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

I came across this recipe in a Coles magazine and just couldn't wait to give it a try.  Instead of blueberry sauce I used dragon fruit to make the sauce as I was confident that the purplish colour of the dragon fruit would also stand out in this cake.  And I was not wrong! Lemon Dragon Fruit Poke Cake  ~  柠檬火龙果蛋糕 Ingredients 150 gm butter 170 gm caster sugar (reduced from 220 gm) 2 large eggs 300 gm yoghurt 225 gm self-raising flour (sifted) 40 gm almond meal 1 Tbsp lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice Icing sugar to dust Dragon fruit sauce 150 gm dragon fruit 2 Tbsp caster sugar 1.1.2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water Method for dragon fruit sauce Mash up the dragon fruit in a small sauce pan, add in the sugar and cook on medium heat till sugar has dissolved. Add in cornflour mixture and cook till thicken.  Cool slightly. While still warm, pour mixture into each of the hole in the cake. Method for cake Line the base and grease the sides o

Other than fried egg or omelette, this is my to go recipe when I'm pressed for time to prepare dinner.  With only a few simple ingredients at hand, one can whip up this healthy tofu dish topped with savoury and fragrant dried shrimps and crispy garlic.  A highly recommended dish for busy on-the- go mothers! Garlicky shrimp steamed tofu ~  蒜蓉蝦米蒸豆腐 Ingredients 1 packet silky tofu 3 tsp dried shrimps 4 pips garlic, chopped Dark and light soya sauce to taste sesame oil chopped chilli to garnish Method Saute the chopped garlic with some oil Add in the dried shrimps and stir-fry till fragrant Add in the dark and light soya sauce, dish out Place the tofu onto a heatproof plate Steam over medium heat for 5 mins. Remove excess water from the plate Pour the garlic dried shrimp mixture on top of the tofu Drizzle on some sesame oil Garnish with choppoed chillies Serve

I had always wanted to make a Swiss Roll but have been procrastinating for a long time as I doubt whether I can master the art of rolling the cake.  After seeing so many pretty Hurricane Swiss Roll posts on Facebook  and blogs, the temptation was too great to resist.  So here's my first attempt at a roll cake. Hurricane Swiss Roll with Strawberry jam ~  飓风蛋糕卷  ( adapted from 'here'  .  Please visit this site for illustrated pictures on how to achieve the 'Hurricane' pattern) Ingredients (A) 4 egg yolks 60 gm caster sugar 30 ml milk 30 ml canola oil 1 tsp vanilla 70 gm plain flour, sifted 1 Tbsp cocoa powder Strawberry jam or any other jam of your choice (B)   4 egg whites, 50 gm caster sugar Method Line a 10" x 10" square pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a bowl, mix egg yolks, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla with a ball whisk.  Mix well and add in sifted flour.  Mix till well incorporated. Divide into 2 portions.  Add one p

The tamarind juice in this recipe adds a sweet and sour flavour to the meat along with the aromatic kaffir lime leaves.  Besides adding flavour, the natural acidity of tamarind helps to tenderise the meat and makes the pork fillet more succulent and tender.  The marinade makes a delicious sauce when reduced and this goes very well with plain white rice. Tangy tamarind pork fillet ~  亚参猪肉片 Ingredients 500 gm pork fillet, cut into bite size 5 Tbsp tamarind juice 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp dark soya sauce 2 tsp light soya sauce 1 onion, sliced 1.1/2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to thicken Kaffir lime leaves, cut thinly Salt to taste Method Season the pork fillet with the tamarind juice, brown sugar, salt, dark and light soya sauce for a few hours. Pour all the above into a wok and add 3/4 cup water Cook on high heat, then switch to medium to simmer till meat is cooked through. Add in the sliced onions Add in cornflour mixture, f