A juicy delicious ground meat filling sandwiched between two layers of aubergines and braised with tomato sauce.

1. Place all the spread ingredients together in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Peel and cut the aubergine into 3mm thick rounds. Dissolve the cornstarch with water in a small bowl.
   
2. Spread some ground meat mixture on a round of aubergine and top with another, pressing gently to form a "sandwich". Coat the sandwich like aubergine thinly with flour, dip into the beaten egg and then with bread crumbs. Heat up some oil in a pan. Deep-fry the sandwich aubergines until golden brown. Drain and place them in a serving plate.
   
3. Heat up a skillet with a tablespoon of oil.Add in tomato wedges and carrots. Stir briefly. Pour in the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution to the sauce and cook until it starts to thicken. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce all over the aubergine. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions on the top and serve.

This tofu should look like the Chinese string instrument "pi pa" or a fruit loquat, also called “pi pa” in mandarinangiesrecipes
, hence the name Pipa Tofu. Add some chopped shrimps into the mixture if you are a seafood lover.

1. Mash the tofu with a tablespoon. Soak the dried mushrooms in some water until soft. Drain and chop. Cut the baby corns and carrots into the same size, green onion into chunks.
2. Place the tofu, ground meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and flour in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients. Form the mixture into oval shape with a tablespoon. Heat up some oil in a frying-pot. Lower the shaped tofu into the oil and fry until golden crispy. Remove and drain.
   
   
3. Heat a skillet with a teaspoon of oil until hot. Add in baby corns and carrots. Stir for about 1 minute and remove. Add in spring onion, dried mushroom and stir until fragrant. Pour in the stock, light soya sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook to a boil and return the tofu to the skillet. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for a few minutes until all the ingredients well-combined. Dish off and serve immediately.

Hoisin sauce/Hai Xian Jiang is commonly used for BBQ, for example, 'Peking duck, suckling pig', and 'stir-fries' in Chinese cuisine. "Hoisin", which means seafood in Cantonese dialect, is a soya-based dipping sauce flavoured with salt, sugar, garlic, vinegar, red chilli peppers, and thickened with cornstarch.

1. Mix the sliced chicken with the marinade in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small dish.
2. Heat some oil in a skillet over high heat. Add in the marinated chicken and stir briefly. Remove, drain and keep aside.
3. Add in hoisin sauce and bell pepper. Stir well and return the chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for 1 minute. Add in the cornstarch solution and stir until the sauce thickened. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the thinly sliced spring onions.

An effective way to chase away the long-lasting winter cold jitters is to share a square of warm Zuckerkuchen with your friends. Come and join Angie to experience the joy and delight of this classic German coffee cake.

1. Place all the ingredient for the batter in a mixing bowl, stir for 4-5 minutes at the middle speed until all the ingredients are well-combined.
   
   
2. Pour in a 26x16x4cm glass pan or a square cake pan. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes.
   
3. Mix all the ingredients for the topping. Take out the cake and slowly pour the topping over the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Lamingtons are a butter cake in the shape of a cube, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. Recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and place oven rack to middle position. Butter the bottom and sides of a 26x16x4cm cake pan. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
   
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
   
3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
   
   
4. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Re-invert. Once the cake has completely cooled cut it into 15 2-inch (5 cm) squares. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or even overnight. The reason for doing this is that it is much easier (less crumbs) to coat a cold cake with frosting.
   
5. Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.
   
6. Put the squares of cakes on a serving plate lined with a baking sheet. Have ready the coconut on a large box or a plate and the chocolate frosting. Spoon or ladle the chocolate frosting over each square of cake, making sure you cover all sides. With a knife transfer the chocolate covered cake to the plate of coconut and roll the cake in the coconut, covering all sides. Gently transfer the lamingtons to a clean wire rack to set. Once the lamingtons have set, store in an airtight container for several days.

Five flavours - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - are found in this unique five-spice powder containing fennel seeds/小茴香籽, cloves/丁香, and Chinese cinnamon/肉桂, along with star anise/八角 and Szechuan peppercorns/花椒 .

