Mediterranian Yellow Rice

Rice is a staple for Asians and we do have varities of rice dishes to serve on daily basis or special occasions. Like Asians, Mediterranian too have countless rice dishes. Infused with rich flavors and lavish ingredients, their rice dish are one of the kind. Mediterranian rice are serve along a meat dish and a salad.

Ingredients

2 cups basmathi rice
3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 pods garlic,choppes
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Handful of pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp toasted almond
2 tbsp olive oil

Methods

Wash and soak rice with 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.

In a pan heat oil and saute onion till translucent.

Add chopped garlic and saute till fragrant. Add coriander powder, turmernd cumin powder. Saute till raw flavor leaves.

Add the onion mixture into the soaked rice and season with salt.

Cook till the rice are fluffy and done. Fluff the rice with fork.

Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and toasted almond.

Warm Milk Cake

What a better way to keep you warm on winter season? Eventhough in a tropical country like Malaysia, we do not experience snow but, the climate here tend to get cold this time of the year. Everyone looking for something to keep them warm in a form of comfort food. Here is one such comfort dessert to warm you up. Warm milk cake are soft,moist abd veey easy to make. Warm milk cake goes well along piping hot cup of coffee or tea and perfect for breakfast or as a tea time treat.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups full cream milk
10 tbsp butter
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt

Methods

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat eggs till pale and fluffy for 5-7 minutes.

Sift in flour,baking powder and salt. Beat till combined.

In a saucepan, add milk and butter. Stir till butter melted. Do not boil the milk.

Add the milk mixture into the egg mixture and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.

Pour the batter into a 9'inch greased cake pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake on the pan. Transfer to a serving plate.

Slice and enjoy with a hot cuppa.

Eggless Orange Cake

If you are lookong for a eggless orange cake, you have come to the right place. I'm sharing easiest eggless cake recepi that burst with the citrusy of orange flavor which is, soft and moist despite the lack of egg in the batter. It's a no for me, when it comes to consuming orange as it is thus, everytime i gave oranges on tge frodge after everyone had enough of them, ut will goes into baking or cooking..this time into my eggless orange cake 😋. Atleast, there's a way for my Vitamin C boost 🤣

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar

Methods

Beat sugar & butter till fluffy. Add orange juice,orange zest & vanilla extract. Beat till combined.

Sift flour,baking powder & baking soda. Fold in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Do not over mixed.

Grease a loaf pan & dust with flour.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan & bake in 180'c pre heated oven for 35-40 mins or till a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on the pan before transfering to a serving plate

Homemade skinny cappucino

Easieast way to prepare cafe style cappucino at home without fancy coffee maker. Sounds interesting right? The method are interesting as it sounds. Frothy,creamy,cappucino fix that you can make anytime without the need heading for cafe and whats more pocket friendly too. Using a simple ingredients which is the basic for ordinary coffee and takinh it to the next level for an extraordinary skinny cappucino


Ingredients

2 tbsp instant coffee powder
2 cups almond milk
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 1/2 tbsp water
Pinch of coffee powder

Methods

In a bowl add coffee powder and coconut sugar.

Add 1 1/2 tbsp water and beat the mixture using a hand mixer for abt 3-4 minutes or till thickens and turn to light brown in color. Keep aside.

In a pan over a medium flame, boil almond milk and turn off the heat.

In a mug add 2 tbsp of coffee mixture & pour over the boiled milk. Add sugar and stir till sugar dissolves.

Top wid another 1 tbsp of the coffee mixture and sprinkle wid coffee powder.

Serve hot.

Almond Butter Cookies

I'm trying to finish my almond butter before expiring thus, decided to make use it into my Deepavali cookies. The idea comes from the classic peanut butter cookies. Instead of peanut butter,i find almond butter give a rich,nutty flavor to the beautiful cookies. The creaminess from the almond butter and crunchiness from alnond slices complement each other really well. My elder daughter already started finishing few cookies in the name of testing 🤣. Time to find a hiding place if i want the cookies to stay until Deepavali 🤭. A perfect cookies for festive season.

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter,room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg,room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp almond exttact
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup almond slices

Methods

Preheat oven at 375'F or 180'C. Line a baking tray wid parchment paper. Keep aside

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream almond butter,butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add egg and beat for 5 seconds. Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat for another 5 seconds.

