uR rEsiDent CheF

My Lunch in Singapore: Prawn noodle soup

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 04:47:00 +0000

Simply Hae Mee.

Today's featured lunch is the good old Singapore Prawn Noodle soup. Please do not confuse it with the other more famous Hokkien Prawn Noodles which is a stir fried version with different ingredients.You could easily find many stalls in Singapore selling Big Prawns noodles or with many other variations. But to me, the good traditional way of serving Praawn Noodles beat the fanciful versions any day. This dish is my comfort food for me as my dear Mother makes the best version of it. Even friends of mine who have the privilege of savouring a bowl at ours will always tell me how much they miss my Mum's Prawn Noodles. Unfortunately, we have stopped cooking Prawn Noodles as often as my family is more health conscious.

A little history of this dish brings us back to the 1880s when the the immigrants from the Fujian Province of China brought this dish to Singapore. The noodles used are the same as those Mee Rebus. As they are discussed in my previous post, I shall leave out the description of the yellow noodles in this post. We shall move on to the most important element of this dish - the Soup.

I believe each Prawn Noodle stall has their own ingredients or twists for adding flavours to this broth. However, there are a few basic ingredients that are essential to the making of this flavourful broth. They are mainly Prawns, Rock Sugar, and Pork (Bones). Dark Soya sauce is also used to add colour to the soup. Hours of cooking these ingredients will produce a rich broth very much like our Singapore version of Ramen stock.

To assemble the dish, yellow noodles, Kangkong (Morning Glory or Chinese Spinach) and beansprouts are blanched in boiling water. Prawns, fishcake and sliced pork are then added to the bowl. Lastly, the bowl is filled with steaming hot Prawn Noodle soup and garnished with fried shallots and/or pork lard.

Now I shall go back to my delicious bowl of Prawn Noodle Soup. Drop me a comment to let me know what other dishes you would like to see on this blog.

Perfect Day for Perfect Meal,

ShZe.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 15:27:00 +0000

Eggs and Pinca time!

Hi to everyone who dropped by today! And a Happy Easter to you or in Croatia we say "Sretan Uskrs!" For those who are wondering, Mr K has just informed me that "Uskrsno" means "Reborn" in Croatian language. Every year on Easter, Mr K's family will gather and feast on Easter breads known as Pinca (as shown above), hams, leeks, francuska salata (potato salad eaten in slavic countries) and painted eggs (yes, he has insisted that I paint the hardboiled eggs every year according to tradition).

Pinca or Sirnica is a very traditional sweet bread eaten only on Easter in Croatia. It is flavoured with citrus zests, vanilla and/or Croatian Rakija (liqueur made from fruits, nuts or herbs). A cross must be slashed on top on the bread before baking. It is pretty much like the cross on Hot Cross bun.

The other must-have item on our Easter table is Francuska Salata (a potato salad with a debatable name). If you started looking into its origin, you will realise that it does not originate from France but it was invented by Russians. Caviar used to be added to the salad. The farmer's version that we make include ingredients such as ham, eggs, pickles, carrots, potatoes, peas and mayonnaise. This salad is commonly consumed during many festivals in Croatia including the New Year's Eve.

Thanks for your time here for this short post. I will be back with more lunches soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the Easter and have a sweet start to Spring!

SheR.

My Lunch in Singapore: The Fish Dumplings Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 08:44:00 +0000

The Happy Fish Dumplings Noodles.

Today's featured food is not exactly an original Singaporean dish. However, it is a spun-off from the Wanton Noodles. The "skinny" noodles or Mee Kia as they are known affectionately in Singapore (because it sounds like the son of the thicker noodles!) are commonly used in Wanton Noodles dishes. The yellowness of the noodles used to be attributed to the alkaline salt. The colourless solution turns the noodles bright yellow and gives the noodles its chewy texture. Unfortunately, many noodles in the shop have added yellow food colouring (check out the ingredients list on the packaging!). For those who have checked my posts on food colourings, you will know that sunset yellow (E110) is one of the six Southampton Colours that research has proved to cause ADHD in children. Read this link if you are interested to find out more.

