A Lesson on Food Photography

After 2 weeks of attending an Executive Management Programme at NUS, the course ended on a high note with a buffet dinner at the Hyatt. The highlight of the nite is the free flow of wine and beer.

What captured my attention though was the dessert spread. With an extreme weakness for cakes - especially the condensed hard versions (mousse-types are out!) - I was delighted to see two gleaming plates of brownies and strawberry cheesecakes beckoning to me.



While the rest of my 50 over course mates and professors queued for the entrees, I made a definite beeline for the dessert corner.



Yummy and delicious! The brownies are nutty with just the right amount. The strawberries were large, sweet and the cheese were not overpowering. Together with red wine and coffee, I savoured two large pieces each!



What topped the nite though came unexpectedly. While I was trying to take the shots on the dessert spread, I was approached by the professional photographer hired by NUS. He kindly gave me advice on the best angles for the shots and also the lighting level to be used. You see the results of his advice on this page.



Do give me a holler on what you think of the final shots!

Alfresco Dining@Mango Lingo

My broker raved about the fresh mango pieces. Another gym goer is particularly partial about the coconut combination. The children are keen on its ice concoctions. What am I talking about?

Why? It is the Mango Lingo and its array of ice-cold fruits and ice-cream offerings, of course!

Never one to turn a blind eye to desserts, my palate was tickled when my broker and gym friend spoke in no uncertain terms about their experience at Mango Lingo. After a particualr strenuous yoga workout, they have stumbled upon the brightly-lit unit on level 2 of Square 2 recently and lived to tell their tale. Amidst their enjoyment of the fruity sensations, they were joined by artistes from MediaCorp! Certainly, what better testimony for Mango Lingo than these self-professed authority on anything food!

That particularly day, my hubby and I shared the Lovers' Paradise: a mountain of diced strawberries, gooseberries or kiwi fruits and mango topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very high antioxidants to scare away the harmful free radicles in your body. This means you get to eat delectable desserts and yet protect your health!



Another plus for the place at Square 2 is the open-air cul-de-sac that adjoins the unit. With a water wall providing a soothing and zen-like background, surrounding greenery and the wooden planks making up the flooring, this is one place to head for for a stress-relieving experience.

Pisang Goreng (Fried Bananas)

When I was a mere child, my parents often took me and my sister to Lau Pa Sat, a huge hawker centre stocked with stalls of every Singaporean delicacy you could think of. Think laksa, hokkien mee, chicken rice, mee goreng, char kway teow, etc. Food was alright, nothing special, just everyday really fatty food one could find almost anywhere around Singapore.

What strikes me most deeply about my childhood visits to Lau Pa Sat would definitely have to be the Pisang Goreng, an utterly sinful infatuation of mine back then and now. Pisang Goreng or otherwise Goreng Pisang, are over-ripe bananas slathered in thick batter and deep-fried in oil.

Yesterday was one of the days I suddenly had an urge to make something well, eatable. So pouncing upon the fact that Pisang Goreng consist of the simplest ingredients ever, I had a rather 'battery' kitchen that day.

Now Pisang Goreng is really just a simple dessert on the eyes. Bananas and batter, period. So what would make a Pisang Goreng stand out would irrevocably, have to be the batter. From my childhood experiences and simple research, Pisang Goreng originated from the Malays. The type of batter they used differed from what the Chinese would produce, in that, the Chinese use egg in their batter, whereas the Malays don't. I did a batter experiment that day, using one with egg and another without any egg, and the result was significant.



The batter with a deeper yellow colour(with egg), produced a heavier, richer, more crunchy exterior. The Pisang Goreng had a more golden brown colour to it, probably caused by the colour of the egg yolk (below, first pic). On the other hand, the almost off-white batter(no egg), produced a lighter and chewier texture. The crunchiness was almost absent but the chewy bit definitely made up for it. I instantly developed a deeper love for it as opposed to the Chinese-style Pisang Goreng (below, second pic). I might add though, that I did not deep-fry the Pisang Goreng but pan-fried them instead as I ran out of oil. But deep-frying would definitely give them that extra crunch.





What can I say - even though I'm studying overseas, nothing can withstand my love for these delectable fried bananas. Try making it, I bet you it'll be super easy.

Say Cheese, Again!

One week into my first visit to SayCheezeCake, two of my colleagues and I decided to have our inaugural networking lunch together at the same place. This time, I took up my daughter's suggestion not just to focus on the food but also the surroundings - especially since the decor is indeed strikingly red and shouting for attention! But not just the seats, look at the ceiling too! The yellow-red combination makes a fashion statement that is almost like an abstract piccasso painting! Yet, it is not garish and revolting. In fact, the entire restaurant is bright yet warm - like a flower attracting bees to its honey centre.



At the SayCheeseCake, one of its signature dishes is the chicken rice. The rice is cooked with a secret recipe using state-of-art machines! Yes, machines and not the usual steamer/wok used in chinese cooking. The result is a truly delicious taste of traditional chicken rice. You've got to try it to believe. For a person who is not into rice (i.e. myself), yet, I got to admit that it is certainly comparable to the best chicken rice stalls in town. To top this, the restaurant offers a chicken selection of white, soya and yin-yang combination (that is half white, half soya!). So now you have no excuse not to order that plate of chicken rice.



The dessert of the day was pulot-hitam cheesecake. At first, we were quite hesitant in ordering it but due to the persuasive waiter, we decided to take up on his recommendation - with no regrets. The cake was not heavy, in fact just right - and one can bite into pieces of red bean found atop the cake!



Yes, you've guessed it. This is certainly not my last visit to the place!

Say Cheese!

