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I’m Sandy.

An inspiring menu developer as seen on the current series of MasterChef 2020 on BBC1

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MY LAST SUPPER BEFORE I HEAD OFF TO SOMEWHERE ELSE

MY LAST SUPPER BEFORE I HEAD OFF TO SOMEWHERE ELSE 🐚

I decided to take my parents out for 'popping clams’ in Shunde. (I drove all the way up this time as I applied for a Chinese driving license with my UK license). And it was definitely worth the journey! Fresh clams cooked in a bone broth made every morning, the owner really takes pride of. He was so patient, trying to explain to me the various types of clams on the menu. Some are massive but probably not as flavourful as the smaller ones...

Apart from fresh clams, we ordered some oysters, prawns balls, lots of tofu and beancurd rolls which absorb all the goodness from the broth.

Me and my parents really enjoyed it, and what a great meal to share one more time together... they will be missed for sure

It's my last week of a much-extended stay in Macau

It's my last week of a much-extended stay in Macau! 🇲🇴

As I walked into the village of Coloane, it didn’t take me long to notice the aroma of the freshly baked pastries. 22000 egg tarts are being freshly made daily, pretty much without a break all year round. There is no way you can walk passed the bakery and not noticing those golden-coloured caramelised custard filled pastries. They smell heavenly 😍

It was a pleasure to meet Eileen and Audrey from the Lord Stow’s Bakery, a bakery that has been established for decades and have won the heart of many locals as well as tourists from all over the world for their Pastel de Nata.

Things have changed drastically in the last decade in Macau, but the taste of these goodies was just like what I recalled as a kid. In my Masterchef audition, I actually put together a baked dim sum trio, including Pastel de nata and alongside with Char siu pork puff pastry and Black pepper beef cornish pasties. Which is very self-explanatory 😂

Big breakfast, skip lunch and ski all day long ⛷

Big breakfast, skip lunch and ski all day long ⛷️

Have you ever had a Kazakh style breakfast? I promise you would love it as much as I do! Starting from the left - a bowl of savory milk tea (lightly savory and yet so creamy), handmade blackcurrant jam, urum "奶皮子" (the layer of skin formed on simmered milk), baursuk "包尔萨克”(fried bread), kovardak “胡尔达克” (beef n potatoes stew).

And my favourite? Baursuk filled with the unsweetened blackcurrant jam, I can easily eat a bucket of those. Urum is so so creamy. I think dairy products are just exceptionally good in this area.

Until you see it yourself.

Until you see it yourself.

Happy Chinese New Year 🧧🧨✨ Wishing everyon

Happy Chinese New Year 🧧🧨✨ Wishing everyone health and wealth in the year of Ox 🐂

祝身體健康，牛年順利，牛市大吉 ❤️

Yesterday marks a momentous day that I received th

Yesterday marks a momentous day that I received the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine like many others in Macau! 💉 Knowing that I will be travelling to other parts of China and back to the UK in the next couple months, it's almost a no brainer to put myself forward to hop on the earliest appointment available.

Are there any risks and potential side effects? Yes. However, covid vaccination is so important for us to break the chain of transmission of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us. This is beyond a community, a region, or a country, with its benefits will get amplified as more people in the world has been vaccinated. 🌍

How am I feeling? I'm actually feeling pretty normal and perhaps just a bit more sleepy than usual (not sure if that's because of the vaccine or the sofa or Netflix 😜). Mentally, this feels amazing. I feel like we are finally making some progress after such a long time.

Being grateful is an understatement. Macau government has been doing an incredible job in keeping my family safe, reducing the social and economic impact of this pandemic to its minimum. Thank you 🙏🙏

New ingredient unlocked 🌟!

"Sea grapes" 海葡萄
(Caulerpa Lentillifera)

These green caviar-looking algae is originated from the coastal regions in the Indo-Pacific, and now commercially cultivated in many East Asia countries. They are served with two dips that you can choose from - soy & Wasabi or a Sichuan chilli oil.

