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  • #JoandBoCooks – Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl (滷肉飯)

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    Finally, another #JoandBoCooks after so long! We haven’t been able to cook for about 3 weeks ‘cause there was pipe leakage in our kitchen and now the problem has been diagnosed and repaired. Anyway, a few of you have requested the recipe for my Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl (滷肉飯) when I cooked it the other day, so I decided to make this dish today. I would say this dish is the easiest and the most satisfying dish that can be prepared at home.

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    The ingredients you need for this dish are:

    Minced pork – 200 grams (good enough for 2-3 pax)

    Chinese mushrooms – 6 to 8 mushroom

    Shallot – 1 whole

    Five spice powder (五香粉) – a pinch

    Salt – a pinch

    Sugar – 1 TS

    Angel Oyster Sauce – 2 ½ TBS

    Angel Light Soy Sauce – 2 TBS

    Eggs – 2 to 3

    Rice –  1 cup

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    If you’re thinking to cook it tonight make sure you soak the mushroom in a small bowl of water in the morning. It will help to rehydrate the mushroom and we also need the leftover water as stock to braise the pork later too =)

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    First, heat up 1 TS of oil in the pan, then add in cut shallots and mushrooms slices. In the meantime,  also bring a pot of water to boil, and once boiling, turn down the heat, and cook the eggs for roughly 8 mins. I usually put the cooked eggs in cold water to stop the cooking.

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    Once the shallot turns golden, add in minced pork or chicken into the pan and stir fry till it’s cooked!

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    Stir it for a while then add in the Angel soy sauce! I’m using the Light Soy Sauce because we like the great taste and “umami” flavor that can only be brought out by using soy sauce, but we also want to reduce sodium in our diet. Consuming high amounts of sodium is unhealthy and can lead to health complications later on!

    I am using Angel soy sauce and oyster sauce not only because they taste good or are a trusted household name in Malaysia, but because Bidor Kwong Heng is the first sauce manufacturer in Malaysia to use only non-GMO (genetically modified organism) ingredients!

    They were also the first to receive ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP certification way back in 2002 and the company has also received the prestigious BRC certification and full FSSC22000 certification since 2011.

    Angel Soy Sauce are 100% naturally-brewed for 3 to 6 months and are made without added HVP (hydrolysed vegetable protein), thus free of 3 – MCPD, a carcinogenic compound.

    Don’t say I’m aunty but I’ve heard many stories or old wives tales about how some soy sauce and oyster are made using really cheap ingredients, or are made with lots of colouring and preservatives, so I only choose a good trusted sauce like Angel.

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    Then add in Angel Oyster Sauce! Oyster sauce is very commonly used in Chinese cooking but a good oyster sauce really makes a big difference as the taste is rich, but not overly salty or overpowering.

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    Then add in the salt, five spice powder, and sugar!

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    The chef and her very expressive eyebrows LOL. I was frying the shallot for the vege!

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    Once you have added in all the spices, it’s time to pour the leftover mushroom stock into the pan and let it slowly simmer. You need to simmer for 10-15 min! Oh yeah, remember to put in the eggs that you cooked just now too!

    This is really a simplified version of this dish, and not to mention slightly healthier as you can ask your butcher to grind you lean meat to use in this recipe!

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    While waiting for the meat to simmer, you can prepare Taiwanese sausages as a side dish. The best way to cook Taiwanese sausages is to steam them first, and when they are cooked through, pan fry ‘till golden and crispy! This way you can make sure they are crispy on the outside but perfectly cooked on the inside =)

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    For the vege, I boiled one pack of Hong Kong kalian in salted water, then added 1 TBS of Angel Oyster Sauce, and topped with a bit of fried shallot and shallot oil!

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    Our dinner is served, Taiwan Braised Pork Rice with Taiwanese sausages!

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    For more information about the sauces I used in this recipe, go to www.bidorkwongheng.com

  • #BoboinBali – Ubud 2

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    After a short tanning session, we showered then headed off to Ubud town again for lunch! Took a picture at the lobby while waiting for our free shuttle to town. I love the natural curls on my hair when I don’t dry my hair completely after swimming.

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    For lunch, we went to have Babi Guling in Ubud town.

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    Since the weather was super good we decided to check out a few hipster cafes before heading back to our hotel. We walked to this cool cafe a few blocks away which JO found on Google haha.

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    I love how they customized the normal plastic chairs in to a rocking chair! It’s a pretty cool place to just chill for dessert and coffee!

    DSC01154DSC01157Because it’s a hipster cafe, Jo’s coffee came in a tray with a glass of water and also a cookie.

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    Then we took our sweet time to walk around town, the weather was burning hot but I’m not complaining because I want tanned skin! Saw this super cute looking Land Cruiser at the roadside and I told Jo If I were to stay here this will be my car =)

    DSC01164Also found everyone’s fav Teh Botol less sugar! I tried the normal ones before but it’s way too sweet but the less sugar version is way better and I LOVED IT!

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    More temples along the way =)

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    Went back to our villa change into another set of bikini and continue tanning! I can get used to this kind of life! You might also realized my bikinis are getting smaller and smaller because this set is perfect for sun tanning yo! No ugly tan lines after that =)

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    Hahahaha damn mosquito bites on my butt T_T

    DSC01208 DSC01210I’m very hardworking so I changed into another set of swimwear then took a few shots for an advertorial haha.

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    Bubble bath just because I brought my LUSH bubble bar along!

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    Our stay comes with a complimentary tea from 3-5pm everyday so we went to check it out. They served local desserts at the tea.

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    After our tea, we took a stroll around the hotel and checked out the beautiful rice field.

    DSC01264 DSC01265For our last night in Bali we tried out an upscale satay restaurant called Arang in Ubud. Im in love with the interior of the restaurant, it’s something that I would love my next future house to look like!

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    Arang has many different types of satay from the classic satay to tender beef skewers served on a hot stone! I decided to go for something that we dont get to eat in Msia which was this Rib Eye Steak satay that was served on a sizzling hot stone! It was pretty yummy, the beef was so tender and you can control doneness of the meat yourself. If you prefer medium then leave it on the stone longer =)

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    Jo decided to go for something classic so he ordered a Bali Pork Satay which was pretty good too =) If you’re in Ubud go ahead and give it a try, they open for lunch and dinner!

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    The next morning it was time to head home so we took our time to get ready in the morning then walked to our breakfast area to have breakkie! I ordered mie goreng, and JO ordered their big breakfast. The Chinese girl inside me still prefers having noodle for breakfast more than sausages lol.

    DSC01298 DSC01301After a long breakfast we went back to the room to take a few more shots of the room before packing. Im in love with Wapa Di Ume so much because it’s so quiet and the interior is just something that is totally different from the usual hotels that we stay in.

    I will definitely visit Bali again and again. Thanks Bali for the perfect weather and warm hospitality!

    Till then 

  • Rain Or Shine

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    The thing I hate the most when Im travelling is unpredictable weather, especially when it rains T_____________T More so when I’m visiting the beach. When I was in Croatia, it rained on the days that Jo was there, and some times we had no choice but to stay in our hotel room till the rain stopped. I was so frustrated because we couldn’t get anything done! Luckily Jo was smart enough to bring each of us a portable umbrella, its good enough to withstand light rain or drizzle but not when there is wind or heavy rain. Unfortunately for us the rain in Croatia was like thunder storm ><”

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    There were a few times I had to hide in a building to avoid the strong wind because I was so afraid it will break my only umbrella then I will have to end up wearing ugly raincoat .

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    The problem with my umbrella is because I got it in a random pasar malam so it’s very cheap hahaha. It’s flimsy, opens and closes very clumsily, and will fold over on itself when there is a strong gust of wind. When it’s cheap the quality is bad la obviously and the color and design is just disappointing. It doesn’t match any of my outfits at all.

    After our trip, I told Jo I need to get myself a good quality umbrella that will hold up when there is a storm/ heavy rain and also matches my looks easily hahaha. Jo was like where got such thing o?

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    Well, guess what! I found one that can fulfill my requirements, Blunt Umbrella!

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    The Blunt Umbrella is designed in New Zealand, home to some very extreme weather where other umbrellas will simply not stand up to.

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    Blunt umbrellas are the only umbrellas with a fully tensioned canopy, meaning it has superb structural integrity. An umbrella’s canopy is only as strong as the tension applied to the fabric stretched across its ribs.

