Bak Chang & I

Duanwu Jie (or 端午节, Dragon Boat Festival) has always been present in my family through the making of bak chang. My mother would prepare them, offer them to the gods, and share them with people who mattered to us. Although she is Peranakan, she would make the Hokkien-style savoury bak chang, shaped by my father’s and grandmother’s Hokkien background. Occasionally, she would also buy the sweet Peranakan-style nonya chang for us. I have always preferred the nonya version. My personal journey in making the chang began in 2003. I think I went through two major phases in my nonya chang making journey: an early experimentation or "fusion" phase, and a later maturation into the nonya style. What began as experimentation shaped by homesickness has, over time, grown into something grounded in memory, belonging, and continuity - and, ultimately, in how I understand my own identity.

I started making it in 2003 when I was based in Tampa. I was living in a western country, navigating life as a minority, and I remember a persistent sense of loneliness and distance from my cultural roots. Food became a way of returning to something familiar. In that space, I began experimenting with bak chang. There was no clear recipe at the start - only instinct and memory. I went to a Vietnamese grocery shop and bought the ingredients and bamboo leaves. What emerged was a version that, at times, resembled Hokkien choot bee png (fried glutinous rice) wrapped in bamboo leaves, rather than bak chang in its fully formed sense. To many of us Asians based in Tampa, however, it carried a familiar resonance of home, and it became an unexpected success among fellow Asian military personnel on base.

In the years that followed, after returning to Singapore, I began to refine the recipe through trial and error. My mother guided me in those early years, especially in emphasising the importance of coriander powder and winter melon. What emerged was a fusion version that I was rather proud of - it felt like a meeting point between my parents’ heritage: Hokkien on one side, Peranakan on the other. Yet beneath that satisfaction was a quieter pull. I had wanted to make nonya chang, but the result kept settling into something in-between. I knew the ingredient mix was not quite right but could not pinpoint exactly what. Still, I was elated that my parents, especially my mother, enjoyed what I made. I sometimes wondered whether her enjoyment was also shaped by her own Peranakan upbringing, something she had carried differently after marrying into my father’s more traditional Hokkien family.

Over time, I kept adjusting the recipe with each passing year. Each year brought small refinements, and gradually the nonya character became more distinct - the first real turning point being the removal of hae bee (dried shrimp) and an increase in coriander powder. What had once been experimentation slowly became something more intentional, as though I was uncovering rather than inventing it. I have continued this annual practice ever since, and this year I went further, making adjustments to both the ingredients and the cooking method. The filling was made more savoury; the rice given more depth with extra garlic, fresh and fried shallots; and salt added to the boiling water to prevent dilution of flavours during cooking. The outcome felt closer than ever to what I had been seeking.

Looking back, what stands out is not the technical evolution of the recipe, but the emotional thread running through it. Making nonya chang has become a quiet way of staying connected - to my heritage, my parents, and their histories. More than that, it has gradually become part of who I am.

Here's my latest recipe >> Nonya Chang 2026

Here's a quick explanation to what the festival is: >> The festival commemorates the patriot and poet Qu Yuan and celebrates the enduring values of loyalty, remembrance, and community. These days, families mark the occasion by enjoying the bak chang or rice dumplings together, watching or participating in dragon boat races, and gathering to preserve cultural traditions across generations. 

Choot Bee Png (Glutinous Rice)

Let me capture the recipe for my choot bee png or 糯米饭(glutinous rice) here. This is the hokkien version and my mum used to cook it during the Seven Fairy Festival (that falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month). During this festival, she will cook this dish, sweet porridge (rice and mung bean porridge) as offerings. In addition, we will see make up powder, perfumes and 7 flowers on the altar table. And after the prayers is over, she will throw the flowers onto the roof... we don’t see it being practiced these days.

