“Où es tu?”
“Still in the office.”
“Are you ready to go?” his voice was full of excitement and enthusiasm.
“Yes. Give me a few more minutes. I have to finish off some work, then I am good to go.”
“Okay. Shall we meet at the usual meeting point?”
“Yup. In about 15 minutes, ok?”
“À tout à l’heure.

We walked pass all the familiar skyscrapers, crossed Tower Bridge, then continued our short and quick steps along the Thames River, heading home.

Surprisingly, the day was sunny and mild. However, that didn’t bother us much as our minds had started to flow freely. Our imaginations had gone as far as seeing the majestic and picturesque snowy mountains; the clear blue sky that was lit up by the scorching sun; the hint of fresh Oxygen that seemed to have lifted and rejuvenated our entire bodies and souls. Picture perfect! So near yet so far, no longer would be.

Our steps grew shorter and quicker as we were approaching home. Without wasting much time, we had our lunch and made sure everything needed was packed. As we were traveling with EasyJet, we chose to fly from London Gatwick Airport. We were lucky enough to get a true bargain for the tickets to Nice. It was almost half the price of what we saw 12 hours before the day we booked our tickets.

It always doesn’t make sense to me to pay £18 or more (single trip) to get the express train to the airport. Instead of paying double the price for Gatwick Express, that departs every 15 minutes with traveling duration of 30 minutes, we opted to take the normal train that takes roughly the same duration by just paying half the price! The only thing is that the train makes 2 or 3 stops before the Airport to let passengers get off and on the train. I don’t see why that would be a problem. The public transport in London is quite a ripped-off anyway, so better watch our own pockets than feeding the train companies with more money for poor services!

“Ping.” The seat belt sign was switched on. A few minutes after the air hostess went through the safety procedure, the plane finally took off. As we got higher up in the sky, I gazed through the tiny window and I saw millions of golden and silver stars shining from the ground. It was an overwhelming view that made me think how tiny we are and how big the universe is!

It took about 1 hour and 35 minutes to get to Nice, Côte D’Azur. Just 15 minutes before landing, there was an amazing view through my little window again! The moon was full, bright, and round, reflecting its shadow on the water of Mediterranean Sea. It was so magnificent! I missed this shot! What a perfect shot not to be missed! I regret, still do.

The Airbus finally touched the ground of l’ Aéroport de Nice Côte d’Azur. We were officially in the sud de la France! An extraordinary region where you could find 3 S’s: Sea, Sun, Snow. Well, you will get the snow at this time of the year in Isola 2000 - our destination, which is the closest ski resort of la Côte D’Azur.

It was already 10-ish. After we had checked-in to the hotel for the night in Nice, it was then time to hunt for food! We were very near to la Promenade des Anglais and not far from le Negresco, the most well-known hotel in Nice. It looks very grand!

The stroll along la Promenade des Anglais was breathtaking; the palm trees, typical Art Deco buildings, the clear sky that was full of stars, sea breeze that blew flying kisses upon my face made me feel like I was in another world!

We walked pass Place Massena, then another few minutes to Cours Saleya in the old town where restaurants are lined up on both sides of the street. More often than not, wide selections of restaurants tend to slow down our decision making process. We finally chose a restaurant which the menu sounds nice and Mediterranean. We both had Pavet de Thon aux Petits Légumes à la Provençale (Tuna served with Provençale-style Vegetables). Simplement délicieux!

Our eyelids grew heavier and droppier. The restaurant looked emptier than before.

“Tout va bien?”
“C’est parfait.”
“L’addition s’il vous plaît.”
“Voilà!”
“Merci”
“Bonne soirée.”

The time for relaxation has arrived. We are going to Nice this evening and after that take a bus to Isola 2000. It’s gonna be the first time for me to ski! I am very excited and worried at the same time that I am gonna fall! But, I’m sure it’s gonna be a good experience! Catch up soon my friends and readers of mycookinghut. I will let you guys know how I did at the slopes!

 

Bonjour! Le temps de la relaxation est arrive. Nous partons pour Nice ce soir puis nous allons prendre un bus pour Isola 2000. C’est la premiere fois que je vais au ski, je suis tres excitee et anxieuse a la fois, peut etre la peur de tomber!! Mais je suis sure que cela va etre une super experience!A bientot mes amis et lecteurs de mycookinghut. Je vous tiendrai prochainement au courant de mes exploits sur les pistes!

Ciao!

