CRISPY TERIYAKI CHICKEN

Crispy fried chicken

in thick teriyaki sauce

Easy to cook and nice to eat.

Teriyaki Chicken

2 chicken thigh, de-boned

corn flour for dusting

Seasoning: mix together in a small bowl

1-2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 cup water

Thickener: 1 tsp corn flour + 2 tsp water

1. heat enough oil to cover the base of a frying pan.

2. coat chicken in a plate of corn flour, shake away the excess

3. when oil is hot, put in one piece of chicken thigh, fry until golden & cooked through

4. remove & drain on a piece of kitchen towel. Fry the next piece

5. when done, pour away the oil & cook seasoning in low heat 

6. when the seasoning starts to boil, add thickener. dish out into a bowl

7. to serve, cut chicken into bite size & pour sauce over the chicken

OYSTER SAUCE PORK BELLY

Chunks of Pork Belly

cooked in oyster or dark soya sauce

is Hayley & Ethan's favourite

The gravy is thick and the pork belly is juicy. 

To achieve the glossy look

and 

the juicy pork,

fry it in the pan until fragrant before adding water

Oyster Sauce Pork Belly

1 long strip of pork belly, cut into chunks

1" old ginger

3 pips of garlic, whole

1. heat up frying pan, and put pork belly, garlic & ginger into a pan, turning often. 

2. fry until fragrant and the pork shrinks

3. drizzle some water around the sides of pan

4. add oyster sauce, dark soya sauce, salt, pepper & sugar to taste

5. cook until done. Run a chopstick into the meat, if it goes through easily, it is done.

6. dish out & serve

Note:
a dash of sugar added will do wonders to this dish.

EASY LASAGNA

My grandchildren love lasagna

but often times the herbs and other ingredients are far too much for them to enjoy.

I have this simple and easy to cook lasagna

using their favourite spaghetti sauce:

As for the pasta

I get these dried pasta sheets

Easy Lasagna

200g ground lean beef

1 bottle spaghetti sauce, any of your choice

1 cup milk, divided

1 large onions, chopped

mozzarella cheese

6 pasta sheets 3.5"x7", dry type

4 slices cheddar cheese for topping

1. fry onions with some olive oil in the pan, until fragrant

2. add minced beef & fry

3. add spaghetti sauce & cook until beef is almost done, add 1/2 the milk

4. remove from heat

5. spoon 1/4 of the sauce into a 7" square pan

6. sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the sauce

7. cover the sauce with a layer of pasta sheet, spread 1/4 of the sauce on top

8. sprinkle cheese & repeat No.7

9. on top of the last spread of sauce, arrange the cheddar cheese

10. drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of milk around the sides of pan

11. bake covered with aluminium foil in preheated oven 190'C for 20min

12. remove foil & bake another 25min

13. allow lasagna to cool for 15min before serving

NO BAKE OREO CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake made with Oreo biscuits
this is what I am referring to.

Yes, my grandchildren love cheesecake
and
they like Oreo biscuits
so
I combine them both and they say
"yummy"

Thanks to Adeline Song Jun Ling

who advised me to retain the cream from the biscuits

and 

cream together with the cheese.

The cake comes out great!

Oreo Cheesecake

Base: 170g oreo biscuits, cream removed

          70g butter, melted

Filling:

1 Tbsp gelatin

80g hot water

250g cream cheese, room temperature

90g Oreo cream + sugar

200ml whipping cream

80g milk

1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Topping: 8 pieces oreo biscuits, broken into 3s or 1/4s

1. crush oreo biscuits until fine, mix in melted butter

2. press firmly into the base of a 7"pan

3. leave to chill in fridge for 2 hours

4. dissolve gelatin in hot water, and allow to cool. Heat up if necessary.

5. whip cream & leave aside

6. cream cheese with sugar mixture until blended

7. add whipped cream, gelatin mixture and milk

8. pour filling on to the oreo biscuit base

9. break oreo biscuits & arrange on top of the cheese filling

10. chill for 4 hours before serving 

OVEN BAKED CRUNCHY CHICKPEA

Thank you Sherry Peris

for sharing this recipe.

Never realised that it could be done so easily!

Oven Baked Crunchy Chickpea

200g chickpea -

1. soak overnight

2. boil until soft

3. dry with kitchen towels & leave to air dry

4. season with garlic salt, salt or any of your favourite herbs 

5. bake in preheated oven 230'C for 30-45 min until browned & crunchy

NATURALLY YEASTED SOURDOUGH ORANGE MINI LOAF

This is Orange flavoured Mini bun

is naturally yeasted,

combining both orange yeast water and sourdough

It has a strong Orange flavour

with added orange peel to enhance its flavour.

No milk and no egg is required.

