Food for the Skin

Sometime last year, my father came across the AMICA ORGANICS stall at the Marrickville Organic Farmer's and Trader's Markets. My father was quite interested in the products because of the organic certification. He asked me to look into these products from a pharmaceutical point of view, as he was interested in importing them. 

I could not find much information or many reviews on AMICA ORGANICS on the Internet. In the middle of this year, I contacted Sonia Magliocchi, AMICA ORGANICS' founder and creator. She was very obliging, and agreed to meet with me at the pharmacy.  She told me she makes the products in Maroubra, and over 95% of the ingredients are certified organic. She indicated she has done a lot of research into the ingredients. I was bought over by the fact that her skin appeared flawless, so I decided to stock her products in the pharmacy. 

I also decided to try some of the products. The best way to know whether or not a product works is to try it. Here I will give my opinion on them.

AMICA ORGANICS products

ALEGRIA facial cream cleanser

I love the smell and texture of the cream cleanser. ALEGRIA is scented with clove bud and sweet fennel oils; I find this scent unique to AMICA ORGANICS. Only two pumps of the cream cleanser is required to cleanse the face. Pump the cream cleanser onto damp palm, and rub it onto damp skin. The cleanser has the consistency of double cream, and does not lather. I feel a slight tingle as I rub the cream all over my face, then I rinse it off with plenty of cool water. My skin feels thoroughly cleansed and it does not feel tight. I cleanse my skin twice day, sometimes in the middle of the day, as I feel so refreshed and energised after washing my face with ALEGRIA.

ROSINA anti-ageing facial serum

There are two facial serums, CALMIA and ROSINA. CALMIA is anti-inflammatory, and it contains chamomile and neroli essential oils to soothe skin. CALMIA is recommended for red, inflamed, and acne-prone skin. ROSINA is anti-ageing, and it contains rose otto and frankincense essential oils. Sonia recommends to apply half a pump in the morning and one pump at night to cleansed skin. Gently pat the serum onto the skin, and I allow 15 minutes for the oils to be absorbed into the skin. I find the serum  very moisturising and it does not cause my skin to break out. I have used both CALMIA and ROSINA, and I do not find a significant difference in the two formulations. I do prefer the ROSINA for its scent.

SERENITY facial moisturiser

I love the smell of this facial moisturiser. I cannot stop smelling my hands after using it; they smell as if I am holding a bouquet of jasmines. The moisturiser has a thick texture, and I usually apply it twice a day onto my skin 15 minutes after using the facial serum. My skin feels very, very soft after applying it. 

Airless pump bottle reduces oxidisation of the essential oils

The facial serums and moisturiser are contained in airless pump bottles, which reduce oxidisation of the essential oils, and allow every last bit of the serum or moisturiser to be pumped out of the bottle. 

These products are not suitable to be used in pregnancy. 

I've been using the products for a few months. I find my skin softer and the skin of my cheekbones less red; therefore, I'm a happy user!

AMICA ORGANICS products may be purchased online, or at certain markets (e.g. at Marrickville), or, if you happen to live in the Shire, you could purchase them at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy. 

Food for the Skin

Pork My Way

Char siew served on top of aromatic rice and cucumbers

I would say that char siew has become one of my favourite foods in the recent years, probably due to the fact that my father has exposed me to perfect char siew in Malaysia (e.g., Bill Khoon and his Famous Seremban Favourites restaurant).

My definition of perfect char siew: roast pork, sticky and sweet, ever-so-slightly charred with crunchy bits, yet soft and tender with wobbly layers of fat. 

To me, pork belly is the best cut for char siew; the tender meat is sandwiched between melting layers of fat, and the crunch is formed through a mix of charred fat and sticky glaze.

I would not use pork neck ever again; I used this cut the first time I made char siew in Sydney (as recommended by the lady at the butcher's) many years ago. The result was a piece of well-flavoured meat, with the absence of juicy fatty layers.

What??? No fat??? How can??? My father was incredulous at the mention of no-fat char siew.

Pork belly, it is. A nice piece of pork belly can be cut length-wise into thin strips (about 6 cm in width).

This is one belly I love

Now that I have chosen the meat, then comes the marinade. I would break down the marinade to three components: sweet, salty, and aromatic.

