Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Pumpkin, butternut, buttercup, and spaghetti are some of common winter squashes. There are various ways to cook them; bake, stir-fry, steam etc. I’ve cooked pumpkin and buttercup squash in the past, and found them delightful. Nonetheless, peeling the thick skin and cutting up the firm texture of squash requires some great effort. I’ve been wanting to prepare spaghetti squash since a few years ago, but haven’t had a chance to do so.

Finally, I decided to get a spaghetti squash when I went grocery shopping recently.

Winter squashes (from left): buttercup squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash.

How to cook a spaghetti squash? Here is an easy and common way to do it:

1. Cut the squash into half, lengthwise. Remove seeds with a spoon.
2. Then, place it on a baking sheet, with cut sides down. Prick surface with a sharp knife, on a few random spots.
3. Bake it in preheated oven at 400F, for 30-40 minutes, or until it’s tender.
4. Using a fork, remove stringy pulp from squash. It tastes great with salad or even on its own!

The stringy pulp that shares a close resemblance with the spaghetti pasta. A healthy vegetable with natural sweetness.

Apam balik, a sweet and crispy snack that I enjoy a lot. It can be easily spotted at Malaysian night markets (a.k.a. “pasar malam”). The combination of mouthwatering smell, crunchy pastry shell, savoury crushed peanuts, and sweet creamed corns, makes this a delicious snack!

Apam balik is a crepe-like snack, made by spinning the batter until very thin on a custom made flattened wok, and then frying it on one side till brown. It contains melted butter, sugar, crushed peanuts, and creamed corns. It’s yummy!

I got the recipe from Lily’s Wai Sek Hong and have tried it a few times. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
(A) Pastry
85g all-purpose flour
50g rice flour
15g corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
75g white sugar
150g + 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(B) Filling
5 tsp margarine/butter
2 + 1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 cup salted peanut, chopped
1 cup creamed corn

Directions:
1. Combine sifted all-purpose flour, rice flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, white sugar, 150g water, and vanilla extract.
3. Pour egg mixture gradually into the flour mixture, while stirring. Mix well. Refrigerate batter overnight.
4. Heat a medium-size round pan with ~ 1 tbsp cooking oil, on medium heat.
5. Add 1 tbsp water into the batter and stir well. Pour in batter while swirling the pan. Spread the batter out as thin as possible. Cook on low heat.
6. When the edge starts to turn brown, melt 1 tsp margarine/butter on the crepe (the side facing up). Remove crepe from pan.
7. Add 1/2 tsp white sugar, 1 tbsp chopped peanuts, and 3 tbsp creamed corn on the melted margarine/butter.
8. Fold crepe into half. Apam balik is ready to be served!
9. Continue cooking with the rest of batter.

* Yield: 5 pieces

If you like the banana bread recipe that I’ve shared previously, you’ll definitely love this–the HEAVENLY banana muffin!! Using the leftover overripe bananas from making banana bread, I tried this excellent self-improvised recipe. Even my loyal food taster (who is a fussy eater) claimed that these are non-ordinary, deliciously flavourful and moist muffins!!

I really liked the topping of these muffins. The crispy texture of crumbs tasted delightful! Besides, the aromatic banana flavour was simply delectable!! I was really glad that it turned out to be a successful attempt. These are the best muffins I’ve ever tasted (not being bias); they are soft, buttery, and incredibly yummy! Craving for some mouthwatering muffins? Try this out!!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1 + 1/3 cup butter/margarine, melted
1 cup mashed overripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter/margarine
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine all-purpose and whole wheat flour, together with baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, white sugar, melted butter/margarine with a hand mixer on low speed, for 1-2 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla extract into egg mixture. Beat until batter is well-mixed, on low speed.
3. Form a well in the centre of flour mixture. Pour in banana mixture gradually. Stir just enough to mix well.
4. Prepare the topping by mixing together brown sugar, butter/margarine, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon. Mix with hand to form crumbs.
5. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Sprinkle topping on them.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of muffin.

Yield: ~ 10 medium-size muffins

Suggestion: Add another 1/2 cup mashed overripe banana for a stronger banana flavour

Curry puff is a common snack in Malaysian cuisine. It’s commonly served for breakfast and during coffee break. I came up with my own recipe preparing curry puff for a potluck dinner. They were gone in minutes. Personally, I really like the flaky pastry skin ;)

Happy trying!

