Sambal Prawns

Ingredients:
800g prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp cooking oil
prawn stock (See note)
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 - 2 tbsp lime juice, to taste
a few sprigs of Vietnamese coriander (daun kesum) 

Grind into paste:
1 big red onion
3 - 4 bird's eye chillies
1 large long sweet red capsicum

• Heat up cooking oil in a frying pan.  Add in paste and stir fry until aromatic.
• Add in prawns and stir fry until half cooked.
• Pour in enough water to cover the prawns.  Add in sugar, salt, fish sauce, lime juice and daun kesum.  Simmer until prawns are just cooked.
• Dish out and serve hot with rice.

Note:

• With a little oil, stir fry 2 slices of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic (smashed) and all the prawns' heads and shells until they turned red.  Using a spatula, press into the heads to get the maximum flavour.  
• Add in water (just enough to cover the prawns' heads & shells).  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Strain the stock.

Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

90g white bread, torn into small pieces (without crusts)
45g milk
990g ground beef
400g ground pork
2 large onion (170g), finely chopped
30g finely minced garlic
30g fresh flat leaves parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
60g grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

• Soak pieces of bread in milk while you prep the other ingredients.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs and parmesan cheese. Add in soaked breadcrumbs.  Use hands to mix everything together. 
• Lightly oil your hands to prevent from sticking and gently compress and shape the meatballs  to your preferred size.
• Heat a little olive oil over medium high heat in a frying pan and brown the meatballs in batches.  Once browned (but not cooked through), transfer them onto a plate.

To make pasta sauce:

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil

• With the same frying pan, add a little olive oil.  Saute chopped onion until soft. Add in minced garlic and fry until aromatic.
• Add in crushed tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add in meatballs and simmer for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve the meatballs on cooked pasta.  Garnish with more parmesan cheese.

Steamed Rice Cake (Chwee Kuih 水粿)

Steamed Rice Cake, also known as Chwee Kuih (literally translated to Water Cake) is a popular breakfast item in Malaysia or Singapore. It is made of a variety of flours and water and steamed in small metal bowls.  It is served with preserved radish topping and chilli sauce or sambal.

Ingredients:

200g rice flour

25g tapioca flour/cornflour

12g wheat starch

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

250ml cold water

750ml boiling water

3 tbsp cooking oil

• Sift flours together into a mixing bowl.  Add in sugar and salt; then pour in cold water and mix to combine.
• Pour boiling water into the mixture. Stir well to prevent lumps.  Transfer batter into a pouring jug.
• Pour batter into individual moulds.  Steam over high heat for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Remove cakes from steamer and leave to cool.
• Unmould the cakes using a small pastic knife.
• Serve with toppings.  

Topping:

200g preserved chopped radish (chye poh) 

40g dried shrimps, chopped finely (optional)

3 shallots, finely sliced

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

40ml cooking oil

sugar, to taste

soy sauce, to taste

• Wash and rinse the preserved radish a few times.  Squeeze dry.  Set aside.
• Heat oil.  Saute shallots and garlic until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry dried shrimps with a little oil until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry preserved radish. Then add in the sauteed shallots and garlic as well as the dried shrimps.  Add in sugar and soy sauce and stir to combine.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients:

350g bread flour
10g milk powder (optional)
40g caster sugar
5g instant dried yeast
4g salt
140g mashed cooked pumpkin
145g (1 egg + milk)
35g olive oil

For brushing:
30g melted buter
30g condensed milk

Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  In the bowl, combine all the  ingredients, except oil.  Turn the mixer on and knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add in oil and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic and passed the "window pane test" (Refer to note below).  
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough to release trapped air.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.  Roll into balls. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
• Flatten the dough and brush with melted butter and condensed milk mixture;  fold into half .  Then place into a greased loaf pan.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  Cover and let it rise until almost doubled (90%). 
• Preheat oven to 170°C.
• Sift some icing sugar on the surface of the buns before baking.
• Bake for about 30-35 minutes or till golden brown.

Window Pane Test:  This is the best way to determine if your bread dough is properly kneaded.  To do this, take a small chunk of dough and stretch it between your fingers.  If the dough tears, that means the gluten has not developed and it needs more kneading. The dough is ready to rest and prove if it stretches without tearing (like the picture above).

Pandan Cotton Sponge Cake

This is a very soft and light sponge cake shared by MyKitchen1010.

Ingredients:
(A)
60g oil (I used Rice Bran oil)
50g thick coconut milk
70g pandan extract (blend 40g pandan leaves with 80g water and strain)
1/4 tsp salt
110g cake flour
1 egg
7 egg yolks

(B)
7 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
150g caster sugar

• Grease and line a 20cm square baking pan with baking paper.  Wrap the baking pan with 2 layers of foil.
• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• In a mixing bowl, combine oil, coconut milk and pandan extract.  Sift in cake flour, and with a balloon whisk, mix until combined. 
• In a bowl, lightly beat 1 egg and egg yolks, then gradually add into the batter.  Set aside.
• In a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy.  Add in cream of tartar and beat until tiny, fine bubbles are formed.  Gradually beat in sugar on low speed until soft peak forms (meringue is shiny with arch shape). Add meringue into egg yolk in 4 batches, mixing gently with a balloon whisk.
• Then fold gently with a spatula until well mixed.  Tap the bowl a few times on the benchtop to burst large bubbles. 
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan on the benchtop a few times.
• Sit the baking pan with batter in a larger pan filled with hot water (1 inch high) and bake for about 2 hours.
• Remove the cake from the oven and tap the pan on the benchtop to minimise shrinkage. 
• Unmould the cake and cool completely on a wire rack.
• When the cake is completely cool, cut with a serrated knife.

