My Singapore Kitchen........

Kothu Chapati

2013-05-20T13:00:00.000+08:00

This is a very quick and filling dish which can be whipped up in a jiffy. It is much healthy than their counterparts kothu porotta..Add you need is some chapati and veggies. You can omit the egg and chicken to make it a vegetarian version.
Ingredients: (Serves 1 hungry person or 2 as a light refreshment)
Chapati- 3 torn into pieces or rolled and cut into strips with a scissors.
Egg- 1
chicken- 1/2 cup(Cooked and shredded )
Crab stick - 2 (chopped and steamed)
Tomato - 1
Onion- 1
Capsicum- 2 tbsp (chopped)
Carrots- 2 tbsp (chopped)
Garlic- 2
Ginger- 1 very small piece
Green chilly- 1
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves- few springs
Oil- 1 tbsp
Lemon wedges- to garnish

Method:

Pound the ginger garlic and green chilly.

Heat oil and add the chopped onions followed by the ginger garlic green chilly and saute for a minute.

Add in the carrots and capsicum. Saute for another one minute.

Add the chilly, pepper, fennel and garam masala powder and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomato and 1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves.

Push this mixture to the side if the wok and crack open the egg.

Sprinkle some salt over it and scramble the egg.

Mix this with the veggies, chicken, crab sticks and the chapati pieces.

Sprinkle a dash of water and stir for a minute until it well mixed up.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Tips:
Steam the chapati for 2 minutes if its from the previous day. This ensures that the chapathi is soft and moist and not dried out.
You can add in chicken or any vegetable gravy towards the final step to make the chapati moist, if you are not steaming it.

Singapore Style Seafood Bee Hoon / Rice Vermicelli (Noodles)

2013-05-19T23:48:00.000+08:00

I had tasted Bee Hoon(Rice vermicelli) in our office get togethers but never was a fan of it, until lately I tried this Seafood bee hoon in a hawker centre. The very next day I tried to recreate it and to be true it was mush better than the one we ate at the hawker centre. I have used brown rice vermicelli here since its more healthier than the normal ones.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

Brown Rice Vermicelli- 100 grams
Fresh prawns- 10 or more
Crab sticks - 6 (Optional)
Egg- 1
Mustard greens- 1 hand full
Bean sprouts- 1 1/2 cup washed and drained
Fragrant Sesame oil- 1 tbsp
Thai Fish sauce- 1 tbsp
Light Soya sauce- 2 tbsp
Oyester sauce- 2 tsp
Garlic grated- 3
Canola oil- 1 tbsp
Pepper powder- 3/4 tsp (or to taste)

Method:

Soak the vermicelli in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain in a colander and keep aside for 10 minutes. Then its ready to be used. Usually I follow the instruction given on the packet.
Clean the prawns and remove the shell.
Wash the shell and add one cup water to it. Boil until the juice and the flavour of the prawns get into the water. Drain the water and keep it ready for later use. If you do this step, there is no need to add any MSG or taste maker in this recipe.
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large wok and scramble the egg with a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and sesame oil.
Fry the garlic until fragrant and add in the cleaned prawns and chopped crab sticks if using it.
Add salt and pepper to taste and stir fry for a minute.
Add in the stem of the mustard greens and the sauces followed by the rice vermicelli.
Pour in the water that was infused with the prawn shells.
Cover and let cook for 5 minutes until all the water gets soaked up.
Open the lid and add in the mustrad greens and the bean sprouts.
Give a good toss and add in the scarmbled eggs.
Serve immediately with some spicy chilly or garlic sauce.

Tips:

I have not included salt in the recipe as the sauces itself have salt in it. So do check for salt before adding it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2013-05-14T10:00:00.000+08:00

This is a very quick recipe which goes well with fried rice or plain jasmine rice. Once all the ingredients are there you can make this dish in less than 10 minutes.
Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

Chicken breast- 2 (or 300 grams) cut into bite size cubes or strips
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Garlic- 2 grated
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Corn Flour- 2tbps
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the items except the corn flour and oil and keep aside for 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a skillet or non stick pan.
Sprinkle the corn flour on top and shallow fry the chicken pieces and keep aside.

