The Cooking Doctor

Couscous made Pecan Shortbread Cookies..and Happy Mother's Day!

2012-05-13T08:39:00.000Z

Gotcha! I bet you would be curious to know what has Couscous, the typical fare of arabic main dish, got to do with Scottish shortbread? Another weird food fusion across two continents?

If you read this blog long enough, you would know Couscous, my darling daughter whom we nicknamed just that, for our love of Couscous. Growing steadily, naughtier by the day and the reason for my mother's day celebration today! Couscous loves cookies, and given her recent difficult phase with main meals, I try to bake various, different types of healthy cookies to keep her appetite going and to maintain her on 50th growth centile at the very least!

When she showed interest in kitchen-play recently, I thought it was time to indulge her in real dough! After all that is the best way to encourage toddlers to eat..and the trick worked wonders! It was also my bonding time with her over the basic staples of flours, butter and sugar, rubbed gently with the tips of fingers to create the beautiful crumbs that would soon resemble cookie dough and bake to perfection,just like the old fashioned way.

Whilst I am not a big fan of shortbread, I seem to make these cookies more often than not, years ago for my family members who love the british classic, and now as a go-to whenever I feel like baking something simple, yet indulgent. I know there are so many ways of making shortbread..the various shapes of petticoat tails, fingers or wedges and the various add-ons of either rice flour or corn starch..somehow I keep going back to an old recipe from a Scottish leaflet that I got many years ago from a Tourist centre, believe it or not. Very unassuming, yet always turned out buttery delicious! This time round, I added some toasted pecans for extra crunch and nuttier taste.

So this recipe is for you. All the mothers out there, to celebrate the days or years of motherhood that comes with joy and tears..and to indulge once in a while for good food without the care for the growing hips, hands-on for the motherly bonding time in kitchen and something simple enough to be your child's repertoire in no time at all.

Happy Mother's Day;-)

Old-Fashioned Scottish Pecan Shortbread..using hands!

120g cold butter, unsalted

60 g rice flour

150g plain flour

70g castor sugar

50g coarsely chopped pecan (toasted lightly)

1/2 tsp salt

a few teaspoon of demerara sugar for dusting

1. In a large bowl, sift the plain flour, rice flour, salt and castor sugar together.

2. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and using your fingertips, mix the ingredients well until fine crumbs are formed.

3. Add in the chopped pecan and mix more vigourously until a log of dough is formed. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight, covered in clingfilm.

4. Preheat the oven at 170C. Take out the dough from the fridge, and using sharp knife cut a disc of 1 inch thickness and place the cookie on a silpat or baking paper. Bake the shortbread cookies for around 18-20 mins, or until the cookies turn golden.

5. Once out from the oven, sprinkle the demerara sugar on top of the cookies. Let the cookies cool before storing them in airtight cookie jar.

Kueh Keria, down my childhood memory lane..

2012-05-07T17:23:00.003Z

My aunt makes awesome traditional kuehs, little morsel of teatime delight that seems to satiate a lot of sugar cravings in between meals. I grew up with gorgeous homemade snacks, so much so that none of the kuehs in the shop appeal to me anymore, as I knew I could get tastier ones at home! I took it for granted, alas, never bothered to learn the old-fashioned variety of sweet treats, instead focusing on the so-called modern delight of cakes, cookies and buns.

That was, until one day we had a fabulous trip to the local market which sells bountiful of sweet potatoes and the like, I was too fascinated with the appearance of sweet potatoes that immediately went to the shopping basket. I wanted to learn to make keria out of those sweet potatoes, to recapture my childhood days by learning from the maestro herself. My aunt, ever so obliging, took it to her stride and start prepping the ingredients. Showing me each and every step in her caring manner, whilst I absorb her movement in the kitchen, all done with love, tirelessly.

That afternoon, we had servings of kueh keria, ready in no time. Some like it with hot piping tea, whilst I, as usual go for my black coffee to cut out the sweet taste of syrup flakes, which is the signature of my aunt' kueh keria. Down the hawker's centre, keria is usually served with dusting of powdered (icing) sugar, just like donuts. Only this is way better than donuts, less yeasty too.

Whilst I make a mental list of the next kueh to prepare for our chai time soon, i know that this shall always remain one of my favourites. The perfect morsel that has seen through the years of me growing up, and maybe one day would be my daughter's favourite too.

Kueh Keria

300g sweet potatoes (the white flesh, not the yellow one)

80g plain flour

3/4 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp vegetable shortening

2 tbsp warm water

Vegetable Oil for deep frying

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Method

1. Boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Mash with fork or masher until fine.

2. Mix the warm water and instant yeast and leave for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potato with flour, yeast, vegetable shortening and salt. Using clean hands, mix well until it resembles soft dough.

4. Leave the dough in the bowl, covered with cling film for about 1 hour.

5. Take a golf ball size dough and form a flattened patty with a hole in the middle. For easier handling, use parchment paper as a liner.

6. Heat the oil and deep fry the sweet potato donuts until golden brown. Set aside.

7. Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar and water together in a heavy bottomed pan until a thick syrup is formed. This usually takes around 10 minutes.

8. Gently add the golden keria into the hot syrup until all sides are covered with sugar. Repeat this for the remaining kerias.

9. Alternatively, kueh keria can also be served with dusting of icing sugar, but I personally like the taste of syrup flakes on the kuehs:-)

p/s: Sending this to Malaysian Muhibbah Monday

AnnouncingThe Kerala Kitchen event with GIFT for the Best Dish!

2012-05-01T15:40:00.000Z

This month marks the birthday of this blog, The Cooking Doctor. What a happy coincidence then that this month will be my first time hosting an event for the blogosphere. I am happy to announce to all of you dear readers, and invite you to participate in our monthly Kerala Kitchen cooking event!

I must thank the lovely Rose of Magpies recipes for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be the host for this popular monthly event. As lots of you might already knew, the Kerala Kitchen was the brainchild of Ria and Rose, who did a great job of promoting gorgeous dishes of God's own country, Kerala via this monthly event where anyone, and everyone can join! You can jazz up any dish as memoir of Kerala if you live far away from home, and show off you talent of home cooking if you live in Kerala so all of us can learn a thing or two from you.

Few housekeeping notes:

Anyone can join in and any dish with Kerala influence can be sent as entries for the event
In fact, if you are a non-Keralite who loves Kerala style south Indian dishes, this is the chance for you to sharpen up your home cooking skill anf try out our cuisine! Your entries are all welcome
Please post your entries in your blog between 1st May to 31st May 2012 and link it to this announcement page and also The Kerala Kitchen page.
No archived entries allowed, but you can re-post older blog posts as entries to this event.
I would appreciate if you could also drop me a line at thecookingdoctor at gmail dot com, so I could keep track of all entries
Please also send in your best dish picture together with the recipe, preferably in a portrait format as all the entries will be compiled into an e-book! And even a physical book, I shall try:-). If you agree for your recipe to be included in the book, please specify that in the email (when you send in your entries to me), as I can only include recipe and pictures with your permission. I will give you the due credit by linking the original blog post to the recipe with your name and blog name.

Please email me the following:

Your name
Blog name
Dish name
Post url
Photograph of dish as attachment or else I will take it from their post.
Permission to include your recipe & picture (with full credit given to you) in the e-book: Yes/ No
I would appreciate if you could add the Kerala Kitchen logo to your blog post entry

BEST OF ALL..

Let me take the liberty of being the host and make it a wee bit special with a surprise gift for the Best Dish winner. The surprise gift would be delivered worldwide, so let's make this event happening and start cooking!

We shall also select winners for Best Picture Award and Top Contributor.

I look forward to receiving all your entries, ladies:-)

Apple Cinnamon Muffins..late minute breakfast idea

2012-04-22T10:20:00.005Z

I love the smell of Cinnamon Apple in the morning. It smells like victory.-Garfield-

Despite my love for muffins, I must confess, I hardly made them at home. Simple, no fuss recipes are all stacked in the dozens of cookbooks that I collect over the years, yet, these little cuties were usually bought than baked at home. Disgrace! I know. Every me I grabbed a muffin from the Coffee Bean when I need my morning dose of coffee, I would make note to self, to get up a wee bit earlier and quickly whisk a batter that would produce a batch of muffins that could be enjoyed by the rest of the family. Oh wishes, how lovely they are, yet in bleary-eyed mornings when I was always in a rush, muffins seem to be the last thing in mind.

Probably more driven by the enthusiasm to feed Couscous, I decided to throw in food/fruits that she likes and bring in more variety to her breakfast. I stumbled upon this lovely site, and somehow the gorgeous looking muffins lured me to the kitchen to make this wonderful batch of goodness. Again and again. They were just amazing. Couscous loves them, which is a big deal for me, as she can be a fussy eater!

Cinnamon and apples are good pairing, marriage made in heaven. But what gave these muffins a notch up in my book is the addition of brown sugar. Crusted cinnamon sugar which brings back good memories of cinnamon sugar pretzels and churros. I am crazy about cinnamon sugar, and I believe I am not the only one!

The recipe also calls for yogurt and apple sauce, which is a bonus if these muffins are served for kids, bring on the fruit and dairy intake, in any form. As Couscous was introduced to (and loves!) homemade yogurt and homemade applesauce since 6 months old, I have been generously making them on weekly basis. More often than not, my bakes tend to incorporate the yogurt as I think they do enhance the softness of cakes and muffins.

