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

Prepared a foundation dough with the help of my Breadmaker and made this.  It  did take a bit of effort to coil up the dough as it was fairly long and was not so adept at it as this was my first try.  Nonetheless, it turned out quite well and was lovely, especially eaten warm. the crunchy topping of chopped almonds and honey...... mmm... especially when your teeth sinks into it, beautiful.... picture on the left, before proving, and picture on the right, after proving and topped with a mixture of honey and nibbed almonds, just before going into the oven just out of the oven and the sweet smell of freshly baked bread, fills the air a bit of a heart shape ? Recipe for Honey Twist Ingredients for Dough, using a Breadmaker 1 egg + water to make up 1 cup  -  250 ml Butter/Margarine  -  3 Tbsp Salt  -  1/2  Tsp High Protein Flour  -  410 gm Skim Milk powder -  2...

Tried this tea bread with the balance of pumpkin after cooking pumpkin rice.  The squash helps the loaf stay deliciously moist and the cinnamon blends well with the pumpkin flavour. Yummy ....... easy to make, yet easier to eat Recipe for Cranberry Pumpkin Tea Bread Ingredients 9 oz Plain Flour 2  Teasp. Baking Powder 1  Teasp Cinnamon 1/2  Teasp Salt 2 eggs 4 oz Brown Sugar 15 oz Pumpkin Puree 1/2  Cup Canola Oil 60 gm dried Cranberries - chopped  and coated with a bit of flour from above 1  Teasp Vanilla Method Grease an 8.5 x 4.5 x 3 inches loaf dish Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and mix in cinnamon Cream eggs and sugar till fluffy, light and creamy Add oil, vanilla and mix well Add pumpkin puree, mix thoroughly Fold in sifted flour, mix well Fold in dried cranberries, mix thoroughly Bake in preheated oven @ 180 deg C for about 1 hour Test with skewer till it comes out clean Note :  Any excess pureed pumpki...

Steaming preserves the vitamins and minerals in foods and healthy as you do not need to add any oils or fats. Also, steamed food has a stronger, more flavourful taste, more so with foods steamed with herbs...... Simple, quick and easy to prepare, nutritious too Recipe for Steamed Herbal Chicken Ingredients 3 free range chicken drumsticks, cut into bite size pieces 3 slices Dong Quai/Chinese Angelica, break into small pieces 2  Teasp Kei Chi/Wolfberries Seasoning 4  Teasp Fish Sauce/Nampla 1/2  Teasp Sugar 1/8  Teasp Pepper 2  Teasp Cornflour mixed with 3 Tbsp water 2  Teasp Shaoxing wine (optional) Garnishing Spring Onions, chopped Preparation Marinate the chicken pieces with the above seasoning together with the Dong Quai pieces and kei chi for about 2 to 3 hours, or preferably overnight Steam over rapidly boiling water for about 10 to 15 mins. or till chicken pieces are cooked Turn off heat Drizzle 2  Teasp of Shaoxing wine Gar...

Yet another one pot meal, introduced by a close friend of mine, easy and simple to cook especially for two people. the rice is just cooked in the rice cooker .......... give it a stir, add salt to taste  this is indeed delicious, wholesome, full of pumpkin goodness, protein, all in one ........ Recipe for Pumpkin Rice Ingredients 300 gm Pumpkin, cut into cubes 100 gm pork fillet, diced 20 gm dried shrimps 3 pips garlic, chopped *1 cup Taj Mahal Herba Ponni rice 3 cups water 2 Tbsp ol for frying Spring onions for garnishing Seasoning 2  Tsp light soya sauce 2  Tsp Oyster sauce 1  Tsp sesame oil 1/2  Tsp salt 1/2  Tsp dark soya sauce 1/2  Tsp sugar a dash of pepper Preparation Saute the chopped garlic till fragrant, add in the dried shrimps. Add in the seasoned meat, pumpkin cubes and 2 Tbsp of water and fry till semi-cooked.  Dish out and set aside. Wash and cook rice in rice cooker with 3 cups of water. ...

