House Of Recipes

Skinny Chocolate & Cranberries Muffins

2011-02-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Skinny Chocolate & Cranberry Muffins

These gorgeous muffins are great for when you’ve got the girls coming over for a catch-up. Get your ingredients mixed, weighed and measured and the over on so you can serve them warm, as they should be, although they reheat well too.

Ingredients :

250g self-raising flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

85g light muscovado sugar

85g dried cranberries

25g dark chocolate, chopped

125g low-fat yogurt

125ml skimmed milk

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

To Prepare :

Heat oven to 180C. line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and cranberries.

Microwave the chocolate on medium for 1-1½ minutes, stir, then set aside.

Mix the yogurt and milk with the oil and egg. Make a well in centre of the dry mix and gently stir in the liquid. Drizzle half the chocolate over the mix, gently fold in until swirled, then repeat with the remaining chocolate. Take care not to over-mix. Spoon the mix into the muffin cases and bake for 1520 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Tia Maria & Chocolate Creams

2011-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Tia Maria & Chocolate Creams

Just a few spoonfuls of this rich and creamy desert are all you need to end the meal with a flourish without overdoing it. they can be made and chilled several hours ahead. If you don’t have Tia Maria, use another liquer such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Kahlua.

Ingredients :

50g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, broken into squares

150ml double cream

2 tablespoons Tia Maria

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Amaretti biscuit, to serve

To Prepare :

Put the chocolate into a bowl. Mix the cream with the Tia Maria, reserve 2 tablespoons, then tip the rest into a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat and tip straight over the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts. Divide between 2 small glasses and allow to cool slightly thickened, then spoon over the cooled chocolate mix. Chill for at least 1 hour to set. While you’re waiting, cut a heart shape from a piece of thick card.

When ready to serve, set the card over the glass and sift over a dusting of cocoa powder. Lift off carefully and do the same with the other glass. Serve with biscuit on the side.

Malaysia Hawker Food - Popiah

2011-02-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Popiah

Ingredient :

1kg sweet turnip, shredded

300g prawn, shredded

300g pork, shredded

6 pieces bean curd, shredded

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

4 tablespoons oil

Seasoning :

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grounded preserve soya bean

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon chicken stock granules

½ cup water

Other Ingredients :

3 eggs, add ¼ teaspoon salt, beaten, made into omelette, shredded

300g bean sprout, tailed, scalded

1 pair Chinese sausage, shredded and fried lightly

1 cucumber, shredded, 2 plants lettuce, washed, drained

1/3 cup fried shallots, *600g popiah skin

5 tablespoon sweet sauce, 2 tablespoon chilly sauce, optional

To Prepare :

Filling : Heat up oil in wok, fried the bean sprout until light brown. Dish and drain

With the remaining oil, stir-fry chopped garlic and preserve soya bean until fragrant. Add prawn and pork and stir-fry for a while. Mix in sweet turnip and all the seasoning. Use low fire to cook until sweet turnip is soft and almost dry. Add in bean curd, continue to cook until try. Taste.

To make popiah : place 1 piece of pipah skin on a board, take ½ piece lettuce leaf and put on the popiah skin. Brush a little sweet sauce and chilly sauce on the lettuce leaf, dish 1 tablespoon filling onto leaf, then add some bean sprout, cucumber, Chinese sausage, omelette and fried shallots on top of filling.

Roll up tightly, cut into pieces and serve on plate.

Note : You can deep fry the popiah before serve too.

Popiah Skin Prepare :

500g flour, sifted, 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon oil

To Prepare :

Mix all ingredients to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a little water on top and let it rest for 3-4 hours, or over-night in the fridge.

Use ‘K’ beater and beat the mixture until it leaves the side of bowl.

Heat up pan and make into thin round sheet.

Cool the cooked popiah skin on absorbent paper before storing up.

Malaysia Hawker Food - Vegetable Dumpling

2011-02-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Vegetable Dumpling

Skin :

150g wheat starch

150g starch powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

400-450ml boiling water

2 tablespoons shortening

Filling :

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic and shallots

3 tablespoons dried prawns, soaked and diced

3 dried mushrooms, soaked and diced

500g sweet turnip, peeled and diced into small cubes

Seasoning :

2 tablespoons light soya sauce

1½ tablespoon oyster sauce

1½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1½ teaspoon chicken stock granules

1 teaspoon cornflour and 1 tablespoon water, for thickening

To Prepare :

Skin : Put wheat starch, starch powder, salt into mixing bowl, pour in boiling water and stir quickly. Cover and leave aside for 15 minutes. Add shortening and knead to form into a pliable dough.

Filling : Heat up oil, sauté chopped garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add dried prawn and stir-fry till fragrant. Mix in mushrooms, sweet turnip, seasoning and cook till sweet turnip is soft. Thicken with cornflour water. Taste and dish up. Leave to cool before using.

Roll dough into a long cylinder and divide into 35-40 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.

Flatten one ball of dough with a rolling pin to make a 7½cm round. Place one portion of filling in the centre of each round, pleating one side and seal to form into the shape of dumpling.

Steam with high heat for 8-10 minutes till dumplings are translucent. Remove from heat and brush a layer of cooked oil over dumpling immediately.

Serve dumplings hot or cold with chilly sauce.

Malaysia Hawker Food - Oyster Omelette

2011-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Oyster Omelette

Ingredients :

250g fresh oyster, washed, drained

3 tablespoons oil

3 pips garlic, chopped

Batter (Mixed) :

3 tablespoons tapioca flour

1½ tablespoons rice flour

180ml water

½ teaspoon chicken stock granules

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Seasoning :

1 tablespoon light soya sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine

Dash of pepper

To Prepare :

Heat up a large heavy frying pan until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and spread evenly.

Pour in half of the batter, swirl to make a thin round sheet before adding half of the beaten eggs.

When the egg are almost set, make a hole in the centre, add ½ tablespoon oil and fry half of garlic until fragrant, mix then season with ½ tablespoon soya sauce.

Add half of oyster, stir and cook just long enough to heat through. Dish onto serving plate.

Repeat the same for the other half of the mixture.

Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves on top as garnishing. Serve hot with sambal or chilly sauce.

Malaysia Hawker Food - Cuttlefish and KangKung Salad

2011-02-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Cuttlefish and KangKung Salad
Ingredients :

1 pre-prepared dried cuttlefish

200g kangkung, plucked tender parts, washed

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

Sauce (Mixed) :

3 tablespoons hoi sin sauce

1 tablespoon preserved prawn paste

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon toasted belacan, grinded

4 red chillies, pounded

3 chili padi, pounded

2 tablespoons asam jawa (tamarind), add in 1 cup water and squeezed asam juice

5 tablespoons toasted peanuts, pounded coarsely

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

To Prepare :

Cut pre-prepared dried cuttlefish into 4cm long strips

Bring half a pot of water to boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil, blanch dried cuttlefish strips in boiling water for 1 minutes. Dish and drain. Arrange onto a serving platter.

Blanch kangkung in the same boiling water for 1 minutes. Dish and drain. Dish onto the same serving platter, side by side.

Put sauce ingredients into a pot, mix and bring to boil. Taste

Pour sauce over cuttlefish and kangkung just before serving. Sprinkle more peanuts on top as garnishing.

Malaysia Hawker Food - Loh Bak

2011-02-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Good day all, this few days I would like to introduce some Malaysia Best Hawker Food. I hope you all will like it.

Recipes → Aromatic Loh Bak

Ingredients :

1 piece bean curd skin

600g pork, minced finely

300g prawns, minced finely

2 bombay onions, chopped

10 waterchestnuts, chopped

1 egg

8 cups oil for deep-frying

Seasoning:

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chicken stock granule

1 tablespoon light soya sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dipping Sauce (Mixed & Bring To Boil) :

4 tablespoons dark soya sauce

2 tablespoons light soya sauce

3 tablespoon sugar

1/4 tablespoon five-spice powder

2 tablespoon water, mixed with 1/2 tablespoons cornflour

To Prepare :

In a big mixing bowl, mix minced pork, prawns and salt till sticky. Add chopped Bombay onions, water-chestnuts, egg and all the other seasoning into the meat mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Wipe bean curd skin with a clean damp cloth, cut into 4 pieces 8”x6”

Place 1 part of meat mixture onto 1 piece of bean curd skin and form into a long roll. Roll up tightly.

