8Crabs Feast: Convenient Zichar with Delivery!

During the circuit breaker period, my family cooked a lot - up to about 12 meals per week. As we slowly eased into the middle of the CB, I started taking breaks, ordering food instead. I live in a great estate where we often have group buys for contactless delivery and in doing so, we will often share delivery cost or garner enough responses for special discount but that post is for another day.

So you can see how often I've been searching and googling for food and 8 Crabs popped up on my IG recently and we had the chance to try it out!

:: Ordering
The ordering process was fairly quick and simple as it basically has a mobile responsive site as well as sections for quick selection:

A quick "click and drop" to your cart where the checkout process is just as easy:

:: The stars
We chose a variety of items which had seafood (crab of course), meat (poultry & beef), vegetables and toufu.

But first, some fun facts!

Do you know that crabs travel about 500m every night and prefer to live alone. However, crab farms breed as many crabs as possible in a small confined area so as to be profitable. This causes crabs to be stressed up which then causes them to release ammonia, a sign a decomposition in seafood.

Most restaurants purchase farmed crabs due to the lower cost. 8 Crabs is the only company in Singapore which uses AAA premium Sri Lankan sourced wild crabs which are caught, flown, prepared and delivered to consumers in 12 hours!

:: Salted Egg Yolk Crab 
We chose this style of cooking because amongst us, Dumpling is the crab lover. The salted egg yolk style from 8 Crabs is somewhat a tad different from those we have tried before. For one, there's gravy and secondly, the taste is lighter and less salty. While the taste is much lighter, this means that we were able to taste the freshness of the crabs and I'd have to say that the crab was sweet and the flesh came off from the shell easily.

One suggestion: if you are going to order this, do order the mantous so that you can dip them in the gravy.

:: Stir fried kai lan
One true test for me when it comes to food delivery is the "done-ness" of vegetables. A simple dish but when overcooked, they tend to be limp (even worse when time is needed for delivery) but on this note, I really enjoyed this dish -  the vegetables were green and crunchy. 

:: Claypot toufu

The other non meat dish we ordered was the claypot toufu.

The mix of ingredients good for me - toufu, veg, black fungus, prawns, mushroom & yam. I could also taste a dash of chinese wine which balanced the dish well - as a result, most of the gravy ended in our rice.

:: Black Pepper Beef
We were pleasantly surprised by the beef as it was really tender. I also like that there is quite a good portion of onions and capsicums added to this dish as these usually helps balance dishes with "stronger taste" be it thick brown sauce / black pepper.

Though peppery, the kiddo walloped it; on hind sight, we should have ordered a "medium" for this instead seeing how we are all meat lovers. :p

:: Prawn Paste Chicken 
A quintessential poultry dish of all zichar stalls, I was originally hesitant about ordering this dish. Tis is because I was worried that the skin would be soggy and soft with the moisture trapped in the container during delivery.

However, I was pleasantly surprised once again as the food arrived warm and this chicken was still crispy and the skin was flavourful.

All in all, our experience with 8 crabs was good - from the ordering to the contactless delivery right down to the quality and affordability of the food.

For this Father's Day, 8 Crabs is also offering a Father's Day specials.

About 8 Crabs

8 Crabs is an award winning crab delivery and seafood delivery service serving Singaporeans island-wide.

It started of as being the only premium seafood importers specialising in wild catch crabs, sea cucumber, prawns, grouper, and tilapia from Sri Lanka. 

Today, it has its own processing premises in Sri Lanka. Being the only supplier of wild catch crabs, it is always being able to promise you crabs that are better than the rest. (Read more about our crabs and its advantages here!) 

Disclaimer: We were invited to the meal by 8 Crabs so that we can give our opinions about it. We are not compensated for the post. All opinions expressed are entirely ours. 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts (both on the kiddo and my furkid), food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), outdoor fun, useful reviews, early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Review: Shepherd's Pie

Food is a common language for my family; I am very blessed that the kiddo is not only not picky about food but also very adventurous. This means that she's ok with most cuisine types: Korean, Japanese, Indian, Western etc.

We recently received a delivery from Shepherd's Pie; to try out the beef rendang version. It is not our first time ordering from The Shepherd's Pie as I have previously ordered pies from them to bring for Potluck at for parties. However, it was our first time trying out this flavor.

As the kiddo and I were out the whole day, so we placed them in the freezer and then reheat it the following day.

