Black sesame peanut brittle 【黑芝麻花生糖】

As Chinese New Year is just less than 30 days away, I am in the mood to make some Chinese New Year treats for the celebration. A Chinese New Year treat are normally sweet, which symbolize a sweet and happy year ahead.

I made a batch of this Black sesame peanut brittles, similar to the Peanut Sesame Chikki that I have made before.

再过一个月就过春节了，我趁着假日做了点年货甜品。希望吃了可以热热闹闹甜甜蜜蜜的过下一年。

这款黑芝麻花生糖和我之前做过的花生芝麻糖 类似，只是用了冰糖来做，口感更脆，色泽也更好看。

Hand-ripped noodle seared with red oil 油泼辣子扯面

I am a freelancer and I have to go to downtown Manhattan often time for work, one of the reason I liked working in NYC despite the dreading commute is the foods out there.

One of the place I really liked and will definitely visit is this small restaurant called "Xi'an Famous Foods" which is known for their Western Chinese cuisines. I love their signature hand-ripped noodle, some called it "Belt noodle" (裤带面) very much, the texture of the noodle is chewy and very flavorful.

On this long weekend I attempted this noodle twice and I have to say, I got the texture and technique right the second time!

我经常需要到纽约市去工作，虽然很不喜欢新泽西到纽约的堵车，但能到纽约去工作我还是开心的，主要是纽约是分布着好多特色小吃和餐厅让我可以经常尝尝鲜。

市中心好几家餐厅是我很喜欢的，其中一家就是“西安名吃”，我喜欢他家的手扯面，面条筋道，味道也很好。

这个长周末我在家试着做了两次扯面，第二次抓到了诀窍和煮面的火候，用了自己磨的辣子，味道着实不错哦！

Sweet Osmanthus Jiuniang Tang Yuan 桂花酒酿汤圆

It is winter solstice (冬至） today in lunar calendar, the tradition in my home is to have Tang Yuan, a type of glutinous rice ball cooked and served in sweet soup.

I made some Tang Yuan with my son A in the morning and made this Sweet Osmanthus Jiuniang Tang Yuan for breakfast, a hearty breakfast in below zero degree winter morning!

今天是冬至，在我家乡那是吃汤圆的日子，每年的冬至那天我们都会围着厨房的桌子帮妈妈搓汤圆，汤圆的经历应该是家乡每个孩子学习搓圆子的第一步吧！

今早和儿子一起边听儿歌“卖汤圆”边搓了些汤圆，然后做了一碗桂花酒酿汤圆做早餐，零下的温度喝一碗酒酿汤圆很舒服哦！

Tang Yuan in Ginger Syrup 【红糖姜汁汤圆】

It is winter solstice (冬至） today in lunar calendar, the tradition in my home is to have Tang Yuan, a type of glutinous rice ball cooked and served in sweet soup.

On this very day every year, we will all gathered around in the kitchen to help mom rolling the rice ball. It was my first experience of making edible balls, it should also be for many kids in my country. 

Mom will then boil the rice balls in a pot of water while preparing another pot of ginger and pandan leaves infused syrup, the rice balls will then be served in the syrup as our afternoon snack.

I loved playing with the dough and making it into balls and have countless memories and laughters making it with my siblings.

I wanted to recreate a similar experience for my son A. We woke up early today to make Tang Yuan while playing the song "卖汤圆" song at the background, it was fun! 

今天是冬至，在我家乡那是吃汤圆的日子，每年的冬至那天我们都会围着厨房的桌子帮妈妈搓汤圆，汤圆的经历应该是家乡每个孩子学习搓圆子的第一步吧！

我喜欢一家子围着准备东西的感觉，喜气洋洋的让人感觉很温馨。妈妈会煮上一锅加上几片斑斓叶的姜汁糖水，搓好的汤圆另起一口锅用水煮熟，然后加到糖水里一起吃。

今天儿子起得早，我们娘儿俩一起边听儿歌“卖汤圆”边搓了些汤圆，很有节日的气氛呢！

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins 【南瓜小麦芬】

A friend of mine invited me over for Halloween dinner, thus I decided to make something pumpkin for the event.

万圣节那天朋友请我们吃饭，我想应该应节做点南瓜点心。就做了这个南瓜麦芬，顺便送几个给邻居吃。

Chinese Mustard Congee 芥菜粥

Half of the mustard greens that I harvested from my backyard earlier were made into Mustard Green Rice/Dua Cai Peng the remaining half were made into this congee 2 days later. A very healthy dish to let us eat more vegetables and warm the body.

