tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144355572012-02-01T21:06:18.704+08:00cooking, baking, photographing, recipes and moreLydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.comBlogger5861100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-51696706576845099552012-01-20T12:54:00.003+08:002012-01-20T21:47:53.460+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all My Kitchen readers,wishing you a prosperous and joyful year ahead.  Lots of packing to be done this Chinese New Year and I am so not into the packing mood yet. Make it worse, after Chinese New Year there would be more packing to be done. I think it is time to announce that my physical kitchen is to be relocated to Japan less than 2 months. Perhaps, this butter

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-37790733722002930412012-01-18T23:59:00.002+08:002012-01-19T00:05:58.900+08:00

Almond biscotti, a cookie that associated with sweet memory. N years ago when my hubby (boy friend then) and I were separated almost 2000 miles by sea, I sent him home-made biscotti. It was the thick version, quite hard in texture but he liked it with coffee. The story followed, I gave some to one of my colleagues she said her 2-year old son used it as drumstick!! Okay, story time is over. I

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-77847271519830610152012-01-15T21:10:00.001+08:002012-01-15T21:11:35.114+08:00

Kohaku-namasu (紅白なます) is made of radish and carrot strips and pickled in sweetened vinegar for hours or overnight before serving. It is one of the traditional Japanese new year dishes (osechi ryori) served on new year day. The combination of red and white colours in namasu symbolise good luck for the new year. This is an easy recipe, the hardest part I guess would be cutting carrot and radish

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-92228219450497299872012-01-05T22:31:00.003+08:002012-01-06T01:18:47.289+08:00

Overdosed on protein during year end celebrations, it is time to let my body take a break before Chinese New Year feast. Talking about Chinese New Year, it is going to be special one as we are going to meet my youngest sister, her hubby and cutey nephew flying back all the way from New York! This is the first thing that I really looking forward to in year 2012. Year 2012 is a year full of

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-54272247235634415552012-01-01T20:58:00.000+08:002012-01-01T20:58:33.119+08:00

Happy New Year 2012! Wishing you and your family a year filled with peace and happiness. Osechi ryori (御節料理) is traditional Japanese new year foods, usually present in a stack of special lacquer boxes called jubako (重箱). I reused this black box came with osechi we ordered last year as we do not have a jubako here in Malaysia. Traditionally, osechi is cooked in bulk before the dawn of new

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-18047753632075925562011-12-29T16:32:00.001+08:002011-12-29T16:36:49.694+08:00

This is one of the sandwich obento recipes submitted and published on Y3K Recipes awhile ago. Making of sandwich obento is not as difficult as you might have perceived, simple ingredients can be turned into beautiful lunch-box in no time - create a preferred sandwich and combine all colourful ingredients in a lunch-box neatly. Ingredients (2 servings): Sandwich: 3-4 crabsticks, chopped 1 tbsp

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-64815382059168726422011-12-25T12:48:00.001+08:002011-12-26T17:27:18.060+08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to MK readers! Wishing you a new year filled with happiness, peace and love. It is a summer Christmas here in Malaysia so I made my cake white, non-dairy cream with a hint of coffee. This cake was easy to make and deco, but with two little boys (four naughty hands) around I was able to give only 60% attention to the cake and spending the rest watching out

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-41742077251336547452011-12-21T17:06:00.007+08:002012-01-05T22:40:06.670+08:00

Would you like one of these lovely pink Bella ladies t-shirts? I have a large size and a medium size customised t-shirts giving away, together with a little gift for obento. For what occasion? Hmm... just for fun! Read on to learn how to enter this give-away event. Front                                                    Back First of all, many thanks to ooshirts for sponsoring two beautiful

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-30129579330609820392011-12-17T11:54:00.006+08:002011-12-17T12:00:42.230+08:00

This is a dish created with all small amount of leftover ingredients in the refrigerator - kimchi, clam and firm tofu. I usually buy extra blocks of firm tofu and keep few in the freezer, thaw on kitchen bench when needed. Both T and I simply love the texture and layers of freezer-dried tofu. Freezer dried tofu is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking it is usually made with cotton tofu and

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-13586079632981725402011-12-05T16:28:00.003+08:002011-12-06T17:11:12.729+08:00

I have been clearing out dried food keeping in the refrigerator lately. Cleared many stuff yet still many to clear. I had a container of dried scallop queued up in there, stared at me every time I opened the refridgerator. It was from my brother and mom, meant for boys porridge but they rarely eat porridge nowadays. To clear all stock at once, first recipe came to my mind was XO sauce but

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-3358457723821010902011-11-22T18:01:00.001+08:002011-11-22T18:03:09.088+08:00

Not sure if you have noticed, I have been posting more recipes on baking lately. Not that I have not been cooking but was busy with boys and my "3rd baby" left me with no much time for photographing dishes I cooked for family daily. After working for two years, my "3rd baby" is at finalising stage this week. At last! This is a dish I cooked awhile ago, simple Chinese stew with legumes. I

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-2835329171880913622011-11-12T15:53:00.004+08:002011-11-23T09:57:10.537+08:00

I am really into bread making lately, main reason being bread is healthier than cake and other sweet stuff. If I bake cake, my two little boys will nibble on it whole day it means high sugar and fat intake. In our family now, cake is one type of sweet treats and bread is a regular snack for tea. I baked a 100% wholemeal bread few weeks ago, T and I loved it but it was two dry and hard for

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-77485827024462874792011-11-02T11:31:00.000+08:002011-11-02T11:31:33.068+08:00

Onigiri – rice ball, a common Japanese food made with plain white rice. Traditionally, it is formed into oval or triangle shapes and wrap with a piece of seaweed (nori – のり). The basic ones are rice with seaweed, and some will have a plum (umeboshi – 梅干) as filling. Onigiri has now developed into many flavours and cute shapes and creations that appeal to all ages. My first taste of yaki

