Soft Chewy Choc Chip Cookie

Everyone has a good choc chip cookie recipe and this one is taken from the Australian Womans Weekly Magazine. I have done this many times over and it always turns out great!

Ingredients:

250g butter
1tsp vanilla extract
165g caster sugar
165g firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
335g plain flour
1tsp bicarb soda
375g chopped dark choc (or choc chips)

preheat oven to 160C
beat butter, sugar, egg,vanilla until light n fluffy.
stir flour n soda (sifted)
add choc chips and refrigerate 1 hr (this step makes the cookie soft when baked)
bake 12 mins.

Walnut Meringue

the meringue layer before baking

The finished product

A Pavlova or Meringue is mainly egg whites and sugar whipped up together and baked in the oven. I like the lightness of the meringue and a good meringue is crunchy on the outside and has a  marshmallow like texture on the inside.

To make sure your meringue is formed to perfection, dry equipments must be used to whisk the egg whites and sugar. When separating the eggs, make sure the yolk does not accidentally gets mixed into the egg whites.

In Australia, this dish is more popularly known as the Fruit Pavlova and is a firm favourite in the summer where berries and fruit are aplenty to use for the topping. This recipe has an added crunchiness to the meringue as chopped walnut is folded into the meringue mix.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

225g caster sugar

75 g chopped walnuts

Filling & Topping

300ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsbp icing sugar

plus extra for dusting

350g strawberries 

250g blueberries

(raspberries, mangoes, bananas are good alternatives)

1.Preheat the oven to 140 C/275 F . Draw a 9 in circle on each of 2 pieces of non stick baking paper (see above photo). Place them on 2 separate baking trays. 

2. Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until the whites are stiff and shiny. Fold in 50 g of the walnuts.

3. Divide the meringue mixture evenly between the 2 circles on the baking trays and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top of the meringue

4. Bake for 75 minutes or until the meringue is crisp, swapping the position of the two baking trays halfway through the cooking time. Turn off the oven and let the meringue circles cool inside.

5. Whip the cream in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks then fold in the vanilla essence and icing sugar.

6. Carefully sandwich the meringue together with half of the cream & half of the blueberries. Top with the remaining cream and berries. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.

Bon Apetite!

Dry Won Ton Mee

This yummy noodle is generally found in most of the Chinese stalls in Kuala Lumpur. However I am presenting you this halal version which uses chicken in the won ton filling.

You can vary the accompaniments, the veggies can be bak choy, kai lan or Chinese Mustard Greens (sawi). or you can add some shitake mushrooms.

The basis of this dish is the won ton soup which gives it the flavour. So if you nailed the soup....you are halfway there!

You will need:

1 packet of won ton skins

250gms minced chicken

1 tsp minced garlic paste

1 tsp minced ginger paste

2-3 drops of sesame oil

2 tbsp thinly sliced spring onions

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 cups of chicken stock or 

2 cups of water

Mix all ingredients except the won ton skins. Place 1 tsp of mixture onto the skin and seal with water and pinch to close. Repeat until all mixture has been used up.

Add filled won tons into a pot of boiling chicken stock/water. Won tons will float up to the surface when cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste & chopped spring onions. Remove from heat.

Prepare a pot of salted boiling water (to blanch the noodle and the vegetables) and a separate pot of cold water to cool off the noodles.

1 packet of egg noodles (there are normally 4 rolls in a packet)

blanch each loosened roll in boiling water for 2 minutes or until al-dente and immediately immerse in cold water to firm the noodles. Strain and set aside into a bowl.

Sauce for tossing (enough for 2 rolls of egg noodles):

2 teaspoon of sesame oil 
2 teaspoon of light soy sauce 
2 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon of sambal chili paste (optional)

Mix all the above and toss the cooked noodles until they are all coated well, you can add 2 tbsp of soup if noodles are too dry.

Serve with blanched vegetable, won tons or shitake mushrooms (also blanched in salt water) and a side of the soup.

Self Saucing Choc Pudding

Gooey goodness!!!

If you need a quick chocolate fix like me...this is the dessert for you!! Its so easy to prepare you can get your kids to do it!

This is great with vanilla ice cream or just plain whipped cream! The beautiful marriage of chocolate and vanilla cant go wrong.


A word of caution for the sweet tooth, this dessert is not overly sweet as its best served with cream/ice cream. So if you are having this on its own, you would need to increase the sugar a bit more to suit or dust the top with a bit of icing sugar and or serve with some strawberries.

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

80 g butter melted

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg (lightly beaten)

2 cups boiling water

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C . Grease deep 1.5 litre ovenproof dish

2. Sift flour, soda, half the cocoa and 1/2 cup of the sugar into a medium bowl, stir in combined butter, sour cream and egg.

3. Spread mixture into prepared dish. Sift remaining cocoa and mix with remaining sugar evenly over the top of the dish; gently pour over the boiling water. 

4. Bake, uncovered about 40 minutes. Stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon Pea And Ricotta Pasta

Simple yet delicious

I am too tired to fuss about in the kitchen, so this is my quick fix (taken from my newly acquired Australian Womans Weekly recipe book)

375 gm angel hair pasta

2 cups frozen peas

2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

2 tsp finely grated lemon rind

1/2 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water until tender(see instructions on packet); add peas during the last minute of pasta cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Rinse pasta and peas under cold water, drain.

2. Heat oil in small frying pan, add garlic and heat until fragrant.

3. Combine pasta and peas in large bowl with reserved cooking liquid, garlic, lemon rind and juice, Toss well and stir in Ricotta cheese.

Bon Apetit!

