Tag: Photography

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Blog Food

Satay by the Bay

Satay by the Bay is one of Singapore’s many hawker centres – places where a variety of independent food and drink outlets congregate around a central area with tables and chairs. The idea is that you buy as much or as little as you wish from any of the stalls, then take a seat to eat it.

Access is through Gardens by the Bay, a beautiful and lush green park built on reclaimed land between the Marina Bay area and the waterside. It has two vast domed greenhouses, each of which maintains a bespoke climate to suit plant life that would not thrive here otherwise. It’s a bit like Cornwall’s Eden Project, but set in 30C year round temperatures.

The vast pipe outlets that help maintain the indoor climate of the domes have been dressed up as Supertrees. A 22m high walkway connects them, and gives terrific views over the Gardens with a backdrop of the glass and steel of the CBD.

Some of the many walks allow views of Marina Bay Sands, the vast triple-towered Hotel with a viewing deck across the top. Its design reminded me of my visit to Stonehenge a few months back. It also looks like a huge cricket wicket. Howzat.

In the evening, the Gardens are the venue for an impressive sound and light show, with the Supertrees choreographed to light up to the rhythm of classical music.

All of which makes a pretty good after dinner show for the diners at the hawker centre.

We chose plates of chicken and beef satay, that are cooked to order over hot coals.

The skewers are then served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce, as shown in my photo at the top of the post.

Now, sat here in Singapore’s Changi Airport, our flight is being called, so it’s time to stow my laptop and get to the departure gate.

We have had fun and eaten well in Singapore, but it is time to move on to our next stop. To find out where in the world that will be, check back here this weekend.

Keeping up the current international theme on the ADK Playlist,  here’s Transglobal Underground with the catchy Temple Head.

Categories
Blog Food

Kampong Gelam

Here in Singapore, the district of Kampong Gelam (also spelt Glam) is the traditional heartland of the city state’s Malaysian community. Our visit there, in search of some traditional Malay food, coincided with the start of Ramadan, the period where people of Muslim faith fast during the hours between sunrise and sunset.

We hadn’t been in this part of town during the daytime – that was spent in Chinatown and the Botanic Gardens. Due to the fasting though, I’m guessing that daylight business might have been a little slow for the local catering sector.

However, as Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys once (nearly) said, it changes round here when the sun goes down 🙂 .

As we arrived, the wailing sound of the call to prayers was all pervading, booming out across the network of tightly packed streets from the local Mosque.

The religious service inside was being broadcast live on a large screen, and very well-attended it seemed to be. After a day of fasting, it’s no surprise that the hungry worshippers were ready for some great food, as they spilled out on to the streets afterwards.

And how well served they were! There was traditional Malaysian food, like Satay…

…alongside a range of Turkish, Lebanese and Middle-eastern outlets.

The already numerous restaurants and takeaways were supplemented by the Gemilang (meaning Glorious) Festival, bringing even more food options through abundant market stalls.

I was keen to try a Malay dish I had read about called Nasi Lemak. We found it in a small restaurant that has made it their signature dish, and earned themselves a Michelin star, no less, in the process. For the record, the place is called Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, and you can look them up in the Michelin Guide.

The food arrived as shown in my main photo at the top of the post. The undoubted star of the show was the mysterious green parcel to the side of the plate.

The wrapping is a pandan leaf, used in south-east Asian cuisine to add fragrance to food. It is secured at either end by bamboo skewers. These are unpinned, and the parcel unfurled to reveal steamed, soft, fluffy jasmine-scented and coconut-flavoured rice.

The rice is served with tender chicken that falls off the bone and a spicy peanut sauce. There is a side of crispy peanuts and anchovies, and soft roasted aubergine.

An interesting and satisfying meal was rounded off with a glass of fresh, chilled coconut juice, that complemented the food well.

There’ll be another post from Singapore in a few days. In the meantime, let’s have some more suitably themed music for the ADK playlist. Here’s the mighty Asian Dub Foundation with Fortress Europe.

