Honey Cookies

Baking cookies are fun and it is our own preference to choose the type of cookies to bake with the texture of our choice, either be it crunchy, chewy, soft and melt-in-the-mouth, sweet or less sweet.  The cookies which I am going to share here is 'chewy' and can be served in duo-style, depending on our individual liking.  

(1)  Plain

(2) with filling as Sandwich

Ingredients: (Biscuits)

125g butter (room temperature)

90g caster sugar

250g flour

1 egg yolk

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/3 cup honey (warmed)

Filling

1 egg white

1/4 cup icing sugar (sifted)

2 tbsp butter (melted)

Pink coloring

Methods:

1. In an electric mixer beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add egg yolk and beat well.
2. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda together.  Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture together with the honey and mix using a spatula till well combined.
3. Knead dough gently on a floured surface.  Roll between two sheets of baking paper into about 4-5mm thickness. 
4. Using a cookie cutter of your choice cut cookies out from dough and arrange them on prepared baking tray lined with baking paper or parchment paper.  Repeat till all is completed.
5. Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degree Celsius for about 15 minutes and firm to the touch.  Take out from the oven, let it cool in the baking tray then transfer to a baking rack for further cooling and store in an airtight container.
6. To make filling, beat egg white until frothy, add in icing sugar (one spoonful at a time) and beat well after each addition.  Add melted butter and stir with a spatula until well combined.  Spoon half the filling into another bowl, add the pink coloring and mix well.
7. Sandwich some cookies with pink filling and some with the plain white.  Let cookies stand until filling is set and serve.

Healthy Morning Smoothies

Smoothies for breakfast??  Well, it might sound weird but it is indeed a healthy breakfast choice of milk, fruits, yogurt and  chia seeds.  It is simple to prepare and within minutes breakfast is served.  This is what you need and do.....

1. In a blender pour in 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup greek yogurt; 1 sliced banana; 1 chopped kiwi and a tablespoon of chia seeds.
2. Blend the mixture for a minute or so till well mixed.
3. Switch off the blender, give it a stir and pour into a glass.
4. Ready to serve.

Note: If the smoothies is too thick add a little more milk and blend for a few seconds more.  This is based on individual preference.

To go with my smoothies I choose a simple egg sandwich....

Tasty Savory Fried Fish

Ingredients:
1 piece fish of your choice (cleaned, wipe dry with kitchen towel)
1/2 tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp chopped red chillies
1 tbsp salted black beans (washed and drained)
few sprigs of coriander (cut into sections)
Tapioca flour (for dusting)
Cooking oil (for medium frying)

Seasoning:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Dash of chicken stock granules
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Methods:

1. Dust the fish with tapioca flour and medium fried in a heated wok with enough cooking oil until both sides are golden brown in colour and dish onto a plate.
2. Drain off excess oil leaving about 1 tbsp in the wok, saute chopped ginger until fragrant, follow by chopped chillies, garlic, salted black beans, coriander and give it a quick stir fry.
3. Add in the seasonings and stir well.
4. Put in the fried fish, stir and turn the fish to coat evenly with the ingredients, dish the fish onto a serving plate topped with the fried ingredients.
5. Serve with a plate of hot freshly cooked rice.

Note:  This tasty savory dish is a great booster to our appetite! The combination of fried ginger, garlic, chillies, salted black beans, coriander drizzled with the slight salty and sweet seasonings balanced out the whole dish.  If you intend to cook a fish dish with a tasty savory flavour, this is one dish to include in your home recipe.

One pot Cabbage Rice

As usual, I will cook a very simple and easy dish for lunch.  As I was browsing through the recipes of "The Domestic Goddess Wannabe" I found this attractive one pot dish. Cabbage, being my favourite ingredient I just can't resist cooking it straight away for my today's lunch.  As I am cooking it only for one portion I adjusted the recipes to suit my needs.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup long-grained rice (washed, put in the rice cooker and add water)

2 leaves cabbage (washed and torn into pieces)

1 large shiitake mushrooms (soaked and thinly sliced)

1/2 tbsp dried prawns (washed, soaked and drained)

Some sliced chicken breast (marinated with dash of light soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, grounded white pepper and cornflour)

1 1/2 cup water (for cooking the rice)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp light sauce

Dash of dark soya sauce

Chicken stock granules (to taste)

Dash of grounded white pepper

Methods:

1. In a heated wok, add in some cooking oil, fry the minced garlic till fragrant then add in the dried prawns.
2. Stir fry for a minute, then add in the marinated chicken breast and shiitake mushrooms and stir to mix well.
3. Season with light sauce, chicken stock granules, dark soya sauce and white pepper, stir and taste for correct seasoning.
4. Put in the cabbage, stir to coat the cabbages with the sauce, once properly mixed off the heat.
5. Spoon the fried ingredients together with the sauce onto the rice (let the ingredients sits on top of the rice and do not stir).
6. Press the COOK button.
7. When the water almost dries up, stir the ingredients and rice gently to mix.  Close the lid and continue cooking.
8. The cabbage will release some water as it cooks, so at the end of the cooking process check the doneness of the rice. If you prefer a more softer rice, add a little bit of water and continue to cook.  