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-74907501568938596332011-10-28T22:24:00.001+08:002011-10-28T22:28:17.704+08:00

Made soy milk the other day ended up with lots of soybean pulp (aka okara) in the freezer. I have been using it both in baking and cooking for past three days! Small amount each day, what a high protein week for us! I baked some muffins last night, it tasted good but texture wise was not what I expected. Going to try another batch soon. Today, we had this hamburger made with 50% meat and 50%

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-65097438631576826392011-10-27T23:24:00.000+08:002011-10-27T23:24:27.267+08:00

I have been seeing many soy milk posts recently, motivated and made some myself yesterday. The last time I made soy milk was two decades ago, almost! Yes, I am that old. Handmade then, so as now. Feeling like outdated now, many people are using soy milk maker but I am still handmade. I made with only 200 grams of soybeans yielded more than a liter of super thick soy milk. It was very smooth and

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-64674730997142990222011-10-22T10:26:00.001+08:002011-10-23T21:05:50.543+08:00

I have this recipe jotted down many years ago and baked umpteenth times, not realizing that it is not on my blog yet! Yes, I made a cheesecake for T's birthday again but small one this time. October is a month filled with celebrations in our family, anniversary and two birthdays. This photograph was taken before I added whipped cream and strawberry on the top. As for the cocoa pattern, I cut it

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-62280228195280275302011-10-20T15:56:00.000+08:002011-10-20T15:56:10.551+08:00

I am the so-called person in-charge of buying groceries and fresh goods in the family. You can say my anata is spoiled but I really do not want to receive fruit jam instead of fresh fruits I "ordered". And, when he buys banana he tend to get stock for 2 weeks! That is why I always have over ripen banana in the freezer. This recipe is adapted from Alex Goh's banana butter-sponge cake recipe.

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-4752817218964637362011-10-18T18:59:00.000+08:002011-10-18T18:59:58.108+08:00

This is something that my mom used to cook pretty often when I was little. Mom's original version was without the green and cooked with cubed pork belly. She loved to use preserved soy bean in cooking, the best was baby shark in this style. I love it with steamed rice but T prefers noodles, just like those boiled noodles tossed in special sauce (干捞面) selling at hawker. Ingredients: 200 g pork

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-15130986146780696652011-10-14T10:40:00.137+08:002011-10-14T16:46:01.591+08:00

Bun with red bean paste filling is the most frequently baked bun in MK for time being. My two boys simply love the bun with red bean paste filling, both steamed and baked version. I bought a pack of 1 kg red bean paste awhile ago and it is enough for 40 buns! I like soft and light buns with chilled batter (冷藏液种) method, bread made with 100% starter dough method is soft too but I personally

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-20515919017453036452011-10-08T15:20:00.002+08:002011-10-10T22:06:29.201+08:00

T loves potato salad very much, as and when he will request for it. To make it a healthier option, I substituted potato with sweet potato as it has low GI even though both of them contain similar amount of calories. To make it even healthier, I used 50% calories reduced mayonnaise. Despite of the changes, it tasted similar to potato salad I used to made. Importantly, the big fan of potato salad

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-75135426473873936912011-09-30T15:23:00.001+08:002011-09-30T15:26:06.926+08:00

I like fresh fig with cheese, simply love it in cheese platter. I remember fig trees I saw in Australia were huge but they were tiny ones I saw in Japan. When we drove around in the neighbourhood, I was excited to see tiny fig trees (close to pot plants) bearing lots of fruits. T's hometown is in southern part of Kyoto, about an hour drive from Kyoto CBD. In law's house is closed to country

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-42987618613935773122011-09-06T22:22:00.003+08:002011-09-30T15:25:03.154+08:00

I noticed that J(3y7m) likes coleslaw very much. Every time we had KFC, he asked for coleslaw for sure. Then he decided to call it "KFC's veggies" for both restaurant and homemade versions. Well, coleslaw is the only vegetable dish available at KFC. My old version of coleslaw was made with evaporated milk which T did not like it at all. Now, I always use mayonnaise together with some other

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-29474921622441214472011-08-30T22:10:00.001+08:002011-08-30T22:16:44.541+08:00

Simple obento for T that I prepared awhile ago. It contained Chinese style short rice-noodles (aka mee tai mak aka lor-su fan) tossed in special soy sauce, Japanese style simmered pork and blanched vegetables. I prepared the sauce for noodles in bulk, used it for all sort of noodles such as egg noodles, yellow noodles and instant noodles. I even used it for fried rice, a very versatile sauce I

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-88812620708316467962011-08-28T07:58:00.000+08:002011-08-28T07:58:00.368+08:00

When the lazy bugs visited me, I served this one pot chicken rice to my family. A short-cut to  Hainanese chicken rice, super easy meal to prepare yet comforting. Ingredients (3-4 servings): A: 2 no. chicken whole legs (I used free-range chicken aka kampung chicken) 1/2 tsp salt B (rice): 1 cup Jasmine rice (200ml), rinsed and soaked for 15 minutes 1/2 tbsp cooking oil (use chicken fat for

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-29970330564789324142011-08-25T09:44:00.001+08:002011-08-27T06:24:58.671+08:00

At last, I made this kuih lapis (literally means layered cake) that I planned long time ago. I used to make the other version of kuih lapis using only rice flour, with pink and white layers. Nyonya version is colourful and bouncy in the mouth, I like it very much.  My elder boy (3y6m) loved this kuih as much as I did, both of us finished the whole tray within two days! Luckily I had a fan.

