ALMOND POPPY SEED MUFFINS

INGREDIENT A

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 tsp almond extract ( if you do not like the almond taste subtitute with other flavour)

1/2 cup sour cream ( add 2 tbsp.lemon juice/vinegar to 1/2 cup milk to make butter milk)

1/4 cup milk

INGREDIENTS B

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salts

1/4 tsp baking soda

TOPPING

2 tbsp poppy seed

1 tbsp n 375almonds

1. Heat oven 180 C. Line 12 regular size muffin pan with paper baking cups.

2. Mix ingredient A until blended.

3. Stir in ingredient B until well blended.

4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

5. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds on top batter.

6. Bake for 15-20min until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Serve warm or cooled.





BUNS

For the last two weeks I into the mood of baking breads, tarts, muffins and pies. Some of you may know that I'm a baker at home baking cakes only from taking order through friends, relatives and from my cake blog. Although my ovens (3units) are in used everyday baking cakes, in between I do have some space to bake others 'stuffs' but the mood is not there.

The past two weeks I've baked some buns, tarts, muffin and a few cakes that is not included in my cakes menu for order.

The recipe for this buns is very simple, taste good, soft even the next day. I got the recipe from YUM YUM edition 62, 2009. Here I made four flavours for the buns (36 buns) with 3 recipes for the dough. The buns disappear fast after giving away some to my neighbours. My younger son's love bread. Here the recipe.......must try. Make your own bread is much healthy, save money and no preservative or artificial flavouring in it.

RECIPE FOR BASIC SWEET DOUGH

300 gm high protein flour

3 gm salt

60 gm caster sugar

15 gm milk powder

6 gm instant dry yeast

210 ml water

30 gm butter

Dough Method:

1. Mix all ingredients (except butter) into a dough, I use Kenwood cake mixer with dough hook.

2. Add in butter and knead into a pliable and elastic dough.

3. Cover with a piece of damp cloth and rest for 1 hour.

4. After resting stage proceed to the BAKING METHOD as below;

Filling 1: Cream cheese

150 gm cream cheese + 80 gm icing sugar = beat together smoothly. Set a side.

Filling 2: Potatoes Chicken Curry

3 potatoes- boiled, skinned and diced

1 big onion - diced

1 small chicken breast - cut it into small strips

2-3 tbsp. curry powder

salt and chicken granules

Cooking Method:

1.Sauteed onion until soft, add in chicken cook until tender.

2.Add in curry powder and stir for a few seconds.

3. Add cooked potatoes and mix well

4. Season with salt and chicken granules

Baking  Method  for Filling 1 & 2 ( bake at 200 C for 15min.)

1.  Divide sweet dough into 50gm each, form into rounds and rest for 10 minutes.

2.  Flatten the rounds dough, wrap with filling,

3.  Sealed the edges and roll into round shape, place into paper casings.

4.  Cover with damp cloth and rest for 1 hour or until double in size.

5.  Glaze with beaten egg, bake at 200 C for 15min.

Filling 3: Pizza

1 big onion - sliced finely

1 green capsicum- sliced

4 slices cheddar cheese- sliced

4 sausages - sliced

Pasta Sauce (any brand)

Tomato sauce

Season with salt and black pepper

Cooking Method:

1. Sauteed sliced onion for a while, add in sausages, stir fry until cooked through.

2. Add in pasta sauce, tomato sauce and capsicum stir for a few seconds.

3. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Remove from heat and cooled.

4.  Add the cheddar cheese and mix thoroughly.

Baking Method:

 1.  Divide sweet dough into 50gm each, form into rounds and rest for 10 minutes.

 2. Roll to flatten rouds dough and put into paper casings.

 3. Spread the pizza filling on top, leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or double in size

 4. Glaze the dough with beaten egg, bake 15min at 200 C.

Filling 4: Cheesy Ham

6 pcs. ham-  cut each into half

6 pcs. cheddar cheese- cut into half

Baking Method:

 1.  Divide sweet dough into 50gm each, form into rounds and rest for 10 minutes.

 2.  Roll out into oblong shape, arrange ham and cheese on top, roll up neatly.

 3.  Leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or double in bulk.

 4.  Brush with beaten egg, bake.

                                     HAPPY BAKING !