As you guys would know, I bento daily for the kiddo. Mainly because the school canteen has very few stalls (4 at last count). If you have been following my IG account, you would know that I am quite particular about food and nutrition for the family where weekly herbal soups are a regular thing for us and I also make it a point to ensure that there's always fruits at home and that the kiddo eats her greens daily.

With Shepherd's Pie, I did not get the heavy sauces where I usually get if there's too much seasoning (and MSG). The meat was still moist and tender with the taste of homecooked mash potato (nothing like those instant mash potato). A quick chat with the founder and I found out that the pies are freshly baked daily!

Additionally, the pie was very well balanced in terms of the proportion of "filling" and the potato. It is not a case where there's more potato than meat. Here's a side view of one slice:

Besides the "family sizes", the company also sells "mini ones" which are exceptionally useful for me when the kiddo has to stay in school till 3+/4pm. So besides packing for her recess and lunch, these minis came in handy as a "noon time" snack and the portion size was just right.

With the upcoming year end festivities, this is definitely a great option to have for parties and for potluck and I dare say, popular with all ages. :)

:: About Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie's journey started in 2011 when the founders were looking to find some good old Shepherd’s Pies for a Christmas party. Shepherd’s Pies weren’t so popular then, and it was rather difficult to find someone to bake them. Their party was coming up they really wanted to get Shepherd’s Pies as they were some of the founders' favourite foods.

This led to some research, and the founders made their own Shepherd’s Pies! Over the years, the recipes have since been refined and perfected to what they believe to be the tastiest, freshest Shepherd’s Pies in Singapore.

Contact Number: 9762 6523
E-Mail: admin@shepherdspie.sg

::DISCOUNT CODE! 

Keen to try some wholesome pies? I am pleased to share a 10% discount code with you! Just click on this link https://shepherdspie.sg/shop/, add the items to your cart and then input alicia10 in the discount field! (10% per single use) 

Disclaimer: We were sent the pies above by Shepherd's Pie to try so that we can give our opinions about it. We are not compensated for the post. All opinions expressed are entirely ours. 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts (both on the kiddo and my furkid), food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), outdoor fun, useful reviews, early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!  

Primary One: Bento Ideas & FAQs

I am officially into week 9 of daily bento for the kiddo. While not exactly totally new to this (I did a 10-min breakfast challenge last year), I still consider myself a bento noob. But I guess that I did good! Besides the salmon udon and blueberry pancakes which Dumpling asked for, I survived 3 weeks of almost no repeats.

I am no bento expert but I figured if I can do it, so can you! So based on the interaction on my Blog FB Page, I decided to put together a list of common questions and share some popular recipes. Hope this is useful!

:: Questions

1) What do you use to keep the items warm? 

I don't unless it is porridge or soup. One of the prerequisites for us in choosing a Primary school (and we have been very blessed) is to choose a school that is near to our home. Because of the proximity, we leave home at 7+am daily and her recess is at 9+am. So, basically I do not see much need to use a warmer.

The only exception is when I prepare porridge / soup and this is what I use:

(Photo Credit)

I bought this via a BP on Singapore Motherhood Forum eons ago and it is still working well (I have 2.) You can get it from Pupsik here

However, Dumpling shared that fried rice which I prepared previously was a tad hard and dry. Bearing that in mind, I will add in a bit more stock the next time I fry it so the rice grains are softer.


2) Where do you get your bento kits / items from?

I was very blessed because my in-laws went Japan last year and came back with a boxful of bento items for us. But I went through a buying craze where I placed some orders here. I was buying tons from Daiso as well as another online shop but I have lost the contact. I have also recently chanced upon another blogshop Jmamababy here where it has a pretty extensive list of bento items.

I also saw some really cute lunch boxes and lunch bags at JED packs which I bought too as I like that it comes with the shoulder straps so it frees up her hands. Cute no? :p

While I am at it, here's another that I am eyeing because I like the compartments:

3) What are the essentials in doing a bento?

As mentioned, I am quite a noob but here's some things/tools that I use almost daily:

Picks
These picks definitely brighten up any bentos with their cute cartoon characters. (The below is the loot from my in laws!)

Mini trays / holders (silicone and I got them from Daiso)
These are a must if you pack fruits / side snacks.

(Photo source)

Bento boxes
I use a mix of snack boxes (like the elephant series below) as well as the bigger boxes where there are individual containers in them and I stuff them all into the lunch box:

(Image Credit)

I mix and match them according to the food items (for e.g. the 2-tier ones I use for noodles since I cannot place noodles with other items in the same later / box) hence I have quite a collection of bento boxes (20+ and still counting!)

