jessiefoodinthekitchen

  Chinese New Year baking is always extra special in my kitchen. Besides the usual pineapple tarts and butter cookies, I love adding something that looks elegant and tastes irresistible. This Florence Almond Cookie is slightly different from the classic thin Florentine. It has a rich buttery shortbread base at the bottom, topped with crunchy caramelized almond flakes. The combination of crisp shortbread and crunchy nutty topping is simply too good to resist. It looks delicate and bakery-style, but it’s actually quite manageable to make at home. I love this version of cookies. The bottom layer is rich, buttery, and slightly crumbly, like a classic melt-in-the-mouth shortbread. The top layer is crunchy, nutty, and lightly caramelized with a beautiful golden color. The cornflakes add an extra crisp texture that makes every bite interesting and addictive. You get two textures in one bite. Soft, buttery base and crisp, caramelized topping. It’s sweet, but not overly heavy. Perfect...

  Tambun biscuits or Tau Sah Piah ( 淡汶饼) are Malaysia delicacies. It one of Penang popular style pastry with sweet savory mung bean filling which also name as Tambun biscuit due to the fact that its origin comes from Bukit Tambun, Penang. This is not something that I am unfamiliar with even though I am not from Penang. It is a very popular gift for friends who visit Penang. In fact, it can be easily got it in other parts of Malaysia nowadays. It is famous for its savory sweet with aromatic shallot oil. Thin crispy crust from the outside and soft dense inner filling. I am using Chinese crispy pastry to make the crispy crust. Traditionally lard is used for Chinese Pastry, you can now substitute with shortening, pure ghee or butter. Chinese pastry always come with two types of dough which are water dough and oil dough. These two types of dough come together to create the lamination or layers and flaky crust after baked. During the shaping process, it is crucial to let the doug...

  Have you ever encountered a dumpling so translucent you can almost see the vibrant treasure within? This is not just any dumpling; this is Chai Kueh (菜粿), a beloved staple of Teochew cuisine often called the “crystal dumpling” for its stunning, semi-transparent skin. Jicama, taro, and chives are the most popular fillings used to make Chai Kueh (Mang Kwang). Jicama filling, enhanced with dried shrimp, is my favourite. The flavour and scent are both amazing. When eating chai kueh, homemade sauce makes it much tastier. I don't profess to be an expert in chai kueh preparation. I experimented with a few ingredients and techniques before coming up with my own modifications, which I will now share with you.  When I initially made my Chai Kueh with wheat starch and corn starch, I still recall that it had to be served hot because otherwise the skin would harden. I am currently using wheat starch and tapioca flour to make the kueh skin. The kueh will have a crystal-clear appeara...