These Muffins are meant to be Eaten, or for Easter

It is just one thing to buy muffins from the store, and another to have them as surprise treats presented to you (and the family).
I am a fan of muffins, well, kind of anyway, as like most of the things that I like, I am quite particular with the types of muffins and how I really want them to be like.
I don't appreciate sweet stuffs; I really do not, and I could even feel nauseous if it is just too sweet for me.
I don't like it to be too mushy either; you know the kind where it is an in-between of stale hard and squished soft with that extra moisture, especially moisture, I could throw the whole thing away if there is that moist because it just makes me feel sick to the stomach.
Yes, I can't stand it when my pastries are just too moist; especially when it comes to muffins, but that's me.

It is again, really hard for me to find a place which sells or even bakes really good muffins, but there is this girl who is just so passionate and spends her time learning and perfecting her baking that she saved me that effort from the search.
She is really busy with work too, and that itself brought more meaning to the lot she specially prepared and baked for occasions and even occasionally, just to share her passion with everyone.
I love that the muffins were baked with careful thought put into it, and that itself scored higher than most off-the-shelf muffins I bought from bakeries and confectioneries.

This year's Easter was made special with this special batch of muffins; and I loved the flavors and theme altogether.
She just knows how to tug at my heartstrings and my picky tastes.

Now, how could anyone not fall in love with such a warm combination of colors; vibrant and just screaming of exuberance while appearing temptingly soft in that just-out-of-heaven kind of appearance?



Starting off with this Carrot with Walnut Muffin, which is just so adorably sized (and shaped)!

Bright orange with that smooth reflective top is just striking indication of the softness of the muffin sparingly filled with little walnuts in it.
The dome-shape is just a unique presentation of this simple appearance of the muffin.
Never judge the muffin by its dome shape, for the tiny threads of carrot strips line the insides of the muffin with the little beads of walnuts embedded in them.



There is just no photo to show the inside of the muffin (I should have snapped one before it was devoured), but it was perfectly justifiable for the petite size just makes for a few bites before it just disappears down the trachea.

The Carrot muffin was a warm starter, but my heart was truly captured by this Green Tea Muffin with Red Beans!
I am just so obsessed with anything in this combo; it is just perfect to melt my heart - of course, if it was done right.




Everything in this muffin was handmade, and done from scratch; including that gorgeous top overlay of red bean paste.
If there is anything I could accept mashed, it's definitely this red bean paste.
It is so hard for me to find this muffin baked with the exact combination and the ones I have found were somewhat lacking in that satisfaction factor for my personal tastes.
This aspiring baker definitely found that tweak in her recipe to make it tailored to satisfy that picky taste buds in me; with that moderate texture of the green tea muffin complemented by the sweet and thrilling taste of the red bean paste.
It was not too sweet, and there were no additional sugar or sweetener added into it.
I would love a little more green tea packed into it and just a little softness or slight percentage of moisture perhaps?
But that's just me.



It was just so good, that I even tried to save one for the next day, and I was just so disappointed when I got home and the only one left was the carrot muffin.



I am sorry, you do look a little sad but I just cannot help it.
Alone you may be the star, but next to the other, you are in second place.


No offense, for I don't hate the carrot muffin; I just wanted and craved for that green tea with red bean version.

Yes, it is definitely good enough to "Share and Enjoy"



I think I need to request for another batch of muffins, personally for me and keep them away from the rest of the family?

Just kidding....or Not...






Note: I don't bake these, they are baked by a talented baker who is someone very dear to my family.
If she is accepting orders, I will let you guys know.

This is not exactly a review, but more of a sentimental post dedicated to my new muffin love.
Even muffins got to have some love, and of course, thank you dearest baker; that beautiful girl who always bakes for our family for this wonderful treat, for Easter.

It is definitely meant for Easter, and to be eaten....

Happy Duanwu Jie (Dumpling Festival)~

In conjunction with the recent Duanwu Jie (Dumpling Festival) which falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, it is a festival dedicated to the story of a scholar and also the feast of dumplings.
At the same time, there is also the Dragon Boat Race festival taking place as well.
I have written about the origins and all there is to know about the festival last year in my blog; read it here 

How did you celebrate the festival?
Did you enjoy loads of dumplings, and got yourselves stuffed with the sticky glutinous rice?

