Smell & Taste are my memory

Maple honey mustard glazed ham

2012-01-02T12:22:00.005+08:00

100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup
80ml (1/3 cup) honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 (about 8kg) whole leg ham, on the bone
Whole cloves, to stud

Method

Stir the sugar, maple syrup, honey and mustard in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Preheat oven to 170ÂºC. Line a large baking dish with 2 layers of non-stick baking paper. Place an oven shelf in the lowest position. Remove all other shelves. Use a sharp knife to cut around the shank of the ham, about 10cm from the end. Run a knife under the rind around edge of ham. Gently lift the rind off in 1 piece by running your fingers between the rind and the fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, about 5mm deep. Stud the centres of the diamonds with cloves. Transfer to prepared dish.
Brush one-third of the glaze over the ham. Bake, brushing with glaze every 25 minutes, for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Iced Eggnog

2011-12-26T19:33:00.003+08:00

1/2 cup castor sugar
2 cinnamon quils
2 eggs
3/4 cup pure thin cream
3/4 cup milk
100ml each brandy, rum and sherry
Ice cubes

Place sugar and cinnamon quills in a saucepan with 1/2 cup cold water. stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 1 minute, the remove and cool.
Combine 100ml of the syrup in a blender with eggs, cream, milk and alcohol. Pour into cocktail glassess over ice and serve dusted with nugmeg.

Ant's Nest Cake

2011-08-01T18:51:00.004+08:00

Source: Two Asian Kitchens

220g caster sugar
85g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
125ml condensed milk
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Put the sugar into a medium saucepan and heat gentlym, swirling the pan occasionally, until melted to a dark caramel. Reduce the heat to low and add 250 ml water. Stir over low heat until no lumps remain and you have a thin liquid caramel. set aside to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 170c. Grease an 18cm round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. cream the butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl until butter becomes slightly pale.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs until well combined. Add the eggs, condensed milk and caramel to the creamed butter and whisk to combine. Sift together the flour and soda and use the whisk to gently stir into the butter mixture.

Pour the cake batter into the tin and leave for a minute or two. Bake for 50 inutes or until the cake is springy to a gentle touch in the centre.

Gong Bao Chicken

2011-08-01T18:44:00.003+08:00

80g peanuts
2 chicken breast
12 large dried red chillies
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ginger
1 bunch spring onion

sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp black vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
60ml chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour

娘惹菜 Babi Pong Teh 豆酱焖猪肉

2011-04-10T12:47:00.004+08:00

材料：

1. 小葱头25-30粒（剁幼）

2. 蒜头10粒（剁幼）

3. 辣豆瓣酱（适量）

4. 辣椒干5-8条（浸熱水，剪段）

5. 香菇10朵（切大片）

6. 三层肉2条（切小块烫熱水）

7.马铃薯3-4里（切块）

做法：

1. 爆香葱头茸，蒜头茸，辣椒干，辣豆瓣酱

2. 下三层肉炒片刻，倒适量的水

3. 焖25分钟。之后下马铃薯再焖20分钟

4. 最后下调味料（黑酱油，酱青，糖)即可

Source: Ohbin

Udang Masak Lemak Nenas (Pineapple Prawn Curry)

2011-04-03T19:07:00.004+08:00

Udang Masak Lemak Nenas (Pineapple Prawn Curry) Recipe

Part I:
- 15 to 20 dried chillies (cut, discard seeds and soak in hot boiling water for 20 mins)
- 10 to 12 shallots
- 4 pips garlic
- 2 candlenuts
- 2 stalks lemongrass (use the pale part about 4 inches from the base)
- 1 inch-long turmeric
- 1/2 inch-long galangal
- 1 tbsp Asian shrimp paste (belacan)

Part II:
- About 1 litre water
- Half of a ripen pineapple (but not too over ripe), cut into 1.5 inch pieces

Part III:
- 250 ml thick coconut milk

Part IV:
- 10 to 12 large prawns with shell intact

Method:

Blend all ingredients in Part I to form a paste. Heat 3/4 cup oil in a wok/pan and saute the paste till it becomes a bit drier and fragrant. Transfer the sauteed paste to a cooking pot and add Part II. If you find the gravy a bit too thick, you can add a little bit more water. Allow it to simmer for about 15 mins till the sweetness from the pineapple is released into the gravy. After that, pour in Part III and allow it to simmer to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the washed prawns and let it boil till they are cooked. Turn off the heat and serve hot with a plate of rice. Bon Appetit!

Source: Nyonya Food

Yorkshire Puddings

2011-03-27T18:15:00.002+08:00

Assam Pedas Fish

2011-03-27T17:56:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:

1 pomfret (1/2 pound to 1 pound)
10 small okras
1 tomato (cut into wedges)
1 teaspoon of fish curry powder
5 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 tablespoon of palm sugar/sugar
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

1 clove garlic
1 stalk of lemon grass (white part only)
4 shallots
8-10 dried chillies (depends how spicy you like)
1/2 tablespoon of belacan (prawn paste)

Tamarind Juice:

1 1/4 cup of water
Tamarind pulp (size of a small ping pong ball)

Method:

Pound the spice paste with mortar and pestle or grind them in a food processor. Set aside.
Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind pulp constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
Heat oil and fry the spice paste for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the tamarind juice, fish curry powder and bring to boil.
Add the tomato wedges and okras and bring to boil.
Add the fish, salt, and palm sugar/sugar.
Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Serve hot.

Source: Rasa Malaysia

Steamed Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 糯米饭

2011-03-27T17:47:00.003+08:00

Beef Rendang

2011-03-20T15:28:00.006+08:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound boneless beef short ribs (cut into cubes)
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
3 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded)
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )
6 kaffir lime leaves (very finely sliced)
6 tablespoons kerisik (toasted coconut)
1 tablespoon sugar/palm sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

5 shallots
1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
10-12 dried chilies (soaked in warm water and seeded)

Method:

Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry them until aromatic.
Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked.
Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar/palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.
Add salt to taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.
Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight

Source: Rasa Malaysia

Radish Cake (菜头粿)

2011-03-14T11:41:00.006+08:00

Recipe : Rasa Malaysia & Ohbin

Steamed Chicken in Lotus Leaf

2011-03-14T11:22:00.006+08:00

I always love the earthy aroma of lotus leaf and had been looking for dried lotus leaf for a while. I was so thrilled when I found them at our local asian grocery!! A$2.90 for a huge bag of lotus leaves, bargain!!! ..So my fellow blog readers, please stay tuned for more lotus leaf recipe ;-)

Steamed Chicken in Lotus Leaf

1 lb bone-in chicken, chop into pieces
1 1/2-in fresh ginger, cut into thin strips
2 mushrooms, soaked in warm water, discard the stems, and sliced the caps into small pieces
1 Chinese lap cheong (sausage), sliced diagonally
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 stalk scallion, cut into small rounds
1 dried lotus leaf

Marinade

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/4 teaspoon Chinese rose wine, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Method:

Rinse the chopped chicken pieces with cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Marinate the chicken, mushrooms, and chopped scallion with all the ingredients in the Marinade for about 30 minutes.
Heat up a wok or skillet with the cooking oil. Stir-fry the Chinese lap cheong or sausage until aromatic.
Add the Chinese sausage (together with the oil in the wok) to the chicken and mushrooms. Stir to blend well.
Heat up a pot of water and bring it to boil. Scald/blanch the lotus leaf with the boiling water until it becomes soft. Wipe both sides of the leaves dry with paper towels and place the chicken in the middle of the leaf. Fold the sides up and wrap it tightly into a parcel. (Make sure it’s fold tight to avoid the juice from the steamed chicken chicken from leaking out.) Lay it on a deep plate and prepare to steam.
Steam the chicken parcel for about 25-30 minutes or until all the chicken pieces are cooked through. Unwrap the parcel and serve the steamed chicken immediately with steamed rice.

Source: Rasa Malaysia

肉干（Bah Kuah)

2011-03-13T09:49:00.004+08:00

Recipe Source : Ohbin

材料：

1. 猪绞肉500g/ 500g pork mince

2. 鱼露1 1/2汤匙/ 1/1/2tbsp fish sauce

3. 绍兴酒/花雕酒 1 1/2汤匙/ shaoxing cooking wine 11/2 tbsp

4. 酱油 1 1/2 汤匙 /soy sauce 11/2 tbsp

5. 黑酱油 1汤匙 / dark soy sauce 1 tbsp

6. 糖120g （半杯）/ sugar 120g

做法：

1. 混合全部材料，同个方向搅拌至起胶质
烤盘铺上烤盘纸，放一团肉在上面

3. 用保鲜纸或拿一个纸袋（剪开），盖在肉团上

4. 然后杆平）

5. 记得拿掉保鲜纸或纸袋
烤箱预热130C，烤10分钟，之后180C烤15分钟（大烤箱时间加陪）

Chinese New Year 2011

2011-02-12T19:57:00.008+08:00

Cooking for Princess Isobel

2011-02-12T19:32:00.006+08:00

Christmas Eve Dinner @ Our House - 2010

2010-12-26T10:56:00.016+08:00

Lemon Tart

2010-10-24T18:14:00.002+08:00

Banoffee Pie

2010-10-02T17:42:00.003+08:00

Fried Sweet Corn Cake

2010-08-24T18:13:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet corn kernels

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 tsp sea salt

2 garlic cloves, pounded

2 red eschalots, pounded

2 coriader roots, pounded

8 tbsp plain flour

2 eggs

2 cups vegetable oil

1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce

Put two third of the corn into a blender and puree. Add the pepper, salt, garlic, eschalots and coriander and puree. Add the flour and process for 1 minute, then add eggs and process for another 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a bowl and fold through the remaining corn kernels.

In a wok, heat the oil until just smoking. Take 1 tbsp of the batter and form it into a patty. Transfer the patty carefully into the hot oil and repeat the procedure until you have 6 patties frying at once. When they are just brown, turn and cook the other side. Remove with a spatula, drain on crumpled kitchen paper and keep warm. Continue until all the batter is cooked.

Five Flavoured Fried Prawns

2010-08-24T17:53:00.004+08:00

Source: Neil Perry - Simply Asian

This classic Thai dish is sooo delicious !!!!

Steamed Blue Eye Cod

2010-08-07T19:20:00.003+08:00

Source: Neil Perry

Pork, Black Beans And Noodles With Oyster Sauce

2010-08-07T19:07:00.003+08:00

Ingredients:

1/4 cup peanut oil

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic

200g pork

1 tsp fermented black beans

2 tbsp shao xing wine

2 tbsp palm sugar

2 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

200g noodles

bak choy

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok until just smoking. Add the ginger and garlic and dry until fragrant. Add the pork and stir fry for 1 minute, then add the black beans, shao xing wine, sugar, soy and oyster sauces and the chicken stock. Stir fry for 1 minute, then add the noodles, bak choy and cook for further minute. Finally, add the sesame oil and remove from the heat. Serve hot.

Whole Flounder with Raisin, Cucumber & Almond Vinaigrette

2010-08-05T18:52:00.003+08:00

Ingredients :

30 ml olive oil

4 flounder

salt and white pepper

Raisin, Cucumber and Almond aVinaigrette

40-60ml basic vinaigrette

20g raisins

50ml water

20g blanced almonds

2 granny smith apple

2 cucumbers

1/2 cup coriander leaves

Fried Masterstock Chicken with Chilli Caramel and Orange Salt

2010-08-05T18:41:00.003+08:00

Source : Masterchef Australia

Steamed Pork Spare Ribs

2010-07-31T19:39:00.004+08:00

Source : Simply Asian - Neil Perry

Ingredients:

3 tbsp fermented black beans

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp shao xing wine

1/4 cup chicken stock

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp julienne of ginger

1 long red chilli

350g pork spare ribs

Method:

In a shallow heatproof bowl that will fit into a large steamer, mix together the black beans, soy, sugar, wine, stock, garlic, ginger and chilli. Add the pork, then stir to coat thoroughly, cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Put the bowl, still covered, into the steamer and steam over boiling water for 40 minutes.

