Pineapple Jam

Something to spice things up. Instead of the ordinary strawberry or grape jam, Let's try out this easy recipe of pineapple jam :)

Imitation Shark Fin Crabmeat Soup

One thing that I really enjoy about Chinese Wedding is that they always serve Shark fin Soup. Shark fin is so expensive and there is no way I can afford that. On top of that, I don't think that Shark fin has any taste. So to me it's more of the texture of the soup. I recently bought a pack of imitation shark fin from an Asian grocery store. So, I made myself a nice pot of shark fin soup to satisfy my craving. I hope you enjoy it too.

Imitation Shark Fin Omelette (Foo Yong Tan)

I remembered when I was a little girl and every time when my family took me out for dinner in one of those chinese restaurants in Penang (chu cha), one of the dish that we will order would be shark fin with crab meat omelette (foo yong tan). I always love this dish but as I grew older, I'm unable to find this dish anymore. Foo Yong Tan is different now.

Since I was in asian market few days ago, I got myself a pack of imitation shark fin to make this dish and reminiscing the old good times I had with my family. It is simple and I hope you will enjoy it.

Arroz Con Gandules (Rice with Peas)

Beside trying to capture and learn as much as possible my grandma's recipes, I am trying to record my MIL's recipes. Even though I don't get the chance to meet her, I am glad that my husband did learnt from her. So, I am trying to learn as much Puerto Rican recipes from my husband and my FIL. This is another easy home recipe that I absolutely love.

Tomato Eggs

I grew up watch TVB series. On the series, normally they have this dish thats yellowish and red in colour. I always wonder what is that dish because it looked simply delicious. For years I wonder what is that dish. When I was working at the chinese take out, I finally found out that simple dish is just Tomato Eggs. So I got this recipe from my the chef that I used to worked with. I hope you enjoy it.

Char Bee Hoon - Fried Rice Noodle aka Economical Rice Noodle

Char Bee Hoon always my favourite! Why is it call Economical Rice Noodle? This is because normally they sell it about 80 cents to $ 1.50 per pack. I am not sure about the price right now since but this dish definitely cheap and at the same time very delicious and satisfying. Here is the recipe. Enjoy

Lasagna (with step by step pictures)

I was never really a big fan of Lasagna but since my husband wanted to have some, we decided to make it ourselves. This is my MIL's recipe. After this, I think i will start making lasagna pretty often. The next time, i will use turkey or chicken instead of beef.. yum! I hope you will enjoy it.

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Milk Rice)

Nasi Lemak can be considered a National dish of Malaysia. I cannot think any Malaysian that doesn't like or love this dish. This dish is simply delicious. I introduced this dish to my husband 3 years ago and he loved it. Since then, he consistently request me to make it for him. Few weeks ago, he requested this dish and I finally record the ingredients that needed for this dish.

Curry Chicken

Ever since living in US, there are tones of food that I want to make but unable to do because i) I don't know how ii) It is complicated and iii) It's expensive to make it from scratch. I really regret for not learning wonderful recipes from my grandma especially Curry Chicken ( one of my many favourites). I am glad that I found Tean's Gourmet Curry Chicken mix. A pack cost me $2.79 and all I need is a few more ingredients and viola! I will have a wonderful bowl and delicious curry chicken that taste very close to the ones my grandma used to make for me at home.

Since I try to eat slightly healthy, I opted to use skinless chicken breast instead of chicken drumsticks or wings with skin. You can choose your choice of meat.

Sambal Okra

I love Okra very much. So this is something really simple, easy and delicious Sambal Okra to satisfy my tummy. Enjoy

Chinese Creamy Corn Soup

One of my Chinese Take Out favourite is Chinese Creamy Corn Soup. As you know by now, I used to worked in one of the chinese take out in Upstate NY. I saw the chef make this a few times and now I finally trying to make it on my own.  I think this dish is good during cold season or when we are sick. It is easy and I hope you will enjoy this dish.

Pad Thai

Recently I received a wonderful gift from a very dear friend - Bchoo from Gourmand Simple's Pleasure. One of the item in the package that was sent to me is this Pad Thai Sauce from Ayara Thai Cuisine.

So, today I finally use this wonderful sauce to make a classic Thai dish - Pad Thai. It was simple and easy. Ayara does make good sauce. I do not need to add in any other sauces when I make this dish. The best part is, their sauce are made fresh daily in their kitchen. You can read more on how to purchase the sauce here.  Hope you enjoy it.

