Nasi Briyani (Spiced Rice) & Kampung Mutton Curry

If you had read my previous post, here's the recipes I promised to share. First the Nasi Briyani then the Kampung Mutton Curry, both were serve during my daughter's birthday celebration last Sunday. Besides these 2, there were some other snacks which the recipes were posted long ago.

Here's the first one, Nasi Briyani (Spiced Rice)

Recipe:

Ingredients A
3 cups Basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tbsp chicken stock essence
3 tbsps raisins (original called for 1 tbsp)

Ingredients B

1" cinnamon stick

3 cloves

4 cardamoms

1 tsp tumeric powder

Ingredients C (fried)

1/2 small bowl garlic and shallots

1 cup cashew nuts

Method:

~ Heat up 2-3 tbsp margarine in pot, stir fry ingredients B until fragnant.

~ Add in ingredients A (except water) and fry evenly.

~ Add in water, cover with pot lid and bring to boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for 10-15 minutes or until rice totally cooked.

~ Sprinkle with fried garlic and shallots and cashew nuts and serve.

2nd one, Kampung Mutton Curry

Recipe:

Ingredients A
500g topside mutton (cut into chunks)
400g potatoes (peel and cut into small cubes)
1-2 cups water

Ingredients B
3 tbsps chilli powder
5 fresh red chilli
1 slice galangal (lengkuas)
3-4 stalks lemongrass
100g shallots
100g garlic
2 candle nuts

Ingredients C
5 cardamoms
3cm cinnamon

Ingredients D
200ml coconut milk
salt and sugar to taste

Method:
~ Heat up 4-5 tbsps oil in pot, stir fry ingredients B and C until fragnant.
~ Add in mutton and potatoes and stir fry until even. Add in 2 cups water, cover to cook at low heat until tender.
~ Stir in ingredients D, bring to boil. Remove and serve.

Cheers!

Its my Girl's Birthday!!

Its my girl's birthday today. No matter how old she is, she still our little baby..:) Happy Birthday Baby!!

This year we had a small celebration instead, with some of her classmates cum best friends came over to play and we, parents had a nice tea-chat! Well its not just tea we had, we do had some red wine ....haha!

As usual, I'll cook and bakes for my dear friends. And at the ends it looks like its my celebration instead...LOL!!

Okay, lets talk about the cake now, this year its a strawberry pound cake which was requested by the birthday girl. At the beginning I tried to convince my girl to have a lemon cake instead because I did not try to bake any strawberry cake before and it seems rather difficult to find a good strawberry cake recipe. But she seems alittle upset when I suggested that, so I tried my best to get a good recipe and give it a try.

A simple decoration goes with the cake....Strawberry Cupcakes! Well, the figure on top is the plastic doll she has..hehe! I tried my best to mould a fairy but she said she prefer the strawberry cupcakes on top and she even said the figure I moulded was ugly....opps!

Other than that everyone enjoyed the cake very much! I did it!!

Served with a dallop of fresh cream and a chocolate strawberry...it was just perfect!

Here's the recipe for the cake...

3 cups self raising flour

1.5 cups sugar (reduced)

3/4 cups melted butter

1 cup strawberry puree

1/2 cup fresh milk

4 eggs

Method:

~ Beat eggs and sugar till fluffy, add in strawberry puree and milk and mix well.

~ At low speed add in flour then fold in melted butter.

~ Pour into an 8" round pan and bake at 175'C for 45-50 minutes.

Beside cake, I prepared some simple dishes and drink for the celebration......

Nasi Bryani

Kampung Mutton Curry

Spring Rolls & Steam Yam Cake

Recipes for the Rice & Curry will be posted later because I don't want this post to be too long..:) So stay tune if you like to try especially the Mutton Curry...its a hit!...hehe!

Lastly...Happy Birthday My dearest Baby, stay happy and healthy always..:)

Homemade Aglio Olio with Crispy Turkey Ham

What's your dinner today? Usually we'll have rice with simple dishes, or chinese style fried mee or pasta or maybe some porridge. Sounds bored huh...;p Well, when you are lost and don't know what to cook for your little ones, here is my version of speghetti. A mix and match of Aglio Olio or maybe I should say, "Fried Speghetti My Way"...LOL!! No matter what I called this, my daughter is a big fan of it..;p

Recipe:
A handful of speghetti (this time I used vermicelli)
3 tbsps Olive Oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
Some white button mushrooms (sliced)
2 slices Turkey Ham (shredded)

Seasoning:
2 tsps black pepper
pinch of salt
some dried pasley (depends to individual)
a dash of paprika powder

Method:
~ Cook the speghetti or vermicelli to cook, drained and set aside.
~ Pan fry the shredded turkey hams till crispy with some oil and set aside. (shown above)
~ Heat up olive oil and pan fry the garlic till fragnant and add in mushrooms and all the other seasoning. Stir fry for awhile (about 2-3 mins) then add in the cooked speghetti.
~ Mix well under low heat and dish up. Top with crispy turkey ham and serve.

