japanese food...ARE U A FAN?

i am a fan of japanese cuisine....ramen, udon, sashim, unagi, shisamo, chawamushi, shabu shabu and many more (not getting u hungry i hope)...anyways japanese cuisine are often classified as healthy food...cos they are usually non greasy, clear broth based and etc...however one day when i was watching 'japan hour', i saw how this granny (owes a hotspring spa in japan) cooked her specialty for her guests....'a potato dish' she added about 2 cup of kikoman soya sauce and about 1 cup of ajinomoto to her potato (about 2kilos) while tossing it under high heat....(now we can understand why most japs are bald at young age)......i was really shocked by the amt of MSG (monosodium glutamate) and salt content (high salt cos high blood) ingredients she used.....oh well but that does make jap food totally unhealthy, it is still consider as a better choice (in terms of health) compare to italian,indian,chinese and amercian.
all we got to do is to practice smart dining...

consume sashimi instead of tempura, raw fish contains powerful antioxidants.
steamed soybeans (edamame) maybe the reason why heart disease is so rare in japan.
stay away from sushi that has mayonnaise...fatty.
be on the lookout for nitrates, which are found in cured and smoked fish and meats as well as in pickled ginger. Nitrates&Cancer are associated with mouth, esophageal and stomach cancers.(one of the highest rate for cause of death in japan is stomach cancer) (that goes my ginger *sigh*)

BeautY, SafeTy OR sCenery !!!

today I read an article on the straits times about a group of residents petitioning for a brick wall around their apartments instead of a fence, which the developers put up on the property in order to blend into the parks. One of the residents said "I was shocked when I saw the fence. I felt so shortchanged. It was like buying a Mercedes and realising it had no leather seats." (why can't he come up with a better analogy..something like I am worried someone will climb over the fence and use our private pool toilets and I have to pay for the maintenance)...btw i did that b4 and even managed to get a parking lot....cos security did not check and thought i was a resident and they did not know i was an invited guest...I JUST SMILE and PRETEND TO KNOW THEM. (hope Mr Bill Lee is reading this)

back in singapore there are so many nice houses and apartments however most of the public or even tourists rarely get to see it becos it is usually surrounded with a 2m (at least) concrete brick wall. it is sad how many people would spend over 1 million dollars (approx.US 780K) for a private property and spend another 100K for renovation and build a high wall around it...wat's the purpose! for SECURITY & Privacy....okie fair enough...most of us want that too....well wat i am trying to say is that no matter how high the brick wall can go and how tight security is...IF someone is out to break into your place..they will..it is kinda of fated....for instance "i used to live in this poor public housing suburb (1 room flat) when i was a kid and my place got broken into....even poor pple get rob in broad daylight...i lost my piggy bank $50 something..." SO wat's the point of having tall brick walls.
Currently, i am living in sydney and our appts have security cameras installed around the area...and we do have tall metal gates...but that still does not keep the thieves away....in 2003, some of my neighbours cars got broken into and they merely lost $10AUS each (usually spare change) and we do have a tight secure underground carpark. in 2002, 11 pm i ran into a bunch of kids trying to climb over main gate...

hopefully goldenhill park residents can appreciate the greenery they have...2 parks in between them...what more can they ask...good location and FREE PARKS....and if security is such a big issue, why even spend a million dollar to buy that place and worry whether they are 'chee ko pek' (peverts) nearby.

save money on your household products

squeeze...squeeze...squeeze from your toilet ducky cleaner might be just too much to clean 1 toilet bowl.........PLUS cleaning agents aint cheap so i have gather some tips for a good household savings.

- squeeze your toilet cleaner liquid into the main water system of your toilet bowl.
- throw in your leftover, gas less soda (coke,fanta,watever) into your toilet bowl for a bleach white effect.
- expired / new bi-carbonate soda with lukewarm water to clean greasy area like stove tops.
- rub a sliced of fresh potato on mirrors to prevent fogging.
- used white vinegar to get rid of moudy area.
- tie/put a un-used teabag inside your fridge or freeze to remove smell.

amazing tokyo SHOCK BOYS.........

ichi.. ni.. san.. shi..(1,2,3,4 in japanese)... " let's lance (dance) with your hands", the toyko shock boys shouted....donning in their bizarre clothing with japanese drum beats at the background running out onto the stage....swaying their hands from left to right like a mother trying to encourage a baby to POO...

they have one of the best showmanship in the comedy scene, with a constant connection with the audience and irrepressible humour......well known for their freaky and dangerous stunts which involve explosives, intimate body parts (PENIS).....live scorpions .......if u enjoy hilarious Japanese humour....this is a show u have to go if they are in your town....even David Letterman thinks it is "Truly mindblowing".

