Peking Duck Recipe
Ingredients :
2.5 kg 40 pieces 6 1/2 2 Coating 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon Sauce 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon	Duck Chinese pancake (refer recipe) Spring onions (scallions) Cucumber, sliced Red chilies Malt sugar, honey or molasses Cornflour Vinegar Hoisin sauce Peanut butter Sesame oil Chinese yellow wine
Method : Clean the duck, removing and discarding any excess fat in the cavity. Tie a piece of string around its neck. Pat dry. Bring 25 cups of water to the boil and turn off the heat. Put the duck into the water and turn it backwards and forwards for about 1 minute. Remove. Bring the water to the boil again and repeat the previous step. Do this twice more (total four times). Hang the duck in a cool, draughty place for about 5 hours. Mix the coating ingredients with 10 tablespoons hot water and brush the duck all over with the mixture. Hang to dry for a further 4 hours and apply a second layer of coating. Pre-heat the oven to 450oF / 230oC. Put a roasting pan in the oven with a wire rack in it, making sure that there is a space of about 5 cm between the rack and the pan base. Place the duck on the rack, breast side up, and roast for 8 minutes. Turn the duck over using a towel, not a fork, and roast for a further 8 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350oF / 180oC and turn the duck breast side up again. Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 250oF / 120oC and roast for 10 minutes. Increase the heat again to 450oF / 230oC and roast the duck for about 10 minutes. At this point you have to watch carefully to make sure the skin of the duck does not burn. Turn off the heat once the skin has turned a rich deep red. While the duck is roasting, prepare the Chinese pancakes. Refer to the Chinese pancakes recipe. Cut the spring onions into 5 cm lengths, shred the tip of each piece and put it in iced water for 10 minutes. Cut the cucumber into similar lengths. Decorate each piece with a red chili ring. Blend together the sauce ingredients over a low heat. Carve off the skin on the back of the duck. Hold the knife horizontally and carve the skin and meat from the breast and legs, cutting at an angle of 15o. Arrange the skin and meat on a large plate and serve it with pancakes and cucumber, spring onions and the sauce. Note : Diners help themselves. They place one pancake flat on a plate, put a piece of duck in the center, dip a spring onion (scallion) in the sauce and put it on top of the duck, wrap it up and eat it. The contrast of textures and taste is delicious.

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Margaret River Trip

This past 5 days have been a great time spending with my family at margaret river. We did more things then what i had expected and most were pretty fun. I particularly enjoyed the Marron and Trout farm where we went fishing for our dinner.

This is a must try, it was hard trying to fish for the first time but we managed to caught 2 trout. It was beautiful to say the least.

We also did a big wine tour my favourite would be Picardy at Pemberton, a very interesting blend of Shiraz.

Also it was christabelle first time to the SPA but the photo is on the other computer so have to upload later.

I think next round if I go to the south must visit Manimup Wine and Truffle company and the Marron Farm. That would be in my tour list.


The Ideal plan

Wineries to visit

1. Grayln Estate
2. Sandalford
3. Cullen
4. Woodland
5. Voyager
6. Leeuwin
7. Vase Felix

Things to do

1. Eat Scones at Berry Farm
2. Go caving at Nigili Cave but get the adventure tour
3. Try the lighthouse tour
4. Fishing at Pemberton Trout farm
5. Go to Manjimup Truffle farm for their Truffle hunt
6. Climb the Treetop at Pemberton
7. Busselton Jetty

Places to eat

1. Voyager Estate
2. Settler's Tavern - Wagyu Burger
4. Simmos Ice Cream
5. Trout Farm
6. Goose Restaurant

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An interesting read on Singapore religion issue

Singapore's

prime minister warned Sunday in his National Day speech that "aggressive preaching" by religious groups and attempts to convert others threaten the tiny city-state's stability.

Lee Hsien Loong, a Buddhist by birth, said his education at the island's Catholic High School was an example of how different religions can coexist peacefully.

"The most visceral and dangerous fault line (in Singapore) is race and religion," Lee said.

Singapore's majority Buddhist Chinese, Malay Muslims and Indian Hindus have largely avoided conflict since race riots between Chinese and Malays left about 40 dead in the 1960s.

People pray to a diety at a hindu temple in Singapore on May 26, 2009. (Getty)

"Christians can't expect this to be a Christian society," he said. "Muslims can't expect this to be a Muslim society, ditto with the Buddhists, the Hindus and the other groups."

In the most recent census in 2000, 43 percent of Singaporeans said they were Buddhist, 15 percent Muslim, 15 percent Christian, 8.5 percent Taoist and 4 percent Hindu.

Lee cited the case of a Christian couple who were jailed earlier this year for distributing religious pamphlets deemed offensive to adherents to other faiths, and he condemned those who try to convert ailing hospital patients "who don't want to be converted."

"You push your religion on others, you cause nuisance and offense," he said.

He also singled out a group from an evangelical Christian church who briefly took control of a women's association in April and said they opposed what they claimed was the association's advocacy of homosexuality. They were voted out soon after.

"This was an attempt by a religiously motivated group to enter civil space, take over an INGO they don't approve of and impose their agenda," Lee said. "This risked a broader spillover into relations between different religions."

He said the government must remain secular because Singapore's authority and laws "don't come from a sacred book." Lee's People's Action Party has ruled Singapore since independence 50 years ago.

"We have to keep religion separate from politics," he said.

Lee said Singapore's prosperity depends on people respecting the beliefs of others.

"We all have to adopt 'Live and let live' as our principle."

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090817/tap-as-singapore-religion-832f4ab.html

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New blog up soon

Yes i have been tinkering around abit and have been trying some other blogs, wanted to do a blog specifically for food to keep my recipe.

Recently have been practicing how to do char siew. Let me colleague try it, she gave some to her family and they say its better than the restaurant they eat... wow !! that is a compliment !!!

I should seriously start compiling all my ad-hoc recipe i just happen to dream up... so that i would not forget...

When my brother comes next week, will plan with him to start a food and wine blog especially for those who likes to eat...

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