Friday, November 27, 2009

Moist Chocolate Cake

I've always been hunting for a reliable Moist Chocolate Cake. I've found this to be very good. I'm a subscriber of "Flavours" ~ Malaysia's premier food & lifestyle magazine and this was in their Nov-Dec 2009 issue celebrating their 15th Anniversary Issue.

This recipe is shared & contributed by Arlene Diego who teaches cake baking in Damansara Jaya. (pg. 90 nov-dec 2009 Flavours)



The 2 cakes before any icing.





1st cake is iced. Am not very good with icing yet as this is really my 1st time icing a cake.



Both cakes iced & decorated by my kids. :)

Close up of the Moist Chocolate Cake. It's really moist & light too - Yums!

Thanks Arlene Diego for sharing it with us (^_^) I hope to attend some of your classes in the near future when I sort out my & kids routine next year.








Tuesday, November 24, 2009

An Almost Vegan Lunch

There are days when I don't feel like eating much meat or just want something real simple for lunch... and of course trying to clear my fridge of the little bits of fresh veg here & there.

So I whipped up this delightfully looking meal for my lunch last Wednesday 18th Nov 2009.

Spirullina Noodles - tossed in garlic & extra virgin olive oil
Fresh Button Mushrooms - stir fried with garlic & korean meat marinade sauce
Tri-colured veg - Purple/Red Cabbage, Snow Peas, & Carrots ~ shredded finely & stir fried with garlic too.

Few pieces of left over ham from the morning's breakfast :p


Thursday, November 5, 2009

Pizza Dough




This recipe is taken from "The Australian Women's Weekly - Kids Cooking" recipe book.



I've tried this 2 times, both turned out nicely with different effects of either a thin crust or thicker crust.



Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 2 bases

Ingredients:

2 Tsp (7g) - Dried Yeast

1 Tsp - Sugar

1/2 Tsp - Salt

3/4 Cup (180ml) - Warm Water

2 1/2 Cups (375g) - Plain Flour (I used Multipurpose flour & it still works)

2 Tbsp - Olive Oil ( can replace with Corn Oil - works just as fine)



Method:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, salt and warm water in a small bowl, cover; stand in warm place for about 20 mins or until mixture is frothy.



2. Combine flour & oil in large bowl; stir in yeast mixture, mix to a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface for about 5mins or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover; stand in warm place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.



3. Meanwhile, preheat over to very hot (I put tempreture at 220'C)



4. Turn the dough onto floured surface; knead until smooth. Divide the dough into 2; using a rolling pin, flatten dough and roll each half out to a 32cm round. ( just rolled mine into a rectagular shape - the shape of my pan )



5. Carefully lift each round onto oiled pizza pan / over tray; cover each with whatever toppings you like. Bake, uncovered, in a very hot oven (I lowered my oven tempreture to 180'C) for 20mins.


Sorry the photos are having problems being uploaded since I started this recipe :p will keep trying

Friday, October 9, 2009

Dhal Curry


I was inspired by greenhoihoi's version of dhal curry during one of my many visits to her house for chit chat or to grab a bite ;) She used pumkin in her version of dhal curry. Since I had 1/2 of a pumpkim lying in the fridge plus had all the other ingredients available, I made my own dhal curry!

Of course I did some research on what other recipes ingredients involved especially their spices used and I improvised them into my own recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 Pumpkin
1 Round Brinjal / Aubergine
3 Potatoes
1 Medium Carrot
1 Medium Red Onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 Cup Dhal
1/2 Cup Red Lentils
1 Tsp Tumeric Powder
1 Tsp Curry Powder
a pinch of Cumin Seeds & Mustard Seeds
Salt to taste

Method
1. Soak dhal & lentils over night. Rinse & place in pot
2. Cut all vegetables to bite size pieces & add them into the pot. Add water enough to cover all vegetables
3. Cook in medium fire/flame. Stir occasionally & can add a little bit of water if not enough.
4. Cook till dhal & lentils are soft.

