On a Hiatus...

To my dearest readers,

As you may have noticed, I have minimised my postings to 1 post a week and even with that, I am having trouble keeping up with it. This blog has become my pride and joy. It has given me opportunities that I never thought that I'd have and I am truly grateful to everyone of you for your constant support, love and encouragement. 

I can say with full certainty that this year is going to be a challenging and demanding year for me but this is what I've always wanted. A chance to be on the right pathway to move towards my dream. Food and baking will always be my passion but I need to get my priorities right for this year. 

If I were to continue blogging throughout this year, I know that I won't be able to commit as my mind would be constantly elsewhere and that would be unfair to you all, wouldn't it? ;) No one wants an erratic and unpredictable blogger!

So with all that, I'm going on an indefinite hiatus.

I'll still be on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page.
I'll still be visiting and commenting on the amazing blogs that I've grown to know and love.
I'll still be replying my e-mail.
I'll still be baking and sharing them.
So no, I won't vanish :P BUT I'm sending all my love and best wishes 'till we meet again!


Vien XX

Hellenic Republic, Lygon St

I’m officially back in Melbourne!! I'm missing home already but I'm excited for this year! Woohoooo!!

Anyway, I was going to write a post on something more recent but I thought that it would be a better idea to clear my ever-accumulating backlog!!

Last year, when my family came down to Melbourne for a short trip, I meticulously planned and booked all the restaurants that I wanted to bring them to. I knew that I wanted to bring my parents to one of George Colambaris’ restaurants but I couldn’t decide which!

When I was in secondary school, my family and I travel to Greece for a family vacation. From what I remember, Greece had an elegant mix between the old and the new. In Athens, there were delicate ancient ruins. Not far away, Mykonos was overflowing with tranquil sceneries. I was constantly in awe and inspired by their rich history and philosophy ideas. The thought of walking where ancient Olympian victors once strode just blew my mind. 

Despite all that, the food didn’t leave a lasting impression on my family (plus, I wasn’t much a foodie then :P). This time, I wanted to show them how beautiful and down-to-earth Greek food can be. So, I chose Hellenic Republic over the other restaurants because I wanted them to experience the essence of Greek cooking. 

[Note: I won't be writing much about each dish as I had them months ago! Though, I hope that the pictures are enough to entice you :P)

I loved the blue accents! It felt like I was being transported back to the streets of Mykonos. 

 Fava

(Truffle scented split pea dip with shallots and capers)

 Tzatziki 

(Cucumber, dill, garlic, olive oil & yoghurt) 

and Warm Pita Bread

Tyri saganaki 

(Kefalograviera cheese with peppered figs)

I was really looking forward to this dish because of it's peculiar and intriguing combination. The cheese was beautifully fried until melted and crisp. And I enjoyed how the figs added sweetness and a hint of pepperiness to the dish!

Htenia 

(Hervey Bay Scallop with skordalia crust)

 Kotopoulo psistaria 

(Hazeldene's free range chicken from the spit)

 Kipriaki salata dimitriakon 

(Cypriot salad of grains, pulses, nuts and yoghurt)

 Spanakopita 

(Spinach and cheese pie)

I was first introduced to spanakopita when I was in Greece and instantly, I loved it. My family loves it. And of course, we ate tonnes of it when we were there. 

This one had a golden brown and crispy pastry but I did wish that it was filled with more of the creamy and salty spinach & cheese filling. 

Smoked pork and leek sausage with house made mustard

Loukoumathes 

(Hellenic Doughnuts with honey, cinnamon and walnuts)

I love how each culture have their own version of deep-fried dough! When I first saw the amount of honey that was served with the doughnuts, I thought that it might end up being too sweet. BUT ha! who am I kidding??! Bring on the honey!!!!

I particularly enjoyed the scallops and of course, the sweet & deep-fried loukomathes! I couldn't ask for a better night. Just me, my family and good food. 