秋末收的最后一茬小芥菜一半做了闽南芥菜饭，另一半我给做了这个粥，秋末凉凉的天里喝一碗菜粥即营养又暖胃呢！

Pumpkin Soup 【奶油南瓜浓汤】

I like pumpkin and was amazed by the varieties we have in the USA.

I like making pumpkin soup during winter, it warms the body and nourish the soul, it's perfect for a light and simple dinner!

前几天买的一大块南瓜一半做了香辣南瓜，一半留着做这个南瓜汤。

南瓜浓汤是我们家冬天的保留菜。我和老公晚餐都吃得比较少，一个汤加上一个沙拉或者一块面包，是个让肠胃不负担又很暖身的晚餐。

Ear Biscuit 【耳朵饼】

This spiral ear biscuit brings back feelings of nostalgia, it is one of my favorites snacks when I was a kid. It is savory, hard yet crunchy and is very addictive.

Mom sent a few packets of this biscuit with auntie Lisa not long ago, my son A enjoyed it and was asking for more. I got curious and started searching online for a recipe. I made the first batch with the recipe I found online, it turned out good, but lack of the taste of fermented Tofu (Fu Yu) and was a tad too crunchy for what I remembered.

I modified the recipe and came up with another batch. This time the taste, shapes and looks turned out just the way I remembered! I am so so pleased. 

耳朵饼是我小时候很爱吃的一款零食，咸甜香脆的，让人停不下来。这些年来超市里卖的耳朵饼和我记忆里的味道渐行渐远，口感也变得越来越差，渐渐地我就不再买来吃了。

前阵子妈妈托阿姨给我带东西，里边有几包耳朵饼，俊宝很喜欢，都不肯和爸爸妈妈分享呢！妈妈送来的虽然不错，口感还是比我喜欢的要差一些。

俊宝吃完了家里带来的耳朵饼还跟我要，我就想着给他做一次，网上抓了个食谱做了一批，味道不错，口感也不错，但我总觉得差点什么。

第二批我做了点更改，也抓到了诀窍，制作出来的耳朵饼和我记忆里的味道几乎一模一样哦！

Sweet Pumpkin White Fungus Soup 南瓜銀耳羹

Here it comes another pumpkin dish made with the pumpkin planted by Auntie Lisa.

It is again very dry and cold these days. I will made this white fungus soup, it helps me fight cold and dryness.

Note: White fungus or snow fungus is a slight yellowish dried fungus, after soaking and cooking it will become white and almost translucent in color.

White fungus is believed to be a good immune stimulant, it fights infection, inflammation, cold and cough, studies have also found that it has anti-tumor property, could lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or the "bad"cholesterol). It is also believed to slow the aging process, though I am not sure if there is any scientific research supporting this!

天气开始变得干燥的时候会炖一锅银耳羹做早饭，刚好冰箱里还有阿姨送的南瓜，这次就炖了个南瓜银耳羹，排毒养颜润肺，还很饱肚喔！

Lotus Seeds Snow Fungus and lily bulbs Soup 【百合莲子银耳羹】

Fall and winter are both very dry seasons.I for one always suffer dry and itchiness during these seasons. Lotions or oil won't help much. This sweet soup is supposed to help prevent dryness during cold weather. It is a pretty good breakfast too!

每每一到秋冬我就觉得皮肤容易干燥痕痒，用很多润肤霜喝许多水都没用。炖一锅百合莲子银耳羹来调理一下，据说能养颜润肤哦！

Watercress soup 【老火西洋菜汤】

I learnt to enjoy Cantonese soups from my cantonese flatmate when I was in England. I also think a good pot of soup can only be made using claypot.

I have been wanting a good claypot for a long time now and did not see anything of my liking, until one afternoon when I visited Chinatown in PA, I saw this simple claypot sitting right on top of a shelve. and I knew that it is mine.

我很喜欢老火汤，但家里没有一个适合炖汤的锅，就一直很想找个适中而且质量较好的瓦煲。新泽西的几个华人超市我都找过了，都是看起来很漂亮设计很精美却让我没有什么信心的瓦煲。

上星期刚好到费城附近上班，去了中国城吃烧鸭，吃饱后顺道逛逛唐人街，就给我看到这个瓦煲了，价钱还不贵，马上就淘回来了。

晚上向在加州出差的老公说起。他就说：“是呀，我看你也找了很久了嘛！”原来傻大个也有细心的时候，有在留心我的需要喔。

Kashmiri Pulao 【克什米尔香饭】

Unlike most Pulaos in India, Kashmiri Pulao is known to be mild, aromatic and slightly to the sweet side. Garnishing with fresh fruits like pomegranate and some dry fruits makes it look so colorful and appetizing.

