My former Chinese colleagues (when I was living in Hong Kong) looked in feigned disdain at me whenever I have this. "That's for tourists", they said. Well, I was a foreigner there, though not exactly a tourist, but at any rate I don't really care. LOL. Serve me sweet and sour pork with a soy sauce dip and freshly cooked rice and I'm a happy bunny. I definitely have an affinity with anything fried with sauce. Somehow the contrast of the crispiness versus whatever flavourful sauce mixed with it is quite delightful to me.
Now my main complaint with this dish is if I follow the recipe to a T, the resulting meat is not tender enough. I wonder what the Chinese restaurant chefs do to make theirs super tender? So to solve the problem I pre-cooked the pork until tender and briefly deep fry it only long enough for the outside to be crisp. It didn't seem to detract from the original intention of the recipe so I guess that's all right.
My well-worn Chinese Cooking For Beginners cookbook by Huang Su-Huei is the source of my updated recipe.
Sweet and Sour Pork
500 g pork
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup cornstarch (for dredging)
cooking oil for frying
1 small onion
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1 cup canned pineapple chunks
1 small red or green bell pepper
*Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsp pineapple juice - use the juice from the canned pineapple
3 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp sea salt
*Thickener:
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Taste and if needed adjust to the right sweet-sour balance that suits you. Set aside.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the water for the thickener in another container; set aside.
- Cut the pork meat into about 3/4-inch size pieces.
- Lightly tenderise the meat by pounding it with a meat mallet or with the blunt edge of a cleaver.
*OR*
Pre-cook the meat (boil or steam) until just tender.
- Combine the egg yolk, soy sauce, and the 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Mix well with the meat; set aside.
- Heat enough cooking oil in a wok for deep frying. Before frying, dredge the meat in the cornstarch.
- Once the oil is hot, deep fry the meat for about 3 minutes. If you pre-cooked the meat, deep fry for about 1-2 minutes only. Remove and drain.
- Reheat oil in wok until very hot (not smoking). Re-fry the meat for 30 seconds. Remove and drain again.
- Remove oil from wok and re-heat. In high heat, add 1 Tbsp oil and stir-fry the bell pepper. Add 1 Tbsp water and continue to stir-fry until all water has evaporated (about 30 seconds). Remove and drain.
- Re-heat wok again; add 2 Tbsp oil. Stir-fry the garlic until fragrant.
- Turn up the heat and add the onion and pineapple. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the sauce mixture and once it begins to boil add the thickener. Stir and bring to boil.
- Once thick, add the meat and bell pepper. Toss or stir lightly until sauce covers all of the meat. Dish up and serve.
*Note: Usually, I skip procedure no.9 by combining the stir-frying of the bell pepper with the onion (and omit the 1 Tbsp water). Then I add the pineapple after.
My youngest is doing her Confectioner's badge for her Girl Guides. One of the tasks is to do icings on cookies (biscuits). I took this opportunity to blog about this very simple recipe I found on the internet that I've been forgetting to post for the last 3 years!
I was trying to find a butter cookie recipe with the least amount of ingredients to make for my kids at the time. This recipe I adapted from the about.com website was the simplest but probably the most mouth-meltingly delicious butter cookie we've ever baked. It's got a very similar taste to those buttery, crumbly French sable breton that we were able to sample from my food-blogging friend Shalimar.
Anyway, my daughter was very much hands-on in the baking and especially in the decorating. She rolled the dough ...
Did her very first cookie decorations with royal icing ...
And finally the finished products ...
Best of all, her fellow Guides loved them a lot !
Butter Cut-Out Cookies
188 g [3/4 cup] butter - softened
95 g [3/4 cup] icing sugar
1 egg yolk
250 g [2 cups] all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
- Beat butter and icing sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add in egg yolk and vanilla (if using) and mix until well combined.
- Tip in the flour and using a spoon, mix well with the butter mixture until you can form into a ball. If the dough is too soft, wrap in cling film or plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to be rolled.
- Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F degrees.
- Roll on a floured surface (or in between baking paper and cling film) to a even thickness of about 1/8 inch.
- Cut out or roll into shapes, arrange in a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let cool in the baking tray for about 5 minutes then move onto racks to cool completely.
