To Food with Love

White and Dark Chocolate Jaffa Swirl Cake

2012-02-26T23:29:00.002+11:00

Ever since I went back to work, I hardly have any time to bake cakes, and this is probably my first cake for 2012! It was the picture of the lovely yellow and brown swirls in the cake that caught my attention when I was browsing through Belinda Jeffery's cookbook called "Mix & Bake". It has a wonderful collection of recipes for baking and my decision to try out this recipe was partially because I happened to have all the necessary ingredients on hand. Moreover, you can't go wrong with orange and chocolate.

This is a lovely orange and chocolate swirl cake that is absolutely moist and tender, thanks to the addition of buttermilk in the recipe. The dark chocolate ganache is a must as it brings out the citrus flavours in the cake. As the recipe for the ganache does not contain cream (as most ganache recipes do), this allows the cake to be stored outside without refrigeration for a few days. I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to finish the cake as it was quite big, but all three kids loved it so much that almost half was it was gone by the next day. The kids don't usually like eating cake, but I was pleasantly surprised that this was such a hit with them. Hilary loved the chocolate ganache, whereas Zach's favourite part was the crunchy crust on top of the cake (well, now bottom after it's inverted).

Needless to say, this cake is perfect with a cuppa or served as dessert. Great for bringing to a party too, especially since it looks pretty and all. You can decorate the top with some candied orange zest if you like, just to jazz it up a bit, and so that people know it's a Jaffa cake! Delicious!

White and dark chocolate Jaffa Swirl Cake
Adapted from Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffery

Ingredients

55g white chocolate, chopped
55g dark chocolate, chopped
290g unsalted butter, chopped, room temperature
2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups (440g) caster sugar (I used about 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp finely grated orange zest (about 2 oranges)

Ganache:
80g dark chocolate
40g unsalted butter, chopped
1 tbsp water

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Butter and flour a bundt tin.
Put white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl with 20g of the butter. Do the same for the dark chocolate in another bowl. Microwave each bowl on high for 35-40 seconds until melted, stopping to stir halfway through. Stir until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Place flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a food processor. Whiz together until well mixed and transfer to a bowl. Put eggs and sugar into the processor and whiz for 1 minute. Add remaining 250g of butter to the egg mixture and process for 1 minute. Pour in buttermilk and vanilla and whiz for 10 seconds. Tip in flour mixture and pulse a few times until batter is just combined.
Transfer half the batter to a bowl and stir in the dark chocolate mixture. Add white chocolate mixture and orange zest to the batter in the processor and blend it in quickly until just combined.
Spread half the white chocolate batter into the bottom of the bundt tin to form an even layer. Dollop half the dark chocolate batter on top in an even layer. Repeat layering with the remaining batters. Run a narrow knife right through the batter and swirl through gently around the tube once.
Bake in oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake in the tine for 10 minutes, and then carefully loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make ganache by melting the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth.
To ice the cake, drizzle the barely warm ganache over the cake and let it set. Any leftover cake keeps well for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in a cool spot.

Chicken Katsu Don (Deep-fried Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl)

2012-02-23T23:16:00.004+11:00

In my previous post, I made Curry Soba topped with chicken katsu (which is essentially buckwheat noodles in Japanese curry, served with deep-fried crumbed chicken cutlet).I thought I'd follow through by posting the recipe for Katsudon, since I also made katsudon on that same night specifically for the kids who have not acquired a taste for curry yet. Katsudon is a Japanese rice bowl dish, comprising a bowl of rice topped with deep-fried chicken or pork cutlet, eggs and onions in a dashi-based sauce. It's so easy to make these Japanese rice bowls at home that I hardly order them at Japanese restaurants anymore.

As explained in my Curry Soba post, my way of getting the chicken cutlet to turn out nice and moist is to gently pound the fillet with a meat mallet just to get it to uniform thickness, without flattening it too much. This also helps to tenderise the meat slightly, but still keep its shape. If it's too flat or thin, it might dry out too quickly during the deep-frying process and lose all its juices. Make sure the oil is hot enough, otherwise the crumb coating might just drop off into the oil. But if the oil is too hot, the chicken might brown too quickly on the outside before the interior is cooked.

These Japanese rice bowls are really super delicious one-bowl meals that don't use many ingredients and are relatively quick and easy to prepare. Here are some other rice bowls that you can try:

1. Steak and Onion Rice Bowl
2. Kakiage Don (Mixed Vegetable Tempura on Rice)
3. Oyako Don (Chicken and Egg on Rice)
4. Gyudon (Beef Bowl)
5. Tonkatsu Don (Deep-fried Pork Cutlet on Rice)

The recipe for today's Chicken Katsudon is adapted from Just One Cookbook (yes, again....my Japanese cooking bible!). Once you've tried preparing a Japanese rice bowl meal, you would probably not order it at the restaurant anymore, because it's so simple and easy to make!

Chicken Katsudon
Adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients

250g (8oz) chicken breast fillet

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 egg lightly beaten with 1/2 tbsp water

1 cup Panko crumbs

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1/2 onion, thinly sliced into half-rings

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 servings of cooked white rice

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Ichimi togarashi (Japanese chilli powder)

Seasonings:

2/3 cup dashi stock (or 1/3 tsp dashinomoto mixed with 2/3 cup water)

1 Tbsp sake

2 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

Method

Cut the chicken in half on a slight diagonal so that you get an oblong shape. Cover with clingwrap and pound lightly with a meat mallet on both sides to get an even thickness of about 1/2 inch, but not too thin. Discard clingwrap. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust the fillets with flour, then coat with egg followed by panko crumbs and set aside on a plate for 5 minutes. Heat up oil in a wok or pan for deep-frying. Deep fry the chicken on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Slice the cutlets into 3/4 inch strips. Set aside.

In a frying pan, bring seasonings and onion to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook onion until softened. Arrange the pieces of chicken katsu in it and turn the heat up to medium high heat. Pour and distribute egg evenly. Cover with a lid for a few seconds.

When the egg is half cooked, add scallions and turn off the heat. Scoop the rice into 2 donburi bowls and carefully slide the chicken and egg mixture over the rice. Serve with Ichimi togarashi (chilli pepper) on the side.

Chicken Katsu Curry Soba

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000+11:00

The first time I tried curry soba was many many years ago at a tiny little Japanese eatery called Kura located in Sydney's Chinatown. My favourite was the one served with prawn and vegetable tempura. I would sit at the counter and observe how the kitchen staff took this bowl of soba with dashi stock in it, and scoop some thick Japanese curry over it. That was when I decided to attempt making curry soba using the same method, and this was some time last year (click here for the earlier recipe). Tempura + Curry = Yum!

