My Chiffon Craze

So lately, I have been 'hit' by the Chiffon Cake craze, I made 4 different type of flavours and is so amazed by the tips from my FB baking frens. I was advised to baked longer, maybe about 1hr to let it 'browned' nicely and also for the texture to be not so moist. The end results, it was so soft and nicely browned. I also experiement with a normal baking pan, instead of the tube pan as per norm. I managed to bake it too. The Sweet Potato Chiffon is the biggest hit, my grandma, hubby, children as well as my neighbour loves it. The rest was normal, hubby didnt like the Chammomile, said that it tasted kinda of artificial. Perhaps I should have reduced the tea leaves as per my 1st try. Hahaha..

Another was Carrot Chiffon & Apple Chiffon, both using the same recipe just that I tweak a little for Apple Chiffon, here you go.



Apple Chiffon (original recipe was Carrot Chiffon)
4 Egg Yolks
35g Fine Sugar
40g Olive Oil
20g Water
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
80g Cake Flour
60g Mashed Apples

4 Egg Whites
1/4 tsp Tartar
30g Fine Sugar

(1) Mix Egg yolks & sugar. Whisk til sugar melted
(2) Add Oil, water, vanilla essence followed by cake flour and mashed apples. Mix well
(3) Beat egg white til frothy, add in tartar
(4) Beat til more bubbles then add sugar gradually.
(5) Beat til it form stiff peaks
(6) Fold in egg white in 3 addition. Do not over-fold.
(7) Bake at 160 deg for 40-60mins.

Made a Tiramisu dessert cake for hubby's birthday. As he is flying off on the actual day, we had a simple celebration at home on wed. I did the tiramisu on a removable base 6" cake tin and arranged the sponge fingers on wednesday itself. Did a rushed one as worried hubby suddenly come out of work room, and the piping was bad.. hahhaa.. But the thought that count la. I used the Egg-less Tiramisu this time round and hubby likes it better than the egg version. Yummy, and i added more alcohol cos i wanna be 'naughty'. I replaced Rum Compound instead of the Kahlua/Baileys.

I also tried making donuts but I cant refer back where I got the recipe from. Anyway it wasn't my standard of the soft fluffly donuts. Wait til i get a good recipe. =

Some catchups on new tries

Tried some new recipes and so gonna blog it, in case i want to refer back in future. Yummy recipes = Keeper!!

I tried frying Ah Ma's style Fried Prawn & Fishcake Omelette (orh-luak style) that we can never give her a break when we have a chalet. Hahaha.. Really so yummilicious, though it's without the oysters, and frying with Olive Oil, definetely healthier than those selling outside. So what is my final tweak to the original recipe? Here it is:

Fried Prawn & Fishcake Omelette (orh-luak style)

2 Heaps Tablespoon of Tapioca Flour

1 Heap Tablespoon of Glutinous Rice Flour

240ml Water

Dash of Fish Gravy

Ingredients you can choose your own, i go for prawns and fishcake

4 Eggs, Beaten

Spring Onions

(1) You have to stir the batter first, It will be watery

(2) Heat up my Happycall, a little bit of oil

(3) Put just enough batter to cover the base of the Happycall

(4) Wait til the batter is bubbling, then pour in egg mixture, just enought to cover the Happycall

(5) Let the omelette becomes more 'charred' then flip over

(6) Add in ingredients and mix well. Add a little fish gravy to taste

(7) Serve hot

Another new dish - Panko Chicken & Pork Chops. I saw this on 1 of those cooking blogs, so decided to copy that. It was crispy and fragrant. It is great for snacks and you don't feel sinful as it is chicken breast. Simple and my toddler and hubby loves it.

Another new toy i bought last night and immediately try it this morning for breakfast. Tayoki Fish Pan, got it at $20 from Giant Tampines. Cheaper than Gmarket and i have been enduring eversince my Facebook Kakis started posting about it. Finally i gave up and i never regret. Mmm..

I used the Betty Crocker Pancake Mix for it, added a egg and 1 cup of water. Soft and fluffy, i tried with Nutella, Laughing Cow Cheese and also Pandan Paste to the last few fishes. Irisa had a fun time with the 'fishes' this morning.

