Sesame Ball

Growing up with my grandmother and aunt was fills with memories of goodies snacks and desserts that they would make every so often and sesame ball was one of those that everyone loved. There just something so good about this crispy, chewy outside and yet sweet and creamy filling that I can’t really put my finger on. This is one of those dessert or snack that comes in many variations from all part of Asia. There the mung bean, red bean, sweet meat and sesame and coconut. Of course, my family version is often a combination of sweet mung bean. As for my version I like it with sweet mung and coconut. Of course, you can always invent your own version. I used to live not far from this Hong Kong bakery that have their in sweet version and the shelf being chewy and thick instead of thin and crispy and it was one of the best I had thus far. My point is that if you play with your filling and find that one that fit your taste bud. Remember cooking is not about following orders to perfection, but about creativity and flares that fits your taste bud. That what makes it the more enjoyable!


Ingredients:

6 Cups of vegetable oil for deep frying
½ Cup of white sesame seeds
¾ Cups of brown sugar or malt sugar
1 1/3 Cup of boiling water
3 Cups of glutinous rice flour
1 Cup of filling (mung bean and coconut)

Methods:

1- In a wok or pot, preheat the oil to hot about 350 F degrees. Make sure that your pot is deep enough so that the oil would be at least 4 inches deep and be able to submerge the dough ball completely.
2- Next dissolve the brown or malt sugar with 1 cup of boiling water.
3- In a large bowl, put the flour in there and make a well. Then slowly pour the boiling sugar water into it and stir until the dough is blend and sticky. If it not blending you can use the 1/3 cup of boiling water, it needed. Now knead the dough until it smooth and pliable.
4- Taking out a dollar size at a time, roll it your palms and make a ball out of it. Then flatten it and add the filling in the middle and slowly bring the side up to completely cover the filling. Roll it back into a ball.
5- Now wet your finger in water and roll the ball around your ball to semi wet it. Then dip it in the sesame seeds to fully coat it.
6- Last but not least drop the ball into the hot oil. Cook until it light golden and floating up, it is done.
7- Remove and place on top of paper towel to remove any access oil.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Spaghetti with Shrimp Alfredo Sauce

Of all the spaghetti this got to be my oldest son favorite. It would have been mine too if it not for the calories, but I can’t deny how much I do enjoy eating this creamy melts in your mouth dish. As long as I could remembered this is always one of my favorite dish that would order in an Italian restaurant and would often rate if they are good are not by this dish and the garlic bread. Sadly, as I got older I have to cut back on my calorie intake due to my waistline expanding. It doesn’t help that I truly and utterly just love food! Alas, when I do make this spaghetti version it often to accompany our night in with steak and a nice glass of wine. And it a plus to see the smile on my son face after he take his first bite and going back for second and third. My joy for the day is accomplished.

Ingredients:

½ Packet of spaghetti or any pasta you like
¼ Cup of butter + 1 Tbsp
½ Of jumbo shirmps or scallops
1 Cup of heavy cream
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Cup of parmesan cheese
½ Cup of Romano cheese
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling over noodle

Methods:

1. Cook the pasta to package instruction. When it el dente, remove from heat and run cold water over it stopped the cooking process. Then drizzle some olive oil on it and toss well to prevent it from sticking together.
2. In another heated sauce pan, melt the butter. Then add the garlic and give it a stir a couple of time.
3. Next add the heavy cream and stir constantly and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the nutmeg, cheese, salt and pepper. When the sauce is thicken it is done. Set aside.
4. Now in another pan, melt some the 1 tablespoon of butter and then add the shrimps and cook for 3 minutes or until pink. Then add into the sauce.
5. Lastly slowly pour the pasta into the sauce and toss a couple times to completely cover it.
6. Serve hot with some grate parmesan cheese..Yum..Yum

Pesto Sauce

If you like both pine nuts and sweet basil, then this is the perfect sauce for you. My first experienced with pesto sauce was at Olive Garden a very long time ago. I didn’t know what it was called back than, I just know that it tasted soooo yummy with grill salmon! From that day on I was determined to learn the recipe and indulged! At last, I finally found this simple yet delicious recipe.
There not much to this recipe except make sure that the pine nuts is of good quality. If you used bad pine nuts, the consequence would be very bitter. And I meant literally. Not long ago, as I was trying to clean my pantry, I noticed a bag of pine nuts that seem good yet open. Not wanting to be wasteful I decided to make some yummy pesto sauce to go with my spaghetti and steak night in.
I combined both the new package and the rest of the old package. Well the result was superb. It look great and taste great, the only con was that the very next day I have this bitter taste in the back of my mouth. Of course, didn’t know the cause of it I naturally think that I was sick or something. Anyway, it took a whole week and plus some to get rid of that awful taste. Needless to say, nothing tasted good during that whole process.
Anyway to make the story short, I didn’t realize that it was the pine nut that causing it until it happen the second time. Then I did some thinking and google pine nuts and found that bad pine nuts can leave that bitterness in the back of your mouth.
So that little rascal can do some damage if you’re not careful with it.
Disregarding that one little minor set back, I still love pesto sauce and I put mine on everything from steak, fish, vegetables to pasta. Its just one of those sauces that so good you can’t put down.
Beside from that fact, enjoy and have fun making it….if you still want to make some.

Ingredients:

1 Cup basil
½ Cup pine nuts
3 Garlic cloves
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup parmesan cheese
¼ Cup romano cheese
½ Tsp ground pepper
Salt to taste

Methods:

There not much to this sauce, except to put everything in the food processor and mix well. Serve as is.

Babies Theme Cake

Sorry been away for so long. With all that going on in my life right now, I have too much to get process all at once. Anyway, glad to get back on track and start to post again. Now let get started.

In this past couple of months I had made two cakes. One was for my baby boy 1st Summer Lua birthday bash. Therefore I decided to make an island inspired cake with teddy grams and fishes splashing around the water oasis. I used the same Asian sponge cake recipe and whipping. I got this idea from Parent’s Magazine and decided to do a Lua thyme with it. It was a great success! We had great food, great time with families and friends.

The second cake was for my little princess 3rd birthday. For some reasons, maybe because it winter and cold outside, we never have a chance to make her a lavish birthday party…including this year. In quote from my cousin “this is the saddest birthday party ever” of course maybe it is because we didn’t invited anyone. We just want to celebrate our princess birthday on quieter note. Just with the people that love her most, her family.
Now as for the cake, it was not hard to make at all. It was just a little tedious work with all the gum paste coral that was made overnight, but it turn beautifully. And the plus side was that she had fun helping me roll and cut them too! It was a great way to spend quality time with my birthday girl. As for the icing, well that wasn’t too hard, but a bit of a mess to clean up. In the end it was all worth the effort and time. As a mom, I feel that whatever little I have, I will make it an effort to do whatever I can for my kids big or small. And hopefully they can pass this tradition down to their own kids one day with sweet memories of growing up.

Here are the recipe for the Asian sponge cake and whipped cream icing..All you need is some food colors and creativity...
Babies Birthday Cake