BBQ Meat Roast Feast

Forgive me I've been away from far too long! But I haven't necessarily been away from the kitchen. I've been trying to make it a habit to cook something different every weekend, something I've never attempted before. And that means playing around with meat meat meat! In Asian countries, we use meat a little more sparingly as compared western countries. Occasionally I do crave a whole slab of meat, but going outside to get it is just really expensive, especially when I know we're perfectly capable of cooking a great meat feast at home on our own!

I got this recipe from watching Jamie Oliver's food tube - Best BBQ Sauce. He used chicken wings, and I suppose it's because this sauce is really a sweet and sour-ish type BBQ sauce, much like how it relates to buffalo wings and sticky asian chicken wings. I did this recipe twice, with different techniques and different meats. The first time was with chicken and pork, where it was just roasted in the oven at 200 deg celsius for 45 minutes followed by 25-30 minutes of basting (original recipe instructions). The second time I used a mix of lamb and pork, but I slow roasted it at 170 deg celsius for 3 hours, followed by 25-30 minutes of basting too. 

The verdict? If you really prefer to cut time on roasting, go with the first method but using only chicken because the chicken was perfect! The pork in the first method was good too, but I find that slow roasting pork in the second method really gave it the softness time can only give. The lamb however came out slightly harder than the pork, perhaps using the ribs section of the lamb would have been a better, more tender option that using shanks. But overall, an extremely satisfactory and jolly home BBQ, without the effort of needing to set up a fire outside. 

BBQ Meat Roast

Ingredients:

Chicken Thighs or Pork Ribs or Lamb Racks to feed 5 pax
1 fresh red chilli, to serve

For the rub:
2 heaped teaspoons fennel seeds
1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
1 heaped teaspoon golden caster sugar
1 level teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

For the BBQ sauce:
200 g light soft brown sugar
200 g tomato ketchup
200 ml fresh unsweetened apple juice
100 ml bourbon whisky
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 heaped teaspoons English mustard
juice of 2 oranges
a few splashes of chipotle Tabasco
1 pinch of sea salt


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. 

To make the rub, bash all of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar until fine. Massage the rub all over the chicken, then place into a low-sided roasting tray. Place in the hot oven for around 1 hour, or until cooked through. (See my comments above if using Pork/Lamb)

Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce. Place all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan over a high heat. Whisk well to combine, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it's sticky and coats the back of a spoon. 

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the temperature to 110°C/225°F/gas ¼. Take a piece of chicken and dunk it into the BBQ sauce. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a wire baking rack placed over a roasting tray (this will help the smoke to permeate the chicken as it cooks). Place each piece of chicken into the BBQ sauce, placing them onto the baking rack as you go. Return to the middle shelf of the oven for around 10 minutes, or until turning lovely and sticky.

After around 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and dip each piece into the BBQ sauce once more. At this point, you can add par-boiled corn and sauteed sausages to make it a really complete meal. Return it to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until sticky, glazed, a little charred and delicious. Serve with sliced chilli scattered on top.

See you at the next recipe review foodies!

Berry-tastic waffles!

Do you ever get that sudden sugar urge in the morning? So much that you feel like only a good whole hearty stack or waffles would do the trick? But yet again, you don't have the patience to let the waffle dough rise like them belgian waffles do. Well, this recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's griddled pan waffles will satisfy your cravings without taking that valuable time of yours.  

I've decided to add some blueberries to give it a dose of fruitiness and natural sweetness. It came out gorgeous, and lovely, and just....munch munch munch. You can divide the recipe into half if you're only making a test batch or just for yourself.

BERRY-TASTIC WAFFLES

• 2 eggs
• 300 ml milk
• 225 g self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 100 g unsalted butter, melted
• A handful of frozen blueberries 

METHOD

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and whisk to combine. 
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt then whisk until fully combined. 
4. Add the cooled melted butter and gradually stir it through the mixture. It's important not to stir the mixture any more after this or your waffles may be tough.
5. Pour the batter onto the waffle iron and drop a couple of blueberries in. Cover the iron, and wait for the waffles to turn golden brown, about 3 - 5 minutes (depending on your waffle iron's manufacturer's instructions)

Voila! Gorgeous blueberry waffles that you'll chomp down before the next waffle is ready to come out!

Bath in a Day

Bath's so lovely, I've just got to write this post to I can remind myself to go back!

Even in the winter with what little sunlight hours and waterfalls of rain the UK has, all their small towns still amaze me. Meet Bath, a world heritage site famous for its Roman Baths and historic atmosphere. Bath is just a stone throw east of Bristol, with just a 15 minutes train ride away at 4£ or less! 

Bath Abbey

Pulteney Bridge

Things to eat in Bath

Have you ever had fluffy homemade buns spread with love? Well I have! The place to go is Sally Lunn's. "The oldest house in Bath, since 1482", serving up the best bun type bread I have ever had. 

Sally Lunn's

A must try is their signature bun with milk caramel. Milk caramel is better known as Dulce de Leche from Argentina, but I've taste several and I find the ones they make here is the bomb. You can really taste the briny texture of the salt but it kicks you a step back to the beautiful caramelization of milk and sugar.  If they sold it at their shop, I would have bought 10 bottles back.

Sally Lunn's signature buns with milk caramel (dolce de leche)

You see it everywhere in England, and there are probably other places you've read about that claims that they have the best Cornish Pasty, but I've stumbled upon a shop that gives you quality pasties without queuing up in line! The shops name is Pasty Presto, and it's located just outside Bath Abbey. I'm just about sure many mass goers head there to pick up a pasty after morning service. Their traditional pasty is filled with minced beef, onions, turnips and potatoes. To me, its the best one to try if it's your first time trying one. 

Cornish Pasty @ Pasty Presto

At every town I go, I must find ice cream. Because I'm almost certain that locals everywhere will always have their go to spot for an ice cream fix. After some research and since everything is a few minutes walk away, there was The Real Italian Ice Cream Co.  They have many flavours but all are good and it's a matter of personal preference. The one I had was raspberry and it was amazing!!

Velvety smooth ice cream @ the real italian ice cream co.

Until next time fellow travel foodies!

No - Bake Fresh Berry Cheesecake

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

The world needs more easy recipes, and this is one of them. I felt so bloated one day but at the same time I wanted to nibble on something sweet but light. Cheesecakes often is far from anything "light", especially those that add condense milk into the mixture. So on my experimentation, I managed to make a No-Bake Cheesecake, with NO GELATIN (because I do not like the smell), topped with strawberries and blueberries for that fresh flare. It's really simple to make and it's going to wow guests anytime.

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

 No Bake : Fresh Berry Cheesecake

 by Karen Wan

Time taken: 30 mins + overnight setting

Yield : 6 to 8 servings

Level : Easy Peasy

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 150 g digestive biscuits
• 70 g unsalted butter (melted)
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 250 g cream cheese
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 80 g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Dash of milk (optional)

Topping

• 100 g blueberries
• 250 g strawberries
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pulse digestive biscuits in a food processor until fine. Add melted butter and salt and pulse again until they resemble a sticky bread crumb like texture.
2. Empty the base mixture into a 9 x 9 inch tin lined with grease proof paper, and press the base into the tin until compact. Refrigerate.
3. Cream the cream cheese with the caster sugar until smooth. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice. 
4. In a separate bowl, using a clean whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks.
5. Fold the whipping cream gently into the cream cheese mixture, trying to retain as much air as possible. 
6. For personal preference and lightness, add a dash of milk to loosen the filling slightly.
7. Pour the filling into the crumb base, cover with cling wrap and leave it to set for at least 8 hours or better yet, over night in the refrigerator.
8. An hour before serving, quarter your strawberries (I prefer to leave my blueberries whole) and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. Set it aside and all it's berry juices will start coming out naturally.
9. On serving, cut the cheesecake into squares and top with the fresh berries and berry juices.  

Here's a close up to make your mouth water...

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

My National Express experience

Having first time landing in a foreign land on my own, the first thing I had to do was find my way from London Heathrow to Bristol. There are multiple ways to do this, the train, the bus, and on foot (yeah, no.) 

Just take the train! Well normally that would be my first option but I decided not to do that because taking a train required me to take a tube east into London Town, change onto national rail and head back west to Bristol. The time taken on the tube from Heathrow to London Central is slightly less than an hour, so I figured I wanted to go with the fastest way possible, and that was by bus.

Bristol is actually only slightly over 2 hours west of London by bus, and after hours of research there are two options : Megabus & National Express. Megabus can be a lot cheaper at times but again, its bus stop is situated in London, and I just didn't want to go back and forth. So that left me with National Express which happens to have busses leaving directly from Heathrow.

