Teriyaki Chicken

Christmas just over and is time to welcome the new year in another four days.  This will be my last post for 2015.  Today I wish to share with you all a popular Japanese recipe - Teriyaki Chicken.  I guess Teriyaki Chicken is one the regular order when we went to a Japanese restaurant.  I am one of them and I wish to try it out on my own today.  

As my kitchen is not ready either with sake or mirin, I had substituted it with rice wine, vinegar and ginger wine.  The outcome does not disappoint me though.  I also had added in some spiciness touch in the sauce by using some chili flakes.  So, this is my version of Teriyaki Chicken, is so easy to prepare and you do not need to order a takeaway.  This is also a good idea for your guests at home during this festive season.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and a bless 2016.

Savory Stuffed Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Ball) Served with Pork Rib Soup

The Chinese Winter Solstice festival is coming soon.  Every year around this time or just a few days before Christmas.  This year falls on 22 of December.  Chinese around the world will be busy preparing "Tang Yuan" or glutinous rice balls to welcome this festival.  

The Winter Solstice is also popular known as Dongzhi Festival.  Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together.  One activity that they never missed during these get-together is making and eating Tang Yuan which symbolize reunion.  Tang Yuan is made of glutinous flour and sometimes are brightly colored.  The glutinous rice balls may be plain or stuffed.

As I used to make the balls in plain and served with sweet syrup, I would like to do something different this year.  Yes, I am making stuffed Tang Yuan with the combination of minced pork and shrimp meat and served with pork ribs soup.  We are very happy with the result.  I had added in some tapioca flour in my Tang Yuan dough and it makes them more bouncing when you eat them together with meat fillings.  The pork rib soup blended in so well with Tang Yuan.  It may take a while to prepare, but it's worthwhile.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles

This is the time that everyone is busy with the preparation of the forthcoming festivities of Christmas and New Year.  Do you have any idea of a Christmas gift for your family or friends?  If you do not have one yet, maybe this simple recipe could be a great contribution.  This recipe is best to be served cold, so, it's an ideal for this festive gathering or parties.

To choose something from your own kitchen as a gift makes Christmas more personal by making your own gorgeous gourmet gifts.  This chocolate chip cookie dough truffles are for cookie lovers.  The combination of all ingredients has been just superb.  As I love something crunchy, I have added on some toasted almond nibs on top... is just what I want for this Christmas, what about you?

Tasty Butter Salted Egg Yolk Pumpkin

I always used pumpkins for sweet recipes like cakes, desserts or snacks.  Very seldom I will turn them into something savory.  Thanks to a friend that had given me a part of a big pumpkin that she had bought and asked me what am I going to make.  That's a good question and took me a while of thinking.  There comes this recipe surface in my head. 

This tasty fried pumpkin recipe was adapted from a Malaysian celebrity chef, Chef Amy Beh a few years back when she was conducting a cooking workshop.  The special about this recipe is the creamy sauce blend with cooked salted egg yolk.  The aroma of the curry leaves and the little spicy taste of the bird chillies has made the whole dish taste so superb! You must give a try!

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Potato Top

This chicken pot pie recipe takes a little time to prepare, but you won't regret of the outcome and is well worth and is one of the popular hearty comfort food on a cold winter season.  Even though we do not have four seasons over here, but I kind of appreciate all these seasonals food.

Mashed potato is always our all time favorite, love the after effects, after it will bake together with the chicken and vegetables mixtures.  The crispy layer of the cheese on top has made it tastier.  This warm and nourishing recipe is suitable for everyone at home.

Traditional Egg Cake

Today, I am going to share a recipe of one of my favorite snacks during my childhood - the traditional egg cake or Chinese sponge cake.  My memories went back to when I was in primary school.  These mini egg cakes are always my choice during the breaks.  Normally, there are ten pieces in a pack and it will last me for two days.   

I did not know that to make these small wonders that needs so simple ingredients - eggs, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and last but not least is oil.  And the steps of making them are so easy.  You will just need to spend about 30 minutes for preparation and  baking time of 20 minutes and you will get soft, spongy and tasty cakes.

