Monday, February 28, 2011

Organic 7 Colour Beans Brown Rice

My blood pressure is relatively high nowadays..
I don't feel well at times,
there will be headaches and dizziness..
I'm trying to lower it by cutting down on my sodium and fats intake
to see whether it helps.
I don't want to take any medication.
Once I start, it will be for a lifetime...
I'd rather control by my diet.

I came up with this recipe...
to make the rice tastier by just using beans.
So no seasonings needs to be added to the other dishes.
Just steam some fish or chicken and vegetables, and eat it plain.

There are 7 beans in there.
  • Adzuki Beans
  • Mung Beans
  • Black Beans
  • Green Split Peas
  • White Kidney Beans
  • Red Split Lentils 
  • Yellow Split Lentils
I'm sure it's full of nutrients!

    Our nutritious rice for dinner..




    it's a whole new experience,
    there's a hint of sweetness in every bite.


    Even Piano is waiting for her share!
    She whines without fail whenever she's waiting for her meal to be served...!


    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Organic 7 Colour Beans Brown Rice

    1 Cup Brown Rice (Soaked 12-24hours)
    1 Cup Mixed Beans (Soaked 12-24 hours)

    1. Cook the soaked beans in a thermal cooker or pot with water until tender, but not mushy. 
    2. Combine soaked brown rice with cooked beans and 2 cups of water which the beans were cooked in.
    3. Transfer to rice cooker. Cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
    4. Serve hot with spring onion as garnish.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    Saturday, February 26, 2011

    Homemade Kimchi 김치


    Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish served to the Koreans on every meal.
    It's made with ingredients like napa cabbage, radish, carrot, spring onions and cucumber.

    I love kimchi so much,
    it's so appetising and the vegetables are crunchy..
    After 2 days of fermentation, and 3 days in the fridge,
    I found out that the longer it is, the tastier it gets! 

    This method used by me is pretty simple to follow...and I made in a smaller quantity...
    I will try another kind the next round...
    it's really fun to make kimchi!
    My man watched the process of seasoning.
    While I was scooping the hot pepper powder,
    he kept saying " more more more more more!!"
    So in the end I added a lot!

    *while typing this post,
    I can't resist and went to get some kimchi to eat!*


     Here's the refreshing kimchi for you~!
    It's actually nutritious..and aids in digestion...
    you may go to the toilet more often...  =p

    My mum is really against kimchi because according to chinese, 
    napa cabbage is very cooling to the body and women should not consume that much.
    I think if I take it in moderation, it should be fine...
    Don't you think so?

     ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Homemade Kimchi 김치

    1/2 Napa Cabbage (About 600g)
    2 Baby Radish or 1 Medium Radish
    4 Stalks Spring Onion, Cut into 2cm in length
    1/4 Cup Sea Salt
    5 Tbsp Hot Pepper Powder
    2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
    6 Cloves Garlic, Blended
    1 Thumb size Ginger, Blended


    1. Cut Napa cabbage into quarters and remove the core. 
    Wash every piece thoroughly and cut into 1 inch pieces.
    2. Cut radish into stripes.
    3. Put radish and cabbage into a large bowl, mix in salt and enough water to cover the vegetables. 
    Soak for at least 5 hours.
    (I mix it every hour.)
    4. Drain the vegetables but keep the salt water for later use.
    5. Mix fish sauce, hot pepper powder, garlic, ginger and spring onion with vegetables and mix well.
    (Use plastic gloves to avoid hot pepper powder from stinging your hands)
    6. Transfer mixed vegetables into glass jars and pour drained salt water until it covers the vegetables.
    Leave at least an inch of space at the top of the jar.
    7. Cover tightly.
    8. Let it sit in room temperature for 2 days and open it up every few hours to let air out.
    9. Refrigerate after 2 days.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    Reference : Hubpages

    Homemade Wholemeal Burger Buns


    Wanna share one of my encounter with my readers..
    This happened in a supermarket in Singapore.
    There's a small bakery in there, and there were 2 bakers,
    the bread that they are selling are premium and pricey..
    I saw one of the baker opened the refrigerator to get the bread dough out,
    and guess what?
    the dough dropped onto the floor...
    OK..it's ok..as long as he doesn't use it..
    But to my horror, he actually picked it up and started to knead it on the worktop!
    I can't believe it!
    Maybe I shouldn't expect much from outside food,
    but I'm quite particular with hygiene when it comes to food handling.
    Can anyone accept this? HAHA..I doubt so?