Ingredients:
(A) Pastry skin
3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
(B) Filling
1/2 medium red onion, diced
200g chicken breast meat, small pieces
200g white potatoes
200g sweet potatoes
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water, or more

Directions:
1. To prepare pastry skin, mix flour and salt together. Cut margarine/butter into the flour mixture, while kneading. A crumbly dough should form.
2. Then, add water. Knead well and set the pastry dough aside.
3. To prepare filling, heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Saute red onions until light brown, add chicken into saucepan. Stir-fry chicken on medium heat.
4. When meat is almost cooked, add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and all other spices into the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes, while stirring constantly.
5. Next, add water into the saucepan. Let simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and tender. Let cool.
6. Take a handful of pastry dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, to form a circular pastry skin. Place ~ 1.5 tbsp of filling in the centre of pastry skin. Flute the edge by pinching and twisting with fingers. Alternatively, use a curry puff mould (makes the preparation a lot easier).
7. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Deep fry curry puffs on medium heat, until brown on both sides (~ 15 minutes).
8. Serve hot!

* Yield: ~ 16 pieces

Why is it called banana bread, and not banana cake? To me, yeast and proofing involved in bread making. Theoretically, banana loaf is more like a cake, rather than a bread. Here is my conclusion: despite the ingredient used and process involved, it’s called banana bread because it’s baked from a loaf pan, which is commonly utilized in bread baking.

Anyway, be it banana bread or banana cake, it’s my favourite since little. I decided to give this recipe that I found from Allrecipes.com a try. This banana bread has a strong banana flavour and very moist. It doesn’t take long before the loaf is gone!

Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, soften
2 + 1/3 cup mashed overripe bananas

* Optional: add 1 tsp vanilla extract into batter

Directions:
1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together eggs, butter, brown sugar, and mashed banana with a electrical hand mixer on low speed, until well-mixed.
3. Slowly pour the egg mixture into flour mixture, while stirring. Mix well.
4. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 60 – 65 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the centre of loaf should come out clean when cooked. Let bread cool in pan before serving.

Looking for something easy to bake? This super easy recipe is highly recommended to beginners and those who want quick baking. Three baking  ingredients and 15 minutes baking time. You can’t beat that! This is one of those no-fail recipes! It’s worth a try ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Mix together egg and sugar. Add peanut butter into egg mixture. Mix well.
2. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls.
3. Place them 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Flatten with a fork.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 325 F for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Let stand on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
6. Let cool before serving.

Yield: ~ 20 cookies

One of the many baked goods that I enjoy during Chinese New Year–cornflake cookies! These are crunchy cookies with cornflakes and raisins as main ingredients. They are easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
2 cup cornflakes, crushed

Directions:
1. Cream margarine, white sugar, and egg together, with a electrical hand mixer on low speed.
2. Mix vanilla extract into the margarine mixture.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together all-purpose flour and baking powder.
4. Slowly pour flour mixture into the margarine mixture, while stirring. Mix well.
5. Add raisins and cornflakes into cookie dough.
6. Form small-size balls of ~ 1.5 tbsp dough each.
7. Place them on lined cookie sheet, slightly apart from each other. Bake cookies in preheated oven of 350 F for about 18 minutes, or until light brown.

Yield: ~ 30 cookies

Pakora is a popular South Asian snack food. It can be found in Indian, Punjabi, and Pakistani cuisine. It’s flavourful and easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
1 large onion, thin sliced
3 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp salt
1 + 3/4 cup water
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
~ 3 cup cooking oil

Directions:
1. Mix chickpea flour and salt together.
2. Add water into the flour mixture gradually, while stirring.
3. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and sliced onions into the batter.
4. Heat cooking oil in a wok. Place 1.5 tbsp of batter in the heated oil gently, one at a time.
5. Deep fry 5 to 6 pakoras on medium heat, for about 6 minutes or slightly brown. Deep fry for another 6 minutes on other side of pakoras, until light brown.
6. Serve!

Satay is a well-known delicacy in Southeast Asia. It can be found in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia etc. It’s served with a variety of meat, such as chicken, beef, lamb, venison, rabbit etc. Barbequed satay on charcoal fire is delicious, though some expressed health concerns about carbon residues on satay, which is thought to be carcinogenic. Hence, cucumber and red onion should go hand in hand with satay. Cucumber is known to reduce heat and inflammation, whereas onion helps to lower cholesterol level and increase blood circulation. The anti-carcinogenic properties of cucumber and onion help to reduce the risk of cancer.