- If desired, decorate with icing, coloured sugars, or sprinkles.
The only good recipe that came out of the new ones I made this Christmas is this tweaked version of Waldorf Salad from the Epicurious website. The key here is to let the salad sit in the fridge overnight so that the flavours meld well.
This salad is a great refreshing contrast to lots of rich and fatty food that is often served during the holiday seasons. I highly recommend this one folks especially with the Sweet Spicy Pecans that adds a bit of crunch and strong flavour.
1 1/3 cups very thinly sliced celery
1 1/3 cups red seedless grapes - cut in half
4 Golden Delicious apples - cored (not peeled) and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cups dried cranberries
1 cup boiling water
*Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream or plain full-fat yoghurt
1 tsp sugar
- Put dried cranberries in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water on top. Let soak until soft - about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a big bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Add all the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Chill in the fridge overnight.
- Serve on a bed of lettuce and with a sprinkling of Sweet Spicy Pecans on top.
This is my homage to Hong Kong-style fastfood restaurants that ushered me gently into the wonderful world of Hong Kong food. At the start my stint in the former British colony in the early 1990s, I was quite intimidated of walking into any restaurant for fear of being reprimanded or ignored due to my lack of Cantonese language skills. So the fast food restaurants of Maxim's and Cafe de Coral were heaven sent for me. If the staff does not speak English I simply point to the brightly coloured pictures of mouth-watering food on the wall and I get served pronto!
Thank god the fast food there were so much healthier than the usual Western ones. The mains were almost always a rice-based meal or noodles with meat. Although there are some pretty weird ones like Hot Lemon Coke. Once I plucked the courage to order it to satisfy my growing curiosity. How did they do it? They filled up a tall glass with Coke, stuck in a microwave and nuked it then, just before handing it to me, dropped a slice of lemon in it. Et voila - hot lemon coke! I was laughing pretty much of the time I walked to my table. The concoction had a strange chemical potion taste to it. Similar to a medicine you're forced to swallow when you were little except it's hot. It was okay though I'm not hurrying to order another one any time soon. LOL.
Baked Pork Chop Rice is one of my favourites among Cafe de Coral's menu. It is simply fried pork chops (marinated and floured), put on a bed of egg fried rice, topped with a tomato-based sauce and grated cheese then baked. Just remembering the smell when it comes out of the oven onto my plastic tray and the wonderful taste of the succulent chops starts me drooling.
My well-thumbed Chopsticks Recipes Introduction cookbook by Cecilia J. Au Yeung is where I got the recipe that I adapted.
500 g pork chops or pork rib steaks or pork shoulder steaks
flour
grated cheddar cheese
*Marinade:
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp celery salt (optional)
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cooking oil
*Sauce:
1 medium onion - chopped
2 medium tomatoes - chopped
1/2 cup of chopped vegetables - carrots, peas, sweetcorn, celery, etc.
1 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
1 cup stock
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp cornflour
3 Tbsp water
1 cooking oil
*Egg Fried Rice:
4-5 cups cooked rice (preferably chilled)
2 beaten eggs
3 Tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
- Pound the meat with a meat mallet or the back of a cleaver knife to tenderise.
- Combine all ingredients for the marinade and mix with the meat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Add the oil and marinate for another 10 minutes.
- While it is marinating, make your egg fried rice. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat.
- Add the cooked rice plus salt according to taste. If you're using chilled cooked rice, crumble the rice first before adding to the wok to separate the grains.
- Stir fry for a few minutes.
- When it is almost done, push the rice to the sides of the wok and drizzle a little oil in the middle. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook in the middle for a few seconds until almost completely set. Then combine it with the rest of the rice breaking it up as you stir it in.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- For the sauce, heat the cooking oil over medium heat in a sauce pan.
- Saute the onion in medium heat until translucent.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Mash the tomatoes with a spatula.
- Tip in the soy sauce, sugar, tomato paste, pepper, stock, and vegetables.
- Bring to boil and then simmer until the vegetables are cooked (about 5 minutes).
- Dissolve the cornflour in the water and then add to the sauce.
- Bring to boil on medium heat and stir until thickened.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Dredge the marinated pork chops in flour.
