Wishing Everyone A Merry & Joyous Christmas!

It's my most favourite time of the year again.... It's Christmas time! So what have you got planned? Any "chestnuts roasting on open fire" and "Jack Frost nipping at your nose"? Over here, you would probably see the former being roasted by a roadside seller using charcoal over a big wok anywhere and the only "Jack Frost" nipping at your nose is probably from the blast of chilly cold air-cond. Anyhow, now matter where you are, Christmas is as lovely anyway so long it already happened in your heart.

So here's wishing everyone a truly wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Christmas, a time for sharing and a time for giving gifts,
But most importantly, it is a time for remembering the greatest gift ever given,
Emmanuel.

And here's the recipe to the wonderful flourless chocolate cupcakes you see above. Especially good when served warm with cold ice-cream but just as delectable simply topped with macadamia nuts or frosted with chocolate ganache.

Easy Flourless Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
(Makes apx. 10 cupcakes)
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2c + 1/4c sugar (increase if choc is bitter)
1+3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 175c. Grease muffin pans and dust generously with extra sifted cocoa powder (if you find that you are using a lot, take some from the portion allocated above in the ingredients).
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a medium bowl set over a simmering pot of water, or zap in microwave for a quick fix. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, eggs and cocoa. Mix well.
Pour into muffin pans and bake for 15-16mins or until done. Cool in pans for 5 mins before turning them out to be cooled completely on wire racks. If you are frosting, make sure the cakes are completely cooled before frosting.

My Favourite Moist Chocolate Cake (No-bake)

Moist Chocolate Cake topped with dark chocolate fudge
Rich and luscious, moist yet fluffy; these are the words to describe my favourite chocolate cake. Not only mine, but my family's too. Best of all, the recipe is really simple and easy. It requires no baking, but is steamed instead. Therefore, it is also suitable for those who do not have an oven. And if you do not have a mixer, no worries. Just boil and stir. Too good to be true? Try it yourself and you shall see...

Recipe for Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake
A
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup good quality cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter (250g)
¾ tsp instant coffee powder
B
3 large eggs (lightly beaten)
½ cup condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla essence will do)
C
1 ¼ cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Mix A together and cook over low fire until sugar is completely melted. Stir constantly to prevent burned bottom. Set aside to cool.
Mix A and B together until well-blended.
Sift C together and add into the mixed liquid mixture. Mix well until there are no lumps of flour to be seen.
Pour into a greased 8" (and lined) round pan and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer into center of cake.
Cool in pan for 5 mins. Remove from pan carefully and let cool completely on rack.
Serve plain or with chocolate fudge. Cake is also suitable for frosting.
*Recipe courtesy of my SIL.

Kitchen Experiments Update: Part 1 (Cooking)

This blog was initially started to keep track of my baking/cooking experiments, a hobby that I picked up about 3 yeas ago. In those days, I was baking non-stop almost every other day if not everday, until the intervention of my mother who told me that she couldn't sleep at night because the smell of baking that permeated the air and seeped into her bedroom was distracting her from falling asleep (on weekdays, I could only bake after 9pm). Nowadays, my baking/cooking posts had become almost none-existent. But anyway, here are 2 fairly recent cooking experiments (fairly in a sense that it occurred this year, not last).

I am not a fan of noodles in general, but I do like cold noodle dishes quite a lot, the Japanese cold soba or cha soba included. This noodle dish always seems to me as being pretty simple so I thought to myself why not recreate it at home. So here is my first try (pictured above and recipe below) and I am proud to say that it was a success. Don't worry about cooking too much. Noodles and broth can be kept in the fridge for a few days and can be conveniently consumed straight from the fridge. I usually pack them for lunch at work.


Easy Japanese Cold Soba Recipe (based on recipe found here)
200g soba
Optional: sesame oil and toasted black sesame seeds
Method:
Cook soba in boiling water for about 4 mins or until al-dente. Drain and immediately put the noodles under cold running water (or plunge them into ice cold water). Drain (give it a slight toss in the colander) and chill them in the fridge.
Optional: For a smoother taste, you can toss with a few drops of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Dipping Sauce/Broth
° Some dried kelps (look like large dried tea leaves in dry form and green algae-like/gelatinous sheets when soaked in water)
° 2 pcs dried Chinese mushroom (rinsed with water to remove dirt)
° 2 small pcs of ginger (sliced thinly to about about 1 inch in length)
° 375ml water
° 1T sugar or more (according to taste)
° 2T (30ml) light Japanese soy sauce
° 1T (15ml) Chinese rice wine or use 2T mirin if this is available
Boil water with the dried kelps, mushroom and ginger. Lower fire and add in sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Let it simmer for a minute. If not sweet enough at this stage, add a little bit more sugar. Strain the liquid into a bowl and let it chill in the fridge. You can slice the leftover mushroom and dried kelps into thin slices to be used as condiments later.

Garnishing (to serve): Spring onion (chopped thinly), toasted sesame seeds, mushroom and dried kelp slices (leftovers from cooking the broth), shredded roasted seaweed (nori) and wasabi paste. You can also add some cubed soft tofu for added protein.

Another time, I was in possession of a bottle of home-made Chinese rice wine, courtesy of a colleague. She even gave me a simple and easy recipe to cook Rice Wine Ginger Chicken. I tried the recipe and sure enough, it was easy and most importantly, the dish tasted great. The best part is obviously the broth. *slurps* Here's her recipe.

Home-cooked Chinese Rice Wine Ginger Chicken Recipe
1 chicken chopped into pieces (preferably free-range with head, feet and skin removed)
1 palm size "Bentong" old ginger (peeled and julienned)
Some dried chinese wood (black) fungus, pre-soaked
1/2 to 1 bottle of Chinese rice wine
1+1/2 bowl of water (not rice bowl but those slightly larger than rice bowl, think size of normal serving of asam laksa at kopitiam)
Seasoning: salt, sugar and sesame oil
Method:
1. Dry fry the chopped chicken to remove moisture. Careful not to cook it. Remove and set aside.
2. In a clean wok, stir fry ginger in a little corn oil until fragrant (slightly golden brown) or until crispy (this is even more fragrant but maybe more heaty).
3. Add in wood fungus and stir fry a little.
4. Add chicken and stir fry until chicken is just cooked.
5. Add water and bring to boil. Lower fire and add in rice wine.
6. Simmer for about 5 mins. Lastly add a little sugar, salt and sesame oil (optional) to achieve preferred taste.

Notes:
- For better taste, it is important to use good quality "Bentong" ginger. If you do not want the dish to be "too fiery" in taste, reduce or halved the ginger portion but you should be aware that ginger is what will make or break this dish.
- Frozen chicken can also be used. Thaw thoroughly. Also note that they cook faster than free-range chicken so be careful not to overcook.
- You can adjust the qty of rice wine used. Don't worry, the alcohol effect will evaporate during the cooking process so do not worry about getting drunk from this dish. If you do prefer a milder wine taste, you can reduce the portion by half.

Look out for Part 2 of Kitchen Experiments Update (baking & desserts)

Baking: Peanut Butter Chips Brownie Cups

Peanut Butter Chips Brownie Cups
This blog started out as a baking blog but lately, the ratio of food review posts to baking posts have shrunk to 10:1 (??). *Sigh* Where has my unstoppable drive for baking gone?

Anyway, to finish up the container of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder and a packet of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips (both items bought from HK) before I have to throw them out from the pantry, I came across this recipe that uses both items. And much to my delight, it happens to be a really easy recipe too.
And I was not disappointed with the end result either. Best served warm, the slightly moist dark chocolate center with the slightly crusty top paired so well with the yummy peanut butter chips!

So, so delicious.....

If only both Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder and Reese's Peanut Butter Chips are available locally. (If you happen to know where I can get them locally, please, please let me know. TQ)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins (Martha Stewart's Recipe)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins
Seems like I am experiencing a major "baker's block". It's not that I don't like baking anymore but rather, I couldn't seem to find the time and motivation to bake. But I still bake, occassionally. And for simpler recipes like this Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins, adapted from Martha Stewart's The Baking Handbook. Rather good, I would say. And anything with tons of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips are bound to be yummy too!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's The Baking Handbook - "Cranberry Zucchini Muffins"
1+3/4c plain flour (recipe does not require flour to be sifted but I sifted it nonetheless)
1/2t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/4t salt
2 Large eggs
1c sugar
1/2c vegetable oil
1/2t pure vanilla extract
1c of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips combined
Method:
1. Line muffin pan with muffin/cupcake liners.
2. Preheat oven to 375f .
3. Whisk together together the first 4 (dry) ingredients in a bowl.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the next 4 (wet) ingredients.
5. Add the flour mixture to (4) . Stir to combine but DO NOT OVERMIX*. (*which will result in dry and lumpy muffins)
6. Gently fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
7. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups. It should come up to 80-90% full of each cup.
8. Bake for about 25-30 mins or until the top is golden brown and the skewer comes out dry when inserted into the center of the muffins. For even baking, rotate the pan halfway through.
9. Transfer to the wire rack to cool for about 5-10 mins before turning them out from the pan to cool completely on the rack.