Just want to take a short break to wish all my readers a very Happy Dumpling Festival, and I will be back with more updates and delicious photos...of course!~
Stay tune!

Noodles for Mum

Mother's Day Celebration was on Sunday, but my celebration with my mummy? Took place a week before the actual day, simply because my mummy never did like to join in the crowds and queues at restaurants.

My mum is a simple person and being a food lover herself, it was not really that hard to choose the place to celebrate and enjoy a good meal with the loved ones.
Being a recent fan of Dragon-i, we knew that it would be the place for our celebration and furthermore, mum just wanted it really simple, and so we proceeded to lunch.

It was a late lunch, as we were kept really busy after a day of reshuffling around the house and spring cleaning and we ended up at this Dragon-i outlet in Leisure Mall, Cheras.

Steamed groundnuts (MYR2.00) for appetizers; and a treat for my parents who are just nuts about nuts (pun intended!)



Spicy La Mian with Shanghainese Pork Chops (MYR22)





The broth was made to be spicy with the addition of the fiery red chili soup; a specialty of Szechuan style.



The fried pork chops are one of the specialties of the restaurant; and is said to be of Shanghainese style.



Seafood La Mian (MYR18)
This is one of my personal favorites when I dine here; as I love the generous amount of fat and juicy scallops, prawns, and fish fillets in the comforting tastes of the soup.



Spicy La Mian (MYR14)



The broth is almost similar to that of the version with pork chops; only, as mentioned, sans the pork chops.



Some side dishes we ordered:

Steamed fish fillets with ginger and spring onions (MYR25)



This is extremely good; and I am making this my new favorite now compared to the usual braised fish fillets I used to order.
The fish fillets were thick in portions and yet were smooth and fine in texture; steamed to perfection. The soothing taste of the slightly starched broth with little pieces of sliced ginger and sprigs of spring onions just complemented the fish fillets so well.

Braised mushrooms with sauce (MYR18 I think)



While many may be thronging the restaurants on Sundays or planning big meals of fine dining or fine Oriental cuisines with their beloved mothers, my mummy was happy with her simple noodles lunch a week ago.
The recipe to making my mum happy?
A bowl of noodles, and lots of love and attention! :-)


Happy Mother's Day (again) to all the mothers out there!
You are very important people; for without whom, we will not be where we are today.

With love...❤❤❤

Treats for the ancestors and annual family gathering

The third month in the Lunar month; starting from the middle of the month observes the practice of tomb visiting among the Chinese community as they pay homage to their deceased ancestors.
The Qing Ming festival; or translated as the Clear/Bright Festival, is also known as the Tomb Sweeping Day and is a period of two weeks where Chinese families gather and make visits to their ancestors' graveyards.
Read more about the festival in my blog here

If you have seen a Chinese tomb, you would know that they are usually surrounded by grass and located on higher grounds. The Chinese typically only visits the graves of the dead once a year, and usually this means that the grass would have grown long which would require work to be done.
The term 'sweeping tomb' is derived from this practice as descendants gather and work together to clean up the tomb while presenting offerings in forms of food and paper paraphernalia to be burnt for the dead.

This is probably my first time joining in the Qing Ming pilgrimage to the tombs of the ancestors, as I was born of a different faith where we celebrate All Souls' Day and we only bring flowers and candles and pray at the tombs of my grandparents. My first year being married, and I joined my hubby and in-laws on their annual practice.

This is my food blog, and you do not have to worry that I am about to share about all the details of the tombs and what we did as that would turn most of you away.
I share stuffs like these in my other blogs ;)

The Chinese are definitely food lovers, and even festivals for the dead involve food to be offered to the dead.
I have read about one blogger's concern about sharing food pictures from this festival; on whether it is offensive.
However, I think that the food photos are not offensive; unless one shares on the tomb pictures which may be a little disturbing to some readers out there.

Anyway, I have come to discover myself that there are just so much food and stuffs associated with this festival, and food are prepared to honor the dead; usually their favorite food. After the worship and prayer session completes at the tomb, they will then take the food home to be cooked and shared among the families and relatives.
Therefore, there is usually a lot of food as almost everyone (actually everyone is required to join in) is around during the festival.

