Recipe
Pie tees with jicama, carrot, pork and dried shrimps
A traditional Nonya (Malay-Chinese) food, these cute & crispy little cups got me wondering… hmm.. what goodies can I fill them up with?
In Singapore the pie tee cups are available in sealed plastic jars from supermarkets – but we don’t have such luxury in Australia. So I bought a brass pie tee mould online from the U.K. and made my own pastry. For the filling, I stirred fry some graded jicama & carrot, minced pork and oyster sauce. Then I topped the pastry cups with fried shrimps and shallot. It was really tasty.
Recipe is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐), and my father’s story of two spoonful of oil
The province of Sichuan in China is famous for its taste bud killing pepper corn & spicy food. One of their most famous dishes is the ‘mapo tofu’, sometimes translated as the ‘pockmarked grandma’s bean curd’.
When my father was a young lad, he attended a university far away from home. Ever since then, he developed a strong desire for traveling. After graduation, he worked for a state-owned factory with a starting salary of 51 yuan a month. He did not have the money to travel other than travelling for work.
One year, he was fortunate enough to be sent to Sichuan for a research project. He asked my grandmother for an oil coupon. Those days most essentials were scarce and required coupons. When he arrived, he took the coupon to a well-known local restaurant and ordered a big bowl of mapo tofu. ‘The tofu was so good,’ he said to me, still with great enthusiasm, ‘ it had two spoonfuls of oil in it.”
I have had many mapo tofu dishes over the years – they all seemed to be overly oily. But I liked them just like that – I soaked up the oil with boiled rice. I could feel my father’s joy and excitement as a far-away-from-home young traveler.
Recipe is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Chocolate, coconut, sesame and dates balls (gluten free, vegan)
As a part time working mum dashing between workplace and school drop offs & pick ups, some days I don’t time for breakfast or lunch. This is a tasty treat that can really enhance energy level.
So simple – you can add your other favorite dried fruits; and make a large batch and freeze them.
Recipe is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Mango pudding with coconut kumquat (gluten free)
The Kumquat shrub is bearing fruits in the garden – super juicy and adds lots of flavor to a mango & coconut pudding. Mango pudding is one of my favorite dessert at yum cha.
Recipe is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Hot and sour soup 酸辣湯
When I first arrived in Australia in late 1980s, I studied full time & worked part time in an upmarket Chinese restaurant serving northern style cuisines. I was always amazed by the beautiful aroma from the hot and sour soup and its interesting taste – hot but not overwhelming, sour with a woody base, sweet and crunchy, offering so much comfort on a winter’s night.
Recipe is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
Hometown sweet and savory rice dumplings (家乡咸水角) – memories of my grandfather’s village at ZhongShan (中山)
These dumplings are distinctively Cantonese- sweet & savory, gentle and tasty. Someone told me that it was originated from the Zhongshan region (中山) where my grandfather was born.
My grandfather’s family lived in a village called Yunhan (云汉村) in a town called Shaxi (沙溪镇). The town was well known for its connection to overseas Chinese – nearly every family had some relatives overseas.
My childhood memory of the village where our relatives lived was picturesque – peaceful lychee trees growing alongside a small river, laden with juicy purple-red fruits. The houses in the village were the traditional terrace houses with beautiful classic wooden furniture called red Suanzhi, translated as the red sour-wood (酸枝), one of the most expensive furniture hardwood in southern China. At the back of each house, there was a courtyard with a sand filter. Water was carried home from a nearby well, commonly in two wooden buckets on a pole, then filtered to drinking water in a sand filter. Most courtyards were lined with stones. The stoves were also made of stones where straws and sticks were burned to cook food. A well-off region with fertile farm land and money from offshore relations, hospitality at the village was always warm and welcoming.
These savory dumplings are wonderfully interesting – glutinous rice skin that tastes a little like a doughnut, with extremely tasty fillings. They are time-consuming to make, but very worthwhile.
Recipe is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Golden coconut flan
I learned about flan when I was working as a waitress in an Asian restaurant during my university days. I have to say, my flan is so much better than that restaurant’s.
Recipe is as follow: Read the rest of this entry »
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