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

I made this soft and moist orange roll cake, stuffed with marmalade  to serve as a mid-morning snack, afternoon tea or a guilt-free dessert after dinner.  Also one can indulge with a steamy hot cup of tea, next to a slice of this yummy dessert.  Enjoy!


Orange Swiss Roll with marmalade  ~   香橙瑞士卷蛋糕
INGREDIENTS(A) 4 egg yolks
30 gm caster sugar
30 ml orange juice
30 ml canola oil
50 gm plain flour
20 gm rice flour
a pinch of salt
(B)
4 egg whites
40 gm caster sugar
1 tsp vinegar or 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Method

 Sift plain flour with rice flour and salt.  Set aside. Whisk egg yolks with sugar, add in oil and juice.  Fold in sifted flour, mix well. Beat egg whites till bubbles appear, add in vinegar, beat till frothy and gradually add in   sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the flour mixture and mix till well incorporated. Pour the  batter onto a lined 10 x 10 inch square pan.  Tap the pan to remove any air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for about 15 m…

This is quite a common dish in a Chinese household.  As for me, I love beancurd sheets and for this recipe, I deepfried the beancurd sheets first before cooking.  Once the beancurd sheets have been infused with the black bean sauce, they're simply yummy not forgetting the tender and juicy ribs.  Hope you'll enjoy cooking this dish at home too!



Braised pork ribs with beancurd sheet  ~ 腐竹排骨 
Ingredients
450 gm pork ribs cut into bite size200 gm deep-fried beancurd sheet1 Tbsp black bean paste10 gm ginger, smashed and chopped3 pips garlic, chopped1/4 tsp dark soya sauceSalt, sugar and light soya sauce to taste1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thickenMethod Deep fry the beancurd sheets.  Set aside.With some oil, saute the ginger and garlic with the black bean paste till fragrant.Add in the pork ribs, dark soya sauce, stir-fry, add some water, close the lid and let pork ribs cook till tender.Add in the deep-fried beancurd sheets, simmer for a while to let the beancurd sheets infuse wit…

Very often nutmeg is used as a spice to enhance the flavour of food be it in cooking or baking.  A friend who  just returned from Penang, gave me a bottle of nutmeg juice. The tangy juice is made into a syrup which can be used to make a refreshing beverage and here I have added it into this chiffon cake.  Although nutmeg has a good many health benefits but during pregnancy, it's unsafe to be consumed in larger doses other than those found in food, for it may cause miscarriage or birth defects.  Not recommended during breastfeeding.



Nutmeg Juice Chiffon Cake ~  豆蔻戚风蛋糕 
Ingredients (A)
6 egg yolks
65 gm caster sugar
100 ml canola oil
100 ml warm water
50 ml nutmeg juice
200 gm plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
(B)
6 egg whites
65 gm caster sugar

Method
Dissolve the nutmeg juice with the 100 ml warm water, set aside.With a ball whisk, whisk the egg yolks with sugar till dissolved, add oil and juice, mix well.Sift in plain flour, baking powder and salt, mix well till free of l…

I used oil instead of butter in this recipe and I notice that the texture is a wee bit spongy.  These cupcakes are soft and moist and utterly delicious.   I kept some in the fridge and they tasted just as good the next day, consumed at room temperature.   Certainly a keeper recipe.

Vanilla choc mint cupcakes  ~  香草巧克力蛋糕 
Ingredients

140 gm plain flour1.1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda3/4 tsp baking powder2 large eggs, lightly beaten150 gm caster sugar80 ml canola oil1/2 cup buttermilk (milk + 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar to make 1/2 cup)2 tsp vanilla90 gm choc mint, broken into pieces40 gm choc mint to put on topMethod Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, set aside.Whisk eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla till smooth and well combined.Add in sifted flour alternating with the buttermilk.  Mix in the choc mint pieces.  Batter is quite runny.Scoop the batter into paper lined muffin pan, 3/4 full.Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 20 to 25 mins.  Test with a skewer till it comes out…

I have made Honey Maltose Char Siew and Chicken Char Siew before and this is another version of char siew,  glazed with honey.  I like my char siew to be slightly sweet and sticky and without the addition of red colouring.   Sliced up to serve, this juicy, tender char siew pairs very well with rice or noodles.


Honey glazed Char Siew (3)  蜜汁叉烧  
Ingredients

700 gm pork belly, skin removed1/2 Tbsp honey1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce1 Tbsp dark soya sauce1 tsp sesame oil2 Tbsp brown sugar1 tsp chopped garlic1 Tbsp Chinese rose winea dash of 5 spice powdera dash of pepperHoney and a bit of water to glazeMethod Marinate the pork belly with the above ingredients for a few hours or preferably overnight.Place the marinated meat in a wok with the gravy and 1/4 cup water, cook on medium heat, turning the meat over once in a while.Once the meat is thoroughly cooked and gravy reduce, transfer the meat onto a parchment lined pan.  Baste the meat with honey glaze and grill for 2 mins. on both sides.Remove …

This is yet again another of Mrs. Ng's butter cake recipe which I tweaked to add in lemon juice and orange zest.  Soft, moist and full of citrusy flavour, this cake will last for days.... that is, if it can last that long!



Orange-Lemon Butter Cake  ~    橙柠檬牛油蛋糕 Ingredients 200 gm self-raising flour230 gm butter4 egg yolks140 gm caster sugar20 ml lemon juice (2 Tbsp)40 ml milkzest from 1 orangea pinch of salt4 egg whites40 gm caster sugarMethod Sift the self raising flour with a pinch of salt, set asideBeat butter and sugar till light and creamy.  Add in egg yolks one at a time till well mixed.Add in sifted flour alternating with the milk.  Add in the lemon juice and orange zest.  Mix well and set aside.In a clean bowl, beat egg whites till foamy, gradually add in sugar and beat till stiff peaks form but not dry.Fold in 1/3 of  the meringue to the egg yolk mixture, mix well, followed by the remaining meringue.  Pour batter into a parchment lined 8 inch square pan.  Smooth up the surfa…

Barley, like other cereal or whole grains have various health benefits and being a dietary fiber it contains protein, is a good source of magnesium, vitamin B-6 and iron.  It  helps in weight loss and controls blood sugar.  So much has been said about barley, what about lemon grass?  Lemon grass, a  fragrant herb has anti-fungal and anti-microbial qualities while exuding a distinct lemony smell.  Among many of its health benefits, it helps lower cholesterol and detoxifies the body.  I once had this drink in a Balinese restaurant and it's superb when served chilled!


Lemon grass barley drink ~ 香茅大麦茶 
Ingredients

2 lt water100 gm barley pearls4 pandan/screwpine leaves, knotted3 stalks of lemon grass, smashedRock sugar, cane sugar to taste (personal preference)Method Boil water in a pot, add in pandan leaves and lemon grass.  Then add in the washed barley pearls and boil on medium heat for about an hour.When the barley pearls turn mushy, add in  sugar to taste.  (I used brown sugar in pi…