PuSiVa'S CuLiNarY StUdiO

Blueberry Cheesecake

2012-01-23T11:25:00.011Z

Hello everyone. After a long long gap I'm pleased to be back to the world of foodblogging. 2011 has been a hectic year for me with lots of changes in lifestyle and some significant achievements.

In conjuction with Chinese New Year and as a comeback gift I present my ever favourite blueberry cheesecake. This recipe was given to me by my brother who is a great baker.

Cheesecake is a luscious, rich dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cream cheese. A cheesecake may or may not have a crust or base. This crust is can be made from biscuit crumb, pastry or sponge cake. The filling is made by creaming the cheese and mixing it with eggs and sugar. A range of flavourings may be added to this mixture. It is then poured into a special springform pan and baked. After baking, the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled and generally topped with fresh fruit or with a sweetened fruit sauce, nuts, and/or chocolate.

Cheesecakes may be baked or unbaked. Uncooked cheesecake is made with a biscuit crumb base and a filling made of cream cheese enriched with eggs, flavoured and set with gelatine.

The texture of cheesecake can vary from light and airy to dense and rich to smooth and creamy. Unbaked cheesecake is lighter and creamier than the baked version.

What do we need:

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling
2 packages/8oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp plain flour
4 eggs
2 cups blueberry pie filling

How do we do it:

Combine crumbs, sugar and butter. Push mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
Lightly stir the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Beat in sour cream, sugar, vanilla and flour. Add in eggs one at a time. Pour the mixture into the crumb lined pan. Bake in a preheated oven 165° C for 1 hour or until firm to the touch.

Cool the cake completely. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife to removing the cake. Place blueberry pie filling on top of cake. Chill well before serving.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Submitting this entry to :

A Specially Brewed Cake

2010-04-10T11:52:00.013+01:00

Living with him or not, I have been baking him birthday cakes for the past few years. This time I was too busy to bake one. Felt so guilty about it. Thus baked a cake the next day. It is a favourite flavour of mine; coffee. Just love the aroma of coffee. I incorporated some chopped almond to give the cake a bite and additional flavour.

Coffee Almond Cake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2 eggs

1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tbsp hot water

2 tbsp chopped almonds

How do we do it:

Dissolve the instant coffee granules with the hot water. Leave to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in the cooled coffee. Fold in the sifted flour mixture.

Pour the mixture into a greased and flour or paper lined pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Fill and/or frost the cake with your favourite frosting. Decorate as per desired.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST BROTHER

The Premier Chinese Fruit

2009-11-27T09:45:00.010Z

Lychee, also spelled litchi or laichi, is a tropical fruit tree that originated in southern China. It is the most popular Chinese fruit and has been cherished for over 2,000 years.

Lychee fruits are showy and are borne in loose pendent clusters of 2 to 30. It is a drupe, oval, heart-shaped or nearly round shaped and is quite small though at only about 2.5 cm wide and 4 cm long; about the size of a small plum. The fruit is covered by skin or pericarp that is thin, leathery, roughly-textured or minutely warty rind that comes off easily but is inedible. It is usually strawberry-red, sometimes rose, pinkish or amber, and some types tinged with green colour. This skin often referred to as the "shell" encases a layer of glossy, succulent, thick, translucent-white to grayish or pinkish fleshy pulp which usually separates readily from the seed. The flesh is similar in texture to a grape but is chewier. It is edible and consists of a highly developed aril enveloping the seed. The flavour of the delicately scented flesh is distinctive, sub acid, sweet, exotic, and very juicy. In the centre is a single glossy dark-brown nut-like seed of about 2 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter. The seed, which looks like a buckeye seed, is inedible as it is slightly poisonous.

Fresh lychee fruit still in their skin will explode if thrown onto a fire. Lychee naturally dehydrates in just a few days. The skin turns brown and brittle and the flesh becomes dry, shriveled, dark reddish brown and the flesh becomes brown and crisp. As it resembles a nut, dried lychee is nicknamed “lychee nut”. It has a raisin-like, richer and musky flavour. The flesh of the dried lychee is eaten like raisins, as a snack. The Chinese use it to sweeten their tea.

Other than potassium, lychee contains various minerals. It is rich in vitamins B & C and is a fairly high source of vitamins E and D. Eaten in moderate amounts, it is believed to relieve cough and is said to have a beneficial effect on gastralgia, tumours and enlargements of the glands. Though the Chinese believe that excessive consumption of fresh lychees causes fever and nosebleed, they use the seeds to relieve neurological pains and orchitis. A tea of the fruit peel is taken to overcome smallpox eruptions and diarrhea. According to legends, ancient devotees have consumed from 300 to 1,000 of fresh lychees per day. In India, the seeds are powdered and used for intestinal troubles. Decoction of the root, bark and flowers are gargled to alleviate ailments of the throat. In the USA, lychee roots are being experimented on a type of tumour.

When purchasing, choose lychee that has bright coloured skin and free of blemishes. Lychee could be kept at room temperatures for only two or three days. Therefore, place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate unpeeled for up to a week.

Lychee is a premier dessert fruit. Though available tinned and dried, it is most relished fresh; peeled and pitted. It is also used to make ice cream, juice, candies and wine. Recently, I flavoured my jelly with lychee.

Lychee Jelly

What do we need:

1 tin lychee
5 g agar-agar strands
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
A few drops of food colouring

How do we do it:

Soak the the agar-agar strands in water for an hour. Wash and drain. Cook with water.

Strain the lychees and save the syrup.

When the jelly strands have dissolved, add the lychee syrup, sugar and salt. Cook until the sugar dissolve. Colour the jelly mixture with a fre drops of food colouring. Mix well.

Roughly chop the lychees and scatter in a mould. Strain the jelly mixture into the mould onto the lychee pieces. Chill in fridge. To ease unmoulding of the jelly, ensure that the moulds are wet before pouring the jelly mixture. Serve Lychee Jelly cold.

That Perfect Breakfast

2009-10-31T04:19:00.015Z

I was so hungry this morning. Starving for a sweet buttery breakfast. So, quickly whipped up a pancake of my favourite flavour; vanilla.

Vanilla Custard Pancake

What do we need:

1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup custard powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp butter

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, custard powder, baking powder and salt.

Mix the egg, milk, sugar and the melted butter together. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture. Cover and leave the batter to meld for about 30 minutes.

Lightly grease pan with a touch of butter. Drop a tablespoonful of batter. When the pancake is full of bubbles, flip over and cook for another 30 seconds.

Serve Vanilla Custard Pancake warm with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey or vanilla sauce.

Happy Deepavali 2009

2009-10-17T05:53:00.002+01:00

This year is a special Deepavali to me as I get to celebrate it for the first time in my own place after marriage. Though busy at work, I still managed to make some festive delicacies.

Clockwise from top: Ghee Balls, Achi Muruku, Pineapple Jam Tarts & Muruku
Centre from left to right: Blackforest Cookies, Orange Cookies & Custard Cookies

Wishing Hindus Thoughout The Globe a Very Happy & Prosperous Deepavali

The Rocky Pastry

2009-10-04T09:06:00.006+01:00

Rock bun is a specific type of pastry, distinguished by the hard, crust-like texture and sweet taste. This spicy British pastry usually also has a sugar-crust topping and is full of coarsely chopped dried fruit. Rock bun is also called rock cake as it is a cross between a cookie and a small cake. It is made using the rubbing in method. This method achieves a dry and open texture. Rock bun is baked in small mounds, which take on a rocklike appearance.

I made my very first batch of rock buns at school when I was 14 years old. Ever since then, I fell in love with the rocky pastry. Similarly, my sister and children too love them.

Rock Buns

What do we need:

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cold butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mixed dried fruits
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
1 cold egg
1/4 cup cold milk

How do we do it:

In a food processor, place the flour, baking powder and cold butter. At a low speed, mix the ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in sugar, the spices and the dried fruits with a metal spoon.

Slightly beat the cold milk and egg together. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Gently stir just until the dough binds together. Drop the dough by teaspoonful on a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake at 200° C for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy Rock Bun with a cup of tea.

A Comeback, an Anniversary and a Birthday

2009-09-23T13:54:00.005+01:00

Hello there everyone. Here am I once again, back to the blogosphere after a loooooong gap. I am now living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for good. It took me this long to really settle down.

Yesterday we celebrated 2 occasions, the 5th anniversary of my motherhood and my dearest daughter’s 5th birthday. It is the greatest day in my life. Being a mother is an invaluable gift. 5 years passed by just too fast. My lovely daughter has grown up that it’s now difficult for me to carry her.

She said “amma, for my birthday I want everything princess.” As a doting mother, it’s my duty to fulfill her desire. I made a princess cake, my brother made a princess jelly and my sister dolled my daughter up to become a princess.

The 3 Princesses

As usual I prepared quite a number of items for the party.

The Food Spread

My brother made multi-layered and multi-coloured jelly. I baked Pineapple Jam Cake as the base and Vanilla Cake as the gown.

Princess Jelly and Princess Cake

Prawn Fried Rice

Grilled Spicy Chicken

Carrot and Broccoli Soup

Potatoe and Tuna Bruschetta

Mixed Vege Salad

Rock Bun and Marble Jelly

Cream of the Pastry

2008-01-13T00:11:00.002Z

Pastry cream or crème pâtissière in French is a rich, thick egg custard that is cooked on the stovetop. It is made with a combination of milk or cream, egg yolks, sugar. Plain flour or corn flour is used to thicken the texture. Other than the traditional vanilla flavouring, it could also be flavoured with chocolate, coffee, liqueurs, lemon or fruit purées.

Pastry cream is used as filling or stuffing for many French desserts like cream puffs, éclairs and napoleons. Also used to fill tarts, buns, Boston cream pie, some Italian and various other pastries.

Pastry Cream

What do we need:

1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp plain flour
1 pinch salt

1 tbsp unsalted butter

How do we do it:

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out. Add the scraped vanilla pod and the seeds into the milk. Bring the milk to a boil and remove from heat.

Beat the egg yolks, sugar, salt and flour together. While whisking constantly, pour in half of the hot milk in a slow steady stream into the egg mixture. This is to prevent the eggs from curdling. Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot milk. Cook over low medium heat while whisking constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce the heat to low and whisk for 2 another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. If using vanilla extract, also stir in.

Cover with cling film and press down so that it touches the surface of the cream. This is to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature before storing the pastry cream in the refrigerator.

Whisk the cream until smooth when using.

The Green Condiment

2007-12-20T10:43:00.000Z

This is my favourite condiment. It is a must to go along with chinese food. Therefore, every chinese restaurant would have them served in the centre of each table.

Green Chilli Pickle

What do we need:

15 green chillies
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

How do we do it:

Wash and drain chillies well. Thinly slice the chillies. Place the sliced chillies in a jar.

Mix vinegar, water, salt and sugar, until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into the jar onto the chillies.

The chillies will be ready the next day. It could be refrigerated for months.

The Seeds

2007-12-07T13:30:00.000Z

Triple Seeds Muffin

What do we need:

1 cup wholemeal flour
1/3 cup plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove

1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup mixture of sunflower, melon and pumpkin seeds

How do we do it:

Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the spices together. Mix in the seeds and set aside.

Grease the muffin tray with butter or simply place paper cups into the muffin holes.

Mix milk, egg, sugar, vanilla extract and oil together. Stir until sugar dissolves. Combine the wet ingredients with the flour mixture stirring just until evenly moistened.

Fill muffin holes with three-quarter full. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for 15 minutes.

When baking muffins, always place a bowl of boiling water in the oven. If there are unused holes on the muffin tray, pour boiling water into it. The reason is that the steam from the boiling water creates moist in the oven to prevent warping.

WBB# 15 - Corn Flakes

2007-11-30T14:08:00.000Z

One of the most popular breakfast cereals is corn flakes. They are made by a combination of coarse meal of hulled corn, sugar, salt and barley malt extract that are cooked slowly until they reach the correct temperature and humidity level. Then, they are rolled and toasted to golden-brown flakes which give the crispy characteristic and appearance to the corn flakes.

Corn Flakes Bread Pudding

How do we do it:

1 cup corn flakes
4 slices bread
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter (or more if required)
1 tbsp custard powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sweet corn extract
1/2 tsp salt

How do we do it:

Trim the edges of the bread. Generously butter each slice and tear up the bread slices. In a buttered baking dish, randomly place the teared bread and sprinkle corn flakes in between. Set aside.

Combine milk, egg, sugar, custard powder, the extracts and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture onto the bread and corn flakes. Sprinkle the remaining corn flakes on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for about 20-30 minutes.

Serve warm with a drizzle of honey.

Also check out a healthy breakfast of cornflakes soaked in Banana Chocolate Milk

Jihvā for Ingredients - Toor Dal

2007-11-22T02:00:00.001Z

Toor dal or Thuvaram paruppu is the most popular and widely used lentil in India. This highly digestible South Indian staple has a thick gelatinous, meaty consistency. Toor dal looks very much like Chana dal but it is smaller. It has a mild and nutty flavour. With its skin on, it is greenish-brown in colour and without its skin, it is yellow.

Toor dal is usually sold and cooked skinned and split. Sometimes it is sold with an oily coating, which should be rinsed off before cooking. It takes a little longer to cook than masoor dal. Toor dal is often used in sambar, cooked as a side dish or ground into flour.

Lately, I have been craving for mutton briyani. Finally, found my way to cook it, after such a long time. I thought of cooking sambar to accompany the briyani. While preparing the ingredients, suddenly something struck me. Hey, why don't I cook both the briyani and sambar together as one meal???

Mutton and Toor Dal Briyani

What do we need:

2 cups basmati rice
1/2 kg mutton, cubed
1/4 cup toor dal
1 carrot
1 onion
1" ginger
1 bulb garlic
2 green chillies
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 cup yoghurt
1 cup milk
2 cups water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp oil
1 bay leave
1 star anise
4 cloves
a pinch of saffron
2 tbsp cashew nuts, halved
2 tbsp sultanas
2 tbsp fried onion crisps
salt to taste

To grind:
2 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp fennel
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp poppy seed
1 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
3 cardamoms
3 dried chillies

How do we do it:

Marinade the mutton with half of the yoghurt, turmeric powder and salt. Set aside, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

Soak the toor dal. Wash and soak the rice. Then, drain the water and set aside.

Soak the saffron strands in the milk. Set aside.

Dry fry the spices to be ground and grind them into powder form.

Thinly slice the onion. Half the chilli lengthwise. Grind the ginger and garlic into paste.

Heat the ghee. Fry the cashew nuts and sultanas. Set aside.

Add oil to the remaining ghee. Fry star anise, bay leaf and cloves. Add ginger and garlic paste. Then, onion and chilli. Sautè until aromatic. Add the chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes turn pulpy, put in the marinated mutton. Add the ground spices, the remaining yoghurt and lime juice. Cook until the mutton is half cooked. Then, add the soaked toor dal. Cook until the mutton is well cooked. Then, put the rice and milk in. Sprinkle the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Season with salt. Cook until rice is fluffy and does not stick together.

Finally, sprinkle the fried cashew nuts, sultanas and the onion crisps. Serve hot.

This is the end product. It was wonderful. As usual, I cooked the biryani directly in rice cooker. I made sure that the toor dal does not over cook and becomes soggy. It was crunchy and just perfect. I am submitting it to JFI-Toor Dal event.

Think Spice...Think Ginger

2007-11-15T10:17:00.000Z

Ginger is one of the most widespread culinary spices. It is also among the most important and valued spices. No one is sure how old ginger is but it is believed to be cultivated for more than 3000 years. Ginger seems to originate from Southern China. Today, it is cultivated all over tropic and subtropical Asia.

This noble condiment comes from a perennial creeping herbaceous plant that produces an erect stem of 30 to 100 cm in height. The stem is surrounded by the sheathing bases of the bright green lance-shaped two-ranked leaves of 15 to 20 cm long, with a prominent longitudinal rib, enclosing conical clusters of a small club-like spike of yellow-green purple-lipped flowers. The gnarled, bumpy root of the ginger plant is the source of this wonderful spice. Although often called “ginger root”, it is actually a rhizome. Rhizomes are knobby thick tuberous underground stems that have pungent and flavourful flesh. The large thick scaly ginger rhizome has a characteristic stag horn-like appearance. It branches with thick thumb-like protrusions, thus individual divisions of the rhizome are known as "hands".

Fresh ginger is available in two forms; young and mature. Young ginger, also known as spring ginger, has a pale, thin skin that does not require peeling. It is very tender and has a milder flavour than its mature form. Mature ginger has a tough tan to brown skin that has to be carefully peeled away to preserve the delicate flesh just beneath it. The flesh ranges from pale greenish yellow to ivory in colour. Ginger has a slightly biting and hot note along with peppery and slightly sweet flavour. Its aroma is rich, sweet, warm, pungent, spicy and woody. Whole raw ginger is generally referred to as fresh ginger. It provides the freshest taste. Ginger also comes in dried form. It is sold either ‘black’ with the skin left on, or ‘white’ with the skin peeled off. The dried ginger is available whole or sliced. Powdered ginger is the buff-coloured ground dried ginger. It has fiery and pungent flavour and has warm, sweet and pungent aroma.

When buying fresh ginger, look for mature plump rhizomes with smooth skin that are not wrinkled. Wrinkled skin indicates that the root is dry and past its prime. It should have a fresh and spicy fragrance. Tightly wrapped fresh unpeeled ginger could be refrigerated in the crisper for up to 3 weeks and frozen for up to 6 months. Dried and powdered ginger must be stored in airtight containers.

Ginger is truly a world domestic remedy. It is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. Ginger has been used in Asia for thousands of years for relief from arthritis, rheumatism, sprains, muscle spasms, catarrh, congestion, coughs, sinusitis, sore throats, diarrhea, colic, cramps, indigestion, loss of appetite, motion sickness, fever, flu, chills, and infectious disease. Its therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Ginger is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Other uses for ginger include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs.

Ginger is extremely versatile. It could be used in any type of food. Ginger is used as a spice throughout the world. In Asian cooking, ginger is almost always used fresh. In savoury dishes, it pairs beautifully with garlic. Dried ginger should be ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibres, and then infused in the cooking.

Ginger is my staple spice without which I can never even imagine of cooking. As my entry for the Think Spice Event, I have made one of my favourite Malaysian desserts. This dessert is apt for the climate as it is now continuously snowing in Bern. Originaly this dessert does not call for ginger but I have incorporated it to enhance the taste. I have used both fresh and dried ginger. Actually, both have noticeably different flavours. Therefore, I have used them together in the same dish for a layered flavour.

Gingery Mung Bean Dessert

What do we need:

1/2 cup mung beans
2 cups water
1 cup milk or coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar (or more if desired)
1/4 cup sago
1/2 inch knob ginger, sliced
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 screw pine leaves, knotted
salt

How do we do it:

Soak the mung beans for about 2 hours and drain.

Combine mung beans, knotted screw pine leaves, ginger and water. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Gradually stir in the sago and cook until it is transparent.

Add sugar, salt, ginger powder and milk. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until the beans are soft and the liquid has reduced to half. Remove from heat.

Serve Gingery Mung Bean Dessert warm. The ginger gives a delicate warm flavour to it.

Also check out an amazingly aromatic Ginger Rice.

Happy Deepavali

2007-11-08T16:40:00.000Z

Wishing Hindus Throughout The World A Very Happy & Prosperous Deepavali

Think Spice...Think Saffron

2007-10-25T20:01:00.002+01:00

Saffron, the world's most precious spice, has been treasured from the remotest times. It is native to Near East and believed to be first appeared in Crete. Saffron has been cultivated for thousands of years.

The small fall-flowering crocus grows well in warm climates. It has thin long leaves and ornamental fragrant deep lavender, purple-veined flowers These flowers bloom for only two or three weeks in autumn. The flower contains three precious protruding yellow-orange to scarlet stigmas and adjacent part of the style yield the saffron. The intensive colour is caused by pigments of carotenoid type. These must be carefully hand-picked and then dried. Saffron is strongly perfumed, with very intensive earthy fragrant, reminiscent to iodoform but much more pleasant honey aroma. It has a unique pungent, slightly bitter-honey taste.

When I was pregnant, I used to drink milk with saffron. Its just incredible how only a tiny little pinch of saffron could transform the milk into a heavenly tasting beverage. I thought why not turn this concoction from something that I could drink to something that I could eat. Thus, came up with this.......

Saffron Milk Jelly

What do we need:

1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp agar-agar powder
a generous pinch of saffron

How do we do it:

Mix saffron and milk. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the saffron to steep.

Combine agar-agar powder, sugar and water and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolve. Pour in milk together with the saffron strands. Bring to a boil.

Pour the jelly mixture into a mould or little moulds. Chill the jelly until well set.

To ease unmoulding of the jelly, ensure that the moulds are wet before pouring the jelly mixture.

The Saffron Milk Jelly was lovely. Hubby′s verdict: "Sehr gut!", which means "very good". This is what I am going to submit for the Think Spice event at Sunita′s World.

A Fruit A Month - Peach

2007-10-21T16:39:00.000+01:00

Peaches have been grown since prehistoric times. Native to China, peaches are considered a symbol of long life and immortality. They are found in paintings, the decoration of porcelain, and poetry. Peach seeds were carried all over the world. As they grow best in warm temperate and subtropical regions, they were grown in Persia before being transported to Europe, hence its ancient appellation, Persian apple. The Romans thought that they originated from Persia and gave the botanical name prunus persica.

A peach tree may grow up to 30 feet tall and can live for 40 years. Belonging to the rose family, it is a low spreading freely branching tree that has lanceolate leaves and sessile pink flowers. The fruit is a delicately fragrant edible drupe. On one side of the fruit is a distinctive vertical indentation. The thin, velvety, fuzzy skin of the peach can range from pink-blushed creamy-white to red-blushed yellow. Beneath is a pulpy pinkish-white to yellow-gold flesh that is juicy with acidic tang coupled with sweetness. In the centre of the fruit is a hard stone that is covered with a fleshy substance that is juicy, melting, and of fine flavour when matured and mellowed.

There are hundreds of varieties that vary greatly in colour and flavour. The nectarine, which looks very much similar to the peach, is actually a variety of peach. The texture of the skin is the one that differentiates them. Peach has fuzzy and dull skin, while nectarine is smooth and shiny. Generally, peach is classified into two major types; freestone and clingstone. The pit or stone of the freestone peach separates easily away from the flesh. This type is more commonly found in markets. The pit in the clingstone peach adheres firmly to the fruit. This type of peach has firmer flesh and is widely used for commercial purposes such as tinned peaches. There is also some semi-freestone peach which is in between the other two types.

Though peach is available almost year-round, it is best and cheapest in the summer while the peach season is at its peak from June until the end of September. Peach is harvested when it is firm, mature, and have just enough sweetness. As it ripens, it becomes sweet, juicy and delicious with a sweet fragrance. Choose for intensely fragrant fruit that gives slightly to palm pressure. Select for peach that is colourful. Peach should be thoroughly perused for soft spots as it bruises easily. Also avoid those with signs of greening. To ripen unripe peach, simply place it in a pierced brown bag at room temperature for a day or so until it becomes softer. Adding an apple to the bag will speed up the ripening process. Ripe peaches could be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to five to six days. Bring to room temperature before consuming.

After harvest, commercially grown peaches are mechanically brushed to de-fuzz the skin. This is because most people do not like it. It is also the reason why the skin is often peeled before eating. To do this, just blanch it in boiling water for a few seconds, then plunge into cold water until it is cool enough to handle. The skin will slip right off. The pit can be easily removed by slicing from top to bottom and giving a slight twist.

The peach is a good source of both vitamins A and C. It is fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free. It can be used in various ways. Peaches are tinned in sugar syrup as slices or halves, poached, dried, cooked, baked, frozen, juiced, made into jam or eaten as it is. It could also be distilled in brandy and liqueurs. The Chinese preserve peaches. As an entry for A Fruit A Month event, I have used peach as a main ingredient to marinade chicken.

Peach Chicken

What do we need:

4 chicken thighs
2 skinned fresh peaches or 4 pieces tinned peach halves
1 inch knob ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp chilli powder (or more)
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp tomatoe paste
1 tbsp honey (omit if using tinned peaches)
1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
salt

How do we do it:

Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels. Make 2 or 3 slits lengthwise on them. Place the thighs in a zip-loc bag.

Peach based marinade

In a food processor, process all the marinade ingredients until fine. Pour marinade into the zip-loc bag, over the chicken. Shake well to coat the chicken. Refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil to ease washing process. Arrange the chicken thighs on it. Roast in preheated oven at 250°C for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over halfway through the cooking time and baste with some marinade. Turn the chicken back to its original position, baste again with some marinade if necessary and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until evenly browned.

Serve immediately while it is still hot.

While roasting, the sweet aroma of peach was lingering throughout my kitchen. The chicken tastes very fruity.

Also check out a lovely Peach Butter Cake that also uses peach as main ingredient.

For Chikie

2007-10-09T21:25:00.001+01:00

It is my sister’s birthday today. Though Suganthi is her name, I call her Chikie and she calls me Chumie. Well, the story behind these nicknames goes back to about more than 25 years ago. There was this Malay language puppet show on television called Chumie dan Chikie, which means Chumie and Chikie. We both were fans of this show. Hence, our father said that I am Chumie and my sister is Chikie. Since then, those names stuck. It’s just the both of us who call ourselves by those names. The rest of the family does not.

I thought of baking something for her. After a lot of thinking, I decided to bake mango cake. I have never baked this cake before but then, it turned out to be very soft, light and moist with a mild mango flavour. For the aroma, I have added mango essence. The reason is because the aroma of mango comes solely from the skin. The flesh does not have any aroma.

Mango Cake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup mango purée
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp mango essence

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Stir in the mango purée, lemon juice and the essence. Add in the sifted flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour the mixture into a greased and flour or paper lined pan. Bake at 175° C for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, cool completely on a wire rack.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIKIE

Sweetish Reddish Condiment

2007-10-07T22:41:00.000+01:00

Recently, I made onion pickle to be served along with murtabak for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. Traditionally, this pickle is red in colour. So, to keep up to the tradition, I also coloured it RED. Let me share the recipe of this very simple sweet and crunchy pickle.

Onion Pickle

What do we need:

1 large onion
4 tbsp vinegar
4 tsp sugar
1 drop red food colouring (optional)

How do we do it:

In a jar, mix vinegar, sugar and the red food colouring. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Peel the onion, wash and pat dry. Cut it into half lengthwise and slice very thinly. Place the sliced onion into the vinegar mixture. Set aside.

Within 2 hours the pickle would be ready.

Serve Onion Pickle with murtabak or simply with sambar and rice.

Jihvā for Ingredients - Banana

2007-10-01T09:24:00.002+01:00

Banana, the world's most popular and eaten tropical fruit is available at anytime of the year. It has been grown for over 1 million years; probably one of the first plants to be cultivated. Native to Malaysia, banana is also suspected to be the earth's first fruit.

Banana is actually the world’s largest plant without a woody stem. In other words, it is not a tree, rather a giant herb of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. The stalks grow up to 25 feet high. The stem is made of tightly wrapped leaves and has a terminal crown of large, entire leaves and a hanging cluster or a bunch of fruits containing anywhere from 50 to 150 bananas. Individual fruits are tiered, also known as "hands", with up to 20 bananas or "fingers".

The banana fruit is elongated, pronouncedly 3-angled, curved, hornlike, oblong, cylindrical, blunt and/or crescent-shaped. Also referred as nature's fast food, it comes prepackaged in its own biodegradable protective jackets or outer layer that is commonly called as a peel or skin. Unripe skin turns from deep-green to yellow or red when ripened. The inner portion is ivory-white to yellow or salmon-yellow firm, astringent, creamy edible flesh. It has gummy latex when unripe and turns tender and slippery, or soft and mellow or rather dry and mealy or starchy when ripe. The banana has numerous strings known as phloem bundles which run between the skin and the flesh. They are usually removed individually after the skin is removed. The commonly cultivated bananas are generally seedless with just vestiges of ovules visible as brown specks in the slightly hollow or faintly pithy centre, especially when the fruit is overripe. Wild bananas may be nearly filled with black, hard, rounded or angled seeds and have scant flesh. Sometimes, a black dead flower remains at the end of the fruit.

Bananas

Banana is wonderfully sweet, mild, sub acid with a distinct apple tone. Even for local consumption, banana is harvested green as it is the only fruit that never develops its best flavour if left to ripen on the plant. After they are picked, the sugar content increases from 2% to 20% because as banana ripe, the starch in the fruit turns to sugar. Therefore, the riper the banana the sweeter it will taste.

Choose plump, evenly coloured yellow bananas flecked with tiny brown specks, which is a sign of ripeness. Avoid those with blemishes that usually indicate bruising. Once exposed to air, a peeled banana will begin to darken. To avoid discolouration, brush with lemon juice. To keep ripe bananas from getting softy and mushy, just refrigerate it. Though the peel will darken, the fruit remains unchanged.

A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minutes workout. Banana is a rich source of potassium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and dietary fiber. Being low in protein and fats, banana contains more digestible carbohydrates than any other fruit. This enables the body to burn off calories from carbohydrates more quickly and easily than calories from protein or fat. Banana is definitely a natural remedy for many ills. The inside of a banana skin could be rubbed onto mosquito bites. The juice extract prepared from the tender core of the banana stem is used to treat kidney stones.

In Southeast Asia and India, banana flowers and stems are eaten. The Caribbean and Southeast Asians use the leaves for wrapping and packing food. In Mexico, Central and South America, the leaves are used in cooking. The Indians serve their food on the banana leaves. In Eastern Africa, beer is brewed from bananas. Banana is such a versatile fruit that could be used in any form of cooking and baking. I am a great fan of banana. I just love the aroma of banana being cooked or baked. I have used it in beverages, baking and some Malaysian desserts. This time I have tried banana in pancake that I am submitting for this month's Jihvā for Ingredients event.

Banana Pancake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 large banana, mashed
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp butter

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix the mashed banana, egg, coconut milk, sugar and the melted butter together. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Combine the banana mixture with the flour mixture. Gradually stir in the grated coconut. Cover and leave the batter to meld for about 30 minutes.

Lightly grease pan with a touch of butter. Drop a tablespoonful of batter. When the pancake is full of bubbles, flip over and cook for another 30 seconds.

Serve Banana Pancake warm with a drizzle of palm sugar syrup.

Also check out my other entries using banana as a main ingredient:

Energy boosters- Strawberry Smoothie and Banana Chocolate Milk

Baked goods- Banana Bread Pudding and my ever famous Banana Butter Cake

WBB# 15 - Leftovers

2007-09-29T22:05:00.000+01:00

I had some extra cooked macaroni from last night's dinner. As I highly value food, I did not have the heart to throw it away. I am a person who eats until my plate is clean. Hence, the pasta went to the fridge.

This morning, I opened the fridge and wondered of what to do with the pasta. My thinking bell rang and I came up with a super simple breakfast.

Macaroni Frittata

What do we need:

1/4 cup cooked macaroni
1/4 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tap oil
freshly milled black pepper
salt

How do we do it:

Beat the eggs with milk and garam masala.

On a non stick frying pan, heat the oil and pour the egg mixture. Sprinkle the pasta and mixed vegetables onto the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat to prevent burning. When the top is almost cooked, very carefully flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds.

Serve Macaroni Frittata hot with dash of ketchup or chilli sauce. Along with a glass of orange juice, it makes a great breakfast.

Showing You My Cookbooks

2007-09-27T21:44:00.000+01:00

Participating in events is so fun packed. It enhances our creativity. This time, there is this event that does not need us to cook. Rather we just have to show our cookbooks. This is more like a game and hey, I am enjoying it.

Collecting cookbooks have always been a great passion of mine. Bought my very first cookbook at the age of 12. Since then, I was into baking. Everything paused when I entered college. Later, continued after started to work until to date.

I bought quite a number of cookbooks during my 6 months stay in Malaysia for my delivery. Managed to bring back just a few. Many are still lying there. Hopefully my dear little brother sends them soon.

Below are just part of my collections that I wish to share for the Show Me Your Cook Books Event.

These are a few of my cookbooks. Some are in English language and the rest are in German language.

A large number of recipes are filed this way.

These are recipes in magazines, handouts and brochures. All of them are in German language.

Previously, I had also shared a few of my cookbooks here.

Think Spice... Think Mustard

2007-09-25T23:41:00.001+01:00

Mustard is one of the oldest, least expensive and most widely used spices. For centuries, it has been used in cooking and as a medicine. Originally, it was the condiment, not the plant that was called mustard.