Deep-fry rolls with medium heat. Cut into slices and serve with chilly sauce.

Creamy Pea & Watercress Pasta

2011-02-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Creamy Pea & Watercress Pasta
Ingredients :

350g penne or other short pasta shape

300g fresh pea

1 garlic clove, peeled

100g watercress, tough stalks removed

2 tablespoons mascarpone

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

To Prepare :

Cook the pasta follow packet instructions. Meanwhile, cook the peas and garlic in a separate pan of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Drain well, keeping some of the water.

Put the peas, garlic and watercress in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Whizz to a very rough puree.

Return the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pea mixture, mascarpone, tarragon and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.

Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit

2011-02-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Ricotta Cheesecake With Fresh Fruit
Crust :

620g digestive biscuits, crushed to form crumbs

225g butter, melted

900g ricotta cheese

220g caster sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

35g cake flour, sifted

5 eggs

Zest of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Fresh fruit to garnish

To Prepare :

Preheat oven to 175C. butter 40 mini tart tins measuring 4cm in diameter.

Mix digestive biscuit crumbs with melted butter and press mixture down evenly in the tart tin to form the crust.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine ricotta cheese, sugar and salt on medium speed, then mix in flour. Beat in eggs one at a time and mix in lemon zest and vanilla. Divide mixture between tins.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Decorate with fresh fruit. Serve chilled.

Salted, Steamed Peanut Cookies

2011-02-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

This moreish cookie gets its intense flavor from fried shallots and peanuts. Any type of shelled peanuts can be used, but the Spanish variety is the most aromatic and the preferred choice for this recipe. The cookie is steamed just long enough to set its shape.

Recipes → Salted, Steamed Peanut Cookies

Ingredients :

500 tapioca flour

500g shelled peanuts (Spanish variety), toasted and skinned

220g caster sugar

1 teaspoon salt

375ml peanut oil

500g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

To Prepare :

Dry-fry tapioca in a wok over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until flour is dry and looses. Set aside to cool overnight

Place peanuts in a food processor and blitz into fine crumbs. Place ground peanuts in a mixing bowl together with tapioca flour, sugar and salt mix well.

Heat peanut oil in a wok over low heat and fry shallots until lightly golden. Remove fried shallots and add to the peanut mixture. Gradually add about 300ml hot peanut oil to the mix, stirring throughout, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Test by clumping a wad of the mixture together – if it holds the shape, it’s ready for shaping

Press the peanut mixture into moulds and scrape off to level cookies. Lightly tap the sides of the mould to release the dough. Place shaped dough on a steamer lined with banana leaves. Steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Hot-smoked Trout & Mustard Salad

2011-02-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Hot-Smoked Trout & Mustard Salad
Ingredients :

200g green beans, trimmed

1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated and torn if large

250g hot-smoked trout, or any smoked white fish

50g ready- made croutons

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

Zest and juice of lemon

To Prepare :

Cook the green beans in a small pan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the lettuce, trout and croutons.

Whisk the oil with the mustard and lemon zest and juice. Season and drizzle over the salad. Gently toss to coat and serve straight away.

‘Light’ Olive oil, Olive oil and Extra Virgin Olive oil

2011-02-18T22:22:00.000-08:00

Confused ? What’s the difference between olive oil, ‘light’ olive oil and extra virgin olive oil ?

Nutritionally there’s no difference. They all contain the same number of calories and fat, albeit a healthier monounsaturated fat. The choice is largely down to the taste you want. Avoid using any olive oils for deep-fat-frying. They don’t tolerate such high temperatures as more suitable oils, such as rapeseed and groundnut which are also cheaper.

‘Light’ Olive Oil

The name implies it may contain less calories, but it is light in taste and colour only. Good for day-to-day cooking and for lightening dressings and marinades either on its own or combined with other olive oils.

Olive Oil

A blend of refined oils. It’s a little stronger than ‘light’ olive oil, but milder than extra virgin. So also good for shallow frying, roasting, baking as well as for dressings.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This has undergone the least processing and is the purest oil you can buy. Use it raw rather than cooking with it when you want a rich, stronger flavor. It’s ideal for salad dressings, mayonnaise and drizzling over vegetables and pasta.

