Author: sweet surrender

Pandan Fragrance Bread Made with Bread Machine

September 1, 2023August 11, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

I think the bread machine and I don’t get along too well. There’s always drama with it. This one here is probably the last bread made with the bread machine. The recipe is from the manual but somehow it overflowed when proofing. I had to remove it and transfer the dough to a loaf tin to bake.

My initial plan was to make everything inside the bread machine as I didn’t want to deal with the dough. Didn’t want to dirty my hands haha… Oh well… It didn’t happen. In the end, I still had to clean up the mess of overflowing dough some more.

Everything was well in the beginning. Then at the last cycle of kneading, the machine stopped abruptly. I didn’t think much of it until I saw the belt residue under the machine. The belt was a goner. I decided to just let it be since the dough seemed well-knead. So I let it continue proofing. When it was proofing for almost 1 1/2 hours, I checked the machine. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It pushed the machine’s cover up and the dough was all over the window.

Left with no choice, I transferred to the loaf tin, and let it proof for about 30 minutes. Then, baked it in the oven. Luckily it turned out nice. The bread remained soft even until the next day. No falling crumbs too. Using bread flour is really important to achieve soft bread even until the next day. Besides that, yeast is very important too. Make sure it’s alive.

Recipe

I do not use green food colouring here. Hence, the green colour of the pandan wasn’t showing. You can add a bit of green food colouring if you want.

190ml pandan juice
1 small egg
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast

Let the bread machine does all the work. If you want to bake it manually then bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-28 minutes.

Lastly, have fun trying! Check out my YouTube channel and My Kitchen for more baking and cooking adventures.

Oh! In case you do have XiaoHongShu 小红书, feel free to follow me there at 艾艾倪 . The language I used on this platform is exclusively Chinese using Simplified Chinese.

By the way, I just started Lemon8, feel free to follow me there at Lovebellbelle. The language used here is a mixture of English and Malay.

I only share food & beverage-related topics in these accounts. Hope to see you there!

Food Porn, My Kitchen, Vlog

How to Bake or Air Fry Smoked Duck Breast

August 24, 2023August 11, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

When I first got hold of frozen smoked duck breast, I had no idea how to cook it. I didn’t want to deal with oil splatters so I decided to bake it. You can also air fry it. Just need to reduce the heat by 10 degrees Celsius.

Make sure you defrost it. Then preheat your oven. Bake the smoke duck breast at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes. Then bake again at 200 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes. Lastly, let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes before you cut and serve it.

The temperature and time I’m sharing here are just a reference. Different ovens or air fryers will have different capacities. Do adjust them accordingly.

You can check out my Instagram Reel on how to bake frozen smoked duck breast:

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Irene Law – Sweet Surrender (@lovebellbelle)

Very easy isn’t it? I’m so happy that I don’t have to deal with oily stove. Have fun trying! Check out my YouTube channel and My Kitchen for more baking and cooking adventures.

Oh! In case you do have XiaoHongShu 小红书, feel free to follow me there at 艾艾倪 . The language I used on this platform is exclusively Chinese using Simplified Chinese.

By the way, I just started Lemon8, feel free to follow me there at Lovebellbelle. The language used here is a mixture of English and Malay.

I only share food & beverage-related topics in these accounts. Hope to see you there!

Food Porn, My Kitchen, Vlog

Easy Kuih Cara Sarawak Style Recipe (Coconut Milk Version)

August 14, 2023August 11, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

I made Kuih Cara again. This kuih is known by many names namely kuih manggis, kuih cara, kuih bahulu, and kuih apam balik. However, I’m not sure of the actual name. I tried to ask around but was given with different versions of names. What is the actual name? Do you know? This version can only be found in Sarawak. It is quite different from those in West Malaysia. This is definitely no stranger to Sarawakians.

Here’s a Shorts sharing how to extract the pandan juice for this kuih. Click to view the Shorts.

Here’s the previous post of Kuih Cara Sarawak Style using coconut powder.

Kuih Cara Sarawak with Coconut Milk (no extra food colouring used)

Ingredients:
120ml pandan juice (blend 4 pandan leaves with 120ml water)
80ml coconut milk
3 tbsp icing sugar (can reduce to 2 tbsp if you don’t want it too sweet)
A pinch of salt
1 small/medium egg
2/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Oil to grease the mould

The method can be seen in the video. Make sure that your mould is properly greased and using small to medium heat. Adjust it accordingly. Every stove is different. I still can’t get the heat distribution to work nicely. Maybe using charcoal as the source of heat will result in a nicer browning effect. You can try this method out if you want.

If you wonder where I bought the mould, I got it from Shopee. I saw them in Super Save, Mr DIY, and some supermarkets too. Those selling pots and pans should have too.

Lastly, have fun trying! Check out my YouTube channel and My Kitchen for more baking and cooking adventures.

Oh! In case you do have XiaoHongShu 小红书, feel free to follow me there at 艾艾倪 . The language I used on this platform is exclusively Chinese using Simplified Chinese.

