Breakfast~

A simple homemade western breakfast~

~*Turkey ham and scrambled eggs served with biscuits*~

The scambled eggs were tasty and tangy as they were seasoned with salt, chilli pepper, and white ground pepper before cooking.

The baked biscuits were slighty crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and went well with honey or jam.

~*Baked Biscuits*~

i used the recipe from All recipe - E-Z Drop Biscuits. It's a simple recipe to follow and the biscuits were light and yummy.

Pandan Raisin Pancakes~

Busy busy morning! This a little something i made for a year-end tea session later this afternoon. It's a slight variation to the previous raisin pancake recipe, i replaced the pandan extract with 1/2 teaspoon of pandan paste.

~*Pandan Raisin Pancakes*~

Soft, fluffy and delicious~

*i hope they'll like it :)

Raisin Pancake~

Fresh homemade raisin pancakes for breakfast~ No frills, fast and easy to prepare, cook and eat :p

~*Raisn Pancake*~

Light, fluffy and delicious, yum!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 100g Self rising flour
• 20g Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Egg (beaten)
• 130 ml Freshmilk
• 1/2 tsp Pandan extract (any extract of your choice)
• 65g Raisins

Method

1. Add the dry ingredients into a bowl, stir to mix well.
2. Add in the fresh milk, pandan extract, beaten egg and raisins, stir to mix well.
3. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, allow them to cook till light/golden brown before flipping over cook on the other side. Serve immediately.
4. They are good on its own or with some topping(s) such as maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, butter or cream cheese. Enjoy~

Chewy Yam Glutinous Rice Balls/Cubes~

Homemade yam glutinous balls, so "Q" so chewy :p~ They can be enjoyed in both hot sweet soup or chilled shaved ice desserts~

Recipe

Ingredients

• 110 g Glutinous rice flour
• 1.5 Tbs Sugar
• 130 g Mashed yam
• 70 ml Water
• A pot of water
• A bowl of ice cold water

Method

1. Add the sugar and glutinous flour in a bowl and mix well. Add in the mashed yam and water and mix well and knead to form a dough. Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes.


2. Knead the dough a few times, divide the dough into smaller pieces and shape them into little cubes/balls.


3. Add some water into a pot and heat over medium heat till it's simmering hot (be careful not to boil the water).


4. Gently add the yam glutinous cubes/balls into the pot of hot water and allow it to cook. When they float to the surface, immediately remove and transfer them into the bowl of ice cold water (leave it for 2 minutes) before returning them to the pot of hot water. Remove and transfer them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process (this allows the yam glutinous rice balls to be "q"/chewy).


5. Add them to hot sweet ginger soup or chilled desserts. Enjoy~

Do check out the Longan carrot blend with chewy yam glutinous rice ball dessert! :p~

Red Bean Paste Recipe~

This is my variation of the red bean paste recipe.

Ingredients

• 250 g Red beans
• 1 L Water
• 70 g Sugar
• 50 g Rice malt sugar (maltose)
• 2 Tbs Rice bran oil (other alternatives: corn oil or olive oil)
• 1 tsp Pandan essence

Method

1. Soak the red beans in 1litre of water, cover it and leave it overnight.

2. Boil the red beans in a pot and allow it to simmer for about an hour till the beans are soft and mashy.

3. Allow the red beans to cool slightly then mash them through a sieve.

4. Add the oil, mashed red beans , sugar and maltose into a non-stick pan and stir over medium heat till well incorporated (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, add in the pandan essence and stir well to mix.

5. Leave it to cool to room temperature before using. Or store in an air-tight container and keep refrigerated for later use.

Bizarre Dinner-in~

A classic example of an experimental fusion home cook dinner that was received with mixed response...

For starters:

~*Salad*~

Baby buttercups with hard boiled eggs, enoki mushrooms and raisins with special oriental dressing (not shown)

The mini maincourse:

~*Oven-baked Tioman Fish*~

Lightly seasoned with olive oil, chilli powder and white pepper, served with citrus peas & carrot puree (not shown)

Dessert:

~*Custard Pudding with Fresh Mango*~

Custard with oreo cupcake bits topped with fresh mango and chocolate chips

Cold Soba~

Keke... my very own version of cold soba specially prepared for my bro~

~*Cold Soba*~
The soba was served on ice with soba dipping sauce and some condiments (spring onions, wasabi and mustard sauce).

