Coffee from the Highlands

Did a photoshoot for My Cafe Adventures. It sells quality coffee beans and powder from Vietnam. More information can be found here. http://www.mycafeadventures.com/

Chocolate Swirl Muffins

I had about an hour to spare last Sun. I felt very weird not baking anything for the weekend, so I managed to pyscho myself to DO SOMETHING! Otherwise I would not have a 'great weekend'.

It was a simple task as I baked half the portion. So everything was quick, clean and easy! These muffins are small and serve as a good afternoon snack or breakfast. I use margarine so it's lots healthier.

Serves about 7.

A
2 eggs
60g caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

B
55g plain flour (sifted)

C
40g melted butter

D
About 20g Lindt chocolate (to double boil)

1. Whisk A at high speed until pale yellow (something very smooth and creamy)
2. Add in B and mix well with a spatula.
3. Add in C and combine thoroughly.
4. Pour batter into 7 muffin cups (3/4 full) and drop melted chocolate over. Swirl with a toothpick.
5. Bake at 180deg C for about 25min.


(ok not very well taken pics as they were taken on my study table and using compact cam)

Alternatives:
You may add orange zest if you want something citrus, or chocolate chips if you want a double chocolate flavour. Or you can add both! It's free play!

Carrot Walnut Cake

I've been wanting to try this receipe for a long long time. So finally here it is. It tastes great (esp after 1 night). It is light, not too sweet, moist and not very heavy on cinnamon. It's just perfect. I want to share the receipe with everyone!

(A)
3 eggs
150g milk
300g sugar
1/2 tsp salt

(B)
180g vegetable oil (I use canola, but you can also use olive oil)
1 tsp vanilla essence

(C) (all sifted)
280g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

(D)
150g carrots, shredded (original receipe calls for 200g but I was too tired from shredding!)
120g walnuts, chopped

Topping
200g cream cheese (original receipe of 250g was way too much for me)
60g butter
120g icing sugar
1 lemon zest, grated
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp orange juice (orange juice is optional as I had leftover)

Cake
1. Whip A till well combined, followed by B.
2. Sieve in C and mix well.
3. Add in D and mix well.
4. Pour batter into a 30x23cm moud and bake at 180deg for 40min.


Topping
1. Beat cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add butter and continue beating.
3. Add sugar and baet till well combined.
4. Add lemon zest and juice. Mix well.
5. Spread topping on a cooled cake otherwise it will be very watery on the cake.

(Source adapted: Fruity Cakes by Alex Goh)

Orange Chiffon Cake

Had alot of oranges in the house.. so I wanted to make use of them for a cake. Therefore I tried this chiffon cake. It was fantastic. Light, healthy and fragrant. It uses vegetable oil and there wasn't any butter. What's more, it's easy to prepare.. within an hr. It's awesome.. here's it! (slightly revised)


I use a small tube pan so I halved the recipe. (this is the half recipe)


(A)

2 egg yolks

10g sugar

1/8 tsp salt

30g vegetable oil (I use canola oil)

35g milk

(B)

1 orange zest

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp squeezed orange juice (more orange juice makes it more fragrant and dense, not so chiffony)

(C)

50g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

(D)

2 egg whites

50g sugar

1. Mix A till well combined, then add C.

2. Whisk egg whites in D till soft peaks form, then add sugar.

3. Continue whisking till stiff.

4. Take 1/4 of the meringue and mix with egg yolk mixture and combine well.

5. Mix the remaining merginue with the egg yolk mixture and mix well.

6. Add in B and mix well.

7. Pour into a tube pan (about 18cm) and bake at 170deg C for 45min. (it will rise quite a lot)

8. When cool, remove from mould.

Optional:

Some choppped walnuts on top to bake.

(reference: Alex Goh Fruity Cakes)

I've been tagged!

I was surprised to have been tagged by Happy Home Baking on my little humble blog. She has a fantastic blog with awesome recipes and photos of her masterpieces. Well, to continue the tag, here are the rules to observe.

1. Link to my blog (tagger) on your blog.
2. Give seven facts about yourself.
3. Tag another seven blogs by leaving a comment on their blog and letting them know they were tagged and listing them (and their blogs) on your blog.