If you are in the mad morning rush, fret not, these muffins are ready in less than half an hour, and creates such a lovely start to the morning. So put your pinny on and let's start baking!

Apple Cinnamon muffins

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
170g plain yogurt
1 large red Gala apple-diced
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup raisins

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare the applesauce. In a small dutch oven, cook the apple with 1 tsp sugar, cinnamon stick and 3 tbsp water. Cook on medium heat until apple pieces are soft and almost mushy. Discard the cinnamon stick, pulse the apple pieces until they become pureed. Keep aside.
2. Cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, yogurt, applesauce and vanilla and continue whisking for few more minutes.
3. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Sift the mixture into the batter, combine all the ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar. Mix half of the portion into the batter.
5. Spoon the batter into muffin cases until up to 3/4 full. Sprinkle the raisin-cinnamon sugar on top of the muffins.
6. Bake the muffins for around 18 minutes until skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool slightly on wire rack and serve whilst still warm. Enjoy your breakfast!

A Road Trip back home and Malaysian style Cardamom Waffles

2012-04-13T03:17:00.002Z

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams

Last week we took a relaxing drive back to my ancestral home to celebrate Mom's birthday as well as a mini break for me with the family. After years of celebrating her birthdays with a quick international phone call or many belated birthday gifts, it was good to know that all it took to go home is just a mere 2 hours drive from where we live. I needed to breathe in the fresh air from my backyard, and reminisce my childhood, stress-free and carefree, with a good book on a swing. Or just let Couscous roam about in spacious rooms and lounges as the space knows no end. So that's what we did. With a good, old fashioned cheesecake and a little jewellery box, we surprised Mom at midnight and promised her some good food would come later, for nearly a week with me being the sous chef!

Just like Couscous discovered the territories of the cats, fish and the various flowers and orchids in our garden, my husband discovered a thing or two about my mother. Some baking pans stacked away in the loft, and treasures of the past that made him finally realised where my baking gene came from! My mom used to bake a lot. She even did professional baking demonstration etc, and if you prod more, her face would brighten up and let you see the other side of her; the baker who patiently ladled another batter into the layered cake in the middle of her sleepless night, just for the neighbour's request. I remembered those childhood days where a throng of her friends would come over for some free cooking lessons, and I learned from early on the basic of baking and cooking just by observing her in action. Alas, those days were gone and nowadays unless if I am at home, there will not be much of baking going on. All the fancy pans were kept into her little secret hiding place, until we came along and decided to take charge!

If there is one thing my mother never made, it would be waffles. Despite owning the waffle griddle, she confessed that it was never used, not a single time, all these years of possession. She happily gave it to me, and I happily mixed a batter one fine afternoon. Excited like a child once again, as growing up my mother never let me come near her baking stuff.

I wanted some Malaysian flavours. After years of having proper continental shop-bought waffles, hand on heart, I prefer the old, rustic Malaysian apam balik, hot griddled fat pancakes laced with creamy sweetcorn, a generous sprinkle of sugar and crushed peanuts. Yum! The waffles were totally addictive and with such wholesome flavours. I was glad that the waffles turned out almost like apam balik, if not better.

How do you make your waffles?

Malaysian style Cardamom Waffles

2 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 eggs-separated
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil or melted butter
2 cups milk
a pinch of salt

Filling
1 cup cream of sweetcorn (from a can)
1/2 cup toasted, crushed peanuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method
1. Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks are formed, and set aside.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre.
3. Add the egg yolks, milk and oil, combine until all the ingredients are well mixed.
4. Fold in the egg whites and the batter is now ready for the griddle.
5. Brush the non-stick waffle pan or waffle griddle with some melted butter or oil. Alternatively non stick spray can also be used.
6. Ladle or using a cup, pour the batter over the griddle and cover with the lid for few minutes or until the switch is automatically off.
7. Layer the filling between the waffles by spreading the corn followed by sprinkles of sugar and peanuts. Enjoy warm!

Note: Use the manual if you have specific waffle pan but generally 5 minutes is all it takes for waffle to be cooked until golden brown.

A bountiful of potatoes...

2012-03-28T16:14:00.005Z

My husband loves potato bonda.

Crispy shells of fried gram flour with melt-in-the mouth potato filling, spiced up and served really hot on cold, gloomy days..marvellous! It came as no surprise then that he has been asking, begging me to make some for a long, long time. And not that I deliberately keep him waiting, but truth be told, I did not know any local Indian grocery store nearby that might sell Gram flour, the staple to make those crispy, spicy shells that he yearns for. Even some 24-hour stores which are totally drive-worthy for some late night adhoc shopping could not lure me into some nightly shopping after work, just for a bag of gram flour.

So days became weeks, and weeks became months. There were no sight of potato bonda in our home. Until one fine day, amongst a stack of dhals and other sundries, I spotted the yellow bag. Full of promises, and wishes coming true. I was well pleased to find bags of gram flour in our local wet market that we visit often for some fresh fruits, vegetables and poultry. I could see the broad smile on The Husband's face when I casually toss a bag into our shopping basket, and in my mind, I was hoping that I would have no emergency operation that might require me to go to work again, as how last few Saturdays have been. I just wanted to stay home, and enjoy my cooking. And hope against hope for some heavy rain that afternoon, that would have been perfect.

Anyway, the rain never came. But potato bondas were swiftly presented on our table with a fresh pot of tea. Times like this are what memories are made of. Couscous enjoying her first bites of potato fillings, whislt exclaiming in her baby language 'Hot! Hot!', and the whole plate was licked clean in no time by The Husband, leaving me a couple behind, just for courtesy sake.

I could tell that there would be more request coming my way for those delicious tea time snack to be made again. As I tend to be a wee bit more 'adventurous' when it comes to creating savoury dishes, I realised that I never had any proper measurements or even exact ingredients whenever I made Bonda in the past. The taste invariably is different all the time, albeit claimed to be delicious at all times ( or maybe he is just being polite!). This time, I thought I would jot all the ingredients down, and replicate the same recipe for next time.

There will definitely be a 'next time'.

Potato Bonda

4 large potatoes-boiled and mashed
2 cups gram flour
1 red onion-diced
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
few sprigs curry leaves
water as needed
Vegetable or canola oil to fry

Method
1. In a large bowl, add the mashed, boiled potatoes together with salt, coriander powder, chilli and paprika, cumin power, turmeric, curry leaves and onion. Mix well.
2. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and form small balls using cleaned hands.
3. In a separate bowl, put the gram flour and add water as needed until thick batter is formed. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper powder and cumin seeds.
4. Heat the oil to deep fry. Dip each potato ball into the gram batter until it is well covered and gently immerse them into the oil. Fry all sides until golden brown.
5. Serve piping hot with a good cuppa of chai.

Brown Buttered Figs and Lemon Pancakes..a little treat for Brunch

2012-03-24T14:56:00.008Z

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.
-Adelle Davis-

Good day all..and hope just like me, you are also looking forward to tomorrow's Brunch..lazing around for Sunday and taking it easy. A day to relax, and doing things that we love to do, be it family time, sleep-ins, hours of cooking a storm and baking for the neighbourhood, or just shopping around in the malls and a long leisurely walk in nearby parks. Despite my usual enthusiasm to do-it-all for the only day of the week that the whole family is reunited, it is usually futile to achieve a lot in 24 hours and more often than not, I would start my monday with some unfinished business- some ageing egg whites yet to be macaronage (yet again!), piles of clothes yet to be ironed and hung, some bookmarked crafts ideas for the little toddler that alas remain just bookmarks..then the whole cycle repeats itself.

One thing I don't compromise though, is a good breakfast on Sunday. Be it some simple 5 minutes griddle or an elaborate Asian fare, I try to achieve some family time on table, lure the little baby and the Big Baby to breakfast table with some treats. Varying palate they have, and so difficult to please! Instead of force feeding them the same thing again and again, I recreated our usual platter with different twist.

That is how these pancakes were recreated. Nothing creative, just some leftover dried fruits and a bounty of lemons to be used. And what an excellent pairing it was!

The pancake batter only took minutes to be mixed, and voila, should remain one of the last-minute breakfast choices if you are like me, always rushing for time. I usually throw in anything I have in my larder-cinnamon and raisin for some friends who came and stayed over (turned out to be a big hit!), pears and apple, or even chocolate chips. I love those varieties, rather than sticking to the same old blueberries. Sometimes, Couscous loves just plain pancakes so that's what I would do. With some generous drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Even ice-cream when she was too fussed to eat!

Play around with the basic recipe. Create the version that you like, with ingredients that you have. At least you know you can sleep in and still have a brunch ready in minutes!

Brown Buttered Figs and Lemon Pancakes
makes 8

2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 medium sized eggs
3 tbsp butter-melted until browned
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 dried figs-chopped coarsely
lemon zest from 1 lemon
4 tbsp lemon juice

Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest.
2. In separate bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, melted brown butter and buttermilk. Add the lemon juice. Pour the wet ingredients to the flour and mix well until smooth batter is formed with no lumps.
3. Heat a skillet and spray with some cooking spray or a dash of melted butter. Using a ladle, pour a laddle or 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles are formed before flipping the pancake to cook the other side.
4. Serve warm with maple syrup, fresh fruits, or even Greek yogurt.

