Me Recipes and Life

Pumpkin Balls - Japanese Style

2006-11-22T01:13:00.000+08:00

This is a wonderfully nice and tasty finger food/snack/appetizer.

Ingredients

1. 600g Pumpkin or 900g Potato
2. 200g Chicken meat – add pepper, 1/2tbsp salt, 1/2tbsp mirin – marinate for 15 mins - to this, Fish added Sake too
3. 1 onion or more if you like
4. 2 eggs
5. Plain flour
6. Rising Flour
6. Bread Crumbs

Seasoning

1. 2tsp salt
2. 3tbsp Potato Starch/Cornflour
3. Pepper

Directions

1. Cut the pumpkin into pieces, steam for 10 mins till soft, smash into paste while adding 3tbsp of potato flour.
2. Slice marinated chicken meat and onion into cubes.
3. Heat wok with some oil, fragrant(meaning fry till the flavour comes out) the onion, add in chicken meat, and stir fry until cooked.
4. Mix pumpkin paste, onion, cooked chicken meat and seasoning in a bowl evenly.
5. Knead well into balls. Coat with a layer of plain flour+ rising flour (in equal quantities), beat egg solution and a layer of breadcrumbs.
6. Deep fry till golden brown then drain well and serve with some tonkatsu sauce. - or, with Fish, its wholegrain mustard(tangy) and Japanese Mayonnaise.

Very nice to savour as the pumpkin is sweet. The best pumpkin is from Japan - but that costs a bomb. However, i've tried and really..the local ones aren't that bad too. Organic's good too!

This is a great recipe to have fun with - get 2 friends to help and have fun with all the flour, egg and breadcrumbs!

Sausage Casserole

2006-11-22T00:57:00.000+08:00

This is a wonderful dish that me and fish made a while back. It was bursting with flavour!

Ingredients

1. 2 cups Jasmine Rice - the rice you have at home
2. 2 1/2 cups of Stock - whatever you have, chicken, vegetable..
3. 2 different types of sausages - i used Johnsonville Better Cheddar and Cabanosi(a salami type of sausage) - 2 cheddar and 3 cabanosi
4. Onions - roughly sliced/diced - whatever you like.
5. 1 Red Capsicum - finely diced - anyway you like really..
6. Fresh Mushrooms - I used white buttons but found that they didn't go too well, i think shitake would be better

Directions

- Firstly, chop up the onions, capsicum and mushrooms.
- Best if you have a heavy base saucepan that you can fry and boil in. If not, with a little oil, fry the sausages whole. - Again, the amount varies with how much sausages you like.
- After frying, slice the sausages into how thick or thin slices you like - thick is better though - Leave aside first
- In a saucepan, fry the onions, then the capsicum till soft. I added the mushrooms last as they cook the fastest.
- To that fried mixture, add the stock - add less if you prefer a drier end product - you can always add in more stock later if need be.
- Add in the rice and the sausages.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for around 15 mins or more - depending on the moisture level you would like your rice to be.
- No extra salt is needed, but pepper can be added.
- Serve nice and hot!

P.S. His house didn't have a heavy base saucepan, so instead we used a korean hotpot which was wonderful too.

Bon Appetit!

Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream!

2006-11-21T22:47:00.000+08:00

I had the black sesame ice cream - the one on the left and Fish had the green tea ice cream on the right. It was divine! Very very nice to eat. The picture was taken after i've almost finished half of it. It wasn't an enormous scoop but enough to end my meal. For a scoop, the black sesame is $2.50 and the green tea is $2.90. Fish said that the green tea ice cream is much better than the one at Bugis - Uzumaki. It has distinct green tea taste and a subtle maple syrupy taste. I don't like green tea but i tried it and it was good. The black sesame is flavourful and very authentic.

We found this small treasure at a small ramen shop in Century Mall in Tampines. It is called Uma Uma Men and they sell Ramen, Don, Tenshi and Sushi.

We had ramen and i felt it didn't taste too bad. I found it a little salty, but Fish said it was ok. He prefers this place more as compared to Ajisan. He also said that the pork katsu with cheese was very good, but on the day we went, it was sold out. So we had stir fried beef with onion which we felt that the meat could be a little tenderer and the price was a little steep, around $8.90 for a small plate. We also had Vegetable tempura, which was ok by my standards and it was the only way i could get myself to eat vegetables. HaHa..

A unique thing on the menu is that they have mini sets. From what i remember, it is around 3 different types of noodles - mini sized for those that cannot make up their mind, with side dishes. I think around $12+.

I had the corn butter ramen - went their around 4pm and they had an offer - so mine costed around $4.50 only. Fish had char siew ramen if I’m not wrong and this came with half an egg. He loves the egg as it is cooked in the sauce they use to braise the char siew and the egg yolk and watery and has the flavour of the soup. He even asked for an extra half an egg for $0.50. You could ask for extra stuffs and this would cost differently. If i didn't remember wrongly, extra char siew is $2.50 and extra corn is $0.50 - there's still others, but i don't remember them already.

The place is small and the kitchen can be seen. Because of the fact that the shop is in a corner of the Basement 1 floor, the amount of people in the shop is not a lot. - Relatively empty.