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-47400702501898531122011-08-21T07:00:00.002+08:002011-08-21T19:58:10.271+08:00

Lychee is now one of my favourite fruits after tasted premium quality lychee from Taiwan. It was so sweet and juicy, unlike sourly lychee I bought before. I kept some in the freezer (with peel on), it turned into 100% natural sobe the next day. Every time I had lychee, I needed a hand towel ready by my side. After 30s lychee eating years  I then learned how easy it is to peel a lychee without

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-81013974533191798992011-08-20T07:25:00.003+08:002011-08-20T07:25:00.176+08:00

Ayam masak kicap madu (chicken cooked with soy sauce and honey) - it was hard for me to focus when shooting this bowl of black goodies. I cooked it on demand of T but I did not like it that much. He liked it sweet but I prefer savoury version cooked without honey. Most Malay dishes use sweetened dark soy sauce (kicap manis) for cooking. The soy sauce itself is sweet PLUS honey, it can be my

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-20674048936468717802011-08-16T09:50:00.014+08:002011-11-12T15:54:46.537+08:00

There are many methods in making bread I learnt from cookbooks, Japanese and Chinese foodies' blog. Different methods produce different texture of bread, of course other factors like room temperature, ingredients and technique of manipulating the dough affect the quality of end product too. For soft bread, add small amount of evaporated milk or condensed milk, and/or substitute half amount of

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-91620839310892305462011-08-14T00:09:00.001+08:002011-08-14T00:09:00.376+08:00

Braised tofu in tomato sauce, another simple tofu dish I cooked for my boys. All vegetables in this dish are my elder boy's favourite. He refused to try at first thought that it was a spicy dish judging form its colour. Could that also be categorized as "hot stove effect"? Ingredients: 2 tubes egg tofu aka Japanese tofu Corn flour for coating tofu Handful sweet peas Handful baby corns Handful

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-61505385702495151912011-08-10T18:50:00.000+08:002011-08-10T18:50:21.047+08:00

I am trying to include more legumes in our daily diet, and feed my boys with more vegetable without them knowing it. If you have any simple baking recipes with legume, do share with me.  I used canned green peas for this cake its texture was great - soft and moist, but taste wise was a bit bland. For my next green peas chiffon, I will definitely use green pea powder or ground green pea made

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-46760031295279576312011-08-06T20:18:00.002+08:002011-08-06T20:20:37.159+08:00

Char kuey tiao (fried flat rice noodles) - another famous hawker food from Penang after the Assam Laksa. T loves it so much that I am almost trained to be one of the char kuey tiao hawkers after n times of tasting and testing. He always order char kuey tiao whenever we have our breakfast or lunch at the hawker. Also, he requests for home-cook version often that gives me plenty of opportunities

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-25806386085205243212011-08-03T09:13:00.007+08:002011-08-04T10:57:20.300+08:00

This time of the year many durian recipes will appear on both Malaysian and Singaporean foodies' blog. I have not tried something new yet, for this rolled cake I combined two existing recipes  on My Kitchen. Used T's favourite D14 durian for the cream, he simply loved it. After first slice, T said he needed only the cream. Meanwhile, little J ate only the cake he tried really hard to scoop out

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-5986969710385557972011-08-01T08:44:00.002+08:002011-08-01T09:05:24.164+08:00

This was the thing that made J(3y5m) came to me with a cute little cheeky face and whispered to me "ice block". It was his strategy after few 'no" from me but it did not work too (this mama is really bad).  He loved it so much that I had to hide one for myself his treat the next day. The end result didn't turn out as I wanted it to be,  the kiwi did not stand out that much. Perhaps using

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-81802050582698886642011-08-01T08:12:00.000+08:002011-07-28T00:38:01.754+08:00

A day after I cooked this Assam Laksa, I learned that it is ranked 7th world most delicious food by CNN. T asked if I agree with the ranking. Well, I like Assam Laksa but not a big fan of it. Comparing to other famous Malaysian food, I fond more on Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken (怡保芽菜鸡) and Nasi Lemak but both of them were not on the list. Here are the top 50 most delicious food around the world by

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-23186321363083405172011-07-27T08:00:00.002+08:002011-07-27T08:00:02.648+08:00

I craved for Chai Kueh (菜粿) for long finally made it yesterday. Well, it is widely available here in Penang but I am little picky about this kueh. I like soft but not mushy skin, it also should not be sticking to teeth when chewing. Thanks to one of my virtual friends shared her recipe with me. My chai kueh did not turn hard after I left them in room temperature several hours.  I had that for

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-51631182547753903872011-07-24T08:05:00.002+08:002011-07-24T19:36:42.529+08:00

Yes, you are looking at the right photo. It was Chinese steamed bun with yam served with cheese and veggies sticks we had for breakfast. Sliced bun was pan-fried with tinny bit of butter till golden brown, slightly crispy on the outside and soft inside. Never expected yam and cheese is such a good combination. First time made steamed bun with bread flour and milk, quite happy with the result

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-55112783451789734942011-07-21T13:34:00.031+08:002011-07-22T11:15:19.013+08:00

 Saw many chiffon cakes baked by friends lately could not resist but to bake one myself. Thanks Sherlyn for reminding me of this cake, it was on my baking list for long but never remember it whenever I want to bake a chiffon. The cake was so light, fluffy, and moist. I just loved the cheesy taste but T asked for creamy type of cheesecake. The recipe is adapted from Alex Goh's "Fantastic

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-39026404851537357602011-07-15T22:43:00.004+08:002011-07-17T13:17:49.974+08:00

Have anyone seen this before? I was so excited to see this at a fruit stall in local wet market this morning. Immediately I grabbed one packet to share with you guys here. Yes, it is PURPLE colour cili padi aka bird-eye chili! It was sold in small packets of 25g each, at RM1. I thought it is quite expensive considering I can buy normal bird-eye chili at around RM1 for 100g. Taste wise, not very

