Friday, May 29, 2009
@ Budapest Airport
We are at the Ferihegy Terminal 1 waiting to board our flight W6 269 to Madrid. At least they provide free Wifi at the airport, this ought to keep me busy until the battery runs out. :P Will try to upload some photos.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Already the 4th stop
I can't believe we are already at the 4th stop - Krakow. We arrived here this morning by a night train (my first on a sleeper coach). Exciting.
Sorry I haven't been quite active with my blog, but its quite difficult when there's so much that I want to write about and yet so little time and very much limited internet access. I'll try to post some of my offline drafts soon.
And yes, we ARE enjoying ourselves here... try not to be too jealous, ok? ;) At least you won't be as broke as we are when we get home...
Till then...miss all of you back home... HUGSSss..
Sorry I haven't been quite active with my blog, but its quite difficult when there's so much that I want to write about and yet so little time and very much limited internet access. I'll try to post some of my offline drafts soon.
And yes, we ARE enjoying ourselves here... try not to be too jealous, ok? ;) At least you won't be as broke as we are when we get home...
Till then...miss all of you back home... HUGSSss..
Friday, May 22, 2009
A day in Prague
It's always like this for me, only updating my blog days or weeks later, only to forget to mention about all the exciting stuff that happened.
We arrived Prague on Monday morning, decided to avoid all the hassle of taking public transport to our hostel and chose the shuttle service instead, which costs us 480CZK (approx. RM90). It was probably slightly more expensive than taking the public transport but cheaper than taxi. Most important was it got us straight to the doorstep of our hostel. If you are a group of 4, shuttle is the most convenient and economical choice because you'll pay the same amount whether you are 2 or 4.
We were greeted by Mirek at Hostel One that morning. He provided us with a map and gave us information on how to move about in the city. While waiting for our room to be ready, we decided to look at some of the brochures at the reception. There was this "Ultimate Prague Tour" for 1200 CZK per person (approx USD60) which was highly recommended. It included a walking tour, river cruise, lunch and a complimentary Ghost tour in the evening. Since we only have approximately 2 days to visit the city, we decided to give it a go. Frankly, we were not disappointed.
Not too far from the Old Town quarter is a market, selling handcrafted items, puppets, chocolates, vegetables, flowers and many more. I enjoyed looking at all the puppets that are hung at the stalls, some were cute, while some were scary.
We arrived Prague on Monday morning, decided to avoid all the hassle of taking public transport to our hostel and chose the shuttle service instead, which costs us 480CZK (approx. RM90). It was probably slightly more expensive than taking the public transport but cheaper than taxi. Most important was it got us straight to the doorstep of our hostel. If you are a group of 4, shuttle is the most convenient and economical choice because you'll pay the same amount whether you are 2 or 4.
Airport Shuttle service price list
We were greeted by Mirek at Hostel One that morning. He provided us with a map and gave us information on how to move about in the city. While waiting for our room to be ready, we decided to look at some of the brochures at the reception. There was this "Ultimate Prague Tour" for 1200 CZK per person (approx USD60) which was highly recommended. It included a walking tour, river cruise, lunch and a complimentary Ghost tour in the evening. Since we only have approximately 2 days to visit the city, we decided to give it a go. Frankly, we were not disappointed.
The tour was booked for the next day, so that morning we decided to just casually stroll in the city, and (ehem!) shop for souvenirs in case we didn't have time tomorrow. Also we had to find our way to the train station to get tickets to Salzburg. The main train station was only about 3 tram stops away from the hostel, but we just walked. It was a beautiful morning! How could we waste that? ;)
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Praha main train station
Just about 20 minutes of walk from the hostel we arrived at Wenceslas Square. And the first thing I saw was.....MCDONALD'S!!! Seriously I ought to have taken photo of every single McD I find in all the cities and I would have been able to compile a thick album! :P Of course the Chinese didn't lose out either, throughout our trip, Chinese restaurants are just as easy to find as McD, if not easier :)
It was then we spotted our very first meal in Prague.... hot dogs! LOL! The street was lined with fast food kiosks selling a selection of sausages, long, short, big and small :D
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"Which one should I eat first???"
While walking towards the Old Town quarter, we passed by many souvenir shops. Most of the similar souvenirs are sold at a standard price. So if you see something you like, it is not quite necessary to hop from one to another trying to get a better bargain. Unless of course you want to look for a bigger variety of items.
