Steam Chicken with Essence of Chicken by Angeline Lim

Ingredients

4 Chicken Drumsticks - cut into 2 like my pic

1 Bottle of Essence of Chicken

12 to 14 red dates

1 tablespoon wolfberries

Some coriander for garnish

Can add other types of herbs like dang gui but my kids don't like it to be so herbal

Or add shiitake mushrooms - sliced thinly

Marinade

Salt

1 piece ginger about 1 inch finely grated

2 tablespoon chinese wine

Method

Rinse the chicken, trim off the fats & pat-dry. Season with marinade for 30 minutes.

Place the marinated chicken in a shallow dish for steaming.

Arrange the red dates, wolfberries together with the chicken. 

Cover with foil and steam for 15 minutes

Remove from heat and pour in the essence of chicken, cover back the foil and steam again for another 15 minutes or till cook

When cooked, remove foil and serve immediately. Garnish with coriander.

Chicken and Brocolli Risotto By Ivy Teo

NOTE
Ivy cooked the cheesy risotto based on Wolfgang Puck's recipe above except she used chicken and broccoli instead of mushroom and reduced the servings to 2.

Recipe Link http://www.freep.com/article/20140220/FEATURES02/302200014/rice-cooker-mushroom-risotto-wolfgang-puck

Serves: 4


Ingredient
½ pound assorted fresh mushrooms, such as shiitakes, chanterelles, Portobellos, cremini, or regular cultivated mushrooms
1½ cups Arborio rice, rinsed in a strainer and drained well
2 tablespoons olive oil
2½ to 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste, divided
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving


Method
With a damp towel, wipe the mushrooms clean. With a small, sharp knife, trim off tough or dirty stems. Then, cut the mushrooms into thick, uniform slices.

Put the rinsed and drained rice in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir well to coat the rice evenly. Put the rice in the rice cooker. Add 2 cups of the broth along with the wine, and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Stir well.

Close the lid of the rice cooker and press the “Cook” button. Cook for 20 minutes, and then switch the control to the “Keep Warm” setting.

While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously, until the mushrooms are juicy and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Taste and, if necessary, adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper. Set aside.

Carefully open the lid of the rice cooker. Stir in the sautéed mushrooms, ½ cup of the broth, the butter, parsley, and Parmesan. The mixture should have a creamy consistency; but, if it does not, stir in up to another ½ cup of the broth. Continue stirring for about 1 minute longer; then, taste and adjust the seasonings again, if necessary.

Spoon the risotto into heated wide, shallow bowls or soup plates. Serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan at the table for anyone who would like more.

Vegetarian Wu Kok/ Yam Puff by Alicia Gan

Yam Dough Ingredients:
600g Yam
115 wheat starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp five spices powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
115g Vegetable shortening
1/2 tsp Ammonium Bicarbonate
210 boiling water

Filling:
3 tbsp canned green peas
6 tbsp canned bake beans (may strain the sauce from the bean or leave it as it is but try to reduce it to avoid wet filling)
200g vegetarian layer meat or veg. roasted pork belly (chopped)
3 Chinese mushroom (soaked, chopped)
3 water chestnuts (chopped)

Seasoning:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp five spices powder
1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1/2 tsp pepper

Method:

1) To make yam dough, peel the yam & cut into stripes. Steam until cook and soft, about 40 mins.

2) While waiting for the yam to cook, prepare the filling.
Heat up 2 tbsp oil, stir-fry all filling ingredients until fragrant. Add in seasoning, stir well. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch solutions. Stir-fry until slightly dry. Dish up & keep aside.

3) Remove yam from steamer/wok, mash into paste when still hot. Combine wheat starch with boiling water, knead to form a cooked dough. Combine with yam paste. Knead well. Add in the rest of ingredients & knead until form into smooth dough.

4) Divide the dough into 50g each portion. Wrap each dough with enough filling & form into ball shapes. Make sure wok is hot with enough oil to deep-fried yam puff until crispy and golden brown. Dish up and drained. Ready to serve.

For Recipe link. http://aliciavegehut.blogspot.sg/2014/05/vegetarian-wu-kok-yam-puff.html?m=0

Spicy Sweet Sticky Korean Chicken by Angelin Goh

Ingredients
some minced garlic and minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon black pepper,salt to taste

3 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon apple cider/white vinegar 

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1-2 tablespoon brown sugar(add more if u find sauce not sweet enough when u r cooking)

 sesame oil few dashes

korea chilli paste 3/4 tablespoon   

 

Method
Marinated chicken with some lime juice,fish sauce and olive oil ..coat with potato starch mix with rice flour for crispiness n airfried 25min 

fry the garlic n ginger first then add rest of sauce ingredients ,after the sauce has boil ,off heat n coat in the chicken,sprinkle with peanuts or sesame

Churros by Angeline Goh

Ingredients

a cup of water

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt,

 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 cup plain flour

coating is cocoa powder (can use cinnamon ) n sugar 

Method

 

cook water,oil,sugar and salt in a pot till they boil

off heat and stir in sifted flour n baking powder(it will form a hot dough)

using big star nozzle n piping bag(recommended non disposable. .its stronger,i burst few of the plastic ones)

pipe into length u like and fry in hot oil till golden brown

coat with cocoa powder n sugar,serve warm

Pandan Buns by Norazlina Shukor

 

 

 

Recipe: 

 Made 35 buns
(Using breadmaker Kenwood BM260 to knead and proof the dough)

Starter dough:
250g bread flour
2g (1/2 tsp) yeast
170ml water (room temp)

Main dough:
40ml pandan water (boil water with 5 pandan leaves for 5 mins & let it cool. Need to boil more so that u can get 40ml for the dough)
25g coconut milk (pkt one)
3 egg yolks
100g sugar
1 tsp salt
25g milk powder
170g bread flour
2 drops of green colouring (I subs with 1/2 tsp pandan paste)
75g unsalted butter
4g (1 tsp) yeast

Topping:
Evaporated milk
sesame seeds 

Method

 1. Starter dough : Mix bread flour, yeast and water until well combined. Leave it to rest for an hr (or until double in size).
2. In bread maker, put in pandan water, coconut milk, pandan paste, yolks, sugar, salt, bread flour, yeast. Let machine knead for 2 mins (until the ingredients are well combined) add the starter dough in small pieces. Let machine knead for another 2 mins then add butter. Let machine does the kneading and proofing job for 1.5hrs.
3. At the end of the program , divide the dough into 25g each. Flour your hands and shape them into a ball and place them 2-3cm apart on a baking pan. Make sure u grease the pan otherwise it will stick to your pan and u will tear the buns trying to pull it out.
4. Leave to rise in a warm place for an hour.
5. Apply milk-wash, sprinkle sesame seeds and bake for 18-20 min @ 170c until risen and golden.
6. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving

Cold Cucumber Salad by Angelin Goh

 

Ingredients

 

3 ~4 japanese cucumber ,scrub clean the skin with some white vinegar ,cubed it with skin on ,seeds parts sliced off.set in strainer to dry 

Black vinegar 2 tablespoon

Light Soy sauce 1tablespoon

Sugar 2 tablespoon 

Peppercorn or chilli flakes optional 1/2 teaspoon... i added some chilli padis

Sesame oil 1tablespoon

garlic cloves 3-4 minced

Some sesame seeds

Method

 

Using sesame oil stirfry garlic til fragrance not browned 

add in rest of the sauce ingredients,cooked till sugar melted and bubbling appear

Off heat and toss cucumbers in to coat...cool off and sprinkle sesame seeds and store in lidded container in fridge to enjoy

Pig and Elephant Strawberry Ogura Cupcakes by Susanne Ng

 

Recipe link for Piggy and Elephant Strawberry Ogura Cupcakes

 

http://lovingcreations4u.blogspot.sg/2014/04/piggy-and-elephant-strawberry-ogura.html

Spicy Bean Paste by Angelin Goh

 

Ingredients :

