No-Frills Recipes

Fish Maw ~ Fa Kau soup

2012-01-30T14:30:00.001+08:00

K nown in Cantonese as 'Fa Kau', I made this fish maw soup for our recent Chinese New Year reunion dinner. Fish maw refers to the fish stomach that has been extracted, cleaned and sundried and is only sold in dried form and needs to be reconstituted before cooking. After cooking, the texture resembles somewhat like the sea cucumber as it's slippery and gelatinous with a mild fishy and rather bland taste.

Fish maw is harvested from various fish species from the seas around Thailand, Myanmar, India, New Zealand and United States of America and is believed to be nutritious and good for the lungs, curing persistent coughs and asthma.

I added in fish paste mixed with minced pork and threw in some vegetables to infuse the fish maw with some flavour......... a very refreshing soup indeed.

Recipe for Fish Maw ~ Fa Kau soup

Ingredients

50 gm dried fish maw
300 gm pork ribs
100 gm mince pork
150 gm fish paste
250 gm Chinese cabbage - cut
10 peppercorns - crushed
6 cups water
Sea salt to taste

Seasoning

1/2 tsp of salt, sugar and sesame oil

Preparation

Soak the fish maw till soft and blanch with hot boiling water. Drain, squeeze out the water and cut into pieces.
Mix the mince pork and fish paste with the above seasoning. Set aside.
Wash the pork ribs and blanch in hot boiling water. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Bring the 6 cups of water to the boil, add in the peppercorns and the pork ribs. Continue to simmer under medium heat for about an hour or so.
Add in the Chinese cabbage and fish maw to the soup and continue to simmer for about 30 mins.
Roughly shape the minced pork fish paste mixture into balls and add into the simmering soup. Once they float up, they're cooked.
Fine tune to taste and ladle into serving bowls.
Serve hot with rice.

I'm sending this entry to Weekend Herb Blogging # 319 hosted by

Chris of Mele Cotte

Chinese New Year ~ 2012

2012-01-23T01:16:00.000+08:00

Wishing All my Readers and Friends
A Happy, Prosperous, Healthy, Wealthy and Joyous

Chinese New Year

~Gong Xi Gong Xi~

Savoury Chicken Crispies ~ CNY 2012

2012-01-16T11:13:00.000+08:00

Sweet goodies are usually served to visitors during Chinese New Year and very rarely do we see anything that is savoury. So for this year, I made something different ~ Savoury Chicken Crispies. They taste delicious and family members do agree with me that this is something different from the norm and gave the thumbs up!

These savoury cookies have a slight tinge of chicken flavour and I'm sure they'll stand out amongst their sweetie counterparts during this festive season.

Recipe for Savoury Chicken Crispies

Ingredients

1 cup/125 gm plain flour - sifted
60 gm butter
100 gm chicken flavoured potato chips - crushed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp chicken granules
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
Sesame seeds
1 egg yolk + 1/8 tsp water to glaze

Method

Place the sifted flour, crushed chips, chicken granules and salt in the food processor bowl. Add butter. Pulse for 15 seconds or until fine and crumbly.
Add in the egg yolk, process for 5 seconds or until mixture forms a soft dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for a while.
Wrap up the dough with cling film and let chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick in between 2 plastic sheets.
Cut with a cookie cutter. Arrange cookies on a parchment lined baking tray.
Apply egg glaze and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for about 10 mins.
Makes 30 cookies.

I'm submitting this post to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday. Do check it out 'Here'

Green Pea Cookies ~ CNY 2012

2012-01-13T00:27:00.000+08:00

These Green Pea cookies do not need much introduction as they have surfaced amongst the Chinese New Year cookies in recent years. This recipe is adapted from Elinluv's Tidbits Corner and these melt-in-the-mouth cookies are really very yummy and you won't really stop at one.

These cookies are very easy to make and making them is not labour intensive..... worth trying!

Recipe for Green Pea Cookies (Makes 70)

Ingredients

260 gm green pea powder
160 gm icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
340 gm self-raising flour
200 ml vegetable oil (you may need to add a bit more)
1 egg yolk + 1/2 tsp water for glazing
Sunflower seeds for decoration (optional)

Method

Sift flour with the salt and sift in the icing sugar. Add in the pea powder and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Add oil sparingly and slowly mix till the dough does not stick to the hands.
Let dough rest for about 15 mins., covered.
Roll dough into small balls and arrange them on a parchment lined baking tray. Apply egg glaze. Stick on a sunflower seed.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 15 mins.

     5. Allow cookies to cool on tray for about 10
          mins. before removing them onto a wire
          rack to cool completely.
   6. Store cookies in an air-tight cookie jar.
Note :
Alternatively you can roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick, in between 2 plastic sheets and cut out with a cookie cutter. Apply egg glaze.