克什米尔菜在印度是比较特别的一个菜系，口味更接近中东菜。这个米饭比较味道温和，很香甜爽口，不用任何的配菜就很好吃了哦！

Hasselback Potato 【风琴土豆】

I made these grilled potatoes to go with our XinJiang Style Lamb Chops today. This spiced potato chips are so good that we fought for the last bite!

For those who doesn't like your potato too spicy, you can try the non-spicy grilled potato chips that I made earlier.

感恩节烤羊排的配菜我做了一盘的烤蔬菜和这款风琴土豆，撒上自制的烧烤撒粉，土豆和孜然香料出奇的配，结果都还吃不够呢！

不嗜辣的朋友可以试试我之前做过的做法类似的烤薯片。

XinJiang Style Lamb Chops 【孜然烤羊排】

It is Thanksgiving today, we decided to have a quiet celebration this year, just the three of us.  I decided to make hubby's favourite lamb chops instead of Turkey as there is no way we could have finished the whole turkey, no matter how we try. 

I have made this lamb chops many times with my Homemade BBQ seasoning powder, it always turned out very juicy and delicious. 

今年感恩节我们决定在家过，就我们一家三口静静地感恩一切，感恩所有帮助过我们的人，感恩让我们成长的事。

两个半的人口是吃不了十几磅的大火鸡了，冰箱里刚好有一排Costco的羊肋排，就做了俊爹很爱吃的这款新疆孜然烤羊排。烤羊排的撒粉是我前阵子调配的烧烤撒粉，在我们家它可是百用调味料哦! 

【泰式炒河粉】Pad Thai (Thai Fried Flat Rice noodle)

Pad Thai在泰国是大街小巷都可以找到的炒粉，它几乎就是泰国人口味的缩影，酸甜辣鲜。来了美国我尝试过好几家泰国餐厅，不得不说的是，都让我非常地失望。

尤其是这个Pad Thai，来到了美国变成又甜又腻的炒粉。在泰国，它不是这样的，泰国街边的Pad Thai，干爽，香辣，火候足，颜色没有那么红艳。今天，让我们在家试试泰国街边摊的Pad Thai吧！

Pad Thai is a very common street food in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, those hawkers who made this dish day in and day out do it with such a perfection, they managed to stir in right amount of char to the rather common ingredients of all Thai foods and make it taste so unique and unforgettable!

I have tried Pad Thai in many restaurants here in the states and in Europe, I wouldn't hide my disappointment, as it is often too oily and way too sweet! I stopped ordering from a restaurant, when I crave for it, I just make it at home, since I almost always have the ingredients needed at home.

Mustard Green Rice/Dua Cai Peng 【芥菜饭】

My mum used to make this Giam P'ng (Hokkien Salted Rice) back home, there are similar dishes made with pumpkin, Long bean and yam.

It is prepared almost like the Spanish Paella, the rice is cooked together with ingredients and seasoning in a pot/wok and later simmer to perfection. It is simply irresistible, every spoon of it is a charm!

I have planted some Chinese mustard green end of summer, harvested handful of times, with the last two batch, I made this rice casserole to remind me of the taste of home. 

咸饭是我在家乡时妈妈常做的一个饭食，妈妈常做的有菜豆饭，芥菜饭，芋头饭和南瓜饭等等。

就是把蔬菜类的食材加上香菇，虾米，葱蒜和五花肉焖好，再炖一锅汤，就能美美地喂饱一家子。很方便，又美味喔！

夏末的时候我在后院撒了一把芥菜籽，后来张出一大片的小芥菜，我收了好几茬送朋友，最后两茬我自己做了芥菜饭和芥菜粥。好吃又营养，很适合秋末养生。

Sotong Kangkung 鱿鱼蕹菜

Sotong Kangkung or Cuttlefish salad with Water spinach/Convolvulus is a very common street food in Malaysia, it is normally sold at the same stall that sales Rojak Buah/Fruits Rojak since the sauce are pretty similar.

