easy summer dress for our tropical weather :: I missed matcha lattes soooo much, thank you starbucks! :: Little twin stars bags for cookies :: homemade bento

happy rainy tuesday xoxo

New bento box

I felt like having a vegetarian bento : Panfried tofu & chilli ladyfingers with rice!

Hope you had a good weekend, i was out rediscovering Singapore xx

bento

Lunch yesterday was rice with panfried salmon, tamagoyaki or sweet egg roll, edamame beans. C'était délicieux!

But I think... i'll leave the kitchen to the experts for a while... is it quite possible to get cooking burnout already? haha xx

earl grey cookies

I made cookies for one of my favorite friends... but couldnt help munching on them..

Love the smell of bergamot wafting around me... just take any cookie recipe, cut up 4-5 earl grey teabags & add it to the dough!

There wasn't much left for her in the end. (T_T)

Can you tell that i'm on a cooking roll these days lol? Am I making up for lost time? My mum is adamant that it will be a passing fancy. We call it 三分钟热度 in mandarin. I think so too.

in the kitchen

These days I spent more time in the kitchen than I ever did in my whole life.

When my brain refused to absorb any more information (my head was literally hurting), I put on Snooze's Americana & went into the only area of the house with no books.

I was hungry & I had to do something with my hands instead of flipping pages & writing.

While my friends whipped up delicious dishes & my japanese classmates shared their intricate bentos for lunch, I hated the idea of dirtying my hands & touching raw food.

But when I'm avoiding my notes & books & there's great music, I realised it's not all that bad & could be quite therapeutic for a frazzled mind. A bit like washing dishes.

As you can see, I miss Japanese food alot.

the lazy girl's kitchen #9: Nikujaga 肉じゃが

Nikujaga which means meat & potato in Japanese, is a popular beef stew cooked in Japanese homes, especially during winter. My friend gave me this easy recipe & insisted that i try it at home. So I decided to venture out of my comfort zone today by attempting this dish!

1. Peel the potatoes & chop them up together with the onions.

2. Slice the beef & pan-fry in oil.

3. Add the potatoes & onions & sauté all of them for a few minutes.

4. Add water, soya sauce & brown sugar to the pan.

5. Add white wine or sake - I used chardonnay which was perfect.

You can vary the seasoning according to your preference. For 2 portions, I used 100g of beef, with 300ml of water, 100 ml of wine, 2 tablespoons of sugar & 3 tablespoons of soya sauce.

6. Let them simmer happily until the potatoes are very soft... about 30 minutes!

Serve with rice. The soft potatoes & tender beef slices were delicious ♥

neighbours

Lovely tulips from my neighbour... yest evening i had a dinner party for all the four neighbours in our apartment building.

It was such a great evening i forgot to take pics! We laughed & chatted & ate till midnight, then everyone returned to their respective floors.

Before, they were only names on the letterboxes & shy 'Bonjour's but we got along so well it was decided we would make it a habit to hang out in each other's houses... the cool thing is we dont need to travel very far to say hello :)

My failproof party go-to dish - chicken curry with rice!

I've fine-tuned the recipe to the easiest possible cos I hate spending time cooking in the kitchen, but most French people I know love Asian food like curries.

Just add vegetables (tomatoes, aubergines & red peppers), chicken pieces, a packet of Thai red curry paste & coconut milk.

Voila, a taste of Thailand right in your kitchen.. & everyone I've cooked for loved it, including my mum :)

the lazy girl's kitchen #8: Feta & tomatoes

When I wake up too late for breakfast but it's still too early for lunch....

Brunch has to be salty for me... Cubes of feta cheese with cherry tomatoes & a dressing of olive oil, red onion & vinaigrette.. totally yummy! x

the lazy girl's kitchen #7: Burrata, tomato & rocket salad

Today's dinner! We first tried this at Stan's home as an aperitif, & then later at the Artcurial restaurant as a starter.

Burrata is similar to mozzarella but I find it alot tastier as it has cream inside a firm mozzarella pocket. However it's often only found at Italian delis. On a day when I'm too lazy to cook, this is perfect for a meal.

Drizzle some olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette or pesto. Smear on warm bread or eat it on its own. You can bake the tomatoes as well if you like.

I love their individual strong tastes & the combination was so delicious we ate everything straight off the board!

the lazy girl's kitchen #6: Homemade guacamole

After tasting homemade guacamole, I could not imagine eating the store-bought variety again. Luckily it can be done myself in 15 mins!

You'll need 2-3 ripe avocados, salt, cumin, coriander leaves, Cayenne pepper, chopped onion & a lime. Alternatively, just buy a pack of Guacamole spice mix from the supermarket.

Cut the avocadoes in half & spoon out the flesh into a bowl. Use a fork to mash it till the desired consistency is reached.

Squeeze the juice of half a lime (or one if u like it more tangy), add in everything else & chopped up tomatoes if you like.

Serve immediately or keep it in the fridge with cling wrap to prevent discoloration.

I love guacamole with warm toasted bread instead of tortilla chips.. Either way it's so yummy x

the lazy girl's kitchen #5: Yoghurt crumble

Even on busy days, I can't start the day without coffee & a good breakfast.

This is one of my favorites cos it's so easy. Nothing is ever difficult in my kitchen! (◡‿◡✿)

Place 2-3 digestive biscuits (plain or chocolate) into a small glass & use a pounder to crush them. I used part of a traditional walnut cracker.. anything works! Digestives are the best here, for their taste & texture.

Heap plain yoghurt over it.

Voila! A healthy & delicious yoghurt crumble for breakfast!

Sprinkle cocoa powder on top if you need extra encouragement to start the day! xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #4: Miso ginger steamed fish

Today I'll share one of my favorite dishes - a delicious miso ginger steamed fish... it's so easy & fast! ლ(๏‿๏)

You'll need fish, fresh tomatoes, onions, ginger & miso paste.

I buy most condiments like ginger & onions frozen & pre-cut from Picard, a supermarket here which specialises in fresh frozen food. All my friends who are great cooks swear by Picard. Of course fresh market produce is the best, but I'm all for efficiency when it comes to cooking.

Cut the cherry tomatoes, add chopped onions, ginger & miso paste.

Lay the fish on top of these.

Steam for about 15-20 minutes. Check regularly.

Serve with steamed rice & vegetables if you like. Yummy goodness!

If you are so inclined, the dish would taste even better if the ginger was sliced & pan-fried.. but this doesnt happen often in a lazy girl's kitchen! xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #3: Broccoli italian-style

I'm the laziest girl in the world when it comes to cooking... I don't hate it, but I'd rather read a book or watch a film.
So i'm always on the lookout for quick simple recipes & this one's so good it's worth sharing -

★ Italian-style Broccoli ★



First, chop some tomatoes & onions, fry them with some oil & garlic until they turn soft. At the same time, boil the broccoli for a short while.



Next step, add some light cream to the tomatoes & onions... If you like a thicker sauce, leave it to simmer for a while longer. Add in fresh basil leaves, salt & pepper to taste.



Pour the sauce over the broccoli & sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese. Done in less than 10 mins! Serve with rice. Try it, it's really delicious! xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #2: easiest pasta recipe

My cooking adventures continue with this easy-peasy recipe given to me by F's sister-in-law. She has 4 kids & is an excellent cook.

It's so easy & failproof I can't believe i've never tried it before.

All you need is pasta - we had torsades fusili, the freshest & best cherry tomatoes u can find, extra virgin olive oil & a pot of basil. These can always be found in our kitchen so we didnt even need to pop by the supermarket!

Because there are so few ingredients in this dish, i realised it's important to buy the best you can afford, so that u get the best flavors.

Cut the tomatoes & the basil leaves and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl while waiting for the pasta to cook. Then mix everything together & add more basil leaves if desired. I LOVE basil so i was happily cutting my plant down.

Alternatively, you can also put everything in a pan & fry till the tomatoes turn soft.

Tadaa! Fresh tomato & basil pasta... it's so wonderfully tasty & hearty.

To make it even tastier, grate parmesan cheese or grana padano over it... the burst of flavors is heavenly i swear. 

I am not good at cooking, & shamefully.. nor do i really care to improve, so this recipe is perfect for days when you are really hungry but lazy. (We were moving furniture the whole day so we could eat a cow!) Please feel free to share easy recipes whenever u want xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #1: chicken curry rice

I've only made a proper meal twice in my whole life. Like with a pan & heat & raw food.

So last night I decided to do something nice. I cooked chicken curry & rice. And it was a success as affirmed by my dinnerdate :)

First I bought raw chicken fillets which were just as disgusting as i remembered it. Then I cut it into small pieces, marinated with some salt & basilic & pan fried them till they turned brown. By the way, don't you just hate it when people who cook all the time tell u stuff like "oh just a little salt will do", or "when u feel the time is right to turn it over"... Just give it to me in minutes & teaspoons plsss.

I chopped up some fresh tomatoes & opened up a can of green peas & a can of coconut milk. The only ingredients left in the kitchen. I think adding eggplant could have been better.

Then in a pot, I added a packet of red curry paste, the milk, water & all the rest. They boiled merrily in the pot & simmered till they became gooey & yummy!

I also cooked fluffy thai rice in a real pot hehe.

Sounds easy? But it took me 1 hr 35 mins from start to finish. :( After that, i was EXHAUSTED.

My historical culinary moment ^.*