Saturday, December 31, 2011

Trotter in Fermented Tofu Paste 【南乳元蹄】


There are only so many trotter dishes in Chinese, mostly called for simmering in sweet soy sauce for a long period of time until the trotter becomes completely soft and tender.

This particular recipe uses fermented tofu instead, it gives a very distinctive fragrance and taste. 

I made this dish for our Christmas party the other day, when served with the steamed buns brought by a friend, it was irresistible and everybody loves it!

元蹄的做法一般就是冰糖或红烧为主,换个做法做这道南乳元蹄。咸香好吃,聚会的时候就着朋友带来的金丝馒头,异常受欢迎呢!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

【椰浆黑糯米粥】Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice Dessert)


黑糯米是非常营养的杂粮,做成甜汤/糖水也特别好吃哦!

Black glutinous rice is a very nutritious wholemeal widely consume in Asia. It has a good amount of protein, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1 & B2 ect. The Chinese herbal medicine books also believe that black glutinous rice could aid in increasing blood and its circulation, it could also help in preserving or to increase "qi" or energy.

This beautiful grain is normally made into sweet dish in south east Asia. This sweet porridge is one of them!

Monday, December 26, 2011

【南瓜椰丝球】Pumpkin Ondeh-Ondeh (onde-onde)

Ondeh-Ondeh(或印尼语Onde-onde)在马来语里就是丸子的意思,是一个有名的娘惹甜点,可以用各种不同的材料制作丸子皮,如紫薯,番薯,南瓜,香兰叶汁等等。

这类丸子的内馅一般用的是切碎的椰糖,煮好的丸子里有融化的椰糖,吃的时候一口咬下去,就会有带着浓浓椰香的椰糖汁溢出,混合着椰丝的香味,真是一场味蕾的热带体验!

Ondeh-Ondeh(or Onde-onde)is a generic term for a kind of dessert in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a bite size ball with palm sugar fillings and coated with grated coconut.

The skin is made of glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour, the taste and color of the dish normally came from the ingredients used such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or Pandan juice.

I love it when the melting palm sugar breaks out from the balls at the first bite, the sweetness of palm sugar combined with shredded coconut is just perfect for an afternoon snack!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Banana Bread Pudding


Its holiday season and my loving neighbors were sending food to us one after another. It was cheese cake and muffins yesterday and famous New york Levain Bakery's cookies for Santa today.

I am always lucky to have lovely neighbors wherever I go, they are there whenever I need something,and whenever I need some help!

So I decided to bake a simple warm dessert as return of favor!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ikan Masak Taucu (Spanish Mackerel in Fermented Soy bean Gravy) 【豆酱马鲛鱼】


Spanish Mackerel is something I grow up eating a lot. It is found in markets in Malaysia all year around, fresh and economical.

This fish can be prepared in many ways, it is tasty even as simple as pan fried until crispy and drizzle some light soy sauce, this itself made a wonderful side dish. I could eat it just like that and never got tired.

We also make curry, fish balls, fish paste, fish cake, fish stew out of this beautiful fish. This particular recipe I made today is very common in my house, my mother use to make it at least once a month... it goes well with steamed rice and con-gee. And stays as a sweet childhood memory......

马鲛鱼也叫鲅鱼,是东南亚日常吃得很多的鱼类.香煎,红烧,做鱼胶都用它。新鲜的马鲛鱼煎香了滴上几滴酱油就可以让人空口吃好几块,鲜甜美味。

这道豆酱马鲛鱼是我母亲经常做的一道菜,是一道下饭配粥都适宜的家常菜。

Monday, December 19, 2011

Lauki Ka Kofta (Bottle Gourd Balls in Tomato Gravy) 【葫芦素丸子咖喱】

 

I first tried this kofta in India, and was amazed by the taste. It went so well with flat bread, the kofta just melt in my mouth! 

This summer I harvest the Chinese bottle gourd that I curiously planted in spring, it flourishes and gave me two beautiful bottle shape gourds. I mean... really, coca-cola bottle kinda bottle shape... it was amazingly beautiful. 

I decided to use it for this dish, hubby's favourite.

春天的时候好奇种了颗葫芦,后来结了两只大葫芦瓜。俊爹点菜要我拿来做这个素丸子。

这个食谱在印度是用长条状的瓠瓜做的,味道一样。都很好吃!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Economical Fried Rice Vermicelli 【经济炒米粉】


Every morning on work day in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. As working people rush toward the offices, with traffic moving at snail speed. The city awakes, and slowly get into busy mode.


At the same time, at some obscure corners of all office buildings, you will always find some small breakfast stalls, with those who manage to reach office a little ahead of time, lined up for a quick fix for breakfast and the stall owner busy packing a variety of  simple fried noodles/rice and some sides such as fried egg, luncheon meat, chicken nuggets, fried sausages.


This simple, economical breakfast serving thousands every day in the city I once called home. Never failed to  satisfy those hungry stomachs. God bless that city and its people!