A Shot of Cinnamon Cocoa

2012-03-17T17:35:00.011Z

A shot of this elixir is probably all we need before we go to bed.

Something warm for the spirit. A dash of spice to cool the nerves and calm us down. Lately things have been pretty hectic here, and I simply forgot all about my routine for years, I did not even have time to pour the milk to the pan and boil it for minutes! Yes, it only takes minutes but lately I found myself drifting asleep before I even noticed it. Many a time, I fell asleep whilst trying to put Couscous to bed and she would still be up whereas I am already in my la-la land.

But today, I decided to make a pot of cocoa for the three of us. A little cup for Couscous, an introduction for her already chocoholic palette. So she feels a wee bit grown-up, though I wish at times oh I so want to be her age again, spending hours of playtime, nap and mommy's cuddles.

She waited patiently, all huddled up on my hip, staring at the pot of milk until it bubbles, and the whole kitchen smells of cinnamon. Forget the television noise in the background, we were both immersed in stirring the milk and concentrating on the moments.

Moments of togetherness. A bonding time.

Something that she and I have been missing for months ever since my maternity leave is over. Those moments are precious, and if I could steal those minutes in the kitchen, so be it, I shall frame it in my memory keepsake to remember as she gets older. And whilst we do that, our drink was ready.

Such a simple drink, yet so satisfying. And whilst I am typing this and sipping my remaining cocoa, Couscous is already asleep, drifted into sweet oblivion after a small mug of cocoa. Her new found elixir of love, chocolate and everything cinnamon-y. I wish those moments would last forever, and there will be plenty more mugs of cocoa in future. And I shall enjoy these rare moments of solitude, leaving you with random excerpts of Desiderata..

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. Whatever your labours and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.With all its sham drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Hot cinnamon cocoa

serves 2

3 tbsp dutch processed cocoa powder ( I use Valrhona for a bit of luxury)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar (more or less depending on personal taste)
1 tsp honey
2 cups fresh milk

In a milk pan, simmer the milk and all the ingredients on medium heat.
Whisk gently whilst simmering so the cocoa is well combined.
When the milk has reached boiling point, remove from heat and serve warm in individual mugs.

Baguette croutons with Ottoman spices..exotically Turkish!

2012-03-11T15:32:00.013Z

I am back from a fantastic trip of a lifetime in Turkey and somehow the holidays which ended only few days back seemed like an eternity ago! The marvels of Constantinople history and the beautiful coastal view of Turkish Reviera from the little town of Belek, Antalya really rejuvenated me and brought a lot of fond memories and nostalgia from my trip there 9 years ago. So many things have changed, yet certain things remained the same. The old Grand Bazaar was still buzzing with passers-by from all walk of life, haggling the precious stones, brass and beautiful antic carpets in between sips of Suleimaniye apple tea. The rose oil, musks and aroma from Spice Bazaar enticed me in to taste and savour, from the dried figs and candied lemons to the exquisite Turkish delight and oh-so syrupy bakhlavas..enough to clog the arteries for lifetime!

Turkish food is certainly to die for, and I came back with a lot of recipe ideas that stemmed from a week long of indulgence-feta cheese, cumin roasted cherry tomatoes, kofte and salads, freshly baked baguette and trays of cardamom infused cookies and cakes..but the best of all was Lavash, the turkish fluffy, puffy bread. Glazed with butter with some sesame seed love, totally divine! I hope one of these days I could sneak some few hours in between my calls and family time to compile a little recipe booklet laden with scenic photographs to share with all of you:-).

On the last day in Istanbul, I bought some baguettes for a quick bite but alas, didn't have time to eat them as we were travelling. Inspired by the food that we had and armed with the exotic Ottoman spices that I bought from the bazaar, I thought it would only be fitting to use up the baguette into something useful.

Croutons.

Flavourful croutons, drizzled with olive oil and generously sprinkled with Ottoman spices. Yes, there is a mix called Ottoman spices, the aromatic mixed herbs full of saffron, red chilli flakes, thyme and marjoram. Exotic blend that I would love to use again and again as seasoning, roasted chicken next time, maybe? I was so glad I made those croutons, well stocked soup garnishing on rainy days or even a savoury snack on its own. At least I could recreate some nostalgic aroma of Istanbul in my little kitchen, albeit in the form of croutons.

Baguette croutons with Ottoman spices..exotically Turkish!

2 medium sized baguettes or 1 long baguette(preferably 1 day old)

3 cloves garlic-minced finely

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp Ottoman spice mix

1 tsp Kosher salt (or coarse sea salt)

For Ottoman spice mix (you can make this at home!)

1/2 tsp saffron strands

1 tbsp sumac ( you can get this at any Arabic/Middle eastern store)

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp chilli flakes

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground mint

1 t bsp ground fennel

1 tbsp dried marjoram

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp dried ginger

1 tbsp ground cumin

Combine all spice ingredients in a grinder and grind to fine powder. Store in airtight container as this recipe yields more than enough for this recipe. This can be stored up to 2 weeks, ideally.

Method for Croutons

1. Cut the baguette into 1 inch cubes.

2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the ottoman spice mix and remove from the heat.

3. Add the baguette cubes, and coat them well with the spices.

4. Spread the baguette cubes onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

5. Bake for 20 minutes at 180C, turning the tray once or twice or use 3-d hot air for even baking.

6. Remove from oven and once cooled, store the croutons in airtight container or glass jar.

Chilli Pickle

2012-03-04T19:26:00.009Z

I never had the opportunity to meet my grandfather. He passed away four years before I was born, thus the only memories I created of him are based on my mother's stories, some faded old photographs of him and inherited family recipes passed down to my mother. There is much ambiguity about his lineage, but a lot of our family members believed that my grandfather had some Persian blood and was amongst the early voyagers who finally settled in Malaya. If anything goes by the speculation, our cooking certainly has a lot of Persian elements to it, and the more I get to know the worldly cuisines, the more I am convinced that there is more to my grandfather than what we knew.

This chilli pickle, for example, is one of his signature 'dishes' that could be seen on the streets of Middle eastern countries, Turkey as well as Kerala; so I could not tell where it originates from. There was always a jar accompanying our lunches and dinners back home when I was growing up. Then somehow my mother stopped making them. For many years there were no mason jars filled with chillies, lemons or the like. We resigned to the store bought achar instead until one day I spotted the fresh looking chillies in the market and asked my mother for the homemade pickle recipe.

The actual process of 'marinating' the chillies took only minutes, using only the simplest of spices, but it is highly recommended that the chillies are left 'to mature' for at least a week before consumption.

We loved the pickle as hor d'oeuvre with accompanying feta cheese or as a side to spice up bland main courses with steamed rice. I wished then that I have made the pickle sooner, for it certainly brought back a lot of fond memories of growing up and I hope it brings some nostalgic moments for my mom too, who obviously had the first hand experience of watching my grandfather making these pickles week after week when she was growing up.

Chilli Pickle

20 fresh green chilli (or chilli peppers)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 whole cloves garlic
4 small shallots
1/2 cup white vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sesame oil

Method
1. Cut the chillies diagonally or slit along the length for longer chilli pickle.
2. Heat the sesame oil. Throw in the mustard seeds until they splutter. Add the shallots, sesame seeds, garlic, turmeric and salt. Fry only briefly until the shallots wilt a bit and do not let them brown. Keep aside.
3. Sterilise the mason jars by heating them up in the oven at 180C for about 15 minutes.
4. Arrange the chillies in the jars. Add the spices and sugar. Mix them well.
5. Slowly pour the vinegar until the chillies are all covered.
6. Seal the jars tightly and store them in dark cupboard for at least a week to mature.

Granola Yogurt Parfait..with mediterranean twist!

2012-02-26T14:40:00.017Z

I have forgotten the number of times I made granola, the frequency is definitely getting more now, just as the homemade yogurt has taken its permanent place on my kitchen stove every week. One of the best thing I bought from Lakeland, a quirky kitchenware shop in the UK was the yogurt maker, and what a blessing it was! I was gobsmacked when I discovered the price of yogurts in Singapore, and even more disappointed to know that the Greek style or Muller's corners are not readily available here. So I found my new love. Yogurt making, and layering the opulent creamy scoops with crunchy granola, coconut flakes or from whatever that I have in the pantry that takes my fancy that day.

That was how my homemade parfait was reconstructed. Couscous loves them to bit. (Don't laugh but we do really call her that after my daily pregnancy cravings of couscous when I carried her). She loves to snack on yogurt and always ask for seconds when granola is added in. It soothes me to know that she loves her food, especially on days when she refused much of her lunch meals. It is also good to know that she has my palate, and fancy the same thing that I do.

So I improvised.

I want her to have some variations, and not get bored of the same snack over and over again. More creative layers were used, from runny honey, melted chocolates and recently, some homemade Seville orange marmalade. I find that the slight bitterness from the marmalade cuts the tangy yogurt and sweetness of the granola in such a complementary manner. With some pistachios and pomegranate in hand one day, I decided to bring our everyday parfait to a heightened level and hence this exotic treat was created.

This creation befits the mood my family is in at the moment, all in anticipation of our trip to the Istanbul and Turkish Riviera soon..bags all packed and ready to go, so here's leaving y'all with a short visual note of the granola parfait and hope I shall be able to post more on my travels upon my return..hasta la vista!

