Lo Pak Gou (White Radish Cake) with Thermomix

Pardon me for taking a very long break from the series of wedding preparation blog entries. I left the planner (in which I kept all wedding vendors' info) back in Setia Alam...*sigh*...so my next entry on wedding prep would not be anytime soon..so sorry! 

I'll be talking about my luxury toy, Thermomix (TM) in this entry. Due to the hefty price tag, I have been contemplating to get this amazing kitchen helper for some time...and finally, I bought one not long ago after months of saving. So far, I have been using it much for making smoothies (oh my, I drank so much of them throughout my pregnancy), sorbet,  pastry, sauces, soups, buns, cakes and pizzas. Soon, I'll be exploiting this german maid to make Isaac's baby food. hmm, can't wait! :) 

Anyway, I made Lo Pak Gou (White Radish Cake) with TM last week and it was a success! It is definitely easier and faster with TM...Alright, I am sharing the recipe here. Enjoy! 

Lazy man meals

It was about dinner time when we just got home from a wake service of a dear friend's father. I was feeling bit tired as I have been working for 14 hours straight on the day before...and have been getting very little sleep lately. Nevertheless, this shouldn't be an excuse to eat out! So when JW asked me what we will be having for dinner...this is what I answered...lazy man meals.

So our lazy dinner consists of garlic toast (with the leftover french loaf that we have been eating for days), garlic rice with prawns (with some leftover rice I cooked for lunch), bed of greens and watermelon cuts. Easy, fast, clean. I am thankful that JW enjoyed the meal...though he wished that there would be some meat. 

Here's some easy recipes for lazy people like me.

The Porky Affair: Fried Nam Yee Pork

This post is definitely shocking to those who knows me well. This is my first entry on pork dish, and I think there’ll be more to this!! Ya, you heard me right....P.O.R.K.

My bf JW is one big pork lover. Hmm, or I should say almost all Klang Chinese..*thanks to their “irresistable” Klang Bak Kut Teh*. At times, he would have severe pork cravings..and bug me to join him for some pork dishes. On the contrary, I am not a porky person and hardly consume pork until I met JW...I guess that’s my biggest compromise in the reationship thus far..

There is a saying; the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So one way to impress and cheer my man from a long, dull day at work is to cook him his favourite dish..i.e., pork. JW is ever so elated...like a small kid given candy treats...whenever he sees pork on the dining table.

Below is my best pork recipe so far, created accidentally without too much expectation of a great result. This recipe was born out of the need to utilise some leftover pork cutlet and fermented red bean curd (nam yee).

The flavour goes very well; tender and tangy meat with lasting crispiness outside (the crisps last even after 2 hours). I made this dish for my parents few days back (third attempt then), and mum gave thumbs up!

Cheesy light bites

Busy with work? Stomach growling in hunger? Craving for some savoury-cheezy treats? But, it's late at night and all shops are closed. Sound all familiar? Here's an easy, quick fix to your hunger pangs. 

Cheesy, Light Bites
(Yield: 1-2 servings)

Rocky Road Cake

Few months back, I've made this moist, steamed choc cake topped with nuts and dried berries. It was very easy to make, and tasted good. I've shared the recipe on Facebook back then but some of my readers here do not have access to my Facebook account. Hence, here I am sharing it again here in this blog (this time more detailed, and with some minor changes in the ingredients list). 

Sweet & Sour Fish; Spinach in Superior Broth

What's the best meal ever? Most of us will say Mummy's own cooked! I could not agree more. Marinated with loads love, seasoned with endless affection and cooked with much patience...definitely nothing beats a warm, wholesome meal at home. 


My mum is definitely a great cook. Remembering those younger days, she always prepare  lunch boxes for me and my siblings to bring over to school...variety, cute, appetizing, wholesome...that sum the lunch boxes she made us. Imagine having nice lunch box filled with home-made burger, colourful fried rice (always the vegetables more than the rice) with nuggets and cucumber as the sides, doughnuts, sandwiches, noodles,..*the list goes on*...and your friends oogling into your lunch box in envy. I am indeed so blessed to have such a mum! 

In appreciation, I prepared dinner for my parents today. Now, that's very unusual as I do not usually step into the kitchen when I'm back home. In less than an hour, I whipped up 2 simple dishes that mum taught me long time ago. Here's the recipes with slight modifications.

Pancakes anyone?

Waking up to a good breakfast will definitely make one's day. What makes a good breakfast then? Nasi lemak? Thosai? Cereal with milk? Hot cocoa with some biscuits? Any of these surely makes a good breakfast...if it's added with a dash of love...Many people often think that making a wholesome breakfast is troublesome. Heck, that's a myth! Here's an easy, no fuss recipe to kick start your day:

EASY, BASIC PANCAKE

(Yield: 2-3 servings)

Blueberry pancakes and smoked sausages with light tartar dressing

When Michael Jackson Meets The Shepherd

Yesterday was a long day at work for me. In a short period from 9am till 1pm, I screened through heaps of drug charts, rang up prescribers for pharmacotherapy interventions, checked through the medication trolleys and indents, dispensed medications to patients and answered queries. Hurried back home later to cook some lunch before JW starts work at 3pm and mine at 5pm. In less than 1 1/2 hours, this is what we had for lunch: Shepherd's Pie & Micheal Jackson drink. 

Steamed Blueberry Cheesecake

It's fridge spring cleaning before heading back to Ipoh for 12 days of work-free, enormous pampering at home and of course, Ipoh's delectable, gratifying, heavenly food. Wheee!!

As I was discarding some items from the fridge, I found a bar of Philadelphia® cream cheese and so that prompted me to making another I love-you-but-I-hate-you cheese cake. I have just made a no-bake version for JW's birthday 2 weeks ago,so no-bake is obviously a no this time. My little oven toaster is way too small for the cake tin and it has no temperature control...aiks, who dares to bake delicate cakes using such oven? So the baked version is also out of the list. What's left then? Hmmm....steaming?? Sounds odd..but still I did it.

WOW, to my surprise, the steamed cake turned out as good as the baked versions!! It's as moist but less 'heaty' compared to the baked ones. So guess what JW and I had for lunch that day? 3/4 of the cake at ONE go!! LOL


Okay...As requested by many, herewith is the recipe: 

Beef & Spinach Lasagna

JW & I love, love, love lasagna...but sad to say, there's no eatery serving good lasagna here in Tawau....and so I experimented on making one. It turned out perfectly, we ate like gluttons, and my man demanded for more the next week!

Lasagna can be easily made at home (ya, you heard me right, EASY!). Here's the recipe which I'm  proud  to share.

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

For my man's birthday, I tried my hands on making this sinful, high-calorie, I-love-you-but-I-hate-you No bake Oreo Cheesecake..and I am proud to say it turned out pretty well.. :) A number of friends came asking me for the recipe and here's it: