Kids are back to school this week.
And as for my son, this term will be his last term, to be in the school/class room environment.
Last night, we were talking over supper... about his plan, his future, which University, what course, where he intends to go to and so forth. We touched on the topic on which part of Australia that they would likely end up studying hence living...
Suddenly... E said...
"If I were to leave WA and live in the Eastern States... I'd miss my Alarm Clock"with her arm stretching out to pat my back...looking at me with her cheeky smile.
Yes... I would definitely miss her... miss annoying her every morning... with my every 10 minutes listening, checking whether she is out of bed, getting ready.
Screaming at the top of my lungs "Its time to go" at the garage door...
ready to leave, with her replying 'I am coming' and yet, she is no where to be seen...Still no sign of her in the next 5 minutes... but 'I am coming' could be heard coming from somewhere in the house.
She gets my adrenalin pumping every morning... I do not need caffeine for that extra boost.
We are totally opposite... I must be either early or on time... whereby the word : Time is erased from her vocabulary...
I am going to miss my son too, if he decided to further his studies to the Eastern States... will miss cooking this bowl of noodles with lots and lots of beef, beef rendang and many more... this boy loves his red meat.
Recipe (serve 6-8)
Ingredients A
1 kg oxtail (get your butcher to cut into 3cm pieces)
1 kg chuck bones
4 dried chillies
2 brown onions- wedge
8 garlic cloves - peeled and smashed
2 inch ginger - smashed
2 teaspoon hot black bean paste
4 tablespoon miso paste
2 tablespoon raw sugar
1 cup light soy sauce
2 large bay leaves
4 /12 tablespoon dark caramel soy sauce
2 carrots - cut into chunk
1 large white radish - cut into chunks
Salt to taste
Ingredients B
Spice bag
4 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 fresh mandarin orange peel
2 teaspoon peppercorn mix
1 cinnamon stick
Ingredients C
Preserved vegetable (from Asian Grocer)
3 fresh chillies - 1 to be finely chopped and 2 to be thinly sliced
500g glass noodle (large packet found in Asian grocer)
Spring onions - thinly sliced
Baby Bok Choy - washed and steam
- Wash the preserved vegetables and squeezed out as much water as you can. Cut the vegetables into thin strips (perpendicular to the stalks). Check on its saltiness. Finely chopped 1 fresh chilli. Mix the chilli into the preserved vegetable. Add sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
- Using a piece of muslin cloth, wrap and tie the spices (in Ingredients B) to make a spice bag.
- In a 6 liter slow cooker - arrange the chuck bones and oxtail at the bottom of the pot.
- Add in spice bag.
- Add water to just about covering the oxtail and chuck bones.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours or until the meat is tender and just about to fall off the bone.
- With the slotted spoon, gently dish out the oxtail and chuck bones onto another heatproof container. Cover with foil, to keep the meat moist.
- Add dried chillies, onions, ginger, bay leaves, carrots and radish to the slow cooker.
- Mix black bean paste, miso paste, dark caramel soy sauce with 1 cup of light soy sauce. Pour the soy mix into the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for at least 2 hours or until carrots and radish are tender. Add hot water if necessary (about 1 cup)
- Season to taste.
- Soak the glass noodles for few hours, drained.
- Divide glass noodle in individual bowls.
- Ladle the hot boiling soup into the bowl (thus will cook the glass noodle).
- Garnish with oxtail, beef pieces, baby bok choy, some fresh cut up chillies, spring onion and preserved vegetables.
- Serve immediately
