Yes, I Did It Again!

I did not expect that the Kek Lapis Keju Persona would  be a great hit among my family members and close friends, for initially, I was kind of skeptical with the outcome. Well, I admitted that I was wrong and because of this ‘mistake’ I decided to try making this simple dessert using another recipe which was inspired from the original one.

KEK LAPIS TIRAMISU

Source : Yani

Ingredients :

• 250g cream cheese
• 50g butter
• 100g icing sugar
• a packet of coffee flavoured marie biscuits (I used Munchy’s)
• 1/2 cup of thick coffee ( I mixed 3 teaspoonfuls of nescafe to 1/2 cup of cold water)

Method :

1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and icing sugar till creamy.
2. Line a baking tin/square container with cling plastic.
3. Dip biscuits into coffee and arrange into the baking tin. Next, spread some of cream cheese mixture evenly on top of your biscuit layer. Continue layering till you have filled up the baking tin. The top layer must be your cream cheese mixture. Once you have done this, crush the remaining biscuits till fine and sprinkle evenly on the top layer.
4. Chill till set. (It took me about 4 hours)
5. Cut into slices and serve.

 

It’s Just Because……..

As I’ve mentioned beforehand, Mr KHz is a true meat fanatic and since I didn’t prepare anything special for his birthday, some time this week, I decided to try a new recipe using one of his favourite meats, which is mutton. I had done some amendment to the original recipe and the cooking steps. After all the hassle in the kitchen, I was so happy because he liked the dish. Here’s the recipe if you wish to try.

MUTTON MASALA

Source : Senangnya Memasak Kambing by Chef Hanieliza

Ingredients :

(A)

• 500g of mutton (cut into small pieces)
• 2 potatoes (quartered)
• 1 tomato (chopped coarsely)
• 1 small bunch of Chinese celery ( I replaced it with 1 tablespoonful of dried coriander leaves)
• 2 tablespoonfuls of meat curry powder
• 1 teaspoonful of cummin seeds ( I pounded this coarsely)
• 2 cups of coconut milk, extracted from 1/2 a coconut ( I replaced it with 135ml of low-fat natural yoghurt)
• 1 cup of water ( I used 2 cups)
• 3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil
• salt to taste

(B) (to be ground finely)

• 4 pieces of candlenuts ( I omitted because I didn’t have any)
• 2 large onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 cm piece of ginger
• 4 cm piece of cinnamon bark ( I used this whole)

(C) I added these :

• 3 tablespoonfuls of chilli paste
• 3 cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method :

1. Marinade mutton pieces with curry powder, cumin seeds and yoghurt for 30 minutes.
2. Heat up cooking oil and put in cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, cinnamon bark and curry leaves and stir fry till fragrant. Next, put in ground ingredients, chilli paste and tomato. Keep stirring till the oil separates from the gravy.
3. Put in marinated mutton pieces celery leaves,and water and mix well. Reduce heat and let to simmer till mutton is soft.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve hot with plain boiled rice or naan.

 

Within My Comfort Zone

Nothings beats the warm feeling than having a dish that uplifts your dampen spirit. As for me, the dish below spells comfort for me, whenever I’m feeling blue. Simply delicious.

‘SAMBAL GORENG A LA CIKYAH’

Ingredients :

• 1 packet of fermented soy bean cake (tempe) (cut into 1cm piece cubes)
• 2 pieces of tofu (cut into 1cm piece cubes)
• 1/2 cup of dried anchovies
• 1/2 cup of petai
• 5 fresh red chillies
• 5 pieces of bird’s eyes chillies
• 5 shallots
• 3 pips of garlic
• salt and sugar to taste

Method :

1. Grind red chillies, bird’s eye chillies and garlic coarsely and keep aside.
2. Deep fry soy bean cake, tofu and dried anchovies separately till crispy and drain.
3. Using 3 tablespoonfuls of oil used for frying the ingredients above, stir fry ground ingredients till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy.
4. Put in fried ingredients and petai and mix well.
5. Add salt and sugar to taste.
6. Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

 

Easy Peasy Lip Smacking Goodness!

I have mentioned earlier that I prefer baking cakes than biscuits but when it comes to sampling, a piece or two would be my limit. The fun is more on finding out how the cake would turn out. Would it be a success or a total failure after all.

Some time this week, I tried a very simple cake recipe, using only four ingredients. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about how it would taste like, but the cake had proven me wrong. In simple words, I will definitely make this cake again and again. As usual, besides Atus and Mr KHz, those in school are always my target to sample my product. This time, they really enjoyed the cake and had asked for the recipe. As promised, here’s the photo and the recipe which will lead you to soft, creamy and cheesy goodness!

