Twenty Something & Cooking

Vegetarian Basil Fritata with Blood Orange Salad

2008-10-10T11:13:00.004+11:00

What do you do when you're feeling a little uninspired and sorry for yourself? How do you pick yourself up and bring yourself out of the pitying hole?

Perhaps draw? Paint? Arrange colours on the plate and relish it with the simple joy that you can cook something from scratch? It does make me feel a little smarter.

I read on The Age recently about Jamie Oliver's latest mission to save the Great Britain society from junk food poisoning. I missed the episode where he burst into outrage after witnessing that dinner for a particularly family consisted of kebab shavings and chips served out of polystyrene box. You may think it's disgusting (I thought it was) but behind the greasy 'truth', poor people believe they can't afford to buy healthy food. It's like how busy people believe that they don't have time for their family.

I am a self-confessed tight arse. I keep a weekly budget of $20. I don't eat out because it costs less to cook my own meals. And if I do, it's for a special occasion and to enjoy the company of good friends. I don't spend my money on junk food or processed food. I often shop at fresh markets (and just before closing so I can strike a bigger bargain) and find that it's far cheaper than supermarkets.

I think it's not nearly so much about poor people having no money to buy good food, I believe it's poor people making poor choices (in that article, it says that the family owns a plasma tv and most of the money is spent on chocolates and sweets for the kids). Busy people have no time because they choose to make time-poor decisions. I've seen incredibly busy CEO's make (the keyword here is 'MAKE') time for their kids' school dramas, competition, holidays. I think it's rather interesting about the choices we choose to make. (Of course I make many bad ones)

Vegetarian Basil Fritata ( serves 4 )
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4 eggs
250ml thickened cream
120g cheddar cheese
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
4 baby tomatoes, halved
100g pumpkin, sliced into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp of dried basil
salt and pepper

Method:

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.
Cook onions until translucent. Put vegetables in.
Cook until soft. Stir occasionally.
Beat eggs and add cream, basil, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease a baking tin with some butter or olive oil.
Arrange cherry tomatoes and cooked vegetables in the baking tin.
Pour egg mix in.
Sprinkle cheese and place in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes or when egg has completely set in the middle.

Blood Orange Salad
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You’ll need:

A mix of salad leaves
1 blood orange, skinned and sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
A drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Arrange salad leaves and blood orange on a plate.
Drizzle walnuts and then olive oil.
Season the salad with some salt and pepper. Serve with fritata.

Weekend!

2008-09-21T14:21:00.005+10:00

Yosh! It's weekend! Don't you guys just love the weekend? :) It's time to relax, have fun and eat! ;) So, what's your typical weekend like? I'd usually spend one day doing grocery shopping, house chores and relaxing at home; and another day going out, eating, walking around town and catching up with friends!

Once in awhile, I'll give myself a break from cooking during the weekends (whispher: lazy). *ahem* Hey, we need to explore and try all those good foods out there yeah? :D Well, since I'll be eating out for dinner tonight with my friends, I've decided to make myself a simple meal for brunch.

Bacon and Egg Muffin
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Ingredients
- 1 Muffin
- 1 slice of Bacon
- 1 Egg
- 1 slice of Cheese
- Margerine

Method
1. Instead of toasting the muffin, I put it in the oven for 5 mins instead
2. Fry egg (I had my egg in omlette style, coz that's the only way I'll eat the yolk. :P)
3. Fry bacon
4. Spread margerine on muffins while it's still hot from the oven
5. Add a slice of cheese
6. Add egg
7. Add bacon
8. Eat! :D

You can also add in some tomatoes/lettuce if you want a more balance meal. ;) Enjoy your weekend!

Quote of the day ~ Find happiness in simple things ~

To Dip or Not To Dip?

2008-09-17T21:28:00.008+10:00

Do you like dipping your food into drinks? I like dipping Hup Seng cream crackers into a cup of hot Milo or coffee. Oh, and of course dunking oreos into a glass of milk too! Yums.

However, I find it strange for someone to dip his french fries into coke! Why would someone do that? Is it strange or it's just me? Dipping fries into sundae is totally acceptable, but not into soft drinks. Somehow mixing fries with any drinks for that matter seems wrong to me. :P

It's also weird to see someone "drink" his mashed potatoes through a straw! Hahaha. I guess people have funny habits when it comes to eating too? :) Do you have any?

I certainly don't mind mixing my food.. when it comes to this:
Decadent chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip ice-cream sandwich! Double choc chips yumminess! ;)

Quote of the day ~ Today is a gift, that is why it is called Present ~

Bubur Nasi Hitam

2008-08-31T22:37:00.010+10:00

I was an angry, sulky, rebellious teenager. I wasn't very comfortable in my own skin and I hated everything and everyone. In short, I was one big pain in the backside. I sure gave my parents hell (in return, my kids will probably provide me the same services because what goes around, comes around). I was a sad, pudgy kid who was confused about life and frankly speaking, a little lonely too.

There are some of the reasons why I don't like keeping in touch with the past and when the past comes back to visit, I make attempts to avoid it like a bowl of bitter melon juice.

However, a good book once read that you cannot bury the past. It only claws its way back to you. And true to its words, even though I've moved 6360 kilometers away from home, many of my former schoolmates have made, miraculously, the same decision. The result? Reunions.

I've since resigned to the fact that the world is far too small to run away. And to make amends with the past, I bought her breakfast last weekend. If I had the chance to speak to my young self, I would say this: 1)Don't be too hard on your self. 2)Don't take life so seriously because it doesn't even take itself seriously. 3)People actually don't bite when you make the effort to know them.

Bubur Nasi Hitam translates as Black Rice Pudding. Deliciously drizzled with santan, or coconut milk, it's an authentic Malaysian dessert served after dinner. Mom cooks it in a slow cooker the night before and that's why we have them for breakie in the mornings. I don't know why but I guess it's the same difference with cereal. It has the same consistency as Red Bean Soup but slightly thicker and richer (due to the coconut milk). It's best to add some dried longans for an additional fruity sweetness but if you can't find any, it's fine as it is.

Bubur Nasi Hitam (serves 4)
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1¾ cup black glutinous rice
2 pandan leaves or 1 tsp vanilla essence
5 cups of water
½ cup palm sugar
Pinch of salt
1½ cups fresh squeezed thick coconut milk

Method:

Rinse rice thoroughly for 2 minutes under running water. Drain well.
Put water, rice and pandan leaves into a heavy-based pot.
Simmer over medium heat for approximately 40 minutes.
Add palm sugar syrup and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, allow to cool.
Serve at room temperature, topped with a swirl of fresh squeezed creamy coconut milk.

Stir-fry Fish with Fermented Black Beans

2008-08-29T22:08:00.014+10:00

Hi! Here's another quick and simple dish to add to the list. Aahhh.. this is a lazy weekend for me! :D

Stir-fry Fish with Fermented Black Beans
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Ingredients
- 1 Basa fish fillet
- Fermented Black beans (hmm.. this is tricky.. I don't know how to put the measurement for this.. around 20 beans? 1 spoonful? hehe)
- Garlic
- 1 stalk of spring onion

Method
1. Rinse some fermented black beans with water and mash them a little
2. Chop spring onion
3. Cut fish fillet into preferred size
4. Marinate fish with mashed fermented black beans
5. Chop garlic finely
4. Fry garlic in a pan till fragrant
5. Add marinated fish pieces with mashed fermented black beans
8. Stir fry fish pieces till they're cooked
9. Add chopped spring onion and stir through together
10. Serve with rice

Notice that I didn't add any soy sauce or salt to the dish. That's because the fermented black beans I used were quite salty. They gave the fish just the right amount of flavour. ;)

Quote of the day ~ A smile is the best accessory to wear ~

Easy Peasy Stir-fry Beans

2008-08-27T20:49:00.013+10:00

Hi! I'm back. *winks at Monkee* Gotta apologise for the lack of update from me. I've been occupied with some other activities (whisper: lazy). Thanks Monkee for posting up so many wonderful recipes and all those yummilicious photos! :)

Here's a simple recipe for a quick dish, very fast to whip up when you're hungry after work.

Stir fry Beans
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Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 100g minced pork
- String beans (hmm.. measurement for this? I just grabbed 3 hands full of them when I was shopping at the vege mart.. haha!)
- Garlic
- Soy sauce or salt

Method
1. Wash and cut string beans
2. Marinate minced pork with soy sauce or salt
3. Chop garlic finely
4. Fry garlic in a pan till fragrant
5. Add marinated minced pork and stir through together
6. Add string beans and stir fry till they're cooked
7. Add salt or soy sauce to taste
8. Add some water and let it simmer for 5 mins if you like the beans to be softer
9. Serve with rice

I just had this today. ;) Hope you'll enjoy it too!

Quote of the day ~ The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted ~

Peeping Pear & Passionfruit Pudding

2008-08-27T10:32:00.001+10:00

There's something wrong with Happee Monkee *sobs* I really hopes it comes back up online soon. I suppose this might be a sign to devote more tender loving care to my first born - Twenty Something which started off as a blog for a group of twenty-somethings. It's a little sad how it's become more like a one-man show. So, my second wish for tonight (I hope my fairy godmother's listening) is that the other twenty-somethings comes back from wherever they are and blog again. More is always merrier. Especially around food.

I've adapted this recipe from last week's copy of Epicure. I've added passionfruit for a few reasons: 1) I had it in the refrigerator 2) I thought the citrus acidity could help with chemically balancing the bi-carb soda. (I'm not sure if it worked, but it looks OK).

I avoid using baking powder because I found that it contains aluminum. It may not be much but I've become a firm believer that a little bit of everything can one day amount to make a big something.

Bi-carb soda works with acid (as it's alkaline-based) to release carbon dioxide which gives the cake a boost. Hence, the rising effect. In fact, there's why some heirloom chocolate cakes has vinegar in it. It has the acid compound to react with the bi-carbonate soda. Compared to baking powder, it has less chemical compounds in it and I reckon it makes a healthier alternative. But that's just me. If you personally feel it doesn't work as well as baking powder, then please do replace the soda bicarb in this recipe. The end result should be the same: a moist pudding with the glorious scent of passionfruit and the soft sweet flesh of pear.
Peeping Pear Passionfruit Pudding ( serves 6 )
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6 small ripe pears
100g palm sugar or brown sugar
600ml water
2 cinnamon sticks or 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter (approx. 150g)
3/4 cup caster sugar (approx 150g)
2 eggs
1/2 cup self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp soda bi-carbonate
4 passionfruits
2 tbsp milk

Method:

Bring sugar, cinnamon and water to boil.
Poach the pears for 10 minutes or until pears are tender when pierced with a skewer.
Pre-heat oven to 180C and grease baking dish.
Beat butter, bi-carb and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time.
Then mix in passionfruit pulp.
Fold in half the flour, the milk and then the second half of the flour. Combine until smooth.
Spoon into the baking dish.
Trim the base of the pear and place firmly into the batter.
Bake for 40 minutes or until pudding is set in the middle.
Serve with icing sugar and thickened cream.

Otak-Otak (Spicy Fish Mousse)

2008-08-26T16:56:00.005+10:00

For once, I decided to start blogging with Twenty Something & Cooking instead of Happee Monkee. I feel bad having to use the same material twice. So today, I decided to dance to a different tune.

Lately, I've been invited to a few gourmet events. One was Taste of Melbourne last Friday and just yesterday I met Peter Doyle of Est. at a Kiehl's launch. To tell you the truth, I hadn't heard of him before and apparently, he's quite a big shot in the culinary world. The man in flesh is really down-to-earth and friendly, a little shy and very unassuming. It's nice to know that fame and glamour doesn't always impact someone negatively.

Anyway, after all the gourmet eating, I think it might have gotten to my head as much as my stomach. Otak-Otak is a very conventional home dish. I love how the spice, herbs and fish works so well into a moussy smoothness. I don't know why it's called Otak-Otak because it translates as 'brain' in Malay. Perhaps there is truth in the belief that eating lots of fish makes you brainier. I'm not sure. But what I'm sure is that it's absolutely yummy.

Otak-Otak (Spicy Fish Mousse)
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400g white fish fillets
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) of red curry paste
1 tbsp cornflour
mint leaves
1 egg
2 teaspoons of lime juice
1 cup of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper

Method:

Chop fish into small pieces or to make into a paste, work it in a food processor.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Marinate for 20 - 30 minutes.
Steam it on medium-high heat for 15 minutes until cooked and set.

Variation:

Make an aluminum foil envelope or a loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 170C till skewer comes out clean.
Bake in a bain marie (loaf tin) in a pre-heated oven at 150-175 degree Celcius (300-350 degree F) for 20-25 minutes till skewer comes out clean when it is put into the centre of the fish cake.

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Food Blogging

2008-08-25T17:20:00.000+10:00

If you've been spending a lot of time looking at food blogs, let me tell you why you should finally start your own.

1. You'll meet new people from all over the world.
There is a huge food community out there. Like ginormous! And the support that foodies have for each other is fantastic. They have the funniest and most entertaining anecdotes. So if you're feeling lonely, you're just a step away from making some great new friends.

2. You'll get to go to fun parties.
Okay okay, that doesn't automatically happen. After I started blogging, people have invited me to food events because to them, I'm a 'food person'. I've never been a gourmet person and experiencing it has brought food to a whole new level for me. Quality vs. quantity.

3. You'll start cooking healthier (hence eating healthier).
I find myself more particular with my ingredients. I shop more at fresh markets, buy free range eggs, eat more vegetables etc. I like to know what I put in my food rather than buying pre-made food and guessing. I like having more colours and variations just because it makes it unique. I experiment more. I can go on and on about this but it might become 10 reasons instead of 5.

4. You'll make/ eat things you've never made/ eaten before.
I've never made pastry from scratch. I've never made ba chang (Chinese festival food). I've never had rhubarb in my life. Food blogging is the perfect excuse to start.

5. You'll see the beauty in food.
I no longer look at food just as food. When I'm taking food pictures I make sure that it looks sexy. So sexy that you want to eat it. Okay, let's keep this friendly for children. Food photography is definitely the most amazing part for me. I just cannot wait to make something look beautiful to be put on screen. Ah ... eye candy.

No Yeast Pizza

2008-08-23T00:36:00.001+10:00

I didn't do this intentionally. I just hadn't realize that the packet of dried yeast in my drawer had expired two years ago. Since Mr. G and I had already done all our shopping for the morning, I decided to think of a substitute. Besides, my aching legs were begging me no more (read: lazy); it was another cold and wet morning (read: lazy); Mr. G had to do some reading for work on Monday (read: lazy).

So instead of doing the proper thing, this lazy twenty-something took the leap and jumped into improvisation. Hence, a 'no-yeast-pizza'. It wasn't bad. I reckon it tasted pretty good. Mr. G couldn't tell the difference (very often he just enjoys his food while I scrutinize the food). I liked how the dough was herby and the additional fresh basil worked lovely bringing the pizza home.This recipe was adapted from Arudathi's blog. You can get the original recipe (with yeast) here.

