Almond Cookies - 杏仁饼

Because of my colleague Rebecca who loves to eat "Almond Cookies", she asked me to help her google some reliable recipes that will produce those melt-in mouth type of texture which she is looking for. But when she tried the recipes that I gave her, the result was not what she expected. And since I also can't find the recipe that I used for making the Almond Cookies for her two years ago. I decided to pick one from the web (which I google for so long, seems harder to find almond cookies compare to the rest) which I think might work well from the ingredients and photo shown.

Most of the Almond Cookie recipes call for either melted butter/oil or both. Some use a little as 1 Tablespoon of Ground Almond whereas this recipe that I try from Malaysia Best website, she actually use equal amount of ground almond to flour. But instead of following her using Caster Sugar, I thought maybe I can swap it with Icing Sugar which is similar recipe to the Peanut Cookies that I did earlier. I also replace the freshly roasted and grind almond with those pre-packed ground almond meal for this trail bake.

Ingredients: (24 Cookies)
100g Ground Almond
100g Top Flour/Wheat Flour
50g Icing Sugar
30g Butter, cut into small cubes
70g Peanut/Corn Oil

Egg Wash:
1 Egg Yolk + 1 Teaspoon Egg White, beat well

Method:
1. Mix flour and sugar in a mixing bow and rub in butter till resemble bread crumbs.
2. Stir in the ground almond and mix well.
3. Next slowly pour in the oil and knead till it form a dough.
4. Set a set to rest for 20 minutes then roll into marble sizes.
5. Brush it with egg wash and bake in pre-heated 175 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Leave it on cooling rack to cool completely before storing in air tight container.


I don't know how come my Almond Cookies seems kind of flatten like those Westen type of "Almond Cookies".... Em... I think aparts from the swappig of items from the original recipe, I did add in like 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture... Wondering will this affect the outlook of the cookies? But despite on the different of the outlook from the usual almond cookies that is sold for Chinese New Year. The one that I made here, look kind of like those "Traditional Flat Almond Biscuit" sold in those old bakery shop. Em... I shall let R tried a few of this when I get to see her at work next week......But for me and my family, we find this cookie is rather towards the crispy type compare to those those melt-in mouth texture.

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Peanut Cookies - 花生酥

After resting for a week or so, I have some discussion going on with my colleague R regarding on what to bake for Chinese New Year. She was telling me that she had a few packets of chopped peanut being left over from the instant "Tangyuan - 汤圆" that she bought during December 2009 "Dong Zhi - 冬至".

Since I have not make any "Peanut Cookies -花生酥" before, I decided to do a google search for some suitable recipes, but some of it don't really look appetising from the photos. So after some mix and match on the recipes that I settle on one that I feel is easier to prepared and will yield good results based on the comments given.

From some of the recipes that I google it didn't really mention which type of peanut to be used for the recipe. So in order to save time for the trial baking, I bought the pre-packed ground peanut powder which most people used it for dessert purpose. The peanuts are finely grind into powder like texture and mixture of caster sugar based on the packet ingredients stated. So in this case, I have to cut down the amount of sugar used so that it is not too sweet due to the extra sugar in the ground peanut mixture.

Ingredients: (makes 36 marble sizes)
100g Ground Peanut Powder
100g Top Flour/Plain Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
50g Icing Sugar
60g Roasted Salted Peanut, finely chopped
70ml Peanut Oil/Corn Oil

Egg Wash:
1 Egg Yolk + 1 Teaspoon White, beat well

Method:
1. Mix flour, baking powder, ground peanut and icing sugar(sieved) together in a mixing bowl.
2. Next toss in the chopped peanuts and mix well.
3. Slowly add in peanut oil (you might required slightly 10 - 15ml more) to mix the flour mixture into a dough. (after stir in the oil with the spoon, use hand to knead and mix the dough will be much easier)
4. When the dough bind together, shape the dough accordingly to your preference size and shapes, brush with egg wash.
5. Bake in preheat 170 degree oven for about 15 - 20 minutes(depend on the sizes) till golden brown.
6. Set it aside on cooling rack to cool completely before storing it in air-tight container.


This is one of the most easier to prepare Chinese New Year cookies based on the short-cut that I have taken for the ingredients use :p But if you have the time for doing the preparation, I encourage that you might want to spend some time to roast the peanut till fragrant then grind it so that it will produce a even more fragrant and melt-in-mouth effect.

