Nian Gao (年糕), also called Chinese New Year cake, is a must-have festive dessert during the Lunar New Year. The name nian gao sounds like 年高 (nián gāo), meaning “a higher year,” symbolizing success, prosperity, and growth in the coming year. In many Cantonese families, this sweet, chewy rice cake is not just food, it’s …
I’ve just made these Pineapple Tarts for the upcoming Chinese New Year, and they are truly irresistible. The crust is buttery and crumbly, breaking under your fork with a satisfying crunch, while the pineapple filling is reduced into a dense, flavorful jam. In Hokkien, pineapple is pronounced “ong-lai (旺来)”, which sounds like “prosperity is arriving.” …
Taro cake (yam cake, wu tao gou,芋头糕, 芋頭糕) is a popular Chinese dessert for breakfast and tea break. It is one of such savory delicacies that you can find in the Dim Sum shops serving breakfast, along with shrimp dumplings, Char Siu Pao, Shumai, and others. If you want to throw in some Asian flavor …
Whenever I think about kaya (coconut jam), it always conjured up flashes of childhood memories sitting in the old-school cafe eating Hainanese toast bread overflowing with kaya top with a piece of chilled butter. It is the epitome of Malaysian-Singapore perennial breakfast favorite, often served with a cup of brew-on-demand Hainanese coffee waft up to …
Today, I want to show you how to prepare a traditional Cantonese dessert called red bean soup 红豆沙. Red bean soup is in the category of Cantonese desserts called tong sui (糖水), which means sugar water. It is a popular item on the menu of most Chinese dessert houses in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. …
Tea egg 茶叶蛋 (a type of soy sauce egg 卤蛋 ) is a popular snack in the Chinese community. You will find street food vendors selling tea egg in the electric rice cooker, Hainanese chicken rice stores served it as a side dish, and Chinese medicine shop owner will add some medicinal herbs to the braising …
You might have eaten (or even prepare) Bang Bang Chicken 棒棒鸡 before, but which one have you tried? The authentic Chinese Sichuan style Bang Bang chicken or the Americanized version? In this article, I will show you the recipe close to the traditional Bang Bang Chicken served across Asia. The chicken is poached and dressed …
Chinese salted egg pastry (蛋黄酥, 鹹蛋酥, Harm Tarn Soh) is an all-time favorite among the Chinese, particularly during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. It is prepared by encasing the salted egg yolk in sweetened red bean paste or lotus paste, then wrapped in the flaky Chinese pastry. It has a unique taste of …
I know there are hundreds of easy carrot cakes recipes on the internet (and recipe books). However, I can assure you that this recipe is full of information and practical tips that I have experience in my career. This easy carrot cake is packed with the flavor of walnuts, chocolate chips, and of course, prepared …
You will be captivated by the lava-like filling flowing out when you tear open this Chinese custard bao (Liu Sha Bao). The filling is a little sweet, creamy, and most noticeably the slightly salty, sandy and lava-like texture of the mashed salted eggs yolk. The molten, lava-like filling is the characteristic of this unique Cantonese …