Banana Fritters Cecodok Pisang 炸香蕉丸

This is a typical Malaysian comfort food and the dish itself brings back many childhood memories. 

Although lacking in appearance, it more than made up for it with its taste. These humble banana fritters are crispy on outside and soft inside. I especially like it with lots of banana flavour, just perfect with a cup of of good-old teh tarik.

The Malay word for this dish is also jemput-jemput pisang. This is because the batter is pinched (jemput) into the oil with your fingers and thumb. I have to admit these banana fritters are sinfully oily. My only advice is to put on the highest heat when you are about to take it out from the oil and use lots of kitchen towels afterwards. 

Home-style Gong Bao Chicken/ Kung Po Chicken 宫保鸡丁

Gong Bao Chicken is undoubtedly a popular Chinese dish. I had a hard time deciding which term to use for this recipe. In case you are wondering, Kung Po Chicken is the Cantonese dialect for this dish, while Gong Bao Chicken is the Mandarin pronunciation. Both are legit and refers to the same thing. Gong Bao is a style of cooking, not unlike your sweet sour chicken. You can use this style of cooking on other proteins too, such as prawns or even frog!

Simple Cranberry Scone 简单果蔓司康饼

I have never been fascinated with the look of scones. But there have to be something about these little lumps of glutton that make it so popular despite the unassuming rustic look. 

Scone is actually a type of quick bread that is fast and easy to put together. One of the basics in baking that we learn on entry level.

Moist Carrot Cake II 红萝卜蛋糕 II

I think I hit all the criteria of a good cake for this Moist Carrot Cake. The cake was moist and soft, tall with raisins evenly distributed, and the correct balance of sweetness and tang. I absolutely loved this moist carrot cake. In fact, the cake tasted better on the next day!

Stable Cream Cheese Frosting 奶油芝士糖霜

Cream cheese frosting is my favourite.  I like my frosting creamy with strong cream cheese flavour and end with a slight tang. 

Living in a hot and humid climate, my cakes have to have a stable frosting. Otherwise, it would turn soft and lose its shape. I have been trying out for a stable cream cheese frosting recipe for quite some time. I finally settled for this cream cheese frosting recipe. 

It is not difficult to make a stable cream cheese frosting. You just have to use more cheese composition to liquid (or other soft ingredients like milk or whipped cream). Also, having a denser cream cheese flavour suits my tastes just fine.