Eating weird stuff

I had been in Cambodia for two days. Where were the crikets? Where were the worms? I had been bugging Sooutan my guide again and again that I think he must think I am some kind of freak.

Finally, on my way to Phnomh Penh from Siem Reap, we stopped at a town called Skuon which was know for selling spiders. There there were rows and rows of stalls at the road side selling crickets and spiders as well as some refreshments for the less adventurous traveller.

We picked a seller and asked for 1000 riels worth of crickets. (That is about a handful)

The lady was nice enough to pluck off the wings and legs for me so that they wouldn't get stuck in my throat and I wouldn't choke and die.

I wasn't really scared about eating bugs really.. I mean, if it was good enough for other humans, why wouldn't it be good enough for me right? The only thing was whether I would like it or not..

And so the moment of truth.

Hm.. Crickets tastes like Asian potato crackers really.. crispy and salty... I think I could stomach more if I had to.

Besides, I read somewhere that it was mostly protein!

Spiders were a different story.

These ones looked like tarantulas okay? You could still see the big fat hairs all over their legs.(Upon further research I found out that they were actually a species of tarantulas. Great.)

I purposely picked a tiny spider because that would been stuffing less spider into my mouth. Right? I heard "Nooo youuu take diiss wannn. Disss onee gooodddd!" and someone proceeded to grab the small spider I had in my hand and replace it with a bigger one.

Okay. I forgive her. She was trying to be nice. Maybe she does think spiders are delicious.

Hm.. I figured they wouldn't taste as bad right?

*deep breath*

*crunch*

WRONG.

It initially tastes all right, the legs are crispy like crickets and it has been fried into oblivion and seasoned with garlic and salt and what not.. but.. it has a really bad aftertaste!

I think it taste bad because of it's intestines.. Like you know.. Spider shit.

Literally.

Hm.. I guess big fat juicy spiders are better than cockroaches.

According to my guide, these spiders are found deep in the ground by the river in the jungles.

My only regret is that I wasn't able to try worms! Damn.

I've decided that I don't want a real job. Either I starve myself anorexic and become a model or I get a job where all I do is try recipes and take photos and write about it all day. Or try weird stuff all over the world like Andrew Zimmern. If anyone is hiring or wants to pay for my lipo please let me know okthx.

Random photo of a cute little girl I saw sitting in the trees in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. She posed for the second photo =) Adorable right? =)
Finally a day off after my trip so I have been sorting through my pictures. More coming soon!

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

What I imagine skipping up and down to in the office =P

"WHAT ARE YOU?"

The looming question that I wait for from every Malaysian I meet. Being a giant tall and having not quite Chinese, Indian or Malay looks, people get really curious and start to interrogate me about my heritage. The fact that they word it so.. eloquently is.. well.. a little insulting. It sounds like I could be a gorilla or some other unidentifiable species altogether. And hello? I don't think we know each other that well? Why is it so important anyway? Why can't I just be Malaysian?

PS: I surprise myself by having no reaction towards working on Christmas and New Years. *_* Either it's because my family and John are not here or I am a workaholic. I think it's the former =P

In news, a sentence is a paragraph

Lol.

I am a bad blogger right? Gosh. My internship has taken up most of my time so far.

Being a journalist is hard work.

It's made worse by migraines that make you want to puke.

Sometimes you do really puke when you cannot take it anymore.

However, its really cool to see your bylines in the paper the next day.

Since I have no new food pictures to share with you (I DO! But I sent my laptop to the service centre and can't upload them yet) I might as well share all my 'achievements' with you =P

My first byline!

My second byline on the same day =)

Byline that makes me feel like I'm selling out

Byline that bitches about something

Of course I've written more than this but I've only shared the ones with bylines.

