Savour Din Tai Fungs Delicious yet Healthy Classics Plus Complimentary Famous Amos Christmas Cookies Gift Set While Stocks Last

As year-end festive season approaching, Din Tai Fung is also one of the favourite dining place for family gathering or celebratory meal. And from 01 November to 31 December 2012, Din Tai Fung diners will receive an exclusive complimentary box of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies (150g) with a minimum spending of S$98.00, or S$88.00 for Citibank Cardmembers.

This redeemable Famous Amos Cookies come in two different festive packaging such as the "Red Pyramid Gift Box" (shown on the 1st photo) which secured with a golden ribbon (worth S$10.00, while stocks last). Alternatively there is also another endearing square "Bear Tin"(above, worth S$11.50) which would be available only after the red pyramid gift box is fully redeemed.

Beside the cookies promotion, there are about 30% of Din Tai Fung dishes being certified as ‘Healthier Choices’ by the Health Promotion Board. So below are some of the dishes that I would like to share with you from their Healthy Signature Classics which our family love.

First on the list is definitely they well-known Steamed Pork Dumplings which is also known as Xiao Long Bao - 小笼包  (S$6.80 for 6 pieces / S$9.50 for 10 pieces). As we all know their Xiao long Bao is made with flavoursome minced pork which wrapped in delicate dough skin with at least 18 exquisite folds. I love the bites with each mouthful of juicy meat filling and melt-in-your-mouth skin.

Next as a soup lover, their new Truffle Chicken Soup (S$19.80 per serving) taste awesome with aroma of the truffles which is strong but not overpowering making it a bonus point to enhance the taste of the chicken broth. This new dish is available in a limited quantity per day at Din Tai Fung outlets such as Marina Bay Sands, Paragon, 112 Katong and Resorts World Sentosa.

Lastly, if you love the combination of beef and noodles I am assure you would like this Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup With Beef Brisket (S$11.00 per serving). The meat used is of the less fatty portion of the beef and it is also prepared by steaming to retain the flavours of the dish which makes it a healthier choice. I also love the broth which is prepared using fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomato puree which makes it taste better in both flavour and taste.

* All related photos in this post credited to Touch Communications and Din Tai Fung but review of the dishes are on my own preference and thoughts.

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Halloween Trick or Treat Broccoli And Spinach Soup Graveyard Fried Rice Plus Apple Banana And Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Halloween is just a week from now and we are so excited about this weekend Angry Bird Halloween Party at Sentosa. For the past two years I have shared some Halloween themed dishes and treats which you could read more here. Although what I did this year was rather simple as compared to last year, but after all we do enjoy the process on preparing the food and etc on a raining cozy evening.

This year, we are having Spooky Broccoli Soup which served together with Graveyard Fired Rice and Bloody Smoothie.

BROCCOLI AND SPINACH SOUP
(Using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender)

We do love western cream soup especially Cream of Pumpkin and Cream of Mushroom but I always put it off the menu lists because of the steps plus blending of the soup which I find it too troublesome as compared to our Asian boiled soup.  Till recently when I received an amazing gift from friend which is the new Cuisinart Hot and Cold Blender (read more here) it actually inspired me to cook western soup again.

This innovative blender actually cook and blend soup within a few steps. It is so easy to use and all you required is to add in the necessary ingredients, set the timer, press a few buttons and after which you would enjoy a bowl of delicious soup, porridge or dessert in a breeze.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes |  Cooking: 25 - 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
300g Broccoli, cut into small florets
2 Potatoes (200g), peeled and cubes
50g Spinach Leaves, roughly chopped
1 Small Brown Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Knob (15g) Of Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
750ml 7500ml Hot Chicken/Vegetable Stock
1/3 (90g) Cup Greek Yogurt / Light Sour Cream
Some Crusty Bread to Serve

Method:-
1. Place butter and olive oil (butter should be on the heating plate rather than on the blades) in Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender. Set timer to 25 minutes and melt butter on LOW heat.

2. Add onion, garlic and cook until softened, press the STIR button (on the right side) to stir the mixture regularly to avoid burning.

3. Through the hole on the press-on lid,  add potato, broccoli and hot stock into the glass jug and bring it to boil using HIGH heat. (it takes about 2 - 3 minutes)

4. Change to SIMMER and cook the mixture until the last 2 minutes, add in spinach and continue to cook until end of the cycle.

5. Once everything is cooked, blend on LEVEL 1 until smooth.

6. Pour soup between serving bowls and serve with a dollar of Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream together with crusty bread.

