• Nuts Vegetables

    Celery & Blue Cheese Salad

    I came across a blue cheese for the first time in Australia. It had a very strong smell like rotten food. And it contained blue mould. The taste was far too strong for me and I hated it! And now? It is one of my favourite cheeses. Since I discovered a soft gooey type of …

  • Baked & Fried Sweets Fruit

    Apricot Crumble Cake

    This delicious cake can be made with any seasonal fruit. This time I used Apricots. You may wish to use plums, peaches, nectarines, pears, apples, etc. If you don’t have any seasonal fruit, canned fruit is totally fine. Enjoy with softly whipped cream or yoghurt. Cake Tin 20cm Square Cake Tin Crumble 50g Butter3 to …

  • Chicken Mushrooms

    Chicken & Shiitake Skewers

    Just two ingredients and a little bit extra effort make this amazing dish. When you find thick & plump fresh Shiitake (mushrooms), please try it! Chicken can be thigh, breast or tenderloin, but Chicken and Shiitake need to be cut to similar sizes so that they will be cooked evenly.Same as ‘Yakitori’, if you cook …

  • Dressings & Vinaigrettes Vegetables

    Tapenade (Olives & Capers Paste)

    Tapenade (tapəˈnad) is puréed or finely-chopped Olives (most commonly Black Olives), Capers and Olive Oil. Tapenade is often enjoyed as spread on bread in southern France. I add Garlic and Anchovies as well. This paste is amazingly good with crusty bread but also wonderful for salad. Just think about its ingredients. It cannot to bad. …

  • Cold Sweets

    Panna Cotta

    ‘Panna cotta’ is an Italian dessert of sweetened Cream set with Gelatin, and it is usually moulded. Cream only Panna Cotta is too rich and heavy for me. That’s why I always mix Milk and Cream. You can make ‘Milk Jelly’ by using Milk only. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 500ml (2 cups) of  Milk & Cream …

  • Cold Sweets

    Black Forest Trifle Dessert

    Many months ago, I decided that I would make ‘Black Forest Trifle’ next time I have some leftover chocolate cake. However, no such ‘next time’ ever occurred. But I didn’t want to bake chocolate cake just to make this dessert. ‘Isn’t there any easy way?’ I wondered.I was looking for ready-made chocolate sponge or a …

  • Cold Sweets

    Whipped Cream Custard

    This is a very versatile soft cream that can be used for many dessert, particularly perfect for the Trifle. Its softness can be altered by adding less milk or less whipped cream for firmer texture. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. This recipe uses a half of my ‘Basic Custard’, but you can …

  • Bread Dough

    1-Hour Focaccia

    I first made this 1-Hour Focaccia when I was cooking ‘Chicken Cream Stew’ for dinner and I really wanted to serve it with a nice crusty bread but I didn’t have any bread. I had heard about microwave enforced proofing for quick bread making, so I tried it. Microwave can make the dough warmer and …

  • Fish

    ‘Fitzroy’ Fish

    ‘Fitzroy’ is an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. It was 25 years ago, I went to a Spanish restaurant in Fitzroy with my colleagues, high school teachers. I had a fish dish and I loved it so much. I tried to figure out how it was cooked and scribbled a note on a piece of paper. …

  • Chicken

    Lemongrass & Chilli Chicken Stir-fry

    My daughter is a big fan of South East Asian cooking. Thai and Vietnamese cuisines are very popular in Australia. This chicken stir-fry is a copy of my daughter’s stir-fry. The sauce is a bit too sweet for me, buy my daughter says I always complain the sweetness of food at any Thai restaurants and …

  • Fruit

    Strawberry Sauce

    Do you like strawberry sauce topping for ice cream, cheesecake or pancakes? I bet you do! Do you know what is in the shop-bought strawberry sauce? The most common ingredients are Water, Sugar, Strawberries, Thickener, Colour, Strawberry Flavour, Food Acid, Vegetable Gum and Preservative. Do you know what you need to make it at home? …

  • Fruit Vegetables

    Fennel & Pear Salad

    The subtle sweetness of firm pear is so perfect for many salads. I have two favourite pear salads, ‘Rocket & Pear Salad’ with French dressing and this ‘Fennel & Pear Salad’ with lemony dressing. The dressing is lemony but not very sour. The reason why it is so lemony is because of the grated lemon …

1 171 172 173 216