GOD KNOWS OUR NEED

GOD KNOWS OUR NEED

In the morning when I was suppose to take a flight back to Ipoh, I
accidentally hurt my back. It was very painful. I dread to think that
when I reach Ipoh, I need to carry my cabin bag to walk down the
flight of iron steps from the plane!

I was contemplating whether to get a wheel chair, but when we
reached Changi Airport, it was too early. We can only checkin at
the Qiosk machine, so cannot request.

After that we sat down to have an early lunch. The pain got worse
that I could not sit down for long! So I walked towards the boarding
gate, hopping onto the travelator whenever I saw one, so it took
away much of the walking.

During boarding, "Ma'am, would you like to check in your cabin bag?"
I was shocked. "Now? Is it free?" He nodded & without hesitation, he
slipped a band through the handle of my luggage and told me to leave
the bag at the gate.

Praise God! This is our God. He cares for us. He knows what we need.
He gives without us asking for it.

Father God, I am sorry I have not passed my burden to you, worrying
unnecessarily. You have healed my back ache within 2 days by your
Healing Words, no doctor, no medication, no therapy. Teach me O God
to be more aware of your ever presence with me. In Jesus blessed name,
I pray and ask, amen.

JESUS CARES FOR YOU

JESUS CARES

Jesus knows you well

Enough for Him to be aware of your every needs

Surely He cares, because He loves you abundantly

Unless you reject and deny Him

Swift is He to receive you with open arms

Come as you are

Answer His call, and open your hearts to Him

Rest in His arms and He will see you through

Ever so loving and kind is He

So, why are you still waiting?

EGGLESS SCONES

Scones

are single serving biscuits or quick bread.

Guai Shu Shu introduced his Scones as

"Basic but presentable, 

Basic but irresistible raisin scones."

I like to call the scones he shared,

"Eggless Scones"

No 2 scones look the same, not to mention being beautifully shaped!

The rugged look tells you that the scones are well risen.

Notes to successful Scones baking:-

1) all ingredients need to be cold

2) the dough needs the minimum handling

3) if you add raisins or dried fruits, omit the sugar from the recipe

Eggless Scones

500g self raising flour, sifted with
2 tsp baking powder

50g sugar
1/4 tsp salt

100g cold butter, cubed & kept in fridge until required

300-350g cold milk

1) preheat oven to 210C

2) mix together all dry ingredients

3) rub the cold butter into the flour swiftly with your finger tips

4) add milk to combine the flour, do not pour in the milk all at once, but slowly.

5) when mostly combined, place dough on the table top & press to 1/2" height

6) cut into required shape (either smaller circle or a large circle & divide into wedges)

7) place on a lined baking sheet, brush the top with beaten egg or milk

8) bake for 20-min until golden brown

COCONUT CAKE

Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake 

is a simple but flavourful cake.

I have made it too thin 

so I cut it in half and stacked them up to get the height for photography.

After that, I cut it into small pieces to serve.

Those who tasted agreed with me that

it is the right way to serve, just a mouthful!

If you are curious of the taste, try it

Coconut Cake

60g butter

60g coconut milk

60g sugar

1 large egg

2 Tbsp shredded coconut

1/4 tsp salt

75g plain flour sifted with

1/2 tsp (scant) baking powder

Method:

1) cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy

2) beat in the egg & salt

3) add shredded coconut, mix well

4) fold in sifted flour 

5) pour into lined tin and bake @175'C for 35min 

PULUT PANGGANG

Pulut Panggang

is a favourite among both the 

Chinese Community and our Malay friends.

These are either made with sambal (spicy) or kunyit.

My late mom liked these non-spicy type

but they may be hard to come by

because the spicy ones are more popular.

My brother Richard started to plant bananas recently

and 

I managed to get some banana leaves from his farm.

And, I was told that I must not use the leaves from pisang emas 

because it makes the kuih bitter!

Try, if you want to prove my friend wrong!

Pulut Panggang

(A) 1 cup glutinous rice, soaked for 4 hours)

       100 ml water

       50ml coconut milk

       3/4 tsp salt

(B) 3/4 cup shredded coconut
       1/2 tsp kunyit powder
       3 shallots
       1/2 old ginger
       1 lemongrass
       2 Tbsp dried shrimp, washed, soaked & keep the soaking water
       2-3 Tbsp cooking oil
       salt & sugar to taste

(C) 1-2 banana leaves for wrapping
             a) soften by heating over the griddle
             b) cut into 5" or 6" squares
       few tooth picks for securing
                         

Method:
1) steam (A) until glutinous rice is cooked
2) slice shallots, ginger and lemongrass thinly
3) blend them together until fine, add kunyit powder
4) blend the soaked dried shrimp
5) Heat up the oil & add the blended ingredients and fry
6) add dried shrimp & continue frying until fragrant
7) add shredded coconut, soaking water and salt & sugar to taste.
8) remove from heat when the ingredients bind together. Let cool
9) wrap as shown in the photo below & secure the ends with tooth picks
10) heat the griddle with a little oil & arrange the kuih on it to 'char'
11) serve warm is nicer

CRISPY DEEP FRIED CHEMPEDAK

Chempedak 

is a 'soft version' of the jackfruit.

It has a distinct smell you either like it or hate it
just like the King of Fruits, durians!

I bought the kampong type 

where there are many seeds covered with a thin layer of flesh.

If you come across a 'kahwin' type you may get less seeds but the flesh is thick!

A word of caution:
The fibre of the chempedak is quite difficult to bite and break,
so it is usually swallowed after chewing for sometime!

