My Little Space

Danish Dream Cake ~ Drommekage fra Brovst

2013-05-23T18:30:00.000+08:00

It's been a hectic week! My dad involved in a car accident last Friday. He was hit by a car when on his way to work .Luckily, nothing serious happened but both of his legs are swollen. NO major injury and I am glad he's in full recovery now. Have to thank hubby for driving 5 hours straight heading back to my hometown just to see my dad. ((hugs)) So, it's about time to relax and have a cup of coffee with some tasty baked goodies at home this weekend. I found this easy & divine cake after google for some time and can't resist without giving it a go.

(recipe adapted here)

Ingredients for sponge :
(A)
4 eggs
210gm sugar
1 tspn vanilla paste / essence

(B)
250gm all purpose flour
3 tspn baking powder

(C)
50gm butter, melted
200ml milk

Method :
(1) beat ingredients (A) till fluffy & pale then stir in ingredients (B) alternately with ingredients (C) till everything combined.
(2) pour batter to a 9x13" tray lined with greaseproof paper & bake at preheated oven 190'C for about 20-25 mins.
(3) prepare the top mixture while the cake is still in the oven.

Ingredients for coconut topping :
300gm fresh young coconut, grated
250gm brown sugar
70ml milk
1 tspn vanilla paste
125gm butter, softened
(combine all ingredients to form soft paste)

(4) spread the coconut mixture to the top of the cake once it's ready, straight from the oven.
(5) then place it back to the oven and bake for another 10 mins at 220'C.
(6) once it's done, cooled & keep refrigerated overnight before slicing.

OLALA.... the cake turned out great. Such irresistible aroma. I found some blogger heat the coconut topping to thicken the mixture before spreading it onto the cake. That's a great idea as well. I'll have to try that the next time.

The cake is really moist & smooth. Not to mention about the topping.....absolutely addictive! This cake is best to keep refrigerated before serving. Hope you guys will love it too! Happy weekend.

Croissant ~ Pain Au Chocolate

2013-05-20T00:00:00.001+08:00

Bonjour....croissant pour le petit déjeuner n'importe qui? haha..... I wonder if the translator working or not ! Can anyone tells me? haha.... I can't even pronounce those words correctly...it sounds like my tongue is fighting between my lips. Gosh ! haha..... My younger brother speaks really well. He took French subject during his college time in Singapore. Anyway, I'm glad I still be able to spend time for some homemade croissants lately. Did you notice that croissant & Danish pastry do look quite the same ? But it is not ! Danish pastry is a rich dough which contained high amount of butter & sugar and it taste sweet & soft. While croissant is a lean dough which contained less amount of butter & sugar, and it taste savoury & crispy. So, are you ready for this!

(recipe adapted from here)
Ingredients :
(A)
500gm all purpose flour
160ml water
160ml milk
1 TB yeast
2-1/2 TB sugar
2 tspn salt
40gm margarine

(B)
*250gm margarine, thinly sliced

Method :
(1) combine ingredients (A) into a big bowl and stir to form soft dough.
(2) knead to smooth and let to rest for an hour or till double in size.
(3) next, punch dough to release air then wrap with plastic sheet and keep refrigerated overnight.
(4) then follow by the folding method here, on the next day.
(5) again keep the folded dough refrigerated for overnight, soon after folding completed.
(6) finally, place dough to a slightly floured working table on the next day and rest for 20 mins.
(7) roll dough into 24x48" flat sheet, divide into 4 equal cuts and again halved each portion into triangle shape.

(8) now, roll each dough up like Swiss roll and place them to baking tray to rest for about 60-80 mins.

(9) finally, bake at preheated oven 200'C for 10 mins and then 180'C for another 10 mins, or till nicely brown.

WALAAAaaaa.....here comes my babies! Gorgeous brown as you see here. I'm a bit sad cause the bread came out too soft & fluffy (What the heck!). Yeah, I'm expecting something else actually. I should have follow the quantity of water as given which is 140ml each. I added in 40ml extra ! YIKES!

I actually ended up making 4 croissants and 4 Pain Au Chocolate. If time allows, I'll make one more batch. And my kids are asking for more Pain Au Chocolate. lol.
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I'm sending this to Yeastspotting @ Wild Yeast Blog.

Natural Remedy ~ Preserved Calamansi With Sour Plum

2013-05-13T20:00:00.000+08:00

I'm sure many Malaysians already tried this sweet version preserved calamansi with salted sour plum drinks before. It's a very delicious drink. Or you may easily find the concentrated juices selling at some supermarket with reasonable price. However, I wish to make my own though. This preserved calamansi with salted sour plum drinks is best to take when heat wave hits. It helps to cure sore throat, headache & stomach relief. There's actually another salty version preserved calamansi but we prefer the sweet version the most.

Here what you need :

1 kg calamansi
1 pkt (400gm) rock sugar
2 cup light brown sugar
200gm preserved salted sour plum, halved
1 large jar

Wash the calamansi then roughly dry them with a kitchen tower. Next, throw them to a baking tray and bake at preheated oven 100'C for about 20-25 mins. Be caution not to burn the fruits. The fruits should came out warm and dry. Or you can sun-dry under the sun for a couple of hours. Some blogger choose to steam the fruits instead of baking them then sun dry under the sun. I found that baking method is much better and fuss free.

Then make a small cut at the middle of the fruit and squeeze out the juice & seeds to a separate bowl. Later,.stuffed in preserved salted sour plum and remove seeds from the juice. And set aside.

Now, line a layer of calamansi on the bottom of the jar and cover the fruits with rock sugar & some brown sugar. Repeat everything again till everything completed, except the final layer of sugar. Then pour in the juices. Finally, spread the top layer with sugar till everything completely covered.

It's best to cover the jar with a plastic sheet before putting on the lid. Here's how it looks ! Finally, set aside to rest for fermentation at least 10 days. The longer the fermentation the better ! Oooops...and remember to shake or turn your jar around once awhile to keep the top layer wet all times.

