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.

Easy Mini Fritata

Fritata!

The name does sound fancy but it is nothing more than a baked thick omelette, or, as Jamie Oliver aptly put it, an omelette cake. Making a fritata is very simple as it is like how you would cook an omelette with your choiced vegetables, some herbs and cheese. My not-too-authentic version is a much simpler version as I made it into smaller pieces, eliminating the whole process of having to cook the vegetables, and at the same time shortening the cooking time. Yes, I cooked it in mini muffins tin (well, more to a tart tin for mine). The result is a quick 5 minutes prep and 15 minutes of baking time that totally frees you to attend to other chores while cooking a fun and nutritious dish. I love the freedom in cooking this dish and I believe you do too!

Dorayaki 铜锣烧

Ah, Doraemon's favourite food, what not to love about this? Dorayaki originates from Japan. It consists of two round pancake-like patties with a filling in between, traditionally red beans. Nowadays, you can put almost anything that you could imagine from the more commonly used matcha green tea to black sesame seed paste.

Butter Cake II 奶油蛋糕 II

This is a refined version of my first butter cake recipe. After seeing so many smooth top butter cakes, I am inspired to make a flawless butter cake. A normal smooth top butter cake calls for a higher ratio of butter to flour (butter more than flour). As I do not like my cake to be too oily, my go-to recipe uses only an equal amount of butter and flour. This makes it harder to maintain that smooth top. The method and technique used here were the same as the old recipe save for the following changes:

1. Bake in a larger surface 7" x 7" pan;
2. Use low heat and steambake.
3. I drastically reduced the sugar content.

Nestum Crumble Bread Pudding /Nestum 面包布丁

Making bread pudding is pretty easy to do. It was one of my earlier conquest when I started blogging. If you ever have trouble following a bread pudding recipe, just forget the recipe. You don't have to memorise. All you have to do is understand the dish. There are two main components in a bread pudding: the bread itself and the custard. Use any breads and cut it into decent sizes so that it could be soaked easily. As for the custard, use one large egg for every cup of milk (240 ml) and I guarantee you you won't go wrong. Cook for how long? This isn't an issue either. Use the old reliable skewer. If it comes out clean, it is cooked. Generally, it would take 15-20 minutes in ramekins at 170C.

Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun 金瓜加椰全麦面包

Guess what I did to my yummy pumpkin kaya that I made yesterday? Yes, I paired it together with my Japanese milk bread recipe to make this Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun. In line with the healthy nature of the pumpkin kaya, I braved myself to adapt my Japanese milk bread recipe to include wholemeal flour for a wholesome recipe. The experiment paid off handsomely. It was super delicious! A perfect combination. The bread remains soft and fluffy for two days because of the use of tangzhong method. Don't know about Day 3 though because we have already finished all the bread!

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.

Chocolate Roti Jala with Caramelised Bananas 焦糖香蕉巧克力网煎饼

I am going all artsy-fartsy today. It took me a long time to come out with this dish. I had this idea dancing in my head to reinvent our good old roti jala or lacy pancake into something sweet and upscale. If you are clueless about what roti jala is, you can click here to know a little more.

I was inspired to make a chocolate flavoured roti jala for a sweet dish instead. I then paired it with bananas that has been caramelised in sugar for that sugary glaze and bittersweet taste. Lastly, I topped the roti jala with some wholesome yogurt and a sprinkle of crushed nuts that are bursting in nutritional goodness. How is that for breakfast? Any takers?

Breakfast Bread Bowl 面包碗早餐

Whenever I see postings of those perfectly cooked eggs with runny yolks, I am grossly tempted to take a bite. There is something about half-cooked eggs with sinful runny yolks, all bright and inviting. The yolk that graciously flows out when you cut into it, glorious indeed. And, mind you, my flesh is weak. I have no resistance to this. None what so ever.

After seeing these breakfast bread bowl recipes on social medias, it took me no time to make my own. There is not a need for recipe really. It is just a matter of assembling your typical breakfast ingredients, and nicely arranging it into a bread so that it looks more intriguing and inviting.

