my little cyberspot - August 2005

29 August 2005, Monday, 9.50am

Good eats: Pasta Brava and Porta Porta

Over the weekend, Husband & I decided to go on a "date". It's not that we dislike little Daniel's company but we felt it might be healthy to have some couple time and try out a restaurant that Cheemo had been raving to us about - Porta Porta. Now I have never really liked Italian food much, probably because my memories of Italian cuisine were limited to Pizza Hut as a teen and even when I started exploring real Italian restaurants, I found the likes of Pasta Fresca, Prego's and Al Dente not very appetising. The food was always quite "jelat" - as in, too much carbo gave me an uneasy feeling in the tummy - and I always walked away from such restaurants regretting paying so much for what seemed rather easy to cook, like spaghetti vongole etc.,

Only recently did I find an Italian restaurant that I truly enjoyed in terms of both ambience and food - Pasta Brava. Nestled in a row of shophouses off Neil Road and owned by a fiesty Italian man who mutters and gesticulates as he scurries around, the little restaurant exudes charm (good for dates!) and the food, especially the homemade pastas, is amazingly flavourful. There's also a quirkiness about the menu - steak with chocolate sauce, ravioli stuffed with pumpkin... and a delightfully alcoholic panna cotta. The food is traditional, yet rather innovative as well. Very nice. Check out the website for pics and the full menu. And do try it out (reservations recommended)!

Anyway, back to our "date night" over the weekend - I am glad to report that I will be adding Porta Porta to my very selective list of Italian restaurants I would return to again and again. The original Porta Porta is located at Upper Changi area, but Husband & I visited the second Porta Porta, located along a row of shophouses at Stanley Street (near Amoy Street), as it was much closer to our home. This Porta Porta was opened by the brother of the owner of the original Porta Porta. Him and his (rather good-looking) son run the restaurant - with the father cooking and the son waiting on tables.

The food was lovely. We ordered calamari for starters and were pleasantly surprised when it came with deep-fried prawns as well. We also had two pasta dishes - the seafood risotto and the pesto dumpling pasta, which in Husband's words, was "mind-blowing". Each dumpling was stuffed with spinach and mushrooms and coated with grated cheese & a very yummy pesto sauce. It was so amazingly flavourful, with just the right balance of taste, and we just couldn't stop eating it. And yes, there was none of that "jelat" feeling that normally accompanies Italian meals. I regret to report that by the time dessert time came round, we were both so stuffed that we just ordered a lemon sorbet to share. Word has it that the tiramisu at Porta Porta is absolutely delish - so Husband & I will definitely be returning to check that out.

Just a word on the patrons of the restaurant - they all seemed to be regular customers. There was a large table of friends in a corner, celebrating a birthday or something festive; a middle-aged couple in another corner, eating silently; a trio of ang-mos looking all dapper in "going out" outfits and a group of cosmopolitan girls, chatting & smoking ata table outdoors. The (rather good-looking) son greeted them all with a warm handshake. I kinda liked that - this restaurant obviously has built up a loyal clientele, which is always a good sign. The ambience of the place was also lovely - quieter than Pasta Brava, which is sometimes filled with people, but not too quiet. It was not too crowded for a Saturday night - after all, Stanley Street, which is in the CBD area, is rather deserted during the weekends. And the decor was warm and inviting. So, it was rather perfect for a date night - we had a good time chatting, relaxing, as well as reflecting on the past week since Daniel entered our lives.

Here's a couple of pics of Porta Porta. Sorry that they're not very good, and apologies if they make the food look un-appetising. The food is absolutely wonderful - and I haven't done it justice at all.

