When I don't know what to cook... I made Black Olive Fried Rice

I'm sometimes an impromptu person, who doesn't really like to plan where I'm going or what I want to do. But on the spur of the moment, when it hit me and I've decided, I'll be very fast to go ahead to do that something. Very spontaneous. The same goes to what I want to eat or want to cook. I don't plan in advance what I'm having/cooking for dinner (unless I'm entertaining guests).

So it was one of those days when I have no slightest idea what to cook for dinner. It usually depends on what I can find in the fridge. I've got some white fish slices and prawns in the freezer, and I've got a pack of fried seafood powder mix mom bought but still have not tried. So I marinated the fish slices with some sesame oil, seafood marinate, light soya sauce, little hua diao wine and left for about an hour. Then I just mixed the fried seafood powder with a little water and it became a gooey paste.  With hot oil in the wok, I coated the fish slices one by one into the paste and immediately dip them into the wok.  They are cooked in mere 3-4minutes.  This was the first time I  bothered mixing the paste. Usually I would buy ready marinated fish/chicken nuggets. I must say the powder mix was quite good, they tasted very fluffy inside, just about crispy on the outside, and fresh. 

I did the same for the prawns.  They tasted very good as well. At first I was supposed to cook plain rice to go with both of these fried fish and prawns and some other dishes.... but I was at a loss again "what other dishes to cook?"

Then I saw some salted black olives in the fridge, and at that moment decided to try frying black olive rice, even though I have not tried it before. I went to google some recipe in the internet from my phone. The usual black olive fried rice if done the Thai style would have minced pork and basil included in the rice and black olives, but I didn't have minced pork. So I decided to tweak the recipe and just use plain black olives.

I have some leftover rice and I cooked some more as it was not enough. I mixed both the leftover rice and cooked rice together and left to cool. Then I pit the olives from the seeds and chopped the olives into small pieces. Heating oil in the wok, I add chopped garlic and dried shrimps (hae bee) for a quick stir. When they are fragrant and golden brown, I threw in the chopped black olives. I also added 2 two eggs and mixed them together with the rest. Stir fry them till they are dry, before adding the rice. I added a little light soya sauce and pepper.  I was supposed to add fish sauce, but I ran out of that. I used a little of spicy steamed fish sauce from a bottle I found and mixed little water before mixing them into the rice. Continue to stir fry the rice.

This is how the Black Olive Fried Rice looked like.  I added fried shallots and cilantro on top. You can also add a wedge of lime and cucumber on the side if you like.

Next I adorned the fried fish slices and prawns which I deep fried earlier, as well as some stir-fry Nai Pak veggies (with dried shrimps and wolfberries) as a side. Don't you think this looks absolutely delicious? Well, it did, accordingly to my family. :)

Not forgetting the soup..... I find cooking soup is the easiest as you throw all the ingredients you want into the pot and let it boil for 2-3 hours. This was some radish-gourd, carrots, dried scallops, red dates, nan xing-bei xing, wolfberries and spare ribs, adding some salt and double boiled. The soup went well with the 'dry' fried rice set. 

Hence this was the dinner set I came up with one of the days when "I don't know what to cook".  This was my first time cooking black olive fried rice. Sometimes a little spontaneity means exploring unchartered boundaries.  

What's the size of your own bowl?

Oh my, I just heard about actress Lee Young Ae's secret wedding in Hawaii last year. She said of her husband, who is a commoner and entrepreneur: "I like everything about him. He is very trustworthy and sincere. I have a feeling about him that is beyond love". Aww, so sweet. I'm glad that this one-of-my-favourites actress has finally found wedded bliss. She is currently taking a doctorate course at Hanyang University Graduate School of Theater and Cinema.

I like Lee Young Ae when she acted in the hugely popular 大长今 (Jewel In The Palace aka DaeJangGeum). I like her personal and personable character even more. I love to hear her speak in her actual gentle and calm voice. Besides beauty, she is an intelligent lady, and compared to many of the younger vain, bimbotic and loud actresses nowadays, there is nothing snobbish about her although she is a huge celebrity.

I watched a video of Lee Young Ae who went on a one-night stay in a temple to relax and to learn about teachings and life. She related what the monk told her:

The lotus flower is large, and when it rains,

It brims with water in it.
Looking at the flower, he was wondering
If it would sink into the water because of the weight.
To his surprise, however, the flower slowly tilted to the side,
and poured out some water, and gained back its balance.

Just like the flower,
We need to know the size of our own bowl
and be able to fill and empty it when necessary, but it's hard.

It's amazing how you can learn from small things like that, isn't it?


Here is a series of 5 videos of interviews with her and her daily life.



Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4 * Part 5

Saka Dawa, where merits multiply by 100 million times!

Everyone knows it's the beginning of the long weekend. For Buddhists, they celebrate Vesak Day which falls tomorrow. Vesak Day commemorates the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, The Enlightened One. Hence the full moon on this day should be spent engaging in virtuous activities and spiritual practice for the benefit of all sentient beings. Although we should be mindful and perform virtuous acts at all times, however, on this special day, all virtuous deeds/merits multiply by 100 million times! 

For Tibetan Buddhists, Vesak is known as Saka Dawa. This year, Saka Dawa in Tibetan calendar runs from May 14 – May 27. On the 15th day which is today 27 May, it is Saka Dawa Duchen.  This is a particularly auspicious time of the year to engage in spiritual practice.

Let me share my 2 short and vague dreams these 2 nights consecutively. Two nights ago, I had a dream I was in a temple with many people who were making offerings. Then I saw a Dharma friend, A, with her mother, who were busy helping out. Now in real life I have only met A once in my life, but I have dreamt of her many times since last year. I wonder why. Back to the dream, amidst many people I noticed a throne seat, and the crowd seemed to be queuing for blessings. Then I saw a lama on the seat blessing people one by one. As I joined in the queue, I prepared a red packet of offering. Then A, who was ushering the crowd in the queue, saw me, and whispered to me something (which I could not hear), and she turned to speak to her mother who was next to her. Her mother passed me an envelope, and instructed me that I put my offering into the envelope. It looked like a very unusual envelope, very colourful, with the Eight Precious Objects. And the strange thing was, there was a box printed on the envelope which had some numbers on it, like a serial number (I cannot recall what number). I received the envelope from A's mother and that was all I could remember of the dream.

Then last night, I had an even shorter and vague dream. In just a flash, I saw a huge thangka revealed before me from the sky.  A thangka is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddha. On the thangka which was rolled down from the sky in the dark, with a beam of light when fully revealed, was Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche) himself!

Padmasambhava is 莲花生大师 The Lotus Born, a great Indian sage who was said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century. In those lands he is better known as Guru Rinpoche. He is considered an emanation of Buddha Amitabha and traditionally venerated as "a second Buddha".

How auspicious to dream of Guru Rinpoche on Saka Dawa!  Thank you! I could recognise him in the dream because his crown was 'different' and his mousetache. This is not the first time I dreamt of Guru Rinpoche. In 2005, I also had dreams for 3 consecutive nights leading to him.

Below is the Seven Line Prayer, the invocation by which Guru Rinpoche came into this world.

Hung! In the north-west of the land of Oddiyana,
In the heart of a lotus flower,
Endowed with the most marvellous attainments,
You are renowned as the “Lotus Born”,
Surrounded by hosts of dakinis.
Following in your footsteps,
I pray to you: Come, inspire me with your blessing!
Guru Padma Siddhi Hung !

It is worthy to remember the words of The Buddha:  

Rare is birth as a human being.
Difficult is the life of mortals.
Hard is hearing of the Sublime Truth.
Rare is the appearance of the Buddhas.

Below are the Vesak programs by the various Buddhist centres:

Amitabha Buddhist Centre 

Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling

A sticky affair

The Rice Dumplings Festival  端午节 this year is on 16 June 2010.  Following tradition, we would be eating more rice dumplings around this period. Not that I'm complaining. You see, I have a thing for sticky rice or anything related to sticky rice. It is sort of a comfort food to me sometimes, and I do get cravings for glutinous rice, be it in any form, snack or dish. 

