Curry Chicken Pie

I have been searching for a rectangular tart pan around my area but in vain; and when I found one selling in KL, it was too expensive to have it for that price.  One day I happened to get some baking ingredients in one of the shop and saw they were selling this square tart pan which cost for $17.00+ and go ahead to purchase it.

And today, "opening ceremony" for this square tart pan, I have made Curry Chicken Pie!

Curry Chicken Pie

Basic Pie Dough Ingredients

320 all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1tsp sugar

227g butter

1/4 - 1/2 cups ice water

Directions

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.  (Alternatively, you can use your hands to lightly combine together).

Sprinkle with ice water little by little. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers.  

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

 

Curry Chicken Filling

1 chicken breast or 1 boneless drumstick, cut cubes

1 big potato, cut cubes

1 carrot, cut cubes (optional)

1 big onion, cut cubes

1 tbsp curry meat powder

2 tbsp coconut milk or fresh milk (for a creamier taste)

2 tbsp oil

Salt & sugar to taste

Heat a frying pan with the 2 tbsp oil, fry the onion till fragrant.  Add in the curry powder and the chicken meat.  Fry till the meat tender and add in the potato cubes and carrot if added.  

Add in the milk, salt and sugar to taste.  Dish out and set aside to cool.

1.  Roll out the dough to fit to the tart pan.

2.  Pour the curry chicken fillings into the pan. 

3.  The extra dough can roll out to deco the top to your desire pattern.

4.  Brush the top with egg wash.

5.  Bake the pie at preheated oven 160C for 30 minutes.

With the hot weather here, I have to roll to cut out the strips for the topping as fast as I could.  This is why the pleating was not done properly; else it will be nicely done in, "in out pleating"

  Oooooh.......... it is sooooooo delicious.............!  

  

     You can always make your own fillings to your likings!

   So full after one piece with a cup of tea !!

Mixed Fruits Bread Pudding

I have two big punnets of strawberries, two big punnets of cherries and one punnet of apricots in my fridge.  What should I do with them instead of just having them eaten fresh?  As I always loves to eat desserts, I think I use some of them to make dessert.

When I first saw this recipe Fruits Bread Pudding, I thought I be looking at the pictures with some small slices of bread of top like the usual bread pudding.  But where is the bread slices on the top of the pudding?  So I continue to read the method of making it.  Oh, it was blend together with the milk in the blender.  Oh that is cool to me!

Here with my mixed fruits bread pudding with caramel topping.......

Mixed Fruits Bread Pudding

Recipe from Masam Manis

Ingredients

125 gm of sugar

zest of one lemon

300 ml of milk

200 grams of white bread without crust

4 eggs

100 ml double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fruits of your choice

I have used strawberries, cherries, blueberries & apricots (chopped small)

Chocolate chips (if you preferred to be added in)

caramel for coating the pan 

To make Caramel

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup water

Caramel the sugar in a small saucepan till brown.  Pour in the water slowly and stir till the sugar melted.  Immediately pour into your baking pan/ramekins and set aside

Preparation

Dip a mold with caramel. 

Mix the sugar with the lemon zest.  

Add eggs and beat with sticks until they whiten about 6-8 minutes. 

Heat the milk slightly and add the bread and  blender.  

Add the double cream , egg mixture slowly stirring so that no firm.  

Pour this preparation and add vanilla mix well. Add the chopped fruit , chocolate chips and mix. 

Pour into caramelized pan and bake in a water bath at 160 ° for 40 minutes.

Allow to cool.  

Unmold and garnish to taste.

            Do you like desserts?  I know my mother will loves this bread pudding alot!

           HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MOM!  I'm sure sister S will 

                           bake you a birthday cake.  Wish I can bake a cake for you too.

I love you Mom!

                           Little flowers from my garden........
   

Purple Rose Mantou (Mantou 饅頭)

Everywhere is selling purple sweet potato recently and I better get hold of this before it is hard to find later on as I have some recipes which I have bookmarked earlier.

When I first saw Wendy of Table for 2....or more post this beautiful Rose Mantou, I was so impressed and amazed how beautiful it was.  And I also found out few fellow bloggers has also done this too.  I wanted to make it but just sad couldn't get hold of purple sweet potato until now I got the chance to make it.

Mantou is actually a Chinese steamed bun (plain) and usually you can eat it as it own or go as an accompaniments to savoury dishes (pork belly, bbq pork) or sweet fillings such as red beans, kaya custard. 

I got to know Mantou is when watching ancient chinese series where they usually have mantou to bring along with them when they go travelling etc...... or they stop by at road side for a tea and have a mantou as snack.  Am I right?

I am glad Wendy post this Purple Rose Mantou whereby I got to make it today.  The male members in my family wasn't really a rose mantou person........ so we the ladies have to eat it.

Purple Rose Mantou

Recipe from Wendy of Table for 2....or more

Ingredients
250gm steamed purple sweet potato
200gm water
500gm pau flour
1 tsp baking powder
100gm sugar
50gm shortening/Crisco
1/4 tsp salt
11gm instant yeast

1. Mash sweet potato, or blitz sweet potato with almost all the water to get a fine paste.  

 
2. With balance of water, mix with yeast.
 

3. Combine everything except shortening and mix to form a dough.
 

4. Put in shortening and knead until dough is smooth. Add slightly more flour is dough is way 

     too sticky to handle. If the dough is sticky but can retain its form, like not slacking down, 

     just continue to knead, the gluten just hasn’t form, there’s no need to add extra flour.

5. Cover and let dough proof until double, about 1 hour.
 

6. Punch down dough and knead for 1-2 minutes.
 

7. Divide dough into 15g each.  

    Flatten each ball and roll out flat. With fingers, press the sides of the circle to make them 

    flatter and to create ripples (uneveness) .

8. Arrange 6 pieces of flattened dough, half stacking on top of each other.

9. Start rolling from the first piece on the bottom.

10. With a chopstick, saw the roll, it will roll while you saw, creating a fatter center than the 

       sides. Eventually it will break into 2.

11. Place rose buds upright on a piece of paper.Let buns rise to double and steam on high 

      heat for 12 minutes.

 

  Please go over to Wendy's blog for a more clearer tutorial pictures.  Mine is ugly and sucks!!

          
         Before steaming.

 
               After steamed...........

    Actual Mantou is like this type of shape.........

   So tiring doing this alone by myself but the Rose indeed has cheered me up....... :-)

Pandan Layer Cake II ...... revisited again !

I was window shopping the other day and passed by a bakery shop.  On the window pane, I could see some deliciously looking varieties of cakes and buns.  Suddenly it caught my eyes, the green layers cake at one corner, oh, the Pandan Layer Cake!  Slurp........ it just makes me crave hungrily.

So the next day, to stop my craving, .... revisited here again my Pandan Layer Cake II.  I used back the same recipe from my  previous Pandan Layer Cake post  and have made some slight amendment too on the reduce coconut milk to 600ml and the pandan juice to 300ml to make it up overall both combination to 900ml together which I feel is just appropriate.

I hope you won't mind of me posting my Pandan Layer Cake II again.

Well, I made a fumble when baking the sponge cake in the oven where the tray was slot in slanting and disappointing turn out just 2 layers only!   I just go ahead to use the cake.

       Though it is not sky high in 3 layers, who cares, it is still delicious to indulge in!

Honey Pork Belly

For lunch, I usually like to cook fuss free dishes.  Ha... maybe just being lazy that I rather go for easy to cook dish. 

This flavourful Honey Pork Belly is indeed delicious.  
I think other than Pork Belly, we can use tenderloin or boneless chicken drumstick too!

Honey Pork Belly

Recipe from Nami of Just One Cookbook


Go over to her blog to view steps by steps how to cook this delicious flavourful pork belly and the ingredients for this dish!
(She is the guest post at Wok With Ray for this dish!).

         Thank you Nami, for this delicious simple dish !!

Onde Onde.... in purple !

The last time I made Onde Onde was when I am in my teenager's time if I am not wrong.  And at that time, I am still staying in Kampar, my hometown and as I can easily this delicious snack in the wet market or at the road side stalls.