Very cosy ambience (above); Wine is served! (below)

Yummy calamari (above); good pasta (below)

24 August 2005, Thursday, 5.36pm

C is for confinement food

So recently I've been receiving advice from everyone on what to eat and what to avoid during my confinement period. They are all well-meaning individuals, with a wealth of experience in their grasp - nurses, parents/inlaws, relatives, colleagues, friends,... even the chatty counter staff at KK and the Indian neighbour who gave me advice half in Tamil, half in English! It's all nice and good, and even somewhat touching that they would bother to care so much. But things can get confusing when advice begins to conflict, or sound rather bizarre. Here are some samples of what I mean:

1. Person 1 says "Don't drink plain water" but Person 2 says "Must drink plain water as you are dehydrated after birth!"
2. Person 3 says "Papaya and fish soup is good for breast milk" but Person 4 says "Papaya cannot eat!"
3. Person 5 says "Drink, eat and bathe in ginger" but Person 6 says "Ginger is bad for baby as it causes jaundice"

4. Person 7 says "Don't eat ice cream and avoid milk!" but Person 7 says "Drink more milk for more breast milk!"

Sigh. The list goes on and on. Those of you out there who are Asian and have gone through confinement - I'm sure you understand what I'm saying, yea? ^__^
Anyways, check out my lovely pantry of interesting herbs that my MIL (mother in law) and confinement nanny have pooled together to feed me:

Check out a close-up of 1 piece of ginger, which is wider than my handspan!

For now, as Daniel has fallen into a spot of jaundice, Husband has made it clear that we are laying off all "weird" Chinese herbs. My cousin, who is a DOCTOR, has also told us that a paediatrician did a study on ginger and proved conclusively that ginger does encourage jaundice in babies. (That is the only "proven" thing that encourages jaundice.) So... most of these lovely herbs will be sitting in my pantry for now. Till Daniel is a little bigger & more able to fend for himself, we're not taking any chances! Now... can someone tell me what is wrong with drinking plain water and milk??!?

23 August 2005, Tuesday, 8.04am

B is for breastmilk

One of the most fun things about motherhood thus far has been breastfeeding the little one. I had read how breastmilk is an excellent source of nutrients for the kid and how its nutrients are more easily absorbed than powdered milk. There were also other benefits of breastfeeding, including lower risk of breast cancer in the mommy + (most importantly) the release of oxytocin which would help to contract the womb back to its normal size. IN OTHER WORDS - breastfeeding helps the mommy get back into shape!!! How appealing is THAT!

Being eager to "try it out", I began breastfeeding immediately after Daniel "popped out" into the world. He took to it quite naturally. (They say little squidges have a "rooting reflex" which is basically an in-built instinct to turn & suck, hence enabling them to latch on to the breast easily and start feeding.) The tough part was figuring out how to position him in a comfortable manner (for both mommy + squidge) such that he was able to feed peacefully and smoothly. Once that was sorted out, with the help of the lactation consultant at Hospital and the confinement nanny at home, all has been proceeding well. The little squidge feeds every 3-3.5hours and the onus is upon us parents to poke, prod and scratch him to keep him awake to get a nice, full feed (around 45 mins per feed). It's quite funny actually - after latching on and gulping down the breastmilk for a few minutes, Daniel will actually fall asleep on the breast. That's when the strong arm tactics of poking, prodding and so on come in, to wake him up and "remind" him that he is hungry and needs to eat... what a sleepyhead we have....

Through it all, I have come to realise the most important benefit of breastfeeding. It's not so much the getting back into shape (although that is still held as a benefit of high regard in my eyes!!) or the nutrition, but the "bonding" that occurs between mother, son and father. Sounds like a horrible cliche, I know, but I now understand what that "bonding" is and how real it is. When mommy breastfeed the son, daddy is always there to help out, give cheer & support and help out with the burping. There is something rather magical & satisfying about knowing that you are able to provide for the kid's needs. Sure, his needs will expands in variety and depth as he moves along, and then, maybe, we'll start feeling inadequate. But for now, breastfeeding has been a largely enjoyable experience and I would definitely recommend it to all mothers-to-be.