No Yeast Pizza (serves 2)
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1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dried herbs of choice (basil’s great!)
1/2 tsp lemon juice (to activate the alkaline in the baking soda)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the olive oil and water and combine to form a ball.
Knead just until it forms a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into half.
Roll out the dough on baking paper till required thickness.
Add your favourite toppings and bake for 10 minutes.

Taste of Melbourne

2008-08-22T12:09:00.000+10:00

Sophie, a former colleague of mine from good ol' magazine days, rang me the other day. Our conversation went like this:
S: Hey Mabs, I've got something really serious to talk to you about.
M: Uh...
S: Okay Okay it's not that serious but...
M: ... (in cold sweat)
S: I wanted to ask if you would like to go to Taste of Melbourne this Friday with me?

I had a great time just eating, watching a food demo, meeting people, and just being with my gorgeous friend Soph. We saw Tobie Puttock (Executive Head Chef of Fifteen Melbourne and author of Daily Italian) but I was too shy to ask him for a photo. That was my slice of celeb chef spotting. What a great way to start the weekend.

Home-Made Bolognese Sauce

2008-08-21T21:37:00.006+10:00

I really owe it to Donna Hay, Australian food stylist & writer, for my love for food + photography. While I was still working with seventeen Magazine, my editor had put me in charge of the food column.

At first, panic. I've always heard stories about food styling. It sounded excruciating.

I remember that I kept it very simple the first month. I bought ready made stuff and focussed on making it look good. But as the months past, I found myself enjoying it more. I even started cooking. Making something look according to how I wanted it to be became a fanatical obsession.

No one would come near me when I was in the kitchen. I would wake up early in the morning to start. Pack it in my mother's picnic baskets, ferry it to work not before making sure every sauce, meat and morsel was safe and sound in my back sit.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the office was to go straight to the studios. I saw no one but the food and photographer the entire day. I would not be disturbed.

Yes, I can be cold and intense when I was 'in the zone'. So full of concentration I was that people would shrivel in fear just looking at me or at the sound of my bark.

Today, I am not so ... uptight. But I must say that Mr. G has suffered from The Look if he dared prod a finger in the picture out of jest. Poor man. I don't know if he's quite recovered yet.

Home-Made Bolognese Sauce
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3 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
800g mince
plain flour, for dusting
1 cup dry red wine
1 can chopped tomato
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 bay leaves
1 tbsp brown sugar
sea salt

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant and then add the onions. Stir till onions are slightly transparent and then remove from pan.
Add olive oil and increase heat to high.
Dust the mince in flour and cook until brown. Add the onion and garlic back in the pan.
Gradually add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
Add tomatoes, paste, water, bay leaves, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
Leave to cook until sauce is thick (approximately an hour).

For an exciting variation on how else to enjoy the ragu, click here to go to Happee Monkee.

Award Time!

2008-08-18T09:13:00.004+10:00

Woohoo! It's our first award! Oh yea! Thanks Margaret (from Kitchen Delights) for thinking about us. I've often seen awards on other foodie blogs and I must admit, feeling quite envious. My child-within is now satisfied. So I'm prancing around my living room - on behalf of everyone on 20-something :)

I'll be passing this on to some fabulous food blogs as well to follow the rules of the Brillante Weblog. The rules for receiving the Brillante Weblog award are as follows:

Post the logo on your blog.
Add a link to the person who nominated you.
Nominate 5 other people for this award and add links to their blog.
Leave a message for the people you've nominated.

And the nominees are:

Christy of 5 Types of Sugar and Other Treats
Mochachocolata-Rita of Mochachocolata-Rita
Patricia of Technicolor Kitchen
Helen of Tartelette
Lore of Culinarty

Cherry Strudel

2008-08-17T19:11:00.012+10:00

I had extra cherries from the cherry pie. Good stuff must never go to waste so I decided to use them for another recipe: strudel. They tasted absolutely heavenly. I now wished I kept more for myself - but for the sake of my girth, I must refrain. The ruby red cherries work so well with the creamy whiteness of the strudel filling. My first strudel was when I was in Perth couple of years ago. A friend was kind enough to insist. I must thank her persistence for my first taste of heaven.

Have you been to Perth, Western Australia? If you haven't, try googling: Corica. The apple strudel is to absolutely die for.

When I was traveling around Hong Kong with Mom, we met another Malaysian who had been living in Perth for a long time. She divulged an alternative close to the heavenly strudel. Close, but you must try the real deal if you're in the neighborhood. Promise?Cherry Strudel (serves 4)
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1 puff pastry sheet
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk
200ml thickened cream
1 cup cherries
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
brown sugar to sprinkle

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C
Cut the puff pastry into half.
Brush some egg yolk on it.
Sprinkle some brown sugar and place it in the oven for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and fluffy.
Set aside and let it cool.
Mix cherries, caster sugar, flour and cinnamon together.
Whip cream until light and fluffy.
Assemble strudel together first by putting cream on one pastry, then the cherry mixture and finally top it with the second pastry sheet.
Decorate with lots and lots and lots of icing sugar. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mirelle Guiliano

2008-08-16T17:59:00.008+10:00

I bought this book over eBay recently:French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano. As I go deeper into the book, I find that it's a cleverly written book about balance. Control. Eating with your head and not your stomach.

I'm glad that it isn't about dieting (which for sure, it'd be thrown out in a minute - wouldn't even consider buying it) because I'm not great follower of diet. First of all, I have no discipline. Second, I believe in healthy, fresh, nutritious food. Thirdly, I love food too much to give it up. Well, completely, at least.

There is this chapter which Guiliano asks all women (and men) to do: Go to the fresh markets. No, not supermarkets - but the noisy, open, sometimes wet markets where food has just been plucked from Mother Nature's nurturing breast. Fat juicy carrots, seasonable produce, barn-laid eggs. I bought a dozen of eggs today (I have now switched to barn-laid or free range because I like to think the chickens were stress-free and happy) so I can try my hand at some new (healthy) recipes for the coming week. They were the hugest, freshest, brownest looking eggs I have ever seen! I'm sure they'll taste glorious too.

The point that she makes is that it holds more flavour. And we eat more only because we don't taste the burst of flavour in our food. When our palates have been fulfilled and we can enjoy each and every mouthful, we naturally eat less. When we eat less, we grow (horizontally) less.

There is another point that Guiliano writes, which is, portion control. Not to over do the eating. I find that a hard one to follow. It's a matter of lagom - Swedish for 'not too much, not too little'. Why the sudden interjection of Swedish? That's a little secret that I will keep for a few more months. :)

There is also special detoxifying brew recommended by Guiliano that is known as the Magic Leek Soup. I've tried it once and uhm... well, I need more love in there. I do however, consciously drink more water now - which is another thing mentioned in the book. And walking. It's time I've picked up the habit again. I fear that the couch has been my friend for far too long.

If you find a copy of the book, do have a look in it and you'll find it light and witty. There are very simple recipes to follow as well and well-worth your time exploring.

Bolognese Puffs

2008-08-15T22:36:00.003+10:00

Whoever said food is just food is either dull and uncreative or never had anything besides spaghetti-in-a-can. Nothing is a 'just'. No one is a 'just'. Food and people are exactly the same. What we are on the inside, we create and express to the external. Art, music, stories are no different from cooking.

So I salute all you food bloggers out there. You and your best friend - the camera.

My copy of Donna Hay finally arrived in the mailbox. I particularly enjoyed their osso busco recipe which I've adapted into ragu - Italian tomato-based meat sauce. It's hearty, wholesome and 'hmmm-so-good-for-the-soul'. Now, the twist to this is that you can have it in many ways. I've put it together with puff pastry and it's absolutely delicious! I couldn't wait to get it into my mouth. Which unfortunately did very little good to my mouth. :(

Home-Made Bolognese Sauce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
800g mince
plain flour, for dusting
1 cup dry red wine
1 can chopped tomato
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 bay leaves
1 tbsp brown sugar
sea salt

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant and then add the onions. Stir till onions are slightly transparent and then remove from pan.
Add olive oil and increase heat to high.
Dust the mince in flour and cook until brown. Add the onion and garlic back in the pan.
Gradually add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
Add tomatoes, paste, water, bay leaves, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
Leave to cook until sauce is thick (approximately an hour).

To assemble: You need one sheet of puff pastry. Cut it into half. Add ragu on one side of pastry. Fold it. Seal it by pressing down the edges with a fork. Brush some milk on it and put it in a preheated oven of 180C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, be careful, as it will be very hot, and sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top. Return the puffs in the oven and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

Cherry Pie

2008-08-14T11:01:00.005+10:00

Do you love cherry-stained smacking lips? You do? You do? Well, get out of here and grab yourself a bucket for some happy-tra-la-la-la cherry picking! If you're a super cherry enthusiast, you'll even have not one ...(wait for it)... but TEN sticky red juicy fingers! Don't forget to spit out those pits. Make it fun! Make it naughty. Stick it in a straw and pit shoot your nasty neighbours.

I love cherries. I go crazy with cherries. I so l-u-r-v-e cherries.

It's not cherry season yet but they had some imported from the U.S. (you lucky people). The other week, I was craving for apple pie and Mr. G wanted cherry. So I bought granny smiths and cherries to have double the pie glutton! Oh why not? There's always spring to lose the winter weight.Cherry Pie ( serves 8 )

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Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (adapted from Donna Hay)

2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped
2-3 tbsp iced water
one egg, beaten
sugar to sprinkle

Filling:

4 (approx. 920g) cups cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Put flour, sugar and butter together.
Combine everything with fingers or in a food processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add enough ice water to form a smooth dough.
Knead the dough, wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix ingredients for filling.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface or between non-stick baking paper until 2 - 3mm thick.
Line the tart tin.
Put top crust on. Cut vent slits in top crust.
Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is a golden colour.

Apple Pie

2008-08-13T09:46:00.003+10:00

This didn't turn out the way I'd wanted it to. It was my first attempt at making pie from scratch (- which means no cheating with the base!) and I didn't really know what to expect. It didn't turn out badly, just, lumpy. I reflect that it might be from a few things:
1. I didn't refrigerate the dough for 20 to 30 minutes which was vital for the dough to harden and bind.
2. I didn't have 1.5 kg apples and used less.

So this is what happened: the dough was so soft that it fell apart before I could put it into the pie tin. And because there was less apples than required, it was a rather lame, lumpy looking pie.
Thank goodness it tasted fine because it was KK Tuesday. And Tuesday is a mini family reunion at G's place. Everyone comes back from where they are have gather round the family table to catch up. It's a rather nice atmosphere. Full of stories, laughter, jokes, silly things and always makes me feel a little less homesick. :)

Apple Pie ( serves 8 )
—————————————————
Ingredients:

For Pastry:

1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
150g butter, cold and chopped into small cubes
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp cold water
an egg yoke
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp flour
1 tsp sugar

For Pie Filling

1.5Kg Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples
1 cup water
3-6 Cloves (whole) or 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 level tbsp plain flour

——————————————————–
Method:
——————————————————–

For Pastry

Sift flours, sugar, butter and salt into a mixing bowl.
Rub the butter and flour with finger until combined.
Add egg and water mixing quickly into dough.
Press the mixture together with hands.
Knead lightly with a little extra flour.
Set aside and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For Pie Filling

Peel, core and slice apples.
Place apples into a large saucepan with water and cloves (or cinnamon).
Cover and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Shake the pan occasionally until apples are tender, not soft.
Drain the excess liquid. Set apples aside to cool.
When cool, remove the cloves.
In a bowl, mix the apples with the sugar and flour.

To Assemble:

Preheat the oven at 190C (375F).
Divide the pastry into two-thirds and one-third.
Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick.
Place it in a shallow 22cm pie tin.
Fill with the apples.
Brush the milk on the edges of the pastry
Roll out the remaining pastry to fit over the top of the pie.
With the fork (dusted in flour), press the edges of the pie to seal firmly.
Cut the excess pastry with a knife.
Brush the top of the pie with the egg yoke and sprinkle with sugar.
Place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate Topping

2008-08-06T13:36:00.003+10:00

Chocolate cravings were calling out and since P. was back from his trip from North Pole (ok, close to the Antartic to be precise) I thought I made some brownies for him and for my weekend getaway to Portland. Pictures here (and if it's not there then it's coming soon). Surprisingly the beach wasn't too cold. The warmth of the locals made up for it and also the wonderful dogs! I've never seen happier dogs!

I've got such a soft spot for animals. When I was growing up, we had two adult dogs and seven puppies. Mom wasn't too happy about being the lone person responsible for all the pets and so one day when the kids were at school, she gave the puppies away. We were left with a fat little puppy, which I refused to let go off, his mom, Lucky, and a beautiful white male, Rex. After the dogs died of old age, we had three chicks (which didn't live very long) followed by, two cats - Snowy and Ruby, and much later, goldfish.

I've always wanted rabbits but never had them. Once, a hawk got caught in our roof and although it was a vicious thing, it was smart and fascinating. It's just too damn bad I can't have any in my little apartment now. Sigh.

Chocolate Brownies
———————————————————-
185g butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa butter, sifted
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour. sifted

Method
1. Preheat the oven at to 160c (325f).
2. Place the butter, cocoa, eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Spoon into 20cm (8 in) square slice tin (buttered).
4. Bake for 45 - 50 mins or until skewer comes out clean when tested.
5. Remove from oven and let it cool.
6. Melt white chocolate in microwave for 1 minute. Remove, stir and reheat for another minute.
7. Spoon the white chocolate over the brownie really quickly using back and forth strokes - not unlike sifting flour or using a Wii controller.

8. Let the white chocolate cool then cut and serve.

White Chocolate Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

2008-08-01T11:47:00.006+10:00

I have to apologize for the lack of activities on Twenty Something recently. I'm now occupied with Project Mr. G. It's taking up a lot of my time because I'm too busy having fun. I'll be a little slow coming up with new posts but be patient and in time, I'll pick up my pace again (probably when Mr. G gets up to go to Sweden for 6 months - boo!)

I think I'm quite done with cupcakes. For now anyway. As much as I love them to bits, I think I'm a little OD-ed from it. The cupcakes were for a potluck party I was invited to. Besides J, I didn't know anyone else. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive but hey, what did I really have to lose? And I'm glad that I went anyway because I had a ball of a time and I met some very interesting people.

There were loads of Malaysian food and boy, those spicy dishes made me buzz. You know how it is when you bite into a chili and after the fiery aftermath your brains goes into this hyperbuzz that gives you a certain high? Well, I was on a high for sure.

I used to be able to take chili and lots of it. My family and friends can vouch for that. They think I'm mental when it comes to those tiny edible grenades. But since moving to Melbourne, my tastebuds have retired from its chili days and decided to chill. It's a little embarrassing actually. I don't exactly know how that's even possible but I guess it is.
Lemon & White Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:

100g butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup white chocolate, roughly chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

30g butter, softened
80g cream cheese, softened
1 tsp lemon rind
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin pan with paper cups.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, beat in one at a time. Add essence.
Beat in milk and then sifted flours, gradually in batches.
Fold in white chocolate, lemon juice and rind.
Divide mixture among cups and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
Prepare frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat butter, cream cheese and rind in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar. Decorate cupcakes.

