Made a little something for myself

Mr. Postman finally brought me the long-anticipated box of goodies from Vikki today! Yay! Lots of fabric, trims, more beads, a Christmas present (no opening till Christmas :D) and another gift that I'm not sure if it's for Christmas or not...^_^ Anyway, I had lots of fun going through the materials and found a rustic star charm, I thought it's just perfect for a necklace I've been wanting to make with this huge heart-shaped locket that I've had for 15 years. Here's my "new" necklace and I'm wearing it as I type :D 今天做的旧物新用项链
Summer came really early this year and it's been really hot since last week, which is affecting my appetite and sleep. I've been cooking a lot of spicy or sour food lately to improve my appetite so achar nyonya became a staple in my fridge now. It is a typical Malaysian vegetable pickle, something like Korean kimchi, but better \(^o^)/
Ingredients: Malaysian chili paste, turmeric powder, Thai chilies, vinegar, sugar, salt, vegetables, roasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts (crushed). Nothing's more mouth watering than chilled achar that's been in the fridge for 2 days :P Here's my fresh batch for this week, still warm in the pot, YUMMY! 娘惹阿喳 (即大马泡菜) ，酸酸辣辣很开胃。Another problem with cooking on a very very hot day is that I have to stand next to the hot stove and get more toasted than I already am. My solution? The fuss free one-pot meal! Anything that can be left to cook by itself and still turns out extremely delicious is perfect for this time of the year. I cooked Thai tomyam (or tom yum) on the weekend, just make the broth, chuck in all the meat and vegetables, boil, and eat! My version has no seafood because Alex is allergic to it. I put chicken, golden mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, extra chili, a squeeze of lime juice and some left over Chinese parsley. Spicy, sour and OH sooooo goood! 再来一锅酸辣冬蔭， 天气再炎热都不怕没胃口。
Speaking of spice, someone asked me why we (the spice eating nations) eat so much spice when we already have hot climate. Well I think that spice enhances appetite and when I eat something very hot, I will naturally eat faster...then sweat like a pig and that helps cool my body. Does it make sense? I actually think spicy food is good during winter too, one mouthful of hot curry warms you up instantly LOL

I also made a light soupy dessert that, according to my Mom who gave me the recipe, is supposed to help me sleep better, and improve my skin (ladies!) Ingredients: red dates, pear, snow fungus, rock sugar, ice cubes. The pear is tasteless after cooking and I didn't eat it, it's just there for the picture, I think it's not supposed to be cooked for so long until it loses taste though :D 饭后喝雪耳梨子糖水加冰块解热。

So there you have it, a perfect summer 3-course meal. Asian style.

I love you two dollar

Some interesting situations I encountered in Australia:



Scenario #1:
Stranger A: (In a rather cocky tone) So, are you from China or Thailand?
Me: (Rolls eyes) N.E.I.T.H.E.R.
**************************************************
Scenario #2:
Me & Alex: (Wandering in the courtyard)
Stranger B: Are you looking for a Chinese girl? There's one living up there (points at someone's apartment).
Me: ...(*Just because I'm Asian, we must be looking for some Chinese person huh?*)
***************************************************
Scenario #3:
Once I was invited to a Pesach dinner party. People kept discussing wasabi with me when we were eating matzah with horse radish, "Horse radish is like the Western version of wasabi isn't it?". I didn't think too much and just went along with all the topics about Japan and whatnot until someone asked "So how often do you go back to Japan?"=.= I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you DON'T just assume everyone with chingy eyes, yellow skin and some general knowledge about Asian cultures to be Japanese...
***************************************************
Scenario #4:
Guy at OSHC office: What's your name?
Me: Tracy
Guy: I mean your real name.
Me: Tracy
Guy: Why did you give yourself this name?
Me: *Period**Shows passport* It's my birth name, as printed in my passport.
Guy: *Blush* Oh, Sorry...I've been to "Koala Lump-er" bla bla bla...
****************************************************
Scenario #5:
Me: Hi, I'm Tracy.
Dejan: Sorry, what?
Me: Tracy.
Dejan: How do you pronounce that?
Me: T-R-A-C-Y
Dejan: Sorry, I'm really bad with Chinese names.
Alex: Wtf dude, she's TRACY! Are you drunk or just expecting something like Meiling or Chun Li?!
****************************************************
I can't believe that I can still effortlessly fool someone into REALLY believing that my Dad can kick arse with his Wing Chun. Next time I shall tell them my brothers are Shaolin monks.
****************************************************

Resin Clay Lilies 树脂粘土捏成的马蹄莲和百合花

Approximately 1:6 scale calla & stargazer lilies in air-drying resin clay.I was told that I got the calla lily's leaves wrong >_< Need better reference pics next time...

Can you spot the ladybug?