A busy week with just 4 of us

So grandma went over to my younger sis's plc to accompany her cos she bring her BB gal home and was afraid to be alone with her BB during the day as worried she cant cope. So she got the master shifu to go over. So me on the other hand, had to cope with 2 active toddlers, housechores, meals, and baking at home. Though tiring but it was fun. First, we let Irisa sleep alone in her room after we got her a STAR light from Ikea. And she managed to sleep through the 1st night but with some crying the next morning as she claimed that she wanna go to toilet but no one in the room so she scared. 2nd Night, daddy went over to tell story and was so tired that he fell asleep with her and too tired to come back. Last night, she was whiny so we didnt want to push her to sleep alone. Worried will have repercussion so let her sleep in. Tonight, Daddy got a bit of headache from a lousy sleep last night with Lil boy not sleeping well from his flu so Irisa will sleep with Mummy and Rayshon in the room.

Anyway, I tried a new dish with the help of a lovely mummy friend I had with 2010 Dec Mummies from SMH (Singapore Motherhood forum), Vegetarian Noodles. Went searching high and low for Vegetarian Charsiew and die die couldnt find. So i jus went ahead with my variation.

Vegetarian Noodles

Recipe from Grace Tan (My mummy fren)

Noodles (i used 4 servings of the vegetarian noodles, dry kind)

1/2 Cabbage

1 Carrot

1/2 box of white button mushroom

1 can of MILI Veg Mushroom

1 cup of water

(1) Blanch cabbage and carrot til 80% cook

(2) Blanch noodles til 90% cook with the above water

(3) Heat oil in wok, add in vegetables, white button mushrooms. Mix well

(4) Add noodles and half water. Mix

(5) Add in can of veg mushroom & gravy

(6) Add remaining water. Mix well and serve

It was really yummy and I think it was worth a try. Comfort food and nice to go with some sambal chilli. And it help to whet my lil boy's appetite after a day of 1 cupcake, 1 bread cos he was feeling moody cos of his flu.

And my bake for the day - Cheese & Ham Loaf. I used Hokkaido Milk Loaf recipe and added in Cheese & Ham when I roll up the loaf for 2nd proof. End result, really yummy. Love it.

Cheese n Ham

So what did I had today? I added Multigrain Flour to the same Hokkaido Milk Loaf, i only used 1/2 the recipe and added 80g of Multigrain Flour. It was soft, yummy and the taste of the grain wasnt overwhelming. I made 3 small baugette shapes, 1 small loaf, 5 small corn buns and 2 ham rolls. I used the baugette shapes loaf for Subway Meatball Marinara which was hubby's favourite. And indeed it was the key to his heart, or should i say stomach. And i baked some honey wings as side. Simple yet fulfilling dinner.

 Marinara Meatball

1 packet ready meatball

1/2 can of Prego Tomato Based Pasta sauce

(1) Bake meatball til cooked in oven

(2) Heat up pasta sauce with 1/3 can of water

(3) Add in meatball and mix well til boils

(4) Leave aside for use later

Bentos, Breads and Creme Caramel

Posting up last 2 night's Bento for my gal, nothing fanciful. Just a simple meal with a little fun. Lunch was Macaroni with Fishball & Tomato on stick, Dinner was Rice Roll w/egg, Quail Egg, Spinach & Meat Patty, Dinner was Fried Rice, Pork Chop & Sautee Veg.

And then made the breads, pandan chiffon, huat kueh from premix & creme caramel all today. All for prayers and only dessert and bread for consumption. Roasted a slab of pork too but forgot to take pic. Hope it's yummy.
I replaced the coconut milk to fresh milk, it resulted in a more moist chiffon, definitely tastewise, with coconut milk is more fragrance. So next round, still coconut milk but lightly will play around with the amount of coconut milk with fresh milk perhaps.

Mexican Coffee Bun aka Rotiboy

mexican coffee bun

Made a new variation today and spur of the moment that I decided to make something different despite feeling so lazy and tired thru'out the day. It was so yummy that it brighten my day up immediately, especially when hubby need to travel again. Oh, as I write, I already missing him liao.. sob sob =(

Anyway, this is a good recipe, worth doing it again for hubby to try when he is back. Even my nice neighbour loves it.. hahhaa.. So here's the recipe, Mexican Coffee Bun.

