The Cooking Doctor

My heart healthy mini cookbooks giveaway..rustic apricot galette with burnt honey butter..and 2nd birthday!

2013-05-17T12:58:00.000Z

That is a mouthful of title!

Do excuse me, as I think this time we need to celebrate. This time 2 years ago, I was still toying with the idea of starting my own food blog to chronicle the delicious food that we have at home, some experiments from travelogues and to jot down all the recipes from you guys that we have tried at home. I was on maternity leave, relocating 5000 miles away after spending much of life in the UK, and ironically instead of enjoying the free time I missed the bustle of on-calls, working with scalpels and emergency room.

So I chose to blog. Thankfully despite going back to full time job shortly after, the blog is still alive today and now I happily present to you, two years on..a series of heart-healthy cookbooks. Especially for YOU, my readers who grace this blog with their visits and give me the support and the friendships.

Celebrate with me, will you?

I am not going to elaborate much on the behind-the-scene of the books, I have already done so here and I don't want to bore you. But I am really happy, mostly because my passion for medicine, food and photography have been perfectly amalgamated in those books. I am thankful on each day that pass by for this opportunity and the wonders this blog brought on, thank you all. Obviously the books are not epic, but these are what we have at home..tried and tested recipes with a lot of cuisines thrown in, plenty of cakes, muffins, parfaits, soups, noodles, pasta, pizza, chocolate desserts..good food that will make you happy!

Healthy food does not have to be boring.

My hub's fav tagliatelle and pesto in 'Everyday Meals', Cousy's favourite spiced poached pear with generous drizzle of chocolate sauce in 'Sweets and Desserts', my mom's favourite falafel and rye crackers in 'Snacks', and my all time favourites clam chowder and herb croutons sweet potato soup in 'Soups and Stews' book, amongst many others that I am sure will be your favourites too. If you like tarts, then you will love the strawberry tart with fresh cream, which appears as the front cover of Heart Healthy Sweets and Dessert book . Trust me, they are healthy too!

Today let's celebrate the bloggiversary and the books release with a recipe that uses the similar dough from the book, but instead of tart I have made it into a galette. Using fresh apricots and drizzle of burnt honey-apricot butter, this galette can be prepared in less than an hour, from scratch! The sweet dough (pate sucre) can be made in advance and be kept well frozen for up to couple of months. You can also make it as tarts, but I like the rustic look of freeform galette.

The burnt honey butter is adapted from recent BBC Good Food magazine, my version includes apricot jam to complement the galette. Even if you don't make the galette, try out this flavoured 'butter' as it is delicious as spread for breads, muffins and even scones. The original BBC GF recipe was served with crumpets!

I hope you will join in the celebration, grab a copy of the book set, 1 or 2 or all 4 which is available now in Singapore and worldwide by early June. This success is not possible without all of your support, and I truly appreciate the comments you leave here, a virtual hug on facebook, the random email you sent and the recipes you share too, so I am giving away a set of all 4 books to one lucky reader, WORLDWIDE.

Giveaway entries are open until 15th June, to enter:

--> Follow The Cooking Doctor FB page , and,

--> Follow the The Cooking Doctor on RSS, Google Reader or email subscription.

I love you all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A special thank you goes to Audrey, my editor from Marshall Cavendish International for this wonderful opportunity. I am so happy to be on par with the famous Malaysian Chef Wan who also published this set of mini books, several years ago! Thanks Audrey! Also a big thank you to Le Creuset Singapore and WMF who showered me with the goodies used in the books!

To the man who grumpily drove to the 24 hour store for more stock of butter or flour at 2 am during my midnight baking spree, and bought that rare piece of wooden box despite the ridiculous price tag, I love you darling.

My mom and aunt..who instilled the love for baking and cooking respectively- life was so sweet growing up, and how I am grateful now for the lunchboxes instead of canteen bought food!

And the star of my life, the apple of my eye, my beautiful Cousy-without whom the blog would not have been borne..without whom the books would not have been a reality. You are my blessing, always. And I have kept you some copies, if I am gone before you turn into a young woman..Mommy love you. Above all worldly matters, Alhamdulillah..

Let's move on to the galette ..

Apricot Galette with burnt honey-apricot butter
(galette dough recipe slightly adapted from my Heart-Healthy Sweet and Dessert Book)

180g whole wheat flour

30g almond meal ( ground almonds)

30mls extra virgin olive oil

1 egg yolk

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp raw sugar

2-3 tbsp cold water

300g fresh apricots- sliced thinly

For the apricot honey butter
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apricot jam
3 tbsp butter

Simmer the honey and apricot jam in a saucepan until dark golden. Add in the butter and combine well.

Method

1. In a stand mixer using paddle attachment, mix all the ingredients listed for the dough, except water. Add the water a tablespoon by tablespoon to form a dough. This will usually take less than 5 minutes.

2. Alternatively mix all the ingredients using fingertips until crumbs are formed. Add water just until dough is formed.

3. Roll the dough into an 8 inch diameter circle, and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

4. Arrange the apricot slices on top and fold the edges of the galette to 'contain' the apricot.

5. Brush half of the apricot-honey butter on top and bake for 25 minutes at 200C.

6. Whilst the galette is still warm, brush the remaining butter on top.

p/s: Don't forget to enter the giveaway, leave a comment below:-)

Guest Post from Sweet Tooth Raf: Double Coconut Pudding

2013-05-12T03:27:00.000Z

If you follow me on Instagram and baking book announcement, you would have noticed the baking frenzy which is happening in the house. Most weeknights are dedicated for cookie experiements, and weekends, in between spending time with my Popette, is also the time to do the photo shoot and fresh bakes like cakes and pastries. This inadvertently leave not much time for regular blog updates.

So I'm bringing you guest posts every now and then, not to just fill the gap but most importantly to feature those talented bloggers whose work I admire. One blogger friend who graciously guest post today is Rafeeda. You would remember I guest posted for Rafeeda's space Sweet Tooth Raf recently with my Mee Bakso. Rafeeda, despite only been blogging for few months has made her space so popular with her authentic traditional dishes as well as the delights of puddings, cakes and gorgeous drinks. Rafeeda is also hosting this month's cook-along on Kerala Kitchen FB page, so do check that out too!

So without further ado, let's see what Rafeeda has prepared for us today...

Salaam everybody, this is Rafeeda, who blogs at The Big Sweet Tooth. If you ask me my experience in blogging, I’ve been just around for a little more than three months, but with the support of very good friends like Jehanne that I have got during these months, I feel so blessed that my little page is attracting at least some attention.

A little introduction about myself – I am a working mother of two beautiful daughters and the wife of a very supportive gentleman. I reside in the ever growing hub of the Middle East, Dubai and I hail from the southern state of Kerala in India. My whole life has been over here and that explains why I love Lebanese food more than our normal Keralite food. My blog name is very synonymous to the way I am – with a terrible sweet tooth, which I hope some dentist could take off and throw it far far away so that I could have some control on my ever-burgeoning weight!! Having said that, I guess food blogging and dieting just don’t go hand in hand!

When Jehanne suggested about a guest post, I was really apprehensive. First of all, my pictures don’t go even 10% to what she clicks. I am waiting for her to start her photography tips, so that I could really take some lessons from it. Secondly, my focus is on very simple recipes that are perfect fodder to the lazy-head that I am, without any complications whatsoever. So I really didn’t know if I would fit into her things. But as she wanted me to pen something down for her, which she said would be like a “recess” for a blog, and then I thought, why not? In fact, Jehanne is one of the most humble bloggers I have come across who is an absolutely sweetheart and doesn’t even make you feel that she is the author of an upcoming series of cookbooks!!! Amazing, isn’t it?

The recipe I thought I would share with her is a very simple pudding. As usual to most of my foods, this too has a story. I have this habit of treating my colleagues occasionally; I should say that they are one of the biggest motivating forces behind my little space. One time, one of them handed over a 500 ml bottle of tender coconut water and told me, “Rafeeda, I guess you should make something with this for us.” My head started calculating as to what all other stuff I had in the pantry. As soon as I was back from office, I pulled out the can of coconut milk, the other can of condensed milk and the agar-agar (china grass) strands that was remaining. I had mentally jotted down what I was going to do. However, as I would not have liked it, I suddenly landed up with a headache. I didn’t want to cook, and I had already promised the dessert as well. I immediately soaked the agar-agar in water, microwaved it to be melted, and just dumped it along with all the ingredients in a blender and blended it to glory. I poured it into moulds and kept it in the refrigerator overnight. Somehow, I knew something was wrong but the egoistic me didn’t accept the fact.