This is yet another first attempt .... Pan seared Salmon.  I normally bake or grill salmon, but pan seared turned out just as good. Besides convenience, salmon is an excellent source of high quality protein, rich in antioxidants, high in heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, in short, a great source of nutrients for both the young and old alike. just rub in some sea salt and freshly ground pepper and marinate for about half an  hour salmon is done when it is opaque on the outside yet slightly translucent in the centre serve with  Portabello Mushrooms, squeeze in some lemon juice, some lettuce and ....... yummy Recipe for Pan seared Salmon Ingredients 200 gm Salmon block 1/4  Teasp Sea Salt Freshly  ground Black Pepper Lemon juice 2  Teasp Olive oil for frying 125 gm Portabello Mushrooms 50 gm Garlic -  chopped 2 Teasp Olive oil for frying A sprinkling of Salt and Pepper Salad  -  Lettuce Preparation ...

One of my friends recently requested for a Caramel Custard recipe.  So, I browsed through my collection of recipes and chanced upon this recipe which I believe is quite close to her request.  As I'm not a milk fan, I tweaked it a bit and substituted milk with soymilk, just to try, and I'm pleasantly surprised and pleased with the result as this is my first attempt . after being refrigerated overnight and inverted onto a serving dish Yummy ......... Recipe for Creme Caramel Ingredients for Caramel : 4 oz. granulated Sugar 1/4  cup water Preparation : Warm a small heavy-based saucepan over low heat, pour in the granulated sugar followed by the water. Using a wooden spoon, keep stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.  Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and let the syrup boil.  If you continue to stir at this stage, the syrup will crystallise. Shake the saucepan a bit and keep a close eye on the car...

Ipoh is famous for its white, fatty Bean Sprouts which have short roots.  They grow very well here because of its water from the surrounding mountains and streams, as it's in a valley ...... the Kinta Valley. Won Ton Noodles, whole and loosened, ready to be cooked blanched Bean Sprouts 'Lam Meen' served with sambal belachan, a spicy shrimp paste.  This is not soupy, just enough soup/gravy to pour over the noodles, to moisten them,  'lam' meaning to pour, hence the name 'Lam Meen'. Recipe for 'Lam Meen' Ingredients : 300 gm Chicken Frame 150 gm Pork fillet 100 gm Prawns, shelled with tail intact 70  gm Shallots - sliced to make shallot crisps 1 egg - to make an omelette 3 Won ton mee/noodles 150 gm Bean Sprouts 4 cups of water to make chicken stock Spring onions  - chopped for garnishing Salt and Light Soya Sauce to taste Seasoning for pork fillet : 1 Tsp  salt 1 Tsp light soya sauce 1/4 Tsp sugar 1/2 Tsp oys...

This is a very simple and quick universal dish, common in most households.  It will certainly come in handy if you have unexpected guests who stay for dinner. Recipe for Prawn Omelette Ingredients 120 gm Prawns 2 Big Onions  -  sliced 3 Large Eggs 1 Teasp Light Soya Sauce Oil for frying Seasoning for Prawns 1/2  Teasp Salt 1  Teasp Sugar Dash of  Pepper Method Lightly beat up the eggs with the light soya sauce Heat up the pan with some oil Saute the sliced onions with the seasoned prawns Dish out Pour the beaten eggs onto the pan Add in the prawns and onions Once the bottom is brown, flip omelette and brown the other side Dish up and serve *****

My daughter told me that in the eight years that she's been in Melbourne, she's never seen the 'Low Wong Kua' aka Yellow Squash in the Asian grocery stores or in Victoria market.  We normally prepare soup with this gourd/squash which is said to contain vitamins A and C besides minerals like manganese, copper and potassium.   It's supposed to be a cooling soup too, very suitable for our Malaysian hot, humid weather. My mum used to say that should the 'Low Wong Kua' tastes bitter, it means that the same plot of land has just been planted with Bitter gourd, hence the bitter taste . top picture  .... the 'low wong kua'/yellow squash, whole bottom picture .... the squash, scrubbed, washed, cut and seeds scrapped off, ready for cooking Recipe for 'Low Wong Kua' aka Yellow Squash Soup Ingredients 370 gm Pork bones, near the tail   650 gm low wong kua 10 gm dried Fish bones - soaked 3 Large Preserved Dates  (mut c...

