Almond Crisps

Back in my Singapore days, during the CNY season, my colleague will start selling goodies that her Aunt made and one of my favourites was these Almond Crisps. They were very addictive and you just want to eat and eat. But they were on the pricey side since they were made of Almonds, and lots of them.

It's been years since I had it and I finally found the recipe for it under Aunty Lily's blog, I couldn't be happier. Finally, I found it and I had to make it. I have tried making it a few times, results were inconsistent. The recipe calls for very few ingredients and easy steps....BUT...the big BUT, you need to spread it evenly on a thin layer and you need to know your oven. My oven is hotter and usually takes shorter time than what recipes called for.

After a long break from making this....reason, coz it uses only egg whites and I don't know what to do with all the eggs yolks!! I have decided that it's time for another batch since I bought a whole bag of almonds too.

Ok, everything was easy (check out Aunty Lily's blog for the recipe and many many more wonderful recipes) except the spreading part and the baking part. My oven is hotter and very uneven and my spreading wasn't even too (never seemed to get it right). You can see from the picture how uneven it was BUT they were still crispy and yummy-licious. After taking them out of the oven, let it cool and break them into random pieces. I assure you, one pc of this is never enough, very addictive. 

Korean Hot and Spicy Rice Cake

Ever since I have been to Korea, I have wanted to eat this again but never had the opportunity to go back to Korea again and have no idea how to make it till I saw this video by Maangchi. I realized that making it is really not difficult. In fact, it's quick and easy (which is what I like), and it takes only a few ingredients (like this even more).

Korean Hot Pepper paste and Rice Cake

Again, I improvised since I don't have the Korean rice cake and green onions nor their anchovies. I used ikan bilis, fried them before putting them in the water to boil. Then, added the Korean hot pepper paste (got this from the HK market just so I can make this dish), sugar, a little salt, cilantro and fried shallots to add more taste to the  hot pepper sauce. I used Chinese rice cake for hot pot instead of Korean rice cake and after the dish is done, sprinkled some roasted sesame seeds on it.

End product. 

Don't you think they look like chee cheong fun? Hmmm..thinking of that right now, might be time for me to make some chee cheong fun too. Anyway, these rice cakes were fantastic.

Enjoy.

Brazilian Cheese Bread

Another quick and easy recipe using basic ingredients...well, not that basic since the local supermarkets here do not carry Tapioca flour. I saw this recipe a while ago here and have been wanting to make them but  didn't have Tapioca flour in the house. I tried ordering it online but of all the things that I ordered, they ran out of stock for the flour. Just my luck! Finally, the past weekend, I made a trip to Flushing and came home with some supply...so, here they are, the little cheese puffs. Don't they look cute?

 

This is so easy to put together and bake, no way you can mess it up. I used sharp cheddar for a cheesier taste and they are crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. They are light, sugar free and since we are using Tapioca flour, they are gluten free. 

What can you eat these with? Well, they are good eaten on its own when warm and I think dunking them in a bowl of cream soup would be yummy too. 

Enjoy.

Breakfast at home

We don't usually get to have breakfast at home, needless to say, to make breakfast. This Saturday morning, I decided that quick and easy is the way to go, again, instead of going out to McDonald's or the Diner.

Crepes, I thought, would be nice since I am not a big fan of pancakes. In fact, I enjoy the Asian style breakfast so much more....noodles, roti prata etc but of course, these are not available here.

Nutella and Bananas

Blueberry Syrup and Bananas

Crepes...basically just egg, flour and milk...and a non stick pan. They are very versatile as they can be eaten sweet or savory depending on what you pair them with.

This morning's choices....Nutella + Bananas or Blueberry Syrup + Bananas.

Quick and easy but definitely satisfying.

The First and The Simplest

I never thought I would start a blog as I don't think I will have time to do it being that I have 2 little kids and working full time. But I have been doing a lot baking and cooking as I am missing the food that I grew up with, and I think that blogging would be a good way to keep track of what I have done and accomplished.
I moved to Long Island almost 5 years ago from Singapore and I never thought I would miss the food from SG and Msia so much. And I never thought I would be actually be making a lot of thing myself just to have a taste of home.

Just a few days ago, it was late, kids were in bed and I wanted something to snack on and I thought to myself, what better than making some Muah Chee (Glutinous rice balls coated with crushed peanuts) since it's quick and easy? So, I gathered the few ingredients required and in about 15 mins, I have a nice little snack. They sure hit a spot but I wished I had ground the peanuts instead of chopping.
I had this posted on my FB page and it tweaked the interest of some of my old friends, even when they are in Msia and SG where this is readily available. Amazing how something as simple and humble as Muah Chee gets such attention.
Lastly, there's really no exact measurement to the recipe...all you need is some glutinous rice flour, water, pinch of salt, oil, peanuts and sugar. Enjoy.