These are the Nonya rice dumplings (zong zi) made by sis' mother in law, who never fails to give us some every year. Made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves, these rice dumplings are cooked by steaming or boiling.  Her Nonya rice dumplings taste very nice, peppery and sweet. Besides the usual ingredients like pork, she even put a pinch of sweet bean paste inside the dumpling. I like the other type of more savoury rice dumplings too, which have pork, chestnut, mushroom, dried shrimps etc..

Unveiled, this is how a Nonya rice dumpling looks like, sans the oily leaves. The sticky rice itself is already bursting with taste, after being cooked and steamed, that all the flavours  of the ingredients within have permeated into and absorbed by the sticky rice, making it so flavourful. It is best when eaten piping hot.

Dissected, this is how it looks inside. Yummy.....

Another type of sticky rice is this Chinese-style Glutinous Rice 糯米饭, topped with fried dried shrimps and peanuts with a dash of chilli sauce.  I like my sticky rice simple like this.

There are also many variations how the Chinese Glutinous Rice is cooked, depending on what ingredients you use.

My love for glutinous rice doesn't stop there. I also like rice cakes, the Korean version. They are called Dduk Bokki which are steamed; they looked fiery red and kimchi spicy but they are actually not that spicy. I had these in Seoul where stalls lined the streets and where people buy and eat on the spot. Yummy.

Here's a closer look of this dish Dduk Bokki. They are in round longish pieces, look quite plain, so you can savour the chewy taste of rice cakes.

Another Korean rice cakes is Tdeok, a sweet version which is a snack. They look like the Japanese mochi and comes in different fillings inside.

Another form of of sticky rice is the Shanghai Rice Cakes (nian gao). The rice cakes are cut into thin slices and stir-fried with cabbage (or other veggies) and pork. I do order this  savoury chewy dish once in a while in a chinese restaurant, and I like the one served in Imperial Treasures Chinese Restaurant. Yummy.

This is the Thai version of sticky rice, which is more of a sweet snack too. Sweet sticky rice sprinkled with sesame seeds and coconut milk is coupled with fresh mangoes. Most Thai restaurants do serve this dessert.

Our own version in Singapore is a totally different Nian Gao. Here the Nian Gao is sweet, and normally taken as a snack. During the Chinese New Year, we would buy this as they believe Nian Gao is supposed to bring good luck and progress when eaten during the new year.   

My mom would normally slice the Nian Gao into squarish pieces and  coat them and fried together with beaten egg. The result is a sweet sticky snack which is a little crispy on the outside and very soft and sweet inside.  I suddenly have the craving for this now.....

Another sticky rice which I like comes from our Muslim counterparts - they use Ketupat to go with some dishes. Perhaps it's the leaf that wrap the sticky rice which gives it a fragrant taste that is so enticing.

They can use Ketupat as a complementary side to the Satay. I just like the combination of nomming my satay, dipping the meat and raw onions and cucumber as well as ketupat into the peanut gravy. I won't eat satay without Ketupat. 

Another Muslim dish is Lontong which we can have it for breakfast or lunch or any meal. Lontong is often referred to as the plain compressed rice roll itself, but it is served as an accompaniment to other dishes. Lontong may be served in a coconut milk and vegetable stew gravy similar to Sayur Lodeh and topped with sambal chili paste, toasted coconut (kerisik) and hard boiled egg and veggies like cabbage, long beans, carrots and fried beancurd. 

Just saw from another blog which features Nasi Bakar, grilled spicy rice, which you must try when you visit Indonesia. One restaurant in Tuban Street, Kuta, Bali, is selling an interesting variation of ‘Nasi Bakar’ wrapped in banana leaf. They roll the rice with shredded chicken, basil leaf and special seasoning mixed into the steamed rice before hand and then grill it on a traditional grill over charcoal. A suitable vegetable dish to go with Nasi Bakar is spicy chilli long beans.

