffles City outlet with my usual makan kaki, I tempted to take the Soba Serio $12.20 (simply just plain cold soba with soba dipping sauce and nothing else) but my makan kaki as usual indicated Soba serio although you can enjoy a full plate of soba if you calculate based on BOM (bill of material) might not be that valued for money. For value for money, it is best to go for the value set meal that is available in the Shimbashi's menu.
I settle for Teriyaki Don Value set that come with complimentary warm or cold soba while my makan kaki ordered the Tempura Don Value set. I ordered cold soba so that I can savor the handmade soba true el dente-ness. If serve warm, the soba will lose its el dente if left to soak in the soap too long. It took about 15 to 20 minutes, before the value sets were served to us.
The cold soba is served in ceramic dish topped with fresh wakame drenched with soba dipping sauce. Unable to hold back any further, I decide to assault the cold soba as its is the primary reason & mission. As I slurped in the cold soba and took my first bite, the memory when I had my first hand made soba in Shimbashi Soba came flooding back. The soba is still as el dente as I remembered with a fresh taste of buckwheat without any floury aftertaste you get from commercial dried soba. The citrus shoyu dipping sauce and fresh wakame is like the the woodwinds & strings in orchestra, compliment the soba very well without overwhelming your palate. You can taste the soba, shoyu & wakame indivdual taste distinctly.
The chicken teriyaki is not too shabby with very crispy chicken karaage drenched lightly with teriyaki sauce. The whole don ensemble is balanced, the teriyaki sauce not overpowering sweet which is good so you can still taste your chicken karaage and it goes well with the japanese rice. I would conclude that Shimbashi Soba's handmade soba never fails to amaze me as rarely I can visit another outlet and still get to savor the same taste & feel as its flagship during its initial opening.
I settle for Teriyaki Don Value set that come with complimentary warm or cold soba while my makan kaki ordered the Tempura Don Value set. I ordered cold soba so that I can savor the handmade soba true el dente-ness. If serve warm, the soba will lose its el dente if left to soak in the soap too long. It took about 15 to 20 minutes, before the value sets were served to us.
The chicken teriyaki is not too shabby with very crispy chicken karaage drenched lightly with teriyaki sauce. The whole don ensemble is balanced, the teriyaki sauce not overpowering sweet which is good so you can still taste your chicken karaage and it goes well with the japanese rice. I would conclude that Shimbashi Soba's handmade soba never fails to amaze me as rarely I can visit another outlet and still get to savor the same taste & feel as its flagship during its initial opening.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wagyu Hotpot Waterloo - Shabuya Vivo City
We chance upon Shabuya a newly open Shabu Shabu restaurant during a jalan jalan session at Vivo City during pre christmas period. The main highlight of Shabuya is that they are offering premium quality cut of meats (Kurobuta pork & Wagyu beef) to satisfy your fussy epicurean tastebuds.
Best of all, Shabuya is offering weekend brunch that include all this premium quality meat for shabu shabu from 11:30am to 4:00pm at $29.90 exclude GST/Service Charge. I had my skepticism that whether Shabuya is really offering real Wagyu beef for shabu shabu as I have my fair share of false claims.
On one eventful saturday, I gathered my makan kaki to give Shabuya a run for our money. I was late for the brunch as I was suffering burnout from my new job as "great power comes with great responsibilities". I was informed by my friend who was already chowing down to succulent Wagyu that the Shabuya brunch buffet have a 90 minutes grace period. I manage to "websling" to Shabuya with only 60 minutes left on the clock.
Luckily, my makan kaki have pre-order a few trays of succulent Wagyu Beef, Angus Rib-eye Beef & Kurobuta to temporary satisfy my insatiable craving for premium meat that can easily cost $20 per 100gram in Mediya or Isetan Supermart at Shaw House. The wagyu serve in Shabuya is a real deal from the as you can see the marbling of fats distribute across the beef. I wouldn't say it is a high grade as the marbling is not very consistent across the beef to warrant a high grade.
