Do you know that besides the four basic taste (i.e sweet, sour, salty, and bitter), there’s another flavour called umami? A Japanese scientist managed to extract a substance called glutamate from kombu seaweed and discovered that its combination with salt creates a ‘pleasant savoury taste’. That is how MSG was created and slowly permeates supermarkets, restaurants, and …
Dried Shrimp / Udang Kering Powder (‘Homemade MSG’) Read More »
I rely on quick and easy recipes for everday cooking. But when I cook for a party, I put in extra effort to make amazing food that makes people go wow!. Sometimes, good food takes time. This is one of them. You will have to marinade it overnight (at least 12 – 24 hours of …
Even if you love Chinese soup, you may not heard of this ‘pang pi dou tang’ (彭皮豆湯). Hyacinth beans or Egyptian Kidney Beans, also known as pang pei dau in Cantonese, is not easily available. Ingredients Information: Hyacinth Bean Unlike commercialised vegetables such as long beans or spinach, I’ve never seen this bean at the …
Hyacinth Bean Soup / Pang Pi Dou Tang (彭皮豆湯) – 7 Ingredients Read More »
If you’re visiting Malaysia, one of the drinks you must try in this beautiful tropical country is Limau Asam Boi or Kat Chai Suen Mui (桔子酸梅), in Malay and Cantonese respectively. This drink is a thirst quencher favoured by most Malaysians on a hot day. It’s commonly available in Malaysian kopitiam as calamansi lime grow very well …
Limau Asam Boi / Lime & Plum Juice – 3 Ingredients Read More »
Malaysians are crazy about sambal belacan – a blend of hot red chili and umami fermented shrimp paste. It is then balanced with sugar and something sour such as lime juice or tamarind. One of the most popular dishes in the Nyonya and Malay community is Okra with Sambal Belacan. It is incredibly easy to …
Kuih Keria is arguably my favourite doughnut. Not just because it’s delicious, but it is as healthy as a doughnut can be. While Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts are made from flour and sugar, our local doughnut is made mostly from sweet potato. Although this recipe needs very little ingredients, it can be challenging for …
Kuih Keria/ Malaysian Sweet Potato Doughnuts – 5 Ingredients Read More »
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 …
Do you know the sour, spicy, and rather pungent soup served in small metal bowl when you have banana leaf rice? It’s called rasam. It wasn’t love at first taste. I didn’t learn to like it until a few years back. The spice can be a little too much to handle. But then, what we …
Easy Malaysian Rasam (Indian Soup) – 10 Ingredients Read More »
“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 »