SWIRLY PANDAN MOONCAKES WITH RED BEAN PASTE

I know the Mooncake festival is over but I had made some Pandan Essence and also had some red bean paste leftover. So I decided to make these mooncakes- swirly pastry.

This time, I used the recipe from the Flavours Magazine -September -October 2005.

the oil dough (dark green) on top and the water dough bottom

Wrapping the oil dough with the water dough. 

All rolled up and into the fridge to rest. 

Is this play-doh or mooncakes? -

 I was delighted to see the swirls and thank goodness, the colour was just a pale natural green colour after baking.

Pandan Mooncake with Red Bean filling.

With the remaining Pandan Essence, I baked the Pandan Butter Cake - recipe from The Nasi Lemak Lover.  I am not sure that I really like the cake as I found it tasted a bit bitter, it could be due to the pandan essence as I may have used too many pandan leaves to blend. But my sister tasted and say it is delicious. 

  

Lastly I baked some Moist Chocolate cupcake- as its name say, moist and soft even though it does not look like it.  After 2 days it was still very soft. 

MALAYSIA HEALTHY LIFE EXPO 2013

The month of October is coming and its the "happening" month! There is the Oktoberfest and Halloween and don't forget its the Pink Month- yes breast cancer awareness month. 

There was a Malaysia Healthy Life Expo over the weekend at the Mid-Valley Shopping Mall.   The Breast Cancer Welfare Association has a booth at the expo and I was there to help for half a day.  Principally the booth was to raise the awareness of breast cancer and to teach how to do breast self-examination. Early detection save lives!      

The response from the public especially young adults was encouraging whereas the older generations seems to be lukewarm towards this, maybe they were already well informed. 

There were a lot of  freebies given out by the various booths- recycle bags, free drinks (pure collagen drink), free trial for machine message, free ear candling, free consultation, free eye tests and even free sweets.
I witnessed some same faces many times that day and each time, they would be clutching a new recycle bag! I wonder whether they would read and recycle all those flyers and free brochures as well. 

There are no freebies from our booth- only free teaching as the mobile clinic was not available for free test. But these merchandise are for sale and all the proceeds goes towards the funds to raise the awareness of breast cancer in many rural areas as well especially to Sabah and Sarawak too.

I got a respite from all the standing and talking as I went for my lunch- alone.
Eating alone is a strange feeling- missing the chatter I normally have with Sarah during the mealtime.

The banchan: anchovies, kimchi, cucumber kimchi, black beans, 

preserved mustard and honeydew salad

Bibimbap- vegetables only with the egg- must try to be healthy hahaha. 

I was tired by the time I got home but it has been an rewarding day at least. 

So ladies, I encourage you to do breast self-examination every month.

  

CHEERS TO YOUR DEPARTURE

Another farewell dinner given by Sarah's cousin, Wai Yee.

I am grateful for the advices and tips of studying  that she gave Sarah.  She herself  has obtained  her Masters in Science as well as Business Management while working too- definitely the "brains" in the family.

Spoilt for choices----

Giant tanks filled with all sorts of  fish, crustaceans and geoduck too.

Beijing Roasted Duck 

Slicing off silvers of the crispy skin. 

Wrapping the crispy skins and spring onions in paper thin crepes 

smeared with hoisin sauce

Yummy

Another use of Japanese snails (besides for facials:D!) 

Stir fry with red peppers and celery- 

Fried Rice using the duck meat with long beans. 

Stir Fry Green veggies - did not catch the name of this green veg.

Their signature dish - Cantonese Fried Noodles -

very tasty and unique textures - 

the mixture of  crunchy/crispy deep fried noodles with the soft noddles.

You can serve the roasted duck in 3 ways - crispy skin with the crepe, moist succulent meat either for stir fry or with fried rice/noddles and its bones or carcass for soup.
However this restaurant only cater for 2 ways - only skin and meat. Maybe I should have asked for carcass to takeaway and make the soup myself :D!
Thank you once again for advices and dinner.

