Of Wines and Congee Recipes

Things I've learnt at the Bistro so far:

- VS = Very Special = aged at least 2 years

- VSOP = Very Special Old Pale = aged 4 years

- XO = Extra Old = aged 6 years and above

- Cognac - a blend of wines of varying ages, but only youngest wine listed.

- Double distilled: smoother than (once) distilled spirits

- Cabernet Sauvignon = frontal red grape, difficult to achieve full-body hence often mixed with Merlot, a red grape with a mid-palate (hits the centre of the tongue rather than the front as Cab Sauv does) so that the wine is able to have a longer-lasting taste in the mouth; CS requires a warm climate to slowly achieve ripeness. Due to thicker skin, drier, more tannic wine is produced, hence a "herbaceous, grassy" note is evident.

- Shiraz = spicy (black pepper notes) red grape.

- bush vine/old vine = old grape vines that rather than growing on trellises, are 'collapsed' on the ground, growing akin to a bush. Very few bunches of grapes are produced due to the age of the vines, hence taste and sugars are more concentrated. Irrigation to these vines are often reduced, so as to aid higher sugar levels in each grape.

- Grenache = a red grape with thin skin, usually blended with other wines to create a 'complete taste'. smoother, pale-coloured, low tannic qualities, hence rather weak bodied on its own. older vines may produce more full-bodied and may thus be used to produce single-grape wine rather than a blend. often used for production of rose due to its pale colour and low tannic qualities.

- fortified wines = wines that have added alcohol (16% and above). yeasts are able to function and ferment up till 15% alcohol concentration, thereafter the environment is inhospitable and the yeast 'dies'. to make fortified wines, neutral alcohol/spirits are added in to increase alcoholic content of the wine.

- rancio character = ageing of wines and spirits (particularly dessert/fortified wines) that brings forth the tawny browning of the spirit. from oxidisation and ageing in oak barrels. tends to bring forth a dark berry, nutty, apricot-ish notes...?

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Auntie Lam's Congee Recipe

- Wash rice

- Mix in oil and salt. Add water.

- Add 2-3 tbs of instant Quaker oats and turn on high heat.

- Once boiling, stir and turn down to medium heat. Add dried scallops, dried oysters, and dried silverfish. Stir once in a while to prevent any congee sticking to the bottom of the pot.

- Cook until congee is smooth (~0.5-1 hour dependent on amount of congee) and add meat, prawns, or other fresh ingredients.

- Marinade for pork minced balls:

- potato starch, soya sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and let sit for half an hour.

- Add to congee and simmer till cooked through.

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~ st*rcr*ss*d ~

Blessed in Food, Lessons, Laughter and Life

Last post was more than two months ago - and as always, tons of things have happened since then.

Krabi, Phuket, getting the part-time job at Keisuke, then getting a second PT at the Bistro, flrball league, hockey matches, getting the APL programme, hearing the shocking news that I may actually have to extend an extra semester (still "wtf??")... yeah.

I have to say that despite literally working everyday - or playing floorball/hockey matches/training when I'm not working - for the past two months or so, it's been... no less than great. Tiring definitely, and helping me lose weight (haha), but surprisingly quite satisfying. Probably partly due to the satisfaction of providing decent service to the customers and having a real smile; yet a large part likely due to the enjoyable colleagues and working environment too. Especially at the bistro.

I've learnt so much, and gained so much more clarity and insight into the direction I'd like to take in the future, that I think I'd be forever indebted to them. Plus they seemed to have just taken me under the family wing, that I never really felt like an outsider in this past month. Wow. It's been so great that for the first time, I actually envisioned, AND felt anxious, about a pending farewell, albeit this one being for just a month. Yet I was already thinking ahead to the one year in Japan, and almost pondering how things might turn out if I don't actually go. Wow. How rare this is for me. Probably a first. I've never been one to hang my head over sentimental goodbyes and farewells. I guess this just shows how much they've come to mean to me. Part of it is probably a longing for the loving family environment too, rather than just the 'job' that it may seem to be.

I've learnt about wines, about food, service, customers; seen the good and the bad sides of patrons; picked up on the subtleties of running your own business; shared many a good laugh over the randomest things; felt doted upon; been fed good food and just felt... cared for somehow. There's so much I feel grateful for.

Hmm this post is turning out a little differently from what I've intended... heh. But yeah. I remember thinking on the bus home, that I've found a second source which has me laughing whole-heartedly, so joyfully, openfully and so hard that it leaves me clutching at my stomach. The last time I felt this burst of unbridled gaiety is probably in year 1 when I met Yinshuo. Now there's another. I just feel so blessed. Still can't believe how things turn out sometimes.

Okay gotta stop the gushing - it's turning a little too mawkish haha.

=)

~ st*rcr*ss*d ~