Nyonya Food Affair At Buffet Town

For the month of September till 31st October 2012, Buffet Town is having "A Nyonya Food Affair" theme to provide diners with a different dining experience. So about two weeks go I have visited their outlet on a weekday dinner together with Celes and Shitting.

Although the Nyonya section is not very big but it does consists most of the Peranakan signature dishes such as Babi Pongteh, Itek Tim, Kueh Pie Tee, Chap Chye and etc.

Part of the Nyonya Food Section which is visible from the entrance and beside the pizza station.

For something refreshing, start off with these Nyonya Appetizers such as:- Sambal, Achar, Papaya Pickle, Chin Chalok and etc. Personally I love the Papaya Pickle and Achar.

After the appetizer, you could move on to their delicious home-cooked main dishes such as:- Otak Otak Pangang, Nyonya Fried Mee Siam, Babi Pongteh (braised pork) and Nyonya Chap Chye.

Most of us love the Fried Mee Siam which is fragrant with spices used and filled with old-school flavour.  The texture of the Babi Pongteh is soft and flavorsome which goes well with steamed rice together with the Chap Chye.

Other than dishes above, they also have others such as:- Shrimp Fritters, Ngoh Hiang, Kueh Pie Tee, Itek Tim (Salted Mustard Duck Soup) and Nyonya Curry Chicken.

Out of the above-mentioned, Curry Chicken is our less favourite because we find it a bit too saltish to our liking and it is not fragrant enough as compared to the usual local curry chicken that we had. But other than that, Kueh Pie Tee and Itek Tim are both "must try" which you don't want to miss out. Love the Itek Tim soup which reminds me of my grandma cooking.

Kueh Lapis is one of my favourite kueh especially during Chinese New Year and at the Nyonya Buffet  you could also find assorted nyonya kueh such as Kueh Salat,  Pulut Inti, Steamed Lapis and even Chendol as after meal dessert.

Apart from the Nyonya Food Affair, Buffet Town also has  20 over other categories of food which definitely would satisfy the taste bubs of the 450 seating capacity. No wonder it is always "super long" queue outside the restaurant during lunch or dinner.

So if you love seafood on ice, I would suggested you to go for their fresh sashimi and oyster which we all find it fresh and worth trying.

Above are some of the food from other various stations such as:- Rojak, Assorted Satay, Chilli And Black Pepper Crabs, Assorted Tempura, Roasted Beef and not forgetting their crispy and delicious assorted Pizza which is something not to be missed.

After a hearty meal, you could grab a cup of coffee/tea to pair with some miniature assorted mousse cups, cakes, self made Ice Kechang, ice cream, soy beancurd and etc. Their mango mousse cups are something that I love and it always run out pretty fast too.

Lastly, you won't want to miss out the best dessert at Buffet Town which is their freshly made Waffle. It is crispy on the outer layer and yet light and fluffy with each bites. I love to pair it with my favourite Green Tea Gelato (example from Kiseki post here) plus drizzle of chocolate sauce but too bad that night they have run out of green tea gelato.

A Nyonya Food Affair will be available from 10th September 2012 till 31st October 2012 at Buffet Town, Raffles City. So if you love Nyonya food, do call early to make reservation in order to avoid disappointment.


BUFFET TOWN
Raffles City
#B1-44E
252 North Bridge Road
Reservation: +65 6837 3793
Website: www.buffettown.com.sg

Opening Hours:
11.30am - 3.00pm daily (Last order at 2.30pm)
6.00pm - 10.30pm daily (Last order at 9.30pm)

Buffet Town Pricing:
Monday - Friday Lunch: S$24.80++ (adult); S$17.80++ (child)
Sat, Sun, Eve of and PH Lunch: S$29.80++ (adult); S$17.80++ (child)

Monday - Thursday Dinner: S$34.80++ (adult); S$20.80++ (child)
Friday - Sunday, Eve of and PH Dinner: S$39.80++ (adult); S$20.80++ (child)

* Child(6 - 12 years old)


Thank you Chantel and Buffet Town for the tasting invite. You could also read more HERE from my old post regarding my 1st visit to Buffet Town for their lunch buffet.

Huiji Double-boiled Chicken Essence

Year end school exam is around the corner and I believe most of the parents as just as stress as their kids who are going to take the exam. And often during this period, bottled chicken essence is always something mum would give to the kids to keep them alert as well as nourishing their fatigue body.  Although bottled chicken essence might be convenience, but as a mum we always wanted something better for our kid(s) so I am sure we won't mind taking the time to prepare our own Chicken Essence which is full of goodness.

