NOW THERE ARE NINE

There was a little dough leftover from last week's baking, which I kept frozen.  This afternoon I stirred in white chocolate bits to make Triple Chocolate Cookies!

Fresh from the oven -- ten beautiful cookies with a soft, chewy centre.  Mmmm ... I already wolfed one down as I was taking photographs.

Nine chocolate cookies with a soft, gooey centre.  For the Cookie Monster who drops by unexpectedly (you know who you are!) to look in on my parents while I'm away at work.

CHILLICRAB AND THE MANGOES

The sign above the mangoes read “$1.99 for 3”, attracting about a dozen Aunties all with an eye for bargain.  They gathered around the crates, elbowing one another, frantically grabbing the fruit as if they were free of charge. Like a flock of hens, their feathers ruffled, squawking. As though some unknown catastrophe was fast approaching and they were scrambling to peck the last grains off the supermarket floor.

Kiasuism got the better of ChilliCrab. She dived right in, dodging vicious beaks (ouch!) and menacing claws, and snatched away what she believe to be 3 of the plumiest fruit – all in under two minutes.

Fruits of my labour

ChilliCrab's worst fear has been realised -  #iAMauntie

MALAY CROQUETTE !

Years ago, my mother learnt to make begedil from a Malay hawker who sold nasi padang.  When she made them today, I stood close by to jot down notes.  Mum cooks by a kind of instinct that all experienced housewives possesses so there's no use asking her for measurements. 

"Take 3 large potatoes," she began. 

"How much do they weigh?" I asked.  She glared so I kept my mouth shut.  Still, I couldn't resist weighing them on my digital scales when she wasn't looking. :p

POTATO PATTIES
Makes about 20

3 large potatoes (approx 500 grams when mashed)
Salt to taste
100 grams filling
1 egg, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

Filling

We used a mix of minced pork and hay bee (dried shrimps).  You can use any you like - mutton, bacon, or luncheon meat.

Prepare the filling.  Stir fry the minced pork and dried shrimp.  Set aside.

Slice the 3 large potatoes and deep fry them until slightly brown.  Drain then add salt and mash.  Mix in the filling. 

Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into round patties, about 5-cm in diameter. 

Coat each patty lightly with egg and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

葱饼 | CHINESE MUFFINS

How would you say  "葱饼" in English? I have to confess that I have absolutely no idea! So I'm just going to call them Chinese Muffins because, just like their English counterparts, they are yeast-based and baked in a skillet.  

葱饼
Adapted from 阿芳的3杯麵粉72變 by 蔡季芳

Makes 10

Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1¼ cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Flour for dusting

Filling
Approx 200 grams spring onion
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place flour, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water into a large mixing bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks, stir ingredients together. After the water begins to be absorbed, add the remaining water little by little.  Use your hands to gently knead into a dough.

Add the oil and knead until the dough becomes very smooth.

Cover the dough and leave to proof for 30 minutes.

While the dough is proofing, wash and dry the spring onions. Cut finely. Marinate with salt, black pepper and olive oil.

Gently turn dough onto lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Roll out each into a tongue shape.

Fill each with spring onion filling. Let the 2 long sides meet and pinch edges together.

Roll each into a "snail". Dust your palm with a little flour and press each piece to flatten.

Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the skillet.  Cook both sides of the muffins for 4 - 5 minutes until the bottom of muffin turns golden brown.

Confession: These really ought to look like pancakes (instead of like English muffins) but even though I rolled them out they bounced right back up!  Maybe I didn't allow them enough time to proof properly.

HANOI

So here I am, back from a 5-day conference in freezing Hanoi.  It was a pleasant stay at the charming Metropole Hotel - French culture preserved alongside Vietnamese culture.  "Bonjour Madame" the staff chirps cheerfully to me as I pass.  Didn't enjoy the cold weather though.  Thankfully, it was nice and warm inside the hotel, which is a huge blessing if one has to be stuck indoors 98% of the time.

Metropole Hotel - a white oasis in the midst of hectic Hanoi



I did manage to sneak out of the hotel for a walk.  This is the romantic Hanoi West Lake.

Lanterns on trees and their reflection in the water create fairy lights

Peach blossom

On my last day in Hanoi, I stumbled upon a mysterious doorway.

I was first drawn by the old iron gate - and led further in by hanging lamps which, entwined with the vines above, seem to literally grow out of the trees

This shabby debris is stark contrast to The Metropole Hotel that's just 50 metres away

It's somebody's courtyard!

The streets of Hanoi are somewhat noisy and polluted.  It was difficult to cross a street without running into a motorcycle or two.  The honking never ceases.  That was why The Metropole seemed like such a santuary.  Nevertheless, the very early Saturday morning was quite peaceful.

The End ! :)