3 large chilli (add some chilli padi if u want more fiery ones)

1 stalk of lemongrass ,sliced the white part

8~10 garlic cloves

1 large red onion or 8~10 shallots

3 tablespoon heap of fermented soya bean (2tablespoon to be blended another tablespoon to be fry with the chilli paste)

Blend above with a little oil

Method

Fry the blended paste with few tblespoon of oil till hue darken and fragrant,add salt and sugar to taste 

* Can be paste for steam fish ...anything u love with bean paste :)

Eggless Vanilla icecream with Peanut Butter swirl

Temperatures have started rising here and I have started increasing fruits and water intake for the family. Since its the season of watermelons and sweet melons here, we never forget to pick one whenever we go grocery shopping. And then there are lemonades and sweet lassis. But at times that craving for frozen treats hits you in the face. Generally after having a hearty meal of chicken biryani. Ever since I made the strawberry icecream, the huss has been demanding homemade icecreams. Since he is a big time fan of peanut butter, I added a peanut butter swirl to the vanilla icecream after the last churn.

~*What U Need*~ Half and half - 1 cup Whole milk - 1 1/2 cups Whipped cream topping like cool whip - 1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar - 1/2 cup Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Peanut butter - 1/4 cup How I made it: Combine all ingredients together, mixing well to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a freezer safe bowl and freeze for one hour. Remove and whisk well till all the icecrystals are broken. Repeat every hour for 3 times. When ready to freeze overnight, add the peanut butter in chunks here and there and then freeze overnight.

Serve as desired!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Smitten Kitchen's favorite brownies

Mine too...

Yes these are my current favorite brownies. Well, anything brownies is my favorite but this is my go-to brownie recipe as of now. Believe me, I have already baked this twice in a month. The first batch was for my son's birthday party and then again for a potluck and then again after my parents arrived and now for his monthly birthday. Every time I make these brownies it has been a big hit right from kids to the adults. Thats reason enough for this recipe to become an all-time favorite right. The first time I made this I didn't add in any nuts and I felt that the brownies missed something, missed that much needed crunch and so I have been adding nuts of choice like almonds and walnuts since then.

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Prep time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 25 mins; Serves: 16 squares ~*What U Need*~ Unsweetened chocolate - 3 ounces/85 grams, roughly chopped Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup Granulated sugar - 1 1/3 cup (I used 1 cup only) Large eggs - 2 Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Salt - a pinch All purpose flour - 2/3 cup Chopped nuts - 1/4 cup(optional), I used almonds How I made it: Prheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, overhanging on two sides. Butter the parchment or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together. Stir until smooth and fully melted. Whisk in sugar, then eggs. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Stir in flour and fold in the nuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free with moist crumbs. Let cool completely and cut into desired size.

Yummy brownies ready!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Naanizza ~ Indianised | Dal Makhani Naanizza

What do you do when you have leftover naans and the urge to have something different, you make naanizza. To put it simple it is jut naan + pizza. And if you still don't get it, let me simplify it for you. You are so lazy that you buy frozen naans or use leftover naan breads for the pizza base and top it just as you would do for a regular pizza. It tastes just right like any pan pizza and you can get creative adding loads of cheese or shredded chicken or pepperoni or just capsicum and mushroom. The sky is your limit when it comes to toppings.

This naanizza is fully Indianised!!! And I mean totally. The pizza sauce is replaced with dhal makani and I topped that with chopped onions and tomatoes and just a few sprinkles of mozzarella. But just go overboard with the cheese if you are in for it. If you do not have leftover dal then just use 1/4 cup of pizza sauce. I will share the basic naanizza recipe soon.

~*What U Need*~ Leftover Naan - 2 to 3 Onion - 1/4 cup, sliced Tomatoes - 1/4 cup, diced Dal makhani - 1/2 cup Grated mozzarella - 1/2 cup Italian seasoning - 1 tsp How I Made it: Preheat oven to 425F. Brush olive oil on the naan, spread dak makhani and top it with onion, tomatoes, cheese and italian seasoning. Bake for 7-10 mins depending on how crisp u need the pizza to be.

Serve warm.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Pudding de limón

Este es un postre del que me enamoré hace años, y no os riáis pero lo ví en una película ambientada en Calabria (Italia) y era uno de los postres que hacía la "mamma" a su familia, como un ritual de los días de fiesta... Ni recuerdo el nombre de la película (que creo que era malísima... pero había muchos platos tradicionales de Italia) Y se me quedó en la cabeza, guardada ahí hasta que hace unos días me acordé de ella y me puse a buscar recetas de algo que fuera parecido. Al no saber exactamente de qué se trata el postre lo que hice fue recordar la textura que tenía, que era tipo pudding. Así que adapté unas recetas para lograr llegar a aquello que quería. Lo hice en tarritos pequeños para ver qué tal salía, pero la próxima  vez lo haré un una fuente grande, para que salga tal cual lo recuerdo. Y tengo que decir que está delicioso. Nada empalagoso (no uso mucha azúcar ni nata) y con una textura muy suave en boca.

Y os lo enseño porque creo que es muy sencillo, rico, rápido y fresco para estos días veraniegos que vendrán o para los otoñales- invernales que tenemos por estas latitudes ...  Lo que es cierto es que no es un postre vistoso. Yo no lo decoré con nada, creo que en todo caso con unos limones confitados o algo de verde. Muy campestre y sencillo.

Espero que os guste.

Antes os comento un par de cosas:

• Como es un compendio de recetas adaptadas lo que he intentado es equilibrar proporciones de ingredientes. En principio si seguís mis pasos os saldrá perfecto. Pero os recomiendo que lo hagáis en una fuente entera, quedará más bonito en una de barro o transparente. El postre es muy para picnic, campo, merienda etc...
• La harina como siempre tamizada. Usad harina floja.
• Huevos a temperatura ambiente (todos los ingredientes deben de estar a la misma temperatura)
• La mantequilla a punto de pomada. Si no la tenéis y no queréis esperar lo podéis hacer con las manos, amasando la mantequilla hasta conseguir la consistencia deseada (nosotros aunque esté a temperatura ambiente siempre empomamos con las manos)
• Haced el zumo de limón en el momento, coge más sabor que si lo hacéis de antemano.
• Cuidado al incorporar las claras montadas. Hacedlo despacio y con movimientos envolventes o bien en círculo apea que no se bajen.
• El horneado puede ser al baño María (no se os quemará por abajo) o en seco. La textura al baño María es más tipo pudding, como veréis. Si lo horneáis en seco quedará más como un bizcocho jugoso. Yo lo haré así la próxima vez para ver el cambio.

Y nada más. Hoy no me enrrollo que dejáis de leerme! Disfrutad haciéndola porque es muy sencilla. Si lo preferís podéis usar zumo de otra fruta como naranja pero entonces ajustad el azúcar.

Happy baking!!

Ingredientes:

200 gr de mantequilla
300 gr de azúcar
250 ml de leche entera
250 ml de zumo de limón
8 huevos (separados yema y huevo)
Esencia de vainilla
100 gr de harina (tamizada)
Ralladura de limón (de 3)

Elaboración:

• Precalentar el horno a 180ºC.
• Batir la mantequila (que tendremos a punto pomada) el azúcar, la ralladura de limón y la vainilla (yo puse una cucharadita de vainilla Bourbon pero podéis poner esencia de vainilla, como una cucharadita de café. Lo batís hasta que dobla el volúmen que estará blaquecino y cremoso.

• Id añadiendo las yemas de huevo una a una, hasta que están bien incorporadas.
• Echad la harina, la leche y el zumo de limón. Mezclad bien. Que no haya grumos.

• Montad las claras a punto de nieve con una pizca de sal, e incorporadlas a la mezcla batida.

• Engrasad un molde o varios (depende lo que queráis. Si es uno que sea grande y profundo, como de 22 cm)
• Lo podéis cocer al baño María o en seco. El tiempos s aproximado pero como unos 40 min para esta cantidad. Tiene que dorarse un poco y dentro quedar cremoso.

