Soap like Food -- #8 Waffle Ice Cream !

We are experiencing a dry spell in Singapore and I am perspiring buckets even as I fix myself this oh-so-soapalicious dessert ! There is nothing I like better than warm waffle served with a good dollop of strawberry ice cream ...  drizzled with bitter-sweet chocolate sauce and lots of sprinkles! Heavenly! 

Handmade Waffle Ice Cream Soap

Handmade Waffle Ice Cream Soap

Handmade Waffle Ice Cream Soap

Soap like Food -- #7 Fish Nian Gao !

Nian Gao (粘糕) which means "sticky cake" is a popular gift during Chinese New Year. It is considered good luck to eat Nian Gao as the Chinese words 粘糕 sound identical to 年高 which implies prosperity year after year. The tradition of eating Nian Gao, which dates back several thousand years, is believed to ensure that better times will come.

The traditional Nian Gao is round in shape (symbolising wholeness) with an auspicious decoration on top. Nian Gao fashioned into beautiful carps take this tradition to another level of abundance and wealth. Fish Nian Gao -- 年年有餘 symbolises surplus every year !

Fish Nian Gao Soap 

Wishing You a Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year ! 

GONG XI FA CAI !

年年有餘 !

Soap like Food -- #6 Rainbow Jelly !

Valentine's Day is just round the corner and I am so inspired by all the rainbows and hearts that I see everywhere. This week's Soap like Food is the oh-so-beautiful Rainbow Jelly Soap ... nothing quite as sexy as rainbow jelly shots for your Valentine ! Oh yeahhhh ....

Rainbow Jelly Soap

Rainbow Jelly Soap

Rainbow Jelly Soap

Soap like Food -- #5 Mandarin Orange !

Yesterday was the first day of spring, also known as Li Chun, in the Chinese solar calendar. The Year of the Wood Goat has begun and Chinese New Year is just round the corner!

I have been soaping since 2009 and each year I would receive numerous requests to handmake mandarin orange soaps during Chinese New Year. I always turned down these orders as I was concerned that my mandarin orange soaps would not look realistic. 

When Meimei told me that her good friend Z had asked if I made mandarin orange soaps 2 days ago, I decided to challenge myself and just do it. Shopping for Mandarin oranges during this time of the year is super fun. Meimei and I sampled so many different types of mandarin orange before finally settling for the juicy sweet and tangy Pongkan.

Mandarin Orange Soap

Mandarin Orange Soap

Mandarin Orange Soaps

Ooohhh ... I love how my mandarin orange soaps turned out! Have a great Year of the Wood Goat everyone!

Soap Challenge Club -- Soap Swap !

I participated in the Spoon/Chopstick Swirl Soap Challenge organised by Amy Warden last December. Members of this Challenge Club were also given the option to participate in a soap swap. My last soap swap was way back in 2011. Naturally I said "Yes!" and I opted to be paired with an international member (i.e. the member may be located ANYWHERE that is possibly accessible on our planet!)

My partner was Karen Harvey from Talkeetna, Alaska!! We were required to send one of our Spoon/Chopstick Swirl soaps to our swap partner, so I sent Karen one of my Wishing Star Soaps :)

Wishing Star Soap

I was SUPER thrilled when I received a wonderful smelling package in the letterbox yesterday evening. MeiMei and I carefully opened the package, wanting to savour the moment. We loved it! Thank you Karen!

Northern Lights Soap, handmade by Karen Harvey

Northern Lights Soap, handmade by Karen Harvey

Northern Lights Soap, handmade by Karen Harvey

Northern Lights Soap, handmade by Karen Harvey

Check out Karen's blog post about her Northern Lights Soap that she made for the soap challenge!

Soap like Food -- #4 Kueh Tutu !

Kueh Tutu, also known as "嘟嘟糕" in Mandarin, is a uniquely Singaporean delicacy made from rice flour and with fillings of either roasted ground peanuts or grated coconut. I recall queueing by the Kueh Tutu tricycle cart together with my Dad when I was little, tingling with delight each time the steamers went "TuTu" !. It was  a nightly ritual for both of us; hand in hand, a short walk across the street to satisfy my cravings for Kueh Tutu. 

Today, it is rather difficult to find authentic ones that taste as good as I remember them to be. Most pop-up stalls at our neighbourhood pasar malams (night markets) are often dry, bland and rubbery in texture.

If only I can cook like I soap! Kueh Tutu will definitely be one of the first local dishes that I will attempt to master. Till then, I'll just indulge in my soapy Kuehs!

Handmade Kueh Tutu Soap

Handmade Kueh Tutu Soap

Handmade Kueh Tutu Soap

2015 Soap Challenge Club -- Butterfly Swirl

I found my heart beating just a bit faster when Amy Warden announced that she would be attempting to de-mystify the Butterfly Swirl in her January Soap Challenge Club. I have always been in awe when I see the amazing swirl designs created using the Butterfly Swirl technique but have never attempted it myself.

I was all set to video the soaping process, however things did not proceed as planned. The fragrance oil was added into the oils and once the lye was stirred in, the batter started to thicken up very quickly. I barely had time to blend in the colours. Could this be due to the new recipe that I was trying out? Perhaps it was the fragrance oil that I used?

It was almost impossible to pour the batter into the mold. I practically globbed all the different colours into the mold, banging real hard along the way. By the time I stuck the hanger into the batter, it was pretty stiff. Then the camera d-i-e-d ... shut down on its own. DUH.

The TOP. Now, I had to redo the top 4 times! I had planned for a swirled mica top but it just did not work out with the batter getting so thick and lumpy. Each time I tried to texture the top, it ended up looking so rough and ugly!

In the end, I improvised by smoothening the top as much as I could and popped on some soapy toppers. Aaaahhhh ... much better! Thank goodness for some leftover soap balls from my Rainbow Pop Soaps!

Butterfly Swirl Soap -- #1st attempt

Butterfly Swirl Soap -- #1st attempt

As expected, the soap was riddled with lots of air bubbles. The new recipe however produced a very hard and nice bar of soap with lots of creamy bubbles! OOohhh...I love it!

I decided to attempt this technique one more time even though I knew that I would not be able to submit my entry in time for this month's challenge. This time I used my regular recipe and a trustworthy fragrance oil - Blackraspberry Vanilla from Bramble Berry.

Neapolitan Butterfly Swirl Soap

Neapolitan Butterfly Swirl Soap

Neapolitan Butterfly Swirl Soap

Neapolitan Butterfly Swirl Soap

Neapolitan Butterfly Swirl Soap

The results were much better in my 2nd attempt but I don't see butterflies. Do you?