From the day I got “promoted” to be the family’s “chief chef” (as mother-in-law was no longer staying with us), I have been calling my mother more often than before to consult her on cooking-related matters. I felt so fortunte that she provided me with a 24/7 phone support service. Thanks a lot, mom!   Nowadays, we love to exchange ideas and tips on how to improve our cooking skills. On...

  Scone is a small British quickbread of Scottish origin. The original scone was round and flat, usually the size of a small plate. It was made with unleavened oats and baked on a griddle, then cut into triangle-like quadrants for serving. Today, scones sold commercially are usually round in shape but homemade scones have taken into various shapes: triangles, rounds and squares.   What is a good scone? I...

  In our healthy promoting diet, black bean is an exceptionally great legume with its unique and solid nutritional profile. They are an excellent source of molybdenum, fat-free high quality protein, dietary fiber, flavonoid anti-oxidants (anthocyanins), vitamins (B1) and minerals (folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron). It also contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids which is about 3...

  Two year ago, when I was just starting to cook for my family, a friend of mine made a strong recommendation that I visit Rasa Malaysia’s food blog for its recipes and cooking ideas. When I browsed thru her blog, I was very amazed by her stunning shots and high level of professionalism in food presentation, not to mention her cooking and baking skills. Since then, I had been following her blog closely...

  Lady finger (also known as okra) is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. According to Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist), this versatile vegetable has many important health benefits as belows: 1) stabilizes blood sugar level 2) binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. 3) prevents constipation 4)...

  According to Wikipedia, masala chai is a beverage from the Indian subcontinent made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. There is no universal recipe or method used for preparing masala chai. It varies among each household based on their taste and preferences.   Nevertheless, all masala chai are basically made up of four components: tea, sweetener, milk and spices....

  Homemade pizza can be either simple or difficult depending on which approach you adopt. The simple approach is to buy frozen pizza base and ready made sauce. But I chose the the difficult one, which means making the dough and sauce from scratch. As what my hubby had predicted, I failed terribly in my first attempt. I had a tough time kneading the dough and the pizza base was not cooked thoroughly. I...

It has been a while since I featured the step-by-step instructions on “how to make a smooth & springy fish paste”, and only recently have I found the time to make them again. With a few batches of fish paste stored in my freezer, I started browsing thru my collection of cookbooks to look for new fish paste recipes. Among them is a recipe I had tried that ended up with the most satisfying results.   It...

  Recently, peranakan nyonya cuisine and delicacies have become much sought-after in Singapore, thanks to a 34-episodes drama serial – Little Nyonya (小娘惹). The TV series were aired on MediaCorp TV Channel 8 from November 2008 till January 2009. Although I didn’t follow all the episodes, this show has also swayed my interest to try out the authentic Singapore peranakan food. Opportunity came...

(My night project with cocktail sausage fresh from the oven)   I always wish that I can make some bread and rolls for my family since we eat them for breakfast almost every day. As we say a wish is still a wish if no action is taken. But when I chanced upon Elinluv’s blog, I was so inspired with her success story in making sausage rolls (originated from dailydelicious). What makes me even keener in trying...