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Favourite Feeds – Kangkung

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Here’s another Asian favourite of mine, this time from the South-East. Kangkung, or water spinach, is a very tropical plant. It actually grows in water – I’ve seen whole strands of them growing wild in the Top End!

My favourite dish is kangkung cha terasi (or kangkung belachan in Malaysian) – kangkung stir fried with shrimp paste, garlic, and of course, lots of chilli. It’s eaten as a vege side dish, perhaps with satay, a curry or two, and lots of steamed white rice. Eating it brings me back to my childhood…

Kangkung Belacan

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Favourite Feeds – Burgers

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I really do like a burger every now and then, with a side of hot chips, but in this age, what really defines a burger? Meat-wise, it seems like any mince/spicing combination goes these days. Moroccan lamb, Thai chicken – they’re not really burgers, are they?

Personally, I still like the ‘traditional’ Aussie burger, the kind that they make (made?) at milk bars way back when. Beef patty, cheese, fried onion, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, and tomato sauce on a spongy bun. No pickles, no mustard, no rocket, no sourdough roll. Just the basics.

Given my specifications, the burger below, although served at a cafe, is just about acceptable.

Beef burger

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Favourite Feeds – Sushi

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Another Japanese favourite. Sushi is actually just any little morsel that uses sushi rice – steamed Japanese short grain rice dressed with mirin. It’s the toppings that vary. Traditionally, the Japanese use raw seafood, vegetables (pickled or fresh), egg, or tofu. Now that sushi has gone completely global, anything goes.

Here is some homemade sushi, ‘California’ style: crabstick, omelette, cucumber, carrot. There is also an inari (tofu pouch filled with sushi rice).

Oishii!

A sushi platter I had in Tokyo – for breakfast, no less.

My sushi breakfast

But best of all was the ginormous sushi and sashimi platter I shared at Masuya, Sydney.

Sushi and sashimi platter

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Favourite Feeds – Scallops

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This is a relatively new favourite, but I’ve had quite a few smashing scallop dishes in the last year or so that I would now order scallops anytime that it appears on the menu.

Given that it’s such a delicate shellfish, it is more versatile than you might think. I had this scallop dish at the Golden Century, a good Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown. It’s very simply stir-fried with snowpeas and carrots, and a little seasoning.

Scallops and asparagus

I had this dish at Char, in Darwin. It has the fashionable paring of scallops and pork belly. Being Darwin, it was served with a south-east asian accompaniment of crunchy salad and peanut sauce. Luscious!

Pork Belly and Scallops

Last but not least, a more simpler take – but just as delicious as the two above – scallops wrapped in bacon, with aioli. I had this at Pearsons, a little bistro-style restaurant in Mortdale.

Scallops and bacon

Mmm…

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Favourite Feeds – Risotto

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I didn’t always like risotto. Risotto in a restaurant is often stodgy, too creamy, or too large in portion size that I rarely get through half. Meanwhile, my attempts at cooking risotto is often disastrous – I end up with a bowl of solid stodge instead of the fluid, creamy rice that I see on the TV cooking shows.

Now, this isn’t my risotto (it’s one from a seaside pub, and it’s seafood), but after many, many attempts, I think I may have mastered the risotto (mushroom in particular): use good arborio rice (preferably from a deli), stir rice gently, cook accompanying ingredients beforehand and stir in at last minute, don’t go overboard with the parmesan cheese, and eat straight away.

Seafood risotto

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Under the Fig Tree

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The Moreton Bay Fig, that is. This must be one of the most scenic spots in the city. Observatory Hill sits high above the Rocks area, and is the favourite of joggers, loungers and wedding photographers. It has (of course) a lovely 19th Century sandstone observatory – Australia’s oldest. And despite being located next to one of the busiest motorways in Sydney, it remains a surprisingly tranquil place.

Observatory Hill

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Remembrance Day

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Spring also brings Remembrance Day. There will be ceremonies all over the country commemorating the armistice signed to end World War I. In Australia, it is also a remembrance of all those lost in armed conflict.

Sydney’s main ceremony is at the cenotaph in Martin Place. Aside from being a memorial, it was also the place where soldiers enlisted for the army in WWI.

I walk past this monument almost everyday. The simplicity and gravity of the place never fails to strike me.

Memorial