July 29, 2011

STEAM PUMPKIN CUPCAKE ( HUAT GE )

Steam pumpkin cupcake or " Huat Ge" has always been a famous cupcake used as offering to Chinese Gods during festive seasons. Mom has been nagging me about the high price of the " Huat Ge " and wanted me to make " huat ge " for her so she won't need to buy from outside.... Sigh........... so without any choice , I have do it ............lol...


Presenting to you the ever smiling Steam Pumpkin " Huat Ge" ...

Ingredients 
300ml     Coconut Milk  
100g        Pumpkin
250g        Rice Flour
150g        Sugar
1 pckt      ENO (4.3g)


Method
1. Pre-heat steamer.
2. Add coconut milk , followed by pumpkin, sugar and rice flour into the blender.
3. Blend until the batter is well mix.
4. Add in a packet of ENO.
5. Blend 3 seconds to a count of three  (on- off, on- off , on-off ).
6. Pour the batter into cupcake mold
7. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes ( do not open steamer lid while steaming ) 




Voila !!! Your Steaming Hot Sexy Pumpkin Huat Ge is ready to be served. Enjoy !


July 28, 2011

STEAM PANDAN CUPCAKE

Work , cook , watching my children finish their homework , with some cleaning and scrubbing and all , makes life real hectic at times. Not really that easy being a working mother . Its been 3 days since I bake or cook anything special. Simply because baby Ryan was down with flu and cough . What's more important than taking care of my "little king". LOL. Now that he is recovering , my hands feel itchy . Simply because its a sign telling me I should work my hand on some food godies....... ;)

Ransacking my fridge , I found some pandan leaf/ screwpine leaf . Suddenly I have urge to eat some simple pandan steam cake. So here we go ........................
Looks yummy ? Try it out .... ;)

Ingredients 

10     Pandan leaf / Screwpine Leaf ( can subs with 1 tbsp pandan essence & 1/2 tsp green colouring )
250 ml   Coconut Milk
250 g     Self-Raising Flour
200 g    Sugar
1pckt    ENO ( small )
1/2 tsp  Double Action Baking Powder

Method

  1. Preheat steamer , prepare the paper cup / cupcake moulds for steaming 
  2. Add coconut milk and pandan leaf to food blender and blend till leaf are shredded finely. Sieve the pulps and retain the coconut milk pandan mixture . Sieve again and pour it into a clean blender.
  3. Add in sugar , self-raising flour and double action baking powder into the coconut mixture .Blend till well combine . 
  4. Open the blender cover and pour in the ENO pack and switch the blender on-off  for 3 times ( on-off , on-off, on-off ).
  5. Lightly butter grease the cupcake mould, alternatively you can use a paper cupcake case . 
  6. Pour the batter into the cupcake mould to 80% full and steam at high heat for 15-20 minutes ( depending on the size of your cupcake mould ) or until skewer comes out clean 
  7.  Remove from steamer and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving . 
Enjoy !


July 25, 2011

LEMON BUTTER CAKE

Indeed a real tasty lemon butter cake. I am totally amazed by the lemon taste which blend in so well with the rest of the ingredient. The only word to describe this cake ' Wonderful '...... lol.....


Ingredients 

250g      Butter
220g      Castor Sugar 
4            Eggs
250g      Self-Raising Flour 
50ml      Freshly Squeeze Orang Juice 
1tbsp     Lemon Juice 
Grated Rind of 1 lemon 

Method
  • Line and grease a 9" pan. Preheat oven to 170C . 
  • Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy . add in egg one at a time, making sure that batter is well mix after each addition
  • Add grated lemon rind 
  • Fold in sifter flour alternating with orange juice and lemon juice . ( Start with flour and end with flour ) 
  • Mix till well combine 
  • Pour into greased pan and bake at 170C for 45-50 minutes 
  • Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and serve immediately 
Enjoy your baking ...... ;) ... Will try out more recipes to share will you guys ...




