Making my own Pan Mee!

6:11 PM Esther 0 Comments

I was scrolling through facebook the other day and saw a recipe for Pan Mee - 板面 on sharetify
 http://www.sharetify.com/2015/04/blog-post_201.html?m=1

Then Mel whatsapp-ed me yesterday telling me she is a little homesick and i thought - what better time to make pan mee? Plus i have all the ingredients in my kitchen already so i invited Mel over for lunch so we can make pan mee together and catch up.

I mostly followed the recipe i found for the dough but decided to make my own sauce. I realised it is not as much effort as i thought it would be when you have a friend to help you and you get to chat while kneading the dough into shapes for boiling!

For the dough, you'll need:
400g self-rising flour or just plain flour will do ( I THINK. I used self-rising)
1 egg
200ml water
2 tablespoon oil

For the sauce:
Sesame oil
Oyster sauce
Dark soy sauce
Chopped chestnut mushrooms 250g
500g minced pork
Fried anchovies
1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes
1& half tablespoon spicy dried shrimp sambal (hay bee hiam) - you might be able to get this in chinatown

To be honest, i just invented my own sauce really. I didn't really measure anything. Sorry, i know it's such a lousy recipe :(
Mel was in her lecture when we decided to make dry pan mee - 干捞板面 so i made the dough first as it will need to sit for at least 30mins before cooking. I mixed the ingredients in a metal mixing bowl using a spatula until it is relatively kneadable. Then i kneaded them into 3 separate balls because it is easier for me to knead a few small ones than a single giant one. I left them in the bowl and covered the bowl with cling film to prevent them from drying out.




I also fried some dried anchovies with lots of oil until they are crispy.



ONE HOUR LATER....

Mel arrived with minced pork and sesame oil. I boiled some water in a pot and added some salt into the boiling water. While i start to work on the sauce, Mel started pinching off the dough balls and knead them into very flat small pieces(imagine homemade odd-shaped pasta, just that they are not pasta) and threw them into the boiling water (you know it's cooked when the pieces floats on the water surface). I heated some sesame oil in a pan and threw in the mince pork. Once they are half-cooked, i added the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce and stir until they are uniformly mixed in. If i have to give some measurements, maybe 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce and about 120ml dark soy sauce. Definitely taste it when you are adding the sauce so you know if its too salty for your taste - i like to have mine quite salty. Then i added the chopped mushrooms, spicy dried shrimp sambal and dried chilli flakes and cook for another 10minutes.


Now all you have to do is to put the the sauce and the cooked "mee" pieces together and tadaaa..

It was soooo good =D The recipe actually makes enough for 3 persons but there were only 2 of us so I don't have to worry about dinner tomorrow! (I am going to the US embassy tomorrow for my visa application so I'll probably eat out for lunch). If you enjoy chinese cuisine this is a dish you should definitely try! It's one of my all-time favourite.

Fire and Stone, Covent Garden

12:33 AM Esther 0 Comments

In celebration of Annie's return to London after taking a year off uni, we made a dinner reservation at Fire and Stone, Covent Garden. The restaurant is very spacious and spans over 2 floors. They cater for large groups of people which is great! There were about 16 of us and i saw 2 separate groups of hen parties more than 10 persons each. 

It is great to see Annie again, but at the same time it reminds me of how crazy fast time has gone! I can't believe it has been almost a year after my surgery and the end of year exam is around the corner again! I really should be practising writing essays right now, instead of updating my blog -_-

I shared a thin crusted Marrakech pizza (Spiced minced lamb, slow roasted red peppers, red onions, mozzarella, tzatziki, raisins, olives & fresh mint) with Sonia, with a small feta & butternut salad at the side

Shoryu Liverpool Street Soft Launch

11:45 PM Esther 0 Comments

So... I finally got my new camera! And I'm lovin it =D
Was so excited when i brought it out for the first time ever when 'Mike's Asian Mafia' (MAM) decided to go out for lunch at Shoryu, i took profile pictures of everyone.






It was Shoryu's Liverpool Street branch soft launch and they were having 50% off all ramen! We went slightly earlier before they open at 11.30am and chose to sit at a table outdoor cause it was super sunny! London is currently being hit by a heatwave that's supposed to last for 2 weeks so we are enjoying it while it lasts. The only problem with sitting outdoor was that our order was forgotten and our friends who went in way after us finished their food and left while we were still waiting for ours to come! The staff apologised, we eventually got our food and all is well.

I ordered my usual curry ramen and shared a char siu bun at the side.

Everyone agreed that the soup here taste less salty, in a good way. It is still flavourful, but has a cleaner taste. Stuart reckon it's because they are using new pots and the flavour has not been infused into the pots yet. LOL. And their fried chicken is crispier too! Again, Stu said it's probably because they are using new oil =P

If you have not tried Shoryu before, you should! I am a regular at the Picadilly Circus branch =P In my opinion, it is one of the best for value ramen places in Central London. Bone Daddies is comparable while Ippudo is slightly more expensive if you want your menma and nitamago. I have yet to try Kanada-Ya at Tottenham Court Road, but i have heard good reviews. Will try it as soon as i have a chance!

Sunday Sermon Takeaway - The Servant King

6:00 PM Esther 0 Comments

The weather is pretty good here today in London, in fact the weather has been pretty amazing this whole week that i had off for my easter break from uni. It's a pity i spent most of it cooped up in my room revising and writing essays =( But hey, at least i am enjoying the sun through my bedroom window =P (sounds sad i know) less than 3 weeks to finals and i am one week behind my original revision schedule! *gasp! stress stress stress* 

Happy Easter!

12:58 AM Esther 0 Comments

Happy Easter Everyone!

Has been kind of missing home lately. Woke up this morning and had a realisation that actually, it is pretty amazing how I have managed to survive by myself these years only seeing my family once a year during summer and only then for a month. Even during those 4 weeks, i spend most of it with my parents and grandparents. I barely spend a few days with my siblings cause they are usually not home. Everyone's just too busy =(

Something about the smell of the air tonight reminds me of those nights when i would sit at the balcony at my grandparent's after dinner and just enjoy the night view high up from the apartment. I used to stay with my grandparents every weekend when i was kid. My grandparents stays on the 5th floor of an apartment building, but in my hometown, there aren't many tall buildings around so from the balcony, you can catch a glimpse of the blue sea at the horizon. However, as time passes by, developers began to build taller buildings around the area. Last summer when i visited them, i can no longer see the sea from the balcony =( As a kid, i like staring at the passing cars and people walking down below, observing them and gets really excited when i see my mum's car coming around the corner.

I miss home. I miss my grandparents.