Overall, we would go back there again for the food especially the ice cream which was wonderful and satisfying!

They have another branch at the Capitol Building near City Hall MRT Station. They are open daily from 11.30am till 10.30pm. Last order is at 10pm.

Hope to see you there one day - if not for anything else, but their ice cream!

Taco Inspired Meal!

2006-10-01T15:33:00.000+08:00

Taco Inspired Meal!

Sep 8, 2006 - 6 Photos

Sorry....

2006-03-03T18:24:00.000+08:00

So sorry for not posting anything for the longest time ever.. HaHa..Very busy with work right now. Can't find the time to sit down and cook. If not, i'm too tired to cook. However, i shall try to get my cooking back in schedule and this time, enough of pasta for the moment. I will be going onto Japanese Cooking. Please remember to not expect any sashimi or raw fish, remember i'm a vegetarian. If all goes well, my lastest recipe would be Japanese Curry Rice. See ya Soon!

Marks & Spencer's Minestrone Soup

2006-01-09T23:43:00.000+08:00

I just bought this Minestrone soup at Plaza Singapura's Marks & Spencer. I have not tried it but i hope it tastes good. I have been told by the cashier that it does not require extra water and it is for 2 servings. Hoping to try it out some day soon!

Updated Carbonara and Bread and Butter recipe

2006-01-08T23:27:00.000+08:00

I tried making carbonara again that day.

First i fried the mushrooms in a tiny pot with butter till they release their juices. Then put it aside.

Using milk and whipped cream, heat till slightly simmering, don't boil, or it will spill over. Add the spaghetti or whatever pasta you're using and mix well. Keep heating till the mixture thickens then add in just parmesan cheese. Not alot, just a little according to your taste. Then add in the mushrooms together with its juices and mix well again. And it's done!

ENJOY!

As for the Bread and Butter Pudding, i baked it again, but i would add less sugar, not more to 1/2 cup, maybe even lesser. But keep in mind that it is a dessert, so we want it to be sweet, but not too sweet.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Truffles

2006-01-05T21:39:00.000+08:00

Today i made these..very very sweet though..

Ingredients
1. Almond Marzipan - can be bought from Phoon Huat - only available in 1kg
2. Macadamia nuts - roasted and halved
3. Dark/Milk/White Chocolate - or a mixture
4. Any decorative or nuts you wish to roll your dipped chocs in

Directions
First i tempered the chocolate, strictly speaking, you place the chocolate in a double boiler, make sure the water only simmers and not boiling and no steam can escape or else the chocolate would seize.

Let the chocolate melt and using a thermometer, check the temperature to be around 45 degrees, then take it off the double boiler, here, you're supposed to use a marble slab to cool it down, but really, who can afford one? - at least doing it leisurely. I just left it to cool on top of another pot. Till the temperature drops to about 26 degrees. Then put it back into the double boiler and get the temperature up to 32 degrees for dark and milk chocolate and 29 degrees for white chocolate. This ends the tempering process and just try to keep it at this temperature for the whole of the dipping process.

Taking the marzipan, cut out a portion that you want together with the plastic covering. Then, get rid of the plastic covering which covers the portion that you want and slice into large cubes.

Toast the macadamia nuts and chopped almond nuts. Using your fingers, place one half of the macadamia nut in the middle of a cube of marzipan, roll into a ball and drop into the chocolate, roll around and either place it in the chopped almond nuts or just on its own onto a piece of parchment paper.

After dipping and making whatever else you wish, just place the parchment paper onto a tray and into the fridge, you'll be surprised at how fast it hardens.

ENJOY!

Bought a Thermometer!

2005-12-28T16:59:00.000+08:00

Hiz...

Last saturday, i got Bailey to run down to the Phoon Huat in Holland Village to buy me chocolates and a thermometer. We chose the cheapest one which has the widest range but not too detailed in its increments. It costs $9.90

Just used it when i was making ricotta cheese which i will post when its done!

New Cookbook!

2005-12-28T00:45:00.001+08:00

Hiz again..
Recently, i went to Thomson Plaza and they had like a mini book fair and so i went in search of cook books, there were only a few and so i chose this one and it costed only one dollar! A good deal for a brand new book!

Haven read it in detail yet..shall be reading it sooon and see if any treasures can be picked up from it!

My new Apron

2005-12-28T00:22:00.000+08:00

Erlow!

I recently bought an apron through yahoo's auctions and found this really nice one that cost me nine dollars together with 2 oven muffins and 2 pot holders. Very nice and bright colors. Used it the first time when i was making my cheese cake cups.

A very satisfied customer!

Cheese Cake Cups

2005-12-22T23:54:00.001+08:00

This is one cool thing to do with kids or i would say comfort cooking..

Ingredients
1. Cream Cheese - i guess you could use Philadelphia but i used one that was not called spreadable cream cheese
2. Dairy Whipping Cream - i used the Milard brand which is cheaper then President's and can be found in Phoon Huat
3. Vanilla Essence
4. An egg
5. A Packet of Plain crackers - or whatever crackers you can find
6. Butter
7. 1/2 cup of Granulated sugar
8. Cup cake papers

Directions
First, place all the cream cheese into a big bowl, followed by approximately 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and mix well.

