Pork Congee with Ama-ebi

I had a small pack of chicken stock in the freezer that should be used up soon. I found a free morning to cook lunch, so I decided on pork congee. I could easily get the ingredients the day before at the supermarket or the wet market, depending on where I passed by. 

Besides minced pork, the husband also likes his congee/porridge with innards. Of course I didn't have to clean or slice any innards. I simply went to the supermarket to get a pack of sliced mixed innards. All I needed to do was to slightly marinate and sear them before putting them into the boil with the rice. #ImpieCooks2026

Decided to add on ama-ebi (甘エビ). It wasn't really for the husband. It was for Choya. Hahahaha. It's good for her to have a variety of proteins and vitamins going in. But she can't finish a tray in two days. She can have two pieces raw on the day of purchase, and two pieces cooked the next day, but no more. So the husband will always take her leftovers. 

For the husband, I didn't exactly include the ama-ebi as sashimi. I blanched them quickly before serving. That kept its crunch and sweetness. I fried up an omelette with spring onions to go with the meal. Extra protein is always welcomed. 

Pineapple Tarts

As much as I'm not into festive goodies or sugar, it's inevitable that people would still gift some to me. They tend to lean towards savory. Whewwww. I stare at the big tub of belinjo crackers gifted by J and L, and I'm trying to resist decimating it so quickly. Hahahah. I don't care about hae bee hiam rolls, but the husband does, so he happily takes a small tub each season. 

M and E gifted us our first tub of pineapple tarts for the season. It's from a home baker they know — Jenny. Whether a batch of pineapple tarts or balls are good, that's completely subjective. Everyone has different preferences. I'm not fond of the Taiwanese pineapple tarts/cakes (鳳梨酥). I like our nyonya local versions. 

I like mine a tad... tart, thick and very full of pineapple and not thin and sugary. I like buttery ones, but the butter used must be top notch, and it mustn't over-power the pineapple filling. I'm not that fond of open-faced tarts. I like them as cute little balls. I won't bother going out to hunt down for pineapple tarts. I'm not that dedicated. If I come across a tub that is actually good, I appreciate it. I don't like the commercially prepped mass-produced pineapple jam. They're wayyy sweet. If the bakery doesn't add their own mashed pineapples to give it a twist, it doesn't work.

One tart holds like 100 calories and 7g (1.5 teaspoons) of sugar. *gulp The recommended intake is two tarts a day. HAHAHAHA. I've seen people inhale like five tarts at a go. I'll stick to one tart every two days. Luckily for me, it's not something I keep thinking about. Neither do I have this craving to 'must' have a pastry with coffee or as a mid-afternoon perk-me-up. 

Fish & Chips

We made a date for coffee. But we didn't intend to lunch. We were going shopping at Birkenstock. When we passed by Lad & Dad, J was like, "Oh! Fish and chips! I have a mild craving for it!" She had heard good things about this gastropub, but never managed to come for a meal. I was like, 'let's go.' 

J was concerned that we wouldn't be able to finish our food because she didn't have much appetite, but really only wanted a few bites. I was like, 'I can eat.' It would be more like 'we eat what we can and ditch the rest lah.' I come to this gastropub enough not to feel shy about ordering too little for two people. The bistro isn't the sort to fault us for it.

Well, I simply ordered a large portion of fish and chips to share, added on coleslaw, got drinks. I decided to go for broke with a CokeZero. It has been a year since I've had it. I could do a few sips. I like Coke Zero ice-cold. Diluted; once it warmed up, I left it — I didn't even finish the can. LOLOLOL J simply took a bottle of water.

I'm not a big fan of fried food, so to me, fish and chips ain't about the batter. I don't eat it. It's about the types of fish used. I dislike snapper and barramundi in this. Lad & Dad uses haddock, which I like, over something cheaper and would taste awful. The fries are offered in either shoestring or thick-cut, so it's up to the diner to see which they prefer or if they like these types of fries. The coleslaw has evolved into this version that's pretty tasty too. Just that it's too much for one person. 

What do we know, we finished the two big pieces of haddock! Wheeeee. I was also hungry lah, could eat properly instead of picking at my food. J was happy with the fish, had loads of fries too. She was so pleased.