Oh, The Joys of 1-to-1 Discipleship

For the whole of last year, I had the great privilege to meet up 1 on 1 with 4 girls to study God's word and seen them grow and know Jesus more.

J

I knew J from church's fellowship group Clay. She was the first person that I approached to do 1 on 1 study with. We started to do Women of God study with monthly meetings at my place on Saturdays. From our 3rd study onwards, she brought Y to join us.

I am very encouraged to see how J learnt and benefitted from the studies. I myself had done this book years ago with M back in Singapore. I figure that it would be easier to begin with a book that I am familiar with. Through the studies and our discussion, J learnt what it means to be a woman who loves Jesus and the role of women that God has created us to be. I recalled some discussions caused J to be thinking about her views and opinions about the role of women.

J is now in Asia, quit her job and is spending this 1 year of her life to be trained and exposed to gospel work. Of course her decision to do this is not flowing from our meetings but it flowed from her love for God and sharing the Good News with others who have not heard of Jesus.

Y

Y is a fairly new and young Christian when I just got to know her. J did the series of Christianity Explained with Y and she became a Christian after that. When Y learnt that J is meeting up with me, she was keen enough to come along to join us. It was very humbling and encouraging to see how much Y thirst for God's word, how readily she fast absorb all that we learnt in the studies and how she would faithfully write down J and my prayer requests into her book so that she will remember to pray for us.

After the Women of God studies, I continued on to have a series of Bible Explained studies with Y. B.E. goes through and explains the entire theme and understanding of the Bible through 7 talks/studies by Michael Bennett. Even though I had learnt about something similar before, I thank God that I am still learning as I go through it with Y. At the end of the studies (which only ended recently), Y shared with me that through these studies, she has learnt so much about the Bible and that she now knows how to read the Bible herself. She is excited that she probably knows it more than her peers in church. However the most important thing was her confession and seeking prayers for an issue that she is struggling with and she struggles more as she grows as a Christian. I am very encouraged that her growth has prompted her to think about how she is conducting her life and she wants to (even if it is a painful decision) obey God and not displease Him with what she is doing.  This issue was something which I long ago, had thought that it was a problem but did not have the chance to speak with her about it. In the end, it was the Holy Spirit in Y working in and through her and prompted her to change. Praise the Lord!

Y is now looking into joining Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) where she hopes to settle and grow in a Bible Study group (her church's teaching is not great and she could not find a suitable group to join). Really pray and hope that she will continue to grow in her knowledge of God.

Z

Z came to our church's garage sale to buy things for her and her flatmates as they arrived in Brisbane to study. They were all from my home country. One time, Z visited church and came for the Sunday service. From our chat, I realised that she used to attend church in SG. In the end, as part of ministering to them and getting them used to Brisbane life, I offered to bring them around Sunnybank, a suburb full of Asians and Asian shopping. That was how we got to know each other more...

During Z's school holidays, I invited her to my place one Friday for lunch and to help me out making afternoon tea for the coming Sunday's service. Through our conversations, I then realised that she is not really a Christian and she was not sure if she could be one. We chatted and I tried to find out why she thinks that way. In the end, I challenged her to find out more herself by reading the Bible. 

I then offered to Christianity Explained studies with her on Sundays for about 1 hour after church service. I figured this would also make her come church more regularly. Through the weeks, Z got to understand more about who Jesus is and what He has done for her. Z has a very compassionate heart. She would also pray for me when I share with her. Even though we did not complete the CE studies (we were left with 1 last study as she left back to Malaysia/Singapore for good), I challenged her to consider what we have studied and for her to make a decision. Even though she did not really truly replied me, I know and pray that she will continue to grow in her journey of knowing Jesus. I was so moved when I saw her blog entry about me... 

S

S is a stay home mum of a 27-month boy and is expecting No 2 in September. Last year, I told S that if I manage to find part-time work, we can meet weekly and do some study together. God answered our prayers when I found my current part-time job. This allowed us to meet every Monday to go through a book (with study questions) "Disciplines of a Godly Woman". 

Although we did not end up discussing the book and its questions every week, our meetings has been ministering to her as we talk about marriage and parenthood. Even though I am not a parent yet and have been married for a much shorter time that S, I could encourage her and able to challenge her in some areas relating to marriage and parenting. Through the past few months, I could definitely see the ways that she has grown in her parenting and some aspects of marriage... all thanks to God who worked in her to cause the transformation! We still have lots to cover in the book... but even if we do not get the chance to complete it nor meet often as before, our friendship has grown and this made us closer and hopefully, able to mutually encourage and spur the other to love and good deeds.

