Yummy Japanese Sunday!

Before school starts, I learned how to cook a new dish. Black pepper chicken with Udon. A Japanese inspired dish and one of my favorite! Fiance's relative, Aren, is a chef and he was offered a job in Australia few years back. With all the experience and knowledge, he came back to Singapore, work around forawhile and started to create his own sauce with an appealing recipe at the back!

 I went to Aren's product launch the day before. I didn't know was on for me but I was so pleased to find out that I was in a 'learning how to cook' session. Yes, yes, stop nagging already.. I know it is time that I start to learn how to cook! Anyway, he was promoting this sauce (below) and an all purpose frying flour. He taught me how to cook fish fillet, onion ring, fried chicken, calamari and black pepper chicken too! It was my first session and I came unprepared. I didn't take down any notes but, not too worry. I can always ask my fiance to write it down for me.. I will cook one of these dishes one day using his all purpose frying flour and share it with you!

I've been to a few Japanese restaurants but not many of them serve dried/fried Udon and the cost of one serving, according to him, was about SGD$8? Thanks to Aren for teaching me how to cook this dish. I didn't know that it was so simple to prepare! FYI, this sauce is not sold in our local supermarket yet. I am one of the lucky few who was present at his product launch and manage to buy one home to cook this!

This is what you will need:

Capsicum: Wash and cut it nicely.

Onion: Peel the skin and slice it nicely. Wear shades if you have sensitive eyes.

Sliced chicken and no bones. You can get it pre-packed at any local supermarkets.

Udon fresh noodles. Pre-packed by per serving. I got in packs of three for about SGD$4. Worth it.

Personally, I think it is best to use olive oil for this..

SIMPLE steps on how to prepare Black Pepper Chicken with Udon.

1. Use a pot first or anything that can hold boiling water. 
2. Boil water first. 
3. Once it is boiling, add a bit of olive oil and salt to increase the taste of the Udon. 
4. After that take the Udon noodles out from the pot. 
5. Switch to a frying pan. 
6. Add a lil bit of olive oil and spread around the pan. 
7. Throw in the chicken first to cook it. 
8. Once it is cooked, add the capsicum and onions together with the Aren's Black Pepper Sauce. 
9. Add the Udon noodles last. 
10. Ensure it is well-mixed. 

There you have it!

It is so delicious! My fiance did a calculation on how much I can actually save when I prepare home food compared to eating out. He said, the price we paid per serving is about half of what the restaurants are charging! I was amazed. You can change the menu to your own liking because I learned that cooking is cater to your taste buds and appetite. If you're craving for seafood, add prawns in it. If you're a meat lover, throw in beef instead! I like what Aren said, "Learn to cook for yourself and not for business. When you learn to cook, you know how to make yourself happy." Props to his amazing sauce creation! I can eat Udon anytime I want because I know how to cook it! *Thumbs up*

A 'yummylicious' Sunday.

I asked my fiance to come over to my place and cook lunch together for my family. I figured it would be so much fun, once in a while. In the long run, work will tire me out but activities like this create a meaningful bond between my fiance, family and me. I told my fiance, "No pressure. Once you get up, call me and we'll shop for the ingredients." We got up at noon. I think I should've prepared breakfast first because the food that all of us prepared were ready-to-eat in the evening, which was way over lunchtime and I felt kinda bloated with air in my tummy but I clearly forgot about it!

Anyway, I thought the dishes we prepared on Sunday was not enough but after the complete preparation on the table, it was like a western feast! My brother, and I helped. My fiance was the main chef for the day. He cooks really well compared to me and his mom cooks with perfection. I'll be slowly learning some signature dishes from her in future on my off days, eventually.. I personally think I need to learn fiance's favorite dishes so that he will get use to my novice cooking. 

(Yes, apparently, I'm a sad noob cooker.)

Now, let me share with you what's cooking on Sunday:

Fried Chicken. (Fiance's personal recipe) My brother helped him cover the chicken with powder.

We added Daddy's leftover chicken and black sauce to the dining table. Still edible and delicious! Yes, apparently all the important men in my life can cook. My brother will be next. He loves to watch all the food channels on Starhub TV, I'm not surprised if he cook one of those dishes for me to eat.

Salad, Carrots and Cucumber with Thousand island dressing. A lil' bit of a healthy dish to compensate all the overwhelming fat moments,

My parents bought tasty puffs from Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Sardine and Potato flavor. I do not eat potato puff, just so you know. I'm a sardine puff person. I have no specific reason why but it is just a peculiar preference that I have.

Yummy sausages and cheese galore!

Cheese omelette. Another one of my fiance's personal recipe. 