The Ultimate Lunch Box - Cafe Vue

2010-07-29T19:52:00.007+08:00

Strawberry Tarts

2010-07-25T11:44:00.004+08:00

Warm Mussel and Leek Salad

2010-07-03T18:21:00.006+08:00

Source: Karen Martini - Cooking at home

Roast Garlic Prawns In The Shell

2010-06-26T18:40:00.004+08:00

Ingredients:

16 very large prawns

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp sea salt

4 cloves garlic, sliced

100ml extra virgin olive oil

100ml white wine

1 handful flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

cut down the back of each prawn with a small sharp knife and remove the intestinal tract, leaving the shell on.

combine the fennel seeds, peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle or blender and grind to a fine powder. Add the garlic and pound to a paste, then add half the olive oik . Pour the marinade and remaining olive oil over the prawns and toss to coat.

Heat a wok over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the prawns and marinade and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the prawns and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the wine and parsley, swirl the pan for 30 seconds, then pour the prawns and juices onto a platter.

Master Chef : Fish Poached in Coconut Milk & Garam Masala

2010-06-06T17:00:00.001+08:00

Source: Master Chef - Neil Perry

Raspberry And Yogurt Swirls

2010-05-31T12:12:00.004+08:00

Source : Masterchef Magazine

Ingredients:

800g frozen raspberries

110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

1.5kg greek style yogurt

175g (1/2 cup) honey

Place 500g raspberries, sugar and 60ml water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree.

Combine yogurt and honey in a large bowl.

To assemble, place 1 tbs raspberry puree in the base of each cup. Top with 60g yogurt mixture. Repeat layering with 1 tbs raspberry puree and 60 g yogurt mixture, finishing with 1 tbs raspberry puree. Divide remaining 300g raspberries among cups and serve.

Marinated chicken with cinnamon, garlic and rosewater

2010-05-02T17:08:00.003+08:00

Source : Cooking at Home - Karen Martini

Roast Spatchcock with Sweet Corn Polenta and Pistachio

2010-04-26T17:11:00.005+08:00

Source : Masterchef Australia - Brent Savage

It took me 4 hours to cook this dish , even though it doesn't look like it's supposed to, I am still happy with the result. It wasn't easy to prepare the spactchcock, it took me two hours to remove the bones and roll it into a ball. My blender didn't work for some reason, hence my pistachio puree wasn't smooth at all. Overall, the dish turned out well.

Crepe Suzette

2010-04-26T09:30:00.004+08:00

Source : Masterchef Australia - Gary Mehigan

I must admit I am a novice when it comes to dessert, as much as i love to think that i am quite good at following recipes, the fact is.. i am not only bad at it, my lack of cencentration makes it worse. I can somehow lose concentration during cooking and add a tad too much of some crutial ingredients or overcook something. I don't think there is anything wrong with the recipe from Masterchef, it was ME !! First of all, my crepes didn't turn out as thin as they are supposed to be. Secondly, i have overcooked the orange sugar, hence my sauce looked very dark and dull in colour compared to Gary's sauce which looked so bright and vibrant. It wasn't a total kitchen disaster (trust me, i have had worse than this), but ... I am quite disappointed at my self.. Damn!! if only I had paid more attention when i was cooking the sauce ... grrrrr...

Spanish Roast Chicken

2010-04-19T20:24:00.006+08:00

Source : Jamie's dinners

serves 4

1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm

4 lemons

a handful of fresh parsley

1 x 2kg free range organic chicken

300g good chorizo sausage

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

No.35 @ Sofitel Tower

2010-04-10T19:02:00.007+08:00

My friend Yas is a foodie and she has been raving to me about her dining experience at No.35. So, when Yas suggested we have our gathering at No.35, I said YES before she could change her mind. I was stoked with the impeccable culinary creations and most of all, the overall dinihg experience. Every single dish served was a prefect execution of culinary art, with tastes so refined and sophisticated and ultimatelyt satisfying.

No.35 has enough wow factor to impress even the most discerning of diners. It is located at level 35 of Sofitel Tower and the view is magnificent. However, the beauty of No.35 is not just limited to the view, it lies in the details of the food as well as the overall atmosphera.

To wheat the appetite a choice of breads was offered, we all went for the sourdough. The balsamic vinegar and olive oil that same with the bread were extraordinarily nice and they provided the proper tastebud awakening for the coming degustation. We were so impressed with the view and the balsamic vinegar. The amuse waitress arrived amidst oohs and aahs and "awwws" .. It was the chef complimentary - Cauliflower foam with smoked eel. I had never eaten any sort of foam before and seriosuly, this dish was goood. The individual elements - the smoked eel, the foam and the dried cauliflower - were divide. But together, they just sang.

I won't go into details in describing each dish and taste because it was simply impossibly to describe such sublime dishes with justice. Every single dish served was a prefect execution of culinary art. After each serving, I thought I'd had the best but the following dish exceeding the previous one!!! My favourate dish of the night was the honey and spiced lacquered Thirlmere duck with local figs, cracked wheat and date relish. In summary, this dish was sweet, salty, fatty, fruity, luscious and absolutely orgasmic.

All in all, I can only say WOW to No.35. It was an amazing dining experience. Please Visit my Flickr for more pictures.

Breakfast :Orange Couscous with Sultanas and Yogurt

2010-03-21T08:36:00.003+08:00

Hi guys, Sorry for my absence from blogging for the last fewmonths. I hate to start my blog with an apology, but hey, i know i just need to. Life has been very very busy lately, I am attending French classes on Tuesday nights (yeah, French .. i have no idea where i got this idea from), Swimming classes on Sundays (yeah, i haven't been able to swim for 28 years and i think it's time for me to learn). But, I hear you say... you have the rest of the week to blog.. No No No.. baby, I have to spend my "free time" studing my French, and practising my swimming. blah blah blah .. just too busy .... sorry ..but I am back , at least to share this wonderful recipe with you - my fellow blog readers. This recipe comes from The Biggest Loser Australia - yeah, get it right , it's definately from the biggest loser website and it was delicious and super easy to put together. The plus side of this dish was .. it is very healthy. Don't let the idea of having couscous for breaky set you back, it actually worked and tasted beatiful !!!

Ingredients:

2 apricots (I used peach)

2 tbsp sultanas

Juice from 1 orange

1/2 cup couscous

1 cup low fat plain yogurt

1 vanilla bean

Place Apricots, sultanas and juice in a saucepan and simmer for one minute until apricots soften slightly.

Stir in the couscous and remove from the heat. cover and let stand for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, scrape the sees out of the vanilla bean and mix into the yogurt.

Divide the warm couscous in 2 bowls then top with orange segments and yogurt.

Sweet Soy Glazed Pork

2010-01-04T21:13:00.005+11:00

We just got our barbeque a month or so ago, so we are so keen on trying different recipies. We .. i mean me .. haha .. Plus it's summer here, bring on the griller and outdoor dinning!!

This recipe is soo easy to put together and yet so delectable. I used one pork shoulder instead of tenderloins as the recipe called for but it worked well. I will definately make this again!

serve 4

source: Grilling by Eric Treuille & Birgit Erath

1 Ib pork tenderloin, sliced

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp tomato ketchup

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

3 tbsp medium dry sherry

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

Combined soy sauce, ketchup, hoisin, sherry,honey, and sugar. Set aside 6 tsp of the glaze. Marinate pork up to 4 hours in advance. cover and refrigerate.

Grill over medium hot coals, until pork is opaque but still juicy, 3 minutes per side.

Roasted Marmalade Ham

2010-01-03T18:55:00.007+11:00

I know this is probably not the best time to share this recipe, most of us get a bit sick of roast ham and turkey after Christmas. But .. I really really want to share with you this beautiful recipe from Jamie Oliver. Besides, hams are cheaper now !! So my friends, feel free to give this a try, I am sure you will love this fruity tasting ham. We loved the heat from the black pepper and the beautiful sweetness from the marmalade. The only problem we have now is ... hmm.. we have tons of ham leftover in the fridge!! D'oh !!!

Ingredients:

3-4kg middle cut gammon with knuckle left on

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

16 black peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (a piece of leek, celery, a bay leaf, a sprig of fresh thyme)

2 oranges

2 tablespoons sea salt

3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

1 jar of best thin rind marmalade

a handful of rosemary, leaves picked

Instructions

First of all you want to place the gammon in a large but snug fitting pot. Cover it with water, then throw in your veg, bay leaves, peppercorns and banquet garni. Peel the zest from the oranges abd add to the water, then squeeze the juice in and add the salt. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for an hour and a quarter with lid on, skimming when need be. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for half an hour in the brooth. This will allow the flavours to really penetrate the meat. Discard the vegetables from the broth.

Preheat the oven to 170. Carefully remove the meat to a board and, using a knife, take off the skin. Depending on the breed and quality of the pig, you should have a nice layer of fat. Remove some of the fat as well, to leave you with about 1cm. Score the fat left on the meat in a criss cross fashion, and while it's moist, season it generously with the ground black pepper. Place the meat in a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes until the fat renders and become slightly crispy. Remove from the oven, stir up the marmalade to loosen, then smear and rub it all over the meat with the rosemary. Place back in the oven for about 1 hour and baste frquently until beautifully golden and crisp. Serve as you would a roast dinner or as part of a picnic.

World's Best Braised Green Cabbage

2009-12-29T21:39:00.005+11:00

This is one of the recipes from the book i bought months ago - All About Braising by Molly Stevens. It is a wonderful cook book , get it if you are into braising. I can't stress enough how much i love this dish, I make this dish over and over again because it is so easy to put together and soooooo delicious. Have a go at this recipe, I am sure you won't regret it !!!

serves 6

Braising Time : about 2 1/4 hours

1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

1 large yellow onion

1 large carrot

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

coarse salt and black pepper

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

- Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or baking dish.

- Trimming the cabbage: Peel off and discard any bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. The cabbage should weight close to 2 pounds. Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges in the baking dish, they may overlap some, but do your best to make a single layer.

-The braise: Scatter in the onion and carrot. Drizzle over the oil and stock or water. Season with salt, pepper, and the pepper flakes. Cover tightly with foil, and slide into the middle of the oven to braise until the vetegatables are completely tender, about 2 hours. Turn the cabbage wedges with tongs after an hour. Don't worry if the wedges want to fall aparts as you turn them; just do your best to keep them intact.. If the dish is drying out at all, add a few tablespoon of water.

- The finish : Once the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil, increase the oven heat to 400 and roast until vegetables begin to brown, another 15 minutes or so. Serve warm.

Our Christmas Eve Dinner

2009-12-26T22:30:00.007+11:00

Here are some pictures of our christmas eve dinner, it went very well and I am so glad to have my mum with us for chirstmas.

Now what did i cook for the dinner - hmm.. some strawberries coated with chocolate, slow roasted pork shoulder, roast turkey, braised cucumber, roast potatoes .. and etc etc. It was a great dinner !!

Champagne, Watermelon and Strawberry granita

2009-12-26T21:40:00.004+11:00

Hi Guys, sorry for being absent for this long. Gosh, I didn't realise that my last entry was ....D'oh!! In September ... I am terrible sorry for that but .. i do have some valid reasons though - first, it was my exam then it was the crazy spring cleaning and then it was mum's visit. I was terribly busy .

Anyway, because mum was coming for christmas this year, i decided to give her and aunty a full on christmas. I planned the dinner months ago. Anyway- here is the drink i made for our christmas eve dinner. We simply loved it !!!

Serves 6

1 Cup caster sugar
1x200ml bottle champagne or sparkling wine
1.5kg watermelon, skin removed, chopped
250g punnet strawberries, hulled, chopped
extra 750ml bottle champagne or sparkling wine

Instructions

- Put sugar and champagne in a medium heavy based pan and stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes slowly to the boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and pour champagne syrup into a bowl. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate.

- Process watermelon and strawberry in a food processor until smooth. Put mixture in a fine strainer over a bowl and push mixture through strainer using a wooden spoon, Discard pulp. Pour strained mixture into cold champagne syrup and stir to combine. Pour into a shallow cake tin, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4-6 hours. Stir granita with a fork every hour to break up ice crystals until set.

- Remove granita from freezer and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Spoon granita evenly between 6 champagne glasses, then pour over extra Champagne and serve immediately.

Maple Chicken N Ribs

2009-09-20T18:09:00.005+08:00

Recipe Source : Nigella Express

Ingredients :

12 pork spare libs

12 chicken thighs

250ml apple juice

4 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

6 gloves garlic, unpeeled

Method

Put the ribs and chicken pieces in a couple of large freezer bags or into a dish.

Add the remaining ingredients, squelching everything together well, before sealing the bag or covering the dish.

Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or up to two days

When the marinating time is up, take the dish out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 200c

Pour the contents of the freezer bag into one or two large roasting tins (making sure the chicken is skin side up), place in the oven and cool for about an hour and a quarter, by which time everything should be sticky and glossed conker blown.

Kuih Ketayap & Honecomb Cake

2009-09-12T18:51:00.008+08:00

Time flies , it's fasting month again !!! I love fasting month back home, I love and miss the joy of hanging around in the Rmadhan market with my brothers. After some attempts on Malaysian Sweets, I decided to try my hand on my favourite Malaysia Sweet - Kuih Ketayap and Honey Comb Cake. Thanks to My kitchen Snippets for the recipe of the kuih Ketayap.

I got the Honeycomb cake recipe from a friend at work. The cake turned out good, the texture was extracly what it should be, but I think i over baked the cake hence it was a tad too dry. This recipe is definately a keeper. Thanks Swee Lan !!

I would like to submit this to Joy from Fasting to Feasting held by Yummy Food. Although I don't celebrate Ramadan, there is a special link between me and Ramadhan - the food!!

Honeycomb Cake

Ingredients

150g sugar

125g soft margerine

1/2 can of condensed milk (397g can)

4 large eggs

150g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

Put sugar into a heavy based saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring until sugar turns into an amber coloured syrup. Remove from heat and slowly add water. Stir until the caramel syrup dissolves into a thin dark liquid. set aside to cool.

Line the base of a 19-20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Cream margerine until creamy and light. Beat in the condensed milk.

In a seperate bowl, whisk eggs until light and fluffy. Stir into margerine and milk mixture. Mix until well combines. Stir in sifted dry ingredients until well blended. Add cooled syrup and mix well.

Pour into prepared tin and bake in preheated 175c oven for 1 hour or until cake is cooked when tested with a skewer.

Kuih Ketayap

Ingredients for crepes

1 cup of flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 cup of water

1 tsp of salt

2 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of pandan paste

Ingredients for filling

2 cups of grated coconut

1 piece of palm sugar (sbouy 1/2 cip) - roughly chopped

1/4 cup of water

a pinch of salt

Method

To make the filling, in a pan combined water and palm sugar and bring it up to boil. Once sugar melted add in the grated coconut. Once the coconut is moist and shiny and all the water absorbed, take it off the stove and set it aside to cool

For the crepe, mix all the ingredients until the batter is smooth. Heat up a non stick pan, brush the pan with a bit of oil, pour some batter to the pan and swirl the pan around so that the better completely covers the base.

Cook the crepe until you see the side is lightly brown and crispy. Flip it over and cool the other side for about 20 second. Remove from pan.

Put some filing on the pancake and roll it up like a spring roll. Serve hot.

Enche Kabin - Nyonya style fried chicken

2009-09-09T18:54:00.004+08:00

These Nyonya Style fried chicken wings are soooo delicious that you can't stop after one. I made these Enche Kabin last sunday for a family gathering and they were a hit at the dinner!! The only set back about this recipe is ....hmm.. my house still smells very "Enche Kabin" even untill now !!!!

Ingredients

6 Chicken Wings

Marinate

3 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp coconut cream

Method:

Marinate the chicken wings with the seasoning overnight.

Deep fry the chicken untill crispy.

Serce Hot

***Please refer to Lily's Wai Sek Hong for complete recipe****

Chocolate and Prune Cake

2009-09-08T20:03:00.005+08:00

I haven't baked for quite a while, apart from our diet, my mother in law was diagnosed with early stage of diabetis. I understand it can be very hard for someone who has a sweet tooth to cut back on dessert (we all know this, don't we?). Hence, i got a book from the library - "Cooking for diabetics"and baked her this beautiful chocolate cake. The cake turned out all moist and yummy, this recipe is definately a keeper.

Ingredients

300g dark chocolate

150g low fat spread

200g prunes

3 eggs

150g flour

2tsp baking powder

120ml soya milk

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Grease and base line a deep 20cm round cake tin. Melt the chocolate in a bowl.

Mix the spread and prunes in a food processor. Process until light and fluffy, then scrape into a bowl.

Gradually fold in the melted chocolate and eggs, alernately with flour and baking powder.

Beat in the soya milk.

Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 20-30 minutes.

My New Hair Cut

2009-08-17T19:20:00.004+08:00

Slightly off topic, guys .. today we are not going to talk about food !!!

After a few nights of "tossing and turning" on my bed at night (yeah, getting your hair cut is a big decision for a girl), I finally got the courage to cut my hair SHORT. It was not an easy decision to make, but hey .. i've done it !!

Dah-Lah !! My new hair cut !! I love it!!

Ondeh - Ondeh

2009-08-07T18:29:00.005+08:00

This is an event submission from me for the Merdeka Open House 2009 held by Babe in the City -KL. The theme for this years open house is My Sweet Malaysia. Well, i must admit i felt a mixture of excitement and anxious feelings when i heard about this theme. Don't get me wrong, i love traditional sweets but I've never attempted any traditional Malaysian sweets at home and my pathetic knowledge about Malaysian sweets isn't gonna help.

Initially i was planning to make glutenous rice dumpling with coconut pandan leaf stuffing, a recipe from Poh @ Masterchef. However, i failed terribly and the whole lot of dough went into Mr. Bin's tummy. After the failure, i then opted for something simplier - something that even dummy me can do. So i found this ondeh-ondeh recipe from rasa Malaysia's site. Sorry for not being able to submit something more exotic but i tell ya, even making these simple ondeh ondeh was a hard and desperate task for me. I started making these little sweets without any expectation of success.

To my relief, everything turned out ok. My ondeh ondeh might not have looked as good as Sea Salt and food but hey, at least they were editable. I gave some for my colleague to try and she loved them !! woohoo.. !!!

Anyway, this is my little contribution to this years Merdeka Open house. Happy 52 years old Malaysia!!!

Caramelised Lotus Root

2009-08-04T18:19:00.005+08:00

This is such a simple, easy and fantastic dish !!

Steve and me loved the crunch and delicate flovour of the lotus root.

Give this a try and i am sure you will get addicted to this little sweet crunchy vegetable!!

Recipe : Kylie Kwong - My China

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 garlic bulb, unpeeled and cut in half crossways

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

5 cm piece ginger

550g fresh lotus root, peeled and cut into 5mm

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp shao hsing wine

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

2 tsp light soy sauce

Heat oil in a hot wok until surface seems ti shimmer slightly. Add garlic, cut-side down, and sear over medium heat for 1 minute. Add sliced garlic and ginger and lotus root and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add sugar and stir fry for 2 minutes or until slightly caramelised.

Add Shao hsing wine and stir fry for 1 minute. Lastly, add vinegar and soy sauce and stir fry for a further minute. Serve immediately

Lamb, Spinach & Feta Pie with Beetroot Puree

2009-08-01T18:32:00.005+08:00

Recipe Source : Masterchef - Julia

I spent almost 2 hours in the kitchen tonight to prepare this wonderful dinner. This is the first time i used filo pastry and it turned out great !! Steve loved the pie , that make my little effort worth well. Nothing better than seeing my prescious hubby enjoying the dinner.

The orginal recipe called for goat, but i have substituted the goat with lamb and it worked well. My pie looked a bit ugly but hey, it tasted great !!!

Roasted Chicken Breast with Zucchini , Basil & Pine Nuts

2009-07-27T18:53:00.003+08:00

Recipe Source: Luke Mangan

Simple yet surprisingly delicious !!!

Braised Pork Belly with Coca- cola

2009-07-22T17:56:00.004+08:00

I am not a neophyte when it comes to cooking with Coke, it is actually not as horrible as it sounds. Haha!! I suppose my vice came into play when i decided to try this recipe, I just got bored with the usual ingredients and decided to go a bit more adventurous. Steve hates it when i am feeling that way !! ;-)) But .. I LOVE it !!! Mediocrity can be an issue sometimes, being adventurous can be quite enjoyable.

The recipe was good, I loved how the radish just soaked up all the flavours from the sources. We had a bit of an issue with the prok belly, it was a bit too fatty for us. However, it was an enjoyable meal.

Please refer to Piggy's site for the recipe.. And please, please don't compare our food pictures.. I am still new when it comes to food porn, it is too hard to make food looks sexy, don't you agree ?

Open Beef Kofta

2009-07-20T18:16:00.006+08:00

Last night was the finale of Masterchef Australia, & I was extremely disappointed to learn that Poh lost in the competition. Anyway, it was a good show and i learnt heaps. Will try some of the recipes in the near future. So stay tuned!

Tonight's dinner was from one of the previous Masterclass episodes. I liked the recipe; the yogurt, onion and cucumber paired up really well with the spiced minced beef. Steven wasn't really impressed, i think he would prefer it without yogurt.

Ohh.. yeah, before i forget, we had a family gathering yesterday and I took a few pictures with our little princess. I have posted two pictures here, Isabell has grown heaps, hasn't she ??

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

2009-07-19T18:36:00.006+08:00

I haven't been able to bake as often as i wish lately, as Steve and I are still working hard to reduce our waist lines. We are, of course still way behind our targets, so I am sorry to let you guys know that i might not be able to join the TWD or The Cake Slices in the near future.

I made this brown sugar apple cheesecake yesterday for our little family gathering. We all fall hard for just about anything with apples and cinnamon, so naturally, we all loved this cheesecake. It was the big hit of the gatehring. Even though i accidentally burnt the top of the cake it still tasted great!! Please refer to Good Eat N Sweet Treats for recipe.

Sweet Lamb Cooked With Apple, Carrots & Star Anise

2009-07-13T18:23:00.008+08:00

I am back again !!! Apologies for the long absence my dear readers. we were busy dieting after the big trip, hence not much cooking or baking. But by saying that, I am still fond about food and have been reading your blogs whenever I am free. Besides, I have been busy watching The Australian Master Chef!!! Gosh, it is an amazing show!! Love it !!!

This dish was inspired by Jamie's Sweet Duck Legs cooked with Plums and Star Anise. The sweetness from the apple and carrots paired well with the saltiness of the lamb. This dish is very easy to put together and makes a great winter dish.

250g diced lamb

4 tbsp soy sauce

3 tsp five spice powder

a handful of star anise

1/2 a stick of cinnamon

1 tbsp olive oil

1 applice (diced)

2 carrots (diced)

2 tbsp brown sugar

Place the lamb in a sandwich bag with the soy sauce, five spices, star anise, cinnamon stick and olive oil and let them marinate for minimum of 2 hours. Then place the apple, carrots and sugar in the bottom of a casserole and then pour the marinate fgrom the bad over the top. Mix it all up using your fingers, and place the lamb on top. Place the casserole in a preheated oven at 200c for 1/2 hour. Then serve hot.

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

2009-04-21T18:16:00.006+08:00

I have never had bread pudding so I was not too sure what to expect for this week’s TWD. I was so excited to make the pudding but I didn’t eat any of it. So, I am unable to tell you if this is a great bread pudding recipe or not. As Steve is not a big fan of bread pudding, I gave the pudding to my in laws. They seemed to like the pudding so I am guessing this wasn’t too bad a recipe. Ohh well, at least I had fun making it. Thanks to Lauren!!

