The first thought that I had when I saw this finished product, I was like, “is this Chinese Burger King?” Well, that’s because it does kind of look like it right? However, no, they don’t sell this in Chinese Burger King, but I do serve it in my kitchen.

The idea of using a pineapple bun instead of using the original Portuguese buns all came from when I went to this cha chaan teng in Macau, and they served their pork chop buns in a pineapple bun.

It was my first time trying this variation and I was blown away. The saltiness from the perfectly pan fried pork chops blended so well with the slightly sweet pineapple buns. After that, I couldn’t go back – I would choose having pork chops in a pineapple bun over the regular Portuguese buns.

I made my own pineapple buns (just because I’m little miss extra and like making stuff from scratch), but of course, you can always use store bought pineapple buns too.

Caramelized onions are a staple topping for this bun. Some places in Macau use raw onions, while some don’t add onions at all. I find that caramelized onions makes the bun have more flavour, and it also makes it look more presentable.

For the pork chops, I suggest getting boneless pork chops or pork loin.

Remember to marinate the pork chops for at least 4 hours, or overnight for more flavour. Now I know it may be hard to find Chinese rose wine and you may be wondering if you could skip it. I know, I get it, not everywhere has it. However, I promise you, if you are able to get your hands on it, USE IT. It makes the marinade and the pork chops so fragrant and elevates the taste. You can also use it for many other Chinese dishes. I get my Chinese rose wine from any Chinese grocery store.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Macau Style Pork Chop Pineapple Bun

Juicy pan fried pork chops with caramelized onions, served in a bakery classic – the pineapple bun (slightly sweet with a crispy crust).

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Cantonese, Fusion

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Marinade

• 4 boneless pork chops or pork loin
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tbsp rice wine
• ½ tbsp Chinese rose wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Caramelized Onions

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion (sliced thinly)
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Assembling

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for cooking)
• 4 marinated pork chops (from above)
• 2 pineapple buns (halved)
• Kewpie mayo
• Kale
• 2 slices American cheese
• Pepper salt powder

Instructions

Marinade

• Tenderize the pork chops by pounding them to a thickness of 1/4-1/2 inch.
• Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add in the pork chops. Mix, and marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight for more flavour.

Caramelized Onions

• In a large skillet/frying pan over medium-high heat with heated oil, add in the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add in water to get rid of the brown bits stuck on the bottom.
• Once the water has mostly evaporated, add in the rest of the ingredients and keep on stirring every few minutes, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Set aside.

Assembling

• Take the pork chops out of the fridge to room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat with heated oil, pan fry the pork chops (2 minutes on each side, or until it’s golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 150°F). Keep pressing the pork chops down to prevent it from curling up when cooking.
• Sprinkle on pepper salt powder on each pork chop.
• Spread Kewpie mayo on each half of the pineapple bun.
• Assemble the bun in this order: bottom bun, kale, 1 pork chop, American cheese, caramelized onions, 1 pork chop, and cover with the top half of the bun. Repeat for the rest. Serve and enjoy!

Kkanpunggi (깐풍기) is a Korean Chinese dish, but it has been modified with Korean ingredients to suit the tastes of Koreans. This dish is always on the menu if you visit a Korean Chinese restaurant. I love getting a big plate of Kkanpunggi to share with friends while we each order our own dishes (I usually get jajangmyeon with this). Now, I’m helping you save $30 and provided you an easy way to make this at home.

Kkanpunggi is usually coated in potato starch before frying. I decided to use tapioca starch today, because it makes the chicken even more crispy, just like my Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe.

We are also going to fry the chicken two times, to make it even crispier.

The final step is to make a super simple sweet and spicy garlicky sauce. Bloom the aromatics and bring to a boil. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce and you’re done.

Note: the chicken will be less crispy as it cools down, so I would highly recommend eating it hot for the best texture.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Kkanpunggi (Korean Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken)

Spicy garlic fried chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy garlicky sauce.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Fusion, Korean

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 lb boneless chicken thigh (cut in small bite size pieces)
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• Few cracks of ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

Sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar or rice/corn syrup
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp water

Frying + Assembling

• 1 cup tapioca starch
• Frying oil, plus more for stir fry
• 6 garlic cloves (minced)
• ¼ onion (diced)
• ¼ red bell pepper (finely diced)
• 1 jalapeño (seeded and finely diced)
• Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Marinade

• Marinate the chicken with all the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes.