Reduce speed to low and beat in the flour till combine. Using a spatula fold in almond slices.

Shape into equal size balls and place onto a baking tray. Lightly flatten using ur palm and arrange almond slices.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or till the edges turns golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking pan for 10 minutes.

Cool on wire rack till cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Bread Breakfast Bowl

Remember i blogged about oatmeal bread few days ago? Today i'm taking the oatmeal bread to the next level with a simple recepi. This recepi makes a great deal for weekends breakfast. It has everything you need for a perfect kick start morning. Eggs,turkey ham,cheese,cream & milk..do you need anything more than this for a lazy weekend breakie? Pair it with a piping hot cup of coffee and you are good to go.

Ingredients

1 loaf of oatmeal bread
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup cream
1 cup milk
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced turkey ham
1 tbsp chopped scallion
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Methods

Make a medium-large hole on the loaf and scrap off the inner part. Tear of the inner part of the bread into bite sized pieces. Keep aside.

Preheat oven to 375'F or 180'C.

In a large bowl whisk  together milk and cream. Crack in 2 eggs & whisk to combine.

Add diced turkey hams,grated
 and cheddar and chopped scallion. Season with salt and pepper. Add the torn bread pieces and whisk.

Place the bread on baking pan lined with parchment paper. Pour to the prepared custard mixture into the bread hole and gently crack in the remaining 2 eggs.

Bake for 15-20 minutes till the custard set.

Remove from oven and brush the sides of the bread with butter while still hot.

Let it cool for l5 minutes before slicing.

Durian Butter Cake

I made this gorgeous looking cake two months ago when durian were abundance in market. It's durian season whereby, it was found everywhere from the street to hypermarket. The king of fruit is my younger daughter's favourite fruit in whole world. She could eat them 24/7 but eating too much of the thorny fruit will make you fall sick 😔. As a mother, i do check on her durian intake and make sure she drink plenty of water to flush it out as durian been rated as 'heaty' stuff.

There are few people who loathe the smell and taste of durian but believe me, millions love this humble fruit and our family are not exceptional. When we brought back more than what we could eat, those sweet and creamy fruit went into making desserts. That's how this beautiful durian butter cake emerged from my oven. The whole house filled with the intoxicating fragrance of durian and i just love it. I used D24 type of Durian to make this butter cake..you may use any good quality durian to satisfy your durian crave. It's rich,dense,moist,sweet & creamy everything that could take a humble butter cake to the next level. Even now while typing the recepi, i'm drooling 😉

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup fresh durian flesh
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Methods

Preheat oven at 375'F or 180'C. Grease a bundt pan & lightly dust with flour. Tap excess flour and keep aside.

In a bowl combine together flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in two batches and beat after each addition.

Using a spatula, fold in the durian flesh.

Pour batter into a prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Remove from oven and let it cool on the pan for 15-20 minutes.

Carefully transfer the cake to cooling rack and cool completely.

Slice and enjoy.

Rose Petals And Pistachio Nankhatai

Deepavali or Diwali is around the corner and like any other festival, its time for the never ending core. House spring cleaning, bundles of festive clothes to wash,cooking and baking taking the center stage. I started making muruku and baking cookies yesterday. My cashew muruku and red velvet cookies which i blogged years ago making its entry for this year Deepavali too. While thinking for another cookie option nan khatai came to mind. The buttery,crunchy and delicate Indian shortbread. What i love about nan khatai is the simplicity of the cookie without compromising in taste. This is an eggless recepi which is an ideal choice of cookies for vegetarians.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
Pinch of baking soda
Pinch of cardamom powder
1/4 tsp rose water or few drops of rose essence
1 1/3 tbsp crushed dry rose petals
1 1/2 tbsp chopped pistachio

Methods

In a bowl, combine flour,salt,cardamom powder and baking soda. Keep aside

Using an hand or stand mixer, beat butter and confectioners sugar till pale and fluffy.

Add rose water and beat for 2-3 seconds.

Add in the flour mixture in 2 batches making sure to beat after each addition. Do not overbeat.

With a spatula, fold in the rose petals. Shape the dough into a log and wrap in a cling wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven at 375'F or 180'C. Line a baking tray with parchment papet and keep aside.

Divide the dough into a equal 16 small sized balls and place onto a prepared baking tray.

