Chinese Almond Cookie 澳門杏仁餅

This cookie has been on my to-do list for a very long time. I have been experimenting with different recipes on and off for a few years. This recipe gives me the best results with nice almond aroma even without using any almond oil or extract. A hundred percent natural, gluten-free and a hundred percent tasty!!

Ingredients to make about a dozen cookies (depends on the size of your mold):

100g mung bean flour 綠豆粉
40g powdered sugar 糖粉
52g vegetable shortening 固體菜油
62g whole almond kernels 美國杏仁
45g sweet apricot kernels 南杏
2 tsp water 水

1)  Preheat oven to 215F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and roast the almonds and apricot kernels for 10 minutes. Coarsely chop with a food processor after they cool down. Set aside.

2)  Adjust oven temperature to 250F.

3)  Dissolve sugar in water. Mix with shortening until it becomes a paste.
4)  Add almond and mung bean flour. Mix well with your fingers. It should look like wet sand.

5)  Put the mixture into a mooncake mold. Press the mold to shape the cookie. Then, release the cookie onto a lined cookie sheet.

6) Bake in the preheated 250F oven for 40-60 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on a rack before serving. It can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 weeks at room temperature.

Notes:
1) The right amount of pressure is required to shape the cookie in the cake mold. Not enough pressure and the cookie may not come together properly. Too much pressure and the resulting cookie may not be as soft or will be too dense. A little practice is needed.
2) The baking time is for your reference only. Bigger cookies need more time while smaller ones do not need as much time.
3) Don't get confused between the sweet and bitter apricot kernels. They look the same. Only use the sweet ones.

1) 預熱焗爐至華氏215度。將兩種杏仁焗十分鐘，待涼後用食品器打碎備用。
2) 調教爐溫至華氏250度。
3) 水與糖攪至溶解，加入固體菜油。
4) 加入杏仁碎及綠豆粉，用手搓勻成濕沙狀。
5) 分十二份，將一份放入模具內用手指壓實，再壓出放焗盤上。
6) 放入焗爐焗約四十至六十分鐘。
7) 焗好後放架上完全涼後便可食用，可放存氣盒內於室溫約兩星期。

注意事項：
1) 餅料放入餅模後用手指壓實的力度要適中，力度過大餅會太實，口感過硬；不夠力壓實，餅可能會散。
2) 焗的時間長短要視付餅的大小，自行調教。
3) 南、北杏外表一樣，要認明標籤，不要用錯有苦味的北杏。

食譜參考：肥丁手工坊

Chinese Sesame Cracker 中式芝麻脆餅

More sesame snacks! This is one of my childhood favorite snacks. It brings back a lot of childhood memories. I tried a few recipes and this one comes closer to what I had as a child.

What is your childhood favorite snack?

Sago Pudding with Lotus Seed Paste 蓮蓉西米布甸

This is a fusion dessert because its ingredients originate from different countries or culture.

Custard powder--English
Lotus seed paste filling--Chinese
Sago or tapioca pearls--Thai or Southeast Asian

No matter what its origin, it is a yummy and delicious dessert!

Chinese Walnut Cookies 中式合桃酥

When I took a bite of this walnut cookie, I couldn't believe it was made without lard or hydrogenated shortening. It is so crumbly it just melts in your mouth. It is just the taste of the cookies I had in my childhood, yet this recipe is much healthier.

傳統中式合桃酥或其他酥餅，與豬油是分不開的，但這食譜的作法只有菜油及牛油，也沒有人造(氫化)油脂，完全符合健康標準，食多幾件也無防。

入口酥鬆、即溶，做法簡單，你一定要試!

Sago Dumpling with Lotus Seed Filling 蓮蓉西米角

晶瑩剔透，有咬口，蓮蓉餡清甜幼滑，這確實是一款精緻小食、點心。但與其他懷舊小食一般，越來越少有食肆做，要品嘗都是最好自己動手了。

Ingredients to make 24 pieces:
225g tapioca pearls 西米
110g sugar 砂糖
260g lotus seed paste 連蓉
20g vegetable oil 菜油

1) Divide the lotus seed paste into 24 equal portions, about 12g each.

2) Soak the tapioca pearls in water for 2 hours. Drain.
3) Mix the tapioca pearls with sugar and oil. Steam for 2-3 mins.
4) Divide into 24 portions:

5) Take each portion and flatten. Wrap with a lotus seed paste. Steam for 8 mins until it is transparent. Serve in room temp.

