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Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts

Sunday 3 August 2014

Black Sesame Bread Loaf


Ever since I started using my new bread machine, I have been racking my brains to try to come up with creative, new flavors that will impress my kids and erm....the hub. When I announced to the hub that I was going to buy the equipment to "help lighten my load" and bring healthier food to the table, he was skeptical and predicted that it would be another white elephant. I was so determined to prove him wrong!

Fast forward to a few loaves later, the hub is seriously impressed and looks forward to my weekly loaves of bread. Of course, that has a consequences as it would mean I have to constantly try new flavours so that we have more variety (as promised by me.... >_<  ) Ah...the woes of a home cook!

This black sesame bread loaf was one of those experiment that I did and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Sweet but not overpowering taste of the black sesame and the bread was soft and moist even till the next day! Even my elder son, who do not like to eat anything black sesame, took a taste and declared it nice! Such great compliments from him and it really made my day!


This bread is not overly intense in flavor and is nutritious as sesame has many known nutritional benefits like cholesterol-lowering effects, prevent high blood pressure, protect liver from oxidative damages, supports vascular and respiratory health etc. So let's introduce more sesame to our diets for a healthier lifestyle!

Here's the recipe...  


Black Sesame Bread Loaf (Makes a 450g loaf)
Using Donlim Bread Maker

100ml full cream milk
1 egg (medium)
30g butter
50g raw sugar (castor sugar can also be used)
3g salt
15g milk powder
250g bread flour
30g black sesame powder (I used the black sesame drink powder from Taiwan - found in cold storage)
4g yeast


Directions

In the bread machine container, add the ingredients in the order stated above, making sure that the salt is at one end of the container and the sugar is on another end.


After adding the dry ingredients, make a well in the flour pile and add the yeast.


Using menu function 1 (standard white bread function), choose the loaf weight and how well you want the crust to be. In my case, I select 450g loaf with medium done crust. This whole cycle of the loaf will take about close to 3 hours.

After the bread is done, transfer the container onto a cooling rack, inverted. When cooled, remove bread from container. Sliced to thickness as desired.



The bread is nice enough to be eaten on its own, especially when it's fresh out from the bread machine. However, you might like to spread on some butter or cream cheese spread and it will taste just as wonderful!

Hope you will enjoy this recipe!

Happy bread-making!


Photobucket

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe

Saturday 26 July 2014

Oreo Chiffon Cupcakes


This is another flavour of cakes in my chiffon cupcakes series. My elder son has been pestering me to make another batch ever since I made the Cheddar Cheese Chiffon Cupcakes. He requested for his favourite flavour - Oreo. This round he insisted that he wants to be my assistant. Must be the Junior Masterchef show having an effect on him...haha!

If you have tried my Cheddar Cheese Chiffon Cupcakes, this is a similar recipe except I used oreo this round.

The nice and sweet chocolatey smell of the cupcakes while baking and even now, the smell is still lingering in my kitchen. Ahhh....pure heaven! For those who love cookies and cream, this would be an ideal recipe to attempt and it is simply easy!

Here's the recipe...



Oreo Chiffon Cupcakes (Makes 10 - 12 large cupcakes)

80g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
50g cooking oil
2 egg yolks (from large egg)
25g castor sugar
1/2 packet oreo biscuits (68g), roughly crushed
1/8 tsp salt
75g full cream milk

60g caster sugar
3 egg whites (from large egg)


Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

In a large mixing bowl, hand whisk the egg yolks and 25g caster sugar until it becomes pale yellow and thick.


Add in cooking oil and salt. Mix to incorporate.

Add in the milk and oreo crumbs and mixed until just combined.


Sift in the baking powder and cake flour and whisk until just combined. Set aside.


Using a clean electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until it turn foamy. Gradually add the remaining caster sugar in 3 batches while continuing to whisk. Whisk until almost stiff peak form.

