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

Dear friends,

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

Ponggalo Ponggal!!!!!

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.