Ingredient: sugar

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki
Print Recipe
This easy-to-make savory pancake is a crowd favorite. Aside from a few key ingredients, the choice of what to throw in is very much up to you! This recipe is not vegan but is meat-free. The layering of umami-rich ingredients throughout this recipe pretty much means you're not going to miss the meat. You can always dial it up with your favorite proteins including pork belly if you like.
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Okonomiyaki
Print Recipe
This easy-to-make savory pancake is a crowd favorite. Aside from a few key ingredients, the choice of what to throw in is very much up to you! This recipe is not vegan but is meat-free. The layering of umami-rich ingredients throughout this recipe pretty much means you're not going to miss the meat. You can always dial it up with your favorite proteins including pork belly if you like.
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pancakes 1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Batter
Filling
Toppings
Dashi
Servings: pancakes
Instructions
Dashi
  1. In a medium pot, bring konbu to a slow boil (about 10-15 minutes). Remove konbu, add katsuobushi and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let katsuobushi steep for about 10-15 minutes. The katsuobushi will also sink to the bottom in the process. Strain the stock and it’s ready for use. Any unused stock may be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Batter + Filling
  1. Whisk dry ingredients together until blended. Add eggs and dashi and stir until just mixed.
  2. Add in cabbage, beni shoga, mushrooms and tenkasu.
Cooking + Serving
  1. Heat pan up and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Put in a rounded cup of batter mix and using the edge of a spatula, gently spread the mound out to form a pancake. Avoid using the back of the spatula to press down. You want the cake to be somewhat loose and not too dense. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip the pancake, cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium to medium high and cook uncovered for 2 minutes on each side to crisp up each side. The pancake should be golden brown when done.
  2. To serve, generously drizzle okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Top with sliced green onion, katsuobushi and aonori (green seaweed flakes) if desired.

Pumpkin Sticky Rice Balls (南瓜汤圆)

Old China meets the New World in this take on the beloved Chinese tradition of sticky rice balls. But first, a little context.

Pumpkin Sticky Rice Balls (done 2-Ways) served with Ginger Infused Light Syrup (photo by G. Yek)

These round, dainty and chewy rice balls–similar to mochi–are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival to mark the end of the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration. The roundness of these rice balls symbolizes unity and togetherness and is hence considered an auspicious food.

The rice balls can be plain or filled with black sesame paste, chopped peanuts or red bean paste, and usually served in light syrup. They can also be served in sweet rice wine syrup with ribbons of cooked egg–not unlike egg drop soup except it’s sweet.

But these days, variations abound, including twists in fillings such as chocolate and fruit preserve. Increasingly, they are considered a dessert and eaten year-round instead of being relegated to just festivals.

Now back to the New World. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to celebrate the pumpkin–a staple in America (once the “New World” relative to old civilizations in Europe and Asia).

This recipe centers on pumpkin–two ways. The first (and easier) variety is to simply incorporate the pumpkin into the sticky rice dough. The second variety uses the pumpkin as a filling and involves a couple extra steps including a slightly more involved preparation of the pumpkin filling.

Whether plain or made with pumpkin, these sticky rice balls are one of those comfort foods best enjoyed with friends and family.

Sweet Pumpkin Sticky Rice Balls
Print Recipe
Pumpkin sticky rice balls served in "sweet soup ' of ginger-infused light syrup.
Servings Prep Time
12 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
30 mins 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
12 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
30 mins 1 hour
Sweet Pumpkin Sticky Rice Balls
Print Recipe
Pumpkin sticky rice balls served in "sweet soup ' of ginger-infused light syrup.
Servings Prep Time
12 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
30 mins 1 hour
Servings Prep Time
12 2 hours
Cook Time Passive Time
30 mins 1 hour
Ingredients
Mixed Pumpkin Dough
Filled Pumpkin Dough
Ginger-infused Light Syrup
Servings:
Instructions
Mixed Pumpkin Dough
  1. Mixed Pumpkin Dough: Mix the spices, honey and pumpkin puree well.
  2. Add pumpkin mixture to sticky rice flour. Form a workable dough with your hand. If the mixture is too dry, add a touch of water. If too wet, use a dusting of flour to correct.
  3. Form dough into a ball, cover with a damp towel and let rest fo 20 minutes.
  4. Using a teaspoon, portion out the dough into little balls. Roll them with your hands to get them as round as possible. Put on a sheet pan lined with a damp towel.
Filled Pumpkin Dough
  1. Mix sticky rice flour with water and work into a ball of dough. Use extra flour or water as necessary to adjust the consistency. Cover with a damp towel and set aside.
  2. Mix the spices, sugar and pumpkin puree well. Add butter. You can use either salted or unsalted butter. I used salted butter for the salty counterpoint to the overall sweetness.
  3. Transfer to a non-stick pan over low heat (use the lowest setting). Very slowly cook for about 20 minutes. This step helps to dry out the mixture to form a thick paste.
  4. Allow pumpkin paste to cool, then transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. The butter will stiffen and help to create a workable paste. This will take about 30 minutes to an hour.
  5. Meanwhile, using a teaspoon, portion out the dough into little balls. Roll them with your hands to get them as round as possible. Put on a sheet pan lined with a damp towel.
  6. Once the pumpkin paste is cold, form half teaspoon balls and set aside.
  7. Take a plain sticky rice ball, flatten it in the palm of your hand. Insert a pumpkin paste ball in the center, then envelop it with the plain rice ball dough. Roll the filled dough with your hands to make it as round as possible. Repeat with the rest of the sticky rice dough and pumpkin paste ball pairings.
  8. Put on a sheet pan lined with a damp towel.
Ginger-infused Light Syrup
  1. Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Turn off burner and let the mixture steep. Remove the ginger slices after about 15 minutes. If you like a stronger infusion of ginger, allow it to steep longer before removing.
Cooking the rice balls
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Put in the raw rice balls but don't overcrowd. Boil until the balls float to the top, signalling that they're cooked.
  2. Strain and serve hot in syrup. Alternatively, you could dunk the freshly boiled rice balls in an ice bath (to stop the cooking process) and immerse them in syrup for serving later.
Recipe Notes

