Chikuyotei Dining - Niku Udon

Hubby had the craving for the Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki I had the other time at Chikuyotei, so we drove all the way to Orchard just for dinner.



Me, I wanted to try something different, so I ordered their Wagyu Niku (Beef) Udon.



The serving wasn't very big, but the starchy udon can be quite filling, so that little bowl was enough for me. The Wagyu beef was, of course, very tender. Unlike the usual beef that clump up when you chew too big a piece, it melts in your mouth within a few bites. The soup was very light but tasty. Overall it was a very simple dish, just beef, leek and udon. Add a dash of Japanese mixed spiced pepper and you have a hearty meal! YUMS!

Pan Fried Nian Gao

This is another traditional dish that is served during Chinese New Year. You can check out the meaning and other details here, Nian Gao!



For me, this is a dish that makes chinese new year morning special. Mum would make these for breakfast and we'll eat the sticky, delicious, sweet cakes while watching tv.

I've been eating these for years, but this is the very first time I'm making them myself. Thankfully, with my Mum's instructions, they tasted very close to how my Mum makes them.

It's really simple to make, the only problem was cutting the sticky, gooey, 'gao'. I guess you can try dipping your knife in oil, or hot water, or freeze the nian gao 1st.

When you have cut them into squares, make the batter. It's quite like making tempura batter. It's best to use self raising flour, but if you don't have it, mix plain flour with a little baking powder.

So, just mix flour, egg with a little cold water to get a thick batter. Coat the nian gao and pan fry it with a little oil in medium heat. Before turning over, put a little batter on top to get an even coat on both sides. When the gao is nice and golden brown, it's ready!

Chikuyotei Dining

It's Boxing Day. There are several Japanese restaurant at level 4 of Ngee Ann City, but we noticed that this Chikuyotei Dining was the only one without a queue. It looks cosy inside and the menu looks really good, so we gave it a try!

Turns out that their specialty was eel but they were promoting Wagyu Beef and their Hokkaido seafood specials that month, so I ordered a Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki while Cobby ordered the King Crab set meal. Both set cost $48.00. SO LUXURIOUS~! But it's Christmas! Let's enjoy!

Cobby's King Crab set, with King Crab rolls, king crab chawanmushi, king crab salad, fried king crab and steamed king crab! There's also a miso soup that tasted GREAT!



Pretty awesome, but what's even more awesome was my WAGYU BEEF Sukiyaki~!



Oh My God that must have been the BESTEST sukiyaki I've ever had. Hands down! Look at the marbling of the meat, it was pure heaven. Each slice was about the size of my face! When I put the whole slice into my mouth, I can't talk. But then again, it was SO GOOD, I really CANNOT talk. Besides, when it comes to Wagyu, the flavour would just keep on coming with every chew. So, don't gobble mindlessly! Chew slowly and enjoy~

I ate every single thing. (except the cutlery) :)

The meal definitely worth every single penny. A must try for all beef lovers!

Orchard Rd
#04-28, Ngee Ann City
S(238872)
Tel: 67388954
Fax: 67389074
Opening hours: Mon - Sun 11.45am - 2.15pm, 5.30pm - 9.45pm

CoCo's Best Brownies

OK I've been having crazy cravings for brownies for months! But it's never easy to bake when you have a clingy 10 month old baby that always demand your attention. So I found a recipe at HERSHEY'S, took another week to gather my ingredients, and finally got down to do it!

Brownies are actually quite easy and quick to prepare, but it was a stressful 30mins with baby screaming at my background. The results? ABSOLUTELY 100% WORTH IT! Definitely a MUST TRY!

Basically I followed HERSHEY'S recipe, but they really like it SUPER SWEET, so I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup. Trust me, it's sweet enough.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine (about 226 grams)
• 1 and 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use salted butter, so I didn't add salt)
• 1 cup chopped nuts(I added walnuts, pecan or other 'soft' nuts will be fine)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F / 176°C Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

(I laid 2 pieces of aluminium foil in a criss cross way on the pan, so when it's cooled, I just lift the whole thing up, place it on the chopping board and cut it. Easy and clean.)

2. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost if desired. Cut into bars. About 36 brownies.
(Duh~ how tiny is their brownie slices? I only got 12 cause I cut them pretty big. Haha~)

Really very good. No joke! You can store them in the fridge. When you need a little brownie therapy, pop one into the microwave for about 40 seconds and serve with a big scoop of ice cream! Instant happiness!

Stir fry long beans with beef and mushrooms

Beef - sliced
Long beans - cut
Brown mushrooms - cut
Minced garlic
Minced ginger
Oyster sauce
Sugar

Combo A:
Oyster sauce
Corn flour
Sesame oil
Pepper

For my beef, I bought a piece of steak and put it in a clean plastic bag. Then I smack the meat till it's flat! That would tenderise it and get rid of all that stress! Haha...

Slice the beef and marinate it with combo A, the longer the better!

Stir fry the mushrooms in hot oil till it's little soft, add in the ginger and garlic.

Add in the marinated meat - add in more oil if needed. (mushrooms usually soaks up all the oil!)

Add a little water, another teaspoon of oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar and long beans.

Mix well and cover up to let the long bean cook.

After about 2 minutes, thicken the sauce with a splash of corn flour mix with water.

Turn of the fire and serve! :)