Scallops with Mixed Vegetables

The sea scallop is the largest of the scallops. They can be bought fresh or frozen. The raw meats are creamy white in color and sometimes slightly orange due to the food (algae) they consume. Scallops have a distinct, sweet odor when they are fresh.There are many ways to prepare scallops. Always take care not to overcook them; they toughen easily. As soon as they lose their translucence and turn opaque, they are done, Sea scallops may be broiled, kabobed, stir- fried, baked, or microwaved. There are many recipes for scallops. If you plan to put them in a sauce, it's best to cook the scallops and the sauce separately and then combine them; otherwise, water will cook out of the scallops and make your sauce runny.





Ingredients:

10 large sea scallops
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh lotus root - sliced
1/4 cup carrot - sliced
4 - 5 dried shitake mushrooms - soaked and sliced
2 slices fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 stalk spring onions - cut into 1 inch length
1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine

Sauce:

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch/tapioca starch + 1 tbsp water
a dash of pepper

Method:

Nuke lotus root and carrot with 2 tbsp water in the microwave on high for 1 minute.

Mix the sauce ingredients together.

Lay the scallops out on a board, pat dry with kitchen paper and then season one side with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat in a frying pan large enough to hold the scallops. Scallops too close together in a pan will steam rather than pan-fry.

When the oil is very hot, add the seasoned scallops, and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until the underside turns golden brown, depending on the size of the scallops. Turn the scallops over and cook for 2 – 3 minutes more. Except for turning them over the one time, do not move the scallops or fidget with them while they cook. Tip the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the ginger until fragrant.

Add in the mushrooms and garlic and saute/stir fry.

Pour the tbsp of shaoxing wine to the side of the wok.

Add in the lotus root, carrot and the sauce mixture and cook until sauce thickens.

Add in the seared scallops and mix well.

Add in the spring onions.

Serve hot.





Serves
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Homemade Mayo

Homemade mayonnaise is one of the easiest things you can make and the taste is far superior to the stuff in the blue-topped jars. You can't buy the fresh lightness of a homemade batch of mayo, two minutes with a food processor, and you're done. Take that time and try it for yourself. Store bought variety lasts about six months in the refrigerator while homemade might last up to week.

There is an interesting read here A Homemade Mayo Clinic

Ingredients:

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard or powdered mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

a dash of white pepper
3/4 cup canola oil, divided

Method:

Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.

Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds

.

Using 1/4 teaspoon measure and whisking constantly, add 1/4 cup oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color).

If, however, the sauce does break, you can start over -- or re-emulsify the sauce by adding the broken mixture, very slowly, into a new egg yolk.

Cover and chill.

Blender or Processor Mayonnaise Double the recipe and add 4 teaspoons hot water

Place yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and lemon juice in blender cup or work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, and buzz 15 seconds (use low blender speed).

Now, with motor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil (use moderately high blender speed). As mixture begins to thicken, continue adding oil in a fine steady stream, alternating with hot water and 1 tsp vinegar.

Stop motor and scrape mixture down from sides of blender cup or work bowl as needed.

Serves

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King Oyster Mushroom,Coral Broccoli & Chicken Stir-Fry

The King Oyster mushroom has a thick, white flesh that is

firm-textured and meaty from the base to the cap,wonderfully

nutty, hen of the woods with a taste as earthy as their name. It is also referred to as the King Eryngii, Eringii or Royal Trumpet

Coral Broccoli an interesting object with a shape and color reminding me of coral or outer worldly landscapes. It is also known as romanesco, minaret, romanesco cauliflower often called romanesco broccoli or calabrese romanesco especially in Italian recipes.

The flavour is somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower, with a sweet, vegetal nuttiness - and it's bereft of the slightly bitter edge cauliflower can have.

Ingredients:

2 cups coral broccoli flowerettes - bite-size pieces

1/4 cup carrot - sliced

2 cups King Oyster Mushroom - sliced

1 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut in bite-size pieces

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root

1 c. green onions, cut in 1 inch lengths

1/4 cup chicken/vegetable stock

3 tbsp oil

Marinate:

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp shaoxing wine

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp tapioca starch/cornstarch

Sauce:

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp. /tapioca starch/cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp. water

Method:

Add marinate to the chicken and marinate at least 1/2 hour.

Nuke Coral Broccoli and carrot with 2 tbsp water in the microwave for 1 minute on high.

In a wok or skillet, heat oil and when oil is shimmering, Add chicken to brown.

Add in garlic and ginger and saute before adding in the king oyster mushroom and coral broccoli.

Add in the stock and let ingredients to cook until mushroom and chicken are cooked through.

Add in sauce ingredients and let sauce thickens and comes back to the boil.

Lastly add in the green onions.

Serve hot with white rice

.


Serves

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Pearl Balls

These appetizers are so christened from how their coating of glutinous rice turns to pearly grains when cooked. They are favorite mainstays in dimsum restaurants but can easily be made at home with a little bit of rolling. It contains no exotic ingredients and most of the work can be done in advance. What you end up with is a dish of delicately flavored steamed meatballs, each one covered with a pearly coating of glutinous rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup glutinous rice

1 lb ground pork
1 large spring onion minced (at least 3 tablespoons)
2 water chestnuts, minced

4 dried shitake mushrooms

1 tsp sesame oil

1 large egg white
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp hua tiau/shaoxing wine
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

Black pepper, to taste

Method:

Soak glutinous rice in enough water to cover for 5 hours. Drain well and using paper towels, pat grains dry. Set aside.