Sotong Kangkung contains blanched cuttlefish and water spinach/convolvulus then are tossed with prawn paste, chili, sweet sauce. It will then top with sesame seeds and grounded peanuts before serving.

鱿鱼蕹菜是一款水发鱿鱼和蕹菜烫好后拌上虾膏，辣椒酱，甜酱油和海鲜酱混合酱料的小吃。吃之前会撒点烤香的花生和芝麻。

在马来西亚，它通常和水果罗惹一起卖，可能和酱料的材料类似有关系吧！

Fennel Dumplings/Jiaozi 【茴香饺子】

We love Jiaozi/Chinese Dumplings a lot, frozen dumplings are often my go to for a quick fix for dinner or snack. Though I am very happy with the frozen Jiaozi from the local Asian market, I still make Jiaozi from scratch once in a while when I have time at hand.

I made Dill Jiaozi today for lunch, it is one type that is not sold as frozen, maybe because it is not that common and dill for many, is a taste yet to develop. 

One thing though probably worth mentioning. I planted the dill I used today in summer, I just sprinkled a handful of Fennel seeds I have in my pantry and it grown into dill plants! 

So now, I am really confused, if fennel seeds gave me dills, why is it called fennel seeds?

我们全家都很爱吃饺子，忙的时候一包冷冻饺子就能喂饱一家大小。虽然买来的冷冻饺子味道不错，我却更喜欢自己擀皮拌馅包的饺子。

我家有很多做咖喱用的茴香籽。夏天时随手撒了一把到菜地里就长出一大片的茴香。

这几天比较空，收了来做茴香饺子，茴香有股很特殊的清香味，调出来的饺子馅特别香，特别好吃。

Fennel leaves on the left, Dill on the right

左边的是茴香，右边的是莳萝

Update：I have received a couple of feedbacks on the forum I frequented about the plant I planted. With great curiousity I did a little research and find that the plant I used for these dumplings is indeed Fennel.

According to : http://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/fennel.cfm

There are two types of fennel.

One is treated as an herb (herb fennel – Foeniculum vulgare) and one that is treated like a bulb type vegetable (Florence fennel or Finocchio – Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce).

The herb type grows 3-5 feet tall with fine textured foliage resembling dill. Flat topped clusters of yellow flowers appear in late summer. Stems, leaves and seeds of this type of fennel are harvested and used. Florence fennel is shorter with darker green foliage and is grown for its large, flat thick rosette of petioles at the base often referred to as a “bulb.” Both forms have an anise or licorice flavor.

更新：食谱贴出之后好几个网友就茴香和莳萝进行了一些讨论，基于好奇，我到网上做了些搜索。

看来印度超市买的茴香籽是真茴香，种出来的茴香和中国国内吃的茴香类似，不带球茎，只长枝叶。

资料来源：「廚房好朋友」球莖茴香。茴香。蒔蘿

想念茴香的朋友们，可以到印度超市买茴香种子种茴香罗！

How to Soak and Prepare Dried Cuttlefish 如何泡发鱿鱼干

I wanted to make Kangkung sotong for a long time, but I had difficulty finding pre-soaked cuttlefish in the local market. I read an article about how alkali/alkaline water was made from the wood ashes in old time.

Since I have ashes in my Charcoal BBQ grill and some dried cuttlefish, I decided to create alkaline water and soak the cuttlefish the old fashioned way.

我一直想做家乡有名的小吃鱿鱼蕹菜和叁巴水发鱿鱼。但我家周边的亚洲超市都找了个遍，没找着水发鱿鱼。

有一天在网上游览时读了一篇有关古法制作碱水的文章。突然灵机一触，后院的炭炉里还有炭灰，冰箱里还有鱿鱼干，不如就尝试一次古法碱水泡发鱿鱼试试看？

Mini Spring Onion Pancake 【迷你葱油饼】

I have a small patch of Spring onion planted in my raised bed, it has been almost 6 years, I never uproot them, I will cut only the green parts for cooking and it never failed to regrow throughout summer. They go into hibernation during the winter months and if I fertilize it well, it will come back stronger and thicker than before!

Last weekend I harvest a bunch of the spring onion and make this mini pancakes for lunch, it is crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside, we all savoured it well.