Just orange yeast water

Sourdough Orange Mini Loaf

200g stiff starter, 50% hydration

250g bread flour

70g wholemeal flour

250g orange yeast water

40g sugar

1 tsp salt

70g orange peel & raisins

1. starter, flours, yeast water and sugar into the bread machine, bread dough cycle 30min

2. 3 min before the programme ends, add salt & fruits

3. remove, shape & place in mini loaf pans

4. allow to proof at room temperature until about 75% more of its original size

5. cold retard 12 hours

6. remove loaves from fridge & thaw for 1.5 hours

7. bake in preheated oven 200'C 1st 15min. another 20min at 175'C (total 35min)

PINEAPPLE LATTICE PIE

I like pineapples

I like sweet pineapples

Just discovered that I love pineapple pie

The pineapple filling is juicy and sweet with a tint of sour, 

and 

the crust is crispy and fragrant

I have adapted this recipe from 

Wendy Yip's  

The preparation in 2 stages

1st the filling, then follow by the pie crust

Pineapple Filling (chunky type)
300g pineapple, diced
60g sugar
1/16 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cloves
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1. combine pineapple pieces, sugar, cinnamon powder & cloves in a pot
2. leave aside for 10min for the pineapple to release the juice
3. cook on medium heat until the pineapple turns translucent & soft
4. remove cloves, stir in cornstarch & return to heat
5. continue cooking until slightly thicken
6. allow filling to cool down before using

Pie Skin
150g all purpose flour
80g cold salted butter
1/2 Tbsp icing sugar
25g whipping cream
1 Tbsp water (if needed to bind the dough)
egg yolk for eggwash

1. rub butter into flour & icing sugar
2. add whipping cream when mixture resembles fine bread crumbs
3. gently press dough to form a lump, add water if necessary
4. cover the dough & chill for 1 hour
5. remove dough from fridge & roll 3/4 of the dough between 2 sheets of plastic
6. fit the rolled dough into a 6" pie dish, gently press down the bottom & sides
7. roll out flat the balance dough between 2 plastic also
8. put both the pie base & rolled dough to chill while preheating the oven to 180'C
9. place filling into pie base & level it
10. form lattice top with the rolled dough cut into strips
11. to have a neat sides, go round it with strip of dough
12. egg wash the pie before sending into the oven
13. bake for 40min until done.

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Candied orange peels 

are good as a snack

and 

as ingredients for some fruity bakes like cakes and bread

Homemade ones are fresh and the taste is marvelous.

Candied Orange Peel

3 large Sunkist oranges

280g sugar

180g water

1. rinse the oranges & cut the top & bottom off the orange

2. cut the fruit into quarters & remove the skin

3. cut the skin into strips & scrape away part of the white pith

4. bring to a boil the orange strips with enough water to cover it

5. once boiled, drain & repeat (4)

6. stir together sugar & water in a pot, bring it to simmer

7. add the peel and continue to simmer until the peels appear translucent.

    Do not stir to avoid crystalization, but can swirl the pot or press in the peels

8. remove peels & spread to dry, may take a day or 2

9. store in air tight containers or fridge

LONG BEAN ONE POT RICE

Long Bean one pot rice
sounds easy

 Not so, if you want to add colour to your meal.

The ingredients are:

Method

1) rinse rice & add sufficient water for working, leave aside

2) fry beaten egg as if a pancake. Then roll up & cut into strips

3) fry long beans until slightly soft, remove

4) add 1 Tbsp oil into the pan & fry garlic until fragrant

5) add soaked dried prawns & continue stir frying

6) transfer the fried dried prawns into the rice pot or steamer to cook together

7) when done, add fried long beans & egg strips & chili (if using)

8) serve 

ORANGE YEAST WATER FRUITY TOAST

A Soft Toast 

baked with Orange yeast Water.

Besides raisins, cranberries and orange peel

I added grated rind from one orange

to get stronger orange flavour.

Orange Yeast Water Fruity Toast
(A) 10g each of raisin, cranberry & orange peel
       enough yeast water to cover & soak the fruits for an hour

(B) 120g active Sourdough, fed with orange yeast water

       200g bread flour

       100g (1 egg + fresh milk)

       1.5 Tbsp sugar

       1/2 tsp salt

       25g butter

(C) zest from 1 orange

1. knead all ingredients in the bread machine, bread dough cycle
2. before the machine stops, add the strained fruits & orange zest

2. when the machine stops, rest for 15 min, shape & put into an oiled loaf pan

3. allow to proof until 2.5 the volume, about 3 hours at room temperture

4. bake in preheated oven 175'C for 35min

PRUNE BUTTER CAKE

If you like prunes and butter cake

combine them and

you will get Prune Butter Cake

2 in 1

This Prune Butter Cake 

is quite dense & moist

and 

is flavourful.

It can either be served warm or at room temperature,

and are just as nice.

