Thai Prawn Salad

Posted on May 31, 2010 in Cooking, Diplo TUMMY | 0 comments

In an effort to lose weight, we try to eat soup & salads for dinner every day. Try being the operational word. I wanted to mix it up a bit, so one night I did a Thai Prawn Salad. Okay, so it still has carbs in the shape of vermicelli noodles, but  it’s still healthier than one of our fried, rice/potato-laden meals.

The recipe is from this booklet by Yummy Magazine called Meals in Minutes (10-, 25-, and 30-Minute Everyday Dishes) and is indeed very easy to make. Picked it up in National Bookstore last December when I was in Manila. Below is my version of the recipe. We love anything sesame so this is going to be a repeat dish.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 200 g Chinese vermicelli (sotanghon)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, chopped finely
• 1 small dried red chili, deseeded
• 450 g prawns, peeled, with tails intact (okay mine were shrimps, not prawns)
• 2 cups snow peas
• 8 pieces baby corn, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Salt to taste

For dressing

• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 6 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste

1. Place noodles in  large bowl then cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 mins.
2. Drain noodles & place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well & set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a bottle, cover tight & shake.
4. Heat oil in a wok, then saute half the garlic & all the chili. Add prawns & a small pinch of salt. Cook until they change color, about 3 mins.
5. Stir in snow peas, baby corn, sesame seeds, remaining garlic & another tiny pinch of salt. Toss lightly to mix.
6. Serve noodles hot (with the noodles blanched until ready to serve) or cold by chilling the noodles before topping with prawns & dressing.
7. Arrange the drained noodles on a serving platter. Top with cooked prawns and drizzle with dressing.

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MOVIES ✰ When in Rome & Josh Duhamel’s “DUH?” look

Posted on May 31, 2010 in Diplo REVIEWS | 1 comment

Just finished watching “When in Rome” last night. It was okay – it had some funny moments. Nothing too spectacular though, because at the end of the movie, I didn’t come out with that giddy feeling I usually get after a good rom-com. Instead my first thought was:

“I didn’t realize that Josh Duhamel had this ‘DUH?’ look?!?”

Did anyone else notice it?!?  He does this thing wherein his mouth skews to one side of his face, every time he does an emotional scene. It just happened SO many times in the movie, I couldn’t help noticing it!

He’s still good-looking in my book though. And I want to have that gorgeous, even tan!!! Hmmmm…. I wonder if it’s spray tan?!

*All screenshots are from the movie, When in Rome.

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Our teak dining table, chairs and side tables are here!

Posted on May 31, 2010 in Diplo HOME Highlights | 9 comments

We got our flat unfurnished so we could invest in good old teakwood furniture (which is something Indonesia is known for). Another word for “old” is “recycled.” Basically meaning, they salvage pieces from old houses or furniture. Since new wood has a tendency to crack, then we wanted old wood, because years of proper drying out makes it less likely to warp/crack.  That’s just my train of thought.

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