For the Chocolate Mars Bars Cupcakes with Whipped Cream recipe, click here.

Get paid to review my post - Read here for more details.

Cherry Ripe Chocolate Cupcakes

2008-07-18T17:34:00.004+10:00

The girls and I are having a pizza & chic flick night. A rampage of emails usually fly back and forth a few days before because everyone’s excited to meet up. I personally think it’s so important for people to have their night with the girls or with the boys - depending on which company you’d prefer. Friendships are incredibly precious things to me and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by good people.

I’ve been thinking about making these cupcakes for a long time. And in Impatient Vocabulary, one week is a long time to wait. I run the process over and over again in my head and when I have a firm picture, things always go well. That’s me exercising visualization. Now, to visualize, money flowing into my account.

I am very pleased with the cupcakes as it came out fluffy and light. If you don’t have Cherry Ripe, not to worry, there is a substitute recipe. And I promise you, it’s just as good.

Cherry Ripe Cupcakes (makes about 18)
—————————————————-----------——

125g butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla essence*
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup Cherry Ripe chocolate, chopped
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup plain flour

———————————————————–

No Cherry Ripe? Replace it with:

*1/2 tsp coconut essence (instead of vanilla essence)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup red glace cherries, chopped coarsely
50g dark eating chocolate

———————————————————–

Milk Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup cream
100g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely

Decorations

150g white chocolate Melts, melted
pink food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan-forced. Line muffin pan with paper cases.
Beat butter, sugar and essence in a bowl until light and fluffy.
Incorporate eggs, one at a time.
Fold in milk, cherry ripe chocolate (or coconut, cherries and chocolate).
With an electric mixer, beat in flours.
Divide mixture among cases and bake for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out cleanly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Chocolate Ganache:

Bring cream to boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in small bowl, stir until smooth.
Cover bowl; stand at room temperature until ganache is spreadable.

Decorations:

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler.
Tint it with food colouring according to your preference.
Make paper piping bags; spoon the chocolate mixture in and pipe coloured heart shapes onto baking paper-lined oven tray. Set in a cool dry area.
Wait for ganache to cool before setting the hearts on the cupcakes or the heart will melt from the heat.

Passionfruit Cupcakes

2008-07-16T20:17:00.004+10:00

As strange as this may sound, I'm quite unused to blogger now that I'm working more with Wordpress (on Happee Monkee) . I know it hasn't been that long but really, there is that awkwardness when you change systems like for example between a Mac and a PC. I found when I was using Mac, it was rather difficult to switch back to a PC and vice versa. Or it's like, you taking a different route to work - and after two months you switch back - wouldn't it feel a little strange? We're after all, creatures of habit.

I should declare this week to be Cupcake Week. We seem to have a pattern here. And did I tell you that I just bought a new cookbook? All about cupcakes, cheesecakes and cookies! I love it to bits. Before I go to bed, I read it to myself like a bedtime story. Well laugh if you want, but those pictures are really pretty and I want to go to bed in a happy state of mind.

Recipe by Julie Le Clerc

Passion Fruit Cupcake (makes 12)
—————————————————————–

75g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 small eggs
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp (2 fruits)
1 cup plus 2 Tbs self-raising flour

Heat oven to 180C. Grease or line 12 muffin pans with paper cases.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in passionfruit pulp, then fold in sifted flour.
Half fill paper cases with mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of one cake comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Passionfruit Cream Cheese Frosting
—————————————————————–

30g butter, softened
80g cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 passionfruits

Cream butter, cream cheese and icing sugar together. Don’t over beat the frosting.
Fold in pulp from one passion fruit. Mix well.
Swirl frosting on cupcakes. To decorate, squeeze some pulp on top.

Lemon cupcakes

2008-07-15T05:23:00.002+10:00

I was instructed to post something pretty. So here it is.

Lemon Cupcakes

(Yields 40 2oz cupcakes at 19gms per cupcake)

225 gms self raising flour

225 gms butter

225 gms sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Rind of 1 whole lemon (or more, if preferred)

Put everything in the bowl and beat on high. Try not to overbeat it as this will cause the batter to break. You want to stop when the batter is very fluffy and stiff.

Spoon batter into cupcake cases and bake at 180 Celsius for 20 minutes or till slightly brown.

You don't want to over bake the cupcakes as it was cause the cupcakes to be dry.

Once cool, mix a batch of buttercream and let your imagination run wild.

Finally, Eat.

notes: To make sure you get batter of nice consistency, try not to use butter that has been out too long. Butter that has been out too long will cause the batter to be slightly runny.

Use large eggs to ensure that the cupcakes have enough moisture.

Happee Monkee

2008-07-14T21:59:00.005+10:00

Hi folks, I've been working hard over the last 24 hours designing my new site: Happee Monkee.
It's now 80% done and not all the recipes on Twenty Something are there but I'm popping out my skin just to let you know about my very own slice of cyber world. :)
You will be able to view more of my work, photos and stories on Happee Monkee and trust me, there's still lots in me to be shown yet. Thank you for all your comments and support on Twenty Something, don't worry, I'll still be contributing to this site and keeping you updated about my adventures. Cheers! Mabs

Mushroom Chicken

2008-07-13T01:25:00.002+10:00

Aloha! My first post here! My mum went "Nah! Here's the ladle and the wok. The kitchen's all yours". That's how I started cooking. My family had to endured tasteless or super salty food for 2 months, but I managed to get it right after that. And that happened 9 years ago.

Yehhh... so I'm practically a veteran at cooking hurhur. But I don't know any recipes, nor do I refer to any. Too lazy. I'm a veteran at cooking simple and nameless everyday family dishes concocted with whatever ingredients available at that time. Used to cook everyday (*gasp) while I was loafing in uni but nowadays my job only allows me to cook on weekends.

So here's one of my very very simple recipes at home, Mushroom Chicken.

Ingredients (serves 4) :

Quarter chicken, preferably thigh and drumstick part.
Black Shitake mushrooms (5 pieces or more if you like)
A few slices of ginger
Soya sauce, dark sweet sauce, salt and pepper
Chinese rice wine

Method :

Soak the dry Black Shitake mushrooms for around 2 hours till they soften.
Chop the chicken into smaller pieces.
Marinate it with soya sauce, dark sweet sauce, salt and pepper.
Cut the mushrooms into thin slices.
Squeeze out the water from the mushrooms.
Heat up the wok and put in some oil.
When the oil is hot, throw in the slices of ginger and hear it crackle!
Once you smell the aroma of the ginger, throw in the mushroom slices and stir.
Pour in some soya sauce. The mushrooms will soak up the soya sauce and they will give out a nice mushroomy aroma.
Throw in the marinated chicken and stirfry.
Add in some water and close the lid.
Leave it to simmer for around 10 minutes. Open the lid to stir occasionally.
Open the lid and add 2 table spoons of Chinese rice wine and stir.
Off the fire and dish out to serve.

Carrots and Baby Corn Porridge

2008-07-12T21:16:00.010+10:00

What a tiring and stressful week. Both my youngest sister and my hubby are sick. Both have been sick since Tuesday. My sister was down and still is with cough and flu. And my hubby is down with viral fever, so his body temperature is going up and down like a yoyo from Tuesday till today. It freaks me out as this is the dengue season. Dengue fever dangerous it could be fatal as it reduces victim white blood cells. Fortunately, 2 doctors said my hubby does not have dengue symptom. *Phew.

My sister requested for carrot porridge. I thought that it is boring with just carrot in the porridge. So, I tested out this recipe. I add in baby corns and chinese cabbage. My hubby said it feels weird with the crunchy baby corn, as porridge should be soggy and soft. But they finished the whole pot. :)

Ingredients: (serves 5)
1 medium size carrot (peel off skin and cut into thin strips)
3 fresh baby corns (peel of the husks and cut into cubes)
3 leaves of chinese cabbage
1-2 slices of ginger (optional)
50g of thinly sliced pork or chicken meat
10 tablespoonful of cooked rice
1.5 liter of water
salt to taste

Method:

Add water and rice into a pot. Boil them at high heat for 10mins.
Add in the pork or chicken meat. Leave it to boil for 5mins.
Add in the carrot, baby corns, chinese cabbage and ginger. Leave it to boil for 5mins.
Then reduce the heat to medium - low. Continue boiling for another 30mins.
Constantly stir the ingredients to ensure that the rice (rice will be porridge at this point) does not stick at the bottom of the pot.
Depends on how thick you want the porridge to be, you can turn off the heat at your likings. Add salt to taste.
You can serve porridge with salted duck eggs.

Baked Chicken Parcels

2008-07-10T17:15:00.006+10:00

I live in a pretty nice neighbourhood. We've got a few parks around; trees on the sidewalk; a healthy Botanical Garden just a couple of blocks away and it's all quite breathtaking during autumn. Sometimes I wish I had a dog to walk. Minus the responsibility having to collect it's poop. I'll get Mr. G to do that. :D

My status on Facebook is currently: 'Mable is looking for keen dessert and cake eater.'
It's not that there's anything wrong with the stuff I make. The problem is really about me packing on the extra kilos. I love food but if I'm going to look like Michellin Man, I ain't going to be a very happy monkey.

I hate throwing stuff away. I take after my momma. Actually, come to think of it, both my parents are hoarders. No one throws stuff away. We're like a squirrel family. Anyway, I digress.

Where O where can I find nice people to give my food to?

Here's a two-minute recipe:
Baked Chicken Parcels (serves 2)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

1kg chicken drumsticks
75g oyster mushrooms or shitake mushrooms
3 stalks spring onions (cut into 3cm lengths)
Grease proof paper
Ginger, thinly sliced
Radish, sliced
Extra spring onions, sliced thinly, as garnish

Seasoning:

1½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp white or Chinese wine (optional)
1½ tbsp corn flour
1½ tbsp sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven at 250°C
Remove excess fat and skin off chicken.
Marinate with seasoning and leave for 2 -3 hours.
Mix in mushrooms and spring onions.
Cut grease proof into 12cm x 15cm. Fold into envelopes.
In each envelope, spoon in 1 drumstick, mushroom, ginger and spring onion.
Bake in baking tray for 40 – 45 minutes.
Serve with fresh radish and extra spring onions.

Get paid to review my post - Read here for more details.

Pear Tarte Tin

2008-07-09T16:00:00.007+10:00

I'm going to be a fatty but I don't care. This is mine! A-l-l mine. No one to share it with, no one to give it to. Mine! Mine! Mine! (Evil laughter in the background).

Besides it being so easy to create, this is simply delicious. The cream (whipped by hand - am so proud) blends beautifully with the acidity of the pears and the cinnamon just blows you away. You MUST eat it fresh, piping hot. Even if it meant that you had eat it all in one sitting - you must eat it just as you carry it out of the oven. Get your fork ready and GO!

Alright, alright, if you're afraid of third degree burns then wait 15 minutes if you must. After you've completely finished licking the plate, stand in front of the mirror and sing: I'm beautiful! I'm sexy! I'm strong!

Then you won't feel so fatty anymore.

Pear Tarte Tin (serves 6 or, 1, whichever you prefer)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* 100g butter, chopped
* 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 6 large beurre bosc or packham pears, peeled, cored, sliced into 12
* 2 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry
* 300ml double thick cream

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line base of a 20cm (base) round cake pan.
Melt butter in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle caster sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over butter.
Add pears, overlapping slightly so they fit tightly. Reduce heat to medium.
Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove cover. Gently shake pan. Cook, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes or until pears are almost tender.
Remove pears with a large metal spoon. Carefully arrange pears in a spiral pattern on base of cake pan, completely covering surface.
Simmer sauce in pan for 3 minutes or until it turns a deep caramel colour.
Pour sauce over pears so they are half covered. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Cut a 24cm round from each pastry sheet. Place on top of each other, gently pressing with rolling pin to secure.
Place over pears, pressing excess under pears (this forms a border to hold pears when you turn it out).
Bake tart for 30 to 35 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.
Stand in pan for 5 minutes.
Whisk cream, and cinnamon together until thick.
Turn tart out onto a 2cm-deep plate. Cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with cream.

Note: Tarte tatin is a famous French upside down tart traditionally made with apples. Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Get paid to review my post - Read here for more details.

Orange & Poppy Seed Cake

2008-07-08T19:51:00.010+10:00

I always thought poppy seeds were banned in Malaysia. The version I've heard is that the country has strict regulations against substances that may cause anyone to suffer from symptoms of extreme-happiness. Poppy seeds were one of them. So for the longest time, I've never had anything to do with poppy seeds.

Of course, this could be totally fictional and Mom might have been lying to me all my life but hey, all is well. I love Mom too much to care.

The recipe is from my bible: Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2. I'd borrowed it from my former workplace. But I now take that it was a gift. Again, I believe that I'm doing it justice by having its pages covered in batter. Better batter than dust I'd say. I'm sure Donna would appreciate that too. The eggs agrees ---

Orange & Poppy Seed Cake (serves 8 - 10)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1/3 cup poppy seeds
3/4 cup milk
200g butter, softened
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup shredded orange rind

Method:

Preheat oven to 160*c.
Place milk and poppy seeds in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Beat butter, orange rind, and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before putting in the next.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture.
Add orange juice, poppy seed & milk mixture into the batter.
Spoon into a 20cm round cake tin.
Bake for 55 - 60 minutes or until cook when tested with skewer.

Syrup

While cake is baking, place sugar, orange juice and rind in a saucepan over low heat.
Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Increase heat and boil for 5 - 6 minutes or until syrupy.
Pour half of the hot syrup over the hot cake.
To serve, cut the warm / cold cake and pour over remaining syrup.

Get paid to review my post - Read here for more details.

Review My Post

2008-07-07T20:47:00.007+10:00

You want to know something weird? You get paid for reviewing a post on my blog.

It's true, you get paid - $7.50 to be exact - for writing something on my blog in YOUR blog.

I know, it's crazy isn't it?

This is a new program by PayPerPost (PPP) which I was talking about a couple days back. When you click on the badge below and sign up with PPP, you get some extra cash. Ka-ching!

What do I get? Well... I get a review from you :D

So, how do we do this again?

Get Free Money (serves 1)
--------------------------------------------------
Ingredients:

A computer/ laptop
An internet connection
A blog
Some wits
A dog or a cat

Method:

Click on the badge below.
Sign up with PPP (free, and if you write about them, you get a further $20 - ka-ching, ka-ching)
Write a post on your blog reviewing a post on Twenty Something & Cooking (e.g. could be a recipe that you liked / disliked, something interesting I'd said... whatever)
In your post, please include a link to this post. (**Veryyy important**)
Give your dog / cat / fish a belly rub and wait for the money to pop into your bank account.

Too easy.

