Valentines Day Dish My Sweetheart Orange Scented Rice

Most of us loves the nice and fragrant aroma filling up from our kitchen while cooking one of our usual staple food, "steamed rice". But other than the usual white rice that we consume daily there are still many different varieties of ways and recipes whereby you can turn this simple food into simple interesting and nutritious.

This year for our Valentines theme dish, I have made these "Orange Scented Rice" to pair with another "Stir-fried Chicken with Mandarin Orange" where fresh orange zest and juice are used in both dishes.

ORANGE SCENTED RICE

Preparation: 20 Minutes                                     Cooking Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Cup Uncooked Rice
4 Cloves
3 Green Cardamom Pods
2cm Long Cinnamon Stick
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Rind of half Mandarin Orange, thinly shred
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
100ml Fresh Mandarin Orange Juice
1 Cup Water

Garnish:
1.5 Tablespoon Golden Raisin
1.5 Tablespoon Almond Flakes, lightly toasted
1/2 Tablespoon Sliced Spring Onion, optional


The adding of spices such as "Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamom" infused the rice dish with a special fragrant that blends well with the fresh orange juice and zest. And it makes this rice taste similar to those "Biryani" rice which cooks with similar spices.

Method:

1. Preheat the frying pan with oil and saute Onion, Garlic, Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamon until the onion slices turned soft and slightly golden brown.
2. Toss in shredded Orange peel and saute it for another 10 seconds before adding in the rice and chicken stock powder, stir well until the rice is coated with oil.
3. Transfer the rice into rice cooker or thermal pot, add in orange juice and water then cook until the rice is done.
4. Open the cooker lid, stir in golden raisins, cover and let it stand for another 5 minutes.
5. To serve, remove the spices(Garlic, Cloves, Cinnamon and Cardamom) from the cooked rice then using a folk to fluff in almond flakes and spring onion till well mixed.
6. Spoon the rice mixture into "heart shape" sushi mould and shaped into "Onigiri(rice ball)".


This "Orange Scented Rice" has a sweet taste from the orange juice and golden raisin together with a nutty flavour complements from the Almonds. And this goes perfectly well with the "Stir-fried Chicken With Mandarin Orange"(recipe HERE) where you can makes good used of those left-over Mandarin Oranges from Chinese New Year.

I am also submitting this post to "Aspiring Bakers #4: Love In The Air! (Feb 2011)", hosted by Me(Cuisine Paradise) at this link HERE.

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Taiyaki たい焼き

Taiyaki (たい焼き) is a Japanese fish shaped pancake which is commonly filled with red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. But in these day, there are many other fillings such as custard, chocolate, cream cheese or even sausage in it.

As usual the creative and wonder members in Munch Ministry facebook group always bring up interesting kitchen gadgets to share with the rest of the members and just recently, there is a rave in making these cute Taiyaki in the group due to some promotion on the Taiyaki Pan shown above.

TAIYAKI

(たい焼き)

All related Photos and Recipes of Taiyaki are ©Copyright by Ellena Guan of Cuisine Paradise. All rights reserved.

These yummy little treat is actually very easy to make at home if you have a Taiyaki Pan. What you required is to get hold a pack of Pancake Premix plus some Instant Fillings such as Cream Cheese, Nutella, Peanut Butter, Kaya and etc.

(Make: 6 |            Preparation: 3 minutes |             Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
150g (1 sachet) Morinaga Pancake Premix
1 Large Egg, 60g
100ml Fresh Milk
1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
Some Nutella, Peanut Butter, Cream Cheese or etc
1 Taiyaki Pan

Method:-

1. Whisk egg and milk together in a mixing bowl or jug till combined. Add in 1 sachet of Morinaga pancake premix and stir till the mixture resemble cake batter.

2. Lightly brush oil on both inner sides of the Taiyaki pan. Preheat it 30 seconds before ladle a small amount of batter(refer to the step-by-step photo above) to the preheated pan (on one deeper print side).