The very reason that I have chosen this dish to add to my SG Food memories is the one I frequent this stall. I have named them the Happy couple. They are the rare hawkers who will greet the customers with a big smile and sincerely thank every single person. As a Food industry professional myself, I understand it is really hard to be positive after a long day of standing and serving on your feet. Not forgetting the nasty or zombie customers that we face all the time. I told them that their smiles is what brought me to their stall everytime I'm in that area of town. They told me my smile makes them feel appreciated and lifted their spirits. So I am hoping to spread a little message to all reading this post, please be a little kinder to the service personnel you met everyday. You do not know how tough it is for them to carry on their work.

Back to the delicious dish that never fail to lift my mood every single time I have it. I love the fish dumplings that are stuffed with fish, pork and chunky bits of water chestnuts. If you have peeled water chestnuts before, you will understand it is such a tedious process peeling and dicing them. Each coin size vegetable only yields that much crunchy apple-like flesh. Its scientific name is Eleocharis Dulcis. It is an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes. It is also known as Chinese Water Chestnuts and not to be confused with the Chestnuts that grow on trees. It is often used in Dim Sum cuisine as its pleasantly sweet and juicy apple-like crunch adds to the texture of Dim Sum filllings.

I would say Dumplings are the most versatile dish in the world. From the Chinese Jiaozi to Italian Ravioli to the Russian Pelmeni, almost every single culture's cuisine featured a dumpling-like dish. The pastry used for Chinese dumplings can differentiated by colours - Yellow or White and the shapes - Round or Square. Usual ingredients are Flour and Water with the addition of Eggs in the Yellow Wanton wrappers. As in the case of Yellow Noodles, certain manufacturers have resorted to Yellow Food Colouring to cut costs. Dumpling wrappers are similar to a silky piece of fabric hiding the mysterious fillings inside each dumpling.

To accompany the scrumptious Dumplings, the noodles are blanched and doused with a savoury gravy. In the case of Wanton noodles, it could be chilli sauce, ketchup, soya sauce and/or sesame seed oil. The choice of blanched vegetables on the side usually range from Choy Sum to Kai Lan or in this dish Bok Choy. Soft leafy greens are preferred as they have to pair with the noodles to go down in a slurp. In the case of Wanton noodles, Char Siew (roasted Pork) slices are added as a side. For the featured dish, shredded boiled Chicken breast was added as it is able to absorb the soya sauce gravy much better.

Not forgetting the small but flavourful bowl of soup that comes with this dish. Most hawkers will buy instat Wanton noodle soup mix without putting much thought into the soup as they deem it an unimportant component of this dish. However, they fail to recognise that a good bowl of soup will compliment the boiled wanton dumplings and not make them taste like a few neglected starchy bits.

To sum up this dish, I would also like to add that the stall owner has prepared his own version of pickled green chillies. To make this pickles work, it has to be a harmonious blend of sourness and sweetness. To top it off, the chillies must be fresh as they must have the essential crunch when you bite into them. A simple pickled Chilli but a wonderful condiment to a noodle dish.

Hope you have enjoyed the post. Keep checking back for more posts coming up!

Eat well and be Happy!

SheR.

My lunch in Singapore: Mee Rebus

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 08:09:00 +0000

Mee Rebus means Boiled Noodles in Malay.

Hi all who have chanced upon this page, welcome to my humble Blog that seeks to spread a little love through our connection to Food. At the same time, I hope you could find useful information and pass it on to another person.

Today, I've decided to document my lunches in Singapore and share with you the food that made me me. Beginning with my favourite Malay food, this is the ethnic food that I craved the most when I was living in Europe. There maybe a couple of restaurants serving up such dishes in London but nothing beats eating spicy Malay food in Singapore's sweltering heat and paired with Teh Peng (Iced milk tea). Blogging about these foods has also enriched my knowledge and deepen my appreciation for the cuisine.

First up, the Mee Rebus. When I googled dish, I was not expecting Boiled Noodles. I have often watched how the Makcik at the stall will blanched a handful of yellow noodles (as it is known in Singapore) and beansprouts before depositing the contents onto the plate. On top of that she will spoon the thick gooey gravy and add a hard-boiled egg next to the noodles. She will then garnish the dish with chopped green chillies, a calamansi lime and fried shallots. This plate now costs $3.50 and no longer the $1.80 dish that I grew up with. However, the contents never varied much if you purchase it from a neighbourhoood coffeeshop.