TA...DA.... This is how it looks after 10 days of fermentation. Clean & neat ! I can't wait to give it a try. Now, all you need to do is.....dig out 2 pcs of calamansi & some syrup to a mug, then add in hot water. Mix well & serve. Of coz, you can also serve it cold but hot drinks helps better to cure sore throat, headache & stomach relief. And do take note that you may sweat like crazy after the hot drinks. Enjoy guys !

Lontong Johor

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Lontong is a dish made of compressed rice cake with coconut based soup which is widely sold almost everywhere. Honestly, I only had them once but it was a long time ago. Can't even remember how it was taste like! haha..... Since I have a batch of homemade Korean rice cake stored up in my freezer. Why not using them on this ! Yeap...yeap...yeap... Sounds like a perfect idea. So, after google for some time finally picked up a recipe. Since very little ingredients are involved, I managed to make this on the same day. So, here's what I did.

(Recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients for lontong soup :
1L water
250ml coconut milk
salt to taste
1/2 tspn vegetable granule
2 stalk lemongrass, cut into shorter
3 slices galangal / blue ginger

Other ingredients used :
cabbage
fried beancurd sheet, soaked
handful of glass noodle, soaked

Ingredients for blended paste :
1 large onion
3 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1/3 tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn belacan / shrimp paste, toasted (I omitted this)
1/2 cup dried shrimp, soaked (I omitted this)

*homemade rice cake, thawed & steam for 20 mins

Method :
(1) preheat a pot with just enough oil to saute the blended paste.
(2) stir in the paste, turmeric powder, galangal & lemongrass and saute till fragrant.
(3) add in water and about 100ml coconut milk, bring it to boil.
(4) now, add in the other remaining coconut milk, cabbage, beancurd sheet, glass noodle, vegetable granule and salt & pepper to taste.
(5) let them boil for another 20mins over medium heat till everything is softened.
(6) finally, off the heat and serve with rice cake, hard boiled egg & sambal.

Hmmm...mmm... yum.... I especially love the beancurd sheet and the coconut soup is something to die for as well.

By the time, I almost finished up my first bowl of lontong I only realized I have missed out the sambal. No wonder it looks a bit weird. haha..... Now, here comes the second bowl with loads of sambal. Yummmm...

Not So Perfect Homemade Garaetteok @ Korean Rice Cake

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

I'm sure you guys know what I'm trying to say here, my 'not so perfect' homemade garaetteok, the Korean rice cake! haha.... The rice cake isn't look as smooth as what I'm expecting. Maybe because of the local fragrant rice that I used. The texture isn't as white as the imported ones and the surface isn't look as smooth either. :o( Hopefully, someday I'll be able to find the perfect rice for my homemade garaetteok. Probably, more experiment needed as well. :o) Wish me luck !

However, here's what I did.
(recipe adapted here or here)
Ingredients :
2 cups fragrant white rice, soaked for at least 8 hours
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tspn salt
1 TB sesame oil

Method :
(1) drain the rice and then blend them in 2 batches with boiling water (1/2 cup each) till smooth & fine.
(2) now, stir in the salt and mix well.

(3) pour fine rice mixture to a pan lined with silicon sheet and steam for 30 mins.

(5) once it's ready, quickly transfer steamed rice to a bigger pot lined with silicon sheet on bottom.

(6) now, add in sesame oil and start pounding the rice till soft & smooth.

(7) finally, divide rice mixture into 8 portions and then roll them into cyclinder shape, leave aside to cool completely before slicing them.

Kanelsnegl ~ Danish Cinnamon Roll

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

Yumm..yummm..yummm.... more danish pastry coming up! I made another batch of danish buns the other day. It was dark when the buns are ready...so not much photos are taken. And by next morning, only half of them left on the table. I quickly took a few snaps before they all gone. The buttery aroma of danish pastry simply a killer and that's what make danish pastry so addictive. I remember when I first made them, my working table was so messy with all the melting butter and the folding process is killing me as well. Totally insane! But now, I enjoy every bit of it.

Here's how I made my danish pastry (sometimes), by cutting in the semi-cold butter directly. But the butter should be at room temperature and it's easily sliced. Otherwise, you will have trouble rolling them. Other than that you need a cold dough for the folding process. So, it's good to keep your dough refrigerated for at least an hour or so before you start the folding process.

Ingredients for Dough :
300gm bread flour
200gm all purpose flour
2 tspn yeast
4 TB sugar
100ml milk
90ml water
2 eggs
1/2 tspn salt
40gm butter, chopped

*250gm butter, room temperature (cut into 10 pcs)
1 TB all purpose flour

Method :
(1) combine all dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl then add in milk & egg and gently stir to form a stick dough.
(2) add in butter and knead till smooth then set a side to rest for an hour or till double in size.
(3) punch dough to release air and again knead dough till smooth.
(4) place dough to a greased plastic bag and keep refrigerated for an hour. (I kept mine in the freezer for 30 mins)
(5) once ready, place dough to a slightly floured working table and roll it flat for about 12x24" size.
(6) arrange butter onto dough (as shown as the above picture), fold dough over and nicely sealed.
(7) refer here for folding method.
(8) again, keep the ready dough refrigerated or frozen once it's done. And use it at anytime you want.
(9) finally, roll dough flat into 15x24" and spread on melted butter then top with cinnamon & brown sugar.
(10) roll dough like swiss roll from the longer side, divide dough into 24 portions and leave to rest for about an hour or till double in size.
(11) now, brush on egg glazing and top with sliced almond.
(12) bake at preheated oven 200'C for about 18-20 mins or till nicely brown.

This is how the dough look after 45 mins

OK, now it's all ready for the final touch up. Dust with icing sugar and serve. Slurpppp.....

I'm sending this to Wild Yeast @ Yeastspotting.

Chocolate Danish Pastry With Custard

2013-04-25T00:00:00.002+08:00

More bread coming up this week. I made this danish pastry two days after the sausage bread. I'm not sure about my family but I am definitely craving for more luxury breads.:o) Though more works needed, still worth it ! Actually, this recipe is best to keep the dough refrigerated overnight before throwing them into the oven.but I can't wait any longer. So bake them on the same day. hehe....

So, here's what I did.

