Macanese Portugese Chicken (Baked Coconut Saffron Chicken)

25/02/2014 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 7 Comments

Macanese Portugese Chicken (Coconut Saffron Chicken)

It’s incredible that many delicious food have been fused & created due to influences from another culture. Like Chinese Fortune Cookies (can’t find them in China) or Dutch Baby Pancakes (nope, the Dutch have not heard of them) or Japanese Cheesecake (made famous by the Japanese and became a craze in some Asian countries). Same goes to this Portuguese Chicken in Macau, I doubt this dish can be found in Portugal. Continue Reading →

Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

18/08/2012 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 18 Comments

Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce)

Tomorrow is Hari Raya or Eid, the biggest Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, or the Islamic holy month of fasting. In Malaysia, all races come together to celebrate all types of festivities with open house, and we are served with lots of food.

My favourite Hari Raya open house dish is Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken cooked in rich creamy spicy tomato sauce). Yes, Ayam Masak Merah is not an everyday affair, it is a unique dish to be enjoyed on special occasions such as “traditional Malay weddings” and Hari Raya or Eid Celebration. Continue Reading →

Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice Dessert)

25/06/2012 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 9 Comments

Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice Dessert) is a popular dessert in Malaysia and also in the neighboring countries Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. It is probably one of the easiest dessert to make. Bubur Pulut Hitam literally translates to Black Glutinous Rice Porridge, so it’s basically cooking porridge and serve with the fragrant coconut milk . Continue Reading →

Pandan Agar Agar (Pandan Jelly)

13/04/2012 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 12 Comments

One of the fun thing about going back to my hometown is bringing back goodies. Among the things I brought back are a lovely pandan plant from my grandpa’s backyard and long forgotten cute moulds salvaged from my mama’s kitchen cabinets. I feel like a treasure hunter when I discover  something I can reuse. Being a firm believer in reusing and recycling, I make full use of any old functional items I find (or borrow from friends and neighbours) instead of letting the items sit idle. What items do you reuse? Continue Reading →

Beef Rendang Malaysian style

24/02/2012 by Shannon Lim-de Rooy | 13 Comments


Rendang is a spicy meat dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia, and has become popular in Malaysia and other South Asian countries.  An 2011 online poll conducted by CNN International for by 35,000 people chose Rendang as the Number 1 dish of their ‘World’s 50 Most Delicous Foods’ list. How exciting when I read about it because Rendang is also one of my favourite dishes.

Continue Reading →