Tuesday, November 15, 2005
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Banana pound cake again! Extremely tasty, quite irresistable!!!Today received quite a good horoscope character analysis from a friend, and have actually found some of the description interestingly accurate. The analysis, into male and female parts are, as usual, mainly about love affairs. Some parts are about fatherhood, which are obviously written by a male writer. I'm not a big fan of all these analysis because I know 3 Aries to be so very different individuals. But it's nonetheless quite useful, as it calls you into attention the short-comings of your partner when you're dating, and reminds you of his/her good after you're married.
Nothing to do with the banana cake though..... =P
Monday, November 14, 2005
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Sweet and sour pork with lantern peppers and pineapples, a very traditional Chinese dish (in the eyes of Westerners). A great recipe from Leisure Cat, relatively easy to handle, just some problems with the amount oil for deep-frying. As I'm not cooking everyday, it's quite a waste to use so much oil, so I just fried the pork a bit until brown. Looks good and tastes OK, though quite incomparable with Chu mum's. This is a very popular dish in the Chinese resturants, not for the locals because it's rather simple to make, and that we Chinese seldom choose such a sweet dish. It's just like going to Italy and ordering pizzas when the mums on the next table smile at you. Nowadays you don't need to go to that country for a particular cuisine, as people migrate and export, recipies are all around, and cooking programmes of all types are on air in different languages. It's very easy to find Peking ducks in South Africa, how about a piece of chocolate-coated scorpians in English 5-stars high-tea returants, pizzas and spaghetti in Mongolia, and possibly hamburgers in Kongo... who knows! But the best Chinese food is always in China, so traveling is still the best way to not only know the country but also its food.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
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My first-time bread pudding after a fast-food dinner downstairs (quite strange to have the impetus for making pudding rather than a proper meal). A really easy-to-follow recipie: just some bread-sides with a tiny bit of butter and cinamon powder, plus a liquid mixture of beaten egg with sugar and milk and whipping cream. A really satisfying dessert before sitting down again for the never-ending essay writing, and I realized that one must pamper oneself well before doing such pain-staking task. ^_^Thursday, November 03, 2005
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A perfect dessert after not-so-filling dinner with the crabs -- Banana pound cake! Actually it's not typical pound cake, although it looks very much so. Very easy-to-handle recipe, just mixing everything in one bowl. The only problem with mine is that the mashed bananas are not very well mixed with the dough (thus seeing the grey and yellow parts), or that they are not too well mashed. Anyway, this is the first successful banana cake I've ever made since my last failure months ago. Can't say enough thanks to Yves' generous sharing of her recipes and experiences~ Thank you Yves!! Wish you every happiness and health!!! ^_^
Fried crabs in ginger and green onion stirred with little rice cakes. This is not the typical Shanghainese rice cake available in the fresh market. Instead of a long hard piece that must be sliced, it's round and finger like, and really nice and chewy. I've brought 5 blocks of those from Shanghai in particular (handcarry all the way back!!!), and have left one for myself. Our maid in Shanghai did this unforgettable dish for us, and I promised myself that I must try it at home someday~
The ginger and green onion mixed really well with the freshness of the crabs, and the rice cakes soaking the crab juices are just incredible. As usual and in order to eat fresh and healthy, I've finished it all!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
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Just learnt this fabulous ginger milk pudding from Yves~ wow~~ have never imagined myself able to do it~~ This is a typical cantonese after meal dessert, very popular and healthy, definitely good for your skin~~ very good dessert for girls~
It stood well and firm, I'm so glad!! Since didn't add sugar, it's not sweet at all (better add some next time though =P). The recipe seems bit too spicy for me, so next time will have less ginger juice. The inside of the pudding is a bit soft, I guess the milk is not perfect for this kind of food, should find something more concentrated!
Anyhow, I'm very happy with it~
Home alone can also have tasty and healthy home made dinner. White radish cooked in soya source and sugar, one of my favorite in the dry and cool seasons. The little bitter taste of the radish matches perfectly with the sweetness of the sugar, and it's better than any kinds of soft drink when feeling thirsty.
Fried pork slices with onion, a tiny tiny bit of soya source and sugar, just to make the color and enhance the flavor. Simple and healthy! Yummy~