I actually bought my ticket online before hand at £19. BUT, my flight landing was delayed due to air traffic and I arrived an hour later MISSING my bus. Fortunately, National Express has an office right outside its Heathrow bus stops and I managed to amend my ticket time for an extra £10. So in total, I paid the same price as on the spot tickets. 

National Express Ticket Office

National Express interior

Not long later my bus arrived and might I say, it was a very comfortable 2 hour ride. The bus was on time, if not early, driving at a constant speed. I could tell they probably train their drivers really well. They didn't have things like Wifi and sockets on every seat but compared to what I'm used to, it is a luxury. 

I've read some mixed reviews on National Express before. But hey, I'd say give it a go because it's value for money and convenient. 

Beautiful Bristol

I am really really excited to finally write this post about Bristol. I had this sudden urge to splurge and head to the other side of the world. Why Bristol? Well it's not really the first town you think about visiting when you think about UK, but everywhere in UK is beautiful really. And, because of my friends that were there, their company makes it all worth it. 

My Morning View

I stayed 30 minutes outside of Bristol City Centre called Langhill Ave. Even in the winter, the 5 hours of sunlight you get from 8am in the morning is a treasure.

How did I get around Bristol? 

Although ranked 6th for UK's most populated city, it actually doesn't have a tube system! But getting around was still convenient. I introduce to you...

TADAA! First group busses! My friends take this to classes everyday. You can buy most types of tickets on the bus itself. They do take cash (unlike London busses). A single journey will cost you £1 to most Bristol attractions but you can find more details about the rates here. There are also some saver tickets worth getting like Bristol Day and Bristol Week tickets. If you're a student, it'll definitely help you save a pound or two. The timetables are listed on the same website, but normally the frequency is every 10 minutes.

Things to see in Bristol

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Christmas steps

The Harbour view

St Nicholas Market

If you're ever thinking about travelling during Christmas time, Bristol's German Christmas Market is truly amazing. It's not too big, something you can't get lost in. But it's flooding with German beer, Hot dogs and fluffy doughnuts. It's located in Broadmead, in the very central of Bristol. 

Bristol's German Christmas Market

I really hope you do consider going to Bristol. I actually felt a more British vibe when in Bristol rather than in London. Until next time, Cheers love!

Universal Studios Osaka: Harry Potter Opening

I was really looking forward to Universal Osaka, more than Disneyland in fact. Why? Well for starters....

THEY HAVE HARRY POTTER LAND!

I was there when this new area was just opened, and to no surprise, the crowd was CRAZY. How crazy? Let's just say we went into the park at 10am, but the Harry Potter section was so crowded that they had to restrict access into the section by allocating time coupons from a machine. And we got.... the 6pm coupon. So we now had 8 hours to spare.

Fill up your time with all that mandatory selfies. I've been to Universal Singapore before this, and I find that Osaka tops it a lot more. Firstly, its the space. Universal Osaka is really well spread out, but of course, it's because they have the land. Second of all, the rides! If you're not a fan of roller coasters, try the Spider man one, because it's probably the entry-level roller coaster experience. 

About food, expect to pay theme park prices. But hey, you're already there. So why not splurge and indulge in their many flavoured pop corn, cony dogs and churros YUM. You can also bring your own food, just store them in the lockers provided so you don't have to lug them around the park. 

Okay now back to HARRY POTTER!

Super crowded Harry Potter Land

Line to HoneyDukes

As you can see, the park was still crowded even after 6pm. I waited about 40 minutes just to get into HoneyDukes, but sadly the popular items like Bertie Botts every flavoured beans and chocolate frogs were sold out. Boohoo. Butterbeer however, is awesome! It kinda taste like Root Beer with melted vanilla ice cream.

For rides, the Hogwarts Forbidden journey is the best ride in the whole of Universal Osaka, for me. It's not really a roller coaster, but your upper body is clipped on and your legs are suspended. It was the most exciting and exhilarating ride throughout the whole of Universal Osaka. 

How to get to Universal Osaka?

Universal Osaka is a 5 minute walk from Universal City station on the JR Yumesaki Line. 

Opening Hours?

Low season  : 10:00 to 18:00

High season : 09:00 to 21:00

Admission?

6,980 yen (12-64 years old) 

4,880 yen (4-11 years old) 

6,270 yen (65 years or older) 

Getting around Osaka

What's the difference between Osaka and Japan?

Plenty of things! But the greatest of all is their no fuss, super practical subway!

