Hello, my name is Tessa. When I’m not busy working at my day job as a newspaper journalist, I like to cook and bake chin chai-style.
I started this blog not because I want to be a food writer, but because I just wanted to have an online database of all my recipes, and share my favourite homemade dishes with the rest of the world. And well, also to show off :p
For those wondering about the name, chin chai is a Singaporean term for being laissez-faire, artless, slapdash, or as we like to put it, ‘just anyhow’. I’m not an artisanal cook and I sadly can’t afford fancy cookware nor expensive ingredients. What I don’t have in expertise, I try to make up with sheer enthusiasm, cooking in what can only be described as a “flying by the seat of my pants” style. I also love putting a twist on traditional recipes.
I hope you enjoy what you read here. Feedback is welcome!
hi
for the ferroce rocher cake, why the need for vinegar and any recommended brand?
hi hola,
you need vinegar to set off the baking powder and create bubbles in the mixture, which would in turn make the cake more airy and lighter. don’t worry, you won’t taste the vinegar in the final product
any brand of white vinegar would do. just don’t use balsamic
hi,
for the ferro rocher cake,
did you use two types of cocoa powder?
coz for the cake part, it says not dutch processed, whilst for the filling part it says alkalized.
is it possible just to use one type and if so, which type is preferable?
thanks
hi heehaw,
sorry for the late reply. i just used one type, which is not dutch processed i.e. unsweetened cocoa powder. you can read up on the different uses: http://www.joyofbaking.com/cocoa.html