Pandan Mille-Crêpes

For the crepe:
150g plain flour
30g sugar
2 eggs
25g butter, melted
100ml coconut milk + 210ml water
1/4 tsp pandan paste

For the cream:  
300ml whipping cream
50g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

To make the crepe:

• Sift flour into a mixing bowl.  Add in sugar and combine.
• Beat eggs in a small bowl.  Add in melted butter and coconut milk mixture. Whisk to combine.
• Add flour mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until well combined.  
• Heat frying pan over medium-low heat and grease lightly.  Pour a thin layer of batter into the pan.  Cook until light golden.  Flip over and cook for a minute. Transfer to a plate.
• Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Whipped cream frosting:

• Whip the cream together with icing sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.

To assemble the cake:

• Place a crepe on a serving plate and spread cream frosting evenly over the crepe.  Cover the cream with another crepe.  Repeat to make a stack of 20 crepes (or the thickness of your choice).
• Chill the cake for at least 2 hours.  Leave it out for 30 minutes in room temperature before serving.

Rustic Chicken Pies

[Makes 15]

6 sheets frozen ready-rolled Pampas puff pastry, thawed
a 12-cup muffin pan, greased
egg wash
egg whites, lightly beaten

Filling:
200g roast chicken, cut into cubes
1 small carrot, diced (85g)
1 potato, diced (130g)
1/2 brown onion, diced (65g)
90g bacon, diced
a handful of chopped chinese celery/parsley
1 small sprig of rosemary, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken stock/water
2 tbsp plain flour
3/4 - 1 cup cream

• Heat olive oil in a pan and lightly brown diced onion.  Add in bacon, followed by carrot and potato.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Then add in chicken and rosemary.  Fry for about a minute or two then stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add in stock and bring to the boil.  Season with sugar, salt and pepper.  Add in cream.  Lastly stir in chopped chinese celery. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced.
• Cut circles out of the pastry to fit the greased muffin pans.  Then press each circles into the pan to fill the base and line the sides of the pan.  Brush the base with beaten egg white (to prevent the base from being soggy) and chill the pastry for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.  
• Meanwhile, cut the pastry for the top crusts.
• Fill the pies to the brim with the filling.  Brush edges of pastry with egg wash and place the top crust over.  Using a fork, press down the edges to seal.  Brush the top of the pies with egg wash and prick a few holes on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Serve hot. 

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Curry Potato Buns

I doubled the recipe from here and made 23 buns.

Starter Dough:
210g bread flour
90g plain flour
20g caster sugar
6g instant dried yeast
240g water

Main Dough:
210g bread flour
90g plain flour
50g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
24g milk powder
1 egg (lightly beaten)
90g water
70g butter, softened

Egg wash:  1 beaten eggs + 1 tbsp water

• Mix all the starter dough ingredients until well combined.  Cover and leave at room temperature until the dough rises and becomes sticky, pasty and have a stringy appearance ("honeycomb-like")
• In  mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine all main dough ingredients, except butter.  Then add in the starter dough and knead until well combined.  Add in butter and continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic and leaves the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingwrap.  Place it in a warm place to allow the dough to rise until double in size.
• Punch down the dough to release trapped air.  Divide dough into balls of 50g each.  Cover and let rest for about 15 mins.
• Roll out each ball of dough and add the curry potato filling.  Seal tightly and place buns into individual paper casing.  Cover and proof until almost doubled.
• Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
• Brush buns with egg wash and place a curry leaf on top of the buns.  Bake for about 20 mins.

Fillings:

500g potato, cut into small cubes

1 large onion, minced finely

3 cloves garlic, minced finely

1 pack curry paste of your choice

• Saute onion and garlic until aromatic.  Then add in curry paste and stir fry for a minute before adding in the potatoes.
• Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Cover and cook under low heat until potatoes are soft.
• Remove the lid and cook until curry is almost dry.
• Transfer potatoes onto a plate and leave to cool completely before using.  (Fillings can be cooked and refrigerate overnight).

Sticky Pork on Broccolini

 Ingredients:

2 bunches of broccolini, cut into half, crossway
100g minced pork (marinade with 1/2 tsp cornflour, pinch of pepper and dash of light soy sauce)
1 slice of ham, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
20g walnuts, toasted and chopped coarsely
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp grated palm sugar
1 chilli, sliced
1 tbsp cooking oil

• Heat oil in a wok and saute garlic until fragrant.  Then add in marinated minced pork and stir-fry until lightly browned.  
• Add sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves, lemon juice and chilli.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  
• Meanwhile, steam broccolini until just tender.  Transfer broccolini onto a plate and top with the pork mixture and chopped walnuts.  

Estonian Egg-White Cake (Munavalgekook)

I stumbled upon this interestingly hard-to-pronounce Estonian cake - Munavalgekook - which is an egg-white cake.  Like the Angel Cake, it only uses egg whites.  Unlike the Angel Cake, it contains butter which makes this cake moist, spongy and soft with a hint of buttery taste.  

Recipe adapted from Nami-Nami

Ingredients:

200g egg whites (about 6), room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
150g caster sugar
160g plain flour
10g rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g butter, melted and slightly cooled

• Sift together plain flour, rice flour and baking powder.  Set aside.
• Whisk egg whites until foamy.  Add in cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold in sifted flours.
• Finally add in melted butter and fold gently.
• Pour batter into a buttered and floured bundt pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for about 45 mins or until cooked.
• Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 - 15 minutes before turning out onto the wire rack.  

A Simple Rice Vermicelli Soup

Happy 2015 everybody! 

After a long break overseas, I am back with my first post for the year.  I know it is a very simple bowl of noodle soup - nothing to shout about - but I just wanted something plain and simple for lunch today.  It is so easy, you don't even need a recipe for this.  

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up January 2015 : Pasta / Noodles 
hosted by Anne Regalado - My Bare Cupboard  & 
organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY.