Category Archives: Chinese

Asian, Bakes, Chinese, Egg

Traditional Baked Mooncake Recipe

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This is the recipe for the traditional, baked Chinese Mooncake that is typically eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The mooncake filling consists of a salted egg yolk, surrounded by sweet lotus seed paste, which is wrapped in a thin, tender skin and then pressed into a round or square mold to impart a design onto the skin. The cake is partially baked, brushed with an egg wash, and then finished in the oven.

Traditional Baked Chinese Mooncakes

Last year, I got into making snowskin mooncakes and pandan spiral mooncakes for the Mooncake Festival. (The pandan spiral mooncakes are seriously awesome; I already have orders for more.) However this year, I decided that I had to try my hands with the traditional baked mooncakes. After making three batches of these mooncakes recently, I can say that they’re pretty simple to make, and they come out as good as or even better than store-bought.

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Chinese, Malaysian, Vegetables

7 Basic Rules of Stir-Frying

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We aren’t always about eating meat.

Stir-Fried Green Beans with Savory Tofu

stir-fried green beans with savory tofu

Really, truly!  I know that it must seem that way with the many recipes that I post that are always about meat—we have lots of chicken recipes, pork recipes, beef recipes, and not as many vegetable recipes.

The reason for this is simple.  Stir fried vegetables seem boring and easy.  Surely, most people know how to stir fry some vegetables and don’t need recipes for it?

Right?

Turns out that sometimes, what I take for granted isn’t as instinctive for others.  For me, salad isn’t that instinctive.  I like eating salads but I don’t think of it as a vegetable dish to make with my meals.  For many of you, salad is probably something you find a no-brainer.  Well, that’s how it is for me with vegetable stirfries. 

Anyway, I decided to let you know readers that we do eat loads of veggies.  As a matter of fact, every meal that I make is accompanied by a vegetable side, sometimes two. And they are mostly stirfries.  Why?  Because it’s fast and easy.

Here are my basic rules for stir-frying:

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Asian, Chinese, Egg, Malaysian

Penang Family Recipe: Pan Fried Phong Pneah

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We discovered a delicious Penang family recipe that was almost forgotten.

Pan Fried Phong P'neah

Whenever we go back to Penang, I always make sure that I come home with some goodies. One of the most popular things to take away from Penang (and no, unfortunately, we can’t pack their char koay teow, or Asam Laksa) is the biscuits evidenced by the number of people on our flight back to Kuching hand-carrying boxes and boxes of these wonderful pastries.

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Chinese, Poultry, Vegetables

Chicken with Black Fungus

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Try this simple and delicious recipe with healthy black (wood ear) fungus, and you’ll be sold on it too!

Chicken with Black Fungus

Have I told you that I’m a pretty easy sell? I totally believe in sales gimmicks and this is why I never let those Kirby people in unless Nate is there at home with me. If I was alone, I’d be the proud owner of a really expensive vacuum cleaner (and I hate vacuuming). Why do I even let them in? Because I’m pake, see, and they always offer to clean one room for free! ^_^

I was at the market the other day buying vegetables and the vendor lifted this packet of black fungus to me. At first I didn’t know what it was she was trying to sell me but once I understood, I was tempted to get it. It’s not often that I can find fresh black fungus here.

Turns out, this vegetable vendor was a pretty good salesperson. “It’s very good for your health,” she said, “and it’s my last big pack.” She went on to convince me that it was really tasty and I would enjoy it. She could see that I was sold before I even nodded and, with a big grin, added it to my bag of other vegetables. Thankfully, in this case, it was just a pack of wood ear fungus that make for delicious eating and thus, totally justifiable. Right honey?

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