LEAH's Kitchen: Black Pepper Prawn

One of our friend hosted a #potluck session at her new house last week. And since I had to come up with a dish for the gathering, I decided to give it a go for #blackpepperprawn. I've always loved the way my mom did her black pepper dishes but I decided that I shall venture into my own recipe without asking her for the recipe, grabbing some tips here and there from the internet :D
 
Feeling like a "Kiasu-aunty", I was so happy when I saw Sheng Siong was having a promotion for prawns, at only $14.90 per kg! Perfecto...! So I bought 2 kg, to cook for my friends, as well as for my own family. Oh, and I did a "bimbotic" act in the supermarket, refusing to touch the prawns with my own bare hands and getting the staff to select and weigh the prawns for me! LOL.
 

 

Black Pepper Prawns (15-20 pax)

 

Ingredients:

20 x Garlic (chopped)

2 x Onion (chopped)

A small bit of Ginger (sliced thinly)

4 x Chilli padi (smashed)

2kg fresh prawns

2 bottle of Black Pepper Sauce (Wohup brand)

Oyster Sauce

Grounded Black Pepper

Curry Leaves

Water

Salt

Ajinomoto

 

Instructions:

1. Pour oil into a cooking wok and start frying garlic, onion, ginger and chilli padi till fragrance.

2. Pour in the black pepper sauce and water (do not pour in too much. The amount depends on how watery or how thick you want the dish to be.)

3. Add oyster sauce, prawns and black pepper. Stir-fry the dish regularly.

4. Add in curry leaves, salt and ajinomoto to taste. Mixed dish until prawn is cooked (turns orange).

 

My Healthy Rating:

Prawn is high in cholesterol so I wouldn't rate this dish as healthy.

Those with health problems should eat it in moderation.



Freezing Cold #2DegreeIceArt Exhibition

It was an impromptu decision to visit the #2DegreeIceArt exhibition on Good Friday last week. Initially, we had planned to do a family picnic at ECP but Dad wasn't up to it. So both hubby and I made plans to date just like we used to - taking the train, visit someplace, had a pleasant dinner and end off with some good drinks and snacks in Clarke Quay. It was a date that we both needed much considering the frequent bickering that week (life is full of ups and downs ~).

The queue was quite long when we reached the exhibition. Damn it. We just walked miles from Marina Bay station to Bayfront station and have to join a long queue?! The exhibition better be good! LOL. So while waiting, what do typical Singaporeans do?

CAMWHORE... Duh. LOL

 



We waited for about 30 minutes to enter the freezing ice cold freezer-like looking cabin. No kidding, it was freaking COLD! I bet the real snow don't feel as cold as this. It feels as if we are live chickens being left roaming around in the freezer while the butcher waits for any of us to freeze to death and butcher our meat... urgh! Anyway, we had real fun even though the exhibition was only a small area...

Later that day, we went to Suntec for a light dinner and head on to Clarke Quay for some drinks (not alcohol okay!). We chanced upon this pub restaurant called "Aero"-something. Can't really remember the exact name but it was a nice place to chill! The staff were wearing those cool US-like Airspace Uniform and for once, I thought few of the guys were real military guys. Great ambience, with the spiciest buffalo wings and yummy salsa nachos in town! I know right, we just had dinner and yet we are eating again. And as if that is not enough, I drank 1 glass of "Pussy Foot" and chocolate milkshake.

Calories overloaded. SHIT. Haha.

Ok some random ranting for now - I just went for my waxing treatment at #StripSingapore #Ministryofwaxing and it hurts like a bitch. This is my 5th time and I still can't tolerate the pain each time I go for it. But hell yeah, certainly feels much cleaner, like a virgin baby :)

Haha!

Leah A A

LEAH's Kitchen: Stir-Fried Basil Beef

#Basilchicken has always been one of my favourite Thai dish. And when one of my friend told me she knew how to cook that dish, I was delighted! Of course, I would ask her for the recipe and try cooking it on my own ;p Why not since I can drown myself by eating a whole plate of Basil Chicken be it 100gm, 200gm or 300gm and it will still much cheaper compare to when you order from hawker stall. Heh.