This is Filipino snack - Suman - which refers to any cake that’s wrapped in banana or coconut leaves, whether made from rice, grain, or root. The ingredients are few and the method simple, but it is one of the oldest and most popular Filipino snacks. The banana leaves imbue a sweet, tropical fragrance and flavor to the coconut-soaked glutinous rice. Quite similar to our Nonya kueh. 

Talking about Nonya Kueh, there are so many kueh kueh which uses sticky rice too. This is Kueh Koci which is a pyramid of glutinuous rice flour filled with a sweet peanut paste. 

Kueh Kaswi are rice cakes made with palm sugar. The ingredients are mixed into a batter and poured into small cups (traditionally, it is done with Chinese tea cups). When served, the cup is removed and the rice cake is topped with grated coconut flesh. 

Kueh Serimuka is a two-layered dessert with steamed glutinous rice forming the bottom half and a green custard layer made with pandan juice (hence the green colour). Coconut milk is a key ingredient in making this kuih. It is used as a substitute for water when cooking the glutinous rice and making the custard layer. This kueh kueh is my personal favourite.

Pulut Inti is glutinous rice topped with caramelised grated coconut flesh and wrapped in a cut banana leaf to resemble a square pyramid.  

This kueh kueh is a little more unusual. It is called Pulut Tekan, a plain glutinous rice cake. It is served with kaya (jam from pandan leaves) coconut jam. The glutinous rice cakes are coloured with bunga telang. Half-cooked glutinous rice is divided into two portions. Both are them added with coconut milk but one of them is added with the bunga telang juice. This gives the rice cake a very bright blueish-indigo colour. The half-cooked glutinous rice is then scooped in alternating fashion into the original tray to give it a marble effect of blue and white. The rice is then cooked some more and when it is cooked and cooled, it is cut into tall rectangulars.  

With the above sooooo many dishes and snacks easily available, it's a wonder my love affair with the sticky rice is never ending.... 

That therapeutic awesome experience

I used to rear lots of fishes many years back. Although I am not an expert in this, over the years, I went through many batches of fishes, some died, some survived but eventually when all died, I stopped the hobby. I have had goldfish, guppies, angel fish etc.. all of which are freshwater breed. I always feel it is so calming to watch fishes swimming in the tank and to hear the water pump blowing bubbles in the background, especially at night.

It was also because of this reason that I installed a tank inside my bedroom as well; I wanted to listen to the bubbles of water at night while in bed. Thought it would be relaxing and serene, great antidote to a tired soul at night. However, according to many fengshui books, this is a big no-no, as water is not advisable inside a bedroom, unless your fengshui master has specific reasons for you to do so. Well, as I was very young and ignorant then, I did not know about this taboo.

Not too long after I installed the fish tank in my bedroom, I had to go away for a business trip cum holiday, I asked my father to help me feed the fishes. It turned out to be a disastrous trip which I encountered many problems... having had my passport stolen overseas by a suspected syndicate, missed my flight and spent my holiday in the police station reporting the case and finding the culprit. And I fell ill too. It was the first time something negative happened to me during an overseas trip.

Upon my return, I did not notice anything amiss with my fishes. It was only many months later that my sis secretively told me that, while I was away on the trip, ALL my fishes died suddenly. Yes ALL 30+ of them mysteriously died (I didn't think my father had unknowingly poisoned them). Sis told me that my father was so shocked and panicked, knowing I would fly into a rage if I found out my fishes had died in his hands. Father quickly bought identical fishes to replace all the dead ones. No wonder I didn't find anything strange when I came back. So after piecing everything together, I believe having an aquarium in the bedroom has certain negative impact on the occupant. I shifted the aquarium to my living room after that. I always believe my 30+ fishes had died for me,sacrificed their lives for me, so that I could escaped further danger at that point of time.