Sauce

• Meanwhile, mix together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Frying + Assembling

• Coat each chicken piece in tapioca starch.
• In a deep wok/pan over medium-high heat, heat up the neutral oil until it reaches 350°F/180°C.
• Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove, and deep fry for a second time for an extra 2 to 3 minutes. This makes it even crispier! Remove and place the chicken on a wire rack.
• Using a clean wok, heat up 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Bloom the garlic and onion and then add in the diced red bell pepper and jalapeño. Quickly stir fry. Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
• Add in the fried chicken and toss to let the sauce coat.
• Plate and top with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

This is a super easy fried chicken recipe that you can make at home with easily accessible ingredients (and probably ingredients that you would already find in your house). I would say that it’s a mixture of both Korean and Chinese style fried chicken (due to the ingredients and techniques used); nevertheless, it’s still so so good.

I used chicken thigh here, because they have a more intense and rich flavour, compared to chicken breast, due to it’s higher fat content. You may be here thinking: I don’t want to consume so many calories and fats. Well, you’re eating frying chicken anyways, so there’s honestly not much of a huge difference. Chicken thighs become more tender the longer they cook, whereas chicken breast would produce more of a drier texture. This makes the chicken thighs juicier and more flavourful.

We first fry the chicken thighs until they become golden brown. Then, we make a super easy honey garlic sauce with A LOT of garlic. The more garlic the better right?

Making the sauce tips:

Cook the sauce over low-medium heat and keep a close eye on it, because it may get burnt easily. You would have to keep stirring the mixture to prevent it from burning/sticking to the wok. The sauce should have a slightly thick consistency, like pure honey.

I honestly could not stop eating this.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Honey Garlic Chicken Bites

Fried chicken pieces tossed in a sweet and savoury honey garlic sauce, and when I mean garlicky – I mean A LOT of garlic.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Chinese, Fusion, Korean, Western

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 lb chicken thigh
• 10 g fresh ginger slices
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• Few cracks of black pepper

Coating

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup cornstarch

Assembling + Sauce

• Neutral oil (for frying)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 15 garlic cloves (minced)
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey

Instructions

Marinade

• In a large bowl, marinate the chicken with all the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes.

Coating + Assembling + Sauce

• Mix together the coating ingredients in a wide dish/bowl.
• Coat each chicken piece with the coating mixture.
• In a large pot/wok, add in the oil. Heat it up until it reaches a temperature of 350°F/180°C.
• Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove and set aside.
• In a clean wok over low-medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the garlic, soy sauce, and honey and mix to create a sauce. Add back in the fried chicken and toss with the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

You may think Oreo corn dogs are so weird, yes, I thought it was weird too; but when I tried it for the first time, it was mind blowing let me tell you. The first time I tried Oreo corn dogs was at a place called Arirang Hotdog. I was a bit skeptical to try it at first, but it seemed so unique and interesting. When I took a bite, it was surprisingly very good. That sweet and savoury combination was working wonders, and I was amazed at how good it tasted. So much better than fried Oreos.

Tips:

1. Make sure the dough rises for one hour until it doubles in size – very important or else it will be hard to coat the skewers in the batter!
2. I opted to use wooden chopsticks (the ones that you would usually get for your takeout utensils). I find that those have a much stronger hold than regular skewers, and they don’t break as easily.
3. I’m using Oreo O’s here and I crushed it into smaller pieces for it to stick to the dough better. I tried this recipe using uncrushed Oreo O’s and it kept falling off of the dough and also when it was being fried (a huge mess and it drove me nuts), so learn from my mistakes.
4. After rolling the corn dog in Oreo O’s and panko, press it down on the corn dog with your hands to ensure they won’t fall off!
5. Keep a very close eye when frying these, because I find that the Oreo O’s can get burnt very easily.

Last but not least, drizzle a good amount of condensed milk on top, and it will taste so so good.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Oreo Corn Dogs

It's crunchy, sweet and savoury, and drizzled with condensed milk.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Fusion, Korean, Western

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3 corn dogs

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 tsp instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 135 ml lukewarm whole milk
• 120 g all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Corn Dogs

• 3 hot dogs
• 2 cups Oreo O’s
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• Condensed milk

Instructions

Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to melt and appear bubbly (activation). 
• Add in the flour and salt to the mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir to combine (make sure there are no dry lumps remaining). Cover with plastic wrap or a wet cloth and let it rest for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Corn Dogs