Ohh yeah, before I forget, there will be no TWD for next week (as Steve doesn’t fancy cream tart) and probably for the rest of the month (as we will be away, Woohoo.. Malaysia, here we come!!!). However, I will try my best to keep up with TWD, no promise ya ;-))

Cake Slice :Chai Cake with Honey Ginger Cream

2009-04-20T17:39:00.006+08:00

Today’s blog gonna be a really short one, my dear blog readers I just got my wisdom tooth removed and I haven’t had any solid food since Saturday. And .. hehe.. I lost almost a Kg a day ..Woohooo!! I am really thrilled with this !! haha .. the only good thing about wisdom teeth.

Back to the baking this week, I love this cake, the cake itself smells awesome!!! And, the cake itself actually tasted like the layered cake from Indonesia. But, the honey ginger cream was a tad too sweet for me. Now, I am really a beginner when it comes to decorating cakes, so, I decided to use my trusted almonds again!!! Haha.. at least this time I tried to decorate the cake. Anyway, it was a great cake, I will definitely make the cake again.

Visit here for the recipe.

TWD: Chocolate Amaretti Torte

2009-04-14T18:14:00.005+08:00

Believe it or not, by the end of this month I will be a bit overdosed on “chocolate”.. haha..For those of you who don’t know what I mean, for the next three weeks at TWD, we will have chocolate on our menu – yeah, chocolate, chocolate and chocolate!!. Not just that, as Easter has just passed, we have had a fair few pieces of chocolate by now. I am guessing my left and right thighs gonna have a little reunion fairly soon. D’oh!!!

Back to this week’s baking, I couldn’t find any Amaretti in our local supermarket. I then substituted the Amaretti with almond cookies. The cake turned out great, Steve loved it!! It had wonderful almond flavour and .. of course, it was very rich too !! Thanks to Holly for choosing this recipe.

TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

2009-03-31T17:05:00.005+08:00

I don’t want to admit this, but this week’s TWD exposed my weakness to the eyes of my blog readers – Inconsistency. D’oh!!! I was “trying” (note, I really did try) to cut my cookies in the same size .. but obviously I failed terribly .. haha.. Every cookie looked quite unique as they were all different sizes!!! Freeform and unique best describes my cookies, hey !! haha!!! Ohh well, regardless of the look of my cookies, they all tasted the same and they were simply amazing!!!! I loved them!! The macadamia nuts and coconut paired up well, very tasty!! Thanks to Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch for choosing this recipe

Maple and Mustard Glazed Chicken

2009-03-30T18:02:00.004+08:00

Tonight’s dinner was maple and mustard glazed chicken that I had bookmarked from Closet Cooking a while ago. I have flattened the chicken breast a bit to make it easier to fry. I used Panko bread crumbs and it turned out well. The sweetness from the syrup paired up well with the mustard, complicated flavour!! Thanks to Kevin for sharing the recipe.

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (pounded flat)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg (lightly beaten)

1 cup bread crumbs

4 tablespoons maple syrup

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Dredge the chicken in the flour.

3. Dip the chicken into the egg.

4. Dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs.

5. Heat the oil in a pan

6. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
7. Mix the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, whole grained mustard, brown sugar and thyme in a bowl.

8. Place the chicken in a baking pan and brush the maple mustard mixture onto it heavily.

9. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 10 minutes.

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chips Cookies

2009-03-29T11:02:00.007+08:00

This month’s baking challenge from Sweet and Simple bake is .. Da-lah !!! Everyone’s favorite cookies – Oatmeal and Chocolate chips cookies. I made these for one of my dearest colleagues’ birthdays – Inge. She is a beautiful girl who has a beautiful heart, and she loves chocolate chip cookies to death ;-)). She is a great colleague, my invaluable support!! She picks me up when I am down and reminds me to smile through my tough times at work. She never leaves me to bare my own worries and constantly make me feel she has my back. Thanks my angel colleague -Inge !!!

Back to the cookies, they were very easy to put together (which is great as her birthday fell midweek and I needed something quick and simple after a long day at work). I myself thought the cookies were a tad too salty but Inge loved them. I suppose that’s the most important bit.

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

110g (4oz) butter, softened

110g (4oz) caster sugar

110g (4oz) soft brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g (9oz) porridge oats (rolled oats)

110g (4oz) self-raising flour

1 level tsp salt

110g (4oz) chocolate chips, raisins or chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF), Gas Mark 4. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg, water and vanilla extract while still beating. Reduce the speed and gently mix in the oats, flour, salt and raisins to form a dough. Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut sized balls and place slightly apart on two baking trays. Bake in the oven for 12-25 minutes or until light golden brown but still slightly soft in the centre. Allow to cool on the trays for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Mongolian Beef

2009-03-29T09:16:00.003+08:00

I have been busy lately and I am really not sure what I was busy with .. hmm.. I spent lots of time pondering and day dreaming about the coming trip. D’oh!! My bad for not blogging or replying to your comments as frequently as I used to. I am at the stage where I just want to do nothing after a long day at work. Yeah, don’t ask, work sucks !! I thought we are in a financial crisis, why on earth does my workload keep increasing in this period ???? Ohh.. well, enough whining. Let’s talk about my little angel – my little niece. She is now a very pretty little madam, very chubby and cute !! I can’t wait to buy her some little dresses from Malaysia.

Ok, back to our favorite topic – food. I cooked this Mongolian beef for dinner last week; I substituted the ground beef with sliced beef as I don’t have any minced beef on hand. Anyway, this dish turned out well, it doesn’t taste the same as the Mongolian Beef we order from our local Chinese Restaurant but it definitely tasted nice. Thanks to Rachel for sharing this recipe.

Mongolian Beef(serves 4)

1 lb. 4 oz. quality ground beef

5 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon malt vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 small carrot, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 medium-sized red pepper, finely sliced

3/4 cup finely sliced scallions

Marinade:

2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon finely diced ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine ground beef with marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover, and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place cabbage and salt in a large bowl, mixing together well with your hands to combine. Stand for 15 minutes then rinse under cold water and drain. Use your hands to squeeze out any excess liquid.Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add half the marinated beef and stir-fry for 30 seconds, breaking up any lumps with a wok spoon. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and set aside.Add remaining oil to hot wok, stir in remaining beef and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Return reserved beef mixture to the wok with wine or sherry, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sesame oil and stir-fry for 30 seconds.Toss in reserved cabbage, carrot and pepper and stir-fry for a further minute. Stir through scallions, reserving just a little to garnish, and remove from heat.Spoon beef into a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining scallions and serve.

TWD : Devil's Food White-out Cake

2009-03-25T18:07:00.004+08:00

I made this cake for my in law’s birthday last weekend, it was a real hit of the party. I must tell ya, it wasn’t easy to assembly the cake, my evil hubby said my cake looked funny !!! grrr.. I was so sad and disappointed with the look of the cake, I was a bit hesitant to bring the cake to the party as it looked a bit …hmm.. Sorry. But I am glad I did at the end, everyone loved the taste of it, especially my picky hubby ;-)) Dorie is right, this cake makes a very good party cake… but I think I just need to work on the look of my cake .. haha .. please refer to the confessions of a city eater for the recipe .

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

2009-03-24T17:26:00.004+08:00

This week’s TWD recipe is Blueberry Crumb Cake chosen by Sihan of Bufuddlement. I enjoyed baking the cake but to be honest I didn’t really like the taste of it. The crumbs were very nice but for some reason, the cake turned out quite average. I made the cake using a round 8-inchs pan. I brought this along with Dorie’s Devil White out Cake (which I will blog about it next time) to my parents in law’s birthday. Everyone enjoyed the treat. Thanks to Sihan for choosing this recipe.

Nyonya Chicken

2009-03-21T20:01:00.004+08:00

I made this for dinner a few days ago, it was very easy to put together. I have omitted curry leaves and tomato as I didn’t have any handy. Steve was happy because of the absence of tomato in this dish.. haha.. Did I tell you that he thinks tomatoes are evil, horrible texture??? yeah, someone who is a tomato lover like me will never understand his feeling. Sometimes I can get away with “accidentally” adding tomatoes in his dish, but most of the time, picky him will just roll his eyes and tell me off for “mucking up” his dinner, Ha !!
Anyway, this dish turned out great despite the absence of the key ingredient – curry leaves. I will definitely cook this again with curry leaves … and may be some tomatoes … shhhhh.. don’t tell Steve about this.
Thanks to kitchen snippets for sharing the recipe.

Ingredients :

500gm chicken

1 medium size onions - quartered

some curry leaves

1 red chili - slice thinly

1 green chili - slice thinly

1 tomato - quartered

1 egg

1 tbsp of cornstarch

To be blended

1 lemon grass

1 tsp of turmeric powder

1 clove of garlic

1 shallot

1" of galangal or ginger

For the sauce - combined

1 tbsp of plum sauce

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tbsp of tomato ketchup

2 tbsp of water

salt and pepper to taste

1) Cut chicken into bite size pieces and marinate with the blended ingredients, egg and cornstarch and set aside for 15 minutes.

2) Heat up some oil and fry the chicken until golden brown and drain off excess oil on paper towel. Remove oil from pan and leave about 1 tablespoon.

3) Add in onions, chilies and curry leaves and stir fry until fragrant. Add in chicken, tomato and the sauce. Continue to stir fry until sauce thicken.

4) Serve with warm rice.

Cake Slice : Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

2009-03-20T19:59:00.004+08:00

I have joined the cake slice team for quite a while and I am a bit hesitate to tell you that this in fact is my first time to join the monthly baking challenge. And hence it was my first time to bake a triple layer cake too. The cake turned out ok, it smelled great fresh from the oven. I must confess that because I only have two 9 inch baking pans and one 8 inch baking pan, smart me thought it should be ok to bake a triple layer cake using the combination of three. As u can see in the pictures, it nearly become another “classic” kitchen disaster .. nearly ..phew.. haha.. Although the cake looks a bit ugly in the pic, trust me it still tasted good.

FOR THE CAKE:MAKES A 9-INCH TRIPLE LAYER CAKE
8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 ans 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch][**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]
Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans.
In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.
bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.
To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.

RICH LEMON CURDMAKES 1 CUP
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.
Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.

LEMON CREAM FROSTINGMAKES 3 AND 1/4 CUPS
1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd
Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.

TWD: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze

2009-03-17T17:20:00.005+08:00

For this week’s TWD, Liliana from My Cookbook Addiction chose the French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze for all the TWD bakers to try. Can’t tell you enough how much we all loved this cake. The cake was so moist and it smelled aromatic fresh from the oven. I brushed the top of the cake with breakfast marmalade as I couldn’t find any lemon marmalade, but it turned out great!!! I will definitely make this again!! Thanks Liliana!!!

Cookie Carnival : INSIDE - OUT CARROT CAKE COOKIES.

2009-03-16T16:43:00.003+08:00

Hey guys, just got the result of my exam last week and yeah!!!! a Distinction !!! And please don’t be like my brother who asked “is that a high distinction?” .. yeah yeah, I know distinction is not the best result but hey, I thought I was going to fail .. haha… pheww.. a big relief for me.. .. I am not a smart cookie, but definitely a lucky cookie ;-)))

This month’s cookie carnival is the Inside-out carrot cake cookies. I have substituted the walnuts to pecan nuts as I only had pecan nuts on hand. The cookies turned out good, I personally loved the nutty flavour of the cookies, however hubby reckons they were too soft in texture to be “qualified” as cookies. I have never had carrot cake before, but I think these cookies made a good impression of it, haha.. I definitely gonna try to make a carrot cake soon. Thanks kate for choosing this recipe. Please refer to kate’s site for the recipe.

Orange Chicken Kebabs

2009-03-07T17:34:00.003+08:00

I always wanted to make kebabs myself and when I saw this recipe at Noobcook, I immediately copied the recipe to my never ending “to cook list”. I made these Orange Chicken Kebabs a few days ago, they were very easy to put together. I loved the hint of orange in the chicken even though the chicken was marinated for half an hour instead of 8 hours like the recipe called for. I don’t have a grill pan so I just popped the chicken in the microwave and grilled them. They turned out good!!!