The crucial thing for mothers-to-be is to DECIDE ahead of time whether you want to breastfeed or not. If you do, and if you are up and about after birth (e.g., no complications in birth, or premature birth), you MUST try to start immediately, preferably in the labour ward itself. And, you must be psychologically prepared to wake every 3 hours or so to feed the squidge. It WILL be tiring, no doubt, but if you've made up your mind and if you're convinced of the benefits of breastmilk, then stick to it and don't worry, it will be tough in the beginning but, you'll reap the benefits in a few days. Trust me. ^__^ Power to the breast dude!
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19 August 2005, Friday, 10.19pm

The vital statistics of a birth

Here's the story of Daniel's birth. It really wasn't a typical textbook birth process... in fact, it was anything BUT typical... e.g., I was 4cm dilated with no contractions / pain at all! Go figure. And, to the chagrin of natural birth proponents out there, I actually quite enjoyed all the various man-made tools & drugs that were used to encourage / facilitate the birth of the Little One. Read on... for those who have always wondered what giving birth is like, the below might be helpful... :)

1. Last meal prior to the Fateful Visit To Dr Tan:
Breakfast a la Post Banana Nut Cereal with Meiji Fresh Milk, in comfort of home.
It was supposed to be just another regular check-up (la-dee-da) as I wasn't due till 25 Aug 05. But, instead...

2a. Time when Dr Tan pronounced I should be warded into post-natal ward:
Monday, 15 August 2005, 9.20am

2b. Reason:
I was 4cm dilated (though I did not feel any pain, nothing! I couldn't believe it!) Dr Tan wanted me to rest in the ward and wait for contractions to start.

2c. Time we were warded into post-natal ward:
10.15am

3. Key activities during wait:
Playing free download game - Rise of Nations, watching HBO, CNN, CNA and TCS5, sleeping, praying, SMS, reading Straits Times & explaining to mystified friends & relatives what was going on. We also sneaked out to eat famous Duck Rice @ Neil Road and pack extra goodies for hospital stay, e.g., King Koil pillow & laptop!

(Famous duck rice from corner of Spottiswoode Park & Neil Road.)

4. No. of hours in ward:
23 hours - contractions did not start, though I was trying my best to 'psyche' myself into feeling them. "Dear, I think I just felt a mild contraction, ... er, or is that just my stomach growling?" ^__^

5. Time when Dr Tan pronounced I should be warded into labour ward:

One day later - Tuesday, 16 August, 8am

6. Reason:
Though I was still 4cm dilated (and still no contractions!), his plan was to 'induce' contractions & get the labour process started.

7. Time I was warded in labour ward:

9.15am

8. No. of 'machines' I was hooked up to:

Five. Lessee...there was Machine That Took Blood Pressure at Regular Intervals, Machine That Monitored Baby Heartbeat & My (lack of) Contractions, Machine Also Known As the Amazing EPIDURAL Drip, Machine to Stabilise My Blood Pressure and the Machine Also Known As the OXYTOCIN Drip. Fwah!

9. Time when doctor burst my water bag:

10.15am

10. Time of first contractions:

10.15am. Immediately after the bag was burst, contractions began at regular intervals of once every 3 MINUTES! This happened even before the oxytocin, a drug meant to encourage contractions, was administered. Thankfully, the epidural drip was already in place, so I felt no pain whatsoever.

11. Key activities during contractions:

Listening to screaming women in other rooms, watching HBO and CNA, chatting & praying with Husband, SMS. Strangely enough, time flew by, maybe because of the anticipation and adrenaline of seeing Baby Daniel soon!

12. Funny moments in labour ward:

#1. "If you love me, you would give me a biscuit."
I had been warned by several nurses not to eat, but I was ravenous after several hours. After threatening my Husband with a few rather unBiblical remarks, he caved in and fed me, but only 2.5 Khong Guan Custard Cream biscuits! Che...

