Tuesday 28 January 2014

Technology: The Ultimate Guide To Unbrick 16 Gb International Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005) And Upgrade To KitKat 4.4.2 Through Custom ROM


Want 4.4.2 KitKat on your Note 3? Gotta be very careful!
Image from Locky English Playground

And I was going to make a good old demonstration of "how to install Stock KitKat ROM on your SM-N9005", until the whole thing got so out-of-hand... here are my failed attempts compressed into a real short video...


My Note 3 was soft-bricked, meaning that a failure in flashing software has caused my phone to become a 'brick', a not-dead-but-unusable condition.

Reminder from a fellow XDA member
Image from XDA-Developers

After asking, I got a reply above.

It was a bummer! But it is one that can hardly avoid having all those upgrade tutorials on YouTube which didn't mention the uniqueness of 16Gb Hong Kong Note 3. Why should they mention anyway? They don't have 16Gb Hong Kong Note 3 in the first place.

Thanks Samsung for making the Hong Kong Note 3 so special, such that it is the Note 3 with the smallest storage in the world (16Gb) when the rest of the world are getting at least 32Gb! For this and for the trouble you have caused Samsung, I hate you!

Initial Failed Attempt
Image from Locky English Playground

After 2 days of research, I have finally arrived at a completely, perfectly usable state!!! And it is functioning with speed!!

However, from soft-bricked to success, the road had not been smooth. There was about a day or so that my phone was able to boot and use the internet, but had no in/outgoing call, no sound, no Google Now, no S-Voice, no camera, slow lockscreen and slow settings.

I have followed all the instructions given by several XDA members, but I still could not get it to work. Why?



That's because all those instructions are inaccurate. The thing is, minor details that are missing can be real serious, and for that, I want to write a very very detailed descriptions on how to solve this soft-brick issue specifically for 16 Gb International Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005) when upgrading to KitKat 4.4.2.

Before you start, you'll need,
  1. a Custom ROM, eg. Sweet ROM v7.01 4.4.2 NA6                         Download here
  2. a leaked N9005XXUENA6 4.4.2 KitKat ROM for Note 3              Download here
  3. a Hong Kong N9005ZHUBMI7 Rescue ROM                                 Download here
  4. the latest CWM Recovery, eg 6.0.4.7                                               Download here
  5. Odin 3.07                                                                                         Download here
  6. the latest Samsung USB Driver                                                          Download here
  7. Samsung Kies                                                                                   Download here
  8. Note 3 16Gb SM-N9005 from Hong Kong at 50% battery level
  9. a Note 3 USB 3.0 cable 

Installation Instructions:



  1. Install Samsung Kies
  2. Install Samsung USB Driver
  3. Connect USB into PC and Note 3, then copy Custom ROM onto the SD card
  4. Download Mode
    Image from androidayos
    Put Note 3 into Download mode by holding Power + Volume down + Home buttons at the same time until you see "Warning!!", then press Volume up
  5. When you see "Downloading..." and Android logo, plug in the USB into the PC and Note 3
  6. Run Odin 3.07 (See my video)
  7. When you see a blue 0:[COM4], in the Bootloader put leaked KitKat's BL file, and in PIT, PDA, PHONE, CSC put Hong Kong N9005ZHUBMI7 Rescue ROM's PIT, AP, CP and CS respectively and then press Start to flash.
  8. When Note 3 restarts, it will keep rebooting and it will only show Samsung boot screen, at this time, remove the battery and then put it back.
  9. Repeat Step 4, 5 and 6
  10. In Odin 3.07, go to PDA and choose CWM Recovery, eg 6.0.4.7, and press Start to flash, it will reboot automatically when complete. Unplug the USB.
  11. When the phone reboots, it will boot into CWM Recovery. If it asks you to root phone, just say no. Otherwise, select Wipe data/factory rest --> yesWipe Cache --> yesadvance --> Wipe Dalvik Cache --> yes. This will erase the unwanted files and prepare your phone for the good stuff.
  12. Image from GalaxyNote3Root.com
  13. Go to install zip --> choose zip from /external_sd and select the Custom ROM you have chosen, then choose yes to flash. This will take about 3 minutes, press reboot after it is completed.
  14. This reboot will be slow, and most likely there will be no sound at boot and errors at setup, be extremely patient and wait for the screen asking you to choose Language to appear. Choose the language you want, press Next, then do nothing else!!!!
  15. Without doing anything else, repeat step 4, 5 and 6.
  16. In Odin 3.07, go to CP, choose leaked KitKat's CP file and then press Start to flash.
  17. When the phone reboots, you should hear the Samsung bootup music and then everything will be functioning perfectly!
Finally! KitKat 4.4.2 on my Note 3!!
Image from Locky English Playground



The moral of the story is, you have got to have brain and perseverance to work with KitKat 4.4.2.



