Mia Bakes: Gyeran Ppang!

Just a couple weeks back at our small gathering at Chicken Up, we were having a small chat over the Korean food we know/like and somehow, Gyeran Ppang popped up and was really popular at the table. 

Not sure of what is egg bread is about, I did a google search on it and stumble upon Maangchi's recipe HERE. 

If you're also unfamiliar with this trendy Korean street food, it's a type of bread/muffin with a whole egg cracked into the middle and baked together, hence the name Gyeran (egg) Ppang (bread). 

I picked up the mini loaf paper tins from daiso at just $2 for 4 pieces of these 6 x 12.5 x 4.5 cm mini pans and doubled Maangchi's recipe to get 4 loaves.

You'll need:

240g all purpose flour

240ml milk

2 tbsp melted butter

6 tbps sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cooking oil

6 eggs

(2 for batter, 4 as toppings)

8 cubes of cheese 

(I used laughing cow cheese cube spread)

This is an extremely easy, one bowl recipe. Simply dump ALL your ingredients (2 eggs, not 6!) into one big bowl and whisk until smooth. 

Spoon your batter evenly into the 4 loaf pans, about 1/3 of the pan, stick 2 cheese cubes into the middle of the pan, about 1.5 inches apart. Crack an egg into the middle of the cheese cubes before sending your gyeran ppang into the oven at 200 degree Celsius for about 13 minutes. 

So, total time from nothing to 4 yummy looking gyeran ppang = less than 10 minutes preparation + 13 minutes baking = just a mere 23 minutes!

I'll say this is the PERFECT quick recipe for an effortless, but feels like a lot of effort was put in kind of breakfast. 

Baking for 13 minutes gave us eggs that's almost completely cooked through and the bread/muffin part just nice. So if you would prefer a more moist bread with runny egg centre, you might have to tweak your baking time a little. 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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#fitnessfriday - Fitbit Charge 2

Hello, my fellow fitness junkies. It's been more than 6 months since I embarked on my #eatclean diet (you can read my 21 days detox diet HERE and my tips on sustaining it after the 21 days HERE) and I thought that I should reach out to you peeps again with an update.

And so my total weight loss till date is about 6kg and it has been fluctuating around this figure for a while. Well, I probably could cut out more kilos but I will probably need to go into high calorie-deficit, which I'm really not keen on. 

Anyhow, the huge failure of the accelerometer on my new OPPO R9s phone has made me decided to get a proper fitness tracker. Not like miband or what, but something 'smarter', which can tells me more about my daily level of activities and help me track my calories in and out.

And so, after tons of google searches, quite a few of forced discussions with friends, and a couple days (or was it weeks) of consideration, I finally decided to take the plunge and burn 200 bucks on the fitbit charge 2.
I assure you, I didn't get this just for the salmon pink strap.

But still, it's so chio (pretty), isn't it?

They even have super cool leather straps (HERE) and super pretty metal chains (HERE) for you to switch out as and when you felt like it.

Apart from the usual steps tracking, Charge 2 also track your stairs climbed, daily active minutes, calorie expenditure (BMR and daily activities), continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep monitoring, daily travelled (walked) distance, and allows you to record your daily meals to check your calories in-out, and also allows you to set notifications from your phone to track text messages, calls and set vibrating alarm. Charge 2 also has a few special exercise tracking functions, which includes the ever so popular spinning, running, yoga, pilates, weights and etc.

Charge 2 also allows you to choose your preferred layout on the main "screen" of your tracker and I've chosen the one that shows both my heart rate and steps taken on my main screen, you can easily flip though the screens to check the rest of your stats (calories burnt, distance travel etc) by tapping on the screen. 

And no, it's not a touch screen so... you might need a few taps before it responds. 

