#MingmeCooks: Carbonara Tteokbokki


Hello everyone! I am in the mood of craving Asian food this week so I decided to re-create the signature dish of my favourite Korean restaurant - Carbonara Tteokbokki. Below you can find the full recipe or you can head over to my YouTube channel for a cooking video!

Ingredients (For 2-3 people):
300g Korean Rice Cake
- Sauce -
1-2 cups Milk (depends on how much sauce you prefer)
3 Egg Yolks
3 tbsp Cooking Cream
1/2 cup Cheese (mixing two types of cheese will give you a richer flavour)
- Toppings -
Bacon/ Mushroom/ Onion... Be creative!
- Seasoning -
The classic Salt & Pepper

Step 1. Boil a pot of water. Be sure the water is enough to cover the rice cake.

Step 2. When the water is boiled, put the rice cake into the pot, add some oil and salt to prevent the rice cake sticking together and to give them a bit flavour. Cooking 10-15 minutes until the rice cake soften.

Step 3. Pour out the rice cake and run it under cold tap water. Drain them and put them aside. (Note: You can skip step 1-3 if you are not using frozen rice cake.)

Step 4. Chop up the veggies.

Step 5. Heat up a frying pan. Add a bit oil to the pan and cook the bacon until golden.

Step 6. Use the remaining oil to cook the onion. Add in the mushroom when the onion turn half-transparent. Put all cooked toppings on a separate plate for later use.

Step 7. Separate egg yolks from the eggs. Lightly beat the egg yolks.

Step 8. After cleaning the frying pan, pour about 1-2 cups of milk into the pan. Use low heat.

Step 9. When the milk is heated up, add the rice cake and toppings back into the pan. You can add more milk at this point if you feel like there is not enough sauce.

Step 10. Add cheese and salt for richer flavour.

Step 11. When the sauce reaches the consistency you like, stir in the cream and egg yolks. Remember do not let your sauce boil or else the egg will be overcooked.

Step 12. Stir well and now your Carbonara Tteokbokki is ready! Enjoy!

在荷蘭已住了超過兩個月的時間,難免會掛念香港的各種美食。我是個十分喜歡吃韓國菜的人,但至今在荷蘭仍未看見一間韓國餐廳。於是早兩天便自己嘗試煮這道卡邦尼年糕,想不到煮出來味道不錯,所以便和大家分享這個食譜了!

材料(約2-3人份量):
韓國年糕    300克
-醬汁-
牛奶    1-2杯(視乎你喜歡多少醬汁)
蛋黃    3隻
煮食用忌廉    3茶匙
芝士    1/2杯(想有較豐富的味道可以混合兩種芝士)
-配料-
煙肉碎/磨菇/洋蔥... 視乎個人喜好
-調味-
鹽和黑胡椒粉

1)將年糕解凍。首先,把足夠蓋過年糕的水倒進一個高身煲,待水沸時加入年糕,並加入少量油和鹽來防止黏鍋及調味。煮大概10-15分鐘直至年糕變得軟身。然後將年糕倒出,過冷河後放在一邊備用。(如用新鮮年糕可省去此步驟)

2)把蘑菇和洋蔥切碎。

3)燒熱平底鑊後加入少量油炒香煙肉碎。待煙肉呈微焦便可盛起。

4)用平底鑊剩下的油炒香洋蔥。當洋蔥變得軟身和呈半透明時可加入蘑菇一同炒香,然後盛起備用。

5)將蛋黃和蛋白分開,然後輕輕將蛋黃打勻。

6)將約1-2杯牛奶倒進洗乾淨的平底鑊,用慢火煮熱。

7)當牛奶開始冒煙之後便可將年糕和配料回鍋。如這時你覺得不夠醬汁可再加點牛奶。

8)加入芝士和鹽調味。

9)待你覺得醬汁的濃稠度合適時,加入忌廉和蛋黃。謹記醬汁不能煮沸,否則蛋黃會變得過熟。

10)稍稍將醬料拌勻便完成了!




Postcard From Munich...


It has been a week since my first video is up, thanks for the overwhelming love from those who have watched and told me about your thoughts! This week I am sharing my adventure at the Beer Kingdom - Munich, Germany with you. I have got to see so many new things: Oktoberfest, Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich Residenz... You name it! Hope you enjoy my video as much as I enjoyed Munich, I am still brainstorming what to put up on my channel next week... what do you say?

我第一個youtube video已經上載了一星期,非常多謝有收看及給我寶貴觀後感的朋友們!這個星期的vlog我將會跟大家分享我的五天慕尼黑之旅,雖然只是五天,但我的行程非常緊湊,有些地方更未能在片中盡錄!希望大家會喜歡這個新的vlog!