Ingredients for the gravy:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion- 1 large cubed
Capsicum- 1 cubed( you can used ½ or red and ½ green to make it colourful)
Pineapple cubed- 1/2 cup
Garlic- 1 grated
Ginger – 1/2 tsp
Corn Flour- 1 tbsp heaped
Salt- to taste(optional)
Spring onion- 2stem (chopped for garnishing)

Sauces (Mix together and keep it ready):

Chilly sauce- 3 tbsp
Ketchup- 4tbps
Chinese Rice Vinegar- 2tsp (you can use normal vinegar too)
Plum sauce- 1 tbsp(optional)
Chilly powder- ½ tsp( optional)
Oyster sauce- 1 tsp
Sugar- 1/4 tsp

Method:

Use the remaining oil that is left in the pan after frying the chicken.
Add in the grated garlic and ginger and fry till fragrant.
Add in the chopped onions and capsicum and saute for two minutes.
Add in the sauce mix and stir well. Check for salt.
Mix ½ cup water with the corn flour and make a smooth paste and pour into the pan and thicken the gravy.
Stir well and add in the fried chicken pieces, pineapple and cook covered for two minutes.
Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped spring onions.
Serve immediately.

Garam Masala

2013-05-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

I have been on a long break without any notice. Quite busy these days with office and home, that I find it a bit difficult to manage my blog. I have many excuses, but I don't wish to waste your time, so lets come to todays recipe.
Each and every house hold have thier own version of garam masala and this is how I prepare them. These freshly made garam masala is really easy to prepare and can be stored for upto one year (see the tips below).
Ingredients: (makes 1.5 cup)

Cinnamon - 30 grams
Green cardamom- 30 grams
Cloves- 30 grams
Star Anise - 1
Nutmeg - 1/2

Method:

Heat a kadai.
Dry roast the cardamom in low flame for 5 minutes and transfer to a plate.
Do the same with cinnamon until its well heated up. Transfer to the plate. Upon cooling it will become crsipy and easy to blend.
Dry roast the cloves, star anise and nutmeg until aromatic for 3-4 minutes.
Let all the whole spices cool down for 10 minutes.
Tranfer the spices to a blender and blend until its finely powdered.
The masaa powder will be warm. Let it cool down completely before transfering to a clean bottle.

Tips:

I usually keep few tablespoons in a small bottle for daily use.
The remaining I keep them in plastic bags and store in the freezer.
This ensures that the flavour remains intact until the whole batch gets finished.
This garam masala stays well for one whole year in the freezer.
If you do not wish to dry roast the whole spices, you can keep the spices in the hot sun for 3-4 hours and grind it.
Dry roasting the whole spices really brings out the flavor, so do not skip this procedure.
You can add in other spices like maize, cumin, black pepper, fennel seeds etc. The choice is yours.

Madras Mutton Biryani

2013-02-27T13:00:00.000+08:00

Madras mutton biryani is a spicy version of the normal biriyani, with slight changes in the method of preparation. I have tasted it when my colleague brought it to office. When I was flipping through Vanitha, a famous magazine in Kerala, I found Mrs. K.M.Mathew's recipe for it. Soon gave it a try but reduced the quantity of ghee and yogurt a bit.
Ingredients: (Serves 5)

Basmati Rice- 500 grams (2.5 cups)
Mutton - 750 grams
Onion- 4 finely chopped
Ginger- 1 tbps
Garlic-1 tbps grated
Green chilly- 4 ( More or less to taste)
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves chopped- 1 cup
Mint leaves- 1/2 cup
Tomato - 300 grams/ 6 small finely chopped
Ghee- 2 tbsp
Oil- 1/3 cup
Salt to taste

Biryani Masala:

Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/8 tsp
Nutmeg powder- 1/8 tsp

Whole spices for the rice:

Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves- 6
Cardamon-6

Method:
Do get back on Friday for the method with detailed explanation.

Shrimp in tomato sauce

2013-02-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

A quick gravy for lunch or dinner. Goes well with chapathy or when served over pasta.