It is cut thinly so you do not really need to cook it too long. Simply run it through the hotpot 3 times and it ready for consumption. The Wagyu beef is really tender and so rich with beefy goodness it put other types of beef slice to shame. But the richness might be too overwhelm for those new to eating beef. Fear not, the Angus ribeye beef slice is there to address this issue. For those who couldn't take beef, there is Kurobuta pork loin and pork belly which is equally as good as Wagyu.
Shabuya is a real deal restaurant as they deliver what their buffet promise and do not skimp when customer request for more Wagyu or Kurobuta. I can substantiate this point further as this is the hotpot buffet I ever suffered "Waterloo" like Napoleon for failing to consume the amount I ordered. LOL. Therefore, for those kiasu buffet buff do take note.
Best of all, Shabuya is offering weekend brunch that include all this premium quality meat for shabu shabu from 11:30am to 4:00pm at $29.90 exclude GST/Service Charge. I had my skepticism that whether Shabuya is really offering real Wagyu beef for shabu shabu as I have my fair share of false claims.
On one eventful saturday, I gathered my makan kaki to give Shabuya a run for our money. I was late for the brunch as I was suffering burnout from my new job as "great power comes with great responsibilities". I was informed by my friend who was already chowing down to succulent Wagyu that the Shabuya brunch buffet have a 90 minutes grace period. I manage to "websling" to Shabuya with only 60 minutes left on the clock.
Luckily, my makan kaki have pre-order a few trays of succulent Wagyu Beef, Angus Rib-eye Beef & Kurobuta to temporary satisfy my insatiable craving for premium meat that can easily cost $20 per 100gram in Mediya or Isetan Supermart at Shaw House. The wagyu serve in Shabuya is a real deal from the as you can see the marbling of fats distribute across the beef. I wouldn't say it is a high grade as the marbling is not very consistent across the beef to warrant a high grade.
It is cut thinly so you do not really need to cook it too long. Simply run it through the hotpot 3 times and it ready for consumption. The Wagyu beef is really tender and so rich with beefy goodness it put other types of beef slice to shame. But the richness might be too overwhelm for those new to eating beef. Fear not, the Angus ribeye beef slice is there to address this issue. For those who couldn't take beef, there is Kurobuta pork loin and pork belly which is equally as good as Wagyu.
Shabuya is a real deal restaurant as they deliver what their buffet promise and do not skimp when customer request for more Wagyu or Kurobuta. I can substantiate this point further as this is the hotpot buffet I ever suffered "Waterloo" like Napoleon for failing to consume the amount I ordered. LOL. Therefore, for those kiasu buffet buff do take note.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thickest Curry - Go! Go! Curry
Another Japanese franchise restaurant (Go! Go! Curry) have bare it fangs in B4 of ION Orchard, competing for a share of Singapore F&B pie with fellow Japanese restaurants Ginza Barin, Gindaco & Aoba. You will a LCD broadcasting in japanese about Go! Go! Curry exploits in other countries and the number of people queuing just to have a GO for their curry. As there isn't much a crowd that day, so we decide to give it a GO as well.
We were offered a paper menu showing the wide options Go! Go! Curry offer. You will be stumble why they have so many classes (Healthy, Economy, Business & First) amidst the curry type selection. The class is actually determine the amount of rice you get for your curry type you select. You don't expect they will give you additional or bigger piece of Pork Katsu if you order First or Business Class. What you will be getting will be bigger rice serving as you go down the classes. From what we gather about Go! Go! Curry's curry gravy was made from organic onions and no sugar were added to sweeten the curry, only organic onions that were cooked under low heat until caramelized till pure sweetness is added to make Go! Go! Curry gravy and the color of the curry gravy is black reminding you of black sesame paste.
After browsing through the menu, we decide to have Grand Slam as it is the only curry selection with all the toppings offered in under one. So we happily order 2 set of Grand Slam ($18.50 SGD), least to our knowledge, we had opened a door to Jigoku (meaning Hell if translate from Japanese). Before our orders served, we noticed that Go! Go! Curry's curry gravy seem to be premium and they do not seem to serve it in abundance if compared to other curry rice I had in Waraku or Tampopo. So I order extra curry topping of $3.00 for both of us.
