Fifty Shades of Grey.... or something else

Teh:

When Jeanette Winterson asked why women need pain to enjoy sex, I couldn't help but pick up a copy to read. There is such a big woo-haa (mainly all the BDSM) going on with "Fifty Shades of Grey"! A few of my friends who are not in the habit of reading have actually heard about it. The power of BDSM! But really, there isn't much "kinky f**kery" (according to the book) so to speak of. To me, it is alot more like a romance novel (i have only ever read one when i was 12 years old) sprinkled with some "kinky" (in its loosest way) sex. But then again, what makes a good romance novel?

Let me break it down for you on whether you should read this book.

1. If you like romance novels, read it.
2. If you are a Twilight fan, read it. I heard it started off as a fanfic. "Tall, dark and handsome. Impossibly rich." Those are convenient premises to any woman (or man) off her feet.
3. If you are curious about mild kinky f**kery, read it.
4. If you are looking for hardcore kinky f**kery, don't read it.
5. If you are bored, don't read it. Take 50 shades of something else instead...

Ok. Back to cooking this weekend if i can find the elusive ingredients. For once, Sheng Siong doesn't have what i was looking for! May have to go Mustafa soon.

Pizza Crust Recipe (Pizza Hut Style)

Teh:

I want to share with you a good pizza crust recipe i found yesterday on Chef John's website! Well, technically it's Wolfgang Puck's recipe but since i found it on Chef John's website and it was his video that motivated me to give it a try, it'll be "Chef John's pizza recipe" in my head.

This pizza crust is one of those type that is soft and tastes like bread. Think Pizza Hut and you will know which type of crust i'm talking about. Although i personally prefer thin crust pizzas (i'm drooling at the thought of Azzura's pizza), this thick crust pizza recipe is a keeper.

Click here for the link to the video on Chef John's website. It's simple and effortless (almost)! 

Here is the recipe and method to make 4 personal sized pizzas:

Ingredients:
7g of instant yeast 
1 tsp honey
250ml of warm water (around 40 degrees celsius)
360g of all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
some olive oil, plus more for brushing
toppings of your choice

Method:

1. Mix yeast, honey and warm water in a bowl. Mix until yeast and honey are dissolved in the water.

2. Add flour (in 3 batches) and salt to the liquid. Mix well.

3. Knead the dough until smooth. Dust more flour onto the dough if the dough becomes sticky. (This will probably take 10 mins. But i sucked at kneading so i took quite awhile. But fret not! Be brave!).

4. Put the smooth dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise till double in size for 30 - 40 minutes.

5. Knock back (deflate the dough), shape it, cut it into the portions you want.

6. Tuck the corners of the dough underneath itself. Shape them into balls.

7. Rest the doughs for 20 minutes.

8. Shape the dough into your desired pizza shape.

9. Add toppings and cheese!

10. Bake at 225 degrees celsius on the low rack for 5 minutes and then on the top rack for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pork Knuckles 2nd Attempt

Teh:

Here is part of my continuous effort to perfect this Pork Knuckles. It's still not perfect yet. But it looks sooo good. The skin is crispy and the meat is tender! So what is not perfect about it?  I'm not telling. Lol.

Baked Pork Knuckle

Cut Baked Pork Knuckle

Korean Pancake

Teh:

All i want to say is my diet nonsense (yes i tried to be on a diet!) left me feeling miserable and not interested in cooking anything (hence very quiet and no posts!). Thank god i finally came to my senses!

Without further ado, i'm sharing this gem i found. Korean Pancake Mix! (Bought at Sheng Siong for $2.20. My friend found the exact same thing in a Korean supermarket at Marina Square for $1.90. I feel cheated.) It's really effortless. Mix it with water and viola! Add in your desired vegetables and you can enjoy yummy Korean pancake right at home! Or at your friend's house or wherever you wish to demonstrate your superb cooking skills.

Korean Pancake Mix

I used 200g of the mix, add 300ml of water (as per the instructions). It was enough to make 3 big pancakes. The vegetables i used include golden mushroom (half short), sliced french beans, sliced shitake mushrooms and slice red capiscums (Yes no spring onions. I hate them!). I stir-fried all the vegetables first. I divided the vegetables into portions before add the batter to them individually to make sure there isn't too much batter for the vegetables. I guess if you are very sure of yourself (or lazy), you can add the vegetables to the batter and pan fry according to the size you want.

Korean Pancake

If you want the pancake to be crispy, you'll need to add more oil. Before you flip the pancake, add some oil to the pan first. This will ensure both sides of your pancake is crispy. No wonder some pancakes tend to be oily.

I'm going to do a meat version soon!

If you think i only did this pancake during the long weekend, you are seriously wrong. I also made pork knuckles (a continuous attempt to perfect this elusive dish) and pork cutlet made of sliced pork. Look out for these posts!

Singapore's first Olympics Medal (in an individual event) in 52 years! - Thank you Tianwei!

Teh:

Feng Tianwei clinched the bronze medal for Singapore last night! Singapore's first individual Olympics medal in 52 years!

Not sure if you watched the match between Feng Tianwei and Kasumi Ishikawa but Tianwei made it look rather effortless. Especially after her tough and thrilling match against Ding Ning the day before! Her match with Kasumi Ishikawa was not as fun to watch. I'm not complaining though!

Now i'm hoping for a team medal in table tennis from the ladies! Good luck!

Go Feng Tianwei!

Teh:

I watched the exciting table tennis semi-finals match (London Olympics 2012) between Feng Tianwei and Ding Ning last night! When i knew Tianwei was up against Ding Ning, my heart sank abit. Ding Ning is one tough nut to crack! Nevertheless, i hoped that some miracle will happen.

I read that our PM Lee was watching at home with his wife, cheering Tianwei on. Guess what? We were doing the same at home! All eyes were on the table and the players. We couldn't help but hold our breaths when there were long and intense rallies. We cheered for Tianwei wins and shouted encouragement when she lost points. It was definitely a world class performance from both players.

There were 2 occasions where the umpire awarded a point to Tianwei that left Ding Ning puzzled. It was something to do with concealing the ball from the opponent when she served. How did that happen? But anyway, concealed or not, those points were precious!

Tianwei became my heroine when she did not give up despite the score being 3-10, match point for Ding Ning! Tianwei fought for her point when the umpire did not see the ball touching the table. She managed to garner another 3 points before succumbing to the final score of 6-11.

I must say Ding Ning was very scary with her deathly stares. But Tianwei was unfazed! Maybe she is used to it. I can't imagine Tianwei with the same deathly stare. Can you?

I'm looking forward to Tianwei's next match! Hope she keeps up her performance and win a bronze medal!

Good Luck Team Singapore!