Pat Chan Soup (八珍汤) was the punishment to puberty. My mother forced me to drink this super bitter medicinal soup at the end of every menstrual cycle. It was a monthly torture. I hated it so much that I secretly throw away the bowl of soup. Once, I was caught in the act. She was …
Eight Treasure Tonic (Ba Zhen Tang/ Pat Chan Tong) Read More »
Since I hit puberty, my mother started making for me two types of drink: a very bitter medicinal soup called ‘Pat ChanTong’ (八珍汤) and Red Dates Tonic (紅棗水). Though I hated the former, I could tolerate the latter. My mother made it almost every week. As I was more interested in other sweet beverages (e.g …
On the first day of Chinese New Year, every year without fail, my relatives will pay a visit to the Buddhist temple. Although neither a believer or a vegetarian, I do enjoy the special plant and soy-based dishes prepared for the festivity. Among my favourites are chicken drumstick made from soy milk (the ‘meat’ is …
“Who eats vegetables for breakfast?” he asked when I help myself with ratatouille during breakfast in a hotel at Paris recently. “The French?” I replied. “Weird” said he. This is another dish I make to include more vegetables into my love one’s diet. How do you convince a boy who loves steaks and ignore vegetables to …
Easy Chinese Chives Pancake – 3 main ingredients Read More »
As my family is of Hakka descent, we love making typical Hakka dishes like Yong Tau Foo and Hakka Stuffed Oyster. I remember we have Yong Tau Foo almost every week! My father would buy huge tenggiri (mackerel) from Pudu market, and my mother will be scrapping the meat with a spoon and bouncing the fish …
Steam Tofu With Fish Paste & Oyster Sauce – 10 min Read More »
Instead of the usual chicken congee, why not make flower crab congee instead? Unlike mud crabs, flower crabs are not sold alive therefore easier to handle. Chuck the crabs, rice and aromatic ingredients into the PHILIPS All-in-one cooker, cook under pressure and have a sea-flavoured congee in no time! This recipe is one that I …
People often say: never trust a thin cook. Well, you can trust that a thin cook cooks food that keeps you slim. My palate naturally gravitates to light and healthier food. I’ll choose asam laksa over char koay teow, and kuih bingka over pisang goreng. When I cook, I tend to cook lighter food – even if …
Image credit: Sammie Tan of Grey Rabbit Studio A comfort soup with ‘cooling’ properties, perfect for the hot weather. Slow cooking this soup will soften the mature melon, and extract the maximum umami flavour from the dried seafood, and the natural sweetness of the dates. The result is a concentrated and delicious soup. This Chinese …
During my growing years, sometimes I eat up to two bowls of rice for dinner. Despite my mother preparing lavish meals with at least four different dishes (excluding Chinese soup), my siblings and I will still be hungry near bedtime. We will then voice our plight to our parents. I guess it’s not easy to raise …
Easy Malaysian Fried Hokkien Mee Noodles – 10 ingredients Read More »
Crispy pork lard has a bad reputation of clogging arteries hence shortening one’s life. But I am raised in a family which has a good relationship with food – no matter how ‘unhealthy’ some food are claimed to be. We happily eat everything moderately. In my family, we consume crispy pork lard cautiously and in …
Claypot chicken rice is one of Malaysian’s favourite dish and can be easily made at home. There are many variation of it. My favourite version is in my ‘One Pot Wonders’ cookbook which includes flavourful ingredients like salted fish, sesame oil, pepper and belacan chili. Instead of a rice cooker, I made it in Philips All-in-one …
Easy Claypot Chicken Rice In Rice Cooker – 6 Ingredients Read More »
Every Reunion Dinner, my family will either make Buddha Jump Over The Wall (佛跳墙) or Fish Maw Soup. Since I strongly oppose to eating Shark’s fin, now that I take over from my mother in preparing Chinese New Year feast for my family, I will always boil the latter. Recently, I went to my mother’s …