Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage

Looks yummy or not? Hehehe I guess must be the colour of this photo or was it because I've used extra virgin olive oil instead?

Fried rice is one of the simplest one meal dish to muster up. All one needed is some over night cooked rice and whatever other ingredients you could find in your fridge ranging from eggs, sausages, Chinese sausages, French or long beans, mixed vegetables, meat, onions, sardines, green peas... well the list is endless.

This time I've Chinese sausages, French beans and eggs on hand. First I scrambled the eggs in some oil and set aside. Next, I stir fry the skinned and thinly sliced sausages in olive oil. Dunk in the diced French beans and stir. Add in some salt and pepper. Rice is added next and give them a good stir. Scooped up some rice and tasted it. Added more salt. Sometimes I do not use any salt at all and in place, I use light soya sauce, other times oyster sauce is added in. Dump in the scrambled eggs and stir till well mixed. Dish out and pig out!!!

Yuanxiao Festival, also known as Lantern Festival

Falling on the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar Year, Yuanxiao (in Mandarin, Yuan literarily means "First" while Xiao refers to "night") Festival, more popular known as Chap Goh Mei (in Hokkien) in Malaysia. It is part of and the last day of the Chinese New Year and marks the end of the New Year celebrations.

It is traditionally a time for family reunion. The most prominent activity of the Yuanxiao Festival is the display of all types of beautiful lanterns. So the occasion is also called the Lantern Festival.

Yuanxiao Festival is also popularly referred to as Chinese Valentine’s Day. In the past, it was the only day of the year that a single woman could go out (chaperoned) and be seen by eligible bachelors. Now, many single people gather at the festival, and some play matchmaking games with the lanterns. Young ladies would converge to throw mandarin oranges into the sea wishing to get a good life partner.

Everything will be back to normal tomorrow especially those Chinese owned businesses where all staff will be back at work on full force. Sighhh this means the traffic in KL is going to be all time high again!!!

Wishing everyone a good year ahead and happy celebrating Chap Goh Mei!

Pak Nien Hoe Hup

Pak Nien Hoe Hup literally translated means still being together after 100 years. This is a very popular dessert served at Chinese wedding banquet. I made this during Chinese New Year as this sounded kinda like a prosperity dish hehehe...

Anyway, this is one of the simplest tong sui (sweet soup in Cantonese) as it contained 3 ingredients - dried longan, dried lily bulb and dried lotus seeds. Simply boil all of them in a pot of water until the dried lotus seeds turned soft. Alternatively, you can steam the lotus seeds first before adding to the soup. Well, I was lazy, hence, I dunk everything into the pot. Add in rock sugar to taste. You can serve it either hot or chilled. We liked both versions!

Our First Day of New Year Dish

It's usually a one dish vegetarian meal. A pretty simple dish and one can play with the various ingredients that can be cooked together. It's simply amazing. Err it doesn't even have a proper name cos usually people will just name it Tzai Choy (vegetarian dish in Cantonese).

The ingredients that one can put in are deep fried beancurd sheet, gluten, glass noodles (also known as bean noodle), cabbage, Chinese cabbage, black mushroom, shimeiji mushrooms, golden needle mushrooms (enoki), black fungus, cloud ears fungus, dried lily bud, fatt choy (Cantonese for black moss) and so forth. One can omit or include any of these ingredient. The essence of this dish is actually the usage of lam yue (Cantonese for red fermented beancurd).

What I do is usually deep fried the dried beancurd sheet. Once that is done, remove the oil and leave some in the wok. Add in lam yue into hot oil. Stir and mash them up until it's fragrant. Next add in cabbage and fry them for a while. Add in the ingredients that you're using one by one starting with those that take longer to cook first. I add in the glass noodle last as that can crushed up easily.

Lastly add in some water and cover the wok. Braise till the cabbage is soften. Add salt to taste and voila... a yummy vegetarian dish to be served on the first day of Chinese New Year!

What's Inside the Little Blue Box???

After the removal of the signature white ribbon and cover...



I guess one must be paying a lot for it's "packaging"!! The suede pouch is so lovely to caress. AND this was what I got from my darling...





It's a sterling silver 1837 Collection™ ring, hallmarked with T&CO and the year Tiffany was established.

It was actually something he HAD liked whilst browsing thru their website sometime last year. Hence, he got himself one too!!!

His & Hers...

Preview of the Little Blue Box

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

This is to the crown and blessing of my life,
The much loved husband of a happy wife;
To him whose constant passion found the art
To win a stubborn and ungrateful heart,
And to the world by tenderest proof discovers
They err, who say that husbands can't be lovers...
~ Anne Finch


Wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day!

PSSSTTT, I've got a surprise gift in a BLUE BOX!!!!! Awwwwww... hubby is sooo scweeettt cos it must have been a while since he last bought me something on this day as things got overly commercialised. Will show you guys what it is later.

Thank you, love! I love you :x