ALMOND CRANBERRY BISCOTTI

Almond Cranberry Biscotti 300g all purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
130g castor sugar
6 egg white
1 tsp vanilla essence
120g almond nut
120g dried cranberry

Method:
1) sift flour and baking powder and leave aside
2) beat eggs and sugar until light & white, add vanilla essence
3) add flour into egg mixture in 2 or 3 additions
4) fold in fruits & nuts
5) pour into 2 small loaf pan, level lightly
6) bake in preheated oven @170'C for 35min
7) let cool on rack
8) when cooled, sliced into required thickness
9) bake for 8min on each side

10) store in air tight container

Freshly baked biscotti on the tray ( my 2nd batch)

Some like it pale as this

while others like it slightly brown 

as shown in the container above

Whichever you choose

they are all crunchy and nice

Some like it thinly sliced

while others like it thicker

both are nice if it suits your taste

Recipe adapted from eileenlee's blog

GOD OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

Looking back my years of struggling in this materialistic world, one thing I can surely tell is that no one of us is in control of what has happened, and what is to come.

There is an invisible force in control, and I can tell He is good and wants us to have all the good things that He has planned for us. Nevertheless He has given us a choice. Whatever we choose, He still watches over us because He knows the temptation we are exposed to. Yes, He will never abandon us. He has great plans for us. We are His creation and He values us very much. He is patient with us, and slow to anger. He is so forgiving, never ever give up on any one of us!

It was after I lost my earthly father that I realised that I have a Father who is in Heaven. He has not come to take the place of my earthly father but He has always been there, watching over me. With open arms, He waited patiently for my return to Him.

He has provided for my 4 daughters to further their studies. They have all been awarded with scholarships to study in Singapore. Without Him, I doubt we could finance our 4 girls to complete their education locally, not to mention oversea education. God has blessed us abundantly through our 4 lovely and obedient daughters.

Our Father in Heaven is Great and Mighty. He knows our need before we even ask Him. To Him be all the glory, amen.

A VISIT TO THE ANCESTRAL HOME

A family trip of the FOONGs

6 brothers and sisters came together

to visit their ancestral home

in "Chi Ping", as the name denotes,

 a village beside the plains of this little stream. . .

A 16-seater took the group out of the busy Fuzhou City,

driving towards the direction of "Ku Tian".

On the way, passing through "Kan Zir" and "Pai Sar",

among the many small towns and villages.

The journey continued and then exit to the hilly regions.

It was a bumpy journey up the hill,

driving along the narrow and  winding cement roads....

Mud houses like these were found scattered on the hill slopes.

Sigh!

Are we there yet?

Some already feeling giddy and feel like vomitting.

The driver suddenly alerted everyone, "No through road!"

In shock!

everyone look out of the windows...

we were at the peak of the hill!

Hurray!

we reached the house already!

Wow! So BIG!

See, there were many guests' rooms upstairs!

Like to try

balancing yourself up these stairs to reach your room?

Ladies, see the luxury of owning such a big kitchen?

Not too difficult balancing on this plank though,

it is definitely not our choice

if we need to ease ourselves!



NONYA ACAR HU OR PICKLED FISH

Acar Hu

Nonya dishes are known for the tedious preparation

of cutting, pounding & slow frying.

It is indeed time consuming

but the end result is satisfying in both, presentation and taste!

I love Nonya dishes.

This is the one that I tasted once, and asked for more.

It is not easy to come by so I decided to learn to cook it,

and now happily sharing the recipe with you. 

Hope you like it as much as I do. 

Ingredients:

A) 500g ki-ya fish-cleaned,

                            marinate with 1 Tbsp tumeric powder

                                                  1 tsp salt & left for 60min

     3 cup oil

B) 4 Tbsp oil

    100g fresh tumeric-shredded

    50g ginger-shredded



C) 300ml vinegar

    100ml water

     6 Tbsp sugar

D) 10 pips garlic-finely sliced 

     3 red chillies-finely sliced

     3 green chillies-finely sliced

    

E) 2 Tbsp sesame seed-roasted

Method:

1) heat oil in A & deep fry fish until crispy, drain

2) leave 4 Tbsp oil in wok and saute shredded tumeric & ginger

3) when fragrant, remove & leave to cool

4) Cook ingredients in C in a saucepan until boiling, let cool

5) blanch garlic & chillies in D, in boiling water for 1/2min & drain

6) mix A, B, C, D & leave overnight

7) to serve, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Tips: prepare B & C one day ahead so that they are totally cooled

        before adding in fish & D (The dish will keep longer this way!)

FOOCHOW KOMPIANG

福州光饼

Some like it plain

Some like it stuffed

But all like it fresh from the oven, crispy and nice!