I saw that my blogger-friend, Nami had recently posted her Curry Udon recipe on her website, Just One Cookbook, and it immediately triggered my cravings for curry soba again. I actually wanted to try it with udon this time, but since I had a packet of soba noodles which I bought quite a while back, I decided to use it up first. The topping for the curry was a toss-up between tempura and katsu, and since chicken katsu was relatively easier to make, I decided on the latter. I used Nami's method of making the curry by mixing the curry roux cubes directly into the dashi stock (instead of making the curry separately from the dashi), since that was way easier!

The steaming hot curry, the noodles and the crispy slices of deep-fried panko-crumbed chicken were absolutely delicious together. I also added some cubed carrots and potatoes (what's a curry without potatoes, right?). This is the first time making chicken katsu (breaded fried chicken fillet) and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the chicken breast fillet turned out. I was afraid it would dry out from the deep-frying, but it was exceptionally good, with the meat so tender, moist and juicy. When preparing the chicken, I divided each piece of fillet in half to get an oblong shape, which I then gently pounded with a meat mallet just to get it to uniform thickness, without flattening it too much. I made extra katsu which I served up as Katsudon for the kids as they don't eat curry. That was really yummy too!

Here is the recipe for Curry Soba with chicken katsu. You can substitute the soba with udon if you prefer, and add other meat or vegetables to the curry instead of serving it with the chicken katsu. Try it with tempura too, which is my favourite combination, but then again, I do LOVE tempura.

Chicken Katsu Curry Soba
Adapted from Just One Cookbook
Serves 2

Ingredients

3 cups dashi stock (I mixed 1/2 tbsp dashinomoto with 3 cups water)

1 tbsp oil

1/2 large onion, cut into wedges

1/2 carrot, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 potato, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1 tbsp sake

2 pieces/cubes of Japanese curry roux

1 tbsp soy sauce (or to taste)

3-4 bundles of soba noodles

1 scallion, finely chopped or sliced diagonally into strips

Chicken katsu:

300g (10oz) chicken breast fillet

Salt and black pepper

1 small egg lightly beaten with 1/2 tbsp water

3-4 tbsp plain flour

3/4 cup panko crumbs

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

Prepare the curry first. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a medium pot and fry the onions for 1 minute. Then add dashi stock and sake. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add carrots and the curry cubes. Stir to dissolve the cubes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. When the potatoes and carrots are just cooked, turn off the heat and set aside. You can start preparing the chicken katsu at this point.

Cut the chicken in half on a slight diagonal. Pound lightly with a meat mallet to get an even thickness of about 1/2 inch, but not too thin. Season with salt and pepper. Dust the fillets with flour, then coat with egg followed by panko breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate for 5 minutes. Heat up oil in a wok or pan for deep-frying. Deep fry the chicken on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Slice the katsu into 3/4 inch strips.

In the meantime, cook the soba according to package instructions (I cooked mine for 5 minutes in boiling water until just cooked or al dente, and rinsed it with cold tap water to stop the cooking process).

To serve, place the soba into 2 serving bowls and ladle the curry over each one. Heat up the curry again if necessary. Then place the katsu on top and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

Twice-cooked Braised Pork Belly (Kong Bak)

2012-02-18T00:48:00.001+11:00

My mum was here just a few months ago and I was thinking that finally, I could ask her to show me how to make Kong Bak, one of my favourite versions of braised pork belly. She did make it once when she was here, but I was not home at the time, and so I wasn't involved in the cooking process. I asked her for the recipe, and as you would know it, she couldn't tell me the exact measurements (her measurements are usually "just a little bit", "eyeball it" or "quite a lot"). So, after she left, I decided to have a go at making this dish.

It turned out quite close to how my mum made it, although I had a feeling that something might be missing. Mum's magic touch perhaps? In any case, it was delicious, with the hint of honey, caramel and chinese five-spice in the sweet and sticky sauce, and that wonderful layer of pork belly skin that had been deep-fried and braised to yield a lovely soft and chewy texture. I served it with steamed jasmine rice, although you can also choose to sandwich it in a steamed bun (see here for bun recipe) which is my favourite way of eating it! Here is the recipe, and I hope you enjoy this popular Malaysian home-style dish as much as we do!

Braised Pork Belly (Kong Bak)

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly (preferably with 1/3 fat and 2/3 lean meat)
1/2 tbsp thick caramel (soy) + 4 tbsp extra
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 star anise
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 cups water (approx)
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Tiny pinch of MSG
Coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add in the whole piece of pork. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and rinse the pork. Pat dry and let it cool slightly. Using a fork, pierce through the skin (about 50 times) to make many little holes in it. Make sure you pierce right through to the layer of fat beneath the skin. Rub the skin all over with 1/2 tbsp thick caramel.
Heat up enough oil in a wok (about 1 1/2 inches) on medium heat. Don't let it get too hot yet because you need to fry the skin-side of the pork. Lower the pork carefully into the oil (remember, just moderately hot) and quickly cover with a large lid or splatter screen. Turn up the heat to med-high so that the skin can crisp up in the oil. Be careful as the oil may sputter or splash. When the skin is evenly browned and crisp (this may take 5 minutes or so), turn off the fire and carefully remove the pork with a good pair of tongs. Drain off the excess oil and set aside to let it cool slightly. Slice the pork into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Place the pork in a bowl and combine with the remaining 4 tbsp thick caramel, shallots, five-spice, soy, honey, wine, garlic and sesame oil. Mix well to marinate.
In a medium sized pot, heat up 1 tbsp vegetable oil together with 2 tbsp sugar. When the sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize and turn light brown, add in the star anise and the pork together with the marinade liquid. Fry on medium-high heat until the pork is seared all over, then add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat until it comes down to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the pork is tender and the sauce should be reduced to a slightly syrupy consistency. Turn the slices of pork occasionally so that they are evenly covered with the sauce. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste, and MSG if desired. Dish out and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Sundubu Jjigae

2012-02-16T22:41:00.002+11:00

I know that the photo above doesn't look very appetizing, and doesn't do justice to the recipe for this delicious soup. It was already quite tricky getting the hot pot from the stove to the table as it was almost full to the brim. I didn't attempt to try moving it next to the window for a little more light, and even if I did, I doubt it would have made much of a difference as there wasn't much sunlight coming in anyway especially late in the evening. These days, I'm too busy to even bother using a tripod, which is presently tucked away somewhere at the back of the closet.

I have never actually ordered this soup before when eating out, although my mum and sister have, and they like it. I can't even remember the last time I dined at a Korean restaurant, but it must be at least a year ago. I guess it's partially because my kids don't take spicy food, nor do they particularly like Korean dishes (now, if only they had a kid's menu!). Anyway, I decided to try making this at home. It is a mildly spicy stew made with anchovy broth, pieces of soft tofu with an optional egg added on top. I came across many recipes for this which use kombu to make the stock. As I hardly use kombu, I hesitated to buy a whole packet of it just to make this dish. So, it was fortunate that Hyosun from Eating and Living posted a recipe for Sundubu Jjigae recently, and I was happy to see that she used anchovy broth, and no kombu (which I believe is a variety of kelp)!

