Living Nerdy in Sydney

Day 10. The COVID-19 situation is somewhat stabalising in NSW. Some of my colleagues are suspecting that this is calm before the storm when the really sick patients start to come in. The suspicion is that the really ill from the cruise ships would be coming in next. Let's pray that the folks who are ill stay on a mild course of the disease progression and not towards the worser outcomes. My recipe today is dedicated to all my fellow colleagues working in health. Not just all the doctors, nurses and allied health staff, but to the many many people in health working behind the scenes. The admin staff busy collecting and sorting patient information. The cooks who help prepare each patient meal. The cleaners who ensure the infection doesn't spread all around. The storekeepers who help maintain our stock of personal protective equipment. The education staff who make sure we know what to do and how to do what we need to do. The IT staff who make sure all our digital infrastructure ...

RRRIIINNNNNNGGGGG!!!!! The fire alarm went off in large apartment block nearby. Residents started evacuating the building. It was a very interesting sight watching hundreds of people trying to practice social distancing while being evacuated! In the news, a nursing home was evacuated due to a fire as well. Social distancing was very challenging in that situation too. While during this challenging times, social distancing is so important. It also helps to reduces risk of the spread of disease in situations of emergency when social distancing is a challenge. Staying at home is vital. I've been practicing this question whenever I want to go out. Can I do what I want to do outside from my home? Shopping. Mostly can be done online. Exercising. Challenging, but not impossible to do at home. Getting sunshine and fresh air. The balcony is an amazing place to be! Work. Yep, I'm fortunate to be set up at my desk. Play. Defintely have more than enough online games to pl...

Day 8. The most amazing part of staying home is that I'm saving 3 hours of travelling to and from work! This has really given me time back for things I love, including cooking. But also, I've more time to focus on other things like re-starting my exercise routine on the WiiFit and getting more housework done in a timely fashion. How about social contact? I've always been part of the great gaming community and have plenty of friends online. We catch up on a daily basis, plan out social and gaming activities to do. Also, my church community have moved online with services, prayer meetings and bible studies online. Family for me hasn't changed. We regularly contact each other through the phone and through online IM group platforms. If you feel lonely or just would like to join a friendly online group, feel free to drop me a line on Facebook and I'm more than happy to help you join one. Today I'm sharing with you a yummy recipe which I have created. It's m...

Hey guys! Just sharing a quick analogy about numbers and COVID-19 and why you should avoid the disease before I post my recipe of the day. Imagine you have a packet of M&Ms with 100 little chocolates in it. Now you're being told between 2-6 pieces in that packet has cyanide in it, and there are a few that will give you violent diahorrea what would you do?  1) Throw the whole packet away 2) Eat it cause I won't die from diahorrea 3) Eat it cause what's the risk of dying, it's just 2-6%?! 4) Eat it and share it with all your friends and family and even your doggy! Personally, the most logical answer for me is to throw the whole packet away. It's the same reason why I'm staying at home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. I guess it's really food for thought! That said, here's my recipe for today! I've had some leftover rice from last night and NO WAY, not wasting any rice as it's super hard to find rice out there. I've turn my lef...

Love to eat Chinese Roast Pork (Siu Yok) 烧肉? Here's an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to making your favourite dish. This has been modified to suite a Flavorwave Turbo Convection Oven, as many Asian families don't have a built-in oven. This is a fun weekend project.  This dish goes well with rice or thin egg noodles, and green Chinese vegetables. Ingredients for 4 1 kg (or more!) of Pork Belly  1 tbps sesame oil Water Marinade  1 tbps table salt 1 tsp white pepper 1 tsp black pepper  2 tsp sugar 1 tsp 5-spice powder 2 tsp chicken stock Instructions Step 1: Blanch the pork belly by steaming it over a rack for 10 minutes. The water level should be at rack level. (Note: The piece of pork bought was scored already, avoid buying a scored piece.) Step 2 : Switch off the heat. Rinse the pork under cool water. Then prick the skin with a sharp knife to have tiny holes all over the skin. Step 3 : Across the direct...

What's better than a warm bowl of soup mid winter? This is traditional Ukranian Borscht Soup has a great depth of flavour and is  relatively cheap and easy to make. Moreover, the most of the ingredients can be found in your panty. This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite childhood memories at a Russian restaurant called Shashlik. I have always enjoyed its Borscht Soup more than any other dish served there. Unfortunately this restaurant will be closing its business at the end of the year. This is a great dish for a large family or a bible study group dinner. You can also freeze this soup and reheat for future meals. This recipe will feed at least 10. Equipment Large stock pot Knife Chopping board Peeler (optional) Shredder (optional) Ingredients   500g chuck steak or silverside diced or sausage mince 2 large onions diced 3 cloves of garlic diced 1 tbps sugar 3 medium carrots peeled and shredded 3 large potatoes peeled and shre...

