Chefs Affair: April 2006

Kueh Koswee

Today's my first attempt at making Kueh Koswee and the results turn out okay. I was trying to follow the recipe which is on May's issue of 'Home and Decor' and well, looks like the proportions of the water to the flour is not so accurate. What turns out was my kueh didn't have a firm texture and turn out a bit too soft and mushy. Nevertheless, it was still tasty.

I'll share the recipe another time, after I do some slight adjustments and try a 2nd attempt. I intend to adjust the amount of water used in the recipe and see if I come up with a slightly firmer texture instead of what you can see in my pic. Maybe this will also cause the colour to be darker too.

Wish me all the best in my next attempt !

Recipes Corner :: Beer-Battered Fish

Came across this Beer-Battered Fish recipe from Burke's Backyard program (a fairly gardening and outdoor show I watched in Australia). I think the "sample pictures" look good ... maybe worth a try ?

Beer Battered Fish
Geoff Jansz marinated fish fillets before battering and frying, for fish and chips with a delicious twist. In our segment Geoff used a Thai marinade, but we've also included ingredients for those who prefer Mediterranean flavours.

Ingredients
400g ling (or other firm, white-fleshed fish)

Thai marinade:
2 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 red chilli, chopped
1 coriander root , cleaned and chopped
1 stem end of lemongrass, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
100ml peanut oil

Mediterranean marinade:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 x 3cm wide pieces lemon rind
100ml extra virgin olive oil

Deep fried wedges:
Par boiled or cooked potatoes, cut into wedges
vegetable oil
Beer batter:
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup cornflour
500ml beer (approx)
1 whole egg, separated

Method

1. Pound the kaffir lime leaves, chilli, coriander root, lemongrass and brown sugar in a mortar and pestle. Slowly add the oil and pound again to release the flavours. (Tip: if you don’t have a mortar and pestle use a blender, adding the oil in a steady stream and blending until roughly chopped.) Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours or until needed. The Mediterranean marinade is made in exactly the same way.
2. Mix together the self raising flour, cornflour and egg yolk, slowly adding beer until the batter has the consistency of pouring cream. Make sure the batter is beaten thoroughly and there are no lumps. (Tip: for extra crispy batter, beat the egg white in separate bowl until fluffy. Fold into the beer batter mixture.)
3. Half fill a heavy-based pot with oil. Heat the oil to 190°, then place the wedges into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. (Tip: to test whether the oil is hot enough, pour a small amount of batter into the oil, if it rises to the surface and sizzles, you know the oil is ready.)
4. Wipe excess oil and the solid bits of the marinade off the fish with paper towel. Dip each fillet of fish into a little bit of plain flour to help the batter stick to the fish. Dip each fish fillet into the batter and drop carefully into the hot oil when at 190°.
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until crisp and brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
6. Serve immediately with salt, lemon or limes wedges to taste.

Oriel Cafe, Subiaco Perth

Oriel Cafe - This is one of my all time favourite cafe in Perth and in the late nights (10 or 11pm) this place is usually infested by UWA students living in close proximity out here having late night cakes and coffees.

And you know what's best there ??? Look at the cakes and biscuits menu ... what a spread ...

Cakes And Biscuits (all cakes served with double cream)

banana split 9.50
biscuits - assorted 3.00
brownie 4.80
carrot cake 6.80
chocolate cake 6.80
chocolate fudge sundae 9.50
lemon meringue pie 6.80
muffin 5.00
pecan pie 6.80
scoop of ice cream - extra 1.20

in addition to the above we have a large selection of other cakes, biscuits & slices baked fresh on display in the front cabinet.

All cakes served w double cream.

Look what I found !

A Must-Have "I-S 10th Anniversary Restaurant Guide 2006" if you want to eat your way through 2006 !!! :P

TCS 5 - Makan program on Satay

Am watching the TCS 5 program hosted by Gurmit Singh and Michelle Chia on those 'lost and found' hawker stalls and this week is featuring Satay ( not kebab, not Yakitori heheehe )

All the stalls had a long history in Singapore and claimed to be from the old Beach Road and Esplanade Satay Club in the early 70s and 80s. They must be good I guess.

Here's the location of the stalls been featured:
1. Singapore Satay Club - Sembawang Shopping Centre #01-01
2. Alhambra Satay - Gluttons Bay Esplanade
3. Yusoff Haji Jalal - Stall 21 Pasir Panjang Food Centre
4. Fatman Satay - Stall No. 1 Lau Pa Sat or Youth Park (Orchard)

Unfortunately, no pictures to show but each stall has their own distinctive flavour and look and taste of the satays !

PK express @ AMK

Introducing, PK express @ AMK. This fish and chips is priced at $6. Looking at it, it comes with 2 large pieces of fried fish and fries(a mizture of normal fries and peppered fries) Comes with a side of a few cuts of luttece and some canned mangos. Lets take a closer look at the individual entries.

Fish oil-------------->
2 large pieces, but its the batter that failed the test. It was crispy on the outside, but underneath it, it is moist and soggy, and lots of oil was trapped in it. You can see the oil on the paper. Taste wise, it was all plain. Nothing distinctive.

Fries
This was good, crispy and the mixture of normal fries and the peppered fries added taste to the dish.