When our Grand Slam was served to us, we got a shock of our life the sheer size of Grand Slam. Grand Slam is a Business Class ranking curry that imbued with all the curry toppings that is enough to feed 3 adults. Neighboring Go! Go! Curry patrons especially a particular Japanese family from opposite table were conversing and making reference to our pure boldness or foolishness to order Grand Slam.
With a do or die conviction, we grit our teeth and assault the curry like mountaineer assaulting Mt Everest. After drenching the extra curry gravy topping on the katsu, we scoop a big of the black curry to taste. Go! Go! Curry is the thickest curry gravy I ever tasted. The sweetness in the curry isn't those "artificial" sweetness you get from adding sugar. It is purely derived from the onions. The curry is rich in texture but in flavor department it is not overwhelming with curry spices that is prevailing in other curry rice offered in Singapore.
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It is a love or hate depending on individual as it is very thick until you sometimes find you might not have enough to last your whole meal. Luckily, we order extra curry gravy toppings to avert this issue. The chicken and pork katsu fried till very crispy while still maintaining it tender. My friend did complain the pork katsu too thin and do not have enough fat as compared to Tampopo. At this price with so much toppings, such omission is permissible as long the katsu is fresh and not dry. The sausage and the ebi fry doesn't impress me much. The hardboiled egg was overcook as you can see sulphur rings in them.
It took us quite a while to conquer this Mt Everest curry rice with my friend trailing behind barely alive. Go! Go! Curry is a unique curry rice on its own but if they are going to establish their roots in Singapore, they need to do better than just offering curry rice as Singaporean are fickle epicurean that crave for food variety and there are other major Japanese F&B are also offering varieties of curry rice.
We were offered a paper menu showing the wide options Go! Go! Curry offer. You will be stumble why they have so many classes (Healthy, Economy, Business & First) amidst the curry type selection. The class is actually determine the amount of rice you get for your curry type you select. You don't expect they will give you additional or bigger piece of Pork Katsu if you order First or Business Class. What you will be getting will be bigger rice serving as you go down the classes. From what we gather about Go! Go! Curry's curry gravy was made from organic onions and no sugar were added to sweeten the curry, only organic onions that were cooked under low heat until caramelized till pure sweetness is added to make Go! Go! Curry gravy and the color of the curry gravy is black reminding you of black sesame paste.
After browsing through the menu, we decide to have Grand Slam as it is the only curry selection with all the toppings offered in under one. So we happily order 2 set of Grand Slam ($18.50 SGD), least to our knowledge, we had opened a door to Jigoku (meaning Hell if translate from Japanese). Before our orders served, we noticed that Go! Go! Curry's curry gravy seem to be premium and they do not seem to serve it in abundance if compared to other curry rice I had in Waraku or Tampopo. So I order extra curry topping of $3.00 for both of us.
When our Grand Slam was served to us, we got a shock of our life the sheer size of Grand Slam. Grand Slam is a Business Class ranking curry that imbued with all the curry toppings that is enough to feed 3 adults. Neighboring Go! Go! Curry patrons especially a particular Japanese family from opposite table were conversing and making reference to our pure boldness or foolishness to order Grand Slam.
With a do or die conviction, we grit our teeth and assault the curry like mountaineer assaulting Mt Everest. After drenching the extra curry gravy topping on the katsu, we scoop a big of the black curry to taste. Go! Go! Curry is the thickest curry gravy I ever tasted. The sweetness in the curry isn't those "artificial" sweetness you get from adding sugar. It is purely derived from the onions. The curry is rich in texture but in flavor department it is not overwhelming with curry spices that is prevailing in other curry rice offered in Singapore.
It is a love or hate depending on individual as it is very thick until you sometimes find you might not have enough to last your whole meal. Luckily, we order extra curry gravy toppings to avert this issue. The chicken and pork katsu fried till very crispy while still maintaining it tender. My friend did complain the pork katsu too thin and do not have enough fat as compared to Tampopo. At this price with so much toppings, such omission is permissible as long the katsu is fresh and not dry. The sausage and the ebi fry doesn't impress me much. The hardboiled egg was overcook as you can see sulphur rings in them.
