Going on an indefinite hiatus

Hello.

This is of course not unexpected.

I have always loved blogging and for the past year I have done nothing much about this fun activity and my love of cooking.

In fact, I eat worse than I've ever had, I only cook if supremely needed, and I devote all my time to working for my growing business and generously devote all my personal life for problem-solving too.

Now that I've got a demanding job, it's safe to say that I am going on an indefinite hiatus on my Cooking Blog, the one by two kitchen. That being said, it's a rather sad epiphany for me as I have loved cooking while I was at Uni doing my Bachelor's degree.

This does not mean you can't take advantage of my already published recipes though.

Til my Master's degree course then.

XO
Michelle

Hello Jakarta. And hello blog!

JKT,  Feb 3 2012.

I've been so idle in here that I feel highly guilty about this!

10 months have passed since I last posted an entry to this recipe/simple cooking blog. Things have certainly changed a lot ever since I graduated from Uni, said goodbye to my second one by two kitchen and finally came back home to JKT. While abroad, you are forced to live independently without the comfort of a mom cooking your food and some maids dusting off your closet and your driver picking you up from work. But I love all of those routines. I love taking care of myself, cooking several times a day and experimenting with my independent daily life. But times are a-changing, Dylan said, and I really thought that it was the most perfect time to leave. I left my job offers in Britain, left a dream to work in Shanghai, left an inkling to do a gap year or perhaps work in Singapore, and came back home to chase a dream, a dream that was fabricated from my experience of having lived in two halves of the world - in China and in the UK.

My last one by two kitchen scene - don't get me wrong I'm no alcoholic

So well, in June 2011 I came back to Jakarta for a month to do a one-month observation of whether I wanted to stay put in Jakarta. I think I have decided even from ages ago that I was going to stay in here after I graduate for the sake of chasing the dream! So when I went back to the UK for the last time as a student to graduate, I packed up all my stuffs and headed back home for good.

And here I am!

I still cook a bunch of things. In the past year I have been a vegetarian, although not a strict one yet. Precisely like what one guy wrote in his testimonial of being a veggie, I found that leaving meat and seafood actually led me to finding many new ingredients that I have never even heard before! It definitely did stir up my creativity and curiosity, so I guess from now on my blog would leave meat and seafood on the shelves. So bring on those exotic finds, funny veggies, and just about anything vegetarian.

Hello the Vegetarian one by two kitchen blog!

In the coming days I hope to post some recipes. Here is what I've been perfecting once in a while during my busy-ness: aglio olio pasta, Bailey's Pudding, vegetarian cassava noodle, as well as the delectable chocolate mochi!

Still alive, right? :)

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

A quick update that this blog is still alive!

Hello!


Thank you so much for the various messages I have received regarding about my inactiveness. Basically I have been very busy with my current final year Research Project, last minute catch-up with friends and of course - Spring holiday!


This is just to make sure that everyone knows that this blog is still alive and that I have a lot of exciting recipes to come. I have to let it slip it in here. I'm currently very much into wholewheat spaghetti and sundried tomato. So it's good to know that you can expect the simple and tasty recipe (and super healthy) soon!


I will write soon. I know it's been two months, and to be honest the latest that I will reach this blog again is by next month! Please keep checking and subscribe!


LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Spoon yourself healthy (and possibly slim!)

I'm getting better at keeping up with my blog these days!

You might also notice that I've put some neat categorised Quick Recipe archive on the left tab of the page to make it easier for all of us to locate the recipe (yes, including me).

Today's post is rather general-ish, and it's about my ongoing obsession of eating (or you might call drinking) soup for both lunch and dinner. I love having soup because it's very simple to make, very healthy and really - this might sounds rather controversial - but I spoon myself to sliminess with homemade soups while occasionally splurging on dark chocolates and sweet treats! I'm sure the basic reason on why I got slimmer is because of the good healthy stuffs that I eat and the fact that I get fuller faster with the soup, thus reducing the chance that I overeat! Anyway this seems to be working - the more I eat at home, the healthier I am and the easier my effort is to keep my weight on track.

The very good thing about having soup for meals is that the high water intake will help us to get fuller faster and longer. Moreover it's free from oily stuffs (although most of my stir-fry dishes are made up of very little oil). Also - you can put a variety of 'good food' ingredients in your soup, like vegetables (Chinese cabbage is my favourite), mushrooms, wholewheat pasta, egg and meat/seafood ingredients. I've always liked meat rolls that Chinese hotpot restaurants serve, and so I bought the whole big pack of Pork Rolls from Oriental supermarket and stuffed them in my freezer. I normally use Baby Button Mushrooms because they are cheap and perfect in size - I just need to slice them in two before putting them into my pot. Tomatoes are good as well - the tomato flavour and juice will spice up your spoon and gives your soup a tomatoish flavour. Tomatoes in soup go great with eggs!