Vocabulary:
bummer -- (n)[S] informal a disappointing or unpleasant situation or experience.
soft-brick -- (vb) The word "brick", when used in reference to consumer electronics, describes an electronic device such as a smart phone, game console, router, or tablet computer that, due to a serious misconfiguration, corrupted firmware, or a hardware problem, can no longer function. Soft brick = recoverable without professional repair; hard brick = not recoverable, it's basically a paper weight


Resources:
[ROM][N9005] Sweet ROM V7 NA6 4.4.2 KIT KAT [Jan 14th][Super Quick, Snappy & Smooth] - Page 65 @ XDA-developers
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49772144&highlight=hong+kong#post49772144

How To Get Into Download Mode @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1koIpRfs7s&feature=youtu.be

How I Soft-Bricked My Note 3 (SM-N9005) With The Wrong Upgrade Instructions @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeK-nRJUuUg&feature=youtu.be

Technology: The Ultimate Guide To Unbrick 16 Gb International Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005) And Upgrade To KitKat 4.4.2 Through Custom ROM @ XDA-Developers
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49831876

https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=bummer&oq=bummer&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.733j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_(electronics)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/android-4-1-4-2-4-3-jelly-bean/303013-difference-between-hard-soft-brick.html


Wednesday 22 January 2014

Auto: BMW 520iA Review feat. Tesla Model S


How is the BMW 520iA ?
Image from Locky's English Playground

This BMW 520iA belongs to the F10 model (saloon), for 'A' possibly stands for 'Asia' or 'Automatic'. It has a top speed of 233km/h (145mph), 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 7.9 seconds, maximum torque 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) at 1/min @ 1250-4500 rpm. It may not have a sports car's specification, but it has a quite a sporty look.

Image from BMW Hong Kong

The Pros
The cool-looking head
Image from Locky's English Playground
This is a good-looking sedan. It's got the wide and massive head with a well-balanced proportion of grill and headlights. The bumper blends in perfectly to form part of the head. Signature really, but the more "muscle" version of its signature.


Clean engine
Image from Locky's English Playground
Comparatively, this car has a lot more power and acceleration, better than the old Mercedes Benz C180K and E350 I have driven, then again, it is not a fair fight considering the age difference between the cars.


Side view of the interior
Image from Locky's English Playground
Inside the car, it is surprisingly more quiet than I would have expected from a petrol vehicle. The engine noise and the vibration are still audible if you drive at 60mph but usually, the noise is less loud than the sound coming through the windows.


Rear camera
Image from Locky's English Playground
There is a rear camera which switches on automatically on reverse gear. It has guidelines to assist the drivers in parking, which is a nice feature.


Back seats
Image from Locky's English Playground
This is a big car, despite the presence of the usual annoying centre console in the middle back row seat, the rest of the seats are largely comfortable.


Trunk, 14 cubic feet of space
Image from Locky's English Playground

The trunk is alright. My baby girl has a "monster pram" from MotherCare but I can fit it into the trunk just nice after folding it up.

Sunroof
Image from Locky's English Playground
Last but not least, there is a small sunroof for ventilation purposes.


The Cons


Driver's seats
Image from Locky's English Playground

Buttons, loads of buttons. This could just be my complaints, but brands as famous as BWM produces intelligent cars such as this series 5 should not have so many buttons!! Otherwise, it becomes really cumbersome to operate, metaphorically.


Can you see 2 'P's?
Image from Locky's English Playground

The operation is really tricky even for a IT guy like me. So many buttons to remember, each button does just one thing. Want to start the car? You don't need a key, just step on the brake, pull the P handbrake button, then shift the gear stick from P to D, then release the foot brake pedal, then onto the gas pedal and the car will move. If I never told you that this is an automatic, you'll think that this is manual. I'm not sure if this is only BMW but the Mercedes Benz automatic has fewer steps to get the car moving and of course, parking and reversing.