A century old shop in Fuzhou,

still selling Kompiang strung together

Kompiang 

originates from Fuzhou,

 the capital city

 of Fujian Province 

of the People's Republic of China. 

It is a biscuit

 popular among the Chinese Community

 of Foochow (Fuzhou) ancestry.

It was invented for the soldiers
 to eat in the battle fields. 

So it is also called

征東餅

With the hole in the centre,

 the biscuits are strung together
 and easily carried along! 

Some grandmothers said
 that these biscuits were hung around the neck,

 so that they can have access to food
 anytime anywhere without much fuss. 

No cooking is required 

so will not attract the attention
 of the enemies of their whereabouts.

Kompiang is simply a ball of flour, water & salt. 

It is flattened
 & slapped onto the sides of a traditional home-made Chinese oven. 

Kompiang 
may be plain
 or stuffed with fillings of meat, or fats and onions.
Both taste good when fresh from the oven.

If you like kompiang, you may like to try making some for yourself. After much trial and error I have come out with this recipe:

Fuzhou Kompiang

also kown as Foochow Kompyang or Gongpiang 

Biga

177g High Protein Flour

227g water

1/8 tsp yeast

Dough

All of the above Biga

361g High Protein Flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp alkali water
1 Tbsp double action baking powder

120g water-adjust consistency

Method:

1) mix Biga and let rest at room temperature 12-15 hours.

2) put all ingredients in bread machine-dough cycle 15min kneading

3) leave dough to rise 30min

4) preheat to 250'C, put a heavy baking tray inside the oven.

5) divide dough into 20 pieces of 45g each

6) flatten the balls of dough into disks, punch a hole in the centre
7) when you have made enough for a tray, quickly take out the hot tray from the oven & arrange the biscuits on it.

8) spritz with warm water on the biscuits before putting back the tray into the oven @ lowest rack!

9) after 5 min baking, turn off the bottom heat.

10) continue baking for another 10min until brown.

Notes:

1) You can eat them plain-they are crispy when still warm.

    You may toast it the next day to get back the crunch. 

2) If you like it with filling, just lie the biscuit down & slice it across,

    fill it with pieces of roast pork or stew pork.

3) You can even bake them with fillings as below:

Filling:   

Stir fry with some cooking oil: minced pork, chopped big onions, roasted sesame seeds, salt, sugar & pepper to taste. Some dark soya sauce to add to the colour.

To wrap:

@6) before flatten, wrap one tablespoon of filling into the dough   

 7) flatten the ball into a disk
 8) prick some holes on the surface with a fork.
 9) Mist the biscuits & sprinkle some sesame seeds on top to decorate

Stuffed with meat

ETHAN LIM

Ethan Lim

Kung kung mama love you

Everything around me is beautiful

The sun shines brightly, I feel wonderful

Have you seen my favourite striped singlet of blue and purple?

And I tell you a secret, "I am a BIG boy now"

N "I am not afraid because God is with me."

FUZHOU CITY

This is my second visit to this city of banyan trees.

It is the capital of Fujian province in China.

A scenic city surrounded by 3 mountains: Yu San, Gu san & Qingyun San

 

and a beautiful Minjiang River

Right within the city is a well protected ancient district, 

the "Three-lane Seven-alley" which gives an insight into the architecture

& culture of ancient Fuzhou.

Here we can also find the authentic Fuzhou snacks like:



                                  

                                    

 Meat Yan

      

                                              Fuzhou Fishball

                                       

Nearby is the century old restaurant, Juchunyuan, offers a wide

variety of Fujian and Fuzhou cuisine, especially the world famous

Fotiaoqiang.



More Fuzhou Delicacies:

Modern urban developments include large complexes which provide for

commerce, finance and shopping.

We climbed this mountain:





Taimu San



Fuzhou is indeed a city blessed with abundance of fresh seafood

Not forgetting the natural hot springs the city is built on!









A happy family

Do you see the silver lining clouds standing vividly in the blue Sky?

The Sun gladly shinning forth..

Birds in the air, flying freely and enjoying the soothing breeze

On this vast plain, the abundance is clearly portrayed

Fruit trees bearing fruits bountifully

Shrubs, plants and flowers are well scattered around

Not forgetting the lovely butterflies...

"We love outing...

Daddy, mummy, titi and I.

Titi wears his favourite blue t-shirt

We are a happy family."

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?

I know who I am
I am a child of God
He loves me very much
He is with me all the times
He is for me.

Do you know who you are?
You are God's creation, created in His own image
He loves you and He wants you to live life abundantly
He promise to be with you and will never leave you
He is always for you so no one can successfully stand against you.

Do you want to know your God?

The Little Ones

Expression Of Love

These are my 2 lovely grandchildren
Hayley and Ethan
As they are nurtured in love
They grow in appreciation of those around them
and loving each other