Chocolate Coconut Granola

5 cups rolled oats (please do not use instant oatmeal as the results does vary!)
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips or broken chocolate pieces
1/2 cup nuts ( I usually include chopped almonds or walnuts)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
3 tsbp orange peel
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/2 cup clear runny honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a big mixing bowl, mix the rolled oats, salt, vanilla, orange peel, chopped nuts and dessicated coconut. Preheat the oven to 170C.
2. In a saucepan, mix the oil, brown sugar and honey and let the mixture simmer until boiling point.
3. Pour the honey mixture into the oats and combine well until all the dried ingredients are coated with the oil mixture.
4. Spread the oats on to the baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes, rotating the trays twice whilst baking.
5. Once remove from the oven, quickly pour the oats back into the mixing bowl and throw in the dried cranberries, raisins and chocolate chips (or chocolate pieces). Mix well until the chocolate is slightly melted.
6. Once cooled, store the granola in an airtight container and this should last for about 2 weeks.

Note: I deliberately do not mix the raisins prior to baking as I think they taste slightly bitter after being baked.

Granola Yogurt Parfait

1 cup homemade Greek style yogurt (recipe to follow soon)
1/2 cup Granola
3 tbsp Seville orange marmalade
a handful of de-shelled pistachios
2 tbsp honey
a handful of pomegranate seeds

Method

In a clear glass, fill 1/3 of the glass with yogurt. Generously layer the marmalade followed by a spread of granola. Layer it again with yogurt followed by honey and granola. Spread some yogurt on top and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pistachios for garnishing.

Serve cold.

A fresh look, a good news and a London giveaway!

2012-02-19T14:02:00.011Z

Is it too late to wish you a sweet Valentine's?

If you are a regular reader, you would notice the lack of posts in here. So will you notice the facelift I have given to the blog, and I hope you would tell me your feedback on it. I notice that I hardly talk about my work here, not for the fear of being pompous, but I truly use the blogging platform as my sanctuary, away from the hectic day job which can be somewhat challenging.

But today, I would let you know a little snippet of what I do at work, and the recent achievements which I hope would bring work and blogging together in the form of travel and photography, exotic cuisines and international meetings. I have been invited to present my research work in a place so heavenly that I can't wait to go: Antalya, Turkey. That is why I have been away from the blog for so long. Those days and nights spent sorting out all the paperwork, statistics and all the same not neglecting my darling girl at home. I am all excited when I found out that the work will be recognised on international playing field, but more than that I am all set to savour the turkish delights and click away the beautiful shots of this heavenly mediterranean coast!

To celebrate the good news and the belated Valentine's special exclusively for you, it is about time I also announce an exciting giveaway that was offered by the lovely Caitlin to one of my readers. Caitlin is the owner of the upcoming London gourmet food delivery website, Hello Fresh..and below is Caitlin's own words to all of you:

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Life can be hectic and rushed, with not enough time to think about things that are really important - like eating healthy food. HelloFresh's mission is to simplify your life by eliminating the need to grocery shop and find recipes, by delivering them right to your door. HelloFresh is easy to use and designed for the busy person who wants to savour healthy delights.

Step 1: Simply choose the number of meals you want to recieve, either 3 or 5, and the number of people who will be eating them, either 2, 4 or 6.

Step 2. Relax and let them come to you. We will deliver the meals fresh to your door Mondays between 5pm and 9pm, free of charge.

Step 3: Enjoy the art of cooking. Each recipe takes no longer than 30 minutes for preparation, and has in the past included things like chili con carne, quiche, shrimp pasta and grilled chicken with vegetables.

Step 4: Feel the vitality. The recipes are designed by our chefs and nutritionists so that they are balanced and healthy and rich in nutrients. Keep yourself and your family in ideal health.

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So for a chance to win the giveaway, please leave a comment here between now and Feb 29th 2012. To be eligible for the giveaway:

1. You must like the HelloFresh facebook page

2. Follow The Cooking Doctor by google connect, email subscription or like my FB page

3. You must have a London address in order for the delivery to be sent

So I shall leave you to salivate over the healthy recipes that HelloFresh has to offer, whilst I go finish up my reports and pack my sunnies for some Turkish weather:-)

Madeleine..ma cherie!

2012-01-28T13:13:00.001Z

For the past couple of weeks, the pots and pans in my kitchen have been clinking away with their own 'chicken-dance', and the steam from the hob greets me in the mornings as I prepare food for The Baby, such ungodly hours at times, yet the harmony was inevitable. My kitchen has been busier than ever. It was pure bliss to be a housewife once again, albeit for a few days, a week at the most. The whole island is still celebrating the remnants of Chinese Lunar New Year, and although I happily did the on-calls, I also welcomed the 'post-call' breaks in between this holiday seasons. Time well shared with loved ones, cooking savoury dishes and baking sweet treats with a running toddler who keeps coming 'to help' in Mommy's forbidden kitchen.

I wanted to be adventurous. I wanted to go beyond the mundane weekly dishes that I seem to prepare nowadays, out of necessity, as we have to eat, right? I decided once and for all to inaugurate the shiny new Kenwood Chef that The Husband bought for me last year, but only arrived in the shipment couple of weeks ago. And for those of you KitchenAid lovers out there, take heart, my loyalty with The Chef knows no bound:-) Given that it was such an auspicious baking ritual, note to self, it has to be a recipe worthy of the event, and after some mind-boggling decision making (yes, I am so fickle!), I decided to try out a recipe that I have never baked before, yet is so dear to me.

Madeleines.

The nibbles with strong coffee. A hurried snack from the corner shop in Madrid. A stashed away bagful of these scallop-shaped treats from the local Delifrance on my on-call days, and the nights. So I quavered. Would a homemade madeleine let me down, and together with the disappointment, also banish away all the romantic memories I associate with it?

This is when the cookbook collections come handy. (note to Husband: Please ignore all the cookbooks scattered everywhere, and please don't roll your eyes if I buy some more, as they are useful, dahling!). Hidden amongst all the baby books and toys are my Australian Women's weekly cookbooks, they are gem I tell you, don't snigger at their thin volumes as the recipes do produce wonders. Never let me down. So far.

Within minutes, some gorgeous madeleines were ready. Piping hot, soft and fluffy. The Husband was well impressed, and kept singing praises of The Chef (not me, but the Kenwood that he gifted!), and dare I say, they will give Delifrance a good run for their money, in my humble opinion:-). I sneaked a couple of pieces into The Baby's yogurt as a parfait snack, and she thoroughly enjoyed it like a true foodie.

I thought, it would be a crime if I don't share it with you, so voila, recipe and all for you to try. Like now. Quick. It will be the best 20 minutes well spent making them. And the best thing is, they look so gorgeously delicate, and just a bite would conjure up images of a walk down the cafes at Champs-Elysses on winter days. Now, that is irresistible.

Madeleines

recipe Australian's Women Weekly cookbook

makes standard 20 pieces

2 large eggs

2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)

2 tbsp castor sugar

1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup self raising flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

75g butter-melted

Method

1. Preheat oven at 180C.

2. Beat the eggs, castor and icing sugar on high speed until pale, fluffy and triple in volume. Add the vanilla extract.

3. Sift the flours and salt directly onto the egg batter. Beat until all the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Whilst the mixer is running, pour the melted butter gradually until it is well mixed into the batter.

5. Spoon the batter into the greased madeleine moulds.

6. Bake them for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden hue.

Note: Although the traditional cast-iron madeleine mould is recommended for the authentic crisp at the edge look, do not shy away from using silicone madeleine moulds. I used silicone mould and have no complaint about it:-)

King Prawn Biryani..for the royal in YOU

2012-01-20T17:16:00.001Z

So how's the New Year resolutions going? Now that it is already past mid-January, I bet some of you might have fallen off the healthy- bandwagon so here I am, kick starting the mantra of healthy eating with a twist, do you know that you can still enjoy your scrumptious food without compromising the taste, and oh, without resorting to just salads?

I'm sure many of you would judge biryani as high calorific food, something only for special occasions, and the cumbersome methods of making it. Well, it could be simpler. This is one of the main dishes that seem to adorn our dining table almost on weekly basis, and certainly on ad-hoc notices too. I remember too well how to make those royal delights, so much so that the recipe seems ingrained in my brain and ready to whiplash into the culinary dance of pots and pans, to produce fluffy cooked basmati rice nicely blended with the rich spices and meat.

My mom is the expert when it comes to making biryani. She would enlist a long list of ingredients, and spices ground from scratch. She would probably give me a weird look if I say that my biryani is not laden with ghee but olive oil instead. She would probably also turn her nose up if I ever dare mention shop-bough biryani masala, so I compromise whenever I cook her signature dish at home; I stay true to my olive oil yet I follow her road of roasting and grinding the spices from scratch..and what a difference it gives to the taste! And if I want to go up a notch on my healthy menu, I choose seafood instead of the lamb. Like this prawn biryani. Ready in a jiffy, yet gives the false impression of day long labour in the kitchen.

My mouth waters again just at the mere thought of savouring those succulent prawns and morsels of the spiced rice. I think it is about time I make them again. Especially with the weekend looming, this is the perfect entertaining meal in my book, or a lazy one pot meal for the family. Babies included.