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-65422701188944476552011-07-14T16:39:00.003+08:002011-07-17T13:16:37.528+08:00

Bought some chicken wings and did not know what to do with them until I found a bottle of Korean chili sauce in the fridge. It's time to clear some items in my fridge especially those dried food and sauce jars. This spicy wing is good with a drink, T had it with both sake and beer. Me? If I am allowed to be drunk, give me cold beer. Ingredients: A 6 chicken wings, clean and pat dry with paper

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-88000783306065903752011-07-12T18:02:00.003+08:002011-07-17T13:18:27.717+08:00

Long long time ago when I was working in Singapore, one of my roommates was a Teochiew lady from Penang. She liked to cook fish with plum sauce, very appetizing sweet and sour taste. Until now, I thought of her every time I cooked or ate something similar to that. This Lemon Fish a simple home-cook dish also available in some Chinese restaurants. Restaurant version usually cooked with fillet, for

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-38676427664684933322011-07-07T01:05:00.001+08:002011-07-07T01:37:54.971+08:00

  最近参加了红米烘趴，快樂農夫糧糧-瘋烤米最行。指定材料是 来自台湾的新红米粉由主办者提供。还没收到粉之前上网谷歌了一下，原来有这么多的米粉烘焙食谱。所谓的 "gluten free"食谱大多都会用米粉来代替面粉，之前我只会在小饼干和派皮加米粉增加脆度。又上了一堂课。 Participated in a blogger baking event organized and sponsored by Happy Farmer (brief translation) from Taiwan recently. One of the key ingredients to be included in the recipe was red rice flour supplied by the organizer. I googled for recipes before I received

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-42071759629243333212011-07-06T10:04:00.002+08:002011-07-07T09:10:02.761+08:00

Obento is common Japanese cuisine homemade, take-out or serving in restaurant. There are many types of obento come with different main dish. However, I am sharing some simple modern obento made with sandwiches instead of rice or rice ball (onigiri). They are good for both breakfast and lunch, and much easier to prepare compared to traditional obento. Let’s start filling the limited space with

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-39792974847170206752011-06-23T22:34:00.006+08:002011-07-17T13:19:30.475+08:00

It has been awhile since I last baked muffin so I decided to bake some for afternoon tea as we had early lunch today. A quick basic muffin recipe using folding method, I do not welcome noise pollution during little one's nap time. Soon after baked, J (3y4m) approached me "mama, I smell cake" and he asked for one. He had a warm muffin while I was shooting some photographs. This muffin has

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-12656006175419767192011-06-17T21:26:00.000+08:002011-06-17T21:26:05.392+08:00

Sobameshi (そば飯 ), literally means noodles-rice, is pan fried noodles together with steamed rice. It is a common Japanese home-cooked dish that my boys like. Whenever I have leftover of fried noodles, I will keep it in the fridge even a small amount. And, make into sobameshi with other ingredients available in the fridge at times. Having said it is a Japanese dish but the flavour is up to

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-35586548836268353212011-06-13T15:44:00.007+08:002011-07-17T13:20:44.805+08:00

I baked an apple tart for entertaining our guests yesterday afternoon, a basic shortbread crust with custard filling, topped with apple slices and almond slices. It was served at room temperature simply delicious with a cup of coffee. The custard filling was made with custard powder so I added in a slice of sliced cheese to make it tasty and creamy. It did not taste cheesy at all, add more

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-88298250143433147242011-06-12T08:57:00.005+08:002011-06-12T21:44:34.577+08:00

  Japanese seafood miso soup is usually cooked with red miso, which has stronger taste and saltier than ones cooked white miso. I personally prefer to use white miso for all kind of soup, not so authentic but well accepted by my family.  This hearty snapper miso soup (鯛の味噌汁 read as tai no misoshiru) is kind of one dish meal, great with a bowl of steamed rice and some pickles. Five other

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-67035172745408197792011-06-09T21:44:00.005+08:002011-08-17T21:17:45.798+08:00

My boys and I love steamed buns with red bean paste filling very much. I usually make this steamed bun in bulk and keep extra in the freezer. This round, I decided to make some cute ones after inspired by some bloggers. Actually, the dough was adapted from char siew pau dough recipe. Filling was ready-made red bean paste bought from bakery supplies shop. For small buns like this, I used about

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-30379661887132220202011-06-03T01:10:00.005+08:002011-06-03T16:58:02.811+08:00

I love soft, fluffy and thick rolled cake with sugar-minus butter cream. Well, the sweetness of butter cream in this cake was just nice to me but not sweet enough for T, who has really sweet, sweet tooth. He thought even the steamed sweet potato tasted sweeter than butter cream. How can? For the sponge cake sheet, I used 250 grams of plain sponge cake mix and added two heap tablespoons of

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-32168326803798996512011-05-26T01:49:00.003+08:002011-07-17T13:21:29.909+08:00

Months ago a reader, Annie shared with me a pastry/pie crust recipe she used to make baked curry puff. It was in my inbox for long until this afternoon I decided to make a trip down to the minimart to get a can of sprite. My first time using soda drink in pastry recipe, the dough was soft but stretchable quite easy to work with. Baked curry puff does not have crispy crust but it is flaky and

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-64503693689402412942011-05-20T08:53:00.001+08:002011-05-20T08:53:00.085+08:00

Pikelet is a small and thick pancake that is common in Australia, which can be found in most supermarkets. Plain pikelet is usually served with spreads like butter, jam and vegemite. Well, perhaps I have transformed this little pancake into something that is unrecognisable to Aussies.   Other recipes from My Kitchen featured in Y3K Recipes Issue No. 58 are Open-face Savory Pancake, Tuna Puff, 

