Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Lemon Curd Tart

 

Decided to bake some Lemon Curd Tarts as gifts, using a simple short crust pastry recipe. With my thermomix, I jus simply add all the ingredients for my Lemon curd and I am almost ready to go!


I saw this idea of someone using the extrerior of the tart shell to make the flowery pattern and decided to have a go. And I realised mine was too narrow and not detailed enough so cant see the petal details. 🤦🏼‍♀️ (PS: Time to go shopping again)


Loved all my baking boxes and cases as it helps to make the tarts more beautiful! The tarts inside the cupcake cases reminds me of little snowball! So so cute!!


Taste so tangy and so good! 🤤🤤

 Short Crust Pastry (From cookidoo)
100g icing sugar
200g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
370g plain flour
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

1) Using rub-in method, rub icing sugar and butter til it resemblemce breadcrumbs
2) Add in egg, salt & vanilla to knead into a dough, working fast so butter do not melt
3) Shape into a disc and cling wrap for 1 hour before using
4) Roll out to desired thickness and cut out preferred portion to make tart shells 
5) Bake 180deg x 15mins
6) Cool before removing them from tart shell
7) Use with desired filling 
(I am using Lemon Curd from cookidoo recipe) 


Monday, November 29, 2021

Honey Soy Grill Chicken


Trying to use chinese-style recipes to do a chinese dinner for Christmas! 

Today tried making Honey Soy chicken and I believe this will be a good main course for kids and serving them on skewers makes it easier for them to eat! 😋😋


Made some Sambal Petai with my hub too! I believe he will be happy to have this with a bowl of rice as compared to all the roast turkey and ham! 🙊

Honey Soy Grill Chicken
300g chicken thigh, big pieces
2Tbsp honey
1Tbsp dark soy
1tsp Mirin
Pinch of black pepper

1) Marinate chicken thigh pieces with above marinate for 2-3hours
2) Put on grill x10mins, flip and grill 5mins
3) Use marinade sauce and add cornnstarch mixture to thicken it. Serve grill chicken with sauce on the sides

Creamcheese Ravioli


Had some leftover ribs and beef and decided to finish them for next day lunch. Thinking what carbs to go with it and decided to make some creamcheese ravioli! 


This is my first time making so the night before I was trying to decide what sauce, and what filling should I use. Finally decided on creamcheese filing and pair with the leftover stew!


 Had a short video of how easy it is too wrap n make them at home! 


I even did a quick tom yum soup for my portion!!  So spicy n tangy with the creamcheese!! 



A dear friend shared a baked version ravioli to me! So i wrapped some with prawns to have it like an appetizer!! So yummy!!

This recipe is so easy to work with! I think we can have fresh pasta as and when we want. With or without filling and it will be so fun for the kids to try making them in the own special shapes too! ❤️

Hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Uncooked ravioli can be freeze for up to 2 weeks too! 
 
Pasta Dough (recipe from cookidoo)
  • 200 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 eggs (53-63 g each)
  • 1tsp pumpkin powder
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
  • Filling: 
  • 100g creamcheese mixed with basil flakes, pinch of truffle salt, soften
  • 6 prawns

1) Knead above with a mixer til it forms a dough and rest for 15mins (dough will be slightly crumbly)
2) Roll dough out and cut into rectangular strips then spoon 1 tsp of filling and put at 1 side of the pasta strips
3) Use fork to press down and form a square ravioli, repeat til all is finished
4) Boil in hot water + pinch of salt til ravioli is cooked (approx 3-5mins depending on size), drain and set aside
5) Put on serving plate and serve warm 

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Truffle Prawn Risotto


Thinking of doing a main carbs for Christmas to serve along with the meats or seafood. Thinking that rice is more filling than serving with mash, I decided to try out this Prawn Risotto from Martha Stewart. The recipe looks so simple and straightforward and I have all the ingredients at home!



You can always prepare this the last dish after finishing off the proteins as all it takes is a short 15mins or less. So yummy even serving it as a main on its own! 

Prawn Risotto (adapted with slight modifications from Martha Stewart)
4Tbsp butter
1/2 Onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
11/2 cup arborio rice
41/2cup chicken stock 
300g prawns, deshelled
3oz parmesan, grated and more for garnish
1tsp Truffle salt
Basil leaves
Black pepper

1) Put on saute mode, med hi and add in 2Tbsp butter
2) Add in onions and garlic and fry til you can smell the fragrance, around 3-4mins
3) Add in rice and cook while stirring it for around 1 min
4) Add in 3 cups of chicken stock and season lightly with salt and pepper
5) Pressure cook on high for 9mins and quick release
6) Add in remaining 11/2cup of stock and prawns and bring to a boil, while stirring til prawns are cooked
7) Add in parmesan, 2Tbsp butter, truffle salt and stir well
8) Serve warm with grated parmesan and basil to garnish



Beef Stew



 Previously I cooked this recipe using my thermomix and it was so well received by the family. Today I decided to share this recipe and use the pressure cook method to help speed up the time used to cook this dish! It can be prepare ahead for parties or gatherings and warm up later or kept warm in a thermal pot.


