THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

This blog has been moved to my new website at www.ShenWong.com.

Visit my new blog here: http://shenwong.com/blogger/

Recipe Share: Nian Gao - Chinese New Year Cake

Happy Chinese New Year All!

Sharing my adapted recipe for the Chinese New Year cake - Nian Gao. 

Fresh gooey Nian Gao

Nian Gao Recipe

Ingredients:

• 250ml Water
• 250g Brown Sugar Pieces (pean tong)
• 80ml of Coconut Cream
• 30g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 200g Glutinous rice Flour
• 70g Wheat Starch (optional)
• 1 Red Date (optional)

Required:

• Large pot for steaming
• Bread tin
• Skewers

Method:

1. Boil the water in a small pot,

2. Add sugar to the boiling water,

3. After the sugar has melted, add coconut cream and oil,

Work on the next part while letting the liquid cool down for 10-15 minutes,

4. Grease the tin with a bit of oil,

5. Boil a kettle of water and prepare the steamer,

6. Sift the flour & starch twice,

7. Add the liquid to flour mixture, pouring in a little bit at a time while mixing,

8. Strain the mixture 3 times,

9. Pour the mixture into the tin,

10. Optional: Place one red date (jujube) in the center, on top of the mixture,

Ready for hot steaming!

11. Cover the tin with a plate or tin foil to stop droplets from getting into the mixture,

12. Steam on high heat for 75 mins. Watch the water level, add water as necessary,

13. Poke the centre with a skewer, if it pulls out clean then it's ready,

14. Separate the cake from the tin and tip out onto tin foil,

A tasty 'Gold Block' of Nian Gao

15. Immediately cut up a large slice per person. Skewer and serve while it is fresh, hot and gooey. I eat it like this on the first day. Then I prepare it as per below the rest of the days ^_^

Skewer & eat :)

16. Let the rest cool, then wrap up and place in the fridge overnight.

To Serve:

• 1 Egg
• Pinch of Salt

This is how the cake is normally served.

1. Crack an egg into a bowl,
2. Add a pinch of salt and beat well,
3. Cut the cake into 1cm slices (2-4 slices per person),
4. Heat up pan on medium-low setting,
5. Coat each slice in egg and fry,
6. Cook for a few minutes on each side till golden brown,
7. Serve, eat & enjoy!

Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside

Tasty eating!

Notes: 

• Peanut or vegetable oil is normally used, but Extra Virgin Olive oil is much healthier and gives it a lovely flavour and aroma.
• Coconut cream is not necessary, but it gives a wonderful creamy texture.
• Traditionally a round tin is used, but using a bread tin makes it easier to cut even slices. 
• Nian gao is normally eaten after it has hardened, but is it so good fresh off the steamer. A delicious opportunity not to be missed! 
• When you cut the first slices while hot, it may squish the cake down slightly. Wrap the tin foil up around the sides and use your hands to squish it back up.
• Cake can be kept in the fridge for several months. Make sure to cover well.

Isn't the internet a great thing? Now you have easy access to just about any recipe under the moon. This is especially great for those of us who have emigrated abroad. I often crave certain Hong Kong foods, but can't get them fresh in Ireland. The internet has made it possible for me to make the food myself. The best part is, you often find a variety of recipes for the same dish, allowing you to figure out how to tweak to make it just the way you prefer.

I first come upon this recipe through Her.ie who shared a video from food4444lyfe. 

Watch food4444lyfe video here: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9opCPpHI9M

Press: Irish Examiner - Weekend

Featured in Irish Examiner - Weekend Supplement 25/01/14

Weekend Supplement

Imagine my absolute delight yesterday when I caught wind of my work being featured in the press. My first ever print coverage is in the 'Weekend' supplement of our national press, the Irish Examiner! What a fantastic start to the year.

trend of the week

You can find me under 'News Threads Label Lookout' on page 17, in the trend of the week section. This is where fashionistas go in the Irish Examiner to find out what is hot right now!

Thank you Annemarie O'Connor for including my work in your wonderful article. You can read her writings in the below clipping.

To purchase this bracelet visit:
https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/175212947/pink-swarovski-pearl-silver-plated?.

Pink Swarovski Pearl bracelet

Guilt Free Logic #1: Ice Cream Diet

The Ice Cream Diet by Shen

A strong believer in happy and positive thinking, I have developed many logics over the years to help me lead a guilt-free and happier life. One logic that I have come up with is; eating ice cream can help you lose weight. The more you eat, the slimmer you will be!

Logic

Eating frozen food lowers your core body temperature. To bring your core back up to the optimal temperature, your body has to burn calories. This is the key to the diet! 