I make Korean stews (jjigae) quite often using dwenjang (bean paste) as I love the rich and robust flavour and colour it adds to the soup. Sundubu jjigae doesn't contain dwenjang, which makes it a clear soup with bits of red pepper flakes (gochugaru) floating in it. In Hyosun's recipe, she uses fresh seafood whereas I settled for the frozen prepacked mixed seafood that I had in the freezer. Next time, I will definitely have to use fresh seafood as it would make such a difference to the sweetness of the stew. As for the tofu, I used the rectangular block of silken tofu instead of sundubu which comes in tube form. The last time I used sundubu, I found that it wasn't as soft as the normal block silken tofu, but which I now realise that silken tofu breaks up too easily in the stew, which is probably why the picture of my stew above has messy bits of tofu floating in it.

When I do make this again next time, I hope it will look half as good as the one on Eating and Living. Hop over to her website for the full recipe and see what it should really look like! :)

Milky Yellow Corn Soup with Roasted Tomatoes

2012-02-15T05:37:00.007+11:00

I love this soup so much that I made two batches of it in three days. It's a light, sweet and milky corn soup made with fresh corn kernels, blended and passed through a sieve to achieve that smooth silky consistency. The recipe for this comes from an episode of Take Home Chef, where the soup was served with roasted grape tomatoes with garlic. I do find that the tomatoes are not really necessary, and just a sprinkling of black pepper and chilli flakes is sufficient to complement the natural sweetness from the corn.

Yellow Corn Soup with Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from Take Home Chef

Ingredients
10 grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, peeled, very thinly sliced on a Japanese mandolin
1 teaspoon/5 ml plus 1 tablespoon/15 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
A few sprigs of thyme (optional)
4 ears of yellow corn, kernels cut from cob
5 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
3/4 cup/175 ml heavy whipping cream
Chilli flakes (optional)

Method:
Position the rack 4 inches/10 cm below the heat source of the broiler and preheat the broiler to low heat. Place the tomatoes cut side up on a heavy baking sheet and place 1 slice of garlic on each tomato half. Drizzle the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon/5 ml of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Broil for about 7 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and the garlic is golden brown. Remove the tomatoes from the broiler and set aside in a warm place while you prepare the soup.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of oil and butter in a heavy-based, medium-sized pot over a medium-to-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until tender. Add the corn kernels, thyme leaves and chicken stock. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a medium-to-low. Cover and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes or until the corn is tender. Remove the pot from the heat and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. Alternatively, use a stick blender.

Using a large sieve, strain the soup back into the pot and bring back to a boil. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the soup to a gentle simmer, then ladle into 4 serving bowls. Garnish with the tomatoes and chilli flakes if desired, and serve hot.

Watermelon and Lime Sorbet

2012-02-12T11:45:00.002+11:00

For a zingy and refreshing icy treat, try making this simple watermelon and lime sorbet at home. If possible, use the sweetest and reddest seedless watermelon you can find for maximum flavour and colour. Not only does it taste delicious, but it's also low in fat compared to ice-cream. Great for both kids and adults alike, and makes a perfect treat for Valentine's day too.

Watermelon and Lime Sorbet
Adapted from Taste.com.au

Ingredients

1/2 cup caster sugar
750g (26oz) watermelon, peeled, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind
1/4 cup lime juice
2 eggwhites, lightly whisked (optional)

Method

Combine sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook,stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Simmer without stirring for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Cool completely.
Place watermelon in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Using a fine sieve, strain watermelon into a large bowl. Discard pulp. Add sugar mixture, lime rind and lime juice. Stir to combine. Pour into a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm (base) lamington pan or just a bowl with a lid will do too. Cover and freeze for 1 to 2 hours (or up to 6 hours, depending on the container used) until almost firm and no longer liquid.
Transfer fruit mixture to a food processor (or alternatively, use a stick blender, but make sure you get through to the edges of the bowl). Add eggwhites if used. Process until smooth but not melted. Pour mixture into a 6cm-deep, 11.5cm x 21.5cm (base) loaf pan (or just any freezer-safe container). Cover and freeze for 3 hours or until firm. Serve.

Potato Wedges with Singapore Chilli Crab Dip

2012-02-05T23:52:00.006+11:00

One of Singapore's iconic dishes, apart from Hainanese chicken rice, is the famous Singapore Chilli Crab. Although there are many versions of it, the one that I'm most familiar with comes with a generous amount of sweet, spicy, slightly tomatoey and garlicky sauce, with fine threads of egg through it which makes it rich and thick. Back in my childhood days, we would sometimes get takeaway chilli crab from the local Chinese restaurant and eat it at home. And then, we would pop some bread in the toaster and use the crispy toast to mop up the delicious eggy sauce.

I decided to make this rather quick and easy version using ready-picked crab meat (I used Phillips crab meat) which is available at the seafood shop. It makes a fantastic dipping sauce which goes really well with hot potato wedges. And it's so addictively good I'm sure you will love it too! Great for parties, or just as a snack or appetizer.

Chunky Chilli Crab Dip

Ingredients

Blend together finely:

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

1 inch galangal

3/4 inch ginger

5-6 bird's eye chillies

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4-5 tbsp ketchup

2 1/2 tbsp Lingham's chilli sauce (or substitute with sweet chilli sauce)

2-3 tsp sugar (to taste)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

Salt and pepper to taste

150g (5 oz) cooked and picked crab meat (add more if you like!)

2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

1 egg, beaten

Coriander leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish

Method

Heat up vegetable oil in a wok/pan. Fry the blended ingredients on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until fragrant.
Add ketchup, chilli sauce, sugar, water and chicken stock powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the chunks of crab meat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cornstarch and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Gently and slowly stir in the egg until just cooked. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot as a dip with potato wedges, hot crusty bread or toast.

Clear Cabbage and Carrot Soup

2012-02-04T12:16:00.000+11:00

This is a very simple soup made from chicken stock, cabbage and carrots that I love having next to my plate of rice and accompanying dishes (especially stir-fries and deep-fried foods). The cabbage and onions add sweetness and flavour to the soup, making it very tasty indeed. You can boil some chicken bones (wing tips are good) to make the stock, or use instant chicken stock. I used a mix of both as I didn't have enough chicken bones to make up the soup.

I am sure many of you who cook Chinese food at home would already know how easy it is to make this soup. For those who have never had it before, why not try this the next time you're planning to cook Chinese for dinner? It will be a lovely and delicious addition to the dinner menu!

Cabbage and Carrot Soup

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, sliced into rounds
1/4 head green cabbage, roughly chopped cabbage (about 2 inch squares)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Method

Fry the garlic in 1 tbsp oil until golden and crisp. Dish out and set aside.

Boil the chicken broth by making chicken stock using chicken bones/wing tips or instant chicken stock. Add onions and simmer for 10 minutes until softened. Add carrots and cabbage and simmer again until cabbage is soft and carrots are just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Dish out into individual serving bowls and garnish with fried garlic.