Amongst my bento box stash are many which I have not unwrapped / used!

For sandwiches, fun stamps / cutters really makes it fun for my kiddo. Additionally,  I realised that when I cut these out and make them into mini sandwiches, the kid eats better and faster.

I also bought some shape cutters (letters of the alphabet and cute animals) and really had loads of fun making them into "open face sandwich" with messages last year:

4) What fruits do I pack in?
Based on the advice given by some mummy friends, I usually pack in fruits that are uncut (with the skin still on them) - blueberries, strawberries, grapes, bananas, small apples, peaches, plums as they do not oxidize as much. If I have any left over (especially from the berries, I make them into jams.)

Here's a quick look at the various items packed in her bento boxes:

And there you have it! Hope you find these simple tips useful! :)

Edit: (3 Jan 2016):
Fellow mum blogger Jenn often serves up healthy breakfast for her son. Here, she shares some quick 20-min recipes. :)

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. 

Foodie Friday - Crab Bee Hoon (Vermicelli)

For some strange reason I had really bad craving for something soupy mid of last week and I was dreaming and lusting over it so I headed out of my way to buy ingredients for Crab Bee Hoon soup!

:: The Gathering List

- Butter (I used about a quarter of the slab) 

- Spring Onion (I love spring onions and I basically used a whole packet which yielded me a plateful of it)
- 4 - 5 thin slices of old ginger
- 4 medium size flower crabs
- 2 packets of raw crab meat
- Half a head of Chinese Cabbage
- 1 packet of chicken stock (I used Swanson)
- 1 packet of Laksa Bee Hoon (Vermicelli)
- 1 can of evaporated milk (I used about 1/3)
- Fish sauce
- Hua Diao Jiu (Chinese Wine)
- 2 - 3 cups of Water

:: The cookout

- Melt the butter over a low flame and add on the sliced ginger, then spring onion, Chinese cabbage, then the crab meat and flower crabs.
- Cook over medium fire for about 5 mins (when you can see the crabs turned red)
- Add the packet of chicken stock & about 2 - 3 cups of water (do your taste test)
- Bring it to a slow boil
- In a different pot, boil water and add the Bee Hoon to the pot. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes till al dente. Drain it and rinse under tap water.
- Add about 1 - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (to the soup)
- Optional: Add oyster sauce to enhance flavour
- Add evaporated milk and continue to bring it to a slow boil (to the soup)
- Add Hua Diao Jiu to taste (I love this so I added quite generously - about 3 - 4 soup spoonful of it)
- Add Bee Hoon to the wok / pot and cook over low heat for another 3 minutes
- Serve hot!

Linking up:

In the previous week, I shared a wholesome beef stew that usually has my family going for 'seconds'! Here's the recipe!   If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Foodie Friday - Beef Stew

Cooking is a small pleasure of mine because besides loving to eat, I cook to destress. Last week was a beef week for me as I was craving for red meat. Besides making 'homemade' patties, I cooked beef stew for the family. Here's the recipe to share (adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe)

:: The Gathering List

- Butter (I used about a quarter of the slab) 

- 1 onion, peeled and chopped

- A dash of dried rosemary (I used McCormicks)

- 500g stewing beef, cut into 5cm pieces

- Worcester Sauce

- Ground black pepper (I used McCormicks)

- All purpose flour + Cornflour

- 2 - 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 to 5cm blocks

- 3 stalks of celery (sliced)

- 3 medium potatoes, cut into quarters 

- 1 packet of beef stock (I used Campbell, 500gm) 

- 1 quarter can of diced tomato cubes

- Optional: Tendons

:: The cookout

- Marinate the beef in advance with salt, ground black pepper and Worcester Sauce

- Melt the butter over a low flame and add on the chopped onions then celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook over low heat for about 5 mins

- At the same time, preheat your oven (20 mins on 160 degrees) 

- Coat the beef cubes with the flour mix and add to the casserole dish with all the vegetables. 

- Add tendons (if you have), turn up the flame to medium

- Add the diced tomato cubes and toss it with the rest for a while 

- Add the packet of beef stock

- Bring it to a slow boil. Add rosemary 

- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven. I set it at 170 degrees for 2 hours. 

- Serve hot with bread, mash potatoes or rice. 