Orange bundt cake

2012-01-09T12:52:00.000+08:00

O range Bundt cake is another cake that I made recently for the New Year. This cake is indeed delicious with the addition of orange zest and chocolate powder and I must admit that it was a good combination of flavours. Thought you may like to try baking this for the coming Chinese New Year which falls on Monday, 23rd January this year.

Would you like to see the mould?

This is a moist cake and it's really yummy with a pot of nicely brewed coffee or tea!

Recipe for Orange Bundt Cake

Ingredients

8 oz butter
5 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
7 oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup/250 ml plain yoghurt
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Filling

1 oz brown sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa/chocolate powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder

Method

Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and chocolate powder thoroughly, set aside.
Sift flour with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, set aside.
Cream butter, sugar and orange zest till light, creamy and thick.
Add in eggs one at a time, mix well.
Fold in the sifted flour alternatively with the yoghurt, starting with flour and ending with flour. Mix till incorporated scrapping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
Put 1/3 batter into a well greased 8 cup Bundt pan, (brush the pan with melted butter or with cooking spray), sprinkle in the chocolate mixture, cover up with another 1/3 batter. Repeat this process.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 40 to 45 mins. or to 1 hour depending on your oven. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Cool in pan for about 10 mins. before unmoulding cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Apricot and almond cookies ~ CNY 2012

2012-01-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

I made a small batch of this Apricot and Almond cookies to sample for the coming Chinese New Year and they were good. I rarely use dried fruits in my cookies but this combination of dried apricots and almonds is worth a try and therefore would like to share the recipe with you.

These sweet and crunchy cookies were finished in no time and definitely will be on my list of cookies for the coming festive season.

Recipe for Apricot and Almond cookies (Makes 20)

Ingredients

3 oz butter
2 oz caster sugar
50 ml condensed milk
25 ml egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 oz self-raising flour
100 gm dried apricot, finely chopped
1/4 cup whole almonds, finely chopped

Method

Sift flour and set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, condensed milk and vanilla till light and creamy. Fold in sifted flour.
Add in the chopped apricots and almonds. Mix well and roll dough into a log.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 mins or till firm.
Using a serrated knife, cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place onto a paper lined baking tray.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 12 mins, or until light golden brown. (Need to monitor the temperature as the apricots tend to brown easily).
Let cookies stand on tray for about 8 mins. before removing them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store cookies in an air-tight cookie jar.

Red velvet cupcakes ~ Happy 2012

2012-01-01T00:36:00.000+08:00

Red velvet cupcakes were what I made to usher in 2012. These crimson red cute little cupcakes were soft and moist and everyone liked the vibrant colour, just right for the New Year. As my family members were not fond of cream or cheesy icing of any sort, I resorted to using good old icing sugar to spice up and give a contrasting colour to these cupcakes.

Recipe for Red velvet cupcakes (Makes 12)

Ingredients

125 gm plain flour, sifted twice
1 Tbsp cocoa/chocolate powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp red colouring
1/4 cup or 57 gm butter
90 gm sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Icing sugar for decoration (optional)

Method

1. Mix the buttermilk with the red colouring thoroughly, set aside.
2. Sift the flour twice, then sift in the chocolate powder, baking powder
and salt, mix well. Set aside.

3. Cream the butter, sugar till light and creamy. Add in the egg and
      vanilla.
4. Add in the buttermilk mixture alternatively with the sifted flour,
      starting with flour and ending with flour.
5. Combine vinegar with the bicarbonate of soda, once mixture fizzles
      quickly add into the batter. Mix thoroughly.
6. Scoop the batter into the paper lined patty tins, smooth the surface.
7. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 18 to 20 mins. Test
      with a skewer till it comes out clean.
8. Leave cupcakes in tin for about 5 mins. before removing and cooling completely
      on a wire rack.

Note : To make Buttermilk, just add 1/2 Tbsp lemon/lime juice OR 1/2 Tbsp vinegar to the milk, mix well and leave to set for 5 to 10 mins.

Wishing All my readers and friends a great

New Year

filled with lots of health, wealth, harmony and Joy!

Tong yuen in red bean soup

2011-12-22T01:15:00.001+08:00

F or this year's Winter Solstice festival aka 'Dong Zhi', which is today, I've churned out a slightly different version of 'Tong Yuen'. Yes, the tong yuen ~ glutinous rice balls are the same but the sweet soup base is different. Instead of clear syrup, I made a red bean sweet soup to go with the rice balls. To those of you who are celebrating this festival, have a wonderful and joyous Winter Solstice!

