Bye bye 2008...Hello 2009

The year of rat is coming to an end soon....well say hello to fellow cows!

How was my 2008....let's see:

1. I started a blog...unplanned...yeap. It was just this random day when i told my bb, "Eh b...i wanna share recipes with everybody...so i need a blog." This is what bb answered "Oh ya blog? good good good...keep you occupied and i don't need to worry so much about you feeling bored during weekends while i;m working..." =.=....gee....ya...he's my bb...

2. I had the opportunity to work travel. I had an awesome working experience...tenkiu boss!!!

3. I lost weight...and gained...and lost and gained....a typical woman in vain!

Yea that's it.....no wait....my bb!!! Die die oso must cerita a bit about us...hu hu hu!!!

2008 was a tough year for us. Why? Bb had spent an enormous amount of time on work. "Bb what's for dinner tonight ar?" "Err....u think la...i busy at work now"=.=
"Bb...wanna go watch this movie on saturday?" "Err....i might need to work wor...we confirm on the night before k gg?"

See what i mean. Aside from work, he, is a truly honestly....bestest guy in the world! He remembers every little random things that i like, he's the one who always waves the white flag whenever we argue (hehe...though 99% i'm at fault), he's the one who wipes off the chocolate fudge on the corner of my mouth, he's the only one who gives me tender hugs and kisses....and most importantly, my knees go weak and my heart skips a beat each time he says "I love you gg" up till today.

So here's my 2009 resolution:

1. Learn the 'give and take' philosophy and lessen the quick temper behaviour towards bb

2. Stop forcing bb to say "gg u r fatter and eat lesser"....(i know...i'm that sot sot dei)

3. Learn to make xiu long pao for bb!

4. Stop eating junkies and start eating proper meals (....oh god...please help me....make me hate cookies and chips...)

5. Work smart....yeap...tackle the idiots!

6. Change my kiddo wardrobe to a 25 year old woman's wardrobe....i really need to do this...i've been super kiam siap on my clothes and have been wearing the same old boring clothes for the last 3 years....i can spend Rm20 for a tiny box of cookies and but i am very reluctant to spend RM20 for a decent piece of cloth...haiz....

7. My ultimate 2009 resolution is to be able to achive a fat salary and start a family of my own soon!!! Yippie yay yay yippie yippie yay!

What's urs?

Sweet Potato Donuts

Y’all know what….Krispy Kreme closed its business in most of the California areas….sux rite? They are doing so well when I was still studying here in the states in year 2003…but hmm…I guess the economy depression made a great impact to them.

I’m not sure what the next leading donut store is around and I won’t even bother trying them out…because Krispy Kreme is still the best!!!!!! Oh well, perhaps I should make some of our famous Malaysia’s donut for my aunty and cousins here in LA ya? Yeap…Kuih Keria it is!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size sweet potatoes
• About ¾ cup of flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Some oil for frying

Method:
Steam the sweet potatoes till soft. Peel off the skin and mash them using a fork. Mix in flour and baking soda into the mashed sweet potatoes. Using your hand, mix them thoroughly till it forms a ball. Take a pinch of the dough and roll it between your palms. Flatten a little and make a hole in the middle of the dough with your index finger. Set the dough aside and continue with the remaining dough. Heat up a non stick pan with enough oil for frying. Fry the donuts till golden brown. Blot the excess oil with kitchen’s towel. Dust the surface of the donuts with castor sugar when it cools a little. Serve warm.

Low Fat Mango Cake

Hi folks….

Welcome to dumb-baker’s 2008 first ever baked cake in LA. Guess what? Since I have put on a lil weight in just mere 6 days….which is total nightmare to me…but still craving for dessert (omg…I just gotta cease this stupid crave right now….otherwise I’ll be putting like what…20 pounds in a month?)…I cleverly came up with this low fat moist mango cake.

Why mango by the way? Coz it was on promotion in the food mart…99cents per piece. So I picked up the bright red piece (the juicy & ripe one)…and I’m all set to go home and begin the baking journey.

Here’s what you need:
¾ cup of apple sauce (no sugar added)
½ cup of brown sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp of baking powder
½ cup of mango puree
1/3 cup of cube mangoes

Method:
Mix apple sauce and sugar till dissolve. Add in the eggs, one at a time, into the apple sauce mixture. Blend in mango puree till well mixed. Sift in flour and baking powder into the wet mixture. Using a wooden spatula, mix the dry n wet ingredients till just well combined (do not over mix or risk having a flat damp cake). Stir in mango cubes and pour the batter into a non stick baking pan. Bake the cake in preheated oven of 325 F or 170 DC for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Serve the cake warm with a scoop of frozen yoghurt of your choice!

