When I get a hold of something so fresh and beautiful like an earthy green head of broccoli, I wish I could it raw just like that. Too bad raw food was never quite my preference. But a few minutes in a wok, tossing big slices in smoking oil with a simple seasoning could actually turn anything into a succulent goodness.

Stir frying broccoli with oyster sauce is one of those quick and simple recipes with the result of a thoughtful tailored flavor. While broccoli is sliced into rough big pieces, it gives the dish a sense of simplicity and rusticity. Another reason I cut them so big is because I want to keep that sweet juice in each slice.

Oyster sauce has a very deep flavor with strong aroma but somehow it let the ingredient be without overpowering it. It adds a wonderful salty subtle flavor while allowing the broccoli to remain sweet and simple.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients: (2 servings)

250 gm broccoli- sliced into big pieces

2-4 cloves garlic- roughly bruised

1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 tbsp corn starch- dissolved in a little water

1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in the pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, sauté garlic until golden brown.
2. Add broccoli and toss until coated evenly with oil.
3. Add oyster sauce and vegetable stock. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. The broccoli should become slightly tender but crunchy and juicy on the inside.
4. Check the seasoning and thicken the sauce with corn starch mixture.
5. Serve hot with some rice.

Our broccoli was sweet and juicy. The sauce was full of flavor and it’s just enough to melt into hot rice. It was fresh, healthy and comforting.

Love,
Tes

One thing you have to keep reminding yourself while traveling with kids is to keep yourself calm. Though patience is a key, I have to admit that “Toy” is the most crucial weapon. So here are some tips and checklist we use to ensure a smooth ride in the air

1. Plan your trip
   Book non-stop fight whenever possible to avoid changing of terminal and run around with unwilling children. Flying can make them very cranky and tired so plan your trip to accommodate them. Communicate with your airline and ask for comfortable seats where you can be in control with the situation. Some airlines are very nice, and they are ready to assist the passengers with children on board form the gate.
2. Be Organize with your traveling documents
   Keep all traveling documents like passports, visas, tickets, boarding pass, your taxi service and hotel booking detail, etc. in one place with organized compartments for easy excess whenever you need. Don’t forget a pen for filling forms and check your mobile connection in the airport.
3. Keep your luggage to minimum
   Pack only essentials and don’t carry a lot of stuff as you will always need a hand to keep the children on track.
4. A small bag for kid
   Allow your kid to carry a small bag filled with their stuff like toys, cuddly dolls, games, a few treats, napkins, etc. It should be light weight, and make sure all items they carried are not in the prohibited item list.
5. Safety at the airport
   Talk to your children about the trip, what to expect and how they should behave. Put a name tag with contact number, your name, and your address on the child just in case. I don’t know what’s with them but kids love running in an airport! Tell them how to identify an authority/security if they get lost. Ask your spouse to keep an eye on your children while filling forms. If you travel alone, you should strap your kid in toddler tether / child leash. Talk to your airline in case you need to carry a car seat or bassinet on board.
6. Entertainment in Airport
   If you arrive early and have time to stroll around in an airport, take your children to the game zone where they could play and enjoy various activities. This is the tip I use all the time. This makes your kids really happy and almost tired enough to go to sleep right away when they get to their seats.
7. Be attentive/entertaining while flying
   It is very important to keep your children happy all the time while traveling because the limited space usually makes them bored and frustrated very easily. Have their favorite toys, candies, quiet games, etc. Play with them, tell exciting stories, and engaged in fun conversation. Ask for comfortable pillows or blankets when they’re feeling sleepy.
8. Extra clothes, napkins, wet wipe
   Accident happens, you should be ready to clean and change them immediately. Have extra clothe, napkins, diapers, wet wipes, etc. in your carry on. They should be in a comfortable outfit so they can relax during the flight.
9. Meal for kid
   Request kid meal in advance. Kid meal is usually available in most airlines. Make sure you book it at the time of booking ticket.
10. Safety on board
    Pay an attention to safety demonstration and talk to your kid about it. Make sure your children are secured with seatbelt while taking off and landing. Have earplugs ready to manage ear pressure pain.
11. Prepare for the worst
    There are time kid are just out of control. They cannot be predictable so you must remind yourself to be patient. Always have plan B and C. Crying and screaming are the worst scenario in the public place. Make sure you have something that could turn their mood around. For Yaseen I packed his favorite treat called Kinder Joy which has a surprise toy inside. He loves it and it will keep him calm immediately.
12. Evaluate the entire experience
    At the end of the journey, talk to them about how they did. Always remember to communicate in a positive tone. Tell them how nice they did on the trip and what they should not do again next time they travel.