It took us quite a while to conquer this Mt Everest curry rice with my friend trailing behind barely alive. Go! Go! Curry is a unique curry rice on its own but if they are going to establish their roots in Singapore, they need to do better than just offering curry rice as Singaporean are fickle epicurean that crave for food variety and there are other major Japanese F&B are also offering varieties of curry rice.
Tonkotsu Ramen Born From Chaos - Ippudo Mandarin Hotel
Last weekend, I grace the newly renovated Mandarin Hotel shopping mall section and discover fabled Ippudo Hakata Ramen Restaurant finally grace Singapore F&B scene. So I gather my usual makan kaki and attend the soft opening of Ippudo Singapore this weekend.
I went to Ippudo early at 5.30pm (the queue was pretty brisk) in hope of making a reservation, however they do not accept reservation at the moment. By 6.30pm my Kakis finally came but the queue had grew immensely snake-like long. Eventually, we persevered for 1 hour and managed to queue into waiting area in Ippudo where you get to chow on peanuts while perusing their menu. There are primarily 3 types of ramen type available for selection: Shiomaru Motoaji, Akamaru Motaji and Shoyu Ramen. I decide to settle for the Shiomaru as I want to taste the Tonkotsu soup in it untainted glory while my makan kaki opt for Akumaru tonkotsu soup blend with unique miso & garlic oil. We decide to go all out and order the both chashu version ($18.00 SGD) with Nitamago ($2.00 SGD) to test out all
It not long until we are usher to our tables and the attendants took our order promptly. The wait for the ramen is pretty long considering they have a extensive open kitchen with considerable number of chef cooking. You can feel the disorientation in the Ippudo's operation with orders serve wrongly or clients complaining they being overcharge for their order.
Nevertherless, the wait was worth it when you see the ramen serve to you. The first rule in consuming ramen is to drink the ramen soup. Ippudo's Shiromaru Motaji tonkotsu ramen is the richest tonkotsu (pork bone) broth I ever tasted surpassing even Tampopo's tonkotsu. The broth is rich but not overwhelming like Marutama It is lightly flavoured to suit the tastebud of average Singaporean who prefer low salt consumption and I simply can have second helping to the tonkotsu broth if it is free LOL.
The ramen noodle serve in Ippudo is same as Marutama's belong to those thin category. It is a either love or hate for Ippudo's ramen noodle. I generally okay with it although I would prefer those thick ramen noodle with el dente feeling. If you order the charsiew version, you get about 9 slices of tender light flavored charsiew that compliment the ramen well as they are very tender and not salty like some I've tasted. The wood ear is rarely added as a topping in ramen sold in Singapore, it is interesting to find it serve as ramen topping in Ippudo. The only grouse I had with Ippudo's ramen is the Nitamago is too over cook, for those ramen fanatics hoping to taste those semi-cooked ramen egg yolk can forget about tasting it in Ippudo.
The Akamaru Motaji Tonkotsu Ramen is simply the Shiromaru version added a teaspoon of their own blend of Aka (Red) miso and garlic oil. My friend allowed me to try a bit of the red miso, it is pleasantly sweet and I believed it will bring a tinge of sweetness to the broth while the garlic oil giving support artillery assault on your palate. I would say Ippudo is a strong contender to current ramen operator out there due to its ability to offer a ramen that is close to Singaporean palate while retaining its Japanese roots. Ipppudo Ramen is really "Tonkotsu Ramen Born From Chaos" as a lot improvement need to be done in operation efficiency which is severely lacking in their soft opening.
