My super snack - Cheap, delicious, exotic and low in fat!

So this is another recipe of a food I've come to love. But I must warn you first, this food is not for the faint-hearted as the main ingredients is.....chicken feet! Also, it is quite spicy!
My boyfriend's mum who taught me how to cook this food calls it "nom khin nam ya" I am not too sure if I spelled it right. It is a dish from Northern Thailand which has Laos influence.
The ingredients are quite cheap as you can buy them at normal Asian markets or Chinese groceries. The absence of oil makes it low in fat. Also, it serves 4-5 people, so it is truly a budget-friendly food! You can't complain, can you?

 

Ingredients:
Japanese-style fine noodles
1 can of light coconut milk
a bag of chicken feet (could be bought frozen from Chinese groceries)
1x pack of fish ball
2 tins of tuna
2 spoons Red curry paste
2 x Lesser ginger (optional)
2 x spoons sugar
2 x tablespoon of Fish sauce
1 1/2 cup water
Lime leaves x6

Garnish:
Spring onion
Beansprout
Simple steps to make the soup:
Boil half can of coconut milk in a pan.
Pestle lesser ginger and red curry. Mix into the coconut milk.
Put sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves (adjust according to your taste)
Put the rest of coconut milk, then water
Put the chicken feet
Boil for 15 minutes
Add the fish balls.
Boil for another 5 minutes.

Boil the noodles until cooked. Serve with the soup.

garnish with uncooked beansprouts and spring onions. Enjoy!

Editing Poetry

Guess what. I am sick again. With chest infection and asthma. Can't go out, can't do anything, can't do my Christmas shopping. I'm just at home, trying to drink plenty of fluids, lemon juice, and take my medications.
Poetry is what entertains me during times like this. So, I am editing my first draft of my poem, 'How to make sushi'

I am not expert in editing a poem. But below is what I have learnt so far:
1.)Words - every word in the poem must earn their spot. If there are words or lines that seem or sound staggering to you, then chance is, it will be staggering to your readers too.
2.)Form - Rhythm, structure, free verse or how the poem appears on the page - they all matter. Is there a near rhyme of a full rhyme? Assonance or alliteration? How the poem is read and how it is presented must be justified.
3.) Are any of my lines memorable or they are just a bunch of rumbling cliché? - It is very important for me to create vivid and memorable images. That is my soul as a writer. We all need to find our 'soul'.
4.) What is the topic of this poem? Can I summarize it? Does the ending suffice and make an impact?
5.) Take a break if you're really stuck. :-) Going back to it after a while may bring new ideas or a new way of looking at things.
6.) Enjoy the process - nothing is worth stressing really. I am still learning this now.



Presenting Poetry: The Last Christmas Carol

I'd like to give my avid readers and followers an early Christmas present, so I have decided that each month, I will share a poem written by me, whether it is published or not. And I will call this section in my blog, "Presenting Poetry".

 So for the month of December, I'd like to share with you my poem, The Last Christmas Carol, which was published by Ink, Sweat, & Tears last year.

 Please enjoy and I hope that this simple poem brings you joy this holiday season!

 

 

The last Christmas carol

 

She sits on the cold asphalt -
In the middle of a square,
Strumming a wooden guitar
That will brittle soon.
Velvet poles are dazed,
A copper centaur listens
And the glimmer of distant houses
Are her thousand spotlights.
Perhaps this would be the last year
She’ll breathe the icy air
Or see the stars melt
Across the silky sky.
Life is the tiny candle
Flaring beneath her face
But tonight her music will reach -
The edges of the winter moon.

 

© Romalyn Ante, 2014

I am in Firewords Quarterly

My latest publication is in Firewords Quarterly, a magazine that showcases "fiery new writers". Surely, this magazine looks and feels good. From its bold design to powerful poetry and fiction in it.

I am so delighted to have my work included in this magazine.

 

The lovely magazine, autumn edition



I am one of the contributors in this issue!



The beautiful design accompanying my poem, The Bicycle



A mini author's bio