There are a lot of varieties of ingredients that you can mix in to create your own soup. Below is the picture of what I'd call a veggie + seafood soup marinara!

Veggie + Seafood Marinara Soup

The most simple way of making the soup mix is do it the oriental style. I simply boil around 400 ml of water, add chicken cubes (Knorr), and wait until the liquid boils before adding the stuffs in! You might also want Teriyaki sauce for some flavouring, or simple salt and pepper will do too!

I also put wholewheat pasta in, I strongly believe in the goodness of complex carbohydrates. My new favourite is Conchigliette wholewheat pasta for kids (yes - for kids). I found mine from ASDA.

Cooked Conchigliette wholewheat pasta

Below is what I just had for my late lunch/ early dinner!

Pork Roll and Conchigliette Soup

Basic Oriental Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 400 ml of water
• Knorr chicken cube (or other brand) (1 cube)
• Teriyaki sauce (optional) OR salt/pepper to add to the taste
• Fujian cooking wine (Chinese/Japanese cooking wine) [OPTIONAL]
• Chinese cabbage (5 leaves, chopped)
• Pork Roll for hotpot (from Asian supermarkets) OR can be changed to seafood stick/fish balls/beef balls/ diced chicken breasts
• Egg (preferably free range and organic - 1)
• Wholewheat pasta (approx. 50 grams)

How to Prepare:

• Cook the pasta, drain and separate in a bowl
• In a small saucepan, boil 400 ml of water
• Put the heat to medium
• Add the chicken cube, stir until completely dissolved
• Put the Chinese cabbage in, wait for around 4 - 5 minutes
• Put around 15 small pork rolls (or see substitute) in (to your liking), stir and wait until pork rolls have turned to grey cooked colour
• Crack the egg in, and carefully stir (I prefer not to break the egg's yolk) and wait for 3-5 minutes
• Splash two tablespoons of teriyaki sauce in or give more salt/pepper/seasoning
• Pour over the pasta, mix and ....
• SERVE!

How easy! And how nice and warm for the winter days! If you're living in a hot climate - this dish would also be very nice after a long day of work or study. It surely will replenish and freshen up the mind and body!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

Cooking with Coconut Milk + Salmon Coco Sauce Recipe Example

Hello!

I decide to make a general recipe post today!

Coconut milk is one of the most versatile cooking ingredients that I really like. This ingredient, which I believed originated in Asia (Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Cantonese cuisine all seem to favour this), can be used to make various types of cooking, from appetisers to main course and sweet desserts! In fact, I've always admired Thai coconut milk based desserts (although admittably I refrain myself from eating a lot of them because of their high sugar content!)

Coconut milk gives a distinctive taste to my homemade cooking, and to me, is a great substitute allowed on the South Beach Diet. Moreover, at least in the UK, you can always find half-fat coconut milk (I found mine from Waitrose). If you ever have a chance to come to Indonesia during the Ramadan or the Islamic Holy Month period, you'll find that most of the food served after the day fasting period ends are nearly made entirely using coconut milk!

To incorporate coconut milk to your daily simple homemade cooking promoted by the one by two kitchen blog is relatively simple. I use them to make Thai green curry and one of my favourite dishes: salmon and Chinese cabbage in coconut milk sauce. Lately I've really liked eating Chinese cabbage, because they remain fresh longer than other leafy veggies.

An important bit of doing stir-fry is to add water to create the sauce. I learn this by experience!

Do take a look at the recipe below, and remember that you can change the ingredients to your liking. Just remember the Coco sauce mix: fish sauce, a little bit of water during stir-fry, and coconut milk!

Salmon, Prawn and Chinese Cabbage in Coco Sauce

Salmon, Prawn and Chinese Cabbage in Coco Sauce

Ingredients:

• Coconut milk (preferably half-fat - half a can)
• Fish Sauce
• Salmon (1 Fillet - cut to square pieces)
• King Prawn (approximately half-pack or 100 grams)
• Chinese Cabbage (approx. 5 leaves - chopped)
• Bean sprout (as desired)
• Spring Onion (2; chopped)
• Extra virgin olive oil OR other vegetable oil

How to Prepare:

• Heat one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan
• Sizzle the spring onion until the fragrance comes out
• Put the Chinese cabbage and bean sprout in, stir-fry for around 3 minutes
• Put the salmon in, stir-fry for additional 4-5 minutes or until salmon turns opaque
• During stir-frying, add some water if pan becomes too dry, but not too much until it covers the pan!
• Pour fish sauce sauce (approx. 4 tablespoons)
• Pour the coconut milk and stir-in
• Wait until the sauce boils and mix more fish sauce if you want more flavours
• Stir in the prawn and wait until they boil
• Serve!

