Oreo Sponge Cake by Vanessa Tay

Oreo Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
(For a 6-inch round cake)
3 large eggs
75g caster sugar
cake flour 75g
6 pieces of Oreo cookies (cream filling removed and cookies coarsely chopped)
35g fresh milk
30g oil (I used canola oil)

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 150 deg celsius.

2. Grease and line a 6-inch tin (I used a tin with removable base)

3. Use and electric mixer and beat the eggs and sugar well, till pale in colour and fluffy. To check, the batter should drip back to the bowl, and "draw" a number 8 and will disappear only after a while.

4. Sift the cake flour thrice. Add in to the egg mixture. Using a hand whisk, manually stir in the flour to mix well. 

5. Mix the milk and oil together in a large bowl. Scoop some batter in step 4 and add in to the milk-oil mixture. Mix well with a spatula spoon. Pour this mixture back into the original egg batter and fold in till well-mixed.

6. Add in the Oreo crumbs and fold well. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bang the tin twice on the counter to release the air. Put it into the oven.

7. Bake at 150 deg cel for 30 minutes in middle rack. Then increase the temperature to 160 deg cel and bake for another 20 minutes. Lastly further increase the temperature to 170 deg cel and bake for approximately 10 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and unmould immediately. Remove the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Honey Oat Bread

So I bake our daily bread. So I am addicted to freshly baked bread. So I eat an extra slice of bread when I make them at home. Cos I know what exactly made their way into the bread. While it is mostly whole wheat with add-ins like nuts and dried fruits, I occasionally make the white variety too. That usually happens when I crave for something soft, fluffy and light like this honey oats bread. The mild sweetness from the honey makes this bread perfect for sandwiches with pestos or nutella, pestos being the current favorite.

Prep time: 10+10 mins; Cooking time: 50 mins; Makes 1 9×5-inch loaf Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 3 cups Old fashioned oats - 3/4 cup Instant yeast - 2 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 1/2 tsp Milk - 1 cup Water - 1/4 cup Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp Honey - 1/4 cup Warm Honey and oats for topping How I Made it: In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt. In a saucepan, warm the milk with the butter to 115F. Once the butter is melted, stir water and honey. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing with a dough hook until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely tacky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1 hour. Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover with a clean dry towel, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1 hour.Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bring 2 cups of water to a boil. When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats. Place the bread in the oven and pour the boiling water into the empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Serve spread with butter and honey or a generous amount of cookie butter like me!!!

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Funfetti Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Bars

Generally the recipes that you see here on the blog are a week old just because I need time to sit, compose and edit my post and pictures. And with a hyperactive toddler in hand, time seems to be flying. Moreover he hates when I spend time on the laptop. All he does is comes over and with a stern voice says "close". So I generally edit a post when he takes his afternoon nap and that 2 hours is just not sufficient. But then there are certain recipes that needs to be shared immediately because they are 'yummy' and when they are certified yummy by a two year old, it has to go on the blog ASAP. Like these cookies bars.

Pappu has started learning colors. Well, its been a while and whatever he lays his eyes on, he immediately screams out the color. He loves his building blocks mainly because of the assorted colors and he loves anything and everything colorful. And these cookie bars were no less. Whenever he took a bite he would keep chanting all the colors that he saw on the bar.

Adapted with own changes from here Prep Time: 20 mins; Cook Time: 25 mins; Yield: 6 large squares ~*What U Need*~ for the sugar cookie dough: Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, softened Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup - 2 tbsp Large egg - 1/2 Vanilla extract - 1 tsp All purpose flour - 1/2 cup + 6 tbsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup for the cheesecake filling: Cream cheese - 2 oz, softened Sour cream / greek yogurt - 2 oz Remaining 1/2 of the egg Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup How I Made it: to make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add egg and vanilla to the butter and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and stir gently until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the funfetti. Chill the dough for atleast 2 hours or overnight. to make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well. Add egg and mix just until combined. Line a small cake pan with parchment paper leaving to hang on the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press 3/4th of the cookie dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the filling over the crust. Sprinkle with 1/8 cup of funfetti. Crumble the remaining cookie dough in your hands and place over the filling. Sprinkle additional 1 Tbsp of funfetti over the topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely in the pan. Cut and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.

Serve with love.

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With Love,

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Eggless Chocolate Bread Rolls | HBC

Atlast I am done with July month's home bakers challenge. This month's challenge was hosted by Gayathri of Gayathri's cookspot, a talented home baker. Gayathri selected bread as the theme and her selection ranged from dinner rolls to pinwheels to soft bread rolls. I first thought of choosing the dinner rolls and pairing it up with homemade pav bhaji for dinner but then I was not feeling well last week and the plans took a backseat.

Finally yesterday I made these chocolate bread rolls for breakfast. These rolls are totally addictive, soft, pillowy and oozing chocolate with every bite. I stuffed some of the rolls with chocolate and the remaining with nutella. We totally loved the ones with the nutella. Even pappu had his share without any complaints. He loved playing 'finding chocolate' with every bite.