But no matter which type of methods/recipes your prefer, below are some interesting links that you might want to read about on their recipes/tips on making peanut cookies which I personally think is very useful:-

1. Malaysian Best - Peanut Cookies
2. Happy Home Baking - Cookie Galore
3. Do What I like - Chinese Peanut Cookies

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Steam Salmon Fillet With Herbs

Here is another Chinese New Year auspicious dish from Cuisine Paradise Kitchen. Despite of the Cod Fish that I always used, Salmon is another type of fish that is always on my shopping list. And since now is near to the Chinese New Year festive season, I think having something which is "BRIGHT" and "RED" will be a great presentation to impress our guests during Chinese New Year gathering...... So let me share with you my 2nd Chinese New Year "Fish" dish which I called it "鸿运当头" due to the colour of the salmon slices and herbs like red dates and wolfberries.

The idea of steaming salmon with Chinese Herbs came into my mind because I wanted to prepare something different using the salmon fillet that I bought. Instead of the usual pan-fry, bake with herbs or poaching.... I think maybe I can in-cooperate some Chinese Herbs to it and turn the Salmon into a Auspicious Chinese New Year dish.......... There are a few types of Salmon available in the supermarket or Japanese seafood stall, but usually those that we get from the local supermarket are the Norwegian Salmon which is sold in pre-packed of different parts of the salmon fillet from head to tail. No matter how you like to consume your salmon in a way from RAW to grill or poach, I am sure every different methods will brings up another level of taste in the salmon.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Pieces of Boneless Salmon Fillet, abt 400g
10g Shredded Ginger
1 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into long section
4 Red Dates, soften and cut into halves
1/2 Teaspoon of Wolfberries
2 Slices of Dang Gui, break into smaller portion
Drizzle of Sesame Oil, optional

Method:
1. Rinse the Salmon fillet, pat dry and cut into slices and set aside.
2. Place some spring onion on a steaming plate, top with some Dang Gui slices and arrange the salmon slices on top of it.
3. Scatter the red dates and wolfberries evenly on the salmon slices then get ready a pot of boiling water for steaming.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, pre-heat a small frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil, sauté the shredded ginger till fragrant and golden brown, removed and set aside for garnish.
5. When the pot of water boils, place some saute ginger on top of the salmon slices, drizzle some ginger oil and scatter some extra chopped spring onion and steam it over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes depend on the thickness of the salmon slices.
6. Before severing, top with the remaining saute ginger and oil and try to scoop a few teaspoons of the fish gravy(after steaming the fish, there will be some water/sauce appears below the fish) over the fish in order to make it look more glossy and presentable.

Note:-
~ This dish is best to serve warm, just right after steaming or else the texture of the salmon slices will be tough and not smooth.

Finally, this is the end product of my "Steam Salmon Fillet with Herbs - 鸿运当头" which I hope those who consume this will have great Prosperity and luck in the coming year. If you are going to try out this dish, do let me know your feedback irregardless of good/bad :) Till then I will leave you with the two Chinese New Year Fish Dish that I have shared with you..... Will update more if I have any new ideas to share......

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Assorted Pineapple Tarts

Time when by so fast as it's another starting of the year again. In about a month's time, everyone will be celebrating Chinese New Year and now it is the time to prepare and take note of those festive bakes/dishes. In my family, without failed for the past 8 years, even during my end of confinement period, I still make the effort to prepare and bake our family all times favourite - Pineapple Tarts. And this is also a time whereby my dear son is looking forward to..... as he has being helping me with the rolling of jam, and mould the tarts for the past 4 years.... :)

Pineapple tarts are usually consumed during the Chinese New Year season and it's typical shapes include flat, open tart topped with pineapple jam under a lattice of pastry or rolls filled with jam that are open at the ends and jam-filled spheres. The pineapple jam is usually cooked under low heat in order to caramelize the grated fresh pineapple that has been mixed with sugar and spices like cinnamon, star anise and cloves. From the photo, you can see the metal star shape plunger which they used to cut-out a tiny star from the pastry to top on top of the open tart. But too bad, I have misplaced mine and had only managed to find it after I have finished making these tarts :(

According to the Chinese Lunar Calender, there are 12 different animals signs which is rotating each year. And in 2010, it happens to be the year of the "TIGER". And since it is a Tiger year, I decided to make something different and special. So without much hesitate, I look-up for my baking mould and come out with this "Tigger" head print to represent the Tiger year goodies...... My dear son was very excited about this new design of our family Pineapple Tart and he actually forbidden anyone to eat it.