Not too far from the Old Town quarter is a market, selling handcrafted items, puppets, chocolates, vegetables, flowers and many more. I enjoyed looking at all the puppets that are hung at the stalls, some were cute, while some were scary.
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Different types of puppets that can be found at the market
More Prague updates soon - our Hostel, the Marionnete show and the Ultimate Prague Tour
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Countdown to Eurotrip 2009
Just 5 more days to my long awaited trip to Europe!!! Ooh...I'm so excited!
Itinery: Prague-Salzburg-Vienna-Krakow-Budapest-Madrid-Asturias-Seville
Itinery: Prague-Salzburg-Vienna-Krakow-Budapest-Madrid-Asturias-Seville
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
This year I thought I'd surprise mom with a photobook I made using Provocraft Yourstory, a new toy I got from ebay. It took me almost a week to complete the photobook of approx 18 pages, with all original hand drawn pics and illustrations. I used Inkscape, which was surprisingly easy to use with my Wacom tablet. Then I printed them on double-sided glossy photo papers, and bound them nicely in a hardcover album cover.
Here is a small excerpt from the photo book:
So glad to see that mom really liked it... :D
Happy Mother's Day to all mommy's and mommy-to-be out there :)
Here is a small excerpt from the photo book:
So glad to see that mom really liked it... :D
Happy Mother's Day to all mommy's and mommy-to-be out there :)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Mt Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)
Although I have been quite worried about the weather (in KL it was raining almost everyday), we were greeted by warm sunshine as soon as we arrived at Kota Kinabalu (KK). From the airport, we took a six-seater van to Akinabalu Youth Hostel at Jalan Gaya.
Our taxi from the airport, fits up to 6 passengers, only RM28
This was just one street away from where we were staying the last time, but I clearly like this new hostel better. There were more bathrooms and toilets to share (of course there were also more rooms). The reception and common area were very pleasant with lots of open spaces and greens. Good thing our rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor, so we didn't have to climb very high.
As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, our tummies were growling. And guess where we ended up in? Haha... the very same place we had our curry laksa during our last trip. The restaurant was just right below the hostel. So very convenient. This time I decided to give their beef noodles a try. It was not too bad, but I preferred the curry :)
One thing that I was particularly impressed with KK is that the city is very clean. The streets are well maintained and the people are patient. Of course you can find signboards almost everywhere warning people of fines, but you find that too in KL and yet nobody takes heed. Not only that, this particular restaurant that we were dining in actually place a mini dustbin under every table!
As soon as our transport arrived, we left for the town. That evening we all had Bak Kut Teh in a restaurant not too far from our hostel. After dinner we bought some food for next morning as we would be departing for Mt. Kinabalu before breakfast is served.
It takes approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Mesilau starting point from KK, so we arranged the morning pickup at 6:00am. The Mesilau route is 2km more than Timpohon trail and we wanted to make sure that we have ample time to reach Laban Rata.
Our taxi from the airport, fits up to 6 passengers, only RM28This was just one street away from where we were staying the last time, but I clearly like this new hostel better. There were more bathrooms and toilets to share (of course there were also more rooms). The reception and common area were very pleasant with lots of open spaces and greens. Good thing our rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor, so we didn't have to climb very high.
As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, our tummies were growling. And guess where we ended up in? Haha... the very same place we had our curry laksa during our last trip. The restaurant was just right below the hostel. So very convenient. This time I decided to give their beef noodles a try. It was not too bad, but I preferred the curry :)
One thing that I was particularly impressed with KK is that the city is very clean. The streets are well maintained and the people are patient. Of course you can find signboards almost everywhere warning people of fines, but you find that too in KL and yet nobody takes heed. Not only that, this particular restaurant that we were dining in actually place a mini dustbin under every table!
Mini dustbin under every table at the restaurant
Our little taxi van, can fit up to 10 passengers @ RM30 per way to Monsopiad
Trying my luck with the blowpipe, was only able to shoot targets within 5m range :P
As soon as our transport arrived, we left for the town. That evening we all had Bak Kut Teh in a restaurant not too far from our hostel. After dinner we bought some food for next morning as we would be departing for Mt. Kinabalu before breakfast is served.
It takes approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Mesilau starting point from KK, so we arranged the morning pickup at 6:00am. The Mesilau route is 2km more than Timpohon trail and we wanted to make sure that we have ample time to reach Laban Rata.
Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 3 (The Climb)
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 1 (The Comeback)
For those who remembered, 7 of us attempted to reach Low's Peak of Mt. Kinabalu last September but only 1 succeeded. The rest (including myself) failed miserably, owing to several factors, with the weather being the main culprit. Even if the weather had permitted the climb, we probably would not have been able to catch the sunrise anyway as we were not as fit nor were we mentally well prepared.
The moment I touched down KL, I immediately planned for a return trip. A famous chinese saying, "Shape the iron while it's hot". I was determined to make it to the top and would not accept another defeat. And this time I picked a date which was within the recommended climbing period, avoiding all possible rain spells. Lucky for me, Airasia was having another promotion and I got myself a return ticket for less than RM200. Lyne was equally enthusiastic about returning and TC too wanted to go again as he was not even able to take photo to proof his climb with the strong wind almost blowing him away :P
Since the 3 of us have already tried the Timpohon trail, we decided to go via Mesilau this time round. TC had 2 of his friends join us for this trip, WL and YL. Then TW's sister decided to tag along too... making us a group of 7. And so I had the following planned:
Day 1: Depart KL, arrive KK, visit Monsopiad Cultural Village
Day 2: Proceed to Mesilau Nature Resort for Mt. Kinabalu Climb
Day 3: Summit Climb to Low's Peak from Laban Rata,
descend Mt. Kinabalu via Timpohon trail
Day 4: Depart KK to Pulau Tiga
Day 5: Return from Pulau Tiga and back to KL
TC would head back to KL the day the climb while his friends have opted out on Pulau Tiga and decided to go for white water rafting instead.
Unfortunately for Lyne, she was hospitalized just a day before our flight for suspected dengue and hence she had to forego the trip completely. She was in no condition to even walk for 1km, so the 19.4km that we had to endure on this trip was definitely out of the question.
That leaves only 6 of us.
Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)
The moment I touched down KL, I immediately planned for a return trip. A famous chinese saying, "Shape the iron while it's hot". I was determined to make it to the top and would not accept another defeat. And this time I picked a date which was within the recommended climbing period, avoiding all possible rain spells. Lucky for me, Airasia was having another promotion and I got myself a return ticket for less than RM200. Lyne was equally enthusiastic about returning and TC too wanted to go again as he was not even able to take photo to proof his climb with the strong wind almost blowing him away :P
Since the 3 of us have already tried the Timpohon trail, we decided to go via Mesilau this time round. TC had 2 of his friends join us for this trip, WL and YL. Then TW's sister decided to tag along too... making us a group of 7. And so I had the following planned:
Day 1: Depart KL, arrive KK, visit Monsopiad Cultural Village
Day 2: Proceed to Mesilau Nature Resort for Mt. Kinabalu Climb
Day 3: Summit Climb to Low's Peak from Laban Rata,
descend Mt. Kinabalu via Timpohon trail
Day 4: Depart KK to Pulau Tiga
Day 5: Return from Pulau Tiga and back to KL
TC would head back to KL the day the climb while his friends have opted out on Pulau Tiga and decided to go for white water rafting instead.
Unfortunately for Lyne, she was hospitalized just a day before our flight for suspected dengue and hence she had to forego the trip completely. She was in no condition to even walk for 1km, so the 19.4km that we had to endure on this trip was definitely out of the question.
That leaves only 6 of us.
Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)
I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
TW, Susan and I at Low's Peak (4095.2 m above sea level)Details to follow later :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Rock Melon Lime Sorbet
Just the other day I had a sudden urge to make honeydew sorbet... but instead of getting a honeydew, I found a good deal at the supermarket for rock melon, and so I got that one instead. I compared several honeydew lime sorbet recipes online and decided to do some experiments.
The melon I bought weighed about 2kg, so I split them into 2 so that I could experiment with different flavours. The first half I try to keep the melon taste as original as possible, only adding a little bit of sugar to taste. Add sugar sparingly. It is best to test the melon to see if it is already sweet enough to your taste. In my case I used about 1/4 cup of sugar to half a melon.
The second half I added some lime juice to it. I like this version better. Also added 1 egg white (I used meringue powder as a substitute) as a stabilizer but you can always omit this and keep it simple. But you'll need to get the ice cream out 15 mins from the freezer before serving coz it can get pretty hard to scoop.
