Backpacking Hong Kong - Macao

Just back from 5 days 4 night backpacking to Hong kong Macao on budget.

The three of us took Jetstar and stayed @ Nan Shan Hong Guest house, Causeway bay Hong Kong. The owners , Mr & Mrs Budi santoso are two Indonesian Born Chinese, very helpful couple. for booking you may contact them @ +(852)2576 6023, free wi-fi are provided. for 3 persons with the toilet inside cost HK$600/night. Near MTR, tramways , shopping centers dinning, very strategic location.

after immigration check point, go and buy octopus card from the MTR service counter, I found it cheaper n flexible to use this card compare to 3 days tourist MTR card, which cost you HK$300, and only can be used for train(MTR) , Octopus card cost  HK$150 , (50 HK$ retain in the card,  can be refund on departure day at the MTR service counter ,Hong Kong airport). This octopus card can be use for paying bus, tram, MTR or even grocery, balance can be top up at any MTR station. It's really suit the name 'octopus'
From the airport you may choose to hop on a cab, MTR or express bus, we took airport express bus, which cost  HK$40 /person / journey

Hong Kong
Free wi-fi is provided in Hong Kong, on Bus, MTR, or shopping centre.
For ladies like us, going to Hong Kong = shopping, dinning, shopping n dinning ^ ^

Dining:

Dim Sum/Yum cha/点心 is a must have in Hong Kong, It's so yummy n cheap, tried  Cheers , Windsor Building, Causeway Bay Hong kong,  enter the windsor building, take the escalator, n turn  right, don't take the lift at the left but walk further  and take the lift at the left side to 5th fl (This lift only go as far as 9th floor) do have your brunch @ cheaper price start @ 11 am, they have coupon for (一盅兩件, meaning a cup of tea with two dim sums) @ HK$20/person

Another food that I personally craving is the beef noodle, wanton noodle, oh so yummy.

Shopping

Go to Ladies market/ 女人街@ Mongkok, It's a kind of pasar malam, or night market。 It's open from 4 pm till midnight . alight at Mongkok MTR station, Take the E2 exit and walk along Nathan Road towards Shan Tung Street. You can find bags, clothes, super sexy lingerie ^ ^ , scarfs, shoes, cosmetics etc.Don't forget to bargain.

but  if you prefer a higher end go to lai Chi kok MTR Station ,take exit C, when coming onto the street turn around and walk back the opposite way about 10 metres and you will see the sign. You go down the alley and turn right to enter the building to Hongkong industrial centre. It's a wholesales market, but certain store willing to do retail, do ask the store owner for details.

Along Sham Shui Po St also have lots of wholesales (alight at sham shui po MTR station)

At Wan Chai , (please not confuse with Chai wan) you can find cheap bargain local market at day time.

For FO go to Citygate outlet, take  MTR tung chung line , alight at tung chung (last stop), the out let is just outside the MTR station.

Sight seeing

Disneyland, take Tung chung line MTR from Hongkong station . alight at Sunny Bay, transfer to Disneyland

The Peak , take tram or MTR toward Central, walk to Garden garden Rd, you can choose tram, cab or bus #15 to go to the Peak, where the  madame Tussuad's wax museum located. Stunning view of Hong Kong city day n night, It is reachable by  tram Cab and Bus #15.

The Avenue of Stars ( 星光大道), modelled on the  Hollywood walk of fame  is located along the  Victoria Harbour waterfront , alight at Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, Exit F, walk toward Salisbury  Rd, slight left.  If you take a cab , tell the driver that you are heading to  the new World (新世界）,  other attractions at there are, Museum of Art, Space  Museum, Cultural Centre and Clock Tower .The promenade commands a stunning panoramic view across  Victoria Harbour. At night it is a popular viewing place for the Symphony of Light display. It is a good place to go to see the glamorous stars of HK.

If you bring young kids go to ocean park. How to go there? board The Citybus Route 629 runs daily from Admiralty MTR Station

Take the tram, get the excellent view and lively street live of Hong kong from one point to another(HK$2.30) . pay the fare only when you alight the tram.  Octopus card can be used.

MACAO 澳门
It is said that when the Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the natives replied "媽閣" (Mandarin Pinyin: Māgé). The Portuguese then named the peninsula "Macau". in Chinese 澳門(Mandarin Pinyin :Au men) means "Inlet Gates".

