Another steamed version - The moist killer!

This is soooo good. LOL. N easy too. No need mixer. No need oven. Just a pair of hands, and a nice steaming pot.

I saw this recipe and immediately knew i need to try it out. After the last steamed cake, i was still craving for sth more chocolatey, like a perfect moist chocolate cake but sumhow, to bake a cake like tat, i can't use my mini oven (too small) and hesitantly must ON that big oven. Not to mention, two mouths can't finish an 8" cake. Too fattening, no no!

This cake is lovely and moist. Especially when served warm. Personally i feel chocolate cake tastes better when warm.

Packed a few slices for frens' gathering tmr. Can't savour all those calories by ourselves. :-P

Try it out. Like what i said, no need skills!

Ji Ku Ba Ku Teh/ Ba Ku Teh

Ahh, bak kut teh! One of our comfort food in the cold. Never realised how comforting the herbal rib soup is, especially during those chills. Hehe, tell you a stupid secret. I never really liked ba kut teh to be honest. Wouldn't fancy it in M'sia in that tropical warm weather. And did you know that ba kut teh in Singapore is ... well, very different? They taste like pepper soup!

Malaysia (as in Klang) has a reputation for best ba kut teh. According to one of my friends from Klang, they have ba kut teh for breakfast n lunch. They signify it as how the northern Chinese signified their dumplings. Slightly different, we Sabahans eat ba kut teh for dinner, and sometimes lunch? I didn't fancy the ba kut teh i had in Singapore (quite bad, i tell u) lol, but somehow, cooking their herbal sachet at home taste better than those from M'sia. The taste is more prevalent n stronger, wherelse the ones from M'sia are weaker. Funny thing is, it doesn;t taste like the true n real Singaporean ba kut teh. Go to SG to try their infamous 'rou gu cha' n u'll understand wat i meant.

We occasionally cook ba kut teh at home, using ready-made satches of spice. Tried the Klang version, but not strong enuf (yes, how ironic).  Once my uncle and his family came for dinner, i boiled a large pot of chicken drumsticks and pork ribs with this Seah's spices n it was super good. From then, i stick to SG spices.

Another thing i discovered was by boiling chicken n pork together, it produces a sweeter stock.  For this reason, whenever i decided to cook ba kut teh or 'ji ku ba ku teh', i always get skinless chicken drumsticks and pork spare ribs. The result: super yummy!

What can be better than serving with a bowl of plain rice! On a cloudy winter day ... i'm dreaming of ji ku ba ku teh!

Easy. Just boil the meat with garlic over low heat for the first 1.5 hrs, add the spices in the last 30 mins, followed by mushrooms n vege before serving! Enjoy!

Prayers - May 2011

Prayers Prayers Prayers!

I have a few agendas being lined up for the next couple of months, and am earnestly praying real hard.

1) Full time Masters.  Praying that God will look into all financial aspects. Tuition fees, living costs throughout that two years, and lotsa lotsa Wisdom! My first preference is Civil Eng, but I also applied Env Eng, now depends on which tuition fees are supported! I need the CSP and Women in Eng. Let God's will be done!

2) My part time job. Hopefully i get this one. Wetlands, integrated sustainable design n passive treatments; sustainability n climate change. I'm hoping to specialise in this area, both in my postgrad n job prospects. Looking to God for direction.

3) Family planning. I pray that one day some day in the very near future, i will be a mommy to a beautiful healthy baby.

KPMG! Keep Praising My God. This reminds me that, hub is sitting for his CFA exam Level 2 in less than 2 weeks; 5th of June. Praying that he will walk into that exam hall with full confidence, God's wisdom n favour. Persist persist, n God bless!

Jiao Zis - Down Under version

To be married to a Chinese guy from a city called Beijing, one of the compulsory traits to follow is learning to love jiao-zis (dumplings). Not only must one love to eat, but also love to make, wrap, boil and serve. I should have realised, however, up to this point i would't say I love dumplings. The most i cld gobble upon one time was five pieces, but usually it's only 2-3 pieces. N my hubby? 20-30 pieces.

Dumpling or jiao zi is one of the staple foods of the Northern Chinese communities. My in laws eat them twice a week in average, even if that means sparing 2-3 hours preparing them. Every woman has to boil them while serving, which means, you are likely to eat only after the men are satisfied with the number of dumplings they have consumed. Dumplings must be served warm and fresh from boiling. According to mom-in-law, it's easy n less trouble. Because the dumpling in itself has combined everything a Chinese meal must have: meat, vege n starch (being the skin); hence one does not have to worry about coming up with 2-3 dishes. I wouldn't agree further; it's pretty true.

Back in M'sia, we have shui jiaos as another version of jiao zis. Dun be confused, they are the same thing. The only difference is perhaps, jiao zis contain lotsa vege (nearly 50 - 50 to meat portion) while shui jiaos, as you can find, are mostly made of minced pork n sometimes prawns. Nowadays, they have century egg shui jiaos ( which i love so much) and lots more other versions; but jiao zis are always meat n vege. There are pork chinese cabbage; beef carrots; lamb white melon/spring onion, etc. etc. Basically you can combine anything you like in jiao zis; but make sure it's 50% meat and 50% vege. All minced and julienned finely.

