Kindly Yours - A collection of writings, thoughts and images. This blog does contain third party weblinks. No AI content is used.
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Monday, 27 May 2013
More than Congee - Comfort Foods
Congee - the word, all at once, brings up visions of fast food, socio-economic battlers, quick but piping hot breakfasts and warmth on cool weather nights. It is an efficient creation, for hard-earned rice is boiled until it amplifies to a more voluminous mix that is soft and gentle on the palates of the very young and elderly. Ubiquitous in East Asia, but surprisingly not at all in the Indian sub-continent, the history of the congee speaks of thrift, patience, sparing conservatism and caution. The congee is a dish that also calls up creativity and economy in use of scarce ingredients - be they bits of green shallot rings, ground pepper, slivers of tender chicken or thinly cut ginger. Yet, at the same time, the congee is also food that emphasises on freshness, quality and aroma. These days the congee feels right at home whether being served at yum cha sessions, food courts or in midnight cafes. Above photo shows a set of congee-filled bowls ready for consumption, together with a lemon grass leaf infused herbal drink, light soy sauce and vinegar pickled green chili cuts.
The sar hor fun - or stir fried wide rice noodles bathed in a stock gravy and laden with fresh choy sum vegetables, fish cake squares, calamari, barbecued char siew, deshelled prawns and juicy pork cuts. Cantonese in origin, the success of delivery and outcome for this dish depends on two critical factors - the heat of the wok used and the oomph of the stock gravy. It can be a messy dish to prepare - and as with most Asian food, require ingredients to be prepared before hand, usually cut into precise bite-sized pieces and with stocks to be made. The choice of ingredients, like the cut of the meat and where it comes from the butchered animal, is significant. Also available with beef and chicken, but rarely with lamb, this dish evokes in me the memory of the siew yeh, or supper, ala Hong Kong and Guangzhou. East Asians, together with South-East Asians and Mediterranean peoples, love the practice and concept of snacking before bedtime, and in Western countries, you can also see the hubs of eating, drinking and socialising beyond the midnight hour in many ethnic enclaves. This dish, in my mind, is fondly associated with my Dad driving my brothers and me out for a treat after normally curfew hours (sleeping time!) to a roadside stall to wait for freshly cooked servings, often packed with newspaper cover and banana leaf wrapping.
Banana cake slices (picture below) in the foreground , with slices of Star apples in the background. I find that such cakes are made with over ripe and aromatic bananas in Asia, a legacy of colonialism and East-West fusion from the 19th and 20th centuries, whilst in Australia, the bananas used are not so ripe and not so mushy. High tea implies cakes with sugar and spice, but banana cakes are more savoury than sweet. Are they better accompanied by a cup of tea, or by dunking in coffee? The penchant for habitually drinking tea became entrenched in Britain after a Portuguese princess married an English King - and coffee beans were introduced to Europe by the Arabs and Moors. So how did bananas came to be introduced into Western concepts of flour based cakes? It was in another continent - the USA, when the economic Depression drove ingenuity to utilise baking soda, baking powder and bananas to create something which could be sold and for which there was a market, when money was hard to come by. The banana cake recipe was first published in Pilsbury’s Balanced Recipes of 1933. Banana cakes (or for that matter, banana bread, when cooked in a loaf tin) do exude a warm feeling of welcome and warmth when coming home to. Banana cakes also remind me of school fetes and sports functions.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Chefs Gallery, Metcentre, Wynyard - Sydney CBD
Fresh, transparent and so Shanghai - from the origins of Din Tai Fung at World Square and the open kitchen concept at the Bathurst Street/ George Street outlet, this business model has now been transplanted to an area with heavy commuter traffic in Sydney CBD - the MetCentre, which adjoins the busy Wynyard Station. So I reckon the staff has to work even more faster and be more responsive in a location that has office workers, tourists and families coming out of the train system. At lunchtime, I have already witnessed queues reminiscent of Mamak's in Sydney's Chinatown and Chatswood.
The food is now familiar to the Sydney market - steamed dumplings, noodles in soup, spring rolls, relatively dainty servings served on small plates and petite bamboo baskets. The menu can be seen as a combination of yum cha, Shanghai snacks and drinks based on soy and the usual mainstream Aussie soft drinks. What makes this business work? Fast turnover, practical pricing and not too confronting food for lunchers and brunchers who do not have too much time to squander. Here they can have some hot food, as opposed to cold servings of sushi and sashimi ion Japanese take aways. Also open for breakfast, the early morning service has to be touch and go, pick up and take away!
My Chefs Gallery has thrived on food sets, bento styled lunches and tasting variety. Here at the MetCentre, the trend continues. Open only on weekdays, I reckon this latest joint comes heels on the experience at the food court located on level 5 in Sydney's Pitt Street Mall Westfield. With more selections available than the latter, this MetCentre is also a first for KaiSern Ching at the northern end of the city centre. It also offers more accessibility of this type of cuisine to the banking district. This follows the opening of Mr Wong's in a trendy alley site last year.
