Cheesy and Gooey, and Loving It!

I have been meaning to try this recipe for quite some time but as usual, the typical reason would be time is not always on my side. However, I finally had the chance to do it. The verdict? It’s cheesy and gooey and I’m loving it!

CHEESY WEDGES

Source : MamaFaMi

Ingredients :

• 500g frozen wedges ( I used Simplot Spicy)
• 5 sliced cheese (orange in color)
• 1 tablespoonful of butter
• 1 tablespoonful of  flour
• 1/2 cup of fresh milk
• 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt ( I used Nestle low-fat)
• Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoonful of chicken powder (I added)
• 1/2 teaspoonful of chilli powder (I added)

Method :

1. Fry the wedges till crispy and keep aside.
2. Melt butter in a non stick pan over slow fire. next, add in flour and keep stirring.
3. Pour fresh milk into the pan and stir till the mixture thickens.
4. Add in your cheese slices and stir till the cheese melts.
5. Add in yogurt and stir well.
6. Place the sauce and mayonnaise in 2 piping bags ( I just used plastic bags) and pipe onto the wedges.
7. Serve hot.

 

Fruity Goodness

This recipe is simple and yet very satisfying. Do give it a try, will you?

FRUIT PASTRY

Source : Gert of My Kitchen Snippets and MamaFami

Ingredients :

•  113g butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of caster sugar ( I used vanilla sugar)
• 50g sour cream (I replaced it with plain low-fat yoghurt)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 Grade A eggs, at room temperature
• 210g plain flour
• 1 teaspoonful of baking powder
• 500g fresh fruits (I used strawberries, blueberries and canned peaches)

Method :

1. Place cuts fruits in a strainer and sprinkle with 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar
2.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F ( I set mine at 150C). Line and grease a baking pan.
3. Cream butter, sugar and yoghurt together until creamy.
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla and orange zest. Continue beating.
5. Fold in flour and baking powder gently until everything is well-mixed
6. Pour batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Place cut fruits on top.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake is done.
8. Let to cool and serve.

 

The Spongy and I

As I’ve mentioned beforehand, the smell of freshly baked bread and buns can make me weak at my knees.Just by looking at the photos of these delicious work of art can bring the similar effect to me. Here, I would like to share one of my favourite bread recipes which is also Atus’s favourite.

CHICKEN FLOSS BUN

Source : MamaFami

(A)

• 500g of high protein flour
• 1 teaspoonful of instant yeast

(B)

• 60g sugar
• 1 teaspoonful of salt
• 1 teaspoonful of milk powder

(C)

• 1 egg (about 50g)
• 250ml water

(D)

• 50g butter

(E) (I added these too!)

• 1 teaspoonful of bread softener
• 1/2 teaspoonful of bread improver

(F)

• chicken floss ( I used ready-made floss by AgroMas)
• mayonnaise

Method :

1. Since I’m using my breadmaker to knead and proof the dough, I pour in the water and egg first into my breadmaker’s pan and followed by the remaining ones.
2. I did half of the recipe and I managed to get about 8 balls. Once the dough has risen, I egg washed the shaped dough and baked it at 150C for 20 minutes but I noticed that the top was a wee bit too brown. Next time, I should reduce the baking time.
3. Once baked, keep aside but do not let to cool. When the buns are still warm, spread some mayonnaise and sprinkle the chicken floss on top.
4. I enjoyed my bun at 10.00 pm last night, of course, with my darling girl. Give it a try, will you?

 

Jello to Mellow

Although it could be ages before I’m able to try the numerous recipes in my recipe folders, a session in the kitchen would never fail to ease all the stress and any possible and unbearable impact the working world could bring. My whisk and spatula and my pots and pans have always been my loyal saviour. As the school holidays are coming and this means all the files need to be updated, I have chosen a simple jelly recipe just to mellow me down. A definite cooling and calming food therapy.

PUDING TAUHU

Source : K.Nor@SecubitGaram

Ingredients :

(A) (the pudding)

• a packet of jelly powder (about 10g)
• 6 and 1/2 cups of water
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of sugar
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk ( I used Ayam Brand and diluted with some water)
• 1/2 cup of condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• a pinch of salt
• 1 screwpine leaf ( tied into a knot)

(B) (the sauce)

• 1 tin of lychees
• 1 tin of of water  (use the lychee tin to measure)
• 3-4 tablespoonfuls of sugar
• a few slices of tinned peaches (drained and chopped coarsely) and nata de coco (I added these)

Method :

1. In a large pot, put in jelly powder, sugar and screwpine leaf and let to boil.
2. Put in coconut milk, condended milk, evaporated milk and salt. Stir till nearly reaches the boiling point and turn the heat off. Keep aside till warm.
3. Sieve the mixture into a jelly mould.
4. Let to cool. Then, keep your jelly in the refrigerator till set.
5. As for the sauce, drain and shred the lychees but keep the syrup. Put your lychees aside.
6. Add the syrup, water and sugar and let to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Let to cool before keeping in the refrigerator. Add in your chopped peach and nata de coco.
7. To serve, put in your pudding and top with the sauce. It is best served cold.

 

Surviving A Battle

My Daus has never been keen on rice except nasi lemak and chicken rice. Trying to feed him rice is quite taxing most of the time. Well, in my attempt to win a battle, here’s what I’d prepared for him during the Deepavali break. As usual, some improvisations and amendments had taken place. Here’s the recipe if you feel like trying.

