An afternoon at the Science Gallery and Science Discovery in Kids City.

Since our son is a little Science geek, we took him to the Science Gallery and Science Discovery at Kids City. The exhibits and activities there aim to explain how the world works.

@ the Science Gallery

Mirror

On the 8^th floor is the Science Discovery. It has interactive science lab with more than 60 Science activities and experiments for children aged 12 years old and below.

George Peter assembled the different components of the parallel circuit.

Bravo, George Peter! You did it!

The Science Gallery is on the 9^th floor. It contains experiments, displays, and activities that are really well thought out of fun such as human gyro, magnet display, hot air balloon experiment, high-wire bicycle, and electricity table.

Gravity Well – one of the activities he really enjoyed.

Learning about sounds.

Personally, I like it there because most of the exhibits are interactive. Not only the children will learn different things like gravity, sounds, the solar system, etc, but they’ll also be learning in the funniest way possible.

Learning about the solar system.

Conquered his fear of heights through the high-wire bicycle.

Alan tried the Human Gyro

A picture taken through color Kaleidoscope.

It is also safe to do the activities – they have trained staff and the equipment is new and mostly imported from Europe.

Colors

Colors

We spent about 2 hours in the Science Gallery and another 1.5 hours in the Science Discovery, and our son loved his time there. He was fascinated with all the displays and enjoyed all the activities. Certainly, it was a good place for him to relax and enjoy one of his afternoons in Phnom Penh.

Learned how wire buzzer works.

Having fun with the Bernoulli Blower.

Learning about the iris part of the eye.

Indeed, the Science Gallery and the Science Discovery in Kids City are enthralling learning facilities.

Learn more about sounds.

Learn more about sounds.

Little Lilly travel tip:

• It is conveniently located in Sihanouk Boulevard, just beside Lucky Supermarket.
• You have to pay for every activity.
• Most of the activities are designed for children 12 years old and below.
• It is open from 10AM to 8PM (Monday to Fridays) and from 9Am to 8PM for weekends and holidays.

Have you taken your child to the Science Gallery and Science Discovery in Kids City? What activity did your child enjoy the most?

Cambodia: Slide into Fun at Fantastic Water World

It’s a holiday and the heat is scorching! Luckily, we found a gem, so myself and my family decided to check out the Fantastic Water World in Phnom Penh.

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World looks like a miniature castle. It features a bumpy giant slide, spiral inner-tube rides, two giant-mechanical water buckets, slow-moving moat, climbing forts, slides for little ones and many more. There is also a café, children’s playroom, gym, change rooms, shops and seating areas inside the main building.

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

It is located inside Grand Phnom Penh International City, northern end of Hanoi Street. We went there by a tuktuk, and it took us about 40 minutes (from BKK 3, Phnom Penh ) to get there. We paid $20 for the round trip plus the waiting time.

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

The place is very nice. It was not crowded even though it was holiday. Everybody – children and adult alike were just having fun like small little kids. My boys splashed their hearts out as they took the slide of their life on the winding inner tubes rides. Plus, we’ve got some tan lines and we were able to watch the beautiful sun going down the horizon while we were having fun in the water. Overall, we all had a good, fun time and it was a great family day!

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Certainly, Fantastic Water World is a good place for families with children and makes a great day out when you are looking to cool down! Grab your families and friends now and be ready to slide, splash and smile at Fantastic Water World!

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Fantastic Water World

Little Lilly travel tip:

• It is open from 9AM to 6PM.
• The entrance fee is reasonable, $4 per person.
• The locker costs 1 coin (1,000 Riel or $0.25).
• No food and drinks allowed inside.

Taste of Home: Beef Lasagna

Lasagna is a rich Italian food that has captivated the hearts and taste buds of everyone in the world. It is made with alternate layers of pasta, garniture, Béchamel / White sauce, and cheese.

Beef Lasagna

In fact, Lasagna is one of the family’s favorite food, and everyone loves it!

It has everything – pasta, cheese, meat, veges. It is frickin’ awesome. It is divine. It looks good, tastes good, and can be made in so many different ways. It is also filling and smells like heaven when it is being cooked. It’s delicious and nutritious, and even better on the second day.

I tried to learn how to make lasagna from making pasta to putting all the ingredients together from Alan. At first, I thought it was so complicated, but when I tried it, I realized that it’s just easy although it takes a little practice and be familiar with the ingredients. I was very pleased and proud that I successfully make lasagna for myself and for my family as well.

Beef Lasagna

In this recipe, my family and I opted to use all fresh ingredients – from tomato sauce to pasta. It’s tastier and healthier! We also prefer to use good cheese, Emmental cheese being our favorite cheese for lasagna as it is not a strong-tasting cheese. For the sauce, my family and I find béchamel too strong and white sauce too tasteless, so we make our own version of sauce.