• In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the hot dogs for 1 minute to remove the oil and saltiness. Remove and let cool.
• Crush the Oreo O’s into smaller pieces (I am using a rolling pin here). Pour into a tray or a large flat dish.
• Let’s prepare the skewers. I am using wooden takeout chopsticks because they have a much stronger hold than regular skewers. Skewer on the hot dogs.
• Prepare two more baking trays or flat dishes. Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto one tray, and the dough onto the second tray.
• Roll the dogs on the dough, and with slightly wet hands, remove the excess dough off the dogs. Then, roll the dogs in the crushed Oreo O’s. Then, use your hands to wrap around the corn dog while pressing down the Oreo O’s on the corn dog to ensure they don’t fall off.
• Roll in the panko breadcrumbs evenly and sprinkle some on any holes that you see.
• In a large pot/wok, add in the oil. Once the oil temperature has reached 170°C/335°F, fry the dogs for a few minutes and roll it around to cook evenly, until golden and crispy. Remove, and place on a wire rack.
• Drizzle on some condensed milk and enjoy!

How are Korean sweet potatoes different from regular sweet potatoes?

Korean sweet potatoes have a red purple skin and yellow flesh on the inside, while regular sweet potatoes have an orange flesh. Japanese sweet potatoes are also very similar to Korean sweet potatoes. They’re both sweeter than regular sweet potatoes which makes them so satisfying. I love roasting them for a nice snack. It becomes soft and caramelized on the inside with a crispy skin.

You can use Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe, it works the same. They can both be found in Asian grocery stores.

This cake uses a Genoise sponge cake base (recipe here). The cake is soft and fluffy and makes this cake so so good. You can make the cake ahead of time (or even a day ahead). Just remember to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap after it has cooled, in order to retain the moisture and fluffiness of the cake.

One more picture – just because I worked so hard on making and decorating it!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Korean Style Sweet Potato Cake

A fluffy layered cake that has a creamy sweet potato filling (made from Korean sweet potatoes) and a light whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Fusion, Korean, Western

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 1 6-inch cake

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

• 1 Genoise sponge cake

Sweet Potato Filling

• 500 g Korean or Japanese sweet potatoes (the ones with yellow filling and purple skin)
• ½ cup whipping cream (or heavy cream)
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1½ tbsp sugar

Syrup

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp hot water

Toppings

• Finely chopped pistachios (optional)

Instructions

Sweet Potato Filling

• Boil the sweet potatoes in a pot of water until they are soft and completely cooked through.
• Peel and mash the sweet potatoes while they’re hot.
• In a medium saucepan, add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix and cook until the butter has melted. Then mix in the mashed sweet potato until creamy.
• To make it extra creamy and delicious: I always blend the mixture with an immersion hand blender. You can also blend it in a regular blender or run it through a sieve. Cool the filling completely.

Whipped Cream

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream with the sugar with an electric hand held mixer until it’s up to 70% (which means medium peaks – soft, but still holds a form). Set aside.

Syrup

• Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Assembling

• Slice the genoise sponge cake in 3 even layers.
• Brush some of the syrup on top of two of the cakes (this helps the cake to stay soft and moist even after you put it in the fridge!)
• Spread the sweet potato filling on 1 sliced cake, and top with the second layer of cake. Repeat steps 2 and 3 again for the second and third layer.
• Spread the whipped cream all over the cake.
• Decorate it however you like! I had extra sweet potato filling leftover, so I just piped it on top along with the whipped cream. Top with finely chopped pistachios (optional). Slice, serve, and enjoy!

What is Hong Kong style milk tea?

Hong Kong style milk tea was actually inspired by the British afternoon tea, but instead of using traditional milk and sugar, Hong Kong people modified it to fit more of the Hong Kong palate. It’s made from Ceylon black tea, and passed many times through a fine sieve or stocking, which some people thought it looked like a pantyhose. It is then mixed with evaporated milk and condensed milk, and then sweetened by additional sugar depending on preference.

This ice cream is super creamy, and has intense Hong Kong milk tea flavours. I like my milk tea very strong (tea is more important to me over sugar), that’s why I steeped a lot of Ceylon tea for this recipe in order for the flavours to come through in the ice cream. Ice cream that lacks flavour is definitely a no no for me. I highly recommend refrigerating the milk tea mixture overnight, to intensify the flavours. I tried making it all in the same day, but the flavour is just not as strong compared to if I had let it steep in the fridge overnight.

