Today, for the first time, I used the A1 curry paste instead of the usual Earthen Pot curry powder. A1 cost a bit more than E.Pot because it has all the necessary spices mixed in it. For E.Pot, you may have to add some spices of your own. A1 cost $2.90 a pack and EP is $1.20.
Besides the coconut milk, one may also add some curry leaves to enhance the taste. You may buy the curry leaves from the supermarket (60c a pkt).
Instructions on how to cook the curry are on the A1's label. It's very easy and an amateur like me could cook a nice pot of curry by following the instructions.

The oyster omelette (Oh Luwak)@ AMK is marvellous

This afternoon I ventured into the Ang Mo Kio estate to have a go at the famous "339 AMK" oyster omelette. It's situated at Block 453A (Chong Boon Market & Food Centre) along AMK Ave 10.
It was absolutely delicious. I ordered the medium sized plate for $6. The oysters are big as you can see in the photos.
After finishing my Oh Luwak, I took some pictures of the stalls around the same food center. It was about 3pm and so most of the stalls were closed.

The Hokkien prawn fried noodles did not have a long queue as it used to be when the old hawker was the cook. I think he is semi-retired and let his son do the cooking.
Next, the Yu Fa Claypot Delights is another popular eating joint. It's famous for its curry sting ray, ginger pork etc. It's opened for dinner only.
All the above stalls are situated near each other. Car parking is free of charge on Sundays and public holidays. On weekdays, parking is $1.20 per hour (pro-rated basis)

IFM not guilty of smuggling..Boh Tong's conclusion

SIA cabin crew whom TODAY spoke to said they are aware of the incident, with one expressing surprise at news of the arrest.   
An air steward from SIA who declined to be named said he was “shocked” to hear that it was an offence to bring too much gold into a country. He also pointed out that smuggling items like gold was “definitely not a practice” in the airline industry.
He said: “We do know we have to declare articles, but perhaps some things like smuggling gold isn’t really emphasised. It usually (applies more) to currency.”
He also added that guidelines on bringing in gold or food products would “sometimes vary from country to country”.
Above quote was from TODAYonline  ..Read here

The gold items (gold chain and bangles) that have been brought into Delhi may not be construed as smuggling by the IFM (Inflight Manager). If he intended to smuggle,it won't be just those 2 items. In fact, he wore the items on himself and not hid them. If he had intended to smuggle then it may be in the form of gold bars that weigh much more. If you read the above statement by the steward it reinforced what I've stated. Most crew would think or taught to think that currencies declaration is more important in India.

Soya sauce chicken and mushrooms for dinner

I gave my wife a break from cooking and so I myself is in charge of cooking for the last few days. My cooking may not be as good as my wife's but it's not that bad. I like cooking and it's therapeutic .
The above black soya sauce chicken was cooked by me. Somehow, I loved it and I can't get as  good a taste as mine somewhere else.

Cooked soya sauce pork for lunch. Tasted good. Reason I like to eat at home is because the food is delicious and I do not put on weight as compared to hawkers' food.

SIA cabin crew arrested for trying to smuggle...

A member of the cabin crew has been apprehended for allegedly trying to smuggle 1 KG of gold into New Dehli. Anyone who does not declare the gold on him/her on arrival to the custom authorities will be deemed to smuggle into India. According to my source, the crew in question is an IFM (Inflight Manager). He is now being detained and interrogated by the Indian authorities.

Update on 24/1/18 

This is the second time the IFM smuggled gold into India according to the Indian authorities.
He was to pass the slightly more than 1 kg of gold chain and bracelet to an agent in Delhi.
His commission was S$500 for each occasion.

Read more

Forget about this nasi lemak lah

I came across this nasi lemak stall at the basement of Compass One which claimed it was the original Adam Road nasi lemak. I had the cheapest one from the menu, Kuning Fish Set at $4.90 and it was just ordinary which is about the same standard to those being sold at the hawker center and kopi shops (usually at $2.50). What pissed me off was that the curtlery and plate were made of plastic. How to eat the fried fish with plastic cutlery?

Cooking chicken curry@ home

I used the Earthen Pot curry powder which may be bought from the supermarket.

Things to buy:

1. Buy a reasonable size fresh chicken (about $5.60)
2. Also buy a packet of curry powder (Earthen Pot or Baba chicken curry powder)
3. Get a small pkt of coconut milk
4. Need a few potatoes
5. If possible get some curry leaves from the supermarket
6. Also buy a small bottle of cincalok (fermented shrimp paste)
7. You may use red chilli or sambal belachan (shrimp paste)
8. Don't forget to buy some lady fingers and tomatoes

Steps:

• Heat up the wok or frying pan
• When the wok is hot, put some cooking oil and pour the potatoes in it
• Remove the potatoes and place the chicken parts in the hot wok
• After a few minutes, remove the chicken
• Pour more cooking oil into the wok and when it is hot
• Put some curry powder (amount as per instructions on the curry pkt label) into the wok and fry for a while
• Then put the chicken parts into the wok and fry
• Add a little water and stir the chicken parts
• Place the potatoes into the wok
• After about 15 minutes add your cut tomatoes, lady fingers and curry leaves
• Turn the fire down to small and add some cincalok and sambal belachan or sliced red chilli and cover the contents for about 10 minutes
• Add some coconut milk and stir the contents for 5 minutes
• Turn off the fire and let it cool down for about 15 minutes
• Now the curry is ready to be eaten

You may eat with rice or bread......enjoy!

Roasted meat rice and Sichuan vegetable soup

Today(Saturday)I went to Serangoon Ave 4, Blk 214 # 1-88,SG 550214 to try the famous Kim Heng roasted meat. It was 12:30pm and there was a long queue. It took me about 15 minutes before I had my roasted duck and roasted pork rice plus a small bowl of Sichuan and pork vegetable soup.
The duck was quite good and moist whereas the roasted pork was crispy and a bit fat. The soup was good and worth ordering. The roasted meat rice was $5.50 and the soup was $2.50.

People took 4 hours in the queue to watch this fabulous display by Disneyland Shanghai.

Ramen and onigiri from Japan

I bought the soyu ramen and onigiri  from Japan and had them for lunch. Surprisingly, the ramen tasted better than the ones sold in the restaurants in SG. It's only 200 Yen or about S$2.20 for a pack. The onigiri were from a konbini near my in-laws' house.

Hainanese Chicken Rice and Bar Cho Mee @ Hougang Central

Was at Hougang Central and tried the chicken rice as well as the bar cho mee. Both stalls are at Seng Huat Coffee House (block 811, Hougang Central 530811). To avoid the long Q, go during off-peak hours. The chicken, chilli and rice was good. The bar cho mee was even better. They were $3 and $3.50 respectively.

Light breakfast before checking out

Dinner at the ryokan

The ryokan or Japanese Inn stay comes with 2 meals, mainly dinner and breakfast. The guests are not allowed to take photos of the hot spring bath due to privacy concern.
One day stay is about $300 to $500 per guest in a twin sharing room. It is expensive but worth every penny. The food is superb and the service is excellent. Besides, the room and hot bath is clean and refreshing.

Ryokan,Onsen at Beppu

Vacation in Southern Japan (Beppu, Oita, Japan)

Flying on SQ to Fukuoka, Japan for a short winter vacation. The destination is Beppu Onsen in Oita where a ryokan has been booked.
On approaching FUK Airport for the landing, the captain alerted the passengers to the cold weather, possibly with some snow. Temperature was 1C.
Boarded a train and off to the resort city of Beppu for a hot spring bath and a lovely meal.