dccokinn

The weather continues to be unbearable hot and I find myself craving for icy cold desserts all the time! This icy treat is actually inspired by a ginger lime granita welcome dessert served to guests at my favourite hotel in Melaka. It usually takes about 3 plus hours including traffic jam into Melaka old town area and by the time we finally reach the hotel, I would be feeling nausea and uncomfortable, so I really look forward to enjoying it every time! The ginger always soothes my queasiness and discomfort and the tangy lime is totally refreshing. Therefore I would miss this granita from time to time (and it's also one of the reasons why I always choose to stay in that particular hotel :p) It never dawn on me that I could actually make this icy dessert easily at home until recently. Silly me! Instead of using sugar to make the granita, I used Huiji Honey which is made of  pure natural raw honey and is more nutritious and healthier form of sweetener. Initially I was thinking of ma...

Last Saturday, I was very blessed to be invited by RE&S Enterprises (through Food News ), to a Soba Making Class by Soba Master Yoshinori Shibazaki , founder of Shimbashi Soba . Of all the Japanese noodles, my favourite is buckwheat soba and I eat the Seiro version/Zaru Soba (chilled dipping soba) quite often due to our hot weather here. And when the weather is chilly, I love to tuck into a hot bowl of Yasai Soba (soba noodle soup with Japanese mountain vegetables). Besides, soba is low in calories and rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and protein, definitely a health food with anti-aging benefits! Of all the restaurants serving buckwheat soba in Singapore, my favourite has got to be Shimbashi Soba as their buckwheat flour is freshly milled using a Japanese stone mill at the restaurant daily; noodles are freshly made and freshly cooked. So when I received the invitation, I jumped at the opportunity. How often do you get to learn from a Soba Master with 45 years of experience...

Shibuya Honey Toast used to be the "in" dessert a few years back. I first tried it at After You Cafe in Bangkok in 2011, it was super popular then and I had to queue around 20 mins in order to get a seat in the cafe! The one I had was a simpler version with a thick slab of bread toasted till golden brown and topped with ice-cream, whipped cream and drizzled with honey. There are even more elaborated ones where a whole square block of sandwich loaf is hollowed in the centre and the removed cube of bread cut into small cubes. Next the hollowed loaf and bread cubes are generously buttered and toasted till golden brown and crunchy. The bread cubes are added back to the hole along with some fruits. The toast is decorated with ice-cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, assorted fruits, nuts and finally a drizzle of honey. I guess it's popular because the dessert looks virtually appealing with all the ingredients added, what youngsters call "IG-worthy" or "Instagr...

The weather has been so ridiculously hot recently that I don't feel like doing any intensive cooking in the kitchen as it would make me all sweaty and frustrated! Besides, the humidity also made me lose my appetite and at times like this, I would crave for something refreshing to look at and appetising to eat. Rice Paper Rolls or Summer Rolls to the rescue! It's like a complete meal altogether; carbo from the chewy rice paper and rice vermicelli, fiber from the lettuce, cucumber, carrots, mint leaves, parsley and of course protein from meat and shrimp. The rolls are kind of bland on its own and the dipping sauce play an important role in bringing out the flavours of all the ingredients. Usually I eat my rolls with peanut hoisin sauce which is saltish and sweet. This time round, I decided to explore a different dipping sauce using Marmite! Marmite is like my childhood condiment which my mum added to porridge to boast our appetite as well as Vitamin B intake. It has this pot...