Linking up:

I have previously shared a recipe on Chicken Stew with a slight variation. Here's the recipe to share.
If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Foodie Fridays - Korean Seafood Pancake

I love Korean food. I love the mesh of sour and spiciness. When a person mentions Korean food, most would think of Bibimbap or Kim Chi soup. For Dumpling and I, it's Korean pancake and bulgogi (for her) spicy beef soup (for me!)

The seafood pancake is one item that we would always order when dining at any Korean restaurant. So I decided to try and cook on our own. Here's our attempt ;)

:: The gathering list

As our version is seafood pancake so basically it can be any seafood items which you like:

Pancake
1) Scallops (chopped into bits)
2) Shrimps (chopped into bits)
3) Spring Onions (I chopped mine into about 1.5 - 2" long)
4) Korean Pancake mix (Check the instructions on the packaging - for mine it was to mix 500gm with 800 ml of water. I halved that for one pancake. If you are using a pancake mix, no egg is required.)
4) Cooking Oil (I used about 3 table spoons, If if is not enough, you can add more along the way)

Optional: I sometimes add in crabsticks (kani) and if the kiddo is not eating, slivers of sliced red chili (seeds removed)

(This is the pancake mix we used)

Dipping Sauce 

1) Vinegar
2) Light Soy Sauce
3) Water
(Mix equal parts of the above - i.e 1/3 of each)
Optional: chopped garlic added to the dip (Dumpling is not into garlic so we pretty much leave this out)

:: Hot Tips

I decided to add a photo of "what not to do" as above. LOL. This was one of my earlier attempts where I made 3 rookie mistakes. 

1) I did not use a FLAT pan (which resulted in a nightmare of attempting to flip the pancake over without the bits of seafood falling out)

2) I added WAY TOO MUCH of the ingredients where the flour mix could not bind the seafood as it was too 'thick'

3) The ingredients were cut a tad too big and took forever to cook.

:: The cookout
1) Add a generous amount of oil into your pan. As I am terrible with flipping the pancake over, I used the HappyCall Pan instead. So, what I did was also to spread a bit of oil on the top 'lid' too.

2) Pour in enough pancake mix where it covers the entire base with a bit of 'batter' to spare and then add in your seafood and spring onions. Sprinkle them evenly.

3) Press down the seafood into the batter and wait till the bottom is browned. The trick is to cook initially on "high fire". This process takes quite long for me - to press and hold and yet wait for the seafood to cook. So please cut your seafood into smaller bits and add sparingly. I know of some people who will toss the seafood separately prior and you can do that too - it helps to shorten the cooking time.

4) When the bottom is browned and the seafood is cooked, add another thin layer of the pancake mix over the seafood and then close your HappyCall Pan 'lid' and flip the pancake over. Open up the lid and press down the pancake.

5) Prepare the dip. Cut pancake into sections and serve hot. :) (Dumpling likes the flour part because she likes the chewy feel. If you prefer the crispy version like me, diced up your ingredients to small bits and spread them out sparingly; this allows you to cook faster and coat better, making it flatter and crispier)

  If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Foodie Friday - Inspired "Bulgogi Style" Beef with AirFryer!

I have not had a chance to cook over the weekends as much as I liked due to crazy schedules for the past 3 - 4 weeks! Oh, and how I have missed cooking!

At my very first chance, I took out my AirFryer and decided to cook a simple inspired 'bulgogi style' beef. You can do this with or without the foil but as I was cooking this for Dumpling, we went with foil simply because she prefers it with some 'gravy'. If you prefer the smoky BBQ taste, then please skip the foil, lower the heat to 180 and cook for a shorter period of time (I recommend checking after 6 mins)

:: Gathering List
- 200 gm of thinly sliced beef
- Half a packet of Eoki mushrooms
- Half a yellow onion, sliced
- Beef Bulgogi marinade

:: The Cookout
1. Marinate it with the marinade (coat the beef well) and let it sit in the fridge (I sealed the bowl with clear cellophane) for about 4 hours
2. Chop off ends of the Enoki Mushrooms
3. Mixed sliced onions with item (1) and placed them on a foil
4. Sprinkle the mushrooms above the beef
5. Wrap parcel
6. Cook on 190 degrees for 7 mins if you like it tender or 8 if you like it more chewy.

This is quite a simple meal to prepare and a tasty one which Dumpling enjoys. Try it and let me know how it goes! :)

On a different note, when it comes to meal planning, I try to be very organised and I recently made my own meal planner just to help me along. Here's the link to download this simple self made plan which I hope is useful for you too!

