Nigiri Sushi Mold

Each time I went for sushi dishes, I'm always full of amazement with how the food presented. It is more than beauty, it is an art of a skillful sushi chef. And it took years to master. It shows dedication towards profession, which me as amateur chef will never have.

Fortunately for me, there are nigiri sushi mold sold in local grocery store. There are various shapes, from standard box shape, heart, round and many more. Sure that this mold won't match the work of a professional chef, but would definitely makes our sushi looks better.

We bought the box-shaped, and made 3 kind of nigiri sushi afterward

Instruction is provided clearly in the packaging. Whatever you want to put at the top should come first into the mold. Then fill in enough rice to cover up to the rim of the mold. The Kani Stick shown in bottom right is a little bit tricky, since the rice need to be pushed to fill in the space between the stick and the mold.

After the mold has been filled, press the lid gently to shape the bottom part. Remove the lid and flip the mold on clean plate, pressing gently to push out the sticky rice. Arrange it on the plate with dash of Wasabi, and you're good to go

We didn't forget our favorite traditional Maki Sushi. Unfortunately, there are no mold yet for this type of sushi, which leave us to satisfy ourself with slightly broken roll. Well... at least the taste does matter

The Search for Coffee Siphon is Over

Its all started from my first patronage to La Tazza Coffee Shop, just across my office few years back. Among the coffee shop, they are the only one using the antique coffee making tools, which looks like an hourglass. Later on I know that it is called Coffee Siphon. It extract the best part of coffee, resulting in the thin light nice bodied cup of coffee, with the original taste of the bean.

Since then, I've been been wandering not only in the country, but also across the ocean, to find a place that sell the Siphon. I've been to the local kitchenware close to home, Ikea in Singapore and Hongkong, patronizing Kitchen Magic in Hongkong and Jakarta with no luck. Then on one evening in Bandung, Indonesia, after a nice coffee evening, we stroll along Jalan Braga when we came across the shop: House of Culinary.

Then I stroll to the coffee making isle, and amazed with the completeness of their coffee making tools. Espresso Machine (Saeco), Vietnam Drip, Plunger, Moka Pot, and..... YES.... the Coffee Siphon. My search is finally over......


One week since the Bandung trip, we were at home, 3pm int he evening. The Coffee Siphon is brewing a cup of Excelso coffee, freshly grind. The fire is out, and the black liquid has started sipping back to the lower chamber. I took a piece of Strawberry Cheese Cake as a company, and took a sip of Coffee. Thin, light cup of coffee, with unmistakable acidity of Kalosi Toraja....

Go Green: Hand-Powered Milk Frother

Kiko bought me a new coffee gadget, hand pump milk frother. "Enjoy whipping and make your coffee", written in front of the carafe. A complete instruction on how to use it is clearly printed in the back, saving you from keeping another manual sheet.

I'm putting it to use right away, at 12 am midnight, by frothing a cold Greenfield Pasteurized Milk. My first impression for the result is quite satisfactory, a frothed milk with quite good consistency. Not a real consistency from one frothed with espresso machine's steam wand, but certainly better than my battery-operated milk frother.

So, the next morning, with my trusted moka pot, I brew a fresh coffee bean for a cup of latte. Still using the same milk, heated on a stove, and then putting the frother in action. The consistency of the milk is excellent, that save for my skill level, I almost made my first latte art.

I would certainly recommend this gadget for latte lover. And those green movement supporter will certainly agree, since this is the most environmental friendly milk frother :D

Longing for Espresso

I've been longing to produce my own pressurized coffee, and to froth the latte with the high pressure steam. Yep, I'm longing for an espresso machine. Not for commercial purpose, but more to my love for coffee, and self awareness that over years, my bill for cup of coffee would buy me a trip to Raja Ampat.

While looking for a decent machine and saving some cash, I settled with a cheaper alternative, a Moka Pot, bought at Ikea in my last trip to Singapore. For the coffee, I bought one pack of Jones Blend from Jones the Grocer. I've tested a cup of Latte in their coffee shop, and for me, their blend is good enough as my trial coffee.

The whole family joy on this pot. Using my Krups Grinder to grind the coffee, my first attempt results in the coffee make it through the middle chamber. Reducing the finesses of the grinder, the Moka Pot has successfully extract enough coffee to make 3 cups of latte for them, which they crave for more.