Start Stop Engine and ECO mode button
Image from Locky's English Playground

The BMW has a smart ECO mode which is on by default, if you don't like it, you need to manually switch it off every single time. It's a button attached to the car start / stop button, so make sure you don't press the wrong one or you'll make the front page on the newspaper the next day.

Why do you want to off the ECO mode? BMW claims that it saves you miles with its innovative "auto-off-engine" functionality. Whenever your car comes to a stop for more than 5 seconds, your engine goes off. If you step on the gas pedal again, the engine revives and your car drives. Amazing!

Sounds amazing, but when the car restarts, your car literally trembles, it's really uncomfortable. Because imagine you are in a traffic jam and your car stops, trembles, stops, trembled... you will probably want to off this ECO function too. Wanna off it, okay, remember to do it every single time.

The BMW is too intelligent to remember your settings, so you have to remember to do it yourself.


If you forget the steps and the buttons, you'll end up like me, once drove the car backward when everyone had an leg out of the car, once drove the car forward when I was supposed to stop the car, and once my dad stopped the engine on the road while driving.

Button to unlock trunk
Image from Locky's English Playground

Wanna open the boot? You need to open the door at the driver's seat first and then bend down to find a tiny weeny button which then releases the boot door upon pressing. Come on!!! Are you kidding me?

Centre console at the middle back seat
Image from Locky's English Playground

What's more, I have always disliked the centre console, and so the presence of it in a big car as such annoys me even more.

If you want to get out of the car, you need to pull the door handle TWICE to get the door open! Yes, twice! For what? Safety reasons? Bonkers!! So if you pull once it must be your mistake, twice means you are sure you want out? Imagine you have to turn the knob on the toilet door twice to confirm you want to get out.

The steering wheel always block the speedometer.
Image from Locky's English Playground
Want to change drivers? Sorry, you have to readjust all the height of the seats and driving wheels.

Speedometer and tachometer with needles
Image from Locky's English Playground
Still using traditional meter hands instead of LED screen.


Too many instructions, too much memorization, too much hassle! Feels like I hire a housemaid to help with housework but I have to remind her to do everything from mopping the floor to cooking meals, otherwise, she won't do it.

Come on! I buy a car so that I want my car to take care of me, not for me to take care of it!

Image from Locky's English Playground

If I were not given the choice of Tesla Model S, and I only have this 520i and the two old Mercedes Benz to choose from, I will choose the old-timers for sure.

BMW is just too dumb as a smart car.


Finally, an unfair specification comparison between my dream car Tesla Model S and BMW 520i.


Vehicles
Tesla Model S

BMW 520i

Power416 - 428 hp @ 5000 rpm  184 hp @ 5000-6250 rpm
Torque599 Nm (442 lb-ft) @ 0 rpm  270 Nm (199 lb-ft) @ 1250-4500 rpm
Top speed125 -134 mph (201-215kph) 145mph (233kph)
0 - 60 mph
Acceleration

4.2 - 5.9 seconds

(0 - 62 mph) 7.9 seconds
Fuel Consumption

208-265 miles range n(EPA) 680 - 725 miles
(based on 70L tank capacity and
data from combined fuel consumption)
Warranty

8 years or
125,000 miles / unlimited miles
whichever comes first
battery warranty 
2 years
CO2 Emissions0 g /km 149-139 g /km
Seating capacity5, expandable to 7 5
Total cargo capacity1795.3 liters(63.4 cubic feet) 396.4 litres (14 cubic feet)
SunroofPanoramic Present
Vehicle
price in HKD
$579k - $1.038M
(First Registration Tax waived
until 31 March 2017)
$495k
($100k+
First Registration Tax included)
Estimated fuel cost
in 4 years based on
60,000 miles in HKD
60,000 / 208 miles x 60kW x $1.349
= $23,348

(based on the cost of electricity from
Hong Kong Electric )

60,000 / 725 miles x $16.92 x 70L
= $98,019

(based on price of
premium unleaded gasoline
from Sinopec
as of today -- $16.92 / L)
REMARKSFree charging possible at various
car parks and government parking lots.
Hong Kong Electric is currently the most costly electricity provider in Hong Kong. In a recent shareholder meeting, HKE has vowed to maintain the price of electricity at $1.349 for the next 5 years.

