Boat & Wind

BoatWind - Sangria

2009-06-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

The last time we had this - a whole jug, Wind almost pengsan cos it was too 'kang' for her. That was the real stuff in Barcelona last year.

Then, while going through the latest deals from Sainsbury, we saw.....

Sangria #1.

Sangria #2.

We immediately went to get a bottle. Funny enough, it was placed with the rest of the Spanish red wines.

Soon, memories of the defeat to Snagria came flashing back. Wind asked "How aa? Still want?" :D What the heck, let's do it! But this time we are gonna mix it with something else....

Cloudy lemonade.

Cloudy lemonade should do the trick :). Atleast that's what we thought, and it sure did.

Sangria with cloudy lemonade.

The result was one word...SYIOK! It was surprisingly refreshing. Totally different experience from when we last had it. Wind was downing it like water :D.

BoatWind - Curry Wedges

2009-06-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Oh no....still loads of potatoes left. Apa macam? A problem with buying potatoes here if you want your hard earned money to be worth something; that is to buy a bag of potatoes :E It's really hard to finish up a bag of potatoes with just the 2 of us :D

Okla...time to be creative else those stuff that are growing out of the potatoes will grow into something else :D

Potato wedges nicely cut :)

Couldn't be bothered boiling it so went for the quick way to soften the wedges, the microwave. 10 minutes....nice and soft wedges.

Never made this before, so just tabur whatever we could find. Obviously, the main ingredient was curry powder. First if all, some olive oil to coat. Then, all the different spices - curry powder, garam masala, 5 spice, black pepper and cilli powder. Finally, some sea salt.

Curry wedges #1

Curry wedges #2

Curry wedges #3

About 30 minutes in the oven - flipping after 15 minutes. the wedges were ready. Glad we decided to bake it in the oven rather than deep frying it.

Wind was licking her fingers till the last piece :). It was really good - great with mayo and sweet chilli sauce. 2 thumbs up! As we left the skin on, it was garing kau kau!

The Art of Deep Goreng

2009-06-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Aiyo, how come not crispy??? - One of those million dollar questions.

Have you ever encountered those moments where you wish whatever that you were about to deep fry will end up crispy? For me, all the time! But can never get it right :E. Then the feeling of defeat will eat me up slowly everytime I touch that dish until the very last piece. All this while, I have tried this la, that la...semua tak boleh.

Deep fried chicken #1

Deep fried chicken #2

Then, on a fine evening, BAM! Crispy Chicken! Nah...it won't last, I was sure it will turn soggy in a bit. More than 30 minutes later......still CRISPY!!!

How did that happen? :) Well, it's actually this dude, Peter Pang - I think he is a chef from Singapore. I saw his video on youtube. He was making this dish that involves deep frying. I just followed his way of mixing the flour with the meat; it works! No need for super complicated batter (unless for fish and chips :D). Just a simple mixture of flour and the right way to apply it.

Deep fried chicken #3

To finish up, fry some garlic, curry leaves, chilli padi and cereal - I got one of those pre packed cereal with seasoning, short cut :D. No complain this round. Chicken was crispy all the way. Hope I can get this right again...hahaha

BoatWind Lasagna

2009-05-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

It was a fine day and I made a request. I want lasagna! I want! I want! I want! Wind obliged :D hehehe...But we were missing some ingredients. Off to Asda.

Lasagna #1 - Before putting it in the oven.

This is Wind's recipe. No copying from any food blog :) She used lamb mince since we had some left sitting in the freezer.

Wind started cooking lo. Half way, she came screaming..."I hate onions!". She just kept blinking and oozing tears :D. After some sweet words from me, I manage to 'psycho' her back to cooking.

Manage to get a picture before it went into the oven.

Lasagna #2 - Fresh from oven.

Lasagna #3 - Close up.

We have never tried mozzarella on lasagna before, and that was absolutely the decision of the day. It was really good, as the cheese was crispy on the outside and stringy on the inside. Wind told me it was better to tear the cheese rather than grating or cutting it.