How to Make Salted Egg (Yolk Only) 淨咸蛋黃做法

Beginning this project, I was doubtful if it would work the way I saw in the pictures, if the salted egg yolks would turn out to be round, solid, yet slightly oozy. But after doing it myself, I am convinced. It is indeed an ingenious way to make salted egg yolks, without the egg whites or using the whole egg method. I have been making my own salty egg for a long time since the import is prohibited by the FDA (only cooked salty eggs can be imported to the US). But most of the time, only the egg yolks are used, like in mooncakes or other bakery products.

There is not really a recipe for it, meaning the quantity of the ingredients is arbitrary, not like in baking. It is the "how" which matters. The salt can be reused.

Tofu Pudding/Dou Fu Hua 幼滑豆腐花

The texture of a dish is as important as its taste. It will be a big disappointment if a food that is supposed to be crunchy turns out to be soft or soggy. On the other hand, if it should be smooth and silky but it is rough and firm, people might be surprised and wary. The best texture for tofu pudding is smooth and silky, which you can just swallow.

What's the trick to making silky tofu pudding? The temperature of the soymilk is critical. The optimal temperature to mix soy milk and the coagulant is 155F/85C. If the soy milk is boiling hot, the resulting pudding will not be as smooth.

The coagulant used in most of tofu making is gypsum (calcium sulfate). It is a mineral mined from natural rock, not a synthetic chemical.

The correct ratio between gypsum and potato starch in the following recipe gives the best texture and minimal amount of whey.

Sweet Rice Balls with Peanuts and Sesame 糖不甩

"Sugar is not rejection" is the translation from Google for this Chinese dessert! Obviously something is lost from translating this classic and well-loved dessert of many Cantonese people. The literal meaning of the name comes from the fact that when the sweet rice ball rolls on the peanut, sesame, and sugar mixture, the coating does not come off. It sticks to the rice ball like this:

The Best and Easiest Ma Lai Gao 最好味及易做的馬拉糕

This is my third update of some of the older recipes/posts (the other two are: Pineapple Cake/Pastry, Turnip Cake). The old Ma Lai Gao recipe uses an aged dough, which takes a long time and a lot of patience. This new one is a lot simpler to make and does not require lye while the result is still soft and fluffy.

隨著鳳梨酥 及 羅蔔糕 食譜的更新，今次輪到馬拉糕了。舊的食譜 用麵種做，比較費時，這個新食譜比較簡單及不須加鹼水，也一樣鬆軟可口。

Hong Kong Style Vegetarian Lo Mei 港式齋鹵味

This is one of the most popular street foods in Hong Kong. Vegetarian sweet and sour pork, curry chicken, BBQ pork....the list is quite long. I am always amazed how they are made vegetarian but taste more authentic than the real meat!!

Even though Southern California is home to the largest Asian population in the US, it is a big disappointment that I cannot find this kind of vegetarian lo mei in Chinese restaurants. If you do know where I can get this, though, let me know!

Fortunately, it is very easy to DIY. Many Chinese vegetarian dishes are made with soy product or these fried gluten balls. The ones I used are available in Chinese markets.

Hand Made Egg Roll 香脆手工蛋卷

Making egg rolls has been on my to-do list for quite some time. It is a very straightforward recipe, using only butter, egg, sugar, and flour. They just need to be blended together with a handheld mixer for a few minutes and the batter is ready to be cooked. But it does need a special pan that can be flipped to cook both sides. I tried different recipes and this one is the best, full of egg flavor and with a pleasantly crunchy texture.

Ginger, Tangerine and Lemon Peel in Vinegar 八珍陳皮檸檬薑

Oh my, it is cold these days in Los Angeles with daily highs only at around the 50s fahrenheit and below freezing in the early morning hours in many parts of Southern California. Jackets, sweaters and scarves are flying off the shelves in stores. Hot pots and clay pot with rice are very popular foods in many Asian homes in the winter. Warm food and soup can really warm not just the body but the soul.

What usually accompanies winter is a cold or flu. Therefore getting enough sleep, and having good, nutritious food are very important to boost the immune system. Ginger is a treasured food that promotes blood circulation and helps fight infection. Together with tangerine peel, they are two of the three "Treasures from Guangdong," the third being straw grass.

For more about the nutritional values of ginger, click here.