AWESOME dinner and SBD-ish!

You might like to read my posting about fusion food at here.


LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

To Go Roll Up Healthy Sandwich

In my previous post, I mentioned how bad my pocket state is, having had to travel to London on Monday for my passport renewal!

And to add complication to my pocket, I've got to stay for quite a long time in the campus to do my lab work and research studies. I've always had prejudice that 'eating out' is not that healthy so it has never been my choice before. I used to go back every lunch time and come back to uni, but since my work is getting busier, I finally had to give in to eating on campus - with distinction, because I packed my sandwich.

I used to not like packing up sandwich because they always come out messy (and rather embarrassing!) However, I was really inspired by a friend of mine Katrina who used cling plastic to wrap her sandwich. I tried to roll them for more space, and guess what - they came out tidy and fulfilling too while I munched them in the library!

I use three wholewheat bread leaves and healthy fillings to suit my diet. Lately I'm really liking a cheese spread that Bila and I found in a Halal supermarket. Feel free to alter to your own dietary requirements! To make the sandwiches healthy, I put fresh veggies on.

The key point on rolling up the sandwich is by steaming the bread by either using a steamer or a microwave.

Three Roll Up Sandwiches

You will need to have Cling Plastic Wraps!

Serves 1 person


Ingredients:

• Wholewheat bread (3 slices)
• Cheese Spread OR Light/Low-fat Butter 
• Shredded lettuce (chopped lettuces will do)
• Tomato (1)
• Asian Floss (Indonesian Abon) OR can be changed to other fillings i.e. egg mayo, tuna mayo, fried egg, or any other fillings

How to Prepare:

• Steam your bread slices either on a steamer, or for a quick one, microwave for 1 minute
• Spread the cheese spread or butter onto the bread slices
• Dice the tomato, you might want to remove the juicy middle
• On the first slice: put the bread slice on a cling wrap (roughly 7 cm in length), put the diced tomato on top, roll over and secure
• On the second slice: instead of diced tomato, use lettuce instead
• Use any fillings you like on the third slice (mine is the Indonesian beef floss - known as abon in Indonesian)
• Pack them and enjoy!

Full of Veggie Goodness!

Save those extra quids for Easter holiday!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.

French Macarons Obsessions

I'm officially skint now!

Having just gone to London to renew my passport (and yes, passport renewal did cost quite a lot when you included your train tickets to London, London tube Oyster fare, and the little awesome things that make life nice), I'm officially broke now.

I bought Pierre Hermes macarons from Selfridges' Food Hall, London. I've always heard a lot about them (a lot of raves, yes), so I did go and bought myself a 16-macarons box which accumulated to the growing deficit of my monthly budget. But hey! It was Valentine's day and I thought I should treat myself!

Here is the picture of Pierre Hermes macarons gift bag. Yes, they are absolutely good, wrapped in the poshest gift bag and paper bag that reminds me of top branded shopping bags. And yes, they are expensive so this is rather a one-of-a-kind treat for me!

I bought the box with self-chosen assorted macarons. I've always liked macarons ever since I tried them in Singapore a good 4 years ago. Well the thing is - I like them so much that the only summer I was in Indonesia after I started my studies in the UK, I got annoyed because I couldn't find these petite nice treats! My bestie Gaby is in love with them too. I took her to English afternoon teas and she instantly felt in love with them!

Here is the inside of the box that I bought:

One of my all-time favourite flavours is Rose Macarons. Pistachio is also a favourite, however Pierre Hermes version is rather hip with various combinations too.

I brought the whole box back to Nottingham to enjoy whilst I was in the library. The crispness of the macarons, the tasty sweet cream, its fragrant and the sensation of eating them were really a bliss in my studying time!

And that's me enjoying my Rose macarons with Bila and Stefanie while applying for Engineering jobs. Rather random? Yes. But if you are doing engineering, you definitely know how much you need a break after a long day of non-stop studying and campus hopping!

LOVE. the one by two kitchen.