I would always just stare in awe when I see an enormous aquarium and its moving marine life within. This is the 10-million litre Dubai Aquarium, located on the ground level of The Dubai Mall. It is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. I was there when it was officially opened. It was a huge mall, so was this Aquarium. The Dubai Mall contains more than 1,200 shops and is anchored by Galeries Lafayette, Debenhams, Bloomingdale's and Marks & Spencer.

Saw this incredibly therapeutic video from @polarpaws' blog and I love it, especially the song and accompanying it was the beautiful and stunning marine life in the Kurushio Sea Aquarium - the second largest sea aquarium in the world at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan.

The song is [ Please Don’t Go ] by Barcelona. Such a beautiful "nice Coldplay-ish vibe to it", according to @polarpaws. Enjoy this (especially in the quiet of the night). Awesome.

P.S. I love the stingrays swimming in the background. :D

Practicing patience

Saying that one should be patient and withstand trouble,

doesn’t mean one should be defeated and overcomed. 

The whole purpose of engaging in the practice of patience 

is to become stronger in mind, stronger in heart. 

And you also want to remain calm. 

If you lose patience 

and your brain becomes confused with emotion, 

you will lose the power to analyze 

and figure out how to overcome 

the negative force that is opposing you.

- His Holiness The Dalai Lama

An American miracle

I read this article about an American Buddhist nun who passed away early this year, with miraculous signs. She is Ani Thupten Palchen, whose guru/master is Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. Jetsunma herself gained international attention as the first Western woman to be named a reincarnate lama, discovered by the admirable late HH Penor Rinpoche.

Below, I summarised the article from Jetsunma's website.

Ani Thupten Palchen died on Friday, January 8, 2010, at the age of 80. As Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, we have heard stories of seemingly ordinary and devoted practitioners in Tibet who showed miraculous signs at the time of their deaths.  

Ani Thupten Palchen’s body was kept in the hospital for 6 days before it was transferred to the crematorium.  Since her body was to be cremated, it was not embalmed.  On the 7th day after her death, 3 Buddhist nuns went to dress her body for cremation.  According to the mortician, nothing had been done to the body other than refrigeration.  No embalming process was used and no make up was applied. The mortician also indicated that the refreshing scent in the room was unusual, especially considering the length of time since Ani Palchen's death and the fact that she had open wounds from a skin graft on her leg and open heart surgery. It was quite unusual for a dead person to be completely without odor and almost unheard of when there were open wounds. As evidenced by the photo of Ani Palchen’s body, Ani Palchen’s face and skin continued to have a natural tone 7 days after her death. These are unusual signs.

According to one of the nuns who went to dress Ani Palchen into her Dharma clothes, and to cover her with flowers and incense, Ani Palchen looked beautiful and so peaceful. The nuns left her after prayers of dedication, extremely happy at Ani Palchen's auspicious transition.

When Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo heard of Ani Palchen's passing, she immediately went into her prayer room and performed the practice of Phowa for Ani-la at the very moment of her death.  Phowa is a most precious and very precise practice of the transference of consciousness at the time of death. Accomplished Masters such as Jetsunma are able to perform this practice of transference not only for themselves at the time of their own death, but also for sentient beings in order to guide them through the bardo, the state of consciousness after death, to liberation. Ani Palchen was successfully awakened from her death slumber, and guided by Jetsunma to Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland (known as Dewachen).  She was liberated!  This is what all Buddhist practitioners aspire to; this is our goal.

Jetsunma confirmed that this phenomenon occurred because Ani Palchen had been truly liberated.  It was a sign, a true confirmation of her successfully following the Path with complete devotion and faith, and achieving freedom from the suffering of cyclic existence. It was a modern day miracle. There could be no ordinary explanation for the phenomenon that was witnessed at the crematorium.

It is historic. These are signs of Ani Palchen’s spiritual accomplishment through her devotion to her root guru, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. Jetsunma said, “This is wonderful news for people who don’t believe that miracles can happen anymore.” Even more extraordinary, it was a Westerner who had accomplished her practice, and Jetsunma said, “This is proof that liberation in one body is possible! Lineage and devotion are the real deal. A woman accomplished her practice with a woman teacher.” 

