Vanilla Panna Cotta with Mixed Berries Coulis 意大利布丁和浆果浆泥

If one were to have watched any reality cooking shows, one would know what this panna cotta is. This is because it is a much exhibited dish. A panna cotta is basically a chilled cooked cream custard which has its origins from Italy. It is a versatile dessert as you could add different flavours to the basic cream custard or play around with different toppings.

Pineapple Prawn Curry (Udang Masak Lemak Nenas) 香辣黄梨虾

The Peranakans* have a rich culture in food and cooking. This dish is no stranger to the Peranakans. It has that distinct sweet-sourish spicy taste that is so synonymous with Peranakan dishes. I am not of a Peranakan descendant but I do appreciate their dishes well.

Easy Turmeric Rice/Nasi Kunyit 黃薑飯 (Rice Cooker Method)

My mother told me today that she would be cooking chicken curry. Immediately I thought of cooking a small portion of nasi kunyit or turmeric rice to go with it. But how?

The traditional nasi kunyit requires us to pre-soak the rice for hours in turmeric and then steam. It also requires us to add coconut milk in 2 to 3 intervals, mixing in every intervals. Frankly saying, the amount of work for such small amount of yellow rice is often a put off, what more when I am in a hurry to cook some? So I improvised. I used the rice cooker. Yes, it can be done.

Crunchy Prawn Wonton Soup 虾云吞汤

Wonton is a smaller version of sui kow or dumplings, often with a thinner and and smaller skin. Just like its cousin, you can put almost any proteins to be wrapped in that silken skin. Prawn is a very popular ingredient for wonton. Unfortunately, we seldom find places selling good prawn wonton soup in Malaysia. I suspect fresh prawn is pretty costly, hence, making the business of selling prawn wonton soup unattractive.

Molten Lava Black Sesame Tang Yuan 流沙黑芝麻湯圓

I was so busy preparing for Christmas that I nearly forgotten about this year's Winter Solstice Festival. Winter Solstice Festival or Dong Zhi is supposed to be a huge day for the Chinese. To kick start this festival, I am planning to make black sesame tang yuan, or black sesame glutinous rice balls, this year. Tang yuan is served during this festival to signify reunion and wholeness in the family.

Black Sesame Soup/Zhi Ma Hu 芝麻糊

This post is long overdue. I received a lot of requests for this recipe. Somehow, I procrastinated. I was given a big bag of black sesame seeds the other day and I immediately thought of making this long overdue black sesame soup. So here it is, my zhi ma hu.

Hu, when translated basically means paste. Therefore, it is no surprise that this dessert comes in a form of paste. Zhi ma hu is basically grounded black sesame seeds made into a sweet pasty dessert. Depending on where you come from and how you would like your dessert, this dessert can range from a very thick pasty cream to thin runny ones. I like mine not too thick but pasty enough to be called a hu, something like the consistency of a mushroom soup. The ultimate black sesame soup must be smooth to the throat, warm to the tummy and intensely fragrant when eaten.

Easy Teriyaki Sauce 日式照烧酱

Ah...teriyaki sauce. Vastly popular and many variations. I bet you have tried it at least once in this lifetime of yours. But hey, do you know that teriyaki sauce is one of the simplest sauce to make with only four (and some three) ingredients? And it only takes you 10 - 15 minutes to make.

The core ingredients for this teriyaki sauce are mirin, sake, shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) and sugar. Looks easy right? I have to admit I had trouble finding the ingredients. It took me to a few places before I got my hands on the sake and mirin. And mind you, I am living in an Asian country whereby Asian groceries are easily available. Even now, I am not sure if I got the correct sake and mirin because it is written in Japanese! I only have to trust the assistant who gave me these two precious bottles of condiment.

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.

Restaurant Style Sweet and Sour Sauce 餐厅风味糖醋酱

Garnishing not included in recipe

Sweet and sour pork is ever popular in Chinese restaurants. Have you that urge to recreate it at home? Have you ever wondered why those in restaurants tasted different? Is it the use of msg (monosodium glutamate)? Well, I have with me here a restaurant-style sweet and sour sauce recipe that is absolutely to-die-for. No msg and extremely easy to make. All in one package!

Before I go further, let me credit this recipe to my hubby. He is a Chinese chef that has been working for a number of years in Chinese restaurants. This recipe is tried and tested. Of course, the ever meddling cook in me adapted this a bit to suit home cooking. I significantly reduced the quantity (in restaurants they do in big big bulk fit for a lorry load). Then I significantly reduced the use of chilli sauce in the recipe as I am feeding young toddlers. I also omitted the use of red colouring. All these makes little changes to the taste but significant improvements for home cooking. The sauce has been tested on young children and adults alike. Tested and approved. Tanpa was-was (without worry).

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

A traditional Malay dessert, it is actually a pandan and milk coconut pudding with water chestnuts inside. It is made of mung bean flour or more popularly known as hoen kwe flour in this region. This pudding is beautifully encased in a pandan leaf box for its aesthetics and its aroma. What I like about our local kuih-muih is its simplicity and diversity. Most of them do not require much technique or baking but tastes fabulous. And most often, it comes in vibrant colours.

Ever since I started blogging, I have started to explore different types of food and this time, I bought some kuih tako to try. I have seen this a lot but have never bothered to taste it.  And I was in for a pleasant surprise. Now I know what I have been missing all these while. Yes, I admit my ignorance.

Whenever the Ramadhan month approaches, I will see lots of these selling in temporary bazaars. This is a surprisingly refreshing dessert, flavoured by its natural pandan juice. It has water chestnuts at the bottom to give the pudding an additional crunchy texture. Not too heavy and not too light, it is especially delicious when served cold.

It is even more delicious if you make your own as the ingredients used are fresh and natural, especially the pandan juice. I do love the little basket. It is authentic and artsy. It looks dainty and cute. Making the baskets is well worth the trouble. Too tedious for you? Chill the pudding in little glasses to give it a more chic appearance (like the picture above). Ain't it a beauty? You could actually save a lot of work too. Whichever way you prefer, the bottom line is, this is addictively good.

Water Chestnut Coconut Pandan Pudding/Kuih Tako 香兰马蹄糕

Adapted from WendyinKK

Ingredients

Pandan Layer

25 g green hoen kwe flour (also known as mung bean flour)
250 ml pandan juice (2-3 pieces pandan blended in 250ml water)
50 g sugar
3-4 waterchestnuts, peeled and diced

Coconut Layer

20 g white hoen kwe flour
250 ml fresh coconut (one coconut added with water until 250 ml)
50 g sugar
1/4 tsp salt (a pinch)

Cooking Instructions

1. Make tako cases from pandan leaves (see illustrations below).

2. Prepare pandan juice. Cut pandan leaves into small pieces. Add leaves and water into blender and blend finely. Sieve pandan juice and measure 250 ml. If lesser, add a little water. (I used leftover pandan pieces from making the case for the juice.)

3. Add everything except water chestnuts into a saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture is cooked when it turns transparent and bubbles. Remove from fire immediately.

4. Add a few pieces of water chestnut into the panda case. Using a spoon, scoop mixture into pandan cases. Fill up half the case only. Repeat until finish.

5. Using a fresh saucepan, mix everything for the coconut layer. Stir constantly until mixture is cooked. Mixture is cooked when it thickens and bubbles. Remove immediately.

6. Using a spoon, scoop mixture onto green layer. Fill up the case. Repeat until finish. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.


*pandan leaf = screwpine leaf
*garnishing = srewpine leaves, not edible raw

No Bake Chocolate Corn Flakes Cookies Recipe 免烤巧克力玉米片曲奇

Making this recipe was inevitable. Cornflakes was selling at RM5.95 per jumbo box. That was like more than half the price cut. The cheapskate in me could not resist...and I bought quite a few boxes. Before you chide me for reckless spending, I have already planned to make these long ago. I am now conveniently posting this recipe as a Ramadhan special.

Easy Delicious Desserts - Neapolitan Pudding 三味布丁

I had two bars of white chocolate nearing expiry and I desperately needed a recipe to finish it off. While I was researching, I was pretty attracted to this white chocolate pudding. My mind was pretty set on a white chocolate pudding when a picture of this beautiful neapolitan cheesecake caught my eyes. At that instant, I know I am going to attempt a neapolitan pudding.

Old Cucumber Soup 老黄瓜汤

I am introducing a simple soup today. Every Chinese home cook, especially those from the older generation, knows how to cook a good pot of soup. But I am going ahead anyway as I feel this culture of soup cooking should be preserved. Please excuse me if you find this post too mundane for your palate. I was hoping perhaps, just perhaps, I might be able to impart something to those who are in the dark about boiling a good bowl of soup.

Easy Cream Puffs 卡士达泡芙

Not my best work but I will use it in situ. It is not bad per se. The choux pastry or pâte à choux did not fail me. It rose up perfectly, leaving a large cavity, which is a pre-requisite for all good choux pastries. The problem is with my piping. It was hideous. I unashamely blame it on my lack of experience in this area. After all but one piped puffs, I finally figured out what was wrong. Whilst everybody fill the cream from within, I smartly filled mine from outside inching in. Therefore, it does not have that straight regal look but a sloppy cream splatter. Well, I rectified that with my last piece. Isn't it a beauty?