Then, using a whisk, whilst slowing adding the cream a little at a time until you reach a medium consistency. Meaning not too thick and not too thin, more on the thicker side would be safer. After that, add in the egg, this would dilute it further and if you like the consistency that is reached, then its fine, if not, add more cream. Then add in about half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Whisk it all well together then place it aside.

Now, take the biscuits and place them in a plastic bag, transparent would be better. Then, using a rolling pin or something else, smash the crackers into little bits. There is about 5-6 crackers in each packet. After that, pour them into a bowl and add in the butter, just enough so that they are bounded together and also so that the cup cake would not stick to the paper.

After that, place the cup cake papers onto the muffin tray and because this is a little harder to explain, see the picture below. As you can see, place the biscuits on the bottom layer and if you're in a calm and peaceful mood like i was, use your fingers to press the biscuits down gently so that it looks neat and orderly. After that, fill it with the cream cheese mixture. It won't rise during cooking, so no worries about making it high. Of course you can choose to make bigger cup cakes, but i think these look quite cute. To take a closer look..
Get a clearer picture now? =) Just fill them all up and place them inside the oven to bake for approximately 10 minutes or till it is golden brown on the top in which the sugar caramelizes and forms a nice sweet soft crust on the top.

If you wish to make the chocolate which i tried to do but was unsuccessful cause i forgot the chocolate seizes and so i rolled them into balls. I won't try to explain this now, but i will be making chocolate truffles soon, i will explain it then. =)

To make it a wee bit more flavourful, i crushed some pine nuts and sprinkled them on the top. Pine nuts are the best..at least in my opinion. =)

Enjoy!

Original Sin

2005-12-18T01:29:00.000+08:00

Hello..

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday (16th Dec) and to celebrate, we went to a restaurant at Holland Village, called ‘Original Sin’. A very cozy and warm place to be. The lightings inside were really low and dark and we sat right in front of the place where the food was served. The place served Mediterranean cuisine and it was catered to vegetarians, although non-vegetarians can certainly enjoy the food too.

We ate a whole lot, it started off with pita bread with an assortment of Mediterranean dips, such as Hummus and some other dips, if I’m not wrong, there were about 5-6 different sort of dips.

This was followed by Magic Mushroom as shown below.

This is really really nice. It was baked on top of a Portobello mushroom which is ‘stuffed with ricotta cheese, rocket, garlic and pine nuts, draped in a tomato basil sauce and mozzarella cheese.’

If you’re a cheese fan like me, you would probably be able to finish one off by yourself, if not, share. I shared this with 4 persons and the cheese wasn’t too overwhelming.

Then we had Bosco Misto. Which is made of ‘Mouth-watering spinach, feta and tofu patties smothered in a mushroom ragout marbled with a delectable plum sauce.’ However, I found this a little too salty to my taste buds, and I think this was caused by the feta cheese. So this is almost a definite must share dish.

We also tried the Capri which is ‘Vegetable skewers lanced with Portobello mushroom, eggplant, Spanish onion and zucchini, served with a tomato basil sauce and garlic infused potato puree.’ This tasted really good, however, I only got to try the mushroom which was delightful as it was plumb and juicy and had a little crispy texture on the top. The onions were also really sweet and tender yet still retaining its crunchiness.

We also tried the Pasta Porcini as shown below.

This was creamy and the fettuccine was cooked to perfection. ‘Fettuccine pasta with a combination of porcini and button mushrooms, sautéed with white wine, fresh thyme, parsley and a touch of cream, topped with shaved parmesan.’ Very nice, we actually shared 2 plates of this. Although, the dish wasn’t piping hot when served and so the parmesan shavings didn’t melt and for those who are not too keen on cheeses, biting into a shaving may not be too welcomed.

We also tried the Lasagna. It was ok to me, nothing too fantastic, but my little sister loved it. The Lasagna had ‘Delectable layers of sautéed button mushroom, spinach, onion, zucchini, red capsicum, tomato and fresh basil topped with a béchamel sauce.’

We also had a pizza that my little brother chose, The Funghi Pizza, as shown below.

It had ‘Marinated Portobello and button mushroom with fresh asparagus, smoked cheddar and bocconcini cheese.’ It was nice and the crust was not too thick and not too thin, just the right thickness. However, it wasn’t something that hit my taste buds off my tongue. It was like the Lasagna. Nice, but not fantastic.

As we were still hungry, my mum ordered a Pasta Broccollini. Which only the adults liked and my little sister. It was an all vegetable dish, cooked in ‘Aglio olio style spaghetti tossed with baby broccoli, asparagus, artichoke, fava beans, green peas, onion, rocket pesto, chilli and parmesan.’ I didn’t even wanted to try it. Too veggie for me. HaHa.

We ended it with a Chocolate Mud Cake with real vanilla ice cream, this could be seen as the ice cream was not purely white and was dotted with black dots, an apparent indication that it was made with vanilla pods which are really expensive in Phoon Huat. The ice cream was good, the mud cake, a little too chocolately for me, bearing in mind that I’m not a chocolate and sweet lover.