Note: The cake is baked at low temperature to enable it to rise slowly to prevent it from over-rising then collapsing when out of the oven.  If the cake shrunk when removed from the oven, that means the temperature is too hot.

Braised Glass Noodles With Prawns

[4 -5 servings]

(A)
800g prawns

(B): Marinade
3 coriander roots, chopped finely
6 cloves garlic, minced (38g)
15g ginger, minced
1 chilli, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil

(C)
400g glass noodles
20g ginger slices
20g garlic slices
1 chilli, sliced (optional)
1 tbsp oil

(D) Sauce:  (Adjust to suit your taste)
4 cups of water (or prawn/chicken stock)
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
pepper & salt to taste
1 tsp sesame oil

(E)
coriander leaves or spring onion to garnish

• Clean prawns by removing the heads and cutting off all the legs (leaving the shells on).  Using a sharp paring knife, make a slit along the back of the prawns and remove the vein. Set aside. 
• In a bowl, mix together ingredients (B). Heat 3 tbsp oil in a small pot until hot, then pour into the paste, stir to combine. Pour half of the mixture over the prawns and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Soak glass noodles in cold water for about 20 minutes.  Drained and set aside.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan (or saucepan).  Fry the marinated prawns until half cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• In the same pan, add in 1/2 tbsp oil fry sliced ginger and garlic until aromatic.  
• Add in noodles and pour in the sauce.  then place the prawns on top of the noodles and spoon the remaining (B) mixture over the prawns.  Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the noodles turn transparent.  Add more water/stock if necessary.  Turn off fire when all the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles.  Drizzle sesame oil over and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.

Green Bean Vermicelli (or Glass Noodles)

B:  Marinade

Marinate prawns

Soft White Sandwich Loaf

There is clearly a baking craze going on now.  Just look at the supermarket shelves which have been stripped bare of pantry items, for instance flours, be it plain, self-raising or bread flour.

If you can't find any bread flour on the supermarket shelves, fret not.  You can make your own bread flour by mixing 1 part of Gluten Flour to 25 parts of Plain (All-Purpose) Flour to increase the protein content. 

With the homemade bread flour, I made a small loaf of bread which turns out to be very soft.

Ingredients:
300g bread flour
10g milk powder
1/4 tsp salt
40g caster sugar
5g instand dried yeast
200g liquid (1 egg + milk)
25g extra virgin olive oil

• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  In the bowl, combine all the  ingredients, except butter.  Turn the mixer on and knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add in butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic and passed the "window pane test" (Refer to note below).  Then knead in raisins.
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough to release trapped air.  Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Flatten the dough and roll it up tightly.  Place onto a greased pullman tin (20.5 x 10.5 x 9 cm).  Cover and let it rise until almost doubled (90%).
• Preheat oven to 170°C.
• Bake for about 45 minutes or till golden brown.

Braised Beef Short Ribs With Daikon

Fall off the bone succulent and tender braised short ribs infused with Asian flavours. It tasted better than the day you cooked it.

Ingredients:
1.2kg beef short ribs
2 medium size daikon, cut into chunks
30g sliced ginger
30g garlic cloves (whole)
1 large onion, chopped
2 dried chillies (optional)
3 star anise
10g rock sugar (or brown sugar)
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
salt, to taste
about 3 cups water
oil

• Season ribs with salt.  Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pot over medium high heat. Sear the ribs until brown , turning occasionally.  Transfer onto a plate.
• In the same pot, add 1/2 tbsp oil and over low heat saute ginger, garlic cloves, dried chillies and onions until aromatic. Return ribs to the pot and add in rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soya sauce, wine, black pepper and water (enough to cover the ribs).  Put the lid on and bring to a boil, then lower fire and simmer until ribs are almost tender (at least 2 hours). Then add in daikon.  Cook until ribs are very tender and daikon is soft.
• Remove from fire.
• Served with rice.