Very simple ingredients to put together. I am using briskets today. 


I love the slight tangy and thick sauce that it is cooked in. The beef is so tender and juicy that we kept dipping in breads to soaked up the flavourful sauce. This would go so well with baguette if you prefer too. I am using it as a pasta toppings today for the kids.


I baked some homemade croutons and pair with the beef stew. So shall we serve as a main, as a starter or? 



Beef Stew (adapted with slight modifications from Cookidoo)
2 brown onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
30 g olive oil 
800 g beef brisket, cut into pieces (3 cm)
500 g chicken stock
2 tbsp Vegetable stock paste or Meat stock paste (see Tips)
350 g carrots, cut into rounds (1 cm)
100g cherry tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (i omit as i ran out of them 🙈 )
3 dried bay leaves 
1Tbsp dark soy for col
sea salt, to taste
cornstarch to thicken 

1) Place onion, garlic and olive oil Saute Low-Med
2) Add beef and cook til it brown nicely on the outside on Saute Hi
3) Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
4) Pressure cook on Hi x 30mins and natural release 
5) Add salt to taste, dark soy sauce for some colour and thicken it 
6) Serve with choice of carbs

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Grilled Ribs


Wanted to do a simple ribs for christmas as it is always a favourite on our meat platter! Love to have it soft and tender that it can come off the bones easily! Great for adults and kids to eat without ‘fighting’ with the bone. 😅


Thinking I have some thyme at home, decided to do a simple marinade. Finish off with grilling the pressure-cooked ribs and thickening the marinade as a sauce to serve it with 😋

Loving how the subtle honey taste goes with the thyme. Meat is soft and comes off easily like how we want it to be. Serving with some greens on the sides to balance out the grilled meat. Definitely a keeper to redo on christmas itself! Try it and let me knw!



Was playing with plating earlier on. Which do you prefer?

Grilled Ribs
1 baby ribs rack
1sprig thyme, leaves only
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 sliced ginger, chopped
2Tbsp honey
2Tbsp garlic powder

1) Put seasoning in blender and do a quick blend and rub over ribs. Best overnight if not 2-3hrs
2) Pressure cook with a bowl of water on Hi x 30mins and let it natural release. Poke with chopsticks to check softness preferred
3) Grill x 10mins and baste with marinade liquid and flip and grill another 5mins
4) Serve with choice of greens

Mala Flavoured Lok Lok Sticks


Decided to share some chill out ideas on Christmas with my favourite lok lok sticks! Made the mala sauce myself with a few simple ingredients and its ready to go! 


Made some teriyaki-flavoured sticks for the kiddos too, with the homemade teriyaki sauce too! Nice finger food for the kids and adults during gatherings or meetups! 

Simple grill and serve along with your choice of booze! A great way to chill the night off on Christmas eve, counting down together to open all the presents pass midnights!  

Mala Flavoured Lok Lok Sticks
Chicken leg, cube (dun cut too small so easier to poke thru)
Some other ingrdients of your choice
I used:
Taiwan sausage
Small franks
Small ngor hiang

Mala sauce (from Cookidoo)
50g oil
5 garlic cloves
2-3pcs ginger slice
100g Spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱) *I added more
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
3/4 dried chilli
1tsp sichuan Peppercorn, optional (i omit cos i dun like the numbing)

1) Heat up oil
2) Add all ingredients and fry til fragrant
3) Cool it before using it as marinade for the skewers
4) Grill on 8mins, baste with marinade and grill another 5mins. Remove sausages and ngor hiang then continue to grill chicken another 5-8mins til its cooked
5) Serve with rice and some cucumber on the sides

Friday, November 26, 2021

Choux Pastries Christmas Theme


Wanna make something christmassy and decided to make some meringue christmas tree as topper for my choux. Been a while I had some choux and since my thermomix can help me with it, so why not?


It very easy to fix up the choux pastry with my thermomix and I am so glad that my choux puff up nicely in my ninjafoodi. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 Well done to my 🥷


So nicely puff up right!!! Love it. I rem doing stove top training my arm muscles and it is not 100% success rate! Woohoooo! So excited!