Ingredients (Serves 2 - makes approximately 10 sticks of kebabs)

A) Main ingredient
220g skinless/boneless chicken breast meat (or fillet)

B) marinade:
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

30 ml orange juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

3/4 tbsp light soy sauce

1.5 tsp grated ginger

1.5 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

C) Optional foods (to thread with chicken)

1 medium sized bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares

pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions
1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a ziplock food bag or food bowl. Seal bag or cover bowl.
2. Cut chicken into 1.5 inch cubes and add to marinade in container. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours, turning the chicken pieces occasionally.
3. Remove chicken cubes from bag/bowl and drain, reserving marinade. Thread chicken and the foods at (C) on skewers, alternating pieces. Brush the remaining marinade over the threaded kebabs.
4. Oil grill pan or grease with cooking spray. Heat grill pan, and once hot, cook the kebab on each side for about 5-6 minutes each.
Notes::-

Use tongs to handle the kebabs when they are on the hot grill pan

.- If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in hot water for 20 mins before skewering

.- If you are grilling a few batches, note that the cooking time may need to be adjusted (i.e. reduced) for the later batches as the grill pan gets hotter.

TWD: Chocolate Armagnac Cake - The Cake That Got Me Fired

2009-03-03T17:35:00.003+08:00

I loved this cake !!!

I don't drink alcohol at all, so when I looked at the recipe and was looking at hubby's very limited alcohol collection, I decided to substitute the Armagnac to RUM. Forgive me for being so naïve with alcohol, I asked Steve to describe the taste of Armagnac, he said "not sure, but I think it's strong and you will have a burning feeling in ur throat" then I asked him to describe the taste of RUM , he said I know that is the same thing. So .. Me being a novice baker , thought as both alcohols will give the same effect, it should give the same effect to the cake!! How smart hey !!! Haha..

I am so glad that the cake turned out great, I have substituted the plum to raisins. The cake was very rich and chocolaty, we loved it !!! The cake goes well with ice cream or .. My favourate creamy premium yogurt - Jalna !!! Yum !!

Thanks to "And then I do the dishes" for choosing this recipe ***

Recipe: Cashew Chicken (腰果鸡丁)

2009-02-28T17:03:00.004+08:00

Yesterday I received a letter from one of my secondary school friends. Hello, it was a real letter, not email, ok!! I was blown away by the fact that I had almost forgotten the happiness of receiving a letter from a loved one. The joy of reading their handwriting, touching the letter and almost imagining their feelings when they were writing the letter, that was awesome!!

I used to write letters to my pen pals and friends, but as I grow older, I tend to contact or keep in touch with friends through email and the internet. The most ironic part is that I am keeping in touch with my pen pal through email now. My good old friend, who thinks that writing to each other in the old fashioned way is more meaningful; I do agree with that. I can’t explain how excited I was when I received the letter from my friend. The joy of opening the envelope, reading what her words and her thoughts was so great!! Thanks, my dear friend!!

Anyway, back to food. This is another recipe from my favorite food bloggers – Rasa Malaysia. Steve and I loved the flavour of this dish. Yummy!!

Ingredients:

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)

1/2 cup cashew nuts

1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small square pieces)

5 slices ginger

1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

Marinate:

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

3/4 teaspoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

3 dashes white pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt to taste

Method:
Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.)
Pat the chicken meat dry and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.
Mix the sauce together and set aside.
Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
Add in another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions.
Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green onions and add the chicken meat back in.
Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.
Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Cherry Bakewell Cake

2009-02-28T16:32:00.005+08:00

Guys, sorry for the ugly pictures, I think my laziness has ruined the cake. First of all, I couldn’t be bothered to buy the 8inch cake tins; instead I used my 9inch cake tins. Then, I was getting a bit inpatient and so I don’t think I stirred the icing sugar enough, Lastly, I didn’t even bother to toast the flaked almonds. So all these different factors help explain the ugliness of my cake.

The cake turned out ok, it was way too sweet for my liking. I have substituted the almond meal to hazelnut meal, and also the almond essence to vanilla essence; the main reason being I personally don’t like the smell of the almond essence in the cake.

Serves 8

Ingredients
For The Cake

200g (8oz butter), well softened, + extra for greasing

200g (8oz) caster sugar

100g (4 oz) ground almonds

100g (4 oz) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon almond extract or essence

4 large eggs

Pinch of salt

For The Filling & Top

½ a 340g (approx 12 oz) jar of morello cherry conserve/jam

175g (6 oz) icing sugar

5-6 teaspoons water or lemon juice

1 tablespoon flaked almonds, lightly toasted

2 x 20cm (8 in) round sandwich tins, greased with butter and base lined with baking paper.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Using electric beaters, beat together all the cake ingredients until smooth. Divide the batter equally between tins and level the tops with a spatula. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. *Do not open the oven door until 25 minutes of baking to check the cake*. Place the tins onto a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before turning out to fully cool. Make sure the top of one of the cakes is facing up as you’ll want a smooth surface for the icing later on. When cool, put one sponge on a serving plate, then spread with conserve/jam. Sandwich the second sponge on top. Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water or lemon juice, then stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it dribble over the sides. Scatter with toasted flaked almonds on the icing and leave to set for a few minutes before cutting.

*Notes*

*This is an easy all in one method for making a sponge cake -please make sure your butter is fully softened before you start*.

*If you find morello cherry conserve/jam difficult to source, substitute with raspberry conserve/jam, it will be just as delicious*!

*To toast flaked almonds ~ place a single layer in a dry frying pan for toasting. With the frying pan over medium-high heat, stir or shake the nuts continually for 3 to 5 minutes or until they start to turn golden. Remove them from the cooking pan as soon as they're done*.

* A few glacé cherries placed on top of the icing additionally with the flaked toasted almonds would also be a lovely *.

***** This is my entry for this month's Sweet and Simple Bakes*******

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

2009-02-24T17:33:00.006+08:00

I haven’t been able to do as much baking as I wish, apart from being really busy in life and having a sudden urge to clean every part of my house; I am now on a diet (well, I am serious this time). I am planning for the trip home this coming May, I know the only exercise I gonna do during this whole trip is EAT, so I better lose some weight before I head home, or else I will look like a potato when I come back from Malaysia (which is what I am worried about). Not sure about you guys, I just can’t eat enough whenever I go back to Malaysia, even though I can get some Malaysian food here, but it’s just Not the same !! So my fellow blog readers, I might not be able to blog as much as usual, or bake as much as I wish, but believe me, my spirit is still here (blah).. haha.. Believe me, if I have a choice, I will prefer to spend my time with my handsome oven rather than with that bloody treadmill. Anyway, lets talk about this week’s TWD.

This week’s TWD is the recipe chosen by whitney from what’s left on the table – Caramel Crunch Bars. I have made some changes to the recipe, as Steve doesn’t like coffee so I have omitted the coffee bit. Besides this, I couldn’t find any toffee so I have replaced it with almonds. They turned out great, I gave them to my parents in law, sister in law and some friends, and they loved them!! I especially loved the base, Steve loved the chocolate topping. As usual, Dorie never disappoints us !!

Nut Merangues with Cream & Strawberries

2009-02-22T18:10:00.006+08:00

This is the recipe given to me by one of my fellow colleagues – John. He is a foodie, a gourmet who enjoys cooking and feeding his colleagues. He’s always giving us really nice treats. I’ve been pestering him for some good recipes for a while, and I guess he has had enough of me and decided to give me this recipe to shut me up.. haha..

This is a great recipe, I especially love the Nut merangue. It took a bit of an effort for me to put the cake together because I am such a clumsy baker. Well, because the merangue didn’t look that good by itself, I decided to dress it up with a big ribbon.. haha.. I think it looked great with the ribbon.

I brought this to my sister in law’s house this afternoon and everyone loved it!!! Thanks a lot John!!

Ingredients

6 egg whites
11/2 cups of caster sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts
3 tsp cornflour

Filling
250g chocolate melts
60g butter
1/3 cup cream
11/4 cups cream, whipped
250g strawberries, quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to slow 150c. Line 3 oven trays with baking paper. Draw a 22cm circle on each sheet on paper.

Using electric beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat until sugar has dissolved and mixture is think and glossy. Fold in cream of tartar and lemon juice. Using a metal spoon fold in almonds, hazelnuts and cornflour until just combined.

Divide mixture between the prepared trays, spread evenly onto 22cm circles using traced paper as a guide. Bake for 40 minutes or until meringue is firm and crisp. Turn off oven, let merangues cool in the oven with door ajar.

To make filling. Melt chocolate and butter in a small pan, stirring in cream, mix until smooth. Cool until mixture thickens to spreadable consistency. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy.

Place a meringue disc on serving plate, spread with half the filling. Top with 1/3 of the cream and 1/3 of the strawberries. Top with another disc repeat with remaining filling half the cream and 1/3 strawberries. Top with remaining disc. Spread with remaining cream and decorate with remaining strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust with sifted icing sugar (optional).

Best Lamb Cutlets with Special Basil Sauce

2009-02-21T18:51:00.005+08:00

All of my friends and my family know that I hate housework, especially cleaning. As I always say – a perfectly dusted house is a waste of my life. However, something just triggered me lately and I don’t know what is that (I wish I do so at least I can switch it off again). I started to get a bit obsessed with cleaning!!! OMG, what a horrible hobby!!! I started to find cleaning can be quite rewarding!! Oh boy, I just can’t stop cleaning, I am suddenly “able” to notice all the dust in our house. I tell ya, this is a bloody tiring hobby; I now have a sore back and very very sore arms. I hope , really hope that my ability to notice all the dirt will suddenly disappear again .. haha.. I can hear Steve pray for the opposite.

Anyway, I cooked these Lamb cutlets with special basil sauce for dinner tonight, I love the hint of thyme leaves in the lamb cutlets and the basil sauce was beautiful. Steve loved the lamb cutlets but disliked the sauce, I suppose basil leaves are a tad too strong for him. Anyway, great dinner!! Thanks to Vicious Ange for sharing the recipe.

12 lamb cutlets

a small handful of fresh thyme leaves, picked

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

400g mushrooms, brushed clean & torna

small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley

1 lemon

2 handfuls of pine nuts

2 large handfuls of fresh basil

3-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Slap the cutlets with the heel of your hand to flatten them slightly. Bash up the thyme in a mortar & pestle and add a little olive oil. Mix together, then rub the oil over the cutlets & season both sides with salt & pepper, put aside.Cook the mushrooms dry on the bars of a hot griddle pan then put in a large bowl. Once the mushrooms are done, put the lamb on (either the same pan or on the bbq), cook for about 3-4 minutes each side or done to your liking. When cooked put in the bowl with the mushrooms & drizzle with a little olive oil. Tear over the parsley & add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season lightly & toss around. Place to one side to rest.Meanwhile make the sauce. In a mortar & pestle pound up the pine nuts until you have a mushy pulp. Remove to a bowl then use the mortar & pestle to bash up the basil. Add to the nuts & loosen with olive oil so that the sauce easily drips off the end of a spoon. Add the vinegar to give it a bit of a zing. Serve with the lamb a salad.

Lemon Grass Chicken

2009-02-19T18:01:00.007+08:00

Now, I have one thing to confess, I didn’t mean to mess around with anyone or deliberately defend anyone every time I whinge about my size. I know I am not overweight now, but .. I am not slim ...or may be I just don’t trust my own eyes anymore.. I have said this many times that I was very big before and I have promised a few of you that I will write about it sometime and today just happens to be the day. I will write about my weight loss journey and also .. hehe.. post 2 pics of big me here .. yeah, here in my blog !!! Promise me, u won’t run away after this, deal ?? ;-))

See, I used to think I looked just nice even though I was about 95kg. Everyone is always so surprised whenever I say that, how can u not notice when u r big, yeah, I never realized that I was overweight until …hmm.. hehe.. I met my husband, who was skinny at that time. 95kg for a 161cm lady .. is way too heavy. I used to look at the mirror and think “hey, I am not too bad” but in reality I was way too fat. And hence, I don’t trust my own eyes now.. I am still worried that what if I am still overweight but i just “look” slim in my own eyes (if u know what I mean). Anyway, I worked hard to get down to my size and yeah, I lost almost 40kgs.. I couldn’t do this without my husband (bf at that time). Every time when I look back at my pictures taken 3 years ago , I am really glad that I met my hubby who cares about my health more than anything. Well, of course, he made me work really hard in the gym too!!! So there you go, the secret of weight loss is …. Haha.. marry an ex army man ;-))) who will push u hell a of lot harder than u push ur self .. haha. Anyway, I am now at my normal weight and life is much more beautiful, I still enjoy good food; I think I appreciate my food more than before.