The itinerary of my 5-day Germany trip 我的五天德國之旅行程規劃:
Day 1 | Arriving Munich Central Station - Dinner at Augustiner Restaurant (http://www.augustiner-restaurant.com/html/english.html)
Day 2 | Oktoberfest (If you are interested in going, check out the "Oktoberfest.de" app! It tells you useful info like how many people are sitting inside the tent right now)
Day 3 | Breakfast at Marienplatz - Alois Dallmayr (http://www.dallmayr.com/) - Munich Residenz - BMW Museum 
Day 4 | Neuschwanstein Castle (Remember to buy Bavaria Ticket at the train station for cheaper transport costs!)
Day 5 | Marienplatz City Hall - Viktualienmarkt (http://goo.gl/WOawVU) - Take train back to Tilburg


Dream A Little Dream...


It seems that everyone is holding a different wish-list on hand when they go on exchange. On the top of my list, there is something pretty exceptional - starting a YouTube channel. I first had the desire to open my own little space on YouTube back at 2012. However I felt I was not prepared (or maybe it was just procrastination haha) and it took my three years to realise this.

Vlogging is more challenging than I originally expected. Despite the fact that I have already helped my school to produce promotional videos for several times, filming myself is totally different than filming others. While the former I have to be impromptu and think right on your feet, the later allows me to have time to plan everything out. I am therefore in the constant fear of getting not enough footage.

I hope everyone who watched my video would enjoy it. I cannot wait to explore more possibilities in video editing with my next video! Ciao!

通常身邊的同學到外國留學時都有許多不同的目標,例如是:看北極光、遊覽最少五個國家、參加當地義工服務等等。我Exchange的首要目標與大家的應該更來得不一樣,就是成立自己的YouTube channel了。其實早在2012年我已有這想法,但覺得當時的自己還未準備好(或其實只是懶惰),故三年後才真正實行。

拍攝自己的遊記原來比想像中困難,因為是第一次遊覽那些地方的緣故,所以所攝取的鏡頭都是即興的,並不像其他影片般可以預先計劃好。我希望第一次Vlog大家會覺得合格吧!





Sunday Swan Market.


A week earlier I saw the event "Swan Market Tilburg" popped up in my Facebook feed, and I decided to give it a visit on Sunday. The Swan Market is a lifestyle market which is very alike to the craft market we have in Hong Kong. It took place at Spoorzone, a construction-site like area behind Tilburg Central Station. Stalls inside sell everything ranging from homewares to cupcakes, and they are all so tumblr-like making me want to bring them all home!

I was first attracted by the beautiful handmade Polonaise china. The blue and write pattern on it was so unique and elegant. However most of them were very heavy and delicate so I could not bring them back to Hong Kong. Then I went on and explored some food stalls. One of them sold a wide range of Italian olive oil and all sort of vinegar. I tried a few flavours with the bread the shopper provided and they tasted so good! I especially like the pear vinegar which I could not resist and have to bring it home. I also brought two other flavours as the shop was doing a 3 for 10euro deal. After that I switched to the homeware/clothing side, it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I could not take my eyes off those adorable cooper furniture as well as the pretty vintage clothing. I ended up getting a fluffy white maxi cardigan which I am absolutely obsessed with. It was so soft and classy!

I really enjoyed all sorts of market I have been to in the Netherlands so far. They always come in a wide variety of products with high quality, no matter it is fresh food or handcrafts. Another thing I really like is that the stall owners always make sure I shop stress-free. Sometimes it is really stressful when I shop if I see the owner keep staring at me and putting a moon face on. I am already looking forward to the weekly market at the weekend and cannot wait to share it with you soon!

p.s. And so sorry on missing the Sunday post! I forgot to bring umbrella the day I went to the market and I got a cold, ouch!

大概一星期前我在Facebook看到"Swan Market Tilburg"的event,喜歡逛市集的我當然不會錯過啦!Swan Market在中央火車站後面的一個工地區舉行,它和香港常常舉行的手作市集差不多,都有各式各樣的東西賣,由家品擺設到各地美食均應有盡有。

我剛走進市集便馬上被一片藍白色吸引,那是一個售賣手造波蘭瓷器的檔攤。所有瓷器都製作得十分精緻,可惜它們實在太重和太易打碎,故我唯有打消帶他們回港的念頭。然後同行的友人十分想吃芝士蛋糕,故我們便走去看看賣食物的攤檔。由於那時是午飯時間,我們經過不同攤檔時都不忘試食。其中在一間賣意大利食品的攤檔逗留了很久,因為他們售賣的橄欖油和醋實在很好吃!尤其是他們的啤梨醋,酸酸甜甜十分開胃,所以便忍不住買回家了。繞過食品區便會到賣家品和衣服的攤檔,大部份都是走vintage/文青風格的,所以都十分好看。走著走著又看見我很喜歡的白色大毛衣,所以又把銀包奉獻給店主了哈哈!