Easy Pastry Cream/Crème Pâtissière 卡士达奶油

This classic French recipe is so versatile. You could use it in about anything that requires cream such as cream puffs, eclairs, base for tarts and danishes. It is basically just a custard, rather easy to whip up, but tasted heavenly. In fact, if you are venturing into pastry arts, a good pastry cream recipe in hands is essential.

Tangerine Agar-agar 柑橘燕菜

With the Chinese New Year almost over, I am definitely looking at ways to dispose of the 8 odd boxes of tangerine that we have in our household. I experimented with this tangerine agar-agar recipe since it is the easiest.

Candied Agar-Agar (Agar-agar Kering)

It is the time of the year again. The sun is blazing and it is scorching hot outside. But I'm not complaining. My laundry is able to dry in no time on such days. Hallelujah! Laundries aside, I wanted to make full use of this God-sent resource. I decided to make candied agar-agar or more fondly known as agar-agar kering.

Beans Revisited - Bubur Cha Cha with Large Sago 摩摩喳喳跟大西米

Some Chinese make this on the 15th of the Lunar New Year. This recipe is from my previous shop's menu. Hope you like it.

Bubur cha cha is a famous nyonya dessert in Malaysia. It is so famous that you can actually find it in places like Hong Kong (lewdly pronounced as mo mo ja ja which also means touching and holding), China and some Chinese restaurants in Australia and the States. The authentic bubur cha cha consists of an array of sweet potatoes with yam and black eye beans sweetened by fragrant fresh coconut milk sweet soup. If you are not wooed by its rich unique taste, you would definitely be captivated by its burst of colours such as orange, yellow, purple and sometimes red (from the coloured tapioca jelly bits) from the result of the use of various types of sweet potatoes and yam.

Bubur cha cha used to be one of the best sellers amongst the 15 odd type of desserts or sweet soup in my shop. It shows the popularity of this unique dessert. I suspect it is also due to the difficulty in preparing this dessert. An authentic bubur cha cha would have different types of colours and also the tapioca jelly bits that adds a chewy texture to the dessert. I admit my bubur cha cha lacks colour as I only use orange sweet potatoes (the Indonesian type as it tastes better than the yellow ones). I do not really fancy purple sweet potatoes either as it will taint the sweet soup with its natural purple pigment if left too long, making the water purplish.

Pineapple Jam/Pineapple Tart Filling 凤梨果酱

The day that has finally arrived for me to make pineapple tart. I have been making it for the past two years. Last year, I sold quite a number of jars. The orders kept coming in and I had to keep redoing my jam. I was truly spent. I vowed this year I am not making any. It was meant to be fun baking in the spirit of Chinese New Year.

I just broke my vow today. Somehow, Chinese New Year without pineapple tart is lacking something. It is like the numero uno thing to have during Chinese New Year. What is Chinese New Year without "ong lai"? Well, I know I asked for trouble but homemade ones are way better than those pineapple "flavoured" tarts outside. Homemade jam is flavourful and less sweet (I prefer less sugar) without the artificial pineapple flavouring that is evident in some jams. Your whole house would smell of the fragrance of pineapple when you are cooking the jam. Call it natural perfume. It just smells so good!

Beans Revisited - Chinese Mixed Beans Dessert 三豆塘水

Today is definitely not my day. I wanted to do my usual Almond Crisps for the blog. Unfortunately, the crisps got stuck to the supposedly non-stick baking paper. I have to discard the whole batch of it, plus the newly opened roll of baking paper. I am not even going to wonder what went wrong. I have no time for that.

I then drove to the nearby supermart to buy another baking roll. I rushed into the place, took my baking paper and paid the cashier. The cashier over-charged for the roll of baking paper and I have to wait for her to confirm the price before it was being deducted. Then I went back to the car only to have the car clamped! And got scolded for parking there in the process. Well, I am not going to complain as it is my fault for reckless parking. Paid my dues, which is RM50, to get it unlocked and moved on. It is just not my day! But perhaps a nice bowl of tong sui would help.

I have decided to upload an entirely different recipe instead. This mixed beans dessert is also in my former restaurant's menu. It comprises three types of beans namely red beans, green beans and black eye beans. It gives a balance of texture and variety to your normal dessert or tong sui. This dessert is loaded with fiber and nutrients.