Accuracy wise, I'll say the Charge 2 is pretty accurate when it comes to steps counting. I've once checked it against my own manual counting of 100 steps and my charge 2 counted just 1 extra step. As for stairs counting, it can get a little unstable. Certain days it's 100% accurate while certain days it just goes way off. But that doesn't really bothers me as this stairs climbing function isn't what I really focus on when I made the purchase. 

Having a specific spinning and yoga tracking under the exercise tracking function gave this gadget a lot of brownie points IMO, because these two exercises are what I usually do! But it's a shame that there's only ONE yoga function, when we all know there's TONS of variations to yoga and each very different from another in terms of intensity. 

For example, my Charge 2 tells me I burn roughly 266 kcals per hour of Hot Yoga on this particular yoga function, but isn't Hot Yoga supposed to burn more calories as compared to, let's say, Hatha Yoga? And 266 kcals does seem a little too low for hour's worth of near-dying experience in the hot studio too, doesn't it? 

Anyhow, I guess this booboo will actually work in your favour if what you want is to lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit, because you may be underestimating your actual calorie expenditure. 

So, erm... yay?

In terms of food logging, I didn't feel that their data of food choices is that awesome, hence I'll prefer to log my daily meals on myfitnesspal instead and sync and data over to the fitbit app. 

So after 2 weeks on my Charge 2, I can say it's so far so good. But whether or not it helps in weight management (loss), I can't tell yet. So let's just wait for my next update, yeah?

If you're interested in getting a Charge 2 yourself, do check it out at lazada.sg

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia Bakes: 4-Ingredient Rich Chocolate Cake

Yes, you saw it in the title. A yummy chocolate cake recipe that only calls for 4 ingredients, well... 5 if you count baking powder, but... oh well!

Let's get over with the 4 simple (or 5) ingredients to get this rolling. 

You'll need (for an 8 to 10 servings):

200g chocolate of your choice

10g top flour 

(or cake flour)

44ml skimmed milk + 6g cornstarch 

(otherwise you can use 50ml heavy cream)

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp baking powder

As you can see, chocolate makes up a large portion of the recipe, hence it's is very important that you choose a good quality chocolate. I used Hershey's, although some may not feel that Hershey's is a "good enough" brand of chocolate, but it'll do for me. 

And also to control the overall sweetness of the cake, I mixed up their sugar-free dark chocolate (60g) with their semi-sweet chocolate chips (140g) to make up the 200g. I would have wanted to use more sugar-free, but 60g was all I've left. T.T

And so, first up, break up your chocolates (if you're using bars) into tiny pieces and melt them over a pot of simmering water over the hob, constantly stirring until they're smooth and glossy. Be sure that your simmering water does not touch the bottom of your chocolate bowl, or you might burn your chocolates. 

Then, add cornstarch to your skimmed milk and mix until the mixture thicken, before adding it into your melted chocolate and stirring until it's well combined. 

Add in the two beaten eggs and mix until well combined before sifting in your dry ingredients and mix till combined. 

Pour your mixture into a 18x8cm long cake pan (to get a taller cake) or a 26x6.5cm pan (to get a flatter, more brownie-looking cake) and give it a few taps on your counter for any bubbles to rise. 

Send your pan into the oven, heated to 170 degree Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Now, here's the important thing.

If you're looking for a more fudgey, moist and gateau chocolate cake like consistency, you actually may omit the baking powder and bake your cake for only 20 minutes. There's no need to do the toothpick test to check if your cake is 'done' because your toothpick will not come out clean.

However, if you prefer a more cakey and dry consistency like me, bake your cake for up to 25 minutes (also depends on your oven and its settings) until it's fully baked through. 

Taste wise, it's extremely rich and chocolate like a brownie, but without the usual dense and heavy texture of a usual brownie. 

As you can see, this recipe omitted the usual butter found in most brownie recipe, hence cutting your calories by... abit. Well, there's still tons of chocolate so you can't expect this to be a low-calorie treat. 

Hence, estimated calories per 1 of 8 servings is about 144 kcals, which definitely is not your most diet-friendly snack, but still not that bad for a #cheatdayeat treat, yes?