Matcha (Green Tea) Jelly

The weatherman is pretty indecisive lately. The weather is either very hot and "very rainy". On one fine sunny (and very hot) day, I made some cooling Matcha Jelly. Very simple to make.


Click here for link to recipe.

Quick & Easy! Chocolate Almond Cream Cake

My darling Julius turned 2 months not a couple of weeks back. I suddenly felt the urge to bake to mark the occassion so I baked a really quick and easy simple Chocolate Almond Cream Cake. But poor Julius, he won't be getting any of it (I didn't want to encourage him to have a sweet-tooth although his mistress is already one). Chocolates are bad for dogs anyway...

To make the cake, combine 2 cups of water, 600g of sugar, 35g cocoa powder, 1t baking soda and 250g chopped butter in a heavy-bottom pot and heat without boiling till all the sugar is dissolved. Then, bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5 mins. Turn off heat and let it cool a bit. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in about 450g of sifted self-raising flour and 4 eggs. Beat till mixture is smooth. Pour into a greased and lined 8" pan and bake at 175c for about 45-50 mins or when cake is done when tested with skewer. Cover top with foil if it browns too fast. Cool for about 5 mins in pan before removing it and transferring to the rack to cool completely before frosting. Once completely cooled, slice into 2 layers before sandwiching them with buttercream.

For the buttercream, beat 125g softenend butter, 125g margarine and 80g icing sugar together till light and fluffy. Add in about 100g melted cooking chocolate (cooled) and mix till even. Frost cake and sprinkle with chocolate rice and toasted almond flakes.

More Remedies for a Sweet Tooth

More remedies for a sweet tooth.....




Molten Flourless Chocolate Cake (recipe based on Nigella Lawson's but adapted to make it flourless with a molten chocolate center) and a nice Frozen Mango Cream Pie (all you need is cream, condensed milk, fresh mango and crushed biscuit base and ta-da!)

Simplest Banana Bread

I so like quick and easy recipes and this is one of them. To make,



Mix 2c plain flour (sift if you want), 1c sugar, 1T baking powder and 1/2t salt in one big bowl.

Then add 1c mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium ones), 1/3c milk (full or skimmed), 1/4c corn oil, 1 egg and 1t vanilla paste to the mixture. You can also add optional ingredients such as chocolate chips or nuts here.

Still together till just-mixed but do not over-mix.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour at 175c (pre-heat the oven first) or until skewer comes out clean when tested. Cool for 5-10 mins in tin then turn cake onto rack to cool completely.

Voila!

When One Thing Becomes Another...(Marshmallow Chocolate Rice Crispies)

I wanted to make some crunchy rice crispies bar. A real simple & easy recipe. Just melt some butter with some marshmallow, dunk in some plain rice crispies, stir together then pour and flatter out in a pan. When cooled, just slice into bars and serve - a sure delight to the kids.

But, the marshmallow refused to co-operate. Granted this time, I took the easy way out and used the microwave to melt the butter and marshmallow. The butter obediently melted but the marshmallow gave one hell of a fight. Instead of melting together with the butter into a smooth and creamy sugary and snowy goodness, it turned into a brownish and rubbery slush sitting in a pool of melted butter. Yuck! And no matter how long I zapped it in the microwave, it remained in that erm, 'slushy' form.

I finally accepted the fact that I failed in melting the marshmallow but rather than wasting the butter, I scooped out the marshmallow slush, melted a fistful of dark chocolate chips into the still-hot melted butter, added a squirt or two of honey followed by the rice crispies. Stir to coat everything evenly. In mini paper cups, add a 1/4t of the prepared rice crispies. Then add some choc chips and 2 mini marshmallow. Top with more prepared rice crispies and more choc chips if you wish. Bake for about 7 minutes in a preheated oven (160c). Remove from oven, cool for about 15 minutes and top with another mini marshmallow. Cool completely before storing in air-tight container.

Not exactly what I set out to make, but the end result was just as good if not better than the original plan. :o)

Boiled Cakes (Classic Moist Chocolate & Eggless Fruit Cake)

No, I didn't mean to say that these cakes do not require baking but rather, the preparation method involves only boiling instead of mixing using the cake mixer. Just dump and boil - literally...

Not too long ago, I had the chance to sample a Fruit Cake baked by my sister's MIL. It was simple and it was delicious. No complicated flavours. In fact, my mom raved about it (and that speaks a lot since my mom hardly praised any cakes). That made me realised that I have never baked a proper Fruit Cake before so I set about baking one. I had numerous recipes in my collfection but finally decided on this one by Yochana based on its simplicity (surprise! surprise!). This recipe does not require soaking the fruits overnight or keeping the cake steeped in alcohol over a period of time. Simply boil, bake and eat. Of course, this will not qualify it as an authentic Classic Fruit Cake but it was good enough for me.