Reconstitute mushrooms in hot water for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Discard stems and chop the caps finely.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the rice. Form around a teaspoonful of meat mixture into 1-inch diameter balls.

Spread rice in a wide dish. Roll meat balls, one at a time, in the bed of rice grains, coating them completely with the grains. Arrange coated balls on a wax-lined sheet. At this stage they can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

Set up steamer with water. Bring around 1-inch of water into a boil. Arrange balls on a plate that will comfortably fit in steamer, or, alternatively, layer cabbage leaves on steamer rack and arrange pearl balls on top of leaves. Cover and steam until rice and meat are cooked, around 30 minutes.

Serve with soy sauce or sauce of your choice.

.
Soy Sauce Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsps rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp minced scallions

1/4 tsp sugar

Serves

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Popiah

According to Infopidia - Popiah(also spelt Poh Piah), in Teochew for "thin pancake", is a thin paper-like crepe or pancake wrapper stuffed with a filling made of cooked vegetables and meats. When deep fried, the crispy roll is known as a spring roll, but if left raw it is known as popiah. The popiah is of southeastern Chinese origins, originating in the Fujian province. It is derived from the spring roll which was eaten during spring when there was an abundance of vegetables. The Chinese diaspora has spawned variants of the roll throughout Asia, intermingling ingredients from the local culture resulting in such likes as the Nonya version of the popiah.

I like to prepare this dish for the Chinese New Year cos it is eaten at room temperature except fpr the main filling which i will keep warm in the slow cooker. Friends and relatives who drop by to 'pai lean' - meaning respecting the new year - can enjoy rolling up a few rolls of this savory.

Ingredients:

Filling :

3 lbs jicama shredded

1 lb belly pork, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp minced garlic

5 tbsp oil

Enough water to cover the shredded jicama

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishing

2 heads green leaf lettuce

4 firm soybean cakes, cut into thin strips and fried 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 lb beansprouts, tailed and scalded

1 English cucumber, shredded finely

1/2 lb small prawns, shelled and steamed

1 cup crab meat

1/2 lb shallots, sliced and fried crisp

3 whole pods garlic, minced and fried crisp

4 eggs - make omelette and shredded fine

4 pairs of Chinese Lap Cheong - cut into thin strips and fried

Popiah skins (I used frozen Lumpia pastry - wrap with a tea towel and steam the pastry)

Chilly Sauce

Hoisin Sauce

Method:

Filling

Heat oil in a kuali and lightly brown garlic.

Add in pork belly and fry until fragrant, then add in shredded jicama .

Pour in enough water and when it comes to a boil, add in the seasonings.

Transfer to the slow cooker and let it cook until jicama is soft.

Adjust taste with salt and pepper.

To serve Popiah

Drain a cup of warm jicama and leave the rest in the slow cooker for future servings.

Put a popiah skin skin on a plate.

Spread the center section of popiah skin with chilly sauce and hoisin sauce

Place a piece of lettuce on the spread.and top with 1 heaped tbsp of jicama and then top with all the other garnishing ingredents. A little of each type of garnishing is sufficient.

Wrap up tight like you would for the spring roll.


Serves

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Lotus Leaf Rice/Chan Gee Kai/Pearly Wrap

A popular dish to be served during the Chinese New Year and a must have order in the Dim Sum restaurants. This dish is sometimes called Loh Mai Kai , Hor Yip Fun or Chan Chu Kai. To me, Loh Mai Kai's ingredients are pretty similar but it is not wrapped up with lotus leaves as in Hor Yip Fun and the meats used are in slices or chunks. This recipe below is called Pearly cos the meats used are all diced into tiny or mini cubes, making them look like Pearls.

Ingredients:

2 cups glutinuous or sticky rice - soak for at least 3 hours
1 cup normal rice
4 pieces chicken thighs, seasoned with five spice powder, sesame oil, Chinese wine, dark and light soya sauce, sugar and pepper.
5 Chinese dried mushroom - soaked and cut into cubes

11/4 cup dried shrimps, wash and soak
5 cloves garlics and 10 shallots - chopped
1 pair of Chinese sausage - diced into cubes

1 piece Lap Yoke - soak in hot water, then remove rind and diced into cubes

Enough Chicken Stock to cook the rice

Oil for frying

Lotus leaves for wrapping

Method:

Soak two lotus leaves till soft (takes a few hours).

Boil the lotus leaves in hot water. Wash the leaves under running water. Drain, dry and oil the leaves.

Heat wok with a little oil, fry the lap yoke and lap cheong , remove and leave aside..

Fry dried prawns till fragrant then add garlic and shallots .

Add in chicken, mushroom and all the ingredients including the rice. Continue to fry until the rice has been coated with oil.

Sprinkle chicken stock into the rice and continue stirring. Add some dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, pepper and continue to stir and add in more chicken stock until rice has soaked up all the stock and about half cooked (more stock will give a softer texture to the rice)

.
Let the rice cool a bit for easier handling

Put the lotus leave in a huge bowl, pour in the rice mixture. wrapped it up and cook in the pressure cooker. It may take very much longer if you steam in the conventional way but I with the pressure cooker, it takes only 10 minutes.

Serves

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Bee Koh

WISHING ALL A PROSPEROUS AND A BULLISH NEW YEAR
GONG XI FA CAI

A Nyonya dessert, bee koh is made as one of the food offerings for the Festival of the Jade Emperor, a Taoist god. This Nyonya version is made with white sugar while there is a version made with 'gula melaka' and is called 'Kuih Wajid'

Ingredients:

500 g glutinous rice, soaked overnight
450 g granulated sugar
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
500 ml thick coconut milk (from 1 grated coconut)


Method:

Drain the rice and steam over high heat until cooked.