Wantan Mee Soup (Dumpling Noodle Soup)

According to my grandmama, my mum hated Wantan Mee when she was young but that changed after she was conceived me. She needed her Wantan Mee fix everyday.. or I should say it was me that needed that wantan mee fix! I do remember I grew up liking wantan mee. So, few days ago, I made myself a simple bowl of wantan mee soup for myself and my husband. Since my husband is not a big fan of pork, I replaced the pork fillings with chicken and shrimps. I hope you will enjoy the recipe

Sambal Ikan Bilis (Sambal Anchovies)

Sambal Ikan Bilis is something i love to make when i don't know what to eat because it will have all the flavour i want, sweet, salty and spicy. I love the fact i can just eat it with rice or just have it with bread. Either way, it will definitely satisfy my tummy. This is my easy recipe of Sambal Ikan Bilis ( the cheat method).

Seafood Vermicelli Soup

I like seafood very much. After making the paella, I still have some seafood left hence I just want to make a quick meal for myself and at the same time that can satisfy my tummy. The recipe is easy, simple and delicious. I hope you enjoy it.

Seafood Paella

One of the Spanish dish that i like is definitely going to be Seafood Paella. See, I dont have that paella pan so I had mine cook in rice cooker. So my spanish rice dont have that burn part.. Somehow I prefer it that way. I don't know why but as long it is good, I don't care. I hope you will enjoy the recipe too.

Onigiri (Japanese Rice Ball)

My husband and I were watching Hana Yori Dongo the other day. In one of the episode, the girl were having Origini ( Japanese Rice Ball) and it looked delicious in the movie, so he requested me to make for him. So after reading some Japanese cookbook and do some googling, I finally get the necessary ingredients and make it for him. I hope you enjoy it.

Fish and Chips

I learnt this recipe from my husband and since then, this is my favourite way of enjoying fish and chips. Enjoy...

Sambal Baked Fish

When i was living in KL, i always visited MidValley Megamall for 1 reason. The grilled fish / seafood stall at Oasis Food Court. I love that dish and would rather line up for half an hour to 1 hour just to taste the grilled stingray and clams / shrimps. Its cheap, spicy and delicious..and above, it satisfied my tummy.. That was the only time that i throw my diet to the dustbin next to me. Enjoyed the meal and worry later :)

Now, i keep trying to recreate the dish at home but never succeeded. The below recipe is close but not perfect but it is good enough to temporary ease my craving here in US. I hope you too will enjoy the recipe.

Sticky Rice with Mango (Kaow niaw ma muang)

Thailand is one of the my favourite vacation destination. I love the culture, the beaches, and most of all, I love the food too. One of my favourite is their dessert - kaow niaw ma muang which translate to Sticky Rice with Mango. Here is the recipe. Hope you will enjoy it

Coconut Jam (Kaya/SeriKaya)

I love Kaya... Its like strawberry jam for the westerner, Kaya is the Malaysian version. I love it when my bread one side is spread with kaya and the other side with butter or peanut butter.. The result? HEAVEN Here is the recipe.. Enjoy

Ayara Thai Sauce

Leaving Malaysia 3 years ago, i never thought i will miss Malaysia food this much. When i was in Malaysia, i always take things for granted because i can easily get all the kuih-muih (cakes/snacks) and wonderful hawker foods everywhere. To make things worse, whenever i went back to my hometown Penang, all I did was open my mouth and request whatever dishes that I wanted to eat then I would have my grandmama and my aunties getting all busy in the kitchen cooking all of my favourite dishes. I know I know, I'm pretty spoiled. What do you expect, I was my grandmama first grandchild for a very long time before my cousins were born like 12 years later. So i am that little princess at home!

Since I am married to my husband and settling down here in California, I have no choice but to learn how to create all those wonderful dishes that I adore. I do enjoy cooking even when I was back in Malaysia but I never thought that I would be able to cook difficult dishes like Penang Prawn Noodle and stuff like that. With the location I am staying right now, there is no way i can get authentic Malaysia food. My only solution is to learn and experiment in the kitchen to recreate those flavors that I was once enjoyed back home.

Tom Yum Soup - Picture from Ayara Thai Cuisine

Besides Malaysia food, I love love LOVE Thai food. I used to have Tom Yum twice a week from a Malay stall near my home. On top of that, I have a relative who is from Songkla, Thailand. So, you can imagine how lucky I was back then to be able to taste all these wonderful foods prepared by someone who actually knew exactly what they were doing.

