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

In Chinese medicine, Osmanthus is well known to detoxify the body, improve dry skin and reduce phlegm.  I like the sweet and fresh fragrance of the Osmanthus and this is a simple recipe.  It's a dessert, it's a snack, it's a breakfast or anything you want it to be.  Enjoy! Osmanthus Chiffon Cake ~ 桂花戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 6 large egg yolks 120 gm plain flour 3 Tbsp honey 100 ml vegetable oil 240 ml hot water 4 Tbsp Osmanthus flowers (B) 6 large egg whites 120 gm caster sugar 1.1/2 Tbsp or 14 gm cornflour Method Boil 240 ml water together with 4 Tbsp dried Osmanthus flowers.  Strain out 160 ml tea and keep the flowers aside.  Let the tea cool. Sift the plain flour twice. Whisk the egg yolks with honey, then add in oil, Osmanthus tea.  Mix well together and then add in the strained Osmanthus flowers to blend in.  Sift in the flour, mix well. Combine sugar and cornflour. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites till foamy, add in half...

I was introduced to this Hawaiian Biscuit by a friend who bought this for me to try.  I was curious about the name and was wondering what's so 'Hawaiian' about these biscuits.  I understood, after the first bite of a Macadamia nut.  So the 'Hawaiian' thing is the Macadamia nut.  Since I have some lotus paste left after the mooncake festival, thought I'd give this a try.  I used the recipe for the pastry from my 'Lo  Por Paeng/Wife Biscuit ' post and just wrap up some lotus paste with some Macadamia nuts.  This is a yummy biscuit to be enjoyed at any time of the day and the biscuits stayed crispy even on the fourth day, kept in an air-tight container. Hawaiian Biscuits  ~  夏威夷饼 Ingredients Oil dough 80 gm plain flour 50 to 60 gm shortening Water dough 100 gm plain flour 40 gm shortening 30 to 35 ml cold water  300 gm lotus paste (divide into 8 portions, approx. 35 gm each and wrap each portion with 4 Maca...

Whenever I want to make a butter cake, Mrs. Ng's butter cake recipe will come to my mind.  Her recipe is foolproof and you can use it as a basic recipe and play around with variations of flavours to your liking.  Today, I'm sharing with you a Pandan Ombre Butter Cake.  I've used pandan paste instead of pandan juice as I need to have a distinct green colour to bring out the 'Ömbre' effect, which is from a darker to a lighter shade of green.  I'm pleased with the result and the texture of this cake is soft and moist and it still stays in this manner even after the third day, kept in an airtight container. Pandan Ombre Butter Cake ~  班蘭牛油蛋糕 Ingredients (A)                                                  230 gm unsalted butter 140 gm caster sugar 200 gm self-raising flour  4 'L' egg yolks 60 ml milk 1/4 tsp van...

Taucheo or fermented bean paste is salty but when sauted with fresh ginger and garlic, the gravy makes a perfect combination with steamed fish.  If you like the gravy to be slightly spicy, toss in some  birdeye chillies and add in a bit of sugar to taste.  This steamed fish is quick and easy to prepare and is extremely appetising.  But do bear in mind that steamed fish must be eaten straight from the steamer as the taste differs when the dish is cold. Steamed ikan kembong with bean paste ~  豆酱蒸鱼 Ingredients 400 gm ikan kembong 4 tsp garlic and ginger, chopped 1 Tbsp fermented bean paste (taucheo) 2 birdeye chillies 1/2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water Spring onions to garnish Method Clean up the ikan kembong, season with some salt. Heat up some oil in a pan, saute the garlic and ginger till fragrant, add in the bean paste.  Add in 1/2 cup water.  Fine tune to taste with some sugar.  Add in cornstarch thickening. Set aside. ...

This is a delicious muffin with the subtle taste of greentea and pairing it with red bean paste is a perfect marriage.  This muffin is mildly sweet and it's perfect for breakfast or on-the-go snack.  Do give this recipe a try! Greentea muffins with red bean paste ~  绿茶红豆玛芬 Ingredients 240 gm plain flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 100 gm caster sugar 1'L' egg, slightly beaten 1 cup milk 1/4 cup oil 2 tsp greentea powder red bean paste (homemade) 1 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt Method Sift the plain flour, baking powder and greentea powder into a mixing bowl.  Mix in sugar and salt till well incorporated.  Set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg, add in the oil followed by the milk and vanilla.  Mix well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, till just combined.  Do not overmix. Scoop the batter into a paper lined muffin pan, half full, then add in a heaped teaspoonful of red bean paste.  Cover with some mo...

When I was recommended to try this dish in a restaurant, I was both hesitant and at the same time intrigued by its name.  I've heard of the song 'Bridge over troubled water' but Tofu crossing the bridge?  So to satisfy everyone's curiosity, we agreed to give it a try.  It's a nutritious dish with a good source of protein in the Tofu pork and egg all in one.  It was just tasty and delicious to go with a bowl of steaming hot white rice! Tofu Bridge ~  跨桥豆腐 Ingredients 200 gm minced pork 2 pieces soft Tofu 1 egg Seasoning for minced pork - salt plus 1.1/2 tsp cornflouar Sauce to add to the dish after steamed and before serving - (3 tsp hot water, 1.1/2 tsp light soya sauce, 1/4 tsp sugar mix till dissovled) 1 tsp sesame oil and garlic oil to garnish Method Slice up the Tofu into 8 pieces, and place on a plate. Spread the seasoned minced pork on both sides of the Tofu Lightly beat up the egg and pour on top of the minced por...

It's the time of the year for mooncakes again and as in previous years, there seems to be a growing vast variety of mooncakes of different flavours.  This year, the Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival falls on 13th September, Friday.  The malls are all decorated with paraphenalia associated with the festival and sell special food at this time of the year. Snowskin yam paste mooncake  ~ 2019 ~ 芋头冰皮月饼) Ingredients for Yam Paste 500 gm yam 100 gm sugar 25 gm wheatstarch 1/8 tsp salt 70 ml vegetable oil (may require less) Method Peel yam, cut into slices and weigh out 500 gm.   Steam yam slices on medium heat for about 30 mins. till soft. Immediately mash up the yam slices while still hot (yam will harden once cooled) OR can use a handheld blender to blend.  (I used the latter). Pour the mashed yam into a non-stick pot, stir on low heat adding oil little by little.  Gradually add in sugar and salt.  All this while, keep st...

Milo, a popular beverage of chocolate and malt powder is the key ingredient in this Milo Chiffon Cake.   This light and moist chiffon is enhanced with an addition of Nutella and can be served at any time of the day.  If you like more Milo, accompany it with a hot drink of this beverage. Milo Chiffon Cake ~   美禄戚风蛋糕  (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients (A)  5 large egg yolks        15 gm caster sugar        45 gm vegetable oil        100 ml milo (3 tsp milo powder + hot water to make 100 ml)        1 heapful Tbsp Nutella - about 30 gm        100 gm plain flour, sifted        1 tsp vanilla (B)        5 large egg whites        45 gm caster sugar )   Mix together        1 Tbsp cornflour     ) Method Combine hot milo and nu...