A point to note, whenever I go to these sorts of restaurants, I also drink ice water, other then my parents who drank beer that nice. Victoria Bitter to be exact. I think ice water is the best, it keeps your mouth free of any other taste that could interfere with the real taste of the different tastes in your mouth.

I would return, because of the wonderful magic mushroom and because I wish to taste the other dishes they have to offer. I have not tried any risotto at all yet. I must try it the next time I go.

The dishes are priced as in normal restaurants, about twenty odd per dish. Not too expensive, just about the normal price expected.

Feta Cheese!

2005-12-15T18:41:00.000+08:00

Erlow..

I have just come back from Thomas Plaza’s NTUC and I bought a new supply of Parmesan and Romano Cheese. Together with these, I also bought some feta cheese soaked in oil with spices and olives. I have no idea if it tastes good, so I’m going to try it later and do a report on it..HaHa.. I also bought a new book by the way, nothing to do with cooking, it’s ‘Carol Vorderman’s How to do Sudoku’. Anyone into Sudoku by the way?

Oh and for those who are not too clear what feta cheese is, it is supposedly to be made with goat’s milk, but there are cow’s milk ones available too, and the packet which I just bought, gave no indication which milk it used. It just stated ‘milk’.

From ilovecheese.com, ‘Usually thought of as only a Greek goat's milk cheese, Feta is now deliciously produced in the states using cow's milk. Its preservation process gives Feta a salty, pickled Mediterranean flavor that gives salads, vegetables, chicken and seafood a pleasantly sharp zest.’

And from About.com, ‘Feta cheese is classified as a soft cheese made of 45 to 60 percent fat whole sheep's or goat's milk. The better fetas are aged (but not ripened) four to six weeks, cured in a salty whey and brine. Known as a pickled cheese, the flavor of feta becomes sharper and saltier with age. It is creamy white in color with small holes, a crumbly texture.’

Feta is considered a medium-fat cheese on a par with mozzarella and reduced-fat versions of regular cheeses.

Allow a good thirty minutes for feta cheese to come to room temperature to fully enjoy its rich, tangy flavor and creamy texture.

A recipe that I found that would go well with Feta cheese is Spanakopita (Spinach Triangles), which I will definitely try in due course. Keep in tune!

Dinner?

2005-12-13T19:30:00.000+08:00

Hello!

I just had spaghetti cooked by my maid for dinner. It wasn't too bad but it wasn't good. Firstly, she used Angel hair pasta, which I totally disliked. I think it's a tad too thin and tasteless..(my opinion stands as for the present) The sauce, which I bought, wasn't the way I liked it, thick and saucy. It was too sweet and thin. The cheese slices which I loved were the wrong brand and it was lacking in taste. Nothing went too well, but since she cooked it, I ate it. Made me full, but made my taste buds totally disagree with my dinner. Haha.. Hope your dinner was better!

Spaghetti Frittata

2005-12-06T23:34:00.000+08:00

Last minute thought of recipe after getting inspiration from Chef Gino D'Acampo, a very funny and witty Italian chef!

Ingredients - Like usual, i have no idea how much of what i used and it's really up to you too, just add how much of whatever you like!

1. Spaghetti - i used between a quarter to half a bag - boiled - or any leftover pasta
2. 2 eggs
3. Pure cream - thickened cream, whatever
4. Milk - this time i used UHT Fresh milk - those not placed in the fridges in NTUC
5. A mixture of Parmesan and Romano Cheese
6. Crabmeat - imitation ones and in my case, vegetarian ones - or any meat you can find in the house, bacon etc..
7. 3 small onions - sliced up roughly
8. Butter
9. Salt and Pepper

Directions

Firstly, boil the spaghetti in hot boiling water added with salt and oil. Meanwhile, in a big bowl, crack the eggs in and whisk it till the yolks break up - into like how it would be when you make an omelette. Add in as much or as little pure cream as you wish and continue whisking till the lumps disappear. *It is a better idea to use a whisk as it helps to bring everything together whilst getting rid of the lumps inside the mixture. If you decide the cut down on the cream, in which i used approx 6 tablespoons, top it up with more milk then.

Make it the mixture is lump free, then add in the cheese. just add as much as your tastebuds allow and mix it well into the mixture. Add in the salt and grounded black pepper, for taste.

Now you can chop up your onions roughly and your crabmeat - just slice it up anyhow you like.
In a medium sized saucepan, melt in the butter and add in the onions and crabmeat to fry. Fry till nice and brown, then add it into the cheese mixture and immediately whisk it together or else you might end up with scrambled eggs. Your spaghetti should be ready by now, *from what Gino said, you can use any leftover pasta, even if it is already coated with sauce. Add it into the cheese mixture.* If you want to do a few batches, then split the cheese mixture up into different bowls, this way, it won't seem as if it is not creamy enough. Add the spaghetti into the mixture and stir well.

In the saucepan, add butter and when it melts, pour in all the spaghetti together with the amount of sauce that is designated for it. Spread it out nicely over the whole base of the pan, and this should be done under a larger flame - i.e. when you see the flame, it covers the whole base of the pan, this helps it to cook faster and more evenly. Using a spatula, press the spaghetti down and periodically lift the spaghetti up on its sides to ensure that it doesn't stick and to check the colour.

When the base is golden brown, slide it onto a plate that it about the same size as the spaghetti circle. Taking another plate of the same size, cover it and turn in up side down, so that when you lift off the top plate, you get to see the brown and cooked part of it. Then adding butter to the pan again, slide the spaghetti back into the pan and wait till the other side cooks as well.

When it's done, just slide it back onto the plate and you're ready to eat! Enjoy!

---Adapted from Gino D'Acampo's Spaghetti Frittata--- Thanks!

Mashed potatoes with Garlic and Cheese

2005-11-29T21:29:00.000+08:00

No picture for this cause i didn't present it well.. =)

Ingredients - Serves 2
1. 450g potatoes
2. 2 fat cloves of garlic - peeled and halved
3. 25g butter
4. 225g any cheese - parmesan, romano
5. Salt and Pepper

Directions
Begin by placing the butter and garlic in a tiny saucepan, the butter would melt on the gentlest heat possible for around thirt minutes to infuse the garlic.

Meanwhile, pare the potato and cut them into small chucks - no need too small. Sprinkle the potato - or rub them if you like, with salt. Place them in a steamer and steam for around 20 minutes - you know its done when it breaks up when you poke a fork into it. Transfer to a large bowl and place a tea towel over it to absorb the steam.

I used a electrical hand whisk, but you could also used the potato masher to break up the potatoes, then add the garlic oil, with or without the garlic itself - your choice. Add in the cheese and although it looks like alot of cheese, as you whisk it in, it will turn translucent and glossy. - i didn't try this part though, i only added 2 handfuls of cheese. Serve very quickly.

---Adapted from deliaonline.com---Thanks!

Mushroom Soup!

2005-11-29T20:53:00.000+08:00

This has been given rave comments from my family, a very simple, one-pot soup. Once tried, you will never go back to Campbell soup.

Ingredients - For 5 servings

1. 70g butter
2. 100g chopped Shitake mushrooms - about $1.90 per box
3. 200g chopped Portobello mushrooms - about $3.40 per box, bigger than the shitake - i used the mini ones, but its up to you
4. 3 small onions
5. 20g plain flour
6. 435ml of eith vegetable or chicken broth/stock
7. 300ml cream - pure or thickened - your choice
8. Salt and Pepper
9. Pinch of cinnamon - optional

Directions
Firstly, in a medium saucepan - or large if you want, melt the butter then saute the mushrooms and onions for about 5 minutes, or till soft.

Then, slowly add in the flour till it is smooth. Gradually then stir in the broth and cook whilst stirring continuously till is becomes thick and bubbly.

You can now add in the cream and season with salt and pepper. *Be careful of the salt though, as the stock it self should be quite salty already, so keep salt to the minimum. Add in the cinnamon and let it cook over a low fire till heated throughly but not boiling.

**This is an optional step** You could take half or any amount of the soup you like and place it in a blender, blend it till smooth - which should only take a few seconds, then add it back into your soup. This creates a creamier and much more exotic looking soup.

---Adapted from allrecipes.com, Submitted by Lori---Thanks!

Cooking with the Oil

2005-10-30T19:43:00.000+08:00

I cooked pasta with loads of finely chopped garlic.. and it tasted really good..it was just spicy enough for me. Very easy and very fast. Though my sister commented that the fresh chilli tasted a little better, this is just a safe method..i always get the amount of spice i want and i don't have to make my fingers 'burn' when i slice up the chilli..I'M LOVING IT!

Final Product of the Infused Chilli Oil

2005-10-28T16:27:00.000+08:00

This is the final product of my oil...very tempted to cook it now! HaHa..
P.S. The difference in color with the former picture is due to the lighting differences.

Infused Chilli Oil

2005-10-28T15:36:00.000+08:00

This is really cool..my own infused chilli oil w/ Garlic and a little rosemary
**There are health concerns on doing this about it leading to Botulism Poisoning(a sort of food poisoning which is severe but rare)..but i think its fine and anyway..i cooked the chilli, so all bacteria on it should have died. Should be refridgerated and eaten within 1 week

Ingredients
1. Sunflower Oil - any amount that you wish to make
2. Chilli Padi - i used 4 of these and i think it's just nice, a little spicy..your choice too
3. 1 clove of Garlic - peeled and just put into the oil..as you can see in the picture
4. A few sprigs of dried rosemary - optional

Directions
Slice the chillis into three parts and peel the garlic clove. Place the oil on a small pot over small fire and add in the chilli and the garlic clove. It might seem as if it is deep frying, but thats when all the flavour is coming out and it won't overfry it if you keep the fire to the smallest.

After frying for a while, take it off the heat to cool. Don't let it fry too long as the oil will still cook the chilli and garlic even after the fire is off. Leave it to cool. You should have noticed the nice reddish tone it has taken on..really pretty.

Using a glass bottle, place it in a - i used a big plastic container, those that you wash vegetables with - with hot water - i took mine from the kettle. and rise it carefully and leave it to be partially soaked for around 10 minutes. This is to sterilize the bottle..to get rid of any concerns of hygiene.

Whilst it is soaking..using a sieve..sieve the oil through to get rid of the seeds and rosemary. I felt that the flavour i had was good enough..if not you can mash the garlic and chilli before sieving it..to increase the taste.

