Since my wake-up call a few years ago, I've been committed to eating healthily. Not the kind of being strict to myself and forgetting about enjoying comfort food and being explorative. I simply need adjustment and be mindful of what I'm eating. Now I'm taking ballet class, full time work, teaching, horse riding lesson, and other classes I usually take---so it's a lot and I need enough energy, nutrients, and fiber.

Red wine is still vegan, right?

Before I'm learning my way to love and appreciate Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese food, I had the pleasure of a big plate of Thai Garlic Steamed Fish. I don't know what exactly the name is, but it was wonderful. Salty, sweet, peppery sauce on soft white fish. It was at this fancy restaurant in Jakarta where my family and I always went to every time we were craving to eat Thai when I was kid.

Last year, I had a sudden business trip to Bangkok. It was my second time in Thailand, while my first time was a 6-hour transit before heading to Paris. But during this business trip, I discovered some restaurants serving authentic and fusion Thai cuisine where I'd like to try again when I have the chance to go back. Well, I'm dying to go back there again. And I have a Thai colleague who is avid in cooking. He even could spot my photo I showed him if my homemade Pad Thai wasn't using Tamarind sauce. Isn't it cool?

As I just recovered from paratyphoid fever, I needed something light and yummy. I still I can't eat much and lack of appetite. This recipe is a saviour. So, I'm sharing this Thai Ginger Steamed Fish recipe to you, using my small oven. My steamer is even smaller as this dory fillet couldn't fit in. 

Ingredients:

1-2 fish fillet(s) --- any white fish, mine is Dory

Sauce:

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 - 3 ginger, thinly slice

3 - 4 red chili slice

250 ml chicken stock

3 soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil

white pepper

Bake or steam the fish with:

Green onion, chopped

Cilantro

Black Pepper

Chili slices

It was one fine revelation where I read in an article about someone's favorite authors. I was 15, and I just found my new love of reading. I didn't know where to start. But life throws curveballs at you and you go where it takes you. I need guidance on what to read first, reading that article is just a fun way life plays to give you a hint. That hint remarkably changed my life. It took me to Paulo Coelho.

Some of my Coelho's collections

Since the quarantine due to Covid19, I have many travel plans altered. One of them is to revisit Singapore some time this year. If you read my previous post on my visit to Books Actually (if you haven't, click here) you know I'd like to go there again to shop more. But for now, booksactually.com has the solution for all of us, Jakartans.

This is a family recipe. Some of my friends never heard of it, some others have (with a slight difference). But I've been growing up eating this dish, whenever we ran out of ideas of what to eat, whenever I'm feeling unwell, or when I'm too hungry to wait any longer. Let me introduce you to... Egg Soup! I'm sharing this recipe, as this is quick to do. It is also a warm comforting dish suitable when you're not feeling great, for example, if you're having a tummy ache, GERD comes back, etc. I made a video showing the original recipe, but actually, you could use a little creativity by adding other ingredients that go well with it. It could with corn kernels, sausages, spinach, milk, or chicken fillet.

I was craving something savory yet light, that I can store in the fridge for some time and just fry it quickly whenever I'm hungry. So croquettes then! This isn't an original recipe, of course. Croquette usually made from potato being mashed and formed into a ball-shaped dough, combined with beef mince, diced carrot, and chopped vermicelli---That's how I first tasted croquettes in my family culture.

I've been using FirstMedia service for foreign channel access and internet providers for years, which means a lot of encounters with sad disconnections along the way so far. With the strong bond I have for internet-powered entertainment and my dis-attachment from living room (and my bedroom that has no TV), HBO and I went apart. I had to find ways to catch up awesome HBO shows on the internet using VPN. Now HBO GO has arrived and it's time to reconnect our long-lost friendship.