For those, who do not know what this dish is, I will describe it to you. To eat the dish, you would have to squeeze the lime juice over the dish. Then blend the garnish into the noodles and savour the noodles. The thick gravy evenly coats every strand of noodles. It is the least spicy dish of all Malay food. As each Malay dish will come with its own version of sambal chilli. This dish is only served with chopped green chillies. Sometimes, kicap manis (sweet dark sauce) is drizzled over the dish to enhance the sweetness. Overall, this is a gravy is rather thick and not soupy. It has been thickened with a type of starch (usually cornstarch) but some recipes used sweet potatoes. Yes you heard me! The gravy is traditionally sweet due to sweet potatoes! The list of ingredients that goes into the gravy includes fermented Soya Bean paste (Tau cheong), onions, garlic, galangal, ginger, dried shrimps, sweet potatoes, lemongrass, palm sugar, curry powder. Such a simple dish with over ten ingredients!

So next time you order your bowl of Mee Rebus, appreciate the amount of work that goes into cooking it. Savour every bite and see if you could pick out the individual flavours that go into making this dish. I'll be back with another dish soon.

Love the little things in life,

SheR.

A little Yammy Day

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 09:31:00 +0000

A Yam filled Chinese steamed bun for breakfast!

For those who know me, you will know how much I love my Teochew pastries filled with Yam paste. For those first time here, Teochew is a Chinese dialect from the South of China. My Mum always tell me stories about how good my Great Grandmother was at making our traditional Teochew pastries. Unfortunately, I do not have a chance to learn from the Master, so I had to learn how to make most of my traditional pastries from YouTube or Blogs. Thanks for many who are willing to share their treasured recipes and pass on this tradition to anyone who is interested to learn.

Back to my Pau making journey, I recall how my late Aunt used to be the best at making Asian pastries from buttery pineapple tarts to soft Paus. My many attempts at even a simple Pau were all unsuccessful. Chewy is the only word that could be used to describe them. I just gave up on Pau-making.

I did not cultivate a liking for Yam-filled buns till recent years after I returned to Singapore. They were often too sweet or overly rich in dairy that I simply did not like any Pau filled with sweet fillings such as red bean paste or yam paste. The moment of revelation came when I tried the famous Din Tai Fung's Yam buns and I was a convert.

Homemade Yam Paste is the key!

This is my third try making this bun, I should be pretty pleased. The texture of super fluffy Paus and aromatic filling greeted me when I took a bite earlier. My Paus are not pure white as I use unbleached flour and unrefined sugar. I will work hard on achieving the beautiful smooth shiny skin of a true Pau.

PS: If you want to try out my Pau recipe, drop me a comment and I will share the recipe with you!

Keep on our traditions,
SheR.

Mission: Fatten the Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 11:01:00 +0000

Kuki: What do you mean I'm too skinny?

Recently we brought the three-year-old to his vet for checkup. She took a look at Ku-king and concluded he was too lean. (What?) I was shocked as I always thought he was perfect size. No, no said the vet. He needs to bulk up.

And you might be wondering why it deserves a post on this blog about food. Well, you see, our Ku-king is rather fussy with his food. Oh and remember never attempt to call him "Fat". He will start to go on a diet. I'm not kidding, he will stop snacking on his dry food which for some reason he knows will make him put on weight. So it's a constant worry for me to choose the right food to cook for him. Fortunately, cats need mostly proteins. (Unfortunately, he has a taste for expensive proteins such as Duck (Liver) and Steak.) He loves home-cooked fish (no sashimi) but only Kembong or Selar. These are cheap fish but not always available at my local supermarkets. So imagine the pain of fish hunting. Lately, I have resorted to blanching chicken breast. Lucky for me, he doesn't mind adding that to his diet. And my weekly routine includes chicken and fish hunting, cooking them and cutting the meat to small chunks before feeding them to Ku-king.

Hopefully this new diet works out. Do check back if you are interested to see how Kuki is doing.

Eat well and be happy,

SheR.

Update 1: After one week of increase in food portions, Kuking has managed to gain 500g. I have switched from feeding him cooked fish twice a day + dry food for supper to fish (one meal) + chicken (one meal each) + dry food. Kuking is looking muscular! Now I have to control the weight gain before he balloons out of proportion!