It actually doesn't have much taste on its own. But I like the texture, just pops in your mouth like bubbles. Definitely something I would want to develop further in my own dishes.

Pardon the angle 🙈

They bring Ham Chin Peng 咸煎餅 (salty pancakes) to a different level! I love the gradual thickness of crunchiness with a soft doughy crust at the bottom. It's commonly served alongside with congee in many Cantonese breakfast eateries. Made with simple ingredients bread flour, water... and Nam Yu 南乳 (Fermented Red Beancurds) which gives you a subtle sweet taste as well as savory ones. Lots of sesame on top that gives you that extra aroma 👌

Swipe ⏩ They kindly cut it up as they serve us the dish
⏩⏩ Me showing you how crunchy it is 🐽🐽😋
⏩⏩⏩ Other great dim sum dishes
⏩⏩⏩⏩ The exterior of the restaurant

#飲茶#dimsum#bolei#foodie#londonfoodie#london#yumcha # 咸煎餅

*Inhaling the hotpot spirit* Tried out this new h

*Inhaling the hotpot spirit*

Tried out this new hotpot place in ZH and so impressed with their varieties and the quality of their broth base. The Left is the signature Taiwanese style Mala Spicy broth with unlimited braised tofu and duck blood to take home as well. The Right is a chicken broth with mushrooms and barleys which has a thick consistency and taste great even having as a soup on its own.

What I love most is their penguin shaped squid cakes, with half made from squid ink looking super adorable... As well as their yogurt flavour sorbet served as a palette cleanser between meals! 👌

A very happy Sandy.

Thanks to Mama's feeding and great food Macau and

Thanks to Mama's feeding and great food Macau and GZ has to offer, I probably haven't pick up a knife or get my hands dirty for a good month 😂

However, me and my sister decided to make some wontons together using @omnipork.uk - a plant based pork that took Asian markets by storm, along with some fresh shiitake mushrooms and chives 😋 which compliment each other really well because Omnipork is also made from shiitake mushrooms, peas, rice and non GMO soy protein.

Then cooked with a chilli, garlic and black beans sauce 🌶️👌 wontons has never been so good

Good thing is Omnipork is also launching their range in the UK this month. Make sure you follow @omnipork.uk to know where to get hold of them! What I really love about this product is how versatile you can cook with it unlike most vegan products in the market right now that is finished or semi-finished, check out @kaykayfood for more vegan recipe inspirations. 😍

#omnipork #veganuary

Fixing my sweet tooth 👌 The 'Popcorn' was exce

Fixing my sweet tooth 👌

The 'Popcorn' was exceptional. I love its presentation and you can really taste the essence of corn within a bite. Complex textures of mousses, popcorn crunch, and a fluffy sponge.

This shop is just round the corner where I grew up in Macau and their sweets are just as good as it was when I first had their Mont Blanc.

Visited the local market today, and thought might

Visited the local market today, and thought might as well popping down to the noodle and dumpling stalls next to it.

Another favorite of mine - braised beef brisket and tendons with egg noodles and choi sum 牛筋牛腩撈粗, some potstickers filled with Chinese chives 韭菜鍋貼, stuffed peppers 釀尖椒 and deep fried wontons 炸雲吞

What Macau feels like ☕

What Macau feels like ☕

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 🎉🥂 Hope you all ha

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 🎉🥂

Hope you all had some time to reset and feel ready to kick off again. 2020 has been a challenging year but we have dealt with it so big congratulations! It's also a year that I realised how passionate I'm about food and pivot myself to a completely different industry with the many opportunities I have been given. Massive thank you for those who had offered help, purchasing my products as well as your kind messages and supportive comment to keep me going. ❤️🙇🏻‍♀️

In order to pursue the exciting opportunities ahead, I finally made the move to leave my full-time consulting job with @accenture. I'm so grateful to be part of the organisation that constantly gives back and invest in their own talent. What I have learnt in this high performing environment will last for a life time and will play a vital role in my next step - starting off a new food venture! 🔨📈

In parallel, I'm still serving my clients as a food consultancy focusing on areas in new product development. Feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions and require a second option. I just LOVE interesting ideas especially when it comes to food 💡

Our 2021 will be great!

