Steamed Rice Cake @ Appam Beras

Steamed rice cake or known as apam beras in Malay is a well known kuih/snack sold in breakfast stalls. Appam usually served with grated coconut seasoned with salt but i prefer them as it is. This cute little appams comes in various colours begging for attention in those breakfast stalls and favourite among many and i'm one of them.

Very simple recipe with minimal effort and easy to find ingredients. Its time to take out my food colouring and stir some vibrant colours into the creamy mixture. I truly enjoyed playing with my colours. I prefer small and cute appams thus, i used small plastic daisy moulds but, you can steam them in your desired moulds. Sometimes i steam them on my 9'inch round cake tin and end up with one huge rice cake and cut them into slices to serve. The yeast acts as an activator to provide the light and airy texture to the delicious appam. The coconut milk adds a right balance of richness to this cutie pies.

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup cooked rice
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water



Methods

Boil water in a steamer. Grease the rice cake mould with vegetable oil making sure all the sides and nooks greased well.

In a bowl add lukewarm water,yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Leave for 5 minutes until the yeast activated and foamy.

In a grinder, add cooked rice,flour,water, 3/4 cup sugar and yeast mixture. Grind to a smooth paste.

Pour mixture into a bowl, add salt and baking powder. Mix well.

Divide mixture into 3 bowls and stir in the colours.

Pour mixture into greased mould and steam for 10-12 minutes or until the cake leaves the sides of the mould.

Remove from mould and serve hot

Cenci Alla Fiorentina/Italian Bow Tie Cookies

Italian bow tie cookies aka angel wings cookies comes in different version and shape around the world. The Polish called them as Chrusciki, In Ukraine they are known as Verhuny and in France named as Bugnes Lyonnaises. In Italy they have different name for each region.

This cookies are usually served during Italian carnival and wedding. Shaped beautifully as a cute bow tie and deep fried for the perfect crispiness. The golden bow tie cookies traditionally served with a generous dusting of confectioners sugar or honey. The cookie dough is basically a pasta dough rolled into a thin layer (the thinner the dough the crispier the cookies) cut and shaped to form a bow tie. Serve with a hot cup of tea and enjoy.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
6 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp lemon or almond extract
1/8 tbsp salt
4 tbsp water
1 egg white for gluing the bow tie


Methods

In a large bowl, whisk together flour,salt and baking powder. Keep aside

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk. Add the vanilla and lemon/almond extract. Whisk well.

Gradually, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. Knead the for 1-2 minutes to form a soft and smooth dough.

Lightly dust a clean working surface with flour and start rolling the dough into a thin layer. Cut the dough into long strips about 11/2 to 2 inches wide. Cut the strips crosswise about 4 inches in length.

Place a bit of egg white in the center of each small strip and pinch the center together to form a bow. The egg white will act as a glue to secure the bow. Fold the pinch over to keep the bow tie shape intact during frying.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the cookies in batches until golden. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.

Dust with confectioners sugar while the cookies still warm.

Pea-lafels

I saw this Pea-lafels recepi on TV cooked by Aarti Sequire for Aarti Party. Immediately, i got hooked up with this delicious modernised Middle Eastern recepi. The original recepi calls for ground chickpeas and known as Falafel is one of the popular Mid-East snack. I love Aarti's version of using peas for a creamy deep fried munchies.

The lightly toasted spices gives a beautiful aroma to the dish. Mint is a must in a Mid-East dishes which provide a fresh and minty flavor to the dish. In the programme Aarti served the Pea-lafels with yogurt mint sauce but i just snack on them as it is without dipping and it tastes excellent

Ingredients

1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen edamame/broad beans
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 clove garlic,peeled
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 shallot,chopped
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
Handful of fresh mint,chopped
Pinch of grounded pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Canola oil for deep frying


Methods

In a small saucepan, dry roast the fenugreek seeds,fennel seeds & coriander seeds for 1-2 minutes till fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a mortal or grinder, powder the roasted seeds.

In a food processor, add frozen peas,edame/broad beans,mint,shallot,garlic,olive oil and salt. Grind into smooth paste.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add chickpeas flour and pepper. Mix well.

Heat oil over a medium flame in a large saucepan for deep frying. Shape the pea mixture into small patties and deep fry for about 2 minutes. Flip over to cook the other side till golden. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.