The next day, I opened up the fridge and voila, I had these still wobbly desserts staring at me. It hadn’t set!!! Now what do I do? I went to the office with a sober expression and told my colleagues, “Sorry guys, but the thing I thought I would make for you didn’t come out well.” They were very understanding and didn’t really mind that I hadn’t got it for them. But then I was really upset. So once I was back from office, I poured all the mixture into a saucepan and cooked till all the agar-agar melted, then poured it back into the moulds and the next day, I had a really set pudding, which tasted awesome. I am really glad that my colleagues enjoyed and really appreciated it.

So the moral of the story is: Never cook when you are not in a mood to. You can screw up even a basic recipe then!!!

Double Coconut Pudding

Serves 5 (depending on the size of the mould)

Ingredients:

500 ml tender coconut water

400 ml coconut milk

1 can (14 oz) condensed milk

1 packet (125 gm) cream

10 gm agar-agar strands (china grass)

200 ml water

A pinch of salt

Sugar, if needed

Method:

Soak the agar-agar strands in water for 15-20 minutes till soft. Combine the tender coconut water, coconut milk, condensed milk, cream and salt and mix till smooth. Bring to heat, on very low flame. Meanwhile, transfer the soaked agar-agar with water into another saucepan and bring to heat. Stir occasionally both pans and cook till the agar-agar is melted. Do not boil the coconut milk mixture, just keep it on very low flame.

Once the agar-agar is melted, pour it into the coconut milk mixture and continue stirring it till well combined and the agar-agar is completely melted into the mixture. Check for sweetness and add sugar if needed. Switch off the heat, pour it into moulds and allow cooling. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a couple of hours till set.

To serve, flip it onto a plate and serve cold with tutti-frutti and coconut slices.

Notes:

1. I didn’t use any sugar, so the dessert was mildly sweet. Add sugar if you want.

2. If cream scares you, omit it! But the cream gave it a really nice texture.

3. You can substitute the agar-agar with gelatin, if required.

Once again, thank you so much, Jehanne for this beautiful opportunity to be featured on your lovely space. I am seriously honored. All I can wish you is all the very best in your future endeavours.

Thank you Rafeeda for this lovely pudding! I am sure my readers would be delighted to try this out. Keep up your good work, and we will all cook along for you this month!

Mother's Day special magazine newsletter

2013-05-09T07:36:00.001Z

Ok I will keep this brief, as you need to sit down with a steaming mug of hot cocoa or coffee for that matter, and read this!

I was planning to publish this tomorrow but am pleasantly ahead of time. This brief magazine is chock full of ideas for Mother's Day this Sunday. It also has special guest post from my talented friend, Sawsan of Chef in Disguise. I have also compiled a list of 'Apple Recipes' from blogger friends all around the world..Tried and tested recipes that you must try on!

As my promise on last post, the magazine also features the Rose Cake pops, with step by step on how to do it..I hope you will enjoy it.

If you join The Cooking Doctor mailing list here, then you will also receive newsletter together with the magazine in your inbox! How cool is that? A lot of my good recipes are buried in the archives, so this is a way to resuscitate them, so all you need to do is sit back and click on the links!

Let me know what you think of this first issue, criticism and feedback are more than welcome. Also, do you want to pitch in ideas for the next one? Food photography and styling perhaps? Or more recipes? Street food ? Just leave a comment below, or on the magazine comment section, I would really appreciate that.

Happy Mother's Day !

Cake Pop Roses..and Black n White Wednesday

2013-05-08T03:59:00.000Z

To see the coloured image of this cake pop rose, and step by step on how to make fondant rose cake pop, sign up for my mailing list here ..the first issue of The Cooking Doctor newsletter should be out this Friday!

Sending this to B&W Wednesday series, hosted by Alex from Food 4 Thought for this week. This is an event started by Susan of Well Seasoned Cook and now the admin is Cindy. Do visit Cindy's blog if you want to host the event in future weeks!

BBC GF May 2013: Straits Foods..and Mother's Day news

2013-05-06T01:33:00.001Z

This month on BBC GF Asia, I thought I would revisit tradition and offer something with local flavours. There is something unique about British Strait settlement, an amalgamation of Singapore-Penang-Malacca-Dinding. Although the settlement is dissolved years ago, the distinct food remains until today. After our recent visit to Malacca for mom's 60th birthday bash, I had a chance to taste authentic strait food which is really pleasing to the palate.

If you want to know, that plate with Asam Pedas dish on the picture above is older than me, perhaps even nearly as old as my mom! I managed to persuade my mom to give up her old antique stock, so voila, presenting you with all the ancient relics for this month's food theme.

Asam Pedas, literally translated as 'Sour and Spicy' is a traditional gravy that does not use any kidn of spices, except freshly ground chillies and tamarind. I like the simplicty of the dish, which is augmented with freshwater fish. The most commonly used fish is stingray- are you familiar with it?

Then there is grilled pomfret with tamarind dip. This is another popular dish in Malacca/ Muar, whereby every weekend it seems half of SIngapore would drive across the Border just for a taste of grilled fish in Serkam, a place popular for tourist and locals alike. I hope my recipe will capture the authenticity of this street food, with its accompanying tamarind dip.

These tuna croquette is one of our family favourites, perfect for afternoon savoury snack. To avoid deep frying, I just drizzled some canola oil and place the croquette in an AirFryer, which produce almost similar result to deep frying.

Time for dessert! This steamed cuppies are called 'Puteri Ayu', usually prepared in cute little moulds but I made them slightly bigger. Grated coconut is pressed on the bottom of the mould before pouring the batter in. If you are after steamed cakes, this is the recipe for you, check out the recipe below.

For the article on Strait Food and all the recipes, please grab your copy of BBC Good Food Asia this month. For those who are geographically not

On different note, I have now created an exclusive mailing list for The Cooking Doctor readers, you can check out and join the mailing through my Facebook page here. I am hoping to send out newsletter every now and then, hopefullyt he first one is on Mother's Day this week.

Until then, enjoy this steamed cake at home!

Puteri Ayu

Makes about 15 small cakes Prep 15 mins Cook 15 mins
These steamed cakes are delicious for an afternoon treat.

150g plain flour
2 large eggs
200ml fat-free coconut oil
120g castor sugar
50g grated coconut, mixed with a pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pandan paste
1 tsp ovalette sponge gel (optional)
A pinch of salt

1. Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs with sugar and ovalette until pale and double in volume.
2 Sift the flour together with baking powder and salt.
3. Mix the coconut milk with pandan paste.
4. Add in the flour alternating with coconut milk into the batter until well combined.
5. Press some grated coconut into jelly mould and pour the batter until 3⁄4 full.
6. Steam the cakes for 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean from the cake.
7. Let the cakes cool down slightly, pop out of the moulds and serve.

PER SERVING 93 kcals, protein 2g, carbs 16g, fat 2g, sat fat 2g, fibre 0g, sugar 8g, salt 0.166g

Apple Hazelnut Couscous Salad..and an Apple Painting!

2013-04-30T12:36:00.000Z

It does not feel like spring here.

Everyday is humid, with weather scorching high interspersed with heavy rains in the afternoons. It is definitely not a 'soup weather' or summery enough for ice-creams and lollies, but somehow salads seem to be a perfect fit.

I have been enjoying this salad everyday for the past week as my lunch box that I carry religiously to work. The hospital cafe can be a bit off-putting and I crave for some salad which unfortunately is not available on the premise!

So I made my own. With lots of crispy butterhead lettuce, iceberg, purple cabbage and couscous as the star of the show. Drizzle with some lemon vinaigrette, generous sprinkle of hazelnuts and we are good to go.

I usually like the traditional pairing of walnut and apple but as my walnut stock is on deplete, I made do with lightly toasted hazelnuts. It was delicious, anything with apples is always good in my book. Top that with couscous, this could easily be a fulfilling meal for a quick work-lunch. Sometimes a bit of variety is in order- add chopped spring onions for robust Asian flavour, beets for some colour or onions and grated carrots. I have tried those variations for each day of that Monday-Friday week.

On a different note, a few months back I shot some apple photograph for the blog, it is one of my favourites till date. Then something exciting happened. Sharon, a very talented artist and I decided to 'convert' the photograph into her acrylic painting.

And few weeks later..she emailed me her painting.