- Deep fry or pan fry until golden brown - about 3-4 minutes each side.
*To assemble:
- Pre-heat oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/430°F.
- Divide the egg fried rice into oven-proof bowls.
- Top each one with one fried pork chop.
- Spoon sauce on top.
- Sprinkle grated cheese.
- Bake in oven for about 15 minutes.
- Serve while hot.
I'm so happy, I'm so giddy, I'm so happy and giddy and gay! (to the tune of I Feel Pretty). Why do I feel this way? I found these chocolate covered marzipan in my local Lidl shop. You know how I loooooove these ground almond concoction. And now knowing that I can have my twice-a-year marzipan fix made me so so much happier. See, Lidl only sells these during Christmas and Easter time. I know the latter is still a good 2 months away but the shops are already awash with Easter eggs. I wouldn't complain with the crass materialism of a supposedly religious event as long as I can have my yummylicious chocolate marzipan. LOL.
Well, actually I can have them any time of the year by buying from premium brands. But there's no way my conscience can get over the guilt of spending so much. So these very good value for money Lidl ones are what I eagerly await twice a year! Not having them often makes them even more a reason to celebrate during these times.
This is one of my all-time favourite winter comfort food. It's rich, spicy, flavourful, and very Southeast Asian. Like our adobo, there are a lot of variations on it as there are households. But from what I can gather, the essential ingredients besides the meat are the spices (onion, curry leaves, curry powder, turmeric, and chili pepper) and the coconut milk. All the other ingredients are fair game to the diversity of adaptations. And when I say lots of variations that means you will see more versions of this particular dish that I will experiment on and will invariably be seen in this food blog sometime later. In the next decade perhaps? ;)
I love the resulting sauce in it (eaten with lots of hot steamed rice) after a long stew. According to my Malaysian friend, people in the northern parts of Malaysia and Indonesia cook it until the sauce dries out and the meat is fried in the rendered oil from the sauce. This they say is primarily done to preserve the meat and not spoil easily. Believe me, I tried this once and it was superb! It's wonderfully good with some white fluffy bread with some lettuce and cucumber stuck in.
This recipe is adapted from an old Asian cookbook in the Bromley Library which I forgot to write down the name. In fact, the title of the recipe in the book was 'Dry-Fried Beef Curry'. The instruction was to cook until dry but I love the sauce very much that I put in the option of not doing this if preferred.
Tamarind liquid is used here. You can make this two ways: first by diluting tamarind paste with water; secondly by soaking about 1 Tablespoon (add more or less depending on the sourness you want) of tamarind pulp in 1/2 cup of hot water for about 15 minutes then strain the liquid through a sieve and discarding the pulp. The tamarind pulp I get here in the UK are all in rectangular block shape. While in the Philippines (well at least in our barrio), it is formed into balls and are called tipe (ti-pe). My lola (grandma) used to always ask me to buy some from the corner sari-sari store whenever we have pinangat na isda (stewed fresh fish) for our meal. We make tamarind liquid with it which is then mixed with either our home-made patis (fish sauce) or heko - the scum skimmed from the boiling talyase (big wok) of liquid during patis-making. Yumm-mmy !
1 kg stewing beef - cut into serving sizes
2 medium onion - chopped
6 fat cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
2-3 fresh red chillies - stalk and seeds removed
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups [400 g] coconut cream or thick coconut milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp chili powder (optional)
2 tsp ground coriander
6 curry leaves
1 stem fresh lemon grass
1 tsp galangal or ginger powder
1/2 cup tamarind liquid
2 tsp sugar
- Place garlic, onion, ginger, fresh chillies, and 1/2 cup of the coconut cream in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Put in a wide mouthed casserole. Wash out the blender with the remaining coconut cream and add to the casserole.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except tamarind liquid and sugar.
- Bring to boil then add the tamarind liquid. Lower heat to low and simmer until meat is tender (about 1.5 hours) while stirring from time to time.
- By this time, the sauce would be reduced and thick. Add the sugar, stir and cook for about 2 minutes more.
- Dish up and serve with hot steamed rice.
*Note: If you decide to do the dry-fry version:- Cook this uncovered. When the sauce gets too dry add a little water just prevent it burning before the meat is tender.