吉隆坡的早晨,跟着太阳冉冉升起的是车水马龙,是人潮是喧哗。地铁站挤满了匆匆赶往办公室的人群,路上堵满了车子,就连空气,都似乎充斥着忙碌。

那些办公大楼隐晦的角落里,隐约可以看见西装革履的人们排着队,站在小小的熟食摊前。小贩忙碌地在为点餐的人们包装食物。那里卖的,是简单的炒粉,炒饭,另有几盆煎鸡蛋,午餐肉,香肠,炸鸡等等配菜。

这,就是很典型的马来西亚早晨街景。马来西亚人炒粉喜欢下“黑酱油”,就是略带甜味的老抽,颜色漆黑油亮。一盘火候十足,黑黑亮亮的炒粉再加上一小块午餐肉,或一只煎蛋,就是许多马来西亚人心中简单而实惠的美味 。

这样的早餐,我们叫它作:经济炒粉!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

【奶豆腐三文治】Paneer Sandwich (Grilled Indian Cottage Cheese Sandwich)


天冷就一早起床就想吃点热的,弄个热三文治,再来杯热巧克力。想起就让人活力充沛呢!

As the weather gets colder, I could only think of warm food in the morning, such as this sandwich.

With a cuppa hot chocolate it not only gives warmth to my stomach, it also kicks start my day with good energy!  It is energizing enough just by thinking of it!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Rempah Ayam (Spicy Nyonya Chicken Dish)【马来娘惹菜 -- 隆巴咖喱鸡 】


This Nyonya dish is one of my favourite chicken dish, it is spicy, and goes extremely well with steamed rice!

香料咖喱鸡是马来娘惹菜,黑胡椒的比例比较高,是道很香辣很下饭的咖喱菜。

Saturday, December 10, 2011

【椰香干煸鸡块】Chicken Chukka/Sukka(Dry Coconut Chicken)


这道椰香干煸鸡块和马来西亚的冷当鸡味道有点相似,工序却简单很多,不用椰奶让这道菜比冷当鸡肉稍微更健康一些。带着浓浓的椰香,是很下饭,下酒的好菜!

This delicious dish from Southern part of India reminds me greatly of the famous Malaysian Curry -- Rendang. The taste and texture of it resemble Curry Rendang a lot, it too has very nice coconut fragrance and is very tasty and spicy.

But the preparation of this dish is a  lot easier than rendang and it doesn't call for coconut milk/cream. The marinated chicken cooked slowly in spices and tomato paste until almost all liquids are gone and the final result is chicken pieces covered with thick flavorful gravy.

It is best served with steamed rice and could also work very well as a starter!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

【土豆馅饼】Aloo Paratha (Stuffed Potato Paratha)


每个印度人一想起土豆馅饼,脑海里就会出现周日早餐手握一杯香料茶,几张热腾腾的土豆饼,加上一小块牛油/黄油。这是最让人满足的早餐了。

If  you ask any Indian from northern part of India about their ideal breakfast... the answer is quiet likely to be "some hot stuffed parathas" !

With some hot spicy masala chai... the best, they said!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

素食好主意【酸甜奶豆腐】Chilli Paneer (Sweet And Sour Cottage Cheese)

This Chilli Paneer is another typical Indo-Chinese dish, the preparation is what I called vegetarian food made Non-veg way. It works well as a starter, and a good side dish too!

酸甜奶豆腐(Paneer)是另一个印式中餐的代表,是素菜荤做的一道菜。下酒下饭都很适合,是素食者一个不错的选择。

Friday, November 25, 2011

Savory Steamed Pumpkin Cake 【金瓜糕 (南瓜糕)】


南瓜在我的家乡也叫做金瓜,除了入菜,也经常被拿来做糕点。这个金瓜糕就是其中一种、跟萝卜糕和芋头糕有异曲同工的效果,一样好吃!

朋友种出好几只巨大的日本南瓜,让我去她家拿。一入他家大门我和俊爹就倒抽了一口凉气。那地上摆着的要给我的巨型南瓜瓜少说有40磅或更多。

我只敢讨了一小瓣回来,做了一次南瓜Pancake分了两大块给邻居。后来又做了今天的南瓜蒸糕,这才用了不到一半。

看来接下来几天仍然要继续南瓜料理中~~~~~~

A friend of mine harvested a few pumpkins recently and called me to pick up some from her house. I went with expectation to bring back just a cute little Japanese kabucha pumpkin.


My jaw drops to the floor when I saw the said pumpkin that she saved for me! It must have been at least 50 lbs! 


I decided to bring back only about 1/5 of the pumpkin with me as I don't have enough space in the fridge to keep it, my friend had to use an axe to break open the pumpkin for me.


Even with only 1/5 of the whole thing, I managed to send 2 large portions to my neighbors, made pumpkin pancakes for 3 adults for breakfast and made this steamed came for thanksgiving party.


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Pickled Potherb Mustard and Minced Turkey Tofu






I made a simple Pickled Potherb Mustard and Minced Turkey not long ago, I normally make a big box of it, and keep in the fridge, it could be easily turned into simple dishes such as this one here with tofu, it goes very well with con-gee, and rice.