Ingredients for the gravy:

Onion- 1 medium (finely chopped)
Shrimp / Prwans- 1 cup cleaned
Garlic- 2 cloves grated
Ginger- 1/2 tsp grated
Tomato- 1 large finely chopped
Passata/ Tomato puree- 1 cup
Chilly powder/ flakes- 1/4 tsp
Crushed pepper corns- 1/4 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves- 1/4 cup finely chopped
Garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 -1 cup

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai.
Saute the ginger garlic grated followed by the chopped onion.

When its soft and golden brown add in the chopped tomato and cook till mushy.

Add in the chili flakes, pepper powded and give a good stir.

Add in the passata and water to your requirement.

Add in salt if required and add in the shrimp, cover the lid and cook in low flame for 15 minutes.

Finally add in a pinch of sugar and sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve along with chapathy, pita bread, pasta or with couscous.

Almond Nougat

2013-02-25T12:15:00.000+08:00

This has to be the toughest recipe I have ever tried so far. Burnt my hand and fingers too, but the end result is just perfect. My DH is a great fan of Nougat and I tried it for the first time just for him.

The rice paper I used was coloured so you can see tints of yellow and green on this nougat.

Will be posting the recipe soon.

Restaurant Style Chinese fried Rice with Step wise photos

2013-02-21T09:12:00.000+08:00

After the eggless garlic rolls, Chicken fried Rice is the second most popular post in my blog. I always wanted to make the Restaurant style fried rice and after few experiments I came up with the exact proportions and taste. I am really happy that how easy it is to make this and now this has been in our menu at least twice a week. Now there is no wastage of cooked basmati rice.

The secret to make a perfect fried rice is that the rice must be cooked and kept in the fridge overnight.
I usually cook rice the day before I go to bed and keep in the fridge. This is a very important step which you must not skip. But if you do not have rice which is not kept in the fridge then, another method is to cook the rice and spread them on a tray and keep in the freezer for at least half an hour.

The basmati rice I used here was over cooked and so the grains were broken. If cooking basmati in a pressure cooker which saves time and energy, remember to keep double the amount of water and a dash of salt. Wash and soak the rice for at least 15 minutes. When the water boils add in the drained rice and cook for one whistle. Switch off the flame and let it remain in the cooker for 5 minutes. Release the pressure and fluff the rice with a fork and spread of a tray or plate. After its cooled place in the fridge overnight or at least 5 hours.

Ingredients:(Serves 3-4)
Basmati Rice- 1- 1/4 cup
Water- 2 -1/2 cup
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Method:
Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes and drain the water off.
Boil water with the salt in a pressure pan and add the soaked rice.
Cook for one whistle and let the pressure remain for 5 minutes.
Spread on a plate and cool completely before storing in the fridge overnight.

Other Ingredients:
Chicken marinated with salt and pepper- 1/2 cup
Egg- 1
Carrot- 1 large finely chopped
Beans- 10 finely chopped
Broccoli stem- 1, finely chopped (optional)
Onion- 1 large finely chopped
Salt and pepper- to taste
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Oyster sauce- 1/2 tbsp
Fragrant Sesame oil- 1 tbsp
Veg oil- 4 tbsp
Spring Onion- 1/2 cup finely chopped
Method:Always keep the fire at high when stirfrying.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large wok and add in the marinated chicken pieces and stir fry for a minute or two until the chicken is cooked. Remove to a plate.
Add in 1 tbsp oil and crack open the egg. Add a dash of salt and pepper to it and scramble the egg. Remove to the plate.
Heat 1 tbsp oil and add in all the veggies followed by a dash of salt and sugar and stir fry for minute not more than that. Add salt and pepper to taste.Remove to the plate.
Heat 1 tbsp oil and add in the cooled rice followed by the sesame oil and the sauces and mix until its evenly coated and heated up well.
Add in the veggies, chicken and egg and stirfry for few seconds.
Finally add in chopped spring onion and give a good stir.Serve immediately with your favourite side dish.

I will soon be posting the recipe for a quick sweet and sour chicken to go along with this fried rice.

Sausage Rolls- Weekly bakes

2013-02-18T10:00:00.000+08:00

Baked these during the weekend, because my son is a great fan of these. Just follow the recipe from here. Garnished with spring onion and salt on top along with egg wash before baking them.