It is so amazing to see God working in people's lives and see lives being transformed. I humbly thank God and praise Him for what He has done in the lives of these girls! I am thankful and amazed when I recall that it I do not really have the chance of meeting 1-to-1 with women in SG because of our busy schedules and my involvement in church. Thank God that I can manage to spare the time here in Brissy to do so. Even though there were some times of disappointment, tiredness, weariness, laziness, God still worked in His own ways! 

Sewing Project #4 - Poang Chairs

Yesterday we picked up 2 Poang Ikea chairs second-hand for $50 ea (U.P. $159). The chairs were in great condition, as if new! Have been eyeing it for some future use. Hubby has been trying to look out for offers that we can get it second-hand or brand new but cheaper than retail prices. He is real good in grabbing such deals via online shopping. This one was advertised on gumtree.

Plain black Poang chairs

I thought it would useful to have some sort of cover/cloth covering the head rest part, so that I can remove it to wash every now and then... With people sitting on and lay their heads on the head rest, all the grime in dirty hair, etc... it seemed a good idea to be able to wash the covers. You know how they have disposable (? or washable?) piece of cloth on the head rest of air plane seats? I stole the idea from there... So since I was going to Spotlight (yes again!) to pick up some blinds, I went in search of a suitable fabric to make these covers.

Picked up this 'camelia' series which I thought was nice and inexpensive. This is also an upholstry fabric, suitable for this purpose too. Intially I had thought of just having a plain colour but when I saw this, I figure that it would add an interesting touch to the chairs.

Unique, special, stylish and one-of-a-kind Poang chairs

The covers can be easily removed and washed in the washer. Basically it just consist of a pocket that the head rest bit goes into and one end of the pocket is longer so that it is tucked behind the head rest. Hubby helped in conceptualising of the idea :)

Homemade Kaya (aka Coconut Jam)

My Glory kaya is running out (yes, you can find the Singapore-made Glory in the shops here!) and I thought I will attempt to make the kaya which Tez made for me last year. It was her mum's recipe which only uses microwave to cook! Looks easy but apparently you may not get it right the first time. I think my attempt is quite about the same as what Tez gave me...

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

250g caster sugar

200ml coconut milk+ 1 tsp cornflour mixed together

Pandan leaves tied in a knot

3 tbsp extra caster sugar

Microwave Method:

1. Put all ingredients except extra sugar into a covered microwaveable bowl, mixed well beforehand.

2. Microwave on medium high for 5 mins

3. Remove and whisk well till emulsified

4. Microwave 4 more minutes, stir again

5. Microwave 2 more minutes

6. Heat the extra sugar till caramelised then add to mixture, stirring well.

NB: handle with oven gloves! very hot!

I added some pandan essence as I wanted the green colour. It seems my frozen pandan leaves does not produce much green colouring as I would have thought. I reckon this recipe is not too bad for a microwave version... I put in less sugar than requested accidentally and it is not as sweet as your typical kaya... which also means it is healthier! But make sure you consume it quickly. Apparently it does not keep very well...

So Fun, Sew Fun!

Before I moved to Brisbane, mummy wanted to buy me a sewing machine because apparently, it is the Chinese tradition that mothers give their daughters a sewing machine as part of their dowry amidst other gifts. I rejected the offer as I was not sure if I ever could sew (the last time I sewn was a good 15 years ago) and the electric sewing machines scare me. I imagined them to be hard to control and once I step on the peddle, it will sew and sew and I cannot control it. I do not like not being able to control things...

How would I know that recently (probably gradually) I have been inspired to try to sew. I have also been seeing my MIL sew clothes for Belle and it seems easy..?? So I borrow my SIL's machine and sat on it for a good 2 weeks doing nothing and finally I had to return her as she needs it. Next, I borrowed B's machine and after a good mucking around, I finally managed to sew!

2 days ago, I saw that an Elna sewing machine was going on sale from today at Spotlight. It was an introductory offer of A$149 (U.P. A$399), with savings of A$250! I began to think about it and asked around... Aunty YL was kind enough to help me evaluate and even went to the shops to have a look! I also had the blessings of B's mum, Aunty G who recommended that it was a good price for a good Elna brand. This morning, I prayed that God will give us wisdom to decide if this machine was a good buy...

