Photography Inspired Cooking

[janshim]

Hello,

Since there isn't a forum for food photography, I figured it fits right in this section as part of my "Travel and Living" genre. I have always loved food and have done a few commercial food shoots, among which is Solitude Cafe. However, I find myself venturing into the kitchen more and more and to my own surprise and also my family's I got right into preparing full-blown meals that we now enjoy either as a family lunch/dinner or social eating with friends over.

I think it may have a lot to do with the fact that I watch Discovery Channel's Travel and Living a lot esp Jamie Oliver, Kylie Kwong and Samantha Brown.

Japanese Cha Soba http://shimworld.com/gallery/soba/

Italian Cuisine http://shimworld.com/gallery/Italian/

Teriyaki Chicken http://shimworld.com/gallery/Teriyaki/

Hainanese Chicken Rice http://shimworld.com/gallery/ChickenRice/

there was also a Stir Fried Noodles that just got too oily to photograph so I skipped it entirely. When the galleries appeared on my main site www.shimworld.com people start asking for recipes, something I hadn't expected and at this time, I have no plans to start a cooking site since the food I prepared and cooked were accomplished from the heart. The hands featured in my pics are either that of my wife or our domestic helper.

Hope you enjoy the galleries. All comments welcomed!



Jan Shim
www.shimworld.com

[Madmax]

The shots on Hainanese chicken looks good! I'm drooling!

Got the receipe?

[zoossh]

i love all of them except the soba. probably becos the greenish cast doesn't aid the appetite, and composition is plain.

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh i love all of them except the soba. probably becos the greenish cast doesn't aid the appetite, and composition is plain.

I agree, the Soba gallery isn't nearly as interesting to look at as the others. It all began when a Japanese restaurant came to town and as soon as I gave the green Soba a go, it became a must-have each time I dine in. Cold green noodles can be quite an acquired taste for many but it has become a favourite in my family. We tend to want to eat as soon as we can so presentation isn't quite the same as they would appear in a commercial shoot such as http://shimworld.com/gallery/Japanese/

[janshim]

Originally Posted by Madmax The shots on Hainanese chicken looks good! I'm drooling! Got the receipe?

The Hainanese Chicken Rice is my latest effort and boy, it was well worth the time and trouble preparing it. I've had chicken rice since I was a kid and whenever I travelled overseas I made sure I had chicken rice (and iced lemon tea) where available just to check out the many variations it's cooked. In past attempts, the meat had always been too well cooked but this time, I got it just right. By that I mean the meat is succulent and juicy the minute it's taken out of a pot of cold water. You may have noticed the bone looking pretty uncooked. Rest assured, the meat was cooked just right, I'm guessing from my technique if I had gotten the bone cooked, the meat would have surely been more cooked too.

As for recipe, I came across ChubbyHubby.net when researching what appeared to be a best kept secret among Hainanese chicken rice vendors. I improvised as I went along but the key to getting the chicken right is the strict preparation instructions. Read on!

[zoossh]

Originally Posted by janshim The Hainanese Chicken Rice is my latest effort and boy, it was well worth the time and trouble preparing it. I've had chicken rice since I was a kid and whenever I travelled overseas I made sure I had chicken rice (and iced lemon tea) where available just to check out the many variations it's cooked. In past attempts, the meat had always been too well cooked but this time, I got it just right. By that I mean the meat is succulent and juicy the minute it's taken out of a pot of cold water. You may have noticed the bone looking pretty uncooked. Rest assured, the meat was cooked just right, I'm guessing from my technique if I had gotten the bone cooked, the meat would have surely been more cooked too. As for recipe, I came across ChubbyHubby.net when researching what appeared to be a best kept secret among Hainanese chicken rice vendors. I improvised as I went along but the key to getting the chicken right is the strict preparation instructions. Read on!

do you cook yourself?

OT: any good place that serves very good food? my gf likes good food.

[ziploc]

Moderator's note:

Thread moved to General Discussion subforum.

P/S: you can post food pictures under Closeup & Macro gallery.

[SilentWave]

Here I am...sitting in front of my computer and reading your thread at night. Man, it sure made me damn hungry! Thanks for sharing them with us.

[janshim]

Originally Posted by SilentWave Here I am...sitting in front of my computer and reading your thread at night. Man, it sure made me damn hungry! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Thank you for your comments. One warning though - looking at food images past 9pm can pose a long term health risk.

[janshim]

Originally Posted by zoossh do you cook yourself? OT: any good place that serves very good food? my gf likes good food.

If I understand your question correctly, YES, the dishes featured here were prepared and cooked by me (except where it reads Commercial). I like to marinate the food myself before they go onto the pan. I have a maid who handles the day to day cooking for the family but when I feel inspired to mess up the kitchen for a dine-in Japanese/Western or Italian meal.

You do realize I'm not Singaporean so when I am in Singapore I rely on friends to bring me to good places to eat. One of my all-time favourites is black pepper crab and it's not how the crab is cooked but how I eat it that gets people talking. I toss a Tupperware full of freshly cooked black pepper crab into the fridge at around 7pm and by midnight it's cold enough for me to start getting my fingers dirty. Quite surprisingly many have never heard of cold crabs much less eaten it this way. It's a private indulgence for me as everyone is asleep and i watch TV and a cold can of Coke (or beer for those who drink). Ironically I had my first cold crab experience in Singapore although I no longer rememeber where.

When travelling, there are so many eating opportunities everywhere for us with no dietry or religious restrictions. I've been to Japan twice when I hadn't learnt to appreciate Japanese food. When you visit China in the winter months, be prepared to savour food that's generally too oily that what we are accustomed to here. I'm off to Hong Kong next week to meet a friend who has made quite a name for himself with his high quality concert photographs (an EOS 20D user like me). Hopefully I'll have good travel stories and images to share before my tentative trip to Japan in March.