Stir sugar, liquid glucose and coconut milk in a saucepan over a low fire until sugar dissolves.

Strain mixture and return to the saucepan.

Add in the steamed glutinous rice.

Stir until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes.

Pour into lightly greased trays.

Press down with a small piece of banana leaf or the back of a spoon and a little thick coconut milk.

Cool completely before cutting.

Serves

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Cookie Mama Carrie

The name of these cookies is a mystery to me since the day it appeared on the table of Chinese New Year or Hari Raya spread. I think Mama Carrie must be an artist, as the cookie has some sort of fine art strokes. I really enjoyed putting the strokes on, it does not have to be very fancy, just a single stroke or two makes the cookie so elegant.

Ingredients:

6 ozs unsalted butter

8 ozs flour

6 tbsp icing sugar

3 tbsp custard powder

3 tbsp milk powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg yolk

pinch of salt

Topping :

125 g icing sugar

1/2 egg white

1/2 tbsp corn flour

Chocolate emulco

Method:

Sieve custard powder, milk powder, salt and flour together.

Using the food processor, cream butter and icing sugar. Add in vanilla essence and continue creaming.

Add in sieved ingredients and beat till a soft dough is formed.

Remove from food processor and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut using cookie cutter of your choice.

Arrange the cookies on a tray lined with greaseproof paper or silpat.

Bake at preheated 350 f oven for 10 - 15 minutes.

Let cookies stand for 5 minutes before removing to cool on the baking rack.

When cool, spread the topping, using your finger, it does a better job.

Dip a toothpick into chocolate emulco and sketch on top of the topping.

Put the cookies back to oven which has been turned off, just long enough to set the topping. (the oven temp. should be quite low by now, after all the toppings are done)

Topping :

Mix all ingredients to form a smooth paste

Serves

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Dragon cookie

In China, the dragon and the phoenix are traditional animals symbolic of auspiciousness. Along with the lin and the tortoise, they were known as the "Four Supernatural Spirits." According to ancient records, the dragon appeared in a magical variety of forms. It could be long or short, small or gigantic. It could be both secretive yet active, and it also inhabited everywhere from the heights to the depths. Traveling between the skies and earth, dragons were considered the mounts of heavenly deities. They also had the power to control rain.During times of drought, dragons could bestow precious water, and in times of flood, they could stop the rain and clear the skies. It is so true especially when you make these cookies, they turned out long, short, small or gigantic. If the dough is not the right texture, you need dragon strength to pipe and when you are exhausted from piping, disappointment awaits when you open the oven door - the dragon had lost its' scales.

I did not realised that i have left out a whole egg from the recipe, therefore the dough was not right. I managed to adjust the texture with cooking oil and it did the trick - very smooth dough which this old phoenix can tackle. Managed to get a tray baked and it turned out fine but these cookies are so delicate that you have to treat them with tender loving care. To my surprise, the cooking oil did good, making the cookie melts in the month.

Time was not with me last night, it was too late to carry on baking. So, dough has to take a vacation. Very bad idea to let the dough rest, cos with time, gluten developed and the dough was tough as ever.

I refused to give up the idea of making dragons and came up with this new method which i would like to share.

Roll the dough, make straight design with the pineapple roll's rolling pin and then cut across into strips.

Shape the strips into dragons and dot the eye with red coloring

Ingredients:

150g butter

90g confectioner's sugar

350g cornflour

20g all purpose flour

1/2 oz milk powder

3 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp milk

2 - 4 tbsp cooking oil


Method:

Sift cornflour, all purpose flour and milk powder into a bowl. Set aside.

Sift confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl. Add butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add yolks one by one, beating well after each. Add in , vanilla essence and milk. Mix well.

Fold in dry ingredients in (1) and mix until a soft dough is formed. Adjust dough texture with cooking oil.

Put dough into a piping bag. Using a star nozzle, pipe out an "S" shape. Dot the eyes red.

Alternatively, roll a tiny piece of dough and roll with the pineapple roll rolling pin to get the lined design. Cut into 2 - 2 1/2 inches strips, (smaller dragons are not as delicate) shape them into dragons and dot the eye red.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 f for 10 - 15 minutes. DO NOT bake till brown. These cookies are suppsoed to be white or yellowish.

Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Store in air tight container.

Notes:

Pipe the design as soon as the dough is ready and well mixed.

Using a smaller star nozzle, creates a better design and make the cookie smaller, longer dragons are too delicate and break, creating a storage problem.

I would suggest that when piping, have the star nozzle touching the baking sheet and pipe out in lines of length of about 2 1/2 inchs, then form the shape of "S"

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Melting Moments

When i was chatting with my elder daughter, who is in Malaysia, she said that momentarily she misses me and especially during the Chinese New Year, she misses 'Melting Moments' . Guilt ridden, I have to make a batch of these melt-in-your-mouth texture cookies

We used to call them cornflake cookies as we often rolled them in lightly crushed cornflakes or oats cookies when rolled in oats . Either way they are delicious and must always be topped with glace cherry.

Ingredients:

5 ozs soft butter

3 ozs fine granulated sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

5 ozs self rising flour

Desiccated coconut

Glace cherries

Method:

Heat the oven to 350 f.

Cream the butter with the sugar until very light and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla extract.

Stir in the flour and mix well.

Roll walnut sized pieces of the mixture into balls and toss in dessicated coconut.

Cut each glace cherry into quarters, a quarter for each melting moment.

