28 nOvembEr 20xx

nIcEeee....

ChRistMas .....

Just got our Christmas tree ....
Before deco...



Just added the lights.....
And now the final version....

Spicy Clams

Ingredients:

500g clams

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp hot bean paste

2 tbsp shao xing wine

1/2 tsp sugar

chopped spring onions

2 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Heat oil, add in chopped ginger and chopped garlic. Saute until fragrant then add in hot bean paste.

2. Add in the clams and stir fry.

3. Add in the shao xing wine and cover the wok for 1 minute.

4. Uncover and check if the clams are heated through(do not overcook)

5. Add sugar to taste and spring onions.

Serve hot

Wantan Mee

Another wan tan mee .... :D

Curry Puffs

My lovely curry puffs!!!
:)

And the recipe:
Outer layer:

400 g flour
50 g margarine
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 egg
170 ml water

Inner Layer:
120 g flour
60 g lard/shortening

Filling:
150 g chicken meat
150 g onions
500 g potatoes
50 g shallots
2 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp freshly ground chilly (paste)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup coconut milk


For the filling:
Cube the chicken. potatoes and onions slice shallors.
Boil the potaoes till soft.
Heat oil ,sweat the shallots and add in ground chilly(paste). Fry until fragrant then add curry powder.
Add in the cubed chicken, then onions. When chicken is no more pink add in coconut milk.
Simmer until filling thickens, season with salt and sugar.

Leave to cool.

Method:


For Wrapping:

Outer layer:
1. Boil margarine, water and salt. Pour into the flour. Add in egg. Knead well. Let dough rest for a while. Divide into 8 portions.

Inner layer:
2. Mix flour and lard/shortening together. Knead well and divide into 8 portions.
3. Wrap inner layer with outer layer. Flatten it and then roll it up like a swiss roll. Repeat twice and then divide into 2 portions.
4. With cut side on the table, roll dough into a circle and fill with a spoonful of curry filling. Wet the outer rim of circle and fold into half, seal the edges.
5. Remove several ladles of hot oil as the puffs are slightly brown, turn heat on to the highest and fry puffs until brown. This way will ensure that the puffs will not be soggy.
6. To fry the second batch, add in the slightly cool oil and put in the frozen puffs, frying the same way as no.5.
7. Put fried puffs in 250f oven to keep warm.

Updates

Life been busy!
Bz bz bz......
So, here are a couple of ph0tos ...

(his favourite pork chop)

Instant!

Will definitely update more!

Winnie the Pooh's MugsSsss

It was all because of the Disney Store sale!!
Hmm... or is it because CJ!! She was the one invited us to US. Then we went Disney World, then I was so addicted to Disney's stuff! See what I've got now!!

I've started off with only ONE, about 2 years ago...this one, 3D, very cute Pooh

Then, this! Well, this was Tigger's cup was because it was really cheap...I think it was less than £1... and of course I cant resist!

Then recently, bought this Piglet's big cup (with the excuse, I dont have Piglet's)
Then, then ...... we bought SIX at once yesterday!
So now, I've got lots and lots of mugs! Probably I do need a ROOM to store all these.

Coconut Tart

Lovely coconut tart. Here's the receipe

Ingredients
Short crust pastry
180g plain flour
1/8 tsp salt
100g butter
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp egg yolk
1–2 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling
100g desiccated coconut
140g castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
30g butter
12g milk powder
1/8 tsp salt
5–6 tbsp water

Steps
1.Sift flour into a mixing bowl and add in salt and icing sugar. Cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2.Make a well in the centre and add egg yolk and water. Mix to form a dough. Wrap pastry in a plastic bag and chill for 30 minutes.

3.Roll out pastry and line tartlet cases with the short crust pastry. Prick the base and chill for 30 minutes.

4.Fill tart cases with prepared coconut filling up to the brim. Bake the tarts in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10–15 minutes or until the top of filling is lightly golden.

For the filling: Combine butter, sugar and egg in a bowl with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add in desiccated coconut, milk powder and salt to mix. Add water a little at a time and mix until well combined.