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Baked Chilean Cod

I am still in love with my Philips Avance XL Air Fryer where I use it at every turn when I can, as I cook and prepare meals over the weekend. I do not know about your kiddos but Dumpling does not like Salmon. She finds the smell a tad too strong. However, she likes cod so that makes things a tad easier!

I like cod fish because it is full of Omega 3 acids + it is easy to cook. With the Philips Avance XL Air Fryer, it is almost where I now have an additional 'stove' - while the potatoes are boiling on the gas stove and I am preparing the grilled vegetables, the cod is being 'baked' in the AirFryer! :) Here's sharing this simple and healthy 25 min recipe below!

Preparation time: 5 - 7 mins
Cooking time: 15 - 18 mins

:: Gathering List
1. 1 packet of Chilean cod steaks (I used about 4 pieces for the kiddo and myself)
2. Italian Herbs
3. Salted Butter - 2 pieces of 1" x 1" cut into small cubes (as above)
4. Grounded Black Pepper
5. Lemon Juice

:: The Cookout
1. Wash and place the cod steaks in foil and dab dry with paper towels
2. Add a few dashes of grounded black pepper
3. Add Italian herbs sparingly (coat it well and spread evenly)
4. I used about 2 tea spoons of lemon juice and drizzled over the cod steaks
5. Fold up the aluminum sheet like a parcel; seal up the edges well
6. Place it in the basket of the AirFryer and bake on 180 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes. For our case, because our fish was a tad more than an inch thick, it took about 17-18 minutes so you would have to adjust the timing accordingly and check after 14 minutes. :)

Serve on a bed of mash potatoes and grilled vegetables for a healthy balanced diet! No added oil and all 'air baked'! Now, isn't this a pretty looking meal?

Previously, I shared 2 yummilicious recipes on baked crayfish and garlic butter wine clams which are really great for the festive season too!

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!

User Experience: Baking and Grilling with the Philips Avance XL Airfryer

Having experienced the sweet success and simplicity of the Philips Avance XL Airfryer and overcoming my hesitation of using a new machine, I went on a cooking spree. Yup, a cooking spree that lasted for 2 days! From making Hainanese Pork Chop Rice to western meals such as Baked Fish Fillets, I was on a roll! I wanted to try out the technology on how this machine can fry, bake and grill too!

It is mainly due to its patented technology: fast and precise circulating air that mimicks frying AND its unique starfish design which cooks food evenly without turning. 

Along the way, I picked up some nifty tips. Now, if you have a small household like mine (with 4 members including our helper), these tips may be useful for you!

:: 1. You can bake with the Philips Avance XL Airfryer and this is not just limited to cakes!

Check out my baked white clams! It was perfectly done and was oh-so-delicious!!!! The clams were sweet and succulent having been baked in this divine butter-wine concoction. It was just all so Ooo-lala! (Pun intended - recipe shared further down in the post).

:: 2. Foil is my new best friend

Having a preschooler means that I prefer to eat healthy and would at times choose to bake / roast my food. I found out that foil is the way to go! I picked up this trick from some online recipes as well as reading up on some sharings by some really talented ladies in the I Love Philips AirFryer Facebook group.

From perfectly roasted potatoes:

To baked fish fillets:

My items were all moist and yummilicious! What you do is to place the items on the foil and then fold it up like a parcel. Put into the basket of the Philips Avance XL Airfryer and cook away. If in doubt, it is always good to start at a lower temperature. But as a general rule of thumb, 180 degrees is pretty good for most meat (including the fish fillets above).

:: 3. You can save time by baking and roasting in the same basket, at the same time! 

Say what? Yup, you read it correctly; you can bake and roast some food items at the same time! Here’s the proof!

How is that possible? It is simply because of the 50% larger capacity (1.2kg cooking capacity which feeds up to 5 people) which this new model sports! What I found out during my ‘experimentation’ was that I could bake and roast the potatoes all at the same time (see above photo)!!!

And both turned out beautifully done! How’s that for time saving? For a working mum like me, that’s superb news!  Check out my baked potato below! (Topping was baked separately with the Philips Avance XL Airfryer after the potato was done)

 :: 4. The Philips Avance XL Airfryer is wonderful for seafood!

One thing I found out is that the Philips Avance XL Airfryer is not just for frying meat. I have a love affair with seafood and I decided to try my hand over the weekend in preparing some seafood items. Besides the clams (1^st photo above), I baked some crayfish too and look how it turned out! J Impressed yet?