Me myself

1. I love photography since young but only started getting serious only last year :) (what a procrastinator!)

2. I love baking and cooking but 70% of the time the result is disappointing. (can see cannot eat quality)

3. I love outdoors and lead and active lifestyle. I have an 'itchy and sharp butt' (can never sit still).

4. I love grocery shopping and can never step out of a supermarket empty handed.

5. I do my budget for shopping, but never keep within it.

6. Horror movies are my favourites (but I get spooked too).

7. I emphasise alot of aesthetics (came from advertising background)

Here are the 7 other blog sites which I often visit:

1. Small Small Baker
2. Baking Mum
3. Baking Cottage
4. Kitchen Corner
5. Taste of Time
6. Fresh from the Oven
7. Cuisine Paradise

Enjoy!

Belacan Rice with Green Mango

A fiery lunch! You can top it up with garnishes like tangy sliced green mango and fresh coriander. Instead of prawns as the main ingredient, you can use minced chicken or pork, or even diced bacon or ham!


Serves 3. Cooking time 10min. Prep time 10min.

120g small grey prawns, shells and heads removed. (Cut a slit on the top part of prawn so it opens up when fried)
3 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp ready prepared sambal belacan (more if you like it to be more spicy)
3 tbsp fish sauce
4 cups cold cooked rice (overnight rice is better as it doesn't stick and not as soggy as freshly cooked rice)
Some sliced fish cake
1 egg, beaten with some pepper
1 small green mango (optional)
A dash of mixed herbs and curry powder (optional)
Pinch of salt
Dash of pepper

Garnishes
Crispy shallots and coriander leaves

Method

1. Rinse prawns and pat dry then set aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in wok over high heat. When hot add garlic and shalllots and fry for 30sec until fragrant. Add prawns, fish cakes, sambal belacan and fish sauce and fry vigorously for 1 min or until prawns are cooked.

3. Remove prawns and fish cake. Fry egg and stir well to break the egg. When half cooked, throw in the prawns, fish cake and rice. Toss well to mix. Fry 1-2 min more or until heated through.

4. Add 1 tbsp of oil if mixture becomes too dry. Add a dash of pepper, mixed herbs and curry powder to taste. Add more fish sauce if desired. Add a pinch of salt to taste.

45. Peel green mango. With sharp knife, cut flesh into thin slices then stack slices and cut across into thin shreds.

6. Sprinkle rice with mango, coriander and shallots. Ready to serve.

Tip: never fry the rice together with all the ingredients at the same time. The food will have a very flat taste. Fry the ingredients individually to bring out each unique flavour to the dish.

Halt

I have just embarked in a new phase of my career. Life's gona be hectic and more busy in view of the 3 hr gruelling travelling time to and fro work. I'll be less spontaneous in my blog entries but will still try to keep it going during the weekends!

Pls do not stop visiting my blog...

:)

Healthy Chicken Macaroni Soup

I was packing my room - a long overdue task I had to do - and came across old recipes which I thought I had to keep before throwing the bits and pieces of paper away. But instead of 'keeping' it as it was already yellow, I would blog it. I haven't tried this recipe myself though.

3 ltrs of water
1 slice ginger
1 clove garlic
1 small chicken (about 1.2kg)
salt to taste
500g macaroni

Garnishes

Fried shallots
Croutons
Fresh coriander leaves
White pepper

1. Bring half the water to boil in a large pot. Submerge chicken in it. When water returns to a boil, partially cover and simmer steadily for 15min then cover tightly and switch off heat. Stand 30min.

2. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Discard skin ad peel meat from bones. Shred meat finely and set aside.

3. Return bones to the pot with ginger, garlic and remaining water then partially cover and simmer for 30min. Season with salt to taste.

4. Cook macaroni. Divide shredded chicken meat between indivdual bowls and ladle soup over. Serve with garnishes.

To make croutons

1. Trim crusts off slightly stale pieces of white bread and cut into small cubes. Heat 1/2cm of oil in a small frying pan ovr medium heat. When hot, add cubes and fry, stirring constantly until brown. Drain on kitchen paper and store airtight until serving time.