Yesterday, I received a wonderful package from a dear friend, Bchoo from Gourmand's Simple Pleasures She had asked her friend from LA. California who is the owner of Ayara Thai Cuisine to send me freshly made Thai Sauce. They do sell it online. You can check it out here. I was very touched by her gesture that I couldn't help but cry while reading the message she had for me together with these wonderful gifts. With the sauces now I can try to create wonderful Thai dishes that I absolutely enjoy. I like the fact the sauce is freshly made in their kitchen everyday with no preservatives. This is awesome because I love my food/ stuff to be as fresh as possible. So, Bchoo, Thank you so much for this wonderful gift. I love it!

As for the rest of the readers that are not really into cooking or just looking for some Thai food in LA California, Fear not. Ayara Thai not only produce their own sauce and sell it online, but you can also visit their wonderful restaurant in LA. Check out their website here . You can also check out their facebook page here

Ayara Thai Cuisine located
6245 West 87th Street, 
Los Angeles, California 90045

Phone: 310-410 8848

Operatiing Hours
Mon - Thu:10:30 am-10:00 pm
Fri:10:30 am-12:00 am
Sat:11:00 am-12:00 am
Sun:11:00 am-10:00 pm

**Mention that you're their Facebook fan during Happy Hour (weekdays between 3 to 6pm for additional 10% off

**All opinions written are 100% honest. I am not affiliated with Ayara Thai Cuisine. The products were a gift from my dear friend for personal use.

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Crab Rangoon

One of the snacks that my husband enjoys is Crab Rangoon. I'm glad that I got the chance to learn this recipe from my ex-lady boss back in NY when I worked as a kitchen helper in one of the chinese take outs there.

According to Wikipedia, "Crab Rangoon are deep-fried dumplings served in American Chinese and, more recently, Thai restaurants, stuffed with a combination of cream cheese, lightly flaked crab meat (more commonly, canned crab meat or imitation crab meat), with scallions and/or garlic. These fillings are then wrapped in Chinese wonton wrappers in a triangular or flower shape, then deep fried in vegetable oil."

Here's the easy recipe. Enjoy

Cheese Cake / Strawberries Cheese Cake

I never meet my Mother-In-Law. She passed away many years ago. According to my husband, my MIL was an excellent cook. She made many wonderful Puerto Rican dishes and desserts. One of her famous dessert is Cheesecake. I am glad that my husband did tried to learnt as many recipes from her and tried his best to teach me how to make this wonderful dessert.  I love cheesecake very much and today, i am sharing with you this wonderful recipes from my Mother-In-Law. Enjoy...

Kangkung Sambal Belacan (WaterSpinach Sambal Belacan)

Remember few days ago, i finally found my Belacan here? Well, i quickly make this wonderful and simple dish that i absolutely adore. This recipe is easy and i use the cheat method. Instead making my own sambal paste, i got a ready made  Sambal Oelek from the Asian Market. I hope you will enjoy it.

Chai Buey (Mustard Green Stew/Soup)

Chai Buey literally means leftover in Hokkien. I love this dish so much that i can literally eat the whole big pot all by myself. No matter how much calories i consumed in that week or how much i put on weight, if my grandma were to make this dish, i will finish up the whole pot even it means my tummy is so full until i cant even walk. I guess i look forward to this dish more than any dish during chinese new year :p

The good thing about this dish is you pretty much cook whatever you can find in your refrigerator and add in a few fresh ingredients and i guarantee you that you will ask for more. You can also make this dish from fresh. So i would suggest, during thanksgiving or christmas and you have lots of leftover, you can try to make this dish.

Belacan (Shrimp Paste)

Look at what i got here? Belacan aka shrimp paste. I love love LOVE belacan. A lot of westerners thinks this product stinks but somehow i think this is the most fragrant ingredient in the world. Anyway, back in NY, i know where to find this piece of ingredient with no problem but it was tough over here especially in the area i am staying now in California. There are 2 asian markets near the place i stay and none of them carry this.

The only way for me to get this is through ordering online. So i rarely cook using this ingredient as i refuse to buy online because of the shipping and the overcharge price. When my husband found out the 3rd Asian Market around our area, we make a trip there and THANK GOD i found this ingredient in one the aisle in the shop. Guess what i do next? i quickly grabbed 4 blocks of Belacan. Best part is that, they only sell it for USD 1.99 for a block of 500 grams. I remembered i used to buy in NY for USD3.99 for a block of 250 grams. Big savings for me and i am a very happy woman today. So the next few days, i will  make a few simple dish using belacan and other ingredients. Stay Tune.

