No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

This simple yet delectable and soothing Matcha Pudding is a delicious sweet treat to round up a meal.  I adapted the recipe from  'Justonecookbook.com' ,  reduced the sugar, tweaked it but doubled the recipe. It was well received by members of the family and the pudding were finished in a jiffy! Matcha Pudding  ~  抹茶布丁  Ingredients 2 Tbsp matcha/green tea powder 10 gm gelatine powder 4 Tbsp hot water 2.1/2 cups milk 70 gm mixture of caster and raw sugar Method Sift the matcha powder into a bowl. Put the gelatine powder into a bowl and pour in the hot water to mix. Heat up a cup of water in a saucepan and place the bowl of gelatine on top.  Once the gelatine powder dissolves, remove and set aside. In another small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil (when bubbles are seen at the side of the saucepan), turn off heat. Add in the sugar mixture and whisk till dissolved. Take 6 Tbsp of milk mixture from (step 5 above) and add into...

The scientific name for Peach resin is Prunus Persica which is resin secreted from the Peach tree and form like crystals which are stuck to the tree.  Originated from China, the composition of peach resin is collagen, amino acids.  The rich collagen helps to improve the complexion, nourishes and helps to prevent dryness of the skin.  It also helps to improve bowel movement.  In short, this is an inexpensive substitute to the highly expensive birds nest. Peach Resin Snow Fungus Dessert  ~    桃胶雪耳糖水 Ingredients 50 gm Peach resin 20 gm snow fungus 30 gm dried longan 30 gm seedless red dates 2 lt water 100 gm rock sugar(I used 150 gm organic cane sugar) or to taste 6 Pandan leaves, knotted Method Soak the peach resin in a lot of water for 12 hours or preferably overnight.  The peach resin will expand to about 8 to 10 times after soaking.   Remove the impurities and rinse the jelly like peach r...

When I saw the post of Prune Butter Cake from Ann of anncoojournal , I told myself that I have to give this a try as the bottle of Rum has been sitting comfortably in my pantry for a long time.  True to what Ann said, the kitchen was filled with sweet fragrance when the cake was baking in the oven.  The texture may be a bit dense but it was moist and soft.  Tastes good served warm or cooled. Prune Butter Cake  ~   西梅牛油蛋糕 Ingredients 200 gm butter 160 gm caster sugar 230 gm plain flour 4 large eggs (lightly beaten) 2 tsp lemon juice 2.1/2 Tbsp Rum 1.1/2 tsp vanilla 1.1/3 tsp baking powder 2.1/2 Tbsp milk 120 gm dried pitted prunes 3.1/2 Tbsp Rum 1 Tbsp sugar Method Soak the prunes with Rum and sugar for about an hour.  Simmer over low  heat for 5 mins. till the prunes plump up.   Remove 8 eight pieces for decoration and snip or cut up the rest.  Add in 2 Tbsp sifted flour to absorb moisture....

Snow fungus is known for its medicinal benefits as it helps to nourish the body, heals dry cough and clears heat in the lungs.  It can be used to make savoury or sweet soup.  To combat the current heat spell that  we are experiencing I chose to make this into a sweet soup with dried lily bulb.  This can be served warm or chilled. Snow fungus with lily bulb sweet soup  ~    雪耳 百合 糖水 Ingredients 30 gm organic snow fungus 25 gm pak hup/dried lily bulb, rinsed 20 gm dried longan 110 gm organic cane sugar 2 lt water Screwpine leaves (optional) Method Soak the snow fungus till softened.  Remove the hard stem and snip into smaller pieces. Boil the water and once boiling, add in the snow fungus and cook for about 30 mins. Add in cane sugar to taste.  Continue to cook for about 20 mins. till flavour of the soup is enhanced.  Add in the lily bulb.  Simmer for another 10 mins. Dish out and serve.

This pumpkin pancake is soft and delicate and not too sweet as the sweetness is only from the red bean paste filling.   For a crispy pancake you can deep-fry them but I chose to just shallow pan-fry them in a non-stick pan.   This is great to serve as a tea-time snack over a cup of brimming hot Chinese tea. Chinese Pumpkin Pancake ~ 金瓜饼 (adapted from  'here' ) Ingredients 150 gm pumpkin, steamed (should get around 350 gm raw pumpkin)) 100 gm glutinous rice flour 100 gm red bean paste Sesame seeds (optional) Method Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and steam the pumpkin.  Once soft, drain off water and mash it up.  Weigh out 150 gm. Add in half glutinous rice flour and mix well.  Continue to mix in the glutinous rice flour and lightly knead till the dough does not stick to your hands. Wrap the pumpkin dough with some red bean paste, roll and shape it into a round ball.  Gently flatten it to a round disc o...