By the way, I just started Lemon8, feel free to follow me there at Lovebellbelle. The language used here is a mixture of English and Malay.

I only share food & beverage-related topics in these accounts. Hope to see you there!

Food Porn, My Kitchen, Vlog

LG RELEASES 2022-2023 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

August 6, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

Company Outlines Its Six Strategic Tasks for ESG Management.
Focused on Achieving ‘3Cs’ for the Planet and ‘3Ds’ for People

SEOUL, 2 August 2023 — LG Electronics (LG) today announced the publication of its 2022-2023 Sustainability Report, officially disclosing its achievements and strategy for each area of the six strategic tasks, which have been carefully designed to realise its Better Life for All ESG vision, to customers and stakeholders around the world.

The company is focusing on two major areas: ‘3Cs’ for the planet, which are carbon neutrality, circularity and clean technology, and ‘3Ds’ for people, which are design for all, a decent workplace and diversity & inclusion.

3Cs for the Planet: Carbon Neutrality, Circularity and Clean Technology

This year, LG’s global sites recorded a total global emissions of direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope 2) greenhouse gases (GHG) of 92.7 million tons,* a 22 million ton decrease from the previous year – a reduction that supports its pledge to achieve net-zero (direct and indirect) by 2030.

The company also recorded a renewable energy conversion rate of 8.2 percent. This comes after it committed to only using renewable energy at its global business sites by 2050 and successfully joined RE100 (Renewable Energy 100), an initiative advocating for businesses to convert to 100 percent renewable energy.

The company is also accelerating carbon reduction in the product use stage by expanding the application of highly efficient eco-friendly technologies. Approximately 80 percent of LG’s total carbon emissions come from the product use stage, and includes indirect emissions (scope 3) that are generated outside the company’s operational facilities. Last year, the functional unit carbon emissions of seven major products, which accounts for about 80 percent of the carbon emissions generated during the product use stage, decreased by 13.1 percent compared to 2020. Functional unit carbon emission refers to the value obtained by dividing the amount of GHG emitted during the average period of product use by the functional unit of the product. For example, a refrigerator’s GHG emissions are expressed per liter while a washing machine’s GHG emissions are conveyed per kilogram. In addition, in 2021, LG became the first South Korean appliance manufacturer to have its GHG emissions reduction target at the product use stage (scope 3) validated by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

To establish a circular ecosystem, the company recovered a total of 472,876 tons of electronic waste from 52 countries last year. Since 2006, LG has recovered a cumulative total of recovered electronic waste that amounts to 3,992,768 tons. As of 2022, the number of recycled plastics used in the company’s products reached 32,987 tons, 25 percent higher than 2021 figures. What’s more, the company’s South Korean business sites recently received Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) verification.

3Ds for People: Design for All, Decent Workplace and Diversity & Inclusion

LG has also been prioritising accessibility by integrating voice recognition and voice guidance features into its major products and distributing braille stickers that attach to every LG home appliance. The company also plans to expand the universal design concept – products designed in a way that makes them easy to use by everyone – to all products going forward.

Last year, the company surveyed its major Tier 1 suppliers about their energy usage and carbon emissions, and then verified this data through a third party. Since this year, LG has been raising awareness among the executives and employees of its partners through a carbon neutrality education program. A total of 152 suppliers have participated in the program as of the first half of this year.

In addition, in accordance with international Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) standards, the company is also providing support through third-party ESG certification reviews to preemptively respond to ESG risks of suppliers in areas such as labor, environment, ethics as well as health and safety. Beginning this year, the scope has been expanded to include partners based not only in Korea but around the world.

Expanding Role of ESG Committee

LG continues to expand the role of the ESG Committee which reports to its board of directors to internalise ESG management. The committee, made up of 4 independent directors and 1 executive CEO, is overseen by chairman Seo Seung-woo, an independent director who was appointed to the role earlier this year.

Last year, to ensure transparency in the management and governance of the board of directors and governance structure, the ESG Committee established guidelines for the independence, diversity and expertise of independent directors as well as the corporate governance charter.

Since 2006, the company has published its sustainability report every year. Starting last year, alongside the LG ESG Fact Book which outlines its ESG management goals, activities and performance, the company has published the ESG Story Book which helps customers and stakeholders understand LG’s ESG activities in a more engaging story format.

To download LG’s 2022-2023 Sustainability Report, visit www.lg.com/global/sustainability/reports.

* Expressed in tons of C02 equivalent (tCO2eq).

Tech Stuffs

Kuching Festival 2023 (28 Jul-20 Aug)

July 31, 2023August 2, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

The annual Kuching Festival is back! As usual, it’s located at MBKS Community Hall. This year, it runs from 28 July to 20 August. I didn’t go on the first day. Instead went on the third day, a Sunday. Not even 5pm, looking for a nearby parking space was impossible on both sides of the road. People had been pouring in since 4.30pm.

The main entrance…

The entrance to the festival ground is hideous! It’s like the arc used for a funeral setup. They shouldn’t put that two little roofs on top of the pillars. That’s the main issue. Why can’t just have the mascot and balloons cutouts decorating the top? It gives a more festive and cheerful mood.