Steam Prawns in Wine Sauce

2011-02-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Recipes → Steam Prawns in Wine Sauce

Steam Prawn :

10 large prawns

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon Shao Xing rice wine

Fried Egg White :

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons milk

125ml vegetable oil

Rice Wine Sauce :

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped

20g ginger, peeled and cut into julienne

125ml superior stock – recipes will show below

125ml Shao Xing Rice Wine

Salt and white pepper to taste

2 teaspoons potato starch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Garnishing :

1 spring onion, chopped

1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon red or white rice vinegar to drizzle

To Prepare Prawn :

Marinate prawns with sugar and rice wine for 1 hour in the refrigerator. To prevent the prawns from curling during steaming, skewer each prawn on the underside with a bamboo stick before placing on a heatproof dish. Steam over high heat for 8 minutes. Remove and discard sticks and the steaming liquid, set aside

To Prepare Egg White :

Beat egg whites in a bowl until foamy. Beat in potato starch mixture, salt and milk. Heat oil in wok until hot. Lower heat and gradually pour in the egg white mixture. Cook until just set. Remove

To Prepare Sauce :

Heat oil and sauce garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add stock, rice wine, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Thicken with starch mixture. Remove from heat

To Serve :

Place egg whites on a plate and arrange steamed prawns on top. Spoon the rice wine sauce over and drizzle with vinegar. Serve immediately.

Superior Stock

1 old hen, quartered

500g lean pork

250g Chinese Ham, quartered

5 litres water

1 small radish, peeled and sliced

10g dried shiitake mushroom stems

Blanch chicken, prk and ham in boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse meat, drain, and place in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, skimming off the scum. Strain the stock and cool before using

10 Minutes Pad Thai

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thai dishes might seem complicated when you see them on a menu, but it’s really just about balancing the flavours of a few key ingredients that crop-up time and again

Recipes → 10-Minutes Pad Thai

If you’re using dried noodles, cook them according to pack instructions, then drain well on a little kitchen paper before adding to the pan

Ingredients :

200g raw prawns

Small pack coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped

400g straight-to wok pad thai noodles

85g beansprouts

1 egg, beaten with a fork Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

To Prepare :

Dry-fry the prawns and coriander stalks in a non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes until the prawns are just pink. Add the noodles, beansprout, egg, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Quickly toss together for 1 minutes more until the egg is just cooked and everything is well mixed – you might want to use a pair of tongs to make this easier

Remove from the heat, mix in most of the coriander leaves, then divide between 2 bowls. Scatter with the remaining coriander and the peanuts. And serve with lime wedges for squeezing over

Steamed Chicken With Spicy Spring Onion Sauce

2011-02-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to share with you a traditional Chinese make Steamed Chicken With Spicy Spring Onion Sauce, if you like the spicy, then you should try this out.

Recipes → Steamed Chicken With Spicy Spring Onion Sauce

Ingredients :

1 chicken (about 2kg)

2 teaspoons salt

2 stalks lemongrass, bruised

20g ginger, peeled and sliced

Sauce :

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

50g ginger, peeled and chopped

2 red chillies, seeded and chopped

50g garlic, chopped

10 bird-eye chillies, chopped

80g chopped spring onion, white and green parts separated

Seasonings :

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons Shao Xing rice wine

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon concentrated chicken stock

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon potato starch

½ teaspoon white pepper

¼ cup chopped coriander

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

To Prepare Chicken :

Rub chicken with salt on the outside and the cavity as well. Cover with clingwarp and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Remove chicken from the refrigerator an hour before steaming. Place lemongrass and ginger in the chicken’s cavity. Steam for 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove lemongrass and ginger.