Gas price fluctuates, generally follows a long-term uptrend.
For data source, please see Resources below.



Resources:
Auto: Mercedez Benz C180 Kompressor Review @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/11/auto-mercedez-benz-c180-kompressor.html

Technology: Fun Facts About Tesla Model S We All Should Know @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/11/technology-fun-facts-about-tesla-model.html

Technology & Opinions: My Tesla Model S Hands-on Review  @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/10/technology-opinions-my-tesla-model-s.html

Auto: Mercedez Benz C180 Kompressor Review @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/11/auto-mercedez-benz-c180-kompressor.html

Tesla Motors
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_HK/models/specs

2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Tesla Model S @ Motor Trend
http://m.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1301_2013_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_tesla_model_s/

Model S Features @ Tesla Motors
http://www.teslamotors.com/en_HK/models/features#/interior

BMW
http://www.bmwhk.com/com/en/newvehicles/5series/sedan/2013/showroom/technical_data/index.html

2013 Tesla Model S Base Sedan 0-cyl. Electric 1-speed Direct Drive Features and Specs @ Edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s/2013/features-specs.html?style=101400294

2013 BMW 5 Series 528i Sedan 2.0L 4-cyl. Turbo 8-speed Automatic Features and Specs @ Edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/5-series/2013/features-specs.html

2014 BMW 5-Series Interior @ U.S. News Best Cars
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/BMW_5-Series/Interior/

Oil Calc - Mobile @ Consumer Council
http://www.consumer.org.hk/mobile/oilwatch-en/

Power bills set to soar for Kowloon and New Territories households @ SCMP
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1377334/electricity-bills-increase-4-cent?page=all

Transport Department - Guidelines for Importation and Registration of Motor Vehicle
http://www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/licences_and_permits/vehicle_first_registration/guidelines_for_importation_and_registration_of_mot/

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Food & Dining: Nha Trang @ Tai Koo


Nha Trang @ Tai Koo
Image from Locky's English Playground
Having got bored with the routine dishes I cook, my wife and I decided to gather her side of the family together for a dinner at Nha Trang in Tai Koo, a Vietnamese restaurant not only known for the gorgeous look and taste of its food, but also for its reputation.

Michelin Guide 2014 Recommendation
Image from Locky's English Playground
Some may not trust the recommendations from the Michelin Guide, but surely there is something to it in order to make it into this year's list of recommendations.

Packed with diners
Image from Locky's English Playground

The popularity was confirmed by the fact that we had to wait for almost an hour before getting our table, and I am talking about a table for 6, which seems to have just 3 tables of this capacity in the entire restaurant. Reservation is highly recommended, if the restaurant offers such service.

The bar
Image from Locky's English Playground

Two things you will definitely notice when you enter the restaurant. 1) This restaurant is brightly lit with lots of white walls and framed photos,

"Tray paper" that is not on a tray
Image from Locky's English Playground

Image from Locky's English Playground

and 2) the colour-printed menu looks so yummy that you want to eat the menu!

But how's the food?

For convenience sake, I'm just gonna copy and paste the description of the dishes from the menu directly,

Goi Buoi
Image from Locky's English Playground
Goi Buoi -- two jumbo char-grilled prawns, peeled pomelo, shredded cucumber, sliced red onion, toasted cashew nut and black sesame seed, sprinkled with fried shallot and garlic flakes. 

This is one of the best appetizers ever! The prawns are big enough to impress most people and together with the sweet pomelo, we felt that it was definitely some bang for the buck! Highly recommended!

Thit Bo, Ga
Image from Locky's English Playground
Thit Bo, Ga -- Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Beef Skewers
Infused with the scent of lemongrass combined with a sweet marinate; the following are also served with a mild nutty satay dip. Portion size: 3 rolls for chicken and beef
Can't visit a Vietnamese restaurant without lemongrass skewers. This is another must-have on the menu. The lemongrass really added cooling lemony flavour to the meat! Delightful to look at, excellent taste!


Xoi Ga
Image from Locky's English Playground
Xoi Ga -- This popular tasty street food features slightly sticky fluffy rice, mixed and steamed with buttery mung beans and a little coconut juice. Over this is browned shredded roast chicken, julienned Vietnamese salami and crispy deep-fried shallot chips.
Hm.... not really my cup of tea. The rice is warm and the mixture does provide some chewiness to it, but it got cold quickly and the sticky rice hardened as the temperature lowered. Would improve if the container can keep the food warm.