Hello....

folks....! I'm right now holidaying in USA. Oh well...it's pretty cold here and I'm wrapping myself up like an Eskimo....

My post(s) here will be limited from now on till like mid of January 2009....I'll try to find some time to bake here and will post an entry if I have the chance...but stay tune till next month....coz I'll be back for sure!!

Adios and Dumb Baker wishes everyone a great Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

I'm right now in....

Quang Ngai, Vietnam. A secluded up north area of Vietnam. A rural area where people sells food in those red basin/basket on surface of the tar road. A place where you the best way to communicate with locals here is by sign language. A place where there's hardly any menu in English. Nuff said.

My First Bento Breakfast

Me : Miiii, how come you never make any bento meals for me to bring to school when i was young ar? Those days the bento boxes are available already ma......why ar why ar (bugged my mom non stop with 'why ar why ar' question)

Mom : *face red, fuming mad, staring at me* Enough of why ar or not?!!??!

Me : *shaddup immediately and managed to giggle a bit* He he he!

Mom : You think i so free ar? I have to make breakfast for you and fei chai, then have to clean up both of you and have to clean the dining table and kitchen area...you think i still got time to cut your bread and insert the foodpick one by one ar? Do you know how horrendous you and fei chai could be? Both of you were so mischievous....

Me : *immediately* Well that's not me mom....it's fei chai ok...not me...remember....it's fei chai ok ok ??

Mom : *continues her grandma story* Bla bla bla bla bla @&UI&*&^G&&*UO%$#^

Me: Okay mom...nevermind...just want to show you i made my first bento meal!!!! Ta daaa!!!!

Remember my post about this website that sells all sorts of bento boxes, cutters, food picks etc??? Well, i bought two Bento Boxes (one with Thermal Insulated bag), a pack of food picks and a Bento Box strap about a month ago. Initially i bought only the thermal insulated Bento Box so that i can prepare food for my bb to bring to work....but afraid it may look too 'soft' for him. So i emailed the seller and asked if she could help me find an all black Bento Box...black looks macho ma! Yeap!!!!! She found it for me....super duper thanks for the efficient service!!! As for the food picks, it was initially sold out, but i wanted to buy it so badly and asked the seller if she could restock it for me (because all the items are very limited in quantities), she gladly said yes!! Oh my god...double happiness for me!!!! NOw i have those cute cute food picks to hold the food together.

Verdict : My bb did not comment much on the bento breakfast i made for him...but he gladly chomped down all the food which i prepared...(what is it with man's ego + cute stuff?? luckily i'm cute enuf for my bb to have him chomp down the food...muahahahaha...bet u guys feeling sick now :P)

As for the Thermal Insulated Bento Box...bet you guys are waiting for this verdict....Yes!!!!! It DOES KEEP YOUR FOOD WARM!!! I baked this banana cake bread and cut a portion of the freshly baked bread for bb, the bread stayed warm for the next 4 hours...amazing isn't it???? Oooo...i'm so in love with the box now...

Anyway...let the pictures do the talking!

Presenting the Thermal Insulated Box......

Presenting Bb's Black Box......

Banana Cake Bread - Vegan Style

Have i ever confessed that i have soft spot for local fruits? I can polish off 2 medium size of papayas, half watermelon and 4 bananas at one go. I just don't know why but i LOVE these fruits to bits! It's a must have weekly intake for me.

Mom brought back a big comb of banana one day....and most of the bananas are becoming overly riped. Ha...perfect timing for a banana cake. As usual, i google for a new banana cake recipe...but then...i stumble across this website. This vegetarian blogger is actually a dancer who has a big heart for baking. Her peanut-butter-banana-cake-bread photo drove me nuts because it was soooo tempting and it's eggless!!!!! Without hesitation, i copied down all the ingredients needed and hurried to the kitchen.

I altered the recipe a lil as i did not have a bottle of peanut butter at home and my house has only peanut cooking oil. What i did was, i melted the butter and replaced 1/8 cup of canola oil called in the recipe with 1/4 cup of melted butter. I added pure unsweetened thick soy milk to get the correct consistency of the cake-bread batter prior baking.

Verdict : Awesome!!!!! So moist and so healthy! This is a superbly easy & fail proof recipe. Definitely a keeper!