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-92018669654537775752011-05-18T23:52:00.000+08:002011-05-18T23:52:52.400+08:00

Many thanks to all who participated in My Kitchen 6th Anniversary Give-away event. Congratulation to six lucky winners drawn by John, he kept asking "kore nani, kore" (this, what's this) while unfolding little pieces of paper. Okay, this is what you guys are waiting for..... Winners are Chua Soke Sean , Hs Ling, Noorsha Dhira Darwish, Mery Sia, Kathleen Kiew Y Y and Christina. My dear

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-61471816043678622842011-05-17T02:33:00.002+08:002011-07-17T13:23:11.020+08:00

This is a quick and tasty tofu dish that my boys like, I guess it is because of the slightly sweet taste in this type of soy sauce based dishes. They are not meat lovers so tofu is another good source of protein other than egg. This recipe can be found in Y3K Recipes Issue No. 57 along with three other recipes from My Kitchen.  Other My Kitchen recipes featured in this issue are Okonomiyaki,

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-1129450203559653642011-05-14T21:03:00.004+08:002011-07-17T13:24:46.614+08:00

I had this dessert few years ago when I visited Bangkok. I love glutinous rice and mango so this is definitely one of my favourite desserts. Another Thai dessert I fond on is icecream served with glutinous rice and topped with mango, tried that in Bangkok too. When I made this, T and J didn't care much about the glutinous rice they simply loved the sweet and juicy mango. J ate so much that he

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-77555420494303428692011-05-11T16:13:00.003+08:002011-07-17T13:25:12.941+08:00

Heard about My Kitchen 6th anniversary give-away event? Check it out before 15 May 2011, it is open to all readers. Awhile ago mil sent us some food items from Japan included a packet of seasoned kelp with salt and dried plum (shio konbu to umeboshi). It was sitting in the pantry for long just was not know what to do with it except using it for rice topping. T suggested to use it in bread baking

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-31182798265822795132011-05-04T21:58:00.008+08:002011-07-17T13:27:11.598+08:00

Do you like my kitty with freckles? This barley jelly aka agar-agar was made with leftover barley soup I cooked last night. I ground the barley before cooking, it cooked faster and better for little ones digestion. In fact, J and I love barley both in sweet and savory version. He called it "dou dou" (bean) soup. Ingredients:2 cups barley soup (with sugar added) ½ sachet agar-agar powder (7g/

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-72433536942783195662011-05-04T10:14:00.004+08:002011-05-21T22:08:31.716+08:00

Made some pan-fried buns that I longed for before my holiday. It is one of the popular buns in China and Taiwan but not so common in Malaysia. Cooking method for this bun is similar to Gyoza, steamed and pan-fried in a non-stick pan. Soft bun, crispy bottom and juicy filling, I gobbled up three buns soon after photo shooting. Recipe taken from a Taiwanese cooking program posted on youtube,

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-43802190571311947652011-04-11T08:00:00.007+08:002011-07-17T13:28:00.132+08:00

Cake roll made with simple sponge cake and nutella filling. It was a simple cake but boys buzzed around when I was preparing batter only realised melted butter was still sitting on the kitchen bench when all ready to go into oven! Luckily, boys kept asking for it and it was gone within two days. The sponge cake base recipe is adapted from Daily Delicious, with new method (to me) of beating the

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-29472899584768092982011-04-07T16:04:00.005+08:002011-08-01T23:16:57.018+08:00

I used to buy sour cream quite often when living in Sydney, mostly for dips and cakes. Sour cream in Malaysiais is not widely available (no problem finding it in major cities) and its price is also a bit on the high side. Thus, I tend to avoid recipes called for sour cream or use substitution for it. Baked pound cake with sour cream for the first time, the texture was soft and moist. I was

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-8152340010781592072011-04-05T11:09:00.156+08:002011-07-17T13:31:01.662+08:00

Steamed fish is one of the common home-cooked fish dishes in most Chinese kitchens. Having said that, I am not sure if Hokkien has a signature steamed fish dish like Cantonese and Teochiew though. My mom's steamed fish usually contains ginger, bird-eye chili and soy sauce. Yes, we are Hokkien. This is T's favourite steamed fish dish, he prefers Cantonese style steamed fish over all other styles.

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-84241196019617240762011-03-29T21:01:00.007+08:002011-07-17T13:29:14.494+08:00

If I given a choice between fresh apple and orange, I will go for orange for sure. But when come to apple cake or anything baked with apple, I have never been able to resist it. I like the seductive aroma of baked apple with a hint of cinnamon. Little J did not like apple cake that much when I baked for the first time sometime back, so I halved the recipe and baked individual cakes instead. He

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-35010556367810561202011-03-27T10:26:00.003+08:002011-07-17T13:33:12.836+08:00

T likes salted chicken (盐焗鸡) very much thus I tried to re-create something similar in this dish with really simple ingredients. Honestly, I was lazy then. This is an all-in-one dish with minimum preparation and washing. Ingredients: 1 no. chicken leg (kampung/free range), chopped 1 tsp salt or to taste 1 tsp sesame oil Broccoli Carrot (optional) Methods: Rub chicken pieces with salt and

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-14593951698540272352011-03-23T17:31:00.006+08:002011-07-28T14:47:51.304+08:00

Prawn vs shrimp, what do you call it? In Malaysia, the large ones are called prawns and small ones are called shrimps if I am not wrong. There are differences between prawn and shrimp but not so easy for consumers like us to distinguish them. To me, I only know to cook and eat both of them without worrying which is which. T is obsesses with the so-called crunchy prawns (like those in

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-17886848815049374882011-03-20T10:04:00.002+08:002011-07-17T13:40:21.692+08:00