How do we identify the miraculous signs of accomplishment at the time of death?  The signs are described in the following excerpt from a book called an Introduction to Light of Fearless Indestructible Wisdom:

The Dzogchen tantra Blazing Relics of Buddha-Body describes signs of realization observable to others when a great master leaves the body, as well as the meaning of those signs. When a circle of light surrounded by rings appears after death, that individual has reached the ultimate state. When a light goes straight up, it indicates that the individual has instantly reached enlightenment without having to experience the bardo.

When beams of light appear, it means the individual is reaching enlightenment at the end of the bardo..... Furthermore, the complexion of one who has merged the child and mother clear-light luminosity states remains bright; even if the body is left for as long as twenty-five days, it will remain fresh. And fragrances are emitted, more pleasant than camphor, saffron, and sandalwood.


I found a clip of Ani Palchen on Youtube. May all who practice the Path be liberated like Ani Palchen. Om ami dewa hrih! 

Cooking Chicken Rice & Stir Fried Spicy Lala Clams

A few days ago, when my godbro came back to Singapore, I invited him over for dinner at my place. I haven't seen him for a few months. I was wondering what to cook for him and decided on cooking Hainanese Chicken Rice and a dish of Stir Fry Lala Clams.

I followed a recipe from a friend who taught me how to cook chicken rice from scratch not too long ago. I bought a pack of chicken thighs and drumsticks as well as another pack of chicken wings.  When the pot of water was boiling, I threw in some pandan leaves and all the chicken pieces, adding a pinch of salt. With the pot covered, I boiled the chicken in high fire for 20 minutes. After that, I rinsed the cooked chicken with cold water and left them to cool/dry. The remainder of the pot of chicken stock was to be used for soup and for cooking the chicken rice later. 

Next, I peeled lots of garlic and sliced ginger, and using my aged mortar and pestle, I pounded them into a paste.

This was the garlic/ginger paste all mixed. And using a cinnamon and cloves and star aniseed (not in photo), I stir fried them with sesame oil in the wok till they became fragrant.

Next I poured in the uncooked and washed rice into the wok and fry them together with the paste, until the rice was dry. Then I transferred the rice into the cooking pot, threw in some fresh pandan leaves, and a little light soya sauce, and filled the pot with sufficient chicken stock.  The last picture was the finally cooked chicken rice, which was very  fluffy and nice, the smell permeated the entire kitchen.

This was the chilli paste I used to go with the chicken. I bought a bottle of the Taho brand chilli, and mixed it with some garlic paste and dark soya sauce.

The following photos were my ready chicken meat. I sprinkled sesame oil and light soya sauce and a little chicken stock over the cooked chicken, and garnished with lots of coriander on top.  It smelled so nice!

I had 2 big plates of chicken all ready to go with the chicken rice!

I almost forgot about my cucumber and tomato which I sliced at the last minute.

Finally, here was a plate of the completed chicken rice with soup. The soup was garnished with lots of chopped spring onions. Yummy!

Next I wanted an easy dish. When I saw some lala clams in the supermarket, I decided to whip up this dish. This was the first time I cooked Stirfried Spicy Lala Clams. I chopped some garlic, sliced some ginger, red chilli and spring onions. 

I washed, and rubbed the shelled lala clams with water, and left them soaked in water for 2-3 minutes, before rinsing and changed water again, and repeat till I was sure there was no muddy particles left. Once the shells opened slightly, they spewed out the dirt particles, coughed out the mud inside the shell.

I sauteed the garlic and chilli and ginger slices in hot oil,   As the ginger and garlic became fragrant, the lala clams were added, as well as water and seasoning (salt, sugar, oyster sauce and white wine).  Next the spring onions were added. After stirring well the clams, the wok was covered.  After about 30 seconds, the lid was opened and stirred again, and the process was repeated until the lala clams have opened up, which meant they were already cooked.

This was my first time cooking Stir Fried Spicy Lala Clams. They tasted ok and shiok. I am going to try a different variation the next time.