Enjoy the recipe, and do replicate it at your own home:-)

Jumbo King Prawn Biryani

1 kg (6 cups) basmati rice-soak for 30 minutes in water and drained

12 cups water (with 1 tbsp salt mixed in)

500g large king prawns-cleaned

4 tbsp olive oil

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

5 shallots-julienned finely

2 large red onions

2 inch ginger-minced

2 bulbs garlic-minced

2 tomatoes-chopped coarsely

a generous pinch of saffron (soak in 3 tbsp of water)

yellow food colouring

1 handful of chopped coriander leaves

1 handful of chopped mint leaves

Garnishing: Fried shallots, roasted almonds

Biryani masala:

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 cardamoms

5 peppercorns

Method

1. Prepare the biryani masala. Dry roast all the spices on low heat until they are fragrant. Pulse in a blender to form fine powder.

( You would yield a large quantity of the masala, which can be stored in an airtight container for at least 1 month if not used immediately)

2. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Fry the cloves, cinnamon and shallots until fragrant.

3. Add in half portion of the sliced onions, ginger and garlic (Keep some onions, ginger and garlic aside for the prawn). Fry until the raw smell is gone and onions are wilted.

4. Add in the washed and drained basmati and coat the rice well with the other ingredients.

5. Once the rice are almost dry, transfer it to the rice cooker and pour in salted water. Alternatively, the rice can be cooked in a pot covered with a lid, under low heat. Cook rice until 3/4 cooked

6. Whilst rice is cooking, heat some olive oil in the wok. Shallow fry the king prawns until they turn pink. Set aside.

7. Using the same oil, fry the remaining onions, ginger and garlic until the raw smell is gone.

8. Add the biryani masala and fry until oil splutters. Add in the saffron with water and tomatoes.

9. Once tomatoes are a bit mushy, add the prawns and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens.

Layering method

Place 1/3 of the cooked rice in a dutch oven or casserole.Splash the yellow food colouring and using a fork, colour bits of the rice to form colourful tinge of yellow. Garnish the top layer with half of the coriander and mint leaves. Place half of the prawns with gravy and repeat the layering process until complete with rice on top.

Steam or bake the rice for further 15 minutes.

Garnish with some fried shallots and roasted almonds.

Scoop from the bottom of the dish for servings.

* Sending this flavourful dish to The Kerala Kitchen, which is hosted this month by Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal*

Suji Cookies..welcoming the 2012!

2012-01-10T03:44:00.002Z

Well, well, 10 days into the new year and here I am, all delayed yet again to wish all of you a Happy start to hopefully, another meaningful year of life.

It's hard to believe but a year has just passed by, leaving the trail of memories..reflections..and just like another start of the year, the cliche of resolutions. I embraced 2012 with all the positive changes of what 2011 brought to us, some really remarkable feats including the birth of this blog, and the friendships I made with fellow bloggers..priceless!

Having said that, it has not been a terribly good start of the year. And sometimes, trying too hard to be positive takes a toll on its own when all I wanted to do is curl up into my own oblivion and cocoon myself to sleep, but of course the days have to go on, and probably the only time I could really stop and have time for myself is the odd five-minute break of tea. Or coffee for that matter.

I need lots and lots of them, it seems, these days.

Yes, I tried to bake more, and those hours of kneading the dough, or mixing the flours or cutting up the pastry really do wonders to the mind. As it is, I am too quick nowadays is to reach for the cookie jar, and those other sweet treats that I bake almost daily seem to distract me from eating too many cookies at once. Except, I can't get enough of those Suji cookies. They are my childhood favourite. It feels that every morsel that I take lures me down the sweet memory lane of childhood once again. Funny how taste is so much associated with memories. Every year, without fail there would be a jar of Suji cookies waiting for me at home, every time I came back for holidays, every festive occasions that call for sweet treats, and sometimes parceled all across the continents for me to savour during uni days.

As a result, I never made those cookies myself. I always rely on my mom to bake me some, craving for her love in the form of the cookies. She made them time and time again. Such an easy recipe, why don't you bake it yourself? She used to say. I know that, but I also know that it won't feel magical, maternal, something that I can nibble for my tea-break and pretend the world is beautiful. Perfect.

I only took those photographs for my keepsake..and thought I could share my mom's recipe here too.
Something sweet for you, to embrace the new year.

Suji cookies

900g plain flour
300g castor sugar
500g ghee-melted

Method
1. Mix the flour and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Whilst still hot, add the melted ghee gradually forming a dough until all the ingredients are well kneaded and not tacky.
3. Cover the dough with a cling film and keep aside in cool place for at least 8 hours.
4. Preheat the oven at 170C. Using clean hands, shape the dough into 2cm sized balls and arrange them on a greased baking tray.
5. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes until the top almost cracked and turned golden.

Farmhouse Biscuits..a lil gift of festive to you

2011-12-20T11:25:00.000Z

It's holiday season yet again.

Everywhere around me, there is a rush of festivities going on. From huge, tall Christmas trees adorning the shopping malls and streets, year-end parties, Secret Santa gift exchanges to the aroma of baking in the blogosphere, more so than before. Anything homemade is considered de rigeur this season, with packs of goodies and hampers well received in the neighbourhood.

This is where I want to join in. Wholeheartedly.

Baking for a cause. Baking is sharing. A little joyous ribbon tied parcels for friends and neighbours. Given the unexpected leave that came my way, I used the time with delight and baked one of my all time favourite goodies to share.

Farmhouse biscuits. Quintessentially English, a reminiscence of years buying those cookies from my local grocer in England. Those cookies, 8 for £1.79 were homemade too, arranged neatly on a paper tray and sealed with love. I was complacent enough to savour them without any inkling of making them at home myself. They were delicious, they were homemade, and I presumed must be without the unwanted preservatives, so why bother replicating them?

Then the move. Then the longing for those things that used to be there, at the doorstep, but alas, no longer within reach. It was pure chance that I flicked through my old, worn out cookbook and came across the recipe, almost jumping out to me, a spooky sign of yearning almost fulfilled. This recipe even has the secret weapon of peanut butter, a dash of goodness that I love so much, I was more than happy to bake those munchies at the first sight of dawn. The recipe certainly did not disappoint, and without further ado, I whizzed 2 more batches of dough for giveaways. Local neighbours and friends who could share the love of this English cookies too, now from the hearth of my oven.

A ribbon-tied parcel was given to the local shopkeeper's wife, so she could take a break from standing all day long minding the customers.

Another parcel was safely delivered to the old lady down the road, by none other than The Baby and her grandma, safe in the knowledge that those cookies would sure give a tiny amount of pleasure on otherwise, her another mundane day.

The cookie jars are filled. A special jar tucked at the corner, especially for The Husband, our own Santa whose presence is much awaited for! (Sorry honey, if you are reading this, no more surprises for you)

I wish I could reach all of you with a cookie jar, or a ribbon-tied parcels, for friendship sake, for the holidays, for those lovely comments whilst I was on my blogging break, and for ending the year with a sweet note. Alas, given the impossibility of such dream, I shall share the recipe with you so you could make those cookies too. In the comfort of your own home. Those cookies are easy bake for the kids, let your tiny helpers splutter the dough in whatever shape, they will turn out just fine. Perfect for bonding time in the kitchen, this hols season. And whilst the cookies are fresh from the oven, adorn them with your prettiest ribbons and give them away to those you love, will ya?

Farmhouse Biscuits

recipe from Martha Day's Complete Baking
makes 21 medium sized biscuits

115 g unsalted butter
100g light brown soft unrefined sugar
70g peanut butter
1 egg
55g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of salt
170g muesli (or rolled oats)
55g raisins
55g chopped nuts (walnut/almonds/pistachio)

Method
1. Cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Add in peanut butter, followed by egg.
3. Transfer the batter in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and sift through onto the batter. Combine well.
4. Stir in the muesli (or rolled oats), raisins and nuts.
5. Using an ice-cream scoop or tablespoon, drop a dollop of batter onto a greased baking tray. I prefer using silicon mat as they are non-stick. Flatten the dollop with back of spoon to form an almost flat circle of 3 cm diameter.
6. Bake cookies at 180C for 15 minutes for chewy cookies, or 18 mins if you like them crunchy. They should turn lightly golden by 15 mins.
7. Cool the cookies on the wire rack. The cookies will firm up a bit whilst cooling.
8. Store in airtight container.

Steamed Chicken Char Sui Bao

2011-12-18T09:15:00.001Z

What an irony.

This recipe has been siting in my draft for such a long time, waiting for its 'release', until the Daring Cooks' December challenge was announced...its Steamed Bao, or Pao as I knew it, so I thought it's time to make this blog alive again with this post:-)

This month's Daring Cook challenge is Char Sui Bao, courtesy of Sara from Belly Rumbles. I am well amazed that she challenged us to try this traditional Oriental delight that I could nowadays get on daily basis at workplace. I grew up with paos that my mom makes regularly at home, and it remains one of my favourite dim sum menu. Given the halal diet that we strictly adhere to, and the obvious lack of halal meat in pao filling, I am so used to homemade pao and chicken char sui which conforms to our diet restrictions. Lately I have been following the dough recipe from SmokyWok, one of the well-known Malaysian bloggers. This time round, I thought I shall use the recipe provided by Sara, and I am happy to report that both recipes gave wonderful outcomes:-). Having said that, I am a creature of habit, so I always resort to Hong Kong flour instead of plain flour for the dough.

