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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Water Chestnut Cake (Chinese New Year Recipe)

Water chestnut cake is a well-known Cantonese dim sum dish, almost served at every yum cha restaurant in Hong Kong. When Chinese New Year comes, Hong Kong people like to make their own different kind of cakes (糕), like radish cake (aka turnip cake), taro cake, sticky rice cake to celebrate the season.

Needless to say, this water chestnut cake is one of Hong Kong people’s favourites. “Cake” (糕) pronounces as “high” in Cantonese, Chinese, that resembles a meaning of “rising”, ” growth”, “achieving higher level”, a symbol of prosperity and rising fortunes.

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Baked Red Bean Coconut Cake (Chinese New Year)

The texture of this red bean coconut cake is a bit chewy, yet soft and smooth enough for easily digesting. The taste is so delicious. I especially love the crispy edges. This coconut cake is best served warm or hot out of the oven. 

During the busy Chinese New Year’s celebration week, we have lots of different cakes (gao 糕). Yes, we can’t celebrate without all the traditional cakes, radish cake, taro cake (aka yum cake), sticky rice cake and water chestnut cake.

Except for all these must-have cakes, I pretty like this baked coconut cake.

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Chicken Stroganoff Fettuccine

This chicken stroganoff dish has packed with big flavours, yet easy to make, and perfectly goes with any pasta, noodles or rice.

This recipe is inspired by the classic Russian dish, called beef stroganoff. Nearly all the ingredients are staples kept in my kitchen for making western cuisine. It’s a fuss-free dish to make even on a hectic day.

What I need to do is to sear the chicken followed by braising with the sauce for a while. And it’s done. The creamy sauce makes the tender chicken meat full of flavour. I even didn’t want to waste any bits of the sauce, so I swirled the pasta around the bowl to pick up the last bit of it. No wonder it’s so popular around the world.

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Mango Pudding Recipe (Chinese Style + Video)

Nothing is easier than making this Chinese style mango pudding. It’s a no-brainer recipe without any fuss at all. The mango pudding is very addictively delicious. It’s a crowd pleaser in any social gatherings.

Mango pudding is our family’s favourite dessert in summer. Especially in Australia, we can easily find juicy and sweet mangoes. Bowen (aka Kensington Pride, KP) is the best we think, so I usually buy Bowen mangoes to make dessert or just take them as it is after dinner.

Speaking of this mango pudding, a special ingredient is used in this recipe, that’s evaporated milk. Yes, Hong Kong style desserts often use evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is handy, creamy and full of milky aroma. Only a bit of evaporated milk will make the pudding colour stand out, more attractive than just using milk or cream.

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Chicken and Tomato Soup (Pressure Cooker + Stove Top Recipe)

This soup recipe can be served as a base to make your own using up your leftovers. Both instructions of using Instant Pot and stove-top are inserted. Enjoy!

This is one of my favourite meals, packed with flavours and nutrients. If you have an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot, it can be done within 20 minutes. Or without an Instant Pot, you can also make this delicious soup dish with a large pot on stove at ease.

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Kimchi Chicken Stir Fry

Kimchi is so tasty and nourishing. It’s so wonderful to eat as it is as an appetizer. Ever wondered that using Kimchi in a stir-fried dish is awesome too.

Its spiciness, saltiness, slight sourness will get you complete a delicious dish. Chicken meat is so perfectly matched with this hero ingredient.

This dish is downright easy and quick to make. Give it a go if you’re intrigued to try what this dish tastes like.

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