~*What U Need*~ For the bread: Bread flour - 120 g/ 1 cup Cake flour - 30 g / 1/4 cup Sugar - 1 tbsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Milk - 5 gms / 1 tsp Warm Water - 80 ml Instant yeast - 3/4 tsp / 2 gms Butter - 1 tbsp Filling: Chocolate chips/ nutella How I Made it: Add all ingredients, except the butter, into a bowl and mix until a dough forms. Add the butter to the bowl and knead the dough with your hands until the dough is not sticky anymore. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot for one hour. After the dough has proved, deflate the dough on a floured surface. Cut the dough into equal pieces ( I made four). Roll each into an oval shape, big enough for your chocolate. Place the chocolate almost on the edge of one side, cut the remaining dough in to strips, fold over and tuck underneath. Place on a lined baking tray. Cover your rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rest in warm spot for the second fermentation round about 45 minutes. Preheat your over to 175 °C or 350 °F. Bake these rolls ± 14 minutes or until golden brown. ** Notes: ** Before eating, heat up 10 seconds in the microwave for runny chocolate and softer bread. ** I read the instructions wrong and baked the rolls for 30 mins covering it with foil from the 20th minute. Thats why my bread is more brown.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio | Aglio E Olio | Pasta recipes

Pasta is not a regular at home these days mainly because the huss is not a big fan of pastas except for the Chicken Tortilleni Alfredo from Panera. He loves it totally and it is always part of his order whenever we visit our local Panera. I like Pasta not love but like because I like to take a break from dosas and idlis with homemade pizzas or pastas. Coming to today's recipe, I made this for my lunch when this sudden craving of pasta hit me. I didn't want anything fancy and this simple aglio e olio was just right for the day.

"Spaghetti aglio e olio ("spaghetti with garlic and oil" in Italian) is a traditional Italian pasta dish, coming from Napoli, as it is a variant of the original one: Spaghetti alle Vongole. The dish is made by lightly sauteeing minced or pressed garlic in olive oil, sometimes with the addition of dried red chili flakes, and tossing with spaghetti. Finely chopped parsley can also be added as a garnish, along with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, although according to some traditional recipes, cheese should not be added."

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 5 mins; Serves - 2 ~*What U Need*~ Spaghetti - 1/2 a box Extra virgin olive oil - 3-4 tbsp Garlic - 1 fat clove, minced Dry red chilli flakes - 1 tsp Salt, Water Parsley - 1 tbsp(optional) Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the garlic and chilli flakes. Once the garlic is golden remove the pan from flame and toss the pasta in the oil. Serve warm topped with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Serve with some wine!!!

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Hakka Fried Pork Belly with Fermented Red Beancurd by Kathleen

Recipe adapted from Feast of the World (www.feastoftheworld.com)

Ingredients
Marinade:
500g pork belly (I chose leaner cut)
2 small cube of fermented red beancurd
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp yellow glutinous wine or hua tiao wine or shaoxing wine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp five spice powder (i omitted this as i  don't like the taste of this spice)
dash of pepper
1 tsp sesame oil

Coating:
1 egg beaten
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp corn flour

Method
1. Marinade pork belly with all the ingredients above for at least 4 hrs or overnight.
2. Heat oil in the wok.
3. Add pork belly  into beaten eggs then place onto flour.
4. Dust off excess flour before frying.
5. Fry until golden brown or meat is cooked.
6. Dish & drain on oil absorbent paper.

Pandan Chicken by Eileen Kou

Ingredients:
Chicken thigh meat, cut into cubes
Pandan leaves, washed and dry

A (Blended):
8 shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 stalk lemon grass (serai), sliced
2 coriander roots, chopped
3 slices of ginger

B:
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper powder

Method:
1) Marinate chicken meat with A and B for at least 3 hours.
2) Use a piece of big pandan leaf, form into cone and wrap up 1 or 2 cubes of chicken meat. You may refer to YouTube for guide. Just search under pandan chicken.
3) Arrange pandan chicken on wire rack. Drizzle with some oil and cover with more pandan leaves.
4) Bake in pre-heated air fryer/oven using 190°c for about 25-30 mins, till the pandan leaves covering on top are dry and golden brown.
5) You may also deep fry the chicken. Chicken is done when the pandan leaves turned brown and crispy looking. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Mughalai Chicken Biryani

By now, you should have known about our love for biryanis. When I say its biryani for lunch or dinner, the boys keep chanting the term till they get some on their plates... I love trying new biryani varieties when the mood sets in and it happened again last week.
It was a weekday and pappu was sound asleep taking his afternoon nap... I felt like doing something and reading a book didn't help... The kitchen seemed to be the destination and biryani the solution... I was going through my biryani booklet when I came upon this mughalai biryani.. The richness called my name and I didn't waste another minute resting on my couch...