Serve with Roti Canai or Chappati! Initially I wanted to make my own Chappati also but couldn't get the Atta Flour around my housing area :p ~ it will be my next recipe!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Kak 'Ain's Nasi Tomato & Ayam Masak Merah

Thanks Kak Nor'ain for sharing your recipes :) I've given them a try here though I bet yours tastes way better than mine! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

NASI TOMATO
Ingredients
4 cups of brasmati, washed and strained
4 garlic, 8 shallots, 3 cm ginger, grind till fine
1daun pandan
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamons
3 star anise
4 cloves
2 tablespoon Ghee
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup ideal milk
1 cup coconut milk
1 and a half cup HEINZ tomato soup
2 and a half cup water
salt to taste
1 tablespoon sugar

Method
1. Heat the cooking pot, melt the Ghee and oil.
2. Once the oil is hot enough, put in the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamons. Stir.
3. When you can smell the aroma from the spices, add the grounded ingredients. keep on stirring, until there is no more water left, and oil can be seen in between the grounded ingredients.
4. Add daun pandan and the liquid (milk, santan, tomato soup, water plus salt and sugar). Let it boil, while stirring from time to time.
5. Once boiled, add the rice. Keep on stirring from time to time. When the liquid is almost dried, lower the fire to the minimum level and cover the pot.

AYAM MASAK MERAH
Ingredients
1 chicken cut into small pieces, marinate with tumeric powder and salt for 20 minutes.Then fry till half cooked.

Blend 4 garlics, 12 shallots, 3 cm ginger till fine.

1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, 5 cardamon, 3 Tbsp blended dried chilli (rebus dulu cili tu sebelum blend), 7 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 4 Tbsp chilli sauce & a little asam jawa mixed with water, salt & sugar

Method

1. Heat the wok, add oil, when it's hot, add the blended ingredients plus cinnamon, star anise and cardamon.

2. Stir until water is dried and oil can be seen oozing out from the ingredients.

3. Add the blended dried chilli, again keep on stirring till oil starts to form. Then add the sauces, let it boil before adding the half cooked chicken.

4. Stir thoroughly and add salt and sugar to taste.you can also add santan or ideal milk to have a different taste to it

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Abok-abok Sago Berwarna Warni (Colourful Sago Kueh)

In the spirit of Aidilfitri celebrations by my Muslim friends & family members, I dedicate this Sago Kueh to them :)

It's from the magazine FLAVOURS Sept-Oct 2009 issue pg. 69 "Abok-abok Sago Berwarna Warni"


Ingredients
450g Sago Pearls
8 Pandan Leaves
1 Coconut, grates (I used desicated coconut instead)
150g Caster Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
4 drops Red Colouring
3 drops Rose Essence
3 drops Green Colouring
Grated Coconut for topping (optional)

Method
1. Wash & soak sago in water for 1 hour, then drain.
2. Shred & pound pandan leaves to extract the juice.
3. Mix sago with grated coconut, sugar, and salt. Divide into 3 portions.
4. Add Red colouring & Rose essense to the 1st portion.
5. Add Green colouring & Pandan leave juice to the 2nd portion.
6. Leave the 3rd portion white.
7. Grease a 23cm square tin, layer with green sago mixture & press firmly. Steam it for 15mins.
8. Add the white sago mixture on top of green sago & press firmly. Steam it for 10-15mins.
9. Add the red sago mixture on top of white sago & press firmly. Steam for 15mins.
10. Cool & cut into diamond shapes. You may serve with grated coconut.



This is how I pounded my shredded pandan leaves.. the old fashion way ;)
The wonderful colours of sago mixtures


All steamed & left to be cooled


Presenting : Abok-Abok Sago Berwarna Warni!




Saturday, August 22, 2009

Mama's Moist Chocolate Cake

When I was younger... my mum used to make this Moist Chocolate Cake every festive season i.e. Chinese New Year and Christmas. I've never tried baking it myself before and this was my first attempt. I think her's was more moist.



Ingredients
1 Cup Evaporated Milk - at room tempreture } add together to get
1 Tbsp Vinegar } Soured Milk
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 1/4 Cup Castor Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda Powder
125g Butter - melted
2 eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Method
1. Grease tin and line bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. Add Evaporated Milk with Vinegar and let it stand to get Soured Milk
3. Sieve the Flour, Castor Sugar, Cocoa Powder and Baking Soda into mixer bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter and half cup of Soured Milk. Beat at medium speed for 2 mins.
5. Add the remaining Soured Milk, eggs and vanilla essence - Beat at medium speed for another 2 minutes or so.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake at 180'C for 35 - 40mins or until cooked.


Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Bread with Breadmaking Machine ~ Attempt #2

Simply Perfect!

This is the 2nd attempt with the Breadmaking machine using the recipe from "Giant Book of Bread Machine Recipes" ~ Norman A. Garret.

It's suppose to be a Basic White Bread recipe using 3 Cups of Bread Flour... but I didn't have enough White Bread Flour at home. So I had 2.5 Cups White Bread Flour + 0.5 Cups of Wholemeal Bread Flour.