Ok, back to the food. I cooked this lemongrass chicken the other night; it was a very flavorful dish. It was a tad too hot for Steve, hence he wasn’t really impressed with the dinner. I think the chicken tasted quite good, goes well with white rice. Thanks to Kitchen Snippets for sharing the recipe.

Ingredients :

Half Chicken (wash and cut into bite size pieces)

2 tbsp of turmeric powdersalt and pepper to taste

3 lemongrass - smash it with the back of your knife

1/2 cut of coconut milk

Blended Ingredients :

2 tomatoes

5 red chillies

1 big onions

4 cloves of garlic

1" ginger

1) Marinate chicken with salt, pepper and turmeric powder for an hour.

2) Blend the blended ingredients and set aside.

3) Heat up some oil in the wok and brown the chicken on both side. It don't have to be cook. Dish out and set aside. Remove the oil and leave about 2 tablespoon in the wok.

4) Saute the blended ingredients until fragrant.

5) Add in the chicken and lemongrass and stir fry for a few minutes.

6) Add in the coconut milk and simmer until the dish is dry and chicken is cook.

7) Check seasoning and dish out.8) Serve with warm rice.

**** This is my entry for this week Bookmarked Recipe *******

Cookie carnival- CHOCOLATE FUDGE COOKIES with TOFFEE and DRIED CHERRIES

2009-02-16T18:00:00.007+08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

I think I have told everyone enough about my dramatic valentines day last year, no flowers, no presents, no dinner and so a lovely wife was furious and refused to cook dinner, someone ended up having to have KFC for dinner.. haha.. yeah yeah, I know I shouldn’t blame him for being obedient, BUT… this is the wrong time to be obedient !!! ;-)) agree, women?

Anyway, this year is my turn to plan Valentines Day (hubby and me take turns for planning the event every year). Don’t worry, I didn’t spend a fortune on the day, we went to Sidney Myer music bowl for the MSO’s free concert, it was great fun !!! And someone learned a precious lesson last year, so .. Da –Lah .. I received a bunch of lovely flowers and a teddy bear!!! I love them but at the same time I blame him for wasting the money .. (Yeah, poor him) .

Ok, enough of all the crap, back to the cookies. I love cookie carnival and this month’s cookie sounds very promising. I have omitted the toffee because I couldn’t find any in the supermarket. The cookies turned out great, very chewy. My cookies turned out huge, they are as big as my face. Delicious !!!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup plump, moist, dried sour cherries

8 oz. bitter or semisweet chocolate chopped into chunks about the size of the cherries

1 cup English toffee pieces for baking such as Skor Bits

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two heavy baking sheets, not non-stick with parchment paper and set aside. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light in colour and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour-mixture in 3 additions, blending just until the dry ingredients are moistened. This part is really easier with a wooden spoon since the batter is quite dense. The dough may be frozen at this point for up to 4 months; wrap securely in plastic wrap, then in a plastic freezer bag; thaw in the refrigerator without removing its wrapping before portioning the cookies and baking.

2. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets and place them in the centre of the oven, turning half way through baking.

3. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes (mine were done in 18 minutes) or until barely set in the centre and just firm around the edges. Cool cookies on tray for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before storing. Store in air tight containers, layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper for up to 5 days.

****** This is my entry for this month's cookie carnival *******

TWD: World Peace Cookies

2009-02-03T17:59:00.005+08:00

The one thing I missed the most while I was away from blogging .. I felt so guilty without it, I felt a bit lost without it, I was anxious and worried that I will miss out a lot due to my absence … and yeah , u guessed it !!! TWD !!! I can’t wait to come back to my TWD group again !!!

This week’s recipe is world peace cookies and I tell ya, they were so beautiful !!! all my colleagues loved them . They were very chocolaty and soft in texture. My house was full of the chocolate smell when I was baking them. Loved the touch of saltiness!!! Another Irresistible cookies .

Thanks to Jess from cookbookhabit for choosing this recipe

Sesame chicken

2009-02-02T18:05:00.008+08:00

Due to the heat we had for the whole of last week, I haven’t been able to cook anything in my beloved kitchen. Tonight, as the weather cooled down a bit (hello.. 30c is better than the 45c we had last week), I decided to try some recipes and cook a good meal for my hubby. Of course, after such a long time away from the kitchen, my first meal would have to be … Da – Lah ..ASIAN .. haha .. surprise surprise !!!

I got this sesame chicken recipe from my kitchen snippets. It was very easy to put together, however it was a little bit too salty for us. Overall, the chicken tasted good. Thanks to Kitchen Snippets for sharing the recipe.

For those of you who are curious about how our little niece is going, I have attached a picture of her and me here. She is so adorable!!!

Ingredients :

3 pieces of chicken breast or 1/2 chicken - cut to bite size pieces

1 tbsp of light soy sauce

1 tbsp of cooking wine

1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp rice flour or cornstarch

Salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
3 tbsp of sweet chili sauce

2 tbsp of tomato ketchup

1- 2 tbsp of honey (depend on how sweet you want)

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

2 tbsp of light soy sauce

1/4 cup of watersome toasted sesame seed

. Marinate chicken with soy sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper and set it aside for at least an hour. Just before frying mix the 2 type of flour together and mix it into the chicken.

2. Prepare oil for frying. Fry chicken until golden brown, dish out and drain the oil in paper towel. Remove all the oil from the pan.

3. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour it back into the pan. Bring it up to a boil and let the sauce thicken a bit.

4. Add in the chicken and toss it gently until the chicken are evenly coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the sesame seeds to the chicken. Serve with warm rice.

Note : You can use bone in chicken,chicken thigh, chicken wings or even pork ribs for this dish.

**** This is my entry for this week's bookmarked recipe ******

I AM BACK

2009-01-31T14:59:00.007+08:00

My dear readers, I finally finished the freaking exam, and I am back to my beloved blogsmophera ;-)) and shhhh.. Don’t ask about the exam, I pray and I hope I have done enough to pass. Anyway, let’s worry about it in March, when they release the result. Now, let’s go back to food!!!

I have to apologize for being absent for that long, although I didn’t blog, but I still eat like a foodie (may be more, I think). So don’t worry, I will never forget that I am one of u guys.. In fact, I have started to look like a “big” foodie now (my waistline is getting bigger, my face is getting rounder ... and ohh.. no. Don’t remind me about my arms). Tell me about the New Year resolutions; my perfect diet plan was gone just the day we stepped into 2009. Ok, let’s forget about it and talk about CNY resolutions… hmm.. Hold on.. they will need to be started after all the Chinese new year feasts (apparently we Chinese have 15 days for the CNY celebration, so let’s talk about the diet after the 15th day).

Ok, I need to blog about our CNY Eve dinner. Steve and I decided to have our dinner at a very pretty restaurant near to our house – Formosa House. They had a lion dance performance during the dinner; Steve had so much fun with that. We both enjoyed the food, I especially loved the almond prawn, it was great!!! yum yum !! Here are some pictures taken on that night.

I will be back to baking and cooking real soon, it just that the weather in Melbourne is crazy at the moment (40 degrees for the whole of last week), I really don’t want to kill myself in the kitchen. But I promise, as soon as I have chance, I will definitely cook and blog.

Christmas Morning Muffins

2009-01-01T18:16:00.006+08:00

Happy new year everyone!!!!

I know I have been really bad lately, haven’t been blogging for ages. Life has been really busy: eating, sleeping, chatting.. Everything except studying .. D’oh!!! Bad me!!!

January will be a very busy month for me and I promise I will be posting more frequently after the freaking exam ;-)) so my fellow friends please bear with me for this month and please pray for me … I need good luck for the exam especially I have been playing and eating hard instead of studying hard.

Steve and I went to the movies today –Marley & Me. Yeah yeah, instead of spending my precious time studying, I sneak out and spend time with my lovely hubby. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved the movie, it is almost as good as the book!!! We both were a bit worried that the movie will turn out average (as they always do, books always better than the movies), but it was so good, so touching!! I cried myself out in the cinema.. LOL .. how embarrassing.. if you are a dog lover, please watch the movie, it will definitely touch your heart. Even my hubby had tears in his eyes (note: I am not allowed to say he cried, so we both settled at “tears in his eyes”.. LOL )

Ok, back to the food blogging. I made these Christmas morning muffins weeks ago, they were good, soft in texture and very easy to put together. My parents in law and colleagues loved them. Thanks for choosing this great recipe !!! Thanks to Sweet & Simple Bakes !!

Makes 12
Ingredients

250g (9 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g (4 oz) caster (super fine) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Good grating of fresh nutmeg (or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg)
2 Clementine’s or Satsuma’s *see notes*
Approx 125ml (4 fl oz) full-fat milk
75g 3 oz) vegetable oil (or melted butter, left to cool slightly)
1 egg
175g (6 oz) dried cranberries

For The Topping
3 tsp Demerara sugar *see notes*

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
Line a 12-bun muffin tin with muffin paper cases.
Measure the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s over and combine.
Squeeze the juice of the Clementine’s/Satsuma’s into a measuring jug, and pour in the milk until it comes up to the 200ml (7 fl oz) mark.
Add the oil (or slightly cooled, melted butter) and egg, and lightly beat until just combined.Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is more or less combined, remembering that a well-beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins; a lumpy batter is a good here.
Fold in the cranberries, then spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The muffins are ready to eat now either plain or broken up and smeared with butter and marmalade.

* Notes**Cranberries could also be replaced with another dried fruit of choice**

Clementine’s/Satsuma’s*If you’re unable to source Clementine’s or Satsuma’s, 1 orange of zest and juice would be adequate.

* Demerara Sugar is*: Large crystals, golden in colour, which also adds a crunch to baked goods.*Question*: I can’t purchase Demerara sugar - what could I use instead?Granulated Sugar: This is a pure, naturally white, crystalline sugar.Sugar Cubes: Brown/white, would be a lovely addition instead of Demerara sugar; crunched up and sprinkled over the top of each muffin before baking.

TWD : Grandma’s All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

2008-12-09T17:17:00.005+08:00

I am terribly sorry for not being able to blog as frequently as I used to lately. Life has been pretty busy, I am not only falling behind with my blogging, but also with my study!!! D’oh !!! I will try to blog as often as I can but realistically I can’t promise anything.

This week’s TWD recipe was chosen by Ulrike of Küchenlatein. I didn’t add anything in the cookies, my brain just refused to think (or may be was too lazy to think) of what ingredients will make the cookies taste better. I cut the cookies with my favorite hippo cookie cutter. The cookies turned out good, but didn’t hold the shape nicely and hence I have a whole bunch of “obese” hippos. Haha.. the verdict from my colleagues .. yeah, they loved them !! Very cakey and buttery cookies.

TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipster

2008-11-30T09:03:00.005+08:00

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately, I think the biggest fear for a food blogger is you fall behind on your “to bake” list. I know, I still owe the daring baker event, cake slice event and also my TWD for last week!!!! OMG .. I am really behind my schedule !! I AM SO SORRY, my fellow readers.. life has been really hectic and busy lately, we have a new born family member – little Isobel: hubby and I have been busy pampering our little niece ;-)

I made these cookies last Sunday (now u know how far behind I am), they were a real hit. All my friends and colleagues loved the cookies. They were soft and chewy inside but had a crispy layer on the outside. Great dough!! BTW, this is one of the completed recipes from TWD.

