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

I made this butter cake with Mandarin oranges which were abundant during the recent Chinese New Year.   Baked this cake in a loaf pan and initally there was a slight crack in the centre which is quite common when cakes are baked in a loaf pan but I was very pleased when the gap closed up upon cooling.  Perfect to have this for breakfast or for tea as it was moist, soft and full of orange flavour. Mandarin Orange Butter Cake  ~  橘子奶油蛋糕 Ingredients (A)  173 gm unsalted butter         110 gm caster sugar         3 egg yolks         150 gm self-raising flour, sifted         45 ml Mandarin orange juice         Pinch of salt (B)   3 egg whites         37 gm caster sugar Method Line a 24 x 13 x 7 cm loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside. Beat butter with sugar till pale and fluffy.  Add in the egg yolks one at a time, mix well. Fold in the sifted flour alternating with the Mandarin orange juice till well combined. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites till fo

Kuiih is commonly referred to as a Malaysian or Nyonya dessert which can be sweet or savoury.  It is normally served in bite-size portions, at breakfast, tea, snack or at the end of a meal.  Kuih Talam literally means kuih steamed in a tray and mostly kuih are steamed rather than baked or fried.  Kuih Talam consists of two layers, a sweet bottom green layer with natural colouring from the pandan or screwpine leaves and a slightly salty top layer made with coconut milk.  The green layer is made with rice flour, green pea flour and tapioca flour and its texture is dense compared with the top layer of rice flour and greeen pea flour which is softer in texture. Kuih Talam ~  绿白双层香兰糕 120 gm rice flour 40 gm tapioca flour 20 gm green pea flour 180 gm sugar 350 ml water 1 tsp alkaline/lye water 15 pandan/screwpine leaves, cut into  small pieces and blend with approx. 350 ml water or more to get 300 ml pandan juice Ingredients for the top white layer 50 g

This is a moist quick bread bursting with the flavour of sweet figs and crunchy walnuts with a slight hint of cinnamon.   The chopped dried figs need to be softened by adding boiling water, a bit of salt, baking soda, stir and leave to cool to room temperature.  The whole lot together with the liquid is then added into the batter.  I used Rapadura sugar which is an unrefined sugar from the Uva province in Sri Lanka.  You can read more about Rapadura sugar from 'here'. Figs & Walnut Tea Bread ~  无花果和核桃蛋糕    (adapted from 'here' with modifications) Ingredients 225 gm Figs, softened and chopped 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda a pinch of salt 1 cup boiling water 50 gm walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped 260 gm plain flour 70 gm Rapadura sugar (can use brown or caster sugar) 1.1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 113 gm cold butter, cut into cubes 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla Method Chop up th

This is a delicious and easy pancake but instead of milk I used thin coconut milk.   Since coconut milk is lactose free, it can be used as a milk substitute by those with lactose intolerance.   The natural sweetness of coconut milk does add extra flavour to these panckes.  They are light, delectable, moist with a slight hint of coconut.  Great to go with fresh fruit and here I've served them with honey and persimmon. Dairy-Free Coconut Pancake ~  椰子薄饼 Ingredients 150 gm self-raising flour 1 Tbsp sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten 200 ml thin coconut milk 1/4 tsp salt Oil for frying Honey, maple syrup and fresh fruits of your choice Method In a bowl, whisk together self-raising flour, sugar and salt.  Make a well in the centre and add in the lightly beaten egg. Mix well. Gradualy add in the coconut milk and mix till free from lumps.  Let rest for about 20 mins. Stir again before using. Place cooking oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  

This Gula Melaka or Palm Sugar Chiffon  Cake is very aromatic and it does taste a bit like butterscotch but this is more rich.   It is soft and fluffy and in this recipe, I used coconut powder dissolved in water instead of coconut milk and the result is not disappointing at all! Gula Melaka/Palm Sugar Chiffon Cake ~  椰糖戚风蛋糕   (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients (A)  6 egg yolks  150 gm gula melaka 100 ml coconut milk (I used 20 gm coconut powder + 100 ml water) 4 Tbsp canola oil 140 gm plain or superfine flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt Pandan/Screwpine leaves (B)  6 egg whites 30 gm caster sugar 1 tsp lemon juice OR 1/4 tsp cream of tartar Method In a saucepan, melt coconut milk with gula melaka and pandan leaves.  Set aside to cool. Sift plain flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Beat egg yolks in a ball whisk, add in canola oil and whisk till well combined.  Add gula melaka mixture into egg yolk mixture, mix well.

After stuffing myself with so much goodies during the festive season, it's time to revert to a healthy and nutritious diet.   So for breakfast I had these Overnight Oats and as the name implies these oats were prepared the night before, kept refrigerated.   I sprinkled on some granola and had them with some fresh cherries. Overnight Oats ~   隔夜麦片 Ingredients 1/2 cup instant oats 3/4 cup milk 1 tsp chia seeds 1 tsp sultanas 1 tsp dried cranberries granola fresh fruits of your choice Method Mix the instant oats, milk, chia seeds and dried fruitsin a container, preferably with a cover. Cover and keep refrigerated. Add in some granola and serve with fresh fruits of your choice.

I start off the Rooster Year with a chick dish which calls for only a few ingredients which are easily available in any household.  But the star ingredient in this dish is the Chinese Rose wine which really adds flavour and fragrance to this simple dish. Pan-fried Oyster Sauce Chicken  ~  煎蚝油鸡 Ingredients 300 gm or 2 whole leg of chicken, deboned and sliced 1.1/2 tsp oyster sauce 1.1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp Rose wine a dash of pepper scant seasalt red chilli and spring onions to garnish Method Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients for a few hours or overnight, chilled. Heat up some oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the marinated chicken slices, pan fry on medium heat, cover. Sprinkle some water on the chicken to give some moisture, cook till meat is tender. Dish out, sprinkle on some garnishing. Serve with rice.