Easy Strawberry Tiramisu (liquer free)

Ingredients

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 18 ladyfingers
• 1/3 cup chilled espresso
• 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and slice the berries. Reserve 2 large whole berries for garnish.
2. In a blender, place 2 cups of strawberries and 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar; blend to puree and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until thickened.
4. Place 6 ladyfingers on a serving plate and brush each with approximately 1 teaspoon cold espresso coffee. Spread or pipe out 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, and layer with half of the sliced strawberries.
5. Repeat with the next 6 ladyfingers, espresso, remaining cheese mixture, and sliced strawberries; top with remaining 6 ladyfingers.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until just whipped, approximately 1 minute. Spread cream evenly over top layer of ladyfingers.
7. Dust cocoa over whipped cream, and garnish with 2 reserved strawberries. Pour strawberry puree onto two serving plates. Cut tiramisu in half, and place onto puree.

Tip : When beating the cream, chill the bowl and beater prior to use and cut short your whipping time.

Nasi Kerabu Ayam Percik

The aromatic and colorful  Kerabu (salad) 

Kerabu Rice (The Rice, Salad and Chicken)

Nasi Kerabu literally means Salad Rice. Basically it is plain rice eaten with a rainbow of aromatic raw herbs and vegetable. Traditionally the rice can be dyed blue for that herbal effect, however I dont have the purple flower for this purpose, so I settled with just plain white rice. This is then served with chicken cooked in coconut milk and spices.


I love this dish for the crunchy and aromatic herbs mixed in with the rice. Although the salad mix can vary with what is available but my must have herb has to be the torch ginger. Without it this dish will fall flat, and torch ginger (bunga kantan) is one of my fave herb!

Torch ginger

So here are the ingredients:

Kerabu (Salad Mix)

1 cucumber - julienned
1 bunch of vietnamese mint (daun kesom), chopped finely
2 stalks lemon grass (serai)- sliced thinly
2 stalks torch ginger (bunga kantan) - sliced thinly
5 snake beans/french beans - sliced thinly
50 gm bean sprouts

Ayam Percik (chicken in spiced coconut sauce)


800 gm chicken pieces


Spice paste:

3 stalks lemon grass (chopped)
2 cm ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 onion (chopped)


Blend the above into a paste


1 1/2 cup tamarind paste in water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt


2 tbsp chili paste
1 500 ml can coconut milk


Preparation:


Heat oil and saute the blended spice paste and the chilli paste until the aroma fills the room.


Add the tamarind paste and sugar.

Add salt and chicken pieces and stir to mix well.


Add coconut milk and leave to simmer. Cook for another 10 minutes stirring constantly to make sure the coconut milk do not curdle.


Meanwhile pre heat your grill to high and place chicken pieces to brown for 5 minutes on each side. The chicken is already cooked,so only a short cooking time is required. You can baste the coconut gravy while the chicken is browned.


Return to gravy and serve with Rice and salad.

Nasi Goreng Pattaya (Fried Rice wrapped in Egg Omelette)

Fried Rice in Egg Omelette

One of Amir's most favourite food is fried rice wrapped in egg omelette.

Nasi goreng pattaya, is a Malaysian dish popular in road side stalls. It is prepared by literally wrapping the cooked rice in an egg omelette. It is often served with chili sauce, cucumber, or fish crackers. The name comes from a region called Pattaya, Thailand. A similar dish exists in Japan, and is called Omuraisu (from the English words omelette and rice).


Ingredients:


2 cups of cooked rice (preferably cold rice)
1/2 cup of green peas
1 cup prawns , cleaned
2 small chillies - finely chopped
2 shallots - finely sliced
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp of fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs - beaten (for omelette)


Preparation:

Heat up frying pan with a bit of oil. Add in shallots and garlic and stir fry until lightly brown and fragrant.
Add in prawns, peas and stir fry for 2 minutes. Make sure the vegetables is soft and the meat is cooked.
At this point add in the rice. Continue to stir fry until all ingredients are mixed through. Add in soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste to taste.
Fry for another 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
In clean non-stick pan brush a bit of oil. Make the omelette and flip it over once the bottom side is lightly brown.
Put in a bowl of the fried rice at the center of the omelet and wrap up the 4 edges and flip it over a serving plate. Slit the omelette open and serve with some cucumber/fish crackers or boiled sugar snaps.

Grilled vegetables & beans pasta casserole

All vegetarian goodness!

Some days I really dont feel like having any type of protein and today was one such day. So I decided to do some grilled vege, which in my opinion is the best way to prepare them. I suppose the caramelization in the grilling process brings out the beautiful flavours of each vegetable. I needed a carb to complete the meal and I chose spiral pasta to serve this purpose. Finally, a casserole would not be complete without a good full flavored sauce, which in this case I will use a basic tomato base sauce.
The best type of vegetables for grilling is normally zucchini, aubergine, capsicum, squash, mushrooms or any fleshy vegetable.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Zucchinis(sliced lengthways)
1 large Aubergine (sliced across thinly)
1 red Capsicum (flame grilled)
250gm spiral pasta (cooked according to packet instructions)
1 bay leaf
1 can tomato paste
1 can 3 bean mix
olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
300 gm grated cheese
1 tsp Italian Herb Mix
1 large onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)


Preparation:
Pre heat oven to 200C.
Grill zucchini & eggplant slices with a splash of olive oil. Flame grill capsicum until skin is blistered and easily peeled off. Sliced lengthways when cool. Set aside when all vegetable have been grilled.

Meanwhile heat a pan and saute onion and garlic and add bay leaf & italian herbs. Add tomato paste and keep stirring on low heat. Add the bean mix and stir thoroughly. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the base of your dish with olive oil and layer the grilled vegetable slices. Add the pasta and topped with the sauce. Finish off with the grated cheese.

Cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and serve with garlic bread and salad.