These chewy glutinous rice balls do pair very well with the red bean sweet soup and I'm beginning to favour this over the traditional plain coloured ones in clear, sweet syrup.

Recipe for Tong yuen in red bean soup

Ingredients

250 gm red beans
4 cups water
100 gm palm sugar or granulated sugar
Pandan leaves
A pinch of salt
300 gm glutinous flour + enough water to mix and make the dough pliable

Preparation

Wash and soak red beans for 3 hours, rinsed
Boil 4 cups of water and once boiling, add in the red beans and pandan leaves. Lower heat and keep covered.
After about 20 mins. add in the palm sugar and keep stirring. Return the red bean soup to the boil, but lower the heat. Add in salt.
Once the beans turn soft, fine tune to desired sweetness and peferred consistency. (This sweet soup is not watery but a bit thick).
Turn off heat.
Mix the glutinous rice with enough water to form a pliable dough and prepare the tong yuen. Click 'here' for the method.
Ladle the red bean sweet soup onto serving bowls and add in the tong yuen.
Serve immediately.

I'm linking this with Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out 'here'

Wishing each and everyone of you

A very Merry X'mas and a Happy New Year

Mango Trifle

2011-12-19T17:50:00.000+08:00

Mango Trifle ~ a light and refreshing dessert to round up a sumptuous X'mas dinner. Basically, there's no recipe for this, no hard and fast rule, you just load on what you have at hand, layer by layer, sponge cake or any leftover cake, custard, jam, fruits, whipped cream, whatever you can think of. Drench it with more alcohol if you want to be intoxicated during this festive season!

I made this in small dessert cups so there's no excuse to refuse such a colourful and delightful dessert! You won't say 'No' to this, would you??

Recipe for Mango Trifle

Ingredients

Sponge cake, cut to small pieces or trim to the shape of the base of the cup
Mango, diced into cubes
Jam of your choice
1 Tbsp Cointreau or more if desired
150 ml plain yoghurt + 2 tsp honey, mix well
40 gm custard powder + 1 cup water + 4 tsp sugar, cook and keep stirring under low flame till thick

To assemble trifle (Made 6 ~ 2.1/4 x 2 inch round dessert cups)

Place sponge cake into the cup, spread a layer of jam on top of the cake. Arrange a layer of mango cubes on top of the jam. Drizzle in Cointreau. Spread a layer of custard on top of the jam, add in yoghurt mixture.
Top up with mango cubes. Chill overnight, covered. Serve chilled.

Almond crusted rhubarb cake

2011-12-14T23:30:00.002+08:00

I've heard of rhubarb many a time and I was thrilled when I spotted them in the supermarket during my recent vacation. Rhubarb is a vegetable, a perennial plant growing from short, thick rhizome with large triangular leaves. Mind you, the leaves are toxic and they are discarded from the stems before they are cooked. Without much hesitation I grabbed a bunch, googled for recipes, tweaked a bit, plus and minus the ingredients and came up with this 'Almond crusted rhubarb cake'.

This cake is fluffy, moist and the sweet smelling orange rind does blend very well with the tangy rhubarb. Every bite is yummy!

Recipe for Almond crusted rhubarb cake

Ingredients

100 gm butter
170gm brown or caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
300 gm plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup yoghurt
2 cups of rhubarb, finley chopped
2 tsp orange or lemon rind
A pinch of salt

Topping
1/2 cup chopped almonds with skin
2 Tbsp brown or caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Method

Mix the ingredients for the topping and set aside.
Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, mix well, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar till light, creamy, add in the eggs one at a time.
Fold in the sifted flour alternating with the yoghurt, starting with flour and ending with flour.
Add in the orange rind, vanilla, chopped rhubarb, mix well, scraping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
Pour batter into a lightly greased and floured 22 cm springform pan.
Sprinkle the topping on top of the batter.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C (160 deg C for fan forced oven) for 1 hr. 10 mins. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Remove from oven, cool in pan for about 15 mins. before unmoulding and cooling it completely on a wire rack.

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging # 314 hosted by

Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything

Yoghurt Fruitcake

2011-12-12T17:30:00.000+08:00

T is the festive season again and the all-time favourite for X'mas is undoubtedly the ubiquitous fruit cake. This Yoghurt Fruitcake caught my eye when I was browsing through a Food and Travel magazine. As I've never baked a fruit cake with yoghurt before, I was very eager to try.

Adding yoghurt certainly makes this fruity, buttery cake more moist and it blended very well with the Cointreau.