3. Add your desire fillings such as 1 tablespoon of nutella/peanut. Next pour a little more batter just enough to cover the paste. Close the pan and cook for 1 minute 20 seconds on medium low heat.

4. Flip the pan over, cook for another 1 minute or more, open the pan slight and check the colour of the fish. Careful not to overcook and burn it as they should be golden brown on each side.

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NOTE:-

~ To get a nice evenly golden brown colour for your Taiyaki, the "secret" lies on the heat and timing for cooking the Taiyaki.

All related Photos and Recipes of Taiyaki are ©Copyright by Ellena Guan of Cuisine Paradise. All rights reserved.

Above is my first batch of assorted Taiyaki (たい焼き) made using Morinaga Pancake Premix filled with some of our favourite spread such as Cream Cheese and Nutella . And all these are made in less than 30 minutes where you can prepared a delicious and healthy breakfast or snack for your kids. I am sure nobody will be able to resists a piping hot Taiyaki with crispy outsider layer and soft inner texture with oozing filling in their mouth.

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Mixed Fruit Cake

Follow from the previous Double Chocolate Banana Cake post, here is the related post on a simple Mixed Fruit Cake which I made especially for Uncle James as he is a big fan of mixed fruit cake. And since I am baking two cakes on the same day using Happy Call Double-sided Pressure Pan (HCP) for demonstration to my aunties; who are all keen in learning how to bake using this new gadget, I have modify the usual traditional fruit cakes recipes to a simplify one.

Compared to the traditional Christmas Mixed Fruit Cake, this one is much easier in term of ingredients preparation and shorter baking time.You can prepared ahead by soaking the mixed fruit with RUM and orange juice the night before to achieve a better flavour or if you are running out of time like me, just make sure you have soaked them at least 10 - 15 minutes.

MIXED FRUIT CAKE

Here I have adapted a similar recipe from the previous Banana Chocolate Cake with Cranberry which I have shared. And instead of using caster sugar, I have replaced it with brown sugar for its natural brown and taste that enhance the appearance and taste of the mixed fruit cake. As for the type of dried fruit you can either purchase those ready-mixed packed available from baking section or you can DIY your own by mixing a few of your favourite fruits such as tangerine peel, apricot, raisin, cherry, ginger and etc together.

(Serves: 30 x 25cm | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
225g All-Purpose Flour(plain flour)
170g Brown Sugar
170g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
3 Eggs(55g each)
60ml Orange Juice
Rind of 1 Orange
200g Dried Mixed Fruit
2 Tablespoons of RUM/Grand Marnier

Method:-

1. Soak dried mixed fruit with RUM, Orange Juice and Rind for about 10 minutes. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream soft butter and brown sugar using a electric beater or hand whisk till pale and creamy.

3. Add one egg at a time, beat till combined before adding in the flour mixture.

4. Using a spatula, fold in sifted flours in 3 batches alternatively with the mixed fruit mixture(add in the liquid as well) till well combined.

5. Slowly scrap mixture into the lightly greased Happy Call Pan(grease 1 teaspoon of oil on both side of the pan using hand or paper towel).

6. Bake on low heat for 12 minutes, slowly shift the pan towards right side so that left side (1/2 of the HCP) of the pan is on the heat, bake for another 6 minutes. Next shift the pan back towards the left side so that right side(1/2 of the HCP) of the pan is on the heat. (the purpose of doing this is to even out the baking as well as give the cake a nice brown colour on the surface when flip over)

7. Lastly, flip the HCP over and bake for another 6 minutes(3 minutes left, 3 minutes right) to have a nice brown top.

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FOR OVEN METHOD:-

1. Follow steps 1 - 4, pour cake batter into a greased 7" square or round tin.

2. Bake in preheated 180° Celsius oven for about 40 - 50 minutes or when a skewer inserted in the center and comes out clean.

BLUEBERRY LEMON BUTTER CAKE

(Preview)

This is another snack preview of my HCP bake cake; Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake made using fresh blueberry. Simply love this light and fluffy lemon taste cake with my favourite blueberry in it. Will update more on the related recipe soon. Stay tune.

