Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake with Walnuts

Hello everyone! With the festive season upon us, I know I have been sharing a lot of sweet recipes due to all the holiday baking I have been doing. I will try to post more savouries soon, meanwhile I hope you are embracing the festivities and enjoying your holiday baking.

Today, I want to share this very dear and special recipe for Christmas Fruit Cake with you. This is going to be a somewhat lengthy post, but I hope you bear with me as I wish to set out as many tips and tricks that I have learnt from my own hard and sometimes tearful experience with you so that you will be able to achieve the perfect bake.

Moist Banana Walnut Chocolate Bread

Moist Banana Walnut Chocolate Bread with desiccated coconut for a soft texture and intense flavour

Hello and how have we all been keeping?

Well, my schedule has been a bit out of whack. I had it all planned but then an unscheduled road trip for 2 days seems to have side tracked my best laid plans. In any event, I am looking forward to the road trip! Will rather work extra harder these few days and enjoy! Hey, I am learning how to embrace change better and not get so cranky if things don’t go as planned. That is one of my goals for 2014 and beyond, learning to embrace things. Of course I reserve the right to be cranky every now and then. There, caveat entered!

So, where was I, ah – yes, I wanted to share a recipe for a moist banana walnut chocolate bread. Oh I know there are thousands of banana bread recipes, but I really did enjoy this recipe and it takes 2 minutes to make. Well, you got me there, it takes 10 minutes of prep time, but that is short and easy enough. This banana bread is really quite filling and it worked really well for several brunches and lunches for me. The desiccated coconut gives body to the texture. As for the chocolate chips, well, most things are better with chocolate and this is definitely the case here. As a side note, I have reduced the sugar content so if you want it sweeter, go ahead and increase the amount of sugar by 50gm.

Herbed Turkey Meatballs using Oats

These herbed turkey meatballs are made with oats and are great as an appetiser, a light meal or with pasta in a tomato based sauce

Hello and I hope you are having an awesome weekend!

The recipe for today is herbed turkey meatballs. These meatballs use oats instead of breadcrumbs. I was intrigued by the idea of substituting breadcrumbs with oats in a recipe for meatballs, however, now that I have tried it, I am not going back to breadcrumbs. Why? I guess because it is better for you since it has more fibre and taste wise, it does not pale in comparison with meatballs that use breadcrumbs.

Easy Homemade Nutty Vegan Granola

Easy Homemade Nutty Vegan Granola

Hello! I hope your week has been going well and you are still keeping your head above water with all the added chores and stress that inevitably comes with the festive season.

I had a nightmare about writing Christmas cards the other night. It was as if I just could not get the spelling right and had to waste many cards and just could not complete the stack that I had to write. Of course I woke up and realised that it was a dream but the reality remains that I still have a huge stack of cards to write and send.

Anyway, there was nothing inspiring for breakfast in the pantry so I decided to make this Nutty Granola. I have been experimenting with a whole lot of granola recipes this year and had my fair share of hits and misses. I remember a recipe I got from a world renown chef’s cookbook only to have it turn out tasting like a Chinese takeout with too much sesame seeds. My friend’s words, not mine.

Vegetarian Japanese Egg Tofu for Meatless Monday

Vegetarian Japanese Egg Tofu

Happy Meatless Monday everyone! I hope you are as excited about Meatless Monday as I am.

This Monday, I am going to share a recipe for Japanese Egg Tofu with you. This tofu has egg in it and can be easily bought from most Oriental grocers.  This is what it looks like in its packaging.

Japanese Egg Tofu

As with most tofu or beancurd, it is a very versatile protein in that it goes well with almost anything. For this dish, the tofu is sliced, dusted with corn flour and then fried until it is golden and crispy. You then braise the vegetables in a thick sauce before adding an egg in the sauce to thicken it and to bulk up the dish. I also added a lot of vegetables to bulk it up further. Here, I used mushrooms, sugar snap peas, baby corn and carrots.

