Homemade Shanghai Mooncakes

I know I had been disappeared for so long and I had missed the whole summer season, but I am back again and just in time to welcome the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival or most of you will name it as Moon-cake Festival.

To welcome Mid-Autumn Festival, moon-cakes can not be left out for this celebration and this is what am I going to share with you today.  In Malaysia, there are many types of moon-cakes, especially the varieties of fillings.  Lotus seed and red beans paste are most popular among of all, normally will be wrapped in a thin crust skin, whereby, we normally name it as traditional moon-cakes.  But this round, I am challenging myself with a different type of skin - Shanghai Mooncakes.  The only different is the skin which are crisps and buttery crust like biscuits and I had chosen red bean paste as the fillings.  I have also made some with additional duck egg yolk which goes well wrapped around by the red bean paste.    

As this was my first trial, the result of the look from outside does not attractive due to over-cooked (I promised, I will be more careful next round....sigh), but I am quite satisfied with the taste overall.  Do not feel panic when you see some cracks on the skin, that's pretty normal for Shanghai Mooncakes.

Happy trying and Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all of you!

Chinese Meat Sauce Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian)

It's been almost a month since my last post.  Our house are busy with visitors for the past few weekends, simply because we are looking out...for a better environment of course.  Those visitors are our potential house buyers.  As we had confirmed with a buyer now, is time for me to get back to the kitchen and do something that I like before we busy with packing again.

Today I am sharing another Chinese recipe - Chinese Meat Sauce Noodles.  This Chinese Meat Sauce noodles also has been named as Chinese spaghetti.  The minced meat are cooked with thick sweet bean sauce and for those who loves it to be spicy, you may used chili bean sauce like me.  In these bowls of noodles has varieties of taste in it that you'll like - sweet, spicy, salt and the cool fresh garnished vegetables.  As for the noodles, I had used my all time favorite "udon" because I always prefer something that not too soft when you bite the them.  

Give a try on this recipe if you're looking for some different way of making spaghetti!

Deep Fried Spring Roll with Curry Chicken Fillings

Yesterday my hubby has reminded me that I did not cook curry for quite some time.  Knowing curry is one of his favorites and he had hinted me to cook, I had this idea - curry chicken with potatoes and turned them into spring rolls as snack for our weekend tea time.

This recipe of spring rolls does not need any dipping sauce to go with it as the taste of fillings are juicy and flavorful enough with spices.  You may reduce the portion of the ingredients if you do not like the level spiciness to be too strong.  Both of us just satisfied with the taste of them! 

Is another simple and easy snack recipe for home-gathering or party, hope you like it too!

Chinese Style Fried Spicy Calamari

I know I don't post seafood recipes regularly as both my hubby and myself a little conscious with our diet.  But, I was craving for calamari lately.  

Deep fried calamari is the common method, but then, I wish to add in some Chinese touch in my recipe.  I had added with Chinese five spices powder in the spices mixtures and "chili padi" or bird chilies to boost-up the spiciness.  

This will be another easy to prepare recipe which suitable for any occasions, hope you like it too!

Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd

I am sorry for not able to do a posting last weekend, as we were having network problem at home and that forced me to take a skip on my blog.

Today, I wish to share a classic Chinese recipe, a popular dish for Chinese in South East Asia  - Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd.  I know some of you will not fancy with bitter gourd due to the bitter taste, well, I am one of them too!  As age catching up, I started to appreciate it and you won't believe it, that bitter gourd has became one of my favorite vegetables.

Normally, this dish cooked using the Chinese fermented beans, either is the black or the yellow.  My late mum used to used the yellow type but since I was married, I was introduced to the black fermented beans for this dish by my hubby.  After trying on both types separately, I decided to try to use both types in this recipe.  I able to get the balance of taste from both type of the beans, which I think all of you will love it too!  Perfect to go with plain rice.

Beancurd Skin Roll (Fu Pei Guen)

I am sure whoever loves Chinese food will automatically falls in love with "Dim Sum" too.  Dim sum is a style of Cantonese cuisine prepared in small bite-sized portions of food that traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates.  There so many varieties of them, which normally are carted around the Chinese restaurant for the customers to choose while seated at their tables.

Today I am going share a recipe on one of my favorites dim sum - Beancurd Skin Roll or "Fu Pei Guen" in Cantonese.  This dim sum normally can be served in two different way - deep fried or steamed after deep fried.  I love both of them, so, I will share both ways.

As I had just got a new meat mincer just a few days ago, I wish to try it out.  It does not fails me, as the texture of the minced meat is so much better compared with those I bought directly from the market.  It just blend well with the prawn meat and other ingredients.  Oh yes, before I forgot, to make the fillings more smoother, I used mixtures of minced and ground meat.  

Believe me, it's easy to prepare and is not as complicated as you thought and am sure you will love them than those serve in the restaurants.

Carrot Walnut Chocolate Chips Muffins

I been craving for muffins lately.  I used making them every weekend because of my work, that need to do lots of demonstrations on ovens many years ago.  It could be that, that had stopped me from making them again in my own kitchen.  Well, those desire and fun of baking them are back lately.  

Those outside muffins normally are not up to my desired taste.  Therefore, I would  make it as my  this weekend project.  Muffins are great for breakfast on the go or as your late-morning snack and of course it will be perfect for your hi-tea too.  There are lots of variations of tastes.   The one that I am going to share with you all, are not too sweet, even though it has chocolate chips in it and has a great combination of carrot and the crunchy of walnuts.

