Sunday, December 20, 2009

Zhar Leong
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:
2 rolls of rice rolls (cheaper to buy from market not hawker stalls)
1 Pcs of fried dough (youtiao)
Tsp of oil
 
Soy sauce & Sesame oil to taste
 
Preparation:
Steam the rice rolls for 2 mins, remove and cool for 30sec.
Oil fingers and unroll rice rolls carefully onto a clean chopping board.
Separate the youtiao and place one side onto the rice sheet and roll it back immediately.
Place on plate and cut using kitchen scissors. Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil. Enjoy!

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake (non-bake)
Serves: 6

What You Need:
250g cream cheese
150ml thickening/whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp of cocoa powder

15g unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. hot water
1 Ready-made graham biscuit base.

Decor:
1 handful of glazed cherries

Preparation:

Beat cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.
Gradually beat in whipping cream and cocoa powder, portion by portion making sure the cream and powder are well mixed in.
Dissolve the gelatin into the 3 tbsp. hot water over a simmering pan of water and stir into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon half the filling into the crust, add cherries, fill up with remainder filling and top with cherries
Chill cheesecake in refrigerator until set.

Labels: Chocolate, Desserts and Beverages

Garlic Herb Butter
Serves: -

Homemade garlic butter is better as you can add whatever ingredients you fancy. This is good on toast or you can slice some on steak or steamed vegetables.

What You Need:
1 block of unsalted butter
5 cloves of garlic (grated)
1/2 tsp mix dry herbs (See Note)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: A dash of Paprika or Cayenne pepper

Preparation:
Leave the butter in a bowl at room temp to soften. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients and wrap it into a log as shown. You can use the paper packaging that the butter comes in, or cling wrap.

Note: Any mix of herbs can be used. Dill, Oregano, Coriander, Basil, Italian mix etc are good.

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Condiments

Friday, September 25, 2009

Cold Fruity Salad
Serves: 10

A quick yet refreshing salad that I made many years ago for a New Year's Day dinner for my friends. I like that you can taste the sweetness from the fresh fruits and prawns.

What You Need:
1/2 Honey Dew (cubes)
1/2 Rock Melon (cubes)
10 Seedless Grapes
20 Fresh Prawns (boiled, de-shelled leaving tails, chill)

Dressing:
4 tbsp Greek Yogurt

Preparation:
Gently toss honey dew, rock melon and yogurt. Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into a glass and top with a grape and 2 prawns on the rim of the glass.

Serve chill.

Labels: Finger Food and Appetisers, Fish and Seafood, Fruits

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Instant Mocha
Serves: 1 (220ml - 250ml)

A simple homemade mocha with ingredients that we can find at home. Good served with cakes.

What You Need:
1 tbsp instant coffee powder (go for the good strong ones)
1 1/2 tbsp chocolate powder (or Milo)
1 tsp diary creamer
1 tsp sugar
Hot water to top

Super Instant version:
1 sachet 3-in-1 strong coffee mix
1 1/2 tbsp chocolate powder (or Milo)
Hot water

Preparation:
Add all ingredients into cup, stir with half cup of water till well dissolved.
Top up with more hot water or hot milk if you prefer.

Labels: Chocolate, Coffee, Desserts and Beverages

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Honeycomb Cheesecake (non-bake)
Serves: 8-10

What You Need:
500g cream cheese
250ml whipping cream
30g sugar
15g unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. hot water
3 tbsp. Honey or Maple syrup

Biscuit Base:
80g unsalted butter
140g digestive biscuits, crushed
25g sugar

Decor:
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup for drizzling
Choc coated honey comb - violet crumble or crunchie

Preparation:
Melt butter over boiling water or use a microwave oven.
Add biscuit crumbs and sugar into the melted butter and mix to form a slightly runny mixture.
Press into the bottom of cake tin and chill for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until firm.

