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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Food Trip Friday 006: Fresh Spring Rolls



FT Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Fresh Spring Rolls
Boat Noodle Restaurant
Corner Streets 294 and 9
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

These fresh spring rolls from the Boat Noodle Restaurant are a favourite and they were gone in a few minutes! They are a refreshing, and healthier, change from the usual fried kind. It is never served without the accompanying dipping sauce which helps bring out the flavour. Served in a boat, don't you think they make a pleasing and appetizing presentation with the colourful filling? :)

Just about 200metres away from the Philippine Embassy, you will find the Boat Noodle Restaurant. Set in a beautiful and charming wooden house and a sprinkling of wooden artefacts and decorative flowers and plants, Boat Noodle Restaurant is the favourite of many, locals and ex-pats alike. My husband and I have tried other restaurants with similar offerings but we keep on coming back to the Boat Noodle Restaurant. And who wouldn't? The food is spicy (you can ask the waiters to "de-chillify"), authentic and tasty, and the prices are low. Whenever I crave for food - spicy mango or green papaya salad, fish amok, my favorite fresh spring rolls, and many others -- this is where I go.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

FoodTrip Friday 005: Ginger and Scallions Chicken



Back in my university days in Cebu City, there was this Chinese restaurant in downtown Colon Street where my roommates and I were regular customers. This unassuming restaurant, dark on the inside with nothing much but rows of tables and chairs, arthritic ceiling fans, and grumpy ladies in cheap cheongsam attires pushing food-carts. To the newcomers, the sight was a disappointment. To us, old-timers, it looked basic but the lip-smacking and cheap food, albeit oily at times, more than made up for the oh-not-so-fantastic interior.

My regular order was the chicken-rice topping for only P12 (about US$0.30) at that time. So when I found a chicken recipe resembling this from Rasa Malaysia, I wasted no time in trying out the recipe... and voila!



ginger and scallionschicken

It has the same taste, the ginger is not overpowering and just enough hint of Shaoxing wine. Memories of my university days flooded my consciousness! Back in the old days, it's serve in a small bowl and topped with the chicken dish and we downed it with a glass of softdrink. Aah, those were the days.

You can get the recipe here or here.

Happy Food Trip Friday!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Blue Man Group show in Las Vegas

I have friends who have visited the US and a lot of them have been made it a point to go to Las Vegas - and who wouldn’t? Las Vegas is an amazing place and to me, the very name evokes an image of bright lights, fun entertainment, vibrant life... among many others. Rightfully so, Las Vegas is dubbed as the entertainment capital of the world!

My friends were amazed at the diversity and variety of entertainment offered in Las Vegas. Some shows have lavish production numbers, complete with Cancun dancers ala Moulin Rouge; others are simple musical concerts of popular artists, grand magic or circus shows ala Cirque du Soleil, or the awesome Blue Man Group, to exciting boxing matches like the Hatton-Pacquiao fight that happened just awhile ago. Literally, there are hundreds of choices every single night for every person’s preference and there seems to be no need to sleep while you are there!

The hottest show in Las Vegas these days is the intriguing and awesome Blue Man Group. Need Blue Man Group Tickets? Buy now as ticket prices tend to go sky-high – even if there’s so much competition. And with an in-demand show like the Blue Man Group, ticket prices could go even higher and they go very, very fast! Buy tickets as early as possible. You might even get a huge discount if you reserve early with your friends.

Pacquiao-Hatton fight in Phnom Penh

Dear Pinoy Friends in Phnom Penh... do you want to chase homesickness away, or, are you looking for something new to do this weekend?

Check out the Winking Frog in Sothearos Blvd. They are airing the Pacquiao-Hatton fight as it happens in Vegas. For $10/person, it includes buffet lunch (with lechon!) and 2 bottles of SanMig beer. As of this writing, Pacquiao downed Hatton two times already just into 2mins of the first round.

Later, in the evening, head over to Meta House. Meta House will be presenting NU PHILIPPINE CINEMA, featuring not one, but two Filipino (Indie) films back to back:

7PM - CAVITE (2005, 80 min.)
The breathtaking feature CAVITE by Ian Gamazon/Neill dela Llana focuses on terrorists and proves its mettle and drawing power by its searing and intense representation of a cityscape in the clutches of violence, poverty and globalisation.

8.30PM - PI7ONG TAGPO (2007, 130 min.)
Director Rahyan Carlos puts together seven films about seven lives, seven struggles, seven decisions, seven realities — all shot in one take.


Don't let the rain spoil your weekend. Call all your friends now and set a date for tomorrow night. Let's watch Indie Pinoy movies at Meta House. See you there.


***
META HOUSE
Street 264, #6
Sangkat Chaktomuk, Khan Daun Penh,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia

Meta-House is Cambodia's first art/communication/media center just a few minutes away from the riverside and Royal Palace. Know more about the Meta House and their work here.


