Blueberries Almond Muffin

When Jessie of Jessie-CookingMoments posted her Raspberries Blueberries Muffins weeks ago, not only the ingredients that captivated me but after reading her opening 1st paragraph, I just had a laugh and I know this muffin must be real good that the Hippomama's grandma keep coming back asking more for this muffins.

I always love blueberries and almond meal in my bakes and if I have all the ingredients in my fridge, I will not hesitate to bake this immediately.

And guess what, at this post, this is already my 2nd bake for this delicious muffins;  only thing is I only have blueberries in my fridge, so no raspberries in it.  As I have baked Blueberries Muffin before, and I do not want to confused with the same title of Blueberries Muffin, so I named this as Blueberries Almond Muffin instead.

Blueberry Almond Muffins 
Recipe Source & text copy from Jessie-CookingMoments with changes 

Ingredients 
150g Low Gluten Flour, sifted

140g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
120g Caster Sugar
60g Cream (35% Fat)
40g Almond Meal
4g Baking Powder
1g Salt

2 Eggs (about 60g each)
2tbsp Fresh Milk
120g Frozen Blueberries, lightly thawed
Fine Zest of 1 Lemon 

Method:
1. Mix flour, almond meal, baking powder & salt in a clean bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 160C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
3. Beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add cream & lemon zest. 

    Mix well.
4. Add flour mixture & milk. Mix well on each addition.
5. Fold in the blueberries.
6. Spoon the muffin mixture into the cupcake liners until 80% full.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Well, needless for me to say, as this is my 2nd baked in a row, these muffins are really yummy and delicious.  But if you are not into cakes that are creamy and buttery in texture, I don't know if you will like it ...  well, I really do absolutely crazily LOVE IT!!  Because the texture is something like my top favourite cake ~ Tish Boyle's Plainly Perfect Pound Cake

Thank you Jessie.

"Almost Perfect" Butter Chicken

My family and I absolutely loves Butter Chicken!  Whenever I am back to Auckland for visit, Butter Chicken is a must for me to indulge into.

I have in fact cooked few versions/recipes of Butter Chicken but non of those are of the similar taste that I have tasted to that "Shamiana"or "Masala" restaurant Butter Chicken.  Either it was too tangy in the sauce or it doesn't have that herbs in taste.

I have almost 5 or 6 recipes I have bookmarked previously but wasn't ready to try it out.  Yes, I did alot of google searching, even go to the extend of studying one recipe comparing with another what herbs and spices to go into it.  Until one day I searched in the youtube and saw this video and it just clicked to me that this is just the right one.  

Well, one of the ingredients is "dry fenugreek leaves" which I have doubted whether I can find it here.  I tried searching at the local hypermarkets here and no... they don't have it.   Going to the Indian grocery spice shops  one shop after another and no....they don't have.  So, I thought maybe I go ask at the wet market to see whether they have the fresh fenugreek leaves (daun halba).  Oh no...they don't have too and some they don't even know what I am talking about.  And one young Indian lady just shove me the curry leaves instead!

Well, one of the weekend, I went to the city looking for it at the Indian shops again.  I went straight to the worker and asked "Do you have kasuri methi?"  He just went to one of the corner and gives me a pack of it.  You wouldn't believe it as I wanted to jump up high with joy when I finally found what I want!!

Cooking Indian food is not my forte, but butter chicken is my favourite so I will try and try and try to achieve that butter chicken taste that I had wanted;  just like "Shamiana" butter chicken!

BUTTER CHICKEN
Recipe inspired from Vahrehvah with changes

Ingredients
500g boneless & skinless chicken thigh, cut into long strips
1 sprig coriander leaves
50g butter
80ml cream (cooking cream or heavy cream or whipping cream)
1 tsp tomato ketchup (optional)


Marinade
1 tsp ginger garlic paste 
½ tsp chilli powder

½ tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp salt 

Sauce 

2 tbsp oil

1 medium size onion

400g tomato

1 green chilli

6 pieces cashew nuts

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi), lightly crushed

1/4 - 1/3 cup water

2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Method

Marinade the chicken pieces with the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes.

In a large frying pan, heat the pan with the oil and lightly pan fry the chicken 10 minutes till fragrant.  Dish out the chicken pieces and set aside.

In the remaining oil in the frying pan, add in the cumin seeds, onion, ginger garlic paste, and some water in.  Give it a stir for a minute then add in the coriander powder, cashew nuts, chilli powder, fenugreek leaves. green chilli, and lastly the tomatoes.  Stir to combined all up and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 10 minutes till tomatoes are soften.

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before pouring it into the blender.  Blend till all mashed up.

