Nian Gao Spring Roll

"Nian Gao" is popular food during Chinese New Year. It is considered good luck to eat "Nian Gao" during this time, because "Nian Gao" means "higher year" in chinese. The Chinese word "Nian" means "sticky", is identical in sound to "year", and the word "Gao", meaning "cake" is identical in sound to "high". As such, eating "Nian Gao" has the symbolism of raising oneself higher in each coming year.

Traditionally, we serve "Nian Gao" together with shredded coconut or stick the "Nian Gao" with Yam and Sweet Potato, then deep fry. But those method are not healthy, I tried to wrap the "Nian Gao" in spring roll and pan fry, it sound pretty good.

First prepare the spring roll wrapper, I bought KG Pastry brand, "Nian Gao" slices and drain. Wrap the "Nian Gao" with spring roll then pan fry until golden brown.

Spring roll wrapper

KG Pastry spring roll wrapper

"Nian Gao" washed, sliced, drained

Done ^^

Squid and Apple Mix with Mirin

 

I named this dishes as Squid and Apple Mix with Mirin. This is my mom creative dishes. In fact, my mom always cook the dishes creatively but surprisingly those dishes taste good.

Ingredients: squid, apples, onion, ginger flower, lemongrass
Spices: Mirin, Thai chili sauce, apple vinegar

Directions:

1. Blanch the squid. Other ingredients cut into pieces, placed in the bowl.
2. Mix the spices well into (1).

Mirin is Japanese sweet cooking wine, I buy this at Jusco

This is Thai chili sauce my mom used.

Fresh Orange Jelly

I found there are 2 orange keep in my house refrigerator during weekend, I just think of doing fresh orange jelly. This is my own recipe without refer to any source, surprisingly the taste was good ^^

Ingredients: Fresh Orange Juice, Sugar, Water and Gelatine.

Directions:

1. Melt sugar and water.
2. Mix (1) with Fresh Orange Juice and Gelatine. Mix well until Gelatine completly melted.
3. Pour (2) into mold, set aside until cold, put into refrigerator about 2 hours.

Note: My sugar and fresh orange juice mix is 300ml, Gelatine is 3/4t

Chinese Pancake

This is one of the famous food in Malaysia, you may find this everywhere especially pasar malam, pasar pagi or etc.

Ingredients:
A: high-protein flour 1 cup, flour 1 cup, sugar 3 tablespoons, instant yeast 1 tsp, water 1 and 3/4 cup.
B: baking powder 1 tsp, baking soda 1 / 4 tsp, oil 2 tablespoons, water 1/2 cup.
C: peanut, sesame, sugar

Directions:

1. Mix A, set aside for one hour.
2. Mix B into 1, mix well.
3. Heat pan, add a layer of oil, pour amount of the mixing, pan fry until bubble hole appear on the surface, covered with peanut powder, fold.

The appearance not look a like, but taste is the same ^^

Recipe Source: 阿芳的糕与粿

Chinese Version:中式松饼~面煎粿~ 

Recipes Book Shopping

Recipes book purchase while waiting my parents complete their medical check up ^^
I hope I will master in baking after complete reading the books. (Just kidding :p)

Pumpkin Sesame Cookie

This recipe is adapted from 孟孟夫人咖啡座. I have done some modification because my house has limited ingredients.

Ingredients : 100grams mashed pumpkin, 20 grams sugar, 40 grams glutinous rice flour, 40 grams flour, white sesame.

Directions:
1. Mashed the steamed pumpkin. Mix with sugar, glutinous rice flour and flour.

2. Divide the dough into six equal parts, gently knead the dough into round shape, coated with white sesame evenly.
3. Heat the pan with some oil, put the dough onto the pan, flatten the dough.
4. Fry the dough with low heat until golden brown.

Chinese Version: 芝麻南瓜饼

I like Millet

My family like to mix the rice with millet during cooking. The reason is we read a news reported that millet has very high value of nutrition.

I done some reading on internet, found that millet originate from China about 8,000 years ago. Millet which is rice in vitamin B1, B12 and etc, several times much more compare with rice, its effectively help to prevent indigestion and mouth sores. The organic salt content of millet also higher than rice. Millet able to relieve wrinkles, dark spots, pigmentation effect, I think this is the most favorable function for women.

Millet + Rice

Millet, actual look

 This is the brand that my family purchased

Chinese Version: 就是要吃小米

Green Apple Cinnamon Marmalade

Due to Taiwan's plasticize issue, I try to avoid processed food. So the first step, I try to do marmalade by myself.

Ingredients: 4 green apples, 1/2 Lemon, cinnamon, Sugars
Directions:

1. Clean the lemon, squeeze the juice, set aside
2. Green apple, peeled, cut into cubes, blend with blender.
3. Mix the blended green apple and lemon juice, boil it with medium heat.
4. Turn to low heat, add sugars and cinnamon. Keep boiling and stir constantly with wooden spoon.
5. Continue stir until the sauce become dense and creamy.
6. Bottling the marmalade, inverted half an hour*, and let cool.

* This step is to use the marmalade heat to kill bacteria in the bottle.

Chinese Version: 青苹果肉桂果酱

With similar step, you may try different favor. I tried Pineapple as well. However, I prefer Green Apple Cinnamon Marmalade the most.

This is my Pineapple Marmalade.

Chinese Version: 凤梨果酱

Fructus Momordicae Winter Melon Dessert

Mom said that I participate in Penang Bridge Marathon yesterday, she afraid I would get sick. She said since the Fructus Momordicae brought during Guilin trips last August still not yet finished, so she help me to prepare Winter Melon early morning and get my help to cook Fructus Momordicae Winter Melon Dessert.

Ingredients: Winter Melon, Fructus Momordicae, Sugar. 
Directions:

1. Winter Melon, peeled, washed, cut into slices. 
2. Fructus Momordicae, peeled, washed. 
3. Mix (1) and (2) into electric pressure cooker. 
4. Use the "Soup" function of electric pressure cooker to start the cook, it takes 30 minutes. 
5. After the dessert cooked, add sugar. 

It is very simple to cook with electric pressure good! ^ ^

Chinese Version: 罗汉果冬瓜糖水

Red Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Dessert

Since I buy the electric pressure cooker, I always cook dessert because it is too convenient.

This weekend, I found there is red sweet potato and pumpkin in my refrigerator, I feel quite match with these two ingredients, so i just mix both together.

Ingredients: Red Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Water, 2 Pandan Leaves, Sugar.

Directions:
1. Red sweet potato and pumpkin, peeled, washed, cut into cubes, mix in the pot, pour the right amount of water.

2. Included the pandan leaves.

3. Use the "Soup" function of electric pressure cooker to start the cook, it takes 30 minutes.

4. After the dessert cooked, add sugar.

Chinese Version: 红蕃薯南瓜mix糖水