• Se puede servir templado (una delicia) o frío. Acompañado de nata líquida o chocolate o helado de frambuesa....

Whole Wheat Bread | 50-50 Wheat Bread

Breads are a staple at any house and ours is no exception. I make bread twice a week and I mostly prefer wholewheat. Occasionally I make the white sandwich bread but that happens only when the huss wants french toast which is once in a blue moon. Since I am a novice when it comes to bread baking I just don't too much risks and by risk I mean subbing the entire amount of all purpose flour in a recipe for whole wheat flour. As of now I have started with half of the amount and it works. It is not so dense, it is fluffy and it holds the shape brilliantly. The recipe that I have given makes one loaf but you could easily double it. The 6 tbsp will become 3/4 cup when you double it.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 30-40 mins; Makes: one 9x5 loaf ~*What U Need*~ Instant yeast - 3/4 tsp Warm water - 1/2 cup Whole milk - 1/2 cup Honey - 2 tbsp Canola oil - 1 tbsp Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Whole wheat flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Salt - 1/2 tbsp Vital gluten - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Pour the water into the bowl of a standing mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top. Allow to stand for 10 mins till frothy. Stir in the milk, honey, and oil. Add the flours and stir to combine. Add in the salt and vital wheat gluten and stir to form a dough. Allow this stand for 20 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the liquid. Using the dough hook attachment on a standing mixer, knead the dough for 8-9 minutes. If the dough is sticky add flour by the tablespoon till no longer sticky. Place this in a bowl that has been oiled well and allow to double for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once doubled, knock down the dough and knead for 15 seconds. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9x5 loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Allow to rise for another 30-45 mins. Heat the oven to 425°F. Reduce temperature to 375F and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool completely before slicing.

Serve with jam or butter!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you wondering whether it is raining baked goods here??? The fact is that I have been baking a lot lately. Pappu's birthday cakes, return gifts for the day, brownies for giving away to friends and then again brownies for a potluck party. The thing is that the more I bake, the more I am loving it. It is like an addiction, an addiction which seems to grow with every bake. Even the huss is astonished with the energy that I get whenever I get the opportunity to bake.

While the white chocolate chip cranberry cookies were targeted for adults who attended the party, I made these m&m cookies for the kids. Chocolate chips + m&m candies = any kids favorite cookie. Believe me this equation works out with any kid and the kids who attended the party were no exception. These cookies are a winner not only with the kids but with everyone. My pappu loves these cookies and calls it the "mam mam cookie".

~*What U Need*~ Prep Time: 10 mins; Cook Time: 15 mins; Makes - 16-18 cookies Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup Egg - 1 Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp M&M candies- 1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Pre-heat oven at 325F. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and m&m candies. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how much you want your cookies to be baked.

Serve warm or cooled with a glass of cold milk.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Do you remember the birthday party that I had arranged for my pappu? Well I have been getting a few emails on what and how I made the cake. I made a "Frozen" based smash cake for his birthday and an "Old MacDonald farm" cake for his birthday party. I used store bought fondant to make all the figurines and colored it with Wilton colors. The cake itself was a basic vanilla cake and I used American Buttercream for the frosting. I will share everything in regards with the details in a separate post.

I made these cookies as part of the return gifts for family friends. There were Chocolate Chip M&M cookies, these white chocolate chip cranberry cookies and Smitten kitchen's favorite brownies (and btw they are my favorite ones these days), we put them in Old Macdonald themed party bags and gave them away. Everyone were really impressed with the party bags. Now, these cookies are so good cos the sweetness of the milk chocolate and the tartness from the cranberries are a perfect match.

~*What U Need*~ Prep Time: 10 mins; Cook Time: 15 mins; Makes - 16-18 cookies Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup Egg - 1 Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Dried cranberries - 1/2 cup White chocolate chips - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Pre-heat oven at 325F. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how much you want your cookies to be baked.

Serve warm or cooled with a glass of cold milk.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!