ALMOND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Again and again , chocolate and almond has never fail to impress my guest. Back in the 90's when I was still a kid , teenager I mean...lol, I used to love Famous Amous Cookies. I can smell the cookie from miles away. So delicious and tempting. I think everyone will agree with me that these cookies is indeed a very addictive one. Once you started eating it you won't be able to stop.
This is one amazing recipe. I have tried so many version of this cookies. None of it really impress me. So I decided to mix and match , and try my own luck to modify the recipe. The results is amazing, everyone don't seems to be able to stop themselves from eating the cookies. ;)
Even my bunny can't resist it. LOL
Slurp Slurp ......... yummy..


Ingredients

2 cups   All Purpose Flour 
1 cup    Brown Sugar 
1 cup    Granulated Sugar 
2 1/2 cups Oatmeal ( measure 2 1/2 instant oatmeal and blended to fine powder ) 
2           Eggs 
2tsp      Vanilla Essence 
225g    Butter 
            Chocolate chips and chopped nuts ( I use chocolate chip and almond nibs ) 

Method 
  • Preheat oven at 190C
  • Cream Butter and both sugar till creamy and fluffy 
  • Add in eggs and vanilla and beat till well mix
  • Using a spatula or wooden spoon fold in flour and oatmeal . Mix till well combine 
  • Add in chocolate chip and chopped nuts.
  • Roll into ball and place 2" apart. Light press with the back of a fork, making sure each cookie dough is as even as possible 
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes 


Tips :   
This is my very own mix and match version. Most of the recipes requires to add baking soda or baking powder or add both . It turns out that my cookies is crunchy and chewy. Taste good as well... Hope you will try this recipe.. ;)



July 23, 2011

STEAM BUTTER CAKE

I came home from work last evening to find my nephew and niece at my house waiting for me to go for dinner . You know how it feels when you have last minute guest visiting you. heehee...... . After dinner we were having tea at the dining table while I finish up my last post , I heard some stomach growling sound coming out from Aaron's direction . lol...... I smile at him and walk straight to my kitchen and started preparing my super fast QUICK TASTY BREAD PIZZA for him ..

After eating the bread pizza, here come Justin, my eldest son asking for cake. OMG, he can really eat ...lol. So I decided to try this steam butter cake , which I have been tempted to try some time ago. 

To my surprise, Justin love this cake as much as normal oven bake butter cake. I added some mixed peel and raisin which added extra flavour to the cake. 

Ingredients 

145g    Butter 
140g    Sugar ( I dun like it too sweet / Original recipe cal for 150 g ) 
3          Eggs 
165g    Self Raising Flour 
2tsp     Double Action Baking Powder
112g    Evaporated Milk 
1tsp     Vanilla Essence 

Method
  • Preheat steamer . Sift flour and double action baking powder . 
  • Cream Butter and sugar till light and fluffy .
  • Beat in egg one at a time until all well combined.
  • Add in Vanilla Essence and mix well
  • Fold in flour and milk alternately until well combine ( should start and end with flour ) 
  • Do not over mix. 
  • Pour batter into 8" round pan. Cover with aluminium foil.
  • Steam over high heat for 1 1/2 hour or until skewer comes out clean 


Tips : 

I added 1 tsp of mixed peel and 1 tsp of raisin to the plain batter . I used a 9" pan and steam the cake for 45 minutes. I am lucky when I tested the cake the skewer comes out clean ;) . Scoop out 1/3 of the batter and add in 2 tsp cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp chocolate emulco. Mix well.  Pour half of the plain batter into the pan . Then pour in the chocolate batter continue with the rest of the plain batter. Use a sharp knife and swirl around the batter . 






July 22, 2011

STEAM PANDAN CAKE

Pandan leaf / screwpine leaf is famous among asian housewives . Well known for its fragrant flavour , I tought maybe I should try making a steam cake out of this useful green leaves.

To my surprise, the cake vanished from my eyesight without me realizing it . LOL....


