Maple Streusel Muffin

Maple streusel muffin reminds me of morning breakfast pancake. Smoky maple syrup combine with crunchy walnuts and sweet cinnamon is something everyone in the house love to have for their breakfast. I love the hearty smell of maple syrup in the muffin and the brown sugar goes well in this sweet muffin. The crunchiness lend by the streusel topping is an icing on the cake

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 milk,room temperature
1/2 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp cold butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Methods

For Topping

In a bowl, combine flour,chopped nuts,cinnamon,brown sugar,maple syrup and butter. Mix till the mixture crumbly

For The Muffin

Preheat oven at 400'F or 200'C and line a 12 mould muffin tin with cupcake liners

In a large bowl, sift flour,baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, combine milk,maple syrup,egg,melted butter and vanilla extract.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add in the brown sugar. Mix well

Fill the prepared muffin liners two-third full. Sprinkle the topping over the batter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer the muffins to wire rack.

Serve with a cuppa of tea

Fish Curry With Raw Mango

I'm a BIG fan of fish. I love anything with fish and fish curry is my all time favorite curry in the world and needless to say with added mango i'm in heaven. The sour mango add a nice tangy flavor to this delicious curry. Fish and mango goes well in this wonderful recepi, with the little tartness from the mango and the spices added compliments the curry well.

I'm the person who love heat in my curry thus, i'm being generous with chilly for a spicy fish gravy but you can always adjust the heat according to your taste. Fish curry taste good the next day when the spices blended well into the gravy for that extra kick. Serve with steamed white rice for that distinct flavor that will linger in your mouth.

Ingredients

7 pcs fish blocks,cleaned
1 mango, cut lengthwise
2 tomatoes,chopped
1 tbsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 cups water

To Marinate

2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

To Grind

1/2 cumin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
4 garlic,chopped
1/2 inch ginger,chopped
2 green chilly
4 sprig curry leaves
5 shallots,chopped
1 tbsp oil

To Temper

2 tbsp oil
1 dry red chilly
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds


Methods

In a bowl, marinate the fish blocks with lime juice and salt. Rub well and set aside

Heat oil in a pan/pot over a medium flame and saute all the ingredients listed under "To Temper" for 1 minute. Add the grounded masala and saute for another 1 minute. Add the cumin powder,coriander powder,chilly powder,turmeric powder for and saute for 30 seconds. Add water and sliced mango. Stir well.

Simmer the gravy till slightly thickens. Season with salt. Add the fish pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes or till the fish done.

Remove from flame.

Serve hot with white rice


Notes

• Any variety of fish can be use for preparing this fish curry

• Adjust the heat according to your tolerance

Mutton Keema/Keema Matar

Mutton keema or keema mattar is simply mince mutton cooked with green peas and simmered with exotic Indian spices. Mutton keema is one of the popular North Indian dish which is serve with indian flat bread,naan,paratha or even white rite rice. Usually, i'll make a big portion of this keema which i'll use the leftover for preparing my next morning sandwich. Keema can be made with chicken or beef since i don't take beef i tried my version with lamb/mutton.

I added apple cider vinegar to the dish which a typical keema lack of. The cider vinegar add the tangyness to the spiced mutton and creates the right balance of flavour to the beautiful dish. The aromatic spices in the dish are sure to kick your palate.

Ingredients

500g minced lamb meat
2 tomatoes,chopped
2 onions,chopped
1/4 cup yogurt
2 cups water
1/2 frozen/fresh green peas
3 red chillies,chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Bunch of coriander leaves,for garnishing



Methods

In a heavy bottom pan, heat ghee and oil. Add the cardamom pods,cloves,bay leaf and cinnamon stick and saute for 30 seconds. Add the onions and saute till the onions wilted.

Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 2 minutes.Add the minced lamb and cook for 5 minutes. Reduced the flame to medium and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the turmeric powder,chilly powder,cumin powder,coriander powder and salt. Stir to combined. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the yogurt and water, stir and cook for 20-25 minutes by stirring occasionally.

