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Monday, 20 August 2012

Shrimp Ball

Now that it is school holiday and it's a long Public Holiday here, so I guess most of the food bloggers are taking a break from their normal post as I have noticed.

Instead of joining to the crowded places, I stayed at home taking a rest as I have not been feeling good recently.  Few days while shopping, there were some offer on the tiger prawns, hence I just grab some and thinking of making some snack food out of it.

Today, I have made this "Mom's Shrimp Ball".  Well, for your info, it is not my mom's recipe but it is Nami's mom.



Hop over to Nami's JustOneCookbook for this delicious Mom's Shrimp Ball recipe.
I am just being lazy to type out the recipe here.........  



I just had this for my lunch today.  









Monday, 13 August 2012

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

Previously I don't fancy much of eating chocolate but I think as I grow on the years, my taste for chocolate have change too.  Sometimes I go so addicted of eating chocolate and I could eat non stop.  

As I have a big bar of white chocolate in my fridge and thought of making something out of it. So here with.........




White Chocolate Lemon Truffles
Recipe from What Megan's Making

Ingredients:
250g white chocolate (of good quality)
1/3  cup plus 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
Grated zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
55g unsalted butter, cut into thin slices  (should cut down a little)
2 tsp. freshly-squeezed, strained lemon juice
Icing Sugar, sifted, for coating

Directions:
In small, heavy, non-aluminum saucepan, combine the heavy cream and lemon zest. Over low heat, heat until cream comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover tightly and let sit for 20 minutes.

Combine the white chocolate, salt, and butter in medium heatproof bowl.
Remove the cover from the cream and reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a simmer. Remove from heat.
Strain through fine-meshed strainer into white chocolate mixture. Press down on the lemon zest left in the strainer to extract all the liquid from it.

Place white chocolate mixture over a pot of warm water on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl). Stir the chocolate frequently just until almost melted. Remove the bowl from the warm pot.

Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. (Note: White chocolate can be difficult when melting. If there are small lumps of white chocolate use a food processor and process the mixture at high speed just until smooth.) Stir in lemon juice.

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Chill at least 4 hours, covering tightly when cold.

To make truffles: Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, form balls of about 1 inch diameter from the cold truffle base. Roll in to icing sugar until well-coated. (If you're having trouble, drop the small spoonful of white chocolate into the sugar, using the sugar to help roll it into a ball. Once a ball is formed, re-roll it in the icing sugar until coated.) 

Store truffles airtight in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for longer storage. To serve, remove from refrigerator 15 to 20 minutes prior to serving time. Let stand at room temperature, covered, until serving time.

* This chocolate is of soft texture.... not like the normal hard texture.



These little white chocolate is full of lemon citrus taste and sweet too!


Sunday, 12 August 2012

Egg Custard Tarts / "Darn Tart" 蛋挞

The first time I baked Egg Tarts was in last year.  The Egg Tart  was using the ready made puff pastry which is quick and easy.  That time I was not good in making my own crust pastry and dreaded the feeling of rolling and cutting it up to put into the mould.

Well, since I like to eat Egg Tart, I thought I should make the whole thing using crust pastry.  There are so many versions/recipes of Egg Tart and since you are starting from the scratch, you have to try out to find which one suits you the best.


Egg Tarts
Recipe sourced from Small Small Baker

Filling:
120g sugar
350g water
5 eggs, lightly beaten
100g evaporated milk

1. Heat up water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Leave it to cool.

2. Then add in beaten eggs and evaporated milk. Mix well, sieve the egg mixture and set
     aside.

Pastry:

300g plain flour
2 tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
200g butter

Rub-in Method (cold butter)

Cut cold butter into small cubes. Combine flour, custard powder and milk powder and mix well. Rub in the cold butter, add sugar, mix well and add beaten egg, mix to form a soft dough (do not knead). Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate before use.

Method:
Divide the pastry dough equally into 20 pieces about 30g each (depending on your mould
size). Press the dough into tart moulds evenly.
Fill into the tarts till 90% full. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 20 mins.





What do I think about this Egg Tarts?  I like the crust but the custard which I find the egg taste a little too strong in there....



  Just nice for my Sunday afternoon tea break...........   Care to join me for tea?




Friday, 10 August 2012

Thousand Corner Seafood Balls


Oooh.... I am "speechless" in this post.  Never mind, just scroll down to view this delicious seafood balls.  I am sure you and your family will like this very much especially children!


Thousand Corner Seafood Balls
Recipe adapted from Adora's Box

Ingredients
1 cup prawns, peeled
8 crab sticks
1 tbsp of chopped spring onions (white part only)
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp light soy sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil
2 cup very dry mini croutons (white bread cut to small cubes)


1.  Put all of the ingredients, except for the croutons, in a food a processor and grind into
     a paste.

2.  Drop tablespoonfuls of the prawn/crab stick mixture into the croutons.  (Used two
      small spoon to make the balls). Cover with balls with croutons all over  and roll into
      round shape.

3.  Heat wok with some cooking oil.  Deep fry the balls for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
     Turn them around constantly so the bread coating won’t be burned easily.
     The seafood balls will be done when puffed up and golden brown in colour.
     Drain on kitchen paper and serve with sweet chilli sauce.


Oh, I have forgotten to cut open to let you view the inside of this seafood balls.  No worries, hop over to Adora's Box to view her beautiful golden seafood balls.

   
Make sure to fry it in medium heat so that the inside is well cooked.





Thursday, 9 August 2012

Nyonya Ayam Sioh / Chicken in Coriander & Tamarind Sauce

Yes, it is true that sometimes when we browsed the pages in the cookbook or in the websites and if a photo of that food doesn't look appealing we would usually ignore it without thinking to give it a try first.  Are you one of it?  Maybe your answer would be "sometimes".