Categories
Blog Food

Hello Singapore

I’m off on my travels again, and hoping to post about some excellent world cuisine over the next little while. First stop is the city state of Singapore, home of the Merlion I snapped in my main photo above.

After a 13 hour flight from London, my wife and I were hungry and ready to explore the local neighbourhood where our hotel is located, in the city’s district known as Little India. It is so-called because, since the 19th century, workers and their families travelling here from India have made this district their home.

Consequently, a walk around the local streets is an experience to behold. They teem with garish gold jewellery shops and the lingering scent of incense. There are spangly market stalls packed with colourful saris and dress shirts, at which industrious tailors sit by their sewing machines, ready to customise a garment to your precise fit.

The lanes are sided by canopies and known as five-foot ways. Originally designed to afford residents fresh air with shade from the hot sun, they now provide alfresco seating for hungry diners at the many restaurants and food stalls selling authentic Indian food.

We settled at a corner establishment and ordered the selection below: chicken and vegetable birianis, which came with a raita and selection of dipping sauces.

The side of vegetable samosas was unlike any I have had before. I am used to a filling wrapped up in a deep fried, triangular parcel of filo pastry, but these were pear-shaped, in a crispy pastry that had the sweet, coconut flavour of peshwari naan bread.

It was authentic, no-nonsense fare, cooked and served with cheer (check out these guys, and their cool t-shirts, below).

I’ve read that this is generally an expensive city, but this food came at reasonable prices (less than S$20 per head, which is about £10/US$20, and that included the Tiger beers).

There’ll be more to come from Singapore, so watch this space. If anyone wishes to send me recommendations on local places to eat, or food to try, please post in the comments below.

I’m keeping the Indian vibe going with this track from Monsoon added to the ADK Playlist: Ever So Lonely.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Leek & Aubergine Bake

It was the aubergines that caught my eye this week at the local farm shop. The shiny purple skin was irresistible, and it made me realise that I hadn’t cooked with one for some time. I put one in my basket, along with a fresh leek, and this winter casserole dish began to come together.

My favourite way to cook aubergine is in slices on the ridges of a griddle pan. I like seeing the enormously satisfying tiger stripes forming, as I flip them over to cook on the other side. It’s kind of a reminder that spring is soon around the corner, and the barbecuing season is not that far away.

The striped aubergine is then mixed in with cooked, softened leek, tomato passata and cannellini beans to make a tasty filling base. It is all topped off with a crust of wholemeal breadcrumbs, chopped toasted nuts and grated blue stilton cheese.

Servings

4 adult portions.

Timings

15mins to cook and combine, then 20 mins in the oven at 180C, and a final 5 mins under the grill.

You Will Need

  • 1 aubergine
  • oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 leek
  • 400g can of cannellini beans
  • 500g carton of tomato passata
  • a few twists of black pepper
  • 100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
  • 60g toasted mixed nuts
  • 60g grated stilton cheese

Method

  1. Switch on the oven to warm up to 180C.
  2. Oil a ridged griddle pan and bring it to a moderate heat. Lay slices of aubergine in the pan for 3 – 4 mins, then turn them over. Use your judgment about heat and timing so that you get the nice tiger stripe effect on both sides. Remove to a warm plate.
  3. While the aubergine is frying, crush the garlic clove into a saucepan with some oil, over a moderate heat. Add in the leek, chopped into slices. Stir every so often for 5 – 6 mins until the leek has softened. Pour in the passata and drained cannellini beans, with a few twists of black pepper, and stir. Reduce to a simmer.
  4. Blitz the bread and nuts in a food processor with blade fitted. Tip into a bowl and add the grated cheese. Stir so that the cheese is evenly distributed.
  5. When the oven is up to temperature, transfer the aubergine to a shallow casserole dish. Tip in the leek, bean and tomato mix and gently coat the aubergine slices by turning them over a few times in the dish.
  6. Sprinkle over the breadcrumb, nut and stilton topping and spread it out so that it reaches all four sides. Drizzle some oil over and place in the oven for 20 mins.
  7. For the last 5 mins of cooking, place under a grill so that the topping crisps up.