我家后院种有一小片的青葱，大约有五六年了。每年夏天我只剪绿色部分用，它就一直长，一整个夏天都有足够的青葱供应。秋天入冬之前我收完最后一茬后就会施一次肥。第二年春天它又窜出来，肥肥美美地供应一个春夏。实在是个不费心思又实用的种植物。

周末我收了一把细细切成葱花，加上自己熬的猪油做了这款迷你葱油饼给俊宝贴秋膘。小子很喜欢，吃了三个呢！

Romano Bean Potato Stew 【豆角炖土豆】

Romano Bean is a very common vegetable in the North Eastern part of China. It can be made into a few traditional dishes included French Bean Steamed Noodle .

I also like to stew it with little pork/chicken and potatoes, a very good one pot dish.

豆角炖土豆是中国东北的一道家常菜，非常好吃下饭。夏季我们这里的中国超市经常买得到油豆角，我除了经常买回来做豆角焖面外，在后院的土豆/马铃薯收成时，会买来做这款豆角炖土豆。

再加一大碗白饭，就能美美地吃上一顿了。

Stuffed Chilli 【酿辣椒】

I planted a Hot Banana chilli plant last summer and was endowed with a good harvest. I showed the pictures to my mother over Facetime and she said the chilies are just perfect for Chinese Stuffed Chili!

And I thought, why not?

后院的Hot Banana收成好多，妈妈看了照片说这辣椒做酿辣椒最好啦！

真的很好吃喔！

Fruit Rojak/Penang Rojak 【水果羅惹】

I made Fruit Rojak pretty often in summer, mostly for lunch when I am eating alone. I like the tangy, sweet, spicy flavor of it with refreshing fruits, extremely savory and light on the tummy.

罗惹是深受马来西亚人喜欢的一个街头小食,烈日当头的时候，来一小盘的水果罗惹，香鲜惹味，很开胃喔！

Pecel/Pecal (Vegetable salad with Peanut Sauce) 【印尼Pecal沙拉】

Pecel or Pecal in Malaysia is a traditional Javanese food, a type of vegetable salad with peanut gravy, it is very nutritious and ideal for snacks and breakfast.

You can toss in some Tofu，boiled egg and Tempeh to make it high in protein, a good way to incorporate more greens into your diet.

Pecel （印尼语) 或 Pecal （马来语）是一款淋上花生酱的印尼/马来沙拉，非常美味营养，加上水煮蛋、炸酥的丹贝和豆腐干，就是一款高蛋白，高纤维的美食了。

也是让自己多吃蔬菜的一个好方法哦！

Homemade Fruit Leather 【果干卷】

My son A loves fruits. His favourite snacks is fruit leather or Fruit snacks. I used to buy organic fruit snacks from the store. He goes through them so fast that it got me worried that he will be fructose overdose sometimes.

Some friends came home yesterday with their kids yesterday, I made a big fruit bowl for the kids and was left with about 1/3 of it. Since it was close to bedtime and none of us want more fruit. I blended them into a thick paste and place it into the oven to bake at low temperature. 

We have got ourselves fruit leather in the morning! 

俊宝很爱吃水果，他最爱的零食是水果软糖和果干卷。之前我经常到超市买有机软糖和果干卷给他吃，有机的软糖和果干卷不便宜，含糖量又太高，我就一直想在家给他做。

昨天朋友带了两个小朋友来我们家玩，我准备了一大盆的水果，小孩子们食量不大，剩下不少。晚上我也不想再吃水果了，就在睡前和俊宝一起把水果都丢到搅拌机搅拌好，然后丢到烤箱里低温烘干。

第二天一大早就有了这款好吃又好看的果干卷啦！

Peach Limeade 【桃子青柠汁】

My son A is a big fan of Peaches, he will ask for it every so often, even when peaches are out of season. It goes without saying that peaches are always in sight at home during its season!

I brought home some sweet juicy peaches from the market and decided to make this delicious limeade, a perfect drink for summer afternoon!

俊宝是个桃子控，不管是白桃，黄桃还是水蜜桃，只要是桃子他都爱吃。冬天时都还经常吵我买罐头桃子给他吃呢！

所以桃子当季的时候我们家是一箱一箱地往家里抗。今天前几天天气太热，就想喝点冰凉的，我做了这款桃子青柠汁，冰镇了喝味道不是一般的好呢！

Ayam Goreng Berempah（Malaysian Style Spiced Fried Chicken) 【马来香料炸鸡】

This spiced fried chicken was made last weekend to go with some steamed rice and lentil soup, my all time favorite combination. This fried chicken is normally served back home with Nasi minyak or Nasi Lemak.

