Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Make some cookies for coming Teacher's Day. As there are 10 teachers in my boy's school so I thought cookies is the simplest & fastest thing to bake :) 100 pieces to be given to the teachers, leaving only 20 pieces for own consumption...dun think will last for 1 day hahaha...crunchy, buttery & addictive cookies!

Ingredient (makes 120 cookies)

• 250gm unsalted butter
• 80gm sugar
• 100gm light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 250gm plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150gm rolled oats
• 340gm semisweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt.
2. Using a electric whisk, cream butter & sugar. Beat in eggs & vanilla essence until light & fluffy.
3. Add in flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir in rolled oats & chocolate chips.
5. Drop tsp of cookie dough on to baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 12-15mins. Cool down slightly before transferring onto wire rack to cool complelely. Store in air-tight container.

Golden Loafs!!

Loved the golden hue of these Sugar-free Pumpkin Bread Loaf ! Healthy loaf with olive oil & wholemeal flour used . This is the first time I did not add any sugar in my bakes, I believed the natural sweetness of the pumpkin will attribute sweetness to this healthy loaf so I omit the sugar completely from the original recipe :) I've made 2 loaves, one for my in-laws whom are diabetic and the other one with raisins added for our own.

Ingredient (makes 1 loaf)

• 200gm pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup milk
• 125gm cake flour
• 80gm wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/3 cup walnut, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins

Method

1. Sift cake flour, wholemeal flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder & nutmeg powder into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
   
2. Combine pumpkin puree, eggs, olive oil, milk, salt & vanilla essence. Mix evenly.
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the well. Fold in gently till mixture is evenly mixed. Do not over mixed. Stir in walnuts & raisins.
4. Pour batter into lined loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 50mins. Cool in pan for 10mins before unmoulding. Cool on rack completely before slicing to serve.
   

Rosti

Rosti - Swedish Potato Cake, as good as Marche Restaurant version and moreover inexpensive & simple to prepare at home too! :)

A 9.5" diameter Rosti....

Serve with grilled cheese sausage & mayonnaise

Ingredient

• 3 Russet Potatoes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• olive oil

Method

1. Cook potatoes in boiling for 10mins. Cool down. Remove skin and coarsely grate the potatoes.
2. Heat olive oil in pan, pan fry onion till soft. Cool slightly.
   
3. Combine onions with grated potatoes. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Melt butter in a pan. Spread potatoes mixture evenly over the pan. Pan fry for 6mins until golden brown. Cover the frying pan with a plate larger than the circumference of the pan, flip the patty over the plate. Slide the patty into the frying again and fry till golden brown on the other side. Serve with mayonnaise, mustard or ketchup.
   

Zucchini Cookies

Simple cookie with a twist! see the green shredded stuff in the cookies...is zucchini!



Ingredient

• 115gm unsalted butter
• 150gm sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 250gm plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins

Method

1. Sift flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon.
   
2. Using a electrical whisk, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined.
3. Whisk in shredded zucchini. Fold in flour mixture & raisins. Chill dough in fridge for 1hr.
4. Drop tsp of dough onto baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 12--15mins until golden brown. Cool on rack completely before storing in air-tight container.
   

Stewed Zucchini with Shell Pasta

Meatless lunch today! Stewed vegetables pasta sauce, light & tasty & healthy too!

Ingredient

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushroom
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup water
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 cups shell pasta, cooked till al dente
  

Method

1. Heat some olive in saucepan, add garlic & onion, saute till fragrant.
2. Add zucchini and carrot and fry for 2mins.
3. Add sliced mushroom, mixed evenly.
4. Add in stewed tomatoes, water, herbs & black pepper. Bring to boil. Lower heat & simmer for 1 hr or until zucchini & carrots are tendered and sauce reduced.
   
5. Add salt to taste.
6. To serve : Scoop some zucchini sauce into a small saucepan, add in appropriate amount of cooked shell pasta, simmer for 1 minute, remove from fire and serve.
   

Fingers Licking Good!