Click here:

The Chefs in My Life

2008-07-06T13:50:00.011+10:00

Since the day I was born, I have always been surrounded by food. My grandmother, or ah ma in Chinese, was the matriarch of her family. She was one lady not to be messed with. Mom and the uncles would reminiscence about the days how ah ma would punish them. If a child had misbehaved, Everybody would get it. Ah ma would make grandfather climb into the room at night while everybody was asleep, unlock the doors from inside so ah ma could go in and give a lashing they'd never forget.

Those post-war days were hard and food and money was scarce. The only way a little 5-feet-something woman knew how to bring her 10 children up was to discipline them with a cane.

Fortunately, for me, she was warm and loving to all her grandchildren. I only remembered good things about ah ma. Whenever she come and stay, she'd busy herself in the kitchen and incredible smells would be oozing out from the oven/steamer/stove.

Mom and almost all her siblings took after my grandmother (Note: and maybe a little bit of her temper). My aunts would sit around and talk about cooking like they were discussing world economy. I never had any interest in it, for me, it was bird chatter. But I like to imagine, a child's mind is like a sponge and we absorb things around us anyway and all the food-making chatter planted in me 20(something) years ago has finally blossomed.

My sister was the first to put the food talk into practice. And I believe of all the children, she is the best of the best. While she used to bake for us, she now bakes for her children and their friends. Seriously, those monkeys would eat nothing but her cookies. You'd have to pry their mouth open to eat anything else. Right now, she's Mom's apprentice. Mom's training her up so her monkeys will always know Malaysian food the way we do.

The men in my family loves a good cookout themselves. Dad's allowed in the kitchen only on special occasions because Mom doesn't agree with his style of cooking. Dad can also be extraordinarily fussy with his food. Many times, before the dish is finish, they'll end up blue in the face (which they're infamously known to do - and it's funny now come to think of it hehehe). My brother, helmet head in pix {3}, used to entertain during his bachelor days. Now with a toddler in tow, he lets someone else do the job.

Yes, so food, is in our blood and it's something I, too, plan to pass on to my future children. It's a passion worth keeping in the family and probably to anyone else who cares to listen. :D

{A word of appreciation to cousin A for sending me these lovely photos that otherwise might be forgotten}

A Penny for Your Post

2008-07-04T11:50:00.015+10:00

If you spend as much time as I do on the internet you'd start wishing for every time you logged on, someone paid you. Seriously, with all the oil prices going up, why not get paid to blog? Its good have some extra cash in your wallet to get around and get more groceries for your food blogging obsession.

I found out there was a website PayPerPost who pays bloggers for reviewing products or services. A blogger can be paid from $5 to $35 for one post. ONE POST! Isn't that fantastic? I don't know about you but I was jumping out of my pajamas when I found out (Yes, I do get excited very easily). Make your first blog post about PerPerPost itself and they will even pay you $20! (Just to give you an idea how much some of PPP's bloggers are paid, the all -time highest earners earns around $19,000 to $22,000)

I used to work in the magazine business. I never had time for myself or my family. My friends hardly saw me and well, let's just say it was a busy unremarkable life. It could be good fun and my bosses were great but when my mom got sick, it became clear to me that I could spend my entire life chasing stories and not have precious moments with my loved ones.

From then on I started looking for ways to have a fulfilling life. Life's too short to be not being there for your self, the people you care about and the miracles of life. So I chose to have time and time to spend doing things that I'm passionate about.

I love writing and photography. I certainly love food - eating and cooking it. This is what this blog is all about - following ones heart and throwing in something edible once in a while. And if someone wants to pay me to blog about my passions, wellllll... even better. :) I won't be one to complain.

Look at me. Getting all windy about my life. I got carried away like a reminiscing old granny. Anyway, go ahead and check it out. It could be for you, or it might not be. Either way, it's going to pay for my next food post :D (Apple Pie - recipe courtesy of a certain cousin).

get paid to blog

Come & Say Hi

2008-07-03T01:56:00.006+10:00

To all our readers,
Thanks for dropping by (we know you're there). We like to hear from you so please leave a message/ comment/ feedback after you've scrolled through our posts. We loveeee to hear from you so that we'd feel encouraged to blog some more - hey, everybody likes to feel appreciated once in a while. So don't be shy and drop us a note to tell us if you like our blog, or not. We can take constructive criticisms. :D

Let us know who you are and we'll be happy to drop by your blog. Thanks for coming by again and we hope you like what you see so far.

Happy Cooking!
Monkee

Rhubarb Berry Mandarin Crumble

2008-07-02T15:11:00.009+10:00

A friend of mine messaged me one fine morning: "I sprained my neck really badly and I can't move it. Can you take care of me for a couple of days?". I said, 'Sure.' I went off to the market and got some potatoes, meat, pumpkin and then I walked past some rhubarbs. 'Hmmm...' I heard myself think. Hmmm... rhubarbs are on the 'things-to-try' list. And after all those one days, some days, I think that one day has arrived.

I brought a bunch of rhubarb home and introduced it to my kitchen. 'You rest here tonight, tomorrow we will be busy', I said. I looked for a rhubarb recipe and thought, 'Perfect'.

This morning I got up excited just thinking about today's project. It's wonderful to try new things. It's like meeting a person for the first time and you don't know anything about them. That's how I look at new ingredients and recipes. Hopefully one day after meeting it more often, you become good friends. :)
Alas, in my haste & excitement I made so many mistakes, I want to bury my head in shame. I broke the cardinal rule of cooking. I didn't read the recipe carefully.

The recipe wrote: Sprinkle 1/4 cup caster sugar on the fruits.
What I did: Poured the full amount (1 3/4 cup ) on the fruits.

The recipe wrote: Combine eggs, flour, salt and remaining sugar (damn).
What I did: Combine eggs, flour, 2 tbsp sugar (blush) and butter.

Eventually, to rectify the mistake, I added an additional half-a-cup of flour to the mix and ended up with a doughy texture instead. The result, after 1 hour of baking, was actually... not bad. It's not exactly crumbly dry. Think, biscuit-cookie. Was it an over-kill with the sugar? Uhm... not if you add cream (like I did). It's quite good, a little watery which was probably due to the frozen berries but I kinda like it. (Note: If you like your Rhubarb Crumble the old fashion way, go here for the original recipe.)

The recipe below is only for the bold. Venture if you dare:

Rhubarb Berry Mandarin Crumble (serves 6)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients

* 1 bunch rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
* 1 cup mixed berries
* 5 mandarins, peeled and de-seeded
* 1 1/2 cup caster sugar + 2 tbsp
* Ground cinnamon
* 2 eggs
* 2 1/2 cups plain flour (if you're aiming for the same doughy consistency)
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 150g butter, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an ovenproof dish.
Combine rhubarb, berries and mandarins in the dish. Sprinkle with caster sugar and cinnamon.
Combine the eggs, flour, salt, butter and 2 tbsp of sugar in a bowl.
Scatter the mixture over the fruit.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until light golden.
It will be soft but will become crunchy on standing.

Mascarpone Berry Tarts with Caramel Sauce

2008-07-01T15:24:00.006+10:00

I was invited by Sophie from The Back Burner to participate in their July berry recipe contest. I served mascarpone on puff pastry last weekend and had heaps leftover. I have been aching to make tarts for some time now after that tart Mr. G and I shared months ago. It was an extraordinary strawberry tart from a local bakery and ... and ... sigh ... it tasted like a dream.

Speaking of dreams, I had a weird one last night. I dreamed that my family home became a huge swimming pool. OK, imagine Titanic but instead of a ship, it was a house. I was swimming in and underneath tables, chairs, passed the sofas and my mother. There was a lot of water. I remembered thinking in my dream, I can't swim, I should get out. Like I said, weirdddd.

Can anyone decode that?

Mascarpone Berry Tarts with Caramel Sauce (serves 3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 sheet of instant shortcrust pastry
500g mixed berries
1 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp
25g butter
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190*c/ 375*F.
Place a sheet of shortcrust pastry onto tart tins. Trim any excess pastry with a knife.
Remove pastry from oven and sprinkle 2 tbsp of brown sugar on the pastry and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Remove pastry from oven and leave aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put the remaining brown sugar and butter into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves.
When sugar has dissolved, add water and stir until combined.
Spread the mascarpone into the tart cases when it has cooled completely.
Arrange the berries on top of it.
Spoon the caramel sauce on top of the tarts and sprinkle with icing sugar to decorate.
~~Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving~~ Serve immediately.

Salmon Zucchini Quiche

2008-06-30T18:29:00.004+10:00

I had some friends over last weekend - it was a no-reason-eat-&-be-merry session and it was good fun. I really do enjoy having company over and filling up the apartment with good positive energy over a hearty meal.

When I was growing up, my parents constantly entertained. Cousins, aunts, close friends, truckload of relatives always seem to be pouring in from somewhere. My mom will be in the kitchen yelling at dad for mucking up her sauce (or one of us for stealing a piece of juicy, tender chicken). The house was almost never quiet. It was filled with noises and now that I live away from home, it does feel weird when it's becomes too noise-less.
Anyhoo, the salmon zucchini quiche was a hit and Mr. G even went as far as putting a price to the last slice, offering it to the highest bidder. Obviously, I put a stop to it. If someone should be making a profit over the food, it should be me. :D

Now for the recipe:

Salmon Zucchini Quiche (serves 8)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Instant shortcrust pastry
1/2 an onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 a zucchini, sliced
100g cheddar cheese
100g parmesan cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 a can of pink salmon (200g)
200ml tub creme fraiche
salt & pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190*c/ 375*F.
Place a sheet of shortcrust pastry on a 20 inch oiled quiche tin. Trim any excess pastry with a knife.
Prick the base all over with a fork and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove pastry from oven and brush with a little of the beaten egg. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and zucchini for about 4 minutes until soft and starting brown. Transfer into the quiche tin.
Sprinkle cheese evenly and top with the halved cherry tomatoes and salmon.
Beat the egg and creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake in the oven for 35 - 40 mins or until the quiche is golden brown and set in the centre.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-06-25T15:08:00.002+10:00

I'm not quite a cookie sort of girl. But (there's always a 'but') I do love Subway chewy chocolate chip cookies and I can never have enough of those. It's crunchy on the outside yet gooey chewy doughy on the inside. Yum!

I found this recipe on Baking Sheet and decided to give it a go. I must have baked it too long cos my cookie ended up crunchy. *sigh* I have to say, they taste great. They're the dunk-able sorts. The type you can soak in a glass of milk and eat it milky-soggy. Hmmmm....

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 18-24 large cookies)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled until just warm
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 160c (or 325F).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar.
Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture, followed by chocolate chips.
Arrange mixture unto tray and pat lightly so the cookie is an even thickness, not a ball shape. Cookies will spread as they bake and this ensures a more even spread.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until just turning light brown all over.
The edges should only be very slightly more brown, if at all, from the rest of the cookie.
Allow cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet.

When Did You Last Give Yourself Flowers?

2008-06-24T22:52:00.004+10:00

When was it? Last year? Five years ago? Never?
I used to have a housemate who bought herself flowers from time to time. Another girl and I thought, what a waste of money. To tell you the truth, I think we were just jealous.

Where's self-love in our society? You say self-love and someone goes 'What'd you say? Self-love? That's like kissing yourself in the mirror. Ewwww...'

Buy yourself flowers.

Don't wait for your/a man to buy them for you.

Life isn't going to wait for you till that happens.

A meteor might just hit you in the head.

Or somewhere worst.

So go, go buy yourself some flowers.

Go forth and be happy.

Super simple shortbread cookies: Part 2

2008-06-24T05:07:00.003+10:00

Technically, the recipe is complete. But I somehow felt it was slightly rushed. So here's the second part of the recipe.

Royal Icing Recipe:

2 Large Egg Whites
2 tsps Lemon Juice
3 Cups (330gms) icing sugar (sifted)
Gel food coloring of choice

In a clean grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice till it develops some body. Then, slowly add the icing sugar and beat on low speed till fully combined. If the icing is too runny, add more sugar till desired consistency is acquired.

Store the royal icing in an air tight container till its ready to be used.

*note: When piping on designs, its best that the royal icing not be too soft/runny to prevent the design from losing its shape. Gel colors are the best choice when coloring icing because of the intensity of the colors without compromising the consistency of the icing itself.

If, at the end of this recipe you still find yourself too lazy to bake your own cookies, feel free to order them from me. (Shameless plug)

Khmer Fish Curry

2008-06-23T14:27:00.001+10:00

This is my first food community project. Every month, Nicole from For the Love of Food has a foodie event called: Taste & Create. Nicole's job is to partner food bloggers and get us to cook something from our partners' blog. It's like picking a menu from a random restaurant but instead, we're our own chefs :) It's a pretty good way to cookcialize.

This month, my partner is Lauren from I'll Eat You. I decided to try her recipe for Khmer Royal Catfish. I was in Cambodia earlier this year to visit schools around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for disadvantaged kids. I had been working to collect digital cameras to be given away to the students so that they could take pictures of their day-to-day lives. The pictures were to be put into a book and sold to raise funds for the schools to buy computer and such. So off I went solo, to discover the humble people, their lovely manners and generosity (even though they had so little themselves) and their courage to move on from a bitter past (more about my visit here).

The minute I saw Lauren's post I knew I had to give it a go.
Note: I've changed the original recipe according to my taste buds and items I had in the fridge. Go here for the original Lauren's Khmer Royal Catfish recipe.

Khmer Fish Curry (serves 2)
--------------------------------------------------------

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 fish fillets (about 400grams)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
4 kaffir lime leaves, de-veined and julienned
1/2 cup water

for the paste:

2 tbs hot paprika
1 1/2 tbs sliced lemongrass
3 garlic cloves
2 medium shallots
5 kaffir lime leave, de-veined
2 tsp chopped ginger
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 cup water

Method
1. Put all the paste ingredients in a blender or food processor, combine till smooth and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok over med-high heat.
3. Fry the fish until golden brown. Set aside, covered, to keep warm.
4. Cook the paste and for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until aroma is released.
5. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar. Cook 5 minutes more, stirring constantly.
6. Remove from the heat and add fish. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Transfer fish and sauce to a platter, garnish with julienned lime leaves. Serve with rice.

Cauliflower Mix Vegetable

2008-06-21T20:59:00.011+10:00

This is my favourite dish. I can eat this whole dish by itself though it taste better with steam rice. The main ingredient is cauliflower. Together with carrots, the gravy tastes sweet and fragrant when fry with chopped garlic. The grey oyster mushroom blends in very well. Here is the list of ingredients

Ingredients:
(serves 2-4)

350g cauliflower (cut into small florets)
75g of carrot (sliced thinly)

50g grey oyster mushroom (cut into small cubes)
20g pork meat (sliced thinly)

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1/2 tablespoon of oil
2 tablespoon of water

Method:

Heat up pan or wok with oil in medium to high heat.
Add in the chopped garlic. Stir fry the garlic till turn golden brown. Then add in the sliced pork (you can replace pork with beef or chicken). Stir fry the pork for about 1min.
Add in the cauliflower and carrots. Mix the ingredients together.
Add in the water. Close pan or wok lid. Let it cook for about 1min.
Lastly add in the grey oyster mushroom and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. (You can replace the oyster mushroom with button or Champignons or cup mushroom).
Stir fry all the ingredients for about 1min.
Close pan or wok lid. Let it cook for about 5mins or when the cauliflower is quite soft.
Serve while it is hot.