過去幾週都逛了不少荷蘭市集,而全部我也十分喜歡。除了是因為他們賣的東西都十分高質素外,他們的店主全都十分和善,即使你只是隨便看看不光顧也不會黑起臉來,所以我每星期也十分期待這裏的周末市集!

p.s. 星期天沒有更新真是十分不好意思!因為逛市集那天忘了帶雨傘,結果就生病了...

Swan Market can also be found in other cities as well, check out this event page for more details:
Swan Market亦會在其他城市舉行,詳情可參閱這個Facebook Event Page:
https://goo.gl/kuNyqx






Something different in Netherlands...



When you start living in a different country, you will always find the people there living in a slightly different lifestyle from where you are originally from. Same thing happened to me when I came to Netherlands. No matter it is transportation, shopping habits or the way people greet, Dutch people are doing them slightly different from the Hongkongers. Therefore, I decided to do something slightly different from the previous blog posts, and tell you about a few interesting things I found in the Dutch life. 

Bike your way
The Netherlands is a pretty flat country, making it really suitable for cycling. Cycling here is not just a form of leisure activities like what it is in Hong Kong, but it is an essential form of transportation. Most of the Dutch people are good cyclist, by saying good I mean REALLY good. I have seen so many times that they use cell phone when they bike (both hands off the front barrel!) and still be able to deal with the busy traffic. I cannot bike at all before coming to the Netherlands, but after seeing the public transportation fee, I just have to force myself to learn it. 

Check-in Check-out on the buses
Dutch people use the OV-chipkaart for their public transport system. The OV-card is just like the Octopus Card we have which is not hard to use at all. However, things are a bit different when it comes to using it on buses. In Hong Kong, bus counts the fare by number of trips; but in Netherlands, they count it by distance. Therefore, you have to tap the card both when you get on and off the bus. I was not aware of that before at all until I realised how fast the money on my OV-card go (embarrassing!), but if this happens to you too, you can always call the bus company for a refund and the staff is very helpful.

Close on Sundays
People who know me well will know that I am a shopping addict. Yet in Tilburg, most shops close very early. They usually close at 6pm on weekdays except Thursday, which is their shopping day, and some of them even close full day on Sunday. This is surely something very different Hong Kong, where shopping malls are everywhere and will not close until 10pm. Although the shops close early, brands like Zara, Bershka... do free shop delivery so you can just browse their online catalogue anytime (and I can still be a shopaholic). 

Debit Card = Wallet
Unlike Hong Kong, credit cards are not that common in Netherlands. Most shops do not even have enough change for big notes like 100 or 500 euro. Dutch people usually pay with debit card when they buy groceries, which the amount will automatically be deducted from the account, just like how EPS works. Once I tried to pay my groceries with a 100 note and none of the cashiers at the supermarket had enough change, luckily one of the customers had two 50 notes and saved the day!

Hello to everyone
Most Dutch people I have met are super friendly. Every day when I bump into my neighbours in the elevator, they will always greet me with a big smile and a friendly "hallo". The staff at the supermarket is very nice as well, one of them even tried to teach me some Dutch!

I am sure there are a lot more interesting things about the Dutch way of living. I am so glad that most of the people here are very helpful so I do not have to undergo any major cultural shock so far. Heel Goed! 

外國的日常生活少不免會有許多與香港不同的地方,初抵步荷蘭的我當然亦感受到兩地的差異,所以今天想暫時不寫遊記,談談我在荷蘭交通、購物和人與人之間的相處方面的一些新體驗。

單車就是私家車
荷蘭與香港的地勢截然不同,這個歐洲國家幾乎整國都是平地,所以到處都適合踩單車。這裡的單車徑四通八達,單車早已不再只是週末的悠閒娛樂而是主要的交通工具。大部份荷蘭人踩單車的技術相當高超,許多人已練成「雙手離開把手一邊whatsapp一邊踩單車」,實在令我這個來到荷蘭才學懂踩單車的留學生十分佩服。