    So the thing that I wanna say is...
    Nothing beats homemade bread!
    Free of preservatives..
    Free of bread improver...
    Free of artificial flavourings..
    But....filled with love!

    I love to see theses "babies" rise...
    From this...
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    to
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    this!
    The Bread's aroma makes me happy...without fail...


    After baking..
    you can use the fresh bread to make some yummy burgers!
    As seen in my previous post...
    My portobello mushroom burger~!

    make yourself and someone happy today!!

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Homemade Wholemeal Burger Buns
    (4 Large Buns)

    200g High Protein Flour
    125g Wholemeal Flour
    1 1/2 tsp Yeast
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp sugar
    190ml water
    1 Tbsp Oil
    1. Mix  flour, yeast, salt and sugar and form a well in the center.
    2. Pour water into the well slowly, 
    while mixing in the middle with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, 
    scrapping the sides down ocassionally. 
    Keep mixing until you get a sticky dough.
    3. Start kneading with your hands, or with a mixer until the dough has a smooth surface.
    4. Send the dough for proofing until it has doubled in size.
    5. Punch the dough down, divide dough equally into 4 pieces. 
    Mould each dough into round shape.
    6. Send dough for 2nd proofing, for 15 minutes.
    7. Carefully flatten each dough and mould into rounds again.
    Flatten each dough into about 1 inch in height.
    8. Sprinkle with flour and send  for final proofing for 1 hour.
    9. Preheat the oven at 190 degrees, and bake for 25 minutes.
    10. Remove from oven immediately and let it cool on wire rack.

    * I let my dough proof in the oven*
    -------------------------------------------------------

    Thursday, February 24, 2011

    Meatless Thursdays - Creamy Portobello Mushroom Wholemeal Burger


    I've decided to make my Thursdays meatless from now.
    I will start with just once a week for the time being.
    Previously, I tried to stop all meat at one go,
    but found that it's really hard to manage, mentally or physically.
    The more I think of vegetarian, the more I will think of meat!
    I think that's pretty unhealthy, so I guess it's good to start slow.


    Waking up in the morning, 
    I remembered that it's Thursday!
    & I quickly ran through my thoughts on what to make for dinner...
    I had to work, but still decided to bake burger buns.
    Prepared everything and let the dough go through final proofing while I go to work,
    in the end, the burgers got so big when I came back!


     And here's the freshly baked burger with creamy portobello mushroom!
    The mushroom is supposed to imitate the meat patty...



    Look what happens after taking a bite..
    The cream oozed out! 
    But hey, my man was tricked~ it's not cream..it's actually blended tofu!
    eating healthy food, but thought it's something sinful =)
     it gave me a sense of satisfaction once again!
    Now, I got to start thinking about meatless dishes to cook on every Thursday!
    Will share the recipe of the wholemeal bread in my next post!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Creamy Portobello Mushroom Wholemeal Burger

    2 Wholemeal Burger Buns
    2 Portobello Mushrooms
    1 Tbsp Olive Oil
    1 tsp Dried Basil
    1/2 tsp Grounded Black Pepper
    1/2 Box Silken Tofu
    3 Cloves Garlic
    1/2 tsp Salt
     1 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
    1/2 Yellow Onion, Shredded
    2 Slices Cheddar Cheese


    1. Cut wholemeal burgers diagonally and set aside.
    2. Remove stem of portobello mushrooms and set aside too.
    2. Mix olive oil, basil, black pepper together, brush it all over the portobello mushrooms.
    3. Place mushrooms in a baking pan smooth side down.
    4. Blend tofu, garlic, salt, all purpose flour and stem of mushrooms in a blender till smooth.
    5. Spoon blended tofu into mushroom, fill until full.
    6. Top with onions and sprinkle with more black pepper, 
    send into 180 degrees preheated oven.
    7. Bake for 15 minutes, and add a piece on cheddar cheese on each mushroom.
    8. Bake for another 3 minutes and serve hot with wholemeal burger buns.

