How to Make Chocolate Lava Cakes 朱古力心太軟

What is your all time favorite dessert?  Let me rephrase it.  If you can only enjoy just 1 type of dessert for the rest of your life, what would you pick?  I’m sure my whole family would have the same answer….THIS, Chocolate Lava Cake 朱古力心太軟!  



If you get to taste this cake, I’m sure you would have agreed to my previous statement.  This Chocolate Lava Cake is rich, decadent, and so satisfying.  The edges of the cake is slightly crunchy, similar to the edges of a good brownie.  And the center of the cake is light and tender.  When you spoon into the cake, you’ll see the warm chocolate 'lava' oozing out!  The cake itself is not overly sweet but definitely rich and deep in chocolate flavor.  I love pairing it with a scoop of homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for a contrast of temperature and texture.  



This cake might look fancy and difficult to make, but it’s quite easy to prepare.  I have a foolproof recipe for you and if you follow my tips and tricks in the video tutorial, you can definitely make it too.  If you make this dessert for your sweethearts, you’ll definitely melt their hearts!  Shhh….no one has to know it’s actually so easy to make.  Let them think you spend all day in the kitchen to make this for them!  Since this recipe yields 4 cakes, it might be too many for a romantic dinner for 2.  If you are not planning to bake all 4 cakes, you can prepare the batter the same way and keep unbaked ones in the ramekins in the fridge until you are ready to bake.  So, if you’re planning a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home, you can prepare the batter ahead of time and bake off the cakes at a later time.



I hope you have enjoyed today’s recipe and tutorial and will try this recipe soon.  Thank you so much for stopping by and stay tuned for more fun recipe.

Ingredients and Tools Used:
6 ounces Ramekins (Click here for more information)
Valrhona Cocoa Powder (Click here for more information)
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate (Click here for more information)
Heart Shape Stencil (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Powdered Sugar Shaker (Click here for more information)
Whisk (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Powdered Sugar (Click here for more information)
Oven Mitts (Click here for more information)
Organic All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)
Silicone Pastry Brush (Click here for more information)

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Hello Kitty Rice with Tomato and Egg Stir Fry 吉蒂貓飯配蕃茄炒蛋

Can’t believe we’re stepping into the month of July already!  Despite the soaring hot temperature in Southern California, July also means celebrating birthdays in our family.  There are a couple of birthdays happening this month and one of them is my Baby Girl’s.  



The Birthday Girl gets to pick her favorite birthday cake and this one is her choice for this year.  It’s perfect for birthday celebration during the summer because it’s a gorgeous "no-bake" cake.  Like Mother like Daughter, you have very good taste, Baby!  For this special occasion, Mommy is also making Baby Girl’s favorite dish, Tomato and Egg Stir Fry (蕃茄炒蛋).  It’s a very refreshing and appetizing dish to enjoy especially in the summer months.  This dish is slightly sweet, a little bit tart, and perfectly savory at the same time.  Like most Asian recipes, this dish has a well balanced flavors.  It’s a very popular everyday homemade dish from Hong Kong.  As you can see, I didn’t just stop there, I paired it with the super adorable Hello Kitty Rice, another favorite of my Little Girl.  Although Mommy herself is not really a Hello Kitty fan, she did enjoy making this dish as she knows how much the Birthday Girl loves it.  I am secretly wishing the boys in the house are as easy to please as Baby Girl does! Shhh….   



If you haven’t done so, remember to check out the YouTube video tutorial with step-by-step instruction on how to prepare this dish (the link is at the top of this post).  It’s easier to make than it looks, especially the shaped rice.  Best of all, you don’t need any mold or special equipment to make it, except for a pair of kitchen scissors and a few minutes of your time, and your love of course.  If you have a Hello Kitty fan in your house like I do, you’ve got to check this out! Everything is edible in this dish, all natural and really healthy as well.  You can also make this dish with your kids together.  My Baby Girl always enjoy creating fun dishes with me in the kitchen and this is definitely one of her favorite ones to make.    



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial.  Stay tuned for more fun and easy recipe next week.  Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.

Tools and Ingredients used:
Nori (seaweed): (Click here for more information)
Whole Kernel Corn: (Click here for more information)
Corn starch: (Click here for more information)
Serrated Knife for cutting tomato: (Click here for more information)
Vegetable oil: (Click here for more information)
Zojirushi Rice Cooker: (Click here for more information)
Japanese Short Grain Rice: (Click here for more information)
Food Decorating Tongs/Tweezers: (Click here for more information)
Hello Kitty Cupcake Plush: (Click here for more information)
Hello Kitty Flatware Set: (Click here for more information)
 

Roasted Gold Acorn Squash with Arugula

Finally, the temperature is cooling down in Southern California.  Phew….I thought the summer would never end!  It’s time to bring out the light sweaters and Autumn ingredients.  Some of my all time favorite Fall ingredients are on this plate, Gold Acorn Squash, Arugula and Pomegranate!  Nice and simple.  This dish is not just only a gorgeous to look at, but also delightful to the palates.