When the bottle is done, (don't pour away the hot water) leave it upside down to get rid of the water then whilst it is still warm, pour the oil in.

The oil might spill and make till the sides of the bottle. Therefore..cap it and place it into the hot water bath again and using your hands, wash the sides of the bottle, the hot water helps to get rid of the oil. Then clean dry with kitchen towels.

**This oil was essentially created to take the place of the chilli in my previous post, Spag Aglio Olio - although using fresh ingredients are better..this is my alternative it as i don't like to eat chilli itself. Therefore, this oil is not the ones that you find in the supermarket being really red and a drops drops being enough. This is used to flavour the spag and use it as a replacement to the olive oil and chilli..i will though still use finely chopped garlic..as i really like those.

Enjoy!!

Batter to Coat

2005-10-28T07:52:00.000+08:00

This was what i did with my brinjal/eggplant..semi-tempura style.

Basically..batters are fairly simple to make, it's a just add anything when you don't want to be fussy. And i never measure the amounts of flour i use etc..just to your own discretion.

For this, i wanted to create a tempura but instead, i just surfed around and get little tips from here and there and i came out with my own.

Ingredients
1. Plain Flour - i sifted mine
2. Cornflour - i don't know if it was really needed, i just put a little
3. Egg - not compulsory, but gives a very good taste
4. Ice cold water
5. Salt and pepper to season - i would say to use a fairly bigger then usual amount, cause if you don't marinate the food you're gonna dip it in, then you want the batter to contain the salt that adds to the taste.

Put all together in a bowl just before dipping. Make sure the oil is hot to reduce the absorption of oil into your food when deep frying.

For thosed loose batter that come off whilst frying..don't throw them away..they taste really good..but definely not for the health conscious!

Enjoy!!

EMBORG Onion Rings

2005-10-25T18:22:00.000+08:00

This is a wonderful bag of onion rings..the best i've tasted so far..and if i may say..far far better than Burger King's. These are plump, unlike BK's thin ones and very crunchy.

ADDICTIVE!

However, the package size is small, only 450g and is only(for hungry and not weight conscious) enough at most for 2 persons to gobble it all down in less than a few minutes. Very Very Tasty..!

Mushroom Agoli Olio

2005-10-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

This is an even simpler dish to make - takes less than 15 minutes to put together - excluding the time for cooking the spag.

Ingredients
1. Dry spaghetti - for this dish, spag would be the best, fettucine would be too thick and nah..
2. Chilli - i used a normal one..and de-seeded it..cause i didn't want to eat the seeds..which is really almost not fiery at all..if you want the hot-ness, then use chilli padi..but i be forewarned..1 is more than enough.. the last time i tried 3..n it made me cry when i fried it and no one dared to eat it..far far to hot.
3. Shitake mushroooms - not a norm in this recipe, but..why not?
4. Garlic - i used one clove and i like my finely..really finely sliced till the juices comes out..but its your choice too..
5. Olive oil - need an amount - i used approx 3 soup spoons..it has to be able to cover the spag at least. Not as fattening when olive oil is used and olive oil has a nice sweet kinda taste to it too.
6. Salt - remember to taste
7. Parmesan Cheese - optional

**Other then mushrooms, you can basically add any other ingredients as you wish to spice up this dish. But the olive oil, garlic and chilli are the basics.

Directions
This is really simple. With a little olive oil, fry the mushrooms first. Then place aside. Add the 3 soup spoons of olive oil. Then the garlic and chilli. Fry till the garlic turns golden brown and then add the spag. Shake and make sure that the oil is evenly spread out. Done. Enjoy it hot. I added parmesan cheese to it too..taste great! Enjoy!!

Mushroom Alfredo Sauce w/ Spag

2005-10-24T14:03:00.001+08:00

This is a really wonderful and yet..i feel..not really sinful dish.. A very simple dish that takes at most half an hour to make.

Ingredients
1. Dry Spaghetti - or fettucine is even better, but more filling..like mee pok..if you get it
2. Shitake Mushrooms - these are really good, buy these from the market and they'll be fat and juicy..those from the supermarket tend to be 'underfed' and taste-wise though not lacking, lacks lustre as compared to these plump ones - remember to wash and remove the stems
3. Milk - i just used Magnolia Fresh Milk
4. Whipping cream - whatever you have really, UHT whipping cream, thickened cream all will do..if you don't have cream in your house, you may substitute it with flour, but i doubt it will be as good. For the record, i use the brand 'President' which is by far the only one which comes in a 1 litre packaging and costs around $8 and can last much longer in the fridge as compared to the 'Bulla' thickened cream which i used to use
5. Parmesan - as i said before, freshly grated makes all the difference - as much or as little as you like, but i used an amount cause it also helps to thicken the sauce
6. Cheddar - trying to finish up the small block left so just used a little - but it's your choice, any other cheese or even just parmesan will do..i recommend Romano - haven't tried blue cheese though..
7. Olive Oil
8. Salt
9. Ground Black Pepper - almost a must

**I am so sorry that i am unable to give exact measurements for this as it was just an impromtu lunch and its basically a whim and fancy recipe..you just add how much you like..if you want it with more sauce, add more milk or cream etc..