Customise It!

Lots of opportunity here. Throw in whatever fresh herbs you may have to hand, and mix in a handful of seeds to the topping. Butter beans are a good substitute for the cannellini beans. For a vegan version, omit the stilton cheese or use a suitable vegan cheese, grated.

On the way back from the farm shop, this track came on the car stereo. I love it when a great track that I haven’t heard in a while comes on the radio. Needless to say, I turned the volume up and drummed along with my fingers on the steering wheel. Now we can all enjoy it here! This is Swing Out Sister with Breakout.

Categories
Recipes Snacks

Peanut Butter, Oat & Apricot Bites

Having made my Peanut Butter Boosters recently, I found myself with half a jar of good quality peanut butter left. I wanted to come up with another bite-sized temptation to fill the annoying hunger gap that can open up after exercise, or simply when the next mealtime is still a little way away.

These fit the bill. What’s more, they don’t require any cooking and are very quick to make. There are only 5 ingredients, so you stay in control of exactly what is going into the snack. They are both vegetarian and vegan.

The best part however, is that making them requires the squidge technique i.e. getting your hands into the baking bowl and manipulating the mix with your fingers. Why is that the best bit? Well, when you’ve finished shaping the Bites, your reward is getting to lick your fingers clean. Mmm!

Convinced? Then give this a try…

Servings

Depending on your preferred size, this mix will make around 9 -10 Bites.

Timings

15 mins max to make, after which they are ready to eat. Keep them in the fridge and they’ll last for 2 – 3 days (if they’re not all eaten by then, that is 🙂 ).

You Will Need

  • 120g oats
  • 120g peanut butter
  • 60g maple syrup or runny honey
  • 40g dried apricots, finely chopped
  • a few splashes of milk (dairy or non-dairy)

Method

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and squidge together between your fingers till you have a sticky mix.
  2. Pull off a piece of your desired size and roll into a ball between the palms of both hands. Set on a plate, and repeat till all the mixture is used up.
  3. Place in the fridge.
  4. Enjoy licking your fingers!

Customise It!

You could swap in another dried fruit for the apricots if you wish – dates would go well. Chuck in a handful of seeds if you like.

I’ve carried on listening to The 1975 this past week – their music is very uplifting and it reminds me of a great night in Birmingham with my friend – see The 1975. Here’s another track I particularly like, therefore: The Sound.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Carrot & Parsnip Miso Soup

Warm, filling and comforting, this winter vegetable soup is jazzed up a little with the addition of Japanese miso paste.

I hadn’t used miso before, but wanted to try it after reading about it on some of the other foodblogs here on WordPress. It is made from fermented soya beans, which means that it is rich in protein and good for gut health.

This is the variety that I used, made by Yutaka. I did have a little trouble finding it in Sainsbury’s at first, but eventually came across it in the Far Eastern aisle. Just to clarify, by that I mean the speciality Asian foods section, not that end of the building down by the motorway 🙂

I made a large batch of the soup in a saucepan on the hob, and kept it for a few days. I could then ladle some into a bowl, stir in some miso, and microwave it for around 3 mins for a very quick, tasty and nutritious lunch. It is vegetarian and vegan, so everyone can enjoy what the Japanese call that umami – or rich and savoury – taste.

Servings

About 6 bowlfuls.

Timings

The barley soup mix needs soaking overnight, then boiling for 45 mins. Once that’s ready, the soup takes about 25 mins to make.