To obtain the actual recipe click here

Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken thighs with skin (rinsed and pat dry)
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tbsp Sake
1/2 tbsp butter

Sauce:
1 1/4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Sake
1/2 tbsp Mirin
1/3 tbsp sugar

Methods:

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
2. In a heated wok add oil and fry the chicken, skin side first until nicely brown, flip over and continue with the other side till done.  Reduce the heat if the pan is too hot.
3. Add Sake and cook covered, turn the meat in between cooking until the liquid is almost dry.
4. Remove cover and continue until the chicken is almost cooked.  Use paper towel to wipe off any excess bits in the wok.
5. Add the sauce ingredients which have been pre-mixed in a bowl and coat the chicken pieces with a spoon.
6. When the sauce starts to thicken with bubbles on surface add butter and stir to mix till well combined.
7. When butter has melted, off the heat, dish onto a serving plate with the extra sauce over the top.

This Japanese recipe is adapted from Namiko Chen of 'Just One Cookbook.'  The quantity of the ingredients I used to cook this dish have been slightly altered to suit my family's requirements.  To view the original recipe click here

Tomato Rice served with Ayam Masak Merah

Tomato Rice served with Ayam Masak Merah makes a delicious 'one-plate meal.'  This is another yummylicious recipe which I've adapted from Sifu Kenneth Goh.  The quantity of the ingredients have been slightly adjusted to suit my family's requirements. 

(A) Ingredients: (for Tomato Rice)

2 cups rice

1cm. knob ginger (peeled and smashed)

1 small cinnamon stick

1 cloves

1 aniseed

3 cloves garlic (chopped)

1/2 cup milk

2 cups water

2 small tomatoes (cubed)

1/2 onion (cubed)

1 tbsp. tomato sauce

3 tbsp. tomato puree

1 tbsp. butter

Dash of salt and sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. In a heated wok melt butter and saute cinnamon stick, cloves, aniseed, ginger and chopped garlic till fragrant.
2. Add the tomatoes followed by the washed rice, tomato sauce and tomato puree. Stir-fry a few minutes until well mixed and aroma are well incorporated.
3. Transfer to the rice cooker. Add 1/2 cup milk and 2 cups water.  Normally I will use the proportion of 2 cup rice : 2 1/2 cup water.
4. Add salt and sugar, stir and taste for correct seasoning and cook in the rice cooker.
5. Fluff rice before serving.

(B) Ingredients: (for Ayam Masak Merah)

2 chicken thighs with drumstick (cut into big pieces)

1/2 can tomato puree

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 small tomatoes (cubed)

5 dried chillies (soaked and drained)

1/2 stick lemongrass (sliced)

1cm. knob ginger (peeled and sliced)

5 shallots (peeled and cut into chunk)

3 cloves garlic (peeled)

1/2 onion (peeled and cut into chunk)

2 tbsp. cooking oil

Salt and sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. In a blender put in dried chillies, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, onion, garlic and some water, blend into fine paste.
2. In a heated wok, add 2 tbsp cooking oil, saute the blended paste until fragrant and aromatic.
3. Add tomato sauce, tomato and tomato puree, bring to a boil and then add chicken pieces and cook till sauce dries up. It is advised that we do not add water when cooking at this stage provided if it is too dry.  However, constant stirring is needed to ensure that the bottom is not burnt. This dish should have a thick consistency when cooked.
4. Before off the heat add salt and sugar, stir to mix and taste. Let it sit in the pot for at least 15 minutes to half an hour before dishing up for serving.

Let's eat.......

Stir-fried savory bitter gourd

As usual, cooking lunch for only one person (myself) has always been a simple dish which favor myself and not much or even not at all for my family members.  Bitter gourd is one vegetable which I love to eat and  I am always trying to think of cooking it with different styles, incorporating other seasonings and ingredients to come up with a new dish altogether, to enjoy and share.

This dish is new in my recipe list, and for those bitter gourd lovers, I trust that you too will enjoy it with a plate of freshly cooked fluffy white rice.  It's SIMPLE YET YUMMYLICIOUS ~ smile ~

Ingredients: (serves 1)
1/2 bitter gourd (washed, cored and sliced to 1/2cm thickness)
Few pieces chicken (cut into small chunks, to ease cooking time)
1 medium red chilli (washed, deseeded and sliced)
Few slices ginger (thinly sliced)
1/2 tbsp. kei chi (washed and drained)
1 1/2 tbsp. cooking oil
Water

Marinade: (for the chicken)
1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp. minced ginger 
dash of sugar

Seasoning:
Salt (to taste)

Methods:

1. In a wok of medium heat drizzle in cooking oil, add in ginger slices and fry till fragrant.
2. Add in the bitter gourd slices, give it a quick stir, then move the bitter gourd to the sides of the wok, put the marinated chicken pieces into the center of the wok (leave the marinating juice for later use), turn to let the chicken sear with the oil in the wok.
3. Stir and mix the bitter gourd and chicken pieces together, add in the marinating juice, sliced chilli, kei chi and some water.
4. Continue to stir-fry, taste for correct seasoning and add salt and more water if necessary.
5. Once cooked, off the heat, dish and it is time for LUNCH!