haemul pajeon

Have a bunch of fresh spring onion, shrimps and soy bean paste in the fridge, so i made a basic korean pancake for lunch over the busy weekend. 'Haemul pajeon' is a savoury seafood and spring onion pancake. Its very easy to made, taste very yummy and only a few simple ingredients needed. Try it!

Ingredients you already have in the fridge & kitchen!

Ingredients:
• A bunch of spring onion / about 8-10 stalks (cut it into 4-5 inches length)
• 100g medium shrimps / about 6-8 pcs (cleaned and deveined)
• 1 free range egg (beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside)
• 70g flour
• 125 ml cold water
• 1 tsp soy bean paste (as a substitute for both salt or soy sauce)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce:
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar /honey
• 1/4 chopped onion
• 1/2 chopped green or red chili peppers
•1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Trying to show the steps, but it wasn't easy to take photo while you are busy during cooking, the food sizzling and oil splashing! Really have to shoot it quick before the food over cook. Haha, but its a great experience.

Method:
1. Clean, wash, and drain a handful of spring onions.
2. Combine flour, soy bean paste & sugar in a medium bowl ready to make batter. Start by adding a small amount of cold water and add more as needed to achieve a batter consistency, then whisk until combined.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan, add about 2 tbs vegetable oil; then spread out the spring onion on the bottom of the pan.
4. Drizzle the batter over the green onion evenly, and add the shrimps on top of the batter, so it can stick on the batter, and lightly pour the beaten egg.
5. Then cook until edges begin to turn golden, then turn over with spatula and cook until other side is golden, about 2-3 minutes each side. Pressing down the pancake with spatula occasionally.
6. Cook a few more minutes until the bottom of the pancake turns crispy and golden brown again, and flip it or turn it over.
7. Once you see pancake is crispy and golden brown both side, they are ready to transfer to a cutting board or plates
8. Serve hot with sauce.

The pancake wasn't looked very good, doesn't hold the shape i wanted, but they still taste very good. The taste is even more enhanced when you dip the the sauce. Yummy!

Love the mild flavor of pan fried spring onions in the pancake & the crunchy shrimps.

Have a great start to the week.

some really nice souvenirs

I think it was the traveling season last month, brother went on a work trip to Nepal and my partner's family traveled to Taiwan! They bought some really wonderful souvenirs from their trip, too beautiful not to share/post. Haha.

 Mt. Everest postage stamp from Nepal, brother knows me very well.

Followed by notebook made using 'lokta' paper, lokta paper an eco-friendly handmade paper that made from bark of Daphne plant. This Nepalese paper renowned for its durability, resistance to tearing humidity.

He also got me a box of Nepali Masala Chai (Nepali Spiced Tea), the tea leaves are packed in a wooden tea box, now that's eco friendly.

 Yays! Can't wait to make some Nepali Spiced Milk Tea! 

Postcard and keychain - a 'must have' souvenirs.

 

Souvenirs from Taiwan.

Washi tapes, tapes and tapes! They knew I've been doing some craft and letter writing.

The family planned a trip to a lavender farm and got me a very aromatherapy lavender sachet!

I have placed the sachet near my pillow, they said this will help me sleep better. (i don't really have sleeping problems, but the little bag smells really good!)

Last but not least, super adorable souvenirs from Japan.

My lovely boss went to Japan last month end for sakura. End of march to early may is sakura season, the best time to see cherry blossom in Japan.

She got me the cutest stationery ever! She told me that :" When i saw this scissor, i think about you! I think you have told me that you are collecting scissors, so i got you this!" 

Aww... she is such a nice person, sweetest boss i have ever met!

And yes, I am a scissor collector, specially old cast-iron or brass handle or whole brass hand-forged-type of well made utility scissors/tailor scissors. 

Look, how beautiful are these?

 

My collection is growing, i will share with you someday!

Have a happy Tuesday!

earl grey chiffon cake

Oh, hello monday!

Lately, I've been baking quite a lot, especially chiffon cakes! My first attempt was making the pandan flavor chiffon, as i have had a few huge stand of pandan growing in the garden! There's a lot of pandanto cook with. If you need some, come and take it! The first cake turned out pretty well outside, but slightly dense inside. Although its not perfect, not as good as my mom; but i am very happy for the first outcome. I think I just may have to make more of this!

I have a particular obsession for food flatlays!

Therefore~ i keep on practicing, almost 3 times a week! Hehe, I usually bake it at night and then leave it in the oven till the next morning for our breakfast. I would really love to practice more and to master it, i will never get tired of it! Practice makes perfect right? ^^

Mom taught me her chiffon recipe via phone that day, i listened carefully, and wrote the recipe down because i don't want to mess it up. I can't believe I'm finally sharing recipes on my own blog, and here you go, my mom's chiffon cake recipe. There's a ton of recipes and ideas online too, you may try google and compare which recipe works best for you.