I have tried cooking Basil chicken before and it was delicious ^self-praise^ huhu... I did a little twist this time round by swapping the protein from chicken to beef since I had some leftover minced beef from the previous cooking tryst (Fried Tom Yum Macaroni, will share this recipe soon!). Yup, so I made a full good use of the frozen minced beef and cooked #basilbeef for my husband.

Oh yes, I need to complain. I really hate defrosting meat. It takes forever to defrost. Bleah.

Thai Basil Beef (3 pax)

 

 

Ingredients:

1 x Onion (chopped)

4 x Garlic (chopped)

5 x Chilli Padi (varies, depends on the level of spiciness that you want)

250gm minced beef (can substitute for chicken)

Thai Fish Sauce

Light Soya Sauce

Sweet Soya Sauce (Kicap Manis)

Basil Leaves (just the leaves)

Salt

Pepper

 

Instructions:

1. Using vegetable oil, stir fry onions, garlic and chilli padi in your wok. Fry till fragrance.

2. Add light soya sauce, thai fish sauce and sweet soya sauce. Add minced beef and stir fry the beef till the meat is 90% cooked.

3. Add basil leaves and stir-fry till the leaves soften.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

My Healthy Rating:

This dish can be pretty salty since Thai Fish Sauce is being used here. Hence, watch out for the saltiness level when you add the sauces and salt to this dish.

This dish is best served with fragrance rich and sunny side up egg (malay call it "mata lembu"). Overall, I would say that the dish is a good source of protein if you cut down on the carbohydrate intake :)

LEAH's Kitchen: Creamy Chicken Pasta

My hubby had a craving for a creamy pasta and so I started googling for recipes to whip up something delicious. And I found something simple and fast to cook... #creamychicken ! A creamy pasta is not something that I fancy though but the thought of making it was enough to make me salivate. Recalling that my cousin used to use Campbell soup in her creamy pasta, I make it a point to include that in my recipe as well.

 

Creamy Chicken Pasta (3-4 pax)

 

  

Ingredients:

1 x Onion (chopped)

1 x Garlic (chopped)

Chicken Breast (cooked, shredded)

Chicken stock

Broccoli

1 can of Campbell Cream of Mushroom

Linguine pasta (depends on your pasta choice)

Low fat milk

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Parsley flakes

Salt

Pepper

 

Instructions:

 1. Cook pasta according to packaging instruction until pasta is al dente. Drain water and place pasta in a serving plate.

2. In a saucepan, cook onion and garlic in olive oil till the onion turns translucent.

3. Pour in the Campbell soup, milk and chicken stock. Regularly stir so that the sauce doesn't stick to the sides of the saucepan

4. Add in chicken and broccoli.

5. Stir until cook. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Pour the sauce over the pasta on serving plate.

7. Garnish with grated cheese and parsley flakes

 

My Healthy Rating:

Since the dish is high in carbo, I would rate the healthiness as 3/5.

To make it a healthy dish, try using a wholemeal pasta instead of the normal ones and use low fat milk.

 



Tick Tock Little Clock

Time check: 5.14 P.M.

In a few minutes time (45 minutes is pretty long!), I will knock off from work and meet my gf at Causeway Point. Hubby will be back late tonight and hence, I gotta find my own plans.

I'm getting bored here and trying to kill time by blogging away. So today, there isn't really any topic that I will be touching on. Simply ranting. ;P

I was checking flights to Bali in May and holy shit, the ticket is only $200 bucks by Tiger Airways! Should I? After all, it's been a long time since I go for a holiday right (yea right, recent one was only in Feb). Pfft.

Credits: Fiveinthechamber

I WANT TO GO BALI!

 

I WANT TO GO BALI!

Ok, stop being childish here. Yea, I know, I'm talking to myself here. So ignore me please.