I have a habit of cooking large pot of pumpkin soup at once then freeze it for future use. Otherwise, the remaining cut pumpkin will be on hibernate mode some where in the fridge till rotten sometimes. Frozen soup can be a quick light meal on a busy day, it is also great for making muffin, cakes, pudding and other sweets. For this chiffon cake, I tried new method of removing the cake from pan

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-12202549551765788672011-03-14T07:40:00.005+08:002011-07-17T13:42:02.475+08:00

My 6" chiffon pan is too small for our family of four now, boys are growing really fast and they are like little munching machines! Finally, I invested in a 9" chiffon pan that I eyed on every time I patronised the baking supplies shop. I was not sure what to bake at first until I found two small containers of matcha T bought on his last trip home few months ago. I used my favourite chiffon

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-2970912493888617492011-03-08T06:33:00.004+08:002011-07-17T13:46:48.763+08:00

'Sakura Ebi (桜えび/桜海老) aka cherry shrimp was the only item I requested for when dear MIL asked for the shopping list before sending us parcel. I was shy to ask for other stuff as she had bought many items for boys. I received a few packets of dried sakura ebi which came with two different sizes. I have not prepared any dishes using sakura ebi before this, searched online for recipes and found lots

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-5153700604272301132011-03-04T12:40:00.006+08:002011-07-17T13:48:14.289+08:00

This is actually an old post dated 26 Dec 2006, repost it to update better photo and a newly discovered easy method to make very thin pan cake.* * * * *26 Dec 2006 I wrote....It has been awhile since we last ate roasted duck with pan cake. I intended to buy Crispy Pei Pa Duck this evening since they do not sell Peking Duck, but it was sold out. So, had no choice but normal roasted duck. Usually

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-21226957293802098552011-02-21T20:24:00.009+08:002011-07-17T13:48:37.357+08:00

Century Egg is considered as an exotic food from Asian by people outside the regions. It is preserved or cured duck egg with distinct colour, taste and ammonia odour produced from the curing process. It is usually served raw (it is cured) with preserved sweet ginger or cooked in porridge with some minced meat. If you are first timer, try out the cooked version first as it is less "smelly".Century

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-63313891419447712852011-02-16T10:20:00.005+08:002011-07-17T13:51:18.538+08:00

A quick and easy fried chicken recipe that I like - fried chicken breast strips with crispy cornflakes coating. Together with vegetable sticks, it was a yummy home-made fast food kiddy meal for my boy. Both John and I loved cucumber and carrot sticks with mayonnaise (Japanese brand) very much. If you have not tried, vegetable sticks (both poached and raw) are really good with mayonnaise,

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-9173408767581384502011-02-01T08:46:00.007+08:002011-07-17T13:52:18.550+08:00

This is the last cookie I baked for CNY 2011, recipe available here. A cookie that all my family members loved when I first baked two years ago. Thus, I baked lots of it this year for them to bring home some. Wish everyone a wonderful rabbit year ahead, stay happy and healthy. Happy Chinese New Year!!

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-89578397711723414392011-01-29T02:37:00.007+08:002011-07-17T13:53:20.069+08:00

Yes, I know this one is non-bake but since I have started posting for Chinese New Year cookies I simply let the thread goes on. Many people around me make this chip for Chinese New Years but I made it for the first time as requested by dear hubby. He asked for something savoury that he can enjoy with a drink. Just took a glance at the container of this chip on the table, half gone and I reckon it

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-23470740214168057112011-01-26T13:58:00.009+08:002011-07-17T13:55:01.559+08:00

I bought two large boxes of corn flakes awhile ago when the buy-one-get-one promotion was on. Little John prefers original cornflakes over flavoured types, good for him as it contains less amount of sugar. Cornflakes at our home going really slow, I planned to clear up stock with this cookie but it did not help much obviously. I am thinking if I should bake another type of cornflakes cookie with

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-79240245760206256832011-01-26T12:54:00.005+08:002011-07-17T13:54:24.370+08:00

Seaweed (nori - のり) cookies for my little boy, who is a seaweed lover. This cookie is more on the savoury side to bring out the taste of seaweed. Mayonnaise adds extra flavour to it, but it is optional. Well, you have my permission to adjust the amount of sugar and add any spices to create your very own taste. Ingredients (makes 1 small container): 125 g Unsalted Butter, soften 50 g Icing Sugar

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-61833181926819109852011-01-24T08:04:00.002+08:002011-05-07T02:37:12.390+08:00

Almond London is one of the famous Raya cookies in recent years and has now becoming a popular Chinese New Year cookie too. I have no idea where it got its name from and wondering if Londoners aware of this elegant look cookie. It is a whole almond wrapped with cookie dough, baked, coated with chocolate and served in small paper case. To me, it is not very hard to make but time consuming wrapping

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-55075613625373449512011-01-22T00:03:00.017+08:002011-05-07T02:46:39.414+08:00

First of all, this cookie is not something I planned to bake for coming Chinese New Year. I found this lovely cookie on current issue of Y3K (issue no. 59) and gave it a try with ingredients I had in the pantry. Well, it is a cut-cookie but with a little bit extra effort for the lovely stripy pattern. The original recipe makes charcoal flavour batik cookies with bamboo charcoal powder (yes, you

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-71326222080799171022011-01-17T01:09:00.009+08:002011-07-17T13:58:19.465+08:00

This is improved version of kidney bean muffins I baked about two weeks ago. First version was baked with the whole beans as if baking chocolate chip muffins, even though they great shape and texture but I thought that they could be better. Thus, I decided to bake again with the bean paste instead. The result was much better than first version I simply loved the sweet aroma of kidney bean. Oh yes