It has been raining cats and dogs lately here, and these wonderful fresh-from-the steam buns are perfect for the lazy afternoon with sips of herbal tea. Over the last few years of making my own homemade pao, I learnt that more important than the dough is the filling, if you get the filling right, the buns would taste divine. There is an array of fillings that can be tried apart from char sui, use any meat you like. Sweet filling like red bean paste. Savoury curry flavoured chicken. Stir-fry tofu with black pepper. The choice is ultimately yours.

One thing though.

Make enough buns, with at least 2 buns for each of you as one is definitely not enough.

Steamed Chicken Char Sui Bao

Sara's dough recipe:

2½ teaspoons (8 gm/1 satchel) of dried yeast
¼ cup (55 gm/2 oz) sugar
½ cup warm water
2 cups (280 gm/10 oz) plain flour
1 egg (medium size - slightly beaten)
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon (3 gm) salt
Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with a dash of water
(1 cup=240 ml, 1 tablespoon=15 ml, 1 teaspoon=5 ml)

For the filling:

100g minced or ground chicken, marinated in 1 tsp corn flour for about 10 minutes (to tenderise)

1 stalk green onion, sliced

1 cluster bok choy, sliced thinly

2 tbsps grated fresh ginger, together with the juice

Seasoning:

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsps light soy sauce

1 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsps cornstarch/ cornflour mixed with 2 tbsps chicken stock

Method:

1. Combine the yeast, 2 tbsps of warm water, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp bao flour in a bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside for 15 minutes. The mixture should turn frothy, if it does not it means that the yeast you used is 'dead' or no longer active, you will have to repeat this step if so. Just FYI, the sugar feeds the yeast so don't skip it.

2. Sift the bao flour and self-rising flour into a large bowl. Add sugar, the melted butter, the rest of the warm water and the yeast mixture from above.

3. With a wooden spoon, start mixing everything together until a soft dough begins to form.

4. Set the wooden spoon aside. Get ready a bowl of additional pao/ bao flour for dusting as it is now time for kneading. I sometimes like to knead my dough in the large metal bowl I regularly use but if you like prepare a floured counter and turn the dough out to knead.

5. Knead the dough with your hands for about 3-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. As you can see, I kneaded this by hand and it is not hard at all as the dough is not too wet so you don't have to pull out the mixer.

6. Lightly oil a bowl. Place the kneaded dough into the bowl and cover dough with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. Note that humidity makes a difference so if you're in a cold and dry climate, it may take longer to double in size.

7. While the dough is proofing, it's time to make the filling. Add about 3 tbsps cooking oil to a hot pan or wok and add in the bok choy and green onions. Add in grated ginger and juice. Turn heat to medium. Once aromatic, add in the chicken. Turn heat up. Add seasoning (except for corn starch) and stir around until chicken is cooked, taste a little bit of the chicken and add more seasoning if required. If the mixture looks dry, add 1 or 2 tsps of water at a time. Dish out into a shallow bowl and allow to cool.

8. Check the dough after an hour, the dough should have roughly doubled and it should feel airy and quite porous.

9. Prepare a lightly floured surface and turn the dough out onto it. Lightly punch the air bubbles out and knead again, dusting with additional bao flour as needed.

10. Roll the dough out into a cylindrical shape and divides into balls. Flatten the 'ball' with your hands, turning it around in your palm as you flatten to form a flattened round. There is no need to use a rolling pin for this. My guests and I like to have bao with thicker skins hence you can see that the ratio of filling to skin is almost 1:1 for us but do adjust according to your preferences.

13. Spoon about 1 heaped tsp of filling onto the center of the flattened dough.

14. Start wrapping up the filling in the dough with your right hand while cupping the bao lightly with your left hand.

15. Place the bun on the prepared baking paper squares.

16. Repeat steps above until all the dough is finished up. Anytime the dough seems too sticky, dust with a little bit of bao flour and knead lightly again if needed.

All ready to be steamed for about 12-15 minutes. Serve hot!

Chinese Peanut Cookies..unassumingly delicious!

2011-12-05T14:54:00.000Z

I wanted to pop by here and say 'HI' to all of you for such a long time, but last month proved to be rather challenging when time is concerned. So like a forlorn lover, I waited, and waited for TIME to come by and relieve me from the grueling schedule. But one thing for sure, my workplace is exciting and inspiring enough that last week, I decided to venture into all Oriental cooking, just like the dishes that I got served (for free! and gourmet, mind you) on my operating days. Amongst all the cookie jars and biscuit tins that were arranged neatly in the coffee room, there was a hidden gem that not many staff seems bothered about, but it sure did pique my interest, and before I knew it, I became more enthusiastic than usual to finish up the op so I could savour the 'little gem' afterwards, a little treat for myself. I swear I've never tasted such moreish cookies before, Chinese peanut cookies they call it, tucked in the corner, waiting to melt in the mouth with added crunch of toasted peanuts on top.

Then one day, they just disappeared. Never to be seen again. Replaced by the boring Jacob's crackers, or some jam filled sandwich cookies. They could never be on par as my peanut cookies though. After weeks of yearning, I decided to search for the recipe and do it myself. It was definitely a good call, as not only the yield was over 100 cookies that could last me forever, they also tasted so good, almost as identical as my love-at-first-sight Chinese peanut cookies at work.Apparently those cookies are a must at Chinese New Year, and I can understand why, as I don't mind them any time of the year:-)

I hope I could do more blogging, and blog hopping once this settling in period is over and I could feel like an old seasoned local at this new place..in the mean time, please endure this eerie silence until my keypad gets hold of me yet again. I haven't explored much of the baking bazaars and the little alleyways of bargain hunting here, but guess what, another fellow blogger, Happy Home Baking, really made my settling-in journey much easier, with her long guides on where to get my continental stuff and even the electrical shops with best deal on ovens. Thanks to her, I managed to not only got my much awaited built-in Bosch oven for a cheaper price, and a beautiful handmade walnut cabinet to go with it..so if you are reading, HHB, thank you for all your help, even though we have never met and only connected by this virtual bloodline of food blogging:-)

If you could spare an hour of your time in the kitchen, make sure that hour is spent on making these delicious cookies. You could obviously halve the recipe for smaller yield, but go on, make the full batch, and share them all:-)

Chinese Peanut Cookies
recipe largely adapted from here

600g coarsely ground peanuts
350g sugar
400g all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
400ml corn oil (or neutrally flavoured oil like Canola)
1 egg (mix with 2 tbsp water and a pinch of salt to form egg wash)

Method
1. Toast the peanuts at 180C for 15 minutes.
2. Grind half of the peanuts into fine powder, and I keep the remaining half coarse for the crunchier taste.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the oil and egg wash. Combine well.
3. Slowly add the oil and mix well with clean hands until a soft dough is formed. You can adjust the amount of oil used here.
4. Form small walnut sized balls and using a chopstick or a clean tip of ball point pen (seriously!), indent the middle of the cookie. Alternatively, press half a peanut in the centre like the original recipe.
5. Brush the top of the cookies with the egg wash.
6. Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and cracked slightly.
7. Transfer the cookies to cool on wire rack and keep in airtight container. Enjoy!

Turkey Patties in Devonshire Split Buns..perfect for Thanksgiving!

2011-11-17T15:39:00.000Z

I surprised myself recently whilst scouring though the drafts and realised that I haven't posted those beauties that keep adorning our dinner party tables lately. This is after all my all-time gorgeous buns, without a doubt, the fluffiest 'slider buns' you can get your hands on. I have made them oh so often, sometimes even with sweet fillings, and they are sure to impress. A while back, I was invited by Passplore to contribute some recipes for a Thanksgiving mosaic, and these turkey buns appropriately came to mind. We have never celebrated Thanksgiving before, and I think it is mostly due to the geographic reason more than anything else, but at this juncture of life it seems very appropriate for thanksgiving celebration, to be thankful for all the good things that have bestowed upon us.

To be thankful for being alive.

To be thankful for the perfect health of my family.
To wake up next to a wonderful person who supports through thick and thin.

To be given such a beautiful darling daughter whose cheeky smile just melt anyone's heart.
To be given to heal so many hearts, quite literally!
To be connected to so many beautiful, wonderful people out there through this humble blog, which I know, needs some serious resuscitation once my 'day job' becomes slightly calmer;-)

What better way to celebrate than a tray of goodies, all ready to be shared with everyone that you love? What better way to show empathy to those in need than giving a basket full of buns, that would fill the pang of hunger and leave a lasting note of love?

If you are looking for a perfect mini treats to grace your Thanksgiving table, look no more. Those buns is a must-try and I'm sure will be on your table again, year after year. Dress them up with whatever tickle your fancy, and they are ready in no time!

* This recipe is written especially for Passplore's Thanksgiving mosaic*

Turkey Patties in Devonshire Split Buns
(Bun recipe adapted from Panasonic Breadmaker recipe book,turkey patty is my own )

For the buns:
450g strong white flour (bread flour)
2 tbsp sugar
75g melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium egg
250ml milk
1 tsp yeast
Eggwash- 1 egg diluted with 1 tbsp of water
Sesame seeds (optional)

1. In a glass, proof the yeast with sugar and 100ml of warmed milk. Leave for 10 minutes until the yeast bubbles.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk the egg with melted butter and pour into the flour. Mix well.
3. Add the proofed yeast and the remaining milk. Knead for a good ten minutes until the dough becomes tacky but clean off from the bowl.
4. Leave on the kitchen counter until the dough rises and doubles in bulk. Meanwhile prepare the patties.
5. Once the dough has doubled, punch down the air and divide the dough into small balls. let the dough ball rises for 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven at 200C. Brush the top with eggwash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top becomes golden.
8. Once out of the oven, quickly cover the buns with tea towel, and let them cool.