I love to keep the flavors nice and clean in this recipe so that you can taste each ingredient.  When the fruit and vegetable you use are in season, they taste the best!  In my opinion, the best way to prepare them is to keep it simple.  Therefore, I roasted these gold acorn squashes with just a little brown sugar, salt, pepper and oil to bring out it’s natural sweetness and slightly nutty flavor.  After roasting, it is tender, creamy and oh so satisfying!  The soft and tender squash is resting in a bed of crisp and peppery arugula, sprinkle with the crunchy, sweet and tart pomegranate seeds on top. Each bite is heavenly.  




Here’s how I prepare this dish, follow me to the kitchen!

1) & 2)  Preheat oven to 400F degree. Wash and pad dry the gold acorn. Cut them into 1/2-inch thick slices and remove seeds.

3) Place on two large sheet pan and drizzle with grapeseed oil.



4) In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt and pepper together. Sprinkle over the acorn squash slices. Gently toss with your hands to evenly distribute the seasonings.

5) Roast the acorn squash for 10 minutes, then flip the squash and rotate the baking pans. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until squash is golden brown on the edges and tendered. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

6) In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together. Taste and adjust flavor to your own preference.  To assemble:  On a large serving platter, place the arugula salad on the bottom and top with roasted gold acorn squash. Enjoy!



Nice and simple, isn't it?  This dish is perfect for your upcoming Thanksgiving gathering.  You can serve it as an appetizer, or as a side dish.  It’s elegant enough to impressed your guests and super easy to prepare, in other words, a very host friendly dish!  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.  I’m sure your friends and family will fall in love with it just after trying a bite. Stay warm and wish you all a happy gathering. 

Iced Matcha (冰鎮抹茶)

Matcha (抹茶) is finely grounded or powdered green tea leaves.  It’s popular in the Japanese tea ceremony but usually served hot.  It’s also used to flavor different kind of treats, such as Matcha Ice Cream and Matcha Mochi (<----Chick on the names to see the recipes that I have shared in the past).  There’s a Japanese plaza closed to my neighborhood that serves Iced Matcha.  I love the rich and slightly bitterness of Matcha and the iced version is just so refreshing and really hit the spot with the soaring Southern California temperature, in early October! 



This is the traditional bamboo whisk (chasen) used for Matcha.  It’s the perfect tool to get rid of the lumps while preparing hot or cold Matcha.  You can get one by clicking here online.  If you don’t have one, you can also use a regular small whisk for the job.  I love this bamboo whisk!  Not only it works well, it’s simply an art of itself.  Check out the details in the picture below.



This Iced Matcha is a cinch to make.  If you love green tea or matcha, you've got to give this recipe a try.  It’s super refreshing, slightly sweeten, and perfectly delicious.  Of course, it's packed with antioxidant as well.





Here’s how I made it!

1) In a small bowl, or tea bowl (chawan 茶碗), whisk together the matcha powder and warm water until smooth and no lumps.
2) Stir in agave until well combined.
3) Place ice in 2 tall glasses and evenly divided the matcha mixture.
4) Fill up the glasses with ice water, stir well and enjoy!



Super easy, isn't it?  Yes, I finished the whole glass in no time!  My little treat after the photo shoot for sure!




I hope you enjoy today’s post and recipe.  Do you like Matcha?  Or are you more of a coffee person?  Please leave a comment below.  I can’t wait to hear from you!  P.S. I personally love coffee in the morning, but drink tea throughout the day.  I can definitely drink this Iced Matcha all day long. 





Props and Tools used in this post:

Matcha Powder (Click here for more information)
Bamboo Whisk (Click here for more information)
Chawan Tea Bowl (Click here for similar product)
Red Paper Straws (Click here for more information)
Shoji Paper Window Blinds backdrop (Click here to see product information)
Natural Bark Serving Board (Click here for similar product)

How to Easily Diced a Mango with Step by Step Pictorial…inspired by a real life story!

I was having a dinner gathering with a family who just moved back to the States.  The wife’s profession in Hong Kong was a dietitian.  She shared with me a little incident, how she requested one of her subordinates to prepare some diced mangos for some kids.  Who knew, this subordinate diced the whole mango, with peels and all, just to save some time.  Or better yet, he had no clue on how to easily diced a mango, without peels!  And he even argued with reassured my friend that he “researched" on the internet, and that the skin is edible!  How clever!  He would rather spent time to do "research" on the  net, than to actually remove the mango peels!  So, boys and girls, please, I don’t think I would appreciate diced mango with peels, and I’m sure those kids would agree with me too!  So here we go! 



First, place your mango vertically on a sturdy cutting board.  Insert the knife to cut through the mango along with the flat side of the seed. 



Do the same on the other side of the seed and you’ll ended up with 3 sections as shown in the picture above.



Next, score the flesh vertically and then horizontally without cutting through the skin.



Last but not least, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and you've got diced mango, without peels! 



Another way to diced up the mango is to spoon the whole section of the mango flesh out from the skin (see picture above).



Then, you can easily dice it up on the board. Super simple and easy, right?  I hope no one serve little kids mango with peels in the future, edible or not.  Or better yet, hope no one thinks it’s alright to serve mango to kids with peels!  Thank you!  Oh, and for the diced mango, I made a refreshing mango salsa.  I’ll share the recipe with you in a future post.  Stay tuned!