So what is belacan exactly? You can read more from here

Stir Fry Asparagus Asian Style

I love Asparagus but i rarely buy it because i think it is pretty expensive. Few days ago, i was in 99cents store and they have it for a dollar a bunch. So i jumped right in to grab a bunch of asparagus. They even have fresh portabella mushrooms for a dollar (4 medium size) and red bell peppers (2 for a dollar). So today, i am happy that i can make this dish that i absolutely adore. Here is the recipe. Enjoy...

Home Fried Rice

Whenever my grandma got some leftover rice, she will make fried rice for me. It is easy and simply delicious.  So, this is the easy fried rice recipe. Enjoy.

Chinese Wine with Ginger Crab Noodle

When i was working in as a kitchen helper in one of the chinese take out in upstate New York, i learnt quite a lot from the chef and the lady boss there even though i rarely cook but there was one dish i learnt from my lady body. It was Chinese Wine with Ginger Crab Noodle. At first she cooked that for her family own consumption. When towards end of the night, she specially make that again for me and my husband. My husband loved it so much so the next day, i asked if she can teach me how to make that. So here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

Tom Yam Rice Noodle

Another favourite dish of mine is Tom Yam Rice Noodle. When i was living in Bukit Jalil, there was one hawker stall in OUG is my to-go Tom Yam Noodle place. Rice noodle with some napa cabbage and fish fillet with hot and sour soup. When i was staying there, i had it almost every week and till today, i keep telling my husband that someday i will bring him there to try. Here is my recipe of Tom Yam Rice Noodle (quick fix for dinner again). Enjoy!  

Kei Si Tok-Tok Mee (Egg Noodle with Shredded Chicken)

When i was 5 years old, i stayed with my mum and my great grandmama briefly on Kampar Road, Penang (opposite Mahindarama Temple) My mum at that used to work night shift. She only will go to work around 11pm at night. I remember very clearly, somewhere around 9.30pm to 10pm every night, you will have this uncle selling tok-tok mee. He will cycled around the neighbourhood and making the 'tok tok' sound. When we heard that sound, we know his stall just stop in front of our apartment. My mum or great grandmama sometimes will head down to get 'tok-tok mee' for me. Tok-Tok Mee actually is Wantan Mee but i like to called it tok-tok mee. It just much more vintage i guess.

Anyway, tonight i make Tok-Tok Mee without the Wantan (dumpling) because i didnt get any wantan wrapper when i was in asian market. This recipe is just a quick one to satisfy our hunger. Anyway, i hope you can enjoy.

Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodle)

Hokkien Mee.. Hokkien Mee. Mmmmm... Hokkien Mee. I pretty much growing up eating Penang Hokkien Mee . This is because right in front of my house in Air Itam, there is this uncle selling delicious Hokkien Mee at one of the kopitiam. The awesome thing is that, my family buy from this uncle for so many years, that he literally knows what we want and we will still get the same price like 5 years ago. I believe a bowl of Hokkien Mee now cost RM 3.50 or RM 4.00 (the cheapest) but if i were to walk in and buy, i will only be charged RM 2.00 or RM 2.50 and on top of that, my portion is double the size if i were to order from take out instead of dining in. I know my pictures here doesnt look appealing but the taste is as good as you can get in Malaysia. 

When i was working in chinese take out in NY, almost 2 to 3 days a week i have to peel a big lumpsum of shrimps. I am not talking about 1 or 2 lbs. Each time is about 12 to 16 lbs. The chinese take out also only bought headless shrimps. All the shells will be thrown away. So when i wanted to make Hokkien Mee, i will asked my lady boss for the shells and she will be very happily give it to me. Those shells were very precious for me and it save me lots of time collecting it by myself. I would suggest if anyone wanted to make this dish, maybe you can try to ask the chinese take out around your neighbourhood for free shells or even pay them a small amount. They may or may not give it to you or sell to you but no harm trying right?
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

note: im so sorry that the picture was badly taken

Belacan Fried Chicken

One of my favourite-to-order dish when i dined out in KL was Belacan Fried Chicken. Another dish that i love. I love the smell, the taste, the crunch and everything about it. When i managed to grabbed a block of Belacan from the Asian Market, i make sure i filled my whole apartment with belacan aroma! (poor my American hubby) So here is the simple recipe for Belacan Fried Chicken. Enjoy!