To make it vegan:

Substitute the heavy whipping cream or coconut cream or canned coconut milk that has been refrigerated overnight. Whisk or beat with an electric hand held mixer and it’ll turn into just like whipping cream. For the condensed milk, substitute it with sugar or maple syrup, but taste as you go because maple syrup can be very sweet!

How to cook the perfect boba:

I’ve worked in a bubble tea shop before so let me tell you the secret to cooking the perfect boba.

First, you have to remember the ratio: 10 cups of water to every 1 cup of boba.

Once the tapioca pearls float to the top, you want to cook it for 30 minutes, while stirring every 5 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Then turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 30 minutes. If there are still white spots in the centre of the pearls, that means it’s still not fully cooked yet. If they are cooked, mix with brown sugar water for that bubble tea shop style boba.

Yes, cooking boba is a long process, but that’s what you have to go through in order to get that perfect bubble tea shop style boba!

There should be no white spots in the pearls, or else that would mean they still need some more cooking time.

Combine the creamy milk tea mixture and bouncy brown sugar boba together, and freeze! The flavours from the HK milk tea is just pure nostalgia.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Hong Kong Milk Tea Boba Ice Cream

Smooth, creamy, infused with black tea for a strong and bold flavour, and mixed with bouncy brown sugar boba for the ultimate treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cantonese, Fusion, Western

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 3 cups

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

HK Milk Tea Ice Cream

• 30g (¼ cup) Ceylon tea (loose leaf black tea)
• 375ml (1½ cups) heavy whipping cream (sub for coconut cream or refrigerated canned coconut milk for vegan)
• 150g (½ cup) condensed milk (sub for sugar or maple syrup for vegan)
• ¼ tsp salt

Boba

• ¼ cup tapioca pearls
• 3 cups water
• 50g (¼ cup) brown sugar + water

Instructions

HK Milk Tea Ice Cream

• Combine the Ceylon tea and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and cover for 30 minutes to let it steep. Let cool, and refrigerate (I like to refrigerate it overnight to intensify the flavours even further – highly recommended).
• Strain out the tea leaves through a fine sieve and press out every last drop of the liquid (to extract the most intense flavours)!

Boba

• The ratio for making boba is 10 cups of water to every 1 cup of boba.
• In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add in the tapioca pearls.
• Once the tapioca pearls float to the top, turn the heat down to medium, and cook it for 30 minutes, while stirring every 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat after 30 minutes and cover with a lid for another 30 minutes. The tapioca pearls should then be fully cooked. If there is still a white spot in the centre, that means it’s still not fully cooked – repeat step 3 and 4 until there are no white spots.
• Drain and rinse the pearls under cold running water (this will give it that chewy and bouncy texture).
• In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar and a little water together and bring to a simmer until the sugar melts, to make brown sugar water. Turn off the heat and add in the cooked pearls and mix everything together. You can let it sit for a few minutes to let the pearls soak up everything. Your pearls are now ready to use.

Assembling

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the HK milk tea ice cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks.
• Add in the condensed milk and salt and whisk until incorporated.
• Fold in the boba until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or airtight container and freeze for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
• When ready to serve: let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping. Enjoy!

Prawn toast – a classic takeout and dim sum item (but unfortunately not many dim sum restaurants serve this nowadays). It’s a fusion dish that originated from Hong Kong that was influenced by both Chinese and Western cuisine.

For the shrimp paste, I like keeping a few chunks in there for a better texture. The shrimp paste is springy and chewy (remember to hit that shrimp paste against the bowl to achieve the perfect texture!) and there’s a nutty aroma from the sesame seeds. It’s then deep fried for the ultimate crispy exterior, yet also having a soft interior from the shrimp. It’s one of my favourite snacks, and it’s incredibly easy to make at home – it tastes just like the takeout version, but BETTER.

Keep a close eye when frying, because it becomes golden brown really quickly! You don’t want to over cook this.

You can also make this in the air fryer, or a convection oven.

For the sauce, it’s just 2 ingredients – Japanese mayo + sambal or sriracha. Dip the toast into the sauce and enjoy!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Prawn Toast

A super flavourful shrimp paste that’s springy and chewy, covered with sesame seeds, then spread onto bread, and deep fried for the ultimate crunch.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Cantonese, Fusion

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 triangular prawn toasts

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Shrimp Paste

• 250 g fresh prawns
• 1 egg white
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Few cracks of black pepper
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 2 stalks scallion (finely chopped)

Toast

• 2 pieces of bread
• White sesame seeds

Sauce

• 2 tbsp Japanese mayo
• 2 tsp sambal or sriracha

Instructions

Shrimp Paste

• Mince the fresh prawns into a paste. I like having some chunks in there for a better texture.
• In a large bowl, add in the shrimp paste, and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything is well combined. Hit the mixture against the bowl for a few times for the perfect springy chewy texture.