Mango Pudding

Sooch ~ I've made mine!
Is your turn now... :)

Ingredients
100 gm blended mango (puree)
200 gm mango cubes
100 ml whipping cream
20 gm gelatine
80 gm sugar
300 ml water
250 gm of mango ice-cream

Steps
1. Mix water, sugar and gelatine in pan. Boil over slow fire until sugar and gelatine dissolve.
2. Leave the mixture to cool. When cool, add mango puree, mango cubes, whip cream and ice-cream.
3. Stir mixture until all ice-cream is melted. Pour into small cups and leave in fridge to set.

FREE CHERRY!!

Found a cherry tree ... and so we stopped by and start picking!!
Niceee

Me to You 'mini family'

and my collection continues...

:) I feel like I'm 3 years old!

Wan Tan meal

Wan tan mee...

Wan tan soup...

Koay Teow T'ng & Chicken Wrap

My lovely koay teow t'ng as our lunch, and small portion of chicken wrap as dinner..... healthy huh!

Souffle Cheesecake

Ingredients:
high cake tin

A.
Plain cream cheese 225g,
fresh cream 50ml,
milk 100ml,
butter 80g,

B.
Cornflour 25g,
milk 30ml
lemon juice 1 tbsp

C.
Egg white 150g,
cornflour 10g,
sugar 100g

D.
Egg yolks 138g,


Steps:
1. Melt A. over a pan of simmering water until the mixture liquefies (stir every 3 minutes), use spatula to stir the mixture well.
2. Mix B. until cornflour dissolves and pours into 1, stir until well-combined. Add in beaten yolks and strain the mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 150°C. Butter to cake thin with butter and some plain flour. If using loose bottom cake tin, cover the outside of the tin with 2 layers of aluminium foil.
4. In a clean bowl (make sure oil less and waterless), beat the egg whites till foamy and add in sugar and cornflour in 3 batches and beat until soft peak.
5. Take 1/3 egg white and stir into the cream cheese mixture to loosen the batter. Pour the remaining egg whites and using cut and fold method quickly fold in the egg whites, do not over fold or else the air in the egg whites will escape.
6. Pour batter into cake tin. Sit the cake thin in a bigger baking tray filled with boiling water. Bake in a bain-marie (water-bath). You should cover the cake tin with at least half of the boiling water.
7. Put in oven and bake for about 35 minutes or when top is brown, reduce the heat to 125°C, continue to bake for another 1 hour or until a cake skewer comes out clean.

Banana Muffins

He wanted some banana like cakes, so I made muffins instead.




Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
50g vegetable oil
250 g all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
115g/4oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, ripe bananas
2 large eggs
125ml oz milk

Steps:
1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. Mash the bananas well. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
3.With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, banana essence, oil and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.
4.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, fold in with a biggest spatula (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
5. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and using an icecream scoop, spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.
6.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

Spongecake Cups

After like 2 trials, only I managed to get these!
I love it!

Ingredients:
75 gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
75 ml milk
4 egg yolks
5 egg white
80 castor sugar
1.5 tbsp corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pandan paste (extract from pandan leaves)

Methods:
1. Cream egg yolks, 50 gm of sugar until it is creamy and thick.
2. Add in sifted flour and baking powder, vanilla essence, coconut cream/milk, corn oil, pandan paste into the egg yolk mixture.
3. In a clean dry bowl, beat eggwhite, remainder 30 gm of sugar, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until stiff.
4. Mix the eggwhite into the flour mixture and mix it thoroughly using a spatula. Pour into the chiffon pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175C for 45 mins.
5. When cake is baked, invert it immediately to cool down for about 10 mins. After 10 mins, use a sharp knife to loosen the side and then the bottom to release the cake. Leave it on a wire rack to cool down further.

Chicken Teriyaki & Chicken Noodles

Nicely marinated chicken breast with teriyaki sauce.
and 'ba kee'

Buffalo Chicken Wings

So when we were out at Tesco, I bought this marinate sauce for 'Buffalo Chicken Wing'. Marinated those chicken wings over night and bake it the next day.

Is really juicy! And the tactic is by wrapping the wings with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then open the foil and bake again for another 10 minutes. This way, not only you will have juicy chicken wings, but also crispy skin. Excellent! But one complain, 'Is not spicy enough'

Sushi time!