I think it’s important to keep communicate with your children all the time while traveling. Yaseen is never an easy subject so we always look out for another tip and tricks whenever traveling with him. Feel free to share your thought and tips here…coz man…We’re in need of them

Hey I almost forget to tell you that we are flying to Kerala tomorrow. I will update some local delights and our fun journey from there.

Take care, kids!
Tes

I cannot imagine living without garlic. It’s such a big part of my kitchen. Though it’s never a stand out character, but without it the dish seems incomplete. I think I don’t use garlic only in dessert/sweet dishes, but believe it or not, in some Thai cooking we sneak some garlic into those deep frying delicious treats.

Now when I make soup, it means a lot of garlic, generous handfuls of garlic, and beautiful aroma of garlic mellowing within hot broth. Garlic gives that subtle fragrance and helps enhancing the seasoning in the soup. So clearly I dump in a whole pod or two in a big bubbling pot of chicken soup.

Here is one of my favorite soup recipes for all season with a vibrant, fresh flavor of garlic. What I also love about this recipe is it’s so humble and simple. We only use chicken bones in this recipe. Now as you already know, bone is flavor. That’s what make the soup so sweet, rustic and unquestionably delicious.

Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients: (4 Servings)

Fresh bones of whole chicken- cut into big chunks

2 whole garlic- peeled and roughly bruised

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp salt

2 tsp freshly ground white pepper

Chopped spring onion for garnishing

6 cups water

Noodle of your choice- I used rice noodle

Preparation:

1. Marinate chicken bones with light soy sauce and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
2. Bring water to boil in a large pot. When the water is furiously boil, add chicken and garlic. Let it boil for two minutes and bring it down to simmer.
3. Add salt and simmer further for 45 minutes- 1 hour. When the both is ready, check the seasoning. Strain the soap through a colander to discard the bones and garlic. You should get a beautiful clear soup. You may retrieve the meat from the bones which will be tender, flavorful and fall of the bones easily, keeping it for the dish.
4. To serve blanch the noodle in boiling water and keep aside in individual serving bowls. Add chicken, chopped spring onion, and ground white pepper. Finally, add hot broth and serve immediately.

For me there is nothing more comforting than soft noodle in bubbling hot broth. With a few humble ingredients we could have something so delicious. If you want this to be extra luxury, you can avoid the bones and go for the whole chicken. But trust me, less is more and simple is the best.

Take care,
Tes

Here are some pictures of our new home progress… and as you can see, it’s really a long way to go

… a living and dinning area

I love our small balcony… I’m gonna grow flowers and herbs immediately when we move in

Every room have a gorgeous view…

Yaseen’s room… imagine sky blue and airplane :)

It’s not big but very comfortable and cozy…

I’m very happy with constant fresh breeze in master bedroom

Can you imagine… the bathrooms still look like this

Honestly, we just can’t wait to move in

Sorry about being so lazy these days, but my hands are all tied up with editing my novel. There’s no part of creating this baby I didn’t enjoy, but I have to admit that editing is quite a stressful job. After I at least satisfy with everything, I’ll have to look for professional editor, too. Meanwhile I really need to catch up with you guys on cooking and traveling

Love,
Tes

We used dill both as herb and vegetable. It is very healthy and good for digestion. My favorite way to cook is stir frying it with eggs. It may sound like a strange combination, but this is what I grew up eating. This dish is so simple and takes less than 5 minutes to make.