I seldom prepare deep fried food as I find it quite unhealthy and waste a lot oil too :P But once in a blue moon I will indulge in sinful food like this simple fried chicken wings I've prepared today! Yes solely for me only, not for my son 'cos he just recover from throat infection nor my hubby whom is outstation! hahaha..Believe or not, till now my 3.5 year old son have not tasted any fried chicken wings!

I'm consider fairly strict with his diet, so we seldom brought him to fast food restaurant. If we does, we usually order nuggets, apple juice & fries to share with us. Whenever he joins me for grocery shopping, he will usually request for fruit juice or yoghurt, not candies, chocolates, chips nor soft drinks :) It does not meant that he never tasted these stuffs before. But as till now, you will not get to see him serving himself with a can of soft drink, digging in a bag of chips...

Ingredient

• 8 chicken wings
• 3 tbsp light soya sauce
• 3 tbsp rice wine
• 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
• plain flour
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• breadcrumbs

Method

1. Marinate chicken wings in light soya sauce, rice wine & black pepper for at least 30mins.
2. Coat each wings with flour, follow by beaten egg and lastly breadcrumbs.
3. Deep fry in batches on medium heat for 6mins until lightly brown, remove from fire.
4. Turn on heat, deep fry again on high heat until deep golden brown and crispy. Drain well on kitchen paper.
   

Cheddar Cheese Cake

What to do with the balance cheddar cheese after making the quiches? Browse online and found this recipe and decided to give this a try. I'm glad that at the last minute I've sprinkle some rolled oats over the surface, it really helps to beautify up the cake as it manage to conceal the unsightly cracks! :) The rolled oats also gives extra flavour and texture to this cheesy cake...

Ingredients

• 250gm unsalted butter
• 180gm sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 250gm cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
  

Method

1. Sift plain flour & baking powder.
   
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addtion before adding the next one. Fold in the Cheddar cheese.
   
3. Fold in flour into the creamed mixture alternating with the milk until smooth.
4. Pour batter into a lined 8" cake pan and sprinkle rolled oats to cover the surface. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 50-55mins, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.(cover the surface with a foil at the last 10mins if the cake starts to brown too fast)
   

Sweet Corn Pudding

Ingredient

• 550ml thin coconut milk (200ml coconut cream + 350ml water)
• 200ml milk
• 3 tsp corn flour
• 100gm sugar
• 12gm agar agar powder
• 3 tsp instant jelly powder
• 1 can cream sweet corn

Method

1. Combine coconut milk, milk, corn flour & sugar and stir to mix. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Cook over low heat and stirring constantly till boiled. Pour mixture into jelly moulds and leave to cool. Chill in fridge till set before serving.
   

Ham & Cheese Quiche

Quiche making have been pending quite long in my to-do list!! To simplify the process, I've used frozen pastry puff (an idea from a Mummy) instead of making pastry base from scratch. I've also subsituted the cream with milk & melted butter...my son gives thumbs up for this cute little pie ^-^

Ingredients (16 small pie)

• 1 pkt frozen puff pastry, thawed
  
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 minced onion
• 4 eggs
• 200ml milk
  
• 25gm unsalted butter, melted
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

1. Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into rounds to fit foil mould. (depends on the size of the foil mould)
   
2. Divide ham, cheese and onion between the shells. In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Pour into shells.
   
3. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 2o mins or until puffed & golden brown.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins

Wholesome oaty muffins with buttery taste & moist texture!


Ingredient (makes 6 muffins)

• 40gm rolled oats
• 100ml buttermilk
• 50gm unsalted butter
• 25gm light brown sugar
• 1 small egg
• 50gm plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 35gm raisins

Method

1. Soak rolled oats in buttermilk for 1 hr.
2. Sift plain flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt together.
3. With a electrical whisk, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in egg.
4. Fold in flour & buttermilk mixture alternately into creamed butter. Fold in raisins. Do not overmix.
5. Fill batter into muffin cups and bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 25mins or until golden brown.

Baked Miso-Mayo Salmon

Simple ingredient yet taste great! :) Love the combination of miso & salmon, soft and creamy texture. Complete meal with a bowl of warm rice topped with seaweed and miso soup.

