Prawns in Egg Gravy

Prawns in Egg Gravy

This is the perfect dish to go with rice congee on a cold fall day. The ingredients are basic, and it takes less than 15mins to prepare.

Ingredients:

- One red fresno pepper (sliced)

- 2 stalks of spring onions (sliced)

- 1 small handful of fresh cilantro (diced)

- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)

- 1 sweet onion (diced)

- 1 egg

- 0.75lbs of cleaned prawns

- 0.5 cups of water (more if you prefer runny)

Preparation:

1. Heat wok, and pour 1 tbsp of olive oil

2. Panfry the prawns until 75% cooked

3. Heat the wok again, and pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil

4. Stir fry all ingredients (other than the prawns) in the wok other than the egg and prawns

5. When the ingredients are wilted, add the water, continue with cooking for 2mins

6. Break the egg and cook for 1 - 2mins

7. Add the prawns, stirfry

8. When the prawns are close to ready, it should look like this.

9. Season with salt and sugar to preference.

10. Serve with freshly made, pipping hot rice congee. Enjoy!

Terrace Dining in Summer

One of the best things about summer is the open terraces at restaurants. There is just something so appealing, so luxurious and inviting about terraces. I am not sure exactly what or why, but I can safely say that it must be my trips to Europe that help me come to this conclusion. From Paris, to Geneva, to Amsterdam, to Madrid... the streets come alive with rows of little tables and seats arranged neatly for customers to enjoy the sun and their meal. In the US, the terrace culture is not as entrenched as the ones in Europe. Well for one, there is not much of a coffee culture in this country. Nonetheless, we managed to find some wonderful terraces to visit this summer in Chicago. These are the rare gems that should be shared with everyone! Ros

1. Piccolo Sogno

Dream a Little Dream...  and they will come true - at the very least, dreams about fabulous terrace lunches, surrounded by fountains and multi-colored leaves and the best tasting food. I recently became acquainted with Piccolo Sogno, after the many times that the restaurant had been recommended to me by a close Milanese friend.  Despite my trying to introduce him to other Italian places, he still swears by Piccolo Sogno, saying that it is the most authentic Italian place in town!  And... definitely the place was a wonderful oasis, which reminded me of what it was to lunch a late lunch in some lost terrace in Rome  or the narrow cobblestone streets of Capri.  Piccolo Sogno is located at the west end of the city, among not very pretty looking bridges and the remains of some of the Chicago Tribunes operation buildings.  But once you step in and set foot into the terrace, time stops and suddenly you are transported!  

We had one of my favorite dishes of all time - fried zucchini flowers and spaghetti neri with shrimp.  Love, love, spaghetti with squid ink and Piccolo Sogno's rendition of it was just spectacular!  All paired amazingly well with a pinot bianco.  So as summer finishes trickling through Chicago's unusually warm streets - this venture in terrace dining is something to be remembered and I am sure that Piccolo Sogno will be one of those favorite regular Italian restaurants we will want to visit on a regular basis. - Connie

The lovely terrace of Piccolo Sogno in downtown  Chicago.

A summer treat: Zucchini Flowers!

Black ink pasta with prawns in fresh tomato sauce.

2. La Creperie

We discovered La Creperie sometime in 2010, and what a happy find this turned out to be! Aside from the delicious crepes that it serves, we love its location, which is within a 10minute walk from home. So it is just a short hop away for us when the mood for crepe strikes! - Ros

A large menu of sweet and savory crepes to choose from.

La Creperie opens its terrace in summer and we get to enjoy our meal under wide umbrellas at the back of the restaurant. The umbrellas are colored red, blue and white - the national colors of France. On Bastille Day (July 14), the terrace gets decorated even more and one can't help but be part of the celebration of France's independent day.

We love the casualness of the terrace at La Creperie.

A sugar and butter crepe, and a glass of Orangina makes a lovely breakfast!