Beef Rendang, as You Like It

2012-02-03T23:30:00.005+11:00

When we first moved to Australia, I used to cook spicy Malaysian dishes for dinner on a regular basis. Back then, there were only a handful of good restaurants here that served authentic Malaysian/Singaporean food and it was usually by word of mouth that one would know of such places. I missed the food back home and would often try out various recipes in order to satiate my cravings.

One of the "early" dishes that I learnt to cook was rendang. When I was younger and lived with my parents, I remember how the dinner table would never complete without at least one spicy or chilli-based dish. I guess all of us in the family were "fussy eaters", and so we were fortunate that my mum's a good cook and was able to meet all our "dietary" requirements. I just had a sudden flashback of how she used to cook my favourite "Chicken Chop with crinkle-cut potato chips" as well as "Spaghetti Bolognese" for my lunch before fetching me to school in the afternoon. What a treat it was for me at the time!

Before I digress further, I was on the topic of spicy food and one of mum's dishes that I enjoyed was beef rendang (amongst many other things). If you're not already familiar with the dish, it is a spicy meat dish that can be made with beef, chicken or mutton, and is usually simmered in coconut milk, lemongrass, onions, shallots, chillies and spices. There are many versions of the dish, depending on which part of Malaysia or Indonesia it originates from. I suppose the one I prepared here is a basic version, although it's versatile enough that you can choose to add or omit certain spices or ingredients.

I have come across poorly made rendang that looked like curry, which is one of the reasons why I seldom order it when we eat out. Rendang should have a thick and rich gravy, which is obtained after slowly simmering until most of the liquid has evaporated to the point that it is almost dry. In this recipe, I used cumin and fennel, but you can omit them for a "purer" taste of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. I love the fragrance from kaffir lime leaves, as they really lift the flavours in the dish. Galangal is optional too, but it does add a touch of authenticity to the overall taste of the dish. The cut of beef used is also important. I usually use gravy beef (boned shin) or chuck steak and cook it for at least 2 hours until tender.

Beef Rendang

Ingredients

1 kg (2 pounds) gravy beef or chuck steak, diced into 2 inch cubes
800ml (3 cups) coconut milk
1-2 cups water
2 stalks lemongrass, halved and bruised
1 tbsp finely shredded kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup kerisik (dessicated coconut dry-roasted in a pan until golden brown)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp kecap manis (optional)

Blend together:
2 large brown onions
5 shallots
5 cloves garlic
1 inch galangal (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground fennel
4-5 tbsp chilli paste (dried chillies finely blended with a little water)

Method

Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a large wok or pan and fry blended ingredients for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Add meat and fry until browned. Add lemongrass, coconut milk and enough water to just cover the meat. Simmer on low-medium heat, uncovered, for about 2 hours until almost dry. Add kerisik, kaffir lime leaves, salt, sugar and kecap manis (if used). Simmer until beef is tender and gravy is thick and dry. Serve hot with steamed rice. Tastes even better the next day. Suitable for freezing too!

Quick and Easy: Broccoli with Garlic and Nori

2012-02-03T14:15:00.000+11:00

Z loves broccoli and he also loves seaweed and crispy fried garlic. Here's the perfect combination that is so quick and really easy to prepare. All you need to do is blanch some broccoli in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes until you are able to just pierce through it with a fork. Drain and rinse the broccoli under cold running water. Place broccoli in a serving dish and set aside.

Take a sheet or nori/seaweed and using a pair of scissors, cut it up into roughly 1 inch x 2 inch pieces. Heat up about 1 tbsp peanut oil in a small pan and fry some thinly sliced or chopped garlic until lightly golden and crisp. Turn off the heat and transfer the garlic onto a small dish, leaving the oil in the pan. While the pan is still hot, quickly add the nori pieces to the oil and stir until they crinkle up and turn shiny. Add a splash of light soy sauce and swirl it around. Pour this over the broccoli and garnish with crispy garlic and toasted sesame seeds if desired. And it's ready to serve!

Brigadeiros (Brazillian Choc Fudge Balls)

2012-01-30T00:24:00.001+11:00

Brigadeiro is a Brazillian fudge candy created in the 1940's and was named after Brigadier Eduardo Gomes. It resembles a chocolate truffle, and is often made with condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter, rolled into little balls and covered in chocolate sprinkles. They are apparently very popular treats at children's birthday parties in Brazil.

These are really easy to make, and they look so pretty in colourful little paper cups. Zach absolutely loves them and I had to set a quota on how many times he could go back to the fridge for more. On the other hand, I actually found them a little too sweet for my liking, and could have perhaps made them half size smaller in order to reduce the impact of the sugar hit. In any case, I'm sure these fudgey chocolate sweets will be a hit at any kids' party!

Brigadeiros

Ingredients

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 tbsp cocoa (or substitute with dark chocolate melts)

1 tbsp butter

Chocolate rice or rainbow sprinkles

Method

Combine milk, cocoa and butter in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until thickened and starts to pull away from the pan. Remove from heat and pour into a greased bowl or pan. Let it cool and refrigerate for half an hour or until it is firm enough to roll into balls.

Scoop with a teaspoon and form small balls by rolling them between the palms of your hands. Roll them in sprinkles or chocolate rice until evenly covered, and place them in little paper cups. Refrigerate. Serve at room temperature.

Honeycomb Ice-cream Sandwich

2012-01-27T14:15:00.001+11:00

This quick and easy ice-cream dessert is great if you're serving a large crowd at a party. It's also very convenient as you only need to slice and serve - no plates, cups or utensils required! Even the pan doesn't need washing up!

Honeycomb Ice-cream Sandwich

Ingredients

1 packet rectangular-shaped biscuits (I used Arnotts Milk Coffee, but you can use plain, chocolate or other flavour)

1 1/4 cup thickened/heavy whipping cream

5 tbsp condensed milk

1 chocolate bar (Crunchie, Violet crumble, or Cherry Ripe if you prefer), roughly chopped

Method

Whisk cream and condensed milk until thick and almost stiff. Fold in the chopped chocolate bar until evenly mixed.

Line an 8 inch square tin with clingwrap, leaving the sides overhanging with enough to fold over later. Arrange biscuits on the base. Pour the cream mixture over. Arrange another layer of biscuits on top. Cover with clingwrap and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Slice into sections and serve.

Bak Kwa (Pork Jerky)

2012-01-27T09:29:00.003+11:00

This popular Asian-style pork jerky is sweet, sticky, juicy and delicious, and is so easy to make at home. Commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore, it is traditionally grilled on a wire mesh over a hot charcoal fire. However, if you don't have a barbecue grill or pit at home, just your oven broiler or grill will work fine to produce some of that smoky charred flavour. It's best to use a fatty pork mince in order to get a tender and juicy result, but if you prefer a healthier option, then use lean pork (with less fat) by all means.

