A Great, Gastronomic Adventure at Colorful, Quaint Joo Chiat Road

Last Saturday, I had a very interesting, cultural evening. I went on a walking Culinary Adventure at Katong/Joo Chiat Road in the eastern part of Singapore. I was introduced by a very good friend to a lovely Israeli lady named Karni Tomer, the owner of Wok 'n' Stroll a company that specialises in "off the beaten track" culinary adventures.

Karni invited us to a meeting onsite to present Wok 'n' Stroll activities that are usually conducted by three local tourist guides who are trained as food explorers and who share with her a strong passion for Singapore's local cuisine.

So how was Wok 'n' Stroll born? Karni describes herself as a foodie and a food explorer. She comes from a family that loves to cook, who take pictures of what they eat, and this was even before the era of Instagram and Facebook! She herself is a trained cook and came to Singapore from Israel five years ago to follow her husband who was already working here. She didn't know anything at all about Singapore, but when her husband's company decided to relocate him and his family, Karni went on a look see trip. After being here for the first few days, she found herself going alone to Tekka Market with her backpack, looking at the local delicacies and trying out the famous Nasi Biryani....followed by Afternoon Tea at the Raffles Hotel on the same day....followed by dinner with Israeli compatriots at Jumbo Seafood in the evening.

And after that fateful day of sampling the local delicacies, the rest is history....Karni was captivated by the variety of the food and the local culture in Singapore, and she decided to follow her husband, with then two kids in tow (one was later born here), to live in Singapore. At first, she missed the food from home. She started cooking her Israeli and Greek food at home (she is half Greek) but later on, she mulled to herself, "What the hell am I doing?? I am in the middle of a gastronomic paradise. Why am I not exploring the food around me???" Soonafter, she decided to do that and her business Wok 'n' Stroll was born.

Risotto with Mushroom, Parsley & Truffle Oil

This is my favourite risotto to make. And it's so easy too. The addition of truffle oil at the end is a luxurious and fragrant touch, but not necessary. Just something to make a home cooked dish more special. Bon appetit!

French Oven Roasted Chicken, with Bell Pepper, Kale & Jicama Rice

One of my favourite pots is my oval Le Creuset French Oven and my favourite thing to cook in it is a whole chicken! Here's a variation of an earlier recipe I posted here a few months ago (French Oven Roasted Chicken with Flavored Rice). The chicken is so flavourful and tender, because after frying it in the pot, I cover it and bake it in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. It becomes very succulent and "melt in the bone" soft. This version of the rice is flavoured with white wine and lemon, and is mixed with red and yellow bell peppers, jicama and kale. The jicama really adds texture and crunch to the rice. The dish makes one hearty, healthy meal!

If you do not have a French oven--or a Dutch oven, depending on the brand :)--any heavy lidded, oven proof pot will do.

Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon, Dill & Capers in a Garlic Cream Sauce

I prefer pastas in an oil based sauce because it's healthier. But sometimes, one can indulge. This pasta has a cream based sauce, but it's light. Instead of using full cream, I used light sour cream and some of the pasta water to make sure it's moist. Despite the substitutions, it's just as delicious! It is very easy to make too. Perfect for a quick, home cooked weekend lunch!

Tagliatelle with Leeks and Prosciutto, topped with Pangrattato

This is one of my family's favourite pasta dishes. It's actually adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe.

The pasta is enhanced by a topping of pangrattato, etymology of which is from pane (bread) and grattato (grated). I read somewhere that this was the poor Italian man's substitute for parmesan cheese, which was a more expensive commodity. Pangrattato is made from dried mushroom, breadcrumbs, rosemary and garlic.  In Jamie's recipe, he uses dried porcini mushrooms, but since that is very expensive here in Singapore, I just use dried shitake mushrooms and it's fine.

The dish doesn't use as much pasta as other pasta dishes because half of it is made of leeks.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Ever since I learned how to make my own pizza dough last year, we hardly order pizza at a restaurant anymore. This dough is very easy to make, plus it's natural, healthier and convenient to use. It can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. Just take it out to thaw, knead again, and cut off a piece, to roll and make a fresh, new pizza.

It doesn't matter if your pizza is not perfectly round as you roll it out. Let it have a rustic look. The kids just like to make strange shapes with the dough, so it's fun!

But if you sometimes have pangs of OCD like me, just turn over a plate on top of the rolled out pizza dough, and trim off the excess.

Homemade pizza crust with salami, mozzarella, chili flakes and fresh arugula.

Baked Egg, Nested in Avocado

This is a healthy, highly nutritious breakfast that's very easy to make. It requires pretty much less than five ingredients: the avocado, the egg, and whatever spices/sauces you want to flavour it with. For this one, I used salt, pepper, pesto and Sriracha sauce.

Here's a link to some of the healthy benefits of the avocado. Read here.

I made this for Easter Sunday breakfast at home, a few weeks ago. I served the avocado with some Green Tea & Chocolate Waffles with berries. It was a very interesting contrast in taste and texture: the crispy edges of the waffle with the creaminess of the avocado; the subtle sweetness of the chocolate in the waffle, with the tartness of the berries and spicy, savoury flavour of the toppings on the avocado. If you'd like to see the recipe for the waffles, click here.

Green Tea and Chocolate Waffles

This is my "go to" recipe for Belgian waffles. It's very easy to make and if you make the batter the night before (leave it in the ref, covered) and cook it the next morning, the waffle becomes fluffier, as the yeast has had time to grow.

You can make it plain too (and omit the green tea and chocolate).

I sprinkled the waffles with confectioner's sugar and served them with blackberries and raspberries.

NOX Dine in the Dark: An Unforgettable Experience in Mindful Dining

I'm going to change gears here a little bit by writing not about a tried and true recipe of mine, but a unique dining experience I had just a few weeks ago. This is the first time I'm writing about a restaurant in this blog, but I think this one deserves it. Not only is this an unusual experience of dining in the dark, but it is also a lesson on Mindful Dining.

With my good friend and fellow foodie Karyn, on our Dine in the Dark adventure.

Blueberry, Mint Chocolate & Cheese Puff Pastry Triangles

This is a quick dessert and was born at the spur of the moment. I wanted to use a remaining sheet of puff pastry, so decided to scrounge around inside my ref for the filling. I decided on fresh blueberries, mint chocolate and cheese.  Make the filling, put it on one side of the pastry, fold the puff pastry over it to make triangles and bake it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and demerara sugar. Serve it hot from the oven, with a scoop of ice cream. Mmmmmmm!

Fettuccini with Lemon & Mushroom Cream Sauce

I went to Rome a few months ago and bought this delightful box of mushroom flavoured, egg based fettuccine. I decided to cook it with a lemony cream sauce with mushroom and parsley. It's very easy to make.

Since mushroom flavoured fettuccine is not readily available in Singapore, you can just use regular fettuccine or spaghetti pasta.

Ginger & Chili Steamed Prawns & Bittergourd

This is a dish of steamed prawns flavoured with chili and ginger, served with bittergourd. Very light and healthy and best served with a hot cup of rice.

Ginger & Stout Beer Cake

This recipe is adapted from the New York Times' Ginger & Stout Cake. It's perfect with coffee and has a strong, full bodied taste. Not for the timid. I've baked this a few times, but it was my first time to use a new, cast iron bundt pan in a beautiful swirl pattern, given by my daughter M.