There’s no reservation from me not agree to the above phrase, which means Chawan Mushi is delicious! Chawan Mushi 茶 碗蒸しis the Japanese version of steamed eggs or it’s rather called savoury egg custard. Ingredients like small pieces of chicken, prawns, vegetables, mushrooms, and gingko are added.

 

No, I didn’t type those Japanese characters, I got them off the internet. I used to learn Japanese but I quit after completed the first stage as it was really tough, especially not on a full-time basis. I have forgotten how to write Hiragana and Katagana. A shame really. I wish that I could write in Japanese because I find the characters really nice and the language sounds beautiful too.

  

The reason why I say it is the Japanese version of steamed eggs is because in Chinese households, we make Chinese steamed eggs (蒸水蛋) too, which is very similar to Chawan Mushi. I am sure you will agree to this if you come from Chinese background and it’s such a common dish amongst other dishes that are served on the table with rice, be it for lunch or dinner! This classic dish is probably the easiest to make in the kitchen! For Chinese steamed eggs, ingredients like minced pork or minced chicken are used. Or sometimes, it’s made plain and sprinkled with spring onions.

 

I am a Japanese food lover and I really like the their healthy way of cooking and eating. When I go to the Japanese restaurants, I will never miss Sashimi and Sushi. Of course, the cooked dishes too. Chawan Mushi is one of the dishes that I like amongst so many other recipes in the Japanese cookbooks that I have. Harumi’s is one of my favourites! Even my Japanese hairdresser reckons she is good!

 

Chawan Mushi is suitable to be served as starter or a side dish. Not only they are easy to make but they are pretty to look at too. I choose to use Shiitake mushrooms and prawns. You can put any ingredients that you can possibly think of.

  

Now, let’s go to your kitchen and see how we can prepare this yummy dish.

 

Serves 4 persons

For the egg custards:
1 tsp chicken granules
250ml hot water
3 eggs
6 prawns (cut into small cubes)
1 Shiitake mushroom (cut into small cubes)
some chopped spring onions to garnish

For the sauce to pour on top: (optional)
2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
some white pepper

 

Method:
1. To make the custard: Dissolve the chicken granules in the hot water and leave for a few minutes to cool.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add to the chicken stock and mix well.
3. Strain through a sieve to get smooth texture.
4. Divide the prawns and mushrooms into 4 small cups and pour the egg mixture.
5. Put the cups in the steamer and steam for about 15 minutes until cooked. The custard should be firm to touch.
6. Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients specified.
7. When the custards are ready, remove from the steamer and pour a little of the sauce onto each one. Then, garnish with some spring onions.
8. Serve hot as starter or as a side dish.

It was dark. The sky was lit up with the stars. As the wind blew, it sent chill down my spine. Brrrr! The thought of enjoying a warm meal made my long and lazy footsteps became quick and short. I maintained quick and steady walking space as the thought of food was unbearable. I was craving for some boiled rice.. a warm bowl of boiled rice with a quick dish.

 

Finally, I reached. I quickly unlocked the door, put away my bag and coat. Dashed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, searching for ingredients. I knew I wanted a curry dish to go with the boiled rice. I got some beans and prawns, brilliant!

 

Not wasting time no more, I grabbed all the raw ingredients that I needed - 1 clove of garlic, 2cm of ginger, 2 red chili, 1 shallot. Then, ground them into a paste using a food processor. I used exactly the same raw ingredients like the dish that I made last time - Spicy Okra with Prawns. The only difference is instead of lime juice, I added about 50ml tamarind water (soak the tamarind in hot water and push the pulp through a sieve to make tamarind water). As I wanted to make this dish with a bit of sauce so, I added about 200ml coconut milk. So, looks really easy if you have already tried making Spicy Okra with Prawns.

 

I heated the wok with medium flame and drizzled some olive oil. Once it was hot enough, I put in the chili paste, stirred and cooked until it was fragrant. I then put in about 250g of raw prawns, mixed and coated them with the chili paste. Then, I cooked the prawns for about 10 minutes before I put in the beans that I had trimmed and cut into about 5cm in length. I was getting excited as I knew the dish was almost done. I stirred, added the coconut milk, put a pinch of salt to season, and let it simmer for a further 10-15 minutes.

 

While the curry was simmering away, I heard the beeping of the rice cooker indicating that the rice was cooked. Finally, I thought, the long craving for rice was almost over. What could be better if not to serve the rice with the Prawns & Beans Creamy Curry?