Peanut Butter Chiffon Cake

Baking something that my family doesn't adore much was really a challenge. Trying to make them eat something they don't like was really difficult. They will give you lots of reasons and at the end I'm the only one who finish up the food. Anyway that does not stop me from trying something new, something they really dislike like this cake! Yeah, they are not the fans of peanut butter especially when I twist it with something else instead of spreading onto the bread.

I like it though, it goes well with my usual long black. Served with a dallop of extra peanut butter makes the flavors stronger in each bite. YumZ!

Peanut Butter Chiffon Cake

As I know there will not be any fans for this fluffy cake, I just made this into a 4" paper mold for myself..;p

Recipe calls for an 4" tube pan (I used a paper mold from Daiso)

Egg yolk batter:
2 egg yolks
40g peanut butter
2 tbsps peanut oil
4 tbsps full cream milk
18g fine sugar
60g self raising flour

Egg white foam:
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
40g fine sugar

* Preheat oven at 170'C.
* To make the egg yolk batter, melt peanut butter and oil in a pot over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
* Beat egg yolks with sugar till the sugar melted slightly then add in the peanut butter mixture. Mix well.
* Add in milk then fold in flour until forms batter.
* Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until mixture forms soft peaks.
* Gradually add in sugar beating at high speed until frothy and stiff peaks formed.
* Divide the egg whites foam into 2 portion, gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter.
* Pour batter into prepared mold / tube pan.
* Bake at 170'C for 30 minutes or until cooked.
* Remove from oven, invert cake onto table (if using tube pan) until completely cooled.

** if using a paper mold like mine, invert the cake is not necessary.

Happy Baking!

Preserved Meat Claypot Rice 腊味煲仔饭

Having this Claypot Rice the other day for dinner and it was all thumbs up! First time cooking this and find it I will cook this more often because I love it so much..haha! Quite an easy one, all you have to do is to get all the ingredients prepared and cook with a rice cooker or in a claypot over the stove.

Preserved Meat Claypot are Guangdong specialty snack. Love the aroma of the dish while cooking where the rice will absorbed all the flavors of the preserved meat. Somehow cooking with a claypot need a little skill by controlling the heat, example too fierce fire will burn the claypot. I still need practice on that..;p

Ingredients to prepare:
100g Thai rice (soaked for 2 hours)
1 tsp cooking oil
1 preserved duck / wax meat (cut in small pieces)
1 chinese sausages (cut into thin slices)
1 liver sausages (cut into thin slices)
 * some greens for decoration

~ Cook the rice with enough water. (as usually when you cook the white plain rice)
~ When the rice is cooked, use a fork or chopsticks to loosed the rice
~ Display all the other ingredients (except the greens) on top of the rice
~ Drizzle 2 tbsps of seasoning sauce over it and cover the lid
~ Continue to cook / simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
~ Serve with the greens you prepared.

** The amount of the ingredients are depends to individual.

Seasoning sauce:
100ml water
4 tsps soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp chicken stock powder
1/2 tsp sugar

~ Mix all the above and bring it to boil. Set aside.

If you find it's too dry while serving, drizzle more sauce onto the rice if you prefer.
I will be cooking this real soon, even though I know eating all these preserved food are not so healthy..;p No harm for one more time ha!!! Just Love it!

Happy Eating...^^" 

Tasty Grilled Chicken

Another grilled chicken recipe added into my list. This is also a simple one founded in a magazine long time ago (can't recall what magazine was that though), the recipe has been cut out and was all the while kept in my small note book in the drawer. Yeah...never thought of that until I tried to tidy up the drawer the other day...;p

Well, I can't think of the name of this dish, so just named it.."Tasty Grilled Chicken" will do..LOL!!

Recipe has been twisted a little here.

4 Chicken drumsticks 

Marinate the Chicken with:
1 tsp clove powder
1 tbsp nutmeg powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp celery powder
1 tsp paprika powder (optional)
1 garlic (pounded)
1 onion (pounded)
salt and sugar to taste

some honey (for brushing)

** Preheat the oven at 220'C
** Grilled the drumsticks till golden brown on both sides (about 25-30 mins) then brush a little honey over the crispy skin and continue to grill for another 5 minutes.