Learning

2008-06-19T22:04:00.016+10:00

I'm not a very picky eater. However, there are certain things that I do not eat. One of them is tomato, especially the raw ones! Back home, I used to pick out the slices of raw tomatoes from my burger/sandwich and pass them to my dear friend, Gillie whenever we had meals together.

My family and friends would occasionally receive cockles from my plate of char kueh teow. If I were to eat alone, you would see a row of cockles lining up nicely around my plate as I picked them out while eating. :D

The only time I ate bananas was when I had banana split or banana fritters. Somehow, I never ate it on its own. And there is absolutely one thing that I do not eat. Egg yolk!! *yuck* The only time I had to eat it was when it's scrambled or steamed. That's just because I couldn't pick it out! *grrr*.

Ever since I came to Melbourne, I've learned to enjoy different kinds of food. Thanks to my guinea pig and cooking experiments, I've become more adventurous and started trying food that I did not fancy in the past. I've begun to use tomatoes in my cooking. They actually taste quite good! In fact, nowadays I have them raw too. ;) Gillie will not be getting slices of raw tomatoes from me anymore. :P

For the first time in Cheeky history, I actually finished the salted egg yolk in my ba chang (made with Monkee) the other day. It's not too bad. I wonder why I didn't like it in the past. I guess I shall be eating the salted egg yolk from my mooncake (to be made with Monkee? ;)) in the future too! At the moment, I think I'll still say no to runny egg yolks! *run*

Eggplants, baked beans, oranges.. I'm slowly learning to like them. And maybe, just maybe, I might try some durians when I go back to Malaysia for a holiday trip. haha.

One thing still puzzles me though.. why would someone who eats everything, refuses to eat celery? I like it. Hmmm..

Is there something that you do not like to eat as well?

Quote of the day ~ Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today and Hope for Tomorrow ~

Ba Chang

2008-06-19T12:31:00.008+10:00

When I called home last weekend and spoke to dad, I told him about this experiment. He excitedly told mum and I could hear mum in the background reprimanding dad for lying. I can understand her skepticism really because you see, a long time ago, I, the little one who's always up to some mischief; the grudging, grumpy house elf - swore that I would never cook.

So to attempt this, personally, is no small feat. And I'm also going to show you that if this monkee can do it, so can you.

Ba Chang or Zong zi is a triangular-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped with bamboo leaves and stuffed with varied ingredients. It's also a good thing that this is only made once a year because I can imagine it is quite a pain to do it daily. (I realized, amidst my curses over my messy wrapping, how much I miss my mum.)

Ba Chang - which is translated from the Hokkien dialect as 'meat dumpling' - is a festive food usually serve in mid-June to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. If you can't be bothered to make this and still love to try some, you can usually find them in good old China town.

I should note here that I was not alone in making this. I had two extra pair of hands and I must thank them for being such good kitchen helpers. Because I was tied to stove most of the time, I couldn't be bothered with the photos. Mr. G and cheeky were brilliant. Patiently, chopping up the ingredients and documenting the making of ba changs. If I'm not mistaken, the video Mr. G is working on will soon be done. So thanks guys, for all your hard work. :)

Now, for the recipe:

Ba Chang (makes about 20 - 22)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1kg glutinous rice
Bamboo leaves and hem/ raffia string for wrapping

Filling:

400g belly pork or de-boned chicken meat
150g dried mushrooms,
200g dried chestnuts
10 salted egg yolks
100g dried prawns - soak in warm water, remove the impurities then chop into small pieces.
100g split green peas

Method:

{Overnight}

Heat a large pot of water. When water starts to boil, place bamboo leaves and hemp strings in. Make sure bamboo leaves and strings are fully immersed in water. Continue boiling for 10 minutes. Turn fire off and let bamboo leaves and strings in water overnight. Remove leaves and strings from water before you need to use them.
Soak glutinous rice, beans and dried chestnuts overnight.
Marinate pork overnight with 2 tsp of five spice powder, 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp rice wine, pepper

{In the morning}

Dried shrimps and chinese mushrooms can be soaked the next day as they turn soft relatively fast.

{The day itself}

Pork:

Heat oil, saute shallots and garlic until fragrant
Add pork. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add dried shrimps, chestnuts, mushrooms. Stir well and set aside.

Rice:

Heat oil, saute shallots and garlic until fragrant.
Add rice, stir fry for 5 to 7 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp five spice powder, 1 tbsp dark soya sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. (If you feel that it needs more seasoning, go with your gut instincts)
Stir thoroughly till heated through. Set aside.

{To Wrap}

Take two bamboo leaves, make them overlap slightly and fold into a cone.
Put 1 tbsp rice into the funnel base.
Add 1 tbsp filling and a piece of salted egg yolk.
Add beans in.
Cover with some more rice.
Fold leaves over rice to form a triangular prism.
Tie with hem/raffia string.

{Cooking}

Boil a large pot of water and add 2-3 tsp sea salt.
Drop the bundles of dumplings in and boil for 1 1/2 - 2 hours over medium-slow fire.
Top constantly with boiling water to maintain level of water at all times.
When cooked, remove the dumplings and hang to dry.

Note:
Dumplings can be stored in freezer for at least 1 month. Steam or microwave dumplings before serving.

Baked Eggplant with Miso

2008-06-18T17:56:00.004+10:00

I've heard a lot about eggplant with miso or nasu dengaku from my flatmate, Mr. P. Mr. P's pretty fabulous at dishing up some Japanese cuisines, especially when he entertains. However, my first encounter with the eggplant dish was at my favourite Japanese restaurant, which had proper Japanese chefs instead of Cantonese-spewing Hong Kong men.

The frustrating fact that I've heard so much about it and have never tasted it (Mr. P confessed he's made it twice before - when I'm not around) made me pretty determine to order the damn dish. And he was right - it is good and I absolutely love it!

I was very excited when I saw it in the weekend newspaper. I had an eggplant lying in my fridge for weeks and this was the perfect chance to use it. I've adapted the recipe to suit one eggplant rather than eight. So, feel free to adjust the proportions according to your gastrointestinal capacity.

Baked Eggplant with Miso (Nasu Dengaku)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
serves 2

2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
1/4 cup white miso paste
1/3 cup sugar
1 large eggplant, halved
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c.
Combine the mirin and sake and cook for 1 minute on low heat.
Add the miso paste and whisk until dissolve.
Add sugar and stir consistently until sugar has completely dissolved.
Make criss-cross markings on the eggplant with a knife (it'll allow heat to penetrate and cook the vegetable quicker).
Heat oil in pan. Cook eggplant until slightly brown.
Remove and brush miso mixture on eggplant.
Bake eggplant for 20 - 30 minutes or until the eggplant starts to blister and caramelize.
Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Spicy Sticky Date Pudding

2008-06-18T11:03:00.006+10:00

It's winter and there's sticky date pudding in the air. Any time to have pudding is always a valid reason, yes? I've adapted this recipe from Taste.com.au and added spices to it. Being Malaysian, I do enjoy my share of spices. It adds a lovely twist to anything.

I mean, what is life really without that? A twist. A twang. A zing. A zang.

There are some days I like my taste buds un-teased for example, vanilla ice cream. It's soothing. Comforting. Simple and plain. And whenever I feel it needs a little zhwoosh - I add 'stuff'. 'Stuff' like cherry liqueur, cherry ripe chocolate and macadamia nuts, or, like the one you see here is: Tim Tam chocolate, almonds and Kahlua . It's up to your imagination. As for me, it's always play time in the kitchen. :D Enjoy!

Spicy Sticky Date Pudding (serves 8)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* 250g pitted dates, chopped
* 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
* 1 1/2 cups boiling water
* 120g butter, softened
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1 3/4 cups Self-Raising Flour, sifted
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar
* 1/2 tsp mixed spice

Caramel sauce
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 300ml thickened cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 60g butter

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a cake pan (I used a loaf pan, but that's entirely up to you).
Place dates and bicarbonate soda into a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold through date mixture and flour until well combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn onto a plate.

Caramel Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Corn Soup with Pork Ribs

2008-06-16T00:10:00.006+10:00

This is a pretty simple soup to make. You just need to get 2 sticks of fresh sweet corn, 300g of fresh pork ribs (nearer to the spine), 2 liters of water and 2 teaspoon of salt. I manage to get the bicolor (yellow and white) sweet corn. It is taste sweeter but it is more expensive than the yellow sweet corn.

Here is the making process:

Remove corn husks and clean corn with water. Cut corn into halves.
Rinse and clean pork ribs with water.
To remove pork smell and excess fat, boil a pot of water just enough to cover the pork ribs.
Once the water boil, place pork ribs into boiling water for 1min. Drain ribs and put aside.
At medium to high heat, boil 2 liters of water. Put in the pork ribs.
Once the water with ribs boils, put in the corns.
Wait for about 5 mins or once the water boils, reduce heat to low to medium. Leave soup to boil for 40mins.
Add salt last and turn off the heat.

That's it. It is that simple !

Memory Box

2008-06-14T22:53:00.005+10:00

Not so long ago, I'd reformatted my laptop and unfortunately, wiped out a very important folder. Somehow I had forgotten to backup an album that contained several valuable pictures of my family. There are few things that are precious to me and pictures are on the top of the list. Once lost you can never regain them. They're gone forever.

I had but a few very old ones. Now that they are all that I have, I hold them very close to me. I've been editing a few so I can send them to the printers. It's good to have them physically - for good measures.

This is a picture of my niece taken probably two years ago. She's a gorgeous little one. Here's another one of her when she's grumpy like a troll:

That's my brother - Mr. M. She's his pet. He's now daddy of a 9-month-old tod. So he has no time for his French cookbook - you know, the one I 'borrowed' and never to be returned.

Rice Noodle Soup with Spinach

2008-06-14T00:23:00.021+10:00

We have hot weather here in Penang, Malaysia for the past few days. My husband is feeling a bit sick. So, I have decided to cook rice noodle soup. This is a simple meal and easy to cook. It takes about 1hr to prepare the ingredients and finish cooking.

Ingredients:

400ml water for soup

2pcs of chicken drumsticks (or if you prefer 200g chicken fillet)

75g of 1/4in chunk carrots

60g of spinach

50g of diced grey oyster mushroom

3pcs of fish cake cut into halves

150g rice noodle/rice vermicelli/rice sticks

Method:

Boil 200ml water in medium high heat. Add in the rice noodle when water is boiling. When water reboil, turn off the heat. Drain off the water and let some cold water run over the noodle. Set aside.
Use another medium sized pot to boil 400ml of water in medium high heat. This is to make the soup.
Add in the chicken drumsticks or chicken fillet and the chunk carrots.
Once the soup boil, add in the spinach and diced grey oyster mushroom. Leave it for a few minute till water reboil.
Lastly, add in the fish cakes and leave it till water reboil.
Add salt to taste. Turn off heat.
Put rice noodle into bowl. Dish out the soup ingredients and soup into bowl.

Strawberry Cheesecake

2008-06-13T22:41:00.004+10:00

I apologize for my absence this last week. I was taking it easy. Letting my baking thumb chill a bit. But I'm back and I hope you didn't miss me too much. Let's start with a brand new week shall we?

I've never made a cheesecake in my life. So this was a nerve-wrecking experiment for me. If it wasn't scary enough, it was for Mr. G's birthday dinner. And if that wasn't gut-wrenching still, his entire family was there to play food critic. Gah... the pressure.

So here's a fool-proof recipe for those who:
a. Need a cheesecake in under an hour
b. Need a cheesecake that is both 'healthy' (O come now, strawberries are good for ya!) and tasty
c. Need a cheesecake to impress

This is sure to hit all dings.

Strawberry Cheesecake
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 1/2 cups sweet biscuit crumbs

70g butter, melted

500g block Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water

2 tbsp of lemon juice

500g punnet strawberries, halved

1/4 cup strawberry jam

2 teaspoons water

Method

Combine biscuit crumbs and butter, press into base of a lined and greased 20cm spring form pan; chill (or, put it in the freezer for 10 mins).
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice and beat until smooth.
Fold through the gelatine mixture. Pour into prepared base, put it in the fridge for 3 hours or like me, 40 mins in the freezer to set.
Heat strawberry jam and water in the microwave for 30 seconds or until runny. Cool.
Arrange sliced strawberries over the cheesecake, brush with glaze and serve.

1000 Apologies

2008-06-12T04:31:00.000+10:00

My fingers were itchy.

Blame it on overactive flea-bitten monkey fingers.

In my honest enthusiasm to re-decorate the blog, I deleted some 'minor' details that was previously attached to it like, for example, other food blogger links *eep*

So, if you like your link to be put up under "Other Food Bloggers"- write us a comment under this post and we'll put it up. I promise to chain my itchy monkey fingers. It'll behave. You won't see any fiddling around again ... well, at least... not so soon.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Gomenasai.

Super simple shortbread cookies

2008-06-03T05:07:00.000+10:00

My first recipe on this blog is going to be a simple one. The recipe is so simple, you'll be baking cookies in your sleep!

I love this recipe because it's not too sweet, doesn't ask for hard to get ingredients and it tastes oh so yummy! It's also great for decorating with royal icing to be given out as gifts or as favors.

Without further ado, here's the recipe.

Once chilled, thaw outside for 5 - 10 mins till dough is soft and roll it out flat. (as thick as you wish the cookies to be) Cut out shapes from the dough or you could just form balls and flatten onto a lined baking pan.

Set oven temperature to 180 celcius and bake for 20 mins or till golden brown. (Cooking time may vary depending thickness of cookies)

Once chilled, they may be eaten as is, or decorated with royal icing.

This recipe yields 18-20 5 inch cookies. Recipe may be halved.

Mushroom Soup & Spinach Pesto Toast

2008-06-02T16:08:00.000+10:00

I reasoned, that the difference in my cooking between my early twenties and, ahem, not-so-late twenties is that I challenge myself to use more natural produce. Sure, I cheat once in a while - cubed chicken stock here, canned fruits there... but these days, I prefer wholesome, fresh, straight-from-the-cow stuff. It could do well because I've got time on my hands but I'm also valuing my health more.

We're all guilty of the instant food days - instant noodles, instant rice, instant coffee - it's no wonder we're instantly losing our minds. All rush and no fresh food makes Jane quite insane. Perhaps, my one of my values in this blog is to inspire every twenty-something out there to take the time and simply enjoy your food.

Food is not just food. It's not just to fill up. It's about nourishing your soul in the company of friends, family, partners, lovers and even your self. It's about the process. Cutting, stirring, kneading, dicing... putting energy and love into making the food... it's a relationship. It's a dance. It's therapy.