Ingredient

• 260gm salmon fillet
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1.5 tbsp miso paste
• 1/2 onion, slice thinly
• 5 shitake mushroom, slice thinly
• 1/4 cup pizza plus cheese

Method

1. Cut a large piece of foil enough to encase the salmon. Mix mayo & miso paste together. Spread 1/3 on the centre of the foil.
2. Place onion & mushroom on over the mayo-miso mixture.
3. Make a slit across the salmon without cutting through. Spread over remaining paste & sprinkle shredded cheese over. Seal tightly.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 12 mins. Open foil, continue to bake @ 180 deg cel for 8mins. Serve immediately.

Thai Style Fried Fish

Ingredient

• 1 black pomfret
• 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 5 cm ginger, finely sliced
• 1 lemon grass, white section, finely sliced
• light soya sauce or fish sauce

Method

1. Heat some oil in wok, stir-fry garlic, ginger & lemon grass until crispy & golden brown. Remove from fire.
2. Add some more oil in wok, deep-fry fish till golden brown on both sides. Remove & place on serving plate.
3. Sprinkle fried garlic mixture over fish. Drizzle light soya sauce or fish sauce over. Serve!
   

Bubur Pulut Hitam

Ingredient

• 300gm black glutinous rice
• 3.5 litres water
• 100gm fine sugar
• 150gm gular melaka 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 pandan leaves, knotted
• 200ml thick coconut cream

Method

1. Rinse and wash the glutinous rice thoroughly and soak in water for 3 hours.
2. Put rice, pandan leaves & water into a pot and cook over medium heat until rice is soft & almost creamy, about 1.5 hours. Stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking at the bottom of the pot.
3. Add both sugar & salt and simmer for another 10mins till sugar dissolves.
4. Place coconut cream and 1/4 tsp salt into a small saucepan. Cook over low heat till almost boiling. Turn off heat. Serve the cream with the cooked black glutinous rice.

Chocolate Huat Kueh

With balance of 1/2 packet of steamed cake powder, decided to make a chocolate flavour with chips added 'Huat Kueh' :) I read the recipe on the packaging and saw it included eggs and uses milk instead of water, unlike the Green Tea Steamed Cake which is eggless one. The chocolate huat kueh did not split as much as the green tea flavour one, is it because of the egg added or is it that I did not rest the batter which I did previously? But the texture is still soft & fluffy.

Ingredient

• 250gm steamed cake powder
• 10gm cocoa powder
• 1 egg
  
• 150ml milk
  
• 100gm sugar* (omit this if cake powder already included sugar)
• chocolate chips
  

Method

1. Sift steamed cake powder & cocoa powder.
   
2. Using a electric whisk beat milk & egg until frothy.
3. Add in flour mixture in 3 batches and beat till smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
   
4. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups until almost full. Dip a knife in some oil. Cross-section the surface of each cup. (this will ensure the steamed cake will split nicely).
   
5. Steamed over boiling water for 20mins.

抹茶发糕

Been searching high & low for red bean paste in the supermarket but unavailable...not choice but to subsitute with raisins instead :) While I was sifting the flour & green tea powder into the mixing bowl, then realise the flour already contained sugar! Therefore I omitted the sugar from the recipe..I filled the cups with batter almost to the rim and I've read somewhere to make the 'huat kueh' open nicely, use a greased knife to run over the surface! The result....all the 6 steamed cake really raised & opened very beautifully!

Ingredient

• 250gm steamed cake powder
• 10gm green tea powder
• 150ml water
• 100gm sugar* (omit this if cake powder already included sugar)
• raisins (optional)
  

Method

1. Sift steamed cake powder & green powder into a mixing bowl.
2. Add in water & sugar* and beat with a electric whisk until smooth. Rest for 20mins.
3. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups until almost full. Dip a knife in some oil. Cross-section the surface of each cup. (this will ensure the steamed cake will split nicely).
   
4. Steamed over boiling water for 20mins.
   

豆豉炒肉片

Besides using fermented black beans to steam pork ribs, stir-frying style is equally delicious!