Seriously? I'm on Telly?!

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 14:00:00 +0000

I couldn't contained my excitement when I finally saw myself on telly this evening. It's been a long journey and I couldn't thank enough all my friends and family that supported me along the way. Minutes after my 5-minute segment was aired, I received 5 new page likes and several enquiries on how to book a tea party at our place. You could directly message me on my facebook page: Ur Resident Chef. Or follow this PlateCulture link. Please note the prices may vary depending on the theme of the party.

Hope to be able to have a cuppa tea with you!

Chinese New Year cookies 2016 - Hibiscus & Black Sesame

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 08:06:00 +0000

It's the most festive time of the year for us, Chinese again. And without fail, I will start my cookies baking session. This year I have created additional three new flavours to my collection of Chinese New Year shortbread cookies namely: Hibiscus & Black Sesame (see picture above), Earl Grey & Vanilla (a personal favourite using only vanilla beans instead of extract) and Rose & Pistachio (pretty little biscuits).

Let me introduce this new member of my cookie creations: Hibiscus & Black Sesame. When I first chanced upon the purple-hued cookies, I was skeptical about how the cookies were coloured. But once I discovered that Hibiscus Tea lends a gorgeous red colour to the butter before baking. I'd immediately fell in love with the notion of Hibiscus Tea cookies.

Why Hibiscus? Before we talked about the taste of these unique cookies, let's read about the natural health benefits of Hibiscus Tea. First of all, it is a rich source of Vitamin C.Not to mention its anti-inflammatory properties and helps to lower cholesterol too! You may read more about the miracle flower in this article.

In case you haven't heard, we Chinese love our Black Sesame seeds. Its anti-ageing property is a well guarded secret. Check out this article to learn more about these humble seeds.

Therefore, we should be enjoying more of the New Year celebration with these goodies. Not only is Hibiscus & Black Sesame a potent combination for health. Its exquisite sourish taste is one that is seldom found in other cookies flavours.

If you are interested to try the different cookies, take a peek at my facebook page. In the meantime, I'm back to my kitchen to bake more delights. Last but not least, don't forget that these creations are made with only ORGANIC Raw Sugar, Unbleached flour and French Butter.

The Tea Party @ Ur Resident Chef

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 14:49:00 +0000

Apologies for any persons who happen to hope for some new material on this blog. I've been keeping myself busy by hosting Tea Parties at my place. The idea is simple. Friends bring friends and ultimately everyone becomes friends. Voila! The world gets smaller (quoting my dear friend Lin)!

Besides making more friends, we also share knowledge about healthy eating with our guests. Occasionally, we will have themed parties. Just last month, we hosted a successful Cheese Party. Our friend has requested for Cheese parties to be held quarterly. From such events, we all learnt how the various speciality cheeses differ and appreciate everything we eat a little bit more.

If you are tempted check out uR Resident Chef's facebook page link for the past tea parties or join us for future parties to make more friends!

A for Apple

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 13:47:00 +0000

Apple Pie Cake, anyone?

"An Apple a day keeps the doctor away." This is an age old wisdom that every child would have learnt in his school. However, do you know the many health benefits behind this modest fruit besides knowing it tastes sweet and crunchy?

According to research study, consuming one to two apples a day will reduce the risk of heart disease. This study shows that daily apple consumption may help to lower cholesterol levels and two markers associated with plaques and inflammation in artery walls. If you are interested to read more about this, you may visit this site.

Not only does eating an apple reaps tons of health benefits, the scent of green apples was found to relieve migraines too. Read about the research through this link.

Apple contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 and C. It also contains Fibre, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Zinc. To learn more about the good stuff found in an apple, visit this site.

For those into traditional chinese medicine, the apple helps to balance the lungs and intestines. It will also aid in detoxing your livers after a night of drinking.

The humble Apple was also on the recent news due to its involvement with the "Dirty Dozen". Nope, I'm not referring to any fruits hooligans. The Dirty Dozen refers to a group of fruits and vegetables most contaminated by pesticide use. More information is available on this site. Therefore, to avoid introducing excessive pesticides into your diet while continuing to enjoy your apples, you are advised to purchase organic apples.

Hope you enjoyed my little post about Apples. Eat wisely, live healthy!