Today's food for thought: Life's short. Take time and smell the pesto.

P.S.: If you're wondering about the Baked Caramel Custard. It was beautiful, thanks.
Okay, okay, Mr. G and I finished it all up before I could take any photos of it. I'll make them again and shoot them just for your sake.

Mushroom Soup (serves 4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 tablespoons olive oil
20g butter, chopped
1 large onion, chopped roughly
5 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
2 cups flat mushrooms diced
4 cubes vegetable stock (3.8g each)
4 cups of water
1 cup thickened cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil and butter in a saucepan.
Throw in onion and garlic. Cook, stir until tender.
Add mushrooms. Stir often and leave to cook until soft.
Pour in water. Partially simmer for 20 minutes. Add cubes of vegetable stock.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.
Process soup in batches until well combined. Return to stove.
Add thickened cream under low heat.
Season with salt and pepper and finally, serve.

Spinach Pesto Toast
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6 cloves of garlic, chopped (if you're afraid of garlic breath, reduce to *4 cloves)
4 tbsp of water
225g spinach, blanched
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of natural seed mix with pine nuts
25g grated Parmesan cheese
sour dough bread

Method

Process nuts, garlic and water until nuts are chopped.
Add small amounts of basil and spinach alternately with oil. Process until smooth.
Slather a slice (or how many you'd prefer) of sour dough bread with some butter. Put in the griller for about a minute.
Spread the pesto on the bread. Add some cheese. Return to grill.
Remove bread when cheese has fully melted.

Note: Store leftover pesto sauce in a screw-top jar and cover with a little olive oil and sea salt for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

*Chicken

Bircher Breakfast

2008-06-02T08:56:00.000+10:00

After the night's sugar fest, I thought a healthy breakfast is called for. I've had this a couple of times at cafes and it's my absolute favourite. It's really easy (that's what this website is all about right?) and cheap to make. Just throw everything in overnight and it's almost ready by morning. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

Bircher Muesli (serves 4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup grated Granny Smith apple (skin on)
1/2 cup strawberry yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup chopped strawberries, sultanas, coconut, pineapple
1 tablespoon slithered almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds

Method
1. Place oats, sultanas, coconut, pineapple, seeds and nuts in a container.
2. Add apple juice. Stir to combine.
3. Refrigerate overnight.
4. When ready to serve, stir in grated apple, honey and yoghurt through muesli.
5. Spoon into bowls. Top with strawberries. Serve.

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2008-05-30T17:19:00.000+10:00

That's quite a mouthful isn't it? This is a cross between a butter cake and ... a lemon. It's from Mr. M's French cook book (yes, the one that I 'borrowed'). And I should have guessed, somehow, that it would be a big cake. How big? Well, let's put it this way, after I put the cake in the oven, there was still some leftover batter to make 12 cupcakes. So if you don't have an army to feed, please cut the recipe down according to your belt size.

My kitchen resembled a war zone with lemon cream cheese plastered all over the wall, my shirt, the sink, the floor, the cupboards, the kettle, the cups and much, much more. This is of course is probably due to my lack of skill - or perhaps, lack of equipment. One should not attempt this with a hand held mixer. I wish I had me one of those beautiful Kitchen Aid Artisan stand mixers (vocabulary input thanks to google).

The girls and I are heading out for dinner tonight and leaving the boys at home. I've made this cake and Tim Tam Kahlua ice cream for dessert. Seeing that it's going to be a cold night, we're having hot spicy cocoa with marshmallows. It's pure evil. I know. But an All-Girls'-Nite deserves this. We're worth it. ;P

A girl friend and I had a conversation about weight (as women do) and she said to me, "No one ever gets fat from enjoying food" (She heard that on Oprah). "It's usually a deeper meaning - a more emotional and psychological reason - why people reach out for food especially during in a stressful situation." I, too, read somewhere that, we equate food to love and whenever we feel 'unloved' - whether by parents or partners, we reach out for the next available thing - food. Hence the term "comfort food".

What's your vote on that?

Baked Lemon Cheesecake
----------------------------------------------------------
450g unsalted butter, softened
3 cups self-raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp salt
3 cups caster sugar
250g cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, room temperature
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence

The Method
1. Preheat oven 160c. Butter tins.
2. Whisk flour, zest and salt together.
3. At medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy for about 5 mins.
4. Add cream cheese. Beat till smooth. Reduce speed to low.
5. Add eggs, one at a time. Incorporate one egg before you beat in another.
6. Beat in flour in 3 batches alternating with lemon juice and vanilla.
7. Pour batter into baking tins
8. Do the smell and skewer test i.e. when the scent of lemons fill the room, it's time to test it with the skewer.

Albert & Alfred

2008-05-28T15:18:00.000+10:00

I have a pair of resident pigeons which I've adopted as Albert and Alfred. I don't know which is which and for all I know, they could be Alberta and Alfreda. Every day they'll be sitting by my windows coo-ing. (Cheeky thinks that the tree is sort of like a birds' lavatory. They perch. They poop. They fly.) Lately, we've taken to putting breadcrumbs on the window sill. Okay, okay, I've taken to putting breadcrumbs.... (Mr. G said not to make it a regular thing. He thinks they look overweight as it is). Since pets aren't allowed in the apartment and the birds are in their natural habitat, I don't think I'm breaking any rules here.

Pumpkin Rice

2008-05-28T13:13:00.000+10:00

I woke up hungry. Unfortunately for me, my fridge was having a Old Mother Hubbard's day. All I could see was half a butternut pumpkin, half an onion and a couple of garlic cloves. Oh thank you Lord!

Now, if there's one thing you must know about me, I love my pumpkins. Seriously. They're yummy. They're healthy. They're the one of the most blessed vegetables God made in this world that can be transform into about anything you put your mind to. (Need a car? All you need is a pumpkin and call 1800-fairygodmother).

Food Commandment: Thou must not walk away from the stove and chat to your sister about food blogs because you might end up with burnt rice.

Pumpkin Rice (serves 2)
----------------------------------------------------------
2 1/2 rice cups of brown rice or wild red rice
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 a butternut pumpkin, cubed
1/2 a onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of ginger, slivered
1 tbsp of soy sauce
5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water
fried shallots to garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a pot, when hot, throw in the garlic, onions and ginger.
2. When fragrant, add the butternut pumpkin and leave it for *5 minutes.
3. Add rice and 3 cups of water. Salt and pepper to taste. Leave for 10 minutes.
4. Stir the rice and when most of the moisture is gone, add the soy sauce and mushrooms.
5. Leave for another 15 minutes or when rice is cook.
6. Garnish with shallots and serve hot.

*Note: I believe that's how long I took to do the dirty dishes.

Lazy Hints:
An alternative and unsupervised method is to cook it in the rice cooker. Follow until Method 2. Then put the rice, water and pumpkin into the rice cooker and press 'Cook'. *Bing-Bada-Bing!*

Teddy's Challenge #2

2008-05-27T21:11:00.000+10:00

This week, Teddy says I must make Baked Caramel Custard.

Caramel Custards and I go a long way back. Not like I've made them ever but because I ate them long before I've known how. My first encounter with Caramel Custard was when my sister made it. I must have been 8 or 9. My sister baked a lot then - and even now. I've probably mentioned before that she's the in-house baker. I'm usually the in-house eater and occasional food critic.

Back to Caramel Custards. I loved the eggy smoothness, the smell of caramel lingering in the bowl long after it's down the gastro pipelines. Every time I see Caramel Custard on the menu my heart beats a beat faster, my stomach growls a notch higher and it brings back memories of how sweet the very first contact was... the long furtive glances. The slightly opened mouth. The moist feelings between the lips. And eventually, the satisfactory *sigh*.

Now, making it... hmmm... that'll be an interesting experience.

As Simple As ABC

2008-05-26T14:01:00.000+10:00

I love bread. Very much. I was practically living on bread when I was a uni student. (The good old days) hehe. I ate bread everyday until my friends said that my cheeks were as chubby as buns! :P Anyways.. recently, I've been having sandwiches for lunch almost every other day at work. That's because it's simple to prepare! (in other words = I've been lazy). At the moment, I'm not getting bored of it.. yet. ;)
Here are 2 simple ideas for sandwiches:

Ham & Cucumber Sandwich
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Ingredients
- Bread
- Ham
- Cucumber
- Margerine
- Mayonaise

Method
A. Spread margerine on bread
B. Add ham and cucumber slices to bread
C. Add mayo!

I was trying to be creative and came up with my own dessert sandwich:
Nutella Banana Sandwich
----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients
- Bread
- Banana
- Nutella hazelnut spread

Method
A. Spread nutella on bread
B. Add banana slices to bread

The result:

You should really try the nutella banana sandwich. It's so simple and yet it tastes amazing! You can have it as breakfast, lunch or even dessert! ;)

Oh yeah, if you have any simple ideas for sandwiches, do share! :D

Quote of the day ~ Happiness comes from within ~

Cooking with Monkey

2008-05-26T13:06:00.000+10:00

I must be allowed to rave about this blog. When I first saw it I went berzerk! I thought it was absolutely brilliant and original. Monkey writes very well for a primate. It was funny (understandably), witty (why, of course) and intelligent (naturally). Thanks Monkey for letting me blog about you. Friends have always told me that one day, I'd have a monkey army... this could well be the beginning of it.
Visit monkey at Hi Monkey!

Saturday Breakie Beans with Sausages

2008-05-25T13:40:00.000+10:00

For the longest time, I remember baked beans as mushy beans soaked in gooey diluted 'tomato sauce' in a can. Dad used to make bake beans with meat patties every night for dinner whenever mom went on teachers' training - which I'm glad didn't happen very often.

I was rummaging my pantry and found some food stuff that looked interestingly unexplored such as polenta and a variety of dried beans. And because now I'm 'all grown up' and not afraid of experimenting with things I previously held my button nose high and away, I decided to make some baked beans with sausages for breakfast.

And you know what?
I've totally fallen in love with the dish. :)

It's an absolute yum, and although Mr. G reckons the beans could have been boiled a tad softer, I like a texture to bite into (*brr* mushy beans). We'll rate this a 4.5 out of 5 (Mr. G says a 4 because he says it's a little too spicy).

Saturday Breakie Beans with Sausages
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200g borlotti beans (soaked overnight)
200g kidney beans (soaked overnight)
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 cumin powder (gives out a smoky flavour)
400g can diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs HP Sauce

Your favourite sausage from the deli. I used spicy pork sausages, and for Mr. G, a herb beef sausage.

Method
0. Boil the beans in a pot of hot, slightly salted water for 30 minutes (or more if you like your beans to be softer).
1. Pan fry the sausages over medium-high fire. Slit the sausages so that it cooks well-done inside (it's a rude shock to bite into some raw bits). Swab the oil from the sausages with absorbent paper from time to time.
2. Set aside the sausages when it's cooked.
3. Add the onions to the frying pan until onions are translucent.
4. Throw the garlic in.
5. Add paprika and cumin. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Add the diced tomatoes, sugar, the rest of the sauces and beans. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Return sausages to frying pan. Serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley.

Ugly Black Forest with Chocolate Ganache

2008-05-24T14:17:00.000+10:00

My brother, Mr. M, loves black forest cakes. Or so I think anyway. Whenever it was his birthday, my parents would always get him a black forest cake (Hmm... come to think of it, maybe he didn't have a choice).

I have to say that this did not turn out the way I would like it to. I was complaining to Mr. G so much he said, well, why don't you just call it an ugly black forest cake? And so it should. If I had it any other way, I would go back and improve on the method of the cake. The cake tasted fine but it was rock hard. The ganache did good for the cake. And I would have liked more kirsh in it. It was a time-consuming recipe and I would like it fluffier. It's back to the drawing board with this one.

If you have a black forest cake recipe that is to die for, please, please, let us try it. And if you have any tips on how to cut a cake into perfect halves - do please let me in to the secret. I'm dying to know.

Black Forest with Chocolate Ganache
----------------------------------------------------------

2 1/4 cups (340g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
350g dark chocolate, chopped
250g butter, chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream
1/3 cup (80ml) kirsh
300ml container Pure double thick cream
2 x 425g cans stoneless black cherries, drained

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 22cm round cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
Combine 2 1/4 cups (340g) self-raising flour, 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar and 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder in a large bowl.
Melt 200g dark chocolate, chopped and 250g butter, chopped in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
Add to the flour mixture with 3 eggs and 1/2 cup (125ml) milk. Spoon into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
To assemble the cake once it is completely cooled, melt 150g dark chocolate, chopped and 1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool slightly and thicken. Alternatively, place the chocolate and cream in a large heatproof microwave bowl. Heat in the microwave on medium/50 per cent power, stirring every minute until melted and smooth.
Cut the cake in half horizontally, brush both cut sides with a 1/3 cup (80ml) kirsh.
Lightly whip 300ml container Pure double thick cream.
Place the bottom piece of the cake on a serving plate.
Spread the cut side with the cream.
Top with 2 x 425g cans stoneless black cherries, drained.Top with the remaining cake.
Spread over the ganache.

Recipe from: Taste.com.au

Spicy Vegetable Soup

2008-05-21T16:49:00.001+10:00

A couple of months ago I took up a friend's invitation to go on a 10-day meditation retreat. If you've never been to one, and might be thinking about it, I suggest that you try it. It was the most mentally and physically challenging exercise I've done in a long time and I've discovered that many of us don't like our own company very much. (After ten days, you'll have a whole different perspective about your self - in a really good way).

We were served two meals a day with simple, wholesome dishes. The simplicity of the food brought out the flavours of the ingredients. It tasted alive! It might have been the fresh air or the peace that surrounded us but everything was vibrant and delicious. (My taste buds was at its happiest).

One of the dishes I enjoyed (and thought most about) was the vegetable soup. The original recipe wasn't spicy but I've made it hot and perfect for a cold autumn's night. The can tomatoes adds a sour tang to the soup while the vegetables gives it some natural sweetness. What you'll get is a rustic and hearty hot, sour and sweet soup.

I'm extremely pleased with this recipe and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Spicy Vegetable Soup (serves 6)
----------------------------------------------------------
8 cups of water
2 cubes of vegetable stock (10g each)
1 tbsp of sea salt
2 fistful of barlotti beans; 2 fistful of lentils; 2 fistful of black eye beans; 2 fistful of red kidney beans
3 large spuds, cubed
1/4 of butternut pumpkin, cubed
1 leafy vegetable
1 large onion, diced
1 zucchini
1 can (400g) diced tomatoes
1 tsp rosemary; 1 tsp thyme; 1 tsp cumin; *1 tsp hot paprika
1 tbsp of olive oil

Method
1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and saute until tender for a couple of minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, beans and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer.
3. When the soup boils, throw in the vegetable stock and sea salt.
4. Stir in pumpkin and spuds. Wait for approx. 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the chopped greens and zucchini. Wait another minute.
6. Throw the spices in. Let the soup simmer for approx. 10 minutes.
7. Ladle into bowls, and serve with crunchy, fried shallots.