To Prepare Sauce :

Heat the oils and stir-fry the ginger, garlic and chillies until fragrant. Stir in white chopped spring onion. Mix the seasonings together and add to the wok. Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce thickens. Add chopped coriander, green spring onion and kaffir lime leaves. Remove from heat

To Serve :

Chop chicken into pieces and arrange on a plate. Pour hot sauce over and serve with rice or noodles

A little taste of Chateau Siran

2011-02-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

Chateau Siran is a historic property in Medoc, France, set apart from its neighbours in the Margaux appellation by several factors, but sharing a common reputation for elegant, high-quality wines. It is one of the few Bordeaux wineries that had remained in the same family for 150 years, run today by Edouard Miailhe, who spends half the year over seeing the winery in Bordeaux and half the year in the Philippines. And although its surrounding neighbours all fell under the 1855 Classification, which ranked 61 chateaux in Medoc, Chateau Siran did not; its owners didn’t see the need for it to be entered at the time. In 2003, it was classified as one of the Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnel, one of the nice chateaux chosen out of 400 potential candidates. The winery produces both Margaux and Bordeaux Superieur wines, since 25 hectares of its vineyard fall under the Margaux appellation and 15 lie in the AOC Bordeaux Superieur area. Grapes are picked and sorted by hand. The flagship wine of the house is a Margaux known simply as Chateau Siran, made to walk that fine balance of power and elegance that the best Margaux wine typify. It’s a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc from 33-year-old vines; compared to other Margaux wines, this one has a higher percentage of Petit Verdot, giving it a spicy edge, and great ageing potential. At the private tasting held by the G8 – a group of wine-loving importers, distributors and F&B personalities who meet once a month for a blind tasting – the coverted 1998 vintage of this wine was served. According to the combined tasting note of the group, this was a ‘very drinkable, velvery, complex delight, which showed remarkable changes in the glass. It had integrated white pepper and capsicum, squishy blackberries and a hint of graphite on the nose, and a palate of black fruit compote and cherries. It had a weighty mid-palate, a hint of soy sauce and a rounded spiciness.’

Chiffon Cake With Berries

2011-02-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Yum, is the only word for these light and airy chiffon cakes, which are good on their own and sublime when combined with fresh fruit and whipped cream

Recipes → Chiffon Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

5 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup water

Filling/Toping :

3 cups mixed berries or other fruit

Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 160C. grease the bottom and sides of 15 ramekins with butter and set aside

To Prepare The Chiffon Cake :

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl; set aside

In a cake mixer, beat the egg yolks, 1/2 cup of the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and continue beating for 2 minutes. Set aside

In a separate large bowl, combine the egg whites, lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds until frothy bubbles begin to appear. Increase the speed to high and continue beating until soft, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes. Set aside

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about 1 cup of egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until just combined; try not to deflate the whites. Working in batches, gently incorporate the remaining egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins. Arrange the ramekins on the middle oven rack and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the moulds and remove the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before slicing them in half through the middle.

To Finish :

Cover the bottom half of the cake with some cold, whipped cream and top with some berries cover with the top half of the cake. Cover the cake top with cream and garnish with the strawberries and blueberries. Chill if not serving immediately

Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

2011-02-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hie all , today I would like to introduce a chinese traditional herbal chicken soup. A health-restoring broth for everyone, including new mothers. Feel free to adjust the herbs to your taste or your family’s tradition. Ginger is often added to the brew when serving to a new mother.

Recipes → Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup

Chinese dried herb mixture

50g yuk chok (solomon’s seal)

40g wai san (Chinese yam)

40g tong sam (codonopsis root)

40g fuk san

20g Chinese pitted red dates (hong cho)

2-3 slices old ginger

5g boxthorn berries (kei chi, also known as goji berries)

2 litres water

1 free-range chicken, cut into chunks

Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare :

Clean the herb under cold running water before using. Brush the tong sam root to remove any grit. In a stockpot, bring water to boil and add the chicken. Boil for 5 minutes. Add all the herbs, except kei chi. Lower heat and simmer gently, partially covered with lid, for 2 hours. Add the kei chi and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, as a nourishing tonic, or as part of a Chinese meal.

Friday Night Supper Menu

2011-02-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Start the weekend as you mean to go on, by relaxing over a delicious meal. Supper for six is ready in an hour, as it cleverly combine supermarket shortcuts and simple home cooking.

Recipes 1 → Creamy goat’s cheese with chives & pomegranate (6 Servings)

Simply plonk this in the middle of the table and let your friends get to work on it. I prefer tearing off chunks of bread to scoop straight from the plate, but if you’re a bit more polite, slice the bread and serve with a handful of knives for spreading.

