shiokadelicious!

IMBB7: You're Just the Cutest Little Dumpling!

Can you believe it? We’re already on to our 7th edition of IMBB – the distributed “cook-blog-athon” that was inspired and initiated by Alberto, and which, in its latest incarnation, is hosted by Jarrett.

I so very much wanted to take part in this particular edition. For those of you who have been faithfully (ahem! ) and closely following this blog, it would have been obvious that I love dumplings – all kinds of dumplings really, but with an especially soft spot for all the different Chinese varieties. When I found out (just a few days ago) that the topic of today’s IMBB was dumplings, I gave a little whoop of delight. Now, that is something I don’t mind cooking. Unfortunately, having just gotten home last weekend after 3½ weeks away, I’ve had little time this past week to cook in any meaningful manner – what with the huge backlog of work and mail to plough through, and also just trying to get my life back to being “ordinary” again after the emotionally challenging events of the past month. So, despite all well-meaning intentions, no dumplings got made in my kitchen this week.

However, in the spirit of fun and sharing that is IMBB, I would still like to share an old post… a Chinese dumpling that is a dumpling and yet not a dumpling in the more popular sense of Chinese dumplings. This is the glutinous rice dumpling that is traditionally eaten in celebration of Duan Wu Jie (Dumpling Festival or Dragon Boat Festival); rather distinct from other well-known Chinese dumplings like shui jiao (boiled dumplings in soup), xiao long bao (steamed dumplings filled with meat and soup) and guotie (panfried dumplings).

While they may not win many points in the “cuteness” pageant – being, as they are, more earthy, strong, solid and stoic in stature – I really enjoy glutinous rice dumplings or zhong zhi, and I especially love our family’s own “unique” version that my mum and I make but once a year, during the Dumpling Festival. Here is the write-up for this year’s marathon dumpling making session, which took place back in June...

For the Love of a Poet

And if you would like to see a couple of other varieties of these glutinous rice dumplings (albeit not home-made)…

A Spicy Nonya Lady Dressed in Green Mighty Meaty Beany Dumpling

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

What About You?

Over the weekend, a bunch of us were sitting around after dinner yakking away about everything, anything and nothing in particular. As usual, food was a topic that we kept coming back to. At one point, the conversation veered onto a rather inane, yet highly entertaining, funny, insightful and interesting path; certainly, it evoked quite a few chuckles and some ribbin’ of each other.

Someone had started us on the topic of odd or unique eating habits. And I’m not talking about such things as eating ice cream with ketchup or anything downright weird like that. But everyday, normal things… like eating toast or using cutlery. It’s fascinating how each person has very individual and unique ways of going about the daily business of eating food. Little quirks that we do not give a second thought to, maybe are not even really aware that we do them, and yet they can potentially be very revealing.

There was much humor as everyone’s “deep dark eating secrets” were exposed. And so I’m thinking it would be quite a fun way to start the week with a small online version… just to get to know you a little better, and for you to know me a little better.

Here’s a pick of 20 of the “questions” that came up during that evening’s conversation; please join in, have a little fun and post your answers in the comment box below…

1) How do you like your toast: light, medium, dark or charred ? Or… toast?!? But that’s a carb!

2) When applying spreads to your toast, must they cover every square millimeter and extend right up to the edges of the toast? Or do you always leave a little margin all the way around? After all, there is more than enough real estate on a piece of toast.

3) Do you automatically fold the toast in half before munching down, or do you keep the toast flat and have the spreads exposed in their full luscious glory?

4) When it comes to drinking tea or coffee, which goes in first? Milk? Sugar? Or who cares anyway?

5) Before you chow down on an apple or pear, do you automatically try to break the stem off, or just let it stay where it is and simply ignore it?

6) Peeling bananas: do you keep the peel attached to the tip of the fruit to keep your fingertips clean? Or… urgh! Have banana peel flopping over your hand? No way! The skin comes off – totally!

7) What’s your papaya strategy? Which part do you eat first: the head section (the part where the fruit was attached to the branch), the tail section or the middle? Or… huh?? What papaya strategy? It’s only a papaya!

8) Are you a “swopper” or a “stayer”? When it comes to using the fork and knife that is. Do you do the American thing, and switch the fork from hand to hand? Or are you definitely European in this sense? None of all that to-ing and fro-ing for you, thank you very much!

9) Staying with cutlery… do you hold your fork and spoon horizontally with the four fingers wrapped securely around the handles? Or, do you let the handle rest in the valley between your thumb and index finger, like you would a pen?

10) It’s burger and fries time! Do you always eat the fries first? Or the burger first?

11) Pass the ketchup please. Or… heaven forbid! What scandal! Ketchup on burgers?!

12) Devouring an ice cream cone… do you lick, suck or bite into the ice cream? Umm… remember, we are talking about eating an ice cream cone here…

13) More sexy food… do you always chew on chocolate, or let it melt slowly and sensuously in your mouth? Or… chocolate? You feel a headache coming…

14) Aahhh… the cheery beauty of a sunny-side up or over-easy fried egg… You eat around the soft yolk, carefully preserving it, and keeping it for last. Or, you tear into it, spilling its golden treasure and mixing it all up?