Using a knife, gently slit the top of the balls to create a design.

Sprinkle chopped pistachi on the prepared cookie dough and give a light tap for the pistachio to stick onto the cookies during baking in the oven.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or till the edges slightly golden.

Remove from oven and let it cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Notes

• You may easily double up the recepi. Original recepi yields 16-18 cookies

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Baking your own bread is some kind of "theraphy'..i have said this oncr and i'm repeating myself agakn. The kneading and punching release you from stress which is good for your mental health. My stand mixer comes with hook attachment and that takes away the pleasure of kneading sticky dough into a smooth dough but, i shall say ir saves lot of my time and energy. I do knead my own dough once inawhile to fr thr excitement. Today, i'm sharing honey oatmeal bread which is ideal to go with any spread or topping of your choice. The breaf itself are soft and fluffy. This is my second time baking this healthy honey oatmeal bread and both the recepi never failed me.

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups instant oats
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp active yeast
1 cup milk,warmed
2 tbsp
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp bread flour, for dusting

Topping

1 1/2 tbsp honey,warmed
2 tbsp instant oats

Methods

In a large bowl, combine flour,yeast,salt and oats.

In another bowl, add warmed milk and butter. Stir till butter melted. Add the honey and warmed water.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and let the stand mixer fitted with dough hook do the job of the kneading till the dough turns ingo soft and smooth dough.

Transfer the dough into a large greased bowl. Cover with damp clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place for the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 or 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and transfer it onto a clean working surface dusted with flour.

Knead the dough into an oval or into a loaf. Place the dough in a loaf pan or onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Brush the loaf with warmed honey and sprinkle with oats. Cover the dough with damp kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 180'C or 350'F and bake the dough for 45-minutes
Remove from oven and cool on the pan.

Transfer the bread from the pan to a wirerack to cool completely

Slice and enjoy

Srichacha Chilly Clams

One of the most challenging task is late night blogging especially, when your eyelids begging to close yet.. for the sake of passion let the midnight candle burn. I'm sharing a very easy to make shellfish dish which one can prepare in jiffy. I bought back some fresh clams from market to cook a spicy clam dish to pair with white rice. I'm not in a mood to grind chilly thus made use of srichacha chilly which i have in stock and that's how i got my spicy,delicious chilly clam with easy steps. You may add or redice the amount of srichacha sauce according to your heat tolerance. I like it spicy thus, three tablespoon are just enough to satisfy my heat.

Ingredient

500 g clams,wash & cleaned

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp srichacha sauce

1 tbsp corn flour

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 inch ginger,julienned

2 cloves garlic,julienned

1 medium onion,sliced

2 tbsp oil

Handful chopped scallions

Methods

Wash and cleaned the clams well. Rinse and keep aside.

In a bowl add oyster sauce,light soy sauce,dark soy sauce,sesame oil & srichacha sauce. Stir well. Keep aside.

Dilute cornflour with 1/4 cup water with any lumps. Keep aside

Heat oil in a wok and saute onion till translucent. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds. 

Add the cleaned clams and stir. Add the preparef sauce mixture. Stir and cover with lid. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

Add the diluted corn flour mixturere and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add chopped scallions and stir. Transfer to a serving plate.

Serve hot with white rice.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I have a big packet of luscious cream cheese in my fridge waiting to be used. Thinking what to whip up with the cream cheese and came up with this rich and decadent pound cake recepi. As the name suggested, pound cake recepi calls for all the ingredients to be measured in pounds and i have converted them into cups. The batter is not your ordinary flowing cake butter but thick and creamy similar to butter cream consistency. Pound cake batter has no baking powder or baking soda like any other cake batter. Do not taken back with the sugar measurement..i know its quite an amount but, trust me its just the right balance of sweetness for the large batter. The cake itself was moist and rich in texture. It is good on it's own or serve with a dollop of cream and berries.

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
6 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups butter,room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups granulated white sugar
2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil

Methods

Grease a bundt cake tin with butter & dust with flour evenly. Tap to remove excess flour. Keep aside.

In a large bowl, add oil,cream cheese and butter beat using a handmixer for 1 minute.

Add sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for 5-7 minutes till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition.

Reduce speed to low and add flour in two addition. Scrap the sides of the bowl and beat till just combined. Do not overbeat.