Do you not think she did a good job with the painting? And here is the original picture:

Sharon is the designer behind Crockett Studio. I am truely impressed with her talent and it is always nice to know that someone out there appreciate my photography! As you can see even here, I have a slight obsession when it comes to shooting apples. They make such a wonderful raw image, and it seems there is never enough apple photo on the blog.

Before I digress further, let's go back to the apple couscous recipe. Something so simple that you can enjoy everyday, or as lazy afternoon to celebrate Labour Day tomorrow.

My Labour Day wishes to all the stay-at-home moms and all the working mothers out there, it is time for us to unwind and let the man of the house do the work, albeit only for a day!

Apple Hazelnut Couscous Salad

few slices of iceberg lettuce- washed

few purple cabbage - blanched in the hot water for a minute

a handful of toasted hazelnut

1 cup couscous

2 apples- sliced thinly

a pinch of salt

a few stalks spring onions- chopped finely

1 shallot- finely sliced

Lemon Vinaigrette

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp italian seasoning or oregano

You can also swap lemon vinaigrette with honey mustard dressing, recipe here.

Method

1. Soak the couscous with a pinch of salt and 3/4 cup hot, boiling water for 10 minutes until couscous is fluffy. Fluff with a fork.

2. In a large salad bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk all the ingredients for vinaigrette until well combined. Alternatively shake them in a closed mason jar until it emulsifies.

4. Pour the dressing on the salad, combine and serve.

Lakeland, for my innovative Baking Cookbook

2013-04-27T15:55:00.002Z

If you noticed, I have kept mum about my mini cookbooks until after the manuscript was submitted. So when a new baking project for a cookbook landed recently, I took it in good stride and started working relentlessly, but I thought this time I should share the experience with all of you as this is some seriously fun baking and truth be told, I am bursting with excitement! Especially as I am also working closely with some lovely bakeware companies, who kindly sponsored the project.

One of them is Lakeland. If you live in the UK, or Middle East for that matter, you will be familiar with Lakeland and their unique approach to baking. From the cool yogurt maker that churns creamy greek yogurt in my house week after week to their latest silicone swill roll sheet that let you bake beyond towel rolling, I was elated to use Lakeland products for this project. I must admit that I miss Lakeland after our move to Singapore, as the store in London was part of my routine shopping, there is always something which is worth picking up on each trip. Then I came to know that Lakeland ships internationally! With even several stores in Middle East, all in a short span of time! As luck has it, Lakeland kindly let me run loose with whatever baking stuff that I need for my baking project, all shipped in perfect condition within just few days.

So let's see what I picked.

Lakeland's 'My Kitchen' range is one of my favourites, so I chose a few pans that I would use regularly. They are heavy, non-stick and durable. My selection includes the round pan, few sizes of loaf pan, fluted cake ring pan and the fancy square loose based cake tin. I tried baking brownies on the loose based square pan and it was great success! No worries on cake batter sticking, or rusty pans.

'My Kitchen' range also includes flan tin, casseroles, saucepan and even a bread maker!

One bakeware that tickled my fancy was the '12 cup mini sandwich tin'- I specifically chose that for my mini Victoria sponge cakes. The tin comes with loose base, and there were also a couple extra bases thrown in the box! This little thought goes a long way, and shows the attention to detail on what's happening in real life- we do misplace stuff Or at least I do, more often than I care to admit :P

What makes Lakeland stands out is their silicone bakeware, particularly one-of-a-kind silicone flexi bake-sheet, and various chocolate moulds. I can't wait to do more homemade chocolates. The swiss roll baked on flexi-sheet passed the acid test, as the edge did not stick to the sheet at all. I was extra cautious on the first attempt by sprinkling some flour, but this was not really necessary as the second attempt turned out well with ungreased sheet. Can you see how gorgeous the colour is?

A baking project will not be complete without cookies. I have tons of cookie recipes to share, from traditional to fancy chocolate sandwich cookies.

I am impressed with the silicone cookie mould, with 'Cookie' stamp on it. It looks so retro, and I can;t wait to develop some recipes using the mould. What attracted my daughter was their steel cookie cutters.

thats my cheeky daughter's hand trying to grab the cookie cutter!

As we love homemade baguette, I included the baguette tray in my list. This tray ensures that baguette rise to the correct shape, and separated from one another during the first rising.

Keeping up with the current trends of Cake pops and push pops, Lakeland came out with something really innovative- no more making cake crumbs and mixing it with frosting for cake pops. You can now make cake pops in the 'Sweet Treats Cake Pop maker'. All it takes is 4 minutes of baking, yes, just 4 minutes! Scoop in your favourite cake batter, and wait patiently for 4 minutes. The cake pops are ready to be dipped into candy melt!

I really think this is a brilliant machine, as I personally find cake pops too sweet for my liking. This machine, however omits the need for frosting in shaping the cake pops, like the traditional way. As the baking project is tailored for kids, this machine is ideal and will be used repeatedly :-). You can also enjoy the Cake pop video here.

I also got the kit for some Push-up treat pops..as you can see some experiments are already on their way! For video click here.

My heartfelt thanks goes to Sam Rayner, the Managing Director of Lakeland who made this joint venture possible and Susan Walsh, thank you for the speedy delivery of the innovative gifts that I am sure will go very well for the cookbook project. And thank you for sending the goodies all the way to Singapore!

Without revealing much on what you will see, recipes and final photography, I would really like it if you, my readers pitch along on Instagram as I will be sharing the day-to-day of the raw preparation there.

If you are now drooling over the Lakeland products, head over to the nearest store or check out their website for more drool worthy stuff. Lakeland is widely available in the UK and Middle East. Hopefully Singapore/Malaysia soon!

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post, but my own token of appreciation for the product sponsorship and joint venture with Lakeland.

Shab's Chicken Fry Masala

2013-04-25T07:40:00.001Z

Two years ago, the concept of a food blog was alien to me. Apart from the usual Allrecipes, Epicurious or Martha Stewart, the only recipes that I swear by are those taught by my mom or my aunt. The only curry I knew how to make during my student days were thanks to Patak's paste that came in variety ( albeit taste all the same!), and of course the Pakistani joint that sells amazing chicken pakora and biryani saved the day whenever some spicy craving was in order.

Then I chanced upon this blog, which brought Malabar cuisine to a new height, and fell in love with the Chicken Fry Masala that was so simple, yet tasted out of the world. Two years on, we still have this tasty curry for special occassion with ghee rice, or on a lazy work day when a curry is needed in twenty minutes.

It was also thanks to this blogger that my food blog was born.

A lot of you know Shabs of Shabs cuisine. One fine day, as I was sitting idle browsing on her website, I quickly sent an email asking for some photography tips. Shabs got back to me almost immediately, and gave a list of tips that I still use until now. She encouraged me to start my own blog and document what I made.

I love that idea of sharing. So The Cooking Doctor was created in May 2011. As I reflect on the friendships and the recipes and the books that came along after the blog, one person that I should really thank is Shabs, and her famous Chicken Fry Masala. If it wasn't for how delicious the curry turned out, and how generous she was with her recipes, writings and photography tips, I bet I wouldn't be lured to join in the community either. And Patak's would still get business from me, for buying the ready made curry paste yet again!

What striked me as odd then has become a routine every time I cook the chicken for this recipe. I would marinade the chicken pieces with freshly ground spices, then boil them, ( yes, boil!) until they are tender. More spices will be tempered separately with lots and lots of onions, shallots, tomatoes before the boiled chicken pieces are combined in.

All it takes is 20 minutes, give and take. The curry is ready.

The few variations that I made as I go along is by adding almonds once in a while, or adding a wee bit more gravy. But I still love the original recipe, where the chicken pieces are dry roasted, and full of spices.

In my effort to ~~push~~ persuade Shabs to post more of her authentic Malabar recipes, I am sharing this gorgeous dish with all of you. Pay a visit to her blog, and try the dishes there. With our comment love, hopefully this talented lady will keep on showering us with her traditional recipes:-).

If you like my photos here, at least now you knew who is my first photography guru!

Shabs Chicken Fry Masala
from here

1 whole chicken- cut into 12 pieces
2 tbsp ginger-garlic mince
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp chilli powder
a few sprigs curry leaves
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water

Spices for tempering
a few sprigs curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tbsp ginger-garlic mince
2 large red onions- sliced finely
2 tomatoes- chopped coarsely
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala
a small bunch coriander leaves
Juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and black pepper to season
2 tbsp vegetable oil (original recipe is coconut oil)

Method

1. Marinate the chicken with spices and and boil with water until chicken pieces are almost tender. This takes around 15-20 minutes in a heavy bottomed pan.