UPDATE!
Pacquio defeated Hatton via a TKO on the second round. Hatton was definitely stunned not knowing where did the left hook that knocked him out come from!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Finding your soulmate online

Did you know that the world wide web just turned 20 this year? The world wide web contains gazillion of interesting stuffs. Having said that, I am sure a lot of people will agree with me when I say that the second most popular thing to ever come out of the web is online chatting. Nowadays, from being a communication tool, it has evolved and become a popular tool for singles to find friends, and even soul mates and partners, creating lots of room for interracial dating. And a lot of people I know attest that it’s an exciting way to meet people of different races and backgrounds.Wanna know how it works? Visit www.blackbbwsingles.com now!

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 006: Ginger and Scallions Chicken



ginger and scallionschicken2

Here's another tried and tested Chinese recipe that I borrowed from Rasa Malaysia. You can say that I am a fan of Rasa Malaysia's blog and have tried some of its recipes.

The taste reminded me of my favorite chicken-rice dish I always order at the Chinese dimsum restaurant in Colon Street, Cebu City (Philippines) where my roommates and I frequented long ago. This was considered the "staple meal" of university students like me at that time. It's easy to make, tasty and can be prepared under an hour. So for busy mums out there... this recipe is for you:



Ginger and Scallions Chicken
from www.rasamalaysia.com

ginger and scallionsIngredients:

1 chicken breast, cut lengthwise into 2-inch
4 stalks of scallion, cut into 2 inch sections
2 inches ginger root, sliced into pieces
3 tbsps cooking oil (1 tbsp for marinating chicken)
1/2 tbsp of corn or potato flour
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsps oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 dash of white pepper powder
Salt to taste


chicken in corn flour and oil

1. Marinate the chicken strips with corn or potato flour and add 1 tbsp of oil to seal in the chicken juice. Set aside for 15-20mins.

2. Heat up your wok (or frying pan) and pour the remaining cooking oil into the wok. When the wok gets very hot and begins to smoke, add in the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the scallions and stir until thoroughly hot. Add in the chicken strips and continue to stir well. Just when the chicken strips start to cook, add in oyster sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper, sugar, and toss the wok a few times. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed white rice.

And it's done! Here's the end result:



ginger and scallionschicken

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Friday, May 1, 2009

Phoenix Locksmith

Long ago, I blogged about one peculiarity about living in Phnom Penh - and that is how many keys could accumulate in one's pocket. I myself carry a huge bunch wherever I go. It’s interesting because we live in a typical French-styled Khmer apartment and yet it feels like living in a high-security level building. You see, we have keys for every gate and door, inside and outside of the house, accompanied by padlocks. Imagine, if I lose my keys, how could I ever get inside my own apartment?

So right after moving into our new apartment, one of the first things we did was to see a locksmith to have our keys duplicated. In Phnom Penh, there are no locksmith shops where you can just leave your keys and come back for it afterwards. In the US, people simply go to locksmith shops. In Phoenix, Arizona, the popular name in locksmith services is the Phoenix Locksmith. Started in 1979, Phoenix Locksmith’s popularity has grown over the years for proven quality service to their costumers. Now a household name, tens and thousands of costumers are relying on Phoenix Locksmith’s fast, honest and reliable services which they are known for. These services range from re-keying, repairing and installing locks to high-security locking systems and safe openings and repairs, and catering to the needs of homes and business establishments. To know more about Phoenix Locksmith, go check out its awesome website - www.phoenixlocksmith.biz.

Croatian Dalmacija Cheese

I just want to post here this fun and cheesy postcard I recently received from a friend in Croatia.


Postcard Friendship Friday 009_Croatian Cheese
Sent by Tomislav Dolar
Postmarked Nedelisce
Dated 05 March 2009

It's in the shape of a cheese, with holes you can punch to simulate cheese holes. Cool, eh? This odd-shaped postcard shows views of Vir, a beautiful island located on the coast of Adriatic sea. It has only one village, also called Vir, and is connected to the mainland via a road-bridge. Vir has a small population, but the numbers drastically increase when tourists arrive at the coast during summer. Apart from being a holiday town, Vir is also popular for producing the Dalmacija cheese.

Before Vir became a popular holiday destination, it was a barren island. In the 1980s, the then Yugoslav government considered building a nuclear power plant there due to its barren condition, causing the price of real estate to fall to an all-time low. Because of that, people who normally couldn't afford it were able to buy parcels of land. In a twist of circumstances, the planned nucler plant was not built and that's when people started building resorts.

The island of Vir gets over-populated during summer holidays, but with the existing resorts, the demands of the tourists are met. Off-season, Vir is a quiet island with a fantastic Mediterranean landscape and shoreline.

According to the Wikipedia, the word 'vir' is Croatian for "whirlpool". However, the name of the island probably originates from the word 'ueru' (probably from an old Dalmatian dialect) which means "pasture".


To see my postcard collection, please visit Postcards Crossing.

Web-hosting blog at Web-hosting Geeks

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