eHomemakers Malaysia

     Steam cake was the first cake I knew when I was a child. Apparently, a decent oven was a pretty fancy gadget to be in any household during the 70s. We did have an oven though, the black butterfly oven for kerosene stove. Though humble as it may look, it managed to help my mom do wonders in the kitchen.        The steamer pot was as much useful as the oven. Though it was pretty dented up especially on the lid, it steamed the perfect paus, fruit cakes, chocolate cake, traditional kuihs and countless of other dishes that would leave me drooling just reminiscing about it. I too, own sets of steamer pots (and oh, the electric steamer seems very appealing to me), 4 to be exact, each of different size.        Somehow I find steam cakes a perfect serving for tea. They are moist, rich and tender just as they are and in no need of heavy frostings and fillings. Of course, a little chocolate drizzle atop a steam ch...

        Durian eaters have gone into this durian crepe frenzy.  I normally have this thin pancake filled with a variety of savoury and sweet fillings - nuts, fruits, ice-cream, cheese, beef - but never with durian. So I figured why not give it a try.  After all, it is the durian season (I guess my durian panna cotta had to wait).  So I got myself some musang king durians (this must be one pricey fruit crepes ever)...the fleshiest and creamiest ones, and started whipping up things. The result: A delightful combination of that rich fruit pulp and custardy cream. Best eaten chilled.  Crepe 1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup rice flour 1/3 cup custard flour 1 egg salt few drops yellow colouring 100ml fresh milk 100ml water (more or less) butter (to brush on pan)         Mix all ingredients in a blender and pulse for a while. Use a strainer to ensure mixture is thoroughly smooth. A non-stick pan c...

Food in Australia can be one of the most expensive items in your budget. I however, simply had to indulge my food whims regardless of the fact that things are three times more expensive there.          I can easily be lured into sampling any food I set my eyes on. It's like each bite into the food tells us something about the people's culture and identity.          So when I travel for short while, I can survive without rice or other Malaysian delicacies and put aside my true Malaysian appetite for days simply because I would have a wonderful variety of food to make up for it. Unfortunately, my other half can't possibly live without Malaysian food no matter where we go.          During our recent trip to Australia, while I was eagerly trying to discover and sample their fabulous seafood dishes and exotic desserts varieties, my other half was whining about his...

For as long as I can remember, there has always been inequality in the workforce.  Although this situation is a lot better than what it was, it is still pretty clear that women get treated differently than men.            I am currently a college student taking classes here in Malaysia for a year before I return back to the States. Last semester,  a class I took, International Human Resource Management, went into gender inequality in the work force in details. The class talked about how employees get chosen to go abroad to work.          It was pretty evident that a majority of employees chosen to go abroad were males and the question was why? The answer that I am about to give you guys is pretty obvious and probably will not shock any of you.           People have it in their minds that males have a better chance of adapting to li...

    Making a flaky croissant with perfectly structured layers is one of the ultimate satisfaction in the art of bread and pastry baking. The inside should stretch as it is pulled apart followed by the instant aroma of the buttery and sweetness of this lovely pastry that fills the air much faster than the steam that emits from between the buttery layers of the flaky crusts.            There are many croissant recipes but I prefer this becaue it proves faster and it calls for a fewer ingredients. The folding part is 3 times single fold (if you’re unfamiliar with the rules of folding pastry, you can refer to this site:  http://www.elclubdelpan.com/en/bread-encyclopedia/single-fold-or-tri-fold-method .            I do however,  make a book fold to my dough just to get that extra layers.  You can always experiment with the folding part to see the result you’ll get....

Bread week was one of the weeks I looked forward to when I was at the Pastry Academy. The sweet aroma of freshly-baked bread that fills the air never failed to tantalize my palate any time of the day.        Making this baguette was very exciting because we had to get the ingredients ready a day ahead - the bigga - and that was the first time I learned and used bigga. Perhaps this explains why this baguette is much lighter compared to the previous recipe. It has the irregular holes with a crispy crust. You should be able to break chunks off easily with your hands.  Bigga: 1 day ahead 250g flour 150g water 2g yeast     Mix all three ingredients in a bowl. Cover with cling wrap tightly. Leave overnight. Dough: 500g bread flour 15g salt 2g yeast 350g water 5g improver       First, mix the flour with water. This is what is called 'autolyse'. Leave it in bowl tightly wrapped for 20 minutes. Then, dump e...

        Hello and Happy Ramadhan. The excitement of Eid has begun as Ramadhan reaches its final week. The colours of Eid can be seen everywhere...from the malls, mosques, clothes, bazaar and of course the food.         On the first few days of Eid, tables are always laden with food. I always head for the cookie jars first, carefully trying to select the tastiest ones. Many times, I was deceived by the colourful and fancy appearance of the cookies. I remember those days when cookies were simpler and require less ingredients.         Still, they were delicious. I myself, never fail to make and sell cookies each year. I would always try to create new recipes and new looks to get not only delicious but strikingly attractive cookies. Ironically, I myself would fill our cookie jars with simple and traditional cookies, sometimes with a different twist.      ...