上車嘟一嘟,下車嘟一嘟
多數荷蘭人都會使用OV-chipkaart乘搭公共交通工具,其原理與香港的八達通無異。但這裡的巴士收費模式卻略有不同,與其是上車嘟一次便扣掉全程所需車費,這裡的巴士採用以距離計算的收費模式。故坐巴士的時候必須上車嘟一嘟,下車也嘟一嘟。初時我對此並不為意,直至我發現我的OV card儲值額用得出奇地快時才得知這項收費規則。幸好這裡的公共交通供應商十分體貼,只需致電熱線便可以將忘記拍卡而多扣的費用轉到戶口,十分方便。

東主常常有喜,周日全日休息
香港幾乎是個不夜城,廿四小時營業的店舖隨處可見。但在荷蘭,所有店舖都十分早關門。除了星期四開得較晚,它們平日大多只營業至下午6時,星期天幾乎更是全部關門。對於我這些熱愛購物人士而言,的確有點兒不方便。幸好的是許多品牌的網上商店都設有免費送貨至門市服務,所以要買zara, bershka等衣服仍然無難度!

EPS I Do?
在荷蘭付款主要是使用現金或是debit card(OV-chipkaart與八達通不同,是不能用於公共交通以外的),信用卡並不普遍。所謂debit card其實就是EPS,它能夠直接從戶口中扣錢,大多數荷蘭人在超市購物都會以debit card付款的。另外,許多到歐洲旅行的香港人都會和我一樣,預先在香港銀行兌換歐元。除非顧客特別要求,一般銀行都會給你100或500紙幣。但這裡大部份的商店都不會有許多零錢,即使是大商店亦不例外,故到荷蘭小鎮旅遊時要注意了!

Hello,Hello
荷蘭人十分友善熱情,許多時在街上都會主動跟你打招呼。而且他們的公民教育提倡人人平等,所以甚少會有歧視的情況出現。如果你嘗試跟當地人以簡單荷蘭文溝通,他們更會主動教你一些日常用語。

我相信荷蘭社區仍有許多有趣的事物等待我去發掘,希望下次再和大家分享!


Brewery Weekend.



I chose to visit a local brewery in Tilburg on my first weekend after school started. The brewery is called "La Trappe Trappist", which is an authentic brewery with monks making beer. It is absolutely different from those beer factories of popular brands like Heineken as it looks more like a church than a brewery. 

I signed up for a 1.5 hour excursion which consisted of a tour, and of course, a glass of beer. The excursion started at the Tasting Room, which I got to see a movie about the history of the brewery. Before the movie started, everyone could choose a type of La Trappe beer of their choice. I went for a "La Trappe Blond", which contains 6.7% alcohol and a fruity taste. 

After the movie, Tony from the brewery showed us around to see the beer production line. The production of their beer is based on three core principles: brew within the monastery, stick with monastic principle and have to be non-profit. The brewery is even awarded as the best social enterprise in Tilburg which I found very amazing. Aside from the three principles, Tony also emphasised that their beer always undergoes a second fermentation that gives a unique taste to it.

I was quite starved after the tour so I decided to have lunch at the Tasting Room. Tony said all the ingredients used there are either organic or sustainable farm produce. I ordered a beef stew and bread with cheese. Since the monastic lifestyle is all about self-sustaining, the bread and the cheese were also made by the monks. All the food had a beer taste in it as either the sauce is made with beer or they used leftovers from the beer-making process to make it.

I concluded my journey by buying some postcards at the souvenir shop. Then I took a bus back to Tilburg centre and said goodbye to the silence of the La Trappe Trappist brewery. 

在開學後的第一個週末,我遊覽了在Koningshoeven的La Trappe Trappist啤酒廠。這間啤酒製造工場與一般品牌的不同,它是位於修道院內,由僧侶負責營運的。整間修道院的範圍亦十分大,除了製造啤酒的地方,還有教堂、麥田、餐廳、禮品店等等。

這天我參加了他們一個半小時的導賞團,除了有專人帶領遊覽整間修道院,還可以品嘗他們出產的啤酒。導賞團首先在Tasting Room集合,欣賞一段有關啤酒廠歷史的短片。內容大概講述僧侶們如何因法國宗教政策改變而被逼逃亡至荷蘭,可惜因為Koningshoeven水質不佳而難以栽種,最後有一名聰明的僧侶嘗試製造啤酒,然後慢慢發展成現在的規模。在欣賞短片的同時,我亦品嘗了他們出產的啤酒。他們共出產了9種啤酒,味道亦因酒精濃度亦各有不同。我嘗試了"La Trappe Blond",一種帶果味的啤酒。雖然Blond算是系列中較甜的一款,但它仍帶有麥草那份回甘。這是因為他們在製作過程堅持要兩次發酵,才會產生這種強烈的味道,亦是La Trappe Trappist啤酒的最大特色。

