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Sweets for your sweet
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Dining
Written by : Kelly Wang
Feb 4, 2008
Tags :
make
sweet
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| Why not try making your very own chocolate at home this Valentineís evening till brainstorming over the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Why not try making chocolate at home! It’s very inexpensive and the effort is always, er, well received. The following recipe shows the basic steps of making simple chocolate treats. Ingredients can vary according to your personal preferences. And good luck on Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients:
Dark chocolate (60%), Peanuts, Walnuts, Raisins
How to make:
Roast peanuts/walnuts/almonds in a pan at medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then crush the peanuts and walnuts for later use.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave (low heat only) till it reaches 32 degrees.
Stir the melted chocolate until the temperature drops to below 28 degrees.
Tap the container evenly to get rid of any excessive air.
Place the melted chocolate into moulds and shake the moulds until the chocolate evens out. Afterwards, make different shapes ... ... |
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Port and Christmas
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Wine Culture
Written by : text by Elliot Brenchley
Dec 4, 2008
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Port and Christmas
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Portugal: a hot, predominantly dry country with a coastline
on the south Atlantic. So why do we associate port with inviting
fires, cold nights, good cheer and generally all things
Christmas-y? There are interesting answers to these questions and very
good reasons English-speaking countries often celebrate Christmas
with a nice glass of Port.
Port, cultivated and produced in the Douro Valley in northern
Portugal, retains its strong roots to the Anglican Christmas through
the drink's connection with the United Kingdom. The history of
port is quite straightforward. England fought a war with the
French in 1678 and subsequently all Bordeaux, Rhone,
Burgundy and Loire wines found themselves unavailable
to the thirsty British nobility, who had over the years, grown
quite accustomed to having vintage French wines at their beck
and call. They were stuck but certainly not about to go down
without a fight, and looked to their Portuguese "cousins" to ... ... |
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Lor Bak Go
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Creme de Canton
Written by : text by Kelly Wang, photos by Woody Lai
Dec 1, 2008
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Lor Bak Go
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| With shredded turnip radish and a stuffing
made using Cantonese sausage, dried baby
shrimp and cured pork, Lor Bak Go (Luo
Bo Gao in mandarin) has the best ingredients that
Guangdong has to offer, all rolled into a plain-looking
square cake. Traditionally, Lor Bak Go is a Chinese New
Year delicacy because of the auspicious character "go,
" which is the same as in the phrase "Bo Bo Go Sing
" (meaning continuous advancement). Today, Lor Bak
Go is one of the most popular dim sum items among
Cantonese people and an integral part of a local yum
cha experience.
Don't be fooled by its humble appearance, for Lor
Bak Go is not just a piece of cake to make. The delicate
balance between juicy turnip and rice flour is key
to quality Lor Bak Go, and the flavorful stuffing should
not overshadow the natural sweetness of turnip. Once
properly made though, Lor Bak Go can be prepared
in three styles: pan-fried, stir-fried, steamed, and each
sty ... ... |
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24 Hours in...Manila
Feature / Features
Written by : Lila Jose-Baquet
Nov 6, 2008
Tags :
24 Hours in...Manila
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7 AM
Let's start from the very beginning...at
Kilometer Zero. The big flagpole here, in
front of national hero Jose Rizal's monument,
is the starting point for measuring
distances to various points in the
Philippines. The park features attractions
such as Chinese and Japanese Gardens,
Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, and
the Manila Planetarium, among others.
8 AM
Buzz into Jollibee for breakfast. Dubbed
the Philippines' number one fast food
chain (claim to fame: sweet spaghetti and
cheeseburger with pineapple), this restaurant
has a branch right in Rizal Park so you
can feed your hungry self right after walking
around the park. Vegetarians, head to
Pancake House - they have all kinds of pancakes
(of course), waffles, salad and pasta.
9 AM
The famous "Walled City" of Intramuros,
will give you a glimpse of Spanish colonial
times in Manila. Tour on your own or
book a walking tour with popular guide
David Celdran. ... ... |
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New Wines Break the Mould
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Wine Culture
Written by : Elliot Brenchley
Oct 29, 2008
Tags :
New Wines Break the Mould
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| I'm often sucked into conversations about the direction of
China's wine palate. There's nothing more frustrating
for me than when someone knowingly exclaims that "the
Chinese market solely cares about classic French wines
like Bordeaux and not much else." I don't disagree with this statement,
but just the attitude that it projects. Out of 10 recent tastings
I've been to in Guangzhou, at least 70% have extolled the virtues
of new-world or under-marketed wines. This is extremely encour
aging. It shows the wheels of progress are in motion and there's
a sense of invigoration and excitement in the air concerning the
changing taste in wine here in China.
I asked a handful of distributors to showcase some of their new
labels for the fall. There was no direction given on my part as I
wanted to use the opportunity as a survey to get an idea of the
general direction in which the PRD's wine culture may be headed.
The results were exciting.