15) Are you a horizontal or vertical person when it comes to bread rolls? Do you break a bread roll in half down the vertical or along the horizontal?

16) You’re all for excess: your cereal must come swimming in milk. Or, maybe you like the cereal just barely covered?

17) What does it for you? Tea in a cup or mug? Juice in a glass or a mug? Or anything as long as it doesn’t leak?

18) Are you a food purist or a “hippie”? You taste one flavor at a time, you never mix the foods on your plate? Or, the more the merrier?

19) Oops… I can’t count! You’re done! And that was only 18 questions… and you thought it would take a long time, huh?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So, to start the ball rolling… this is me…

1) Medium brown for me please! But I’m okay with dark if I’m half-asleep and forget to turn the knob.

2) Oh, always! Right up to the edges! The thicker the spread the better. I like the spreads almost spilling onto my fingertips. Plus, I always “clean” the knife on the edges of the bread… I get a “clean” knife, and a well-filled piece of toast all at the same time! Woo-hoo…

3) Nope, the toast stays flat. I love the look of my luscious spreads.

4) Uhh… not a coffee or tea drinker, I’m afraid. But on the rare occasions I do drink tea that is not green tea or chamomile, it’s milk only for me please.

5) I’m compulsive… I must try to twist the apple stem off… and I even still do the childhood game of saying the alphabet as I make each twist! What can I say? It’s an ingrained habit. And yep, I also try my darnest to snap off the stem of a pear too. If it doesn’t yield, a knife always does a clean job.

6) Either way works for me. I’m strangely not fussy about this.

7) No conscious strategy… but I always end up digging into the middle first, then the head (which is less sweet) and finally the tail (the sweetest part)… I like ending on a sweet note.

8) I’m a “stayer” alright… although I do, on the rare occasion, get afflicted by a bout of Americanism.

9) Definitely… the fork and spoon rests near-vertically between the thumb and index finger.

10) Ummm… it’s usually a few fries first… okay… a couple of dozen fries first (who can resist piping hot fries?)… then the burger… then the fries again.

11) You got to be kidding! Ketchup??!! *scrunches nose in horror*

12) Lick or suck… depending on mood.

13) Bring on the chocolate, I say. And it’s never ever chewed… okay, maybe with one exception… if the chocolate comes filled with biscuits or wafers.

14) I save the best for last… the whites are carefully eaten first… and then the yolk is popped into the mouth whole… yum!

15) Usually, I break the roll horizontally, around the “equator” of the roll… then, I eat the bottom half first, because it’s not as nice (in my opinion) as the top crusty half.

16) Just a light coating, please. I want cereal with milk, not milk with cereal.

17) I realize I hardly think of using anything but a mug when making a drink for myself. It’s a mug all the way… for hot drinks, for water and even juices… A glass just isn’t in my regular food consciousness…

18) Somewhere in between? It’s usually just one or two flavors/types of food in each mouthful for me… maximum three. Otherwise it’s just taste chaos in the mouth, and my taste-buds go on strike!

Okay, now your turn…

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

Frenzied Frenzy

It has been a mad, mad weekend... a frenzied frenzy of cooking and baking, and back-breaking work in the kitchen. What have I been up to, you ask?

• Well, tomorrow is Duan Wu Jie, otherwise known as Dumpling Festival, or more popularly known to Westerners as Dragon Boat Festival. This is one of the five major Chinese festivals (the others being Dong Zhi or Winter Solstice, Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, Yuan Xiao or Lantern Festival, and Mooncake Festival); and one that my family celebrates every year without fail. Unfortunately, this year, we left the dumpling making to the very last minute. So, it was 1½ days of hard work making dumplings over the weekend! The post will be coming up tomorrow.

• On top of that, it was Father’s Day yesterday; I also had to squeeze in some baking amidst all that dumpling-wrapping. Unfortunately, the cake that I made for my dad turned out to be my first disappointment from Alice Medrich’s CALFD.

• After a day of frenetic dumpling-making and cake-baking, there was still the cooking of Father’s Day dinner to be fitted in, somehow. The family had opted not to join the Father’s Day throngs at the restaurants and eateries; we celebrated instead with several of my dad’s favorite home-cooked dishes.

• Then, this Thursday is a rather special day… special for me at least .

So, lots and lots of things to tell you about over the next few days…

All “A-Rice”!

Okay, folks! It’s that time of the month again! No, not that time of the month… This time of the month… blog burning time of the month.

Pim has put out the call… so, “rice” up everyone, grab your rice bowl and climb aboard… it’s time for another round-the-world food adventure.

Take-off date is Sunday 23 May 2025. But, before you rush off to pack your rice bowls, please check the full travel details…

So, let’s get ready for some “rice-ing” great fun!

Oh, and don’t forget to check back here on 23 May for my personal “rice-ing” adventure…

Happy “rice-ing” everyone!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

IMBB? - An Update

A new pit-stop has been added to the "IMBB? - A Walk Around the World in 30 Cakes" (which has been renamed accordingly) itinerary.

So, hop on over to Austria, visit with Sasha and taste her zesty cake contribution.

