franchise food

recently i was reading makansutra online and learnt that Singapore has a hawker bistro........how interesting is that it has 30 stalls in just one location, and the range is amazing....Yeo Keng Nam Chicken Rice, 328 Katong Laksa, Fara's Nasi Padang and etc....

but i was kinda paranoid...

especially when small kopitiams/food outlets located at neighbourhood places ALREADY have the same food signs (reason becos commercial culinary art / photography is done by a handful of people in spore, less than 6 and they are not willing to share their skills with anyone....i encountered one of them in a rice tvc) what's worst......having all these big corporations turning small coffeeshop into food courts/junction/bistro (seems like the in thing nowadays) and franchising all our authentic yummies.....does that mean....in 10 years time, we will have all our favourite hawker food in an air-conditioned, zen-style food junction like the ones in Novena, Raffles city and etc .....most likely 10 years from now they will all have futuristic decor.....

even though it is more convenient for the customers to have all the delicious, well-known dishes in one location, instead of travelling from one location to the other.....sadly most franchises do not taste like the original ones....for example:
Tiong Bahru Pau @ Toa Payoh (franchise) taste totally different from the Tiong Bahru Market Pau
Tiong Bahru Roasted Pig&Duck (the actual one) taste totally different from the one @ Ang Mo Kio Market (franchise)

afterall ain't eating all about travelling, environment, culture and of course LOVE & TASTE.....sitting on a marble table with a shaky plastic / wooden chair...a fan blowing nowhere while scooping laksa at Katong thinking whether u sure drop by the red house aka katong oldest bakery (closed down recently..not sure why..hopefully not becos of breadtalk)
.........Queuing up @ Tiong Bahru Market for char siew pau...at the same time eyeing at the uncle making pau with all his strength and at the corner of your eyes checking out whether the aunty wearing a big hat is around, giving u a parking ticket....

WILL all these franchises cause the original recipe to diminishes.....locations with a touch of our childhood memories to become the latest stylistic hi-tech food junction/EC/HBD....?????
who knows...i guess only time will tell :(

black pepper chicken chop

this dish can be replaced by pork loin chop.....personally i feel that chicken is much more tender and tastier.
for better taste used BONELESS MARYLAND DRUMSTICK - refers to a chicken leg with both thigh and drumstick.

Ingredients (serve 2)
2 big pieces boneless maryland drumstick (remove skin-for healthier living) and tenderise.

marinate chicken with: (at least 30 minutes)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp white wine / chinese wine / sherry (if used do not add sugar)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
fine pepper

Black Pepper Sauce
2½ tbsp black pepper sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 tbsp of cornflour mix in 3 tbsp water OR 1 tbsp of cream *

Method
heat non stick wok with 1tbsp olive oil / oil and place marinated chicken in.
turn sides till cooked. remove.
using the same wok, place all ingredients for the black pepper sauce in except asterisk.
once boiling turn off stove and add in the asterisk ingredient and stir.
pour over chicken and serve with salad, egg and fries / mashed / potatoes

* the potatoes we had is actually parmesan cheese potatoes*
method: boil shaved potatoes till half cooked. drain and shake in salt and parmesan chesse & add 1 tbsp butter and bake till golden brown.

Steam fish in minutes

this dish takes only a few minutes to prepare and can be cooked over your rice cooker, all i did was to place it inside the rice cooker after my rice is cooked and while the cooker is still on WARM MODE (during this period of time i did other dishes). it can also be cooked in microwave. a time saving and healthy dish.

Ingredients
1 piece boneless fish fillet, preferred nile perch or ling
2cm young ginger, thinly sliced
spring onion, thinly sliced
1 shitake mushroom, thinly sliced (optional)

Sauce
2 tbsp Kikkoman light soya sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp of chinese wine / white wine / sherry (if sherry is used, sugar is avoided)
0.5 tsp sesame oil

Method
Clean fish and pat dried fish. place on a plate or bowl and place all ingredients on the fish and pour sauce over and steam.

Riceballs

a simple and fun dish. also a dish which is good for outing events. plus it can be prepared overnight, wrap in microwave- able glad wrap plastic sheets...and heat up before your outing.however i do suggest that if u are going for a long distance trip and intend to pack this along, do not add any prawns cos it will turn stale.....replace it with ham,spam or mixed veg (peas and corns). add in pineapple to enhance the taste. for spicy lovers, add in 1 tsp of chilli powder.