Anyway, i changed the coffee piping ingredients a bit. Here is the changes:

Topping:
60g butter
60g castor sugar (I reduce to 40g)
1.5 eggs (I use 75g)
60g plain flour
1/2 tbsp instant coffee, mixed with
1/2 tbsp hot water, cooled (**i chg to 1 tbsp)
1/2 tsp coffee paste (**i omit)

Bento day

So inspired to make Bento meal for Irisa after being 'tempted' by AK in my Facebook group. Her 'pretty' meals for her girl really make me drool and so want to do it for Irisa. So I ordered some Bento cutter yesterday from Taobao, now waiting for them patiently and ran to Serangoon Nex - King & King Wong to get a Bear Bento Box, NTUC to get a PRINCESS Bento Box. Oh my, she is so SPOILT!! Anyway, I hope to be able to make a nicer creation when the cutter comes in. And i really need to wreck my brain for what side dishes to go along for her bento and also suitable for us, adults. Sounds like my backside itchy right??

These are the 2 Bento Boxes that I have gotten for her, the Bear if it last long enuf, I can double up for Rayshon when he can self-feed. Cute right? And why princess? Cos Irisa says she is a Princess!

Just a simple meal with meatballs w/corn & carrot, egg omelette, tomato w/potato served with porridge. So if you need the recipe of the steamed meatballs, here it is.

Steamed Meatballs

100g Minced Meat (Can be chix, pork or mixture)

1Tbsp Sesame Oil

1Tbsp Lt Sauce

1Tbsp Cornflour

Dash of pepper

Diced Carrots and frozen corns

Stir to mix well, add in carrots and corns.

Shaped into balls

Put on plate and steam for 5-10mins.

I hope I can come up with nicer Bento for her as i practise hard. Night people.



My Failed Panda-Lookalike Bread

 Yes, my failed Panda-lookalike Bread. Supposed to have that Panda pattern from the above pic, but i lazy to refer to the steps and did it based on my estimation. Ended doing it totally wrong and ended up with a 'checkered' bread pattern. So sad. But to total it up, the Hokkaido Milk Bread still never fail me in the taste and texture.

Local cusine experiment

Decided to be adventurous yesterday and made Fried Oyster (Ah ma's style), Black & White Carrot Cake. Got the recipe from Munch Ministry from some kind souls who is willing to share the recipes.

Fried Oyster

White Carrot Cake

Black Carrot Cake

I varied the Fried Oyster from the recipe in Munch Ministry a bit to find my 'Grandma's taste'. I added Fishcake Strips & Prawn cubes instead of Oyster. And i did not use the Grounded Ingredients but used Fish Gravy like my Grandma to flavour it. But then, Happycall was good cos it was not oily after frying it and spared me from the messy cleaning up. But it lack the 'black wok' flavour if you know what I meant.

As for the Carrot cake, i cheated and used the Ready-made carrot cake and split into 2 types. But I didnt add Chai Po cos i ran out of it and as for the White version, i omit the Sweet Sauce, and i replaced the Light Soy Sauce with Fish gravy. =)

Fried Oyster (Recipe adapted from MunchMinistry)

Ingredients
20-30 fresh oysters (small ones)
110g sweet potato flour
250ml water
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 large eggs
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
1 tbsp chopped chives
4 tbsp oil
Ground ingredients (combine well using blender or mortar& pestle)
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 tbsp chilli paste (I used Glory’s Nonya Sambal)
1/2 tbsp coriander pwd (Can be found in most spice sections in supermkts)
A dash of pepper
Method
Soak oysters in water.
Mix sweet potato flour, salt and water into a thin runny batter and leave aside. (Batter should be very runny as it thickens while cooking)
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or pan until very hot (medium heat).
Scoop out two ladles of batter onto the wok.
Give a quick stir and let the batter form a thin crust and then, crack in the eggs one at a time. Stir quickly, then push cooked batter to the side of pan.
Add 2 tbsp oil to the other side of pan, add ground ingredients and saute well. Add in oysters. Cook for a minute and combine the egg and sweet potato flour batter together with the oysters.
Add pepper and sprinkle with chopped spring onions and chives. Give it a stir then dish out and serve with chilli garlic sauce.
**i replaced oyster with fishcakes and prawns**


Another mission I had today was cooking Stew Pork with Tau Pok, Tau Kwa, Quail Eggs. I marinate them overnight and cook the very next day, with the marinate and added 2 cup of water to boil and simmer.