Mustard is a seed grain. Generally, it is globular, dark brown and just about one mm in diameter. Though mustard does not have any aroma, it has a very sharp and fiery flavour, which is more relevant. Precisely, there are three different kinds of mustard. White mustard is a round hard seed, beige or straw coloured. It is milder in flavour and has good preservative qualities. Black mustard is a round hard seed, varying in colour from dark brown to black, smaller and much more pungent than the white. Brown mustard is the same size as the black mustard, vary in colour from light to dark brown and is more pungent than the white, less than the black.

Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds are used whole, ground into powder or processed further into prepared mustard. The leaves are used mainly in Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking. Whole seeds are used in pickling. It especially adds piquancy to Sauerkraut and is sometimes used in marinades as well. Mustard is an important spice in Indian cooking for it is the main ingredient used for tempering; the whole seeds are fried until it pops, producing a milder nutty flavour. It is also ground with other spices to prepare curry powders. Mustard oil is piquant oil that may be used in cooking. Powdered mustard is simply finely ground mustard seed that acts as an emulsifier in the preparation of mayonnaise and salad dressings. Mustard seeds could be stored for up to a year in a cool and dry area, away from light. Powdered mustard stays for about 6 months.

Over 4000 years ago, the ancient Greeks believed mustard had been created by Asclepius, the god of healing, as a gift to mankind. Mustard oil is a powerful irritant. It could cause blistering of skin but then, when diluted as a liniment or poultice it soothes and creates a warm sensation. Mustard plasters are used to counter irritants. Mustard has been used for scorpion stings, snake bites, epilepsy, toothache, bruises, stiff neck, rheumatism, colic and respiratory troubles. It is used to induce vomiting and an irritant that draws the blood to the surface of the skin to warm and comfort stiff muscles. Mustard is also used for bathing.

I personally feel that mustard ought to be used more innovatively in cooking. Therefore, here goes my entry for the Think Spice Event.

Mustardy Sweet and Sour Chicken

What do we need:

3 pieces chicken breast

Marinade
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 carrot
1 celery stick
1/2 red capsicum
1 medium onion
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup water
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard powder
freshly milled pepper
salt

Thickening
1 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp water

How do we do it:

Combine the marinade ingredients. Cut each chicken breast into 6 pieces. Marinade the chicken pieces for at least 30 minutes.

Slice carrot into thin rings. Dice the celery in 1 cm thickness. Cut the capsicum into 1 inch size pieces and quarter the onion.

Fry the marinated chicken pieces in highly heated oil for 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery and water. Simmer until the chicken has cooked. Add capsicum, onion and pineapple chunks. Stir in the mustard powder and season well. Finally, combine the thickening ingredients and stir in. When the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat.

Serve Mustardy Sweet and Sour Chicken with hot piping rice.

Maylisha Turns 3 Part II

2007-09-24T22:22:00.002+01:00

Today was another busy day. Assembling and decorating another cake for Maylisha's birthday celebration at the Day Care Centre was today's task. Yesterday, I had already baked a very simple chocolate cake, prepared chocolate mousse filling and butter cream. I did not plan ahead of how to decorate the cake. Just simply wacked it. I came out like this.....

Also made a few party packs filled with some chocolates and sweets. Once a upon a time, making paper bags used to be a passion of mine.

Finally, all the tasks for Maylisha's birthday celebration has come to an end. I am now on with my normal routine.

Maylisha Turns 3 Part I

2007-09-23T18:17:00.001+01:00

It seemed liked I just gave birth to her but my little princess has turned 3 already. Its unbelievable how fast time flies. At times it scares me as well. I has been a custom that I always bake the cake for her birthday. Her past 2 birthdays were also the same. Maylisha loves Spongebob Squarepants and never misses the cartoon show. Therefore, the father insisted to have the cartoon character on the birthday cake. We planned to hold a small birthday party. My hands were tied the whole week preparing for the party.

Being a food lover, I prepared quite a number of food items. Ya.... ya.... all by myself. I was so very tired and exhausted. "Though small, it was a grand birthday bash." That was what my guests said. It made my tiredness to eclipse. The work does not end just there. Today I am busy preparing another cake and some party packs for the Day Care Centre as they will be celebrating Maylisha's birthday on Monday evening.

Spongebob Squarepants Cake

Chocolate Sponge Cake with Chocolate Mouse Filling and Buttercream Icing

Clockwise from top: Vegetable Briyani, Sticky Chicken,
Cheesy Vege Murtabak, Acar, Pineapple Pajeri, Prawn Sambal, Zuchini Sambar
Middle: Onion Pickle

Clockwise from top: Kuih Lapis, Sweetcorn Pudding, Tiramisu and Chocolate Sponge Cake

A Caramelized Success

2007-09-05T00:21:00.002+01:00

I love those little steamed buttery caramel cupcakes sold at the stalls in KL, Malaysia during teatime. I have always wanted to make them by myself. First time tried, it was not so successful. Now, after a year’s gap, tried making them again. This time, it was a great success. Hubby wouldn’t stop eating them. He told me to make another batch for Mahisha's nursery's potluck party the next day. Made them, and everybody liked the cakes as well.

Steamed Caramel Cupcakes

What do we need:

Caramel
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water

1 1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk

How do we do it:

Melt the sugar on very low heat. When the colour turns golden brown, immediately remove from heat and pour in the boiling water. Return to the heat and stir until the caramelized sugar dissolves in the water. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Mix cooled caramel syrup, egg, sugar, melted butter and milk. Stir well until sugar dissolves.

Combine the wet ingredients to the sifted flour mixture. Whisk gently until it is lump free. Pour the batter into greased little moulds until 3/4 full. Steam on high for 15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool.

Celebrating 50 Years of Nationhood

2007-08-30T23:01:00.000+01:00

Today is a momentous day to all Malaysians as Malaysia celebrates her Golden Jubilee. Malaysia's 50th year of independence is the grandest celebration that marks a significant milestone in the history of the nation that has a unique multicultural populace living in peace and harmony.

It’s sad that I have missed the one month celebration of spectacular and colourful events throughout the nation in conjunction with the Independence Day. Whatever it is, may I take this great opportunity to wish Malaysia and Malaysians scattered around the globe a very happy Merdeka Day.

Merdeka!!! Merdeka!!! Merdeka!!!

More details on the National Day Celebration

Think Spice...Think Cumin

2007-08-22T20:12:00.000+01:00

Guess what the second most popular spice is after black pepper. The answer is, CUMIN, the ancient spice that dates back to the Old Testament.

Cumin is a small dried fruit of an annual plant in the parsley family. Yes, it is a fruit and not a seed as how we have been calling it; cumin seeds. It is also often confused with caraway seeds that are milder to the taste, darker in colour, and smaller in size. Cumin is yellowish-brown in colour, uniformly elliptical and deeply furrowed. It is crescent-shaped, tapering at each extremity and at times, with tiny stalks attached.

Cumin

Cumin is an aromatic spice with a distinctive, pungent, powerful, sharp and a slightly bitter flavour. The flavour is accentuated by toasting. It has a strong, warm and a spicy-sweet aroma. This is due to its 2.5 to 4% essential oil content. By storing it in an airtight container and placing in a cool, dry area, away from light, the flavour and aroma can be retained for up to six months.

Cumin can be used whole or ground into powder. Though native to the Mediterranean, it is a must in Indian, Mexican, Asian, Northern African, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. Cumin is also a key component in chilli powder, curry powder and garam masala. It is even burned with woods to smoke cheeses and meats. Cumin should be used with restraint as it can exclude all the other flavours in a dish.

With its digestive properties, cumin is the best appetizer of all the condiments. It is valuable in dyspepsia diarrhoea and hoarseness, and may relieve flatulence and colic. Being a high source of iron, it increases lactation and reduce nausea in pregnancy. As a natural way, cumin is also believed to increase breast size. The Romans and the Greeks used it medicinally and cosmetically to induce a pallid complexion.

As my entry to the Think Spice Event, I am introducing cumin to the classic and easy Italian pesto sauce.

Cumin Spinach Pesto Pasta

What do we need:

1 cup pasta

1 bunch spinach
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin

salt
pepper

How do we do it:

Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and drain the water. Set aside.

Boil a pot full of water with a generous amount of salt. Cook the pasta in the boiling water to al dente or until the time specified on the pasta package. When cooked, drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and fry the cumin seeds for 10 seconds until aromatic. Add the spinach and sauté just until tender. Transfer the cooked spinach into a food processor. Add onion, garlic, toasted almonds and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse a few times. Slowly pour the remaining olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor. Blend until thick paste forms.

Pour the pesto onto the pasta, toss and serve hot.

The Return...........

2007-08-14T15:50:00.000+01:00

I have now returned home in Switzerland. It has been 2 weeks already but I still have not well settled. Life is no more the same. I am now a mother of 2, a preschooler and a baby.

Minding 2 children and nursing a baby definately needs extra energy. I concocted an energy booster to start up my tough day.

Banana Chocolate Milk

What do we need:

1 cup chocolate milk, chilled
1 large banana
1/2 cup corn flakes

How do we do it:

Blend the banana with the chocolate milk until smooth and frothy. Fill a tall glass with corn flakes. Pour the banana chocolate milk onto it. Top with chocolate sauce if desired.

Boy Oh Boy

2007-06-26T10:35:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

Though it's late, it's never too late to announce that I have safely given birth to a baby boy named Dhiran on the 27th of April 2007. I will be blogging again in August when I go back to Switzerland. Till then, take care every.

Home, Here I Come..............

2007-02-04T18:47:00.000Z

Dear friends,

I am going back home to Malaysia today. Will resume blogging soon from Kuala Lumpur. Till then, take care everybody.

Ponggalo Ponggal!!!!!

2007-01-15T13:02:00.000Z

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Ponggal. Like what they say "Thai piranthal vazhi pirakkum", I hope that this ponggal brings all the luck and prosperity to everyone in the whole.

Iniya Ponggal Nal Vazhthukkal

Weekend Baking Session # 26

2006-11-12T14:15:00.000Z

After such a long gap, I am so glad that I could continue with our Weekend Baking Session. Besides the traditional delicacies, Malaysians and Singaporeans bake cookies for their respective festivals. Therefore, I would like to share a cookie, one of my favourite, which I baked for Deepavali. Despite not feeling well, I still fought with myself to bake them. Though I could not bring the Deepavali spirit that we experience back home, I wanted to create a different environment than any other day.

This is a slightly different kind of cookie. Icebox cookie also known as refrigerator cookie is a type of cookie that is made by forming the dough into a log or a rectangle or a cylindrical block and chilling until firm, for 12 or more hours. This stiffens the dough, making them easier to slice them into rounds or squares. After they have been sliced, the cookie dough is then baked in a moderate oven. When baked, icebox cookies are buttery and usually thin and crispy, showing off a bit of a chew inside, especially when just baked.

Icebox cookies are a great prepare-ahead-of-time dough because it can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for a month or so. Then, cookies can be cut and baked at any time, even if directly from the freezer.

We could use any dried fruits for this cookie. I have used a combo of dried cranberries, raisins, candied pineapples, dried apricot and glazed cherries in this cookie. I have also used desiccated coconut as a main ingredient to create a light and crispy texture.

Tutti-Frutti Cookies

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup mixed dried fruits

How do we do it:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again. Stir in flour mixture, coconut and mixed fruits. Mix until dough forms.

Divide the dough into 2 portions. Shape into rolls and wrap them in wax paper or cling film. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Slice the dough logs into thin slices with a serrated knife. Bake them at 175° C for 10 to 12 minutes or until pale golden.

Remove and let cool on wire rack.

I'm Back!!!!

2006-11-09T17:07:00.000Z

Hello everybody, here I am back to the action. I am terribly sorry for keeping very quiet for nearly 3 months. The reason was that I was not feeling very well. Thank you very much to all of you out there throughout the world that showed their concern to me. I appreciate all your comments and e-mails. Tremendously sorry that I could not reply them.

Now, back to present. As a comeback gift, I would like to share a very simple, aromatic and ever smiling goodie with all.

Steamed Rose Sponge Cupcake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fizzy or soda water
1 egg
2 tbsp rose syrup
1 tsp sponge cake stabilizer (optional)

How do we do it:

Mix all the ingredients together. Beat until it becomes a frothy mixture and doubles in volume. Spoon the batter into paper cups until 2/3 full. Steam on high for 10 minutes.

Cool completely before serving.

Weekend Baking Session # 25

2006-08-20T21:37:00.000+01:00

Weekend Baking Session this week celebrates its 25th round with an Improved Indian Dessert.

Carrot Halva Tartlets

What do we need:

Almond Pastry
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup ground almond
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 tsp salt
ice water, as needed

Carrot Halva
2 cups carrots, grated finely
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp ghee
4 cardamoms, powdered
a pinch of saffron strands

slivered almonds for garnishing

How do we do it:

Combine flour, salt and ground almond. Grate cold butter into the mixture. Rub lightly with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually, add the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough binds together. Make sure not to over work the dough. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat ghee and fry the grated carrots slightly. Pour milk and sprinkle the saffron strands. Let it boil. Cook the carrot to soft paste stage. Now, add the sugar and continue cooking while stirring. Remove from heat when the halwa looks gooey.

Divide the pastry dough into 8 portions. Press each portion evenly into greased tart mould. Trim edges to remove excess pastry. Prick base of each tart with a fork. Cover and chill again for about 15 minutes. Then, blind bake the pasty cases in a preheated oven at 200º C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place the tartlets on a wire rack to cool.

To assemble, fill the tartlets with cool carrot halva. Top with slivered almonds.

The Summer Sensation # 3

2006-08-17T13:51:00.000+01:00

Though the weather has not been promising here in Switzerland, it is still the summer season. As a continuation with our summer sensation, I made pudding.

Pineapple Pudding

What do we need:

2 cups pineapple purée
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup custard powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp agar-agar powder

How do we do it:

Prepare the pineapple purée by blending fresh or canned pineapple. Set aside.

Cook agar-agar powder with pineapple juice on low heat until the agar-agar dissolves.

Combine the milk, custard powder and sugar. Pour into the pineapple juice while stirring constantly. Add the pineapple purée. Cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pour into moulds.

Serve Pineapple Pudding cool.

Red Beanly Yours

2006-08-15T18:19:00.000+01:00

Red beans or adzuki beans are hard, small, reddish-brown, oval beans approximately 5 mm in diameter. They resemble very much like that of mung bean but a bit larger. They have a distinctive white ridge along one side. They have a strong, nutty and compared to other beans, slightly sweet flavour.

Like most beans, red beans are rich in soluble fibre, which helps to eliminate cholesterol from the body. They are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and vitamin B3. As high-potassium, low-sodium foods they help reduce blood pressure. Not only are they low in fat, but when combined with grains, beans supply high quality protein that provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein. Red beans also contain protease inhibitors that frustrate the development of cancerous cells.

Red Beans

Red beans are easier to digest compared to other beans varieties. If not for its loaded flatulence-producing enzymes, we would eat more of them. To overcome this problem, we could change the water from time to time while soaking or cooking the beans. Pouring off the water helps gets rid of the indigestible complex sugars that create gas in our intestines. This method also helps to cook the beans thoroughly.

Red beans are particularly popular in Japanese and Chinese cooking. It is believed that the beans could probably have originated from China. Red beans are mostly, cooked until soft, sweetened with sugar and ground into paste. This paste is used as filling for many delicacies. There are actually many methods of preparing the paste. I would like to share the easiest method of all.

Red Bean Paste

What do we need:

1 cup red beans
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil

How do we do it:

Soak the beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Wash thoroughly. Cook on medium low heat until the beans are soft.

Grind the beans together with the water to ease the grinding process. Grind until soft and smooth paste forms.

Transfer the paste into clean pot. Add the sugar and cook on low heat stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the oil. Cook until the paste is thick and gooey. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Fill the Red Bean Paste in any of your favourite goodies or even spread on bread slices. It could be frozen up to a couple of months.

Weekend Baking Session # 24

2006-08-13T20:27:00.000+01:00

Suddenly I was craving for coconut bun. It was my favourite breakfast back home. Along with a mug of hot Milo, coconut bun tastes even greater. After 4 years, I had them for breakfast. For once I felt that I was at home. What a feeling!! For those who want to have the same feeling, here is the recipe...