Ingredients for dough :
(A)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
3-1/2 tspn yeast
1 tspn sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
(combine & mix well, set aside to rest for 30 mins)

(B)
2 cups bread flour
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tspn salt
2 medium eggs
3 TB cold butter, chopped

Method :
(1) combine all ingredients (B) into a big mixing bowl, except butter.
(2) stir in mixture (A) and stir to form a soft dough, add in butter and knead till smooth. (do not add in extra flour, rub hands with oil if possible to prevent sticky dough)
(3) once it's done, set aside to rest for an hour or till double in size.
(4) when ready, punch dough to release air and knead till smooth.
(5) now, wrap dough with plastic sheet and keep refrigerated for 30 mins.

Ingredients for chocolate butter :
250gm butter, soften (sorry, it's 250gm instead of 400gm)
5 TB cocoa powder
1 TB dark cocoa powder
(mix cocoa powder & soft butter till well combined. Keep mixture to a medium size plastic bag. Then keep refrigerated overnight or till set)

Ingredients for custard cream :
200ml milk
2 eggs
2 TB sugar
2 TB all purpose flour
1 tspn Singing Dog Vanilla paste
20gm butter
(combined everything into a saucepan and cook over low heat till thickened. Set aside to cool once it's done)

*1/2 cup blueberry sauce/jam
*egg glazing (1 beaten egg)

TO ASSEMBLE :
Refer here for folding method.
Finally, roll dough flat to a 24x15" size sheet and divide into 18 portions. Then again keep refrigerated for another 30 mins.
Now, withdraw dough from fridge then slightly flatten each dough by rolling pin. Brush dough with egg glaze at all corners then fold them over facing inside. Brush egg glazing over the dough and let them rest for 30 mins.
Finally, place custard & blueberry sauce on top and bake at preheated oven 200'C for about 18-20 mins or till nicely brown & crispy. Best to dust the top with icing sugar before serving.

Tips : always keep dough refrigerated after each folding. this will helps to slow down the proving process.

These chocolate danish pastry are so fluffy & soft the inside and crispy on outer layer. It turned out more like bread than a pastry. I remember the last time I made them, the layering is perfect. So, can't skip the step if you're expecting a nice appearance. :o)

Here's the perfect homemade danish pastry I ever made.
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I'm sending this to Yeastspotting @ Wild Yeast.

Cheesy Sausage Pesto Bun

2013-04-22T00:00:00.002+08:00

Yeap...it has been ages since I last made some bread. Bread making always my favourite activity during my free time. And my family simply enjoy savoury bread the most. I remember the first time when I started baking with pesto was my homemade pesto & cottage cheese pizza. My kids became addicted to pesto eversince then. My boy even using the pesto on his toasted bread. ;o) So, thought of making the pesto bread with their favourite chicken sausage the other day. No doubt, it was really good.

So, here's what I did.
Ingredients :
Starter Dough
200gm all purpose flour
1 tspn yeast
100ml warm water

Main Dough
300gm all purpose flour
4 TB sugar
1 tspn salt
1 large egg
80ml water
60ml sesame, basil & cilantro pesto
40gm cold butter, chopped

*10 chicken sausage
*1 cup grated cheddar cheese
*1 TB black peppercorn, crushed
egg glazing

Method :
(1) combine starter dough ingredient to form a dough, let to rest for an hour or till double in size.
(2) now, combine main dough ingredients together with starter dough (break into pieces) to form soft & sticky dough and again let to rest for 1-1/2 hour or till double in size.
(3) punch dough to release air and knead till smooth, then divide into 10 equal portions.
(4) roll each dough into long string and wrap around the sausage.
(5) place to greased baking tray & let to rest for 30 mins.
(6) brush on egg glazing and top with cheese & black pepper.
(7) bake at preheated oven 185'C for about 18-20 mins or till brown.

The texture of the bread is really soft. That's the result by using starter dough /pre-ferment dough and gelatized dough too will give you a very moist & fluffy buns. The bread is so so aromatic. Even my kitchen smell like pesto. lol. Guess what! The breads are all gone before I managed to take down another few more shots by the next morning. Yeap....they just love it. They had them for supper the same night, then breakfast the next morning and they also took them to school for lunch. :o)
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I'm sending this to Yeastspotting @ Wild Yeast.

Tomato & Ricotta Salsa Bruchetta

2013-04-18T04:30:00.000+08:00

The weather has been really hot for the past few weeks, even if its rain some times. I hardly take any heavy meal these days. Sometimes, I even ended up a day by only taking a few slices of bread & crackers but drinking loads of water & Chinese tea & green tea. However, thought of making myself some salsa with ricotta cheese today. It's been ages since I last had them. I really enjoy it especially on toasted breads.....Just imagine having them in front of my TV with my favourite Korean drama series under this kind of crazy weather. I am actually aftering this Korean drama lately, [The Moon That Embraces The Sun]. Exciting & beautiful story !

So, here's what I did.
Ingredients :
1 large onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 Japanese cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds
1 cup homemade ricotta cheese
a dash of black pepper corn, crushed
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB lime juice
a dash salt

Method :
Combine everything together and mix well. Serve onto french bread or as side dish as desired.

Ahhhh.... here's my lovely bread ! I think I'm going to have coffee to go with this today. haha... Coffee fits better, right? Hope you guys are going to have a chill day.

Dutch Apple Cake

2013-04-15T18:00:00.000+08:00

Guess what ! A couple of weeks back I received an email from Amy @ uTry.it telling me that I'm one of the lucky winner of the Singing Dog products giveaway. I am totally thrilled to receive such good news early on that morning. This is the second time I've won something from a giveaway so far. :o) And finally received the package two weeks later. I was told to keep an eye on it cause some of the packages from Singing Dog Vanilla got rejected by the Malaysian customs department. Not sure why ! Oh yeah, I am super lucky indeed. haha...... I received a bottle of vanilla bean paste and vanilla blackberry sage tea (come with a bag) from Singing Dog Vanilla. I've been eyeing on this vanilla bean paste since a long time ago. OH FINALLY....finally...finally !!! I can't wait to try it out right away. I am definitely looking for something simple & quick to make and have chosen this Dutch Apple Cake. Dutch apple cake is something look like an apple pie but it's actually a cake. Some recipe may omit the baking powder.