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Chicken Up [1-for-1 Bingsu GIVEAWAY]

After my first visit to Chicken Up some time back while on a food trail event, I finally got to return to their newest branch located at Centrepoint along with fellow bloggers Oyhz, Michhysaurous and Susan Wong. 

I'm really thankful to be exclusively invited to try out their latest addition to the menu, the snow squid topokki!

But first let's get back to Chicken Up first. Do you know that they first started up in 2010 in Singapore with a vision to provide a casual dining experience and introduce some of the authentic Korean food here, and it's their 7th year with us this year!

 Grapefruit Sojurita - $20

If you've tried their usual sojurita before, you'll fully understand the 'soju problem' when you get to the bottom of the cup, when all the syrup infused portion of the drink was gone and all you've left with is the bitter soju straight from the upturned bottle. But this eliminated your woes!
Replacing the usual soju with grapefruit flavoured sweeten soju, you're now assured with a yummy sweetness down to your very last sip!

Assorted Lightbulb Drinks - $6

Left to Right: Matcha Latte, Mango, Strawberry Banana, Blue Lemon

Seriously, how can you not want to order every single one of them to take a group picture? 

#woesofaninstagramaddict

While the strawberry banana looks really pretty in a dusty, creamy pink colour, it tasted a lot more like a banana smoothie instead. Too little strawberry taste, probably because banana by itself usually overpowers all other tastes. 

I've never had a banana-something flavoured food that didn't taste all banana-ish. Have you? 

Bulgogi Fries - $18

Probably one of their most popular dishes, Chicken Up's bulgogi fries is made up of crispy golden fries piled up and topped with bulgogi (beef marinated in soy sauce), drizzled over with white garlic sauce and added with spring onions and corianders to garnish.

I didn't try this as I do not take beef for religious reason, but I do love their kimchi cousin! 

Ugly Tang (Army Base Stew) - $30 (Serves 2 pax)

The reason why Chicken Up named it Ugly Tang is because.... it's ugly. If you're an instagram-foodie, I reckon you will understand. But not that much of an understanding from me though, because I'm a huge fan of budae jjigae so they look good in all angles to me. 

And before you start to think I'm trolling on you.... It's really called Ugly Tang. 

They even have a U R Ugly Tang Set! 

Well, that was the before pic and it takes you about 15 minutes of simmering to get to this stage. Full of spams, chicken franks, korean chewy rice cakes, enoki mushroom, and ramyun, how can one not fall in love instantly with this incredibly tasty (and unhealthy) pot of yumminess? 

Chicken Up has also added something unusual into their Ugly Tang, and that's (if you haven't seen it at the top right hand corner of the pot) macaroni! 

The macaroni does taste a little bit strange (especially if you aren't a fan of it when it's not drenched in cheese) in the jjigae, but it might just be me for the feedback Chicken Up received on the addition was quite a good one. 

I'll say, try it out and decide for youself! 

But do note that this will serve two pax provided you ONLY order this stew. Servings aren't that little, so it can probably feed up to 4 pax if you'll prefer to have slightly more dishes on your table. 

Snow Squid Topokki (UFO Topokki) - $39 (Serves 2 Pax)

The first word that came from all of us when this baby was served was, "WHOA!"
And the taste of this was whoa indeed!
A huge platter with topokki (spicy rice cake) in the middle, topped with one whole fried snow squid, and surrounded by side dishes such as caramelised kimchi, corn cheese, melted cheese, steamed egg and kimchi bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice), this is as good as a mini buffet served on stove.

And don't worry about that snow squid, for it shall be cut nicely for you at your table.

The squid is tender, slightly chewy and tasted really fresh. If you're quick-handed enough to not let the fried batter get utterly drenched in the flavourful topokki sauce, you shall be rewarded with a mouthful of fresh seafood that's crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside.
The topokki was super yummy as well, just spicy enough for you to feel the shiokness and yet not too overpowering.

Watermelon Bingsu - $18

Having their watermelon bingsu once again after 2 years, still as good!
(Read my previous review HERE)

And now, do you wish to have a tasty of these yummy, creamy dessert with a friend?
So, it's going to be a bingsu giveaway time!

I have with me TEN numbers of 1-for-1 Korean Bingsu voucher for giveaway, courtesy of Chicken Up!
Just head down to Chicken Up's instagram account (HERE) and FOLLOW, before coming back here and leave me a comment with your instagram handle and email by 8th March. 
It's really that simple!

ps. I will also be holding another giveway for a 4-piece soya chicken wings redemption voucher on my instagram at a later date, so do keep an eye for it!

Chicken Up (Centrepoint) is located at
Centrepoint #01-33H, 176A Orchard Road

For more information, visit their facebook HERE.

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Bioderma Sensibio: I've found the one! [Advertorial]

I've been hearing about Bioderma Sensibio H2O for quite some time but never had the chance to grab one and try it out for myself until Samplestore decided send me one! 

When it comes to micellar waters, Bioderma Sensibio H20 has to be the one. The world’s first non- rinse cleansing solution using Micelle Technology, this derma-cosmetic hit was first launched in 1995, when women were using cleansing milks, oils, and soaps to cleanse the skin and remove their makeup. Today, it is a backstage secret on fashion runways, the cult favourite of top makeup artists, supermodels, and celebrities from Kylie Minogue to Gisele Bundchen.

$15.90 for 100ml, $28.90 for 250ml, $41.90 for 500ml 

Why is this little pink bottle so well-loved? In just one step, Bioderma Sensibio H20 provides superior makeup removal all over our face, including eyes and lips, and gentle cleansing, thanks to its unique restorative properties, skin is always left feeling soft and comfortable. Soap-, alcohol- and fragrance-free, this non-rinse cleanser refreshes, soothes and preps the skin for subsequent skincare. Bioderma Sensibio H2O is also formulated with highly purified water – water that is completely free of impurities and irritants for pharmaceutical use. As the base ingredient, the superior grade of water used makes this cleanser ultra-gentle and a clear winner for sensitive skin.

There's also not one, but two exclusive patents for Bioderma Sensibio H2O:

#1 DERMO-PATENT Bioderma’s classic Dermo-Patent, also known as Dermatological Advanced Formulation (DAF) is found in most ranges and contains active ingredients such as antioxidants (mannitol), moisturisers (xylitol) and anti-inflammatories (rhamnose & laminaria) to soothe sensitive skin and strengthen skin’s resilience.

#2: TOLÉRIDINE™ PATENT Found in selected Bioderma Sensibio products, the Toléridine™ Patent combines active ingredients such as laminaria (golden seaweed) and enoxolone (licorice root extract) to reduce skin’s sensitivity by raising its tolerance threshold, and inhibit the production of pro- inflammatory cytokines.

As our skin comes under constant attacks from environmental pollutants caused by city traffic and pollution, as well as stress and UV radiation, proper cleansing is more important than ever. Women are also undergoing more aesthetic treatments than before, such as lasers, IPL, and chemical peels, so there’s a keener need for a responsible at-home skincare regimen that’s gentle to even sensitive skin. To meet the need, Bioderma is introducing two new additions to its Sensibio suite.

$33.90 for 200ml

The Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant is a gentle foaming gel with lipid-restoring properties that hydrates and calms sensitive skin.
The Sensibio Gel Moussant gently cleanses while hydrating and soothing sensitive skin. Enriched with skin conditioning ingredients such as coco-glucoside and glyceryl oleate, it also has lipid-restoring and moisturising properties. This mild cleanser can be used alone or part of a double cleansing routine after Sensibio H2O.

$19.90 for 150ml

The Bioderma Sensibio Dermatological Water is a face and body soothing spray made of highly purified water enhanced with an ideal balance of minerals that calms skin while maintaining healthy skin cells.

