Kuih Ubi Kayu (Cassava Cake)

This is a Malaysian snack. It is easy to make and super delicious.

• 900-1kg of grated cassava (I bought the frozen ones)
• 160 gram brown sugar or palm sugar if you can find
• 200 ml of coconut milk
•  1 Tbsp of milk powder
• Pinch of salt
• 40-60g of melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml water (equal to 1 cup)

Note: If you are using fresh cassave, buy about 1.4kg cos you need to squeeze out some water.

1. In a small sauce pan, add brown/ palm sugar with water, boil till the sugar is melted.
2. Add butter to the sauce pan to melt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs and add to the sauce pan.
    -  Pour slowly and stir as you pour. You don't want to cook the eggs.


4. Add coconut milk to the sauce pan.

Prepare your dry ingredients (well, grated cassava isn't really dry, isn't it?):
Add grated cassava, milk powder, salt and mix it.
Pour the liquid ingredients you prepared in sauce pan to the dry ingredients.
Mix thoroughly.

* I saw in some recipe they add some unsweetened shredded coconut. It's up to you.

Bake in 360F over for 1 hour. Then lower to 350F for 15-20 mins.

How do you know when it is done? The top will look firm, especially the center. The side will be slightly brown. Brush some honey on top and boil it for 1-2 mins until the top turns golden brown. You can skip this step if you like.

Wala! Here is your cassava cake. Let it sit for 2 hours before you cut so that it will be firm and nice.
If overnight, I normally heat it up in microwave for 10 seconds before serving.

Lemon Pull-Apart Bread

I adopted this recipe from 17and baking website. I have made this three times and had great success.

You need:

• All-purposed flour
• Sugar
• Yeast
• Salt
• Milk
• Unsalted Butter
• Water
• Vanilla Extract
• Eggs
• Others: Fresh Lemon, Powdered Sugar, Cream Cheese, and Fresh Orange

Step by step instruction:
1.  Mix 2 cup flour + 1/4 cup sugar + 2 1/4 tsp yeast + 1/2 t salt
2.  In a different bowl, add 1/3cup milk + 2 oz butter. Microwave till the butter is melted
3. Add 1/4 cup water and 1.5 tsp vanilla to mixture number 2 above
4. Pour liquid mixture over number 1. Mix well till moistened.
5. Attach bowl to standing mixer, use paddle and continue to mix at low speed
6. Add 2 eggs - one at a time. Mix until well incorporated.
7. Stop mixer, add 1/2 cup flour. Keep running at low speed till it forms dough.(roughly 1 min)
    - You can add 2T or slightly more flour if needed.  I started with paddle then change to hook.
8. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it rise to double.

* Now you want to prepare a 9" x 5" pan. Brush or spray lightly with oil. Set aside.


Prepare the lemon sugar to go in between the bread
Mix all these in a bowl:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 2 oz unsalted butter, melted

Assemble Part 1 - cut the pieces
 Now, this is the fun part. You either like it or hate it. I personally love this step.
1. Roll the dough out to 12" L by 20" W (rectangular)
2.  On the width, cut into 5 sections. Each is 4" W.
3. Take the first piece and brush lemon sugar on it.
4. Take the second piece and lay on top of the first.
5. Brush lemon sugar on top of the second piece (which is now sitting on the first).
6. Repeat until you finish stacking.
7. Now you have a stack of 12" x 4" dough. On the 12" side, cut that into 6 sections. Each is 2".
8. When finished, you'll have 6 pieces of 2" X 4" dough.


Assemble part 2 - put in the pan
1. Take the first 2x4 piece, and put in the pan, standing up with the cut side up.
2. Take the second piece, brush lemon sugar on one side, put in the pan.
    - The side with lemon sugar should touch the first piece.
3. Repeat until all pieces are in the pan.
   - It'll be loose but it is okay.
4. Set aside the dough to rise till double.

Bake in the oven for 35 mins or top becomes brown.
- Oven needs to reach 350F before you put in the dough.

Now, prepare the cream cheese icing. 
I never say this bread is easy but once you get a hang of it, you can do it easily.

• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 oz cream cheese

Once the bread is done, take out from the oven. Drizzle the icing on top while the bread is still hot.
Let it cool a bit, and EAT!

From my experience, this bread can last 2-3 days without refrigerated. Mine is usually gone by then.

Sweet Yam

Sweet Yam Casserole - a common dish on a Thanksgiving dinner table.

There are many ways to prepare this. Some add orange & coconut, some add curry powder or cumin. For me, the following recipe is my favorite.

Serve 4-6 people

2 big sweet yam or 4 medium ones
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup apple sauce (I made my own)
Handful of raw pecans

It's very easy to make.

1. Peel sweet yam and cut into 1 inch thick pieces.
2. Prepare a pot of water with a pinch of salt.
3. Put the cut yams into the pot. Boil till yam is soft. (Test by poking a folk through it)
4. Scoop it out into a casserole dish.
5. Add 1/2 cup butter (you can melt it ahead of time or cut into small pieces and add in while yam is still hot.
6. Add maple syrup.
7. Add apple sauce.
8. Mash it.
9. Put in pecan and mix.
10. Bake in over at 375 for 10 mins.