How to get there from Hong kong?
Take  MTR towards sheung wan 上環, last stop, exit "D"  take the lift to 3rd floor, buy return tickets at Beng sheng /明星, it's said that belong to late Indonesian Chinese Nyo Beng Seng, It's cost between HK$280-290 on weekdays,  weekends ticket will be cost more. The on sales tickets is very close to  the departure time, do go directly to the westbond ferry terminal. It takes about 1 hour to reach Macao.

You can enjoy Macao without gambling at the Casino, make used of all the free ride to and fro Casino.
after the immigration check point, turn right with the sign, bus n taxi, if you want a free ride,  across through under pass, you will greet by all kind of free Casino Bus, hop on to Venetian, grand Lisboa, the sand etc. Cab also available paid by meter , or you may hop in a bus, fare start from MOP$3.2, they accept HK$ (1 HK$ = 1.03 MOP$),  the local is very helpful to guide you to the tourist destination.

The Venetian^® Macao-Resort-Hotel , take a free shuttle bus towards the hotel, and back to ferry terminal, if you wish to change to other destination.

From Ferry terminal take the free shuttle bus to Hotel Lisboa, from there walk toward Senado square, the local said 新马路(xin ma lu),  is a paved area in the centre of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, China, enclosed by the buildings of the Leal Senado,  Do try Portuguese egg tarts @pastelaria Koi kei and buy some local foods.

the General Post Office, the public toilet below the stairs is very clean., if you wish to go back to Ferry terminal from here, take bus #10A

St Dominic Church.

Walk further up from the Senado square, passing lots of shop , you will reach St. Paul's Ruins - the local said Tai Sam Pá （大三巴）, the main attraction of Macao, refers to the ruins of a 16th century complex in Macau including of what was originally St. Paul's college and the Cathedral of St. Paul .
nowsadays, It's an altar to the city.
Beside the church is a small Na tcha temple.
There are many more place to visit at Macao, as I only stayed for 1/2 day and was rushing back ke Hong Kong island for a last day shopping at Citygate outlet, so that's the places that I visited.

Seafood Egg coated fried rice

Fried rice is a popular Asian food, some using leftover rice, or over night rice. I Don't!  I use fresh cooked rice
Serves 3you need :
100 g rice, washed, rinsed, add water  n cooked, set aside. To be used later
3 eggs + 1/8 tsp salt (beaten)
15 ml light soya sauce
6 big prawn (shell and leave tail intact), marinate with 1/8 tsp salt
6 scallops, marinate with 1/8 tsp salt
50 g yellow capsicum, cubed
50 g red capsicum,cubed
30 g dao miao

Finely chopped ingerdients:
40g shallots
10 g garlic

1/8 tsp white pepper powder
45 ml cooking oil

Method :
1. Heat up 45 ml cooking oil, pour in chopped shallots n garlic, fry till fragrance, stir in cooked rice, stir for 5 minutes under medium heat.

2. pour in beaten egg, keep stirring until all the rice being coated by egg, continue stir for another 5 minutes

3. add  15 ml of light soya sauce, white pepper powder , continue stirring for another 2 minutes. divided into 3 equal serving plate.

4. Pan-fry  prawn n scallops until 80% cooked, remove . set aside

5. Heat 1 tsp oil, over high heat ,stir in  yellow n red capsicum, add in 80% cooked prawn n scallops, and dao miao, dust a bit of salt. stir for just 2 minutes. turn off the stove, garnish on top of the fried rice.

Indian Mee Goreng

If you are in a rushing to prepare  breakfast This non spicy Indian Mee Goreng really suit you.

Ingredients:
500 g of yellow noodle
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp oil

Method:
Heat the oil, bring in yellow noodle, add tomato ketchup, , stir for 10 minutes until all the noodle coated by tomato ketchup. Garnish with fried onion .
Serve hot.

Menu sarapan pagi yang sangat cocok bila anda hanya punya sedikit waktu . Mie Goreng India
Bahan2:
500 g mie kuning (matang)
3 sdm saus tomat
1 sdm minyak untuk tumis

Caranya:
Panaskan minyak, masukkan mie kuning, lalu tuang saus tomat, aduk 10 menit, hinga mie tercampur rata dengan saus tomat.  taburkan bawang goreng
Sajikan panas.

Meatball soup

Adapted from Evon K
prepare :
150 g minced meat (Pork or chicken)
150 g fresh prawn, skinned
1 tbsp fine salt
white pepper powder to taste
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 egg white
80 g spinach
110 g carrot (sliced)
750 ml chicken stock
cold ice water for keeping the meatball

Method:
1. mix 1 tbsp fine salt with 150 g prawn, lightly massage the prawn for 10 minutes, rinse 3 times with water, dry it with kitchen towel. using a knife finely chopped, add in peper and minced meat, continue shopping for another 5 minutes or until well blend.
2. add in tapioca flour, bang the daugh against a stainless bowl for 20 times. shape into balls, and soak inside prepared icy cool water
3. Bring chicken stock to boil, lower the heat to medium, add in the meat balls, boil till cooked, or the meatballs floated .
4. carrot, cook for 2 minutes
5. add in spinach,  serve hot.