This year our Halloween Spooky Soup is no longer using "pumpkin" but instead we go for something "green" which are Broccoli and Spinach.  Although I love broccoli soup but I have never tried adding spinach in it till this recipe as I wanted to obtain a darker green colour for the soup.

Surprisingly it taste good without that "leafy" taste from the spinach and together with my little boy we also decorated the soup with some Greek yogurt to resemble  spooky ghosts.

GRAVEYARD FRIED RICE
(Using Seahs Singapore Fried Rice Spices)

Since it was a rainy day that evening we decided to have some fried rice to go with the soup instead of the usually spaghetti. And the Seahs Singapore Fried Rice spices that I have comes in handy for this dish as it makes a good seasoning and flavour for the plain rice. And in order to create the Halloween spooky theme, we also decorate the fried rice with sausages, egg , cucumber, jelly worms and etc.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Packet of Seahs Singapore Fried Rice Spices
800g Cooked Rice, around 2.5 rice cooker cup uncooked rice
1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
2 Garlic Cloves, crashed
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
Some Cooking Wine
Some chopped Spring Onion
12 Japanese Chicken Sausages
4 Eggs

Method:
1. Boiled or Grilled the sausages, set aside. Fry sunny side-up eggs individually and set aside too.

2. Add oil in preheat wok, saute garlic till fragrant before stirring in the mixed frozen vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add cooked rice and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Gradually add in Seahs spices into the fried rice according to your taste (you might not need the whole packet), stir well, drizzle some cooking wine and continue to stir-fry for another 1/2 minutes.

5. Remove, garnish with prepared sausages, egg and etc shown above. Serve hot.

APPLE AND BANANA SMOOTHIE
(Using Cuisinart Hot and Cold Blender)

As for the beverage of the day, we decided to go for two colour tones smoothie whereby I blend the Apple, Banana and Milk for the white tone and Red Dragon Fruit puree for the purplish red tone. And we love the refreshing fruity combination.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 30 minutes freezing | Blending: 2 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 - 3 Frozen Banana, skin remove and cut into chunks
2 Green Apples, skin removed and cut into cubes
1 Cup (250ml) Fresh Milk
1/4 Cup Ice Cubes, optional
1/2 Red Colour Dragon Fruit(pitaya), skin removed cut into chunks

Method:-
1. Put frozen banana, apple, fresh milk and ice cubes (if using) into the blender jug.

2. Fix the lid on and blend on LEVEL 4 for about 1 minute or until smooth.

3. Fill 4 tall serving glass half full, add some dragon fruit puree (shown below) and continue to fill up the glasses with remaining smoothie.

4. Swirl the mixture and decorate with some Halloween treats and serve immediately.

5. To prepare the Dragon Fruit Puree: Blend half of the Dragon Fruit on LEVEL 4 for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into bowl and set aside while preparing the smoothie. 

Till then have a great Halloween Party and do share with us if you have any good ideas on preparing Halloween dishes and bakes too!

"SAVOUR THE GOOD LIFE"
Soup Making Competition

Photo credits to ToTT.

Lastly just to share a quick finding, while searching for more information and cooking tips on this new Cuisinart blender, I happened to read about this Soup Making Competition (here) which is organised by ToTT and  Cuisinart where you could stand a chance to travel to Hong Kong to compete for the grand prize . Sounds good right?

To participate:-
~  First form teams of TWOS;

~ Submit a RECIPE as well as a PHOTO of the soup dish together with both full names, mobile numbers, NRIC numbers, and addresses, via email to pr@tottstore.com by 31 October 2012.

~ Recipes should serve up to 5 portions and must incorporate the use of Cuisinart’s Hot And Cold Blender.

~ It should also take no longer than 45 minutes to prepare.

To find out more about this competition you could visit ToTT Facebook Page for details. Good Luck everyone!

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A Day At The Universal Studios Singapore plus Halloween Horror Night Preview

Universal Studios Singapore - 新加坡环球影城(USS) is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island. The park had its soft opening period from 18 March to 26 October 2011 and its official Grand Opening was held earlier this year on 28 May 2011. For your information USS park contain 7 themed zones such as:- Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar all based on Universal movie hits and etc.

Since this week the lower primary are having a 4 day school break before the end year school exam I decided to bring my boy to USS as a study-break. He has being wanting to explore more and excited about those rides ever since our 1st visit last year during the After-Hour night visit(read more HERE).

