I usually make my own pizza dough, but I happened to have quite a lot of store-bought pizza crust in the fridge, so I decided to throw together something simple using stuff I had on hand. Despite minimal ingredients, this pizza made a pretty decent snack, and Rudy surprisingly loved them. A great alternative to your regular garlic toast. Try it out!
Based on the recipe from 500 Pizzas & Flatbreads.
Read MoreI saw a video by Tastemade some time ago on how to make 4 types of sliders, and I knew I had to try making them. I was going to make the cheeseburger sliders for a potluck tonight, but the host came down with fever and had to cancel (get well soon, Elle!). I was really looking forward to trying these sliders, so I decided to go ahead and make them anyway.
I wasn’t really paying attention while shopping at the grocer earlier, and picked up emmental slices instead of cheddar (what was I thinking?? Boo). Decided to use them anyway, but as expected the cheese taste was so mild so we had to supplement with Chesdale slices for added flavor.
Some things I would improve on next time: I’ll try to spread the meat wider and let it ride up to the sides of the tray the next time, because the meat will shrink quite a lot when cooked. I’m going to try using normal minced beef instead of the weight watcher’s version, and reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes, to see if that improves on the juiciness. I’ll also double the amount of cheese, and drizzle ketchup or mustard for added flavor.
Will definitely make this again!
Read MoreSome of the yummiest snacks are the simplest, and one of my favorites is boiled chick peas. For an afternoon snack (and anything in between), boiled chick peas are perhaps a healthier alternative, and I could keep munching on these all day while sipping yummy cups of coffee. Before the advent of pressure cookers this used to take forever to make, but now we can have these munchies ready within a fraction of the time. This is how Kak’mbang makes them, apparently based on my (mysterious) Nenek’s recipe. Enjoy!
Read MoreRamadan is almost over and Kak’mbang and I were busy with our preparations for Hari Raya tomorrow. When I was growing up, the usual routine in the days leading up to Hari Raya would be to bake cookies, but in this day and age, everybody just buys their Raya cookies, so we no longer bother. What I do miss from my childhood days were these kerepek bijan or sesame crackers, something Kak’mbang learned to make from my (mysterious) Nenek. This snack is so basic yet so addictive, perfect to munch on while discussing sports or current Malaysian politics at the dining table with our relatives. Put them in nice tiny jars and they’d also make great gifts for friends and colleagues.
Sharing the love (and the awesomeness of my grandma’s culinary skills) for everyone’s enjoyment. Selamat Hari Raya!
Read MoreYeah you read it right: air-fried. The other day I put my Philips HD 9220 airfryer up for sale via the Preloved group on Facebook, since I’ve had it for years and only used it less than 5 times. When one of the potential buyers asked me to test it to see if it still works, I tested it on some French fries, and after some thought I decided to keep the airfryer after all.
I personally find air-fried chicken to be much juicier than deep fried ones, and with just a drizzle of oil it can be just as crispy. This time I decided to try making some spicy wings to see if it is just as good as the regular deep fried ones. These turned out great. Just be careful with your cooking time; undercooking chicken is definitely not a good idea, but overcooking will result in pretty tough meat.
Yay for yummy, healthy (or healthiER, rather?) food!
Read MoreRudy and I love our red meat, but we do love a good fish with chips. The places we went to for fish and chips don’t always get it right, so I decided to make my own, in search for the perfect recipe. Unfortunately for me, many “perfect” recipes call for beer, but I finally found one without. My verdict: the batter was indeed crispy, however my fries browned too fast and were not crisp; I suspect they were not dry enough when frying. The malt vinegar and tartar sauce are great accompaniments for the fish. The search continues!
Based on the recipe by Tyler Florence.
Read MoreKak’mbang really loves her Korean TV shows, just like a large population of the world today. Every now and then she sees people on TV eating dumplings in broth, and the dish does look really yummy. So, recently she asked me to make our own pork-free version, and I based it on a great recipe by Maangchi. Trust me these dumplings are delicious, and having them in soup is just perfect for cold, rainy evenings. Do be warned that this recipe makes a huge batch, and is quite time consuming, but they are worth your while. Pan-fry or steam the rest; they make great snacks. Good luck!
Updated on Mar 17 with new pictures. I usually make my own filling but use store-bought skins nowadays, because it saves me so much time. I usually get suikow wrappers, which are bigger and well-suited for boiled dumplings.
Updated on 1 Feb 2020 using dried seafood instead of fish stock cubes. I was fortunate to have gotten a small pack of iriko and konbu from the Kuromon Market in Osaka a few weeks before, and used it in this recipe. The difference in flavor was staggering; such delicateness, yet rich in umami. I will always try my best to get my hands on these ingredients whenever I can from now on, in order to be able to keep making this dish this way.
Read MoreI discovered that I had some frozen leftover Kentang Bol filling, so I decided to throw together a quick afternoon snack, and made some (not-so-curry) curry puffs. This is the recipe for just the pastry, which is really light and crispy; you can use whatever filling you like, actually (empanadas, anyone?). Next time I’m thinking of subbing the white pepper with cinnamon, and make apple turnovers. Yum!
Based on a recipe by ResipiAnakBapak. Enjoy!
Updated on 21 Jun 2020 with refreshed photos and some tweaks to the recipe.
Read MoreThis one has been on the back burner for a while (yes the kitchen expression was deliberate. Haha!), but I finally had all the ingredients and equipment I needed on hand. I totally underestimated how much time it would take to make these, so what was originally supposed to be last night’s dinner ended up being breakfast instead. The results were extremely rewarding nonetheless. Yum!
I recommend making the filling ahead and letting it cool down completely in the fridge. Filling the pies itself is highly labor intensive and time consuming, so staggering the workload a little will make it easier on us when making this.
Based on the recipe by Chef Wan.
Updated on Jul 2, 2017 with new photos and notes.
Read MoreI bought some large sweet potatoes recently to make something else, but days turned to weeks and they were still sitting in the basket, sprouting whiskers. Kak’mbang asked when exactly am I planning to do anything with them, and being super lazy I decided to ask her to make one of my favourite traditional Malay kuih, Cek Mek Molek.
Nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with that liquid sugar filling just bursting in your mouth as you bite into them, these are perfect for afternoon tea. If they last that long, that is — I just had two right after a big lunch.
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