Boiled Eggless Fruit Cake
The cake was moist although it has a dense texture. Not really the same from what the auntie's moist and fluffy rich fruit cake. This is more like a moist mixed fruits quickbread. My mom didn't quite like it because (1) it was overly spiced (I guess I was too heavy-handed with the spice); and (2) it was not fluffy. Hmmppff..., next time, I shall just bake a mixed fruits butter cake for her.

As the Fruit Cake was done in no time, I decided to try another easy recipe that uses the boiling method.

Boiled Classic Chocolate Cake (FAVOURITE RECIPE)
Recipe courtesy of Rusti, I was so glad that I decided to give it a try. As described, it was EASY, moist, fluffy, reasonably rich and just simply delicious! This will definitely be one of my top favourite recipes for a simple, plain and fast chocolate cake!

A Quick Post for a Quick Dessert!

Another quicky recipe. This dessert can be done is less than 10 mins. Not the first time that I did this but always a yummy and easy recipe especially when you have guests arriving in less than 30 minutes! This time I added a bit of orange cordial to give it some orange flavouring and coloring so that they looked like mandarin oranges (since it was still CNY). Also, I added whole roasted pistachio nut (de-shelled of course) to the red bean filling. Yummy and ready in less than 10 mins!

Snowy Orange Redbean Pistachio Mochi

Ingredients:
Mochi Skin
100g Japanese Glutinous Rice Flour (those used for Japanese Mochi)
180g water** minus 1T
1T orange cordial
2T sugar or adjust to preference
** If not using flavouring, just use 180g of water.

Filling:
Red bean paste
Roasted whole pistachio nuts
- Prepare filling first. Roll about 1 generous tablespoon of redbean paste into a ball. Stuff 1 nut into the ball. Roll again.

Dusting:
Corn Flour or dessicated coconut

Method:
1. Mix orange cordial in water.
2. Put glutinous rice flour in a deep microwaveable dish. Pour in water from (1) and stir well until it becomes a watery paste.
3. Add sugar and still to dissolve.
4. Cover and microwave on HIGH for about 2 mins. If still watery, zap it for another 30 mins
5. Remove and stir quickly with a pair of chopsticks.
6. Dust hand and work area generously with corn flour. Take about 1 - 2T of dough. Flatten into a round with palm or fingers. Try to make edges thinner than center. Work quickly and be careful as dough will be quite hot.
7. Wrap the skin around 1 prepared redbean ball. Knead the edges shut and roll into a ball. Dust generously in corn flour.
8. Serve immediately or keep in fridge. You can warm it up again before serving by zapping in the microwave for about 10 secs.

A quick post for a quick dish.

Mom went to Penang recently, and with the head chef gone, that's how I ended up with this dish for dinner. Dad had a tooth taken out earlier in the day so ideally, dinner should involve food that did not require much chewing.

Steamed Tofu & Egg White with Seafood and Broccoli (or I could forget about the long description and simply call this dish Prosperity Tofu just because it sounds good eh?)

Ingredients:
1 packet soft/silken tofu
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Fillings: (Be creative here! You can add finely chopped carrots, corns, waterchestnuts, mushrooms - it's up to you, really.)
1 small broccoli, cut into florets
8 pcs of (imitation) crab meat with/without claws (or substitute with peeled prawns)
Seasoning (again, up to you. Suggestions include soy sauce, pepper, oyster sauce or sesame oil)

Method:
1) Mash tofu with fork. Add egg white and mix to combine.
2) Add the chopped fillings of your choice. Add seasonings. Combine well.
3) Pour into a microwaveable casserole dish.
4) Arrange the broccoli florets around the dish and the crab meats in the center.
5) Cover and microwave for about 2-5 minutes until tofu and egg mixture is done (texture should be like steamed eggs); or you could just steam it.
6) Garnish with some chopped cilantro or spring onions. Serve hot.

Happy Piggy Year! Gong Xi, Gong Xi!

Today's the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Fire Boar. So here's wishing all
A Happy New Year! May this year brings lots of good times, happy moments and excellence in everything!

For the customary family reunion lunch/dinner yesterday, I made some little contributions.


Chilled Water Chestnut Cake. Cooling & refreshing! Link to recipe here.

And from Gina, I made some white nian gao. I didn't have any other suitable molds other than my mooncake jelly molds. Anyhow, they still look auspicious for the occasion, don't you think?

Steamed White Nian Gao

Very nice to have this together with some steamed fresh coconut flakes.