Anyway, here's the recipe for the glutinous rice:

Ingredients
2 cups of glutinous rice
80-100g of dried shrimps (more if you like stronger taste)
10-12 shallots (or 3-4 large onions) (use the purple ones or its equivalent in qty of shallots)
200g of pork belly (not too fatty unless you like pork fats)
5-8 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 - 2 chinese sausage (depending on preference)

2 tablespoon of oil (personally i prefer to use sesame oil)
dark soy sauce for colouring

light soy sauce to taste
oyster sauce to taste

dash of pepper to taste

Garnishing

fried shallots

spring onions

salted peanuts

Preparation

wash the rice and soak in water for about 1-2 hour. then drain off the water. the soaking will help the rice cook faster. wash and soak the shiitake mushrooms, cut into slices. wash the dried shrimps and drain off the water. then soak it in water for an hour. you can use the water from soaking the mushroom and the dried shrimps to cook the rice later. it makes excellent stock. cut pork belly into strips. you can boil the pork belly first before you cut it. cooked meat is much easier to cut. also, the resultant stock from boiling the pork belly can be used to cook the rice later. next, dice the shallots/ large onions.

Cooking

heat the oil in the wok. throw in the pork belly and let it fry till the pork strips turn a bit brown, then add in the chinese sausage. let them fry sufficiently to char the sausage a bit and to extract the oil from both the pork belly and sausage. throw in the diced shallots/ onions and fry till it is translucent (it should take about 1min of frying). put in the soaked dried shrimp and continue to fry for about 2min or until the fragrant emerges (this is to allow the ingredients to mix well). pour in shiitake mushrooms and let it simmer for 1 minute. pour in the glutinous rice. add the light and dark soya sauce, and pepper to taste. fry for another 1min or so to allow the rice to be fully soaked in the onion, pork, sausage, mushroom and dried shrimp mix. transfer the half cooked rice to the rice cooker. add water as necessary and let it cook in the rice cooker.

Serving

Serve the glutinous rice with the salted peanuts, fried shallots and spring onion. The dish will also go very well with chinese dried chilli oil, sambal belachan, or cut chilli depending on preferences.

Nonya Chang 2026

It’s been 2 years since I last made the nonya chang. Decided to make it again this year as there are people I wanted to give thanks to. And I have tried some new things this year - in terms of ingredients and cooking techniques. What came out this year was probably the best for me since I started making it. So, let me use this post to update what I did for my nonya chang this year. 

Meat (Filling)

1kg of meat (wu hua rou [pork collar] or san cheng rou [pork belly] - cut into cubes about 1.5cm)

1 large packet (200g) dried shiitake mushroom (soaked & sliced)

6 large onions (diced)

6-8 garlics (roughly chopped)

300g of sweetened preserved winter melon (diced 1cm)

* I used pork belly this year. Remove and discard the skin but retain the fats; and instead of cutting into strips, I cut them into cubes. To make it easier to cut, I boiled the pork belly till it is half cooked before I cut them. I retained the broth and used it to cook the meat subsequently.

Seasonings for Meat

1/2 - 1 packet of coriander powder

200g of white rock sugar (about 4-5 pieces)

White pepper powder (for taste)

Light soya sauce (for taste)

Dark soya sauce (for taste and to colour) 

Oyster sauce (for taste)

Chicken stock concentrate/ powder (for taste)

Sesame oil

Olive oil

Lard (optional)

* I added oyster sauce this year. It turned out better than expected. Also, I used more rock sugar and winter melon than previous year in an attempt to make the meat sweeter.

Rice

2kg of glutinous rice (soaked for 2-3 hours)

Seasonings for Rice

Sesame oil

Olive oil

15 garlics & 10 shallots (blended together) 

Fried shallots

2-3 tablespoon salt (make it more salty)

* I added shallots as well as fried shallots. It made the rice more fragrant. Also, I used more salt in anticipation of the bleaching when I boil it. 

Others/ Wrapping

1 packet (400g) or about 120 bamboo leaves (washed in hot water and soaked at least 2-3 hours)

Pandan leaves (about 7, cut 5cm long and sliced vertically) & strings. This will make about 50-60 chang.

Key to note for cooking:

(1) Make the seasoning stronger than it should taste becos once it is boiled, it will become bland and the taste after that will be just right. 