This set of kiddy pineapple tarts is totally belong to my dear son. He did all the rolling, mould and coating himself before I put it in the oven for him. I guess, no matter what is your age group like, you won't want to reject these cute Hello Kitty, Pooh and Tomica tarts :)

With Chinese New Year around the corner, me and my family wish everyone of you a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR and may this year brings prosper, health and good career to everyone of you. If you are interested in the "Melt In Your Mouth Pineapple Tart" recipe, you can click HERE for more detail.

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Double-Boil Luo Han Guo With Pork Muscle Soup

Saw another version of this soup ..... 罗汉果瘦肉汤 on Channel 8, Wednesday TV variety show known as "3-Plus-1 II - 3菜1汤II". I think it's about 2 months ago, I saw one of the participating term preparing a soup using "Luo Han Guo - 罗汉果" and lean pork. I remember vividly that I had prepared a soup using Luo han Guo as one of the ingredients in a few years back.

"Luo Han Guo - 罗汉果" is a dried fruits that are ellipse or round, with a yellow-brownish or green-brownish colour, and is covered by fine hairs. The fruit has a hard but thin shell. When breaks open, you can see partially dried, soft substance which contains the juice and large quantity of seeds. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for colds, coughs, sore throats, gastrointestinal disorder, as well as a blood purifier. And in Asian country, this fruit is usually used to boil herbal tea or soup.

Before making this soup, I am actually kind of worry about its' taste as Luo Han Guo is mostly sweet is natural when used to boil herbal tea. But I was surprised with the result of the soup when it is ready to be consume......... I guess the key ingredient lays on the "Dried Tangerine Peel" which makes the soup taste great rather than "sweet".

Ingredients: (serves 4)
500g Pork Muscle
1 Large Luo Han Guo
1 Piece of Dried Tangerine Peel, 6 x 6 cm
6 Red Dates
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries
1 Litre of Water

Method:
1. Wash and trim the pork muscle, blanched it boiling water for about 3 minutes, removed and rinse well.
2. Soaked the dried tangerine peel in water for about 1 minute till soften, use a small teaspoon to scrape off the white pith on the inner skins as that will cause bitterness to the soup.
3. Break the Luo Han Guo into half, rinse and set aside.
4. Bring the pot of 1 litre of water to boil, add in all the ingredients except the wolfberries, bring to boil again and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the soup mixture to a slow cooker and cook on AUTO heat for about 2 hours or so, add in the wolfberries in the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
6. Serve warm with rice or you can drink before meal.

Note:
~ You can cook the soup over low heat for about 45 minutes on the stove if you don't have any slow cooker.


This is indeed a great soup for the warm weather recently as well as a keeper for coming Chinese New Year where the kids and adults will be busying munching their favourite goodies. This soup will helps to smooth their throat and prevent cough too..... So why not give this a try if you are comfortable with the taste of Luo Han Guo herbal tea.

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Steam Osmanthus Cod Fish

In about a month's time, there will be two great occasions that falls on the same day of 14th February 2010. And I am sure most of us is aware of this Special day which marks the 1st day of the Chinese New Year as well as the Western Valentine's Day. So on this day, most or maybe all the restaurants will be fully packed with people celebrating this double occasions. In this case, why not try to whip up something special for your family or love one at the comfort of your home.

Since it is near towards the Chinese New Year season, I am sure whatever you have or going to prepare, you would want to give it some auspicious name. Today, we are going to prepare this "Osmanthus Cod Fish" with a translated name of "桂花蒸鳕鱼" which sounds like prosperous fish/become more prosperous every day(蒸蒸日上). For readers who has being following my post, you will have read about this Osmanthus flower which I have used it quite a number of time in making dessert or herbal drinks.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Large Cod Cutlet
1/2 Tablespoon of Osmanthus Flower
1 Teaspoon of Wolfberries
3 Red Dates, halves
Some Broccoli Florets, blanched
1/2 Tablespoon Mirin/Glutinous Rice Rice, optional

Method:
1. Clean and pat dry the fish, lightly marinate it with some light soy sauce and corn flour.
2. Next arrange the fish cutlet on a plate together with the red date, wolfberries and 1/2 of the Osmanthus Flower.
3. Prepare a steaming pot with metal rack, when the water boils, put the plate of fish on the rack and steam on medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pot cover, drizzle mirin/glutinous rice wine on it, scatter the remaining Osmanthus Flower and continue to steam for another 2 to 3 minutes till the fish is cooked through.
5. Remove and serve with warm rice.


Note:
~ You can choose any type of fish fillet/cutlet that is suitable for steaming or to your liking.
~ The timing for steaming the fish will depend on the thickness, you can test it after 5 minutes of steaming time, using a chopstick/fork to test the center of the meat.