You Will Need

  • 100g dried barley/lentils/split peas soup mix
  • oil
  • 1 onion
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 200 – 250g carrots
  • 200 – 250g parsnips
  • 1.5l vegetable stock
  • a few twists of black pepper
  • 1 jar of miso paste

Method

  1. Cover the soup mix with cold water in a bowl and let rest overnight.
  2. The next day, drain the soup mix and rinse in a sieve under cold running water. Place in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Let it boil for 10 mins, then reduce to a simmer for another 35 mins. Drain with the sieve, and set aside.
  3. Chop all the veg into chunks and place in the empty saucepan with some oil, over a medium heat. Put on the lid and let it sizzle for around 10 mins, stirring every so often. It should become softened and a little browned at the edges.
  4. Add in the stock and bring to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 10 mins.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat for a few moments, and blitz it by plunging in a handheld blender. If you don’t have one, spoon at least half of the soup into a food processor with blade fitted, and blitz it there before returning it to the pan.
  6. Add in the cooked soup mix with 2 tbsp of miso and the black pepper, and stir in. Then simmer for another 5 – 10 mins.
  7. Switch off and let it rest. When it has cooled, transfer to the fridge. It will keep for a few days, during which the texture and flavour will deepen.
  8. To serve, ladle some into a bowl and stir in another tbsp of miso to individual taste. Microwave until hot, and enjoy.

Customise It!

Almost any seasonal winter veg that you have available will go well here. Stick with making the carrot and parsnip prominent, though, as these give it a distinct, sweet flavour. Experiment with the miso, adding as much or as little as necessary to suit your individual taste. The miso already contains salt, which is why I only added black pepper at the seasoning stage.

There probably won’t be a better chance to add Japan to the ADK Playlist, so here they are with the eerie Ghosts.

Categories
Blog Music

The 1975

As a massive music fan (the blog tag line here being Good Food, Great Music), I’m excited to say that this week’s live music experience (see The Lexicon of Love) has continued.

There I was in the ADK Kitchen, working on my next post about a nice vegetarian soup, when a friend called with the offer of a spare ticket to see The 1975 at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. I hadn’t heard too much of their music, but am always game to see a new band play live, especially one as globally successful as The 1975. Apologies – that soup recipe will have to wait until this weekend, folks!

With my apron hung on its peg, and the spatula in the dishwasher, we headed off in my friend’s car towards the M40.

We weren’t disappointed – The 1975 were very good.

The stage was set extremely stylishly (see my photo above), all in white and, for the first part of the show, decked out like the cool interior of a chic apartment. Warmly illuminated in changing pastel shades, the coffee tables, lamps, armchairs and TV sets created a relaxed feel, against which the band played great music and their engaging frontman, Matty Healy, acted out his inner angst.

I am still not sure whether Matty really is the chainsmoking, hip flask swigging, tortured romantic soul that comes across on stage, or whether this is just a character portraying the emotional vulnerability that runs through the lyrics of so many of the band’s songs. The answer, I suspect, is somewhere in between.

Track after track of their brand of soulful pop rolled out across an adoring audience – some of their biggest songs, like Oh Caroline and I’m In Love With You, included.

They’re clearly a band that like their performance art, and this is stepped up in the middle part of the show. With the band off for a break, Matty, alone on the stage, sinks to his knees before a bank of TV sets, fizzling with snippets of newscasts reporting global issues of concern. I won’t say any more for fear of spoilers, but what happens next is fascinating.

Some people in white coats swarmed on to the stage. No, not to take Matty away – it was the stage crew, who proceeded to rearrange the set for the second half of the show while the band played on. It reminded me of how the road crew build Talking Heads’ set from the floor up, track by track, during the great concert movie, Stop Making Sense.

The final hour of the set was a joyous celebration of the band’s best music, including Tootime, The Sound, Love It If We Made It, and People. It brings pleasure to the whole of a packed arena. Heck, it even brings a smile to Matty’s face.

All in all, a thoughtful, considered, ever changing, engaging and very entertaining performance. I now consider myself a fan!

Here’s one of my favourite tracks that they performed live. The 1975 with It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You).

I’ll be back at the weekend with, er, some soup.