Directions
Cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water first till al dente. Then drain off water and place at the side.
Well..i used to fry the mushrooms first then add in the milk.. but me being blur..forgot about the mushrooms and added the milk first. Well..it doesn't matter really..just save a pot from washing. So i added olive oil to the saucepan first and when it was about medium hot, i added in the cream followed by the milk, dun worry about lumps in the cream when you pour it out, it will melt down at the magical touch of the fire. Just stir it around and add your parmesan into melt. I added the Cheddar too. **Just a note, unless you really want, or else i wouldn't add mozzarella cheese, it messes the whole place and your spatula..but..not that its not nice =)
Add salt..(always taste..i have a bad habit of always not tasting the food when it is cooking and unless you're health conscious, salt is needed in a generous amount. Always taste to make sure)
Then you may add in the spaghetti and shaking the pan to make sure it is properly mixed. Just place it on the fire for a while to get it to thickened. I then took it off the fire and took out a small tiny one rather, saucepan to fry my mushrooms. Add a little olive oil and add in the mushrooms, dun worry if it seems a little cramped there cause they would shrink in size and its juices would start coming out and your mushrooms would look really glossy and delicious. Then i placed the spag back onto the fire and added the mushrooms. By this time the sauce would have thickened and if you want it creamier, add more cream. - can't do that for flour though..though i personally wouldn't try flour.

Can be eaten now.. best when eaten hot though if you leave it to cool for a while the cheese inside hardens a little and forms tiny clumps that cling onto the spag. Wonderful too..and even if you heat it up it won't disappear. Add coarse black pepper..i never tried with normal powered pepper cause it just doesn't seem right. Spinkle a little more parmesan cheese over the top if you want and ENJOY!!

Guacamole Dip

2005-10-15T19:52:00.002+08:00

To make this easy and nice Guacamole..

Ingredients
3 avocados
2 small onions
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

Directions
Cut avocado in half and reserve the pits if you're not serving immediately. Mash the pulp in a medium sized bowl with a fork(or a potato masher) - you don't have to mash it till smooth, a little chunks here and there would be nice. Stir in the onions, lime juice, salt and pepper. (I had remaining cheese from the lasagne..Parmesan to be exact..so i added it into this. I don't really think that mozzarella would be a good choice)

Just taste it and change according to preference.

Luckily, when we're shopping, Bailey bought a packet of 'Ruffles'..so we could go with this.However, he bought sour cream and if it was original it would be much better..but..everything goes well with this..HaHa..

If not eating immediately, place the pits inside the mixture and cover with plastic wrap - to prevent browning

To serve, take out the pits and Enjoy!!

Bread n Butter Pudding

2005-10-15T19:51:00.001+08:00

To make this Bread n Butter Pudding..

Ingredients - for a small baking dish
1 cup of Fresh Milk
1 cup of whipping cream
vanilla essence
5 egg yolks
a little more than 1/2cup of sugar
Butter
Raisin - your choice
Any left over bread - white, baguette, raisin etc

Directions
Combine milk and whip cream in to saucepan. Add in vanilla essence to your preference. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks together with sugar in a big bowl. Then gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture. Place the custard aside.

Butter a glass baking dish - i got one from NTUC the smallest one. For $9.90
Slice the bread(s) first to slices in any way.Then spread both sides of all the bread with butter. Arrange the bread slices on the bottom the dish , trimming to fit. Sprinkle with raisin. I used raisin bread for the lowest layer..so i didn't add anymore extra raisins. Then i used baguette - mine was like there for a week. So it was practically as hard as rock..but trust me..it can still be eaten. The top bread can be placed in any way you desire. If using normal white bread. Some recipes say to discard the crusts, but there's really no need for it. After you've layered to desired, then you can pour in the custard slowly..as it might spill. Don't feel it to the very brim as it will rise a little durin baking. Let it stand for approximately 20-30 mins for the custard to be absorbed.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.

Bake pudding for around 20 mins. (After this, i covered mine with aluminium foil to prevent buring and cooked for another 10 mins - your choice)

I also made extra custard sauce to go with the final product. Using also milk and whip cream with a little water, vanilla essence and sugar.

Serve this when the pudding is warm..around 10 mins after taking it out of the oven. ( Mine was exposed to the air for approximately 30 minutes while the lasagne cooked and then placed into the oven again for 5 minutes just after the lasagne was taken out and the power was not on, but it was still hot.)

Serve as dessert and Enjoy!!

P.S. There's no intermediate pictures for this..i forgot..Sorry.. =)

Spinach Lasagne - Click on this to see the pictures!

2005-10-15T19:45:00.000+08:00

To make this really delicious and vegetarian(w/cheese) lasagna...

Ingredients
1 bunch of Spinach
2 Capsicums
1 box of instant lasagne
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
3/4 of a big bottle of Prego Spaghetti Sauce
Fresh Mushrooms
Garlics and Onions

Directions
Preheat the oven at 175 degrees.

Firstly, Chop the spinach and capsicum into your desired size. Also chop the onions and garlic finely. For the mushrooms, i used White button and Shitake mushrooms, - for Shitake, you have to remove the stems as they are too hard. For the white button, the stems can or not be removed, as you prefer, the upper layer of the cap should also be removed. Slice the mushrooms into slices and not cubes.