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Mini Sesame Balls 迷你芝麻球

I vaguely remembered having these when I was a little girl. I dont remember how it tasted like though.



After trying them out after so many years, I find that its like eating the deep version of Muah Chee. Its sort of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Sadly, It didnt bring back my childhood memories. :P

Ingredients:

• 250g Glutinous Rice Flour


• 20g All purpose/Plain Flour


• 1/3 teaspoon Vanilla Essence 


• 1 Egg, lightly beaten


• White Sesame Seed for coating


• Oil for deep frying

Sugar Solution:

• 80g White Sugar


• 140ml Water

How to do it:

1. Prepare the sugar solution by simmering the sugar in water till it dissolved.


2. Set aside to cool for later use.


3. Mix glutinous flour and plain flour together.


4. Add the sugar solution, vanilla essence and egg to the flour mixture.


5. Mix and knead into a smooth dough.


6. Roll dough about 5g-7g into a ball.


7. Coat with white sesame seeds.


8. Deep fry till golden brown.


9. Remove and drain on paper towel.

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Steamed Stuffed Tofu

This is one of the many earlier dishes I wanted to share last year.



Its really easy and fast to prepare. Theres an alternative which I will be sharing too. This is one of the dishes I had consider making for Chinese New Year but it is one of the dishes that my MIL refused to even taste when she was staying with us. Haiz. I didnt want to put her in a difficult position so I didnt ask her why she didnt try it when she said, 很好吃 (tasty). Haiz.



Cooking for adults are so much more difficult that cooking for children. Especially, when the person used to cook really well.



Heres my recipe if you are interested to try out.



Ingredients:

• 100g Minced Pork or Chicken


• 100g Minced Prawn


• 2 tubes Egg Tofu


• 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce


• 1 teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine


• 1/3 teaspoon Sugar


• A dash of Sesame Seed Oil


• Tobiko (optional)

Sauce to mix well:

• 2 tablespoon Water or Chicken Stock


• 1/3 tablespoon Oyster Sauce


• 2 teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine

How to do it:

1. Slice tofu into 6 pieces.


2. Gently scoop some tofu out from the center.


3. Mix the scooped out tofu, minced pork and prawn together.


4. Add in 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine each into the meat and mix well.


5. Top tofu with a heap of minced meat.


6. Sprinkle on some tobiko if you like. Use finely chopped  carrot if tobiko is not available.
   
   


7. Steam for 7 minutes.


8. Remove and carefully drain away the liquid.


9. Pour over the sauce and continue steaming for another 5 minutes or till meat is cooked.


10. Drizzle on some sesame seed oil and immediately.
    
    

Alternative:

• Replace minced prawn with whole prawn sliced on the backed. Use half a prawn if its too big.
  
  


• After adding the minced pork or chicken to the tofu, place the prawn on top of the meat. Remember to cut down the seasoning for the meat since you are using only minced meat without prawn.
  
  


• You can thicken the sauce with cornflour and pour it over the the dish instead of using it to re-steam the dish.


• Replace Step 7 onwards with the followings steps.


• Steam till meat is completely cooked.


• Drain away 2/3 of the liquid from the dish.
  
  


• While steaming the dish, combine 5 tablespoon of Stock or Water, 1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce and 1/3 tablespoon of Chinese Cooking Wine and bring to a simmer.


• Thicken with Cornflour Mixture.


• Pour sauce over the dish and drizzle on sesame seed oil.


• Serve immediately.

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Baked Spare Ribs with Red Wine Lees

Apart from Hong Zao Ji(红槽鸡) which is one of the common confinement dishes that most confinement nanny would prepared. This Baked Spare Ribs with Red Wine Lees (烤红糟排骨) is also another simple Foochow(Xinghua - 兴化人) homecook dishes where red wine lees is used to marinate and bake together with the spare ribs.

