Lei Cha (擂茶), pounded tea, is one of the most laborous Hakka cuisines. Traditionally, the many herbs used to make Lei Cha soup were pounded with a large mortar and a long stick made from a guava tree. That tool is hidden in my kitchen, as modern people use blender to make the soup nowadays! …
Hakka Lei Cha Recipe (Tea Rice/ ‘Thunder’ Tea/ 擂茶) Read More »
When I was living alone and at the busiest point of my life, lentil curry is something I made very often. I make a big pot, separate it in small containers, and freeze them! ABOUT LENTIL CURRY In Malaysia, lentil curry (dal curry) is not only enjoyed by the Malaysian-Indian community; every Malaysian loves it! …
This is one of the dishes that I teach at my cooking class; a lot of travellers chose to learn this this as they wanted to include turmeric into their meals. I did not realise that besides being a healthy dish, it’s also budget-friendly and incredibly sustainable when vegetables are scarce. During this pandemic, we’ve …
My ongoing quest to eat healthier means that I try to eat a variety of plants in different colours. On top of a must-have leafy green vegetables on my dinner table, I like to have another plant-base dish like mushrooms, beans, or gourds. One of my go-to plant base dish that I cook to up my …
Pumpkin Stir-fried With Dried Shrimps and Thai Basil – 3 Ingredients Read More »
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 …
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 »
One of my constant battle in eating well is consuming enough leafy vegetables; Malaysian food is severely lacking in greens. In Vietnam, each dish comes with a huge plate of local vegetables and herbs. In Japan and Korea, where presentation of food is very important, meals are mostly accompanied with colourful vegetables. When I came …
Japanese Spinach Salad (Ohitashi) – 4 ingredients + 5 min Read More »
Lunar New Year to Orientals is like Christmas to Westerners. It is the most beloved and anticipated festival of the year. When I was a kid, I looked forward to buying and wearing new clothes, playing with my cousins, visiting relatives, receiving angpao (red envelopes/ 紅包) and eating all sorts of cookies. Now, I most look forward …
Hakka Yam Abacus Seeds With Vegetables (Suen Poon Chi/ 算盘子) Read More »
Instead of just shopping at Bangkok, I did something far more exciting: joining a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. I’ve learned to make many dishes such as delicious pork skewers. We made many curry and pastes, such as the complicated massaman curry. Despite all of them being mouth-watering, most are incredibly difficult to make …
I have a confession to make: I don’t particularly like salad. Most people are surprised by this as they think a health advocate must like salad. But plate of salad for lunch will make me very unhappy. Instead, I prefer my vegetables cooked. I like them stir-fry with garlic or roasted with herbs in the …
There’s so many ways to cook tofu, this is one of the easiest and most delicious. The otherwise bland tofu is topped with tasty fried shrimps and shallots mixture. It is then seasoned with soy sauce and sprinkled with spring onions. When I was just a little girl, my mother would cajole me to eat …
Dal curry used to be just a sauce I dip roti canai in at the mamak stalls. That was until I tasted the dal curry made from scratch at home. Homemade dal taste incredibly better than those found at mamak stalls; it’s thicker and richer. Now, I enjoy having the deep yellow-orange curry at home …