The natural aroma of the paste smell really awesome which is quite similar to my homemade vanilla extract but unlike those vanilla essence. You can too check out Singing Dog Vanilla.for some of their products

Ingredients :
150gm butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
a pinch of salt
1-1/2 tspn Singing Dog vanilla paste
2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tspn baking powder (optional)

Ingredients for apple filling :
3 apples, skinned & diced
3 TB brown sugar
1 tspn cinnamon powder
(combine all & mix well, set aside for 10 mins)

Method :
(1) beat together butter, salt, vanilla paste, sugar & eggs till fluffy.
(2) stir in flour & baking powder and mix well, the mixture should look like paste form.
(3) divide into 2 portions and spread half of each portion to a 4x8x2.5" greased tray..
(4) next, place on the apple mixture and cover the top with the remaining dough.
(5) finally, bake at preheated oven 175'C for about 40 mins or till brown.
(6) leave to cool for 5 mins before slicing.

This cake looks quite thin and slim. Sounds good for diet watching. haha.... I think it would looks quite pretty on a pie pan as well. Will double up the apples the next time I make this.

Vanilla, apple and cinnamon.....what else are you expecting for ! And I am serving them with frozen yogurt, strawberry & strawberry sauce. YUmmmmm...... No more BLUE Monday !

Telur Sambal Hijau @ Green Sambal With Egg

2013-04-04T00:00:00.001+08:00

I was introduced to this special home cooked dish about a week ago. Some calling this as Indon version sambal. I often take spicy food but never had I tried it this way. I mean cooking with beaten eggs !!! I immediately falling in love with it. I was so surprise with the outcome and quickly spoon some over to hubby's plate. He likes it too but not totally crazy about it. (cheeky guy!) haha..... He said the fried anchovies are much too soft. That was because my dear friend cooking the fried anchovies and chili paste at the same time, where the juices produced by the paste is the main factor. So, I've avoid cooking them both together and here's what I did.

Ingredients :
1 large onion, sliced
100gm dried anchovies, washed
2 eggs, beaten
salt to taste

Ingredients for chili paste :
30 bird eye chili
5 shallot
5 cloves garlic
5 slices ginger
(grind everything together till slightly smooth)

Method :
(1) fry the anchovies till brown & crunchy, set aside.
(2) by using the same wok or pan, try to reduce some of the oil and then saute the large onion till fragrant.
(3) stir in the chili paste and cook over high heat till the mixture became nearly dry.
(4) now, add in salt & beaten eggs and let to cook for about 5 mins & stir constantly.Add in a bit cooking oil if the mixture is too dry.
(5) once it's ready, off the heat and stir in fried anchovies, mix well & serve.

Isn't it simple & easy to prepare ? I bet anyone who loves spicy food will definitely fall in love with this as well. Don't wait ! Just go and try them yourself. Enjoy !

Jaggery Sugar Kuih Talam

2013-04-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

It's once a year 'Qing ming' festival again. This year it is fall on the 4th of April. Like every year we usually visit our ancestors grave yard a few days earlier, which most likely to be a weekend and the best is we are not working. Every year I will prepare loads of food to pay respect to our ancestors without failed. And this year I made this jaggery sugar kuih & also nasi lemak.

Ingredients for (A) :
70gm rice flour
30gm mung bean starch
80gm tapioca flour
50gm jaggery sugar
70gm brown sugar
350ml water

Ingredients (B):
70gm rice flour
30gm mung bean flour
70gm tapioca flour
150ml coconut milk
200ml water
pinch of salt

Method :
(1) combine all ingredients (A) into a pot, mix well.
(2) now, cook over low heat till mixture slightly thickened.
(3) remove from heat then transfer mixture to a 7" greased tray.
(4) steam at preheated steamer for 15 mins.
(5) while steaming the (A) layer kuih, mix all the (B) ingredients into a pot and cook over low heat till thickened.
(6) spread ingredients (B) onto jaggery sugar layer kuih and again steam for another 20 mins.
(7) leave to cool completely before slicing. Best to use a plastic cutter for slicing.

Compare to the one made only with tapioca flour & hoen kwee flour, this kuih is much easier for cutting and the cooling time needed is quicker for about 2 hours.

Honestly, I personally prefer the one made with only tapioca flour & hoen kwee flour. Though it needs longer cooling time, I'm willing to wait for it. The texture is chewy and springy. Absolutely irresistible ! Where this version is slightly soft but still many out there enjoy this type of dessert. However, I do enjoyed the taste & smell of the jaggery sugar. Hope you guys will love it too.

Good Friday + Easter Day + Hot Cross Bun

2013-03-29T00:00:00.001+08:00

This is the leftover store bought preserved kamquet from Chinese New Year. Kids not fond of it at all but they like it on cakes. So then I clean them all up for other purposes. I baked a butter cake with half of them and now I'm going to use the other half on my buns. And this hot cross bun just came right on time. :o)

This is actually my 2nd attempt. My first attempt on hot cross bun was many years back...can't even remember when !!!! But I do remember I used loads of mixed dry fruits included candid orange peels. My boy hated it so much. haha..... He kept reminding me not to use candid orange peels anymore and that is why I used preserved kamquet on this buns instead of those fruit peels. Thank goodness! It turned out pretty tasty too.

Ingredients :
(A)
2 cup all purpose flour
1-3/4 cup bread flour
3 tspn instant yeast
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB jaggery sugar
1 tspn cinnamon powder
1/2 tspn all spices
3 eggs
1 tspn salt
1/2 cup corn oil
3/4 cup milk (or milk plus water)

(B)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup preserved kamquet
1/3 cup candied shredded nutmeg

topping : 2 TB flour + 2 TB water
(mix well to form paste then place into pipping bag)
2 TB honey for glazing (or you may use egg glazing)

Method :
(1) combine ingredients (A) into a big bowl, then mix (either by machine or hand) to form a soft dough. Only then add in ingredients (B) and mix well with the dough.
(2) set aside to rest for an hour or till double in size.
(3) now, rub hands with butter then punch dough to release air and knead till smooth.
(4) divide dough into 12 portions and let to sit for 5 mins.
(5) again press dough and fold to form a ball dough each of them and place to 9x13" greased tray.
(6) now, brush bun with honey then pipe on the cross with flour mixture and let to sit for 15-20 mins.
(7) finally, bake at preheated oven 185'C for about 20-25 mins or till brown.

