Pig Out @ Pasir Panjang Food Centre!

Hotplate Stingray ($10)

"What do you say we have our next meet up in a hawker centre?" Everyone is hands and legs up in agreement, for decent pricing and good food is a guarantee in Singapore's hawker centre.

Alas, these guys didn't mean to scrimp. Just look at the food they ordered for the 4 of us - BBQ seafood from 新福记 (Xin Fu Ji), fried Hokkien mee from Seng Huat, fried kway tiao from Heng Huat, BBQ rojak from the Fruit Rojak and BBQ chicken wings from 216 Choa Chu Kang! And possibly some fat, juicy satay from Yusoff Haji Jalal if only it was opened today.

Fresh sugarcane drinks and ice-chilled beer at hand, we had a hearty get-together at the Pasir Panjang Food Centre.

 La La Golden Frangrance ($12)

Hotplate BBQ Sotong ($10)

BBQ Chicken Wings ($1.30 x10)

 Char Kway Teow ($3)

Braised Chicken Feet (Steamed)

This is a recipe of a 73 years old grandma from Eastern China, Hangzhou! So easy to prepare and yummy, I could easily polish off 5 feet at any 1 time!

INGREDIENTS:

Dry ingredients for 1/2kg chicken feet 

1kg of Chicken Feet (washed and drained)
Dark Soy sauce
100ml of Hua Diao wine
1/2 stalk of Scallion, or Green Onion (chopped in 1cm lengths)
1/2 palm-sized Ginger (pounded open)
5 cloves of Garlic (pounded open)
2 Anise stars, 八角
1 tsp of Sichuan Pepper, 花椒
1 tsp of Salt
1 tbsp of Sugar (optional)

STEPS:
1. Marinate all ingredients for 4 hrs. The dark soy sauce should cover half of the chicken feet in the pot, then top up with water till the mixture covers entirely. A heavy porcelain plate over the chicken feets will help push it into the liquid fully.

2. After 4 hrs, remove the chicken feet from marinate. Steam for 1 1/2 hrs. 2 hrs if you prefer an utterly soft texture.

That's it!

Mid-Autumn Festival @ The Gardens 2014

Another of our favorite Mid-Autumn festive activities was to view large lanterns display held in few of the public gardens in Singapore. This year, it was at the Gardens by the Bay.

Singapore is really getting heavily populated. Despite the large turnout, we find solace in the large compounds - along the "Dragonfly Lake". We had to skip the jam-packed walking track where many other lanterns were placed.

Treasure Voyages of Cheng Ho

It felt especially peaceful, viewing still images of these colorful water lanterns from afar, taking in the sights and hustles of the nearby crowd. We were just glad, we didn't have to squeeze in there.

Ending the walking trail, we were all sweat and sticky from the humid evening air, but felt the night perfected.

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea

Ancient Chinese Palace

Teochew Satay Bee Hoon

Satay Bee Hoon ($4)

Satay Bee Hoon is another of our hawker rare find. When you happened to locate one of them, it's usually quite palatable ones (from our encounters).

This is a new stall in the Alexandra Village Food Centre, numbered #01-62; business was slow but we were in for a pleasant dinner - they are good enough for Daddy's craving.

Cuttlefish Kang Kong ($3)

A tad oily is the satay sauce but we don't really mind - Busying ourselves eating, enjoying the sensory play of the savory and spicy dish, together with some piquant tasting of the cuttlefish Kang Kong salad. Happy!!

Mandarin Orchard - Spicy Mala Mooncake!?

(From top left to right) 8-Treasure Mala Szechwan spice and Jamon Iberico Ham, Macadamia Nuts and Low Sugar White Lotus Paste, 

Single Yolk and White Lotus Paste, Azuki Red Bean Paste and Pine Nuts

One bite of this spicy mooncake and i thought, "Why in the world does Mandarin Orchard places their bet on a hot, spicy mooncake! God!" After the fire wears off, i actually went back for a second - the nuts, spices and ham works differently, but interestingly teasing the taste buds.

Their other quality product should be the Azuki red beans and pine nuts mooncake.

Still i wasn't satisfied as i'm craving for some traditional Teochew mooncake this Mid-Autumn festival. So Ric bought some from Thye Moh Chan and i thought their newly devised Yuan Yang mooncake - containing spicy pork floss is rather toothsome. Guess, spices does work!

Esplanade Moonfest - Chinese Dance Jubilee!

China Mongolians - Mongolian Dance

China Mongolians - Mongolian communal dance with the audience members

It was a wonderful evening at the Outdoor Theatre of the Esplanade park where Moonfest - a Esplanade Mid-Autumn Celebration was held. While waiting for our dance program, roving stilt walkers from Choy’s Brothers Opera Troupe surprises us on the windy seafront, posing for photographs.

Our much anticipated performance start with students from 华侨中学 (高中部) - Hwa Chong Institution, 光华小学 - Kong Hwa Primary School and 妍錂舞苑 - Yan Ling Dance Academy. With their agile and elegant movements, the dancers surely mesmerize me as they perform traditional Chinese dances from minority tribes in China!

Tonight, i fell in love with dances all over again! It is no wonder that ancient Emperors and their officials love watching them - i tell you, even in our Information Age, these Chinese dances can never be obsolete. They are beautiful art!

China Sichuan - Oh Attractive Hua Dan! "Qiao Hua Dan", the "Florist Role"

 华侨中学 (高中部), Hwa Chong Institution on Dai Bamboo Forest - China, Dai People

 光华小学, Kong Hwa Primary School on Dunhuang Dance - West China, Gansu

华侨中学 (高中部), Hwa Chong Institution on Tibet Dance - China, Tibetan People