Lunch today was a cheesy affair. Invited by our organiser to Barcelona, my group of 5 descended upon this month-old restaurant on the 1st level of Great World City: SayCheezeCake.



True to its name, cheese cakes are its specialties. Within the glass counter in the front sits more than 10 varieties of cheese cakes, including rum and raisin (the only one with alcohol - and it is truly a potent affair!), rasberrry swirl and tublo chocolate (that is half brownie).




According to the owner, new concoctions are in the works including durian and even laksa!

Besides desserts, the mains and entrees are also a journey of discovery and anticipation - especially when all the items are so very beautifully presented. One can feel the pride and efforts that go behind each dish that is served. We had the laksa chowder, mushroom cappuccino and harvest from the sea (kids will luv this!).





Price-wise, the restaurant is a place that most families can frequent regularly. Service-wise, SayCheezeCake is a definite destination for all!

Easy-To-Make Pie

A couple weeks ago, I made this really easy apple pie. The recipe was taken from Anne's Food, which I absolutely adore for the simplicity of its recipes.

The ingredients are the basic of all basics, truly. Juicy crunchy apples, healthy rolled oats, golden syrup, plain flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and cream.

To make this custardy delight, give the apples(4-5) a good rinse, peel and slice them into whatever shape you feel best. (I sliced mine into squarish chunks but they were still a little raw in the middle after I baked them, so thin slices would be better imo)

Line your baking container with the apple slices and add to them a pinch of sugar if you please. Preheat your oven to about 175 dg celsius. In the meantime, toss 200ml flour, 200ml sugar(granulated), 200ml rolled oats and a tsp of baking powder together, mixing all of them together in a bowl.
Melt 150g of butter in a pot, pouring 50ml golden syrup and 100ml cream to it. Immediately remove from heat. Whisk together the dry mixture earlier on with our butter mixture and stir well, making sure everything is well combined. Pour the wonderful yellow liquid all over the waiting apples and bake in the oven for approx. 25-30 minutes. Heaven.

Sweet Yam Dessert

Like most teochew-ans, my family enjoys a bowl of sweet yam or taro paste now and then. Served with either pieces of pumpkin or ginko nuts or combination of both, the dessert is 'non-pareil'. Even my hokkien hubby is hooked. It provides the ultimate finish to any teochew dinner outing.

When I was growing up, my mum used to serve this for dinner regularly. To make good yam paste is not easy. The yam must be smooth with just the right consistency and sweetness. This can only be obtained through steaming and lots of mashing with fork until the yam is fully and completely blended with oil - without any lumps! Then the entire paste is fried with shallots, pandan leaves and sugar, and lastly water added to just the right consistency.

Nowadays, restaurants have adulterated the original yam paste version by adding coconut which spoils the taste and tend to over dilute the yam unnecessarily.



Thankfully, some still serve the true yam paste version. This can be found at mid-class Guan Hin restaurant along Whampoa, high end Golden Palace restaurant at Paragon and at dessert kiosks in Anchorpoint and Amoy Food Street Centre. Try any of them and see if you are not hooked!

By the way, this is not the only sweet yam dessert enjoyed by the Teochews. Want to know more? Continue to tune in!

Black is in!

Like fashion, black foods are definitely in! They are everywhere, black soybeans, black vinegar, black sesame seeds, black rice and black tea, just to name a few.

My current craze is black sesame. Black sesame seeds are known for health benefits especially for the kidney and liver, and are a good source of calcium; one gram of seeds contain approximately 85 milligrams of calcium, (twice as much as white sesame seeds). Black sesame seeds also have high amounts of protein, iron, magnesium and are also a good source of essential fatty acids.

The Chinese also believes that black sesame boosts everlasting ebony hair. I am a strong believer. My mane is still as black as the day I was born. And though I'm certainly not in my dotage, I have seen my youth quite a many moons ago.

Black sesame foods are usually found in desserts. My fave ones are black sesame ice cream, black sesame paste, black sesame bau(a chinese bun) and black sesame ah boh ling(glutinous balls filled with black sesame).



The best black sesame ice cream is at Azabu Sabo at Marina Square level 2. The ice cream comes from Hokkaido and once you taste it, you would not want to try others. The black sesame taste is strong, tasty and with just the right amount of creaminess and sweetness.



For black sesame pau, I liked the ones at Bau Today. There outlets at Marina Square and United Square. The skin of the bau is thin and once you bite into the bau, the black sesame oozes out! Mmmm!



Mei Hong Yuen's black sesame paste found at the AnchorPoint is a must for me weekly. Costing only $2.50 per bowl, the dessert is also a favourite among my colleagues.

Hai Seng Ah Boh Ling at the Chinatown Market comes in clear broth with white balls of rice flour, within which black sesame paste is found. Of teochew origin, which is also where my parents hailed from, the stall is one of the more popular dessert stalls at the market.

Mango Cravings

It's a breezy, sunny day right outside my square of a window, and I'm in the midst of craving for a cold bowl of dessert/icecream/whatever comes cold.

To be specific, there's a particular dessert back in my mind that is in definite want by my saliva glands right now.



Mmm...creamy mango dessert with pomelo & sago bits from Mei Hong Yuen. Absolutely drool-worthy. It's such an enormous pity there's nothing like this in Perth. Just the image of the refreshingly cold, smooth yellow liquid flowing down my throat, drenching each and every of my thirsty glands is just enough to make my mouth salivate.

I reckon MHY would be the best bet for this mango dessert. Others I have tried, but were either a little diluted or stripped of the right amount of fresh sweet mangoes needed for the eureka!-flavour to permeate through. Pity the portion is a little meagre for my taste.

Enough rumblings. A substitution is needed for this much beloved dessert. Big sigh.