I got the Minchies

It's a long weekend and I needed to get my hair done so I spend the afternoon at the mall.  I had the munchies to I went a got the "Minchi".

A simple and delicious dish that would quell hunger pangs.  It saute ground beef on top of mash potatoes with a side of french fries bits to give it some crunch.  The french fries is been cut into bits and refried to crisp it up. With the side of fried egg it will be a great breakfast. have it any time of the day, it a great "Minchi"

Happiness is . . .

Today is a good day even though it didn't start out that way.  Today is an easy day because I didn't go to the gym this morning - it was moving day for my PT.  I even did a good deed for the day, I donated some old clothes.

I went to the other market, armed with my camera but didn't find any inspiration there.  Instead for two movies that I been wanting to watch.

Then in the afternoon I found a great directory that listed daily photos of different cities.  Nevertheless, I went crazy and subscribed to a whole bunch of them for inspiration.  But it didn't cure my wanderlust.  When people ask my what is my motivation to work - I would say travel.  I want to travel!

Since I wasn't fulfilled by my lunch hour, I decided to forego my yoga hour and went to Central World instead.  And there I found so much inspiration that I spent about 90 mins walking the mall taking tons of photos.  Gotta go back and take some more but during the day.

I was so happy that I treated myself to some good food.  Since last week was vegetarian week, so I treated myself to sashimi and takioki.  Yummy!

It's a love story. . . .

While out one day, ran into an old friend that I haven't seen for a long time.  I thought that I have lost it sometime ago.  And for a long time I was really mad at myself because it was really a big deal if I'd lost it.  It just means that I really didn't deserve to have some thing like this.

SONY:  I'm so happy to find you again.  Oh, I missed you so much.  How are you?

NIKON: Fine, but I need to get out more.  I'd been locked away for too long.

SONY: Really.  I'd been working to hard. I need a vacation.

NIKON: You take a rest, I'll take over.

Abondonment issues

No, my dear blog, I have not abandoned you.  I forgot to pay my internet bill so the service have been cut off.  Hopefully, I will have service again tonight.

Also, After two months of take photos of the food I have eater, I realized that the cycle has ended because I beginning to eat at the same place and the same thing.  Oh, this doesn't mean that this blog will end, it will just have to evolve into something else.

Also, for the past month, I have been obsess with my semi-new Nikon camera.  I have this bad habit of buying an expensive item, whether it be designer garb or an expensive toy like my Nikon camera- and put it away "until the time comes" or "the occasion" to debut it to the world.  Well,I over that because the "time has come " to take the Nikon and use it.  So, at the moment, I <3 my Nikon.

With the obsession, I have started another new project: 365 days of . . . As you can see, you gained a sibling my dear.  Check it out: http://3sixty5daysof.blogspot.com/

WooHoo.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Food

 It's Vegetarian Festival which started Oct 6 to Oct 17 so today makes it day 5 for the festival.  I am doing good so far and haven't cheated yet.

The vegetarian meals that I have devoured thus far:

Hoy Tod or Mushroom Omellete

Chap Chay or Chinese Vegetable stew

Brown Rice with stirred fried vegetables and tofu

Lemongrass Salad

Stirred fried Noodles with vegetables

The market

Today, the vegetarian feast has started and for the next ten days, I will be eating only vegetarian food - all meals.  I will be looking for yellow flags around town.

I went to the market - the open market on the University grounds - to see if I can get some vegetarian food.  Well, I got some vegetarian food but mostly snacks which I going to have them soon.  However, while wandering around the market I met a farang at the stall, selling foodstuff.  Rice cake  This is not an unusual sighting but what is remarkable about him is that he's deaf.  I didn't know until I spoke to him and he signed back to me.  It astounded me.  And look at that smile.  Life is good for him.  Yeah, power to him.





 

Kuay Tiew Lui Suan - Thai Garden Noodle

This dish has become a favorite of mine, but, alas its vegetarian week so I can't have it.  In CNNgo.com there is a great article about this gem of a dish- light, healthy and delicious.

In almost any hawker market around town there always some vendor rolling up this delicious noodle wrap.   I have seen pork, chicken, tuna, mushroom, firm tofu, crab stick, bamboo and mixed.  I seen it roll up into bite sized pieces and cut up like the pictures below.  The secret is in the sauce.

Kuay Tiew Lui Suan

Rice wrapper (large) Filling ingredients and rice. ◊ ground pork, cooked green leaf lettuce ◊ carrot, shredded ◊ shitake mushrooms, cut into strips ◊ salt, to taste ◊ cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut in to strips Sauce ingredients. ◊ 1 cup distilled vinegar. ◊ 1 tablespoon salt. ◊ 4 tbsp palm sugar ◊ 4-5 cloves garlic ◊ 2 limes ◊ 10 chili ◊ 5 cilantro leaves ◊ 1 sprigs of coriander and root ◊ 20 basil leaves.

Directions

1. Take one rice wrapper and place one leaf of lettuce.
2. In the center, place 1 tsp of pork, carrot, mushroom, cucumber
3. Roll the wrapper and tuck in the sides (like a spring roll)

Make about 10 -12 rolls for 1 pack of rice wrapper

Sauce:
In a bowl, put vinegar and palm sugar to dissolve the palm sugar, set aside. In a blender, crush the garlic, chili, coriander to a paste. Mix in the vinegar/palm sugar. Add Lime juice and mix well. Add fish sauce or salt to taste. Cilantro leaves for garnish.

Number of Servings: 12


Enjoy!

It's October . . .

It's October and the vegetarian festival will start this week on Thursday.  So for the ten days following, people will gorge on vegetarian food that appears like the real thing.  I go vegetarian because secretly I would like to be vegetarian but just can't.  I enjoy fish, and chicken too much to cut it out my life completely.

When I first started the vegetarian binge, I could only do it a few meals but I lost 3 kgs.  As the years go by I increased more and more meals.  Three days became 4 days, so on so forth until lat year, I did it completely - all days a nd all meals. Yeah.  Lets see if I could do it again this year.

Japanese, anyone?

A friend have asked me what is my favorite food.  And I answered, "Japanese food".  Yes, I really love Japanese food, from sushi, sashimi, curries and other things.  I simply love Japanese food and I tend to go out for Japanese whenever I can.

I enjoy Japanese because the concept of "Bento",  or set meal.  Order one thing and get  soup and salad with your meal.  Totally yum.

 You see, there is the soup, a kimchi, the tofu and the main dish of Chicken yakitori on rice.