Lotus Leaf Bun 荷叶包

It has been a while since I last posted a recipe on bao or Chinese bun. Recently, my interest was pique with this Taiwanese Gua Bao which is basically a U-shaped bao whereby you put your filling in the middle just like Western sandwiches. In fact, is was also known as the Chinese sandwich/hamburger. Well, let's not excite you further with this delicious Chinese hamburger today (don't worry, I promise I will comeback to this in coming posts). We are just going to talk about a bun that has that U-shape and functions to sandwich decadent pork bellies and other wonderful fillings - the Lotus Leaf Bun.

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.

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.

Chinese Steamed Cake/Ma Lai Go 马来糕

Don't be fooled by the name. It didn't originate from 马来 or Malaysia (Ma Lai Go basically means Malay cake in Chinese). This is not one traditional Malay kuih but a Chinese invention made popular in dim sum restaurants. I am not sure why it is called Ma Lai Gou or Malay cake, but hearsay, it is because of its colour that resembles the skin of the Malays which is brownish in nature. 

There are generally two versions of Ma Lai Go - the easier non-yeasted version and the yeasted darkish version. I am sharing with you the yeasted version, which is also the dim sum restaurants' version. 

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?

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.

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.

No Prove Homemade Bread 不用发酵的面包

I don't have a breadmaker. Neither do I have a dough kneading machine. So when I saw this recipe on Masterchef, I got excited. I have heard of 5-minutes no-knead artisan bread long ago. But this is even easier.

The looks might turn you off, nothing fantastic. The taste nothing mind-blowing. But what vowed me is the method of making this no prove homemade bread. I dare claim it is the easiest you could get to making that crusty piece of homemade chewy goodness. I am a lover of crusty breads but the traditional artisan method really puts me off. Too technical and a lot of kneading. This method has allowed me to make my homemade bread and eat it fresh, anytime that I want.

Best Bread Recipe: Japanese Milk Bread 牛奶麵包

Most of us in Asia are already familiar with soft fluffy milk breads. They are are wildly popular as a staple here. I started baking bread as I prefered to feed my son fresh chemical-free breads. I have been doing it for sometime now. All these while, I experimented with different recipes for soft bread but the Japanese milk bread reigns. It is soft, moist and fluffy, just the exact fit for my son. Best of all the softness lasts for days. Therefore, this has become my best bread recipe, my go to recipe. I use this even when I wanted to whip up a dinner or sausage bun.  Once you have mastered the basics the first few times, the sky is the limit to the many variations that you could develop. Nothing tastes and smells better than freshly-baked soft fluffy homemade bread from the oven.

Easy Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice with Chicken/Loh Mai Kai 简单荷香糯米鸡

If you are a fan of glutinous rice, this is definitely a must have. There are many ways and many versions to this. You can serve this in a big portion to be shared, or in individual dainty parcels like what am doing here. Most of the time, you would get the big ones in Chinese restaurants and the small ones from dim sum outlets. Now, with this easy recipe, you could make it at home with half the time and effort.

Easy Bread Pudding with Dates 海枣面包布丁

Dates are found abundantly and cheaply around this Ramadhan time of the year here. Have you ever wondered why dates are so significant in a fasting month? Beside its spiritual significance, dates have a very high natural sugar content. The sugar would quickly be converted into energy, giving those who fasts an instant boost of needed energy. This energy would help jumpstart the digestive system before a heavier meal. Besides this, dates are high in vitamins A and B6, folic acid, potassium, sodium, iron, magnesium and fibre. This serves well to replenish the exhausted nutrients in the body.

With all these dates lying around, it is only apt for me to make fullest use of this wonderful nutritious fruit. I have came out with an easy bread pudding recipe with dates. Bread pudding is one of the easiest dessert to whip up. Whether you want to have a quick sugar fix after your meals or even at the start of the day as breakfast, bread pudding fits the bill. This is also one dish that does not take up much effort in the event you feel fatigued.