Salad

Wind put in a condition if we were to have lasagna that day; to have a salad as well :S Oh oo....Not very keen but what to do.

Wind decided to whip up her own dressing. Don't know what was in that dressing but it was really good. The salad was refreshing and tasty :) Surprise I am saying this as I am no big fan of salads unless they come with meat....hahaha.

Croutons

There were homemade croutons to go with the salad as well. It was so crispy and the 'galicky' taste was just right.

Mmmmm....another wonderful dinner. I am serious, Wind can really cook...dun play play!

BoatWind Tagliatelle Ala Fungi Porcini

2009-05-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

Wind seldom play masak-masak at home, but when she does....BAM!!! Yummy! :)

Tagliatelle #1

Tagliatelle #2

It was almost dinner time and we had no idea what to eat. Didn't prepare at all, meat was still in the feezer, not sure if we had any vege at all :D. Okok, I was a bit lazy that day. Wind to the rescue! She volunteered to cook and it was going to be tagliatelle. So, off she went while I sat on the couch like a dead fish.

Went to check on her a while later and saw the porcini mushrooms soaking in a hot bath. Nice.....! :) So, I left her to work her magic.

So, dinner of the day = Tagliatelle Ala Fungi Porcini! What can I say? She wasn't following any recipe but when she cooks, she cooks!

Stir Fry Button Mushrooms

Well, I thought it was only right that I should come up with my little share of the dinner. Man, was I wrong! I had to get my hands dirty and started frying some really 'aged' - probably a week old - button mushrooms. It wasn't pretty. The taste was alright but I couldn't justify it against Wind's tagliatelle.

I shouldn't complain, really. Dinner was ever tasty :)

Lunch at Westfield Shopping Centre Food Hall

2009-05-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

First thing I said to Wind when we arrive was "I need food!". We went to get some information and were directed to the food hall. A brilliant idea it was.

Food Hall #1.

Food Hall #2.

Food Hall #3.

Food Hall #4.

Food Hall #5.

Food Hall #6.

Food Hall #7.

Food Hall #8.

Food Hall #9.

Food Hall #10.

Food Hall #11.

Food Hall #12.

Food Hall #13.

Just can't stop adding the pictures :D. It's such a nice place and a comfortable one to have our meal. It has got this sense of exclusiveness. I mean, look at the ceiling and those chrome balls.

Now, the food stall that really caught our eyes was.....

Croque Gascon #1.

Croque Gascon #2.

The Croque Gascon serves French food. The setting and layout of the stall is an example of a perfect kitchen, atleast for me :). Special of the day was Duck Burger! We have gotta try this! So....

Duck Burger #1 - Looks delicious!

Duck Burger #2 - Close up.

Duck Burger #3 - The taste is not bad at all, could be better if the 'duckiness' to it was stronger :).

Duck Burger #4 - Chips that came with the burger.

As for our second dish....hmmmmmm. Life is full of options and this was one of those moment. Finally, we picked one which we have always wanted to try.

Chicken Tikka Masala served with Aloo Gobi Matar (Potato, Cauliflower and Green Peas Curry) and Pilau Rice #1.

Chicken Tikka Masala served with Aloo Gobi Matar (Potato, Cauliflower and Green Peas Curry) and Pilau Rice #2.

Naan Bread.

Guess what this is for :).

Tiffinbites - http://www.tiffinbites.com/ - is a restaurant chain which serves food in traditional tiffins, just like in India. Fantastic concept, don't you think? We saw it on tv once and have always wanted to try them out but never got the chance until today. Pity that our food wasn't served in tiffins like in the restaurants :(. Anyway, the food was good especially the Aloo Gobi Matar.

Manage to guess what that remote-like device is for? I haven't a clue what it was when Wind handed it to me. This is actually a device which will vibrate and blink (in red) when the food that was ordered is ready. No need to wait at the food stall, I like! :D

Overall, lunch was good and satisfying.

