Ingredient:

1. 200g fresh cod fillets
2. Young ginger, sliced long and thin
3. One large red chilli, sliced long and thin
4. Lee Kum Kee seasoned soya sauce for seafood
5. Spring onions, cut into Scm pieces
6. Chinese parsley

Step 1 : Steam cod for eight to 10 minutes (depending on the fillet’s thickness)

Step 2 : In the last two minutes of steaming, heat some oil in a pan (Andrea uses light soya oil) and fry the ginger till fragrant, then add the chili and soya sauce, followed by the spring onions. Remove the mix quickly so as not to overcook the chili and spring onions.

Step 3 : Place the steamed cod in a serving dish and pour the sauce mix over, then top with Chinese parsley. Serve immediately.

This contrast of from juicy prawns against the velvety smooth creaminess and peppery bite of the sauce is pure heaven. This is good with white rice is as a nibble, with beer. Straits Chinese matriarchs caution against eating this before retiring, as a night of tossing and turning restlessly in bed would ensure. I could think of far worse things then a restless night though, especially if you have company as delectable as this dish.

Ingredients

1. Vegetable oil ½ cup
2. Medium prawns, 500 gram, peeled, deveined, tails left intact
3. Thick coconut milk, ¾ cup
4. Large tamarind slices,2
5. Coarse black pepper, ½ levelled tsp
6. Chilli flakes, ½ levelled tsp
7. Salt, ¾ levelled tsp
8. Sugar, ¾ levelled tsp
9. Onion (optional), 1 medium, sliced thinly
10. Cucumber (optional), ½ small, discard core and shred coarsely.

Method

1. Head oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat and fry prawn until just cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Remove most of the oil from pan, reserving about 1 tsp and return to heat again. When hot, pour in coconut milk and add all other ingredients except onion and cucumber. Stir over medium heat until thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Return prawns to the pan and turn off heat. Add onion and cucumber and mix well.
4. Serve immediately.

A guest is never turned away without a cup and even as you enter any shop in a Moroccan souk or bazaar, whether or not you buy anything, you will probably be offered some.

This is surprisingly refreshing despite being served hot. Mint is known to warm the body and stimulate the appetite, although which appetite is meant, remains unclean. Well, this way or the other, a little warning stimulation never did hurt anyone.

Ingredients

1. Fresh mint leaves, 2 good handfuls, stems removed, washed and drained.
2. Cube sugar, 6 lumps, or use 3 tsp granulated sugar.
3. Good quality green tea, 4 tea bags
4. Fresh boiled water, sufficient to fill choose teapot.

NOTE : This is excellent served after a rich and spicy meal, to soothe an overworked tummy.

Steps

1. Get a teapot that will serve four~five generously
2. Put the mint leaves into teapot. Put sugar on top of mint leaves. Put teabags in teapot and pour in hot water almost to the brim. Leave to steep for about 4~5 minutes.
3. Pour a cup of tea out and then pour it back into the teapot. Repeat this about 5 ~6 times until sugar is dissolved and diffused through the tea. Discard teabags but leave mint leaves inside teapot and pour into cups or handled glasses.
4. Serve immediately.

This is very wonderful simple yet evocative meal that brings to mind a fest in a secluded, jasmine-scented, candle lit courtyard in Morocco.

Harissa sauce would perfectly complement the rich, smoky lamb and succulent cous cous. The salad component is a mix of seeded and coarsely chopped cucumber, fresh coriander and red and green chillies, bound with a little yogurt, seasoned with salt and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

1. Black peppercorn, 1 ½ tsp
2. Cumin seeds, 1 ½ tsp
3. Salt, 2 levelled tsp
4. Lamb lion chops, 8, leave the fat on
5. Water or chicken stock, 1 cup
6. Olive oil, 2 tsp
7. Instant cous cous, 1 cup
8. Red onion 2, medium, peeled and sliced into thick rings.

Steps

1. Combine pepper, cumin and 1 tsp salt and pound to a coarse powder. Wipe the lamb chops dry with paper towels and season well with the pounded salt and spice mixture. Set aside.
2. Heat the water or stock, remaining salf and 1 tsp olive oil in a pot and when boiling, turn off heat. Stir in the cous cous and when combined, cover and set aside for 3 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and sear the onion until lightly charred and fragrant. Fluff up cous cous and stir in onions lightly until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Heat the same pan, without adding any oil, until smoking and cook the lamb chops for about 2 minutes each side. Do not overcook.
5. Dish out cous cous and arrange lamb chops over or alongside cous cous. Serve with harissa souce and a green salad if you like.

Ingredients

1. Fresh red chillies, 3, sliced thickly
2. Hot red chili flakes, 2 tsp
3. Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, 1 handful
4. Garlic, 3 cloves
5. Cumin seeds, 12 tsp, group
6. Extra virgin olive oil, 1 ½ tsp
7. Lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp
8. Salt, 1 levelled tsp or to taste
9. Sugar, ½ levelled tsp

Steps

Combine ingredients in a blender and process to a slightly chucky consistency.

In my free time, I’m quite enjoying dining out and playing sport, and share a passion for fishing. My boat is docked at ONE°15 Marina Club at Sentosa Cove, and they take it out as often as possible. Not discouraged by the paperwork, they enjoy cruising to various spots in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia for a brief docking and visit.

