Baking bread with Sifu Emilia

April 9, 2015

I have been a quest to bake Hainanese White bread, of my childhood. Lightly toasted slices of bread, smeared with margarine (butter, if you are so fortunate!) and Kaya (rich custardy coconut jam), is something to swoon about. Old fashion Kaya toast, simple in its execution and utterly comforting in its consumption. Without fail, when in Malaysia, my USA born children would order this breakfast delight when they see it on the menu. The past 2-3 years we have been a quest to find a recipe for the bread so we can recreate the experience back home. Endless googling and blogs surfing to no avail.

Meanwhile, Facebook would show mouthwatering pictures of delicious breads, baked by my cousin Emilia. It looked like a promising start to our quest. I was very fortunate Sifu Emilia was gracious enough to show me how to bake Chinese style soft white bread. It uses a roux starter called Tangzhong. It is what gives the bread its soft, pillowy texture. The bread remain soft at room temperature for a number of days.

P.S. Can I tell you, biting into the hot, freshly baked buns was delicious heaven! The butter and sugar melted, beautifully flavouring the buns. I am drooling thinking of them.....

Mee Hoon Kuih in Soup

This is another of my daughter's Must Eat Before College request that I obliged this week. This posting is for you, my darling daughter! Now that you have your  own apartment complete with a kitchen you can cook a little taste of home whenever you want. Of course, 1-800-Mommeeee is always available to you.


This is a traditional Hokkein dish which is essentially fresh handmade pasta in a flavorful broth. It is a favorite of my family here in the US as well as our families in Malaysia. My mother makes a top notch version. She is particular, often making and serving individual bowls. That way, the pasta is truly el dente. Since I am the only one forming the pasta and somehow my family is always already too hungry when I make this dish, I make all the pasta first before calling everyone to the table. I just remove, drain and keep the cooked pasta hot in a big serving bowl. A drizzle of shallot oil keep the pasta separate.


The toughest part of the dish is stretching out the dough thin enough to make Mee Hoon Kuey (pasta), tearing the pieces off and dropping it into hot simmering broth. It is a tedious hot work so you must love your family! Not many families make it at home in Malaysia these days because of the work and skill involved. Lucky for them it is possible to order this dish at food stalls. Some vendors have updated it, rolling out the dough through a pasta machine and making fettucine style pasta. I prefer the old fashioned, rustic torn off pasta.The toppings is everything!! I serve it with fried anchovies, meat topping, chinese bok choy, fried peanuts and fried shallots. Like I said, lots of work but yummy!