The “Other” Mediterranean Class (Jan. 22)

 

It’s official, I’ve hit 22 classes!  Well, you realize I did the other 21 classes when I was in Singapore last, but now I’m back for more!  My first back was The “Other” Mediterranean class at Coriander Leaf.  It was great to see Samia and her team; I was also joined by some good friends! 

This is the “Other” Mediterranean because Samia wanted to explore her new passion: cooking from Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and so on… It’s amazing how these countries produce such rich cuisines – the depth of flavor and spice is enchanting.

Harira – Chickpea & Lentil Soup

Roasted Tomato, Pomegranate & Turkish Cheese Salad

Bamia di Baradoura – Roasted Okra with Shallots in a Tomato Sauce

Shrimp Pilaf with Kebsa Spices

Tzatziki – Yoghurt Cucumber Relish

Green Herb Salad with Almonds

Umm Ali (Om Ali) – Baked Bread & Milk Pudding with Burnt Cream

Needless to say, it was a great afternoon.

To start, Samia and her team worked on getting few dishes started and that meant roasting the tomatoes and okra.  I’ve never really had okra; it’s an interesting veggie and Samia warned of “sliminess” if not prepared correctly.  My only experience with it has been fried – that’s how they love it in the South!

 

The aromas in the kitchen really kicked in when the whole shallots and garlic cloves were being sautéed in the fry pan – big yum!!  This was for the Roasted Okra in Tomato Sauce.

 

 

 

The dish I liked most was the Harira – a chickpea, lentil, chicken, spinach soup (more like a stew).  I’ve made it already for Paul and we have some in the freezer.  As I noted in my previous posting, it’s a nice heart-healthy dish!  We’re probably going to have it for dinner, tonight!

 

 

The next dish was utterly (joke) fantastic!  The Turkish Cheese really took this dish to a higher level and the pomegranate and roasted tomato was just what the dish needed – complementary textures.  See below; it’s a really beautiful dish.

 

 

 

The Dried Limes (Loomi’s) were one of the most interesting ingredients I’ve seen so far.  It was a bit precarious for awhile as Samia pierced the hard shell with a fork.  She cut one open so that we could see the inside – quite a bit of structure still inside.  You use them for the fragrance more than the flavor, so it seems to me that they are analogous to Bay Leaves in stew.  Luckily, I found a pack at Jones the other snatched it up – “Y” picked one up too!

 

  

The Shrimp Pilaf was rich with flavor and the Dried Limes really added a nice fragrance.  You only sear the shrimp to get a nice coloring and then wait to cook them right before serving.  Another important aspect to the dish is the Kebsa Spice Mix – it’s a wonderful mixture of Coriander, Cumin, Saffron, etc.  Is your mouth watering yet?!

 

New Technology! See below

 

 

 

The Green Herb Salad was quite sharp, but I think that’s because of the Arugula – I’m not big fan of Arugula or Parsley.  I think I may try it with Spinach, but that won’t be true to the cuisine.  The Almonds were wonderful – as you can see below it’s because they are pan fried in butter!  Yum!

To finish off the menu, we had a version of bread pudding that puts ALL of other bread puddings to shame.  Wow!! How can you go wrong with puff pastry, milk, whipped cream, pistachios, I could go on but I have to keep some mystery!!

 

 

 

 Overwhelmingly, this was a great way to start back in Singapore.  Good food, good friends & a fantastic Chef!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

 

 As a side note, the girls and I headed out to the Rooftop Bar after the class and enjoyed some drinks with the lights of the city.

Catching Up with Friends & Cooking

We’ve been here just over a week; Paul’s been working and I have been getting the apartment settled.  We’re pretty much there but may want to go over to IKEA for a couple of fun things.  It’s great that it’s so close!

We’re excited that we’ll have some friends visiting this time from the US – looking forward to it!  Already, I’ve caught up with B, K, S and Y!  What fun: a visit to PS Café, a great lunch at a pleasant Italian restaurant on Boat Quay (I will definitely have to go there again - the Prosciutto and Melon dish was to die for!!), a class at Coriander Leaf with a couple of friends given by Samia and a quite satisfying trip to Tott’s – a local kitchen shop.