The most beautiful 'sun-flower' in the world!

This is what the pastry chef called 'stiff-peak stage'.

Ingredients:  

Egg White batter:

• 5 egg yolks

• 50g granulated sugar

• 5 tbsp of vegetable oil

• 2 tbsp earl grey tea concentrate (you may also use 1 earl grey tea bag to create the tea concentrate)

*(steep/infuse one teabag or 2 tbsp tea leaves in half a cup of boiling water for 4 minutes)

• 1 tbsp earl grey tea leaves (you can either use tea bags, or blend the rough tea leaves using mixer)

• 100g low protein flour / cake flour

• 1 tsp of baking powder 

* (i only used 1/2 as i don't really like the soapy & bitter taste of baking powder)

• 1 tsp of vanilla essence / 1/2 vanilla bean (optional, you can skip this!)

Egg White batter:

• 5 egg whites

• 100g granulated sugar (you can reduce the sugar)

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

The batter is ready to go!

Method:  

1. First, preheat oven to 150C for 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add 50g granulated sugar gradually, beaten until the mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickens. About 5 minutes. 
3. Add in, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil and continue to beat till well incorporated. 
4. Then add in the 'cooled' tea concentrate and continue to mix well and then add in tea leaf grains into the mixture, stir well.
5. Last, sift in the flour and baking powder, then mix well till no visible lumps.
6. Next, this would be my favorite part! Beat egg white with an mixer on high speed. Add cream of tartar when it starts becoming foamy. Continue beating for 1 min. Add remaining sugar in at least 3 separate batches and continue beating until stiff peaks forms. whole process take about 3 mins, don't under-beat or over-beat it. Tricky? That's why i have been practicing~ haha >_<
7. Then fold the mixtures together immediately. But first, fold in 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture thoroughly. Then only you pour the mixture to the remaining egg yolk batter and fold in 'gently' till incorporated.
8. Pour batter into chiffon pan. Bake for 40-50 mins.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and invert it on top of a bottle, and wait until it is cooled fully.
10. Run a sharp knife along the edges to remove the cake from pan. 

 Fresh from the oven, the cake made the kitchen and every corner of my house smell so good!

I have been trying and researching the best way to unmold the cake nicely, as the cake has a fragile structure, so have to handle with care.

&

The very fluffy soft & light earl grey chiffon cake is ready to serve!  

Don't forget to make a cup of tea, enjoy!

Huge thanks to my mom, love her so much! I still love to cook & bake her recipes that I grew up eating. But sometime, i like to be more adventurous in the kitchen by trying recipes that I source online. Happy Baking!

plants in my garden lately

This is how things are going in my garden, malaysia has been having a bit of a rainy season lately!

everything looks green, fresh and lively after the rains!

My sweet basil plants grow faster, thicker & fuller now! Currently browsing on recipes using fresh basil! In my to-cook list - thai basil chicken, pad ka-prao (spicy stir fry minced pork with basil), spicy egg plant with sweet basil and many more.

Say hello to my favourite plant - hydrangea, it has the most beautiful flower. I have about 6 pots of hydrangeas at home. Dad gave me few pots when i moved in to my new home, then i propagate some new babies from the cuttings/stems.

My hydrangea have just recovered, they almost died during my chinese new year holiday last 2 months. As we went home for about 2 weeks, no one is helping us to water the plants, and the weather has been so warm, not rain fall in that period. I came home and saw my 'dried up' hydrangeas,  it makes me so sad to see them like this. Then i trim all the dried leaves, add more soil and feed them with organic fertilizer. And now, this is how they look like! Yays ~

Recently, i have been in love with camellia japonica type of flower i discovered from the photo which my brother sent me while he was traveling in Nepal last 2 weeks, it has an amazingly beautiful flower. Looking for the seed and grow my own camellia!

 The start of boll development, but lots of ants like to hide and lay eggs underneath the leaves.

The mature cotton boll waiting for the harvest.

Broccoli seedling, will need to switch to a bigger pot or growing on the ground.

My first experiments with propagation, and this is the result! Can't believe it grow from a
teeny tiny baby.

I have a little happy garden, how about yours?

Little Forest: Summer & Autumn 

Watched this fantastic movie yesterday night, and I am so so so in love with it.
Have a look on the movie webpage or fb page, or the movie trailer!
It was a culinary & lifestyle movie, starred by Ai Hashimoto.
Story about a girl - Ichiko who live a simpler life, living in the days of self-sufficiency, among nature and harvest follow the seasons and eating foods she makes from seasonal ingredients.