Place on silpat lined baking trays, flatten slightly and place a small piece of cherry on each cookie.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown .

Serves

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Bak Kwa/Long Yoke - Step by Step

BAK KWA a.k.a. LONG YOKE

The chinese new year celebration will not be the same if this 'bak kwa a.k.a. Long yoke is not served.

The recipe is here Bak Kwa/Long Yoke

Ground Pork

Ingredients for the marinate

More ingredients for the marinate

Mix marinate into ground meat and stir well to combine

Oil an upside-down baking tray

Use a chinese rice bowl to measure a bowl of marinated ground pork

Place ground pork in the middle of tray and top with a little oil to fasilitate movement

Use your fingers and palm to spread the meat to the edges of baking tray

Spread ground pork is ready to go into preheated oven 175 f

Bake for 7 - 10 minutes. Meat should feel dry and will not break when pressed.

Meat is dried and ready to be cut. Use a pair of scissor to cut into big pieces.

Use a off-set spatula to loosen the base of cut meat and remove from baking tray.

Stack them up and in this stage, wrap it in foil and it can be kept in the freezer.

Meat can be grilled over a charcoal stove or like me, it is too cold outside for grilling, so i either use the indoor griddle or pan fry.

Bak Kwa/Long Yoke are ready to enjoy. Pack in Greaseproof/parchment paper and then in an air-tight container and keep in fridge cos it will turn moldy if they are not grilled well.

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Prawn Crackers

One of the classic snacks in Malaysia. There are many flavors but prawn is the most favorite of all. My mother-in-law made the best Fish Crackers and how i wished i had learned from here. Now it is too late, recipe and know how are buried with her. God bless her soul.

Prawn Crackers

Ingredients:

2 lbs peeled and deveined prawns

2 lbs tapioca starch

4 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp msg (optional)

Use kitchen towel to dry the prawns.

Put prawn into food processor and process until it becomes a paste.

Add in salt, sugar, pepper and msg

Add in tapioca starch

Transfer to a big bowl and mix in all the tapioca starch until well combined

Transfer to the stand mixer and using the dough hook, knead mixture until very smooth

Roll paste in 1 1/2 inch logs which weighed 8 ozs each log and place in a greased plate.

Cover with a piece of foil which has been greased to prevent paste from sticking to it.

In a pressure cooker, put in 1 inch of water and place a stand to raise the plate above the water. Put the covered plate in and pressurized for 30 minutes.

Logs of prawn paste should be cooked through. Let them cool before wrapping in foil and leave in the freezer to harden, to fasilitate slicing.

Use a sharp knife and cut into very thin slices.

Put the slices in the food dehydrator and dry the slices. Friends in the tropics can sun dry the slices. Friends in Denver, you don't even need the dehydrator, just leave the slices on the cake rack and let it dry at room temp.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying. when oil is hot - 350 f - drop a few pieces of dried crackers and watch them expand. Dish out as soon as they have expanded. Do not overbrown them. Use a spider ladle to aid removing crackers from hot oil.

Enjoy!!!!!

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New Year Rice Cake

What happened to the fruits - all sank to the bottom.

According to WikiHow :

One popular desert eaten during Chinese New Years is Nian Gao (年糕). One of the reasons it's eaten during this time is because the words "nian gao (粘糕)", meaning "sticky cake," sounds just like the words 年高, which means something along the lines of "growing taller every year." Similar to "a pinch to grow an inch," this is just used to wish the person good health in the new year.
Nian Gao is a sticky rice cake that's usually eaten warm.

My friend, Claire came with the recipe and all the ingredients to try out this cake and we followed the recipe to the tee except i cooked the batter in the microwave until the batter thickened slightly. We should not have mixed in the fruits and nuts before i cook the batter in the microwave, but this step was an after thought, when everything was mixed and ready for the oven. I would suggest, dust the fruits with some of the dry flour, when batter is ready for baking, pour batter on to baking tray, then only sprinkle the fruits and nuts on top - hoping that they will not sink so far down to the bottom.

The crust was quite thick cos i think we overbaked. I used the convection at 375f and the batter was slightly cooked, so it should take a shorter time to bake - should have checked at 40 minutes when the top was nicely browned. Baking at high altitude can be tricky.

Overall, good job, Claire - the cake tasted so much better the next day, the crust has softened and was more chewy.

I will make this cake again and tweak it to my liking.

Below is the recipe which came with Claire

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour), about 1 pound
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup candied pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through baking powder) in a bowl.

Combine water, oil, and eggs; add to flour mixture, stirring by hand just until moist.

Spoon the batter into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool rice cake for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack, and remove from pan.

Cool completely on wire rack.

What should be done:

Serves

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Dodol

Stir dodol in the microwave at 3 minutes interval, stirring vigorously at every interval

Cook and stir, until dodol is shinny and does not stick to your finger when touched.

I have not enjoyed eating a good dodol since my mother-in-law passed away. She made the best ever cos she is very particular about the ingredients used. She would insist that the brown sugar used was not any gula melaka from the store, it must be gula kabung from Kuala Pilah. A whole day of stirring the dodol in a brass wok and a wooden paddle which is as long and large like an oar. Now, with the microwave, there is no need to sweat over a hot stove anymore. A good dodol can be produced in less than an hour.

Ingredients:

(A):
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb gula melaka - Chopped
1/2 cup water
1 pandan leaf

(B)

1 cup glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1 can 400 ml coconut cream - Savoy brand

100 ml water

Method:

Combine ingredients A and cook on "high" for five minutes. Stir and cook further if the sugars are not dissolved.

