No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

This is truly an original recipe as I just whipped it up with whatever I have on hand and one of the ingredients is foo chook or beancurd sticks which is my favourite.

Good old fashioned Cornflake Cookies .....  I'm sure that these cookies are a common sight in many households during CNY as they are very easy to make.  Old fashioned they may be, but as long as they're crunchy and aromatic, they'll be well received and they have always been a hit amongst my nieces and nephews, each year. These are real crunchy, not overly sweet and nutritious. Ingredients 240 gm butter 140 gm caster sugar 240 gm self-raising flour 80 gm crushed cornflakes 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla A pinch of salt Crushed cornflakes for coating Method Sift the flour with salt, set aside. Cream  the butter and sugar till light and fluffy, but not overdoing it. Add in the egg, vanilla, mix well. Fold in sifted flour and crushed cornflakes. Let the mixture rest for a while in the fridge for about 20 mins. Lightly roll them into balls and toss them into the crushed cornflakes to coat. Place them onto paper lined baking trays, about 1 inch apar

 I was thrilled when I removed this fruit ring from the oven ...... mmmm  sweet smell of cinnamon.  This tasty fruit ring does not require any butter or spread to go with it and I prefer to eat it on its own..... but accompanied by a hot cup of my favourite 'Kopi 'O'!

This is another version of  'Herbal Chicken'  which is somewhat like soya sauce chicken except that there are herbs added on to it.  

This is one goodie that I never fail to make for Chinese New Year ...... Almond Biscuits ~ 'Hung Yan Paeng'.  Although the ingredients are few and simple, yet the end product is just marvellous, crunchy and aromatic. These crunchy goodies are a hit among my siblings and  family members, each year. Ingredients 250 gm nibbed almonds, slightly roasted 400 gm plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda 200 gm cornflour 250 gm icing sugar, sieved 300 to 400 ml cooking oil 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten Egg glaze + a tinge of salt for glazing Method Sift the flour together with the baking powder , salt and bicarbonate of soda. Also mix in the cornflour. Add in the lightly toasted nibbed almonds .  Sift in the icing sugar.  Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Add in oil sparingly, mix thoroughly till dough doesn't stick to the hands. Cover and let dough rest for 30 mins. Roll into small balls, do not flatten . Place balls

Pig trotters with ginger and black vinegar is a 'heaty'  dish and is a very popular dish for confinement mothers. The black vinegar helps in blood circulation and purifies the blood, the ginger helps to get rid of wind in the body and the collagen in the trotters helps to strengthen our joints and ligaments. It's the Cantonese tradition that this is cooked on the 12th day after childbirth when the baby is 12 days old and together with another speciality, 'Chicken in rice wine', they are distributed to relatives and close friends to announce the arrival of a newborn. I normally like to cook this dish during the rainy season when the weather is slighly cooler!

I remember that my mum used to make this omelette for us and my siblings would run for the tomato ketchup and chilli sauce.  This was a very well received dish for us and I re-incarnated this recently ..... 'Dan Kok'.

  These rolls/tarts are shaped like a pineapple but instead of pineapple paste, I put in unseeded dates, for a change.  'Wong Lai', that's Cantonese for pineapple which literally means 'luck coming' is auspicious for the coming Chinese New Year which will fall on 3rd February, Thursday, and this year is the year of the Rabbit. 

As we've been eating out for quite a while I suggested that we have some home-cooked food  for a change.  We trotted  to Victoria market to get some fresh supplies and my girl whipped up a sumptuous meal for us ..........have to admit that her cooking skills are good but alas, no measurements, all done at her whims and fancies.   This is pan grilled Teriyaki Salmon ..... the sauce was DIY!

We arrived at Phillip Island and checked into this Cliff Top hotel for a night's stay. 

On our way to Phillip Island to see the penguin parade, we stopped by this Caldermeade farm on the South Gippsland highway to take a break and to explore and see what's in store for us. 

I bought a   Friand   mould baking pan @ the Boxing Day sale and couldn't wait to try out making these .... Blueberry Friands.  A friand is a small moist cake made with almond meal and flour which originated from France.  I made these from a recipe adapted from  Exclusivelyfood.com.au   and the verdict .... not too sweet but moist and soft friands, tasted somewhat like muffins and all finished within 30 mins.!