*Note : it's highly recommended to use only 2 tspn of yeast. Mine is 3 tspn which I think a bit too much.

Oh wow, I finally made it just a day before Easter Day. Though I am not celebrating it, it still fun to join in the gang. lol. Happy Good Friday & Easter Day !
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I'm sending this to Yeastspotting @ Wild Yeast Blog.

Chocolate Banana Cake

2013-03-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

NOPE...I can't finish off the bananas the other day and used half of them to make this cake. My boy doesn't like plain banana cake. He said it's BORING ! So, something need to be done....... This is a simple & quick and yet addictive cake. I simply top it with white chocolate ganache and toasted coconut for a quick spread. Right, my boy didn't make a single sound. It's rather a good sign. :o)

Ingredients :
2-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1 cup brown sugar
115gm butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
3 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup yogurt / heavy cream
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Method :
(1) in a bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder & baking soda and set aside..
(2) cream butter, yogurt, sugar & eggs till fluffy.
(3) now, fold the dry ingredients, chocolate chips & mashed banana into butter mixture till well combined.
(4) pour batter to a 8" greased tray and let to bake at preheated oven 175'C for about 55 mins or till tester came out clean.
(5) set aside to cool for 15 mins before removing from tray.

Ingredients for white chocolate ganache :
100gm white chocolate, chopped
60gm butter, cubed
2 TB heavy cream

Method :
(1) combine all ingredients into saucepan and place it over a pot of boiling water without touching the water, with the heat off.
(2) remove the pot away from hot water, once the butter has melted.
(3) continue stirring the mixture till the chocolate completely melted & the mixture combined.
(4) set aside to cool or keep refrigerated for 5-10 mins to set, stir constantly.

Nothing better than having a slice of this chocolate banana cake with a cup of coffee.... and with my favourite book.....relaxing on the couch. lol.

Kuih Bom Pisang @ Deep Fried Banana Donut

2013-03-21T00:00:00.002+08:00

My leftover bananas has been sitting on the dinning table for some time already. No one seems interested. Probably because of the weather ! It has been so warm for the past couple of days. Hmmm.....something need to be done before they all ended into the dustbin. And this kuih bom idea came just right on time. I've been wanting to make this long ago. Since it can be easily found here and it's cheap.....so I kept on delay & delay....& delay. :o) But this round I have no more excuses. LOL. So, here's what I did.

(recipe adapted from here)
Ingredients :
200gm banana, mashed
1 TB brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
a pinch of salt

Method :
(1) combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix to form a paste.
(2) then set aside to rest for an hour.
(3) now, heat up a pot of cooking oil.just enough for frying.
(4) spoon some batter to the hot oil and let to fry till brown.
(5) then it's ready for serving.

Kuih bom or kuih pisang is one of many delicious & light street food over here. It's one of my favourite snack but I usually buy them at the Malay food stall early in the morning for my breakfast. Mine isn't perfect enough. I prefer darker crust which I think it's maybe caused by different type of bananas used. Will try out other type of bananas soon. However, I'm sure you guys will love this easy banana donuts too. Enjoy !

Jaggery Sugar Jelly Layer Cake

2013-03-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

I made this cake a couple of weeks back. It's hubby 2nd birthday cake. The first one was a common blueberry cream cake. I am craving for the one with palm sugar or jaggery sugar jelly cake since long ago which I can't find it elsewhere. The only jelly cake available at the shop was pandan coconut, corn and yam/taro flavour jelly cake. So what else can I do! Just go ahead and give it a go. It's my first attempt. I was a bit nervous at the beginning, not knowing if the sponge will goes perfect with the jelly or the jelly mixture enough to cover the cake and so on. Phewwww..... thank gpodness ! The cake turned out terrific and the jelly just enough to cover the whole thing. :o)

This is the jaggery sugar I used on my jelly. Very fragrant.

Ingredients for sponge :
(A)
3 egg yolk
90gm sugar
60ml milk
70gm superfine flour
3 TB corn oil
1 tspn pandan coconut paste

(B)
3 egg white
1/4 tspn cream of tartar

Note : for 6" tray ~ 3 layers
but I made 3x 7-1/2" tray ~ 6 layers to make 2 cakes
for chocolate cake ~ use 50gm superfine flour + 20gm cocoa powder

Method :
(1) beat egg yolk & sugar till pale and fluffy.
(2) then alternately add in milk & flour till everything combined.
(3) next, beat in oil & pandan coconut paste and set aside.
(4) whisk ingredients (B) till peak form.
(5) now, fold egg white into (A) mixture in 3 batches till everything done.
(6) finally, bake at preheated oven 150'C for 30 mins and 170'C for 20 mins or till the tester came out clean.
(7) cooled to room temperature before slicing.

Ingredients for Jelly :
(for 8-1/2" tray ~ 3 layer 7-1/2" cake)
400ml thick coconut milk
800ml water
85gm hoen kwee flour (white)
15gm agar-agar powder
200gm jaggery sugar
80gm brown sugar

* 1 TB syrup
1 cup roasted coconut for decoration

Method :
(1) combine hoen kwee flour, agar-agar powder and jaggery sugar into a pot and press the rock size sugar till nice & fine. It's easier to dissolve in that way.
(2) then stir in coconut milk & water to mix well.
(3) cook over medium heat by stirring constantly till mixture is thickened.
(4) divide mixture into 4 rice bowl equally.