I've bought some beautiful sweet Honey Cherry Tomatoes and some Japanese mushrooms (bunashimeiji & bunapi) for the side too.
With some olive oil, saute some chopped garlic till fragrant then add in the mushrooms and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Then add in some dried ground basil leaves, ground blackpepper and some salt to taste. Lastly add in the cherry tomatoes, off the heat and dish up.
Some mashed potatoes for the base of the crispy grill...YUMMY!

That's our dinner...Yay!!

Happy Dinner-ing!!!

Vegetable Dumplings （菜粿）

It has been quite a long time since I made this kueh. It is one of my favourite since I'm a little girl. There is not difficult o make this but we have to get the pasrty (skin) correctly done. I believe many of us have tried few recipes and couldn't get the right texture of this kueh skin. I personally like those with a little elastic tender soft texture (QQ texture)...haha! I'm not sure how to describe it..;p

Well, here I'll like to share with you the best recipe I have (after so many trying). 

*Recipe adapted from the book ~ hot favourite kueh ~ unknown)

Vegetable Dumplings

Ingredients for the pastry (skin):
150g tapioca starch
150g wheat starch
450ml water
3 tbsps vegetable oil

* mix all ingredients (except vegetable oil) with water. Mix well
* add in oil, mix well over a pot of simmering water till dough is formed
* remove and let cool slightly
* knead till dough is smooth on a work table
* cover with a piece of wet cloth for 30 minutes then it's ready to use.

Ingredients for the fillings:
400g jicama / sengkuang / bang kuang (peeled & shredded)
1/2 carrot (shredded)
50g dried shrimps (soaked & diced)
10 shallots (diced)

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water

* Saute the shallots and dried shrimps till fragrant
* Add in turnip and carrot and seasoning and stir well.
* add in water and fry well, side aside and let cool before using

** knead dough into long strip and divide into 45 equal portions. Roll out each portion into circle.
** Fill each piece of dough with 1 tbsp of fillings (or more) fold up into semi-circle or any patterns you desire. Remember to seal the edges nicely
** Lay banana leaves or any oil paper (suitable for steaming) on a steaming plate. Place dumplings on it and steam for 10 minutes at medium heat.
** Turn of heat and brush some oil on the surface of each dumplings to prevent from sticking to each other.

Add it's all ready to serve!!
I just couldn't get enough of this dumplings, and most of all my family loves them as much as I do.
Well, I guess I have to make another batch to fulfill our stomach now..^^

Happy Steaming ^^"

Grilled Stuffed Squids served with Aglio Olio Linguine

I always have difficulties when comes to think what should I cook for dinner. My mind will be blank and I will keep staring at the stuffs I have in my fridge or I will go round and round the market hopefully I can get something that my whole family will like. And these were what I got from the market in less than 30 minutes...small fresh prawns, squids, fish, meat, few kinds of vegetables etc. Oh yes, I grabbed almost everything...LOL!!!

So then, here came something different for dinner last night! "At least it's not rice again" ...that's what my little girl commented..:p

Saw this (kind of) recipe on a TV series, and I was, okay..I'll make that! Well, not bad at all, they were all been walloped up! It's alittle messy when comes to clean up the squids, you know the kind of gooey and slippery all over the hands....but I enjoy rubbing them though...haha!

These are what you have to prepare....(enough for 4 persons)

(A) 8 medium squids (cleaned and remove skin, rubbed with little sea salt)
(B) 500g minced pork / chicken
      200g shrimps (shell removed~cut into small pieces)
(C) 200g Linguine
(D) 2 tbsps minced garlic
      a bowl of brocolli (cut)
      1 medium carrot (cut into small cubes)
      2 tbsps dried basil leaves
　  a little black pepper & salt to taste
      3 tbsps olive oil

Marinate (B) for at least 2 hours with:
1 tbsp A1 sauce
1 tbsp Lea & Perrins sauce
2 tsps black pepper
1 tsp paprika powder
a little salt & sugar

Prepare some sauce for the grilled squids with:
2 tbsps A1 sauce
1 tbsp Lea & Perrin sauce
a little black pepper and sugar
~ mix well and put in microwave for 1 minute.
     