This is another easy to make recipe and it suitable for every one at home or any occasion.

Mandarin Pork Ribs

Hi everyone, I am back after taking a month long of break, as I was away from home for almost three weeks.  I had a good bonding time with my family members during the Chinese New Year celebrations and right after that I was adapting in a new working environment.  As I am more settle down with everything now, is time for me to back to my kitchen.

As the Chinese New Year celebrations had just over, I am sure most of the Chinese families will still have some Mandarin oranges leftover in the fridge.  Well, I have made use it to come out with a tantalizing dish - Mandarin Pork Ribs.

For those who loves the citrus taste in your food, this recipe can be your consideration.  I used the fresh juice from the Mandarin oranges not only on the sauce of glaze, but also when I do my pork ribs marinating.   It's did not fail me, I got the taste that I desired!

Deep Fried Phoenix Ball 风凰球 #ChineseNewYear #appetizer

Countdown to Chinese New Year, is another five days to go!   Are you all ready to welcome this Chinese Lunar New Year?  Still thinking of what to cook for your reunion dinner, well,  I am sharing another popular recipe  - Deep Fried Phoenix Ball (风凰球).  

This deep-fried Phoenix Ball is wrapping the salted egg yolk with minced or ground pork meat that mixed with other ingredients.  The Phoenix Balls are crispy outside and the inside of ground meat which mixed with other ingredients has made the dish more tasty and appetizing.   

This recipe always to be chosen to be one dish on the appetizer menu that named as Four or Five Treasures dish in any of the Chinese celebrations sit-down dinner.   Now that you had this recipe, you don't need to wait for any occasion, but do it by yourself at home.  It's easy to make taste yummy!

As we are usher in the Chinese New Year, I will take a short break in up-dating this blog and shall get back in early March.  I would like to take opportunity wishing you and your family a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year.  Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Braised Mushrooms with Fish Maw #ChineseNewYear Dish

The Chinese New Year atmosphere is getting stronger now, especially when you are shopping at the market.  There are so many seasonal foods or ingredients are available now for this celebration.  The one which I won't miss these few years is fried fish maw.    Normally, they are pre-packed with three to four pieces in it and it only can be found around this time near the Chinese New Year. 

Fried fish maw can come out with so many different types of dishes as it's suitable for making soup, braise, stew or even stir-fry.  And today I wish to share with all of you a braised fish maw recipe together with two types of mushrooms - dried Chinese mushrooms and asparagus mushrooms.  This braised mushroom with fish maw is cooked over low heat for almost an hour given you flavorful gravy, especially the fish maw that easily absorbed gravy in it.  

This is a very simple and easy to prepare recipe, am sure everyone can make this dish.  Give a try and you will love it!

For those who prefer to make Fish Maw Soup, please click on the link, which I had shared the recipe before.  Happy Cooking!

Chinese Laughing Sesame Balls (笑口棗) #ChineseNewYear Snack

The Chinese New Year is near the corner.  I am sure most of the Chinese families are busy preparing to welcome this lunar new year.  One of them is "spring cleaning"!  A thorough cleaning of the house is one of the practices and that's the reason why I have to skip of posting last weekend.  Well, as you know a full-time working lady like me will only have time to do cleaning during the weekends and am glad that I had done more than half of it.

As I am more relaxed now, time for me to get back and as the atmosphere for Chinese New Year is stronger, I will share some Chinese traditional recipes with all of you.  The first recipe for this festive is one of the popular Chinese snacks - Laughing Sesame Balls or is pronounced as "Siu How Zhou" in Cantonese.  This is a very simple and easy to make recipe.  

The actual meaning of "Siu How Zhou" is Laughing Dates as these small sesame balls will crack open once they are in the hot oil and the opened crack is looks alike a wide laughing mouth.  This symbolizes laughter and happiness.  

These small wonders are coated with sesame seeds, its crispy on the outside and little soft and chewy inside.  They are very popular snacks or desserts during the Chinese New Year.  It will be a great homemade gift too for visiting!

Steamed Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you all had a great long holiday.  Normally, after the new year celebration, we will be looking forward to another festive celebration, that is Chinese New Year.  This year the Chinese New Year falls on 8 of February, so left another a month plus for preparation.

The atmosphere of the festive is stronger now, especially when you see those seasonal food displays in the most of the supermarkets.  One of them is Chinese sausage and how could I resist to get some.  It took me a while to think what should I do with these sausages and the answer is here!

I used the sausages as one of filling ingredients in the steamed glutinous rice.  It blends so well with the rest of the ingredients - the chicken meat and mushrooms.  This recipe is more popular to name as "Lo Mai Kai" (Steamed Chicken Glutinous Rice).  As I prefer the whole recipe to be more flavorful, I have made use the lotus leaf to wrap over rice and the fillings.  Lotus leaf is another traditional "tool" of Chinese cooking, which normally use in steaming method.  It can be found in fresh or dried.  As usual, I normally will get whatever is more convenient for me - that's the dried type which I got it through a friend (thank you Susie for the effort).

The whole process of preparation of this recipe took about 5 to 6 hours but is worth the effort on the satisfaction of the result.  Love it so much!  Let's waste no time and see how this delicious recipe process is.