I went to Ippudo early at 5.30pm (the queue was pretty brisk) in hope of making a reservation, however they do not accept reservation at the moment. By 6.30pm my Kakis finally came but the queue had grew immensely snake-like long. Eventually, we persevered for 1 hour and managed to queue into waiting area in Ippudo where you get to chow on peanuts while perusing their menu. There are primarily 3 types of ramen type available for selection: Shiomaru Motoaji, Akamaru Motaji and Shoyu Ramen. I decide to settle for the Shiomaru as I want to taste the Tonkotsu soup in it untainted glory while my makan kaki opt for Akumaru tonkotsu soup blend with unique miso & garlic oil. We decide to go all out and order the both chashu version ($18.00 SGD) with Nitamago ($2.00 SGD) to test out all
It not long until we are usher to our tables and the attendants took our order promptly. The wait for the ramen is pretty long considering they have a extensive open kitchen with considerable number of chef cooking. You can feel the disorientation in the Ippudo's operation with orders serve wrongly or clients complaining they being overcharge for their order.
Nevertherless, the wait was worth it when you see the ramen serve to you. The first rule in consuming ramen is to drink the ramen soup. Ippudo's Shiromaru Motaji tonkotsu ramen is the richest tonkotsu (pork bone) broth I ever tasted surpassing even Tampopo's tonkotsu. The broth is rich but not overwhelming like Marutama It is lightly flavoured to suit the tastebud of average Singaporean who prefer low salt consumption and I simply can have second helping to the tonkotsu broth if it is free LOL.
The ramen noodle serve in Ippudo is same as Marutama's belong to those thin category. It is a either love or hate for Ippudo's ramen noodle. I generally okay with it although I would prefer those thick ramen noodle with el dente feeling. If you order the charsiew version, you get about 9 slices of tender light flavored charsiew that compliment the ramen well as they are very tender and not salty like some I've tasted. The wood ear is rarely added as a topping in ramen sold in Singapore, it is interesting to find it serve as ramen topping in Ippudo. The only grouse I had with Ippudo's ramen is the Nitamago is too over cook, for those ramen fanatics hoping to taste those semi-cooked ramen egg yolk can forget about tasting it in Ippudo.
The Akamaru Motaji Tonkotsu Ramen is simply the Shiromaru version added a teaspoon of their own blend of Aka (Red) miso and garlic oil. My friend allowed me to try a bit of the red miso, it is pleasantly sweet and I believed it will bring a tinge of sweetness to the broth while the garlic oil giving support artillery assault on your palate. I would say Ippudo is a strong contender to current ramen operator out there due to its ability to offer a ramen that is close to Singaporean palate while retaining its Japanese roots. Ipppudo Ramen is really "Tonkotsu Ramen Born From Chaos" as a lot improvement need to be done in operation efficiency which is severely lacking in their soft opening.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Oden - Japanese Yong Tau Hu (Fish Cake Soup)
Oden is a Japanese winter soup dish serve with multiple cooked ingredients like radish, konnyaku(jelly made from seaweed), processed fish cake and tofu stewed in a light soy-based broth. The ingredient might varies according to what is available. Oden is the most easiest dish to made as most of the cooked ingredients could be bought off the shelf in the supermarket or asian grocer.
Oden is similar to Singapore Yong Tau Hu which is also a soup dish that serve with similar ODEN cooked ingredients but with slight difference. In Singapore, we serve it either dry or with soup and serve with sweet bean sauce. As I got a busy working week ahead of me, so I decide to cut corner and cook Oden for my lunch.
Oden is similar to Singapore Yong Tau Hu which is also a soup dish that serve with similar ODEN cooked ingredients but with slight difference. In Singapore, we serve it either dry or with soup and serve with sweet bean sauce. As I got a busy working week ahead of me, so I decide to cut corner and cook Oden for my lunch.
Oden
- 4 Fish Balls
- 2 Crab Sticks
- 4 Mushroom Pork Balls
- 4 Vege Balls
- 1 Pack Oden Dry Soup Stock (available at big supermarts or Japanese Grocer)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Donburi Series - Tamago Butadon
This Tamago Butadon recipe is really belated as it was created last tuesday. Due to heavy work engagement and busy "burning" TVB drama during the weekend, I'm only able to post it now.
If you like Yoshinoya's Beef bowl, you will like this Tamago Butadon as it taste similar with just a fraction of price. I'm quite surprised the Tamago Butadon turn out quite good as the pork slice is very tender and juicy just like Yoshinoya's beef slice.