Will he cross over the Harbour and Anzac Bridges to the Asian populated suburbs in the future?
Saturday, 25 May 2013
The Fringe Cafe & Restuarant, Newtown - inner Sydney
A lazy Sunday morning in May - and one that was particularly hard to jump out of bed! There are clumps of cafes already open near the Dendy Cinema and the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts along the main thorough fare of King Street in Sydney's answer to Melbourne's Chapel Street - Newtown, accessible by both train and bus, down the road from Sydney University and a hub for a smooth and easy weekend start. Weather was rather perfect for the month of May - so far - and people like me were crawling out of the woodwork of a late Saturday night.
So we needed a wake me up call - and we found this in a corner cafe at the junction of Egan and King Streets. We were initially attracted to the mural graffitis along Egan, but I have always walked past the Fringe and wanted to check it out. Service was quick and informal. Seated near the kitchen may have got the food out fast but the young staff approached in a friendly manner. You could choose between bar styled benches inside or on or usual cafe tables inside or outside. I noted the distinct use of red in the decor, and I shall refer this cafe to as the Red Fringe in my own mind. Its long side is a bonus in my reckoning, offering more perspectives and better utilitarian options for guests in a rather crowded Newtown landscape.
Once again, the eggs stood out, especially my choice of scrambled. The coffee blend was on the strong side, not over milky and an oomph in taste. The Fringe is also a great place to watch the world pass by - and in this context, the parade of locals, day trippers, mates and shoppers. The morning menu at the Fringe is not over done and in my eyes just right, to fit their key markets of brunch, twenty somethings and a place to frequent for a resident. We did not feel rushed nor did we get bored. We could reply to sms texts from our mobiles, we could chat of the lazy things in life and we could catch up with friends. The ambiance is not rustic nor bohemian, it was just contemporary and clean. Having said this, the Fringe is also known for its grills in steaks and seafood at night.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Reflections 24
24 years in Australia and what this has taught me.
1. There can be empowerment in all this relative silence and remoteness. The genesis for an idea can arise when there is no artificial distraction. When some parts of the world buckle under congestion and pollution, never under estimate the uniqueness and advantage of relatively untainted spaces and capabilities. Always look for the differentiators and delights that the rest of the world hunger for.
2. What has not been used or encountered at all in one whole year does say some thing. It means either you never needed them, or that you have not been active enough to appreciate and utilise them.
3. What I have been paying for all this time? Expensive prices when compared to nations with larger populations? Late arrival of the latest product designs or the trendy movies or shows? Are big businesses milking us extra as Australian consumers just because they can? Is it because we have pricey costs to dish out in running a business here? The high Australian dollar in recent years, greater overseas travel and more confidence in on line purchases has made most Australians break free of such constraints.
4. The more things change, the more they remain the same. I look around and at times continue to experience deja vu, the fact that I have seen it all before. To commence meaningful changes, we look at ourselves in the mirror and take it from there to act and not just reflect. There is cause and reason on most occasions. There are individuals who take advantage for themselves, yet there are others who seize upon the advantage to help others. The eternal things that remain the same are inflation and gradual physical breakdown - prepare for these. So is sunrise at the beach, a child's laughter and a family feel.
5. Practice and routine does make it easier. Add another layer - timeliness in making decisions and doing things bring us to another dimension. At every age, give yourself time to face and make the hard decisions.
6. The more you give, the more you receive. The less you expect, the more happy you can be. Raise a puppy and spend time with people older and younger than your generation. Encourage and be encouraged in return, You liberate yourself from one of the chains of the human condition. Sharing the joy is more important than to be trapped in delusional self-importance, evidence of which can be seen in some people who do not realise this condition themselves as they continue to chase the smoke and mirrors of self-gratification.
7. Stepping out and embracing change is marvellous. Allow yourself occasionally to be surprised. That is what life is all about. Think of Nature and the seasons. Think of ourselves as shedding skin and allowing a better inside to breathe. Each of us is capable of being positively more than we ever know.
8. At times, I am not sure what to be convinced of anymore - especially from an overload of all types of media, trends and information. Be strong and have your own personal values. Remember to smile no matter what.
9. This has been a fortunate country. However, I lament the loss of the sense of giving to be replaced by what society calls the sense of entitlement.
10. Travel nurtures the mind and heart. Its worth may dribble and dilute through the years, but there is always an inner core of satisfaction and inspiration that it holds in our hearts.
11. Everyone of us does get into a rut - the trick is to recognise it first and then do something about it.
Rut comes in many forms, can be caused by no logical reason or person but in the end, only you can move on from rut to growth. When you rise above the water, make a point to celebrate.
12. If the first stop does not measure up, try another place. You owe no loyalty to people who do not commit to you. Such negativity are not worth considering anyway. In the end, they fade into our timeline like some fuzzy train on a foggy night.
13. Pay attention to detail.
14. Review, revise and reflect, but take action accordingly.
15. Sometimes, just make a stand. You may have to do so in an unexpected moment or in reaction to a long brewing scenario. Take care of yourself first before you can then effectively help others.