Ingredients:
(A) Chicken satay
900g chicken thighs
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp lemon grass powder
1/2 tsp galangal powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of ground white pepper
1 tbsp oil
~ 36 bamboo skewers, presoaked in water for 30 minutes

For brushing:
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp honey

(B) Peanut sauce
1/4 medium red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup concentrated tamarind juice
1/2 + 1/2 cup water
1 + 1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp lemon grass powder
1/2 tsp galangal powder
1 + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
~ 12 dried chillies

Directions (A):
1. Remove skins and bones from chicken thighs.
2. Cut thighs into strips. In a mixing bowl, marinate meat with light soya sauce, sugar and all other spices. Add 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Refrigerate marinated meat overnight.
3. Slide strips of meat onto the top half of presoaked bamboo skewers (to prevent burning).
4. Prepare a tray lined with greased aluminum foil. Place bamboo skewers side by side. Lightly brush satay with oil.
5. Bake satay in a preheated oven at 400 F for 12 minutes, or half-cooked.
6. Remove tray from the oven. Turn the satay around. Lightly brush them with oil. Bake satay further for 10 minutes.
7. Remove tray from the oven. Brush satay (on both sides) with honey. Bake for another 2 minutes, or until cooked.
8. Serve satay with satay sauce; red onions and cucumbers on the side.

Directions (B):
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Saute red onions until light brown. Add garlic into the skillet. Fry until fragrant.
2. Add all spices, except turmeric powder into saucepan. Mix well.
3. Next, add concentrated tamarind juice, 1 cup coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water into saucepan. Add turmeric powder, dried chillies, and chopped peanuts. Stir well.
4. Let simmer (without a lid) on medium high heat for 15 minutes, or until sauce starts to dry out. Stir occasionally.
5. Add the remaining coconut milk and water, as well as peanut butter into saucepan. Let simmer on medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
6. Serve with satay.

Serimuka is one of the Malaysian desserts that I missed the most. I remembered buying it from the food stall at the market. It’s a popular dessert in Malaysia. I didn’t realize how much I missed it, until I started to crave for it… What is so special about this dessert?

This two-layer dessert with coconut flavour, is made up of salty glutinous rice layer at the bottom; and a sweet, pandan-flavoured egg custard later on top. The taste of this combination is marvelous! I really like the fact that it is not overly sweet and comes with the fragrant pandan aroma. Nonetheless, serimuka is rather filling, because of the glutinous rice layer.

I started my search on serimuka recipe and was really glad to find one on Lily’s Wai Sek Hong. I’ve tried the recipe a few times but haven’t had the opportunity to take some good shots of the dessert. I made some serimuka recently for a potluck. Everyone loved it, even non-Malaysians! Hope you’d enjoy it too!

Ingredients:
(A) Glutinous rice layer
300g glutinous rice
180ml coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
(B) Egg custard layer
3 eggs, lightly beaten
150g icing sugar
350ml coconut milk
1/2 tsp pandan paste
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp all-purpose flour, sieved
4 tbsp rice flour, sieved

Directions:
1. Wash and soak the glutinous rice overnight (or at least 3-4 hours).
2. Drain water. Steam the rice in a round tray on high heat, for 20 minutes to soften.
3. Turn off the heat. Mix together coconut milk, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Fluff up the rice with a fork. Pour the coconut mixture into the rice. Mix well. Steam rice on high heat for another 20 minutes, or until cooked.
4. Press hard on the cooked rice with a spatula. Make sure the rice layer is evenly laid in the tray.
5. Next, mix together eggs, icing sugar, coconut milk, pandan paste, and salt. Mix well.
6. Gradually pour in the sieved all-purpose flour and rice flour into the egg mixture. After it’s well mixed, strain the mixture. Heat the mixture on high in a microwave, one minute at a time, until a slightly thick mixture is formed.
7. Pour half of the egg mixture on top of the rice layer. Steam on medium high heat for 20 minutes, or until it’s half-cooked. Poke holes with a fork on the custard layer.
8. Subsequently, pour in the rest of the egg mixture. Steam on medium high heat for another 20 minutes, or until it’s cooked.
9. Let cool. Cut serimuka into pieces and serve!

Hummus is an Arabic snack prepared from chickpeas (cooked and mashed), blended with tahini (sesame paste), garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. It can be used as a dip or spread. I tried hummus at a multicultural food fair a few years ago and really liked it! Since then, I’ve been making homemade hummus :)

Here is a recipe of hummus without tahini; since tahini is not a common ingredient and might not be readily available at grocery stores. The hummus tasted as great!!