I made this mainly for me, hubby tasted it and loved it.  I ended up sharing a little more than half of my yummy fried chicken with him. 

这款炸鸡是我给自己做的午饭，它是椰浆饭 和马来油饭很好的一个菜肴，是我自小很喜欢的一道美食。做这个炸鸡的小贩会把炸鸡时掉在油里的香料一起捞起来滴干油，这样的香料渣渣特别下饭，有的人还会特别要求小贩多给一些呢！
 

做这款炸鸡的时候本来还觉得我腌得有点多了，结果一炸好俊爹跑到厨房取了好几块，边看电视边当零嘴给吃了，吃饭时还跟我分了一大半去。

看来这款炸鸡可以再做哦！

Long Bean Rice （Cai Dao Peng) 【菜豆饭】

My mum used to make this long bean rice back home, there are similar dishes made with pumpkin, Chinese mustard (Gai Choy) and yam.

It is prepared almost like Spanish Paella, the rice is cooked together with ingredients and seasoning, in a pot/wok and later simmer to perfection.

It is simply irresistible, every spoon of it is a charm!

咸饭是我在家乡时妈妈常做的一个饭食，妈妈常做的有菜豆饭，芥菜饭，芋头饭和南瓜饭等等。

就是把蔬菜类的食材加上香菇，虾米，葱蒜和五花肉焖好，再炖一锅汤，就能美美地喂饱一家子。很方便，又美味喔！

Nasi Minyak / Malaysian Ghee Rice 马来油饭

Nasi minyak is synonymous with wedding for most Malay back home, it is one of the main dishes served at the wedding reception. I used to look forward to a Malay wedding to enjoy the feast when I was young. 

Malay wedding reception is a true spirit of "Gotong royong" (Communal work), most people in the village (Kampung) gathered together to share the tasks of cooking/preparing for a reception. 

Every village/kampung has its own team of cooks for such occasion, in other word, every village has their own specialty that passes down generation after generation.

I made Nasi minyak last weekend for a gathering to go with my Malaysian mutton curry, Ayam Goreng Berempah and Achar Timun, everyone enjoys it very much, it was a perfect meal!

在马来西亚，如果想要知道马来友族朋友什么时候结婚的话，只要开玩笑地问道：“你们什么时候请吃油饭呀？”即可。可见这款马来油饭在马来族婚宴是举足轻重的一道美食。

马来西亚的乡村(Kampung)有个很特别的文化叫“Gotong royong"。 就是村子里的人集合在一起同心协力地去做一件事的意思。村里的婚宴一般都是村民们集合一起共同完成的，每个村子都有自己的婚宴团队，专门负责婚宴煮食和安排。换句话说，每个村子的婚宴美食都是很独特的哦！

周末我们请朋友一家和他们来探亲的父母吃饭，我做了马来羊肉咖喱，马来香料炸鸡 和 凉拌黄瓜，大家都很喜欢，连小孩都很喜欢颜色好看的这道米饭哦！

【荷叶糯米饭】Lotus Leaf Rice (Hor Yip Fan)

荷叶糯米饭经常是家乡吃酒席的时候的最后一道菜。因为道糯米饭吃下去，客人肯定吃得尽兴，让客人吃得肚圆地离去，是每个婚宴主人家的心意。

This Lotus Leaf Rice is a very common dish served at Chinese wedding dinner back home. It is normally served last to ensure all the guests are well fed. 

It is a very thoughtful arrangement and I always love the taste and fragrance derive from lotus leave.

Corn Milk 【玉米汁】

Sweet，juicy local grown corn is one of the benefits of living in NJ, we loved it grilled, buttered or steamed. Last week the local farmers market had a promotion on sweet corn, I brought a big bag of it and make this very refreshing corn milk.

My son A is a corn lover. He fell for this corn milk instantly, he said : " I like it mommy!"

夏天是甜玉米盛产的季节, 非常甜美多汁。上周我家附近的农夫市场促销玉米，我买了一大包，回来用几根做了这款玉米汁，冰箱里冰起来喝。俊宝很爱吃玉米，对这款玉米汁也赞不绝口哦！

Nasi Lemak Kukus (Steamed Coconut Rice) 【椰浆饭】

With many of my fellow Malaysian friends showing their Ramadan feast on facebook the last couple of weeks, I started craving for nasi lemak to no end. Nasi lemak used to be my breakfast back home for years. I especially loved the small packets of Nasi Lemak wrapped in Banana leaves sold by street hawkers, it is simple, authentic and full of flavors. 