Add ingredients b and stir well. Strain mixture.

Cook on "high" at 3 minutes interval, stirring vigorously at every interval. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens, is shinny and does not stick to finger when touched.

Discard the pandan leaf and transfer dodol to a greased clingwrap. Wrap up well.

Serves

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Satay Fish cookies

Satay Fish is a stinky but delicious snack made of barbequed and caramalised fish wafers.

I have a few packets of these satay fish which was sitting at the back of the pantry and when i saw Aunty Yochana made cookies with them, i have found the opportunity to use up the forgotten snack. The cookie is as stinky as expected but i quite like the uniqueness of the flavor. I thought that the dolphin shape was appropriate for the fish ingredient but the tails were too delicate and most of them were dislodged from the body after i stored them.




Ingredients:

1/3 cup Satay fish - pounded (it's a snack ...in small packaging)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp rice flour

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

4 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

7 tbsp oil

.Method:

Mix all together until it becomes a dough.

Roll out dough between 2 plastic sheet it and cut it out with a biscuit cutter and then bake at 325f . Time for baking differs on the thickness of the cookie.

Serves

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Peanut Cookie

These cookies must have been one of the oldest cookies served during the Chinese New Year, cos i used to make them following my grandmother's instruction. No written recipe to follow, just know the ingredients, which are ground roasted peanuts, sugar, lard and flour. There was no actual measurements, and somehow the cookie would turn out all right, sometimes sweeter, sometimes crunchier, sometimes not so flavorful.

We would only make these once a year, so the taste varied, the best part was, Grandmother did not realised why that year's cookie was not so flavorful, cos alot of peanuts were devout by us before they could be pounded(yes, the mortar and pestle was used to pound).

Lard was used and that enhanced the flavor and made the cookie very short. Nowadays, for health purpose, lard is not used. If you are game for the real Mccoy, use lard.

There is no fixed recipe and you could adjust it to your own liking. If you like it short, add more oil and if you like sweeter, add more sugar. The cookie will turn out good as long as you can roll it into a ball. The peanuts are the most important ingredient in this recipe, so make sure that they are roasted/fried until very golden brown, to ensure a very fragrant cookie.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups skinless peanuts , fried/roasted and processed till fine
1 cup fine granulated sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

5 - 6 fl oz cooking oil(preferably peanut oil)

Egg yolk + 1 tsp water for glazing

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients like sugar, salt, processed peanuts and flour until they are well-mixed and crumbly.

Add oil bit by bit and knead the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and a small piece of dough can be formed into a ball.

Roll the dough into small balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Use a straw and press gently on the top of the balls to make round indents.

GLAZE with egg and bake in preheated oven 350f for about 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown

Serves

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Red Cooked Pork

Red- cooked dishes - meat or poultry, braised in rich, dark, aromatic mixtures of soy, wine and spices is famous in the Shanghai region of China. It differs from the Hokkien Tau Yue Bak, which uses a lot of garlic. When the meat is cooking, the aroma will fill the house and you can't wait for it to be ready. As in any kind of braised, it's better to made a day or two ahead.

Five pounds of meat might sounds a lot, but it shrinks at least by half. If there happens to be any pork belly left over, it's wonderful when diced or sliced and tossed in a stir-fry with green beans or fried rice.


Ingredients:

5 lbs skin-on pork belly, as lean as possible
1 whole bottle (24 1/2 oz) Shaoxing Wine
2 inch piece unpeeled fresh ginger, cut into 6 slices
1 cup regular soy sauce
2 chuck rock sugar or 3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce

Method:

Cut the pork into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Put them in a large saucepan or enameled cast-iron casserole, and add water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, decrease the heat to medium-heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook until the foaming diminishes. Transfer the pork to a sieve or colander and rinse well with cold water. Discard the cooking liquid.

Rinse out the saucepan and add the pork, wine, ginger, and enough cold water to cover the meat by 2 inches. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, decrease the heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook until the pork seems slightly tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the regular soy sauce, to cover the meat. Continue to cook until the meat is completely fork-tender, about 30 minutes longer.

Gently stir in the rock sugar and dark soy sauce until the sugar dissolves. Simmer more, or until the sauce is slightly thickened and shiny.

Serve hot with rice.

Serves

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Pot Stickers

According to Wiki : "Dumplings are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year and year round in the northern provinces. Traditionally, families get together to make jiaozi for the Chinese New Year. In rural areas, the choicest livestock is slaughtered, the meat ground and wrapped into dumplings, and frozen outside with the help of the freezing weather. Then they are boiled and served for the Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings with sweet, rather than savoury fillings are also popular as a Chinese New Year treat."

I never knew jiaozi existed until i visited Beijing and had a lunch of jiaozi - boiled, steamed, fried. According to the guide, this restaurant serve the best jiaozi, but i did not like them, the skin was too doughy.

I

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 cups chopped napa cabbage

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 pound ground pork (Don't get lean pork, the fat is good for juicy and flavorful dumplings)

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons thin soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 egg

1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water

HOT WATER DOUGH:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 - cup boiling water

More flour for dusting

Method:

Sprinkle cabbage with the 1/2 tablespoon of salt and let stand for 30 minutes.

Place the cabbage on a clean dishtowel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any water. The dryer the cabbage the better.

In a large bowl thoroughly mix the cabbage with all of the other ingredients, except the chicken stock.

In a stainless steel bowl mix flour and salt.

Slowly add hot water to flour in 1/4 cup increments.

Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed and the dough is not too hot to handle.

On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth.

Allow to rest for at least 1 hour.

Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1-inch in diameter. Cut 1/4 or 1/2-inch pieces and turn them over so the cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out to the thinness you desire(Rolling will be easier if you have alot of bench flour which means use as much as you need). The dumpling wrapper, about 3 inches in diameter is a good size.

MAKING THE DUMPLINGS:

Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings.)

Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting from right,, fold/pleat (i can only manage 3 pleats)to the center and pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method for the left side. until the dumpling is completely sealed.

COOKING THE DUMPLINGS:

In a hot saute pan coated well with oil, place pot stickers flat side down and cook until the bottom is browned.

Have pan cover ready and add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover immediately. Be careful, the liquid will splatter! The stock will steam the pot stickers.

Check for doneness and if not add more stock may be needed, if meat is totally cooked, remove pan cover and cook until the dumplings are firm and fully cooked the stock has evaporate and the bottoms crisp-up again.

SPICY SOY DIPPING SAUCE:

1/3 cup thin soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup sliced scallions

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sambal

Combine all and serve in a small bowl

Serves

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Almond Cookies

This has been an all time classic cookie to make for The Chinese New Year. It is nutty, full of almond flavor.

Ingredients:

2 cups self rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-7 oz box Odense Almond Paste

6 ozs (1 1/2 sticks/12 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

egg yolk + 1 tbsp water for glazing

Blanched Slivered Almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 325° F with rack in center.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil or Silpat.

Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.

Grate almond paste on large hole side of grater.

Combine almond paste, butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar in the food processor. Pulse until soft and fluffy.

Add egg whites and vanilla. Pulse until well mixed.

Mix in flour mixture and pulse until just incorporated.

With a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop enough dough to form a 1-inch ball.
Roll dough between palms to make balls. (i like my cookies small so i half this 1 inch ball)

Roll balls in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.

Place balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between for spreading.

Glaze with egg yolk and firmly press an almond sliver on top of each cookie.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes (15 - 17 minutes for the 1 inch ball) until bottoms are light golden.

Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.


Serves

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Happiness Cake

I think PO PO's Happiness Cake must be delicious
I am thinking too

Oh, yes, must be Yummy

Renee says 'Thumb Up'

Ashley agrees

I know, i ate it all

When I found this recipe from Chef2Chef, i had to post this special recipe. It is one of the finest cakes I have ever made. I hope this recipe will be shared by many generations to come. These three are the TOPPING.

Ingredients:

1 cup good thoughts

1 cup kind deeds

1 cup well-beaten faults

1 cup consideration for others

2 cups sacrifice

3 plus cups forgiveness

Method:

Preheat oven to 98.6 degrees F.

Mix thoroughly

Add:Tears of joy, sorrow and sympathy

Flavor with love and kindly service

Fold in 4 cups prayer and faith

Blend well

Fold into daily life

Bake well with the warmth of human kindness and serve with a smile any time

It will satisfy the hunger of starved souls.

Serves

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Cheddar Cheese Pound Cake

I have been making a lot of sponge cake or chiffon cake and neglected my favorite, the pound cake. Perhaps it is the name 'pound' that has prevented me to bake it for the family, cos we really do not need the extra pound, with the exception of my grand daughter, Renee, who is The 21st Century Twiggy.

Ingredients:

4 ozs (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ozs/1/2 cup) fine granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 ozs diced Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup milk

5 ozs (1 cup + 2 tbsp)all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 325f

Line a greased loaf pan with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper.

Sieve flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream Butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in egg, cream well before adding the next egg, scrape the sides of the bowl. Add in the other egg and cream well.

Add in flour and milk, alternately in 3 portions.

Add in diced cheddar cheese and mix well.

Check for dropping consistency. If batter is too stiff, add alittle more milk.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and put to bake for 55 mins to 1 hr. Test with a toothpick for doneness.

Remove from oven and let cake remain in pan for 5 - 10 minutes before removing to cool in cake rack.

Serve when cake is cooled.

Serves

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Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

This home-size recipe from Letty Halloran Flatt’s recipe book CHOCOLATE SNOWBALL,is altitude-adjusted for 3500 feet altitude and above. Recipes developed for baking at sea level react differently when prepared at high altitudes. Baking results depend on many factors: food chemistry, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and climatic conditions, in addition to elevation.

Friends in the Mile High City - Denver, this recipe is for you For Friends who are at sea-level - refer to this chart Highaltitudebaking.com and do the opposite.

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 jumbo (4-inch) or 24 medium cookies.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla, then scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix them into the creamed butter. Scrape bowl. Stir in chocolate.

Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment or oil lightly with canola oil. (I use Silpat)

To make jumbo cookies, scoop dough into twelve (1/3 cup) mounds, 4 to a sheet, 3 inches apart, or scoop smaller cookies by the tablespoon.

Bake until cookies are flat and light golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon size.

Serves

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Apple Strudel Tart

Here's the easiest prettiest tart ever - it is as good as the best pastry shop offering. A variation on this recipe is to make with all sorts of fruits, particularly Peaches and Pears.

Ingredients:

6 large apples, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup dried cranberries/golden raisins - plumped and dried

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

12 sheets of filo-dough

Finishing Touch - Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Method:

Generously spray a 10 inch deep-dish tart pan with a removeable bottom with non-stick cooking spray. Place it on a parchment paper-lined/silicone liner baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 f.

Prepare apples and toss in a large bowl with sugar,lemon juice,cranberries/raisins, cinnamon, and flour.

Brush pan with melted butter. Lay 1 sheet of filo on top and press into pan, allowing sides to drape over edge of pan. Brush with butter. Repeat with another 4 sheets of filo, buttering each one.