Add 1/3 of the egg white into the egg yolk mixture and fold in until almost even. Do the same for the remaining egg white in 2 batches.


Scrape down thoroughly and fold in until just combined. Do not over-fold. Bang bowl on tabletop for a couple of times to release big air bubbles in the mixture.


Fill the pre-lined containers with the mixture until about 80% full. Bake the cakes about 20 mins or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.


Transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool before storing.


These chiffon cakes are soft and fluffy and very easy to make. It is a hit with children and will be ideal for play dates or picnics or even just as an afternoon snack!


I hope you will enjoy the recipe. Happy Baking!



Wednesday 23 July 2014

Cheddar Cheese Chiffon Cupcakes


I am down with flu. But itchy hands just cannot seem to stop doing things. So in the end, I went ahead and baked some chiffon cupcakes for my children's breakfast and snack. The hubby took a couple to eat and proclaimed it the best cupcake ever! (*smile*)

Soft and fluffy cakes that is filled with the fragrance of the cheddar cheese and milk. Perfect marriage of the ingredients, I would say.

Sorry there isn't much pictures this round as I was quite sick. I am already quite surprised that I was able to finish baking the cupcakes without any mistakes, let alone take pictures. So limited pictures, do forgive me. I shall take more pictures the next round and post it up again.

Here's the recipe...



Cheddar Cheese Chiffon Cupcakes (Makes about 10 - 12 large cupcakes)

80g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
75g full cream milk
2 egg yolks (from large egg)
25g castor sugar
50g cooking oil
2 slices cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp salt


3 egg whites (from large egg)
60g castor sugar


Directions

In a saucepan, heat the milk and cheddar cheese until the cheese melt. Do this with low heat and do not boil the mixture. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

In a large mixing bowl, hand whisk the egg yolks and 25g of castor sugar until it becomes pale yellow and thick.

Add in cooking oil and salt. Mix to incorporate.

Add in the cheese mixture and mix until combined.

Sift the baking powder and flour into the mixture and whisk until just combined. Set aside.

Using a electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until it turns foamy. Gradually add the sugar in in 3 batches while still whisking. Whisk until almost stiff peak form.

Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and fold in until almost even. Do the same for the remaining egg white in 2 batches. Scrape down thoroughly and fold in until just combined. Do not over-fold. Bang bowl on the tabletop a couple of times to get rid of big bubbles in the mixture.

Fill the pre-lined bowls with the mixture until about 3/4 full. Bake the cakes for about 20 mins or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer cakes to wire racks to cool.



Hope you will like this recipe!

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Grape Chiffon Cupcakes


Haven't been baking much in my oven lately as I was so busy with the kids and tuition. But last night, I realised that I have plainly forgotten about my son's school snack (Bad mummy!), I decided to do up a chiffon cupcake. I have been wanting to try chiffon cupcakes for a very long time but keep putting it off.

Due to me doing this quite last-minute, I used the grape juice that was in my fridge.

End-results - the cupcakes have a slight grape fragrance and it is not overly sweet. It would be better if I can try to make the grape flavour stand out more. As I didn't whisk my egg white well enough, the cupcakes were a little denser than normal. Oh well, practice makes perfect I suppose!

Here's the recipe...


Grape Chiffon Cupcakes (Yields 6 large cupcakes)

3/4 cup cake flour
90g sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter
1/4 cup grape juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Directions

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celcius. Line your ramekins with large paper cups.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the cake flour and baking powder and set aside.


Whisk the egg yolks with 1/3 of the sugar until it turns a pale yellow colour. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract until well combine.


Add 1/3 of the flour into the egg yolk mixture, followed by 1/2 of the grape juice. Mix until combine. Then add 1/3 of the flour, remaining grape juice and the remaining flour. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not over-mix.


In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar (must use clean whisk, it would be easier to use an electric whisk) until soft peak. Add the remaining sugar gradually and beat until stiff peak.