Monday, November 14, 2011

【香烤洋葱芝士三明治】Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

大学毕业那一年,和几个朋友背上背包环绕欧洲旅行。当时旅费不足,为了能够多跑几个地方,就在饮食上能省则省。

最常吃的就是面包夹乳酪做三文治,又冷又干又硬,一点都不好吃。后来有一天在下住的青年旅社里看见一个爱尔兰女孩做这个三文治,香闻千里。我马上借来一小块Butter,现学现做起来。

那一个微冷的早晨,吃着热腾腾的奶酪三文治和一杯热巧克力。突然觉得好幸福,好幸福。

I backpacked to tour Europe during my last year in England. As a student, I had a limited budget, thus was very calculative when it comes to food. I used to go to the local supermarket and bring back some cheese and bread, and that became my staple as long as it last.

Over time it became dry, cold and tasteless, and I almost couldn't stomach it anymore, one morning at the shared kitchen in a Youth Hostel I put up for the night, I saw a beautiful Irish girl making this grill cheese sandwich, the aroma in the kitchen was so warm and welcoming.

I immediately asked her to teach me and with little butter she generously lend me, I made this tasty warm sandwich with a cuppa hot chocolate... that was the first hearty breakfast I had during my trip and I felt like the happiest person on earth!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Microwave Peanut Sesame Chikki/Brittle【芝麻花生糖】


Peanut sesame brittle is a traditional candy I grow up eating and thought it existed only in China/Malaysia. I came to realize that I could not be more wrong later during my time in India. The Indians, too have a very similar version of this Peanut brittle, though slightly different in taste and ingredients.

The recipe I created today is of the Indian style, I like the fact that it doesn't call for corn syrup/maltose, and I am a sucker when it comes to Jaggery! Just couldn't say no to the earthy smell and taste of it!

芝麻花生糖是从小爱吃的零食之一,我一直以为这是中国独有的零食,直到在印度居住的时候才发现印度人也很爱吃花生糖,做法跟中国人大致一样,材料稍微有点不同。

今天做的是少糖版的印度花生糖,这个食谱不用麦芽糖,用的是印度的Jaggery红糖,有着特殊的香气,很好吃。

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Frozen Paratha Samosa

 


I always keep a packet of frozen paratha in my freezer. It comes in very handy when I am either busy or lazy.

The other day while chatting with a group of friends in a forum, one of the girl asked about a good way to use frozen paratha, and whether it could be turned into samosa.

I loved the idea and set off to check recipes online and found handful of them... looks like we are not the first one to think it that way! I like my version of samosa filling, using homemade Malaysian curry powder, so here it comes my version of frozen Paratha samosa!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Diwali Count Down -- Homemade Ghee (Clarified Butter)【酥油/无水奶油制作】

In India, many families buy a big jar of fresh milk every day and boil it at home, they will save the cream on top of milk and keep it in a jar. When the amount of cream in the jar reaches desired amount, the housewife will boil the cream in a heavy bottom pan or clay pot at low heat to slowly evaporate water content in the cream, the clarified liquid will be homemade ghee/clarified butter.

The same method is being used in many countries in the world to preserve clarified butter.

It is almost impossible to accumulate the amount of cream needed to make ghee at home nowadays, thanks to technology, we no longer need to pasteurize milk by boiling it at home.

But it doesn't mean that we can't make the lovely homemade ghee anymore...

Here is the workaround method.

在印度北方,很多家庭每早都会跟养牛的农夫/奶贩买一大罐当天挤的牛/水牛奶,然后自己家加热杀菌,煮好的牛奶表层会浮着一层奶脂,主妇们会用勺子把奶脂掏出收集在一个瓦罐里。等瓦罐里的奶脂量够多了,就用一口厚重的铜锅/瓦锅小火熬煮至油脂里的水份完全挥发,蛋白质沉淀,熬制出来的透明油脂就是传统饮食用得很多和印度宗教仪式里不可或缺的酥油/Ghee了。

阿拉伯和非洲也运用相同的方式炼制酥油。一般熬煮酥油剩下的蛋白质和奶杂质不会浪费,加到全麦粉里和水揉成面团就可以做成非常好吃的酥饼喔!

现在很少有人会天天买牛奶自己熬煮了,收集奶脂也成了几乎不可能的任务,不过酥油还是可以自己在加用黄油制作的喔!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

【炒鸡蛋咖喱】 Scrambled Egg Curry


鸡蛋是个百搭,是我忙的时候或者没心情做饭的时候的最佳选择。这个炒鸡蛋咖喱很简单,是道三十分钟之内就能整出来的菜。还很好吃呢!

Egg is a perfect choice when I am busy or have no mood for anything required more than 30 minutes to cook. This simple egg curry is quick, and goes well with steamed rice... very satisfying!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

【太平面】Tai Ping Mian (Birthday Misua with hard boiled eggs)

小时候生日妈妈都会做一碗福建面线,加上两只蛋,因为是只有寿星才能享用的一碗面,带着妈妈浓浓的祝福和爱,它变得特别有意义,特别好吃。

今天我生日,妈妈在视频上说:“你自己做碗太平面吃,算是替妈妈给你生日祝福祝福吧!

注:原帖写于2011年10月18日。

Mum used to make a big bowl of Mee Sua soup (Fujianese thin noodle) for my brothers and I on our birthdays. As it was specially prepared for the birthday boy/girl, it became all the more precious and tasty.