Spicy Garlic Prawns

Spicy Garlic Prawns

I know we are all very busy and always on the lookout for quick and simple meals to put on the table. If like me, you are a fan of tapas, then I think you are going to like this classic tapas dish of spicy garlic prawns. It is also super easy to make. I dare say I used ready peeled frozen jumbo prawns for this. Don’t shoot me, I just like the convenience. Add in lots of minced garlic, olive oil, crushed chilli flakes and there you have it. Oh, don’t forget the salt. Hey – that is all of 5 ingredients!

Vegetarian Couscous with Pine Nuts

Vegetarian Couscous with Pine Nuts

Hello and how are you doing on this Meatless Monday?

Tell me what you did over the weekend! As for me, I went to watch the second installation of the Hunger Games movie – Catching Fire. I must say that I have read the books and the movie stays true to the book. It was more grown up then the first so it appealed more to me however there were no fireworks or clincher for me to be wowed. But, I digress as this is not a blog for movie reviews but one about food. So, to recover from the excesses of the weekend, here is a simple and satisfying vegetarian couscous recipe for you to try. If not for today, then bookmark it for next week!

Christmas Festive Spiced Biscuits

Festive Spiced Biscuits

It is the time of year to indulge in all things festive! For me, that means lots of festive spices. I must have professed my love for baked goods with cinnamon or spices in them time and time again. One of my all time favourites is carrot cake or muffins; you can read all about that here. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just cannot get enough of the smell of cinnamon. There is just something so rich and inviting about the scent of butter accented with cinnamon and nutty spices wafting through the house. It instantly transforms your house into a warm and toasty home.

It should come as no surprise that my favourite biscuits are spiced biscuits. I have tried to recreate the store bought variety and after having baked and eaten far too many biscuits than I care to admit, I am sharing an excellent recipe for Festive Spiced Biscuits that will beat any store bought variety. It has a crisp and crunchy texture but not so hard that you will lose a tooth. For the flavours, I use some mixed spice and cinnamon. This recipe does not contain any eggs.

15 Minute Anchovy Pasta

15 Minute Anchovy Pasta

Once again, it is Friday! I simply cannot believe that it has been five days since I last said hello to you. Where did the week go? Before you know it, Christmas will be upon us! Have you started you preparations? Well, I have started experimenting in the kitchen and I do hope to share some Christmas perfect fast and fail proof recipes with you soon. Do let me know if there are any particular recipes that you want me to share with you! Just drop me an email or comment.

Since all these kitchen experiments have been taking up my time, I have been eating really “fast” food. This superb 15 minute anchovy pasta dish is sure going to be a staple in your busy week. It certainly has been in mine. The secret ingredient here is brandy. Just little over a tablespoon of brandy will lend a nice full bodied taste to this pasta dish.

Vegetarian Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Vegetarian Chinese Egg Fried Rice

Happy Meatless Monday everyone! Can you believe that it is time for another Meatless Monday? I do hope you had a lovely weekend. If it involved a lot of feasting, do not fret, have more vegetables and fruits today to bring some balance back into your body.

I have some leftover rice so once again it is time for fried rice. I am sure I have mentioned that I am not a fan of washing the rice cooker so I always cook up a big batch of rice to save on washing up. I know that the leftovers can be quickly microwaved when needed (just add some water to keep it fluffy and soft) or turn it into a favourite dish – fried rice!

This time it is a vegetarian egg fried rice, an excellent way of using up any leftover vegetables. In this version, I use chestnut mushrooms, sugar snap peas and baby corn. The sugar snap peas and baby corn add a lovely crisp texture to the fried rice – much better than any frozen vegetables. If you need to use up any leftover rice – give this a go, you will have a meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello and happy Wednesday! 

Do you know of a domestic goddess who has jar after jar of neatly arranged home baked cookies in her home? Well I always have a dream to be a domestic goddess such as that. I am a long way off but seeing that it is nearly the end of 2013, it is time to buck up and make those resolutions I made earlier this year come true.

Cranberries, Sultanas & Walnut Bread

Freshly Baked Cranberries, Sultanas and Walnut Bread

Let me start off by saying that this bread recipe is something well worth having in your recipe index. I have made this many a time and it is a firm favourite in my house. Each bite of soft bread is accompanied by juicy fruits and nuts. It tastes lovely as it is, but it tastes even better if you warm it up.