You could also make the ginger-infused light syrup with dark brown sugar for variety. Adjust the sweetness of the syrup to taste.

Black Rice Pudding (“Bee Koe Moy”)

Give me a bowl of sweet black rice pudding topped with luxurious coconut milk and I go inside my happy place. This magical bowl is my definition of comfort food.

Black rice pudding topped with coconut milk

The true magic of black rice is unlocked with slow heat … and patience.  It takes time to cook through the grains to where they split open and release their starch. The result is this beautiful purple-black transformation that’s all at once nutty, smoky and comfortingly starchy.

Black rice, sometimes called black glutinous rice (or “pulut hitam” in the Malay language), is commonly sweetened and made into a dessert in Southeast Asia. This porridge-like dessert, called bee koe moy in my local dialect, is a staple in the nyonya-baba cuisine on the island of Penang where my family is from.

It’s pretty much an all-occasion food, perfect for the afternoon pick-me-up, after-dinner sweet, or even breakfast. The best thing is, it’s so simple to make. You just need slow heat and patience.

The sweet perfume of the pudding comes from pandan leaves. Pandan (or screwpine) leaves are long, slender and pointed leaves widely used in Southeast Asian cooking. The sweet-smelling leaves (sort of a cross between jasmine and vanilla) are widely used in many dessert recipes; just think of it as the “Asian vanilla.”

Whole pandan leaves

I often get asked why add salt to the coconut milk for what is obviously a sweet dish. The practice of adding salt to coconut milk is a long tradition, something I learned from my mother, and I suspect, something she learned from hers. The idea is to contrast the sweetness of the black rice pudding, and indirectly, tease out the sweetness of the pudding. You could compare it to today’s popular salted caramel flavor where the dichotomy of sweet and salty play off each other to new delicious heights. I should confess I’m partial to more coconut milk rather than less, as you can see in the picture.

Enjoy this satisfying treat hot, chilled or at room temperature.  What better way to warm up in the winter months than a hot bowl of this sweet, creamy and dreamy goodness?

Black rice pudding ingredients (clockwise): sugar, black rice and knotted pandan leaves

Black Rice Pudding ("Bee Koe Moy")
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Black Rice Pudding ("Bee Koe Moy")
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6-8 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
1 hour 15 minutes 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Rinse black rice in water three times and drain. Put rice in a pot and add water and knotted pandan leaves.
  2. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat to a slow simmer. Let simmer for about an hour, or until the pot has the consistency of porridge (or oatmeal). If you like it a little thinner, simply add more water.
  3. When you have the desired consistency, lift the pandan leaves out. Add the sugar, stir and turn the heat off.
  4. In a separate bowl, add the salt to the coconut milk and mix throroughly.
  5. To serve, spoon rice pudding in a small bowl, then drizzle about 2 tablespoons coconut milk over the bowl.
Recipe Notes

This recipe is easily adaptable to the crock pot. Put rice, water and pandan leaves in a crock pot and cook on “low” for about 5 hours. Then sweeten with sugar and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Recipe: Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)

These easy-to-make banana fritters are a street-side favorite in Malaysia. Slightly overripe bananas are ideal for this recipe – they inject maximum flavor and natural sweetness. The use of tapioca flour ramps up the crispy factor.

Kuih Kodok Ingredients
Kuih Kodok Ingredients

Click here for the story about this street food favorite.

Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Kuih Kodok (Banana Fritters)
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
22 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Combine all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and sugar) in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to properly mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Using the back of the fork, mash the bananas and add to the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon and add water to loosen the consistency.
  3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan on medium to medium high heat. Using a tablespoon, gently drop batter into oil. Fry until golden brown, drain, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

Use a portion scoop to drop the batter into the hot oil for easier dispensing, and more even portioning. I use portion scoop #30, which has a 1-7/8” scoop diameter.