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Wednesday, February 23, 2011

    Kimchi in the Making

    This is my first time making Kimchi!
    Searched around for recipes, 
    and I started with the easiest as reference.
    It's hard to follow the recipes dot to dot,
    so I just made it in my own way in the end...
    I used Organic Baby Radish...
    As I don't feel comfortable eating raw vegetables which are not organic. 
    But for napa cabbage, it's too expensive to buy in the organic section.
    So I got to make do with the ones from Australia...


    Here's my first kimchi!
    Today is the 2nd day of fermentation..
    But we started to eat it...can't control anymore..
    the smell of the kimchi makes my mouth water whenever I open that cover!

    I can't wait to make lots of food with these kimchi..
    kimchi fried rice..kimchi soup..kimchi stew..kimchi dumplings and list goes on and on!

    Will show the end product soon! 

    Monday, February 21, 2011

    Cheesy Portobello Mushrooms with Rosemary Linguine


    I believe some wives/mummies will rush back home from work to cook for their family,
    just to give them the best food. Are you one of them?

    The same goes to me..
    I'd rather come home and quickly whip up a simple and fast meal..
    than to eat out..
    but if I reach home after 8pm, my man will cook for me =)
    Most probably plain porridge with some vegetables.


    And today,
    after some brainstorming, I made something which I've not tried before.
    ham chips in the portobello mushrooms..
    waiting to be topped with cheddar...


    ~The mushroom on the Linguine~~
    I think it looks like a volcano..heehee..


    Cut the mushroom and find the surprise in there!
    The mushroom is really juicy..with melting cheese and the ham chips gave it some saltiness,
    everything went very well together.
    My man loves it..he's just like my big kid..HAHA!
     I will make this again for my big boy!


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Cheesy Portobello Mushrooms with Rosemary Linguine

    For the Portobello Mushrooms : 
     2 Large Portobello Mushrooms (Stem removed)
    1 tsp Olive Oil
    100g Ham Chips
    150g Cheddar Cheese
    1. Drizzle olive oil on the portobello mushrooms 
    and place them upside down on a baking tray
    2. Mix ham chips with half portion of cheddar, use it to fill the mushrooms.
    3. Top with more cheddar and bake at a preheated oven of 190 degrees for 10 minutes 
    or until cheese is golden in colour.


    For Rosemary Linguine :
    2 Servings of Linguine (cooked)
    1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
    4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
    1 Small Broccoli, Cut into small pieces
    1 Small Carrot, Shredded
    1 Tbsp Olive Oil
    A Pinch of Salt
    1 Tbsp Grounded Black Pepper

    1. Sauteed garlic in heated olive oil till fragrant.
    2. Add broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes. 
    3. Followed by carrot and cooked Linguine.
    4. Sprinkle in rosemary, salt and black pepper and mix very well.
    5. Remove from heat and serve with Cheesy Portobello Mushrooms.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Sunday, February 20, 2011

    Chives Pot Stickers (韭菜锅贴)



    Cooking Pot Stickers!
    The oil actually splattered all around when I added water~
    I don't like oily kitchen! 
    The most I can do in my kitchen is to pan fry, no deep frying..!


    Looking at this picture makes me wanna eat more!
    I boiled some for my breakfast and it was fantastic!
    I feel that boiled ones are even tastier than Pan fried+steamed ones.


    I'm not good at pleating..
    But I think I've improved a bit  =) 
    The next time, I will roll the wrapper even thinner...


    Biting onto each pot stickers never fails to give me a surprise~
    the juice burst into my mouth just like eating 小龙包!


    I kept some in the freezer..
    After serving them to my family,
    I only have 10 left..
    I can't wait to eat them again~ perhaps for tomorrow's dinner!


