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Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans

Serves 2 to 4 as part of a multi-course meal

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 pound green beans - rinsed, dried, and chopped to 2-inch lengths
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pieces ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Sichuan preserved vegetable (mustard root) - rinsed, shredded, and finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried shrimp, chopped
5 or 6 dried red chillis
1/2 tablespoon chilli bean sauce
1 to 2 drops sesame oii
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or salt to taste

Heat oil in a wok until just beginning to smoke. Add green beans and stir-fry, keeping the beans constantly moving, for about 5 minutes, or until the outsides begin to blister and the beans are wilted. Remove and set aside to drain on kitchen towels.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, ginger, preserved vegetable, dried shrimp, and red chillis; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return beans to the wok, and add chilli bean sauce and sesame oil. Add sugar and stir until well-combined. Salt to taste. Dish out onto serving plate and serve while hot.

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Ok my recent blog is my food obsession. I've eaten this dish, Shanghai Vegetable rice in HK. Highly recommended by my colleague. So far, those i had ordered in SG, cannot never surpass the one I had in HK

Shanghai Vegetable Rice

4 cups long-grain uncooked rice (serves 4-6)
4-6 chinese sausages, cut into 1 cm chunks
1 kg 'pak choi' cut into 2 cm lengths
1/2 bulb garlic, chopped fine
1 chicken stock cube or home-made stock
1 1/2 t. salt

1. Fry the sausages till lightly browned. Remove. You can use the oil that has seeped out from the sausages (saturated animal oil but fragrant!) or use veg oil, then fry the garlic 30 seconds, add the veg and 1/2 t. (teaspoon) salt and fry till veg is reduced to half, or wilted. Remove.
2. Wash the rice, add stock/water upto level 2 1/2, top it with any water that has seeped out from the veg. (Remember that the veg will give out more water as it cooks and you don't want a soft mess, but you also don't want rice that's too hard or uncooked in the middle). Add the sausages, remaining 1 t. salt and crumble the stock cube (if using) over the rice. Stir and set it to cook.
3. Let rice cook till it is almost done boiling. Add the veg; do not stir. Quickly close the lid and let the cooking continue.
4. When the rice is done, press the cook button again to let it cook a while longer.
5. Before serving, stir the rice well to mix everything together.

Note: If concerned about the lard in the sausages, reduce the sausages to half and make up with lean diced pork marinated with salt and white pepper. My MIL now omits the sausages altogether and uses pork or chicken, for health reasons. By the way, Shanghainese food is known to be the oiliest (not getting back at my MIL; its a fact) among all Chinese food so don't scrimp on the oil when cooking this. In fact, the traditional way to cook this dish is to fry the uncooked rice in oil before boiling it but really its extra work plus extra oil. In my pic the rice is too soft; blame it on my helper, Vero!

Recipe taken from here.

I'm so gonna bake it!!!

large eggs
1 extra large egg yolk
5 tbl butter
3 tbl sugar
3.5 oz. dark chocolate (this is one standard chocolate bar)
3 tbl flour
2 tsp cocoa powder
*Bake at 425 F, in water bath for 15 mins.

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S1 : Where's for dinner?

S2: Any recommendation?

M: Go Indulgz Bistro lah! Xiaxue recommended 1 leh. U read her blog - http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/2006/12/indulgzing-is-not-just-for-super-rich.html

S1 & S2: Let's go! =)

By this point of time, three of us were reli (REALLY) excited and looking forward to the dinner.

When we reached the restaurant, a group of teenagers already occupied 1 whole stretch of the dining area. I believed they are the fans of xiaxue too. Why? They dress like her. They put on the same kinda makeup like her. They swear like her. THEY ARE IMPOSERS!!!

The music is nice and smooth … the atmosp there were kinda chill and cool. The waiter serve us the menu (no water yet). HMP. 

S1 : Don't know what to eat leh.

M: I want to eat the mushroom thing.

M: And the calamari too.

S2: why u order so much.

M: We shared ma. 

M: I want the mushroom wrap!!!

S1: What u all want to drink huh?

M: Cocktail got 2nd glass got 50% off. Let's order that.

M: Oei! Hoegarden got 3 for the price of 2 Let's order that!! 

S1 & S2L: Okies!

After ordering, it took some time before our drinks come (still no water yet). Our hoegarden beers came. After a sip, ermmm … yr hoegarden taste weird anot? Ermm .. they put lemon is it? How come taste so funny? They add water is it? After sometime some debuting, i cannot take it. “Excuse me!!” I waved my hand up. “Sorry, the beer taste kinda weird. Did u happen to add something to it?”. The waitress “sorry, i help u to get a new one. How abt the rest?”. “ya, same.” i replied.

She came back after a while and took a new bottle (explanation: ours came in mug not in bottle) and pour right infront of me and apologized b4 she walk off. We were waiting for her to come back & change the other 2. Waiting waiting & waiting…. nothing leh. Nvr come back leh. Then we talked among ourselves.How come only 1 bottle? How like that? U drink mine ..the same like yrs anot? Different right? Mine is light, while yrs got a bitter aftertaste. How? Want to change? S1 insisted “the same la”. S2 said she can't tell the different. So we let go of the matter.

Our food came .. what a disappointment too.

:( It taste funny too till i've no word for it. After that, i lost my appetite, no more photos taking of the horrible restaurant. The calamari tasted of flour. Only a few lumpy rubbery pcs. My mushroom wrap *sob* fill with veg and only a few pcs of sliced mushrooms. DISAPPOINTMENT DISAPPOINTMENT DISAPPOINTMENT . Is all I've to say.

I left the restaurant filled with unhappiness, hunger and burn a hole in my pocket. No way I'm going back there. And then again, do not listen to blogger's recommendation. then again, u nvr know how good or how bad if u nvr try. Oh that was a BAD TRY. Oh well.

Dear Winnie,

I want u to understd that it is totally not my fault. I wanted to stop @ 2. Syikin is the one who insisted 3… saying 3 is a lucky number which is oh so true. We shd listen to her. Oh hope u 2 don't LS

Love ya 

Hmm .. Look what i found while drinking in McDonald. I could have choke to death (ok, i'm abit drama)!!!

Still u know what i mean!