It is my birthday today,  mum told me on the phone to make a bowl of this noodle soup for myself since she is not here with me.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Diwali Count Down -- Kaju Katli (Cashew Burfi) 【印度腰果片】



It will be Diwali in less than 10 days, and I have been thinking of doing a Indian sweets series in celebration of this Diwali.

This is the first sweet in my list -- Kaju Katli, I have no met a person who doesn't like the taste of this sweets, even with my not so sweet Chinese taste buds, this charming sweet's nutty flavour won me over the very first time I tasted it!

再过一个星期就是印度的大节Diwali(灯节)了,传统上是要做很多的小甜点送亲朋戚友的。往年我们都是买点意思意思。今年碰巧老公在灯节前两天要换到他一直很希望进入的公司上班,我工作也相对的比较空闲了。

就计划着做几款小甜点庆祝庆祝。

这是第一款,也是我老公最喜爱的甜点,叫做Kaju Katli,是用腰果(Cashew Nuts)做的,很香甜,有着浓浓的腰果香,很是好吃。

关于灯节的一些说明,Wikipedia上抄来的:

屠妖節(梵文दीपावलीDīpāvali印地语दिवालीDiwali泰米尔文தீபாவளிDeepavali)直譯排灯节,也稱萬燈節或印度燈節,是耆那教印度教錫克教慶祝「以光明驅走黑暗,以善良戰勝邪惡」的節日,於每年印度曆八月(天蝎宫)裏的第15個滿月日(即公曆10月下旬或11月上旬)舉行[1][2]。一些佛教信徒也慶祝這個節日。

Saturday, October 15, 2011

泡打粉版【曼煎糕】Apam Balik (BP Leavening Method)


这个煎糕是马来西亚大街小巷都可以找到的小食,我喜欢周末早市的时候买一大块的慢煎糕,一边逛早市,一边吃。

吃,大家都是很爱吃的,却很多人不知道它的来源,提起晚清名臣左宗棠,大家都知道有在美国几乎每一家中国餐厅都会有的左公雞,却鲜少有人知道滿煎糕。

网上找来马来西亚饮食界名人的的一段说明:

相傳咸豐五年(1855年) 太平軍入福建,左宗棠率清兵前往平定,為了讓軍隊吃飽且不擾民,他決定將傳統鹹味煎餅給加以改良,利用福建盛產的蔗糖和花生碾碎,撒在已發酵鬆軟的煎餅上成為甜食煎糕,使士兵容易入口,且攜帶方便,於是這種煎糕便漸漸在福建尤其泉州一帶流傳開來,成為經濟實惠,食用方便的街頭小吃;後來也流傳到台灣,以及隨著早期閩藉移民的步履帶來了南洋。

在福建泉州及台灣金門,這種煎糕叫做“滿煎糕”,傳到台灣稱為“麵煎餅”,下了南洋,於檳城登岸後則化作福建方言“曼煎粿”(Ban Chang Kueh),中文寫成“曼煎糕”或“慢煎糕”,到了怡保則稱為“大塊麵”,南下吉隆坡一帶廣東人把它誤稱為“煎燶包”(其實煎燶包是另種傳統煎餅的名稱),再到新加坡,則寫成 “麵煎糕”或 “米煎糕”。

原鄉對這食物名稱中的滿字有兩種解釋,一為“滿清”之食,與左宗棠有關,另個則因為它用圓形大煎盤製作,麵糊倒入後會“漲滿”整個煎盤而得名。至於後來如何演變成南洋化的“曼慢麵米”, 就可能是經過方言的變奏與一廂情願的誤解了。

所以把“滿”變成了音譯的“曼”,再聯想成製程上的“慢”時,似乎已脫胎成很南洋風的一則傳奇,再加上近30多年來,除了保存傳統的大煎盤製作外,更出現大量接合印尼爪哇一帶的kueh terang bulan,而創造出另種小型薄脆的新版本,配料也從原先簡單的花生碎和糖外,變化出教人眼花撩亂的多種甜鹹口味。"

Apam balik is a pancake with southeast Asian flair. It has tasty fillings of sugar, peanuts and creamy sweet corn. This lovely pancake is normally found in night markets (Pasar Malam) or morning markets (Pasar Pagi), sold by small stalls with 3-4 copper pans lined up baking this yummy pancake slowly to perfection, each one has thin layer of crust, and creamy fillings.

I just couldn't resist a piece each time I passed by the stalls!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Black Sesame Oatmeal Rice Bread


The name of this bread is confusing enough, not to mentioned making it.... anyway, I planned this bread  initially to make use of the left over rice in my fridge before a long trip out for work.

Later on I found half a packet of sesame powder I bought earlier to make sesame porridge, I decided to bring my bread a notch healthier by adding that and some oat meal powder!

The rice in this recipe retain moist well, and make the bread very soft and fluffy!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Seri Muka 【香兰糯米糕】


Seri Muka is one very interesting Nyonya kuih. It is sweet and salty in taste, chewy and silky in texture, even the top and bottom colors shout contrast.

But it all worked out well with the blend of coconut milk, in typical South East Asian style : different, yet harmony.