     --------------------------------------------------------

    Chives Pot Stickers (韭菜锅贴)

    600g Minced Pork
    2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
    1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
    1/2 tsp White Pepper
    A Pinch of Salt
    3 Tbsp Ginger Juice
    3 Stalks of Spring Onion
    6 Stalks of Chives

    1. Chop spring onion thinly and chives into 1/2mm pieces.
    2. Mix minced pork and all seasonings together well.
    3. Add spring onion and chives into pork and mix again.
    4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before wrapping.
    5. Wrap with wrappers and pleat as desired.
    6. Heat a non stick pan with a tablespoon of oil. When oil has heated up, 
    add pot stickers and pan fry it until the bottoms are golden. 
    7. Get ready the lid to cover the pan 
    and add water until it covers half of the height of the pot stickers.
    Cover immediately and leave a small gap for steam to release.
    8. Let it simmer until the water has nearly dried up.
    9. Serve hot with shredded ginger and black vinegar.

    Tips
    To have a softer meat texture, get 40% fat and 60% meat from the butcher.
    You can ground the meat in your blender again at home, 
    or you can ask the butcher to ground it another 1 or 2 times.

    ---------------------------------------------------

    Saturday, February 19, 2011

    Homemade Pot Sticker Wrappers (自制锅贴皮)

    Yesterday while I was at my Taiwanese students' house teaching,
    their mummy was wrapping some Pot Stickers (锅贴) ...

    Suddenly I felt her motherly love..making those tiny pot stickers one by one slowly with patience,
    just for her husband and kids' dinner...

    The wrappers she used were from Taiwan and I doubt we can get such good ones in Singapore...
    So today...I decided to make 锅贴! with homemade wrappers! =)
    It's been nearly a year since I've made some...
    And I guess nothing beats homemade ones!

    And yeah, here is my homemade 锅贴 wrappers dough!

    Wanna make some for your love ones?
    Here's my recipe for you! 


    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Homemade Pot Sticker Wrappers  (自制锅贴皮)
    < Makes about 40>

    430g All Purpose Flour
    30g Corn Flour
    1/2 tsp Salt
    250ml Warm Water

    1. Weigh all purpose, corn flour and salt then combine in a bowl.
    2. Add water gradually while mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula.
    3. When a dough starts to form gradually, use your hand to knead it slowly, 
    and scrape down the sides occasionally.
    4. When a dough is formed, leave it to rest for 5 minutes, use a towel to cover.
    5. After 5 minutes, knead it for another 5 minutes or until smooth.
    6. Let it rest for 5 more minutes, covering with a clean towel before dividing into 1 1/2 tsp balls in size.
    7. Sprinkle some flour on your clean worktop and use a rolling pin to flatten the balls until thin.
    8. Flour it generously if you are not using it straight away as it will stick onto another skin.
    9. Wrap with your favourite filling and cook as desired.

    Note : The leftover wrappers can be kept in the refrigerator, in a cling wrap or zip-lock.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------


    Although I spent about 4 hours wrapping + cooking,
    I had lots of fun and satisfaction!
    Sometimes, I love to slow down my pace after work..
    and I think this is a good way!
    Moreover, wrapping 锅贴 is definitely a fun family activity!

    I will share the filling's recipe after this post!
    Stay tuned =)

    A Bonus! ~~A Caterpillar~~


    This packet of Organic 小白菜 that I've bought was filled with 'surprises' !
    First it was a snail..I threw it away thinking that it should be dead...
    Few days later.. I found a caterpillar when I was washing the vegetable!

    It was flushed onto the sink when i spotted it~
    my man and I thought it was dead..
    and wanted to throw it away..then we started to examine it..
    And hey! it started to wiggle!
    I can't bear to throw it, because it's as good as killing it..
    So i decided to keep it.. 


