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Caramelized Egg Fritters (Sa Chi Ma /萨琪玛)

  Sachima (萨琪玛) takes me back to my early years. When I was younger, I really liked eating this. They taste very good. They are popular snacks for both adults and children, and they are the ideal edible gift for Chinese New Year.   Making sachima dough is like making egg noodles. So, basically, they are egg noodles that have been deep-fried till they are puffed, occasionally topped with additional ingredients for flavor, bonded together with melted sugar, pressed into a square pan, and then sliced into squares. Sachima is distinguished by its beige hue, crisp and delicate flavor, sweetness and delectability, and rich maltose aroma. One of Ipoh, Malaysia's regional specialties!   A few years ago, my husband and I made a trip to Ipoh's "Mistress Lane" ( 二奶巷 ) to try the local Sachima, which has been there for more than 50 years. There are a lot of different kinds of sachima including ones with sesame, pumpkin seed, walnuts, cranberries, and almonds. According to the...

Thick Winter Melon Seafood Soup (冬瓜海鲜羹)

Everyone has probably heard of winter melon soup, which is cooked with red dates, shitake mushrooms, and chicken or pork hocks. It can turn into a bowl of deliciousness. Have you ever tried winter melon Gēng 羹 ? Or a thick winter melon soup? Soups can be referred to as tong 汤 or Gēng 羹 in Chinese. In what way does Gēng vary from soup? The term "tong" is more broadly used to describe watery soup. The "thick" soup Gēng  is referring to has a thicker consistency. I had my first taste of thick winter melon soup at a wedding banquet. Crab flesh and egg drops are cooked in a bowl of soup, which is thickened with cornstarch. So, I am going to copy it today. In this recipe, I'm using chicken broth. You can use finely chopped lean pork. For this soup, I’m going to keep things simple. Additional ingredients, such as dried scallop and mushrooms, can be added to the soup. You can use fresh crab meat, which is much nicer, but I'm using frozen crab meat and fresh pr...

Sliced Pork Belly with spicy Chili Oil Sauce

  Every time a festival is celebrated, this dish of boiled white meat (pork belly) must be prepared for worship. After the worship, the boiled white meat will be sliced, and then dipped in soy sauce with chilli to serve with rice. I'm sharing a special condiment today that I made with hot chilli oil for this dish. Whe preparing it, we need to bring the cooking oil to a boil then gently pour the hot oil into the bowl with the chili flakes and other spices, stirring constantly with a spoon or chopsticks so the chili flakes and spices can absorb the flavor of the hot oil. There is no seasoning that compares to this hot chilli oil always possesses. Just add a spoonful of it to the food, no matter how much there is, whether it is meat or vegetarian, steamed buns, or noodles. It becomes appetizing and satisfying. I always enjoy making extra chilli oil. You'll want to pour it on everything once you get hooked. To make the dipping sauce for the boiled white meat is simple and str...

Braised Pork With Preserved Vegetables (梅菜扣肉)

  During gatherings for New Year, holidays, or special occasions, we always have various challenging dishes to support the scene. This braised pork with preserved or plum vegetables (Mei Cai Kou Rou / 梅菜扣肉) is one of them. Many people choose to eat this dish outside, perhaps because they think the restaurant's version tastes better or maybe because they think the recipe takes a lot of time.   Yes, it is made from scratch, it’s taken a long time to make it. The toughest part is to deep fry the pork and to clean the preserved veggies.   And the rest of the process is to put all the ingredients into the bowl and steam it. It’s easy once you figure it out. It's not difficult at all. Cleaning the preserved veggies is the most difficult aspect of this dish—it's crucial to give them a thorough cleaning. And the preserved veggies are a unique for this Chinese pork belly. The flavor added by this preserved mustard greens is unique and appetizing. I am using two types of pres...

Sweet potatoes Tang Yuan (甜番薯奶黄馅汤圆)

  This is another tangyuan (汤圆) recipe I would like to share for the DongZhi (冬至) festival. It is a sweet dessert. They are made with flavorful sweet potatoes with custard filling. These glutinous rice balls taste like mochi. They  are distinctive from others since they are made with flavorful sweet potatoes. The custard filling is wrapped in a glutinous rice ball, which is not only distinctive in form but also incredibly eye-catching . Glutinous rice balls are made of glutinous rice and have a high viscosity, which makes them difficult to digest for some people. This tangyuan uses more sweet potatoes and less glutinous rice flour. For those who like to eat tang yuan but worry that it will cause stomach bloating. This is the right recipe for you. Making this tangyuan with the kids is a delightful project since you may shape and fill the rice balls with your own paste. I am using two different types of sweet potatoes, which are orange and sweet potatoes. I combined mas...