We each have our favorites at La Creperie. I started with the Nutella crepe but eventually grew to love Connie's favorite, the plain butter and sugar crepe (served with a serving of whipped cream) as per the above. The crepes are crispy on the outside but chewy and ever so buttery on the inside. Best eaten with a glass of Orangina or just a plain cup of Earl Grey tea. Such a simple, satisfying and amazing treat, to be savored with each bite! Ros

Bon Appetit!

Great Lake (Pizza) in Andersonville, Chicago

The shop front - very forgettable. It hides a true gem.

I wrote in my Facebook entry about the Great Lake.  I said something along the lines of '...Great Lake is the best kept secret in town.' and a response to that was that the Illinois Lake society said the same line before requesting a donation!  So...  The name - Not the most unique.  The place - could be passed by in a flash - and given full curtains, no signage indicating any presence of a restaurant, and pretty much the silence, one would not know if the place was open or closed...  But the experience - Unforgettable.  It is indeed true that Simplicity is the key to excellence.

So we decided to venture and try this wonderfully kept secret (not so secret now).  We arrived, not knowing if it was the right place or not and when we finally decided to open the door and step in into a 12 seat tiny place, we were greeted by 10 pairs of eyes and an 'invisible secret hand shake'.  The pizza maker and the pizza oven where visible a few feet away so we knew we were in the right place.  We ordered quite quickly and took a seat at a communal table, together with a wonderful suburban couple (running away from the kids); another couple with foreign accents; two 20 somethings women, enjoying BYOB root beer and us - the delimillis (multi-national Asians, art and food loving bloggers).

The waiting starts...

Only two choices of beverage: Orange soda or water.

We took our seats and waited.  All or our hearts (also the ones from the 10 other pairs of eyes) skipped a beat as suddenly plates with cutlery were brought to the table, as the oven seemed to open and close in a flash.  The first to get their pizzas were the child escaping couple - who were feeling even guilty to start eating as we all stared (our eyes suddenly joined the group of 10 in instant admiration of all things pizza). Soon enough we all got our pizzas and... HEAVEN.  Absolutely fantastic - Artisanal crust, with farm cheese, tomatoes and the freshest red onions thinly sliced.  Cooked into a bite that tasted of French onion soup with heirloom tomato, and basil mist.  Refined and rustic, the ying and the yang of Great Lake.  Best part was sharing the experience with the fellow diners, who were equally impressed and sharing their thoughts...

Our experience was a highlight and an adventure which we tried to capture through photography.  Verdict - a Must.  Decision - Will Try Again.  Final Comments - not only Two Thumbs Up but 10 Eyes Wide Open and Smiling! - Connie

The pizza finally arrived. Just look at that crust!
We had the Tomato Sauce, Farmers Cheese and Dante Cheese Pizza: eden foods organic tomatoes, cedar grove organic farmers cheese, wisconsin sheep dairy co-op (wsdc) dante aged sheep's milk cheese, california olive ranch (cor) arbequina extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, sel gris de guérande (grey sea salt).
Plus one extra order of tropea onion.

No guessing if we liked it or not. ;)

Curry Fever

We eat a lot of curry at home.

Chicken Curry

Beef Curry

Prawn Curry

Other than rice, here are the other possible accompaniments to curry. What a truly versatile dish this is!

Chicken Curry with Toasted French Bread

Beef Curry with Malay Savory Pancakes (Roti Jala)

Mmmmmmmmm..... we love curry!

Destination Singapore: Mission Food. Part 2 - Snacks

Every foodie culture has its arsenal of snacks to combat hunger pangs that hit in-between meals. They come both in sweet or savory versions. Typically, they are fast to cook or if not cooked personally - are highly accessible. During my trip back home, I took the opportunity to look for some of my favorite snacks growing up in Singapore. 

1. "Zui Kuey"

First up - savory steamed rice cake; fresh from the steamer, eaten with a cooked fermented cabbage topping. The topping certainly does not sound scrumptious, but it certainly goes very well with the relatively mild flavor of the smooth textured steamed rice cake!