Both the Red bean sweet soup or  糖水  and Green bean sweet soup  糖水  dessert are very common in Chinese households and we serve them for breakfast, tea, snack or even supper.  There's even a 'Sweet Soup Street'   糖水 街 here in Ipoh which has become a tourist spot as well. Normally this  綠豆沙 糖水 i s cooked with mung beans but I've chosen to cook it with split mung beans devoid of the skin and blended them as well.  Consistency and sweetness are up to your personal preference and I have kept some in ramekins, chilled and they were superb as pudding.                                      Luk Tau Sar  (Mung Bean sweet soup)  ~  綠豆沙 Ingredients 300 gm split mung beans 180 gm piece sugar or granulated sugar 1/8 tsp salt Pandan leaves 1.1/2 tsp cornflour +  2 Tbsp water (optional) M...

Dragon fruit aka Pitaya is a gorgeous fruit with a magnificient colour to behold.  This sorbet only requires four ingredients and is a light and refreshing treat with all natural goodness. Dragon Fruit Sorbet ~  火龙果冰糕 Ingredients 2 dragon fruits 3/4 cup ice cold water 1 Tbsp lemon juice 3 Tbsp caster sugar Method Cut the dragon fruits into halves, scoop out the pulp.  Reserve the skins and freeze for later use. Blend the pulp, sugar, water and lemon juice till smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover with cling wrap and let chill for 2 hours or more. Transfer the mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker, churn for 15 to 20 mins. or as per instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour this into a container and freeze before serving. Serve in the freezed dragon fruit 'shells' or in a bowl. Note :  If the sorbet is not sweet enough to your liking, drizzle with some honey before serving.

The recipe for this soft and light Baked Egg Cake is derived from the original recipe for steamed egg cake or Ji Dan Gao  ( 鸡 蛋 糕). I like the texture of this cake which is not too sweet and it does pair very well with a hot cup of our local black coffee.    Baked Egg Cake ~   烤鸡蛋糕  (adapted from ' here ' ) Ingredients  (A) 3 egg yolks 1 whole egg 50 ml canola oil 65 gm self-raising flour 5 gm cocoa powder + 1 tsp water 1/2 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt (B)      3 egg whites           65 gm icing sugar Method In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, egg with a handwhisk.  Add in canola oil and mix till well combined. Sieve in self-raising flour, mix well and set aside. In another clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites till foamy, add in icing sugar in three batches and whisk till stiff peaks but not dry. Fold in 1/3 meringue into the flour mixture with a spatula, mix well...

St. Andrews (Old course) in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland overlooking the North Sea is a world renowned golf course for avid golfers and is the largest public golf course in Europe. The ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral,  Scotland's largest and most magnificient medieval church.  It is a prominent landmark highly visible from the sea. We stopped by for lunch in this cafe and for the first time, I tasted savoury waffles.  More often than not, waffles are served with honey, maple syrup or jam but I must admit that savoury ones are truly very delicious. Home made soup served with a warm savoury waffle and salted butter ~ 4.95 pounds Smoked streaky bacon with lashings of maple syrup ~  5.95 pounds Pan-fried steak & caramelised onions, topped with rocket and watercress, dressed with a whole grain mustard sauce, served with fries  ~  9.95 pounds Home made chilli con carne, served with tortillas, cheddar, guacamole,...

This Almond Choc Brownie is a cross between a fudge and cakey brownie with rich nutty chocolate flavour.   Instead of frosting I took the shortcut, topped it with a chocolate glaze and sprinkled on some goji berries for colour.  You can opt not to apply the chocolate glaze and just eat it as it is.  Either way it tastes just as good! Almond Choc Brownies ~  杏仁巧克力饼 Ingredients 113 gm butter 120 gm bitter sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 100 gm caster sugar 2 large eggs 45 gm plain flour 20 gm almond powder 50 gm almond nibs, lightly toasted 1 tsp vanilla  a pinch of salt goji berries (optional) Chocolate glaze 130 gm bitter sweet chocolate    35 gm butter/shortening            Method Melt butter and chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water.  Remove from heat. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla till sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth and glossy. Add eggs one at a time and...