Ingredient

• 300gm pork chops
• 1/2 egg
• 2 tbsp chinese wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
  
• dash of pepper
• 1 small capsicum, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans, 豆豉
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
  

Method

1. Pound pork chops with back of a knife & marinate with egg, chinese wine, salt, sugar, sesame oil & pepper for at least 30mins.
2. Rinsed fermented black beans thoroughly and chopped finely.
3. Heat some oil in a pan. Pan-fried pork chops till golden brown for both sides. Remove from fire and set aside.
4. Clean pan. Add 2 tbsp oil and saute fermented black beans & garlic till fragrant. Add in capsicum & onion and mix evenly. Add in 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce & 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce.
5. Toss in the pork chops and stir to mix.
   

Steamed Tofu with Seaweed & Minced Pork

Ingredient

• 1 block silken tofu, drained well
  
• 100gm minced pork (marinate with 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, dash of pepper)
• 1 sheet seaweed, shredded
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Mash tofu over a sieve. This will give a smoother & fine texture to the dish.
2. Mix all ingredient together and place in a steaming bowl. Steam over medium heat for 15mins.
   

Blueberry & Cinnamon Muffin

I've baked blueberry muffins several times, each time trying out different recipes to test out the taste & texture. This time round I come across this recipe which combine blueberry & cinnamon together which I'm curious how will the muffins taste like? Result? the texture is soft & moist and if you like the flavour of cinnamon, you will accept the taste of these muffins :)

Ingredient (yields 8 muffins)

• 125gm plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 50gm brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 175ml milk
• 3 tbsp corn oil
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125gm fresh blueberries

Method

1. Sift plain flour & baking powder.
2. Place all ingredients except blueberries in a mixing bowl. Using a electrical whisk, beat mixture till smooth for 3 mins. Fold in blueberries.
3. Spoon batter into lined muffin pan. Baked in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 25mins or until golden brown.

Verdict : After chilling overnight the texture did not alter! still soft & moist, no need to thaw before consuming, good !

What's for Lunch Today?

Lemon Chicken
Ingredient

• 250gm chicken breast meat
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• some beaten egg
• 50gm cornflour
• 25gm plain flour
  
• 2 tbsp sugar
  
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• cornstarch water

Method

1. Slice chicken breast meat thinly. Marinate with salt, pepper, wine & egg.
2. Combine corn flour & plain flour. Coat marinated meat evenly with flour mixture. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
3. Mix sugar, lemon juice, water & sesame oil together. Bring to boil. Add cornstarch water to thicken the sauce. Toss in fried chicken and mix evenly. Remove from heat.
   

Pan-Fried King Oyster...simple seasoning brings out the natural sweetness of this mushroom! My hubby simply loves this dish :)

Method : Slice 250gm King Oyster into 1/2 cm thick. Pan-fry both sides till golden brown. Add 1tbsp water and toss. Add in 1/2 tsp salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil over. Serve immediately.

Sunday's Lunch...

Terikayi Batang

teriyaki sauce : 2 tbsp light soya sauce, 1 tbsp sugar (if u like it sweet can add 2 tbsp), 2 tbsp mirin
Pan-fry fish fillet till golden brown on both sides, add in terikayi sauce and simmer on low heat to coat both sides with sauce.

Steamed Minced on Tofu
Ingredient :

• 100gm minced pork (marinate with 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, dash of pepper)
  
• 3 tbsp mixed vegetables
• 1 small egg
• 1 block silken tofu
• 2 stalk spring onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil
  

Gravy : liquid after steaming the tofu, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce, dash of black pepper, cornstarch water

Method

1. Combine marinated pork, mixed vege and egg together.
2. Cut tofu into 8 equal pieces. Place minced mixture over each tofu pieces.
3. Place spring onion over steaming plate. Place tofu on the spring onion and drizzle sesame oil over. Steam on medium heat for 15mins.
4. Bring gravy to boil and thickens.
5. Discard spring onion. Pour over gravy on tofu.
   

Wild Yam & Tomato Soup
Ingredient

• 1 medium wild yam (鲜淮山)
• 4 tomatoes
• 300gm pork ribs
• 1 tbsp wolfberries
• 2o00ml water
• salt to taste

Method

1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water. Drain away water.
2. Peel & cut wild yam into chunks. Cut tomatoes into quarters.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Add salt to taste.