So hubby went with me to Spotlight after work, to look at sunout curtains (for our guestroom & study), discounted fabrics and the Sew Fun. With hubby's blessing, we spent the $ for me to be able to sew things, perhaps even clothes in the near future... and who knows, when I am older, I may be able to sew quilts for my children and grandchildren (just like hubby's aunty 姑姑)!

Don't you think it looks very girly? I love the look and colours! : )

After I got the machine and returned home to see my email, Aunty YL emailed me that she went to Myer and Spotlight and surveyed all other available sewing machines and the various brands. She concluded that the Elna Sew Fun was a good buy for that price (basic enough and yet able to do a bit more) and she recommended the purchase. But of course she did not know that I bought it already! Even the girl at the cash register was surprised that I am getting a saving of A$250 with that machine!

Comes with a vinyl cover for storage

My mini collection of fabrics to date. Bought most of them on sale price.

Lemon Curd Tartlets

Made this last week for work's morning tea for a special occasion... Was really simple and easy, and best of all, I had all the ingredients at hand in my kitchen!

You can find the recipe here. (I replaced lemon rind on top with lime rind as I ran out of lemon rind after putting them into the cooked custard)

Sewing Project #3 - The Big Cover Up (Part I)

There are supposed to be 4 seasons where I live. But really, sometimes it seems like there are only 3 seasons - very hot and humid summer, cooler summer (spring and autumn has hot days and cool nights) and cool (not cold) winter. This means that we do not need our fans and portable air conditioners in winter and cooler summers sometimes and we do not need our heater in summer. This prompted me to sew covers for them to store away... or even to cover it when it is not in use so that (hopefully) it will be cleaner and less dust accumulation.

Here is what I did for about 1 hour's worth of work (over 2 days):

Cover for my box fan which also conceals the cable

With a little strap (and velcro) to hold everything in place, including holding up the hanging cable

Cover for my pedestal fan which is resembles a big shower cap!

Back of the fan cover, fastened by an elastic band

The round fan cover was inspired by my MIL's pretty fan cover which someone gave it to her and it was from China. I borrowed the cover and made a similar but a lot more simplified version of it.

I love this fabric but unfortunately there was only 1.2m left of it in the shop. The colour matches my lounge room colours and the carpet very well and plus the little flowers to make it look sweeter. Much prefer this than a plain brown fabric. This fabric only cost me $4 a metre, down to more than half its usual price.

There you go! Another successful sewing project :) Did not know that such projects can be so simple and easy... The next thing is to sew covers for my air conditioners and heater.

Sewing Project #2 - Water Bottle Bag

Since now that I am excited about my new hobby, I have been thinking about projects that I can do. Hubby and I thanked God for enabling me to pick up this new hobby which can be useful and practical now and future :)

Went in search for a suitable fabric at Spotlight sale last week. Saw this neutral colour with some cute mottifs on the cloth. Embroidered zebra and coconut tree are sewn randomly on the fabric and there is not too much of it and hence it does not look too childish for an adult to carry. This is also a slightly thicker material which suits making a bag. Best of all, it only costs $3 a metre and I later realised it is larger than other fabric I bought as the width is already longer than the others.

For future projects, I am thinking of making covers out of the same fabric for my box fan, pedestal fan , our 2 new but second hand portable air conditioners and a fin heater when they are not in use ;) 

My Latest Niece Christy

This is my 2nd and latest niece and I shall call her Christy (in this blog). She was born nearly 3 months ago and (then) weighed a healthy 3.95kg! After 3 months, she is almost 2x her weight at birth and this is not typical of breastfed babies!

Christy is a contented baby. She sleeps well (maybe only wake up 1-2x in the night for feeds) and drinks well and very quickly. Because of that, maybe that is why she is so 'contented-looking', with double chin and chubby cheeks that makes you want to give them a pinch :p I was told that compared to her older sister Belle, Christy is a much quicker drinker and not fuss at mealtimes, while Belle is a bit more difficult (although she is generally very good too). Christy also do not cry for no reason. Her only 'fear' is to be left alone and no one is near her or entertaining her. 

