Wednesday, August 31, 2016

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!

Friday, August 26, 2016

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 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!

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

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!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

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!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

【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】

Sweetjuicy 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!

Saturday, August 13, 2016

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。

Friday, August 12, 2016

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?


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

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!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

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!