Bak Kwa (Pork Jerky)

Ingredients

500g fatty minced pork
1 tbsp maltose (optional)

Marinade:
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp thick caramel (thick dark soy)
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1/2 tbsp rose wine (optional)
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
Tiniest pinch of MSG
A drop of red food colouring (optional)

Method

Combine pork with marinade ingredients and stir around with a spoon in one direction until the pork turns pasty and is evenly mixed. Divide into two portions. You can leave it to marinade for a few hours in the fridge, but that's optional.

Prepare 2 sheets of baking paper which will fit on your baking tray. Place one portion of the meat onto the paper and cover with a layer of clingwrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten the meat until you get an even layer of rectangular shape, about 2mm thick. Slide the paper onto the baking tray and peel off the cling wrap. Repeat with the other portion of the meat.

Place the 2 trays of meat into an oven at 100C and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the surface of the meat looks dry and firm, and holds together without breaking apart. Remove from oven and cut each one into 9 square pieces. Drain off any excess liquid.

Dissolve the maltose in 2-3 tbsp hot water and microwave for a few seconds if necessary.

Turn on the broiler or grill in your oven. Place the slices of pork on the wire rack of your oven and brush with some of the maltose solution. Grill for a few minutes until it starts to char at the sides. Flip the pork over and brush maltose on the other side. Grill again until charred to your liking. Transfer onto a plate and serve warm or at room temperature. Store any leftovers in the fridge and heat up briefly in the microwave before serving.

Tauhu Goreng (Deep-fried Beancurd in Spicy Sauce)

2012-01-22T23:06:00.001+11:00

Deep-fried tofu with a sweet and spicy sauce on a bed of shredded cucumber, garnished with plenty of ground peanuts

Today, I am sharing a recipe (that my mum just taught me) for one of my favourite Malaysian childhood dishes - "Tauhu Goreng", which literally means Fried Tofu. It is most delicious when the tofu is served piping hot with a sweet and spicy sauce, and lots of ground peanuts. Try to make your own deep-fried tofu as the texture is much better than commercially prepared ones.

Tauhu Goreng (Deep-Fried Beancurd)

Ingredients

1 large packet (about 500g) firm tofu (I used Fortune brand Firm Tofu)

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

1/2 cup finely ground roasted peanuts

1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks

2 cups beansprouts, tailed and blanched in hot water

Sauce:

Gula Melaka (brown palm sugar) - or substitute with freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp dried tamarind pulp

1 tbsp thick caramel (thick dark soy) (adjust to your preference)

5-6 bird's eye chillies, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic

Salt and sugar, to taste

Method

Make the sauce first. Take about 1/3 cup palm sugar, chop/grate it and melt it in a saucepan with about 2 tbsp water. Pass the sugar syrup through a sieve to remove impurities. Set aside.

Soak the tamarind in 1/3 cup hot water for 5 minutes and mash it up with your fingers until you get a concentrated brown liquid. Pass it through a sieve and discard any remaining pulp and seeds. Heat up in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and set aside.

Pound the chillies and garlic until fine. In a bowl, mix together the chillies and garlic with 1 tbsp thick soy caramel, 1/3 cup palm sugar syrup, 1/3 cup tamarind juice, and 2-3 tbsp hot water. Add salt and sugar to taste. You can adjust the amount of palm sugar, tamarind and hot water used until you get a nice balance of sweet and sour. If desired, add a splash of lime or lemon juice for a fresh-tasting flavour. Mix in about 3 tbsp of the ground peanuts into the sauce.

Drain the tofu and pat dry. Slice each tofu in half horizontally, or depending on the size of the tofu you're using, they should be approximately 2in x 2in x 1 in. Alternatively, you can also cut them in to 1 inch cubes. Heat up vegetable oil in a wok on high heat. Deep-fry the tofu, turning them to ensure they are browned evenly all over. When they turn golden brown, remove and transfer onto a plate.

To assemble:

Drain off any water that may have collected at the bottom of the plate of fried tofu. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. Place cucumber and beansprouts on a serving plate and arrange the tofu over the top. Pour the sauce over the tofu and sprinkle with the extra ground peanuts. Serve immediately.

Tip: For a thicker sauce, add more peanuts!

Here's the earlier version that I made using traditional silken tofu

It's not CNY without Pineapple Tarts!

2012-01-20T15:53:00.008+11:00

In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I am reposting my recipe for pineapple rolls (see here, here, here and here for earlier posts). I hadn't actually planned on making pineapple rolls this year as I already made pineapple tarts (open-faced ones) a week ago. After seeing so many photos of pineapple rolls being posted on Facebook by friends and cousins, I just couldn't resist the temptation to make them too. Making pineapple rolls are just a little more tedious, messy and time-consuming compared to making open-faced tarts. However, despite the backache that usually comes as a side-effect of crouching over the table making these pretty little pastries, I very much enjoy the process of moulding, rolling and cutting the dough.

In this recipe, I've added a little baking powder to give the pastry a lighter and crisp texture. I've also added some ghee (clarified butter) for an extra buttery taste. To give the pineapple rolls a lovely golden yellow colour, I added a drop of yellow food colouring to the eggwash, but that's entirely optional. The condensed milk in the eggwash also helps the pastry to caramelize a little when it bakes.

If you have any leftover dough after making the tarts/rolls, you can use them to make butter cookies, which I did using the nastar mould. The kids helped to sprinkle some chocolate rice and rainbow choc chips over the top of the cookies before I popped them in the oven. The kids don't really like pineapple tarts or rolls, but they did love the butter cookies, and just couldn't stop eating them. I had a few myself, and they were just perfectly light, crisp and buttery! I even made some sprinkled with aonori flakes (Japanese green seaweed flakes) and they were simply scrumptious!

Here are the butter cookies with chocolate sprinkles that I made with some of the dough

Can't resist making pineapple rolls too? Well, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy them too!

Nastar Pineapple Tarts / Rolls

Ingredients

Pastry:

300g good quality butter, at room temperature

80g icing sugar

3 egg yolks
3 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp fine salt

Sift together:

420g plain flour

50g corn flour / custard powder
1 tsp baking powder

Lightly beat together for egg wash:

1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp condensed milk

2 tsp fresh milk/water
Pinch of salt
A drop of yellow food colouring

Filling:

2 medium-sized pineapples (about 1.4kg after peeled and cored), cut into chunks (or 2 cans (about 800g each) pineapple chunks in natural juice, or you can mix both)

300g - 400g sugar, or to taste

2 tsp lemon juice (or depending on how sour/sweet the pineapples are)

1 inch cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1/2 star anise

Method

Blend the pineapple chunks with a food processor. Make sure they are fine enough that you can't feel any course chunks when you rub them between your fingers. Pour into a sieve to drain some of the excess juice, but not too dry. Cook pineapple and spices in a wide heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Lower heat to simmer (or use high heat but stir continuously and watch it to make sure it doesn't burn). Add the sugar and stir for about 30-40 minutes or until mixture is dry, thick and amber in colour. Halfway through, check for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Add lemon juice to taste. Leave aside to cool, refrigerate for a few hours and roll into small elongated pieces (about half teaspoon of pineapple jam each) to be used as filling.

