Food Haven - travel, recipes, sights

Buzz for hotels in Spain

It is summer in the Western Hemisphere now and that’s when the European countries are packed with tourists. A lot of people told me never go to Europe during summer because it is hot and hence, not the best weather for Asians like me who actually enjoy all year round hot weather.

So, during these summer months, tourists from other northern hemisphere throng to Europe because it is the best months for them to enjoy good weather and sights. Europe is so totally different from say, United States of America. So many of their architectures are unique, not found in any other parts of the world.

That’s why some of the non-English speaking countries are now catering to the English speaking tourists. Destinia introduces in English market is a tour company that helps English speaking tourists get the best deal. Personally, if I am going to a country for tour, I prefer to find local arrangements because I like travelling on my own and local tours will be better in introducing the kind of packages and hotels in that suits me.

So, if you are planning for any holidays in Spain, check out the link provided and hope you get some good deals.

Posted by lilian on July 4th, 2008 under General | Comment now »

Cheap, good and nutritious Chinese soup

The above is the winter melon. It is easily grown in our backyards and long time ago, my sister planted this melon in a tiny plot of land behind her semi-detached home. The melon grew really big and during one of the worst flood in Penang in the 70s, the poor melon floated in the flood and we didn’t get to eat it because it was too not ripen yet.

Now, you can buy a huge slice of the wintermelon for a mere RM2. It is enough to boil a huge pot of soup for the family. Winter melon is said to be cooling for the body. Since it doesn’t have any funny smell or weird taste and is rather bland, it is to make it into all kind of soups and seasoned to our taste.

To prepare, just cut off the seeds and the spongy centre. Pare off the green skin and cut them into chunks.

For my soup, I like to add some goji berries, red dates, pork ribs, garlics, carrot for the colour and sometimes, small pieces of dried squids.

Just add enough liquid for the family consumption as a more concentrated soup will be tastier. Boil all the ingredients for like an hour to maximum flavour. Season with salt and pepper.

The winter melon will absorb the flavour of the soup ingredients and will make an excellent, home brewed, nutritious soup.

Posted by lilian on July 1st, 2008 under Recipe | 4 Comments »

Lighting and dining

The other day, we went to this restaurant in New World Park. It was the weekend and the place is rather crowded. There were six of us so we were forced to sit outside on a hot evening. The restaurant knows fully well that their place is too small to accommodate many patrons and most of the time, their patrons have to dine alfresco. Since we are not living in a temperate country with low humidity and cold weather, it is very uncomfortable to be sitting in a place with no aircond.

The other thing is the restaurant also didn’t bother to light up the area properly and it was rather dark. However, the walkway has these street lamps kind of thing. So, my son ordered this filet mignon and I asked for medium rare. Oh wow, the lights from the street lamps casted a very weird light and made the blood from the steak looking really gory. In the end, he couldn’t finish it because the more he stares the worst it becomes.

Therefore, lighting is very important fixture for a restaurant and even in our homes. Without nice ambience, those lights will cast funny shadows on the patrons faces. I remember watching one episode of Gordon Ramsay series and one of the interior deco guy mentioned that their lady patrons hates funny lights that make them look ugly.

So, if you are planning to decorate your home, do check out the link provided because they have a lot of nice lighting like hinkley lighting which will look very grand in big dining rooms. The other nice choice is the kichler which is equally elegant.

You notice how misleading those special lights in the foods and vegetable section in the supermarkets? All those greens look super green and luscious over there but they somehow become pale when brought out of the supermarket into our homes. That’s how much lighting can influence our foods.

Posted by lilian on July 1st, 2008 under General | Comment now »

Slow cookers (crock pots) - Most useful

One of my blog reader, a bachelor asked me to recommend to him some recipes which he can easily prepare to impress his friends. I am not able to do it unless he tells me what kind of kitchen gadgets he has. Does he has an oven so that I can share some roast chicken and lamb recipes? Does he has a grill? What about a pressure cooker?

So, come to think of it, I think the best is to prepare recipes like stews or even lamb shanks cook over slow fire. This brings to my recommendation to get a slow cooker or crock pots because it saves time, avoid kitchen disasters like burnt pots and one can get very nutritious and delicious foods from it.

When I was working, I normally dump all my ingredients into the crock pot and leave them to cook slowly. By the time I got home from work, I am welcomed by the most delicious fragrance from the cooking. Crock pots not only make cooking easy, the slow cooking brings out all the flavours in the foods.

However, not every dish is suitable for slow cooker or crock pot. If you wish to start cooking, get some ribs and tougher parts of the meats, add some root vegetables like potatoes and some flavourful ones like celery, tomato and onions. You can never go wrong with crock pots.

Posted by lilian on June 29th, 2008 under General | Comment now »

Recipe : Pork with mushrooms and salted fish

All the ingredients you need are shown in the above plate. This is a very easy dish and it is excellent with white rice. Most Chinese homes who cook Hokkien dishes make this their staple dishes.

So, what are the ingredients needed?

300 grams pork, slice or minced - rub with some cornflour to make it smooth

Tiny piece of ginger and few pips of garlic, chopped

Some chopped carrots

Salted fish, tiny slice, cubed (omit if you do not have)

One teaspoon of taucheo or fermented soy bean

Two dried Chinese mushrooms, cubed

Add - 1 stalk red chillies and 1 spring onions (I omit because my children do not like it.)

1 tablespoon oil, enough water to simmer

Dash of pepper

Method :

1) Heat oil

2) Stir fry garlic, ginger, salted fish and taucheo till fragrant

3) Add mushrooms, meat and carrots and continue to stir fry (add chilli and spring onions too)

4) Add some water and simmer till meat is soft

5) Taste. Usually, you only need pepper for flavourings because both the taucheo and salted fish are salty enough.

A home-cooked meal done in a jiffy.

Posted by lilian on June 25th, 2008 under Recipe | Comment now »

Recipe : Tumeric pork

My children love satay but to feed them enough satay to fill their stomachs, I probably need to pay a lot of money because a stick of satay now costs 60 sen. Imagine each takes 10 x 4 = RM24! With that amount of money, I can buy several chickens already.

So, usually, if we eat out, the most we order is 20 sticks which are more for snacks, rather than meals.

The kids love satay because of the sweetish flavour. So, I sometimes make this tumeric pork for them to eat with rice.

Here’s what you need :

300 grams pork sliced thinly and rubbed with some cornflour to make it smoother

1 teaspoon of tumeric powder

1 teaspoon of sugar

Dash of salt and pepper

Season the pork with all the above ingredients for a few minutes.

Method :

Heat some oil and stir fry the pork till cooked.

I like to fry mine till the edges of the pork are a bit brown so that it tastes better. It is really a simple recipe and yet, very tasty with white rice. There are other recipes that use more spices but I prefer mine simple.

If you are looking for good satay in Penang, do check out my Penang foods blog.

Posted by lilian on June 25th, 2008 under Recipe | Comment now »

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