u m a m i

ASEAN Family Day, France 2008

            

(have a feeling the spring rolls were from the Thai contingent..)

Every year the diplomatic agencies of the ASEAN countries get together for a Family Day. This year the event was held at a leisure centre 40 km outside Paris. We were thrilled to be invited and my goodness what a yummy day out. The sun was shining, the kids received loads of goodies and I ate an embarassing amount of deliciousness.

Please scroll through the pictobrowser for more pictures, and click on the "notes" link for the commentaries. It is me in the pink batik tunic tearing into a banana rice cake, marking the first time that a picture of myself appears on this blog. I must have been rendered gaga by the THREE pieces of banana samosas, see top image, 12 o'clock- sliced bananas cooked in syrup, wrapped and fried up as samosas and glazed with sticky caramel, doesn't that sound crazy delicious?

Daulat Tuanku, from Paris

             

Do you know that, every year, the Malaysian King's birthday is celebrated on the first Saturday of June? Always. The sultans of all the 13 states take turn to be king, and during their kingship the country celebrates their birthday. On their real birthday of course, they can do whatever they like, but come first Saturday in June, they will be lots of cake-cutting and greetings of "Daulat Tuanku" to wish them long life. Even as far away as France.

We went to the celebrations held in a sports complex on the outskirts of Paris. After the speeches everyone went to take a good look at the cake. Strawberries, chocolate swirls, sugar cookies and a lone macaron.

             

Makan time. These are pancakes rolled and stuffed with curried chicken. Sedap.

             

Still, all everyone wanted was to eat satays. The tantalising smell was the first thing we noticed on the way to the venue, and it was worth the 40 minute drive out. Spicy sweet but not hot so that the kids can enjoy them as well. Before they got busy with the games. Our V didn't do too badly either, she won second prize in the colouring competition and also a bonus prize for jumping like a crazed monkey when the band played. All in, a very good day out.             

Reunion dinner CNY 2008

I went to the market and discovered the florists are better stocked, their pussywillows and cherry blossoms were gorgeous, and back home the cherry blossoms have been blooming prettily and filling the hall with a delicious aroma. We have a lot of flowers this time round, in addition to some ranunculas and a rambutan-like flower arrangement I set on the reception table, the cousins gave us a lovely arrangement of orchids, très exotic for this part of the world. Please click on the pictobrowser thing to admire!

I forgot to buy fresh salmon for the yee-sang, so had to hijack the fresh scallops (meant for the hotpot) instead. Still there were plenty of stuff for the hotpot: scallop roe, entrecote boeuf, pork, farm chicken (equivalent of kampung quality), cod, tofu, quail's eggs, vegetables and an interlude of pork guotie dumplings in honour of cousin''s girlfriend who is Shanghainese. The hotpot was a great success if I may say so. We kept to a very basic stock which is made by simmering an entire yellow farm chicken in water for a few hours, no more, no less. It makes a homely, clear soup base which can only be enhanced by all the other ingredients. After dinner we crashed out by watching KungFu on DVD.

Today, we went for a simple Korean lunch of spicy rice cakes, bossam and more dumplings. I had a conversation class and after that, husband and Vera came to meet me and we all went to have tea at the Four Seasons George V, the little one enjoyed a strawberry tart while we munched daintily on beautiful finger sandwiches. Back home the central heating is not working again, fortunately GG made a pot of scallop and chicken congee which provided the much needed warmth, it was also so delicious that we cleaned out the whole pot.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we go to London. To see my sister C and onwards to Newcastle, specifically Beamish, to celebrate my friend Sui Mai's wedding. Boots, M&S, Whole Foods, honest-to-goodness real Chinese and Indian food, pub grub, WHSmiths, here we come!

Christmas, we ate, and ate, and ate some more!

My friends, I am sad to say that I am now fatter than ever. Because I consumed too much good food over Christmas. 

Originally I planned a real simple meal. Like chicken curry and noodles. Then I saw Wai Fun make confit de canard at home and it looked quite easy so we bought two ducks and threw in a few legs for good measure. We would fry that up, shred it and roll it in pancakes like the best of Chinese restaurants in London. I had already procured a can of foie gras at the market but remembered that we had invited husband's colleague, and reasoned that the small jar could not feed us, C and my two cousins. So I bought another jar, a bigger one. Passing by the patisseries I was seduced by the buche de noels (French for log cakes) and bought two because I couldn't decide on just one. And then I was thinking how V loves ham and all sorts of processed meats and rationalised myself to a Bellota Bellota outlet to buy 200g of pata negra, the seductive ham from the black-footed pigs of Iberico.

Christmas eve, I decided the table needs some decoration so we took out the el cheapo paper napkins we bought on promotion at Tang Freres and looked up ways to fold napkins. We now know how to make 'birds of paradise', and it may not be crisp Frette squares but the end result looked festive enough.

