A Happy New Year 2012

Hi my dear bloggers, family and friends.

Thank you for your support and friendship all these years of my humble blogging.  Each and every comment posted, is very much appreciated.  Here's to good health, an abundance of wealth and much happiness to ALL in the coming 2012 year of the Dragon!

Wishing you a Very Happy New Year 2012 and may you be shower with much love and happiness throughout! Be safe always.

2011 Christmas Party

This year Christmas is celebrated with much cheer than the last as my Dad and my sisters with their family joined in the party. Together with my in-laws, my house was packed to the brim.  Everyone chipped in with the menu and this is one particular dish that I just must tell you. Nyonya appetizer or finger food.  This is called 'Taukwa Sumbat' or Stuffed Beancurd.

My family love this and it's been ages since we had this..I mean, really, really a long time.  

This is the bean curd, fried and cut into triangles. Slit it open in the center to stuff in the cucumber strips and beansprouts

This is great..the bean curd is so soft and kinda melt in your mouth.

This is eaten with peanut sauce which is made of peanut, of course, and some chilies and vinegar, salt and sugar.

I served this in my newly acquired replicate of Nyonya 'antique' plate which hopefully, will be an antique itself after 50 years to come...lol.  It's hand painted, mind you. Very pretty isn't it? And very, very expensive.  If you are interested to acquire one yourself, drop me an email...haahaa

And the genius behind this dish, none other than the Master Chef himself, MY DAD!

Thanks Dad, your Taukwa Sumbat was superb!!

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Thanks for your support in visiting my blog. Hope to post more interesting recipes next year!  A Happy New Year to all too!

Angry Bird Cake - Mango & Chocolate Chip Butter Cake

Every year we have double celebration on Christmas Day - my daughter's birthday and Christmas.  My daughter's birthday falls on the eve of Christmas Eve, and since everyone will come over, we usually celebrate her birthday on a grander scale on Christmas Day.  So each year, she'll looking forward for the 'double' presents as well.

She wants an Angry Bird cake this year and I promised her that I'll make one for her.  I'm glad that she liked it and so does everyone else.  The cake is a butter cake with fresh mango slices and chocolate chip in the centre.  Really good.  And now, let me take you a tour of the Angry Bird Cake.

My little angry birds and Mr Snowman...

You will see from the photos, there's no Black Angry Bird although I've made the figurine as for some reason, the gum paste just refused to harden and it was all sticky and gooey.  So, I discarded the black bird.

The Blue Bear..made this just for fun.

And here's the cake ..what a happy family of 'Angry' Birds and friends.

Birthday girl with her cake!

 Happy Birthday to our little precious snow white!  

And now, want a piece??

This is one of the presents that she loves most especially since it's sewn by my talented sister.  This sis of mine is very, very good at sewing and she has done many quilts ie. blanket, bags, table runners, pot holders, dresses and many more..I would suggest you visit her blog at www:ladylikemum.blogspot.com.  You will be amazed at her work.

Next post shall be a special nyonya dish prepared by the Master Chef!...my Dad!

Christmas Cake

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's Christmas! Merry Christmas, everyone!

A friend of mine ordered a Christmas Cake for her family reunion.  She placed the order a few months ahead and she was excited when the day got nearer.  Told her that this will be my first ever Christmas Cake with Christmas theme that I will be selling and don't expect too much as in my previous blog, I'm quite an amateur at it.  So, here's my creation and I'm glad to see her expression when she saw this..which means, I've 'passed' my first phase! Phew!!

It's Chocolate Moist Cake, by the way, sandwiched with Chocolate Buttercream.  I actually thought of using Cream Cheese Icing but since she's gonna travel outstation, better not use cheese.  Here are some photos of the cake and please tell me if you like it or share some tips to improvise.

Next post (which will be very, very soon), on my family Christmas reunion together with my 7th year old birthday girl with her Angry Bird Cake!!

Till then, thanks for visiting and wish you all Good Tidings on this Blessed Christmas!

Ponteh (Braised Meat with Potatoes and Mushroom)

It's been such a hectic month and most of my weekends are occupied with this and that. December is no different either with my daughter's birthday coming up, Christmas dinner to organize and not to mention the Christmas gifts as well.  Soon after the seasons greeting, school gonna re-open again and then we will be scrambling in getting the books all wrapped up, buying new school uniforms and shoes etc etc etc.  At the end of this, then it's the Chinese New Year time again.  All these will leave a big big hole in the pocket!  Sigh!