~*Special Side Dish*~
Wong Bok, carrots, enoiki mushrooms, ham and chilli sauce

Peanut Pancake III~

Adapted from Yochana's Cake Delight - Mi Jian Kueh Recipe.

Freshly cooked peanut pancake for breakfast! The texture, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside; and flavour have improved compared to my first and second attempts.

Gyu-Don~

Homecook lunch~ Longan's version of Gyu-don with a sunny side up egg and carrot shreds, ganished with buttercup shreds :p~

Kimchi~

Adapted from Recipe now - Korean Cabbage Kimchi.

i enjoy the sourish, spicy taste in kimchi and the excitement of tasting the varying kimchi flavour from different stalls/eateries.

i finally decided to do some kimchi making on my own (with a 'lil longan touch) :p Ta dah! Homemade kimchi!

~*Kimchi*~

"A-day-old kimchi". The flavours haven't quite settle in yet. Hopefully they'll be more flavourful in another day or two.

Beef Rendang~

Mouth watering, yummie-licious, ooh lah lah~ Beef rendang! So easy, so convenient, so delicious :p~ All thanks to Prima Taste Rendang premix!

~*Rendang Premix*~

It's super easy to prepare~ The richness and wholesome flavour of the asian dry curry in a box. All i had to do was to include the beef and some water.

~*Rice with Beef Rendang & Cabbage*~

The spicy and wholesome rendang curry encompassing the aroma of the pandan leaves and spices, complemented with rich and thick coconut milk and tender beef was simply irresistable...

~*Diet 7-Up*~

Just something to put out the "fire" from the spice. This carbonated soda contained the typical taste of artificial sweeteners that is found in most diet soda drinks...

Rosemount Semillon Chardonnay 2006~

A fine tasting wine to compliment a wonderful crepe lunch~

~*Rosemount Semillon Chardonnay 2006 (Australian)*~

The taste was as described on the label: It displays an aroma of lively citrus fruit from Semillon, complemented by peach & honey aromas from chardonnay. The palate is crisp with ripe tropical and melon flavours leading to a creamy, mouthfilling finish.

~*Crepe Lunch*~

Fresh buttercups and japanese cucumbers, button mushrooms, scrambled eggs and tuna chunks, topped with mustard sauce.

Red Bean Ohagi~

This was inspired by the yummie-licious red bean Ohagi i had last saturday at Isetan supermarket. Ohagi basically means sweet rice ball, which is a delicious japanese dessert that is usually filled with sesame or red bean paste.

i made a couple of modifications to make a healthier version of the Ohagi. i don't have short grain japanese rice at home, so i replaced it with a mixture of brown and white rice and reduced the sugar content in the red bean paste.

~*Red Bean Ohagi*~

A nice combination of flavours from the sweetness of the red bean paste and the salty sesame coating.

Recipe (Makes 2 rolls/12 pieces)

Ingredients

• 200 g Red beans
• 600 ml Water
• 2 Tbs Maple syrup/Honey
• 3 Tbs Equal sweetener
• 1/2 Cup Black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Fine salt
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 1/2 Cup Brown/white rice grains

Method

1. Cook/steam the rice grains in water. Leave aside to cool to room temperature.

Red Bean Paste

1. Boil the red beans in water till soft.
2. Drain the water and mash the red beans .
3. Add the maple syrup/honey, sweetener and mix well.

Black Sesame Coating

1. Ground the black sesame seeds till fine. (Be careful do not to over grind, you don't wanna end up with black sesame paste instead.)
2. Mix in the ground cinnamon and salt and leave aside.

Assembly

1. Lay a piece of cling wrap above a bamboo mat. Place the rice at the center (about 3/5 of the bamboo mat area) of the cling wrap and spread them out evenly.
2. Spread a layer of red bean paste on top of the rice (at the center about 3/5 the area of the rice).
3. With the aid of the bamboo mat and the cling wrap roll up to form a firm and cylindrical rice roll.
4. Wet the surface of the knife and cut the rice roll into 6 pieces.
5. Coat each piece with ground black sesame.
6. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Enjoy!

Peanut Pancake II~

Adapted from Yochana's Cake Delight - Mi Jian Kueh Recipe.

These were way better than my first peanut pancake attempt. Tah dah~

~*Peanut Pancake*~

Oops! They look alittle over done right? But nonetheless, they were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside with rich peanut butter and ground peanut filling~

Dorayaki~

Adapted from Baking Mum - Dorayaki recipe.

Aother recipe to try out on the non-stick pan~ hehe...

