If you have any question, please drop me an email (sonia9423@gmail.com) or Instagram @ sonianll

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Meeting bloggers

Even this was not my 1st time meeting bloggers, but I still feel so excited yesterday. We had our meet up yesterday at Mid Valley KL, and I'm so happy to know 9 new friends in only one day. Who say blogging is not good!



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Here are the bloggers:-

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1. Bitter Sweet Flavours (Tracie)- The youngest blogger 19 years old

2. Quinn's baking diary (Quinn)- Thanks Quinn for organize this gathering

3. A Nyonya's kitchen for all season (Petite Nyonya)- Thanks Petite Nyonya invited me to this gathering

4. ReeseKitchen (Reese)- Need more tips from her about Taipei trip later.

5. Honey Bee Sweet (BeeBee)- all the way from Singapore !

6. The Sweet Spot (Swee San) she makes lovely fondant cakes, do order from her !

7. Is me (Sonia)- Nasi Lemak Lover !

8. Elinluv's Tidbits corner (Elin)- all the way from Ipoh !

9. My Kitchen Snippets (Gertrude)- all the way from Pennsylvania, USA

10. Dodol & Mochi (Pei Lin)- Thanks for sharing some camera shoting tips.


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- This gathering turned out like a Nasi Lemak gathering, because 8 bloggers ordered Nasi Lemak, but me as Nasi Lemak Lover ordered Fried Kuey Teow instead, hehehe..


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Thank you, Quinn, Reese, Elin, Tracie, Swee San, Gertrude, Pei Lin, Bee Bee and Petite Nyonya, for your time and wonderful company, and I can't wait till the next time we meet again!

p/s Thanks Petite Nyonya for the lovely flower and egg mould from Elin !
Check Reese's update for this meeting .

Saturday, February 27, 2010

My mom's homemade kuih-muih for "Pai Tin Kong"

These are kuih-muih (cakes) that prepared by my mom during "Pai Tin Kong" celebration.

-Sweet candies.

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-Steamed pau shape like tortoise..

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- We love this " Ang Ku Ker", not too sweet, no artificial colouring added(the skin is made from sweet potato), will learn this from my mom, and share later with your.

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-This "Huat Ker" is very "Huat" !!

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-"Kee Chung" dumpling..

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-Steamed pau

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-my tiger butter cake..

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Homemade "Yee Sang" recipe 七彩魚生

Here is the recipe for my own style of "Yee Sang".

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I did not record down the actual weight, I just agak-agak (estimate) only, thus you pandai pandai agak lar (adjust accordingly)!!

Ingredients:-

Fresh Salmon slices ( I bought it from Jusco)
carrot shreds
red cabbage shreds
pear shreds (soak in ice-cold water for for few minutes)
coriander leaves coarsely chopped
green salad shreds
pamelo flesh ( I use grapefruit)
sesame seeds, toasted
peanuts, toasted and grounded
crispy red fermented bean curd chips (refer recipe below)

Sauce:-
Honey (i use Manuka honey)
plum sauce
Olive oil
lime juice


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For the cripsy chips, at first I followed a recipe published in a newspaper, but the chisp was not cripsy but chewy instead,and turned hard when cooled. No choice, I created with my own crispy red fermented bean curd chips recipe.

To make crispy red fermented bean curd (Nam Yue) chips:-

egg 1 (light beaten)
red fermented bean curd/Nam Yue 1 (mashed)
a pinch of salt
Spring roll skins

1. Well combine the egg, red fermented bean curd and add a pinch of salt.
2. Spread the mixture on the spring roll skin.
3. Fold and cut into small strips, deep fry till golden brown.
4. Store in air-tight container before use.

How to eat Yee Sang:-All dinners at the table than stand up and on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various "auspicious wishes" out loud. It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the dinner's growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically, more details from here.


This homemade "Yee Sang" is really good and refreshing, I'm going to make this again and again..

Happy Cooking !!

Monday, February 22, 2010

A tiger butter cake specially for "Pai Tin Kong"

This year, I made a special tiger butter cake for "Pai Tin Kong" celebration (9th Day of Lunar New Year), unlike precious years, I just bought from outside bakery shops. At first, thinking to bake a sponge cake, but my mum love butter cake, so I changed my mind to bake a butter cake instead. And I decorated this butter cake with fondant (after 1st success attempted of fondant here)


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-Must have item-sugarcane for "Pai Tin Kong" celebration.

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-"Kum Kat"

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-With my daughter's help, we done a Tiger fondant, and with two "Chin Yuen Pau".

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-It just so happens my husband's friend visited us when I was making this cake, so I invited her daughter to take a photo with this Tiger cake. She feel like want to have a bite of this cake, luckily I stopped her, otherwise how to present to "Tin Kong', hehehe..


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-My husband keep saying this girl is sweet and cute, then I told his friend why not we book her daughter (mother is Malaysian, father is Aussie) for my two boys, Hahaha..

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Homemade "Yee Sang" 七彩魚生, Reunion dinner

Thanks everyone for all your CNY well wishes! I had a wonderful time with my family and friends during this festive season, and I supposed you too have a wonderful CNY holidays.
Here are some of the dishes that I prepared for "Reunion dinner", even only with 5 family members, I still followed to traditional way, prepared as many of dishes to fill up my dining table,to show 大魚大肉..


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-Here are some of the dishes that I prepared on "Reunion dinner" day, even the name called "Reunion dinner", actually we eat from lunch till dinner, hehehe..

-Hokkian style of noodles-"Hokkian mee"

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-Braised pork knuckle with sea cucumber

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-Hokkian style of meat balls

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-My own style of fish

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-white cut chicken

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-special stuffed chicken wings

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-Something difference from previous years, this time I prepared " Yee Sang" at home, all ingredients are prepared at home, I even created with my own recipe of "cripy red fermented bean curd (Nam Yue) cookie". This homemade Yee Sang is really good and fresh. I'm sure homemade "Yee Sang" will be served on every CNY from now onwards..


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-After "lo hei"撈起

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**Let me know if you wish to learn some of this dish, I will provide recipe later.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Kuih Bangkit, Happy CNY 新春愉快 !

Yeah, 收工了, in order to prepare for the coming Chinese New Year on Sat and last minutes shopping, so this will be my last post, I see your after CNY.



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-This was my 3rd batch of Kuih Bangkit (1st batch here,and 2nd batch here), this time I use cookie cutter to cut and use tweezer to pinch patterns, and I realized that shaping by cutter&tweezer are more time consuming than using mould for shaping.


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- But I just like this lovely flower shape of Kuih Bangkit !



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Summary of the cookies that I did for this CNY:-



1. Kuih Bangkit

2. Pineapple rolls

3. Butter cookies

4. Almond Flakes cookies

5.Chocolate covered corn flakes cookies

6. Nian Gao / Steamed Chinese New Year sticky cake

7. Fried crabstick- shredded crabsticks, deep fry over medium flame, or until golden brown. This fried crabsticks is very crispy and yummy.


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8. Fried prawan crackers- bought from Kuala Selangor, after fried, became triple in size.


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Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai...


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祝大家新春愉快,情人节快乐 ...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Braised Bamboo shoot Pork 竹笋焖猪肉

I like this dish-Braised Bamboo shoot pork, but not for my kids, sometime I need to cook something that I like right?

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-When cook with bamboo shoot, the important thing is you need to boiled (add little salt) and blanched the bamboo shoot slices at least 2 times (10mins each time), as to remove the bitter taste.

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-Then just stir fry some chopped garlic and ginger, add in pork slices and bamboo shoot slices, add water and cook for 30-45 mins. Season with salt, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

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Happy Cooking !!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Nian Gao 传统年糕 (Chinese steamed New Year sticky cake)

Since my 2 sisters and sister-in-law has no interest in baking and cooking, thus I have a big responsibility to learn from my mum for all her traditional Chinese cooking especially Hokkian dishes. Nian Gao (Chinese steamed New Year sticky cake) is one of the cake that I learnt from my mum for this Chinese New Year and this is a cake that must have during CNY. I would like to keep this recipe in my blog here, so you can try out if you have interested on it(so far, I have not seen any blogger that I knew doing this cake, tedious to make right?)



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Why Chinese eat Nian Gao during CNY?
My mum told me that Nian Gao is traditionally fed to the Chinese Kitchen God, so that he will give a favorable report on the family's behavior throughout the previous year when he returns to heaven.



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A lot of recipes out there required very minimum steaming time(less than an hour), adding brown sugar to make the nice colour. But my mum'recipe will test your patient, because it requires 5 hours steaming time, the process of caramelization makes the Nian Gao with nice brown colour and full of glutinuous rice fragrant. The best part is this Nian Gao can be kept in the fridge up to 6 months even no preservative is added..



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Nian Gao (Chinese steamed New Year sticky cake)-makes 3 cakes

Glutinous Rice flour 500g
Water 500ml
Sugar 600g
Cooking oil 2tbsp
Banana leaves - soften it by blanched in hot water

steaming bowls- I can't find the right bowl, thus I use empty can from pineapple cans.

1. Line banana leaves on the steaming bowl.
2. Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl, mix in sugar (500g), oil and water. Stir the mixture till sugar dissolved.
3. In another pot, cook the balance sugar (100g) till became golden syrup.
4. Pour golden syrup into flour mixture, and the syrup will form into curd, don’t worry, continue stir until syrup dissolved in the mixture (Be careful when you pour the syrup, it will spill !)
5. Strain the mixture and pour the mixture in steaming bowl.
6. Steam cake over high flame for 1 hour, and turn to low flame for 4 hours. Make sure the water does not dry up, refill hot water from time to time.

Thanks to Bakeling helping me to translate this recipe in Chinese.

传统年糕制法:

材料:
糯米粉 500 克(g)
水 500 毫升(ml)
糖 600 克( 分开 500克 , 100克)
食油 2 汤匙
香蕉叶

方法:
1. 将香蕉叶垫在蒸的容器里。
2. 在糯米粉放进一个大碗内 ,然后加500 克的糖,食油和水搅拌均匀,直到所有糖溶解。
3. 把另外100克的糖放在另一个锅煮成金黄色的糖浆(syrup)。
4. 再将糖浆倒入第2项的面糊内搅动,当倒进糖浆时,糖浆将会凝固在面糊里成块状,我们必须一直将搅动,直到所有的糖浆和面糊混合成一体为止。
5. 把第4项的面糊用筛子过滤,然后倒进蒸碗内,再放进大锅里蒸熟。
6. 用大火蒸煮1个小时后,再改用小火,继续蒸4个小时。期间要不停加入热水。



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With this lovely bite of Nian Gao, I wish you all "年年高升" (symbolism of raising oneself higher in each coming year ) !!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Chocolate Covered Cornflakes cookies 免烘巧克力玉米片, simply easy !!

This is another type of Chinese New Year (CNY) cookie that I prepared for this year, no baking and no resting time, simple and easy to prepare, kids love it but not for me...


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Recipe adapted from Moon's 简单过放屁巧克力玉米, her title really suite to this easy to prepare cookie, hahaha, Thanks Moon !!

Chocolate Covered Cornflakes cookie

Cooking chocolate 200g
Cornflakes 150g

Decorate with- chocolate rice, multi-colour chocolate rice & etc

1. Melt chocolate over double boiler.
2. Immediate mix melted chocolate with cornflakes while still hot.
3. Lightly crush the cornflakes while mixing.
4. Spoon into mini paper cups, and decorate it.
5. Let cool completely, and store in air-tight container



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Happy Baking !!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken) Mamak style and Fried bittergourd

Refer to my earlier dish of Dhal curry, I also cooked Fried chicken Mamak style and fried bittergourd. One of the version of fried chicken we like is Mamak style, I came out with my own version after consulted with my Indian friend and Indian worker in the India grocery shop. Another Indian style of veggie I like is fried bittergourd.



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Fried Chicken Mamak style

Chicken 1.5kg (cut into big pieces)

Ingredients for marinate:-

Fish curry powder 2tbsp ( why fish curry powder in fried chicken? Don’t worry, this is the secret ingredient taught by my Indian friend)

Meat curry powder 2tbsp (BABA’s brand)
Red chili powder 1tbsp (BABA’s brand)
Turmeric powder 1/2tbsp (BABA’s brand)
Salt 1tbsp or to taste

Rice flour 4tbsp
Water 2tbsp (secret ingredient too, taught by my mum, as to get moist chicken meat)

1. Marinate chicken with above ingredients for 2 hours.
2. Add rice flour and water to the marinated chicken, mix well.
3. Deep fry chicken on medium heat or until golden brown.
4. Serve hot.


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-Fried bittergourd Indian sytle
* I use this kind of small bittergourd
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-Mix with red chili powder

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Fried Bittergourd Indian Style
Bittergourd 2 , sliced
Red chili powder 1 and 1/2tbsp
Salt to taste

Rice flour 2tbsp

1. Marinate bittergourd with red chili powder and salt.
2. Mix well with rice flour.
3. Deep fry on medium heat.
4. Serve hot.


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Happy Cooking !!
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