TO ASSEMBLE :
(1) pour one portion of the jelly mixture to the pot slightly bigger than the sponge.
(2) place in a layer of sponge and slightly press the sponge to the jelly.
(3) pour in 2nd portion of jelly and spread to cover everything nicely.
(4) place in 2nd layer of sponge and again slightly press the sponge to the jelly.
(5) pour in 3rd portion of jelly and spread to cover everything nicely.
(6) place the last layer of sponge and again slightly press the sponge to the jelly.
(7) finally, pour in the last batch of jelly and spread to cover everything nicely.
(8) leave to cool at room temperature and then keep refrigerated overnight before serving.

Couldn't find a perfect cake pan for my cake. Lucky or not? I found a perfect pot for it. haha..... And the size is just nice.

Ta...da...here's my jaggery sugar jelly cake. Looks & smell really irresistible. I wanna try with palm sugar the next time I make this. Wonder how it would taste! :o)

I actually brush on a layer of thin syrup over the whole jelly cake to give it the shiny look. NO, not sweet at all ! I found that the jelly made of jaggery sugar isn't very sweet compare to white sugar or brown sugar. I actually prefer sweeter jelly. However, I really love the smell of the cake. Nice !

Tri~Colour Ice Tea @ 三色奶茶

2013-03-14T00:00:00.000+08:00

I fell in love with this tri-colour tea eversince hubby ordered for me at one of our local kopitiam (coffee shop) a few months back. Honestly, I'm not a tea person. But lately I'm really addicted to this tri-colour tea. Why it is called a tri-colour tea? Well, please scroll downwards and take a look at the below pictures then you'll see. Oh yeah....this tea is made of three different ingredients in three layers. Since these few days has been so warm over here, it would be nice to enjoy this at home. And here's what we need for the tea.

This is the concentrate wheat grass juice we need to add to the drinks. This is concrntrate sweetened juice or you may use any branding of wheat grass juice as desired. Mine is only around RM10.00 per bottle. If not mistaken, some kopitiam serving it with palm sugar syrup (gula melaka) instead of wheatgrass juice.

Ingredients for Tea : (to serve 3)
3 Lipton tea bags
500ml boiling water
6 tspn sugar
(combine everything and stir till sugar dissolved then set aside to sit for 15mins)

Firstly, pour in 3 tablespoon of concentrate wheat grass juice to a glass and then fill in half of the glass with ice cube.

Now, adding in 3 tablespoon of evaporated milk over the ice and let it flow slowly downwards. You can clearly see the layering between the two.

Finally, top up the glass with ice cube and pour in about 150ml tea mixture. Do not stir the drink untill you serve it to others.

So, here we are the tri-colour icy cold tea. Hubby is shaking his head when I placed this drink infront of him. haha.... "You made this ????" hubby asked."Yeah, I made this !....SO...." I said. "Good then I can save a few ringgits the next time we visit that kopitiam." :o( Naaaa.....just joking ! haha.... He is actually speechless after he tried the tea and with his thumb up later on. :o) Hope you guys will love it too. Enjoy !
By the way, my previous post was being featured at Asian Food Channel yesterday (13th of March). Thanks to AFC !

Peanut Butter Fudge Tang Yuan In Lemongrass Soup

2013-03-11T00:00:00.000+08:00

I made this tang yuan during Chinese New Year but after came back from the trip. I really enjoy spending every moment in my own kitchen. During the whole trip, I have to cook at my parents in law kitchen & also my parents' kitchen. Honestly, they have such huge kitchen spacing but it wasn't as comfortable as my own little kitchen. haha...... Perhaps, all housewives felt the same way too ! Anyway, here's my little gigantic peanut butter fudge tang yuan.

Ingredients for tang yuan dough :
250gm glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup warm water

*Fillings : peanut butter fudge, cut small as desired sizes
(it't best to used cold fudge, easier for cutting)

Ingredients for lemongrass soup :
1.5L (7 cups) water
2 stick sugar cane sugar
3 stalk lemongrass, roughly smashed
(combine everything into a pot and heat till sugar dissolved, set aside)

Method :
(1) to make tang yuan dough, slowly stir in warm water to glutinous rice flour till form a soft dough. Do not add in the water at once.
(2) continue kneading the dough till smooth and the side bowl is clean.
(3) next, divide dough into more or less 25 portions, press each dough center to make a hole then fill in peanut butter fudge. Wrap & sealed nicely till everything completed.
(4) bring a pot of clean water to boil, throw in all the dough and let to boil till all floating then transfer to a pot of tap water for cooling for about 5-10 mins and drained.
(5) finally, bring the lemongrass soup to boil and add in cooked tang yuan. Let them cook for another 15 mins over medium heat and it's ready to serve.

Hey, those are NOT fishball but my cooked glutinous rice ball or tang yuan.But looks more like ping pong balls. haha...... I am very much crave for the lemongrass sweet soup. I normally add in fresh ginger to boil the soup but have omitted it this round. And am glad it works well. The soup turned out so aromatic. And not to mention about the fillings. It was good...really really good.

Homemade Golden Seafood Tofu @ Hai Xian Tofu

2013-03-07T00:00:00.002+08:00

If you're a Malaysian, you should have heard and seen this kind of fried tofu very often at the supermarket frozen department, even wet market or serving steamy hot from the kitchen of a local restaurant which most of them claimed that it's their signature dish. Ok Ok signature dish or not, whereas, it is now mine signature dish as well. haha..... Are you dare to try it ?

Here's what I did.
(recipe adapted by here)

Ingredients :
250gm fish & shrimp paste mixture
(with additional chopped mushroom)
2 tube Japanese egg tofu
2 pcs silky soft tofu /1 box soft tofu (around 300gm)
handful of cilantro, chopped
2 TB scallop sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Method :
(1) place everything together and beat with electrical mixer till well combined.
(2) spread mixture to a 7" baking tray lined with plastic sheet then cover the top nicely with the same sheet.
(3) steam over medium heat for about 10 mins or till set.
(4) then leave cooled before slicing.
(5) finally, coat each block of tofu with corn flour and fry till golden brown.

Make sure your steamer is not overly hot, otherwise partial of the texture will became harden.

The tofu will brown very fast, so be very careful with the temperature.

It is best to have an early preparation and keep this tofu refrigerated or frozen either way. So that you can serve it at any time. Of coz, you can easily get this kind of frozen seafood tofu at the supermarket or even wet market but I bet it ain't taste the same.