 

SAYONARA, AISHITERU SARAH

Prior to her departure to UK for her studies, Sarah was feted by her family and friends to farewell dinners/lunches.  I say a big thank you on her behalf.  I was lucky to be  included in a farewell dinner given by Esther and her friend David :D!

We went to Maiu Japanese restaurant in Sri Petaling.

Cosy cafe - Eat All You Can ala carte buffet.

David and Esther

I like this style of buffet, you ordered what you want and the food is prepared on the spot. No rushing, no lukewarm food on the buffet line and no time limit for you to enjoy yourselves.    

The Menu is quite comprehensive and includes basics like nigiri sushi, Sashimi, hand rolls (my favourite being the soft shell crab) maki, Yaki, Tempura, Teppanyaki and Donburi and they even have a few variety for vegetarians.

Appetisers- edamame, jelly fish, wakame salad and chawan Mushi.

Freshest succulent sashimi (air flown)- salmon, Shiro Maguro(tuna belly), Kanpachi (yellow tail)

one word - scrumptious!

Saba Shioyaki- grilled mackerel - moist and tender

Salmon skin salad- tiny silvers of crispy salmon shin - just like eating wafers! 

We also like their Salmon skin Maki 

Beef Sukiyaki - tasty soup but beef was a little overcooked.

Grilled Salmon shioyaki - I still prefer the mackerel though.

Age Dashi Tofu

Kaki Tofu Fried - lovely soft tofu within crispy batter  

Tofu Steaks - again soft tofu enclosing an oyster in the centre and deep fried-yummy

Tempura

Dessert- tingling wasabi ice-cream with red bean paste.  

These were just a few of the dishes which we ordered and we were too full to try their Donburi and soba.

Arigato David and Esther for the lovely dinner. 

Anata Ga Koishii Desu, Sarah.

THE STORY WHICH MY MOTHER TOLD ME

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone(19/9/2013).  

I remember my mother telling us the story/legend behind the celebration of this festival and so now I am telling just to put on record for the future generation. 

According to the Chinese mythology, the festival and its offerings are made to Chang'e aka The Moon Goddess.  

In the past there was a hunter named Hou Yi who was a sharp shooter and Sheong Ngor is his wife.  One year ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky.  This caused a lot of hardship to the people- there were no harvest and no water and people were dying.  So Hou Yi went to shoot down the nine Suns.   For his bravery, he was made Emperor.   But soon he became ruthless and tyrannical. He was scared of dying and ordered his advisers to produce a elixir for him so that he can become  immortal. These advisers in order to please the Emperor told him to kill and boil the blood of all the young children to make the elixir.  His wife was saddened by the evil doings of the Emperor and stole his elixir so that he would not harmed the people any more.  When the Emperor found out, he demanded  Sheong Ngor to return it to him.  She swallowed the elixir instead and he was so angry that he try to shoot her.  But she was slowly ascending towards the heaven due to the effect of the elixir.   She then took up residence in the moon and hence become a diety.  The people were grateful to her and made offerings and  worshipped to her on the15th day of the 8th lunar moon.

Already there are many posts/blogs on making mooncakes - snow-skinned mooncakes tinged with the colour of Bunga Telang, wholesome mixed nuts traditional mooncake (my favourite and yet I have not make one personally!) to exotic durian and champagne mooncakes!

I did my humble Shanghai Mooncakes instead.   

Roasting melon seeds 

Prepared Salted Egg Yolks

I used store bought White Lotus Paste-less sweet.

At the end of it all, I forgot to take a photo of my Shanghai Mooncakes! 

I also made these Yam Mooncakes with my homecooked yam paste in flaky pastry. Recipe adapted from The Nasi Lemak Lover.

creamy yam filling

Love the swirls of the pastry and of course the yam filling.  

