SIMPLE AND QUICK SELF MADE VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE GIFT PACK IDEAS – COST SAVINGS TOO!

Hi there

If you have read my other post about the Best Chocolates in Singapore, by now you probably have already find your favourite chocolate to give to someone special 🙂Self Made Valentines' Day Chocolate Pack

But if you feel like it is a tad boring to give out Valentine’s Chocolate from one shop, why not mix it all up and let the others enjoy a variety of them? 🙂

Self Made Valentines' Day Chocolate Pack

Continue reading SIMPLE AND QUICK SELF MADE VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE GIFT PACK IDEAS – COST SAVINGS TOO!

BEST CHOCOLATES IN SINGAPORE – WHERE TO BUY VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

Hi there <added more new leads from readers :)>

Couple weeks more and it will be Valentine’s Day, I guess Valentine’s Day is really catching up in Singapore, every year, you get to see on the news, how people are celebrating this day. I am in fact also very pro Valentine’s Day, not because I have a sweet tooth, but  to me, it is not just only a day to give my chocolates or chocolate brownies to my husband, but it is also a day where I will give chocolates to my colleagues and friends, as a little thank you gift.

valentine's heart

These all started when my japanese flatmates gave me this beautifully wrapped box with some really good chocolates inside, and told me it is nice to give it during Valentine’s Day not just the one you fell in love with but also to friends, guess I am just following the tradition. 🙂

In Japan, there are two kinds of chocolate where you will get, one is called Giri Choco (義理Choco) & Honmei Choco(本命Choco). Honmei Choco is for THE ONE, aka your husband, your boyfriend, your fiance. While Giri Choco is usually bought to give to bosses, friends, colleagues, and loved ones, I suppose there is nothing wrong to share the love. 🙂

So to help you get through all the planning and places to get chocolates, I have compiled a list of places where you can get your Chocolates for the one you love. My top choices such as Royce, Laurent Bernard and the list keeps going

So please enjoy BEST CHOCOLATES IN SINGAPORE – WHERE TO BUY VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES. 🙂

Continue reading BEST CHOCOLATES IN SINGAPORE – WHERE TO BUY VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

REUNION DINNER & THINGS TO DO FOR THE NEXT 15 DAYS OF CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR

Hi there

So how was your Reunion Dinner so far? Mine was really nice, cosy Reunion family dinner, with the little one joining us, a nice family affair.

Reunion Dinner

Got our usual “must have” catonese dishes, like Pork Trotter with Sea Moss and Mushroom, Vegetables with seafood, fermented bean paste with nam yue (fermented bean curd) stewed duck, steamed fish, chicken, soup and of course yu sheng and also abalone slices.

I will be posting some of the recipes later on, this is not just good for Chinese New Year, it is also a very tasty and easy treat that you can cook on normal days too. 🙂

Reunion DInner

As for the next 15 days, if you wish to follow the tradition then you can view below things to do for the next 15 days of Chinese New Year for some inspiration 🙂

Chinese New Year Eve – Reunion Dinner, where all family members will gather at parents family and enjoy each other company.

Day One – Buddhist will abstain from eating any meats and is the time to visit families and friends to give your well wishes and of course Ang Pao time! Offer any kind of sweet sugary stuff to visitors to ensure they have a very sweet year ahead. 🙂

Day Two – This will be day when son in law or married daughters going back to their family for visits. This is also the Birthday of Dogs, so treat all pets well. 🙂

Day Three – This is the Day of 赤口, which is not for visiting families and friends, but rather it is time to go to the temple to ask for one’s future and fortune

Day Four – similar to Day Three

Day Five – Get into the festive mood of North Eastern China, enjoy your dumplings and you can start sweeping the floor again!

Day Six – As usual, can visit friends and families and temples

Day Seven – Everyone’s Birthday!! Time for some longevity noodles and tossing of yu sheng!

Day Eight – Join Fujian people and enjoy another round of Reunion dinner

Day Ninth – Birthday of Jade Emperor, didn’t seem to have any restriction on this day

Day Ten to Twelve – Same as usual, enjoy time with your families and friends and continue your visits.

Day Thirtheen – You are suppose to clear your tummy and palate and go vegetarian after feasting for the past days

Day Fourteen – Preparation and count down to 元宵节, Lantern Festival Day

Day Fifteen – This is Day of 元宵节, which is Oriental Valentine’s Day, have your tang yuan, sweet dumplings and kids – prepare your lanterns! 🙂

So this it is, after days of preparation, from clothing to food, to spring cleaning, now is the time to let loose and enjoy your time with your families and friends. 🙂

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! Wishing All a Year full of Prosperity, Health and Laughter in every household!!! 🙂 Gong Xi Gong Xi!!