Char siew marinade has lots  of sugar in it. Many recipes on the Internet would attest to that. After all, sugar is what gives char siew its charred sticky outer appearance and sweet flavour.What sort of sugar? Raw sugar? Refined sugar? Honey? Maltose? I believe more complex-flavoured sugars would add depth of flavour to the marinade, therefore, honey, maltose, and brown sugars would be suitable. I have also tried infused honey; I made a garlic-infused honey which goes well in the marinade.

Home-made garlic-infused organic honey

As for the savoury component, I use only light soy sauce. Many recipes use a combination of light soy, dark soy, hoisin, or oyster sauces. For me, I would like the savoury component to be as unadulterated as possible; dark soy sauce contains molasses and / caramel, which could be omitted since the marinade already has a high sugar content. Hoisin and oyster sauces contain MSG, amongst other things, which my palate would gladly forgo.

What do I classify as the aromatic component? Wines. I have added drinking sake to the marinade, and more recently, a combination of sake with rose wine, too. Sake balances the rose wine, which can smell too sweet and artificial, in my opinion.

No five-spice powder for me, thank you very much. I believe good-quality pork and a simple, yet flavourful marinade should be the stars of the show. Five-spice powder taints the marinade, and I think masks the musky smell of poorly-treated pork meat.

The marinade is added to the pork, then refrigerated overnight.

Cooking of the pork has proven to be a challenge. How do I cook the char siew to get a slightly charred outside, tender meat, and melting fat? Charred exterior and tender interior do not seem to be too difficult; I have made char siew with those characteristics. Melting, wobbly fat? Oh, that has eluded me so far.

So far, I have only used the oven to cook the meat. First, covered, at a lower temperature (130 degrees Celcius fan-forced), then, uncovered, at a higher temperature (180 degrees Celcius fan-forced). I have a theory to steam the meat before grilling it under high heat. I think that steaming the meat could loosen the fat and gently cooking the meat, then grilling it would char the exterior. I have not tried this method yet, though.

X thinks that I have mastered the marinade and charring. All that remains is the melting fat.

As your eyes trail down to this line, you would have realised I did not provide a recipe, nor the exact cooking method. That is because I have one last piece of marinated pork belly in the fridge. I shall cook that tonight, and document the method, in detail. Perhaps tonight's piece of pork belly would turn out to be the perfect char siew. If not, it is, yet again, a learning process for me, and a meal for my family. :)

Pork My Way

The West Pole

Standing in its full glory.

My youngest sister, X, bought a 45mm brass X-PERT X-pole. With (lots of) help, she set it up in the living room just before Chinese New Year. Since my return yesterday from my CNY trip to Malaysia, I only managed to do basic moves... I have yet to do an invert... sigh... I need to work on my muscles. I have a goal of 30 minutes a day working on the pole starting TODAY. Let's see if I can tone up and lose weight! 

The West Pole

Of Little Critters and Hot Chillies

I have to hand it to Nature its wonder of replication.

What do I mean?

Flash back 2011:

This is one of the better photos of Bluey - I will forever remember him this way - the mostly loveable rabbit.

An assortment of chillies I bought from the Pyrmont fresh food market.

Zoom forward 2013:

A female lop - I don't know what to make of her at the moment. 

Two types of chillies from my garden - the pyramid-shaped chilli was grown from seeds of one variety of chillies I bought from the Pyrmont fresh food market in 2011. 

I am most happy about my chilli crop, as showcased above. I have three different types of chilli plants, two of which I grew from seeds. 

More than a year later, Summer awards me with the first signs of flowers, then tiny fruits, then green fruits ripening to brilliant red. 

I have sliced them, eaten them raw, pickled them in vinegar, dried them, added them to soups, stir-fries, salads. 

Mmm mmm mmm, I love my chillies. 

Of Little Critters and Hot Chillies

Something Old, Many New

It has been a long while.

I didn't want to abandon this blog, after all, it has chronicled a good few years of my life abroad.

After more than a year on hiatus, I would like to continue...

Continue to document my life.

Please stay tuned. 

Something Old, Many New

Dear you...

It's been ... close to four months since you went away...

I can't say I don't think of you... I do... slowly, it doesn't hurt as much to talk or think about you.

I've been busy...

Pole-dancing is very fun to learn, and challenging, too... I like it. I'm now at the Intermediate One stage, learning to go upside down. I am not going upside down anytime soon, but the instructor said to keep positive. 

