30/08/2014 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 14 Comments
Finger-licking braised chicken in sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce with Thai basil
I’ve returned from my long vacation, gleeful to find my edible plants have thrived under CM’s (my elder sis) care. She’s indeed a great plant-sitter this time, and she seemed to have developed a fondness for them from the way she speaks about them. Yay! Another happy plant mama in the making. 🙂 Continue Reading →
23/01/2014 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 15 Comments
Steamed Cod Fish is another indulgent recipe you can effortlessly recreate at home. Cod has a ‘sweet’ taste that you can just eat it on its own without seasoning. This recipe is simple and absolutely delicious. Silky steamed cod that practically melt in your mouth, with an awesome umami sauce is heavenly. Not only that, I can eat plain rice with this sauce alone. So good! Continue Reading →
20/01/2014 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 2 Comments
Festivities are usually the time to indulge. For the Chinese, most of us indulge in high-end and auspicious dried seafood during Chinese New Year. For some households, ingredients like dried scallops, sea cucumber and abalone are pretty common and highly regarded for their health benefits. Not mine though, luckily. One will need deep pockets to enjoy them on a regular basis. Abalone is an acquired, expensive taste, like caviar or truffles. One fresh abalone can cost up to RM500.. *sweat* Continue Reading →
02/09/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 13 Comments
Whoa.. Egg yolk + Prawns = one cholesterol loaded dish!
Very so often, there’s an egg controversy. One large egg has roughly 186mg cholesterol — all in the egg’s yolk. Since having high cholesterol levels in our blood increases our risk of heart disease., egg yolks have been critisized and health nuts stick to eating strictly egg whites. In recent years, scientists have come to the conclusion that cholesterol in food is not the true villain — saturated and trans fats have a much greater effect on blood cholesterol. If you have been told by your doctor to watch your cholesterol levels, your priority should be to cut down on saturated fat. Continue Reading →
27/08/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 44 Comments
My good friend Prisca started an edible garden in her Puchong home last year. When her 5 year old son Adrian told her that eggs come from the supermarket (much to Prisca’s horror), she’s just had to convert part of her garden into a mini farm with 3 chickens, a duck & a geese. The minute I step into their house, her 3 excited kids brought me on the farm tour. I’m so amazed with their enthusiasm in educating me about their farm and pets, on how to recognise when their pet chickens and ducks lay eggs. Adrian would scour the garden daily for eggs, usually finding 2-3 eggs a day. Continue Reading →
10/07/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 10 Comments
Like most popular dishes, Beggar’s Chicken is a dish with an interesting story of origin. A starving, homeless beggar in rural China stole a chicken from a yard and was about to cook it when the emperor’s guards passed by. In his state of panic, he tried to hide the chicken by covering it with mud and threw it into the fire. Hours later when the coast is clear, he ended up with a chicken that was said to be the most tender and flavoursome he’s ever eaten. Continue Reading →
05/07/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 10 Comments
Really traditional chinese chicken stock is essential in making excellent Chinese noodle soups, and adds a rich flavoured base to any savoury dishes. For busy parents, store-bought liquid chicken stock might be the easiest, just remember to read the ingredient list on the packet that it’s made of real ingredients and not flavourings. Continue Reading →
25/02/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 20 Comments
This year’s Chinese New Year have been filled with feasting and travelling with family. After coming back from Bangkok, I still could not get my backlog pile reduced. It seems to be getting higher and I’ll be travelling again tomorrow for a week. I’ll just have to take one thing at a time. At the meantime, I’ll share this easy healthy Chinese dessert with you. Continue Reading →
17/01/2013 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 11 Comments
At 92 years old, Kong Kong (my paternal grandfather) is considered fit and healthy for someone his age. “It’s Pharmaton that keeps me so healthy” he will always remind us grandkids and gifting us with bottles of Pharmaton (multivitamin health supplement) during every Chinese New Year. Mama said we should contact the company as he will make the best Pharmaton ambassador 🙂 Sometimes we grandkids or even my uncles & aunts would consider him naggy.. kept repeating the same story or question, or just call to ask if we have eaten. Well The things we took for granted.. Continue Reading →
05/11/2012 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 16 Comments
As I was digging around my files, I found this Lotus Root Soup photos in my archive that has yet to be published. The photos were taken almost a year ago. Time sure flies.
I come from a family of soup lovers, there’s never a day without Chinese soup during my growing up years. Papa would come home after work and be happy with just a big bowl of hot simmered soup. And the tradition continues. Sometimes I do that too, on the days where I want a light dinner. Maybe others will find it strange that we drink hot soup in hot tropical weather. To me, a simple bowl of soup like this is the essence of the wholesome goodness of home-cooked food. Continue Reading →