It is not at all difficult to make. The baking process is very similar to that of cinnamon buns except that instead of cutting the rolled up dough into pieces, you have to cut down the length it and twist it to form a "couronne" or crown. This recipe was adapted from Paul Hollywood's book "How to Bake", originally made using apricots, I found that I personally preferred using cranberries. In addition, I have also removed marzipan from the recipe. It is a matter of personal preference but you can of course stick to the original recipe and use apricots and marzipan.

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry

Hello and I hope you are having a fine Meatless Monday.

I love using chickpeas for my vegetarian dishes, they are just so easy to cook and are perfect for bulking up and adding texture into your vegetarian dishes, be it stews, patties or curries. Did I mention that they are high in protein too? After using chickpeas as an ingredient in my Hearty Vegetarian Stew two weeks back, I thought I would use them yet again, this time for a curry. As the clocks went back last weekend, signifying official British winter time, I thought a curry would be a marvellous way of marking this event. 

Lemon Chicken

Luscious Lemon Chicken

Hello and a very happy Friday to you!

Did you have a lovely week? I sure hope you did. 

As for myself, I paid a visit to the dentist yesterday. My dentist is very nice and gentle, that really helps with the general dread I have of visiting dentists. However, I still get very nervous. I had to get a filling replaced yesterday and had to be numbed before the procedure. Needles at dentists are the worst aren't they? Even worst then at the doctors! It went very smoothly and really was much better than I thought it would be but the whole left side of my face was numb for a good 3 hours after the procedure. In that time, since I could not eat, I baked a cake. It helped to cheer me up. At night, to cheer myself up further (that is my excuse) I decided to cook up some lemon chicken.

It's fried, crispy, juicy and oh-so-moreish. 

Vegetarian Burger Patties

Vegetarian Burger Patties

Hey everybody! How was your weekend? Tell me all about the exciting or not so exciting things that you got up to.

I myself went to Sheffield for the weekend. We had to attend a dinner on Saturday night so we thought that we would make a weekend getaway out of it. We managed to squeeze in a walk around the very picturesque Damflask Reservoir in Low Bradfield. It is an easy circular walk with a distance of about 3.8 miles. If you want more of a challenge you can always turn it into a run. We did see quite a few runners doing a couple of loops around the reservoir.

Carrot and Sultana Muffins

Carrot and Sultana Muffins

I love muffins that have a nice distinct muffin top, a little crusty and soft and moist inside. If I had to pick a flavour, carrot would be my choice. It must be the spices in it, the moistness, the heavenly smell when it is baking - the aroma wafting from the kitchen to your entire house, it is a culinary experience that is so richly comforting and satisfying. If there is a bottled home fragrance for carrot muffins, I would undoubtedly buy it for my home. Until such a day, I shall be content with baking wonderful carrot muffins. It's not such a bad idea I think.

Hearty Vegetable Stew for Meatless Monday

Hearty Vegetable Stew

Happy Meatless Monday everyone!

First things first, I am glad to report that dear microwave of mine survived its water ordeal and did not drown. I am so relieved that we do not need to get a new microwave.

Steamed Chinese Herbal Chicken

Hello everyone!

Yes, I am back after a long absence! Not sure whether that is a good thing or not for you, but I am hopeful that it is good. 

After a splendid 6-weeks with family and friends in Malaysia where I was truly spoilt rotten, I am back in the UK. The first week was downright busy, just trying to clear stuff and organise our storage space as well as doing some gardening. I planted some bamboo as well as some winter violas. I am now willing them to grow and flourish. 

Strawberries & Cream Chiffon Cake

Strawberries and Cream Chiffon Cake

Hello! I realised that I have been cooking and baking a lot but I haven't had the time to sort out all the photos and blog! Really need to get more organised. I guess it is hard to stick to a schedule when you are on vacation but at the same time there should not be any excuses.I also need to compile a collage of all the photos of food that I have consumed in the past 3 weeks or so. Maybe, maybe not - it is a scary thing when you look back at the amount of food that you ate! Perhaps ignorance is really bliss in this context.