Resep di adaptasi dari Evon K
Siapkan:
150 g daging giling (ayam atau babi)
150 g udang segar, buang kulit
1 sdm garam dapur halus
bubuk lada putih sesuai selera
1 sdm tepung tapioka (sagu)
1/2 butir putih telor
80 g bo cai (baca=pho chai) orang Teo-chew menyebutnya "pwee leng" karena bentuk daunnya seperti sayap naga terbang.
110 g wartel, iris
750 ml kaldu ayam
satu baskom air es dingin untuk merendam bakso mentah.

Caranya:
1. masukkan 1 sdm garam halus kedalam udang segar, remes secara perlahan selama 10 menit, setelah itu bilas dengan air bersih 3 kali, lalu keringkan dengan cara me-lap udang dengan kertas tisue. gunakan parang cincang hingga halus, tambah lada dan daging gilang, cincang kembali 5 menit lagi hingga semua daging tercampur rata.
2. tambahkan 1 sdm tepung tapioka, banting adonan sebanyak 20 kali dalam baskom stainless, bentuk bakso bulat2 dan masukkan kedalam air es dingin.
3. didihkan kaldu ayam,  lalu kecilkan api ke suhu sedang masukkan bakso mentah, masak hingga bakso terapung
4. masukkan potongan wortel, masak selama 2 menit
5. Tambahkan sayuran bo cai/pwee leng, sajikan panas.

Shiny ganache glaze

Recipe from cakewise

454 semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces, or you may use hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips
99 g coarse sugar
355 whipping cream
30 ml corn syrup

Method :
1. Cut the chocolate into small pieces
2. boil coarse sugar and shipping cream, pour into cut chocolate, stir in corn syrup, start stir slowly until all the chocolate is melted n blended. you can use it for operacake

Resep diambil dari bakewise
454 g coklat sedikit manis, bisa juga menggunakan coklat butiran hershey's
99 g gula pasir
335 g whipping cream
30 ml sirup jagung

Caranya:
1. Coklat dipotong menjadi kecil2 , tujuannya supaya mudah dilarutkan
2. didihkan gula dengan whipping cream, tuang kedalam coklat yg telah di potong halus, masukan juga sirup jagung, mulai adu dari bagian tengah secara perlahan, hingga semua coklat meleleh dan tercampur rata. Gunakan untuk  operacake.

Opera cake

 Recipe from bakewise
1 recipe La Joconde, recipe here
1 recipe silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream recipe here
1 recipe shiny ganache glaze recipe here

Espresso syrup.
Mix together
120 ml basic heavy syrup ==> boil 80 ml water with132 g sugar and 1 tsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 120 ml hot water

Method:
1. You can prepare Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream  one day in advance.
2. To assemble, apply a thin layer of Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream on top of  a piece of cake cardboard, so the cake will stick on it. Place the 1st layer of La joconde, sprinkle 4 tbsp espresso syrup, spread with a layer of  Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream, put it into the refrigerator for 5 minutes. bring it out, spread another thin layer of shiny ganache glaze, put it back into the refrigerator for 5 minutes, bring it out put the 2nd layer of La joconde.. repeat until the final layer on the top.
3. Cover the whole cake with the remaining Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream , bring it back to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
4. Apply the room temperature ganache over the whole cake.Chil overnight in the refrigerator in a covered cake dish.

 Resep dari Bakewise:
1 resep kueh La joconde , klik sini
1 resep Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream, klik sini
1 resep shiny ganache glaze, klik sini

