Idiots' Guide to Wine Pairing

Being too poor to afford any form of alcohol during school days, I only started drinking when I was working in London. Back then, there was a very kind project manager who showed me the dark side of alcohol consumption; to a reasonable amount of course. He is till today, a great friend and a sound mentor. Choosing between red and white wine to pair with red or white meat respectively was easy enough as most movies will show the gentlemen choosing the right selection to go with the main course of the meal. But choosing between a cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir and semillon or Chardonnay took quite a bit of experimenting. To save us all the trouble, here is a quick idiots' guide to it from Wine Folly, subject to all our individual preferences of course. Enjoy and salud!

Brofeifei XO Wings

This is one signature recipe which I have cooked for many of my family and friends. It is one of my favourite because it is easy to make and perfect for potluck parties. It was notably featured in quite a few Christmas gatherings in 2010, 2011 and 2012. It has been tweaked to get the right balance of flavours that will be brought out best from the carmelisation process. For those who have tasted it, you know who you are, so please leave me your comments on how to make it even better! As beginners in cooking, we are sometimes overly fixated on the precise portions and mixtures of seasoning (i.e. tablespoons, teaspoons etc.) but this is one recipe that I will encourage you to go with your feel as it is hard to go wrong. Go with your instincts and enjoy the cooking process as much as you enjoy the fruits of your labour. 

Friday is special for me and wifey but I have a couple of late calls to do till midnight so I decided to make her favourite wings instead of going out on date night. Wings were marinated overnight and all I had to do was to chuck them into the oven while doing my calls. 

1. Marinate wings overnight with the following
 - Splash of thick teriyaki sauce
 - Splash of oyster sauce
 - Splash of tomato sauce
 - Splash of natural honey
 - Dash of dark soy sauce
 - Dash of hua tiao jiu (i.e. chinese rice wine)
 - Dash of sesame oil
 - Dash of good dry gin

Here is what is used for the marinate.


Brofeifei XO wings cannot be complete without vintage XO cognac. Just 1 tablespoon of this premium liquid adds a sophisticated smokey flavour to your wings. Marinate the wings overnight in the fridge and let the wings soak in all the goodness.

2. Heat oven to 200C and shove in the wings for 20mins
3. Baste the wings with excess sauce every 10mins
4. Turn the wings over & roast other side for another 20mins
5. Continue to baste every 10mins
6. Turn the wings over again & finish the caramelisation for another 5mins

Prep time: 10mins     Cook time: 45mins     Level: Confirm can!

Abalone risotto with mushrooms

Risotto or some Singaporeans may call it as "ang moh mui fun" is an Italian classic that you are sure to find on the menu of any decent Italian restaurant. I have decided to put an Asian spin to it and create my own Abalone Risotto. Using a salvaged can of good quality whole abalone from the chinese new year festivities, I cooked this for wifey and myself as dinner. After this successful attempt of fusing the best of east and west, I think I shall continue my series of new recipes of the local take on western classics! Who wants to be my guinea pigs?!

1. Stir fry 2 shallots in hot pan of olive oil
2. Add handful of chopped white button mushrooms and cook till soft
3. Add 1 cup of short grain rice and stir for 2mins
4. Add 1 glass of white wine, abalone sauce from can and reduce
5. Add ladle after ladle of fish stock into rice slowly for the next 30mins
6. Allow rice to absorb stock before adding the next ladle
7. Cook till al dente and add sliced abalone
8. Serve with chopped chives and a fine glass of sauvignon blanc 

Prep time: 10mins     Cook time: 40mins     Level: Steady lah!