Group 1
1/2 rock melon cubes (weighs approx. 1kg before removing seed and skin)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon citrus fruit liqueur (it can be lemon or orange)
1 egg white or meringue powder as a substitute (optional)
--------
Group 2
grated lime zest
approx. 1/3 cup of lime juice
Combine the melon cubes, sugar and fruit liqueur and let it stand for about an hour or so in room temperature, stirring every now and then. Then pour everything (Group 1 and Group 2) into a food processor, and blend until you get a nice smoothie consistency. You can skip group 2 if you would like to have a pure melon sorbet. Also if you plan to use egg white, blend it in now. Refridgerate overnight or at least several hours before you pour it into an ice cream maker.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze it directly in the freezer, but every 30 minutes while it freezes, check and stir vigourously with a spoon or spatula. Repeat until ice cream is completely frozen. This should probably take 2 hours or less depending on your fridge.
The melon I bought weighed about 2kg, so I split them into 2 so that I could experiment with different flavours. The first half I try to keep the melon taste as original as possible, only adding a little bit of sugar to taste. Add sugar sparingly. It is best to test the melon to see if it is already sweet enough to your taste. In my case I used about 1/4 cup of sugar to half a melon.
The second half I added some lime juice to it. I like this version better. Also added 1 egg white (I used meringue powder as a substitute) as a stabilizer but you can always omit this and keep it simple. But you'll need to get the ice cream out 15 mins from the freezer before serving coz it can get pretty hard to scoop.
Group 1
1/2 rock melon cubes (weighs approx. 1kg before removing seed and skin)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon citrus fruit liqueur (it can be lemon or orange)
1 egg white or meringue powder as a substitute (optional)
--------
Group 2
grated lime zest
approx. 1/3 cup of lime juice
Combine the melon cubes, sugar and fruit liqueur and let it stand for about an hour or so in room temperature, stirring every now and then. Then pour everything (Group 1 and Group 2) into a food processor, and blend until you get a nice smoothie consistency. You can skip group 2 if you would like to have a pure melon sorbet. Also if you plan to use egg white, blend it in now. Refridgerate overnight or at least several hours before you pour it into an ice cream maker.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze it directly in the freezer, but every 30 minutes while it freezes, check and stir vigourously with a spoon or spatula. Repeat until ice cream is completely frozen. This should probably take 2 hours or less depending on your fridge.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Happy Birthday Ophie
A birthday cake for a new mommy
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups water
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt. Add sugar and mix together. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
* I only used half the recipe and a 9x9 inch pan. Also I added some chocolate chips on top of the cake ...yummy!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Promotion Without Increment
Thanks to baby Lucas, I'm officially promoted to "ku che" or aunty status. A promotion that comes with no increment but a possibility of burning a big hole in my pocket. There are just so many things that I want to buy for him... :P I'll have to be a little bias with my opinion though.... coz he is really really cute!!! Cuter than any other babies I've ever seen... he he he..
Although I'm very happy for my brother, I can't help feeling pressured by both our family members and friends about having one of my own. I personally do not think that this is something to be rushed. When the time comes, it will happen.... until then, I really hope that I can get a peace of mind. Thank you, ありがんとう, 謝謝, Muchas gracias, Nandri, Grazie, Merci, Terima kasih, Danke.
Although I'm very happy for my brother, I can't help feeling pressured by both our family members and friends about having one of my own. I personally do not think that this is something to be rushed. When the time comes, it will happen.... until then, I really hope that I can get a peace of mind. Thank you, ありがんとう, 謝謝, Muchas gracias, Nandri, Grazie, Merci, Terima kasih, Danke.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I feel good!
After several months of absence, due to weather, procrastination...etc.. Je suis toujours plein d'excuses, I finally resumed my weekly hiking this morning with my mom (well, re-started was more like it). SS and Joseph joined us to... which was nice... the more the merrier :) We went to the small hill near Ketumbar Heights (needed something easy to warm up the old engine). First 10-15 minutes was hell...but after that I felt really good... ahhhh...
It is very encouraging to see a lot of really young faces during the hike today. Some were as young as 4-5 years old, perhaps there are even younger ones that I have not noticed. I guess there are still parents out there who realise the importance of outdoor activities instead of just occupying their kids with Playstation, Wii or even the infamous idiot box.
Well, anyway, I better pull my socks up! My second attempt to conquer Mt. Kinabalu isn't too far away. This time I have to make sure that I succeed (at the mercy of the weather of course).
