If you have been following my blog, you will notice that I have not used nuts in all my previous baking and cooking posts, with the exception of “how to roast cashew nuts”. The reason is that my son was not ready to consume nuts. In one instance one and a half year ago, he developed asthmatic cough after eating a small slice of pancake with grounded peanuts filling. His conditions worsened...

  Thanks to everyone for your heartfelt sweet words and kind concerns about my troubling right elbow. I promise more yummy posts to reward you after my full recovery. But meanwhile, I shouldn’t keep you waiting with an empty stomach, right? So, what’s up for lunch? I got some rather “sinful” fries ready for you today. Wanna try?   Potato is always kids’ “best friend”...

  Have you heard of Konnyaku?   Konnyaku (蒟蒻) is also known as “konjac, konjaku, devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam”. (Can anyone tell why so many eerie nicknames? ). It is a natural food made from a type of mountain potato mixed with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide extracted from eggshells.   It is a traditional Japanese health food and has been consumed for...

  My son loves a variety of fruits, be it sweet or slightly sour. Does that mean he is not picky about fruits? Not really. In fact, he can be outright picky. He clearly likes some (a lot) and dislikes many as well. One particular fruit that is near to the bottom of his preferred list is Chinese pear, especially when served as freshly cuts. He would only take one small bite and give me the standard “Mummy,...

My son was playfully nicknamed “Chapati” (Chapathi) by my Indian friend, Mrs R because of his chubby face. Hearing her constantly calling out for my son’s “nickname” has led me wanting to learn how to make chappati from her. After some discussions, she suggested teaching me her kid-friendly paratha instead. So, you may ask what’s the difference between chappati and paratha. A...

How many of you would think that good nutrition starts with a good nutritious breakfast? Definitely not me when I was staying on my own. I didn’t really put much effort to make sure I have a good breakfast. It was either getting a hefty breakfast or skipping one altogether. Back then, breakfast to me is the least important meal of the day. That was then. Ever since I became a mother and done a bit of research...

  Butter cake is the first cake I learnt to bake during my high school years. It was also the easiest and fastest cake to bake that I know of at that time. I still remember that I would wait till my mother took her afternoon nap to do the baking as it was the best time to “invade” her kitchen. By the time she woke up, there would be no traces of mess I created and the cake was already inside the...

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...

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...