A Peek Into My Life in Aussieland!
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i lurve french fries... or wedges...
in cheese dips...
my gawddddd~ -
i love wedges too!!!!
but not wedgies.....
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Hey Hey, nice to hear that you are enjoying yourself! Yeah, those fish satay sticks can get expensive here... cost me $3.00 here... so I don't buy much now.Originally posted by Rhonda:Hey, brey! Adjusting to the life here and haven't done much exploring. These past few days have been a bonus week though! Visited the Melbourne Aquarium last Tuesday and thinking of becoming a member because I think I'd like to return again!
Then last Saturday, I went to Boxhill with a colleague who decided to drive up there and I was her lucky companion!
It felt so good to be in an area where you see a lot of other Singaporeans and Malaysians and Chinese! I even managed to get hold of a pack of those dried sticky round, flat fish snacks skewered on satay sticks! But, they were quite costly at A$2.90, whereas back home, they'd cost only S$0.60 nia. 
Today, that same colleague drove me up to the Queen Victoria Market!
My first time there! It's an interesting place but unfortunately, hard to get to if you don't have a car because think about lugging your trolley around in a tram! Besides, I'm pretty pleased with the groceries on offer at the Saturday Richmond Market.
I look forward to going on day trips next! There's so much to see!
Boxhill, its been a while since I went there. There are some nice food places there too... I love the QVM, really interesting place and I make it a point to visit everytime I am in Melb. Lots to see in Melb, I wish I could go up there more often...
You take care of youself and drop a line sometime...
Shalom! -
I was kidding on the potatoes thingy lar. haha. Sure can find some things better for them.Originally posted by Rhonda:Keychains / Fridge Magnets should be ok, bah?
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Ask for a fresh batch. They have no choice but to give it to you.Originally posted by av98m:I used to do that
But nowadays our local Mc fries standard drop liao. Sometimes you even get soggy fries
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ha.
my friend got the wrong burger. ate 3/4 of it and asked for the one he ordered -
That is an excellent suggestion. As a paying customer, you have every right to food that is fresh and hot.Originally posted by jetta:Ask for a fresh batch. They have no choice but to give it to you.
On those rare occassions when I do eat at Wendy's (the only fast food chain, in my opinion, that dispenses semi-palatable fare), I always ask for the fries to be freshly cooked. This will invariably delay my order for a couple of minutes, but the fries will be right out of the fryer and piping hot. Additionally, they are usually extra generous with the serving size as 'compensation' for making you wait for your order. -
Wah wah..........yoohoo..........gong xi gong xi........Rhonda...........
You have made yourself a cosy pad. Wah, sure know to enjoy life ley. Your TV screen big leh. How many inch ah? Are you watching dramas?
Wah, even kitchen so neat and you eat so healthy!!!!
So glad to read about your life in Melbourne. Tell us more, tell us more.
Take care and have fun. Looking forward to more updates.
edit: p.s. pai seh, i am a little late as i have been away from sgf for over 2 weeks liao. sister in town so playing tourist guide. -
i remb got one incident where a finger was found in the food thereOriginally posted by Meia Gisborn:That is an excellent suggestion. As a paying customer, you have every right to food that is fresh and hot.
On those rare occassions when I do eat at Wendy's (the only fast food chain, in my opinion, that dispenses semi-palatable fare), I always ask for the fries to be freshly cooked. This will invariably delay my order for a couple of minutes, but the fries will be right out of the fryer and piping hot. Additionally, they are usually extra generous with the serving size as 'compensation' for making you wait for your order.
is Carls' Junior there good?Gt 2 branches here..have not tried it yet -
yap, carl's burger is big and good. Think its better than buger king here.Originally posted by ceecookie:i remb got one incident where a finger was found in the food there
is Carls' Junior there good?Gt 2 branches here..have not tried it yet -
Giam si!Originally posted by the Bear:fish and chips in melbourne... yum.. lots of salt and vinegar.. wonderful -
There's no Sobe here.Originally posted by Wanda:Rhonda ah nia, I happened to see your lament about the lack of tau huay in Oz...
Well, recently Sobe came out with this product to make DIY tau huay at home. I'm not sure what's in the packet...it could be salt or something, add to the soya milk, micro wave and viola! one gets tau huay.
Well, if you can find Sobe in Oz... perhaps can try. Maybe I'll go get a pack and try it too.