Assembling

• Divide the shrimp paste mixture on the bread.
• Place each piece of bread (shrimp paste side facing down) onto a dish filled with sesame seeds, ensuring the sesame seeds stick to the shrimp paste. 
• Traditional deep fry method: Fry in neutral oil that’s been heated up to 325°F (162°C) for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

  For air fryer method: spray the outer sides of the bread with oil and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 6-9 minutes.

  For oven method: bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10-14 minutes.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together.
• Slice and enjoy it with the sauce!

What are sushi tacos?

Instead of regular tortilla taco shells, sushi tacos use nori (seaweed) as the shell instead. Then, it’s filled with sushi rice, and any toppings you desire.

I first came across sushi tacos about two years ago, in a Japanese fusion restaurant in Toronto. At the time, I was like, “what on earth are sushi tacos?” I had never seen or tasted sushi tacos before, but I was drawn to how they looked like. They looked super crispy and were filled with salmon sashimi, drizzled with spicy mayo, and slightly torched. That was when the sushi taco craze began. Everyone wanted sushi tacos, and it was all over social media. Two years later, I decided to make my own, and they taste amazing as they look.

It’s important to use fresh sashimi-grade salmon here, in order to make it safe for raw consumption. I usually go to this sushi shop that sells sashimi-grade products, or H Mart. You can also use any other toppings you like, it doesn’t have to be salmon! Some ideas are sashimi-grade tuna, canned tuna, shrimp, grilled meats, etc. You can customize this however you like!

For the nori taco shells, I just cut the nori seaweed into circular shapes myself. Quickly dip them in a COLD tempura batter, and fry them for 1-2 minutes until golden. I find that shaping them into taco shells when they’re in the oil is much more easier because when I took them out of the oil, they wouldn’t hold their taco shell shape (since they harden as they’re being cooled). They also become crispier as they cool, so place them on a rack after frying.

Who knew you could make something fancy at home? I also bet that it costs way less compared to what you get out there.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Spicy Salmon Sushi Tacos

Crispy nori taco shells filled with sushi rice, seaweed salad, spicy salmon, and topped with tobiko (flying fish roe).

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Fusion, Japanese

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 sushi tacos

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Sushi Rice

• 1 cup sushi rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 piece 2×2 inches kombu (dried kelp)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

Spicy Salmon

• 200 g sashimi-grade salmon (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 1 stalk green onion (finely chopped)
• 1-2 tbsp Chinsu hot sauce (add more/less depending on your preferred spiciness)
• 3 tbsp Japanese mayo
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Batter

• 125 g tempura flour
• 185 ml cold water
• A few ice cubes

Assembling

• Neutral oil (for frying)
• 4 sheets nori seaweed (cut into circular shapes)
• Sushi Rice
• Seaweed salad
• Spicy Salmon
• Tobiko (flying fish roe)

Instructions

Sushi Rice

• Wash and rinse the rice for a few times until the water is almost clear. Drain and sieve any excess water.
• Add the rice to the rice cooker or pot and pour in the water (the rice to water ratio should be 1:1). Place the kombu on top of the rice and let the rice soak in the water for 30 minutes. Then, start cooking.
• In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together. Set aside.
• When the rice is ready, wet your paddle so that it doesn’t stick to the rice. Pour the sushi vinegar over the rice and mix using the paddle. Cover the rice with a damp towel until it comes to room temperature.

Spicy Salmon

• In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, except for the salmon and green onion. Add in the salmon and green onion and mix everything together.

Batter

• Mix together all the ingredients.

Assembling

• In a large pot/wok, add in the oil. Heat it up until it reaches a temperature of 320°F/160°C.
• Batter one side of each nori sheet and gently drop it in the hot oil one by one. Fry for 1-2 minutes and flip to fry the other side for 30 seconds. Fry until crispy and golden, and use chopsticks (or tongs) to fold into taco shells (while in the oil). Remove from oil and place on a rack. Repeat for the rest.
• In a nori taco shell, add the seasoned rice, followed by seaweed salad, spicy salmon, and tobiko. Enjoy!

It’s picnic season, (and also lavender season), which is why I decided to make vibrant purple ube cookies. I like my cookies soft and chewy, which is why these are actually the best cookies you will ever have. Other than the amazing taste, they also look aesthetically pleasing.