As what Lisa H. of From My Lemony Kitchen described in this "Nyonya Ayam Sioh", nothing really that appealing and plain looking dish but as I read on the content of this dish, she urged us to try this and said we will fall in love with this dish!

So I give it a try today!  The verdict? It is so fragrant and taste delicious ~ the main ingredient is the coriander and I usually loves sour sauce.



"Nyonya Ayam Sioh " / Chicken in Coriander & Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients
8 chicken drumsticks
1 brown onion, pounded & extract the juice
½ cup soy bean paste / taucu
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
½ cup coriander seeds, pan fried/roasted & grind fine
2 tbsp tamarind paste (or 100g tamarind pulp strained & extract with 1 cup water)
2 tbsp sugar

Method
 
Heat cooking oil and sauté onion pulp till golden brown.

Add in chicken and the bean paste.  Mix well.

Add in the grind coriander, dark soy sauce, tamarind juice and the onion extract.  Add in sugar.  Add about ½ cup water if the sauce is too thick.

Cook till the gravy thickened and the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

To serve:  Heat 2 tbsp of oil in frying pan, fry chicken with some gravy till slightly brown.


This dish is easy to cook, why not give it a try.  Nyonya dish is always delicious!


  The gravy can makes you go for another plate of rice!

Oh, after I have posted / published this dish out, Wendy of Table for 2...or more informed and suggested me to submit it to Malaysian Food Fest hosted by yummylittlecooks.  And why not?  Ayam Sioh is a nyonya dish and it should be from Melaka!




I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest 
hosted by Cindy of YummyLittleCooks


Friday, 3 August 2012

Cherry Ice Cream

Now that the weather is getting hotter here in M'sia, we usually will have to drink lots of liquid to quench our thirst.  Or we will think of ways to make some cold dessert or herbal drink to avoid heaty body too.  Are you making any of this?

I came across Nami Of Just One Cookbook just post her Cherry Ice Cream lately and as I still have some cherries in my fridge, and so I thought I make the same Cherry ice cream too.  I think I prefer to make ice cream without the egg yolks in it ~ easy and to avoid what to do with the egg whites later on.




CHERRY ICE CREAM
Recipe adapted from Nami of Just One Cookbook

Ingredients
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups cherries (when pitted and quartered)


In a medium saucepan, heat 1 cup of the cream, sugar, and salt.

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with knife and scrape the seeds with spoon.

Put both seeds and pod in the pan.

Stir the mixture over medium heat until sugar completely dissolves.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, the rest of the heavy cream (1 cup) and milk. Mix well.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.

Cut cherries into quarters.

Take out the vanilla bean pod before churning. Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s

In last 5 minutes add in the cherries. Combine ice cream and cherries well.

Put the ice cream in an airtight container and let it firm by freezing it for several hours.



  Delicious and yummy ice cream.



       Want a ice cream in a bowl or in a cone ?
       Oooh, it is dripping, I got to lick it up............... slurp !!   Are you drooling?




Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Hokkaido chiffon cupcakes (北海道牛奶蛋糕)

These Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes, I know alot of food bloggers have been giving so much good praise for this little sweet cakes.  And yes, indeed it is so delicious and yummy.  And so, why I am so late delaying to bake such delicious cakes?

Well, I have been searching for this beautiful cup liners to bake this Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes but at my location there isn't any of this square liners.  So I have to wait maybe one day the bakery shop will stock up these beautiful square liners.  

One day, when I asked Sonia of NasiLemakLover to quote me for special roast pork skewer from her My Kedai Runcit (Shop), she has been so kind to send me the skewer plus some of this beautiful square cupcakes liners to me (about 20pcs) for FOC!!  I was so happy to receive this liners as I have been searching for so long!!  Thank you Sonia, so kind of you!

So the next day I try to bake but I do not know why the cupcakes collapsed so much and full of disappointment.  At least I did not use the liners to test bake the chiffon cakes or else I be more sad.

I have to wait for few weeks later to bake again or else my family is going to "freak" out to eat this Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes again.  Today, I present you Hokkaido Chiffon cupcakes, though not very good in looking again but still I give two thumbs up for this as the custard filling is so yummy!



HOKKAIDO CHIFFON CUPCAKES
Recipe from Sonia's

Chiffon cake
3 egg yolks
20g sugar
35g corn oil
60g milk
70g cake flour

3 egg whites
25g sugar

Filling
60g dairy whipping cream
10g sugar
1tsp instant custard powder

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Arrange paper liners on baking tray.
3. Hand whisk egg yolk and sugar till pale in colour.
4. Add in corn oil and milk, mix well.
5. Sift in cake flour, stir to combine.
6. Beat egg white until foamy, gradually add sugar, and continue beat till soft peak form.
7. Take 1/3 of egg white and use a hand whisk to mix into egg yolk batter.
8. Fold in the balance egg white with a spatula till well combine.
9. Scoop batter into the liners to about ¾ full.
10. Bake for 20-25 mins at middle rack.
11. Beat whipping cream with sugar till firm and stiff (over a bowl of iced water).
12. Add in custard powder, mix well.
13. Pipe custard cream into cupcake and dust with icing sugar. Refrigerated before consume.



Beautiful paper liners, isn't it?  When I finished the cakes, the paper liner have to be thrown away, such a pity........ so "sayang"

Oh dear, I forgot to dust icing sugar on top............



  I like the custard filling, so yummy!  Look at it, so cottony soft.

 Remember to hop over to Sonia's blog to view her beautiful bakes of this Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes.  Her is really so perfectly baked!  Thank you again, Sonia!

Sister S, are you able to find these type of square liners at AKL?  I bring some over to you if I am visiting next time.