#2. "Look honey! You're having a contraction!" "Really ahr? "
It was really kinda cool checking the blimp on the monitor that was faithfully reporting I was experiencing off-the-chart sky-high contractions every minute or so - because I wasn't feeling any pain at all! This was all thanks to the painkiller Epidural - in my words, "God's gift to women!"

#3. "I'm wearing a turban!"
The labour room was freezing and being hungry made it all the worse. My whole body was shaking with cold, so Husband ended up covering me with 3 white blankets and wrapping an additional white blanket round my head. I kinda looked like a seal... or a tai-tai in a salon, having her hair permed! Not very glam...

12. No. of hours of painless contractions:

8 hours.
By 5pm, I was 10cm dilated! So, the nurse turned off the epidural drip and we waited till about 6.15pm for the epidural to wear off. Then,.... the pushing began.

13. No. of hours of pushing:

1+ hour. In that hour, which seemed to last FOREVER, I

a. threw up the biscuits I had made my husband feed me (retribution!)

b. burst into tears of frustation

c. moved the baby, hmm well, about.... all of 4 cm! At the end of the hour, he was about 2 cm from entering the world (and I was about 2 cm away from asking for a Caesearean!) ... don't laugh. It really isn't THAT easy, especially when you haven't eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner. But on the bright side, Husband & nurse were terrific cheerleaders. Even though I later discovered the extent of my dismal progress (only moved the baby 4 cm!), their words of encouragement & cheering on really made me persevere,...

14. How baby came out in the end:

Via a rather strange looking semi plastic electric vacuum, courtesy of Dr Tan's 'gong-fu'. (!!) Thankfully, Daniel's head is perfectly normal, not cone-shaped or funnel-shaped or anything!

15. Best moment in labour ward:

Breastfeeding Daniel SUCCESSFULLY in labour ward, after birth.

16. Strange moment:

Being put on a stretcher and wheeled out to the post-natal ward. Felt like a scene from ER...

16. First meal after labour ward:

DUCK RICE FROM NEIL ROAD!!! My mom da-pao for me! My dad also brought PAO!!! ... which my sis fed to me! And I also had Ovaltine. BEST!!

After all the hype died down & our entire extended family left the ward, Husband & I quietened down and began inspecting our kid. Everybody said the little squidge was "soooo cuuute" and actually, he kinda was. Unlike other newborns I've seen, Daniel remained wide awake, with big black eyes staring intently everywhere, for about 5 hours after birth! He had a full head of hair, and nails that looked like they just came from a French manicure! Very cute indeed. We took turns to coo at him and the whole night was subsequently spent breastfeeding him every 3 hours. Basically, once the kid came out, it's been a series of new experiences for me - things that I've never done before, and things that I'll need to start getting used to fairly quickly - breastfeeding, swaddling him, holding him, calming him down etc., ... it's easy to see how a young squidge could overtake your entire life, and we're trying to avoid that. But for now, since he literally is dependent on us for everything (even burping!), we'll be focusing on him more of course. With God's strength, the initial stage will pass and it'll become less tiring or more natural soon!

Our fist pic as the new Lau family.

18 August 2005, Thursday, 5.57pm

What a difference a day makes

Short story: Daniel Lau Ju Yen greeted the world with a piercing wail on 16 August 2005, Tuesday, 7.50pm. Say hi world!

Long story: To come shortly. (Postscript: click here for long story.)

But just wanted to say that by the grace of God, and with the support of the BEST Husband in the world, I am doing well. In fact, I am doing very well indeed! Praise God!! The full birth story & pics coming soon! Watch out for it!

14 August 2005, Sunday, 6.48pm

A new look

Well, I decided to revamp the design of this blog once again. It's actually taken longer than expected and the results are not really that spectacular anyway. But ho-hum. I was getting a bit bored. Feel free to surf around and let me know what you think. ^__^ Will put up a proper post soon enough. Cheers!

8 August 2005, Monday, 7.01pm

Braised soya sauce chicken

Now this is one of my all-time favourite comfort food. The key to this dish is the braising sauce, which, after having used it umpteenth times, I can safely & confidently say is both idiot-proof and yummilicious. If you're familiar with Asian-style braised meats, the sort that is braised over the stove lovingly for hours, then this recipe will please you. And, the great thing is that you can also apply this braising sauce to other recipes - my Husband's favourite dish, braised pork belly (lor bak) is made with this sauce, and from braised pork belly, you can derive kong bak pau (which is essentially pieces of lor bak served in between steamed buns, with spring onions & a dipping sauce). I have also adapted this braising sauce to make Chicken with ginger & spring onion , the recipe of which is here.

Braised soya sauce chicken

3 chicken thighs, with bone

10 garlic, skins removed

3 tbs light soya sauce

3 tbs dark soya sauce

3 tbs Chinese glutinous rice wine (hua tiao jiu)

4 ts sugar

1.5 cup chicken stock

1. With chopper, chop the chicken thighs into smaller pieces. Each thigh should give you 3-4 pieces.

2. Combine the light & dark soya sauces, the rice wine and 2 ts of sugar. Set aside.

3. Heat a pot or pan low fire for 1 min. Sprinkle garlic and remaining 2 ts of sugar on and allow sugar to melt, another 1 min. Still on low fire, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, onto the sugar, to brown. *

4. After another min, flip the chicken pieces over and then, lovingly, spoon in the combined mixture of soya sauce, rice wine & sugar. Watch everything sizzle slightly, and settle down. Then, add in the chicken stock. The liquid should just cover the chicken pieces. (If not, add more chicken stock). Then, turn down to even lower fire, close lid and braise for at least 1 hour, but preferably, 1.5-2 hours. Once in a while, open the lid and using a spoon, bathe the chicken pieces in the sauce. When done, serve immediately with steamed rice and oyster veggies. **

* Notice how I did not add oil at all. This is only possible if the fire is very low, so make sure it is very low!

** One amazing side-product of this dish is the GARLIC. After braising in the sauce for so long, the garlic becomes this amazing melty substance which is simply wonderful. If you like garlic, feel free to add more!

Forgot to mention that you can add all sorts of other ingredients to braised chicken or pork belly dishes, e.g., onions, chinese mushrooms, boiled eggs and firm beancurd (tau-kwa). Cheers!

5 August 2005, Friday, 2.00pm

Teatime treat

I made english rose tea gelato today, using some Waitrose English Rose tea bags given by friends. After the initial frenzy of ice-cream making, have resolved to experiment with more "healthy" alternatives - e.g., am currently doing some research on Sicilian gelato, which apparently does not use cream or eggs, just milk! Anyone got any "healthy" ice cream/gelato recipes? Or tips on subsititute ingredients? If not, my husband's waistline will balloon (I already don't have a waistline, being preggers and all!) Anyway, this english rose tea gelato was made "in Sicilian gelato style" and will post the recipe when I'm satisfied with it. In the meantime, it's time for a teatime treat!

3 August, Wednesday, 8.30pm

Wasabi mayo prawns

Had this for dinner tonight. Paired it with a soba salad with sesame & tofu dressing, using a slightly modified version of this recipe from the lovely blogger, 101cookbooks. The two dishes complemented each other very well and Husband was particularly pleased with this prawn dish. The prawns were dunked in flour and shallow-fried, giving them a crunchy texture. This crunch was nicely contrasted with the smooth texture of the mayo and the addition of wasabi gave an extra zing to the whole dish! Here's the recipe, which I kind of made up, based on a similar dish we tasted at Tung Lok Seafood Gallery.

Wasabi mayo prawns (for 2 persons)

8 prawns, regular prawns (need not be tiger prawns)

1.5 ts wasabi paste

1/2 cup Japanese mayo

1 ts juice of lime

3-4 tbs finely-chopped green onions

Cucumber slices

1 cup flour

1. Prepare the prawns by cutting off heads and picking off legs. Use a sharp scissors to snip the shell down the spine of the prawn, starting from head area to tail. Set aside.

