Mini Corn Dog on a Stick 玉米热狗

For those exposed to the American culture, you would most probably know what a corn dog is. It is a popular carnival food in America. This corn dog is uniquely served on a stick which makes it super easy for people to savour this delicious batter-wrapped sausage even without a proper seating. There is no doubt it is a hit there. Why? Let's face it. The food is an indulgence, fill with fats and flavour and ever so convenient. What is more sinful than that?

Honey Sesame Chicken 蜜糖芝麻鸡

Does my honey sesame chicken look 'hot'? If you agree, most probably I had you fooled. The sauce itself is one simple combination of four readily available everyday sauces and a dash of honey. Yes, it is that easy. But most likely people wouldn't know about this when they look at those glazy chicken. No, not even when they bite into those tender juicy chicken laden with sticky sauce. Therefore, I credit this glorious yummy dish to....erm, instant sauces.

Although said to be a Chinese dish, this dish is more popular in western countries. If you do a quick google on Honey Sesame Chicken, you would find most of the contributors for this recipe are non-Chinese. The Chinese are more into roast sesame chicken (another yummy recipe!). Maybe this dish is a spin-off from there but it really doesn't matter. All I know is Honey Sesame Chicken is insanely popular and absolutely delicious.

Homemade Chocolate Cookies 自制巧克力饼干

Today I had my first mother and son baking session. What you see here are the fruits of his labour. Notice those slightly-flawed homemade chocolate cookies? I am loving it. My two and a half year old truly enjoyed cutting out the cookies. He was so impatient that he ate the cut out cookies even before it goes into the oven. While the cookies was baking, he was running here and there using all his restraint not to touch the cookies. It was really a memorable experience both for him and myself. If you mummies out there have not tried doing such thing, I highly recommend this. It was a wonderful bonding experience.

Baked Pandan Cake/Kuih Pandan Bakar 烤香兰糕

I have a soft spot for this rich yummilicious traditional Malay cake or kuih as it is more fondly known here. On occasions when I have a craving for this kuih and I would drive all the way out to buy one tiny meagre piece just to satisfy this craving. Yes, just one piece, no more no less. For those of you who are still in the dark, I am talking about Kuih Pandan Bakar, a pandan flavoured cake which has a custard-like texture that is encrusted in a brown golden crust of fragrant sesame seeds.

If you are as hooked to this kuih as I am, here are some tips to identify the good ones. We would not be able to tell the taste but we can always choose the ones with a darker colour and thicker crust with lots of sesame seed on top. It makes a whole lot of difference to the smell of the kuih. I personally prefer my kuih to be brightly coloured (and not dark green) as this also indicates no or lesser use of artificial colouring. The recipe calls for the kuih to be baked. I am puzzled as to how the Malays got their hands on ovens in the olden days which is basically non-existence at that time (that is why most of the traditional desserts are either steamed or boiled). Well, apparently this kuih is put over a stove to be burnt, hence the word bakar, which also means burn.

Chilli Anchovies/Sambal Ikan Bilis 参巴江鱼仔

It is without a doubt nasi lemak or coconut fragrant rice is our national treasure. I believe most people would agree to this. Every household would have some tricks down their sleeves to making a mean plate of nasi lemak. Today I am not going to talk about the rice but its humble accompaniment - the sambal. In fact, it goes hand in hand with the rice and mutually complement each other. Without sambal, nasi lemak is just bland. Most people like to take this sambal as it is but I like it with fried anchovies. It totally elevates the taste by adding texture and flavour to this dish.

Red Fermented Beancurd Spareribs 南乳排骨

Before I proceed with the mechanics of this dish, let's get the basics correct. Fermented beancurd 腐乳 is basically tofu preserved with salt, vinegar and rice wine. Red fermented tofu 南乳 differs in colour by using a different type of rice wine. Both fermented tofu are pungent and has a strong salty stinging taste, definitely not pleasant at first bite. It is an acquire taste, just like the popular stinky durian. Surprisingly, due to its distinct flavour, fermented tofu compliments other ingredients well to create that awesome dish.

Liu Sha Bao/Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun 黃金流沙包

My husband absolutely love this. We used to go to Puchong to eat dim sum just for this bao.

For those who do not know what this is, let me give you a quick introduction. Its uniqueness stemmed from its oozing creamy filling in the middle of the bao not unlike that of a molten lava cake. I call it an oriental molten lava bun. This dish is relatively new in the dim sum family. It is normally served hot in order for the filling to remain runny.