If Chinese herbs is not accessible in your areas or you don't really know the quantity to add, perhaps you could add a cup (20ml, huiji measuring cup) of Huiji Waist Tonic like what I did. Huiji Waist Tonic is good in a way because it is alcohol free plus it consists of a few types of marvelous Chinese Herbs such as Cordyceps (冬蟲草) which helps to tonify the lungs and kidneys, arrest bleeding and dissolve phlegm. Du Zhong (杜仲) helps to tonify the liver and kidney that suits everyone in the family.

HUIJI DOUBLE-BOILED CHICKEN ESSENCE

Chicken Essence is the Chicken Juice gathered from double-boiled the prepared chicken after 3 - 4 hours of cooking time. It has a lot of nutritional values which helps to restore physical strength, replenish body fluid lost through  childbirth, illness or stress. On top of it by adding extra Huiji Waist Tonic to the chicken essence it also helps to benefit those individual which has fatigue body, lack of sleep or weakness caused by illnesses.

(Serves: 1 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 3 - 4 hours)

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breast / 1 Kampong Chicken
1 Cup (20ml, using huiji measuring cup) Huiji Waist Tonic
8 Pieces Wolfberries, optional

Method:-
1. Trim and remove the skin and fats on the chicken parts used. Next pound the chicken meat using a mallet (shown above) or back of a chopper till soft and tender.

2. If you don't have a stewing pot for double-boiled, you could use a small porcelain rice bowl, over turn it and place in a double-boiler pot (shown above).

3. Scatter the wolfberries around the bowl, if using. Place the prepared chicken meat on and around the bowl (refer to the photo above).

4. Cover the double-boiler. Place it into the slow-cooker. Add water to almost 3/4 full in the slow-cooker and cook on AUTO mode for about 3 - 3.5 hours.

5. When done, pour soup on serving bowl. Stir in 1 cup (20ml) of Huiji Waist Tonic and serve chicken essence hot.

For some of you, the process might look slightly tedious especially on pounding/smashing up of the chicken. But trust me, it is actually quiet easy using a mallet or back of the chopper. After which you just need to arrange the prepared chicken in a double-boiler and cook it in a slow-cooker for a few hours before you or your loved ones could enjoy this wholesome goodness.

If you like to try other recipe using Huiji Waist tonic you could check out my Steamed Drunken Prawn recipe HERE.

Lemon Bar aka Lemon Slice

Lemon Bar or Lemon Slice is a combination of buttery shortbread and tangy lemon filling that makes it so irresistible to stop at one. Although different recipes yield different result in texture and taste, I prefer mine with crispy shortbread crust that filled with soft and tangy lemon filling.

Quick Recipes On 3 Dishes 1 Soup

Last Friday I shared a post on "4 Quick Recipes On Soup And Dishes" and some of the readers are delighted to pick up new ideas on their weekend cooking. So this Friday, I am sharing another post with consists of "3 Dishes 1 Soup" which I hope it would be useful for busy mum or parents who wish to cook something nourishes for their family and yet easy to start with.

STEAMED PORK FILLET WITH SHA CHA SAUCE
(沙茶酱蒸腰梅肉)

Pork Fillet also known as "tenderloin" or "腰梅肉 / 里肌肉” in Chinese is the eye fillet that comes from within the loin. It is lean and very tender which is popular among elderly who always bought it for cooking porridge for kiddy as well as using them in cooking during confinement. Here we are using pork fillet together with Sha Cha Sauce (沙茶酱) which is one of the condiment used in Taiwan cuisines. Sha Cha Sauce is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilis, brill fish, and dried shrimp which has a savory and slightly spicy taste.

Recipe adapted from 小小米桶的零油烟厨房 recipe book.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 5 minutes + 30 minutes (marinate) | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
200g Pork Fillet (腰梅肉), cut into thin slices
50g Fresh Black Fungus (黑木耳)
2 Slices Ginger, shredded
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced

Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Glutinous Rice Wine
1 Teaspoon Cornflour
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1.5 Tablespoon Sha Cha Jiang (沙茶酱)

Method:-
1. Rinse the fresh black fungus, cut into bite size and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, drained and set aside.

2. Marinate pork fillet with shredded ginger, minced garlic and seasoning for 30 minutes before adding the Sha Cha Sauce and give it a quick stir till combined.

3. Arrange blanched black fungus in deep steaming plate, scatter the marinated pork fillet on top.

4. When the water in the steamer boils, place the plate on the steaming rack. Steam it over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked.