Belle has been quite a dear to her mei mei too. Initially she would 'fight' for mummy's attention but when told properly to wait because mummy needs to attend to Christy first, Belle would mostly be understanding and patient to wait. Now when Christy cries, Belle would sometimes sing to her and Christy would stop crying. When you ask Belle if she loves Christy, she would say "yes", nod her head and you will see a big grin on her face. 

I decided to take some photos of the 2 girls - they look so sweet and cute together!!

I hope both of them will grow up to be really close and loving sisters :)

A Simple, Satisfying Meal

Steamed minced pork with salted egg and stir-fried carrot/cabbage (ignore the hard boiled egg in the centre)

I often get this question asked "do you cook everyday?". The answer is "I cook dinners on an average of 4 nights a week." Hubby and I would go to my in-law's place for dinner every Thursday. On the weekends, we either eat the leftovers from the week or hubby will cook us instant noodles or we might be either eating out with friends (every Sunday after church) or just eating out at friends' place to gather. I would cook extra for dinner so that hubby would have it for lunch the next day.

Another common question "do you cook mostly asian food?". The answer is I will try to vary them and will cook at least 1 'ang mo' (western) meal in a week. It may come in the form of steaks or pastas. Sometimes it becomes fusion - steak with rice and asian veggies.

For breakfasts, hubby would be happy eating cereal everyday but we actually rarely eat cereal (even though it is readily available in our pantry as a backup). We either have toasts, pikelets (I make them in a big batch to freeze away on average every month), muffin cakes (same as pikelets), or any other food that we happen to have. I try to make sure we have varied breakfasts everyday.

This brings me to the point - I am very thankful to have a husband who eats everything (if not, 99%) of what I cook, even if they may not taste great occasionally. And hubby is the type of person who eats every single grain of rice in his bowl. His lunch box always comes home much cleaner than mine. He is one of those (my mum would say to a little child) who will grow up marrying a girl with good complexion because he cleans out his plate at a meal. If you have seen me, judge for yourself if my mum is right :p

Last Wednesday, I suddenly had an idea to use the salted eggs lying in my fridge to mix with the minced pork that I have and steam it. I vaguely remembered I have eaten such a dish before, either at yum cha places in Singapore or my mum has cooked it before. I did it! Just cook the salted egg until it is a hard-boiled egg, mash it up and mix it with the raw minced pork. Add a bit of soya sauce and sesame oil and I 'steamed' it in the microwave (I was lazy to use my wok to steam :p) using my faithful Pyrex dish (I often do that to steam fish too). The next thing I did was to stir fry the leftover raw cabbage and grated carrot from our vietnamese rice roll meal over the weekend. I added fish sauce and some chicken stock powder to it. These were 2 very simple and no frills dishes... but hubby loved it a lot! He would be happy just to have them everyday (with rice, of course) - simple yet tasty. This is probably the simpliest meal I have cooked from scratch and yet it obtained much praises and satisfaction from hubby. And of course, it makes me happy that hubby is happy with my cooking too! For the record, hubby has never complained about my cooking :)

Relating to food, hubby is also the 'sacrificial' sort. Even with his favourite food, he would make sure he only eats some (not eat a lot), so that others will get enough to eat. Sometimes he would remind me to do that too (I sometimes get carried away when I eat my favourite). He would also be polite to let others eat first. When we eat out and have different food and he knows I (too like him) like the food on his plate, he would not be selfish to give me a bit more than what he would usually do, while I am usually more relectant to do it when it comes to him liking my food :p Most times, he would peel prawns for me because I am a bit more lazy to peel it (e.g. when we had steamboat last night, all the prawns I ate are peeled by him). On the day that I first met hubby a couple of years ago, E, one of my good guy friends at the same dinner table noticed that hubby would take food for me and place it on my plate for me. That left a good longlasting impression on E until now. Heh but really, I myself did not remember that :p

I am thankful for these simple joys of married life and enjoying the little bits of sacrifice hubby does for me.... :)

Knitting Posts & Links

Other than island thots, known to only a few, I also have another blog dedicated for knitting my knit thots. However, I decided to 'close down' that blog and concentrate on posting all my posts on island thots. After all, knitting or not, they are all my thoughts :)

Hence I copied some of the entries over to here and back-date them to the same day and time of the entry on my knit thots. Here they are:

1. Pink scarf
2. Green vest
3. Smug
4. Alpaca pink vest
5. Placemat & coasters

At the same time, theses are some useful information/tutorials that you need to know about knitting:

• About knitting
• Learn how to knit
• How to knit (pdf)
• Knitting needles sizing
• Knitting pattern central
• Knitting glossary

In Australia, I usually get my knitting supplies from Spotlight, Lincraft, Kmart or Big W. You can get hold of some free projects (sewing included) from Lincraft free projects and Spotlight free projects, or google your way for more free patterns!