Hyderabadi Fish Biryani

2013-02-14T10:45:00.000+08:00

Hyderabadi biryani is the most famous biryani in India. I thought of venturing into it of late. The results were totally satisfying and will be making it quite often as we have fish biryani almost every week. The process I use here is a bit elaborate so that there is no confusion. Do try it and you will be making it quite often as it just needs some initial preparation and the final layering process is a breeze.

I will be posting in more fotos of the step wise method next week.I could not take good photos, when I made them initially, as I made it on a working day and was rushing to office after preparing it. All these steps would become clear after I post the step wise photos. So kindly adjust for the time being. I gurantee that the results would be outstanding. So do give it a try.

Ingredients: (Serves 4-5)
For the fish marinade:

King fish- 600 grams (cut into 10-12 pieces)
Chilly powder- 1 tsp heaped
Turmeric pwd- 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder- 3/4 tsp
Garam masala pwd- 1/2 tsp
Black pepper pwd- 1/2 tsp
Yogurt- 4 tbsp
Oil- 1tsp
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic- 6 cloves
Ghee chilly- 3
Mint leaves- 1 hand full
Coriander leaves- 1 spring
Salt- 1 tsp

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Fry the ginger, garlic , green chilly and the mint and coriander leaves for two minutes. Blend to a paste without adding water and marinate the fish with the rest of the ingredients mentioned above. Let marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Garnishing:

Oil and Ghee- 2 tbsp each
Onion- 3 medium sliced
Cashew nuts- 10
Almond flakes- 2 tbsp(optional)
Raisins- 2 tbsp

Heat oil and ghee and fry thinly sliced onions until golden brown.
Drain into paper towels.
Do the same with raisins, followed by almonds and finally the cashew nuts.
Keep aside for later use..

For the rice:

Basmati rice- 2 cups (360 grams)
Cloves- 2
Cardamom- 2
Bay leaves- 3
Cinnamon stick- 1 inch piece
Green Chilly- 1 slit into two
Salt- to taste

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes.
Boil 8 cups of water and add in the whole spices and salt to taste.
Cook until half way through.
Drain the water off and keep it ready to layer the rice.

For the final assembly

Oil and ghee- 1 tsp each.
Coriander leaves- 1 spring chopped
Ghee- 1tbsp
Mint leaves- 10 torn
Lemon juice- 3 tbsp
Saffron tread soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk.
Rose water- 2 tsp mixed with 1/4 cup water.

In a large non stick pan pour a teaspoon of oil and ghee and put a very thin layer of rice followed by the marinated fish.
Sprinkle the fried onions and reserve 2 tbsp for final garnish.
Add in some of the fried cashew nuts, almond flakes and raisins.
Sprinkle the chopped coriander and mint leaves.
Pour the lemon juice over and add in the half cooked rice.
On top of the rice add in the fried onions followed by the remaining chopped coriander and mint .
Add in the soaked saffron and pour the rose water mixed with the water.
Poke few holes into the rice with the back of a wooden spoon and pour ghee into these holes and onto the sides of the pan. (The holes are meant for the steam to rise easily and cook the rice)
Cover with a tight lid or place a heavy mortar over the lid to prevent the steam from escaping.
Cook on very low flame for 30-35 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.
Mix gently and serve immediately with raita and pappad.

Rye Bread with herbs

2013-02-13T11:45:00.000+08:00

This rye bread recipe has been in my draft since ages. This recipe was given by my colleague's husband who is really good in cooking. We once had this at their place with salsa, It was finger licking good and I immediately got the recipe.

This is the exact recipe which he gave it to me and you can adjust according to the availability of the herbs.

