BBQ Pork Steamed Bun

BBQ pork buns almost seem like the quintessential item to have at yum cha.  It is an item that almost everyone recognize, both in looks and taste. They're a perfect little bun, filled with tasty BBQ pork and encased in fluffy soft dough. So there is no surprise when I say that my two boys are completely obsessed with them, and they are a must have item when we go out for yum cha at the local Chinese restaurant. Lucas can easily demolish two or three steamers of these bun without a blink of an eye.  

The only downside with having these buns in local restaurants (as is the peril with most items at a Chinese restaurant) is that you don't know what goes into them, especially with their liberal use of MSG to add flavour. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly a food nazi and preventing them from having treats here and there, but let's face it, if there are definitely alternatives to the their favourite foods that don't have any chemical nasties, then why wouldn't you try provide that option for them right?

Cinnamon Danish Scrolls

You know how I have a thing for all thing pastries? No, you haven't figured that out yet? Well, let me tell you how pastries and I are on first name basis. Not only are they delicious and flaky, but they are the perfect item to transport from one location to another (or during if you're anything like me...).  Back in the hey days, Dad and I would go for a meander to the local Countdown (supermarket) and pick up these danish scrolls, filled with sugary cinnamon and flaking apart with every bite.  

Melon Sago Dessert

Oh my goodness. Today hit pretty close to the 30's today.  I don't know about you, but there's nothing better than having something cool and refreshing to quench your thirst on a scorching hot day. I got given a honeydew melon the other day and thought, hey wouldn't it be a great idea to make a melon sago dessert for afternoon tea for my two boys. Just the perfect way to cool off after a hard day at school! Or if you want an alternative to punch at your pool party, you could make this up to have to drink as you chill on your sunlounger soaking up the vitamin D!

Although this recipe uses honey dew, you can also substitute with rock melon if you wish. I have tried both and both are a winner in my boys books!

Nine layer Nyonya Kuih aka Kuih Lapis

Do you know how certain foods or smells evoke memories forgotten? Perhaps a day during your childhood or a long-ago holiday in some heady foreign land, remaining hazy in the sub-conscious mind, until you see or smell something which jolts that particular memory in to crystal clear clarity? Yes, this dessert is one such type food for me.  And no matter how young I was, and how old I am now, I still eat it the same way - one thin layer, one mouthful at a time, to savour every last delicious sliver.

Nyonya desserts or nyonya kuih are little cakes or pastries created by the Peranakans or Straits Chinese. Peranakan is a term which refers to the mixed-race descentdant, part Chinese, part ethnic Malay. Baba refers to the male descendants and Nyonyas the females.