Munchies in Bali

After my short trip (3d2n) to Bali last January, here are some food indulge I tried:

1. Bubba Gump Shrimp & co. - Bali

Terletak di kompleks pertokoan Kuta Center. Setelah melewati Musro dan Discovery Mall di sebelah kiri jalan, lanjut jalan lagi kira-kira 5 menit berjalan kaki. Pertama masuk yang terlihat memenuhi meja hanya turis asing yang makan di situ, setelah masuk di dalam ruangan ternyata ada juga beberapa turis Indonesia.

Patients : People or Cases?

This month has been overwhelming by school schedules, reading catch-up, and extracurricular activities I have. Last 3 weeks I joined gym and tried to spend 3 times a week having workout session. On one side it has made me feel good about my body, I feel much more healthier and less tiresome, I have better mood, and it is a good way to relieve some stress too (yes, the gym guys are good looking! :p). On the other side, I go home after workout feeling tired and can't stand reading handouts for more than one hour. So I try to do a major catch up on weekends, but then I always use weekends as my excuse to hang out and have fun, so basically I am doing a very slow progress here. I have postponed my plan to take a diving course this month until all the exams are over and it turns out to be the smartest decision I've made so far.

Being so tiresome and sleepy in class make me want to post some tricks (some work, some not) I use to do when I can't stand to sleep during a long class, either it is a morning one or an afternoon one. Still on process on making that post, though. But tonight when I was reading surgery handouts, some case images of oral cancer have disturbed me.

this food has made my day

I love making salads! I can even make 5 reasons why I love salads:
1. You can choose anything you like as the basic ingredients. Name it: fruits, all kind of fruits, almost all kind of vegetables, chicken, turkey, potato, eggs, prawns, tuna, salmon, pistachios, pine nuts, even pasta.

Almost Unpublished!

This is two dish I made about a month ago, just before the hectic weeks begun. Planned to make pancake anytime soon but the soonest would be after the grand exams though.
I used nearly half the whole pack of cream cheese on the macaroni pizza, and spread generous amount of shreded cheddar cheese on top of it. Combined with lots of sliced sausage, the result is heavenly for cheese and meat lovers like me. Nutmeg, onions, black pepper, and oregano completed the Italian-wanna-be fragrance.

As for the second dish, Spicy Stir Fried Beansprouts, it was literally too spicy for me. Not a major failure but I am pretty thankful its abundant chilli peppers didn't cause any toxic effect.

Beef and More Beef

Actually I made these two dishes around a week ago. Both are made in the same day, with half kilogram of beef I bought from a local market.

Mung Bean Dessert w/ Coconut Sauce

 

I wasn't in mood to study pediatrics this weekend so I decided to make something warm, sweet, and easy. The green bean is sweet with a slight of gingery trace and the coconut milk is a bit savory. Now this snack will be my companion as I open my book! :)

I always like mung bean (or so-they-called here: green bean). Usually I like to keep it handy by boiling them (for 1 hour or so) , add some sugar, and that's it. It is perfect to be enjoyed while it is warm, or after you keep it chilled in the fridge. Today I tried to make a different style of it. I soak the bean for half day (morning to afternoon) while I was revising some pediatrics material. Then on the afternoon I boil it for about 1 hour with some gingers (you can use fresh ones, I use two packs of instant ginger drink this time), and add 1 pandan leaf. Once you see that the beans become twice its actual size and it begins to soften, you can lower down the fire or just lift the pan. add some sugar, stir it up, and leave them to make the coconut sauce.

For the coconut sauce, use coconut milk (I use an instant one) and simmer for about 2 minutes. Mix with some corn flour. Add pandan leaf if you want to add its fragrance to the sauce. Note that you should mix a spoon of corn flour with a room-temperature water first before you heat it. Less water if you like the sauce thicker. Leave until it boils, add a pinch of salt and a bit of sugar,  stir, and lift. Enjoy the sweet mung bean soup with the savory and thick coconut sauce! Yum.
 

a perfect companion as I open my book! :)

Veggies and Beef Soup

Ah, surely cooking has always healed my mood. I used to have this kind of vegetable soup back when I was home, so I tried to make it myself today. Usually my mom makes it either with chicken pieces or beef, but since I didn't have any fresh meat I use beef sausage instead.

The ingredients:
1 clove of onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 or 3 carrots, peeled and diced
beef sausages, cut
beef stock
about 2 ounces of beans, cut into 2 cm length
salt, pepper, and nutmeg
a small amount of vegetable oil

How to make:
Stir-fry chopped onion until it caramelized and smells good. Add carrots and beans, add beef sausages about 2 minutes later. Pour in the beef stock and set the medium fire until it boils. Once it boils, set the fire to small, add the tomatoes, and simmer. In about 3 minutes, try the carrot and make sure it is already done, but not too mushy. You decide how soft you want them to be. Add salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Parsley would be good as the garnish and it smells good too. If you want to add chicken or beef meat to the soup, make sure it is pre-boiled and already chopped so you can add it just when you add the sausages in.

Ready to be served, and enjoy!