In Singapore, the best place to get knitting supplies would have to be Golden Dragon at People's Park Centre, Upper Cross St.

Double Chocolate Semifreddo

(photo is not very sharp)

My SIL G tried and made this simple Donna Hay ice cream which I thought I'd try out myself. Really turned out to be very simple and you do not need to freeze the mixture and take it out to beat it and refreeze it again. And you do not require the use of an ice cream maker to make this.

250g chopped dark chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar (you can add less of this)
1 3/4 cups cream
1 cup finely chopped white chocolate (I used dark chocolate chips)

1) Place chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth. Set aside.

2) Place eggs, yolks, sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk the mixture for 4-5 miutes or until heated though and frothy. Remove from heat and beat with electric mixer for 5-6 mins or until pale and thick. Gently fold through the melted chocolate mixture and set aside.


3) Beat cream in a bowl until very soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg mixture and white chocolate through the cream. Pour it into a metal bowl or cake tin and cover with foil. (I just pour it directly into an old, recycled but clean plastic ice cream container.) Freeze for 4-6 hours or until firm. Makes about 1 litre of ice cream.

This double chocolate ice cream is rich and devilious! You can make other flavours like passionfruit, lemon cream, plum, raspberry, mint. Or create your own flavours if you are up to it :)

Vietnamese Rice Rolls (with Grilled Pork)

Had vietnamese rice rolls at friends' place a couple of times but I have never tried it myself before... We had L and M over for dinner last Saturday and we thought it best to have vietnamese rice rolls, the healthier and welcomed option for ladies :)

The set-up: (clockwise from bottom) prawns, carrot, cabbage, rice paper, basil and mint, grilled pork, rice vemicelli and hot water

Fish sauce and peanut sauce to dip the rolls in. Recipe compliments from F.

Fresh mint (from SIL W) and thai basil (from my garden)

Grate the carrots, cut up cabbage or lettuce into thin strips, cook up some prawns and halve them lengthwise, cook up the rice vemicelli and grill the pork strips. Prepare hot water to dip the rice paper in. Ensure that the container is big enough for the rice paper.

Grill pork
500g sliced pork
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
~ 3cm worth of lemon grass, sliced

Marinade pork with all the other ingredients for at least one hour. Grill them using a grill pan or stir fry them in a fry pan.

Fish sauce dip
1 tsp chilli paste or 3 fresh red chopped chillies
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix everything together in a bowl and serve.

Peanut dipping sauce (hubby's favourite)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup tamarind juice (optional. I didn't use it)
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup ground peanuts
2 tbsp minced garlic
water

Mix everything together. add enough water to obtain a paste/gravy type of texture. I used the amount of water stated in the recipe but it turned out too watery. Serve.

I don't think you need lessons on how to wrap the rice rolls right? It does not matter how you assemble it... so long as it taste good! Be prepared for each person to eat at least 4 rolls.

Birth of A New (Homemaking) Hobby

I have been wanting to sew/learn how to sew... but never had the opportunity nor the time to. I have been buying some nice pattern cloth from Spotlight once in a blue moon whenever I see them on sale. I'd always thought that it would really be nice to be able to wear something that I personally sewed and make gifts to be able to give people and make some simple clothes for family. And maybe when I am old, pick up quilting ??

My SIL G sewed a nursing apron, which she copied from a nursing apron which my SIL W had bought and used. It seemed really easy and hence I thought I will try and see if I can sew it and be able to give it to my friends who will be or are mothers. This long weekend, I finally had the time to try it. I borrowed a sewing machine from B (the first guy whom I know can sew) and managed to figure out how to use the machine by reading the instructions. I last really sewed in my secondary school days when everyone had to do "home economics" to learn cooking and sewing. In those days, I used a manual sew machine which is heavy and bulky. I know if I ever see or able to use one of those old machines now, I will feel very nostalgic...

