Rasa Malaysia: Easy Asian Recipes

Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Chai Dao Knife Giveaway

Rasa Malaysia — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:53:22 PDT

I am partnering with my friends at Wüsthof to giveaway a Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Chai Dao Knife. There will be one (1) winner whom will receive one (1) Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Chai Dao Knife. The suggested retail value of the Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Chai Dao Knife is US$99.95. Inspired by the traditional design of a Chinese Cleaver, which is called a Cai Dao, Wüsthof’s distinctively shaped Classic 7-inch Chai Dao features a wide blade with a razor-sharp fine edge that curves dramatically upwards as it nears the knife’s squared-off tip. The blade’s curvy profile – which is in sharp contrast to the perfectly straight blade style of the popular, Asian-style Nakiri knife – allows chefs and home cooks to quickly mince, chop, dice, and slice a myriad of ingredients by employing an effortless “rocking” motion on cutting boards. The Classic 7-inch Chai Dao’s wide blade surface also makes it easier to scrape and carry prepped ingredients from the chopping block to pans, bowls and other vessels. The wider blade also makes the knife an ideal tool for smashing and crushing aromatics, such as garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. While primarily designed...

How to Save Recipes on Rasa Malaysia

Rasa Malaysia — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:27:48 PDT

Many of you asked for the Save Recipes and Recipe Box features on Rasa Malaysia, and I am so excited to announce that the wait is over. You can now save all your favorite recipes you see on Rasa Malaysia into your personal Recipe Box, plus add the ingredients to a handy shopping list. Thanks to the partnership with Ziplist, the features are now available to all my readers. To get you started, I have put together the following step-by-step picture guide: To save a recipe, go to the recipe page and click on the Save button at the top right of the recipe. You will see a pop-up prompting you to create a new account or login to your account. Type in your email address and password to create an account (you will need to do this only once). If you already have an account, type in your email address and password to login. Once you are logged in, you can click on “Add to Recipe Box” or “Add to Shopping List.” That’s it, it’s that simple. To access all your recipes in your Recipe Box, just click on the “Recipe Box” link on the top navigation menu on Rasa Malaysia. I hope you like the new features. Have fun!

Happy Family

Rasa Malaysia — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:12:16 PDT

I was first introduced to Happy Family during my college days. I was in graduate school, back in the Midwest, and not quite cooking up a storm like I am doing now. So, hitting local Chinese buffets and take-outs was a good place to be for someone like me who misses their Chinese food. It was also then that I got acquainted to all the popular American-Chinese food selections. I was mostly intrigued by the American version of Sweet and Sour Chicken, BBQ Ribs, Crab Rangoon, Egg Drop Soup, to name a few, and among these, Happy Family was one of them. Although spending a whopping US$13 (I was a poor international student then) for a large order of Happy Family with white rice on the side seemed hefty for a college student, my friends and I would usually save up to order a few items and share among ourselves, sometimes enough to last us for 3 days! Being so far from home, Chinese food—albeit the Americanized version—was always our comfort food. I missed home dearly, particularly mom’s cooking. At the end of the day, mom always made sure we had a balanced meal. A typical family dine-in experience is usually served with dishes consisting of meat, vegetables and seafood of some sort....

Kitchen Makeover

Rasa Malaysia — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:46:56 PDT

My family and I live in a pretty new home — a corner unit townhouse in the master-planned, suburban city of Irvine. It was a brand new home when we moved in at 2005. The house smelled like a new born baby, the fresh paint was spotless, the carpet was soft and plushy, and the kitchen was equipped with new standard appliances (no upgrades). Everything was almost perfect. Seven years later, with an enterprising home business (read: the Rasa Malaysia blog plus a cookbook), the house needed a makeover, or more adequately, my kitchen needed a makeover. What they say is right — most equipment needs maintenance, fine-tuning, or replacement after 5 years of heavy usage. I was no longer happy with my kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, it was still completely functional and efficient, but I was no longer satisfied with the performance of the appliances that I use heavily on a daily basis. The range no longer lived up to my expectations: thick and stubborn grease was filling up the vent, the paint work around the range was chipping off, the heat output was no longer ideal, and the oven delivers uneven roasts. My dishwasher also caused a couple of minor flooding incidents in the sink area....

Beer Steamed Mussels

Rasa Malaysia — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:28:46 PDT

Summer is almost here. In fact, in Southern California, I think summer is already here as the sky is blue and the sun has been coming out to play. I absolutely love summer. Summer time is my favorite time of year as the warmth of the sun embraces my body as I say goodbye to pasty skin, frumpy winter clothing, and greet a big hello to sandals and sun dresses! Summer also means party time: barbeque by the pool, picnics by the sea, road trips up and down the California coast, and eating (and drinking) with friends. Summer is pure bliss and happiness! This year, I plan to share a series of fun, delicious, yet simple summer recipes with you. I have a brand new KitchenAid grill sitting in my patio so I can foresee a lot of casual al fresco dining this summer. To kick start the series (I know it’s not officially summer yet, but I just can’t wait), I made this utterly delightful beer steamed mussels that transports me back to south of France. This dish is very similar to Moules Marinière, which is made with white wine but I find beer to be a great (and much convenient) substitute. The slight bitterness of the beer is offset by the briny sweet taste of fresh mussels and the end...

