Party favourite: Baked Chicken Wings

Got an invitation to a pot luck party but have no idea of what to bring? Try this extremely simple with no hassle of messy clean ups and still have the spare time to dress up, do your hair, put on make up and make an appearance in style!

I have tried a variety of chicken wings marinade and they are usually too expensive to buy ( to cook for a party of say forty, you most likely need to buy more than 1 bottle of marinade) or it just doesnt taste good. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I must stress that the wings MUST be left to marinade OVERNIGHT or 24 hours. You could marinade it for only 4-5 hours but trust me, it tastes WAY BETTER if you left it longer.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 lbs chicken wings

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup soya sauce

• 1/4 cup ShaoXing chinese cooking wine

• 1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder
  

• 1/2 large onion finely chopped, mash it a little with the back of your knife

Method:

1. Clean the chicken wings and pluck out any unwanted feathers
2. Mix all the above ingredients and the wings
3. Leave it to marinade overnight in the fridge
4. Line your baking tray with foil (for easy clean-ups) and arrange the wings close to one another and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
5. Midway of baking, flip the wings and baste the wings with the left over marinade. Continue to bake.

Ps. The garlic powder can be substituted with finely chopped garlic. The reason for me using powder and wanting the garlic and onion to be extremely finely chopped is to minimise or avoid them getting burnt during the baking process.
Im sorry to say that I dont have pictures of this dish but will post one should I bake wings again!

* lbs=pounds
tsp=teaspoon

Raiding the pantry Part 1: Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

I set eyes on it, bought it, ate it and fell in love with it! This is definitely high on my favourite cereal list! It's crunchy and lightly sweetened (presumably from the honey). A must try!
















I can live with the calories :D

Impress the in-laws Part 1: Tau Yue Bak

Want to impress your in-laws or even your own parents? Try this simple yet flavourful and delicious pork meat cooked in an aromatic herb gravy a.k.a 'Tau Yue Bak'.
The extra long cooking time ensures a tender pork meat that 'falls off the bones'. The aroma of the gravy reminds me of 'Bak Kut Teh'.


Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork meat (preferably shoulders or ribs)

• 1 star anise

• 1 and half tbsp dark soya sauce

• 2 tbsp light soya sauce

• 3 cups of water

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 10 cloves of garlic with skin intact
  

• salt to taste
  

Method:

1. Add star anise, dark and light soya sauce, pepper and water to a pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the pork and allow to boil for another 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and lower heat just enough to simmer.
4. Continue to simmer until meat is tender and sauce thickens according to your liking. (I usually allow it to simmer for an hour or so)
5. You have the option to add other ingredients such as 'tau pok' or hard boiled eggs.
I would add the tau pok with the garlic and continue to simmer. As for the eggs, first boil eggs separately. Crack shells and add in once the dish is done cooking.

Ps. This dish tastes better when eaten the next day as it allows the flavours to develop.

* lb=pound tbsp=tablespoon tsp=teaspoon

Culinary TIPS: Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a common ingredient used in baking. It is easily found at the local supermarket here in the U.S but not so commonly sold back home in Malaysia, and NO it's not butter + milk.

What is buttermilk? It is a watery liquid containing small butter grains that is produced from the churning process of making the actual butter.

If you are unable to find buttermilk or simply ran out of one, this milk recipe can be substituted to make buttermilk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:
1. Mix the above and leave it to set in the fridge for say 10 to 15 minutes. It is then ready to be used in replacement of buttermilk with the same measurements in any recipe.

Rest assured, there will be no added lemony flavour to your recipe.

* tbsp = tablespoon

Ham & Bacon's journey to Neverland

I love animals. I can remember vividly the moments when I got my first pet goldfish. I was about 9 years old. As my father was clearing the backyard, he found a couple of junk huge glass bottles and had a 'brilliant' idea of rearing fishes in them. How excited I was!
Obviously that idea did not work out as we had planned. Imagine trying to 'insert' delicate, fragile goldfish into a glass bottle with a NARROW opening! Hmmm.... we may have been able to get them in but the thought of trying to wash the 'tank' is out of this world.