Thanks to one of my cooking pal, Alice whom share her recipe and tips on baking this Foochow style spare ribs dish. This is indeed a keeper recipe and it is best to use spare ribs instead of the usual pork ribs for its tender texture and nice presentation. The adding of extra ginger juice here is to remove some of that pork odor as well as act as natural tenderiser to the spare ribs.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
600g Spare Ribs(排骨), about 10 pieces
2 Heap Tablespoons of Red Wine Lees(红糟)
1 Teaspoon of White Sesame Seeds(白芝麻), optional

Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon of Cooking/Rice Wine
1/2 Tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger Juice
1 Teaspoon of Cornflour
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Trim, rinse and blanched the spare ribs in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Rinse well and set aside. (this step is to allow the meat to absorb the marinate but it is optional)

2. Marinate prepared spare ribs with Red Wine Lees and seasonings till well combined.

3. Transfer mixture into a zip-lock bag and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. (try not to marinate more than ah hour or else the meat will be tough)

4. Arrange marinated spare ribs on baking tray that is line with baking paper and drizzle some extra sesame oil on it before baking in preheated 180 degree oven for about 25 - 30 minutes  or till meat is cooked through (turning at least twice to get an even colour coating).

5. Remove the cooked spare ribs, arrange on serving plate and sprinkle some lightly toasted sesame seeds on it for that extra fragrant.


If you have NEW ways of using these Red Wine Lees(红槽) for cooking/baking do share with us your ideas or recipes so that we can keep these traditional ingredient and dishes going on.

Thanks for all your "BUZZ(s)" and support friends. Baked Spare Ribs With Red Wine Lees post has make it to FoodBuzz Todays Top 9, 21st May 2011.(Here)

Featured On: FoodBuzz Todays Top 9, 21st May 2011.(Here)

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Little Lunch Box 53 小饭盒

Its Learning Journey for the kids in school today.  Hence, the kids have to bring their own lunch or snack



A few days back, my daughters friend ask her grandma to check what I will be making for my daughter and wants her grandma to make the same for her too. Hehehe ... Grandma asked if I could help make lunch for her grand-daughter too. ;)



To make it easy (for me :P) I decided to prepare burgers so I do not need to use lunch boxes.



My daughter requested for chopped broccoli and coriander to be in the meat patty and I prepared egg roll with some leftovers crabstick and spring onion as sides too.

So, this was the girls lunch, wrapped in foil and packed in foam box. ;)

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Creole Crab Corn Chowder – Let the Good Clichés Roll!

It’s so trite to say that something is only as good as the ingredients that go into it. Everyone knows that, right? It’s just common sense. Except, there I was, eating a very good bowl of crab and corn chowder that could have, should have, been very great; but it wasn’t because I didn’t remembered that old cliché.

As I mention numerous times in the video, this would ideally be made in the middle of summer, with ears of fresh, sweet-as-sugar corn. If that’s not seasonally possible (i.e., you’re doing a Mardi Gras themed recipe in winter), you can make a perfectly fine version using a premium-quality, extra-sweet, frozen corn. Or, you can do what I did.

I used an old bag of budget-brand corn I found in the freezer. The odd thing is, I’m not sure where it came from, or what it was purchased for. There are things like vodka and fair-trade coffee beans that somehow appear in my icebox as if placed there by invisible kitchen gremlins (btw, that would make a pretty cool name for a band), and I can only assume that’s how the corn got in there.

So, while I could have just walked two-blocks, and bought an expensive bag of something sweet and delicious, I instead went ahead and used a product that only a prison warden could love. The good news is that even with the almost-flavorless corn, this chowder was very good, so if you do as I say, and not as I clichéd, yours will certainly rock.