I decided that in true Christmas spirit, I shall be generous in this post and share not 1 but 2 recipes!

These 2 recipes are great especially if you have friends over for Christmas dinners ~ not only are they yummy, they are really pretty awesome looking too!!! 

:: Recipe 1: Baked Butter Crayfish 

:: The Gathering List

1. Half a kg of crayfish (half a kg yielded me 3 of them)
2. Salted Butter (a small slab of 2 inch long x 1cm thick)
3. 1 teaspoon of Garlic
4. Salt
5. Pepper
6. Cream Cubes

:: The Cookout

1. Pre-heat fryer to 180◦ for about 5 mins
2. Wash and scrub the crayfish thoroughly and place it bottom side up in aluminium foil (see photo below)
3. Dice up the butter and cream cube spread all over crayfish. Because I used salted butter, I used only 2 pinches of salt and sprinkled sparingly over the crayfish
4. Sprinkle pepper (I used ground black pepper)
5. Foil up the foil like a parcel and fold down sides. Ensure that all sides are sealed.
6. Slide out drawer and place parcel in the basket.
7. Bake on 190 degrees for about 20 mins. 

Were our crayfish “dried up”? In fact, in my humble opinion, because of the shells, it worked in favour for these crustacean as it trapped the moisture within. Check out the how moist the meat was! 

While the crayfish was baking, I quickly boiled some spaghetti and added some tomato spaghetti sauce to it. Here’s how our pretty our lunch looked! This would definitely be a great crowd pleaser for any Christmas gatherings! 

:: Recipe 2: Garlic Butter White Clams in Wine!

:: The Gathering List

1. 1 kg of clams
2. Salted Butter (a small slab of 2 inch long x 1cm thick)
3. Diced Garlic (about 2 teaspoons)
4. Diced Ginger (about 2 teaspoons)
5. Salt
6. Pepper
7. Rice Wine

:: The Cookout

1. Pre-heat fryer to 200◦ for about 5 mins
2. Wash and scrub the clams thoroughly and placed it bottom side up in aluminum foil
3. Diced up the butter, garlic and ginger and spread on the clams. As I used salted butter, I used only about 2 pinches of salt (similar to the crayfish) and sprinkle sparingly over the clams.
4. Sprinkle pepper (I used ground black pepper)
5. Start to fold up the sides of the aluminum like a tray and pour in the wine just before placing in the airfryer. Once wine is poured in, seal up all the sides immediately.
6. Bake at 200 degrees for 14-15 mins. The clams should open up like below.
7. Discard away any unopened clams.

Note: it is a personal preference regarding what wine to use. I have previously used a regular chardonnay which I felt tasted a tad “sharp”. Hence I have since used Chinese Rice Wine or you can substitute with beer instead.

There will be a pool of briny juice collected in the foil ‘tray’. Keep and put it aside. For myself, I ate the clams with freshly toasted French loaf dipped in a small serving of the juice.

For Dumpling, I prefer not to serve this to her typical vongole style (where it sits in the briny juice). But instead, I tossed the cooked pasta in a pan and on “high fire”, I poured in about 3 table spoons of the clam stock. I tossed it for a while longer to coat the pasta evenly and voila! 

This is definitely another crowd pleaser as it simply tastes amazing - it’s smooth because of the butter yet fragrant with the diced garlic and ginger. The wine adds on a lovely flavor to the whole dish too. Definitely something easy and doable for Christmas!

Disclaimer: I was invited to share my User Experience using Philips Avance XL Airfryer. All opinions and sharing I have given are mine and may differ from others. 

Cook with Air today! Quote Beanie N Us and buy the Viva Digital Airfryer at $399 (Usual price: $459), FREE $50 SHOPPING VOUCHER andAvance XL Airfryer at $479 (Usual price: $539), FREE $50 SHOPPING VOUCHER at the PHILIPS EXPERIENCE SHOWROOM. This promotion is valid from 1^stDecember till 31^st January 2014.

Limited to 1 Airfryer per person. IC must be produced.

PHILIPS EXPERIENCE SHOWROOM

Address: 620A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh Building TP4 Level 1 S(319762)

Tel: 6882 5800

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9.00 am – 7.00 pm Saturday: 9.00 am – 1.00 pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

The Viva Digital Airfryer and Avance XL Airfryer are also available at regular prices in leading electronics stores, department stores and supermarkets island-wide.

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