Bubur Cha Cha

Bubur Cha Cha is a classic Malaysian dessert.  It is an assorted medley of sweet potatoes, yams, black-eye beans and sago cooked in sweet coconut milk. Bubur Cha Cha can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients:
100g black-eye beans, rinsed and soak in hot water for at least 1 hour
1/2 cups sago
1 medium sized each yellow, purple and orange sweet potato 
about 250g taro 
1.5 litre water
palm sugar (to suite your taste)
4 pandan leaves, washed and knotted together
1 can Ayam brand coconut cream (400ml)
pinch of salt

• In a small pot filled with water, boil black-eye beans until soft. Set aside.
• Place sago in strainer and rinse under running tap water.  Then boil sago in plenty of hot water until translucent and cook. Drain into strainer and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• Peel and cut sweet potatoes and yam into small cubes.  Steam separately until soft.
• Meanwhile, fill a large pot with 1.5 litre of water.  Add in pandan leaves and palm sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer until palm sugar dissolves.  
• Add in black-eye beans, steamed sweet potatoes, yam, sago, coconut cream and a pinch of salt.  Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  Adjust the desired sweetness by adding more palm sugar (or white sugar).
• Serve hot or cold.  

Kuih Bahulu (Sponge Cake)

Kuih Bahulu Mould

'Kuih Bahulu' as it is known in Malay language, are actually mini sponge cakes. Traditionally they are baked in brass moulds that come in all sizes and shapes. Kuih Bahulu are the Asian version of Madeleines, which are slightly crusty on the outside but  a little dry and spongy on the inside.  They are best eaten with a cup of coffee.

Ingredients:
110g caster sugar

4 eggs (weigh about 59g each)

zest of an orange

a pinch of salt

115g cake flour, sifted

oil for greasing the mould

• Preheat oven at 200°C.
• With an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs and orange zest until thick and pale.
• Gently fold in flour. 
• Grease mould and preheat in the oven for 5 min.  Remove from oven and fill the hot mould to 100% full.  
• Bake for 10 min or until golden brown.
• Remove the mould from oven and using a skewer, gently lift the cake out.  Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.
• Grease the mould and reheat for another 2 min before filling up again. Repeat the steps until all batter is used up.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Muffins

This is my go-to banana muffin recipe (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction's Quick & Easy Banana Muffin). These muffins are wonderfully moist, soft and buttery with a sweet banana flavour and they are easy to make too!

[This recipe makes 11 muffins]

A (dry ingredients):

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp soda bicarbonate

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mixed spice

B (wet ingredients):

85g unsalted butter, melted

120g brown sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature (each egg weighs about 60g, with shell)

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange

2 tbsp milk

about 1-1/2 cups mashed banana

C:

40g chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 220°C.  Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
• Sift (A) all the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
• Using the electric hand beater, whisk (B) all the wet ingredients until combined. 
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then whisk until well combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  (Batter will be thick). 
• Using an ice-cream scoop, spoon the batter into muffin cases, filling them all the way to the top.  Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C.  Then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue baking for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan before transfering them  onto a wire rack to cool.

Note:  The initial high temperature will spring up the top of the muffins quickly, then the inside of the muffin continue to bake for the remainder of the time.  This helps the muffins to rise nice and tall.

Raisin Buns

Does Coronavirus Social Distancing made you go stir-crazy? If you have shied away from making bread from scratch in the past, now might be the time to finally give it a go.  It is one of the most rewarding and satisfying things you can do in the kitchen.

You can knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook or knead it by hand. Although kneading bread dough by hand may seem to be mindless, it actually helps us to mindfully do something productive and it is quite therapeutic too. Since this is a small dough, I decided to get my hands messy! (To learn more about how to knead by hand, refer here)

Ingredients:

280g bread flour

10g milk powder

50g caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

5g dried instant yeast

120g fresh milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

45g butter, room temperature

40g raisins (marinated in rum for at least 30 min)

white sesame seeds

Egg wash :  Lightly beat an egg with 1 tbsp of milk

• Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  In the bowl, combine all the  ingredients, except butter.  Turn the mixer on and knead until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add in butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic and passed the "window pane test" (Refer to note below).  Then knead in raisins.
• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough to release trapped air.  Divide dough into 8 equal portions and roll into round shape.  Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes.
• Shape the buns and place them onto a lined baking tray. Cover and let them rise until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Brush each bun with egg wash and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
• Place the buns on the rack in the centre of the oven, and bake for 20 - 25min or until lightly brown.
• Transfer buns onto a cooling wire rack.

Window Pane Test:  This is the best way to determine if your bread dough is properly kneaded.  To do this, take a small chunk of dough and stretch it between your fingers.  If the dough tears, that means the gluten has not developed and it needs more kneading. The dough is ready to rest and prove if it stretches without tearing (like the picture above).

Banana-Walnut-Choc Chip Cake

Ingredients:

130g plain flour

10g milk powder (optional)

1/8 tsp soda bicarbonate

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 - 1/4 tsp mixed spice

1/8 tsp salt

3 eggs (weighing 59g each with shell)

60g brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

160g mashed banana

90g rice bran oil

40g walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped finely

40g choc chips

• Preheat oven at 160°C.
• Line a loaf pan (21 x 11 x 3.5cm).
• Sift all the dry ingredients together: flour, milk powder, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, mixed spice and salt.  Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract until thick and pale. Beat in mashed banana.  With the mixer on low speed, add sifted dry ingredients.  Then gradually add in oil and mix until combined.  Finally fold in chopped walnuts and choc chips.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake for an hour or until cooked.