The lunch started with pata negra and Charles Heidsick 1996 vintage, then we moved on to foie gras with toast and a Domaine Cauhape 2003 Jurançon and then crispy duck pancakes accompanied by a Lagrezette 1996 Cahor. The lunch proper was pork ribs braised with wine lees that my friend J kindly sent over from Singapore by way of her visiting friend- the jar was not able to come to us because of the November strikes and the poor girl fell down the stairs so in the end we had to drive over to her campus to take said jar home. J, if you are reading this, thanks very much!! Coloured a vivid scarlet and not as sweet as Andrew's version, the lees married just as well with pork ribs and the dish went great with some vegetables and rice.

By then, everyone was near comatose with so we took time out to watch Shaolin Soccer on DVD. Me, I played Scrabulous on Facebook, there were surprisingly many people online on that festive day too. After tackling the cheeses and the three log cakes- cousins had brought along a beautiful showstopper from Ladurée- we dragged ourselves out to watch the lights along Avenue Montaigne and Champs Elysée and again bumped into hordes of people who had the same idea.

Thus marks our first Christmas in Parisland. Cheers!

Christmas, it was two days ago

The three weeks away flashed by all too quickly. Meeting up with our dear families and friends, revelling in the laughter and easy familiarity and just enjoying their company. Thanks to all our friends who treated us to many wonderful meals, it will stoke us well for the months ahead. V too, benefited from being at home, Wai Fun really feed the children well, their menus can range from spaghetti bolognaise to chirashi sushi and even polenta with truffles and flaked fish, little wonder then that she is now a lot heavier now.

We're back in Paris now, and so are Mimi and Rufus. The past week had been frantic with quite a bit of travelling, then at home there was a lot of dusting and laundry-washing on top of the rush to stock the pantry in time for Christmas. Fourth sister C also came over and spent a few days with us. Christmas lunch was a small affair but plentiful in food and wine for which we are thankful, pictures will be up as soon as I've digested them...

In the meantime, have a good holiday and a Happy New Year 2008!

Hari Raya in Paris

                   

One of the first, and best thing I did was to sign up as a member of the Malaysian Association in France (MAF). The association is very active in organising gatherings for fellow Malaysians and their families e.g. a CNY lunch, charity bazaars, games and Merdeka Day celebrations.

For an important festival like Hari Raya they invited members to the Hari Raya Open House celebrations at the Malaysian Ambassador's residence. In true spirit of Malaysian hospitality people can just turn up, shake the Ambassador's hand, wish one another "Selamat Hari Raya"and after waiting a respectable interval, queue up for free food. Yes, free food in Paris, unbelievable but completely true.

Husband and I were excited, we were hoping that there would be satay. Turned out that satay was not on the menu, but something even better was available, i.e. Beef Rendang. With Lemang. Also Char Beehoon, Ayam Masak Merah, Ketupat and Achar. The falafel wasn't in the menu, we brought a batch to share. There were also some simple cakes and among the beverages, freshly brewed teh tarik.

The queue for the food moved slowly but it was worth the long wait for a taste of home, well actually I nearly shrieked out in joy after taking the first bite of the rendang. Like, move over 7-hour mijotes de boeuf, hello melting beef pieces coated in glorious spicy coconut cream reduction. My tastebuds, I swear, were hi-fiving with the sauce, so exuberant was their reacquaintance. It wasn't the best rendang I've ever tasted but for sure it was the most happy-making version.

To my friends and readers, I would like to wish you all a Selamat Hari Raya too!

La Nuit Bleu

We were walking home from the tiny sushi restaurant, replete with our best-ever, for Paris standards anyway, omakase dinner. We gave the chef free reign and were rewarded with the likes of marinated eel liver, plump oysters, crunchy-sweet chewy fins of yet another fish that we knew not its English name and finally, a series of sushi items that ranged from spot-on classical otoro to innovative yuzu salt flecked whimsies before screeching to a halt with a rather scary battera of unknown fish with gelatinous skin. Well there was also a roll of chopped maguro but by that time my stomach had run out of space.

Eiffel Tower twinkled benignly as we passed the Trocadero, I recounted to husband the events that happened while he was away in Brest earlier in the week. Suddenly, the normally quiet streets erupted in a cacophony of loud cheers and honkings from cars. A fleet of dark blue gendarmerie vans careened through the traffic with their insistent sirens. "On a gagné! people shouted from the balcony.

Husband and I frowned. Could it be? Non, ce nést pas possible! Oh, but stranger things have happened. And indeed the unexpected had come to pass. The French rugby team, the very one that lost its first round match on the first night of this World Cup, clawed their way back to enter the quarter finals; tonight, they defeated team titan, the New Zealand's All-Blacks. Pretty incredible really.

It is La Nuit Blanche tonight, when many places stay open and music play till morning comes and there's no need to sleep. Well, with this major win, Paris is definitely partying all night long and painting the town blue with its team colours!

CNY 2007- Paris

                     

We had a quiet new year weekend. At the market on CNY eve, we bought flowers and clementines. V helped to stock up the almost 30 year old snack tray with candied fruits, hawflakes and nuts. We took the dogs to the groomers before we returned to the flat for a homecooked 'reunion dinner'.