(2) Boil for about 45min - 1hr and when boiling, add 1-2 tablespoon of salt into the water. It will slow down the bleaching of the chang.

bak chang 2022

I want to use this post to update my bak chang recipe. Have made changes to the recipe as an experiment this year and I thought it turned out much better than I had expected.

meat
2kg of meat (wu hua rou)
1 large packet (300g) dried shiitake mushroom (soaked overnight & sliced)
10 large onions (diced/ blend)
8-10 garlics (chopped/ blend)
250g - 300g of sweetened preserved winter melon (diced 5mm)

seasonings for meat
1 packet of coriander powder
white pepper powder (to taste)
200g of white rock sugar (about 3-4 pieces)
light soya sauce (to taste)
dark soya (to taste and to colour)
50 mil of sesame oil
50 mil of oil (vegetable)
50 mil of lard (optional)
1-2 tablespoon chicken stock concentrate (to taste)

rice
3kg of glutinous rice (soaked for 3 hours)

seasonings for rice
white pepper powder (to taste)
10 mil of sesame oil
20 mil of oil (vegetable)
10 garlics (chopped/ blended)
1.5 tablespoon salt or soya sauce (or to taste)
(can also add in some of the sauce from the frying of the meat)

others/ wrapping
120 bamboo leaves (washed in hot water and soaked at least 2-3 hours)
pandan leaves (about 7, cut 5cm long and sliced vertically) & strings

Lemak

Here's a recipe of something I enjoyed as a kid. It's a Peranakan (straits-born Chinese) vegetable stew recipe that I cannot find anywhere. The closest I can describe it is that is similar to sayur lodeh (an Indonesian vegetable stew). Managed to reproduce earlier this week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing beats being brought back to the good old days of mum's cooking. The smell and the taste of childhood!

Here's the recipe:

Vegetables

Ladies finger - 4-5 (cut slanted) can consider fry first to remove the sticky secretions and put aside

Long beans - 5-6 (cut into 3cm lengths)

Brinjal - 1 (sliced)

Cabbage - half a cabbage (choose Chinese Beijing cabbage as it cooks and soften better)

Tempeh (fermented soya bean slabs) - 2 pieces( sliced into 3cm width, fry first and put aside)

Taukwa (soya bean slabs) - 2 pieces (cut into 4 pieces diagonally - sprinkle with a bit of salt and fry till golden brown), then set aside

Others (depends on own taste) - 1 carrot

Rempah (Spice mix)

Dried chilli - 7-8 pieces (soaked and cut up)

Fresh red chilli - 5-6 pieces (cut up)

Buah keras (candle nut) - 3-4 nuts

Kunyit (turmeric) 1 small piece

Onions/ shallots - 8-9 pieces

Belachan (fermented dried shrimp slabs) - one small piece (toast it over fire to make it more fragrant)

Heh bee (dried prawns) - 1-2 tablespoon (soaked in water to make it soft)

Others

Fresh prawns - 8-9 prawns

Heh bee (dried prawns) 2 tablespoons (soaked in water to make it soft and then drained off)

Water (or chicken stock) - enough to fill pot - should be about 2 litres at least

Coconut milk - 1 sachet (can also squeeze from one coconut or use 1 packet ready made coconut milk)

Salt to taste (or if preferred 1 cube of Chicken stock)

Cooking Oil (can mix with a bit of sesame oil if desired, but I prefer not)

Preparation of Rempah

Put everything into grinder, add a little water and grind. You have a choice to decide how fine you want to grind it. For me, I like it fine.

Cooking

Heat oil, fry the dried prawns to draw out the taste. Should take about 15-30sec. Then put in rempah when hot and stir fry till it dries up. This is also to caramelize the shallots. Add in the hard vegetables (eg cabbage, ladies fingers and long beans) and continue frying before adding water/ chicken stock. Bring to boil, add the softer vegetables, tempeh, prawns, taukwa (basically add everything else) and let it simmer. Finally, add the coconut milk, bring to boil and prepare to serve. Add salt or soya sauce to taste.