Pour the batter into prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 1 hour 16 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert frm pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slice and serve with dollop of cream and berries

Cornmeal Almond Muffins

This recipe is a gluten free muffins recipe which will attract many gluten intolerant or people on diet. The beautiful golden colour of the muffins are derived from cornmeal..it's absolutely natural without any artificial colouring or preservatives. Indeed a healthy muffins to serve your family over breakfast for a boastful morning or even as tea time treat. Cornmeal almond muffins is something you want to give it a try if you have some polenta sitting on your kitchen counter. Now you may enjoy a guilty free without compromising in taste healthy delicious muffins.

Ingredients

1 cup finely ground cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter,melted
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs,whisked
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk

Directions

Preheat oven at 350'F or 180'C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cups

In a large bowl, sift together rice flour,cornmeal,baking powder,salt and soda bicarbonate.

In another bowl whisk together eggs,milk,melted butter and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until well combined.

Using an ice-cream scoop, fill in the muffin cups till 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the center of the muffin comes our clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes and serve with a generous spread of butter.

Steamed Tofu With Pumpkin Floss

It was a public holiday here few weeks ago which in my case is a working day. Me and my my colleague planned to have lunch in a Chinese vegetarian restaurant and there's where i bumped into pumpkin floss on their shelve. Sounds interesting thus, i grabbed a packet to give it a try. The person behind the counter highly recommended this golden pumpkin floss.

The pumpkin floss comes with added seaweed which adds to the flavour & texture. Back home i can't wait to try them and decided to sprinkle it over steamed tofu and i shall say it tastes divine. Taste almost like chicken floss and the best part is it's vegan.


Ingredients

1 packet of soft tofu
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Pinch of black pepper powder
2 tbsp pumpkin floss

Methods

Gently remove tofu from the packet and place it on a plate.

In a bowl, add oyster sauce,dark soy sauce,light soy sauce,sesame oil and black pepper powder. Mix well.

Pour the soy mixture onto the tofu and steam for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from steamer and sprinkle with pumpkin floss.

Serve hot with white rice.

Salted Egg Pumpkin

Salted egg pumpkin as the name suggested is has pumpkin and salted egg. As easy as that. Bought a large golden pumpkin smells just like honey. I just couldn't resist from picking a large one. Pumpkin and salred egg really compliment each other and goes well with plain rice. Its sweet,rich,salty and delicious.

Ingredients

200g pumpkin,sliced
2 tbsp salted egg powder
6 tbsp evaporated milk
1 tbsp chopped scallion
Oil for frying

Methods

Heat oil in a wok and deep fried the pumpkin slices till tender.

Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

Heat a tbsp oil and add the salted egg powder. Fry on low heat for 30 seconds.

Add evaporated milk and stir. Add the fried pumpkin slices, stir. Cook for 1 minute.

Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped scallion.

Serve hot.

Pandan Cotton Cake

A super easy and simple cake recepi without much hassle which one can prepare in a jiffy minus the baking time. This recepi is an ideal for people who are always on the run yet, want to have a freshly home baked cake. I love this cotton cake recepi due to it's simplicity and the light texture that goes well with the name. Soft,light,spongy and delicious cake to bake for your loved ones to go with a hot cup of coffee or tea. The coconut flakes enhance the flavor and texture of the cake on every bite. Give it a try and i'm sure u'll love it as much as i do.

Ingredients

3/4 cups self raising flour
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 tbsp ovellete
1 tsp pandan emulco
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 tbsp condensed milk

Methods

Preheat oven at 180'C or 350'F..

In a large bowl, add flour,sugar,pandan emulco,condensed milk,ovellete,eggs,dessicated coconut and buttermilk. Beat till the mixture doubles in volume approximately 1 minute. Do not over beat.

Line an 8"inch baking pan with parchment paper and pour over the cake batter.

Bake for 50 minutes or till a skewer insert in the center of the cake comes out clean.Reemove from oven

Cool completely before slicing

Butter Lemon Fish

Fish will be my most favourite seafood and that's the reason why steamed fish or deep fried fish in variety of sauce always make onto my dinner table. One of those are this humble butter lemon fish. If you have butter and lemon in your kitchen  nothing else matters. Yes! You just need this two ingredients to prepare a yummy sauce to dress up your deep fried fish. I used red snapper, you may try with any white flesh fish. It's  zesty & buttery..goes really well with plain rice and a stir fry vegetables.