Stir Fried Dill with Egg

Ingredients: (1-2 servings)

100 gm fresh dill- cleaned and cut into 2 inches long

2 large eggs

2 cloves garlic- roughly bruised

4 tbsp vegetable stock

1/2 tbsp fish sauce- or to taste

2 tsp oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in the pan over a medium- high heat and sauté garlic until aromatic.
2. Crack the eggs in and lightly scramble it.
3. Add dill, vegetable stock, and fish sauce.
4. Stir fry for a few minutes or until dill is soften and not over cook.
5. Serve hot with some rice.

My husband loves this dish so much he could eat this forever without complaining. It was so earthy, fresh and flavorful. I usually serve it as a side dish and it goes to well with hot rice.

Take care,
Tes

Before you get the wrong idea, I should also tell you that I didn’t kill anything. Now honestly it was just an imaginary place where I’ve been living for the past few months.

I am so happy to inform you guys that I’ve just finished my first novel. I’ve been up all night filling up the last few chapters of my novel which I’m really proud of.

I don’t wanna give anything out just yet as we are currently reviewing and editing it. As you might notice, I am very terrible with grammar and all. All I can tell you now is… it’s a really fun fantasy novel, not just saying it just because I am an author

Last night at 9.30 pm when my husband came home, I told him to take of Yaseen for a night. Then I went inside a room, cutting off all kinds of communication to the out side world, then I wrote my last 3 chapters. It took me whole night. I went on and on without caffeine, only a song about parking car lingered on the other side. I have to tell you, it wasn’t easy. First I sat on the chair, then I sat on the floor, then I lay on the floor, again I climb up to the chair, and then I crawl down to the floor…. It just kept going on and on like that whole night.

But finally, at 7.30 am today I’ve finished it

Some of you might not know that I write novels. Yeah… but I do. Nothing serious before, I had tons of stories I wrote until half way and never finished. This one I pushed through and it felt really amazing finishing it until the last chapter.

Now, I really need helps from you guys, especially all book bloggers out there, to point me to the right directions as to editing and trying to get it publish It’s my first novel. If there’s 10 people in the world love it, I would be on-top-of-the-world happy

Once it ready! I’d really love to share it with you guys and see what you think.

I don’t actually know what I’m writing now, because I felt a little bit dazed right now. I think I need a nap Z Z Z Z ZZZ

Love,
Tes

When I was a kid, I had nothing of that kind. I was never quite bonded with anything or anyone easily. As the result of having no boundary of playground, I felt like we owned nothing of the world.

Yaseen developed a strong attachment for a strangely ridiculous blanket my mother made 26 years ago. The first time his eyes sat on it, they sparkled as he pronounced, “Blue Color!!!” It was love at first sight.

Front

But as you can see this blanket is barely blue.

Back

My mother made this blanket from pieces of clothes left from my aunt’s tailoring shop in Bangkok 26 years ago. It’s ancient, pretty ugly, and it is one of a kind. She made 3 of them, and this is the one left in the world. The thing about this blanket is it is super comforting and cooling. Everybody in my family in Thailand always fought for it. It’s been with our family forever. It’s everybody’s favourite blanket, pulling here and there, using until tearing apart in every directions. Wherever it was torn, we stitched it back together. Somehow we kept it alive, zombiely! My family actually didn’t wanna let go of it, but Yaseen won the fight. And he’s now a rightful owner of “Blue Color”.

Yaseen couldn’t sleep without it. We couldn’t travel without it. If we have to stay in hotel, we need to pack “Blue Color” with us. When he feels drowsy, the first thing he asks for is “Blue Color”. It’s so funny how he loves it so much. It’s embarrassing when he needs it on the plane while traveling. Now, it’s my responsibility to take care of this zombie- blanket, stitching it up every now and then whenever I find damages.