HOLLYWOOD

When you first step beyond the entrance of the USS, greeting you will be the grant "Hollywood" street framed by dynamic architecture, palm trees and the famous Walk of FameTM that makes you will feel as thought you have landed in the center of the entertainment universe. If you wish to grab hold of some souvenir before heading back, remember to drop by the "Universal Studios Store" along this street for some themed collectibles, toys and apparel.

You can use any MasterCard to purchase your admission tickets in order to enjoy 20% off One-Day tickets any day of the week when you book online or purchase on-site(After discount our weekday ticket rate: Adult: S$52.80, Kid: S$38.40)! On top of that you will also receive a S$10 retail voucher and etc. Promotion ends at 18 November 2011, more detail, HERE.

MADAGASCAR

Our 1st stop is at Madagascar: A Crate Adventure where we get to board an indoor river boat ride with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, the four heroes from blockbuster movie Madagascar. Very fun and relaxing boat ride which suits kid even for the age of 3 - 4 years old with accompany adult(s).

After the boat ride you can catch up with the Madagascar Boogie just outside Penguins Mercantile at specify showtimes such as:- 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

At the same street in the Madagascar zone,  King Julien and the Lemurs are throwing a party for their favorite freaks from New York: Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe at the all time family Carousel - King Juliens Beach Party-Go-Round. This is sure a catch for kids and adults of all ages where you can either ride and spins round and round with those cartoon characters.

FAR FAR AWAY

Movie stars, talking donkeys.…the land of Far Far Away showcases lifestyles of the rich and fairy taled whereby you will attracted by this unique castle which is the landmark of USS too. Here you can to enjoy Shred 4-D Adventure where you can see, hear and FEEL the action right from your seat such as water, hairy spiders, wind and etc. My boy and I have great fun and excitement watching this short movie.

Other than the delicious homemade recipe with 7-spice chicken at Goldilocks Restaurants (we had kiddy meal - criss-cross fries, dino nuggets and regular size drink S$9.50 serve in a cute portable lunchbox) you can also pop over to Fairy Godmothers Juice Bar to get some unique concoction of clourful elixirs at the juice bar. 

THE LOST WORLD

After lunch we move on to the next destination at "The Lost World" where we hurried ourselves to the 1.00pm showtime(showtimes: check the daily schedule for actual timing) at Water World. This is a must watch live entertaining show where we can witness a tidal wave of death-defying stunts, along with thrills and spills from real explosions of fire and water based on the blockbuster film, "Waterworld". But beware sitting at the center area or first few rows at the sides as you might get wet due to the splashing of water during the show.

Currently the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure is NOT available as it is undergoing enhancement works from 10 August 2011 early 2012. So with 1 attraction down we are left with Canopy Flyer, Dino-Soarin and Amber Rock Climb. My boy loves to ride on the Canopy Flyer whereby he is not afraid of height and turns but this ride leaving mummy with wobbly feet and butterfly stomach.

Dino-Soarin can be fun too as it attracted a lot of adults in all ages whereby you ride on the back of flying dinosaurs called Pteranodons, soaring up into the sky or plunging down into the shadows.

ANCIENT EGYPT

In order to skip the long queue over at Canopy Flyer at The Lost World, we thought of heading towards the Ancient Egypt Zone and take a look before popping by to join the queue. There are total of two rides focusing Revenge of the Mummy as the main attraction and Treasure Hunters on the other hand which is more child friendly ride for the family. The Revenge of the Mummy ride is a psychological thrill ride where the roller coaster travel through a pitch black building leaving you clueless as to where you are going and what is going to happen ahead.

After asking around and seeing the some photos taken at the photo booth from the rides, we decided to give this ride a pass and head on to the "Treasure Hunters" which is a relax jeep ride which is more suitable for us. Furthermore, each young kid will be presented with a Treasure Hunters License Certifies as souvenir too.

SCI-FI CITY

With a choice of either Human or Cylon at this Sci-Fi City riders on both coasters will experience unbelievable thrills as they race towards each other and nearly collide! Zooming at speeds of 82.8 km/h, the Human Viper Mark II is a seated coaster that propels riders up to 14 storeys into the air whereas they Cylon raiders is a suspended roller coaster that will turn your world upside down as it runs through a vertical loop, corkscrew and cobra roll. Imagine with all the turns and loops....this is definitely not my cup of tea. But are you brave enough to take the challenge!!!

Giving out on the roller coasters, my boy and I decided to test our intergalactic stamina while being madly spinning on the whirling twirling attraction known as Accelerator. These individual similar "merry-go-round" ride is so fun and thrilling leaving us screaming in excitement through out the ride.   