Sushi time!! I looooooove sushi time! Why? Because he will be the one doing EVERYTHINg! So, is nice once in a while I say, 'Let's have sushi'. Which means, 'Hey, I dont want to cook today!'


Recently we met up with our friends. She was sort of 'part-time' transferred to Paris to work. So is quite hard to meet up with her and her 'future' husband. So the other day we met at one of her friend's house, is like 10 minutes away from here. Besides catching up , she gave me this lovely chocolate! The packing is so awesome right? Love it so much (hehe, the box more than the chocolate!). Thank you so much!!

And inside the box, lovely chocolate truffle! Is nice, very different, but very very nice. Not too sweet, just nice! Thanks again!

Then, couple of days later, I cant say 'Let's have sushi ' again cause he just made once this week. So we ended up in Tesco for ready made chickens! Look look!Heat it up, and is time to eat.
of course there must be some salad as side.

Dried bean curd with Soya Milk

Yes, I havent been updating my blog...
What to do,....I dont even have time to *poo poo*!!
Oh well, *finger-cross* everything will end by this month....*pray hard*
So just a 'brief' update~~ Let's see, I've 'invented' (well probably there is someone that actually did this) soya milk with dried bean curd(fu chuk).



One day I was so craving for fu chuk. So instead of making the common eggs and fu chuk dessert, I thought of trying new dessert....Not sure what the taste was going to be, but....it turns out GOOD! Real good. We both are loving it!

So, as usual, the dried bean curd must be soaked in water until is fluffy. Then instead of putting it straight into the soya bean milk, I've boiled it in water until is 'broken into pieces' . Then only I heat the dried bean curd with soya milk together . Do not over boil the soya milk!! If you prefer it to be sweeter, just add some sugar.


And there goes, nicely done dried bean curd with soya milk dessert. Healthy!

iT was a LoooOOong week

Being alone is not easy at all!!He was away to 'far far away land'... New Hamsphire...last week...THE WHOLE WEEK.

Well, he's now back ..... by my side.... :)
I've promised to pick him up from the airport (Saturday morning! early morning!)...
The airport is like, more than 100 miles away ... and to get there on time, I have to start driving at 7am!!! Haizzz...
Then, on Sat morning, once I woke up, turn on the PC, check the online timetable. *YessSs* the flight delay! (hmmm, I him to come back earlier, but I was so tired, just want to sleep!) And so, I just rest on my bed for another 2 hours!

*Drove for 2 hours, and there I was at the Airport.....waiting*

Sitting at the Starbuck, starring at the Arrival display monitor, waiting for him to come out from the arrival gate....time was ticking so **** slow! At last, he was out from the gate!! Yea~

Although one week = 7 days =168 hours = 10080 minutes =604800 seconds is not that lOoOooOOooOoong, but...you know....it is kinda long for me!!
Then when we were back at home, he started to open his luggage and 'pouring' out his little gifts!

He really bought me the thing that I've 'requested'
Niceeeeee

Along with this snack, he got me some other stuff.....*will upload the photos once is available*

And he was so proud of himself (shopping by himself!) and got me so many things. *yes, well done!*


So, to compensate the whole week without him, I will be here.....with him for the ONE WHOLE WEEK! (work from home konon~)


*and dont forget this beautifully wrapped dark chocolate, yummy yummy*

hapPy buFfdaY maMa

Is the special day again! Is sad something to think that I havent really celebrate my mummy's birthday with her for more than THREE years!

Luckily I have got a brother there, to 'do the job'!

This year, I've bought Cappucino Cake from an online company,

I havent actually try the cakes from this company myself, but this is the 2nd time I bought for my mama. Again, she said is niceeeee. As long as she likes it, that's the most important thing!!

HappY BirtHday again MAMA!

Night out @ Reading

Had been busy and not cooking 'proper' food for him..~sorry~
But, he still get his favourite mee goreng ~ my style~


then, we had this red bean dessert ~ (just because the beans is expiring soon!)

Then, thanks to 'someone', we got 2 free entrances to preview the film, 'Drillbit Taylor'


And is funny!