If you’re from New Orleans, I’d love to hear if they make anything similar to this. As I admit in the video, this is not my take on some iconic Creole recipe, but a simple soup inspired by those ingredients and style of cooking. Anyway, I hope you give it a try soon, and laissez le bon (corn) temps rouler!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced bell pepper, or jalapeno, or combination of any sweet/hot peppers

1/2 cup diced celery

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay

1 1/2 tbsp flour

3 1/2 cup water or stock, divided (2 1/2 for the pot, and 1 cup for the blender)

1 pound sweet corn kernels, divided
2 cloves peeled garlic

8 oz fresh crab meat, divided

1/4 cup cream

1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika, or to taste

green onion to garnish

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Pan Seared Scallops and Leek Risotto and Blackberry Vinaigrette

Now that spring is in full swing, Steven and I reenrolled in our CSA program from last year. It was definitely a good decision because our first box had lots of goodies, including sugar snap peas, my all-time favorite vegetable, leek, strawberries, and salad mix just to name a few. Since the quarter just started, I dont have to study 24/7 just yet, or at least I dont think I have to study... Of course I could be very delusional and falling behind as we speak. But while Im still procrastinating, at least I have time to make a nice meal. And when it comes to risotto, you need plenty of time.

Back in the good old days of only working part time, I had the time and patience to pull up a chair next to the stove and just sit there stirring absentmindedly. But nowadays life is way more frenetic and I have to be multitasking at least three things or I feel unproductive, which means I no longer tend so diligently to the risotto. I know youre technically supposed to stir risotto for the entire cooking time, but luckily I discovered, its not the end of the world if you do stop. I know Marcella Hazan would be very disappointed but honestly, who has the time to sit around and stir a pot of rice for 30 minutes. While the risotto was cooking, I: put away the dishes, stirred, washed the dishes, stirred, cleaned the kitchen, stirred, made the dressing, stirred, cooked the scallops, yeah you get the idea. The risotto was maybe slightly less creamy but I couldnt tell. (From watching all those seasons of Top Chef, I just know that its cheating to add cream to risotto, downright culinary sin!) And after you add the cheese and butter its all good to me.

I would normally welcome leftovers, but risotto is something that just doesnt reheat well, so I scaled the recipe down for two, but feel free to double it for 4.

Leek and Bacon Risotto
*note: omit the bacon for a vegetarian version

2 slices regular thickness bacon or 1 slice thick cut bacon *omit and replace with 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil for vegetarian
1 leek, white and light green part only thinly sliced and washed
1 C arborio or carnaroli rice (do not rinse!)
1/4 C dry white wine
2 1/2 - 3 C homemade chicken stock
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp butter

In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a low simmer and keep it warm.

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium low heat until crisp and the fat has rendered. Turn up the heat to medium and add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook until the leeks have softened. Add the rice and cook the rice until the rice is evenly coated in the fat and toasty. You will be able to see an outer opaque ring around a white center on the rice grains.

Add the white wine and cook until it has absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium low and add a half cup of the chicken stock and freshly ground black pepper to taste. At a low simmer, cook the rice, while stirring continuously, until all of the stock has been absorbed. Add another half cup of stock and stir continuously. Repeat adding the stock and stirring continuously until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, or if you find yourself running low on stock, use some hot water. Start tasting the rice after 20 minutes of cooking. It should be tender with a slight firm bite in the center. When the risotto is finished cooking, take it off heat. It will be creamy, moist, and somewhat runny but it will thicken after adding the cheese and while it cools.

Off heat, stir in the Parmesan and butter and taste for salt.

Made these for Valentines Day. Theyre perfect on this risotto.

Pan Seared Scallops
3 - 6 Scallops per person
Salt and Pepper
Oil

Keep the scallops in between two sheets of paper towels before you cook them. This will help absorb any moisture from the scallops. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a stainless steel or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil.

When the pan is hot, add the scallops, giving them about 1 - 2 inches of room in between each other. Cook them undisturbed for 2 minutes then using a spatula, gently flip the scallops to the second side, cook for another 1 minute or until the second side is nicely browned also. Take off heat and serve with your favorite side.

For the salad mix in our CSA box, I made a blackberry vinaigrette with the blackberries I painstakingly picked last summer. I still have about a gallon of frozen blackberries and I better hurry up and use them before they start tasting like freezer. Wouldnt that be a waste! I mean, my sweat and blood went into picking those blackberries! This is a great summery, fruity dressing that really relies on fresh berry flavor.