2. Mix the wasabi paste with the Jap mayo.* Add lime juice & green onions. Mix thoroughly.

3. Coat the prawns in flour. Heat up some oil ** in a pan on high fire. When the oil is hot, shallow-fry the floured prawns quickly. ***

4. Remove the prawns from heat and stir them in 2-3 tbs of the wasabi-mayo paste. Serve immediately on a bed of cucumber slices, with the rest of the wasabi-mayo paste as additional dipping sauce.

* My recipe calls for 1.5 ts of wasabi paste. However, you may wish to add 1 ts of wasabi paste to the Jap mayo first and taste to see if the wasabi flavour proves too strong for your liking, before considering adding the additional 1/2 ts of wasabi.

** Pour enough oil to just cover the entire base of the pan.

*** The frying shouldn't take long at all. At the most, 1 minute.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Here's a more "artistic" shot of the dish:

1 August, Monday, 8.23pm

Ice cream maker

When it comes to kitchen appliances and equipment, I've been quite blessed to have friend/rellies who have given me a steady supply of items since we got married. In fact, a quick tally shows that a large majority of my applicances/equipment were gifts - from the Takahi crockpot, the toaster, the juicer, the AMC ware, the Braun food processor, the NTUC toaster, the steamer and the Philips sandwich maker to my bakeware - the IKEA silicon muffin trays, springform cake tins, ceramic white souffle pots and, even the strange cheese display holder (a rather random wedding gift, which we currently use to serve our cakes and bread!) The only thing that I remember buying is my trusty Kenwood handheld electric mixer (bought it 8 years ago and it still works like a charm!), my Tiger anodised iron wok (from Tangs basement) and 8 very pretty dessert cups, which I've used to make individual molten chocolate cakes.

So, it is with great pride & excitement that I made my latest purchase yesterday night - a small and rather discreet-looking ice cream maker from Panasonic! I was attracted to this ice cream maker because it operates within your freezer, running on lithium batteries. This means that I don't have to "baby-sit" the appliance and wait for the ice cream to finish churning before transferring it to the freezer for storage. Also, because it works in your freezer, there is no need to place the container in the freezer overnight, prior to making your ice cream (a requirement for most other ice cream makers). This essentially allows you to make ice cream on a whim! (No need for overnight preparation). The operation of this ice cream maker is really easy - just dump in the ingredients as per recipe, press button to start the maker and place in freezer. 3-5 hours later, you get ice cream! Voila! Oh, and get this, the ice cream maker has a special micro processor technology that monitors your ice cream in the freezer. So, it churns the ice cream only as and when it begins to harden.

Above: the diminutive ice cream maker

So much for the sales pitch. I gathered all this info from reading several consumer reviews, including this one. And today, I made my first batch of ice cream! Verdict? The ice cream had a very smooth texture and was very yummy. I was actually a bit surprised at how smooth and silky the texture was, considering the machine was rather affordable and so small. On the downside, the ice cream was a bit too sweet - but that's to do with the recipe, not the machine! Overall, it was fuss free! Here's a pic:

Pardon the not so flattering pic. I was halfway eating and the ice cream had melted before I decided to take a shot! We had the ice cream with a freshly-baked cupcake!

I've been having this ice cream craving since my 2nd trimester, and in a sense, this latest purchase symbolises 'giving in' to my pregger instincts, but actually, pregger instincts aside, I am quite excited about this new device! Having tasted my virgin batch of homemade ice cream, Husband & I were excitedly discussing other new creative possibilities we could experiment making - already on our list will be green tea ice cream, hazelnut gelato and nutella ice cream! Actually, the possibilities are really endless, so it's like a whole new world has opened up. ^__^

Stay tuned for more ice cream posts - I'll try to make a batch a week, if possible. Cheers!