    I put it in a container with a moist stick, and an organic vegetable which it came together with.
    It's now resting on the vegetable peacefully.
    It's safe now~


    Looking at it closely, it doesn't really look like a caterpillar of a butterfly.
    So I searched around and found out that it may be a hawk moth! =)
    Moths are not as pretty as butterflies..
    but they are living things too~
    I will still keep it...


    And when it becomes a moth, I will set it free..!

    Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    Seafood Yakisoba 焼きそば


    One of my friend is a flight attendant, so she helped me to get some goodies from Japan,
    as buying Japanese stuffs in Singapore is really costly~
    She bought one big plastic bag of food stuffs for me,
    like okonomiyaki sauce, soba sauce, sesame salad dressing, instant gravy to cook prawns e.t.c.
    and all of these only cost SGD20...
    All the sauces were left in my shelf for months..and I decided to use them..finally!

    This is one of the yakisoba sauce..
    But I don't know why it is a bit diluted. 
    Not so thick. But a good point is that it's not so salty too...



    Yakisoba is literally known as fried noodles.
    Although it's called soba, but the noodles are not made from buckwheat.
    It's made from wheat flour instead.
     My first Yakisoba!
    These frozen prawns from Indonesia were really crunchy! Better than some fresh prawns!
    And scallops tasted just as good!


     As for the noodles. I got them from Meidi-ya..
    it's a simple and nearly instant meal to make plus it doesn't take much time to prepare...
    Try it...it's delicious!


    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Yakisoba 焼きそば
    (serves 2)


    2 Packets of Yakisoba Noodles
    8 Prawns
    6 Scallops
    1 Shredded Yellow Onion 
    1/2 Shredded Cabbage
    Japanese Mayonnaise
    Handful of Katsuobushi (Bonito Flakes)
    6 - 8 Tbsp Yakisoba Sauce
    A Pinch of Salt



    1. Sauteed onion with some oil until soft and slightly brown.
    2. Add prawns, scallops and cabbage. 
    3. Stir fry till prawns are half cooked and add the soba. 
    4. Use a chopstick to separate the soba up. Add yakisoba sauce and continue to stir fry until ingredients are cooked and add a pinch of salt, stir well. 
    5. Serve Yakisoba on 2 plates and drizzle with mayonnaise then top with Katsuobushi.

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Monday, February 14, 2011

    Flourless Chocolate Molten Cake (Perfect for Valentine's Day!)


    Today is Valentine's Day and I believe that most couples will be celebrating by having a nice dinner.
    Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers!!
    For us, 
    We did not have any special arrangement or celebration.
    He took half day's leave and we stayed home.
    I baked The Chocolate Molten Cake for him...
     A rare bake as I normally will not choose such sweet recipes.
    Just because that it's Valentine's Day!
    We need something which is romantic and sweeeeeet~~~~



    don't they look elegant?


    Look at the chocolaty lava in the middle of the cake..
    I felt delighted to see that!
    It's the most important character in this cake.


    The thick chocolate~~filled with sweetness...


    Another way of eating this cake is to let it set for a longer time,
    and it will be brownie like.
    It has more of a cake like texture in the middle. Spongy and soft.
    Which one do you prefer?
    I've put some in the refrigerator,
    and after one day, it was sooo fudgy and rich!
    It became dense and moist after setting for such a long time.
    this recipe is worth for a try!

    These Chocolate Molten Cakes are simple to make and good for serving your guests.
    I bet they will be impressed!

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Flourless Chocolate Molten Cake

    113g Unsalted Butter
    170g Bittersweet Chocolate (I used Cadbury Old Gold 70% Cocoa)
    3 Eggs
    65g Sugar (Reduce to 40g)
    1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    A Pinch of Salt
    1 Tbsp Sugar

    Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
    1. Generously butter 5 ramekins and dust the insides with granulated sugar.
    2. Double boil chocolate and butter until melted. Set aside to cool.
    3. Separate yolks from whites.
    4. Beat yolks with 65g (40g) sugar and beat till pale, thick and fluffy. 
    When you lift the whisk up, the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons. 
    Beat in vanilla extract and fold in the chocolate mixture.
    5. In another clean bowl, beat egg white until frothy and add in salt.
    Continue to whip till soft peak and gradually add in 1 Tbsp of sugar. Whip till stiff peak. 
    6. Gently fold in beaten egg whites to chocolate batter until just incorporated. 
    Do not over mix as it will deflate the batter.
    7. Spoon into individual ramekins until 3/4 full and bake for 10 - 15 minutes 
    or until the edges are are set but a bit wet in the middle.
    8. Remove from oven and let it set for 1 minute. And serve hot. 

