Nigella's "Go get 'em" smoothie

Go get 'em Smoothie
Home Cooking



I read about this Nigella Lawson recipe on Vogue Forums and boy, it just sent me in a downward spiral of banana smoothie and malt addictions. I went through a few consecutive days of eating (drinking?) nothing but banana smoothies... and then, subsequently bought a can of Ovaltine and got hooked on the malt rush.

Malt + cold milk, malt + warm milk, malt + soy milk, malt + chocolate milk. And, so on...

till I thought to myself: what I am doing? I need to make THE smoothie that started all this. Perhaps, therein lies the only cure.

Singapore Chili Prawns

Singapore Chili Prawns
Home Cooking



I've mentioned before that this is one of my favorite dishes, like, ever. I got into the whole 'Singapore Chili' thing by means of chili bugs (here and here)... and from there, progressed to the proper mud crab version. Ecstatically good.

When something leaves such a good impression in your head, I almost advise AGAINST attempting to do it yourself because SURELY, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Nonetheless, a few cooking shows and online recipes later, I was encouraged to give it a go.



No way was I going to risk something as dear as a mud crab (which is not just exxy but also trickier to cook at home) so I opted for the prawn version. Safer but I could still imagine it being awesome.

A sort of Okonomiyaki - Japanese Pancake

Okonomiyaki - Japanese Vegetable Pancake
Home Cooking



I've had a hard job sticking up for cabbage in the past. People had doubts about the cabbage pie I made ages ago but it turned out awesome so I'm still of the mindset that those who disregard cabbage dishes do so at their own peril.

Thai Iced Coffee

Thai Iced Coffee
Home Cooking



I love Thai iced coffee from Thai restaurants and could never figure out what made them taste so awesome (or look so orange) so I did a bit of snooping online.

This was one of those moments that just happened coincidentally. I'm tired as anything and have an exam tomorrow i.e. must stay awake and study. Solution? Coffee. But then, it's hot and we have no milk at home. No soy milk, no cow's milk. I did spot a can of coconut-flavored evaporated milk and I do have a tube of condensed milk, SO the solution is Asian iced coffee.

Tri-colored Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Tri-colored Rice Noodle Stir Fry
Home Cooking



My folks had people over for National China Day and while my dad is normally dormant in the kitchen, he always comes out guns blazing to try and impress guests.

My parents don't usually cook with rice noodles but mum tasted something like this at another family friend's house and they decided to whip up something similar.

Speedy Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne
Home Cooking



Here's a quick idea for whipping up some Mexican-style chow. Most of the ingredients are the kinds of things you have lying around the pantry. The recipe is quite straight-forward and open to variation. No claims for authenticity but it is very delish!

We made this for a 'Mexican-themed' lunch though at the end, this was the only item present. Laziness is poisonous.


You can make this the 'main event' by supplying a huge batch with rice, bread, tortillas etc OR, nurse a bowl of chili in front of the TV with some corn chips. Savory mince of any kind is versatile so you're only limited by your creativity. The quantities in this recipe are adjustable depending on your own preferences.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon
Home Cooking



This was one of those spur-of-the-moment midnight food cravings that actually manifested into a dish. The original recipe is from Food Safari and the video for it is so delectable (especially on an empty stomach at1am) that we planned on cooking it the very next day.

What sold me was the opening shots where the French chef pulls out a massive slab of high grade Wagyu and cuts it into thick, juicy chunks. Is it weird for me to find raw meat appealing? I guess the steak footage unveiled my inner beast and set the scene for the rest of the recipe, which to me, just seemed like the best thing ever.



Beef bourguignon: I can't spell it and I can't pronounce it. This is a classic French dish of beef stewed in red wine. Food Safari taught us that the stew is commonly thickened with flour but in this recipe, pureed carrots are used to thicken and provide sweetness. A small detail, perhaps, but it made the dish sound that bit more awesome.

Aria Brisbane

Aria Brisbane
Eagle Street Pier, 1 Eagle Street Brisbane



Being an avid MasterChef Australia fan, I nearly flipped out after hearing that Matt Moran was opening an Aria restaurant in Brisbane. Sure, I knew about the restaurant in Sydney and it's amazing reputation, and I've seen Matt on OTHER shows (i.e. The Chopping Block) but what I was REALLY excited about was the chocolate tart from the finals.

It didn't really take me long to find time and make a booking. Unlike doing assignments and studying for end of semester exams, I can never be too busy/tired/lazy for a nice restaurant.


The restaurant is located on Eagle Street Pier, where the old Pier Nine was. The interior is classy, subtle and dim (which might be nice for the romantic type but not for me because I want good lighting for my piccies) and there's an impressive panoramic glass wall lining the riverside.

3 Courses (sorta) at the City Markets

Jan Power's Farmer's Market revisited for MORE GOODNESS
Dining Out

I'm hoping it's not too soon for another market thread but given that I didn't actually go into detail re: specific stall recs, I think I'm safe?

There are occasions, as we probably all have experienced, where I wander around not knowing what I feel like eating and then, having settled for something out of convenience, I see something and think 'ARGH. That is SO what I wanted'.

This happened a few times with me about the Jan Powers Farmer's Market in Brisbane City (Brisbane Square, George St)... after clinic, I grab some food and THEN remember that the markets are on and that I've missed out on getting something from there instead.

One time a couple of weeks back, I was fortunate enough to be reminded of the markets in time for dinner so I had a ball going through and picking out things that looked good.

Ended up having myself a bit of a 3-courser though two of the items are sweet (being the sweet tooth that I am, I couldn't resist) so you decide which is 'entree'.

Little Singapore in the City

Little Singapore
http://www.littlesingapore.com.au/



Little Singapore is the first of those super successful Sunnybank eateries (incl Little Hong Kong, Malaya Corner, Vietnam Corner and Sunnybank Oriental) that has transposed into the CBD. Perhaps it's a bit odd but I haven't ever been to the Sunnybank location but I've tried Little Singapore in the city twice.

Last night, I went with a group of girlfriends, 2 of whom live in the city so being in their neck of the woods, I trust all recs.

Having been insomniac for the couple of weeks (exam stress + general state of anxiety about life = zombie-ing around on zero sleep), I've pretty much lost my appetite.