Ingredients:
1 can (540 ml) chickpeas
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 salt

Directions:
1. Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas.
2. In a kitchen blender, pour in chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, water, olive oil, with the rest of ingredients, including salt.
3. Blend on high speed for ~ 3-4 minutes or until a paste with soft texture is formed. Add more water if needed.
4. The flavourful hummus is ready in no time! Serve with pita bread, crackers, or even veggie sticks! Enjoy :)

Here is my recipe of homemade taro-flavoured bubble tea as promised ;)

Ingredients:
30 tapioca pearls
1 green tea bag
2 cup hot water
4 tbsp taro powder
2 tsp honey
3 tsp condensed milk
4 ice cubes

Directions:
1. Prepare a pot of hot boiling water. Cook the tapioca pearls on high heat for 20 minutes, and on medium heat for another 20 minutes.
2. Prepare a glass of green tea (2 cup hot water with a tea bag). Add honey and condensed milk into tea.
3. While the tea is still hot, add taro powder. Mix well.
4. Shake tea with a cocktail shaker (or regular drink container).
5. Blend together tea and ice cubes, using a kitchen blender. Blend on high speed for 10-15 seconds.
6. Drain water off the pot. Pour tapioca pearls into a glass, followed by the well-blended tea.
7. Ready to serve!

Yumm… my all-time favourite–taro bubble tea with lots of bubbles!!

Tired of baking the same thing over and over again? Bored of referring to recipes whenever you bake? Hey, why not come out with your own recipes??

Baking is a great way to release stress; it’s even more fun experimenting your own recipes! Satisfying food cravings and bringing a big smile on someone’s face has always been my “mission” in cooking and baking =D

I came up with the idea of making corn muffins with my brand new silicon muffin pan!

Ingredients:
1+1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cream-style corn (canned)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Beat the egg lightly. Cream together egg, sugar, and margarine.
2. Add milk and vanilla extract into the margarine mixture. Mix well.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Pour the flour mixture into the margarine mixture in step (2) gradually, while stirring/blending with another hand.
5. Lastly, add the cream-style corn into the batter. Mix well.
6. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan, about 3/4 full.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 375 F for about 30 minutes, or until light brown.

* This recipe yields a dozen of small-size muffins. Very moist and tasty (according to my tasters)!!

Tips: Use 2 tsp baking powder instead, to get the muffins to rise more :)

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
~ 3 cm ginger root, grated
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can (540 ml) chickpea, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp chana masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of coriander powder
Dash of garam masala
1 tbsp cooking oil

Directions:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pot on medium heat. Saute onions till light brown.
2. Add garlic and ginger into pot. Pan-fry till fragrant and brown, on low heat.
3. Next, add tomatoes and salt. Mix well and let cook on medium high heat, cover with a lid. When it comes to a boil, let simmer on low heat.
4. As tomato juice thickens and a thin layer of oil becomes apparent, add chickpea, red chili powder, chana masala, and turmeric powder. Mix well on medium high heat.
5. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, till fragrant. If too dry, add ~ 1 tbsp of water. Let simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes, with lid on.
6. Lastly, stir in coriander powder and garam masala. Let cook for one minute before turning heat off.
7. Serve while hot, with rice or Indian bread.

* Spicy level: 7/10

This is a hot & spicy Indian dish. Feel free to adjust the amount of spices according to taste. I was inspired by the Indian cooking of my friend, Seema, several years ago. Since then, I’ve been having fun preparing Indian dishes from time to time. Seema, I missed your samosas and pakoras!

Sweet glutinous rice balls, (“tang yuan” in Mandarin or “tong yun” in Cantonese) are one of my favourites! I was so excited when I successfully prepared the glutinous rice balls myself for the very first time, several years ago. Here is the secret recipe of mine. Enjoy savouring the “tang yuan”!

Ingredients:
2 cup glutinous rice flour
~ 200 ml water
~ 1/3 cup finely ground peanuts
9 drops red food colouring
3 drops blue food colouring

Directions:
1. To make red glutinous rice balls, add 6 drops of red food colouring into 100 ml water. Mix water with 1 cup glutinous rice flour gradually, until a pliable dough is formed.
2. Knead the dough slightly. Roll the dough into small balls. Insert ~ 1/2 tsp ground peanuts into each ball.
3. Repeat the above steps for making purple glutinous rice balls, but using 3 drops of red food colouring and 3 drops of blue food colouring instead.
4. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Pour in the glutinous rice balls gently. Keep water boiling at medium heat, until glutinous rice balls float on the water surface and cooked (about 15 minutes).
5. Drain water off the pot. Serve the glutinous rice balls in sweet broth (e.g. barley soup or regular sweetened water).

Now, you may ask: “why choose red and purple?” Of course, there is a special message behind it. There is a Chinese proverb “大红大紫 (da hong da zi)” which implies great achievements or fame, in which “红” means red and “紫” means purple. Another Chinese proverb, “万紫千红 (wan zi qian hong)” indicates a new phenomenon or a colourful sight (arrival of spring). Supposedly, Chinese New Year takes place in the spring, and also known as “Spring Festival.” Hmm…even the colours make great interpretations. Amazing, eh?