I remember my first time learning to make dumplings (Refer to here). How time flies! My mom in law is a top masterchef when comes to dumplings; for her, julienning/shredding/grating or watever you call to make sure the veges are fine enough, are no hassle work but sth which she enjoys very much. Dun mention about the skin dough. It's just peanut to her.

For me, it's a big learning process. I still buy ready made skins. How pathetic, after nearly 3 years of our marriage, i've only made dumplings - - - well, less than 'one handful of fingers' times for my hub. No wonder each time i ask him wat wld he like to eat; he wld answer teasingly; jiao zis!

Our version: Pork n Chinese Celery.

Too lazy to make my own skin, i used ready made ones.

Boil in boiling water, and add cold water twice before they are officially cooked.

 Serve with black vinegar, sometimes chilli and ginger soy sauce.

I made this batch yesterday n he had 20 pieces. Practice makes perfect huh? I will thrive ....

My sister went frantic crazy after i tagged her on Facebook as an initiative to teach her how to make dumplings. Unlike me, she loves dumplings like how i love char sao bao. Poor thing, try to make one yourself, dear!

Cooking

Sometimes i questioned myself why I didn't inherit any of grandma's cooking skills. My maternal grandma, who raised n cared for me when i was young, was one of the best cooks I've known in my entire life. I grew up eating her homecooked meals, n still did even when i was working back in KK. I remembered her cooking lotsa fish (anyone knows the name of the fish in english called Hei Chang? flat black one) and i guess that was how i developed into a fish fanatic. I can easily finish one whole fish by myself, regardless of what fish and i'm bitterly craving for one right now. How pathetic, i chose to settle in a metropolitan where fresh sea fishes are .. well not that available. U can get one, i believe somehow, but it'll probably leave a big hole in your wallet. Just the other day, i was so shocked by the asam steamed fish we had in one of the M'sian restaurants in Boxhill; fish in Mel is just .. no good. Apart from cod or salmon or tuna, i guess the rest are just simply frozen goods. And, please ... you can't steam a frozen fish.

It's quite ironic isn't it? My in laws who came to visit last Feb, was surprised to find out that, despite Mel is just mins away from the coastal line, there's no fresh seafish anywhere. By seafish i meant fishes we have back in KK, fresh, red or black n well, just fresh. Apart from seafood (which are mostly frozen), Ozzie is pretty well known for its beef products. Even their poultry n chicken meat are better than back home. No surprise. Better air and water quality, with minimal pollution is perhaps one of the contributing factors. I find chicken to be much tender here. They claimed no hormones were added, n everything is fed in the most organic natural way. So dun be amazed if you find KFC here 100% times tastier. My hub is one of the advocates!

Back to my cooking skills, I believe i have slightly improved from where i first started. Practice makes perfect. Obligated to cook our meals everyday makes me a better cook. How i wish i had spent previously getting tips n watching my grandma cook closely. Sadly, i wasted those opportunities and here am I stuck, n learning from square zero. Thank God, my hubby is a great cook by nature, and i learn most of the skills from him.

Like I've mentioned, beef is good here, n surprisingly cheaper than pork. Trust me, i think i've never eaten as much beef as i did here for the past 25 years back home! I cooked this pot of beef stew last week, an initiative to finish half a bottle of Jacobs Creek red wine which has been sitting in the kitchen, fermenting for 'i don't know how long'.

I try to maintain a healthy more vege to meat ratio at all times, therefore i would always add lotsa different coloured veges into my dishes. Not only are they pretty to look at, they provide the nutrients n variation for the day!

I'm a huge fan of broccoli, so yeah, a weekly diet of broccoli is a must. This time it was stir-fried in tomato juice (from simmering real tomatoes) with marinated honey sauce chicken.

A healthy and balanced meal! I realised being a good cook at home, not only taste is important but making sure a healthy nutritious n low-oil  meal is equally essential.

Apple Cakelets

The Granny Smith duo have been sitting in my fridge since, i don't know when, and when i saw a large big brown patch on one of them, i knew i got to save them. Haha. Hence, these apple cakelets.

I had wanted to bake sth 'applish' considering my hub doesn't eat apples 'raw' (tat was y i got the Granny Smith), but i seemed to always give myself excuses to avoid baking apples. I guess becoz being my most most fave fruit, i rather crunch them in my teeth than enjoying their softness. Apples are supposed to be crunchy n hard, n for this reason, i'm one of those who anti - red delicious. You know the deep red apples, normally imported from US? Yeah, not my type. They r like bananas to me.

I'm not an orange fan either. So if you ask me to choose between an apple or orange as a fruit, i wld, without hessitation pick the apple. But if it's a cake, i'd pick the later!

Just normal cakelets with lotsa granny smith and slices of Cameo on top. Cameo has now voted as my 2nd fave apple after Gala! And yes, I eat an apple a day! (My hub eats an orange a day, how different we are!)

P/s: I received the offer for Environmental Engineering but i want CIVIL! Pls continue to pray for me.

Steamed Double Chocolate Muffins

I never like any steamed cakes (apart from tapioca cake) but this is one recipe i could never resist. Simple, easy and fast. The texture is so moist and soft, i voted it as my most fave cake for 2011. And that is, the steamed chocolate chip muffin.

I saw the recipe and immediately knew i had to make them. Our gas utility is included in the monthly rental, hence whenever possible, i wld try to make use of the stove rather than the electrical oven. I have been craving for chocolate cake for a long time now (eating endless supplies of chocolate won't help, arrgh!) but i simply couldn't find any excuse/ reason to bake one. Until this recipe came along. Terrific. One batch yields 3 muffins only, which is great for two person trying to eat moderately at home.

Batter became sticky after i mixed in the flours, and i thought they wld turn out hard and dry. Popped them onto the steaming hot pan, i was surprised they had bloomed into beautiful 'flower-likes' after only 10 mins!

And so we got our treats in less than 30 mins. They were fluffy n soft. I love them! Low in calorie and sugar, what can be better than these?!?

P/S: My hub complained they tend to stick, but i find them fine. Well, anyways, steamed cakes tend to be stickier than baked ones, becoz the steam reacts with the flour in the batter.

I just borrowed one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks from the library, and can't wait to practise my culinary skills! Wish me all the best ** fingers crossed**. My hub lost some kgs, n he's praising me for my 'excellent' cooking skills. How bad is that???

Feathery Light Cheesecake

After soo long, i finally baked my first (yes FIRST) cake of year 2011 in Mel metropolitan. Tat's a huge long break, n it's reli no wonder that my skills have sort of degraded. These are slices of feathery light cheesecake, which shd be 'feather' and 'light' as the name claimed, but somehow due to my greed i added too much thickened cream and the ratio between milk vs cream got imbalanced causing the cake to be slightly dense. And i had reduced too much sugar. lol. too much cream n too little sugar. I'm contradicting ain't I?

My hubby said they are too moist. And as usual, i messed up the cutting part. hehe. 

I'm in a period of transformation. I wan to get things done n change the way i used to manage stuff. I wan to grow up and face the reality. I don't want to live in my own world that doesn't exist. I will try my best. Be strong and courageous. God has been reminding me non stop; that no matter what the outcome is, what's important is that I've done my best and my part. A treasured piece of gold is only worth n pure after refinement in the fiery furnace. I know God is molding me through the trials and tribulations.

Squash Kaya

It's getting colder and chillier everyday. Signs of winter. Can you believe it, coz i don't; and winter is like, officially starting in 3 weeks time?!?! Came during Spring, then the wet summer hit, now it's autumn and expecting winter. Sometimes i find it ironic. I always compliment how quick time goes by, but never fully comprehend the speed at which it has gone by. Where did all my time go?

It's also the pumpkin season now; winter, butternut squashes you name it. Can get them everywhere for less than AUD1 per kg. I'm a big fan of pumpkin; just like sweet potatoes i can stick with it for many many days. Except that i find it extremely difficult and painful to chop up a large round pumpkin. They give me blisters and red sores which i really dread. :-(

About few weeks ago, we had this butternut squash in our little supply box and after having sat there for a solemn 2 weeks, i decided that it is time it serves its sentence. I made a few porridges out of it, and there were some extras which went handy for a 'squash kaya'.

Just another version of pumpkin kaya cooked with coconut milk, brown sugar and a tint of pandan paste (to make up for the absence of pandan leaves). I find pandan leaves one of the luxury items here in Mel, or perhaps i was too used to picking some free ones from the backyard behind my house. The most expensive pandan i had bought was in SG, from the nearby grocery shop for SGD0.50 a whole bunch. N that was pricey to me. So i decided to leave it out. N it was equally a good decision.



Made a large bottle of squash kaya and it's now half empty! Kaya on toast. Lovely!

The Easter Scenes

Hey there. I feel like i have been abandoning this blog. I've got like piles of pic and stuff to blog about; but i was never able to find the 'heart' to do it. Just got myself stood up after falling into a deep pit hole, which left me crippled like a disabled person for the last couple of days. Life is tough sometimes but thank God, He is never changing. Everything can fail you but He never does.

Well anyway, it's all over, and i'm goin to blog like mad. And enjoy every moment. Do not be surprised if i knock you off with a BIG news one day coz i am, and i am.. haha! For now, let's replay the Easter scenes ..

Chocolate hot cross buns - yum. makes me look forward to the next easter!

Bunnies Bunnies

Did you get your chocolate easter eggs? Say please to Auntie Joyce.

Told you, say 'Please'.:-P

And it ends with a gift. A unique - not related at all - kinda present. but it's the heart that matters right?

More catching up to come. Stay tune!