Ingredients

2 red snappers, cleaned & washed
3 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to season
Oil for deep frying

For The Sauce

Juice of l/2 lemon
3 heaped tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon zest
Few sliced lemon

Methods

Heat oil in a wok.

Sprinkle corn flour on both sides of the fish making sure the flour lightly coated the fish.

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.

Deep fried the fish till golden & crispy. Remove from wok and place the fish into a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

Melt butter in a saucepan and let it simmer on low flame for 1-2 minutes. Switch off the flame.

Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir and cover with lid for the lemon flavor to infuse the butter for 10-15 minutes.

Pour the lemon sauce over the deep fried fish and serve immediately with lemon slices.

Notes

Alwix turn off the flams before adding lemon juice.

Be extra cautious while adding lemon juice to the melted butter as it tends to splash.

Stuffed Potato Masala Bun

i first tasted stuffed masala bun during my vacation to South India. The bun was soft,spongy and on a note of savoury side. Generously stuffed with delicious potato masala similar which is not too spicy for the palate and it goes really well with the cutting chai we had from the small humble street tea shop along the highway. The taste lingers in mouth for quite sometime to the extend of trying them at my own kitchen and i shall say the outcome was awesome. Me and the kids really love this delicious and soft savoury bun with our black tea.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm milk(105'c
1 tbsp butter for brushing
2 tbsp milk for brushing
1 tbsp sesame seeds for sprinkling

For Potato Masala

2 large potatoes,boiled and mashed
1 large onion,chopped
1 green chilly,chopped
1/4 cups green peas
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Methods

In a bowl stir in warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle yeast and leave for 1 minute. Stir the ingredients and leave it on a warm place for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.

Combine all purpose flour,salt,baking powder and baking soda and stir well. Add the activated yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well and knead the dough for a good 15 minutes on a clean surface dusted lightly with flour. You may use stand mixer fitted with paddle hook for the kneading as well.

Transfer the dough onto a large bowl greased with oil and cover with clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place for the dough to double up in size for approximately 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, start making the masala stuffing by heating a wok with oil. Add mustard seeds, once mustard seed splutters  add cumin seeds and chopped onion. Sute till onion turns soft. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds and add chilly. Add chilly powder,turmeric powder,garam masala powder. Saute till the raw flavor leaves.

Add boiled green peas ,coriander leaves and mashed potato. Stir well till all the ingredients combined. Transfer to a bowl to coo.l.

Divide dough into 10-12 equal sized balls.Flatten the ball and fill with 1 tbsp of stuffing and seal all sides. Repeat the process with remaining dough.

Place the dough covered with clean kitchen towel in a warm place for 30 minutes to proof.. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in a 400'F or  preheated oven for 15-20 mins . Remove from oven brush with butter while the buns are still hot.

Enjoy hot or warm with a cuppa

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

I spotted cute little bananas in a wet market after sending my daughter to her class. My impulse buying landed me with this delicious and super moist banana bread. Love the simplicity of this beautiful loaf with just simple ingredients and can be don in jiffy minus the baking time. The sweet fragrance of ripened banana lingered in every corner of the house The chocolate chip enhance the taste of the banana bread and lends texture on every bite.  This sweet banana bread makes as a perfect tea time treat or for breakfast with a genereous slab of butter.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips
3 ripe bananas,mashed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup plain yogurt
6 tbsp butter,melted & cool to roo  temperature
2 large egg at room temperature,whisked
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Methods

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

In a large bowl, whisk melted butter,mashed butter,yogurt,eggs,vanilla extract and sugar.

In another bowl, combine all purpose flour,salt and baking powder.

Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and fold gently.

Fold in the chocolate chips and mix till just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 52-55 minutes or till a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool let it cool completely.

Slice and serve.

Cornmeal Thin Waffle

Waffles..the name itself sounds delicious. Just imagine waking up to the smell of crispy waffle on the Sunday morning. The lightly toasted waffles sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and topped generously with berries indeed something to look out for a great weekend breakfast. Instead of making an ordinary waffles, i added cornmeal to the basic waffle batter for a extra kick. The cornmeal gives the waffles the much needed crispiness and texture. The waffles were thin,crispy,golden and light. So next time when you have cornmeal in your pantry do give this cornmeal waffle a try and I'm sure you'll love them.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For Garnishing

Blueberries
Strawberries
Confectioner's sugar


Methods

In a mixing bowl, combine all purpose flour,cornmeal,salt,cinnamon powder and baking powder.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk,melted butter,eggs and honey.

Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix its ok if there's a little lumps in the batter.

Preheat waffle iron. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter and cook the waffle till crispy and golden.

Repeat with the remaining batter.

Stack the waffles, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and garnish with strawberries and blueberries

Punjabi Egg Curry

Indian food are not just briyani,tandoori or nan. The food culture are diverse and countless with countless gravies,roti,sabzi,rice varieties and drinks. One of such dish are the the ever delicious lip smacking Punjabi egg curry which goes very well with Indian flat bread or rice. Its spicy,tangy and full of flavor. The masala used in this recipe are what we usually have in Indian households and can be found easily in any Indian groceries. Be extra cautious with the spices as Indian spices tend to be strong in flavor.I simply love this egg curry with hot white rice or better still the left over curry goes well with Indian roti.

Ingredients

4 boiled eggs.lightly slit
3 tomatoes,finely chopped
2 medium onions,finely chopped
1 green chilly,slit
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp coriander,chopped
1/4 tsp kasturi methi/fenugreek leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
3 cloves
1'inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
3 green cardamom pods
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Methods

In a pan, heat oil and saute bay leaf,cumin seeds,cloves and cardamom pods for 30 seconds. Add chopped onions and saute till translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste and green chilly. Saute till fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes soften.

Add turmeric powder,coriander powder,chilly powder and garam masala powder. Fry till the raw smell leaves.

Pour in water and stir well. Cook till oil separate. Season with salt and sugar. Add the boiled eggs and kasturi methi.

Cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.

Serve hot

Coconut Strudel

This recipe came out all of sudden when I'm trying to finish up freshly grated coconut in my refrigerator. Little i know it will turn out to be a huge success among my girls as they love the crispy dough and sweet coconut filling. The brown sugar lends a smokey molasses flavor to the filling with a little hint of rich and creamy coconut texture. U may substitute fresh coconut with dessicated coconut or moist Hawaiian dessicated coconut which available in market works very well in this recipe. Instead of trying the usual apple or peach strudel thus coconut strudel indeed a twist to ordinary strudel.

Ingredients

For The Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
1 /2 cup butter,room temperature
1/2 cup cream cheese,room temperature
2 tbsp milk

For The Filling

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt

Methods

For The Dough

Preheat oven at 350'F or 180'C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Keep aside.

Using a hand mixer/stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese till combine. Add the flour and beat till well combined. Form the dough into a disk and wrap with cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly dust a clean working surface with flour and divide the dough equally into 10 and roll out each into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.

Carefully, place a tablespoon of the filling and roll the dough lengthwise. Place the dough in a baking tray. Brush with milk and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

For The Filling

In a pan add water and brown sugar. Sir till the brown sugar dissolved completely. Add chopped walnuts,raisins and shredded coconut.  Season with salt and stir well. Cook till the mixture thickened. Keep aside

Bake for 30 minutes or till golden. Remove from oven and serve warm

Bombay Ice Halwa

if you ever wanted to try a totally innovative halwa, Bombay ice halwa is the right thing to make to impress your family and friends. As for me, this ice halwa is super cool to make and to dish out and seeing the kids excitement was awesome. I made this Bombay ice halwa as prasadham for Ugadhi and i love the creativity of peel off halwa. The vibrant is a feast for eyes and the chopped nuts enhance the flavor and taste of this delicious halwa. I used pistachios and almonds you may use any nuts as your liking.

Ingredients

2 cups  + 6 tbsp whole milk
1/4 cup corn flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup chopped nuts
Pinch of yellow food coloring
Pinch of saffron


Methods

Add 2 tbsp milk to saffron and keep aside.

Dilute cornflour with remaining 5 tbsp milk. Keep aside.

Boil milk in a pan, add sugar, saffron diluted in milk and yellow food coloring. Stir till sugar completely dissolved. Add cardamom powder and stir.

Reduce heat to medium=high and add diluted corn flour and keep stirring.

