Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Vietnamese Spring Rolls



Decided to make something fresh and refreshing for snack this afternoon. Going with the roll here as I have seen all sort of wraps/rolls popping out in the food blogs to beat the heat of Summer. Also, I had this at V's house recently, so decided to make my own as well.

My hubby loves Vietnamese spring roll. He has to order this every time we go to eat Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle) in a Viet. restaurant. We like the dipping sauce there too, as you can see I was trying to reinvent the sauce for my spring rolls here. Haven't made this for years and learned that to wrap the roll really tight with filling was not easy. Mine was still kinda loose unlike the one we used to in the restaurant, this was also my hubby complain. Luckily, he liked my dipping sauce. :) Guess next time I would have to practise wrapping the roll tightly without breaking the skin!




The fillings for my spring roll as seen above are:
Sliced romaine lettuce, cilantro, tanghoon (vermicelli) and cooked shrimps (or you can use thinly sliced 
cooked pork) .

Click below for my dipping sauce recipe:

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tagged: My Favorite Food ...

I got lucky and got tagged by East Meets West Kitchen for this tag. As a Malaysian it was really hard for me to come out with my favorite food. Come on...there are so many delicious food in M'sia thus how to pick just one? I managed to pick two as my favorite though because these are the two dishes I got to have whenever I go back to M'sia.




1) Nasi Lemak - They called it a Malaysia National Dish and I couldn't agree more. I don't think there is any one Malaysian who don't know what is nasi lemak. We basically see it selling every where in M'sia, be it in a fancy restaurant or mamak stall (hawker stall), either comes wrapped in a fragrant banana leaf with a minimal ingredients or serves in a plate with extra ingredients such as curry chicken, beef rendang, sambal cuttlefish, fried egg, etc, I love it all. :) For those who don't know, it is rice cooked in coconut milk and screwpine leave.




2) My second love is Penang Assam Laksa. I just love the sourness and spiciness from this gravy along with freshly sliced pineapple, red onion, cucumber, lettuce and fresh mint. Of course lots of fish as I made my own, I can afford to add lots of fish with the fat fat noodle top with shrimp paste, who could resist? At least I couldn't! Oh man, now I need a bowl of Penang assam laksa!

OK, now I have to pass the tag to __. Who's the lucky one?


The Cooking Ninja

Fresh from the Oven

Teczcape

I Sha

Stream in the Hip Desert


BTW ladies, no obligation okay? ;)


**Start Copy**

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?

Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.


Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang, Malaysia

JustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow

My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak

Monterssorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun

Chinnee loves Melaka Wan Tan Mee

PeimunLeah loves Hakka Lei Cha

Hui Sia loves Crispy duck skin from China

Karen loves Pan Mee

Simple American loves Cheese Enchiladas

Nicole Tan loves Char Tau Kueh

velverse loves Otak-Otak

Giddy Tiger loves Dim Sum

may loves Roti Bakar

Selba loves Gado-gado

Chen loves Satay*

eastcoastlife loves Shanghai Buns

Kev loves 蕃薯旦

Bokjae loves Ipoh Sar Hor Fun

Cooking Momster loves Penang Heah Koh & Chee Cheong Fun

Blur Mommy loves Clam Chowder

Granmother Stories loves everything

East Meets West Kitchen loves Good Dim Sum

Little Corner of Mine loves Nasi Lemak & Penang Assam Laksa

Monday, July 09, 2007

Winter Melon Soup

I went shopping at the Asian Market the other day and spotted the winter melon which was actually looking fresh, so I bought it to make soup. The cooking time for this soup is about 30 minutes, a quick and easy soup to prepare.



Ingredients:

1 bowl of 1 1/2-inch cubed winter melon pieces
4 Chinese dried mushroom, soften and sliced
4 slices of fresh ginger
1/2 pound of ground pork (marinate with light soy sauce, Shao Hsing cooking wine, sesame oil, garlic powder, white pepper, salt and sugar, mixed well and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour)
3-4 Tbsp canola oil
4-5 cups of water

Seasonings, to taste:
Light soy sauce
Salt
Sugar, about 1 tsp.
White pepper

Method:

1. In a saucepan, add in cooking oil. When hot, add in sliced ginger, stir for a while then add in sliced mushrooms. Stir for a minute, add winter melons and water. Let the water comes to a boil.

2. When boiled, scoop the ground pork with a small cookie scoop and drop into the soup. Add in seasonings, turn the heat to low and simmer until the pork balls cooked, about 20 minutes.

Note: Hubby didn't touch the winter melon at all. Love everything else especially the meat balls but no thanks to winter melon! Picky right?

Friday, July 06, 2007

Fruits Pastry Cake



Tada! Look familiar isn't it? This cake has been popping out at various food blogs and originally from a food forum IK. This is Vi's popular Fruits Pastry (she got the recipe from Mihaela). My hands gotten itchy when I kept reading about how delicious this cake is and vow to make it when I have some fresh fruits. Actually it's good with canned peach, pear and pineapple too. Anyway, I used fresh cherries, peach and canned pineapple for mine.



A closer look at the cake. The verdict is delish. Soft and moist with a mixed of sourness and sweetness from the fruits. Definitely good to bring to a potluck or serve in your party.


Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Lychee Konnyaku Jelly

The weather is turning warm and what a better way to cool off the body than some cold jelly? You can either make this with the normal jelly/agar-agar powder or konnyaku powder. I like to add the fruit for the extra refreshing taste.


Our family favorite ~ lychee konnyaku jelly.


Evy Update


She is getting big huh?

Now she is at this age that asks a lot of questions and loves to ask why. Sometimes she purposely asked me/daddy a question when she already knew the answer, just wanted to hear us say it. She is also like a "little old lady" who loves to repeat herself over and over again. To me, she is worst than the old lady since she would ask the same question 4 to 5 times in a row even though we have already answered her. I asked her, "Why are you so long winded?" or have to tell her, "Enough already!".

Oh, finally she is potty trained at 3 years & 2 months old. I didn't seriously start until she is after 3 because I'm a lazy mama. But just as the expert said, "When they are ready, they are." With her, it was fairly easy, a few accidents in the beginning and then smooth sailing after. Luckily the training pants that I bought for her can pass down to her sister. :)