Filling:
Beat cream cheese, honey and sugar until smooth.
Gradually stir in the whipping cream, portion by portion making sure the cream is well mixed in.
Dissolve the gelatin into the 3 tbsp. hot water over a simmering pan of water and stir into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon filling into the crust and drizzle honey over the top
Chill cheesecake in refrigerator until set.

Decorate with pieces of chocolate coated honeycomb.

Options: Instead of honey, replace it with equal amount of canned blueberries/cherries/strawberries etc.

Labels: Desserts and Beverages

Cheesy Cauliflower
Serves: 2-3

What You Need:
1 bunch of cauliflower
50g baby spinach leaf
1 Carrot (cut into strips)

Cheese sauce:
50g unsalted butter
600ml cream (or milk)
50g plain flour
100g Parmesan cheese
100g sharp cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper

Preparation:
Cut cauliflower into bite size chunks and boil them together with carrots till cooked to your liking. Remove from heat and immerse them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Drain water and put vegetable into dish, top with baby spinach.

To cook Cheese sauce:
Heat pan with milk and butter on low heat. *Do NOT boil*
When steam start to rise, whisk in flour slowly making sure there are no lumps.
Turn heat lower and continue whisking till sauce thickens and become smooth.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, salt and pepper. Continue whisking till it's a smooth and creamy sauce.
Drizzle over vegetables and sprinkle more pepper

Labels: Greens, Side Dishes

Alcoholic Jelly with Custard
Serves: 3-4

For this recipe, I added slightly more water to make a softer jelly. So this jelly will turn watery if left at room temperature for more than 30 minutes. I also used a thick peach flavored syrup for this recipe. However if your syrup is not as thick or as sweet, replace equal amount of water with syrup.



What You Need:
1 pack unflavored gelatin
400ml water**
50ml thick fruity syrup (I used peach for this)
50ml white wine/champagne/spirits
100ml Pre-made Custard or Yogurt

**Include 50ml more water than instructed on the gelatin packaging.

Preparation:
Boil water and add gelatin powder in, stir to completely dissolve. Alternatively, follow instructions as per the gelatin mix you bought
Add syrup and wine in and stir. Pour into a container and let it cool.
Cover the container and put it into the freezer. Freeze for 4-5 hours
Jelly should be half frozen at the bottom. Run a fork through the jelly, breaking up the iced jelly as well.
pour into a glass bowl and top with custard or yogurt.

Serve immediately.

Options: If you are using a sweet dessert wine, you may omit the syrup and replace with equal quantity of wine.

Labels: Desserts and Beverages

Oysters Kilpatrick
Serves: 2



What You Need:
1 doz fresh large oysters on the shell
400g streaky bacon
100g butter
Mixed Herbs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: 200g of Cheese mix (Parmesan, Cheddar, and Mozzarella)

Preparation:
Heat toaster or oven to med-heat
Wash oysters to remove any sandy bits. Drain and lay on baking tray
Chop bacon into small bits and divide into each shell
Divide and place knobs of butter into each shell
Sprinkle cheese, herbs, salt and pepper equally on top.
Bake for 8-10 mins until bacon turns brown and crispy

Labels: Finger Food and Appetisers, Fish and Seafood

Monday, August 17, 2009

Bitter Gourd with Black Beans
Serves: 2

What You Need:
Half a Bitter gourd
1 tsp preserved black bean (bottled or dried kind is fine)
1 clove garlic minced
6 shrimps (shelled)
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Slice bitter gourd length wise and remove the seeds and white fluffy parts
Wash and slice into 3cm length pieces

Heat oil in wok/pan, fry garlic and black bean (be careful they burnt very easily) till fragrant and add bitter gourd in.
Stir fry for 1 min, add half cup of water and let it boil.
Add prawns, cooking wine, salt and pepper and continue cooking till most of the water has evaporated.
Serve immediately.

Tip: To remove the bitterness, rub a generous amount of salt into the sliced bitter gourd and let it rest for 5 mins, soak in water for another min and drain off.

Labels: Greens, Side Dishes