I found an image below on somebody's blog....hope the blogger won't mind.
I managed to get Vitasoy at A$0.70 a packet though, so not bad! Or a 1.5 L (or was it 2L?) bottle of soyabean milk locally produced by one of the soya bean factories here for just A$2.20.
I've read the recipe for making tao huay before. I think that packet of stuff is some coagulant (hopefully not platelets! hahaha!
) that converts the soyabean milk into tao huay. Probably in the gelatin family but a milder version.
If you try it, tell us how the process was and how it tastes!
PS. Have been toying with the idea of purchasing a mini soya bean milk processor to make my own because the ones here are too darn diluted. -
soak, steam, grind, squeeze, boil = soy bean milk
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Hellooooo, littlestream! Looooong time no see! Glad that all's well with you and happy to see you back online!Originally posted by littlestream:Wah wah..........yoohoo..........gong xi gong xi........Rhonda...........
You have made yourself a cosy pad. Wah, sure know to enjoy life ley. Your TV screen big leh. How many inch ah? Are you watching dramas?
Wah, even kitchen so neat and you eat so healthy!!!!
So glad to read about your life in Melbourne. Tell us more, tell us more.
Take care and have fun. Looking forward to more updates.
edit: p.s. pai seh, i am a little late as i have been away from sgf for over 2 weeks liao. sister in town so playing tourist guide.
It is a cozy pad... to me. It helps to keep the blues away and I usually spend a lot of time at home so it's a good investment to surround oneself with nice things. Moreover, the stuff were all bought on sale, including the TV! The sales here can be super-duper good, man, unlike in Singapore where the sales appear to be a 'token' rather than the real deal.
A shopaholic like me can be quite happy here in Melbourne, especially with my proximity to town! Of course the range of stuff offered here isn't as wide as back home, but when it comes to grocery shopping and shopping for household items, Melbourne's good!
Bear's sis and I have been afflicted by the Supermart Syndrome - whenever we're stressed, or whenever we cho-bo, we like to go to our neighbourhood Cole's and spend time looking at the aisles and aisles of products on sale. Moreover, every week, there are specials on offer so my larder is very well-packed. I still plan my meals impromptu and I improvise often and because I cook for one, it can get quite challenging! For instance, if I get a bag of carrots at the Richmond Market on Saturday for just $1.50, for the next few meals, I have to somehow incorporate carrots! It was cute though - one Saturday, an Asian lady and me were looking at leeks - two bundle for $3, one for $1.80. So she approached me to split a bundle and we both went home with a bundle each for just $1.50! Economies of Scale at work on the micro level!
I'm into the 2nd week with bloody three more bwee-bwee carrots left! I could've sworn they seemed to have increased in size since I last saw them! So, bo bian, I can't keep rabbits so I can't throw the carrots at them, so today, to entice myself, I used a special Butterfly Mould on my sliced carrots so I get Carrot Butterflies!
Oh see, you ask me about my life and I get so carried away! OK, OK, I zip up liao... for now! -
Wash, dump into machine, press button, wait, dispense drink = freshly made soyabean milkOriginally posted by the Bear:soak, steam, grind, squeeze, boil = soy bean milk -
Yeah, Carl's good! But I think they unAmericanised the sizes of the burgers they are selling in Singapore because compared to the TV ads, they look teenier!Originally posted by SpeedStar:yap, carl's burger is big and good. Think its better than buger king here. -
you can use nigiri or calcium sulphate as cogulant to make tofu
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Originally posted by elindra:you can use nigiri or calcium sulphate as cogulant to make tofu
Oh! Is calcium sulphate known by a more common name? -
Epsom SaltsOriginally posted by Rhonda: Oh! Is calcium sulphate known by a more common name? -
Making Tofu at Home
Materials and Equipment
1 cup soybeans. (Soak overnight in 4 cups of water)
1 ½ teaspoon (8 mL) powdered nigari OR 2 teaspoons (10 mL) Epsom salts dissolved and thoroughly mixed in 1 cup (250 mL) water.
These salts are precipitants of the soy protein. The nigari is the traditional ingredient, and is an extract of seawater rich in calcium and magnesium chlorides. It can be bought in Chinese grocery stores and some health food stores.
