My daughter’s god-sister who love this dish wanted to make this but she could not find my recipe which was lost when I lost my old blog.

I promised her that I will do anther one for her. As I have recorded on Facebook this can easily be done.

As for me it is like ABC now. If you cannot or if you are not good in making any other kuih this is the one you sure can make as it is very forgiving. I normally don’t even need a recipe, on a good day when my brain works.

When shopping I will look out for 2 large mooli/daikon/turnip/loh bak or 3 smaller ones. I know when grated they will yield about 2kg thereabout in total.

Then I remember I need 450g of flours in total. Either 100g Wheat starch and 350g rice flours or 330g rice flour and sub 20g corn flour for a softer texture. It is entirely up to you.

This amount will yield 2 tins of 7×7 or 8×8. It is not be all or end all if you do not have the perfect tin.

The beauty of this loh bak cake is you can wrap portions nicely and freeze. It freezes very well.

Read my Tip for ensuring a smooth top with using a cling film.

Note – Use as much as 4 stick of lap cheong or less but you need to cut it small and thin. This is for your easy slicing later.

Note – It is must tastier if you have shallots oil for the tins.

Note – Taste the dough before you distribute to steam, making sure it is salty enough and meet with your taste buds. If not add salt & pepper. The lap cheong releases a sweetness, the dried shrimps the umami taste and I like mine with a touch more freshly ground Sarawak pepper.

Make it your own.

Today I am going to make Loh Mai Kai aka glutinous rice chicken. It’s another dish that disappeared with my old blog and now that we are in lock down and it’s too cold to go into my garden yet, I will update to this new blog.

I make this dish once or twice a year only, hence it is not worth it for me to buy the proper bowls. Now that was before. I have since been given a set of stainless steel bowls especially for making this dish. I do not like using tin foil either so stainless steel bowls it is! If you do not have any then using rice bowls is all right too. I will never order or eat this dish outside, especially in London because I do not know how many times they have been steamed and re- steamed nor how long and how many days they have been kept. Have they been kept safely and hygienically and so on.

Once in a blue moon I will order at Dim Sum restaurants just to try but am too often disappointed with the soggy soft mess. I much preferred my glutinous rice to be al dente aka with a bit of a bite. Plus the fact my home made ones has more ‘liew’, toppings.

Mushrooms should be plum thick and saucy, chicken should taste of chicken which one can only get from chopping a whole chicken yourself. The Chinese sausage should be thin but not too thin with a bite to them, not soft so one can taste the different texture.

I always like to serve my home made Loh Mai Kai 糯米鸡 with spring onions and crispy garlic. Freshness from the spring onions and crunch form the crispy garlic, umami taste of the mushroom, sweet Chinese sausage, smell of sesame oil mingling with rice wine …………..

First updated on 19th April 2017 – Old lost blog

Stir fry rice vermicelli with dried shrimps. My comfort food. While away for the last 3 weeks this is the dish I wanted to eat most. A simple rice vermicelli stir fry.

Woke up early today and could not get back to sleep. So I was already frying this at 7am this morning.

Luckily my hubby is one that is happy to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He’s extremely good when it come to food. Every so often I asked him if he is just eating to please me and his answer is always ‘not at all’

He eats with such total enjoyment and gusto that I just have to believe him. In fact a friend’s husband, also an Englishman recently commented that if he had not met and seen my hubby eats he would never have believed it, if told an Englishman loves Asian food so much and can eat so spicy. My friend and her husband visited for a weekend and we ate at mine and at restaurants too.

TIP – Do not add water to your noodles as there will be liquid from your fresh vegetables and beansprouts. I hate soggy noodles.

TIP – Only soak the noodles in hot water quick, do not boil them if frying. Again I hate soggy noodles.

TIP – If you like to eat the bottom burnt bit turn your fire to high for a couple of minute at the very end with a a few drop of oil to the side all round the wok. This will give you the happy crispy bottom. These are the cook’s perk!

TIP – If you have pork lard use it!

Char Keow Teow or fried flat rice noodles is another of my recipe that I have lost with my old blog. So I am now replacing it.

Because I live in the UK and I missed the charcoal taste I am here using a few drop of liquid smoke to give me that special ooooomph…. just like the market stall.

Because I am a greedy (Tham Chiak Kui) I put everything possible into my Char Keow Teow. However I did not have any fish cake in my freezer so have to go without.

I have to admit that losing my old blog is still making me sad. I have to search deep for the inclination to work on this new blog. At times I have messages from friends asking for recipes and asking why my old links don’t work and that give me a boost to continue. today is one of them days that I have the ‘uuuummmph’ to write up a few more recipes. Thanks peeps.

Hope you enjoy this recipe.