For latest news on restaurants, supermarkets, food fairs, or simply check out some simple recipe ideas & reviews, please visit us at singaporesupermarketrecipes.com or subscribe to our mailing list for more details.

Cheers,

Dawn

JUST WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY DURING LO HEI OR TOSSING YU SHENG

Hi there

One of my favourite part during Chinese New Year is tossing Yu Sheng or Lo Hei. Every year without fail my family will definitely prepare food for the reunion dinner and the Yu sheng is a main stay during this festive feast. I truly have a soft spot in it and I even read last year that even people and restaurant in Hong Kong are catching up with this idea and is doing the same way like us in Singapore.

I personally think this tradition of tossing yu sheng is a must at every Chinese New Year, it is a way if getting together everyone to bring in the good festive spirits, and of course the sweetness, tanginess and savouriness of each and every ingredient always makes me come back for more!

However in the past years, I only know that we need to say auspicious wishes while tossing but after years in Singapore I have yet to learn the correct way of doing it so this year I am going to redeem myself and do it right, hopefully my son can learn from me correctly too 🙂

So I did some research on tossing Yu sheng and want to share with you just how and what to say when you Toss Yu sheng or Lo Hei during Chinese New Year.

The Yu Sheng which you get from restaurants or eateries usually are placed nicely on the take away container, all you need to do is to sprinkle and drizzle in the condiments, so now is the steps to getting it right. 🙂

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Step 1 Say “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (恭喜发财) & “Wan Shi Ru Yi” (万事如意) when you place shredded carrots & radish on the plate or place the yu sheng on the table

Step 2 Say “Da Ji Da Li” (大吉大利) & “Ku Jin Jin Lai”(苦尽甘来) when you squeeze in lime or lemon over the fish yu sheng

Step 3 Say “Nian Nian You Yu” (年年有余) when you place the fish yu sheng on the shredded carrots & radish.

Step 4 – Say “Hong Yun Dang Tou” (鸿运当头) when you sprinkle the red pickled ginger slices

Step 5 Say “Jin Sha Man Tang” (金沙满堂) when you sprinkle in the chopped peanuts & toasted sesame seeds

Step 5 Say “zhao cai jin bao” (招财进宝) when you sprinkle pepper all over the dish

Step 6 Say “Wu Fu Lin Men” (五福临门) when you sprinkle the cinnamon powder & five spice powder

Step 7 Say “Fu Yun Nian Nian” (富运年年) & “Rong Hua Fu Gui” (荣华富贵) when you drizzle in the peanut oil

Step 8 – Say “Tian Tian Mi Mi” (甜甜蜜蜜) when you drizzle in the plum sauce or kumquat paste or sprinkle in some pickled melon

Step 9 – Say “Man Di Huang Jin” (满地黄金) when you toss in the Pok Chui fried crackers

Step 10 Say “Bu Bu Gao Sheng” (步步高升),”Feng Sheng Shui Qi” (风生水起), “Zheng Ti Jian Kang” (身体健康) while you toss your Chinese New Year Yu Sheng!

************************************************************************************************************

Biggest dose of auspiciousness is definitely to be in good spirits while you toss it to draw in all the good lucks.

All these will sure bring you abundance of good fortune, prosperity, wealth and of course impress all your relatives and friends with this new found skills. 🙂

Happy Lunar New Year!

For latest news on restaurants, supermarkets, food fairs, or simply check out simple recipe ideas & reviews, please visit us at singaporesupermarketrecipes.com or subscribe to our mailing list for more details.

Cheers,

Dawn

GUIDE TO BUYING A PRESSURE COOKER – THE PROS & CONS

Hi there,

This year Christmas, I finally got a present for myself which has been long overdued and now I am the proud owner of a pair of.. pressure cookers. Wohoo! 🙂

WMF pressure cooker

I have long wanted a pressure cooker, and after surveying with many people who have it, I narrowed down to getting the WMF Germany made Pressure cookers. So for the whole of 2011, I have been “monitoring” pricing of pressure cookers, mind you, the thing that deters me from getting earlier on, was just how steep the price is. Also I feel if I were to get one for myself, I want to get something which has good reviews and be recommended by others.

Continue reading GUIDE TO BUYING A PRESSURE COOKER – THE PROS & CONS

THE LOW DOWN OF VARIOUS SINGAPORE SUPERMARKETS

Hi there,

I am an avid shopper, grocery shopper that’s it, and mainly from supermarket. 🙂

It always make me happy and relaxing checking out various products available instore, you can always find gems down the shopping aisles, and even brimming with joy when you know you got a very good deal from the supermarket.