As I have long never eaten this sweet delicacy, one day when I was in the pasar malam (night market), I saw this lady selling with just a tray of beautiful looking green on onde onde.  She claimed that these were made homemade.  It is so beautiful big green balls coated with coconut shreds.  I just can't help it but asked for 4 pieces (I think it is about RM1.00).  So the first thing I reached home, I took one and bite a small bite into my mouth..  oh my.... I couldn't even want to swallow in and spit it out.  It is so "ngan ngan" (too chewy and gooey).  It doesn't even taste like the one I had way back in my hometown kind of Onde Onde.  

I want to make my Onde Onde where the ratio of sweet potato is more than the glutinous rice.  This is called authentic onde onde.  Some people doesn't even know that Onde Onde were made with sweet potato and thought it just uses the glutinous rice!   

I stumbled upon some Purple Sweet Potato in G Hypermarket and was so happy as it is quite difficult to get this purple ones.  Though not much left on the shelf and a bit of wrinkle already, I go ahead to buy a few though haven't had any idea what to do with it.

Now, here with my Purple Onde Onde......... real delicious Onde Onde with sweet potato!  This is what I called Onde Onde!!!  And this is the recipe I want.

Onde Onde

Recipe sourced from maameemoomoo
 

Skin
180g sweet potato, steamed and mashed
50g glutinous rice flour
20g tapioca or corn flour
25g sugar
30-45ml water, depending on the dough

Filling
80-100g gula melaka (palm sugar), chopped fine

Coating
1/2 young shredded coconut + pinch of salt, steamed for 5 minutes

Method
1.  Mix in all skin ingredients and knead into a smooth dough.  

     (It is better to mix in the water bit by bit as it all depends on the dough)

2. Divide into small balls  (I weight about 25g per balls) and wrap in filling.

3. Boil a pot of water and once it boiled, put in balls into boiling water.  Once the balls

     float up, dish out and roll it into the steamed coconut shred  and fully coat all over.

    The melted palm sugar oozing out............. ooh this is what I called Onde Onde!!!

      About 13 pieces.....

Shrimp Pad Thai

My lunch today is Shrimp Pad Thai.  

Shrimp Pad Thai

Recipe source from Season With Spice with slight changes

Ingredients: 
Rice Noodles (Kueh Teow) for two servings
5 tbsp cooking oil
4 cloves garlic - chopped finely
1 extra firm tofu – cut into sliced into bite-sized cubes

5 - 10 medium-sized fresh shrimp
1 tsp chili powder
2 eggs
1 cup of bean sprouts
A handful of chive stalks – cut into 2-inch length pieces
White pepper to taste

Pad Thai seasoning sauce: 
3 tbsp tamarind pulps – mixed in 1/3 cup of warm water, then strained out the juice
2 tbsp palm sugar (or dark brown sugar)
2 tbsp fish sauce

Condiments and garnishes (serve according to your preference) 
Lime wedges
Crushed peanuts
Garlic chives
Fresh bean sprouts
Dried red chili flakes

Method: 
1. Soak the rice stick noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes, then drain. Set aside.

2. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan. Once oil is hot, add in the bean curd pieces and 

     stir-fry until they are crisp and lightly brown. Should take about 5 minutes. Set tofu aside.

4. In the same work or pan, add in garlic and stir-fry over medium heat for a minute or until

     fragrant. Add in the noodles. Pour the sauce and dried red chili flakes over the noodles. 

     Turn the fire back up and stir quickly to keep the noodles from sticking. Add a little bit of 

     water if the noodles are still hard. Add in the shrimp and the cooked tofu. Continue to 

     stir-fry over high heat for one or two minutes, adding more oil if necessary.

5. When the shrimp is almost cooked, push all the ingredients to one side of the wok. Then 

     add in two more tablespoons of oil on the other side and crack the two eggs onto the oil. 

     Let the eggs cook for about 15 seconds before thoroughly mixing them into the noodles.

6. Toss in the bean sprouts and garlic chives. Stir them into the noodles, and stir-fry for

     another 30 seconds. Turn fire off and add in white pepper. 

7. Dish out and serve with condiments and garnishes.

  You may add extra chili powder or chili flakes if you want the noodles to be a little more 

  spicy!

HUM JIM PENG 咸煎饼 / CHINESE 5-SPICE DOUGHNUTS

We can easily get this Hum Jim Peng 咸煎饼 at the wet market or at the road side food stalls.  Once in a while I will buy this or the You Tiau but my mum will always nag and forbids us to buy it previously.  She will keep remind us that the big wok with full of 'black oil' frying the doughnuts; and too unhealthy!