Coconut Bun

What do we need:

Bun
2 cups plain flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Coconut Filling
1 cup grated coconut
1/3 cup grated palm sugar (or more as per desired)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp plain flour

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water

How do we do it:

Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Heat milk and butter until the butter melts and the mixture is about 50° C warm. Pour into the flour mixture. Also add the egg into the flour. Knead the dough until smooth and shiny. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, heat the water and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the grated coconut and flour. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes soft paste. Remove from heat and let the coconut filling cool.

Punch down the dough and knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal sized balls. Flatten the each ball and fill with the completely cooled coconut filling and seal the bun neatly. Gently rotate the bun repeatedly until it forms a smooth-skinned ball. Place each bun into a greased baking dish. Cover the dish and let the buns rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 45 minutes.

Beat together the egg yolk and water. Egg wash the buns. Bake in a preheated oven at 190° C for 20 minutes.

Going Green

2006-08-10T11:28:00.000+01:00

Originating from Southwest Asia, spinach is a dark green leafy vegetable with edible leaves and stems. Depending on the variety, the leaves may be either curled or smooth.

Spinach is an exceptionally nutritious food. It does contain a relatively high level of iron for a vegetable. Spinach also has high calcium content. It is a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and several vital antioxidants. It is a source of folic acid as well.

Spinach can be used raw, or cooked by boiling or sautéing. Its leaves contain small amounts of oxalic acid that gives spinach a slightly bitter taste. Do not cook spinach for more than 4 minutes, as it tends to lose all the nutrients.

Lemony Spinach

What do we need:

1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 dried chillies
1/2 tbsp shredded ginger
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
salt

How do we do it:

Wash and drain the spinach leaves. Set aside.

Heat oil and sauté onion, ginger and dried chillies. When the aroma rises, add the spinach. Cook for 2 minutes until the leaves are wilted. Add lemon zest and juice. Season with salt.

Serve Lemony Spinach with hot piping rice.

The Summer Sensation # 2

2006-08-08T19:15:00.000+01:00

Rose Syrup is one of the most popular flavoured syrup. It has a deliciously romantic flavour and aroma of roses. Rose syrup can be used as a dessert topping and to flavour milk shakes or alcoholic drinks.

I have made a simple rose syrup as a base to mix up a refreshing drink.

Rose Syrup

What do we need:

2 cups water
1 cup rock sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp rose water and/or 1 tsp rose essence
1/4 tsp red food colouring

How do we do it:

In a heavy bottomed pan, stir together the sugars and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the colouring and rose water or essence. Cool completely and store in a tightly screwed bottle.

To prepare rose syrup drink, mix 1 cup of cold fizzy water or plain water with 2 or 3 tablespoons of rose syrup. Serve with crushed ice or ice cubes for extra coldness.

Weekend Baking Session # 23

2006-08-06T16:42:00.000+01:00

I just realised that I have not baked cookies for our Weekend Baking Session. Therefore, this week I have baked the most famous and/or the most loved cookie in the world. Need I say more? Yes, it is Chocolate Chip Cookie. I have added an extra dose of chocolate in the form of chunks as well. Hence, it is double chocolatey!!!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 cup ground oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate chunks

How do we do it:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the ground oatmeal. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence. Add the flour mixture gradually. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and chunks.

Shape dough into 1” balls, place on a greased or lined baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 190° C for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Pick me up

2006-08-03T08:37:00.000+01:00

It is hubby dear's birthday today. I planned to bake him a black forest cake as it is his favourite cake. Just to be sure, I asked him "What do want me to make for your birthday?"
He replied "Whatever you want to. You don't need to trouble yourself a lot."
I said "Just tell me what you feel like having."
He asked "Would you make tiramisu for me?"

Now I remember that tiramisu was the first dessert I made for him. It has been almost 2 years since I made the last tiramisu. So, yesterday after work, I bought a packet of ladyfinger biscuits or sponge fingers and a tub of mascarpone cheese. The rest of the ingredients were at home. As soon as I reached home, I quickly whipped it up. Hubby was on and off peeping into the kitchen. He just could not wait to indulge himself with his favourite dessert but then, I told him that he has to wait until tomorrow (which is today) to have it as tiramisu needs an overnight chilling.

Tiramisu

What do we need:

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup marsala wine or kahlua or any coffee liqueurs

1 cup hot water
5 tbsp coffee powder or granules
3 tbsp brandy (optional)

20 ladyfinger biscuits or sponge fingers
250 g mascarpone cheese
1 cup whipping or double cream

1 cup grated chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa or chocolate powder

How do we do it:

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Slowly stir in the wine or liqour. Cook on a double boiler, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when the custard is thick. Set aside to cool.

Combine hot water and coffee. Let cool. When cooled, add the brandy and set aside.

Beat mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the cooled egg custard and continue beating slowly. Set aside.

Beat the cream until soft. Gently combine the mascarpone mixture with the beaten cream.

To assemble, dip the biscuits one by one into the coffee and arrange neatly in a dish. The biscuits could be broken to fit the dish. Spread half of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle grated chocolate. Repeat with the biscuits and cheese mixture again. Sprinkle cocoa or chocolate powder on top. Chill well, preferably overnight before serving.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY DEAR

Blogger Postcards From the World

2006-08-01T22:32:00.000+01:00

Finally, the day is here. The game has started. I have chosen a postcard of the most important landmark in Bern, where I live. Bern is the capital of Switzerland, the place where the Federal building or the Parliment is. What a coincidence that today is also the National Day of Switzerland.

This postcard is a view of the Parliment during dusk. The fountain in front of the building is in the shape of the Swiss map and has 26 points to commerate 26 Cantons in Switzerland.

Thank u very much Meeta for hosting this marvellous event.

Jihvā for Ingredients - Flour

2006-07-31T18:30:00.000+01:00

Flour is an ingredient used in many foods. It is a fine, powdery foodstuff obtained by grinding and sifting the meal of any of various edible grains or other starchy food sources. It can also be made from legumes and nuts, such as soy, peanuts, almonds, and other tree nuts. Flours are normally identified according to its grain source. A flour can range in texture from coarse to extremely soft and powdery, depending on the degree of bolting (sifting) it receives at the mill.

Flour is always based on the presence of starches, which are complex carbohydrates. Different types of flour are needed for different products. Wheat flour is the main ingredient in most food throughout the world. Rice flour and tapioca starch are more widely used in South East Asian delicacies. Gram flour used mainly used in Indian cooking.

In line with the theme FLOUR, I made a South East Asian delicacy using three different types of flours as its main ingredients. Different flavours and textures of the different flours give a unique taste and texture. I have added alkaline or lye water to give a bouncy or spring back texture to this kuih.

Kuih Kosui

What do we need:

1/2 cup grated palm sugar or brown sugar
1 cup water

2/3 cup rice flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup coconut milk from 1/4 coconut
1 tsp alkaline or lye water

1 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp salt

How do we do it:

Cook the water and palm sugar until the sugar dissolve. Strain and set aside to cool.

Add the cooled palm sugar syrup to the flours and alkaline water. Mix thoroughly. Strain the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased mould or greased little moulds. Steam on high for 15 minutes. Let the kuih cool.

Meanwhile, mix the grated coconut and salt together. When the kuih has cooled completely, cut into desired shapes and dredge the kuih into the salted coconut.

Kuih Kosui makes a great breakfast or evening tea snack.

Weekend Baking Session # 22

2006-07-30T21:22:00.001+01:00

I go bananas with anything made of bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. Energy is not the only way a banana can help us keep fit.

It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet. Banana gets rid of depression, PMS, anemia, lowers blood pressure, constipation, hangover, heartburn, morning sickness, prevents mosquito bites, help calm the nervous system and many more.

Banana Butter Cake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup mashed very ripe banana
1 egg

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Stir in the mashed banana. Fold in the sifted flour mixture.

Pour batter into a greased and lined loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

The Meat Substitute

2006-07-25T17:16:00.000+01:00

Soya is one of the most versatile wonder foods we have as it can mimic the flavours and textures of most of our popular foods. Soya protein that comes in the shape of chunks, granules or flakes are made from processed soya beans. They are called Textured Vegetable Protein or TVP, which is defatted soya flour that has been processed and dried to give a substance with a sponge-like texture which may be flavoured to resemble meat.

As well as being a good source of fibre and high quality protein, it is fortified with vitamin-B12. Soya is a rich source of plant compounds called phytoestrogens. This reduces the risk of breast cancer and prostrate cancer and raise good cholesterol levels. It contains 48% soya protein without any fat. it helps to control blood sugar for diabetics and people who suffer from hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).

Soya protein is very bland in taste. Extra flavours have to be incorporated to enhance it. Being my comfort food, I have substituted soya chunks to my favourite mutton dish.

Soya Chunks Varuval

What do we need:

2 cups soya chunks
2 medium potatoes
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt

How do we do it:

Soak the soya chunks in hot water for about half an hour, then discard water. Squeeze out the excess water. Then wash them in clean water. Squeeze again. Set aside.

Dice the potatoes. Mix with salt and turmeric powder. Deep fry until golden in colour. Set aside.

Heat oil and fry fennel seeds, star anise and cinnamon stick until aromatic. Add in ginger garlic paste and the sliced onion. Sauté until the rawness gets over. Pour the water, add curry powder, soya sauce and the soya chunks. Let the gravy simmer. Add the fried potatoes cubes and season with salt and sugar. Keep stirring gently until it becomes dry.

Soya Chunks Varuval with Plain Rice, Lemony Spinach and Sambar

Serve Soya Chunks Varuval with hot rice or roti.

Weekend Baking Session # 21

2006-07-23T22:25:00.000+01:00

I started doing something but ended up with something else. It was so tasty that I wish to share the recipe with everyone thru our Weekend Baking Session.

Cheesy Orange Marmalade Rolls

What do we need:

2 cups bread or high protein flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup water
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt

1 cup orange marmalade
1 cup grated cheese

How do we do it:

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water.

Combine egg, butter, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture. Add flour alternately with the remaining 1/4 cup of warm water. Mix until well combined. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover generously with orange marmale. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Starting from the long side, begin rolling the dough down to the bottom edge, swiss roll style. Cut the rolled dough into 1 inch slices and place on a lightly greased pan 1 inch apart. Let the rolls rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for 12-15 minutes.

My Bakery's Latest Addition

2006-07-21T12:53:00.000+01:00

I found some silicon baking utencils on sale in Carrefour. Without much thinking, I quickly grabbed them.

Heart shaped ice tray cum jelly mould, mini cupcakes tray and 2 little teddy bear moulds

Cannot wait to use them but time, the culprit is being the obstacle. Now that Mahisha has been going to the day care centre the past 2 weeks, she needs more and more attention for me. The blog has been been very slow since then. :(

Weekend Baking Session # 20

2006-07-16T18:03:00.000+01:00

Last week we were invited to our babysitter's place for her son, Harry's birthday party. Along with a gift, I also brought a cake. The next day, Priya called me up and said that she and her other guests liked the cake very much and requested me to post the recipe in the blog.

As I promised, here I am. This week´s Weekend Baking session, is a tribute to Priya for all that she had done for me.

Mocha Chiffon Cake

What do we need:

2 tbsp cocoa powder + cake flour or plain flour to make 1 cup
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp instant coffee powder or granules

3 egg whites
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Dissolve the coffee powder or granules in the milk. To this, add the egg yolks, sugar, oil and the flour mixture. Mix until well blended.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar little by little and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg white into the pandan mixture to lighten it. Then, pour the lightened coffee mixture into the remaining beaten egg white. Fold gently but quickly and thoroughly to combine both mixtures.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 8" round cake pan. With a flat knife, quickly cut through the batter a few times to get rid of any very large air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert the cake pan and let it cool.

When the cake is completely cool, run a knife or a thin spatula around the sides of pan to loosen the cake from the pan.

Fill and frost the cake with your favourite frosting. Decorate as per desired.

Thank You Very Much Priya!!!

Healthy Sodhi

2006-07-05T20:38:00.000+01:00

Found ridge gourd at the local Indian grocery shop. It has been such a long time since I have eaten it. Felt like eating at once. Therefore, I bought one.

I like ridge gourd added in a watery dish. Struck my mind was sodhi. Sodhi is a broth like dish cooked with coconut milk and tamarind. I wanted to using avoid them both. As substitute, I decided to use milk and tomatoes, which are far healthier.

Ridge Gourd Sodhi

What do we need:
1 ridge gourd
1 large tomato
1 large onion
1 green chilli
1 tbsp dried shrimps
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt

How do we do it:

Remove skin and slice the ridge gourd into 1/2 inch rings. Slice the tomatoe and onion. Half the chilli lengthwise. Wash and drain the dried shrimps.

Heat oil, add the onion, chilli and shrimps. Sautè until aromatic. Add the ridge gourd. Pour in the water and add turmeric powder. Cook covered until the ridge gourd is cooked.

Add milk and sliced tomatoes. Season with salt. Remove from heat when milk starts to boil.

Serve Ridge Gourd Sodhi with hot piping rice or idiappam.

Weekend Baking Session # 19

2006-07-02T18:58:00.000+01:00

Plums are member of the stone fruits family that arrives in the summer. Plums grow in clusters, are plump, have very smooth and shiny skin and a centre pit. Plums can range in shape from oval to round and in size from 1 to 3 inches in diameter with a depression at the top where the stem attached. Their colour can be yellow, white, green, red, purple, indigo blue and almost anything in between with equally varying skin colour. The pale silvery-gray, filmy-looking coating on a plum's skin is natural. Some plums are much firmer-fleshed than others. Plums contain vitamin A and potassium.

Plums

Plums are sweet, juicy and edible. There are many varieties, some sweet, some acidic, and some best suited for drying into prunes. They are often enjoyed fresh for out-of-hand eating, but they work well in cobblers, compotes, tarts, jam and chutneys. They are also available as canned plums, packed in either water or sugar syrup. Plum juice can be fermented into plum wine. When distilled, this produces a brandy known in Eastern Europe as Slivovitz.

Yoghurt Plum Pie

What do we need:

Pie Crust
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup ice cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
2/3 cup yoghurt
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
500 g ripe plums

How do we do it:

In a food processor, place the flour, salt and cold butter. At a low speed, mix the ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually, add the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough binds together. Make sure not to over work the dough. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

On a floured board, roll out the dough into a disk, 2 or 3 inches larger than the pie pan. Transfer the pastry onto the pan. Fit the pastry very well on the bottom and side of the pan. Cut excess pastry. Line with a sheet of aluminium foil and place dried beans or rice as weights. The purpose is to prevent the pastry from bulging out when baking. This method of baking is called blind baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Then, lift the aluminium foil together with the weight. Now return the pastry shell to the oven and bake for another 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Half the plums and remove the stone. Arrange in a circular form inside the pie shell.

Combine yoghurt, sugar and the eggs. Beat well. Pour the mixture onto the plums.

Bake at 150° C for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Jihvā for Ingredients - Dal

2006-07-01T22:39:00.000+01:00

Lentils or dal are a member of the legume family. They grow in pods that contain either one or two seeds that are round, oval or lens-shaped disks. With the highest level of protein other than soybeans, it is a very important part of the diet for vegetarians. Apart from that, dal also contains dietary fibre, vitamin B1, and minerals. The important thing is that it is low in fat.

Masoor Dal

Dal has the advantage of cooking quickly. It easily absorbs flavours from other foods and seasonings. It has a mild and a distinctive earthy flavour. Dal is renown for causing flatulence, which often countered by adding asafoetida to the dish.

As the entry for , I have thought of cooking an unusual combo; Indian and Italian.

Dal Farfalle

What do we need:

2 cups farfalle or any pasta
1/2 cup masoor dal
1 bay leaf
1 onion
2 pips garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sambar powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup milk
salt

How do we do it:

Boil dal with the bay leave until soft. Discard the bay leave and purée the cooked dal until smooth. Set aside.

Boil a pot full of water with a generous amount of salt. Cook the farfalle in the boiling water to al dente or until the time specified on the pasta package. When cooked, drain and set aside.

Chop the onion and garlic finely. Heat oil and sauté the onion, garlic, cumin seeds and the dried basil leaves until aromatic. Add the dal purée, sambar powder and milk. Cook until the mixture thickens. Add lemon juice and season with salt. Add the cooked farfalle and stir gently but thoroughly to ensure that it is fully covered.