Recipe for Yoghurt Fruitcake

Ingredients

150 gm butter
2.1/2 oz vanilla sugar
6 oz plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
3 oz golden raisins, roughly chopped
3 oz cranberries, roughly chopped
1 orange/lemon rind
6 Tbsp plain yoghurt
3 Tbsp Cointreau
1.1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Method

In a bowl mix the raisins, cranberries and peel, pour in the Cointreau. Leave to soak overnight, refrigerated.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar till light, fluffy, creamy, add in the eggs one at a time, mix well.
Add in the vanilla essence.
Fold in the sifted flour alternatively with the yoghurt, mix well.
Mix in the dried fruits, scraping from the bottom and side of the mixing bowl.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased and floured 9 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan. Level the surface and make a slight depression in the centre.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 160 deg C for 20 to 25 mins. till golden brown. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Once the cake cools, turn over, prick holes with a toothpick or skewer and brush on more Cointreau.
Wrap up the cake with foil and keep for a few days, to let the cake mature.
Slice up and serve.

Salted egg steamed chicken

2011-12-06T11:03:00.000+08:00

Of late, I notice that various salted egg dishes have surfaced on the menu of restaurants and eateries. Most popular of all is the salted egg with crabs with both the wet and dry versions. I've also recently tasted salted egg with pumpkin and salted egg with beancurd and lately some bloggers have posted fried rice with salted egg. I have recently coined this dish ....... 'Salted egg steamed Chicken' and would like to share it with you.

This combination sounds a bit off-the-beaten track but then, it isn't bad after all. Did pair well with white rice. If your taste buds are game for trying out new food, then try this!

Recipe for Salted egg steamed chicken

Ingredients

2 free-range chicken leg, cut into half and make some slits on the meat
1/2 tsp sea-salt
1/4 tsp light soya sauce
a dash of pepper
1 small knob ginger, chopped
1 pip garlic, chopped
some spring onions, chopped
1 salted egg
2 tsp Shaoxing wine

Preparation

Marinate the chicken leg with a dash of pepper, sea-salt, chopped garlic, ginger and spring onions, for about 2 hours
Break up the salted egg and mix in with the meat.
Steam under rapidly boiling water till chicken is cooked tender and cooked through, about 30 mins.
Test for taste, drizzle in some wine, turn off heat.
Garnish with some spring onions.
Serve hot with rice

I'm submitting this post to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out 'Here'.

Teriyaki chicken noodle

2011-11-29T09:34:00.000+08:00

Teriyaki chicken noodle is another all-in-one comfort meal which I served for dinner recently. I'm always game for an easy and quick meal. Simple, yet wholesome.........

These noodles were indeed tasty and fragrant with the add-on lightly toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe for Teriyaki chicken noodles

Ingredients

20 gm chicken breast, cut into strips
3 servings of fresh wonton noodles
1 carrot, cut into strips
2 Tbsp lightly toasted sesame seeds
Spring onions for garnishing
1 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to thicken

Seasoning for the chicken

1/2 Tbsp Teriyaki honey and soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar and light soya sauce
a dash of pepper

Preparation

Marinate the chicken strips with the above seasoning for an hour.
Heat some oil in a wok, stir-fry the chicken meat for a few mins. till just cooked, add in the carrot strips, stir-fry. Add in 1/2 cup water, dark soya sauce, sugar, salt to taste and cornflour thickening. Keep aside.
Cook the noodles in boiling water, keep stirring, for about 3 to 4 mins. Drain, rinse under running water tap water, return noodles to the pot and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Strain.
Transfer the noodles to the pan of chicken meat, mix well on low flame. Add in the sesame seeds, tossing up to coat, turn off heat.
Dish out onto serving bowls, garnish with chopped spring onions.
Serve immediately

Brunch at Fu Tien Vegetarian

2011-11-22T07:30:00.008+08:00

Recently, we had brunch at a vegetarian shop in Medan Ipoh Bistari ~ Fu Tien vegetarian. I find that the menu is slightly different from the norm as they have sushi, bento and other a-la-carte dishes that sound interesting. I ordered some sushi as I've never tasted vegetarian ones before.

The picture above is Fu Tien Salad consisting of shredded carrot, red cabbage, cucumber, potato and abalone topped with some flakes made from beans, sesame seeds + a mayo dressing. Priced @ 6.00 rgt
I noticed that this is a popular item amongst the customers.

This is Mika sushi with apple, mango, carrot, Chinese turnip rolled in seaweed powder ~ 7.00 rgt

Fu Tien special fish made of seaweed, served on a bed of shredded cabbage and carrot, laced with sweet sour sauce ~ 9.00 rgt.

This is their signature dish .....Lotus root with marmite sauce, served on a bed of red cabbage and carrot. ~ 8.70. This is quite unique and it's delicious.

Ginza sushi .... made with fried tuna, seaweed salad, cucumber rolled with crispy flakes ~ 7.00 rgt

The interior of the shop, clean, not very spacious and we were told that they do not entertain reservations.

