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

  The classic 'Victoria Sandwhich' .... an 'oldie' but certainly a goodie and have you ever wondered how it got its name?  There's a history behind this Victoria sponge    cake .  It was named after Queen Victoria, who favoured a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea.  A traditional Victoria sponge consists of jam sandwiched between 2 layers of sponge cakes, the top of the cake is not iced or decorated.  If you wish to know more of this history, then read it from   here . I've never had any formal lessons on dressing up a cake, so I just 'plaster' up the sides since there's extra    chocolate  mixture and  I see no reason to waste!  Sprinkle on some nibbed almonds, and there you are, a plain Jane no more! I would prefer to round this piece of yummy cake with a cup of hot tea, sit down, relax and enjoy! Victoria Sandwich Cake ~  維多利亞蛋糕 Ingredients 4 eggs 8 oz butter/margarine 8 oz self-raising flour...

 Made with oil and yoghurt, this Chocolate Chip Orange Loaf Cake is fragrant, moist with tender crumbs, bursting with orange flavour and slightly melted chocolate chips. It is effortless to make this loaf cake, no need to bring out the mixer, just gather all the ingredients and with a few bowls, you're ready to whip up  this delicious cake. Chocolate Chip Orange Loaf Cake  ~     橙子巧克力片蛋糕 Ingredients 240 gm plain flour 100 gm caster sugar 1 Tbsp zest 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 2 'L' eggs 1/2 cup plain yoghurt 1/2 cup orange juice 1/3 cup oil 1 tsp vanilla 30 gm chocolate chips Extra orange juice for drizzling (optional) Method Prepare and line a 4.5 x 8.5 inch loaf pan Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.  Set aside. Mix the sugar with the zest and pour into the flour mixture. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs, add in oil, juice, yoghurt and vanilla.  Mix till well incorporated with a ball whisk. Pour the wet ...

  The Air Fryer does a great job of cooking chicken with a crispy top and juicy tender meat.  They take only minutes to prepare and are very versatile.  If you want to take them to the next level, marinate and keep them in a ziplock bag, pop them into the fridge overnight.  I like the golden crisped exterior and you can switch up the spices to change the flavours, whether you want them to be slightly spicy or sweetish with a bit of honey.  Serve this with some salad and dinner is done!. Airfried whole leg of chicken  ~  空氣炸全雞腿 Ingredients 2 whole leg of chicken about 600 gm 2 tsp oil 1.5 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp smoke paprika 2 tsp chicken seasoning (McCormick) 2 tsp brown sugar Method Wash and pat dry the chicken. Rub some oil on the chicken.  Meanwhile, mix all the seasonings in a bowl. Rub the seasoning into the chicken.  Transfer the seasoned chicken into a ziplock bag and refridgerate overnight. Let the chicken sit...

  These muffins are soft and light filled with fresh citrus flavour from the juice and zest.  Added yoghurt makes these muffins healthier and the walnuts give an added crunch.  Not much fuss to make these delicious muffins to enjoy for morning tea, or a snack. Orange Walnut Muffin  ~   橙子核桃玛芬    Ingredients 240 gm plain flour 100 gm caster sugar 1 Tbsp orange zest 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 2 'L'eggs 1/2 cup or 113 gm plain yoghurt 1/2 cup orange juice 1/3 cup vegetable oil 50 gm lightly roasted walnut, chopped Vanilla Extra orange juice to drizzle (optional) Method In a mixing bowl, sift plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix in sugar and zest.  Set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil, juice and yoghurt till well incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix in the chopped walnuts. Mix till mixture is just combined.  Do not overmix. With an ice cre...

This chicken dish has a unique flavour from the galangal root.  The tender and juicy chicken meat is fried with a mixture of chopped galangal root, young ginger and shallots with soy sauce to taste.   Lengkuas or  Galangal is a tuberous root with a tough skin, slightly pinkish in colour and can be used with skin intact.  If galangal is difficult to find, ginger can be a substitute. Galangal Braised Chicken   ~   藍姜燜雞     Ingredients 300 gm whole chicken leg cut into bite size 50 gm young ginger, chopped 10 gm galangal finely chopped 8 to 10 shallots, finely chopped 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1/4 tsp salt to season the chicken 2 tsp Shaoxing wine to drizzle Method Wash the chicken, pat dry and season with salt.  Set aside. In a wok saute the shallots, galangal and young ginger with some oil till fragrant. Add in the chicken and shallow fry.  Cover the wok and let it simmer for about 15 mins. Test for doneness and fine tun...

  This dark chocolate chip pound cake is soft and spongy with a tender texture.  As I used 70% cocoa Lindt dark chocolate, the cake is not too sweet and the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate complements well with the sweetness of the cake.  This cake has a combination of butter, oil and buttermilk hence it gives a better crumb and not heavy.  The oil keeps it moist and fluffy.  Enjoy it with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Dark Chocolate Chip Cake  黑巧克力蛋糕 Ingredients 210 gm plain flour 1.1/2 tsp baking powder 55 gm unsalted butter 1/4 cup or 60 ml vegetable oil 130 gm caster sugar 2 'L' eggs 1 tsp vanilla 180 ml buttermilk 100 gm dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate buttons 1/4 Tbsp vinegar to make buttermilk Pinch of salt Method Prepare and line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, set aside. Pour milk and vinegar into a measuring cup to get 180 ml buttermilk, give it a stir and keep refrigerated. Sift the plain flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Bre...

  I have airfried shrimp paste chicken before but this time I tried steaming it as the weather is so hot and humid, so steaming is another alternative.  The chicken was delicious and tasty and it did go well with white rice or even plain white porridge.  A homey and comfort dish which can be easily prepared, fuss free. Steamed Chicken with Shrimp or Prawn Paste ~  虾酱蒸鸡   Ingredients 300 gm whole leg of chicken cut into bite size 1.1/2 tsp Lee Kum Kee shrimp paste 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp Shaoxing wine 1 tsp ginger strips 1/2 tsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp light soy sauce 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1.1/2 tsp cornflour a dash of pepper Chopped bird eye chillies to garnish Method Wash and pat dry the chicken, season with salt. Add in shrimp paste, sesame oil, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and pepper.  Marinate well into the chicken and preferably leave it overnight in the fridge. Remove from the fridge, let rest in room temperature.  Sprin...