Mango sticky rice

Mango season is coming!  I read that the first box of Northern Territory mangoes was sold yesterday, which means in just a few short weeks I will be in mango heaven.  I hope it's a good season!  (As an aside - used to hate mangoes.  Hate hate hate.  Then one day, very suddenly, I started loving them, as well as a whole bunch of other foods I used to despise - olives, feta cheese, coffee, dolmades, canned beetroot, etc etc.  I was seventeen, I think.  Who knows what clicked in my brain to change it all?  Still can't stand rocket.)

ANYWAY.

I'd already been craving mango sticky rice since I saw it in Xiaxue's blog post about Thailand like two months ago.  Reading about mangoes in the news was the final straw so I decided to just go ahead and use the tinned stuff.  It's not as good, but it's not bad.  Presenting Hayley's Mango Sticky Rice Recipe!

You will need:

• 1 can coconut milk, ~1/2 cup worth.  I like Ayam brand.  Mostly that their product is good, but partly the chicken logo.
• 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice
• Mango slices (no brand loyalty here, this is what they had at the Asian market.  This was tasty though.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• water

Add rice and 2 cups water to a large pan.  Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low until water is absorbed.

Done!

Meanwhile, bring sugar, coconut milk and 1/2 cup water to the boil.  Remove from heat.

Once the rice has absorbed the water, stir the coconut mixture through.  Allow to cool for 1 hour (or a bit less if you're greedy.)

Looks hideous, tastes delicious.  Brutto ma buono.

Serve with mango slices and eat!  Fresh mango slices are much, much better - these were really not hitting the spot.

Look, I even arranged it nicely.  Wouldn't have done that if I wasn't planning to blog it.

You can make a sauce of thickened coconut milk to top this with but I don't bother.  Also I would normally garnish with sesame seeds but apparently I'm all out.  Phooey.

Serves at least 4, depending on portion size.  The one above is not the whole batch!  I'm a glutton, but I'm not THAT gluttonous.

PS  Don't you think it's fascinating how many disparate food cultures have recipes for rice pudding?  There are Middle Eastern versions with rosewater, arroz con leche and all its derivatives throughout Central and South America, Scandinavian risalamande, a vast number of Central/South/South-East Asian variants, and all the European versions.  Is rice pudding the thing that unites us all?  (Well, except Africa, unless they do a version there I don't know of.  I know they have it in Egypt, but it's really the Middle Eastern edition I'm pretty sure.)

Some recent Perth food

I thought I'd post a few pictures of some of the yummy meals we've had recently. Ant and I live in Mount Lawley, which is only a couple of minutes from a dizzying array of excellent food choices in Northbridge and the CBD.

Time for a Perth fact check - Northbridge, so named for being just North of the CBD over the Horseshoe Bridge, is Perth's biggest nightlife district.  This means that unless you love being hassled by drunken idiots, you should avoid it after 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  However, it's also where you can find *loads* of excellent (and cheap!) Asian eateries.  Up around Brisbane Street there are a lot of Vietnamese places, there's a Chinatown-kinda area between Roe and James St, there are lots of Dim Sum places dotted around, and there's plenty of variety worth trying on William St too.  Notable places on William St that get a lot of our money - Shanghai Tea House, Good Fortune Roasting Duck, Tak Chee House, Mela, and (not Asian but) Perth's Best Pizza at Dough.  I do not say this lightly, but Dough rivals some of the best pizza I've had in Italy, and trust me, we are *very* picky about pizza.

I don't have photos from all of the places mentioned above, because I'm quite greedy and tend to dive in and forget to take photos when food arrives *^^*  But I shall endeavour to do better in future and write another one of these soon!

Starting in the CBD with Pepper Lunch!  They are a Japanese chain (quite popular in Singapore I think) that opened a Perth branch a few months ago.  I always order the Beef Pepper Rice with added cheese:

Left is how it arrives, right is after a minute of stirring.  The metal plate is sizzling hot - I think it's magnetic induction? - so you can cook your meat to your liking at the table.  There's yummy garlic butter hidden inside the rice that melts as you stir it up.  I add the cheese because I like the texture it adds (and I like the flavour of burnt cheese *^^*)  Ant often orders the J Curry Hamburger: 

It's a nice, fairly mild curry flavour.  Ain't no Pepper Rice though *biased*  But srsly if you like Japanese curry you will definitely enjoy this dish.