Microplane Garlic Mincer Giveaway

Rasa Malaysia — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:18:49 PDT

I am partnering with my friends at Microplane to giveaway a Microplane Garlic Mincer. There will be three (3) winners whom will each receive one (1) Microplane Garlic Mincer. The suggested retail value of the Microplane Garlic Mincer is US$24.95. Microplane’s Garlic Mincer transforms cloves of peeled garlic into tiny, uniform cubes that retain all their natural oils – key to optimum flavor! It features a top-loading design that feeds peeled cloves through a super-sharp grid for fast and effortless mincing with a squeeze of the handle. Dishwasher safe. Patent pending. Product Details Mince up to three peeled cloves of garlic at a time (depending on clove size). Ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand. Tool Dimensions: L 6.3in x W 4.3in x D 1.5in. Materials: Blades made of etched surgical grade stainless steel. Plastic body. Weight: 14 oz. Blades made in USA. Assembled in Mexico. Currently exclusive to Williams-Sonoma. Eligibility: United States and Canada only. Closing Date: June 17, 2012, 11:59 pm PST. The three winners will be randomly selected and contacted via email on June 18, 2012. The prize is proudly sponsored by Microplane. To enter, please...

Indian Chicken Curry

Rasa Malaysia — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:32:28 PDT

I meet a lot of interesting friends from my blog, especially my friends who live in Irvine, Orange County. Recently, I connected with Reem of Simply Reem. After many email exchanges, I finally met her in person. Reem is so sweet; she came to support my cooking demo at Macy’s and bought me a nice bouquet of flower. Simply Reem is a blog about cooking, home/garden and more. I simply adore Reem’s homey recipes on Indian cuisine. Today, she teaches us how to make Indian chicken curry with dried roasted spices, a family recipe that she learned from her mother. Enjoy and don’t forget to check out Simply Reem. I want to start by thanking Bee for giving me opportunity to share my recipe on Rasa Malaysia. Rasa Malaysia is an excellent blog which brought Asian food and cooking to a new platform. I have been a sincere follower and fan of Bee and her beautiful space even before I started my blog. Every craving of Asian food from Noodles to Laksa bought me here, a place where I could find it all and learn. It is truly an honor for me to be here today. Thanks Bee!! For me there are few things as reassuring as a bowl of hot steamy curry dish with some rice or bread. I remember...

Easy Thai Cooking Cookbook Giveaway

Rasa Malaysia — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:55:17 PDT

I am partnering with my friends at Tuttle Publishing to giveaway Easy Thai Cooking: 75 Family-style Dishes You can Prepare in Minutes by Robert Danhi. There will be five (5) winners whom will each receive one (1) copy of Easy Thai Cooking: 75 Family-style Dishes You can Prepare in Minutes. The suggested retail value of the Easy Thai Cooking: 75 Family-style Dishes You can Prepare in Minutes is US$16.95. Robert Danhi’s Easy Thai Cooking features 75 delicious Thai recipes that you can prepare any day of the week. As a James Beard nominee and CIA trained chef, the cookbook offers expert guidance on acquiring and maintaining a well-stocked Thai pantry. With basic ingredients and step-by-step instructions you can make stunning dishes like Grilled Chicken Wings with Kaffir Lime Chili Glaze or Sweet-n-Spicy Pork Ribs or Green Mango and Cashew Salad. With the help of Easy Thai Cooking, you can bring the taste of Thailand home. Eligibility: United States, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia only. Closing Date: May 27, 2012, 11:59 pm PST. The winners will be randomly selected and contacted via email on May 28, 2012. The prize is proudly sponsored by Tuttle Publishing. To enter, please...

Thai Shrimp Cake

Rasa Malaysia — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:48:29 PDT

My friend Chef Robert Danhi and I share a lot of things in common, so it’s no surprise that we hit it off as soon as we connected on Twitter a few years ago. Describing himself as a “hard-boiled egg”—white on the outside but yellow inside—Robert embraces everything Asian when it comes to cooking, eating, and traveling. Every year, Robert spends months in Southeast Asia…trekking from one street food stall or home kitchen to the next, learning about local cooking. His passion for Southeast Asian cooking is feverish, and his love for countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia is nothing I have seen…the end result from his extensive research and traveling in the region for over 20 years. We share the same interests and always have so much fun chatting on the phone, meeting in person and eating through the streets of George Town, Penang. I adore him for his deep knowledge about Southeast Asian cuisines, his fervent enthusiasm and dedication to learn more, and his cultural immersions in the exotic far east. He is a champion. Needless to say, I was extremely thrilled about Robert’s new cookbook Easy Thai Cooking, released just weeks ago. The cover...

Chinese Honey Chicken

Rasa Malaysia — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:28:39 PDT

It is undeniable that Chinese Honey Chicken and the American chicken nuggets with honey dipping sauce have one thing in common. It is popular, makes a great finger food and can easily please everyone of all ages, even the most picky eaters, like kids. So, how do you like yours? A drive-thru, buying them frozen from the store, visit your favorite Chinese restaurant, or make it at home with a great and easy recipe? The answer is simple. Make the Chinese Honey Chicken with my easy recipe! Just like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Orange Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken and other well known Chinese-American favorites, Chinese Honey Chicken is no different. The recipe is fairly simple using chicken bites, fried, and lightly coated in a sweet honey glaze and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. The essential ingredient to an awesome Chinese Honey Chicken is the texture from the fried batter and the flavoring of the sauce. Up to now, I’m surprised as to why Chinese Honey Chicken is hardly available on any regular Chinese takeout menus. However, Chinese Honey Chicken has indeed gained quite a name, especially at the local Chinese buffet restaurants here in the United States. And when I...