Its just as simple as that! "yummy yummy" my daughter said after every mouth she took...haha! She had a big plate, and it'll scares you if you have seen her portion of speghetti today! She even asked to cook again tomorrow...;p

Cheers!!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Another birthday cake! and this one is for a girl, a sweet little girl, who also my daughter's classmate, my dear friend's daughter...;p Well, I voluntarily baked a cake for her but my friend bought me the cake pan instead! Who is the lucky one here?!..LOL
Okay, this is a chocolate cake that I found from the web and its written "Best chocolate Cake Ever". Somehow I've tried the recipe, and you'll never know the result if you don't even try right! Anyway I find that mine is better..haha! (thick skin)


Here's the cake.......Happy Birthday Girl.....:D
The texture is sticky instead of soft and fluffy, some of my friends said its good and some doesn't. I, myself find its too sticky and I don't think I'm going to make this again...;p
So do mind me there is no recipe posted here...^^"


We had the celebration at the birthday girl's house last night, and actually we (the adults) had much more fun!..hehe! We had this lovely "Assam Laksa" prepared by my friend (the birthday girl's mum) and its a signature dish from her. Oh so yummy! I had 2 big bowls of that..haha!

Then, we had some drinks after the dinner...wooo..my favourite red wine. There were only 7 of us but we drank 5 bottles of red wine and some beer too. We talked and laughed until midnight! Oh this was good! I like such gatherings with friends, and there is always not enough time for us to chat..;p

I'm looking forward to more gatherings this coming months and I hope it will never ends..LOL!!

Lastly, I hope the birthday girl like her cake (at least the decorations) Wishing her good health and happiness always..:D

Cheers!

Shandong Dumplings 山东饺子

Its been more than a week that I didn't post anything here, and now I'm back! I've been busy with my daughter's exam lately and after that I'm too tired to do anything. All I want is relax and shopping..hehe! Well, too much outside food lately and I guess its time to have my bakings and cookings back.
Right, today's post is dumplings. We love dumplings, all kinds of dumplings but I'm no good at it. It seems rather difficult to get a correct and soft dumpling pastry. After several attempts, I finally got one! This is really good and the pastry stay soft after few hours. I guess I'm successful this time!

Shandong Dumplings (山东饺子) a recipe adapted from the book "Joy of Making Dim Sum"by Patsie Cheong. Yes, I have had this book for long long time, but this the first time trying out her recipe..;p

Want the recipe? Here you go.....

Recipe for Pastry:

250g glutinous flour

100g wheat starch

300ml boiling water

3 tbsps cooking oil

Recipe for fillings:

400g minced pork

150g shredded spicy Sichuan stem mustard (soaked in hot water before use)

few french beans (finely chopped)

Marinate:

1 tbsps oyster sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1-2 tbsps light soy sauce

1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

Method:

~ Marinate the mince pork with marinate ingredients and leave for 30 minutes.

~ Heat up wok with 2 tbsps oil and stir fry all fillings ingredients until half cooked. Leave aside.

~ Mix dough ingredients except oil and mix well. Add in oil and knead into a smooth dough.

~ Divide dough into small portions. Flatten dough and wrap in fillings.

~ Arrange in a steamer and steam for 8-10 minutes over medium heat.

** Remember to brush some oil onto the prepare plate or pan before placing the dumplings to steam.

** Remember to brush some cooked oil on top of each dumplings after steam.

Yummy! I took 5 dumplings while I'm taking a picture of them..haha! Its so soft and I'm just too happy to share with my dear friends. What they said, well one of my friend can't stop eating and told me its super good after taking 5!!
Trust me, this the best recipe I found!!

Cheers!!

Butter Buns

School exam starting this week and all the parents will be busy with their kids now, and so do I. But I'm trying my best not to stress so much and not to be so tense and most of all I don't want my daugther to feel worry and nervous. After all its her very first examination in her primary 1.
I'll bake and cook more this week to let myself stress-free...haha! Maybe a spa will be nice..;p

Well, about the post today, it's a bread post again. I've baked this buns last week, and I think I'm now addicted to bread baking..haha! Love the kneading and punching dough process..;p Okay, this recipe was adapted from my favourite book "麵包教室 5'C 冰種的美味". This was the 2nd recipe I tried and I just simply love it!

