西蒜豆干, Leeks with Bean Curds

The Leek, named 蒜 in Chinese has the same pronunciation as 算, meaning to 'calculate'. And so the vegetable has an auspicious significance during the Chinese New Year - that you would know to calculate (save or earn money, goods) for the coming year after having eaten the Leeks.

Most family have this dish; and it is one of my favorite that mum cooked often though the years, but i hasn't learned to calculate any better ;) Do take heed that this is an oily dish.

INGREDIENTS:
8 stalks of Leeks (Buy the ones with reddish covering like the ones pictured here. They are sweeter.)
1 square piece of traditional Beancurd
10 pieces of Dried Shrimps
3-4 tablespoons of Oil
1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Salt

PREPARATIONS:
Leeks - Trim away the yellowed, dried leaves. Cut off the roots. Opens up the leek with your hands while you rinses them under a running tap. You should notice lots of sand and dirt. Slice up the leek diagonally and place them in a bowl of water, swirl around to let the dirt settle to the bottom of the bowl. Take the leek out to drain in a colander.
Beancurd -  Cut into rectangle cubes. Heat up oil in wok, sprinkle a pinch of salt into oil. Deep fried the bean curds till golden brown. Remove from wok.
Dried Shrimps - Soak in a small bowl of water till it soften. Remove from liquid.

COOKING:
Heat up oil in wok. Add in dried shrimps and cook till medium browned. Add in bean curds. Add light soy sauce, followed by the Leeks; and let these stand for a good 3 minutes, do not stir. You may cover the wok. Turn to medium heat and simmer the vegetables till it soften and cooked, give it the occasional stir. Add salt at any one time to taste.

Unlike cooking of other vegetables, do NOT add water to the cooking of this dish.

Traditional recipe for this dish often includes Pork Belly strips to be added before the bean curds - and that was Grandma's recipe. I believe it would be heavenly.

可口鸭饭, Ke Kou Duck Rice

Braised duck, duck gizzards, braised egg for 2 pax ($10)

Mum recommends this braised duck rice stall in the kopitiam at Blk 207, Bukit Batok St.21. The stall wasn't new, i last had them during my secondary school time; remembering them for their duck noodles.

If you like Kway Chap, they have them too.

Yam Rice ($0.50)

Plain Congee ($0.50)

Mum is mesmerize by their yam rice. It is very good indeed; you could eat it on its own and wouldn't stop licking your lips at the same time.

The porridge is finely gooey, of an excellent texture. A real comfort to slurp it in like an accompanying soup. Though we wouldn't exchange it for our favorite stall at East Coast Lagoon, this is surely good enough.

Now at least, we have a 'can eat' braised duck stall in the West of Singapore. Just hold back on the braised sauce that might be a tad salted and into MSG, then you should do fine.

Soon Lee Porridge @ Clementi

Pork Porridge, with egg ($2.80)

This really looked good, don't you think so? 

I wished it was; for the stall has been famously good for 20 odd years in the Clementi Central area. We note that its consistency is less gooey, more watered down than what we had, just days back at Wong's, Bedok.

And our taste buds stubbornly rejected the heavily flavored porridge. Maybe by holding back their preserved vegetables (冬菜) might save us from our sufferings. Or was my Flu symptoms provoking my senses? No, no, i wouldn't have this porridge even under normal condition. 

On the other hand, if you enjoy much flavorsome porridge, like theirs, you'll be happy to know they charge just 30 cents to add an egg to the porridge, while many others cost you 50. And they are generous with ingredients.

Ric helped finished the bowl.

粥, Wong Porridge (since 1975)

When one is feeling under the weather, one craves for the comfort of a bowl of warm gooey porridge.

This Hainanese porridge stall in Blk 16, Bedok South Hawker Centre serves a most unpretentious version of home-cooked congee. It tasted plain when you compare theirs with other hawkers but the ingredients used are taste-catchingly fresh and sweet.

Pork Porridge, Pork with Century Egg Porridge ($3 each)

Having had more porridge these days (because we had both fallen ill), this is the porridge that most suited a patient's appetite. It tasted naturally good without irritating our sensitive senses. Adding a little light soy sauce waken our bitter tongues as the porridge nourish our weaken constitution.

We feel good having this for lunch today.

Indian Cuisine Buffet @ Cultural Hotel

Long grain Basmati Rice

With age catching up, we are finding it difficult to consume much at buffets. Even if we do go, the limited variety of dishes doesn't bother us, as long as the price is proportional to the offerings; it is quality over quantity.

The so-called buffet of just $12 for 2 pax in the Fusionnel Restaurant at the Cultural Hotel is actually a fixed a-la-carte menu that  is serve onto your table, you could then request to replenish whichever items you like for second.

Curry Mixed Vegetables

Chicken Masala

When the clean pot of warm basmati rice was served, it seems to promise of more good things to come. It was indeed, as we tucked into the succulent chicken and savory vegetable pot.

Naan and Papadam Crackers

Dal Tadka

Cracking the crispy papadam crackers and scooping up rich chunky bits of lentil with the freshly baked naan; this had become that perfect meal. 

Never mind the so-called 'buffet' which we expect more of.

Christmas @ Nassim Road

It was more than a pleasant drive along the tranquil Nassim Rd. All was calm and quiet until this group of glittering lights shone through the darken street, like light at the end of the tunnel.

It is magical.

You feel that Christmas has ascend onto the common streets of Singapore. Santa too, is here with his herd of flying reindeers guiding his sleigh.

As much as we like to respect the owner's privacy, we couldn't help peeping through the main gates to savour more of the colorful lights that paved the way to the bungalow house where a tall Christmas tree stood!

And we especially adore the 'waterfall' dripping lights in romantic blue and white that hung from a big tree in the compound.

To the owner of the house, Leonard Francis.

"This is all wonderful. Thank you. Merry X'mas to you too."