Pho Tai
Image from Locky's English Playground
Pho Tai -- PHO WITH THIN SLICES OF BEEF (MEDIUM RARE) 
Lean flavourful just-cooked meat that further flavours the broth.

Love the generous sweet basil and the mint offered. I basically ate every leaf of it, so refreshing when added to the soup!

Image from Locky's English Playground
The pho and the beef were alright, nothing to astounding.

La Dua Bo Nuong
Image from Locky's English Playground
La Dua Bo Nuong -- GRILLED BEEF WRAPPED IN PANDANAS LEAF
Super-tender thin slices of beef in a pineapple and lemongrass marinate are slow-grilled in aromatic pandanas leaf, resulting in a tender patty.

Looks brilliant initially, then what a disappointment when eating.

Image from Locky's English Playground
The meatball was made with mashed beef wrapped by beef slices. Grilled as it looked, left the inner meat slightly undercooked and wet. It was difficult to tell whether it was meat juice, but even if it was, I could not tell from the taste of it, not even from the taste of the meat. It was hard to believe I was eating beef as it did not taste beefy as all. Not recommended.

Cha Gio
Image from Locky's English Playground
Cha Gio -- PORK AND SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS
A deep-fried Vietnamese favourite, sometimes known as ‘imperial rolls’. Served with lettuce leaves and fresh herbs.

Despite the fact that my father-in-law found a leech on one of the lettuce leaf and the waiter had it discarded upon reporting, this spring roll dish is actually not bad. It offers a number of vegetables for wrapping such as cucumber slices, sweet basil, mint, iceberg lettuce and perilla leaves.

Muc Nhoi Thit
Image from Locky's English Playground
Muc Nhoi Thit -- PAN-SEARED STUFFED SQUID
Fresh young squid are filled with a pork, chopped squid, garlic and ginger stuffing before grilling.

This is quite an art, but an art only chewable when hot. Leaving in cold for 5 minutes and the squid will turn into rubber bands.

Image from Locky's English Playground
Taste-wise, marvellous! Especially the fillings, squids-in-squids, very creative!

Image from Locky's English Playground
Tasted even better with the green chili sauce, if you don't mind the slimy look!


Image from Locky's English Playground
Thit Kho Nuoc Dua -- BRAISED PORK BELLY IN COCONUT JUICE
Very traditional comfort food, often served at Tet, the Lunar New Year. The super-tender meat and skin of this prize pork cut is the result of slow-cooking in seasoned young coconut juice for six hours.

Too tough, both the skin and the meat, almost unchewable, truly disappointing. How naturally tender pork belly can be prepared into something so tough is beyond my knowledge. Not recommended.


In conclusion, the food in Nha Trang @ Tai Koo can have quite a huge range in terms of food quality. The chef who grills has excellent skills while other chefs did a pretty poor job. If you are to visit this restaurant next time, go for the grilled food and noodles, only.



Vocabulary:

astounding -- (adj) very surprising or shocking:
perilla leaf -- (n) a leaf commonly used in the cooking of Chinese hairy crab


Resources:
Nha Trang Official Page
http://www.nhatrang.com.hk/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/astounding?q=astounding

Saturday 18 January 2014

Song: Sh Boom -- The Crew Cuts



The Crew Cuts
Image from 7digital.com

3am in the morning, I am still working on notes preparation. I suddenly played that old CD that has been in my computer drive for a long long time, and my childhood memories started to come back.

This is a really sweet little song with lots of light-heartedness, performed by a band active between 1952 and 1964.

Image from desdeomicrompersei8.blogspot.hk

Wikipedia describes The Crew Cuts as
"a Canadian vocal quartet, that made a number of popular records that charted in the United States and worldwide. They named themselves after the then popular crew cut haircut, one of the first connections made between pop music and hairstyle. They were most famous for their recording of a cover version of The Chords hit record, "Sh-Boom."" 

And the song I want to recommend, is of course, the sweet, cute, mesmerizing classic Su-Boom!

Every time I listen, I really enjoy being tricked a couple of times that the song has come to an end when the music stops. See if you have the same feeling! Enjoy!