I call these two dishes personal because it was the main dish for the day and I'm a big cheese fan!

Last but not least our FAIL fries. We ran out of oil and decided to use the fried chicken's oil to fry our fries. Our fries turned so soggy and totally unappetizing. But, I manage to snap a relatively presentable shot for my blog. Hehe..

We enjoy and fill our tummies with all the hard cooking while watching an ol' skool movie on Star Movies, "Titanic". I must say after all the helping out, it was hella tiring! I hate the cleaning up part.. Nevertheless, I really love preparing meals with my fiance. I treasure this a lot because once I start working, I do not have consistent weekends off.

I hope one day I'll be able to share my recipes and 'how-to-cook a storm' in your very own kitchen!

Seafood Durian Siblings.

We were without parents on Labour's Day. So, my second sister and her partner gave us a treat to some seafood supper at Lau Pa Sat. There was some promotion going and being passed around on facebook, so my she made a reservation of 2 sets. One set for five pax is SGD$50. It was worth it for 8 people because we're all big eaters! Here are some of the dishes I took with her SONY Cyber-shot DSC-W220 in Pink.

 My first time eating a Snails. Not a big fan and it tasted just like Mussels. I love Mussels, especially if its cooked together with butter cream... Its so good.

 Crispy Sweet and Sour Fish.

 Beef in Black Sauce.

 Prawn Fried Rice.

 Spicy Squid.

Spicy Water Spinach. (Kangkong) 

Desserts to complete our supper. Durian. Yums.

Arrived home at 2AM. I was up since 7AM and totally knocked out when I got home till about 4AM to remove my makeup, brush my teeth and wash my face. I was totally stoked!

So, what did you guys did on Labour's Day?

School Lunches From Around the World

Ever wonder what children are eating for lunch across the world? Take a look at these 22 very different school lunches and learn some fascinating insights into kids’ school lives across the globe.

USA









Burger and chips! There is a group of retired military officers stating that today’s school lunches are making the kids so fat that many are unable to meet the military’s physical fitness standards.

The good news is that the Improving Nutrition for American’s Children Act was recently passed, whose aim is to make school lunches more nutritional, encourage partnerships with local farms, raise the reimbursement rate for schools and force schools to set standards for vending machine food.

Japan















In Japan, 99% of elementary school students and 82% of junior-high students eat kyūshoku (school lunch).

An English teacher in Kochi, Japan says a typical lunch “consists of a glass bottle of milk, a bowl of rice, usually some type of fish, a pickled salad, some kind of soup usually with tofu and vegetables, and a piece of fruit.”

China

In Beijing, school lunches are typically provided by the school, who orders them through food companies supervised by the local education authority. In other parts of China, children go home for lunch which provides some important family time.

Korea







Nutrition is an important topic in Korea, as it should be. In fact, they’ve banned junk food advertisements aimed at kids, a step that would go a long way here in North America.

Pictured above is kimchi, rice, tofu, and soybean sprouts.

India

In India, school lunches are often provided from home. Ever the entrepreneurs, a food service worker called a dabbawalla has arisen to provide a service whereby they pick up the fresh meal from home and deliver it to school. The empty containers are picked up once lunch is over.

A typical lunch might be roti, (flat bread) a dal, and a vegetable or meat curry.

France







A typical school lunch in France would be considered a gourmet meal in North America.

From a real lunch menu: cucumbers with garlic and fine herbs; Basque chicken thigh with herbs; red and green bell peppers and olive oil; couscous; organic yogurt; apple.

As stated at School Lunch Talk, the “mid-day meal is supposed to teach students good manners, good taste and the elements of good nutrition.”

Taiwan



Childrens’ diets in Taiwan have come under scrutiny, with reports stating that the consumption of the recommended portions of vegetables, fruits, and dairy foods is on the decline, while consumption of unhealthy snacks and fast foods is on the rise.

The USDA found that students were leaving food on their tray, resulting in them receiving less than half of the recommended vegetable and fruit serving.

Sweden

Potatoes, cabbage, beans, cracker, Lingon Berry juice.

Czech Republic


Italy

Italy has a law that enforces schools (as well as hospitals and other pubic institutions) to use organic and local products.

By 2003, 70% of Italian schools were using organic ingredients. Not only are the children eating healthier, but they are also learning how to eat healthy and sustainably.

Singapore




Kenya


Honduras


Slovakia




UK


Ghana


Chile


Philippines

Lechón kawali, liver sauce, rice.

Estonia

Potatoes and meat.

Brazil

Rice, Beans, Bread, Meat with vegetables, banana and alface, acelga salad.

Djibouti

Rice and beans in sauce or curry.

Malawi