DIY QQ ball/taro ball

not sure if you guys like to eat QQ ball or taiwan yam ball, it's quite a favourite of mine.... recently i saw the recipe online so i decide to give it a shot...

ingredients:
yam300g
tapioca starch 100g (3:1 ratio)

sweet potato  800g
tapioca starch   400g (2:1 ratio)
 

tapioca starch

as stated by online recipe, you need to use tapioca starch or else you wont have the chewy, QQ taste

Direction:

Step 1: Steam sweet potato/ yam till soft....

before steaming

after steaming

it is important that the veggie are steam thoroughly or else you will have a hard time mashing them up....

Step 2: mash up & add starch

mash it up

add starch

Step 3: mix thoroughly.... if the dough is too dry then add water till you can form a smooth dough but not sticky

sweet potato dough

yam dough

Step 4: take a small portion of the dough, roll & cut into small cubes

cut into cubes

Step 5: bring a pot of water to boil before adding in the QQ balls..... cook for additional 1 min after the balls start to float

boiling

boiled

Step 6: drain out QQ ball & put inside ice water... this step will make the balls extra chewy & not stick together..

cool in ice water

Step 7: serve QQ ball with grass jelly or simply season with syrup

final product

if you cant finish the whole dough, coat the QQ balls with tapioca starch & freeze them (DONT cook them & keep cause they will stick)... you can keep the frozen balls for quite awhile =)

coated QQ balls

frozen QQ balls

tokutokuya at kallang leisure mall

today i went to kallang leisure mall with mama for some cooking lesson & after lesson, i noticed this shop which sell household stuff so decided to check it out.... at the first glance, i thought it was Daiso since i saw some $2 posters on the glass panels but the name is different, it's tokutokuya.....

tokutokuya

i believed its idea is very similar to Daiso whereby most of the items are priced at $2 unless otherwise stated.... its range of items are very similar to Daiso but with some interesting additions....

lunch boxes

cooking pots

stack-able storage for veggie

pottery

more bowls

food

drinks

for those Daiso fans, i believed you will be super tempted by the range of products over here.... i was so excited when i saw the variety of bowls to choose from.... but what caught my attention was THIS!!!!

calpis

CALPIS!!!!! i totally LOVE this drink!!!! everytime when i go japan, i will definitely buy afew to drink during the trip & also stock up some to bring back to SG!!!! i know the japanese supermarket also sell calpis but a 1.5L bottle cost at least $8 or even more... but here it only cost $2!!!! OMG!!!! $2!!!! can you imagine how excited i was!?!?!??!?!

loot for the day

so of cause i bought my favourite calpis.... i would say the taste isnt the same as what i drank in japan but good enough for $2.... i also gotten this round ice mould, so that can make the famous droplet cake..... so do drop by this amazing shop & be surprise by the items which you can find =)

chocolate cornflakes cookies

*back dated entry*

i believed this snack is no stranger to most people & it's super easy to prepare which makes it a popular snack during chinese new year =)

ingredients (makes ~40 cookies):
dark chocolate 200g
cornflakes    2cups
unsalted butter   50g
nuts/sprinkles   optional

directions:

Step 1: melt chocolate & butter over double boiler (pot of hot water).... although i read on some sites that it doesnt matter if the water touches bottom of your bowl, i prefer not to = just let the steam melt your chocolate.... here i used dark chocolate cause i dont want the snacks to be too sweet... i have also added some butter to reduce the viscosity so that it will be easier to mix....

melting chocolate & butter

Step2: after the chocolate + butter mixture has melted... let it cool down slightly before adding cornflakes...

mixing in cornflakes

Step3: scoop the chocolate cornflakes into paper holder.... i used the 2cm diameter holder which allows me to make ~40 cookies.... you can top it up with some sprinkles or chopped nuts... finally put the cookies in fridge for about 30min & you can enjoy =)

final product

oven & fried chicken

*back dated entry*

my friend love to eat fried chicken so she recommended us to try out this oven & fried chicken during our meetup.... she read good reviews online about this shop so we just give it a go....