For those who would like to try to make it, here’s our version of Beef Lasagna recipe. Please let us know what you think about it.

Beef Lasagna fresh from the oven!

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 1.2 kg of minced beef
• 4 kg of tomatoes
• 500 g shallots
• 200 g of butter
• 200 g of Emmental cheese
• 2 eggs
• milk
• flour
• soy sauce
• salt
• olive oil
• ground black pepper

Method:

The pasta
– Put some flour (about 200 grams) in a mixing bowl.
– Crack 2 eggs. Stir until they have mixed together.
– Add a bit of salt and about 10cL of water. Mix it again. Add flour bit by bit until you   obtain a mixture that is soft and non-sticky. Let it rest for about 1 hour.
– Roll it flat. Press your oven dish at the top of the flat pasta so that you can cut it to fit the oven dish.
– Let the pasta rest for about 12hrs in a clean dry place.

Rolling the pasta

Drying the pasta

The garniture
– Cut the tomatoes and shallots into thin slices.
– Put a few centiliters of water in a saucepan so that nothing gets burned.
– Mix the onions and tomatoes together in the same saucepan and cook the mixture for about one hour and a half over a medium fire. Stir often. Add a sprinkle of salt and soy sauce halfway through.
– Cook the minced beef in a frying pan with a bit of oil. Sprinkle with soy sauce and add a bit of black pepper. When it’s ready, mix it together with the tomatoes/onions.

Béchamel / White sauce
Personally, I find béchamel too strong and white sauce too tasteless, so this is what I do for lasagna:
– In a saucepan, melt about 200g of butter. Add about 100cL of water and 100cL of milk. Let it cook gently for a few minutes.
– Mix 5 table spoons of flour with water in a big glass or a tiny jar. Stir until the mixture is homogeneous.
– Put the water/flour mix into the pan and let it cook gently until it thickens. Stir continuously.

Beef Lasagna

Putting it together:
– Put half of garniture at the bottom of an oven dish. Put a layer of pasta on top. Put a layer of white sauce / béchamel on top. Put another layer of garniture on top. Another layer of pasta on top. One final layer of white sauce / béchamel on top.
– Put it into an oven pre-heated at 250 degree Celsius for about one hour. Then grate the cheese and sprinkle it on top. – Put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Et voilà! Serve, share and enjoy your luscious Beef Lasagna!

Taste of Home: Chicken Afritada

Last Tuesday, we fancied a Filipino style meal. So, I decided to cook a Filipino stew called Chicken Afritada, which is highly influenced by Spanish stew.

Chicken Afritada without green peas

I learned how to cook this dish from my mom when I was in Grade 6. We love Chicken Afritada and here are the reasons why it certainly captured our attention:

• The recipe is simple – it is easy as pie.
• It is cooked in tomato sauce.
• It is colorful and visually appealing.
• It can be served either lunch or dinner.

Chicken Afritada with green peas

This is my mom’s version of Chicken Afritada. While the original recipe use tomato sauce, my family and I opted for fresh tomatoes – you’ll get a healthier and tastier flavor than when just simply using canned tomato sauce. I still use 2 spoonful of tomato paste, though just to balance the flavor. Also, I cook it slowly to obtain a thick and rich sauce. I think that’s the secret to get a terrifically amazing Chicken Afritada.

To me, recipes from the family are truly the sweetest. And, if you love stew, tomatoes and chicken – this recipe is perfect for you.

Chicken Afritada

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of chicken thighs or boneless chicken breast
• 2 medium size carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium size potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced
• 1 medium size onion, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, crunched and minced
• 1 small size red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small size green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small can of green peas
• 2 spoonful tomato paste
• 1 Knorr chicken cube
• 2 pieces dried bay leaves
• ground Kampot black pepper, to taste
• 750 mL water
• olive oil

Method:

1. Put olive oil in a cooking pot and heat it up.
2. Put in garlic and onion and sauté.
3. When onion gets soft (white color), put-in the chicken. Stir. Cook until lightly brown.
4. Pour in the water. Cover. Boil for about 5 minutes.
5. Add bay leaves, tomato paste and Knorr chicken cube.  Stir. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, green peas and potatoes. Stir. Cover. Then it let cook for 30 minutes in a medium heat. Stir occasionally to make sure no scorched crust forms at the bottom of the pot.
7. Add Kampot black pepper. Stir. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
8. Put it in a serving dish.
9. Serve, share and savor this delicious Filipino chicken stew – Afritada with hot steamed rice!