I can't wait for tomorrow as I will be meeting a few contractors with regards to my house renovation. Finally, we are kicking our own butts to really be focused on shortlisting contractors. The process is quite fun but not the mooollaaahhh $$$$

And, I'm really afraid of getting conned by scheming contractors who might run away with your deposits. There are so many cases happening and who knows, the possibility of you getting pawned into such trap. Believe it, it happened to my own sister. So this part, I'm really cautious and pray to God that I don't have to deal with such ordeal.

I get very motivated each time I read Xiaxue's blog, especially on her house renovation. She is one lucky girl to get almost all things sponsored for her new house. How I wish I get the same luck... nah..

Our schedule for renovation will stretch to maybe about a year I guess. As we are not taking any bank loans, the renovation would be done in stages. It's like playing "The Sims" you know, except that there is no cheat code to get more money to construct things here and there. Nevertheless, I hope all will go smoothly as we enter into our 1st stage of renovation;

- Flooring works (yea, sucks. Our unit does not come with flooring so this part cost a bomb!)
- Electrical works
- Painting
- Kitchen base

And don't be surprised, these items alone can already create a hole in our pockets. Basically, all our savings will be gone. So you see, how to do all reno works in one shot. Pfft.

Credits: Reconnections

Time check again: 5.38P.M.

Yippee, how time flies! I'm going for my toilet break and knock off soon. Ciao!

Leah A A

The 1 Day Thrill at Adventure Cove

It came as a surprise for me when my hubby told me he had booked tickets to Adventure Cove. A rare treat but oh well... I was thrilled! He knows I love thrilling rides and was smart enough to get another couple for the adventure.

So last Sunday, on 30th Mar, the four of us had fun at Adventure Cove. It felt like a short retreat from the busy city and I was thankful for the companion and of course, my hubby for arranging this outing. During the outing, I couldn't help it but I was constantly comparing the rides to Wet & Wild in Australia which we visited during our honeymoon trip. Indeed it was fun and there are similar rides which are familiar but I would say the rides in Australia are definitely better.

**Disclaimer: All pictures do not belong to me. It rightfully belongs to Adventure Cove, and Wet'n'Wild website respectively.

Speed Racer VS Aqua Racer

Sadly, I didn't meet the weight requirement to try Aqua Racer (the min weight is 45kg). All thanks to the much weight that I have lost while trying to slim down for my wedding. Pfft. It was even more frustrating after queuing for so long and when your turn comes next, you were not allowed entry by the staff (I saw the requirements signboard too late!). So when I saw Speed Racer, I was so excited as I met all the requirements.

Verdict - Speed? I would rather much say "Glide". LOL. It wasn't scary and neither was it speedy enough. Looking at the architectural and design of the ride, I suspect that Aqua Racer would probably be more thrilling.



Speed Racer (AC)

Aqua Racer (WW)

Spiral Washout VS Tornado

Just look at the photos and you will know which is scarier. I swear to God I wanted to faint when I ride Tornado - I had some doubts on the design safety and was even worried if I wouldn't be thrown out of the "trumpet"-looking thingy. And when it came to Spiral Washout, I was pretty hesitant...

Verdict - I DIED AGAIN....NOT! Seriously, the ride made me laugh all the way. Not only was it not scary, we had to even try pushing ourselves to follow the water flow during the ride. LOL. Unbelievable.



Spiral Washout (AC)

Tornado (WW)

Adventure River VS Calypso Bay

This relaxing river thingy has always been my favourite in all water theme park. What could be so different right? Well, I was wrong...

Verdict - This time, I take my hat off for AC. I was impressed that they have tied some viewing of the underwater world species as part of the ride. So while you are relaxing on the float, you can admire those beautiful creatures as well. Wonderful!

Adventure River (AC)

 

Calypso Bay (WW)

There other rides which I will not spoil your fun before visiting Adventure Cove. Although in terms of thrill expectations, WW fare much more better but the visit to AC was worthwhile. What matters most would be the companions you go with. Lastly, would I go for the second time? Probably not.

 

Our GOPRO Moments

 

Cheers!

 

Leah A A