Oven & fried chicken
82 Telok Ayer Street, S068630
Tel. 6222-5959

oven & fried chicken

 the restaurant is located along the shop houses, the nearest MRT station should be Telok Ayer & it took us about 10min walk to reach that shops.... actually you will see other korean restaurants along the way so dont wander off if you want to try this shop..... the menu is pretty limited = all fried chicken with some slightly different seasoning....

fried potatoes

fried chicken with some rice crisp

fried chicken with soy sauce

these were the food we ordered.... i would say the chicken were really nice.... very crispy & quite nicely seasoned.... personally i prefer the rice crisp chicken over the soy sauce cause latter was too salty for me.... for the 3 dishes it cost about $60 after all the ++, which is sufficient for 3 person..... i would say the price isnt too expensive since four fingers cost about that range & the taste isnt as good.... however, the restaurant is more like a bar so most customers tend to drink = end up talking very loud... so if you want to have a quiet chill out place then its definitely not the place for you.... if possible, try to make a reservation beforehand since it's a popular restaurant & it's really hard to get seats during meal time =)

Happy new year!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! OMG!!! it's so fast that one year had flew by us!!!! had been really busy the passed few months which resulted in the slow updates.... just a quick heads up about what i will be back-dating my posts = what I have been doing for the passed months.... of cause will continue with my home renovation, FINALLY moved into our new home, some useful furniture which we bought & last but not least our japan 2015-2016 trip =) stay tune for the updates =)

useful household items & decoration

*back dated entry*

after shifting into our new place, i started to buy other household items... so want to share some of the useful purchases which i have gotten =)

self assembly rack

washer rack

this rack may look simple but is really useful especially when you have a small service yard & you dont have space to drill any shelves above the washer.... you can put extra plastic bags, washing powder, etc on the racks... gotten it from this seller @ $51.9 (include shipping)... is abit pricey but i think is really useful....

slim trolley

fit into small space

this slim trolley is another handy item.... gotten this from Qoo10 with width of 13cm, you can also get similar trolley from NTUC with width of 19cm..... this is especially useful when you want to make full use every single inch of space you have .... gotten from this seller @ $21.6 (include postage)

next up is laundry rack.... since trivelis doesnt come with any drying rack in the service yard & there is absolutely no space to install any in that  tiny space, your best friend will be mobile drying rack.... i gotten 2 different types of racks....

laundry rack #1

i think most people are familiar with this kind of rack, they are useful but i felt it takes longer to dry clothes since there will be limited ventilation... but it's definitely a good option for drying towels.... gotten from this seller @ $47.7 (include postage)

laundry rack #2

i also gotten this 2 poles style drying rack.... gotten from this seller @ #33.8 (include postage).... with the poles i can hang my clothes to dry using hangers.... this is also good for drying bedsheets....

next up, i wanted to give the house abit more lively feel so i bought some stickers from taobao to decorate my place..... of cause you can buy them in SG but will cost more & lesser options for you to choose from....

kitchen

toilet #1

toilet #2

since all the walls are of uniform coloured tiles, i created the "mosaic" effect by pasting a roll of stickers.... you can see the difference..... similarly, by pasting some stickers on the shower glass, it will brighten up the place...

kitchen door

since the bloody window grill guy told me that he doesnt do any design for the PD door, i just paste cute stickers on them so that it doesnt look so dull.....

i think pasting such deco stickers is a an easy way to brighten up your home... you dont have to go through the trouble of doing major renovation & if you get bored of the stickers, you can simply replace them with new ones =)

racks in bomb shelter

*back dated entry*

i think the term bolt less metal racks shouldnt be stranger to most people... i think it is a better choice compared to the usual metal + wooden plank rack as the racks can withstand heavier weight & wont rust though more expensive.... mama recommended me this store for metal rack since she was quite happy with their services...

Bcreative
Tel: 6844 1321

this is the pamphlet, no company name or address... if it isnt because i issue cheque payment, i wouldnt have known the company name..... the price & size stated are fixed = they dont do custom made racks.... mama recommend the 84" high rack since you will make full use of the space which is also what i have gotten...

metal racks

 i gotten 5 levels for 36" rack & 4 levels for 48" rack cause i want to put my luggage below it... total price = $380 & the whole assembly took about 30min.... i would say is a reasonable price, so can consider this company =)