Serve hot with your favourite sauce


Notes

If the peas mixture isn't get pureed easily, just add 1/4 cup water and continue to whizz up.

Spinach And Feta Parcels

With phyllo pastry in your freezer, baking becomes easy for me. Phyllo pastry turns a simple meal to a grand affair making others to think you fought the whole day in the kitchen to dish up an elegant dish. Spinach and feta parcels are inspired by my feta cheese sitting in my fridge for quite sometime.

Spinach,feta,goat cheese and nutmeg are addictive ingredients in this recepi, beautifully wrapped in delicate phyllo pastry and baked to perfection. The crispiness from the golden phyllo compliment the cheesy spinach filling and the salty feta cheese add the right balance of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients

16 sheets phyllo pastry
2 1/2 cups spinach, washed
3/4 cup feta cheese
1 cup cottage/goat cheese
1 tbsp butter
50 g melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup pine nuts/almonds, toasted
2 garlic
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
Salt to taste


Methods

Preheat oven at 200'C or 400'F . Lightly butter a baking tray and keep aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute the spinach till wilted for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let it to cool. Squeeze the spinach to remove all the moist. Discard the juice extracted from the spinach.

Add feta,cottage cheese,garlic,pine nuts,egg, nutmeg,salt and pepper to the spinach. Mix well.

On a clean work surface, place a sheet of phyllo pastry and brush with melted butter. Place another sheet over it at right angles to make a cross and brush with butter as well. Place another sheet diagonally and again brush with melted butter.

Spoon the spinach mixture in the centre of the pastry. Fold up the sides of the phyllo sheet and scrunch them at the top to seal the pastry. Brush melted butter all over the pastry. And place on a prepared baking tray. Continue with the rest of pastry sheets and fillings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or untill lightly golden.

Serve with fresh greens

Crumpets With Whipped Cream And Honey

Crumpets are an ideal afternoon tea treat. They are cousin to pancake or flapjack which make them excellent choice for breakfast as well. Light and fluffy crumpets are freshly served from pan with butter,jam.honey or clotted  cream. For savoury crumpets, serve them with cheese and bacon.

The yeast contribute to the soft and spongy texture of the crumpets. Sometimes, crumpets are mistaken for English muffin whereby, they share some characteristics but they are not the same. With crumpets on your pan you can turn any simple afternoon tea to the most elegant treat.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp dry yeast
1 1/8 cups whole milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp whipped cream
Honey as needed


Methods

In a saucepan, warm milk and water. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and stir in yeast and sugar. Keep aside for 10-12 minutes.

Sift flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the yeast into the flour mixture and beat well to a smooth batter without lumps.

Cover the bowl with tea towel and let it rest for 40-45 minutes in a warm place.

Grease the insides of the egg rings and frying pan with butter. Spoon 1 small ladle of the batter into each ring. Cook for 4-5 minutes or till tiny bubbles appeared on the surface.

With a spoon and for, lift off the rings and flip over the crumpets. Cook the other side side for about 1 minute. Remove from pan.

Re-grease the rings and the pan. Continue with remaining batter.

Serve with whipped cream and drizzle with honey

Dark Soy Sauce Chicken

My mom makes the best dark soy sauce chicken in the world. No matter how hard i tried, i cannot even come closer to my mom's soy chicken. This recipe passed down from my mom to me and my sisters. At first, i got problem with the soy sauce the brand i bought not dark enough to me give me the signature dark caramel colour. Use a best quality dark soy for the best result. The stirring is another important step in making the dish as, the soy sauce tend to burn easily on heat. Cooking on medium flame, helps the chicken to absorb the maximum flavor from the soy sauce. After few trials finally, i merged out as a winner and even got a credit from my mom.

The soy sauce add flavors and colour to the chicken dish. As all of you know, i'm addicted to my chillies thus, i'm being generous with my chillies here. For those who wish for less fire in their chicken you may opt out the bird eye chillies in the dish and just go along with dry chillies. If dry chillies are too much for you guys, just remember to discard the seeds and you are on the safe side. I like the fresh taste of ginger in this recipe which balances out the sweetness of the soy sauce. Tender, succulent,finger licking dark soy sauce chicken best serve with hot white rice.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken,cut into pieces
3 tbsp thick soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 onion,finely chopped
1 cm ginger,cut into strips
5 cloves garlic,chopped
3 dry chillies,cut into two
3 bird eye chillies, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp salt

Methods

In a big bowl, add chicken,turmeric powder,flour and 1 tbsp salt. Fill the bowl with water and wash the chicken with the turmeric-flour mixture. Discard the water and fill with fresh water. Give a good rinse. This process helps to remove odour from the chicken.