Tip 1: if using fresh coconut, use the thin second round coconut extract first, bring to boil, add the first round thick extract, bring to boil and then serve.

Tip 2: If you want to have the flexibility to adjust the spiciness, you can consider removing a small portion (say 1/4) of the rempah after frying it. Continue with the cooking and add/ adjust accordingly to suit your liking after you have added the coconut milk.

bak chang 2015

yup, finally did it - 2 weeks late. but it was good. in fact, i personally felt this was my best effort, felt the outcome was good enough to pass the first batch to my neighbour. this time round, i did things slightly differently. i added the coriander powder direct into the glutinous rice. here's how i prepared the rice this year - blended the garlic till very fine and fry it in oil, stir until until you can smell the garlic fragrance, add the packet of coriander powder and continue frying it lightly (not too long else it'll turn bitter), throw in the rice, fry it a bit and then add water (that was earlier boiled with pandan leaves). here's the updated recipe. 

meat
4kg of meat (wu hua rou)
300g of heh bee (dried shrimps soaked for 3 hours)
1 large packet (300g) dried shiitake mushroom (soaked overnight & sliced)
15 large onions (diced)
10 garlics (chopped)
250g of sweetened preserved winter melon (diced 5mm)

seasonings for meat
2 packets of coriander powder
white pepper powder (to taste)
200g of white sugar
light soya sauce (to taste)
dark soya (to taste and to colour)
50 mil of sesame oil
50 mil of oil (vegetable)
50 mil of lard (optional)
1 tablespoon msg (optional)

rice
5kg of glutinous rice (soaked for 3 hours)

seasonings for rice
white pepper powder (to taste)
10 mil of sesame oil
20 mil of oil (vegetable)
10 garlics (chopped)
1.5 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1 packet of coriander powder
oyster sauce (to taste) (optional)
half cup gravy from the cooking of the meat (optional if coriander powder is used)
1 tablespoon msg (optional)
pandan leaves (about 7, cut 5cm long and sliced vertically) or...
pandan leaves (2-3 stalk, cut into short strips, placed into about 500ml of water and bring to boil)

others
120 bamboo leaves (washed in hot water and soaked overnight)
rafia strings (tied into 10s of 50cm long) (1 roll makes about 12 bundles of 10s)
pandan leaves (2 stalks) cut to 2cm strips (for inserting into the dumplings)

babi ponteh

finally cooked the babi ponteh today - pork (and chicken) stewed in fermented beans. this is a peranakan dish and i had been eating it since i was a kid, something that my mum would cook during the chinese new year. there are many variants to this dish and some may include potatoes, bamboo shoots, etc. and mostly, it involved only pork as the main meat in the dish. for my family, we do not add potatoes nor bamboo. but we include chicken in addition to the pork. i had experimented with the recipe some time back and have modified the recipe to suit my liking. after cooking it, my mum commented that it reminded her of her mum's (my mama) cooking. that's so flattering! here's my recipe.

ingredients

1kg pork (twee bak) - make sure you have a nice layer of fat and skin as it provides the texture, cut into large pieces

1 medium-sized chicken cut into large pieces, you can replaced it with chicken parts like wings or drumsticks if need be

10 dried shiitake mushrooms - soaked and cut into halves

15-20 shallots & 10 garlic - blended into a smooth paste

3-4 tablespoon of fermented bean paste (tau cheo)

3-4 tablespoons of gula melaka (you can also use white castor sugar or brown sugar, but gula melaka would be more fragrant)

20ml of vegetable oil

4-6 tablespoon of dark soya sauce

10ml of sesame oil (optional)
1 stick of cinnamon (optional - i don't add this)