Okay, I would love to say I can do the same to clothing or shoes, but the fact is that it is so much easier on the wallet if I channel this onto supermarket shopping, at least the things I buy is something which I can share with my family and I find the rate of return is much higher. 🙂

Now as to readers who find it mind boggling to shop around supermarkets or to any newbies that reach our Singapore shore, you can check out my few tips that will ease your supermarket trips just a tad easier 🙂

Cold Storage – Great for people who want to buy Western products, Japanese products, extensive range, pricing is slightly higher but they do have many gems, they carry good dips and bread varieties. Good grill items and delicatessan items. They are also one of the supermarkets which I find is keen to slash their price to clear stocks. I see this very often in Japan which I think is the “right way” of doing things, clearing stocks by reducing the price, that way customers can try on some of the products which they normally don’t try and supermarkets also get to clear their stock. Even better, customers love the products and return to get some more. They have their own house brand called No-frills.

Fairprice – neighbourhood supermarkets, where you can get daily bargains at very good prices. However they carry more Asian products so if you want to get any specific sauces or condiments, you might want to get it from other supermarkets, their house brand Pasar is good.

Fairprice Xtra – one of the leading hypermarket in Singapore, you can find everything you need there, from cooking utensils, to exercise gadgets, TV to milk powders, all under one roof. The thing I like about them is that they have these kids trolleys where a mini trolley attached to a kids automobile. Kids love it and parents get to have a peace of mind shopping there.

Fairprice Finest – this is the Fairprice you want to go for high end products, they pride themselves in serving fresh oysters, seafood and many products which you do not normally see in regular Fairprice, thus the name Finest. Love to go there to check out their new products and be amazed by their extensive range which you do not normally see.

Fairprice Express – this is another supermarkets as what its name state, express, you get things to meet your quick daily needs on the go. Prices is slightly higher than fairprice supermarkets, so its the convenience you are paying. You can find ammenities, great for tourist or when you need something on the go. They also have corners where they sell cooked food like Polar cakes, Delifrance pastries. Usually can be found in Petrol stations.

Sheng Siong – great place to source for products from South east asia and live seafood. I like to go there to check out China and Vietnamese products, great price, but shoppers might find it somewhat a different shopping experience, as things do not pack as nicely as those you will find in Fairprice & Cold storage. However, it is close to wet market as it can be.

Mustafa – another great place & gem, many people are actually apprehensive to go there, but honestly I love to shop there. As they carry very wide products range, it might take time to dig out the gems, its a hypermarket, which is the first to open 24 hours in Singapore, they sell jewellery, clothing, electronics and food. Huge range of spices, and you can get the same spice you can buy at other supermarket at fraction of a price. A must go if you want to look for authentic spices and naan to cook Indian food. But make sure to check out the expiry date carefully as they have a very wide range of products, so turnover rate might not be as fast as other supermarkets.

Shop n Save – neighbourhood supermarket, which is good to get all your grocery if you do not want to leave your home too far.

Giant – hypermarket that has extensive range of products from Malaysia. You can get practically most of the things you need for your daily usage, electronics, food, toys, etc. It actually reminded me of Sheng Siong, they level up the same range.

Carrefour – hypermarket which is different from Giant and Fairprice, they carry more French items at very good pricing. Love their house brands, consistent good quality at good pricing and usually things you don’t try very often like olives, mustard mayo and cereal. They have one of the best and widest range of bread and pastries there. Always going at a promotional rate and you can also sample the bread before you purchase. One thing that not many people know is that if you get a loaf of bread from them, you can actually ask the staff to slice it up for you, that way you do not need to trouble yourself to do it at home.

Meidiya japanese supermarket– a must go for all Japanese, to get their dose of Japanese products. From fresh produce to frozen products, to sushi and sashimi. Although it is a Japanese supermarket, you will find many locals starting to patronize them and try out Japanese products from there. Good meat range and vegetables. It is pricier to get there, but what I do is I will get sauces & condiments and for vegetables and meat I will get from local supermarket when I am on a budget. Their sushi & sashimi is also at reduced price after 7pm, heard that is quite popular.

Isetan japanese supermarket – another must go for Japanese, great sushi & sashimi range and meat range. A few kiosk that sell cooked food like Korean, Western like grilled items and sandwiches and lunch box. Always have food fairs there so it is never boring going there. I like to go there over the weekends, if I want to have a theme dinner, as they have a good mixture of cuisine, if I am lazy to cook, just pop by to grab bits of everything to enjoy the feast.

Daiso – I am still inbetween as to whether I should call this a supermarket, because of their products sold, although they do not have fresh produce, but they carry enough items to call it a supermarket. Everything is priced at $2 and what’s more to ask for?

