Bird Nest with Red Dates and Gingko 【冰糖红枣白果炖燕窝】

Around 10 years ago, my dad built a high rise building with a few little holes and no windows in one of our farms, he called it "Swiftlet house", with that he started his side business farming Swiftlet for its nest. 

The term “Swiftlet farming” may spike confusion that it is a business of farming or domesticating swiftlet to be reared in a confined space like chickens in a chicken coop. This is far from the truth as Swiftlets cannot be domesticated. 

The idea of swiftlet farming is not to actually raise these birds for sale, but for their nests, which is highly sought after especially by the Chinese. 

The swiftlet nest, or commonly called bird’s nest, is a Chinese delicacy since the Tang Dynasty of China (618 – 907 A.D.). The nests are simmered with broth into bird’s nest soup. 

Though we have many "farmed" bird nests ready back at home, it is unfortunate that Bird nest is in the list of US customs food restriction list. Since I can't bring our very own bird nests here, I went searching online and bought two boxes of bird nests and made it the way my mom would.

It feels much better having this sweet soup though I am far away from home.

大约10年前，俊外公在郊外的林子里建了一间高高的，四面无窗却有着几个小洞洞的建筑物。他说这是“燕屋”，等着燕子们来入住；从此踏上了养燕之路。后来的好几年，俊外公陆陆续续地和朋友们合资，又建了好几间的燕屋。有的相当成功，吸引了不少的燕子来定居，有的不算太好，燕子们都不来。

所以俊外公经常说，所谓的养燕子。其实就是给燕子们提供一个相对有吸引力的住所，剩下的，就是运气了。燕子不需要喂食，也不需要医疗照应，只要定期地给燕屋进行清理，然后定期采收燕窝即可。

家养的燕窝在质量上和野外采收的燕窝差别并不大，还很可能更人道一些。因为采收的时候只会采集燕子已经不再使用的燕窝，燕子下了蛋，孵出雏鸟喂养成年之后就会弃巢重新建立新的鸟巢，再下蛋再养幼鸟。所以业内也有个标准，就是燕窝只能采集已经被燕子弃用的鸟巢。

话说得有点远了，每次回娘家，吃的燕窝都是很夸张的一整碗熬得浓稠的粥。我怀孕的时候，俊外公最大的遗憾就是没能让我经常吃上他的燕窝。所以他来美国看我的时候，还准备了一大盒要带来给我，还好上机前被我在视频里劝阻了。燕窝和任何和鸟类有关的食品/产品都是被禁止带入美国的哦！想吃还是在美国境内买来吃吧！

Fried Radish Cake/ Char Kueh Kak 炒粿角

Char Kueh Kak is a very famous Penang/Teoh Chew street food. It has got its name Kuah Kak (sides of the cake) from steamed radish cake, where the cake was steamed in a round bamboo basket back in the old days. Once cut into diamond or rectangular shapes to be serve or sell in the market, the remaining sides that are left will then be cubed and made into this delicious fried Cake.

Since the fried cake has become increasingly popular, plain or simple rice cake without radish is now commonly use to make this dish, thus you can also use shop bought (vietnamese) rice cake as substitute to the radish cake I used here.

炒粿角是一款和炒粿条齐名的槟城小吃，古早时候是用家里制作的“菜头粿”（萝卜糕）边角切丁炒制而成，所以有“粿角”的名称。

目前小吃摊买的粿角大多是用粘米粉蒸制成的粘米糕（也叫白糕）切丁炒制的了。时间久远，慢慢地，粿角成了粘米糕的代名词。而几乎所有的炒粿角都必定是用粘米糕制作的了。

我前阵子蒸了一大盆的腊味萝卜糕，第二天就做了这款炒粿角当早饭，非常好吃哦！

Steamed Black Locust Blossoms 槐花麦饭

I learnt to identify black locust blossoms a few years back from my friend LR , the species of edible flower in China is actually called "Huai Hua" (槐花) Styphnolobium japonicum (L.). 

The one that we found in the woods here in the Eastern part of the USA is actually Black Locust (洋槐花）Robinia pseudoacacia. 

Both the blossoms are very similar in shapes and tastes. Since Black locust blossoms is widely eaten in Europe and USA as fresh salad or made into snacks or jam. So it is almost safe to say that it can be used interchangeably with Chinese Huai Hua Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) in any recipes.

Huai hua is normally served steamed with a little wheat/corn flour and spicy sauce, a very tasty and hearty romantic way to serve flowers! 

几年前在好友的带领下我在我家附近的树林里发现了好几棵洋槐树，当时现场吃了好多的槐花，还带了好些回来做饼吃。

后来我在网上做了点搜索，发现中国国内吃的槐花学名叫Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) 。美东这里找到的是洋槐花 （Black Locust）Robinia pseudoacacia. 

