One-Pot Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Chorizo

This one-pot pasta with tomato, basil and chorizo is so scrumptious and easy to make. You don't need to strain the pasta. Yes, all the goodies of pasta can be retained in the pot. It works like a magic.

This one-pot pasta was our dinner on Valentine’s day. Neither did we need to line up for a table in a restaurant, nor did I need to stand in my kitchen for cooking under such a hot weather.

In fact, I don’t like cooking too much on Valentine’s day. My husband could also enjoy the night without too much cleaning up afterwards.

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Glutinous Rice Balls with Peanuts & Sesame Seeds

This Glutinous Rice Balls dessert (糖不甩，sounds as “Tong But Luck” in Cantonese) is a common snack in Hong Kong and many Chinese people like to make some for Chinese New Year. 

Basically, they are sticky rice dumplings, not in syrup, but with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds sprinkled on top, syrup drizzled as much as you like. It's so addictively delicious.

Tong But Luck literally means undetachable sugar. I don’t know how and where this name came from. These cute little sticky rice balls are symbolic of completion, happiness and fulfillment and that’s why it is also served in many festive seasons or celebrations.

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Sweet Potato Glutinous Rice Balls

Impress your family or friends with this easy-to-make sweet treat. The melted runny fillings of these sweet potato glutinous rice balls (dumplings / tangyuan) will amaze them.

This Chinese dessert, sweet potato glutinous rice balls, reminds me of the western molten cake (aka lava cake), that often make people utter “ooz” and “aah” after cutting or biting open the tiny cute ball.

Not only does this sweet treat taste heavenly, but also it has an appealing presentation with its melted filling running down. You can impress your family and friends with this easy-to-make dessert for any occasion.

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Shaoxing Goji Chicken (花雕杞子雞煲)

Traditionally, this Shaoxing Goji Chicken is a claypot dish made in winter days. I reckon this dish can be enjoyed on any days throughout the year. It’s so tasty with splendid aroma, perfectly goes with steamed rice.

I like the colour contrast of this chicken dish. It’s so appealing to the family’s eyes. Once it’s served on our dining table, everyone was eager to dig in and taste.

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Baked Coconut Sticky Rice Cake (Chinese New Year)

This baked coconut sticky rice cake (aka baked Chinese New Year cake) is absolutely tasty. It's a no-brainer recipe. You won't go wrong if you try. I often bake this coconut sticky rice cake for Chinese New Year celebration recently.

As Chinese New Year is coming around the corner, my daughter begins to ask me what I’m going to cook to celebrate. The first thing came up in my mind was this baked Coconut Pudding.

My dear friend, Vivian who came from Malaysia baked one to share with us some time ago. I was impressed because it was so delicious. Vivian told us that her family would bake this coconut pudding to celebrate Chinese New Year in Malaysia.

(My daughter likes eating coconut pudding with some fresh cream.)

During Chinese New Year, Chinese people would make all kinds of cakes or puddings for friends. I have tried a steamed coconut cake that is very popular in Hong Kong.

Honestly speaking, I like this baked one most.

So I plan to bake one in the coming New Year season. The delicious taste, fragrant smell and chewy texture will make it a hit in my family for sure.

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Chinese New Year Cake (Pressure Cooker + Video)

During CNY, we enjoy this traditional must-eat snack. Whenever any relatives or friends visit us, we'd pan-fry some pieces of this Chinese New Year cake for welcoming them.

It’s still Chinese New Year celebration time until the 15th day of lunar calendar. We enjoy all the delicious snacks, radish cake (pressure cooker recipe), taro cake and Chinese New Year cake (steamed in a wok), especially when getting around with friends and family.

You might find this CNY cake in Chinese dim sum restaurants all year long. This is a popular, traditional cake in Chinese cooking.

When it comes to making this CNY cake, it takes forever to get it cooked through in a wok or steamer. But with an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot, I can cut short the cooking time a lot. This recipe exactly use up one packet of brown slab sugar (片糖, picture shown here).

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Water Chestnut Sweet Soup (冰花馬蹄露)

Ever tried this traditional Chinese dessert, water chestnut sweet soup? I used to buy a whole packet of frozen water chestnut to make water chestnut cake. The leftover water chestnut can be used to make this dessert. Its crunchy texture and delicious taste totally win my heart.

Water chestnut cake is a must-eat snack during Chinese New Year. But I won’t wait a whole year to enjoy crunchy and tasty water chestnuts. Its mild sweetness is so pleasant. They can be eaten on its own.

For cooking, I’d like to put some water chestnuts in my pork patties or make myself a sweet treat, like this Chinese dessert soup that I grew up with.

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