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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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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Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce Hey My Eyes are Up Here!

You know I love lamb, as evidenced by the various chops, shanks, legs, and shoulders Ive featured in the past. These are among the most popular meat recipes on the blog, so it seems many share my love. Here we have a brand new cut to celebrate, the lamb breast.

This is not common in your regular supermarkets. Theres an inverse relationship between the size of the parking lot, and the chances youll find breast of lamb in the meat case. However, a visit to a real butcher (look for lots of tats and facial hair) should be rewarded with some slabs of this bony, fatty, but richly flavored meat.

Since I hadnt cooked this in ages, I decided to play it safe, and use a time-tested Mediterranean-inspired spice rub, and it could not have worked more perfectly. The exotic spices made the rich meat seem even more decadent, all of which was nicely balanced by the vinegar sauces astringency.

A bright green chimichurri sauce on a well-marbled piece of meat is one of the best things ever, and this dish definitely borrows from that playbook. Its not like youd want to eat a spoon of the condiment right out of the bowl, but slathered over the glistening meat, its a thing of beauty.

I hope that if you are a fan of lamb, and you havent tried lamb breast yet, that you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pieces lamb breast, about 3 1/2 pounds

For the spice rub:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs seasoning (dried rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano blend)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

For the sauce: (note - this is all "to taste")

1/2 cup packed chopped Italian parsley

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup white wine vinegar, more as needed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 or 2 teaspoon honey

juice from 1 lemon

pinch of salt

View the complete recipe

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Potato Pancakes – Delicious But They Go Right to My Thighs

There are few foods I enjoy eating more than a plate of crispy-edged potato pancakes. Unfortunately, Ive been trying to limit my carbs lately (I just cant let go of my dream to become a famous underwear model), so seeing all these amazing Latkes recipes that pop up during Hanukkah is really hard.

Anyway, just because Im not partaking doesnt mean you have to deny yourself this exquisite pleasure. Below youll see my version, which has always received rave reviews. These are garnished with smoked salmon, but my favorite way is to simply enjoy them topped with applesauce and sour cream. This is an older post, so use the link below the video for more info and the ingredients. A happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating, and as always, enjoy!



Click here for the original post and ingredient amounts.

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My baby is 3!

  My baby turned 3 last Saturday, and Im still crying about it :*(  He is growing up too fast! I wish I could push pause and take in all the special moments. One of the most recent, and favorite of mine, was when I was driving him to daycare last week. I could see him looking at me in the rear view mirror when he said, "You so pwetty, Mommy."

Gah! Talk about melting a Mommas heart ♥  :)


 Kallen is our last baby. A few months after he was born we decided three kids was plenty for us, so its bittersweet as he grows older. It also validates why I go all out for his birthdays. We celebrated with a big bash and invited all of his favorite people. It turned out so fun! I thought Id share a few pics of the big day.

The Birthday boy!



He specifically requested a Cars cake.
This was my attempt...

Some Traffic Light

treats for the partay!

We served sandwiches and lots of

yummy food to the party guests!

Present time!

After about 2 hours of partying,

he was done.

Seriously, done.

Ummm, wait. Maybe Ill just enjoy one more

bite of cake with the boys...

And one more cruise on my new ride.

Happy Birthday, Kallen ♥

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My favourite cheesecake recipe

Manhattan cheesecake with strawberry, mint and balsamic vinegar salsa

I just realised that I havent shared my favourite cheesecake recipe with you. This needs to be corrected a.s.a.p., as Ive told some of my Edinburgh friends that theyll find the recipe on the blog. The recipe is originally from a decade-old issue of BBC Good Food, but Ive tweaked and changed both the ingredients and timings over the years. Lovers of oh-so-sweet cheesecakes out there - beware - this is a rather unsweet cheesecake. Just how I like it. Its also not as high/tall as some of the cheesecakes I saw in the US last summer - but again, Ive never been a huge fan of tower-high cakes myself. 

Whats your favourite cheesecake? Feel free to leave a link to the blog post/recipe in the comments.