The balcony's filled with more plants than before... most are thriving, I'm having problems with one tomato plant, but I'm doing something about it. I've harvested a grand total of two blueberries, which were sweet and juicy. You would have liked it. I've plucked quite a few cherry tomatoes, which you would not have liked. 

I've started to do some HMRs, which means more money on the side, which is always good. 

I'll have to let you know that you were a good stress reliever, just to look at you made me happy. I miss you...  

Dear you...

Little Critter Sick Again

I felt a lump under Bluey's chin. The vet will come tomorrow morning to have a look at him and take him to her surgery. 


Sigh.


Hope for the best. 

Little Critter Sick Again

Tuesday Dinner

Was too lazy to go to the city to get groceries.


I looked into the drawer of dried goods... it is laden with stuff... now what could I cook tonight?


The snap-lock bag of split yellow peas stared back at me, beseeching me to cook them up before they get infested by moths. 


And tonight's dinner is dhal.


Dhal is probably the one of simplest and most satisfying food to cook and eat. Perfect for a cold winter's night. :)

Tuesday Dinner

Little Critter's First Trip to the Vet

Bluey's at the vet now. Apparently he has an abcess in his right cheek. Could be due to his teeth. He's spent the night at the vet's, due to get the abcess cleaned out at noon.

Little Critter's First Trip to the Vet

On This Day

This year I celebrate my birthday with my family and KT.

I was woken up at midnight to the sound of people singing "Happy Birthday". It took me a while to register in my sleep-fogged mind that they were wishing ME a happy birthday. 

I must have looked like a stunned mullet. :)

My expression has been digitally immortalised.


The cake? Coffee swiss roll. 

C gave me a headband decorated with peacock feathers; I've wanted that for a while. 


Dinner tonight? Hot pot prepared at home. 


My birthday the way I like it.

On This Day

Banana Bread

At this moment, the sweet scent of banana bread permeates the air. There is another 20 minutes to go before I check on it.

Rising up nicely

I sit at KT's computer typing this entry whilst waiting for the bread to be cooked. It is a sunny day, with a slightly cool autumn breeze. 


The smell of good food makes me happy. 


I found this recipe on Christie's fig&cherry blog, and was attracted by the lovely photos of the finished banana bread. Lots and lots of nuts? That is right up my alley.


Ingredients: 
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 packed cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 and 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Two handfuls of pecans, toasted and roughly chopped


Method:

1. Pre-heat oven at 160°C fan-forced. Grease then line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, mashed bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon and cloves. Mix to combine.
3. Gradually sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. In between adding in the flour, add the chopped pecans. 
4. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted leaves a few crumbs.
5. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. 

Missing a tiny slice from the left corner. :) 

I have taken the bread out of the oven. It is very, very dense. I have cut a slice and slathered it with Harmonie Organic Butter (I happened to use the same brand as Christie). It is dense, moist, crunchy with nuts, and surprisingly, just nicely sweet. :) 


I have to restrain myself from having a second slice. 


Mmm, I am indeed happy. :)

Banana Bread

Much Ado About Chickens Roaming Free

X came down with a sore throat on Thursday morning; she has since not fully recovered. 

I have been cooking congee almost every dinner since Thursday.

Twice I have cooked chicken congee, using different brands of free-range whole chicken.

Before I go any further, I would like to stress that I do not endorse any brand, I only state my opinion.  

On the first occasion, I used Red Lea free-range whole chicken to cook the congee. I did not add anything else to the congee other than a few cloves of garlic and salt.

Verdict: KT, X, and I found the chicken to be "sweet"-tasting.

On the second occasion,  I used Macro (Woolworth's brand) free-range whole chicken. I added Astragalus membranaceous (bei qi / huang qi) slices.

Verdict: the chicken tastes "sweet", but not as sweet as compared to that of Red Lea's.

Conclusion:

I found Red-Lea to be sweeter-tasting, but due to the fact I added different aromatics to each batch of congee, it may have altered the taste slightly. The take-home message is, free-range chickens taste better than non-free-range chickens. :) 

Much Ado About Chickens Roaming Free

Prayer

Pray...


That she may be free from pain and suffering...




That she may be at peace...




That she may find salvation.

Prayer

X's scarf

Scarf motif shown top left corner. 

The day before X and I were to leave for Sydney (this was during the CNY trip back home), we were at Sunway Pyramid window-shopping whilst waiting for our father to pick us up after a karaoke session. X wanted to get a scarf for herself; after much talk, I promised her I would knit her a scarf by April. 