Using highly purified water that is enhanced by a perfect balance of mineral salts and oligo-elements, the Bioderma Sensibio Dermatological Water soothes skin while maintaining healthy skin cells.  A remarkable ally for sensitive skin, it combats various skin reactive signs. Soothing agents such as mannitol, rhamnose and zinc also provide quick and lasting relief to sensitive skin. I especially love the cooling, refreshing feeling it leaves on my skin after spraying. Also acts as a good perk-me-up spray when you're feeling a little sleepy at work. HEH!

The Bioderma Sensibio suite products are available at Watsons, Guardian, Unity, Robinsons, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National Skin Centre. To find out more about Bioderma products, visit their website at www.bioderma.sg

Till then,
Mia Foo

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美麗掌櫃 BeautyKeeper [Advertorial]

Well, many thanks to samplestore once again for letting me discover another beauty heaven online! 

BeautyKeeper is your one-stop station to get everything beauty related from Taiwan! 

And here's a few interesting finds from BeautyKeeper!

From skincare, to bodycare and fragrances. They have it all.

Contin Plant Extract Shampoo (300ml)

First up, the scent is a little tricky to describe. It has that slight hint of a citrus flavour (sourish, fruity scent) yet has an overall more manly feel to it. Does that even make sense?
Anyway, this shampoo doesn't give you lots of lather, but it did make my scalp feels thoroughly cleansed and yet didn't give my hair the annoying squeaky feeling.
Would have been nice if they have a conditioner to go with it, though.

Bravura Intensive Repair Essence Mask

And I always chuck these facial sheet mask into the freezer for a good 5 to 10 minutes before applying the icey cold mask onto my face. SHIOK!
My face does seems brighter and feels very much moisturised after just 20 minutes of application. I'm a huge fan of such facial sheet mask as it's so convenient! Just slap it onto your face, chillax around for 20 minutes, remove & throw the used mask and pat the remaining essence into your skin.

Mdmmd Upra Wakeup Skin & Freeze Age Essence

Initially I mistook this for a toner and was shock to find that the liquid is quite thick. It has that drippy bottle packaging, like a standard toner, hence pouring the product out might take some arm strength (to shake it out).
Application wise, was awesome! Even though the product seems thick, it actually spreads onto my skin really easily, feels extremely lightweight and was absorbed in a jiffy with no heavy or stick feeling afterwards.

Mdmmd Water Drop Cream

Especially love this as it's extremely watery and gives a cool and refreshing feeling to my skin after application. Used this at night before bedtime and I woke up to a well hydrated and soft skin the next morning. The only downside to this product is that the perfumey fragrance is a little too strong for my liking. 

Like what you saw here? Do check BeautyKeeper out at http://www.beauty-keeper.com/ and treat yourself to a whole lot more interesting beauty products from Taiwan!

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia Bakes: Matcha Tofu Mochi Doughnuts

Well, other than the super cute paw mold (get it from taobao HERE) I've previously used to bake some Castella Cakes, I've also bought an equally cute mini doughnut mold (get it from taobao HERE) via ezbuy.sg (super convenient, I'll tell you!) that has been sitting in my baking drawer for quite a while. 

And since I've knocked off from work on time today (and there's no gym session scheduled), I thought... why not try making the tofu doughnuts I've been reading up on for the past few weeks? 

Aren't they just adorable?!

Well, to get you started on the recipe, you'll need:

90g top flour + 10g wholemeal flour 

(or 100g all purpose flour)

35g glutinous rice flour

60g castor sugar 

(I used 30g sugar and 30g sugarless sugar)

1 egg

1 and 1/2 tsp matcha powder

(more if you prefer stronger tea taste)

2.5 tsp baking powder 

(or 1 tsp baking soda)

25g salted butter

100g silken tofu 

(there's actually green tea soft tofu, if you want to try them out!)

