tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144355572026-06-07T16:23:29.426+09:00cooking, baking, photographing, recipes and moreLydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.comBlogger700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-43348843305084239332023-12-06T11:22:00.001+09:002023-12-06T11:22:14.485+09:00

We are having shabu-shabu or nabe (nabe literally mean pot) dinner like four times in a week in winter. Shabu-shabu is served with thin slices of meat or fish, which need only a few seconds to cook right before eating. Whereas, nabe is usually prepared with chunky pieces of meat or seafoods and everything is cooked together in the pot. Well, the word "nabe" itself is a general term for both

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-48754340732446135972022-09-14T17:59:00.001+09:002022-09-14T18:09:10.778+09:00

Homemade crispy roasted pork (烧肉/siu yuk) anyone? Had a chat with hubby about the differences between Japanese char siu, siu yok，and char siu the other day. Of the three of them, I like siu yuk the most since I was a kid. Since we haven't had it for a long time, I decided to make some to fix our cravings. It is hard to find a big chunk of pork belly with the rind on in

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-30273923683038790562022-09-10T14:28:00.000+09:002022-09-10T14:28:15.904+09:00

We had lunch at the newly opened Indian restaurant near Nara Station the other day. The restaurant offers pretty decent Indian dishes, I am surprised to find stir fried okra with panch phoron in the set lunch. I always order this okra dish at the mamak stall when living in Singapore.It is a simple okra stir fry dish, so aromatic and flavorful. Since I have okra and curry leaves in my veggie

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-40219843597794356912022-07-31T22:19:00.001+09:002022-07-31T22:21:08.964+09:00

最近很努力的改变自己的饮食习惯，168间歇性绝食和211健康餐盘同步进行。八个小时的进食时间内吃三餐感觉太紧密了，所以午餐都以小点心代替也能满足想吃点甜配咖啡的欲望。其实这饼干当早餐或代餐吃也不错，即营养又有饱足感。I am new to YouTube, please subscribe to my channel Lydia_MyKitch3n.Thank you for supporting me!

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-19242988839403989552022-06-01T20:20:00.012+09:002022-06-01T21:08:21.667+09:00

What are you cooking mom? It smells so good! That's what the boys said when they came back from the school today. It is 三杯鸡，read as 'san bei ji' in Chinese... bla bla bla... I explained to them in the rojak language of Chinese, English and Japanese. Well, we had it for the lunch, together with stir-fried zucchini with mushroom, and the siu mai leftover from breakfast. Oh yes,

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-25285916709834362192022-05-19T19:04:00.001+09:002022-05-19T19:04:31.529+09:00

Cake or bread? Maybe both. This cake-bread was on my baking list for awhile, wanted to know how well the two different textures go together. It is a combination of two recipes, the soft and fluffy  Milk Bread is topped with Milk Tea sponge cake. The cake is adapted from a basic sponge cake recipe, with 2 sticks of instant milk tea added into the milk. Verdict? Even though

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-73988850776918782542022-05-11T10:20:00.005+09:002022-05-11T15:48:23.744+09:00

In Japan, SPAM Onigiri (or musubi) is quite popular among the families with school age children. It is something quick and easy to make on the busy bento days. I first made this was like 10 years ago for my little boy's excursion. This is the original type/shape of the SPAM Onigiri originated from Okinawa, another popular type is the SPAM onigiri sandwich (rice sandwich) 

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-26452015238589457062022-04-23T22:35:00.000+09:002022-04-23T22:35:04.081+09:00

This Chinese style sweet peanut soup is one of a handful of sweet dessert soups that I like. It is usually cooked with only blanched peanuts but I like mine with barley. The peanuts are cooked to perfection, soft but not mushy, creamy and slightly sweetened. The combination of a bowl of warm peanut sweet soup and crispy prawn fritter brings back my childhood memories.Peanut sweet soup is easy to

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-35699352241937170442022-04-22T14:53:00.004+09:002022-04-22T21:40:04.777+09:00

Bean omelet is a popular Chinese home-cooked dish, simple ingredients and easy to make. A good omelet must have crunchy bean, moist and tender omelet, and not greasy. Originally, the bean omelet is cooked with long bean/snake bean but I like to use winged bean and Morocco green bean too. It goes really well with rice and porridge. To make it even better, you may add some prawns or minced meat. I

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-756431940499445902022-04-08T19:35:00.005+09:002022-04-08T20:48:37.867+09:00

Apart from the famous Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki, Ikayaki (squid pancake) is another delicious street food that you can enjoy in Kansai area. Although the way of making is similar to the Okonomiyaki but there is slightly different in texture. Ikayaki contains more flour thus it has the soft mochi-like texture. Some homemade Ikayaki is made with crab stick or fish cake instead of the squid. By the

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-9818194055345054802022-04-06T14:29:00.004+09:002022-04-06T14:46:42.646+09:00

Hiyashi Chuka (Chinese Cold Noodle) is one of the so called Chinese dishes invented by Japanese. When I had it for the first T was surprised to learn that I, as a Chinese, had never had it before. Another example of Japanese invented Chinese dish is Tianjin-han (Tianjin Rice). Chinese from Tianjin province living in Japan claimed that they have never heard of it before coming to

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-86279393367627989302022-04-04T12:10:00.003+09:002022-04-06T14:06:03.341+09:00

The word of Yamagata (山形) means mountain shape in Japanese. This mountain shape loaf is baked with 35% of wholemeal flour, direct method. The texture is so much better than I expected, not only moist but also soft and fluffy. I had it the next day (not toasting it) with the homemade Kaya and butter, it tasted heavenly!My preferred ratio of wholemeal flour to white

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-34013663456856159762022-04-03T22:33:00.003+09:002022-04-04T16:27:53.013+09:00