Made it with some red bean paste fillings (as always requested by my daughter) and some with butter. My hubby and I just love the butter ones, and we took 4 right after baked!

Recipe for the starter dough:

300g Bread flour

300g water

1g instant yeast

~ Mix all together until the instant yeast was well mix.

~ Covered with cling form and let proof for 1 hour, then place the dough into the fridge (5'C) and proof for at least 16 hours.

See the bun's texture?...Oh its just simply delicious and soft!

Recipe for the buns:

360g Bread flour

120g sugar

11g Instant yeast

6g salt

60g water

75g egg

20g honey / golden syrup

400g Starter dough

60g butter

Fillings:

** Some red bean paste

** Some butter (cut into cubes)

Method:

~ Mix all buns ingredients except butter and form a dough, then add in butter and knead into an elastic dough.

~ Let proof for 40 minutes, then divide into small balls (about 60g each), round up and let rest for 20 minutes.

~ Wrap in fillings and place on prepared tray and let it proof double in size. (about 30 minutes)

~ Egg wash the top of the buns and bak at 180'C for 12 minutes.

Hope you like this as much as I do..^^

Cheers!

Black Sesame Buns

After 2 weeks of cakes, its time for some bread..;p I'm craving for breads lately, maybe after eating too much cakes I think..heehee! Well, I'm not an expert on breads and buns, but I like to make them myself, especially the process of it. I enjoy the process, most of all the kneading part where I can knead and press and pull..haha! Sounds crazy and torturing..;p Then the final part I enjoy so much is that trying to eat the hot breads out from the oven...yummy!
Well, not always that my breads turned out perfectly soft but this time, it is! The recipe was adapted from the book recommended from my dear friend (who is an expert on breads).."孟老师的100道麵包".


Oh I just love this so much! This was done this morning, which I took 1 right after baked. Then 2 more now with some butter spread on the plain ones, and of course with a cup of hot black coffee. Oh this way of having my tea break was totally heaven!

Here's the recipe (in English)

(A)

250g bread flour

25g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

4g instant yeast

10g milk powder

160g water

(B)

10g unsalted butter (I used salted one)

20g Black sesame powder (where you can get from the organic shop)

(C)

1 egg (lightly beaten)

some black sesame seeds

Method:

~ Mix Ingredients (A) together with high speed until a dough form.

~ Add in butter from (B) and knead the dough until smooth and elastic.

~ Add in sesame powder from (B) and mix with medium speed until well blended.

~ Place dough in a deep bowl and covered with cling form and let rest for 80 minutes.

~ Punch out air from dough and divide dougn into small balls (I made 12 small ones)

~ Round up the small dough and place on a tray with parchment paper, brush with egg wash and top with sesame seeds.

** I did 4 little buns with red bean fillings.

~ Let buns rest for another 30 minutes, then bake at 170'C for 10-12 minutes.

The top here were some with red bean fillings. (My daughter's request..;p)

There'll be another bread post soon (if I success) before I move on to other recipes..heehee!

Cheers!!

Happy Birthday Boys!!

Birthdays! Birthdays! Lately I was busy with birthday cakes. Have been baking only birthday cakes for this 2 weeks and all were for birthday boys!! Yea, all were about footballs, cars, animals..etc. Whatelse for the boys? Can anyone give me more idea about things for boys? I was kind of "blank" when come to think of boy's stuffs...heehee! You bet, my hubby never gets his birthday presents for years except cakes..haha!
Alright, here's some birthday cakes pictures I'll like to share. Not much work for the 1st one, but not the 2nd one. And the worse thing is...the cake started to "sweat" (the 2nd one) under the hot and stuffy weather..:(

The 1st one, a soccer field with a soccer ball in the center for a 12 year boy!
Not much work, only piping here..:D

The 2nd one..the theme suppose to be a "Safari Zoo"...but it turned out to be a "Mini Zoo" instead..heehee! This was for a 1 year old birthday boy, who is my dear friend's son. And so this was my gift for him..:)

This cake took me 1 day to mould the animals (fondant) and another day for baking and decorating. It was not that difficult for someone whose skill is better, but not me! I'm totally stress of it!!

Then the cake was find in my aircond room before deliver, somehow the fondant started to melt when we displayed it in the hall (its a lunch party and no aircond). Maybe my cake was too moist and the 2nd tier started to slant after 1 or 2 hours. Oh dear....so we cut the cake in the middle of the party before it collapse..LOL!

About the finishing, it was kind of rough, so I told my friend that she got to view the cake from far...haha! At least the pictures turned out fine...LOL!

Here's my story for the cakes. And yes, I'll do better the next time, at least to improve on the fondant figurines first..;p

Happy Birthday Boys!!