So to stop my craving for his Hum Jim Peng, I have to make this at home.  I have a few cookbooks with this Hum Jim Peng recipes and after some comparison to which one should I use, I decided to use Agnes Chang's recipe!

HUM JIM PENG 咸煎饼 / CHINESE 5-SPICE DOUGHNUTS

Recipe from Agnes Chang Hawkers’ Delights

Ingredients A:

360g high protein flour (bread flour)

120g caster sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

½ tsp alkaline water

250ml water

Ingredients B: (prepare this two days ahead)  ~ I did this just for 1 day only

90g flour

90ml water

2 tsp vinegar

Ingredients C:

½ tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp water

Fillings

½ tsp five-spice powder

½ tsp nam yee (fermented red beancurd)

½ tsp oil

Some white sesame seeds

Oil for deep frying

Method

1.  Mix ingredients B two days ahead.  

2.  Mix ingredients C and leave for 15 minutes.

3.  Mix ingredients A, B and C together.  Knead well.  Leave for 1-2 hours until double in bulk.

4.  Roll out the dough in rectangle shape. (You have to use your hand, dust with flour 
     to shape it as it is too sticky to use your rolling pin!). 

5.  Brush all over the five-spice mixture on the dough and roll up like swiss roll.
     (As you rolling it up, use the scrapper helping to fold and roll).

     Cut into slices, about 1/4" thick.  Shape each slice a little with your hands and flatten a little.  Brush some water on top and sprinkle white sesame seeds on the surface. 

6.  Heat oil and deep fry till golden brown.  (While frying, keep turning/flipping the doughnut to get the puffiness result).

Next I would want to make the one with the glutinous rice filling in it.

STEAMED YAM CAKE

I like to eat Steamed Yam Cake.  I used to buy from one stall that just operate at the road side and in the beginning (few years ago) they were selling at RM1.50 per piece and now RM2.20!!  Their steamed yam cake is so delicious because the yam is cut into big piece and loadful full of it!  Maybe this is why it is so costly!

I have made it today but I think I am still way behind compare to this stall.  My texture is still very soft, guess I have not cooked well in the batter as it is still a little wet.  Well, it is still good.

STEAMED YAM CAKE

Ingredients

400g yam, cleaned and diced

4 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and pounded

½ tsp five spice powder

3-4 pieces dried mushroom,  soaked and diced

4 pips garlic, chopped

6 tbsp oil

Batter (mixed & strained)

250g rice flour

62g tapioca flour

700ml water

Seasoning

½ cube chicken stock

½ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

Garnishing

1 stalk spring onion, chopped

2 red chilli, chopped

3 tbsp fried shallots

3 tbsp coarsely chopped toasted peanuts (optional)

Method

1.  Heat up oil, sauté garlic until fragrant, add dried prawn and stir fry until aromatic.

     Add in the diced mushroom, yam, five spice powder and stir fry until fragrant.

2.  Add in the batter, seasonings and  stir until batter is half-cooked.  Pour mixture into

     9” steaming tray.  Steam with high heat for about 45 minutes – 1 hour until cooked.

3.  Remove from heat, sprinkle all garnishing and top and leave to cool.

4.  Cut into pieces and serve with your favourite chilli sauce!

OREO CHEESECAKE

Today is my dear Sister S’s birthday!  

Happy Birthday to you sis and may brighter days will shine upon you again!  Make a wish, and hope the coming days and years be a smoother life journey to you.

I have wanted to bake this Oreo Cheesecake for so long but I waited to do this for a special occasion and for a special person.   This is why I waited for this day to bake it.

I don’t know why recently most of the cakes and cookies that I have baked don’t turn up well and perfect for me.   I just do not know what is the failure I have made as I’ve followed the steps as it was. 

The base of this cake; the Chocolate Sponge, doesn’t look well perfectly done.  Sigh….. but I still go ahead to use it.  Just do not want to bake another one to go wasted.    