*Update 29/2/2009 - Now already at the 3rd week and I'm still consistently doing it... hooray for me! :D
It is very encouraging to see a lot of really young faces during the hike today. Some were as young as 4-5 years old, perhaps there are even younger ones that I have not noticed. I guess there are still parents out there who realise the importance of outdoor activities instead of just occupying their kids with Playstation, Wii or even the infamous idiot box.
Well, anyway, I better pull my socks up! My second attempt to conquer Mt. Kinabalu isn't too far away. This time I have to make sure that I succeed (at the mercy of the weather of course).
*Update 29/2/2009 - Now already at the 3rd week and I'm still consistently doing it... hooray for me! :D
Friday, February 06, 2009
Somethin' Urby
Wall deco, anyone? Lyne recently teamed with her brother and set up Somethin' Urby, a creative company that helps transform your wall from a Plain Jane to Va-va-Voom. Having worked with Lyne for the past 2 years, I have no doubt that her creative juice would be an invaluable source to the success of this company.Somethin' Urby wall decals basically stick to anything smooth and flat, be it a wall, a mirror, a door, even the refridgerator! The material is so thin that it looks almost flush to the surface it is placed on. You can easily peel it off without leaving any mark behind. How cool is that? I'm really looking forward to my first set of Urby decals. Will update with some photos when they are ready!
Thursday, February 05, 2009
White Chocolate-Lingonberry Cheesecake Bar
Everyone was back home for CNY, which also means it was a perfect time to bake a cake. Guinea pigs!!! Heee hee hee... Neither my sisters nor their bfs have tried my cheesecake before, so I decided to experiment with another recipe from Kraftfoods. I made some changes to the recipe to suit what I had in my fridge.
The result? I had lots of approvals, though it was possible that they were simply hungry after several rounds of rummy games.
Anyway, here's my own version improvised from the original recipe:
1 packet of Oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 squares White Chocolate, divided
500gms (16oz) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup lingonberry jam (from IKEA)
HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares in a microwave on High for 20-30 seconds.
BEAT cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with lingonberry jam (or any other preferred preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.
*Tip: It helps to line the pan with aluminium foil first for easy cake removal. Apart from acting as a handle, it makes cleaning easier too!
The result? I had lots of approvals, though it was possible that they were simply hungry after several rounds of rummy games.
Anyway, here's my own version improvised from the original recipe:
1 packet of Oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 squares White Chocolate, divided
500gms (16oz) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup lingonberry jam (from IKEA)
HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares in a microwave on High for 20-30 seconds.
BEAT cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with lingonberry jam (or any other preferred preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.
*Tip: It helps to line the pan with aluminium foil first for easy cake removal. Apart from acting as a handle, it makes cleaning easier too!
Monday, February 02, 2009
A New Toy!!!
Yeay! Me just got me self a new toy... the Lenovo Ideapad S10 :D Well... it's actually a gift from me hubby... 10Q veli muchie darling! *muaks*
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Clearing debts...
Don't be surprised to see some backdated posts popping up soon.... am trying to clear some backlogs before the Chinese New Year ... there is a saying that we should try to clear all our debts before we welcome the Lunar New Year, and yes, I'm trying to clear my debts with this dear old blog of mine. I don't believe I owe anyone any $$$ though...
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Azuki Bean Ice Cream
I finally succeeded at making some Japanese red beans ice cream that received approvals from my mum, my sisters and and my sister-in-law. The last attempt was a failure as I reduced the amount of sugar required, resulting in a bland and tasteless ice cream. Thanks to my mum's constructive comments, I did another experiment and finally got the right blend :) Here's the recipe!
This recipe makes about 1 quart
For the azuki paste
1 cup washed azuki beans
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups water
A pinch of salt
For the ice cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar (or 1 cup if you prefer to have it a little sweeter)
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the azuki paste: Put beans in a saucepan full of water, bring to a boil, then drain in a colander. Return beans to pan, add 4 cups of water, cover and simmer until beans after very soft and have absorbed all the water. Stir in sugar and cook over low heat until sugar has dissolved and beans form a soft, chunky paste. Add salt and allow to cool. (I used the slow cooker for this which save me the trouble of watching over the stove. Simmering time maybe between 2.5-3 hours long, depending on the beans. Also with the slow cooker you can put everything in at once).
For the ice cream: In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer. While waiting, you can beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. When the milk come to a boil, turn off the heat and pour about 1/4 cup of the liquid into the bowl with the egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk and cook over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (custard like consistency). Stir in vanilla essence. Do not overcook or you may get lumps. Pour it through a strainer if required. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably overnight.