In a clean frying pan, add in the butter, pour in the juice from the chicken pieces, and the tomato puree mixture (I strained the tomato mixture before pouring into the pan), add in some water in,  salt to taste (I add about 1 tsp) and the sugar.  Let the sauce comes to a boil and add in the tomato ketchup (optional), 1/2 cup cream and stir to combine the sauce up.  Lastly add in the chicken pieces and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Dish up and serves with steamed rice or naan bread.

Do watch his video

*  The Butter chicken has the mild sweet in taste.

*  Those butter chicken serving in the restaurant/hotel has more vibrant in orangy colour as 

    they add artificial colouring in it. 

This is the dry fenugreek leaves ("Kasuri Methi")

Should anyone of you needed some of this dry fenugreek leaves, email me and I will send some to you.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest - Indian Subcontinent hosted by  

Chef and Sommelier.

Coffee Castella Cake

While I'm still in obsessed and getting good at it, the guts get bolder now.  I have been thinking should I bake the green tea or the chocolate flavour the next?  Well, since I am a coffee person, so I head on to make this Coffee Castella Cake.

COFFEE CASTELLA CAKE 

Ingredients
4 egg whites at room temperature

4 egg yolks at room temperature

130g sugar

100g bread flour, sifted  

2 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee, dilute in 2 tbsp water.

Method

Using two square cake pan measuring 8" and 7"; and cut out some cardboard to fit and slot in between the two pans on all four sides.  Wrapped the cut out cardboards with aluminium foils. Preheat oven to (165°C).

In a small bowl, dilute the instant coffee with 2 tbsp water.  Set aside.

Place egg whites in mixing bowl and beat at high speed  for 30 sec until slightly foamy. Add sugar in 2 to 3 batches until firm peaks form, about 4 min.

Add yolks one at a time at medium low speed until well combined, about 1 min. 

Add in the honey. Whisk till combined.  
Add sifted bread flour and beat until just combined.

Drizzle the coffee around and lightly using a spatula to mix in till combined. 

Pour the batter into the 7" cake pan. Give the pan lightly tap on the counter to release air out. Using a spatula, smoothen the top of batter to remove any remaining bubbles. Put the 7" pan into the 8" pan and slot in all four corners with the wrapped aluminium cardboard.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 min or until top is evenly browned. Toothpick inserted into cake should come out clean. Remove pan from oven and carefully take out the 7" square pan  and drop it from a one foot height onto the counter 2-3 times to prevent shrinkage.  Invert the cake pan onto metal cooling tray for 5-10 minutes. 

When cake is cool enough to handle, remove from pan. Peel off parchment paper and turn it upside down onto a fresh piece of parchment paper. Wrap with plastic wrap and leave overnight at room temperature to preserve moisture in the cake and for flavor to develop.

To serve, cut off edges on three sides except the browned top with a very sharp knife. Cut into thick slices using a sawing motion.

                                 It is indeed so good with the coffee flavour!  

Happy Mother's Day!!

Chocolate Biscuits Slice

Have you eaten Chocolate Biscuits Cake before?  I remember when I was working way back in PJ, a colleague of mine, made this non-baked chocolate slice which is so delicious.  I have asked her for her recipe but unfortunately, after few shifting houses, I can't find that recipe anywhere with me anymore.

I try to google search for Chocolate Biscuits cake which have dessicated coconuts in it but most of it doesn't have that in the ingredients.  

Anyway today I have chosen Donna Hay's recipe but replace the milk instead of cream.

CHOCOLATE BISCUITS SLICE

Ingredients

150g biscuits (I used Arnotts’ Milk Coffee), roughly chopped

60ml milk

360g-380g dark chocolate, chopped (do use good quality dark chocolate or you can mix)

95g butter, chopped

cocoa, for dusting

Method

Prepare a 8” square tin lined with non-stick baking paper.

Place the milk, chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place the biscuits in a mixing bowl, pour over two-thirds of the chocolate and stir to coat.

Spoon into square pan and press to level filling up any holes, and pour over the remaining chocolate mixture. Tap the sides of the tin to remove any bubbles. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Remove from tin, dust with cocoa and cut into squares to serve.

Original recipe sourced and inspired from Donna Hay's Chocolate Shortbread Slice

  
This is my second time making this.  The first one, I have used another recipe which is similarly.  But using the local Marie biscuits.  And after a day or two in the fridge, the biscuits in the chocolate turn soft.  This is why, I used Arnotts' Milk Coffee this time.  

       This is so easy to make and so heavenly delicious too!  

This post is linked to the Bake Along #60 organised by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up (May 2014 : Milk) hosted by

Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House