Ma Lai Kou

What's not to be missed in my list of food whenever i visit a restaurant for Dim Sum? Ma Lai Kou of coz! The best ever Ma Lai Kou ever i have eaten was when i was still in the states studying. The dim sum was all prepared by the HOngkies...and man! You can feel the orgasm rushing down all your blood vessels the moment you have the hot steaming cake melts in your mouth. The second best Ma Lai Kou i have ever eaten can be found at a little hawker stall situated in front of Fatty Mok Restaurant in Salak South Garden, KL. Opens every night....rain or shine! Remember to get them in Pandan Flavor...it's the best!!!!!
But what if you are craving for a Ma Lai Kou at 1 o'clock in the morning?

Told you guys I'm a sucker for desserts and snacks at anytime of the day...or rather...any random time of the day! Haha! I tiptoed from my bedroom down to the wet kitchen and closed the kitchen door....just to make sure i won't send my dad down from his bed with a baton in his hand (thinking there's a thief in the house...huhuhu).

I have actually tried this recipes a few times and i shall say, it's as good as the one sold in the little hawker stall. But the best is still the one i have eaten in US.....damn...die die must go and eat again in December. So girls, this recipe comes handy whenever you want to please your ahem....in laws...hehehe! Happy trying!!!

Ingredients :

• 100g plain flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 70ml skim milk
• 30ml water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 20g of melted butter

Method:

Sieve the plain flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add in milk, water, vanilla essence and an egg into the bowl of flour and mix well before adding the other egg. Stir in the melted butter till the mixture well incorporated. Pour the batter into a lined muffin tray / baking tray / steaming bowl. Steam the batter on high heat for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Soba-alike Attempt

My bb always commented, why am i always buying cheap stuff (Pasar Malam clothes, Pasar Malam Food, Store brand products...etc)?

My reply is always ALWAYS always : Because I'm cheap.

Haha....each month, i allocate only RM 50 for breakfast and lunch. Save the rest of my salary in the bank. And no, don't even think that i have a fat account as i am only getting a peanut salary.

My bb thinks I'm insane...coz you know, RM50? What? What can u buy with RM50 per month for breakfast and lunch? BREAD. So that probably causes me to constipate so often...but what to do? I'm just a bread lover. Aiya...suddenly I'm digressing again.

So back to cheap...that day as i was perusing through the racks of Japanese products in Jucso, Tada...found this cheap bottle of sauce (for Soba i think)selling for only RM9.90! Let me tell u....when it comes to Japanese food, i can eat like barbarian. Freshly cut sashimi, hand rolls, soba, teriyaki......oh my god...enough...

I attempted a Soba-like dish on one fine morning. It was decent. Decent as in, the quality = amount you paid. Haha...oh well, it wasn't too bad, it's still soba, sauce was okay but incomparable to those served in the Japanese restaurants. But IT'S STILL SOBA....so for those who wants to have a cheap Japanese soba meal at home, try this:)

Blanch soba noodles in a pot of hot water till soft. Transfer the soften noodles into a pot of cold water before transferring them into a serving plate/bowl. Top the noodles with toasted sesame and shredded seaweed. Pour an adequate amount of sauce into a clean bowl and serve together with the soba noodle.

Question : Is soba noodle sauce = tempura sauce?

Moist-Wet-Lembap Carrot Pineapple Cake

"Eat more carrots....then you no need wear glasses anymore....wear glasses no pretty ooo u know..."




Sounds familiar? Haha...yeap carrots are rich in Vitamin A, certainly keeps the ugly specs at bay. For more info, do drop by this website to learn about the goodness in carrots.

Anyway, i saw this yummy carrot cake photo and i drooled over the photo. I told myself "Sam....you must buy carrots tonight...rain or shine....GET THE CARROTS AND WHIP UP THE CAKE"

The cake turned out moist...i mean very superly moist. I guess the main culprit is the pineapple...i used fresh pineapples instead of the canned type...probably the pineapple was overly juicy? Hence the moistness of the cake! As the owner of the recipe said, without the pineapple, the cake would be perfect.

But if you're like me, luv moist cakes....DO NOT EXCLUDE THE PINEAPPLE!!! Happy trying!!!

A Step Towards A Healthier Me

Hello everybody! Miss me? I know you do....bah! okay probably not.

Has anybody notice the weather in our beloved country is becoming extreme...as in when it rains, it rains non stop and elderly people will be cursing away when their rheumatism relapse...but now, seems like we'll be having suffering draught season soon. It's soooo hot and people around me, one by one is getting K.O. Fever...sore throat...itchy nose...etc etc etc...my bb and my mom were not spared either! Gosh...better make sure i keep myself hydrated with at least 2.5 litres of water a day.