Ingredients:

- 2 1/3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 2 1/4 tbsp raw sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp dried yeast
- 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
- dried herbs (thyme, dill, parsley, oregano)
- flax seeds
- black pepper

Procedure:

Mix the water, flour, sugar, salt, thyme, dill, oregano, flax seeds,
black pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add in the yeast and mix well.  I
use the bread maker for the mixing and kneading.  The dough must be
fairly firm, but should flow slowly when the kneading is paused.  You
may need to add a few spoons of flour or water to achieve the right
texture.  Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place (~30-35 deg C)
- again, I leave it in the bread maker for this.  Take the dough out and
cover the surface with a couple of spoons of olive oil.  Manually
lightly kneed for a few minutes (don't let all the CO2 escape), shape it
into you preferred loaf, and let it rise for another 1-2 hours in the
open (you can let it rise on an oiled baking sheet to avoid having to
disturb it later).  Sprinkle the top with the some parsley, dill and
thyme.  Preheat the oven to 230 deg C and bake for 20 minutes.  Let it
cool before cutting.

Sending it to yeast spotting..

Orange Squash/ Sarbath

2013-02-11T15:46:00.003+08:00

It has been showering oranges in our office, due to Chinese new year. I thought of making it into squash and it came out really well. This concentrate would stay in fridge for 2 months if kept in clean bottles. To make an orange fizz just mix in the squash with soda water.
Ingredients: (makes 1 liter of concentrate)

Orange zest- from two oranges
Lemon zest- from two lemons
Orange - 5
Lemon - 2
Sugar- 3 cups
Water- 1 cup

Method:

Add sugar, lemon and orange zest and water to a ceramic bowl.
Let it boil until it reaches one string consistency.
Add the lemon and orange juice and let it reach a soft boil.
Switch off the flame and sieve into clean 1 litre bottle.
Cool completely and store in fridge for upto 3 months.
To make a drink, mix in 1/4 cup syrup to 1 cup water. Add ice cubes and serve.

Full Roasted Chicken

2013-02-08T13:15:00.000+08:00

Made this Roasted chicken for Christmas. It turned out to be really good and will be baking it during special occasions. My son was very happy and enjoyed almost half of it by himself.
Sorry for the poor lighting as it was taken at night.

Easy Blender Carrot Cupcakes

2013-02-07T11:00:00.000+08:00

After the never ending emails and good reviews from my readers and co bloggers who accepted the easy blender banana cake and this cupcake, I was on the look out for very simple recipe with 100% satisfaction. I came up with this simple recipe which is almost similar except for the fact that it uses carrots. Made some slight changes so that its more healthy. You can omit the wheat germ if its not vaialable and can use oats instead. If you want more spongy texture, do omit the oats and use plain flour instead.

Ingredients:(makes 12 medium)

Plain flour- 1 cup
Wheat germ- 1/4 cup
Baking pwd-1 -1/4 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Egg-2
Sugar- 1/2 cup(brown or white)
vanilla exctract- 1 tsp
Vegetable oil- 1/4 cup (I use canola or sunflower)
Carrots- 2 large ( around 200- 230 grams)
Curd/ Yoghurt- 2 tbsp

Method:

In a blender blend the chopped carrots for 5 seconds.
Add sugar and egg and blend until mixed for 30 seconds.
Add in curd, oil and vanilla and blend for 10 seconds
Sieve flour, salt, baking powder and soda twice into a large bowl. Mix in the wheat bran or oats if using.
Fold the wet mixture using a spatula or a balloon whisk.
Pour into a muffin pan smeared with vegetable oil or into a 9 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake in preheated oven for 25- 30 min at 180 degree c for the cupcakes or to 40 min for the loaf pan.
Tranfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Chicken and Carrot Pulao/ Pulav

2013-02-06T14:20:00.000+08:00

This is a very quick version of the pulav without adding any masala powder, instead its done with whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
I usually pack this for lunch as its really easy to make and goes well with raita, pickle and pappad.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)

Basmati rice- 1 cup
Carrots- 1 large
Chicken breast diced- 1 cup
Onion- 1 large sliced
Garlic- 1 tsp grated
Cinnamon- 1 inch stick
Cardamom- 2
Cloves- 2
Green chilly- 1 slit into two
Veg oil- 1 tbsp
Ghee/ Clarified butter- 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves- 1 spring.

Method:

Heat oil in a non stick pan.
Add whole spices and then add in the garlic and sliced onions.
Fry till soft and add in the washed, soaked and drained basmati rice along with carrots, chicken, chilly and ghee.
Mix until the rice gets coated with ghee and turns glossy (for 2-3 minutes)
Add in 2 cups of boiling water, chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.
Cook covered for 10 -12 minutes, in low flame until the rice fluffs up.
Mix gently with a wooden fork so that the rice does not breaks up.
Serve immediately.