Sticking with the CBD we have Zensaki on Barrack Street.  Again I am quite predictable and usually order the same thing whenever we visit.  Here is Hokkaido Butter Corn Ramen:

Usually comes with a slotted spoon for the corn, as well it should!  The soup broth here is very good.  This is the place I usually go for ramen in Perth now.  I used to prefer Arigataya on Roe St but I had a couple of dodgy meals there early in the year.  I think they are under new management now so I will have to give them another try.

Also in the CBD, Burger Bistro.  This is the Emmental burger, and a really good strawberry milkshake:

Quite a nice burger but I still think the Summer Sunset at Grill'd is the best burger you can get in Perth.  The milkshake was really quite superb!

Moving up to Northbridge, here's a few shots from the very creatively titled Northbridge Chinese Restaurant on Roe St.  This is definitely one of the best dim sum restaurants in Perth as far as I am concerned.

 

Pictured - watermelon juice, bbq beef pastries, prawn dumplings, steam pork buns, steamed custard buns (very good, nice rich, runny custard).  Not pictured from that day - tea, squid tentacles, any of the veggies we ordered, the *super spicy* chilli oil for dipping, chee cheong fun.  We were *very* late that day and really just got what was left over from the lunchtime rush, but it was all still super delicious.  All out of yam cakes and congee though :(  I love that the tablecloths are more like drop sheets haha.  They know their customer base pretty well I guess (ie. greedy people).

Next up, the place that we probably go to the most frequently - Hawker's Cuisine in the Chinatown complex on Roe St.  (Another contender for Most Creative Name.)  I am actually shocked that I don't have many photos, but here's what I do have:

Above we have Nasi Lemak, the ever-present Iced Ribena Lemon, Fuzhou Tofu, Salt and Pepper Squid Tentacles, Hawker's Fried Rice, and rice with Butter Prawns (no shell, I am lazy) and Marmite Chicken.  Other things we frequently order but I have somehow never photographed - Mee Kolok, Nasi Goreng Special, Roti Canai (with beef for me and chicken for Ant), and hot milo and teh tarik.  Ant gets fried wontons quite a lot too but they have yet to make the Greatest Hits list.  This place is not exactly a best-kept secret so you often have to wait for a table.

Speaking of popular places where you often have to wait for a table, Viet Hoa on William St:

Pho and Goi Cuon.  I believe this is called a White Person's Order *^^*  but it's delicious so I don't mind being predictable.

One (inexplicably yellow) shot from Tak Chee House, which allegedly is Perth's best Hainanese Chicken Rice:

The rice portion is definitely the best - I hate when the rice is not very lemak! - and the chicken is silky enough.  I've had better chili padi though.  Tian Tian Chicken Rice in Singapore is probably the best chicken and chili padi that I've ever had, but I don't think I've ever had a dish where all the components were amazing.  Fussy or what?

Roast duck noodles from Good Fortune Roasting Duck:

These are really very good.  Roast duck rice is also excellent.  This place is another table queue-er.

Closing out this entry with two places that are actually not in Northbridge or the CBD, but a) I had photos on my phone, b) they were delicious, and c) it's my blog so I can change my own rules mid-entry if I want.  Here's a couple things from Tenkadori in Subiaco:

Mixed grill, takoyaki and renkon chips.  The takoyaki were for Ant, who is a veritable takoyaki *fiend*.  He says they were good but they're no Tako Tako King.  Spoilt for life.  The renkon chips are really, really good.

Finally for now, breakfast I had one time at cantina 663 in Mt Lawley.  Their menu changes very quickly and this was gone within the week :(  I'm still cut up about it because if I had my way I'd eat it every weekend:

Vanilla rice pudding with citrus salad, mint and poppy seed mascarpone.  Boom.  That sound you just heard was me dropping the microphone and walking offstage.  OK but seriously this was incredible.  I begged them to keep it on the menu but apparently my pleas don't mean that much.  I live in hope for the day this returns.

Long entry complete!  I will try to get some photos from other places in the near future.  Hope this hasn't made you too hungry!  (I'm starving now and all I have to eat is yoghurt.  Sigh.)

New banner is done!

Do you like????  I do, and I guess that's what counts.  Ant made it for me last night and it gives me the giggles whenever I look at it.  There are actually three rotating banners so that all the marshmallows can have a say - it's random as to which one loads each time.  Now I just have to think of a background I like.

Ant sent me this photo for my approval yesterday while I was at work:

And I was all O_O

Because that is just what I had in mind but I thought gravity would say otherwise.  So I asked him how????? and this is what he replied:

Hahaha ok I understand gravity just fine after all.