Store in a Cool, Dry Place

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:47:00 +0000

My Vitamin C tablets.

Does this statement sound familiar to you? Recently I had to collect my monthly drug dosage of vitamins from the pharmacy and I was advised by the pharmacist to store my drugs in a Cool, Dry place. I was quick to inform her that I have been storing them in the refrigerator for the longest time. First she greeted my ignorance with extreme shock (imagine the emoticon :O) then she continued to remind me to store the vitamin C tablets in a cool, dry place. All right, I'm not trying to be funny. Could someone please advise me if such a place exists in Singapore with average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius around the year and a relative humidity that will only make my bread doughs very, very happy?

Doubting the pharmacist, I went on to do a little Googling on my own as it takes more than just an advice from a professional to convince me to stop storing my ascorbic acid in a Cool but not Dry place. Well, it's not hard to find the information if every single site repeats the same mantra of "Store in a cool, dry place". Why is there a need to do so? Vitamins degrade and lose their effectiveness if they are stored properly. At the end of the day, I will simply be popping little orange pills that taste sour. Heat and moisture are not best friends of drugs. According to this site, storing my vitamins in the refrigerator means allowing condensation to enter the packaging each time I open it. This will lead to vitamin deterioration.

Hope this little piece of information helps you as well. Live healthy and be happy!

Testing Tiramisu recipes

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 15:19:00 +0000

I was requested to conduct a class on Tiramisu making for Father's Day. So I had to test out my recipe before the actual day.

Over the years, I have tried and tested a lot of Tiramisu recipes but none seemed to find its way into my Red Book (my book of treasured recipes).

So I have done some research on the recipes and figure out how the variations in recipes affect the end product.

Types of alcohol used
Before I got my hands on a bottle of Marsala wine, I was making Tiramisu with Rum. Rum is fine as a decent flavour to pair all cakes. But the sweet aroma of Marsala wine will produce a much tastier dessert. So I reckon it is worth all the effort. If you cannot consume alcohol, you have to find Rum extract. Using any other types of liqueur substitute will just spoil the overall taste.

Instant coffee vs Espresso
For the convenience of most bakers, we will use instant coffee. However, don't forget coffee is an integral part of this dessert. Tiramisu means "Pick me up" in Italian. Hence, the coffee used for dipping the savioardi sponge fingers must be a good strong coffee preferably espresso.

Homemade sponge fingers or store bought savioardi biscuits
Although I'm an advocate of making everything myself, in this case I love the Italian sponge fingers. Somehow the aromas that they have included in their sponge fingers make them tastier than homemade. Till I figured out what those aromas are, I'm sticking to store bought.

Whipping cream or Egg whites
Unless you are saving those egg whites for your Macarons making, folding in both whipped cream and whisked egg whites add lightness to the recipe. It also adds volume to your mascarpone mix. Thus, you could use only 250g of Mascarpone for 8 servings.

Egg yolks mixture
I have recentl chanced upon a good article about Tiramisu making using the zabaione (sabayon) method. Instead of simply whisking the egg yolks and sugar till thickened, I whisked it over a Bain Marie. This helps to cook the egg yolks. I was rather pleased that the final product was light and airy. On top of that, it aas much more stable. I could keep the dessert in the fridge without worrying about raw eggs inside.

Cocoa powder or chopped chocolate
Tiramisu is never complete without a generous sprinkling of cocoa powder. Some lush recipe included chopped chocolate instead. After trying both recipes, I have decided to include the both. The chopped chocolate adds the extra lushness to the dessert. The cocoa powder helps to cover up the parts of dessert that the chocolate missed.

After all the talk, here is the wonderful article on Tiramisu (recipe included). Enjoy!

Deconstructing the Snickers Bar

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 12:48:00 +0000

The trend in Molecular Gastronomy in deconstructing classic recipes has finally gotten to me. Yes, I was craving for a Snickers bar. And yes, I am not spending another cent on store bought chocolate bars ever again. And yes, I was feeling too lazy to dip my brownies into chocolate ( although I really love everything coated with chocolate). So, I was inspired by the deconstruction of desserts. It presents classic desserts in a new way. Refreshing or catastrophically. And hence, my feeble attempt at one of my favourite chocolate bars.