Tamago Butadon
After 5 mins, you can open the lid and you notice the egg is 90% cooked you can turn off the stove and gently slide it into the bowl fill with warm rice. For those who dun like it well done can run it through the microwave at high settings for 1 mins.
If you like Yoshinoya's Beef bowl, you will like this Tamago Butadon as it taste similar with just a fraction of price. I'm quite surprised the Tamago Butadon turn out quite good as the pork slice is very tender and juicy just like Yoshinoya's beef slice.
- 1/3 portion of Por Kee Shabu Shabu Pork (available at NTUC price $5.90)
- 1 Sprig of Spring Onion
- Oyakodon Season Mix (Available at Cold Storage or Mediya) or Chicken Stock
- 2 Tablespoon of Sugar & Soya Sauce (If you don't have Oyakodon Mix)
- 1 Bowl of Cooked Rice
- 1 Teaspoon of Wine/Mirin
- 1 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
- 70ml of water
- 1 Egg
After 5 mins, you can open the lid and you notice the egg is 90% cooked you can turn off the stove and gently slide it into the bowl fill with warm rice. For those who dun like it well done can run it through the microwave at high settings for 1 mins.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Donburi Series - Oyakodon
Nowadays you can see donburi sprouting everywhere in the heartland food court and hawker centre with alluring signboard showing generous serving donburi at attractive prices as low as $3.50. For those who have tried it will say you don't get what you paid just like Mac Donald's fillet'o'fish burger's fish patties had shrunk so much that you could hardly taste any fish when you take a bite. I'm a donburi fan as it easy and fast to cook with everything in a big bowl and oyakodon is my favorite.
Oyakodon
You can use a small frypan with cover or get the donburi pan with cover at Daiso at $4 (cover & pan). I got the Daiso donburi pan which is pretty unique as unlike normal frying pan the pan handle is upright at 90°. Heat up pan with tablespoon of oil and add in the chopped spring onion and fry for 1 mins. Once you smell the aromatic fragance of the spring onion add in the chicken and fried for another 2 mins then add in Oyakodon Mix and 70ml of water and cover with the donburi pan with the lid until it boils. For those who dun have Oyakodon Mix can substitute with 1 Tablespoon of Mirin mixed well with 2 Tablespoons of Shoyu and 2 Tablespoon of Sugar. The measurement can be adjusted according to individual taste.
Beat up the egg and gently lace it on top and cover with the lid and let it boil for 2 mins and open the lid to check. Depends on individual, oyakodon serve in Japan normally the egg is not cook fully as they prefer the egg to be a bit runny. My case I prefer it more well cook, once ready you take the pan off the stove and gently slide it on bowl of hot rice and the Oyakodon is ready for the taking.
- 1 Chicken Thigh
- 2 Sprig of Spring Onion
- Oyakodon Season Mix (Available at Cold Storage or Mediya) or Chicken Stock
- 2 Tablespoon of Sugar & Soya Sauce (If you don't have Oyakodon Mix)
- 1 Bowl of Cooked Rice
- 1 Teaspoon of Wine/Mirin
- 1 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
- 70ml of water
- 1 Egg
You can use a small frypan with cover or get the donburi pan with cover at Daiso at $4 (cover & pan). I got the Daiso donburi pan which is pretty unique as unlike normal frying pan the pan handle is upright at 90°. Heat up pan with tablespoon of oil and add in the chopped spring onion and fry for 1 mins. Once you smell the aromatic fragance of the spring onion add in the chicken and fried for another 2 mins then add in Oyakodon Mix and 70ml of water and cover with the donburi pan with the lid until it boils. For those who dun have Oyakodon Mix can substitute with 1 Tablespoon of Mirin mixed well with 2 Tablespoons of Shoyu and 2 Tablespoon of Sugar. The measurement can be adjusted according to individual taste.