Unlike common western herbs, such as rosemary, basil and thyme, fresh curry leaves couldn't be found in any supermarkets near me yet. However, the plants are available at the major nurseries at reasonable price. I was overjoyed to find one couple years ago. It is necessary to have a pot of curry leaves at home for cooking all those Malaysian dishes I like.Ayam Goreng Berempah is a must order dish

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-23288054720206071512022-03-29T16:43:00.010+09:002026-03-07T09:41:37.499+09:00

I made some sour cabbage (sauerkraut) with the Chinese way of pickling sour vegetables. It is common to use either Chinese cabbage (northern China) or mustard green (southern China) to make this sour pickled vegetables but not cabbage. The way of pickling is the same actually, vegetable of your choice, salt, and the water from rinsing the rice.There are many ways of making sour pickles, so far I

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-12422368450105403912022-03-26T21:06:00.004+09:002022-03-29T16:59:22.126+09:00

Last week, I made some noodles for the first time in 2-3 years. I had pan mian and the boys had noodles with the same soup. Then, I turned the leftover into two plates of scrumptious Chicken Curry noodles. The boys loved the noodles so I decided to make some egg noodles before putting the noodles maker away. School holiday, more foods to feed the young teens. 这几天做面条做上瘾了。前几天用烫面面团做的面条才吃完

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-70375256443618812562022-03-25T19:26:00.003+09:002022-03-25T19:32:13.357+09:00

Lately, soup is the most important part of the dinner for T. No matter how sumptuous the dishes are, there must be a soup EVERY day. I guess I have turned him into a Cantonese in term of the soup culture. He likes Chinese style long-boiled soup very much, now he even remember that we have a pressure cooker at home that can cook all his favorite soups like magic.Frankly, life is so much

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-35244495712984093922022-03-22T15:33:00.000+09:002022-03-22T15:33:31.021+09:00

We are bread lovers. Our breakfasts are usually savory buns or assorted sandwiches made with the home-baked bread loaf. The boys prefer soft bread but T and I like crusty bread rolls and focaccia very much. Occasionally, I bake focaccia for the adults breakfast, and the leftover for the boys dinner served together with Japanese curry or  Japanese  beef stew. I have been using

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-40822487104352838872022-03-21T15:38:00.007+09:002022-03-22T15:42:37.151+09:00

There are three popular stews in Japan, Japanese Curry, Cream Stew, and Beef Stew. With the instant roux, the way of cooking and the ingredients used are pretty much the same for all three stews. The way of serving is similar too, it is usually served with steamed rice or bread. Comparing to the western beef stew, Japanese beef stew comes with sweeter and thicker sauce. This is a basic

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-1133166878817822302022-03-19T17:54:00.004+09:002022-03-28T22:18:33.536+09:00

Samgyetang is prepared by stuffing a spring chicken with ginseng, garlic, date and glutinous rice, then simmer until the chicken is tender. In Korea, Samgyetang is a traditional summer dish effective in improving one's appetite and relieving fatigue and other typical "summer heat" symptoms caused by excessive sweating. In the old days, this body energizing food is eaten in midsummer, the

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-7332055363732218482022-03-16T17:03:00.003+09:002022-03-17T22:07:27.856+09:00

When hb found the soft and fluffy Milk Bread I baked yesterday, he mentioned how nice to have it with kaya. He enjoyed Kaya Toast very much when we lived in Malaysia. This morning, I made him some quick and easy Kaya ready in less than 15 minutes. Making Kaya at home is so much easier than you thought, I sometimes made small amount with only an egg yolk for one-time consumption. Be

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-81922319422738257262022-03-14T15:26:00.004+09:002022-03-14T16:38:12.292+09:00

There are times when food brings back memories of the past. 5-spice fried chicken wing reminds me of my first few years of living in Singapore. I started living on my own at 18 after graduating high school, moved from a small town in Malaysia to big city. I had a full-time job during daytime hours and attended night school concurrently. Life was not easy for me, had to work hard to

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-50994729600724489902022-03-12T22:44:00.016+09:002022-03-13T21:25:48.007+09:00

Due to the pandemic and the "stay home" policy, all I can do is think of all the good foods we had in overseas. Although we are able to find many good international foods here but it is a totally different experience to enjoy the food locally. 碗糕 (wan gao) is among those great foods I missed. 碗糕, literally means "Bowl Cake", referring to steamed savory rice cake with the braised pork mince

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-45233319041029368462022-03-11T21:47:00.002+09:002022-03-11T21:47:38.301+09:00

I baked this but I am drooling over my yummylicious screen now. New York cheesecake is always our top choice when we think of cheesecake. The cake itself is deliciously creamy with a perfect hint of sourness. You can enjoy it plain or with your favorite toppings. I like mine with fruit sauce, such as blueberry, mango or strawberry.Why bother to make your own fruit sauce? The merit of making your

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-44718067746204105522022-03-08T21:03:00.000+09:002022-03-08T21:03:12.927+09:00

Many summer vegetables are only available in summer but eggplant, it is available throughout the year at a reasonable price. I guess Japanese must like the eggplant a lot. How I wish some other summer vegetables like Kangkung and Loofah will also be available throughout the year.The use of vinegar or citrus juice is common in Japanese cooking. I used Japanese black vinegar for this dish. It is a

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14435557.post-77239985076967691412022-03-06T09:28:00.006+09:002022-03-06T12:55:39.810+09:00

The chicken is so flavorful and tender, and the black fungus is well seasoned with the essence of the sauce. Steaming is my favorite method of cooking chicken especially the chicken wings, so tender and juicy. With only a teaspoon of sesame oil added for its aroma, will it still be qualified as oil-free cooking? We often have steamed dishes in the dry winter months, not only

Lydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466490117794441716noreply@blogger.com0