Categories
Bakes Recipes Snacks

Peanut Butter Boosters

Here’s a wholesome and nutritious, home-made alternative to those commercially-produced cereal bars we often reach for, to cure the hunger pangs between meals. I wanted to see if I could create a version that gave greater control over the ingredients and, in particular, the carb and sugar levels.

The words ‘peanut butter’ are enough to bring a smile to most faces, so I decided to put that centre stage. I used a make that consists of 100% peanuts, with no palm oil (Meridian).

Taking inspiration from a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I also cut out all flour and eggs, and brought in oats, seeds and honey. I used muscovado sugar instead of the refined variety, and reduced the amount of it by about a third from what is often found in sweet recipes.

The challenge with removing a number of staple ingredients from a bake is finding a mixture that holds together, and doesn’t descend into crumbs. The consistency of the peanut butter and the stickiness of the honey definitely helped with this, as did letting it cool completely in the tin, before cutting into slices.

The resulting booster bars do hold together – see my main photo above. They’re also vegetarian and vegan. They aren’t completely crumb-free, but that’s a small price to pay for having a box full of these tasty and nutritious boosters to plug that hunger gap.

And if you do get some crumbs – hey, just gather them up and sprinkle them over your breakfast cereal – they’re delicious!

Servings

16 booster bars.

Timings

15 mins to prepare, 30 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • 125g vegetable baking spread
  • 80g light muscovado sugar
  • 125g peanut butter
  • 75g runny honey
  • zest of 1 orange
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 200g oats
  • 100g dried apricots, finely chopped
  • 120g mixed seeds e.g. pumpkin, sunflower.

Method

  1. Grease and line a traybake tin – mine used is 20 cm square. Switch on the oven to 180C.
  2. Place the spread, brown sugar, peanut butter and honey in a saucepan and warm over a gentle heat. Stir until it melts into a thick mixture.
  3. Add in the other ingredients and stir well to combine.
  4. Tip into the prepared tin and level with a spoon. Place in the oven for 30 mins.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the tin. Turn out carefully and cut into 16 squares.

Customise It!

Swap in other dried fruit for the apricot. The real nut fiends can swap in some different varieties of chopped nuts (e.g, pecans) for some of the seeds, if you wish. Do what’s necessary to give you the tasty energy boost you need.

This week in the ADK Kitchen I’ve been playing the new release by The Black Keys, a band from Ohio that I really like and who’ve already provided several tracks for the ADK Playlist. With all that energy from the Peanut Butter Boosters, this new track should have you up on your feet, singing and dancing along with its catchy chorus: Beautiful People (Stay High).

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Upside Down

This Valentine’s Day, here’s a cake you’ll love.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a tantalising dish. All the while it’s baking, it conceals its secret, exotic ingredient. Peeking into the oven is of no avail, as the enigmatic fruit that makes it special is shielded from view, laying at the base of the tin like buried treasure. Then, when the baking is done, it’s fun to invert it and reveal all those juicy pineapple chunks.

This one is made with a fresh pineapple, mixed with a sprinkle of dark muscovado sugar. The muscovado combines with the juice to give the cake a rich sweetness and a treacly, marbled appearance (as with the slice of cake shown in my photo above).

Servings

16 servings.

Timings

15 mins to prepare and 30 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need

  • 1 fresh pineapple
  • 165g self-raising flour
  • 165g caster sugar
  • 165g unsalted butter or spread
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

Method

  1. Grease and line a baking tin. Mine is 22cm square. Switch on the oven at 180C.
  2. Peel and core the pineapple, and cut the flesh into roughly 1 – 2cm chunks.
  3. Put the flour, caster sugar, butter/spread, eggs and baking powder into a bowl. Mix with an electric whisk till it is all combined.
  4. Arrange the pineapple chunks over the bottom of the baking tin. Sprinkle over the dark muscovado sugar.
  5. Pour the cake mixture over the top. Place in the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear. Remove from the oven.
  6. Invert the cake from the tin on to a wire rack (so that it is now upside down), and allow to cool before cutting into slices. Serve upside down, with the pineapple showing, on its own or with some greek yoghurt alongside.