Banana Flavored Roll 香蕉糕

Glutinous rice balls, mochi, Chinese New Year steamed cakes and boba all have something in common. They are comprised of glutinous flour as the major ingredient. It is what gives them their chewy, gummy texture. Banana rolls are also one of these foods which fit the description. But it has a misleading name (just like bo lo bao/pineapple bao without pineapple). Anyhow, how I have missed this glutinous flour roll! Besides Hong Kong Style Waffle and Chinese Steamed Cake, this is my other favorite childhood snack.

It only has a few major ingredients--water, sugar, glutinous flour, and banana flavoring--but the right ratio is important to bring out the best texture. I have been searching and experimenting a long time for a good recipe. Some make it by steaming raw glutinous flour while others use cooked flour to make the roll without further steaming. The following recipe from another blogger has the best texture with the right ratio of glutinous flour, wheat starch, and tapioca flour and it is super easy to make.

Chinese Pork Jerky with Fruity Flavor 果汁豬肉乾

I am a big fan of jerky. It is a great snack to have while watching TV or to serve in a party. However, instead of American store-bought flavors I more particularly like jerky styled after Chinese flavors. It is more juicy and flavorful. The last time I visited Hong Kong, I had a great time satisfying my appetite! Too bad meat products are prohibited from entering or leaving the country, or otherwise I would have filled up my bags with them.

Here in America, you can only buy jerky that is made in this country. Those Chinese brands that you see in Asian grocery stores most likely are not made overseas.

Making it at home is far simpler than you would expect, with a low failure rate. You can easily choose a flavor you like without adding sodium nitrate or any preservatives!

Black Sesame Roll 香滑黑芝麻卷

Have you ever wished that time could be reversed? I were ten, twenty or thirty years younger, then I would have done this and that, or I would not have done this or that....

I missed having this treat for a fairly long time. It used to be a common dish in dim sum restaurants when I was little. But nowadays, it is very rarely available, especially here in America's dim sum restaurants. It's nicknamed the "roll of film" because it resembles the rolls of film once used in the old cameras from the last century.

If only time could be reversed, I could enjoy it once more.....

Now you don't have to go back in time. If you want to enjoy this treat again in this digital age, follow the recipe below.

Imitation Shark's Fin Soup 碗仔翅

Abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin and fish maw are the four supreme delicacies of Chinese cuisine. No banquet is complete without at least one of the four. If all are served, it usually symbolizes how greatly the guests are honored by the host (or how wealthy the host is).

All four delicacies are seafood that have been carefully preserved by drying. They can be kept for a very long time and each of them requires a special method to prepare. Without proper preparation, it will be a waste of money. This is the main reason most people would rather enjoy it in restaurants than doing it at home and risking a mistake during the cooking process.

It has been over a year that shark's fin has been banned in California. But I find the imitation version of it is texturally very close to the real thing. It is consists of gelatin and resembles vermicelli (bean threads). Both the imitation and the real fin are tasteless. The soup gets its flavor mainly from other ingredients and the stock. It is a great alternative to the real fin and good for preserving marine ecosystems as well!

Konjac Jelly with Fresh Osmanthus 桂花水晶糕

Last time when I made Osmanthus Jelly, I can only used store bought dried osmanthus. But this time I am fortunate to have some freshly picked flowers! Thanks to my friend Josephine Tse who has an osmanthus tree in her backyard.

Yellow Pea Pudding with Coconut Milk 椰汁馬荳糕

This is one of my all time favorite Chinese desserts. If I remember it right, I have had this recipe since high school! The fact that it's still in my recipe binder proves that it is valuable and passed the test of time. Most recipes out there use cornstarch alone as a thickening agent. But I do not like this mushy texture. My recipe has a good ratio of agar and cornstarch. Instead of being mushy, it has a good springiness to it.

Chinese Steamed Cake 缽仔糕

Chinese Steamed Cake

This is another snack commonly offered by Hong Kong street vendors besides the Hong Kong Style Egg Waffle. This one also brings back a lot of my childhood memories. I have been searching the internet for the right recipe and found this one. This steamed cake is much more easier to make than the waffle because it does not require any special tools or gadgets, but the proportion of different flours to water is crucial in producing the right texture. Otherwise, it's so easy to make!

Mango Mochi 香芒糯米糍

This is a continuation of the mango madness... We love mango so much that every time we buy mango, we buy a whole box, which has 16 fruits. There are a lot of ways to enjoy mango. Mango mochi is one of them.

Basically mango mochi is simply made by steaming glutinous rice flour batter and then wrapping the mango with it. But for this recipe, I incorporated mango puree as a filling in addition to the mango pieces. The result is more mango flavor as you bite into the mochi.