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

Lately, I have seen many Rose Apple Cake posts on FB, some are chiffon cakes while some are ogura cakes.  I was mesmerised by the fellow bloggers' skill in creating such a pretty cake and just can't wait to try my hands at baking one. Appple Rose Chiffon Cake ~  苹果花型戚风蛋糕 (adapted from   'here'   with slight adjustments as I added an extra egg to fit my 8" pan) Ingredients (A)  4 Large eggs         25 gm caster sugar         50 ml canola oil         60 gm grated apple + juice from the grated apple         100 gm plain flour         1 big red apple         250 ml water + 2 tsp lemon juice (reserve 1.1/4 Tbsp)         1 tsp vanilla (B)   4 egg whites         50 gm caster sugar         1 tsp lemon juice Method Add lemon juice to water.  Cut apple into half with skin.  Core the apple and cut into 2 mm slices. Place apple slices into (1) above and microwave for 1.1/2 min. till slices are pliable but not mushy. Drain the apple s

The Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya, a cactus specie is a low-calorie fruit that can be enjoyed on its own or part of a salad, a smoothie or used as an ingredient in cake making.  I was very pleased when I saw that there was still a tinge of pink in the cake and it tasted  just wonderful, topped with a spoonful of the fresh fruit. Dragon fruit chiffon cupcakes  ~    火龙果戚风蛋糕 (A)  Ingredients        3 egg yolks        25 gm caster sugar        70 gm Dragon fruit puree        40 gm canola oil        1/4 tsp vanilla        55 gm self-raising flour  (sifted)        2 Tbsp cornflour (B)   3 egg whites        1/8 tsp cream of tartar        60 gm caster sugar Method Whisk egg yolks with sugar till well blended, add in oil, vanilla and dragon fruit puree.  Mix well. Mix in sifted self-raising flour and cornflour.  Stir till well incorporated. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites till foamy, add in cream of tartar.  Whisk till frothy and add in sugar gradually.  Wh

Figs are high in fibre, natural sugars and minerals.  Their nutritional value increases when they're dried.  As dried figs are good for the lungs and contribute health and wellness, using them as an ingredient for making soup is benefical to our body.  Stewing figs with some pork and red dates will help to increase the flow of breast milk.  Hence it is also good for mothers in confinement. Figs, Chicken and Red Dates Soup ~ Confinement food  ~  无花果和红枣鸡汤 Ingredients 800 gm free range chicken, chopped 50 gm dried figs 40 gm seedless red dates 5 gm goji berries 2.5 lt water Seasalt to taste Method Bring the 2..5 lt in a pot, once boiling, add in the chicken, dried figs and red dates Simmer and let cook till chicken is tender, about 2 hours Add in goji berries Fine tune to taste with seasalt Serve

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 i

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 size 200 gm deep-fried beancurd sheet 1 Tbsp black bean paste 10 gm ginger, smashed and chopped 3 pips garlic, chopped 1/4 tsp dark soya sauce Salt, sugar and light soya sauce to taste 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken Method 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 fo

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

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 flour 1.1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3/4 tsp baking powder 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 150 gm caster sugar 80 ml canola oil 1/2 cup buttermilk (milk + 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar to make 1/2 cup) 2 tsp vanilla 90 gm choc mint, broken into pieces 40 gm choc mint to put on top Method 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

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 removed 1/2 Tbsp honey 1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce 1 Tbsp dark soya sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp chopped garlic 1 Tbsp Chinese rose wine a dash of 5 spice powder a dash of pepper Honey and a bit of water to glaze Method 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 gla

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 flour 230 gm butter 4 egg yolks 140 gm caster sugar 20 ml lemon juice (2 Tbsp) 40 ml milk zest from 1 orange a pinch of salt 4 egg whites 40 gm caster sugar Method Sift the self raising flour with a pinch of salt, set aside Beat 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