16. It is important as to how and when we pick ourselves up when some people throw stones at us.
17. Do something for others, no matter how small, when they least expect it - and do not expect anything yourself.
18. Grow as many flowering beds as you can. Plant as many seeds as you can, even if you know some will not germinate. Some day later, especially when you have forgotten about them, you delight in the fruits of such effort.
19. Recognise part of yourself in an apparent stranger. Put yourself in the shoes of the trodden, the bored and the oppressed. They do and shall rise one day in stature, motivation and influence, if only to start a family, but also if they contribute to your community and your values.
20. Enjoy the moment. Nothing else matters, as it soon becomes the past and the future is just a concept.
21. Savour the outdoors and its freedom.
22. Take comfort in your own personal anchor, as life is navigating yourself - and those you love - through a journey.
23. Make a difference - and be a difference that is refreshingly welcome.
24. Real friendship never goes away.
1. There can be empowerment in all this relative silence and remoteness. The genesis for an idea can arise when there is no artificial distraction. When some parts of the world buckle under congestion and pollution, never under estimate the uniqueness and advantage of relatively untainted spaces and capabilities. Always look for the differentiators and delights that the rest of the world hunger for.
2. What has not been used or encountered at all in one whole year does say some thing. It means either you never needed them, or that you have not been active enough to appreciate and utilise them.
3. What I have been paying for all this time? Expensive prices when compared to nations with larger populations? Late arrival of the latest product designs or the trendy movies or shows? Are big businesses milking us extra as Australian consumers just because they can? Is it because we have pricey costs to dish out in running a business here? The high Australian dollar in recent years, greater overseas travel and more confidence in on line purchases has made most Australians break free of such constraints.
4. The more things change, the more they remain the same. I look around and at times continue to experience deja vu, the fact that I have seen it all before. To commence meaningful changes, we look at ourselves in the mirror and take it from there to act and not just reflect. There is cause and reason on most occasions. There are individuals who take advantage for themselves, yet there are others who seize upon the advantage to help others. The eternal things that remain the same are inflation and gradual physical breakdown - prepare for these. So is sunrise at the beach, a child's laughter and a family feel.
5. Practice and routine does make it easier. Add another layer - timeliness in making decisions and doing things bring us to another dimension. At every age, give yourself time to face and make the hard decisions.
6. The more you give, the more you receive. The less you expect, the more happy you can be. Raise a puppy and spend time with people older and younger than your generation. Encourage and be encouraged in return, You liberate yourself from one of the chains of the human condition. Sharing the joy is more important than to be trapped in delusional self-importance, evidence of which can be seen in some people who do not realise this condition themselves as they continue to chase the smoke and mirrors of self-gratification.
7. Stepping out and embracing change is marvellous. Allow yourself occasionally to be surprised. That is what life is all about. Think of Nature and the seasons. Think of ourselves as shedding skin and allowing a better inside to breathe. Each of us is capable of being positively more than we ever know.
8. At times, I am not sure what to be convinced of anymore - especially from an overload of all types of media, trends and information. Be strong and have your own personal values. Remember to smile no matter what.
9. This has been a fortunate country. However, I lament the loss of the sense of giving to be replaced by what society calls the sense of entitlement.
10. Travel nurtures the mind and heart. Its worth may dribble and dilute through the years, but there is always an inner core of satisfaction and inspiration that it holds in our hearts.
11. Everyone of us does get into a rut - the trick is to recognise it first and then do something about it.
Rut comes in many forms, can be caused by no logical reason or person but in the end, only you can move on from rut to growth. When you rise above the water, make a point to celebrate.
12. If the first stop does not measure up, try another place. You owe no loyalty to people who do not commit to you. Such negativity are not worth considering anyway. In the end, they fade into our timeline like some fuzzy train on a foggy night.
13. Pay attention to detail.
14. Review, revise and reflect, but take action accordingly.
15. Sometimes, just make a stand. You may have to do so in an unexpected moment or in reaction to a long brewing scenario. Take care of yourself first before you can then effectively help others.
16. It is important as to how and when we pick ourselves up when some people throw stones at us.
17. Do something for others, no matter how small, when they least expect it - and do not expect anything yourself.
18. Grow as many flowering beds as you can. Plant as many seeds as you can, even if you know some will not germinate. Some day later, especially when you have forgotten about them, you delight in the fruits of such effort.
19. Recognise part of yourself in an apparent stranger. Put yourself in the shoes of the trodden, the bored and the oppressed. They do and shall rise one day in stature, motivation and influence, if only to start a family, but also if they contribute to your community and your values.
20. Enjoy the moment. Nothing else matters, as it soon becomes the past and the future is just a concept.
21. Savour the outdoors and its freedom.
22. Take comfort in your own personal anchor, as life is navigating yourself - and those you love - through a journey.
23. Make a difference - and be a difference that is refreshingly welcome.
24. Real friendship never goes away.
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