The roots require a good clean when you get them back from the grocers. Recommend a good soak first then a good rub down and several repeats of the process.
In our bid to add length to our torsos… here’s cheers to Peanut Root Soup!
Ingredients:
To Do:
Combine all ingredients into a slow cooker, leave on Low for 4 hours, enjoy.
Affectionately known as Kiam Png – which unfortunately is left open ended in translation as salted (kiam) rice (png) or dishes (to accompany a meal) rice (png).
Regardless the correctness, it is absolutely correct to say this is a comfort food and absolute in yummy-ness. Easy to assemble, just a few added steps that seals the umami magic. Pls enjoy.
Ingredients
To Do:
1. Heat oil in pan, place cuttlefish and dried shrimp and mushrooms – fry for 2min till fragrant.
2. Add grain mixture. Mix well.
3. Toss in pumpkin and yam.
4. Serve with lots of love and a generous serving of your favorite chilli balacan.
Your life will never be the same again.
Honestly I not a fan, but made this on request. There’s been a lot of research on black sesame elevating to super food status. Those who’ve tried this recipe, raved much. Let me know if you like it too.
Ingredients
To do
Place all ingredients into a soya bean maker, run “soya bean milk” cycle. 
Total nube guide to the kitchen
Ingredients
2 bottles chicken essence
1 tsp red goji berries
1 tsp black goji berries
2 chicken thighs, skin on and cubed
To Do
1. Combine all ingredients
2. Steam 45min (med)
Do I need to say more about my Bangkok fix?
Red Rubies Green Emeralds with Coconut Ice Cream
Red Rubies and Green Emeralds
Ingredients
12 Fresh water chestnuts, skinned, halved and then third. (ie cut into 12 pcs per chestnut)
1/2 tsp red food color
1/2 tsp Pandan paste
Tapioca flour (to coat)
To Do:
1. Divide chestnuts, and place in separate ziptop bags. Add food color. Mix well.
2. Toss chestnut cubes into tapioca flour until well coated.
3. (optional : for a thicker coat) spritz coated cubes with water, then re-coat
4. Bring water to a rolling boil
5. Add coated chestnuts. Remove when the flour becomes transparent, and rubies/emeralds float to the top.
6. Submerge into an ice bath.
Coconut Ice-cream
Ingredients
1 yolk
1 cup coconut cream
4 tbsp sugar
To Do:
1. Whisk yolk and sugar
2. Warm coconut cream and whisk in yolk-sugar mixture
3. Over low heat, cook till the mixture coats the paddle (about 10 min)
4. Cool
5. Place in ice-cream maker, following instructions accordingly.
(recommended : make in advance)
Assembling
Ingredients
1/4 cup macapuno
1/4 cup canned jackfruit
To Do:
Assemble as inspired.
If only it was as easy to mine rubies and emeralds!
I LOVE how the green in the emeralds and the red in the rubies voiced the cheer and festivity in this rendition of the dessert. The pandan flavor in the emeralds is a lovely twist from tradition, and the symphony was made complete with the coconut ice-cream.
I couldn’t find canned jackfruit at the grocers that I frequent, but after digging around I was pleasantly surprised to find Macapuno, which is actually young coconut flesh in heavy syrup. It turned a chamber orchestra into a philharmonic.
I need my Bangkok fix SOON.
Ingredients
650g pork butt
2 tbsp tomyam paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oil
kaffir lime leaves to garnish
julienned apples
To Do
1. Combine all ingredients and leave overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Bake covered at 140C for 40min, or preferred done-ness.
(or Happycall over the stove, 20min at Medium… tsk, new gadgets)
3. Serve on a bed of julienned apples, sprinkle kaffir lime leaves.
Interestingly enough, the sweet and crunch of the apples gave a very nice balance to the almost overwhelming tang of the tomyam. A fine balance which neither tipped.