Everything else stayed the same.... the result is fantastic. Here's a 1.5 pound Light Wholemeal Bread Loaf :-)






Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Square California Raisin Brioche

This was from the FLAVOURS - California Raisins Baking Workshop I attended with my Taiso (elder SIL) during the last weekend of July. Chef Yukichi Matsubara from "The Loaf" ~ Tun M's bakery in Langkawi & Pavillion KL shared with us 3 recipes.This is called "Square California Raisin Brioche"

Overall the workshop was entertaining & worth attending. Plus Chef Yu is quite handsome too ;)

(makes 10)

160g High Protien (Bread) Flour
40g Plain or Cake Flour
14g Fresh Yeast or 6g Instant Dry Yeast
80ml Milk
40g Egg Yolk
34g Honey
3.6g Salt
20g Unsalted Butter (softened)
120g California Raisins, washed with hot water
40g Diced Candied Orange Peel
160g Cream Cheese, chilled



Almond Topping
40g Fine Sugar
80g Almond Powder
80g Egg White

Decoration

50g Almond Flakes

10g Icing Sugar

20g White Chocolate, melted in microwave, bain marie or double boiler

20no California Raisins

To make dough:

Sift the flours together. Stir the yeast into the milk. Place the flours, egg yolk, honey, salt and milk-and-yeast mixture in the bowl of a mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed for 8 minutes.

Add the California raisins and candied orange peel, and mix on low speed for another 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in cling film and set aside to prood for 1 hour at room tempreture.

To fold in the cheese:

Place the cream cheese on a piece of cling film and cover with another piece of cling film. Using a rolling pin, roll the cheese into a 12cm square sheet.

Dust the worktop with some flour and roll the bread dough into a 20cm square. Place the cream cheese in the centre of the bread dough and fold the four corners in... to cover the cheese (like a square envelope).

Roll the dough out to 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold the top and bottom of the dough so that they overlap to form a 36 x 20cm sheet. Fold the two opposite ends of the dough so that they overlap to form a 20 x 12cm rectangle.

Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Roll it out to a 30 x 12 cm sheet. Cut the sheet in half too form two 30 x 6 cm rectangles. Cut each into five 6 cm squares to get 10 square pieces in total.

To add topping:

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the bread squares on the tray. Mix the almond topping ingredients together and spread on the dough (about 15g each). Sprinkle with the almond flakes. Set aside to proof for 45 minutes at room tempreture.

To bake :

Preheat the oven to 180'C. Bake for 15 minutes or until brioche is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire rack.

To decorate:

Dust brioche with icing sugar and pipe the melted white chocolate on top in diagonal lines. Place 2 California raisins in the center of each brioche.































Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Bread with Breadmaking Machine ~ Failure??

Forgive my long silence.... have been distracted, down (but not out) & sort of lost my motivation to try anything new :p

Mummy, is this how a 1 pound white bread suppose to look like ? I followed the recipe to the dot.....







Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sweet Buns

What do you think? My 1st attempt in making soft buns - hehehe! They are still not as soft as those you get at our local bakeries unfortunately, but not too bad overall.

Sausage & Peanut Butter buns


Noticed my fancy wrap around sausage buns on the right? ;)


The basic sweet bun dough recipe was taken from Baked & Steamed Bun Recipe book #42 by One Publisher whose recipes from Daniel Chong. I think I am still lacking in something from this recipe which I suspect is the kneading process of the dough. I will share the recipe with you all once I've manage to get a more desired texture of my dough, ok?

Sugee Cake

After almost 6 mths of delaying.. I've finally tried baking Sugee Cake ;) My son surprised me when my good fren Popes brought over some Sugee Cake she had baked using her Aunt's Recipe (if not mistaken)... he LOVED it! Eventhough it wasn't Chocolate :p



So here is Pope's Sugee Cake Recipe :

1 pound Butter (approx 420g)
1/2 pount Sugee (approx 300g)
8 eggs
1 pound Sugar (approx 400g)
1/2 pound Plain Flour (approx 85g)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence


This would approximately fit into a Square 8inch Baking Tin.

I personally made a smaller version .. I halved the ingredients and managed to fit the cake mix into a 7inch Round Baking Tin.

Optional:
1 Tbsp Brandy
Chopped Nuts
Rose Essence / All Spice Powder


Method

1. Dry Sugee before using (pan fry dry)

2. Cream (with mixer) 1/2 pound Butter with Sugee - put aside.

3. Cream other 1/2 pound Butter with Sugar. Then add the eggs & Beat well. Add the Butter + Sugee mixture in as well and continue to beat.