A ... ... |
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The Cantonese simply can't say no to chicken
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Dining
Written by : Kelly Wang
Sep 1, 2008
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It's a known fact that Cantonese people love to eat
chicken. So it came as no surprise when we saw You
Ji Hui- a restaurant that decided to dedicate its whole
menu to chicken dishes. What intrigued us was that
You Ji Hui offered 3 levels of spiciness for their signature
dish – Braised Chicken (烧鸡公88RMB for 1.5
kg): normal, extreme and suicidal. We managed to
keep our sanity in check and ordered the entry level
of spiciness, and it was fiery enough! Cooked with
Hunan dried chilies and heaps of ginger, the well-flavored
chicken was addictively spicy while leaving a
tingling sensation long after. The Beer Chicken (啤酒
鸡 38RMB/half) was another enticing treat which had
a sweet and sour sauce followed by a matching taste
of beer. We were impressed with the properly cooked
scrambled egg (茶子油炒蛋 23RMB) fried with cha zi
you, a special oil from Hunan that gave the runny egg
an earthy touch. It might take a couple more spicy
mea ... ... |
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Ming Jie
Sep 1, 2008
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It's tough being Woody Allen. Imagine
yourself as one the world's greatest
living directors, famed for your cutting witticisms
and intellectual clout, a heavyweight
of cinema who can secure any Hollywood
star you desire for the price of a processed
hotdog. Now imagine being equally vilified
as boring, outdated, creepy, terminally
clunky, and then having your last film, the
monumentally awful Cassandra's Dream
(2007) labeled as "the worst film in the history
of the motion picture. Ever." Like we
said, it's tough being Woody.
Most directors would pack up and head
for the gin, but what does Allen do? He
heads for Spain and makes the best romantic
comedy of the year, and maybe his best
film in 15 years. Gorgeous, sexy, wistfully
light yet always engaging, Vicky Cristina
Barcelona is a return to form with bells and
whistles on top. A trio of beautiful actors,
plus a sweet little script, swooning locations
and a sati ... ... |
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Husband and Wife Cake
Food+Drink (Guangzhou) / Creme de Canton
Written by : Woody Lai
Sep 1, 2008
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In Guangdong, you'll find no multi-tiered white wedding
cakes celebrating the loving union between a husband and
wife. No tiny figurines of a bride and groom, either. Here,
such a sweet union exists without such exigencies, in the form of
simple pastries inspired by stories of love's triumphs.
Wife Cake (or Sweetheart Cake 老婆饼: Lao Po Bing) and
Husband Cake (老公饼: Lao Gong Bing) are among the most
popular traditional Chinese pastries in Guangdong. Don't be surprised
if you find several variations on the traditional recipe
Wife Cake
What's in it: Winter Melon, Coconut, Butter, Sugar
Legend: The origins of the Wife Cake involves the tale of a couple
living in a small village in imperial China. And while they lacked
material wealth, they had no shortage of love for each other. Then
tragedy struck, with the outbreak of a mysterious disease causing the
husband's father to become fatally ill. The couple spent all of their
money on treatm ... ... |
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24 hours in...Singapore
Travel / Intrnational Travel
Written by : Christine Laskowski
Sep 1, 2008
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8:30am: The Singapore Zoo. Get an
early start, as the animals do. See the
white tigers, kangaroos, pygymy hippos
and Abyssinian baboons. From 9- 10 am
daily, the Singapore Zoo features its Jungle
Breakfast with Wildlife where you can eat
your croissants and fresh fruit with the
world's largest number of orangutans in
captivity.
11:30am: Mandai Orchid Garden. Located
within the Singapore Botanic Gardens and
home to over 200 varieties of orchids, some
of which are available for purchase, as well
as for tasting. Yes, if you want to sample
some on a plate, have lunch at Vanilla
Pod Restaurant and Bar and sample these
beautiful orchids in a range of gourmet
dishes, from crab salads to mango crème
brulee.
12:30pm: Arab District. Check out the
Sultan Mosque and roam around its pastelcolored
stucco streets, lined with palm trees.
Reminds you of a bazaar, in that superclean,
somnolent ... ... |
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My grandfather was born in Xiamen
Travel / Intrnational Travel
Written by : Jean Wong
Sep 1, 2008
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As a first generation Canadian immigrant from
the massive pre-1997 Hong Kong exodus, neither
myself nor my parents ever envisioned me returning
to China. Yet I have always felt an irresistible
draw to my homeland. Having led a rather nomadic or as
some have called it, "cosmopolitan" lifestyle, I still continue
to struggle with the question of home and identity.
Rewind a few months and you will find me at a crossroads
in my life, not knowing where to go next or what to do. So I
packed up as much as I could carry and got on a plane to
China. I decided to visit Fujian province, where my grandfather
was born- my heung ha. It seemed like a good place to
start my journey of self-discovery.
As soon as I landed in Xiamen, it felt much easier to
breathe. I had left behind the humid and polluted air of
Guangzhou and exchanged it for a crisp and slightly salty
breeze. Palm trees lined every avenue. I was almost convinced
I had ... ... |
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