Stir fried somen

Ingredients:

230g Somen (noodles) 
100g bean sprouts
100g chinese chives (ku chai), cut into 2 cm length
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbsp dried shrimps, washed and soaked to soften, chopped coarsely
3 tbsp oil
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp light soy sauce

• Blanched noodles in boiling water until al dente.  Place into a colander and rinse under cold running water.  Drain well.  Set aside.
• Heat up oil in a wok and stir-fry chopped garlic and shallots until aromatic.  Add in dried shrimps and fry until fragrant.  
• Add in noodles and toss well.  Season with light soy sauce, salt & pepper.  Add in beansprouts and chives.  Toss for a few minutes to mix well.
• Dish out and serve with chilli oil.

Nutella Brownies

Adapted from Completely Delicious


Ingredients:

170g dark chocolate, chopped
8g cocoa powder
2g instant coffee granules
130g butter
175g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
95g plain flour
85g pecans, chopped
100g Nutella

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C.  Line a 20.5 cm square pan with baking paper.
• Melt the chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee granules and butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove bowl from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  
• Add in sugar and vanilla extract, stir to combine.  
• Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in salt and flour and stir until well combined.  Fold in pecans.  
• Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly.  Drop spoonfuls of Nutella onto the batter, about 4 cm apart, then use a toothpick to swirl the Nutella into the batter.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges appeared crispy but a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs.  
• Remove pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
• Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days or in the fridge for a week.

Dulce de Leche Banana Cake

Can you see spots of Dulce de Leche in the cake?  

Yes, another banana cake; but this time with the addition of homemade dulce de leche (pronounced "DOOL-say day Lay-chay," is a Spanish term for a thick caramel sauce popular in Latin America).  Turning a can of sweetened condensed milk into sticky and gooey dulce de leche is not that complicated.  All you need is, of course, a can of condensed milk and a pot of boiling water.  Then put your feet up with your favourite book for the next 3 to 4 hours but make sure the water doesn't boil dry.  One word of caution, do not open the can until it is cooled.  

Hop over to Wendy's blog to see how she made her dulce-de-leche.  

Ingredients:

60g sour cream

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

70g caster sugar

80g rice bran oil

1/2 tsp vanilla paste

250g self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed bananas

230g dulce de leche 

• Preheat oven to 170 deg C.  Grease and line a 22.5 x 12.5 x 7 cm loaf pan (or a 9" round pan).
• Sift flour with flour; set aside.
• Combine bicarbonate of soda with sour cream; set aside.
• With an electric mixer, beat eggs until frothy (about 1 min),  gradually add in sugar and beat until thick and pale (about 5 mins).
• Pour in oil in a steady stream while beating.  Add in vanilla paste.  
• Add in dulce de leche and beat to just combined.
• Fold in flour, mashed bananas and sour cream.  
• Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 55 mins or until cake is done.
• After 5 mins remove the cake from the pan and cool on a wire rack.