2-3litre of water (estimated volume)

garnish

coriander leaves (wan swee)

method

place the cut pork cubes and marinate with 1-2 tablespoon of dark sauce and a sprinkle of sugar. heat oil (mix both oil if you choose to also include sesame oil) in wok, pour in blended shallots and garlic. stir fry over slow fire till it turns translucent (should be about 2-3min) and you can smell the fragrance. add the tau cheo paste and continue to fry for another minute or so (you can smell the fragrance). add the pork and continue to stir fry for another 2-3minutes until it is totally covered with the shallot/garlic/tau cheo paste. add the water (or the stock) until the pork is totally submerge in it. add the mushroom, add salt, sugar (to taste) and the remaining dark soya sauce and bring it to boil. lower the heat and simmer for about 2hrs. add chicken parts and simmer for another hour. add garnish, serve hot with white rice (cook extra rice cos nobody eats babi ponteh with just a normal serving of rice!)

other tips

to make it easier for you to cut the pork, you can boil it in water first. you can then filter the water and use the stock later instead of water. same goes for the mushroom. you can soak the mushroom and then use the stock to cook. when you first add the stock, leave some behind and you can top it up when you add the chicken. the dish is best eaten on the second day after cooking cos the extra time would have allowed all the seasoning, and the sweetness of the meat to emerge and mix!

enjoy!

sharks

finally managed to buy what i had been wanting to do for a while. shark meat! been a long time since i ate shark meat. and no, it's not sharks fin, it's shark meat.

shark meat is something that most people seldom cook. the meat is not as sweet as that of other fishes and certain, the texture is not as soft too. in fact, if not cooked well, it may jolly well come across as rubbery. after all, it is known to contain a higher level of ammonia/ urea compared to other meats as sharks are known to be relatively more sedentary compared to other fishes and the uric acid built up in its meat is generally higher too.

but yeah, i have finally gotten it, fresh from the market. look forward to deep fry it with flour and some seasoning.

:-)

端午节2014

端午节2014。大功告成！

祝大家端午节快乐！

happy bak chang aka dumpling festival!

:-)

ondeh ondeh

managed to make ondeh ondeh today. love the end result! here's the recipe...

pulut inti

decided to make pulut inti yesterday. wanted to do something different given it was a public holiday and i had some time. managed to do it within an hour late morning. somehow, we don't eat too much of what we cooked. but i liked the outcome. sedap sekali!

then again, if i were to do it again next time, i must include one important ingredient - blue pea flower colouring.

lol! here's the recipe...

white fungus

i have enjoyed white fungus (tremella fuciformis) dessert for the longest time. one of my earliest memory of this fungus was during my officer cadet days in oct 1985 when we went to taiwan for our training. we had field exercises and i brought along a couple of cans of sweetened white fungus. it was one helluva refreshing and worked wonders after our non-stop trench-digging. and today, i decided to cook the white fungus dessert. it is supposed to help soothe a person's throat and clear the phlegm. and since mum and i had been coughing like crazy, i really hope this dessert helps. the picture of the water soaked white fungus is really pretty right?

:-)

dessert recipe

white fungus - one "flower"

water - 500ml - 1liter (depending on how much soup you like)

rock sugar (white) - to taste

panda leaves - 4-5 stalk (tear the pandan in the center and knot it up)

red dates (optional)

gingko nuts (optional)
dried longan (optional)
sprinkling of wolfberry (optional)

method

soak the white fungus for about 15min. once it soften, remove the hard central stem and cut to bite size. place the white fungus, dried longan, gingko nuts, lotus seeds, red dates and the knotted pandan leaves into a pot. add water and boil. once boiled, simmer for about 10-15min. remove the pandan leaves, add the rock sugar to taste. add wolfberries last as it cooks very fast. the wolfberries add a dash of color as well as contributes to the sweetness of the soup. cool the dessert, place it in the fridge and serve chilled.

enjoy!

(i don't know about you, but for me personally, plain white fungus with rock sugar is good by itself, no need all the rest! haha!)

what the fish...

it's always nice to eat steamed fish. and that was what i cooked for dinner. haha. i have been so domesticated these days. or rather, with the so many days off, even having dinners out has become a challenge. and i find myself asking again and again what to eat, and where to go. so, in the end, might as well cook my own dinners! and it is probably more wholesome too! and so for today, i decided it would be steamed fish, complete with a whole lot of shitake mushrooms, and tomatos.

