Chiffon Pink - Le Creuset

*pic courtesy of Le Creuset Singapore

Received the usual monthly newsletter from the group and I'm not the person who will click on most newsletter and this one caught my attention from its header. HAHAHAA women are suckers for anything in pink I guess? Prollie not all, but most of us do. Especially when the cast iron lid was styled and shot among the beautiful blooms of peonies.

*pic from Cuppa.org.za

Christmas is around the corner, so why not get something really nice from Le Creuset. It's available in multi colors to suit the lucky recipient and occasions. I know I would be happy to receive one or two even if it's the non-cast iron ware. 

So far at home, we've been collecting a multitude of colors including grey....yes grey...-_-" my dear Mr. JS only loves rustic colors.

For more info:

http://www.lecreuset.com.my/

Le Creuset Utensils

Le Creuset's products are of exceptional quality, especially their cast iron wares.

But for Monkey who's so vain beyond this celestial world, it's all about Le Creuset's aesthetic look!!!
because even if I don't use them, they looked so PRETTY in my kitchen!!!!
wahhahahahhaa *u may now whack my head with watever pots u have*

Just like for my handbags, I do collect them by colors.
JS said I can merchandise all my Bottega Veneta bags by colors by season by year by production!!
it's then that I'll argued he can merchandise all his wines by parcel, by winemakers, by vintages.

enuff said......there's no ending to this argument bcoz both of us knew, we have passions beyond words which is so weird. He'll stare at his collection sighing passionately like they were his most precious thing while Monkey will occasionally sniff sniff her leather goods to the horror of JS.

JS: "Did I see u opening the dust bag to sniff at that Chanel???"
Monkey: "WUT?? U can sniff all the wine corks u want!!!"

knowing how vain I am, Hot Mama Thevi got Monkey something to match her pot and her upcoming passion for baking hahahahahaha...yes upcoming I said.

Ta-DA!!!!!! in Caribbean Blue!!!
to match with my oval shaped Le Creuset French Oven
*read about it here*

Thank you Hot Mama Thevi!!!
I lurve it!!! been using it ever since hehehehehee :)))))))))

Tmrw I am invading the Great Sales *again* and can't wait to lay my hands and eyes and my exhausted credit card on them!!!! woohoooooo

www.lecreuset.com

Steamed Orange for Coughs

Monkey has been coughing her lungs out for the past 10 days....and still coughing. I've been downing the strongest cough syrup that knocks off an elephant plus I dunno wat kinda pills and lotsa other medications and yet the cough wouldn't go away. Every inch of my muscles are in pain from the involuntary coughs.

So Si Fu Lawrence recommended this remedy and I did it wrong -_-
yeah yeah according to him I can never follow instructions and according to ME he can never give proper instructions. It must be precise. If it's gear 2 it's a 2...there's no such thing as in between. If it's 500 metres away it must be exactly that....not off by a street away, or diagonally off bla bla yada yada.

So the instructions was to loosen an orange, add a tablespoon of unbleached rock sugar and double boil it for 75 minutes....I don't have organic unbleached rock sugar, so normal one will do. When I am this sick, I can't be asking for the sky.

Double boil it...
Yellow is my favourite color this season :)))) Name of this color is Dijon, if you are looking to get it fr your nearest Le Creuset retailer.

The smaller Le Creuset pot is a cute lil 16 inches cast iron pot for my instant noodle, or for my baking. Especially when the process of "melt-the-butter" is needed. While the larger one is another heavy cast iron Soup pot that can take up to 3 1/4 qt of liquid.

Si Fu Lawrence then asked me to use a cover that's non-condensation type to cover it and boil for 75 minutes.

Wat the hell is a non-condensation cover????
then I found out I can use a bamboo cover, well that's all I got at home....can't ask for the sky again. Hello Si Fu, this is only a steamed orange, why so complicated? unbleached rock sugar and now non-condensation cover...
>.<

so after 75 minutes I removed it from the heat and AIYAK!!!!
my orange laid flat PIAK
-_-"

"So wat's next?"
"Eat the whole thing and drink the juice."
"HAH? including the skin?"

Si Fu -_-"
"ONLY.THE.FRUIT.....no skin...."he must be grinding his sets of teeth speaking to me

sorry, u gotta have patience with me.
it tasted OK, sweet, errr like a cooked orange?
weird...

then another friend said I did it all wrong. I should just splice only the top, put a tsp of salt, cover it back and steam for 2 hours....I tried that too.