Blackberry Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp fresh blackberry puree
fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

If your blackberries are very ripe, sweet, and potent, you can get away using just two tablespoons of puree and add some lemon juice for tartness. My blackberries were not picked at their absolute ripest so they were still on the slightly tart side and I didnt need to add any lemon juice at all. Dont add any acid in the the beginning and just taste as you go.

Whisk the blackberry puree and Dijon together to mix, slowly whisk in some extra virgin olive oil until you get the consistency you like. Add lemon juice for additional tartness. Season with some salt and pepper.

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Fish Stew – Sexy Is As Sexy Does

You often hear people describe food as “sexy,” but I’ve always believed it’s really more the occasion and company that makes a meal sexy. Put your Valentine across a candlelit table, pour a couple glasses of wine, and no matter what you serve up, sexiness will ensue.

Having said that, it certainly doesn’t hurt to hedge your bets and serve up a naturally sensuous dish like this simple, but sophisticated fish stew. This is great for you less than confident cooks, since your timing doesn’t need to be that precise. Did I mention there’d be wine around?

You can actually do everything ahead, up until adding the fish if you want. Since the pieces will cook in between 5 and 10 minutes, when you’re ready to eat, simply bring the mixture to a boil, add the fish, and simmer until done. You can also hold the stew over very low heat for a good 15-20 minutes without major problems, in case, well, you know.

By the way, make sure you check and see if your dining partner likes fish and wine, as this would be a horrible choice if they don’t. If they do, you’re in business. Almost any type of fish or shellfish will work in this, as well as any small, cute potatoes. Just don’t forget to peel the middles, as its kind of a big deal. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:
2 tbsp butter

1 large leek, chopped

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/2 tsp salt, more to taste

3/4 cup white wine

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sliced fennel root

1 pound small red potatoes

cayenne to taste

1/2 cup cream

1 pound boneless fish filets

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

View the complete recipe

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my food blog

My food blog has been an unfortunate casualty of school (as evidenced by the graph below).

Ive never written much about my personal life on this blog. Some may argue that goes against the very idea of a personal blog but I am a private person. I decided early on that I wanted to keep my medicine world going-ons separate from this blog. I didnt write about seeing open heart surgeries and I never wanted to complain about 30 hour days (dont worry, Steven can attest that I vent enough in person).


This blog is about food and the food should speak for itself.

It was extremely important to me that I continue cooking regardless of how busy I became. Even though Ive written a whopping 4 posts in the last year, I have hundreds of photos I snapped in hopes of eventually getting to writing a post (check out the new recipe graveyard) . So I think this blog has been neglected long enough and its time for a revamp.

a picture of Mr. Bun for fun

(or Peter Francis Bunnington the IV, Esquire)

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Bagels Daring Bakers June

June marks my first Daring Bakers Challenge and this month, Jenny of All Things Edible and Freya of Writing at the Kitchen Table chose Real Honest Jewish Purists Bagels. Ive made a few yeasted baked goods before so I was fairly comfortable with the idea of making bagels. I was ready to break out the KitchenAid for another bout of effortless kneading. That is until I found out we had to knead by hand. To be honest I dont really know how to properly knead by hand so it was definitely a little intimidating. Im extremely reliant on my KitchenAid, perhaps too reliant. It was something I saved up for and bought many years ago as a teenager and is my most prized kitchen possession. But knowing how to knead by hand is definitely a good skill to know for a baker so I left the beloved mixer alone in the corner and rolled up my sleeves to attack the dough. I made half the recipe because I was afraid of having too many bagels. Im a little glad I only made half the recipe because the dough was quite stiff and definitely gave me an upper body workout with all the kneading. In fact my right side was even sore the next day! The downside of only making half the recipe is that the bagels were oh soooo delicious and unfortunately making half the recipe meant only 8 bagels, which were quickly devoured in 1.5 days.

The recipe can be found here.

The rules this month:
- Toppings should be savory and nothing should be added to the bagel dough itself.
- Bagels can be filled with anything your heart desires. They tasted delicious plain so I didnt add anything.