I was trying to reconstruct the memories of eating a Snickers bar. The chocolate coating, the salty peanuts and the chewy marshmallow centre bring together the entire experience. Therefore, I recreated the marshmallows by simply whipping up a batch at home. Not forgetting the peanuts, I opted for the sugar- coated version as I wish to introduce my favourite salted caramel sauce. Being a chocolate lover and bringing together the chocolate bar experience, I have thrown in several pieces of chocolate cake cubes. To top it all off, I drizzled in the hit chocolate sauce.

Verdict: what's not to like about a chocolatey, gooey mess of marshmallows and peanuts?

Sugar high.

The Ultimate Choc

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sun, 31 May 2015 15:31:00 +0000

I guess most of us are posed with the problem of leftover bananas on our kitchen counter. And so on the other day, Mr K decided to give a banana to make him a dessert. Well easy I would usually make banana cake or muffin. As you can see, it's all so boring after a while.

Therefore while the banana was screaming "Eat Me!" for a couple of days. I started to search the internet looking for inspiration to this banana problem (ok, it's a good problem). There is an abundance of banana cakes in the market. And I simply grown to dislike the overpowering banana flavour which is a result of too much flavouring. But I love chocolate. Simple banana-choco combination never fail to please me. Besides, what's not to like about Chocolate desserts?

If you do a quick search of banana brownies, you will find that most bakers have mashed up the banana and incorporated them into the brownies. However, I would love to give the banana a chance to be presented beautifully on the cake. Solution cut cross sections of them and placed on top of the batter.

The result? Simply soft banana pieces in every bite. The subtle fragrance of the banana lends moisture to the brownies while baking. And of course the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the divine dark chocolate brownie. Therefore, I named this dessert - The Ultimate Choc (pronounced as "Shock" in French). Enjoy!

Donut or not doughnut?

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Fri, 15 May 2015 13:30:00 +0000

It's National Doughnut Week from 9 to 16 May. Oh well, one more day to go.. but better late than never, eh? Be it you spell it the British way "Doughnut" or the American way "Donut", it is basically a piece of fried dough. What we all love about this fritter is the seemingly endless possibility of fillings even savoury! Check this doughnut sandwich out! You'll be amazed donuts could be stuffed with lobster.

Back in 2007, the doughnut craze in Singapore was at its peak. You would see long queues of people at every Tom, Dick and Harry doughnut shop. What amazes me is the trend is back again in US. I wonder if it will hit our shores again.

Anyway, my love for doughnuts exists in the form of Krafna as how we call it in Croatia. It is a bigger version of the British doughnuts. However the Croatian version has many more lovely ingredients including Rakija (Croatian brandy) and lemon zests. The typical fillings are chocolate and apricot jams. One might find custard or berry jam too. Finally it is dusted generously with icing sugar instead of rolled in caster sugar.

After obtaining a deep fryer for making doughnuts, I went on to try out the Croatian krafne. I made them bite size and filled them with my own berry jam. And here they are. Leave a comment if you are interested in the recipe.

Goodbye my faithful ol' oven.

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sat, 02 May 2015 16:28:00 +0000

Recently I had to bid my 12-year-old oven goodbye. After moving to three flats with us and sent for one major repair once, the thermostat has failed me. Despite a broken thermostat, I was using the oven to roast my potatoes and breads.

After several attempts of burnt cakes, I finally forked out some cash to get an oven thermometer before I realised the problem.

We contacted the service centre which was conveniently located in the same building as Mister's office for repairs. The lady informed us that the oven model was no longer in production therefore, we won't be able to find a thermostat to replace.

So goodbye dear faithful oven of mine. May you rest in pieces in the electrical appliances heaven.

Baking with my pet kitten

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sat, 02 May 2015 16:26:00 +0000

I always thought I could never own a pet due to the nature of my work. The idea of having fur everywhere in the house especially near the kitchen is a no-no for me.

However when our eyes set on this beautiful kitten that we affectionately named Kuki (yes, our little cookie), we knew we could never part with him.

How do I ensure hygiene standards in my kitchen then? Well, it involves lots of cleaning. Sanitise surfaces, steam mopping and constant hoovering. Thank goodness, little Kuki is short-haired. So he sheds little fur. Another important step is to train him not to venture onto worktops. I know we had Kuki for a relatively short time... Less than three months but I will continue to maintain hygiene standards in my kitchen to prevent contamination.