Riceballs (serve 4)

2.5 bowl cooked rice (preferred overnight)
1 cup prawns, deshelled
handful fresh parsley, chopped finely
0.5 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
3 garlic clove, chopped finely
oil
salt and pepper

Heat up wok/pan with oil. Add garlic and prawns and stir till it turn reddish. Then add rice and all the remaining ingredients and stir fry for about 5mins. Set aside and cool for about 3mins. Used microwave glad wrap sheets to mould into a ball. Serve with lettuces.

it cost USD1500 for this recipe

i have a distance fren's aunt who went to learn how to do mrs field cookie for 1500USD and she is not willing to share it...well i got this website that reveal some commerical recipes and is free.....
here's mrs field cookie......try it

asian style spaghetti

asian style spaghetti

(Serve 2)

200g Spaghetti (preferred size No.3)

1 big onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
ham / bacon sliced thinly (substitute with shredded carrots (for vegan-anything u like)
1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp Soya sauce (substitute with 1 tbsp oyster sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
black pepper, cracked

Cook spaghetti in boiling water mix with a dash of salt. Once cook, run spaghetti under cold running tap for about 10 secs and drain. (mix about 1tbsp of olive oil / butter so that spag dont stick together)
Add olive oil on hot pan and fry onions and garlic till golden brown / slightly brown.
Add ham and spag and mix the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with cracked black pepper.

prawn salad

Prawn Salad (Serves 2)

300g cooked prawns, peeled
2 cups lettuces

Dressing
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon condense milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

Garnish
Shredded cheese
Crackers

Wash lettuces in cold water. Drain and place on bowl.
Put cooked prawns on lettuces.
Mix dressing well, pour and serve with shredded cheddar cheese and cracker.

*picture & recipe © jolene lim 2004 *

low profile, humble rich old man.....

Ingvar Kamprad, 77, the founder of Ikea...a recent report state that he is the richest man in this world, surpassing Bill Gates and Warren Buffett however Ingvar denied it.

Due to the falling exchange rate between the Swedish krona and the U.S. dollar, Mr Kamprad's personal fortune has rise to an estimated $52.5 billion (AUS $69 billion).

and wat i like about this old man.....he still use buses, and fly economy and heaps of money go to charity..dun u like him??? (although i am not sure wht he exploits 3th world countries like nike, reebok and etc)
*Ikea, founded in 1943, has 174 stores in 31 countries and employs some 76,000 workers*

Movies...Documentaries

try to get your hands on these ....something u wouldn't wanna miss out in life......

Movies

Bloody Sunday, by Paul Greengrass

The Magdalene Sisters, by Peter Mullan (based on true story)

Bowling for Columbine, by Michael Moore

Documentaries

Promises, by B.Z. Goldberg (this is a must watch)

One day in September, by Kevin Macdonald

Sex in a cold climax, by Steve Humphries (a documentary that inspired Peter Mullan to make The Magdalene Sisters)

McLibel, by James Cellan Jones

Woodstock, by Michael Wadleigh

so many more............

easter goodies

here's a cool simple recipe for easter in 30mins ....most pple know this recipe ...but i am still posting it up...

chocolate bubble rice

ingredients
3 cups of bubble rice
1/2 cup of dark chocolate
1/2 cup of milk chocolate
nuts or raisins (optional)

method
melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth.
mix in bubble rice and nuts/raisin. pile mixture into paper cases. fridge till firm.

is it the MEDIA fault ?

coverpage - skinny sexy model
centerpage - a free poster of paris hilton is lacy undergarment
lastpage - more skinny models

somehow without fail, we always come across dieting advertisements in our daily life.
skinny = beauty (according to the media)
therefore girls as young as the age of 12 will skip meals or even starve themselves hoping to look like the model on the magazine....some girls end up bulimic or anorexic and some end up having psychological problems (keep thinking they are fat when they are below their ideal weight)
not realising or refusal to acknowledge that with the help of technology (airbrushing, touch-up software for picture, excellent makeup artist) anyone can look good and they end up jeopardising their own health.

on the other hand, with such media concept woman who are much bigger in nature (size 16 and above) may end up having low self esteem, depression and psychological problems (indulging themselves to more junk food... which is super unhealthy...well is a choice of life)
anyways some woman end up living with man who admire their huge fat body (nothing wrong with that)
wat gets really WRONG is when he starts encouraging her to get fatter and fatter ..these guys are known as feeders.
and due to their immobility, these woman are unable to defend for themselves and often get stuck at home for a long period of time (this is abuse). however some woman do not mind their man being a feeder even though they know that he is the caused of her recent stroke / heart attack / diabetes / etc ..(the power of love !!!!!)

my point is ....whether u are underweight, normal weight, overweight...dont let anyone destroy your life by feeding you till you burst OR starve you till your eyeballs are poking out and dont let the media deceive you with all those pics...........just try to lead a healthy lifestyle. afterall it is a non joking matter to live on medication / medical machine for the next 10 years or so (hopefully there is still another 10 years).
well ................(unless u have already chosen a early death).