Turkey Patties

450g lean turkey mince (or chicken/beef/quorn mince)
1 medium size onions-diced finely
3 cloves garlic-minced
1 inch ginger-crushed
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
1 red chilli-finely diced
1 tsp salt
3tbsp olive oil

1 egg

1. Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
2. Heat the olive oil on the skillet. Take a good pinch from the mixed meat and form flat patties with the palm of your hand. Shallow fry the patties until both sides are golden brown.

Assembly
Slice the buns and sandwich them with patties, cheddar slices, salads, ketchup or garlic sauce.

Ketupat..the traditional rice cubes origami..and Eid Mubarak!

2011-11-06T13:42:00.002Z

I was hoping to say, The Cooking Doctor is back with a bang! But the recent big Island Hopping from the UK to another island and making it a new home from home was more exhausting than I thought.

Yes, we did a big move, moving countries and the seven seas. And I am still mourning on the fact that I could no longer get my baking ingredients from Sainsburys or Tesco:-(..After more than a decade of living in England, I sometimes feel weepy just thinking of my old home, understandably, and there are times when I even miss the cold London weather, something that has grown akin to me over those years. On the other hand, it is the beginning of a new exciting journey to discover the new land and trying our best to make the best of this tiny red dot in South China Sea that we call our home for now.

I am happy and honoured that this tiny space is still visited by many, despite the inevitable silence lately. Hence I hope this moving phase will be over soon and we will settle fairly well so I can devote my time for the blog again, with more exciting dishes this time;-) I think the post today is befitting the event of Eid ul Adha today, which is celebrated with much reverence and joy in Asia, and Ketupat, being the traditional origami of rice cubes weaved in coconut leaves cartridge, is a must on every table for the morning of Eid. Just as the passing time, the wave of modernisation has taken over the tradition. Sadly the art of weaving a Ketupat is almost forgotten, thanks to the mass production of 'rice cubes in a packet' which is widely available in the Asian supermarkets nowadays. When I was in London and craved for some good old Malaysian food, those rice packets were my saving grace, but now that I am nearer to home, I took the opportunity to weave those coconut leaves again. Preserving the tradition.

Just like the good old childhood days.

Only better, as now I could pass the tradition to the Baby, way too young to do it herself but curious and watchful as I weaved two coconut leaves delicately into a cartridge, which was later half filled with raw rice. Those pockets of rice were then boiled to perfection, hours of waiting before they arecooled and ready to be cut into cubes, and enjoyed with delicious condiments.

During my walks by The Riverwalk and Clarke Quay, areas dominated by the burgeoning throngs of expats from Australia, UK and the USA, I was surprised to see Ketupat making its popular entry in the restaurant menus in the area. I was even more thrilled to see those expats eating this traditional rice cubes with the ever popular side dishes such as peanut sauce, fried tempe and tofu, and beef rendang.

If you never had Ketupat before, this is the time to try them! I know The Husband still doesn't understand the concept of packed rice cubes, when one could just enjoy the rice as it is, but hopefully one day he will be a happy convert;-). Obviously coconut leaves are difficult to find, and I don't expect you to know how to weave a Ketupat, so the recipe below will guide you to make 'Ketupat' using a simple Ziploc bag, something you can try at home, any time, any day:-)

* Wishing all Muslims, wherever you are, a Happy Eid Mubarak *

Ketupat..Packed Rice Cubes

1 cup raw rice

5 medium sized Ziploc bag

Water for boiling

Method

1. Wash and drain the rice.

2. Fill each Ziploc bag with washed rice until half full, and after locking the bag, fold the edge and staple it to reinforce the lock. The bags must be sealed.

3. Fill a heavy bottomed pan with water and place those rice bags in the pan.

4. Simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours. By this time the ziploc bags will be fully expanded with the cooked rice.

5. Drain the bags from water and keep it cool for about half an hour to 1 hour before cutting the rice bag into cubes.

6. Enjoy the rice cubes with delicious side dishes like Beef Rendang, sambal or Malaysian peanut sauce.

The Ever Versatile Kerala Chicken Roast

2011-10-23T11:04:00.000Z

I don't know whether it's the enticingly unique description of 'roast' or the mouthwatering pictures that did it, but the moment I saw Nashi of Plateful's recent post on 'Kerala style Chicken Roast'; a roast that does not involve oven, I knew then that this dish is a definite bookmark for the weekend. She really knows how to describe her curry well, I tell you, as I was on trance for the whole week and could not wait for the weekend to try out the curry. I agree with her that most Indian curries which are popular especially in the West tend to veer towards North Indian Mughlai dishes, leaving the South Indian counterpart a bit neglected. Roast is a term used in Kerala dishes where the gravy is semi-dry. In our household, we tend to have an easy quick of chicken fry masala which is almost like this curry sans coconut milk. I thought it was time for me to try a creamier version of chicken roast, and voila, the result was just outstanding.

When you get two thumbs up from your Kerala-born father who esteemed this curry as 'the best remembrance of his childhood days in Kerala and the best he has tasted so far', I thought I shall post it here too for the benefits of all, although if you are after fabulous clicks and stunning photography, I suggests you head off to Nashi's space where the justice to the curry is definitely done.

We had ours a good few hours ago with hot, steaming fragrant rice, and the taste is still lingering in my palate. Next time I shall make some Roomali roti to go with it, this is a definite keeper, and gives all the Mughlai dishes a good run for their money.

The Ever-Versatile Kerala Chicken Roast

recipe adapted from here, originally from Vanitha magazine

1 whole chicken-skinned and cut into small pieces

Marinade:

1.2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp chilli powder

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp coconut oil

2 medium sized onions-sliced

2 tomatoes-diced

4 cloves garlic- minced

2 inch ginger-grated

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tbsp fennel powder

1/2 tbsp garam masala

few sprigs curry leaves

lemon wedges

1 cinnamon stick

salt to taste

2 cloves

1 can thick coconut milk

Method

1.Marinade the chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients and keep for at least 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dry roast the spices: fennel powder, coriander and chilli powder. Keep aside.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a wok and shallow fry the chicken in batches until almost cooked and golden brown. Keep aside.

4. Using the same oil, fry the curry leaves, cinnamon stick and cloves until fragrant. Add the onions and minced ginger-garlic.

5. Once the onion is almost translucent, add the dry roasted spices. Let the mix be well blended and add the tomatoes followed by the fried chicken.

6. Coat the chicken well with the spices and add the garam masala.

7. Pour the coconut milk, season with salt and tiny bit of lemon juice.

8. Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer until the gravy changes to darker colour and becomes semi-dry.

9. Serve warm with rice, rotis, baguette, the choice is yours.

Asyura..a meal for all ages

2011-10-21T03:43:00.000Z

I had a feeling that my blogging days will come to almost a halt when I commenced my 'real' job once again, and unfortunately my prediction has been almost accurate. My apologies for not being able to leave a comment or two here and there on your blogs, nowadays it seems I hardly even have time to glance through the kitchen let alone venture on my bakes. Terrible shame, I know, but oh well, at least the stove is still steaming up some essentials. This beautiful porridge is definitely one of the 'essentials' that keep the family going with this new change of 'mommy is now at work'. An easy one-pot meal, perfect for us and sans salt, it is a tasty meal for The Baby.

A few weeks back, I came across a lovely lady called Deepa on my Emirates flight London-Dubai. We got talking and she asked me for some baby food recipes. That was when I realised I hardly put any healthy baby meals on the blog, for the mere reason that after blending they don't generally look appetising:P So Deepa, if you are reading this, hope you will try this out for your little one:-)

Asyura is traditionally served on Asyura Day, which falls on 10th Muharram of Muslim Hijri calendar. To mark the auspicious occasion, this one-pot rice meal with meat of your choice, vegetables and spices would blend together and simmer for hours. It is certainly worth the wait, I tell you. Dress it up with some coriander leaves and deeply fried shallots, you would be amazed that a simple porridge can taste that good. This remains one of my favourite meal, my escapade on days that I am too busy to cook leisurely yet crave for a divine taste. And I certainly make this porridge ever so often than once a year, it keeps coming back to our table irrespective of seasons.

Give this recipe a go, and you'd be amazed with the results too.

Asyura Porridge

2 cups basmati rice
200g meat of your choice ( I like cubed lean beef)
1 carrot-diced
1/2 cup green peas
2 potatoes-quartered and cubed

1 cup thick coconut milk
5 shallots-thinly diced
1 red onion
2 inch ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
8 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

Method
1. Dry roast the coriander powder, cumin, fennel seeds and black pepper until fragrant. Add some water and blend to form a thick paste. Set aside.
2. Blend the red onion, ginger and garlic to form a paste and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the shallots until golden brown. Set aside.
3. Using the same pan, brown the beef (or chicken/lamb etc). Add the spices and blended onions, ginger and garlic. Once the spices are well blended, add in the rice and 6 cups of water.
4. Add the vegetables and salt to season.
5. Simmer on low heat for about an hour until the porridge is well cooked.
6. Add the coconut milk at this point and let it simmer for few more minutes.
7. Garnish with fried shallots and chopped coriander leaves.
8. Serve warm.