Ingredients

4         Eggs
100g   Sugar
100g   Superfine Flour ( Mix with baking powder and sift together )
2 tsp   Ovalette
2 tsp   Double Action Baking Powder
40 ml  Fresh Milk
40 ml  Melted Butter ( or Corn Oil )
2 tsp   Pandan esence ( I blender 14 pandan leaves and squeeze the juice )
1 tsp   Green Colouring ( If using ready made Padan Flavour essence you need this colouring )
Look at the soft fluffy texture of the cake ;)

Method 

  • Preheat the steamer and lightly greased a 8" round pan 
  • In a medium mixer bowl, add sugar , egg , pandan essence , colouring , ovalette , follow by the sifted flour . Beat at high speed for 8-9 minutes till fluffy 
  • Turn off the mixer. Slowly blend in the milk and melted butter using a spoon. Mix well and pour into the prepared pan.
  • Wrap the cover of the steamer with a piece of cloth to avoid any water dropping on the batter . Steam at high heat for 30 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. 
  • Remember to cool on wire rack before removing from pan. Serve immediately with your favourite cup of hot steaming tea. 

QUICK TASTY BREAD PIZZA

 Pizza has always been my favourite dish since young. Having living in Asian Countries, I am left with limited choice of pizza in the restaurant. I always like to prepare my own pizza with my favourite choice of toppings . I was really rushing to prepare a quick dinner for my nephew at 9.30 pm last night , as he had just finish his exam at this hour. I made him a "Quick Tasty Bread Pizza "......

Trust me this is one " MUST TRY " recipe. Its easy to prepare and yummy . If u happen to have any last minute guest visiting, this will be a good choice. heeheee..................... Bibi Low simply love this bread pizza ....



Ingredients
6 slices     Bread ( I use Gardenia White Bread )
6 slices     Ham ( Chicken or Pork / Own preference )
1 cup       Prego Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup       Tomato Puree ( Canned / Homemade )
2             Capsicum ( sliced or cut into chunks )
2             Jalapeno Chili Pepper ( Optional ) ( sliced / cut into chunk )
2 tsp       Paprika Powder ( Optional )
1 tbsp     Crushed Oregano
6             Sausages ( slice )
6             Button Mushroom / Shiitake Mushroom
1 tbsp     Chopped Garlic
1 tbsp     Chooped Shallot
1             Onion ( slice )
2             Fresh Tomato
               Mozarella Cheese / Cheddar Cheese ( Adjust to own liking )


Method
  • Preheat oven to 225 C 
  • Spread butter / margarine on one side of the bread and arrange it on a cookie tray or any rectangular baking tray.( to prevent the bread from soaking wet by the topping ) . Set aside
  • Combine Prego Pasta Sauce and Tomato Puree in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat , Stirring occasionally . Add in oregano ( or parsely/ bay leaves  ) and stir till boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Heat up 1 tbsp margarine in a wok. Saute chopped garlic and onion over medium heat till fragrant , add in capsicum , jalapeno chili pepper, sausages , mushroom and onion . Season with salt and pepper. Dish up and set aside. 
  • Place one slice of ham on each bread. spread precooked sauced on the ham. Spread the cooked sausages and toppings on the sauce. Top with a thick slice of fresh tomato on top. 
  • Cover with Mozarella or Cheddar Cheese , top with paprika powder ( optional ) and bake for 10 - 15 minutes till all the cheese melted. 
  • Your yummy bread pizza is ready to be served. Enjoy .... ;)  

    BRAISED PORK BELLY IN SOYA SAUCE

    Whenever I get the chance to hop in to any Chinese restaurant , I would always like to try their version of braised pork belly. So far , none of it has really capture my interest. My baby Ryan-Jay which is my latest smart creation( heehee .... ) is having sore throat and flu. I wanted to prepare a quick meal for my mom before sending Ryan to the clinic. After a while of thinking , something has remind me of the Braised Pork Belly that mom once prepared for my dinner years back when I was still a little girl with my 2 little " to chang " ......
    Yummy .... my all time favourite ( without the fats ) .... with the thicken gravy ( i am not a fans of cornstarch so I don't use any ). Definitely will make the crowds speechless with the " near to perfection " taste .  Till you try it out yourself , you will know what I mean .... heehee.......