Westfield Shopping Centre

2009-05-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Wind came to wake me up at about 11.30pm, and we decided that our destination of the day would be Westfield shopping centre. Apparently, it's the largest urban shopping mall in Europe with more than 265 shops. Anyway, the weather was really good, so it's only right to get out of the house.

Traffic was not very smooth. There are just too many traffic lights around and it got worst about 2 miles from our destination. Wind wasn't too happy about it :D Later, after about an hour in the car.......

Westfield #1

Westfield #2

Westfield #3

This place is seriously huge. Can't fault the layout and design. The shops are ever spacious and you don't feel crowded at all even with loads of people around. It reminds me of Pavillion though :D

The food hall is really posh - had lunch here, will blog about it later.

Nando's is like in a space pod or something.

The information counter.

The information screen.

The design of this place is really cool. It has got all these 'Wow' factors. Everywhere you look, there must be something that catches your eyes.

Sitting area #1

Sitting area #2

Sitting area #3

Sitting area #4

Can you believe the sitting areas? Before you even sit your butt on it, you will have to stop for a minute and admire the chairs.

What credit crunch? Mau masuk, beratur la...

There is this section called The Village where they house all those designer brands. Tension betul when inside there :D One month salary would probably get you a keychain or something.

Dinner - 23 May 2009

2009-05-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

I started cooking at 1pm cause I was to meet up with some friends for drinks. So I thought I'd cook dinner before I go out and so that Wind would have something to eat when she is back from work while I was out partying :D. Wind must be thinking she has to makan sendiri for dinner.

This day would be the day when I try my hands on making 'char siew' for the first time. Again, I got the recipe from one of the food blogs.

Started marinating the meat two days ago.

Was also making some 'siew yoke'. Trying another recipe which I found, yes, from another food blog :D. Damn! Gotta start coming out with our own recipes. Anyway, this has got 'nam yee' inside. So should taste abit different from Wind's usual 'siew yoke'.

This was done a day before.

After hours of putting in and taking out the meat from the oven, the 'char siew' and 'siew yoke' was finally done. Just about then, I got a message saying that drinking session was postponed. No worries, I would just stay home and pretend to be a good boy :).

'Siew Yoke' #1

'Siew Yoke' #2

The 'siew yoke' came out first. The skin was nothing like the the real stuff coz I didn't really prick the skin and use the salt that was required. The meat, though, was quite nice. The taste was surprisingly good.

'Char Siew' #1

'Char Siew' #2

'Char Siew' #3

'Char Siew' #4 - With flash

More pictures on the 'char siew' cause of it being the first time and the result was not too bad. A tad too much 'hoi sin' sauce but it turned out alright :). The reason the 'char siew' needed more time was because after cooking in the oven it has to go under the grill to give it the 'char' effect :D hahaha....

'Pak Jam Gai'

It would not be right if I were to serve both 'siew yoke' and 'char siew' without the 'pak jam gai'. So another dish to prepare.

'Gai Ken' aka gizzards.

Wind don't really like chicken 'spare parts', but I sneaked in a little treat for myself :). If I am sad, get me gizzards!

'Gai Fan'

The rice was good. As usual, the off the shelve 'gai fan' mixture didn't disappoint. Good stuff! :)

Wind was quite surprised when she opened the door and saw me at home :). Tunngu apa lagi, makan time!

1st Crab vs 1st Lobster

2009-05-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

After one night in the freezer.

Have never thought of buying crab here, but after reading about a crab dish - Butter Crab - on one of the food blogs, we knew we had to try that recipe. So after a little haggling with this guy from Ipoh, we bought the little bugger above. Wind was a little reluctant as the crab was a life one, meaning we have to figure out the most humane way to 'dui lum' it. That Ipoh guy quickly interrupted "Eat one no need to feel guily la (in cantonese)" :D.

