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

What's for tea?  A soft, light and non-greasy Marble Castella ~  Kasutera cake.  I didn't line the pan with foil this time, only with parchment paper and was very pleased that the bottom of the cake didn't stick onto the paper and yielded a perfect brown base.  Indeed a delicious cake to be enjoyed at any time of the day.




Marble Castella Cake  ~    长崎蛋糕

Ingredients
120 gm high protein flour, sift twice5 egg whites5 egg yolks100 gm caster sugar20 ml honey4 tsp Cointreau1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder + 1/2 Tbsp hot waterMethod Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, set aside.Mix honey with Cointreau, set aside.Beat egg whites till foamy, add in sugar gradually and beat till firm but not dry.Add in egg yolks one @ a time, on low speed and combine till creamy.Add in sifted high protein flour in 3 batches, mix on low speed till no traces of flour are visible.Add in honey Cointreau mixture on low speed.Pour batter through a sieve into a large bowl, weigh out 120 gm and in cocoa mix…

This pumpkin pancake is soft and delicate and not too sweet as the sweetness is only from the red bean paste filling.   For a crispy pancake you can deep-fry them but I chose to just shallow pan-fry them in a non-stick pan.   This is great to serve as a tea-time snack over a cup of brimming hot Chinese tea.


Chinese Pumpkin Pancake ~ 金瓜饼(adapted from  'here' )

Ingredients
150 gm pumpkin, steamed (should get around 350 gm raw pumpkin))100 gm glutinous rice flour100 gm red bean pasteSesame seeds (optional)Method Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and steam the pumpkin.  Once soft, drain off water and mash it up.  Weigh out 150 gm.Add in half glutinous rice flour and mix well.  Continue to mix in the glutinous rice flour and lightly knead till the dough does not stick to your hands.Wrap the pumpkin dough with some red bean paste, roll and shape it into a round ball.  Gently flatten it to a round disc on your palm or with a rolling pin between plastic sheet.  Sprinkle on some sesame …

I've never tried this dish before until I went to China.  This is a home-style Chinese comfort food, inexpensive, tasty and quick to prepare.   It's like scrambled eggs with tomatoes and highlighted with a trickling of spring onions.  This dish is a perfect partner with steamed rice.




Chinese stir-fried Tomatoes and Eggs  ~  蕃茄炒蛋
Ingredients

2 large eggs2 tomatoes, cut into cubes or sliced1/2 tsp chicken granules1/4 tsp cornstarch + 1/2 Tbsp waterSesame oilchopped spring onionsTomato ketchup (optional)Sea Salt and sugar to tasteMethod Whisk the eggs, add in some sea salt.Heat up a pan with some oil, pour in the eggs, stir-fry, dish up.In the same pan, stir-fry the tomatoes, add some sea salt and half cup water, simmer.  Add in the chicken granules and cornstarch thickening.Mix in the eggs, test for taste.Drizzle on some sesame oil, add in the chopped spring onions.Dish out and serve.

This moist Chia Seed Banana bread makes a great snack or a quick breakfast.  Loaded with chia seeds and lots of banana flavour, one can enjoy it with a cup of steaming hot coffee or tea.






Chia Seed Banana Bread ~   香蕉种子蛋糕
Ingredients 

150 gm plain flour90 gm wholemeal flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda2 'L' eggs3 Tbsp Chia seeds1/8 tsp salt55 gm caster sugar55 gm brown sugar (I used Muscovado sugar)300 gm over ripe bananas, mashed. (about 3 bananas)1/2 cup canola oil1 tsp vanilla1/2 tsp cinnamon1/3 cup Buttermilk (1/3 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice)1 banana, slit into halfMethod Line a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside.Mix the  buttermilk and let it sit for about 10 mins. or more.Whisk the plain flour, wholemeal flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda thoroughly.Add in the chia seeds and cinnamon.  Mix well.In another bowl, beat the eggs, caster sugar, muscovado sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla till well incorporated.  Add in the mashed bananas.  Mix till …

These steamed cakes are delicious, aromatic and full of coconut flavour.   They are refreshing and can be enjoyed at any time of the day.






Gula melaka/Palm sugar steamed cake ~  椰糖蒸蛋糕
Ingredients

150 gm plain flour100 ml coconut milk60 gm palm sugar2 Tbsp canola oil2 tsp baking powderpinch of saltMethod Sift plain flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.Roughly crumble the palm sugar and mix into the flour mixture.Blend coconut milk and oil, then pour into the flour mixture. Lightly mix till free of lumps.Let batter rest for 10 mins.Divide batter into paper lined cups.Steam on medium heat for 20 mins. Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.Yield : 4 steamed cakes

Today, I'm going to share with you a soup, suitable for confinement (坐月) mothers.  Postpartum confinement is practised by the Chinese and other East Asians for mothers to recover their health after giving birth.  Lemon grass is beneficial to new mothers who are breastfeeding as it helps to increase milk production.  I'm no expert in this field but I had the opportunity to pick up a few recipes of confinement food and I will post them up from time to time.




Lemon grass and onion soup  柠檬草和洋葱汤
Ingredients
5 stalks of lemon grass, crushed5 whole onions, smashed2.5 lt water900 gm pork shoulder and bones1/2 tap peppercorns, smashedseasalt to tasteMethod Blanch the pork bones in hot water, drain and rinse with tap water, set aside.Bring to the boil, 2.5 lt of water and once boiling, add in the lemon grass, onions, peppercorns and pork bones.Let it simmer till the meat is tender and add seasalt to taste.Serve hot.

It's Time To Travel! What To Bring And What To Leave?

The ultimate travel help is here to keep you in check with all your travel preparations. Every now and then, one needs to travel to rejuvenate oneself. It is important too to make sure that before you start your flight search phase, the things you bring with you are the things you need to bring and the things that you should keep away at home are right at home. We don’t want unnecessary stuff that will just add pounds to our luggage. Here are the things that can help you narrow down the stuff you need and your stuff you need to leave behind. 

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