My cough is still around.....any remedy??? I need to fly off in a few days time and this is not looking good.
:"(((

New Year HamBurgers Luncheon

Shell Shell, Nee Lee, Mee Mee and Bee Ree....all standing tall next to my mini christmas tree
the luncheon was more than a month ago >.<
sorry roomees!!!! Too many posts lining up behind one another, I still have stuffs from last year to be posted.

It was our first time celebrating 1st of January together....
we were munching on cookies, slurping maggi curry and sipping milo in our rooms together back in University years...but we've never really celebrated New Year together - though we were physically next to each other...again in our room...rushing up assignments/revision. 

Nah!! Actually we weren't that of geeks though I am proud to say the 4 of us are graduates with Honors degree *with double degree as well* specializing in our own field. Now one is a chartered accountant while the other is pursuing a PHD. So instead of doing revision in our rooms, we usually were bz clicking mouse playing games on our computers, ignoring each other....instead Yahoo Messenge-ed each other should we need something.

Bee Ree to Nee Lee: Hey I m heading out. Bye.
Nee Lee: Ok

and off I went out fr the room....that's how I inform my roomates who are physically inside the same room, sitting just a few metres fr me...wuahahahahaha.



Chef JS at work
Monkey suggested building our own burgers-lunch and he has got no choice but to stick up it.

His duty was to make the meat patty fr scratch, fry the fries while Monkey do the rest.
and my guests' duty is to stack their own burgers with ingredients of their choice.

and at 12 noon, my guests arrived with pressies!!! oh yes belated xmas pressies...hahahaha.
the moment the door bell rang.....Chef JS started his grilling process of all the meat patties. He's so precise when it comes to timing.


Monkey was also BZ hahahahahaha
bz snapping pics :P
but I prepared the rest of the ingredients!!!!

I took out all my Le Creuset wares to play that day...then we realised we've got almost most of the colors, except those that we didn't like..but never know, maybe just for the sake of having the FULL color collection, Monkey may buy colors like purple and dune - which weren't my favourite

Avocado, Mizuna, Aragula and Baby spinach salad
yeah it looked dry bcoz the dressing were not there yet and I dunno why the avocado looked like this on the inside...the best way to cut greens/vege/fruits is with a ceramic knife...my fav tool in the kitchen.

presented in a Le Creuset Oval French Oven in the color Caribbean


Coleslaw presented in a Le Creuset Round French Oven in the color Dijon
so far this is my fav color :))))))))))))


some crisp fresh lettuce and more aragulas for the burgers
presented in Le Creuset Round French Oven in the most famous color of its collection - Flame


Crispy bacon for the burgers presented in Le Creuset Heritage Rectangular Dish in the color Kiwi
this color has been discontinued and I am glad we have it :))))


Succulent Pork Meat patty...with cheese on top
presented on a Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet in the color Cobalt
this color has also been discontinued....they were clearing it in Tangs Singapore, Monkey spotted it and got it home :)))))))))))
in fact all these Le Creuset wares were bought overseas~~~~


The most important ingredients for Burgers is the bread
presented on a Le Creuset Signature Square Skillet Grill in the color Cherry
this was our oldest Le Creuset and the only one bought in Malaysia

Monkey was searching hi and lo for the burger buns...usually it's so easy to get but 3 days prior to the luncheon....we couldn't get it anywhere from all the damn supermarkets...T.T
thank goodness Nee Lee to the rescue....
TQ TQ TQ!!!!!


How to build a burger without fresh tomatoes??? but I'm not a tomato person :P
I dunno the name of this lil coccote in Le Creuset's collection bcoz it's not listed in their website but the color is definitely Dijon :))))))


Pickled Jalapenos!!!!!
my favourite :))) Pork burger must have jalapenos while beefburger must have gherkins :)))

thinly sliced onions!!!! presented in a yes...it's a Le Creuset...limited edition christmas pudding dish
I am so Le Creuset-ed out now :P

and finally some fries which wasn't so nice...we seldom consume fries and didn't know which brand is good....so just grabbed off the chiller in the supermarket >.<
presented in Le Creuset Oval Oven Dish....hmmm can't see the color from this pic but it's my favourite color Dijon :))))))))))


Finally all the hungry guests got to assemble and stack their own burgers with their desired ingredients. Oh yea JS also made the burger sauce....recipe fr Heston Blumental
I tell u...it's the ultimate burger sauce....as good as McDonald's Big Mac sauce

90g tomato ketchup *we used Heinz*
145g of Mayonanaise *Heinz as well*
15g of French mustard

so so so so easy and so so so yummy!!!!