Will be adding in step wise photos later. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Mini Zucchini Quiche

2013-02-05T18:00:00.000+08:00

This recipe had been in my draft for a long time. As soon as I saw the recipe in Elisabeth's space, I had no second thought and immediately gave it a try. Since I had the Tefal Pie Maker, baking these beauties was a breeze and just took less than 6 minutes. Not to worry if you dont have the pie maker you can either bake in a pie dish or make mini quiche in the muffin pan.

Ingredients: (makes 6 mini quiche)

Zucchini chopped - 1 cup
Onion chopped- 1/4 cup
Bisquick- 1/2 cup (recipe follows for home made bisquick)
Veg oil- 1tbsp
Mozarella cheese- 1 tbsp
Parmesan chees- 1 tbsp
Manjoram - 1 pinch dried
Parsley- 1/4 tsp
Chilly flakes- 1/2 tsp
Salt- few pinches

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions followed by the chopped zucchini and add salt and chilly flakes.
Cool down completely before mixing with the egg mixture.
Beat Bisquick and egg with a fork.
Mix the cooled zucchini mixture.
Pour into preheeated pie plates and bake for 4 minutes on one side.
Flip to cook the other side for firther 3 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Home made Bisquick:

Plain flour- 1 cup

Baking powder- 1.5 tsp

Sugar- 1 pinch

Butter or shortenning- 50 grams

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Cut in the butter with the rest of the ingredients till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store the remaining in freezer.

Chettinad Chicken Curry

2013-02-04T13:00:00.000+08:00

Chettinad cuisine is very famous for its spicy and aromatic recipes. Here is a flavourful chicken recipe which you can make with simple ingredients. Had this curry in our office function and immediately gave it a try. Came out really well and loved the flavour which the roasted coconut imparts.
Goes well with chapathy, appom, rice and vegetable biryani.

Ingredients: (Serves 4-5)

Chicken- 1 small (800 grams cut into 10-12 pieces)

Marinate it with salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

Dry roasted coconut*- 3/4 cup

Dry Chilly- 4

Pepper corns- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Fennel powder- 1 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp

Poppy seeds- 1 tsp

Star anise- 1/2

Chilly powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Shallots- 1 cup (pounded)

Tomato -2 medium chopped

Ginger grated- 1 inch piece

Garlic grated- 5 cloves

Curry leaves- 2 spring

Veg oil- 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Lemon juice- 3tbsp

*I use dry roasted coconut which i make and store in the fridge. To get 3/4 cup dry roasted coconut you will need 1.5 cups fresh coconut and saute in pan in low flame with 3 shallots thinly sliced and 1 spring curry leaves. Cook until its golden brown and emits a nice aroma. It takes 10 minutes of constant stirring to prevent it from burning.

Method:
Heat a tawa and fry the dry chilly, pepper corn, star anise and poppy seeds without any oil.
Now add in the roasted coconut and fry for a minute or two in low flame.
When the coconut gets heated up add in the rest of the masala and switch off the flame.
When it cools down grind in a blender without adding water to a fine powder and you will see that the oil separates.
In a clay pot heat the oil and add in the ginger garlic, pounded shallots and curry leaves.
When the shallots gets wilted add in the grounded coconut and saute for a minute.
Add in the chopped tomato and cook for further 3 minutes.
Add in 1.5 cups hot water and add the lemon juice and salt.
When it begins to boil add in the chicken pieces and cover with a lid.
Cook in low flame for 20-25 minutes. Stir inbetween and add more water if required.
The gravy would be quite thick.
Serve immediately.

A simple birthday cake idea.

2013-02-01T11:00:00.000+08:00

Made this simple birthday cake for a colleague of mine.
Its a simple chocolate sponge cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, topped with Chocolate ganache and Kiwi fruit slices.