Gyoza In Red Hot Kimchi Mixed

2013-03-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

Does it sound weird to you when I mentioned gyoza in kimchi mixed???? haha.... It doesn't make sense at all cause gyoza is Japanese style dumpling and kimchi is Korean food. Can you imagine the combination between the two? Honestly, it actually turned out pretty good. I'll have to say eating dumpling with hot tasty sourish kimchi mixed is another new experience to me. I suggest to add in extra bird-eye chilies which is just terrific for an Asian taste bud. Don't worry.....you won't be eating this with tears over your eyes. :o)

And here's what I did.

Ingredients for Gyoza :
one fish paste mixture recipe, refer here
one batch homemade jiaozi skin
some spring onion, thinly sliced
1 cup homemade kimchi mixed

Ingredients for stock :
1 TB gochujang sauce (Korean red chili paste)
1-1/2 cup water
1 tspn vegetable granule
(combine everything & mix well)

Method :
(1) preheat non-stick frying pan with some cooking oil, cook gyoza over medium heat till bottom turned brown.

(2) once the gyoza is cooked, add in stock mixture and let it cook over medium heat with lid on for another 10 mins or more or till the gravy became thicken.

(3) finally, stir in kimchi mixed and let to cook for another 2 mins...just to warm it up. Then serve hot with either noodle or rice.

The Beard Papa's Cream Puff

2013-02-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

Have anyone heard of Beard Papa's cream puff before? Mm..mm..NOT ME ! I've only seen it on the web site. And found out there's actually a few Beard Papa's outlets at some of the biggest shopping mall in Malaysia. I have yet tried anything from any of the shops but already drooling after went through the menu, click to see. Are you salivating too???? haha.... So many varieties to choose from The menu looks truly mouthwatering, isn't it? And I knew I got to make some. So, here's my homemade version of Beard Papa's cookie crust puff.

Ingredients for Choux Pastry :
(A)
100ml water
100ml milk
100gm butter
a pinch of salt
1 tspn sugar

(B)
120gm all purpose flour

(C)
3-4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method :
(1) bring ingredients (A) to boil then remove from heat.
(2) stir in flour and mix to well over low heat till you get a dough ball.
(3) now, transfer dough ball to a big plastic bowl & let dough cool for 5 mins, then stir in egg one at a time by using a wooden or plastic spoon. Keep stirring untill you get the right consistency. (not too firm nor too runny). You don't have to use up all the eggs.
(4) fill mixture into pipping bag and pipe into small dough to baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
(5) cut cookie dough into small pieces and flatten by pressing between a plastic sheet, then place onto choux batter.
(6) finally, bake at preheated oven 195-200'C for about 20 mins or till nicely puffed up & brown.
(7) cooled and cut open the pastry then fill in the cream.
* (you may also refer some other recipe from here or here)

Ingredients for top Cookie Crust :
60gm butter, at room temperature
60gm sugar / brown sugar
80gm all purpose flour
1-1/2 tspn cinnamon powder
(cream butter & sugar till combined then stir in flour & cinnamon to form a dough, wrap with plastic sheet then keep refrigerated for 30 mins before used)

Ingredients for Dulce De Leche Cream :
one French Butter cream recipe
1/2 cup homemade dulce de leche cream
(combine everything and beat to mix well, then fill into pipping bag & ready to use)

Oooo.....Nothing better than enjoying these with a cup of coffee. The French cream works very well with these little puffs. I actually prefer cream than custard for fillings. I think it's a better combination. Hope you guys will love it too. Enjoy & have fun.

Lemon Lime Hokkaido Sponge Cake

2013-02-25T10:00:00.000+08:00

After my little creaming project, I can finally test out the cream on some of the bake goods and one of it was the delicious Hokkaido sponge cake. Hokkaido cake recipe already in my list to do for too long and I felt guilty for not getting it done any sooner. So finally made this 2 days before Chop Goh Meh, the final day of the Chinese New Year celebration and also the Chinese Valentine's Day. Yeap, the Asian Valentine's Day ! :o) I'm sure these cakes will lighten up the day.

Ingredients for Sponge :
(A)
5 egg yolk
160gm sugar
(or substitute with 8 tspn NuStevia Sweetener)
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup corn oil
1 tspn Lemon flavoured~NuStevia
1 lime zest
1 lemon zest

(B) 1 cup milk

(C) 250gm hong kong flour/superfine flour
1 TB baking powder

(D)
8 egg whites ( roughly 260gm-280gm)
1/2 tspn cream of tartar (or can substiture with vinegar or lemon juice)

Method :
(1) beat ingredients (A) till pale and creamy, then beat in milk & mixture (C) alternately till everything well combined. Set aside.
(2) now, in separate bowl beat ingredients (D) till peak foam.
(3) fold beaten egg white into mixture (A+B+C) in 3 batches, till everything combined.
(4) best to use a pipping bag for spreading the batter to separate paper cups, 80% full of 22-24 cups.
(5) finally, bake at preheated oven 170'C for about 20 mins.
(6) cool on wire rack then make a hole in the center by using a chopstick.
(7) simply pipe in some cream the follow by blueberry sauce and then top with more cream.

Ingredients for Lemon Lime Cream :
one Italian butter cream recipe
2 tspn Lemon flavoured~NuStevia
2 tspn Lime juice
(combine everything and beat to mix well)

*some blueberry sauce / jam for fillings

Oh yeah, I almost left out one very important statement here. It's about the cream! The CREAM turned out perfect. It stands so well and can last at least for 2 days without even being kept in the refrigerator. And no problem with long distance delivery anymore. Kudos ! Clap...clap...clap.... Hope you guys will love it too. Enjoy !

Italian & French Butter Cream Or Swiss Meringue Cream

2013-02-23T00:00:00.000+08:00

During the Chinese New Year, I've taken 2 weeks time off work and have started my own little project since after the Chinese New Year trip. I'm glad I've finally made it. On this little project, I've learned the differences between the Italian cream, French cream and Swiss meringue cream. I am actually having some problem dueling with the store bought whipping cream, non-dairy or dairy especially for long distance delivery. It can't stand for long unless you've a good storage box for it. And here comes the perfect cream to solve the problem.