Fold in the egg white in 3 batches until just combine. Do not over-fold.

Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. Bake for 30 mins at 160 degree Celcius or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.



Cool on wiring rack.


Enjoy!




Soft White Bread Using Bread Machine


I bought a bread machine sometime ago but was so busy to give it a "opening ceremony" until a couple of days ago. I was thinking of what bread to do on my first try as I have gotten a few bread machine recipes. In the end, scardy-cat me decided to try the recipe that comes with the bread machine first. That will be more or less fool-proof! :P

End-results - the bread is soft and has a slight sweet fragrance to it. I left aside a slice of bread to test the softness and the bread started to harden a little by the next evening. So all in all, this is a pretty good recipe to keep.


After I posted the bread pictures, I was pretty surprised that quite a few people asked for the recipe and of course, I am very happy to share it here with everyone. However. due to the different brand of bread machines, do check on your dough after it kneaded for around 20 mins and adjust the amount of flour and water accordingly (1 tablespoon at a time). :)

Here's the recipe...


Soft White Bread Using Bread Machine (Yields 450g loaf using DonLim BM1230 Bread Maker)
Recipe from DonLim Recipe Book

240g bread flour
36g sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp milk powder
16g butter
1 egg
120g water
5g yeast


Directions

Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the following order:

- water
- egg
- salt (at one corner)
- sugar (at another corner)
- butter

Add the bread flour to the machine, ensuring it covers the whole wet area.

Make a small well in the middle and add the yeast. Ensure the yeast do not touch the salt.

Using Menu 6 (soft bread function), select the colour of the crust and the loaf size. For my case, I chose medium crust and 450g loaf.

When bread is done, take out the bread tin and invert immediately on a cooling rack and leave to cool. Once cool, unmount it from the tin by tapping at all sides of the tin and slide the loaf out.


Loaf is good to leave outside for max. 3 days, that is if it lasted that long. If you want to keep longer, store in zip-lock bag and refrigerate.

Enjoy! 

Sunday 29 June 2014

Gula Melaka Huat Kueh (Prosperity Steamed Cake)


Recently, I discovered quite a number of people in Facebook are doing Huat Kueh. It makes me think of the time when I was young and my mum will buy the Huat Kueh whenever we pray to the gods. The Prosperity Steamed Cake or better known as Huat Kueh is commonly used for offerings during ceremonies and during Chinese New Year celebrations. The cakes are usually light or dark brown in colour. Leavening during the production process produces a "bloom" that symbolize prosperity.


My nephew and niece loves eating Huat Kueh and often pester their mum to get them the kueh. So seeing all the posts online makes me start thinking that I should try to make some. I sourced through the web in search of a good recipe to follow but there were just too many different variations. In the end, I decided to ask my mother-in-law for her recipe. She provided me the recipe with all ingredients being estimated (common with the older folks) so based on that, I came up with this recipe and viola! Smiling Huat Kuehs that filled the room with the fragrant smell of gula melaka and pandan.

My niece and my hubby couldn't wait to taste the kuehs and they gave me the thumbs up after trying it. This is a big compliment from my niece as she can be very fussy about her food. I'm definitely going to use this recipe again!



Here's the recipe...

Gula Melaka Huat Kueh (Makes 5 muffin-sized kuehs)

200g self-raising flour
200ml coconut milk
140g Gula Melaka (palm sugar)
1/3 cup water (about 75ml)
1 tsp baking powder
4 - 5 pandan leaves, washed and bundled up.


Directions

Add the pandan leaves, coconut milk, water and gula melaka in a pan and cook with low heat until the gula melaka dissolved completely. Stir continuously during cooking to prevent the sugar from burning.


Prepare a steamer or large wok that can steam for about 25 mins (pre-heat plus actual steaming time) with sufficient water. Pre-heat the steamer.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the self-raising flour and baking powder. Add the gula melaka mixture and stir with a whisk until completely mixed.