:-)

ingredients
1 medium to large size fish (here i use grouper, you can use sea bass or pomfret too)
10 large dried shitake mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
1-2 tomatos cut into quarters (or halves depending on your preference)
2 sliced red chilli
blue ginger cut into strips
4 large chopped garlic 
3-4 tablespoon of soya sauce
sprinkle of seasoning
half cup of water

method
place the sliced mushroom onto the plate
place the fish onto the mushroom (make a diagonal cut across the body so that it cook better)
place the sliced ginger, chilli and chopped garlic over the fish
sprinkle the seasoning and pour the soya sauce over the fish
add the water
place it over a wok of water and steam it for half hour

garnish with coriander leaves if you desire.

serve hot with fragrant jasmine rice.

enjoy!

home cooked food

decided to cook dinner this evening. 

chicken wings and champignon soup. very easy dish. mum's favourite. fried some vegetables with prawns and fried an egg for each of us. and of cos, with lots of sambal belachan to go with the chicken wings!

nice, easy, wholesome dinner.

yumzzz!

oh, the recipe for the chicken wing champignon soup is as follows:

ingredients
8 chicken wings
1 large can of champignon (drained and washed)
salt to taste

method
throw in everything into the container
(you can either have the champignon whole or sliced)
fill with 2 litres of water
bring to boil
lower heat and stew for 45min
add salt to taste

add some cilantro (coriander leaves) aka 芫荽 yan sui (wan swee) as garnishing if you desire.

serve by itself or with rice!

enjoy!

bak chang 2013

process of cooking the meat... 4hrs of non-stop stewing

was a busy weekend for me making bak chang. my version of bak chang for that matter. and this year, i changed the recipe a little bit. i add oyster sauce to the glutinous ice. also, i refined the method of cooking the meat. for a start, i used to dice the raw meat previously and it was one helluva difficult. so this year, what i did was that i boiled the meat till it was almost cook, and then i dice them. very easy cos cooked meat is hard and easier to cut. and for the stock, i used them to cook the meat. the whole process was very much less bloody and faster. as for the winter melon, sugar and coriander seed powder, i added them when the meat was cooked and almost done. and the sequence was (1) coriander seed powder, (2) sugar, and (3) winter melon. this way, the coriander seed powder will not get burned (burned powder is bitter to taste), the sugar will be nicely melted, and the winter melon will remain intact. intact winter melon will add to the texture and sweetness of the dumplings. ok... that's all for this year's bak chang!

the product after 2 hours of wrapping and boiling

meat
4kg of meat (wu hua rou)
300g of heh bee (dried shrimps soaked for 3 hours)
1 large packet (300g) dried shiitake mushroom (soaked overnight & sliced)
15 large onions (diced)
10 garlics (chopped)
250g of sweetened preserved winter melon (diced 5mm)

seasonings for meat
2 packets of coriander powder
white pepper powder (to taste)
200g of white sugar
light soya sauce (to taste)
dark soya (to taste and to colour)
50 mil of sesame oil
50 mil of oil (vegetable)
50 mil of lard (optional)
1 tablespoon msg (optional)

rice
5kg of glutinous rice (soaked for 3 hours)

seasonings for rice
white pepper powder (to taste)
10 mil of sesame oil
20 mil of oil (vegetable)
10 garlics (chopped)
1.5 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
oyster sauce (to taste)
half cup gravy from the cooking of the meat
1 tablespoon msg (optional)
pandan leaves (about 7, cut 5cm long and sliced vertically)

others
120 bamboo leaves (washed in hot water and soaked overnight)
rafia strings (tied into 10s of 50cm long) (1 roll makes about 12 bundles of 10s)
pandan leaves (2 stalks) cut to 2cm strips (for inserting into the dumplings)

tips on cooking vegetarian dishes

have been cooking lotsa vegetarian food for mum lately. so i thought it would be useful for me to also blog some of the recipes and tips on cooking vegetarian food. initially i had lotsa tensions about how to cook vegetarian food. afterall, one cannot include the usual ingredients and condiments like garlic and onions. so, tofu-based food become one of the most important ingredients to include. and to add variety to the various dishes, i also experimented with vegetarian dishes with porridge, vegetarian mee tai mak, vegetarian noodles, vegetarian kuay teow soup etc.  the following are some things one can consider to spice things up...