ROASTED CHICKEN WINGS & PASTA

  SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC AND BASIL (PICTURE BOTTOM RIGHT)
500gm dried spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic - sliced
1/4 cup of chopped basil
20gm butter
Olive oil
Salt, Black pepper & Chicken granules for seasoning
METHOD:
1. Cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water,following packet directions until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan.
3. Add in olive oil and butter, sauteed the sliced garlic for a little while (do not browned it)
4. Add in the spaghetti, chicken granules and chopped basil, toss to combine.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Note: Serve with Parmesan cheese.

BABY POTATOES SALAD

1 kg baby potatoes - washed

3 stalks of spring onion - finely chopped

A bunch of coriander leaves - finely chopped

black pepper and salt for seasoning.

Mayonnaise for dressing.

Method

1. Boil washed potatoes for 10min or until cooked. Cool.

2. Cut cooled potatoes into halves.

3. Add in the chopped spring onion and coriander leaves.

4. Dollop a few tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix well.

5. Season with salt and black pepper



PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND HERBS

500 gm dried penne pasta

3 nos. ripen tomatoes - diced

1 no. red chili - sliced finely

4 pips of garlic - sliced finely

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tbsp. dried basil

1 cup water or chicken/vegetable stock

1/2 - 1 cup white wine (optional)

Olive oil

Salt, Black pepper and vegetables/chicken seasoning

METHOD:

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following the packet directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in the large frying pan.

3. Add garlic and chili, cook stirring for a few seconds.

4. Add tomatoes cook, stirring for 5minutes.

5. Add water or stock , parsley, basil to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until sauce thicken.

6. Pour in the white wine. Season with salt, pepper and vegetable granules.

7. Add in the cooked pasta. Toss to combine. Serve.




ROAST CHICKEN WING WITH SPAGHETTI SAUCE
1  dozen of chicken wings - washed and chooped into halves
1 bottle of Classico pasta sauce (any flavours)
1 tbsp. dried rosemary
salt, pepper and seasoning to taste.
METHOD:
1. Marinate chicken wings with salt and pepper.
2. Pan fry to browned the chicken wings.
3. Mix the pasta sauce and dried rosemary with the cooked chicken wings.
4. Season with salt, pepper and seasoning.
5. In a roasting pan grease and lined with aluminium foil.
6. Preheat oven to 200 C.
7. Arrange the marinated chicken wing in the roasting pan.
8. Pour the remaining sauce all over the chicken wings and baked for 30min or until cooked.

                VIOLA!

CROISSANTS

RECIPE:
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp dried yeast
5 cups all purpose flour 
2 tabsp sugar
1 tsp salt
60gm butter - to add into the dough
350gm butter- chilled
1 no egg- beaten for glazing.
MIXING METHOD: (I using Kenwood cake mixer with dough hook)
1. mix milk & water together.
2.dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and leave to stand 15min
3.Using dough hook to mix flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl for a few second.
4.Add in 60gm butter into flour mixture and knead until crumbly.
5. Add in the yeast mixture plus the remainning milk and water mixture.
6. Mix everything into a dough about 3-5min depend on the type of mixer you using.
7. Remove the dough hook and roll the dough into a ball. Return to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and stand in refrigerator for 1 hour.
DOUGH FOLDING METHOD:

1.Knead the chilled dough again and roll it into a rectangle about 3/8inches thick.
2.Wrap butter in between two pieces of plastic wrap and bang it with a rolling pin until it is flat rectangle shape (please adjust the flatten butter size accordingly to the rectangle dough, )
3. Lay the chilled butter onto the dough refer to picture 1.
4. Fold as in picture 2 and 3. Pinch the edges of the dough to sealed so that the butter will not oozes out during rolling.
5. After folding roll this parcel lenghtways into a rectangle and then fold it in three.
6. Wrap the folded dough with plastic wrap and put it into refrigerator for 10min. Repeat this rolling and chilling process three more times.
7. After chilling the final time, roll the dough into a square 1/4 " thick.
8. Cut into 6" equilateral triangles and form them into crescent shapes.
9.Lay the crescents on a floured baking sheets and leave them to rise for almost 30min.
10. Glaze with beaten egg and bake them for  15min at 200 C until golden brown.