4. Add the Flour, Baking Powder, Brandy, Vanilla Essense.

5. Bake in Moderate Heat Oven (150'C - 180'C) for about 40mins to 1 hour (until cooked)





Thursday, June 25, 2009

Feeling Good after a Slow Start to the Day

Started my day in slow-motion... restless heart. Thinking-thinking :

should I try to get the bread flour in the morning?
should I call HY and see if she's home for me to drop by for a chat & share my Choc Chochip Muffins with her?
should I rush home to bake another batch?
should I go deposit cheque?

Aaaahhhh! Questions - questions!

Ended up :

Sms HY to ask how SY is doing coz he was having a fever 2 days ago.
Depositing Cheque
Stayed home to cook my Stew & whip up lunch.

Felt Great with my Pork Rib Stew was cooking & the aroma of spices started to fuse together :)

Felt Great when I "innovated" all the left overs together

Felt Great when the pork stir-fry with Plum sauce tasted really appetising for the kids.

Chocolate ChocChip Muffin

This is Muffin recipe is taken from "Makan - Cupcakes, Muffins, & Scones" by Azza Pwanchik. She called it Double Chocolate Muffins

My son in particular, requested for this flavour ;)

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Large Egg
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips




Method
1. Combine Flour, Sugar, Cocoa & Baking Powder in Large Bowl.

2. Whisk Egg, Milk, & melted Butter seperately in another bowl. Then pour in liquid ingredients into the dry (flour, sugar etc).


3. Add Chocolate Chips, while stirring until all mixed. Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased 2 inch muffin pans.


4. Bake in preheated 200'C oven for 20 minutes.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Chocolate Cake Attempt #1 ~ Failure!

Looks can be deceiving... looks normal on the outside.
A closer look....

After I sliced a piece... it's texture is like alot of air bubble holes.. and very very wet in the middle though the whole outside is crispy.


A better shot of the inside. The middle is almost like a jelly which will not cook/dry up. This recipe required 250ml Milk & 250ml Hot Water which made the whole cake mixture into a hot chocolate drink texture. It was suppose to be baked at 180'C for 30-35mins only.... I ended up baking it for 1hr 45mins cause the middle was still bubbling in the oven :p



Monday, June 15, 2009

School Holidays Pig Out!

On the last day of the 2 week school holidays... some of us SAHMs managed to get together after much postponement due to clash in schedules or illness (the haze is here).



We had 9 course lunch including soup. I sort of over did it but we had mostly veggies. Fried Chuin Quin (Seafood & Meat Minced with veggies wrapped in Fu Chok Skin), Steamed Taufu, Char Siew, Bittergourd, Long Beans & Sweet Corn Omellete, Chap Chai, Salmon Fish , Baby Choi Sum and Lotus Root Soup.

My home made char siew, tasted better this time round I think due to a better cut in pork belly. Kids loved this




My all time favourite is Bittergourd. This time I fried it with basic rempah & Onions.

This is a new entry. Grilled Salmon bites. Initially grilled it with salt & pepper but it turned out to be too "fishy" in smell... not appetising at all. So fried it in the wok with my spur of the moment creation of sauce made up of Maggi Abalone Sauce + HP Sauce + Pepper. Turned out to be quite nice afterall :p








Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Bak Chang 2009

Forgive my silence for quite a while... lots have been happening at home & I just didn't have the time to blog. It's that time of the year we celebrate the Rice Dumpling Festival again!

Here are some snap shots of our family's preparation in wrapping them:
Glutinous rice is marinated with Dark Soya Sauce, Chicken Stock Cube, Pepper, Light Soya Sauce, a bit of 5 spices too. You will need to fry them after marinating for awhile.

Our spread of prepared fillings : Sliced garlic fried, Har Mai fried, Beans precooked/boiled, Chestnuts & Mushrooms cooked together with seasoning too.

Ooooh, here's the whole Wok of Bak! (a.k.a. Pork ~ belly with skin). This is also marinated with Dark Soya Sauce, Light Soya Sauce, loads of 5 spices too

Here's everything including the Salted Egg York (uncooked)

All wrapped up & ready to be boiled for 3 hours or so.

Taa-Dah! Our yummy home cooked & prepared Bak Chang!



Monday, May 18, 2009

Pizza


My very 1st attempt in making pizza dough myself!



My pizza dough making "work in progress" ;)



My toppings : Delmonte's Pizza Sauce, Chopped Fresh Tomatoes, Ham, Button Mushrooms, Shredded Zuchinni & Cheddar Cheese.





My kids enjoyed their Pizza very much (^_^)