• buy tofu or tau kwa, smash it up, add a little salt and fry the smashed tofu till crispy. this fried tofu is a very useful topping to throw onto any fried vegetable dishes. and the small bits of salt gives the dish an added texture and taste in addition to the flavourful tofu taste that comes with it.

• instead of adding salt to tau kwa before deep frying it, try doing it without adding any salt. the tau kwa itself makes a wonderful dish and without the salt, one can better taste the tofu taste.

• use different types of fresh mushrooms when you stir fry the vegetable. fresh mushrooms, especially shiitake mushrooms, gives the dish a smoother feel and fragrance. use golden mushroom if you prefer a light hint of  sweetness. on the other hand, if you prefer the stronger taste, you can use dried mushrooms. do note, however, that if you use dried mushrooms, you can use the water (used to soak the mushroom) so as not to waste the flavour of the mushroom.

• for variety, you can consider buying those canned vegetarian dishes (eg vegetarian abalone, vegetarian duck, etc) and adding them to the dishes. but do not overdo this cos canned food tend to come with lots of preservatives and is not good for health.

• use various types of spices to, short of a better word, spice up your dishes. tomatoes, parsley, chilli (green or red, fresh or preserved), pepper and so on make wonderful addition to your dishes.

• play around with the different ways of cooking to produce food with different textures. this will make your dishes interesting. deep fried yam, steamed yam, stir fried yam etc all produce different types of taste and experiences for the person eating them.

• make use of food with different colours (chilli, tomatoes, flowers, etc) to make your dishes look interesting and less boring.

heh... there are many more tips i have learned... will add along the way. and one thing i have learned, vegetarian cooking can be fun and interesting! and of cos, healthy too if you do it correctly.

enjoy!

十全大補汤

decided to make 十全大補汤 (a type of herbal soup) for dinner. yummy! superbly fulfilling. been a while since i made any herbal soup for mum. in a way, i wanted to have a variety to the nightly routines of dinners. also, it was to make up for forgetting to make herbal soup for mum 2 weeks back on the 9th lunar day of the 9th lunar month. accordingly, it is believed that all herbs are most potent on that day and that everyone should take herbal soups to nourish their body... anyway, stewed a couple of chicken thighs and drumsticks with the herbs over slow fire for about 2 hours and downed it with a plate of rice, complete with sambal belachan (pound-chilli with preserved shrimp paste)... heavenly! haha... such combinations... so singaporean (and malaysian, i believe).

ingredients

1 packet of 十全大補汤 herbs from the chinese sinseh outlet

1 chicken (or equivalent, i used 2 thighs + 2 full drumsticks)

2 - 2.5 litres of water

salt to taste

method

wash chicken well. remove skin and fats if desired (i did). put all ingredients into a large pot, top it up with water. bring to boil. lower the heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours (longer if you want the chicken to be softer). add salt to taste. serve hot with white rice. 

you can either eat the chicken with sambal belachan or simply cut chilli with soya sauce.

enjoy!

note: for the sambal belachan, there are various versions at the supermarket, i tend to go for the peranakan-type that is ready mixed with lime. 

picture from http://blog1.poco.cn/myBlogDetail-htx-id-5436671-userid-56172554-pri--n-0.xhtml

pengat lemak kacang

made one of my favorite peranakan dessert yesterday - pengat lemak kacang. been a long while since i last made it... this is my personal recipe after observing how my mum cooked her version...