"Zui Kuey"

2. "Ang Ku Kuey"

The most famous and highly distinctive version of this delicious rice cake comes in bright red color. Not sure if the color represents the flavor, but the version I get from a neighborhood bakery (as shown in the picture) is light purple and is supposed to the 'salty' variety. It is not entirely salty, the predominant flavor is still sweet from the red bean filling inside these cakes. The banana leaf that they are placed also contributes a lovely fragrance to the cakes. Goes so well with a cup of tea.

"Ang Ku Kuey"

3. Spicy Mini Shrimp Rolls

Usually a festive snack, but these days, one can get them from the supermarket at any time. I recall making them from scratch with my mom and sister during the Ramadhan; the month that precedes the Muslim festival of Eid. My mom would buy dried shrimps, soak them overnight, then blend them into a rough pulp. A sambal is then made and the pulp is cooked in the sambal until dry and crispy. The most tedious task awaits after the filling is done, that is to roll each and every one of these by hand. A laborious work of love indeed! The end result is truly deliciousness in a small pack! Spicy and crispy, it is very hard to stop eating them once one gets going! These days, my sister buys them from her contacts in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. They taste just as delicious... No matter what time of the year I eat them, they will always remind me of the time we made them from scratch in my mom's kitchen.

Mini Spicy Shrimp Rolls

4. "You Tiao"

These are favorite breakfast snacks, and definitely Chinese. There are many ways of eating them. In Singapore, they are eaten with rice porridge, sweet bean porridge, or just on its own, dipped in the local Singaporean coffee (see next item). They are made fresh in the market. I always enjoy watching them made so deftly by the hawkers. Moulds of clean, fluffy dough are kneaded into rolls, then cut into rectangular pieces about 3-4 inches long and 1 inch wide. A long line is then imprinted in the middle of this rectangular roll of dough (usually with a long wooden stick), then pulled lengthwise to stretch three times its length, before being placed in a wok of hot oil. The hawker uses long, wooden chopsticks to guide the frying process. In a few minutes, fresh, hot 'you tiao' is ready for consumption. Oh I love to witness this process. Also just so I get the freshest 'you tiao' to go with my cup of fresh brewed... (see below).

"You Tiao"

4. "Kopi C Kosong"

One can write a whole blog entry on the intricacies of ordering coffee in Singapore. I shall attempt to explain some of the more common terms here. Kopi is the Singaporean word for coffee - not too challenging to the imagination for sure. But what does 'C' mean? In Singapore, Kopi C represents coffee with evaporated milk (as opposed to condensed milk that one will get when ordering just 'Kopi'). Don't ask me how the 'C' came about - I do not know. Kosong is the Malay word for 'empty'. In the context of Singaporean coffee however, 'kosong' means 'without sugar'. So in summary, Kopi C Kosong means coffee with evaporated milk, and no sugar. Complicated? Wait until you mix all that with more terms like 'peng' (iced), 'kau' (strong). Hehe... this truly separates locals from foreigners in Singapore!

"Kopi C Kosong"

5. Local Bakery Cakes

This last Singaporean snack holds a special place in my heart. It represents everything luxurious and foreign in my 7-year old mind. A slice of heaven; that could be purchased for 30cents a piece back then. Indeed a small fortune for little Ros. I will get a slice (or two when I was feeling particularly rich) from a bakery at Block 18 in Marsiling Drive. I took delight and a lot of pleasure from the act of choosing a slice; but usually I would choose the ones with bright red jelly (I guessed them to be strawberry jam. Hence my favorite because of my fascination for all things western). Fast forward a couple of decades, I have since tried pastries in many pastry capitals of the world, but nothing can ever quite match the 'specialness' of these cakes. I look at them with a lot of fond memories; and 7-year old Ros never fails to resurface at the sight of these humble cakes; all her hopes and dreams - in a slice.

Local Cake

Special thanks to Mr Fang Leow of Singapore for an education on 'zui kuey' and 'ang ku kuey'. :)