Beat up the egg and gently lace it on top and cover with the lid and let it boil for 2 mins and open the lid to check. Depends on individual, oyakodon serve in Japan normally the egg is not cook fully as they prefer the egg to be a bit runny. My case I prefer it more well cook, once ready you take the pan off the stove and gently slide it on bowl of hot rice and the Oyakodon is ready for the taking.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ken Japanese Noodles House
Ken Japanese Noodles House is one of my favourite ramen shop that I frequent. They are the only ramen shop in Singapore that allow you to customise your salt intake. You can request them to reduce salt if u prefer a lighter taste. Among the ramen type served in Ken Noodles House, I personally obsessed Ken's Kimichi ramen highly appealing as it is robustly flavoured with pork bone soup mixed with miso coupled with generous chunks of hand-made kimchi cabbage.
For those who avoid those fatty charsiew that are commonly serve in Ramen shop, rest assure Ken's charsiew will not add extra calories to your diet as Ken use lean shoulder pork for their charsiew. For ramen purist, they might find the charsiew not succulent enough as it lack those fatty meat portion.
Ken use straight noodle instead of those curly noodle. The straight noodle tend to be more "soggy" resistant in the ramen soup, so you can slowly take your time enjoy the ramen. I highly recommend those who haven't try it give it a go since it is located at Orchard Plaza which is at the heart of Singapore shopping district Orchard and within walking distance from Somerset MRT.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sanma Kabayaki Rice
Ever since the year of rat begins, it is like hell break loose at workplace. By the end of the day, you hardly left with any energy to cook something nutritious. If you considering dining out, be prepared to fork out at least $10.00++ for a more decent filling meal considering Singapore inflation caused all those local delicacies sold in foodcourt to shrink drastically in size. I still vividly remember an occasion I paid $6.90 for tomyam fish soup at one of Ang Mo Kio foodcourts and shocked to find there is only 3 small pieces of thin sliced fried fish in it while the base was lined heavily with veggies and fried egg (kinda like those tauhu telor kind).
Therefore, I'm stuck between eating something that you paying more that its worth or cooking your own meal which can be tedious especially after you're so shag after work. Lately, I found a solution at local supermart Tay Sanma Kabayaki that is pre-cooked, vacuum packed and frozen for your last minute culinary adventure.
Sanma Kabayaki Rice
Tay's Sanma Kabayaki comes in a pack of 5 enough for 2 meals. Get a bowl of rice depends on your rice comsumption as shown above. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Daiso's furikake (rice topping) or more on the rice and ensure the rice is even coated not too much as it will be too salty. Take out the Sanma Kabayaki frozen, take note do not thaw it. The reason for not thawing is you want the teriyaki sauce in the Sanama Kabayaki to coat the rice when you microwave it. Use a knife and cut the Sanma into pieces so that you can easy line the bowl filled with rice. Next, use a microwaveable glad wrap (you can get it cheaply at $2.00 at Daiso) and cover the bowl but leave a vent. Pop in microwave oven and microwave it at high power for 3 minutes and it is ready for hearty meal. Then, you can garnish the top with some chopped cherry tomato as shown above.
Therefore, I'm stuck between eating something that you paying more that its worth or cooking your own meal which can be tedious especially after you're so shag after work. Lately, I found a solution at local supermart Tay Sanma Kabayaki that is pre-cooked, vacuum packed and frozen for your last minute culinary adventure.
Sanma Kabayaki Rice
- Tay's Sanma Kabayaki ($5.60 at local supermartket, currently on promotion buy 2 get 1 free at NTUC)
- Furikake ($2.00 at Daiso)
- Rice
- Chopped Cherry Tomato Garnish ($1.95 at NTUC Fairprice)
Tay's Sanma Kabayaki comes in a pack of 5 enough for 2 meals. Get a bowl of rice depends on your rice comsumption as shown above. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Daiso's furikake (rice topping) or more on the rice and ensure the rice is even coated not too much as it will be too salty. Take out the Sanma Kabayaki frozen, take note do not thaw it. The reason for not thawing is you want the teriyaki sauce in the Sanama Kabayaki to coat the rice when you microwave it. Use a knife and cut the Sanma into pieces so that you can easy line the bowl filled with rice. Next, use a microwaveable glad wrap (you can get it cheaply at $2.00 at Daiso) and cover the bowl but leave a vent. Pop in microwave oven and microwave it at high power for 3 minutes and it is ready for hearty meal. Then, you can garnish the top with some chopped cherry tomato as shown above.
