Crispy crepe 香脆薄饼

I was a bit hesitant whether to post this or not. I was trying to reciprocate my mother's favourite crispy crepe snack. Have you ever heard of Hot and Roll? I am not surprised if you have not because it is a locally grown franchise selling wraps using crepes, paratha, pita etc. The crispy crepe with savoury filling is my mom's favourite. 

Three Layer Tea

I had some leftover palm sugar from making Sagu Gula Melaka so I decided to make a drink of out it - the Three Layer Tea. I had my first try of this Three Layer Tea a couple of years ago when it was commercialised by F&N in West Malaysia. For a while, every restaurant and mamak stall have this drink in their menu. Ever wondered what happened now?

Palm Sugar Sago Pudding/Puding Sagu Gula Melaka 沙谷米椰糖布丁

This dessert is headed for extinction. I don't see this sold anymore. Perhaps it is too mundane a dessert. But if you "dress" it up a little, voila! Fabulicious! Oh my God, did I just created a new word? Either way, lets keep our tradition going.

Palm Sugar Sago Pudding or Puding Sagu Gula Melaka is a traditional Malay dessert. It is basically chilled sago drizzled in palm sugar and coconut milk. I first made this dessert when I was 15, as part of a home science lesson. At that age, I was happy I even managed to produce anything edible. Although not epic in looks, the taste was pleasant. I love this dessert because it is served cold; it is a pudding. The taste primarily comes from of the pandan infused palm sugar syrup (also known as gula melaka in Malay) and the creamy fragrant coconut milk. The sago alone is bland but it provides a cold chewy texture to the whole pudding. When the trio is combined, it exudes a balance of flavour that is just on the dot.

Best Chicken Curry Recipe 加哩鸡

My mother makes the best curry in town. Therefore, I was dumbstruck when she said she liked my chicken curry better than hers. "Really?", I had to ask again. And she reaffirmed with another bite into that glorious piece of meat. I was pretty ecstatic and a bit befuddled at that moment. Hey, it is not often you get a praise from her.

How To Clean and Devein Shrimp (With Shell On)

Many of you would have liked your shrimp to be properly cleaned and shelled when served. Imagine biting into that succulent morsel without lifting a finger...heavenly! However, in many Chinese cooking, the shells are left on the shrimp to be peeled later while eating.

Restaurant-Style "Kuai Fa" Fried Noodles/Osmanthus Fried Noodles 桂花炒面

Chinese restaurants love selling this. In Chinese, the name 桂花 means osmanthus and if directly translated, this would be Osmanthus Fried Noodles. But we know there is no osmanthus here. It is just a name to glorify what we normally called scambled eggs in noodles. It is supposedly called osmanthus because the eggs are fried in a way that bear resemblance to the osmanthus flower. But seriously, the only thing I find similar is the yellowish colour of the eggs.

Healthy Pasta Salad 健康沙拉

Fancy having your pasta cold? Some of you might not like cold pasta but I adore this to bits. This is something I absolutely like to dish up for myself. I normally make a big stash of this to be kept in the fridge. Although normally served as a side, I consume this as a quick meal as well. Why not? It has protein, carbohydrates and loads of vegetables! The tangy sweetness of the dressing suits my palate just fine. If I am not careful, I could easily polish off the whole bowl. This is how good the pasta is.

Sesame Balls/ Jin Dui 煎堆

For those of you who have not tasted one, you must think it is crispy from its puffy outlook. You are just half right. The outer layer is coated in sesame seeds which are crisped up by frying in hot oil. However, its uniqueness stemmed from its chewiness which is the main criterion for a good piece of sesame ball or jin dui. There should be a big hollow that is filled with fillings, traditionally red bean paste. Making jin dui is a pretty simple process. The technical part is to get the jin dui to be fried to perfection. It must not be oily, it must not lose its shape after it is cooled and it must not be burnt nor too pale.