She decided on a pattern, I went about knitting it. My knitting skills are horrendous. After much picking, unravelling, and countless mistakes, I have managed to produce half a decent-looking scarf. At least X likes it. 


I bought the yarn Lily Sugar 'n Cream in Wine (100% cotton, use 4.5mm knitting needles) from The Granny Square in Newtown. The fern lace swatch is from the Hamlyn How to Knit book.


How to knit the scarf:


Cast on 31 sts.


The pattern is repeated over 16 rows.


Row 1 and every alternate row. (WS). P.


Row 2 K3, *K2tog, yf, K1, yf, sl 1, K1, psso, K5, repeat from * ending last repeat with K3 instead of K5.


Row 4 K2, *K2tog, (K1 yf) twice, K1, sl 1, K1, psso, K3, repeat from * ending last repeat with K2.


Row 6 K1 *K2tog, K2, yf, K1, yf, K2, sl 1, K1, psso, K1, repeat from *


Row 8 K2tog, *K3, yf, K1, yf, K3, sl 1, K2 tog, psso, repeat from * to last 9 sts, K3, yf, K1, yf, K3, sl 1, K1, psso.


Row 10 K1, *yf, sl 1, K1, psso, K5, K2tog, yf, K1, repeat from *.


Row 12 K1, *yf, K1, sl 1, K1, psso, K3, K2tog, K1, yf, K1, repeat from *.


Row 14 K1, *yf, K2, sl 1, K1, psso, K1, K2tog, K2, yf, K1, repeat from *.


Row 16 K1, *yf, K3, sl 1, K2tog, psso, K3, yf, K1, repeat from *. 

X's scarf

Emo

Lately I've been a bit emotional.

The bedroom's too quiet to be in on my own. I'm used to walking in and seeing my sisters sprawled on the bed, either asleep, or on the laptop. I'm used to being by myself in the living room, the sofa being my favourite hangout. I spent most of yesterday evening watching Family Guy on my own. 

I don't miss the things I've never had, but I do miss the things I've had.

Emo

Pizza for Dinner



Four cheese and sage pizza - Gruyère, Cheddar, Gorgonzola dolce latte, Mozzarella





Four cheese and sage pizza fresh from the oven - salami (sopressa) and mozzarella pizza in the making



Sunday night we had pizza. Sunday night we had pizza we made. We bought a 33cm pizza stone for the occasion. It was a successful first attempt; very, very satisfying to make as well as to eat. We used recipes from the Gourmet Traveller, with embellishments. :P 


The pizza dough was surprisingly easy to make, 1 quantity of pizza dough yields four 33cm pizzas (we like the crust to be thin and crisp) which was plenty for 4. 

The ingredients for each recipe were for 1 quantity of pizza dough, but we made half-quantity for each recipe, and pretty much overloaded the base with topping. :) 

The oven was set at 230°C fan-forced. The pizza stone should be pre-heated so that the crust is crisp. 

Pizza dough
(Adapted from the Gourmet Traveller)


Ingredients:
15g yeast
400g strong plain flour / '00' flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


Method:
1. To activate the yeast, combine yeast with 100mL of lukewarm water in a small heat-proof bowl. 
    Stir to get an even mixture, then stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover and stand in a warm place 
    for 30 minutes or until mixture is foamy.
2. Place remaining flour into a large bowl, create a well in the centre, add in yeast mixture, olive oil, 
    a pinch of sea salt, and 140mL of water. Mix until combined. Knead until dough is smooth and 
    elastic (about 5 minutes). Divide dough into four, and place onto an oiled oven tray.  
    Brush dough with olive oil, cover and stand in a warm place until doubled in size (45 minutes - 1 
    hour).

For the four-cheese pizza, we used Gruyère (coarsely grated), Cheddar (coarsely grated), Gorgonzola dolce latte (crumbled), and Mozzarella (thinly sliced). Roll out on a lightly floured surface one portion of the pizza dough. Scatter the cheeses evenly onto the base, making sure to leave a little margin. Top with sage leaves. Bake on the pizza stone for 10 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with garlic-infused olive oil and serve immediately. 