Anyway, as mentioned in my previous post, here's my late mom's version of the authentic Nyonya dish - Ponteh!  Usually this dish uses pork belly or pork ribs which tastes so much flavorful than chicken.  However, you may mix pork and chicken if you wish.  For this post, I use chicken.  A great accompaniment with this dish is the Sambal Belacan which is made from pounded shrimp paste, red chilies and squeeze of lime juice.

Pound to a paste:  Shallots, garlic

1 tbsp of bean paste

Gula Melaka (dark brown sugar) to taste

1 cup water

1 chicken - cut into bite sizes

potatoes - quartered or halved

black mushroom - soak in hot water to soften and discard the stem

dark soya sauce for color

Heat oil in wok and fry the paste together with bean paste  till fragrant.

Add chicken and fry for 2 mins and add water.

Add in the potatoes and mushroom, let boil and add the sugar and dark soya sauce.

Simmer till chicken is cooked and potatoes are tender.

(Do not add salt as the bean paste is very salty.  If it's not salty enough for you, add light soya sauce)

Serve with hot rice

Kapitan Chicken

Kapitan Chicken is one of the Nyonya cuisine that has strong influence from the Portuguese.  This Nyonya dish has so many versions but the main ingredients remain the same.  Like many other Nyonya or Peranakan dishes, there are many versions from the north peranakan as in Penang, the straits peranakan from Malacca (that's where I'm from and the origin of peranakan descendants) and the south peranakan from Singapore.

With the diversity of different states ie. the north, the straits and the south peranakans, each have their own distinctive flavor in preparing the same type of dish just like Ayam/Babi Ponteh, Ayam Masak Buah Keluak, Lemak Udang Nenas, Gerang Assam, just to name a few.  And for this particular dish, Kapitan Chicken, is no different either.

The word 'kapitan' means the 'captain' of a colony.  Malacca was first invaded by the Portuguese Kapitan, Alfonso de Albuquerque in the year 1511 and their occupation lasted for 130 years from 1511 - 1641.  Not only the Portuguese that occupied Malacca.  As history goes, she was under the occupation by the Dutch and the British as well.

Here's one of the version of Kapitan Chicken.

1 chicken cut into bite sizes
1 - 1/2 cup medium light coconut milk
1 lime
salt to taste

Blend into paste:
Shallots
Garlic
lemon grass
tumeric
fresh chilies
dried chilies
shrim paste
candlenut

1. Heat oil in a deep saucepan or pot. Fry the paste till fragrant.
2. Add in the chicken and coat well with the paste for about 2-3mins.
3. Add the coconut milk, salt to taste and lime.
4. Let boil till chicken is cooked.

Serve with hot fluffy white rice.

My next post shall be Chicken Ponteh, another authentic Nyonya cuisine.

Crown Birthday Cake - Red Velvet and Chocolate Moist

My daughter turned 10 today!  She's been looking forward for her big day for months and months and months.  When I asked her what cake does she wants and her answer was 'Princess Cake'.  Since last year I made her a castle princess cake, I decided to make her a Crown one this year.  Even though I'm at 'elementary stage' with fondant icing, the joy at seeing her happy expression when she saw her cake was indescribable.  For her, mommy is just awesome in making her dream cake.  Mommy's imperfection and sloppy work is just wonderful!!  She made my day - all the effort and the days of preparing the cake makes it all worth the while.  I'm truly glad I made the cake for her :)...

And the crown not only decorated the cake but everyone took turn at 'wearing' the crown...but of course, it was thrown away after that as nobody would want to have a lick at the gum paste!  hhaahahaa..

The bottom cake is Red Velvet and the top cake is Chocolate Moist.  Both cakes are sandwiched with cream cheese filling with butter cream as the outer layer and then covered with fondant.

After this project, my youngest girl placed an 'order' for her birthday cake next month - an Angry Bird Cake!! Hmmm...a challenge indeed!

Happy 10th Birthday, our sweet darling Cait! Por Por (Grandma) is overlooking you with love from heaven above together with Lord Buddha and will always keep you safe and happy!

Thanks to Khai Ma and Khai Yeh in making time all the way from Ipoh to join in Caitlyn's birthday celebration at La Gomera!  Last but not least, to all the wonderful and loving Ah Ees and Ee Teows, Ah Em and Ah Pek and cousins too..thank you for all the wonderful presents!