Ingredients :

150g soft, rindless goat’s cheese

250g tub ricotta

50g pomegranate seeds

1/2 small bunch chives, snipped

1 tablespoon clear honey

1 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar loaf of crusty bread, to serve

To Prepare :

Mash the goat’s cheese and ricotta together in a bowl, then use a spatula to roughly spread over a large plate. Scatter with the pomegranate seeds and chives and set aside until ready to serve.

Stir together the honey and vinegar, then as you’re about to serve, drizzle over the plate. Enjoy with crusty bread.

Recipes 2 → Roast chicken with salsa & garlic mash (6 Servings)

There’s nothing nicer than crispy roast chicken with mash, but the addition of a fresh, flavourful salsa lifts this dish to new levels.

Ingredients :

6 chicken legs or 12 things or a mixture of both

8 unpeeled garlic cloves

5 tablespoons olive oil

Few bay leaves, plus extra for decorating, if you like

200g large, stoned green olives

2 small bunches flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped zest of 2 oranges, juice of 11/2 oranges juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tubs ready-made mash, about 450g per pack

To Prepare :

Heat oven to 180C. mix the chicken and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil in a shallow roasting tin, then poke around a few bay leaves. Sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt over the chicken pieces and

roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, fish out the garlic, increase the oven temperature to 220C and roast the chicken for 15-20 minutes more until golden, crispy and cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, pulse the olives in a food processor to roughly chop, then scrape into a serving bowl. Add the flat-leaf parsley, chillies, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, remaining olive oil and some seasoning. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and mash with a fork. About 10 minutes before you want to serve, heat the mash in a pan or microwave – 3 packs will take about 8-10 minutes or high. When hot, empty into a serving dish, stir in the mashed garlic and serve with the roast chicken olive salsa and some salad leaves.

Tips :

You’ll need about 150g salad leaves for 6 people. Dress your favourite mixed bags with a squeeze of juice from the leftover lemon half you should have from the salsa.

Recipes 3 → Little iced lemon mousses

You can make these ahead of time, just store in the fridge and transfer to the freezer roughly 1-1½ hours before you plan to eat.

Ingredients :

300g good quality lemon curd

Zest of 1 lemon

300ml whipping or double cream

25g lemon shortbread or crunchy lemon flavoured biscuits, plus extra to serve, if you like

To Prepare :

Put two-thirds of the lemon curd into a large bowl with the zest and cream, then beat with an electric whisk until it just holds its shape. Dribble over the rest of the lemon curd and divide between 6 small glass pots or glasses, marbling the curd through as you go. Sit the pots on a small tray, cover the whole lot with cling film and freeze until ready to serve.

Put the biscuits in a strong plastic bag and bash with the end of a rolling pin to crumbs. When you’re ready for pudding, remove the pots from the freezer (they should be ice cold but still soft and creamy), top with crumbs and serve.

Enjoy this dishes with your friends this coming weekends

Chocolate Chilli Cookies

2011-02-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

There tender chocolate cookies hide a little spicey surprise in the middle. It’s best to assemble the cookies just before serving, otherwise refrigerate the sandwiched cookies to maintain the soft crunch

Recipes → Chocolate Chilli Cookies

Chocolate Cookie :

200g cold butter, cut into cubes

100g icing sugar, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

25g cocoa powder, sifted

40g rice flour, sifted

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted

Chilli Cream :

60g icing sugar, sifted

100g butter, softened

3 teaspoons chilli flakes

To Prepare Cookies :

Preheat oven to 175C. grease baking trays. With an electric beater fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cold butter, icing sugar and salt until salt dissolves. Beat in vanilla essence and the sifted dry ingredients until mixture binds together. Place in a bowl. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Divide dough into balls the size of a lime and flatten. Arrange on baking trays and bake for 25 minutes until firm. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container until needed.

To Prepare filling :

Using a whisk, combine icing sugar with butter. Add chilli flakes, mix well. Set aside.

To Assemble :

Pipe cream onto the centre of a cookie and sandwich with another cookies, pressing down lightly to allow the cream to spread. Chill before serving.

Almond Bread (Biscouti)

2011-02-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

More than 10 years ago, my dearest friend from Perth, came back to Malaysia for a reunion. She bought back these healthy and delicious cookies for me ... One word to describe this cookies ….’Delicious’

Recipes → Almond Bread (Biscouti)

Ingredients :

3 eggs white

100g castor sugar

120g plain flour

120g whole unblanched almonds

To Prepare :

Whisk egg white until light and fluffy. Slowly add in sugar and continue to whisk until stiff (pic 2).

