It's nice to end a day with a bowlful of home cooked sweet potato soup. This brings me to an interesting point, soup. For westerners, soup is often savory and almost never sweet and most definitely not something that a westerner would relate to a type of dessert. However, for Chinese, soup are widely consumed, sometimes as an appetizer and again also for dessert. I personally love soupy desserts as not only do I get to enjoy a dollop of warmness in my esophagus, but I also get to taste the essence and goodness of the ingredients used to boil the soup that has been put before me.
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo sweet potatoes, ( I normally buy 2 types, orange and purple types)
1/2 bowlful of sago (washed and keep aside)
3 big pandan leaves
2 pc cane sugar

Method:
1. Skin sweet potatoes and cut into big cubes.
2. Bring half a pot of water to boil and then add in sweet potatoes and pandan leaves.
3. Keep boiling for 20 minutes on very slow flame.
4. Finally add in sago and cane sugar and is ready to be served.

Labels: Chinese Dessert Recipe

It's always a pleasure to make things from scratch, as you would definitely enjoy them even more than the store bought ones. This post features my latest attempt, vegetarian radish cakes. =) Definitely a heavenly treat, especially when accompanied by Lingham's chilli sauce. Yum.

*Makes 6 pieces

Ingredients:

A)
100 ml water
300 g fresh radish (grated)

B)
200g rice flour
330 ml water
1/2 tablespoon pepper
3/4 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
handful of dried shitake mushroom (soaked overnight, drained, pan fried)

C)
Fresh Red Chilli for garnishing
*Option: dried shallots

Method:
1) Put A in a pan and cook for 10-15 minutes until radish softens and water has dried up.
2) Put the premixed B into the pan.
3) Prepare the steamer (I used a wok)
4) Stir continuosly for about 3 minutes or until the mixture turns into a thick paste.
5) Empty into a square plate (patting the paste down to about 2 cm in height).
6) Steam for 30 minutes.
7) Allow to cool completely before cutting into square blocks
8) You can either serve them now or you can proceed further by pan frying them for a crispier skin.
9) Top with C and serve!

Labels: Chinese Dessert Recipe, Chinese Recipe

Cannot afford to have bird's nest everyday? Do not feel bad because here is a recipe that will still provide you with all the essence you are looking for in a bird's nest soup. Long known for its ability to rejuvenate one's complexion, snow fungus is a popular dessert for Chinese women. By adding red dates to this healthy dessert helps improve blood circulation and strengthen the heart and lungs. Pear is also a very rejuvenating fruit when boiled. Adding red dates and pear gives a natural sweetness to the snow fungus soup thus decreasing the need to add sugar.

Labels: Asian, Chinese, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Dessert Recipe

A staff of this restaurant was standing at the entrance to encourage passers by to try out their food."If you are not satisfied, then you don't have to pay". That was the promise given by the owner. We then gave specific instructions for the chef to use as little oil and salt as possible. We were not disappointed as the food that came actually were not oily and salty at all. Both the dishes ordered were RM 7.00 each.
Name: Chikuyo Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: S52A Second Floor, One Utama Shopping Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel No: 03-7726 3192

Taste = ***
Atmosphere = ***
Service = ***
Price = $$$

Labels: Asian, Chikuyo, Chinese, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Fatt Koh is a common sight on Chinese alters and is also fancied by many Chinese all around the world. We came across a pre-mix in the asian grocery and decided to give it a go. Surprisingly it wasn't hard to make at all!

Ingredients:
-Fatt Koh pre-mix (we bought the pondan brand)
-Water

Baking accessories
-Cupcake paper cases
-aluminium cupcake tray
-steamer / wok (with lid)
-beater





Method:
1. Mix the yeast and fatt koh mix (both provided by the faat koh premix)
2. Add water as directed on the box
3. Beat the mixture until you get a constant mix.
4. Boil a suitable amount of water in a wok / start your steamer.
5. Place the cupcake paper cases into the aluminium cupcake tray and add the mix into the cases (until about 3/4 full)
6. Add the aluminium tray into the steamer / wok.
7. Steam for about 15 minutes with the lid on.
8. Remove the cupcakes and allow them to fully cool before serving (unless you want to have it hot and don't mind the sticky texture)

Labels: Asian, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Fatt Koh, Oil Free*

Location: A stall in food street in Shang Xia Jiu Lu, Guangzhou, China
Taste = ****
Atmosphere = **
Service = ***
Price = $
Location = very convenient for tourists
How to get there = Exit ChangShouLu Metro station and walk about 10 minutes.
Taste is very good and you can even purchase the grounded sesame in packets from the stall.





