I wasn't convinced that I got the ciabatta recipe and method right, so gotta try it again to make sure that it was no fluke.
Same old recipe and method here, no changes and I got a nice loaf of ciabatta with a thin crispy crust and soft chewy crumb with plenty of holes to pick em dipping sauces. This will be the house specialty for now! Yippeedeedooo!
oh yes! I was ecstatic when I found out that there is a new proper ramen joint in the West side of Singapore! ya lah like Singapore is damn big like that.... but its a big deal when the ramen withdrawal symptoms gets bad and there are only Ajisen-Ajisen-Ajisen-Ajisen-AND-fricken-Ajisen, Ramen Ramen and Menichi... I'd rather pop open a pack of expensive Sanyo Ramen Hakata Tonkotsu, at least the soup taste right!
Yoshimaru Ramen(Managed by Jumbo Seafood in Singapore) originated from Hakata, Kyushu is now available right in the smack of parking hell... Holland Village. Found out that Hakata style ramen are typically very thin ramen almost like them wanton noodles and not the curly ones I had from Sanyo! Oh well learn something new each day.
Read more here....
I had but of course the Hakata Ramen. It was pretty all right. The noodles were firm and chewy, pretty much like a thinner version of Ajisen's ramen(The only saving grace of Ajisen IMHO) and the soup is rich from all the collagen extracted from pork bones. The ni tamago(seasoned egg) was delicious and charsu pretty all right. Its of the pork belly kind. However, yes... however, being a big fan of Santouka's tonkotsu broth, I must say that Yoshimaru's tonkotsu is a bit one dimensional. Santouka's tonkotsu has many layers of flavour the keeps my taste buds in hyperdrive. Oh and I personally feel that Yoshimaru's level of saltiness is tweaked for the local taste buds aka... not salty enough! :P
That said, I'd love to pop by every now and then into the depths of parking hell called Holland Village and have a pipping hot bowl of ramen at Yoshimaru.
They're now having a preopening discount of 25% before service charge and GST, so bargain hunters... go get em!
Yoshimaru Ramen Bar
31 Lorong Liput Holland Village
Singapore 277742
Tel: 64633132
Fax: 64664522
www.youshimaruramen.com.sg
Opening hours:
Weekdays and Sunday: 1100 - 2300
Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays: 1100 - 0100
Oh hai... got this from Meidiya... 5 packs of ramen for fricken $8.65. Better be worth it!
So its Hakata Tonkotsu style yeah.... instant Tonkotsu? hmmmm....
The packaging looks very convincing...
Ok lah not too bad! Meat balls and sesame seed sold separately! :P
Sake! Oh the lovely delicate aroma, soft and luscious. I'm beginning to appreciate sake more these days as I'm predominantly a beer brewer/drinker. Bad for my wallet but oh hell why not. Life's little pleasures!
Hakutsuru draught sake, which is what they'll call table sake to what table wine is to the wine world. I'm a noob in both departments so I'm learning and groping along the way.
This is relatively an easy drinker, pleasant and just goes down like water. I do not have any good vocabulary in describing sake now but it seems like what it is easy to drink like store bought draught beer.
Very happy with the ciabatta this time.
I've been playing around with Benoit Hogue's Ciabatta recipe @ Allrecipes.com for a while and baked a loaf that I'm pretty much pleased with. Love the holey crumb, great for picking up olive oil and balsamic vinegar!
I changed the process a little bit using the no knead method but did not change the ingredients at all.
Ciabatta(Benoit Hogue@All Recipes) (My notes in italics.)
INGREDIENTS
Sponge
* 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
* 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1/3 cup warm water
* 1 cup bread flour
Bread dough
* 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
* 2 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2/3 cup warm water
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cups bread flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
DIRECTIONS
1. To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then over bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
(I used a plastic container with a lid for this and let it ferment in the kitchen at room temperature for up to 24 hours. The sponge smells sour, so its OK, don't bin it!)
2. To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
(I added in the water and the milk into the sponge and stir up the sponge, followed by everything else. Stirred it up a bit till it is well mixed. The consistency is pretty sticky than other bread doughs.)
3. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.)
(Left it in the plastic container to rise for around 2-4 hours. I didn't time myself. After that I just dump the container into the fridge and shape the dough the next day.)
Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
(I prepared a sheet of parchment paper and spread evenly around 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto the surface. Poured the dough on the parchment paper and flatten it a bit to almost rectangular but try not to squeeze out all the air. I used the oiled parchment paper as an aid to fold the dough like a letter. Lift the top portion of the paper and fold in the dough 1/3 and followed by the bottom 1/3. The olive oil and parchment paper makes it so easy! I tried folding wet doughs with "very well floured kitchen" and it was a bloody mess! Let the loaf rise till double the bulk.)
4. At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
(I preheat the oven with the baking tray in the middle and another smaller stainless steel tray on the base for steam)
5. Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves on a wire rack.
(I used a thin IKEA plastic cutting board to scoop the loaf and then slide it onto the HOT baking tray. Careful not to touch the plastic to any hot surface! Poured a cup of water into the bottom tray and let it sizzle.)
Makan'ed with a group of old friends at Two Chefs about a week ago. Heard/read/saw this place quite often in blogs, newspaper and TV shows(I think). It was already packed when I got there and thank goodness keropokman was there to "chop" a table.
First we had 2 portions of their cold blood cockles with a very nice tangy soy sauce based dressing, with chopped garlic, spring onion and cili padi. The sauce reminded me something of those store bought Japanese seasoning. The best dish of the night! I'd go back and devour a few more. :P
Then came the Butter Pork Ribs. Its another one of the recommended dish here. Taste great if you like buttery stuff and the pork was well tenderized with baking soda. However this dish can get quite jelak once it turns cold as with any other butter based dishes.
Honey chicken that is well marinated. Pretty good but not to my palate that night. I dunno why. Maybe its just honey chicken.
3 eggs with Kau Kee vegetable otherwise known as Matrimony Vine which I think is another name for Goji Berry/Wolfberry plant leaves. Ahh learn something new each day. Always love this dish. Nom nom nom nom nom....
Fried Yam Fries! Too much starch for the night! Pretty nice if you like yam as the yam they use is quite fluffy, probably of the Thai variety.
Cereal prawns. OK lah as I prefer my cereal prawns to be more heavy handed in curry leaves and chilli padi. They used pretty large prawns and was succulent and fresh.
I thought their chilli crabs were a bit on the sweet side. Definitely tasted better versions else where. Consolation is the crabs were fresh with the white firm flesh separating easily from the shell.
Two Chefs is located at one of the 4 corners of coffee shops at Commonwealth Crescent otherwise known as Tanglin Halt "Chap Lak Lau"(16 storey in Hokkien).
Two Chefs,
Blk 116 Commonwealth Crescent,
#01-129
Singapore 140116
Tel: 64725361, 94379712