To sharing my life with my Kuki.

Going gluten-free

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 07:06:00 +0000

Have you ever tried gluten free desserts? You might have but you've probably wouldn't even have noticed they are gluten free.

Gluten free desserts are made without the introduction of gluten producing ingredients such as wheat, barley and rye. Still not too sure what gluten is? Try mixing wheat flour and water. Eventually you will end up with a sticky dough that stretches when you pull it. That is gluten at work. This protein helps to build the structure for pastries and most importantly it gives bread the characteristic chewy texture.

Throughout the course of my work as a baker, I have come across requests for gluten free pastries. At first, I simply brushed it aside as I thought I would be able to avoid the topic. Imagine you are telling a baker to omit the most vital ingredient in her bread - wheat flour amd replace it with another or a couple more ingredients. It is something I would never have dreamt of doing. However, as I researched deeper into gluten free diet, I realised the gravity of producing pastries for people on gluten free diets.

There are those who are gluten intolerant or even allergic to it. Not forgetting many who chose to avoid gluten for personal health reasons. You may visit this site for more information on gluten free diet. There are also many sites that discussed the benefits of going on such a diet. Here is one.

Let me speak of my first attempt at making gluten free cookies for a friend. I was thinking, how hard could it be? I could just replace the wheat flour in my recipes with gluten free flour. But alas, all my beautiful cut cookies became a sad blob once the butter started to melt. In several desperate attempts, I spent hours on the internet searching for a solution. It turned up in the form of Xanthum Gum. For those who know me, they will tell you how much I hated adding anything unnecessary to my pastries. However, without a teaspoon of this gum, my cut cookies would not hold their shape at all no matter how much gluten free flour I added to the dough. One good thing about gluten free dough, you could never overwork it!!

I guess that started my journey into the gluten free realm. I shall continue to explore and bake lovely pastries that are gluten free. Another challenge conquered! Do you have a gluten free story to share?

Quote of the day

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 06:02:00 +0000

No matter what the recipe, any baker can do wonders in the kitchen with some good ingredients and an upbeat attitude!

Buddy Valastro

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/baker.html#KK8wdJt06SzGVQKC.99

Bread Creation in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This is my satisfied creation number one. #Carrot and #Walnut Loaf. Watch this space for more from my Bakery!

Hi! I am a Baker!

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:04:00 +0000

Nice of you to drop by my blog that has been dormant for a while. Nope I have not given up my passion that I've devoted my entire life pursuing. I am always a student in the baking trade always learning something new each day in the world of Baking.

Baking excites the senses. The aroma of freshly baked breads and buttery pastries makes me want to jump up from my seat and dash straight to the oven. The beauty of wonderfully adorned cakes lights up a bakery display instantly. Of course, nothing is more satisfying than ripping through a perfectly baked Baguette. The combination of crusty exterior and a chewy soft interior sets of fireworks in my mouth. Not to mention, the fluffiness of Chiffon cake will remind you of heaven on earth.

For years, I have been searching for a path that I might follow. A Baker's way as I would like to term it. Some bake for pure joy of producing perfect loaves. Others take the exquisite path of making the most beautiful creations that look like works of art. My baking journey took me on various paths and each experience is magnificent. When I see a baker smile, I see the love for his trade through it.

Now I could finally say I could see where my path is heading, my very own Baker's Way:

"Simple and basic techniques are used on each baked good. No gimmicks and no nasty things are added. Choose ingredients that are fresh and reflect the season and locality. Taking care of those who don't used to have the privilege of savouring desserts like the average person. Last but not least, making confections that are delicious and healthy so it could be enjoyed by all."

Sugar Free? Think again!

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:09:00 +0000

Research shows that people who consume "Diet" or "Sugar-Free" sodas have an increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes. Read this link.

To me if you are on a diet and you consume "Diet" sodas, it is as good as self-denial. Watch your diet by consuming products of nature. Not artificially sweetened stuff.

Do you agree with me?

Blogging On the Go

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 05:22:00 +0000

Blogging from my mobile. Let's see how far it goes.

Chinese herbs and medicine

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:08:00 +0000

Have a Scone!

noreply@blogger.com (SheR.) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:09:00 +0000