Sirup espreso:
Campurkan
120 ml sirup gula ==> didihkan 80 ml air dengan 132 g gula pasir dan 1 sdt sirup light corn
1 sdm bubuk kopi instant dengan 120 ml air mendidih.
Caranya :
1. Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream, bisa dikerjakan sehari sebelumnya.
2. Cara menyusunnya . oleskan sedikit Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream ke alas tatakn kueh, tujuannya agar kueh melekat erat ke tatakan kueh. lalu letakkan lapisan pertama  La joconde.. siram dengan 4 sdm sirup espreso secara merata ke semua permukaan kueh, olesin Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream ke permukaan kueh, lalu masukkan ke dalam kulkas/peti sejuk selama 5 menit, keluarkan dari kulkas, lapisi  secara tipis dengan shiny ganache glaze, masukkan kembali kedalam kulkas/peti sejuk selama 5 menit, keluarkan lagi lalu susun lapisan ke dua kueh la joconde, ulangi prosedurnya hingga lapisan terakhir.
3. tutup merata seluruh kueh dengan Silky creme anglaise coffee butter cream, simpan kembali ke dalam kulkas/petisejuk selama 15 menit.
4. oleskan secara merata lapisan shiny ganache glaze suhu ruangan ke seluruh permukaan kueh, dinginkan di kulkas semalaman dengan keadaan kueh tertutup rapat dengan penutup kueh.

La Joconde

Recipe from Bakewise
170 g egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
88 g coarse sugar, divided into 75g and 13 g respectively
176 g almond flour,sifted
227 g icing sugar
298 g (Whole)  eggs
58g cake flour
43 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Resep dari Bakewise
sediakan:
170 g putih telor
1/2 sdt cream of tartar
88 g gula pasir, dibagi, 75 g dan 13 g
176 g bubuk halus almond, ayak
227 g gula halus
298 g telor utuh (putih dan kuning)
58 g tepung ber protein rendah
43 g mentega tawar, cairkan dan biarkan ke suhu ruangan.

Method :
1. preheat the oven to 180 C
2. butter and cover with parchment paper the base and sides of 2 pans with the size of 39 X 27 X 2.5 cm.
3.Prepare a stainless/glass bowl, pour in egg white, beat by hand using a balloon whisker or mixer for one minutes, add in cream of tartar, Beat until soft peaks form when the whisk lifted. Add 75 g coarse sugar slowly , continue beating until  stiff peaks form.
4. in another bowl, on medium speed, beat for 6 minutes, almond flour, 227 g icing sugar and eggs
5. stir cake flour with 13 g coarse sugar
6. Sifted the cake flour mixture on top of the almond -egg mixture and allow to stand a few seconds. Spread about 1/3 of the beaten whites on top and fold in, continue with the ramaining whites. Stir about 1 cup (250 ml) of batter into the melted cooled butter, then fold back into the batter. Divide the batter equally into perpared two pans
7. Bake for 12 menutes  until lightly brown or when a skewer insert in come out clean. Removed from the oven , let it cool on a cooling rack
8.When the cake is cool, cut into four 18 X 25 cm rectangular layers, or cut into desire design.
Caranya :
1. Panaskan oven ke suhu 180 derajat Selsius
2. siapkan 2 (dua) loyang ukuran 39 X 27 X 2.5 cm, oles dengan mentega lalu tutup dengan kertas roti.
3. Tuang putih telor ke dalam baskom stainless, lalu kocok dengan kocokan model balon,  kocok selaam 1 menit, hinga berbusa, lalu taburkan 75 g gula pasir secara perlahan , lanjutkan mengocok hingga soft peak, yaitu saat  kocokan di angkat, bagian ujung dari putih telor jatuh sedikit. saya kocok dengan tangan, hasilnya lebih akurat
4. dengan menggunakan mixer kecepatan sedang , kocok  bubuk almond, 227 g gula halus dan 298 g telor utuh telor, selama 6 menit.
5. Campurkan tepung ber protein rendah dengan sisa 13g gula pasir
6. Ayak campuran tepung di atas adonan, biarkan sekejap,  tambahkan  kedalam adonan 1/3 bagian dari putih telor, aduk lalu lanjutkan dengan 2/3 bagian dari sisa putih telor secara bertahap. Ingat jangan aduk berlebihan, cukup asal tercampur rata  .Tuangkan  250 ml adonan ini kedalam mentega cair yang telah dingin, aduk hingga cukup tercampur, tuang kembali ke adonan  lalu aduk hingga rata. Tuang dalam jumlah yang sama kedalam dua loyang yang telah diasipkan tadi.
7. Pangang selama 12 menit, saya menggunakan oven dengan kipas oven nyala, hanye perlu waktu 7 menits aja. Pelajari oven anda.  Atau hingga kueh berwarna coklat muda, dan saat bagian etngah kueh ditusuk dengan tusuk sate, saat di tarik keluar tusukan satenya kering, keluarkan dari oven, dan biarkan dingin di rak pendingin.
8. saat kueh telah dingin, potong menjadi dua masing2, sehingga menghasilkan 4 lapis yang sama besar... atau boleh potong sesuai dengan rancangan.