Line baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Cream butter, ghee and sugar until light. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Then add vanilla and salt and beat until fluffy. Fold in sifted ingredients and mix into a firm dough. Put dough into a nastar mould and press out into a strip of about 2-inch lengths. Place a piece of pineapple jam on one end and roll up pastry to enclose the jam.

Put the rolls on prepared trays. Brush with egg wash (optional), and bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 15-18 minutes or until it starts to turn golden. Do not overbake as it may turn out too hard, and probably burnt too! Remove from oven and leave on tray for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight containers.

Salmon Miso-Mayo

2012-01-17T23:26:00.001+11:00

Salmon is lovely to eat only if it's cooked right, medium rare, but not well done. Overcook it and it will be tough, dry and flaky. I always try to choose salmon fillets that have more fat on it. After all, it contains plenty of omega-3 fatty acids which are good for you (and especially for the kids). I find that baking salmon fillets in the oven is easiest in order to produce perfectly cooked salmon, as this method ensures that the fish is evenly cooked, compared to pan-frying it which often results in oil splatters all over the stove (in my case anyway). I've heard that if you want to pan-fry it, you should start with the salmon in a cold pan with a little oil, and then slowly heat it up, skin-side down. I have yet to try that method though.

I came across this recipe for baked salmon with a miso and mayonnaise cream, and miso-mayo is a classic combination in Japanese cuisine (I believe). It's really easy to prepare, and you can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge overnight until you're ready to cook it. Great for those busy weeknight meals, and all it takes is 15 minutes in the oven for that perfectly cooked salmon. The creamy miso-mayo with ground sesame seeds and thinly sliced onions go really well with the salmon. It's absolutely delicious with steamed white rice and some miso soup! Find the recipe after the jump.

Salmon Miso-Mayo

Adapted from Classic Japanese Cooking Course by Masaki Ko

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets (about 675g or 1 1/2 lb total weight)

1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced

4 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and thinly sliced

30g / 1 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Ground white sesame seeds

Seven flavour spice (shichimi) (optional)

Miso-mayo paste:

1/2 cup Japanese mayonnaise

3 tbsp white or red miso

Method

Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Mix the miso-mayo paste until well combined.
Make a deep cut along the length of the centre of each salmon fillet, without cutting all the way through.
Cut four large pieces of foil enough to enclose each fillet completely.
Spread 1 1/2 tbsp miso-mayo in the middle of each foil. Divide the onions and mushrooms among the four portions and place it over the miso-mayo. Top it with the salmon. Spoon the remaining miso-mayo into the slits made in the salmon. Top with grated cheese and ground sesame Sprinkle with shichimi if used.
Fold the foil tightly to enclose the contents and prevent any leakage while baking. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Open the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned. You can turn on the grill/broiler for 1-2 minutes if you like.
Transfer the open foil packets to serving plates and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Tip: The salmon needs to be served immediately. Don't leave the cooked salmon wrapped in the foil as it will continue to cook from the remaining heat. If the serving is too much, just bake 2 parcels and refrigerate the other two for baking the next day.

Agedashi Nasu (Deep-fried Aubergine)

2012-01-15T11:04:00.001+11:00

Agedashi refers to dishes that have been deep-fried (age) and served with a light clear stock (dashi). Agedashi tofu is a popular dish where firm tofu is lightly coated in cornstarch or potato starch, then deep-fried until lightly golden. This is then served in a clear stock made from dashi, soy and mirin, and usually topped with grated daikon, spring onions and bonito flakes. The coating on the tofu soaks up the sauce and turns into this silky and gooey texture which complements the soft and hot tofu.

You can also substitute the tofu with other ingredients, and I have used aubergine (or eggplant) using the same technique. I love eggplant and this version is just as delicious as agedashi tofu. It is best served piping hot so that the eggplant remains soft and tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. This is an easy dish to prepare and makes a great appetizer or side dish. Make sure you eat it while it's hot!

Agedashi Nasu (Deep-fried Aubergine)

Ingredients

350g aubergine/eggplant
1/3 cup potato starch or cornflour
Vegetable oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup instant dashi (about 1/4 tsp dashi-nomoto mixed with 1/2 cup water)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin

Garnish:
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated daikon
Bonito flakes

Method

Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Peel and cut eggplant into 1 inch cubes. Heat up vegetable oil in a wok or pan (enough to deep-fry) on high heat. Coat the eggplant in potato starch/cornflour and brush off any excess flour. It should be thinly coated. Deep fry the pieces in 2-3 batches over medium heat until lightly golden and crisp. Drain well on a wire rack or absorbent kitchen paper.

Reheat the sauce. Arrange eggplant in small shallow bowls and pour in the hot sauce. Place a small mound of grated daikon on the eggplant, sprinkle with scallions and bonito flakes and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Mushroom Penne with Cajun Chicken Schnitzel

2012-01-13T20:29:00.002+11:00

Here is another variation on Cajun chicken pasta (click here for the earlier version) where I've used Swiss brown mushrooms in the sauce (for more flavour), and made a crumbed chicken schnitzel dressed in Cajun seasoning to go with it.

Penne with Swiss Brown Mushrooms and Cajun Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
180g (6 oz) bacon rashers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
200g (7 oz) Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed (about 1 tbsp)
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 cup chicken/vegetable stock
1 1/4 cup cream
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp Cajun seasoning, or to taste
Salt and black pepper
8 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
350g (12 oz) penne, cooked and drained, cooking liquid reserved

Chicken Schnitzel:

2 medium chicken breast fillets (about 500g), escalloped (this gives you 4-5 pieces)
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/3 cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
Pinch of salt, to taste (optional)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Olive oil and butter for frying

Method

Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil in pan and fry bacon for 3 minutes, then add garlic and fry for 1 minute.
Add onions, mushrooms, thyme and dried herbs. Fry until mushrooms start to soften. Add stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Add Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and cook until it starts to soften.
Stir in the parmesan. Turn off the heat and toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve with addtional grated parmesan and chicken schnitzel.

To prepare the schnitzel:

Using a meat mallet, flatten the chicken into thin escallopes, from which you will get 4-5 pieces. Rub all over with 2 tsp Cajun seasoning.
On a plate, combine the breadcrumbs with parsley, 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, parsley, and salt if desired. Place flour on a plate. Whisk egg and milk in a shallow bowl.
Coat 1 piece of chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture. Coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, flour, egg mixture and breadcrumb mixture.
Heat oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 3-5 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Serve with pasta.