Enjoy!

Seafood Spaghetti

Last night I made a scrumptious dinner for my better half. I wanted something quick and delicious. So this is it.

Half pack of spaghetti (use 100% somanila or gluten free if you can find)
3Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3Tbsp unsalted butter
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 lobsters (remove shell)
8 big scallops
2 cans of clams (keep the juice)
1/3 c sun dried tomato
1/4 c fresh parsley
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper


Start cooking spaghetti in separate pot. You want it only 80% done.

1) Melt butter in a pan then add garlic
2) Add scallops. Cook till 70% done.
3) Add lobster meat (can replace with shrimps)
4) Pour in clams and calm juice, let it boil
5) Add white wine
6) Add spaghetti, let it absorb the juice
7) Add sun-dried tomato, parsley, zest, lemon juice, salt & pepper
8) Drizzle EVOO

Ta-da! Ready to impress.
Serve with salad on the side.

Blueberry muffins

I have made blueberry muffins for years using different recipes. Now I can say this is my #1 favorite.


1/2 cup butter (soften)
1/2 cup sugar (already reduced). Original recipe called for 1 cup.

2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2.5 cup blueberry (fresh one preferred. If you use the frozen ones, it will stain your muffins and it won't look so nice).

Topping:
1 T sugar
1 tsp nutmeg powder

Method: (I made this using a whisk but you can use handheld mixer)
For each step below you need to mix them using whisk before putting the next one.
1. Cream butter & sugar
2.  Add large eggs , one at a time.
3. Add baking powder
4. Add vanilla extract
5. Add salt

Now you have all the liquid mixture.
6. Add milk (half of it first), mix
7. Add flour (half of it first), mix gently
8. Pour remainder of milk and flour, mix.

As always, your mix need to be be very gentle or else you will end up with a hard muffin.

9. Pour in blueberry.
10. Scope out and put in muffin pans (12 regular muffins)
11. In a separate bowl, mix your topping - sugar & nutmeg powder.
12. Sprinkle on top of the muffins.

Walla, now put in the oven at 375F for 10-15mins. (As always you will need to preheat your oven for 10 mins before putting in your muffins)

Easy Pizza Dough

It has been a while since I write this blog. Yes, I have been cooking and eating - gaining weight and losing weight. Life is good.

Here is a very easy to make pizza dough. I have tried and it worked.

3.5 to 4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope of yeast
2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1.5 cup water at 110F
2.5 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

This is so easy.
1. Mix all your dry ingredients using KitchenAid, dough hook.
2. While mixer is running, add in your water and olive oil both at the same time.

Now go clean up your kitchen, it takes about 10 mins for me.
Come back and check the dough. If it forms a dimple when you press in, it is good.
If too dry, add water. If too wet, add flour. Simple!

Grease a bowl with oil, put your dough in it, cover with Cling wrap, and let it rise to double the size.

Divide into 2 pieces. Each piece makes one pizza crust.

If you are not using it immediately, wrap it and put straight in the freezer. Hear me, freezer! Do not put in the fridge. If you do, the dough will continue rise even though you wrap it tightly with Cling wrap. I once put the dough in the fridge overnight and the next day I was greeted by this overflow dough creature when I open the fridge.

Here you go, pizza dough!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This is my 2nd attempt, this time I like the taste a lot better so I decided to write down this recipe. It's pretty easy to make. You need to prepare the topping & the batter separately.

Prepare the topping:
Melt light brown sugar & butter in medium heat until it bubbles, pour into 9" round cake tin. Oh, don't forget to line the tin with parchment paper first. Neatly put the pineapple on top, dress it with maraschino cherry if you like. It'll add to the beauty of your topping.

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (this is already reduced from the original 3/4 cup)
• 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 fresh pineapple, slice to about 1/2 cm thick or 1 can of slice pineapple, drained. 
• Maraschino cherry (optional)

Prepare the batter
Mix all dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt

• 1.5 cup self rising flour (or all purpose flour is fine too)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt.

Break 2 eggs, separate egg white from yolks. Use handheld mixer, beat egg white with cream of tartar (I skip cream of tartar 'cos I don't have) until it form a soft peak, put aside

• 2 extra large/jumbo egg white
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Use handheld mixer, beat egg yolks, butter, and sugar

• 2 extra large/jumbo egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick, room temperature)
• 1/3 cup of fine sugar (This is already reduced from the original 1 cup)

Pour the mixed dry ingredients in 3 batches into the egg yolk mixture. Alternate with milk.

• Mixed dry ingredients prepared earlier (use in 3 batches)
• 1/2 cup of milk (use in 3 batches)

Once they are well mixed, stir in the egg white prepared earlier. Gently mixed - you can use #1 in your handheld mixer to do this. Do not over mix!

Ready to bake
Now, your batter is ready.  Pour that into the cake tin. Bake in 350F (175C) for 30-40 mins. Do not use Spring Foam.

When the cake is done, take it out, let it cool a little. Cover the top with a plate, turn the cake tin over it. Walla! You have a Pineapple Upside Down cake.

This cake is best when warm. Keep left over in the fridge and microwave it before you serve.