Steamed Sweet Potato Cake

I was grown-up in a family with the food business background.  Our core products include various types of snacks or in Malay we named it as "kuih" (cake).  Steaming is the main cooking method being used.  The varieties are from the popular Chinese "ang ku kuih", Chinese White Sugar Honeycomb cake and to even Malays  style "kuih" like "kuih lapis", "seri muka" and many many more.   All these are using steaming method.

My memory still in my late parents, they used to grind their own rice to make various types of steamed rice cakes.  Every of the bites of the cakes were so tender and the fragrant of the rice... Amazing!  That's the wonderful of making rice cake origin from the rice itself.  

As time goes and the growth of technologies we can buy ready made rice flour in any of your nearby supermarkets.  But the only thing is, I missed those tastes and rice fragrant by using those ready rice flour.  Something is missing!  So, I have decided to give tapioca starch a try in my steam sweet potato cake.  Turn-out great, tender and not too sticky.  Even though I missed those rice fragrant but I am satisfied.  Don't believe me?  Try it out!

This recipe is ideal for home parties and gatherings too.

One Pot Tom Yum Soup

During this cold season, I am always craving for comfort food and one-pot soup is one of my regulars from my little kitchen.  A hot and sour pot soup is even marvelous!  Yes, Thai style Tom Yum Soup that's what's on my mind.

In my this One Pot Tom Yum Soup I had used seafood combinations with two types of mushrooms.  It turns out wonderful!  If you not fancy of a sour taste in the soup, you may reduce the amount of the lime juice.  Same goes to those do not want the soup to be too hot, you may reduce the amount of the bird chilies or the Tom Yum paste.  

I only used prawns as my major seafood in this soup as I love the prawns with Tom Yum combinations.  You may try to add on with squids, fish or even mussels. As I like the soup to be milky, I had added with evaporated milk instead of coconut milk which is a normal practice.  Reason is not wishing the strong taste of the coconut milk to cover the original taste of the Tom Yum soup.  This is a very easy to make and the taste is just amazing!

Slow Cooker Soy Sauce Chicken Wings

As falls are going to over, I would like to share with you all a comfort dish that suitable for this coming cold season.  Stewing or brewing is one of trend of cooking during this time and to make it more easy and convenient if your kitchen has this small wonder call - slow cooker, then will be perfect!

This recipe is specially designed for those who have a slow cooker at home.  Is a Chinese style of cooking, that's why soy sauce is one of the main ingredients for this chicken wings recipe.  I used combinations of both light and dark soy sauce to build up the colors of the whole dish, a little Chinese cooking wine to stir-up the taste and is so easy to make.  

What you need to do is to cook the wings for a few minutes and then transfer them into the slow cooker and add in with mixed sauce.  After two hours you will be able to enjoy a smooth and nice texture of the wings.

Homemade Curry-Spiced Burgers

The eagerness of making my own burgers has been too long and I can't wait anymore.  If you prefer something different from those you always had outside, try this recipe of mine.  As an Asian, I always like to add on with some Asian taste in my food, same goes to this burger patties recipe.  

As I love spices so much, I used curry powder to mix together with my minced meat and I had added on with some chopped fresh coriander to enhance the fragrant of the mixtures of the meat.  You won't believe the fragrant of the patties were so good when I pan-fried them.  To neutralize the hotness of the burgers I served them together with all my time favorite salads - coleslaws. Perfect!

This is a very easy to make homemade burgers, crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Enjoy!

Chicken Mushroom Bruschetta

Hello everyone, I am back again!  I am so sorry for missing in action for  almost two months.  There are two reasons - our cameras are sent for service and it took almost a month and also due to me unreasonable working schedule. Well, this always happens to a full-time working married woman....sigh.

After a long break, I wish to share with you this recipe that was on my trial list for sometime, that is bruschetta.  I used to make varieties of vegetables and fruit topping whenever there are any home gathering, parties or potluck.  But this round I am eager to try out something savory and I am satisfied with the turn out.

Chicken Mushroom is my choice for this round bruschetta topping.  I had added a little touch of Asian feel in my recipe.  To make the colors stand out I have added in a little of dark soy sauce in my way of caramelizing the chicken meat with mushrooms.  No regrets at all!  It goes so well with the crispy toasted, buttered slice French baguette.   To make the bites feeling not too meaty, I intentionally combined the cooked chicken mushroom topping with some thinly chopped lettuce, so you can feel both kinds of crunchy from the greens and also the toasted sliced baguette.  