Enough of that, remember my previous post on the Original Chiffon Cake? Well, I got an idea, also from the same book, to take the cake a step further and make it into a light strawberries and cream chiffon cake. Oh look at that, isn't it perfect for afternoon tea?

Pie Tee (Top Hats) made from scratch

Pie Tee (Top Hats)

Happy Meatless Monday everyone!

For today's recipe, I thought I would share a recipe for Pie Tee. This is a rather traditional Nonya dish and is basically mini pastry tart shells that are deep fried then filled with a combination of thinly sliced vegetables and topped off with a dollop of chilli sauce. These mini little savouries make wonderful appetisers. A word of caution, it is a little labour intensive to make the tart shells however the end result will make it worth your while. 

Bitter Gourd with Salted Duck Egg

Bitter Gourd with Salted Duck Egg

Hello everyone!

Look what I made yesterday - my friend came over and we both baked and decorated a cake for her parent's 39th anniversary! I had such fun making those cute little fondant flowers.

Anyway, for this Friday's post, I am going to share a recipe for Bitter Gourd cooked with Salted Duck Eggs.

Sounds exotic? 

Original Chiffon Cake

Original Chiffon Cake

Hello and happy Hump Day! I can't believe it is Wednesday already and nearly the end of August. 

My mother has recently fallen in love with a recipe for this really light chiffon cake. She got the recipe from a book she bought in Taiwan recently. It is in Mandarine and I can't read the characters, so I can't really tell you what it says specifically. Sorry! I got my dad to translate the recipes for me. Essentially the book is written by a Japanese Chef and the recipes in the book is specific to chiffon cake. The recipes revolve around one basic chiffon cake, and contain a variety of flavours including spinach and pumpkin. I can't wait to try my hand at those flavours, really does sound and look interesting. 

A photo of the book

However, to start off, I have been making the original plain flavoured ones. I have made this a couple of times since I have been back in Malaysia for some dear friends. It is ridiculously easy to make. It calls for only 5 ingredients. You do need quite a few eggs, 7 to be precise and you also need a chiffon cake tin. The recipe does not contain any butter.

Okra with Sambal

Okra with Sambal 

A very big hello to you!

I have not been blogging in the past 10 days or so. It has certainly been hectic since I arrived in Malaysia. I was too busy having fun meeting up with family and friends. I even managed to squeeze in an indoor rock climbing session and a session of paddling with my dragonboat team mates. If you are wondering what dragonboating is, have a read of this comprehensive article written by friend and coach Lee Shih.

As it is Monday, it is time for - yes, you guessed it - another Meatless Monday recipe!

Since I am currently in Malaysia, what better time than to introduce a famous and versatile Malaysian condiment - Sambal. Essentially, a chilli paste, Sambal can be used as a condiment for various dishes, these include but are not limited to a condiment for noodles such as Prawn Mee, Curry Mee, simple Fried Noodles, and even as an inclusion for stir-fried vegetables. However, Sambal is most famously used as a condiment in the de-facto Malaysian National dish, Nasi Lemak (stay tuned for a Nasi Lemak post in the near future).

Braised Steak au Poivre Delia Style

Dinner is served - Braised Steak au Poivre with Sweet Potato Chips and Broccoli

Hello and a very Happy Friday!

I am very excited about my trip to Malaysia now, only 3 sleeps away. I haven't seen my family and friends there for 14 months now so I am really looking forward to being reunited. 

Understandably I had to get some chores done before my departure. Dear husband will be travelling on business quite a fair bit so I wanted to make sure that the refrigerator is as empty as it can be. I do not want any unwanted surprises lurking in there when I get back in 6 weeks.

I had some leftover braising steaks in the freezer and decided to use one of Delia's recipes for it. Essentially slow braised steak in peppercorns. I love it because it was super tasty and so easy to prepare. All you have to do is leave it to braise for at least an hour and you can get round to all your other chores. I knew Delia wouldn't let me down! 

Basic White Bread

Basic White Bread

A Happy Wednesday shout out to you :)

I cannot believe that it is Wednesday! This time next week I will be back in Kuala Lumpur. Obviously I have not packed. I am really excited about my trip and have planned catch up sessions with friends and family already. Strangely enough, I have not planned what I would like to eat yet. It has to be mama's cooking first up right?