Monday, February 11, 2008
New Japan F&B Craze - Shokoku
A new kind of Japanese Craze F&B - Shokoku or Shokuko hit Singapore F&B scene. It is opened recently in the new section at Raffles City Basement - MarketPlace. Pardon me if I got the name wrong as I was amazed by the queue than take note of the restaurant name when I took the picture with my PSP camera. It is open concept similar to Marche where a lot of mini stalls inside selling Japanese cuisine whereby you pay what you order. I personally haven't try it out but from the surface it looked similar to Marche.
I guess Singaporean find this F&B concept refreshing considering it is Marche cross Japanese. I personally find it is nothing new just a concept being rehash with another country cuisine. I will give it a go once the fad die down bit or after a year with reference to donut craze that rock Singapore last year. Seem like Donut bandwagon didn't die down much as compared to RotiBoy craze few years back, Bread Talk owner also decide to join in the Donut war and opened a donut concept cafe at the MarketPlace with ample media coverage by local news.
Singaporean tastebuds is ever changing as today fad might become yesterday news. Even the donut shop that rock Singapore at Raffles City - MarketPlace for a year also showing wan in popularity. As for whether another Shokoku or Shokuku will be opening another outlet remains to be seen.
Sapporo Ramen Bishamon
After being bedridden with flu for the whole Chinese New Year, I finally fully recovered and met up with colleagues today for simple coffee chit chat at Gloria Jeans Marina Square. We left early around 6pm and I decide to take walk at Raffles City Basement - MarketPlace which housed a collective of F&B restaurant and retail outlets as it been 3 months since my last visit.
I chance upon this small ramen shop - Sapporo Ramen Bishamon in the MarketPlace which opened quite a while back just that I was either full or not up for ramen when I passed by. I decided to give it to try. I was recommended by the floor manager of the restaurant to try the Special Miso Ramen $13.40 SGD as the pork bone broth is mixed with 3 special miso to give it a robust flavour and the egg that goes along with it is full cooked on the outside while the yolk is not. I decided to take up on the manager's recommendation.
The Special Miso Ramen served with generously with corn, wakame, 2 sliced of kakuni and egg pre-soaked in shoyu as shown. When comes to ramen, I always taste the ramen soup base before anything else as the ramen soup base is the soul of ramen follow by the noodle. The soup base is pork bone based pleasantly flavored with miso (not your average miso you get off the shelf) but it hard to discern if it is a mixture of 3 miso blend. The soup base is slightly quite salty for local singaporean taste but I had tried a few authentic japanese ramen the saltiness is similar to Bishamon. It would be best Bishamon have reduce salt option upon customer request similar to Ken's Ramen Shop.
If Bishamon's Ramen is to compare with another Ramen Restaurant - Miharu offering Sapporo Ramen, Miharu Sapporo ramen's miso ramen left me with a deeper impression due to it unique miso flavor. Nevertheless, Bishamon Sapporo Ramen has it own ramen fan base. The ramen noodles used in Bishamon is similar to Miharu - thick, curly cooked to pretty el dente but you need to consume fast as the noodle tend to soften after a while. The soup base actually complement the noodle quite well without the feeling of being overpowered like marutama's ramen.
Next, I moved on to the Char Siew or Kakuni, the pork is stew similar to Marutama's Kakuni it is stewed to very tender but it is the most saltiest of ramen condiment in the miso ramen. Bishamon's ramen half boiled egg - the egg white is fully cooked while the yolk is liquid unlike other ramen shop whereby the yolk is only 75% cooked with a creamy aftertaste. I 'm not sure if Bishamon's ramen egg uniqueness is because the egg yolk is raw but I would prefer if the yolk is at least 75% or 50% cooked.
Overall, Bishamon ramen is pretty okay but with many areas need to looked into. Sodium intake conscious ramen fanatics might want to avoid Bishamon as for those who find current Singapore ramen shops lack the saltiness flavour that some Japanese liked might want to give it a shot.
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