Spoon apples into tart pan, pressing gently. You should have enough apples to mound nicely(slightly over edge of pan). Fold in overlapped ends of filo into filling.

Brush 1 filo with melted butter and lay(buttered side up) on top of apples. Repeat with 1 more sheet of filo. Fold in overlap onto apples.

Cut remaining filo into circles, the size of tart pan. Brust each with melted butter and gently place on top of apples. Be sure to brush top layer with melted butter so that top browns.

Make small knife marks in filo through to fruit to allow steam to escape.

Place tart in oven on lowest oven rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 f and bake until pastry puffs and fruit begins to produce juice 0 40 - 50 minutes.

Cool well.

Just before serving sift lightly with confectioners sugar(sorry, i always forgot to take a picture before serving - too excited to serve)

Serves

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Grilled Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane Skewers

This dish, know as Chao Tom in Vietnam is a classic. Originally created by the ingenious cooks of the Imperial Kitchens in Hue, it has become a national treasure. To appreciate its full impact, it is better to simply grill it and eat it by itself, enjoying every single bite, right down to the sweet, smoky flavors of the sugar cane. Although canned or frozen sugar cane can be used, it is no substitute for fresh. This dish is usually served with the traditional accompaniments of salad, rice wrappers and a dipping sauce. The frilled shrimp paste is pulled off the sugar cane, wrapped in a rice paper and dipped in sauce. The stripped sugar cane can then be chewed.


Ingredients:

2 oz pork fat

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 egg

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp raw cane or dark brown sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

12 oz raw shrimp - peeled and deveined - wipe really dry with kitchen towel

Salt and black pepper

A piece of fresh/frozen sugar cane, 8 inches long

Method:

Place the pork fat in a large pan of boiling water and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Drain well and chopped using a sharp knife. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and stir in the onion and garlic. Just as they begin to color, remove from the heat and transfer them to a bowl. Beat in the egg, fish sauce and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper, and stir in the cornflour.

Add the pork fat and shrimps to the mixture, and mix well. Process to a slightly lumpy past in a food processor.

Divide the paste into eight portions.

Using a strong knife or cleaver, cut the sugar cane in half and then cut each half into quarters lengthways.

Put a piece of cling wrap on the tabletop, then place a portion of shrimp paste. Top another piece of cling wrap and press the shrimp paste into a thin rectangle. Remove the top cling wrap and put a piece of sugar cane on one end and wrap the shrimp paste over the sugar cane, continue to roll until the end of paste and press tightly so that shrimp paste adheres to sugar cane. Remove the cling wrap and place on a greased plate and repeat the rest of the shrimp paste and sugar cane.

For best flavor, grill the shrimp paste skewers over a barbecue for 5 - 6 minutes, turning them frequently until they are nicely browned all over. Alternatively, cook the skewers under a conventional grill(broiler). Another alternative, is to deep fry them.

Serve immediately while still hot.

Serves

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Lion's Head/Yang Zhou Shi Zi Tou

It's an old and oft-repeated story that this dish - a big round meatball surrounded by cabbage and noodles - got its name from its resemblance to the shaggy mane of a lion. Lion's Head is a rustic and hearty home-cooked dish and a Shanghai specialty, although two towns with a friendly rivalry, Wuxi and Yangchou, also claim to have invented this dish. The meatballs taste better if the pork is hand chopped but for simplicity and ease, lean ground pork is just fine.



Ingredients:

1 large head(about 1 1/2 lbs) napa cabbage
4 ozs bean-thread(cellophane) noodles

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground pork
1/4 cup water chestnuts - finely minced
1 tbsp spring onions - white part only - minced
1 tbsp ginger - minced
1 tsp table salt or 2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp premium soya sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp white pepper

Oil for frying

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp table salt/1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp premium soya sauce

Method:

Trim off the root end of the napa cabbage head and reserve. Quarter the leaves of napa cabbage lengthwise and then cut them again crosswise into thirds. Set aside.

To prepare the noodles:

Pour hot water over the bean-thread noodles in a bowl, and let them cook until they are soft, about 15 minutes. Keep the noodles in the water until ready to use, as they tend to dry out quickly.

To form the meatballs:

Combine the meatball ingredients and using your hands, gently mix together until well combined. Don't overmix, or the pork will become gummy

.

Using a 1/2 cup measure, loosely form the pork into 4 balls, Throw the ball from one palm to another with force, for a few times and place onto a greased baking sheet. Set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until a bead of water dances on the surface and then evaporates. Pour in a thin film of oil to cover the bottom of skillet and swirl to coat.

Put in 2 meatballs, decrease heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Repeat browning the rest of the meatballs.

Put the reserved root ends of the cabbage in the bottom of a large saucepan. Place the browned meatballs on top, and pour in the chicken broth and water.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer the mixture, uncovered, until it has cooked down slightly.

Add in the napa cabbage leaves and add in 1/2 tsp salt.. Cover the pot and continue to simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the cabbage is soft.

Drain the noodles, add to the saucepan with 2 tbsp premium soya sauce and stir to combine well.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

To serve:

Arrange the meatballs on top of the cabbage and noodles. Serve hot.