My family stays Singapore, a main reason being my children’s education. The eldest, Gwen (16) and Rebecca (13), want to finish high school here. They have a lot more freedom here than they would have back home. Because it’s so safe, I don’t have to worry as much.

Living here has given them opportunities for traveling, meeting new people and picking up new interests, which has not only allowed them to gross’ personally, but have also made them bond more closely as a family. Life in Singapore is sometimes stressful, but there are so many advantages. It’s important to embrace all the different cultures here and try not to get overwhelmed by everything.

A beautiful home, a loving family, endless possibilities for exploring new places and trying new things — the reasons why my family decided to stay.

As part of our school curriculum, the Form 5 World Cultures class went on a trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where we absorbed the region’s rich culture and history. Our class visited numerous temples such as Preah Ko, Pre Rup, Neak Pean, Kbal Spean, East Mebon, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Bakong, the Rolous Group, and the magnificent Angkor Wat.

Amazingly, all these temples were built purely through human labor, with bricks twice the size as modern ones, and twice as heavy. I was amazed by the architecture, which has stood the test of time for thousands of years.

We even visited Ta Prohm, the temple where Angelina Jolie (Sexy chic) filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Our guide, who was coincidentally Angelina’s guide, showed us the exact location where they had filmed the scene.

This was just one of the many trips that ISS organizes as part of the school programs. It helps the students enrich their life experience, nurture their curiosity, and expand their minds internationally. The trip to Cambodia was a very rewarding experience. I especially enjoyed interacting with the local people, who were peaceful and hospitable. Cambodia, I’ll be back…

We went to China last year on a school-sponsored trip to teach conversational English classes. Twenty of us worked at the Fujian  University of Finance and Economics, where we taught classes, culture, movies and played games to help students improve their English.

Our activities included volleyball, dancing, stage performs, exchange gift and leisure activity games. We spent time with the students helping them build relationships by using English. After class, the fun didn’t stop as we had people taking us out to eat or coming with us to enjoy a great meal at the canteen…Very nice food.  One student, nicknamed Ah Boy, loved to hang out with us so much that after we ate, he would show us around the campus until our next class started. We even had two parties to foster cultural exchange while we were there.

We did manage to get away from the university a few times to visit landmarks, and we even found a Wal-Mart! But the best part of the whole experience was hanging out with our new friends. All the best to China, and our new friends in there….

Attracting over five million visitors a year, Phuket, off the southern tip of Thailand, is the nation’s most popular beach destination for its balance of tourist amenities and authentic Thai experiences. These sites, shops and restaurants are not to be missed.

Shopping

You might associate shopping in Phuket with flea markets, which is what you’ll find in Patong, but this island offers much more than knock-off handbags and souvenirs. Fine art, furniture, clothing, jewelers and antiques abound. But the boutiques are scattered in unlikely, hard-to-find places, so you’ll need a driver and a plan.

Surin Plaza (5/50 Moo 3 Cherng Talay) near Surin Beach is a super- luxe three-storey mall filled with home accessories, art and clothes. Lamont, on the first floor, features stunning Chinese and Japanese antique furniture and decorative objects, but are just as pricey as they would be in Singapore. A few doors down, Lola is a fabulous girly shop filled with great resort-wear and accessories.

Dutch-owned art gallery Soul of Asia on the second floor houses some amazing work from artists such as Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and a range of Asian artists at reasonable prices. Once you’ve finished shopping, grab a drink or a Thai meal at chic Silk on the third floor.

If you’re in the market for antiques and artifacts, a minute clown the road from Surin Plaza is Oriental Fine Art (106/19­20 Bangtao Beach Road), a multi-storey building filled with museum-quality pieces.

Fans of fabric giant Jim Thompson should head to Canal Village (Laguna). There are three Thompson stores at this alfresco mall, including an outlet with fantastic discounts on cushions, table accessories and more. Also in Canal, you’ll find suitable souvenirs, pashminas, sunglasses and jeweler.

Phuket City shouldn’t be a top priority, but if you’re on the island for an extended period, the Sino-Portuguese shop houses in this part of town are home to some pretty nice shops. Visit Golden Lotus, Fai Sor Kam and Oriental Origin.

On your way back, make a stop at Gems Gallery, “The World’s Largest Jeweler Store”, for an endless array of baubles. Bargaining is acceptable here, so you may just get a good deal.

You can’t go wrong with food in Thailand, and Phuket is no exception. The local cuisine and seafood is incredible at most places, but the following offer outstanding ambiance in addition.

Baan Rim Pa (100/7 Kalim Beach Road, Patong), perhaps the most well-known restaurant on the island, serves authentic Royal Thai cuisine in a beautiful cliffside setting overlooking the Andaman Sea. This fine- dining alfresco establishment is always fully booked, even in the low season, so make your reservations even before you arrive to get a coveted waterfront table.

In the same strip, Joe’s Downstairs for Western cuisine and Da Maurizio for Italian are also delicious and offer similar views.

Another waterfront favorite is Rockfish (33/6 Kamala Beach Road), serving contemporary Western cuisine and seafood alongside authentic Thai fare in a swanky two-story beach hut.

Finally, if you love fresh seafood, it doesn’t come any fresher than at Lotus (Moo 4 Cherng Talay, Laguna). Choose your live lobster, fish, prawns or crab from the tanks in front and then enjoy the feeling of sand between your toes while you wait at your table on the beach. Casual, tasty and reasonably priced.