    Ingredients

    1 strip      Pork Belly ( Fa Lam Yuk/ Normally ready cut into long strips  )
    3 cloves   Garlic ( wash and pat dry )
    4 tbsp      Dark Soya Sauce
    2 tbsp      Light Soya Sauce
    1 pc        Rock Sugar ( small piece will do / about the size of 1 -2 cm )
    1 tbsp     Cooking Oil
                   Water ( enough to cover the pork belly )

    Method

    • Wash and pat dry pork belly . Cut into chunks about 1/2 cm thick strips
    • Heat up oil in a work over medium high heat. 
    • Add in pork strip and stir fry till oil turns clear ( oil turns clear when pork strips turns dry ) 
    • Add in garlic cloves and stir fry for another minute , then turn to medium heat. Stir in dark soya sauce and light soya sauce . Stir fry for another minute till the sauce starts to bubble . 
    • Add in water enough to cover 3/4 of the pork . Stir to mix well. Once boil turn to low heat and add in rock sugar . Cover with lid ( do not cover tight leave a 2 cm gap ) and simmer over low heat. 
    • Stir every 3-5 minutes . Once gravy turn sticky and and turn off the heat and cover with lid for another 2 minutes before serving . 
    • Your Braised Pork Belly in Soya Sauce is ready to be served . Enjoy your meal. Best eaten with chili padi and chopped garlic dipping sauce . ( chop garlic and chili padi , add in soya sauce ) 



    Simple yet tasty dish. Take my words , you will never regret trying this out. It will definitely makes you remember it ..... Thanx mummy for giving me this precious long lost recipe. 


    Tips :  Adjust the rock sugar according to your own preference . Some like it salty sweet , some don't . So be smart to adjust to your own liking. I bought the rock sugar which has been cut to small pieces . I like it salty sweet so I will normally use 2 pcs of the ready cut small pieces of rock sugar. Adjust the amount of soya sauce to your own taste. Happy cooking ... ;) 

    July 20, 2011

    STEAM MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

    I am never a big fan of any kind of chocolate . Probably because I am always on " diet mode" which restrict me from " liking " certain food. Anyway , whether I like or not , CHOCOLATE is gaining fans all over the world. 


    I was sitting down by the dining table thinking what should i bake for my nephew , Andrew. He is one of my " loyal fans " that has never say " no" when it comes to trying my cooking and baking . heehee.....................  So I have decided on a " not too dry " chocolate cake considering the weather and all . Seems that STEAM MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE will be the best choice for now.................






    I have always love baking and cooking though I have not been lucky to enroll myself to any of the courses available no matter how much I would love to. I have to use my own skill and knowledge thru the web to try out each and every new recipe. As much as I try to avoid eating chocolate , I was amazed by the result of my" Steam Moist Chocolate Cake" . 






    Please forgive me for not having very good photos /photography skills. I am only equipped with my BB Torch 9800 as my current camera . heehee..................   Again I was too excited to try out the cake , I have actually forgotten to capture a picture of the whole cake before cutting a slice and trying it. It is just simply irresistibly yummy even without topping . Since I bake this at 3.00 am,  I was too lazy to add any toppings . Well to my surprise , it turns out excellent even without extra glossy marvelous toppings...... 