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Soojunggwa (Cinnamon & ginger tea with persimmons)

Cinnamon…common, comforting, homey. Who would have thought it could be so good for you? Cinnamon may improve Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger's therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin

The dried persimmon has the effect of moistening lung and restraining cough, promoting secretion, moistening intestine

With all the good info on these 3 ingredients, how can i not make a pot and be happy that i will cure all my ills and aches with such a simple delicious drink. If only i had pine nuts to top my drink, then my drink in the picture would be more authentic

Ingredients:

10 cinnamon sticks

5-6 pieces ginger

10 cups water, 2 cups sugar

1/4 cup pine nuts

10 dried persimmons (gotgam)

Method:

In a big pot, add water, cinnamon sticks and ginger, let boil for about an hour or two.

Add sugar (depends on your taste, add more or less).

Let cool.

Put in a refrigerator.

Serve with a persimmon inside and some pine nuts on top


Serves

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Baby Pancake Puffs

This baby pancake puffs with red bean paste are very popular in Malaysia. It is so captivating to watch how they are made and more fun when you make them at home.



Ingredients:

1 level tsp instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm milk
1 tbsp butter

Sweet red bean paste - make tiny 1/2 inch balls

Method:

Combine the flour, eggs, yeast, sugar, salt and half the milk. Whisk smooth. Now add the remaining milk and beat again.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour.

Heat Baby pancake mould and grease the holes. When it sizzles, pour teaspoonfuls of the batter into the greased holes and drop a ball of red bean paste. Turn the puffs around as soon as the bottom has set and the uncooked batter will flow down to complete a ball. Cook until golden brown.

Serves

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Nori Crisps

Nori is commonly used as a wrap for sushi and onigiri. It is also a common garnish or flavoring in noodle preparations and soups. Here in this dish, nori is sandwiched with spring roll wrappers, fried into a most addictive snack. This would be an easy snack to serve for the
Chinese New Year.


Ingredients:

10 pcs seaweed sheets, cut into half
20 sheets spring roll wrappers

1 egg, lightly beaten for glazing

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Lay a piece of spring roll wrapper on the pastry board.

Brush with egg glaze

Place half a sheet of seaweed sheet on half of the spring roll wrapper.

Fold the spring roll wrapper to enclose seaweed sheet.

Roll it up like a you would roll a carpet and then cut into bite-size pieces or just cut into strips.

Heat oil in a wok.

Fry seaweed crisps until golden brown.

Remove from oil onto baking rack which has been lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Let cool completely and store in air tight container.


Serves

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Mak Chook/Bubur Terigu

The name of this dessert is confusing in cantonese. "Mak' is 'oats', but the grain used for this 'chook' which is porridge, is 'wheat'. The name 'Bubur Terigu' is more proper as ' terigu in Indonesian means 'gandum' aka 'wheat'. Terigu derives from the Portuguese word 'trigo'


Ingredients:

A:

2 ozs quick cooking oats
10 fl oz water

B
1 can 400 ml coconut cream
1/4 tsp salt

C
10 ozs biji terigu (without husk)
2 liters water

D
12 ozs sugar

E
3 tbsp rice flour mixed with 1/2 cup water

Method:

Mix A and cook until oats have thickened.

Soak biji terigu in cold water for 10 minutes, drain. Pound to break up the terigu.

Bring it to the boil with 2 liters of water till terigu is tender and swelling.

Add in sugar, cooked oats and stir well. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then add coconut cream and salt.

Stir in the rice flour mixture and bring it to a boil. Stirring well.

Remove from heat and serve hot.Serves


Serves

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Paper-lined Cup Sponge Cake

To achieve a good sponge cake, the name of these sponge cake is self-explanatory, the cups used for baking, have to be lined with parchment/greaseproof paper. The cups have to be tall, so i used drinking/party paper-cups. I lined a few and used muffin paper cups for the rest of batter. Now the batter - i have made with any normal sponge cake recipe but it was rough and cakey. The cake has to be fine textured and soft - and to get this, cake emulsifier has to be used.




Ingredients:

4 large eggs

3 ozs bleached all=purpose flour

1/2 oz cornflour

3 1/2 oz fine granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp ovalette(cake emulsifier)

30 ml milk

3 ozs butter - melted

Paper party cups

parchment/greaseproof paper - size 6 - 8 inch square - depending on size of cups

Method:

Line paper cups with parchment /greaseproof paper. DO NOT grease the papers.

Preheat oven at 375f.

Put all the ingredients except the melted butter into a mixing bowl.

Whisk everything on high for at least 7 mins until ribbon stage. In other words: when you lift the whisk out of the bowl, the mixture should fall, leaving a "ribbon-like" trail on the surface of the mixture.

This will be the right constitency for your batter.

Add in melted butter and whisk thoroughly.

Pour batter into the lined cups about 3/4 full and bake it in a preheated oven for about 15 - 20 mins.

Remove the cake from the paper cup immediately and leave it on wire rack to cool.

Serves

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Pak Ko Congee

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

It's time to have something simple after all the rich holiday food. A clear bowl of congee is very inviting, your stomach deserves the rest by this easier and more friendly congee.




Ingredients:

1 cuip rice
A handful of glutinous rice
1/2 lb skinless chicken breast/lean pork
1 can of white nuts/pak ko/gingko nuts
1 tsp oil
1 small piece rock sugar
1 tsp salt


Method:

Put rice and glutinious rice, oil, rock sugar, salt, chicken breast/lean pork and enough water - at least 2 inches above the rice.

Bring to the boil and continue to cook until rice is soft. Inbetween cooking, add cold water and using a whisk, whisk and stir to break up the rice.

When the chicken is cooked and no more pink, remove and shred.

When rice is the consistency to your liking, adjust the taste with more salt.

Add in the white nuts/pak ko/gingko nuts and the shredded chicken.

Serve hot

Remove the chicken

Serves
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