The total bill, plus 2 green tea drinks came to 41.70 rgt. for the two of us. This place will be full come the 1st and 15th day of each month where people of the Buddhist and Taoist faith observe a vegetarian diet.

Fu Tien Vegetarian

34 Jalan Medan 18

Medan Ipoh Bistari

31400 IPOH

Tel: 05-5499098

Taro~Yam bundt cake

2011-11-17T07:30:00.000+08:00

T aro~Yam is a versatile vegetable which has various derivative products after process. It can be roasted, fried, grilled, boiled and here I'm presenting a bundt cake made with steamed and smashed yam. Yes, I love yam served in any form and this tuber root is grown in semi-tropical and tropical climates all over the world. Taro is high in dietary fibre, rich in vitamins E and B6, also an excellent source of potassium, some calcium, magnesium, manganese and copper. This tuber is inedible raw and must be cooked through to leach out the calcium oxalate which is toxic. In addition, because of its low caloric content, this makes it an ideal food for those who are conscious of their waistline!

As no colouring was added to the batter, I did not expect to see a purplish coloured cake. Hence, only tiny specks of yam can be spotted on the cake but the texture was moist, a bit dense but overall it tasted 'yammy' with a slight tinge of lemon!

Recipe for Taro~Yam bundt cake

Ingredients

250 gm butter
180 gm caster sugar
a pinch of salt
4 eggs
180 gm (nett wt) yam, steamed and smashed while still hot
80 ml sweetened soymilk
290 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp milk powder

Topping (optional)

125 gm icing sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method

Mash the steamed yam with soymilk and a pinch of salt while the yam is still hot. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour with baking powder, mix in the milk powder, set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar till light, creamy and thick, add in the eggs one at a time. (Not to worry if the mixture curdles). Mix well.
Mix in the yam mixture thoroughly.
Fold in the sifted flour mixture and mix till well incorporated, scraping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
Pour mixture into a lightly greased and floured Bundt tin.
Bake in a preheated oven, lower shelf @ 180 deg C for 50 - 60 mins. till golden brown. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 mins. before unmoulding and cooling completely on a wire rack.
Coat the cake with lemon topping once the cake is cooled.

I'm submitting this entry to Weekend Herb Blogging # 310 hosted by

Christina from La Cucina di Cristina

P.S. I'm going for a short vacation but will try to sneak in a post or two whenever time permits. See you later!

Braised pork belly

2011-11-14T11:02:00.000+08:00

This is a very simple porky dish. I just braised it with some spice, garlic, soya sauces and it turned out quite tasty. Should have added in some hard boiled eggs but forgotten all about it after I left it to simmer and attended to other chores. Nonetheless, it was well received when it was served for dinner.

This dish will go down very well with a bowl of hot steaming white rice or even a simple mantou.

Recipe for Braised pork belly

Ingredients

600 gm pork belly, skin removed
10 pips garlic
2 big shallots
1 small knob young ginger
2 star anise
2 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 Tbsp dark soya sauce
20 gm rock sugar or to taste
2.1/2 cups water
1.1/2 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken
Salt to taste

Preparation

Slice up the garlic, shallots and ginger. Saute with some oil and add in the star anise. Fry till fragrant.
Add in the water, sauces, salt and rock sugar, let it boil.
Add in the pork belly, lower the heat, cover and let it simmer, turning over the meat, now and again. Remove any oil that may surface.
Once the meat is soft and tender, test for taste and take out. Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch mixture.
Cut up the meat, arrange on serving plate and spoon the sauce over.
Serve immediately.

I'm submitting this post to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out 'Here'.

Apple curry chicken

2011-11-10T00:35:00.000+08:00

I overheard two ladies chatting at my usual market place and one of them said she recently made curry chicken with red apple and it was just delicious, The other lady looked at her in awe and so did I. I only heard that the apple which was used in lieu of the usual potatoes must be crunchy. Curiosity prompted me to experiment with this and here's my version of Curry chicken with Apple and sugarless Soymilk.

This curry chicken was light, not too spicy and the apples were still crunchy when taken the next day. If you've never tried adding fruits to a curry, give this a shot and see the result.

Recipe for Apple curry chicken
Ingredients

1 free range chicken about 700 gm, cut into bite size
4 pips garlic
15 shallots
a small knob of ginger
2 to 3 stalks of lemon grass/serai, smashed
15 gm Baba's meat curry powder
1 cup water
1 cup sugarless soymilk
2 red crunchy apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
Some curry leaves
Seasalt to taste

Preparation

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the curry powder and some sea salt. Set aside for 2 hours.
2. Pound the garlic, shallots and ginger and saute with some oil and curry leaves till fragrant.
3. Mix in the marinated meat, fry for a while and add in 1 cup water.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer till chicken is cooked through.
5. Pour in 1 cup of soymilk and diced apples,
simmer for a minute or two, add seasalt to taste.
Turn off heat.