Finally we ended up buying the whole basic set ie an aquarium, pump, food, lights, fake vegetations etc and the cost kept escalating! I somehow believe the glassbottle aquarium was my father's sneaky idea to get my mother to agree on keeping a pet as we didnt have to spend $$ on an aquarium which can be costly.

Since then, I ve had not only numerous goldfish but also 4 hamsters, a pair of birds, many cats and my very own Shih Tzu (dog).

Owning and caring for a pet is a very fulfilling job. I would imagine the same for a mother nursing and nurturing her own child. For me, it is a good way to de-stress after a long day's work. Of course comes with owning a pet is the responsibility to care for its overall wellbeing and health. They should be treated and loved like one of the family. Doing research of the pets which you may be interested in bringing home is crucial to avoid disappointments and frustrations that can potentially lead to cruelty and abadonment.

Hubby and I recently adopted 2 male Syrian hamsters.
Getting them was no easy matter! From the start, I was adamant to get a Syrian breed as they are easier to tame and definitely easier and more fun to handle as they are larger in size in comparison to the dwarf hamsters (which I think are living 'ornaments' ie it's really fun to watch but not very fun to play with)
We visited PetCo and turned out that they had no Syrians and we frantically called all the nearby PetCo chains to find out that the supply for Syrians had stopped as they kept getting a batch of wet-tails (a form a severe diarrhoea in Syrians that can cause severe dehydration and death).
I was very disappointed and my search of an hamster pet was delayed further.

Lo and behold, I was browsing Craig's list and found exactly what I wanted and not just one, but two! Ham & Bacon were purchased from a lady that lived in Covington (which is 45 minutes drive from Seattle) and she was fairly honest about the hamsters fighting before but no serious injuries. I paid $30 for 2 hamsters, one glass aquarium cage with one igloo home , water bottle, food dish and a wheel. Not a bad deal at all! Dear hubby was the sweetest to drive all the way and back just to fetch my lil' darlings.

Feasting together

Ham curious to know what's happening outside his igloo

They were 2 months old when I got them.

Easter Sunday!

It's Easter Sunday! A day to remember Jesus' resurrection from the dead after being crucified on the cross to shed sinless blood for OUR forgiveness of sins. Thank you Jesus!





Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
King James Bible, Matthew 11:28

Surprise surprise! More about me in coming posts!

Waddya lookin' at?

What's for tea-time? Banana Fritters (a.k.a Cekodok)

What do you do with left over bananas which if left uneaten, will ferment into a banana alcoholic eats with ugly bruised fruit: definitely NOT good eats!

'Cekodok' is a Malaysian snack made of ripened mashed bananas and flour. It is usually made 'fresh', deep fried and sold piping hot usually at a side street stall (all the exhaust fumes must somehow make them tastier!) Sold alongside with it are other popular snacks like 'Pisang Goreng' which is bananas coated in a batter and deep fried. Other forms of roots or vegetables can be used such as sweet potato and yam.

This is a very simple recipe to follow to make 'Cekodoks'. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 ripen bananas, mashed
  

• 1/4 cup plain flour

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 1/4 tsp brown sugar (optional)

• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Heat oil in a wok or deep pan at medium heat.
3. Scoop 1 tbsp full of batter and let it 'slide' into hot oil.
4. Flip 'cekodok' once or twice to allow uniform cooking.
5. Fry till a slight tinge of dark brown and strain to rid of excess oil
6. Serve hot

Tips: Bananas are usually picked green and allowed to ripen during the transportation process or right within the enclosed plastic wrap of your local supermarket.
To accelerate ripening, you can place the unripen bananas with say one ripened left over banana in a brown bag and leave it overnight.
If you wish to extend the shelf life of the bananas, the fruit should be kept at room temperature and not within an enclosed space such as a plastic bag. When it is about to turn brown and has been out on the counter for a few days, you can then place them in the refrigerator. A cooler temperature such as 4 degrees in the fridge, will temporarily inactivate the enzymes. However dont be alarmed as the skin will turn brown at a faster rate in the fridge although the fruit remains unaffected. They can last for another week or so and by then should be eaten or discarded.
Never deep freeze bananas unless you wish to make ice cream or sorbet.