Oats and Sesame Crunch Cookies (eggless)

2013-01-31T10:00:00.000+08:00

A very simple and yummy eggless cookies which you can treat your family with. Its really crunchy and yummy that no one can get satisfied with one. The addition of sesame gives it a distinct flavor. Do try it and you will be making it quite often as it is really easy to make. The original recipe is from here, but I made slight changes to it.

Ingredients:(makes 20)

Plain flour- 100 grams

Rolled oats- 50 grams

Nestum cereal- 50 grams

Salted butter- 100 grams (at room temperature)

Fine sugar- 50 grams

White sesame- 3 tbsp

Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

Milk- few tablespoons

Method:

Melt the butter and add in the sugar so that it melts. Let it cool down before you mix with the dry ingredients.

Sift the flour with the baking powder.

Mix in all of the dry ingredients with the sugar butter mixture and add in milk so that it will hold the shape when rolled.

Divide the dough into 20 small balls and lay them on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Press with the back of a glass so that it flattens.

Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree C for 15-18 minutes until its golden.

Remove onto a wire rack and cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

White Cupcakes

2013-01-16T16:45:00.000+08:00

A very simple recipe which yields beautifully soft and fluffy cupcakes which can be easily decorated if desired.

Ingredients:(Makes 12 medium cupcakes)

Plain flour- 130 grams( 1 cup)
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/8 tsp
Eggs- 2
Sugar- 3/4 cup (150 grams)
Oil- 1/4 cup ( 60 ml)
Orange Juice- 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp

Method:

Sift the plain flour and baking powder and keep it aside.
Mix in oil and orange juice.
Whisk together eggs, salt and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gently fold in the flour with the help of a spatula.
Pour into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners and spoon the batter until 2/3rd full.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 15- 18 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely before decorating it.

Black Pepper Crab

2012-12-31T17:45:00.001+08:00

Chilly and Black pepper crabs are a must try when you visit Singapore. I tasted it once when a colleague of mine brought to office. Got the recipe from her and immediately tried both pepper prawns and crab. Both are equally good and simple to make if you have all the ingredients. Can be assembled in less than 30 minutes.

We had this with some Thai Fragrant Rice for dinner last week, as my son is great fan of this dish.

Ingredients: (serves 5)

Flower Crab- 4 large ( 800 grams after cleaning)
Onion- 1 small chopped finely
Ginger- 2 inch piece
Garlic- 6 cloves
Pepper corns- 3 tbsp
Pepper sauce- 2 tbsp (optional)
Soy sauce- 2 tbsp
Spring Onion- 3 tbsp
Butter - 10 grams
Birds eye chilly- 2 (Extra hot)
Oil- 3 tbsp

Method:

Clean and cut the crab. Wash and keep it ready.
In a large skillet or wok add in the butter and fry the crab until the colour turns to orange and keep aside.
In a blender add in the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, pepper sauce and pepper corns and blend to a fine paste.
Heat oil in the skillet and add in the finely chopped onion.
Add the grounded paste and fry for two minutes until the raw smell goes off. You can add in the birds eye chilly at this point to make it extra spicy.
Add in water to loosen the gravy and add in the fried crab pieces.
Simmer until the gravy is thick and well coats the crab pieces.
Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped spring onion.

Oatmeal and Flax Cranberry Eggless Cookies

2012-12-29T09:29:00.000+08:00

Come share the holiday seson with easy to make Oatmeal cookies. I just came up with this easy to make cookies which is rich in antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. I have baked 6 batches of these cookies in one month time. So now you know how well it had been received by the people who had it. I have thried two versions of it. One is less sweet and the other is moderately sweet. I loved both the versions and my DH loved the less sweet version as he packs this to his office as snack daily.

Ingredients: Makes 12

Oats- 1 cup

Flax- 2 tbsp

Almonds- 15

Butter- 70 grams

Sugar- ¼ cup

Salt- 1 pinch

Cranberries- ¼ cup

Method:

Powder the sugar and mix with butter at room temperature in a bowl.

Blend the almonds with the oats to coarse powder.

Add in the flax seeds and pulse twice.

Mix the blended oats with the butter mixture along with the cranberries.

Make small balls and press them lightly with the palm.

Arrange on tray lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C for 20 min.