6. Dish out and serve with white rice or bread.

Note : Once the soymilk is added, do not bring to a boil for the heat will cause the soymilk to curdle, just simmer.

I'm submitting this to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out 'here'

Purple sweet potato chiffon cake

2011-11-07T16:18:00.001+08:00

P urple sweet potato chiffon cake has been on my 'wanted' list for a long, long time. I adapted the recipe from 'Do what I like' but tweaked it a bit to suit my 23 cm chiffon cake pan. I was delighted to be rewarded with a pinkish purplish cake with bits of potato cubes that didn't sink to the bottom!
The highly nutritious purple sweet potato is the latest food item to be presented to the general public as a potential superfood. The colour is the important part as it is this purple colour which is responsible for the amount of anthocyanim in the potato. Anthocyanim which produces red, blue or purple colours in different types of food can also be found in blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage. However, the purple sweet potato has a higher concentration of the chemical than any other species of potatoes. This is effective for lowering hypertension and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer.

I truly love the texture and taste of this soft, light chiffon cake and the colour is just adorable. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

Recipe for Purple sweet potato chiffon cake

Ingredients

A) 150 gm (nett wt.) sweet potatoes, steamed and smashed
4.1/2 Tbsp milk
B) 4.1/2 egg yolks
   30 gm caster sugar
   75 ml canola/corn oil
     4.1/2 Tbsp water
   pinch of salt
C) 120 gm superfine flour
D) 6 egg whites
75 gm caster sugar
      3/4 tsp cream of tartar
E) 100 gm sweet potatoes steamed and diced into small cubes

Method

Mix (B) with a balloon whisk till well blended. Add in (A), the sweet potato mixture, mix well.
Sieve in (C), mix till smooth and lump-free with no traces of flour visible. If batter is a bit dry, add in 1 Tbsp to 1.1/2 Tbsp milk. (Purple sweet potatoes tend to be a bit dry).
Beat the egg whites (D) with cream of tartar till foamy, add in the sugar and beat till stiff but not dry.
Add half the egg white mixture into the egg mixture, mix well with the balloon whisk. Add the remaining egg white mixture and mix till well combined with no traces of egg whites visible.
Stir in half of (E), mix well.
Pour the mixture into an ungreased 23 cm chiffon cake pan, sprinkle the remaining sweet potato cubes on top. Give the pan a bang to release any air bubbles.
Place the pan on a lower shelf and bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg for 15 mins. Lower the temperature to 175 deg. C for another 25 mins. and bake till golden brown. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Invert the cake immediately onto a wire rack and once cooled, loosen the cake with a thin knife to unmould. Let cake cool completely.

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging # 309 hosted by

Anh of A Food Lover's Journey

Orange Choc-chip cupcake

2011-11-03T16:14:00.003+08:00

This recipe is slightly different from my previous post of Orange cupcake. I added choc-chips to this cupcake and instead of using self-raising flour, I opted for plain flour. The reward was a soft and delicious cupcake filled with orange and choc-chips flavour.

This cup cake is certainly yummy, good for breakfast as well as for tea.

Recipe for Choc-chip orange cupcake

Ingredients

8 oz butter
6 oz sugar
280 gm plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
5.1/2 Tbsp orange juice
4 tsp orange rind
100 gm choc-chips
Pinch of salt

Method

Sift the plain flour with baking powder and salt, set aside.
Cream the butter, sugar and orange rind till light, fluffy and creamy.
Add in eggs one at a time, mix well.
Fold in sifted flour alternatively with the orange juice.
Add in the choc-chips, mix thoroughly, scraping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
Line a patty tin with cupcake liners and spoon over the batter.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C and bake for about 20 to 25 mins, or till golden brown.
Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 mins. before removing from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Serve.

I'm submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes

hosted by Min of Min's Blog

King Prawn Spaghetti

2011-10-31T10:28:00.000+08:00

A n 'East meets West' straightforward one-dish meal ~ Spaghetti cooked 'al dente', laced with King crustacean cooked in Asian oyster sauce with baby asparagus on the side. This is a three-in-one dish of carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber cum vitamins from the greens ~ asparagus.
Asparagus, low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol comes from the edible stem of a plant. It is also related to onions, garlic and leeks. Although there is a wide variety of asparagus, surprisingly, only a handful of them are edible and provide health benefits. They can be harvested in three colours, mainly, white, purple and green. Nutrients ...... yes, they are a good source of vitamin K, folate and vitamin C.