Many stalls but nothing fancied us

There are over 300 stalls this year. Unfortunately, many stalls that used to be there were no more. We went there and wanted to get some of the familiar food but they were not there anymore. We spent 1 1/2 hours walking the whole festival ground and even made 1 1/2 rounds, we still couldn’t decide what to get. Too much fancy food and food prices have increased so much! It’s really not worth it to spend that much money on them.

What an experience!

We ended up just buying Taiwanese sausage (RM10 for 3) for the sake of buying something. If we didn’t buy anything, that would be a record! We would go back empty-handed for the first time. Thinking that it’s the safest food to buy as it’s something we’re familiar with. Apparently, the sausage was contaminated, got worms! Only knew after eating it. That was also due to someone on my Instagram alerting me about it after I posted it on my Instagram story. Otherwise, I won’t know. Had also sent the hi-res photo to people who are familiar with such things to confirm and indeed it’s worms! It’s not skin! It’s worms! Not gonna share the photo here. If you know, you know.

I didn’t even see the dead worms when I took them out to take a photo. After taking the photo, I put it back into the bag. Maybe the “roasted” worms were shaken/rubbed off into the bag when we took it out again to eat. That’s why we didn’t see the worms when we ate it.

We had also seen the doctor and showed the photo to the medical professionals there. We were given deworming medicine. Even though the tapeworms seemed “cooked”, we’re not sure the temperature inside the sausage was high enough to kill whatever it was inside. Hence, we’re eating the medicine as a precautionary measure to kill off whatever was not “killed” by the heat in the sausage. I don’t know how many people were affected by this and how many days it’s been like this.

Update from the relevant department (2/8/2023)

A complaint was lodged on Talikidmat on 1st August. They are very efficient. I got the feedback on 2nd August with this reply:

Dear sir, the sausage casings are made of natural animal intestines, in the process of making sausage, the external fatty tissues and inner submucosa of the animal intestines are removed or break and washes. The “white strips” could be the remains of the submucosa left after the washing process. It is found on a few of the sausages shown to us. To conclude, the white strips are not the tapeworm as per reported. Case closed.

This is also the reason why I don’t post the photo on this blog or do a full post on it on my Instagram or Facebook. I wanted to make sure that it is really not worms. If the specific post was done, I’m 100% sure it would get out of control.

With the response given, for those of you who were lucky to see it in my story, are you convinced? if you are not, there’s nothing much that can be done. I don’t have the sample for them to test, just a photo. They went to check and that’s what they found. All I can say is just be extra alert with what you put into your mouth at festivals like this. Do spend and eat at your own risk. If you really encounter any issues, do report them.

No plastic bags

Do take note there are no plastic bags given. Therefore, you have to bring your own bags so that you can carry your food around. Some stalls even charge you for paper bags! Like… Excuse me? You don’t charge for plastic bags last time when plastic bags were allowed but you are charging for paper bags now. What’s the logic?

Roadblocks

Tomorrow, the 1st of August, there will be a roadblock at the Kuching Waterfront area starting at 6am until the end of the event. This is in conjunction with the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of Kuching achieving its city status. It will happen at 10am at the compound of Square Tower at the Kuching Waterfront.

Next, there will be a Kuching Street Parade in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of Sarawak Independence this coming Saturday evening (5 August, 7pm). There will be roadblocks this coming Thursday and Friday for rehearsal. Then, another roadblock will be Saturday morning till the end of the event. So do avoid Padungan until Padang Merdeka area these three days unless you wanna join in the fun.

A Special Tent

There’s a special tent this year. Many creative fusion food here. There’s pansuh siobee some more. It’s cooler to sit here but the place is limited. If people decided to smoke or vape in here, you are pretty much trapped inside inhaling all of those.

Garden Show & The Stage

How can one miss the Garden Show and the series of performances on the stage on the lake?

The Garden Show these few years had been scaled down a lot. Not many surprises there. It’s pretty much what you get every single day.

There are two wishing wells here. One is a well, one is a cat. So, wish at your own risk *LOL* You believe your wish will come true by throwing money inside?

Trade Show

The indoor trade show is in the hall every year. Back then, there were outdoor ones too but now no more. Its space was taken by food stalls. It’s no longer as exciting as it used to be. Even many booths were empty. Not rented.

Conclusion

Be prepared to brace for the crowds and the heat. It’s hazy these days too. Be sure to stay hydrated. Also, make sure you check your food before putting it into your mouth. Don’t expect to find your usual Kuching food there. Aside from that, there isn’t halal and non-halal segregation. That’s the beauty of the festival.

Feel free to go and join the fun. As for spending money on food, spend it at your own risk.

On a Side Note

By the way, Sarawak is hosting the national-level International Museum Day at Sarawak Cultures Musuem from 31 July to 5 Aug. There are a series of activities there. Do note that the parking there is closed. So you have to park somewhere and walk there to join the activities. You can check out further details on their official FB Page.

Food Porn, From My Angle, Public Events, Uniquely Kuching