This Japanese cheesecake is soft and light, not overly sweet.  Great to serve as a dessert after a hearty meal. after baking for 1 hr. 15 mins. in 'water bath'...... leaving oven door ajar for about 30 mins. before taking out to cool Recipe for Japanese Cheesecake ~  日本芝士蛋糕 Ingredients : A)  250 gm Cream cheese       180 ml Low fat Milk B)  9  Tbsp Plain Flour      4.1/2  Tbsp Cornflour C)  6 Egg Yolks       120 gm Caster Sugar D)  6 Egg Whites       1  Tsp Cream of Tartar       120 gm Caster Sugar Method : Line the base of a 10 inch sq. cake tin with parchment paper, set aside. Cook cream cheese with milk on low heat, stirring all the time, till the cream cheese has melted.  Set aside. Sift the flour, cornflour, mix well.  Set aside. Beat egg yolks with sugar till light, cream...

Ipoh, besides boasting of its white, fatty beansprouts and smooth, soft Hor fun/Kway Teow used to be famous for its 'Leong Char' aka 'Cooling Tea'.  Actually, not so much the 'leong char',  but for the 'leong char mui' meaning 'cooling tea maiden'. Back in the late '60's and early '70's there were many of these stalls set up by the roadside at night and they were manned by those pretty maidens, well you can say 'pretty maidens in a row'.  There was a great variety of cooling tea to choose from, 'loh hon kor', winter melon, sugar cane, chrysanthemum, not forgetting the very bitter, black as coffee, king of 'leong char', 'Wong Low Kat' , just to name a few.  They were cheap, those days, ranging from 20 to 50 sen per glass. I remember that my mum used to make this concotion of 'Wong Low Kat' at least once a month and more frequently if the weather was unduly hot and dry.  Then me and my sib...

What a funny name, 'Chau Lup Lup', curious to know what it is?  It's one of my late mum's signature dishes, and it's her favourite whenever she cooked plain white porridge.  She called it 'Chau Lup Lup', which literally means 'fry all the small pieces'.  That's why all the ingredients are either diced or sliced. When eaten with plain porridge, it resembles the 'Hakka' dish, 'Looi Char', where everything is mixed together with rice and a vegetable tea.  Like 'Looi Char', this dish also requires a fair bit of biting and chewing power. Recipe for Chau Lup Lup Ingredients : 150 gm French Beans  - diced 100 gm Dried Bean Curd  - diced 50 gm Preserved vegetable/Choy Poh  - diced 20 gm Dried Shrimps, wash and drained 80 gm Roasted Pork  -  diced 40 gm Groundnuts 1.1/2 to 2 Tbsp oil for frying 2 shallots  - chopped 1/2  Tsp Salt 1 Tsp light Soya Sauce 1/2  Tsp sugar Waer for sprinking while frying Garni...

This is my second attempt at making savoury muffins.  On my first attempt, I baked them in paper cups   and there were not much to be savoured as much of them got stuck onto the paper.  Had to scrape the crumbs off the paper in order to get more bite.  So, today I just lightly greased the patty tins and after baking, they could be easily dislodged.  Had them with some green tomato chutney made with brown sugar, compliments from my neighbour and they were delicious ........ a hearty meal. second attempt, baked in patty tins without the paper cups first try, with paper cups, much of the muffins got stuck onto the paper Yummy, straight from the oven and served with some chutney.  The tangy green tomato chutney made a nice accompaniment for the slightly savoury muffins. Recipe for Savoury Corn Bacon Muffins Ingredients : 8 oz Plain Flour 1 Teasp Baking Powder 1/2  Teasp Baking Soda 1 egg 250 ml milk/Sugarless soymi...

