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  I honestly think that Australia might have the highest consumption of laksa per capita compared to other countries. There's probably more laksa varieties in Sydney than there is in Singapore, and IMHO, they taste better too. But let's not go there. What fascinates me is that many Australians have come to embrace Asian food as part of their regular dining and grocery options. Take panko crumbs for example. The word panko doesn't sound the least like it's something edible, though it is an ingredient that is commonly available and used here. Why go for regular breadcrumbs when you can have super light and crunchy panko? Don't these crunchy crumbed deep-fried prawns look lovely? That's the beauty of panko crumbs. Looks good, tastes great and sounds earth-shattering (okay, maybe that's a little too much). They are quite simple and easy to prepare, though I won't lie - I took a while to peel, devein and prep the prawns. But it's all worth it in the end, ...

  This is the most amazing and easy roast chicken ever. I'm dreaming of having this chicken again as I write this. I actually ate this three days in a row and never got tired of it. In fact, it tasted even better the following days, with the flavours from the marinade (and the pan juices) having absorbed into the chicken. I was a little sceptical about the Russian salad (although it was really the "exotic" reference to "Russian" that enticed me to try out this recipe) as I don't usually have cold creamy salads with roast chicken. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that they complemented each other really well and I just kept going back for more (and more, and more). I made sure the egg was cooked just right, with a jellied yolk centre, because that's the best way to have 'em!   Roast Chicken with Russian Salad Adapted from Gourmet Traveller (July 2013) Ingredients 2.4 kg chicken marylands (whole chicken leg) 2 lemons, quartered Spice rub: 1 tbsp groun...

Now that the summer holidays are over and the kids are back in school, things are getting busy again. It's not only the homework, but birthday parties, shopping for birthday presents, ironing the summer uniforms (it's much easier in winter when they just have to wear their skivvies and pullovers!), planning meals and packing lunchboxes. The only time I cook is usually on the weekends, and even then, I try to spend more time with the kids and less in the kitchen. Like most braises and stews, this dish of black bean pork ribs with bitter gourd is a relatively easy dish to prepare - a one pot wonder with meat and veggies included. The bitterness of the gourd complements the rest of the dish really well - the tender pork and that delicious thick gravy. I've never been a fan of bitter gourd, but cooked this way, I love. One big plate of rice this way please. Pork Ribs with Black Bean and Bitte...

  Here's a hot and spicy chicken dish that's quick and easy to prepare, and will have you going back for more! This tastes even better the next day or two, so double the batch if you want to save some leftovers for a busy weeknight dinner. Spicy Chicken (Vindaloo) Ingredients 500g (1/2 lb) chicken thigh fillets, cubed Vegetable oil, for frying 3-4 medium-sized onions, peeled and sliced into rings 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 inch ginger, grated 1 tsp cumin 2-3 tbsp chilli paste (made from ground dried chillies) 1/2 cup water 2 tsp sugar Salt to taste 2 tbsp vinegar (or to taste) Method Heat up 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan or wok. Fry the onions for 5-10 minutes until softened and slightly browned.  Remove the onions and transfer to a plate, leaving the remaining oil in the pan. In the same wok, add the mustard seeds and fry until they start to pop. Add the minced garlic and ginger, cumin and chilli paste. Fry f...

  Chinese New Year is less than two weeks away and I haven't started baking anything yet this year. Well, not until now, if you'd call throwing sugar and nuts together and melting them in the oven baking. I recently bought a packet of Bienetta Florentine Mix, which comes in powdered form. The simplest way to use it is to mix it with almonds, bake them and it miraculously turns into a crisp layer of caramelized almonds. Alternatively, you could substitute the Bienetta by using a Florentine recipe , which you can find in my previous post " Almond and Pretzel Butterscotch Brittle ".   Almond Crisps Recipe   Ingredients   60g (2.5 oz) Bienetta Florentine Mix 80g (3.5 oz) thinly sliced / flaked almonds 1/4 tsp salt   Method   Preheat oven to 160C (320F).   Line a baking tray (10in x 13in) with non-stick baking paper.   Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into the tray. Spread the almonds to form a thin and even layer.   Bake in oven f...

While most people are baking Christmas puddings, fruit cakes and gingerbread men at this time of the year, I baked a chocolate cake instead. The kids had a birthday recently and my options are usually a vanilla sponge cake, mud cake or red velvet. I've never really made chocolate cake before (really!) other than chocolate mud cake (I prefer to distinguish the two). It wasn't until I brought Miss H to her friend's birthday party that I tried the most amazing chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, that I was determined to solve the mystery of the best chocolate cake ever. Simply, the cake was so light and moist and the frosting was just awesome. For a while, it did remind me of the chocolate cream buns that I used to enjoy during my childhood days. So, I googled pictures of chocolate cake with frosting and finally found what I was looking for. Aptly, it was called The Best Chocolate Cake Ever. No joke. And indeed it was true to its name. Note that the cake uses vegetable o...

  There's been a lot of chicken going on in the TFWL household lately. We've been having Grilled Miso Chicken , Roast chicken , Hainanese chicken rice , air-fried soy honey chicken wings and as of last night, Chicken Katsu . As I'm typing, Mr G is preparing chicken rice for tonight's dinner, by popular demand from the three little fussy eaters. I was wondering what to post this week, as we've been busy with Christmas shopping, cleaning and planning for our Christmas party. Remember my post on miso-grilled chicken a couple of weeks back? I've made it twice since, and decided to use it in my Oyakodon recipe where I substituted the chicken with this grilled one instead. It's a great way to use up any leftover grilled chicken to make a simple one-bowl meal.   Click here and here for the Oyakodon and Grilled Miso Chicken recipe.