I've been trawling through food ideas to help feed our bible study group of 10. The main requirements: - Can be prepped the night before and/ or finished off within 1 hour. - Not spicy - No lamb - No coriander The inspiration of this recipe is from Michelle Dugger, the mum of 19 kids in the TV reality show 19 Kids and Counting. The recipe has been heavily modified to add lots more healthy vegetables and flavour. The great part of this recipe is in its flexibility of ingredients. You can add in lots of bits of mince and vegetables in your fridge to add colorful variety. This recipe will feed 10. (2 large baking trays) Ingredients: - 1 .5 kg of any mince (I used  500g turkey mince,  500g pork mince,  500g veal mince) - 5 rashers of bacon chop to bits - 200g mushrooms (approx 10 medium size) - 500g vegetables (I used  250g frozen vegetables and  3x zucchini diced) - 2 medium onions diced - 1.5 bags tater tots (aka potato gem...

In most homes in Asia, it would be rare if you found an oven. So what to do if you want to bake a cake? Ever thought of using your rice cooker? Newer rice cookers have the ability to pressurise and can be used to for baking. Such rice cookers also often already have a bake function. If you have an older rice cooker, you will need to make some modifications for baking. Rice cooker cakes are often denser, so cakes like chocolate cakes would work much better than a sponge cake. Instructions: 1. Pick your favourite cake mix and prepare it as per the box instructions. I've tried the cheap Woolworths cake mix and various Betty Crocker mixes and they work equally as well. 2. If you have a non-stick rice cooker, you can skip this step. Else, you will need to oil your rice cooker. 3. Place your cake mix into the rice cooker. 4. For newer cookers which can pressurise, select the cake function, or the quick-rice function. For older cookers turn the cooker to the normal rice fun...

Most banana is eaten fresh, just ripe or just under ripe. But what happens when you just have that 1-2 bananas which are just over ripe? I know most of my friends in Asia would tell me to just throw it out as local bananas are really cheap. But most of us in Australia do buy Banana at around $2 - $3.50 per kilo. One large banana would set us back around $1. Some of us will remember when the Cyclone hit our banana hub in Queensland and Bananas were around $15 per kilogram! There are a few fabulous ideas for over ripe bananas. You can make banana bread or banana cake. Or the simplest, Banana Ice Cream! Here are a few very very quick steps to make Banana Ice Cream. Ingredients : Over ripe Bananas (only!) Steps : Step 1 : Put the banana into the freezer for around 2 hours or till when it is just frozen. Step 2 : Peel the banana and cut into slices. Step 3 : Put it into a blender (or food processor). Pulse the blender till all the banana is mashed up, then blend for an...

Sick of overcooked pasta? Here are a few easy steps to cook the perfect pasta. Step 1 Select a pot  at least 4 times the size of the amount of dry pasta you are going to put in. Remember, pasta expands in volume as you cook it to about 2 times the size of it dry. Step 2 Fill the pot to 2/3 full with water and add a teaspoon of salt. Salt increases the boiling point of water. Step 3 When the water is boiling, add the pasta in. Step 4 Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packaging. Different pasta will take different time to cook till al-dente (which is Italian for 'to the tooth'). What that really means is that the pasta will be firm in the centre. It is very important to keep stirring to prevent the pasta from sticking. DON'T ADD oil as this will prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta. Step 5 Once cooked, strain off the water in a colander. Step 6a - Cold pasta salad If you are going to use the pasta in a cold salad, run the p...

Another great winter weekday night warmer. This is one quick very flavoursome recipe every busy family needs. This recipe serves 4. Happy cooking! Ingredients A: 1 small onion sliced 1 tablespoon garlic 1 teaspoon ginger B: 1.2 L vegetable or chicken stock 100g fried tofu buffs 1 jar Ayam brand laksa paste 1 tablespoon cooking oil 450g seafood marinara (can use chicken instead) ½ can 400L coconut cream 500g hokkien noodles Large handful of bean sprouts Garnish Shallots (spring onion) sliced vertically Coriander Sambal chili sauce (optional) Salt and pepper to taste. Method: Heat oil in wok or large saucepan. Add A in and fry. Add a little water to prevent burning. Fry till onions translucent   Add seafood marinara in (fry till 50% cooked) Add B. Simmer for 10 minutes While the soup is simmering, in a separate pot cook noodles as per instructions on packaging. After 10 minutes of simmering, add coconut cream. ...

Stews are great hearty family dinners on a cold winter's night. Just chop, put in a pot and let it simmer!  Today's stew is a Chicken and Pumpkin Miso Stew. This is a fusion concept stew bringing in the western tomato, Japanese miso and Korean hot pepper paste all in one pot. This stew is great with rice. Ingredients 1 brown onion diced 1 red onion diced 1 tablespoon of diced garlic 1/2 tablespoon of diced ginger 1 large carrot sliced 1 large wedge of pumpkin cubed 4 pieces of chicken drumsticks or 8 wings 400g can diced tomato 1 tablespoon miso paste 1-2 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste (optional) 1 tablespoon sugar (optional) 1 tablespoon oil Salt and pepper to taste Method Heat oil in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic and ginger in. Add small amounts of water to prevent burning. Fry till onions are translucent.  Add the chicken in. Brown the chicken on all sides. Add the carrots, tomatoes, pumpkin, miso paste,...