KEK LAPIS KEJU PERSONA

Source : ryoazhar and kak nor secubit garam

Ingredients :

(A)

• 600g chocolate flavoured marie biscuits (I used LEE brand) (about 1 and a half packets)
• 500ml fresh milk ( I used about 350ml)

(B)

• 500g cream cheese ( at room temperature)
• 10ml of fresh milk
• 1/2 cup of caster sugar

Method :

1. In a pot, heat up milk till simmer and take off from heat. Keep aside till warm.
2. Next, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Put in the caster sugar and beat till well-mixed. Put in the milk (gradually) and continue beating. Your mixture should not be too thick nor too thin.
3. Next, line a baking tin ( I used 9x9x3 inch square tin) with cling plastic.
4. Dip your biscuits into the warm milk (the recipe owner stated that you just need 1 second for each piece of biscuit) and arrange in the baking pan.
5. Spread the cheese mixture evenly on top of the biscuits. Continue layering (B-C-B-C) until you fill up your baking tin. The top layer should be your cheese mixture.
6. Crush the remaining biscuit pieces and sift evenly on top of your cheese layer.
7. Chill in the fridge till set. This ill take about 5 to 6 hours.
8. Cut into slices and enjoy!

 

Nasi Lemak 2.5?

Besides roti canai, it’s very common to see nasi lemak being served for breakfast and I do agree that it is the breakfast of choice by many of us. Some time last week, when I went down to the kitchen, I saw Mr KHz eating the last packet of nasi lemak bought by my MIL so I had no choice but to prepare something else. Usually, I would just pop two slices of bread into the toaster and by adding a slice of cheese, I would have my breakfast ready. However, on that day, I decided to prepare something else – a recipe which has been in the folder for quite some time and I guess, that day was perfect for another trial and error session.

PANCAKE

Source : kak nor secubit garam & hajar

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoonfuls of butter (melted)
• 2 eggs
• 2 and 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder
• 2 tablespoonfuls of caster sugar
• 2 cups of fresh milk ( I used Dutch lady low fat)
• 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice (optional)
• a pinch of salt

Method :

1. Blend all ingredients till well-mixed. ( I used my balloon whisk to do this).
2. Let to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Using a 12 cm diameter non-stick pan put over medium heat, spoon batter into the pan.
4. When you see bubbles forming up, flip over and cook till golden brown.
5. Serve hot with honey, jam or cut fruits.

 

Modify and Improvise

Many are aware of the fact that I am an ardent recipe collector but whether I would try those recipest, is a totally different matter. Since I’ve started blogging, the colleagues in school are the ones who have been by loyal product tester whenever I feel like trying a new recipe. Due to this fact, from time to time, I will receive certain ingredients and it is up to me to figure out what I want to do with them.

Two weeks ago, I was ‘greeted’ by a packet of dried strawberries and tub of plain yoghurt on my table.  When I asked my friend (who happened to the ‘culprit’ who had brought the two items), she just smiled. Instantly, I knew that some page filliping had to take place very soon. As a result, after much flipping done, I decided to use this recipe from Rima and my experiment had produced cupcakes featured in the photo below.

STRAWBERRY YOGHURT STEAMED CUPCAKES

Ingredients :

• 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar (I used caster sugar)
• 1 teaspoonful of ovallete
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of yoghurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
• 100g of dried strawberries (chopped into fine pieces)
• 1 teaspoonful of vanilla essence
• a few drops of orange food colouring

Now, the steps to please your friend :

1. Put all ingredients into a mixer fitted with a balloon whisk and beat till the batter becomes pale and thick. Take out about 5 tablespoonfuls of batter and mix with the orange food colouring. Put the chopped strawberries into the remaining batter and mix well.
2. Line your moulds (I used my regular plastic apam moulds) with papercups and spoon the batter into the moulds till three-quater full. Then, drop a teaspoon of orange batter on top of the white batter. Steam over high heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Battling Against Expiry

My girl, Atus, has always loved bread so I try my very best to make sure that a loaf of bread is stored in the refrigerator.  I do find it funny, (and alarming at the same time) when on certain evenings, she would have a slice of bread after she has finished her meal of rice and chicken curry (which means, rice and only the gravy, to be precise). I guess, it’s her way to end her dinner. Being one picky eater, it’s kind of interesting to see her mellow when it comes to bread. All I need to do is  just spread some butter onto a slice of white bread and she’ll be one happy girl. For the time being, I will just leave her alone with her ‘ritual’ for she’s into sports and will jump at any possible chances to go for outdoor activities. At the moment, she’s into badminton and she has managed to make our helper her opponent. So, where am I in the picture? In the kitchen, doing more cooking, of course! Hence, the size and why am I complaining?

