Earl Grey Biscuits and Buttery Shortbread Stars

These biscuits are super rich and can be addictive if you don't stop and tell yourself how much butter is in each one. This is the first time I'm making shortbread using a combination of flour and rice flour, and I must say it gives a really wonderful texture that is not too hard and not too crumbly either. Just right! The Earl Grey cookies are sweet, salty and fragrant with a hint of bergamot, and they go really well with a hot cup of coffee! As soon as we finish up these cookies, I might try substituting the Earl Grey with some other tea leaves instead, perhaps chamomile, chai or lemon green tea? :)

Unagi Sushi

Z loves eating sushi (and seaweed) and his favourite is the unagi sushi. Unagi is Japanese grilled eel with a sweet and sticky glaze made from soy, sugar, sake, mirin and dashi. You can get them fresh at a good supermarket, and they are also available in the frozen section.

Scallion and Ginger Chicken with Tomato Rice

G made poached chicken ala Hainanese chicken rice last weekend, and I decided to serve it with tomato rice for a change, and top the chicken with a salty scallion and ginger mixture, a perfect combination. We used chicken marylands instead of the whole chicken as we don't usually like the other parts of the chicken. I made a simple tomato rice by using 2 tablespoon tomato paste and frying that with sliced onions and chopped garlic, before stirring in 3 cups of raw washed rice with 1 teaspoon salt. This is then cooked in the electric rice cooker with the chicken broth that was used for poaching the chicken.

Ai Yu Jelly with White Peaches

Aiyu jelly is a jelly made from the gel of the seeds of a variety of fig, and is commonly found in Taiwan and Singapore (where it is better known as "ice jelly"). It is usually served with lime juice and honey or syrup, and sometimes with fruit cocktail in Singapore. The texture is somewhere between agar-agar and konyaku jelly, and makes a light and refreshing dessert.

Chicken Jjajangmyun (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)

The reason I love eating Jjajangmyun (my new comfort food) is because the thick, dark and rich gravy that coats the noodles reminds of KL Hokkien Mee, which is one of my favourite foods ever. All that's missing is the sambal belacan, but perhaps Korean red pepper paste (gochujang) might be a substitute instead?