food 4 tots
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Wholemeal Pau with Red Bean Filling

  I love eating Chinese steamed buns (pau) as much as I love making them. Making pau is a lot easier and quicker than baking bread. I can even knead it by hand. But, I must confess that mastering the skill is not easy. After spending months in making pau, I still couldn’t get a batch of completely “wrinkle-free” pau, no matter how much care and attention I put into kneading, proofing and steaming...

How To Make Red Bean Paste

  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...

Almond Cookies

  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...

Steamed Cheddar Cheese Cupcakes

  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...

How To Make Chicken Stock

  Chicken stock is the secret ubiquitous ingredient that enhances our cooking. It’s the essential base for soups, sauces, stews, stir-fry etc. Homemade chicken stock is far more superior than what you can buy at the store. It is guaranteed to be 100% natural, free of preservative and is nourishing. I use chicken stock in most of my cooking and have started to make my own chicken stock after I realised...

Pumpkin Mantou

  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...

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

  My family and I love satay. Whenever we want to eat satay, we will usually head to Kajang, a small town 25km from Kuala Lumpur where our favourite satay stall is located. As it is too far from our place, we only frequent it once in a while. Nevertheless, I have figured out a way to fix our satay craving, and that’s making my own satay!!   Making authentic Malaysian satay with peanut dipping sauce...

Homemade Pork Floss

  Pork floss is a seasoned, shredded dry pork food with cottony texture. Its usage is very versatile. It can be used as topping for congee or filling for sushi rolls, breads and pastries. It also can be eaten as snack. That’s my favourite way of eating it too. Once I start eating it, I can’t put a stop to it. It is insanely addictive!   Nowadays, commercially-produced pork floss is getting very...

Wholemeal Milk Buns

  These mini buns are made from a basic sweet dough recipe originated from Vinnie Baking Paradise. This recipe has been very popular among the local food bloggers. It uses sponge dough method which has many similarities with the 17-hour sponge dough method I shared previously.   Sponge dough method has always been my preferred method in bread making as compared to direct method for two simple reasons...

Seaweed Sesame Crackers

  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...