2. In a separate wok, heat the oil and temper the curry leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves.

3. Add in the sliced onions, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes.

4. Once tomatoes are mushy, add the chilli powder, cumin powder and a bit of water to form a paste.

5. Tip in the boiled chicken and the liquid; combine well.

6. Drizzle the lemon juice, garam masala, salt and pepper.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

note: add a bit more water if you like a bit more gravy.

Honey Mustard Beef Sukiyaki

2013-04-23T06:11:00.000Z

Life is really a juggling act of balance. The art of harmony that loses its conundrum every now and then, yet the routine needs to go on. For last several weeks, there are a lot of happenings that I will share with you in due course, but around the same time I find that the blog needs a bit more nourishment in terms of everyday meals that you have been requesting.

No fancy cakes. No weekend treats. But everyday meals so that you can juggle it all, yet bring beautiful gourmet dishes to the dinner table without much fuss. These days that kind of recipes seem to attract me, as I need the time and being barefoot in the kitchen might not be an option. I have always loved marinated recipes, a concoction of spices and herbs that will infuse through and several hours later all one needs to do is chuck them into the oven, stir fry or grill. That will be a meal on its own, ready without much hands on yet taste wonderful.

This honey mustard beef sukiyaki comes in at the right time.

I will say this is the kind of recipe that kills two birds with a stone. Use the dressing for your salad, or keep it in the fridge whenever a marinade is called for. If you are not too familiar with mustard, don't be put off with the tang that it imparts. Trust me, the marriage of honey and mustard is an ancient old recipe for happiness. I love fresh herbs so a few sprigs of thyme were added as my signature dish.

So you ask me, which mustard should you use? I personally prefer Dijon mustard for this recipe but any yellow or English mustard is a good alternative. Shake it up with a good dose of extra virgin olive oil, honey, salt, garlic and lemon in a mason jar, et voila, the dressing is ready!

If you are not a big eater on beef, feel free to swap it with chicken fillet or lamb shanks. I have tried a baked version of honey mustard chicken using this condiment with great success. The dressing is also ideal as a gift from the kitchen, after all every friend of ours deserves a bit of homemade gift every now and then;-)

Honey Mustard Beef Sukiyaki

8 slices beef sukiyaki

2 cloves garlic- minced

1/4 tsp salt

a few sprigs of thyme

For the dressing/ condiment

4 tbsp honey

4 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

Juice and rind from 1 lemon

1 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic-crushed

1 tsp balsamic or rice vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients listed as 'dressing' into a mason jar. Close the jar and shake well until well combined.

2. Alternatively place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.

3. Wash and pat dry the beef sukiyaki ( thin meat slices). Rub with salt, thyme and garlic before adding in the honey mustard dressing.

4. Marinate in a ziploc bag overnight or for at least 2 hours.

5. Grill the beef until almost charred, or pan fry with a small drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

6. Serve with salad.

Note: The dressing can be used as it is for salad. It is best refrigerated in a closed jar for up to a week.

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Tamarind and Date Aqua Fresca..and Tupperware Giveaway winner

2013-04-20T03:20:00.000Z

Yay! The blog is back in operation.

After soem difficult days and the blog disappeared completely from Google yesterday, at last I am relieved that this website is back to normal.

So let me sip my drink and breathe in, breathe out deeply this weekend.

You can tell that I am not good at arranging my flowers- they are as cluttered as life can be sometimes! But I go by the motto that stares on me every time I walk into my little 'studio' corner..

Happiness is not a destination..It is a Way of Life '.

And staying true to the mantra, I always believe that the best thing in life can be achieved by embracing the simplicity that boosts everyday life into an extraordinary life.
Like dropping by to the florist just to get the babys breath..as truthfully, they brings more life to the lonely rose.
Or painting free style on a simple drop cloth.
And dancing away to the tune of music in the shower.
Or making cake pops with my Popette, who loves to teach me how to whisk eggs!
Or a simple kiss and cuddle from my mom. Then the world is a wonderful place.

Weekend.
It is also the best time for a simple Tamarind Date Aqua Fresca. Sounds so exotic isn't it? But it is really just a blend of tamarind pulp, pitted dates, a wee bit of sugar and water. Boiled and blend to form a thick syrup, better than any drink in the shop.
See, how simplicity can be translated into exotic tongue rolling words, and it looks so much better?

So I leave you with this refreshing drink. Even if you have not tried tamarind in a drink before, I am sure you will love it. And weekend is so much better with it!

Tamarind and Date Aqua Fresca
Adapted from Bon appetit

1 cup full of pitted, chopped dates ( I prefer Medjool but anything goes)
1/3 cup tamarind pulp
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup water

Method
1. In a saucepan, boil the dates with tamarind pulp, sugar and water until a thick sauce is formed.
2. Steep off the heat for an hour.
3. If you are making cordial, sieve on coarse mesh and strain as much liquid out as possible. Store in a bottle for up to a week.
4. For immediate use, blend the steeped liquid with 3 cups of cold water and ice cubes.

Note: I didn't strain the liquid as I like the foam from the liquid, and used the mix immediately into my drink.

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On housekeeping note, the winner for Tupperware Modular Set collection goes to Elly, who answered:

What is yur fav kitchen tool: Whisk

Results powered by Random.org

Pls email me you address so I can send the gift!

Torta Pistocchi and Chocolate Week, Hilton Singapore

2013-04-15T02:01:00.001Z

There is love. There is family. And there is chocolates.

This is a story that started 23 years ago in a little village in Tuscany. The young man dreamt of creating luscious chocolates, delicious enough to wow the world. With the help of his magic team which consists of his Italian family, a Thai wife and the new addition of a beautiful little daughter, Torta Pistocchi is what it is today and has travelled the world to reach Singapore, in a debut Chocolate Week, organised by Hilton two weeks ago.

Elegantly dressed in his Chocolatier attire, Claudio Pistocchi was all smile to welcome me and my little daughter for a short chat and high tea recently. I have missed his chocolate making workshops, as they were conducted on weekday so I made up the loss by the an almost equally good alternative; with warm thanks to Joyce from Hilton who invited me cordially.

It was a successful Chocolate Week for Claudio. Anyone who drives past Orchard Road will not have missed the big billboard 'The Art of Pistocchi displayed outside the Hilton Hotel'- and it is really an art of chocolaterie that has shined through his best creation of 'Torta', a cake made of pure chocolate bliss complemented with richness of cream, and almost nothing else! The family run business started seriously 23 years ago in Florence, with initial start of 600 pieces of Torta made a year. Now the number has tripled and quadrupled exponentially, with torta cakes sold across Italy, London and now Singapore but one thing remains consistent throughout the years, they are truly homemade, in his own words..' I don't use machine, all the cakes are made with my own two hands and shoulders!'

That is impressive. This kind of honest cooking always intrigues me, and earn the due respect. What is more heart warming is he keeps the same team as he did 8 years back- which consists of his parents and sister for the production line, in a true Italian style. The production line has grown to include all kind of chocolates, cakes and even cocoa powder. The cocoa beans are organically sourced directly from the plantations, and the tempering is done in his own factory in Florence.

Claudio is keen to share his knowledge and expertise with the audience in Singapore. The chocolate workshop organised by Hilton Singapore has taught the participants techniques on chocolate tempering, homemade chocolate making and even tip on melting the chocolate with water. The chocolates are flown in from Florence, and now available in few Italian restaurants as well as Hilton Singapore. All chocolate creations for the High Tea were using his chocolate products, from cakes, petit fours and ice-creams. They were delicious!

I was curious enough to try the Torta. He personally cut two slivers of the latest creation, which consists of white chocolate and Yuzu, dedicated to his little girl. 'She is my everything, and represents Pistocchi;- was his response when I asked if I could snap a photo of him and his daughter.

I enjoyed my afternoon, and my daughter even more so, it was trays of chocolate delight that can wow anyone, and transcend us back to the story of 'Charlie and the Chocolate factory'. I would like to thank Claudio for his time and Joyce invite, hoping that there will be more chocolate workshops organised in near future so I can learn from the expert. Or maybe it is time to visit Tuscany!

Do you want to know who the force behind the scene for this chocolaterie success? Claudio's sister, Claudia was kind enough to email me the pictures so I can share with all of you here.