NEW YORK

At about 4pm we are already hungry from our earlier lunch-break over at Goldilocks Restaurant mentioned above. So we decided to stop by the recommended Louis NY Pizza Parlor to have a quick bite. As it was very pretty late in the afternoon there arent much choices left on the shelf. Here we grab the "1 Slice Pizza Set" which comes with 1 slice of your desire pizza(i choose Tandoori), 1 dessert(either Panna cotta or Cheesecake) together with a cup of regular size soft drink at S$13.80.

As you can see the slice of pizza was quite big which is about the serving of 2 normal slices of pizza that we used to have. I love the thin and crusty base with topped with tender and flavorsome tandoori chicken, green chilli and well-blend seasonings. Worth trying this set especially with a cup of yummy Panna Cotta as dessert before heading to our show over at the opposite street at "Lights, Camera, Action!" where we get to witness the stage setting with awesome sound effect on a major hurricane hitting New York City. 

After a fun-filled day at the theme park, here is the crumbled map with marking on all the attractions that we have survive through. Friendly speaking other than the "roller coasters" I guess most of the attractions are still very family oriental where most of the family members can participate with.

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

This October if you are looking for some terrified event for your Halloween Night, do consider joining this 1st Halloween Horror Nights in Universal Studios Singapore, Resort World Sentosa(Date: 21 - 23, 27-30 October 2011, Time: 8.00pm - 12 Midnight). These are some of the scenes from few of the 6 scare-zones that you will encountered during the event.

The highlights of this event are such as haunted Peranakan house to face the Vengeance of the Matriarch, Mutated zombies roam for blood in a Post-Apocalyptic Rage, Mad Scientist stalks unsuspecting victims in The Void and etc... More details of the event and ticketing information can be found HERE. Enjoy and have a fright night.

More photos of the USS trip can be found at HERE at Cuisine Paradise facebook page.

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Mid Autumn At Swensens plus Giveaway

Photo credited to Swensens

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with cool Swensen’s ice cream mooncakes that comes in six authentic flavors.  This year, let these sweet affair at both Swensens and Earle Swensens filled you with mouth-watering Swensen’s signature smooth and full dairy ice creams which encased in a unique pastry skin.

In addition, their special Disney ice cream mooncakes are back again this year which I am sure it will bound to be a winner especially for the little ones.

Photo credited to Swensens

These cool ice cream mooncakes are presented in an elegant keepsake box that featured the unique Swensen’s Tiffany lamp designs which we all familiar with. And these delightful ice cream mooncakes also come in a box of four (S$29.80 per box / S$8.60 per piece), with a choice of six delicious flavours shown below which you can mix-and-match:-

~ Strawberry Fields Forever
~ Durian Royale
~ Yummy Yam
~ Sticky Chewy Chocolate
~ Cookies N Cream Dreams
~ Mocha Almond Delight

Photo credited to Swensens

As for Disney fans or parents with kiddo, you can consider to get a box of this adorable Mickey Ice Cream Mooncakes (S$16.90 per box) which is available exclusively at Swensen’s. These mooncakes come in a box of two, with a choice of  either Strawberry Fields Forever and Sticky Chewy Chocolate (or you can also request for one flavour each).

And furthermore, these Disney ice cream mooncakes are thoughtfully packaged in a unique and colourful Mickey die-cut box that features attractive printouts which is perfect for the young ones to keep as a memento.

GIVEAWAY

Swensens Ice Cream Mooncakes

Photo credited to Swensens

So if you are a Swensens ice cream fans who love to try their signature smooth full dairy ice creams which encased in a unique pastry skin. Here is your chance, I would be giving away a box (4 regular ice cream mooncakes) of Swensens Ice Cream Mooncakes to ONE lucky reader;

To win:

1. Like the Swensens Ice Cream Mooncakes photo on Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page, AND
2. Leave a comment on the Facebook photo, name TWO flavours of  Swensens Ice Cream Mooncakes (clue:- answer can be found in this post).

Closing Date: 29 July 2012 (Sunday), 9pm.

*only for readers living in Singapore*

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Angel Hair Pasta And Fried Rice Using Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce Plus Giveaways

With more than 120 years of history and relentless efforts in quality and innovation, Lee Kum Lee (李锦记) has became a well-known household brand as well as in the kitchens of many best gourmet restaurants. Today you can also find Lee Kum Kee products in most Asian or Local supermarkets worldwide with their featured range of products.