For the salami and mozzarella pizza, we used sopressa (roughly torn) and Mozzarella (thinly sliced). The sauce was made by frying up some chopped up garlic and onion, adding in passata and blended red peppers, season slightly with sea salt (not too much, as the salami can be quite salty), then simmer until it becomes thick (10-12 minutes), stir constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Roll out on a lightly floured surface one portion of the pizza dough. Spread tomato mixture evenly onto the base, making sure to leave a little margin. Top with cherry tomato slices, sopressa, and mozzarella. Bake on the pizza stone for 6-8 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with garlic and oregano oil and serve immediately. 

For garlic and oregano oil, cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat until garlic is golden (3-4 minutes), add oregano, remove from heat, season to taste and set aside.

Pizza for Dinner

New Year Revelation

I went to a friend's birthday party at Hugo's Lounge, Kings Cross. I realise that I love my alcohol; had a Corona Extra, followed by an espresso martini (thanks to the bartender). Surprisingly, I hold alcohol quite well, too, considering that I don't drink much. :) 


We were served good pizza, too... the prawn pizza was so good that I over-indulged. :P It gave me the idea of making pizza for dinner... mmm...

New Year Revelation

Hair

 

Tired face due to midnight cam-whoring; please focus on the hair. :)

I haven't had a good haircut in ... years? SC recommended Revo Studio so I made an appointment to get my hair cut, and possibly to get it dyed as well.

I had my hair cut by Shin, one of the master stylists. The experience was one of its kind - thumbs up from start to finish. I was pleasantly surprised by my haircut, when Shin asked me politely "You might like to put on your glasses" - shoulder-length, layered, light. 

I made another appointment to get my hair dyed. Going for the full Monty. :) 

Hair

Tomatoes

Cleaned up the balcony. KT got me a cherry tomato plant from the Pyrmont Growers' Market. Tomatoes have started to ripen - tasted one, my very first home-grown tomato!

Tomatoes

Eason - Duo Sydney Concert 2010 (Sydney Entertainment Centre, Saturday 02/10/2010)

Went to Eason Chan's Duo Sydney 2010 concert 02/10/2010. I really enjoyed it.The duo concept was about singing songs by other singers which were significant to Eason.


One of the songs, "Tuo Fei Lun" (Tourbillon), made me reminisce my second year in Sydney - I was 22 then, and David Tao's song "22" was my anthem. I was a blossom waiting to bloom, unfurling its petals slowly but surely, impatient to be greeted by the sun.


I am 29 years old this year, I look back to when I was 22 years old, and I think of how far I have come, what I have achieved, and what I have yet to achieve. 


Eason Chan's song describes my 29 years of life and living. I now realise the importance of time. 

Time waits for no man, nor woman. 


陀飞轮

过去十八岁 没戴表 不过有时间
够我 没有后顾　野性贪玩

霎眼廿七岁 时日无多 方不敢偷惰
宏愿纵未了 奋斗总不太晚
然后突然今秋
望望身边 应该有 已尽有
我的美酒 跑车 相机 金表 也讲究
直到世间 个个也妒忌 仍不怎么富有
用我尚有 换我没有
其实已 用尽所拥有

曾付出 几多心跳
来换取 一堆堆 的发票
人值得 命中减少几秒 多买一只表
秒速　捉得紧了
而皮肤竟偷偷松了
为何用到尽了 至知哪样紧要

劳力是 无止境
活着多好 不需要 靠物证
也不以高薪 高职 高级品 搏尊敬
就算搏到 伯爵那地位 和萧邦的隽永
卖了任性 日拼夜拼
忘掉了为甚么高兴

曾付出 几多心跳
来换取 一堆堆 的发票
人值得 命中减少几秒 多买一只表
秒速　捉得紧了
而皮肤竟偷偷松了
为何用到尽了 至知哪样紧要

记住那　关于光阴的教训
回头走　天已暗
你献出了十寸　时和分
可有换到十寸金
还剩低 几多心跳
人面跟水晶表面对照
连自己　亦都分析不了　得到多与少
也许　真的疯了
那个倒影 多么可笑
灵魂若变卖了 上链也没心跳
银或金 都不紧要
谁造机芯 一样了
计划了 照做了 得到了 时间却太少
还剩低 几多心跳
还在数 赶不及了
昂贵是这刻 我觉悟了
在时计里 看破一生 淼淼

Ironically, I was meant to post this up much sooner. :) 

 

Eason - Duo Sydney Concert 2010 (Sydney Entertainment Centre, Saturday 02/10/2010)