AUSTRALIA
April 1- 4, 2004
Melbourne Town Hall Comedy Festival
Bookings: 136 100
Web: ticketmaster7

SoUps LoVeRs.....

with the horrible weather and stressful nites....we need a good healthy soup to replenish all the nutritions we have lost....hope you all like it :)

(Apple Soup)
Ingredients (Serve 2)
1 medium size red apple, shaved
2 fresh corn, chopped into 4 pieces each
6 water chestnuts
2 tbsp of dried schizandra berries (wu wei zi)
6 dried small figs
8 dried red dates, seedless
2 garlic cloves
1 small piece chicken breast
salt and pepper for taste

Method
Boil all above ingredients in a pot (preferred slow cooker) for about 1.5 hour. (discard apple and serve)

(Melon Soup)
Ingredients (Serve 2)
Use either hairy melon aka apple cucumber and hairy gourd. OR winter melon OR even any honey melon.
Sliced about 6 pieces of melon (4cm by 4cm by 1.5cm thick)
8 dried scallops
1 dried honey date
6 dried red dates, seedless
4 dried figs
2 tbsp of dried schizandra berries (wu wei zi)
salt and pepper for taste
* you may also add chicken bones/pork ribs/fish to enhance taste.

Method
Boil all ingredients in a pot (preferred slow cooker) for about 1.5 hour.

fRieD CaRRot CaKe

tried cooking carrot cake for dinner today, somehow it did not turn out the way i wanted it to be....well it must be the measurement again........oh well, so i decided to check my recipe book and released that i underestimate the amt of H2O....
anyways....i decided to share this recipe online and if u have a nicer version of carrot cake...pls email huskynine@hotmail.com (no junk mails......pls)

Carrot Cake - 1 cup of rice flour mix with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 tbsp of cornflour and stir (fine chopped carrots may be added) salt and pepper for taste.
Steam on high heat and when it harden...set aside and cool.

here come the fried carrot cake....hot wok with oil, minced garlic, carrot cake, chinese preserved radish, egg, prawns (yummy), light soya sauce, dark sweet soya sauce (unless u want white fried carrot cake) ...garnish with spring onions.

hope u like it....

ANTI-Inflammatory

must be from the late nites, trying to become a BIG FISH on the screen in front of me (check out .....fishy game) that caused the inflammation in the throat which led to a flu and a fever....i deserved it, with no excuse. even though with a swollen throat, i felt really satisfied cause i conquered the game...HOHO HOHO (at the same time, feeling bad that i had to trouble my partner to bring me to a pharmacy and take care of me)

maybe like my mum says,"late nites cos inflammation if one does not take good care of themselve" - for instance, drink lots of water, homemade herbal tea and etc..( which i did not consume at all ...cos mum somehow make better herbal tea....)

so today, i would like to share some of my mum recipes on .....

how to prevent INFLAMMATION

Herbal Tea - Chrysanthemum flower wash, boil in water and then crack 1 luo han guo (Siraitia grosvenori). Can be serve hot or cold - THIS REALLY WORKS.....

Nashi Pear - one a day keeps yuckie lozenges away

Barley Drink - Barley seeds, boil and cool. (Rock sugar may be added)

Flu prevention - 1tsp of honey and a dash of cinnamon powder in lukewarm water.

FaSt ReCiPes - especially for students

today i will be posting up some recipes that i have learnt from my folks or the TV..however these recipes have been modify to suit our busy lifestyle ( or last minute cooking )...therefore it shd not take more than 30mins. hope u like it.....

(Dark Soya Chicken Rice-using rice cooker)
Ingredients (Serve 4)
1 Chicken breast chopped, marinate with light soya sauce, oyster sauce, a dash of sesame oil and nutmeg powder
3 - 4 garlic cloves
2 - 3 cups of rice - long grains preferred
salt and pepper for taste
Method
Cook all the above ingredients in a rice cooker (same amount of water as how we using cook our long grains). Mix in 2tbsp dark soya sauce & 1tbsp of sugar when water is added in and stir then hit the cooker button to cook.