Less sugar version makes 12

Butter 100 grams

Oats- 1 ¼ cup

Cranberries- ¼ cup

Sugar- 1/8 cup

Almonds- 20

Salt- 1 pinch

Flax- 2 tbsp

Method:

Same procedure..

Chocolate Panna cotta

2012-12-28T13:16:00.000+08:00

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering cream, milk, sugar and mixing with gelatin. It is usually served with berries or fruit coulis. Enjoy this holiday season with this simple yet stunning dessert.

Ingredients:(Serves 5)

Double cream- 1 cup / 200ml

Fresh Milk- 250 ml

Sugar- 50 grams or more to taste

Cocoa powder- 3 tbsp

Gelatin - 2.5 tbsp

Method:

Soak the gelatin in 1/4 cup water and boil until it melts.

In another pan mix in the rest of the ingredints and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in the gelatin and pour into prepared ramkins.

Set in the fridge for 2 hours and serve along with some fruit coulis.

Tips:
Here I have made a simple strawberry coulis.
Simmer 6-8 fresh or frozen straberries with few tablespoons of sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice until the frut becomes soft. Takes about 5 minutes to pepare this.

Quick Apple Pie

2012-12-26T22:13:00.000+08:00

My son wanted to have Mc Donalds style Apple pie and I came up with this quick version. It was yumm and he helped me out with filling and sealing.
Ingredients:(makes 1 cup filling / Serves 6)
Granny Smith Apples- 2
Golden caster sugar- 5 tbsp or more to taste
Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Butter- 20 grams
Plain flour- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Puff pastry- 6 slices
Salt- 1 pinch

Method:
Cut core and slice the apples.
Cook the apples with 2 tablespoons of water and lemon juice.
After it becomes soft add in sugar, salt and cinnamon powder.
In a ceramic bowl add in 10 grams of butter and once it melts add in the plain flour and fry till fragrant.
Add in the cooked apple and give a good stir.
Add in the remaining butter and switch off the flame.
Once the filling cools down compltely, roll out the puff pastry and place two tablespoons of the filling.
Wet the ends and seal the ends with the help of a fork.
Place the filled pies on a baking sheet and brush with milk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree until browned.
Take out and brush with golden syrup diluted to get a glossy finish.
Put back in the oven a bake for further 5 minutes.

Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla icecream.

Dilkhush/ Dilkush / Tutti Frutti Buns

2012-12-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

My DH is a great fan of this buns. I initially baked this almost 9 years back after we got married and I knew that my DH loved this sweet filled buns. My first trial was an utter failure but he said that the filling was good but the texture is a bit hard. May be he said that, so that I don't get disappointed. I used to bake them once in a blue moon upon his request.Now that is a story 9 years back. Currently if someone wakes me up and ask me to bake a bun or bread I can do it with my eyes closed. You might be thinking how come I have not posted the recipe for this bun which my DH loves so much. The actual reason is that I made them quite a few times but did not have the opportunity to take the photos.

This a perfect recipe for a dilkush bun I must say. Soft and fluffy and just perfectly sweet. Brings back old memories when we used to have it in Kerala after our school. My DH has already said that this is the ultimate. What more else do I need ??? Here is the recipe and now its your turn to impress your loved ones.

Ingredients:(makes 15 mini buns)

Bread flour- 2 cups
Yeast- 1 tsp
Sugar- 4 tbsp
Salt- 3/4 tsp
Milk powder- 1 tbsp
Egg- 1/2 (reserve the rest for the egg wash)
Water- 1/2- 3/4 cup
Butter- 30 grams
Oil- 1 tsp

Filling:

Tutti frutti- 3/4 cup(red and green colour)
Almond bits- 1/4 cup (can replace with cashew nuts)
Dessicated coconut- 1/4 cup
Sugar- 6 tbsp
Golden Raisins- 1 hand full.
Cardamom powder- 1/8 tsp (optional)

Method:

Make a dough with the above ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic.
Allow to rise until double.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 15 equal parts and flatten a bit and place the filling and seal it tightly.
Arrange on a baking tray and allow to double in size.
Apply a coating of milk or egg and milk and bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degreeC.

Off it goes to Yeast Spotting.