I discovered moong dal (mung bean, 绿豆) through my Indian friend who introduced me to Indian cuisine some time ago. The husk of moong dal is green in colour, but the bean itself is yellow after de-husking.  It is commonly used by Chinese in making dessert (such as green bean soup and sweetened green bean paste). Amongst all the beans and lentils, split moong dal is the easiest to cook as it do not need pre-soaking...

Lately I have tried out many recipes from Annabel KarmelN1 Family Cookbook magazines (spring and summer editions) in my cooking. I love its wide selection of kid-friendly recipes which are both simple to follow and wholesome. Also, the required ingredients and seasonings are quite basic and easily found in the supermarkets. Besides that, the recipes include many fun and healthy ideas suitable for all ages...

My hubby and I share one common interest. We both love food, especially dessert. Both of us get very excited when it comes to chatting about dessert. We used to be die-hard fans for desserts before our son came into the picture. Thereafter, our eating habits changed to a more health-conscious regime, as well as eating everything in moderation. That’s why I prefer to bake bread over cakes or...

Yes, it was a date with Chef Sam, the young, handsome and talented food technologist baker. Rain or shine I must turn up, that’s what I told myself. It was an important and special date for me. On that faithful day, I went along to Orchard Central, with my bag in hand. No, it’s not a lady handbag with make-up stuff but my camera bag filled up with lenses and flash. Got the clue now? Sorry, no prize...

  My son doesn’t like rice so much. What upsets me is that he always quick to finish eating his dishes but takes his time to labour over his rice even though I only gave him six to seven spoonfuls.  His usual excuse is he is already full. To circumvent such an unhealthy habit, I only allow him to have two third of his allocated dishes to be finished with the rice. If he finishes, he gets the rest. He...

  My guest and I got acquainted through a parenting forum 4 years ago. Like me, she also has a son of the same age. We share many common interests and chat online almost everyday with our never-ending topics. It was through her encouragement that I got started on blogging. She is my personal advisor in cooking, baking, and a handy solver for my problems with Adobe Photoshop and highly complicated html...

  Over the past two months, Singapore and Malaysia are hit by dry spell with no sign of abating anytime soon. Although it’s usually hot this time of the year, but it’s particularly bad this year. The weather is extremely hot and humid. I could feel the heat penetrating my skin when I went out to fetch my son from school at noon. Even walking under the shades along the pedestrian walkway,...

  Quite often I heard from some mommies that they always run out of ideas when it comes to preparing teatime snacks for their preschoolers. I consider myself lucky as my son’s kindergarten provides teatime snacks. So far, he hasn’t complaint anything about the snack served in school. When I “interviewed” him on his preference between mommy’s cooking and school lady’s cooking, he cheerfully...

Popcorn is high on fiber, low on calories, but also packed with energy. Compared to sugar-filled candy or chocolate bars, popcorn is still a better (if not the best) choice for snack. If prepare correctly and eat in moderation, it can be considered a healthy snack for kids. You should consider making your own popcorn rather than buying from outside. Firstly, the corn kernels are inexpensive. Secondly, it’s...

  I have a few must-have ingredients in my weekly grocery shopping list. They are mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs and tofu. Given that they are highly versatile and can be cooked in a variety of ways, I regard them as my “last minute savers” when circumstances called for whipping up a 30-minutes meal.   For mushrooms, I prefer to use the fresh ones in my cooking. Unlike the dried ones, they...