For those of you gado-gado fans out there....I am not talking about the typical gado gado you get at Indonesian restaurants, but the healthier version made from cashew nuts and almonds instead of the typical peanut sauce....you know who you are.
I have been at work, experimenting in the kitchen recently. I have managed to get the taste and texture very close to the ones I have tried.
For the sauce (enough to serve 2 as mains or 4 as sides), you will need about 200gm roasted cashews or almonds or a mix of both nuts, fresh red chilli, about 1 inch of lemon grass (the white portion), kaffir lime leaves (about 3-4 large pieces), 1/4 cup of assam juice (tamarind) and 2-3tbsp brown sugar. Just mince all of these in an electric chopper or blender to a texture you like. I like mine creamy but still with chunks. It should form a paste....to serve add water to a consistency you like, stir and warm over medium heat. If stored in a glass jar when cool (as in the paste only without the water), it can keep for about 1 week...just add water, warm it up and serve.
For the rest of the dish, let your imagination run wild...the staples would be shredded cucumber, shredded lettuce, tau kwa, boiled potatoe and hard boiled egg. Other things you may want to add on are hardier vege like boiled cabbage, cauliflower, tempeh etc.
Enjoy!!!
Wednesday 8 August 2007
Gemelli
Pronounced as "jay-MEHL-lee", it is Italian for "twins," referring culinarily to short, 1 1/2-inch twists that resemble two strands of spaghetti twisted together. And this is indeed what it is - a shop selling pasta and pizza owned and run by a pair of twins!!!
We chanced upon this shop through word of mouth. So while in the vicinity one day, my hubby and I (plus the little one) decided to give it a shot. Tucked away at one corner of the Bedok Camp Hawker Centre, this shop was opened almost 2 months ago. It serves a farily wide selection of pastas and pizzas considering it is just a hawker stall size space, soup and salad and some desserts.
We tried the mediterranean pasta and gnocchi. Both were good. The mediterranean pasta comes with chopped tomatoes and grilled eggplant. At first we thought it looked kinda dry cos it is not the typical tomato based pasta you would find...it is almost aglio olio style in fact...but it turned out tasty and yummy. I had the gnocchi which is a dumpling made of either semolina, flour or potatoes and served in a creamy sauce. I have eaten gnocchi elsewhere in S'pore and has always been disappointed. Cos to make good gnocchi, it has to have a good bite, chewy yet "bouncy" (the so-called QQ factor) and this one certainly did not fail. It came with a creamy sauce with fresh shitake mushrooms and asparagus. However, at the end of finishing the plate of gnocchi, you will not have much space for more as it is pretty heavy.
So how was the overall experience? Good (for the pastas since we have not tried the pizzas), we will certainly go back for more, and at a price of around $7-$9, it is reasonable fare.
I don't have the exact address and I forgot to take pics of the food!
Gemelli
Hawker Centre opposite Bedok Camp
Corner stall - sign is in black and red...you can't miss it being the only Italian stall amidst the predominantly Malay stalls
Open everyday for lunch and dinner
We chanced upon this shop through word of mouth. So while in the vicinity one day, my hubby and I (plus the little one) decided to give it a shot. Tucked away at one corner of the Bedok Camp Hawker Centre, this shop was opened almost 2 months ago. It serves a farily wide selection of pastas and pizzas considering it is just a hawker stall size space, soup and salad and some desserts.
We tried the mediterranean pasta and gnocchi. Both were good. The mediterranean pasta comes with chopped tomatoes and grilled eggplant. At first we thought it looked kinda dry cos it is not the typical tomato based pasta you would find...it is almost aglio olio style in fact...but it turned out tasty and yummy. I had the gnocchi which is a dumpling made of either semolina, flour or potatoes and served in a creamy sauce. I have eaten gnocchi elsewhere in S'pore and has always been disappointed. Cos to make good gnocchi, it has to have a good bite, chewy yet "bouncy" (the so-called QQ factor) and this one certainly did not fail. It came with a creamy sauce with fresh shitake mushrooms and asparagus. However, at the end of finishing the plate of gnocchi, you will not have much space for more as it is pretty heavy.
So how was the overall experience? Good (for the pastas since we have not tried the pizzas), we will certainly go back for more, and at a price of around $7-$9, it is reasonable fare.
I don't have the exact address and I forgot to take pics of the food!
Gemelli
Hawker Centre opposite Bedok Camp
Corner stall - sign is in black and red...you can't miss it being the only Italian stall amidst the predominantly Malay stalls
Open everyday for lunch and dinner
Muffins
I just dig muffins....soft, moist and chokeful of yummy ingredients...in particular - chocolate. I have tried some muffins that are supposedly double choc, you see the rich colour, but where oh where has the choc gone?
Recently I chanced upon these muffins that are pretty yummy, has sufficient "liao" (ingredients) in it and blossoms like a cauliflower. It is best eaten warm, fresh off the queue...yes queue...not oven...haha...cos you gotta queue to get these yummy florets. I got my girlfriend who was in the vicinity to get them for me - cranberry (the large one in the pic), choc, orange and cheese.
The cranberry is so-so...just muffin with lots of juicy cranberries...the cheese one is good, very generous they were with the soft cheese in it. The choc muffin is actually just choc rice sprinkled on top and inside the muffin. The ones on top gave the muffin added crunch, but those inside have melted and adds that chocolate dimension to an otherwise normal butter background. Having said all these, it is pretty good value for money...at only $1-$1.20 each.
So where is this place? It is Chocolat n Spice. They have 2 outlets - one at Shunfu market and the other at Tanjong Pagar. I have not tried the muffins from their Shunfu outlet, so I dunno if the quality and taste is the same.
Chocolat n Spice
Blk 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-18
Singapore 082001
Tel: 9276 2110
Operating Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8.30am - 5pm
Sat: 8.30am - 3pm (Closed on Sundays & PH)
320 Shunfu Road (Shunfu Mart)
#02-12
Singapore 570320
Telephone : 93830413
Recently I chanced upon these muffins that are pretty yummy, has sufficient "liao" (ingredients) in it and blossoms like a cauliflower. It is best eaten warm, fresh off the queue...yes queue...not oven...haha...cos you gotta queue to get these yummy florets. I got my girlfriend who was in the vicinity to get them for me - cranberry (the large one in the pic), choc, orange and cheese.
The cranberry is so-so...just muffin with lots of juicy cranberries...the cheese one is good, very generous they were with the soft cheese in it. The choc muffin is actually just choc rice sprinkled on top and inside the muffin. The ones on top gave the muffin added crunch, but those inside have melted and adds that chocolate dimension to an otherwise normal butter background. Having said all these, it is pretty good value for money...at only $1-$1.20 each.
So where is this place? It is Chocolat n Spice. They have 2 outlets - one at Shunfu market and the other at Tanjong Pagar. I have not tried the muffins from their Shunfu outlet, so I dunno if the quality and taste is the same.
Chocolat n Spice
Blk 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-18
Singapore 082001
Tel: 9276 2110
Operating Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8.30am - 5pm
Sat: 8.30am - 3pm (Closed on Sundays & PH)
320 Shunfu Road (Shunfu Mart)
#02-12
Singapore 570320
Telephone : 93830413
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)