Char Siew Pau (Pork Steamed Bun)

When i was a little girl, sometimes my grandparents will take me for Dim Sum and the first thing they ordered for me was Char Siew Pau (Pork Steamed Bun). I always hated that because i always wanted to try the rest of the Dim Sum like Siew Mai, Har Kow and others. When i asked my grandmama why we have to eat Char Siew Pau first only to had her replied to me that it will keep me full. Over the years, i grew up liking Char Siew Pau more and more and the best part is that you can easily get it in most of the chinese kopitiam. It came to the point that i will only have 2 Char Siew Pau for dinner everyday when i was staying by myself in KL. My love for Char Siew Pau definitely grew as the years pass by.

My husband on the other who is a big fan of Shaw Brother movies always curious what is Char Siew Pau. In fact he only can spot it in movies and never know what it called until he met me. When i first came to NY, i really have no idea where i can get Char Siew Pau. To be able to found the Asian Market was a big deal.

Part of me wanted my husband to try Char Siew Pau, so i went on to do my research and gather as much information as i can. Countless calls back home to asked help from my grandmama how to make the awesome filling. I dont think my grandmama make Char Siew Pau before but she is like a 'Sek San' - (God of Food) to me so i know she will guide me well with the recipe. Below is my recipe for Char Siew Pau. It is not perfect and need a lot of tweaking on the bun part but the filling is as good as you can get in those Dim Sum place around town in Malaysia. Enjoy!

Sambal Udang (Shrimps/Prawns)

I love sambal udang. I can just have sambal udang with white rice everyday. The awesome thing is that, i found this Tean's Gourmet Stir Fry Sambal Tumis Paste from the asian market here. That pretty much make my life way much easy and the taste is just awesome and almost very similar to the one i always had back in Malaysia. So here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Peanut Cookies

During CNY, my grandmama will baked a good batch of peanut cookies for me and the relatives! I absolutely love it and my hubby too love it so much that he can never stop eating it. I used the recipe from Simply June and tweaked it to my liking and added some other ingredient that my grandmama told me. I love her blog because she always have all these awesome recipes that i can learn from. Enjoy!

Milo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Growing up, we drink Milo. So this is my cookies recipe

Chinese Cabbage with Meatball Soup

Since young, i love to have chinese cabbage soup. My grandmama really knows how to make a good pot of chinese cabbage with meatball soup that will leave me wanting more and more and More. Especially the hot weather, the chinese cabbage soup is just good for us. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Steamed Garlic Shrimps

During Chinese New Year, my 2nd aunt will make Steamed Garlic Shrimps for me. I love that dish so much that it became a tradition that every 2nd day of Chinese New Year, the whole family will have to go to her house for family lunch. Of course i will definitely have that dish specially make for me. The best part is that, i will get at least 4 shrimps while the rest of the family only entitled to 2 shrimps. Yup! i am my aunt's favourite nice. :p Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Pickled Green Chilies

Growing up in Malaysia, one definitely familiar with chilis. Green chilies, red chillies, chilli paste and etc etc. one of my favourite is Pickled Green Chillies. The one you can find in most of the noodle dish like wantan mee, sar hor fun, koay teow t'ng and many more. While i was living in Malaysia, it never occur to me that i need to learn this simple condiment. When i was about to fly to USA 3 years ago, i got the recipe from my uncle and i am glad that i remember the recipe and make myself a good portion of this condiment.

Ingredients
1lb green chillies (sliced)
12 oz white vinegar
12 - 15 tbsp sugar

Method
Dissolve sugar in boiling vinegar
Add sliced chillies into the boiled vinegar sugar
Stir for 30 seconds to a minute until you see the change in colour of the green chillies.
Turn off the stove and let it cool down in a bowl
Transfer the pickled green chillies into jar (preferably air tight jar) and keep it refrigerated.


**when ready to serve, be sure to use a dry utensil 

Shrimps With Broccoli

One of my favourite chinese take out dish in US is Shrimps with broccoli. It is very hard to find a good place that serve good shrimps with broccoli. It may sound easy. The thing is that those chinese take out will fry the broccoli first in order to have the crunch and they will load it with lots of MSG and corn/ potato starch. This is my own home made Shrimps with Broccoli. Enjoy :)

Yau Mak with Oyster Sauce

Growing up in Penang, my grandmama definitely make sure we will have at least 1 vegetable dish. Yau Mak with Oyster Sauce is one of my many favourites that my grandma used to make for me and the family. Below is the simple recipe. Enjoy :)