Project chio-ier, skin edition/nose update

My post titles are getting better and better, I think you'll agree.

So I started an updated skincare regime on October 3rd (last Wednesday).  My number one goal is glowing, clear, even-toned skin.  My skin is pale and prone to freckles, but not the cute defined dot type of freckles - unfortunately I get the blotchy, mottled sort that just make my skin look blemished.  I'm also seeing a few breakouts on my chin but I think that's due to always holding my jaw because of wisdom teeth pain, so hopefully that will clear up after my operation!  Finally, now that I'm in my late 20s (ugh) I'm interested in early intervention for fine lines, wrinkles and other general age-related signs.  Meet the team!

Morning crew, L-R: Bioderma Solution Micellaire, philosophy turbo booster c powder, L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity serum, Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Moisture with SPF 15+

Evening regime, L-R: Clarisonic, Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser, philosophy miracle worker pads, miracle worker serum, Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion, miracle worker moisturiser.

This regime, particularly the evening, has a heavy focus on retinoids.  Retinoids are great for addressing all of my concerns - they're the only product approved by the FDA to reverse wrinkles, smooth the skin and even out pigmentation.  They also do well at treating blemishes.  I bought the philosophy miracle worker miraculous anti-aging trial-sized kit (try saying that ten times fast) from Adore Beauty.  I guess this is a mini-review!  It comes with retinoid treatment pads, serum and moisturizer.  There are 15 pads in the kit but they are quite big and I am quite stingy, so I cut them all in half before adding the magical elixir to them.

I also bought the philosophy turbo booster c powder while I was at it to add to my morning routine.  Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant so it's good for resisting sun damage, and it also stimulates collagen production.  This particular product is unique as it's a powder that you mix into water or a serum of your choosing.  This is good because Vitamin C is more stable in powder form than aqueous, so making it up fresh daily means that it's more potent.  (This sounds like an infomercial -_-  I wish I was being paid but I guarantee that the good people at philosophy wouldn't know me from a bar of soap.  I am a biochemist, which is where the Urge To Explain Things is coming from.)

So, my routines.  First thing when I wake up, I wipe my face and neck with a cotton pad soaked in Bioderma water.  I then mix half a scoop of turbo booster powder into a squirt of Youth Code, and massage that in.  Once it's sunk in, it gets locked down with an application of Ageless Intensives.  I've been using this product for a while and it's great but I wish it had higher SPF :(

In the evening, I take off my makeup with Bioderma (plus Neutrogena Oil-Free eye makeup remover if I'm wearing waterproof eye make).  I then use my Clarisonic with Neutrogena cleanser, rinsing with tepid water at the end.  After that, I wipe my face and neck (excluding eyes and lips) with miracle worker pads.  Once that's sunk in, I use one pump of miracle worker serum.  Next I apply the Hada Labo whitening toner, patting it in gently.  I then seal in all the goodness with miracle worker moisturizer, and apply eye cream (I'm bouncing between several at the moment because I have a scaly inflammation due to allergies, so I haven't pictured any above.  The one I plan to use regularly after the allergies clear up is also from the Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle blah blah line because it has retinol and hyaluronic acid, which makes me happy.)  The miracle worker moisturiser tingled a teeny bit the first couple of uses but not anymore.  (I say "tingled" because it was milder than what you might describe as stinging.  Some people are sensitive to retinols, so please ease into them by only using them every few days when you are first starting out!)

It's been a week and my skin definitely feels springier and smoother.  I also think it is a bit brighter though it's not super obvious in photos yet.  Photos for your perusal:

Left is last week, right is just now.  Curse my bathroom's lighting/my lack of decent camera/my hereditary dark dark undereye circles!  I also have just realised that my eyebrows are quite hideous.  But anyway yes I think there is less uneven pigmentation now.  I'll take another shot in a few more weeks' time to compare further.  Right now I'm really happy with how it's looking, anyways.

I am a little bit antsy about having so many no-make photos on my blog >_<

****************

I also had a follow-up treatment today for my IPL on my nose that I blogged about last month.  The therapist was super excited at how un-red my nose is now.  I didn't realise there was such a difference until she showed my my before photos, but boy was she right!  So yes I very much recommend the treatment for anyone who has a rosier nose (or any area I guess) than they would like.  She re-treated my one stubborn broken capillary on my nose, which is now almost invisible.  Woohoo!