Some recipe notes:
Ingredients
I used King Arthurs bread flour, instant yeast, clover honey in the dough, and sugar in the water. Next time, I will only use 1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 tsp) for 4 C of bread flour rather than the 2 Tbsp stated in the recipe.

Kneading
I kneaded for about 15 minutes and left it alone to rise. Then I reread the recipe and it said the dough should be smooth and elastic. My dough wasnt smooth or elastic so I was worried I underkneaded. But I forged ahead with the rest of the recipe and luckily they turned out okay.

Rising
The dough rose extremely quickly. In order to avoid bready bagels, you want to really punch down the dough. I mean REALLY punch it down.

Making the bagels
I used the hole method to make the bagels (making a disc then poking a hole in the middle then stretching it out a little for an even bagel). I was afraid the "snake" method would uncoil in the water. Dont worry if the bagels arent very pretty, mine were all uneven and lumpy.

Floaters or sinkers?
Although the recipe stated that the bagels should at first sink in the simmering water then float, like many other Daring Bakers, all of my bagels floated immediately as they hit the water.

Toppings
In the end I made five different bagels: plain, sesame seed, poppy seed, Parmesan, and pizza (leftover tomato sauce and some mozzarella). After the initial 25 minutes in the oven, I noticed the pizza ones were getting a little dark so I move the sheet from the middle rack to the lower middle rack (I didnt flip the bagels over). I used pretoasted sesame seeds on the bagels and I was afraid they would burn in the oven but they turned out fine.



You can visit all my fellow Daring Bakers (links on the righthand sidebar) and see what toppings they put on their bagels.

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Mango Sago

Everyone at home loves Mangoes. Hmmm ... maybe except my daughter who doesnt like fruits at all. You might have guess it if you visit my blog often. I have a few desserts using mango.

I keep telling myself, Ill try working with another fruit but every time I said that Im sure to see mangoes and I just can resist buying them. So, heres another mango dessert we have very often.

Ingredients:

• 500g Mango Puree from 3 mangoes
• 250ml Fresh Milk
• 50g Sago
• Syrup to taste (Melting sugar in water)
• Additional cut out chunky mango (optional)

How to do it:

1. Have a pot of water enough to cover the sago.
2. Cook the sago in low heat, stirring in fluently to prevent them from sticking.
3. Once all the sago have turn opaque, strain and wash them in a pot of clean water till you dont feel a layer of starch covering them (about 3 wash)
4. Combine the milk, mango puree and additional chunky mango together.
5. Add syrup to taste.
6. Serve chilled.

• Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe

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Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip – A Snack So Nice You Finish it Twice

Nothing says, “this party rocks” like a creamy, cheesy, baked dip, and when you’re talking about a hot crab and artichoke dip, people have been known to put an extra choice word or two before “rocks.” If only there were a big event coming up soon to test this theory.

Not only is this additive dip easy to make, it works with any budget. You can load it up with the finest fresh crab, use frozen or pasteurized lump crab meat, or even canned in a pinch. By the way, (and off the record) I’ve had these made with fake crab, and it wasn’t bad at all.

While the loaf of bread base does make for a nice presentation, not to mention recycled after party snack food, you can simply bake this in a casserole dish as well. As I mentioned in the video, I had a little extra leftover, and if this happens to you, give it a try as a stuffing for ravioli, wontons, or other dumpling-like delivery systems.

No matter which team they’re rooting for, all your guests will be cheering for more of this delicious baked dip. By the way, nothing beats watching your friends play tug-o-war with the crust once the dip is gone. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 portions of Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped green onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh chopped tarragon leaves

zest and juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

1 pound lump crab meat, drained

1 (14-oz) can artichoke bottoms

6 oz white Cheddar cheese, divided

1 large round or oval loaf sourdough bread

About 30 min at 375 degrees F.

