Monday, 27 January 2014

One Pot Spicy Tofu Stew

Nomsies Kitchen One Pot Spicy Tofu Stew Recipe
Healthy, easy and all in one pot
One Pot Spicy Tofu Stew

Hello folks! How was everyone’s weekend? I sure hope you had a good one whatever it is you got up to.

As for me, I had my first encounter with hill sprints. It is part of my training plan for the Berlin Marathon in September this year. Man, was it tough. You essentially have to sprint up a hill 4 times. This is done after you have just completed a 45 minute run. At the end of the first sprint I felt ready to roll down the hill and stay down.


Since I need to incorporate more protein into my diet with all this running, I decided that for Meatless Monday I am going to make a protein packed stew. This recipe was inspired by a Korean dish – soondubu jjigae, that is, soft tofu stew. The traditional stew uses dried anchovies and kelp to make a stock and the stew commonly has meat or seafood in it as well as the addition of fish sauce. Since all of those ingredients are not viable options for a meat free Monday dish, I had to get creative. I was also lazy to wash too many pots so I made this into a one pot stew.

Friday, 24 January 2014

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping

Nomsies Kitchen Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping Recipe
Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping Recipe from Nomsies Kitchen
Super soft and moist coffee cake with crunchy, crumbly almond streusel
Hello everyone. Happy Friday! I am happy to say that I have been busy baking pineapple jam tarts and I realised that I only posted once this week. Where did the week go?
Yesterday night, I wanted something that didn't come in a cookie form. As the saying goes, you can’t have too much of a good thing. I also wanted to use up some sour cream and some thick Baileys cream that I have languishing in my refrigerator. So, after dinner I baked this coffee cake and topped it off with some almond streusel. I had some leftover almond streusel in the freezer as I made a big batch for some blueberry muffins previously. As such, it saved quite a bit of time for me. However, if you need to make a fresh batch of almond streusel, do give yourself some extra time as the almond streusel must be rested and chilled for at least 2 hours before you use it.

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping Recipe from Nomsies Kitchen

As for the taste and texture of the cake, I really like how the sour cream and Baileys cream gave this cake a super soft and moist texture whereas the addition of the almond streusel contributes a crumbly, crunchy and sweet topping. When eaten together, the two contrasting textures provide a very appetising and delicious combination! I had 2 slices after my dinner, and no, I did not have an apple for dinner. This morning for breakfast, I had another one, maybe two, slices.
I was not too pleased with the photographs as it was taken quickly at night in yellow light as my greed didn't allow me to keep the cake uneaten until the morning. So, these photos will have to do. Until next time, happy baking!

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping Recipe from Nomsies Kitchen

Recipe for Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping
Prep Time: 20 minutes (not including time for preparing almond streusel)/ Baking Time: 45 minutes
You will need an 8” cake tin
Ingredients
200gm All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
75gm Butter
200gm Castor Sugar
1 large Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
120gm Sour Cream
100gm Baileys Thick Cream (coffee flavoured)
30ml Black Coffee (1 tsp coffee diluted in hot water)

Topping
200gm Almond Streusel (recipe follows)
1 Tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
Method
1. Grease the cake tin and line with parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Next, start by preparing the dry ingredients. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add in the salt and whisk to combine the ingredients.
2. Cream the butter with a mixer until it has softened. Add the castor sugar and mix until evenly combined and the mixture is fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla essence, mix until just combined. Do not over mix after you have added the egg.
4. Now, fold in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, Baileys and coffee mixture. Add a third of each mixture/ingredient at a time to ensure that it is even. Make sure the batter is evenly mixed after each addition.  
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. In a bowl, combine the almond streusel and tablespoon of soft brown sugar and roughly whisk together with a fork. Add the streusel topping all over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Recipe For Almond Streusel
Prep Time: 10 minutes (active prep time)/ Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use
Ingredients
60gm All Purpose Flour
60gm Ground Almonds
60gm Castor Sugar
60gm Butter
¼ tsp Salt
Method
1. Cut the cold butter into cubes. Place in a food processor. In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, ground almonds, castor sugar and salt together and whisk to evenly mix. Add the flour mixture into the food processor with the butter and pulse for about 15-20 seconds until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Put the mixture into a resealable plastic freezer/sandwich bags. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before using. The almond streusel can be made in a big batch if you are intending to use it for other bakes, such as on top of muffins. It can be frozen for up to a month. Just put in the refrigerator to thaw out before using. Streusel should be used cold.

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel Topping Recipe from Nomsies Kitchen

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Almond Cookies

Nomsies Kitchen Almond Cookies For Sale
Almond Cookies | Nomsies Kitchen

Meet the newest addition to my store!
Crunchy, delicate and fragrant almond cookies. Oh-so-delicious!
Price:
£8 per container of 45 pieces each

Ready to order?
Email nomsieskitchen@gmail.com
Call/Text/Whatsapp 074 4748 0418

All goodies are made to order from scratch. 
Shipping within the United Kingdom, shipping charges apply.
Collection/Delivery can be arranged in Newcastle/Gateshead area.