Almond Square Cookie

This recipe is taken from Y3K Cookbooks series on New Year Cookies by Alan Ooi.
Ingredients:
A
180g Butter
110g Icing Sugar
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B

1/8 tsp Vanilla Essense

1 Egg White
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C
180g Plain Flour
10g Corn Flour
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For Topping : Some Almond Flakes

For Glazing : 1 Egg (Beaten)

Method:
1. Put Ingredient A into Mixer & beat until light & fluffy. Add Ingredient B, mix well. Fold in Ingredient C to form a soft dough.

2. Grease / scatter some flour the surface of a a 14" x 10" tray or 14" x 14" tray. Pour the soft dough into the pan & spread it out evenly with a spatula.

3. Bake in preheated oven at 180'C for 12 minutes. Cut into square pieces of 1.5" each. Cool cookies & then glaze the cookies. Press Almond flakes on top & glaze again.

4. Bake it again in oven at 180'C for another 5-8 minutes (you'll need to see how brown you want your cookies). Cool before storage.

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.

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

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

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!

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

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!