~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 500 gm, cleaned Onion - 1, large, sliced Tomato - 1, large, sliced Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Mint leaves - 1/4 cup Oil/ Ghee - 2 tbsp Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups To grind to a paste: Cashew - 1/4 cup Almonds - 1/4 cup Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp Yogurt - 1 tbsp For Briyani Masala Powder: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 How I Made it: Dry roast the ingredients under biryani masala and grind in a coffee grinder. Soak the rice in enough water. Grind cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and yogurt to a smooth paste. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and fry the green chilli. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry till oil separates. Add the spice powders and biryani masala powder. Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves followed by the chicken. Once the chicken is half cooked and leaves water add the ground cashew paste and mix well. Add the soaked rice and water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Serve hot!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Sandwiches are a staple at house. Whenever I am lazy to make lunch for us I make sandwich for self and a simple paruppu saadam for pappu. Well, the huss eats at office, ofcourse. Since its sandwich just for me, I like to play with the fillings. Add something of this, something of that, give it a taste test, season it some more, more garlic would never hurt. This is how I go about when I make salads or sandwich fillings. Its really therapeutic when you make a delicious cheese laden sandwich which you know that no one is there to share it with.

I love grilled cheese sandwiches, can have them anytime but sometimes I like these cheese laden sandwiches too... And when its got parmesan in the filling its just the best.

~*What U Need*~ Bread slices - 2 Chicken breast - 1, cooked and chopped Basil - 1 handful, chopped Mayo - 4 tbsp Garlic powder - a big pinch Salt, pepper - to taste Parmesan cheese, grated - 3-4 tbsp Sour cream - 2 tbsp Butter How I Made it: Mix the chicken with the basil, mayo, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. When ready to serve, butter the bread slices, place the filling in between and toast in a medium hot pan or preheated grill.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Banana Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting | Baked Version

Over-ripe bananas are meant to be used in baking for us. And mostly it ends up as a gorgeous loaf of banana bread for our breakfast. Even pappu who is a picky eater loves banana bread and eats his share happily. Every week our local grocery store sells over-ripe bananas for 99 cents. Its usually atleast 2 pounds by weight and its always the organic variety. It might be squished here and there but they are just perfect for smoothies and banana bread. I never fail to grab one whenever I find them on sale.

These donuts happened when I still had some bananas from the discount sale and when I wanted to make something not banana-bready. I dipped then in peanut butter frosting to jazz them up a bit because the kid goes bonkers for stuff like these.

~*What U Need*~ Prep time: 10 mins; Baking time: 12-15 mins; Yield: 6 Banana, mashed - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup Egg - 1 Yogurt - 1/4 cup Butter - 2 tbsp, melted All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Baking soda - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch For the frosting: Peanut butter - 4 tbsp Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup or more Milk - as needed, to thin the frosting How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly grease a 6 count donut pans with cooking spray. Combine bananas, sugar, yogurt, butter and egg in a large bowl. Mix till thoroughly combined. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix dry into wet mixture and fold gently. Divide into the donut pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Mix everything under the frosting list until desired consistency. Dip the donuts into the frosting and set aside till the frosting is set.

Serve with a glass of milk!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Chicken Haleem

One thing that the huss enjoys to the core is anything and everything with chicken in it. Well, I am no less. We love our share of chicken anytime.

I was totally new to the word haleem then. While I was born and brought up in the Gulf, I was there only till my IInd standard. So its just a few memories that I carry around like how I always wore sockings when I was little or the little forest that I saw from our back window or the few words of Arabic that I learnt from my Arabic class or how I was the favorite of everyone in our apartment and finally George chetta from next door. Haleem and nombu kanji were often mentioned by appa and amma when we talked about life in Gulf. That was that.

After marriage, the huss used to mention this delicacy whenever the holy month of Eid sets in. And thats when I started browsing about haleem. Appa also explained the process to me on how the chicken is slow cook with wheat, barley and other dhal varieties. The huss was so adamant on getting his hands on haleem that he ordered himself a pack of haleem from Hyderabad which came by courier. He tasted it and he loved it. This was the story two years back. Fast forward now, far away from home country, he didn't have the option to online order and I knew that he was craving for the dish for sometime. Finally I gave in and started browsing for recipes and found a promising one at vahrehvah's site. I adapted the recipe to what I had in hand and it was a total hit. The huss loved it to the core.

~*What U Need*~ To Grind : Wheat rava - 1/2 cup Masoor dal - 1 tbsp Toor dhal - 1 tbsp Barley - 1/4 cup Urad dhal - 1 tbsp Channa dhal - 1 tbsp Peppercorns - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Cloves - 4 Cinnamon stick - 1 inch Green cardamom - 2 Almonds - 5 Sesame seeds - 1 tsp For porridge: Chicken - 1 lb, with bone Chicken stock - 6 cup Onions - 2, finely sliced Green chillies - 2, finely chopped Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Curd - 2 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Oil - 1/4 cup Juice of 1 lemon How I made it: Heat oil in a pan and fry sliced onions till it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and split fried onions into two parts. Reserve one half for garnishing. Grind everything under “To Grind” to a coarse powder. Heat the same oil in a pressure cooker. Add ghee to it and once it melts, add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2 mins. Add chicken and fry till seared. Add chicken stock and mix well. Add fried onion, curd, green chilies, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix everything and cook for a min. Add ground mixture and stir frequently to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pressure cook at high flame for 2 whistles. Switch to low flame and pressure cook it for 40 mins. Once the pressure goes, open the lid and mash everything. Sprinkle lemon juice.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!