It feels like years since I last posted. In reality, it’s only been a little more than a week. But it feels much longer. The past couple weeks have been really busy. My team at work has been involved in a huge project that’s taken up days, nights and even our weekends. But it’s now over, so it’s time to start eating and cooking again.
S and I did manage to squeeze one great meal in recently, on Sunday night. A friend of ours, food writer Kevin Gould (author of Dishy and Loving And Cooking With Reckless Abandon), was in town for the Singapore Writers Festival. We had him and a couple of other friends over for a home cooked meal. Because I’ve been so busy, S did most of the work. I made only the first course, Scallops with Herb Dressing, from a recipe from Jane Lawson’s Yoshoku. S made the rest of the delicious dinner: Roasted Duck Ravioli in a Sage and Butter Sauce; Oolong Tea Steeped Quail Egg and Pork Belly; and Sago Gula Melaka with Coconut Ice Cream. Unfortunately, I was too busy enjoying both the food and the company of good friends and I forgot to take any photographs until after dinner was over, which explains the picture above. (Actually, S claims that since I was seated next to and opposite two gorgeous young women I forgot myself entirely.)
S and I are slightly obsessive cookbook buyers. A good chunk of my monthly paycheck goes towards supporting both Border’s and Kinokuniya. One of our favorite recently acquired books has to be Jane Lawson’s Yoshoku. When S and I first saw it, I have to admit that we weren’t inclined to buy it. After all, it was “Japanese food western style” written by an Aussie whose work we weren’t too familiar with. But once we took a look inside, we knew we had to pick up this easy-to-use and gorgeous collection. Ms Lawson’s recipes looked both easy and delicious while Mikkel Vang’s pictures were both mouth-watering and clean.
Since picking up this book, we’ve made Ms Lawson’s Scallops with Herb Dressing and Shichimi Schnitzel. Tonight, we made her Pan-fried Pork Cutlets and Nashi. It was, as the other two dishes were, delicious. I’ve posted a rather large picture of it above. I’ve also flagged Ms Lawson’s Japanese Hambaagaa with Mushroom Sauce, Lamb Racks in Miso, Slow Roasted Duck with Yuzu Peaches, Soba with Sauteed Pork, Eggplant and Chillli, and Oysters with Japanese Flavours. I’m hoping that over the next few months we’ll have time to make all of these. And I’m sure that they’ll all be equally yummy.
On another, and slightly random, note, a number of wonderful fellow food bloggers kindly mentioned me and linked to me on Blogday (which was on 31 August). I just wanted to thank all of them and very, very belatedly do my own little part by mentioning three blogs that I only discovered a while ago and have been enjoying. Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit is a fun site by a very talented baker who specializes in, no surprise, cupcakes… which I love. Sweet Oven is a fun site by a fellow Singaporean who has decided to spend one night a week in one of Singapore’s fanciest French restaurants. I really enjoy reading Nosheteria. She knows her food and writes passionately and eloquently about it. Her site not only makes me hungry but always provides something to think about.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