After that day JS was so into burger making that he made BEEF BURGER a few days later..
this was a beef burger in case u are wondering how come there's sesame on its bun
a few days later, we hosted another BURGER LUNCH
now that's why my face had been so round like a burger :P

 Beef burger was so much more awesome but not all my roomies take beef hence we had pork on the 1st....

Beef burger was yummy bcoz 50% Angus and 50% wagyu
when JS told the butcher he needed it to be grinded and prepared accordingly...the seller almost popped out his eyes!!!

"Sir u want to grind your wagyu????" sounded so alarmed
JS: "Yes, I need it grinded this way...bla bla bla and then you must pack it this way bla bla bla bla."

such specific instruction, I had to giggle at the poor guy working at the counter. He must be shaking inside bcoz if he grinded the wagyu meat and that's not wat the customer wanted...it's gonna be deducted fr his salary!!!!!

JS this was so SEDAP lah!!!!!
please make beef burger again!!!!!

My guests lurve to watch him at work.....
think he's cutting some Turkish delights flown in all the way, hand carried from Turkey


Baby Jae wearing the elephant shirt I bought him
He lurves to cling on to his mommy all the time

Rose Turkish Delight, Hawaiian chocolate Macadamia Nuts and Strawberry Cream Tarts
Every meal must end with something sweet :)))))))

Monkey didn't manage to snap a lot of pics, so half of it were stolen from Nee Lee's camera :)))
hehehehehe thank you. next time we must designate a photographer and definitely can't be the host and hostess coz they will be too bz hosting :P

 a few days later after our Burger making madness....JS went to Kinokuniya and saw his fav magazine....hahahahahah and text-ed Monkey

"See, they COPIED me OH!!!!!"
yeah rite -_-" magazines work 2 months in advance...this was probably shot a month ago, and the theme for the magazine was set 6 months ago :P

we definitely couldn't stack a decent burger like the cover of this magazine coz we weren't Food Stylist!!! oh if u are wondering that's a profession ok!!!

if u want the recipe, please msg JS
tee hee hee...I can only eat :P
Hope my roomies had a great luncheon :))))

Le Creuset Sale

Hot Mama Thevi sent me the above flyer yesterday and I went berserk!!!!

when the whole Malaysia was bz with Nasi Kandar and Baskin Robbin
we, the ladies, were more intrigued by the Le Creuset sale
HAHAHAHAHAHA
but none of us have the time to attend >.<
aiks.....why did they do it on a weekday??? though I'll be around that area this afternoon for meetings...STILL!!!!

or maybe......just maybe I can ask my business partner to meet me at that building after all her office is in the same building :P
nah!!! my schedule is too packed today and tomorrow with endless meetings and me dashing around from shops to shops
plus, I don't think all nice the colors are on sale...I suspect it's usually the non sell-able colors like "Dune" = the creamie white color

see wat I mean???? Dune is so boring but nevertheless the are ppl who adore this color
*oh well if Dune is a color*
**hmm...well just like me driving a white car...of all the colors...but then I love it**
***on another note, JS is forcing me to change my car in these 2 months.....I dunno wat to get....I told BMW I will change to Audi and booked for test drive......BMW ppl almost murdered me....oh well that's another interesting story to tell another day....***

so u see Dune ain't pretty at all...and it's so difficult to maintain *but definitely not hard to maintain my WHITE CAR hohohohohoho*
at home in JS's semi-industrial kitchen, we have Caribbean, Cherry, Flame *The most popular color of all* and Dijon
I lurve Dijon so much then and got some bakeware range in that color
Bought Marseille and gave it to Si Fu
didn't like cassis so we dun have it

my favorite color for the moment is Caribbean and we got this exact Oval French Oven
got it at a sale in Tangs Singapore for SGD 220????
Msia was selling for RM 1,800????
*slam head onto cast iron*

with such price differential, I didn't mind lugging it from Singapore - Malaysia
there was once we got Si Fu to lug it for us :P
heheheh soli sir...but thank u so much sir

aaaaaaaAAAAAhhhhhh.............
now my favourite color is Fennel :))))))))))))))

okie let's think of wat to get
they have a range of cookware and bakeware, also tableware and utensils
anyway those who are interested pls do head down to Wisma UOA II at level 16, only from 8th till 10th August only

meanwhile...I'll get my fennel Le Creuset next week in Singapore
:))))))))))))))

for more information please visit:
www.lecreuset.com

Chicken Dopiaza

Chicken Dopiaza is an indian dish

*wat? u tot it was Mexican???*

u can also call it 2 Onions Chicken coz "Do" means double and "Piaza" is onion

well u should know Mr. JS by now

when it comes to cooking, everything from scratch

that includes grinding his own spices and curry powder

the above pic was some home-grinded Garam Masala

GAH!!!! my house smells like an indian curry grinding house

kekekkekekekekekeke

but it's a nice smell me like very much :))))))