If you deep fry it, then it is easier to eat!
Like to try?
Here is the batter for deep frying:

Crispy Deep Fried Chempedak

batter enough for 20 pieces:

60g self raising flour

10g rice flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder

90g water

1) mix all ingredients until smooth

2) heat up oil for deep frying

3) coat chempedak with the batter

4) lower the heat & drop the fruits individually into the hot oil

5) when it starts to brown, increase temperature & let it brown

6) remove & drain

7) serve warm

Note:

1) too high heat will not cook the seeds! Normally the seeds are eaten together!

YELLOW WINE CHICKEN

黄酒雞

Yellow Rice Wine Chicken

is a well loved dish among the Chinese

especially the ladies!

It is a dish fit for new mothers.

It helps to expel 'wind' from the body and keeps it warm.

The ingredients are simple but the taste is really good.

Yellow Wine Chicken

1 chicken thigh, chopped into pieces

10 slices old ginger

some black fungus, soaked & cut into strips

1/2 Tbsp sesame seed oil

150ml rice wine, can be less

200ml water

1) fry ginger in sesame seed oil until fragrant

2) add chicken pieces and black fungus to fry

3) add rice wine when the chicken pieces start to shrink

4) add water, cover and bring to a boil

5) when chicken is soft, add salt to taste.

6) serve hot!

SHANGHAI PANCAKE

Shanghai Pancake

was once very popular. 

It was usually served together with a sweet cold dessert 

at the end of a heavy 8 course dinner in a Chinese restaurant.

This recipe is adapted from dingoozatfood.blogspot.com 

(A) sift together 

90g All Purpose Flour

30g Rice Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Sugar 

1/4 tsp Salt

(B) Combine

1 large Egg

230g Water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

250g red bean paste or lotus bean paste.

Cooking Oil

Method

1. Add B to A, mix well and strain through a sieve
2. Lightly oil a non stick frying pan
3. Heat up the pan. 
4. Pour 1 ladle batter into the pan, swirl to form a thin pancake 
5. Once set, remove from pan and spread filling onto the pancake (do not press in the filling)
6. Fold into rectangle by folding in the 4 sides, Brush some batter on the sides to secure the edges
7. Heat some oil in the pan, pan fry the pancake until golden brown on both sides. Dish out and drain the excess oil. Cut into pieces and serve 

BASQUE BURNT CHEESECAKE

Basque Burnt Cheesecake 

is easy to make,

from scratch to out of the oven within an hour!

No special skill required,

only beating, mixing & beating!

When warm, it tastes like custard

and when chilled, it tastes like normal cheesecake with burnt top!

It is simply delicious!

This recipe is adapted from here

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

6" round cake

250g cream cheese

80g sugar

3 eggs

125ml whipping cream

15g cake flour

1. Line 6" loose bottom cake tin with baking paper

2. beat cream cheese & sugar until light

3. add eggs, one by one & beat in after each one

4. add whipping cream, mix well

5. add sifted flour & beat well again

6. pour into prepared tin, & put the tin into a bigger cake tin

7. bake in preheated oven 220'C for 30min at the LOWEST rack 

8. cake will rise high

9. serve warm or chilled

MIRACULOUS SAVING GRACE OF GOD

Mom on her 90th birthday
8th July 2019

Miraculous Saving Grace of God

My mom had been a fervent ancestor and idol worshiper for all the days of her life until the last few miraculous days. All family members and friends who came to her wake service were surprised to see a Cross and Bible Verses accompanying my mom as she laid there in the living room, in the house that she spent decades worshiping idols!

On 30th July morning, a day after being admitted to the hospital for fluid retention in her body, my mom shocked us by suddenly singing ‘天堂是我家‘ in Chinese, loud and clear! She did not just sang it once but repeated the same song with enthusiasm to everyone who came to see her that day.

As she was singing this song, the Holy Spirit prompted me to take action, ‘This is the moment’! I asked my mom for permission to contact Pastor Grace, a family friend. My mom had earlier rejected her several times when she wanted to visit her, saying that she did not want to leave her faith at this old age. Praise God that she finally said ‘yes’! The sudden change of mind was a miracle!

When the Pastor came, my mom sang the same song for her too and told the Pastor that Heaven is beautiful because her late husband told her about it. Without hesitation she said the sinners' prayer and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. As everything happened so suddenly, some family members thought that she would probably change her mind the next day, thinking she could have agreed to it at the spur of the moment.

Glory to God! The next day she was firm about her decision when asked by the Pastor and she was baptized and took Holy Communion in the hospital. I was in awe as I witnessed her faith , trusting God in her last days and her complete surrender to God which brought her peace.

She told me Heaven is beautiful and she wanted to go there. She also wished that she could breathe her last with no struggle, best if she could go peacefully in her sleep. I explained to her that now she is a child of God, the Holy Spirit is in her. Jesus loves her and He will surely hear if she asks. We talked about Jesus’ saving grace and His abundant love for her. I explained to my mom how she could pray to Jesus to tell Him her wishes. 

My mom had gone back to the Lord on Sunday 4th August 2019 @ 7am, breathing her last breath in her sleep in a peaceful manner just as she had wished it would be. Praise God for her wish granted.

God is merciful and faithful. The song which my mother had suddenly sang that day was a song she learnt in church near her house, when she was a little girl of 6 or 8 years old. My mom was on a detour for 82 long years. But God is in control. He never give up on my mother.  He patiently waited for her to come back, with His arms opening wide, waiting to receive her, not willing anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. This is our God!  Hallelujah! 

This is God’s love and His miraculous saving grace. All glory be our God Almighty, amen.