I joined both my father-in-law and mother-in-law's ancestors tomb visits, on two separate days of the weekend. As my mother-in-law's family was significantly larger in crowd, there was an annual practice of gathering at the eldest uncle's place for lunch after the tomb visit.
The aunts and cousins started cooking; preparing the food for lunch for everyone and there was so much laughter and jokes passed around as everyone reunites and catches up on each other's life.

Food, was definitely in abundance here.
The standard 'must-haves' for the worship include the plate of kueh; from Huat Kueh (pink), Ang Koo (red), and Bee Koh (White) are usually presented to the ancestors.


Like all Chinese cakes (or kueh in Malay), there is an auspicious meaning associated with each of them, and let me explain them here.
The Huat Kueh, is actually a steamed rice cake, and can usually be seen at most Chinese festivals. This cake is made in small cup sizes and used for worship of deities and also ancestors, and even consumed on auspicious festivals such as the New year.
The symbol of this cake lies in its phonetic sound of its pronounciation in Chinese; as it literally means Prosperity cake. Therefore, consuming and having it on auspicious festivals simply means more prosperity for the family and the person.

The Ang Koo kueh, is a glutinous rice cake filled with mung bean paste and laid on a banana leaf.
I have written about this cake before, here.
Literally translated as the Red Tortoise Cake,  this is usually the favorite among the Chinese for festivals due to the tortoise being a symbol of longevity.

The Bee Koh, is a type of steamed sticky rice cake which is extremely sticky in a compact version. It is sweetened; like most of the Chinese cakes as the Chinese loves the meaning of sweet which harmonizes with their wish for a happy and joyous life filled with sweet surprises.

Besides cakes/kueh, there are also lots of meat and poultry presented to the ancestors.
It is understandable, as in the past, meat is often perceived as a luxury due to its high prices and also the notion that meat is often consumed during celebrations and in a feast.

Roasted Pork (Siew Yoke) is one of the favorite during the Qing Ming or any Chinese worship occasions.


Roasted Chicken is also presented to the ancestors, and also deities. Sometimes, the chicken may be accompanied by roasted duck as well, if the budget permits. However, to make sure that food does not go to waste, the family decided not to get the duck as there is already so much food to pass around.
I second that, for wasting food is far worse than competing on the amount of food to be presented to the ancestors. Furthermore, the most important is the sincerity and not the food, don't you think?


Lor Bak; is a type of minced pork/chicken meat rolled with fried bean curd sheets.

The stuffing also includes minced vegetables. Originating from the Nyonya culture, Lor Bak is popular among the Chinese; particularly the Hokkiens and those of Nyonya origins although it's taste and influence has spread to the rest of the community.

Another Nyonya kueh is the Tee Nya Kueh; which is also a steamed rice cake with practically no taste as it is to be accompanied with the thick and sweet brown palm sugar syrup.


The family takes the food presentation and gathering to a higher notch by including more varieties; including that of seafood for lunch.
I am not complaining; as I am definitely a seafood fan.

Crabs; served steamed


Or deep fried; like that of the Soft Shell Crab version



Deep fried prawns


There are also gigantic steamed prawns which I forgot to take photos of; my bad :)

Fruits for sharing


All the food; while the cooking is still in progress...


I think I have seen a different side of the Qing Ming festival; besides the solemnity of the tomb visiting alone as there is also the warmth of family gatherings and food.
It is indeed a whole new experience, but one that is educational and interesting, don't you think?
(Maybe most of you are used to it, and may think I sound ignorant? )

Well, what festival is not about food, you tell me?
Whatever the theme, it always, somehow ends up with food...

Mother's Day/Birthday Special: Moist Chocolate Banana Cake

Not my mother's birthday though, but it was altogether still a lovely celebration I was invited to join in whereby the mother was truly surprised by a simple birthday cake all of a sudden as she was enjoying her evening tv shows in the living hall.


The cake was a cute little moist chocolate cake which looked adorable sitting there, and the birthday mum's young grandchildren (yes, she is a grandmother already!) could not keep their hands away from the cake that everyone had to hold their breath every time they walked near the cake!