Over a medium flame, heat oil in a large wok/pot. Saute onion and ginger till the onion turns translucent. Add garlic,dry chillies and chopped bird eye chillies. Saute for 1 minute.

Add the chicken pieces and stir well to combine. Add the thick and light soy sauce and stir well until the all the chicken pieces well coated with the sauces. Add the grounded black pepper and stir.

Reduce flame to medium-low, cover with lid. Cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the chicken tender its done. Remove from heat.

Serve with hot white rice.


Notes

• Use best quality dark soy sauce

• Always watch out the flame. Too much heat tend to burn the soy sauce 

• Adjust the amount of chillies according to your heat tolerance.

Badam Kheer

Making badam kheer at home is an easy task. Rich and creamy dessert made with almonds and whole milk. Packed with goodness, this sweet and flavorful badam kheer with rich almond base are one of the most popular kheer recepi.

The saffron adds flavor and a beautiful colur to the kheer. The aromatic cardamom powder balances the sweetness and richness of the dish. Packed with nutrients and vitamins, badam kheer is ideal to dish out for kids and adults.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole milk
25-30 almonds
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
4-5 saffron strands
Pinch of cardamom powder

Garnishing

6-7 almond slivers


Methods

Blanch almonds and peel off the skin. Soak saffron in warm milk and keep aside.

Grind the almonds with 1 tbsp of milk to a fine paste.

In a wide bottom pan, boil milk and add sugar. Simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the soaked saffron and stir.

Add the almond paste and boil for another 4-5 minutes. Once the milk starts getting thicker, add cardamom powder. Stir well and remove from heat.

Garnish with almond slivers and serve warm or cold.

Mixed Fruit Tea Loaf

Fruity goodness in one freshly baked bread loaf. I used Earl grey tea but you can simply use any strong tea of your choice like chamomile or any black tea. Packed with dried mixed fruits, this tea loaf is absolutely guilt free. The recipe calls for no butter or oil and burst with fruity flavor. Soaking the dried fruits in the hot tea overnight, was well worth the effort as the fruits plumps up nicely the next morning.

This is a dense bread and it taste more like fruit cake. The pecan nuts adds a wonderful crunch to the loaf and i even crushed and sprinkle them on the top to add texture to the gorgeous bread. The Earl grey tea gives a beautiful citrusy notes of bergamot to the rich bread. It is advisable to wrap the cake with aluminium foil and store for at least 1 or 2 days to enhance the flavor but if you are impatient like me go ahead and slice a big slice and enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients

250 g self raising flour,sifted
500 g mixed dried fruit
300 ml boiling water
3 black tea bags (or any strong tea)
125 g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 egg,beaten
1/4 cup pecan nuts


Methods

Preheat oven at 180'C or 350'F. Grease a 9'inch loaf tin and keep aside.

In a large bowl pour the boiling water over the tea bags and keep aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Discard the tea bags.

Soak the mixed fruits in the infused tea minimum overnight or at least 2-3 hours.

Add the flour,sugar,egg and spice into the tea soaked fruits mixture. Mix well to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, arrange the pecan nuts on the top. Bake for 55 minutes or 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Invert to a wire rack to cool completely.

Slice and serve with a hot cuppa of tea

Cockles Rendang

Rendang is a classic Malaysian dish. You can make rendang with almost anything and everything, Usualy, right here in Malaysia chicken and beef rendang is the most popular within Malay community. You can taste cockles rendang in almost every nasi lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk) stalls or restaurant nationwide. Rendang comes in two different version. One with gravy and the other the most preferred dry version. I love my rendang with lots of gravy mainly because of the richness of the gravy with fresh ingredients and herbs.

The speciality of rendang lies in the turmeric leaf and toasted coconut paste. The turmeric leaves add a beautiful aroma and flavor to the rendang. Toasted coconut paste lends texture and body to the dish.
Fresh cockles cooked in coconut milk flavored with exotic herbs and spices are simply irressistible. Goes well with white rice or bread.