I used to have this 'fever' attack once every month...and it'll last for a week. I always appear fatigue and pale. Mom was worried sick and she bought some food supplement from E-Excel for me. Cost about RM700+ for 2 months. Pretty expensive ya? But let me tell you...it's a miracle! I took this over a 4 months period and my health was much better...my appetite improved and i regained the 'color' on my face! Right now, i'm consuming this lil packet of drink first thing in the morning....it's yummy and full of nutrients. Fills you up too...for at least 2 hrs :)

Oh ya folks...before i sign off, let me make it clear that i'm not doing any advertisment for E-Excel...just wanna share my new found remedy to a healthier lifestyle:) Adiosss...........!!!

Steamed Fruit Cake...again!!

Tomorrow I'm meeting my cousin bro for prayers day to respect our departed relatives. He asked, if he can try some of my homemade steamed fruit cake....hu hu hu....of coz! A fanatic baker me....jump at every opportunity i have to bake! hehe... and so...this is my third attempt...also my most satisfied steamed fruit cake. The moistness is there...the fluffiness is there...the color is there!!

Hope my cousin bro and cousin sis in law (psst....a good cook) enjoy this cake as much as i do! For recipe, kindly click here.

Kuih Bakar

Does anyone here watch Ho Chiak on 8TV every Sunday @ 630pm? I do! I do!

After each episode, I'll bug my bb to take me to this restaurant and that restaurant to try out the dishes featured in the food show. However, it's always just "OK GG...We'll Go next week k?" When it comes to 'next week', the initial plan will always have to delay to next next week...too many 'next week' visit that never came true.

However, the Ho Chiak added this short session in its weekly show. They added the baking/cooking short show! Oooo....my favourite. Few weeks ago, kuih bakar was featured in the program...it looked so good that i wanted to make that kuih immediately...but unfortunately, i do not have any coconut milk with me.

Then, came this beautiful Sunday, eve of Deepavali....i made this kuih. I found this recipe online...lotsa good credits given to the recipe....and so, i followed. Hmmm....I'm not sure if it's because of the coconut milk that i added, the kuih was kinda....Oily.

Nevertheless, it was a good recipe to try, but for a sugar phobic person like me, i halved the amount of sugar called in the recipe. The outer texture was a lil crispy...probably due to the sesame seed sprinkled on the kuih and the inner texture was moist and soft :) The color was Au Natural extracted from the pandan leaves. If you fancy a quick and easy kuih, this is a good recipe to try.

The recipe was written in Bahasa Malaysia. For the benefits of those who aren't familiar of the language, I'll retype the recipe in English below:

Ingredients ( 6 pax )

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of pandan* juice (or water + pandan essence)
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 1/4 cups of coconut milk (or 1 can coconut milk-450ml ) (DB used 1 cup of thick coconut milk + 1 1/4 cup of water)
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 3 nos of eggs
• 1/2 tsp of salt (DB omitted this )
• Some green coloring (DB omitted this)
• Sesame seed

Method
1. Combine all ingredients and blend till thoroughly mixed.
2. Greased the baking pan with 2 tbsp of oil.
3. Heat the baking tray in the oven. When the oil becomes hot, pour the mixture of kuih into the baking pan and sprinkle the surface of the mixture with sesame seed. Bake at 180DC till the kuih appears golden brown.

*Pandan juice can be made by blending 1 cup of water with 8-9 pieces of Pandan leaves (screw pine leaves). Remember to sieve the juice....ngek ngek ngek

Constipation

Constipation....ahh....my favourite topic.

Whenever i flipped through a magazine, somehow the C word will definitely caught my attention no matter how small the font is. See...that is how obsessed i am to know more about constipation.

When i was younger, i consulted a doctor for constipation treatment. As usual, he advised me to increase my fluid and fiber intake. However, some health magazines revealed that too much fiber intake will caused constipation too! due to the bulkiness of the ahem.....feces.

Just yesterday, as i was making my honey lemon drink, i realised that honey can actually help relieve the IBM (Irritable Bowel Movement). Yes...next time whenever you suffer from IBM, try this remedy:

For pregnant & elderly people:

Melt 6g of salt into warm water. Add 50g of honey and stir till dissolved. Take twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening).

For constipation due to heaty body & intestine inflammation :

Coat 10g of honey onto a piece of banana. Take it once a day (only 1 banana per day).

During the weekend, mom bought lotsa bananas from the morning market. Here's how i varied my intake of the bananas:

1.Kuih Kodok (mashed banana fritters)

Recipe courtesy of Lily Ng.

2. Banana Bread Roll

Flatten some wholemeal bread with a rolling pin. Place a banana on each flatten bread, sprinkle some cinnamon & icing sugar on the banana, roll and 'seal' the bread with the aid of a toothpick. Toast the banana bread roll for 4 minutes. Serve hot.