                     

As there's only the three adults and a 16 month child eating we focussed on light flavourful dishes. Scallops were of course a foregone conclusion since they are just coming into season, getting fatter and sweeter as the weeks progress. This time we grilled and coated it with smoky-spicy bits of sauteed garlic and chilli and it was absolutely fabulous. The green herbs in the background, don't know the name ? ice lettuce had a crisp texture and a salty peppery tang that provided a nice contrast.

                   

Then, some salmon braised in a sauce partly inspired by this video by Mark Bittman of the New York Times. Instead of mackerel we used salmon, and we cooked the sauce to an almost syrupy gravy to pour over rice. Oo-la-la was it ever so very tasty. And unbelievably simple.

Then there was a plate of smallish prawns stirfried with dark soy sauce, just like my mom makes at home.

                   

And an anomalous but still welcome dish of leftover sausage casserole, augmented with stirfried courgettes and brocolli. We had to kick the casserole out of the freezer to make room for the food we will cook for husband's colleagues and their families when they come over next week (cripes!).

We drank a little muscadet with the food, and toasted the new year in. Then for desserts there was a little bag of mini macarons and a dig in the tin of candy my cousins brought over when we cooked dinner for them a few days before.

Tables cleared, kitchen scrubbed, we settled down in front of the TV to surf through the hundred of channels that is in the Canal+ package we're trying out. Then we went to sleep.

                  

The next day i.e. first day of lunar year 2007, felt very springlike- the sun came out and so did all the people in Paris. We had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant ate an indulgent dish of fresh noodles with black truffles. Life is not the same here, but it is still mighty fine and worth celebrating. Cheers!

Malaysians celebrate CNY in Paris

                     

The Internet is truly my best friend in Paris. Through the wonders of Google, I found out about the Malaysian Association in France which organised a Chinese New Year gathering last weekend.There was plenty of food, including some homemade favourites like yee-sang, beef rendang, achar, roti jala, kueh dadar, muah-chee and even nian gao. Also singing, tombola and ang-pows for the little ones. Best thing was, we met up with a whole bunch of really sweet people from Malaysia, China, UK, Singapore and well, all over the world really. If you squint hard, you may even be able to spot an image of me in one of the pictures above.

Have a very happy and prosperous piggy year 2007 everyone. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Xin Nian Guai Le and win lots of money at mahjong and the Big Sweep okay!

Cheesy Ham Sandwich for Xmas

                     

And we were very grateful for it too, dull as it may have been.

The drive up to KL on 23rd Dec was very long, starting with an hour long queue at the Second Link and continuing along the North South Highway in long draggy moments, especially painful in the middle where the Plus people were actually doing roadworks, turning a 3.5 hour journey into a 5.5. hour nightmare.

Back home we were greeted with much mayhem (cue flashbacks to similar scenes in 2004). It was the height of the party season, and every spare hand and leg was engaged in making mince pies, miniature Xmas puddings, roast turkey/ leg of lamb/ hams plus trimmings as well as loads of finger foods. There is not much competitors in the Klang Valley for finger foods and the reason is simple- it is backbreakingly labour intensive and extremely fiddly. Then there was also the packaging, invoicing and payment collections. All these frenzied activities on top of the usual childminding and daily rituals. Bedtime was 3 am both nights of the weekend. It was exhilarating, frustrating and and left no time for other concerns.

By the time Xmas day came round, we were all in a zombie-like state. Third Sister made some simple toasted sandwiches with her jam-glazed hams and some melty cheese and that was our Christmas lunch. Its simplicity was much welcomed in the face of all that fancy party foods we were knee-deep in just hours before. Then I went to bed and slept most of the afternoon away.

The days after Xmas were quieter, so we could go shopping, play with all the wee nephews and nieces, have leisurely lunches, knit and generally relax. I even managed a visit to the dentist for a routine cleaning. The internet connection was spotty so I limited myself to checking emails and downloading crossword puzzles.

                     

Food was not really a priority. There was way too much of it to make much of an impression, the 5 refridgerators and 1 chest freezer were all stuffed to bursting with food for customers or leftovers that daddy brought to tide us over when there wasn't time to cook for ourselves. The family loved chihuahua's fruit cake which was almost 90% fruit and nuts and only 10% cake. Mummy took two nights and three days to make her special dried abalone soup enriched with cordyceps, scallops, chicken and ginseng. We also discovered that our mom makes a mean Fried Tung Hoon- almost oil-free, and of a suitably dry texture imbued with the fragrance of loads of dried shrimps and chinese parsley.

There was also a day devoted to finding good eats in and around KL, but I will cover that in the next post. Right now I am happy to be back in Singapore with the dogs. The internet has just started to work right too, so I could finally resume blogging.

This comes a little late, but I hope everyone will have a happy year ahead. May all your wishes come true and your meals be memorable and satisfying!