Here’s another quick and easy dish I learned to make here in Kuching.

Stir-Fried Cangkuk Manis

Cangkuk Manis (“Chong-cook Ma-Niss”, meaning sweet leaf) or Mani chai in Hokkien is a vegetable that is very common here in Kuching. As a matter of fact, the same day that we arrived here and were introduced to paku, we also got introduced to Cangkuk Manis. Its texture when cooked is like spinach, but without the bitterness. This vegetable has a natural sweetness to it (which is why it’s name has the word “manis” – meaning sweet – in it).

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What to do with bananas going ripe?

Banana bread is one of my favorite things to eat when I’m hungry or when I’m needing a little pick-me-up during the afternoons. I guess as a lover of all things banana, I just enjoy the goodness of the banana flavors and the comforting bite of the tender and moist bread. To me, I’ve always thought that banana bread isn’t really a bread at all, it’s more of a cake (just like the Dutch apple cake that we posted recently). Can anyone tell me why they’re called breads?

And of course, when you add walnuts to the mix, that just adds another layer of texture to it. I almost always add more nuts to my batter than what is called for. For some reason, walnuts just go really well with bananas. I read somewhere that toasting the nuts also prevents the nuts from turning black in the baked goods. So, I toast the walnuts before adding them in to the batter.

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These chewy cookies are so addictive, people will be begging for more.

I first tried these dirt cookies when my friend Nana made them for a party. They are seriously addictive! And why not when you consider what is in them. In order to make these cookies, you need to first buy some Oreo cookies and crush them up. Then the Oreos are incorporated into the batter and baked. That’s a cookie within a cookie!

I regretted not posting them for Halloween because these cookies are great for Halloween since they look like dirt (hence the name) and fits the Halloween theme. However, they are so good that they deserve to be baked any time at all and especially now during the Christmas baking season. Be a rebel and bake these instead of the usual pretty, fancied up Christmas cookies. ^_^

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WARNING: this is NOT a cheap cookie!

Ultimate Italian Almond Macaroons

So I had checked out FoodGal Carolyn Jung’s blog right before Christmas last year, when she had posted a recipe for this cookie. She said it was the one cookie that she did every year and she always got requests for the cookie. Her post was so compelling that I went out that week and got myself all I needed to make this cookie.

It was such a simple recipe! It is a little bit messy and gooey when rolling the cookie dough in the slivered almonds but the resulting cookie is a delight—a really yummy, chewy, almond delight. And the smell of the almonds when it’s baking will get you in the holiday mood like nothing else. The fragrance is so amazing!

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