Every where I go, I like to look for tourist passes that are value for money. In Osaka, they call it the Enjoy Eco card that looks like this: 

This card can be used on all of Osaka's Municipal Subway, new tram and buses. There are also discounts available at certain sight seeing locations when you flash this card. 

Price: 800 yen adult (600 yen for weekends and public holidays), 300 yen for children

You can buy these Tourist passes at any subway station, I bought mine at Shin-Osaka station which was my stop off the Shinkansen train. You can even buy them days in advance, just let them know the date you're going to use it on.

There are a lot of other passes out here. You can find more about it here. But for me, I went for the cheapest option having only spent 3 days in Osaka. 

You can get more info on Osaka's Public transport passes here.

How to get from Tokyo to Osaka: Shinkansen Experience

For those of you thinking of the most efficient way to get to Osaka, you've come to the right place! Why waste 1 hour of waiting time at the airport when you can just take a train to Osaka hassle free. But its not just any train you're taking, its the Shinkansen. 

What is the Shinkansen?

The Shinkansen is a high speed railway line that is operated by four Japan Railway group companies. Their high speed/bullet trains can reach a maximum speed of 240 - 320 km/h! Shinkansen literally means new trunk line. Lines between Tokyo and Osaka are actually very very popular, so much so that they have up to 13 trains per hour running to and fro! 

Sleek and sexy Shinkansen

How to check train times and fares?

Train times and fares can be checked on Hyperdia.com. The Shinkansen in Tokyo leaves from Tokyo Station, and arrives at Shin-Osaka station (for Osaka). The average price of these one way tickets are 8000 to 9000 yen (yes it's not cheap). There are also different types of seats on the Shinkansens, Green seats (10,480 yen), Reversed seats (8750yen or 5500 yen during low seasons), and unreserved seats (4870 yen). A way to differentiate these seats is easy: 

green seats = first class

reserved seats = allocated numbered seats

unreserved seats = first come first serve seats

You will also realize that there are two different types of Shinkansens listed on Hyperdia, Shinkansen Nozomi and Hikari. Well you can see that the Hikari has a longer travel time by about 30 minutes, but the Hikari has 2 times more unreserved seats than the Nozomi. So if you're stretching your buck going for the unreserved seats, maybe you would opt for the Hikari trains. 

Where can I buy Shinkansen tickets?

You can buy Shinkansen tickets from any of the major Japan Intercity stations, so if you're leaving from Tokyo, that'd be Tokyo station. It's very difficult to purchase the tickets online unless you can read Japanese, but purchasing it over the counter is just as efficient. If you're worried that the tickets may be sold out, it doesn't hurt to go a few days earlier to pick up your tickets over the counter or from the vending machines. Remember, they have a high frequency of trains in an hour!

Nice comfy reserved seats

Hope this post helps you maneuver your way around Japan, because I'm pretty sure it would be the same getting to other cities in Japan as well. Good Luck! 

Where to eat in Tokyo for cheaps!

I always believe that you've only really eaten the food of a country when you actually eat what the locals do. That means it not always the fancy "recommended, must eat" places that burn a hole in your wallet. Since the price of food is expensive in Tokyo, its simply the best thing to just follow the trails left behind by the locals.

1. Departmental / Convenience stores

Because of their busy lifestyles, the Japanese hop to departmental stores like Isetan, Takasimaya, 7-11s and Lawson on the way home and grab some fresh, affordable Japanese delicacies. And they have a mega wide variety of it! 

2. Tsukiji Market

Tsukiji market is probably a place you've already planned to go on your list. You've also probably heard that there are plenty of stalls serving fresh seafood there. If you want fresh, quality seafood, its worth every penny here and I might just add that you may not be able to find it anywhere cheaper in Tokyo. The price of their rice bowls topped with fresh seafood can range from 800 to 3000 yen.

Butter scallop, 500 yen

Tsukiji Market is just above Tsukiji Shijo Station on the Oedo Subway Line. Alternatively, it can be reached in a five minute walk from Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya Subway Line. The closest JR station is Shimbashi, from where you can walk to the market in about 15 minutes.

3. Ameyoko Market

Ameyoko Market is probably my favourite place every in Tokyo, because its not only where you can find mouth watering street food, but also shop for snacks, clothes and accessories. Most of the food found here can be easily under 1000 yen.

Takoyaki, 400 yen

The Ameyoko shopping street runs from Ueno to Okachimachi Station along the train tracks of the JR Yamanote Line and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line. It can also be accessed in a short walk from Ueno-Okachimachi Station along the Oedo Subway Line.