Osmanthus is a highly perfumed flower, and it is well known that you can smell it nine miles away! It is a deliciously fragrant flowers which carry the scent of ripe peaches or apricots. Other than its refreshing fragrant, in the Chinese Medical terms, it is also used to reduce phlegm if you have a bad cough.

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Happy New Year - 2010

Time always went past so fast without us realising that it is time for another brand new year again. Today is the 1st day of 2010, a lot of thoughts in my mind and I am really thankful that God has preserves me and my family through out a wonderful and blessed year. While scrolling through my blog posts, I feel so satisfied that even being a full-time working mum, I am still able to catch up with my hobby in blogging and at the same time, prepared all these dishes and bakes for my love ones.

I am also thankful to all my blog readers and sincerely appreciate for your dropping by, comments and supports in my blogs. Without all your supports, Cuisine Paradise will not be able to accomplish such a great achievement in year 2009 to win the BEST FOOD BLOG award which is organised by OMY(omy.com.sg). And with the winning of this award, I am also given a chance to have my very first interview being broadcast on Air with Daniel Ang from FM100.3.

Another Major accomplishment for Cuisine Paradise in 2009 is to be able to have my very own recipes being published bi-monthly in a local parenting magazine called "Parents World". So far, my recipes had being published in 5 issues....... Thanks to Daniel, the editor who gave me such a opportunity to fulfil my dream.... I hope that I might be able to do better in contributing some interesting recipes for the readers......

Finally, before sharing with you some of my personal picks on what I have done in 2009....... Let me send my best and sincerely wishes to each and everyone of you out there that reads and supports Cuisine Paradise a HAPPY & WONDERFUL NEW YEAR ahead and may this 2010 be a great and prosper year for all of you.........

Soup!!! These are the main things that I will cook no matter how busy I am. Even without any proper dishes, we can just have a bowl of homecook soup together with steam rice. I personally believed nothing can compare to a bowl of homecook soup that is full of love and nutrition in it. So if you are interested to know more about the soup that I cook for my family, click HERE for more ideas.....

If I have the time, I love to try out different type of cuisine with different interesting ingredients. And most of all, I love to garnish my dishes with "COLOUR". As frequent readers of my blogs, you will notice that, I love to present my dish in a colourful layout. The reason for this might be partly because of the photo taking but most important factor is, I feel that proper presentation is very important. When you look at the food menu, you will definitely order something that looks good rather than something that looks simple. And with a kid at home, I find that by in-cooperating different colours in the dish, it actually catches their attention and this make it easier for the kid to eat all kind of food by their attractive colours. Interested in any dish? Click HERE for the recipe index :)

2009 is not a baking year for me, as I am working full time, I don't really have much spare time to do baking with my boy like what we used to have when he was a toddler. But on a off, during special occasion or when my boy is craving for his favourite Chocolate cake, muffins or cookies, I will still find time to bake something with him. Baking is always a great bonding time for both of us, as he will help me with the ingredients and preparation then finally he will wait by the oven side for the goodies to be bake while I do the washing up.

In 2009, I am also in the trend of making Kid's Bento. With some great inspiration from my bento pals like Amy(motheringcorner), Susan(Hawaii Bento), I started to collect all kinds of BENTO TOOLS and come up with some of my very own Bento for my kid. Above are some of my favourite Bento that I have made so far...... You can take a look HERE for more ideas too....... Some of my bento were also feature in the magazine together with Rey in May/June Issue.

In 2009, I also add in another new blog-site to Cuisine Paradise known as "Shop, Eat & Travel", where I post some of the food reviews on the stalls/places that we patronise and as well as some places of interest in Singapore such as Dairy Farm Park, Marina Barrage, Bottle Tree Park and etc where you can bring your kids along and have a great family outing. With so many different content of sub-blogs in Cuisine Paradise, I hope that I can have more time to update every blog-site regularly and share more interesting recipes/information with all the readers here.

Lastly, this is my favourite dish that I have done in 2009. Durian Fried Rice is always one of the dish that I wanted to try it out at home. I have heard about this dish serving in one of the Hong Kong Style Cafe in Singapore. From the food review that I have read from google search, this is actually a fried rice dish that consists of some prawns, egg and durian flesh. So I guess you can imagine the taste of a mixture of savoury and sweet combination. For me, since as a little kid, I love to eat durian with steam rice from the influence of my late father, so this an interesting venture for me to try out this dish during the durian season. So if you have tried this dish before and you are interesting to give it a try a home, or maybe you would like to take a look at some of the Durian recipes that I have post.

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