All in all, I would say most supermarkets in singapore carries quite good range of products from Asia countries like Taiwan, Korea & Japan as people these days are more curious and like to try out some exotic products. And as people are getting busier these days, 24 hours outlets are beginning to sprout out at many places.

If you want to find out the supermarkets nearest to your locations, just check out my other posts which has the address and business hours.

Cheers,

Dawn

HOW TO CHOSE AND BUY THE BEST FRESH FRUITS

Hi there,

Everyone knows fruits are good for you. And staying in Singapore, we are really spoilt with choices in the abundance of fruits varieties that are available to us at our fingertips.  You can see fruits importing from Taiwan, Africa, Chile, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, USA, Korea, Japan, etc. But how do you choose and buy fresh fruits is a really useful skill.

Fruits are very versatile, you can eat it fresh or cook it in savoury dishes, or desserts. Boil it with soup, like apple fish soup, or pear and almond soup or even papaya soup during confinements, down to making an apple pie or dip strawberry in chocolate.

However do you sometimes have problems when you are in the supermarket choosing from a whole tray or basket of fruits, not knowing how exactly to choose the good ones.

Fruits

Of course we all know that we choose fruits that are usually free of bruises, cuts, rotten bits, and blemishes, on top of it, it got to be firm & shiny. Some of us also gauge whether the fruit is good by detecting the scent of the fruit, as this are usually hints of whether the fruits are sweet too.

Continue reading HOW TO CHOSE AND BUY THE BEST FRESH FRUITS

BASIC DINING ETIQUETTE & TABLE MANNERS

Hi there,

Okay, now you have scored that special date with that someone special, or dinner with your parents in law, or even something more serious, having a business meeting over at a restaurant.

So just how you carry yourself at the dining table translate quite a bit about you. I know, life is unfair, just because you do not know the 101 on dining etiquette doesn’t mean you fail in other parts of your life, right?

dining etiquette

But how about I ask you this question?

If you were to dine with person A who keep talking with his mouth open with food in his mouth and worst still, couldn’t keep his food “in his mouth” all the way when he talk. Or Person B, someone who can engage a great conversation with you, but will know when to pass you the pepper at the table with the soup is here.  You can try convincing me that Person A can be better, may be he can hold a great conversation, but throughout the meal, I will probably be so preoccupied with him not hitting the jackpot of flying a piece into my salmon or soup rather than what he wanted to tell me.

Continue reading BASIC DINING ETIQUETTE & TABLE MANNERS

WANGZ HOTEL STAYCATION REVIEWS & NECTAR RESTAURANT $15NETT SET LUNCH PROMOTIONS

Hi there

One of my favorite hobbies is to travel, but having a day time job, it is rather difficult to apply for extended leave to go travelling with my family. But here in Singapore, there is always a remedy and it is staycations. You are really spoilt for choice for these kind of “mini vacations”.

So over the weekend as in coincide with our wedding anniversary, my husband and me had decided to stay over at the Wangz hotel for our anniversary and also explore restaurants and food places around the vicinity.

Wangz Hotel  Signboard

Since I am staying there, thought of sharing my experience in it, as I see a lot of couples there, i think the idea of weekend staycation is really catching up as i also see deals as such on sites like deal.com. This review can be quite detail as I hope you can see all the actual aspects and get the “real deal” from your home before you plan your next staycation destination. 🙂

Continue reading WANGZ HOTEL STAYCATION REVIEWS & NECTAR RESTAURANT $15NETT SET LUNCH PROMOTIONS

WEDDING GATECRASH RECIPE IDEAS (FOR THE GROOM & BROTHERS)

Hi there,

Yesterday, I was helping my dear friend with her wedding and was responsible for the food game during the gatecrash part of the day. So I have planned some wedding gatecrash recipe ideas for her on her big day.

Objective of the game is that the food must look great for the photos taking, and also “taste memorable & great” enough for the grooms & brothers. 

Theme of the game was the groom & brothers will need to answer some questions, those failed will “have the honor” to get to taste the 4 special delicacies that are in store for them. 

Hope these recipes ideas might come in handy for those that is planning for their next torturing session to the future grooms & brothers ^^

  • SOUR – Apple Cider with lemon & grapefruit juices & sour plum
  • SWEET – Honey & Condensed Milk with pretz biscuits
  • BITTER – Raw Bitter gourd with grape fruit cubes & orange or grapefruit peel
  • SPICY – Chilli paste with wasabi on crackers

gourmet feast

spicy & bitter

sweethearts

These recipes are colorful, ( I can’t guarantee the taste of it thou :p) and great for photos that you will use in your wedding scrapbook, a little effort does goes a long way!

p.s. Congrats to both Mr & Mrs Tan, wishing you a blissful marriage!

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Cheers!

Dawn