Add the green peas and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder and apple cider vinegar. Give a good stir. Remove from flame

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Khaliat Nahal/Honeycomb Buns

Soft sweet buns stuffed with smooth and creamy cream cheese and glazed with honey sugar syrup is what Khaliat Nahal or honeycomb buns is all about. This popular Arabic buns comes with sweet and savoury version and today, i'm sharing with you the sweeter version.  I choose cream cheese for my fillings but, you can choose to stuff it with chopped nuts or dry fruits too.

I infused my honey glaze with orange blossoms water but if you want you can infuse yours with rose water too. The yeast plays a major part together with a good kneading for that super soft and airy buns. The cream cheese adds texture and flavor to the delicious honey soaked buns. Definitely a feast for eyes and palate

Ingredients

For The Buns

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp canola oil
1 egg, beaten for eggwash

For The Glaze

1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp orange blossom water
2 tbsp honey

For The Filling

1 cup cream cheese

For Garnishing

Pumpkin seeds

Methods

For The Glaze

In a heavy bottom pan, boil together sugar and water till slightly thickened. Turn off the flame, add honey and orange blossom water. Stir and keep aside.

For The Buns

In a bowl, sift together flour and salt.

In another bowl, combine together water,yeast and sugar. Stir and keep aside for 5 minutes or till foamy.

Add the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg, milk,oil and melted butter. Mix till well combined.

Once combined, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or till soft. Shape the dough into a big ball, place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the yeast to rise.

Punch the dough and shape about 20-25 small balls. Flatten the bowl with your palms stuff with small piece of cream cheese in the center. Clip the edges with your fingers and start to roll to form a ball. Repeat the process till all the dough used up.

Line a 9'inch round baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the pan with little butter. Arrange the balls closely into each other, into the pan and cover with damp kitchen towel. Set the pan in a warm place for 30 minutes for the dough to rise again.

Brush the dough with eggwash and bake in a 180'Cel preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or till golden. the

Remove from the oven, pour the prepared sugar syrup over the hot buns. Let the buns soaked in the sugar syrup for 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve with a cup of piping hot tea

Gulab Jamun

Another Diwali sweets to share in my bucket list is the ever popular Gulab Jamun. Gulab jamun is one of the most favourite dessert in India and Pakistan. Gulab jamun can be made with khoya which is reduced milk kind of milk cheese which is time consuming. A short cut easy way is to use milk powder instead. This dumpling look alike dessert is well known in Asian countries and sold in almost all Indian restaurant in sweet section. I'm not an ardent fan of gulab jamun but my younger sister can't get enough of this sugar syrup soaked dumplings. She can finish up a big bowl all by herself.

To satisfy her sweet tooth, i decided to make her this beautiful dark beauty. The soft and rich dumplings soaked in a rose scented sugar syrup is a hit not only with my younger sister but with my lovely angels too. The chopped pistachio add flavor and texture to this delicious dessert. I'm gonna make it again on Diwali and you should too. After all Diwali is all about sweets.

Ingredients

For The Gulab Jamun

1 cup milk powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp ghee/clarified butter
Pinch of salt
Pinch of baking powder
Oil for deep frying


For The Sugar Syrup

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 cups water
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp rose water


Methods

For The Sugar Syrup

In a heavy bottom pan, boil sugar and water. Stir till sugar dissolved.

Add the crushed cardamom pods and cook till the sugar syrup thickens.

Turn off the flame, and stir in the rose water.


For The Gulab Jamun

In a bowl combine together milk powder,all purpose flour,salt and baking powder. Whisk well to combine.

Add ghee and yogurt. Mix well to form a soft dough.

With your palm, shape the dough into small balls.

Heat oil in a pan over a medium-low flame and deep fry the prepared balls till golden. Stir often to to brown on all sides.

Strain the oil and add the hot balls into a prepared sugar syrup. Soak the balls for 1-2 hours for the balls to absorb the sugar syrup.

Remove the balls and serve in a serving bowl, drizzle with more sugar syrup. Garnish with chopped pistachios


Notes

• The dough should be sticky and soft. If the dough too dry, add little yogurt to get the right consistency.

Soft And Chewy M&M Cookies

This is not the first time i'm baking M&M cookies. I baked it countless time as requested by my two lovely angels. This cookies is among one of their favourite. The cookies are soft and chewy kind of melt in your mouth cookies. The colurful M&M chips add fun and colur to this beautiful stuff.