    ---------------------------------------------------------

    Recipe Source from : Joy of Baking

    Saturday, February 12, 2011

    Red Wine Jelly


    I had some leftover red wine...don't want to waste it...
    so the best solution is..to make some jelly with it!
    I know you may find it weird..
    red wine..made into jellly~
    Hmm...how does it taste like??


    After cooking the red wine, the alcohol has actually evaporated.
    So the wine's alcoholic taste has decreased~
    I was doubtful about the taste initially,
    but after a long day of work, i sat on the sofa...
    biting on those lemon and orange zest..tasting the jelly slowly...
    it was really refreshing and relaxing~~

    Now I'm having more ideas of what to make with the 0 Calorie Kanten!
    be prepared to see more upcoming recipes using Kanten~
    Stay tuned!

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    Red Wine Jelly

    50ml Red Wine
    50ml Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
    100ml Water
    1 Grated Orange Zest
    1/2 Grated Lemon Zest
    2 Tbsp Sugar
    1/2 tsp Kanten

    1. Boil red wine, orange juice and water over medium heat.
    2. When bubbles start to appear at the side of the pot, sprinkle Kanten in and mix well. 
    3. Sieve it, and transfer back to medium heat.
    4. Add in lemon and orange zest, keep stirring. Let it come to a boil and the mixture should thicken.
    5. Pour into individual cups and let cool.
    6. Cool completely and transfer to refrigerator.
    7. Serve cold.
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Thursday, February 10, 2011

    Kit's & Sam's Cooking Studio

    Bought these 2 Recipe books from Borders yesterday...
    I was so proud of myself and can't wait to show the books to my man..
    Please don't think that I'm crazy..
    it's just that the books were too cheap for me to believe..
    just $2 for each!


    It's really a great deal as the books are so nicely illustrated and the pictures are all beautiful. 
    I love the country feel soooo much!


    Other than 25 recipes in each book,
    there's a free cookie cutter...
    20 table talkers
    10 reusable place cards 
    It's soooooo worth it! =)

    Ok I know I sound like an auntie who grabs for cheap stuffs... =p
    But hey, don't you find that it's a good bargain too!?

    Tuesday, February 8, 2011

    Egg White Cream Cheese Cuppies


    I has 14 egg whites in my fridge after baking kek lapis last week...
    So I looked around for recipes which only use egg whites.

    Came across Aunty Yochana's recipe
    which originally uses cheddar cheese.
    Taking the risk, I replaced it with cream cheese.
    My end result  =)
    They looked like Huat Kueh..HAHA..
    I think the oven's temperature needs to be turned a bit lower.


    But don't be deceived by its look...
    it's actually moist and delicious~~
    with a hint of cream cheese fragrance. 
    Not oily at all. 
    And definitely healthier without egg yolks right?

    So if you have excess egg whites in your fridge,
    don't hesitate to try this recipe!

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Egg White Cream Cheese Cuppies



    60g Cream Cheese
    100g Milk
    30g Butter
    80g Cake Flour
    20g Corn Flour
    200g Egg White (Room Temperature)
    1/4 tsp Salt
    80g Sugar





    Preheat oven to 180 degrees. (I would suggest 160-170)
    1. Place cream cheese, butter and milk in a pan on low heat. When cream cheese and butter has melted, let cool.
    2. When the melted mixture had cooled down completely, fold in the sieved cake and corn flour, mix well. (If you find it lumpy, please sieve it.)
    3. In another bowl with egg whites, add in salt and beat till frothy. Add sugar in 3 additions. Beat till stiff peak (meringue).
    4. Mix 1/3 of meringue with cream cheese mixture well, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not overmix.
    5. Scoop batter into individual cuppies and bake for 25 minutes.
    6. Let cool on wire rack and serve.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Monday, February 7, 2011

    Rosemary Farfalle Pasta

    After the long Chinese New Year break,
    I'm used to eating at people's house and ran out of ideas what to cook at home. 