I decided to add a purple yam filling inside these cookies to increase the ube flavour even more, and that was the best decision I’ve ever made for these cookies. We first steam the purple yam, and then mash it with condensed milk until smooth. Add a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each cookie and wrap it up. When you take a bite, all the ube flavours will be melting on your tongue.

What is ube?

Ube, is a purple yam or (purple sweet potato) that originated from the Philippines. It has a slightly nutty and vanilla taste, and has a beautiful purple colour. It’s normally hard to find ube in grocery stores (if you can find it for this recipe, that’ll be even better), so I substituted it with purple yam, which tastes very very similar. Purple yam or purple sweet potato works for this recipe!

This is cookie dough (not what you’re thinking). Look at that glossy dough.

The cookie dough is super easy to make. I added coconut oil and coconut milk in it to enhance the flavours even more. It also makes it less fattening as I didn’t use full butter!

Here’s an idea: a purple themed picnic. These cookies would be PERFECT for it.

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Stuffed Ube Cookies

The perfect cookies. Soft, chewy, crispy edges, stuffed with real purple yam filling, and has a vibrant purple colour.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Fusion, Western

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Servings 10 large cookies

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Filling

• 200 g purple yam
• 1 tbsp condensed milk

Cookie Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
• ½ cup coconut oil (softened)
• 1-2 tsp ube extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut milk (if dough is crumbly – add little by little at a time)

Topping

• Dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

Filling

• Peel and chop the taro, purple yam, and sweet potato in small chunks. Steam for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and you can poke it through with a toothpick.
• Mash the purple yam while it’s hot. Add condensed milk and mix until combined and smooth. Let cool and set aside.

Cookie Dough

• In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer/hand held electric mixer/by hand, cream together the brown sugar, butter, and coconut oil.
• Add in ube extract and vanilla extract and mix. Then, add in the dry ingredients and mix well until combined.
• Lastly, add in the coconut milk a little at a time. You may not need the whole thing depending on the texture of the dough. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky, but not stick to the spatula.
• Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours and let it sit in room temperature for around 10 minutes until it softens up before assembling.

Assembling

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and form them into balls.
• Flatten each ball and place a teaspoon filling inside each of them. Fold the edges of the dough together and roll it up to form into a ball. Slightly flatten the cookies and place the chocolate chunks on top.
• Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for 13-15 mins, or until edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy them while they’re warm!

I love making my own garlic butter, with actual REAL garlic, and I thought, “why not add gochujang to it?” Gochujang is a Korean sweet and spicy chili paste, made from gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper powder), glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, barley malt powder, and salt.

The key to making the most wonderful garlic butter is to use softened unsalted butter and to roast the garlic. Using softened unsalted butter allows you to mix and incorporate everything together easily, and you can always adjust the amount of salt yourself instead. I roast my garlic heads for an hour in the oven in order to produce the most flavourful garlic butter. The smell of roasted garlic also makes the whole house smell so good and makes me hungry.

The cheese is optional, but I would highly recommend it because everything tastes and looks better when there’s an epic cheese pull. You can always adjust the amount of cheese to put on depending on your liking.

The cheesier it is, the better. Serve it while it’s hot!

If you do try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! I’d also love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Cheesy Gochujang Garlic Bread

Crispy and soft bread made with REAL garlic butter, with a sweet and spicy kick, and topped with lots and lots of melty cheese.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Fusion, Korean, Western

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 people

Author Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (sliced in half lengthwise)
• 4 heads of garlic
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 110 g unsalted butter (softened)
• 1-2 tbsp gochujang (adjust to preferred spiciness level)
• ½ tbsp dried oregano
• ¼ cup fresh chives (or sub for 2 tbsp dried chives)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Dried parsley
• 2 tbsp honey

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Chop off the top of each head of garlic. Place in foil and season with salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil on top of the garlic heads. Wrap into a ball and roast in the oven for 50 minutes. Once it’s ready, let it cool for a bit until you can handle it with your hands, and squeeze out the garlic. Mash the baked garlic cloves using a fork.
• To make the gochujang garlic butter: In a bowl, mix together the softened unsalted butter, mashed roasted garlic, gochujang, oregano, and chives. Season with salt & pepper if necessary. Mix until combined and smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Spread the gochujang garlic butter onto each half of the bread, and top with lots and lots of cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• Top with parsley and drizzle on the honey. Slice and enjoy hot!