So.. I'm off to Cambodia tomorrow for a week. I'm happy to be going away and yet I feel like I'm missing out! Hope you're all having a good time wherever you are! =)

Oh. My. God. I am doing a journalism internship in Kuala Lumpur and I did not know it would mean the end of my social life.. I have gone home at 8pm for the last two days and by the time I reach home all I want to do in shower and sleep. It's fun yet tiring at the same time and I am learning so much =) I promiseeee (really!) to add more photos soon. Promise! =)

Zucchini Boats

Who likes to eat Zucchini alone? Not me.. But when you team it with mince and lots of cheese, it's amazing! =) With zucchinis in the picture, you can say that you are having a balanced meal! =P
First you slice the Zucchini is halves, then the onions and capsicum into little pieces.
Fry it till it's soft
Add mince beef
Andddd the tomato sauce and mushrooms. Zomg I love mushrooms!
When you're done, take it off the heat and miz in the Parm and egg
This is what you get!
Scrape out the zucchini meat
Fill the boats with the mince and bake them baby!
Omnomnom.. More food porn for ya!

Italian Zucchini Boats

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 medium white or sweet onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (or a combination of parsley, oregano and basil)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4-5 medium-sized zucchini
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat with enough olive oil to coat the pan (roughly 2 tablespoons). Add diced onion and pepper. Saute a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add garlic. Saute another minute, until fragrant.
- Add ground turkey. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the turkey and combine with the onion mixture. Cook until meat is browned.
- Add mushrooms and tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes). Stir to combine. Add italian seasoning or spices. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
- Continue cooking the filling until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened a bit. Once thickened, remove from heat and allow to partially cool.
- In the meantime, slice each zucchini lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides of each zucchini half, leaving a shell that is roughly 1/4 inch thick all the way around. Place zucchini shells in a large baking dish that is filled with 1/4 inch water.
- Once the filling has cooled, stir in the Parmesan cheese and beaten egg.
- Scoop the filling into the empty zucchini shells.
- Carefully place the baking dish into the oven (careful not to spill the water!) and bake for 25-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

I got the recipe here

I just got back to Malaysia and I'm a bit busy at the moment settling some things before I leave for KL for my internship. Bear with me while I sort through holiday pics! Hope everyone is having an awesome hol! =)

Just left Wellington and I'm now in Napier. Will be traveling all the way up to Auckland and then back to Malaysia. Be back soon with awesome photos and food reviews! =)

Mini Meatloaves

Mini Meatloaves! So cute! =) And they taste amazing too!
First you chop up the capsicum
Then the onions.. John is my hand model/kitchen hand today because his hands are prettier =P
Add thyme salt and pepper
Fry it baby!
Mix everything in a large bowl: onions, capsicums, eggs, breadcrumbs and beef mince
It's kind of gross when you think of them as meat muffins eh? =X
MEAT MUFFINSSSSS. Oh I forgot to take a picture but you have to put some tomato sauce on top of each one.
Fresh from the oven! Best way to have them. They are really filling too. I ate 239082382098 4 before I had to admit defeat.

The recipe can be found here and I've pasted it below =)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1.5 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, green pepper, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, onion and green pepper mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix by hand until the ingredients are well distributed.

Place foil liners into a 12-cup muffin pan and shape individual portions of meatloaf to fit each muffin cup. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155-160 degrees and the meatloaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Two Chefs Bistro, Dunedin

I don't see the point in making a point to make reservations if I'm going to get stuck near the bathroom. Seriously? Is it because we looked like students? Because I saw two other couples that walked in after us and they got seated at perfectly good tables. Is that prejudice or what? Maybe next time I make a reservation I'll just ask specifically for a table "not beside the toilet thanks". *roll eyes*

I chose this restaurant because the menu looked really good and I have to say I was a little disappointed. Had the Catalan Seafood Stew and the menu said tiger prawns. More like little baby prawns. Have they ever actually seen a tiger prawn? I wonder... The serving was a little tiny for the price we paid. We didn't stay for dessert but instead chose to go to Nova instead.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Light, fluffy, lemon.. pancakes! Mmm... Why is it so fluffy? Well, like the Austrian Pancakes that I made before, I had to beat the egg whites separately till they were white and fluffy and then fold it into the batter. Made this for brunch the other day but I only have time to share it now. Btw, I just finished my exams today =D Freedommmmmm!!
This is all you need to go to pancake heaven. I'm serious.
You mix the egg yolk, lemon zest, flour, sugar vigorously with a fork. As usual this is the part when I lie to myself that my arm is getting a workout =P
Whisk the egg whites then fold it into the batter, and then fry with butter.
I did not have strawberries so I made a lemon glaze with few drops of lemon juice and icing sugar. Pretty good =)
I love how light, delicious and moist this is because it does not have much flour =)