Did you have some kind of emotional attatched objects as a kid? And how long after did you relax or forget about it? I wonder if Yaseen is going to continue using this blanket until he becomes a teenager… because it sounds like a really big commitment to take care of it.

Love,
Tes

One of my favourite orders is green tea milkshake. Green tea is supposed to be very good for health, but that’s not the only reason I was so addicted to this wonderful shake. I love the grassy, earthy aroma of green tea powder. And that pale green smoothness makes the drink look super refreshing.

I got this organic green tea powder from Thailand. It was natural and healthy, made with green tea and dairy cream. It was perfect for hot or cold preparation. Now that it is summer, I can only see icy green tea be an appropriate drink at the moment.

Green Tea Shake

Ingredients: (2 Servings)

2 tsp green tea powder

3 cup crushed ice

1 cup chilled milk

4 tbsp sweeten condensed milk (or to taste)

Preparation:

Add everything in the mixer, blend until smooth. Serve chill.

I loved that the shake was super rich, thick and smooth, almost like ice-cream. It was sweet, earthy and very fresh. It is really a perfect treat for summer.

Love,
Tes

We are lucky that we still have electric rice cooker, which I now use to cook everything. I actually enjoy this challenge. Cooking with rice cooker for a week. Using rice cooker is easy. Everything is cooked together in one pot, quickly and simple. So this week, you will see me cook a bunch of freakish quick and comforting stuffs up in one pot.

Today, I made instant noodle, spicing it up with Thai hot and sour curry paste. It sounded a lazy food, but I also loaded a lot of veggies and protein in it. It was super quick, aromatic and so indulging.

Hot and Sour Instant Noodle

Ingredients: (2 Servings)

2 Serving size instant noodle

4 cups water

100 gm chicken- sliced

1-2 sausages- sliced

1 1/2 tbsp Thai Hot and Sour curry paste

1 tsp palm sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 cup sliced cabbage

1 bok choy- sliced

4 kaffir lime leaves

Preparation:

1. Bring the water to boil in a pot. In my case, I use electric rice cooker. Once the water is boiling, add Thai hot and sour curry paste, palm sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce.
2. Add chicken and sausage. Cook further for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
3. Add noodle and all veggies. Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the noodle is cooked.
4. Tear in some kaffir lime leaves. Check the seasoning and serve.

How simple is it! It’s plug and play. There is everything in one dish. It’s actually healthy enough to be a meal. Our noodle was tender, soaking in spicy, delicious broth. We slurped on every soft string… I don’t see how hard it is to live without cooking gas anymore

Love,
Tes

This sassy hot dog has been with our family for quite sometimes. It’s a fusion dog, something like chili dog but very Asian flavour. I used French baguette from our local baker which is extra buttery and soft. Vienna sausage which is thick and dense gives a great texture to it. The gravy is super simple and easy, it is peanut base flavoured with curry paste.

Peanut Curry Dog

Ingredients: (4 servings)

8 Vienna Sausages or beef frankfurters

4 hot dog buns (I used French Baguette)

3/4 cup roasted peanut- roughly ground

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan and stir fry curry paste until aromatic.
2. Add ground roasted peanut, sugar, vinegar, and water. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add fish sauce, and check the seasoning. Keep the sauce aside.
3. Grill sausages in a greased skillet until they’re cooked thoroughly.
4. Half the buns and warm them on the hot pan. Spread them with some butter, add sausages, generously ladle the peanut curry over, and serve hot.

The curry sauce is very sweet and flavourful. Peanut crumbs gave a really wonderful texture to the sauce. Every bite was juicy and filled with flavours. These dogs are quite messy, I must warn you. But they’re so worth it

Have a beautiful day,
Tes