Have a wonderful holiday!

So what are you baking for CNY?

Lately, I have been receiving a few enquiries from friends who knew of my interest in baking. They asked me, "So what are you baking for Chinese New Year?" I felt ashamed in replying, "So far, nothing." With CNY about a week more to go, time is running out for me particularly when I have been too ambitious in preparing my "CNY To-Bake List". I think I had at least 6 different types of cookies that I planned to bake. But like I said earlier, with CNY about a week more to go, I think I need to be more realistic and trim the list down to maybe 4 selections. Or perhaps 3. Hmm...., or maybe just 2.

But at least, I already baked my 1st batch of CNY cookies. Ta-da....., Green Peas Cookies (not green bean or mung beans).

A friend introduced me to these cookies last year which I enjoyed very much. Then later, I found a stall in a shopping mall that sells very good green peas cookies - the melting type. Sadly, they no longer sell them. Recently, I found a recipe for these cookies and to my delight, the recipe looked so simple to make (and they really are!). This version results in a very crunchy cookie, particularly since I did not blend the green peas too well, rather roughly grounding them into coarse bits.

Using a good oil is important (such as sunflower, canola or soya that does not have a strong scent), otherwise the cookies will stink of oil (I can't stand the smell of blended cooking oil such as Knife or Neptune. I also added some vanilla essence, just in case.

May have to bake another batch since I almost finished the first batch by myself *grins*. Well, at least 1 down and another 1 or 2 more to go...

Link to recipe.

Absolutely Addictive!

Recently, I discovered a new "method" of one of my favourite snack - dried cod fish fillet. Just roast it in the oven for slightly less than 5 mins at 190 celcius. Keep a watch on it until it turns golden brown (be careful for it burns easily!). Stuff it into your mouth and you will instantly be addicted to it. Crispy and crunchy and compared to chips and other junk food, this is a relatively healthy snack. Try it!

Still Here...(Strawberry Chocolate Gateau)

There has been a brief lapse in posting but rest assured I am still here. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities, including a trip to Bangkok. Sadly, my baking had taken a backseat as a result. With Christmas coming, I have better brush up my bakings again soon.

Strawberry Chocolate Gateau
I baked this cake sometime back. It's actually a Devil's Food Cake spread with the easiest Chocolate Fudge frosting I have ever made (no cream used, only condensed milk) and decorated with fresh strawberries. The frosting was surprisingly good. Sweet as expected, but not sickening so. I believe using good semi-sweet chocolate chips in the frosting makes a difference!

But I should have waited for the frosting to cool a bit before dipping the strawberries in it. As you can see in the picture, the frosting was too thin to coat the strawberries properly.

**edited to include recipe
Extremely Easy Chocolate Glaze
1 cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can condensed milk
1t vanilla essence
1T Nescafe Gold (optional)
Method:
1) Heat condensed milk in saucepan over medium heat until warm state. Add in chocolate chips. Stir constantly to combine until chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Add coffee powder and stir until it dissolves.
2) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly until desired spreading consistency before glazing over cakes.

I wanted to make something... (Sweet Corn Konyaku Jellies)

It has been a long time since I made anything. And I really wanted to make something. But I was slightly short of time though so I made the simplest of things - sweet corn konyaku jelly. Simple but satisfaction guaranteed! :-)

Based on this recipe.

What's For Lunch & Dinner? (Healthy Vegan Burger, Roast Pork, Choc Tofu Pudding, Pumpkin Custard)

What's for lunch? Let's have something healthy, simple and fast. How about Vegan Burger? Here's what you do:
Slice a plain sesame burger bun into 2. Lightly butter each side and toast. In the mean time, defrost and microwave a vegan chicken burger patty. Assemble on buns with some sliced tomatoes. Top with some fresh watercress. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on watercress. Garnish with some chilli sauce, light mayo or cheese, and freshly ground black pepper. Ta-da...


Since lunch was healthy, let's indulge for dinner. How about some Roast Pork, Chinese-style? (aka "Siew Yok")?


Can't forget desserts too. Take your pick between
Healthy Chocolate Tofu Pudding


or Steamed Pumpkin Custard?


Now, this is what I call "a fruitful day"!

Big, Medium and Small (Yam Layer Cake, Orange Peanut Cake & Cake Dougnuts)

It's Saturday and what's baking?

Something small?

Mini Cake Doughnuts (no-yeast)
Updated: Recipe posted in Comments.

Or perhaps something medium?

Easy-peasy Orange Peanut Cake


Or how about something bigger?

Delicious Yam Layer Cake (FAVOURITE RECIPE)