5. Turn off the heat. Remove pork fillet, garnish it with some chopped spring onion and extra Sha Cha Sauce(optional) and serve immediately. (we love to give the dish a quick toss before eating so that all ingredients would be evenly coated with the gravy)

STEAMED GARLIC PRAWNS

Steaming seafood with minimum ingredients helps to retain it's freshness as well as sweetness. Here is another steamed prawns dish which used minced garlic and ginger. The amount of minced garlic used could be adjusted according to individual preference. And for extra flavour, you could also add in some cut chilli for spiciness. If you like steamed prawns, do check up my Steamed Drunken Prawns recipe.

(Serves: 2 - 3   | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
9 Big Prawns
1 Teaspoon Minced Ginger
5 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
Some Chopped Spring Onion
1 Tablespoon Cooking / Rice Wine
1 Stall of Spring Onion (extra), cut into sections
2 Slices Of Ginger, shredded

Method:-
1. Mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and pinch of sugar together and set aside.

2. Trim the feelers off from the prawns, using either a sharp knife or kitchen scissors butterfly the prawns with a deeper cut to make a cavity for the garlic stuffing.

3. Line steaming plate with spring onion and ginger, arrange prepared prawns on top of the spring onion and drizzle some cooking/rice wine over it.

4. Generously filled the cavity of the prawns with minced garlic. Scatter some chopping spring onion and mined ginger.

5. When the water in the steamer boils, place the plate on the steaming rack. Steam it over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked.

6. Turn off the heat, remove prawns, drizzle the prepared soy sauce mixture and serve immediately.

TEOCHEW STYLE STEAMED RED GROUPER

Growing up in a Teochew family, we simply love steamed fish especial White/Sliver Pomfret (白鲳), Threadfin (午鱼), White Spotted Rabbitfish (白肚鱼) and Mackerel (鲭鱼). Usually for Teochew style, our fish is steamed with tomatoes, salted plums / salted vegetables, cut chilli, ginger and spring onions. Sometime shiitake mushrooms are also added for flavour too.

(Serves: 2-3  | Preparation: 10 minutes   | Cooking: 10 - 12 minutes)

Ingredients:
400g Red Grouper Fillet, halved
2 Salted Plum (咸水梅)
1 Tomato, quarters
4 Slices Ginger, shredded
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections

Method:-
1. Rinse and pat dry the fillet with kitchen paper towel. Lightly marinate it with some cooking / rice wine together with 1 teaspoon of cornflour.

2. Arrange the spring onion and some shredded ginger on a steaming plate. Place the fish fillet on top and scatter salted plum, tomato wedges and the remaining ginger on it.

3. When the water in the steamer boils, place the prepared fish on the steaming rack and steam it over medium heat for about 10 - 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet) or until fish is cooked through.

4. Turn off the heat, remove the plate. Drizzle some sesame oil/shallot oil over the fish , garnish with extra cut chilli and serve immediately.

LIU WEI TANG OR LOK MEI TONG
(六味汤)

The ingredients of Liu Wei Tang (六味汤) are quite similar to Si Shen Tang (四神汤) where it consists of Xiang Lian (湘莲), Qian Shi (芡实), Huai Shan (淮山), Yu Zhu (玉竹), Bai He (百合), Dried Longan (龙眼肉). Drinking this soup helps in improving digestion, appetite and also nourish the lungs.

You could used either pork ribs or chicken to cook with the herbs above for savoury version or leave it meatless and sweeten it with rock sugar as dessert.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 1 Hour)

Ingredients:
2 - 3 Chicken Drumstick, skin removed
4 Pieces Pork Ribs, optional
5 Pieces Dry Huai Shan (淮山
15 Pieces Yu Zhu (玉竹)
15g Bai He (百合)
20g Xiang Lian (湘莲)
20g Qian Shi (芡实)
15g Dried Longan (龙眼肉)
1.5 Litres of Water

Method:-
1. Blanch chicken and pork ribs in boiling water for a about 1 minute, remove, rinse and set aside.

2. Bring 1.5 Litres of water to boil, add in all the herbs (rinse them with water before using) together with the blanched meat.

3. When the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours. Turn off the heat and season with salt(optional) and serve warm.

4. ALTERNATIVELY transfer the mixture to slow-cooker and cook it on AUTO mode for about 3 hours.

Tip:
~ You could use half portion of chicken for this recipe instead of both chicken and pork ribs.

~ Prepacked Liu Wei Tang herbs could be easily found in major supermarkets or Chinese Medical Hall.

I might be sharing some "1 Dish Meal" recipes next week as I received some emails regarding on this topic. Till then have a great weekend ahead, hope you would like the above recipes.