So Butter Crab it was. The crabs here are different. They don't have as much meat and the shell is way harder. Overall, the taste was fantastic :) but not the crab.

After 30 minutes in the freezer.

Last Sunday, while doing some food shopping in Wing Yip, we saw that the lobsters were on offer - £10 each. Where can miss out, so there we bought our first lobster here. As usual, Wind, being an animal lover, showed signs of reluntancy :D. Poor Wind or should I say poor lobster.

Those claws were rock hard.

This little fella suddenly moved. Wind began shouting. After 30 minutes in the freezer, we thought it must be dead, but this is one tough lobster and wasn't gonna give up. First the legs move and then the tail. I must say it was a little freaky how it moved after being frozen. So after the picture, I sent it back to the freezer.

Took it out about 20 minutes later cause it was near dinner time. Guess what, it started moving again. Apa macam? Can't wait another 20 minutes. Wind quickly Googled to find out how to kill in the most effective way possible. First we have to find a cross on the head then shove a skewer into it, bla bla bla....No time for that la, so.........

The crime scene and murder weapon.

Half of it was steamed with garlic and ginger; the other baked with chilli. The meat was fresh and bouncy. Ho Jiak!

Magic Box Colombo Twin Cordless DECT Telephone

2009-05-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

When boxed.

First read about this phone in the STUFF magazine - http://stuff.tv/Review/Magic-Box-Colombo-Two/. I was drooling all over it. Then a couple days ago, with a little luck, Wind and I found out that Argos was selling it while scrolling through the catalogue looking for a Panasonic cordless DECT telephone. Yahoo! No more just talking about it; Wind gave the green light and 10 minutes later we were the proud owners of a twin set.

The handset #1.

The handset #2.

The handset on the base unit.

The different pieces included.

Personally, the design is KENG!. By the way, it states on the box that this product was design by Chauhan Studio - http://www.chauhanstudio.com/. Even their website looks cool. Back to the phone, despite features like answering machine, speaker phone, etc., it doesn't feel as solid as those Panasonic ones. The keypad is not as responsive either. Anyway, who gives a s**t about that. It's COOL! and that's all that matters :D.

BOSE On Ear Headphones

2009-05-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

Recently got the BOSE On Ear headphones. One word...KENG!
Nono two words actually...VERY KENG! The balance between the treble and base is so perfect even when the equaliser was set to flat.

When boxed.

To be honest, it is quite expensive for a set of headphones. The retail price is £120, about RM650 with the current conversion rate...Ouch! Better not let my dad find out else he will shout at me "Li Siau aa!" I only got it cause I had some gift vouchers from Amex. Had to top up £40. I figured...what the heck, a little present for myself. Wind was ever supportive :).

Close up.

Unlike other On Ear headphones, it is not too bulky.

These are all the stuff that comes with price.

Like it that two different extensions are provided. This headphone is extremely comfortable cause there is a layer of memory foam on the earpiece. So it covers the ears according to the shape of your ear. The built is of high quality and looks cool too. Again, the sound that comes out of it is just simply amazing (I am blasting 'Ji Pa Ban', that hokkien song while writing this :D).

Overall, a great product, but a little on the expensive side.

The Inauguration!

2009-05-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today marks the glorious inaugural of 'Boat & Wind'. Yahoo!!!
We - Boat & Wind - hereby declare this blog OPEN and ALIVE!
This is such an emotional moment.
Ok let's cut the crap and time for some celebration....hehe

Aaaaa....the 'King of Beers'. Now that's living.

Well, first of all, allow us to welcome you to this blog. Nothing much to read about now but hopefully it will grow to include just about anything that is interesting.

It never occurred to us that we will start a blog, but then thought it might be a good idea to just share and express our thoughts about daily stuff.

Anyway, Thank you! people for visiting and please excuse our lack of words on this meaningful day. Since this is the first posting give chance la...Still abit shy

Till next time...Tata for now