Savoury Dumplings - Fun Gor (粉餜)

of course a long-long wkend wouldn't be complete without food! however, due to my own forgetfulness, misplaced my camera and was unable to find it in time to document the fun in the kitchen therefore this post seems pointless. :( so instead i'll just leave you a little story about happy fun gor days. it pretty much started when i was in my first year of high school when long wkends no longer consisted of family day trips but sleep-ins. it seems impossible, but these sleep-ins would leave my sister and i famished and so fun gor fun & mother-daughter bonding began. mum would mix the dough, i'd roll it out, mum would then fill them (we prefer a filling of mince beef, bamboo strips and chinese chives) and then intricately press the ends together whilst my sister stood watch over the stove. during the process, we'd laugh and joke until the first batch of steamed dumplings were ready to eat. we'd carefully savour the first bite to carefully taste the softness of the outer dough and the fusion of aromatic chives between the juicy mince and crunch of the bamboo. it doesn't matter where you go for yumcha, dumplings are just never the same as the ones that mum makes! in any case, it's missing 妈妈的味道. so until the next fun gor day, you'll just have to trust me on this little delicious gem! :)

Lipton Green Milk Tea (立顿绿奶茶)

after a day out to celebrate my nephew's birthday, we ended up circling the aiesles at Hong Kong Supermarket in China Town for drinks. just for the sake of this particular post, i will reveal that i am actually of a chinese background, but born here and have always been fascinated by the ridiculous amount of choice for consumers in Asia, especially in the area of food and beverage. in fact, it's fascination borderline jealousy! that's why i make it my mission to scout these chinese supermarkets for goodies i know people living in asia are taking forgranted! i've watched TVB series my whole life and always hear the term "下午茶" (xia wu cha) which is equivalent to our afternoon tea. here, we go for a coffee, there, they go for milk tea (nai cha 奶茶). clearly the prospect of having a plain milk tea has never made my head turn, but today as i looked through the fridge i spotted green milk tea. i personally love green tea and to combine it with milk tea seemed like a concoction made just for me! i had high hopes and was not disappointed! the issue with the drinks from asia is the sweetness. makes me wonder if they've all got diabetes because some are horrendously sweet. but this was not one of them. you were able to savour the flavour of the green tea amongst the milkiness of the drink. to sum it up - perfect! (for me anyway. :D ) in the car my sister insisted i make my own as it would save money. (i didn't feel $1 odd was a big price to pay but we do like to save money where possible) so i came home and made my own. it's simple, easy and you can control how sweet you want it. i won't undermine your intelligence by telling you the method! remember, it's best chilled..and great for the heatwave we've been experiencing here. give it a go and let me know what you think! i'll be trying it with powdered milk to see which turns out better in terms of consistency and taste. but in the meantime, enjoy a happy下午茶!

* 4-5 bags of green tea for a 1 litre jug (more can be used if you prefer a stronger tea taste. leave the bags in for a few minutes before removing them)
* milk (i used skim milk as i only had skim or soy in the fridge)
* hot water
* sugar

krispy kreme

the good fellas at Sensational Adelaide have been speculating the opening of a krispy kreme store here in Adelaide. rumour has it that it will be opening it's first store at the gateway to our state - the Adelaide Airport. so if you're going to be passing through within the next next couple of months, keep your eyes peeled and you may just be rewarded with this seductively sweet treat! but remember, it's a sometimes food! for more krispy kreme gossip check the Sensational Adelaide Forums!

cards

truth be told, my love for making cards was purely accidental. i had forgotten that it was a friend's birthday and was invited to her dinner celebration at the last minute. just my luck it was past 5pm so the shops were closed and i felt she was more deserving than a lame $2 card from the petrol station so i set about making her one. with what i had at the time, i put together a card and that's how it all began! might i add, i am no pro, i only engage in such craft for my own therapeutic benefits. :) (it comes second to hiking!)

'07 christmas cards samples

pie floater

a blog about my limited food journey would not be complete without a mention of the beloved pie floater! the iconic meat pie in pea soup with or without the tasty tomato sauce is either loved or loathed by those who try it. personally, i love it so much that i consider it somewhat of a staple food! some may think the weird combination of the hot flaky pie soaked in a bowl of pea soup is something to hurl over but never judge until you've placed that great morsel of mincey goodness with the thick rich flavour of pea in addition to the tang of the tomato sauce into your mouth. however, it's not the same everywhere. the make or break of the pie floater comes down to the pea soup. it must be of a thick consistency so that when your pie sits in it, the soup just lovingly touches the pie, as opposed to seeping through the pie which ruins the texture when you eat it.

pie floater: $8

orgasmic experience: priceless!

about a week back i spied Sydney's version of the pie floater over at Not Quite Nigella (i'm a regular lurker!) and it sure did send a giddy feeling through me as i chuckled like a child at the prospect of trying one when i visit Sydney next month!

muffin pizzas

it's a story of back to basics with these muffin pizzas. we all love a pizza topped with our old time favourites, but sometimes our craving and hectic daily lives does not permit us to slave away to in the kitchen to dish up the cheesy goodness so here's an ingenius way to tackle both problems. below is the ingredients i used for 3 different pizza toppings but we all know that personal perference for toppings is diverse so use whatever gives you that extra kick!

ingredients
*english/breakfast muffins
*tomato/bbq sauce
*chicken (any left over roast chicken does well with this particular recipe)
*ham
*tomato
*mushroom (preferably fresh as it tastes more wholesome but you can do with canned ones like i did)
*pineapple

method
*halve the muffins simply by cutting them down the middle
*remove them and spread a generous amount of sauce over the top
*add desired toppings and sprinkle enough cheese that it covers the whole muffin
*place them back into the oven/grill until the cheese melts through

ham & pineapple

bbq chicken

simple & satisfying!

happy beginnings!

the beginnings of an unbeknownst journey filled with unusually glorious jewels!

this blog is an outlet for my random creative side & insatiable appetite for foods of the world.

let the great mixing bowl of madness begin!