Serradura: Portuguese Sawdust Cake/ Pudding

Towards the end of September, the weather hasn’t been very friendly to our city. Although I do feel sad and disheartened, I decide not to dwell on sob situations but look ahead…for all of these, too will come to pass. Instead, myself and a friend cooked our  discouragement away and learned what we could while staying indoors.  Not much time to shop and chop, so we worked on what was on my cupboard.

This is what my friend created: reminiscent of his Portuguese kitchen exposure in Macau. It is called “serradura” or sawdust cake. Sawdust because it is made from crushed graham crackers which is in essence very much like  the sawdust from my father’s shop many years ago. Cream is whipped until stiff (invert the mixing bowl to test – if the cream doesn’t fall off, that’s enough whipping you did), and the “sawdust” is added into it. It is then formed in a mold then refrigerated until it sets. Other versions of the dessert however is to layer cream-sawdust-cream… however you like. Then since there were Snickers chocolates inside my fridge, I decided to chop some of them- almond and caramel- to add a little texture into the creaminess.

I don’t know for sure what happened, but after spoons and spoons of the dessert, we had a laughing fit. Blissfully happy.

Eating Singapore

The long silence in my blogging life has been brought about by many changes- career shifts, travels, relationships, etc. But I’m glad to be back again.

My August trip to Singapore was very endearing despite the occassional heavy downpours around the city. But I was there- mostly for the food.

Laksa. Noodles swimming on spicy coconut milk with torn basil, chilies, and conchs. I love it.

The best satay in the world. Tender skewered chicken with a sweet peanut sauce. Go to Singapore.

I didn’t remember the name of this iced dessert. It sounded to me like “tang chng” or something like that. Flavored with caramel syrup, it has tapioca pearls and some beans. Very rustic Asian.

Oh. Hello. That’s me.

Kani, Tamago, Kyuri

This appetizer was created using the little bits of leftovers from my fridge. A few crabsticks, half cucumber, left over peanuts and the last piece of egg (before shopping!). A dollop of mayonnaise was mixed with a little wasabi and thrown into it were some chopped unsalted roasted peanuts, and the crabsticks. The egg was beaten thenfried into a thin crepe, rolled and sliced.

 They were then all arranged on top of slices of cucmber, then topped off with strips of nori.

P.S. Don’t sneeze. Or the nori will fly to your eyelashes.

Pancakes With Sweet Adzuki Bean Paste

Sweet, preserved adzuki bean paste called “an” or “anko” is a popular ingredient in Japanese confectionery. A common filling for mochi and other breads, the beans can also be found in desserts like anmitsu and parfaits. These beans can also be blended and made into a smoothie.

I prefer putting adzuki bean paste in pancakes also. But because canned azuki can be too sweet, adjust the amount of sugar in your pancake mixture.

Topped or sandwiched, adzuki bean paste just makes a comfortable day starter (though it is best enjoyed any time of the day). Bring on the hot coffee and you’re head- on to a great morning!

Fruit Plate #1

This is what happened to the fruits peddled in the streets which I bought last night at the foot of the train station.

But while I do agree that you don’t put anything inedible on the plate, I was thinking that the bamboo leaves might as well serve as the “plate” of the salt which I placed here. I personally like crunchy fruits dipped in a little salt.

First Dinner: Sake- Steamed Chicken Salad

Life is a mixture of beautiful ingredients. And this is my first entree to this new blog. Chicken thigh fillet is perforated with a fork, rubbed with a little salt and pepper, drizzled with some sake and steamed until done. Other ingredients ar shrimp, mushroom, sieved egg, gingko nuts, azuki, garbanzos, olives, avocado, and slices of radicchio – all topped on a bed of crisp greens. You can enjoy with a vinaigrette of your choice.