Salad
This was just a few measly cuts of luttuce, though I thought the mangoes was a nice and sweet compliment to the fish.

Sauces
All the sauces are free flow, you can put as much tartar, chilli and letchup as you like. The tartar sauce taste the same as the one mac's uses in its Fillet O Fish.

I didnt really enjoy my meal, especially with the soggy underlayer and the oil that was trapped in it.

Rating:

Han's Cafe Fish & Chips

If you are wond'ring where this fish & chips is from, let me tell you .... this is from Han's Cafe ! For $8.50, it gets you a set dinner meal which comes with the soup of the day, a slice of garlic bread, the main dish, a slice of honey dew and a beverage (cup of orange juice)

It wasn't the beer-battered fish & chips that I was hoping for, but for a local eatery franchise, I consider a good effort coming up with a taste that can be rivalled.

The chips were chippy (or rather crispy!) and even though it was quite a wait for me perhaps due to a long queue before me, my fish was served to me piping hot which makes eating F&C a sheer delight !! This is very important, else cold fish somewhat leaves you feeling "cold" .... haha ... you know what I mean. Also, the fish was marinade slightly with salt and white pepper and gives it a nice pleasant taste.

I don't think there's really anything that I can pick on for a meal which costs $8.50 that comes with lots of other things ... they also have a grilled fish version for the cholestrol and health conscious !

Overall,

from a satisfied customer aka me !

Phin's Steakhouse Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

Fish hunt led us to Phin's Steakhouse today at Liang Seah street (near Bugis). This is the first time I've ever visited this restaurant, the dim lighting has never quite attracted me before, plus the one at Orchard Cineleisure always seem so empty with no patrons at all. I'm quite mistaken by the restaurant at Liang Seah street. By about 7.15pm the place is starting to get packed, perhaps from regulars who are there for their well-known steak and fish & chips.

Reading off the menu on their pillar wall, we thought they only serve the breadcrumbed fish & chips which they call it the "Traditional Fish & Chips" but inspecting the menu closely shows they offer the beer-battered version.

Yes! That's the one we are hunting and tracking down. The price is more costly than those franchise outlets or Western food stalls at kopitiam and food courts, but at $11.90 (Beer-battered) & $9.90 (Traditional), it gives you quite an ample supply of side dishes like salad, coleslaw, a slice of cucumber and tomato. The chips were crinkled cut but it wasn't as brown as some fries, so it wasn't that crispy. However, the fish was fabulous ! Okay, I think they use dory fish and it wasn't as spectacular as the one at PK Xpress Clementi. But as I sink my first bite into the fish and its batter, I could taste a bit of the beer in the batter and the fish has a very light beer sensation to it. The batter was light, not too thick and heavy, but the fish doesn't have quite the same taste as the one used by PK Xpress. The portion was sizeable enough for me. In terms of price, this is probably one of the more "reasonably priced" restaurants for its fish & chips.

Overall, I will give it a

in terms of taste, price and resemblance to how beer-battered fish & chips should taste like.

Fish Hunt

With a recent spark of interest in beer-battered Fish & Chips, have been doing quite a bit of a internet hunt for reviews of any restaurants that fit the bill to be crowned as the "Best Fish & Chips" in Singapore. Of course, to feed paupers like us, the price cannot be too exorbitant as well. I've compiled a list of places which our contributors at Chefsaffair have tried or would like to try in the near future (list will continue to grow):

1. Oscars Restaurant @ Conrads Hotel
2. PK Xpress @ Clementi S-11
3. Fisherios @ Takashimaya Basement 2
4. Phin's Steakhouse @ Liang Seah Street
5.Whitebait & Kale @ Camden Medical Centre
6. Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro
7. Brewerkz @ Central Mall
8. China Jump @ Chjimes --> out of operation, changed to Le Baroque
9. Hog's Breath Cafe @ Chjimes
10. Handle Bar @ Malan Road
11. Han's Cafe @ National Library
12. PK Xpress @ Ang Mo Kio

P.S - Grey font indicates tried and tasted

Fish and Chips Anyone?

Was at the US Embassy with Jeff in the morning today to settle some stuff. Decided to head to Library @ Orchard after that to study. In line with the fish and chips craving festival, I went to have brunch at Fisherios Fish N Chips. its at basement 2 at takashimaya. Looking at the menu, I decided to order the Beer Battered Fish and Chips. Its at a price of $7.90! Forking out another 2 bucks will get you a mushroom soup/salad and a small cup of soft drinks. I was the only customer, think it was still early(11.30am). The wait was long but it was well worth it.

CHECK IT OUT!!

It was crispy yet juicy. And the beer was evident in its taste. Tasty. Served with a creamy tartar sauce. Absolutely wondeful. Was enjoying every bite.

Rating:

(Didnt have a camera with me so Pictures taken from AromaCookery-These pictures are actual representation of the Fish and Chips served to me)

Venezia Cafe at Singapore Arts Museum

For those who love Gelato, you can visit Venezia Cafe at Singapore Arts Museum .... nice decor and free wireless internet if you want to chill out there. They play nice music, except that the CD plays over and over again and can be boring after the 3rd replay. I'm not much of a gelato fan, so only the mango gelato (which is a bit like sorbet) appeals to me ...