Add ghee and continue stirring till the mixture thickened.  Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and form a big mass on the pan.

Add 2 tbsp ghee and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the mixture over a parchment paper greased lightly with ghee, top with another parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, gently roll into a medium thin. Remove the top parchment paper and sprinkle the halwa with chopped nuts.

Gently place back the parchment paper and roll lightly for the nuts to stick to the mixture. Let the halwa cool for 1-2 hours.

Remove the top parchment paper and using a sharp knife, slice into squares.

Serve

Cream Bun

I'm a fan of cream bun especially something with vanilla cream and who can resist the luscious silky smooth cream piped into a freshly baked soft buns. My memory with cream buns goes a long way thru my childhood whereby, an old Indian uncle selling breads make his rounds in our neighborhood with his motorbike fully loaded with assorted loaves and buns. We kids will eagerly wait every evenings for his cream buns. The taste of buttery sweet cream buns still lingers even after so many years. Childhood  food memories remained.

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup + 1 tsp granulated white sugar
1/3 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg,slightly beaten
1 tsp salt

For The Buttercream

1 cup butter,room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp milk,room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch o\f salt
Chocolate chips for garnishing


Methods 

Using a stand mixer, fitted with dough hook add lukewarm water,yeast and 1 tsp sugar to the bowl. Stir and let the yeast to bloom for 5-10 mins.

In another mixing bowl, mix in melted butter,egg and milk. Add the mixture to the yeast. dd flour,salt and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Turn on the machine.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with clean kitchen towel. Let the dough to rest in a warm place for 90 mins.

Punch down the dough and lightly dust a clean working surface with flour. Place the dough on working surface and divide them equally into 12-15 oval shaped balls.

Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough with  it clean kitchen towel and let it rest for another 30 mins in a warm place.

Preheat oven at 350'F or 180'C and bake the oven in the middle tray of the oven for 20 mins till golden. Remove from oven and cool the buns on cooling rack.


In a bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed till smooth. Scrap the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add in the confectioners sugar. Increase speed to medium and continue beating for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp milk and continue beating. The mixture shouldn't be more too runny or too thick. Add vanilla extract and salt and keep beating on high speed for another 1-2 minutes.

Make a slit on the cooled buns and piped generously with vanilla butter cream and garnish with chocolate chips

Sago Payasam

Another Indian sweets in blog today. Many of my friends requested for Sago payasam recipe in Facebook after i posted my Panguni Uthiram neiveidhaym for Lord Muruga. Delicious milky sago payasam makes a perfect prasadham as offering for God. Payasam comes in many variation semiya payasam,cashew payasam,paal payasam,moong dhal payasam and etc. One of such is,sago payasam which pops in your mouth on every gulp. The yummylicious payasam often take place at home or restaurants as a dessert after a good hearty meal. My girls particularly like this sago payasam simply because of the little soft sago bursting in mouth on every bite and who doesn't like desserts?

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sago
1 1/2 cups water
3 pods cardamom,crushed
1 1/2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
8 cashews,broken
8 raisins
Pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp boiled milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Methods

In a pot, boil sago with 1 1/2 cups water till the sago pearls turns translucent while stirring occasionally to prevent the sago from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stain over a sieve to remove excess water. Rinse the sago with cold water and keep aside.

In a frying pan, melt ghee and fry the cashews and raisins till golden. Keep aside.

Boil min in a heavy bottomed pan Once milk comes to a boil,  reduce heat to medium and add sugar and cardamom pods. Stir till the sugar dissolved completely.

Add sago and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the milk soaked saffron and stir.

Add the fried cashews and raisins. Stir and remove from heat.

Serve warm or cold

Akkaravadisaal

This is my second time making this authentic Iyengar sweet called akkaravadisal. The first time i made them, my family just love it to the crore and upon their request i made it again for an auspicious day to celebrate Lord Muruga as served as "neiveidhyam" which means offering. Akkaravadisal similar to sweet ponggal wid added moong dhal which usually served as offering to God or as a sweet for any special occasions. The key to a perfect akkaravadisal is the generous amount of milk and ghee/clarified butter used in the recipe. Lovely mashed grains swim in milk and ghee and tastes heavenly on every bite.