From My Rasoi # 6 - For The Love of Rice

2006-06-30T21:03:00.000+01:00

Glutinous rice, often called sticky rice is uniquely delicious, tasty and sweet rice. It is starchy and yields attractively sticky, moist, firm and dense rice when cooked. Thus it does a great job of filling the stomach. Glutinous rice can be easily distinguished from other varieties by its short grain and milky colour.

Glutinous Rice

Despite the misleading name, glutinous rice does not contain dietary gluten. Therefore, theoretically it should be safe for gluten-free diets. The sticky consistency of the rice is derived from two kinds of starch in the kernels, namely amylase and amyl pectin.

As an entry for FMR # 6 – For The Love Of Rice, I have chosen to make wajik which is steamed glutinous rice braised in palm sugar and coconut milk syrup.

Wajik

What do we need:

1 cup glutinous rice
1 blade pandanus / screw pine leaf
salt

Syrup
1 cup thick coconut milk
1/3 cup palm sugar (as per desired)
2 blades pandan / screw pine leaves

How do we do it:

Wash the rice and soak the rice at least 4 hours. It is important to wash the rice before soaking to ensure that the rice do not break. Drain the rice and mix with salt. Place a knotted screw pine leaf on top of the rice. Steam for 5 minutes or until half cooked. Remove from heat and using a fork, scratch to lossen the rice.

Palm sugar and coconut milk syrup at soft ball stage

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil the coconut milk with palm sugar and knotted screw pine leaves. When the syrup reaches soft ball stage, add the rice. Stir continously to prevent from getting burnt. Remove from heat when the mixture does not stick to the sides of the pan. Discard the pandan leaves. Transfer to a greased mould. Cool completely before cutting into desired shapes.

Weekend Baking Session # 18

2006-06-25T18:05:00.000+01:00

Pandan/Screw Pine Leaves

Yesterday was my special day. So, I felt like cooking and baking everything that I like. One of which is .......

Pandan Chiffon Cake

What do we need:

1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
4 blades pandanus/screw pine leaves

3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Wash and snip the pandan leaves into smaller pieces. Blend them with coconut milk. Strain and make sure the quantity is 1/3 of a cup. To the pandan coconut milk, add the egg yolks, sugar, oil and the flour mixture. Mix until well blended.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar little by little and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg white into the pandan mixture to lighten it. Then, pour the lightened coffee mixture into the remaining beaten egg white. Fold gently but quickly and thoroughly to combine both mixtures.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 8" round cake pan. With a flat knife, quickly cut through the batter a few times to get rid of any very large air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert the cake pan and let it cool.

When the cake is completely cool, run a knife or a thin spatula around the sides of pan to loosen the cake from the pan.

Fill and frost the cake with your favourite frosting. Decorate as per desired.

Tag World Confessions

2006-06-23T15:41:00.000+01:00

Yet another meme. This time I was tagged by Vaishali of Happy Burp and SudhaV of Samayal. Here we go.....

5 Items in My Freezer

Herbs - Curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.
Vegetables - Green peas and spinach.
Meat and Seafood - Prawns, fishes and chicken.
Homemade Doughs - Puff pastry, short crust pastry and bread dough.
Egg Whites - Each time I come across a recipe that uses only egg yolks, I safe the egg white by tying it up in a little plastic bag, separately for each egg white.

5 Items in My Closet

Clothes - Each of us have our own closet. Therefore, our clothes are separated. There are more hangers than clothes in my closet. I gave up all my office wardrobes to my sisters when I left Malaysia. Just brought 3 sarees which I use once a year during Malaysian National Day function held by the Embassy.
Handbags - I have a few but use only one. Hardly use the others.
Perfumes - I was a perfumes collector, once upon a time when I was a single. With the high standard of living in Switzerland, had to give up the hobby.
Cosmetics - All of them are from home. Mom sends them every now and then. I had to really hide them away from Mahisha as she is now into grooming.
Jewelries - Never used them ever since I moved to Switzerland. Very sad :(

5 Items in My Car

A Road Map of Bern - Just in case if we could not find a place.
Tamil Audio Cds - For me to listen and for Mahisha to sing and dance along.
Water Bottles - A big bottle for hubby and I. A small bottle for Mahisha.
Gummy Bears - That is the weapon that we use to calm down Mahisha whenever she freaks out in the car.
Tissue Box - Mom brought a pretty cover for the box when she came to Switzerland.

5 Items in My Purse

Malaysian Identity Card - Too used to carrying it around when I was in Malaysia.
Driving Licence - This is the twin sister of my IC. They never part.
ATM Cards - Both Malaysian and Swiss banks.
Shopping Cards - Been collecting the points but never redeemed them. Same happened when I was in Malaysia. Only collected, never redeemed.
Money - Well, the main purpose of carrying a purse is to keep money.

I would like to pass on the meme to:

Boo_licious of masak-masak
Zuraini of Zu's Kitchen
Shilpa of Aayi's Recipes
Paati of En Veetu Samayal
Priya of Priya's Kitchen
Garam Masala of The Spice is Right

The Summer Sensation # 1

2006-06-21T11:16:00.001+01:00

Finally, the most long-awaited season is here. Today is the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. It is the longest day of the year. Unlike living in Asia, we hardly get to see the sun here. Therefore, people tend to appreciate summer so much on this part of the world.

In line with the season, PuSiVa'S CuLiNarY StUdiO is celebrating the sensation of summer. Food connected to summer will be featured throughout the season as it is the season in which many fruits and vegetables are in full growth.

To kick start the event, I made jelly. Jelly or agar-agar is actually dried seaweed. It makes a good cooling agent especially on sunny days.

Yam Jelly

What do we need:

5 g agar-agar strands
3 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp yam paste/flavouring

How do we do it:

Soak the the agar-agar strands in water for an hour. Wash and drain. Cook with water. When the jelly strands have dissolved, add sugar. Cook until the sugar dissolve.

Strain the jelly and divide into 2 equal portions. Add 1/4 cup of milk into 1 portion of jelly (A). Mix well. Into the other portion of jelly (B), add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and the yam paste. Mix thoroughly and return to low heat.

Pour jelly mixture (A) into little jelly moulds or a big mould. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Now, scratch the top of the jelly with a fork. Pour jelly mixture (B) on top of the set jelly (A). Chill the jelly until well set.

Serve yam jelly cold.

Weekend Baking Session # 17

2006-06-18T21:19:00.000+01:00

It is Father's Day today. This edition of Weekend Baking Session pays a tribute to fatherhood. To celebrate the day, I baked a peanut butter cake because hubby loves peanuts and peanut butter. Frosted the cake with chocolate icing as chocolate makes the best pair with any nuts.

Peanut Butter Cake

What do we need:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 peanut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Set aside.

Beat butter, peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in vanilla essence. Fold in the sifted flour mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour.

Pour batter into a greased and lined 7 inches round pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Fill and cover the cake with your favourite frosting. Decorate as per desired.

Happy Father's Day To All The Fathers

10 Things I Miss Of Mom's Cooking

2006-06-16T22:50:00.000+01:00

Revathi of En Ulagam and Sonali of Spicehut have tagged with this excellent meme. It is a great theme that has took me back to the times that I was living with my mom. Many thanks to both of them for making write this nostalgic and mouth-watering meme.

Everyone’s mother is his or her best cook. My mom is no exception. Even all my friends fondly remember her for the delicious food that she serves them. Here is a list of the 10 Food That I Miss Most of Mom's Cooking

Fish Curry
Being the topper is definitely amma’s fish curry. My ex-office mates back home used to adore the aroma of her fish curry. I sometimes just scoop the curry and drink it like soup. Irresistible!!!!

Fish Sambal
I have tried cooking it many times. Not even once have I reached her level. Just too good.

Prawn Sambal
Amma cooks prawn sambal with diced potatoes. The sambal would be that delicious that even the potatoes taste like prawns.

Crab Curry
Amma very rarely cooks crab. Probably just once or twice a year. When she cooks, she will make a big portion. She uses lots of ingredients and grinds them to cook the curry. The taste is remarkable.

Chicken Braised in Soya Sauce
This is a family secret recipe that was passed to amma by my late aunty who was my father’s elder sister. Chicken pieces braised in dark soya sauce and honey with lots of ginger and a few dried chilies. It is a family favourite.

Fried Mee Hoon (Fried Rice Noodles)
Amma uses ingredients such as onions, dried anchovies and dried chillies ground into coarse paste to fry the noodles. It tastes incredible.

Vegetable Soup
Very rich and health packed. I used to wonder if vegetable could be that much tasty. I have never cooked my soup to her level.

Eggy Potatoes and Anchovies
This is amma’s very own creation. Her comfort food at times she do not know what to cook. Whenever she cooks this, she had to cook an extra portion of rice as the normal portion would not be enough.

Semolina Puttu with Dal
Semolina fried with ghee and then, steamed together with coconut. Later, mixed with boiled dal and sugar. This is my favourite. I have tried making it thrice but of no luck of getting the same texture as how amma does it. She makes it so perfectly.

Black Gram Vadei
Amma is a professional vadei maker. She is very famous for her vadei that she used get orders to make them. Now she no more makes for others. My siblings and I have never ever bought vadei from shops because no vadei can beat the vadei that amma makes.

I would like to pass this meme to:
Mike of FooDcrazEE
Boo_licious of Masak-Masak
Rachel of Tham Jiak
Indosungod of Daily Musings
Sumitha of Kitchen Wonders
Vasundhara of What to cook today

My Comfort Food

2006-06-14T22:29:00.000+01:00

Mahisha has not been feeling well. As any other kids who are sick, she clings to me all the time. So, I had to cook up something really fast. Whenever I am in a hurry, my comfort food is.....

Tomato Tuna

What do we need:

1 can tuna in brine or oil
1 can tomato chunks
2 potatoes, diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic pips, sliced
1/2 inch ginger, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1-2 tbsp fish curry powder
a pinch of sugar
salt

How do we do it:

Sauté the sliced onion, ginger, garlic and the curry leaves. When it is aromatic, add the diced potatoes, tomato chunks and curry powder. Cook covered until the potatoes are cooked.

Add the drained tuna and peas. Season with salt and sugar.

Tomato Tuna goes very well with bread.

Weekend Baking Session # 16

2006-06-11T20:49:00.000+01:00

Today I had some guests for high tea. I made an array of goodies. One of them is something that I had wanted to make for a long time. Finally, found the right time. Here it is.....

Cherry Tartlets

What do we need:

Short Crust Pastry
1 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 egg yolk
A pinch of salt

Filling
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1 can cherry compote
1 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp water

1 tbsp cherry preserve

How do we do it:

Grate cold butter into the flour. Add salt. Rub lightly with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk. Knead very lightly to form smooth pastry. Wrap with a cling film and chill the pastry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide the pastry dough into 8 portions. Press each portion evenly into greased tart mould. Trim edges to remove excess pastry. Prick base of each tart with a fork. Cover and chill again for about 15 minutes. Then, blind bake the pasty cases in a preheated oven at 200º C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place the tartlets on a wire rack to cool.

Combine all the filling ingredients together in a heavy bottomed pan. Whick contantly until the mixture thickens. Let the filling to cool completely.

Simmer the cherries together with the syrup. When the syrup reduces to half, stir in the corn flour mixed with water. Stir briskly until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely.

To assemble, lightly spread the cherry preserve in the pastry shells. then, fill with a tablespoon of the filling. Finally, top with the cherries.

Nibbles For My Toddler # 5

2006-06-09T15:04:00.000+01:00

Been such a long time since I posted an entry on this title. As usual I have chosen all the healthy ingredients for my toddler. She loved it.

Oatmeal Yoghurt Muffins

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup rolled oatmeal
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 chopped nuts

How do we do it:

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Toss nuts and raisins with 1 teaspoon of flour mixture. Set aside separately. Stir oats into remaining flour mixture.

Grease the muffin tray with butter or simply place paper cups into the muffin holes.

Beat together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Stir in yoghurt and milk mix until blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until evenly moistened. Fold in the floured nuts and raisins.

Fill muffin holes with three quarter full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 20 minutes or until golden in colour.

When baking muffins, always place a bowl of boiling water in the oven. If there are unused holes on the muffin tray, pour boiling water into it. The reason is that the steam from the boiling water creates moist in the oven to prevent warping.

The Food That I'd Die For # 6

2006-06-07T11:37:00.000+01:00

I have been craving for sambal ikan bilis or anchovies sambal. Sambal is a popular accompaniment either as a condiment or as a side dish cooked in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Sambal ranges in hotness from mildly sharp to incendiary. Belacan or shrimp paste is an essential ingredient in sambal. It enhances the taste of sambal. Tamarind gives a citrus tang. A touch of sugar boosts up the taste of sambal and suppresses the hotness. Sambal is a uniquely delicious and goes well with any food.

Anchovies Sambal

What do we need:

2 cups anchovies
1 big tomatoe
4 dried chilies
2 big onions
3 garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tsp belacan granules
1 tsp tamarind
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
salt

How do we do it:

Peel, wash and drain the anchovies. Set aside.

Combine water and tamarind to prepare the tamarind juice. Set aside.

Grind 1 onion, the garlic, ginger, dried chilies and belacan into coarse paste. Heat oil and fry the ground paste until it is very aromatic the oil rises on top. Pour in the tamarind juice. Add the anchovies. Fry for a while. Add chopped tomatoe and thickly sliced onion rings. Season with sugar and salt.

Anchovies sambal with rice, stir-fried vegetables and baked potatoe wedges.

Serve hot with rice, roti, bread, thosai or idli. I just love it with idlis.

Weekend Baking Session # 15

2006-06-04T19:45:00.000+01:00

I was asked to bake 4 chocolate cakes for a function held by the Embassy of Malaysia in Switzerland. I was extremely happy as it is the 1st time ever I received an order to bake cakes. At last, my baking is recognised and being favoured.

I had to go on a baking marathon the day before the function. Hubby dear helped a lot. Many thanks to him. I received thumbs up from those who ate the cake. I felt very much honoured when his Excellency the Ambassador said that the cake was delicious and he thanked me for baking it.

I would like take the opportunity of sharing the recipe with everyone thru our Weekend Baking Session.

Moist Chocolate Cake

What do we need:

1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp hot water
1 tsp instant coffee powder or granules

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup water

How do we do it:

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Dissolve the coffee with hot water. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well. Beat in the coffee and vanilla essence. Gently fold in the flour mixture alternating with water. Start and end with the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. Bake at 175° C for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely before serving or frosting it with your favourite cream, as per desired. The cake tastes better the next day.

Weekend Baking Session # 14

2006-05-28T18:42:00.000+01:00

One of the oldest spices known to mankind is cinnamon. It was the primary motive of world exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. Cinnamon comes in two varieties namely Ceylon cinnamon and cassia. The cinnamon bark is peeled and rolled one in another into long, slender ‘quills’. These strips of rolled barks are called cinnamon sticks. Cinnamon also comes in powder form.

Cinnamon Stick and Cinnamon Powder

Cinnamon is strongly aromatic, sweet, pleasant, warm and woody. It is used as condiment and flavouring material. Cinnamon adds a lovely fragrance to savoury dishes. Its sweet-spicy flavour enhances the taste of vegetables and fruits. Cinnamon is the most important baking spice. It is used especially in apple pies to mellow the tartness. It is also infused in wine or punch to give a delightful aroma.

For this edition, Weekend Baking Session comes with one of the most popular baking that uses cinnamon.

Cinnamon Rolls

What do we need:

Rolls:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (or more if desired)
1/4 cup raisins or nuts (if desired)
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Topping:
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

How do we do it:

Dissolve yeast in the warm milk and let stand 5 minutes. Combine butter, egg, salt and the yeast mix. Add flour until dough is smooth and soft, but not sticky. Knead well. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Beat until smooth.

Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover generously with the filling. Sprinkle the raisins or nuts if using any.

Starting from the long side, begin rolling the dough down to the bottom edge, swiss roll style. Cut the rolled dough into 1 inch slices and place on a lightly greased pan 1 inch apart in staggered rows. This is to ensure that the rolls cook evenly. Let the rolls rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for 12-15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the topping. Combine icing sugar, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Beat well until light and fluffy.

When the rolls are baked, remove from the oven. Drizzle the topping onto the rolls when they are still warm.

Serve the cinnamon rolls warm.

Ginger Rice

2006-05-25T20:21:00.000+01:00

Ginger has a refreshing lemony aroma and a warm pungent taste. This rhizome has been used in cooking and baking for centuries. I incorporate ginger in almost all of my cookings.