The original recipe calls for adding the bean paste to the ice cream just 10 minutes before it freezes but I prefer to stir the beans (cooled) into the custard before I refrigerate it overnight. The amount of paste to stir into the custard is according to your preference - I used only half the amount prepared. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Good luck!
For the azuki paste
1 cup washed azuki beans
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups water
A pinch of salt
For the ice cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar (or 1 cup if you prefer to have it a little sweeter)
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the azuki paste: Put beans in a saucepan full of water, bring to a boil, then drain in a colander. Return beans to pan, add 4 cups of water, cover and simmer until beans after very soft and have absorbed all the water. Stir in sugar and cook over low heat until sugar has dissolved and beans form a soft, chunky paste. Add salt and allow to cool. (I used the slow cooker for this which save me the trouble of watching over the stove. Simmering time maybe between 2.5-3 hours long, depending on the beans. Also with the slow cooker you can put everything in at once).
For the ice cream: In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer. While waiting, you can beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. When the milk come to a boil, turn off the heat and pour about 1/4 cup of the liquid into the bowl with the egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk and cook over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (custard like consistency). Stir in vanilla essence. Do not overcook or you may get lumps. Pour it through a strainer if required. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably overnight.
The original recipe calls for adding the bean paste to the ice cream just 10 minutes before it freezes but I prefer to stir the beans (cooled) into the custard before I refrigerate it overnight. The amount of paste to stir into the custard is according to your preference - I used only half the amount prepared. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Good luck!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year 2009!
This year's countdown was special, unforgettable, and it all took place in Pantai Cheras Medical Centre, room #2006. Dad was hospitalised the very next day we got back from Penang due to suspected dengue fever. Later we found out that it was not dengue but an unknown viral infection. We couldn't bear to let him spend the eve in the hospital alone, so we transformed his room into a party place, with balloon characters to make up those who can't be there (e.g. my sister in law, Ophi & Mr. Goo), along with Stitchie, Weewee, Polar, Bunny, Archer & Lucas (my future nephew).
An almost complete family photo
The hospital was probably not the best place to do a countdown, but at least the whole family is together (well, almost). All I wish for in 2009 is everyone to be happy and in their best of health. It is going to be an exciting year with a new family member joining us soon!!! :D
*Dad was discharged on the afternoon of 01-01-2009.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A Bird's Eye View of 2008
Let's see, 2008 is coming to an end, and instead of ranting about what I should or should not have done, I've decided do a feel-good post here and write about what I have achieved instead.
1. Visited Hokkaido, Japan
2. Visited Hanoi, Vietnam
3. Climbed Mt. Kinabalu (although not to the peak)
4. Took up Flamenco (and passed the SDI Preparatorio exam)
5. Learnt how to bake and make ice cream
6. Organized my online photo collection, ToaMG - The Vault
7. Climbed the Story Bridge
8. Completed at least 1 charity run
9. Sending my aluminium cans and plastic bottles to the recycling centre
These are the things that I can remember just because I have blogged about them. The rest which are not mentioned here does not mean that they are insignificant - it just means that I have a memory of a goldfish. Now I see how important it is to keep a journal or a diary. Honestly, I'm really glad to have started this blog ... if only I could update it a little more often! ;)
I already have an initial list lined up for year 2009, but I'll keep mum for the moment :) Does that include making babies, you ask? LOL! That's for me to know and for you to find out!
Happy New Year 2009!
1. Visited Hokkaido, Japan
2. Visited Hanoi, Vietnam
3. Climbed Mt. Kinabalu (although not to the peak)
4. Took up Flamenco (and passed the SDI Preparatorio exam)
5. Learnt how to bake and make ice cream
6. Organized my online photo collection, ToaMG - The Vault
7. Climbed the Story Bridge
8. Completed at least 1 charity run
9. Sending my aluminium cans and plastic bottles to the recycling centre
These are the things that I can remember just because I have blogged about them. The rest which are not mentioned here does not mean that they are insignificant - it just means that I have a memory of a goldfish. Now I see how important it is to keep a journal or a diary. Honestly, I'm really glad to have started this blog ... if only I could update it a little more often! ;)
I already have an initial list lined up for year 2009, but I'll keep mum for the moment :) Does that include making babies, you ask? LOL! That's for me to know and for you to find out!
Happy New Year 2009!
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