Every time i bake this cookies it will be gone in a minute thus, i baked a big batch this time. This cookies speckled on top with colured chocolate candy which makes it perfect for kids party. I don't come across any child that resist anything that loaded with candy coated chocolates.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup M&M chocolate candies + 1/4 cup for the top
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 cup butter,room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract


Methods

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

Using an electrical mixer, beat together butter,granulated white sugar and brown sugar till pale and fluffy.

Add the milk, whole egg,egg yolk and vanilla essence. Beat to combine.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add in the flour mixture. Beat well and using a spatula scrap the sides of the bowl. Beat for 1 minute.

Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Scoop the cookie batter onto the prepared baking tray with an ice cream scoop and garnish with more M&M on the top.

Bake for 15-17 minutes. Cool on the wire rack for 5-10 minutes

Once the cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container.

Aval Kesari/Beaten Rice Kesari

Diwali is just around the corner and since, i haven't update any Diwali special treats i decided to start with a simple sweets recepi. Kesari is a favourite for many of us but aval kesari is something new. The humble aval or beaten rice can be easily bought from any Indian groceries all year around. I had a packet of aval bought during Thaipusam and i have been cracking what to do with it till i came across of this simple and easy to prepare recipe in net.  Since i have all the required ingredients in my little pantry i give it a go.

Love the vibrant yellow/orange colour, the melt in mouth texture and the crunchiness lend by the roasted cashews. The beautiful smell of the ghee is surely tempting to the palate. Serve warm or chilled this is gonna be a truly deserving dessert after a heavy banana leaf meal.

Ingredients

1 cup aval/beaten rice
1 cup water
1 cup granulated white sugar
5 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
10-12 cashews,coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Pinch of yellow food colouring


Methods

Powder the aval/beaten rice in a grinder till it reaches semolina consistency

Heat a non stick pan with 2 tbsp ghee fry the cashews till golden and keep aside.

In a same pan, add the grounded aval and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the water and stir. Let it to boil for a minute. Add yellow food colouring and stir well till no lumps.

Reduce flame to low and cook for 2-3 minutes till all the water absorbed. Add the sugar and cardamom powder. Stir to combined.

Add the remaining 3 tbs ghee and stir till the kesari starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the fried cashews stir for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate

Garnish with fried cashews and serve hot or warm


Notes

• Do not add the sugar before the aval is well cooked otherwise, you'll ended up with hard uncooked aval.

• Adjust the sugar according to your preferences

Kaya Puff

We learnt how to make authentic homemade Nyonya kaya yesterday and today we will learn what other dish we can whip up the kaya with instead of the ordinary kaya toast. Once you have kaya in your hand, you can make this beautiful kaya puff in jiffy. Another essential ingredient is puff pastry which i always have stock in my fridge.

Flaky,buttery,rich puff  pastry filled with homemade sweet kaya baked to perfection goes well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. I made this easy kaya puff for Saturday afternoon tea and had it for my breakfast on the next day as well. Simpy reheat the kaya puff  in a microwave, for a minute and walla! you have hot and fresh kaya puff on your plate. The pastry stays flaky and crispy even for next day breakfast and the delicious kaya ooze out filling my mouth on every bite.

Ingredients

1 pack frozen puff pastry,thawed
1 jar Nyonya kaya
1 egg + 1 tbsp of water,beaten
Flour, for dusting


Methods

Preheat oven at 340 'F or 170'C and line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper. Keep aside

Lay the puff pastry on a clean work surface dusted with little flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry dough to a longish circular shape.

Fill a tbsp of kaya  in the center of the pastry dough, seal together and pleat to seal the edges.

Arrange the kaya puff in the prepared baking pan, brush the top of the pastry with egg wash

Bake at preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or untill golden,

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes

Enjoy with a cup of tea

Home Made Kaya/Coconut Jam

Near my office there is an old Nyonya aunty selling kaya puff, pork pastry,egg tarts and kaya swiss roll. Beside her small stall stands a huge pot of sweet smelling homemade nyonya kaya or coconut jam. While people are queuing for her pastries, her homemade kaya is always in limelight. Freshly made everyday to meet her customer's demands, her egg-coconut mixture stole my heart as well. I always buy my kaya supply from the old aunty. I love them on my morning toast and while enjoying my kaya toast the thought of trying them in my kitchen put a big smile on my face.