Customise It!

Most published recipes for this cake seem to use tinned pineapple. I think it is nice to use the fresh article, seeing as it is so readily available in our shops these days. However, you can substitute the tinned version here, if you’re in a rush and don’t want to peel, core and chop a fresh pineapple.

A classy dessert like this deserves an equally classy track for the ADK playlist. Here’s Diana Ross with (what else?) Upside Down.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Soup-erbowl

This weekend’s incoming batch of seasonal veg from our local community farm had winter soup written all over it. I’m talking hearty and wholesome here, with pearl barley and lentils, giving a good portion of protein and fibre. Included in the box was even a handful of fresh herbs – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, would you believe. Well, hey – I feel a song coming on!

For the benefit of any millennials, that’s a reference to a line in a Simon & Garfunkel song, Scarborough Fair – check it out.

Which brings me to another great American institution that’s been around for over half a century. Yes, it’s Superbowl weekend – Superbowl LVIII to be precise (that’s 58 to you and me – why does the NFL insist on using roman numerals?).

The pinnacle of the American Football season is a match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a repeat of the 2020 game, when the Chiefs emerged victorious. My prediction is that the Chiefs will be taking home the trophy once again – Patrick Mahomes and co just seem to have the experience and the ability to do what it takes when it comes to the postseason play-offs.

Food is always a key part of enjoying the Superbowl, and each year I aim to come up with a healthy(ish) snack to have with the game. There will definitely be some Smoked Paprika Popcorn on the table, when the game kicks off at around 11.30pm UK time.

It’s always fun seeing what extravaganza they have lined up for the Half Time Show. This year the game is taking place in Las Vegas, which is where U2 have been performing their residency at the Sphere. Seeing as Bono and the lads are in town, I did hope they might be popping down to the stadium to treat the audience to a few numbers. Usher is this year’s headliner, however. I understand he’s trailed that he may bring along a special guest, so….you never know?

Anyway, where was I? Back to the homemade soup, which I shall be enjoying this Soup-erbowl weekend.

Servings

4 adult servings.

Timings

The pearl barley/lentil mix needs soaking overnight, then boiling/simmering for 45 mins. Making the soup is then about another 30 mins.

You Will Need

  • 100g pearl barley/lentil/split pea mix
  • 500ml water
  • 1 onion
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 1 parsnip
  • 500ml veg stock
  • handful of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (or whatever fresh herbs you have!)

Method

  1. Soak the pearl barley mix overnight in the cold water.
  2. The next morning, pour the water away and rinse the pearl barley mix under cold running water. Place in a saucepan and cover with water, Bring to the boil for around 10 mins, then reduce to a simmer for another 35 mins. Switch off and drain.
  3. Using the same, empty saucepan, heat a little oil and throw in the chopped onion, celery, carrots and parsnip. Stir and let the veg soften in the heat.
  4. Pour in the veg stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, and tear in the herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. After 10 mins, blitz about half of the soup with a handheld blender. Alternatively, transfer half to a food processor with blade fitted, blitz and return it to the pan. This will give the soup a nice consistency, while still having chunks of veg in there.
  6. Add in the cooked pearl barley mix and simmer for another 10 mins. Switch off, and the soup is ready to serve.

Customise It!

Any other winter root veg will go well – swede, celeriac, potatoes for example. Add in a leek or two. Just make sure you don’t mess with the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (only kidding, use whatever fresh herbs are to hand).

Just imagine what a brilliant Half Time Show Simon & Garfunkel could have put on. As far as I know, they never did one, however, and it’s unlikely to happen now. Unless they do an Abba, and have avatars, perhaps? All that classic Americana would go down a storm with the Superbowl audience. We can but dream. Here they are with one of their best: Mrs Robinson.

Enjoy Usher; enjoy the Superbowl, everyone.