Be careful though, if you eat only a little bit of ice cream, it may not work as your core temperature could remain the same. So you need to eat a lot of ice cream for this to work, a full tub of 500ml ice cream should be sufficient. No need to feel guilty the next time you eat ice cream, you can tell people that you're on the ice cream diet and explain the science to them.

Disclaimer:

These are just fun thoughts for sharing. Scientific research has not been conducted to prove the viability of the Ice Cream Diet.

Fashion Review: Michael Kors Watch

Shen's Michael Kors Watch

For my birthday today, my wonderful husband Ger, got me a fabulous Michael Kors (MK) watch. I have been hankering after one of these fashion statement  pieces for a while now, so I was absolutely over the moon to get one as a present.

While the rose gold version is the one MK is known for, I am chuffed that Ger get me something different, yet in a recognisable MK. I am loving the white ceramic band and gold glitz watch face.

My Michael Kors watch on.

What I love

• Works as a watch!
  It has always bothered me that many watches for women only have the hourly notches with short minute hands. With those watches, it's not easy for me to accurately see the time.
• Date display
  Now you will always know the date, no more confusion.
• Stop watch function
  What more can you ask for?
• Super stylish
  This watch is a fashion statement itself and will style up any outfit!
• Dainty feel
  The big chunky face and band makes your hands and wrist look dainty and small. Love it!

Dislikes

• Weight
  The watch is a bit heavy, but this is to be expected due to it's size and ceramic band. To be honest, this does not bother me. Don't let this put you off as the weight is more a sign of quality! Hm... maybe I should put this in the 'What I Love' section?

Overall, this is a fantastic watch that I love and would recommend to anyone. Arnotts and Fields have a good selection of MK watches, so if you are looking to get one, should probably check them out.

Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Press Release - SS14 Launch

Jewellery designer Shen Wong launches her first official collection for SS14

Shen Wong, a Dublin based jewellery designer, set up her business in October 2013 and has already won the ‘Key To The City’ business competition, met the Lord Mayor of Dublin and been interviewed on Dublin City FM. Her Facebook page ‘Shen Wong Jewellery’ has attracted 500 fans and is growing daily.

Born in Hong Kong, Shen and her family moved to Ireland when she was 18 months old. Having grown up in Ireland, she often surprises the people she meets with her combination of Asian looks and Dublin accent. Shen graduated with an MA in PR and an MBS in Marketing. After working in the marketing industry for six years, Shen decided it was time to follow her passion for fashion accessories and set up her own online jewellery business.

The designers’ first collection features handmade jewellery using her own unique technique, which she calls ‘wired by Shen’. Using Swarovski pearls and crystals in her designs, she has developed a range of high quality yet affordable jewellery with prices starting at only €30.00. Shen makes every piece of her jewellery by hand at her home studio in Dublin. To complete the handmade experience for her customers, Shen packages her jewellery into hand folded origami jewellery boxes, offering a truly unique shopping and gifting experience.

This SS’14 Collection is Shen’s first complete collection. Her designs feature Swarovski pearls and through the use of a range of pearl colors, Shen’s unique wirework technique and combination of Swarovski crystals, the creative designer has injected a fun twist to the traditional pearl look.

Hand crafted jewellery by Shen Wong can be purchased online at:

www.ShenWong.com

I am Etsy Ireland Blogger!

Blog Co-Ordinator

New year, new responsibilities. You are now reading the writings of the new Blog Co-ordinator for Etsy Ireland! 

For those of you that don't know, Etsy is an international sales platform for hand crafted goods. If you have never checked out this site before, then prepared to be hooked! Here is the link to Etsy that may change the way you see mass produced goods forever! If I had discovered this site before my wedding, I may not have had a budget left for a honeymoon! Shop for unique handmade goods at www.Etsy.com. 

Etsy Ireland is a community for all Etsy crafters based in the wonderful island of Ireland. With nearly 1,000 members, we support quite a variety of crafters. To find our Irish crafters on Etsy, just search for 'craftyirelandteam'. 

As Blog Co-ordinator for Etsy Ireland, I will be responsible for writing up posts of interest and value to our team members, blog followers, Etsy customers and friends. As the name suggests, the role also involves co-ordinating regular posts from other team members. This is quite an intimidating role as the blog has significant exposure with nearly half a million international views and 700 followers!

Looking forward to my new role as Blog Co-ordinator for Etsy Ireland. It will be fun managing nearly 20 posts a month as well as maintaining my own blog here. I am always up for a challenge though!

Let me know what you would like to read on the Etsy Ireland blog at http://etsyireland.blogspot.ie by leaving a comment below.