I had made 2 lots of the yam filling. However, one of the lot was too soft and moist so I forego the yam and used the extra pastry to make these Red Bean Paste Mooncake

 I also made some Green Tea Paste Mooncakes.

Green Tea Paste with Red Bean Paste filling Mooncake.

Our family had gathered to celebrate the festival last weekend and it was a great day of gathering and thanksgiving and food of course.

Musical lanterns 

The BIG mixed nuts mooncake from Guangzhou, China.

Thanks to cousin Lai Ying and family.

Yan Yuet Leong Tin Yuen - gathering of family and friends and the Moon in perfect harmony.

Enjoy the day.

SHE IS LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

Time flies........
I remember carrying one month old Sarah into our new house.
I remember taking her and Esther for their ballet lessons as toddlers.
I remember her 12th years old  birthday party with her classmates
I remember the wonderful times we shared baking and cooking (or is it I cook, she eat?)
I remember again her 21st birthday party.
Sarah has left for her studies to UK  yesterday and now waiting in Dubai for another 7 hours flight to London and then 3 hours coach to Cardiff where she will spend a year there.
.

There are countless milestones and achievements along her life's path that I could remember.
Throughout it all,  she has been a very good and  thoughtful and thoroughly  cheerful daughter.
And I am going to miss having her around me.Period.

I will be handicapped without her driving me around to eat and to shop and to see shows.
I will be lazy to cook as she is not around to share the fruits of my labour
I will be miss my sparing partner to argue on the politics, books and lifestyle.

As my sister Vicky share:  "A bird when it takes flight and then tired come to rest on a tree and the branch fall away but the bird fears not as she knows she has wings."

Have a good time - both study and playing hard, Sarah.

A BIG thank you to all my family and friends for their good advices, wishes and gifts to Sarah.
 

NORTHERN INDIAN CUISINE AT ARYAN

I have 3 wonderful doggies waiting for me after work every day, so that's why I don't want to go out after work during the weekdays.

JuJu 

Toto

Phow-Phow

From the pictures above, you find Juju in his cage outside the house, Toto on the sofa and Phow-Phow on the floor, so can you guess who is the "king"?

However last Friday was an exception, both of us went shopping and then adjourned for dinner.  Both of us does love to go for the occasional Banana Leaf rice and I have no problem taking idlis and dosais for breakfast.

We went to the Aryan Restaurant, serving fine authentic Northern Indian Cuisine. 

Spacious interior- they cater for special occasions too.

North India experiences extreme climates and because of  its geographical position it had abundance of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables and its cuisine has strong Asian influences. Mughlai and Kashmiri styles of cooking are popular, the former from the imperial kitchen of the Mughal Empire(wiki).

North Indians seem to prefer Indian breads over rice. Tandoori cooking is a speciality of Northern India cooking style.

    

Our first course was this Naan- thin crispy bread.

The naan is accompanied with this Tandori Chicken with pickles onions- its look belied its taste.  It is mildly spicy and meat was moist and tender- not the usual tough dry pieces that we normally get elsewhere. 

   

The most notable ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine is mutton.

From right: Aloo ghobi (potatoes with cauliflower in thick creamy curry);  mutton Khurma - moderately spicy with thick gravy and a pot of delicately fragrant Briyani Rice.  Normally, I prefer beef (which is not use or forbidden in Kashmiri cuisine)  or chicken over mutton/lamb because of their strong aroma.   Surprisingly I find the mutton soft and tender without the strong taste.

We also had the Fish masala and dhall curry (not in photos) which was so full of lentils and yet creamy- none of the watery stuff! 

Our set dinner was for 2 persons and we did credit to the meal- almost all clean plates :D!.    

To finish off,  dessert was served. Cold ice-cream served with warm carrot halwa.

The carrot halwa was sweet and soft pairing well with milky ice cream.

We enjoyed this Northern India meal very much.

Enjoy your long weekend too.