Blender or food processor
Heavy cooking pot
Coarse Sieve
Strong, clean dish towel or heavy cotton material
Two other pots or bowls
Wooden spoon
Pressing device -- can be made from a 2 quart plastic ice cream carton. Poke bottom and side full of holes with a strong fork (poke from inside out). Cut down lid to fit inside container.
Method
Drain soaked soybeans, add 2 2/3 cups (665 mL) water and blend two cups at a time on high speed for about 30 seconds.
Bring 5 cups (1.2 L) water to a boil in a large saucepan. Brush the rim of the saucepan with cooking oil to prevent boil over.
Stir the soy puree into the boiling water and continue to heat on high heat, stirring often. When puree suddenly boils up take pot off heat immediately.
Line the sieve with the straining cloth and place over clean pot or bowl. Pour hot puree through the press cloth and sieve. Quickly rinse the cooking pot and rebrush rim with oil.
Twist and press the cloth to squeeze as much milk as possible from the grits.
Open cloth and gently shake grits and press again. Empty grits into 2 cups warm water in saucepan, stir and return to press cloth, squeezing out the additional milk.
Pour soy milk into the heavy pot and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat.
Add 1/3 cup (80 mL) of the precipitant solution while stirring vigorously 5 or 6 times. Stop stirring and sprinkle 1/3 cup more precipitant solution onto the milk. Stir a bit more. Cover pot and wait for curds to form (about 3 minutes).
Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup (80 mL) precipitant over surface of the milk. Carefully and very slowly stir the top ½ inch of curdling milk for 15 to 20 seconds. Cover pot and wait 3 minutes (6 minutes if using Epsom salts). White aggregates of curds should now be present in pale yellow whey.
Rinse straining cloth clean and use it to line your pressing box. Single layer of cloth, rest hangs over the top. Place pressing box and straining cloth in sieve and pour in the curds and whey. Drain. Fold edges of cloth over top of the curds.
Place pressing box in convenient container to catch whey. Put lid on top of folded cloth. Place small bowl 2/3 filled with water on top of lid and weight it down with a clean brick or similar weight. Leave 15 - 20 minutes by which time whey should have stopped dripping.
Remove weight and carefully place the pressed curds (still in the cloth) in cold water in a large bowl. Remove cloth carefully without letting pressed curds out of the water.
Leave curd cake under water until firm (2 to 5 minutes). You now have tofu. Cut and drain. It can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator in water. Change the water every day, and the tofu can be kept up to 10 days. -
Another one which looks easy...that was for tofu anyway
4 cups of fresh, natural soy milk
1 teaspoon gypsum powder
1 teaspoon potato starch
2 teaspoons corn starch
3 tablespoons water
Caramel syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Dissolve sugar in water and let it boil for 5 minutes. For thicker syrup, use more sugar and cook longer.
To this recipe you can also add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, vinegar, or a bit of ginger.
OR
Ginger Syrup
8 ounces fresh ginger
2 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar -
Wondering where in the world I can get hold of gypsum powder.Originally posted by elindra:Another one which looks easy...that was for tofu anyway
4 cups of fresh, natural soy milk
1 teaspoon gypsum powder
1 teaspoon potato starch
2 teaspoons corn starch
3 tablespoons water
Caramel syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Dissolve sugar in water and let it boil for 5 minutes. For thicker syrup, use more sugar and cook longer.
To this recipe you can also add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, vinegar, or a bit of ginger.
OR
Ginger Syrup
8 ounces fresh ginger
2 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
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I think you should try the asian food stalls or buy nigeri or what ever they call itOriginally posted by Rhonda:Wondering where in the world I can get hold of gypsum powder.
gypsum is called "Shi gao fen"
Nigeri is called "Suan Mei Shuai" -
bake shop..
or the bakery bit of the supermarket...
i think they sell it in those small squarish containers.. -
Sometimes, I wish that I had colleagues who are adventurous enough to share home-cooked food with each other. I'd love to try some of their food cause I've not tried it before, and to cook it myself would be a risk cause, what if I don't like it?
I'd love to try stuff like Artichoke, Fennel, etc at least once. These are vegetables we never get to see in Singapore so I'm really curious.
Like, couscous and polenta, have always wanted to try those but I'm not about to enter the supermart and purchase one packet of those, nosiree! Cause what if I don't like them? It'll be such a waste.
Oh well, I'll get to know a few more colleagues better and then see if they're into some meal exchange kinda deal so we don't have to cook every freakin' time!