This pasta dish is indeed a delicious and delectable treat .......... Yummy!

Recipe for King Prawn Spaghetti

Ingredients

350 gm king prawns (8 pieces)
100 gm spaghetti
3/4 cup water
a bunch of baby asparagus
8 pips of garlic, chopped
4 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp seasalt, sugar, dark soya sauce
sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour + 2 Tbsp water to thicken

Preparation

Devein the king prawns with shell and head intact, trim off the whiskers. Season with a sprinkling of seasalt and sugar.
Saute some chopped garlic with oil, stir-fry the asparagus. Dish out.
In the same pan add in some chopped garlic, fry till fragrant and pan-fry the seasoned prawns. Mix in 2 tsp oyster sauce. Once the shells turn red, dish out and set aside.
Add some oil to saute the balance chopped garlic, mix in the water, oyster sauce and other sauces, salt, sugar to taste, simmer. Add in cornflour mixture to thicken.
Boil some water with salt, and cook the spaghetti 'al dente'. Strain and put on a serving plate.
Drizzle on some sesame oil and light soya sauce, mix well into the spaghetti.
Arrange some asparagus onto the serving plate, top up with the prawns and ladle on the oyster sauce gravy.
Serve immediately.

I'm linking this to Weekend Herb Blogging # 308 hosted by

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything

Sour plum chicken

2011-10-27T12:05:00.000+08:00

This crispy sour plum chicken dish is another family favourite and in this instance I've used boneless chicken leg. Easy to prepare ~ just marinate the chicken with some seasoning, dip it in some cornflour to coat, deepfry, ladle on the sauce and is ready to be enjoyed.

This chicky dish is flavourful and is yummy served with a bowl of piping hot rice and some green salad.....very convenient to eat because there are no bones to pick!

Recipe for Sour plum chicken

Ingredients

400 gm boneless chicken thigh
Cornflour to coat before deepfrying
Oil

Seasoning

1/4 tsp seasalt, 1 tsp light soya sauce, dash of pepper.

Sauce

1 Tbsp sour plum sauce, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken, salt to taste.

Preparation

Cut the chicken into bite size and marinate with the seasoning for about 2 hours. Set aside.
Cook the sour plum sauce in water, add brown sugar and salt to taste.
Add in the cornflour mixture to thicken. Leave aside.
Heat up some oil in a wok, once boiling, lower flame to medium.
Dip the marinated chicken in some cornflour, deepfry the chicken till golden brown, drain on paper towels. Place on serving plate.
Heat up the sauce and pour it over the chicken. Arrange some cucumber slices on the plate.
Serve immediately with hot rice.

I'm linking this entry to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out "Here".

Kugelhopf

2011-10-24T12:13:00.001+08:00

K ugelhopf, a raisin filled part bread part cake has been on my to-do list for a long, long time. So, when I was presented with a Kugelhopf bundt pan, a gift from my niece who hails from Aloha land, I wasted no time in making this. Kugelhoph is best eaten on the day it's made. Any leftovers are best lighlty toasted ~ laced with a bit of butter and jam.

This piece of Kugelhoph, fresh from the oven, tasted so good, more so with a cup of hot fragrant tea!

Recipe for Kugelhoph

Ingredients

1.1/2 tsp dried yeast
2 Tbsp warm water
1 cup milk
3 oz butter
3 oz sugar
15 oz plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
8 oz raisin
2 tsp grated orange/lemon rind
2 oz slivered almonds

Method

In a bowl, stir together yeast and warm water, let stand for 5 - 10 mins., till foamy.
Combine milk, butter and sugar, heat over medium heat, stirring till butter has melted and sugar dissolved.
Using a dough hook combine flour and salt, stir in the yeast mixture, gradually add in milk mixture and beat at low speed.
Increase speed to medium and add eggs one at a time.
Stir in raisins and orange zest.
Spoon dough into lightly greased bundt pan. The dough is a bit sticky at this juncture.
Cover the pan with a damp cloth, let rise in a warm place for 1.1/2 hours or till double in size.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 190 deg C for 30 to 35 mins.
Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 mins. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.
Dust on icing sugar for decoration.

I'm linking this post to Yeastspotting. Do check it out 'Here'.