Note: For babies below 1 year old, same recipe can be used for a tasty meal but without the addition of salt. Just puree until smooth for younger babies, and slightly chunky for older tots:-)

Pumpkin Pistachio Cake..spiced up for Halloween!

2011-10-15T15:01:00.000Z

* This recipe has been published previously in Honest Cooking*

Pumpkin, being de rigeur of autumnal season, must be aplenty these days and I bet has taken its royal place once again in most kitchens. But believe you me, it has crawled its way into my kitchen only recently as part of my baby’s weaning regime as I used to detest its mere existence with a passion. Till date I couldn’t fathom why I never wanted to even try a single morsel of pumpkin in the past, be it in desserts or savouries. Thanks to my enthusiastic experiments with baby food and having to try them before feeding my precious one, I discovered something magical. I actually love pumpkins.

All giddy like a silly teenager just found a new love, I dived head-on my culinary infatuation with pumpkins. I went beyond the baby food and used up the pumpkin for our lunch, tea and dinner; roasted for salads, pureed into soup and even baked as cookies and desserts. I scoured through old cookbooks, and flicked through webpages after webpages but my search for The One pumpkin cake left me in vain. Then one fine afternoon, I decided to take the plunge and bake the pumpkin puree with whatever I had in hand. Toasted pistachios. Dry ginger powder. Lots and lots of black currants. And my ever trusting cinnamon. Asian inspired nuts and spices which are perfect for autumn. The cake was so moist and just out of the world, all I can say is I was not the only one who gobbled up the tea cake in a jiffy.

I might be a wee bit old for Halloween and my daughter is a wee bit young for it too, but if you ever decide to indulge in a devilishly moreish pumpkin cake, look no further. Add a touch of elegance with a dollop of creme fraiche or plain Greek yogurt and a generous sprinkle of ground pistachio. You will be left wanting more.

Pumpkin Pistachio Cake

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup golden castor sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup corn oil
1 heaped tsp cinnamon powder
1 heaped tsp dry ginger powder
1/2 cup black currants
1/2 cup toasted pistachios-coarsely ground
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

To prepare pureed pumpkin, firstly bake the pumpkin chunks for 30 minutes at 180C until soft and tender, puree in a food processor.
In a large bowl, whisk the pureed pumpkin with oil and sugar until sugar is fully dissolved.
Add the eggs and continue whisking until fully blended.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and dry ginger powder.
Add the pistachios and black currants.
Make sure the black currants are well coated with flour as this ensure the currants are well scattered when baked.
Make a well in the centre and add the pumpkin mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes at 170C or until skewer comes out clean and the top is slightly cracked.
Serve warm with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or creme fraiche and sprinkle of chopped pistachios.

Sablé au chocolat (Chocolate Sable)..and E-Book for IndusLadies

2011-10-11T17:02:00.001Z

The world is definitely getting smaller. Is it a good thing, that's another question for all of us to ponder. One thing for sure, the food blog community is definitely getting stronger, and the culinary world being so diversified, it is no surprise that a lot of homemakers nowadays even know how to prepare bakes and cakes which were once foreign to our grandmothers.

Such is the beauty of the world today.

This sablé au chocolat, or easily translated as 'Chocolate sand', is one of the popular festive cookies in France, Thankfully it was also one of the popular festive cookies in my home, with almost 2 decades of yearly bakes for Eid. Growing up in a melting pot of Malays, Chinese, Indians and even Anglo-mixed races in Malaysia, each festive season is celebrated with a passion, irrespective of race, culture nor religion. I remembered vividly getting Ang Pau ( a small red packet with money) after visiting neighbours during Chinese New year, and as a child, playing fire crackers and nourishing myself on Murukku and Bombay mix from the aunties down the road from us during Diwali or Deepavali seasons. Not to forget, the excitements of school holidays and 'man-made snow' with Santa grotto that mushroomed overnight in shopping complexes, some even 2 months before the actual Christmas!

What do we give as festive tribute to our multi-ethnic neighbours? Cookies and cakes, being my mom's specialty, are esteemed highly amongst her friends. Some even came to the house to learn how to bake cookies, some took the shortcuts and asked for trays of goodies to be sent over to theirs, all in good spirit of festivities. Although we lived across the world from France then, somehow, sable au chocolat would be made at home, and sent away as gifts. Year after year. Ironically my trips to Paris and even a short stay there reinforced what I already knew, the cookies are definitely a delight and the recipe that I inherited is for keep.

I am more than happy to contribute the recipe to IndusLadies' E-book of Diwali goodies; albeit virtually, this is my little way of sharing the joy of festivities with those who celebrate. I know it is not traditionally Indian, but judging by how popular this recipe is amongst our family friends, I hope the cookie canisters would be filled with these treats in 130,000 Indian homes this month. Yes, I am flabbergasted to know that is the average number of readers for IndusLadies! Please feel free to download their e-book, 100 Yummy Diwali Recipes, which is full of treats and recipes, available for free from this week to Oct 26th.

In the mean time, let those beauties be a reason itself to celebrate, it's time to indulge in a little bit of piping therapy..happy baking!

Sablé au chocolat

Makes around 30 small pieces

250g butter- kept at room temperature

200 g plain flour

50 g cornstarch flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

30g cocoa powder

120g powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp fleur de sel (fine sea salt)

Note: I never tried normal salt for these cookies, although my mom's original version called for just 'cooking salt', so I suppose that is ok too.

Method

1. Cream the butter with golden castor sugar until almost fluffy.

2. Add the egg yolk and salt. Mix well.

3. Combine the flour, cornstarch flour, baking soda and cocoa powder. Using a metal spoon, add the flour mix to the creamed butter and mix only until everything is well incorporated. Do not overmix.

4. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star-tip nozzle, and pipe each cookie with a swirl onto the baking sheet.

5. Bake for maximum 10 minutes at preheated oven of 170C.

6. Cool the cookies on the rack and store them in airtight container.

Celebration of Life..and Watermelon-Lime Basil Sorbetto

2011-10-06T16:36:00.000Z

This time last year, we have just entered a new phase of being a family.

My beloved daughter was born. The precious moments of motherhood is still fresh in mind.

How a year flies, some would say, but not me. I remembered every detail of it, the whole year of being her mom, the whole year of finding my foot in a new role and letting go of old chores. Sometimes amidts the laughter, I cried with triumph on how well she turns out to be, healthy and charming.

And oh so beautiful.

Last one year was not short, neither was it long. It was just perfect. I learnt a lot about families, relationships, things that hurt, and joys some bring. Eventually all comes to a good end, with three of us being stronger in bond and spirit.We decided to celebrate our daughter's birthday in the grandest gesture that she deserved. although I would be ostracized for not being a true foodie as I left it all to the hands of the caterers. What a fabulous job they did; the menu was just mind-blowing befitting their award-winning 5-star high tea receptions. But what mattered more that day was not the food, venue or decor. My baby was happy, surrounded by people who love her most.

My slight regret was not being able to bake her 1st birthday cake. Oh well, everybody who attended loved the ice-cream/mousse cake that the Hotel Chef baked, so maybe next year it's my turn. I was planning to even bring some homemade cupcakes and macarons, but after reading through the menu that they emailed me before the event, I had to raise a white flag and call defeat, as we were given at least 5 different desserts, including 4 flavours of ice-creams, strawberries and cream, belgian waffles, mousse, puddings, and even petit fours. I don't think our guests would miss my macs and cuppies then.

I think I went overdose with the sweets. So did the kids judging from the scoops of ice-cream passed from one hand to another. We extended our stay in the hotel after the event for few more days, just to linger around in celebratory mood and living in denial, as the event also marks a new chapter in our lives.

Soon it is time to go back to work, full time. Scalpels and all.

Soon we are moving. Childcare. Chores. Chaos.

We went home and headed straight to the freezer for some leftover sorbetto that I have made earlier.

It was as good as new. In fact, ice-cream and sorbets are always enjoyed in our family, almost on daily basis. I would make fresh ice-creams and popsicles for The Baby during summer, and throughout the teething phase. I think this magical creation of watermelon with a hint of herb deserves a virtual sharing here. After all, despite the excellent banquet of mouthwatering dishes, nothing beats a simple homemade food. Even if it is a week-old sorbetto. A tiny spoonful brought a cheerful delight to The Baby's face, and that joy will keep me going for years to come, and more homemade, comfort food for her and the family.

Watermelon-Lime Basil Sorbetto

800g watermelon chunks

a handful (1/4 cup) chopped basil leaves

juice from 2 limes

3 tbsp honey

sugar to taste( it really depends on how sweet the melon you get)

Method

In a food processor or juice blender, combine all the ingredients and whizz until pureed. Chill the mixture until slightly cold and churn in an ice-cream maker, following the ice-cream maker's instructions.

If you don't own an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture in a container and freeze it for 5 hours. Once it is frozen, scrape the mixture to break the ice and beat briefly using a handheld mixer. This can result in softer consistency sorbetto.

This recipe can also be made into popsicles. After blending all the ingredients, just pour it into popsicle molds and freeze for few hours until set.