Fish Trip Cafe

I had a fever and had to stay in bed all day on Christmas.

Lightheaded, soft blankets, my fluffy kitten was next to me.

Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. I felt like I was lying on the white snowfield.

Feeling nostalgic, it’s not bad. I miss snow.

Baked avocado has a delicious nutty flavour.

Drizzle with lovely honey mustard soy sauce .

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— Baked Avocado (serves 2) —

1 large avocado

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon honey

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Cut the avocado in half, remove and discard pit.

Mix the olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey in a small bowl.

Place the avocado on a baking try, cut side up. Drizzle the sauce over the top.

Preheat broiler, cook the avocado under the broiler about for 10 minutes until slightly golden.

Fluffy puffy cheesy pastries to huffy puffy.

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— Gougères – Cheese Puffs (makes 24 pastries) —

200g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

220ml water

100g butter

4 eggs

100g grated gruyere cheese

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Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Combine the flour, nutmeg, salt and black pepper in a bowl.

Place the 220ml water and butter in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. When the butter melt, turn the heat to low and add the flour mixture all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until it turns into a smooth paste.

Take the saucepan off the heat and let it cool slightly.

Beat in the eggs one at a time until a smooth and glossy dough forms. Then stir in about 2/3 of the grated cheese.

Using a piping bag or tow teaspoons, heap walnut-sized balls onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the rest of cheese on the top of the dough balls.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

I just thought, “maybe there is some nice buildings or pretty trees if I turn right on the street” when I was going back home from the local super market today.

Then I got lost in own neighborhood for 2 hours. Ah, I remember, I have a terrible sense of direction…

I heard that onions are a popular folk medicine to help in boosting memory. So, I had a big bowl of onion soup today for never get lost around my house again.

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— French Onion Soup (serves 4) —

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 medium size white onions, thinly sliced

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

100ml white wine

1.5 little vegetable stock or beef stock

4 slices French baguette

100g Gruyère cheese, grated

Some fresh thyme for garnish, finely chopped

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Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minuets. Stir in the minced garlic and sugar,   keep stirring for 30 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir in the stock and bring to boil. Simmer over low heat for about another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Toast the baguette slices.

Ladle the soup into 4 bowls, float a slice of toasted baguette in each bowl and sprinkle the grated cheese on the toast. Grill for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped thyme.

I love this Vietnamese style tofu dish.

The crispy cubes of tofu are simply seasoned by lemongrass, a pinch of chilli and salt. Very simple dish but it has a beautiful flavor and aroma.

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— Spicy Lemongrass Tofu (serves 2) —

400g firm tofu, drained

3 tablespoons corn flour

Oil for deep frying

1 tablespoon vegetable oil for stir-frying

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tender part only, very finely chopped

1 small chilli, very finely chopped

A pinch of salt

some coriander lives, finely chopped

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Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and pat dry with kitchen papers and lightly coat them with the corn flour.

Heat the oil to 340F/170C and deep fry the tofu until light golden, place them on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

Heat the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying-pan, add the lemon grass and chilli, stir-fry for 2 minutes over medium heat.

Add the deep-fried tofu and season with the salt, stir-fry everything together for 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat, sprinkle with the chopped coriander leaves.