Stir-fried vegetables

This is basically a stir-fried vegetable dish. I used some brocolli, carrots, silk tofu, and fishball in it. Oyster sauce and sesame oil make it tastes good. 15 minutes of preparations, you can always make this kind of this with any vegetables you have left in your fridge. :)

Today's Lunch Box

My lunchbox for today is stir-fried broad Chinese-style noodle. And as usual, it is as simple as any college student would make. First you need to scramble 2 eggs, and separate it. Sautee the garlic until it smells good, add the noodle and beansprouts, stir. Set the fire to medium level. Add chopped fishballs and scrambled eggs, mix them altogether in the wok. Add oyster sauce, salty soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, salt, pepper, and a bit of sesame oil. Mix them all and in just about 3 minutes your noodle is done! Quite easy, you can add prawns, squid, or chicken and you can substitute the broad noodle with any kind of noodle you have in your pantry. Easy and quick, those two words will always be in a college student's cookbook. :)

Cheesy Frittata

Just made it 10 seconds ago. Thanks to anyone who invented the brilliant cheese cream.

Fast Food -- a Healthy Choice! :)

So this is the proof that fast food is not always bad. This meal, a super fast one, contains fiber, fat, carbs, and protein. It tastes good too! One different way to enjoy oatmeal: add anything you like in it! I like savoury, so I just put salt, pepper, and crushed chilli pepper into it. Add shreded beef for the protein. Fried shallot and garlic will enrich the flavor.

As for the veggies, I stewed carrots, broccoli, and green bean. Topping is made from peanuts, chilli pepper, garlic, salt and sugar -- crushed altogether.

If you are a busy college student, and you have your own quick and tasty recipe, please do share! :)

Lunchbox

Banana wheat roll--10 minutes preparation! :)

Early Lunch - Late Breakfast

This is a low-budget easy meal that only take less than 15 minutes to prepare. It has the fiber, a bit of carbohydrate, fat, and protein--something that is student-friendly! Well especially for those who don't live with their family. More details on comments. :)

Simply Meal

The Hospital on 10 a.m.

I began to thank goodness I have just made a blog. As I usually think and ask questions a lot, sometimes I whine and become very critical about things around me, having a blog to express all of those thoughts seems to be quite relieving. Now I can guarantee people won't get bothered by my too-honest words that much anymore when I'm around.

This morning, after my last theoretical exam this semester (it was pharmacology), I went to the Oncology Clinic in the General Hospital. I was going to meet one of my research consultant -an oncology surgeon-  to get my last revision and his approval signature. I have made appointment by SMS the day before, so I thought the waiting wouldn't be too long (last time I waited for 5 hours straight before he finally finished the surgery). Instead of being bored and wandering my thoughts around, I decided to write my thoughts. Yes, I wrote my thoughts in the middle of busy hospital, with the patients and nurses around. So here is my short note:

<<Soap opera is showing actors with fake tears, fake ill faces.
While the women around me (breast cancer patients) show the real pain. The sign of healing process  after their mastectomy or breast biopsy.
 Some patients are inside their room, waiting for being healed. Some are counting their last days and their lifetime's blessings. Seconds nearer to their final goodbye.
While the children are playing outside. Toddlers talking with their imperfect sentences. They are growing, so far from what we called "death". The increasing ages, one is dying, the others are beginning their youth. Embracing the two sides of life: health and illness.


Medical reps are asking for doctors' names, digging every information of who, where, and when they can meet their future clients. Sometimes pens and notebooks with the company's label on them do help.

Nurses and patients sharing smiles, talking about which doctor is the most good-looking ("Is he single??"). Gossips -- the only thing which can diminish all the boundaries among women who haven't known each other before.

One patient sighed "I lose my appetite because of this chemotherapy."
A senior nurse replied --  just like what she always says to patients who suffer because of these chemicals " You should eat ice cream. Trust me, ice cream is delicious, it helps you to bring back your appetite, and it contains vitamins. Once you're back home, buy two ice creams every day--one for your son, and one for yourself."

A lady who was registered to have her lump biopsied today disappeared. A nurse looked for her from toilets to waiting rooms, north to south. When finally she found the patient, she said "Where have you been? We've been looking for you all over the clinic!" And surprisingly, all the patients waiting in that room, laughed at this worrisome lady. The lady smiled. I smiled. 

Me, waiting for half an hour already, is still waiting for the doctor. These papers with the empty space above the doctor's name (and his uncountable titles) is waiting to be signed. The precious signature which have to be paid by hours of waiting.

On the other hand, I'm enjoying the scene of the real life. Recorded by my ocular lenses. All captures will be organized in folders, in my hippocampus.

That's how the TV should be jealous, because that soap opera they are showing means nothing, compared to the real acts of these professional actors of real life.

Hospital doesn't seem to be that boring after all. Or as I thought it would be. >>



An hour later, I got the doctor's signature. I felt satisfied enough that at least this time my hours spent worth. So I went home and make my late lunch.

Photo: Baked beans, toast, sausages, scrambled egg, and yes, oatmeal. I just love baked beans so much, even the canned one. SO I think it is completely normal to have baked beans and toast for lunch instead for breakfast. Period.