Beef Sukiyaki

2012-01-09T23:57:00.002+11:00

Sukiyaki is a popular Japanese-style hotpot where paper-thin slices of beef is slowly simmered in Sukiyaki sauce (a mixture of soy, mirin and sugar) in a shallow iron pot together with some vegetables, mushrooms, tofu or noodles. Sukiyaki is cooked at the table over a portable stove or electric frying pan, and each person helps him/herself to the food as it cooks. The hot food can be dipped into beaten raw egg if desired and is served with steamed rice. Based on what I've gathered, there are two styles of Sukiyaki. One is the Osaka style where the sugar, mirin, soy sauce and dashi are added during cooking. Then there is the Tokyo style where the Sukiyaki sauce mixture is made in advance and served with the cooked food.

As I did not have a sukiyaki pot, I just cooked it in a frying pan over the kitchen stove instead. It was delicious, of course, minus the fun of cooking at the table in the comfort of your seat. There isn't much preparation involved except for cutting the vegetables. I used frozen pre-sliced beef that is really convenient to use, and you can find this in the frozen food section of most Asian supermarkets. I used fresh shirataki noodles (low-carb low-calorie Japanese glass noodles made from Konjac yam or konyaku), which can be cooked straight in the pan without boiling them first. Easy! You can prepare all these ingredients (including the sauce) ahead of time, and it's ready to be cooked when you get home from work. And everyone helps with the cooking!

Sukiyaki

Adapted from Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura

Ingredients

500g (1 pound) well-marbled beef, very thinly sliced (easier to slice when the beef is half-frozen)

1 large packet firm tofu, sliced into rectangles

1 carrot, julienned

1 onion, thinly sliced

8 fresh or dried and soaked shiitake mushrooms

A handful of enoki or shimeji mushrooms

1 bunch edible chrysanthemum leaves (I omitted this)

4 scallions, white part only, sliced on the diagonal

1 packet shirataki noodles or udon noodles, cooked and drained

4 eggs

Vegetable oil

Steamed rice, to serve

Sukiyaki sauce:

1/3 cup caster sugar

3 tbsp mirin

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 cups dashi (or 2 tsp dashi stock powder mixed with 2 cups water)

Method

Prepare meat, vegetables and noodles and arrange on a plate.

Break eggs into individual bowls and beat lightly.

Make sauce by combining all ingredients in a bowl.

Set a portable cooking plate on the table and heat up. Oil the pan and sautee some onions, tofu, then add some beef, followed by small portions of the other ingredients. Pour over some of the sukiyaki sauce a little at a time and simmer for a few minutes until cooked. Each person helps him/herself to the cooked food. If desired, the food can be dipped in the raw beaten egg and eaten with a bowl of steamed rice.

When the pot has been cooking for some time, the taste will become quite concentrated. You can add a little water or sake to thin it down if desired.

Green Pea Cookies with Aonori

2012-01-06T01:23:00.005+11:00

This is the time when you will find many people busy baking cookies for the coming Chinese New Year, which falls on January 23rd this year. I remember how I would always look forward to CNY, when all the shops would be filled with mountains of festive goodies on display, with traditional Chinese new year music blaring from the speakers. The atmosphere is simply fantastic! In Singapore and Malaysia, you will find throngs of people at the shops and supermarkets busy stocking up on CNY snacks, drinks and other food. Almost every store will have some sort of hongbao lucky dip/draw. The clothing section at the department stores will be filled with a sea of red, as it is an auspicious colour this period and most people will try to wear something red on new year's day (although I sometimes get away with wearing pink or purple, or perhaps just a splash or speck of red somewhere).

I do miss celebrating CNY back home. There just isn't much of an atmosphere here in Sydney, unless I make a trip to Chinatown where they usually hold a CNY festival including parades, markets and dragon boat races. We've never been to one, so we might just check that one out this year.

Anyway, back to baking. So, I was talking about cookies, and one of my favourite CNY cookies (amongst many others) are green pea cookies. Mind you, they are are different from green bean cookies. These are made from finely ground deep-fried green peas, mixed with flour, sugar and oil, and then moulded into little round balls to form these delicious and fragrant little melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I usually get my sister to bring some back for me whenever she goes back to Malaysia for CNY, but because they are so delicate and fragile, by the time they made their way to Sydney, they would be partially broken and crushed. Well, not anymore, now that I can make my own green pea cookies and enjoy them freshly baked! I used pre-packed commercially ground green peas ( which I got my mum to bring over when she came to visit), but you can also buy deep-fried green peas (you should be able to find them in the dried fruit and nuts section) and grind them yourself. This recipe makes one tray of cookies, which may seem like a pretty small batch, but since they are quick and easy to make, you can easily bake a new batch when needed. That way, you can enjoy fresh cookies every time.

I decided to sprinkle some aonori (which is the dried green seaweed flakes that is usually sprinkled on Japanese okonomiyaki and yakisoba) on the green pea cookies, just to give them a little savoury and umami taste. I remember how I used to love these Meiji Animal Crackers that were covered with green specks of seaweed, and thought that the aonori would go well with green pea cookies too. These cookies are not too sweet, not too hard, with just the right amount of saltiness to bring out the flavour of the green peas.

Green Pea Cookies with Aonori
Adapted from HomeKreation

Ingredients

1 cup green pea flour (finely ground deep-fried green peas)
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
6 - 8 tbsp peanut oil
1 egg yolk (for eggwash)
Aonori (green seaweed flakes) for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a hand whisk. Gradually mix in the oil and knead with your hands until the dough feels just moist and comes together without falling apart into crumbs. Add more oil if necessary, but not too much as the dough will be too soft to work with later. Pinch off the dough with your fingers and mould them with your hands to form little balls about 3/4 inch diameter. Place on the baking tray and lightly press down on it with your finger to create a flat top. Alternatively, you could use a chopstick and make a depression in the centre. Repeat with the rest of the dough, and then brush the tops with eggwash. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes. Remove and let them cool on the tray. If desired, sprinkle with aonori while cookies are still hot. Store the cookies in airtight containers.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2012-01-05T10:58:00.001+11:00

Cajun seasoning is typically a spicy mixture of herbs, paprika and chillies. It makes a sensational rub or marinade for meats and fish, which are traditionally grilled or barbecued until blackened and form a crust on the outside. I used bottled Cajun seasoning which already contains salt, which makes it really convenient. Before grilling, rub some oil over the meat before rubbing in the seasoning, so that it absorbs the flavours better. I made a creamy bacon and mushroom fettucine topped with Cajun-spiced chicken fillets, which is a fantastic combination. However, I think I might use penne instead next time as I prefer the texture and shape of it. I find that fettucine can sometimes be a little too unwieldy to eat especially when it cools down and sticks together.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 small chicken breast fillets (about 600g)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 bacon rashers, finely chopped
200g (7 oz) button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 cup thickened/heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
350g (12 oz) fettucine, penne or your favourite pasta
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1/3 cup grated parmesan

Method

Slice each chicken breast fillet in two to yield 4 escallopes in total (or leave them whole if you prefer thicker fillets). Rub all over with oil followed by Cajun seasoning. Heat up butter in a non-stick pan and sear the chicken on both sides on high heat, then cover with a lid and lower the flame, and let it steam in the pan on medium heat until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly. Slice the chicken on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices, and set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

Heat up olive oil in a clean pan and fry onion and garlic for 2 minutes or until onions are softened. Add bacon and fry until it starts to brown, then add mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes until they start to soften. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer. Then add garlic powder, cream and milk, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly reduced. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in chopped parsley and grated parmesan. Toss the pasta into the mixture and gradually add the reserved cooking liquid until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Dish out onto serving plates and arrange the sliced Cajun chicken over the pasta. Serve hot!