- Continue simmering until almost dry. Stir often.
- When oil separates from the gravy, stir in the sugar. Allow the meat to fry in the oily gravy until dark brown while stirring constantly.
Fudges has been quite generous to send me some of their delectable savoury biscuits. I'm quite familiar with the brand although only their sweet cookies are ones I have repeatedly purchased before. And like their sweet products, these new savoury biscuits are very good. We lost no time in trying them with different spreads, dips, drinks (teas and coffees) but I personally like them with soups which in these increasingly colder weather is very welcome indeed.
My favourite is the mature cheddar flavour while my husband prefer the stilton and walnut ones. Thanks Fudges Bakery!
Most of the recipes I read in the internet said not to scrimp on the spices. Most also suggest to marinate for 1 hour only. But I did get a lot of flavour when I extended that to 6 hours. It was great tasting!
One of the secrets, according to Mang Melchor, is in the vinegar. Use your best and most acidic 'native' vinegar and you cannot go wrong. A lot of people swear by the use of Star margarine or butter in the basting sauce. But on my two trials I used the rendered fat from the chicken itself with nothing but achuete to colour it and it came out good. Next time I'll put some butter and salt in it. We'll see ...
This recipe is still in the tweaking stage so the proportion and ingredients will most likely change later on as I continue to discover the best way of grilling these chicken delights.
Chicken Inasal
1 kg chicken legs
6 Tbsp vinegar
6 Tbsp calamansi or lemon juice
1 Tbsp sea salt
2 tsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp minced ginger
1 piece tanglad (lemongrass) - chopped into 1-inch pieces
freshly ground black pepper
*Basting Sauce:
3 Tbsp rendered chicken oil or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp achuete (annatto) seed
- Trim excess fat and skin from the chicken and set aside. Make diagonal slits on both sides of the chicken legs.
- Combine all other ingredients then put in a plastic ziploc bag together with the chicken legs. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
- For the basting sauce, cook the reserved chicken fat and skin with a little water. Once the water evaporates, drizzle a little oil. Fry the chicken fat until well crisp.
- Remove the crispy chicken fat/skin and add the achuete seeds. Lower heat and cook for about 1 minute or until the achuete gives off its deep red colour. Strain the achuete seeds and discard. Set aside the coloured oil for basting.
- [Optional] Place the chicken legs in a baking pan tightly covered by aluminum foil. Bake at 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F for 25 minutes.
- Grill chicken on a charcoal barbecue while basting with the achuete oil from time to time. Cook until outside is crisp and well browned.
Note: If you skipped the oven-cooking, grill the chicken on indirect heat in the barbecue for at least 15-20 minutes to ensure that the inside is cooked. Then move it to direct heat for the last 5-10 minutes of browning.
It was the apple monster's 19th birthday and this is what he requested - the same chocolate cake I made about two years ago for his father. Although I have to reduce *a lot* of the sugars since my lasting memory of it was tooth-achingly sweet. He loved the icing which was buttercream-based so that stayed in. The caramel filling has to go because it packs in too much of the sweetness and we really don't want it too sweet. I adapted this from the Great American Food cookbook by Lesley Allin. Well, actually in the book it was titled - Chocolate Fudge Turtle Cake. I couldn't for the life of me make turtle-looking mounds with the icing and you have to put in pecans as their 'feet'. My kids don't like nuts in cakes so I didn't have to do it - yay! The cake itself was very moist and the icing really lovely especially if you chill the cake first in the fridge. Very nice. I hope you like it, too.
80 g [1/2 cup] chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup boiling water
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
170 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content) - broken into pieces
65 g [1/3 cup] caster sugar
4 large eggs - separated
125 g [1/2 cup] unsalted butter - room temperature
220 g [1 cup firmly packed] brown sugar
240 g plain self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Put the chopped dates in a heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Add 1/4 tsp of the bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.
- Puree the mixture in a food processor or with a stick blender. If you don't have a blender, mash it with a fork. Set aside.
- Combine the dark chocolate, date puree, caster sugar, and 1 egg yolk in a saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat while stirring constantly until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture well combined. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and cool.
- In a bowl, sift and combine together the flour, baking powder, remaining bicarbonate of soda, and the salt. Set aside.