Walnut Sesame sweet soup ~ Hup Toh Chee Ma Wu

2011-10-20T10:27:00.000+08:00

Walnut Sesame sweet soup ~ Hup Toh Chee Ma Wu is a much enjoyed sweet soup or 'tong sui' amonst the Chinese. But of late, I don't seem to be able to get this particular dessert from the tong sui stalls. They do come in pre-mix form but the taste is not so authentic as when it's freshly made with black sesame seeds. I surfed the net and managed to find this recipe but had to do a lot of modifications to achieve what I had in mind and also to suit my taste buds.
Now for some info regarding sesame seeds.
The sesame plant thrives well in sandy soil and tropical climatic conditions. It can grow to a height of 5 ft and bears plenty of pink-white fox-glove type of flowers. Pods will appear containing white, brown or black seeds and a pod may contain up to 100 or more seeds. When the sesame seeds ripen, they burst off with a shattering explosion, hence we have 'Open Sesame'! Black and golden sesame seeds are the un-hulled seeds which may be black or golden brown, while white seeds are the hulled ones.
Black sesame seeds are a good source of vitamins, minerals and protein. Besides being a good source of dietary fibres, black sesame seeds also contain two different types of beneficial fibres called Sesamin and Sesamolin. Black sesame seeds are rich in phytosterols, a plant compound that may reduce blood levels of cholesterol, boost the immune system and a cut in cancer risk. On the beauty side, it is recommended that constant consumption of black sesame seeds will help to beautify the scalp, keep one's hair looking rich and dark and also benefit the skin.

This healthy and nutritious concoction is not smooth, but a bit thick, due to the addition of ground walnuts which will help enhance the functions of our brain cells as well!

Recipe for Walnut sesame sweet soup

Ingredients

150 gm walnuts
150 gm black sesame seeds
150 gm rock sugar or to taste
4 to 5 cups water or more to suit desired consistency
2 Screwpine/pandan leaves
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt or to tast

Preparation

Lightly pan-fry the black sesame seeds with the walnuts on low heat.
Put the mixture into a blender, add in 2 cups water and blend till fine, about 5 mins.
Strain into a pot, then return the residue to the blender, add in 1 cup water and blend till fine.
Pour this into the pot, add in 1 cup of water and cook on medium heat. Add in the pandan leaves, rock sugar and salt. Keep stirring to prevent mixture from sticking to the pot.
Fine tune to taste and ladle into serving bowls.
Serve hot.

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging # 306 hosted by

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook

White chocolate strawberry muffin

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000+08:00

I've never baked with white chocolate before and when I saw some leftover white chocolate in the fridge, thought it best to mix in with my muffins. I was curious as to how they would turn out, especially the colour.

These are easy to make and taste just yummy with tangy berries and bits of white chocolate.

Recipe for White chocolate strawberry muffin

Ingredients

300 gm self-raising flour
150 gm caster sugar
100 gm white chocolate, coarsely chopped
200 gm strawberries, chopped
1 egg
250 ml milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt

Method

Whisk lemon juice, milk, oil and egg in a bowl till well combined.
Sift flour with salt, mix in sugar and white chocolate. Stir to combine.
Add in the chopped strawberries.
Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Stop stirring once the ingredients are combined. Do not overmix. Batter should be wet and lumpy.
Scoop batter into patty tins lined with paper cups, level the surface.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 20 to 25 mins. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm
Makes 12

Note: If using 300 gm plain flour, add in 4 tsp baking powder, sift together.
These muffins are at their best on the day they're baked.

Braised flat noodles with scallops

2011-10-13T10:56:00.000+08:00

I spotted these mini scallops from a seafood wholesale outlet near my house and was surprised when the proprietress told me that these were local. The source ..... from Kelantan, a northern east coast state of peninsular Malaysia. They ended up in my dish of noodles and weren't too bad, tastewise, sweet and a bit chewy.

This is another easy does it, tasty one-dish meal, simple and quick to prepare.

Recipe for Braised flat noodles with scallops

Ingredients

2 servings of flat noodles
200 gm broccoli, cut into florets
150 gm prawns
150 gm pork fillet
100 gm local fresh scallops 4 pips garlic, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water
Sesame seeds lightly toasted for garnishing

Seasoning for prawns and pork fillet

1/2 tsp each of : salt, sugar, light and dark soya sauce and oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil for the pork fillet

Preparation

Saute the chopped garlic with some oil till fragrant, add in the pork fillet and stir-fry. Toss in the prawns and scallops.
Add in water, bring to a simmer, fine tune to taste and add in the thickening. Set aside.
Bring some water to the boil, add in some salt and blanch the broccoli. Dish out, drain and set aside.
Loosen up the noodles and cook these in the pot of boiling water, keep stirring for about 3 mins.
Strain and run them under tap water before returning them to the boiling water, cook for another 2 mins.
Bring the meat mixture to a simmer, toss in the noodles and mix well.
Dish out onto serving bowls, arrange the blanched broccoli and sprinkle on some lightly toasted sesame seeds.
Serve immediately.

I'm submitting this post to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday. Do check it out 'Here'.