Then in a frying pan, fry the garlic and onions together followed by the mushrooms and lastly all the veggies. After some time when it has reduced in size, you can then add in the spag sauce. - i added 3/4 of a bottle, however, you can add it to your preference, though i must say that this should be the least amount. Leave it to simmer until the veggies have soften and the wonderful smell of the capsicum can be smelt(smelled).

Using a rectangular tin, place the lowest layer with the veggie sauce and then followed by a sheet of lasagne - as shown in the picture. Then you can place slices of mozzarella cheese on the top.( I bought a rectangular block of it and sliced it myself, unless you can't find this, then use the ready grated ones) Following this fashion, till the last layer is of the sauce then you can add all the mozzarella and parmesan cheese you like. (i also bought a wedge of this cheese and grated it myself, it tastes much more flavourful and really really good)

Cover the tin with a sheet of aluminium foil and bake in the oven at approx 175 degrees and for 30 mins. My pasta was still a little more then al dente after 30 mins and unless you like yours this way, you can leave it in for another 10 - 15 mins more.

Enjoy! - p.s. You can always add more cheese when you're eating it!

Homemade Butter - Continued

2005-09-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

Hi...
I made the butter today..you guys can view the pictures i've taken by clicking on the title of this post.. Its really cool and really simple..

First of all: I used 1 cup of whipping cream which through research, the best temperature is approximately 15 degrees, i just took mine out of the fridge, and it worked fine..and i just started the blender on the slowest mode i have.. then slowly it will change and periodically (a few seconds..not minutes) you check on the cream and see if it has turned into butter..which is obviously very different and yellow in color.. After that..when you feel that its ready, add around 100ml ice cold water and blend for a few seconds..(Only do this if you don't want the milk..cause i tried and the milk tastes like water..) If you want the milk, then don't add water and just separate the milk from the butter..The milk is called buttermilk..

Then, the butter needs to be washed with water. My tap water has a filter so it has no chlorine in it, if you don't have a filter, then use the water that you use for drinking. Add a little at a time and using a fork or spoon, press down on the butter to get the milk out and stir it around in the water. Keep repeating this process until the water becomes clear when you wash it. Then you may add a little salt and just mix it around. And..you're basically done!

You can store it in a small tupperware, and for me, i bought greaseproof paper from cold storage or ntuc, for only 80cents or $1.25 respectively, and put your butter in the tupperware on top of the greaseproof paper so that it is easy for cleaning up..just throw the paper away and you don't really need to wash the tupperware, unless otherwise..

Just keep it in the freezer so that it can get solid and you may use it already!

Of course there is another method for those who don't have a blender, it is to put the cream in a tight lidded jar and shake as hard as you can..but this can take a much longer time and requires more physical movement..of course..HaHa..

Try it..and if you have any problems..just ask me..and we'll figure it out.. =)

Pizza!

2005-09-16T18:48:00.000+08:00

Aloha..!
Today i made pizza using a simple recipe i got from the recipe book that came with my bread making machine. The machine helped me to knead and i left it in the machine for 62 mins for it to rise, although it doesn't really rise alot, but it still did..
I used an organic tomato base and added loads of Mozzarella and some sliced white button mushrooms..actually..its a whole lot..not some..haha.. That was all i had at home to add as my family's now practicing vegetarianism and we can't eat meat.. But it really tasted good and you can get as creative as you want. I folded my pizza and it was so juicy as it was protected from the direct heat..but be careful..i burnt my mouth taking the first bite..Haha..
I also grated some parmesan cheese over the mushrooms and enhanced its taste.. wanted to use blue cheese too, but didn't get a chance though..so..i'll be trying it again..

Oh...and for the dough..mine was quite sticky and required loads of flour to prevent it from sticking to the table and the rolling pin. And it is best to try to roll it as thinly as you can..and i found out that you can do this better after you placed the dough on the greased aluminium foil, if you're not using a pizza pan, as the butter helps to keep the dough in place, as the dough itself is quite elastic. During the time when it is cooking, the dough would sorta like rise..so if you don't start of with a ultra thin dough base, you'll get a whole mouthful of dough when you eat it.

Wanted to post pictures of it..but in my excitment of eating it..i totally forgot about it..haha..
Anyways, i'll try to remember the next time..

P.S Homemade definely tastes better then Pizza Hut.. :)

Homemade Butter

2005-09-14T22:40:00.000+08:00

Hi.. today i found this wonderful site that teaches how to make our own butter! and its terribly easy! All you need is a blender and heavy whipped cream and time of course..I will be trying this out this saturday i hope and will post the results to see if it's successful or not..

WILL BE CONTIUNED...

Introduction

2005-09-14T22:10:00.000+08:00

Ahoy..Hi..
I have decided that i needed some place to store my recipes and what a better way but to share it on the net? and become a blogger? HaHa.. Comments are always welcomed, but if you have got nothing constructive to say..maybe you should keep it to yourself.. I love my world of food and i hope that you will too..

Shi Yun =)
P.S If you have some recipe that you would like me to try or wanna share it with everyone..just e-mail me..