- Mix the sour cream, cold water, and vanilla in another container. Set aside.
- Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F.
- In a big bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the remaining 3 egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in the flour and sour cream mixtures alternately in 3 parts ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to beat well after each addition.
- Add in the cooled chocolate mixture until evenly combined.
- In a separate clean bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until stiff but not dry.
- Using a metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the cake batter gently but thoroughly.
- Pour the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then turn out on a rack and cool completely.
* To assemble:
- Level the top of one of the cake layers by slicing off the excess. Spread about 1/2 cup of the chocolate frosting on it.
- Put the other cake layer on top and spread the rest of the frosting generously over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Chocolate Frosting
130 g [2/3 cup] granulated sugar
375 ml [1 1/2 cup] double or whipping cream
170 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content) - broken into pieces
pinch of salt
125 g [1/2 cup] unsalted butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp instant espresso or ordinary coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Mix the sugar, cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over low-medium heat.
- Reduce to heat to low and simmer while stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from the heat, add in the chocolate and coffee granules. Stir until chocolate has melted.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until butter has melted.
- Cool the mixture and put in the fridge for about 30 minutes-1 hour.
- By this time the mixture should be thicker. Beat the frosting with an electric mixer until the colour changes slightly and it has a spreading consistency.
It's been quite a while since I've blogged and I'm missing it a bit. My virtual life has to be put on hold so that I can take care of important things in real life. There is no dearth of materials, mind you. I've a number of recipes in a queue waiting for me to pick up my blogging keyboards again.
Possibly the most common recipe I have to continually look in my cookbook is the macaroni and cheese recipe. My kids request it almost every week now.
I was wondering about the elbow-shaped pasta very common in the Philippines which is usually used for this recipe. The fact is, I cannot find it here among the local UK supermarkets. The only places I saw them are in - surprise, surprise - Pinoy food shops. So I normally use penne or rigatoni pasta or any tube pasta except, ironically, macaroni itself. The macaronis here are quite small and thick. I'd really prefer a lighter bite on the pasta hence the choice of other pasta shapes.
As expected, I adopted the recipe from The Ultimate Recipe Book. I think I'll be cooking virtually every recipe in there. It suggested putting breadcrumbs as a topping. But everytime I did I end up coughing and choking on the little breadcrumb grains. So that is definitely off with only the cheese adorning the top.
Macaroni & Cheese
350 g of grated cheese (any combination of Cheddar, Parmesan, and Gruyere)
500 g tube pasta (penne, rigatoni, macaroni, etc.)
1 liter [4 cups] full-fat milk
65 g [1/4 cup] butter
1/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
- Reserve about 1/3 cup of the grated cheese for topping.
- Boil and cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add in the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes while continually stirring.
- Stir in the milk about 1 cup at a time. Bring to gentle boil while making sure to stir until smooth before adding the next 1 cup in.
- Once all the milk is in, simmer over low heat for about 4 minutes while stirring from time to time.
- Remove from heat. Add the mustard, stir until blended. Add the cheese, stir until blended as well.
- Add in salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix in with the pasta. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch heatproof dish. Sprinkle the reserved grated cheese on top.
- [Optional] Bake for 10 minutes in an oven at 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F.
- Grill for about 5 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve while still hot.
Variation: Replace the reserved cheese topping with fresh breadcrumbs - process two slices of fresh bread (you may remove the crust) in a food chopper or processor and sprinkle on top of the pasta before baking.
It's World Bread Day! The previous year's blog event for this special day always passed me by. Bread making wasn't really in my arsenal of kitchen skills. But now that I've done bread making more often than I used to, I thought taking part in this once-a-year event would be the best thing. Zorra has been wonderfully hosting this event for the past three years.
One thing that helped me recently is my Panasonic bread maker. It's more than a year old actually but I've only used it several times. We're not too keen with the quality of the baked bread it churns out. The bread itself (or the middle) comes out too moist or wet. We've tried making many different kinds of bread in it (using the recipe book that it comes with) but they all come out the same. I tried reducing the liquid but the bread was worse. So nowadays I just use it as a bread kneader and first riser which it does beautifully. My bread making efforts are definitely reduced and there is less mess all around.