My mom cooks excellent ginger rice. I wish to share the recipe with everyone.

Ginger Rice

What do we need:

2 cups rice
3 cups water
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 inch ginger
1 inch cinammon stick
1 lemon grass, bruised
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
salt

How do we do it:

Wash the rice and drain. Set aside.

Julienne the ginger. Set aside.

Switch on the rice cooker. Melt the ghee or butter. Add the julienned ginger, cinnamon stick, bruised lemon grass, cloves & the cardamoms seeds. Fry until it is aromatic. Add the rice. Fry for 5 minutes. Pour in the water. Season with salt. Cook until done.

Ginger rice with Acar and Mutton Masala

Serve ginger rice warm with ur favourite curry and vegetables.

Weekend Baking Session # 13

2006-05-21T15:16:00.000+01:00

Blueberries have more to offer than just good looks and good taste. They are a good souce of the Vitamin C and dietary fiber. Just like all other fruits, blueberries contain no cholesterol or fat and are also low in calories.

Blueberries

When choosing blueberries, select the ones that are firm, uniform in size and indigo blue with a silvery frost. Blueberries are used in bakings, jams, pies, pancakes, salads or eaten just as it is.

Blueberry Cake

What do we need

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup plain flour

How do we do:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Wash fresh blueberries and drain. If using frozen blueberries, thaw to room temperature.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in vanilla essence. Fold in the sifted flour mixture.

Dredge the blueberries in the flour. Very gently fold the floured berries together with the flour into the batter.

Pour batter into a greased and lined loaf pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 165° C for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

A Parcel From Home

2006-05-17T21:17:00.000+01:00

This morning I received a parcel from home. Of course it is filled up with all kinds of goodies. It is so very difficult to get them here in Switzerland. Most of them are merely unavailable here. I would say that almost all of my baking ingredents are from home.

From top left to right: Roasted peanuts, preserved fruits, anchovies fritters premix
From bottom left to right: Belacan or shrimp paste granules, canned mackerels in tomatoe sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper sauce, light soya sauce, condensed milk, dried shrimps, fried onion crisps
Botttom most: Agar-agar or jelly strands

Weekend Baking Session # 12

2006-05-14T19:54:00.000+01:00

Its Mother's Day today. A day to celebrate motherhood and thank mothers. Mothers are the pillars in our lives. Without whom, we would not have gotten this life.

To celebrate Mother's Day, I am baking an orange cake for our Weekend Baking Session. Orange cakes are not as popular as chocolate, coffee or vanilla cakes. I love orange cake for its citrusy taste and tangy aroma.

Orange Cake

What do we need:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp orange zest

2 egg white
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking sofa ans salt together. Set aside.

Combine the orange juice and water. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add orange zest and egg yolks one by one. Beat well. Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with water, beginning and ending with the flour.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar little by little and beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg white into the orange mixture to lighten it. Then, pour the lightened orange mixture into the remaining beaten egg white. Fold gently but quickly and thoroughly to combine both mixtures.

Pour the batter into a greased and lined 6" round cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let it cool completely.

Fill and frost the cake with your favourite frosting. Decorate as per desired.

A Very Happy Mother's Day To All The Mothers.

The Food That I'd Die For # 5

2006-05-10T22:10:00.000+01:00

Acar is a Malaysian spicy pickled crunchy salad that is commonly served as condiment or relish to be eaten with a main course. It is sort of a must have item in the food served in Indian & Malay weddings in Malaysia.

Acar is made from different kinds of hard vegetables such long beans, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflowers and cabbage which are pickled in vinegar. The vegetables are then tossed with toasted sesame seeds or ground peanuts.

Acar

What do we need:

1 cucumber
3 small carrots
10 shallots or 1 large onion
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

4 shallots
5 dried chilies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

How do we do it:

Remove centre of cucumber and cut crosswise the cucumber and carrots. Then cut lengthwise into about 3cm sticks. Peel the shallots and leave them whole. If using big onion, cut into wedges. Mix with sugar, salt and turmeric. Leave aside for 1 hour.

Snip and soak the dried chillies in some water for a while. Drain off the water and grind together with the shallots.

Heat oil and fry mustard seed until it pops. Add the ground ingredients. Fry until the oil rises. Stir in vinegar and water. Let boil for 3 minutes. Turn the stove off. Add the vegetables and immediately turn off the heat. This is to prevent the vegetables from overcooking. Overcooked vegetables led to a soggy acar. Stir well to mix.

Toss with the sesame seeds before serving.

Serve acar with hot rice and kurma or sambar.

Weekend Baking Session # 11

2006-05-07T21:56:00.000+01:00

Pâte à choux or choux pastry is perhaps the simplest and uses an entirely different method of all pastries. Whereas other dough can be formed into various shapes, choux pastry is so soft that it hardly supports itself before baking.

Choux means cabbage in French as it derives its shape when the dough is piped or spooned and baked into cream puffs. The airiness is caused by the high water content, which is turned into steam during baking and these forces the pastry shell outwards and gives it volume.

Choux pastry could be used to make many sweet and savoury delicacies. This edition of Weekend Baking Session will be showcasing cream puff as I have been craving for it for a long time.

A perfectly made puff would have the finest crispy crust, the lightest interior, and an even and golden browned shape. Things to remember with choux pastry is that it does not keep well. Best eaten as soon as possible. It stays crisp for only about 4 hours. Another thing is that never fill too advanced as it would go soggy.

Cream Puffs

What do we need:

Choux pastry:

1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Pastry Cream:

1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla

How do we do it:

Put the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. When the liquid boils rapidly, remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly and evenly tip in the flour all at once, stirring vigorously until it is smooth and well amalgamated. The mixture will come away from sides of pan and form a ball in centre.

Return the pan back on a low heat and stir for 1 minute. This is to dry out the mixture slightly. Avoid drying out the pastry too much as it will crack when baking. Break 1 egg at a time into the pastry while beating vigorously until smooth and fluffy.

When done, the choux pastry should be a pale yellow, smooth, moist, sticky, and slightly elastic.

Drop by tablespoonful onto a lined baking sheet 3 inches apart in staggered rows. This is to ensure that the buns cook evenly. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until the buns are puffed and golden colour. Pierce the side or end of each bun to let out the steam. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream. Mix milk, sugar, salt and the egg yolks together. Whisk until well mixed. Cook on a medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixtures thickens and boils. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool completely.

To assemble, cut off tops of the buns and fill with the pastry cream. Other fillings such as cream cheese, whipping cream or ice-cream could be used as well.

A Simple Supper

2006-05-04T22:47:00.000+01:00

While hunting for something eat in the night, found some leftover sandwich bread. As I was thinking of what to do with it, many ideas came flowing. Finally, chose to make fritters out of them. Yes, using bread instead of flour. Yeah, why not? Lets give it a try.

Fish Fritters

What do we need:

4 slices of stale bread
1 fish, filleted
1 onion
1 green chilli
1/2 inch ginger
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt
oil

How do we do it:

Chop the onion, chilli, ginger and coriander leaves very finely. Set aside.

Dip the bread slices into a bowl of water. Squeeze of the water immediately. Place the fish fillets and the bread into a food processor. Process until it becomes a smooth paste. Transfer the paste into a bowl. Mix with the chopped ingredients. Add garam masala, turmeric powder and salt.

Heat oil. Drop the batter by tablespoonful into the hot oil. Fry on medium heat until golden brown.

The fritters are very crispy. To gain the crispiness, ensure that the batter is thick enough.

Serve the fish fritters hot with your favourite dipping sauce.

Jihvā For Ingredients - Mango

2006-05-01T21:29:00.000+01:00

Along with bananas, one of the most commonly eaten fruits in the world is mango. Tell me anyone who hates mango. It is such a divine fruit. No wonder they are called the "food of the Gods". The mango is also known as the "apple of the tropics". The aroma and the taste of this delectable fruit is unimaginable. They are excellent, soft, juicy and with a delicious, aromatic flavour. Mangoes are rich in vitamins A, C and D.

Mangoes are eaten raw or ripe. Raw green mangoes are pickled or made into salads, chutneys, rojak or just eaten with salt. Ripe mangoes exceedingly juicy and exotically sweet and tart. They are blended into juice, whipped up with yoghurt into luscious lassi. Ripe manoes are made into numerous scrumptious desserts or eaten just as a fruit.

As an entry to "Jihvā For Ingredients - Mango " event hosted by Indra of Mahanandi, I have thought of making a special dessert. It is a fusion of a Thai and a Malay dessert. Steamed glutinous rice topped with mango custard layer.

Kuih Seri Mangga (Mango & Glutinous Rice Dessert)

What do we need:

1/2 cup glutinous rice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 screw pine leaves or 1 drop of screw pine essence

1 ripe mango
1 egg
4 tbsp plain flour
3-4 tbsp sugar (adjust with the sweetness of the mango)
1/4 tsp salt
1 drop mango essence

How do we do it:

Wash and soak the glutinous rice for about 4 hours. Drain the water and mix the rice with the coconut milk, salt and the leaves or essence in a pan. Steam for 15 minutes.

Peel and cut the mango. In a blender, combine mango, egg, flour, sugar, salt and essence. Process until the mixture becomes smooth.

Scratch cooked rice with a fork. Pour the mango batter on top of the rice. Steam it again for another 15 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into desired shapes.

Weekend Baking Session # 10

2006-04-30T18:54:00.000+01:00

Carrots are nutritional vaults. They store bulks of nutrients. No other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene as carrots. Beta carotene, a dimer of Vitamin A, is abundant in the carrot and gives this vegetable its characteristic orange colour. It contains about 87% water, rich in mineral salts and vitamins (B,C,D,E) as well as calcium pectate, an extraordinary pectin fibre that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties.

The carrot has a woody texture and is a truly versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw as in salads or blended into juice. They are cooked in soups, stews, curries, stir-fries, and a lot more. Carrots are also used in baking. Carrot cakes, muffins, cookies and pudding are a few of them.

Carrot is the main ingredient in this 10th edition of Weekend Baking Session. I have decided to bake carrot cupcakes for a change. Added some walnuts as they are carrots´ perfect partner. Also adding some sultanas for extra taste. Cream cheese makes an excellent frosting for carrot cakes.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

What do we need:

Cake:
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sultanas

Topping:
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg powder. Set aside.

Grease the muffin tray with butter or simply line the muffin holes with paper cups.

Beat oil and sugar until sugar dissolve. Add the eggs. Beat again. Gradually stir in the sifted flour mixture. Do not over stir. Then, add the grated carrots, walnuts and sultanas.

Fill the muffin holes with the cake batter to two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º C for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine all the frosting ingredients together. Beat until smooth.

Spread the cream cheese topping onto the carrot cupcakes. Decorate as per desired.

Weekend Baking Session # 9

2006-04-23T18:35:00.000+01:00

Here comes weekend again. After 5 sessions of continuos cake baking, for this edition of Weekend Baking Session, I have thought of baking a pie.

I had a few lemons. Looking at them, a luscious lemon meringue pie came to my mind. I had wanted to try it out for nearly a year. Lemon meringue pie is a dessert made with a pastry base, lemon curd filling and a fluffy meringue topping.

Lemon Meringue Pie

What do we need:

Pie Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup ice cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Lemon Curd Filling:

3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

Meringue Topping:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How do we do it:

In a food processor, place the flour, salt and cold butter. At a slow speed mix the ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually, add the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough binds together. Make sure not to over work the dough. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

On a floured board, roll out the dough into a disk, 2 or 3 inches larger than the pan. Transfer the pastry onto the pan. Fit the pastry very well on the bottom and side of the pan. Cut excess pastry 1 cm to the outside. Pinch the pastry edges to beautify it. Line with a sheet of aluminium foil and place dried beans or rice as weights. The purpose is to prevent the pastry from bulging out when baking. This method of baking is called blind baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Then, lift the aluminium foil together with the weight. Now return the pastry shell to the oven and bake for another 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, both the flours, salt and water. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture boils. Stir vigorously, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slightly beat the egg yolks. Mix half the boiled mixture with the egg yolks. Then put the egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the boiled ingredients. This method is called tempering of the egg yolks. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly and, again, vigorously. Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir unitl the butter melts. Add the lemon zest and juice and butter. Stir well to mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a clean, grease free bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

To assemble, pour the lemon curd into the pastry shell and spread it out evenly.

Spoon the meringue over the top of the lemon curd filling. Seal the meringue to the pastry edge. Make sure there are no gaps. Spread out evenly and swirl it into peaks.

Bake in a preheated oven at 150° C for 30 or until meringue turns lightly brown. Remove and let cool on a rack before chilling it.

When serving, cut the pie with a wet knife as meringue pies cut better with a wet knife blade.

Nibbles For My Toddler # 4

2006-04-22T14:40:00.000+01:00

Black grams are also known as urad dal or ulundu in tamil. It is the most nutritious pulse. Pulses are the only sources of protein for the diet, other than meat. For vegetarians pulses are a vital part of the diet. For non vegetarians, pulses offer an alternative source of protein without the fat but with a lot of fiber. Also beans and lentils are rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

The other day hubby bought a big pack of urad dal. I used some to make vadei. Still have a lot more in the pantry. As it is Mahisha´s 19th month anniversary today, I thought of using the dal as the main ingredient to create something interesting for her.

Black Gram Fritters

What do we need:

1/2 cup black gram or urad dal, split and skinned
1/2 cup water, or as required
4 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp palm sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
oil for deep frying

How do we do it:

Soak the dal overnight. After washing, grind with water to become a soft and smooth paste. Add the rest of the ingredients to the ground dal. Stir well to become a thick batter.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Drop by tablespoonful into the oil. Fry on low medium heat until brown. Serve warm.

The fritters taste very much like paniyaram. They are crispy outside and soft inside.

The Food That I'd Die For # 4

2006-04-18T18:42:00.000+01:00

Talk about Malaysian food, one of the topper would be mamak food. The Indian Muslims in Malaysia are fondly addressed as Mamak. Mamak food are very famous in Malaysia. Everybody loves them. So do I. To name a few most popular mamak food would be rojak, nasi kandar, roti canai, murtabak, fish head curry and mee goreng mamak. Mee goreng mamak literally means mamak style fried noodles. It is indeed very rich in taste.

To fulfill my crave for the mee goreng mamak, I tried whipping it up by myself. As the normally used wet yellow noodles are unavailable here, I tried to innovate mee goreng mamak to pasta goreng mamak. Just substituted the noodles with pasta.

Pasta Goreng Mamak (Mamak Style Fried Pasta)

What do we need:

3 cups penne or any other pasta
1 1/2 cup bean sprouts or shredded cabbage
1 tomato, chopped coarsely
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
3 dried chillies (depends to the hotness desired)
1/2 cup peanuts
1/4 cup dried shrimps
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
oil
salt
sugar

How do we do it:

Cook the peanuts with water until soft. Drain and leave to cool. Then, remove the skin and set aside.

Boil a pot full of water with a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta in the boiling water to al dente or until the time specified on the pasta package. When cooked, drain and set aside.

Soak the dried chillies until soft. Grind them with washed dried shrimps, the cooked peanuts, onion and garlic. Heat oil in a wok and fry the ground ingredients. When the oil rises to the top, add the bean sprouts or shredded cabbage.

When the the vegetable has cooked, add the cooked pasta, chopped tomato and the seasonings. Stir thoroughly to mix well. Serve hot with lime wedges.

Weekend Baking Session # 8

2006-04-16T18:08:00.000+01:00

It is a long weekend here. Starting from Good Friday to Easter Monday. I am having such a wonderful time resting and being with my daughter.

As it is Easter, I have thought of baking something in line with the theme. Weekend Baking Session this time is going rich and fudgy.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

What do we need:

Cake:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
50g cooking chocolate
1/4 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Fudge:
200g cooking chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp butter

How do we do it:

Boil some water in a pot. Add a teaspoon of salt. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot. Ensure that the water level is lower than the bottom of the bowl. In other words, make sure that the water in the pot does not touch the bowl. Break the chocolate and put them into the bowl. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from heat and let cool. This method is called double boiling. The reason of melting chocolate by this method is because chocolate tend to get burnt when exposed to direct heat. So, secondary heat has to be used.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate and yoghurt. Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the water, starting and ending with the flour.

