The Hungry Bunny

This is the red version of dak dori-tang that you'll see in most Korean restaurants, which I will call Dakbokkeum-tang for easy reference. Ingredients (feeds 4 pax): 1.5kg chicken pieces, cut (I used a mix of chicken thigh and drumsticks) 2 large potatoes, cut into 1.5" cubes 15 shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 medium onion, minced 1 head garlic, minced 1 thumb ginger, sliced into 3 large pieces 10 green chillis (I used Japanese shisito peppers), sliced and seeds removed handful dangmyeon (Korean sweet potato noodles) 5 dried red chillis, ends removed 2 large carrots, diced to 1" cubes 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli pepper powder) 2 tbsp honey 4 tbsp guk ganjang (Korean light soy for soup) 2 tbsp mirin 4 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) 5 cups water 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp canola oil pepper sesame seeds for garnishing Directions: 1) Fry onions in pre-heated canola oil and sesame oil, until translucent. 2) Add garlic, and fry till f...

Our little island is well into monsoon season, and we were craving something warm and soupy and comforting in the middle of yet another thunderstorm, when we happened upon Madam Saigon . Located at the restaurant stretch of Millenia Walk facing Conrad Hotel, the intrepid little eatery wasn't the most inviting: its utilitarian, garnish aesthetic and bare occupancy didn't exactly bode a delicious meal. There were buzzier, more popular eateries along said stretch, but I'm a sucker for pho, and so we walked in. Turns out my weakness for pho was a good thing. and Madam Saigon has become one of our favourite go-tos for a conveniently-located, low-fuss, authentically delicious Vietnamese meal. Also, service was surprisingly gracious for a casual mass-market bistro. A big gold star point, the staff were atypically generous with our requests for fresh herbs. The Saigon Fried Spring Roll ($6.90) was pretty stellar, with crunchy vegetables a-plenty and fried to a delightful cr...

Yukgaejang was another dish I whipped up over my "week of atonement" for forgetting the Hubs' birthday. A spicy soup laden with shredded beef brisket, and uniquely seasoned with gosari, this is really quick to make, BUT only IF the beef is pre-cooked and shredded. The reason I say this, is because I didn't think brisket would take more than 2 hours to soften (enough to shred). And so I only started cooking in the evening after work, and because the beef took 4 hours to cook through, it meant that the Hubs only got to eat dinner close to 11pm. heh So, lesson learned: pop your brisket into a slow cooker first thing in the morning before you go to work, so it cooks through the day, and when you get home, it takes like less than half an hour to cook a hearty comforting stew. Ingredients (feeds 4 pax): 1kg beef brisket 10 cups water 1 head garlic, cloves smashed 1 small onion, cut into big chunks 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts 1 cup bracken fiddleheads (gosa...

I wasn't enthused when a friend asked for company to dine at Long Chim . For one, it's an outpost of a celebrity restaurant, which, on its own, is deterrent enough. Add to that the fact that said celebrity chef is a white guy, yet Long Chim serves Thai street food. [insert *rolls eyes* emoji here] Suffice to say, I was real skeptical about how authentic the flavours could be. Lucky for me that my friend's got good instincts. Long Chim turned out to be my favourite Thai restaurant find of the year. The food, a modern twist on Thai street grub, is bold, unadulterated, and absolutely smashing. No watering down of anything here! The heady spice of the Fish Cakes ($17) was countered with a refreshingly piquant cucumber and peanut relish. One of the best renditions of the ubiquitous Thai appetizer, springy in texture with nary a whiff of fishy stench. A must try, the Spicy Pork with Rice Cakes ($23) was a lively hodgepodge of minced pork, raw shallots, dried chillis, ...

I'm always on the lookout for good cze char places, paying particular attention to those not too far off the reservation. Sek Tong Gai made a blip on my radar, when a friend of a friend posted his seafood feast of a dinner on social media. The Alaskan king crab noodles had caught my eye, and as soon as I could, I gathered the troops, together with andmorefood. We needed the critical mass to order loads. We were surprised to find Sek Tong Gai barely filled with diners on a Friday evening; it appears that the restaurant has remained a hidden gem. It's astonishing because the food was outstanding. Like Best-of-2016, impressively good. Oh well, better for me that they stay unknown; no worries about making advanced reservations at the itsy bitsy-ish eatery. Prices are a smidge on the premium range, but in view of the standard of food, I say it's money well spent. Portions for most dishes are on the petite side, so despite the massive spread below, we actually thought, post...

So, it's the Hubs' birthday (which date I keep forgetting), and in an attempt to be a "good dutiful" wife, I'm cooking Korean cuisine every day all week to celebrate his Korean heritage. We're kicking off the all-Korean week with Gamja-Tang , a spicy soup traditionally made with pork spine. Since we can't get pork spine in this part of the world, I made do with a mix of pork ribs and pork neck. It's one of our favourite Korean foods, and near-impossible to find a worthwhile rendition here in SG. The key to this soup is perilla leaves, a cousin of Japanese shiso leaves. It's a little minty, a little cool, and a lot refreshing. It's not the easiest thing to find in SG, but I've discovered that Isetan supermarket sells it! It's called "egoma leaves", as in Japan.   Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 kg pork ribs/neck with bones Boil for stock (A): 1 small yellow onion, cut large chunks 6 cloves garlic, smashed 4 slabs ginger...