It was a joint celebration, together with Mother's Day as her birthday fell in May.
What a lovely cake, that I just simply cannot resist taking another photo of it!


It looked like a rich chocolate cake shaped in a small little log, and it is filled with chocolate mousse in between layers of cream and sponge cake, and oh, also bite sizes of bananas in it.

(Spot the banana?)

The outer layer, which was seen from the first two photos, were sinfully and decadent in its thick and dark melted chocolate coats.


What's a better way to perfect the celebration than two cute handmade cards made by the two younger grandchildren who just came back from art classes?


Not Hallmark material, but these are made with love and enthusiasm, and that is all that counts, right? (Forgive the spelling mistakes)

To all the mothers out there, although it is past May now, but may you always be honored for the great job you have done with your children, and in gracing the future of the world.
Every day, is Mother's Day and we love you, Mummy!:)
(My own Mother's Day celebration was here, we did not forget to celebrate with her before we join other celebrations:)

A Simmering pot of UNITY

The Lunar New Year celebration has ended for a good two weeks now; bringing us to an end of the first month of Spring.
We have had enjoyed a wonderful celebration with our families, relatives, friends and loved ones...not to mention a feastin' time.

It was also a time to enjoy the fun and joy with everyone; and at the same time, being respectful to the old-age traditional Chinese customs.
One of the most important of which to welcome the New Year is of course, the family reunion.
The Family is the core of everything and this concept has been emphasized by the great old teacher Confucius who have place great importance on respecting the elders and maintaining family unity.


Therefore, the most important part of Chinese New Year celebration is the Reunion Dinner (aka DA TUAN YUAN) on the eve itself where all the siblings, children and grandchildren arrive from different places and join in the family banter.
I definitely did not want to miss out and enjoyed the journey home too, to reunite with my belove family:)

What did we have for this year?
We decided to go for Steamboat; more variety and simmering heat of the pot while we enjoy our quick banter and share of laughs:P

The raw materials; let me try to decipher according to the Chinese words and homonyms.
As mentioned, Chinese are a superstitious lot and welcoming the new year also unveils all sorts of mystical customs and traditions to follow.
Food and all sorts of words used during this period is treated with high priority and importance to ensure prosperity and an abundance of great things throughout the year =)
Therefore, all the food and stuffs used are selected with extra care which carries the meaning through the way it is pronounced or the homonym itself:)

**Although I am not superstitious, but we also somehow ended up with some of the popular stuffs used during CNY too:)

I selected this; just simply because I love them?

Vege is a must; and I love cauliflower and broccoli....crunchy! YUMZ



Anyway, putting them into florets-like makes them look like the blossoming flowers of the new spring, right?
There, I am getting creative:)

Lettuce or Sang Choy - meaning: SANG SANG MANG MANG (Energetic and alert!)


Cabbage (Pau Choy in Chinese) - meaning: Guaranteed Luck



Hou Si Fish Cake - this is a special fish cake which is only available during CNY, as told by the seller to my mummy
HOU SI; typically means Good things



Scallops - Tai Chi; means Lots of Money and prosperity


Raw meat and fish



Marinate them with flour


These are usually luxury items; which are usually consumed for the CNY meals as well:)

Prawns - meaning HAPPINESS



Sai Tou Fish Balls, Squid Balls - their round shape signify unity



Tau Kua - meaning of Wisdom


Seafood tofu - nice yellow color which symbolises gold and also the tofu itself is also significant to the meaning of prosperity


Teochew Fishballs - this is a delicious fishball which was wrapped with fish meat and the wrapper itself was also made of fish meat.
I can't find this in Penang; most of those in Penang contain meat...those are Fuchow fishballs:(


White Fish Rolls


Sweet corn - golden color and enough of rice for the year


Condiments to go along with the food
Garlic oil



Spring Onions


Throw everything into the pot/cooker


Voila, it is all cooked!


Cheers to all and GONG HEI FATT CHOY!



**A little belated, but still a wonderful wish for the whole year to you and your family so that you will enjoy UNITY and HAPPINESS, not to mention good health and wealth for the entire year!!**