Pumpkin Kaya/Pumpkin Coconut Jam 金瓜加椰

I know there are many recipes for pumpkin kaya and I am not surprise one bit how popular it is. This kaya is a keeper! For a start, it is way healthier than the normal kaya we consume. It uses lesser sugar as the pumpkin itself is already naturally sweetened. But most of all it is eggless. Not only do you save on consuming bad cholesterol, it also means that people who are vegan or allergic to eggs could have a chance to savour this wonderful Malaysian delicacy called kaya. Blessed be the one who invented this pumpkin replacement! It is ingenious.

Thai Green Curry Chicken 泰式绿咖喱鸡

I had my first taste of Thai green curry many years ago, not in South East Asia but in London. I was a student then and one kind friend brought this Thai takeaway and shared it with me on a cold winter's night. Needless to say, I was hooked from that fateful day. There is something about the blend of aroma from the herbs and spices with that creamy coconut milk that makes this so aromatic. It is not as intense a dish as its other curry counterparts, yet it holds its unique taste that is utterly addictive.

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.

Cassava Cake/ Getuk Ubi 木薯糕

UPDATE: 13/7/2017

Made this Getuk Ubi (some call it getuk-getuk) again because I just harvested a lot of cassava from my garden. This time, I made a whole tray of it. Recipe has been updated as I find the previous recipe a bit soft. This recipe turned out to be of my liking. If you notice, the cassava used here is of another species and is yellow in colour making the cake looked all the more beautiful. Loving the darker hues of both top and bottom.

Buah Melaka (Onde onde gula melaka)

Let me just give you a brief introduction to this unique Malay dessert we call buah melaka. This bite-sized green glutinous rice ball is coated in grated coconut (yes, fresh grated coconut and not dessicated coconut please) with oozing gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup in the middle. Hence, the name buah melaka. It is normally served on its own as a snack, or as a dessert. What I absolutely love about buah melaka is the chewiness of the ball and the sudden burst of palm sugar syrup when you bite into it. Mixed with the slightly salted coat of grated coconut, you get all the flavours and textures in just one bite. Are you convinced yet? Read on...