My love for nasi lemak probably was responsible for my weight and cholesterol level then, but then, it was totally worth it!!

I had to make this nasi lemak for lunch this weekend, I could wait no longer. This steaming method really works great and my nasi lemak turned out just the way I liked it! The only thing I am missing here is a fresh banana leave!

P/s：Original recipe was written on 7/26/2014, updated with photographs.

斋戒月这几个星期让人有点郁闷，亲戚朋友们都在FB上发好吃好喝的照片。让思念家乡美食的我都要抓狂了。于是这个周末就不怕麻烦的做了这个得三蒸三煮的椰浆饭。出来的效果跟我思念的味道一模一样。就差那一叶垫底的新鲜芭蕉叶啦！

注：原食谱写于7/26/2014，照片更新。

Salmon braised Mushroom 【三文魚燴雙菇】

I made some steamboat for dinner few days ago and was left with some fresh mushrooms. I made this mushrooms fish dish, very delicious.

前几天吃火锅还留下两把的菇类，今天就做了这个三文鱼烩双菇，很香很下饭喔！

Natural Blue Soda 【梦幻蝶豆花饮料】

I made Blue Chai using the butterfly pea flower not long ago, the color of the drink is so beautiful that I can't stop looking at it. 

I then freeze some of the unsweetened blue chai in ice cube box and use it today to serve with soda, it makes the soda looks so dreamy and beautiful.

A good idea to serve over party!

前阵子我做了消暑健康的蓝花/蝶豆花茶，加了些柠檬汁的蓝花/蝶豆花茶会渐渐变色，颜色非常梦幻，味道也很好。

我把剩下不加糖和柠檬汁的蓝花/蝶豆花茶放到制冰盒里做成蓝色的冰块，拿来和无色的碳酸饮料一起喝，颜色不仅好看，喝了还让心情也好起来哦！

这样的饮料派对里拿来宴客是不是很拉风呢？

Dum Aloo（Roasted Potatoes in Creamy Gravy) 【腰果土豆咖喱】

I have been a little lazy lately, not working out as much as I should. It has got to do with my poor sleeping pattern. So I was really looking forward to the long weekend so that I could get some much needed rest.

As planned,this weekend was a quiet one, our dear friend A came from NYC and spent the afternoon with us on Saturday, we had fun chit chatting and went out for a good Indian dinner at a nearby restaurant. Sunday was rainy again so we decided to stay in and enjoyed a few movies at home.

N had requested potato curry sometimes ago, since I have been wanting to blog on Dum Aloo for a long time, I made this yummy dish for lunch, it is really creamy and delicious!

这道有名的克什米尔素食入口即化,浓浓的腰果香味让这道菜带有迷人的贵族气息。据说是一道从前只有皇族和贵族才能吃上的美食哦！

Spinach Pan Mee 【菠菜板面】

I planted some Amaranthus last year during the summer, but the yield was low, I did not uproot the plants and let it die on its own. Little did I know that Amaranthus is so hardy that it survived the winter and came out on its own again this year, only stronger.

It gave me palm size leaves that look amazing, though I have not planted much this year, my Amaranthus did give me a chance to enjoy home grown vegetable! I harvest some to make this Pan Mee today, which I made the dough using spinach, I liked that the red Amaranth makes the soup a little pinkish in color, beautiful and full of nutrients!

去年夏天的时候我种了一批红/绿苋菜但长得都不好，后来我就没收成，让它自生自灭了。今年播种期家里一堆事情，所以就休耕了。谁知不久前苋菜自己钻了出来，长得还特别好，叶子都成巴掌大了。 摘一盆煮一锅菠菜汁做的板面，吃得营养又满足，真是老天送我的礼物呢！

Rempeyek Kacang (Crispy Peanuts Fritters) 【炸花生饼】

I always buy this fritter as a snack from Kopitiam (Coffee shop) near my house when I was young. I remembered paying 5 cents apiece years back, I loved the taste of spices and the crunchiness of it. 

Rempeyek is normally made in round shape using a special metal mould back home. Since I do not have a mould here , I used the Javanese method to make it, which is to flow the batter by the side of hot wok and later push it down into hot oil using a turning spade to deep fry.

