Roasted Green Beans with Panko and Lemon

Lovely vegetarian dish of roasted green beans topped with crisp panko and drizzled with lemon juice.

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

We are in the middle of yet another week and the end of July. How time flies! I am really enjoying and have been making the most of it by going for bike rides and lazy barbecues.

Today I am going to be sharing a vegetable and vegetarian recipe. I chanced upon this recipe from Oh My Veggies while on my daily Pinterest sprees. This is such a lovely side it is one veggie dish that will have you asking for more.

I like that the green beans are simply roasted. While the beans are roasting away, you fry the Panko with some olive oil and garlic to brown and crisp it up. Once the green beans are done, toss the panko over and finish with some lemon zest and juice. The panko really adds a wonderful crunchy texture to the green beans and the fresh lemon zest and juice just lifts the flavours and makes this one delicious dish. I have not seen green beans disappear off the plate so quickly before!

Spicy Nonya Fried Rice

If you like your fried rice with a twist, this is the recipe for you. Super savoury and slightly spicy, this is my favourite fried rice recipe! 

Hello!

Here is another Nonya recipe for you. It is a recipe for spicy Nonya fried rice. I must say it is my favourite fried rice recipe because it is so flavourful and really hits the spot.

I have previously given a little insight on Nonya cuisine and its origins. You can read about that in my post for Nonya Chicken Curry.

This recipe’s Nonya influence is evident in its use of dried prawns and lots of shallots and garlic. It also calls for a tablespoon of chilli paste.

If you are afraid of spicy food, you can always reduce the chilli in the recipe or omit it altogether. I have not cooked it without chilli before so I am unable to comment on whether that will have an impact on the taste.

On the other hand, if you can handle your spicy food, you might want to add an additional tablespoon of chilli paste.

Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel (Updated Version)

I thought of sharing an updated version of this coffee cake with almond streusel. I previously posted this in January 2014. This time, I used crème fraiche instead of sour cream and Baileys Cream. I also added a layer of streusel inside the cake. Hope you like it just as much!

Hello and a very happy Wednesday to you!

Have you been busy baking or do you firmly believe in not using the oven during the summer heat? As for me, I do not mind using the oven in the heat. After all, I am originally from a tropical country.

In any event, I thought of sharing an updated version of this coffee cake with almond streusel. I had previously posted this in January of this year. This time round, I used crème fraiche instead of a combination of sour cream and thick Baileys Cream. I also added a layer of almond streusel inside the cake. The last change I made was adhering to grand master Thomas Keller’s original instructions of finishing off the cake with a dusting of icing sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon.

What did all the changes result in? Here is my conclusion.

I didn’t think the texture of the cake changed much with the use of crème fraiche, it was just as soft and fluffy. In any event, the original recipe does state that you can use either crème fraiche or sour cream.

However, I love streusel and the addition of more streusel inside the cake makes it even better, I love how the streusel on the inside is all melted and adds flavour to the cake whereas the streusel on top still gives it a lovely crunch. The added cinnamon and cocoa powder also provides a nice flavour and smell.

For the technical aspects of the cake, this time I also followed the original instructions from Thomas Keller and piped the batter into the cake tin instead of spooning it all in. To be honest, I am not sure if it made a big difference. Both times, this cake has come out very evenly. So, perhaps next time I will skip this step. Anything that saves on washing up is good.

All in, this is definitely a perfect tea time cake. Soft and fluffy cake texture with delicious almond streusel inside and on top.

As mentioned before, if you need to make the almond streusel afresh, do give yourself some extra time as the almond streusel must be rested and chilled for at least 2 hours before you use it.