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

When I saw the post of Prune Butter Cake from Ann of anncoojournal , I told myself that I have to give this a try as the bottle of Rum has been sitting comfortably in my pantry for a long time.  True to what Ann said, the kitchen was filled with sweet fragrance when the cake was baking in the oven.  The texture may be a bit dense but it was moist and soft.  Tastes good served warm or cooled. Prune Butter Cake  ~   西梅牛油蛋糕 Ingredients 200 gm butter 160 gm caster sugar 230 gm plain flour 4 large eggs (lightly beaten) 2 tsp lemon juice 2.1/2 Tbsp Rum 1.1/2 tsp vanilla 1.1/3 tsp baking powder 2.1/2 Tbsp milk 120 gm dried pitted prunes 3.1/2 Tbsp Rum 1 Tbsp sugar Method Soak the prunes with Rum and sugar for about an hour.  Simmer over low  heat for 5 mins. till the prunes plump up.   Remove 8 eight pieces for decoration and snip or cut up the rest.  Add in 2 Tbsp sifted flour to absorb moisture.   Set aside. Line the base of an 8 inch springform pa

Breastfeeding mothers need a healthy diet and breastfeeding makes many mothers extra thirsty and therefore drinking a lot of fluids help to prevent dehydration.  Fluid intake is associated with breast milk production and green papaya is one of the nutritious fruit that can be used in a soup or in salads. That said, consuming green papaya helps to increase the production of oxytocin which ultimately increases the production of milk. Green papaya snow fungus pork rib soup ~ 青木瓜雪耳猪骨汤 (坐月汤) Ingredients 800 gm green papaya, remove skin and seeds 15 gm snow fungus, soak till it plumps up, snip off the hard ends 450 gm pork ribs 12 seedless red dates 2.1/2 lt water 1/2 tsp crushed pepper corns seasalt to taste Method Peel off the skin from the green papaya, remove the seeds and cut into wedges. Blanch the pork ribs in a pot of boiling water, rinse well. In a pot, bring the water to a boil, add in the red dates, peppercorn and pork ribs.  Let it simmer for about

This Pandan Ogura Cake is soft, moist and light and the texture resembles that of a chiffon cake but baked in a normal cake pan.  There are many variations of ogura cake with different flavours and I've baked with Greentea  and Orange flavour before. Pandan Ogura Cake  ~  班兰相思蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 5 egg yolks 1 whole egg 1/4 tsp salt 65 ml canola oil 90 ml pandan juice 70 gm plain flour (B) 5 egg whites 70 gm caster sugar 1/4 tsp cream of tartar Method In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and whole egg till well combined.   Add in oil, pandan juice and salt, whisk thoroughly.  Sift in flour, mix well. In a clean bowl, whisk  egg whites till foamy, add in cream of tartar and gradually add in   sugar.   Whisk till stiff peaks form but not dry. Fold in 1/3 meringue into the egg mixture, mix well and then pour this mixture into the   remaining meringue.   Mix well.  Pour batter into a lined 8 inch square pan.  Tap the pan a bit to remove air bubbles. Steam

This is a very simple chicken dish, easy to prepare, good to serve at a meal and also suitable as a confinement food for new mothers.   The four ingredients are of course, a free-range chicken, seasalt, Tang Gui    当归   (Angelica Sinensis) and Bei Qi   北芪 (Astragalus Membranaceus).   Homemade Salted Chicken ~  Confinement food ~   盐烤鸡 Ingredients 1 kg free-range chicken 3 tsp ground seasalt 6 piecesTong Gui 6 pieces Bei Qi Method Tear up the pieces of Tong Gui and Bei Qi Clean up the chicken, pat dry and rub seasalt all over the chicken. Mix up the herbs and put into the cavity of the chicken Marinate for a few hours, preferably overnight, refrigerated Remove from fridge, leave at room temperature Place the chicken into a rice cooker with a 4 mm forged thick pot Cook till chicken is tender using the 'Cook' function

This Kaya ~ Coconut Egg Jam is creamy, smooth and velvety, unlike the grainy Pandan Kaya version which I posted 'here' .   Most people would normally have their kaya with bread, either steamed or toasted but at times I like to snack on crackers with a spread of kaya. Kaya ~ Coconut Egg Jam ~ 焦糖加椰 Ingredients 4 large eggs (around 68 gm with shell) 150 gm caster sugar 200 ml coconut milk (I used 'Ayam' brand) 5 pandan/screwpine leaves, knotted 30 gm gula melaka/palm sugar, caramalised (optional) Method Mix and stir the eggs with sugar, then add in the coconut milk, mix well. Strain the mixture into another big bowl. Heat up some water in a pot on slow fire and place the bowl of egg mixture on top.   Make sure that the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Add in the knotted pandan leaves and keep stirring the mixture with a whisk or spatula for about 30 mins.  The mixture will thicken a bit.  Let rest and stir every other 10 mins. ti

After my first attempt at making a Hurricane Swiss Rol l, I have a bit more confidence to venture into other 'forms' of Swiss Roll.  Today I'm sharing with you a very basic Swiss Roll with homemade kaya filling.  Soft and light ...... a perfect partner with a  pot of  our piping hot, good old fashioned 'kopi O'! Basic Swiss Roll with Kaya ~ 加椰蛋糕卷  Ingredients (A) 4 egg yolks (about 67 gm with shell) 40 gm caster sugar 40 ml milk 40 ml canola oil 1 tsp vanilla 80 gm plain flour, sifted 1/8 tsp salt Homemade Kaya/coconut egg jam filling   (B) 4 egg whites 40 gm caster sugar 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice Method Line a 10" x 10" square pan with parchment paper. Mix egg yolks, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla and salt with a ball whisk till well incorporated.  Sift in plain flour and mix well.  Set aside. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites with vinegar till foamy, add in sugar in batches and beat till stiff peaks but

Although no research says that Basil can help to  increase the production of breast milk but it has a calming effect, helps improve bowel movement and promotes a healthy appetite when used in moderation.  Meanwhile Turmeric is full of vitamins and offers several medicinal benefits when consumed moderately while breastfeeding the  baby. Basil Turmeric Chicken (Confinement food)  ~  九层塔黄姜鸡 Ingredients 400 gm free range chicken cut into bite size 1 big onion, sliced Some sprigs of Thai basil leaves Seasoning 1/4 tsp each of  sugar, light soya sauce, salt 1.1/2 tsp turmeric powder 2 Tbsp tamarind juice a dash of dark soya sauce Method Marinate the chicken with the above seasoning for a few hours or overnight. Pan fry the onion slices till fragrant, then add in the seasoned chicken. Add some water, cover and cook till chicken is cooked through and tender. Toss in the basil leaves, mix well. Fine tune to desired taste. Dish out and serve.