The famous Torta Pistocchi..in all its deserved glory..

Torta Pistocchi has garnered its popularity in London as well, where they are widely available in Italian delis. If you are in the area, do visit these 2 main cafes to enjoy this unadulterated chocolate cake, which will surely please the palate.

TUSCANIC LTD
99/101 Regent Street
London W1B 4EZ

LUIGI DELICATESSEN
349 Fulham ROad
London
SW10 9TW

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own. Thank you Hilton Singapore for the parcel of chocolates.

Back to Basic: How to Make Vanilla Sugar

2013-04-12T01:48:00.000Z

This post is probably not for the aficionados of vanilla, it is meant to be basic tip, something quick that I would like to share with all of you here. Vanilla beans are generally more expensive that the vanilla extract or vanilla essence, yet it imparts deep aroma which is out of the world! To justify the purchase of vanilla in our bakes, don't discard the vanilla pods after the beans are scraped.

Keep the pod and make vanilla sugar.

So first of all, how do you scrape the vanilla beans from the pod?

Get good quality vanilla pods, which are plump and of high grade quality, the best you can afford. My current favourite is Madagascan vanilla pods.
Using a sharp knife, make a slit along the vanilla pod and scrape the beans using the edge of the knife.
You will see gritty miniscule sized black dots- yes that's vanilla!

Now, don't discard the used pods..instead..let's get cracking to make ' gifts from the kitchen', the simplest vanilla sugar. Use pretty jars and ribbons for decorations as gifts to family and friends. Otherwise for home use, the sugar will start smelling of vanilla after 1-2 weeks of storage in the jar and can be used in baking, or sprinkle on your desserts.

Vanilla Sugar

500 g castor or fine grains raw sugar

2 vanilla pods

Jam jars

Gift tags ( optional )

1. Wash the used vanilla pods and pat dry with clean kitchen towel.

2. Place a vanilla pod into each jam jar.

3. Fill up the jar with sugar.

4. Store the airtight jar in cool, dark place.

5. The vanilla sugar will be ready in 1-2 weeks time!

They make the perfect gourmet gifts, simple yet elegant.

Mee Bakso..Guest post for Sweet Tooth Raf

2013-04-06T14:40:00.000Z

I only knew Rafeeda very recently from her upcoming blog, Sweet Tooth Raf that has garnered a lot of popularity in short space of 2 months. She even managed to reach a milestone of 50 posts, which is really an accolade, especially given the fact that she is also a full time working mother to 2 young darling daughters. Rafeeda wanted me to feature traditional recipe from Malaysia, and I excitedly agreed as it has been a while since we have something traditional at home.

If you ask me truthfully I don't even know what constitutes 'Malaysian food'. I can proudly say that Malaysia is the gastronomic hub in SouthEast Asia, given its melting pot of races, religion, and culture. We have 3 main races, the Malays, Indians and Chinese- but a lot of diversity beyond this. Let's not forget the East Malaysia/ Borneo where there are at least 30 other different minority races! Malaysia, or better known as Malaya 100 years ago was founded by the Indian-Indonesian roots, and subsequently conquered by the Dutch, Portuguese, British and Japanese, so this is highly reflected in the infrastructure and food that constitutes 'Malaysian cuisine'.

Ask any Malaysian for noodle recipe, they will be confused as we have so many variety of noodles! Not the Italian style pasta, but the humble yellow egg noodle and rice noodle which is either fried and known as 'Mee Goreng', or brewed into soups. One of my favourites is Mee Bakso, heavily infuenced by indonesian culture in Malaysia, it is simply a soup with plenty of vegetables and meatballs. One can choose the yellow noodles, ramen or rice noodles but the king of the dish is the meatball itself. Pan fried then simmered in hot broth, they are perfect for a get-together, or for a cold evening.

Don't be tempted to use shopbought meatballs, as I think the homemade ones are not only easy to prepare, but they can also be frozen and suitable for other uses too, such as swedish meatballs in tomato sauce, spaghetti meatballs or even as afternoon snacks on its own. For this particular Mee Bakso, the soup itself is not spicy so suitable for kids too. The bowl of mee ( noodles) is usually served with drizzle of spicy soy sauce for extra chilli kick.

I find myself cooking noodle in soup more often these days, as it is not only full of flavour, but easy and healthy too. Check out my version of Mee Bakso and of course the meatball recipe, head over to Rafeeda's space here.

Fabulous Food Fotography Friday: Trinket of Strawberry recipes

2013-04-05T13:27:00.001Z

ISO 125 f/2.8 1/10 EOS 5dMk III 100mm

Keeping my promise to keep this weekly Friday event alive, here you are..photo shoot of the week with my new lens! And some strawberry inspirations for you this weekend.

Happy Weekend!

BBC Good Food Asia April 2013: Tomatoes

2013-04-03T17:29:00.000Z

Last month flew by in a breeze and that's quarter of the year gone! Can you believe it? Things are moving at such a fast pace, and the only time I could get a breather is in the middle of the night. Voila, c'est la vie! But on good note, lots of food have been cooked and it is time for our monthly recap of what I prepared for my column this month in the BBC GF Asia magazine.

‘Let’s call the whole thing off

U say ‘potato’, I say ‘patattah’

U say ‘tomato’ , I say ‘creole tomata’

- When Harry Met Sally-

This month is all about tomatoes!

It might not feel like spring, but it is certainly time for mocktails! Try out this alcohol-free tomato juice which is refreshing and perfect with meals.

Then of course there is appetizer. Watermelon caprese salad is my take for this Italian salad with a twist.

Main meal this month is moussaka. Layered goodness of aubergine, potatoes and courgette topped with green lentil-tomato sauce and generous sprinkle of sharp cheddar and mozarella mix. If you are not familiar with this Greek 'one-pot meal', then grab the magazine in store, available from all bookstores and newsstands in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Those who can't get a copy due to geographical limitations, please feel free to contact me for the recipes.

Here I am sharing with you readers the caprese salad recipe, my favourite salad of all time.

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Caprese Tomato Salad with mozzarella, basil and watermelon

Give a tropical twist to this classic salad with the addition of watermelon

Serves 4

1 large wedge watermelon- scoop into balls

12 cherry tomatoes- halved

few basil leaves

½ cup mozzarella balls / squares ( cubed )

Juice from 1 lemon

Kosher salt to season

1. Mix the watermelon balls, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and mozzarella in salad serving bowl.

2. Drizzle the lemon juice and spinkle with kosher salt.

3. Divide into plates and serve immediately.

Jalebi with Vanilla Infused Rabdi

2013-04-01T13:33:00.000Z

I did not grow up with memories of mitthai-wallah pushing carts of sweets during tea time, but i grew up with an adventurous mom who was willing to try out novel recipes in those heydays when there was no internet, food blogs, let alone foreign recipe books. What she had back then was good hearted neighbours who shared honest recipes that they brought, together with their tradition to Malaysia. One such neighbour that remains vivid in my memories is an old Punjabi lady, who would give us some freshly made chappathi every time they passed by our house.

She used to complain that she could never get her north Indian sweets in our little town. I obviously didn't even know then the difference on south versus north indian sweet, but what I do know is I loved her homemade sickeningly sweet creations- laddoos, gulab jamuns and jalebis, so much so that these 3 sweets remain etched as my favourites till date. Recently when Lubna asked me to write a vegetarian based guest post for her gorgeous blog, Kitchen Flavours, I happily suggested that I gift her readers with a sweet recipe, possibly Jalebis. Lubna was quick to warn me that Jalebi is India's national sweet, so I better get it right!

Jalebis that I know are crunchy with holes inside their spiral coils, so it can 'trap' and absorb the maximum amount of sugar syrup- yes they are not healthy! Yet, may I justify just a piece for celebration? To make them extra special, once fried and soaked in sugar syrup they can be drizzled with the amazing flavour of slowly brewed sweetened milk that thickens into smooth cream. The traditional flavour is usually infused with cardamom and rosewater, but I have replaced the exotic spices with fresh vanilla bean.

Saffron from the jalebi pairs really well with vanilla flavour, and since the recipe yields more than your fair share of 'dietary requirement', this sweet is perfect for special occassions and gatherings.

Head over to Lubna's lovely space for the recipe here;-)

Oregano, Coriander and Parmesan Pizza Balls

2013-03-27T00:51:00.000Z

The Baking Bug is growing stronger on me, despite the twice-weekly morning breakfast loaves, pizza dough as kitchen gift for friends and the compulsory teacakes for weekend. Lately just as the weather becomes more unpredictable and the viral bug is taking precedence of daily lives, our diet automatically steer towards comfort food- oxtail soup on repeat and plenty of nutritious breads.