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-7581596892773019932011-01-10T17:20:00.002+08:002011-07-17T13:59:22.884+08:00

I bought a huge pack of bean thread vermicelli (Chinese type) awhile ago for my low calories and carbohydrate diet. I am a noodles lover, saying no to noodles is not an easy task for me. Thus, I switched to alternative - bean thread vermicelli. 100 grams of bean thread vermicelli contains 95 calories whereas same amount of wheat noodles or rice vermicelli contains +/-350 calories. Well, for this

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-39849389859005712682011-01-06T12:53:00.005+08:002011-07-17T14:01:59.288+08:00

Japanese curry rice ((カレーライス, karē raisu) is one of the popular dishes in Japan, the thick curry sauce or gravy is served with steamed rice. It is a very easy dish to prepare with instant curry paste and handful ingredients. In this basic curry, vegetables used were those commonly available in the kitchen such as onion, potatoes and carrots. Pick a box of curry paste (do check the level of

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-10693108460113974772011-01-02T00:40:00.008+08:002011-12-17T11:07:52.165+08:00

Omedetou! Happy new year 2011 to everyone and best wishes from Fujikawa family. In fact, this is the first year we celebrated new year Japanese way with some traditional new year dishes (osechi-ryori). Celebrations are always associated with food, glorious food. The celebration started off with a take-away osechi box from restaurant on the new year eve. We enjoyed it while watching Japanese new

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-73737623047423600402010-12-26T20:53:00.003+08:002011-07-17T14:04:13.612+08:00

I have difficulty tagging this fried chicken it was neither Chinese nor Indian dish. The chicken was marinated with Chinese, Indian and spices from Middle East - za'atar spice! The blend of spices were in perfect harmony with each other, even little J loved this spicy fried chicken.Ingredients (2 servings): 1 kg Chicken, chop into serving size Marinade: 1 tsp salt ½ tsp Za'atar Spice ½ tsp Curry

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-30540131953702410882010-12-22T17:32:00.007+08:002011-07-17T14:05:23.748+08:00

Winter Solstice Festival aka Dongzhi Festival (冬至节) is one of the important festivals celebrated by Chinese around the world. Traditionally, family members gather together on this day making and eating glutinous rice balls (aka glutinous dumpling) which symbolize reunion. I prepared two rice ball dishes today, one with crushed peanut cookie and another with sweet peanut soup. Rice balls with

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-1134384473251602532010-12-20T15:45:00.005+08:002011-05-07T03:46:09.884+08:00

Hainanese Chicken Rice (海南鸡饭) is a Southeast Asian dish which is very popular in both Malaysia and Singapore. A plate of delicious chicken rice is usually served with a bowl of soup and it is selling at around RM3.50 (the price stated here is just a guide, I find prices in Malaysia inflated really fast these days) at hawker centres in Malaysia. I made Spring Onion Condiment, special chilli sauce

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-16236861033483106722010-12-16T15:02:00.003+08:002011-07-17T14:05:41.177+08:00

In Sydney, when we ordered chicken rice it usually served with condiment made from chopped spring onion. I did not know what it called actually so named it Spring Onion Condiment. I was looking for the recipe online but no luck at all. After a few near success attempts I got the taste of the condiment from the shop at last.This condiment is also great with both Chinese and Japanese style noodles

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-88566732110106468712010-12-07T09:28:00.004+08:002011-07-17T14:07:18.280+08:00

Grilled Pacific Saury with salt (Sanma Shioyaki - さんま塩焼き) is one of T's favourite fish dishes. In fact, it is a popular fish dish in Japan especially during Autumn when sanma is abundant. In Malaysia, only frozen sanma is available in some hypermarkets and Japanese food suppliers. I always buy from a nearest hypermarket which offer best price so far, one-fourth of price at Japanese food suppliers

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-56887492096066774972010-12-04T11:32:00.005+08:002011-07-17T14:07:39.354+08:00

Nasi Dagang (literally means Trading Rice) is a rice dish originated from Southern Thailand. It has became a popular Malaysian breakfast dish in states near to Thailand such as Kelantan and Terengganu. Nasi dagang is flavoured with fenugreek and coconut, usually served with toasted grated coconut, curry (local called it gulai - Malay version of curry) and pickled vegetables (acar). The hotel we

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-38764949378039032312010-11-30T23:23:00.005+08:002011-07-17T14:08:22.606+08:00

This is something similar to creamy version of Butter Prawn but used salted egg yolks instead of normal egg yolks. Both T and I loved Salted Egg Crab we had at a local seafood restaurant very much; hence I decided to recreate the taste at home. Dish I created tasted similar to restaurant version and creamier as we preferred. It was my second attempt, first attempt I cooked with a few large prawns

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-77763602774131191672010-11-28T16:17:00.006+08:002011-07-17T15:30:51.863+08:00

I made some Singapore Laksa and Thai Green Curry paste awhile ago and divided them into few single use packs before freezing them. It is really convenient to have some pastes readily available I am able to prepare a decent meal without spending much time in the kitchen. By the way, the laksa paste is good for many dishes other than making laksa. My not-so-green looking curry tasted yummylicious,

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-9356588850880080612010-11-20T23:43:00.008+08:002011-07-17T15:32:43.075+08:00

Butter-oat squid (奶油麦片苏东) is one of the must order dishes whenever we patronise a seafood restaurant in my hometown. Crispy deep fried squid is topped with heap of crispy and buttery oatmeal. It is so flavourful, oat-y, buttery plus a hint of curry aroma from curry leaves. It is a dish to die for, the taste is simply heavenly! Non-Malaysian Chinese probably confused by many Malaysian-Chinese

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-75309515596735130642010-11-16T11:49:00.007+08:002011-07-17T15:33:24.702+08:00

