Chocolate Coconut Dates

Chocolate Coconut Dates

In our quest to free ourselves from sugar dependency, we try to substitute our sugar laden lives with healthier alternatives. I love this particular one because these bites are quick and easy to make. It only took me 10 minutes to prepare.

It's main ingredients are dates, nuts and coconut flakes. Not only it is healthy, but they are tasty and a hit with the kids.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dates (you can pre-soak in water to soften then drain)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup almonds or macadamia nuts
• 2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• dash sea salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor add all of your ingredients.
2. Pulse your ingredients until well blended. About 2-3 minutes. They will be a bit chunky still.
3. Roll your mixture into balls.
4. Lastly dust with coconut flakes
5. Refrigerate to store.

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Pandan Cake

Pandan (Screwpine Leaves) Cake

It has been called the Asian Vanilla, the green leaves of the screwpine emits a sweet flavour, mostly used in Asian desserts or even some savoury dishes. It grows in a low bush in tropical and subtropical weather ( here's more on pandan  on wikipedia).

Most households in Malaysia will have a pandan bush as it grows almost unassisted without much fuss.

The Malays use them to flavour their Nasi Lemak, Sweets and the perennial favourite the KEK Pandan or Pandan Cake.

In case you do not have access to pandan leaves you may used pandan flavouring.

Ingredients

250 gms butter (softened to room temp)

150 gms castor sugar

4 eggs

60 ml coconut cream with a pinch of salt

10-15 pandan leaves blended with 1/2 cup water (strained and discard pulp)

2-3 drops green coloring

30g coconut flakes

240 gm self raising flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Oil/butter then place baking paper on a 9 inch baking pan. Pre heat oven to 

170 C.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one by one and mix well each 

time. Add vanilla essence, coconut flakes and green colouring.

Add pandan juice to the coconut cream. 

Fold in flour and the coconut cream alternately mixing well each time.  Pour 

into pan and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes 

out clean.

Dust with icing sugar for decoration.

Cream puffs

Cream Puffs aka Profiterole

I have a long-standing fear of choux pastry but today I conquered that fear, alhamdulillah. My cream puffs turned out beautifully, puffy and light and when I cut through the baked shell, there is an actual crater ready to receive the custard filling.

There are many variations of this popular dessert, especially when it comes to the filling. One can fill these puffs with Chantilly cream, vanilla custard of plain vanilla ice-cream.

Recipe for choux pastry:

1 cup water

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter (115g) 

1/4 tsp salt

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
4. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

Filling:

If you are pressed for time just use any instant pudding mix or vanilla ice cream. For today's recipe we will try the chantilly cream

300ml heavy cream
1/2 cup natvia or 100 g icing sugar
1 vanilla bean
Whip in a mixing bowl and use a piping bag to pipe into the shells.

For the Chocolate Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon butter
2. 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, cut in chunks 
3. 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4. 2 tbsp honey
5. 1/2 cup skim milk

Combine the milk and butter in a small heavy bottomed sauced pan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until bubbles appear around the sides of the pot, but do not allow the milk to boil.  Mix in the chocolate and vanilla; remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth and add honey. 

Drizzle on your cream puffs and serve. Alternatively you can use icing sugar to drizzle on the puffs.

Eid Ul Haj 

It is customary for Muslims to offer sacrifice on Eid-ul-Haj or Eid Ul Adha. So this year we perform the Qurban as usual and ordered a lamb through the butcher. 

The purpose of this sacrifice is to mirror the sacrifice of a ram by Prophet Ibrahim A.S in place of his son. One may consume the meat and utilize the skin of their sacrificial animals and/ or give it away as charity. 

So last weekend was a lamb cooking marathon for me. I divided a third of the meat from the 15 kg lamb for our own consumption and the other 2/3 to be given away to friends. 

So off I go cooking 2 kg of Red lamb curry (recipe here) and 2 pots of Afghan Rice (carrot rice). I gave away the remaining uncooked portions and the lamb curry to the local community here.

While thinking of what to cook next, my thoughts drifted to my uncle's (my mum's older brother) yummy Lamb Dalca. It is a type of traditional Malay style one pot dish of lamb curry pieces cooked in coconut milk with lentils (usually dhal), carrots, eggplant, potatoes, beans, okra and tomatoes. 

My uncle was  a cook in the Royal Malaysian Army and his Lamb Dalca was so popular that even after he retired, his friends and neighbours will enlist his help to cook at their wedding functions or any large gatherings. Come to think of it, everyone in my family on my mother's side are great cooks,  my eldest aunty used to cook 4 large pots of Nasi Lemak for the huge crowd at all Soccer games played at the National Stadium 30 years ago. She is now 80 yrs old and I long for her beautifully cooked food.  Mak Ngah's Nasi Lemak Kukus is legendary.

So here I am wishing I had my uncle's original Lamb Dalca recipe. From memory I could remember the way my mother would cook her version, it actually taste pretty good, alhamdulillah. So here it is:

Ingredients:

200gm dhal (soaked overnight)

500gm lamb curry pieces (washed and drained)

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

2 cm ginger

3 tbsp curry powder (I used Baba's Kari Daging- available at any Asian Grocer)

3-4 curry leaves

1 stick of cinnamon

2 star anise

3 cardamons

1 can coconut milk (I used Kara brand)

4 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp tamarind paste or juice of  half a lemon

Salt to taste (1 -2 tsp)

Chop these into similar sized pieces:

Potatoes 

Carrots

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Okra

Beans

Fresh Green or Red Chili as a garnish

Method:

1.Process onion, garlic and ginger in a processor or pound in a mortar and pestle and form into a paste.

2. Heat oil in a Dutch Oven or any pot with a cover and saute the paste until caramelized ( a thin layer of oil rises to the top)

3. Add cinnamon, cardamon, star anise and curry leaves.

4. Continue to stir and add the lamb pieces, and seal the meat until browned.

5. Add dhal that had been soaked and drained

5. Add coconut milk with a cup of water and tamarind paste or lemon juice

6. Bring mixture to a boil and add potatoes, carrots, and celery and eggplants

7. Once potatoes are soft, add tomatoes and beans (I didnt have any okra)

8. Simmer for another 5 minutes 

9 . Serve with Plain Rice/Tomato Rice or a piece of Tosai or Paratha.