  

B and I finally found the illusive Pandan Leaves in Taxi - Samia had told us about how taxi drivers here put Pandan Leaves in their taxis to improve the smell, I don't know.  Why it is so odd, is that along with using them to cook with, you can also use them to keep roaches/rats away...so...

I’ve also been getting creative with cooking; we’re leaning toward the healthy side, so I’m trying to really bring in the freshest of ingredients!  I marinated a fresh seabass, below, in Lemongrass, Coriander (Cilantro for my US friends) Leaves & Roots, Coriander Powder, Ginger, Lemongrass, 2 Small Red Chilies, a bit of Rice Vinegar and Canola Oil.  Paul really enjoyed it.  I only got a pic of it marinated, not cooked. 

 

The next day I cooked up lentils and broiled shrimp.  The shrimp was marinated in a Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette (Testuyuna Brand), Fresh Rosemary, Onions and Garlic.  This also ended up being a winner.

 The one dish we really have been enjoying is one that I just learned on the 22^nd at Coriander Leaf – Harira (Chickpea, Lentil & Chicken Soup).  I don’t have a picture of the soup I made, but, I’ve posted a picture below from the class with Samia.  Wow – that’s all I have to say.  It’s a fantastic one-pot dish packed full of heart-healthy ingredients: Spinach, Lentils, Chickpeas, Chicken, etc.  It’s a heavier dish but with all of the rain here, we just did what Samia suggested, turn up with A/C and look outside at the gloomy skies – you’ll feel like you’re in London or Seattle!  It’s works – we absolutely love this soup/stew!

 

I don’t have a picture of our Friday night meal, but it was fun.  I browned ground Chicken and ground Lean Beef with onions, mushrooms, coriander, onion, ginger, garlic and we had lettuce wraps!  I also added some of the filling to wonton wrappers and boiled them up – it was okay but I think I’ll try to steam them next time.  I’m still learning a bit about that.  But, the Bok Choy type veggie (don’t know the name) with thai sauce turned out great and we enjoyed a fairly healthy dish, albeit a bit salty (Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce will do that!! Ha!

Tonight is Seabass with a Kebsa spice mix – I’ll let you know how it turns out – smile…well, we ate it before I posted this, so, yes, it turned out well - according to Paul.  He's a good sport!

Last but not least, I had to share some photos of our descent into Hong Kong.  I wish I had been quick enough to get the shot of the moon as we descended into Singapore, but alas, that will have to be only a memory that Paul and I share…

 

AND, of course, I have already visited Tekka Market and picked up Orchids for us to enjoy in the apartment.  What a special little gift!  They are one of my favorite flowers and they are quite inexpensive here, so I get to enjoy them more frequently!!!!   The only real yuck from Tekka was the Apple Guava – hmmmm…we didn’t like that so much.  Probably won’t get that again, but it looks pretty!

CNY – Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Last year we weren’t here for the festivities, so it’s kind of fun to see the decorations and the excitement in the air.  February 3 is the official day but the celebrating is already beginning and I’ll get to post some fireworks – on the eve the Marina Bay is lit up with the colorful explosions!  We have a “front row” seat if you want to call it that.  You’ll see later…

But, to get you started here are just a few pictures and video of Chinatown (which is crazy busy this time of year):

 

  

 

Here's a Starhub Commercial ushering in the year of the rabbit!  Too fun!

As an "oddly enough" note, here is an ad for a Fortune Pizza with Pizza Hut - all I can say is - YUCK!! But, to each his own.  Also, McDonald's has a Double Fortune Double Fillet of Fish Sandwich to celebrate the CNY (Chinese New Year).  It doesn't matter if it's Christmas, Easter or CNY, someone will try to make a buck! Ha!

Looking forward to posting more and getting everyone up-to-date on our activities!  It’s been raining a lot here so not too many pool days, unfortunately…

I found out that we’ll be dealing with rain for at least another week.  So, the pictures below show the difference a day makes: