Red bean (azuki bean) paste is widely used in Chinese and Japanese confectioneries. The ready-made red bean paste sold in the stores usually contains preservatives and is laden with oil and sugar. Hence, it is definitely a healthier choice to make your own as you will be in full control over the ingredients you put in. You can adjust the amount of sugar and oil to your liking, select better quality red...

  Sweet potatoes are not only naturally sweet,  but also packed with a nutritional punch. They are rich in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, carotenoids, vitamins (A, C, E, B2, and B6) and essential minerals (manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium). Furthermore, sweet potatoes have more vitamin C, fewer calories, more fiber and fewer total cabs than white potatoes. Although they contain...

  Almond cookies are one of the popular Chinese New Year (CNY) cookies. They also happen to be my family’s favourite.   These almond cookies are healthier and lighter than the usual butter and sugar loaded cookies. They are butter-free, shortening-free, milk-free and egg-free (if you skip the egg wash). Not only healthy, they are absolutely delicious, crumbly, nutty and less sweet.     I...

  My son was eager to learn how to make a pudding. So, I chose this quick and easy chocolate avocado pudding recipe for him to try out.   This pudding has a unique combination of two star ingredients – avocado and chocolate. Avocado is a superfood rich in healthy fats and has many essential vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin B5, vitamin K, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and potassium). Chocolate...

  For the past one year, I have been trying out numerous steamed cheese cupcakes recipes. However, all ended up in disappointment. The cupcakes shrunk after cooling down and the texture was dense. Surprisingly, my son didn’t mind it at all. He said the taste was good. He ate most of my failed cupcakes as a way of showing his appreciation for my efforts. How wonderful to have such a loyal supporter!!   Despite...

  Mantou is a type of Chinese steamed bun. Unlike baozi, it is normally without filling. It can be eaten plain or sandwiched with stuffed meat. It is also great for dipping into gravy or curry sauce.   Mantou doesn’t have to be the usual plain boring white. It can be colourful as well by adding vegetable puree. I particularly like to use pumpkin puree as it gives the mantou a bright yellow look...

  Last week, my son’s school celebrated Children’s Day. His teacher asked her students to bring some healthy food to share on that day. So, my son asked me whether I could bake something for his classmates, but it had to be eggless as some of them are on a vegetarian diet.   To fulfil this “once-a-year” request (as claimed by my son, which of course is not entirely true), I had baked 2 types...

  Chocolate is my son’s best friend. Whatever I baked that has chocolate in it will definitely please him more than anything else. However, I don’t bake with chocolate that often as I don’t want to over-indulge him with it.   These double chocolate muffins are something that my son has been looking forward to all these while. As his final exam was just over recently, I thought it would be a...

  Two weeks ago, my beloved, 4-year old oven suddenly quited on me. This has totally upset my Chinese New Year (CNY) baking schedule. I have bought a new oven subsequently but I am still adapting myself to its new features, baking time and temperature.   Seaweed crackers are one snack that I’m very tempted to make for this CNY. However, all of the online seaweed crackers recipes are deep-fried which...

  My steamed muffins and cupcakes recipes have been gaining popularity among my readers particularly two groups. The first group is those who have no oven while the second group comprises mommies who prefer steaming to baking. They love these recipes so much so that they have been requesting me to post more of such recipes on my blog.   In a way to thank their kind support, here is another MUST TRY...