                Happy Baking!    

LIME JUICE ASSAM CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS;

1 whole chicken- cut into bite size marinate with turmeric powder, pepper and fish sauce

4 nos. onions - sliced

4 nos. tomatoes - quarters

5 tbsp. dried chili paste

1 - 2 tsp. brown sugar

Lime juice (I used lime powder)

some kaffir lime leaves( daun limau purut)

oil, salt and seasoning to taste.

1. Heat oil in a wok/pot. Sauteed sliced onions until soft.

2. Add in the chili paste stirring frequently for 5-10min until aromatic.

3. Add in the marinated chicken together with lime leaves and brown sugar. Stir fry a few minutes.

4. Add in enough water according to your preference for a thicker or watery sauce.

5. When mixture is boiling add in tomatoes and lime juice/lime powder. Cook sauce to thicken.

6. Season with salt and seasoning. Serve.

Serve lime juice assam chicken over cooked rice or beehoon (rice vermicelli)

                                                     

TAUFU WITH MOCK DUCK(VEGETARIAN DUCK)

Bought this taufu (bean curd) from this 'China women' at Kepong Baru wet market where it only cost rm5.00 for three packs of taufu that already nicely packed in plastic bags. This taufu come in different types or shapes. As usual I will have it in three different kind, my selection is taukua (square and firm), the 1"small square pieces taufu (the texture is a combination of taufu and taufu pox) and last the shredded type of taufu. The taufu are already slightly fried. For storage I will keep in the freezer as it will last longer. Here is the recipe for taukua (firm beancurds). 

RECIPE:

6 pcs. fried taukua - cut into half and squeezed all the water out (it become spongy after storing in the freezer because the water are separated from the curd)

2 pcs. mock duck - cut into bite size

1 stalk of spring onion - cut into 1" length

1 bunch of coriander leaves - cut into 1" length

2 pips of garlic - chopped finely

1/2 - 1 cup of water - more water if you wanted it wet

soya sauce to taste

METHOD:

1. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil in to a wok/pan put in the taufu and fry for a while so that the outer layer will have a crunchy texture and aromatic.

2. Push the taukua to the side of the wok and add in the garlic, sauteed to lightly browned.

3. Add in the mock duck, spring onion, coriander leaves, water and soya sauce to stir fry for a few seconds.

4. Season with soya sauce. Serve.

Note: Do not cook too long when the mock duck is added. I have only used soya sauce to season as the mock duck will give flavours to the dish on itself.

                                                    

                                      

Beef Stew with Button Mushroom

Baby pak choy stir fried with garlic, baked bean with scramble eggs and beef stew with button mushroom.

Recipe for Beef Stew with Button Mushroom.

1 kg Beef (rump,sirloin, topside)- cut into chunks

5 nos. Bombay onions - sliced

4 nos Tomatoes - cut quarters

1 tin button mushroom -cut halves

2 tsp sugar

Salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Sauteed the onions until soft and lightly browned.

2. Add in the beef with  2tsp sugar and stir fry on high heat for a while.

3. Add in the tomatoes and button mushroom stir fry about 5 min.

4. Add in some salt, black pepper and enough water to cover the beef to simmer until tender.

5. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours and season to taste.

6. Optional : drizzle some red wine or liquor.

Serve with rice, couscous or pasta.

Note:can substitute this recipe for chicken, lamp or pork.