'Tung Hu', a kind of Chinese spinach is widely grown in the cool, hilly resort in Malaysia, the Cameron Highlands.  It is usually served with other vegetables in the very popular 'Steamboat'.  However, not many people will acquire a liking for this vegetable because of its unique smell, some may like it, while others may not. Recipe for 'Tung Hu' Fish Ball Soup Ingredients 350 gm Chicken frame 20 fresh Ikan Tenggiri Fish Balls 200 gm Tung Hu vegetable 4 cups of water Salt to taste Method Put the 4 cups of water to the boil Once the water is boiling, add in the chicken frame Meanwhile, wash and pluck off the leaves of the vegetable Let soup simmer for about 45 minutes Add in the fish balls followed by the Tung Hu Add salt to taste Dish out and serve hot Add a dash of pepper, if desired ~  ! ~ ! ~ Do read more on Cameron Highlands , a very popular holiday resort in Malaysia.

I was going through my picture folder and stumbled upon these pictures. Have totally forgotten to post this, better late than never. Recipe for Simple Carrot Walnut Cake Ingredients 3 oz Plain Flour 3 oz Self-raising Flour 1.1/2 Teasp Cinnamon 1.1/2 Teasp Baking Soda Pinch of Salt (all the above to be sifted together) 3 eggs 3/4 cup Cannola/Olive Oil 4.1/2 oz Brown Sugar 2.1/4 cups Carrots  -  Shredded 70 gm Raisins  (chopped and coated with some flour from above) 100 gm Walnuts (slightly toasted and coarsely chopped) 1 Teasp Vanilla Method Cream sugar with eggs till light, fluffy and thick Slowly add in the oil followed by the vanilla Cream thoroughly Fold in the sifted flour, mix well By hand, slowly mix in the shredded carrots, walnuts and finally the raisins Mix thoroughly Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 inch tin or a 10 in. Bundt tin Bake in preheated oven @ 180 deg C for about 50 mins to 1 hr Test with skewer till it comes out ...

Mooncakes - red bean paste, lotus bean paste with and without salted duck egg yolk, nonbaked  pandan snow skin lotus bean paste, mini yam (taro), 'leng kok' aka Water Caltrop and Chinese tea, a must have with sweet mooncakes.  Both the mini yam and water caltrop have been cooked by boiling in water for about 45 minutes.  To taste the mini yam, remove the skin and dip it in some caster sugar.  To break open the water caltrop, you'll need a hammer to crack up the hard shell  ........ it sure is a tough nut to crack! Today, 3rd October 2009 is the Mid-Autumn Festival and each year it falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month where the moon is at its brightest and fullest. When I was young, I looked forward to this day because I  got to play lanterns with my neighbours' kids, my contemporaries.  I would be happier if the festival were to fall on a weekend as I could play lanterns later into the night and not have to get up early for school the...

The advent of the Breadmaker has certainly helped making bread, a breeze, taking away the tedious task of mixing and kneading the dough.  I used the Breadmaker to churn out this dough for these Chelsea Buns. Buns before proving  ................. After 30 minutes of proving .............. Sniff, sniff , sweet smell of cinnamon wafting from the oven ............. Sweet, crunchy top and soft, fluffy inside  ...................  mmmmm Recipe for Chelsea Buns Ingredients : Dough Cycle - 1 hr.30 mins 1 egg + water to make up 1 cup - 250 ml Butter/Margarine - 3 Tbsp Salt - 1/2 Tsp High Protein Flour - 410 gm Skim Milk powder - 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar - 3 Tbsp Yeast - 2 Tsp Filling : 1 oz Butter/Margarine 1 oz Brown Sugar 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon 2 oz Sultanas/Raisins Additional Brown Sugar for sprinkling, before baking Method : At the end of the dough cycle, turn the dough onto a floured surface, knock back th...