434 Lygon Street,

Brunswick East

VIC 3057

http://hellenicrepublic.com.au/

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Today's the fifth day of the new year and I've been on a non-stop eating spree ever since the new year started! Cookies, cakes, keropok, mandarin oranges, nuts... You name it and you'll find it on my list! And of course, I'm definitely not complaining :P

On the second day of Chinese New Year, my extended family had a little gathering at my place to celebrate the festival. My mum, being a Kelantanese, ordered a spread of nasi dagang with a variety of dishes. There were danishes and pastries as well but I believe that no party is a party until there's cake! So, I offered to make two carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting!

For quite some time now, I've been on a quest to find the perfect carrot cake recipe. A few weeks before Chinese New Year, Gard Karlsen from gardkarlsen.com offered me his favourite carrot cake recipe after commenting on a carrot cake picture that I posted on Instagram! I read the recipe and instantly fell in love with the addition of coconut and the usage of pecans instead of walnuts. So, I adapted bits of the recipe, modified my usual recipe and baked the best carrot cake I've ever made!

I used a loaf pan instead of a cake pan because it made it easier for me to divide and distribute! 

I did a taste testing session with the new recipe a week before and instantly, I knew that I had make this again! The first time, I used coconut flakes but on the day itself, I used fine desiccated coconut instead. 

Carrot Cake
adapted from Merle's Kitchen and Gard Karlsen
(make 1 loaf tin or 20-inch round tin)

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut/coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degree Celcius.
2. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla extract until well-combined. Add the sifted flour and baking powder as well as cinnamon powder, all-spice powder and salt into the wet mixture. Beat on low speed until well-mixed.
3. Stir in the carrots, coconut and pecans.
4. Pour the batter into the tin and bake on the centre rack for 45 minutes.
5. Stand the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out. Leave it to completely cool before frosting the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(enough for 2 cakes)

• 450g cream cheese (not softened)
• 120g butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 icing sugar, sifted (depending on the consistency of icing and sweetness desire)

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium­‐high until well combined and smooth. 
2. Mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Increase the speed and gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add the sugar according to the consistency and sweetness desired. Beat until smooth.
4. Frost the cooled cake.

I'll definitely make this cake again and again and again until someone tells me that they're sick of it! :P Anyway, I wish all my readers a prosperous, healthy & happy year and lets hope that more food will come our way!!

Again, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

My Mom's Popiah

Recently, I've been bombarding my blog posts with tonnes of food that I've eaten or smelt or seen. I was scrolling through a few recent posts when a realization dawned upon me - I haven't been posting recipes!! To be honest, I haven't been baking or cooking much over last month due to my short adventure in the Netherlands. So today, I'm going to be posting one of my mum's recipe of my favourite dish: popiah!

My mum's version is different from the ones that you'd normally get as my mum stir-fries her turnip filling instead of the more traditional method of braising. Also, she doesn't add water while stir-frying so that the turnips retain a slight crunch. It's a plain and simple dish with minimal seasoning as the main aim here is to let the sweetness of the turnips shine. As always, feel free to be creative and adjust your ingredients according to your liking!! Maybe a sprinkle of fried shallots? Or fresh bean sprouts? It's entirely up to you.
But for me, I like it just the way my mum prepares them!

[Note: My mum never uses specific recipes in her cooking so, I tried translating this one into words as best as I possibly could!]

Left: Tiny cubes of pan-fried firm tofu & egg strings; 

- Tofu: First pan-fry slice of firm tofu/bean curd, then cube it 

- Egg strings: Omelette cut into strips

Right: Turnip filling with carrots, mushrooms & shrimps; 

(1) Finely slice the turnip, carrots and dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in hot water and washed). Cut the prawns into small pieces. 

(2) Heat up a wok/heavy-based saucepan with a drizzle of oil and fry the shrimps. When they're almost done, take them out and leave aside. 

(3) Add a little more oil on the heated wok and stir-fry the turnips, carrots and mushrooms until they are soft but still retain a slight crunch. Season with soy sauce according to your taste. 