Apart from the well-known Chongqing Spicy Hotpot p

Apart from the well-known Chongqing Spicy Hotpot packed with Sichuan peppercorns and chillies, Chaoshan Beef Hotpot is also very popular during the winter days in Southern China.

The Hotpot is served in a light but tasty broth cooked with beef bones and various vegetables, the one we had today is cooked with coconut slices). Chaoshan Beef Hotpot has slight more emphasis on the quality of the beef - once the cow is slaughtered, they have to be eaten within the same day. Yes, you have to slaughter a cow to get beef and neither burger are grown from trees. The chef must also slice the beef by hand, not machines and interestingly the most premium cut here is from its neck and shin for its flavour and texture. The beef slices are then cooked in a net for maximum 8 seconds, before served with a simple dipping sauce like Shacha.

#Hotpot #hotpotseason #chaoshanhotpot

滑蛋叉燒飯🔥Perfectly cooked scrambled egg

滑蛋叉燒飯🔥Perfectly cooked scrambled egg and Char Siu (Barbeque Pork), drizzled with sweet soy

This is one of my favourite dishes in casual diners back home. Pork is well marinated with five spices and grilled with charred wood. Any fats are rendered and the edges are slightly charred, as they brushed honey to finish off the grilling. Scramble eggs have never been so good, it's silky and buttery-smooth.

Very happy Sandy here.

I was so close to have a cat for my birthday this

I was so close to have a cat for my birthday this year, but that got postponed. Meanwhile just gonna enjoyed their temporary companion. 🐾🐈

🌟Reading as a Therapy🌟😌 It's not unusual

🌟Reading as a Therapy🌟😌
It's not unusual that we all feel a bit "broken" at times. I often think there is no better way to pull these broken pieces back together by indulging myself in the wonderful world of literature. Words has great power to heal and mend - at good times, it makes being more mindful of our own situation. And in the bad days, it distracts me from the outside world, providing me an instant getaway and be part of someone's plot for a while.

Thought I will share some good reads that I have enjoyed in my week 1 quarentine, and hopefully they can provide some comfort for those who also need it. The list has a focus on mental illness and psychiatry, not the lightest kind of reads but I assure there is a lot of positivity within and leave you feeling warm, and energised again.

1️⃣ Breaking & Mending by Joanna Cannon
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out of 5
❤️:
Joana guided me through her journey of becoming a doctor, and how she soon realised becoming a good doctor is not just about easing the physical pain of her patient but also the emotional consequences of facing death and other uncontrollables as well.

2️⃣ The Girl Behind the Gates by Lenda Davies
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out of 5
❤️:
Truly touching. The story breaks me but also bring me so much joy in the end. Back in 1939, Nora was sectioned under the Mental Health Deficiency Act, being pregnant out of wedlock - moral defective as they called Nora. After enduring 40 years of unspeakable cruelty, psychiatrist Janet comes to rescue or maybe vice versa in the end. I think Nora's emotional resilience has brought me as much hope as it did for Janet.

3️⃣ Into to the Magic Shop by James Doty MD
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out of 5
❤️:
A great story that unravels from a boy born who was into a poor family believed that he will not become anything in his later life. However after a life changing encounter he unlocked the secret of how to become successful. He learnt lessons of compassion, opening his heart which is ironic as he became a surgeon and he also grew a fierce with determination. Jame's life story beautifully reflects this message and so much more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is feeling lost or unsure of their future.

A little celebration for few important decisions m

A little celebration for few important decisions made over the last couple days with a Sunday roast! 🎉

FIRST - After due considerations, I'm going home for Christmas to see my family after 2 years 🎉❤️ I will be in Shanghai, Macau and places in between, so do hit me up in advance for dumplings, dim sum, or anything you name it 😋

SECOND - It's something worthy of a separate post and I will definitely let you know when it's effective 🤫

#sundayroast

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