I am a soup person. I am also glad that the better half craves for soup so often, it feels so good to bring out my big pot and let whatever flavour that we fancy to simmer slowly on the stove as we carry on with our chores, and secretly hoping that lunch time is pronto. But when you make soups, you need to make something by the side too, and these days normal bread just don't cut it anymore. Weekend meals usually equal to something fancier, a fare extraordinaire to impress the loved ones. Having said that, sometimes I don't fancy the idea of toiling away in the kitchen so I use 'shortcuts'..!

Pizza dough, but in fancier presentation this time round in the form of dinner rolls, or as I call them, Pizza Balls. I should really include 'pizza dough' in my last Kitchen Pantry post, as I really think some homemade dough ready in the freezer saves up a lot of time, and certainly a welcome treat on a rushed midweek meal. All you need to do is thaw the dough for around an hour minimum or leave it in the fridge the morning and it is as good as a freshly kneaded one;-)

I like the inclusion of herbs and cheese- they always form a wonderful marriage. Coriander was added for a bit of Asian twist, and they turned out superb and amazingly complements the Parmesan quite well. A lot of my friends out there are 'yeast fiend', preferring not to work with yeast, or a bit uncertain on how to use dry yeast. A little tip- this dough is very forgiving, and a teaspoon of instant yeast is all you need here. If you are a newbie on bread baking, this recipe is definitely for you.

Pizza dough is a versatile recipe that should be embraced more in the kitchen- they can be made into pizza balls, small bites, mini pizzas, empanadas, calzones, even bread sticks! And if egg-less and butter-less is your kinda thing, ok go on, it is eggless and butter-less:P

Pizza Balls with Oregano, Coriander and Parmesan

310 g bread flour
1 tbsp semolina
200 mls water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
a pinch of sugar

Note: Semolina gives the added texture, and garlic powder can also be replaced by finely minced garlic

Filling:
A small bunch of coriander leaves- chopped finely
Grated parmesan
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic- minced

Method
1. Prepare the dough. Mix all the ingredients listed except olive oil and knead using hand or dough hook on mixer.
2. Once the dough about to come together, drizzle in the olive oil and knead until smooth.
3. Leave to rise for around 1 hour or until doubles in bulk.
4. Punch down the air and using well oiled hands ( Extra virgin olive oil), divide dough into balls.
5. Flatten each ball and fill with coriander, a bit of minced garlic, liberal amount of parmesan and sprinkle of oregano.
6. Enclose the filling by forming ball and place the dough balls into a greased baking tray.
7. Let the dough balls sit for around 20 minutes and preheat the oven at 200C.
8. Brush the top with milk ( optional for softness) or olive oil ( for crusty top) and bake for around 15 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve warm with soup, or as dinner rolls.

Organising your Pantry..and a Tupperware giveaway

2013-03-24T13:29:00.002Z

As a full time working mother, it can be quite difficult to have it all; a career, kids that grow up being fed on nutritious homemade foods, a blog that is updated so frequently, a happy husband who gazes with love even though you are covered in flour or sweat..and of course, still mantaining a social life outside Twitter and Facebook. NO, it is a big NO, we cannot have it all. I knew that long time ago but what I learnt along the way is, a bit of organisation plays a big role in achieving an almost perfect life.

I like my kitchen stocked well, and my pantry equipped even with some rare ingredients that I might need in case some midnight baking is in order. So when a lot of you asked about how I manage the household, I thought I would share these tips with you as a neat kitchen is half a battle won.

Make space for spices. Irrespective of your kitchen size, allocate space for things that are used frequently in the household. For example a spice rack with labels is essential.Invariably all cuisines use some sort of spices and most of them can have a shelf life of 6 months in average. Identify spices that you use often, dry roast them and grind them into powder and label accordingly. This will certainly save time especially in preparing midweek meals.

Stock up on dry ingredients. For those who love baking, ensure that you have large amount of flours that you use and stock them into transparent containers so you know when they are about to empty. Flours in my pantry always include plain flour, bread flour, wholemeal flour, buckwheat flour , rice flour, rye flour, almond flour and gram flour. Adapt according to what you have at home, gluten-free requirements and how often you need them.

Buy in bulk for long shelf life products. Certain products are not only cheaper in bulk, but they can also last for a long time. Ingredients such as nuts, seeds and pulses like dried beans canlast for a long time, so it is ok to buy them and store in the dry, dark larder. For example, I even stock up on dozens of UHT that I use on weekly basis for making homemade yogurt.

Pre cut vegetables and ginger-garlic paste: Pre cut the vegetables, onions, garlic, and blend the quantit of ginger-garlic paste that you need in a week, I find that is very handy for making stews, curries, or simple stir-fry. Ginger-garlic paste should go into a sealed container, whilst pre-cut veggies can be just sealed with cling film and keep in the middle section of the fridge.

Chocolates: In humid weather, chocolates tend to go rancid quicker than cold climate. They tend to form 'white spots' if not stored properly. The best way is to keep baking chocolates in dark place, like a cold larder, or fridge.

Butter and oil. Whilst I am keen to reduce the amount of butter that we use in the house, I also make sure I have at least a bar handy in the fridge. On the other hand, I buy extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil in bulk, which is cheaper.

Label everything. This is especially for flours ( they all look white!), different kind of sugars, baking powder, baking soda etc. Make pretty labels, they can bring vibrance to an otherwise a normal, dull kitchen.

Dedicate a space for all your baking pans, cookie cutters, piping bags, piping tips etc. This saves time and you know what you have in the cupboard!

A sneak peek into my 'baking larder'

For years, I have been using Tupperware products to store my condiments, cereals, flours, and even frozen cuts as they are reliably solid containers, come in different sizes and really does help in organising our kitchen to a nicer looking 'walk-in' larder. Usually I am skeptical about product reviews in this blog, and would only allow products that either I use personally, or I know their reliability, so the review is an honest opinion of myself based on my own experience. Tupperware is one such product that seems to be in 'my good book' for their lifetime reliability, user-friendly range and variety.

I am delighted that Tupperware Singapore is happy to giveaway Modular Mates collection to The Cooking Doctor readers. Modular Mates collection has recently won the Domestic Diva Award 2013, voted by readers under storage container category. The containers are virtually air-tight and seals in the freshness of the food. It also keeps the food odour within the container itself.

The giveaway is open until 15th April 2013. To be eligible for the giveaway, you must:

1. Follow or Subscribe to The Cooking Doctor either by RSS feed, google connect or by email

2. Like The Cooking Doctor on Facebook

3. Like Tupperware Singapore on their Facebook

Please enter the competition via Rafflecopter below, and should there be any problem just leave a comment below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Black & White Wednesday: The Slaughterhouse

2013-03-20T05:28:00.000Z


A day in a butcher's life

It is easy to take things, or people for granted. A lot of campaign goes for 'organic cuts' or 'free range eggs'- and whilst the big supermarket giants gets the big cut from the sale, these unsung heroes who do the menial jobs like butcher, carpenter, labourer are sometimes not given the due credit in the same way that fancy restaurants are given the applauding reviews.

Yet in my eyes, these people form an integral part of our lives. I'd like to say my thank-you for the weekly cuts that we get from the Pasar ( wet market), which are cooked into gorgeous stews, curries, koftas, grills, satays and many more.

Apologies for the vegetarian readers:-).

These pictures are submitted to Black & White Wednesday, an event created by Susan of Well Seasoned Cook, now managed by Cindy and hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu.

Cloudy Strawberry Ginger Lemonade

2013-03-19T07:40:00.000Z

As I was going through this blog to update the recipes, and broken links I realised that I have not ever, featured any drink recipe here. Really?! Given our liking for fresh juice, homemade squash and smoothies, that was really regrettable and I am sorry for that. This teetotal household surprisingly churn a lot of beautiful drinks, mocktail if you like, as I find the commercialised fiizzy ones are either too sweet, too carbonated, and certainly not for toddlers.

I am a big fan of lemons. Lemons in all kinds- drizzle lemon cake wins over chocolate cake any day, lemon curd for spread and filling the macarons, a slice of lemon for even plain water, you get the drift. Cloudy lemonade, henceforth is in my top list but every now and then I like a bit of variety so bits and bobs are added as and when ingredients are available.

