Hahndorf the German Village

Are you planning a trip to Adelaide and want to visit a nearby country town but do not want to hire a car to drive there? Then head straight to Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills! 

In fact, going to Hahndorf has never been easier if you plan to get there by bus. Just check out the Adelaide Metro bus website at http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/864 to find out which bus stops at nearer your hotel, hop on it and it will take you straight to Hahndorf. The bus that goes to Hahndorf stops at several locations in Adelaide CBD. However, make sure to get a bus schedule when you are on the bus so that you will know when the last bus leaves Hahndorf. That is of course not much of a concern as most of the shops in Hahndorf closes at 5pm. So you will not need to be there till late anyway. 

Being in Hahndorf can be a magical moment if you know when to visit the village. If you dislike strolling along a crowded touristy-looking town, then visiting Hahndorf during the summer months, weekends and public holidays are an absolute no-no. Over the past few years, the village has grown its popularity and various eatery and retail shops have been sprawling across the village’s main streets. Hence, if you visit this place during the peak seasons, you would barely be able to absorb the tranquil ambience of a village. 

On the other hand, if you visit Hahndorf during the colder seasons and on weekdays, you will be enthralled with its unique German setting, piquant streets and lovely architecture that are drop dead gorgeous. Strolling along the streets of Hahndorf during these times will make you feel as if you were walking along a tranquil village in Europe. 

The main attractions of Hahndorf besides its European looking setting are the various eating outlets along its main street. In order to fully appreciate its German history, I would encourage you to try out the German cuisine sold at the village. Although do be aware as the German bratwurst (sausage) and German salted pork chops may be a little too salty for the normal pallet. The trick is to eat these meats with lots of salads and bread. 

Besides main course meals, the Germans are well known for their cakes and desserts. I would highly recommend you to try the German Bee Sting Cake, Black Forest cake and German Chocolate Gateaux. The best place to eat these desserts is at ‘The German Cake Shop’, a restaurant situation along one of the side streets of Hahndorf. 

If you are a keen tourist and like to collect souvenirs, do not fret as you will not run out of tourist shops in Hahndorf. Although do take into consideration that this is a tourist location so souvenirs sold here are relatively more expensive than those sold in Adelaide. 

Below are some photos that I have taken during my numerous visits to Hahndorf while I was living in Adelaide: 

The road leading towards Hahndorf in Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The significant German Bee Sting cake

A unique Black Forest cake

A delicious German Chocolate Gateaux cake

German salted pork chops with sauerkraut, sourdough bread and chips

German bratwurst (sausage) with potato salad and sourdough bread

The quiet streets of Hahndorf town during winter

Hahndorf is a lovely German village set upon the peaceful surrounding of Adelaide Hills. You can get easy access to the place through public transport if you do not want to hire a car to get there. You can visit the place several times and never leave the place disappointed. I have been to Hahndorf for so many times and I never get sick of the place. 

Hope this post helps. 

Cheers, 

Caroline Poh

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs

This is my first time cooking crabs!

Yup, I finally found the courage to cook crabs after a few years of gathering courage to do so.

I love eating crabs and have always wanted to cook crabs myself, but I was afraid that cleaning the raw crabs would be a very difficult task to do. That was why I had put off the idea of cooking crabs for so many years.

Last week, I finally plucked up the courage and told myself that it is now or never to cook crabs or I’ll never do it. So off I went to order some crabs for dinner.

I was not able to get any of my friends to teach me how to clean the raw crabs, but thanks to You Tube, nothing is impossible! After watching a few You Tube videos on how to clean raw crabs, I finally learnt how to clean the raw crabs. Cleaning the raw crabs are surprisingly easier that what I thought it would be! All you need to do is cut the crabs into portions and clean off the gills and other unwanted bits off the crabs.

Finding the recipe for cooking the crabs was very easy too. I got this recipe from one of my favourite food blogs called www.rasamalaysia.com. I followed the recipe with some minor modifications and found that the sauce was too watery, so I added more cornstarch/corn flour to it. The recipe was good and the end result was absolutely divine.

Here’s the recipe with some of my modifications:

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs 

Malaysian Style Chilli Crabs

Ingredients: 

4 raw blue swimmer crabs
3 tbsp oil 3 garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, sliced
3 tbsp cornstarch/corn flour (mixed with some water)
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste

Sour and Spicy Sauce 

5 tbsp tomato sauce
5 tbsp Lingham’s Chilli Sauce
1 heap tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine
½ tsp white vinegar
1 cup water

Method: 

Refer to You Tube videos to learn how to clean the raw crabs.

Mix the ingredients for the Sour and Spicy Sauce in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat up wok with oil until hot. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until slightly browned. Add the crabs and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the Sour and Spicy Sauce and stir the sauce together with the crabs. Cover the wok lid and boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the crab is cooked.

Uncover the wok and add in the cornstarch/corn flour mixture into the sauce. Stir until sauce thickens. Add beaten egg and swirl it around the sauce. Cook for about 30 more seconds and add salt, sugar and more cornstarch mixture if needed.

Serve with rice, steamed buns or fried Chinese buns.


Cheers,

Caroline Poh