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

  These Almond Sable Cookies are a must try during this holiday season, it's a Christmas Butter Time Cookie.  I have posted a simpler recipe before, French Butter Cookies , but this recipe that I am sharing with you today has almond meal and I added in Cointreau to give some oomph to the flavour. Almond Sable Cookies  ~   杏仁奶油曲奇饼 (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 160 gm butter 80 gm icing sugar 2 egg yolks 2 tsp Cointreau 200 gm plain flour 50 gm almond meal 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg yolk for egg wash   Method Cream the butter and sugar till well incorporated.   Add in the egg yolks, one at a time. Sift in the plain flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well with a spatula. Mix in the almond meal, followed by the Cointreau. Dough is sticky.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick, in between two plastic sheets and place in the freezer to harden, about 30 mins. Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter (4.5 cm dia.)  Place the cookies on a parchment lined baki

  This dish of steamed chicken with slightly chewy and crunchy cordycep flowers (scientific name Cordyceps Militaris), also known as   虫草花   is delicious with added aroma from the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.  This dish can also be served as confinement food and I have posted a Cordycep flower chicken soup quite a while back.  You can check it out 'here' . Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers Ingredients 450 gm chicken, cut into bite sizes 8 gm Cordycep flowers 3 thin slices of ginger, cut into strips 10 red dates, deseeded 15 wolfberries (to sprinkle after chicken is cooked) 1.1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1.1/2 Tbsp sesame oil 1.1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp cornflour 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp water Method Marinate the chicken with wine, light soya sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and oyster sauce for a few hours or overnight. Wash and rinse the cordycep flowers and red dates. Mix into the marinated chicken, add in water and steam chicken on hight heat for about 20 minutes o

  These simple pumpkin muffins are easy to make as the ingredients are very basic.  These moist muffins brimming with cinnamon are suitable for breakfast, a lunchbox or after school snack for kids.  The whole house smells amazing while these are baking in the oven. Simple Pumpkin Muffin  ~   简单的南瓜玛芬    Ingredients 200 gm plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1.1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 2 'L' eggs 75 gm brown sugar (light or dark) 75 gm caster sugar 60 ml milk 1/2 cup oil 280 gm pumpkin puree (from fresh pumpkin) Method Cut the pumpkin, remove the stringy core and seeds, steam till soft.  Scrape up the soft pumpkin and use a fork to mash up the pumpkin or you can puree it in a blender.  Measure out 280 gm.  Set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Whisk till well incorporated. In another mixing bowl, whisk oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, brown and caster sugar till well combined.  Mi

Protein rich Silken Tau Fu/Beancurd by itself is bland in taste and therefore it needs to be cooked with some meat or seafood with some sauces added to it to make the dish tasty.  Tau fu with minced pork is a home-cooked dish that's very commonly found in a Chinese house-hold.  This is also a very quickie and easy way to cook tau fu to serve on the dining table in a relatively short time.  Mashed Silken Tau fu/Beancurd  ~  粉碎 豆腐     Ingredients 1 tub silken beancurd 2 shitake mushrooms, soaked to soften and cut into small pieces 50 gm pork fillet, cut into cubes 2 pips of garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp oyster sauce (divided) 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 egg white (optional) 1 tsp cornflour Salt to taste Sesame oil Method Season the pork with 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and cornflour, set aside. Saute the seasoned pork with the chopped garlic till fragrant.  Add in the shitake mushrooms, some water, simmer for a few minutes till the meat is cooked. Add in the silken

  One of my family's favourite to have for breakfast or tea is the evergreen Chiffon Cake, be it in whatever flavour.   I have posted different flavours of chiffon cakes on my blog and this time I used matcha powder, and chocolate powder mixed with matcha powder not only for flavour but to create some swirl patterns.  As always chiffon cakes are light, airy, soft and most delectable. Chocolate and Matcha Chiffon Cake  ~   巧克力抹茶戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 6 'L' egg yolks 90 gm caster sugar 75 ml milk 75 ml oil 75 gm plain flour 3 Tbsp cornflour a pinch of salt 2.1/4 tsp matcha powder (divided) 1/2 tsp chocolate powder 1/8 tsp vanilla (B) 6 'L' egg whites 65 gm caster sugar Method Sift the plain flour with the cornflour and salt.  Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar till creamy, add in the oil followed by the milk and mix till well combined.  Add in the sifted flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Divide the batter into 3 portions.  Sift in 1 tsp matcha powder into one por

  This is an easy peasy chicken dish to whip up in the kitchen which can pair well with plain white rice or plain congee.  Ingredients are not complicated and mostly available in the kitchen, but it's best to season the chicken first before stir frying them. Black Bean Sauce Chicken   ~   黑豆酱鸡 Ingredients 450 gm  chicken, cut into bite size (whole leg of chicken and breast) 2 tsp black bean sauce 4 pips of garlic, chopped 1 big onion cut into wedges 1 chilli, chopped 1 small Carrot, cut into slices Curry leaves Bit of sugar to taste Method Season the chicken with a pinch of salt. Saute the chopped garlic with the curry leaves and black bean sauce till fragrant. Add in the seasoned chicken, stir fry and sprinkle on some water if the dish is too dry. Simmer till chicken is cooked and tender. Add in the sliced carrot and onion wedges.  Fine tune to taste with a bit of sugar. Toss in the chopped chilli. Dish up to serve.