娘惹糕点一般味道对比强。Seri Muka是其中一个较具有代表性的,上层的香兰卡士达甜香软糯,下层的糯米饭却咸香Q弹,就连颜色也是比较层次分明的。

然而看似极端的味道却在浓浓的椰香里奇妙地融会贯通,让人惊喜。没试过的朋友一定得尝试做一次尝尝哦!

Penang Hokkien Mee/Harmee 【槟城虾面】


I have tried a couple of Malaysian restaurants here in the states, and every time I ordered this Penang prawn mee, it disappoint me. It happened so many times that I had came to a conclusion that it is not possible to get what you miss out THERE...

So I decided to attempt this laborious dish at home. I started by patiently saving all prawn shells and heads every time I cook a prawn dish. I also sent out request to all my friends in NJ to save up their prawn head and shells for me!

As a result to our group effort.I manage to make this delicious prawn noodle for lunch today!

槟城虾面大概是最能代表槟城/马来西亚的一种面食了,旅居海外的马来西亚人几乎没有一个是不思念它的。来了美国我吃过几家马来西亚餐厅的虾面,一家比一家让人失望,完全做不出那个汤底的鲜香。

开始想家我就鼓捣记忆中思念的滋味.为了做这个虾面,我每次买虾就很耐心的把虾头虾壳留起来,附近的朋友们也一起为了这个虾面,帮我积攒了好多的虾头虾壳,一番努力下,终于让我有机会做出思念中的家乡味啦!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

【藏红花饭】Saffron Rice


藏红花,又名番红花或西红花,在《本草纲目》中列入药物之类,有活血通络、化瘀止痛的疗效,中医认为,藏红花味甘,性平。归心、肝经。

功能活血祛瘀,散郁开结,凉血、解毒。主治痛经,经闭,月经不调,产后恶露不净,腹中包块疼痛,跌打损伤,忧郁痞闷,惊悸,温病发斑,麻疹。孕妇与经期期间不适合食用。

今天做的这个藏红花饭很适合西式料理,工序简单,制作时间短。味道很好喔!


Saffron is believed to have good medicinal properties since ancient time. The Chinese use it to help women regulating menstruation cycles, improve blood circulation, help remove blood clots/blue black.

It is also important to know that saffron is not advisable to use on pregnant lady and or during menstruation, as it could cause excessive bleeding, and possible miscarriage.

This saffron rice works well as a side dish to go with fish or any seafood, it could be prepared in under 20 minutes!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Big Pau 【大包】


The kind of steamed buns we have back in Malaysia are very different in taste compared to those we found in the Asian supermarket here.


Our "Pau" (Steamed buns) back home looks similar in shape, but the wrapping tasted much sweeter, almost like a sweet bread.


Since the Malaysian version is not available here, I decided to make it at home to satisfy my homesick taste buds!


马来西亚的包子跟美国这里买得到的包子虽然看起来很相似,可味道却是大大地不同。马来西亚的包子皮和馅儿都是带甜的。


在马来西亚,肉包子有大包和小包的分别,大包的馅料比较足,有香菇,猪肉,鸡肉和鸡蛋。而且馅是炒熟了再包入的,小包则是生肉包,是直接的用腌好的猪肉包的包子。


今天我做的这款是大包。在马来西亚,其实要比我做的这个再稍微大一个10%左右,可惜我真的手掌不够大,只能包一个中包了。

Monday, October 3, 2011

【青椒鸡肉丝】Shredded Chicken and Chilli Stir Fry

春天的时候种了一棵牛角椒,是棵慢条斯理的东西,接近夏末了才开始猛开花,猛结果,原来计划要做的腌辣椒因为天气越来越冷,没戏了。

就拿来切丝炒了鸡肉丝,很清香,是个很好的小菜。

I planted a cow horn chili plant last spring and it was obviously a late bloomer, it started flowering very much at the end of summer, and didn't gave me as many chili as I may wish for to make chili pickle.

It is also way too cold to make Indian pickle now, as it need long hours of sunshine to dry up chilies, one crucial factor in pickling process.

Anyways, one can never have too many chili at home,especially fresh crunchy green chili... I made it with good old shredded chicken breast, it's delicious and quick!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Dry Palak Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese In Spinach Gravy) 菠菜奶豆腐



Paneer is a type of fresh cheese common in South Asia, it is an acid-set farmer cheese made by curdling milk with lemon juice or any type of food acid.

A very good source of protein and calcium for vegetarian, could be made into many delicious dishes. Palak Paneer is one of them. I personally like my spinach in this dish in chunk, many recipe asked to puree it, won't change much of the taste, only visual and a little different in texture, perhaps.

奶豆腐其实不是豆腐,它更接近奶酪(cheese),是一种奶制品。做法是把牛奶加醋点凝固之后压制成豆腐状再进行烹饪。是高钙高蛋白食品,也是素食者很好的一个选择。

这道菠菜奶豆腐是北印度很有名的一道菜,做法很多,我也做过好几个版本。我特别喜欢这个干锅版,味道很香,很下饭。

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

【豇豆/菜豆煎蛋】Long Bean Fried Egg

在吉隆坡生活的时候,最经常吃的午饭就是到“杂饭档”打包一个饭盒。 一个鱼或者肉,一个蛋,一个菜,加上白饭,就是很丰富的一餐了。

这个豇豆煎蛋做法简单,经济实惠,也是杂饭档经常出现的菜肴之一。也是我饭盒里的常客,想家了,做个豇豆煎蛋吃吃吧!