How I long for these...

Mum's cooking
Family dinners
Our large dining table







Malacca's Baba Chendol

Ice shavings topped with luxurious concentrated palm sugar and thick coconut milk with generous servings of 'atap-chee', red beans and jelly








Klang Bak Kut Teh
BYOT (Bring Your Own Tea) concept
Side serving of 'Yau Char Kuay'





















Manicure & Pedicure
Don't mind the ugly feet







These are a few of my 'deeply-missed' since being far away from home.
As a result, I have resorted to DYI (Do It Yourself), experimenting home cooked foods on my own, and attempted to give myself a foot / hand spa but to no success in creating beautiful French mani / pedi.
Hubby is my very own food critic :D

Homemade Yong Tau Fu

Yong Tau Fu has been one of my favourite eats but mum rarely made it as it was fairly time consuming (or so I thought then). We used to frequent the original Ampang Yong Tau Fu which used a combination of fish and pork minced. Since the opening of a branch near where we live, we hardly stepped foot into the original shop and as the other chain of shops only uses fish paste, they were deemed halal and we could bring our Muslim family and friends.

Yong Tau Fu is essentially a Malaysian dish in which bean curd is stuffed with fish or pork paste (finely minced) and is served in a clear broth. Many variety and combination has evolved since and now sides from using bean curd or tofu, vegetables like brinjals, chillies, ladies fingers and bittergourds are used to make yong tau foo. Some requires to be deep fried before serving with the broth.
It is then eaten with a dip of chilli sauce and a sweetened black soy bean sauce. For those who are carbohydrate dependent, you can eat them with a bowl of rice or noodles of your choice.

The following is my version of homemade yong tau fu. The recipe is simple to follow and it takes a slightly creative mind to recreate the stuffed vegetables. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 and half lb white fish fillet (Spanish Mackerel, Tilapia etc). Using spoon, remove flesh from skin

• 1/4 tsp white pepper

• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp light soya sauce

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 egg white

• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 tsp salt mixed with 4 tbsp water

Method:

1. Pulse fish fillet in food processor until finely chopped (If one does not have a food processor, pls dont hesitate to use a cleaver and do the manual chopping/mincing yourself)
2. Add in the seasonings of white pepper, sesame oil, soya sauce, sugar and egg white. Mix to combine.
3. Add in cornstarch, salt water and return to food processor. Switch to highest speed to create a paste like consistency. The result is a fish paste that is ready to be used as 'stuffing'


4. Prepare any tofu (brown 'tau pok', firm square tofu etc) or vegetables (bell peppers halved and seeds and veins removed, etc) of your choice. Use your creativity to create a pocket in each of the tofu/vege.
5. Fill the 'pockets' with the fish paste usually about 1 and half tsp full depending on the cuts and size of the tofu/vege.
6. Finally pan fry or deep fry the yong tau fu till light brown.

* lb=pound
tsp=teaspoon
Uncooked yong tau fu can be stored in the freezer except for stuffed tofu

What's for breakfast? Flapjacks?

Here's a tried and tested Flapjack / Pancake recipe that does not require buttermilk.
Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsifted plain flour

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup milk

• 3 tbsp melted butter and allowed to cool

• 2 eggs at room temperature separated

Method:
1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a big bowl ie. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In another bowl, whisk milk, melted butter and egg yolks (wet ingredients)
3. Beat egg whites separately till stiff peaks.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry flour mixture to make a batter. Do not over-stir
5. Fold in egg whites.
6. Heat skillet or flat pan with a little oil over medium heat. Preferably use non-stick skillet.
7. Spoon half cup of batter to make 1 pancake.
8. Once bubbles start to form over the edge, flip pancake to cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Serve immediately with maple syrup / favourite jam / butter spread.
10. It is possible to use the same batter recipe and make smaller pancakes with red bean filling to make Dorayaki
11. Makes 6 large pancakes

* tsp=teaspoon
tbsp=tablespoon