Do you know, Lee Kum Lee has over 200 sauces and condiments available worldwide with the common one such as their Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce and Convenience Sauce. Above are some of my favourite Convenience Sauce which I always keep stock in my pantry in order to whip up delicious and fast free homecook dishes.

Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce is an all purpose condiment made from finest ingredients such as dried scallop, dried shrimp, red chill pepper and spices. It can be a delicious appetizer by itself or use as an addition to dishes such as Chinese dim sum, noodles, porridge and etc. Furthermore XO Sauce is also ideal for cooking meats, vegetables, tofu, fried rice and even pasta.

Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce comes in either XO Sauce (Regular) or XO Sauce (Extra Hot) in both 80g or 200g to suit individual preference.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH XO SAUCE AND CRISPY WHITEBAITS

A week ago, I received some complimentary Lee Kum Kee products because I could not make it for their "Fast, Fresh And Simple Contemporary Cooking with Lee Kum Kee" workshop which was held at Cookyn Inc.  To find out more about this event and some quick recipes using Lee Kum Kee, you could check Melissa (HERE) and ShiTing (HERE) posts.

And with a recipe booklet that comes together in the goodie bag, I decided to try the most simplest and foolproof  pasta dish for our lunch.

Recipe adapted and modify from Lee Kum Kee Contemporary Cooking Workshop

(Serves: 2 - 3 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 250g Dried Angel Hair Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Spring Onions,
• Some Chopped Coriander Leaves, optional
• Some Fried Whitebaits

Method:-
1. Follow the packaging instruction, blanch pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Remove and drain well.

2. Preheat frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, saute garlic till fragrant, stir in XO Sauce and cook for a few seconds.

3. Turn Off the heat, toss in cooked pasta, chopped coriander and toss well.

4. Divide the pasta into serving plates, top with extra XO sauce, spring onion and crispy whitebaits. Serve immediately. (if the taste is a bit bland to your liking, you can season it with some Lee Kum Kee First Draw Soy Sauce to enhance the flavour)

FRIED RICE WITH XO SAUCE

Other than the pasta dish, I also used the XO Sauce to prepare a simple fried rice together with some sweetcorn kernels, green peas and egg. Honestly I am not a fan for fried rice and I usually dont order fried rice when I eat out as I find it rather "over-price" for just rice and a few little shrimps or some diced char siew (BBQ pork).

This fried rice used similar ingredients as the "pasta dish" above and with the additions of the XO sauce it actually enhance the flavour of the rice and give it a full wrap up!

(Serves: 2   | Preparation: 5 minutes  |   Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce
• 2 Servings (from 1 cup uncook rice) of Cooked Brown Rice
• 2 Tablespoons Of Cooking Oil
• 1/4 Cup Sweetcorn Kernels
• 1/4 Cup Green Peas
• 3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Teaspoon Belacan Chilli, optional
• Some Fried Whitebaits

Method:-
1. Preheat oil in frying pan, saute garlic until fragrant. Add sweetcorn kernels and green peas, stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

2. Add cooked rice (room temperature or straight from the fridge), using the back of the spatula or wooden spoon flatten the rice clusters so that the grains are separated.

3. Add XO sauce and belacan chilli, keep stirring till the rice is evenly coated with the sauce.

4. Next slowly swirl in beaten egg mixture over the rice and use high heat to fry the rice until dry.

5. Season with some freshly ground black pepper and stir in handful of fried whitebaits. Give the mixture a quick toss, remove and serve with extra spoon of XO sauce for strong flavour.

LEE KUM KEE GOODIE BAGS TO BE WON

Thanks to Lee Kum Kee (李锦记), I am giving away a set of the above "Lee Kum Kee Goodie Bag" (consists of  1 bottle of First Draw Soy Sauce, Chiu Chow Chili Oil, Hoisin Sauce and  XO Sauce) to 3 lucky readers. Prizes will be delivered to you by Lee Kum Kee after the giveaway ended.

To win:

1. Like the the above Lee Kum Kee Goodie Bag photo on Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page, AND

2. Leave a comment on the facebook photo stating a creative dish that you would make using the Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce.

OR

~ DOUBLE UP your "winning" chance by uploading a photo of your homecook dish using any of the Lee Kum Kee products on Cuisine Paradise facebook wall.

Example:- Soy Sauce, Lemon Chicken Sauce, Black Bean sauce and etc.

Closing Date: 15 September 2012 (Saturday), 9.00pm.
*only for readers living in Singapore*

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