The recipe which I found here is below

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tub (250 grams) or 1 cup (250 ml) ricotta cheese
• 3 tbsp (50 ml) sugar
• ½cup (125 ml) all-purpose flour
• zest of one lemon
• 2 tbsp (25 ml) butter
• 2 cups (500 ml) strawberries, diced
• sugar to taste

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, ricotta cheese, sugar, flour and lemon zest.

In another bowl, whip egg whites with a mixer until glossy peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of the whites into the ricotta mixture, then fold in the remaining whites gently.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat, drop batter on using small ladle or large spoon. I used a ¼-cup (50-ml) measure.) Flatten slightly, then let cook for about two minutes per side until lightly browned. Top with macerated strawberries.

Far East Movement - Rocketeer ft. Ryan Tedder

Katy Perry - Firework

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay. I got sick of studying so I decided to bake. Also, I realised that I have never baked a simple chocolate chip cookie! Well, it's not that simple really. There are so so many recipes out there, how do you find the perfect one? After much time spent stalking blogs on the Internet, I decided on this *recipe*. It's a recipe from Alton Brown that I found on Joy's website.
Made two batches. The first one were giant cookies, bigger than my face. Okay not really, they were more like half my face... My first batch of cookies were gone in seconds! No... I did not eat them all =P
No that is not a half eaten cookie in the background =P
These were so delicious and chewy! If you love a soft chocolate chip cookie instead of the ones that have crunch in them, you should definitely try this one out! =) Sorry I didn't have any 'process' pictures, I was in a bit of a rush to make these as I had to get back to my studying.

Some cool stuff

Corn Fritters with Roast Tomato

Corn Fritters! Every time I see corn fritters on a menu I order it. It's delicious. I love biting into the corn bits and all it's sweetness and juiciness. Omnomnom.. When I saw *this recipe* I decided to try it out for our weekend brunch =) I left out the bacon so this is a vegetarian dish.

Half the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and then pop into the oven
Mmm Capsicum..
Chop them up into little pieces
Flour, baking powder, salt and paprika. I was a bit more generous with the paprika because I wanted it to be a little more spicy.

Pour in the egg and milk mixture.

Mix it up with some herbs. I used ground coriander and chopped parsley instead of fresh ones because I didn't have any.

And then, pour the batter into the corn mixture.

Serve with the roasted tomatoes and some rocket leaves. Delicious, healthy and filling =) This version is even better than some of the restaurant-made ones that I've had! Also, if you cook it at home it doesn't get too greasy. So good =)

Sweetcorn Fritters with Roast Tomato and Bacon

1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I used a bit more)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
1/2 cup diced red capsicum
1/2 cup sliced spring onions
1/4 cup chopped coriander and parsley combined ( I used 1 tbsp parsley and 1/4 tsp ground coriander)
4 tablespoon vegetable oil
to serve
4 Roma tomatoes
1 bunch rocket, washed and dried
4 rashers grilled bacon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Serves 4

Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC. Slice tomatoes in half. Place tomatoes (cut-side up) on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in sugar and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.

Place corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl and add just enough batter to lightly bind then. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Drop in 2 tablespoons of batter per fritter and cook 4 fritters at a time. Cook for 2 minutes or until the underside is golden-brown. Flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm and cook the remaining fritters.

To serve, place one fritter on each plate. Top each with 2 halves of roast tomato, a small handful of rocket and a rasher of bacon. Finish with a second fritter and drizzle a little olive oil around the base of the stack.