Can't wait to watch the 2nd part - Little Forest: Winter & Spring
Here's a sneak peek on 2nd part!

  * Movie posters / image sources from asianwiki

stir fried leeks with roasted pork belly

Hello mid week!
Let me share a simple & easy recipe of  'stir fried leeks with roasted pork' with you today. The recipe is perfect if you've got some roasted pork leftover, you can turn them to another super yummy dish. Actually there are so many different ways to prepare them (i mean the left over roasted pork or pork belly), we especially love the combination of leeks & roasted pork belly! 

I love cooking with leeks, they have a sweet, delicate oniony, garlicky flavor! (but some people may not like the smell). I brought back these roasted pork belly from hometown, it was meant for food offering for qing ming festival last weekend. Mom packed in a container and freeze them for me. Although its not as fresh as early day, but still taste good. 

So I went to the wet market and get some fresh leeks yesterday evening, and et voila! easily turn them into a delicious delicacy. Can you imagine the fragrant and taste of the stir-fry-until-very-tender-and-lightly-browned leeks & flavorful saltiness of the roasted pork slices?

Ingredients:
• Leeks 4 - 5 stalks (rinsed and sliced diagonal)
* remember to rinse carefully under running water as there may have a lot of dirt can hide in between the layers.
• 150 - 200g roasted pork belly (sliced into bite size)
• 5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (to provide color & richer sauce)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine (optional)
• 50 ml water (add more gradually if you want more sauce)
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
*the seasonings are all approximately measured, please adjust according to your own taste.

Method:

1. Heat up oil in wok, dry-fry roasted pork belly, the oil will be released.

2. Top up a tablespoon of vegetable oil,  sauté the chopped garlic until fragrant.

3. Add the white portion of leeks first and stir fry for about a minute over high heat. (as the white part is harder root base and requires more time to cook)

4. Add seasoning followed by 50 ml water, stir well and bring the sauce to boil. Close lid and let it continue to cook, open and check to ensure the sauce does not dry out. Add more water gradually (not too much) and cook until the leeks are softened and tendered.

5. Drizzle cooking wine along the side of wok at the end, mix well again. Then turn off the stove and dish out.

Dinner is served, best paired with steamed rice.

I hope you will try it out soon, believe me it's really delicious. Hehe! have a lovely day.

back to my hometown

Went back to my hometown last weekend for tomb sweeping day or ching ming jie (just in case some of you might not know, its a traditional chinese festival where people visit the grave sites to remember and to pray to their ancestors). Great opportunity to back home, gather and play with my adorable little nephew! Here are some random shots I really like.

 

There's a beautiful butterfly that visited our garden last saturday morning, we had good mood that day!

Collecting and storing my cotton bolls & seeds! Hopefully i can save enough cotton to make a pillow one day. How cool if i can make a pillow with my homegrown cotton plant, yohoo! Okie, maybe a mini pillow? ^_^

The cutest & sweetest little angel in our house!

Look at that little face, and the little sunflower print top. SO CUTE!

How can you not love him?

Little Edward, my nephew! He's 11 months old now,  and going to turn 1 year old in 3 weeks time! 

Couldn't wait to be back home again to celebrate and capture hundreds of photo with him. 

*Can you see the wooden book shelf at the back, those are all my mom's recipe books! hehe!

Dad walked 'Kimura' & 'Brownie' in the evening, and he asked me if i know that dogs eat grass?

I'm not so sure about it! And dad says yes! dogs does eat grass, but they doesn't eat all type of grass, instead they will pick, the reasons are to improving digestion, treating intestinal worms, or fulfill some other nutritional need. Now i know it!

Kimura is a jack russell terrier, 6 years old. Our first doggy. She's a small but energetic breed!

 Dad bathe our 2nd security guard at home - brownie! She bark at strangers and kept our house safe, specially at night.

Have a great start to the week!

outgoing mail - march part 2

Last 2 outgoing mail in March! It has been raining almost everyday lately. Trying to do more mail/postal art, focusing on mail collage this time!
I have always loved letter writing in rainy days, sitting at my desk sipping a cup of hot herbal tea, turn on my favorite soft music! I'm in love with Studio Ghibli's OST lately, especially Princess Mononoke - Legend of Ashitaka Soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi! It's so so good!

My mail to Yumi-chan

Mie, Japan

My mail to Marie

Tokyo, Japan

 In my book wish list - snail mail book by michelle mackintosh! I want this so badly, who can resist a snail mail bible >_< Have a look on the cute webpage!

I made my first successful pandan chiffon last night! I was so so happy, beyond excited that i had baked perfect chiffon cake with my mom's recipe! Hehe, will share more photos and recipe soon, stay tuned!

Happy midweek friends!