Recipe requires 2 big onions
get the big red ones coz they are sweeter
cut one into thick slices while the other one into thin slices
and of coz do separate em


Off topic:
we got these stainless steel mis-en-place holder at Cyprus
HAHAHAHAHAHHA
yea impromptu kinda shopping but we can't find them in Malaysia
anyone knows where to get these squarish stainless steel mis en place holder?
they comes with plastic cover

about 1kg of chicken and marinate em with yogurt

DO NOT use the sour yogurt, if u can't find the curd then add sugar to the commercialised yogurt

Mr. JS deviated a bit and added coriander :P

5 green chilies *they were leftovers from my green pickled chili experiment*
1 tbsp each of garlic and ginger paste

some other spices needed for later use
my spice project needs expansion coz now we have so many types of pepper from pink to mixed to Cubeb pepper and also this LONG pepper
*click here to read about our Spice Project last year*

so fry the THICK sliced onions till it's soft

these onions are so pretty....I mean the color

they were from Australia

Mr. JS is alwiz this EPPY when it comes to cooking

but sorry u won't see me face like this when I do the dishes

JS: "But it's only loading the dishes into the dishwasher!!!!"

Monkey: "eeehhh!!! need to rinse 1st u know???? and arrange them properly inside the dishwasher"

yeah I'm such a perfectionist I even merchandise my dishes inside a dishwasher like someone gonna SEE it??? :P 

ppppffffftttttttt~~~~~~

as we were arguing, the onions softened 
and it's time to take them off the heat unto a plate

huaaaaa hahahahahahha
no Indian cooking can escape GHEEE

errrr looks like a lot????
anyway the RECIPE didn't say it needs GHEE
so this Mr. JS innovated again~~~~ based on his taste preference and profile


ehhh u just got well leh....dun whack like there's no tmrw!!!!
oh yea wat r u doin cooking CHICKEN???? AGAIN???
but no complains coz I'm so deprived of poultry ever since I met u


well when it comes to LOVE there's bound to be sacrifices rite???
hmmm in this case, I sacrificed Poultry and HE had to sacrificed his WARDROBE space
KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA
oh wait....does that mean now that u r cooking chicken, I have to surrender that 40% of space I took from u???????
*bitting nails~~~~~~*

so with the ghee add in the remaining THICK onions, ginger and garlic paste
at this moment, the smell was CRAZY~~~~~

then throw in 1tbsp of each of the spices I've shown earlier
Turmeric, Coriander, Red Chili, Cumin

dunk the Chee Keen in!!!!!!
hmmmm I just realised he used his PASTA pan to cook -_-"
pasta pan are meant for pasta not stews/curries
next time u use the other NEW Le Creuset ok???
it's still sitting there and yes still a virgin

and dun forget the green chilis!!!!!
it gives it that spicy green freshness profile to this dish!!!
add some water~~~
and u have to leave the chicken to cook COVERED till all moisture evaporates~~~~
that's about a few mins I guess

while waiting
fry some greens!!!!
wat do u call these?
I bought them but dunno wat's the name
Pok Choy????

almost there~~~
but my STOMACH already THERE!!!!!

Finally~~~~ add the 1st batch of sauteed onions
and all the garam masala pounded and grinded earlier

cook for another 1-2 mins
GAHHHH I dun like to wait for food!!!!
so torturing :P

and it's DINNER TIME!!!!
since we didn't use Le Creuset to cook....at least we used it to store the chicken
hahahhhaa
this oval dish is in a nice BERSIH YELLOW color
Name of color -- Dijon

aaaAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa
super SEDAP!!!!
so sweet thanks to the caramelised onions

yes Mr. JS eats chicken now
hehehehehe next we'll educate him to eat Duck, Goose, Pigeon, and also Patridge
yeah the Patridge on a christmass tree hehehehehehhehe


do give this recipe a try folks.....
if u r too lazy to grind the garam masala u can buy a ready made one at the supermarket


simple yummyy home cooked food
I would love to have this again sometime nearer in the future
hehehehehehhhehehehe
*JS rolled his eyes*
but he promised that he will make Chicken Pie for Monkey soon
:)))))))))))))