My weekend breakfast was truly a fiber rich 1...remember to drink heaps of water to aid the 'flushing' system of your body.

So what's your remedy of constipation?

Pineapple Tarts

Dear Jen,


I wish we can meet up one day and I'll thank you endlessly for the recipe you shared. Then I'll present you with a bottle of my homemade pineapple tarts.


Haha....oh my god! Seriously this is good! Melts in mouth texture and the taste is just right! Not the too buttery type, not the dry type, but the right and melt in mouth type. I just can't stop popping these log shaped pineapple tarts into my mouth....there goes my diet.


Thank you JenJen for the lovely recipe and if we ever get to meet up, i shall bring a container of the tarts to you. No Kid :)


For instruction and recipe, please visit here. No regrets folks.


Ready for the pictures? Lai lai lai..........

Golden Jam Balls....took me only an hour to prepare..kekeke

(Instead of cinnamon stick, i added cloves for the aroma)

Why so pale? Coz i didn't brush a layer of egg wash la...hehehe

Okay...this is my half-bite-pineapple-tart.....dun be grossed out...i purposely took a pic of it to show the fibrous jam of the tart...is your saliva dripping now? kekeke

Braised Black Pepper Mushroom

2 weeks ago, it was my virgin Sunday of waking up early and refuse to go for jogging. Getting lazy...kekeke...aih...super regret now coz i just had a hearty breakfast! If only i jog, then it would balance up my super full breakfast.

Did not jog, what was i upto? Cooking of coz!! This is my 1st time ever braising a mushroom. It wasn't as difficult as i thought it would be. In fact, it's super easy! What's the best companion to a braised mushroom? WANTAN MEE!!!!!! Bribe me with braised mushroom wantan mee, i'll clean your kitchen for a week....okay i'm just kidding...but i really love eating braised mushroom wantan mee...bb...you heard me?? I know you do...haha

Next item on the breakfast menu was this overloaded sandwich...in which i cleverly buttered my toast and top it with slices of icey cool cucumber, sardine in tomato sauce (with extra extra ketchup) and not forgetting the protein...the eggs....mmm...yummy! I even thought of making a double stack sandwich but then my mouth is not big enough eh. Okay...come drool over the pictures now....hungry??? Kekekeke

My Perfect Wantan Mee with Braised Mushroom

Ingredients :

• 5 Chinese mushrooms (soaked overnight), save some of the water
• Half can of button mushrooms, drained and cut into half
• Sesame Oil
• 4 tbsp of Black Pepper Sauce
• 3/4 cup of water
• Cornflour (optional)

Method:

Heat a pot with some sesame oil and lightly fragrant both types of mushroom for 1 minute. Add water and some of the mushroom water into the pot and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes over low fire. Add in black pepper sauce and stir well. Continue simmer for 5-7 minutes. If the mushroom appears too watery, add in some cornflour to thicken the sauce. Dish up and serve hot.

Hehe....my overloaded sandwich

Instant Sesame Jam

WHooopss.....let's take a break from fatty dairy products and shift to a healthier post. Ngek ngek ngek....

I've been a loyal reader of this hot mama's blog posts...her lifestyle seems to motivate me a lot to eat healthier, exercise more and most importantly, her own homemade food...healthy wei! I Kid You Not.

SO, one day, her post of healthy breakfast came strike me instantly....know why? Coz she spread her bread with sesame jam! Ha....where where where to buy?????? She gladly told me that the spread can be bought from organic shops and boy, they don't come cheap....

But then, i am just too determined to try out the sesame spread...and brilliant me (wakakakaka....self comfort) found these two tins of multigrain sesame powder, in which i added them for my morning cereal drink. Since this will be a trial and error thingy, i grabbed an empty container, put 4 teaspoon of black sesame powder + 2 tsp of multigrain powder + some sugar to the level of sweetness you desire + enough hot water and stir them well into a paste. Cool them and chill them in fridge....

Next day.....spread them on your favourite toast....TADAAAA.....mmmm....yummy! Thanks HealthFreakMommy!

Okay....don't be deceived by its black ooogey yuckey color...it's a blessing spread k...really...no kidding...

Cheese Brownie

To JenJen, I'm so so so sorry for posting the recipe this late. I hope you truly enjoy this recipe and let me know if you like it as much as i do! :)

To CL, u must bake one and let me try k? Curious curious!! ;)

Folks, this is a must have recipe if you are a dessert person like me. This cheesy....sinfully delicious and rich brownie totally rocks! I just can't wait to bake another tray of it. Happy trying!!