这两款花味道和形状都特别相似，洋槐花在欧洲和美国也有食用的历史，经常被拿来做小吃，所以拿洋槐花来做槐花料理是绝对安全也非常美味的。

今早去农夫市场买菜的时候发现那里附近的树林里好多棵野生洋槐树，都开满了花，我就近摘了小半袋回来蒸槐花麦饭当午餐。

Hakka Ai Ban / Radish Mugwort Steamed Cake 草仔粿/艾粄

This is a true artisan steamed cake, the process of making it consist making the homemade dried radishes, followed by collecting wild mugwort from the woods, and kneading, wrapping the cakes the whole afternoon.

But the hard work is really worth it, this is the best Kueh I have ever had, it cannot be better though!

为了做这款古早味的草仔粿/菜粄。自己晒萝卜签，还要到野外树林里摘嫩艾草，再花了一个下午揉面包裹，才算完成了，不过一切都值得的，这是我吃过最好的粿，不能更好了。

Homemade Dried Shredded Radish 自制萝卜签/干

Radish is in season and it is only 29 cents a lb, I had to bring a few back to make dried radish/Cai Poh bee! My sun-dried radish is ready in just under two good sunny days! 

这个季节萝卜一磅才两毛九分。买几磅回来自制萝卜丝干/菜脯签。只要两天的阳光普照，萝卜签就晒好了，味道很好闻哦！

Mugwort Steamed Cake 艾团/青团

Sometimes around Qing Ming/Tomb-sweeping festival, the Chinese will collect some Chinese Mugwort (艾草）to be hanging around the door, which is believed to be able to chase away unwelcome energy. It is also the main ingredient for the Chinese steamed cake Ai Tuan/Qing Tuan （艾团/青团）eate at or around the tomb sweeping festival.

My mom discovered a big patch of wild mugwort in the woods near my house during her visit few years back, she will bring back a bag full of the wild mugwort and boiled it down to be used for bath when she was feeling under the weather.

I have been meaning to make Qing Tuan by using the young wild mugwort nearby this year, since it is a wild plant and I want to make sure it is 100% safe to be eaten, I have done some research and found out that the wild mugwort near my house is the species Artemisia vulgaris, or common mugwort.

几年前我妈来美探亲时发现我家附近的树林里有一大片的野生艾草，她后来感冒的时候还摘了好些回来煮水泡澡。

清明前后是艾草春季出土的时节，我摘了一大包回家取嫩叶做青团，剩下的煮水给咳嗽的俊宝泡澡。

Tea Smoked Chicken 【茶叶熏鸡】

I made this tea smoked chicken twice when I visited my family back home last month, everyone loves the richness in flavor and its juiciness.

Such an easy and delicious dish deserves a special place in my blog!

春节回乡时给家人做了这款茶叶熏鸡，大家都说非常好吃，后来又再做了一次，也是一上桌就吃光了。是道很省事，又很惊艳的宴客菜哦！

Multi-Grain Nut + Seed Bread 坚果杂粮吐司

My mom's favourite breakfast is homemade bread with some nut butter and avocado. She brought a bread machine a few years back and have been making homemade bread since.

She has been using the same recipe that came with the bread machine for years, the kind of recipe that is made for the machine, not too bad and nothing great about it either.

Since my visit in Malaysia this time is longer, I decided to create a multigrain nut + seed bread recipe for mom to use.

I made 4 loaves of the same bread each with little adjustment to the recipe, this one last one is by far the best, with close to 70% of liquid ratio, the bread stays soft and chewy days after baking.

Mom's bread machine broke after 3rd attempts on this recipe, a workload it is not designed to take, I had to use my sister in law's KA for my fourth bread and took the opportunity to get one new machine for mom, as the old one is really subpar, and take as much as a new machine's worth to repair.

我妈平日最喜欢的早饭就是自己烤的面包加上自己磨的杏仁酱和牛油果，吃了好些年都不厌倦。妈妈做的面包就是按面包机程序里教的食谱来做的，不难吃，也说不上美味。

我今年春节回娘家待的时间比较长，就趁机会用家里现有的材料做了几次坚果杂粮面包，为了确定食谱一共做了四次，每次食谱都有微调。最后一个终于让我满意了，接近70%的含水量让烤出来的面包几天后都还是软的。

这款面包味道很好，越嚼越香我很满意，父母也很喜欢。唯一的问题是我妈的杂牌军面包机在我连续四天做了三个面包之后就罢工了。修理费居然和新的面包机价格差不多，我顺道趁这个机会把面包机也给换了。

注：因为一个星期里做了四次这款面包，所以我除了第一个外，下来三个都用了老面法，就是每一次的面团里都会加入之前留下的老面，然后再在新的面团里取一些面团留作下一次的老面，加了老面的面包会膨发得更匀更细致，而且麦香更浓郁，我觉得很值得推荐哦！