*Note: If you're not too keen on the heat, reduce the amount of hot paprika to half.

Apricot & Mango Yoghurt Cake

2008-05-21T11:44:00.000+10:00

To break the chocolate spell (and a break before attempting the blackforest) I decided to do a fruity. The original recipe called for just apricot but I thought: "Why not be greedy?" The result? Absolutely soft, moist cake with bits of chewy apricots and juicy mango.

As a little girl, I used to sit under one of the seven mango trees in my parents' garden and pluck one drooping ripe mango, peel of the green leathery skin and bite into the sweet orange flesh. The sour yellow semi-ripe mangoes, we'd make a salad or dip in a dark caramelized spicy peanut sauce - giving it a sour, sweet, spicy, nutty flavour. I know it's hard to imagine but it is absolutely delicious.

The yoghurt in the recipe, I believe keeps the cake moist and milky. I really like this recipe and will definitely try it again.

Apricot & Mango Yoghurt Cake
----------------------------------------------------------
* 425g can mangoes halves, drained
* 125g butter, softened
* 8 dried apricots, chopped finely
* 1/2 cup caster sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
* 250g apricot and mango yogurt
* 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Grease base and sides of a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) springform cake pan.
3. Sprinkle the coconut and arrange mango slices at the bottom of the cake pan.
4. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Stir in flour and yoghurt until well combined.
7. Add the chopped apricots and stir with a spatula until well combined.
8. Spoon the cake mixture into prepared pan. Smooth surface.
9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Weekly Assignment

2008-05-19T23:08:00.001+10:00

Mr. G has left an assignment for Teddy. Teddy is to give me a weekly challenge. This week (after much negotiation), Teddy has informed me that I am to make Black Forest Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

Stay tune for that folks!

Food of Love

2008-05-17T21:01:00.000+10:00

Mr. G has been away on work for seven weeks and believe you me, I've been feeling deprived on love and affection. I proposed to Mr. G that we should have a weekend with just the two of us. And I thought, why not have a picnic? Mr. G happily agreed. (Of course this is my blog and when I say Mr. G is happy, Mr. G is happy)

Monday was beautiful. Thursday still fine.

Saturday? Damn rain.

But my mother didn't call me a stubborn cow for no reason. No rain's going to spoil my parade. Nu-uh. I want my picnic and I want it today! So even though it was spitting rain, we got up and armed ourselves with green grocer bags and went off to the fresh market.

I love markets. The sights and sounds are dazzling. The taste... ahh... spectacular. As for the day's menu, I settled for baked curry chicken wings, triple decker avocado chicken sandwiches and banana bread pudding.

So this weekend, it's bonus weekend. More recipes and more pictures! And you don't have to thank me, I had an absolutely astounding time.

Baked Curry Chicken Wings (feeds 2)
----------------------------------------------------------
500g of chicken wings
2 tbsp of curry powder
1/2 tbsp of cumin
salt and pepper

Let's Cook!
1. Preheat oven to 240c.
2. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper, curry powder and cumin.
3. Rest the wings for 15 mins.
4. Pop it into the oven.
5. Bake for 45 mins. Be sure to check and turn them over after 25 mins or so.

Triple Decker Avocado Chicken Sandwich
----------------------------------------------------------
500g chicken fillet
salt & pepper
1 avocado, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
lettuce, shredded
one small carrot, shredded
6 slices of bread

Let's Cook!
1. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Let it snooze for 15 mins.
3. Pan fry chicken fillet on low-heat flame. Turn after 5 minutes.
4. The chicken's cook when clear juice runs as you slay it with a knife through.
5. Dice the bird into cubes. It looks better in squares anyway.
6. Toast the bread, butter one side, pile as much lettuce as you like, add avocado and carrots.
7. Sandwich another slice of buttered toast on, this time pile on tomatoes and diced chicken.
8. Finish it up with one more slice of buttered toast.
9. Cut the crust off and half the sandwich.

Banana Bread Pudding
----------------------------------------------------------
6 slices of raisin loaf
3 eggs
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla essence
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided in half
1/2 teaspoon fresh, finely grated ginger root
2 tablespoons Kahlua or rum

The Joy!
1. Cube the bread, put it in a bowl with the Kahlua and milk and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, ginger and spices.
3. Mash the bananas and combine all ingredients together.
4. Stir into a lightly greased baking dish and bake at 325 degrees.
5. It's good to go when the edges are golden and skewer comes out nearly clean (same test as for cakes).
6. Cool and serve with whipped cream.

Before I baked, I was more of a... cook. I made breakfasts, lunches and dinners but never, ever, did I bake (unless it came in a box and all you had to do was cheat). As fate would have had it, the main reason why I've shifted into baking mode is because pictures turn out decent in day light. I can't for the life of me, make dinner pictures look good in incandescent light (OK, whatever those orangy mangly lightings are). So, my question to anyone is, how do I take night foodography without big flashy photographer lighting?

(Note: Mr. G and I drove to the beach and sat in the car, looking out into the ocean, munching our sandwiches, sipping on white wine and listening to tracks on his ipod. We sat in each others' company, chatting, enjoying the view and loving each other with chicken juices running down our chin. Ah, what a perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday).

One Pot Rice

2008-05-16T20:40:00.000+10:00

Have I ever mentioned that I'm lazy? No? If you haven't noticed, I've only been cooking really simple dishes. It doesn't take more than 30-45mins time for me to prepare and cook a meal. ;)

There are also days when I'm really really lazy, where I don't do any cooking at all. However, it doesn't mean that I'll eat out. I just need to prepare some easy ingredients and simply throw everything into a rice cooker and let it cook for me! *lol*

So, on one of those days, a recipe like this comes in handy:

One Pot - Chicken Rice
----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 1 cup of Rice
- 1 Chicken breast fillet
- 8 dried chinese Mushrooms
- 1 stalk of Spring onion
- 1 small piece of Ginger
- Garlic
- Soy sauce or salt
- Oyster sauce
- Sesame oil
- Dark soy sauce

Method
1. Wash and add 1 cup of rice into a rice cooker
2. Cut chicken fillet into bite size pieces
3. Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce or salt
4. Chop garlic finely
5. Cut ginger into thin slices
6. Cut mushrooms into slices (make sure you soak the dried mushrooms much earlier)
7. Add chicken, garlic, ginger and mushrooms into rice cooker
8. Add water - the usual amount for 1 cup of rice + extra (adjust accordingly to the additional ingredients)
9. Add salt or soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil + dark soy sauce and mix everything thoroughly. (I added according to my own estimation - no fixed measurements here)
10. Turn on the rice cooker and let it do its work while you enjoy your favourite tv programme, book or food blogs!
11. When it's cooked (you can smell it!), add finely chopped spring onions and serve!

*Note: It might take a little longer than usual to cook because of the extra stuff you've added to the rice. By the way, you can also stir fry the chicken and mushrooms with garlic, ginger and the sauces before you add them to the rice cooker, that is if you're not lazy and want the chicken to have more flavour. You can even add some veges to it if you want a more balanced meal (I take the spring onions as my vege! *chuckles*). Feel free to improvise on it. There are no fixed rules for cooking! ;)

The result:

I call this the one pot rice. :D It's simple yet tasty and filling. Although I might get lazy sometimes, I still managed to add another post to this blog! *grin* Looks like I'm not that lazy after all! or maybe I've started improving! ;)

Quote of the day ~ You will see it when you believe it~

Autumn Brilliance

2008-05-12T21:36:00.001+10:00

Last weekend, Cheeky and I were at the Botanic Gardens. We were taking portrait shots of A&A for their coming wedding. It's not something we do often... in fact, it was our first. Cheeky helped with the reflective boards and while she wasn't, she took some amazing shots of autumn around us.

My favourite seasons has to be autumn and spring. Colours burst at natures' seams. I believe they are Mother Nature's best works. We wanted to share these with you so you can enjoy her latest work. It's nothing short of breathless.

Flourless Orange Chocolate Cake

2008-05-11T17:22:00.000+10:00

Happy Mothers' Day to all the mom's out there. Special note to my sisters: Michelle, Bee, and, especially of course, my mom, for being such incredibly awesome women! You've done a wonderful job bringing great kids up into the world (which means also, me).

This cake was pretty easy, however, no flour means a longer baking time. Mr. G and family had some for tea and Mr. G couldn't resist having seconds even when his mom was saving it for dessert later tonight.

As usual, I'd improvised. The original recipe was without orange (or cream and Cointreau) so you can omit the orange juice and zest and replace it with two (2) tablespoons of vanilla extract instead. You can also add some nuts like macadamia or walnut. They would go well. I would say be bold and go wild with this cake. There's plenty of ways to make it your signature cake.

Flour-less Orange Chocolate Cake
----------------------------------------------------------
280g of dark cooking chocolate, chopped
250g unsalted butter
5 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
juice of an orange
zest of an orange
300ml double cream
3 tsp Cointreau or orange liqueur (optional)

The Fun
1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. Lightly butter the baking tin and sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar around the tin and shake off excess.
3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double pan until smooth. Stir frequently.
4. Beat the eggs (one by one) in with the sugar until fluffy.
5. Add cocoa, half the juice and 3/4 the zest (keep the rest to decorate).
6. Slowly add in the chocolate mix.
7. Pour into baking tin. Tap gently to release air bubbles.
8. Place cake tin in a roasting pan covered 3/4 inch up with boiling water.
9. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour.

The Cream Top
1. Beat cream till thick and ... you know... whippy.
2. Spread on cake.
3. Add zest, orange juice and liqueur.

Have small dosages of the cake first because it's truly rich. So rich that you'll be blessed with an extra inch to your tummy, hips, hair, arms (put wherever applicable). But hey, if you think it's bad... that's why it's awesomely good.

Something About Nothing

2008-05-08T19:54:00.000+10:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamnt of watching fluffy ballerinas in their pointy pink shoes flying on stage, jumping like African antelopes into the arms of some equally agile creature with buns-of-steel (Note that the buns-of-steel idea came after puberty). I dreamnt of living in a foreign land and seeing foreign things that would set sparks in my head. New smells. New sights. New experiences. New wonders. I wondered what it would be like to be sitting under a tree that had shades of red, ocra, magenta, burnt orange and bright yellow. I imagined days sitting in front of a fire on a cold winter night.

... And two blokes in front of me talking about football.

Well, not really the latter. Just happens that my flatmate's walked in with his mate talking in ... a very foreign way. Strange to my ears obviously. Normal to this country.

I'm happy. Very happy. There's much to be thankful for. Good family. Good partner. Good friends. Good wine. Good food. Oy, there's lots to be thankful for.

Sure, things don't always work my way but you know it usually works alright in the end. I don't know how. I don't know when (and trust me, sometimes I wish I do know when). But life works in an amazingly interesting way. This blog did. Well, me baking. Pfft. That's really weird. But I'm happy. Take good care people. I hope you're happy too.

Love,
Monkee Girl

Miso Fried Rice

2008-05-07T21:24:00.000+10:00

I like Japanese stuff. Japanese language, music, anime, drama, pretty boys, sakura, cute toys (domo-kun rocks!), colourful vending machines.. everything! Oh, especially Japanese food! All the yummy snacks, instant noodles, ramune, sushi, sashimi, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, unagi-don, katsu curry, bento, etc. Yums! The list goes on and on. ;)

I was out having dinner with my friends at a Japanese restaurant the other day. Instead of having the usual unagi-don, I've decided to order the unagi fried rice (I like unagi!) because I wanted to try something different. That was my first time eating unagi fried rice and boy, it was delicious! Then, it got me thinking.. it's cool that they have unagi fried rice, why not have miso fried rice too?

Say, has anyone ever tried miso fried rice before? Yes? No? So far, I've not seen it in any Japanese restaurants that I've been (not that I eat out often :P) I wonder how it would taste like? Since miso soup tastes nice, I think it should taste good too! Anyway, with that thought in mind, I've conducted another experiment in my kitchen. *grin* And this is the recipe that I've created:

Miso Fried Rice
----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 1 cup of Rice
- 200g Minced Pork
- 2 small packets of instant Miso soup paste
- 2 Eggs
- 1 stalk of Spring onion
- 1 small piece of Ginger
- Garlic
- Soy sauce or salt

Method
1. Cook 1 cup of rice in a rice cooker (you can also use left over rice)
2. Marinate minced pork with soy sauce or salt
3. Finely chop garlic, ginger and spring onion
4. Fry garlic and ginger in a pan till fragrant
5. Add marinated minced pork and stir through together
6. Dilute miso paste with a little bit of water in a bowl
7. Add miso mix into pan and stir through together
8. Beat eggs in a bowl and add to pan
9. Add rice and stir everything together (make sure you stir everything thoroughly and consistently so that the rice won't stick to the pan)
10. Add salt or soy sauce to taste
11. When it's done, serve in a bowl and sprinkle with some finely chopped spring onions

You can also choose to add any vege of your choice (e.g. lettuce - finely chopped) to the ingredients.

Taa daa! The result of my experiment:

I had a very satisfied guinea pig! ;) Enough said. Try it yourself today.

Quote of the day ~ The more you 'pass on' to others, the more you keep for yourself ~

Green Tea Cupcake

2008-05-07T19:09:00.000+10:00

Hello, I'm writing this post at Mr. T's place because my laptop is in the workshop as we speak. A couple of weeks ago, it lost its voice. I thought the 'sore throat' would go away but Mr. G eventually work out it might be a hardware problem. So it's at the doctors having it's tonsils removed. Apparently, it's all ready to come home so I'm relieved. How lonely my days have been...

Anyhoo... it hasn't stopped me from baking.

Got tired of the usual chocolate and cheese so I thought I made something 'different'. The result? Milky yummy cancer-fighting cupcakes! Dessert that's good for you! Whee! We need more of those in the world.

Now, for the recipe.

Green Tea Cupcake (Makes 12)
----------------------------------------------------------
175g butter, softened
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
85g instant green tea powder
3 tbsp milk

The Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160c.
2. Cream sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until fluffy.
3. Add flour and eggs. Beat till smooth.
4. Add green tea powder and milk.
5. Line a cupcake tray and fill the cup 3/4 full.
6. You know it's ready when you can smell cupcakes in the air. Seriously. But for an idiot-proof method, skewer it and if it comes out clean then it's done.
7. And if you think those holes are unsightly, then frost it with basic icing.

Twentysomething Notes:
Creaming the sugar and butter together gives cakes and cupcakes a lighter, fluffier texture. Its like biting into a cloud thereafter. I also used an instant green tea drink mix that had non-dairy creamer and sugar. If you're using green tea powder without sugar, then add an additional 1/2 cup sugar to the recipe.

Curry Makes My Day

2008-05-02T20:20:00.000+10:00

Being a Malaysian, one cannot live without curry! Or maybe it's just me. ;) I've been having a meal of pipping hot curry every other week, be it curry chicken, curry laksa, katsu curry or anything curry. It always feel good to have a warm plate/bowl of curry meal, especially on a cold weather day here in Melbourne.