~*Plain Dorayaki*~

These japanese pancakes were simply wonderful soft and sweet~ So good that i could have them on their own, without the redbean paste fillings.

Peanut Pancake~

A little experiment in the kitchen this morning...

i finally got a non-stick pan (Yes... what took mi so long?) and i'm totally amused by it! In the absence of butter or oil, the batter won't stick to the pan! (okay... fine! You must be thinking, "Duh~"). Well, it's not that i've never seen the wonders of non-stick pan in action but in my kitchen... it was for the very first time...

~*Peanut Pancake*~

It's an agak agak (impromptu/offhand) recipe that i came up with this morning :x Thank goodness it went well~ The pancake was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, yummie~ (Must be eaten hot/warm)

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Plain flour
• 1/4 Cup Fine Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Eno
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Ground peanuts (with 1 tbs sugar)
• 1 tbs Butter

Method:

1. Sieve flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and eno into a bowl and mix well.
2. Pour in the water and mix well till smooth. And let it stand for 10 minutes.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, stir the batter well before pouring into the non-stick pan. Cover the pan and allow the pancake base to cook till golden brown.
4. Flip the pancake over and let it sit for another 1 minute before flipping it back.
5. Spread the butter and ground peanuts on half the pancake surface, fold the other half over to form a semi-circle folded pancake shape.
6. Transfer the pancake to a plate, cut to desired shapes and serve immediately. Enjoy~

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Sauteed Salmon~

A lunch time special for mum and dad~ Fusion, fusion~

~*Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Sauteed Salmon Fillet*~

Grilled portobello drizzled with soya sauce, chopped garlic, olive oil dressing and topped woth japanese mayo. Served together with sauteed asparagus and lightly seasoned salmon fillet

~*Miso Soup with Puffed Tofu*~

No frills, instant miso soup from a pack. And added some toasted tofu puffs to the soup.

Crepes Party!~

Crepes party number 5? 6? 7? Oops! i kinda lost count already :x

i love having crepes party! There are just so many different ingredients one can have in a crepe, all it takes is to let your imagination flow and appetite rule.

~*The Crepe*~

i don't have a non stick pan at home, hence, to avoid the hassle, i usually get these nicely packaged, ready-to-use crepes from the supermarket.

~*What goes in?*~

Fresh buttercup, tomato wedges, cucumber slices, button mushrooms, grilled marinated chicken fillet shreds, chilli pepper powder and pepper sauce (for the extra spice).

~*Crepes Wrap*~

Ready to be savoured~

~*Seasoned Scallop Wings*~

Side dish no. 1

~*Seasoned Deep-Fried Giant Oyster Mushrooms*~

Side dish no. 2

~*Tuborg*~

A perfect chilled beer to go along~

Home Cooked Dinner~

After a lunch out session this afternoon, we decided to have a cosy home cooked dinner. i volunteered to prepare dinner...And...... Tah dah~ Check out what we had for dinner -->

~*Steamed Tofu*~

Tofu topped with a special marinate sauce*~

~*Steamed Broccoli*~

Healthy greens without cooking oil just drizzled with some special sauce :p... hehe

~*Grilled Giant Oyster Mushrooms*~

Oven-grilled mushrooms with sesame oil and black sesame seeds with special marinate sauce.

~*Stir-fried Lean Pork with Capsicums*~

i seasoned the pork with oyster sauce, pepper, chilli pepper, sesame oil, dark soya sauce and corn flour for about an hour before stir-fried with fresh capsicums, onions and garlic in olive oil. The pork was tender and sufficiently marinated (phew~)

What was in the special sauce?

Ans: Oyster sauce, dark soya sauce, chilli pepper, black sesame seeds, five spice powder, ground ginger and some hot water~

Homecook Lunch~

~*Tofu Miso Soup*~

Instant miso soup, just empty the paste and freeze dried garnishings into a bowl, add 2/3 cup water and mix well.

~*Spaghetti*~

Spaghetti stir-fried with green, yellow and red capsicum, button mushrooms and king oyster/trumpet mushrooms with olive oil, tomato paste and a'lil chilli sauce~

~*Grilled King Oyster/Trumpet Mushrooms*~

i love the smooth texture and crunchy mouth-fill of the grilled eryngii mushrooms topped with a special homemade sauce mixture (oyster sauce, dark red dates soya sauce, chilli pepper, honey mustard, mixed spices and black sesame seeds). Another way to enjoy the eryngii mushrooms is to coat them with flour, deep-fry and add your favourite seasoning or spices.