Lined the muffin tray with liners and transfer the batter to the cups. You should fill the cups until almost to the brim.


Steam in the steamer using high heat for about 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Off the heat and leave the kuehs in the steamer for another 1 min before removing it from the steamer.




The kuehs are best eaten hot. If you would like to store the kuehs for a couple of days, cling wrap it when cooled and refrigerate them. Steam it for a few mins and the kuehs will be nice and moist again!


Wednesday 21 May 2014

Mango and Oreo Wafer Muffins


This lazy mummy pretty much depended on ready-mix to make muffins most of the time. But when I came across Kenneth Goh's (Guai Shu Shu) easy peasy basic muffins, I made it one of my to-do list. It just looked so simple!

This morning since I woke early, decided to make the muffins as I had promised a student to bake some as a reward for doing well in his test. My mum bought me some mangoes over the weekend and I had some oreo wafers that my neighbour gave my children so decided to add these into the muffins.


Turn out the muffins were terrific! Sweet, addictive and delicious! On top of it, it was really easy. No more ready-mix muffins from this mummy again!


The only grumble I have would be the mango taste is not quite as outstanding as I wanted. Oh well, practice makes perfect!

Thanks Kenneth Goh! Hope I did justice to your recipe! :)


Here's the recipe...

Mango and Oreo Wafer Muffins (Makes 9 - 10)
Basic muffin recipe from Guai Shu Shu

2 eggs
170g self-raising flour
100g cooking oil or melted butter
100g full-cream milk
80g raw sugar
100g mangoes, mashed
2 sticks oreo wafers, crushed
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla essence


Direction

Pre-heat oven to 175 degree Celcius.

In a big mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar and milk. Use a hand whisk and whisk until well combined.


Add vanilla essence and sift in flour and baking soda. Whisk until well combined.


Add in the mangoes and crushed oreo wafers. Mix well.


Put mixture into the muffin tray (lined with paper muffin cups) until 90% full and bake for about 20 mins or until inserted skewer comes out clean.



This is a very simple muffin recipe that will yield delicious muffins that children will simply adore! Hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I did.


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Fried Koko Noodles


My elder son has NAFTA test today and had to take a light lunch. So I decided to cook some noodles for all since the little one has been asking non-stop for noodles. This is a dish which I have not cooked for a long time. It is a very easy dish using koko noodles (可口面) or better known as maggie mee. Ingredients are easy as well, the ones I used are generally ingredients that my children like.

You can also use vegetables like bean sprout, long beans and meat like minced pork, ham, diced chicken etc. The options are endless. So basically this is a very versatile dish, ever-ready to adapt to your palate and yet still taste fantastic!


A wonderful dish to whip up on a busy day and yet still wanting to do some cooking or a simple lunch for the family.

Here's the recipe...



Fried Koko Noodles(Serves 3 - 4)

3 pieces of instant koko noodles (maggie mee)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, diced
5 hotdogs, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 carrots, cut into thin strips
4 imitation crab sticks, cut into small chunks
10 fresh shitake mushroom, sliced
3 eggs
2 tbsp oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup hot water


Directions

In a pot of boiling water, add the instant noodles in and cook for a min or less. Do not cook too thorough as you are frying the noodles later. Dish out and set aside.


Heat the frying wok and add some cooking oil. Scrambled the eggs and set aside. 


In the same wok, add some oil and when hot, saute the garlic and onion until fragrant.

Add in the carrots and stir-fry for a min or two. Add the hotdogs and shitake mushrooms and stir evenly. Add  the crab stick and mix evenly the ingredients.

Add the instant noodles, oyster sauce, salt and pepper (to taste) and  water. Stir evenly ensuring the noodles dun stick to the wok. Add more water as and when needed.


Cook the noodles for another 7 mins, stir constantly to prevent the noodles from sticking to wok.

Add the eggs and mix evenly.


Serve with belacan chili.