Sai Mai Lo with Mango Pulp

Sai Mai Lo is an Asian tapioca sweet dessert soup. I've been making it for over 10 years (on and off) and it is still one of my favorites. It is so easy to make and it is inexpensive too. This makes a lot.

Ingredients:

18 C (4.5 litres) of water
3/4 to 1 C rock sugar (I use about 3/4 of a box)
1 C tapioca pearls
2-3 C water
1 can coconut milk (approx 400 mL)
1 can evaporated milk (approx 370 mL)
mango pulp (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring 4.5 L of water to a boil. Add rock sugar. Stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, bring the 2-3 C of water to a boil (I do this in a kettle). Place tapioca pearls in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl. Pour the 2-3 C of boiling water over the tapioca and stir lightly. Let soak for approximately 5 minutes. This starts the cooking process for the pearls and may help in preventing clumps (I still get a lot of clumps though). Though I've never tried, this step may be skipped. If you do opt out of this step omit the 2-3 C of water.

3. Test the sugar mixture to see if it is sweet enough for you. You will still be adding 4 more cups of liquid to this so if it is a little more on the sweet side, it is okay. Add tapioca to the pot and cook on medium-low heat. Cook and stir until tapioca becomes clear. If the tapioca is clumpy, use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break them up. DO NOT cover the pot as it will boil over (I learned that the hard way and that was with the stove turned off!).

4. Remove from heat and if you want, you can put the pot in an ice bath (I'm usually in a rush to eat it and I like this dessert chilled). Stir in the coconut milk and evaporated milk to the pot. It is ready to eat. Serve hot, warm, or chilled.

5. For some variation, try adding fruit. This time I tried it with mango pulp. Some people like taro root in their sai mai lo. For this variation, add 2 C cubed taro root to the pot of water in step 1 and bring to a boil. Once the taro is cooked, add the rock sugar and continue at step 2. Use a masher to mash the taro and in turn breaking up any tapioca clumps.

Note: All ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. For example, if you like it to have more of a coconut taste, add more coconut milk. If you like it thinner, use more water next time or if you like it thicker, use less water. These measurements are the way I like my sai mai lo but there is no right or wrong way.

This dessert is great served chilled on a hot summer day = )

Cantaloupe

I had a small cantaloupe sitting on the counter that was way past its prime so I cut it up following the pictorial but left the melon in large pieces. I put it in a container and left it in the fridge to chill. The next morning I placed the melon into the blender and whirred it up into a smoothie. No sweeteners, no fillers, no ice, nada. Just pure cantaloupe.


It wasn't juicy, it wasn't watery. The best way to describe it? It was kind of milkshake-like. Luscious and yummy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Nirvana

I was catching up on some blogs when I came across Cake On the Brain's post on her recent cookie making venture. Anyone who knows me knows I love, L.O.V.E., chocolate. So when she called her cookies Chocolate Chip Cookie Nirvana I knew I had to make these. I did change the recipe a bit and, well, they didn't turn out the way they were supposed to. Who knew that the cookie dough-to-chocolate chip ratio could throw it all off? Not me! How can you go wrong with more chocolate? I guess I was too chocolate-hungry. So I am posting the recipe, but please don't follow my changes and you'll be in nirvana as Cakebrain was when she made these.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Nirvana

makes 3 dozen ridiculously large cookies

by Cakebrain adapted from Jacques Torres' A Year in Chocolate

4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 T granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

2 t pure vanilla extract

1 2/3 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips)

1 cup white chocolate pieces (I used white chocolate chips)

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have ready 2 nonstick cookie sheets, or line 2 regular cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and beat just until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated. When all of the flour mixture has been incorporated, remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate (this was so hard to do).
• To shape the cookies, using a tablespoon, scoop out a heaping spoonful of the dough and, using the palms of your hands, form it into a 3-inch ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart (my batch didn't flatten out during baking so next time - yes, I haven't given up on this recipe yet - I would flatten them before putting them in the oven).
• Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven, transfer the cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.
• Store, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

This recipe really does make an enormous amount of cookies. I baked only half the batch and rolled and froze the rest of the dough into balls to be baked another day.

Shop 4 A Cause

Angela of Oh She Glows is having a 1-day charity auction where all proceeds are going to The Canadian Cancer Society. There are 47 items and the bidding starts at 8 am today. Happy bidding!!!

Super Easy Pecan Bark Squares

I made Danica's pecan bark and they are to.die.for.!!!! It's so easy too!

Super Easy Pecan Bark Squares
(makes 24 + squares)

1 C chopped pecans
1 C brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 C butter, unsalted
24-30 graham squares

Make room in the freezer to fit a cookie sheet.

Place oven rack at the middle level. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Optional: Spread pecans on a cookie sheet and roast pecans in oven. Toss nuts after 5 minutes and roast for another 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay graham squares side by side (do not overlap) making sure the entire cookie sheet is covered. Spread pecans over the graham squares. Set aside.

In a 2-quart (small) saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and STIR until butter mixture boils. Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour over graham squares and pecans and put cookie sheet in oven for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, immediately place cookie sheet in freezer and chill for about an hour to overnight. Take cookie sheet out of freezer and break into squares or smaller pieces. There is no need to refridgerate.

This recipe is easily doubled - just remember to use a larger saucepan and set the oven racks to the 1/3 and 2/3 level.

Note: Because I made a double batch, and I'm super glad I did, I broke them into squares and put them into freezer bags. I keep my stash in the freezer and they're ready to eat (no need to defrost).


So go make them - you won't regret it unless you're watching your waistline because they are so addictive.

The next time I make them I will be drizzling chocolate (white/milk/dark) - drizzle chocolate and allow chocolate to harden before breaking.

When I make another Marscapone Cheesecake I will be putting these into the food processor to make a crust. Mmmmm! Just the thought is making my mouth water. Okay...I've got to end this post so that I can go grab myself another piece of bark.