ITALIAN BUTTER CREAM
Italian butter cream is prepared by adding the hot syrup which by heating sugar & water till dissolved, to egg whites whipped to peak foam.

Firstly, beat egg white till peak foam then set aside. Next, heat sugar and water till dissolved then slowly stir hot syrup into whipped egg white bit by bit. Continue beating the egg white till everything completed. The mixture will became lukewarm. The hot syrup will helps to cook the egg white which is good.

Ingredients :
3 egg white
200gm sugar
60ml water
300gm cold butter, chopped
*1 TB vanilla extract or any other flavouring as desired
a pinch of salt, optional

Next, add in cold butter little by little and continue beating the egg white mixture till everything completed.

The mixture will look something like this at the beginning. Don't worried ! Just continue beating the mixture for another couple of minutes and it will set & turn to smooth & creamy butter cream. You may reduce the butter for lighter cream. But the cream stands better and longer by using more butter.

*Tips : if the mixture is still too runny, whisk in an extra 40-50gm of butter. The quantity of syrup may reduce rapidly if you're using a common steel pot for cooking. Of coz, there will be a deference when you're using a non-stick pot. Try to cook an extra few minutes to get thicker syrup when you're a non-stick pot.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTER CREAM
Swiss meringue butter cream is prepared by cooking egg white & sugar in a bowl over a pot of boiling water without touching the water. Stir egg white gradually while heating, till it begins bubbling and turned foamy. Then quickly remove from heat and transfer the mixture to another bowl, continue beating till the egg white became peak foam. Add in butter little by little till everything completed and continue beating till the mixture became smooth & creamy. It looks almost the same as the Italian butter cream but softer due to less butter is used.

Ingredients :
3 egg whites
180gm sugar
200gm cold butter, chopped
*1 TB vanilla extract or any flavouring as desired
a pinch of salt, optional

FRENCH BUTTER CREAM
French butter cream is also prepared the same way as the Italian butter cream by adding hot syrup to beaten eggs, except that French cream uses egg yolk instead of egg white. And it looks more to custard like cream compare to meringue butter cream.

Firstly, beat egg yolk till pale & light then set aside. Next, heat sugar and water till dissolved then slowly stir hot syrup into beaten egg yolk bit by bit. Continue beating the egg white till everything completed. The mixture will became lukewarm. The hot syrup will helps to cook the egg yolk which is good.

Ingredients :

3 egg yolk

180gm sugar
3 TB water
230gm cold butter, chopped
*1 TB vanilla extract or any flavouring as desired
a pinch of salt, optional

Next, add in cold butter little by little and continue beating the mixture till everything completed.

The mixture will became smooth & creamy and quite yellowish compare to meringue butter cream. Yet beautiful.

Well, did you notice the differences between the two cream? The French butter cream looks yellowish and very much similar to Bavarian cream but Bavarian cream uses more egg yolk & gelatine. So finally, another mission accomplished ! Clap..clap...clap.... :o)

Prosperity Taro Balls

2013-02-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

Seafood & chicken meat are mostly used in my daily cooking cause there's NO PIG in the house. haha... Oh well, not because we can't take pork or anything.......just that my family doesn't like it and also most red meat. So, it gives me no choice. As always, I need to come out with something yummy during this time of the year with just limited ingredients. And also something my kids would enjoy. So...not waiting for long. Here's the lovely dish of my prosperity taro balls.

I prepared quite a large batch of the fish paste mixture from the last recipe and purposely use it on this. So, there's not much wastage. And even stored up another batch for some other recipes as well.

So, here's what I did.
Ingredients :
1 small taro, skinned & grated
salt & pepper to taste
1 tspn chinese five spice powder
3 TB glutinous rice flour

*1 beaten egg for coating

Ingredients for filling :
200gm homemade fish paste
200gm shrimp / prawns, minced
1/2 cup water chestnut, chopped
1/3 cup carrot, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
3 TB wheat starch
(combine everything and mix well, set aside)

Method :
(1) marinade grated taro with salt & pepper, spices and glutinous rice flour for about an hour or till softened.
(2) for preparation, spoon filling into size as desired then coat with beaten egg.
(3) wrap meat filling with grated taro nicely and set aside till everything completed.
(4) then fry over medium heat till golden brown.

Whoever has taken fried shredded taro before surely know how it would taste like ! Fried taro itself already very very tasty and aromatic.....what if an additional seafood bowl wrapping inside the fried taro ! Can you imagine the taste? Last year, I have made fried grated taro with prawns and it turned out really delicious. And this year is another successful job. Hope you guys will like it too.

Fire Cracker To Die For

2013-02-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

Wow...hooo... are you still in the Chinese New Year mood ? Yeah, I am and I'm feeling pretty good cause last weekend I could finally spent time in my own kitchen. After came back from a long Chinese New Year trip, I managed to get a nice & fresh spotted mackerel at the local wet market to make myself some fish paste. I made it every Chinese New Year and also on special occasion. I often use it on stuffed beancurd ("yong tofu") and sometimes I would love to use it on some other special dishes. Right ! Just like the one here.... eatable fire cracker ! Doesn't it look much fun ?

And here's what I did.

Ingredients :
150gm homemade fish paste
150gm shrimps / prawns, minced
1/2 cup water chestnut, chopped
1/3 cup carrot, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 TB wheat starch
salt & pepper to taste

*one packet of phyllo sheet / popiah sheet (small size)

Method :
(1) place all ingredients into a big bowl and mix to combine.
(2) spread a teaspoon of the mixture to phyllo sheet, wrap & sealed nicely with some egg white.
(3) then fry till golden brown.
(4) finally, decorate it onto a plate with chili sauce & mayonnaise.

It's best not to wrap the spring roll overly big....finger length would be fine. Otherwise, it won't be able to fit to any dinning plate. *wink*

Be very careful with your first bite.....you'll get addicted....you'll want more...& more....& MORE.... So, don't blame me for this ! You've been warned. :o)