Ingredients

1 kg cockles
3 tbsp toasted coconut paste
1 turmeric leaf,finely shredded
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1/2 litre coconut milk
1 lemon grass
3 kafir lime leaves,shredded
1 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil

To Grind

2 cm fresh turmeric
10 dried chillies
5 bird eyes chillies
4 cm ginger
1 stalk lemongrass
4 cm galangal
2 red onion
5 cloves garlic


Methods

In a wok over a medium flame, heat the oil and saute the ingredients listed "To Grind" till oil appear on the surface.

Add the cockles,kafir lime leaves,lemongrass,coconut milk,tamarind paste,salt and palm sugar.

Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the toasted coconut paste.

Add the finely chopped shredded turmeric leaves and cook for another 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice


Notes

• I prefer my rendang with lots of gravy but if u want a dry version, cook on medium heat till the gravy reduce and dry.

• The finely shredded turmeric leaves add a beautiful aroma and flavor to the rendang. It'a must in rendang recepi do not compromise on that.

• As always, adjust the amount of chilly according to your heat tolerance

• If you can't find toasted coconut paste, simply dry roast the shredded fresh coconut in a pan over a medium-low heat(be careful not to burnt) and grind to paste (you'll notice an oily texture) and it's ready to use

Cream Puffs With Chocolate sauce

Cream puff is nothing than a choux pastry filled with whipped cream or pastry cream and for a fancier treat drizzle with chocolate sauce or caramel. They are so versatile that you can even fill them with ice cream for that cool treat. Hollow and crisp pastry originated from France known as choux paste.

I love the versatility of the cream puffs and the easy method of preparing it. Be generous with the filling and the chocolate sauce. The creamy and not so-sweet cream pastry balance the crispy texture of the cream puff. The chocolate sauce add a great touch to the already wonderful cream puffs

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp granulated white sugar

For Pastry Cream

1 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp granulated white sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp cornstarch

For Chocolate Sauce

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp butter


Methods

For Cream Puffs

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Keep aside.

In a bowl, sift flour and keep aside.

In a pan over a medium heat, boil the butter,sugar,water and salt. Once its starts to boil, remove from heat and add the sifted flour. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon.

Back to heat and cook till the dough form a ball and leave the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let it to cool for approximately 5 minutes.

Gradually add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Beat till the batter thick and shiny.

Fill the batter into a piping bag and pipe the batter onto the prepared baking tray. Dip fingers slightly with water and smooth the pointy parts on the top of the batter.

Bake at 200'C or 400'F for 20 minutes or till golden. Cool on wire rack.

For Pastry Cream

In a medium sauce pan over a medium flame, heat milk and vanilla extract.

In a bowl, whisk together corn starch,sugar and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl , add butter and place a strainer on top of it.

Gradually, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pot and cook for another 2 minutes with constant stirring over a medium heat.

Pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl of butter. Whisk well.

Cover with a plastic wrap directly over the surface of the custard to avoid forming of skin, Cool to room temperature.

For Chocolate Sauce

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.

Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan. (Do not boil the cream). Pour the warm cream into the chocolate chips and stir till the chocolate completely melted. Add the butter and stir till the chocolate mixture shiny and glossy.

Amish Sugar Cookies

First of all, i'm so sorry for abonding my blog for almost a month now. February has been a bad month for me as my gadgets down one by one. First my phone and followed up by laptop. It took few weeks for the fixing and problem shooters...now i'm happy to be on track.

My first post for the month of March is a classic cookie recipe inspired by Amish community. As you can see from the photo, alongside the cookie i slipped in an Amish novel...an absolutely good read. This melt in mouth cookie is so easy to make. This soft and crispy home made cookies is what you want to reach for a cookie jar to dunk in a glass of milk to satisfy your sweet tooth. This no fuss cookies looks gorgeous with those multi coloured sprinkles and no frosting needed(that's a good news). This cookies are unbelievably good on eyes and in mouth

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter,room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs,room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

Garnishing

Colour sprinkles


Methods

Sift together, flour,baking soda,salt and cream of tartar. Keep aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter,granulated white sugar,confectioners sugar and vegetable oil.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.

Gradually, add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients

Using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray. Flat the dough lightly with the back of the spoon and garnish with sprinkles.

Bake at 190'C or 375'F for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Store in an air tight container