I do not blame Atus for her love of bread for I’m a bread fanatic too. I’ve always been amazed with the soft, spongy texture and the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread. As I’ve stated in one of my previous entries, the kneading alone can bring much joy and satisfaction. Now that I’ve already owned a bread maker, I am pretty sure that my Atus and I will have more fun with our bread passion.

Still about bread, I’ve tried the recipe below when I discovered that a big loaf of bread was on the verge, waiting for its expiry. I had forgotten to store it in the freezer so I had to perform an emergency saving action. It was destined, I would say, for on that particular day, I had a pot luck session in school and I had a strong feeling that the recipe would be a very good option. I forwarded this recipe to my friend, Yong to try when she asked for a simple bread and butter pudding recipe. She was very happy with the outcome and I have decided to share the her custard sauce recipe with all of you. I brought the pudding to school and it was a great hit. Many prefer the pudding without the custard sauce but when it comes to food, it’s always a  matter of preference. Do try and let me know how you enjoyed your pudding!

 APPLE RAISIN BREAD PUDDING WITH CUSTARD SAUCE

Source : yani@myresipi.com.

Ingredients :

     (A) Apple syrup

• 2 small green apples ( I used three apples)
• 60g of raisin               (I added 100g of raisins)
• 60g of butter
• 30g of brown sugar ( I used  soft brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoonful of cinnamon powder

      (B) For the sauce

• 3 Grade A eggs
• 125g caster sugar  (I used vanilla sugar)
• 500ml fresh milk ( I used Dutch Lady low fat)
• a few drops of vanilla essence ( I used 1/2 a teaspoonful)

    (C) a loaf of bread (each slice is cut into four sections)

 

    (D) For the custard sauce (optional)

• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoonful of custard flour
• a few drops of vanilla essence

Method :

1. First, prepare the apple syrup. Peel and chop the apples into 1cm cubes. Put apple cubes and the remaining ingredients into a pot. Cook over medium heat till the butter melts. Turn off the heat and let to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. For the sauce, put eggs, sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl and beat till sugar dissolved. Then, stir in milk gradually.
3. For the pudding, grease your baking tin with some butter. Arrange bread pieces to fill up your baking tin. Then spoon some of the apple syrup mixture on top of the bread pieces and spoon some sauce over. keep layering until all bread pieces are used. The top layer should be your bread pieces.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 140C using double-boil method. Let to cool and cut into squares and enjoy!

Note : This is how I prepared the custard sauce. Just mix everything and cook over medium heat over water bath till but do not let the mixture come to a boil. Spoon over your bread pudding.

 

Disastrously Delicious!

I have been blogging since 2008 and part of this activity has resulted in three main recipe folders. Truthfully, I’ve tried some of them but there are plenty which are still waiting to be experimented in my humble kitchen. Some time last week, I told my helper to thaw the beef, but at the same time, I did not have any idea on how to prepare it. As I was having my usual cup of morning tea, I flipped through my recipe folder and finally came across something very simple to prepare. Typical me. End of story.

The recipe stated that  I needed these ingredients :

Dendeng 

Source : erna@MyResipi.com

• 500g beef 
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 tablespoonfuls of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoonful of sugar
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

To be ground :

• 2 tablespoonfuls of cummin seeds
• 1 tablespoonful of fennel seeds
• 10 shallots
• 3 tablespoonfuls of chilli paste
• a small piece of ginger.

Method :

1. Slice the beef thinly and mix well with a little bit of ground ingredients. Keep aside for a while.
2. Then, deep fry your beef pieces till crispy and keep aside.
3. Then, stir fry the remaining ground ingredients, put in the tomatoes, salt, sugar, soy sauce and fried beef slices. Cook till the gravy thickens.

Well, since I had already prepared the ingredients and the cooking steps seemed to be straight forward, I was ready to be in action. Only after I had fried my beef pieces, I noticed that something was not right. I had mistakenly used up all the ground ingredients to marinade my beef and I had nothing left for the gravy. I checked the recipe again and admitted my mistake for not being careful. No, no, no. A budding cook should never panic. A cook should always try to improvise (and yes, you guessed it right. I was merely trying to calm myself!). So, since I’d already fried my beef pieces, I decided to put them back into my wok and added the remaining ingredients and continued to cook until the gravy thickened. The verdict ? Mr KHz agreed with me that the dish tasted good. Disastrous cooking steps? Yes, but taste wise, undoubtedly delicious!

Here’s the photo of my ‘disastrous’ creation. Just to note that I used sirloin and added 5 cloves of garlic to the actual recipe. As for the soy sauce, I used sweet soy sauce and 1 inch piece of ginger. About the cooking steps, it’s up to you to follow which version that you find more suitable.

‘DENDENG’