Here is how a nursing apron looked like:

It has a loop where you hang over your neck

How it looks like if you carry a baby and nursing. It is meant to cover you and yet allows you to see from the top when you need to see baby

I have sewn 3 aprons over this weekend!

After making some mistakes and even having to unpick some parts of the apron, I made it and altogether made 3 aprons and a singlet over the past 3 days! Thank God also for Auntie YL who taught me a bit and gave me some tips to sewing. She is a great seamstress herself. I am now inspired to sew other things =)

Blueberry Cake (Not Your Typical One)

Found this recipe on Taste when I wanted to find cake recipes to use up some blueberries that I have stored away in my freezer. Brought this to church as afternoon tea today...

The original recipe is found here and it uses olive oil instead of butter. I have modified it a bit to make it a (hopefully) healthier version.

200ml of olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 tsp almond essence (or 3 tsp vanilla essence)*
3 eggs
1/2 cup unprocessed natural bran*
1 punnet of blueberries (~125-150g)
1/2 cup buttermilk*
icing sugar to dust

*not in original recipe

1) Whisk olive oil, almond essence and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix it well until the sugar is almost dissolved.

2) Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Fold sieved flour, alternating with buttermilk. Fold in bran until well mixed.

3) Pour batter into prepared baking tin. Sprinkle blueberries on top. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes. Dust with icing sugar when cake is cooled.

Cake before baking

Cake before serving

Many in church who tasted this cake liked it. One even said it tasted healthy! I think it was because the cake was sufficiently moist but not oily and plus there are fruits and (unknown to people) bran added. I am also pleased that you cannot taste or feel the texture of bran but it is in there. Now you can have healthy white-flour foods! :)

Goodness of Natural Bran

I always thought bran is expensive, until I saw this home brand unprocessed natural bran at Woolies. I highly recommend this for your pantry. You can add 1/4-1/2 cup of this into your cake, muffin, pancakes recipe. Add this also as you make your own smoothie as a healthy, filling and quick breakfast option.

Bran has high fibre content which is welcomed in our cakes (which there won't be any much fibre unless you use fruits or wholemeal flour. Add bran to your diet and this is a good solution to people who may be having problems with their bowels. Bran is also suitable to add into children's food if you can't get them to eat more food with fibre. Buy this 500g for less than $2! What a good deal!

Beet Root Dip

Learnt how to make this really delicious beet root dip from J. I never liked beet root until I tried this. I think it is because I like the cream cheese in it :p


125g cream cheese
200-250g can of beet root
~4 stalks worth of fresh chives (I had some in my garden)
juice of ~1/2 lemon

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until it looks like the texture of a dip. Best served with Doritos taco chips (original flavour).

I am sure this dish will make conversations at parties. It has never failed to whenever I make this for gatherings/parties.

Dim Sim... Wantons... Siew Mai...

Last Saturday, my workplace organised a lunch gathering for the alumni people... Being an Asian (most others are Cacausians), I was asked to make an Asian finger food. M suggested making wanton (commonly and generally known as "dim sim" in Australia) and told me how I should wrap it so that the filling is exposed on the top, which looks like siew mai. I concocted my own recipe...

(Ingredients are roughly estimated. Makes about 70 wantons)
1kg pork mince
1 cup chinese dried mushroom, soaked to soften and sliced
1.5 cups grated carrot
1 cup finely chopped prawns
white pepper
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 tsp sesame oil
wanton skins (I used "egg pastry" skin, which I thought was quite good)

1) Mix pork, mushroom, carrot, prawns, pepper, soya sauce, shaoxing wine and sesame oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix them well (I used my hands because I think it gives it a better and thorough mix).

2) Cut off the corners of the wanton skins. Put about 3/4-1 tbsp of filling onto the skin. Wrap the skin to form the sides of the wanton. Shape it as in photo below. Flatten the top each wanton.

3) Steam them for about 12 minutes. Optional to serve with sweet chilli sauce.

I only managed to make 60 wantons. That was how many 1 packet of wanton skins had. I made the rest of the filling into meat balls and freezed them away for future use.

Wrapped up wantons before steaming


The finished product - steam wantons (siew mai)

Perfect Crackling Pork

Not that good a photo. Forgot to take a picture before we carve the pork. The pork before carving looks much more appetising!

