No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

This Kaya ~ Coconut Egg Jam is creamy, smooth and velvety, unlike the grainy Pandan Kaya version which I posted 'here'.   Most people would normally have their kaya with bread, either steamed or toasted but at times I like to snack on crackers with a spread of kaya.




Kaya ~ Coconut Egg Jam ~ 焦糖加椰
Ingredients
4 large eggs (around 68 gm with shell)150 gm caster sugar200 ml coconut milk (I used 'Ayam' brand)5 pandan/screwpine leaves, knotted30 gm gula melaka/palm sugar, caramalised (optional)Method Mix and stir the eggs with sugar, then add in the coconut milk, mix well.Strain the mixture into another big bowl.Heat up some water in a pot on slow fire and place the bowl of egg mixture on top.   Make sure that the bowl does not touch the simmering water.Add in the knotted pandan leaves and keep stirring the mixture with a whisk or spatula for about 30 mins.  The mixture will thicken a bit.  Let rest and stir every other 10 mins. till mixture is creamy and smooth.Meanwhile, melt…

After my first attempt at making a Hurricane Swiss Roll, I have a bit more confidence to venture into other 'forms' of Swiss Roll.  Today I'm sharing with you a very basic Swiss Roll with homemade kaya filling.  Soft and light ...... a perfect partner with a  pot of  our piping hot, good old fashioned 'kopi O'!




Basic Swiss Roll with Kaya ~ 加椰蛋糕卷 
Ingredients (A)
4 egg yolks (about 67 gm with shell)40 gm caster sugar40 ml milk40 ml canola oil1 tsp vanilla80 gm plain flour, sifted1/8 tsp saltHomemade Kaya/coconut egg jam filling  (B)
4 egg whites40 gm caster sugar1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juiceMethod Line a 10" x 10" square pan with parchment paper.Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla and salt with a ball whisk till well incorporated.  Sift in plain flour and mix well.  Set aside.In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites with vinegar till foamy, add in sugar in batches and beat till stiff peaks but not dry.Fold in 1/2 meringue into the egg yolk mixture, mix well…

Although no research says that Basil can help to  increase the production of breast milk but it has a calming effect, helps improve bowel movement and promotes a healthy appetite when used in moderation.  Meanwhile Turmeric is full of vitamins and offers several medicinal benefits when consumed moderately while breastfeeding the  baby.


Basil Turmeric Chicken (Confinement food)  ~  九层塔黄姜鸡
Ingredients

400 gm free range chicken cut into bite size1 big onion, slicedSome sprigs of Thai basil leavesSeasoning 1/4 tsp each of  sugar, light soya sauce, salt1.1/2 tsp turmeric powder2 Tbsp tamarind juicea dash of dark soya sauceMethod Marinate the chicken with the above seasoning for a few hours or overnight.Pan fry the onion slices till fragrant, then add in the seasoned chicken.Add some water, cover and cook till chicken is cooked through and tender.Toss in the basil leaves, mix well.Fine tune to desired taste.Dish out and serve.

Snow fungus is known for its medicinal benefits as it helps to nourish the body, heals dry cough and clears heat in the lungs.  It can be used to make savoury or sweet soup.  To combat the current heat spell that  we are experiencing I chose to make this into a sweet soup with dried lily bulb.  This can be served warm or chilled.




Snow fungus with lily bulb sweet soup  ~    雪耳 百合 糖水
Ingredients

30 gm organic snow fungus25 gm pak hup/dried lily bulb, rinsed20 gm dried longan110 gm organic cane sugar2 lt waterScrewpine leaves (optional)Method Soak the snow fungus till softened.  Remove the hard stem and snip into smaller pieces.Boil the water and once boiling, add in the snow fungus and cook for about 30 mins.Add in cane sugar to taste.  Continue to cook for about 20 mins. till flavour of the soup is enhanced.  Add in the lily bulb.  Simmer for another 10 mins.Dish out and serve.

I've baked Oreo chiffon cake,  Oreo marble butter cake and this Oreo Butter Cake is another add-on to the list of butter cakes that I've posted before.  This butter cake recipe is indeed very versatile and one can tweak it here and there and yet the outcome is most rewarding.  In fact it will spur you on to try other variance of the recipe.





Oreo Butter Cake  ~  奥利奥牛油蛋糕
Ingredients (A)

230 gm butter150 gm caster sugar200 gm self-raising flour (sifted)4 egg yolks (about 68 gm with shell)40 ml milk1 tsp vanillaa pinch of salt50 gm Oreo cookies, cream removed and crushed (7 cookies)(B)  4 egg whites50 gm caster sugarMethod Sift the flour with salt, set aside.Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.  Add in egg yolks one @ time, mix well.Add in sifted flour alternating with the milk.Mix in crushed cookies.  Set aside.Beat egg whites till frothy and gradually add in sugar in batches.  Continue beating till still but not dry.Fold in the egg whites into the butter mixture.  Mix till …

I came across this recipe in a Coles magazine and just couldn't wait to give it a try.  Instead of blueberry sauce I used dragon fruit to make the sauce as I was confident that the purplish colour of the dragon fruit would also stand out in this cake.  And I was not wrong!







Lemon Dragon Fruit Poke Cake  ~  柠檬火龙果蛋糕
Ingredients
150 gm butter170 gm caster sugar (reduced from 220 gm)2 large eggs300 gm yoghurt225 gm self-raising flour (sifted)40 gm almond meal1 Tbsp lemon zest1/4 cup lemon juiceIcing sugar to dustDragon fruit sauce 150 gm dragon fruit2 Tbsp caster sugar1.1.2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp waterMethod for dragon fruit sauce Mash up the dragon fruit in a small sauce pan, add in the sugar and cook on medium heat till sugar has dissolved.Add in cornflour mixture and cook till thicken.  Cool slightly.While still warm, pour mixture into each of the hole in the cake. Method for cake Line the base and grease the sides of an 8 inch springform pan.  Set aside.Beat the butter with sugar till li…

Other than fried egg or omelette, this is my to go recipe when I'm pressed for time to prepare dinner.  With only a few simple ingredients at hand, one can whip up this healthy tofu dish topped with savoury and fragrant dried shrimps and crispy garlic.  A highly recommended dish for busy on-the- go mothers!



Garlicky shrimp steamed tofu ~  蒜蓉蝦米蒸豆腐 Ingredients 1 packet silky tofu 3 tsp dried shrimps 4 pips garlic, chopped Dark and light soya sauce to taste sesame oil chopped chilli to garnish
Method Saute the chopped garlic with some oil Add in the dried shrimps and stir-fry till fragrant Add in the dark and light soya sauce, dish out Place the tofu onto a heatproof plate Steam over medium heat for 5 mins. Remove excess water from the plate Pour the garlic dried shrimp mixture on top of the tofu Drizzle on some sesame oil Garnish with choppoed chillies Serve