It was a lazy day at home, and the ipads have been confiscated. Hurray! To keep mischief at bay, the kitchen came to my rescue. Armed with a balloon whisk and my mom’s bahulu mould, we embarked on a mission…
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 oz sugar
2 oz self-rising flour
To Do:
1. Heat oven at 200C.
2. Lightly oil the bahulu moulds and heat up in the oven.
3. Whisk* eggs with sugar till creamy and almost white.
4. Divide flour into 4 portions, incorporate into egg-sugar mixture one portion at a time.
5. Remove heated moulds and fill them till 3/4s full.
6. Bake for 6-8 mins. Remove, cool on a wire rack.
This 2 egg recipe makes 21 pieces.
* A handheld / stand mixer is recommended.
So Ariel discovers some part of her Peranakan roots and I have been nagged at to have this served up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t mind. I’m actually happy there is a nonya in her … somewhere, awakening.
Babi Pongteh
Ingredients :
750g twee bak (pork butt, with skin on – preferred)
4 tbsp dark soya sauce
4 tbsp sugar
1.5 medium onions (or 12 shallots – agaration), cubed.
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp tao cheo
2 tbsp oil
1.25 litres water
5-8 small potatoes, skinned.
6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and halved (optional)
To Do:
1. Marinate twee bak with 2 tbsp dark soya sauce, set aside.
2. Blend onion and garlic till smooth.
3. Heat oil, add onion-garlic mixture. Cook till fragrant.
4. Blend tau cheo. Add to caramalising onion-garlic mixture.
5. Cook for 2mins.
6. Add twee bak and marinate. Cook for 5mins.
7. Add sugar.
8. Add water. Bring to boil.
9. Add potatoes (and mushrooms).
10. Cook over a low flame for about 2 hours*.
11. Serve with white rice and sambal balachan.
n.b. tastes best overnight (or 2) actually.
* Of course I threw left it in the thermal cooker (again), so after step #9 it was left to do it’s thing until I was ready (or nagged) for it.
Ingredients :
4-5 stalks of lemon grass, washed and bruised
1.5 litres water
3/4 cup sugar
10g konnyaku powder
6g agar-agar powder
To Do:
1. Place lemon grass in water and bring to a boil (approx 40 min), until fragrant and water becomes a well-colored*
2. Add sugar and gelatin powders.
3. Incorporate well with a balloon whisk.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Pour into moulds and chill well.
* I threw everything in the thermal cooker, went out Chinese New Year visiting and came back to continue.
My friend who runs marathons suggested this, and importantly, he promised to eat it.
And the kids were enthralled to bake for the first time, without “nice, fluffy, white flour” that guarantees a mess that mom will have to clean up thereafter. I’m beginning to like this healthy meal thing… interesting.
Pear and Meal Cake
Ingredients:
150g butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
150g Linseed, Sunflower and Almond meal
2 ripe pears, sliced.
To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Spray baking tin with baking spray.
2. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time.
4. Add flour, 50g at a time.
5. Layer batter and pears.
6. Bake for 40-45mins, or until skewer comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven, over turn on cooling rack to cool.
This week the kids were looking forward to our regular durian binges at the beach with friends (not that they eat any of that awesome stuff), but that got (indefinitely) postponed and this was our interim stop gap measure.
Durian Burbur Terigu
Ingredients :
100g white wheat (soaked overnight)
750ml water
250ml milk
Durian (at your discretion, if necessary)
Sugar
To Do:
1. White wheat porridge – bring water and milk to boil, add wheat kernels.
2. Cook an hour (till desired consistency).
3. Stir in durian.
4. Add sugar to taste.
5. Served warm or cold – both works.
I’ve recently learnt how to use the thermal cooker. So, I basically threw the whole porridge procedure into one step and revisited at my convenience a few hours later. Worked like a charm. I’m a believer.
Ode to my trip to Bangkok with my girlfriends.
Wun Maprao
Ingredients:
4 botak coconuts
6g agar agar powder
Sugar to taste
To Do:
1. Open up the coconuts, keep the coconut water, you need 1 litre.
2. Scrap some the flesh, cut into thin strips.
3. Add agar agar (and sugar) into coconut water. Stir well bring to boil.
4. Pour jelly mixture into coconut shells.
5. Chill and enjoy.
My take on Tung Lok.
Especially dedicated to Mavis Chan, who is a saint to come by to drop off clothes for the kids in Cambodia.
…. and tolerated my eau de kitchen smells.
Thanks Mavis, you’re a gem!
Ingredients:
1 medium sized hairy gourd, skinned, cored and cut
1/3 cup dried compoy, washed and soaked in 1 cup of water
1 egg white
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbsp cooking oil
To do:
1. Heat up oil, saute garlic for 1 min.
2. Add in compoy, reserve fluid.
3. Add hairy gourd, place lid over skillet for 3mins.
4. Add reserved fluid from soaking compoy. Replace skillet lid. Cook till gourd softens.
5. Drizzle egg white to create “egg flowers”
6. Add cornstarch mixture to thicken.
7. Dish up and serve. Continue reading
I baked over 200 loaves of this for a bake sale in September last year for a fund-raiser. I’m grateful that Ariel and Joshie were a part of the whole exercise – the whole process of putting the cake together was simple enough for a 4 and 5 year old, and they did their bit for charity! The nice thing about this loaf was the crunchiness on the outside, and the soft, fluffiness on the inside. And to top that off, it was lovely to have uncompromised chunks of sweet banana goodness with each bite.
Ingredients :
1 cup oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
4 bananas, chunked up
To Do :
1. Combine all
2. Bake at 160C for 1 hour
This number is a must at Chinese New Year’s. Mom tells me stories of how Grandpa would collect seaweed from the beach, then boil his magic brew for hours in his huge copper pots, then sunning it for days before it is gloriously revealed when guests called upon the family. Best relished sliced thin, savoured in the mouth for its texture and jaw-jerking crunchiness that resounds in-between your ears.
My recipe
2 packets agar agar powder (Rose Brand preferred)
400g honeycomb rock sugar
2 litres of water
To Do :
1. Combine all, and bring to a boil
2. Keep boiling for half hour
3. Pour into moulds
4. Cool then sun, if possible
5. If not, refrigerate open-faced
6. Slice THINLY, then serve. Enjoy the crunch!
And now, the spill on the real deal –
Ah Kong’s Recipe
Ingredients :
4oz sugar
1 kati rock sugar
8pcs pandan leaves
96oz water
3 packets agar agar strips
4 egg shells
To Do :
1. Caramelise sugar till golden brown
2. Combine all other ingredients
3. Boil for 2 hours
4. Sieve and boil for another 1 hour
5. Pour into moulds
6. Sun for 3 days, no refrigeration please.
Off to more CNY visits, can’t go empty handed! A little pick-me-up to sweeten the occasion.
Ingredients :
100g self raising flour
80g sugar
80ml oil
40g chopped cooked chestnuts
40g mini bitter-sweet chocolate morsels
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds
To Do :
1. Combine all.
2. Grease baking tin, sprinkle black sesame seeds sparingly.
2. Pour into baking tin and bake at 160C for 40mins.
Ariel’s latest hot favourite, and I’m trying to wean her off Kraft’s Easy Mac. oh man…
Ingredients :
250g elbow macaroni
250g whole wheat macaroni
50g butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped onions (red or yellow, your choice)
2 cups extra sharp cheddar
1 cup gouda
5 slices of bread
butter
To Do :
1. Butter bread generously, bake at 100C till crispy, very very crispy.
2. Remove and cool. Crush finely.
3. Cook macaroni, till al dente. Drain, set aside.
4. In a pan, melt butter.
5. Make a roux. Add flour, rid lumps, cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add milk and onions, cook till it thickens, around 10 minutes.
7. Temper in eggs, stir in 3/4 of cheese.
8. Fold in macaroni. Dish into serving bowl.
9. Cover with remaining cheese, top with bread crumbs.
10. Bake at 180C for 30 mins, till golden brown, crispy, gooey and yummy!
Jedidiah’s 