Holiday seasons round the corner, try this out for your guests at home!

Steamed Ginger Milk Custard (served with Osmanthus Syrup)

Steamed Ginger Milk Custard was listed in my trial list for so long.  I have fallen in love with this dessert when I first tried a few years ago during my first visit to Macau.  This dessert is well known among the Chinese community inclusive me!  I just love the smoothness of this dessert when it melts in my mouth with little of spiciness taste from the ginger, heavenly.

As I have a practice of controlling the sugar level in my food, I have cut down half amount of sugar when I made this dessert, but then, when I thought of others who might have a different perception, I have this idea pop-up in my head - to serve with syrup like what we used to do when we eat bean curd custard (tofu fa).  I have added some ginger juice and dried Osmanthus in my syrup.   Dried Osmanthus is my regular item of making flowering tea or blooming tea, which could improve skin complexion.  

So ladies, how could you miss this wonderful easy to make dessert!  

Baked Cheesy Chicken Wonton Cups

If you were given a task to prepare an appetizer for a party, potluck, picnic or gathering, what will you prepare?  There is one which I had in my mind and wish to try out for quite some time, that is baked wonton cups. 

Baked wonton cups can be easily prepared and be invented in so many designs of flavors of fillings.  It can be blended with meat, fruits, vegetables, etc., etc....  

This is my first trial, I would like to try with chicken meat mix with colorful bell peppers and add in with some spiciness when I stir-fried the fillings.  I just use some chili flakes, you may ignore them if you don't like them, as it will still taste good when those cheeses topping melted after baked.

So, if you wish to prepare something look classy and presentable yet yummy, try this out!

Traditional Chinese Steamed Pork-Patty with Salted Egg Yolk

It was totally a bad experience for all Sabahan (including me) for the past two weeks.  The first ever earthquake in Malaysia took place at the our most popular tourist spot, the Mount Kinabalu on the 5th of June at 6.0 magnitudes.  I was alone at home and was in the middle of preparing to go out when it happened.  I thought I was not well and collapsing and at that particular moment I felt like the house is going to turn upside down and I started to hear people screaming and strong running footsteps from my apartment. Without hesitation, I grabbed my handbag and ran out of my apartment too.  Once I was out of the eight storey building and managed to get hold of my husband on the mobile, whom also experienced the same tremor in his office and had confirmed it was an earthquake.

The aftershock had caused my health level went down tremendously, even until now was not fully recovered.  Same goes to my appetite has dropped too.  Suddenly this dish pop-up in my head - steamed pork-patty with salted egg yolk.  I remembered this was what my late mom always like to prepare for me when I am not well and it was suppose to go together with plain rice porridge.

I grown-up from a very conservative Chinese family and I have been always explored with traditional Chinese cooking.  Steaming pork patty is one of them.  It was always blended with either preserved vegetables, salted fish, etc., but the most I liked was when it matched with salted egg yolk.  The minced meat is preferably self-chopped, as then it will produce good tenderness on the patty.  This dish will perfectly go well with plain rice or rice porridge and is simple to prepare.  I promise you will love it very much like I do!

Kung Pao Chicken

Hi everyone, I am back!  Time flies.... It has been exactly six months since my last post, that is, on the eve of the 2015.  Feel so bad for leaving this blog un-touch for so long. The first six months of 2015 indeed were an aggressive and adventurous for me in both my working career and personal life.

Now that everything has almost stabilized, is time for me to get back to the kitchen to try on some recipes out and share with all of you.  

Today, I am going to bring you a very popular Chinese dish - Kung Pao Chicken.  I believed this dish is not only popular in Asian countries, but has reached out to other parts of the globe too.  I remembered I had made this dish during the Chinese New Year and had shared out on my personal Facebook's Timeline, I was surprised by the over-whelming responses, even some are not local or non-Chinese.  So, for sure I knew this would be one of the looking forward recipe.

My original version of Kung Pao Chicken spiciness level is quite high and I am sure some of you will not able to take it.  No worries, I have my way to assist you in this area and make sure you it will not run away too far from the original taste and save you all the hassle to order a takeaway from the restaurants.