Pour the cake mixture into a greased or lined 7" round cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove the cake and let it cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, on a low heat, stir the whipping cream and butter until well blended. Add broken chocolate pieces. Continue to heat until the chocolate melts. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and let the fudge cool completely.

Slice the cake horizontally into half. Fill with some fudge. Cover the cake with the rest of the fudge. Decorate as per desired.

Happy Easter To All

Happy New Year

2006-04-14T21:16:00.000+01:00

A very happy and prosperous new year to all the Tamils and Malayalees around the world. Varusha Pirappu has never been greater than being celebrated at home.

During new year's eve, amma would prepare a tray filled with fruits, sweets, jewelleries, money and a mirror at the altar. At dawn, she would wake us up one by one and guide us to the altar while reminding us not to open our eyes. As soon as we reach the altar, we were to open our eyes, look at the filled tray and to look at ourselves in the mirror. The reason is to start the new year properously. So that the whole year would be filled with prosperity. It seems that whatever we see and do on the new year determines how the year would be.

Later, after having our bath and prayers, we would help amma with her massive cook out, of course vegetarian. We would invite our neighbours for lunch. Everyone has to sit on the floor. Rice, sambar, rasam, yoghurt, ghee, an array of vegetable dishes and pappadam served on fresh banana leave. Then, on the same curry stained leave, ulundu vadei and payasam would be served as dessert. Ahhh........ nostalgia.

This year, luckily varusha pirapu falls on the same day as Good Friday. Which means hubby and I do not work. I planned a week ago to celebrate it with morning prayers, a vegetarian lunch with vadei and payasam (my favourite indian dessert combo).

On this auspicious day, I would like to share amma's ulundu vadei recipe with everybody. She is indeed a vadei pro. I hope to make vadei half as good as her.

Ulundu Vadei (Black Gram Vadei)

What do we need:
1 cup black gram
1 onion
1 green chilli
1/2 inch ginger
1 tsp salt
oil
water

How do we do it

Finely chop the onion, chilli and ginger piece. Set aside.

Soak the dal for about 2 hours. Grind it with minimum water. Gradually add little water at a time, if neceassary, until it becomes a very soft, smooth and fluffy paste. Ensure that the paste is not watery. Mix the dal paste, the chopped ingredients and salt.

Heat oil on medium. Place a piece of cling film at the back of a flat surfaced bowl. Take a small portion of the mixture and place it on the cling film. With wet fingers, flatten the mixture and shape round. Then, make a hole in the centre. Slowly slide the vadei into the heated oil. Fry it until brown, turning around once.

Remove and serve hot.

Ulundu Vadei with Payasam

இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்

Nibbles For My Toddler # 3

2006-04-11T20:32:00.000+01:00

Oatmeal is one of the most popular cereal grain. It was once the staple food of Scotland. High in carbohydrates, oats also provide protein, fat, calcium, iron, and B vitamins. It lowers bad cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease.

Iniatially, oatmeal was just popular as porridge. Then, later was introduced in baking too, such as breads, cakes and cookies. It is the main ingredient in müesli. When I was in college, I almost lived on oatmeal. Even while working, back home, I had instant oatmeal porridge as my breakfast most of the time. It is indeed very filling. Been such a long time since I had oats but Mahisha do not like porridges. So, I decided to bake oatmeal cookies for her. I am incorporating some raisins to it as raisins and oatmeal are perfect partners.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

What do we need:

3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (or as desired)
1 egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins

How do we do it

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence. Add the flour gradually. Stir in oats and raisins.

Shape dough into 1” balls, place on a greased or lined baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 165° C until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: crunchy, delicious and healthy.

Weekend Baking Session # 7

2006-04-09T15:20:00.000+01:00

This edition of Weekend Baking Session is especially meant for my baby brother. Today is his birthday. He loves cheese cakes. So, I have decided to give him a visual treat of a cheese cake.

Cheese cakes are too sinful. To reduce the richness, I am baking a fusion of butter cake and baked cheese cake. Using less amount of butter than a normal butter cake and less amount of cheese than a normal cheese cake. Also adding some compoted plums that has been sitting in my pantry for a long time. The reason is to give extra tanginess and flavour to the cake. So, here we go.......

Plum Cheese Cake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup coarsely chopped plums in syrup

How do we do it:

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence.

Add in the sifted ingredients and the whipping cream alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Finally, fold in the chopped plums.

Pour the batter into a greased and lined 7" cake tin. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

The cake is very moist and soft.

Happy Birthday To You, Dearest Thambi.

A Foodblogger's Meme Around The World

2006-04-07T15:58:00.000+01:00

This is my 1st meme ever since I started blogging for almost 2 months now. To my surprise, I have been double tagged, by Anthony and Sumi. This really is fun but it is not as easy to do as it looks.

1. Please list three recipes you have recently bookmarked from foodblogs to try:

a) Pal Appam at East & West & In The Middle Recipes

b) Mango with Pomelo Dessert at Jingle's Kitchen

c) Spinach Cheese Paratha at Saffron Hut

2. A foodblog in your vicinity:

Posie's Place in Basel, Switzerland

3. A foodblog (or more) located far from you:

All those foodbloggers outside Europe. (South East Asia, India, USA and Canada)

4. A foodblog (or several) you have discovered recently (where did you find it?):

a) Sumi's Kitchen
b) Vineela's Cuisine
c) Vaishali's Happy Burp
d) Nandhita's Saffron Trail
e) Revathi's En Ulagam
f) Arthi's To The Tooth

5. Any people or bloggers you want to tag with this meme?

a) Sarah's East & West & In The Middle Recipes
b) Mike's Foodcrazee
c) Fonia's My Zest
d) Evelyn's Tazz In The Kitchen
e) Arthi's To The Tooth
f) VKN's My Dhaba

The Food That I'd Die For # 3

2006-04-04T15:44:00.000+01:00

I have been coming across fish curries everywhere. Though I am not a curry girl, the only curry I love is fish curry. Fish pieces cooked in distinctively spiced and simmered sauce. Curry has a strong and pungent smell that is irresistible.

The taste of fish curry largely depends on the type of fish and the curry powder used. I never buy the curry powders that are available here in Europe. Mine are specially brought from home; not homemade though. Vegetables like lady's finger or okra, brinjal, tomatoe and raw mango are famous secondary ingredients in fish curries. They help to boost up the taste of the curry. I love fish curry with lots of garlic and tomatoes.

I hardly know names of fishes in Tamil. I have heard of a few names but have no idea of how the fish looks like. Eg. thiruka, koduva and parei meen. I would appreciate if any of you would help me with the English term. I know most of them in Malay as it is the language spoken in the wet markets in Malaysia. Mike, if u are reading this, would you let me know what ikan parang and ikan terubuk are in English and what dory fish is in Malay? Also know a few names in English though. Now, learning them in German as well. My favourite fish curries are pomfret, spanish mackerel and baby shark (sura meen) curries.

Fish Curry

What do we need:

500g fish steaks
1 large tomatoe, quartered
1 onion, sliced
10 cloves garlic, coarsely sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1 cup water
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
3 tbsp fish curry powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
oil

How do we do it:

Clean, cut and wash the fish pieces with salt. Set aside.

Mix the curry powder with some water to make a paste. Mix the tamarind pulp to the rest of the water to produce tamarind juice. Set them aside.

Heat oil in a pot. Add the fenugreek, curry leaves, sliced onion and garlics. Sauté until aromatic. Add the curry paste. In goes the tamarind juice. Place the fish pieces into the pot. Let it cook on medium heat.

When the fish is almost cooked, pour the coconut milk. Let the curry simmer on medium low heat. When the fish has cooked, add tomatoes. Season with salt and sugar.

Fish Curry with Rice and Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables

Serve fish curry with hot piping rice, rotis or bread.

Weekend Baking Session # 6

2006-04-02T15:41:00.000+01:00

I had a punnet of strawberries in my fridge. Got to use them soon or they will get rotten. So many ideas came to my mind. As I have never baked an upside down cake, I decided to bake it.

Pineapples, cherries and blueberries are the famous upside down cakes. Strawberries are rather infamous. I am glad to introduce strawberries to this type of cake.

For this weekend, I want to be fair to all the vegetarians. Weekend Baking Session has always been non veg. So, this edition of WBS is a dedication to all the vegetarians out there. Special dedication to a beautiful young lady in Chennai, India who is also a vegetarian.

Strawberry Chocolate Upside Down Cake

What do we need:

500g strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup bread flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt

2/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar

How do we do it:

Hull and wash the strawberries. On a medium heat, cook them with sugar and lemon juice until the strawberries are soft and liquid is thick. Set aside.

Strawberries, before cooking

Strawberries, after cooking

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted butter, milk and vinegar into the well. Stir to mix thoroughly.

Place the cooked strawberries at the bottom of an ungreased baking pan. Pour the cake batter onto it. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for about 35-40 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Invert the cake onto a serving plate when the cake is still warm.

Serve strawberry chocolate upside down cake warm with a dollop of whipping cream.

The Root

2006-03-29T15:34:00.000+01:00

Bought tapioca the other day when I went shopping. Been such a long time since I ate tapioca. It is a very versatile ingredient. Many things can be made out of it, sweet or savoury.

I just love kuih bingka ubi. Have tried making the baked version 4 times. All 4 attempts were failures. Being a person who do not give up that easily, I tried steaming it this time. The result, SUCCESS!!!!

Kuih Bingka Ubi (Tapioca Cake)

What do we need:

500g tapioca
1/4 cup thick coconut milk
3 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt

How do we do it:

Peel and finely grate the tapioca. Squeeze out the water content in the grated tapioca to get rid of the starch. Would make about 2 cups.

Mix the rest of the ingredients into the tapioca. Transfer the mixture into a greased pan. Steam on high for 30 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into desired shape.

Bingka Ubi makes great breakfast or tea time snack.

The Fashion of Fusion

2006-03-28T22:28:00.000+01:00

Fusion is a term which implies the combination of several cuisines in one dish. Fusion at its best allows ingredients from all over to be cooked and served together as a one plate dish.

Being born and bred in a multi-racial country, I literally grew up on fusion food. The food of the 3 main races are always mix matched to create a new hybrid dish or to just upgrade a dish to become more interesting and exciting.

My siblings and I do not fancy curries. My ex-office mates back home used to tease me; "Being an Indian, how could you not like curries?". We do not like anything with curry powder. So, my mom had to be very innovative to create simple food that would attract us. She combines non-indian ingredients and cook them up with an indian touch.

For the FMR-Fusion event at Meenakshi's Hooked On Heat, I am cooking up one of my family's favourite fusion fish dish. This kind of simple food goes very well among us. Everyone of us would have a second helping.

Soya Sauced Fish

What do we need:

500g fish steaks
2 carrots
4 leaves of cabbage
1 onion
2 inches ginger
3 cloves garlic
3 dried chillies
1 cup water
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sugar
salt
oil

Thickening:
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp water

How do we do it:

Cut the cabbage leaves into 1 inch pieces. Slice the carrots diagonally. Slice the onion into thick rings. Julienne the ginger and garlic.

Add salt and turmeric powder to the fish steaks. Heat oil and fry them. Set aside.

In the same pan, reduce the fish fried oil to just 2 tablespoons. Sautè the ginger, garlic and the dried chilles until aromatic. Add the vegetables. Stir to mix. Pour 1 cup of water and cook covered. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add the sauces and season with salt and sugar. Bare in mind that salt has already been added to the fish before frying it and there is high content of salt in soy sauce. Add the corn starch and water mixture. When the sauce starts to thicken, add the fried fishes. Stir gently but thoroughly to ensure all the fish pieces are coated with the sauce. Remove from heat.

Other than cabbage and carrot, any other hard vegetables could be used. French beans is a favourite.

Soy sauced fish best served with hot piping rice.

Weekend Baking Session # 5

2006-03-26T18:35:00.000+01:00

Here comes weekend again. This time I'm baking a butter cake. Butter cakes are rich cakes and it could be quite sinful with the amount of butter. They are the easiest cake to bake. Hardly fail.

For this week, I have tried to infuse an extra flavour other than the buttery taste of the cake. I chose to use peach. Typically peach has a delicate aroma and acidic tang coupled with sweetness. I am using canned peaches as they are softer. I have lessen the amount of sugar in the recipe as the canned peaches are soaked in sugar syrup.

Peach Butter Cake

What do we need:

1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 pieces canned peach halves

What do we do:

Purée the peach halves to make up to half a cup of peach purée. Chop the rest of the peach halves. Set them aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then, add the peach purée. Fold in the flour gently. Finally, add the chopped peaches and very lightly fold them in.

Pour the mixture into a greased and flour or paper lined loaf pan. Bake at 175° C for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.

The cake is moist, buttery and peachy.

Red Alert

2006-03-24T21:55:00.000Z

It's Friday again. Felt great staying at home on a week day, like a housewife. Had to be home as my babysitter wanted a day off. I was excited and cooked twice, lunch and dinner. For lunch, I cooked a very simple one dish meal. As for dinner, I wanted something special and of course easy. Thought of roti but what roti? Checked out my pantry and finally made up my mind.

Tomato Roti

What do we need:

1 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup bread flour
3 tbsp tomatoe purée
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
water, as required

How do we do it:

Mix all the ingredients together. Knead slowly while adding water little by little, if necessary, until it becomes soft & pliable dough.

Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls. Cover and let them rest for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough into discs. Place the rolled dough on a medium heated greased griddle. Cook for 2 minutes. Flip it over and cook for another minute.

Tomato Roti with Mushroom Stew

I like the colour of the roti, RED and love the taste.

Nibbles For My Toddler # 2

2006-03-22T21:32:00.000Z

Mahisha turns 18 months today. Which means she is 1 1/2 years old. As usual, I planned to bake something for her. She loves dried fruits. I have done bakings using raisins, sultanas and apricots for her but never prunes. So, this time, I'm going to use prunes as the main ingredient. I make sure that I always use less sugar and healthy ingredients for her.

Prune and Yoghurt Muffins

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt

1 cup coarsely chopped pitted prunes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup plain yoghurt
3 tbsp milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How do we it:

Mix the prunes and yoghurt. Let the prunes soak for 30 minutes. The reason is to soften the prunes and at the same time to extract the taste of the prunes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
Prepare muffin tray.

Grease the muffin tray with butter or simply place paper cups into the muffin holes.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg. Beat again. Pour the vanilla extract. Stir in the prune and yoghurt mixture. Mix thoroughly. Then, add the sifted flour mixture and milk alternately. Gently fold in after each addition, starting and ending with the flour.

Fill muffin holes with two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 20 minutes or until golden in colour.

When baking muffins, always place a bowl of boiling water in the oven. If there are unused holes on the muffin tray, pour boiling water into it. The reason is that the steam from the boiling water creates moist in the oven to prevent warping.

Mahisha loves it. So do we.

It's Spring !!!!

2006-03-21T11:27:00.000Z

I went to Sri Lanka during Spring 2003, to visit my in-laws. Hubby's aunt cooked up lunch for us once at her home. She made this terrific tomatoe salad. Though 3 years have passed, I just can't forget the taste of the salad. Bought some totatoes to try making it.

This tomatoe salad is so simple and easy to make yet delicious. It has only 3 main ingredients. I added very finely sliced curry leaves for the aroma. Also to boost up the taste.

Tomato Salad

What do we need:

2 ripe tomatoes
1 onion
1 green chilli
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp sugar
salt to taste

How do we do it:

Slice all the ingredients very thinly. Season with salt and sugar.

Serve cold.

Weekend Baking Session # 4

2006-03-19T16:30:00.001Z

Chiffon cake is my favourite type of cake. It is light, airy, spongy, soft and flavourful. It has a unique texture. To gain this texture, instead of butter, vegetable oil is used.

Traditionally, chiffon cakes are baked in tube pans but it can always be baked in round cake pans as well. As I do not have a tube pan, I too bake it in a round pan.

The rules when baking chiffon cake are, never grease the pan. Secondly, do not deflate the egg white when mixing, while it acts as an important leavening agent for the cake. Thirdly, after baking, immediately turn the pan up side down. The reason is to prevent the cake from shrinking and loosing it's volume.

For this weekend, I choose to bake Coffee Chiffon Cake for the Weekend Baking Session as it is my favourite chiffon cake flavour. I have baked it many times. Even for our wedding anniversary last year, I baked and frosted a coffee chiffon cake. Hubby dear was very much impressed.