Brownie :

• 180g butter, melted
• 220g castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 70g cocoa powder

Cheesy Filling :

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 45g butter
• 60g icing sugar
• 1 egg

Method:

Mix melted butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla essence. Gently fold in sifted flour, baking powder and cocoa powder...continue stirring batter till smooth.

Beat cream cheese, butter and icing sugar till well combined. Add in egg and beat well.

Pour 2/3 of the brownie batter into a baking tray. Then pour in all cheese filling. Spoon the remaining brownie batter on top of the cheese filling. Using a choptick, twirl the cheese and brownie batter around to create a marble effect.

Bake the cheese brownie in a preheated oven of 170 DC for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the brownie comes out clean. Cool the brownie to room temperature and chill them for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.....mmm...yummy!!!!

Dinner for 4

Haiya....why am i in office working??!??! All because i have exhausted my annual leave. So what do you do when you go to office and your boss is not around? Happy hour time of coz!!! It's blogging time...kekek

First day of Raya...bb brought his cousin and his cousin's partner over to my house for mahjong's session. Since daddy and mommy are away for holiday, i took up the chef responsibility for the day. My mom is too generous. She bought all the ingredients for me and all i need to do is cook...i don't need to purposely drive out and start picking which chicken is nice, which veges is good...bla bla bla...

My meal preparation started on Tuesday night. I marinated some chicken wings with Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and dashes of pepper overnight. The next day, i placed the wings on a baking tray threw some butter on it, drizzle some sauce from the marination...baked the wings for about half an hour.

While waiting for the wings to be readied, i cook up some Mapo Tofu...this is superbly easy. All i need is just some minced pork, a cube of tofu, some soy bean paste (Taucu) and some pounded chili paste. I prefer my tofu spicy, so i actually added generous amount of the chili paste to the Mapo Tofu. Heh...bb was complaining the tofu is too spicy.

Next, i stir fry some green vegetables and added a tablespoon of Chinese wine to taste. I also stir fry some french beans with shrimps.

Ha....a typical Chinese cuisine cannot be completed without soup. I made a pot of anchovies soup base and threw in some preserved vegetables, tomatoes, carrots and sour plums. Yea...i made the "HAM CHOI Soup"....yummy...

Although I'm a pure genuine Chinese....ya pure genuine (just in case u may doubt that I'm of mixed blood...hahah) my meal will not complete without dessert. Hu HU HU!! Early in the morning, i baked a tray of Cheese Brownies...oh my god...this is heavenly good! After i have cooled the freshly baked brownies on the dining table, i transferred the brownies to the fridge and chill it. When i served the guests of the day with the brownies, holy mama, both cousins (bb and his cousin) requested to ta-pau the brownies. Hehe...thanks thanks thanks for your endless support. Keke...paiseh paiseh...

Ok...to cut story short, I'll leave the pictures talk the story :)

p/s: Not enuf...i also steamed some fruit cakes...in conjunction of Hari Raya...hahahaha!

Mapo Tofu with extra chili!

Baked Wings......mmmm

Cheesy Brownies.....sinfully deliciooooussss!

Last but not least......the Steamed Fruit Cake...moist and rich ;)

Steamed Fruit Cake

The Malay festives is here! Wishing all Muslim visitors "Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin".

I noticed lately that a lot of supermarts & hypermarts are stocked with loafs of fruit cakes. From what i understand is during the fasting month, all Muslims will break their fast with some thing sweet, hence the dates and fruit cakes bazaar.

I have a lovely Muslim colleague who made fruit cakes for sale. According to her, she actually steamed the cake for 4 hrs!!! How tedious! And she said the water must be boiling hot prior steaming the cake and each addition of water into the steaming wok/pot must be boiling hot. That is why, buying homemade fruit cake can actually cost a bomb...

I have tasted my colleague's steamed fruit cake and was totally amazed by the moist texture...the kind of melt-in-mouth. I'm not a fruit cake fan, maybe because most of the time, the cakes i bought are kinda dry in texture and the culprit behind it could be the baking process.

But because I am totally swept away by the yummy steamed fruit cake, I decided to give it a try on steaming a fruit cake. I found this lovely recipe from thestar.kuali...a truly superb recipe. However, i ran out of sultanas, and here's what i substitued with : cherries, prunes & organic raisins. Although the time needed to steam the fruit is only half the time my colleague does, but it seemed darn long to me. I practically stood in front of the stove for the last 30 minutes, couldn't wait to dig in the fruit cake.

Oh my god. I love it! Truly amazing recipe by Amy Beh. My dad luvs it too (he's an ardent fan of fruit cake...:S) but he said if i could cut down the amount of sugar used, the cake would have been perfect. So peeps, take note ya if you don't have the sweet tooth.

Recipe Extracted from Kuali. com

Ingredients
200g butter
180g castor sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
200g mixed fruits

Sifted
265g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
70g castor sugar
60ml water

Method
To prepare caramel:Cook sugar in a saucepan until the sugar turns golden brown. Remove saucepan from the heat and pour in water. Stir to dissolve the sugar until a caramel is formed. Set aside to cool completely. Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the essence. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and add in mixed fruits. Add the caramel to mix. Turn batter into prepared cake pan and cover the top with a piece of aluminium foil. Steam over rapid boiling water for two hours or until cake is cooked through when tested with a wooden skewer.

Multigrain Bread

Actually, this is my second attempt. The first was a week before i decided to give this recipe a second try....haha....know why i failed my first loaf? It was hard as rock!!!!!!! Aiyayai!!! I suspect it's because i did not add any bread improver to the recipe. Though the bread rose well, but heck, it was like rock! There's a Chinese proverb to it "taeng sei kao" (throw dead dog....direct translation from Cantonese)..which means the bread was hard enough to kill dog when the bread is thrown to it. Haha!

Okay...my second attempt was wonderful! The aroma...the height of the bread....the softness...ooo...i just luv it. Oh my god, my bread consumption disorder is back again...u know, once you get started, you'll be addicted. I tried to make the bread interesting by adding some freshly blended pandan juice. My mom had two plants of Pandan Leaves...thus making it easy to make whatever dessert that requires Pandan. Here's the recipe....all thanks to my idol....AGNES CHANG :)

Ingredients:

• 400g bread flour
• 100g whole meal flour
• 1.5 tsp of bread improver
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 30g of butter
• 30g of sugar (DB substituted with molasses)
• 350ml of milk (DB used unsweetened soy milk)
• 1 1/4 tsp of yeast
• 100g of multigrains (DB gathered multigrains, wheat bran, instant oats to 100g)
• 2 tsp of pandan juice (optional...not part of the recipe)

Method :
There's the conventional method illustrated by Agnes in her baking book. However, what i did was gathered all the recipes and throw them in my breadmaker's bucket. Press the button Whole Wheat...wait for 3.25hrs...and...Tadaa!!! Yummy freshly baked bread ready to be served!!!

I had mine generously spread with Golden Churn butter and peanut butter. Next slice, i had it generously spread with Garlic Spread....*heavens*...

What's your favourite way to eat your toast/bread?

R.I.P. My Friend

It was on Sunday, close to midnight, i received an unexpected message from my good friend, L. It is quite rare to have her sending me a message this late, i somewhat felt uncomfortable at that moment too.

There, the message content was to inform me about the memorial service held for a good friend of mine, LBS on the following morning. LBS passed away earlier in the evening after a long battle with cancer. He was truly a fighter and like my other friends said, LBS proved the doctors wrong for the past 20+ years.

LBS, though you have left us, but the memories of our friendship together will etch forever in our hearts. We will always keep you in our prayer and may you rest in peace.

Me and LBS have been good friends since primary 1. We sat next to each other and we remained as classmates until we finished our SPM. We grew up together and he has always been the 'Tai Kor' to us for he was always the class rep. throughout our schooling years. He was a good friend, a good listener, a good tutor, a good son and truly a man with a loving heart.

You will always be remembered my dear friend..

Blog Award

Wah seh! Never know i would actually receive an award from a fellow blogger....well...if u notice the side bar of my blog...scroll all the way down on the left...yea...number of visitors....a pathetic figure...haha...but anyway, success doesn't come overnight rite?

Thanks to Jen Jen for being such a thoughtful friend...although i don't really know the meaning of this award, but a million thanks and appreciation for remembering me :)

Aiya JenJen, I'm just an avid baker like you...keke...glad to know i actually inspired you to look out for more recipes to try...kekeke...my fellow friends will be laughing at me (ya ya...bet they gasping now...what?? Samantha an inspiration?) Coz all the while I'm actually more like a 'clown' friend rather than a inspiring friend...okay...in short in the loudest among my friends

Anyway...thanks a lot Jen!! Hugs and Kisses for you!!

Here it goes....and i shall pass on the award to :

TheCookingMomster who is my dearest cousin and also a great cook

Jessie who is my bestest bestest and ter-best friend in my life

Gimmy Yap...my joker handsome cousin

HealthFreakMommy.....oooh..i learn a lot of parenting stuff from this hot mama

Till then....adios & Have a great day everyone!!

Blossom Chinese Cake

A new cake species ar?

