Both my sisters are seafood fanatic, especially crab and prawns. They can both eat 4kg worth of crab, prawns and shellfish in a sitting. We Chinese love steaming our seafood, and believe that steaming is probably the ‘best’ way to enjoy most seafood in all its’ natural ‘sweetness. Steaming is not only easy, it is also a very healthy cooking technique. This Steamed Garlic Prawns is my elder sister CM’s go-to prawn recipe. Continue Reading →
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 →
I’m no fan of fish head, except the silky smooth cheeks. Mama would “devour” the whole fish (the head, fins, tail) until the fish is irrecognisable. Many times she have failed to convince me to try the fish head. No way I will touch it, not even scrumptious curry fish head. Yes I know some of you reading this will go “Eww, how can you eat the fish head”. Mama will tell you it’s very delicious, the cooked fish meat between the bones is super tasty and firm, break the bones with your fingers, and suck out the meat. There’s no way avoiding getting your fingers dirty to truly enjoy fish head. Continue Reading →
Hey wonderful peeps!! It’s been a while since the last post. The lack of updates were due to yo-yo health problems since Christmas.. There’s a lot about down time that I’m yet to learn and grasp. Like how not to loath spending more time in bed – instead of enjoying the much-needed rest. Like, how I need to learn to “let-go” and allow others to pamper me by over-indulging. But it’s all under control now, so let’s indulge with this deliciously simple Asam Prawns. Continue Reading →
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 →
Nyonya Ikan Asam Pedas quite often appears on my weeknight dinner (thanks to my mama’s frozen curry paste). I know I still owe you readers the recipe.. coming soon 🙂 I got intrigued to try a similar Nyonya dish – Gerang Asam (Spicy & Sour Fish Curry), also a popular Malacca Nyonya dish. This recipe is from “Nyonya Kitchen”, the cookbook by a Baba Nyonya descendant, who is none other than Chef Florence Tan. She has been teaching & promoting Nyonya cuisine for 50 years. Continue Reading →
Steamed fish recipe is one of my go to weeknight dish – it’s quick, healthy and nutritious. I grew up eating Steamed Fish Teochew style almost every day, as mama is of Teochew descent. Teochew (or Chaozhou) people are native to the eastern Guangdong province of China and Teochew cuisine offers a lot of healthy steamed, stir-fried and braised dishes. Using whole fish with tomatoes, salted vegetables and salted plums, the flavours of Teochew Steamed Fish are savoury, sour, spicy and altogether very appetising. Continue Reading →
Kerabu = a spicy, sweet & sour salad.
Beehoon = rice vermicelli
Kerabu Beehoon is a vibrant Nyonya dish of rice vermicelli tossed with sambal belacan, calamansi juice, and lots of herbs. Nyonya is a culture and cooking style, from the influence of Chinese and Malay cultures in areas of what is now Malaysia and Singapore. Continue Reading →
I went back to my hometown Penang last weekend for the Qing Ming Festival. Qing Ming is when Chinese people visit the graves of their ancestors, to give thanks and honour the forefathers. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and “paper gifts” to the ancestors. It is also a time for family from near and far to gather and it was common to see big families having a feast at the grave sites after praying. However over the years, as more young people move to big towns and foreign countries, the numbers of people celebrating Qing Ming have dwindled. Continue Reading →
When I was young, we had a mango tree (with 3 other fruit trees) in our first house with huge land space. After we moved to a house with only enough space for 1 tree, my mama chose to plant a guava tree. Yet, we were lucky to be showered with many variety of fruits (including mangoes) from relatives and friends’ garden. Now staying in high rise apartment, how I miss those days.. that’s one of the trade-offs for living in a metropolitan city.
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