1-Hour Challenge Doll & Red Ruby Dessert

I joined an online group challenge where we were to create something out of any medium within 1 hour (live) based on a given theme. Our theme was pumpkin & Halloween.
I spent the first 15minutes looking for materials because my room was so messy! Anyway, here's what I came up with (the mouth was added later):
After the past few cold, rainy and windy days, it was finally warm and sunny today! I decided to try and make a Thai dessert called Red Rubies. It is water chestnut bits in a jelly-like red coating made of tapioca flour, served in syrup & coconut milk, and sometimes jackfruit. I followed this recipe but added some canned jackfruit because Alex kept asking when we're gonna open the can whenever he saw it sitting in the pantry LOL It was a success and easier than I thought!

In progress...canned chestnuts are totally tasteless, but I really HATE peeling fresh ones :/

Tada! You'll never get that much ruby at the restaurant!

Recycling Bento Box & Goddess Face Brooch

Alex bought Korean takeaway on Saturday. I normally just throw the box away after eating, then I saw the box of assorted beads that Vikki sent me in our swap, so I used it to sort the beads.
I washed it in warm soapy water to get rid of the grease and the pungent smell of kimchi. Then I sat down and had fun sorting them by colour :) This is only what Vikki sent me + a small portion of my own. I need to eat a few more bentos for the rest of my beads LOL If you keep the lid and cover the bento with the wrong side up, you can easily stack another bento on top! Perfect for drawers!

The Goddess Face Brooch in peacock colours is a prize from Whimsigals' blog giveaway. It's so pretty in person! Thank you Kathleen :D

Hong Kong Style Mochi 糖不甩

Yes I LOVE mochi, sweet, savoury, plain, steamed, boiled, fried, grilled...you name it! I've been experimenting with different recipes, some wonderful, some not so glorious LOL! So tonight I craved for a Hong Kong style dessert, "Tong But Lut", which is literally Cantonese for "the sugar doesn't fall". It's basically steamed sticky rice balls dipped in thick sugar syrup and then coated in ground peanuts & sesame seeds. I added some dessicated coconut because Alex is nuts about coconut :D I'm off to enjoy my chewy treats w/green tea now, have a wonderful weekend everybody!

今晚做了糖不甩当甜品。我的版本没有芝麻(因为忘了买)，但加了Alex最爱的椰丝。

Tea Giveaway - Ended...

...And the winner is fellow Duster, Kathleen of Felt Food Creations! Wee~congratulations!
_______________________________________________________

I've finally made my first real batches of tea. Most dried ingredients such as herbs and spices are naturally roasted/dehydrated in my home, or purchased only from trusted Australian sources. So I would say they are very safe :)

I'm giving away an assorted sample pack with 4 loose teas. Everyone is welcome to take part as I ship wordwide. Here's what you can win:

1. Organic Tibetan goji berry (Lycium Barbarum) (Australian certified) and Codonopsis pilosula green tea - a healthy super antioxidant that doubles as a tonic and improves blood circulation
2. Kaffir lime green tea - a citrusy after meal refreshment, hot or cold.
3. Pandan and premium Keemun blend - a luxurious, fragrant (almost like vanilla) blend with the slightest hint of smokiness that's perfect for anytime
4. Coconut & cinnamon Ceylon - a very smooth, slighly spicy and rich flavour balanced with full-bodied black ceylon

You will receive enough to make 4 cups of each blend with brewing instructions.

What you need to do:
1. Leave a comment telling me what you think about these teas
2. Include some form of contact info such as your blog/website/email so I can contact you if you win
3. Tell others about my teas if you like them (or if you don't LOL)

That's it! Winner will be announced on Sep 10. Good luck!

Random. For the sake of posting.

This is another Sadako Sazaki doll that I made for Nathali in a swap ages ago. This is a badly taken picture because I was rushing to send it out...Just for the sake of posting so my blog doesn't start to grow mushrooms...This is my new obsession-Tamarind candy! We do use tamarind in Malaysian dishes like Asam Laksa and my Mom's awesome recipes but dried tamarind coated in sugar and chili powder is something new to me. It's a popular Filipino & Thai snack that I came across while shopping at an Asian supermarket. I know it looks far from appealing (actually a lot like doggy poop) but if you get pass the looks, it's so chewy and tangy and yummy! Something like preserved sour plum minus the dryness and chalky aftertaste. Can't stop munching!

Don't puke yet! This is my homemade aduki/azuki/adzuki/red bean/sweat bean paste...
...that I filled these pink mochis with, and then rolled in sesame seeds. Alex is totally hooked! I also wrapped and baked some in puff pastries too, it's even better! Gonna try and make dorayaki next time. What else...Oh, and I turned 27 exactly 20 days ago. Alex took me to Shira Nui again! This restaurant is like our official place to celebrate every important occasion LOL...I actually brought my camera this time but couldn't be bothered to take pictures because we were really enjoying the omakase (it's all up to the Chef) and Alex was busy drinking with Chef Hiro (again!) -_____- As always, we had a good time :D