小时候很喜欢这款炸花生饼，是每次去咖啡店都要买的一款小点心。我还记得多年前一块炸花生饼是5分钱。不晓得现在一块多少钱呢？

炸花生饼在马来西亚一般是圆形的，用一种类似勺子的平底模子铺上米糊和花生炸酥。我手上没有模子，所以就做了印尼款的花生饼，把米糊淋在锅边定型后再铲到热油里炸酥。

Blue Chai (Blue Pea Flower Tea) 【蓝花茶】

When I made Nyonya dumplings not long ago, many friends asked me about the blue coloring I used to dye the rice. It is from blue pea flower/butterfly pea flower, it is a natural food coloring with a lot of health benefits.

According to Wikipedia:

Clitoria ternatea, common names including butterfly pea, blue pea, Aprajita, Cordofan pea and Asian pigeonwings, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family.

......Names in other languages include bunga telang (Malay), อัญชัน `anchan (Thai), đậu biếc (Vietnamese), अपराजिता Aparajita in Hindi and 蝶豆 dié dòu (Mandarin Chinese), 'Sankhu Poolu/Sankham Poolu' in Telugu, "Shankupushpam" in Malayalam language and অপরাজিতা (Aparajita) in Bengali.

In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน), it is sometimes consumed with a drop of sweet lime juice to increase acidity and turn the juice into pink-purple.

前阵子做娘惹粽 的时候好些朋友问我娘惹粽漂亮的蓝色是怎么来的。它是用天然色素蝶豆花染的，出来的效果非常好。蝶豆花是个健康保健的好东西、有抗氧化、提升脑力、护发、提高抵抗力的效果。

在泰国，人们会把蝶豆花泡热水做成蓝色的饮料，有消暑养生的效果。

 夏天来一杯蓝花茶，不仅消暑，是不是还很梦幻呢！

Thai basil chicken recipe (pad kra pao gai ผัดกระเพราไก่) 【泰式打抛鸡丁】

I had previously made Pad Ka Prao using minced Chicken, Turkey and Pork, all turned out very nice and tasty.

This time I have used diced chicken and added some long bean, it allows us to have more vegetables and hubby loved it so much, he had 2 plateful!

我之前用肉末做过好吃的泰式打抛肉，今天用了鸡丁加上豇豆。能够多吃蔬菜，味道很好，俊爹吃了两大盘还不够呢！

Jaljeera 【孜然饮料】

Jaljeera is the Indian way to deal with lost of appetite and indigestion on hot summer days. The taste is so rich and flavourful that it almost instantly brighten your mood! Try it out if you haven't already!

夏天总有胃口不开，消化不良的感觉。在印度的时候，那里的夏天是超乎想像的热，当地人就会做些开胃而且帮助消化的冷饮喝。这个Jaljeera就是其中一款。

Banana Chocolate Chips Cake 【香蕉巧克力蛋糕】

My husband have this obsession of bananas that it's almost absurd, he has to bring a bunch of banana back whenever he goes to the grocery store. Needless to say, he goes to the store a little too many times this month, and I was left with a bunch of overripe bananas again.

So I made this cake with the help of my son A yesterday night and had it for breakfast today, the chocolate chips really kick the taste up a notch!

俊爹有很奇怪的香蕉情意结，他每次去超市非得带一梳香蕉回来不可，这两周我比较忙，日常购物就让他去得比较多。单看我家香蕉的数量，大概就可以知道最近是谁在购物了。

香蕉一过熟，我们家就没人肯吃了。昨晚带着俊宝把熟透的香蕉都用来做了这款蛋糕，加入巧克力豆真是个精明的选择，让这款蛋糕好吃得不行哦！

Bamboo Shoots Rice【竹笋焖饭】

When mom was here in the States, she loves to buy fresh bamboo shoots from The Asian market, she will stir fry it with tofu or made stew with pork belly.

She told me about this rice dish that she used to eat as a kid couple of weeks back. When I saw fresh bamboo shoots in the market, I brought home some and made this rice dish and shared with a few friends. 

My friends loved it so much that one of them even brought me more bamboo shoots days later and request me to make it again!

我妈很喜欢吃鲜笋做的菜，她在美国的时候只要看见鲜笋就会买几只回来炒豆腐干或炖肉。

几个星期前妈妈跟我提起鲜笋焖饭，是她小时候很爱吃的美味咸饭，我问了做法后，到亚洲超市买了鲜笋，处理好后留起一大半来做菜，一小半做了这个焖饭。

做好的焖饭送给几个朋友吃，大家都好喜欢。一个好友还在几天后买来一大包的鲜笋，让我再做一次！