:-)

ingredients
green beans - 200g
sago - 100g
gula melaka - 150g
coconut milk - extracted from 1 freshly grated coconut or 1 small ready-made pack
gula puteh (white sugar) - to taste
pandan leaves

preparation
wash pandan leaves and tear the pandan leaves along the veins. tie the leaves into knots and leave aside
(tearing the leaves will help the extraction process of the pandan fragrance). for the sago, wash the sago, dry off the excess water and leave it aside. as sago has the tendency to absorb water, it is useful to only wash it when the green beans are about cooked. for the coconut milk, if you are using freshly grated coconut, add about 50ml of water, and squeeze out the extract (if you prefer, you can squeeze it without adding any water). leave the initial thicker extract aside, add another 100ml of water and repeat extraction process. the second extract would be more diluted.

method
wash the green beans. put in the pandan leaves, add water and cook for about 45min until the green beans are cooked. remove the pandan leaves and discard. add the gula melaka and white sugar (to taste). when the gula melaka and sugar have melted, add in the sago. cook until the sago turn transparent. add in the ready made coconut milk. (if you are using freshly grated coconut, add in the second round diluted coconut milk first, bring to boil, then add the thicker initial extract). bring to quick boil, turn off the heat.

serve warm or chilled depending on preference.

* post-note: very important to bring to quick boil after adding the coconut milk, prolong boiling will make the pengat a little rancid due to the coconut oil being cooked out of the milk.

* to make pengat durian, you can use the same recipe but add in the durian meat (amount up to your preference) together with the sago.

fruit porridge

it's actually quite nice to eat mashed fruits. have been mashing a mixture of apples and carrots almost daily these couple of days. simply cut them into small pieces, throw them into the blender, add some ice water and blend them together. and walah! you get mashed fruit porridge. and yesterday, i did the same with apples, bananas and soursop. beautiful smooth consistency not unlike half melted yoghurt.

nice, fresh and without any trace of oil.

very healthy and refreshing.

:-)

yam cake

the following is the recipe for making chinese yam cake (also known as orh kueh in hokkien). managed to get this recipe from my sis. the details are purely estimates and you can vary according to your own taste... the following amount would yield about 2 trays of yam cake.

ingredients
yam - about the size of your fist
2 big onions or a handful of shallots
8 – 10 mushrooms
belly meat, or minced lean meat (amount as desired)
2 tbsp of dried prawns
450gm of rice flour
1500 cc of either water or stock (as desired)

preparations
dice the yam into small cubes
coarsely chop the onions/ shallots
soak the mushrooms in water and cut them into strips
keep the water used for soaking for the mixture, adds to the fragrance
for the meat, you may choose to take away the fat or you can also use minced meat, amount as desired
soak the dried prawns and lightly crushed it (as in the mushroom, you can consider using the water used to soak the prawns for the mixture)
mix the rice flour to the stock (proportion is 300gm to 1000 cc)

seasoning
light sauce - to taste
oyster sauce - to taste
pepper
dash of sugar
salt
msg (as desired)
a dash of 5 spice powder

cooking
stir fry meat till fragrant and the oil comes out. scoop aside. stir fry dried prawns till fragrant then add in the diced onions. stir fry onions till fragrant (transparent, glassy look). add in the meat, mushrooms and the yam. mix thoroughly as in cooking yam rice (exactly). once done, flavour with light sauce, oyster sauces, pepper, dash of sugar, salt and msg as desired. sprinkle a tiny dash of 5 spice powder (too much too strong, not nice). stir fry and mix thoroughly and scoop aside. mix the 450gm of rice and 1500 cc of liquid in the wok and warm over not too strong fire. pour in the yam mix into the rice flour solution. taste and flavour further if necessary. stir over medium fire, scrapping the base regularly to prevent the base from getting burnt. the mixture will slowly become paste like. keep stirring and scrapping the base and do until the whole mixture becomes paste like as in cooking banana hoon kuey (will be easier if use an anti stick wok). transfer paste to a flat tin and steam for about 45mins to 60 mins. once done, leave to cool. do not cut until cool as the mixture would still be watery when hot.

once cooled, cut and serve with chilli sauce/ sambal/ or sweet sauce according to liking. garnish with cut chilli, shallots and a dash of onion oil.

enjoy!