SIMPLE CHICKEN RICE

Source : city@Myresipi

Ingredients :

(A)

• 1 chicken (about 1.5kg) (cleaned and quartered)
• enough water to boil the chicken

(B) (To marinade the chicken)

• 4 tablespoonfuls of chilli sauce
• 3 tablespoonfuls of sweet soy sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely pounded)
• 1 tablespoonful of sugar
• salt to taste

(C) (For the soup)

• 2 cloves of garlic (bruised)
• 1 lemongrass (bruised)
• 1 inch piece of ginger (bruised)
• 1 packet of ‘sup bunjut’ ( I replaced this with 1 small piece of cinnamon bark, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom pods and 1 piece of star anise)

(D) (For the chilli sauce)

• 3 ripe tomato
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 fresh red chilies
• 4 bird’s eye chillies ( I used 2)
• 2 teaspoonfuls of vinegar
• salt and sugar to taste

(E) (For the rice)

• 4 cups of rice ( I used basmathi rice, soaked for 10 minutes and drained)
• 5 cups of water
• 3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil
• 2 tablespoonfuls of butter
• 3 shallots (thinly sliced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
• 1 inch piece of ginger (thinly sliced)
• 1 screwpine leaf (shredded and tied into a knot)
• salt to taste

Method :

1. In a large pot, put in the chicken, water and ingredients in (C) except lemongrass, cinnamon bark, cloves, cardamom pods and star anise and and let to boil rapidly. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the liquid and keep aside. Put in the remaining ingredients in (C)let to boil for another 15 minutes and add salt to taste.
2. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients in (B) and put in the cooked chicken pieces and mix well. Keep aside for at least 15 minutes. You can either fry or bake the chicken  but do not throw away the remaining liquid because you can use this liquid as the soy sauce. Just add about 3 tablespoonfuls of sweet soy sauce, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoonfuls of water and heat over small fire for 5-8 minutes. As for the chicken, I baked mine in the oven at 150C (roasting option) for 10-12 minutes for each side.
3. For the rice, heat oil in your rice pot and add in butter. Once butter is melted, stir fry sliced shallots, ginger and garlic till fragrant. Add in screwpine leaf and rice and stir till each grain of rice is coated with oil.
4. Put in water and let to cook.
5. For the chilli sauce, put all ingredients in the blender and grind till fine. I heat up this mixture over small fire for 10 minutes.
6. Serve your chicken rice with the soup, sliced cucumber and tomatoes.

 

Because I’m a Malaysian

When I’m doing my grocery shopping, my two loyal subjects would usually tag along. The trip usually includes lunch or tea at at the eating place of their choice and would be concluded with an ice cream treat. From my observation, they would only ask for ice cream whenever they are going out with me. Somehow, it has become a ritual and frankly, I do cherish these moments with them.

On the other hand, it is a different story when I shop alone. When they prefer to enjoy Angry Birds or a new DVD at home, this means that I will have more time to ‘explore’ the new products available in store. Last month, I came across this product from AgroMas and after reading the information on the packaging, I decided to buy, just to feed my curiosity. Furthermore, this would be another saviour at times when my cook’s blog strikes.

 A TRUE MALAYSIAN PRODUCT

Well, you want to know the verdict? I like this product. It is easy to use and does not have that alkaline aftertaste we usually get from the usual yellow noodles. If you plan to fry your noodle with more gravy, I suggest that blanching the noodles before frying is a better technique compared to boiling. I boiled mine and found it a little bit too soft for my liking. However, all was not lost for Mr KHz enjoys yellow noodles and he finished it anyway.

FRIED NOODLES 

 

Fragrant and Waterless

Chicken, beef or fish? With or without vegetables? Mild or hot and spicy? If you are wondering, the dish I am featuring in this entry could be classified as one of Malaysia’s national dishes. Yes, it is the ultimate curry. After all these years, curry has evolved into being the dish enjoyed by many. Hence, the reason why this recipe is worth a try if you have had enough of the usual fish curry for lunch or dinner. it is also a good choice if you want something different for a change.

FRAGRANT FISH CURRY

Source :  Diana and  K.Nor@SecubitGaram

Ingredients :

(A)

• 600g of white fish (cut into small pieces) (I used 2 large pieces of red snapper, cut into halves)
• salt
• enough cornstarch
• oil for deep frying

(B)

• 4 sprigs of curry leaves
• a handful of dried shrimps ( about 1/4 cup) (soaked in hot water, drained and coarsely pounded)
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 4 shallots (chopped)
• 1 fresh red chilli (thinly sliced)
• bird’s eye chillies (optional) ( I didn’t use any)

(C)

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of curry powder
• 1/2 tablespoonful of oyster sauce
• 1/2 tablespoonful of light soy sauce ( I replaced it with fish sauce)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of dark soy sauce
• sugar to taste

Method :

1. Sprinkle salt over fish pieces and coat with corn starch.
2. Deep fry in hot oil till brown and crispy. Drain and keep aside.
3. Using about 3 tablespoonfuls of oil used to fry the fish, stir fry chopped garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add in pounded dried shrimps and keep on stirring till crisp.
4. Put in red chilli and curry leaves. Continue frying till aromatic.
5. Next, put all ingredients in (C) and mix well.
6. Put in your fried fish and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
7. Serve hot.