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    Blunt Tips also forming part of the Radial Tensioning System redirects and transfers your effort in opening the umbrella throughout its entire canopy surface, so it is super easy to open and close the umbrella.

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    No more fumbling around awkwardly in the rain trying to open or close your umbrella! Not to mention the Blunt Tips are a safety feature as regular umbrellas have pointy metal/plastic tips that might poke people in a crowd.

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    Blunt Umbrellas are wind tunnel tested for unflappable aerodynamic performance that sits effortlessly in the wind and provides maximum control. No more umbrellas getting blown away or folded over!

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    Another good thing about Blunt is that it comes with a zipped pouch for storage, so no more trying to fold your umbrella neatly in order to fit a tight pouch.

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    Thanks Blunt for making our life way easier when there is rain =)

    I’m using Blunt XS_METRO IN pink

    Check out www.bluntumbrellas.com/my for more info

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/mybluntumbrellas
    Instagram: www.instagram.com/mybluntumbrellas

  • Journey To Wellness

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    I’m sure most of you who read my updates regularly will know about my fitness and gym routines, but in this post I need to share about another aspect of health and wellness that not too many people think about.
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    If we rewind back to 2013, I blogged about my “special” heart (https://www.bobostephanie.com/my-special-heart/ & https://www.bobostephanie.com/my-heart-procedure-experience/) where I undergone a procedure called cardiac ablation to fix my very special heart which has a condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). Basically my heart has an extra impulse compared to a normal heart and this causes abnormal heart rhythm. The procedure uses a laser to ZAP the cells triggering the extra beat.

    For more than a year, I had been suffering from the effects of SVT unknowingly, where I had many episodes of increased heartbeat in a week, leading to dizziness, loss of focus, nausea, and many other symptoms, and when they got really bad, I eventually visited a cardiologist.

    Initially I was put on medication at around RM400 a month to control my heart beat and things got a bit better. Jo was very kind and understanding and took very good care of me throughout these few months. I had to stay clear of any food or activities that would increase my heart rate such as heavy cardio exercises, caffeine, and I even gave up clubbing.

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    After a few months, things eventually got worse, and ultimately Jo and I came to a very stressful decision to undergo the procedure that would cost RM30,000 including my hospital stay and follow ups. It was super hard to decide whether to continue on medication or to do the procedure because it was not 100% effective and also has some risks involved.

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    I’m not joking when I tell you that on a few occasions I did talk to Jo about what would happen if I passed away…I think this was a life-changing experience for me.

    Thank god that all this was covered by my insurance, and I am very proud to announce that I am currently very healthy and have continued to embrace my new lease of life after this procedure.

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    This was really a big turning point in my life as it forced me to give up my lifestyle and to adopt a new one. My journey to wellness really started from here and from here, I started to eat healthy and also go to the gym. I want to be with the people I love for as long as I can. I guess when you have someone you love, you will do whatever it takes to change and I changed my lifestyle for them.

    What I’m really trying to tell you guys is this, your health and wellness is really important, and everyone should be prepared, even from a young age. I was only 28 when I was diagnosed with a heart condition!

    When I was diagnosed with SVT, I had just started working for a couple of years and as any fresh graduates will know, it is really tough to try and save money and be financially stable, let alone paying for insurance. In my case, signing up for medical insurance was one of the best decisions I made when I was younger.

    Even if I had managed to save a little bit of money for, let’s say my dream wedding or a down payment for my dream home, it wouldn’t even have been enough to cover my heart procedure.

    If you guys have been saving up for your future, you should guarantee your financial stability by making sure that any health complications will be taken care of, and would not affect your future.

    Zurich Flexilife Plus

    Zurich Flexilife Plus is a premium investment-linked insurance plan that is designed to take into account your different life stages. Put very very simply, with Zurich Flexilife Plus, you can customize your plan to suit you best at every stage of life.

    You can choose your level of coverage, where you can add on early care critical illness coverage, comprehensive medical coverage, female critical illness coverage, and even maternity care coverage.

    You can choose how much to apportion your premiums for investment.