Sometimes a tablespoon of honey gives the nice sweetness that complements the tartness of lemons. But when the lemons are sweeter, especially in the case of Meyer lemons, I make it extra special with the addition of ginger slices. I have seen a lot of strawberry lemonade recipes around but personally, I prefer freezing the strawberry and throw one in each glass just before serving. After all, aren't strawberries best eaten whole, just as they are?

Juicing or blending fruits will always leave us with the so-called unwanted peels. Call me frugal, but those peels always end up in my 'edible list' too, as candied citrus peels. They are so gourmet looking, and no one would believe that they are so easily homemade! Candied citrus peels is a great snack, and can also be used in baking especially fruit cakes. I tell you, frugal is good;-).

Cloudy Strawberry Ginger Lemonade

3 unwaxed lemons- peel the skin off
1 inch ginger
4-5 frozen strawberries
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar - more or less as personal taste
2 cups water
ice cubes

Method
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the peeled lemons, ginger, honey, sugar and water.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Strain the juice and pour into glasses.
4. Drop in a frozen strawberry and ice cubes in each glass and serve immediately.

Celebrating my cookbooks release! Matcha Chocolate Macarons

2013-03-15T14:00:00.000Z

Those of you who attended my cooking demo with Le Creuset last December have already known about this. Friends on FB have already shared the good news. The closest family members have even shared the 'trial and tribulations' of being the food tasters for the last seven months..yet I kept mum about it from this blog, for fear that I could not deliver.

To recap the publishers knocked on the door seven months ago, metaphorically speaking, and we agreed on the BOOK DEAL! Now, now, if you are blogger, or even non-blogger as a matter of fact, you would know how cookbook deal is the ultimate dream, so I was over the moon when the contract was finally signed! Naturally I wanted to write on heart-healthy theme, as I feel that it is the right opportunity to inject medical 'preaching' in a fun way, and being minis in size, the books are quite fun and colourful! We came up with the idea of 4 mini cookbooks..

Soups and Stews.. Snacks..Desserts..Everyday Meal..35 heart healthy recipes in each book. 140 recipes in total. Just to give you a tease and sneak peek...and click on each title to pre-order the books at Amazon.

Heart-Healthy Everyday Meals..

Heart Healthy Snacks..

Heart-Healthy Desserts..

Heart-Healthy Soups and Stews..

So just as finished doing my dances last autumn, the reality hit me. In few short months, I needed to develop the recipes, try them out, cook them to perfection, style and photograph the pictures, write the text and send them all to publisher. Now you know why I wasn't confident that I could finish them at all, whilst maintaining the busy doctoring job, and busier job being a mom and a wife. Yet, this was something that I am passionate about so I made time for the book project. Did it slowly, burnt the midnight oil whilst the household is silently sleeping, rushed back home from work to chase after the late afternoon sunlight for my photos, scribbled notes after notes of new recipes, spent the last 6 months' worth of weekend cooking, baking and photo shooting! And just as we flew away for holidays, I also handed in my manuscripts to Marshall Cavendish, the lovely publishers who believe in me, and my work all this while on this blog.

So as the books finally hit the pre-orders all over the world here, here, here and here, I thought that this is the right time to share with all of you here, as without all of your lovely comments and encouragement, I wouldn't have toiled over the project, neither would I keep this blog going. In fact many a time, I do feel that the 'blog world' can impose its own challenges as well, not everyone is happy for you, fellow blogger friend who decides not to be friends after hearing the good news,yes, it can be very negative and very upsetting. It is also daunting to see how others fare so well with thousands of followers and in social media with recipes that blatantly do not work, or worse, copied from others. It's worse than hospital politics!!

Yet I am happy in my comfort zone, and I am happy that the little world I created here less than two years ago has extended its life into monthly food magazine column and now cookbooks that can reach out wider audience. Thanks to this humble blog, I also came to know so many wonderful people out there, kind-hearted fellow bloggers and like minded people who are truly supportive of The Cooking Doctor, dropping by every time a new post is up or whenever good or bad news are shared.

Some early comments that kept me going...

Deeba PAB on 17/7/11:Thank you for stopping by Jehanne. I absolutely love this tart. Yum!! on Caramelised Red Onion and Goats' Cheese Tart

Vimitha on 2/8/11:That looks so perfectly baked and yum.... great job dear... on Toffee Profiteroles with Chantilly Cream

Sumee on 16/9/11: Ummm.. I could almost dip my hands into that soup!!! Liked your blog. Happy to follow you..:o) on Daring Cook Sept Challenge:Aromatic Oxtail Soup and Homemade Baguette

Hyma on 4/10/11: hey Jehanne...one more dleicious recipe...would hv been good if u had shared pics on the rolling and shaping of the dough:-) on Curry Puffs

Kitchen Boffin on 16/5/12: wow! first time here... you have a gorgeous blog! fell in love with it instantly.. following you.. on Couscous made Pecan Shortbread Cookies..and Happy Mother's Day!

And I am glad that nearly two years on, those who came by to visit the blog are still visiting with much love, thank you girls! I made new friends all over the world, with the only common interest in good food, a lot of them I haven't met in person yet they seem more real than a friend in person. Rosa from Switzerland, Sawsan from Jordan , Lubna from Bangalore, Deeba from Delhi, Wan Maznah from my own country Malaysia, Akeela from Toronto, Shabs from UK, Rafeeda, the new friend from Sharjah, and so many more that I don't mention here yet form the important network and spine of this blog, you may not know how some simple words you said made my day.

I hope all of you will like the books, one of them or all four of them. Some are simple recipes made healthier, and some are flamboyantly gorgeous, yet still maintain the 'healthy theme'. There is a small chapter on heart-healthy eating in each book, and every single recipe comes with a description of why it is heart-healthy, and of course a beautiful photo of the dish. The best part, all the dishes are created in my humble home, shot and styled by yours truly before eaten by my family and friends- now I hope I can extend that gesture and let the recipes shine in your family's everyday lives too.

You can get the book anywhere in the world, and to celebrate their release this summer, I am hosting a series of giveaways for my lovely readers, so join in the fun. And since a lot of you have asked about how I organise my time in the kitchen or blog etc, stay tuned for posts coming up soon on 'time management', 'essentials of kitchen pantry' plus of course more on food styling and photography.

As for today, I shall leave you with these matcha and chocolate macarons, a sweet blessing to cherish the news. Macarons with healthy twist using green tea powder ( matcha) and pure blissful dark chocolate, to commemorate the 140 heart-healthy recipes that consumed me for the last 7 months. Sip away your hot tea and pre-order those cutie books!

Matcha Chocolate Macarons

90 g aged egg white
200g minus 1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp matcha powder
115 g fine almond powder
40 g fine granulated sugar

100g dark chocolate with 55% cacao

Method
1. Sift the almond powder, icing sugar and matcha powder ( green tea powder) into a large mixing bowl. Ideally sift twice.
2. Beat the egg white until soft peaks are formed and add the granulated sugar.
3. Once stiff peaks are formed, slowly add into the almond mix.
4. Form macaronage and pipe into macarons. Bake for 140 C for 20 minutes.
5. Melt the chocolate using double boiling technique. Once cooled spread between mac shells.

Note: What I post here is a very simplified method, as you can learn all about macarons in my previous posts here and All About Macaron is dedicated just for the techniques and tips.

All About Macarons

Guest Post: Sacla' Gives Classic Comfort Food a Healthy Makeover

2013-03-13T14:41:00.004Z

A lot of you are familiar with Sacla'- the pioneer in authentic pesto sauce in cute little jars, which is also a staple for so many students for healthy, quick meals ready in minutes. I am very honoured when Sacla' expressed their interest to be featured on The Cooking Doctor, with the theme healthy makeovers of classic comfort food.

I have been using the Sacla' basil pesto sauce for years, and found that it tastes brilliant, definitely better than homemade and perfect for pasta in a hurry. Later I extended my horizon and tastebud to Sacla' sundried tomato pesto, again with great results especially with whole wheat penne. I am glad to know that Sacla' has come up with more products, delicious and healthy for us to try on as everyday meals as well as entertaining.

Without further ado, enjoy this Guest Post from Sacla' UK:-)

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In the cold winter months, there’s nothing like coming home to a warming plate of traditional comfort food. There are a handful of dishes that can’t fail to put a smile on everyone’s face, no matter how grim the weather. There’s only one downside: these meals are often heavy and unhealthy. But thanks to Sacla’, there’s no need to stop eating the indulgent food you love.