Tried this BHAG Fast Ed recipe in February and thought I will share this because the result was very satisfying. SIL G and friend S are interested to try this easy (only a few ingredients) and yummy recipe. So here goes...

(Video is available, if you prefer)

2kg boneless pork loin, leg or belly (I used pork leg)
5L boiling water
3 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
spices and herbs to taste

1) Preheat oven to 160C. Score rind with sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern about 5mm apart. Ensure you cut right through the fat underneath.

2) Place pork on a wire rack in sink and slowly pour boiling water over top. The rind will shrink and expose the fat underneath. Drain off water and pat dry with paper towel.

3) Rub pork with salt and spices and herbs if you like (I think I used some dried rosemary or thyme). Stand the pork for 5 minutes.

4) Drizzle pork with olive oil and put on a wire rack in a shallow baking dish (I used my turbo broiler) Cook 25 mins per 1 kg. Do not use a deep roasting pan as it creates steam which interferes with crackling.

5) Increase oven temperature to 230C. Bake pork for a further 10 mins per 1 kg. Meat is cook when juices run clear. Rest for 3-5 mins then carve (video on carving).

Hubby and I love the crackling of the pork, however only the middle part was crispy. The ones on the sides were not as crispy. Enjoy!

Petrol Prices

Heard on the news that petrol prices will increase a bit. This morning, I paid 97.9 cents per litre for my E10 unleaded petrol, which should be the cheapest this week. Unlike in Singapore where you do not know when they will be at their cheapest, petrol prices here are always cheaper on Wednesdays (used to be Tuesdays).

I only just realised that Australia gets its petrol supply from Singapore oil refineries. This makes me very proud being a Singaporean (amidst some other factors). The Australian petrol prices depend very much on the Singapore market, even though it is much cheaper here. I checked today's prices in Singapore is on an average of $1.50 per litre. Apparently "To meet Australian fuel demand, around a quarter of fuel is imported (mainly from Singapore). Singapore is the regional refining and distribution centre and among the world's largest". Read also, BP's article on petrol prices.

I think few Australians know of this fact and are still thinking that Singapore is somewhere in China where in actual fact, it is much nearer to Australia. 

Funeral

This video was shown in Singapore tv... to promote "think family". Quite moving... and reminded me not to take my loved ones for granted.. 

Food Storage Tips

I picked up a free copy of Coles Autumn recipe book today. One of the advertorial, was a recipe to use Glad oven bag to roast lamb. I thought I will go to Glad website to have a look as they apparently had more recipe tips. To my pleasant surprise, I found a great deal of household tips and of course, all using Glad products. I was so excited when I read that you could freeze ginger in a lock bag. This followed by some googling on "how to freeze ginger" and I am glad to share this with you :)

1. Glad household tips
2. Glad recipes
3. How to freeze ginger

I am rather excited at the idea of freezing ginger. I never knew that I could freeze them (and galangal too, which I have some of its plants growing). Ginger is one thing which I do not use a lot in cooking and each time, I would only buy a small piece and store it in the fridge, which after a while, it will dry up and not able to be used. I shall be cutting up the ginger that I just got yesterday (grown and freshly harvested from my in-law's garden) into slices, wrap up in clear wrap and into a lock bag and freeze it. This is perfect since I mostly only use fresh ginger slices for steaming fish. I have a bottle of grated ginger that I bought ages ago and I am only about half way through.

A few months back, I read that I could freeze chillies in a paste form and I tried it for myself. It was really successful. I could reduce the volume of red chillies into a small pack of chilli, ready to be used whenever. This is such a handy way!

You may have realised by now, that I have a fairly new bar freezer. By now, it is already about 85% full. But my freezer (with fridge) is about 90% full (used to be 100%). Here are some articles that you might be keen in...

1. How to freeze food + How to freeze food 2
2. How to freeze veggies (you can freeze them too! I have just tried freezing mushrooms)
3. Freezer-friendly recipes
4. Tip on how to make individual portions in freezer bags
5. A different way of doing freezer inventory as compared to mine. This is really innovative idea!

Hope this info helps you! They certainly have got me all hyped up!

Food/Cooking Blog?

Put this to a poll: Should I have another of my own blog dedicated to food and cooking only?

Having this thought for a long time, but yet I am also hesitant of maintaining 2 blogs and then my followers will have to follow 2 blogs instead of just 1. 

Let me know what you think.