Eggs Cooked in Tomato Sauce and Liebster Award

2011-12-31T10:15:00.097+11:00

This simple combination of runny eggs in a fresh herbed tomato sauce tastes fantastic when eaten with plenty of hot crusty bread (or in my case, I used garlic bread made out of Turkish pide). I added some diced ham that was leftover from Christmas lunch, just to make it a bit more substantial as I made this for our dinner. You can also use sausage meat (just remove the meat from the casings), chorizo, bacon or just leave them out entirely for a lighter meal. I used canned diced tomatoes for this dish, but you can use fresh tomatoes too if you like (just peel them before using). This dish is so incredibly versatile and easy to prepare, it's perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

(Check out my other delicious recipe for Breakfast Tagine which uses lamb instead, but is also topped with runny eggs and served with toasted bread)

Eggs Cooked in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup diced ham, bacon or sausage meat (optional)
400g (14 oz) canned diced tomatoes
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp chilli flakes
Salt and black pepper
A handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
6-8 eggs
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Some crusty bread or toasted turkish bread to serve

Method

In a large pan, heat up the oil and fry garlic for 1 minute. Then add diced ham/sausage if used, followed by tomatoes, red wine vinegar, chilli flakes, salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add basil leaves, reserving 4-5 leaves for later. Simmer for a further 8 minutes or so until the tomatoes have broken down and taken on the flavours from the garlic and basil. Then, break the eggs over the top of the tomato sauce, spacing them out evenly in one layer. Sprinkle a little salt over the eggs and scatter over with the extra basil leaves. Cover with a lid and cook gently on low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the eggs are just set (they should be soft and wobbly). Remove lid and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with hot buttered crusty bread.

Note: If you prefer a more "saucy" dish, double the amount of diced tomatoes and other ingredients, keeping the same number of eggs.

And on another note, the Liebster Award...

I was thrilled when Kit from Kit(tchen) told me that she had nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. This award is simply a way of giving recognition to newer blogs or those that have fewer than 200 followers, which is an absolutely fantastic idea. The recipient of the award then has to select five other such blogs to pass the award on to.

To accept the Liebster Blog Award nomination one must:

~ thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

~ link back to the blogger who awarded you.

~ copy & paste the blog award on your blog

~ reveal your 5 blog picks.

~ let them know you choose them by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my top picks (in no particular order):

Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes - lovely, sunny and happy name for a blog, with beautiful photos and recipes
Not The Kitchen Sink! - for the ever so breath-taking photos!
Through the Kitchen Door - lovely recipes and bakes by Mel....and she leaves such nice comments on my blog :)
Pencil Kitchen - I adore her gorgeous looking cakes!!
Chow Divine - another great source for Korean recipes that I just discovered!

Red Velvet Birthday Cake

2011-12-30T00:57:00.003+11:00

I have read so much about the ever so popular red velvet cake but never had the chance to try it before. So I decided to make one for little H's birthday, and even though it was my first attempt, I figured the risk of anything going wrong was pretty low considering that it was a pretty standard cake recipe.

Well, nothing really went that wrong, apart from the fact that I had to throw out an entire batch of cream cheese frosting after it curdled to an undesirable grainy state. I was trying to get the frosting to thicken, which it didn't really, and I knew the mascarpone was going to curdle from the overbeating. I was just waiting for the inevitable to happen. It just got runnier and runnier the more I whisked it, and so down the drain it went. Fortunately, the supermarket was still open on the evening of Christmas eve, and so I got G to rush down and buy more cream cheese.

This time, I played it safe and decided to make the frosting with only cream cheese instead of mixing it with mascarpone and cream (which is based on the recipe from Joy of Baking), and it turned out just swell! Phew! The quantity of frosting was just enough for my tri-layered cake, which I decorated with rainbow chocolate chips and My Little Pony figurines. Little H wanted to throw one of her Polly Pocket dolls on top of the cake too, but I told her that she might get cream all over her hair. Then, I just used melted chocolate and piped out the words "Happy Birthday" on the cake. Easy!

One thing I noted was that the buttermilk mixture and the vinegar/soda solution need to be mixed well through the batter so that the cake turns out evenly coloured without blotches of pink, red and brown (which you can tell from my pictures). I baked the cake all in one large tin instead of using separate ones, which prolonged the baking time to about an hour. The cake turned out really delicious and wonderfully tender, with just a hint of cocoa, and melts in your mouth along with that sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. Everyone at the party loved it! I will definitely be making this again, perhaps as cupcakes next time.

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from Best Recipes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tbsp liquid red food coloring
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Cream cheese icing:
2 blocks (16oz/450g) cream cheese, softened
4 oz (113g) butter, softened
2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat oven to 175C (350F). Grease a tall 9 inch round cake pan and line the base with baking paper.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa together in a bowl. In a jug, stir the red colouring into the buttermilk. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and eggs until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour and buttermilk in 3 additions, starting and ending with flour. Mix until evenly combined.

Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl until it fizzes. Quickly add to the batter and fold through briskly until evenly incorporated. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until it is firm enough to slice into 3 layers. Slice off the top layer and use this to make crumbs for decorating the cake if desired. Ice the cake with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy.

Crushed Cherry Tomato Pasta

2011-12-27T10:42:00.001+11:00

Christmas is just over, although the "feasting" continues with all the leftovers from Sunday's Christmas lunch - pineapple-glazed ham, roast leg of lamb, roasted root vegetables and crispy roasted baby potatoes, not forgetting a pot of "ham stock" that G made by boiling the leftover ham bone. Everytime I think about what my next meal would be, it's ham, lamb and more ham. I figured it would be nice to supplement our Boxing Day lunch with something light and simple.

We had 2 punnets of cherry tomatoes that was perfect for this easy pasta dish tossed with red wine vinegar, fresh basil and parsley. I really liked the taste of the red wine vinegar that balanced well with the sweetness from the crushed cherry tomatoes. This dish is great for busy weeknights, or when you just feel like a light and simple lunch on the weekends. Super easy and delicious!

Crushed Cherry Tomato Pasta
Adapted from Donna Hay

200g (7 oz) spaghettini
500g (1 pound) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup chopped basil leaves
Grated parmesan, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, return to the saucepan and keep warm. Place tomatoes in a bowl and use a potato masher or fork to crush. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add red wine vinegar, tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for a further 2–3 minutes or until warmed through. Add to the pasta with the parsley and basil and toss to combine. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with grated parmesan.