[I ashamedly admit to having forgotten about Sasha, who was actually the very first person to inform me of her entry - a few days before the actual event. I feel terrible about rewarding her enthusiasm in participating in IMBB with forgetfulness. So, please help me make it up to her a little by going and tasting her very delectable looking creation.]

IMBB? – A Walk Around the World in 30 Cakes

Yesterday was “blog burning day” – third time around. And this time, our kitchens were burning and fuming with the fragrant aromas of freshly baked cakes.

Cakes in all shapes, sizes, looks, styles, colors, tastes, flavors, aromas and textures. Cakes each with their own story to tell. And, yes, each with their own style to show.

So, without much further ado, may I present to you 30 delectable, scrumptious-looking cakes from around the world…

We begin our round-the-world trip in balmy Hawaii…

To get us energized and charged up for the trip ahead, Reid, who is brand new to the food-blogging community, has made us a delicious Chocolate Rocky Road Cake, served with Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. A nice sweet start to the journey.

Okay, all aboard the “IMBB flying-carpet”! (Yes, I know I said “walk around the world”, but hey, why walk when you can fly). We skim across the Pacific, on to the mainland…

And to sunny (most parts anyways) California.

In Oakland, Derrick awaits our arrival with an interesting and intriguing Terrine de Gateau of Verjus Curd with White Chocolate Cream Frosting.

We stay in the Bay Area, as Charlotte has prepared a Pound Cake – all ready for us to top with clotted cream and fresh raspberries. Ah! Yes! Clotted cream and raspberries!

And oh, oh… what’s a cake walk without Cupcakes. I mean, really? And Amy has so graciously obliged. Yay!

Owen brings along an interesting and tasty concoction of a Raspberry Cinnamon Torte. Raspberry and cinnamon, now that’s not one, but two “good things”!

Pim’s away on a business trip. But guess what? She left us the keys! So naturally, we quite happily make ourselves at home chez Pim and gleefully help ourselves to her Madeleine au Citron, made from her own original recipe.

We then sweep eastwards, to the “Windy City”, Chicago, where it is a lovely sweet, caramel-y trip down nostalgia lane in the Too Many Chefs kitchen, with Barrett’s version of “Ann Tharp – Xmas ’83 – modified by Rosalind McFall” Turtle Cake.

Next stop, Cleveland. And the spirit of Anne of Green Gables comes to life in the kitchen of LadyGoat and FoodGoat with their rendition of Anne’s Anodyne Liniment Cake.

Donna in Central Pennsylvania brings a bright, cheery, sunny whiff of summer with her very pretty Hummingbird Cake with Dried Pineapple Flowers.

Staying in the area, Mark offers us each a slice of an American classic – a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. A must-have at any cake walk, surely.

New York City here we come!

Little Ellie gurgles in amusement as we pounce on Deb’s beautiful Freckled Mocha Cake with Chocolate-Hazelnut Mousse and Vanilla Buttercream. Coffee, chocolate and hazelnut… sorry, let me say that again… coffee, chocolate and Nutella… need I say more?

We also welcome BBRUB to our rowdy cake gathering, and very happily clear some dessert-table space for her Four-Layer Cake with Lemon Curd and Lady Crumpet’s Loving Cupcakes. Chocolate and lemon curd, how can we not love such a loving gesture.

Speaking of things yellow, Jeremy of Frost Street, provides us with a light-hearted and fun moment with his Soft-Boiled Egg Cake. You’ve got to check this one out!

Josh transports us through history as he whips up a light and elegant Food Section offering of Post-Proustian Madeleines.

Our last pit-stop in the USA… Boston, Massachusetts. The girl can eat and bake. The next cake course is served. A Red Velvet Cake with Mixed Berries.

We head North across the border and catch sight of our very own Domestic Goddess. And boy! Did she have a cake waiting for us! I won’t even describe it. It has to be seen.

Time to clamber back onto our magical IMBB flying-carpet, as we soar across the Atlantic… Europe, here we come.

First stop, London – where Anthony and Simon have baked a perennial favorite – Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Carrot cake… who can resist? Always a good choice for a birthday, and this one looks quick and easy to make.

A pretty and tasty sight greets us at A Spoonful of Sugar. Coffee, Bailey’s Irish Cream and chocolate all come together beautifully in Angela’s Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake.

We continue to traverse the English Isles, and pop in for a visit at Woolfit, where Meg serves up another “adult grape juice”-inspired cake… a lovely, delicately Muscat-infused Beaumes-de-Venise cake with grapes.

Now, a quick skip and a hop across the Channel we go, onwards to the “City of Lights”, Paris.

Upon arrival, we are offered fresh strawberries, whipped cream and velvet cake. What a scrumptious trio! Meg of Too Many Chefs recalls and recreates a fond, and very delicious, childhood memory – Thompson’s Cake.

Still in Paris, we visit with Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini. So, you have been wondering about the creative name of her website? Wonder no more. Meet the site’s namesake… the cake version, that is. A moist, chocolatey, nutty and very creative… Chocolate & Zucchini Cake, of course.

It’s a lovely Sunday afternoon, and so we linger a little longer in Paris. We stop at Pascale’s for a quintessential Parisien afternoon indulgence… a cup of coffee and some delectable Hazelnut Madeleines.

Time to move on, as we cross the border into Switzerland, and travel towards Zurich. Oh yes, by this time, after all that flying, we are in much need of some (sorry, more) libation. And of course, Maki is all ready for us with her fantastic Irish Stout Cake with Whiskey-Sour Icing. *hick* One more piece for the road?

Next stop, Jena, Germany. There, Alberto awaits… with yes, more liqueur-infused (aren’t you just loving this trip so far?) sweet decadence. We go fruity this time with the all-German classic, “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”, or better known to you and me as Black Forest Cake.

Our taste-buds get a small breather as we pop over to Austria where Sasha has prepared a delectably light, tangy Lemon Tart. With palates refreshed, we are off again…

Hold on to your hats. Quickly now, we zip over mountains and across seas, onward towards Asia…

In Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, Shiewie’s kitchen is emanating tangy and fruity aromas as her beautifully colorful Apple and Cranberry Torte comes out of the oven.

And finally, we land on the little tropical isle of Singapore, the place I call home.

First, we drop in on fellow Singaporean foodie, Umami and her two cake creations – a Huat Kueh from the East and a Chestnut Orange Sandwich Cake from the West.

Lastly, welcome to the kitchen of yours truly… as we round off our whirlwind food tour on a strongly “aromatic” note with my Durian Fudge Cake.

24 hours. 18 time zones. 9 countries. 19 (maybe 21) cities. 28 food-lovers. 30 scrumptious cakes. **

Wow! It has been a glorious joy-ride. I hope you have enjoyed this spectacular sojourn around the world as much as I have. It’s been colorful, vibrant, exciting, fascinating, exhilarating, fun, and yes, very, very tasty. Thank you to each and everyone for your generous creativity and great sense of fun that has made this fantastic journey possible.

If I’ve inadvertently missed anyone, my sincere apologies. Please drop me a line, and I’ll immediately add you to the itinerary.

And as we look forward to our next international magical mystery food tour, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please drop “creative-brains-behind-IMBB” Alberto a line.

Now, if you’ll excuse me… ahem… I need to go grab that last piece of cake before it disappears…

** My apologies to those for whom I could not find information about your geographical location on your website. And may have thus wrongly placed you in the narrative and/or missed including your City in the count. Please let me know of any errors and I will very happily make the amendments.

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

Is My Blog Burning? – Apple Cranberry Torte

Here is a contribution which I received via email from non-food blogger, Shiewie of Malaysia. Enjoy!

Made an Apple Cranberry Torte from Marian Burros and Lois Levine's "The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook". The recipe for their plum torte (same recipe but with fresh plum halves instead) first appeared in the New York Times in 1981 and has been published in the paper almost every year in one form or another since then. It's one of my favourite cakes as the sharp tangy taste of the fruit goes very very well with the buttery cake.

The recipe is also available on numerous websites, so here's a link to a couple of them (saves me typing it out) - http://www.recipeusa.org/Cranberries/PLUM%20TORTE%20OR%20APPLE%20%20CRANBERRY%20TORTE%2021997.htm
and
http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/cakes/27/rec2718.html.

Have made the plum torte in the past - I couldn't find any plums in the supermarket so decided to make the apple cranberry version today instead. I find the plum torte a teeny bit dry so I added a quarter cup of buttermilk to the batter today (think it was just a bit too much - it was a little too moist - will reduce it to 2 tablespoons of buttermilk in the future). The buttermilk did help to make the cake texture much lighter than it is per the original recipe.

The cake before it goes into the oven…

And fresh from the oven…

Mmmm… cake is served…

Text and photos by Shiewie, Malaysia. All rights reserved. Published here with permission.
Additional text in italics by Renee.

It Would Be My Pleasure To…

I have had a couple of enquiries / requests from people who do not have blogs or personal websites about joining in the “Is My Blog Burning – A Cake Walk” fun, which will be happening this Sunday 18 April 2004.

I would love to include everyone. I think that would be very much in keeping with the spirit of the event, which is to come together as a community, to create, share and have some fun at the same time. After a quick “discussion” with Alberto, we both agreed that it would be nice to have the IMBB event be as inclusive as possible. So, for this third installment of IMBB – A Cake Walk, I would personally be very honored and most happy to post on this blog the picture and recipe contributions of those who do not have a blog / website, but who would love to join in the fun. Please just drop me a line so that I know to expect your contribution, and I will post the picture and recipe when I have received them by email from you.

My apologies for confirming this rather late in the week, but I think there is still lots of time to put on the baker’s creativity hat, and bake up a storm in the kitchen.

Have fun!

Is My Blog Burning? – A Cake Walk

It’s here again! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, blog-burning day is back!

For those not already familiar with this event, “Is My Blog Burning?” (IMMB) is a distributed food blogging event which was created and inspired by baking maestro, Alberto. It can perhaps be described as an international cook-out session. A date and a theme are set, and each participating blogger produces a food dish according to the set theme, and posts about his/her creation on the set day.

Since its inaugural run in February 2004, this wonderful event has garnered much support and participation, with resultant great fun and creative-energy all round, and it has informally evolved into a monthly affair.

When I made a “sweet suggestion” to Alberto over a month ago, he very kindly offered to have me host the third installment of this enjoyable and inspiring event. And so, our blogs will burn once more on Sunday 18 April 2025.

So, what be the theme of this round of blog cooking mania you ask? Well, Alberto inspired us to cook a heart-warming soup dish in the opening round. We then moved on to a delectable tartine (sandwich) entrée course, hosted by the ever-talented and creative Clotilde. So I thought it would be nice to follow up with a sweet “dessert” course. Therefore, it is time for a… Cake Walk! (Blog world style.)

What is a cake walk? It is an event, probably of English origin, which is usually held at local fun fairs. Cakes are baked and donated by members of the community. Each cake is given a number. Those who wish to take part in the cake walk buy a number, or as many numbers as they want, for a nominal sum (ranging from a few cents to a couple of dollars per number). Numbers are then drawn out of a bag, and the person whose number is drawn gets to take home that particular cake. I personally have a lot of happy and fun childhood memories of participating in cake walks. It is a wonderful (and exceedingly cheap) way to taste and enjoy the home-baked cakes of many different people.

I would like to re-create some of this fun and excitement in the virtual world. Any type of cake can be submitted for this cake walk. It can be a homely, rustic coffee cake. Or it can be an intricately decorated and frosted creation. It can be a de-constructed masterpiece. Or it can be of architectural construction and design. It can be traditional, or it can be modern and avant-garde. It can be hearty. Or it can be delicately refined. Let it be fun and quirky. Or let it be elegant and regal. Make it light and ethereal, or make it thick, rich and gooey. Use a family heirloom recipe. Or use something festive that you are baking for Easter. Take a nostalgic walk back to a tasty childhood memory. Or take a bold step forward and carve out the future path of cake-making. It is all about cakes, cakes and more cakes!

Wait… before you rush off into the kitchen, here is a break-down of the guidelines:

• All are welcome to take part. You need not be a food blogger to participate. We would love to see lots of new as well as familiar names.

• The theme is “A Cake Walk”. Create a cake – any cake.

• The date is Sunday 18 April 2025.

• The cake does not have to be made on the “IMBB?” date itself. Only your entry has to be posted on that day.

• Share the recipe for the cake you have made. It would be wonderful if a photo could also be included. We would love to be able to drool over your cake, and taste it vicariously through our eyes!

• Once your entry has been posted, please email me with the link to it.

• A full list of the participants and the links to their creations will be posted here after the event closes.

• And of course, if you have any comments, suggestions, requests or queries, I would love to hear from you.

Oh! This will be fun!

Mmmmm… I think I already smell a cake baking…

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

Barb’s Steamed Buns

It was such a pleasure to receive these pics in the email three days ago. Barb D, of Midwest USA, made some steamed buns after reading my previous post on Chinese paus. Doesn’t it look good? And it was her very first time making such buns too! Impressive!

She had written, asking where to find the buns and how to make them. I wasn’t any help at all. But then again, it looks like she didn’t need any, really.

And look what she and her friends did…

They didn’t want to make the red bean paste or tau sar from scratch (I wouldn’t either – it’s a heck of a lot of work… a lot of standing at the stove, stirring and stirring), so they cooked a lovely raspberry filling, using fresh raspberries, sugar and cornstarch. I just think that is so creative. And it is perhaps a perfect example of internationalization at work. A Chinese comfort food crosses the Pacific and pairs up with a distinctively Western fruit, and it looks good. The flavors would have been interesting too - the sweet yet slightly tart and tangy flavors of the raspberries with the bland and fluffy bun.

Traditionalists may balk at the idea, but I’m thoroughly intrigued. A lighter, healthier, fruitier pau. Why not?

I love the colors – bright and cheery. And coincidentally, they are the national colors of Singapore. Hmmm… a perfect candidate for a National Day pau?? (Barb, remember to ask for royalties if that happens )

The buns rose beautifully with a nice fluffy texture. I’m so impressed. Now, I’m all inspired to try and make my own steamed paus from scratch.

It sounded like they had a lot of fun at their little “pau-making” party. And now I want to organize one of my own.

Thanks again, Barb, for coming back and sharing and for sending the photos. It’s always so heart-warming to hear back about the experiments and experiences of readers. Thank you for brightening my day.

The pictures in this post were edited, with permission, from photographs taken by Barb D. All Rights Reserved.

A Lovely Lady Came To Town

About one and a half weeks ago, a very lovely and pretty young lady came to visit. We met up, and it was an evening of lots of giggles and laughter, as we sat and yakked and yakked and yakked through the evening, until way past the midnight hour.

Who was this scintillating company? The ever bubbly Wena of Mum-Mum fame of course.

And she also brought nice, yummy food goodies for me. I didn’t have a chance to put up the pics before my trip, but here they are, slightly belatedly.

See the two cute little cat pepper shakers? Nice, huh? Two kuchings (cats) from Kuching "Cat City", Sarawak. This Malaysian state produces world-famous pepper crops. The brown cat has white pepper and the black cat has… you guessed it, black pepper. They are now sitting very prettily on the sideboard in the dining room.

Wanna see the rest of the stuff?

Woo hoo! Look at this! Sarawak laksa paste. I haven’t had Sarawak laksa in a looonng time. A family friend used to buy us the paste when he used to visit Kuching on a regular basis. And now, I can indulge once again.

This is kacangma (also known as Chinese motherwort, if I’m not wrong). It’s a fairly wild growing herb, which I think is only found in Sabah and Sarawak, not even in Brunei. It is usually cooked with chicken and rice wine, and eaten by ladies as it is believed to be a health tonic, and to aid the elimination of wind from the body. It is eaten during normal times, but especially after having a baby. No, Wena was NOT hinting at anything. What were you thinking??! She knew I have eaten kacangma before, and knew I couldn’t get it in Singapore, so she brought me some. Now, isn’t that sweet?

It is definitely an acquired taste. But for those who have eaten it before, and liked it, their relationship with this rather unattractive-looking herbal dish takes on a sort of comfort food type symbiosis.

But what did we have for dinner that night, you ask? Well, Wena has blogged about it… here (you’ll have to scroll down… and look for the March 16 entry). Go see.

It was a fun night with very enjoyable company.

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

I Came Home With Only This In My Suitcase

… apart from my clothes and personal effects of course. So, after four days in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China, this is the only food “souvenir” I have to show for the trip. And it was a gift. The trip was so hectic with an incredibly tightly-packed schedule, I didn’t have time for “leisure”, much less go shopping.

But this dessert is rather unique. I first tasted it at a dinner in a Guangzhou restaurant, and thought it rather interesting… double-boiled buffalo’s milk.

Or at least that was how it was described to me by my host. It is a very smooth, creamy, slightly custardy milk pudding, made from buffalo’s milk. I guess it can be considered sort of like a Chinese panna cotta, perhaps. The evening we had it, it was served sort of cool – i.e. below room temperature – though it can be served both hot and cold. It came topped with red kidney beans that had been cooked in some syrup. I quite enjoyed it.

At the end of dinner, I made a passing comment about the dessert. I can’t remember what I said and what it was about specifically. Whatever it was, it led to me being presented with 3 boxes of the instant version of the pudding the next day – 2 natural and 1 flavored with ginger. That was rather sweet (pun not intended) of my dinner host.

I’m not too sure what the instant ones taste like or whether they can even approximate to the taste of the real thing. I’m sure there is a vast difference between freshly “double-boiled” (although the box calls it “double coating”) buffalo’s milk, and a sachet of dehydrated milk powder, double-boiled or not, that is then reconstituted and allowed to solidify. Still, I’m game to try it. I think it would be lovely served cold. I’m just wondering what other toppings can be used apart from the usual red beans. I’m thinking maybe some boiled gingko nuts would be nice.

I was rather bemused by the picture of the buffalos on the back of the box. The instructions for preparation seem simple enough… empty a sachet into a bowl, add near boiling water, and stir in one direction. Leave to stand for a while, and ta-da! Buffalo milk pudding. It couldn’t get any easier than this.

I’ll let you know how it tastes after I get round to trying it out.

In the meantime, that’s it for the moment, I’m afraid. Regular programming will resume next week.

Have a great weekend!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

Happy Chocolate Day!

I just found out that it’s Chocolate Day today. I never knew there was such a day. But hey, I’d be the last to complain! From now on, this date will be marked into my diary every year. So, to all fellow chocolate-lovers (chocoholics?), a very happy chocolate day! May we have a sublime out-of-this-world chocolate experience today…

I love chocolate. Period. In all forms and guises. I melt in the presence of fresh hand-made truffles and pralines. Ooohh… Leonidas’ chocolate truffles!! Now, this is one way to get me to do anything you want! Royce Chocolates work too! Exquisite quality chocolates at non-designer prices. I especially love chocolates with nuts in them. I also love dark chocolate... pure, simple dark chocolate (at least 75%)… Valrhona’s Guanaja 70%, Lindt’s Excellence 85%… Sigh!

But I also have some perennial “chocolate candy” favorites which I grab from the supermarket or petrol kiosk. These are what I call my “comfort chocolates”. I’ve always liked Kit Kat (the UK- or Australia-made versions – hard to find in Singapore where it is usually the Thailand-made version). When I’m feeling lousy, this one always does the trick. Strangely, I’ve never taken to other chocolate-covered wafers like “Take Six” (is that what it’s called? Can’t remember. The one by Cadbury’s).

Once in a while I like Malteses. I like sucking on them until the little balls burst in my mouth, releasing the sweet, melting malt honeycomb centers! A recent addition to my “I like” chocolate list is Kinder Bueno. And of course, the ubiquitous Ferrero Rocher does it for me too. A combination of wafer crunch, fragrant and aromatic nut, smooth and chocolatey praline center always works well. And oh! Don’t you just love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Oh, oh, oh… am I getting a craving now!

And I haven’t even started on my favorite chocolate cake, brownie, cookie, ice cream, tart, pie, fudge, sauce… Muahahaha… oh, I love chocolate!!

What’s your favorite chocolate? What gives you a tingle all over and puts a smile on your face?

Happy Chocolate Day!

* picture courtesy of Leonidas

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute and display any of the images and text contained in this article.

And on the Other Side of the World…

Talking about New Year’s Eve dinners... here is the yummy spread a Malaysian family enjoyed on the other side of the world, in Chicago, USA.

K. K. and his wife E were planning a family dinner for New Years, and after stumbling upon my blog, he emailed me about the assam fish curry recipe I had previously posted. We sort of discussed the types of fish that can be used for this dish. They ended up using “King Fish”. I’m not too sure what type of fish that is exactly. Is it an exclusively “American” fish? But it sure looks good made into assam curry!

They also cooked up chicken with Chinese mushrooms and “sawi” (Chinese mustard) vegetable stir-fried with what appears in the picture to be possibly sambal belacan (in Chicago??), chillis or shallots and garlic. It all looks quite yummilicious! Food does make the world go round! Indeed.

My thanks to K for the thoughtful gesture of sending me the food picture (plus another picture of his family). It was a nice warm feeling receiving them. Once or twice I have wondered whether anyone has cooked from any of the recipes on this blog. So it was really nice to receive this little feedback and to be able to put some faces to the emails and comments I receive. It was also very touching that they chose to give me, a total stranger, the privilege of sharing a small part of the joyful and warm spirit of their family’s New Year’s Eve gathering.

Happy New Year to K, E and their family!

* all pictures in this post were edited from a photograph by Kandiah Kanagandram of Chicago, USA.

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.

New Year’s Food Resolution

Something struck me as I chatted with friends and family over the Holidays. So many were complaining about the damage all the festive goodies that they were imbibing were doing or going to do to their waistlines, not to mention to their arteries too. Such comments were not limited to the women either. The men moaned about high cholesterol, too much fat in the diet and on and on. An internal struggle was being battled out. On the one hand, no one could resist the smorgasbord of food laid out at each and every party and get-together. And perhaps, no one wanted to. Afterall, it is the Holidays, and part of the wonderful warmth and joy of such festive seasons is the sharing of great-tasting food and wine with loved ones. Festive occasions would be infinitely unpalatable if filled with nothing but tasteless rabbit food. Yet, I also found it rather ironic that such a happy time was so filled with guilt… we were eating, but not TRULY, 100% enjoying the food. Didn’t that defeat the purpose of it all? The food was not really being enjoyed unconditionally. Surely, an expanded waistline would have been more “worth it” had the food been experienced and enjoyed without reservations.

That set me thinking… is it really so impossible to have good tasting food that is not overloaded with fat, cholesterol and what have you? Why do so many look askance at “low-fat”, “reduced-fat” or “healthy” food. Foodies, gourmets, cooks/chefs and cooking enthusiasts alike turn their noses up at “low fat” food, declaring them as not “real food”. They wouldn’t be caught cooking “low fat” food, heaven forbid! What sacrilege! Use low fat ingredients? Mon dieu! Never! You call that cooking??!

Too many unsavory jokes and ridicule have been thrown at “healthy” food and those who cook them. Yet, surely, does it not require (in many ways) greater imagination, more experimentation and a deeper understanding of the ingredients, their flavors and how they work with, add to and complement other ingredients, in order to be able to produce food that is not only “low fat” or healthy, but also extremely flavorful?

And so, at the risk of upsetting the food blogging world, I decided I was going to try to bake and cook healthier (and lower fat) food for family and friends this Holiday. Asians, and maybe more specifically the Chinese, are prone to “over-feeding” guests. Dinners for 10 would very often have food enough for 20, gatherings for 30 would have food enough for 50… You get the idea. It’s about “face” and the Chinese concept of hospitality. And with Chinese New Year coming hot on the heels of Christmas, for most people this means that their period of constant and severe over-indulgence in food will be spread over a lengthy 1½ month period! It looks like it may be only the cardiologists and other health-care providers who will be the “winners” at the end of all this.

I guess this is then my New Year’s food resolution and quest. I want to feed my loved ones healthily. My aim (or mission?? Haha, how lofty! ) is to experiment and make healthy adaptations of “conventional” recipes. Actually, a lot of Chinese or Asian cooking, including many of my “standard” family recipes, are already pretty healthy - steaming, braising, simmering, grilling, and stir-frying… In my kitchen, all poultry and meats are religiously trimmed of all excess fat and skin before cooking. Vegetables are sautéed with minimal oil, using broth and seasonings to enhance flavor instead. I think the challenge will lie in experimenting with the much-loved cookie recipes that are such an essential part of Chinese New Year. Admittedly, there are things that can (never?) be made healthier without tasting and looking like crap – pineapple tarts being a case in point. But I think the other perennial favorites like peanut cookies, cashew cookies, cornflake cookies can all be made “low fat”, can’t they? Well, I guess I’ll be finding out over the next few weeks, as Chinese New Year preparations begin in ernest…

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.

What to cook? What to cook?

It’s December! Only 3½ more weeks to Christmas… the Christmas lights are twinkling along Orchard Road, and all the shopping malls and supermarkets are playing Christmas carols ad nauseam… but I still haven’t planned the Christmas menu for all the family and friends gatherings that will be happening. Sigh! I’m out of inspiration. What to cook? What to cook?

I’m not keen on turkey. Actually, I’ve never been keen on turkey. No matter what method is used – brining, roasting, deep frying, tandoori baking etc – I’ve yet to taste a piece of truly moist, juicy, succulent turkey. Have you? In previous years, we’ve done roasted capon, which is near turkey-sized (a small turkey that is) but way tastier (in my opinion). Served it with an Asian/Chinese stuffing of glutinous rice with Yunnan ham, Chinese sausage, Chinese mushrooms, chestnuts etc. Our family’s favorite stuffing. We’ve also done braised duck with this stuffing. Very yummylicious!

We’ve somehow always had a sort of “East meets West” food theme in our family Christmas dinners. Not intentionally. We’ve always just cooked whatever we enjoyed eating, and incorporated “Christmas elements” into the dishes – or tried, at least. So, I’m thinking… how about a braised or simmered leg of lamb rather than the traditional roast leg of lamb. And the gravy from the braised lamb would go rather well, I think, with biscuits (thanks for the inspiration, Deb) – Southern or otherwise. I’ve never baked biscuits before – English scones, yes, but not biscuits. But the ones Deb made looked really good. Or, maybe serve the lamb with candied sweet potatoes?

I’m also thinking… let’s just skip the bird altogether this year. And have a German-style crispy pork trotter, to go with the lamb. The idea of serving ham seems rather stale. When I raised the suggestions of the lamb and pork trotters earlier this evening, the slightly aghast reaction was: what’s the preoccupation with the extremities of animals?! Ha ha ha… I didn’t see it like that until it was pointed out to me! How’s that for a theme for Christmas dinner! LoL!

I’m really curious, what does everyone have for their Christmas dinners?

I'm thinking of skipping the Christmas pudding as dessert. The store- or hotel-bought ones are so tooth-droppingly sweet, it’s not even funny. And I’m not inclined to make my own. Hmmm… I came across a recipe for a cranberry jello-kind of dessert on MSN the other day. But didn’t think to save or print it. And now I can’t find it again. I think that would make a nice, refreshing change for dessert.

Ooh… just thought of something… s’mores for dessert. Ok, we’re in the tropics, so we can’t exactly roast marshmallows at the fireplace. But how about dipping marshmallows into warm melted bittersweet chocolate (sort of fondue style I guess) to get slightly melted, chocolate covered marshmallows, and then sandwiching them between graham crackers like the traditional s’mores. Sounds good! Would it work?

And then there’s the Christmas baking to think about… I really have to start my Christmas baking this week. The fruit cake will need at least 2-3 weeks of “feeding” before it can be eaten. My parents have made a special request for a “not sweet” fruitcake, with just raisins/sultanas, no candied cherries but LOTS of brandy! “None of the cloyingly sweet ready-made ones, please” was the request. My mum even passed me an aunt’s recipe that she had tasted last year and liked. So, I’ll be trying that out.

Don’t think I’ll be making mince pies… will just settle for the ones from Marks and Spencer. They’re actually pretty good – only the classic ones though, which are less sweet. The other versions such as the Deluxe etc are really very sweet – too sweet. I wish the Marks and Spencer in Singapore would carry the full range of Christmas goodies as in the UK, but the range is fairly decent I guess. Where else in Singapore can I get good mince pies? I love mince pies!

Christmas means family, friends, food… joy, love, warmth, happiness! Christmas is coming indeed!

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.

Warm, Lazy Sunday: Food and Family

We spent the day with my family today. And the theme of the day: food, eating, cooking and baking…

Everyone gathered for a light brunch of Cantonese-style rice porridge bought from the market hawker center. This is the style of porridge both my mum and myself prefer - it is cooked for many hours, so that all the grains of rice have been cooked down and almost dissolved into a smooth, thick almost soup-like gruel. The ideal would be to cook the porridge over a charcoal fire rather than a gas flame or electric hotplate. This lends an added dimension to the aroma and taste of the porridge. The men however prefer the Teochew style porridge, which has whole grains of rice is a watery gruel, and thus has more “bite”.

The Cantonese porridge (S$1.20) (~US$0.70) from this stall is very well done – beautifully smooth consistency. It’s served here with fried, crispy, crunchy small anchovies and some spring onions. Unfortunately, no you tiao (deep fried dough sticks) today – a favorite in our family, which adds a nice flavorful crunch to the porridge.

Dessert was some tau sar piah (red bean paste pastry). Buttery, flaky pastry that melts in the mouth, with a smooth, sweet bean paste filling. Yum!

Then, I decided I wanted to make the chocolate chip cookies that Alberto had posted about. I haven’t baked any cookies in a long, long time. And today, I was just itching to fire up the oven. So, everyone got into the act, with suggestions, opinions and helping hands! A case of too many cooks, err….? Well, stay tuned to find out the results of our little family-bake session tomorrow when I post the recipe. Meanwhile, here’s a teaser… ; )

For dinner, my mum decided to cook a seafood assam curry (prawns and fish in a tamarind curry gravy). Very nice! The pictures and recipe tomorrow…

It has been a wonderful day. Lots of chat and laughter over the kitchen table. Isn’t this what memories are made of? Shared family experiences over very simple activities. Ok, you're thinking... she's getting a little too soppy and sentimental here… But, it has been an enjoyable, heart-warming day…

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.