There you go, standing in my kitchen stirring a bowl of kaya freshly made all by myself. i don't have much confident in making my own home made kaya yet, i decided to give it a go. The fresh smell of pandan extract filled my kitchen and on top of that the eggy coconut mixture is definitely icing on the cake. Being an impatient person, i just can't wait for the kaya to be ready and spread a generous layer of the freshly made kaya on my hot toast. The kaya toast are too tempting too resist and for the next two months kaya is on my breakfast menu

Ingredients

8-10 pandan/screwpine leaves
6 medium eggs
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups granulated white sugar
1/4 cup water(to grind the pandan leaves)

Methods

Blend pandan leaves with 1/4 cup of water. Strain the extract and keep aside

In a heat proof bowl, combine eggs,coconut milk,sugar and pandan extract

Heat water in a pot and place the bowl on a pot of simmering water. This is called double boiling method which the steam from the boiling water will cook the eggs and coconut milk mixture in the bowl.

Continuously stir the mixture for 35-45 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

Remove from heat and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

Pour the kaya into an air tight jar and keep in the refrigerator at all time.


Notes

• Kaya stands good up to 2 months in the refrigerator

Grapefruit Salad In Honey Yogurt Dressing

Grapefruit yogurt honey salad is a simple and quick way to enjoy a bowl of freshness. The creamy slightly sweetened honey-yogurt dressing, compliments the tart flavour of the grapefruit. The crunchiness of fresh butter head leaves and green apple add a beautiful texture to the awesome salad. I love the onion flavour from the spring onion leaves when you bite it here and there in between. Grapefruit are rich with vitamin C and known to curb hunger and no wonder this large orange like fruits is well sought for dieting purpose.  Medically, grapefruit proven to assist in losing weight and i don't need anymore excuse to finish up the whole bowl.

Ingredients

1 large grapefruit
1 medium bunch of butter head leaves
1 green apple
1 tbsp raw honey
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Handful of chopped chives/spring onion
Pinch of salt


Methods

Peel grapefruit and cut into segments. Discard the seeds. Wash and cut the green apples into 1/2 inch thick. Remove seeds.

Wash and peel the butter head leaves. Remove the core.

In a small bowl, combine yogurt and honey. Stir well.

In a large bowl, combine together grapefruit, diced green apples,butter head leaves and chopped spring onion.

Pour in the yogurt dressing and sprinkle with salt.

Toss well to combine.

Serve with baked chicken or for a breakfast


Notes

• Prepare the salad just before serving to enjoy the wholesome freshness of the fruits and greens

Deep Fried Oyster Mushrooms

I love mushroom so do my girls. Button mushroom,oyster,cremini or meaty portobellos, you name it and we'll love to have it. We love mushrooms in our stir fried mixed vegetables, in soups and of course deep fried. These easy and simple deep fry mushrooms are excellent as a starter on your dinner table. I prefer oyster mushroom for deep frying mainly, because of the beautiful texture.

I prepared a simple batter as i want to retain the flavour of the mushroom. The batter creates a crispy coating while retaining the moist inside. I deep fried mushrooms few times before but, couldn't get a chance to snap picture as the plate will go empty the moment it came out from the frying pan. This round, i managed to clicked some for my blog. Deep fried oyster mushroom makes a great all around snack.

Ingredients

500g fresh oyster mushrooms
1 cup water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 egg,beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Oil for deep frying
Few cilantro/coriander leaves


Methods

Clean the mushroom by gently rubbing off the dirts using a clean kitchen towel and cut off the stem. Keep aside

In a bowl, combine together all purpose flour, rice flour, egg, water, cracked black pepper,garlic powder and salt. Add the cleaned mushrooms into the batter and mix gently till the mushrooms are well coated with the batter.

Heat a frying pan with oil over a medium flame. Drop the prepared mushrooms into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes. Using a tong, turn or flip the mushrooms to cook the other side for another 1 minute or till golden. Remove from heat and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve hot with ketchup or as it own


Notes

• Do not over crowd the mushrooms while frying which may cause the oil temperature down. Fry in smaller batches.

• Washing mushrooms with water is a bad idea as mushrooms act as a sponge to absorb water. Always clean them with a clean kitchen towel.