(4) Add in the prawns and continue stir-frying until fully cooked.

(5) Leave the turnip filling in the wok/saucepan covered until needed for assembly.

Bottom: Garlic chilli sauce

- In addition to the chilli sauce, you can use bean sauce or Hoisin sauce in your popiah as well.

My mum always gets the popiah skin fresh from the market. However, you can get them from supermarkets as well (usually refrigerated).

Normally, a sweet & salty sauce would accompany the chilli sauce but I like mine this way!!

The best part about this is that you get to construct your own popiahs! Make them according to the ratio that you'd like. 

Extra spicy? Sure thing! Less egg strips? Why not! Just be careful not to overfill it as the popiah skin might rip when you try folding it.

Slice the popiah if you want, but I'd normally eat them burrito-syle! NOM!

I want to end this post with a HUGE SHOUT OUT to my mum, whose birthday is tomorrow! 

Love you lots and I can't wait to be home for Chinese New Year soon!! :)

Favourite home-cooked meal??

Smell that reminds you of home?

Food overload at the Netherlands!

My one month stay in the Netherlands is officially over! It has been the shortest month I've ever experienced but all good things must come to an end.

I must admit that I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to but I'll hopefully make up for it with this post! Switzerland has always been my favourite European country but now, the Netherlands (specifically Maastricht!) has a special place in my heart. Despite the winter chills, I wouldn't change anything for the world.

These are a few foodie highlights that I had during my trip and felt like I should share them!

Now, THIS is fast food! I spotted this at Amsterdam Central train station and it's a 'vending machine' for burgers and meat rolls. It is constantly topped up by kitchen staffs behind, which is connected to a fast food restaurant next door.

50 cents for a packets of chips?! God bless Hema! ;P

It's only normal that I would crave Asian food at some point! Luckily, there was a Wagamama at Amsterdam and this stir-fry chicken & veggies definitely satisfied my cravings!

Herbed chicken with tomato gravy and peas, which I got from the university's cafeteria. It's an Ikea-style cafeteria where you'd grab whatever you want and pay at the end.

 Apple pancake (with icing sugar and stroop/syrup) and a side of soup & bread

I bought this from the Maastricht University cafeteria as well! The variety of food they have is heavenly and now, I only wish that my uni sells these pancakes!

 Apple Pie & Coffee

This apple pie, which I got from Amsterdam, is different from the Limburgse vlaai that you'd get in Maastricht. Personally, I prefer the vlaai! Instead of a crumbly pastry, it is made out of bread/yeasted dough and is much thinner than normal pies.

 Cored apple filled with cinnamon caramel and wrapped with puff pastry

&

a side of tomato soup

 Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

There's a charming little cafe outside my lecture auditorium and after a chilly bike ride to class, I would get my coffee from them every morning. They would bake their cakes, cookies and bread every day with a small oven! Imagine the smell!! Trust me, it's pretty darn hard to resist them :P

Mini Dutch pancakes (poffertjes) with icing sugar and butter

I love getting these mini dutch pancakes at Victoria Market (in Melbourne) so during my free time, I'd search high and low for these sweet treats!! Fortunately, I found a pancake restaurant and got to order a plate!!!

Waffles with icing sugar

Unlike the poffertjes, there were waffles EVERYWHERE!

Bakery at Aachen, Germany

During a free day, my dear friend, Tink and I went over to Aachen for a short trip! Being a tourist, we did the normal tourist-y stuff and of course, it included sight-seeing and lots of shopping!!

 When in Germany, you've gotta eat some pretzels! ;)

I'm going to miss all the lovely and sweet pastries/cakes/biscuits!

This trip has been a wonderful learning experience and I felt like I've grown so much during this short one month! I'm going to enjoy re-telling my stories and practice all the things that I've learnt. But for now, I need to settle my jet lag issues!

Have a great week!!!! :)