Manhattan Cheesecake
(Manhattani toorjuustukook)
Serves 8

Base:
8 Digestive biscuits, crushed (I use LU brand, each cookie weighs ca 14 g)
2 Tbsp sugar
50 g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
400 g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
75 g sugar caster 
2 large eggs
0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Top layer:
250 g sour cream
2 Tbsp caster sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F/180 C. 

Line the base of a 20-23 cm springform tin with a baking paper. 

Crush the Digestive biscuits finely, mix with sugar and melted butter. Press the biscuit mixture onto the base of the cake tin. Place into the fridge for 10 minutes.

To make the filling, soften the cream cheese in a bowl, add other ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, or blend for a few minutes, using an electric mixer (I like to do the latter, as it results in a lighter and creamier cheesecake filling). 

Pour over the biscuit base and bake in the middle of a preheated 350F/180C oven for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is more or less set (it shouldnt wobble too much, when you lightly shake the cake tin). 

Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 230C/450F.

Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract, then gently spoon onto the cooled cake. Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes, to dry out the sour cream layer a little.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving. 

* The cheesecake on the photo is baked in a 20 cm cake tin, and is 3,5 cm high. 

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Snickerdoodle Blondies and my Chinet Bakeware Review Giveaway!

  I have a great recipe to share with you today, and also a giveaway! I was honored to be contacted by Chinet to review their new line of disposable bakeware. When they sent me a free box filled with tons of their new disposable pans, I was super excited to get baking!

  I decided to make some Snickerdoodle Blondies for my first attempt at the bakeware. The pan I used was the 8x8 inch. When I pulled it out of the box, I noticed all of the pans came with lids! I thought that was such a great idea for keeping food fresh. Especially if your going to a picnic or barbecue. No need for any saran wrap or foil to cover the top!

  As I waited for the blondies to bake, I wondered how the pans would hold up in the oven. Most foil pans will cave in and arent very sturdy, but that was not the case with these. I loved how sturdy they felt before I used them, and after baking with them! The blondies also came out of the pans with ease because they are non-stick. Awesome!

  I think there are many pluses to this new bakeware line. They are microwavable and freezer safe, and are also made up of 90% recyclable materials. I really love that! No longer are the days when you take a meal to a friend, and have to worry about getting your pan back. Just bake it in one of these and your good to go!

For the Giveaway.....

{This Giveaway is CLOSED}

  Chinet was nice enough to send me some of their bakeware for free, and they want to send one of my awesome readers a set too!  It will include:

2- 9x13 pans
3- 8x8s
3- oval 7x11s
3- small oval 1.5 quart size


  To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below, telling me what you would bake in your new disposable bakeware!

  The giveaway will end on Saturday, May 12th at Midnight Pacific time. I will announce the winner on Monday, May 14th! Please remember to leave an email address with your comment so I can contact you!

  Good Luck to everyone!

  Now, about those blondies. They were super duper divine! If you love Snickerdoodle Cookies, you will love these blondies! I added some white chocolate chips to the batter, because thats how I roll :)


White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon sugar & 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, mixed together


Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in salt, egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour until combined, and then stir in white chocolate chips. Batter will be very thick like cookie dough.

Spread and press batter evenly into pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.
Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until bars are set and edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting.

Makes 9 bars.

Recipe adapted from: Baking Bites

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Its my day today

Photo by Krista Kõiv, taken a fortnight ago.

Its my birthday, again :) After a few chilly days and frosty mornings, the sun is suddenly really shining and its lovely and warm outside. K. stayed home late this morning, giving me a chance to enjoy a leisurely breakfast consisting of a cup of coffee and a whole tub of Fage Total Greek yogurt topped with homemade sour cherry jam, while admiring the gorgeous birthday present he gave me. Im baking a strawberry cake for the party tonight, and then head off for a walk with Nora Adeele, who has doubled her birth weight already (she was 2456 g when born and is now, at 12 weeks, around 5300 g). Our little girl surely has a good appetite :)

Right now, theres nothing to complain about - lifes beautiful :)


Normal food postings resume next week.

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