    Ingredients


    185g       Butter ( or Corn Oil )
    180g       Castor Sugar
    200ml     Evaporated Milk ( 1/2 can )
    2              Eggs
    125g       Plain flour ( I used Superfine Flour )
    70g         Cocoa powder ( I use Van Houten  )
    1/2 tsp    Baking powder
    1/2 tsp    Baking soda
    1 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

    • Combine castor sugar, Evaporated milk, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan. 
    • Stir constantly over low heat until sugar dissolved and butter melted, take away from heat and keep warm. 
    • Add the lightly beaten eggs into the warm milk mixture and stir till well mix. 
    • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Then pour the eggs mixture over the flour and stir till well mix (cake batter should be runny). 
    • Greased a 9 inch baking pan 
    • Pour the batter into prepared pan and place the pans into the Preheated steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil. 
    • Steam over medium heat for 1 hour 15 minutes 
    • Cold the cake in pan before removing from the pan. Voila the Steam Moist Chocolate Cake is ready for Topppings. 


    Chocolate Ganache ( I omitted this heehee )

    250 g    Cooking chocolate, chopped
    25 g      Butter
    1/2 cup Whipping cream

    Melt chopped chocolate over double boiler(at low heat), take away from heat, add in butter and whipping cream stir well mix, cool the Chocolate ganache a little before spreading on cake. (You can put it into the fridge for it harden faster to the right texture you like)



    Recipe adapted frombakingmum







    FRUIT PASTRY CAKE

    I saw this recipe 2 weeks ago and decided to bake it last night since its another of my " insomnia symptom" day. This turn out to be one of my favourite cake heehee... I love to see fruits on cakes. I have to ransack my fridge to look for fruits though I can only find strawberries , canned pineapple and apples ( my favourite Yummy!!! ) 


    I was too excited and can't wait to try out this cake that I have forgotten to take the full view of the cake before cutting a slice out. ;)  



    The soft texture of the cake makes me can't resist although the weighing scale is calling out my name " you are gonna be over weight very soon " lol...... Anyway , dun be mistaken by that cute little yellow spoon . I just happen to grab it. It belongs to my baby. Its a gift from Canada to Kuala Lumpur from a beloved childhood friend . sweet yeah ...... :P


    Ingredients 

    100 g     Butter  ( soften at room temperature ) 
    200 g    Castor Sugar ( I have cut it down to 180 g ) 
    50 g       Sour Cream ( Dats equal to 2 tbsp) ( I substitute this with Fresh Low Fat Yogurt ) 
    3            Eggs ( lightly beaten ) 
    1 tsp      Vanilla Extract 
    1 tsp      Lemon or orange zest ( I used Mixed Peel ) 
    210 g     Plain Flour - sifted ( I am out of all kind of flour so I used Suprfine Flour ) 
    1 tsp       Baking Powder ( I used Double Action Baking Powder ) 
    500 g     Fruits of your choice tossed with 2 tbsp sugar 

    Method

    • Clean , cut fruits into chunks that u like , drain fruits , toss with sugar and set aside. ( If using canned fruits , make sure to wash the fruits to remove syrup , omit the sugar ) 
    • Preheat oven to 180 C . Grease and flour a  8" round pan .
    • Cream butter , sugar and sour cream till light and fluffy .
    • Beat in eggs , one at a time . Make sure to mix well after each addition. 
    • Turn mixer to low , add vanilla , flour and zest . Mix well till batter turn smooth . 
    • Bake in preheated oven for 60 - 70 minutes ( or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into cake ) . Cover the top of the cake with aluminium foil in the last 15 minutes if baking to prevent thr top from getting over browned . 
    • Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes . Remove the cake from the mould and dust with icing sugar.
    • Voila the ever interesting Fruit Pastry Cake is ready to be served.  

    I have no regrets substituting with Superfine Flour . It turns out to be real soft and nice with the taste of mixed peel .  Happy trying ... @@


    Recipe adapted from : bisousatoi and happyhomebaking

    WELCOME ! WELCOME ! SELAMAT MENGUNJUNG

    Hi guys..just starting my blog. Stay tuned for recipes and stories about baking. Also happy to listen to ideas for new recipes I've never tried before!




    One fine afternoon , I have prepared this meal for my favourite babe. She was so impressed with the taste of this " Mee Sua Soup " . She has then suggested that I should begin my own blog and spread my lovely cooking recipes with friends all over . So here we go .......................




    Abby xoxo