I have adapted this from Ann Low's recipe

Ann Low has it baked with rum liqueur or brandy, with prunes cut into small pieces

whereas

I prefer it to be fruity with large pieces of prunes.

Prune Butter Cake

A) 100g pitted prunes

      1 small orange, juiced

B) 170g cake flour sifted with

     1 tsp baking powder

C) 150g butter, softened

     125g caster sugar

     3 AA eggs

     1 tsp vanilla extract

     1 Tbsp fresh milk

1. Soak prunes in orange juice for an hour, steam over low heat to soften.

    Remove from heat & let cool. When cooled, drain & slice open the prunes.

2. Line a 7" round pan with parchment & preheat oven to 180'C

3. Cream butter & sugar until light

4. add eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each addition

5. add vanilla extract & juice from steam prunes

6. Gently fold in sifted flour & baking powder

7. add 1 Tbsp fresh milk and fold the batter until smooth

8. pour 1/3 batter into prepared cake pan, arrange 1/2 of the sliced prunes over it

9. repeat (8), and finally topped with the balance 1/3 batter

10. bake in preheated oven 180'C for 35min, or until done

11. Leave cake to cool in pan for 10min, remove & cool on wire rack.      

MUA CHEE

Thank you Emily Koh

for such an easy recipe

Steaming in an Electric Lunch Box 

is simply fuss free.

Once everything is mixed 

and put into the steamer,

switch on,

you can come back anytime to serve it!

Like to try Emily's Recipe?

Mua Chee

100g glutinous rice flour

90g water

1 Tbsp oil

1) mix them up in a steaming bowl

2) steam it until light goes off 

3) serve with grounded peanuts and caster sugar

Note:

If you do not have an Electric lunch box, just steam it for 20min, or until cooked

YEAST WATER SWEET POTATO BREAD

Calamasi (Asian Lime)

takes longer time to ferment - 5 long days

and more sugar is required to speed up fermentation.

As a result

the yeast water is on the sweet side.

Moreover, the orange sweet potato that I bought also sweet!

Now I have a sweet bread. 

Watch out! It browns easily when baked.

Yeast Water Sweet Potato Bread

180g Bread flour

150g Sourdough fed with yeast water
70g yeast water

30g water, may need to adjust amount depending on the sweet potato 

50g steamed sweet potato, mashed

1 tsp salt

1. combine bread flour, sourdough and water, autolyse 45min

2. knead in salt & mashed sweet potato, allow to rest 45min

3. SNF twice at interval of 45min

4. cold retard 10hours

5. remove from fridge & shape, leave in banetton to proof 2.5hrs until risen
6. bake in preheated oven 250'C for 20min, covered

    bake another 20min @ 200'C  with cover opened.

Note: tent bread when necessary

PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

Pineapple Fried Rice

is a popularThai Delicacy.

It is loved by many because of its

1) colourful presentation in the shell of a pineapple

2) mixture of taste, spicy, sweet & sour

3) mixture of texture, soft and yet crunchy because of the added cashew nuts

I have some sweet pineapples in the fridge
and
with the inspiration of Serena Kuan
I have come out with this simply pineapple fried rice
served in a plate.

Toasted Cashew nuts  must be added to get the authentic Thai

Pineapple Fried Rice

1 bowl cooked rice

a handful of prawns, skin removed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/2-1 Tbsp oil for cooking

ripe pineapples, cut into small slices

seasoning:

soya sauce, fish sauce, pepper

garnishing/topping:

spring onions, diced

red chilli, diced

fried shallots (optional)  

1) heat oil in a wok, fry garlic until fragrant

2) add prawns & fry

3) push ingredients to side of wok, pour beaten egg to the centre to cook

4) turn the egg when it is cooked, add rice 

5) stir fry everything together, add seasoning

6) lastly, add pineapple slices & garnishing 

7) dish out to serve

Note: reserve some garnishing for topping

STEAMED PUMPKIN KUIH

Pumpkin is versatile.

It can be used in cooking and baking.

The bright yellow of pumpkin adds colour to whatever you cook.

It can be a tray of yellow kuih,

some steamed yellow buns or crusty baked loaves.

I have adapted this recipe from

Rebacca Tan's post in the Facebook

Steamed Pumpkin Kuih

125g pumpkin without skin, shredded

190g water

80g rice flour

30g tapioca flour

20-25g dried shrimp, soaked & coarsely diced

1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1. combine in a bowl, water, rice flour & tapioca flour

2. oil the bottom & sides of a steaming pan (5.5")

3. pour remaining oil into a hot pan & fry the minced garlic

4. add dried shrimp, continue frying until fragrant before adding shredded pumpkin

5. lastly, add in batter to cook until thicken

6. dish into the oiled steaming pan, level with a wet palm

7. steam for 30min, until cooked

8. Cool well before cutting

9. serve with cut chilli, fried shallots & cut spring onions

    or pan fried plain