This dish just brought me  all the way back to life in KL...

I used to packed my lunch box (Fan Hup) from the hawker stall that sell mixed rice (Zap Fan), meaning mix dishes with rice, the hawker will hand you half a box of white rice and you could choose any type of dishes normally consist of all sort of home cook-liked dishes.

Its economical, and very comforting food.... indeed.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Lightly Pickled Cucumber (Aa-Jaat) 泰式凉拌黄瓜


I have planted a cucumber plant this summer with this crunchy yummy pickle in mind. I had been eating my harvest as salad or juicing them so far!

Here it comes the end of planting season and I find myself with the very last 3 cucumbers I picked from my garden. 

I will have to wait for one year if I don't make this pickle now!

夏季的时候我种了好两棵黄瓜,第一个念头就是想要做这个在家乡常吃的清爽拌黄瓜,结果每次收成的黄瓜都被我当水果吃了或榨汁喝了。

今天收成的这三根是这一季最后的收成了。再不做这款凉拌黄瓜,大概就要等明年了啦!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Chinese Style Almond Tea 【杏仁茶】


Legend has it that this almond milk was the beauty secret used by all concubines at the Imperial palace in ancient China.

It is also recorded in Chinese Medicine book that almond could help in skincare, lung care (to prevent cough and  asthma) and its rich fiber could also help prevent constipation and will help reducing cholesterol!

Note: The almonds used here is different than the almond we snack on, the two type of almonds I used for this milk could be found in Chinese/Asian supermarket or Chinese medicine shop, it is mostly used in medicine/soup in Chinese culinary.

杏仁茶能够养颜,润肺,润肠,还可以止咳平喘。很适合用来预防秋燥,做法也不难,常喝还可以美白祛斑,降低胆固醇喔!


Sunday, September 25, 2011

【马来红烧鱼】Ikan Masak Kicap (Fried Pomfret in Soy Sauce)


马来红烧鱼是很地道的一款马来民族菜肴,味道层次很丰富。
在马来西亚一般多选择海鱼做这道菜,鲭鱼是首先,金鲳鱼这么做也特别好吃。

This is a very typical Malay dish, savory, rich in flavor and goes well with steam rice.

It is better to make with sea fish, Mackerel was the first choice for many Malaysian, and pomfret works well too!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

【奶豆腐馅饼 】Paneer Paratha (Stuffed Cottage Cheese Flat bread)


奶豆腐馅饼是印度家庭里很普遍的早餐,奶豆腐的蛋白质和面饼的碳水化合物是很好的配搭。
早上吃上两张这样的饼既耐饱也营养丰富喔!

Paneer is a type of Indian Cottage cheese. It is a very good source of protein, a very well loved food by Indian.

Paneer paratha is a type of bread stuffed with spiced Paneer, it is a well blend of protein and carbohydrate, a very good breakfast choice!

【米片土豆】Aloo Poha (Flattened Rice with Potato)


Aloo Poha 是印巴尼泊尔很普遍的早饭。Poha(米片)是把大米压成片方便粗存的一种做法,做的时候稍微泡水发涨,米片很好处理,也很好做,时间短,也容易消化。

所以很适合作为早餐的材料。

Aloo Poha is a well loved breakfast in India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Poha is a type of flattened rice, it is very easy to prepare this type of rice, all you need to do is to wash and briefly soak it with water, it will then swell up, and could be cooked in a very short time. A very good choice for busy morning indeed!

Friday, September 23, 2011

【牛油果奶昔 】Avocado Milkshake

牛油果含有非常丰富的维生素,其中维生素E是超强的抗氧化物。能够延缓衰老,令皮肤头发指甲健康漂亮。牛油果丰富的不饱和脂肪还可以有效预防与减少心血管方面的疾病。

在这个干燥的秋季,来杯油滑的牛油果奶昔即可润肤,又可保健,还特别好喝呢!

Avocado is truly a nutrition powerhouse, it is especially rich in Vitamin E, which is great to help in delay aging, also make your skin, hair and nail glow!

It's rich monounsaturated fat could also help to keep cholesterol level in check, which help to prevent all sort of cardiovascular diseases.

Since the weather is getting colder and dryer by the day, a glass of silky avocado milkshake not only is a good breakfast choice, it also help to keep your skin moist and body healthy!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Simple Baked Curry Puff




Curry puff is a very hearty snacks for me, I am still living in the world of 3 curry puffs for a Ringgit (Malaysian Currency). I was surprised to see the price AND reduced size curry puff at the road side stall last time when I visited Malaysia. It was just costing a lot more, at much smaller portion! Talking about inflation huh!

It make sense to make it at home... I guess. As I do not fry much, I decided to come up with a baked version of Curry Puff, the shell is somewhat different in texture, still tasty nonetheless.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Thai Steamed Fish with Calamansi and Garlic 【泰式蒜蓉蒸鱼】


This simple recipe is so simple that I couldn't believe it delivers such a brilliant taste!