Coffee Chiffon Cake

What do we need:

A
1 cup cake flour or plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp instant coffee powder or granules
1/4 tsp salt

B
3 egg whites
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

What do we do:

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Dissolve the coffee powder in the milk. Add the rest of ingredients A.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar little by little and beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg white into the coffee mixture to lighten it. Then, pour the lightened coffee mixture into the remaining beaten egg white. Fold gently but quickly and thoroughly to combine both mixtures.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 8" round cake pan. With a flat knife, quickly cut through the batter a few times to get rid of any very large air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 175° C for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert the cake pan and let it cool.

When the cake is completely cool, run a knife or a thin spatula around the sides of pan to loosen the cake from the pan.

Can be eaten plain or frosted with favourite frosting as per desired.

A Vegetarian Treat

2006-03-17T22:25:00.000Z

Last week, I did an online chat with my brother. While chatting, asked him what did he eat for lunch. He said that he ate a super delicious vegetable briyani. It seems that there is an Indian restaurant that has opened it's new branch in my hometown and the food are very tasty. I have got to try them on my next visit back home.

Vegetable briyani has stuck in my mind ever since my brother mentioned about it. As its Friday today, the only day in a week that I practise vegetarianism, I thought of cooking the briyani for dinner tonight. Cooked it directly in the rice cooker, for convenient purpose.

Vegetable Biryani

What do we need:

The Vegetables

The Spices

2 cups rice
2 carrots
2 potatoes
10 button mushrooms
3 baby corn
1 small broccoli
1 red capsicum
1 onion
1" ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 green chilli
1 bunch coriander leaves
4 tbsp yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups water
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp poppy seed powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2" cinnamon stick
1 bay leave
1 star anise
2 cloves
3 cardamoms
a pinch of saffron
salt to taste

How do we do it:

Wash and soak the rice. Then, drain the water and set aside.

Soak the saffron strands in the milk. Set aside.

Dice the potatoes. Mix with a touch of salt. Heat oil and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.

Cut the rest of the vegetables in the same size. Marinate them with yoghurt, turmeric powder and a little salt for 10 minutes.

Slice the onion. Half the chilli lengthwise. Grind the ginger and garlic into a paste.

Heat the ghee. Fry cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf, cloves and cardamoms. Add ginger and garlic paste. Then, onion and chilli. Sautè until aromatic. Now in goes the marinated vegetables. Add all the spices. Cook for 5 minutes. Then, put the rice in. Fry for 5 minutes. Pour the milk and water. Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves. Season with salt. Cook until rice is fluffy and does not stick together.

Vegetable Briyani with Tomato Salad

Serve Vegetable Briyani hot with raita or salad.

The Food That I´d Die For # 2

2006-03-16T22:52:00.000Z

Everybody's mother is their best cook. My mom too is a great cook. All my friends fondly remember her for her food. Just imagine how much I would miss it.

As she works the whole day, Amma cooks quick and simple food in the night. Most of her cookings are her own creation. Almost everyday we get to taste a different type of food which will not be available elsewhere. One of the many of her masterpieces is a dish made of curried eggy potatoes and achovies. This is one of the food that I'd die for. Each time she cooks this dish, she would have to cook an extra portion of rice while the normal portion would not be sufficient.

Suddenly, today, I had this fierce feeling that I have to eat it, now!!! Though I have never cooked it before, with the guidance of my memory, I managed to cook it up. Not bad I would say but nothing beats Amma's.

Eggy Potatoes and Anchovies

What do we need:

2 potatoes, diced
2 eggs
3/4 cup dried anchovies
1/2 cup water
1 sprig curry leaves
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp fish curry powder
1 tsp fennel powder
oil
salt to taste

What do we do:

Wash the anchovies and drain the water. Set aside.

Heat oil and sauté the sliced onion, garlic and the curry leaves. Add the washed achovies. Fry until it is aromatic. Now, put in the diced potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are almost cooked. Add the curry powder and fennel powder. Simmer until the liquid becomes nearly dried. Season with salt.

Push the potatoes to the side. In the centre, pour half a tablespoon of oil and break the eggs. Before the eggs start to set, quickly stir the potatoes and the eggs together to ensure all the potatoes and anchovies are covered.

Eggy potatoe and achovies with rice and stir fried red cabbage

Serve the eggy potatoes and anchovies with hot piping rice.

PuSiVa'S CuLiNarY StUdiO is 1 Month Old!!

2006-03-15T21:44:00.000Z

It has been a month since I started blogging. This morning when I logged on, I was overjoyed to find that the visitors counter has already hit more than 2000. To me it is a great achievement. At this moment, I would like to thank all those out there, throughout the globe, who has visited my blog. I realise that I now have a few regular visitors who come in on daily basis, without fail. I highly appreciate all your comments and encouragements. To celebrate it, I present Carrot Halwa as a visual treat to all of u.

Carrot Halwa

What do we need:

2 cups carrots, grated finely
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp ghee
4 cardamoms, powdered
a pinch of saffron strands
slivered almonds, garnishing

How do we do it:

Heat ghee and fry the grated carrots slightly. Pour milk and sprinkle the saffron strands. Let it boil. Cook the carrot to soft paste stage. Now, add the sugar and continue cooking while stirring. Remove from heat when the halwa looks gooey.

Serve hot or cold garnished with slivered almonds.

Weekend Baking Session # 3

2006-03-12T17:03:00.000Z

This week of Weekend Baking Session, I intend to bake tarts. Been a while since I baked them. I love tarts though they are sinfull due to the amount of fat used in the pastry. I prefer baking little tartlets compared to a big ones. I think they look better and neater. I have tried out fruits, egg, coconut, cherry and lemon tarts before. This time I am going to go for orange tarts.

Orange Tartlets

What do we need:

Sweet Short Crust Pastry:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup butter, cold
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 an egg
1 tsp lemon juice
cold water, as necessary

Orange Filling:

3/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar, or as desired
1/2 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp orange zest or 1 tsp orange essence

What do we do:

Sift flour and add the sugar. Grate cold butter into the flour mixture and rub lightly with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add lightly beaten half an egg and lemon juice. Stir in the cold water, if necessary. Knead very lightly to form smooth pastry. Wrap with a cling film and chill the pastry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide the pastry dough into 10 portions. Press each portion evenly into greased tart mould. Trim edges to remove excess pastry. Prick base of each tart with a fork. Cover and chill again for about 15 minutes. Then, blind bake the pasty cases in a preheated oven at 200º C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place the tartlets on a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients together and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Sieve the mixture to ensure that it is free of lumps. Pour the filling into each pastry case. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º C for 20 -25 minutes or until filling is set. Transfer the tartlets to wire rack to cool. Then, cover and refigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

Serve the orange tartlet with a dollop of whipped cream.

Quick and Easy Dinner

2006-03-10T21:37:00.000Z

Friday is about to come to an end. How relieved am I...... The past 2 weeks have been too hectic for me. Was terribly busy with my job. The next 2 days, I'll be spending my precious time with my little daughter and my tiny kitchen. As for tonight, initially wanted to make some rotis but then, it´s time consuming. Friday is the day that I'm on minimum energy level. So, I wanted something really quick and easy to do. After wondering a while, got the idea to make some pancakes instead but then, pancakes are too light. To make it a bit heavier, I added shredded potatoes. Also mixed baking powder to give the pancake a fluffy texture.

Potatoe Pancake

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 cup shredded potatoes
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
butter or olive oil for the pan
salt to taste

How do we do it:

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Then, make a hole in the middle. Pour in the milk while stirring vigorously with a whisk until it becomes a smooth batter without lumps.

Peel & grate the potatoes and straight away add them into the mixture.

Heat a non-stick pan and grease it with a little butter or olive oil. Pour a ladleful of the of the batter. Spread it out to a prefered size. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Flip it over and continue cooking for another minutes.

Potatoe pancake with beans stew

Serve potatoe pancakes warm with curry and/or chutney.

From Leftovers To A Breakfast

2006-03-09T20:34:00.000Z

As I wanted to prepare a breakfast for today, I was looking around my pantry of what I can find. I had some leftover butter braid. Then, found that I had 2 very ripe bananas that would not wait for another day. Also found a bottle of buttermilk in my fridge that was nearing it's expiry date. I thought "Oh God! I can't afford to waste all these things. I'll have to use them up by today". I wondered how to put all the 3 ingredients together. Then, came up with this recipe.

Banana Bread Pudding

What do we need:

4 slices of bread
2 bananas
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
Chocolate chunks, as desired

How do we do it:

Cut the bread slices into 1 inch cubes.

Grease a baking dish or a casserole with a little butter. Arrange the bread cubes in it. Set aside.

Put the bananas, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and sugar into a blender and blend them until it becomes a smooth mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the bread cubes. Sprinkle some chocolate chunks on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for about 20-30 minutes.

I love anything with bananas. While baking, the beautiful aroma of the bananas was lingering throughout my apartment. I decided to add the chocolate chunks as chocolates and bananas are marriage made in heaven. Did not want to use chocolate chips as they are too small and tend to melt faster. So, I just chopped a bar of chocolate, of course Swiss Chocolate, into big chunks and sprinkled them on top.

Banana bread pudding is best served warm or cold with chocolate sauce, if desired.

Nibbles For My Toddler # 1

2006-03-07T19:19:00.000Z

My daughter, Mahisha, loves biscuits as her snack. I do not prefer buying commercially baked biscuits for her. So, I always bake my own little biscuits for her. I feel satisfied when I see her enjoy biting them. The last batch of biscuits has finished and she wanted more. I make sure I do not repeat the same kind of biscuits. Was wondering of what other variety to bake. Checked out my pantry and found that I have 2 packets of apricots. This time, I wanted to bake something quite similar to rock buns but a softer version. After spinning my brain for a while, came up with a new recipe. The simplest possible as I did had much time to sit on it for a few hours.

Apricot Cookies

What do we need:

1 cup plain flour
1 cup chopped apricots
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground almond
3 tbsp apricot preserve
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence/flavouring
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

How do we do it:

First of all, soak the apricot in warm water for a while to soften it. U can also use those soft type of apricots as well. Pat dry them with kitchen towel and chop them finely.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a hole in the middle, add the rest of the ingredients except for the chopped apricots. With a mixer, beat for 1 minute. If u do not have a mixer, use a hand whisk and beat for 5 minutes. Now, fold in the chopped apricots.

Drop the dough by teaspoonful on a baking sheet. I did it with just half a teaspoon to make little ones. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 10 - 12 minutes. This recipe yields 85 tiny little pieces.

I prefer using brown sugar to normal white sugar as the former is less sweet than the latter. I have also minimised the sugar usage as the apricot preserve and the apricots are sweet enough. Added the apricot preserve for extra apricot taste. The purpose of using the almond meal is to give the buns a fuller shape.

Mahisha likes the cookies. Well, not just her, hubby and I too love them. Looks like I will have to bake more of them again.

The Food That I'd Die For # 1

2006-03-06T11:15:00.000Z

We don't tend to appreciate our home when we are at home. Same goes to food from home. I realised this when I was pregnant. I was craving for only home food. Had to go thru all the hassles of searching for the recipe, looking around for the ingredients and cooking it up. Finally, I wanted to taste only a spoonfull of it. The rest, who else than my hubby who eats them up.

Now, for that past month, I have been wanting to eat prawn sambal. Normally, prawn sambal is cooked with unpeeled prawns. I do not prefer that as it is very troublesome to eat like that though cooking so retains the juices of the prawns. I like it peeled and deveined. Easier to eat. My mom adds fried potatoes to prawn sambal. I love the irresistible taste of the potatoes mixed with the juices of the prawns. In a word, the potatoes taste like prawn.

I am adapting my mom's method of adding the potatoes and I have included some kaffir lime leaves for the citrusy aroma. Also subtituted tamarind juice with lime juice for the extra tanginess. The rest are the normal vital sambal ingredients.

Prawn Sambal

What do we need:

500g prawns
2 potatoes
1/4 cup coconut milk (I used fresh milk)
2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced finely
1 tbsp lime juice
oil
sugar
salt

Sambal Paste:
4 dried chillies (depends to individual)
5 shallots or 1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh turmeric (I substituted with 1 tsp of turmeric powder)
1 inch galangal or blue ginger
1 lemon grass
1/2 tsp belacan granules (shrimp paste)

How do we do it:

Sambal Paste:

Heat a little oil and fry the dried chillies until aromatic. Set aside.

Chop coarsely the onion, garlic, galangal and lemon grass. Pop them into a food processor together with the fried dried chillies, turmeric powder and the belacan granules. Grind until smooth.

Sambal Paste

Prawn Sambal:

Peel and dice the potatoes. Heat oil and fry them until golden brown. Set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and de-vein the prawns. Set aside.

Heat oil and fry the sambal paste until aromatic and the oil separates. Add prawns and lime juice. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until prawns turn red. Add the fried potatoes and kaffir lime leaves. Then, season and stir well.

Prawn Sambal with Plain Rice ad Stir Fried Broccoli and Carrot

Serve prawn sambal with hot piping rice.

Weekend Baking Session # 2

2006-03-05T16:20:00.000Z

Some 3 months ago there was this craze called The CCC Craze around the food forums in SE Asia. I did not wanted to join it though as it is my nature that I always do something that others are not or no more doing it. Well, since the CCC craze has now subsided, it's time that I bake it.

This recipe was posted by Kirsten in Jo's Deli & Bakery Message Board. For the 2nd week of WBS, Chocolate Cheese Layered Cake is the chosen one.

Chocolate Cheese Layered Cake

What do we need:

A
250g cream cheese
60g castor sugar
1 egg

B
180g butter
150g sugar
3 eggs
3 tbsp cocoa
120g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

How do we do it:

Beat cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well incorporated. Set mixture aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, one at a time until well incorporated into mixture. Sieve all the dried ingredients together. Fold into egg mixture.

To assemble, pour half of mixture ‘B’, then all of mixture ‘A’, then remaining mixture ‘B’. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for 45-50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Once cool, chill in refrigerator.

Well, I did not expect it to look like this. Shapewise, I guess, I did not really do good job. It is not supposed to be wavy. There should be three parallel equal sized layers. I will have to bake this cake again and do it correctly the next time.

Tastewise, I think I have done it right as I like it very much.

A Bowl of Goodness

2006-03-03T19:29:00.000Z

Soups could be one of the quickest and easiest food. I do have them quite often. Each time I try cooking a different kind of soup. This time planned to try potatoe and leek soup, since I have all the ingredients ready with me.

Potatoe and Leek Soup

What do we need:

4 potatoes, diced
3 leeks, sliced (white part only)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cream
1 tbsp chives, chopped

What do we do:

Melt the butter in a pot on medium heat. Sauté the onion and the leeks for 10 minutes until they are soft. Then, add the potatoes and pour in the vegetable broth.

Season with salt and pepper. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer until the potatoes are cooked.

Remove from heat. Blend the soup until it is smooth without any lumps. Pour the cream into the blended mixture and transfer it to the stove again. Stir continuosly. Remove from heat when the soup just starts to boil. Sprinkle the chopped chives onto the soup.

Serve potatoe and leek soup hot with plain or toasted bread

A Complete Meal

2006-03-02T18:15:00.000Z

When I´m too tired, the only food that I could think of cooking would be fried rice. It is very fast and easy to prepare yet a completely balanced meal with carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals.

I had some frozen mixed seafood in the fridge. So, made up my mind to cook fried rice using it. When cooking fried rice, never use freshly cooked hot pipping rice. This is because it will turn soggy afer being cooked again as fried rice. Always use leftover rice or cook the rice few hours ahead and let it cool completely.

Seafood Fried Rice

What do we need:

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup canned corn kernels
1-2 cups mixed seafood
1 tbsp, finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp, finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp chili paste or 1 tsp chili powder
2 eggs
oil
onion crisps, garnishing

Seasoning:
2 tbsp tomatoe ketchup
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
a splash of sesame oil
salt to taste

How do we do it:

Heat oil and fry ginger, garlic and chili paste until aromatic. Add the seafood and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Now, in goes the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the rice gradually while stirring. Season and stir.

Make a hole in the middle. Pour a little oil & break the the eggs. Season it with a pinch of salt. When the eggs start to set, quickly stir the rice together with the egg thoroughly to ensure the eggs cover all the rice.

Serve seafood fried rice immediately with a sprinkle of onion crisps and few slices of cucumber.