I still remember the first time I attempted to cook curry chicken. It was a disaster. First of all, I bought the wrong curry powder. I didn't know there's so many different types of them! Next, I used a little too much of it. *blush* No prize for guessing what happened to the dish. *bluekz* Amazingly, it was still edible in the end! hahaha. But my tummy didn't feel like having curry for the next few weeks. Lesson learned.

Recently, I went shopping at the local asian grocery and came across a packet of ready made chicken curry paste. The brand was Tean's Gourmet and it was made in Malaysia. ;) So it has to be good! Craving for curry, I had decided to buy it and test power in my kitchen. Again, I didn't have a recipe for the dish, but this is what I did:

Curry Chicken
----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 1 Chicken breast fillet (cut into bite size pieces)
- 4 medium sized Potatoes - medium size (cut into cubes)
- 10 Tofu puffs (cut into halves)
- 1 packet of Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry paste (bought from the asian grocery)
- 1 can of Ayam brand Coconut milk
- Garlic
- Soy sauce or salt

Method
1. Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce or salt
2. Finely chop garlic
3. Fry garlic till fragrant
4. Add chicken and stir through together
5. Add curry paste and let it simmer for awhile
6. Add potatoes and tofu puffs
7. Add a little bit of water and let it simmer till the potatoes are soft and chicken pieces are well cooked
8. Finally, add coconut milk and stir through gently
9. Turn off heat and let sit for a few minutes
10. When it's done, serve with rice or bread!

Anyway, this was the result of my experiment:

What do you think? ;) Thank goodness for the invention of ready made curry paste! Now I can enjoy curry whenever I feel like it! I highly recommend Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry paste. It's yummy! Try it yourself today! :)

Quote of the day ~ Worry is a waste of imagination ~

Ginger Tiramisù

2008-04-30T12:17:00.000+10:00

For your benefit, I must tell you that I'm getting hooked to this blog. I'm constantly thinking of baking, cooking, ingredients, new china.... It's like, every morning I wake up and I need my daily dose of food-blog-fix!

I told Mr. G that I get all pumped up just thinking about what to do next; how to make it look pretty; figuring out the best way of photographing it and then putting it on display. (I get so so so so excited when another food blogger drops by and leaves a comment - it's like there's some sort of kinship going on).

This is a really easy recipe to follow. But don't soak the biscuits too long or else you'll end up like mine... in the bin.

I also have to warn you, you don't want to share this with too many people. Why not? Well, let's just say I didn't have trouble finishing this on my own.

Ginger Tiramisù
----------------------------------------------------------
600ml thickened cream
3/4 cup coffee liqueur like Kahlua
250g Ginger Nut biscuits
grated chocolate or cocoa powder, to garnish

The Method
1. Whip cream until soft peaks form.
2. Pour coffee liqueur into a flat dish.
3. Place biscuits into the dish, soak it for 5 seconds on each sides. (Be careful not to soak it too long)
4. Take one biscuit, spread a tablespoon of cream, then sandwich another biscuit on top.
5. Turn biscuits on the side and continue to layer until you have a log.
6. Smooth the remaining cream over the top and sides.
7. Refrigerate for a few hours for a crunchy texture or longer for a softer dessert.
8. Garnish with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.
9. Sit back with a love letter and spoon in. Purr, baby, purr!

(Note to Mr. G: Happy Anniversary honey!)

French Chocolate Cake

2008-04-28T21:24:00.000+10:00

What I like do on some nights is to snuggle up in bed, warm and toasty, in my cosy PJs, with a recipe book or two. It is quite comforting especially when Mr. G isn't there to provide me the same service. In bed with my cooking books is almost therapeutic. Gorgeous pictures; fascinating words; fresh, everyday ingredients; I'm as happy as a cat with a saucer of cream.

This recipe is from a French recipe book I stole from Mr. M. I'm sure he won't miss it much. He's hardly got any time to cook anyway. Besides, I'm putting it to respectable use. Poor thing. Never quite understand why people don't use their cooking books.

It's also perfect because I received a 'thank-you-but-no-thank-you' email from a 'prospective' employer (which I was quite keen on) so my spirit fell into self-pity mode. I needed a challenge and comfort. A rich, generous, soothing and delicious suitor to seduce me to a place where rainbows, pink bunnies and fairies lives. This recipe was definitely a worthy experiment. It's more than I usually bother.

It takes a bit more work but all work of effort is a work of art. And I have the proof looking at me on my kitchen bench, smelling like heaven. Sweet mother of sugar, this is one cake you want to bottle up and spray on whenever you need a lift. (And bless those French, they really do know a thing or two about food).

French Chocolate Cake
----------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup caster sugar
280g dark chocolate, chopped
125g unsalted butter, softened and chopped
2 tsp vanilla essence
5 eggs, separated
1/4 cup of flour, sifted
3 tsp of instant coffee* (optional)
pinch of salt
3 tbsp of caster sugar, set aside
cocoa powder to dust

The Work
1. Preheat oven to 160c.
2. Butter round baking tin and coat with caster sugar. Knock excess off.

3. Put the chocolate, butter, instant coffee and sugar in a bowl over a pot of hot water. Keep the heat low to medium-low. Stir until smooth.
4. Remove from heat and add vanilla essence.
5. Beat egg yolks into chocolate mix; one by one. Make sure it's thoroughly blend in before you add the next sunshiny yolk.
6. Stir in flour. At this point, the runny mixture will turn quite solid but don't panic! The following steps will guarantee a crusty, chewy exterior but soft and moist insides:

7. In a clean (no grease, totally dry and dustless) bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy.
8. Increase speed, add salt and beat until peak forms.
9. Add 3 tbsp of caster sugar into the mixture. Continue beating until egg whites are stiff and glossy.
10. Fold in the chocolate mix.
11. Pour mixture into baking tin and tap gently to release any air bubbles.

Time:
I won't say how long it'll take to bake the cake. Once the room starts to smell like Charlie's Chocolate Factory, check it with the good-ol' skewer test. It'll take time for this darling to cook so keep watch of it from time to time.

Let it cool and let it sink. It's meant to be. Then, dust liberally with cocoa powder.

Plum Cake

2008-04-25T12:47:00.000+10:00

Hello, so I see you've met our other twenty-somethings. They take good photos and most importantly of all, they love food.

I should mention a few things about my baking mannerism. I don't follow recipes. Or at least, I don't follow it to a T. If I feel that the batter (ooo yes, I taste them before I bake 'em) isn't sweet enough I add a necessary amount of sugar. If I feel it's too runny, I add more flour. So you get the idea. Like Nadhirah says, if you want sure fire solid recipes, she's your gal.

But me? I'm your 'screw-those-recipes' type. Go with your instincts. If you mess up, you know what not to do next time. Easy.
As long as it taste good (and if you're cooking to impress, looks good) that's all it takes.

So time for the recipe:
Plum Cake
----------------------------------------------------------
100g butter
1/4 caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 milk
4 small plums sliced thickly
1 tsp of cinnamon sugar
1 tsp of nutmeg

Method
1. Preheat the oven at to 190c.
2. Place fruit face down into a plate of brown sugar.
3. Line round tin with baking paper.
4. Arrange fruit in tin.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it.
6. Cut 10g butter into cubes and place on top of the fruit.
7. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream till light and fluffy.
8. Add egg, flour, nutmeg and milk into the mix.
9. Spoon unto the fruit.
10. Bake for 45 - 50 mins or until skewer comes out clean when tested.
11. Let it cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Note: If you're serving it after dinner, and it's been in the fridge, cut out a slice, microwave it (I hate those things but they do zap fast) for 50 seconds and serve with a generous (LIKE A WHOLE DOLLOP) of vanilla ice cream. Feast on it!

Note 2: Be creative and experiment with other fruits like apples, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, pear, peaches yada yada yada....

Nasi Lemak

2008-04-25T04:08:00.001+10:00

For my first food post, it shall be on my first attempt at cooking nasi lemak!

Nasi lemak has always been one of my favourite dishes. Back at home, dad would always buy nasi lemak for breakfast on weekends. It is a routine on weekends, where dad would wake up very early in the morning to go for a jog in the park. Sometimes, I would join him (when I'm not too lazy to wake up early). On his way home, he would stop by a little stall by the roadside to get our weekly fix of nasi lemak. Since he is a regular customer, the makcik who operated the stall would give us extra portion of goodies e.g. ikan bilis, sambal, etc. My nasi lemak was always drenched in lots of sambal! Yumsss! Oh, how I miss the nasi lemak back home! (I miss the morning jogs with dad too)

Just a few weeks back, I had a craving for nasi lemak. With much determination, I have conducted an experiment in my kitchen. I don't have a proper recipe for it, but this is what I did:

Nasi Lemak
----------------------------------------------------------
Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 1 cup of Rice
- 1 can of Santan(Coconut milk)
- 1 can of Sambal ikan bilis(dried anchovies in hot spicy sauce)(bought from the asian grocery) - I know it's cheating, but.. :P
- 4-6 Chicken drumlets
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cucumber
- Peanuts/groundnuts
- Kentucky fried chicken powder

Method
1. Cook rice with coconut milk in a rice cooker
2. Boil eggs and cut into halves when done
3. Coat chicken drumlets with Kentucky fried chicken powder and fry them till golden brown
4. Roast peanuts/groundnuts till brown in pan
5. Cut cucumber into thin slices
6. Heat the sambal ikan bilis in a pan
7. When all is done, serve the santan rice in a plate with all the side dishes

This is a simple way to cook it. It was more of an experiment for me. There are many other side dishes that can be served with nasi lemak. I'm a simple person. A lazy one. So, at the moment this is enough to feed my craving! The result of my experiment:

What do you think? Well, canned food can't go wrong. *lol* Personally, I think it was a success. Even my guinea pig liked it. Mom, I did it! Now, I don't have to go out to eat nasi lemak anymore! And cooking is kinda fun! :D

Psst: Note that I didn't provide any proper measurements for the recipe. I usually use the ingredients and adjust the taste according to feeling because I have this bad habit of not tasting my food when I'm cooking :P

Quote of the day ~ Love the life you live and live the life you love~

The Third Twenty-Something

2008-04-25T01:54:00.000+10:00

Hie!

I'm the third twenty-something. I've never been one to cook or bake much. Till 2 years ago when I decided on a whim that I would bake for a living. Fast forward 2 years later, here I am. I still don't cook much but I haven't stopped baking since. I bake mostly everything. From cakes, to cookies to pies. I can't say I am innovative as I'm quite worried about screwing things up. So I normally follow recipes to the T.

So If you're looking for daring one-of-a-kind recipes, please refer to the other two twenty-somethings down there. If you want sure fire solid recipes, I'm your gal.

Oh, I also have a almost 2 year old. (This is me giving excuse for not posting much in the future, upfront)

Another Twenty-Something Meets The World

2008-04-25T00:16:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone! I'm another tweenty-something. Today marks my first entry in the blogging world! *bow*

This is my first attempt at blogging. Hmm.. we shall see how long I can keep up with it, for I have been known to many for being lazy.

There's a first time for everything. And for the first time in my life, I have began cooking!

I've been running some experiments in my little kitchen, trying out simple recipes (appreciating simple things in life) and creating some of my own (disasters - don't worry, no deaths reported so far!)

After discovering the wonderful world of food blogs, I've been inspired to share my experiments here :)

So, watch out world! One more twenty-something's gonna cook up a storm! (or not) :P

Quote of the day ~ Sharing is caring ~

Apricot Cupcakes

2008-04-24T16:49:00.000+10:00

Another twenty-something and I were in the mood for some cupcakes. In fact, she's been in the mood for cupcakes for ten years. While we were sweet-young-things (SWT) i.e. in college, I made her a batch of apricot cupcakes and for years after that she has been pestering me to re-bake them. I ran out of excuses and decided it was time to pay my dues.

The recipe isn't quite the same, but it does the effect (i.e. eyes roll back, lips pursed, followed by, waves and waves of satisfaction).

Apricot Cupcakes
----------------------------------------------------------
5 cups self-raising flour, sifted
2 cups caster sugar
375g butter, melted, cooled
2 cups milk
5 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 dried apricot, finely diced

Icings (if you, like me, require a daily sugar fix)
500g packets pure icing sugar
2 passionfruit, pulp removed
1 lime, rind finely grated, juiced

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Line the muffin pans with paper cases.
3. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
4. Mix butter, milk, egg and vanilla. Pour into the well.
5. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine.
6. Fill paper cases with mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Passion fruit icing
1. Sift 1 1/2 cups icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons passion fruit pulp. Mix well.
3. Resist temptation to lick icing and spread on cup cakes.
4. Allow icing to set (yes, leave the icing alone!).

Lime icing
1. Sift 1 1/2 cups icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Add lime rind and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix well.
3. Resist temptation to lick icing and spread on cup cakes.
4. Allow icing to set.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie

2008-04-24T15:21:00.000+10:00

I made this for my flat mate's dinner date. Well, anyhoo, it was an excuse to bake something (I'm looking for work so while I wait I'll bake). I have to say that it turned out interestingly, OK. I hadn't expected that because I had bought the wrong sort of cheese and it was watery and I had to think fast on how to save the sinking ship.

I must have done something right because it was YUMS! and no one has died yet.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie
----------------------------------------------------------
brownie base
185g butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa butter, sifted
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour. sifted

cheesecake
285g cream cheese, softened and chopped
4 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 eggs

Method
1. Preheat the oven at to 160c (325f).
2. Place the butter, cocoa, eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Spoon into 20cm (8 in) square slice tin (buttered).
4. Mix cream cheese, sugar and eggs until smooth.
5. Place over brownie mix and swirl with a butter knife.
6. Bake for 45 - 50 mins or until skewer comes out clean when tested.
7. Let it cool.
8. Breathe in the rich, chocolaty aroma that floats in the room.
9. Dust with icing sugar and savor with pride.

Twenty Something & Cooking

2008-04-24T14:16:00.000+10:00

I'm twenty-something. I'm out of the house. Which means I'm armed with a wok, a pot, and a baking tray. Watch out world! This could be a disaster.

I speak for all the 'struggling' twenty-somethings out there, who are out of the nest and into a frying pan. Learning the ropes of stir-fry, pan-fry, pot-fry and hand-fry.

I'm constantly looking for new and, let's-never-forget, easy recipes to try. Anything that takes too much of preparation is out the window.

I'm twenty-something. It means I'm impatient, I'm economical (not cheap) and I want it to taste damn good.

About me:
I did some food styling for a magazine years ago because the editor thought it was a good idea to:
(a) cut cost
(b) exploit my creativity

Of which, I must say despite the whines and complains, enjoyed tremendously.

So now, having read and inspired by all you food bloggers, I'm going to do something radical - put my two-cents worth of kitchen adventures for the world to see.

Get ready to salivate!