Check out the recipe at Proceed with Caution

Daikon Fettuccine with tomato basil sauce

2008-11-21T19:10:00.005+08:00

I was a bit hesitant to blog about this “pasta” dish, I enjoyed the creative side of this dish but .. not really the taste and the texture. Don’t get me wrong, I love this cookbook – Morimoto and I still reckon Masahuru Morimoto is such a creative chef. However the texture of the daikon fettuccine tasted a bit weird to us. Anyway, at least I tried. So, my fellow blog readers, feel free to give this recipe a try, who knows, u might fall in love with the texture of the pasta.

This is my submission for next week’s PPN held by Daphne from More Than Words.

Ingredients
450g daikon
1 can plum tomatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

With a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, remove the outer skin of the daikon, discard the skin. Continue to peel down the length of the vegetable, removing the daikon in long, narrow ribbons, which look like noodles. Soak the “fettuccine” in a bowl of cold salted water for 15- 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the tomato-basil sauce: drain the tomatoes, reserving half of the juice. Squeeze the tomatoes through your fingers to mash them and combine with the juice; there will be about 2 cups.
In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their reserved juice, the sugar, and the salt. Boil vigorously, stirring often, until the sauce is thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the “pasta” and dry them on a kitchen towel. Add to the sauce and toss gently over medium heat, taking care not to break the daikon fettuccine. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute, divide among individual plates, teasing the fettuccine into mounds. Serve immediately.

TWD: Arborio Rice Pudding

2008-11-18T18:16:00.006+08:00

I have never had rice pudding before, when I mentioned to Steve about this week’s TWD, he was trying hard to convince me not to participate. Me, being me, always want something that I am not allowed to have ;-)) so … hehe.. Da-lah, may I present you my very first rice pudding.

The pudding turned out ok. My father in law and I both prefer the chocolate pudding more than the vanilla flavour. I must admit that I don’t really enjoy the texture of the rice pudding; the rice was very soggy and mushy. Hmmm.. Is this the right texture? Anyway, thanks to Isabelle of Les gourmandises d’Isa for picking this unique recipe.

Chocolate Christmas Cake

2008-11-14T20:24:00.004+08:00

This month’s sweet and simple baking challenge is chocolate Christmas cake. I was very excited about it because Steve always adores Christmas cake and I thought it would be good if I can make him a special Christmas cake this year.

The cake was very easy to put together, although I found the direction about lining the cake tin a tad hard to understand (well, not the instruction’s fault, I am always useless in following instructions .. D’oh and yet I was a bank auditor.. kekeke). My cake turned out great, loved the flavour. However, it did sink a little bit in the middle; I am really not sure what I did wrong. Steve reckons it was a tad too dry, he would prefer the cake to be a little bit more moist but overall we loved the cake. I was not in the mood of decorating the cake and hence I cheated with wrapping a big ribbon around my cake .. hehehe.. D-Lah .. what do u think .. cute hey ;-p

Preparation time: 20 minutes + cooling

Cooking time: 1¾ -2 hours

Ingredients

150g (5oz) soft butter

150g (5oz) light muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

185g (6½oz) self-raising flour

40g (1½oz) cocoa powder

400g jar of luxury mincemeat

80g (3oz) each of sultanas and raisins

50g (2oz) blanched almonds, chopped

100g packet of white chocolate chips

For decoration (decorate as you wish!)

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/electric 160ºC/fan oven 140ºC. Line a 20cm (8inch) cake tin (see below for instructions).

Lining the cake tin:

One of the keys to success when baking a fruit cake is the preparation of the tin before you start mixing the ingredients. Because of the length of cooking time, you need to use two sheets of greaseproof paper or baking parchment inside the tin.Lightly butter the inside of the tin.Cut out a strip of paper about 2.5cm (1inch) longer than the outside of the tin and 5 cm (2inches) wider. (Measure using a piece of string).Fold in about 2 cm (¾ inch) along the long edge of the strip. Then make diagonal cuts along the folded edge at 2.5 cm (1inch) intervals.Fit the long strip of paper inside the tin with the folded edge sitting flat on the base. If you have a square tin fit the paper tightly into the corners. Place the tin on two sheets of greaseproof paper of baking parchment and draw around the base of the tin. Cut two pieces of paper to fit snugly into the base of the tin. Before baking, tie some thick brown paper or newspaper, which comes above the tin by about 10cm (4inches), around the edge of the tin.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat together for a minute or two until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1¾-2 hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. You will probably need to cover the cake with foil towards the end of cooking to prevent the top from browning too much. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vermicelli Soup with Minced Pork

2008-11-13T18:06:00.008+08:00

This is the noodle soup that mum used to cook for us on a rainy day back home. It is a light and clear noodle soup that is served with rice. What?!! I heard u, eat/ drink noodle soup with rice?? Steve said the same thing when I told him about the dinner plan. YES!! We do serve this noodle soup with rice, it is our Asian form of comfort food, very simple yet tasty. The black fungus gives the soup a bit of a texture, the noodles soak up the beautiful flavour of the stock, yum!!!

I would like to submit this for the world food day event, I understand this is not a festive dish but hey this is the soup that reminds me of my homeland and my dearest mum. I am particularly thankful for having such a good mum, she is the most beautiful mum who was always there for the good and the bad times, always believing in me and constantly encouraging me to be the best I can. Besides this, I am thankful for marrying Steve, being able to share my life with him is the greatest thing in the world. Just writing that puts a smile on my face. He is my dear friend and loving companion who listens to me as I share the small triumphs or struggles of the day.

15 pieces of black fungus
50g vermicelli
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
450g minced pork
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp pepper
2 ½ cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Coriander leaves for garnish

Soak the black fungus and vermicelli in hot water until soft, then drain. Cut the black fungus into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until golden in colour. Remove from the heat, lift the garlic with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

In a bowl, combine the pork with soy sauce and pepper. Use a spoon to shape the mixture into small balls.

Heat the stock to boiling point in a saucepan. Add the light soy sauce and pork balls into the stock. Cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat. Add the black fungus and noodles and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stir frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Sprinkle with crispy garlic and coriander leaves.

TWD: Kugelhopf

2008-11-11T16:55:00.005+08:00

Mr dry yeast went on strike !!! I knew this was gonna happen, Mr dry yeast and me never work well together, he never likes me no matter how hard I try!! When I saw the recipe for this week’s TWD, I knew I was in big trouble, baking with Mr dry yeast again!! This time, I chose to be more patient with Mr. dry yeast, let him do his part of the job for 2 days, I left my precious dough sitting in the fridge overnight but he still decided to disappoint me. My precious little dough doubled in size after 4 hours, and then somehow the dough decided to go back to its original shape?!! How I wish I can deflate my tummy like my dough did!! After all the effort negotiating with Mr yeast, he chose to go on strike on me, and so I have no choice but to bake my kugelhopf as it is.

My kugelhopf turned out good, more cake-ish than bread-ish. I served my little kugelhopf with some jam, it was delicious!! Yummy!! I have decided to break up with Mr dry yeast and I think the young cute boy next to him (instant yeast) looks more promising and “stronger” ..heheheheh..

Thanks to the all purpose girl for chosing this recipe

Cookie carnival: The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2008-11-09T16:51:00.006+08:00

When I announced this month’s recipe for the cookie carnival, Steve was the happiest person…. because nothing better than classic cookies for him ;-)) I think he has had enough of my kitchen disasters.

The cookies turned out great!!! Hurray!!! I used dark chocolate chips instead of a chocolate chunk as the recipe called for. The cookies were chewy and soft as the name suggests. The only set back about the cookies was …. They were too addictive!!! D’oh, there goes my waistline!!!

This is my submission for this month’s cookie carnival held by kate from the clean plate club.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsps. pure vanilla extract
3 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. flavorful bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

3. Using your hands, shape knobs of dough about the size of a large walnut and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Stagger the rows of cookies to ensure even baking. Bake 12-15 for smaller cookies, 14-17 for larger ones or until the tops are a light golden brown. If the cookies are neither firm nor dark when they are removed from the oven, they will cool chewy and soft. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If somehow they don't get inhaled immediately, they may be stored airtight at room temperature for up to one week.

Poached Chicken Noodle Salad

2008-11-09T16:07:00.006+08:00

I am sorry for submitting this dish for this week’s PPN as Pam from sidewalk shoes submitted this dish weeks ago. I just can’t resist trying Donna Hay’s recipe. The noodle salad turned out great, very refreshing. I have substitute the poached chicken with roast chicken and it turned out great!! The dressing was great, the sweetness from the mirin pairs really well with the saltiness from the fish sauce and the spiciness from the ginger and garlic.

from Donna Hay issue number 41

4 cups chicken stock

2 chicken breasts fillets

8 oz oudon noodles, cooked

8 oz green beans, blanched and sliced (I didn't)

8 oz snow peas, blanched and sliced

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

ginger dressing

1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1/4 cup mirin

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 teaspoons fish sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix ingredients for dressing in a small bowl or a jar.Place chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken, reduce heat to low and poach for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred it into a bowl. Add noodles, green beans, snow peas (if using), mint, coriander, and dressing. Toss to combine.

**** This is my submission for this week's PPN held by Vanielje Kitchen*******

Braised Chicken with Lemon & Shallots (柠汁炬鸡)

2008-11-08T18:16:00.003+08:00

I found this beautiful recipe from Piggy’s cooking journal; I was so tempted to try this recipe as I always have a thing with citrus. The chicken turned out great, love the sauce, very flavorful. I have substituted the chicken drumsticks and thighs with chicken breast. Pardon me for the ugly picture; I am working on my photography skills.

Ingredients:

3 pieces of chicken drumsticks and 3 pieces of thighs

12 shallots, peeled

3cm ginger, peeled and sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tbs oil

1 tbs shaoxing wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 tbs brown sugar

Cornstarch solution (2 tbs water + 1/2 tsp cornstarch)

Salt, to taste

Marinade:

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp shaoxing wine

1/2 tsp salt

pepper, to taste

Method:

1) Marinate the chicken pieces with the marinade for at least 15 minutes.

2) Heat up oil in a wok. Saute shallots, garlic and ginger slices for a while, remove from wok and set aside.

3) Place chicken pieces in the wok and fried until the surface of chicken turn golden brown. Pour shaoxing wine around the side of the wok.

4) Pour shallots, garlic and ginger slices back to the wok. Add in chicken broth and lemon juice. When it is boil, add in brown sugar and salt.

5) Cover the wok with lid, and let it cook under low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces a few times.

6) When the chicken pieces are cooked, remove from wok and place them on a plate.

7) Pour the cornstarch solution into the gravy, heat it up, then add sesame oil.

8) Pour the gravy on the chicken pieces, serve.

TWD : Rugelach

2008-11-04T17:18:00.006+08:00

This is my very first entry for TWD and I was really excited about this week’s recipe. I have never heard or eaten any Rugelach before but they looked so adorable in the book. This is the recipe chosen by Piggy's Cooking Journal. Thanks to Piggy !!

I was a bit worried that it would turn into a kitchen disaster, as you know, I am not good in shaping at all. However, I really had fun making these crescent- shaped cookies. I used mixed fruits jam and omitted the chocolate chips (as I didn’t have any handy). The cookies turned out great!! Steve was impressed with the result too.

Snickery Squares

2008-11-03T19:19:00.005+08:00

I just bought myself a good cook book – Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: from my home to yours. The main reason for buying this book was because I wanted to join the TWD blogging event. I reckon this will allow me to be more daring when it comes to baking.

I couldn’t wait until the coming Tuesday and simply wanted to get my hands on those beautiful recipes. I checked the TWD site to make sure that the recipe that I choose is from the completed recipes list.

After some thoughts, I settled at Snickery Squares. I have substituted the peanuts with cashew nuts and they turned out great!! Steve and my sister- in law loved them!!

Tram car restaurant

2008-11-03T17:58:00.013+08:00

Hubby’s birthday is coming soon (Wednesday), due to it being a week day, we decided to celebrate his birthday earlier. My old man turns older .. hehe.. it surely is a big event for young and sexy wife ;-p I booked the tram car restaurant in September and guess what, I was told that all Saturday nights are fully booked until December !!! Ridiculous!! I have no choice but to book in for a Sunday night dinner.