Sh Boom Sh Boom ( Life Could Be A Dream ) by The Crew Cuts

LYRICS: 

Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang
Boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart
(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again)

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If only all my precious plans would come true (sh-boom)
If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you
Life could be a dream sweetheart

Now every time I look at you
Something is on my mind (dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-duh)
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart

Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da, sh-boom

Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da
Sh-boom sh-boom Ya-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da Da, sh-boom

Every time I look at you
Somethin' is on my mind
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine

Life could be a dream
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream sweetheart

(Hello hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again) boom sh-boom
Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang (sh-boom)
Ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay
Life could be a dream
Life could be a dream, sweetheart

Life could be a dream
If only all my precious plans would come true
If you would let me spend my whole life loving you
Life could be a dream sweetheart

(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
(dee-oody-ooh, sh-boom, sh-boom)
Sweetheart!!



More good oldies to come in the near future!


Vocabulary:
light-heartedness -- (n) happy and not serious:
mesmerizing -- (adj) (UK usually mesmerising) very attractive, in a mysterious way, making you want to keep looking:


Resources:
The Crew Cuts

Monday 13 January 2014

Cooking: How To Fry Rice feat. Parma Ham Fried Rice


This looks good, doesn't it?
Image from Locky's English Playground
This looks good, doesn't it? I love rice! Sushi rice is great, it is vinegary and appetizing, but it is a little cold for the Winter. Fried rice on the other hand, is comfy warm and can really stimulate my taste buds with its saltiness and aroma. 

But then, how to cook fried rice? It is not easy and you can fail really badly if you do not know the tricks!

Don't worry, here's my recipe of Parma Ham Fried Rice! Feel free to make your own adjustments.

Image from Locky's English Playground
You'll need,
  1. some eggs,
  2. some frozen rice,
  3. ham,
  4. Parma ham,
  5. black pepper
  6. paprika
  7. crushed red pepper
  8. (sea) salt
  9. (pineapple, if available)

If you have pineapple at home, that would be a bonus.

Chop chop chop!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 1: cut up the hams into small pieces.


Scrambled eggs?
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 2: add oil and fry your scrambled egg. On how to cook scrambled eggs, please read Cooking & Health: How To Cook Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Healthy Oil and Good Wok

White rice, in you go!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 3: microwave your frozen rice at highest power for about 2 minutes and then throw them into the wok / pan. As to why frozen rice is used, that is because when rice is frozen, the moisture /water in the rice turns into ice, it expands, pushing the rice away from each other, allowing each rice grain to be separated from each other and better chewiness. For why does water expand when it freezes, here's a video for you below.



Flatten rice balls and stir
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 4: with medium flame, flatten the rice balls with a turner if necessary and then stir the eggs and rice well.


Colouring and flavouring time
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 5: sprinkle crushed red pepper, paprika and sea salt, stir again.


Hams Galore!!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 6, add the Parma ham and ham, more stirring.


Toss frying!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 7, on max flame, toss-fry your food if you want a perfect mix of your ingredients and evaporation of excess moisture. My steps on performing this manoeuvre are
  1. lift the wok handle and tilt your wok downwards,
  2. push the wok forward with a thrust and your food will "fly", lower the handle when the food is in jumping in mid-air so that your food will fall back into your wok,
  3. repeat 1 and 2 until your arm is unusable



This is the clue that tells you your fried rice has done right!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Step 8, your rice is ready for serving.

If your wok is as clean as new, it means you have done right. If your wok is stuck with dried overcooked egg patches, your wok has not been heated enough at the scrambled egg step.


How to keep your rice warm at all time?
Image from Locky's English Playground

Finally, now that you have cooked such a nice plate of fried rice, you don't want it to get cold, you want it to be warm and comfy with every bite, so the final question is, how to keep it warm at all time?

It's just natural!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Well, here's your solution!!! Never guessed that, have you?


Now it's your turn, give it a go yourself!



Vocabulary:
thrust -- [I or T, usually + adv/prep] to push suddenly and strongly:



Resources:

Cooking & Health: How To Cook Perfect Scrambled Eggs with Healthy Oil and Good Wok http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/07/cooking-health-how-to-cook-perfect.html

Why does water expand when it freezes? - Naked Science Scrapbook @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4GCShGvw-M