Fold flour and almonds lightly into the mixture (pic 3)

Prepare a 20cm x 10cm/8”x4” loaf tin, line it with baking paper and pour in the mixture (pic 4,5). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 30-35 minutes till cooked and lightly brown. Remove and leave to cool (pic 6). Cover the loaf and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 days (pic 7).

Use a very sharp knife and cut it into thin slices (pic 8). Arrange onto a baking tray lined with greased proof paper (pic 9) and bake in an oven at 130C for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, till very dry and crisp.

Leave to cool before storing.

Nice & Easy Banana Cake

2011-02-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

Cakes are essential fare for special occasions. Besides birthdays, we usually have cakes to celebrate joyous occasions such as anniversary, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Today I would like to introduce one of the cakes that I like mostly, even though is a very simple cake, but I like it very much, Banana Cake.

Recipes → Nice & Easy Banana Cake

Ingredients :

180g butter/margarine

180g castor sugar, 2 eggs

4 ripe bananas, coarsely mashed to get 1 cup

1/8 tablespoon banana essence, optional

3 tablespoons milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice

A (Sifted)

240g plain flour, 1 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

Decoration :

2 ripe bananas, sliced, 1/2 lime

To Prepare :

Cream butter and castor sugar till light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix in mashed bananas (pic 2), banana essence, sour milk and A till well-combined (pic 3,4)

Pour into a greased and lined 25cm x 15cm/10” x 6” loaf tin (pic 5,6) or paper cup (pic 7)

Squeeze lime juice over banana slices (pic 8), arrange banana slices on top of the cake as decoration (pic 9)

Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20-25 minutes till cooked and golden brown

Remove cake from the oven and leave to cool before serving

Nyonya Food – Kuih Angku

2011-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce about this Malaysian most likely nyonya food - Kuih Angku. Kuih Angku is a small orange red nyonya delicacy which is made from glutinous rice flour wrapped with green bean fillings. This nyonya kuih Angku is wisely used in Chinese prayers.

Recipes --- > Nyonya Food – Kuih Angku

Skin :

50g rice flour, mixed with 210ml water and 3½ tablespoons oil, stirred and boiled, cooled

300g glutinous rice flour

A little orange red colouring

Enough water to mix into dough

Filling :

150g green peas without skin, washed, soaked for 4 hours, steamed and mashed

2 tablespoons oil

3 shallots, flattened

100g sugar

¼ tablespoon salt

To Prepare :

Filling : Heat up oil, stir-fry sliced shallots till golden brown. Discard shallot. Add mashed green peas, sugar, salt and stir-fry until it can leave the side of pan. Remove and leave to cool. Form into the small balls as filling

Skin : Mix and knead all ingredients until it forms into a pliable dough. Divided into 16-20 parts.

Wrap up 1 part of filling with 1 part of skin, press into angku mould and knock out. Line with a piece of greased banana leaf and steam with high heat for 3 minutes.

Remove and brush with oil.

Raw Food Revolution Part 2

2011-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hie all , welcome back to continue our discussion about Raw Food Revolution. Yesterday, I already talk about Raw food philosophy and Raw food redefined. Today I would like to talk about The raw kitchen and Baby steps.

The Raw Kitchen

If you are keen to start incorporating elements of the diet into your lifestyle, you’ll be glad to know that going raw has never been easier. According to Loo, most raw food can be found in the fresh produce aisles in supermartkets, and you can easily purchase fresh fruit from the food courts or order salads from cafes and restaurants.

Back home, all you really need to prepare raw food dishes is a set of knives. Phyo recommends going for ceramic knives as they oxidize vegetables slower than metal ones, and they don’t require sharpening. Both Loo and Phyo also suggest investing in a quality high-speed blender to make sauces, soups and smoothies. You can also consider purchasing a dehydrator, which stimulates drying in the sun. it is ideal for making crackers, bread and dried fruit, and for experimenting, creating and imparting new textures to your dishes.