Okay this is not the first ever bread that I did but I was hoping to perfect this bread to use as a staple in our pantry. Perfect as in looking, smelling, and tasting like ones we buy from shops. My benchmark actually is Warburton Toastie which my family loves and in our opinion is the best commercial sandwich bread around. The Best Recipe Cookbook (my constant guide mowadays) provided the recipe that I adapted.
How did it go? It was good although my youngest and my husband was put off by the yeasty smell. So I guess next time I will reduce the yeast considerably. Mind you, I used active dry yeast successfully in the bread maker which in all its instructions always say to use instant dry yeast. But active dry yeast is just fine. All you have to do is 'wake it up' or activate it by dissolving in warm liquid and letting stand for a few minutes. I find it's helpful as well in knowing if your yeast is still good when you see (or not see) it foaming. With the instant dry yeast you won't know until after the first rising and by then all that dough is wasted.
520 g bread flour
1 tsp fine salt
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter - melted
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast or active yeast
- Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the water, milk, butter, sugar, and yeast. Stir to dissolve yeast and sugar. If using active dry yeast, let stand for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to foam.
- Hand method: Mix yeast mixture with the flour until it comes together enough to handle. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and satiny. Shape into a ball. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, rubbing it around to coat it lightly with oil. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (about 2 hours).
- Bread machine method: Pour the yeast mixture in the bread machine then pour the flour and salt mixture on top. Set machine to dough setting and turn on. This will take about 2 hours to complete the kneading and rising.
- Once the first rising is done, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Shape into a log and place in a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Bake in a 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F pre-heated oven for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove from pan and tap bottom of bread. If it sounds hollow the bread is ready, if not return to pan and oven for another 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Note: If you want a crispy crust, put another baking pan below the loaf pan in the oven. Fill this with about 1-2 cups of boiling water. This will provide moisture throughout the baking of the bread making the crust crispy.
My family knows that I operate in phases. Even in food and cooking, they certainly remember those weeks when all I try to bake and think about are egg tarts or any baked custard. Then came the phase of anything muffins or cupcakes. Another time of all pies. It is the same with my life in general. I have these passing phases of obsession. Besides the constant passion in reading, there was a period not long ago that I was interested in anything "New Age". Consequently I was into meditation, alternative medicine, and the likes. I even attended some Tibetan meditation class. Most of the things I learned during this time I retained though sadly I do not meditate as regularly as before.
As expected from me, I was very interested in the accessories that came with the Buddhist meditation. You know things like round kapok pillows, bells, incense, burners, etc. One thing that caught my attention that I haven't used one yet is what they call the singing bowls. The sound from the singing bowls works in much the same way that chanting a certain word or phrase can enhance a person's meditation or put him in an altered state of mind. These were traditionally used by Tibetan monks and ordinary people in their meditation. There are currently Tibetan Singing Bowls that are available in the internet. Among the newer types of singing bowls are the Crystal Singing Bowls which, being made of crystal, creates a purer and clearer tone and a sound of higher volume that traditional singing bowls. Whichever one you choose they certainly look good and are hopefully effective in healing and meditation. I hope I'd be able to sample one of these soon and see what its effects on me.
It's not very pretty. In fact it looks like some ... oh never mind. I never thought meringue making is this easy. It only consisted of 3 ingredients, imagine that! It was so easy even our 14-year-old nephew was able to make it all by himself. Thus the poo-looking mounds in the picture. Hahaha!
Actually he was the one who made the second batch because the first one I made was gone in a minute. Really yummy! The recipe was adapted from Angela Nilsen's The Ultimate Recipe Book
Next time I will make some Eton Mess with it. Thinking of which, I have to hurry up because strawberries will be disappering soon.
Meringues
4 egg whites
115 g icing sugar (confectioner's)
115 g caster sugar (superfine)
- Preheat oven to 120°C/fan 100°C/250°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or baking non-stick paper.
- Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks stage (stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted).
- Continue beating though this time on high speed. Start adding the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating 3-4 seconds after each addition. It should be thick and glossy after all the sugar has been added.
- Sift one-third of the icing sugar on the beaten egg whites. With a metal spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold in it. Continue sifting and folding the icing sugar a third at a time. Do not over mix.