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice
1/4 cup moong dhal
2 cups grated jaggery
5 + 1 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1/4 cup ghee + 2 tbsp ghee
Tiny bit pacha karpooram or edible camphor
12 cashews,broken
12 raisins
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Pinch of saffron, dissolve d in 2 tbsp hot milk

Methods

In a pan, melt jaggery with 1/2 cup of water. Strain over a strainer to remove impurities.

In a frying pan, melt 2 tbsp ghee and fry the cashews and rasins till golden, Keep aside

In a deep bottomed pan, add 5 cups of milk and 2 cups water. Once milk started to boil add the rice moong dhal./. Cook till the mixture becomes mushy by stirring occasionally to avoid the milk from sticking on the bottom of the pan.  Remove from heat and mash the mixture using masher.

Boil the jaggery water and add the rice mixture to the jaggery water and stir well.  Reduce heat to medium and stir regularly till the mixture fully cooked.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1 cup of milk and ghee. Stir well.

Add saffron soaked milk,edible camphor and cardamom powder. Stir well and remove from heat.

Garnish with fried cashews and raisins

Notes

Be cautious while adding edible camphor as they have a very strong flavor. A tiny bit is more than enough. Do not tempt to add a pinch it will ruin the whole akkaravadissal

Cucumber Mayo Sandwich

Cucumber ,mayo sandwich is my kutties favourite sandwich. Its so simple to make and can be ready in a jiffy. If you have cucumber,mayonnaise and bread your weekday breakfast are ready. Do not underestimate this simple sandwich as its refreshing and filling. For the extra kick i added a pinch of freshly ground pepper mayonnaise. and be generous with t. This delicious sandwich will make a perfect lunch box for kids and adult.

Ingredients

6 slices white bread
1  medium size cucumber
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Methods

Wash and slice cucumber.

Generously spread mayonnaise on each slices of bread.

Arrange sliced cucumber on one side of the bread and sprinkle with pepper. Top with another bread and cut half.

Serve.

Salted Caramel Pancake

Pancake make most of our weekdays breakfast or weekends brunch and its kids favourite too. Its soft and fluffy and comes in different varities and shapes. You may drop in some blueberries for some blueberry pancake,strawberries or banana and even chocolate chips for a wonderful treat.Maple syrup is a must for pancakes for variation, i drizzled my delicious pancakes with generous amount of salted caramel and it tastes heaven.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk, room temperature
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
Pinch of baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
Handful roasted hazelnuts,chopped
1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

Methods

In a large bowl, combine flour,baking powder,baking soda,cinnamon powder,sugar and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

In another bowl, add oil,vanilla extract,milk and eggs. Whisk well.

Add the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix the batter to just combined. Do not over mix.

Heat skillet over medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Pour a laddle full of the batter and cook till bubbles form and edges becomes dry approximately around 1 minute.

Carefully, flip the pancake and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the pancake onto a serving plate.

Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

Drizzle generously with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with roasted chopped hazelnuts.

Spiral Pasta With Tuna Bolognese

Pasta comes in many different flavours,colurs and shapes and one of it is the spiral tri-colored pasta which is a feast for eyes. This spiral pasta is my girls favourite for their colors and shape. As for me, the pasta holds the sauce perfectly well. We used to have pasta dishes for Saturday lunch often enough to the extent i made sure we always have stock in our pantry. Nowadays, pasta make it on our dining table even on weekdays for dinner as it is easy to get them done and spare me thinking what for dinner. You may serve them as its own or with toasted garlic bread and soup for a complete meal.

Ingredients

300 g spiral pasta
1 can tuna chunks in water
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 white onion,chopped
2 cloves garlic,minced
1 bay leaves
1 cup whole milk'
1 can whole tomatoes,finely chopped and reserve the sauce taste
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Methods

In a deep bottom pan, boil water and season with salt. Add olive oil and stir. Add pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes al dente or as instructed in the package.

Drain the pasta and reserve the pasta water.

In a saucepan, melt butter and saute the onion till translucent. Add minced garlic and saute till fragrant. Add the tuna chunks and cook for another 1 minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the reserve sauce. Add the bay leaves and cook for 5-7 minutes on low heat. Add a ladleful of pasta water and milk. Stir well. Increase heat to medium and let the sauce simmer for 10 -12 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place pasta on a serving plate and top with bolognese sauce.

Sprinkle with grated parmesan and serve hot