    End of long holiday and life will be back to normal once again.
    I will miss those days of gathering...

    Although I have lots of ingredients in my fridge, I had no idea what to cook for lunch.
    I wanted to cook something simple and fast yet yummy!
    So here it is...
    Farfalle is also known as bow-tie pasta..
    And it's actually an Italian word which means butterflies.
    I guess they look pretty much like butterflies..that's why?


    I stir fried the cooked Farfalle with some salmon and broccoli...
    just mix in fresh rosemary, oregano, black pepper and salt.
    Done!
    The texture is the same as those random pasta, just that they have cute appearance...


    A close up of the Farfalle Pasta...
    I think kids will love them!

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rosemary Farfalle Pasta

    1 tsp Olive Oil
    4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
    300g Cooked Farfalle
    200g Diced Fresh Salmon
    150g Broccoli
    2 - 3 Tbsp Water
    1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary
    1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
    1 tsp Grounded Black Pepper
    1/2 tsp Salt

    1.  Sauteed garlic with olive oil for 1 minute.
    2. Add broccoli and stir fry for another 2 minute. 
    3. Mix salmon and cooked Farfalle in, and add water. Keep stirring.
    4. Sprinkle in rosemary, oregano, black pepper and salt.
    5. Mix well and remove from heat when salmon is cooked throughly.
    6. Serve hot.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------


    Sunday, February 6, 2011

    Japanese Curry Udon


    It's a simple meal to make..because I used instant Japanese curry cubes!
    Hope to try making the Japanese curry from scratch one of these days!


    The curry went pretty good with the udon~
    and i believe that those sold in stores are using instant curry too?
    Because it just taste so similar!


    My man enjoyed it very much and felt that it's delicious!

    Anyway for the udon, I bought it from Meidi-ya...
    so far I've bought 2 brands, not that good though. 
    I will continue to try other brands till I find the right one! =)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Japanese Curry Udon

    1 Large Yellow Onion
    2 Large Potatoes
    2 Baby Carrots
     1/2 Chicken
    4 Instant Curry Cubes
    660ml Water

    1. Stir fry onion with a little bit of oil, cook till soft and slightly transparent.
    2. Add potatoes and carrots, stir for another 1 minute.
    3. Drain excess water from chicken and add into the wok.
    4. Keep stirring for 2minutes.
    5. Pour water and simmer with low fire.
    6. When chicken is tender and cooked, remove from heat. 
    7. Break the curry cubes and stir in together with the cooked chicken until well mixed.
    8. Turn on the fire again and simmer on low heat.
    9. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes and serve hot with udon or rice.

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    Friday, February 4, 2011

    The Easy to Bake Kek Lapis


    My 3rd time using this Kek Lapis recipe...
    I think it's a pretty easy to follow.
    When I made it for the first time, I was very new to baking.
    And I succeeded...
     I doubled the recipe and it was really hard to manage..
    butter splattered all over my kitchen! HAHA!
    And my oven was not working very well for the grill function, 
    it took about 10 minutes to bake each  layer..



    And look at one of the dark layer. 
    I turned the temperature higher, and my oven burst out in smoke! HAHA!
    And it got charred!
    I wanted to discard the whole thing, lucky i didn't because it still taste good~
    Although the layers were uneven too =p
    I'm glad that they love my kek lapis!

    Hope all of you had a wonderful gathering with your love ones!