The best part about it? It doesn't stink the kitchen like any other fish recipe! 

Perfect for winter cooking, it's warm, it's spicy, it's delicious...... Couldn't ask for more!

这个蒸鱼食谱简单快捷到让人不可置信,也好吃到让人不可置信。是个清爽开胃健康,做完厨房还完全没有油烟味的食谱,很适合冬季时做给家人吃哦!

没吃过泰式蒸鱼或对泰国菜没有印象的朋友,建议试试这个蒸鱼,这道十五分钟就能上桌的好菜。

相信你一定会爱上它喔!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Lemongrass ginger tea 【香茅姜茶】


Changes from seasons means one could easily catch cold. A cup of lemongrass ginger tea could help to prevent sickness, in case of sickness, to ease symptoms!


换季的时候特别容易患上感冒,用新鲜或者干燥的香茅煮茶饮用,可以帮助促进血液循环放松精神。可舒缓感冒时的症状,也有预防的功效。

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Yong Tau Foo (Stuffed Vegetables and Tofu)【客家酿豆腐】


These stuffed Vegetable/Tofu has a very interesting name. Whatever you choose to make this dish with, it is called "Yong Tau Foo" (Literally means Stuffed Tofu) in Malaysia ! 

And you could stuff basically any vegetables or bean curd products that you could think of.


这个菜在马来西亚,不管酿的是什么一律统称“酿豆腐”。小时候根本没觉得这有什么不妥,后来有一次带个香港朋友去吃有名的“安邦酿豆腐”她就问道:“明明是酿各种东西嘛!为什么就叫酿豆腐呢?”我才发现,是喔!酿豆腐不是一个统称,它是酿豆腐而已啊!

去年种了一棵Hot Banana高产得吓人,就做了好几次的酿辣椒,俊爹很爱吃,一直念念不忘,今年问了好几遍。


我看着天已经凉了,就把院子里的辣椒和茄子全收了,做一次酿多宝让老公一饱口福吧!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Keema Curry / Minced Meat Curry 【肉末咖喱】


This Keema Curry is a Pakistani dish that I learnt from a friend, it is less spicy compared to most of the other type of curries, suitable for those who likes curries and can't take too much spiciness.

It is normally made with minced beef or mutton, I used minced turkey in my recipe and it still taste stunning! You just gotta try it!


肉末咖喱是印度以北/巴基斯坦的一道家常菜,是咖喱菜里比较少见的一个做法。一般用的是牛肉或羊肉末,我用了火鸡肉末来做这道菜味道也很好吃。

这道菜盖饭非常好吃,香料充分和肉末融合了,也不会太辣,喜欢咖喱菜的朋友可以试试看。

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

【芙蓉烧包】Seremban Baked Pau


芙蓉(Seremban)是马来西亚森美兰州(Negeri Sembilan)的首府,这个烧包是一开始在芙蓉开始生产的,比较有名的是拉杭区的奇美烧包。后来渐渐地全马来西亚各地都买得到这个烧包了。

我从前出远门的时候喜欢买一盒烧包,摆在车子里,是个很方便好吃的小点。

一直很想自己在家做一次这个烧包,趁这个长周末,就做一次吧!

Seremban is the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia, this Baked Pau was initially made famous in an area name Rahang in Seremban, and eventually became the favorite pastry/snacks  for all Malaysian.

I used to buy a box of this famous pastry whenever I have to travel long distance, it’s a very convenient snack and does not require heating. I have been wanting to make this pastry once at home since I can't get this anywhere in the States... So I did!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Calamansi Juice/ Air Limau



Calamansi/Limau Kasturi Juice was a very refreshing beverage found only in the south east asia.


This particular citrus fruit is a very useful ingredient in the house. It could be use in cooking, season for soup, make into dipping sauce, salad dressing, beverage,cocktail,it is also a natural cleanser/deodorizer, we use this to clean our hand after cutting/cleaning fish!


Beside all that, I simply just love the smell and taste of it!I found not just Pandan leaves in Arizona this time, I also found this fresh Calamansi that I missed so much...

Since it's Mooncake festival today, and I had way too many Mooncake... its time to have this refreshing drink to help digest!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Gobi Manchurian 印式中餐【印度酸甜花菜】


During my years in India, I often encountered a question that I could not answer until much later. The question goes : "Can you teach me how to make Gobi Manchurian, the CHINESE FOOD ?"

????????????????????????????

Oh yes, you heard it right, a Chinese dish that no Chinese ever heard forget eating back home in China. It is a dish that surely show up on the menu of any Chinese restaurant in India. A dish took me a long time to figure out what it is. Longer time to explain to my Indian friends that Gobi Manchurian is NOT a Chinese dish, and Manchu is NOT a state in China, it refers to the tri-states area up north in China in ancient time, the term Manchu is no longer in use geographically nowadays, Manchurian now refers to one ethnic group in China, and we find no trace of this dish in the Manchu's recipes...."