* When everything are nicely prepared, stuffed the squids with (B).
* Preheat oven at 225'C Rub a little olive oil on the stuffed squids and grill for 15 minutes until both sides turn yellowish. Dish up and cut into small ring size. (shown above)
* Bring the brocolli to boil and drain, keep aside.
* Saute the minced garlic till fragnant, add in carrots and stir fry for 5 minutes then add in brocolli and the rest of the ingredients from (D). Add alittle water if it's too dry. 
* Bring to boil a pot of water and cook the Linguine in 11-12 minutes until its totally softened. Drained.
* Mix in the cooked Linguine with the prepared vegetables and serve on a plate.
* Decorate (as you desire) the grilled stuffed squids on the plate and drizzle with some sauce.

Dinner is served!!!

It was so yummy and I regret I didn't cooked more..^^

Happy Cooking!!!

Coffee Walnut Cake

I'm craving for cakes lately. Thinking to make this coffee walnut cake weeks ago, and finally I made it...haha! Somehow eating alone if no fun, will bring some to my friend later to share...hehe!

Well, well....there's still a lot to learn for my piping skills. (there were untidy...I know) 

Anyway, they taste good!!! 

Walnut sponge with Coffee cream...fantastic! Who will resist such heavenly combo..huh?!

Ingredients for Walnut Sponge:
5 large egg yolks
20g sugar
80g fresh milk
45g corn oil
100g cake flour
15g corn flour
120g walnuts (pounded)

5 egg whites
70g sugar

* approx. 10 walnut halves (toasted~ to decorate)

Ingredients for Coffee Cream:
250g icing sugar
100g soft unsalted butter
1 tbsp espresso powder dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

 Method:
~ Prepare a 9" round pan lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven at 180'C.
~ Whisk egg yolks and 20g sugar with by hands then add in oil and milk, stir well.
~ Add in flour and pounded walnuts and mix well. Set aside.
~ Beat the egg whites and sugar at high speed till soft peak forms.
~ Divide beaten egg whites to 2-3 portions to mix into the egg yolk mixture.
~ Fold in 1 direction until all egg whites are well mix with the egg yolk mixture.
~ Pour into prepared tin and bake at 180'C for 30-40 minutes.
~ Cool for 5 mintes then remove sponge from the tin and let cool completely.
~ While cooling the sponge, prepare the cream by beating the icing sugar with butter till smooth then add in coffee liquid and mix well.
~ Halved the sponge then cut into shapes with a round cutter (or any cutter you desire)
~ Sandwich the sponge with some cream, then cover the cake with cream.
(I covered the cake by piping the cream with nozzle no.21)
~ Decorate with toasted walnuts.
~ Keep in fridge before serving.

It's so nice to have something that you like and yet you can bake it by yourself. I am bless with my little skills that I can bake anytime anywhere I want to...:))
Hope you'll like this too!!

Happy Baking!!

Steamed Tiramisu

Another simple and delicious recipe adapted from the web. I've always wanted to try anything that is simple and nice. And of course most important is that recipe really works and tastes good!

I've done some changes with the original recipe which you can find here. 

This recipe has caught my attention once I read the title of it....STEAMED TIRAMISU!! It's so special right? Anyway I've never done this before and it worth a try.

It only took me only about 40 minutes to complete the whole process. (including washing of course)

The texture is super soft and I'm very satisfied with the outcome. Love this tiramisu..^^

 
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
140g castor sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
150g low gluten flour (pau flour)
100ml cornoil (I used olive oil as I've forgotten to buy the cornoil..lol)
200ml coconut milk
2 in 1 coffee pack (15g) + 1 tbsp hot water
2 tbsps cocoa powder + 1 tbsp hot water
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Method:
~ Prepare an 8" round or quare pan lined with parchment paper.
~ Prepare a wok with hot water for steaming.
~ Beat eggs and sugar till light and fluffy
~ Sift flour and baking powder together and add in slowly into the egg mixture at low speed.
~ Add in cornoil and coconut milk alternately.
~ Divide the batter into 3 equal portions.
(a) with cocoa powder
(b) with coffee
(c) with pure vanilla essence
~ Pour the cocoa powder batter into the prepared cake tin and steamed for 8 minutes at high heat.
~ Then pour in the coffee batter and steamed for another 8 minutes.
~ Lastly pour in the vanilla batter and further steam for 20 minutes.
~ Remove from the steamer when done, cool and remove the parchment paper.