I also had her treat a few spots on my chest  - I dunno what to call them, they look like little clusters of broken capillaries that are raised flat patches - which worked like CRAZY.  They are all black dots now (gross) that will fall off in 5-10 days and be gone forever after that!  One of them looks a bit yucky right now though because it was in a blood-vessel rich area so some of the vessels around it got a little bit treated - looks like a bruise.  The surrounding vessels are still quite pink though so I am confident that there has been no damage done to them.

I might go back for treatments on other areas in future - we'll see!  Please check Skin Resus in Floreat out if you are interested in having this done, they are so nice and very professional (and very reassuring when you wimp out about how you think it will be painful, haha.)

Marshmallows

Ant is helping me make a blog banner today.  I've decided to embrace the lame act cute-ness of my blog title and just go with it, seeing as how I can't think of anything else.  I did throw it open on Twitter, and my brother-in-law suggested poshyhoshi, which... ehhhh, sorry Trav.  Anyway, the marshmallow thing is actually me misquoting Amelie.  One line refers to her as "mon petit Amelie" and another as "Amelie-melo", and somehow my brain has mashed it into "petit-melo", so there we are.  The marshmallow stays.

Here is a Pusheen cartoon to prove the usefulness of marshmallows.

Fin.

UPDATE:  Another Pusheen marshmallow!

Lazy weekend

Things have been *crazy* around these parts for quite a while now, so it was nice to take some time over the weekend to slow down a little bit.  Here's what I did:

• Breakfast on Saturday at cantina 663, my favourite breakfast spot in Perth, which coincidentally is happily walking distance from my house.  I had a strawberry and rhubarb salad with yoghurt and oat crunch, which was light and delicious.  So delicious, in fact, that my phone ate the photos, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
• Tidied up the bedroom and finished laying our new rug.  

Like the bedside dressers?  They're IKEA Rast dressers that I painted myself to surprise Ant one weekend when he was away.  I'm still sort of ridiculously proud of them.  It was *hard work* cutting out the stencils for the gold bits, lemma tell ya.

• Also changed around the interior fittings in my half of the wardrobe.  

Now I have a place for my shoes!  (Heels are not visible as they are stored on the floor of the wardrobe.)  If I could change two things about my house, it would be 1) sound insulation between us and our downstairs neighbour, and 2) more wardrobe space :(  We installed this wardrobe when we bought the house and it's as big as it can be, but... still pretty small, unfortunately.  My dream for the next house is a walk-in.

• Had my hair done.  

I wanted to go all-over lighter with a lilac undertone, so I booked for that on the phone, but unfortunately the apprentice that took my call didn't allocate enough time so I had to settle for highlights and a root touchup.  I'm pleased with how it turned out, but next time I will make sure I speak to my stylist on the phone.  Anyway here's how it looks right now:

• Used some MilkyFoot exfoliating pads.  

You've probably seen them around the blogosphere before, they're the plastic socks with lactic acid inside that cause your feet to shed all their dead skin in a dramatic/disgusting/awesome manner.  I've used these several times in the past and they give me a rash on the tops of my foot (ie where there's no dead skin to treat), so this time I tried to be crafty and slathered the tops of my feet with Vaseline first.  Didn't work; I look like I have crazy sunburn on my feet and it itches like mad :(  Does anybody have any suggestions...?  Anyway it's a temporary discomfort; should be fine by tonight.

• Went to mum and dad's place and played with their bunny.  

This is Trogdor the Bunninator.  He's very demanding when it comes to cuddles!  He nips at your leg if he thinks you're not paying him enough attention.  It's quite relaxing to snuggle a bunny for a few hours :)

So that was my weekend!  Now back to work for a week until Wisdom Tooth D-day *ominous rumble*  Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Bird Boutique!

So last week I woke up and grabbed my phone to check my email (this is what I always do first thing in the morning, addict much?) and amongst everything was this:

And I was like "ha ha spam, nice try, imitating a company I follow, I didn't enter any competition," and I thought no more of it and got up to have breakfast.  And then over breakfast I checked Facebook and I saw this:

So apparently the crew at Bird selected one of their Facebook followers at random for a voucher.  How nice is that??  After I got over my "le wha?" reaction, I headed over to their website to choose my goodies, and settled on these lovelies that arrived today!

Repetto BBs in black lambskin!  They are *so* soft - the word "buttery" gets thrown around a lot but it certainly applies here - and they are a dream to wear.  And look at the sweet handwritten note they enclosed!  They're right, I absolutely will wear them a ton :)

Thanks so much Bird!  I was having a rotten time last week and you improved things no end!  :D

Please head over to their website and check them out!