The tramcar was very cool, an old style luxury carriage. I loved the fact that we could travel around the city while we were enjoying good food. The food itself was good, not many choices but good quality. Steve and me loved the sticky date pudding!! Ohh.. sooo good !! Forgive me for the blurry pictures; it was very hard to take good pictures while the tram was moving.

We had roasted red capsicum dip and a lovely pate for the appetizer. They were so good. Steve in particular really enjoyed the crisp bread that they served along with the dip.

For entrée, I had smoked salmon and avocado mousse whereas Steve had grilled kangaroo loin. The smoked salmon was beautiful, whereas the grilled kangaroo loin was a bit average but the sauce that came with the kangaroo was flavorful.

For the main course, we both had prime eye fillet of beef resting on a potato and herb rosti, accompanied by seasonal vegetables, onion marmalade and rich beef jus. We both were a bit disappointed with this dish, the sauce was a bit too mild.

Hehe.. now the desert and the cheese. Loved the cheeses and the Sticky date pudding. They were absolutely beautiful.

Overall, the whole experience was enjoyable, the only set back was because the alcohol is included in the price, people tended to get very drunk and loud towards the end of the journey. Well, it wasn’t as romantic as we both initially thought, but we both enjoyed the whole experience. So a gentle reminder to those who want to go, please make sure you drink a lot and get drunk, because it can be quite annoying when you are the only sober one in the tram ;-)))

Last but not least, I want to say happy birthday to my old man ;-) Love you forever, my big baby. Thanks for always being so supportive and understanding .

My second Award !!!

2008-11-02T08:52:00.003+08:00

Thanks to Ingrid from 3B’s for this wonderful award. Kreativ Blogger .. Wooowww.. sounds so cool, hey !! ;-)) Not sure what I need to do, I suppose I will have to blog about the award and answer all the questions.

7 Things I did before...........
Worked as an auditor in United Overseas Bank Malaysia
Worked as a tuition teacher (poor students ;-p)
Worked really hard to lose 35++ kgs
Climbed to the top of the Great Wall of China
We got married last year
We bought a house and 2 puppies last year
Migrate to Australia

7 Things I do now..........
Work in an insurance company
Blog
Attend a photography class
Study
Bake
Cook and plan meals
Cuddling with our puppies
Enjoying life with Steve

7 thing I want to do.............
Be more daring when it comes to baking
Be more patient
Be more creative
Be more disciplined when comes to food (D’oh!! always forget about the diet)
Spending more time on my study
Phone my mum more often
Clean the house (hehe.. but a well dusted house is a waste of my precious time .. I think ;-))

7 things that attract me the opposite sex..........Steve
Smart
Loves me and our puppies
Discipline
Great sense of humor
Responsible
Thoughtful..(hmm.. sometimes ;-p)
Homely

7 favorite foods.............
KFC (hehe.. surprise hey )
Noodle soup (my all time favorite)
Steamed Fish
Scallops
Sticky date pudding
Sambal (love spicy chili paste)
My hubby’s roast beef

7 things I say..............
Ohh.. shit
OMG
Really?
Are you serious?
Ohh.. no
Piss off
xxx Insurance, Jin speaking

7 awards & tags
Little Corner of Mine
Tiger fish
Rita
Kevin
Daphne
Arika – My Yummy Life
Pam – Sidewalk shoes

If you haven't visited any of the above blogs then please do so now. All of them are wonderful and offer something special!!

Thai Mango Chicken

2008-11-02T07:44:00.004+08:00

Sorry for not being able to blog much lately, life has been pretty busy – work, study, photography class, cooking and etc etc .. Anyway, I am enjoying it, especially my photography class, great fun !!

I came across this Thai Mango Chicken recipe at Kevin’s blog, the ingredients sounded so cool to me. Hey, blended mangos with chicken and chili!! I loved this dish, the flavour was amazingly beautiful. As Kevin said in his blog – the mango sauce is a prefect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty. I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangos (peeled, seeded)

1 tablespoon chili sauce (sambal oelek)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 lime (juice)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 thumb ginger (grated)

3 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 handful cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon oil

1 pound chicken breast (sliced into bite sized pieces)

1 red bell pepper (sliced)

1 yellow bell pepper (sliced)

1 handful cashews

Directions:

1. Mix the mangos, chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cilantro in a food processor.

2. Taste the mango sauce and make sure that there is a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.

3. Heat the oil in a pan.

4. Add the chicken and saute until cooked.

5. Add the mango sauce and peppers and simmer until the peppers are tender.

6. Remove from heat and serve on rice or pasta topped with cashews.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2008-10-27T17:41:00.005+08:00

I think I am addicted to baking, what a horrible habit to be addicted to when you are trying to shed some pounds!! Oh my, I was trying hard not to bake too much last weekend, but… I can’t concentrate on my study, can’t do anything other than baking!! So, with my limited ingredients in the pantry, I decided to make these snickerdoodle blondies from Dozen Flours. This recipe was strongly recommended by Ingrid.

The blondies turned out good, a tab too dry to my liking. I think I might have overbaked them. D’oh!! That happens when you need to juggle between baking time and study ;-)) yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses, excuses..

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish.) Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.
Yields: approximately 30 servings (depending on how you cut the bars)

Fettuccini with pesto, pancetta & mushrooms

2008-10-26T16:59:00.006+08:00

I was feeling a bit adventurous tonight (hey hey, I could see Steve getting very excited ;-p), I wanted something different for dinner!! After browsing through all the cook books I have, I decided to make Jamie Oliver’s pesto sauce (The naked chef).

It was so easy to put together, I pan fried some pancetta and mushrooms and mixed them with the pasta. It was great!! Love the nutty flavour of the pesto sauce. Pine nuts, garlic and basil worked well together, beautiful flavour!!

Steve’s verdict was..hmmm.. Ok, smells like the back garden with freshly cut grass?!!haha, obviously it was a tad too herby for him. Grrrrr.. Picky hubby !!! Ohh, well, I am pretty sure he will be impressed with the 2nd part of dinner – the naked chef – Jin… LOL

Pesto sauce
Sauce: Jamie Oliver – The Naked Chef

¼ clove of garlic, chopped
3 good handfuls of fresh basil
1 handful of lightly roasted pine nuts
1 good handful of grated parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Small squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Put your garlic into a pestle and mortar or a food processor. Pound or pulse this with your fresh basil leaves. Add the cooled, golden roasted pine nuts to the mixture and pound or pulse. Turn out into a bowl and add half the parmesan. Gently stir this in and add the olive oil, just enough to bind the sauce and get it to the right consistency – semi-wet but firm. Taste the mixture, and add a little salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese.

***** This is my entry for this week's PPN held by The Cooking Diva **********

Cheesecake Thumbprints

2008-10-25T19:59:00.007+08:00

I haven’t been able to blog much this week, instead of spending most of my spare time browsing different food blogs, I have to use this precious time of mine to do some study (well, I really don’t want to fail, especially since this is just my first semester!! ). Besides this, the most exciting thing that happened this week was .. Da-Lah – I went for my first photography class. It was great fun!! I really can’t wait for the next class.

I just need some kitchen therapy after this overwhelming week, baking is the way to de-stress myself, I guess. Not sure if my thumbs are too small or I didn’t press the cookies deep enough, I ended up having ½ of the filling left over. Anyway, they turned out great, very adorable and addictive too!!

Source: Culinary in the dessert

For the cheesecake filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For the cookie dough

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour

To prepare cheesecake fillingIn a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in sugar and salt until smooth. Mix in egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla - cover and place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the cookie doughIn a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar and salt until creamy and combined.

Mix in egg yolk until incorporated. Gradually add flour and mix just until combined.Scoop out level tablespoons worth of the dough and roll into balls.

Place balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Using the handle end of a thick wooden spoon, lightly dipped in flour, make an indentation in the center of each ball.

Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully use your thumb (or the end of the same wooden spoon) to press the middle of the cookies back down, remaking the indentations.

Place cookies back into the oven, rotating them from their original position, and continue to bake until slightly golden around the edges, about 7 minutes.Remove cookies from the oven and fill the indentations with the cheesecake filling using a teaspoon. Place back into the oven and bake for 7 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cook completely. When cool, place cookies into the refrigerator to chill before serving.Makes about 30 cookies.

***** This is my entry for this week's bookmarked recipes held by Ruth's kitchen experiments****

zucchini and horseradish fritters

2008-10-25T19:18:00.003+08:00

Source: Donna Hay

2 eggs
¼ cup self raising flour
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons store bought grated horseradish
3 zucchini(courgette), thinly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon wedges to serve

Garlic mayonnaise
½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed

To make the garlic mayonnaise, combine the mayonnaise and garlic in a bowl.

Place the eggs, flour, salt, pepper and horseradish in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the zucchini and stir to combine. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook ¼ cupfuls of the mixture, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden.

Smell & Taste are my memory

Maple honey mustard glazed ham

Method

Iced Eggnog

Ant's Nest Cake

Gong Bao Chicken

娘惹菜 Babi Pong Teh 豆酱焖猪肉

Udang Masak Lemak Nenas (Pineapple Prawn Curry)

Yorkshire Puddings

Assam Pedas Fish

Steamed Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf 糯米饭

Beef Rendang

Radish Cake (菜头粿)

Steamed Chicken in Lotus Leaf

肉干 （Bah Kuah)

Chinese New Year 2011

Cooking for Princess Isobel

Christmas Eve Dinner @ Our House - 2010

Lemon Tart

Banoffee Pie

Fried Sweet Corn Cake

Five Flavoured Fried Prawns

Steamed Blue Eye Cod

Pork, Black Beans And Noodles With Oyster Sauce

Whole Flounder with Raisin, Cucumber & Almond Vinaigrette

Fried Masterstock Chicken with Chilli Caramel and Orange Salt

Steamed Pork Spare Ribs

The Ultimate Lunch Box - Cafe Vue

Strawberry Tarts

Warm Mussel and Leek Salad

Roast Garlic Prawns In The Shell

Master Chef : Fish Poached in Coconut Milk & Garam Masala

Raspberry And Yogurt Swirls

Marinated chicken with cinnamon, garlic and rosewater

Roast Spatchcock with Sweet Corn Polenta and Pistachio

Crepe Suzette

Spanish Roast Chicken

No.35 @ Sofitel Tower

Breakfast :Orange Couscous with Sultanas and Yogurt

Sweet Soy Glazed Pork

Roasted Marmalade Ham

World's Best Braised Green Cabbage

Our Christmas Eve Dinner

Champagne, Watermelon and Strawberry granita

Maple Chicken N Ribs

Kuih Ketayap & Honecomb Cake

Enche Kabin - Nyonya style fried chicken

Chocolate and Prune Cake

My New Hair Cut

Ondeh - Ondeh

Caramelised Lotus Root

Lamb, Spinach & Feta Pie with Beetroot Puree

Roasted Chicken Breast with Zucchini , Basil & Pine Nuts

Braised Pork Belly with Coca- cola

Open Beef Kofta

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

Sweet Lamb Cooked With Apple, Carrots & Star Anise

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

Cake Slice :Chai Cake with Honey Ginger Cream

TWD: Chocolate Amaretti Torte

TWD: Coconut Butter Thins

Maple and Mustard Glazed Chicken

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chips Cookies

Mongolian Beef

TWD : Devil's Food White-out Cake

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

Nyonya Chicken

Cake Slice : Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

TWD: French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze

Cookie Carnival : INSIDE - OUT CARROT CAKE COOKIES.

Orange Chicken Kebabs

TWD: Chocolate Armagnac Cake - The Cake That Got Me Fired

Recipe: Cashew Chicken (腰果鸡丁)

Cherry Bakewell Cake

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

Nut Merangues with Cream & Strawberries

Best Lamb Cutlets with Special Basil Sauce

Lemon Grass Chicken

Cookie carnival- CHOCOLATE FUDGE COOKIES with TOFFEE and DRIED CHERRIES

TWD: World Peace Cookies

肉干（Bah Kuah)