Haha....it's non other that our very famous "Fatt Koe". I'm just trying to make it sound sophisticated...okay i know it's not.

The last time i tried to make a fatt koe...it didn't blossom that well...in the end, it looks more an ordinary steam cake rather that a smiling chinese blossom cake. I was demotivated.

Came Tuesday (19/8/08), flipped through The Star newspaper and i saw this recipe. Don't know why, i was so eager to try out the recipe. Guess what??? I DID IT!!!!! The moment i uncovered the steamer, all cakes were blossomed and smiled at me!

The only down side of my fatt koe is the color. My colleague asked me if it's yam fatt koe (no...it's not yam...it's just the blue+red coloring). My senior manager asked me if the cake is expired....hence the color (*slaps head*)

Minutes later, they were enjoying the fatt koe albeit the poor first impression of the fatt koe.

Thank YOu So Much AMY BEH!!!

Bento Craze In? ya?

Hi FOlks!!

To all avid mama/girlfriends/wives Internet surfers our there, bet you guys realised the bento craze is a hit right now! Yaya...i'm not exceptional! Been secretly surfing around for a cute bento box...or perhaps a sexy bento box (if there is) recently....so that i can make some bento lunch for my bb to bring to office. Haha...wondering if he'll get mad at me for making him embarrassed....a macho guy holding a lil bento box? haha...but hey, I'm pouring in all my efforts to make him a decent lunch...he can't be mad at me rite?

Anyway, snap off my rantings. Back to bento...actually just want to share with you guys...found this cute bento website...nope...i'm not promoting this website cuz i don't even know who is the owner...i just thought the bento boxes are cute and pretty cheap. I have eyed on the thermal insulated bento box and will blog about the purchase process after i have successfully purchased 1. For the time being.....visit HERE!!!!!hehehhee....fun fun fun!!

'Min Xin' Kueh

Aunty C : What is this? Looks like fried kueh with pork oil....
Me : *slaps head* NOla aunty....it's kueh made by mee suah
Aunty C : Ha? Sure boh????
Me : Yala...bluff u for what? Got Gold ar?
Aunty C : Eh...quite nice la!

Looks like 'chee yau kou' (pork oil kueh) meh??

Hey hey everybody? How was Merdeka Day? Got the patriotic semangat or not? As for me, usual lor...just another manic Sunday...wish it were Saturday..ok ok...ter-into a classic song pulak. Anyway, Saturday night, after our kai kai adventure at Sunway Pyramid, i defrosted some minced pork and a small packet of shelled prawns on the wet kitchen's counter. After watching a DVD with bb, off i went to the wet kitchen and chop chop chop a whole bulb of garlic and also minced the prawn. Then heat up a non stick pan with a drizzle of oil...dump in the garlic and fry till fragrant. Slowly add in the minced pork and prawn and stir fry till cooked. Then add in some water seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper to the meat mixture and let it simmer for a minute. Add in mee suah and stir thoroughly till the mixture appear soggy. Turn off the heat. Transfer the mee suah mixture into a lightly oiled pan and let it cool overnight.

The next day, cut the cooled mee suah into cubes/oblong/round/whatever shapes you want. Dip the cut mee suah into a beaten egg mixture and pan fry each of them till golden brown. Absorb the excess oil with a kitchen's towel and garnish the mee suah kueh with some spring onion (i ran out of them...oppps) Serve hot with your favorite sauce!!!

Ingredients :

• 50g of minced pork
• 50g of minced prawn
• 1 whole bulb of garlic
• 2 bowls of water
• 8 pieces of mee suah
• some sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper for seasoning

Quick Donuts

I've been feeding on donuts for at least a week (7 consecutive days). Why? Blame it on my blardy hormone. Haha...the estrogen / progestrone / whatever it is in me had ignited my sudden crave of junk food.

Haiya...i'm a growing young adult ma...what to do?

The last time i made donut is by baking method....this time...notty me, ahheem...fried them. Aiya....very guilty now. How am i able to lose the spare tyre if i continue my unhealthy eating lifestyle? Sigh...enjoy life...dun worry abt the spare tyre now. Worry tomorrow. Haha!!

Okay...here you go :

Ingredients :

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1/3 cups of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• some ground cinnamon
• a dash of ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 egg, beaten

Method :
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. With a clean hand, knead the liquid-dough mixture for about 7 minutes. Heat up a frying pan and pour an adequate amount of oil onto it. Lower heat when the oil is hot enough for frying. Drop a spoonful of batter into the frying pan and fry till golden brown. Blotch the excess oil of the fried donut with a kitchen towel. Cool the donut before dusting them with powdered sugar. Serve warm.