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Happy Birthday Singapore! Part I

Today I am very excited to have WaiFong from "Fongs Kitchen Journal" to share with us her National Day Special Cookies as her guest post. I get to know Wai Fong about a year ago through a giveaway event from my blog and since then I always pop-by her blog, drooling over her delicious "Fongs 三菜一汤 - 3-plus-1" that she whipped up for her family. On top of that, she is also one of our regular supporters for the monthly "S$20 Budget Meal" event. So lets put our hands together and welcome WaiFong to share with us her icing cookie recipe as well as thoughts on coming National Day. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

This is a very special post for me. First, as you can see, I have made some National Day Cookies here as a pre-National Day celebration. Tomorrow, I will be going down to Marina Bay to watch the NDP preview. And I am equally thrilled to be sharing this post with one of my favorite food bloggers, Ellena, at Cuisine Paradise.

With about a week more to our National Day, I decided to make these cookies for my little girl and her pre-school classmates. I zoom in on two colours - red and white, the colours of our National Flag. And, whats better way to pack these cookies than having them in this NDP Fun Box! For those who have attended last years NDP ("National Day Parade") celebration, you might remember having this Fun Box inside the goodies bag.

I thought this is also a great time for me, as a Singaporean and a young parent, to engage our little ones in some National Education. I design a simple quiz of 20 questions on Singapore, from "what is our National Anthem", " What does the crescent moon on our flag represents" to "Name 5 MRT stations on the East West Line". These questions are printed and glued on small little tags and taped behind each cookie pack. I hope while the children are enjoying the cookies, they will also get to learn something about Singapore.

I used the same cookie recipe as my earlier Valentines Day cookies. This cookie recipe yields very crispy cookies, but is extremely sticky to work with. If you prefer more manageable cookies, you may want to add a little more flour to it or cut down the butter to 200g.

Ingredients For Cookie dough: (makes about 28 to 30 cookies)
220g butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence
300g plain flour
60g corn flour

Royal icing:
4 tsp meringue powder
4 tbsp water
300g icing sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
Red, black colour gel

Method:

1) Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy (pale white).

2) Add egg yolk and vanilla essence, beat for another minute or two.

3) Sift plain flour and corn flour together. Add into butter mixture and mix well to form a dough

4) Divide dough to 2 portions, cover with clingwrap and rest dough in fridge for an hour.

5) Roll each dough between baking paper and clingwrap to about 2 to 3mm thick.

6) Rest the dough sheet back in fridge for 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer).

7) Stamp the cookies using cookie cutter and transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper.

8) Bake in preheated oven at 175C for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on rack before decorating.


Decorating the cookies:

1) Whisk meringue powder and water till foamy.

2) Add icing sugar gradually and continue to whisk till stiff and fluffy.

3) Add lemon juice and whisk for another 2 minutes. Add a little water (1/4 tsp each time) if the icing is too stiff and dry.

4) Divide into portions and mix in desired coloured gel.

5) For each icing colour, save a portion for piping the outlines (i.e. stiff icing); and then add more water (1/4 tsp each time) to get thinner icing consistency for flooding the cookies.

NOTES:

1) Working with red and black colours are the most tricky, as the red and black coloured gels will turn "pink" and "grey" when mixed together with the white icing. You could try preparing the icing a day ahead, as icing color will darken slightly with time (whisk it slightly before using). If youre preparing your icing ahead, do not make it too thin as it tends to be a little diluted the next day. Alternatively, some websites suggested adding a little cocoa powder to darken the shades. I have not tried this method.

2) Transfer the royal icing to piping bag(s) and use immediately. Else, cover the royal icing with cling wrap to prevent it from drying out.

3) I used a piping tip #2 for piping the lines. For flooding, I just cut a small tip off the disposable piping bag.

4) Click here for a detailed explanation on getting the right icing consistency.

5) Let the icing fully set and dry before transferring them to cookie bag. I left them in a air-con room for about 5 hours to set. Some websites recommend leaving them overnight, but I am concern that the cookies might turn soft.


To know more about WaiFong and her blog, you can cross over to this link HERE to find out more about her cooking and baking recipes. Till then have a great weekend and stay tune for PART 2 of our National Day Special post which is done by me.

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

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