50ml milk

First up, beat your egg and sugar on high until it turns pale yellow and thick, before beating in soften butter until well combined. 

Sift in your dry ingredients and mix until just combined before adding in your silken tofu by passing it through the sieve. 

Add in milk and mix until just combined. 

As the batter is quite runny, it's easier to transfer the batter into a piping bag to fill up your doughnut molds before sending them into the oven to bake at 175 degree Celsius for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the surface is browned to your liking. 

The more underbaked your doughnut is, the more chewy it will be (as this is a mochi doughnut) but the tofu taste may also be more distinctive. 

If you absolutely dislike the tofu taste, but wishes to lower the calorie of your sweet snack (by relying on tofu), you may rinse your tofu with hot water (and cool them down to room temperature first) before adding them into the doughnut batter. 

The batter does puff up slightly during baking, but not so much so do fill up your doughnut rings to at least 3/4 full (I filled to almost 100% filled and got cute little FAT doughnuts). 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia Bakes: Nian Gao Mochi Balls

Finally, it's Lunar New Year! How's everyone's CNY celebrations so far? Mine has been a #cheatdayeverday since CNY eve till date, so I'll probably have ALOT catching up to do after my CNY break is over (starting tomorrow). 

Other than stuffing myself silly with the usual CNY goodies like fried hae bee hiam (especially so this year, somehow), pineapple tarts and kueh bangkit, there's always one particular CNY goodies that I absolutely MUST eat every year. 

NIAN GAO!

Nian Gao (directly translated as Year's Cake) is actually a sweeten rice cake the Chinese usually eats during our Lunar New Year. It's either eaten freshly steamed, or sliced and deep fried in normal flour batter or sandwiched between thinly sliced yam or sweet potato, battered and then deep fried. 

Loads of refined sugar, carbs, and fats! What a glorious yummy snack! 

Yes, #fatedieme I know. Don't rub it in.

This year, I've decided to at least cut down on some of the fats and bake my nian gao instead, by marrying it with another of my favourite snack, MOCHI!

First, let's start by cutting the nian gao into roughly 1.5cm small cubes. Make sure you've refrigerated them so that they're harden up. They're a horror to slice if they're all fresh and soft. 

For the mochi bun/shell, you'll need: 

(recipe adapted from gingybite, makes 30 small mochi balls in total) 

180g glutinous rice flour

20g tapioca starch

1.5 tsp cinnamon powder 

(omit and replace with milk powder if you do not like cinnamon taste)

1 egg

60ml vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

100ml water + 20ml milk 

(120ml water if you're replacing cinnamon with milk powder)

Making the mochi dough is super easy, just dump ALL the ingredients into a big bowl and mix until it comes together into a soft dough. It should be soft, yet not liquidy, slightly sticky on your hands but still pliable. 

Divide the mochi dough into small balls of roughly 15 to 16g each and wrap a nian gao cube into each mochi dough to form small ping pong sized mochi-nian gao balls. Make sure there's no obvious exposure of the nian gao or else you'll just end up with nian gao-volcano mochi balls in the end. 

The mochi balls will not spread (at all) during baking, so feel free to space them closer together on your baking sheet. For crispier surface, brush the mochi balls with some water before sending them into the oven to bake at 180 degree Celsius for about 25 minutes, or until you see (some of) your mochi balls cracking open and lava nian gao bubbling through. 

Be sure to let it cool slightly before biting into one because it'll burn your tongue. But try not to wait until they turn completely cold as well, for the lava nian gao inside would have harden back up.

As the mochi shell is not sweeten at all, the sweetness of this snack totally depends on how sweet your nian gao is. And since the nian gao is store-bought, it also means you can't control how sweet this will get, unless you make your own nian gao as well. 

But who cares if it ends too sweet or not sweet enough? The texture of the crispy outer shell of the mochi paired up with the gooey chewy molten nian gao is more than enough to worth all the hassle of baking this cute little CNY treats!

Till then,

Mia Foo

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