OREO CHEESECAKE

Recipe adapted from Masam Manis

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Ingredients

3 eggs (Grade B)

62gm caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

7gm ovalette

20ml water

50gm all purpose flour (sifted)

10gm cocoa powder (sifted)

½ tsp baking powder

35gm melted butter

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 170C.  Grease and lined an 8” round pan.

2.  Combine all ingredients except the melted butter in the mixing bowl and whisk till

      light and fluffy.

3.  Add in the melted butter with a spatula and mix till well combined.

4.  Pour in to the prepare baking pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes till well baked.

5.  Cool on the rack.

6.  Slice the cake about 2cm high.

Cream Cheese

Ingredients

250g cream cheese, at room temperature (I use Philadephia)

80g caster sugar

100g white cooking chocolate, melted

250g whipping cream

50g water

15g gelatin powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 packet Oreo Biscuit

Method

1.  Put the 50g water in a medium bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder on top.  Let it stand

     for 5 minutes.  Using double boiler method, melt till the gelatin dissolved, set aside.

2.  Melt the white chocolate using double boiler method, and set aside.

3.  Beat the cream cheese and sugar together till light and creamy.  (please make sure the

      cream cheese is at room temperature).

4.  Add in the melted white chocolate.

5.  Pour in the gelatin and mix till combined.

6.  Add the vanilla extract in.

7.  In another bowl, whip the whipping cream till  light and firm.

8.  Add 1/3 of the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture and mix well.

     Add the remaining whipping cream and mix all to combined well together.

9.  Scoop the cream cheese into the piping bag.

To Assemble

1.  Put the nicely slice chocolate sponge cake into the round 8” loose pan/or spring form pan.

2.  Pipe out one layer covering the whole top of the sponge cake.

3.  Place few Oreo biscuits around the top cream cheese layer.

4.  Pipe again one layer of cream cheese on top of the Oreo.

5.  Place another few pieces around the cream cheese again.

6.  Pipe the final layer of cream cheese covering all up the Oreo and smooth the top nicely.

7.  Refrigerate the Cheesecake at least 4 hours.

8.  Remove the Cheesecake from refrigerator and smooth nice the top and the side.

9.  Decorate your Cheesecake to your desire design!

Note:

In order to get a nicely perfect Cheesecake slice cut, have your knife to soak into the hot warm water for few minutes.  Make sure to wipe dry the knife first before cutting.  

 Cream Cheese, White Chocolate and Whipping Cream...... rich and creamy cake!  

 Practice makes perfect.......next time if I were to make this again!   

    
     S, hope you have enjoyed this delicious cake....erh...... I mean devouring looking at
       it.....   :-)

Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin, 黒ごまプリン)

I came across La Fuji Mama's website when I was searching for a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake.   As I was going through all her recipes, this Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin) recipe caught my attention and immediately I bookmarked it.  I always loves dessert and more so this pudding with Black Sesame Seeds!!

I think I like all black seeds..... like the poppy seeds too!!

Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin, 黒ごまプリン)

Recipe source from Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Ingredients

7g gelatin powder
1 ½ tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup toasted black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2  ½  cups milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Method

1. Soften the gelatin: 

    Put the cold water in a medium-size bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the 

    water and set aside to soften.

2. Grind the sesame seeds: 

     Blend the sesame seeds together with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in a blender 

     till fine.

3. Make the pudding: 

    In a medium-size saucepan, mix the ground sesame seed mixture, milk, and 1/2 cup 

    granulated sugar together. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent the

    milk from burning. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, add the softened gelatin and 

    stir to melt and combine. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cream.

4. Cooling the pudding: 

     Fill a large bowl halfway with ice, then cover the ice with cold water. Pour the pudding 

     from the saucepan into a slightly smaller bowl, and carefully place the bowl into the ice 

     water bowl, taking care not to spill water into the pudding bowl. Whisk the pudding 

     briefly, then leave it to cool for 5 minutes.

5. While waiting for the milk mixture to cool, set out few pudding bowls to pour the pudding 

    into.

6. After cooled, whip the pudding for about 5 minutes (this whisking will produce a lighter 

     pudding), then equally divide the pudding between the prepared containers. Cover the 

    bowls and place in the refrigerator to set up for a minimum of 4 hours, or until firm. Serve 

    cold, garnished with a bit of whipped cream or topping of choice.