As fresh and unprocessed food tend to go bad faster, be prepared to buy smaller quantities and to go grocery shopping more often. However, there are also less perishable items such as dried herbs and spices, nuts and oils that you can keep stocked in your pantry. Phyo shares that she keeps on hand at least five types of nuts, a variety of sea vegetables including nori, and condiments such as olive oil, apple cider vinegar and unpasteurised miso.

Baby Steps

According to nutritionist Pooja Vig, those who commit to a raw food diet end up eating a lot more healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, while cutting out unhealthy processed foods. However, she stresses that studies have been inconclusive about the diet’s long-term health benefits.

While heat inevitably reduces the vitamins in some food, other micronutrients, such as lycopene in tomatoes, are more widely found in cooked rather than raw food. It’s a limited idealogy to say that cooking is toxic. Some methods such as deep-frying may be harmful, but light cooking methods are not, and they kill harmful microbes, too. Some such as those with poor digestive power, may also find a raw food diet unsuitable.

The jury may be out on the virtues of a 100% raw food diet, but the good news is that you don’t have to eat only raw food to experience its benefits. Any major impact to the body usually does it more harm than good. Safely integrating raw foods into your diet will reduce the chances of unpleasant detox symptoms.

Instead of going cold turkey, begin by adding more smoothies, shakes, salads and soups into your diet. If you normally have eggs and bacons for breakfast, first blend and drink up a glass of your favourite fruit smoothie or protein shake, and then enjoy your eggs and bacon. What typically happens is that you’ll only be able to eat half the amount you usually do.

For most of us, the point is not to aim for a total transition to raw foodism but to gradually up our intake of fresh, unprocessed food. After all, cutting back on frivolous calories and nourishing out bodies with the right, nutritious good is the sure and indisputable route to better health.

Raw Food Revolution Part 1

2011-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you, like many of us, were caught up in the festive swirl of food-filled parties and soirees, chances are you would be battling the post-festive hangover of sluggishness, bloatedness and possibly, weight gain. But while most would think to simply reduce calorific treats in a bid to shed the pounds, some have chosen to take it a step further by eating only fresh, uncooked food.

Popularized in the West, raw foodism (practitioners are known as raw foodists) is an increasingly common diet that has taken health-concious individuals the world over by storm. And it seems that weight loss is just one of the many perks that the raw food lifestyle brings.

Raw Food Philosophy

A raw food diet consists of eating unprocessed foods that are not heated above 47 degree Celsius, so as not to destroy the vitamin and enzymes present. Raw foodists believe that these enzymes assist in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, thereby allowing our bodies to maximize the energy derived from the food.

A raw food lifestyle is about getting the most nutrition out of every food we eat. America based celebrity raw food chef and cookbook author Ani Phyo elaborates; ‘Raw food is nutrient-dense so you are not eating empty calories. Each bite is packed with vitamin, minerals and all the things out bodies need to function as well-oiled machines’.

The diet is said to be the ultimate healing diet and its proponents even suggest that it can reverse and cure chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. In Loo’s case, going on the raw food diet healed her eczema (a condition where skin is susceptible to turning dry and inflamed) and turned her hair black from the roots, despite the fact that she’s had white hair since primary school. Many raw foodists also report health benefits including weight loss, mental clarity, more radiant skin and higher energy and fitness levels.

Raw Food Redefined

There are several subcategories of raw foodists ranging from fruitarians (people who consume mostly fruit) to those who eat raw meat. However, the majority follow a raw vegan diet that emphasises uncooked and unprocessed fruit, vegetable, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains and beans.

While it hardly sounds exciting or appetising, don’t be misled into thinking that all they eat is rabbit food. You may just be surprised by the similarity in flavours and textures to cooked food that raw dishes boast. As Phyo rightly observes, many of us actually already enjoy dishes such as guacamole and gazpacho without realizing that they are raw.

Over the past 8 years, raw food chefs have also developed a plethora of recipes to turn fresh produce into imaginative, delicious creations that can rival cooked dishes – think zucchini pastas. Veggie burgers and chocolate cakes made using only nuts, dates and cocoa powder.

hyo, who created over 250 raw recipes including noodles, wraps and ice cream for her cookbook Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, shares: ‘Raw fruit and vegetables are beautiful and vibrant, and the addition of fresh herbs and spices really brings out their flavours.

To be continue in Part 2 ….