I could only imagine now that this delicious Indian-Chinese dish was created long back by some well-wished Chinese chef try to make a dish that suits the local taste buds with some local ingredients. It probably is a derivation from the the famous sweet and sour pork dish name guobaorou "锅包肉” from the northern part of China, Just a vegetarian version, with quite a number of modifications!

这道菜的名字直译就是“满洲花菜”,是印度的“中国餐厅”必有的菜式,也是印度人很喜欢的一个“中国菜”。

在印度的时候我经常会遇见印度朋友问到:“你能不能教我做满洲花菜呀?”。让我非常啼笑皆非!后来再遇见这样的问题,我就会说:“满洲花菜不是中国菜!不过,却是最接近中国口味的印度菜!”

我常想,这道菜可能是当年中国人移居印度,受当地食材和当地人口味的影响,由糖醋的做法演变而来的。而事实上是如何?就不得而知了。

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Pandan Barley Water 【香兰薏米水】


Barley water is well known for its cooling property, it is used especially in the Southeast Asia, where the tropical climate brings with it the heat and humidity, this particular beverage could help to prevent dehydration and cool down the body.

It is normally made with screw pine leaves/Pandan leaves to give a sweet distinctive smell to the already very nice and creamy flavor  of barley.

It is very hard to find fresh screw pine leaves here in the States. Last week when I was traveling for work in Arizona, I paid a visit to a close friend, she show me around and I saw fresh Pandan leaves sold in the Asian supermarket. I was elated and waste no time to bring one packet home!

The Chinese traditional herb and medicine also believed that barley could help to reduce weight, cure water retention, is a good source of fibre, and could help to whiten skin tone. If used for long term, could also help to prevent freckles and wrinkles! Talking about home-made skincare huh!

东南亚天气炎热,很容易上火,所以那里的人都习惯喝点凉茶或者可以清热祛湿的饮料。这个香兰薏米水就是其中一种,香浓的薏米加上班/香兰叶的甜香,是一种让人不会忘怀的味道!

百度百科说:薏米是常用的中药.又是普遍、常吃的食物,性味甘淡微寒,有利水消肿、健脾去湿、舒筋除痹、清热排脓等功效,为常用的利水渗湿药。薏仁又是一种美容食品,常食可以保持人体皮肤光泽细腻,消除粉刺、斑雀、老年斑、妊娠斑、蝴蝶斑,对脱屑、痤疮、皲裂、皮肤粗糙等都有良好疗效。

上个星期出差亚利桑那,承蒙老友Linda收留,在她家住了几天。某天跟着她去亚洲超市买菜,可爱的Linda刚刚才跟我投诉说亚利桑那买不到新鲜的香兰叶一边就拿着一大包的新鲜香兰叶问我说:“盈盈这个是不是新鲜的粽叶啊?”我拿过来一闻,马上睁大眼说:“这不就是新鲜的香兰叶吗?”

谢谢Linda热情的款待,也谢谢她送我的新鲜香兰叶,让好久没机会喝新鲜香兰叶做的薏米水的我得以一尝久违的味道。

【糖酥饼】Beijing Traditional Pastry -- Sugar Puff


有一天看见网友『糖排』根据他姥姥传下来的做法做了这个糖酥饼。我很喜欢传统家常的食谱,觉得它们都有着浓浓的乡土味。而且这个小点是素食的,很适合做了请我的素食朋友们。

于是我就把食谱量化,做了好吃的糖酥饼。传统的做法和食谱要把它传下去喔!


A friend of mine posted his grand mother's recipe of this traditional Beijing pastry in a forum that I visited. Though I never have this pastry before and have absolutely no idea how it (should) taste. I decided to give it a try.

For I have this heartfelt feeling for anything traditional, especially those inherited from our fore-parents, those passes on to generations only by word of mouth...

The original recipe posted by my friend was without precise measurement, like his grandmother, he too goes by his gut feeling. So I decided to come up with my version of measurements for record sake.

I did send a few of this pastry to two of my Beijing friends to try, their comments? 
Superb! Just like how it should taste like back home... So I guess this is a safe recipe ehh...

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Pressed Tofu Knot and Pork Belly Stew 【百叶结烤肉】


My favorite author Yi Su wrote about this dish several times in her books and I often wondered how will it taste. Not until much later that I finally had a chance to try this typical Shanghainese dish in my Shanghai friend's house.

The Asian supermarkets here sell this pressed tofu knot (百叶结) fresh,  it is so much easier to make this dish here than in Shanghai I guess.

The Shanghainese used to cut the pressed tofu and tie it into knots just to make this dish!

以前看亦舒的小说,总看到她写的这道江南菜百叶结烤肉,就一直在想,百叶结到底怎么去烤肉呢?

一直到在一位上海朋友家吃过这道菜,我才恍然大悟。原来百叶结“烤”肉是百叶结烧肉的意思啊!

我很喜欢百叶结的口感,这里超市也买得到新鲜的百叶结,就做了一次百叶结烤肉,很香,很下饭喔!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Spicy Roasted Chicken



I have tried a few Roast chicken recipes, they are all good. Somehow I always felt something is missing, so I decided to come up with my own recipe.

I did, and loving the result! Its spicy, its juicy!!