  Angel Food Cake is a meringue based sponge cake with no butter, no oil and no baking powder or any rising agent.  It's aerated texture comes from the beaten egg whites.  This cake is soft, cloud-like, pillowy with a slight tinge of orange and is great to serve as dessert with some whipped cream, berries and in my case I chose grapes. Angel Food Cake ~~  天使蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 100 gm superfine flour  (plain flour also can be used) 90 gm caster sugar    (B)                                                         1.1/4 cups egg whites (approx. from 9 'L' eggs)  90 gm caster sugar  1/4 tsp salt 1.1/2 tsp cream of tartar OR 2.1/2 tsp lemon juice        1/2 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla essence (I used vanilla paste) Method Pour the egg whites into a clean mixing bowl.  (Egg whites should be at room temperature for them to inflate well).  Set aside for about 30 mins. Mix the flour with the caster sugar, sift thrice.  Set aside. Add lemon juice, salt and vanilla paste into t

  Another quickie and fuss-free meat dish to serve on the table without a greasy kitchen to clean up later.  I used simple pantry ingredients to prepare this dish.  Just mix up the ingredients, rub the meat with some olive oil, coat the meat with the seasoning rub, give it a good massage.  Let the meat sit in the zip lock bag overnight in the fridge. Next day take the meat out to rest at room temperature, heat up the oven and the meat is ready to go into the oven. Oven Roasted Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Ingredients 550 gm pork tenderloin, cut into 2 Some olive oil 1.1/2 Tbsp honey 1.1/2 tsp light soy sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce 2 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp chopped ginger Lightly toasted sesame seeds Spring onions for garnishing Method Whisk, honey, teriyaki sauce, garlic, ginger together.  Set aside. Rub some olive oil on the meat. Place the marinade in a zip lock bag, add in the pork tenderloin, swish to let them coated.  Rest for a few hours or pre

  The recipe for these Raisin Buns was adapted from  my post of   Wool Roll Bread  but the buns were baked in a muffin pan instead.  I should have spaced out the buns in the pan for the second proofing to give more room for them to 'rise' so that they won't stick together.  A few of the buns rose much bigger and had to be gently 'separated' after baked.   Raisin Buns  ~   葡萄干包子 Ingredients 300 gm high protein flour or bread flour 30 gm sugar 1 tsp seasalt 1 egg  (55 gm or 65 gm) 80 ml for 55 gm egg or 70 ml milk if egg is 65 gm 25 gm melted butter Egg wash (1 whole egg + 1.1/2 tsp water to dilute) 80 gm raisins (soak in water for 5 mins. to plump them up) 80 ml warm milk )    Yeast  1 tsp dry yeast      )  mixture Method Prepare a greased muffin pan. Prepare the  yeast mixture by mixing 80 ml  warm  milk to 1 teasp of dry yeast.  Give it a stir and let rest for about 10 mins. to let it ferment. Mix the milk with melted butter.  (If using a 55 gm egg, make 80 ml milk

Another easy peasy way of making use of over-ripe bananas.  No mixer is required in this recipe, just mix everything together till fully incorporated.  This Banana Bread is moist with a bit of crunch from the almond topping and it tastes much better the next day when the flavours have been infused together. Moist Banana Almond Bread       Ingredients 3 over ripe bananas, mashed 2 'L'eggs, slightly beaten 160 gm plain flour 50 gm wholemeal flour 100 gm Rapadura sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate 1 tsp vanilla 30 gm almond slivers a pinch of salt Method Combine oil, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas. Sift in sodium bicarbonate, plain and wholemeal flour and salt.  Mix well. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.   Level the surface and tap the pan lightly to evenly distribute the batter. Sprinkle on the almond slivers. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 45 mins. to 1 hour till golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, let cool

  This is a quickie yet super tasty dish to serve on your dining table.  The chicken will release its juice into the steaming dish and paired with lap cheong, the taste is incredibly delicious.  The cornstarch gives the chicken a silky and smooth texture and with the all the seasoning infused together, I bet you'll need to cook extra rice for the family. Steamed chicken with Chinese sausages aka Lap Cheong ~  腊肠蒸鸡 Ingredients 350 gm deboned drumstick, cut into bite size 1/4 tsp seasalt 2 tsp oyster sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp cooking wine (divided) 1 tsp light soy sauce 2 to 3 Tbsp water 2 tsp cornflour 1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), sliced Spring onion to garnish Method Season the chicken with seasalt, oyster sauce, sesame oil, 1 Tbsp cooking wine, light soy sauce and cornflour for about 2 to 3 hours. Place the sliced  lap cheong on top of the chicken.  Add in water. Steam on high heat for about 15 mins. till chicken is done. Drizzle another tablespoon of cooking wine. Garnish

  Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees.  It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and  the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected.  Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest.  One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert  ~   天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or ove