- Using a dessert spoon, heap the mixture into small mounds (or you can pipe them) onto the lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 1 1/2 hour or until the meringues sound crisp when tapped at the bottom.
- Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Suggested serving: sandwich two meringues with softly whipped cream
Pinakurat, the spicy vinegar dip from Iligan City, was introduced to me by my BIL - Derek. Unlike most spicy vinegars from the Philippines, Pinakurat managed to get the sourness, spices and hotness balanced just right. It actually tastes of some other spices other than the ubiquitous chillies. Mind you the hotness comes to you gradually not like an in-your-face typical hot spiciness common among other brands. Pinakurat is now my choice dip for crispy fried anything including the excellent danggit, tocino, and tapa. Yum!
Note: This is not a paid advertisement.
Happy birthday my blog, happy birthday my blog ...
It's been more than five years now since I started pounding the keyboard to breathe virtual electronic life to the recipes that were just filed in my folders. From the prolific output of about twice a week posts to a dearth of once a month, I still hang onto this beloved blog.
I felt that five years is a milestone enough to warrant changing of the blog template as you can see. I wish the main window is wider so I can post bigger pictures but this is a free template and I don't have Photoshopping powers to alter it. That's alright. I think it's cute and a nice change from the bright one I had before.
Please bear with me I haven't included all the links that I had in the old template. Plus I'm still in the process of tweaking it here and there. I have to say Blogger's new modular template style is much better than before. It makes it much easier to add things or what it calls 'widgets'.
Happy anniversary again to my blog ... here's to five more years of food blogging.
My bundt cake pan saw first action today after languishing in my cupboard for the last 4 years. I've never done a recipe that requires one maybe because as they say out of sight out of mind? The apple monster requested another apple cake - as expected. Since I have a tub of sour cream about to expire I quickly trawled through the net to find recipes that would marry these two ingredients. The apple-sour cream concoctions I found were running on similar threads. Ingredients list are similar which only vary slightly in quantities. I printed off the two most promising and averaged the quantities. Lo and behold ! It was the best apple cake I've done ever and my family eagerly concurred.
However, the presentation was all ruined by a dearth of grease. If only I wasn't too lazy to put more butter in it. Besides, I was too stubborn to follow instructions to grease AND flour the darn bundt pan. So there you are - apple cake volcano - after the eruption !
Not wanting to be classified as an 'old dog', I resolved to make it again this time making sure I learn my new 'tricks'. Generous amount of grease went to the smallest crevasses of the bundt pan then floured it generously as well. Some cinnamon was added but even without the cinnamon it was still delicious. The second attempt was a success. Just look at those nice unblemished contours made by the bundt pan. And like the first time it had the loveliest flavours as well.
1 cup butter - softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups coarsely chopped apples
*Filling: (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar - firmly packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
*Glaze: (optional)
3 Tbsp icing sugar (confectioner's)
1-2 Tbsp milk
- Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F.
- Generously grease and flour a Bundt pan or cake pan. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix all the filling mixture in another container. Set aside.
- Beat the butter with 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in a big bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time making sure to beat well after each addition.
- Add vanilla, mix well.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream. Blend well.
- Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the chopped apples. Then stir the apples into the batter. Mix well making sure that the apples are well distributed.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle the filling mixture on top (if using).
- Then pour the rest of the batter in the pan.
- Bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a skewer poked all the way in the middle comes out clean.
- Right after coming out of the oven, immediately turn the cake out on a rack or plate. Cool completely.
- If using the glaze, mix just enough milk to the icing sugar to make a thin drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake.
I forgot to include in my previous post of favourite things this ampaw that I can't resist. In my younger years, whenever we go back home to Amaya I never fail to ask for this peanut covered ampaw when we pass by a bakery in Zapote. I know this has a Chinese name but just can't remember it now.
As you can see the outside has been rolled in crushed peanuts while the inside is all crispy puffy ... things. The ingredients list says that it contains glutinous rice, sugar, glucose, water, and peanuts. Very few ingredients but the technique and procedure for making it looks complicated. But it doesn't matter I have no intention of making this at home because I'm afraid I'll scarf them all down if I learn to make them. Yum yum!