欣賞短片過後,導遊Tony便帶我們到處遊覽。即使他們大部分的設備已十分現代化,他們仍秉承一貫的3項宗旨:必須在修道院範圍出產啤酒;必須保持僧侶的生活態度;必須將多餘的收益回饋社會。我十分欣賞他們對回饋社會的執著,因他們除了是非牟利機構,更是Tilburg的庇護工場,讓一些弱能人士亦能自力更生。

導賞團過後我決定到Tasting Room享用午膳,品嘗一頓啤酒大餐。由於僧侶的生活態度講求自力更生,所以他們的食材都是自己生產的,保證天然。因此我當然要嘗試他們的自家製麵包和芝士,感受修道院食品的美味。另外因昨天天氣較冷,我亦點了一個啤酒燴牛肉來補充能量。

離開修道院之前,我亦到他們的禮品店選購了一些明信片作紀念,然後便坐上前往Tilburg Central的巴士,離開這片寧靜的鄉郊了。

Information about La Trappe Trappist | 如果有意遊覽La Trappe Trappist可留意以下資訊:
Address // 地址:Eindhovenseweg 3 5056 RP, Berkel-Enschot
Excursion // 導賞團:English tour every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. 逢周六早上11:30有英語導賞團
Fee // 費用:12euro (movie + tour + one glass of beer)
How to get there // 如何前往:Take bus 141 at Tilburg Central Station, get off at Koningshoeven 在Tilburg中央火車站乘141號巴士,在Koningshoeven站下車 







Semester Starts.


Yesterday was my first day of school at Tilburg University. Everything started to fall into the right place after two weeks of settling down and orientation. Tilburg is a good place to stay as both the environment and the people are nice, except I still need some more time to get used to the heavy drinking and partying culture here. 

I attended a Dutch course and it was really interesting to learn a new language in a foreign country. The pronunciations between Dutch and Cantonese are very different, making the whole learning process super challenging. A few Dutch phrases I picked up include "Goedemorgen" (Good Morning, pronounced as "hood-da-morgan" ), "Hoe heet je?" (What is your name?, pronounced as "who-hate-ya") and "Heel goed!" (Very good!, pronounced as "hell-hood").

After class I went to a barbecue gathering organized by Tilburg Law School. It was held at the lunchroom inside Cobbenhaegen building, which has a fantastic view of the woods and the lake. I really enjoyed the Dutch way of doing barbecue as you did not have to cook the food yourself in front of the fire. There was also a photo booth inside the lunchroom which I got to do a few crazy snaps with my friends.

So far it was a great start to the semester and I am really looking forward to the rest of it, stay tuned!

在蒂爾堡待了大概兩星期,終於來到第一個上學天了。

蒂爾堡跟我其他到過的歐洲城市不同,這裡的生活節奏比較慢,人與人之間的互動亦比較多。雖然他們濃厚的啤酒和派對文化仍令我覺得有點不習慣,但舒適的天氣和環境的確很容易令我愛上這個荷蘭南部小城。

第一天上課便有學習荷蘭文的lecture,而蒂爾堡大學安排了所有來自亞洲而又有興趣學習當地語言的同學在同一組。因為大部份亞洲語言的發音技巧都與荷蘭文不同,好像荷蘭文內有不少捲舌的發音和喉音,所以學習的過程充滿挑戰性。其中老師教了幾句實用的荷蘭文,例如 "Goedemorgen" (早晨,讀音為 "hood-da-morgan" ), "Hoe heet je?" (你叫什麼名字?,讀音為 "who-hate-ya") 和 "Heel goed!" (非常好!,讀音為 "hell-hood")。

上完lecture後,我參加了法律學院安排予各地交流生的燒烤派對。派對的場地是鄰近學校樹林的Cobbenhaegen大樓lunchroom,那裡能看見一大片綠色的林景和噴泉,風景十分怡人。談起燒烤,一般的香港人都會想起TVB大結局的「圍爐式」燒烤,但在荷蘭,燒烤是十分寫意的,他們一般都是把食物放在grill pan上,然後就跑到一邊聊天,待熟了才拿來享用。但兩者相比,荷蘭式的燒烤就當然少了一份「親密」。

還有一整個學期的交換生生活實在教人期待,希望能有更多精采的奇遇吧!








WHAT I WORE ON FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Top | Global Work
Leather Jacket | From Mum
White Jeans | Mango
Ankle Boots | Bauhaus
Bag | From Mum