    You can also choose how much savings to include monthly. You can even make one-off top ups if lets say you get a big bonus at the end of the year.

    It is also flexible where you can increase or decrease your coverage and premiums to accommodate your needs at different life stages, and there is even a no lapse policy for the first 3 years.

    For more info please visit https://www.zurich.com.my/en/show-me-zurich-products/for-myself-protection/for-my-life/zurich-flexilife-plus

    By the way, there is a contest going on https://www.facebook.com/ZurichInsuranceMalaysia/!

    All you need to do is to ‘LIKE’ Zurich Insurance Malaysia.

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    Then required to click and enter the ‘Zurich #JourneyToWellness’ game tab. I strongly recommend you to go through the game tutorial before starting the game play =)

    So the purpose of the game is to collect as many points as possible in a total of 3 minute! Once you’re satisfied with you result just clicks ‘Submit’.

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    Here are the amazing prizes for the winners of #JourneyToWellnessPrizes!

    Grand Prize:1 x Travel Voucher Worth RM4,000.00+ RM,1,000.00 Cash Allowance

    2nd Place:2 x iPhone 6s 16GB + Armband

    3rd Place:2 x Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge + Armband

    4th Place:

    3 x Fitbit Charge HR WristbandConsolation Prize:10 x RM300.00 Cash Prize

    You can also check out this heartwarming story of a little girl here

    Have fun and all the best !

  • Old City of Dubrovnik, Croatia II

    Continued from my previous post

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    I woke up super early at 6am thanks to jetlag, took my sweet time to get up from the comfy bed, get ready then take pictures of the sunrise at the balcony haha.

    DSC01565Then I took a little walk around the hotel and checked out their facilities. Too bad that the weather was too cold for a morning swim.

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    After breakfast I met up with the group and we went island hopping in the coolest boat ever! It looks like a pirate ship hahaha.

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    The weather on the way to Sipan Island was pretty good and the view was amazing.

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    The journey was around 1 hour from Dubrovnik so we had plenty of time to take pictures on the boat and to enjoy the cool breeze.

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    Sipan Island is famous for its very laid-back ambiance, and if you’re looking to just chill by the sea, this island is perfect for you. We werealso given the opportunity to visit the summer home for one of the richest families in Dubrovnik. The building is so well kept with a lot of historical items such as this fully equipped kitchen.

    DSC01613Then we visited another island which is 15min away from Sipan, it’s called Kolocep Island. That’s our tour guide and she was one of the extras in GOT. She appeared in Season 2 as a market seller so she shared a lot of behind-the-scenes of GOT with us.

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    The water is crystal clear and every where in this island is so picture worthy!

    DSC01624Our lunch was at Villa Ruza a beautiful restaurant that over looks the sea.

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    I’m quite amazed that their fresh seafood salad is so damn delicious! They only season it with olive oil and a bit of lemon juice and it turns out super good!

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    After a long lunch, we walked back to our boat and ended our island hopping tour! We were supposed to visit one more island but the weather was bad so we had no choice but to head back to town.

    Then it was free time for us to head back to the hotel to rest and change into a nice outfit for our farewell dinner at night. I couldn’t believe 2 days passed by so fast, it feels like I still havent had the chance to really explore the town yet. I’m so glad that I extended my trip for another 3 days!

    DSC01648 DSC01651 DSC01655Our dinner was at Posat, a beautiful restaurant that’s located right in front of the City Gates.

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    They served a pre dinner appetizer wine which was pretty strong for me haha.

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    More octopus and fish for dinner =)

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    Managed to capture this beautiful night view from the restaurant. Our tour ended but I’m not done with Dubrovnik just yet, because I will be meeting Jo and our adventures will begin once I meet up with him!

    I cant wait to climb the City Walls again and visit Lokrum Island the next day!

    Last but not least, thanks to Turkish Airlines for the wonderful opportunity and Dubrovnik Tourism for the warm hospitality. It was like a dream come true for me and Jo.

    For those who are interested to visit Dubrovnik or Croatia for that matter, I will recommend you to check out Turkish Airlines because they have connecting flights from KL through Istanbul and if you choose a longer layover, you can even get a free city tour of Istanbul! I will separate my Istanbul 12 hour layover experience in another post so stay tuned!