(White sauce spaghetti)
Ingredients (Serve 4)
300g of spaghetti
150g of bacon - sliced
1 onion sliced
2 eggs and parmesan cheese mix well
salt and pepper for taste.
Method
Cook spaghetti in boiling water, drain and set aside (add 1 tbsp of olive oil and stir so that spag dont stick together)
Add onions and bacon on hot pan with olive oil, when bacon is turning crispy add spag follow by egg and parmesan mixture.

(Hazelnut Desert)
Ingredients (Serve 4)
1 cup of hazelnut
icing sugar (powder form)
2 egg white
Method
Blend hazelnut, mix with 2tbsp of icing sugar and add egg white.
Mix well and roll into 8-10 balls and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 5 - 10 mins.
Cool and coat with icing sugar (powder form).
Sever with a cup of coffee or tea.

MoViE WeEk

wat a great weekend...saw a couple of movies....the passion of christ, battle royal 2, cabin fever and of course lots of ANIME (trigun & cowboy bebop)...somehow CABIN FEVER kinda freak me out.....it is about five young people going to an isolated cabin in the woods for hols and contacted a contagious disease that eats their flesh. it contains quite a few gory scenes..people torn alive and german shepherd hunting for flesh...at the same time, it was also very suspenseful, thinking who is the next person to be killed. the plot is relatively easy to comprehend and even though there were quite a few bad criticisms of the movie, i still think it is something worth borrowing from your nearby video stall for the weekends. PLUS the FX makeup artists did a great job or maybe it is CG (computer graphics)...anyways the gory scenes look REALISTIC.

the passion of christ....a relatively touching movie....saw it on the big screen.....quite a handful of audiences were weeping from the moment Jesus was tortured...the torturing scenes were quite full on (about 120 mins) and can be kinda disturbing....anyway grab a baby towel (covering and drying tears) when u are going to watch it....

battle royal 2 was a total disappointment, maybe becos version one (novel by koshun takami) was so good that two cant pull it off. the plot is very different from the first one. however i can't say much cos the movie makes me dozed off in 30 mins....therefore it may make a good insomnia antidote.

CuRRy..cuRRies

oh god..how can i call myself a curry fan when i dont even know the proper way of cooking curry. and the worst part, is that i have been cooking curry for the past 3 years for either lunch or dinner .....i have to say sorry to all those that had tried.
so lately (i always wanted to ask her but keep forgetting), i asked my mum why is my curry so different from the one she cooks....and to my surprise, it is not just curry powder and coconut milk/milk...totally unlike the step by step instructions given at the back of the package...........there is more work to it....here's the recipe and hope u like it .....

Step 1: Marinate chopped/diced chicken breast/drums/wings with curry powder.
Step 2: 3-4 stalk of lemongrass (cut it up finely), garlic, 2-3 cm of orange and yellow ginger and chilli (BLEND together)
Step 3: Fry onions and potatoes. Set aside.
Step 4: Sauté blended ingredients till fragrant and mix in chicken followed by onions and potatoes.
Add salt & pepper & soya sauce for taste.
Step 5: Add water and cook in low fire and when it is boiling mix in milk/ coconut cream.

tRy & LeT mE KnOw...

hot miserable day...to make it less miserable, i decided to cook something nice for dinner last nite (nice equal to "a bit more effort" - chilli chicken and a healthy fish soup). while i was cooking, i realised a couple of small tiny fellow crawling at side of the kitchen wall, i took a closer look and realised there was a string of ANTsss...yucks. that moment i thought
"wat the @$%# i clean after every meal and there is still Pest INTRUDERS". i took my insecticide "RELIANCE LOW IRRITANT SURFACE SPRAY" and started spraying at them. to my shocking, after 5 mins they are still clinging onto the walls...GOD...i was so irritated that i took a kitchen paper and wiped them away.
then i ask myself why do they keep coming back...today i spray, tomolo they are back afterall I did follow the instructions for the spray.."shake before use". OR
maybe it is like wat RELIANCE has promise LOW IRRITATION...smell like lemon flavour air fresheners, non greasy...AND WOW does not kill instantly (even though they promise satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded). well i decided to become a terminator for the nite and did some research online on household ants and come up with an experiment and IT WORKS.

here's the tip..
Since the ants will know not to eat at where the insecticide has been sprayed and will establish a new trail around it. Trace the trail and look for holes/gaps on the wall and use a BLUE TAC to stick on it and then spray the insecticide around the blue tac.

today, somehow they did not appear again.......

dreams OR practicality

should i pursue dreams or practicality