1. Rinse and pat dry fish fillets. Cut each into 2-3 even chunks and place them in a bowl. Add in marinade and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Strain the marinade into another bowl and stir in all the ingredients for the sauce.
   
   
2. Heat the oil till it is bubbling, then turn heat down to about medium-low. Place fillets into the pan and cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes until cooked thoroughly. Transfer the fish on a serving plate and sprinkle the shredded red pepper and spring onion over. Pour the sauce into the skillet and bring it to a boil. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

Alaska pollockm the member of the cod family, sometimes called walleye or bigeye pollock, is a lean fish with firm, white flesh and a nice flake.

1. Separate the broccoli into the small florets. Wash and drain. Rinse the fish fillets and cut into even chunks.
   
2. Fill a medium pot with water and heat it on high until boiling. Add in a bit of salt, sugar and oil. Drop broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook without lid on for about 3 minutes. Drain.
   
3. Pour enough water with half ginger and onion into a skillet to just barely cover the fish. Bring to a boil. Add in fish fillets and 1 teaspoon of rice wine. At the same time poach the broccoli in another pot of boiling water seasoned with a little salt and oil. Once the fish is cooked through, remove and reserve the stock.
   
4. Heat up a skillet with some oil. Add in the rest of ginger and onion, stirring until fragrant and lightly brown. Pour in the saved fish stock and bring to a boil. Discard the ginger and onion. Return the fish fillets to the skillet, adding the rest of rice wine, seasoning with chicken bouillon and salt.
   
5. Thicken with the starchy solution and drizzle with some cooked oil. Turn off the heat. Arrange the fish fillets on a serving plate, and surround the dish with the prepared broccoli. Garnish with shredded carrot. Serve with a dish with oyster sauce.

The Marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar or corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, and flavorings, whipped to a spongy consistency. Wikipeida

1. In a saucepan on low heat, combine marshmallows and milk. Cook until marshmallows are melted, and mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. If using 200 grams of marshmallow, I would suggest adding 1 teaspoon of gelatin powder into the mixture.
   
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in egg yolk. Fold in 1/3 of the melted marshmallow mixture, then quickly fold in remaining marshmallow until no streaks remain. Stir in lemon juice. Beat cream until soft peaks form in another bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
   
3. Place the sponge cake in a mousse ring on a serving plate, surround with wafer rolls, then spread the cheese mixture into it. Chill overnight or at least 3 hours. Decorate with chocolate and hazelnut crocant.

Smooth and rich cheesecake, for me, is always a delightful treat. I usually would bake my cheesecake with bain marie (BAN-mah-REE) to prevent cracking but the moisture of this carrot cake helps to keep the cheesecake part from cracking.
Recipe adapted from Ultimate Cheesecake (E-cookbook Library)

1. Mix crumbs, sugar, butter and milk and press onto the bottom of a 26-cm spring form pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
   
2. Using your hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, Quark, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add the cornstarch, eggs, lemon juice, and salt. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
   
3. Whip together the oil, sugar, and eggs until well combined. Mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until well combined. Add in carrots, walnuts and raisins. Pour the carrot cake batter onto the crust. Spread evenly.
   
4. Drop the cheesecake mixture atop and bake in the lower rack of the hot oven for about 55 minutes. Turn off the oven and let cake cool in oven with door ajar for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Chill overnight.

These breadcrumb-coated fried onion rings turned out crisp on the outside but tender within. I have also tried the onion rings coated with old-fashioned batter, which I have used for the fried milk. Use a bit more of milk if the batter is too thick. They taste as crisp and good as the crumbs-coated ones. They go very well as a side-dish with hamburgers or as a snack all on their own.

1. Peel onion and slice about ¼ inch or larger (depending upon preference) thick; separate into rings. Cover with cold water and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and spread out on paper towels.
   
2. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of flour, egg and water in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix ½ flour and baking powder. Place bread crumbs on a medium, flat dish. Dust onion rings with flour mixture. Dip one at a time into egg mixture and coat thoroughly with bread crumbs.
   
3. Heat enough oil in a large, heavy skillet to 190C/375F. Fry coated rings in the hot oil, a few at a time, until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.