Broccoli is one of our family's all time favourite vegetables, I am trying to prepare it in various dishes. This is our latest broccoli dish, the sauce is infused with curry leaf which gives it a wonderful curry aroma. I am happy that John (2y9m) is a vegetable lover he likes to munch on vegetables such as carrot stick, boiled baby corn and boiled broccoli. As for leafy vegetables, he would not

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-31600035934184507022010-11-11T22:04:00.021+08:002011-07-17T15:37:32.912+08:00

Before T went to bed last night he requested muffin for breakfast, almost mid-night project for me again. Baked some chocolate chip muffins with a basic muffin recipe I always used, and with mixing method it was quick and easy to prepare. Yes, it was quiet too. No one likes noise pollution from a hand mixer at 11pm.I still remember the very first muffin I baked when I just picked up baking was a

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-73528865741348545802010-11-08T21:07:00.003+08:002011-07-17T15:38:41.333+08:00

I hardly buy or make fish ball simply because both T and I are not big fan of it. I do like yong tau fu though but prefer with meat stuffing. Now, we have a junior food tester who likes fish ball so much so I tried to satisfy him since he does not like fish that much. Home-made is always the best as I know what I feed him. I was thinking to take some shoots of step-by-step fish ball making but my

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-56622050002059221982010-10-29T23:13:00.003+08:002011-07-17T15:39:25.883+08:00

I can hardly seen green mango at the hypermarket where I usually shop for my groceries and fresh products. When I saw some at the wet market the other morning I grabbed one without further ado. I am a big fan of this salad it is a must order dish whenever we dine in a Thai restaurant. Some restaurants offer options for extra toppings such boiled chicken feet and prawn. I like them all but always

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-7188971705212698532010-10-27T10:00:00.006+08:002011-07-17T15:41:01.321+08:00

I am trying to add more colours to our diet recently. To be specific, I have been 'cooking' up some experiments with beetroot - a pretty new ingredient for me actually. Beetroot is well-known for its health benefits such as antioxidants and nutrients for ages, but I only get to know about this little gem few years ago.Beetroots found in hypermarkets in my area were all bald, I guess leaves were

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-60761175921042315072010-10-23T20:19:00.009+08:002011-07-17T15:41:44.171+08:00

Pancake is going to be on our breakfast menu for awhile from now on. The so called Pancake Project (PP) is now on in My Kitchen. I am trying out some pancake recipes so J (2y8m) would not get bored with it. I always made pikelets for him, he could snack on them throughout the day. These pancakes were light and fluffy (轻轻松松 also means relaxing or easy in Mandarin), and about one centimeter in

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-42656842804290369242010-10-17T11:02:00.004+08:002011-07-17T15:42:10.843+08:00

Made a batch of meringue kisses with leftover egg whites yesterday. I made white (without colouring) and pink kisses but white ones turned into lovely bronze colour. Aren't they cute? They are crispy and almost melt in the mouth. There are only three ingredients needed - egg white, sugar and cream of tartar. Of course, you can add flavour and colour to it as you wish. I understand that some

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-89932833061027083432010-10-16T22:25:00.004+08:002011-07-17T15:43:48.197+08:00

I am a glutinous rice lover, give me anything cooked with glutinous rice or made with glutinous rice flour I will be happy. Having said that, I seldom buy glutinous rice products such as bak chang and lor mai kai from hawkers. Phobia. I had umpteen times of bad experiences encountered with uncooked rice, the outer layer was cooked but the inner part was still raw. Anyone experienced same thing

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-44099372366644552462010-10-13T15:50:00.004+08:002011-07-17T15:44:28.056+08:00

Goma-dare (胡麻ダレ) is one of the popular Japanese style sauces/dressings. It is very versatile, can be used in many dishes such as sashimi, salad, shabu-shabu (hot pot) and noodles. Every family has their own homemade goma-dare recipe and the amount of ingredients used are depending on individuals taste buds as well as the dishes they are going to serve. Some sweet, some sour and other with hint of

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-6648984671680998552010-10-10T21:07:00.012+08:002011-07-17T15:46:08.965+08:00

We went back to my mom's place during Hari Raya holiday which was a month ago. Mom harvested lots of pumpkins from her veges patch, my sis took two and mom insisted that I should bring back all her stock since there were few more maturing in no times. We came back with one large and three medium size pumpkin, total weight was about 10 kgs! It was a pumpkin month for us with lots of pumpkin

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-84500862779233198222010-10-08T14:49:00.008+08:002011-07-17T15:47:47.569+08:00

Today's quick lunch for J, claypot tofu cooked with Japanese egg-tofu. I personally do not like egg-tofu that much, find it too egg-y. In general, I do love tofu. Not sure it is because of genetic or what, both old and little boys at our home love tofu so much. T will be very happy if I prepare his favourite tofu dish, a very simple tofu dish that I am shy to share the "recipe" here. For this

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-44337465526408059432010-10-03T15:53:00.014+08:002011-07-17T15:50:50.353+08:00

Colourful foods are good sources of antioxidant but I find it hard to include purple/blue/black food in our diet. There are only handful of purple fruits and vegetables we consume on a not-so regular basis, such as purple dragon fruit, grapes and black fungus. Check out my previous post about the benefits of colourful foods, if you are interested. I have recently started to include beetroot in

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-9031770590063724662010-10-01T00:49:00.005+08:002011-07-17T15:49:02.555+08:00

Lamington - a cubed sponge cake coated with chocolate and desiccated coconut. It is originated from Australia and can be found easily in cafes and bakeries, regretted that I had not tried any when we were there years ago. I baked these for afternoon tea few days ago and shared some with neighbours. J was very excited when I mentioned about bringing some cakes over to his friend. We buzzed the

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com7