An Economist Baker

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

My daddy brought these back with him just two days ago when he was at the hotel for his business meeting. I was so excited to see this nicely-wrapped box sitting on the dining table when I woke up in the morning:

Look! There are two layers!

The first layer: Assorted Cookies (Well, my dad said he was feeling slightly hungry on his way back home and he couldn't resist the temptation of snacking on a few of the Macadamania Nut Cookies. Well, I tried both the Chocolate-flavored one as well as the plain one. They were not the bestest cookies but they have quite a nice crunch which I enjoyed.

Now's for the second layer! (My preferred layer. Hehe)
There are (cheap) marshmallows, (slightly more expensive) apricots which my mom liked, and two different types of (higher-end) chocolates from one of the Chocolatiers in Singapore.

I like the White Chocolate ball the most. As I bite into one, there's this sudden burst of cherry flavor gushing out. For a moment, I thought they might be champagne truffles but it didn't have the taste of alcohol but the cherry flavor was pretty strong. It added a twist to the sweet white chocolate. Yums.

Well, my day was easily brightened up by this box of sweets my dad brought back. I can get real happy from the littlest things. :)

posted by An Economist Baker at 2:15 PM - 0 comments

Sunday, February 24, 2008

What's CNY like without Yusheng?

I know it's days after the 15th of CNY and I apologise for this late Yusheng post. When I was younger, I did not know how to appreciate Yusheng and I always picked up those "koropok" (the deep-fried flour crisps) to eat only. But as I grew older, I started to enjoy the other colorful vegetables in it like the shredded radish and carrots. When they are mixed with the different condiments: crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, pepper and other spices, the Yusheng turns into a nice big platter almost instantly.

But why is Yusheng called "Yusheng", I asked my mom the other day and this is what she said: yu means "fish" but enunciated appropriately, it also means "abundance"; and sheng means literally "raw" but enunciated appropriately, it means "life". Thus Yusheng implies "abundance of wealth and long life". In Cantonese, it is known as lo sheng with lo also meaning "tossing up good fortune". The tossing action is called lo hei, which means to "rise" (hei), again a reference to a thriving business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the New Year.

Let the pictures do the talking:

My mom bought two sets of Yusheng from the Soup Restaurant (as the maternal side of my family is really huge so we always need to divide into two rounds to lo hei) and boy, the sauces, seasonings and condiments were really fantastic. The plum sauce wasn't too sweet nor sour, it was just nice such that it doesn't make us feel sick after eating a few mouthfuls and made us keep wanting more. We'd definitely get it from them again next year.

My childtime-favourite: "koropok".

The mess we created thereafter.

All my friends who know me well would know for sure that CNY is my (EVER) favourite festive season of the entire year and my whole extended family treats this occasion as a highly-important period as well. It's the season of generous giving, fabulous eating and of course not forgetting the small-time gambling at my Grandma's place. Really enjoyed myself this CNY and I can't wait for 2009!

posted by An Economist Baker at 2:38 PM - 0 comments

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Miraculously Delicious

I had the popiah from Qi Ji few days back and although it wasn't the first time I'd tried it, I was still blown away by the taste of it. I didn't quite use to like popiah when I was much younger but I started really digging it since last December. I can't remember what made me fall in love with this Singaporean snack but I started taking it for breakfast every other day when I'm out with my mum in the morning.

I've tried really bland ones and some had skins that were too soggy. But this one from Qi Ji is really good, I like the texture and also, the Auntie was really generous with the sweet sauce. A popiah has to have enough of the sweet gravy to taste good otherwise it'd be pretty bland. Furthermore, the skin can't turn soggy after adding all the vegetables as it might create a rubberised texture that's really not nice to chew on. All in all, I'm really pleased with the popiah! But I'm still dying to try those from Old Long House Popiah, Glory and Kway Guan Huat. I've always heard many fascinating stories about them and one day, I must discover the magic in them myself. Nevertheless, this Qi Ji popiah is still on the top of my Popiah List.

posted by An Economist Baker at 11:16 PM - 2 comments

About Me

Name: An Economist Baker
About Me: I'm a full-time Economics undergraduate and an avid baker who bakes as and when I feel like it. It is my dream to integrate these two important aspects of my life together, and I hope to have my own bakery cafe in the future.
See my profile...