Our countless healthy recipes are inspired by authentic Italian food, and innovatively transform comfort food into a guilt-free pleasure. Try out these three adaptations of classic comfort food, and be kind to your waistline while making family mealtimes more exciting.

Perfect Pizza

King of the takeaways, pizza is always a failsafe option for those in search of an easy fast food fix. But this Italian dish can be homemade and healthy, too. Our recipe for Tomato and Asparagus Pizza is a flavoursome alternative to making an expensive order from the local takeout. The vegetable-packed topping is both colourful and tasty, and you could even use a wholemeal base to make it extra-healthy!c

The Sacla’ Antipasti could also come in useful for this recipe, by allowing you to adapt it according to your own favourite pizza toppings if the tomato and asparagus doesn’t float your boat. The choice includes mushrooms, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and more. Good luck with your pizza-making, and remember: just because the finished product is irresistibly delicious, doesn’t mean the process needs to be time-consuming. Your pizza can be done and on your kitchen table in 30 minutes.

Best of British: Toad in the Hole

Nothing beats classic pub grub in the comfort food stakes, and with our Mini Chilli Toad in the Hole recipe you can now make and enjoy it at home! These savoury treats only take an hour to prepare, and make a fun and scrumptious Sunday lunch idea. Adding a dash of Fiery Chilli Pesto, just one flavour in a fantastic selection of Pesto sauces from Sacla’, will give your homemade Toads in the Hole some extra oomph.

Make Your Own Mexican Food

Tortillas make a delicious Mexican meal – hot, cheesy and floury, there are few more satisfying foods. Our recipe for Cheese and Tomato Pesto Tortillas, made with lashings of Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, makes an ideal lunch or dinner option and you can pack your tortillas full of veggies to ensure they’re healthy and delicious. An inventive Italian twist on a much-loved Mexican classic.

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So readers, do check out Sacla' recipes as the link above, and enjoy healthy meals in a jiffy with those delicious ideas.

Thank you Sacla' for the guest post on The Cooking Doctor.

Beetroot Coconut Stir Fry ( Beetroot Thoran)

2013-03-10T14:46:00.000Z

If you did watch my first ever Youtube video on Beetroot and Orange Salad, you'd notice that this stir-fry recipe that I am sharing today, albeit using Beets as the star of the show, is prepared in completely different way. The salad was prepared by roasting the beets first, and essentially that was all the cooking required. Whereas in this stir-fry, the flavour of beets is enhanced with the use of spices and coconut, giving it a bit of desi style side dish that can pair well with rice as main meal.

A few days ago we had some guests whom I invited over for weekday dinner and unfortunately I finished work late and embarassingly had to ask them to come a bit later..so dinner became supper! It was a good job that I always have prepped ingredients at hand, and this kind of stir-fry was also included as it was ready in a matter of minutes. The ginger-garlic paste was conveniently blended and kept in the jar for a whole week use, onions are finely sliced and always available in the fridge,so all that needed doing was peeling the beets, and the rest of stir-frying is a breeze.

Beets contain natural source of tryptophan which gives the feel-good factor and prevents depression. It also helps lower the blood pressure, replenish energy and regulates women's reproduction system; particularly during pregnancy. There are many ways of preparing beets-steaming, boiling, roasting or simply stir-frying. And if you are really not keen on the cooking, then juice them and enjoy the sweet beets as part of smoothie.

I love the flavour of coconut that mingles with the beets. And the colours! It is a pretty side dish, and perhaps can take the attention away from the main meal too. The recipe can be so easily adapted for different types of vegetables you have at hand. So far I have made similar proportion of spices with carrots, french beans, and even cauliflower. All tasted great, but I think beets is still the winning queen for our palate.

Beetroot Coconut Stir-Fry ( Beetroot Thoran)

2 beets- grated
3/4 cup grated coconut
3 curry leaves
1 tsp channa dhal
1 tbsp urad dhal
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 dried red chillies- chopped coarsely
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 shallots- sliced finely
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp canola oil

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok and temper the curry leaves, channa dhal, urad dhal, mustard seeds and red chillies until fragrant.
2. Add in the shallots, and ginger paste.
3. Once the onions are translucent, add in the turmeric, cumin and grated beets.
4. Stir-fry beets on low heat until beets are almost dry then add in the grated coconut.
5. Combine well and season with salt.

Fabulous Food Fotography Friday: Champagne Grapes

2013-03-08T13:08:00.000Z

A while back, I started a weekly event called Fabulous Food Fotography Friday, an exercise for me to improve my photography skills, and also an event for us photography lovers to share our best shot of the week in the round-up. You may know by now how terrible I am at promoting the blog, and as a result the event just had to be abandoned..!

Well that is not to say that I have stopped my photography exercises. In between day job and adhoc photoshoot assignments, every time I see something that tickles my fancy, I'd take a snap of it and note the manual setting that I like about the picture. Along the way, I think those little exercises have improved my phtography, far from perfect but the progress is there.

As a lot of you have asked about photography, and emailed about styling tips, I have now updatted the 'photography' page on the main header or click here.

It would be nice to resurrect the FFFF event, and I'm glad to receive an entry from a blogger. Round-up as below:

Canon 5d MkIII 24-105 mm; ISO 200 f/4.0 1/20

http://filip-maxim.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/home-made.html

Simple housekeeping rules:

Email me your nice shots between Friday to Thursday and I will include it in the round-up the following Friday.
Images can be anything really, food related shoots of any kind, even without text/recipe. It can be raw ingredients, photos you took on your morning buys in the market, ingredients mise en place before you bake, kitchen utensils, colours of the fruits, vintage styling of crockery..basically any shoot that you are most proud of and want to share with the world!
For bloggers, you can post the image on your blog the Friday when the round -up is, and put the link back to the event so your readers can see other entries as well.
For non-bloggers, I will mention your entry as per your email, so you can participate too!
In your submission email, it would be ideal if you could provide the type of camera you used, lens and the setting ( auto/manual..ISO, shutter speed etc), but that is again optional.
Maybe if we get a lot of entries, then we can even host a contest for the photos sent!

I will dedicate each Friday for this event and from next week I will also include series of tips on styling and photography. Just let me know what you want to see included in the 'tutorials'.

Hope to see your entries in! Click here for more details.

My column on BBC Good Food Asia March 2013: Herbs and Spices

2013-03-04T14:45:00.000Z

A bit delayed in posting this month's theme, but things have been a bit of a roller coaster ride here with an impossible weekend and unexpected fold of events. Some good news, which I think deserve a blog post on its own some time soon.

I am sure so many of us, if not all, have used herbs and spices in our cooking. This month on BBC Good Food Asia is all about herbs and spices from me, with recipes from all over the world to tickle your palate and give a spicy kick to enliven the spirit!

The menu was rightly described and titled as 'Spice of Life'- weekend entertaining by my Editorial team, rightly so, as the menu is certainly heartwarming for guests who might pop in, family meals with slow cooked moroccan lamb tagine and a tear-and share sundried tomatoes, thyme and rosemary skillet focaccia. There must always be dessert, so saffron infused riz au lait with lots of pistachios bring an international flavour as it is a pudding known to so many cuisine- French, Arabic and Indian.

Oh yes, a pantry staple for me- Harissa paste, is also featured this month. I use this paste almost for anything and everything, from lamb or chicken marinade, as a dip with garlic bread, to spice up a regular chilli con carne, or even as a curry paste! It goes really well with the tagine, and in fact, one of the most esssential ingredient for an authentic Moroccan taste.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Harissa Paste

Saffron infused Riz au Lait

Sundried tomatoes, thyme and rosemary Skillet Focaccia

Indian Masala Chai

I am also sharing the recipe of masala tea below- my own version- maybe not as authentic as the dhabba chai that you get by the road side in India, but this is so easy and deliciously warming that I am sure you would be sipping mugs of them, especially in the cold weather.

So tell me, what is your favourite herb?

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Indian Masala Chai

Indian masala chai
Serves 2 Prep 5 mins Cook 10 mins
11⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup water
1 tbsp loose tea leaves
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
1 inch freshly grated ginger
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove

Method

1. In a milk pan, boil the milk, water and tea leaves.
2. Add in all the spices and sugar.
3. Strain the tea once boiled, and discard all the spices.
3 Serve warm.

PER SERVING 142 kcals, protein 6g, carbs 17g, fat 6g, sat fat 3g, fiber 0g, sugar 16g, salt 0.074g