Stew Pork

Stew Pork Recipe (for 2-3 Pax)

1 Plate of Pork Belly (NTUC type)

1 Plate of Twee Bah (NTUC type)

1 Box of Quail Eggs

1 Box of Tau Pok

1 Pkt of Tau Kwa

2 Cups of water

Marinate - 2Tbsp Oyster Sauce, 3Tbsp Premium Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce, Dash of pepper & Corn Flour

1) Marinate the above meat with marinate overnight or at least 30mins

2) Put above with marinate and add 2 Cups of water to boil, simmer til meat is 70% tender

3) Add in cooked quail eggs, tau pok, tau kwa

Simple right? It is yummilicious!! And good to go with a bowl of plain rice. U can add  more water if the water dries up, and add a bit more dark sauce for taste.

More bakes - Breads, Cakes

Am so hooked on updating my blogs and dying to try more recipes since I have the time so that I can keep all the good recipes that I have tried or at least I can archive those I have tried before so I can always refer back when I needed them in future. I baked a Strawberry Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake by replacing some ingredients from the original recipe on friday afternoon for my relatives. Rested on saturday as last min had some appointments. So today had a mini spring clean for Hubby's work room, shifted a bit, clean up the hse and baked a Butter Cake and Pai Bao (Hongkong Sweet Buns) that is on my to-do list. Hahhaa..

Strawberry Cream Cheese Chiffon

 Personally, I find it a tad too dense and heavy, not really like the previous chiffon texture that I got. I wonder if i over-mix or somewhere went wrong. Anyway it used half Plain flour and Cake flour, so cld that be a reason? As for the recipe, I took out Banana and the Semi sweet choc and replaced it with chopped strawberry instead. Maybe I should try it again next time and follow the recipe exactly.

Basic Butter Cake



Basic Butter Cake - close up

I simply love this Butter cake, it is light and moist. So buttery and my hubby loves it. I think both my kids love it too. Gonna give some to my lovely neighbour for their supper or breakfast tommorrow. Let's share the 'fats', she always says..

Sweet Buns - in strips



Sweet Buns - round



Sweet bun - texture

I have always put this after the Hokkaido Milk Loaf for my next bakes. And i simply love the smell. Today i tried without the egg wash and see if it can stay soft longer and not have a hard outer case. The texture inside was soft. Yummy. Planning to make Pork Chop buns tommorrow..

Simple Meal & Bread making again

Today was alone with 2 toddlers and have an urge to bake, need to settle their lunch and also to think of what's for dinner. So I decided to cook simple lunch and dinner. Wanted to bake with Tang Zhong that I prepared day before and keep inside the fridge, so that I can know if I can make a bit more whenever i made a batch for my breads. I realised this method really yields a much softer, fluffy bread.

Lunch was simple fried bee hoon, I fry with oyster sauce, simmer and added a bit of pepper. It was so yummy that my little boy had a bowl, my older gal had 2 bowls. And i finish up the balance with her at 3pm for tea break again. Yummy.

Fried Bee Hoon

Ingredients

Bunch of White Japanese Mushroom 

Bunch of Bean Sprout

5 Fishballs, cut into slices

2 ricebowl of Thick Bee Hoon

2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

Dash of pepper

1/2 Cup Water

Fry garlic in olive oil til fragrant.

Add in mushroom, bean sprout, fishball and fry til cooked

Add in bee hoon, mix well

Add oyster sauce, water and pepper

Simmer for 5 mins

side view of today bake

fluffy and soft texture

Assorted bread using Tanzhong

Again, I used the Hokkaido Milk Loaf recipe again. This round I twisted the recipe and added 1 tsp of Chocolate Essence and 2 Tbsp of Chocolate Chips to half the dough. I played with colour for the other half and added pink to create the swirls. Yes, it was soft and yummy. Ended up couldnt resist and making another batch of assorted bread with the same recipe. It was yummy as well. Next of my list, I gonna try the Pai Pau recipe from Christine.

Pan Fried Lemon Pepper Salmon

Got this idea from 1 of my Facebook friend. Saw her pics and she taught me this. Marinate the salmon with pepper, lemon juice and salt. Coat with corn flour and pan fried with just enough oil to fry it. It was yummy. Love it.

That's the end of my long post. I hope my family love whatever I have prepared today. And yes, i made another batch of ice cream today. Chocolate flavour again, added 1 tsp of peppermint to try Peppermint Chocolate. Yumm. Will update when it's ready after i taste it. As for the orginal chocolate ice cream, it goes so well with the Milk Loaf above..