Friends often ask me what is a good recipe to try for bread. I guess for a first try, you can't go wrong with a basic everyday white bread. It is so easy to make and so versatile. I shaped mine into an easy round cob but you can easily adapt it to make rolls or plaits. I also used milk in this recipe as I find that it makes a very soft and light texture. Equally good eaten as toast or slightly warm to mop up a rich beef stew.

Teriyaki Tofu Steaks

Teriyaki Tofu Steaks

Hello and Happy Meatless Monday! How was your weekend? What did you cook and did you try any new recipes? I had a very lovely evening with some of our friends on Saturday night. I also got very excited about Meatless Monday and spent quite a fair bit of time on Pinterest searching for some meatless inspiration.

In the end though, I decided on something basic and staple as I noticed that I needed to use up some Tofu that I had bought. These are firm tofu which is very good for turning into Tofu steaks. I had also bought some Mirin recently so I figured that it would be best to make a Teriyaki Tofu Steaks.

Thai Style Pineapple Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice

Hello and happy Friday!

I am so happy it is the weekend again. What are your plans?

We are having some friends over for dinner tomorrow. I was thinking of making my Mango Cheesecake for dessert, that seems to be my staple dessert this summer! I shall henceforth rename Summer 2013 as the summer of the Mango Cheesecake.

Speaking of fruits, I bought a pineapple during last weekends grocery shop. I ate half of it and still had another half. I decided to use the leftover half to cook pineapple fried rice. I am not sure if you have tried Thai Style Pineapple Fried Rice, but you should! You have the sweetness of the pineapple, the savouriness of the fish sauce and spiciness from chilli all combining to make a tasty rice dish. I wanted something vegetarian so did not use any meat or seafood. Feel free to include some prawns or chicken breast in yours if you prefer.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Tarts

Chocolate and Hazelnut Praline Tart

Hello and Happy Thursday!

I am very excited because I have an amazing Chocolate and Hazelnut Praline Tart recipe for you. Needless to say it was absolutely delicious! 

Just imagine, a crumbly shortcrust pastry topped with smooth chocolate ganache and finally topped off with a crunchy hazelnut praline. Yes, it is rich and indulgent but sometimes we just need some treats.

Pasta Aglio Olio e Funghi for Meatless Monday

Pasta Aglio Olio e Funghi

Happy Meatless Monday!

How was your weekend? I hope you had a blast or at least some much needed rest and relaxation.

Today for Meatless Monday, I am going to cook a simple and classic pasta dish. I always marvel at how this recipe can be so simple and yet so flavourful and satisfying. More things in live should be this simple. Sometimes we need to just go back to basics.

If you have some pesto on hand, go ahead and add some in.

Sugar Raised Muffins

Sugar Raised Muffins

Hello! 

Can you believe it's Friday already? Time to celebrate with some sugar I say!

I was absolutely craving for sugar raised donuts and had to stop myself from buying some. You know the kind of craving when you buy 5 donuts and have to eat them all in one sitting? Does that happen to you or am I the only one? I do have an incredible weakness for sugar raised donuts, I prefer them over the glazed ones and no, I haven't had a Cronut yet.

I thought it would make me feel less guilty if I at least make some myself. Even better if I didn't have to fry them. Which lead me to make these muffins - essentially simple muffins that taste like a sugared donut. Perfect! 

Fragrant Oatmeal Prawns

Fragrant Oatmeal Prawns

Hello! 

Happy Wednesday to you. I am very excited to share today's recipe of Fragrant Oatmeal Prawns with you. I just made it and I am absolutely trying to complete this post quickly so that you may have the recipe. It is one of the best tasting seafood dishes I have had! Seriously, it's so good that I cannot emphasise enough how you must try it for yourself.

Preparation is extremely simple and quick. The prawns are dusted with cornflour and fried to make them crunchy. Then it is mixed in with crispy egg yolk bits, oats and seasoned with curry leaves and some chilli. Amazing! It looks really good too, definitely a restaurant worthy dish. Make this and your family and friends will be thoroughly impressed.