I have been getting too many questions as to why the cracklings are not so crackling although they follow my recipe to the 'T". So, i have decided to create this Step-By-Step and hope that the cracklings will crackle like it should................
Yan Yat Yee Sang - this must sound like a tongue twister, that's how chinese sounds when you do not speak or know how to, Alexander will ask - What did you say? and mumble whatever came out of his mouth. The Chinese Lunar New year is celebrated for 15 days, read about how these 15 days are celebrated. The chinese has their humour in a funny way - 12th day is The Diarrhea Day - ha ha. Today is the seventh day and It is known as "人日" Rénrì in mandarin or Yan Yat in cantonese or Everyone's Birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older. In West Malaysia and Singapore, Yu Sheng/Yee Sang, raw slivers of fish are tossed together with various pickles and vegeatble into a Salad. As they toss the salad, they raise the salad high with their chopsticks and say auspicious words...........
This is a spin-off from Nori Crisps. These seaweed /nori crispies are so addictive and flavorful that they have to be fried and served for The Chinese New Year. They are so easy, just 3 ingredients and oil for deep frying. This year, instead of rolling them up or plain flat, i have twisted them into ribbons following Sesame Ribbon Crisp but do not double up the prepared pastry. For this recipe i have tweaked and used egg whites instead of the whole egg and found that the crispies remained crispier.
Gula melaka a.k.a. Palm Sugar or 'Malacca Sugar'. Why Melaka/Malacca,? I have no idea and hope that you readers can enlighten me. Gula melaka is made by first extracting the sap from the flower bud of a coconut tree. Several slits are cut into the bud and a pot is tied underneath the bud to collect the sap. Then, the sap is boiled until it thickens after which, in the traditional way, it is poured into bamboo tubes between 3-5 inches in length, and left to solidify to form cylindrical cake blocks.....
I remembered that when i was frying this Taro Crunch, i was saying to myself that there must be a better way to hold the taro shreds together while frying them and i thought of the net ladle used for steam boat. Yes, it is very successful and it makes pretty good balls of even sizes, light and crunchy..................
When i was making the Crispy Crackers for Yee Sang, i decided to make this Sesame Ribbon Crisp as it is the same recipe only it is formed into ribbons. These ribbons do not need any introduction, one bit into one and before you can chew on it, your hand will be reaching out for another. That's how good they are.
Ever since i owned a microwave oven in 1986, i have been using it alot to aid my cooking and it is the most used appliance in my kitchen. I would not have made or cooked so often if i have to slave on a stovetop for hours on end. The microwave has allowed me to cook faster without having to attend to the cooking and allowing me time to fulfil other tasks and the best part is that i do not have extra pots and pans for cleaning. This time of the year is always busy, busy, especially when the Chinese New Year is just 2 weeks away and it means that it is time to bake Pineapple Tarts which is a must for this celebration.........
Financiers, a small French cake, are as rich as the bankers they were named for. The financier is a light, moist teacake, sweet, tender and beautiful in their simplicity...........