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    Kek Lapis

    330g Butter
    250g Icing Sugar
    15 Egg Yolks 
    1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
    1/2 tsp Rempah Lapis
    4 Tbsp Condensed Milk
    1/2 Tbsp Brandy
    105g Self Raising Flour
    8 Egg Whites

    1. Cream butter and icing sugar till pale in colour and beat in egg yolk one at a time.
    2. Add vanilla essence, rempah lapis, condensed milk and brandy. Beat.
    3. Add self raising flour tablespoon by tablespoon, mix well after each addition.
    4. Beat egg white till soft peak in another bowl and fold into butter mixture.
    5. Preheat oven in grill function at 180degrees. Use a 8" Square pan 
    and scoop 4-5 Tablespoons of batter into pan 
    and bake for 2 minutes or until browned.
    6. Remove cake and press cake evenly. (For an easier way, you can use a kitchen towel)
    7. Repeat steps baking steps until the pan is filled up.
    8. Cool for awhile when finished. 
    While cake is warm, place kitchen towel on top to allow excess butter to flow to kitchen towel.

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    Recipe Soure From : I copied the recipe down years ago,
    and don't know where it came from
    Please let me know if it's your recipe.

    Tuesday, February 1, 2011

    Garlic Lemon Rosemary Roasted Juicy Chicken


    This is my 2nd time making the roasted chicken with rosemary...

    Marinated it for 20 hours.
    My man helped me to mince the garlic, rosemary and lemon zest.
    Made my job easier =)


    The next evening...after roasting for 1 hour...
    My house was filled with the aroma of Rosemary...
    The golden chicken with fluffy potatoes!


    We were so hungry..


    Ready to tuck in!


    The potatoes were sooooooooo good!
    Crispy outer skin and fluffy inside!


    The gravy went really well with the chicken.
    Especially the taste of rosemary..Superb!


    Look..even the chicken breast is succulent and tender....
    I invited my mum and sis over to share this chicken.
    But I believe if they did not come, both of us will be able to finish eating the whole chicken!!
    This dish is really good for serving guests...!


    We had some red wine too...
    This bottle only cost $11+...
    Wholesale price...


    My man was pouring and pouring, till I asked him to stop!
    I can't drink much like few years ago. After 1/2 glass, I felt giddy. Hehe...


    Cheers to all...Have a wonderful Chinese New Year ahead!
    and enjoy the lovely moments with your love ones...

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    Garlic Lemon Rosemary Roasted Juicy Chicken
    1 Medium-Size Chicken
    2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
    2 tsp Grounded Black Pepper
    2 Tbsp Fresh Finely Chopped Rosemary
    1 Head Minced Garlic
    3 Russet Potatoes
    1 Lemon
    1. Grate zest of the lemon in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, mixed herbs, rosemary, garlic and mix well. Set aside.
    2. Wash, clean and pat the chicken very dry with paper towels all over, including the cavity. Rub the seasoning mixture over the chicken and inside the cavity. With fingertips, gently separate the skin from the meat of the chicken breast and push some seasoning mixture under the skin. 
    Leave the chicken to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
    3. Remove chicken from fridge and let it rest in room temperature for at least 30 minutes so that it will cook evenly. Brush melted butter or olive oil all over the chicken.
    4. Peel and cut the potatoes into halves or quarters. Put them into a pot of water with a pinch of salt together with the whole lemon. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the same pot. Toss the potatoes with some salt, freshly grounded black pepper and a little butter/olive oil. 
    Do this while the potatoes are still hot so their outsides get chuffed up and fluffy.
    5. While the lemon is still hot, carefully pierce it with the tip of a sharp knife about 10 times. 
    Stuff the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken.
    6. Put the potatoes in a roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath the chicken and place it breast side up, on the potatoes. Cook in preheated oven at 200 degC for around 40 - 45 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned. Turn the chicken over and roast for a further 30 minutes or until the skin is browned. 
    Turn the chicken breast side up again and roast for another 10 - 15 mins until the chicken is done and the potatoes are nice and golden. To test whether the chicken is done, pierce the tip of a knife near the joint between the drumstick and the thigh. The juices should run clear (not pink), if it is still pink, cook the chicken a little longer. Carefully remove the lemon from the cavity. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to settle and the chicken will be much more succulent.

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    Recipe Source from : Happy Home Baking