If you are lazy, whipped cream and sprinkles does the job too! I tried piping a christmas hat, christmas tree and a round wreath. Doesnt seems that alike but the whole deco makes the choux so pretty! 


All packed and ready to share fats with my neighbours! A nice gifts for your frens too.!!


Choux pastry (recipe from cookidoo)
*Pipe into bigger base and cut into halves

  • 150 g water 
  • 80 g butter, unsalted, cut in pieces
  • 1 pinch salt 
  • 2 tsp sugar (10 g)
  • 120 g plain flour 
  • 3 medium eggs

  • Place water, butter, salt and sugar in mixing bowl and bring to a boil.
  • Add flour and mix into a thick consistency.  Remove and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
  • Once mixture is cooled, add eggs one at a time and ensure it it nicely mixed in
  • Transfer pastry mixture to a piping bag and pipe into balls leaving 5 cm space between each. 
  • Bake for 15 minutes (180 deg) or until golden brown. 
  • Once all batches are done, i put back to the hot ninjafoodi to cool and dry while leaving the lid ajar
  • Remove tray from oven and allow choux pastries to cool completely before serving or filling as desired
**note: I am using ninjafoodi similar to airfryer so i cut baking time and temp
**For oven pls bake at 200deg x20-25mins and let it cool with door ajar for 10mins
*omit vanilla and uses pandan gel instead
  • 100 g icing sugar 
  • 2 egg whites 
  • 1 tsp lemon juice 
  • 1 pinch salt 
  • 1 tsp pandan gel
  • pure icing sugar, for dusting

  • Double boil egg whites, lemon juice and salt into mixing bowl and whip til soft peaks
  • Then remove and continue to whip while lowly adding sugar 
  • Add pandan gel and mix until colour is mixed through evenly. 
  • Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (10 mm).
  • To assemble, cut cooled choux puffs into halves horizontally. Pipe Swiss meringue generously over bases, top with a meringue christmas tree and dust with icing sugar before serving immediately.

Korean Style Chicken Chop

 

Decided to do a korean style chicken chop serving it with salad for us. Trying to go carb-less as much to diet for upcoming CNY 🙊


I added grill vegetables on the sides while baking my chicken chop. Brush them all with the marinade liquid before i start baking. Halfway thru just remember to remove your chicken so that they wont be overly charred. 


Burger or salad? This is for grandma, she still need to be fed full full hor! 🙊🙊 Love the marinade and goes so well with the salad on the sides! 

Try and tell me which u prefer. Serve with salad or burger bun?

Korean Style Chicken Chop (adapted from cookidoo)
  • Marinade (enough for 4 boneless leg)
  • 2 garlic cloves,chopped 
  • 30 - 40 g Korean chilli paste (gochujang), to taste
  • 1 ½ Tbsp caster sugar 
  • 1 ½ Tbsp sesame oil 
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds 
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce 
  • 1 Tbsp water 
  • ½ Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 Boneless chicken leg

  • Mixed veg of your choice

  • 1) Marinate chicken leg with above seasonings for at least 2-3hours
  • 2) Add chicken leg and mixed vegetables of your choice into Ninjafoodi. Bake 180 deg x15 mins skinside up, then flip and bake another 8mins. Flip and aircrips another 3mins to crisp up skin.
  • 3) Serve with choice of sides and enjoy

Teriyaki Salmon Burger

 

Decided to serve burgers for lunch! Made some homemade teriyaki sauce to seasoned my salmon patties! Yums! Homemade sauces always taste best. 


Can use salmon fillet if you do not want to use patties, or use on any other meats too! Just lightly brushed them and send in to bake! Ta-daaa~~~ A yummy Teriyaki salmon burger is ready! 😋


Salmon Burger
2Tbsp homemade teriyaki sauce (recipe below)
2 Salmon patty (or u can use 2 salmon fillet)
Pinch of black pepper

1) Brush sauce and sprinkle black pepper on salmon patty
2) Put to grill x 8mins, flip and grill another 8mins
3) Assemble with burger cheese, lettuce, drizzle some mayonaise, chilli flakes (optional) and burger bun
Serve warm with choice of sides

Teriyaki Sauce (modified from Cookidoo)
  • 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
  • 1 garlic clove 
  • 50 g mirin 
  • 200 g water
  • 100 g soy sauce 
  • 150 g brown sugar 
  • 3 tsp cornflour

1) Chop garlic and ginger into paste-like
2) Add all ingredients into a sauce pot and cook over low heat, stirring them til it reaches a thick consistency
3) Strain and cool before storing in an airtight container