Singapore Pineapple Tarts

Posted on 01. Tue, 2012 by grace in Lunar New Year, Singaporean, Sweets

By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, A Tiger in the Kitchen

When I was growing up in Singapore, Chinese New Year meant one thing: my grandmother’s pineapple tarts. The salty, buttery, bite-size circles topped with quarter-size dollops of dense, homemade pineapple jam were an obsession for me. We had them in the house just once a year, at the lunar new year, when Singaporeans spend two days visiting friends and relatives to swap tales of business and children’s test scores over tea and sweets. Quantities aren’t exact. My aunts don’t use a recipe, and they laughed at me the first 10 times I asked them for this one. The first set of instructions they gave me for pineapple jam was, “Aiyah, you just juice the pineapple, add sugar and then boil, boil, boil!”

Crêpes with Sweet Coconut Cardamom Filling(Patishapta)

Posted on 03. Thu, 2011 by grace in Asian Snacks, Holi, Indian, Sweets

By Soma Rathore, ecurry.com

This east Indian Crêpe is special – reminds me of the Bengali New Year or Poila Boishak, which usually is celebrated during the month of April. The winter and the early spring times are usually the times that these used to be cooked up at home along with many other sweets. Traditionally the patishapta is not exactly served as a dessert; it is more like an anytime snack kind of recipe.

Good Fortune Pickles

Posted on 02. Tue, 2011 by admin in Condiments, Japanese, Japanese New Year, Lunar New Year

Good Fortune Pickles Recipe from Elizabeth Andoh’s Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Tradition

Celebrating Holi

Posted on 02. Tue, 2011 by admin in Holi, Indian

The Indian celebration to usher in the springtime is Holi, the “Festival of Colors.” This year, the holiday is celebrated on March 1, 2010. The photo above is for Saffron and Mango Cannoli (Pichkari) by my good friend, Monica Bhide who writes for The Washington Post and her own site at A Life of Spice. Monica is also a cookbook author of Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen. You can find Monica’s list of Holi recipes at “Bright Tastes And Colors Of India’s Spring: Holi” on NPR including: Dahi Aloo Curry Saffron Rice (Kesari Chawwal) Saffron and Mango Cannoli (Pichkari) Chef Seth’s Kanji

Chinese New Year 2011!

Posted on 01. Tue, 2011 by admin in Chinese, East Asian, General Asian, Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit!

Chinese New Year begins on February 3, 2011 and is celebrated for 15 days. Each year, the date is different, it begins with the new moon of the new year and ends on the full moon.

Gong Hay Fat Choy! (in Cantonese) Gong Xi Fa Cai! (in Mandarin)

Good Luck Lo Mein

Posted on 01. Sat, 2011 by grace in Chinese, Fast Asian Recipe, GF-Adaptable, Healthy Asian, Lunar New Year, Rice/Noodles

Chinese Pork Ribs with Daikon and Dried Oysters

Posted on 01. Sat, 2011 by admin in Chinese, East Asian, GF-Adaptable, Holidays, Lunar New Year, Meat

This is a Chinese recipe using dried oysters (which is perfect for Chinese New Year). The entire thing is slow braised to bring out all of the flavors – the sweetness of the daikon, tender pork ribs and saltiness of the oysters. The goji berries also add a little fruity sweet element.

Prosperity Cakes (Fatt Gou)

Posted on 01. Sat, 2011 by grace in Fast Asian Recipe, Lunar New Year, Sweets

By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, A Tiger in the Kitchen

Auntie Hon Tim has been showing me how to make some of her favorite lunar new year recipes. On her must list every year is fatt gou, or prosperity cakes — cupcake-sized desserts that she makes to send friends wishes of riches and sweetness in the new year. Auntie Hon Tim’s cakes are super simple to make — they require just four ingredients (all-purpose flour, pancake mix, water and brown sugar) and the instructions basically involve stirring and steaming.

Indonesian Sweet Pretty Cakes (Cantik Manis)

Posted on 12. Tue, 2010 by grace in Indonesia, Ramadan, Sweets

By Pepy Pattern-Nasution, Indonesia Eats, Indonesian Food, Cooking & Recipes

Cantik means “pretty” while manis means “sweet.” It’s very easy to make, there is no steaming or baking process. Cantik manis is also popular during Ramadan in Indonesia.

Philippine Style Stuffed Crab (Rellenong Alimasag)

Posted on 11. Tue, 2010 by grace in Christmas, Filipino, Seafood

By Trissa Lopez, Trissalicious

A cooking process commonly used in the Philippines, is called relleno which means to stuff. Relleno makes it’s appearance during the Christmas season. This is one of the most festive dishes that I could think of that really celebrates the fresh seafood we have in the Philippines.