Health Benefits of Sesame
Did you know that half a cup of sesame seeds contains three times more calcium than half a cup of whole milk? In addition to being an excellent dietary source of calcium, sesame seeds are also a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 (thiamin), zinc, vitamin E, healthy protein, and fiber.

Sesame seeds also contain sesamin and sesamolin, two substances that are thought to prevent high blood pressure and protect the liver against oxidative damage.

Labels: Asian, Chinese Dessert, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Dessert

Ingredients:
1. 1 bowl rice flour
2. 1 bowl green bean flour
3. 4 bowls water
4. 1 gula melaka (palm sugar)
5. 1 teaspoon kan sui (alkaline water)
6. 3 pandan leaves (knotted)

Method:
1. Mix well - rice flour and green bean flour with 3 bowls of water
2. Melt gula melaka in 1 bowl of water. Let cool and then add in the 1 tsp of alkaline water
3. Mix the flour mixture and the cooled syrup and stir to a smooth consistency.
4. Strain the mixture into a pot and bring to a boil over a slow flame and continue to stir till all the ingredients are well mixed.
5. Transfer to a baking tin and then put in a kuali to steam for 8 minutes
6. Allow kueh to cool completely before cutting into pieces.
7. Serve with coconut that has been mixed with salt.

Labels: Cakes/Pastries, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Malaysian Recipe

#2 Steamed Nian Gao


Raw Nian Gao

Ingredients:
1. Raw Nian Gao
2. Shredded Coconut

Steps:
1. Dice the raw Nian Gao.
2. Steam the diced nian gao until soft and sticky.
3. Coat with the shredded coconut
4. You can even add chopped peanuts to add a crunch to your dish!
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

Labels: Chinese Dessert Recipe, Chinese Recipe, Malaysian Recipe

Ingredients:
1. 1 packet of Pineapple Tart Flour (~400g)
2. 1 packet of ready made pineapple tart filling (~300g)
3. 1 1/2 tablespoon soy milk powder (to replace the egg)
4. 200 g butter / margarine (for vegans)
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Steps:
1. Add pineapple tart flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add butter, vanilla essence and soy milk powder.
3. Kneed butter / margarine into the flour until it becomes a smooth dough.
4. While letting dough stand, roll pineapple tart filling into small oval shaped balls.
5. Roll out the dough into a thin spread and cut into strips of 1 inch x 3 inches.
6. Cover the pineapple fillings with the strips, and making sure both ends of the pineapple filling are still visible.
7. Use the back of a spreading knife and gently "cut" the top of the tart to obtain diagonal checked boxes.
8. Place the tarts into paper cookie cups.
9. Pre-heat oven at 180C.
10. Add tarts and bake at 180C for around 20-25 minutes


* The tarts are not "golden brown" as we did not apply the egg-wash to the top layer, you can probably try "milk-washing" it (as for vegans, i do not think soy milk will have the same effect though).

Labels: Cakes/Pastries, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Malaysian Recipe

Ingredients:
half a cup of barley
1 sheet of dried bean curd sheet
half a cup of bak guo (fresh or frozen)
(optional) sugar of your choice (honey / brown sugar / peen tong (block sugar))

Method:
1. soak a sheet of dried bean curd sheet
2. add the barley to a pot and add about 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil using low flame. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes
3. after about 40 minutes, add the softened bean curd sheets and also the ginko nuts.
4. Optional: add sugar according to taste.
5. Serve hot.

* Barley is very good for "cooling". Bak Guo is said to be good for the brain and Bean Curd Sheet is said to be very good for one's complexion. ;)

Labels: Asian, Chinese Dessert Recipe, Chinese Recipe